Hey there everyone! This is my first Gen VI competitive team (I played on simulators around the tail end of Gen IV and a little in Gen V,) and I've had some pretty good success with it. I've managed to get my rating somewhere in the 2100-2200 range on Showdown's XY OU and when I lose it's usually because of a misplay on my part and I deserve it (or Hydro Pump missing 3 times in a row -_-.) I was just looking to see what some other people think about this team and what I can do to improve it.
Mawile @ Mawilite | Intimidate
Adamant | 252 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 4 SpD
-Iron Head
-Play Rough
-Swords Dance
-Crunch
My team's main goal is to support this little bundle of fun so she can clean up late-game. She hits like a truck and can take a hit or two when need be (especially against physical threats with Intimidate factored in.) If the rest of my team is doing well, however, she might not even need to clean up after them!
Iron Head and Play Rough are simple STAB options, though they don't have the best coverage together (fire and steel types both resist both STABs.) Swords Dance lets me boost Mawile's attack even higher, ensuring nothing can withstand a hit from her. Crunch is her final move, letting her get past Pokemon that resist her STABs.
Unfortunately, she's not without her flaws. She outspeeds nothing, so she absolutely NEEDS to survive hits, and while her typing grants plenty of resistances it leaves her with weaknesses to common fire and ground moves. The rest of the team can help in taking out enemies that trouble her, but she needs to be hidden in reserve otherwise. Unless there's an EV spread that would significantly help her though, the only change I could see warranting consideration is using Sucker Punch over either Iron Head or Swords Dance. She hits hard enough as is without the boosting move and rarely finds herself in a situation where it's honestly a good idea to use. On the other hand, Iron Head's awful neutral coverage could possibly justify getting rid of it, and a bunch of the fairies it would hit super effectively are only hit neutrally anyway. Play Rough is too valuable as a stab to really consider losing it, while Crunch has proven too important against defensive threats that resist Mawile's STABs and against Talonflame that think they can use her as setup bait.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers | Levitate
Calm | 252 Hp/ 4 SpA/ 252 SpD
-Volt Switch
-Hydro Pump
-Shadow Ball
-Will-O-Wisp
The washing machine is a fantastic defensive Pokemon that exhibits incredible synergy with a lot of its teammates. Rotom-W fulfills a few good roles to keep the team going. It acts as a good bulky pivot and a great scout with Volt Switch, letting me grab momentum and switch to an appropriate answer to any situation. It also hits decently hard and provides the team with burn support. As a side note, Rotom-W acts as a great answer to most Talonflame despite not being physically defensive, as his typing lets him resist both of Talonflame's STABs.
Volt Switch, as mentioned earlier, is an invaluable tool for grabbing momentum and royally screwing with my opponent's plans. Hydro Pump takes out ground types that try to switch in on a predicted Volt Switch and has good coverage in general. It also takes out all Talonflame (provided it decides to hit its target.) Shadow Ball also has good neutral coverage and is basically there because Rotom-W wasn't hurting for another move in it's place. The SpDef drop can come in handy too. Will-O-Wisp is important to allow the entire team to take physical hits better. It basically neuters a lot of potential threats. It's not as good a stalling tool as Toxic (and my team does like to stall things from time to time,) but in a pinch it can work.
I don't think Rotom-W needs any changes, as he's a great team player that can be self-sufficient from time to time. There are things that worry him, to be sure (Mold Breaker Excadrill comes to mind if I don't predict the switch,) but that's what his teammates are for.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb | Poison Heal
Impish | 252 Hp/ 184 Def/ 72 Spe
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Taunt
- Ice Fang
I love this guy so much, and I wish I used him in any of my teams in previous generations. With his fantastic typing and wonderful defensive prowess, Gliscor takes physical hits for the team in a manner similar to a boss while laughing at opposing defensive Pokemon. He's another member of the team that can fend for himself while proving super-useful to the rest of the team.
Earthquake is obligatory STAB that, even without investment, can put the hurt on a number of threats. Roost lets Gliscor heal himself, which can prove useful for a variety of reasons. With Taunt, he shuts down most defensive threats and a number of setup sweepers. The final moveslot is a bit iffy, but is currently taken by Ice Fang. While its base power is disappointing, ice-type coverage is stupidly useful when threats like most dragons and the rare Imposter Ditto are about. I can also fish for flinches and freezes with Ice Fang, and Gliscor has the bulk to do it, too.
Gliscor wants to stall things, and Toxic would let him do just that. It would go in over Ice Fang if I decide to use it, but that puts me in a weird place against opposing Skarmory, which kind of worries me. I could definitely see it warranting use, though, and it's not like Ice Fang is THAT useful, even against Skarmory. Gliscor also gets a lot of other nifty moves like Knock Off and Sand Tomb, so he could really use a lot of options. While nothing really lets him get past everything, he works well.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers | Iron Barbs
Relaxed | 252 Hp/ 4 Atk/ 252 Def
-Leech Seed
-Power Whip
-Gyro Ball
-Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn secured its place last generation as a great defensive Pokemon, and it still works great now. My team forces a lot of switches, and as such appreciates Stealth Rock (like pretty much any team.) Ferrothorn does a good job of setting it up, but also allows me another pivot and, in some cases, nabs
surprise KO's. Being a grass type this generation just makes him better, as he can now take leech seeds, sleep powders and spores with imputiny.
While Stealth Rock is Ferrothorn's primary move, Leech Seed gets used more often to force switches, heal both Ferrothorn and his teammates should they stay in, and force the opponent to continue rapid spinning/defogging should they try. Leech Seed actively hurts the opposing Pokemon, so unless they are grass type they aren't going to be able to rapid spin my hazards forever. Ferrothorn's low speed helps ensure his hazards are up after a rapid spin. It also makes his Gyro Ball hit as hard as possible, which takes out fast switch-ins and some fairies. Power Whip is simply another STAB option that hits bulky waters (as well as general waters/grounds/rocks,) really hard. Being so bulky, he can usually afford to try again should he miss.
I don't see any need to change anything on Ferrothorn, but feel free to suggest something if there's a glaring flaw I'm missing. He's easy to use and has a few good moves to use, so while I'm sure he has other options, they don't seem flat-out better than what he has.
Tyranitar @ Assault Vest | Sand Stream
Careful | 252 Hp/ 4 Atk/ 252 SpD
-Pursuit
-Crunch
-Stone Edge
-Dragon Tail
Assault Vest caught my eye as an interesting item this generation, but there honestly don't seem to be a huge number of Pokemon that can effectively utilize it. The standout option in my eye is this guy. Tyranitar's SpDef stat combined with Sand Stream and Assault Vest makes him an incredible special pivot with neat utility.
Most of my team takes no damage from Sand Stream, making it an effective tool to deal damage over time (even at just 5 turns of weather.) I couldn't decide between Pursuit and Crunch when I made this team, so I went with both. Stone Edge is another STAB option that hits more things harder than Crunch while giving me a solid option to totally miss with. Dragon Tail gives Tyranitar a phazing option to take advantage of when combined with Sand Stream and Stealth Rock. It fails against fairies though, and it has less-than-stellar accuracy.
Tyranitar's plights are fairly obvious. He sorely misses any form of recovery, and the only support he currently has on that front is Leech Seed from Ferrothorn. He doesn't hit terribly hard, either. Making him more effective would require wish support or a cleric more than anything. I could also remove Pursuit, as I rarely find myself in a position to pursuit-trap anything and the few Pokemon I do run into where that would be useful usually have fighting coverage regardless. Since his item renders him unable to use status moves, I'd think his other options would include Earthquake, Power Up Punch, Brick Break, Iron Head, or maybe something more gimmicky like Smack Down or Rock Tomb.
Salamence @ Expert Belt | Intimidate
Lonely | 252 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 4 SpA
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Fire Blast
-Roost
I don't know if I totally paid attention when I filled my last team slot. I was really reaching for a final Pokemon, and to be honest this is the only Pokemon I'd totally replace. While he certainly has his uses, I find that he isn't as bulky as I want him to be (which could, to be fair, be fixed if I hadn't chosen a dumb nature,) not as strong as I expect him to be, and not as fast as I think he's gonna be. Also, he doesn't get Wish in XY OU, which is pretty annoying.
That's not to say Salamence is useless, though. Dragon Claw and Earthquake provide him with powerful attacking options, and if he's allowed to use them he can rip holes in the enemy team. Fire Blast, while risky, roasts steel types like Skarmory and can net some neat KO's. Roost lets him heal up, though to be honest he rarely gets the chance.
I'm very interested to hear some opinions on this guy. Could his moveset and EV spread be modified to make for a more effective Pokemon on my team? If not, what would fit better? I like the idea of a Wish passer and/or another fighting resist.
Aaaaaaaaaand... that's my team! It has a few kinks to iron out, but for the most part I like it! It generally works well since the metagame shifted towards bulky offense, and the semistall elements have their place as well. It's well equipped to fight off many of the metagame's top Pokemon.
I'm looking forward to seeing what people think about this one!
