Team Ajax (Swoobat in OU)

[WillieNelson]

So, Swoobat is my favorite Pokemon, like...ever. So I wanted to make a successful team based around it. This is what I came up with, all designed to help Ajax (my Swoobat) sweep the opponent's team under the table.
Note that Ajax isn't the lead; I just started making her set first on the teambuilder.

Ajax (Swoobat) (F) @ Salac Berry
Ability: Simple
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Stored Power
- Calm Mind
- Substitute


First off, the star player. When Ajax gets a few Calm Minds up and gets behind a sub, nothing can stop her. Let's show a calc so you can see how powerful she can get.

+6 0 SpA Swoobat Stored Power (300 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Blissey: 796-937 (111.4 - 131.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

That's with 0 special attack investment after 3 CMs and a Salac boost, which isn't that hard once she gets started. Heat Wave is there for coverage against steels and darks that wanna ruin her day, and Substitute is to safely get down to Salac boosting health (with which the speed boost is also doubled by Simple), and to act as a status blocker/prio buffer.

Avogadro (Excadrill) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 88 HP / 168 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance

I needed a good spinner thanks to Ajax being rock weak, and Exca fit the bill nicely. He 0.25x resists rock, so he can easily clear the only hazard Ajax cares about. The EVs are to outspeed uninvested Rotom and Heatran. EQ and Iron Head are STAB which cover each other nicely, and SD is to boost in the face of something he forced out.

Mr. Bojangles (Klefki) @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Spikes
- Reflect
- Light Screen

I wanted something to lay down screens to help Ajax set up easier, and Klefki fit the bill nicely. Thunder Wave is to cripple anything faster than Ajax, while Spikes is to break potential sashes that could be a pain for her later.

Pennywise (Conkeldurr) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Knock Off
- Mach Punch

One of Ajax's main issues is dark types, and AV Conkelderp takes care of them well. Drain Punch is his main STAB and form of recovery, while Ice Punch and Knock Off are there for coverage against dragons, psychics, and Aegislash. Finally, Mach Punch is there for some prio to kill weak foes/deal a last bit of damage before he goes down.

Wannabe Celestia (Charizard) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Fire Blast
- Roost

This guy is my main Pokemon for killing steels that wanna get in Ajax's way before she sets up (because after a few boosts, she smashes through even steels with Stored Power). A very standard Megazard-Y set. Fire Blast is STAB, and is terrifying in the sun and coming off that big special attack; SolarBeam is excellent coverage against rock and water types that resist Fire Blast, and finally Focus Blast is their mainly for Heatran. Roost is a nice recovery option, and the loss of flying type can save his skin with an electric/weak rock move.

Bubbles (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Baton Pass
- Acid Armor
- Wish

Finally, I wanted Wish support, since Ajax gets zero recovery. Scald is so that he doesn't become complete Taunt bait, while Acid Armor and Baton Pass help alleviate Ajax of her one main weakness: physical attackers, and give Stored Power a bit more bang. In addition, Using BP after Wish usually results in switching after the opponent has attacked, meaning Ajax gets a completely safe switch in to heal with Wish.

 

[Clone™]

Well, good luck with this team Willie. Can't say I'm surprised you tried this. However, move the HP EVs on Conkeldurr to SpDef. It allows hi to take special hits much better. I don't have calcs offhand, but I know he takes ~10% less from a V-Switch from Scrotom W.

Also, if missing is a concern, Heat Wave is a viable option over Fire Blast on Yzard.

 

[WillieNelson]

Well, good luck with this team Willie. Can't say I'm surprised you tried this. However, move the HP EVs on Conkeldurr to SpDef. It allows hi to take special hits much better. I don't have calcs offhand, but I know he takes ~10% less from a V-Switch from Scrotom W.

Also, if missing is a concern, Heat Wave is a viable option over Fire Blast on Yzard.

With the assault vest, he already takes special hits a bit better than physical. The EVs are in HP to help his overall bulk as much as possible. Heat Wave might be a bit more reliable, but the power drop is a bit too big a trade off for just 5 more accuracy.

 

[Clone™]

Fair enough about Heatwave, but putting the HP EVs into SpDef allows him to hit the mid 300s in Special defense (343 to be exact). Considering his HP is already high enough at 341 uninvested, Special defense EVs are the way to go.

You can go mixed, but the standard is full SpDef investment.

Spoiler: calcs

252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 118-140 (33.6 - 39.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 161-191 (38.8 - 46.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Dazzling Gleam vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 159-187 (45.2 - 53.2%) -- 87.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 216-255 (52.1 - 61.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 129-152 (36.7 - 43.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 175-208 (42.2 - 50.2%) -- 34.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252+ SpA Goodra Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 93-111 (26.4 - 31.6%) -- 0.2% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Goodra Dragon Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 127-151 (30.6 - 36.4%) -- 99.1% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock

 

[Hayabusa]

Nice team. I can see Houndoom posing some troubles for you (especially for your Swoobat). It can come in on a Stored Power, take no damage and Pursuit you as you switch out. It might be beneficial to think of a counter to all these Flash Fire threats running around.

In addition to threats like Houndoom, Azumarill will be giving you a bit of trouble. It can Belly Drum as you switch out, and it can take a couple members of your team out with a single Aqua Jet. It is also faster than Conkeldurr, so without more speed investment in Conkeldurr's EVs, it'll be outspending Conkeldurr's Mach Punch with its own Aqua Jet (since both are +1 priority, whoever goes first is left to whoever has the highest speed stat after that). Likewise, even if it goes second, Azumarill now resists Mach Punch given its new Fairy typing. It only takes a maximum of 25% from any of Conkeldurr's moves. Basically, you have to save Vaporeon for burning Azumarill with Scald, or have a Swoobat that has already powered up via a +4 defense from Vaporeon, but that's not a guaranteed scenario.

Your team is still pretty good. I like the idea of Simple, Stored Power Swoobat.

Have you been fighting with this team on Pokemon Showdown? Also, where did you find moving pokemon sprites to post here?

 

[Xenevix]

It's really nice to see people playing with their favorite Pokemon regardless of the meta. Hat off to you sir.

The main threat I see to this team is Aegislash. I realize that he's pretty much a threat to every team but most teams have dedicated counters. (If they didn't they'd get wrecked.) Swoobat falls to a Shadow Sneak while nothing on your team resists its anything on his moveset. (Excadrill and Vaporeon resist Steel but thats it.) To remedy this I recommend you include a Dark type Pokemon with Foul Play. The two best ones that come to mind are Intimidate Krookodile and Mandibuzz. Either way you go I believe that ether Excadrill or Klefki would be replaced; Excadrill if you opt for Krookodile and Klefki if you opt for Mandibuzz. Manibuzz also gives the option to remove hazards in Defog, but would not remove Sticky Web I don't think.

I also agree with Hayabusa that Azumarill would give you a hard time. With its new Fairy typing I'm not exactly sure how one would go about stopping a Belly Drum one. I think that the only way I could suggest that you get around it is to keep Vaporeon alive really. To counter Azumarill you just need to make smart plays and decisions. There's no real counter Pokemon I can suggest.

Just in general Electric types really harm your team. Especially with Rotom-W so common you may want to look into the likes of Gastrodon or Cradily. The latter being more unique. You have three Pokemon weak to Electric and your one Electric counter is weak to Water (Excadrill). With how many people use Rotom-W this can be a huge issue. I can suggest that you think about putting in a Rotom-W counter or possibly replacing Charizard with a different Mega Evolution to at least soften the weakness.

I agree with Cloneblazer12 on the topic of revisiting the EV spread on Conkeldurr, however, I have found success in running mixed spreads such as 200 HP, 108 Atk, 200 SpDef and 252 HP, 200 Atk, 56 SpDef. I don't think that moving all of Conk's HP EVs to SpDef would be the wisest decision as it would severely diminish its overall, and physical bulk. But throwing some EVs into SpDef would be greatly beneficial.

If I had to pick an odd man out for this team it would probably be Klefki. I understand he helps the set up for Swoobat, but I feel as if the screens wouldn't come up too often. I feel like he comes in and Thunder Waves something, sets up Spikes, and leaves. Also, he is 100% able to be set up on by your opponent and 100% shut down by Taunt. I highly suggest that you look into either replacing him, or figure out a way to re-purpose him in order to make him less of a weak point.

Another thought for you is the idea of Chansey/Blissey. They both can Wish pass and use Thunder Wave. This could condense your team by combining the roles of Klefki and Vaporeon. They can use Light Screen but unfortunately don't get Reflect. This is just a thought I had not a suggestion.

I love the way that you have your Vaporeon, it just synergizes with your Swoobat so well, it's really great. Not only through typing, but the fact that Vaporeon just does everything right for Swoobat. Takes the initial hits while passing on heals, bolsters Swoobats physical defense making her even harder to kill after a Calm Mind or two, and Vaporeon resists Ice while Swoobat resists Grass, (although both are weak to Electric.)

Overall Summary:
1. Look into ways to get around Aegislash and Azumarill. Also consider how to get around Electric types.
2. Revisit the EVs on Conkeldurr.
3. Either replace Klefki or fix him so that he isn't a glaring weak point.
4. I love the synergy between Vaporeon and Swoobat.

 

[WillieNelson]

Well, I put the EV's on Exca to specifically outspeed standard Rotom, and Char is a good revenge killer with Solarbeam. I never had many issues with Rotom in testing. However, I get what you say about Klefki. I was thinking about replacing him with Mandi, but that would make me even more electric weak. I feel like screens aren't imperative for getting a good setup if I play smart with Vappy, so I'd be willing to replace Klefki with something that at takes care of some major threats to my team, mainly Aegi. Would Bisharp work? It resists both his STABS aand can easily KO; I just have to be careful with Sacred Sword.

 

[hallstromjr]

Well, I put the EV's on Exca to specifically outspeed standard Rotom, and Char is a good revenge killer with Solarbeam. I never had many issues with Rotom in testing. However, I get what you say about Klefki. I was thinking about replacing him with Mandi, but that would make me even more electric weak. I feel like screens aren't imperative for getting a good setup if I play smart with Vappy, so I'd be willing to replace Klefki with something that at takes care of some major threats to my team, mainly Aegi. Would Bisharp work? It resists both his STABS aand can easily KO; I just have to be careful with Sacred Sword.

The Krookodile mentioned prior is a viable option. Especially since you have Sun Support and Vaporeon to cover up the three weaknesses to water.

 

[Minedreigon]

The Krookodile mentioned prior is a viable option. Especially since you have Sun Support and Vaporeon to cover up the three weaknesses to water.

Krookodile makes sense for Aegis, and maybe deals with Char X, but what else does it do?

If you are having trouble with Aegis, either use a Krookodile, or Spdef Hippo.

Krookodile @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 HP / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Provides SR support, Intimidate, more Knock Off, a way to deal with Aegis and that's about it.

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Slack Off
This thing. Spdef hippo is quite the monster. It provides rocks and can Faze, and also has reliable recovery unlike Krook. It counters Aegis (always) and other Special attacking threats.

The choice is yours, Willie

 

[Snorby]

Just going to point out that any capable player with a Skarmory/SDef tran hard counters your Swoobat. Will live one hit (Skarm needs Sturdy unbroken) and Phaze you out. With a-forgive me when I say this- gimmicky set like the one you run, it's hard to pull the same trick twice. Charizard Y can't deal with Heatran at all, you'd be better off running EQ Zard Y. Also, Unaware Clefable/Quagsire will rip Ajax to shreds. Really, any standard stall team (Skarm/Chansey/Heatran/Clefable or Sylveon/MVenusaur/Quagsire or Gliscor) will tear you to pieces. Fact is when someone sees something as uncommon as Swoobat, something that gets Simple no less, their going to keep their unaware user in the back until you send it out and try to pull off your sweep. Then, you're just fodder for Clefable to CM up and sweep you.

You need a Clefable counter really badly, so I'd suggest you drop your Keys for this:

Aegislash @ Spooky Plate / Weakness Policy
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 76 HP / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Naive Nature
- Shadow Ball
- King's Shield/Sacred Sword
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak

Fast Aegislash outspeeds minimum base 70s (looking at you Bisharp) and anything below, which includes standard Clefable. Shadow Ball spam most of the time, Iron head for fairies, Shadow Sneak for priority. Sacred Sword provides better coverage, allowing you to rip apart Bisharp and Tyranitar, two of Aegislash's normal counters. King's Shield makes you less reliant on hit-and-run, and also helps you in an Aegislash vs Aegislash position.

Spooky Plate is good for a constant 20% boost to your Shadow Balls and Sneaks, but Weakness Policy can be fun since Aegislash ends up taking a lot of Super Effective hits. I'd recommend Spooky Plate because fast Aegis doesn't really have the bulk for Weakness Policy, but the choice is yours.