Frostbiyt
Not Exactly Helping
Introduction
After not playing any competitive Pokemon since early Gen 6, I decided to come back and make a team. After mourning the decline of my favorite Pokemon, Breloom, I got to work on my team. After a few days I came up with a balanced/defensive team that I think is pretty solid. I started off with a Toxapex/Tangrowth regenerator core and then went from there. I'm not too good with introductions, so let's just move on to the team itself
Teambuilding Process
A pretty integral part of the Toxapex Tangrowth core, making up 10% of the core by weight and 44% by number of letters. But seriously, I'm not really breaking any new ground here.
Not much to say about Tangrowth. Good partner to Toxapex that can soak up a lot of hits and heal just by switching out.
The first thing I did after selecting my core was to go to the OU section on the Smogon dex, go through all of the Pokemon and find the ones that listed both Tangrowth and Toxapex under the "Team options" section, and then put them in a list. I then looked at the checks and counters section for Toxapex and Tangrowth and found that Heatran would work well with Tangrowth to counter fire types that Toxapex couldn't. It doesn't benefit the core as much as it benefits from the core since most of Heatran's counters do very poorly against Toxapex or Tangrowth. Although, I'd say of all members of my team, Heatran may be the most redundant and in need of a replacement.
Although I didn't start my team with Celesteela, it complements Toxapex and Tangrowth very well and I consider it an integral member of my team.
I needed a Pokemon that could hit hard against some of the holes in my team, such as Zapdos, that also benefited from Toxapex and Tangrowth and Mega Diancie seemed like a good choice.
Lastly, I needed a fast revenge killer that could take on the last few holes in my team, notably Greninja and Toxapex.
The Team
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 100 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake
Heatran @ Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Earth Power
Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Conclusion
I think that I put together a pretty solid team, but I also think that there is room for improvement. It has worked pretty well for me so far, although I still haven't made it past 1400 on the ladder, but I think that is more on my skill level than my team. Anyways, I would love some feedback on how to improve my team. Like I said earlier, I think the two Pokemon most in need of change are Tangrowth or Heatran, but if you see some other things that you think should be changed, please let me know.
Also, here's a link to a replay of my team: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-700767089
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 100 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake
Heatran @ Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Earth Power
Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 100 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake
Heatran @ Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Earth Power
Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Trick