Can I have some help building a team? (New to competitive play)

[Ka$h Money]

I'm looking to make a team that will generally fit the OU tier (I know they aren't defined yet but you get the gist). I've never played competitively before and this is my first time trying to build a competitive team.

I have maybe 2-3 Pokemon that I want to use in my team but I don't know how to expand it into a full team. I don't really know a strategy I'd use either. It's just a case of winging it at the moment. Here are the Pokemon in mind anyway:

Greninja @ Life Orb
Nature: Hasty
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spd, 4 Atk.
Moves:
- Hydro pump
- Dark Pulse
- U-Turn
- Ice beam

Great special attacker with ridiculous speed. Has a very good spread of moves to help clear up any damaged Pokemon. Can use U-Turn to give me a switch into a Pokemon that will most likely absorb an incoming attack.

Noivern @ Choice Specs
Nature: Timid
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spd, 4 Hp.
Moves:
- Dragon Pulse
- Boomburst
- Flamethrower/Dark Pulse
- Hurricane

This seems a pretty good Pokemon and should counter substitute users well. It also has quite a mixed variety of special attacks so it seems it would be impressive late game to sweep whatever is left thanks to its high speed.

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Hp, 4 Spd (I don't really know how to set up the EVs for this one).
Moves:
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall

So while I was doing a bit of research to familarise myself with competitive play and how it will be most likely be defined for X and Y, Azumarill struck me as a very good Pokemon. This seems to be a very common move set for it but I decided to go with Sitrus berry over something like choice band as I want it to survive the turn I do Belly Drum so I can sweep afterwards.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Moves:
- Spikes
- Leech seed
- Protect
- Power whip

Suggestion from King Arceus. Will be the wall in my team basically. Has loads of resistances and a nice ability that will help damage my opponent. My moveset should hopefully frustrate the opponent with entry hazards and the Leech seed and Protect combo. I need a decent grass type move so I decided to go Power whip over Gyro ball.

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 HP, 4 Spd
Moves:
- Fake Out
- Sucker punch
- Earthquake
- Power-up punch

Suggestion from Ice Jackal. I need one mega evo in my team and this seems a really good one. As pointed out by IJ, I can get stab fake out whilst mega-evolving. I can also use Earthquake and power-up punch with my high attack and take out the likes of Excadrill and should help assist the likely increase of steel Pokemon.

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Gale Wing
EVs: 124 HP / 252 Atk / 132 Spd
Moves:
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Steel wing
- Roost

My final Pokemon and probably one of my favourites of 6th gen. His ability is really neat giving priority to Brave Bird. Steel Wing is there to counter fairies and I think I'll use Roost to replenish the HP lost with Life Orb.

So there you go. Personally, the team doesn't seem to have much Synergy at all and it seems very frail. But that's why I've asked for help and I'd appreciate any feedback and additions to the team.

 

[King Arceus]

I think what could work well is putting Ferrothorn on your team and have it responsible for setting up Spikes instead. This also allows you to put Dark Pulse on Greninja so it has a move the same type as it starts out. Ferrothorn also has great Defense and Special Defense. Another bonus Ferrothorn has is the resistance to Fairy and many other types. Grass Knot also seems a bit reduntant when combined with a water attack on Greninja. The only thing it will be able to hit harder is other water types. Giving it Ice Beam can be a better option because it deals with both Flying and Dragon-Types. It also isn't dependent on weight for damage. I'd suggest Life Orb for its item because it really needs the power boost.

 

[Chaos Jackal]

A Mega Evolution would also be a nice addition. Gengar leaps in mind as a Fairy counter and an offensive beast, but you can drop him if you do not want another rather frail Pokemon. A good alternative is Mega Kangaskhan. It has nice defenses of 105/100/100, access to Fake Out and Sucker Punch to counter its low pre-Mega Speed and a great ability in Parental Bond.

 

[Ka$h Money]

I think what could work well is putting Ferrothorn on your team and have it responsible for setting up Spikes instead. This also allows you to put Dark Pulse on Greninja so it has a move the same type as it starts out. Ferrothron also has great Defense and Special Defense. Another bonus Ferrothorn has is the resistance to Fairy and many other types. Grass Knot also seems a bit reduntant when combined with a water attack on Greninja. The only thing it will be able to hit harder is other water types. Giving it Ice Beam can be a better option because it deals with both Flying and Dragon-Types. It also isn't dependent on weight for damage. I'd suggest Life Orb for its item because it really needs the power boost.

Alright, thanks for the suggestions. Is it risky to have two water types? Anything like a Wash Rotom and I think I'll be in trouble. Should I put in an Excadrill to counter that possibility? I think I have his weaknesses covered with Azumarill and Ferrothorn.

A Mega Evolution would also be a nice addition. Gengar leaps in mind as a Fairy counter and an offensive beast, but you can drop him if you do not want another rather frail Pokemon. A good alternative is Mega Kangaskhan. It has nice defenses of 105/100/100, access to Fake Out and Sucker Punch to counter its low pre-Mega Speed and a great ability in Parental Bond.

Yeah thanks for reminding, forgot about them. Well since I'm probably going to put Ferrothorn as the bulk, I may consider Gengar. But I do like Mega Kangaskhan. Fake Out with stab seems really good.

Thanks for the help both of you. I'll revise the OP with a full team of 6. Let me know what you think.

 

[Chaos Jackal]

Excadrill isn't all that good if you do not pair it up with Tyranitar or Hippowdon. It was Uber last Gen because it abused Sandstorm to the extreme, but without it it loses a lot of potential.

 

[King Arceus]

Greninja's Type will change based on the last move it used. If they use Protect, you still change you type even though your attack will miss. I used this to my advantage in one tryout I gave since I knew the opposing Pokemon had Sucker Punch I made my Greninja because a Dark-Type. The only time it isn't just one type is when it first gets switched in. Also it has 122 base speed so it even outpaces Alakazam!

Wash Rotom is covered by Ferrothorn though you must be weary of a possible Will-o-wisp. Excadrill would not help with it because it has to watch out for Hydro Pump or Will-o-Wisp. I haven't tested them yet, but you could think about Zapdos or Mega Manetric. Both of them should be able to beat Rotom-W reliably. Zapdos is slightly slower, but will have freedom in its item choice. It also has recovery in the form of Roost. Mega Manectric's bonus is 135 Speed and Special Attack. It has Intimidate which can help in situations and could be paired with Volt-Switch.

 

[Chaos Jackal]

Actually, Mega Manectric isn't that good at beating Rotom-W. Its monstrous Speed doesn't mean anything since Rotom is relatively slow, and its Special Attack is rather underwhelming compared to the stats that other Megas sport. Zapdos is a much better option. Alternatively, you can use Grass Knot on Greninja. As KA pointed out, it isn't exceptional, but it completely counters Rotom-W. Manectric, however, does have a nice niche in that it can form a very fast VoltTurn core with Greninja.

 

[Ka$h Money]

Excadrill isn't all that good if you do not pair it up with Tyranitar or Hippowdon. It was Uber last Gen because it abused Sandstorm to the extreme, but without it it loses a lot of potential.

Yeah I decided against Excadrill in my final team. I stupidly thought it had bulk lol.

Greninja's Type will change based on the last move it used. If they use Protect, you still change you type even though your attack will miss. I used this to my advantage in one tryout I gave since I knew the opposing Pokemon had Sucker Punch I made my Greninja because a Dark-Type. The only time it isn't just one type is when it first gets switched in. Also it has 122 base speed so it even outpaces Alakazam!

Wash Rotom is covered by Ferrothorn though you must be weary of a possible Will-o-wisp. Excadrill would not help with it because it has to watch out for Hydro Pump or Will-o-Wisp. I haven't tested them yet, but you could think about Zapdos or Mega Manetric. Both of them should be able to beat Rotom-W reliably. Zapdos is slightly slower, but will have freedom in its item choice. It also has recovery in the form of Roost. Mega Manectric's bonus is 135 Speed and Special Attack. It has Intimidate which can help in situations and could be paired with Volt-Switch.

I think I'll leave Ferrothorn to deal with Wash Rotom. I won't even have access to Zapdos until after Pokemon Bank is open but I'll keep that suggestion in mind. I've finished my team, let me know if there's any glaring weaknesses/improvements. I'll try Kangaskhan for now and will try out Manectric later and see which one plays better.

Actually, Mega Manectric isn't that good at beating Rotom-W. Its monstrous Speed doesn't mean anything since Rotom is relatively slow, and its Special Attack is rather underwhelming compared to the stats that other Megas sport. Zapdos is a much better option. Alternatively, you can use Grass Knot on Greninja. As KA pointed out, it isn't exceptional, but it completely counters Rotom-W. Manectric, however, does have a nice niche in that it can form a very fast VoltTurn core with Greninja.

That's why I initially put in Grass Knot. It also seems to do well against quite a few Pokemon.

 

[Uralya]

Alright, thanks for the suggestions. Is it risky to have two water types? Anything like a Wash Rotom and I think I'll be in trouble. Should I put in an Excadrill to counter that possibility? I think I have his weaknesses covered with Azumarill and Ferrothorn.

I'd like to say that Excadrill, while by no means a counter to Rotom-W, is definitely a check. If you put in enough Spd EVs to outspeed one, you can use Mold Breaker EQ to OHKO. Also, you all underestimate Excadrill's bulk. 110 HP, even without stellar defenses, takes a lot of hits.

The set I'd like to elaborate on is one of my favorite Excadrill sets: Assault Vest.

Excadrill @ Assault Vest
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Atk / 208 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Slide
- 4th offensive move here

208 Spd ensures that you outspeed the fastest common Rotom-W set (220 Modest) aside from the odd Scarfed one. With the given spread, it does 101+% with EQ to a 232 HP / 56 SAtk / 220 Spd Rotom-W (the most common variant). If you wish to OHKO 252/252 Bold Rotom-W after SR, just switch the HP and Atk EVs. With Assault Vest, this Excadrill also takes only 70-82% from that Rotom's Hydro Pump. 252 SAtk Modest Rotom-W can't even OHKO it, doing only 83-98%. So yeah, don't underestimate the mole. Just switch in on a predicted Volt Switch, or even a Hydro Pump, and the washing machine dies.

I don't know if this will help your team, but I wanted to make the case. Your team's looking good though. I might be back with some more on it later.

~AoH

 

[Ka$h Money]

Alright, thanks for the suggestions. Is it risky to have two water types? Anything like a Wash Rotom and I think I'll be in trouble. Should I put in an Excadrill to counter that possibility? I think I have his weaknesses covered with Azumarill and Ferrothorn.

I'd like to say that Excadrill, while by no means a counter to Rotom-W, is definitely a check. If you put in enough Spd EVs to outspeed one, you can use Mold Breaker EQ to OHKO. Also, you all underestimate Excadrill's bulk. 110 HP, even without stellar defenses, takes a lot of hits.

The set I'd like to elaborate on is one of my favorite Excadrill sets: Assault Vest.

Excadrill @ Assault Vest
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Atk / 208 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Slide
- 4th offensive move here

208 Spd ensures that you outspeed the fastest common Rotom-W set (220 Modest) aside from the odd Scarfed one. With the given spread, it does 101+% with EQ to a 232 HP / 56 SAtk / 220 Spd Rotom-W (the most common variant). If you wish to OHKO 252/252 Bold Rotom-W after SR, just switch the HP and Atk EVs. With Assault Vest, this Excadrill also takes only 70-82% from that Rotom's Hydro Pump. 252 SAtk Modest Rotom-W can't even OHKO it, doing only 83-98%. So yeah, don't underestimate the mole. Just switch in on a predicted Volt Switch, or even a Hydro Pump, and the washing machine dies.

I don't know if this will help your team, but I wanted to make the case. Your team's looking good though. I might be back with some more on it later.

~AoH

Thanks for the help. That's why I initially wanted to put in Excadrill. It's ability and well-rounded stats would be a convenient way to check Rotom-W. I did see Smogon running a bulky set but I never quite understood how they came to that conclusion (especially because they were applying it to Ubers). Thanks for explaining that and the specific EVs needed to best Rotom-W.

I completely forgot I'd need a Rapid spinner if I'm going to use Talonflame. Should I replace Ferrothorn for Excadrill?

 

[Ririka]

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Hp, 4 Spd (I don't really know how to set up the EVs for this one).
Moves:
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall

So while I was doing a bit of research to familarise myself with competitive play and how it will be most likely be defined for X and Y, Azumarill struck me as a very good Pokemon. This seems to be a very common move set for it but I decided to go with Sitrus berry over something like choice band as I want it to survive the turn I do Belly Drum so I can sweep afterwards.

Azumarill is great in this gen.

I also used an Azu, and let's see you might want to drop the EV on HP a little bit if you want the Sitrus Berry to activate. An Azumarill with 31 HP IV and 252 HP EV will have 207 HP in level 50, and when you used Belly Drum at full HP, there's a chance that the HP won't be halved to 103 but to 104 instead so the Sitrus Berry won't activate. I had this issue in my Azumarill since i ran a Trick Room team so that my Azu can have a Belly Drum and healed back to 75% HP before me opponent can kill her.

 

[Buzzword]

If you are worried about your mons being frail try this/these

Espeon @ Light Clay
Nature: Timid
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 Hp, 252 Spd, 4 SpA.
Moves:
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Calm Mind/Shadow Ball
- Baton Pass/Wish

The idea is defense utility for this one.

If you go Calm Mind and Baton pass, you'll want to switch into a mon that will use those effectively. Otherwise stick with Shadowball/Wish as it will hit most Shadow Tag users for super effective. Magic Bounce will let you set up for free (you will be immune to Taunts, Encores, and status moves, and even hazards). After that either use Calm Mind a few times and Baton Pass out or immediately switch out after you have set your walls.

 

[Ka$h Money]

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Hp, 4 Spd (I don't really know how to set up the EVs for this one).
Moves:
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall

So while I was doing a bit of research to familarise myself with competitive play and how it will be most likely be defined for X and Y, Azumarill struck me as a very good Pokemon. This seems to be a very common move set for it but I decided to go with Sitrus berry over something like choice band as I want it to survive the turn I do Belly Drum so I can sweep afterwards.

Azumarill is great in this gen.

I also used an Azu, and let's see you might want to drop the EV on HP a little bit if you want the Sitrus Berry to activate. An Azumarill with 31 HP IV and 252 HP EV will have 207 HP in level 50, and when you used Belly Drum at full HP, there's a chance that the HP won't be halved to 103 but to 104 instead so the Sitrus Berry won't activate. I had this issue in my Azumarill since i ran a Trick Room team so that my Azu can have a Belly Drum and healed back to 75% HP before me opponent can kill her.

Yup it's an awesome Pokemon. Thanks for the tip, I'll invest 4 extra EVs in speed rather than HP.

If you are worried about your mons being frail try this/these

Espeon @ Light Clay
Nature: Timid
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 Hp, 252 Spd, 4 SpA.
Moves:
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Calm Mind/Shadow Ball
- Baton Pass/Wish

The idea is defense utility for this one.

If you go Calm Mind and Baton pass, you'll want to switch into a mon that will use those effectively. Otherwise stick with Shadowball/Wish as it will hit most Shadow Tag users for super effective. Magic Bounce will let you set up for free (you will be immune to Taunts, Encores, and status moves, and even hazards). After that either use Calm Mind a few times and Baton Pass out or immediately switch out after you have set your walls.

This is interesting but who do I take out? Ferrothorn? I need something that can set up entry hazards. I think I'll definitely need to play Excadrill to rapid spin stealth rock so Talonflame isn't so easily KO'ed.

 

[Buzzword]

I would remove Noivern. You already have a special attacker in Greninja (not to mention better versatility with a Protninja).
-Noivern has a significant 4x weakness to Ice.
-Noivern isn't nearly as bulky, even with Roost.
-Noivern is out matched by nearly all Fairy types as they are mostly SpDef heavy.
-Noivern is very predictable in that it will almost always have Boomburst, Dragon Pulse, Hurricane, and Dark Pulse. Though it may also have HP Steel.

If you do decide to go with Bouncy Espeon, it must be your leader. Set walls then switch out for your hazzard setter. This might be slower than you want it. Also any pokemon with Infiltrator will bypass your walls, so you much be prepared for that.