Newby's In-Game & Competitive Team

[BlueDragonfly]

TEAM THE FIGHTIN' IRISH​

This is pre-Pokemon Bank. I should note that this team is only for XY game battling. I'm new when it comes to competitive battling, so I'm sure my team is going to look pretty bad. I know I'm lacking real strategy, which I haven't been able to piece together myself.

Overall, I'd like my team to be used in-game and competitively (PSS), so I'd like to keep Surf and Fly. (It'd be nice if XY allowed you to pick from your box for PSS battles, rather than making you battle with your party on the spot).

I wanted to avoid using legendaries. I wasn't aiming to make a typical three-starter team, but it was the strongest water-grass-fire combination while I was playing through the game.

"King Tyrant"
Tyrantrum@Expert Belt
Type: Lead
Ability: Strong Jaw
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 Atk
~ Stealth Rock
~ Dragon Tail
~ Thunder Fang
~ Ice Fang
One of my favorite pokemon in this generation, because who hasn't wanted a pet T-Rex?
Technique: Here he would set up stealth rock, and providing he isn't knocked out, just Dragon Tail to his heart's desire, or Thunder/Ice Fang the opposition. Originally I had Fire Fang and Earthquake but I'd like one pokemon on the team to set up Stealth Rock, and Dragon Tail is a wonderful nuisance.

"Nekomata"
Espeon@Focus Sash
Type: Baton Passer
Ability: Magic Bounce
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
~ Baton Pass
~ Calm Mind
~ Stored Power
~ Psychic
Technique: If I can get my timing right, I'd like to get Espeon in there to prevent a setup. Set up Calm Mind a few times while opponent tries and fails to set up hazards. Then hit with Stored Power or Baton Pass out to another pokemon.

Blaziken@Air Balloon
Type: Physical Sweeper
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 Atk
~Protect
~Swords Dance
~Flare Blitz
~Baton Pass
Demoted from Mega-Blaziken.
Technique: Your basic setup; Protect for the extra speed boosts, Swords Dance when you can, and hit it with fire. If you're in trouble or about to die, Baton Pass all those boosts onto the next pokemon.

"The Prince"
Greninja@Life Orb
Type: Special Sweeper
Ability: Protean
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
~ Spikes
~ Hydro Pump
~ Ice Beam
~ Dark Pulse
Greninja's Protean is great for being an unexpected challenge to others. This is my late game special sweeper.
Technique: Spikes is a nuisance for the opposing team, but changing types with each move will make it even more annoying. It's Ground, no it's Ice, now it's Dark!

Mega Venusaur@Venusaurite
Type: Special Tank
Ability: Chlorophyll
Nature: Bold
EVs: 72 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
~ Sleep Powder
~ Leech Seed
~ Giga Drain
~ Sludge Bomb
Technique: Put it to sleep or try to poison it! With its bulk and healing moves, it's sure to be a pain. I had Growth on this set but opted to replace it with Leech Seed. I went with Bold to make him bulkier.

"Raptor Jesus"
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Type: Physical Wall
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish
EVs: 224 HP / 252 Def / 32 SpD
~ Brave Bird
~ Toxic
~ Roost
~ Whirlwind

Technique: Throw out a Toxic and Whirlwind them away. Roost when necessary, and Brave Bird when you know you can get off a kill. Stealth Rock would be nice but this is pre-Pokemon Bank, so SR went to Tyrantrum.

Scrapped Teammates

Staraptor@Sharp Beak
Type: Physical Sweeper
Ability: Intimidate (if keeping, should get Reckless-ability)
Nature: Lonely (should be Jolly/Adamant)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
~ Flying
~ Close Combat
~ Double Team
~ Thief

 

[PumpHead]

Imo, Grass Knot isn't very nice on lightweights. Try Giga Drain for extra recovery. Also, Double Team is banned if you are following Smog rules.

 

[BlueDragonfly]

I can swap out Double Team for something else, though I don't plan on battling anywhere except in XY's PSS and in-game. I'll replace Grass Knot with Giga Drain, thank you.

Edit: Though I'd probably want to start a new Venusaur with Chloropyll for an ability, correct? And to get it Giga Drain as an egg move.

 

[PumpHead]

That depends if you like Sun up. You don't want to leave it in against Fires that take advantage from sun anyway.

 

[BlueDragonfly]

I don't think there's room for Sunny Day on Venusaur unless I give up Sludge Bomb, but that's one of the few things the team has that's good against fairies.

I still lack any real strategy with the team, aside from "so-and-so is weak against fire, pull out Blaziken" techniques. I feel like I messed up Espeon, and that I'm supposed to tie him in better with the team, but I'm not sure how.

 

[BlueDragonfly]

Update/Bump: I accidentally messed up Espeon. I had him in the daycare to breed some more Eevees with good IVs, and a new move overwrote Baton Pass. Feel like an idiot, but maybe this is my chance to go Bold instead of Timid with him.

 

[pedro702]

Update/Bump: I accidentally messed up Espeon. I had him in the daycare to breed some more Eevees with good IVs, and a new move overwrote Baton Pass. Feel like an idiot, but maybe this is my chance to go Bold instead of Timid with him.

in X and Y pokemon can relearn egg moves on the move reminder, its preety easy and cool that game freak did that.

 

[BlueDragonfly]

Update/Bump: I accidentally messed up Espeon. I had him in the daycare to breed some more Eevees with good IVs, and a new move overwrote Baton Pass. Feel like an idiot, but maybe this is my chance to go Bold instead of Timid with him.

in X and Y pokemon can relearn egg moves on the move reminder, its preety easy and cool that game freak did that.

Sadly Baton Pass isn't one Espeon can relearn. The only options are Tail Whip, Covet, Synchronoise, Helping Hand, Tackle, Sand Attack, Confusion, Quick Attack, Swift, Psybeam, Future Sight, Psych Up, and Morning Sun.

 

[welsknight]

I would recommend switching Staraptor out for sure; he's just not that good. There are a few options. You could go with a Gengar (not Mega, just standard). With Levitate, he still avoids most hazards and all ground-type moves. He also ensures that your team does not have 3 weaknesses to any one type of move. Lastly, he will futher confuse your opponent concerning which mega-evolution you're running (with the team preview I would currently correctly guess Mega-Blaziken, but if you had Gengar in place of Staraptor, I would probably guess Mega-Gengar).

Something like this might work for you:

Gengar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt

This allows you check a lot of common threats, and easily outspeed pretty much anything that isn't scarfed (and even most stuff that is)/using priority moves.

However, your team is severely lacking in the area of walls, so another good option would be Skarmory. Something similar to this would be good:

Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 Spd
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Roost
- Whirlwind

Toxic and Roost are both easily taught through TMs, and Brave Bird/Whirlwind are pretty easily obtainable Egg Moves. If you can get Stealth Rock on there, do it in place of Whirlwind or Toxic, but I'm not super up-to-date on my breeding for Gen 6. Anyways, this gives you a solid defensive wall, with reliable recovery through Roost, that can do some nasty things between Toxic/Rocky Helmet/Brave Bird. Whirlwind is there in case anyone tries to set up on you; you can just push them away. Or you can Toxic them and then whisk them away to Toxic their next team member.

Other options include, but are not limited to: Talonflame (always a popular choice), Rotom-W, Gliscor (although I can't remember if he's available pre-Pokebank or not), and Togekiss.

The last thing that jumps out at me about your team is that you have form of hazard removal (although Espeon definitely helps with Magic Bounce). However, if your opponent manages to either 1) Take down Espeon or 2) Get hazards down because you predicted wrong and didn't switch in, then you're going to suffer the consequences for the rest of the match. You therefore may want to consider a Defog-carrying Scizor (Defog as an Egg Move) or a Rapid Spinner.

Just my two cents, take them as you will. =)

 

[BlueDragonfly]

What about Defog on Skarmory? Brave Bird / Stealth Rock / Defog / Whirlwind?

 

[welsknight]

What about Defog on Skarmory? Brave Bird / Stealth Rock / Defog / Whirlwind?

If you can get Defog on Skarmory, definitely do so, but I'm not sure if Skarmory can get Defog pre-Pokebank. The Skarmory I use on my team is Brave Bird/Stealth Rock/Defog/Roost, but I play Pokebank OU.

 

[BlueDragonfly]

I'll catch a Skarmory and try to see if it gets it as an egg move. Pardon my newbishness, but question: Why Keen Eye instead of Sturdy? Keen Eye is like having a Focus Sash.

Edit: From what I've researched so far, Skarmory cannot get Defog or Stealth Rock through egg moves.

Edit2: Confirmed, Skarmory didn't get Defog through egg moves.

 

[welsknight]

I'll catch a Skarmory and try to see if it gets it as an egg move. Pardon my newbishness, but question: Why Keen Eye instead of Sturdy? Keen Eye is like having a Focus Sash.

Answer: Typo. Should definitely be Sturdy. (I create the build in Pokemon Showdown and then export it over, sometimes I forget to update stuff like ability or EVs).

 

[BlueDragonfly]

Meant to say "Sturdy is like Focus Sash," but you know what I mean. What do you think about Spikes over Toxic?

 

[welsknight]

Meant to say "Sturdy is like Focus Sash," but you know what I mean. What do you think about Spikes over Toxic?

I think Toxic is more valuable as a whole than Spikes, as the top Pokemon that relies on lack of hazards (Weakness Policy Dragonite, at least in my opinion) avoids Spikes anyway. Plus, with the advent of Defog as a form of hazards removal, Spikes are easily removed anyway. Not to mention, for Spikes to really be effective, you need to get a couple layers of them down. Wasting 3 rounds to lay down multiple layers of Spikes only to have them easily removed with a Defog from a Flying-Type Pokemon that avoids them anyway really kinda sucks. Toxic, on the other hand, puts constant pressure on an opponent, and can absolutely cripple a team that relies on setting up or walling.