INTRODUCTION
Hello! I've been playing Pokemon competitively for the last few years, but this is actually my first RMT here on the Smogon Forums. Teambuilding has never been my strong suit, mostly because I often insist on using Pokemon I like more often than what's viable, which is a habit I've tried to break in recent months, as I've wanted to become not-the-worst at competitive. To be fair, I've peaked in the mid-1400's on the regular Showdown OU Singles ladder (albeit with a different team), so I'd like to think I'm not the dirt worst, haha.
Anyway, I'm a huge sucker for Mega Charizard X, and building a team centering around what may be my favorite Mega (which thankfully also happens to be a fairly viable setup sweeper) is something I always come back to. I've recently found a Zard X team that I've quite enjoyed playing with, but I'm wondering how it can be improved upon, as I know it's not perfect and has a couple of big potential problems. So, I figured I'd bring it here and have the lads of Smogon rip it apart so we can see how we can make this better. Let's get started!
TEAMBUILDING PROCESS
As I said, Mega Charizard X is my Mega of choice, and that's the 'Mon I wanted to build the team around, so this monster is the basis of the team. Of course, any Zard X player worth his weight knows it needs a healthy dose of support.
Enter Tapu Fini, one of, if not THE, best Defoggers in the game right now. Nice and bulky with access to plenty of utility and the obvious role of hazard removal, and its Fairy typing makes it a good switch-in for opposing Dragons that Zard X doesn't outspeed.
Tapu Bulu was next to be added, given its powerful physical presence, the fact that it forms a FWG core with Fini and Zard, and more importantly, it brings out Grassy Terrain for a nice bit of synergy with Zard (cuts EQ damage and provides passive recovery).
Then of course, I needed some hazards of my own to aid in sweeps, so I figured I'd add in Landorus-Therian, everyone's FAVORITE~! Stealth Rocker. Not only good to set hazards, but also to switch in on Ground-type attacks that make Zard X have a bad time.
Now, this is where it gets interesting, because I wanted a second potential sweeper, and I've always wanted to try my hand at Moxie Salamence. I was unsure about having two Dragon-type sweepers on the same team, but when I can get Mence in and give it the proper setup, this thing just murders. And speaking of the proper setup...
...we're rounding out the team with Alolan Ninetales, so as to summon the hail and set up the Aurora Veil, mainly to allow Zard or Mence to set up and start breaking necks.
THE IDEAL SITUATION
I don't think the mindset for this team is terribly hard to figure out -- either start off with Lando or Ninetales, set up their respective things (though I'd say the Veil is the priority), summon the proper Terrain, if necessary, bring in a Dragon, setup, and sweep. I feel like the truly ideal situation for this team would be to have the Stealth Rocks up (preferably after killing their hazard control, or knowing immediately how to deal with it), set up the Aurora Veil, have Grassy or Misty Terrain up (only for Zard X, of course), get at least one Dragon Dance up (I maaaaay risk a second if I feel like I need to outrun a Scarfer that would otherwise kill me), and then go to work. Honestly, I find myself using the Misty Terrain a lot more often than the Grassy, but we'll get to that later.
THE TEAM
Azula (Charizard) (F) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch
The 'Mon of the hour, the 'Mon with the power, too sweet to be sour. Named for Princess Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender, this thing goes on a tear at +1 Attack and Speed, ripping through many Pokemon with little to no effort thanks to the Attack buff and the Tough Claws boost it gets when it goes Mega. The EV spread is pretty standard stuff; Jolly nature with max Attack and Speed to hit hard and hit fast. I decided to go with 3 Attacks + D-Dance for this set because yes, I know Flare Blitz is WAY more powerful than Fire Punch, but the recoil on it is ridiculous and something I'd rather not deal with if I had a say in the matter. And if I wasn't running Flare Blitz, I figured there's also no need to run Roost to recover that damage, so it opened up a slot for some nice type coverage in Thunder Punch, which helps against Gyarados, opposing Tapu Fini, and other Water or Flying-types, and also gives me an option for something to actually hit Heatran with.
Ursula (Tapu Fini) @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 16 SpD / 60 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Defog
- Nature's Madness
- Taunt
Speaking of Fini, here's mine, named after Usula the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid. I wasn't too keen on Fini when SuMo first dropped, for whatever reason, but now that I've actually taken the time to play with it, the utility I get on this Pokemon is actually really nice -- it's a hazard remover, a Taunter, and a status preventer all in one. And between this thing's bulk and the defensive boost of Aurora Veil, you basically have to hit it super-effectively in order to do any significant damage whatsoever. The EV spread is to get some fairly-balalnced bulk on both ends, leaning just slightly on the special side to take advantage of Fini's naturally higher SpDef. The Speed EVs are to help outspeed slower, bulkier 'Mons that might wanna try and set up some manner of shenanigans, which is also why Taunt is there. Defog is obvious to get rid of Stealth Rocks that otherwise ruin the party for both of my sweepers, Nature's Madness to cut the health from bulkier 'Mons that they may otherwise have trouble OHKO'ing, and Moonblast for STAB to deal with Dark or Dragon-types, or just to try and get a cheeky SpAtk drop.
Brahma Bulu (Tapu Bulu) @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Wood Hammer
- Megahorn
- Superpower
Next up, Tapu Bulu, whose nickname is derived from one of The Rock's many nicknames (Brahma Bull = Brahma Bulu). This thing hits like a truck, especially with the boost from Choice Band. The Grassy Terrain is pretty nice, when I can swing it, not only to grant passive recovery to 2/3 of my team, but also to cut Earthquake damage in half for Azula (though obviously I'd avoid bringing her in on anything I know has a particularly powerful EQ in the first place). Horn Leech and Wood Hammer are there for STAB, the former for some good damage and active recovery, while the latter is just to nuke bulkier 'Mons at the cost of some health. Megahorn helps with the occasional Psychic or Grass-type (looking at you, Tangrowth), and Superpower is there to help deal with Heatran. The EV spread is to maximize the damage output, mainly. I know Bulu's not gonna win any sprints with its rather "meh" Speed stat, but it does help me outrun bulkier Heatran builds that do give me a fair bit of trouble so I can pop a Superpower on them.
Calrissian (Landorus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 212 Def / 32 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
Honestly, I'm hoping the nickname reference here is pretty obvious, at least if you've seen any Star Wars in your life, haha. Anyway, this is some pretty standard Lando-T stuff here -- Impish to buff its Defense a bit more, along with near-max HP and plenty of Defense EVs for some nice physical bulk. A bit of SpDef is necessary to make sure it can live some special attacks long enough to get a U-Turn off, set up Rocks if they've been removed, etc. Stealth Rock is the hazard of choice, of course, U-Turn's there to let this thing pivot into whatever I need at the moment, Earthquake is the obvious STAB, and HP Ice is included mainly to hit other Lando-Ts, but also as a nice bit of coverage for things like Garchomp and the odd Gliscor. I prefer Rocky Helmet for my bulky Lando, as it's a nice way to punish physical attackers along with Intimidate, since the latter will bring them down to -1 Attack, but the Helmet will still inflict the same recoil regardless of the reduced stat. Generally, this 'Mon is just nice as a "nope" switch-in for opposing EQ spam that would otherwise ruin Azula's sweeps (especially useful as a hard counter to Excadrill).
Braun (Salamence) (M) @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Fly
And now, we come to the other sweeper on this team, Salamence, named after WWE's resident monster heel of the moment, Braun Strowman. Given the support of Aurora Veil to allow for proper setup, and maybe some prior Rocks damage, this thing will be tossing 'Mons in the dumpster faster than you can say, "Kalisto". Max Attack and Speed with a Jolly nature are there to ensure that I can hit fast and hard, not to mention outspeed things like non-Scarf Garchomp at +1. Outrage is there for a nice big STAB attack, though one I obviously have to be careful not to mindlessly spam if there's still a Fairy switch-in, Earthquake for coverage to kill things like Heatran and opposing Zard Xs, and Fly to give the most powerful possible physical Supersonic Skystrike a Z-Crystal can buy in order to nuke some bulkier 'Mons (this is especially nice for Mega Venusaur, as the only other ways I have to damage that super-effectively are both weakened by Thick Fat). Moxie is the obvious choice for this set, allowing for more and more Attack boosts as the KOs pile up (and why I went with Jolly over Adamant; I figured the difference in Attack would be more than made up for by Dragon Dance and Moxie).
Charlotte (Ninetales-Alola) (F) @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Moonblast
- Encore
- Aurora Veil
And last, but not least, named after WWE's Charlotte Flair, we have Alolan Ninetales. Both of my sweepers (and the team in general, really) appreciate the Light Clay boosted Aurora Veil support to allow for more chances to set up D-Dances, and putting up with the passive damage from Hail is necessary evil, given that it affects the opponent, too (it's really nice for negating opposing 'Mons Leftovers/Black Sludge recovery, tbh). Also, having the hail in general is useful for disrupting weather teams when I switch Charlotte in. Timid is the Nature of choice, along with max Speed investment, to make sure I can get the Veil up whenever I need to against 'Mons I know I can outspeed, max SpAtk to hit hard with STAB Moonblast, and the rest just went into SpDef since I know AloTales probably isn't gonna live any physical moves it's weak to, even with the Veil up. Freeze-Dry is there to hit Landos, Garchomps, etc. super-hard, not to mention deal with Water-types, and Encore is obvious for trapping into non-optimal moves to help ruin the opponent's potential momentum, giving me (hopefully) enough of an opening to switch into whatever needs the Veil that's ideally been put up in order to get things rolling.
ISSUES WITHIN THE TEAM
As I said in the beginning, I know this team isn't perfect, and there's a couple of problems I can spot right away.
The first and most obvious thing is the bit of negative synergy between Brahma Bulu and Calrissian, given that Earthquake is the latter's only STAB move, and that gets cut in half due to the former's Grassy Terrain (not to mention that Calrissian being half-Flying means it can't even take advantage of the passive healing the Grassy Terrain provides most of my team; same goes for Salamence, who's also half-Flying).
Bulu, in general, is probably the least-often used member of my team -- obviously I need Calrissian and Charlotte for Rocks and Veil, the two Dragons are my sweepers, and Fini's there to prevent status for most of the team and get rid of hazards. And while the damage reduction of EQ is nice for Azula's sake, I find that most times, if there's a Terrain up, it's more often than not Misty. And Bulu hits really hard with the Band in two, but I feel like it's too slow for its own good, so I'm not sure if I should go with a different build (maybe something like Sub/Bulk-Up or SubSeed) or if I just need to swap him out entirely.
The reason I say this is because I'm also feeling like the team is far too physically oriented. I've always been the type that, whenever possible, likes to have a fair bit of balance between the physical and special side of things on a team, and looking at it right now, I have four physical 'Mons and only two special, and only one of those special 'Mons actually has any SpAtk investment. This effectively leaves me without a real special sweeper.
Speaking of my special 'Mons, Ursula is generally fantastic on this team, but I almost wonder if I shouldn't get rid of Moonblast on it for Surf. Moonblast is great for STAB and it helps me against Dragon-types I need to wear down while being able to take some hits ('cause fuck knows Charlotte isn't any kind of tank), but the lack of a Water-type move leaves me without an alternate STAB for Ursula to really make an effective Fire/Water/Grass core with Azula and Bulu, not to mention it forces me to rely on Calrissian and Braun's EQs to deal with Fire-types super-effectively.
Someone also recently pointed out that there's a pretty big Rock weakness on the team, and I definitely agree. Not just Stealth Rocks, obviously, but Rock-type attacks in general will likely ruin my day, as both sweepers and my Veil setter are at least x2 weak to Rock-type attacks, if not x4. If anything comes in and starts hitting Stone Edges and Rock Slides and I don't already have the Veil up and/or the sweepers aren't already boosted up and ready to outspeed, it could present a real issue. Having a Pokemon with a dedicated resistance to Rock (not to mention Poison, another big problem for half the team) would be super-great, as right now the only Pokemon who "resists" it (and it's actually just neutral) would be Calrissian.
The first and most obvious thing is the bit of negative synergy between Brahma Bulu and Calrissian, given that Earthquake is the latter's only STAB move, and that gets cut in half due to the former's Grassy Terrain (not to mention that Calrissian being half-Flying means it can't even take advantage of the passive healing the Grassy Terrain provides most of my team; same goes for Salamence, who's also half-Flying).
Bulu, in general, is probably the least-often used member of my team -- obviously I need Calrissian and Charlotte for Rocks and Veil, the two Dragons are my sweepers, and Fini's there to prevent status for most of the team and get rid of hazards. And while the damage reduction of EQ is nice for Azula's sake, I find that most times, if there's a Terrain up, it's more often than not Misty. And Bulu hits really hard with the Band in two, but I feel like it's too slow for its own good, so I'm not sure if I should go with a different build (maybe something like Sub/Bulk-Up or SubSeed) or if I just need to swap him out entirely.
The reason I say this is because I'm also feeling like the team is far too physically oriented. I've always been the type that, whenever possible, likes to have a fair bit of balance between the physical and special side of things on a team, and looking at it right now, I have four physical 'Mons and only two special, and only one of those special 'Mons actually has any SpAtk investment. This effectively leaves me without a real special sweeper.
Speaking of my special 'Mons, Ursula is generally fantastic on this team, but I almost wonder if I shouldn't get rid of Moonblast on it for Surf. Moonblast is great for STAB and it helps me against Dragon-types I need to wear down while being able to take some hits ('cause fuck knows Charlotte isn't any kind of tank), but the lack of a Water-type move leaves me without an alternate STAB for Ursula to really make an effective Fire/Water/Grass core with Azula and Bulu, not to mention it forces me to rely on Calrissian and Braun's EQs to deal with Fire-types super-effectively.
Someone also recently pointed out that there's a pretty big Rock weakness on the team, and I definitely agree. Not just Stealth Rocks, obviously, but Rock-type attacks in general will likely ruin my day, as both sweepers and my Veil setter are at least x2 weak to Rock-type attacks, if not x4. If anything comes in and starts hitting Stone Edges and Rock Slides and I don't already have the Veil up and/or the sweepers aren't already boosted up and ready to outspeed, it could present a real issue. Having a Pokemon with a dedicated resistance to Rock (not to mention Poison, another big problem for half the team) would be super-great, as right now the only Pokemon who "resists" it (and it's actually just neutral) would be Calrissian.
THREATLIST
This motherfucker. This motherfucker right here. I dread the day this team has to come up against a Nihilego --thankfully I haven't yet, but it's only a matter of time. It's the only Poison/Rock-type 'Mon in the game, and those two STABS represent the two biggest type weaknesses on this team (as Rock hits Azula/Braun/Charlotte super-effectively, and Poison kills Charlotte/Ursula/Bulu). Obviously this thing dies to one good Earthquake from Calrissian due to its garbage Defense, but my worry is that it'd be Scarfed ('cause if it's not Sashed for Rocks, it's Scarfed to sweep) and, if it's already got at least one SpAtk buff from Beast Boost, it could kill with HP Ice and then it's basically, "Click Power Gem/Sludge Wave to win". I essentially have to play around it and hope I can catch it unboosted with an EQ to ensure the easy KO, or it's basically game over.
Clefable has given me a fair bit of issues, namely the Unaware builds, since they ignore any Attack boosts I've built up and they're immune to my Dragon STABs. Since I don't have a dedicated Poison or Steel attack anywhere on this team at the moment, I can't hit it super-effectively, and obviously boosting up on it is pointless, so the best way I've found to deal with it is to get Rocks up so it has some prior damage coming it, Taunt it with Fini to prevent boosting/Wish passing/etc. if at all possible, then nuke it with either Supersonic Skystrike or a Grassy Terrain-boosted Wood Hammer.
Greninja is so good in OU right now, it's ridiculous, and I'm actually more worried about Protean Gren than anything else with this team. STAB Gunk Shot basically kills all of my Fairies, and STAB Ice Beam kills Braun and Calrissian, not to mention it hits Azula very hard alongside STAB Hydro Pump, and unless I play smart enough where I can get the Veil up and/or already boost up with D-Dance, Gren will most likely hit first since it naturally outspeeds everything on the team. This thing is a menace.
Mamoswine isn't quite as bad as some of the other 'Mons on this list, but Ice-types in general can be issue, given they hit Braun, Calrissian, and Bulu all super-effectively. Mamoswine with Ice Shard in particular is an issue due to its priority, so if I'm not behind the Veil and I've taken too much prior damage, it's a done deal for Braun.
Yeah, I better have included Heatran in the Threatlist, I think I mentioned it enough in the team breakdown, haha. Heatran is another issue that I feel isn't TOO huge, but still noteworthy enough to mention here. Flash Fire basically ruins Azula's chances to hit Fire Punch if this thing switches in, and it resists her other STAB due to the Steel-type it has, so basically Thunder Punch is the only way she can hit this damn thing, and if it doesn't OHKO (basically, I NEED to have boosted at least once and preferably have gotten some Rocks/Hail damage on it), Heatran could answer back with an Earth Power (which, IIRC, doesn't get nerfed by Grassy Terrain) and ruin the potential sweep. Again, without Water-type STAB on Ursula, it's down to Calrissian and Braun to use their respective Earthquakes to try and take this thing down. Bulu can take down slower variants with Superpower, but offensive builds just eat its lunch.
SHOWDOWN REPLAYS AND BATTLE VIDEO CODES
I actually haven't been on Showdown for a bit (since I didn't feel like getting trounced by all of the higher level players going for reqs on during the Mega Metagross suspect test, tbh), but I did manage to get some Showdown replays with this team for review. Of course, these were lower ladder suspect test games and I wasn't sure how reliable they'd actually be, so I decided to include some Sun/Moon Battle Video codes to provide a few more battles you can check out (if you've got time to kill and you prefer all the visual bells and whistles, that is).
SHOWDOWN:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575678863
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575681519
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575683033
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575684007
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575685213
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575687877
BATTLE VIDEOS:
LFSG-WWWW-WWW6-RDHU
XUAW-WWWW-WWW7-W659
MBLG-WWWW-WWW7-W65V
SQ8G-WWWW-WWW7-W66G
FLBW-WWWW-WWW6-RDHL
SHOWDOWN:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575678863
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575681519
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575683033
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575684007
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575685213
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7oususpecttest-575687877
BATTLE VIDEOS:
LFSG-WWWW-WWW6-RDHU
XUAW-WWWW-WWW7-W659
MBLG-WWWW-WWW7-W65V
SQ8G-WWWW-WWW7-W66G
FLBW-WWWW-WWW6-RDHL
IMPORTABLE
Salamence (M) @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Fly
Charizard (F) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch
Tapu Bulu @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Wood Hammer
- Megahorn
- Superpower
Ninetales-Alola (F) @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Moonblast
- Encore
- Aurora Veil
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 16 SpD / 60 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Defog
- Nature's Madness
- Taunt
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 212 Def / 32 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Fly
Charizard (F) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch
Tapu Bulu @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Wood Hammer
- Megahorn
- Superpower
Ninetales-Alola (F) @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Moonblast
- Encore
- Aurora Veil
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 16 SpD / 60 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Defog
- Nature's Madness
- Taunt
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 212 Def / 32 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
CONCLUSION
So, there's the team! I hope you enjoyed reading this RMT and didn't find it too terribly long-winded (I mean, in my defense, the RMT guidelines do ask for plenty of detail), and if it was, well, then you have my sincere apologies for the time you've lost. No refunds.
But seriously, I hope you liked my write-up, and I do really want to get some constructive feedback on this squad, because I really want to make it work. I think I've just made it my personal goal in life to make the best possible Mega Charizard X team, though I know I'm probably nowhere near that, haha. Anyway, tell me what you think of the team and where you think I'm going wrong, and I'll see what I can do to fix it up. Thanks for reading!
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