Mixed Team/Power Terrakion

[grantm1999]

Hey guys I'm working on another team. It's mainly for fun but I'm using the VGC format and any help is welcome!

Terrakion
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Justified
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
- Protect
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
- X-Scissor

This is my main attacker. It hits like a truck especially when Whimsicott tries to beat it up. Rock Polish is when I'm ballsy enough to think I have a turn to set up and I occasionally need the extra speed. I ran Jolly over Adamant because I think I'm doing enough damage already especially with the Beat Up combo. The other moves are good in general and when they're not hitting supereffectively then Close Combat still does a TON of damage.

Whimsicott
Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 SpD/252 HP/252 Spe
- Beat Up
- Helping Hand
- Tailwind
- Protect

There's lots of utility moves that I would like to have but this set seems the best to me. I want Timid to minus attack so I don't hurt my own Cobalion/Terrakion too much when I'm beating them up to activate Justified four times. I invested in Speed even though I have Prankster because I need to get a quick Beat Up in. I usually lead with this and Terrakion. Sash is to give me the best chance of getting a Beat Up in. Helping Hand can also help other attackers that you would rather not Beat Up.

Cobalion
Item: Sitrus Berry
Ability: Justified
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 6 Atk/250 HP/252 Spe
- Helping Hand
- Substitute
- Protect
- Sacred Sword

250 HP EVs puts me at 385 HP which I think is good for Substitute. Cobalion is used as a Support Pokemon but can hold its own with Sacred Sword as well. Not really that much else to say about this one... Definitely needs the most help imo.

Cresselia
Item: Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Sassy
EVs: 252 HP/60 Def/196 SpD
- Trick Room
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Light Screen

Cresselia acts as my needed TR counter. It also can help counter Garchomps when Jellicent is not enough. Psychic and Light Screen are common moves on Cresselia and are overall pretty good.

Jellicent
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Bold
EVs: 243 HP/250 Def/15 SpA
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Scald
- Ice Beam

Jellicent is a pretty good tank and has nice coverage. I want more SpA EVs but don't know what and how much to take out. Other than the EV spread I really like the set and if I change it, it would have to be a very good reason. It is also a somewhat check to rain teams, and since some of the team is water weak, I can switch in to water moves and heal if I need to thanks to Water Absorb.

Infernape
Item: Fire Gem
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
- Thunderpunch
- Flare Blitz
- Mach Punch
- Feint

I like that Infernape can benefit from sun, and it is a nice counter to things such as Scizor and Ferrothorn. I'm not all that sure about the moveset, especially Feint. I think it also outspeeds Scizor's Aerial Ace, but I'm not sure. Mach Punch and Feint are moves with niche uses (priority and nullify protect) that I don't have anywhere else on the team.

So that's my team thanks for reading!

 

[Professor Palutena]

Right away, I would use Protect on Terrakion instead of Rock Polish. You'll pretty much never have the turn to set up, making it a waste of a moveslot. X-Scissor would be better than Earthquake to hit bulky Psychic-types like Cresselia, and Rock Slide is better than Stone Edge in VGC since it hits both opponents.

On Whimsicott, I would use Tailwind instead of Taunt to get some speed on Terrakion while also speeding up the rest of the team. This lets Terrakion outspeed nearly every Swift Swimmer, making Kingdra a non-threat.

I think your team could really benefit from something to cancel out Trick Room like Cresselia or Musharna. Your team is really based on hitting fast, which causes Trick Room to be really annoying. I would say this is more valuable than Dugtrio, who doesn't bring much to the table since switching is pretty much non-existant in doubles (and it's a pretty terrible Sand Power user).

 

[grantm1999]

ok, thanks. I'll edit that into the op and try it out.
I do like Taunt on Whimsicott though...
How should I run my TR counter?

 

[grantm1999]

nobody?

 

[One Approved]

Instead of Chandelure, I feel Cresselia could be much more beneficial to your team. Try:

[animate]cresselia[/animate] @Sitrus Berry
Sassy nature
252 HP/60 Def/196 SpDef
~Trick Room
~Psychic/Psyshock
~Helping Hand
~Light Screen/Reflect

Trick Room is to counter opposing Trick Room teams, although it can also be useful if your opponent uses Tailwind. Psychic and Psyshock can both be used as STAB attacks. Psychic is almost always the superior option, although the guy that won Worlds used Psyshock, IIRC, so I guess it's still an option. Helping Hand is a great support move, powering up whatever your partner uses. The last move would also be for support. Light Screen is again, more popular, since it reduces damage from special attacks. Since Rain and Hail teams are so popular, abusing moves like Surf, Hydro Pump, Hurricane, Thunder, and Blizzard, Light Screen generally helps more than Reflect does.

If you can't get a Cresselia (it can be a pain to reset for in DPP), Uxie is a viable alternative as well. Try:

[animate]uxie[/animate] @Sitrus Berry
Calm nature
252 HP/4 Def/252 SpDef
~Trick Room
~Helping Hand/Protect/Light Screen
~Psychic/Protect/Light screen
~Imprison

Basically the same thing as Cresselia, but you use Imprison instead. Imprison locks up all of the moves the opponent knows that Uxie also knows. So if you use Imprison while your opponent's Cresselia is out, your opponent will be unable to set up Trick Room, as well as use several other key supporting moves, like Helping Hand.

 

[grantm1999]

ok thanks. I think I'm liking Uxie a little more, I'll edit it into the op.

 

[Red Striker]

I might actually use Cress over Uxie. In general, Cress has almost identical Def / SDef with Uxie (Uxie's 75/130/130 Defenses against Cresselia's 120/120/130), carries a lot more HP. It does drop the Def. stat by ten when comparing to Uxie, but that bolstered HP will go a long way. Besides, Cress does almost everything Uxie can (bar Imprison), but just a bit more: upon close analyzation of you team, Garchomp will wreck your team - ScarfChomp in particular. Not too common, but still a threat to occasionally consider. I see that Jellicent has Ice Beam already, but there's no way you can continuously rely on it to KO Chomp; ideally, you need at least one more counter for it. Cresselia will tank most anything from a Chomp any given day and normally 2HKO it via Ice Beam.

Garchomp ripping through your team:

- Terrakion dies to EQ. I know you're running TerraCott with TWind, but with Chomp's versatility, you never know what's going to be paired with it to take things down (or maybe even a Cress running Trick Room, which also threatens your team by the way).

- Cott really isn't affected by Chomp, but at the same time, Cott won't be doing anything to Chomp, either.

- Coballion is 2HKO'd by EQ and can still live long enough to produce a Sub, but even then, Close Combat is a 3HKO on 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp.

- Garchomp's Dragon Claw will be a 3-4HKO on Jellicent. Tat said, you only need a minute amount of damage on Chomp before Ice Beam can KO.

- Infernape is a goner. None of its moves do a lot to Chomp, and EQ is completely shredding Ape with no mercy.

Like I said: Garchomp will give your team plenty of reasons to hate it.
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May I ask why you have bulk invested into Cobalion if it has Close Combat as well? The (Special) Defense drop will cause Cobaliaon's bulk investment to be a waste, since a great portion of things will lay on the damage at a much higher rate. If you're still dead set on running bulk, Sacred Sword it likely to be the better option. It is slightly weaker, but in the long run of Cobalion's vitality, it is much better.
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tl; dr

- Cresselia over Uxie. For your team, I recommend the moveset Ice Beam / Psychic / Trick Room / Light Screen. As for a spread, I recommend you run a few calcs using this damage calculator (note: after opening the page, you can right-click in the page to download it. Highly advisable, since this is basically the premier damage calc out there at the moment)

- Sacred Sword over Close Combat on Cobalion Close Combat ruins the overall bulk that Cobalion needs.

- You are going to die to rain. No joke. You really don't have much to combat it, since Jelli is demolished by Ludicolo and Thunderurus(-T). After that, it won't take much else. At the current moment, I'm unsure of what to add. I might need to think about it.
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Side note: Would you mind adding some images for the Pokemon (maybe something like a sprite. Not too large)? It would make the RMT seem just a little bit cleaner. Also:

See TPO3's post for explanation. I like this over Cresselia because cress is ridiculously popular and Imprison. I do need to test it I may turn out liking Cresselia more.

Would you please quote TPO3's post where he said why Uxie is being used instead? It would certainly make things a bit easier for others wishing to give critique.

EDIT:

Scizor, Forretress, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn.

The bolded Pokemon don't exist in VGC. The more you know.

 

[grantm1999]

Ok thanks, as you can probably tell, I'm a bit new to competitive VG so I appreciated the thorough post.
Also, I don't know how to do sprites, but I'll try to figure it out.

 

[Red Striker]

[img]http://media.pldh.net/pokemon/gen5/blackwhite_animated_front/212.gif[/img]

For this:

And it's alright; we all have to start at one point, no? I enjoy helping those new to VGC.

Since you have Light Screen on Cress, you may want to opt for a higher Def. investment instead. For Winter Regionals, I used the exact same set, only with a Bold Nature and the spread of 188 HP / 204 Def / 116 SDef. Due to our teams being completely different, you might need to modify Cress' spread to suit your needs.

 

[One Approved]

Would you please quote TPO3's post where he said why Uxie is being used instead? It would certainly make things a bit easier for others wishing to give critique.

If you can't get a Cresselia (it can be a pain to reset for in DPP), Uxie is a viable alternative as well.

 

[grantm1999]

XD what about BW2?

 

[Red Striker]

Ack. I suppose I didn't word that right. I meant that perhaps more detail on the Uxie set was needed, but since Cress is seen to use VGCers as the better version of Uxie, quote you on this part:

Basically the same thing [that] Cresselia [is able to achieve], but [using] Imprison instead. Imprison locks up all of the moves the opponent knows that Uxie also knows. So if you use Imprison while your opponent's Cresselia is out, your opponent will be unable to set up Trick Room, as well as use several other key supporting moves, like Helping Hand.

Oh by the way, Cress is now ridiculously easy to obtain in BW2 after you beat the game


More on par with the RMT:

After about an hour of trying to determine how your team should be able to handle Rain, I've managed to find a solution. Unfortunately, it means the loss of the TerraCott strategy (which was spammed to death in VGC '11 and after two years, people can see it a mile away and know how to counter it with ease), but please, hear me out:

Current team:

Terra / Cott / Cobalion / Cress / Jelli / Ape

Terra

Keep this guy, but shift his use around a bit. After replacing some of the mos I did, I found that Terra wouldn't mind having a Choice Scarf one bit. Having a base 108 Speed, it outspeeds just about everything else above it that doesn't hold a Scarf already (the only Scarfed Mon you might see above Base 108 is Latios, a Base 110. Don't worry, as these are rare). Combine that with the wide array of coverage it has, and ScarfTerra is a complete monster.

Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Att / 252 Spe / 4 SDef
Moveset:
- Stone Edge
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
- X-Scissor

Having both Rock Slide and Stone Edge gives you both factors of the risk/reward decision. Rock Slide has a much higher accuracy and can finish off two weakened Mons in a crucial moment, but has a much lower Base Power with Doubles damage reduction. Another plus to having it around, however, is its chance to Flinch one of the opponent's Pokes combined with the fact that you outspeed just about everything out there. Stone Edge on the other hand has a greatly decreased Accuracy (being the Rock-type version of Hydro Pump almost), but the focused damage output is significantly higher; most things wear to Rock anticipate living through Rock Slide. For example, Zapdos, when EV'd right, will live through Rock Slide without much of a problem. can it ever live through a Stone Edge? Nope. Close Combat is Terra's most powerful STAB move (next to SuperPower, but I honestly don't see too much of a point running it), while X-Scissor is a great surprise to the likes of Latios and any other Psychic, Dark, or Grass type wishing to make you miserable.

Cott

This is one of the members being replaced. Later on, you will see Ape being replaced by Volcarona. With the addition to Sableye receiving Prankster, I knew that this would be an excellent way to control the weather. Sableye has both Rain Dance and Sunny Day, meaning if played right, you can easily screw around with the opponent's Rain / Sand team until either their weather starter is KO'd or all Pokemon they have to abuse the weather they have are out. Sableye also has a priority WoW (something I believe your team will enjoy) and can give a false impression of having Fake Out when led with.

Sableye @ Wide Lens / Mental Herb
Nature: Calm
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SDef
Moveset:
- Sunny Day
- WoW
- Foul Play
- Taunt

This set doesn't run Fake Out, since most things suspect Fake Out from Sableye, producing a facade over the fact that it doesn't carry it in reality. Sunny Day is the perfect weather breaker, especially against Rain. One thing to note is that with Sunny Day, Jellicent might have a few troubles due to its Water STAB having decreased power. Foul Play is probably the best bet on Sableye, since it factors off of the target's Attack stat instead. Taunt prevents the opponent from setting up Trick Room, Tailwind, Screens, or being downright nasty with Parafusion. Thundurus outspeeds Sableye, hence winning the priority war, and can Taunt Sableye before it does much. The Mental Herb isn't a bad thing to consider for that very reason, but at the same time, a Wide lens boosts WoW's Acc. to 82%, a decent number if you ask me. Burning a Tyranitar, Excadrill, Scizor, Hitmontop, or Garchomp and having a better chance to succeed at it is always nice.

Cress and Jelli are alright

Cobalion

As I took another careful look at your team, Cobalion doesn't really seem necessary to have. After using it for a few months, I feel that Choice Band Ferrothorn is a better choice over this mountain goat. For one, most people expect a supporter, which leads then to Taunting Ferro. That was good, right? Lol nope, they just wasted a turn, and in the meantime, you're heavily damaging something else of theirs (assuming you don't KO it). Under Light Screen, Rain can't do too much to it, opening the gates to a Ferrothorn massacre. All you do is lead Cress / Sableye, Have Cress setup Light Screen as Sableye goes for Sunny Day. Next, have Sableye stand as death foughter on purpose so that way you can send in Ferro while Cress sets up Trick Room (if Cress was hit with Fake Out the previous turn while trying to Screen, go for TR anyways and TR next turn as Ferro KO's / heavily damages another target). now Ferro will likely sweep. It's recommended you keep either Jelli or Volcarona in the back of the four with Ferro, so that way things start to get good (note: if you choose Volcarona, TR mihht not be a great idea. It's all up to you).

Ferrothorn @ Choice Band
Nature: Brave
Ability: Iron Barbs
IVs: 0 Spe
EVs: 188 HP / 92 Att / 124 SDef / 104 Def (you may want to tweek that a bit)
Moveset:
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Shadow Claw
- Leech Seed

**Leech Seed feigns having the Choice Band if you think your opponent hasn't figured it out yet. Using Leech Seed before you attack with it at the correct timing will further lead the opponent to believe it's for support and not slaughtering.

92 Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn (+Atk) Gyro Ball vs 4 HP/0 Def Latios: 112.18% - 132.69%
Guaranteed OHKO

Timid Max Spe. Latios

92 Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn (+Atk) Gyro Ball vs 4 HP/0 Def Thundurus: 62.58% - 73.55%
2 hits to KO

Thundurus w/ 252 Spe. and a Timid Nature

92 Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn (+Atk) Gyro Ball vs 0 HP/0 Def Thundurus-T: 62.99% - 74.03%
2 hits to KO

Neutral Natured Thundurus-T w/ 252 Spe. EVs. This damage doesn't cahnge if it's Scarfed, as the max BP is 150.

92 Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn (+Atk) Gyro Ball vs 252 HP/124 Def Thundurus-T: 42.47% - 50%
2-3 hits to KO

Only 36 Spe. EVs and Thundurus.

92 Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn (+Atk) Power Whip vs 252 HP/252 Def Politoed (+Def) : 103.55% - 121.83%
Guaranteed OHKO

92 Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn (+Atk) Power Whip vs 4 HP/0 Def Ludicolo: 100% - 117.95%
Guaranteed OHKO

92 Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn (+Atk) Power Whip vs 252 HP/40 Def Ludicolo: 79.14% - 93.58%
2 hits to KO

92 Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn (+Atk) Power Whip vs 4 HP/0 Def Kingdra: 81.46% - 96.03%
2 hits to KO

Nuff' Said

Infernape

Two fighting types was redundant, but three? I will agree that this team needs a Fire type, but Infernape doesn't cut it this time. Paired with Sableye, Volcarona is perfect; Sableye supports Volc in almost every way, reducing the attack stats via WoW and setting up Sun as well. Defensively speaking, this team would be balanced more, since now you have a Fire / Water / Grass core to fall back on, and Ferro goes and in hand with Volcarona for switching in.

Volcarona @ Charti Berry
Nature: Timid
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 76 HP / 100 Def / 168 SAtt / 164 Spe.
Moveset:
- Protect
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Ground]

The EVs allow Volc to outspeed Max Spe. Excadrill outside of Sand while giving the Chart Berry the ability to let Volc live through Adamant Max Att. Rock Slide from Tar. With the reduction in power compared to other spreads, I found Fiery Dance appropriate, since under the Sun, it already has enough power, but after a +1 SAtt boost that you're more than likely to get, the power level goes insane. HP Ground is one of the better Hidden Powers for Volcarona - especially in this case - so that way opposing Heatran can't get cocky (just about every Tran is KO'd by HP Ground from a Timid max SAtt Specs Latios w/o Shuca. That said, after a +1 boost from Fiery Dance, HP Ground should be doing a solid chunk as well).

168 +1 SpAtk Volcarona Hidden Power Ground vs 252 HP/124 SpDef Heatran (+SpDef) : 90.91% - 109.09%
50% chance to OHKO