Hey Smogon!
(You don't have to read this part but I'm gonna put this here regardless)
I've been playing Showdown for about 4 or 5 years now, but I've yet to make an actual competitive team in-game. I love these games with all my heart and they've helped me through an abusive childhood, and this November I'm proud to say I've traded up the work of 4 past-gen playthroughs and completed my National Pokedex! (XYORAS)
Now I'm ready to make a team of my own, and since Hail's gotten a bunch of new utilities in Gen VII, I figured this'd be the time to make one. I got some help on this team from a user on showdown who's apparently pretty active on here, I think on here his name's something like Her0 (he has some dashes before and after the name that I don't remember the order of).
Anyhow, lemme get to it.
The basic idea of this team is to keep Hail and Aurora Veil running to fortify a very speedy offensive team, and use a few good techs on the way. I plan on using this in-game, so chose to use Mega Salamence. I am well aware it's not OU.
Kailash (Ninetales-Alola) (F) @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Moonblast
Ninetales-Alola is a crucial part of this team, of course, being the Hail setup with Snow Warning. I chose Icy Rock over Light Clay because I figure Hail itself has more utility than an Aurora Veil without Hail. It also has positive externalities by itself, as it chips away at tanks and activates Sandslash-Alola and Mamoswine's Abilities, which are really good in a pinch. I'm running Freeze-Dry to cover Water-Flying types like Pelipper, Mantine, and of course, Gyarados. Blizzard provides considerably higher base power, but I see a lot of people run Encore. I understand it's utility but I'm more comfortable with Blizzard as of right now. If it's all that worth it, I can be convinced otherwise. Moonblast is good coverage and I like the animation.
Aconcagua (Galvantula) (F) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sticky Web
- Giga Drain
- Bug Buzz
- Thunder
In most situations, I'm gonna either use either Ninetales-A to open and Galvantula for advantageous switch-ins (esp. for the switch out to allow for Sticky Web setup), or Galvantula as my opener and Ninetales to switch in. I'm running Sticky Web to lower opponents' speed upon switch and basically guarantee my whole team will outspeed just about anything. Sitrus Berry is my item of choice here because it helps get an extra turn or two in upon dropping to half health, which really helps when Galvantula has to sustain a status, take stealth rock damage, or deal with hail. Giga Drain is pretty good for putting dents in Rock and Ground types, and just like the Sitrus Berry, it can help keep a big fuzzy baby in for more moves. Bug Buzz is decent coverage against threats like Espeon who might seek to get a chuckle out of switching in and Magic Bouncing my web back on my team. Thunder benefits greatly from Compound Eyes and gets 91% accuracy, which I don't really have a lot of trouble with, not to mention the STAB and Paralysis chance.
Denali (Sandslash-Alola) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 196 HP / 252 Atk / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
Sandslash-A is flat out stupid when it's got Hail going, on account of its Hidden Ability Slush Rush, which doubles its speed in Hail. I worked the math out on the EV's so it can easily outspeed Mega Metagross when Hail's in effect, then invested the rest in Attack and HP. Turns out it didn't benefit all too much from Jolly if it didn't have Hail, so I just went with Adamant. Icicle Crash and Iron Head both get STAB on top of a really high Attack stat, plus a nasty 30% flinch chance. Earthquake just makes sense here, as a surprising amount of people either don't anticipate I'm carrying it, underestimate my speed, or think their Steel or Fire type can tank it. This is not the case. Rapid Spin is good for well, hazard clearing. Sandslash-A sometimes ends up as one of the last pokemon I have to work with in a match, and certain occasions warrant a field cleared of hazards in order to sweep. Also, Steel typing means no Toxic Spikes worries, making it a good tool for clearing 'em. Lastly, I went with Life Orb over other options (namely Choice Band because move-lock really doesn't agree with the way this set works best).
Annapurna (Salamence) (F) @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
This Salamence is a pretty standard sweeping set. I went with Intimidate over Moxie because I simply get more utility from it than I would get out of Moxie. When I switch in, Intimidate applies its utility (lowering foe's attack) most all of the time, then Salamence Mega Evolves the next turn and gets 130 base Defense out of nowhere. With Moxie, I have to risk a switch whenever I put Salamence in to KO a weak opponent. If that doesn't work, I've essentially wasted a turn doing damage that doesn't benefit from Mega-Salamence's Attack boost. For anticipating these switches, I've included Dragon Dance to help tankbust and set up sweeps, which is better than Moxie anyway because of the bonus Speed boost. Dragon Claw is better than Outrage in my opinion because Fairy Type is so common and a single switch in makes you switch and lose any stat boosts. Earthquake is really effective coverage for Salamence and Facade benefits from Aerilate, plus it allows Salamence to benefit from Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Will-o-Wisp, all of which can make Salamence far less capable of doing it's job.
Matterhorn (Mamoswine) (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stealth Rock
- Endeavor
First off, I'll address the elephant in the room (bad joke). I'm using Snow Cloak over Oblivious and Thick Fat. This actually works really well, as Oblivious doesn't have much any utility and Thick Fat only helps with Fire moves, which I'm not likely gonna be able to survive more than two of anyway (so basically what my Focus Sash is already doing except it doesn't make Endeavor hit hard). Snow Cloak allows for some fun clutch misses and is really effective at messing with enemies coming at you with threats like Focus Blast, Fire Blast, and High Jump Kick. Earthquake on Mamoswine is totally killer, and Ice Shard is useful in a lot of the situations that a Focus Sash Mamoswine will get itself into.
Mauna Loa (Tapu Lele) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
This set's directly from Smogon. Not much to explain that isn't addressed there, and it supplements the team well.
Closing Comments:
I've put several considerations in to guard against the larger threats facing this team, namely Intimidate Salamence to resist Fire coverage, and Focus Sash Mamoswine to stop momentum and Endeavor-kill Fire Types or stat-boosted sweepers. I'm aware it's not perfect and despite my explanations of each functioning part here, I'm looking for advice and ways to improve what I've got. Above all else, I want a creative team that I can be proud of.
-Thanks!-
(You don't have to read this part but I'm gonna put this here regardless)
I've been playing Showdown for about 4 or 5 years now, but I've yet to make an actual competitive team in-game. I love these games with all my heart and they've helped me through an abusive childhood, and this November I'm proud to say I've traded up the work of 4 past-gen playthroughs and completed my National Pokedex! (XYORAS)
Now I'm ready to make a team of my own, and since Hail's gotten a bunch of new utilities in Gen VII, I figured this'd be the time to make one. I got some help on this team from a user on showdown who's apparently pretty active on here, I think on here his name's something like Her0 (he has some dashes before and after the name that I don't remember the order of).
Anyhow, lemme get to it.
The basic idea of this team is to keep Hail and Aurora Veil running to fortify a very speedy offensive team, and use a few good techs on the way. I plan on using this in-game, so chose to use Mega Salamence. I am well aware it's not OU.
Kailash (Ninetales-Alola) (F) @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Moonblast
Ninetales-Alola is a crucial part of this team, of course, being the Hail setup with Snow Warning. I chose Icy Rock over Light Clay because I figure Hail itself has more utility than an Aurora Veil without Hail. It also has positive externalities by itself, as it chips away at tanks and activates Sandslash-Alola and Mamoswine's Abilities, which are really good in a pinch. I'm running Freeze-Dry to cover Water-Flying types like Pelipper, Mantine, and of course, Gyarados. Blizzard provides considerably higher base power, but I see a lot of people run Encore. I understand it's utility but I'm more comfortable with Blizzard as of right now. If it's all that worth it, I can be convinced otherwise. Moonblast is good coverage and I like the animation.
Aconcagua (Galvantula) (F) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sticky Web
- Giga Drain
- Bug Buzz
- Thunder
In most situations, I'm gonna either use either Ninetales-A to open and Galvantula for advantageous switch-ins (esp. for the switch out to allow for Sticky Web setup), or Galvantula as my opener and Ninetales to switch in. I'm running Sticky Web to lower opponents' speed upon switch and basically guarantee my whole team will outspeed just about anything. Sitrus Berry is my item of choice here because it helps get an extra turn or two in upon dropping to half health, which really helps when Galvantula has to sustain a status, take stealth rock damage, or deal with hail. Giga Drain is pretty good for putting dents in Rock and Ground types, and just like the Sitrus Berry, it can help keep a big fuzzy baby in for more moves. Bug Buzz is decent coverage against threats like Espeon who might seek to get a chuckle out of switching in and Magic Bouncing my web back on my team. Thunder benefits greatly from Compound Eyes and gets 91% accuracy, which I don't really have a lot of trouble with, not to mention the STAB and Paralysis chance.
Denali (Sandslash-Alola) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 196 HP / 252 Atk / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
Sandslash-A is flat out stupid when it's got Hail going, on account of its Hidden Ability Slush Rush, which doubles its speed in Hail. I worked the math out on the EV's so it can easily outspeed Mega Metagross when Hail's in effect, then invested the rest in Attack and HP. Turns out it didn't benefit all too much from Jolly if it didn't have Hail, so I just went with Adamant. Icicle Crash and Iron Head both get STAB on top of a really high Attack stat, plus a nasty 30% flinch chance. Earthquake just makes sense here, as a surprising amount of people either don't anticipate I'm carrying it, underestimate my speed, or think their Steel or Fire type can tank it. This is not the case. Rapid Spin is good for well, hazard clearing. Sandslash-A sometimes ends up as one of the last pokemon I have to work with in a match, and certain occasions warrant a field cleared of hazards in order to sweep. Also, Steel typing means no Toxic Spikes worries, making it a good tool for clearing 'em. Lastly, I went with Life Orb over other options (namely Choice Band because move-lock really doesn't agree with the way this set works best).
Annapurna (Salamence) (F) @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
This Salamence is a pretty standard sweeping set. I went with Intimidate over Moxie because I simply get more utility from it than I would get out of Moxie. When I switch in, Intimidate applies its utility (lowering foe's attack) most all of the time, then Salamence Mega Evolves the next turn and gets 130 base Defense out of nowhere. With Moxie, I have to risk a switch whenever I put Salamence in to KO a weak opponent. If that doesn't work, I've essentially wasted a turn doing damage that doesn't benefit from Mega-Salamence's Attack boost. For anticipating these switches, I've included Dragon Dance to help tankbust and set up sweeps, which is better than Moxie anyway because of the bonus Speed boost. Dragon Claw is better than Outrage in my opinion because Fairy Type is so common and a single switch in makes you switch and lose any stat boosts. Earthquake is really effective coverage for Salamence and Facade benefits from Aerilate, plus it allows Salamence to benefit from Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Will-o-Wisp, all of which can make Salamence far less capable of doing it's job.
Matterhorn (Mamoswine) (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stealth Rock
- Endeavor
First off, I'll address the elephant in the room (bad joke). I'm using Snow Cloak over Oblivious and Thick Fat. This actually works really well, as Oblivious doesn't have much any utility and Thick Fat only helps with Fire moves, which I'm not likely gonna be able to survive more than two of anyway (so basically what my Focus Sash is already doing except it doesn't make Endeavor hit hard). Snow Cloak allows for some fun clutch misses and is really effective at messing with enemies coming at you with threats like Focus Blast, Fire Blast, and High Jump Kick. Earthquake on Mamoswine is totally killer, and Ice Shard is useful in a lot of the situations that a Focus Sash Mamoswine will get itself into.
Mauna Loa (Tapu Lele) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
This set's directly from Smogon. Not much to explain that isn't addressed there, and it supplements the team well.
Closing Comments:
I've put several considerations in to guard against the larger threats facing this team, namely Intimidate Salamence to resist Fire coverage, and Focus Sash Mamoswine to stop momentum and Endeavor-kill Fire Types or stat-boosted sweepers. I'm aware it's not perfect and despite my explanations of each functioning part here, I'm looking for advice and ways to improve what I've got. Above all else, I want a creative team that I can be proud of.
-Thanks!-
