Hey guys, I've tried to build a team for VGC 2017. I'm not sure about a couple of things, so I'm posting here to get some suggestions.
So here is it:
Tapu Koko @ Life Orb
Ability: Electric Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Discharge
- Protect
Tapu Koko is basically the star of my team. Having Lightning Rod Marowak and Krookodile, he can Discharge safely without having the teammate lose one turn to protect. I'm still unsure about Life Orb vs Choice Specs, but I think Life Orb is the best choice here because I often need to use Dazzling Gleam for coverage (especially against Garchomp).
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Atk / 4 Def / 68 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bonemerang
- Shadow Bone
- Flare Blitz
- Protect
My Celesteela counter, and a good Pokemon to use against Trick Room because of his low speed. He's EV'd to take a Psychic from Tapu Lele under Psychic Terrain and to outspeed 4 Spe Alolan Muk. Since most Marowaks don't have that much investment in speed, he can outspeed and ohko them as well.
Gyarados @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 60 Atk / 28 Def / 52 SpD / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Protect
Intimidate support and my only form of speed control. I've been using a support EV spread I found online, which makes him very bulky and durable. Offensively, he can 2HKO Marowak.
I'll copy-paste the defensive calcs I found:
Ninetales-Alola @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Warning
Level: 50
EVs: 44 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 204 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Moonblast
- Aurora Veil
- Protect
Garchomp counter, can support with Aurora Veil and start attacking after that. EV'd to outspeed Jolly Garchomp. I'm not sure if I should keep using Moonblast or add another support move like Icy Wind or Encore.
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 228 HP / 44 Atk / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Substitute
- Wide Guard
- Protect
Another offensive support, my main Tapu killer. He can tank a Timid Xurkitree's Thunderbolt while having enough stats to boost his Atk when he gets a ko. I'm not sure if I should keep both Wide Guard and Protect or add something like Leech Seed, but it seems Wide Guard is quite unexpected and has saved me countless times, especially against Torkoal.
Krookodile @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Crunch
- Protect
At this point, I needed someone who could counter Oranguru. I've added Darkinium Z Krookodile. With these EVs, he can outspeed Smeargle. He's my main lead against Trick Room, and he often leads with Celesteela against other matchups. OHKOes Oranguru with Black Hole Eclipse, but he can use Z-Taunt as well to boost his Atk while Taunting possible supports or Trick Room setters without Mental Herb (Porygon2). The added Intimidate is a bonus.
Now, I noticed that my team, since I have 4 Physical and 2 Special mons, is quite weak to Intimidate. Also, I'm not sure if I really need double Intimidate and double Taunt, so I was thinking about changing Gyarados for Milotic. I could also change Krookodile for Garchomp, but I don't really like him and he can't OHKO Oranguru, which is the main reason I chose to add Krookodile. However, if I remove Gyarados, I wouldn't have any form of speed control, so I should probably add Icy Wind on Ninetales or another support Pokemon. What are your opinions about this?
Thank you in advance.
So here is it:
Tapu Koko @ Life Orb
Ability: Electric Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Discharge
- Protect
Tapu Koko is basically the star of my team. Having Lightning Rod Marowak and Krookodile, he can Discharge safely without having the teammate lose one turn to protect. I'm still unsure about Life Orb vs Choice Specs, but I think Life Orb is the best choice here because I often need to use Dazzling Gleam for coverage (especially against Garchomp).
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Atk / 4 Def / 68 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bonemerang
- Shadow Bone
- Flare Blitz
- Protect
My Celesteela counter, and a good Pokemon to use against Trick Room because of his low speed. He's EV'd to take a Psychic from Tapu Lele under Psychic Terrain and to outspeed 4 Spe Alolan Muk. Since most Marowaks don't have that much investment in speed, he can outspeed and ohko them as well.
Gyarados @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 60 Atk / 28 Def / 52 SpD / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Protect
Intimidate support and my only form of speed control. I've been using a support EV spread I found online, which makes him very bulky and durable. Offensively, he can 2HKO Marowak.
I'll copy-paste the defensive calcs I found:
Code:
-1 252 Atk Garchomp Rock Slide vs. 244 HP / 28 Def Gyarados: 50-60 (24.8 - 29.8%) -- possible 5HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
-1 252 Atk Garchomp Dragon Claw vs. 244 HP / 28 Def Gyarados: 54-64 (26.8 - 31.8%) -- 0.4% chance to 4HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 244 HP / 52 SpD Gyarados in Psychic Terrain: 121-144 (60.1 - 71.6%) -- 91.8% chance to 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 244 HP / 52 SpD Gyarados: 81-96 (40.2 - 47.7%) -- 95.4% chance to 3HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 244 HP / 52 SpD Gyarados: 84-100 (41.7 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
-1 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak-Alola Rock Slide vs. 244 HP / 28 Def Gyarados: 78-94 (38.8 - 46.7%) -- 79.7% chance to 3HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
-1 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak-Alola Shadow Bone vs. 244 HP / 28 Def Gyarados: 90-106 (44.7 - 52.7%) -- 7.4% chance to 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
-1 252 Atk Aerodactyl Rock Slide vs. 244 HP / 28 Def Gyarados: 66-78 (32.8 - 38.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
252+ SpA Salamence Draco Meteor vs. 244 HP / 52 SpD Gyarados: 103-123 (51.2 - 61.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
252 SpA Gengar Sludge Bomb vs. 244 HP / 52 SpD Gyarados: 73-87 (36.3 - 43.2%) -- 4.8% chance to 3HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
252 Atk Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 244 HP / 28 Def Gyarados: 82-97 (40.7 - 48.2%) -- 98.8% chance to 3HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Moonblast vs. 244 HP / 52 SpD Gyarados: 57-67 (28.3 - 33.3%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after hail damage and Sitrus Berry recovery
-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Scizor Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 244 HP / 28 Def Gyarados: 62-74 (30.8 - 36.8%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO
-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 244 HP / 28 Def Gyarados: 83-99 (41.2 - 49.2%) -- 99.8% chance to 3HKO after Sitrus Berry recoveryAbility: Snow Warning
Level: 50
EVs: 44 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 204 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Moonblast
- Aurora Veil
- Protect
Garchomp counter, can support with Aurora Veil and start attacking after that. EV'd to outspeed Jolly Garchomp. I'm not sure if I should keep using Moonblast or add another support move like Icy Wind or Encore.
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 228 HP / 44 Atk / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Substitute
- Wide Guard
- Protect
Another offensive support, my main Tapu killer. He can tank a Timid Xurkitree's Thunderbolt while having enough stats to boost his Atk when he gets a ko. I'm not sure if I should keep both Wide Guard and Protect or add something like Leech Seed, but it seems Wide Guard is quite unexpected and has saved me countless times, especially against Torkoal.
Krookodile @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Crunch
- Protect
At this point, I needed someone who could counter Oranguru. I've added Darkinium Z Krookodile. With these EVs, he can outspeed Smeargle. He's my main lead against Trick Room, and he often leads with Celesteela against other matchups. OHKOes Oranguru with Black Hole Eclipse, but he can use Z-Taunt as well to boost his Atk while Taunting possible supports or Trick Room setters without Mental Herb (Porygon2). The added Intimidate is a bonus.
Now, I noticed that my team, since I have 4 Physical and 2 Special mons, is quite weak to Intimidate. Also, I'm not sure if I really need double Intimidate and double Taunt, so I was thinking about changing Gyarados for Milotic. I could also change Krookodile for Garchomp, but I don't really like him and he can't OHKO Oranguru, which is the main reason I chose to add Krookodile. However, if I remove Gyarados, I wouldn't have any form of speed control, so I should probably add Icy Wind on Ninetales or another support Pokemon. What are your opinions about this?
Thank you in advance.