Teambuilding Process
It goes as follows:
Clefable is Doppelina. She is Gänger's gentle, protagonist sister, and unlike her brother, she got a sudden rise to fame in the OU tier with ORAS. I had to know what made her so powerful so suddenly.
Gengar represents Gänger in the duet I had in mind. Gengar is one of those rare Pokémon who did preserve a spot in the OU tier throughout the years, unlike Clefable, so I had to know what made him so special.
I figured Terrakion and Gengar would do good together. Gengar would take out Fairy-type Pokémon and deal hefty amounts of damage to my opponent's Pokémon. On the other hand, Terrakion's powerful physical attacks and adequate typing provide a second safe answer to Talonflame, Mega-Charizard-X and the likes.
I wanted an unsual pivot, and a safe answer to powerful Steel-type Pokémon. I wanted something that could dent Water-type Pokémon as well, and something that could spread statuses. Rotom-Heat answered all these criterias and gave me a powerful Fire-type attack.
Terrakion and Gengar were both quite weak to Psychic-type moves. I figured I could use a fast, physically offensive Pokémon such as Weavile to threaten the likes of Latios, Mew, Starmie and more. Ice-type STAB was also more than welcome.
Finally, because the team is reliant on switching in and out, I needed a reliable defogger. One whose weaknesses are covered, one who shows high defenses. Mega-Scizor was perfect. Moreover, the popularity of his Swords Dance moveset allowed me to comfortably bluff a traditional Pokémon only to backstab my opponent as I reveal Defog. The surprise effect was too good to pass out. This is how I rounded the team.
The team does have its weaknesses but its shining points allowed me to rocket to 1400+ and counting with 12 consecutive wins. The team presents a glaring weakness to Mega-Charizard-X and enemy Keldeo, but past these two, it shines thanks to a well rounded combination of defensive and offensive Pokémon.
In Detail
Doppelina (Clefable) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
Clefable plays an important role in the team. She sets Stealth Rock, which can break whole teams apart. They're especially important against Charizard. Moonblast deals high damage even when uninvested, and has a decent chance to lower Special Attack which is always welcome against the likes of Latios and Mega Sableye. Thunder Wave allows me to cripple certain Pokémon; it is so reliable and so powerful, it is difficult to give it up. Soft-Boiled finally ensures Clefable is durable withing the game, especially when she is needed vs Dragon- and Dark-types. The very specific EV spread allows Clefable to take up to three hits against key Pokémon and their most powerful attacks such as Thundurus, Mega-Lopunny, Kyurem-B or Mega-Diancie.
Gänger (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
Gengar is the second key member of the team. His three different attacks can deal very heavy damage to many Pokémon. For instance, Shadow Ball has amazing neutral coverage and is Gengar's most reliable STAB attack. Sludge Wave, on the other hand, is Gengar's most powerful attack and can hit Fairy- and Grass-types for super-effective damage. Focus Blast is needed to take on the Dark- and Steel-types such as Tyranitar, Heatran or Ferrothorn, who otherwise can comfortably take his first two attacks. Taunt is the last choice, and coupled with Gengar's high speed and fantastic typing, it can beat defensive teams.
Khan (Terrakion) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
Terrakion is an underrated wallbreaker, and a rarely seen scarfed revenge killer. After giving him a roll in my team, I can say he fits better than Keldeo. By virtue of a fearsome dual-STAB combination and appropriate coverage, Stone Edge and Close Combat, he can force out a lot of Pokémon and take out troublesome threats such as Charizard-X, Talonflame, Clefable, Tyranitar and much more.
Disturbia (Rotom-Heat) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 40 Def / 220 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Toxic
- Will-O-Wisp
Crucial to the team, Rotom-Heat represents my answer to Bisharp, Breloom and Metagross among others. By means of having Dual Status, he can disturb my enemy's team very fast and with thanks to a good STAB combination, he serves the role of a rarely seen, underrated pivot. When washing machines are too boring, ovens quickly bridge the gap.
Katana (Weavile) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Low Kick
Weavile is ninja-fast, and ninja-powerful. Thanks to her amazing offensive stats and excellent offensive typing, she can dig holes in many teams. Knock Off is essential in any team, in my opinion, as sometimes, items make or break a Pokémon: would Chansey be the same amazing blob without Eviolite? Icicle Crash is a way to reliably hit Dragon-, Flying-, Ground- and Grass-types, while Ice Shard is needed when Weavile does not outspeed an enemy Pokémon. Low Kick, finally, can swiftly take out heavy Steel- and Rock-type Pokémon mainly.
Guillotine (Scizor) (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Def / 200 SpD
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
By virtue of fantastic bulk and great typing, Scizor gets many opportunities to use Defog throughout the game. With U-Turn it forms a nice VoltTurn core with Rotom-Heat, and deals high damage to Dark-, Psychic- and Grass-types which can be annoying otherwise. Bullet Punch allows Scizor to threaten Diancie mainly, but also all Fairy- and Rock-type Pokémon. Finally, Roost provides reliable recovery so Scizor can stay alive for the game's duration.
Post your suggestions and harshest criticism here! I'm ready to make changes as long as I can keep Gengar and Clefable. Should you want to try the team, I'd be more than honored; however, please keep the nicknames.
Have fun!
