Alright! I began competitive Pokemon fairly recently. This is my first team and I've used it to a degree of success. I've found that it requires a large amount of prediction to be successful, as one false move can make the difference between a win and a loss. However, when played correctly, it can be a real problem to deal with. Something to note: this team doesn't use entry hazards, as it uses a very direct approach to win games.
The Team in Short
The Team in Detail
Machamp @ Lum Berry (No Guard)
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spe
-DynamicPunch
-Stone Edge
-Bullet Punch
-Payback
One of the most underrated Pokemon out there, in my opinion. In a world where a certain fighting Pokemon named Conkeldurr is considered the best bulky fighting out there, why use Machamp? I found that Machamp would better suit the role of a lead, plus it goes very effectively with the "direct" strategy. DynamicPunch confusion hax have also proven to be very valuable to many games, allowing me to eliminate Pokemon that would otherwise attempt to wall me, force a switch, or set up on a different Pokemon, all while simultaneously hitting something really hard. However, it does have one drawback: the ever-so-common Jellicent (or any other Ghost types, for that matter) can easily switch in and proceed to wall me or set up, ultimately achieving a KO. However, from my experience, this is very easy to predict. Most people will send in a DynamicPunch lure, such as Tyranitar, as their lead. This is almost a dead giveaway that they are going to be switching to their Ghost-typed partner. A predicted Stone Edge followed by a Payback has the capability of 2HKOing Jellicent, especially considering that it will *always* attempt a burn, which will then be removed by Lum Berry. Another attractive trait that Machamp possesses as a lead is its bulk. It can take just about any hit from common leads, with the notable exceptions of a Specs-Latios's Draco Meteor, a Life Orb Modest Ninetails's Fire Blast at max damage, and a Choice Specs Modest Politoed's Hydro Pump.
Latios @ Light Clay (Levitate)
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP/252 Spe/4 SpD
-Light Screen
-Reflect
-Thunder Wave
-Memento
I have found this Pokemon to be extremely useful, not simply as a dual screener, but as a great trick up my sleeve that nobody has so far suspected. It is possible to lead with it, as it more often than not forces a switch due to the fear of a Choice Specs Draco Meteor OHKO. This can allow for easy setup. While this moveset may make this Poke look like taunt bait, how many of you would taunt a Latios as a first reaction? Thunder Wave is preferred to Dragon Pulse as it further cripples the opposing team. As Hydreigon and Metagross are both fairly slow (at least to begin with), the paralyzation can be great in stopping things like Terrakion from cutting a sweep short. Para-hax also work well with Machamp's DynamicPunch if Latios is used as a lead. There are times, however, where this Pokemon has proven utterly useless, so it is first on the chopping block for replacement.
Hydreigon @ Expert Belt (Levitate)
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SpA/252 Speed/4 HP
-Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse
-Focus Blast
-Fire Blast
This Pokemon can be both a blessing and a curse. Its odd speed tier makes it just slightly slower than a lot of its biggest threats. However, if those are crippled or eliminated, it can unleash havoc. Its excellent coverage and good bulkiness (which can be further heightened by Dual Screens) allow it to at the very least seriously hurt something. Its unique typing also gives it good synergy with Machamp, Metagross, and Jellicent, especially Metagross, though not so much with Chansey or Latios. Using it can require a fair bit of prediction, however, as it will more often than not force a switch. However, this can also be a plus, as it is possible to feign a choice item and then KO a switch-in with a devastating super-effective hit. At the end of the day, however, I would like to emphasize that it is crucial that any potential threats to Hydreigon are crippled or taken care of prior to its use, or else Hydreigon will be the one getting OHKO'd.
Metagross @ Life Orb (Clear Body)
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
-Meteor Mash
-Zen Headbut
-Earthquake
-Agility
Agilitygross has proven to be one of the most valuable assets to this team. With good natural physical bulk and awesome typing, it's easy to scare something out and nab an agility boost. It also synergizes very very well with Hydreigon, as I have found, both defensively and in the aspect that Metagross is capable of eliminating practically all of Hydreigon's threats after an Agility boost. The nice thing about it, though, is that while it can function as a hole-puncher early-on, it can also act as a late-game sweeper just as well, if not better. I opted for Zen Headbut over Ice Punch for better coverage against Fighting Types that would love to hurt Hydreigon and Chansey.
Jellicent @ Leftovers (Cursed Body)
Nature: Bold
EVs: 248 HP/216 Def/44 Spe
-Surf
-Will-o-Wisp
-Recover
-Taunt
Standard physical wall. While this team is more offensively inclined, I found that those needs were often met by the Pokemon above. Therefore, I decided to add the Jellicent-Chansey defensive core to my team. Jellicent is great as a taunt user, though it is rather slow, so I found that it required caution against teams that packed faster taunt users. Will-o-Wisp is good for stalling, as well as crippling potential threats to the offensive core of the team. Jellicent's typing allows it to take fighting and bug moves aimed at Hydreigon, as well as fire moves aimed at Metagross. Overall, a good Pokemon to have on any team, it is a great Pokemon on this team.
Chansey @ Eviolite (Natural Cure)
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
-Wish
-Protect
-Toxic
-Seismic Toss
The pink blob of doom! Chansey has been the MVP of many matches. At first, the sole reason I decided to put it on the team was to eat Draco Meteors from Choice Specs Latios, and it does this job admirably. However, after taking out or crippling any physical threats or boosters, the Egg Pokemon turns into an unbreakable wall, especially if Dual Screens are still active and available for re-use. Another thing I love about Chansey is the fact that it is set-up fodder. This makes double-switching so easy to pull off, allowing for an almost free Agility boost for Metagross or a DynamicPunch to a switch-in's face from Machamp (if it's still in the game). Chansey has become an irreplacable special sponge to this team.
Ending Thoughts/Comments
The Team in Short
The Team in Detail
Machamp @ Lum Berry (No Guard)
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spe
-DynamicPunch
-Stone Edge
-Bullet Punch
-Payback
One of the most underrated Pokemon out there, in my opinion. In a world where a certain fighting Pokemon named Conkeldurr is considered the best bulky fighting out there, why use Machamp? I found that Machamp would better suit the role of a lead, plus it goes very effectively with the "direct" strategy. DynamicPunch confusion hax have also proven to be very valuable to many games, allowing me to eliminate Pokemon that would otherwise attempt to wall me, force a switch, or set up on a different Pokemon, all while simultaneously hitting something really hard. However, it does have one drawback: the ever-so-common Jellicent (or any other Ghost types, for that matter) can easily switch in and proceed to wall me or set up, ultimately achieving a KO. However, from my experience, this is very easy to predict. Most people will send in a DynamicPunch lure, such as Tyranitar, as their lead. This is almost a dead giveaway that they are going to be switching to their Ghost-typed partner. A predicted Stone Edge followed by a Payback has the capability of 2HKOing Jellicent, especially considering that it will *always* attempt a burn, which will then be removed by Lum Berry. Another attractive trait that Machamp possesses as a lead is its bulk. It can take just about any hit from common leads, with the notable exceptions of a Specs-Latios's Draco Meteor, a Life Orb Modest Ninetails's Fire Blast at max damage, and a Choice Specs Modest Politoed's Hydro Pump.
Latios @ Light Clay (Levitate)
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP/252 Spe/4 SpD
-Light Screen
-Reflect
-Thunder Wave
-Memento
I have found this Pokemon to be extremely useful, not simply as a dual screener, but as a great trick up my sleeve that nobody has so far suspected. It is possible to lead with it, as it more often than not forces a switch due to the fear of a Choice Specs Draco Meteor OHKO. This can allow for easy setup. While this moveset may make this Poke look like taunt bait, how many of you would taunt a Latios as a first reaction? Thunder Wave is preferred to Dragon Pulse as it further cripples the opposing team. As Hydreigon and Metagross are both fairly slow (at least to begin with), the paralyzation can be great in stopping things like Terrakion from cutting a sweep short. Para-hax also work well with Machamp's DynamicPunch if Latios is used as a lead. There are times, however, where this Pokemon has proven utterly useless, so it is first on the chopping block for replacement.
Hydreigon @ Expert Belt (Levitate)
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SpA/252 Speed/4 HP
-Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse
-Focus Blast
-Fire Blast
This Pokemon can be both a blessing and a curse. Its odd speed tier makes it just slightly slower than a lot of its biggest threats. However, if those are crippled or eliminated, it can unleash havoc. Its excellent coverage and good bulkiness (which can be further heightened by Dual Screens) allow it to at the very least seriously hurt something. Its unique typing also gives it good synergy with Machamp, Metagross, and Jellicent, especially Metagross, though not so much with Chansey or Latios. Using it can require a fair bit of prediction, however, as it will more often than not force a switch. However, this can also be a plus, as it is possible to feign a choice item and then KO a switch-in with a devastating super-effective hit. At the end of the day, however, I would like to emphasize that it is crucial that any potential threats to Hydreigon are crippled or taken care of prior to its use, or else Hydreigon will be the one getting OHKO'd.
Metagross @ Life Orb (Clear Body)
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
-Meteor Mash
-Zen Headbut
-Earthquake
-Agility
Agilitygross has proven to be one of the most valuable assets to this team. With good natural physical bulk and awesome typing, it's easy to scare something out and nab an agility boost. It also synergizes very very well with Hydreigon, as I have found, both defensively and in the aspect that Metagross is capable of eliminating practically all of Hydreigon's threats after an Agility boost. The nice thing about it, though, is that while it can function as a hole-puncher early-on, it can also act as a late-game sweeper just as well, if not better. I opted for Zen Headbut over Ice Punch for better coverage against Fighting Types that would love to hurt Hydreigon and Chansey.
Jellicent @ Leftovers (Cursed Body)
Nature: Bold
EVs: 248 HP/216 Def/44 Spe
-Surf
-Will-o-Wisp
-Recover
-Taunt
Standard physical wall. While this team is more offensively inclined, I found that those needs were often met by the Pokemon above. Therefore, I decided to add the Jellicent-Chansey defensive core to my team. Jellicent is great as a taunt user, though it is rather slow, so I found that it required caution against teams that packed faster taunt users. Will-o-Wisp is good for stalling, as well as crippling potential threats to the offensive core of the team. Jellicent's typing allows it to take fighting and bug moves aimed at Hydreigon, as well as fire moves aimed at Metagross. Overall, a good Pokemon to have on any team, it is a great Pokemon on this team.
Chansey @ Eviolite (Natural Cure)
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
-Wish
-Protect
-Toxic
-Seismic Toss
The pink blob of doom! Chansey has been the MVP of many matches. At first, the sole reason I decided to put it on the team was to eat Draco Meteors from Choice Specs Latios, and it does this job admirably. However, after taking out or crippling any physical threats or boosters, the Egg Pokemon turns into an unbreakable wall, especially if Dual Screens are still active and available for re-use. Another thing I love about Chansey is the fact that it is set-up fodder. This makes double-switching so easy to pull off, allowing for an almost free Agility boost for Metagross or a DynamicPunch to a switch-in's face from Machamp (if it's still in the game). Chansey has become an irreplacable special sponge to this team.
Ending Thoughts/Comments
I've really developed an affinity towards this team, and I've pulled off some pretty impressive victories. However, it has run into particular trouble with both rain and sun teams, sandstorm and hail being less of a problem. My thoughts are to replace Latios. A Scarfed Rotom-W is my first choice, as it would be effective against rain teams, and provide extra coverage with STAB Water and Electric types that are offensively absent from the team. It could also provide an alternate lead, packing Volt Switch, as the team has great diversity, leaving options for switch-ins. Another option could be Scarfed Haxorus, as its raw offensive power can contribute to eliminating threats early on in the game, though having two offensive dragons is redundant and can pose defensive problems. Still, from my experience, eliminating threats outright would be a much safer and useful option than neutralizing them. Feel free to leave constructive criticism/positive feedback, as well as suggestions to replace Latios.
