Pokémon Rate My Team
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Ok, I rushed myself into a VGC tournament without knowing much about the metagame itself, whose due date has now come back to haunt me. Backstory aside, now I am compelled to give my level best at the tourney and hopefully not sit it out in embarrassment (probably even win one or two games). I tried to keep my mind simple, and the product is the following team. Any help would be duly appreciated :D.


The Plan:

1

Tyranitar @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 100 HP / 220 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 180 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Protect
- Crunch

2

Landorus-T @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EV Spread: 180 HP / 244 Atk / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
- Protect

3

Klefki @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 124 Def / 132 SpD
Impish Nature
- Safeguard
- Light Screen
- Foul Play
- Thunder Wave

4

Milotic @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Competitive
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Def / 164 SpA / 4 SpD / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Protect

5

Volcarona @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Bug Buzz
- Heat Wave

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Salamence @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Return


In Depth:

1 Tyranitar: My team is based around sand, one of the most anti-metagame type of weather. It's very, very obvious why T-tar is here.

Despite having a ton of weaknesses, Tyranitar's sheer bulk makes it seem like the words "its super effective" mean nothing (unless its a fighting move, in which case its dead). Standard STAB moves for Mega Tyranitar with Protect seems obvious, however the added bulk combined with a tiny boost to speed gives it incredible power after a Dragon Dance. It really is a mystery why this guy isn't used more frequently with an incredible base 164 attack, which should be enough...
EV spread allows it to go 1 v 1 with a Mega Mawile under the sand.

2 Landorus - Therian: I was informed that Landog is, in direct speech my "ideal and wonderful dog at all times ;)". I thought why not, he looks good on paper... hopefully this wasn't a mistake. I know it's a massive success in singles, but in VGC I'm just never sure.

I opted for a bulkier spread at the cost of offensive prowess, handing down the classic Yache Berry to make sure my dog isn't wiped out by the cold breezes.

  • 84 Speed EVs allow Landorus-T to outspeed and OHKO 252 Speed Bisharp.
  • 180 HP EVs allow Landorus-T to survive Adamant +1 Life Orb Bisharp's Sucker Punch, Modest Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave, neutral natured Thundurus's Hidden Power Ice, -1 Mega Kanghaskhan's Fake Out and Double Edge, and Adamant -1 Conkeldurr's Ice Punch and Mach Punch.

3 Klefki:What's a desert shrine without a treasure? This thing is a gigantic pain to deal with. Originally this spot was a Mega Mawile... but after some sparring rounds, but later was recommended Klefki. I thought that maybe a little more support would've done me good. It's my main means of dealing headaches to the opponent with T-Wave, Safeguard and Light Screen.

4 Milotic: Every desert needs it's oasis. In this case an Intimidate counter. From what I've heard, Milo is both hated and loved for it's ability to function well against Intimidate, and I thought this addition made sense to my team. With Assault Vest it contributes to the special bulk of my team, which I began to notice was lacking.

Said EV spread,

  • OHKO's 12/36 Garchomp with Ice Beam from +0 (as well as Salamence and Landorus)
  • Smashes every Intimidator at +2 with Hydro Pump (gets some KO's that Scald misses)
  • Outspeeds 4 speed Rotoms (mostly looking at Heat Rotom here), and... I cant remember what it lives defensively, but it turns something into a 3HKO on the physical side.

5 Volcarona: Embodiment of the very sun that defines a desert. Big ol' moth has been a big favorite of mine since Unova, and it still stays the same. As a matter of fact this is the only spread I did not take from someone else, because Volcarona's role is to outspeed and kill anything and everything, I didn't want to compromise anything on that.
What stands out here is that despite the Choice Scarf I'm running Rage Powder. When Vol's at it's dying breath, it can opt to use this to save a teammate from damage, effectively pulling me a free attack/set up. Who knows Flame Body might even hook me a burn.

6 Salamence: I've heard great things about him too. Here I'm at a cross road where I'm not sure if I want to run a MixedMence or just physical (at this moment I've stuck with physical). This EV spread allows me to,

  • Set upto 4 Substitutes not including sandstorm damage as that won't be run alongside Sala
  • Take HP Ice from almost every pokemon out there which isn't Choice Specs
  • Have Rock Slide never deal 50% + damage to me other than Band. All this helps me with guessing the opponent's items and spreads.

So that was my team. Note that there are pretty major problems that I wasn't able to fix despite knowing them, like my inability to fare damage to Water types. It would be really nice if someone could help me fix this team before I get myself wrecked at the tourney :).

by
I have some suggestions I'd like to make, but I don't know how much you want to change on the team. Are you fine with swapping out old Pokémon for new Pokémon? Possibly making major changes to one or two sets? Let me know, then I'll rate. Brilliant team, by the way :)

Also, I'm really impressed on how you optimized your EV spreads.
My friend is also using a mega t tar as a lead on his sand team, but pairs it with stoutland. Just an idea.

Stoutland @ Life Orb
Sand Rush
252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
Play Rough
An elemental fang (fire, ice, crunch)
Thunder Fang
Protect

I advise switching land dog (landorus)
@Astro by all means if you think that improves the team :). And thanks!
@Lucario if I were to run that, who should I replace?
So that's what your team is. You went as far as using THAT gosh darn T-tar, so I'm expecting this time's rookies to be tough. Gj, just hope you know how to work around Milotics for this one c:
(your team doesn't btw)
Try...
T-tar @ t-tarite
Ability:sand stream --> sand stream
Modest nature
252 sp.atk 252hp 4 atk/spe
-rock slide
-fire blast
-protect
-ice beam

Also, cradily is almost a must in sandstorm because...
1.It can storm drain out landorus and t-tar's weakness
2. It's sp.def increases by 50% in sand o.O
Excadrill is good too.
To destroys water...try...stunfisk? Thundurus?

Btw, how on earth that mega-salamence sprite?
The other T-tar you mentioned is also a good variant, but in this one I wanted D-Dance, because it had the kind of bulk that almost guarantee me a set up.
And huh... Cradily is actually sounding good. I'm gonna leave wait for the experts to tell me stuff about it, but otherwise it sounds like a lively option.

Here's the link to the Salamence sprite if you needed it:
http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/salamence-mega.gif
For any other sprites, just replace the "salamence-mega" part of the link and enter the needed pokemon's name instead :)
^Whoa, didn't think you'd actually give me the sprite link! :O Thanks! And I think you could keep that t-tar set.
your team could use something to counter your ice weakness. Maybe Darmanitan @ Choice Scarf or Charizard @ Charizardite Y?
^ There's Milotic/ Kelfi and Volcarona on the team? The team only has 2 ice weaknesses and conversely it has 3 ice resistances.

1 Answer

2 votes
 
Best answer

Right, so there are a couple elements of this team that need work. Your massive Ice weakness is one, and you have really nothing outside of Volcarona to actually check Ice-types. This team also struggles with bulky Waters, Landorus-T and Mamoswine. After plugging your team into Team Magma, you have a massive problem with Fighting, Rock, Ice and Water. All new additions will be in bold (I warn you, I made a lot of changes).


Old Team:

Tyranitar / Volcarona / Landorus / Salamence / Klefki / Milotic


New Team:

Tyranitar / Cradily / Landorus / Charizard / Aegislash / Milotic


Tyranitar

image

Tyranitar@ Tyranitarite
Sand Stream | Jolly
100 HP / 220 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 180 Spe
- Crunch
- Rock Slide
- Dragon Dance
- Protect

I can't find it in my heart to remove Tyranitar, despite his 4x Fighting weakness, so we'll fix the team around him. Nothing changes; I've seen D-Dance Tyranitar first-hand, and it worked marvellously (until it got defeated by another Tyranitar, but that's beside the point). A good place to start.


Volcarona

Due to an addition made later, Volcarona needs the boot. He compliments T-Tar well and allows for setup with Rage Powder, but he should also be able to attack when needed. I would advise either getting a new Rage Powder user or one that can hold up in the Sand and still support Tyranitar.

image
Cradily@ Sitrus Berry
Storm Drain | Relaxed
252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpD
- Giga Drain
- Ancient Power
- Protect
- Earth Power/Gastro Acid

Cradily here synergizes wonderfully with Tyranitar, as the two only share a Fighting weakness. 252 HP / 196 Def and Relaxed to survive Terrakion's Close Combat, with the rest in SpD for more overall bulk. I aimed for survivability with this spread, but alternatively you could swap the SpD EVs for SpA to pick up a few more KOs. He absorbs Water attacks with Storm Drain. Ancient Power over Rock Slide due to it being more powerful in Doubles, plus that nifty chance to boost every stat. Giga Drain hurts Water, Rock, and Ground-types. Protect is essential. The final slot is either Earth Power to hit Steel-types or Gastro Acid for some gimmicky, yet effective, plays if done right. You can elimnate Parental Bond, TerraBeat strategies, and Pixilate, leaving Sylveon spamming Normal-type Hyper Voices.


Landorus
image
Landorus@ Choice Band
Intimidate | Adamant
172 HP / 244 Atk / 92 Spe
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
- U-Turn

I found it suiting to bestow the Choice item upon Landorus. However, since you're not running max Speed there's no point in the Scarf, so I gave him the Choice Band instead. Yache Berry's good for surprises, but the surprise is gone in best-of-three. In this case, Choice Band is a good option. I made a tiny tweak to your EV spread, adding 1 point of speed and still surviving Sucker Punch. U-Turn was added to hit Cresselia & co. for super-effective damage, and spreading Intimidate is always nice.


Salamence

Mega Mence is a dominating force in VGC, that's for sure. However, he and Landorus make really poor comrades. Besides, between their Earthquakes you could potentially wipe out most of your team.
You said that Sand was a very anti-meta weather. You know what's even more anti-meta? Dual weather, that's what.
image
Charizard@ Charizardite Y
Drought | Timid
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Protect
- Overheat

Mega Charizard not only eliminates your Ice weakness but serves as a possibly better Rain check than Tyranitar due to Sun nerfing their Water attacks and having Solar Beam coverage. I chose a simple EV spread to maximize damage output and Timid for as much speed as possible. Heat Wave is a handy Sun-boosted STAB spread move. Solar Beam slams Water- and Rock-types. Protect because this is VGC. Overheat is in case you need a nuke.


Klefki

Klefki isn't as useful now thanks to the new teammates. It doesn't really do anything that another member couldn't do; in fact now, there is another Steel type that can help.
image
Aegislash@ Weakness Policy/Colburr Berry
Stance Change | Quiet
252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

Aegislash is generic, but useful. He stops Rock Slide for Charizard with Wide Guard, absorbs Fighting attacks for Tyranitar and Cradily, plus checks Metagross and his Psychic friends with Shadow Ball. I would suggest customizing the EVs a little, but it's not necessary. Flash Cannon hits Ice-types for Landorus and Rock-types for Charizard, plus Fairies in general. King's Shield is what Protect dreams it would be; use it on a well-placed Knock Off and you get the Weakness Policy boost and screw the attacker with a -2 Attack. Alternatively, you could run Culburr Berry to avoid being KOd by Dark attacks.


Milotic

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Milotic@ Rocky Helmet
Competitive | Modest
252 HP / 36 Def / 164 SpA / 4 SpD / 52 Spe
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Icy Wind
- Protect

As your yourself stated, offensive Milotic needs the Competitive boost in order to do any damage. With Klefki gone, Milotic will enjoy having something to do when there is no boosts to be had, so I gave her speed control in Icy Wind. Protect replaces Recover because in this fast-paced meta there is little time for recovery. It has its uses, but I believe you'll find Protect keeps you alive longer. Do some testing with both. One of your Water STABs had to be removed to fit Icy Wind, and Hydro Pump is better suited for offensive Milotic. You could also trade Ice Beam for Icy Wind and keep Scald. Since the Sitrus Berry is being used on Cradily, Rocky Helmet was the next option.


Leads


Tyranitar + Cradily + Aegislash
This will be your preferred lead against Rain and Perish Trap teams. Mega T-Tar is usually bulky enough to pull off a Dragon Dance, and the odds improve with Storm Drain. But if you see a potential Fighting attack, head for the hills. Aegislash can help Zard fight of Sand teams with Wide Guard.

Landorus + Charizard
Basically free Earthquake spam. Sun nullifies Water attacks, Charizard's Fire attacks take care of Ice, and Lando can check Rock- and Electric- types. This lead tends to suffer from Rotom-W, so bring Cradily in the back.

Milotic + Cradily
A fun little gimmick that's won me a few matches. Have Milotic spam water attacks for Cradily to soak up until he can destroy almost everything with boosted STABs. I did this with Azumarill and Gastrodon, and it's taken me back from some 3-2s.


There's my rate. I'm sorry if I made too many changes, but I do hope that I made the team better. (I added a separate part in the 'Comments'.) If you're uncomfortable with these changes they can be debated, and I'm sure an agreement will be made. I wish you the best of luck in your tournament. May the RNG be with you.

by
selected by
Hrmm, I didn't consider VenuTran. What is it about Charizard + Landorus that couldn't handle it? Landorus gets the free Earthquake on Heatran while Charizard refrains from Mega Evolving and Venu doesn't get the Chlorophyll boost. Venusaur dies to a double-target next turn. I guess Heatran could have HP Ice, but that would hurt Latios as well… and I just may be the only person in the world who runs Ancient Power…
I didn't mean normal Venu, rather the mega variant. It completely walls this team; nothing can do real damage to it save mega Charizard's sun boosted Overheat. But that time sun comes up Heatran gets a boost, so does nornal Chlorosaur.

Heatran + Venu was just an example, Heatran would almost always switch out against a Lando or Protect, while Venu can Sleep Powder. Even Charizard may not be able to deal with it well enough, because the Sun is more of a problem than boon. Hence my oidea to keep dual weather off the field in exchange for more power against Venu in Latios.
Totally agreed on cradily and aegislash being there. The problem with mega zard y is that solar beam actually has 60 BP in sand, what if zard y is the last pokemon there is and the opponent has a sand stream t-tar? You can solar beam it away, but it only has 60BP without STAB and it needs to recharge. Still an awesome rate tho :)
^ I have never, ever seen that happen, but I guess it could…

So a possible replacement for Charizard would be Latios.

Latios@ Life Orb
Levitate | Timid
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
- Psyshock
- Protect
- Thunderbolt
- Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor

Psyshock hurts Mega Venusaur, Protect is a must, Thunderbolt covers Water-types, and Dragon Pulse for reliable STAB or Draco Meteor for nuclear STAB. Good leads:

Latios + Aegislash

Wide Guard to stop Sylveon, basically, while Latios cleans up.

Latios + Tyranitar

Latios covers T-Tar's Fighting and Water weakness, while Tyranitar covers Ice and Ghost.

Latios + Landorus

Free Earthquake spam, but beware Ice-types.
^^^
This wall of text is why I did not start VGC when I first heard of it in 13.
Eh the Latios addition makes sense tho. I'll consider it :s