Initial Construction
When I start to build I team I usually start with a core of Pokemon that I like. Since the last days of VGC 2014, and even now into VGC 2015, I've been coming back to Mawile and Rotom-W. I absolutely love when two Pokemon have perfect synergy (ie each one resists the other's weaknesses), so those two get me really excited. I think Rotom-W is one of the two best Pokemon in the format right now (along with Landorus-T), and Mawile matches up with well Kangaskhan, Venusaur, and Salamence (the three Megas I expected to see most often at the regional), so I put them together and started building around them.
The team is actually very similar to the one I played for most of the post-Worlds VGC 14 metagame, with only two Pokemon changes and a few tweaks to the other four. It's not by coincidence that this happened, as the old team had all of the elements that I want in a team - specifically a Fire/Water/Grass core, a Dragon/Steel core, and a hard hitter/glue to round things out - so after I decided on my old Thunder Wave Rotom-W/fast Mawile core I looked for ways to model the old team.
The team is actually very similar to the one I played for most of the post-Worlds VGC 14 metagame, with only two Pokemon changes and a few tweaks to the other four. It's not by coincidence that this happened, as the old team had all of the elements that I want in a team - specifically a Fire/Water/Grass core, a Dragon/Steel core, and a hard hitter/glue to round things out - so after I decided on my old Thunder Wave Rotom-W/fast Mawile core I looked for ways to model the old team.
The Old Team
The New Team
A few adaptations for the new metagame, but mostly the same idea. Apply speed control through either Tailwind or Thunder Wave while dealing damage with Hydreigon and the Grass-type to set up for Mawile and/or the Ground-type to come in and take out the weakened foes. Not really an unique setup, but it suits my style well and I felt it gave me a chance in any game.
Speaking of my style, I think it's really important to know what yours is and to build a team to that as opposed to a team that is generically solid. For instance, I had a strong Trick Room team built off of the core of Togekiss and Jellicent (inspired by Paul Chua) that I was also seriously considering bringing to the event. I ultimately didn't because it was too rigid in its gameplan: set TR, win in the next four turns. For some people that fits them well and I tried to convince myself it fit me, too, as the fact that the endgame is planned for you and your only job is to play well turn-to-turn patches up my weakness in board control and highlights my elite prediction skills (at least I like to think they're elite). However after a few weeks it became clear that the team was going to land me an x-2 finish and yet another regional top 16; this team netted me an x-1 finish and a top 8, which isn't as great as I'd hoped but is better than placing in the 10-14 spot I'd become accustomed to at big events in the past year. /tangent
Now that I've gotten those random tidbits of Jonny Pokemon philosophy out of my system - remember this blog is called my rambles - I'll show you the team!
Virizion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Protect
Swiss: appeared in 4/9 battles
Top Cut: appeared in 3/5 battles
-Thanks to Justin Burns (Spurrific) for trading me this.
Virizion is traditionally something that seems like it will fit when I'm building a team, but then I put it on and it flops spectacularly. It seemed that way initially with this team, too, as I texted Aaron Traylor and said "I always try to make Virizion good. It's never good." I was wrong this time, though, as I gave Virizion an extended trial and it wound up clicking really well with the other 5 Pokemon. Patience really is a virtue.
Virizion is really, really good right now. I expected Sylveon to be mysteriously absent from strong teams at real life events, as the good players would shy away from the thing's one-dimensional approach, so the number of hard counters to Virizion I needed to plan for was one: Talonflame. This, put with the upswing in Suicune and Heatran and the metagame constants in Kangaskhan and Bisharp, allowed Virizion to match up super well with most of the teams I faced. Rotom-W was something that troubled the rest of the team bar Hydreigon, so having the ability to OHKO it was huge.
The set is standard and I think pretty much the only way to run Virizion right now. I could see arguments for Quick Guard or Double Kick, but the damage on Zapdos and Thundurus plus the pressure on Charizard makes Stone Edge the superior option, and the need for max Attack and a boosting item to pick up OHKOes on most Kangaskhan and Rotom-W makes the EVs and item obvious.
Though fourth on the team in overall usage, I was most pleased with Virizion's performance in St. Louis. It was the biggest wild card going in, as I wasn't yet totally sold on it, but Virizion wound up proving itself well.
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 180 HP / 4 Atk / 96 SpD / 228 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 SpD
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower
Swiss: appeared in 7/9 battles
Top Cut: appeared in 5/5 battles
One of the most used Pokemon right now and one of the best Pokemon in the metagame, period. Enough words have been written about its strength by others that most people know why it's so good, so I'll focus more on why I used it the way I did.
Similar to my thoughts on Scarf Salamence last year, I think Scarf Landorus-T this year is bad. It's probably not as bad as Mence was because Scarf Rock Slide is a thing, but the poor damage output, lack of bulk, and predictability come together to make Scarf a below-average set, one that shouldn't be sitting at 60% usage on Battle Spot. I think Choice Band and Focus Sash are the ways to go, with Assault Vest, Yache Berry, and Scarf being less viable options that can have a place.
My aversion to Choice Scarf aside, I absolutely loved this Landorus-T set. The EVs outspeed Smeargle and then have a kind of generic bulk. It survives some fairly arbitrary Cresselia Ice Beam - maybe 212 Modest version - which felt really nice even if it wasn't specific, as I could expect to survive most non-STAB Ice attacks as well as +1 LO Bisharp Sucker Punches.
I considered both Knock Off and Stone Edge instead of Superpower, but the drop in power after knocking off an item turned me off and the ability to OHKO Kangaskhan won over the ability to OHKO Zapdos and Thundurus.
I've been playing with Band Landorus-T since the beginning of the season, so I wasn't surprised by its high usage nor anything else. A solid mon that I will definitely use again.
One of the most used Pokemon right now and one of the best Pokemon in the metagame, period. Enough words have been written about its strength by others that most people know why it's so good, so I'll focus more on why I used it the way I did.
Similar to my thoughts on Scarf Salamence last year, I think Scarf Landorus-T this year is bad. It's probably not as bad as Mence was because Scarf Rock Slide is a thing, but the poor damage output, lack of bulk, and predictability come together to make Scarf a below-average set, one that shouldn't be sitting at 60% usage on Battle Spot. I think Choice Band and Focus Sash are the ways to go, with Assault Vest, Yache Berry, and Scarf being less viable options that can have a place.
My aversion to Choice Scarf aside, I absolutely loved this Landorus-T set. The EVs outspeed Smeargle and then have a kind of generic bulk. It survives some fairly arbitrary Cresselia Ice Beam - maybe 212 Modest version - which felt really nice even if it wasn't specific, as I could expect to survive most non-STAB Ice attacks as well as +1 LO Bisharp Sucker Punches.
I considered both Knock Off and Stone Edge instead of Superpower, but the drop in power after knocking off an item turned me off and the ability to OHKO Kangaskhan won over the ability to OHKO Zapdos and Thundurus.
I've been playing with Band Landorus-T since the beginning of the season, so I wasn't surprised by its high usage nor anything else. A solid mon that I will definitely use again.
Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 20 HP / 84 Def / 196 SpA / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
Swiss: appeared in 7/9 battles
Top Cut: appeared in 1/5 battles
Specs Hydreigon marks the first part of the team from 2014, this time with Earth Power and a Timid nature. Going back to my thoughts on Virizion, I expected very few Sylveon to show (I was correct, as I only faced one) and so I had no qualms bringing the dragon. I don't actually have much to say about it because I'm so familiar with it. It dishes out damage and threatens OHKOes on many common Pokemon. I had troubles with teams similar to Aaron Zheng's Mega Venusaur team in testing, so what had been a Gengar became Hydreigon with Earth Power to stonewall Venusaur and Heatran.
The EVs outspeed Adamant Salamence before Mega Evolution, and survives a Jolly Double-Edge from Mega Salamence. That never came in handy but outspeeding non-Scarf Landorus and surviving -1 Terrakion Close Combats did, so I was pleased.
It didn't play a super vital role and never directly won me a game, but it never lost me one, either, and did the grunt work to set up Mawile and Landorus for the late game.
Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 60 HP / 252 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Iron Head
- Protect
Swiss: appeared in 7/9 battles
Top Cut: appeared in 4/5 battles
Speedy Mawile. Checks Kangaskhan, Venusaur, and Metagross, walls Salamence, provides Intimidate, has some of the strongest neutral hits in the game. Metagross vs Mawile is an interesting discussion and one I've already had with some on Twitter. For this team Mawile felt right, partially because I never actually thought about Metagross and partially because its typing is so superior. It does lack special bulk - it makes up for the lack of physical bulk with Intimidate - and speed, but with the speed control options I had available I never had any problems, I just outsped and chunked things.
The Speed EVs put it above Jolly Salamence in Tailwind. I never ran into that situation, but the speed both in and out of Tailwind was a great asset to have. I was nothing but happy with my choice of Mega.
Talonflame @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Brave Bird
- Overheat
- Will-O-Wisp
- Tailwind
Swiss: appeared in 3/9 battles
Top Cut: appeared in 2/5 battles
-Thanks to Chuppa Cross (Chuppa/Yung Vege Table) for trading me this.
Kind of a crazy set. This is the same set I ran on the old team, too, so my insanity has been prolonged. I didn't especially like Talonflame throughout most of 2014, but I gave it a shot after seeing Sejun's usage of it at Worlds, and I've fallen in love. Life Orb would be my go-to item, but with Garchomp and Virizion needing it more on each team, I used Safety Goggles to absolutely destroy Amoonguss and Venusaur, as well as any Rage Powder + Kangaskhan/Azumarill/Bisharp teams I might run into.
Overheat was lacking in power without the Life Orb but I rarely used it anyway, so the ability to ignore Intimidate and avoid recoil outweighed any advantage Flare Blitz had. Will-O-Wisp and Tailwind are what really made the set, turning Talonflame from kamikaze frenetic bird to graceful supporting swan. I didn't expect to use Tailwind that often but knew I'd use Protect even less so I "flew" with it and never looked back. Having it meant I could bulk up Landorus and Rotom and not worry as much about a lack of speed. Will-O-Wisp was surprising coming from the Talonflame instead of Rotom, so players wouldn't be as careful with their physical attackers and pay for it.
I only brought it 5 times but its strength in those battles and in battles outside of the weekend proved its worth to me. Probably my favorite Pokemon on the team.
-Thanks to Chuppa Cross (Chuppa/Yung Vege Table) for trading me this.
Kind of a crazy set. This is the same set I ran on the old team, too, so my insanity has been prolonged. I didn't especially like Talonflame throughout most of 2014, but I gave it a shot after seeing Sejun's usage of it at Worlds, and I've fallen in love. Life Orb would be my go-to item, but with Garchomp and Virizion needing it more on each team, I used Safety Goggles to absolutely destroy Amoonguss and Venusaur, as well as any Rage Powder + Kangaskhan/Azumarill/Bisharp teams I might run into.
Overheat was lacking in power without the Life Orb but I rarely used it anyway, so the ability to ignore Intimidate and avoid recoil outweighed any advantage Flare Blitz had. Will-O-Wisp and Tailwind are what really made the set, turning Talonflame from kamikaze frenetic bird to graceful supporting swan. I didn't expect to use Tailwind that often but knew I'd use Protect even less so I "flew" with it and never looked back. Having it meant I could bulk up Landorus and Rotom and not worry as much about a lack of speed. Will-O-Wisp was surprising coming from the Talonflame instead of Rotom, so players wouldn't be as careful with their physical attackers and pay for it.
I only brought it 5 times but its strength in those battles and in battles outside of the weekend proved its worth to me. Probably my favorite Pokemon on the team.
Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 132 SpA / 124 SpD
Calm Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder Wave
- Confuse Ray
Swiss: appeared in 8/9 battles
Top Cut: appeared in 5/5 battles
Fun fact: the only battle in which Rotom-W did not appear was the only battle I lost during the swiss rounds.
Rotom-W has been covered by many people and I don't feel the need to highlight its strengths again. I knew I'd be using it in nearly all of my battles and I knew it would contribute in all of them. The only thing that surprised me was how ill-prepared many teams were for it. I'll just get to the part you're probably waiting for:
CONFUSE RAY. I'm usually a grouch who whines about Swagger and Confuse Ray, but since September I've been spreading evil of my own through parafusion. When I first built around Mawile and Rotom-W I knew I wanted Thunder Wave instead of Will-O-Wisp, as Mawile had Intimidate and struggled more with speed than physical attackers. What I didn't know was how little I'd use Protect, and I eventually started looking for a move to replace it. I saw Confuse Ray with its perfect accuracy and viability against all Pokemon, not just special attackers, and gave in to the devil on my shoulder and tried it. I've used it very sparingly, so it's not like I spam parafusion; I sleep just fine. The percentage of my opponent moving when paralyzed and confused (37.5%, if I'm not mistaken), can win me games I might not otherwise. The fear of it once it's revealed also messes with the opponent, as they either stay in and try to prove it's bad by hitting through it, or switch when they really shouldn't to reset the confusion. Coupled with Iron Head from Mawile and Rock Slide from Landorus, it can make endgames go from 50/50s to decidedly in my favor. Sorry guys, I've been turned to the dark side.
As I said before, Rotom didn't surprise me but it didn't let me down, either. I had remarkable success with Hydro Pump and Thunder Wave's speed control definitely won me one battle that I was close to losing. Confuse Ray provided me the glory of the audience's laughter on stream as well, saving me from jumping off of a bridge after my horrendous decision-making in my Top 8 match.
Top Cut: appeared in 5/5 battles
Fun fact: the only battle in which Rotom-W did not appear was the only battle I lost during the swiss rounds.
Rotom-W has been covered by many people and I don't feel the need to highlight its strengths again. I knew I'd be using it in nearly all of my battles and I knew it would contribute in all of them. The only thing that surprised me was how ill-prepared many teams were for it. I'll just get to the part you're probably waiting for:
CONFUSE RAY. I'm usually a grouch who whines about Swagger and Confuse Ray, but since September I've been spreading evil of my own through parafusion. When I first built around Mawile and Rotom-W I knew I wanted Thunder Wave instead of Will-O-Wisp, as Mawile had Intimidate and struggled more with speed than physical attackers. What I didn't know was how little I'd use Protect, and I eventually started looking for a move to replace it. I saw Confuse Ray with its perfect accuracy and viability against all Pokemon, not just special attackers, and gave in to the devil on my shoulder and tried it. I've used it very sparingly, so it's not like I spam parafusion; I sleep just fine. The percentage of my opponent moving when paralyzed and confused (37.5%, if I'm not mistaken), can win me games I might not otherwise. The fear of it once it's revealed also messes with the opponent, as they either stay in and try to prove it's bad by hitting through it, or switch when they really shouldn't to reset the confusion. Coupled with Iron Head from Mawile and Rock Slide from Landorus, it can make endgames go from 50/50s to decidedly in my favor. Sorry guys, I've been turned to the dark side.
As I said before, Rotom didn't surprise me but it didn't let me down, either. I had remarkable success with Hydro Pump and Thunder Wave's speed control definitely won me one battle that I was close to losing. Confuse Ray provided me the glory of the audience's laughter on stream as well, saving me from jumping off of a bridge after my horrendous decision-making in my Top 8 match.
Conclusion
This wasn't as thorough as I would've liked and I think trailed off in quality towards the end as I race to finish before I head to bed, but I hope you enjoyed the look into my team. I think it fell a few places short of its true strength thanks to some user error, but it was a lot of fun and renewed my passion for the game. I'll try to flesh this out a little more later on in the week and hopefully get it posted on Nugget Bridge, but for now I'm done. Deuces!
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