Introduction
This is my first RMT, and my first monotype team ever! It's also the first team on Pokemon Showdown that I've actually enjoyed playing and have had success with. This team was built around Jellicent, which I think is a pretty underrated Pokemon. I chose to work with the ghost type, because I almost never incorporate ghosts into my team and I really wanted to try out something new. At first, my Chandelure's spot was taken by a Froslass, but the ice type was too frail for me to work with and I changed it for something to cover Trevenant's weaknesses. It's been a really good experience for me, but I want to know what could be better or what's really not going to work.
The Team
Gengar Leftovers
Ability: Leviate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252+ Spe
Hasty
- Shadow Ball
- Toxic
- Poison Jab
- Thunder
I chose Gengar for my team because I needed a very speedy special attacker to take out opponents that may have a type advantage but not a speed advantage. It's worked for me before with opponents like Hoopa and Sharpedo. I chose Shadow Ball because I needed a reliable, relatively strong ghost type move. Toxic seemed like an obvious choice to me at the time I was making the team, although I don't use it as much as I thought I would. I could probably switch it for an extra attack. I chose Thunder because it does high damage and was useful against water types.
Jellicent Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 Hp / 252+ Def / 8 SpA
Bold
- Water Spout
- Scald
- Shadow Ball
- Recover
I decided to go for Jellicent as my team's main Pokemon because I didn't see many people using it and I really liked its high defense and HP. I originally used it in a random battle and after sweeping almost the entire opposing team, I decided to replicate it for my monotype team. I chose Water Spout because it does very high damage, especially with high HP. I picked Recover to go along with this so I could ensure the attack would do high damage even after being hit a few times.
Trevenant Lum Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 248 Hp / 252+ Atk / 8 SpD
Brave
- Trick Room
- Rock Slide
- Shadow Claw
- Wood Hammer
I chose Trevenant because I wanted a physical attacker rather than a special attacker like most ghost types are. I chose Trick Room to cover its sub-par speed and Rock Slide to cover its bug and flying-type weaknesses. Wood Hammer seemed like an obvious choice because of its high damage, although the recoil can be very annoying at times. I chose Shadow Claw for a powerful, physical ghost-type attack with a good chance for critical hits.
Drifblim Flame Orb
Ability: Flare Boost
EVs: 248 Hp / 252+ SpA / 8 SpD
Modest
- Facade
- Hex
- Body Slam
- Shadow Ball
I chose Drifblim because of how bulky it was and because of its special attack. I picked a flame orb for it, but I'm probably going to switch it and change its ability. As soon as I change that, Facade will also be changed, because, although it's boosted my the burn caused by the flame orb, but it's a physical attack, so it's still not very powerful.
Spiritomb Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Hp / 4 SpA / 252+ SpD
Calm
- Foul Play
- Dark Pulse
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
I chose Spiritomb because it's one of my only Pokemon that can take hits from dark-types more than once - especially Knock-off. I might switch out its Dark Pulse for Hex to work with Will-O-Wisp and do extra damage from the burn. Its speed isn't very impressive, which makes it a little frustrating to work with, but i enjoy having it on my team nonetheless.
Chandelure @Spell Tag
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 Hp / 252+ SpA / 8 SpD
Modest
- Heat Wave
- Shadow Ball
- Hex
- Inferno
I chose Chandelure to replace my original Froslass which didn't work out well on my team. It covers Trevenant's weaknesses and is bulky so it can take a hit pretty well. The Spell Tag boosts the ghost type moves, making Hex even more powerful than it already is after using Inferno with a 100% chance of burning the target. I chose Heat Wave because of its accuracy and power, because Inferno only has a 50% accuracy.
Conclusion
I'm really trying to make this team work better with opponents who have dark-type moves, specifically Knock-off and Foul Play. I'd really like to know what everyone thinks of this team and how I can improve it. I'm fairly new to competitive teams, so I'm expecting a lot that needs to be changed. Thanks in advance!
