Peaks (under the name "Erred"):
#3 – PO Beta server
#1 – PO Smogon server
I got into the B/W metagame a few weeks after it started. Entering the metagame completely fresh, I wanted to start with a team that would play it safe instead of using gimmicks to succeed in a game everyone was still learning. I took inspiration from the basic rules of 4th gen play and made a decent team using pokemon with either established effectiveness or with significant BSTs. The team has turned out to be easily my most successful team, showing that the inclusion of new pokemon has not changed the foundation of how to play. The team consists of, at the most basic level, a hazard user, a bulky water, a spinblocker, a dragon, a steel, and a revenge killer. If only I were using a grass type, my team would be standard relative to the 4th gen metagame. This team’s success shows that the rules have not changed this generation, and that top strategies from 4th gen are still in full force.
Deoxys-S @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam
Unless you’re running a weather team, it’s hard to come up with a reason not to use Deoxys-S. Very few leads can prevent Deoxys-S from getting two layers of hazards, which allow my team to function as well as it does. Many people don’t like the idea of sacrificing an entire team slot just to guarantee some hazards, but spikes support helps this team too much to give up, and the fast paced nature of the team doesn’t lend itself well to pokemon like Forretress or Nattorei.
Rocks and a layer of spikes are my first priority. After that, if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll usually opt to attack. The two layers of hazards make it incredibly difficult to safely switch in to Metagross and Latios; for example, 252/252+ Hippowdon is 2HKOed and 4/0 Shandera is OHKOed by Meteor Mash after rocks and spikes, and 4/0 Tyranitar has a chance to be OHKOed by Draco Meteor.
Taunt isn’t used very much, as setting up two layers is more important to my team than potentially preventing one. It’s almost exclusively used to stop questionable strategies sometimes found on the PO beta server and for opposing Deoxys-S. Ice Beam 2HKOs Erufuun and Borutorosu, which means mischievous heart users can’t do their job effectively. The EVs allow Deoxys-S to at least speed tie with other Deoxys-S and outspeed many scarf users such as Garchomp and Jirachi. SpA EVs are for general utility, as I’ve found that a beefed up Ice Beam can be extremely useful.
The main issue with Deoxys-S is that it’s incredibly difficult to spin block this generation if your opponent is dedicated to spinning; nothing can safely block spin against LO Starmie, Tentacruel in the rain, and Doryuuzu in a sandstorm. However, a general metagame shift away from entry hazards means fewer teams are packing spinners, and those that do don’t always use the aforementioned spinners.
Rotom-W is an absurdly underrated pokemon this generation. Water/Electric is an amazing STAB combination both offensively and defensively, especially with levitate. As I mentioned in the team building process, Rotom replaced Manaphy who was kind of arbitrarily thrown on the team, so I didn’t add it to the team for any specific purpose, but it has evolved into my sandstorm killer and stallbreaker. Levitate and STAB Hydro Pump let it come in on and immediately ground types such as Randorosu, Gliscor, and even Doryuuzu. Nearly every pokemon on standard sand teams is threatened by Rotom-W, and as a result it’s incredibly difficult for opposing players to switch in to. I’ve found that the only pokemon who can safely switch in multiple times are Blissey/Chansey, Lati@s, and Sazandora, all of whom are countered by Metagross. Rotom-W also takes care of stall teams that lack Blissey easily, 2HKOing Burungeru and Nattorei with the respective SE attacks assuming two layers of hazards are up. I originally used Pain Split over HP Fire, but found that Rotom-W is too slow to effectively use it. Luring in Nattorei who would otherwise wall Metagross and Latios is always fun.
48 HP EVs gives Rotom-W a leftovers number, 212 speed combined with the 30 IV from HP Fire allows Rotom-W to outspeed positive base 80s, as I’ve found that there isn’t much else this generation that Rotom should bother outspeeding. The rest is poured into SpA to allow Rotom-W to threaten the bulky grounds and waters that it’s supposed to counter.
I added Scarf Shandera to my team after noticing a weakness to Nattorei and Jarooda, and he has turned out to compliment the team extremely well. Rotom-W has a hard time getting past grass types and Lati@s. Shandera revenges both. Latios and Metagross have their STABs resisted by steel types. Shandera can switch in and beat most of them. If my opponent relies on something like a specially defensive Nattorei to counter Latios, then Shandera can switch in, eliminate it, and watch Latios wreak havok on their team.
Other than eliminating pokemon that would otherwise be threatening to my team, Shandera also tries to block spin so that spikes can stay on the field and so I’m not owned by Urugomasu. However, as I mentioned earlier, blocking spin is almost impossible this gen, so I won’t risk sacrificing Shandera just to block spin.
Flamethrower and Overheat work very well on the same set; I use Flamethrower most of the time, but I’ll switch to Overheat if I really need to kill something like Roobushin. Energy Ball is rarely used. I would switch to HP Fighting, but that requires a 30 speed IV, which would lose me the speed tie against other Shandera.
Good ol’ CBgross. Hits like a truck, takes hits like a champ, and even has STAB priority if needed. I can’t believe this isn’t used more often – very few things can switch in, and Metagross can switch in on some of the biggest threats in the metagame. With the surge of fighting types in response to Doryuuzu, Metagross has plenty of places to come in and destroy teams with CB Meteor Mash or Zen Headbutt. When Metagross comes in, whatever pokemon dares to oppose it will take a beating. That said, steel isn’t the best attacking type, so most switchins will resist steel. However, with rocks and spikes down, offensive pokemon that resist steel will commonly find themselves 2HKOed anyway.
The moveset appears odd, but through a lot of testing I’ve found that these four moves are the most useful. Meteor Mash is for powerful STAB, Zen Headbutt hits fighting types, as well as hitting many of Metagross’ common switchins for neutral damage, ThunderPunch is used almost exclusively against rain teams and Skarmory, and Bullet Punch provides always useful priority. Earthquake, a gen III and IV standard, is absent on this Metagross because the presence of balloon makes it much less effective. Heatran, Metagross’ main enemy from gen IV, now carries a balloon most of the time, and Shandera is OHKOed on the switch by either of Metagross’ STAB attacks on the switchin, so I found myself never using it. In addition, pokemon that I would use it for such as Genosect and Nattorei are easily taken care of by Shandera, so I have never needed Earthquake.
Metagross’ main problem is that he is too easily revenged by Shandera, meaning my opponent’s CB Ononokusu or specs Latios is free to destroy my team. I can’t think of a good solution to this problem other than using specs Heatran instead, which would leave my team unable to touch Blissey. I hate having my own strategy used against me.
Take everything I said about Metagross murdering switchins and multiply that by 1000. Unless the pokemon is a dedicated special wall or a steel type, it will probably be OHKOed after rocks and spikes. Even most steel types can’t switch in more than once. Latios won’t 2HKO many steel types because of the SpA drop, but its speed, typing, and decent defenses let it switch in many times, reducing the need to get those 2HKOs. Essentially, Latios’ great speed, typing, and power lets it switch in on many pokemon and threaten them with an OHKO. Draco Meteor is my main brute force move, while Dragon Pulse is my best option if my opponent is weakened, which spares me the SpA drop. Surf is rarely used, as a resisted Draco Meteor is more powerful than a neutral surf, but it’s a decent coverage move given how many sand teams are running around. Trick is the last move because my team has a lot of trouble with Blissey, and being locked onto Psycho Shock seems like a terrible idea with the amount of Tyranitars waiting in the wings. Latios’ biggest problem is that so many pokemon can trap and kill it, which wouldn’t be a real problem if it wasn’t a recurring theme in my team.
The ultimate revenge killer. It’s here. It’s ditto. Get used to it. Able to revenge kill almost every single pokemon in the game, Ditto has more influence on my teambuilding than any other pokemon. Whenever I see someone use dragon dance, I have to wonder if they have a check against themselves. I’ve actually lost games before when I got a “lucky” crit against a set-up sweeper that I would have used against my opponent. Ditto is the main reason my team can succeed – he’s my main response to weather teams and nearly every set-up sweeper. Even against full stall, Ditto usually finds some use. Ditto’s also my only ghost resist which helps when opposing Ditto transform into Shandera. I can escape, switch to Ditto, and force them to either switch or struggle assuming they use Shadow Ball. The EVs reflect this; damage taken from opposing struggles is minimized.
#3 – PO Beta server
#1 – PO Smogon server
I got into the B/W metagame a few weeks after it started. Entering the metagame completely fresh, I wanted to start with a team that would play it safe instead of using gimmicks to succeed in a game everyone was still learning. I took inspiration from the basic rules of 4th gen play and made a decent team using pokemon with either established effectiveness or with significant BSTs. The team has turned out to be easily my most successful team, showing that the inclusion of new pokemon has not changed the foundation of how to play. The team consists of, at the most basic level, a hazard user, a bulky water, a spinblocker, a dragon, a steel, and a revenge killer. If only I were using a grass type, my team would be standard relative to the 4th gen metagame. This team’s success shows that the rules have not changed this generation, and that top strategies from 4th gen are still in full force.
Being my very first team of this generation, it was hard finding a place to start. I chose Ditto as a starting point so my team would have an easy way to address the multitude of emerging threats that I didn’t understand.
My next thoughts were something along the lines of “I’m not weak to any set-up threats, so I’ll use hard-hitting choiced pokemon that would normally be set-up fodder.” Band Metagross and Specs Latios entered my thoughts at the same time as a great duo for breaking down walls through sheer force and provided good type synergy.
I knew I wanted spikes support to hit things as hard as possible. I wanted to use Deoxys-S because I didn’t know the lead metagame and just wanted a pokemon who could get up two layers of hazards and get out of the way.
With spikes comes a spin blocker. I started with Sub CM Shandera, but it was completely ineffective. I then went with Goruggo, but it couldn’t actually block spin against the most common spinners. Thinking that spin blocking was impossible in this generation, I went with various Lucario sets for a while, before ultimately settling down with scarf Shandera.
I realized that with Ditto and Deoxys-S, my team was at a huge disadvantage in terms of type-synergy, so I decided I needed a bulky water. Manaphy initially took the spot, but after using Rotom-W on another team I fell in love with the revamped pokemon and used it on this team as well.
My next thoughts were something along the lines of “I’m not weak to any set-up threats, so I’ll use hard-hitting choiced pokemon that would normally be set-up fodder.” Band Metagross and Specs Latios entered my thoughts at the same time as a great duo for breaking down walls through sheer force and provided good type synergy.
I knew I wanted spikes support to hit things as hard as possible. I wanted to use Deoxys-S because I didn’t know the lead metagame and just wanted a pokemon who could get up two layers of hazards and get out of the way.
With spikes comes a spin blocker. I started with Sub CM Shandera, but it was completely ineffective. I then went with Goruggo, but it couldn’t actually block spin against the most common spinners. Thinking that spin blocking was impossible in this generation, I went with various Lucario sets for a while, before ultimately settling down with scarf Shandera.
I realized that with Ditto and Deoxys-S, my team was at a huge disadvantage in terms of type-synergy, so I decided I needed a bulky water. Manaphy initially took the spot, but after using Rotom-W on another team I fell in love with the revamped pokemon and used it on this team as well.
Team at a glance:
Deoxys-S @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam
Unless you’re running a weather team, it’s hard to come up with a reason not to use Deoxys-S. Very few leads can prevent Deoxys-S from getting two layers of hazards, which allow my team to function as well as it does. Many people don’t like the idea of sacrificing an entire team slot just to guarantee some hazards, but spikes support helps this team too much to give up, and the fast paced nature of the team doesn’t lend itself well to pokemon like Forretress or Nattorei.
Rocks and a layer of spikes are my first priority. After that, if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll usually opt to attack. The two layers of hazards make it incredibly difficult to safely switch in to Metagross and Latios; for example, 252/252+ Hippowdon is 2HKOed and 4/0 Shandera is OHKOed by Meteor Mash after rocks and spikes, and 4/0 Tyranitar has a chance to be OHKOed by Draco Meteor.
Taunt isn’t used very much, as setting up two layers is more important to my team than potentially preventing one. It’s almost exclusively used to stop questionable strategies sometimes found on the PO beta server and for opposing Deoxys-S. Ice Beam 2HKOs Erufuun and Borutorosu, which means mischievous heart users can’t do their job effectively. The EVs allow Deoxys-S to at least speed tie with other Deoxys-S and outspeed many scarf users such as Garchomp and Jirachi. SpA EVs are for general utility, as I’ve found that a beefed up Ice Beam can be extremely useful.
The main issue with Deoxys-S is that it’s incredibly difficult to spin block this generation if your opponent is dedicated to spinning; nothing can safely block spin against LO Starmie, Tentacruel in the rain, and Doryuuzu in a sandstorm. However, a general metagame shift away from entry hazards means fewer teams are packing spinners, and those that do don’t always use the aforementioned spinners.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 48 HP / 248 SAtk / 212 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 48 HP / 248 SAtk / 212 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Rotom-W is an absurdly underrated pokemon this generation. Water/Electric is an amazing STAB combination both offensively and defensively, especially with levitate. As I mentioned in the team building process, Rotom replaced Manaphy who was kind of arbitrarily thrown on the team, so I didn’t add it to the team for any specific purpose, but it has evolved into my sandstorm killer and stallbreaker. Levitate and STAB Hydro Pump let it come in on and immediately ground types such as Randorosu, Gliscor, and even Doryuuzu. Nearly every pokemon on standard sand teams is threatened by Rotom-W, and as a result it’s incredibly difficult for opposing players to switch in to. I’ve found that the only pokemon who can safely switch in multiple times are Blissey/Chansey, Lati@s, and Sazandora, all of whom are countered by Metagross. Rotom-W also takes care of stall teams that lack Blissey easily, 2HKOing Burungeru and Nattorei with the respective SE attacks assuming two layers of hazards are up. I originally used Pain Split over HP Fire, but found that Rotom-W is too slow to effectively use it. Luring in Nattorei who would otherwise wall Metagross and Latios is always fun.
48 HP EVs gives Rotom-W a leftovers number, 212 speed combined with the 30 IV from HP Fire allows Rotom-W to outspeed positive base 80s, as I’ve found that there isn’t much else this generation that Rotom should bother outspeeding. The rest is poured into SpA to allow Rotom-W to threaten the bulky grounds and waters that it’s supposed to counter.
Shandera (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Flamethrower
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Flamethrower
I added Scarf Shandera to my team after noticing a weakness to Nattorei and Jarooda, and he has turned out to compliment the team extremely well. Rotom-W has a hard time getting past grass types and Lati@s. Shandera revenges both. Latios and Metagross have their STABs resisted by steel types. Shandera can switch in and beat most of them. If my opponent relies on something like a specially defensive Nattorei to counter Latios, then Shandera can switch in, eliminate it, and watch Latios wreak havok on their team.
Other than eliminating pokemon that would otherwise be threatening to my team, Shandera also tries to block spin so that spikes can stay on the field and so I’m not owned by Urugomasu. However, as I mentioned earlier, blocking spin is almost impossible this gen, so I won’t risk sacrificing Shandera just to block spin.
Flamethrower and Overheat work very well on the same set; I use Flamethrower most of the time, but I’ll switch to Overheat if I really need to kill something like Roobushin. Energy Ball is rarely used. I would switch to HP Fighting, but that requires a 30 speed IV, which would lose me the speed tie against other Shandera.
Metagross @ Choice Band
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- ThunderPunch
- Zen Headbutt
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- ThunderPunch
- Zen Headbutt
Good ol’ CBgross. Hits like a truck, takes hits like a champ, and even has STAB priority if needed. I can’t believe this isn’t used more often – very few things can switch in, and Metagross can switch in on some of the biggest threats in the metagame. With the surge of fighting types in response to Doryuuzu, Metagross has plenty of places to come in and destroy teams with CB Meteor Mash or Zen Headbutt. When Metagross comes in, whatever pokemon dares to oppose it will take a beating. That said, steel isn’t the best attacking type, so most switchins will resist steel. However, with rocks and spikes down, offensive pokemon that resist steel will commonly find themselves 2HKOed anyway.
The moveset appears odd, but through a lot of testing I’ve found that these four moves are the most useful. Meteor Mash is for powerful STAB, Zen Headbutt hits fighting types, as well as hitting many of Metagross’ common switchins for neutral damage, ThunderPunch is used almost exclusively against rain teams and Skarmory, and Bullet Punch provides always useful priority. Earthquake, a gen III and IV standard, is absent on this Metagross because the presence of balloon makes it much less effective. Heatran, Metagross’ main enemy from gen IV, now carries a balloon most of the time, and Shandera is OHKOed on the switch by either of Metagross’ STAB attacks on the switchin, so I found myself never using it. In addition, pokemon that I would use it for such as Genosect and Nattorei are easily taken care of by Shandera, so I have never needed Earthquake.
Metagross’ main problem is that he is too easily revenged by Shandera, meaning my opponent’s CB Ononokusu or specs Latios is free to destroy my team. I can’t think of a good solution to this problem other than using specs Heatran instead, which would leave my team unable to touch Blissey. I hate having my own strategy used against me.
Latios (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf
- Trick
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf
- Trick
Take everything I said about Metagross murdering switchins and multiply that by 1000. Unless the pokemon is a dedicated special wall or a steel type, it will probably be OHKOed after rocks and spikes. Even most steel types can’t switch in more than once. Latios won’t 2HKO many steel types because of the SpA drop, but its speed, typing, and decent defenses let it switch in many times, reducing the need to get those 2HKOs. Essentially, Latios’ great speed, typing, and power lets it switch in on many pokemon and threaten them with an OHKO. Draco Meteor is my main brute force move, while Dragon Pulse is my best option if my opponent is weakened, which spares me the SpA drop. Surf is rarely used, as a resisted Draco Meteor is more powerful than a neutral surf, but it’s a decent coverage move given how many sand teams are running around. Trick is the last move because my team has a lot of trouble with Blissey, and being locked onto Psycho Shock seems like a terrible idea with the amount of Tyranitars waiting in the wings. Latios’ biggest problem is that so many pokemon can trap and kill it, which wouldn’t be a real problem if it wasn’t a recurring theme in my team.
Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Eccentric
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Transform
Trait: Eccentric
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Transform
The ultimate revenge killer. It’s here. It’s ditto. Get used to it. Able to revenge kill almost every single pokemon in the game, Ditto has more influence on my teambuilding than any other pokemon. Whenever I see someone use dragon dance, I have to wonder if they have a check against themselves. I’ve actually lost games before when I got a “lucky” crit against a set-up sweeper that I would have used against my opponent. Ditto is the main reason my team can succeed – he’s my main response to weather teams and nearly every set-up sweeper. Even against full stall, Ditto usually finds some use. Ditto’s also my only ghost resist which helps when opposing Ditto transform into Shandera. I can escape, switch to Ditto, and force them to either switch or struggle assuming they use Shadow Ball. The EVs reflect this; damage taken from opposing struggles is minimized.
Scarf Shandera: The ability to revenge two or three depending on health of my pokemon is bad enough, but add the fact that I don't have a true ghost resist means my pokemon will take a heavy hit while revenge killing it.
Specially Defensive Tyranitar: Along the same lines as Shandera, only Tyranitar easily sponges Latios' attacks and pursuits it to death. I have a counter in Metagross, but the damage is already done.
Porygon2: Aaah I have no fighting move how do I beat this stupid thing (it's a good thing good players don't use it)
Sun teams: Ditto and Shandera can only get me so far.
Octillery: ffffffffuuuuuuuuuu
Specially Defensive Tyranitar: Along the same lines as Shandera, only Tyranitar easily sponges Latios' attacks and pursuits it to death. I have a counter in Metagross, but the damage is already done.
Porygon2: Aaah I have no fighting move how do I beat this stupid thing (it's a good thing good players don't use it)
Sun teams: Ditto and Shandera can only get me so far.
Octillery: ffffffffuuuuuuuuuu
