the Flightmare.
Introduction:
Hey everyone, I'm just bringing to you guys a team of mine that I've enjoyed using over the course of ORAS Doubles featuring Charizard Y. Charizard Y is, in my opinion, one of the 5 best Pokemon in the metagame and a Pokemon that I've been experimenting with quite extensively over the course of ORAS Doubles. This is more to track the progression of this team from its inception back in early December, 2014, to its current state right now, which will hopefully provide some insight to the reader about what I've come to learn about 'Zard, as well as my experimentations with a whole host of other Pokemon and how they co-exist together. Over the time I've spent building with this team it has gone several large scale transformations, with the current form looking absolutely nothing like that original, and if I am to be completely honest, the team will keep evolving as the metagame continues to evolve.
The Team
hooligan (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
- U-turn
I'm using a standard Landorus-T, with the only major difference being that I choose to use Jolly instead of Adamant. The additional power for me is negligible, but the ability to outrun and get the jump on Pokemon such as Deoxys-A, as well as Pokemon which speed creep Adamant Landorus-T, is a lot more useful. Not to mention people EV their Pokemon to live hits from Adamant Landorus-T, so the Speed bonus is all the more gravy since I do tend to get the same OHKO's and 2HKO's.
chrom (Aegislash) (M) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 248 HP / 20 SpA / 240 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- King's Shield
- Shadow Sneak
This is my signature Specially Defensive Aegislash set. It plays quite a bit different than the conventional Aegislash, as it can also function effectively as a lure towards common Aegislash checks such as Charizard, Heatran, and Hydreigon. The Special Defence investment allows it to live a Heat Wave from Modest Charizard Y in the Sun 100% of the time, an Earth Power from Mega Camerupt, and a 20% chance to live 2 Heat Waves from Heatran (all factoring in spread of course). After taking those hits, it activates Weakness Policy, and a combination of Shadow Ball + Shadow Sneak always KO's the above Pokemon. The Special Attack investment also always lets it OHKO 44 HP Landorus-T at +2 with its Special Stabs. I opted for 0 Spe and a Quiet nature to win vs Modest Aegislash (barring Subsets). I've also used a Mild nature version which outruns Azumarill and 0 Spe Cresselia.
flightmare (Charizard) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Def / 8 Spa / 188 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Protect
- Roost
For my Charizard, I currently run a faster, bulky Charizard Y. The investment in HP and Defence allows it to always live an Adamant Mega Kangaskhans Return, with the HP number also allowing me to switch in on Stealth Rocks twice, if the opponent should ever bring them. The Speed investment allows Charizard to outrun Adamant Landorus-T, with the remaining 8 EVs put into Special Attack. The moveset is for the most part standard, though I chose to use Roost instead of Overheat or Hidden Power Ground as it comes in quite handy during late-game scenarios, or for when you predict a switch. Of course, running either of those other options is fine, and I have found myself doing so when I predict my opponent to bring teams where they would be beneficial.
winnersaur (Venusaur) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect
- Sleep Powder
This is a standard Cholorosaur, but with Expert Belt over Life Orb, because I force myself to item clause, and I personally think Wide Lens is overrated since Sleep Powder still only hits 82% of the time. That is quite literally the only reason. But anyway, the Speed investment on this set allows it to outrun Jolly Scarf Landorus-T, as opposed to the Adamant version, because losing my Charizard to a Scarf Landorus-T because my own Venusaur could not outrun the Landorus is the dumbest scenario I can think of for a Sun-team.
stay golden (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Standard Life Orb Latios, with the only exception being that I opted for Hidden Power Ground instead of Tailwind. The reason for that is because being able to beat Heatran 1 on 1 makes Latios a lot more threatening towards defensive and balanced teams, in my opinion, as those teams tend to rely on Heatran as a primary answer to Dragons (which is why Kyurem-B just dismantles them completely). Tailwind also didn't really matter on this team as Landorus-T, Latios, Raikou, and Venusaur under the Sun are all quite fast, and Charizard is a faster, bulky spread meaning that having to outrun things is not actually a hard feat for this team.
tigre (Raikou) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 32 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Snarl
- Protect
- Thunder Wave
Bulky Raikou is a set I wanted to try out for myself after seeing it in Arcticblast's Pulses. I opted for Thunderbolt over Volt Switch on my set since Volt Switches damage output was pitiful and having to constantly switch Raikou out if I'm up against a bulky Water would be annoying as all hell, though I can definitely see the benefits of having two pivot options. Another difference is that my Raikou is faster, with his outrunning 110's and creepers (thanks to the bonus stat point 212-216 gives), whereas I outrun offensive Thundurus, so I can hit it with Snarl or Thunderbolt. Leftovers was chosen over Sitrus as I like the residual gain, rather than the one time boost, since I often bring Raikou in late-game to just slowly wear down Special Attackers with Snarl, and being able to Protect + Lefties stall against them as they have their Special Attack brought down to 0.29x is hilarious.
Construction and Experimentation notes
Phase 1:
Back in early December, when ORAS had been out for a week, I had built the original version of this team. At the time my original plan was to utilize Shadow-Trapping as a way to comfortably get Charizard into the game, as well as break down opposing checks to Charizard using the other members of my team. The team at the time featured Gothitelle, Charizard, Landorus-T, Aegislash, Amoonguss, and Keldeo. The team itself was underwhelming, notably the lack of offense it produced as Amoonguss and Gothitelle were far too passive, and from my experience, Charizard itself likes to be on more offensively skewed teams. However the trapping idea from this team worked reasonably well, though Gothitelle itself was more often than not a burden when on the field, and I would often find myself keeping it in for a turn or 2 and being forced to take it back out. Some of the more notable things from this stage though was the use of Safety Goggles Keldeo and the beginnings of my experimentation with Specially Defensive Aegislash, which is something of a signature set of mine.
Phase 2:
After a few minor tweaks, this team came about in late January of this year. Most of the sets from the original team were retained on this version, except Keldeo had been switched to the standard Life Orb set, and I had switched to the standard Wide Guard Weakness Policy, as opposed to the Specially Defensive version from my original build. The biggest difference in the team though is the inclusion of Electivire. The reason for Electivire on the team was because I was looking for ways to get around the Electric-type weakness shared between Keldeo and Charizard, and I noticed that Electivire had an immunity to the type, as well as Follow Me. In hindsight, Raichu might have made for a better redirector, as it does not have to use Follow Me in order to redirect Electric-type attacks, and also because it can provide the team additional support with Fake Out + Encore, as well as Nuzzle to provide Speed control. However, even in this form the team was too passive, as Electivire and Amoonguss combined do not provide the team with enough offensive pressure, and if both were ever out at the same time the entire team would come to a halt.
Phase 3:
Come March, this was what the team had evolved into. Amoonguss had been officially let go, and had been replaced by a Latios. This addressed the teams issue with maintaining a constant outflow of offensive pressure, and also gave me a solid way to break past Dragon-types. There isn't much to say about the sets, for the most part they were standard, Charizard had been adopted into a bulky set, though I was constantly tinkering with just how much bulk would be needed. It ranged from the standard Adamant Kangaskhans Return, to a Rock Slide from Landorus-T, and even to a Rock Slide from Excadrill (which was more of a preparation for if I brought this team to my seasonal battles vs Vinc2612). Landorus-T had also been switched to a Jolly Scarf set, as it allowed me to get the jump on Ludicolos under the rain, as at the time they only EV'd for up to Mega-Sceptile, it was an excellent way to pivot my 'Zard in on Politoed and Ludicolo. Other notable mentions include Sunny Day on Charizard, which is a solid option on the bulkier Charizard sets, and Roost Latios which worked well for when Latios was brought in mid-game, as opposed to a late-game sweep.
Phase 4:
The last form was short-lived, as come early April I had drastically shifted the team again. Electivire had been ousted in favour of Thundurus, and Keldeo was switched to Virizion. Even Landorus-T had been adjusted, this time to a Jolly Banded Set, which is actually a set I quite enjoy, especially with Tailwind support provided by Latios. The reason I had opted for Virizion was because of how effectively it worked against Amoonguss + Kangaskhan sets, as well as giving me another option versus Water-types. Thundurus was added in for Taunt, as well as the offensive pressure it provided. The issue with this team though was that Banded Landorus and Aegislash were not an effective pair, as I could no longer fire off an Earthquake in order to do significant damage to the opposing team and activate Weakness Policy to clean up. This team also had major issues with Diancie, which at one point made me consider Flash Cannon on Thundurus. This version is also the first instance of this team with Roost Charizard.
Phase 5:
This is the version of the team which was the fastest adjusted. Virizion was removed for Venusaur, as it gave me another way to beat Diancie, and Latios was swapped out for Kyurem-B, since it gave me a more solid check to Landorus-T, Heatran, and balanced / defensive teams in general. Zapdos was added on as I wanted a way to set Tailwind for Kyurem and Charizard, and Heat Wave gave me another option for beating Ferrothorns and Bisharps. There is not much to say about this version, as the exact 6 Pokemon are found on Stratos's Sun Team, though the Aegislash, Charizard, and Zapdos spreads are different. My Zapdos is faster, outrunning Jolly Breloom, and my Charizard is also faster. Don't even get me started on the differences between the Aegislash sets.
Phase 6 (Current):
And here is the current rendition of the team. I had went back to Latios, and Zapdos was swapped out for Raikou. Latios was subbed out for Kyurem-B as I found the other version to be weak to Hydreigon, as well as Terrakion (if anyone were to ever bring one). Hidden Power Ground on Latios also helped stave off the Heatran weakness, and just having greater Speed has provided my team a lot more flexibility. I do occasionally miss the complete ease in which Kyurem-B dismantles some teams, but I think Latios is just more suited to my playstyle. Raikou was added in order to shave off an additional Diancie weakness. I originally experimented with a surprise Hidden Power Steel on it, but I quickly changed to a bulkier Raikou with Thunder Wave and Snarl.
Importable
flightmare (Charizard-Mega-Y) (M) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Def / 8 SpA / 188 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Protect
- Roost
hooligan (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
- U-turn
chrom (Aegislash) (M) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 248 HP / 20 SpA / 240 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- King's Shield
- Shadow Sneak
stay golden (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Ground]
tigre (Raikou) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 32 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Snarl
- Protect
- Thunder Wave
winnersaur (Venusaur) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect
- Sleep Powder
Ability: Drought
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Def / 8 SpA / 188 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Protect
- Roost
hooligan (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
- U-turn
chrom (Aegislash) (M) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 248 HP / 20 SpA / 240 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- King's Shield
- Shadow Sneak
stay golden (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Ground]
tigre (Raikou) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 32 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Snarl
- Protect
- Thunder Wave
winnersaur (Venusaur) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect
- Sleep Powder
