primavista
Aspiring Breeder
After a few attempts at making some competitive teams with minimal success, I decided to sit back and try to take a more intelligent approach to team-building. While still sticking to my rules of only using Pokémon that I really like, and ones that I can realistically breed without RNG'ing or such (ie. no legendaries or Pokes with very specific IV spreads), I've tried to look more at what the team needs as a whole.
I've had quite a lot of success with this team on the online simulator, and I'm hoping that it'll be just as good once they're all bred and raring to go in-game. So, without further ado; my team!
Espeon♀ (Soleth) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Nature: Bold
~ Signal Beam
~ Calm Mind
~ Morning Sun
~ Stored Power
Isn't Magic Bounce wonderful? With Espeon receiving such a lovely gift, there was absolutely no excuse not to use her for my team. As well as providing a handy shield against entry hazards, she absolutely demolishes teams if she is allowed to get a few Calm Minds or so set up. Ferrothorn is her best friend, allowing her to reflect Stealth Rocks, and often get a full x4 boost from Calm Mind if the opponent is silly enough, as Power Whip only 3HKOs. I'm not exactly sure why I have Signal Beam rather than Shadow Ball, but at one point I settled with the former, and it's worked out well so far.
Lucario♂ (Anurai) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
~ Ice Punch
~ Close Combat
~ Swords Dance
~ ExtremeSpeed
Lucario makes a great companion for Espeon, as Tyranitar likes nothing better than to Crunch her after she reflects his Stealth Rocks; ergo, Justified. That mini-strategy aside, this is your fairly standard Swords Dance set. Ice Punch is to swiftly deal with Gliscor, as Vaporeon can have trouble with the Toxic-Protect set. Jellicent walls Lucario with this set; if it's early on, I'll swap out but if it's a late-game sweep, I'll just try and do some damage before he gets taken down so Jolteon or Hydreigon can finish it off.
Scizor♂ (Arngrim) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Nature: Adamant
~ U-turn
~ Pursuit
~ Superpower
~ Bullet Punch
As someone once told me, "a Choice Band Scizor is a happy Scizor", and I'm in no state to disagree. While the bulky bug has no niche use on my team, his great attack and coverage allow him to be of great use in almost every match. A very handy lead, as U-Turn can take a chunk out of weaker leads, and as he outspeeds most of the bulkier hazard leads makes a good pass to Espeon. He's got to watch out for Heatran and Magnezone unless he can catch them on the switch with Superpower, but he's helped out with that problem by my next team member.
Vaporeon♀ (Mareth) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Nature: Calm
~ Scald
~ Wish
~ Protect
~ Ice Beam
Espeon's aquatic sister joins the team to provide some handy support. A great special wall in her own right, she comes in particularly handy here to protect my Steel-types from dreaded fire attacks. With Wish and Protect she can protect herself, have a quick scout for offensive strategies or (arguably most usefully) pass on Wishes to her team mates. My weakened sweepers love nothing more than coming back later on in the match with full health again with their checks and counters gone, and with Vaporeon's bulk there's a good chance she can pull this off several times throughout a battle.
Jolteon♀ (Voleth) @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Nature: Timid
~ Volt Switch
~ Heal Bell
~ Signal Beam
~ Shadow Ball
A mix between support and offense here, another Eeveelution to add to the fun (man, I love those guys). Volt Switch is the main move here, allowing her to bounce around the battlefield and swap into counters and predicted moves, especially in conjunction with Scizor's U-Turn. I've opted to give her Heal Bell, as she can often get a free turn in amongst all the switching out that usually occurs when she shows face. I've gone for Signal Beam and Shadow Ball to add a little coverage, even if it is slightly redundant coverage. I've avoided using Hidden Power Ice or such while playing online, as it's very unlikely I'll manage to breed a Jolteon who can have it. Any ideas to help with coverage would be great here.
Hydreigon♀ (Tiatria) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Nature: Modest
~ Surf
~ Fire Blast
~ Dark Pulse
~ Draco Meteor
Last but not least, the second derpiest dragon after Dragonite (obviously); Hydreigon. I was struggling to choose a final Pokémon for the team, and after trying out various options I went with Hydreigon on a whim; so far, she's been rather useful. Offensively, she fills in a few gaps that the rest of team lack (mainly Fire Blast), and with an Expert Belt can be very fun. Purposefully not changing move for a predicted switch can work wonders, as most people don't expect a sudden super-effective attack after they take a resisted hit (thanks, Choice-users!). Defensively she can be quite handy with her reasonable bulk and nice resistances, while her Ground immunity helps Jolteon no end.
There you have it. The only two Pokémon that give me any real trouble are Quiver Dance Volcarona, if I don't get her down very quickly or get a lucky critical, and even more so Conkeldurr. Nothing on my team can reliably take him out quickly, so I usually need to sacrifice a couple of members to bring him down. Any suggestions for coverage of these two would be greatly appreciated. Hydreigon is the Pokémon I'd be happiest to part with, and I wouldn't be overly fussed without Scizor, as he has no specific usage.
So, thanks for reading, and just fire that criticism my way! Cheers, guys!
I've had quite a lot of success with this team on the online simulator, and I'm hoping that it'll be just as good once they're all bred and raring to go in-game. So, without further ado; my team!
Espeon♀ (Soleth) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Nature: Bold
~ Signal Beam
~ Calm Mind
~ Morning Sun
~ Stored Power
Isn't Magic Bounce wonderful? With Espeon receiving such a lovely gift, there was absolutely no excuse not to use her for my team. As well as providing a handy shield against entry hazards, she absolutely demolishes teams if she is allowed to get a few Calm Minds or so set up. Ferrothorn is her best friend, allowing her to reflect Stealth Rocks, and often get a full x4 boost from Calm Mind if the opponent is silly enough, as Power Whip only 3HKOs. I'm not exactly sure why I have Signal Beam rather than Shadow Ball, but at one point I settled with the former, and it's worked out well so far.
Lucario♂ (Anurai) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
~ Ice Punch
~ Close Combat
~ Swords Dance
~ ExtremeSpeed
Lucario makes a great companion for Espeon, as Tyranitar likes nothing better than to Crunch her after she reflects his Stealth Rocks; ergo, Justified. That mini-strategy aside, this is your fairly standard Swords Dance set. Ice Punch is to swiftly deal with Gliscor, as Vaporeon can have trouble with the Toxic-Protect set. Jellicent walls Lucario with this set; if it's early on, I'll swap out but if it's a late-game sweep, I'll just try and do some damage before he gets taken down so Jolteon or Hydreigon can finish it off.
Scizor♂ (Arngrim) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Nature: Adamant
~ U-turn
~ Pursuit
~ Superpower
~ Bullet Punch
As someone once told me, "a Choice Band Scizor is a happy Scizor", and I'm in no state to disagree. While the bulky bug has no niche use on my team, his great attack and coverage allow him to be of great use in almost every match. A very handy lead, as U-Turn can take a chunk out of weaker leads, and as he outspeeds most of the bulkier hazard leads makes a good pass to Espeon. He's got to watch out for Heatran and Magnezone unless he can catch them on the switch with Superpower, but he's helped out with that problem by my next team member.
Vaporeon♀ (Mareth) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Nature: Calm
~ Scald
~ Wish
~ Protect
~ Ice Beam
Espeon's aquatic sister joins the team to provide some handy support. A great special wall in her own right, she comes in particularly handy here to protect my Steel-types from dreaded fire attacks. With Wish and Protect she can protect herself, have a quick scout for offensive strategies or (arguably most usefully) pass on Wishes to her team mates. My weakened sweepers love nothing more than coming back later on in the match with full health again with their checks and counters gone, and with Vaporeon's bulk there's a good chance she can pull this off several times throughout a battle.
Jolteon♀ (Voleth) @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Nature: Timid
~ Volt Switch
~ Heal Bell
~ Signal Beam
~ Shadow Ball
A mix between support and offense here, another Eeveelution to add to the fun (man, I love those guys). Volt Switch is the main move here, allowing her to bounce around the battlefield and swap into counters and predicted moves, especially in conjunction with Scizor's U-Turn. I've opted to give her Heal Bell, as she can often get a free turn in amongst all the switching out that usually occurs when she shows face. I've gone for Signal Beam and Shadow Ball to add a little coverage, even if it is slightly redundant coverage. I've avoided using Hidden Power Ice or such while playing online, as it's very unlikely I'll manage to breed a Jolteon who can have it. Any ideas to help with coverage would be great here.
Hydreigon♀ (Tiatria) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Nature: Modest
~ Surf
~ Fire Blast
~ Dark Pulse
~ Draco Meteor
Last but not least, the second derpiest dragon after Dragonite (obviously); Hydreigon. I was struggling to choose a final Pokémon for the team, and after trying out various options I went with Hydreigon on a whim; so far, she's been rather useful. Offensively, she fills in a few gaps that the rest of team lack (mainly Fire Blast), and with an Expert Belt can be very fun. Purposefully not changing move for a predicted switch can work wonders, as most people don't expect a sudden super-effective attack after they take a resisted hit (thanks, Choice-users!). Defensively she can be quite handy with her reasonable bulk and nice resistances, while her Ground immunity helps Jolteon no end.
There you have it. The only two Pokémon that give me any real trouble are Quiver Dance Volcarona, if I don't get her down very quickly or get a lucky critical, and even more so Conkeldurr. Nothing on my team can reliably take him out quickly, so I usually need to sacrifice a couple of members to bring him down. Any suggestions for coverage of these two would be greatly appreciated. Hydreigon is the Pokémon I'd be happiest to part with, and I wouldn't be overly fussed without Scizor, as he has no specific usage.
So, thanks for reading, and just fire that criticism my way! Cheers, guys!
Last edited:
