National Dex Shell Smash Torkoal + Mega Garchomp and Buzzwole Bulky Offense

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Hi everyone!!! This is my first post on the forums, and I'm really hyped to share this team I've made here with you guys! :)

I hope you guys like it and make sure to leave any critics and suggestions on the reply section!



Shell Smash Torkoal + Mega Garchomp and Buzzwole Bulky Offense

1. Introduction
I make a lot of teams, in fact, I'd consider teambuilding one of my favorite hobbies, but only a few of them end up working as much as I had planned. Still, some weeks ago I was trying a Torkoal+Venusaur combo on SS UU and, altough Venusaur is the star of that duo, Torkoal really caught my attention, I already like the fire tortoise designwise, so I might as well give it a shot at making it shine. And as I was already being a tad creative by trying to play Torkoal in a more offensive way, I might as well try some other mons I haven't played a lot before, and that's when Buzzwole and Mega Chomp came to mind, both which I was really wanting to try out, specially Buzzwole, my past experiences with the Ultra Beasts were not impressive, but people kept telling me it was a great wall and countered a lot of offensive powerhouses as Weavile and Rillaboom, so I gave it a shot and this time it worked really well!

2. Team Sets

P6262_701-05736_01.jpg

(Got the plush images idea from another user on the Rate My Team forums)

Torkoal @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Drought
EVs: 116 HP / 136 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Shell Smash
- Solar Beam

Torkoal's defensive capabilities are well known, 70 base HP and 140 base Defense make it quite a tanky mon, and it is quite unlikely to get OHKO'd, but instead of giving it a heat rock and playing it as the usual sun setter, as the title suggests, this time Torkoal is running a Shell Smash set with 3 other attacks to help ir tear throught the opposing team. A sun boosted Fire Blast will cause considerable damage to almost any opposing mon, but it can also be swapped with Lava Plume for the 100% accuracy and the 30% burn chance. Originally I tested Eruption on it, but it's low speed usually makes it take a hit before attacking and thus reducing Eruption's power, but I could see potential for it if played in a Trick Room team I suppose. Earth Power and Solar Beam are pretty good coverage moves and can really help Torkoal to punish mons switching in, Solar Beam specifically is instantly powered by the sun and can make quick work of counters such as Gastrodon, which otherwise would not be expecting the move. As some last observations, this set does not require Torkoal to Shell Smash to be efficient since even with the Speed Boost, Torkoal still remains a slow Pokémon. The big bonus Shell Smash grants would be the doubled Special Attack, which is also why I can see this set being used whit White Herb instead of Heavy-Duty-Boots since one of the flaws of this team is the lack of hazard control, so I want to avoid getting cheaped by Stealth Rock and/or Spikes on the field.


D_NQ_NP_655943-MLB40539170642_012020-O.jpg

Buzzwole @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 108 Def / 108 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch

Buzzwole for me right now is the definition of Bulky Offense, 107 Base HP and Base 139 Attack and Defense allows it to take strong hits like Outrage from Garchomp without much trouble, completely neutralize threats like Kartana while also punishing attackers with its Rocky Helmet. This rather common set on Buzzwole can also be used with Leftovers or Heavy-Duty-Boots, but in my opinion Roost takes care of the healing necessity, personally I also prefer the damage from Rocky Helmet over the immunity to hazards, but both can be viable depending on which one you prefer. In general, Buzzwole is a pokémon that really shines in the coverage department while also boasting a mighty STAB boosted Close Combat, meaning it is highly likely for it to be dishing out powerful moves regardless on the pokémon coming onto the field, wether being by demolishing Ferrothorns, Blisseys or Excadrills with CC or by wearing down incoming checks such as Zapdos and Corviknight with Ice and Thunder punches.


D_NQ_NP_727325-MLB46364891531_062021-O.jpg

Garchomp @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Scale Shot
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

By now everyone and their mother knows that it's usually not worth it to run Mega Garchomp instead of regular Garchomp due to the speed drop, and because of that I almost never used it's mega version. But this time I've decided to give it a shot, and, it is surprisingly good! Not only does Mega Chomp specialize in taking down walls with its inhuman Base 170 attack, but it can also find ways around the speed issue by using Scale Shot. Earthquake and Stone Edge are by themselves amazing moves and in the hands (or in this case scythes) of Mega Garchomp they are sure to be dealing huge amounts of damage. At last, swords dance needs no introduction, it is a great move to take the already insane attack stat of this beast to jaw dropping amounts.

P5162_701-04131_01_full.jpg

Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Substitute
- Glare
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Ah, the Contrary Serperior set. It is pretty simple, but it's still effective. Getting your Special Attack super high is no problem with Contrary Leaf Storm, it also synergizes pretty well with HP fire which completely melts counters like Corviknight or Ferrothorn. Glare and Substitute are nice tools to guarantee more longevity when combined with Leftovers, and more longevity means more Special Attack, and more Special Attack means more KO's. Serperior as a whole does the job of being a constant threat amazingly, forcing the opponent to keep a check for it healthy or otherwise risk getting swept later by contrary Leaf Storm.

P8022_701-29595_01_full.jpg

Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP / 236 Def / 16 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon

Magnezone is one of my favorite pokémon and also one of the mons I like to use the most. This movepool is pretty standard but still pretty effective for it's purpose, that being trapping steel types and taking them down with body press. Magnezone works pretty well defensively and also brings the much needed fairy counter to the team. As well as being the only electric type on the team. I do feel like if I was to substitute a pokémon on this team it would probably be Zone, but it still aggregates to the whole team with the Steel and Electric moves.
Takara-tomy-figura-de-a-o-colecion-vel-de-pok-mon-figura-de-a-o-para.jpg

(There is no Tapu Fini plush :[ )
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 236 HP / 80 Def / 192 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Taunt
- Scald
- Draining Kiss

Tapu Fini is my last pick for this team and is another one that I think can be replaced, but I needed a fairy type and also a water type, so Fini took the spot. Taunt is one of my favorite moves and makes most stall mons such as Pex to become free calm mind for me. Misty Terrain is also pretty nice because pretty much noone on my team takes status really well, and the only status condition I'm running is Glare on Serperior. But besides that I think there might be better options, I'm not really sure.


3. Weaknesses

As I said, most of the team's weaknesses are in hazard removal and in the fact it only has 1 fairy counter. But besides that, some threats I named are:
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5e86b5574caa02654a7c5c9514707dff4c4c2643_00.gif
xxIyqHe.gif
Gyarados.gif

(If someone could tell me the name of a site to get all the 3D animations that would also be appreciated)

I hope you liked the team idea! If this goes well I might bring other team concepts I've built as well. See ya later and stay cool. :)


 

Sulo

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National Dex Leader
View attachment 454129


Hi everyone!!! This is my first post on the forums, and I'm really hyped to share this team I've made here with you guys! :)

I hope you guys like it and make sure to leave any critics and suggestions on the reply section!



Shell Smash Torkoal + Mega Garchomp and Buzzwole Bulky Offense

1. Introduction
I make a lot of teams, in fact, I'd consider teambuilding one of my favorite hobbies, but only a few of them end up working as much as I had planned. Still, some weeks ago I was trying a Torkoal+Venusaur combo on SS UU and, altough Venusaur is the star of that duo, Torkoal really caught my attention, I already like the fire tortoise designwise, so I might as well give it a shot at making it shine. And as I was already being a tad creative by trying to play Torkoal in a more offensive way, I might as well try some other mons I haven't played a lot before, and that's when Buzzwole and Mega Chomp came to mind, both which I was really wanting to try out, specially Buzzwole, my past experiences with the Ultra Beasts were not impressive, but people kept telling me it was a great wall and countered a lot of offensive powerhouses as Weavile and Rillaboom, so I gave it a shot and this time it worked really well!

2. Team Sets

View attachment 454133
(Got the plush images idea from another user on the Rate My Team forums)

Torkoal @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Drought
EVs: 116 HP / 136 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Shell Smash
- Solar Beam

Torkoal's defensive capabilities are well known, 70 base HP and 140 base Defense make it quite a tanky mon, and it is quite unlikely to get OHKO'd, but instead of giving it a heat rock and playing it as the usual sun setter, as the title suggests, this time Torkoal is running a Shell Smash set with 3 other attacks to help ir tear throught the opposing team. A sun boosted Fire Blast will cause considerable damage to almost any opposing mon, but it can also be swapped with Lava Plume for the 100% accuracy and the 30% burn chance. Originally I tested Eruption on it, but it's low speed usually makes it take a hit before attacking and thus reducing Eruption's power, but I could see potential for it if played in a Trick Room team I suppose. Earth Power and Solar Beam are pretty good coverage moves and can really help Torkoal to punish mons switching in, Solar Beam specifically is instantly powered by the sun and can make quick work of counters such as Gastrodon, which otherwise would not be expecting the move. As some last observations, this set does not require Torkoal to Shell Smash to be efficient since even with the Speed Boost, Torkoal still remains a slow Pokémon. The big bonus Shell Smash grants would be the doubled Special Attack, which is also why I can see this set being used whit White Herb instead of Heavy-Duty-Boots since one of the flaws of this team is the lack of hazard control, so I want to avoid getting cheaped by Stealth Rock and/or Spikes on the field.


View attachment 454144
Buzzwole @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 108 Def / 108 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch

Buzzwole for me right now is the definition of Bulky Offense, 107 Base HP and Base 139 Attack and Defense allows it to take strong hits like Outrage from Garchomp without much trouble, completely neutralize threats like Kartana while also punishing attackers with its Rocky Helmet. This rather common set on Buzzwole can also be used with Leftovers or Heavy-Duty-Boots, but in my opinion Roost takes care of the healing necessity, personally I also prefer the damage from Rocky Helmet over the immunity to hazards, but both can be viable depending on which one you prefer. In general, Buzzwole is a pokémon that really shines in the coverage department while also boasting a mighty STAB boosted Close Combat, meaning it is highly likely for it to be dishing out powerful moves regardless on the pokémon coming onto the field, wether being by demolishing Ferrothorns, Blisseys or Excadrills with CC or by wearing down incoming checks such as Zapdos and Corviknight with Ice and Thunder punches.


View attachment 454150
Garchomp @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Scale Shot
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

By now everyone and their mother knows that it's usually not worth it to run Mega Garchomp instead of regular Garchomp due to the speed drop, and because of that I almost never used it's mega version. But this time I've decided to give it a shot, and, it is surprisingly good! Not only does Mega Chomp specialize in taking down walls with its inhuman Base 170 attack, but it can also find ways around the speed issue by using Scale Shot. Earthquake and Stone Edge are by themselves amazing moves and in the hands (or in this case scythes) of Mega Garchomp they are sure to be dealing huge amounts of damage. At last, swords dance needs no introduction, it is a great move to take the already insane attack stat of this beast to jaw dropping amounts.

View attachment 454156
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Substitute
- Glare
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Ah, the Contrary Serperior set. It is pretty simple, but it's still effective. Getting your Special Attack super high is no problem with Contrary Leaf Storm, it also synergizes pretty well with HP fire which completely melts counters like Corviknight or Ferrothorn. Glare and Substitute are nice tools to guarantee more longevity when combined with Leftovers, and more longevity means more Special Attack, and more Special Attack means more KO's. Serperior as a whole does the job of being a constant threat amazingly, forcing the opponent to keep a check for it healthy or otherwise risk getting swept later by contrary Leaf Storm.

View attachment 454158
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP / 236 Def / 16 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon

Magnezone is one of my favorite pokémon and also one of the mons I like to use the most. This movepool is pretty standard but still pretty effective for it's purpose, that being trapping steel types and taking them down with body press. Magnezone works pretty well defensively and also brings the much needed fairy counter to the team. As well as being the only electric type on the team. I do feel like if I was to substitute a pokémon on this team it would probably be Zone, but it still aggregates to the whole team with the Steel and Electric moves.
View attachment 454159
(There is no Tapu Fini plush :[ )
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 236 HP / 80 Def / 192 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Taunt
- Scald
- Draining Kiss

Tapu Fini is my last pick for this team and is another one that I think can be replaced, but I needed a fairy type and also a water type, so Fini took the spot. Taunt is one of my favorite moves and makes most stall mons such as Pex to become free calm mind for me. Misty Terrain is also pretty nice because pretty much noone on my team takes status really well, and the only status condition I'm running is Glare on Serperior. But besides that I think there might be better options, I'm not really sure.


3. Weaknesses

As I said, most of the team's weaknesses are in hazard removal and in the fact it only has 1 fairy counter. But besides that, some threats I named are:
View attachment 454168View attachment 454170View attachment 454171View attachment 454173
(If someone could tell me the name of a site to get all the 3D animations that would also be appreciated)

I hope you liked the team idea! If this goes well I might bring other team concepts I've built as well. See ya later and stay cool. :)


hello! u can always use :Pokemon: or :ss/Pokemon: to insert sprites.

shell smash torkoal isn't the most viable thing in the world atm, but i'll keep it for this rate. you absolutely just need to go max special attack max speed timid nature, though, as torkoal is incredibly slow on its own and is still outsped by a lot after a shell smash, so it'll need all the speed it can get.. (252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe)

magnezone doesn't do much for this team as your steel type counterplay is perfectly solid already in torkoal fini buzzwole, so i'd remove that for :weavile:. specifically choice band weavile. it gets rid of some major roadblocks in mega latias and cripples chansey/garchomp

you're better off going :rotom-wash: over :tapu-fini:. rotom wash provides incredibly solid hazard removal, checks zapdos and can pivot out on volcarona so you can bring in an answer for free. it also baits ferrothorn and mega latias for torkoal and weavile respectively, allowing them to easily take advantage of them and give torkoal an easier time setting up.

i would definitely go :kartana: > :serperior: on this team; definitely appreciates how well torkoal baits heatran and gliscor and how weavile deals with some roadblocks for it as well.

:landorus-therian: > :garchomp-mega: and :lopunny-mega: > :buzzwole:. these changes give you stealth rock, which you lacked beforehand, a more consistent pivot into your setup sweeper, and a way to offensively threaten the opposing weavile much more easily. i made it hp ice because scarf lando can be incredibly annoying even after torkoal gets a shell smash up.

final team: https://pokepast.es/1db1003f68697518
 
hello! u can always use :Pokemon: or :ss/Pokemon: to insert sprites.

shell smash torkoal isn't the most viable thing in the world atm, but i'll keep it for this rate. you absolutely just need to go max special attack max speed timid nature, though, as torkoal is incredibly slow on its own and is still outsped by a lot after a shell smash, so it'll need all the speed it can get.. (252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe)

magnezone doesn't do much for this team as your steel type counterplay is perfectly solid already in torkoal fini buzzwole, so i'd remove that for :weavile:. specifically choice band weavile. it gets rid of some major roadblocks in mega latias and cripples chansey/garchomp

you're better off going :rotom-wash: over :tapu-fini:. rotom wash provides incredibly solid hazard removal, checks zapdos and can pivot out on volcarona so you can bring in an answer for free. it also baits ferrothorn and mega latias for torkoal and weavile respectively, allowing them to easily take advantage of them and give torkoal an easier time setting up.

i would definitely go :kartana: > :serperior: on this team; definitely appreciates how well torkoal baits heatran and gliscor and how weavile deals with some roadblocks for it as well.

:landorus-therian: > :garchomp-mega: and :lopunny-mega: > :buzzwole:. these changes give you stealth rock, which you lacked beforehand, a more consistent pivot into your setup sweeper, and a way to offensively threaten the opposing weavile much more easily. i made it hp ice because scarf lando can be incredibly annoying even after torkoal gets a shell smash up.

final team: https://pokepast.es/1db1003f68697518
Thank you for the rating! Been trying out the team and it's really coming along!
 

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