Monotype Triple Choice and Mega Gardevoir Psychic

[Grimoire of Marisa]

Marisa's Retired Laddering Team

DeviantArt (Gardevoir-Mega) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast

Fatass (Slowbro) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave

Satori (Jirachi) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn
- Healing Wish

I love you (Victini) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- V-create
- Bolt Strike
- U-turn
- Zen Headbutt

X-Wing (Latios) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Trick
- Thunderbolt
- Defog

cate (Mew) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Roost
- Knock Off

Following the retirement of me laddering Monotype and my previous PS! username (X-soskeleton), I thought I'd share my main (and only) team I used to peak top 32.

Gardevoir-Mega: It is a fully offensive Mega Gardevoir set for the obvious reason of possessing the ability to slaughter Dark types. It serves as a neutral dark resist as it can switch into certain Dark types and deal massive damage to pokémon that switch into it. With Hyper Voice, it prevents sub-dance Mega Gyarados from setting up and sweeping the team. Shadow Ball provides coverage against ghost and punishes Jirachi and Victini for switching in.

Slowbro: Standard physically defensive Slowbro. It's the only thing on the team that can take anything from Scarfed Victini (Physical). TWave provides support against fast Scarfed mons and set-up sweepers and Rocky Helmet dishes a bit of damage while switching into a lot of physical attacks. Ice Beam is used as coverage and to punish stuff like Dragonite.

Jirachi: I wanted a good Scarf user and a mon that could resist the types that the team needs resists to, especially Fairy. It's the only thing in the team that resists Fairy; it can switch into a lot of things, forcing switches and provide the team momentum with U-turn. Ice Punch or Fire Punch could be used instead of Zen Headbutt, but it is not necessary for the team as stuff like Dnite and other Steel types are taken cared of by Slowbro and Victini. Healing Wish provides the team very valuable support due to the lack of moves such as Heal Bell; it can give important pokémon in the team such as Victini a second chance after being statused or hurt. Scarf is needed so that it can revenge-kill certain things and outspeed stuff like DD Mega TTar.

Victini: I needed something that could nuke a hole in a team, especially against Steel and Bug. It is the only thing on the team that can efficiently kill Bug and Steel types, with V-create it is difficult to switch into it once its counters are gone. U-turn allows for added momentum on top of Jirachi, and the Scarf is necessary to outspeed faster mons as it has pretty average speed.

Latios: I used Latios because I wanted a fast semi-offensive Trick user to deal with annoying stuff like Skarmory/other defensive walls and bulky set-up sweepers. Specs Trick handicaps mons like Chansey. At first, Specs-Defog might seem odd, but this is mostly due to the fact Mew suffers from 4 Move Slot Syndrome. Strangely, this combination actually worked with success, it is really only used to clear Stealth Rocks for Victini. Tbolt provides coverage against stuff such as Azumarill and Skarmory.

Mew: Only thing on the team that can run Knock Off. Possesses a wide array of moves so it serves as the team's support/Sp.Def wall. With moves like Will-O-Wisp to cripple physical mons switching in and Taunt to deny hazard and support moves, it just gives the team an easier time dealing with them and stopping them from threatening the team. Roost/Recover gives for a great recovery move and Knock Off reduces the effectiveness of certain mons such as Eviolite and Scarf users.

This is the most successful team that I have ever created, one that can deal with its weaknesses quite well and cover against a multitude of annoying threats to its mons. I don't have much use for this team anymore, but I hope you guys might have success with it and tell me how effective this team truly is for you, what to improve in, what to tweak. Have fun!

 

[terrors]

Hi X-Sos!

That's a cool Psychic team, but I really don't think triple Choice items is the best way to go with this team. I have a couple of changes that might be better overall; although it is up to you if you want to implement them.

First off, Shadow Ball isn't a great option here. Instead i'd recommend Substitute. Your team suffers from a huge weakness to Bisharp. After a Swords Dance it finds it very easy to sweep your team. Substitute helps with that greatly, being able to bypass Sucker Punch. Just a small nitpick but you should set Gardevoir's ability to Trace as it automatically sets it to Synchronize otherwise, which is a lot less helpful.

set

Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast

For Jirachi, I recommend changing the set completely and switching it for SpDef, with Stealth Rock. SpDef Rachi is arguably the best Stealth Rock user on Psychic, as it has a better offensive presence than Mew as well as a much better type. Using Jirachi as a Stealth Rock user opens up a slot for Hoopa-U which is one of the best wallbreakers in monotype.

set

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn

Toxic lets you have an easier time with Defog users such as Zapdos, which otherwise beat Jirachi 1v1. U-turn is extremely useful for gaining momentum, although it can be switched out for Wish. Iron Head and Stealth Rock are self-explanatory

->

As I explained before, opting for SpDef Rachi lets you switch Mew out for Hoopa-Unbound. Hoopa-U can fill a variety of roles, however seeing as your team seems to rely on Choice items greatly, I would suggest the Substitute set instead of Choice Specs or Choice Band. This allows it to act as a secondary Bisharp check and effectively break Steel type teams, which are otherwise a pain to face.

set

Hoopa-Unbound @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Energy Ball
- Drain Punch
- Substitute

Since you're using Victini as your counter to Bug-type teams, I highly suggest Blue Flare instead of Zen Headbutt. Blue Flare acts a secondary STAB Fire-type move that doesn't lower Victini's stats, unlike V-Create, which is a necessity if you want to beat Bug-type teams. It also lets it break through physical walls. If you decide to run that, make sure you opt for Naive nature instead of Jolly as you won't want to lower Blue Flare's power.

set

Victini @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- V-create
- Blue Flare
- Bolt Strike
- U-turn

That's all I have, hope you like the suggestions and good luck with the team!

 

[Grimoire of Marisa]

Hi X-Sos!

That's a cool Psychic team, but I really don't think triple Choice items is the best way to go with this team. I have a couple of changes that might be better overall; although it is up to you if you want to implement them.

First off, Shadow Ball isn't a great option here. Instead i'd recommend Substitute. Your team suffers from a huge weakness to Bisharp. After a Swords Dance it finds it very easy to sweep your team. Substitute helps with that greatly, being able to bypass Sucker Punch. Just a small nitpick but you should set Gardevoir's ability to Trace as it automatically sets it to Synchronize otherwise, which is a lot less helpful.

set

Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast

For Jirachi, I recommend changing the set completely and switching it for SpDef, with Stealth Rock. SpDef Rachi is arguably the best Stealth Rock user on Psychic, as it has a better offensive presence than Mew as well as a much better type. Using Jirachi as a Stealth Rock user opens up a slot for Hoopa-U which is one of the best wallbreakers in monotype.

set

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn

Toxic lets you have an easier time with Defog users such as Zapdos, which otherwise beat Jirachi 1v1. U-turn is extremely useful for gaining momentum, although it can be switched out for Wish. Iron Head and Stealth Rock are self-explanatory

->

As I explained before, opting for SpDef Rachi lets you switch Mew out for Hoopa-Unbound. Hoopa-U can fill a variety of roles, however seeing as your team seems to rely on Choice items greatly, I would suggest the Substitute set instead of Choice Specs or Choice Band. This allows it to act as a secondary Bisharp check and effectively break Steel type teams, which are otherwise a pain to face.

set

Hoopa-Unbound @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Energy Ball
- Drain Punch
- Substitute

Since you're using Victini as your counter to Bug-type teams, I highly suggest Blue Flare instead of Zen Headbutt. Blue Flare acts a secondary STAB Fire-type move that doesn't lower Victini's stats, unlike V-Create, which is a necessity if you want to beat Bug-type teams. It also lets it break through physical walls. If you decide to run that, make sure you opt for Naive nature instead of Jolly as you won't want to lower Blue Flare's power.

set

Victini @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- V-create
- Blue Flare
- Bolt Strike
- U-turn

That's all I have, hope you like the suggestions and good luck with the team!

Hey terrors! I appreciate all the feedback, and damn there is a lot of stuff messed up about my team (probably due to my lack of experience on good sets). I never really paid attention to all this because I over-rely on prediction purely, heh, now that I think about it I can really see how running Hoopa-U can fix some of the big weaknesses to the team.

Appreciate your wisdom, cheers!

 

[Zap]

Hey, nice team, also got some improvements you could make.

1) For the spdef jirachi set, id recommend that u run atleast 108 speed on jirachi to outspeed base 70 max speed pokemon like breloom and bisharp. I would also recommend twave>toxic

2) on your latios, i would recommend your moveset being draco,psyshock,energy ball/ice beam/trick,defog. Psychic monos generally lack psychic STAB, and having it on a specs latios to hit walls chansey hard really helps out the team. Thunderbolt is not needed, as that only hits gyarados and skarmory, you would rather run ice beam to hit ground types and flying types, or energy ball for ground types and water types.

3) your slowbro evs should be the standard 252 hp, 232 def, 24 spdef, bold. Just gives u a better chance to live some special moves and get the thunderwave off. Also icebeam on slowbro is kind of useless, you are better off running fireblast>icebeam, so that your slowbro can be better off against things like bisharp, ferrothorn, scizor, and more. Fireblast punishes these mons that would otherwise setup on you with SD/leechseed.

 

[Grimoire of Marisa]

Hey, nice team, also got some improvements you could make.

1) For the spdef jirachi set, id recommend that u run atleast 108 speed on jirachi to outspeed base 70 max speed pokemon like breloom and bisharp. I would also recommend twave>toxic

2) on your latios, i would recommend your moveset being draco,psyshock,energy ball/ice beam/trick,defog. Psychic monos generally lack psychic STAB, and having it on a specs latios to hit walls chansey hard really helps out the team. Thunderbolt is not needed, as that only hits gyarados and skarmory, you would rather run ice beam to hit ground types and flying types, or energy ball for ground types and water types.

3) your slowbro evs should be the standard 252 hp, 232 def, 24 spdef, bold. Just gives u a better chance to live some special moves and get the thunderwave off. Also icebeam on slowbro is kind of useless, you are better off running fireblast>icebeam, so that your slowbro can be better off against things like bisharp, ferrothorn, scizor, and more. Fireblast punishes these mons that would otherwise setup on you with SD/leechseed.

Thanks for all the feedback

 

[iLlama]

Hey Grimoire of Marisa, I would like to make a couple suggestions after looking over your team.

My first suggestion comes on the physical side. I noticed you wanted to utilize ScarfTini and ScarfRachi, but I agree with terrors with regards to Jirachi becoming Specially Defensive Support. However, your team is severely lacking a potent physical presence beyond Victini. With that in mind, I would actually like to suggest that you run Band Hoopa-U over Mix LO. With LO Hoopa-U still in moderate usage and Specs Hoopa-U's dramatic increase in popularity as of late, a Band variant would not only give your team the physical power that it really needs, but would also catch many unsuspecting users off-guard. Here is a basic set that you can work off of.

Set

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Band
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Drain Punch
- Fire Punch
- Zen Headbutt / Gunk Shot / Ice Punch / Thunder Punch

Now, terrors already mentioned how Triple Choice Psychic may not be the best option, and I would have to agree here. Because of this, I would suggest you change your Latios to LO and add Psyshock instead of Trick. If you make many of these suggested changes to your team, you'll only have 1-2 Psychic STAB which can prove to become an issue. Also, having LO over Specs doesn't limit Latios as much and gives it a variety of options against different team compositions. I would also like to suggest that you try using Energy Ball over Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt is an extremely limiting when not paired with Ice Beam or other, comparably helpful STAB options. This way, your team won't be nearly as limited against Ground this way and you'll retain great options against the ever common Water teams.

I hope that these changes will help and good luck!