The below is a team that I have have been using since the launch of Pokémon Showdown. This is how I have faired with it thus far:
I feel that I have put together a pretty good team. I tend to play somewhat recklessly, and so far this has been working out well for me. Another trick I have utilized is to name all my pokémon Ditto. If my opponent is not paying attention, it can really catch them off guard. I would, of course, really appreciate anyone/everyone's honest feedback.
Thank you for taking the time to look through my RMT thread.
I would thus consider at least marginally successful. When piecing the team together, I chose to pick as many niche pokémon as possible. I've always been one to go against the flow, and wanted my team to reflect that. I also wanted to have a team full of pokes that most people would be unfamiliar with. It helps me keep the element of surprise, and keeps them on their toes rather than having the predictable rain/sun/sand team that everyone seems to be running.rank as of 5/29/13 said:
MEET THE TEAM
GENGAR
ESPEON
EMPOLEON
DITTO
SHAYMIN
ARCANINE
GENGAR
Ditto (Gengar) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Disable
- Focus Blast
I chose Gengar as my starter for multiple reasons. He is fast, resists fake-out/fighting type leads, and has many possible popular move sets to keep my opponent guessing. Unless I know my opponent is going to lead with an entry-hazard, the first thing I do is put up a substitute (otherwise, I would switch in Espeon). If their first move is an attack, I use disable. This shuts down any choice scarf users, and usually forces a switch anyways. If I incorrectly predicted and they used an entry hazard, or if they tried to status me, I then attack and save the disable for their attack. So long as I use some common sense predictions, while keeping the opponent guessing, I can usually keep Gengar alive for a long time with substitute/disable. Every turn wasted my opponent trying to use a disabled move, or switching out allows Gengar to heal with black sludge and stay in the game. Shawdow ball and Focus Blast give pretty good coverage, and hit hard with full EVs invested in SAtk. Also, with full Spe EVs as well, Gengar can outspeed almost anything in the OU metagame.
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Disable
- Focus Blast
I chose Gengar as my starter for multiple reasons. He is fast, resists fake-out/fighting type leads, and has many possible popular move sets to keep my opponent guessing. Unless I know my opponent is going to lead with an entry-hazard, the first thing I do is put up a substitute (otherwise, I would switch in Espeon). If their first move is an attack, I use disable. This shuts down any choice scarf users, and usually forces a switch anyways. If I incorrectly predicted and they used an entry hazard, or if they tried to status me, I then attack and save the disable for their attack. So long as I use some common sense predictions, while keeping the opponent guessing, I can usually keep Gengar alive for a long time with substitute/disable. Every turn wasted my opponent trying to use a disabled move, or switching out allows Gengar to heal with black sludge and stay in the game. Shawdow ball and Focus Blast give pretty good coverage, and hit hard with full EVs invested in SAtk. Also, with full Spe EVs as well, Gengar can outspeed almost anything in the OU metagame.
ESPEON
Ditto (Espeon) (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Baton Pass
Espeon is my answer to entry-hazard users, and status spreaders. With common sense predictions, Espeon is an easy switch-in. Espeon is also a hard hitter with Life Orb and a Calm Mind boost. Psychic is a powerful STAB attack, while HP Fighting gives good coverage for steel/fighting type pokémon which are common switch-ins that would otherwise wall Espeon. Baton Pass allows Espeon to pass off any Calm Mind boosts rather than lose them when switching out.
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Baton Pass
Espeon is my answer to entry-hazard users, and status spreaders. With common sense predictions, Espeon is an easy switch-in. Espeon is also a hard hitter with Life Orb and a Calm Mind boost. Psychic is a powerful STAB attack, while HP Fighting gives good coverage for steel/fighting type pokémon which are common switch-ins that would otherwise wall Espeon. Baton Pass allows Espeon to pass off any Calm Mind boosts rather than lose them when switching out.
EMPOLEON
Ditto (Empoleon) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Earthquake
- Drill Peck
Empoleon is my favorite pokémon of all time. While many will see him as useless in OU, I've found him to be a huge asset to my team. This set is made mainly for late game sweeping, and has done an excellent job of it for me. The overall goal is simple, pull off as many Sword Dance boosts as possible until Torrent activates, and then dispatch bogeys with the priority STAB move Aqua Jet. While this strategy caries its risks, when it works, it works very well. Burn or fighting/ground type users with a focus sash are its biggest counters. Paralysis can be problematic, but with Aqua Jet being a priority move, Empoleon can still be very effective with a little bit of luck. Earthquake is mixed in as it's a powerful counter to other electric and other steel types, while Drill Peck, especially boosted, destroys grass types that may try to switch in.
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Earthquake
- Drill Peck
Empoleon is my favorite pokémon of all time. While many will see him as useless in OU, I've found him to be a huge asset to my team. This set is made mainly for late game sweeping, and has done an excellent job of it for me. The overall goal is simple, pull off as many Sword Dance boosts as possible until Torrent activates, and then dispatch bogeys with the priority STAB move Aqua Jet. While this strategy caries its risks, when it works, it works very well. Burn or fighting/ground type users with a focus sash are its biggest counters. Paralysis can be problematic, but with Aqua Jet being a priority move, Empoleon can still be very effective with a little bit of luck. Earthquake is mixed in as it's a powerful counter to other electric and other steel types, while Drill Peck, especially boosted, destroys grass types that may try to switch in.
DITTO
Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 Spd
- Transform
Ditto is, in my humble opinion, the best revenge killer in the game. So long as I don't switch into another choice user, I am guaranteed to out speed the opponent. I will deliberately let many opposing pokémon set-up and then steal their boosts; even if it means sacrificing some of my other pokes for moxie to build up. While this involves some reckless play, nothing is more satisfying than turning around and sweeping someone who thought they had the game in the bag.
Trait: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 Spd
- Transform
Ditto is, in my humble opinion, the best revenge killer in the game. So long as I don't switch into another choice user, I am guaranteed to out speed the opponent. I will deliberately let many opposing pokémon set-up and then steal their boosts; even if it means sacrificing some of my other pokes for moxie to build up. While this involves some reckless play, nothing is more satisfying than turning around and sweeping someone who thought they had the game in the bag.
SHAYMIN
Ditto (Shaymin) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Seed Flare
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Rest
Shaymin has won many games for me. Seed Flare is powerful against water/sand teams, as well as anything that doesn't resist it. With full Spe EVs, Shaymin outspeeds many common switch ins. Heatran is an easy OHKO for Earth Power, while Scizor is an easy OHKO for HP Fire. Rest allows Shaymin to abuse Natural Cure and stay in the game. It also allows me to let Shaymin absorb status moves if Espeon is knocked out, or too risky to switch in.
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Seed Flare
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Rest
Shaymin has won many games for me. Seed Flare is powerful against water/sand teams, as well as anything that doesn't resist it. With full Spe EVs, Shaymin outspeeds many common switch ins. Heatran is an easy OHKO for Earth Power, while Scizor is an easy OHKO for HP Fire. Rest allows Shaymin to abuse Natural Cure and stay in the game. It also allows me to let Shaymin absorb status moves if Espeon is knocked out, or too risky to switch in.
ARCANINE
Ditto (Arcanine) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 176 Spd / 252 Atk / 72 HP / 8 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
Arcanine is rarely seen in the OU tier, which is a shame since it possesses a relatively high attack, which when boosted with a Life Orb, can surprise those that consider him to be worthless. This set requires him to be played recklessly, as Flare Blitz and Wild Charge both deal recoil damage on top of the Life Orb. Extreme Speed's advantages are obvious. Even with its downfalls, Arcanine is able to provide good cover coverage, and powerful hits on the opponent. Flash Fire gets easy switch ins on fire moves, as well as provides a boost to an already powerful Flare Blitz. Though Arcanine typically has a low life-span in matches, it also deals out a lot of damage before going down and has thus earned it's place on my team.
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 176 Spd / 252 Atk / 72 HP / 8 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
Arcanine is rarely seen in the OU tier, which is a shame since it possesses a relatively high attack, which when boosted with a Life Orb, can surprise those that consider him to be worthless. This set requires him to be played recklessly, as Flare Blitz and Wild Charge both deal recoil damage on top of the Life Orb. Extreme Speed's advantages are obvious. Even with its downfalls, Arcanine is able to provide good cover coverage, and powerful hits on the opponent. Flash Fire gets easy switch ins on fire moves, as well as provides a boost to an already powerful Flare Blitz. Though Arcanine typically has a low life-span in matches, it also deals out a lot of damage before going down and has thus earned it's place on my team.
I feel that I have put together a pretty good team. I tend to play somewhat recklessly, and so far this has been working out well for me. Another trick I have utilized is to name all my pokémon Ditto. If my opponent is not paying attention, it can really catch them off guard. I would, of course, really appreciate anyone/everyone's honest feedback.
Thank you for taking the time to look through my RMT thread.
