So.... hi.
First off, thanks to King Arceus for moving this for me (I'm a noob lol).
I've been working on a doubles rain team the last little while, and now that I've gotten it to what it is now, I wouldn't mind getting a little advice from other people.
Keep in mind that I'm relatively new to competitive battling, so while I may understand the terminology and a fair amount of other stuff, I am not able to accurately predict my opponent's movesets. I know a fair bit about which Pokemon may know what, but when some of the more uncommon Pokemon show up (I fought a Houndoom the other day, not sure why anyone would use that, but anyways...), I'm basically guessing when it comes to movesets. If that makes sense, then read on. If not, then read on anyways.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55493551 - I definately should not have let that Clefable/Volcarona set up that much. Face it, I won by chance. Without those crits, I was a goner. Either way, this was one of the first battles I did with this team, so it didn't work out too bad.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55496139 - Not sure what went wrong here. I think I was just up against a more experienced battler. I made some wrong choices in the battle, you'll probably see them if you watch it.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55498146 - Ok, I think I need to have a better Scizor counter. I'll try a defensive Skarmory set. It's what Smogon recommends, anyways (at this point, I had a Toxicroak instead of Skarmory. Ask if you're interested about the set).
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55519727 - Alright, I need a Pokemon that resists Thunder. I kinda got destroyed by the Jolteon. Also, I didn't expect Garchomp to get KOd by that Ice Beam
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55523132 - I guess since I KOd his Dragonite and Ninetales, he didn't have any other ways to get sun on the field, so he just gave up. He had my Garchomp poisoned though. He wasn't completely hopeless.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55524389 - Not a bad battle, if I do say so myself.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55636369 - Gotta love the hacks.
So, there's more than a few links for you. Hopefully it gives you somewhat of an idea of my battling style (or lack thereof). Now, here's my stats/moves/etc...
[animate]politoed[/animate]
Politoad (Politoed) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SDef
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Toxic
- Hypnosis
- Protect
Politoad
One of my physical walls as well as my rain setup and usual lead. Because of my moveset, I have two status conditions at my disposal (I usually go with Toxic, better accuracy and generally more helpful), Scald for STAB damage (with potential rain boost as well, not to mention chance to burn), and Protect, which is kind of an essential move in doubles, I find. I don't think it's generally the best of ideas to have only one move that does damage in my moveset, because I'm just asking for a Taunt (or Disable on Scald), so I think I'm going to get rid of Hypnosis and put on another damaging move. Suggestions?
[animate]ludicolo[/animate]
Ludicolo (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rain Dance
- Giga Drain
- Leech Seed
- Ice Beam
Ludicolo
Another defensive wall that doubles as a special attacker, with a side job of setting up rain if Politoad is unable to do so. In between Rain Dish, Leech Seed and Giga Drain, it's rather difficult to get past my dancing Mexican (no offense to anybody, it's just what she looks like). I kinda wanted Leftovers as well, but Politoad needs it more, because she doesn't have any recovery moves. The Lum Berry is rather helpful, though, just because of how often I get T-waved/Toxic'd/etc. If there is no rain up, Ludicolo's power doesn't go down significantly either, which is nice (no moves count in a rain boost, I only lose Rain Dish).
[animate]skarmory[/animate]
Skarmory (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 224 HP / 252 Def / 32 SDef
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
Fairly simple/standard set here. Get some Spikes up, Roost off the damage, then Whirlwind the Pokémon out if I don't like them in the battle at that very moment, then start Brave Bird-ing. Simple, but effective. I couldn't think of an item for Skarmory, so I looked on Smogon, and they said to use the Shed Shell, which made no sense to me, but I put it on anyways, and I still don't understand why they tell you to use it. Can someone explain?
[animate]bisharp/animate]
Bisharp (M) @ Dark Gem
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Def
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Night Slash
- Protect
Bisharp
Another one of my physical attackers that doubles as a semi-physical wall. I can safely switch Bisharp in to a number of different moves, thanks to the 11 different types that do anywhere from half to no damage at all. Again, Bisharp kinda explains itself. It works well as a general Dragon counter, particularly Garchomp. So long as Garchomp doesn't carry Earthquake/some other super-effective move. If I can get one Dark Gem-boosted Sucker Punch and one non-boosted Sucker Punch in before Bisharp faints, Garchomp will be very low on health indeed, if it's not KOd already, assuming the Garchomp is built to be a speedy attacker, like most seem to be (I dunno, could Garchomp act as a wall?). Either way, that's Bisharp.
No picture, sorry
Dragonite (F) @ Yache Berry (Wide Lens?)
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Hurricane
- Thunder
- Dragon Tail
- Roost
I used to have a Garchomp instead of Dragonite (I think it's pretty much the standard set - Dragon Claw, EQ, Rock Slide and Swords Dance with maxed EVs in attack and speed, holding a Yache berry or something like that), but I didn't really like that because I was using a rain team without either of the moves that have 100% accuracy in the rain.
Dragonite
My specially defensive wall, attacker in the rain and other-person-strategy-messer-upper (forced switch from Dragon Tail). Dragonite does best in the rain, where she can count on Hurricane and Thunder for perfect accuracy (is it perfect or 100%? They're two different things, correct?), but functions almost as well without it, especially if I give her the Wide Lens instead of the Yache berry. Dragon Tail is super helpful, because even with no EVs in Attack and a nature that reduces Attack, Dragon Tail still half-KOs Garchomp in one hit. Roost is for recovery, obviously. It's significantly better than Moonlight on Cresselia, because Moonlight recovers less HP in the rain (I tried to make my team so that it would function just as well outside of rain, in case Politoed and Ludicolo both get KOd early in the match). So, there's Dragonite.
No picture, sorry
Cresselia (F) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Moonlight
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
Cresselia
And, last but not least, my Cresselia. Personally, this is one of my favourite Pokemon. One look at her defensive stats was enough for me to be convinced that she was definately going to land a spot on my team. Sucker Punch is a bit of a problem, but other than that, there isn't a whole lot that can KO her too quickly. Ice Beam is mostly for taking out other dragons that Ludicolo/Dragonite can't. Psychic does respectable damage when not resisted, but hey, nobody's perfect (except maybe Tyranitar, just got swept by one that somehow outsped my whole team, mighta been hacked).
So, there's my team. I have a few too many defensivly based Pokemon, I suppose, but I have a habbit of making purely offensive teams, so I thought a mostly defensive team might work slightly better.
Either way, suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated!
First off, thanks to King Arceus for moving this for me (I'm a noob lol).
I've been working on a doubles rain team the last little while, and now that I've gotten it to what it is now, I wouldn't mind getting a little advice from other people.
Keep in mind that I'm relatively new to competitive battling, so while I may understand the terminology and a fair amount of other stuff, I am not able to accurately predict my opponent's movesets. I know a fair bit about which Pokemon may know what, but when some of the more uncommon Pokemon show up (I fought a Houndoom the other day, not sure why anyone would use that, but anyways...), I'm basically guessing when it comes to movesets. If that makes sense, then read on. If not, then read on anyways.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55493551 - I definately should not have let that Clefable/Volcarona set up that much. Face it, I won by chance. Without those crits, I was a goner. Either way, this was one of the first battles I did with this team, so it didn't work out too bad.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55496139 - Not sure what went wrong here. I think I was just up against a more experienced battler. I made some wrong choices in the battle, you'll probably see them if you watch it.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55498146 - Ok, I think I need to have a better Scizor counter. I'll try a defensive Skarmory set. It's what Smogon recommends, anyways (at this point, I had a Toxicroak instead of Skarmory. Ask if you're interested about the set).
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55519727 - Alright, I need a Pokemon that resists Thunder. I kinda got destroyed by the Jolteon. Also, I didn't expect Garchomp to get KOd by that Ice Beam
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55523132 - I guess since I KOd his Dragonite and Ninetales, he didn't have any other ways to get sun on the field, so he just gave up. He had my Garchomp poisoned though. He wasn't completely hopeless.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55524389 - Not a bad battle, if I do say so myself.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/smogondoubles-55636369 - Gotta love the hacks.
So, there's more than a few links for you. Hopefully it gives you somewhat of an idea of my battling style (or lack thereof). Now, here's my stats/moves/etc...
[animate]politoed[/animate]
Politoad (Politoed) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SDef
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Toxic
- Hypnosis
- Protect
Politoad
One of my physical walls as well as my rain setup and usual lead. Because of my moveset, I have two status conditions at my disposal (I usually go with Toxic, better accuracy and generally more helpful), Scald for STAB damage (with potential rain boost as well, not to mention chance to burn), and Protect, which is kind of an essential move in doubles, I find. I don't think it's generally the best of ideas to have only one move that does damage in my moveset, because I'm just asking for a Taunt (or Disable on Scald), so I think I'm going to get rid of Hypnosis and put on another damaging move. Suggestions?
[animate]ludicolo[/animate]
Ludicolo (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rain Dance
- Giga Drain
- Leech Seed
- Ice Beam
Ludicolo
Another defensive wall that doubles as a special attacker, with a side job of setting up rain if Politoad is unable to do so. In between Rain Dish, Leech Seed and Giga Drain, it's rather difficult to get past my dancing Mexican (no offense to anybody, it's just what she looks like). I kinda wanted Leftovers as well, but Politoad needs it more, because she doesn't have any recovery moves. The Lum Berry is rather helpful, though, just because of how often I get T-waved/Toxic'd/etc. If there is no rain up, Ludicolo's power doesn't go down significantly either, which is nice (no moves count in a rain boost, I only lose Rain Dish).
[animate]skarmory[/animate]
Skarmory (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 224 HP / 252 Def / 32 SDef
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
Fairly simple/standard set here. Get some Spikes up, Roost off the damage, then Whirlwind the Pokémon out if I don't like them in the battle at that very moment, then start Brave Bird-ing. Simple, but effective. I couldn't think of an item for Skarmory, so I looked on Smogon, and they said to use the Shed Shell, which made no sense to me, but I put it on anyways, and I still don't understand why they tell you to use it. Can someone explain?
[animate]bisharp/animate]
Bisharp (M) @ Dark Gem
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Def
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Night Slash
- Protect
Bisharp
Another one of my physical attackers that doubles as a semi-physical wall. I can safely switch Bisharp in to a number of different moves, thanks to the 11 different types that do anywhere from half to no damage at all. Again, Bisharp kinda explains itself. It works well as a general Dragon counter, particularly Garchomp. So long as Garchomp doesn't carry Earthquake/some other super-effective move. If I can get one Dark Gem-boosted Sucker Punch and one non-boosted Sucker Punch in before Bisharp faints, Garchomp will be very low on health indeed, if it's not KOd already, assuming the Garchomp is built to be a speedy attacker, like most seem to be (I dunno, could Garchomp act as a wall?). Either way, that's Bisharp.
No picture, sorry
Dragonite (F) @ Yache Berry (Wide Lens?)
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Hurricane
- Thunder
- Dragon Tail
- Roost
I used to have a Garchomp instead of Dragonite (I think it's pretty much the standard set - Dragon Claw, EQ, Rock Slide and Swords Dance with maxed EVs in attack and speed, holding a Yache berry or something like that), but I didn't really like that because I was using a rain team without either of the moves that have 100% accuracy in the rain.
Dragonite
My specially defensive wall, attacker in the rain and other-person-strategy-messer-upper (forced switch from Dragon Tail). Dragonite does best in the rain, where she can count on Hurricane and Thunder for perfect accuracy (is it perfect or 100%? They're two different things, correct?), but functions almost as well without it, especially if I give her the Wide Lens instead of the Yache berry. Dragon Tail is super helpful, because even with no EVs in Attack and a nature that reduces Attack, Dragon Tail still half-KOs Garchomp in one hit. Roost is for recovery, obviously. It's significantly better than Moonlight on Cresselia, because Moonlight recovers less HP in the rain (I tried to make my team so that it would function just as well outside of rain, in case Politoed and Ludicolo both get KOd early in the match). So, there's Dragonite.
No picture, sorry
Cresselia (F) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Moonlight
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
Cresselia
And, last but not least, my Cresselia. Personally, this is one of my favourite Pokemon. One look at her defensive stats was enough for me to be convinced that she was definately going to land a spot on my team. Sucker Punch is a bit of a problem, but other than that, there isn't a whole lot that can KO her too quickly. Ice Beam is mostly for taking out other dragons that Ludicolo/Dragonite can't. Psychic does respectable damage when not resisted, but hey, nobody's perfect (except maybe Tyranitar, just got swept by one that somehow outsped my whole team, mighta been hacked).
So, there's my team. I have a few too many defensivly based Pokemon, I suppose, but I have a habbit of making purely offensive teams, so I thought a mostly defensive team might work slightly better.
Either way, suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated!
