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[BlazingRagnarok]

does anyone have a suggestion on a near perfect 5iV dhelmise? i managed to get a near perfect 5IV adamant dhelmise while breeding GTS fodder. im only missing 1-2 IVs in 2 stats and i havent yet bothered to get destiny knot, too busy filling dex atm. i dont have any current plans for a battle team but id like to make this dhelmise competitive or as useable as it could be. id like to know what options i have while i wait to see how many of my current gen6 battle team can be transferred to gen7 (when PK bank becomes accessible).

the likely team members will be SPA (or maybe ATK lucario life orb), Flygon SPA??, day lycanroc, salazzle, primarina. i might use vikavolt but i havent put any thought together for some sort of team. im well aware this team is not the best choice of pkmn for a real competitive team but i havent really set any 6th team member yet, i might go with dhelmise as 6th slot. i wont be using any Z moves on the team, im not a big fan of them even though i know they are likely a important part of competitive pkmn now in gen7. is a bulky ATK dhelmise possible? i just want something thats usable in casual battles, i was never a fan of the common pkmn that made up proper battle teams.

Looking at Dhelmise's stats and movepool, I see it can do a few things well. The first is rapid spin, which might be attractive depending on how often you see entry hazards in your meta. It can also spin block, if you're setting up hazards of your own. The second thing it can do well is run a choice/switcheroo set, which might be what you're looking for. Choice banded power whip hits incredibly hard, and switcheroo can maim defensive pokemon. You can go 252 hp/252 atk/4 def and run a couple of coverage moves. It also operates well in trick room, if you have any interest in that.

 

[nel3]

Looking at Dhelmise's stats and movepool, I see it can do a few things well. The first is rapid spin, which might be attractive depending on how often you see entry hazards in your meta. It can also spin block, if you're setting up hazards of your own. The second thing it can do well is run a choice/switcheroo set, which might be what you're looking for. Choice banded power whip hits incredibly hard, and switcheroo can maim defensive pokemon. You can go 252 hp/252 atk/4 def and run a couple of coverage moves. It also operates well in trick room, if you have any interest in that.

thank you very much for the reply, rapid spin is a must on the set, i usually have a slot for hazards/rapid spinning on my team. i currently dont have plans for hazards with the other 5 pkmn yet so it will be useful. i like the idea of switcheroo though i havent yet gotten a item to use it well with..... i'll have plenty of time to get one when i get around to a team. i like the 252 hp/252 atk/4 def spread on it, i'll set the evs on it now.

currently im thinking rapid spin, switcheroo/phantom force, heavy slam/gyroball/anchor shot, power whip. i havent decided on a steel move yet as i only saw a few online battle vids and have yet to battle myself.

i have started the process of get a bulky atk arcanine to mimic my gen6 one for the nostalgia???/usefulness in battle. it will make a hard choice for a final fire type on the team though, i like both salazzle and arcanine. unfortunately i was never much of a trick room user. my team preferences are more based on design/ability and typing more than actual pkmn rank in competitive battles. trick room usually impairs my team choices.

 

[shadowF]

So I was looking at the POTW for Incineroar and this set is most likely for me:

A Purffect Luchador

- Flare Blitz
- Darkest Lariat
- Earthquake
- Cross Chop / Outrage
Item Attached: Choice Band
Ability: Blaze
EVs and Nature:
172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature

The only thing is what would be the best teammates for him?

As well as I am thinking of switching choice band for Incinium Z and Earthquake for Outrage so it would be:

- Flare Blitz
- Darkest Lariat
- Cross Chop
- Outrage
Item Attached: Incinium Z
Ability: Blaze
EVs and Nature:
172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature

Would that be a good idea?

 

[MetalSonic]

So I was looking at the POTW for Incineroar and this set is most likely for me:

A Purffect Luchador

- Flare Blitz
- Darkest Lariat
- Earthquake
- Cross Chop / Outrage
Item Attached: Choice Band
Ability: Blaze
EVs and Nature:
172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature

The only thing is what would be the best teammates for him?

As well as I am thinking of switching choice band for Incinium Z and Earthquake for Outrage so it would be:

- Flare Blitz
- Darkest Lariat
- Cross Chop
- Outrage
Item Attached: Incinium Z
Ability: Blaze
EVs and Nature:
172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature

Would that be a good idea?

Not a big fan of Outrage on anything that isn't a Dragon. You're better off running something with ice/fairy coverage as a team mate for dragons. It'd be best to drop it for coverage or even U-Turn.
Tapu Koko w/HP Ice can be a decent partner offensively as is has access to strong STAB for both the bulky waters and dragons that could stop your cat cold. They could form a nice Volt-Turn core to if you're into that!

 

[shadowF]

Not a big fan of Outrage on anything that isn't a Dragon. You're better off running something with ice/fairy coverage as a team mate for dragons. It'd be best to drop it for coverage or even U-Turn.
Tapu Koko w/HP Ice can be a decent partner offensively as is has access to strong STAB for both the bulky waters and dragons that could stop your cat cold. In return, Incineroar can defeat Heatran and Magnezone. They could form a nice Volt-Turn core to if you're into that!

Sweet, then maybe this is my best shot.


- Flare Blitz
- Darkest Lariat
- Leech life
- Cross Chop / Outrage (Most Likely Outrage since I like its animation better but I may keep Cross Chop instead. Will try both and if one is better than the other then I always have the Move relearner person to help me!)
Item Attached: Incinium Z
Ability: Blaze
EVs and Nature:
172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature

Then add Tapu Koko and Alolan Ninetales as teammates. The only thing is which other 3 pokemon would also make good teammates for Incineroar?

 

[Wryteous]

Seeing Cryogonal's slight HP and Def increases has made me want to train one despite it's still lacking defenses. I'm a sucker for pokemon with interesting designs.
Just deciding on the moves I should place on it a lot of similar options, all situational. Going for an Rapid Spinning special attacker- it's stellar sp.def should also make it a great surprise wall on particular pokemon.
I'll be training one up in ORAS for the incoming Pokebank transfer


Cryogonal
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
Item: Leftovers/other
EVS: 4 Def, 252 SpA, 252 Spe
Freeze-Dry
Rapid Spin
Recover/Magic Coat
Flash Cannon

Taking Flash Cannon over a particular HP because I see Fairies as a still large threat in many battles, and the higher Base Power will help with that. Plus will still give coverage over Rock types and Ice types.
I've never used Freeze-Dry on a competitive pokemon before. So I'm really keen to try it out, but I'm trying to get a scope of how many potential OHKO's I might be missing out on instead of using Ice Beam- but a weakness to Ice is so common in many competitive pokemon- so I'm not seeing to much of a drawback right now.
Also unsure if I want to stick with the tried and true Recover or mix it up for fun with Magic Coat on hazard/status setters who don't see it coming.
It's going to be supplemented by a Flash Fire user and a few Pokemon that resist it's weaknesses as well.

Thoughts?

 

[BlazingRagnarok]

Seeing Cryogonal's slight HP and Def increases has made me want to train one despite it's still lacking defenses. I'm a sucker for pokemon with interesting designs.
Just deciding on the moves I should place on it a lot of similar options, all situational. Going for an Rapid Spinning special attacker- it's stellar sp.def should also make it a great surprise wall on particular pokemon.
I'll be training one up in ORAS for the incoming Pokebank transfer


Cryogonal
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
Item: Leftovers/other
EVS: 4 Def, 252 SpA, 252 Spe
Freeze-Dry
Rapid Spin
Recover/Magic Coat
Flash Cannon

Taking Flash Cannon over a particular HP because I see Fairies as a still large threat in many battles, and the higher Base Power will help with that. Plus will still give coverage over Rock types and Ice types.
I've never used Freeze-Dry on a competitive pokemon before. So I'm really keen to try it out, but I'm trying to get a scope of how many potential OHKO's I might be missing out on instead of using Ice Beam- but a weakness to Ice is so common in many competitive pokemon- so I'm not seeing to much of a drawback right now.
Also unsure if I want to stick with the tried and true Recover or mix it up for fun with Magic Coat on hazard/status setters who don't see it coming.
It's going to be supplemented by a Flash Fire user and a few Pokemon that resist it's weaknesses as well.

Thoughts?

Well, there's the usual bit about using a SR-weak rapid spinner, but you probably know that. Cryogonal actually benefits from the increase of scarf users due to the decline of priority, since it can switch into a choice pokemon locked into earthquake. Base 105 speed doesn't get you as far as it used to, though, so I recommend a physical wall to accompany it. Gliscor is a good option because it resists fighting and can switch into the likes of Tapu Koko and Pheromosa (though a U-turn pivot might be a problem).

 

[nel3]

im not gonna lie, i was never on board with Z moves upon their reveal nor never will be. i cant deny that Z moves are rather popular with the majority of the players but i never liked the idea from the start. i still like the online battle aspect of the games alot, my question does pertain to Z move usage online. how prevalent are Z moves in battle and how many people give up slots traditionally left for lefties/berries/ETC for a Z crystal now in gen 7? im wondering how many people still run traditional teams with items/megas that fit more of the gen6 battling style.

 

[Wryteous]

Well, there's the usual bit about using a SR-weak rapid spinner, but you probably know that. Cryogonal actually benefits from the increase of scarf users due to the decline of priority, since it can switch into a choice pokemon locked into earthquake. Base 105 speed doesn't get you as far as it used to, though, so I recommend a physical wall to accompany it. Gliscor is a good option because it resists fighting and can switch into the likes of Tapu Koko and Pheromosa (though a U-turn pivot might be a problem).

Thanks for the feedback! Gliscor isn't currently in my arsenal but as you mentioned. It's Def and SR resistance are really ideal to buffer damage between hazard removals and powerful switch ins. So I'm looking into the most ideal Gliscor set to help complement my current teamates.

im not gonna lie, i was never on board with Z moves upon their reveal nor never will be. i cant deny that Z moves are rather popular with the majority of the players but i never liked the idea from the start. i still like the online battle aspect of the games alot, my question does pertain to Z move usage online. how prevalent are Z moves in battle and how many people give up slots traditionally left for lefties/berries/ETC for a Z crystal now in gen 7? im wondering how many people still run traditional teams with items/megas that fit more of the gen6 battling style.

Really the popularity compared to Mega's/ other items wont be known until we see the entire pokedex in the fray. But from what limited battles I've seen. Z-moves are definitely taking a place within support pokemon and those that deal with pivtoing/negation of attacking/defense threats. "Z-Moving" coverage moves on pokemon against an otherwise advantageous foe results in a lot of surprise OHKO's on the right pokemon and really sets the game against an otherwise prepared opponent- as people are still learning the best mechanics. But I think the Z-status moves are definitely the most underappreciated strategies right now. They can offer a free stat boost + status infliction or a higher stat boost. Depending on the pokemon in question. This can be a huge boon on wreaking havoc within two turns.

In the end I think it will come down to particular pokemon that will be considered ideal for z-move sets. But personally I have to say that they have definitely shaken up a lot of the mid-range competitive tiers with specific sets.
So expect a Z-move alongside a mega in most matches? Time will tell. But I think this is the way things will go

 

[S0nicLightning]

Question regarding EV training, I assume this is a good place to ask?
When Ev training in SOS chaining, how many EVs does the Pokemon that does not participate get? Ex: EV training my Wimpod and trying to only give it 16 EVs in S.def; I've been giving the correct power item so it gets a +8 but does the EVs from the opposing pokemon also get put on (so 2+8) or just the item (0+8).

 

[rose1984]

okay what is ev is that a pokemon they are not around my house

 

[S0nicLightning]

EV stands for Effort Value, it's a hidden value from 0-252 in any stat and only 510 can be on any pokemon in total. These can increase the stats of pokemon.

 

[nel3]

Really the popularity compared to Mega's/ other items wont be known until we see the entire pokedex in the fray. But from what limited battles I've seen. Z-moves are definitely taking a place within support pokemon and those that deal with pivtoing/negation of attacking/defense threats. "Z-Moving" coverage moves on pokemon against an otherwise advantageous foe results in a lot of surprise OHKO's on the right pokemon and really sets the game against an otherwise prepared opponent- as people are still learning the best mechanics. But I think the Z-status moves are definitely the most underappreciated strategies right now. They can offer a free stat boost + status infliction or a higher stat boost. Depending on the pokemon in question. This can be a huge boon on wreaking havoc within two turns.

In the end I think it will come down to particular pokemon that will be considered ideal for z-move sets. But personally I have to say that they have definitely shaken up a lot of the mid-range competitive tiers with specific sets.
So expect a Z-move alongside a mega in most matches? Time will tell. But I think this is the way things will go

thank you very much for the reply. im likely gonna have to deal with a bit of salt when i get around to battling with a bred team i tend to srn a few builky pkmn and some faster frailer pkmn is certain stats. im pretty much trying to pick up a destiny knot in battles recently but it should be easy breeding when when i do get one. i do have 2 potential pkmn ready but they arent a 100% 5iv value pkmn, i got 2 others waiting for a destiny knot to breed down IVs. the BP system is a pain in the butt which locks out many battle items. hopefully i dont need to wait too long from the full PKdex and PKbank to see what i have to deal/battle with.

to be honest, im not surprised they can make such a big change in the battle. they are rather strong base power moves to boost up the otherwise normal damage.

 

[Italianbaptist]

So when it comes to Z-moves, I thought of a possible strategy. Attach Steelium Z to Lucario and run it with Flash Cannon to take out the inevitable Tapu before it can actually do anything. Does this seem viable? I know the Tapus are major competitors now for team slots - would someone have more than one on their team or would there be an issue with overloading the team with fairies?

 

[oarfish]

Hey everyone, I have a quick question. I hope it is fine for this thread (I read the first post, and I believe it is).
I recently hatched a shiny 5IV Mareanie, and I was wondering what people think a good EV spread would be for it.
Here is some information on it:
IV spread: 31/31/x/31/31/31. -- I plan on Hyper Training its Defense stat.
Nature: Adamant. Ability: Merciless.

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I normally go with highest attacking stat and speed for most Pokémon, but I do not plan on going with speed for a Mareanie.
Thank you in advance.

 

[BlazingRagnarok]

So when it comes to Z-moves, I thought of a possible strategy. Attach Steelium Z to Lucario and run it with Flash Cannon to take out the inevitable Tapu before it can actually do anything. Does this seem viable? I know the Tapus are major competitors now for team slots - would someone have more than one on their team or would there be an issue with overloading the team with fairies?

Unfortunately, Lucario is slower than the two most popular Tapu, so I can't imagine Lucario doing anything first without an agility under its belt. It can't even fall back on priority because it would run afoul of psychic terrain for Tapu Lele. Not to mention, it's so frail that it easily goes down to terrain-boosted neutral hits. Lucario didn't make many waves in gen 6, but it's straight-up terrible in gen 7. Even Mega Lucario is slower than Koko, and Lele is frequently scarfed. Scarfed Lucario might work, though there are better revenge killer options. I'm struggling to see how you're coming to the conclusion that Lucario is the right steel type for the job. Metagross can at least take a hit.

 

[El_Jupacabra]

Hello everyone, I was hoping you could suggest a last pokemon for my team. I'm also open to any suggestions for the other team members. I currently have skarmory, blissey, mimikyu, espeon, golisopod. I have Primarina as a standing sub.

Also, as an example, I saw how people on blissey would spread ev's to health and def and not sp def. What are the advantages of doing that instead of just investing on what she's already good at?

 

[Italianbaptist]

Hello everyone, I was hoping you could suggest a last pokemon for my team. I'm also open to any suggestions for the other team members. I currently have skarmory, blissey, mimikyu, espeon, golisopod. I have Primarina as a standing sub.

Also, as an example, I saw how people on blissey would spread ev's to health and def and not sp def. What are the advantages of doing that instead of just investing on what she's already good at?

Perhaps Salazzle? I've also had a good run with Ash-Greninja and it's apparently seeing some popularity on other competitive boards; only problem is it can't be used in VGC 2017.

 

[BlazingRagnarok]

Also, as an example, I saw how people on blissey would spread ev's to health and def and not sp def. What are the advantages of doing that instead of just investing on what she's already good at?

Blissey's physical bulk is so terrible that special attackers with serviceable attack stats can run a strong physical move with no investment and still take huge chunks out of Blissey. Therefore, defense investment is recommended so Blissey doesn't just die to every mixed attacker ever. The usual EV spread for Blissey/Chansey is actually 4hp/252def/252spdef because their overall bulk gains more benefit from defensive boosts than a few more hit points.

By the way, why are you running Blissey over Eviolite Chansey? Chansey is actually much bulkier that way, and softboiled means it isn't exactly a slave to leftovers. The only sets that Blissey runs better are Calm Mind ones with special attacks. If Seismic Toss provides your main offense anyways, then I'd suggest swapping your Blissey for a Chansey.

 

[ItsMeBrandon]

Hi all, I'm fairly new to the competitive metagame and was hoping to ask a few questions:

- I want to make a sandstorm team for my first competitive team in Sun/Moon; before I get started, I'd like to know the general pros and cons of a sandstorm team.

- I understand the concept of revenge killers, but I'm not sure how to tell if a Pokémon would be good for this role or not.