How can I improve my NU team?

Question

kitty (Incineroar) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
- Flare Blitz
- Darkest Lariat
- Thunder Punch
- Cross Chop

'piece of metal (Klinklang) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
- Gear Grind
- Shift Gear
- Substitute
- Magnet Rise

annoying d00d (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
- Roar
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Quick Attack

monkey (Ambipom) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Fake Out
- Brick Break
- Return
- Thunder Punch

sunflower (Heliolisk) @ Zap Plate
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Rain Dance

archer (Decidueye) @ Decidium Z
Ability: Long Reach
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpA
- Spirit Shackle
- Giga Drain
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch

How would you rate this team? I would appreciate if you could help mention the pros and cons of this team. Thanks!

Comments

Your Ambipom is effectively a slightly weaker Heliolisk that stacks weaknesses with your real Heliolisk. There's no good reason to have 2 fast normals on the same team. Use Medicham if you want a good fake out user. It hits significantly harder and doesn't share types with your other Pokemon.

Answer 1

Suggestions:

• Mention natures on your Pokemon.
• Avoid using Ambipom in general. Its frailty, below-average coverage and lack of setup makes it a very exploitable Pokemon. As sumwun mentions, it is not playing an important role on your team either.
• Use Intimidate on Incineroar. It is a better ability, especially on balance teams.
• Your choice in coverage moves is questionable throughout the team. Coverage moves should be used to specifically hit targets which wall (i.e. resist) your Pokemon's best attacks. Case in point, Thunder Punch is a bad coverage move, as it is not powerful enough (and doesn't hit valuable targets on the Pokemon you've used it on). Use Earthquake on Incineroar, and U-Turn on Ambipom (so it can at least function as an offensive pivot).
• I would not rely on Klinklang as your only win condition, as it is such an easy Pokemon to wall. Replace Ambipom with another set-up sweeper to remedy this. Iapapa Berry is overkill.
• Cross Chop has too much overlap with Earthquake and should be replaced for Swords Dance which has higher utility.
• Quick Attack will never do any meaningful damage. Use Wish to sustain Vaporeon and its teammates. Run bulk instead of SpA here.
• Low Kick has more upside than Brick Break, and is the superior move.
• Give Choice Specs to Heliolisk to make it a wallbreaker for your set-up sweepers. The Rain Dance set is novel, but also gimmicky.
• Use Decidueye as a defogger and a pivot. Brave Bird and Sucker Punch are, again, average choices here. You can give the Z-Move to Klinklang to let it nuke a would-be counter.

Things this team does well:

• You seem to have some understanding of how the balance archetype works, even though you're missing a few roles on this team.
• If you were to use an additional set-up sweeper, it and Klinklang would be well supported by VolTurn pivoting from Heliolisk and Decidueye (if you give it U-Turn).
• Incineroar and Heliolisk are good wallbreakers, especially if you make the couple changes I mentioned. They give your team good offensive coverage of the metagame, which is especially important if you're using Klinklang.
• None of these sets are completely outrageous, which makes you better than most of the lower ladder already.