Hi y'all!
Now that fifth generation is pretty much in the rearview mirror, I've decided to share my favorite team I've ever made. I peaked at 1961 on PS! and I enjoyed how fun it was to battle (i.e. win a lot of matches I shouldn't have won) with this group.
The team name is "Surprise Choices" for four reasons:
The Team:
Scorpio (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spd
Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Taunt
I usually lead with Gliscor approximately 75-80% of the time, particularly when I see Forretress, Ferrothorn, or, to a lesser extent, Landorus-T on the opposing squad. It's Taunt is able to stop their hazard setup pretty easily and they do hardly any damage to Gliscor in return (barring HP Ice). Additionally, Gliscor is able to Toxic Landorus-T and Protect to do a bit of stalling. Against more offensive teams, Gliscor does well against Breloom leads that want to get in a quick Spore. This is where Protect comes in handy, as it activates Toxic Orb/Poison Heal without any drawbacks. Toxic and Earthquake should take care of Breloom from there. Garchomp leads are a little tougher to handle as they can get up rocks without any issues and start attacking from there. Chomp Outrages are much tougher to repeatedly handle than Landorus-T Stone Edges.
I still have to be careful with Gliscor as he's my only physical wall. Scarf Salamence, SD Scizor, DD Nite, Terrakion, Scarf Chomp, and SD Lucario can all ram through my team should Gliscor bite the dust unexpectedly or if they're able to set up a boost or two.
Misty (Starmie) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Trick
I lead with Starmie roughly 20% of the time. It's a great anti-lead against Mamoswine as it can really take it apart with Hydro Pump. Sash Mamo will be able to lay rocks, but I don't care about SR all that much since my Starmie doesn't carry Rapid Spin. I actually care about Starmie the least since it's main job is to lure in some major defensive threats especially Gastrodon, Blissey, and SpDef Celebi and give them a Burberry scarf as a present and handcuff them for the rest of the match. Starmie's extremely fast Trick can also cripple setup sweepers such as Growth Venusaur. Starmie gets bonus points for its Trick abilities because it can handle almost any item it gets in return.
The Scarf isn't entirely used for Trick purposes. If an opposing team carries a handful of speedy setup sweepers, Starmie can bale me out with it's sky-high speed. Salamence, Dragonite, Nasty Plot Thundurus-T, and Volcarona (sort of...) are all threats that Starmie can switch into and revenge kill. Starmie is usually my first casualty in any given match because of Pursuit, but nbd. It usually isn't meant to last more than halfway through a match anyway. It's job can be done within the first 4 or 5 turns in any match. However, I do like to have Starmie around as it handles Keldeo pretty well and is a great offensive presence in general, especially with the Analytic power boost on the opposing switch.
Sahara (Tyranitar) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Fire Blast
I rarely lead with Tyranitar (<5% of the time), but I try to get her in play early to set up SR, which she can do pretty easily against most SR Pokemon. My team is by no means a sand team, but Tyranitar does help keep the weather at a more neutral playing field while buffing it's SDef at the same time. Tyranitar, in conjunction with Latias, takes on the role of defending against most special attackers. Jolteon, Magnezone lacking Flash Cannon, Heatran, Sub-Attacking Kyurem-B, and Ninetales are all walled pretty thoroughly.
I chose Fire Blast over Superpower mainly because SD Scizor scares me more than SD Terrakion. If a Scizor is feeling brave enough to set up, I can take it out before any damage is done. Fire Blast also demolishes Forretress and Ferrothorn, preventing rocks from being spun or additional hazards being set up.
BoyBlue (Lucario) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Aura Sphere
- Shadow Ball
- Vacuum Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Lucario is subjectively one of my four favorite Pokemon (behind Electrode and Forretress, tied with Umbreon), but it is also one of my favorite lures. This set requires immense prediction, but can completely change the game. When the opponent sees Lucario in the team preview, the assumption is a Swords Dance set. Gliscor or Landorus-T switch in to wall and demolish Lucario with Earthquake. They get OHKO'd by HP Ice. Jellicent comes in and tries to throw you a burn. It gets 2KO'd by Shadow Ball. Skarmory or Hippowdon want to dissuade Lucario from staying in. They take heavy damage from Aura Sphere. What makes Specs Lucario even more effective is his access to Vacuum Wave, to dispatch weakened Scizor, Keldeo, or Terrakion that think they got your team cornered because they outspeed.
Lucario is the most important offensive Pokemon on my team since it is able to clear the way for Salamence to do his thing without getting deterred by the above threats. Once his role as a lure is given away, he still remains a threat just for the sheer damage output. Aura Sphere has a chance to OHKO Scizor after SR and 2KOs Politoed, SpDef Heatran, Donphan and Rotom-W (after SR damage). Shadow Ball 2KOs Lati@s and just misses the 2KO on SpDef Celebi. Vacuum Wave snuffs out Keldeo at 30%, Breloom at 52%, Garchomp at 29%, Scizor at 31%, Scarf Kyurem-B at 51%, and Sand-boosted Terrakion at 41%.
Fireball (Salamence) @ Dragon Gem
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
I love using Dragon Gem Salamence because it really does get the ball rolling when it comes to sweeping late game. I like to bluff a Scarf on Salamence and the bluff usually holds until the end of the match and I start my sweep, especially since I am quick to get rid of Starmie's scarf. Dragon Gem is a bit situational, but Expert Belt just doesn't do enough damage and is almost as situational and Dragon Claw has enough neutral coverage anyway to help break through and start the Moxie chain as quickly as possible.
I thought of using Yache Berry or Lum Berry, but those can potentially give away my bluff, as well. Besides Lucario or Starmie can usually take care of Mamo (or Weavile) earlier and status doesn't worry me as much with Latias on my team. Speaking of the devil:
UnitedAir (Latias) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Wish
- Healing Wish
She has saved my ass so, so many times. Ugh. I heart her. Healing Wish seems a little gimmicky, especially when it's not used with Dual Screens strategy, but I'm able to be much more aggressive knowing that I have her as a fallback. Her bulkiness, Roost, and Wish allow her to last for the entire match (until I ask her to die for me). She can still dish out blows with Draco Meteor, so that she's not completely helpless offensively.
What's lovely about Healing Wish is that it heals before hazard damage (a bunch of people seemed to not know this), so Salamence could be paralyzed or burned and hanging on by the thinnest of threads and still come back at 75% health and status-free. Lucario could get a second chance at punching holes in some major counters. Tyranitar can unexpectedly reclaim the weather war. Gliscor can tank that last Outrage. It's a lovely thing.
Threats:
The biggest threat this team faces is Gengar. If Focus Blast is true, it easily 2KOs Tyranitar. Since Tyranitar is my only Pokemon with SR, it sucks to lose her early. Latias can take one Shadow Ball and counter with Draco Meteor, but I usually have to bank on winning the speed tie to come out on top of that match up. Gengar can take 2 or 3 down with it, and I will admit that this team needs to be able to deal with him much better.
I also struggle against Sun teams with Dugtrio, Forretress, and Volcarona. Dugtrio can easily get rid of Tyranitar and keep the sun as a permanent fixture, Forretress has no problems spinning away rocks, and Volcarona can come in unencumbered and setup a Quiver Dance without fearing much damage from Starmie's Hydro Pump.
Hyper Offense teams can also wear me down quickly if I don't grab momentum from the start. Gliscor is great, but he's my only physical wall. Multiple Banded Outrages or Bullet Seeds or Stone Edges can bring it down and leave me with no defense to the onslaughts.
Conclusion:
Not only is this team fun to play with, it actually realizes good results! It is by no means perfect, but it makes laddering interesting. Using unexpected sets and seeing it pay dividends is very rewarding. Please leave comments or suggestions. Thanks!
Now that fifth generation is pretty much in the rearview mirror, I've decided to share my favorite team I've ever made. I peaked at 1961 on PS! and I enjoyed how fun it was to battle (i.e. win a lot of matches I shouldn't have won) with this group.
The team name is "Surprise Choices" for four reasons:
- A slightly surprising Scarfer
- A wildly surprising Specs user
- Bluffing a Scarf on Dragon Gem Salamence
- Sacrificing Latias to pull victory from the jaws of defeat
The Team:
Scorpio (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spd
Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Taunt
I usually lead with Gliscor approximately 75-80% of the time, particularly when I see Forretress, Ferrothorn, or, to a lesser extent, Landorus-T on the opposing squad. It's Taunt is able to stop their hazard setup pretty easily and they do hardly any damage to Gliscor in return (barring HP Ice). Additionally, Gliscor is able to Toxic Landorus-T and Protect to do a bit of stalling. Against more offensive teams, Gliscor does well against Breloom leads that want to get in a quick Spore. This is where Protect comes in handy, as it activates Toxic Orb/Poison Heal without any drawbacks. Toxic and Earthquake should take care of Breloom from there. Garchomp leads are a little tougher to handle as they can get up rocks without any issues and start attacking from there. Chomp Outrages are much tougher to repeatedly handle than Landorus-T Stone Edges.
I still have to be careful with Gliscor as he's my only physical wall. Scarf Salamence, SD Scizor, DD Nite, Terrakion, Scarf Chomp, and SD Lucario can all ram through my team should Gliscor bite the dust unexpectedly or if they're able to set up a boost or two.
Misty (Starmie) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Trick
I lead with Starmie roughly 20% of the time. It's a great anti-lead against Mamoswine as it can really take it apart with Hydro Pump. Sash Mamo will be able to lay rocks, but I don't care about SR all that much since my Starmie doesn't carry Rapid Spin. I actually care about Starmie the least since it's main job is to lure in some major defensive threats especially Gastrodon, Blissey, and SpDef Celebi and give them a Burberry scarf as a present and handcuff them for the rest of the match. Starmie's extremely fast Trick can also cripple setup sweepers such as Growth Venusaur. Starmie gets bonus points for its Trick abilities because it can handle almost any item it gets in return.
The Scarf isn't entirely used for Trick purposes. If an opposing team carries a handful of speedy setup sweepers, Starmie can bale me out with it's sky-high speed. Salamence, Dragonite, Nasty Plot Thundurus-T, and Volcarona (sort of...) are all threats that Starmie can switch into and revenge kill. Starmie is usually my first casualty in any given match because of Pursuit, but nbd. It usually isn't meant to last more than halfway through a match anyway. It's job can be done within the first 4 or 5 turns in any match. However, I do like to have Starmie around as it handles Keldeo pretty well and is a great offensive presence in general, especially with the Analytic power boost on the opposing switch.
Sahara (Tyranitar) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Fire Blast
I rarely lead with Tyranitar (<5% of the time), but I try to get her in play early to set up SR, which she can do pretty easily against most SR Pokemon. My team is by no means a sand team, but Tyranitar does help keep the weather at a more neutral playing field while buffing it's SDef at the same time. Tyranitar, in conjunction with Latias, takes on the role of defending against most special attackers. Jolteon, Magnezone lacking Flash Cannon, Heatran, Sub-Attacking Kyurem-B, and Ninetales are all walled pretty thoroughly.
I chose Fire Blast over Superpower mainly because SD Scizor scares me more than SD Terrakion. If a Scizor is feeling brave enough to set up, I can take it out before any damage is done. Fire Blast also demolishes Forretress and Ferrothorn, preventing rocks from being spun or additional hazards being set up.
BoyBlue (Lucario) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Aura Sphere
- Shadow Ball
- Vacuum Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Lucario is subjectively one of my four favorite Pokemon (behind Electrode and Forretress, tied with Umbreon), but it is also one of my favorite lures. This set requires immense prediction, but can completely change the game. When the opponent sees Lucario in the team preview, the assumption is a Swords Dance set. Gliscor or Landorus-T switch in to wall and demolish Lucario with Earthquake. They get OHKO'd by HP Ice. Jellicent comes in and tries to throw you a burn. It gets 2KO'd by Shadow Ball. Skarmory or Hippowdon want to dissuade Lucario from staying in. They take heavy damage from Aura Sphere. What makes Specs Lucario even more effective is his access to Vacuum Wave, to dispatch weakened Scizor, Keldeo, or Terrakion that think they got your team cornered because they outspeed.
Lucario is the most important offensive Pokemon on my team since it is able to clear the way for Salamence to do his thing without getting deterred by the above threats. Once his role as a lure is given away, he still remains a threat just for the sheer damage output. Aura Sphere has a chance to OHKO Scizor after SR and 2KOs Politoed, SpDef Heatran, Donphan and Rotom-W (after SR damage). Shadow Ball 2KOs Lati@s and just misses the 2KO on SpDef Celebi. Vacuum Wave snuffs out Keldeo at 30%, Breloom at 52%, Garchomp at 29%, Scizor at 31%, Scarf Kyurem-B at 51%, and Sand-boosted Terrakion at 41%.
Fireball (Salamence) @ Dragon Gem
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
I love using Dragon Gem Salamence because it really does get the ball rolling when it comes to sweeping late game. I like to bluff a Scarf on Salamence and the bluff usually holds until the end of the match and I start my sweep, especially since I am quick to get rid of Starmie's scarf. Dragon Gem is a bit situational, but Expert Belt just doesn't do enough damage and is almost as situational and Dragon Claw has enough neutral coverage anyway to help break through and start the Moxie chain as quickly as possible.
I thought of using Yache Berry or Lum Berry, but those can potentially give away my bluff, as well. Besides Lucario or Starmie can usually take care of Mamo (or Weavile) earlier and status doesn't worry me as much with Latias on my team. Speaking of the devil:
UnitedAir (Latias) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Wish
- Healing Wish
She has saved my ass so, so many times. Ugh. I heart her. Healing Wish seems a little gimmicky, especially when it's not used with Dual Screens strategy, but I'm able to be much more aggressive knowing that I have her as a fallback. Her bulkiness, Roost, and Wish allow her to last for the entire match (until I ask her to die for me). She can still dish out blows with Draco Meteor, so that she's not completely helpless offensively.
What's lovely about Healing Wish is that it heals before hazard damage (a bunch of people seemed to not know this), so Salamence could be paralyzed or burned and hanging on by the thinnest of threads and still come back at 75% health and status-free. Lucario could get a second chance at punching holes in some major counters. Tyranitar can unexpectedly reclaim the weather war. Gliscor can tank that last Outrage. It's a lovely thing.
Threats:
The biggest threat this team faces is Gengar. If Focus Blast is true, it easily 2KOs Tyranitar. Since Tyranitar is my only Pokemon with SR, it sucks to lose her early. Latias can take one Shadow Ball and counter with Draco Meteor, but I usually have to bank on winning the speed tie to come out on top of that match up. Gengar can take 2 or 3 down with it, and I will admit that this team needs to be able to deal with him much better.
I also struggle against Sun teams with Dugtrio, Forretress, and Volcarona. Dugtrio can easily get rid of Tyranitar and keep the sun as a permanent fixture, Forretress has no problems spinning away rocks, and Volcarona can come in unencumbered and setup a Quiver Dance without fearing much damage from Starmie's Hydro Pump.
Hyper Offense teams can also wear me down quickly if I don't grab momentum from the start. Gliscor is great, but he's my only physical wall. Multiple Banded Outrages or Bullet Seeds or Stone Edges can bring it down and leave me with no defense to the onslaughts.
Conclusion:
Not only is this team fun to play with, it actually realizes good results! It is by no means perfect, but it makes laddering interesting. Using unexpected sets and seeing it pay dividends is very rewarding. Please leave comments or suggestions. Thanks!
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