Skyline
Introduction
Hey all, I've been playing on PS for a while and finally decided to try to build my own team instead of
The Team
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpA
Bold Nature
- Muddy Water
- Moonblast
- Heal Pulse
- Protect
Tapu Fini is the backbone of this team. It provides invaluable support with Misty Terrain and Heal Pulse, helping keep its teammates healthy and status-free to enable sweeping. The set is pretty straightforward, dual STABs plus Heal Pulse. I prefer Leftovers over Mago Berry, since Fini tends to be on the field for long periods of time to assist a sweeper and over time Leftovers will usually provide more recovery than a berry. The given EVs plus a Bold nature allow Fini to survive a +1 Tectonic Rage from Zygarde, with the remainder dumped into SAtk.
Zygarde @ Groundium Z
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance
- Protect
The classic Dragon Dance sweeper. After a Dragon Dance Boost, there's not a lot that can stop this thing. 164 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed neutral-natured Deoxys-Attack after D-Dance, and 252 Attack with an Adamant nature to hit as hard as possible. The remaining EVs are put into HP to increase its longevity. Zygarde pairs very well with Tapu Fini, as Thousand Arrows hits both opponents to counter for the fact that Fini won't be attacking often. It's also able to get around Wide Guard with Z-Tectonic Rage or Extreme Speed. Zygarde also shuts down Poison- and Electric-types that threaten Fini.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Swords Dance
- Protect
The second sweeper, Scizor's role on the team is to set up with Swords Dance and Bullet Punch faster would-be revenge killers. It's more dependent on support from Fini than Zygarde is, as Fini forces Fire-types to think twice about switching and can override terrain against opposing Tapu Lele so that Scizor doesn't lose Bullet Punch. 252 EVs with an Adamant nature maximize Scizor's power, with the rest thrown into HP and Defense to maximize bulk.
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 48 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Leech Seed
- Wide Guard
- Protect
Celesteela is a great early-game pokemon, as its fantastic overall bulk and access to Leech Seed allow it to wear down opposing pokemon to prepare for a Fini+Zygarde/Scizor sweep later in the game. It's also won me games on its own just by wearing down opponents and surviving a lot longer than it should with Leech Seed+Leftovers recovery. The given EVs provide the most Defense possible while ensuring that Beast Boost still raises Special Defense after a KO. The remaining EVs are dumped into Attack. I've given it Wide Guard over Substitute to block moves such as Rock Slide and Icy Wind that hit both teammates while providing annoying secondary effects.
Zapdos @ Misty Seed
Ability: Static
EVs: 244 HP / 136 Def / 80 SpD / 48 Spe
Bold Nature
- Tailwind
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
Zapdos is yet another partner to Tapu Fini, and provides good utility in its own right with Tailwind. With Misty Seed+Roost, it becomes extremely hard to kill, and provides a desperately needed check to Grass-types with Heat Wave. 48 Speed EVs under Tailwind is enough to outspeed Mega Salamence at +1, and 244 HP / 80 SpD allows Zapdos to survive Psycho Boost from Deoxys-A under Psychic Terrain if its Misty Seed is active. The remaining EVs are dumped into Defense to, along with a Bold nature, maximize physical bulk.
Marshadow @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Spectral Thief
- Shadow Sneak
- Rock Tomb
At this point, I realized that if Tailwind isn't set, this team is slooooow. I desperately needed some kind of speed to revenge kill and shut down setup, and Marshadow fits that slot perfectly. With Marshadow on the team, setup sweepers have to be wary of Spectral Thief stealing their boosts and kicking off a counter-sweep, and Marshadow's literally unresisted STAB combo is great for being able to click moves without worrying too much about switchins. There's not much to be said about this set, max Attack/Speed with a Jolly nature to hit as hard and as fast as possible.
Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7doublesou-657598597
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7doublesou-664510792
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7doublesou-664970470
All three of these follow a similar formula: Set up Zygarde or Scizor (or both) under Misty Terrain, sweep with Fini providing support when needed, profit. Having multiple strong, independent (of each other at least) wincons has also proven to be very helpful, particularly when I do something idiotic like force Scizor to commit suicide by switching into an obvious Flamethrower. They also show off what is arguably the biggest threat to the team: Landorus-Therian, which can really hurt Zygarde and Scizor with Intimidate.
Conclusion
So that's the team. It's very rough around the edges, but I feel like I have a solid start. Any help with sets or the pokemon themselves would be appreciated. I'm still not sold on Mega Scizor, and the team has a lot of physical attackers right now, which can present a problem, particularly with Landorus-T being on like a third of teams right now. However, I really like the core, and it'd be great to get some feedback on this. Thanks.
