I've been playing on Pokemon Showdown for nearly a year now. Throughout my time here I've learned a lot and become a better player. When it comes to team building, though, progress has been slower. Most of the teams I make from scratch have been underwhelming and don't have the potential to go far. This team has been the one exception, consistently performing well in the meta and (very important) being fun to play with. With the writing on the wall that Mega Pidgeot is taking the fast lane to BL, I've decided to give it a last hurrah on the ladder and post a Rate My Team thread here. I've peaked at #32 on the ladder, and am currently sitting at #71 at the time of posting.
So, let's introduce the team shall we?
This team's angle is fairly straightforward offense: wear down the enemy team until one of my team members has an opening to clean up. Work Up Pidgeot is my default win condition, but any of the 5 offensive team members are capable of cleaning up if given the opportunity. Early in the match I decide which pokemon are more likely to be able to sweep the opposing team and I strive to keep them healthy while I use the others aggressively to create opportunities for my chosen win conditions.
The most unconventional part of this team is its double scarf gambit. When I first created the team my thought was that it would be gimmicky and would crumple like tissue paper against stall. While there certainly is a nice surprise factor when I spring the second scarf on an unsuspecting foe, the redundant scarf really gives me a lot more leeway to play aggressively and provoke trades with the opponent. Because I have a backup scarfer, I'm often in a better position to control the match after a found 1 for 1 trades. Against stall, both Heracross and Hydreigon are superb knock off absorbers and getting at least one scarf removed isn't actually that hard, allowing them to do a little more work as all-out attackers.
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- Swords Dance
Doublade is the physically defensive bulkwark of this team, stopping threats like Slurpuff that otherwise run amok on the team. It's also an important stop to Scarf Salamence. The problem with Doublade is how much of a momentum sink it can be, and how much trouble it has with bulky water-types. As a result, I often need to double-switch with him if he comes out too early. The rest of the team has great synergy with him, and most of the things that want to switch into Doublade do not enjoy any of the other team members. Overall, though, these flaws are more than made up for by what it brings to the team and how many times it's saved my ass from the fire. The set is fairly standard; I choose to run Gyro Ball over Iron Head since I've never had PP issues and DD/Scarf Salamence is a big threat to this team so hitting it as hard as possible is important.
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- U-turn
- Fire Blast
My primary offensive pivot, Hydreigon's role is to hit hard, threaten destruction with powerful special attacks and capture momentum with u-turn. The set and spread are fairly standard, with nature chosen for better u-turn damage since he does a lot of that. Fairies are Hydreigon's biggest problem. I carry Fire Blast for Whimsicott, and rely on the fact that the rest of the team has a good matchup against Florges. The presence of Doublade means that Hydreigon doesn't have to worry about being setup bait for Slurpuff. Hydreigon uses the team's ground weakness to its advantage to get free switch-ins on predicted ground-type moves, while using the complementary typing of its teammates to pivot out safely. Special walls like Blissey or Empoleon are also annoying, and it does take some prediction to decide when to u-turn and when to go for the attack.
Pidgeot @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Work Up
- Roost
Pidgeot serves two important roles on this team: it's my primary win condition, and also my special wallbreaker. The set is designed to give good coverage with Work Up to improve his power. Pidgeot is vulnerable to status due to lacking Refresh and scarves are its bane, so these are the things that must be scouted for before Pidgeot can spread its wings safely. While I prefer to keep Pidgeot healthy for the end-game, where it often shines once its checks are worn down, sometimes I'm better served by using it aggressively early on with an eye on a different win condition.
Arcanine @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Crunch
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
Arcanine is best described as a suicide bomber, a pokemon whose job it is to do as much damage as possible to the enemy team before KO'ing itself with recoil. It's very hard to switch into thanks to its diverse coverage and hard-hitting power. I use it over Entei because its set is less predictable, it gets a slightly higher speed tier since it can run Jolly, and Intimidate is a much more useful ability for this team. Close Combat and Crunch are my coverage of choice. Empoleon and Swampert are the most threatening bulky waters against this team, so I find Close Combat preferable to Wild Charge since it's Arcanine's most powerful move against those threats. Crunch is important to avoid being bait for Chandelure and also gives me something against Slowking, Cresselia, and Reuniclus.
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Roar
Empoleon is my "swiss army knife", compressing several important roles into a single slot and allowing me to run more all-out attackers on team without giving up those roles entirely. It is a bit of a momentum sink, but I find Roar helps mitigate this problem immensely and both Arcanine and Pidgeot greatly appreciate the hazard control. Empoleon is also critical for letting me defer taking on Calm Mind users like Suicune. I can usually handle these guys easily in a "last-mon" situation, but if they keep coming in throughout the game then they can wear down my answers. Empoleon lets me defer handling them until later when things are coming down to the finish line. I go for maximum SpD investment to ensure Empoleon can survive threats like Mega Blastoise and special Lucario, and since Doublade and Arcanine have the physically-defensive angle covered nicely as it stands.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
One of the lovely things about Heracross is that he can bluff his set very nicely. He often comes in early-game just to throw out some Close Combats or Knock Offs before retreating, and can easily see a lot of play without ever giving away his scarfed speed tier. I used to run Moxie, but I've found Guts more useful and have changed to that. It allows me to switch Heracross aggressively into Scald users like a SD set would and not care if they actually do get the burn. Moxie also telegraphs the scarf set very obviously, so taken together it helps me bluff his set better. I also find that most teams are well equipped to stop a Heracross sweep, and I'd rather have the instant power of Guts (even if I can't always get it) rather than something that requires me to KO an enemy pokemon first.
The moveset is fairly straightforward, the Megahorn being the only odd selection. This move helps me break through bulky psychics like Cresselia or Slowking that otherwise trouble Heracross. It's also helpful to have a STAB move that doesn't lower my stats, which is useful against Suicune. I do miss the Earthquake coverage, but overall I've found the tradeoff worthwhile.
Threat List
Magneton: I run two steel-types for this thing to trap, and scarf sets are a huge threat to Pidgeot. It's mercifully rare in UU, but when it does show up it's a huge problem right from team preview.
Swampert: this thing completely stops my physical teammates in their tracks, and Empoleon isn't too hot on staying in against it either. Both Mega and non-Mega are problematic for me, and I have to aggressively wear them down ASAP.
Thunder Wave: Porygon2, Cresselia, and Blissey are the most common, although the rare Granbull and Qwilfish are even more troubling. I don't have a good T-Wave absorber and have to rely on switching in something that's already status'd to keep these things from completely crippling my team.
Salamence: Scarf and Dragon Dance Salamence can easily sweep me team if I'm not careful since it outspeeds my entire team at +1 and often carries Fire Blast to deal with the likes of Doublade. Since I lack ice coverage, bulky Salamence is also tough for me to crack.
So, let's introduce the team shall we?
Scarves and Swords
This team's angle is fairly straightforward offense: wear down the enemy team until one of my team members has an opening to clean up. Work Up Pidgeot is my default win condition, but any of the 5 offensive team members are capable of cleaning up if given the opportunity. Early in the match I decide which pokemon are more likely to be able to sweep the opposing team and I strive to keep them healthy while I use the others aggressively to create opportunities for my chosen win conditions.
The most unconventional part of this team is its double scarf gambit. When I first created the team my thought was that it would be gimmicky and would crumple like tissue paper against stall. While there certainly is a nice surprise factor when I spring the second scarf on an unsuspecting foe, the redundant scarf really gives me a lot more leeway to play aggressively and provoke trades with the opponent. Because I have a backup scarfer, I'm often in a better position to control the match after a found 1 for 1 trades. Against stall, both Heracross and Hydreigon are superb knock off absorbers and getting at least one scarf removed isn't actually that hard, allowing them to do a little more work as all-out attackers.
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- Swords Dance
Doublade is the physically defensive bulkwark of this team, stopping threats like Slurpuff that otherwise run amok on the team. It's also an important stop to Scarf Salamence. The problem with Doublade is how much of a momentum sink it can be, and how much trouble it has with bulky water-types. As a result, I often need to double-switch with him if he comes out too early. The rest of the team has great synergy with him, and most of the things that want to switch into Doublade do not enjoy any of the other team members. Overall, though, these flaws are more than made up for by what it brings to the team and how many times it's saved my ass from the fire. The set is fairly standard; I choose to run Gyro Ball over Iron Head since I've never had PP issues and DD/Scarf Salamence is a big threat to this team so hitting it as hard as possible is important.
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- U-turn
- Fire Blast
My primary offensive pivot, Hydreigon's role is to hit hard, threaten destruction with powerful special attacks and capture momentum with u-turn. The set and spread are fairly standard, with nature chosen for better u-turn damage since he does a lot of that. Fairies are Hydreigon's biggest problem. I carry Fire Blast for Whimsicott, and rely on the fact that the rest of the team has a good matchup against Florges. The presence of Doublade means that Hydreigon doesn't have to worry about being setup bait for Slurpuff. Hydreigon uses the team's ground weakness to its advantage to get free switch-ins on predicted ground-type moves, while using the complementary typing of its teammates to pivot out safely. Special walls like Blissey or Empoleon are also annoying, and it does take some prediction to decide when to u-turn and when to go for the attack.
Pidgeot @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Work Up
- Roost
Pidgeot serves two important roles on this team: it's my primary win condition, and also my special wallbreaker. The set is designed to give good coverage with Work Up to improve his power. Pidgeot is vulnerable to status due to lacking Refresh and scarves are its bane, so these are the things that must be scouted for before Pidgeot can spread its wings safely. While I prefer to keep Pidgeot healthy for the end-game, where it often shines once its checks are worn down, sometimes I'm better served by using it aggressively early on with an eye on a different win condition.
Arcanine @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Crunch
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
Arcanine is best described as a suicide bomber, a pokemon whose job it is to do as much damage as possible to the enemy team before KO'ing itself with recoil. It's very hard to switch into thanks to its diverse coverage and hard-hitting power. I use it over Entei because its set is less predictable, it gets a slightly higher speed tier since it can run Jolly, and Intimidate is a much more useful ability for this team. Close Combat and Crunch are my coverage of choice. Empoleon and Swampert are the most threatening bulky waters against this team, so I find Close Combat preferable to Wild Charge since it's Arcanine's most powerful move against those threats. Crunch is important to avoid being bait for Chandelure and also gives me something against Slowking, Cresselia, and Reuniclus.
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Roar
Empoleon is my "swiss army knife", compressing several important roles into a single slot and allowing me to run more all-out attackers on team without giving up those roles entirely. It is a bit of a momentum sink, but I find Roar helps mitigate this problem immensely and both Arcanine and Pidgeot greatly appreciate the hazard control. Empoleon is also critical for letting me defer taking on Calm Mind users like Suicune. I can usually handle these guys easily in a "last-mon" situation, but if they keep coming in throughout the game then they can wear down my answers. Empoleon lets me defer handling them until later when things are coming down to the finish line. I go for maximum SpD investment to ensure Empoleon can survive threats like Mega Blastoise and special Lucario, and since Doublade and Arcanine have the physically-defensive angle covered nicely as it stands.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
One of the lovely things about Heracross is that he can bluff his set very nicely. He often comes in early-game just to throw out some Close Combats or Knock Offs before retreating, and can easily see a lot of play without ever giving away his scarfed speed tier. I used to run Moxie, but I've found Guts more useful and have changed to that. It allows me to switch Heracross aggressively into Scald users like a SD set would and not care if they actually do get the burn. Moxie also telegraphs the scarf set very obviously, so taken together it helps me bluff his set better. I also find that most teams are well equipped to stop a Heracross sweep, and I'd rather have the instant power of Guts (even if I can't always get it) rather than something that requires me to KO an enemy pokemon first.
The moveset is fairly straightforward, the Megahorn being the only odd selection. This move helps me break through bulky psychics like Cresselia or Slowking that otherwise trouble Heracross. It's also helpful to have a STAB move that doesn't lower my stats, which is useful against Suicune. I do miss the Earthquake coverage, but overall I've found the tradeoff worthwhile.
Threat List
Magneton: I run two steel-types for this thing to trap, and scarf sets are a huge threat to Pidgeot. It's mercifully rare in UU, but when it does show up it's a huge problem right from team preview.
Swampert: this thing completely stops my physical teammates in their tracks, and Empoleon isn't too hot on staying in against it either. Both Mega and non-Mega are problematic for me, and I have to aggressively wear them down ASAP.
Thunder Wave: Porygon2, Cresselia, and Blissey are the most common, although the rare Granbull and Qwilfish are even more troubling. I don't have a good T-Wave absorber and have to rely on switching in something that's already status'd to keep these things from completely crippling my team.
Salamence: Scarf and Dragon Dance Salamence can easily sweep me team if I'm not careful since it outspeeds my entire team at +1 and often carries Fire Blast to deal with the likes of Doublade. Since I lack ice coverage, bulky Salamence is also tough for me to crack.
Ideal Pidgeot sweep
Breaking through stall
Heracross bluffs his set for 42 turns (then misses the game-winning Stone Edge)
Doublade saves the day in a tight game
Doublade plays around Salamence
Hydreigon shows off its synergy with Doublade
A game full of hax on both sides, ultimately decided by a simple Pidgeot vs Pidgeot speed tie
Breaking through stall
Heracross bluffs his set for 42 turns (then misses the game-winning Stone Edge)
Doublade saves the day in a tight game
Doublade plays around Salamence
Hydreigon shows off its synergy with Doublade
A game full of hax on both sides, ultimately decided by a simple Pidgeot vs Pidgeot speed tie
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- Swords Dance
Pidgeot @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Work Up
- Roost
Arcanine @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Crunch
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- U-turn
- Fire Blast
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Roar
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- Swords Dance
Pidgeot @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Work Up
- Roost
Arcanine @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Crunch
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- U-turn
- Fire Blast
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Roar
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
