Jirachee
phoenix reborn
This team strays away from my preferred playstyle which is balance, because I think balance is just inferior to all-out offense in XY. Balance teams tend to have bad match-ups against Stall teams which are getting more and more common. I don't like playing Stall because I think it's way too passive this gen, which makes it easier for your opponent to outplay you, especially if he's a skilled player with a halfway decent match-up. Offense can also easily recover from a bad match-up by putting offensive pressure on the opponent which will force them into committing mistakes, giving you an advantage.
When I built this team, I wanted it to be able to put a ton of offensive pressure on the opponent so that it would be easy I could just play along while having as much momentum as possible. That's why I didn't want a choiced Pokemon on this team; they are easily forced out and will require me to make some risky plays which might not always end in my favor. You might ask why I don't use a Deoxys lead on this team to grab early game hazards and then go to town, and my answer is that Deoxys leads really lack the utility and versatility that my current choice (Garchomp) has. Deoxys leads also force you into a very specific (and predictable) archetype which I don't like.
Specifics:
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet *** GARCHOMPITE
Ability: Rough Skin
Nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
Garchomp was actually the last Pokemon I added to the team, and I chose it because I needed Stealth Rock and something to fight off powerful priority abusers, which is why I opted for a BW staple, Rocky Helmet + SD. I think Garchomp makes for an excellent lead for offensive teams because it grabs momentum right as it switches in against a lot of common leads, such as Landorus-T or Deoxys-D. What I like about it is its versatility. Against Stall team, I can keep Garchomp alive all game long to set up Stealth Rock and force my opponent into their Skarmory as I want which gives me a great advantage against them, while against balances and offenses, I can use it as a suicide lead that sets up Stealth Rock on the first few turns and then tries to kill some stuff before dying.
I do play carefully with Garchomp if my opponent has something like Talonflame though, because otherwise it could do a number to my team. The extra recoil from Rocky Helmet comes in handy against those threats in late game situations. Against offenses I don't always play it like a Deoxys lead either, depending on the opponent's most likely lead, if it's something that can beat Garchomp easily (i.e. Mamoswine) I try to keep it for later, because Garchomp can switch in easily thanks to its great bulk.
Other options:
- Lum Berry > Rocky Helmet: a viable item choice, it allows you to beat Rotom-W leads easily as well as things like Gengar. I prefer Rocky Helmet's recoil though, as it makes the team better against strong priority users.
- Landorus > Garchomp: Landorus is probably the only other Pokemon I'd use over Garchomp. I prefer Garchomp to it because of the 29% recoil on contact moves, however, Landorus can blast through a Skarmory and most walls too, without set up.
Mawile @ Mawilite *** MAWILITE
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant
evs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
I (almost) always build around a mega in XY because they're just so good at sweeping. Mawile is probably the best mega there is atm which is why I chose it. I decided to use the Swords Dance set because it's great against all playstyles. Offenses are just torn apart by +2 Sucker Punch once their Dark resist is a little weakened, while weaker teams will have trouble killing Mawile while +2 Play Rough just smashes everything they have. Knock Off is a great utility move on Mawile that does a surprising amount of damage to things like Ferrothorn and Skarmory, especially after a boost. I don't use a lot of Speed on it because I like the bulk, so I just targeted enough for 4 Spe Clefable.
Since Mawile can be a win condition against just about any team, I tend to keep it healthy until late game unless I have an easy opportunity to do a lot of damage (like against a Latios, I can force it out while knocking off a counter's item). Mawile is one of the few megas that benefit from waiting before mega evolving because of Intimidate, which can give you an easy set up opportunity.
Other options:
- Fire Fang > Knock Off: Fire Fang allows you to run HP Grass on Greninja if you're into that, or if you hate Scizor I guess.
- Max Speed: Mawile needs a lot of Speed to outspeed things like Mega Venusaur so might as well go for max Speed. I don't think this team especially needs this, but this can work.
Greninja @ Life Orb *** GRENINJAITE
Ability: Protean
Nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Extrasensory
Greninja just fits so well on offensive teams. Its combination of Speed and coverage makes it incredibly difficult to switch into, and many teams have a really hard time switching into it (if they have one at all). I opted for HP Fire + Extrasensory simply because I think it's the superior coverage. Nothing is safe from this set except for Assault Vest Azumarill and Chansey, which makes it so easy to tear offenses apart.
I tend to play aggressively with Greninja, because one of its main strengths is that it can screw over a lot of its counters with the right coverage and playing safe with it allows your opponent to scout your coverages which reduces its effectiveness. You can remove annoying things like Mega Venusaur that would normally scout for Extrasensory that way, easing up the rest of the game for the rest of the team.
Other options:
Hidden Power [Grass] > [Fire]: This allows Greg to blow through Azumarill which is cool, but then you should get something like Focus Blast on Thundurus to beat Ferrothorn.
Grass Knot > Extrasensory: I like this option because it catches both Azumarill (and Gyarados) and Ferrothorn and is unusual coverage on Greninja. I'd use this with something that makes the team better against Venusaur, like Landorus over Garchomp.
Thundurus @ Leftovers *** THUNDURUSITE
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Wave
Thundurus is a godsend to offensive teams. I like this set because I think it covers everything that makes it a great Pokemon; the priority Thunder Wave and the fantastic wallbreaking capabilities makes it the Swiss Army Knife of XY offense. I decided to use a set with Leftovers because I didn't want to bother with hazard removal but I also wanted to keep it around enough to check stupid things like Pinsir while also being able to TWave a Charizard X in a pinch. I initially added Thundurus to fight off faster offenses and paralyze faster threats that could check Mawile (i.e. Mega Tyranitar). The reason I use HP Flying is because it makes for a great Venusaur lure which tends to be many teams' first answer to both Thundurus and Mawile.
Thundurus is probably the only Pokemon I play carefully because without it, a lot of Pokemon can beat my team relatively easily. This can be annoying at times because Thundurus can't check everything in 1 match, but most teams don't carry more than 1 of these threats (since they're pretty much all Megas anyway.) Against Balance teams, I can play more aggressively with Thundurus since they don't normally carry something that sweeps me, and they're often weak to it.
Other options:
- Psychic > Hidden Power [Flying]: Depends if you'd rather hit Raikou / Manectric or the Latis + Ferrothorn, pretty much.
- Hidden Power [Ice] > [Flying]: Fits better on a LO set with Focus Blast over NP, but I don't think my team is weak enough to Ice weak mons to justify that change.
Azumarill @ Assault Vest *** AZUMARILLITE
Ability: Huge Power
Nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
I like having an answer to offensive Water types on most teams because they are so threatening this gen. Keldeo, Greninja, Gyarados, etc. are all very dangerous to every team including my own, and Azumarill is actually one of the best answers to them. XY was very kind to Azumarill by giving it probably the best typing in the game (alongside Mawile) and I use it on most of my offenses. Azumarill also gives me reliable priority (unlike Sucker Punch), allowing me to pick off weakened sweepers. Azumarill is excellent in all stages of the game and it's always an integral part of my strategy.
Thanks to its bulk, it's easy to play risky with Azumarill because it takes most special hits relatively well. Against teams with Mega Venusaur, I tend to just double switch with it because of my team's relatively low amount of switch ins for that, and Azumarill can't really do anything to it. It's easy to lure the opponent into obvious moves with Azumarill which is why I really think it fits the team well despite having a few hard counters.
Other options:
- Choice Band > Assault Vest: While I don't really like the idea of using Choiced Pokemon on this team, CB Azumarill can fit thanks to the strong priority and stronger hit on switch-ins which this team definitely appreciates. I prefer Assault Vest because of the ability to check Greninja better, though.
Aegislash @ Leftovers *** AEGISLASHITE
Ability: Stance Change
Nature: Quiet
evs: 216 HP / 40 Atk / 252 SpA
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
After putting my first 4 Pokemon together I realized I had no checks to a long list of threats and that I could definitely use some extra insurance against others. I decided to add Aegislash in because of its incredible pivoting abilities that allows it to check just about anything without a Super Effective STAB move. I originally planned on using a SubToxic set to screw over teams that rely on Mandibuzz to check this, but after thinking about it a little I realized that my team does not appreciate a boosted Bisharp, so I decided to throw in Sacred Sword for bait kills. The extra priority doesn't hurt either, as then I can pick off things that attempt to switch in as offensive checks (i.e. Landorus) after they get hurt by Shadow Ball.
Since Aegislash can control the flow of the game at any given moment, I use it as a powerful tool to steal the opponent's momentum which is especially helpful against Offense and Balance teams. If things don't go my way I tend to try to search for opportunities to switch Aegis in, which always tends to work out in my favor thanks to the tier's limited answers to Shadow Ball.
Other options:
- Flash Cannon > Sacred Sword: This team isn't exactly adept at switching into Bisharp's Knock Off but Flash Cannon can help with Clefable if you're having issues breaking it.
- SubToxic > Sneak + Sword: Probably the easiest change to make on this team. I personally prefer the priority and ability to smash Bisharp and Tyranitar, but SubToxic can help against Stall teams which are always annoying to face.
Team Structure:
I see the team this way:
1)
where 1) is my lead which is important for early game play. I think offense is much better with a dedicated lead (or at least a pseudo lead like Garchomp) because of the big momentum boost early game. 2) is my offensive core which is probably the most important part of the team. Mawile takes on bulkier threats thanks to its superior power while Greninja is a better tool against offensive ones because of the Speed. Thundurus is more of a complement which helps with what they struggle with. 3) is my pivots, which I think should always be something powerful for offense because XY offers so many quality offensive pivots. I try to give them most of the defensive burden of my team which is why I chose a Water and a Steel; they are just the best defensive types in the game.
Importable:
MAWILITE (Mawile) @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
GRENINJAITE (Greninja) @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Extrasensory
THUNDURUSITE (Thundurus) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Thunder Wave
- Nasty Plot
AZUMARILLITE (Azumarill) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
AEGISLASHITE (Aegislash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
GARCHOMPITE (Garchomp) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
GRENINJAITE (Greninja) @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Extrasensory
THUNDURUSITE (Thundurus) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Thunder Wave
- Nasty Plot
AZUMARILLITE (Azumarill) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
AEGISLASHITE (Aegislash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
GARCHOMPITE (Garchomp) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
shoutouts bc why not
#cdn for being beasts. We did much better than last year and we can be proud of that. I think we'll do even better next year, look forward to it!
BKC thanks for the help man. Turning Texas into a competent adver in a few hours gave us a chance to make playoffs. You've also became one of my better friends on here in the last few months even though you keep beating me in tours -___-
Funkasaurus n_n. I'll be happy to give you the BW spot next year if you want it again ~_~
CrashinBoomBang n_n
tab n_n
Harsha n_n
Nachos n_n
ium n_n
I probably forgot someone. just imagine @(yourname) n_n
BKC thanks for the help man. Turning Texas into a competent adver in a few hours gave us a chance to make playoffs. You've also became one of my better friends on here in the last few months even though you keep beating me in tours -___-
Funkasaurus n_n. I'll be happy to give you the BW spot next year if you want it again ~_~
CrashinBoomBang n_n
tab n_n
Harsha n_n
Nachos n_n
ium n_n
I probably forgot someone. just imagine @(yourname) n_n