So this team is something that I've worked on as a concept recently and think that it can be a bit better but I'm not entirely sure how to improve the team past what it is. So lets get into the team:
So the team starts with Shift Gear + Calm Mind Magearna
Magearna @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
This one is slightly different than the normal set due to the fact that I noticed how well Focus Blast + Ice Beam hits most of the metagame but it does have some glaring weaknesses so I knew that I would have to teambuild specifically around the weaknesses. The goal of this set was to Shift Gear up on a Tangrowth's Earthquake or AV Magearna's HP Fire or things of that sort in order to get the Weakness Policy boost. I have thought about adding some bulk to be able to boost up on Heatrans at +1 SDef but I have found the speed helpful in the few matches against Scarf Garchomps. So with this set, it can be walled by things such as Toxapex, Volcarona, Clefable and even AV Magearnas who don't hit you with a super effective attack. That's where I got the idea for the second Pokémon:
THE LURE:
Greninja @ Groundium Z
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dig
- Ice Beam
- Gunk Shot
- Spikes
The point of this Greninja set is very simple but also very vital to the teams success. When I was looking through mons to add I initially saw Ash-Greninja and thought about adding it to the team due to my belief that it is the best mon in the current metagame, being able to set up for its own sweep with Spikes support. After quick consideration I realized the Ash-Gren would have the same counters, being walled by Pex and AV Mag as well. That's where the idea for this Gren was born. If the most common switch-ins for for Mag and Ash-Gren were the same, I could lure them in with my Gren, with the opponent assuming I was Ash and take them out with the set I have. Here are some calcs:
So the next thing I felt that I needed was a solid ground resist so I wasn't completely swept by a Scarf Lando or a boosted Zygarde. That led to the addition of the next mon:
The Tang:
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake
This is just your basic AV Tang. Ground resist that doubles as a special wall, especially valuable versus Tapu Koko's. I chose EQ over Sludge Bomb in order to hit Toxapex harder to help Mag sweep. Everything else is pretty standard, though I did think about adding Rock Slide to the set in order to lure Volc but I wasn't sure what to remove. I still felt that one ground resist wasn't enough, plus I didn't have a scarfer which led to the next addition to the team:
The Scarfer that goes BOOM:
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 Atk / 68 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Defog
- Explosion
So this set is tailor-made to check Hawluchas as well as possible which the team otherwise (and still) struggles with. I chose defog over HP ice or stone edge because I was more comfortable with the ability remove hazards in the early game and then boom and play without my scarfer in the late game. The EV set is just the standard smogon set in order to better take on Kartana. Without Stone Edge i still felt weak to opposing Volc which led to the next addition to the team:
Da Pex:
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes
Another standard set with Toxic Spikes over toxic due to the constant switching that scouting for the move set of Protein Gren forces. This better spreads the poison than toxic would plus the consistent 12.5% poison is better than the toxic poison more often than not based on the team style + my playstyle. Other than that there's not really any analysis that goes into the choice of this Pokémon.
Next I realized that I didn't have stealth rocks on this team, or a mega Pokémon. The choice was initially going to be Clefable with Rocks + Healing Wish but I ended up changing my mind to the next Pokémon:
The Mega:
Tyranitar @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Rocks + Stone Edge were musts, obviously, and Pursuit is one of my favorite moves due to the mindgames and situations it forces, getting rid of Lati@s and Blacephalon. Last was Fire Punch over EQ so I could hit opposing Tangs better, as i didn't have Sludge Bomb on my own Tang, plus it let me hit Ferro, Mawile and Celesteela harder. It also improved the (terrible) matchup against stall variants with Skarm as long as I didn't get burned.
Well that's the team! I'd love to hear some improvements I could make and I 'm pretty much only dead-set on keeping the Mag+Gren core (although Mag's item could be changed) so a complete upheaval of the other four mon's would be okay haha
Greninja @ Groundium Z
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dig
- Ice Beam
- Gunk Shot
- Spikes
Magearna @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 Atk / 68 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Defog
- Explosion
Tyranitar @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dig
- Ice Beam
- Gunk Shot
- Spikes
Magearna @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 Atk / 68 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Defog
- Explosion
Tyranitar @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes
So the team starts with Shift Gear + Calm Mind Magearna
Magearna @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Shift Gear
This one is slightly different than the normal set due to the fact that I noticed how well Focus Blast + Ice Beam hits most of the metagame but it does have some glaring weaknesses so I knew that I would have to teambuild specifically around the weaknesses. The goal of this set was to Shift Gear up on a Tangrowth's Earthquake or AV Magearna's HP Fire or things of that sort in order to get the Weakness Policy boost. I have thought about adding some bulk to be able to boost up on Heatrans at +1 SDef but I have found the speed helpful in the few matches against Scarf Garchomps. So with this set, it can be walled by things such as Toxapex, Volcarona, Clefable and even AV Magearnas who don't hit you with a super effective attack. That's where I got the idea for the second Pokémon:
THE LURE:
Greninja @ Groundium Z
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dig
- Ice Beam
- Gunk Shot
- Spikes
The point of this Greninja set is very simple but also very vital to the teams success. When I was looking through mons to add I initially saw Ash-Greninja and thought about adding it to the team due to my belief that it is the best mon in the current metagame, being able to set up for its own sweep with Spikes support. After quick consideration I realized the Ash-Gren would have the same counters, being walled by Pex and AV Mag as well. That's where the idea for this Gren was born. If the most common switch-ins for for Mag and Ash-Gren were the same, I could lure them in with my Gren, with the opponent assuming I was Ash and take them out with the set I have. Here are some calcs:
252 Atk Protean Greninja Tectonic Rage (160 BP) vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Toxapex: 290-344 (95.7 - 113.5%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 Atk Protean Greninja Tectonic Rage (160 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Magearna: 374-444 (103 - 122.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Protean Greninja Gunk Shot vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Ninetales-Alola: 402-474 (115.1 - 135.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Protean Greninja Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 278-330 (70.5 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Generally kills + Ice Beam chip on switch)
252 Atk Protean Greninja Tectonic Rage (160 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 298-352 (95.8 - 113.1%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Protean Greninja Tectonic Rage (160 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Magearna: 374-444 (103 - 122.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Protean Greninja Gunk Shot vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Ninetales-Alola: 402-474 (115.1 - 135.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Protean Greninja Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 278-330 (70.5 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Generally kills + Ice Beam chip on switch)
252 Atk Protean Greninja Tectonic Rage (160 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 298-352 (95.8 - 113.1%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
So the next thing I felt that I needed was a solid ground resist so I wasn't completely swept by a Scarf Lando or a boosted Zygarde. That led to the addition of the next mon:
The Tang:
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake
This is just your basic AV Tang. Ground resist that doubles as a special wall, especially valuable versus Tapu Koko's. I chose EQ over Sludge Bomb in order to hit Toxapex harder to help Mag sweep. Everything else is pretty standard, though I did think about adding Rock Slide to the set in order to lure Volc but I wasn't sure what to remove. I still felt that one ground resist wasn't enough, plus I didn't have a scarfer which led to the next addition to the team:
The Scarfer that goes BOOM:
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 Atk / 68 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Defog
- Explosion
So this set is tailor-made to check Hawluchas as well as possible which the team otherwise (and still) struggles with. I chose defog over HP ice or stone edge because I was more comfortable with the ability remove hazards in the early game and then boom and play without my scarfer in the late game. The EV set is just the standard smogon set in order to better take on Kartana. Without Stone Edge i still felt weak to opposing Volc which led to the next addition to the team:
Da Pex:
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes
Another standard set with Toxic Spikes over toxic due to the constant switching that scouting for the move set of Protein Gren forces. This better spreads the poison than toxic would plus the consistent 12.5% poison is better than the toxic poison more often than not based on the team style + my playstyle. Other than that there's not really any analysis that goes into the choice of this Pokémon.
Next I realized that I didn't have stealth rocks on this team, or a mega Pokémon. The choice was initially going to be Clefable with Rocks + Healing Wish but I ended up changing my mind to the next Pokémon:
The Mega:
Tyranitar @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Rocks + Stone Edge were musts, obviously, and Pursuit is one of my favorite moves due to the mindgames and situations it forces, getting rid of Lati@s and Blacephalon. Last was Fire Punch over EQ so I could hit opposing Tangs better, as i didn't have Sludge Bomb on my own Tang, plus it let me hit Ferro, Mawile and Celesteela harder. It also improved the (terrible) matchup against stall variants with Skarm as long as I didn't get burned.
Hawlucha: Can't really be played around requires the loss of 1.5 mons if it gets its seed activated
Zygarde: Just don't play dumb and scout for the Dragonium-Z so Tang doesn't die and you should be okay
Fly-Z Lando: Terrible match-up and usually gets at least one kill and you have to play really aggressively against it
Mawile: Looks worse to play than it is. I generally didn't have much of an issue playing it with the lures taking it out well.
Someone you've played before: They don't fall for the lures lol
Zygarde: Just don't play dumb and scout for the Dragonium-Z so Tang doesn't die and you should be okay
Fly-Z Lando: Terrible match-up and usually gets at least one kill and you have to play really aggressively against it
Mawile: Looks worse to play than it is. I generally didn't have much of an issue playing it with the lures taking it out well.
Someone you've played before: They don't fall for the lures lol
Well that's the team! I'd love to hear some improvements I could make and I 'm pretty much only dead-set on keeping the Mag+Gren core (although Mag's item could be changed) so a complete upheaval of the other four mon's would be okay haha
