FINALLY MY MAIN FORMAT
anyways
Charizard-Mega-Y: The thing with Zard Y is that people often choose one between Sands and Focus Blast, then slot in Roost for the last move. The only exception is of course me, the Zard innovator, who runs fricking HP Electric just to have a chance against Rain. That's only because I run a really offensive team with Volcarona, however, so for you, choose one of Focus and Sands then put Roost in the last slot. The thing with Fire Blast is that it 2HKOs Clodsire. That's it. There is no other relevant calc that puts Blast above Flamethrower, so Flamethrower is often the preferred choice.
Hatterene: So you make it hella defensive with max SpDef and HP...yet you run a Quiet nature...which lowers Speed...and boosts SpA? Wouldn't Sassy (+SpD, -Spe) make more sense? Anyways, Assault Vest is not a good item for this meta. Physical offense is at an all time high, with Ogerpon dominating the tier, followed up by numerous threats such as Kingambit, Dragonite, Baxcalibur, Scizor-Mega...yeah you get the point. Hatterene does get use as a support mon, however, with this set on Smogon:
Hatterene (F) @ Eject Button
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock
- Mystical Fire
- Nuzzle
This supporting set helps act as both a pivot and a healer. Healing Wish can be used as a last ditch scenario in case Hatterene is low, giving it one last function to fully heal a teammate. The lack of Fairy STAB is due to Psyshock's better matchup against fellow defensive mon Toxapex, and Mystical Fire hitting mons like Kingambit and Zard Y harder. Nuzzle is, of course, another support move in Hat's kit. 56 Speed outspeed Toxapex, allowing it to fire off a Psyshock for decent chip damage.
Kartana: I like the innovation. With that being said, this ain't working. Kartana already struggles in this meta filled with Fires, Dragons, and Steels. This set in particular, and quite literally all other sets, gets walled by mons like Dragonite, Scizor-Mega, and Lando-T. The fact that this is also a "lead" also makes it more problematic, as Tailwind only lasts 4 turns, and with Kartana in with the upped crit rate, there is no way you will leave Tailwind durations for your teammates. If you switch Kart out, it can be very difficult to find opportunities for Tailwind again. This just isn't going to work. In general, if you want Kartana to be speedy mon threatening to sweep the opponent's team with enough chip, the best set for that is Scarf.
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Grass / Dark
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike
Choice Scarf Kartana offers both offensive pressure and defensive utility. For example, if Gyarados-Mega sets up a Dragon Dance, or Volcarona sets up a Quiver Dance, Kartana can revenge kill a member of your team with its immediate speed. Tera Dark is an alternative option, as it provides a power boost to KO mons like Volcarona if it has higher HP.
Urshifu-Rapid: The problem with Urshifu-Rapid is that it does not synergize well with Zard Y. Even though it is a potent mon, it doesn't work as well with Zard's sun usually being omnipotent. Zard usually is compatible with strong Grass types, like Kart or Ogerpon, but another mon people like to run alongside Zard is Dragonite. Zard Y teams usually lack priority, with Grassy Glide Rillaboom usually being the most these teams can afford. Thus, discount Extreme Killer Dragonite can help remedy that.
Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Normal
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch / Ice Spinner / Roost
This is the most standard set. As mentioned before, Extreme Speed, potentially boosted by Tera Normal helps with the priority situation. Earthquake is mandatory to deal with Heatran, a Pokemon that would otherwise wall it. The last move is up to choice. Fire Punch helps with mons like bulky Grasses and Corviknight...but Zard Y covers Fire already. So, the choice is up to Ice Spinner and Roost. Ice Spinner covers Lando, Garchomp, Tusk, just all the Grounds that could take a boosted E-Speed. Meanwhile, Roost provides longevity at the expense of being worse off against teams with any resemblance of strong offense.
Corviknight: Again, cool innovation. Is it better than standard Corv? No. Even though this set may work elsewhere, Corviknight on Zard Y teams serve a wholly different function. Getting Rocks off the field to facilitate Zard Destruction is usually the biggest priority of the team. This would mean that the hazard remover of the team, which is Corviknight in this case, has to have enough longevity to last most of the game, while not risking its own teammates when hard switching out. In terms of changes, Pressure is a way better ability than Mirror Armor. The only relevant stat dropping scenario is Lando's Intimidate, and lets be honest, Corviknight is a defensive mon. It doesn't care. Swap out Steel Wing and Bulk Up for Body Press and U-Turn, and use Tera Water. As stated before, Fires are quite relevant in the meta, and Tera Water helps remedy the Fire weakness, along with being able to stand in the way of Zard Y's biggest nightmare, Rain teams. Body Press is a great move on Corv due to its high Defense invest, and U-Turn is able to bring strong mons like Zard Y in for another cataclysmic round of nuking. Finally, use an Impish nature (+Def, -SpA) as it boosts Body Press even further. U-Turn is just for pivoting, so the attack boost from Adamant is irrelevant.
Ursaluna-Bloodmoon: First off, I have no idea if bears are lactose tolerant, but I don't think its a good idea to feed them dairy. Funi jokes aside, the only critique I would give here is to use Tera Poison over F(D)airy, as it also resists Fighting while also packing an immunity to Toxic.
EDIT: I just saw that you mentioned that Bloodmoon may not fit this team that well. In that case, if you are willing to risk it, a double Fire squad featuring Volcarona could be used. Zard Y can wallbreak the Fire resists for Volcarona to sweep late game. Here is a set:
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Tera Type: Grass / Ground / Psychic
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Flamethrower / Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain / HP Ground / Psychic
Yeah...there is some debate on what to use for Volc's last move. Tera Grass is obviously the best defensively, but it renders it useless against mons like Dragonite, Ogerpon-H, and Heatran. Tera Ground coupled with HP Ground dispatches Heatran and Pex while removing a glaring Rock weakness. This can be useful in niche situations when Boots are Knocked Off and you're forced to switch, but you now resist Rock and don't fear Stealth Rock. Lastly, Tera Psychic is more effective against Toxapex while providing a method to hit Dragonite, however Heatran now completely stonewalls it again, similar to Tera Grass. For this team, I recommend Tera Ground, as you already have a Grass and a Psychic mon on the team, however you can always change it if you find a particular mon walling you all the time. There is also a choice between Flamethrower and Fiery Dance, whether you value power or the potential to snowball. Personally, I use Fiery Dance, however you can experiment with both and see what fits best.
And that's it! I hope you enjoy the definitely not chaotic metagame of NatDex, and have fun laddering!
