My First EV Triple Team

[Archstaraptor]

This is one of my best teams so far,in my opinion.
However this is the first time I've used EVs as a basis and thought it might be best to get recommendations from the best.

;359;

Absol@Dark Gem
Ability:Super Luck
252 Atk/252 HP/4 Spd
Brave Nature
-Swords Dance
-Sucker Punch
-Mega Horn
-Protect

Absol is brutal;Its first sucker punch will hurt a lot,plus it hits first(most of the time),ideal for taking out sweepers effectively.With the opponents threatened,he'll raise his attack and prepare for the worst.Mega Horn is great for countering other Dark types and protect is there to guard Absol from any Bug or psychic type that should pop up-it also helps to persuade the opponent to attack elsewhere.But he's frail and still vulnerable to other priority moves(notably Mach Punch).Further defensive strategies would be great!

;196;

Espeon@Psychic Gem
Ability:Synchronize
252 Spd/252 SpAtk/4 HP
Timid Nature
-Hidden power(fire)
-Psychic
-Helping Hand
-Swift

Espeon sits in centre and supports,mainly for Absol's aid:HP and psychic to counter its fighting and bug weaknesses.It's misleading;Espeon can avoid a fake out and support another member of the party with helping hand.Still frail like its partner however-more support suggestions would be great

;157;

Typhlosion@Fire Gem
Ability:Blaze
252 Spd/252 SpAtk/4SpDef
Rash Nature
-Focus Blast
-Eruption
-Flamethrower
-Hidden Power(electric)

Typhlosion-so long as it isn't attacked-can sweep pretty easily with a STAB-full HP-Fire gem Eruption.
This is unreliable,so it can fight back with a blaze powered-up flamethrower if the opponent is clearly faster.Focus Blast(inaccurate)and Hidden power(weak)are for type coverage;surely there's a better moveset than this?

;230;

Kingdra@Wide lens
Ability:Sniper
252 SpAtk/69 Spd/69 HP/69 SpDef/69 Def
Mild Nature
-Dragon Pulse
-Blizzard
-Brine
-Focus Energy

Focus Energy+Sniper=Recipe for success!
Kingdra's there to mop up after everybody else;focus energy will effectively triple the power of all of Kingdra's attacks,brine will deal double damage on top of this if the foe has been seriously damaged(effectively dooming it)and Blizzard-whilst not a STAB like surf-can damage multiple opponents without harming its teamates.Its accuracy is boosted by the wide lens,making it more reliable than it previously was.He's ruined by OU dragons though.

:497:

Serperior@Big root
Ability:Overgrow
(Not EV trained-but that doesn't mean it doesn't work!)
Bashful Nature
-Leaf Blade
-Giga Drain
-Coil
-Light Screen
Serperior's a set-up-and-sweep pokemon;whilst his allies are decimating the foe,he'll quietly be coiling and screening-any damage dealtcan be replenished quickly with an item supported giga drain.Overgrow helps both of his STAB attacks deal vital extra damage.His attack and speed stats are clearly his strong points,although I don't know his exact EV Values.

;237;

Hitmontop@Scope lens
Ability:Technician
252 Atk/132Def/128Def
Brave Nature
-Endeavor
-Wide Guard
-Fake Out
-Close Combat

There for support-Fakeout flinches a sweeper and Wide Guard protects the team from any group attacks(usually from the very same sweeper).Endeavor and Close Combat(meh)provide further support,and are usually last resorts after guarding the team.He's frail but is incredibly useful.

So,what do you think?

 

[Aura Sensei™]

Kingdra should have:

Kingdra Modest/Timid Nature
~Surf
~Ice Beam
~Dragon Pulse
~Rain Dance

I would use Swift Swim because it's the superior ability.

Serperior Adamant Nature
~Leaf Blade
~Return/Dragon Tail
~Leech Seed
~Toxic/Substitute

That is my go.Hope I helped somewhat.

 

[Romeo32]

Sereprior should be dual screens, he won't be a sweeper until his dw ability comes out

Sereprior@light clay
252hp/252spd/4def
Timid
Light screen
Reflect
Taunt
Giga drain

Taunt prevents sereprior from set ups like swords dance and bulk up . Also if you don't run timid and max speed you might ad well use something else

And have adamant not brave on absol

 

[Archstaraptor]

The only real problem with a rain dance/swift swim set is that it'll hinder Typhlosion's ability to sweep(if both in play at the same time);
I am using Kingdra as a late game sweeper(when Typhlosion has been KO'd by a bulky water for example) though so I'll take that into account.

And sure,whilst DW Serperior has brilliant sweeping potential,this one also definitely works-I've played with a friend who uses legendary pokemon as a key part of his team,and there's nothing more satisfying than setting up and sweeping through Infernape,Empoleon,Flygon,Lugia and Zekrom.
I'll do what you said however and give it light clay instead.
Which moves should I not delete(If I were to teach it reflect?)

For now,Overgrow works really well with Serperior thanks to its awesome attack and speed,but I'll be sure to try a Contrary Serperior when it's released.
I get the feeling however that the DW starters aren't going to be released for a while.

Thank you both very much!

Does anyone have any ideas about Typhlosion's or Hitmontop's moveset?

 

[Aura Sensei™]

Yeah,but Serperior could be a excellent Subseeder in your team.

 

[Archstaraptor]

Sure,I'll give it a try

Any suggestions on how I could make Typhlosion better?

He's my main sweeper and I'm wondering if there are better ideas than Hidden Power(electric)for his moveset.
It hardly does any damage at all.

I was thinking about Protect,since it's usually one Fake-out that brings it to its knees,set up for a SE attack.
It's not something that anyone online will be expecting...do you have any better suggestions?

 

[Zhanton]

HP Grass > HP Electric on Typhlosion since whilst Electric only hits Water and Flying for super-effective damage, Grass hits Water, Rock and Ground which can all put a large dent in Typhlosion. Also, regarding its EVs, you'd want to invest more in HP, say 252 SpA / 132 HP / 124 Spe. The reason being, Eruption's power is calculated by 150 * Current HP / Maximum HP, so if you've lost, say, 50 HP, Eruption will do more if your maximum HP is more compared to if it is lower if you've lost the same amount of HP in both cases, if that makes sense. I think that makes sense.

What's with Kingdra's EVs? They look pretty random atm. Go for the conventional 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP approach.

I don't play Triples and hence don't know much about the metagame, but are entry hazards common in Triples? Are things like Stealth Rock, Spikes and Toxic Spikes annoying? If so, Rapid Spin > Endeavour on Hitmontop, especially given that Endeavour is near-useless on something like Hitmontop anyway. Hitmontop would also really benefit from Mach Punch > Close Combat as priority really helps it given the fact that it's slow and you haven't invested in Speed. Plus it gets a Technician boost so after STAB it's not too shabby an attack with no drawback unlike Close Combat.

On Absol, Superpower gives it nearly unresisted coverage alongside Sucker Punch, and it is thus an option over Megahorn. Also, Night Slash > Protect as when your opponents notice you have Sucker Punch, they might try and set up or avoid hitting you, in which came you can zoom in and hit them with a great STAB move with a great chance to score a critical hit.

Hope I've been able to help!

 

[Archstaraptor]

On Absol, Superpower gives it nearly unresisted coverage alongside Sucker Punch, and it is thus an option over Megahorn. Also, Night Slash > Protect as when your opponents notice you have Sucker Punch, they might try and set up or avoid hitting you, in which came you can zoom in and hit them with a great STAB move with a great chance to score a critical hit.

Hope I've been able to help!

The whole thing was really useful.Thank you!

One query;is it possible to change HP on Typhlosion,or will I have to EV train ANOTHER ONE?

Secondly,Protect is quite an underrated move;the fact that Espeon is Absol's ally in triples is where this comes in;it leaves a Fighting type very vulnerable to Espeon and the rest of my team.
I'll definitely take your two suggestions into account though for mega horn;they seem by far the better choices,especially with Super Luck.


And I seriously have never seen a triples team that use entry hazards before-that's much more likely my luck than anything else though.

 

[Zhanton]

The whole thing was really useful.Thank you!

Happy to be of assistance. (Y)

One query;is it possible to change HP on Typhlosion,or will I have to EV train ANOTHER ONE?

The only way to get HP Grass is to breed another. :[ But if you're not willing to do that, there's nothing particularly terrible about HP Electric, it's just that HP Grass is better.

Secondly,Protect is quite an underrated move;the fact that Espeon is Absol's ally in triples is where this comes in;it leaves a Fighting type very vulnerable to Espeon and the rest of my team.

Fair enough. :]

And I seriously have never seen a triples team that use entry hazards before-that's much more likely my luck than anything else though.

Yeah, as I said I've never really done any Triple Battles so I don't know what's common and what's not. :S

 

[Aura Sensei™]

Yeah,just like zhanton said,HP Grass>HP Electric on Typhlosion if possible.

 

[Archstaraptor]

Yeah,just like zhanton said,HP Grass>HP Electric on Typhlosion if possible.

What if I gave Typlosion protect as well-I never use Hidden power anymore because even when SE,it does next to no decent damage.
Fake-out is useful in doubles,but it's mean in triples;avoiding that would mean avoiding a Hydro Pump from a Walrein(for example).
Next turn I could use Eruption,with full HP,without having to worry about anything(well apart from being outsped,Dual Screens and Tailwind)

It'd give Absol yet another advantage when it comes to sucker punching the attacker.
Any thoughts on that?

 

[Aura Sensei™]

Protect can be used also to protect from SE damage.

 

[Archstaraptor]

Protect can be used also to protect from SE damage.

There was this impressive team of Eeveelutions I played against online,all of which knew protect.
It was unpredictable and annoying,so I could use this to my own advantage online.

No-one's touched Espeon at all-could she be a more effective support pokemon?

 

[Aura Sensei™]

With BP,she can send the boost from CM if you like.I think somebody from Serebii used a Eeveelution team,so maybe you battled that guy.Now that I think,it was somebody from Serebii.

 

[Archstaraptor]

Thanks for that,and I think that's all I really needed!
Thanks to everyone for all the help;everything has been enlightening.
I'll be sure to try all of this next week with another player on Serebii,and I'll get back to you with the results.

 

[Aura Sensei™]

Okay,I'm glad I helped.