[MANDATORY] TEAM BUILDING HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

just a heads up to anyone who wants to help, i have been and will continue to update the assignment team a lot, because i am very eager to post my actual team.
 
Last edited:
Its definitely better now - an example to help improve it further:

The damage calc for Koko shows it does 147% minimum which doesn't help you. This type of calc makes me think you could use less attack and still score the KO. You could potentially invest in some bulk instead. It'd be nice to see what benchmark you are going for with a particular calculation.

So basically; it'd be nice to see a lot more detail in the analysis
Try it now, i added a ton.
 
Last edited:
xDoctorGx The point is not a list, I once again recommend reading other people's assignments before you try again.

MOOSHROOM333 This is still bad, you haven't explained anything, why don't you run Protect on any of your Pokémon? Why Damp Rock on Pelipper? etc.

I would recommend to both of you that you (probably) do a complete redo of the assignment.

PS: I would also recommend, that to see if your team works well, try it on Pokémon Showdown, if it doesn't work, figure out why, and change it, then, once you have something that works good, with the six Pokémon in the team, write up the assignment, and explain everything that you did.
I did look through other peoples posts but they did the same like i did with my first post and then got told to look at other peoples posts too so that doesnt really work either :/
Redoing the assignment would just give the same outcome better idea is to tell me what exactly is wrong with it i already did what you asked of me to give explanations and where the synergy lies.
 
xDoctorGx this is an example description that RebornFX gave me when I was having a hard time with my assignment, and it really helped me, although it is not a Pokémon in your team, perhaps it can help you to know what to write.

Salamence @ Draconium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Sp. Atk, 4 Sp. Def, 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Substitute
- Protect

Salamence adds another member to the 'fast mode' of my team, as well as much appreciated Intimidate, making Garchomp's -1 EQ a 3HKO against Muk after Figy Berry recovery and a 2HKO on Koko. It provides the team with a Fire and Fighting resistance for Kartana, as well as a ground immunity for Muk and Koko. In return, Kartana and Muk can comfortably deal with Tapu Lele and Tapu Fini, and Muk can fairly comfortably deal with Koko all of which Mence can't touch. Draco Meteor is the obligatory STAB option, which when paired with the Z crystal can deal a large chunk to any unresisted target without suffering the sp.atk drop. Flamethrower is used to KO Kartana, 2HKOing 252HP Bulu and improving my Celesteela matchup. Substitute is used to capitalise on obvious passive play (protects and switches), avoid will-o-wisps and Toxics from the likes of Arcanine for the former and Gastrodon, P2 and Milotic for the latter, as well as setting up in the face of Pokemon that are unable to break the sub. I chose this over the alternatives as I didn't believe roar was all that necessary due to the team having a trick room mode of its own, with P2 available to reverse trick room if need be, Hydro Pump having rather shaky accuracy and the trick room mode of my team having a pretty solid matchup vs Marowak, and Dragon Pulse not really fitting with the intended playstyle of mence, often valuing being switched out to recycle its Intimidate. I decided to run a simple 252,252 spread as I didn't believe there were any significant benchmarks that a more complicated EV spread would allow me to hit.
 
Okay guys, I want to make it as clear as I possibly can what level of detail I expect to see out of these homework assignments. I can’t think of a way of making it more clear than as a checklist. If your descriptions/post doesn’t cover these criteria then you will be ignored.
  • Why do you think the Pokemon were chosen? What makes them the best candidate for filling their role on the team? Is it their strong metagame matchup? Their particular synergy with other members on the team? A niche pick to throw players off? Did another team member already take the item that an alternative would have required? In this you should actually include the alternatives and why the teambuilder may have considered them inferior to their choice.
  • What matchup issues might the team have? What have you done to the EVs/movesets to make up for this? How might you intend to play around these bad matchups? Preferably stick to common threats/cores/archetypes (things in like the top 50 in usage, though this isn’t a hard and fast rule).
  • What do the EVs do? Why did you consider these benchmarks important (i.e. are they specific to a certain matchup, and do they really improve it that much?) and what benchmarks are you giving up on by making this choice? If you need to read up on EV spreads, I recommend this 2 part article: http://nuggetbridge.com/articles/achieving-perfection-creating-specialized-ev-spreads-part-one/
  • What does the item choice allow your mon to do that it would not be able to do otherwise, and what do you give up on from the alternatives? Having the ideal item choice already taken by another member is a valid response to this question, but does not mean you can skip this point, as it is unlikely the Pokemon only has two viable item options. Obviously in the case of Porygon2 and Marowak etc this point can be disregarded.
  • Why did you choose the moveset and why were the other options not chosen? Some mons have plenty of options for a certain moveslot so just include the 3 moves you would be most likely to replace your choice with.
  • Calcs are not necessarily required, though for custom movesets and spreads they are much appreciated (though the benchmarks that they hit will suffice). Stick to relevant calcs only. You can calc for worst case scenarios but please include the damage that you would actually expect to see along with it and make sure it is clear what you are including as a worst case scenario (by worst case scenario, I mean something like calcing against max defence Celesteela which is something I have never and expect to never actually see used by a competent player).
  • Not required, but might be useful to include is any changes you would make to the team composition if you had total control. This is likely to be useful if you working with a fairly outdated team, as the metagame has adapted quite rapidly since the conception of the team. Again, go through the same thought process as you have previously, what is the opportunity cost of these changes and why do the benefits this change provides to the team outweigh this cost, relating back to the state of the metagame.

If you don’t put this kind of thought into this assignment, it is unlikely you will be putting this kind of thought into team posts of your own, in which case how can you expect others to put in that thought for you?

I'll actually get into the assignments when I have more time, though please feel free to update your posts in the mean time as I'm not comfortably allowing anyone to post yet.
 
Entry Hazards are rarely worth a moveslot in VGC since they tend to not get as much value in a format where battles tend to last 5 - 7 turns, with 10 being considered a long battle. Nihilego is also relatively frail, so going for an offensive set with Sludge Bomb and consider HP Ice or Thunderbolt, depending on how it all stacks up in the damage calc. Thunder also has a scary 70 accuracy (similar to Focus Miss Blast) and may wind up costing you a game due to that. Thunderbolt on Electric Terrain should hit hard enough anyways, and won't randomly miss when you need it. I am curious as to why you chose Nature's Madness over something like Dazzling Gleam (which is arguably better in most cases, imo) and why Tapu Koko lacks Protect. And on the subject of curious choices: Why Toxic over Leech Seed anyways? Toxic's main use this format has been to wear down bulky things like Gastrodon and Pory2 into an easier KO Range, but otherwise hasn't seen much play. Leech Seed also helps 'Steela out, especially if you get it on both Pokémon, and is commonly seen as a result. Finally, why Sub over Protect on Gyarados? While AlolaWak can protect Gyarados from Thunderbolts, it can not protect it against Discharge, which is just as dangerous. It also lets you better run Gyarados next to Nihilego, which seems like a pretty neat pair.
So based on what you told me I've edited the team...
I updated Nilhilego to be more offensive. I opted for natures madness due to its ability to 2hko any Mon. (Thought this might be valuable for bulky mons.) Still replaced it with protect though. Tapu koko is pretty frail though so hoping I can survive two turn may be a stretch.

Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Protect
- Taunt
- U-turn
Based on what Project Mars said protect is a very valuable move on tapu koko. So I added that over natures madness. The EVs are pretty standards. A speedy sweeper. Tapu koko is pretty frail.

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect
So Celesteela is pretty much a standard wall. The combination of substitute and protect allows it to leech seed away at even mons like snorlax and porygon2 well healing itself. May try toxic over protect however.

Gyarados @ Waterium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Protect
I liked the idea of substitute on gyarados but (again) due to what Project Mars suggested I went for protect. The EVs speak for themselves. A speedy sweeper with some bulk to back it up. Dragon Dance is a great move that can turn gyarados scary fast.

Nihilego @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Grass Knot
- Sludge Bomb
So I changed this Mon to a fast sweeper like many Mons on this team. The Evs are what you would expect. Hidden power ice allows for more coverage. Grass knot helps against mons like celesteela. Sludge Bomb has a 30% chance of poisoning with 90 power to back it up.

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Shadow Bone
- Bonemerang
- Detect
Thanks to the thick club this moms attack is doubled. This Mon is surprisingly bulky. Flare Blitz is a powerful move. Boomerang hits twice which is nice. Detect is just protect under another name.

Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 128 Def / 252 SpA / 128 Sdef
Modest Nature
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
Not really a trick room team. So I went for an offensive bulky set. Protect maybe more useful over ice beam though is more useful.
 
Hey Pokemon Nerd,

I am pretty new to the scene but I thought I would offer some advice while I was online

I opted for natures madness due to its ability to 2hko any Mon
Nature's Madness deals 1/2 of the opponents remaining HP. So it doesn't 2HKO any mon and is only really useful for dealing with very bulky mons.

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect
Here are a few calcs for max attack impish Celesteela against some common mons:

252 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 218-260 (149.3 - 178%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko: 99-117 (68.2 - 80.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tapu Fini: 76-91 (42.9 - 51.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 116 Def Tapu Bulu: 138-164 (77.9 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

You aren't really optimized here to pick up any relevant KOs with the max attack and Impish - All of these are either way above (Lele) or just miss out on benchmarks. You could run a spread with 156 attack and achieve the exact same marks as above with additional HP or defensive investments as shown below:

156 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 204-240 (139.7 - 164.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
156 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko: 91-108 (62.7 - 74.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
156 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tapu Fini: 72-85 (40.6 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
156 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 116 Def Tapu Bulu: 128-152 (72.3 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

Now; it is entirely possible that you aren't overly concerned with the Tapus but there are likely other threats that you may want to choose your EVs more carefully for. The extra 86 EVs can make a huge difference as shown below:

252+ Atk Arcanine Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 0+ Def Celesteela: 180-212 (104.6 - 123.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Arcanine Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 86+ Def Celesteela: 164-194 (95.3 - 112.7%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO

Gyarados @ Waterium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Protect
I liked the idea of substitute on gyarados but (again) due to what Project Mars suggested I went for protect. The EVs speak for themselves. A speedy sweeper with some bulk to back it up. Dragon Dance is a great move that can turn gyarados scary fast.
Earthquake and Ice Fang are more common - any reason in particular you went with Crunch? These types of details are very helpful. A second Z-Move user isn't inherently awful but it does create conflict when you bring both mons to a match as one of them is wasting an item.

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Shadow Bone
- Bonemerang
- Detect
Thanks to the thick club this moms attack is doubled. This Mon is surprisingly bulky. Flare Blitz is a powerful move. Boomerang hits twice which is nice. Detect is just protect under another name.
It is a lot of work to get Detect on Marowak in Gen 7 (breed with Sceptile line) - it has a very niche use insofar as it is much less likely to be trapped with imprison but kinda odd to add it over protect. Unless of course you don't plan on playing on cart - then by all means detect away!

Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 128 Def / 252 SpA / 128 Sdef
Modest Nature
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
Not really a trick room team. So I went for an offensive bulky set. Protect maybe more useful over ice beam though is more useful.
Bolt-Beam coverage is generally good enough to forego Tri Attack and even if you aren't running a trick room team - trick room can be very useful to reverse an opponents room or set up your own for Porygon2. It can also be quite useful with Marowak-A and Celesteela giving you another option on your team.

Hope that helps - definitely use the usage information and the damage calculator to really help you see what your team is capable of and weak against.
 
Nature's Madness deals 1/2 of the opponents remaining HP. So it doesn't 2HKO any mon and is only really useful for dealing with very bulky mons.
Op, sorry not sure how I forgot about that. That was Nooby of me.

Earthquake and Ice Fang are more common - any reason in particular you went with Crunch? These types of details are very helpful. A second Z-Move user isn't inherently awful but it does create conflict when you bring both mons to a match as one of them is wasting an item.
I wanted to use this move set simply because its different. So many gyarados with ice fang running around I wanted to try something else. Crunch help with Ghost and psychic type mons who are rather common in VGC.

It is a lot of work to get Detect on Marowak in Gen 7 (breed with Sceptile line) - it has a very niche use insofar as it is much less likely to be trapped with imprison but kinda odd to add it over protect. Unless of course you don't plan on playing on cart - then by all means detect away!
I couldn't quite understand what you were saying here. As for how hard it is to get on this Mon. I wasn't really thinking about that since this is just homework and I'm not actually planning on making this team in my game.

Bolt-Beam coverage is generally good enough to forego Tri Attack and even if you aren't running a trick room team - trick room can be very useful to reverse an opponents room or set up your own for Porygon2. It can also be quite useful with Marowak-A and Celesteela giving you another option on your team.
Hmm. True, I'll try trick room out...
 
I wanted to use this move set simply because its different. So many gyarados with ice fang running around I wanted to try something else. Crunch help with Ghost and psychic type mons who are rather common in VGC.
Citing specific pokemon and maybe damage calcs really makes it look like you put more thought into this post and gives the impression that the team is well put together and your reasoning is sound. This is what they are looking for rather than just 6 movesets. Maybe the increasing prevalence of Mismagius makes crunch an appealing move as it scores a KO when waterfall is a 2HKO? My suspicion is that both are 2HKO to be honesglt but I don't have a damage calc available right now. EQ hits Gengar harder as well as any electric type who immediately threatens Gyarados. Ice fang allows you to hit Bulu and grass types. Think of these posts as convincing someone that you have the best set rather than just describing it. Being novel isn't solely a good enough reason - hitting ghost and psychic mons is a better reason but I'm not convinced that it will do anything meaningfully better than Waterfall so it seems like a wasted moveslot (it very well may be a good move...but again, convince me)

I couldn't quite understand what you were saying here. As for how hard it is to get on this Mon. I wasn't really thinking about that since this is just homework and I'm not actually planning on making this team in my game.


Not getting at anything - just that there isn't any reason to run detect and its a thousand times harder to get than protect so just run protect. On subsequent teams you may build just run protect.

Again, I am definitely not trying to be antagonistic or anything - but you won't get any traction posting a RMT with a one/two sentence description. Most likely, it will just get deleted.
 
I wanted to use this move set simply because its different. So many gyarados with ice fang running around I wanted to try something else. Crunch help with Ghost and psychic type mons who are rather common in VGC.
If this is your reasoning for having a move on a set then you probably shouldn't bother editing your post.
 
If this is your reasoning for having a move on a set then you probably shouldn't bother editing your post.
Here are some damage calacs. Not bad.

252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mismagius: 109-129 (65.2 - 77.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Crunch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Misdreavus: 98-116 (72.5 - 85.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Crunch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gengar: 146-172 (108.1 - 127.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Crunch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Alakazam: 178-210 (136.9 - 161.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
 
Okay, one last effort to help you here. And remember this type of thought should go into EVERY pokemon not just the Gyarados we are going back and forth here about.

You mentioned Crunch allows you to hit Ghost/Psychic mons better and is unique. Being somewhat niche or unexpected does have merit to pick up a surprise KO (magnified by abilities like Moxie, Beast Boost, etc...) - but that only matters if it actually helps you get those kills. Twister is unheard of on Gyarados even though it can learn it however running it would be asinine.

So lets look at the relevant Ghost/Psychic threats in the metagame currently. By usage there are 6 pokemon that are ghost or psychic type in the top 50 (Pokemon below this are used on less than 2% of teams)



Now lets look at Gyarados attacks versus these 6 pokemon and their most common spreads

252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 93-109 (63.6 - 74.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Marowak-Alola: 134-162 (80.2 - 97%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Metagross: 58-70 (31 - 37.4%) -- 84.4% chance to 3HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mimikyu: 88-105 (67.6 - 80.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gengar: 109-129 (80.7 - 95.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 164 Def Oranguru: 73-87 (37 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO


252+ Atk Gyarados Crunch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 62-73 (42.4 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Crunch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Marowak-Alola: 90-108 (53.8 - 64.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Crunch vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Metagross: 78-94 (41.7 - 50.2%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Crunch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mimikyu: 59-70 (45.3 - 53.8%) -- 43% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Crunch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gengar: 146-172 (108.1 - 127.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Crunch vs. 252 HP / 164 Def Oranguru: 98-116 (49.7 - 58.8%) -- 98.4% chance to 2HKO


252+ Atk Gyarados Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 57-68 (39 - 46.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Marowak-Alola: 84-100 (50.2 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Metagross: 72-86 (38.5 - 45.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mimikyu: 55-65 (42.3 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gengar: 136-160 (100.7 - 118.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 164 Def Oranguru: 45-54 (22.8 - 27.4%) -- 59.4% chance to 4HKO


As far as I can see the only thing you gain is a 2HKO on Oranguru versus a 3HKO when facing ghost/psychic pokemon. As an aside - Crunch does give you a 25% chance to OHKO Mismagius so if you want to use a moveslot for a 2HKO on Oranguru and a 25% chance to OHKO Mismagius (if it doesn't just will-o-wisp you...which it will) then by all means go ahead. I think Crunch is a very poor move choice though and has far less utility than earthquake or even Substitute if I am being honest.
 

This is Kamran Jahadi's 3rd place team at Anaheim. Nothing revolutionary going on here – I was actually using a very similar team on PS before the competition took place, and I wouldn't call any of these 'mons underused in the current metagame (Arc and Fini especially). I'm trash at EVs so they're all either standard 252/252/4 sets or stolen from Trainer Tower, but I've been reading articles and that's something I hope to improve on in the future (I've signed up for Battling 101 but figured I'd do this while I wait).

There's two standard leads I typically use with this team – one is Fini/Kartana and the other is Mimikyu/Snorlax. Tapu Fini and Kartana can take care of each other's weaknesses quite well, with Fini threatening the fire and fighting types Kartana loathes and Kartana able to take out other Tapus (especially Koko, whom Fini hates). Arcanine and Snorlax are both capable of tanking a Flare Blitz or two meant for Kartana if the other player doesn't predict your switch-out, and there isn't anyone on the team that won't appreciate an Aurora Veil from Ninetales.

Mimikyu and Snorlax represent this team's slower, trick room mode. If the opposing team isn't prepared for trick room or to stop trick room, the pair of them can do an awful lot of damage within those five turns. Mimikyu does its best to get rid of fighting types for Snorlax so Snorlax can safely Belly Drum/Curse without fear of fainting. Once Snorlax is set up, it can Return away at its foes, knocking all but the bulkiest opponents out in one hit. Tapu Fini is also a good friend for Snorlax for keeping the fighting types at bay, and Arcanine can always intimidate opposing mons to hopefully keep 'Lax out of the red.



Tapu Fini @ Choice Specs
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 164 SpA / 44 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Muddy Water

This is a fairly standard set; I went with Scald over Hydro Pump because I never seem to land Hydro Pump, even though Scald won't burn in misty terrain (so maybe that's a little irrational). Scald will OHKO both Arcanine and Marowak anyway, and 2HKO Torkoal and possibly Gigalith. Dazzling Gleam and Muddy Water will wear down foes quite quickly, and getting an accuracy drop from Muddy Water can help immensely if the hax are on your side (but all the same, I wouldn't count on it). Moonblast can get rid of most dark, fighting, and dragon types in one hit. Defense EVs allow Fini to survive Koko's T-bolt and Arcanine's Wild Charge, the two most common electric attacks, outside of terrain; however it may not be able to survive a Leaf Blade from a similar max-Attack Kartana to the one on this team and will definitely not survive a Wood Hammer from Bulu.


164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Arcanine: 200-236 (101.5 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Torkoal in Sun: 110-132 (62.1 - 74.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Marowak-Alola: 204-240 (122.1 - 143.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 228 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Gigalith in Sand: 90-108 (47.6 - 57.1%) -- 79.7% chance to 2HKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 44 SpD Tapu Fini: 144-170 (81.3 - 96%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Arcanine Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Tapu Fini: 90-106 (50.8 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Kartana @ Choice Scarf/Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Night Slash

Give just about anything a scarf and it becomes a monster, and that is especially true for Kartana. One hit from a super effective move will kill it, but at least it consistently moves first, often allowing it to KO the threat before the threat can KO it. Sacred Sword will deal with other Kartanas, Leaf Blade is for water/ground types (I'm looking at you, Gastrodon), while Smart Strike takes care of most Tapus in one or two hits. I chose Night Slash to take care of Ghost/Psychic types, although Marowak remains a threat as it takes two hits to KO it but only one Flare Blitz from Marowak to KO Kartana. Alternatively, you could also run a banded Kartana for more consistent OHKOs, especially to other Kartanas.

252 Atk Kartana Sacred Sword vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kartana: 106-126 (78.5 - 93.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Tapu Fini: 170-204 (96 - 115.2%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Kartana Smart Strike vs. 164 HP / 92 Def Tapu Lele: 174-206 (104.8 - 124%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Kartana Night Slash vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Raichu-Alola: 176-208 (129.4 - 152.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO


Arcanine @ Firium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 12 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Extreme Speed
- Protect

Arcanine is everywhere at the moment, and it's a wonder people aren't sick of its adorable little face. Inferno Overdrive, Arc's z-move, will probably KO anything that doesn't resist it. However, Arcanine's two most damaging moves, Flare Blitz and Wild Charge, both have recoil that can wear the pupper down quickly if you're not careful. Perhaps Arcanine's biggest utility comes in Extreme Speed, used to take down weakened threats with priority before they have a chance to attack that turn. You can't deny that Intimidate helps, either, sometimes making the difference between a one hit and a two hit kill. The defense EVs let Arcanine survive Marowak's Bonemerang as well as Koko and Lele's attacks in their respective terrains as well as an Intimidated -1 EQ from Chomp; the rest is put into speed.

252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 76 HP / 12 SpD Arcanine in Electric Terrain: 144-172 (82.2 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 76 HP / 12 SpD Arcanine in Psychic Terrain: 150-177 (85.7 - 101.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
-1 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak-Alola Bonemerang (2 hits) vs. 76 HP / 4 Def Arcanine: 144-172 (82.2 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 76 HP / 4 Def Arcanine: 102-120 (58.2 - 68.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Snorlax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Level: 50
EVs: 100 HP / 244 Def / 160 SpD
Adamant Impish Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Return
- High Horsepower
- Belly Drum/Curse
- Recycle

While a 50% Berry and Recycle help with its longevity, 'Lax is extremely susceptible to Knock Off, either leaving it at low health after Belly Drum or not allowing it to use Belly Drum at all. Curse over Belly Drum would be the obvious substitution if you want to opt for safety over damage. Return is the most common spammable option when it comes to attack, but High Horsepower can be used on those that resist Normal moves, as well as threats like Muk and Nihilego that are 4x weak to Ground and are otherwise difficult for the team to take down. The EVs allow Snorlax to tank just about any Z-move, but it remains weak to Fighting types like Pheromosa and Hariyama, who are able to OHKO it easily. No attack investment is necessary, as after Belly Drum or a few curses Snorlax is ready to take down anything that stands in its way.

252 SpA Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc (175 BP) vs. 100 HP / 160 SpD Snorlax in Electric Terrain: 145-172 (58.4 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 100 HP / 160 SpD Snorlax in Psychic Terrain: 198-234 (79.8 - 94.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ Atk Arcanine Inferno Overdrive (190 BP) vs. 100 HP / 244 Def Snorlax: 165-195 (66.5 - 78.6%) -- 19.1% chance to 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ Atk Water Bubble Araquanid Hydro Vortex (160 BP) vs. 100 HP / 244 Def Snorlax: 208-246 (83.8 - 99.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ Atk Arcanine Close Combat vs. 100 HP / 244 Def Snorlax: 140-166 (56.4 - 66.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery


Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay/Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Warning
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Protect
- Aurora Veil

Ninetales' Aurora Veil can often mean the difference between life and death for many attacks. Outside of priority attacks and a few scarfed individuals, the speed investment usually sees Ninetales going first, able to get Aurora Veil up before something can knock out it or its friend. Ninetales has a presence offensively as well, threatening flying and dragon types (Garchomp especially) with Blizzard and water types with the super-effective Freeze-Dry. However, the lack of defense investment means Ninetales will go down in one hit to super effective attacks outside of Aurora Veil, and any steel attack as well as Arcanine's Flare Blitz even with Aurora Veil up. Focus Sash could be run over Light Clay to prolong Ninetales' time on the field, especially since a typical battle rarely plays out five turns past when I'm able to get Aurora Veil up, let alone eight.

252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gyarados: 172-208 (101.1 - 122.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Muk-Alola Poison Jab vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ninetales-Alola through Reflect: 108-128 (72.4 - 85.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Garchomp Poison Jab vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ninetales-Alola through Reflect: 77-91 (51.6 - 61%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Mimikyu @ Focus Sash/Ghostium Z
Ability: Disguise
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
- Toxic/Shadow Claw/Destiny Bond
- Trick Room

Focus Sash Mimikyu takes at least three hits to take down, practically guaranteeing Trick Room if it's not taunted. A smart opponent will taunt it, however, so it's important for Mimikyu not to rely completely on trick room and maintain some offensive presence of its own. Like Arcanine's Extreme Speed, Shadow Sneak is useful for taking down foes that have already been weakened significantly (usually ones Snorlax can't quite finish off), and Play Rough can make a sizable dent in anything that doesn't resist it. The third slot is where I start getting confused a bit, as I've tried out several things in this space and none of them feel like they really fit. Toxic is useful for wearing down bulky opposing mons such as Porygon-2 and other Snorlax, but is dead weight if Fini comes in with its misty terrain. Shadow Claw is useful for taking down other ghosts and psychic types, but there aren't many in the meta at the moment. The move is mostly there in case I decide to run Ghostium-Z over the sash (which I did a couple of times), as Z-Shadow Claw's Never Ending Nightmare is more powerful than Z-Shadow Sneak's. Finally, Destiny Bond could be a viable final option, although in the handful of games I tested it in I only successfully used it once. Could probably use some better defense EVs but I'm a bit tired of copy-pasting spreads.

252+ Atk Mimikyu Shadow Claw vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Marowak-Alola: 96-114 (57.4 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 138-164 (75.4 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 28 HP / 108 Def Hariyama: 168-200 (75.3 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage
252+ Atk Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Pheromosa: 312-368 (213.6 - 252%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Tapu Fini @ Choice Specs
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 164 SpA / 44 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Muddy Water

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Night Slash

Arcanine @ Firium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 12 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Extreme Speed
- Protect

Snorlax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Level: 50
EVs: 100 HP / 244 Def / 160 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Return
- High Horsepower
- Belly Drum
- Recycle

Ninetales-Alola @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Warning
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Protect
- Aurora Veil

Mimikyu @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Disguise
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw
- Trick Room

So that's the team. It's all fairly standard so I'm sorry I'm not that creative, and it definitely has its weaknesses (Muk, for starters). Let me know if there's anything that needs fixing; I don't have a team of my own to publish but I'm eager for feedback to improve!
 
Last edited:

This is Kamran Jahadi's 3rd place team at Anaheim. Nothing revolutionary going on here – I was actually using a very similar team on PS before the competition took place, and I wouldn't call any of these 'mons underused in the current metagame (Arc and Fini especially). I'm trash at EVs so they're all either standard 252/252/4 sets or stolen from Trainer Tower, but I've been reading articles and that's something I hope to improve on in the future (I've signed up for Battling 101 but figured I'd do this while I wait).

There's two standard leads I typically use with this team – one is Fini/Kartana and the other is Mimikyu/Snorlax. Tapu Fini and Kartana can take care of each other's weaknesses quite well, with Fini threatening the fire and fighting types Kartana loathes and Kartana able to take out other Tapus (especially Koko, whom Fini hates). Arcanine and Snorlax are both capable of tanking a Flare Blitz or two meant for Kartana if the other player doesn't predict your switch-out, and there isn't anyone on the team that won't appreciate an Aurora Veil from Ninetales.

Mimikyu and Snorlax represent this team's slower, trick room mode. If the opposing team isn't prepared for trick room or to stop trick room, the pair of them can do an awful lot of damage within those five turns. Mimikyu does its best to get rid of fighting types for Snorlax so Snorlax can safely Belly Drum/Curse without fear of fainting. Once Snorlax is set up, it can Return away at its foes, knocking all but the bulkiest opponents out in one hit. Tapu Fini is also a good friend for Snorlax for keeping the fighting types at bay, and Arcanine can always intimidate opposing mons to hopefully keep 'Lax out of the red.



Tapu Fini @ Choice Specs
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 164 SpA / 44 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Muddy Water

This is a fairly standard set; I went with Scald over Hydro Pump because I never seem to land Hydro Pump, even though Scald won't burn in misty terrain (so maybe that's a little irrational). Scald will OHKO both Arcanine and Marowak anyway, and 2HKO Torkoal and possibly Gigalith. Dazzling Gleam and Muddy Water will wear down foes quite quickly, and getting an accuracy drop from Muddy Water can help immensely if the hax are on your side (but all the same, I wouldn't count on it). Moonblast can get rid of most dark, fighting, and dragon types in one hit. Defense EVs allow Fini to survive Koko's T-bolt and Arcanine's Wild Charge, the two most common electric attacks, outside of terrain; however it may not be able to survive a Leaf Blade from a similar max-Attack Kartana to the one on this team and will definitely not survive a Wood Hammer from Bulu.


164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Arcanine: 200-236 (101.5 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Torkoal in Sun: 110-132 (62.1 - 74.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Marowak-Alola: 204-240 (122.1 - 143.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 228 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Gigalith in Sand: 90-108 (47.6 - 57.1%) -- 79.7% chance to 2HKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 44 SpD Tapu Fini: 144-170 (81.3 - 96%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Arcanine Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Tapu Fini: 90-106 (50.8 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Kartana @ Choice Scarf/Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Night Slash

Give just about anything a scarf and it becomes a monster, and that is especially true for Kartana. One hit from a super effective move will kill it, but at least it consistently moves first, often allowing it to KO the threat before the threat can KO it. Sacred Sword will deal with other Kartanas, Leaf Blade is for water/ground types (I'm looking at you, Gastrodon), while Smart Strike takes care of most Tapus in one or two hits. I chose Night Slash to take care of Ghost/Psychic types, although Marowak remains a threat as it takes two hits to KO it but only one Flare Blitz from Marowak to KO Kartana. Alternatively, you could also run a banded Kartana for more consistent OHKOs, especially to other Kartanas.

252 Atk Kartana Sacred Sword vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kartana: 106-126 (78.5 - 93.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Tapu Fini: 170-204 (96 - 115.2%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Kartana Smart Strike vs. 164 HP / 92 Def Tapu Lele: 174-206 (104.8 - 124%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Kartana Night Slash vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Raichu-Alola: 176-208 (129.4 - 152.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO


Arcanine @ Firium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 12 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Extreme Speed
- Protect

Arcanine is everywhere at the moment, and it's a wonder people aren't sick of its adorable little face. Inferno Overdrive, Arc's z-move, will probably KO anything that doesn't resist it. However, Arcanine's two most damaging moves, Flare Blitz and Wild Charge, both have recoil that can wear the pupper down quickly if you're not careful. Perhaps Arcanine's biggest utility comes in Extreme Speed, used to take down weakened threats with priority before they have a chance to attack that turn. You can't deny that Intimidate helps, either, sometimes making the difference between a one hit and a two hit kill. The defense EVs let Arcanine survive Marowak's Bonemerang as well as Koko and Lele's attacks in their respective terrains as well as an Intimidated -1 EQ from Chomp; the rest is put into speed.

252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 76 HP / 12 SpD Arcanine in Electric Terrain: 144-172 (82.2 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 76 HP / 12 SpD Arcanine in Psychic Terrain: 150-177 (85.7 - 101.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
-1 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak-Alola Bonemerang (2 hits) vs. 76 HP / 4 Def Arcanine: 144-172 (82.2 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 76 HP / 4 Def Arcanine: 102-120 (58.2 - 68.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Snorlax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Level: 50
EVs: 100 HP / 244 Def / 160 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Return
- High Horsepower
- Belly Drum/Curse
- Recycle

While a 50% Berry and Recycle help with its longevity, 'Lax is extremely susceptible to Knock Off, either leaving it at low health after Belly Drum or not allowing it to use Belly Drum at all. Curse over Belly Drum would be the obvious substitution if you want to opt for safety over damage. Return is the most common spammable option when it comes to attack, but High Horsepower can be used on those that resist Normal moves, as well as threats like Muk and Nihilego that are 4x weak to Ground and are otherwise difficult for the team to take down. The EVs allow Snorlax to tank just about any Z-move, but it remains weak to Fighting types like Pheromosa and Hariyama, who are able to OHKO it easily. No attack investment is necessary, as after Belly Drum or a few curses Snorlax is ready to take down anything that stands in its way.

252 SpA Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc (175 BP) vs. 100 HP / 160 SpD Snorlax in Electric Terrain: 145-172 (58.4 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 100 HP / 160 SpD Snorlax in Psychic Terrain: 198-234 (79.8 - 94.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ Atk Arcanine Inferno Overdrive (190 BP) vs. 100 HP / 244 Def Snorlax: 165-195 (66.5 - 78.6%) -- 19.1% chance to 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ Atk Water Bubble Araquanid Hydro Vortex (160 BP) vs. 100 HP / 244 Def Snorlax: 208-246 (83.8 - 99.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ Atk Arcanine Close Combat vs. 100 HP / 244 Def Snorlax: 140-166 (56.4 - 66.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery


Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay/Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Warning
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Protect
- Aurora Veil

Ninetales' Aurora Veil can often mean the difference between life and death for many attacks. Outside of priority attacks and a few scarfed individuals, the speed investment usually sees Ninetales going first, able to get Aurora Veil up before something can knock out it or its friend. Ninetales has a presence offensively as well, threatening flying and dragon types (Garchomp especially) with Blizzard and water types with the super-effective Freeze-Dry. However, the lack of defense investment means Ninetales will go down in one hit to super effective attacks outside of Aurora Veil, and any steel attack as well as Arcanine's Flare Blitz even with Aurora Veil up. Focus Sash could be run over Light Clay to prolong Ninetales' time on the field, especially since a typical battle rarely plays out five turns past when I'm able to get Aurora Veil up, let alone eight.

252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gyarados: 172-208 (101.1 - 122.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Muk-Alola Poison Jab vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ninetales-Alola through Reflect: 108-128 (72.4 - 85.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Garchomp Poison Jab vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ninetales-Alola through Reflect: 77-91 (51.6 - 61%) -- guaranteed 2HKO




Mimikyu @ Focus Sash/Ghostium Z
Ability: Disguise
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
- Toxic/Shadow Claw/Destiny Bond
- Trick Room

Focus Sash Mimikyu takes at least three hits to take down, practically guaranteeing Trick Room if it's not taunted. A smart opponent will taunt it, however, so it's important for Mimikyu not to rely completely on trick room and maintain some offensive presence of its own. Like Arcanine's Extreme Speed, Shadow Sneak is useful for taking down foes that have already been weakened significantly (usually ones Snorlax can't quite finish off), and Play Rough can make a sizable dent in anything that doesn't resist it. The third slot is where I start getting confused a bit, as I've tried out several things in this space and none of them feel like they really fit. Toxic is useful for wearing down bulky opposing mons such as Porygon-2 and other Snorlax, but is dead weight if Fini comes in with its misty terrain. Shadow Claw is useful for taking down other ghosts and psychic types, but there aren't many in the meta at the moment. The move is mostly there in case I decide to run Ghostium-Z over the sash (which I did a couple of times), as Z-Shadow Claw's Never Ending Nightmare is more powerful than Z-Shadow Sneak's. Finally, Destiny Bond could be a viable final option, although in the handful of games I tested it in I only successfully used it once. Could probably use some better defense EVs, but in my experience, no one really focuses on Mimikyu and it tends to stick around for a while.

252+ Atk Mimikyu Shadow Claw vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Marowak-Alola: 96-114 (57.4 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 138-164 (75.4 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 28 HP / 108 Def Hariyama: 168-200 (75.3 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage
252+ Atk Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Pheromosa: 312-368 (213.6 - 252%) -- guaranteed OHKO


So that's the team. It's all fairly standard so I'm sorry I'm not that creative, and it definitely has its weaknesses (Muk, for starters). Let me know if there's anything that needs fixing; I don't have a team of my own to publish but I'm eager for feedback to improve!
So many slashed moves/items makes it hard to assess the team overall but you have definitely put the right amount of thought into the post (other posters having trouble passing the assessment should look here for an example)

As far as input goes here is my thoughts on your slashed items and other things:

-If you are worried about Hydro Pumps accuracy then Surf would probably be a better single target attack than Scald. Surf has higher base power and the burn chance isn't going to come up very often at all.
-Scarf seems better than Band on Kartana in my opinion as the speed is very valuable. Just opinion here but that is definitely more common and Kartana generally hits hard enough without the Band.
-I like Sash on Ninetales to guarantee Veil and support the team. Like you said; the value of extra turns on Aurora Veil is very situational.
-Along the lines of the above - I would go with Ghostium Z on Mimikyu to give it more offensive presence/utility along with Shadow Claw. Mimikyu+Snorlax should mean that you will get TR up successfully if you want. Your opponent will most likely double target Snorlax instead so Mimikyu needs strong offensive presence (imo).
-If no attack investment is necessary on Snorlax why not run a +Def or +SpD nature instead of Adamant? There is probably an inefficiency here somewhere albeit minor.

Looks good overall to me!
 
So many slashed moves/items makes it hard to assess the team overall but you have definitely put the right amount of thought into the post (other posters having trouble passing the assessment should look here for an example)

As far as input goes here is my thoughts on your slashed items and other things:

-If you are worried about Hydro Pumps accuracy then Surf would probably be a better single target attack than Scald. Surf has higher base power and the burn chance isn't going to come up very often at all.
-Scarf seems better than Band on Kartana in my opinion as the speed is very valuable. Just opinion here but that is definitely more common and Kartana generally hits hard enough without the Band.
-I like Sash on Ninetales to guarantee Veil and support the team. Like you said; the value of extra turns on Aurora Veil is very situational.
-Along the lines of the above - I would go with Ghostium Z on Mimikyu to give it more offensive presence/utility along with Shadow Claw. Mimikyu+Snorlax should mean that you will get TR up successfully if you want. Your opponent will most likely double target Snorlax instead so Mimikyu needs strong offensive presence (imo).
-If no attack investment is necessary on Snorlax why not run a +Def or +SpD nature instead of Adamant? There is probably an inefficiency here somewhere albeit minor.

Looks good overall to me!
Thanks for the reply! Totally get that about the slashes – I tend to be indecisive but I'll clean it up a little with your feedback.

- Doesn't Surf hit all Pokemon on the field? It seems to me a risky move to lock onto, considering this team isn't the bulkiest and Arcanine especially would not appreciate it.
- I agree with the scarf; the only reason I put band there was because there were some calcs (ie, other Kartanas) that it doesn't pick up the OHKO on that would be appreciated, but overall the extra speed tends to be better in my testing.
- The only reason Ninetales didn't have the sash was because Mimikyu had it, but that won't be a problem now.
- Mimikyu was the hardest mon for me to do in case it wasn't obvious, lol. I've played with this team a lot while writing this and generally you're right, people do tend to double target Snorlax. To be honest, I tend to avoid bringing Mimikyu because it lacks that presence, but the Ghostium Z was by far the best for it offensively.
- Excellent point. I'll definitely fix that.

Thanks again!
 
- Doesn't Surf hit all Pokemon on the field? It seems to me a risky move to lock onto, considering this team isn't the bulkiest and Arcanine especially would not appreciate it.
You are absolutely correct - sorry about that (had singles on the mind and everytime I see Scald on a Fini alarm bells go off in my head). Scald is absolutely appropriate here.
 

This is Kamran Jahadi's 3rd place team at Anaheim. Nothing revolutionary going on here – I was actually using a very similar team on PS before the competition took place, and I wouldn't call any of these 'mons underused in the current metagame (Arc and Fini especially). I'm trash at EVs so they're all either standard 252/252/4 sets or stolen from Trainer Tower, but I've been reading articles and that's something I hope to improve on in the future (I've signed up for Battling 101 but figured I'd do this while I wait).

There's two standard leads I typically use with this team – one is Fini/Kartana and the other is Mimikyu/Snorlax. Tapu Fini and Kartana can take care of each other's weaknesses quite well, with Fini threatening the fire and fighting types Kartana loathes and Kartana able to take out other Tapus (especially Koko, whom Fini hates). Arcanine and Snorlax are both capable of tanking a Flare Blitz or two meant for Kartana if the other player doesn't predict your switch-out, and there isn't anyone on the team that won't appreciate an Aurora Veil from Ninetales.

Mimikyu and Snorlax represent this team's slower, trick room mode. If the opposing team isn't prepared for trick room or to stop trick room, the pair of them can do an awful lot of damage within those five turns. Mimikyu does its best to get rid of fighting types for Snorlax so Snorlax can safely Belly Drum/Curse without fear of fainting. Once Snorlax is set up, it can Return away at its foes, knocking all but the bulkiest opponents out in one hit. Tapu Fini is also a good friend for Snorlax for keeping the fighting types at bay, and Arcanine can always intimidate opposing mons to hopefully keep 'Lax out of the red.



Tapu Fini @ Choice Specs
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 164 SpA / 44 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Muddy Water

This is a fairly standard set; I went with Scald over Hydro Pump because I never seem to land Hydro Pump, even though Scald won't burn in misty terrain (so maybe that's a little irrational). Scald will OHKO both Arcanine and Marowak anyway, and 2HKO Torkoal and possibly Gigalith. Dazzling Gleam and Muddy Water will wear down foes quite quickly, and getting an accuracy drop from Muddy Water can help immensely if the hax are on your side (but all the same, I wouldn't count on it). Moonblast can get rid of most dark, fighting, and dragon types in one hit. Defense EVs allow Fini to survive Koko's T-bolt and Arcanine's Wild Charge, the two most common electric attacks, outside of terrain; however it may not be able to survive a Leaf Blade from a similar max-Attack Kartana to the one on this team and will definitely not survive a Wood Hammer from Bulu.


164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Arcanine: 200-236 (101.5 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Torkoal in Sun: 110-132 (62.1 - 74.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Marowak-Alola: 204-240 (122.1 - 143.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
164+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Fini Scald vs. 228 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Gigalith in Sand: 90-108 (47.6 - 57.1%) -- 79.7% chance to 2HKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 44 SpD Tapu Fini: 144-170 (81.3 - 96%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Arcanine Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Tapu Fini: 90-106 (50.8 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Kartana @ Choice Scarf/Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Night Slash

Give just about anything a scarf and it becomes a monster, and that is especially true for Kartana. One hit from a super effective move will kill it, but at least it consistently moves first, often allowing it to KO the threat before the threat can KO it. Sacred Sword will deal with other Kartanas, Leaf Blade is for water/ground types (I'm looking at you, Gastrodon), while Smart Strike takes care of most Tapus in one or two hits. I chose Night Slash to take care of Ghost/Psychic types, although Marowak remains a threat as it takes two hits to KO it but only one Flare Blitz from Marowak to KO Kartana. Alternatively, you could also run a banded Kartana for more consistent OHKOs, especially to other Kartanas.

252 Atk Kartana Sacred Sword vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kartana: 106-126 (78.5 - 93.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Tapu Fini: 170-204 (96 - 115.2%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Kartana Smart Strike vs. 164 HP / 92 Def Tapu Lele: 174-206 (104.8 - 124%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Kartana Night Slash vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Raichu-Alola: 176-208 (129.4 - 152.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO


Arcanine @ Firium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 12 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Extreme Speed
- Protect

Arcanine is everywhere at the moment, and it's a wonder people aren't sick of its adorable little face. Inferno Overdrive, Arc's z-move, will probably KO anything that doesn't resist it. However, Arcanine's two most damaging moves, Flare Blitz and Wild Charge, both have recoil that can wear the pupper down quickly if you're not careful. Perhaps Arcanine's biggest utility comes in Extreme Speed, used to take down weakened threats with priority before they have a chance to attack that turn. You can't deny that Intimidate helps, either, sometimes making the difference between a one hit and a two hit kill. The defense EVs let Arcanine survive Marowak's Bonemerang as well as Koko and Lele's attacks in their respective terrains as well as an Intimidated -1 EQ from Chomp; the rest is put into speed.

252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 76 HP / 12 SpD Arcanine in Electric Terrain: 144-172 (82.2 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 76 HP / 12 SpD Arcanine in Psychic Terrain: 150-177 (85.7 - 101.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
-1 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak-Alola Bonemerang (2 hits) vs. 76 HP / 4 Def Arcanine: 144-172 (82.2 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 76 HP / 4 Def Arcanine: 102-120 (58.2 - 68.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Snorlax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Level: 50
EVs: 100 HP / 244 Def / 160 SpD
Adamant Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Return
- High Horsepower
- Belly Drum/Curse
- Recycle

While a 50% Berry and Recycle help with its longevity, 'Lax is extremely susceptible to Knock Off, either leaving it at low health after Belly Drum or not allowing it to use Belly Drum at all. Curse over Belly Drum would be the obvious substitution if you want to opt for safety over damage. Return is the most common spammable option when it comes to attack, but High Horsepower can be used on those that resist Normal moves, as well as threats like Muk and Nihilego that are 4x weak to Ground and are otherwise difficult for the team to take down. The EVs allow Snorlax to tank just about any Z-move, but it remains weak to Fighting types like Pheromosa and Hariyama, who are able to OHKO it easily. No attack investment is necessary, as after Belly Drum or a few curses Snorlax is ready to take down anything that stands in its way.

252 SpA Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc (175 BP) vs. 100 HP / 160 SpD Snorlax in Electric Terrain: 145-172 (58.4 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 100 HP / 160 SpD Snorlax in Psychic Terrain: 198-234 (79.8 - 94.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ Atk Arcanine Inferno Overdrive (190 BP) vs. 100 HP / 244 Def Snorlax: 165-195 (66.5 - 78.6%) -- 19.1% chance to 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ Atk Water Bubble Araquanid Hydro Vortex (160 BP) vs. 100 HP / 244 Def Snorlax: 208-246 (83.8 - 99.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
252+ Atk Arcanine Close Combat vs. 100 HP / 244 Def Snorlax: 140-166 (56.4 - 66.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery


Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay/Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Warning
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Protect
- Aurora Veil

Ninetales' Aurora Veil can often mean the difference between life and death for many attacks. Outside of priority attacks and a few scarfed individuals, the speed investment usually sees Ninetales going first, able to get Aurora Veil up before something can knock out it or its friend. Ninetales has a presence offensively as well, threatening flying and dragon types (Garchomp especially) with Blizzard and water types with the super-effective Freeze-Dry. However, the lack of defense investment means Ninetales will go down in one hit to super effective attacks outside of Aurora Veil, and any steel attack as well as Arcanine's Flare Blitz even with Aurora Veil up. Focus Sash could be run over Light Clay to prolong Ninetales' time on the field, especially since a typical battle rarely plays out five turns past when I'm able to get Aurora Veil up, let alone eight.

252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gyarados: 172-208 (101.1 - 122.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Muk-Alola Poison Jab vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ninetales-Alola through Reflect: 108-128 (72.4 - 85.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Garchomp Poison Jab vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ninetales-Alola through Reflect: 77-91 (51.6 - 61%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Mimikyu @ Focus Sash/Ghostium Z
Ability: Disguise
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
- Toxic/Shadow Claw/Destiny Bond
- Trick Room

Focus Sash Mimikyu takes at least three hits to take down, practically guaranteeing Trick Room if it's not taunted. A smart opponent will taunt it, however, so it's important for Mimikyu not to rely completely on trick room and maintain some offensive presence of its own. Like Arcanine's Extreme Speed, Shadow Sneak is useful for taking down foes that have already been weakened significantly (usually ones Snorlax can't quite finish off), and Play Rough can make a sizable dent in anything that doesn't resist it. The third slot is where I start getting confused a bit, as I've tried out several things in this space and none of them feel like they really fit. Toxic is useful for wearing down bulky opposing mons such as Porygon-2 and other Snorlax, but is dead weight if Fini comes in with its misty terrain. Shadow Claw is useful for taking down other ghosts and psychic types, but there aren't many in the meta at the moment. The move is mostly there in case I decide to run Ghostium-Z over the sash (which I did a couple of times), as Z-Shadow Claw's Never Ending Nightmare is more powerful than Z-Shadow Sneak's. Finally, Destiny Bond could be a viable final option, although in the handful of games I tested it in I only successfully used it once. Could probably use some better defense EVs but I'm a bit tired of copy-pasting spreads.

252+ Atk Mimikyu Shadow Claw vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Marowak-Alola: 96-114 (57.4 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 138-164 (75.4 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 28 HP / 108 Def Hariyama: 168-200 (75.3 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after burn damage
252+ Atk Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Pheromosa: 312-368 (213.6 - 252%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Tapu Fini @ Choice Specs
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 164 SpA / 44 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Muddy Water

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Night Slash

Arcanine @ Firium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 12 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Extreme Speed
- Protect

Snorlax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Level: 50
EVs: 100 HP / 244 Def / 160 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Return
- High Horsepower
- Belly Drum
- Recycle

Ninetales-Alola @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Warning
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Protect
- Aurora Veil

Mimikyu @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Disguise
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw
- Trick Room

So that's the team. It's all fairly standard so I'm sorry I'm not that creative, and it definitely has its weaknesses (Muk, for starters). Let me know if there's anything that needs fixing; I don't have a team of my own to publish but I'm eager for feedback to improve!
This looks pretty good to me, but on snorlax, I think Brave would be a better nature, and perhaps use the Curse/Recycle set?
 
This looks pretty good to me, but on snorlax, I think Brave would be a better nature, and perhaps use the Curse/Recycle set?
There's something sticking in my mind that insists that I need that little bit of speed for something but I can't for the life of me think of a situation where it'd be useful so you're probably right. As for Curse, I've used them both equally and I guess my personal preference is slightly for Belly Drum but I'm definitely able to be (easily) talked out of it, lol.
 
because i really need to post a team, i'm ready for the assignment, but with a slight twist, because my computer has an issue loading the Pokemon images. i am very comfortable with VGC and plan to be there in Indianapolis this year. because i cannot tell who used what pokemon, i am just going to make some sets for the top 6 used pokemon from georgia regionals.

thank you for the helpful comments

EDIT 5 : Explanation fixes
NOTE: Thought about 252+ Specs thunder koko and groundium z chomp. may correct later.
Koko/Kartana/Chomp fairy/steel/dragon core, along with Pelipper/Kartana/Arcanine F/W/G core.
NOTE 2: Half run protect, the other three are Porygon2 (seemed redundant), a choice item user and an Assault vest user
NOTE 3: I have a much more thought out, tested, tweaked, and perfected Trick Rain team that i know better and am much more proud of, but thats the team i want to complete the assignment for for feedback. if i should put that team here, let me know.

Lead1 and star of the show,
Tapu Koko @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 150 Atk / 252 Spd / 100 HP
Jolly Nature
- Mirror Move
- Brave Bird
- Wild Charge
- Protect


Offensive suicide lead koko, physical Z-Mirror move set. (uses Z move of last move used and then goes to +2 atk) the flyinium z also can be used for supersonic skystryke for big damage. wild charge for STAB physical move, brave bird does around 70% minimum to standard A-Wak, a common Koko counter, but gets OHKOed back by bonemerang. if not out already, can switch to Pelipper. jolly nature to outspeed most of metagame, 100 in hp to survive more attacks

+2 150 Atk Tapu Koko Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Celesteela in Electric Terrain: -- guaranteed OHKO
The +2 150 Atk with set can outspeed non scarfed kartana, live and 2hko back.
same applies to garchomp, if not OHKOed by EQ.
if bonemerang was used immediately before Z mirror move, koko can OHKO A-Wak.
same thing applies to dragon claw garchomp on some sets via devastating drake.

Lead2
Pelliper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 12 SpA / 240 SpD /4 Spd
Modest Nature
- Protect/Wide Guard
- Hurricane
- Scald (NOTE- if both are unresisted, scald in the rain does more than hurricane)
- U-turn/Tailwind


HP special bulk birb, Scald is rain boosted damage, hurricane is rain boosted accuracy. Pelipper is mostly here to set up rain, with occasional chip damage. U-turn for damaging pivot. 2hkoes A-Wak via scald. covers weaknesses very nicely for Kartana. damp rock to maximize rain turns. 4 Spd to outspeed uninvested base 65 pokes. higher SpD than Def for download porygon2. Wide Guard is great for eq, rock slide, discharge, dazzling gleam, muddy water, heat wave, eruption, and more. it's what i run on my main VGC team.
Thought of tailwind last minute, debated because most of the team is already speed focused like kartana via scarf and the speed creeping with Pelipper, P2, and Arcanine
and not that anyone would stay in on this anyway, (bar a prediction) but;

12+ SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Buzzwole: 192-228 (89.7 - 106.5%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO.
12+ SpA Pelipper Scald vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Marowak-Alola in Rain: 134-162 (80.2 - 97%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 244 HP / 192 Def / 12 SpA/ 60 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Recover
- Trick Room


The p2 i run on the rain team i wish to post. ice beam helps with opposing garchomps/bulus etc, and thunder is ran over thunderbolt or discharge for more damage because of the perfect accuracy in rain, synergizes well with the electric terrain. trick room to stop opposing trick room teams. not going to grab a ton of KOs, but is great at what it does. SpD is higher than Def bc of opposing P2s

Arcanine @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD / 4 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Close Combat
- Extremespeed


AV bulkanine, FB for main STAB, but be careful bc of the damage reduction in the rain. Wild Charge for the pesky water types that like
to switch in this this guy, (also gets electric terrain boost) CC for p2, snorlax, and other general coverage, Espeed for revenge kills .
NOTE: this guy gets walled by Lighting Rod A-Wak.
Jolly/4 speed is used to outspeed base 120 uninvested. minor SpD for Download and general defenses

252+ Atk Arcanine Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Celesteela in Electric Terrain: 108-128 (52.9 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Arcanine Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tapu Bulu: 134-158 (75.7 - 89.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery and Sitrus Berry recovery
252+ Atk Arcanine Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tapu Bulu in Rain: 66-78 (37.2 - 44%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery and Sitrus Berry recovery
and the obvious one (in the rain)
252+ Atk Arcanine Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Kartana in Rain: 120-144 (72.2 - 86.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Late game cleaner
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Leaf Blade
- Night Slash


Scarfed max atk Kartana to pick up fast KO's. STAB Sacred sword/night slash. big damage and speed for opposing tapus, likes the rain fire damage reduction. can switch into P2 if special attack is precicted, bc his SpD sux.

This set outspeeds and OHKOes nihilego, A-tails, tapu fini and lele, anything weak to it, (not P2) and almost anything with a low defense. while this set outspeeds bulu and timid/jolly koko, it is a 2hko for both, although there is a very slim chance (~6%) for standard koko. It has a chance to be OHKOed by bulu's superpower, and is ohkoed by special koko's t bolt. also gets walled by celesteela, and killed by uninvested flamethrower in the rain.

Garchomp @ Adrenaline orb
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 150 Spd / 106 Hp
Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Poison jab


Adrenaline orb boosts speed upon intimidate, AKA arcanine/gyara, Swords dance setup, poison jab for the ever common tapus, along with any other fairies or grass types. Chomp also Helps With A-Wak. outspeeds neutral natured 252 speed base 102, before adrenaline orb. can switch out into P2 or arcanine if ice attack predicted. Earthquake is best and spammable STAB, and i decided dragon claw would not get very much value as compared to the other moves.
does anyone have any comments for this team?
 

Pyritie

TAMAGO
is an Artist
Not getting at anything - just that there isn't any reason to run detect and its a thousand times harder to get than protect so just run protect. On subsequent teams you may build just run protect.
"Difficulty to get a move" should almost never be a reason why you should or shouldn't pick a move. It's not even difficult to breed with a sceptile to get Detect. Aegislash has to go through a ridiculously long chain (5 pokemon IIRC) just to get Wide Guard, and it's a very popular move on it.

The only reason why you'd run protect over detect is if you think you will run out of 8 PP more often than you will encounter an imprison muk.
 
"Difficulty to get a move" should almost never be a reason why you should or shouldn't pick a move. It's not even difficult to breed with a sceptile to get Detect. Aegislash has to go through a ridiculously long chain (5 pokemon IIRC) just to get Wide Guard, and it's a very popular move on it.
Actually Probopass got Wide Guard in ORAS so Honedge does not need chain breeding to get the move, but still.

And besides, breedjects with Egg Moves are not exactly uncommon to find while Wonder Trading (at night) so one could even skip the chaining process.
 
"Difficulty to get a move" should almost never be a reason why you should or shouldn't pick a move. It's not even difficult to breed with a sceptile to get Detect. Aegislash has to go through a ridiculously long chain (5 pokemon IIRC) just to get Wide Guard, and it's a very popular move on it.

The only reason why you'd run protect over detect is if you think you will run out of 8 PP more often than you will encounter an imprison muk.
Time is finite and an egg move means you have to go through another breeding cycle to get the mon you want with all of the headache involved in that. There is a highly situational condition where Detect is better than Protect (only under imprison which is only run regularly by Muk which is in turn threatened by A-Marowak) which the OP did not even cite in his analysis.

You'd be better off playtesting your team for whatever additional time it takes to get Detect instead of Protect. I stand by that analysis - this is way different than Wide Guard on Aegislash.
 
Ok, So first i would like to thank Scribls for there help in developing this team. Also sorry it took so long to get this post up. And sorry to any mods i ticked off due to my love of using dumb strategies just cause i personally think they will work! (even if they are bad beyond comprehension.) I'm stubborn that way. Now after tons of play-testing on Pokemon showdown i think i locked in a decent team. Please don't hurt me if this one also stinks! Thanks! :)

I picked Austin Bastida-Ramos due to his team using some mons i am pretty familiar with how to use. His team is one i plan to replicate in a way in my real Pokemon game. So first off we have...

Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Protect
- Taunt
- U-turn
Kinda your standard Tapu Koko set. I am running two Z crystals here on this team. that is due to my more cautious playing style and the fact that i stupidly tend to not use my Z move till late in the battle. Timid nature lets it outspeed quite a few mons in VGC and max SpA lets thunderbolt go to work as seen in these damage calcs:
252 SpA Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Muk-Alola in Electric Terrain: 351-414 (165.5 - 195.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Water Bubble Araquanid Liquidation vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko in Heavy Rain: 524-620 (185.8 - 219.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Arcanine in Electric Terrain: 420-495 (253 - 298.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
maybe that ev spread is bit overkill. add a few to attack maybe? U-turn can be very useful also:
0- Atk Tapu Koko U-turn vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Alakazam: 190-224 (75.6 - 89.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Know what? That EV spread is way overkill. Ill change that probably.

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpD
Impish Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Leech Seed
- Toxic
- Protect
Ahh, the good ol stall mon. I love ya Celey. I went for a physically defensive set. Heavy slam is a scary move in the hands of such a heavy mon. Plus Muk isn't a problem at all for it. 0 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Muk-Alola: 85-102 (40 - 48.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO No explanation needed on the impish nature. leech seed and toxic are scary together whittling away at a mon pretty fast well keeping Celey healthy. Leftovers also help with that. This mon saw a lot of so far using this moveset. and why not? I see it working well with Porygon2 for a bulky mix.

Gyarados @ Waterium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Protect
So, after a bit of debate i switched crunch over to earthquake. I personally saw crunch working great for me but you know. Whatever. :) Anyhow this is my secound Z-move user. As i stated earlier i'm a cautious fighter. My goal is to try to get off a dragon dance but if that looks to be out of the question i can just attack right away thanks to its iv spread.
252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 244 HP / 252+ Def Celesteela: 195-229 (96 - 112.8%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mimikyu: 330-388 (251.9 - 296.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Tapu Lele in Heavy Rain: 264-312 (93.9 - 111%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
Earthquake offers some nice coverage also.

Nihilego @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Grass Knot
- Sludge Bomb
How doesn't like this guy!? Me. He is about as big pain in the butt as a sweeping mon can be. So my original idea was a set up mon. But i was thinking singles and forgot how short VGC battles can be. to i switched over to this. Hidden Power ice lets it hit a lot of mons it otherwise might have problems with. Grass knot is nice. Sludge bomb is powerful and and comes with a nice poison chance. That makes it easier for Porygon2 to finish the opposing mons off. Honestly, This isn't a mon i would usually use though. After running a lot of damage calcs i was alittle disappointed. but after much research this moveset popped up the most. Please don't hate me if you love this mon! (Granted it does share some good synergy with Gyrados.)

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Shadow Bone
- Bonemerang
- Detect
Now we are talking! Game Freak what were you thinking!? You have created a monster! The EV spread is a little weird, but all those HP Evs allow for some nice bulk. Lighting rod keeps tapu koko at bay however. so using them at the same time is risky. As we saw a few people at VGC accidentally cancelling out their own attacks. That's a little embarrassing. It can smash right through Celesteela btw.
252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak-Alola Shadow Bone vs. 228 HP / 116 Def Celesteela: 375-442 (186.5 - 219.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
And if anyone is wondering wht i'm using detect. is cause That's the first move i clicked on. Deal with it. (Ok, for real its cause im a scrub and think detect looks cooler. :D)

Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
So i'm not seeing this as a trick room team. So i switch the nature over to calm and went all out bulky. This guy is pretty much impossible to 1HKO. Between Ice Beam and Thunderbolt he can get out plenty of coverage. I almost was temted to try Analytic but i guess this is better. Recover lets this guy heal from most hits. Even the mighty Marowak is canceled out.
180+ Atk Thick Club Marowak-Alola Bonemerang (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 252 Def Eviolite Porygon2: 26-32 (8.3 - 10.2%) -- possibly the worst move ever

So hopefully that was enough descriptions for you! Please help if you see something wrong!
 
Last edited:

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top