Hey all!
I'm brand new to competitive battling, so apologies if this team has some really glaring weaknesses or flaws. I've basically thrown this together quickly based on my understanding of the game, though of course this is pretty limited haha. Also, sorry if my explanations don't make sense or I just say stuff that's flat out wrong. Anyway, here goes nothing;
Ampharos-Mega @ Ampharosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Dragon Pulse
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Fire
Mega Ampharos is good due to its crazy SpA stat, which combined with the rain from Pelipper, allows it monstrous damage from Thunder. It's Hidden Power Fire gives it coverage against Ice Types which might otherwise cause it trouble. I opted for Volt Tackle over Iron Tail, and although it is weak to Fairy, Volt Tackle gives Mega Ampharos a good escape route. It is on the slower side however, so I specced SpD to improve Mega Ampharos’ chances of surviving a big hit from fairy types such as Diance, Magearna, and Tapu Lele. Finally, Dragon Pulse is a good move for when rain stops or against ground types. Overall, Mega Ampharos’ weaknesses are mainly Fairy and Ground types, which comes around due to it’s painful speed. However, a SpA stat of almost 500 is good enough to justify it for me, especially with the 110 power Thunder.
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def
Bold Nature
- Defog
- Hurricane
- Ice Beam
- Roost
Pelipper is more of a utility Pokémon chosen for its ability Drizzle, and it’s Flying typing. I chose it over Politoed so that it can play a support role for Mega Ampharos, since it is immune to Ground types. It’s better SpA also allows it to dish out more damage, at the expense of lower defences. Pelipper’s main role, however, is simply to summon rain whenever it enters the battlefield. Defog allows it to fulfil another role at the beginning of a battle, making it a relatively decent choice to open with. Hurricane provides STAB damage, while Ice Beam is there to deter ground types that Mega Ampharos can’t deal with. Finally, Roost allows Pelipper to have a bit more longevity, although similarly to Mega Ampharos, Pelipper is a little on the slow side. Electric and Rock types are both big treats to Pelipper, though the combination of Drizzle, Ice Beam, and Defog all function to assist the team, allowing them to cover most of the threats Pelipper will face.
Florges @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Wish
- Synthesis
- Moonblast
Florges was an… interesting Pokémon to choose. On it’s own, it doesn’t have fantastic stats or a good ability, but the supportive move pool really lets it shine as a Cleric on my team. A crazy 154 base SpD allows it to tank a couple of Poison hits (though not a ton), but protection against Steel moves is lacking. Synthesis provides some needed bulk whenever needed, and Wish alongside Aromatherapy work wonders for team support. Moonblast is a good Fairy type move which checks Dragon Types. With STAB it hits for decent damage and the chance to lower SpA makes it worthwhile. While there probably is a better alternative to Florges, I’m pretty happy with how it works with the team at the moment.
Landorus-Therian @ Full Incense
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def
Serious Nature
- Brick Break
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Earthquake
Intimidate is great. So is a Ground/Flying type. While it has a large weakness to Ice (similar to Mega Ampharos), it also gets Brick Break, which is a decent enough move on it’s own. U-Turn allows for a switch in for any Pokémon (ensured to be safe as long as the Full Incense is still there), providing an emergency escape if needed. Earthquake and Outrage are just there for big damage when the time comes. Landorus-T isn’t really a staple of this team, but he has some special characteristics that make him rather valuable.
Toxicroak @ Steelium Z
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
Toxicroak plays a large role in this team. Priority in Bullet Punch, and regeneration in Drain Punch make Toxicroak a kind of fall-back. While he’s not the strongest in the team, he does provide some nice coverage against pesky Ice types, and Knock Off carries some good utility as well. Poison Jab is a good option against Fairy types, as well. Toxicroak also has the ability Dry Skin, which allows for some synergy with the rain that Ampharos Mega and Pelipper thrive in. Toxicroak may not be the powerhouse of the team, but he carries some background power for when it’s needed.
Blacephalon @ Flame Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA
Mild Nature
- Mind Blown
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
Toxicroak’s weakness to Psychic and an overall team weakness to Ice calls for Blacephalon – the Fire/Ghost type from across the dimensions. Besides having ridiculous attack stats, Blacephalon boasts Beast Boost (try saying that 5 times fast), which keeps his SpA at ridiculous levels. Trick + Flame Orb leads to some nasty tricks as well. Blacephalon is another juggernaut of the team, with Mind Blown serving to decimate opponents that poses a serious, immediate threat (usually).
Well, that's it I guess. Any and all feedback is welcome. Hopefully it's not too terrible. I know it's almost certainly bad, but that's why I'm here - to get some feedback and improve as a teambuilder and player!
Thank you all!
(Also, thanks to @Retrospective for the idea to use Pokémon Shuffle icons)
I'm brand new to competitive battling, so apologies if this team has some really glaring weaknesses or flaws. I've basically thrown this together quickly based on my understanding of the game, though of course this is pretty limited haha. Also, sorry if my explanations don't make sense or I just say stuff that's flat out wrong. Anyway, here goes nothing;
Ampharos-Mega @ Ampharosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Dragon Pulse
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Fire
Mega Ampharos is good due to its crazy SpA stat, which combined with the rain from Pelipper, allows it monstrous damage from Thunder. It's Hidden Power Fire gives it coverage against Ice Types which might otherwise cause it trouble. I opted for Volt Tackle over Iron Tail, and although it is weak to Fairy, Volt Tackle gives Mega Ampharos a good escape route. It is on the slower side however, so I specced SpD to improve Mega Ampharos’ chances of surviving a big hit from fairy types such as Diance, Magearna, and Tapu Lele. Finally, Dragon Pulse is a good move for when rain stops or against ground types. Overall, Mega Ampharos’ weaknesses are mainly Fairy and Ground types, which comes around due to it’s painful speed. However, a SpA stat of almost 500 is good enough to justify it for me, especially with the 110 power Thunder.
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def
Bold Nature
- Defog
- Hurricane
- Ice Beam
- Roost
Pelipper is more of a utility Pokémon chosen for its ability Drizzle, and it’s Flying typing. I chose it over Politoed so that it can play a support role for Mega Ampharos, since it is immune to Ground types. It’s better SpA also allows it to dish out more damage, at the expense of lower defences. Pelipper’s main role, however, is simply to summon rain whenever it enters the battlefield. Defog allows it to fulfil another role at the beginning of a battle, making it a relatively decent choice to open with. Hurricane provides STAB damage, while Ice Beam is there to deter ground types that Mega Ampharos can’t deal with. Finally, Roost allows Pelipper to have a bit more longevity, although similarly to Mega Ampharos, Pelipper is a little on the slow side. Electric and Rock types are both big treats to Pelipper, though the combination of Drizzle, Ice Beam, and Defog all function to assist the team, allowing them to cover most of the threats Pelipper will face.
Florges @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Wish
- Synthesis
- Moonblast
Florges was an… interesting Pokémon to choose. On it’s own, it doesn’t have fantastic stats or a good ability, but the supportive move pool really lets it shine as a Cleric on my team. A crazy 154 base SpD allows it to tank a couple of Poison hits (though not a ton), but protection against Steel moves is lacking. Synthesis provides some needed bulk whenever needed, and Wish alongside Aromatherapy work wonders for team support. Moonblast is a good Fairy type move which checks Dragon Types. With STAB it hits for decent damage and the chance to lower SpA makes it worthwhile. While there probably is a better alternative to Florges, I’m pretty happy with how it works with the team at the moment.
Landorus-Therian @ Full Incense
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def
Serious Nature
- Brick Break
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Earthquake
Intimidate is great. So is a Ground/Flying type. While it has a large weakness to Ice (similar to Mega Ampharos), it also gets Brick Break, which is a decent enough move on it’s own. U-Turn allows for a switch in for any Pokémon (ensured to be safe as long as the Full Incense is still there), providing an emergency escape if needed. Earthquake and Outrage are just there for big damage when the time comes. Landorus-T isn’t really a staple of this team, but he has some special characteristics that make him rather valuable.
Toxicroak @ Steelium Z
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
Blacephalon @ Flame Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA
Mild Nature
- Mind Blown
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
Toxicroak’s weakness to Psychic and an overall team weakness to Ice calls for Blacephalon – the Fire/Ghost type from across the dimensions. Besides having ridiculous attack stats, Blacephalon boasts Beast Boost (try saying that 5 times fast), which keeps his SpA at ridiculous levels. Trick + Flame Orb leads to some nasty tricks as well. Blacephalon is another juggernaut of the team, with Mind Blown serving to decimate opponents that poses a serious, immediate threat (usually).
Well, that's it I guess. Any and all feedback is welcome. Hopefully it's not too terrible. I know it's almost certainly bad, but that's why I'm here - to get some feedback and improve as a teambuilder and player!
Thank you all!
(Also, thanks to @Retrospective for the idea to use Pokémon Shuffle icons)
