INTRODUCTION
While I've been aware of the competitive metagame and have considered myself a competitive player for a while, I just never sat down and made a proper team. When I saw the departure of Aegislash, one thing came into my thoughts: "MEGA GARDEVOIR IS USABLE AGAIN". Naturally, my excitement was not unwarranted as I wanted nothing more than to build a team with her. After some general thoughts, some advice from some friends who are a bit higher up in the battling tier than myself and a few personal tweeks, I came out with something I truly think it worth using. However, I'm always open to changes that can help improve my team's performance, so here I am. RMT!
EDITS
- Went ahead and tested all of TheEnder's suggestions, very pleased with the results, so they've been added.
- Also tried out Heliosan's Mixed Thundurus spread, very impressed with the results as well.
- Opted for a Timid nature on Gardevoir for the extra speed.
TEAM PREVIEW
TEAM BUILDING
Alright. Gardevoir, cool. Special attacker. What's that? Access to WoW? Even better. Alright. Moving on.
Greninja is cool right? Yeah Greninja is cool. Another special attacker. A bit faster with different coverage, alright great, fantastic.
Alright, let's throw on a Ferrothorn, cause why the hell not? Set up hazards. Wall physical threats, great, fantastic, awesome.
Alrighty, Thundurus-I is cool right? Everyone loves Thundurus. Paralyzing things. HP Icing things. Sure, this works. Awesome. Great.
Excadrill. Spinning and shit. Sweet. Awesome. Real fast. Revenge killer. Awesome. Great.
Bisharp. Great poke. But that fire weakness all over this team? Mm. No-no.
Latios? Oh wait. I have ONE physical attacker. That's an issue.
Garchomp. Yes. Fantastic. I like it. I LOVE IT.
What's that TheEnder? I should add Ttar because Garchomp is redundant? Wow that sounds great. Thanks man. [:
ASSEMBLE
Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
As I've said before, this is the basis of the team right here. Ever since Aegislash said his goodbyes, Mega Gardevoir has just become more and more attractive (oh God, no put away your waifu-Gardevoir-fanart, get that away, that's not what I meant, ugh). Calm Mind was a choice I wasn't entirely sure of, but the ability to beat stall is just too necessary. The odd 24 Def investment is to be able to survive 2 Psyshocks from Latios (something I'm not completely sold on). While originally choosing a Modest nature for all that power, I decided a Timid nature would be better, cause, GOTTA GO FAST.
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Extrasensory
Greninja, my X/Y starter's final form is a lifesaver at times. I'll be completely honest, this one was chosen less from a competitive standpoint, and more from a personal preference. But I mean, hey, it has an A Class viability ranking, so it has to be able to something well on my team right? In short the blue frog functions as a more reliable revenge killer than my Excadrill (due to its lack of dependency on sand) as well as just flat out taking care of a few major threats to my team with the fantastic boost that it receives from its ability of becoming the STAB.
Ferrothorn (AKA "The Mountain") @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Protect
"No other knight in the realm inspires such terror in our enemies"
Tywin Lannister of Game of Thrones said it best... but then again he was talking about my Ferrothorn's namesake, not the actual Ferrothorn. But this doesn't really matter. Ferrothorn is a team player. As TheEnder has said, Ferrothorn is my "defensive glue". He is my go to man for taking hits unless there's a Heatran facing me down. Ferrothorn was chosen for this exact purpose. Along with its hazards, its just incredibly bulky and nice to have if I don't have anything else that wants to take a hit. The choice between Gyro Ball and Power Whip was a bit difficult for me, but I settled on Power Whip to deal with previously uncovered threats.
Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 56 Atk / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
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Thundurus was chosen mostly (I'll admit) for the crippling abilities of Prankster Thunder Wave. The ability to instantly shut down sweeps is wonderfully convenient. Not only that but this thing's offenses are just amazing. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've swept through portions of teams with this blue genie. While I originally ran Psychic it was suggested to me by TheEnder to run Superpower and a mixed Nature to deal with other threats to my team that weren't well covered previously. Thanks to Heliosan's suggested EV spread, I've been quite happy with the dents it punches in that annoyance called Heatran.
Starmie, I mean, er, Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
Excadrill was chosen for two reasons. The main being the obvious: rapid spin. Seeing as how Thundurus is a key player in this team, spin support is necessary for success, and while I have seen the rise of Starmie in the OU meta since Aegislash's departure, I do still believe the mole has an advantage over Patrick Star's cousin. While I thought about using a Defogger instead of the metal-mole, I just can't resist the amount of residual damage I gain from causing so many switches with rocks of my own up. The second reason for having Exca on my team is revenge killing. Sand Rush coupled with a Life Orb and Adamant nature utilizing the synergy of my sixth team member works quite well for outspeeding and KOing any threats while allowing it not to be locked into a Choice Scarf so that if I do choose to get off a Rapid Spin, I don't find myself switching out in order to actually attack again.
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Another excellent suggestion by TheEnder. I struggled quite a bit with this sixth slot. The main thing I knew is that I needed a Fire resist. But at the same time, I needed a Physical Attacker. Oh what could fit both roles perfectly? Why Scarfed Tyraniter? YES. PERFECT. Essentially this Ttar does what all Scarfed Ttars do I imagine. Switches in to live non-fighting type attacks, and then kill something with a surprising amount of speed. Bye-bye Charizard and Heatran, you dicks.
IMPORT
Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Extrasensory
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Protect
Thundurus @ Life Orb
EVs: 56 Atk / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Superpower
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Ability: Trace
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Extrasensory
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Protect
Thundurus @ Life Orb
EVs: 56 Atk / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Superpower
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
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