Now, before we start I think I should give you some backstory on myself as a VGC player:
I started in 2015 where I played casually, always using my favorite core of Charizard Y with Venusaur, but never did any tournaments as there were none near by, Then came 2016, the rule set just did not suit me, but for the bit that I did play, I used Groudon and Xerneas, now came 2017 and I was still using Sun, with Torkoal and Lilligant, but I dumped the core for more common stuff like AFK and other things with Fini, but seeing Joohwan Kim do good with Torkoal and Lilligant (albeit very different sets) I was inspired, so here we go, I hope you guys enjoy!
Torkoal @ Charcoal
Ability: Drought
EVs: 116 HP, 252 Sp. Atk, 140 Sp. Def
Nature: Quiet
IVs: 0 Atk, 0 Spe
- Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Overheat
- Protect
Now, this guy is probably one of my favorite Pokémon on this team, and part of the name of this thread, he works excellently with Lilligant, and prevents the opponent passively from setting up their Trick Room, I only ever bring Torkoal if I am bring Lilligant, as I don't find it wise to do otherwise, and therefore feel it is safe to have three Fire type attacks, Eruption is the main STAB, allowing Torkoal to do massive damage as long as he has full HP, Heat Wave is for when Torkoal is low, or when I want to go more offensive with Lilligant, Overheat is mostly used as a last minute nuke, or when I am down to a 1v1, the spread isn't anything special, I put some into Sp. Def because it was Torkoal's lowest Defense stat.
252+ Atk Water Bubble Araquanid Hydro Vortex (160 BP) vs. 116 HP / 0 Def Torkoal in Sun: 150-176 (93.7 - 110%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
Lilligant @ Focus Sash
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Sp. Atk, 252 Spe
Nature: Modest
IVs: 0 Atk
- Solar Beam
- After You
- Sleep Powder
- Protect
This guy is the other half of my main lead, and I have found that it works great even once Torkoal is off the field, She works great with Bulu as well, and is my main Fini counter (Switch Torkoal for Bulu, OHKO with the boosted Solar Beam) I opted for Solar Beam over Leaf Storm because I liked the power at no cost, and as long as I can keep my weather up, it isn't a problem, After You is there for Torkoal, but I have also used it on Metagross, sometimes winning me games, Sleep Powder is obvious, allowing me to put to sleep anyone I don't want to deal with right then.
Tapu Bulu @ Lum Berry
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP, 28 Atk, 140 Def, 28 Sp. Def, 60 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Horn Leech
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect
This guy is the third and final part of my thread name trio, and with this spread is very bulky, and yet still has enough power to deal out some damage, this guy works wonders with Lilligant, I usually only bring him in if they have a huge grass weakness or Tapu Fini, both of which he deals with well, Horn Leech is STAB and complements this spread well, Leech Seed is to stall out Celesteela and other bulky Pokémon, but I only ever use it with Substitute up, Lum Berry is there because of all the Burns going around this meta game, and also is handy for Freeze from Ninetales or Toxic from... anything really.
252 Atk Garchomp Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 140 Def Tapu Bulu: 144-172 (81.3 - 97.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
-1 244+ Atk Muk-Alola Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 140 Def Tapu Bulu: 136-168 (76.8 - 94.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
68 SpA Gastrodon Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 28 SpD Tapu Bulu: 140-168 (79 - 94.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
4- SpA Celesteela Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 28 SpD Tapu Bulu in Sun: 102-120 (57.6 - 67.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
180 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 140 Def Tapu Bulu: 128-152 (72.3 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
Gyarados @ Waterium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 68 HP, 252 Atk, 12 Def, 4 Sp. Def, 172 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang
- Dragon Dance
- Protect
This guy is great with the team, and way better than Gastrodon who I was using before, he adds a Ground immunity and Water resistance for Torkoal if needed, much needed Intimidate support, and a solid offensive presence, I took the spread off of Trainer Tower because I did not have much experience with the mon, and it works pretty well, nice and fast after a Dragon Dance, and hits like a truck, Waterfall is STAB, and provides the Z Move, Ice Fang helps me with Garchomp, Salamence and others weak to ice, Dragon Dance is for setting up on clear defensive play, this guy works great with Metagross, and I sometimes lead with the two.
Metagross @ Groundium Z
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP, 28 Atk, 20 Def, 116 Sp. Def, 92 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Zen Headbutt
- Protect
Well, here is my favorite member of the team, and one of my favorite Pokémon, he started as a Choice Band set, and I never changed the EVs as they seemed to still work, but I would love any suggestions on a better one, after seeing Theorymon's (namedrop) post about Groundium Z Metagross, I just had to try it out, and it is excellent, OHKOing Muk 50% of the time, beating Arcanine, Tapu Koko, and so many other common Pokémon, he works great with Lele, as she adds power to one of his STAB moves, and also works well with Gyarados, who I sometimes lead with, Meteor Mash is for STAB, along with beating the Tapu, and it's always great when it boosts attack, Earthquake is there for the Z Move, but can also be used alongside Gyarados, Zen Headbutt works great with Lele and is secondary STAB, allowing him to hit quite a few mons for supereffective damage.
-1 252 Atk Garchomp Tectonic Rage (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Metagross: 162-192 (86.6 – 102.6%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 116 SpD Metagross: 78-94
(41.7 – 50.2%) — 0.4% chance to 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Metagross: 66-80 (35.2 - 42.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Tapu Lele @ Choice Specs
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 Sp. Atk, 4 Sp. Def, 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunderbolt
This guy is the newest addition to my team, and I am loving it so far, that is why I have a very simple spread, and I would love a better one, she works great with Metagross, gives me a second counter to Celesteela with Thunderbolt, and does huge damage with Psychic, Moonblast is there to do damage to Dark Types, although I usually just use Psychic, and Dazzling Gleam can be helpful for 1v2 situations, that's about all I can say for this mon as I don't bring her into many battles, but without her I would not stand a chance in many situations.
Conclusion: As I said at the start, I love sun, and I think this is my best sun team yet, I plan to bring it to a local tournament at the end of next month, and would love any suggestions for making it better, thank you for reading, if you have any questions, or I left something out by accident, just ask for it and I will provide it.
RebornFX I added some calcs, if there are anymore you want, I am happy to add them
I started in 2015 where I played casually, always using my favorite core of Charizard Y with Venusaur, but never did any tournaments as there were none near by, Then came 2016, the rule set just did not suit me, but for the bit that I did play, I used Groudon and Xerneas, now came 2017 and I was still using Sun, with Torkoal and Lilligant, but I dumped the core for more common stuff like AFK and other things with Fini, but seeing Joohwan Kim do good with Torkoal and Lilligant (albeit very different sets) I was inspired, so here we go, I hope you guys enjoy!
Torkoal @ Charcoal
Ability: Drought
EVs: 116 HP, 252 Sp. Atk, 140 Sp. Def
Nature: Quiet
IVs: 0 Atk, 0 Spe
- Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Overheat
- Protect
Now, this guy is probably one of my favorite Pokémon on this team, and part of the name of this thread, he works excellently with Lilligant, and prevents the opponent passively from setting up their Trick Room, I only ever bring Torkoal if I am bring Lilligant, as I don't find it wise to do otherwise, and therefore feel it is safe to have three Fire type attacks, Eruption is the main STAB, allowing Torkoal to do massive damage as long as he has full HP, Heat Wave is for when Torkoal is low, or when I want to go more offensive with Lilligant, Overheat is mostly used as a last minute nuke, or when I am down to a 1v1, the spread isn't anything special, I put some into Sp. Def because it was Torkoal's lowest Defense stat.
252+ Atk Water Bubble Araquanid Hydro Vortex (160 BP) vs. 116 HP / 0 Def Torkoal in Sun: 150-176 (93.7 - 110%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
Lilligant @ Focus Sash
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Sp. Atk, 252 Spe
Nature: Modest
IVs: 0 Atk
- Solar Beam
- After You
- Sleep Powder
- Protect
This guy is the other half of my main lead, and I have found that it works great even once Torkoal is off the field, She works great with Bulu as well, and is my main Fini counter (Switch Torkoal for Bulu, OHKO with the boosted Solar Beam) I opted for Solar Beam over Leaf Storm because I liked the power at no cost, and as long as I can keep my weather up, it isn't a problem, After You is there for Torkoal, but I have also used it on Metagross, sometimes winning me games, Sleep Powder is obvious, allowing me to put to sleep anyone I don't want to deal with right then.
Tapu Bulu @ Lum Berry
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP, 28 Atk, 140 Def, 28 Sp. Def, 60 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Horn Leech
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect
This guy is the third and final part of my thread name trio, and with this spread is very bulky, and yet still has enough power to deal out some damage, this guy works wonders with Lilligant, I usually only bring him in if they have a huge grass weakness or Tapu Fini, both of which he deals with well, Horn Leech is STAB and complements this spread well, Leech Seed is to stall out Celesteela and other bulky Pokémon, but I only ever use it with Substitute up, Lum Berry is there because of all the Burns going around this meta game, and also is handy for Freeze from Ninetales or Toxic from... anything really.
252 Atk Garchomp Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 140 Def Tapu Bulu: 144-172 (81.3 - 97.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
-1 244+ Atk Muk-Alola Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 140 Def Tapu Bulu: 136-168 (76.8 - 94.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
68 SpA Gastrodon Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 28 SpD Tapu Bulu: 140-168 (79 - 94.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
4- SpA Celesteela Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 28 SpD Tapu Bulu in Sun: 102-120 (57.6 - 67.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
180 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 140 Def Tapu Bulu: 128-152 (72.3 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
Gyarados @ Waterium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 68 HP, 252 Atk, 12 Def, 4 Sp. Def, 172 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang
- Dragon Dance
- Protect
This guy is great with the team, and way better than Gastrodon who I was using before, he adds a Ground immunity and Water resistance for Torkoal if needed, much needed Intimidate support, and a solid offensive presence, I took the spread off of Trainer Tower because I did not have much experience with the mon, and it works pretty well, nice and fast after a Dragon Dance, and hits like a truck, Waterfall is STAB, and provides the Z Move, Ice Fang helps me with Garchomp, Salamence and others weak to ice, Dragon Dance is for setting up on clear defensive play, this guy works great with Metagross, and I sometimes lead with the two.
Metagross @ Groundium Z
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP, 28 Atk, 20 Def, 116 Sp. Def, 92 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Zen Headbutt
- Protect
Well, here is my favorite member of the team, and one of my favorite Pokémon, he started as a Choice Band set, and I never changed the EVs as they seemed to still work, but I would love any suggestions on a better one, after seeing Theorymon's (namedrop) post about Groundium Z Metagross, I just had to try it out, and it is excellent, OHKOing Muk 50% of the time, beating Arcanine, Tapu Koko, and so many other common Pokémon, he works great with Lele, as she adds power to one of his STAB moves, and also works well with Gyarados, who I sometimes lead with, Meteor Mash is for STAB, along with beating the Tapu, and it's always great when it boosts attack, Earthquake is there for the Z Move, but can also be used alongside Gyarados, Zen Headbutt works great with Lele and is secondary STAB, allowing him to hit quite a few mons for supereffective damage.
-1 252 Atk Garchomp Tectonic Rage (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Metagross: 162-192 (86.6 – 102.6%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 116 SpD Metagross: 78-94
(41.7 – 50.2%) — 0.4% chance to 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Metagross: 66-80 (35.2 - 42.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Tapu Lele @ Choice Specs
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 Sp. Atk, 4 Sp. Def, 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunderbolt
This guy is the newest addition to my team, and I am loving it so far, that is why I have a very simple spread, and I would love a better one, she works great with Metagross, gives me a second counter to Celesteela with Thunderbolt, and does huge damage with Psychic, Moonblast is there to do damage to Dark Types, although I usually just use Psychic, and Dazzling Gleam can be helpful for 1v2 situations, that's about all I can say for this mon as I don't bring her into many battles, but without her I would not stand a chance in many situations.
Conclusion: As I said at the start, I love sun, and I think this is my best sun team yet, I plan to bring it to a local tournament at the end of next month, and would love any suggestions for making it better, thank you for reading, if you have any questions, or I left something out by accident, just ask for it and I will provide it.
RebornFX I added some calcs, if there are anymore you want, I am happy to add them
Last edited: