Title basically says it all, but to elaborate a little: I've played singles a lot, with friends more often than not, and not to brag or anything but I'm usually the one winning most often against my friends who are players I'd consider knowledgeable on the game. This is all to say I'm experienced in singles and love experiencing with strange builds. I figured I'd try the same thing in VGC, and I've had decent success, though I feel I'm mostly carried by my general abilities. So far I've played this team against a few friends and on the ladder, and it's been doing decently with a slight positive win rate: 8-7 on ladder, 3-1 vs friends. Obviously my sample size isn't very large, but that's why I'm here. Without further ado, the team is below.
Tapu Lele @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Psychic Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 94 SpA / 12 SpD / 168 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt
- Ally Switch
- Protect
I like this Tapu Lele set a lot because the bulk investment with Iapapa Berry allows it to live at least two hits against most common attackers I've faced thus far. Taunt and Ally Switch are useful for catching opponents off guard, giving Tapu Lele a way to support its teammates against most threats. The most common sets for Tapu Lele seem to be scarf and specs, so I may consider trying that too.
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 12 SpA / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Soak
- Heal Pulse
- Protect
This Tapu Fini set is really strange, but combos great with Kartana. You can soak pokemon that normally resist the coverage Kartana has so that Leaf Blade is almost guaranteed to OHKO (not to mention the defensive utility in Soak, since they lose stab and you can make your ally resist something), Ice Beam helps against Lando-T and other pokemon weak to it, and Heal Pulse is good for the late game attrition war, since you can usually alternate this plus protect with your other pokemon to gain as much health as possible. The 4 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested Tapu Fini.
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Not much is unusual about this set, but it's very effective in my experience. I like Adamant over Jolly because so far nothing has outsped Adamant that would require me to use Jolly, but looking at speed tiers, I think Adamant is pretty safe to run overall except for the case where I face a Jolly Scarf Lando-T. I prefer Knock Off over Superpower because spamming Superpower leaves yourself vulnerable while forcing you to switch as your Attack drops too low, and with Knock Off I don't have as much trouble versus bulky pokemon with Leftovers that would otherwise be annoying to deal with.
Alakazam @ Psychium Z
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Encore
- Protect
In the same way Tapu Fini and Kartana can combo with one another, this Alakazam set is great in combination with Tapu Lele. Shattered Psyche with terrain up can OHKO most pokemon in the metagame, and I like Encore as a support move since it can be effective versus a slower pokemon that's just used Protect, or even something like Snorlax when they Belly Drum or Recycle.
Kartana @ Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Protect
Again, another mostly standard set, but that's because it's effective. Kartana has great coverage with these three moves, and in the case something resists its moves, Tapu Fini can use Soak to provide that extra weakness Kartana needs. I started off usking a Z-Crystal but eventually switched for Focus Sash since it helps versus Heat Wave users quite a bit.
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Air Slash
- Tailwind
- Protect
To top it off, we have Charizard-Y with Air Slash instead of Solar Beam. I used to have Solar Beam but switched to Air Slash to help cover fast Fighting types without risking Tapu Lele or Alakazam, since both are physically frail and weak to common coverage moves like Knock Off and Poison Jab. Not much to say about this otherwise, it combos well with Lando-T but that's common knowledge by this point.
So that's the entire team. I've had the most trouble with Charizard-X and Tapu Koko, so if there are any changes I could make to improve my matchups with these pokemon that would be great. Anyway, thanks for any feedback you're willing to provide if you read this, I appreciate it a lot and am looking forward to improving the team!
Tapu Lele @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Psychic Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 94 SpA / 12 SpD / 168 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt
- Ally Switch
- Protect
I like this Tapu Lele set a lot because the bulk investment with Iapapa Berry allows it to live at least two hits against most common attackers I've faced thus far. Taunt and Ally Switch are useful for catching opponents off guard, giving Tapu Lele a way to support its teammates against most threats. The most common sets for Tapu Lele seem to be scarf and specs, so I may consider trying that too.
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 12 SpA / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Soak
- Heal Pulse
- Protect
This Tapu Fini set is really strange, but combos great with Kartana. You can soak pokemon that normally resist the coverage Kartana has so that Leaf Blade is almost guaranteed to OHKO (not to mention the defensive utility in Soak, since they lose stab and you can make your ally resist something), Ice Beam helps against Lando-T and other pokemon weak to it, and Heal Pulse is good for the late game attrition war, since you can usually alternate this plus protect with your other pokemon to gain as much health as possible. The 4 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested Tapu Fini.
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Not much is unusual about this set, but it's very effective in my experience. I like Adamant over Jolly because so far nothing has outsped Adamant that would require me to use Jolly, but looking at speed tiers, I think Adamant is pretty safe to run overall except for the case where I face a Jolly Scarf Lando-T. I prefer Knock Off over Superpower because spamming Superpower leaves yourself vulnerable while forcing you to switch as your Attack drops too low, and with Knock Off I don't have as much trouble versus bulky pokemon with Leftovers that would otherwise be annoying to deal with.
Alakazam @ Psychium Z
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Encore
- Protect
In the same way Tapu Fini and Kartana can combo with one another, this Alakazam set is great in combination with Tapu Lele. Shattered Psyche with terrain up can OHKO most pokemon in the metagame, and I like Encore as a support move since it can be effective versus a slower pokemon that's just used Protect, or even something like Snorlax when they Belly Drum or Recycle.
Kartana @ Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Protect
Again, another mostly standard set, but that's because it's effective. Kartana has great coverage with these three moves, and in the case something resists its moves, Tapu Fini can use Soak to provide that extra weakness Kartana needs. I started off usking a Z-Crystal but eventually switched for Focus Sash since it helps versus Heat Wave users quite a bit.
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Air Slash
- Tailwind
- Protect
To top it off, we have Charizard-Y with Air Slash instead of Solar Beam. I used to have Solar Beam but switched to Air Slash to help cover fast Fighting types without risking Tapu Lele or Alakazam, since both are physically frail and weak to common coverage moves like Knock Off and Poison Jab. Not much to say about this otherwise, it combos well with Lando-T but that's common knowledge by this point.
So that's the entire team. I've had the most trouble with Charizard-X and Tapu Koko, so if there are any changes I could make to improve my matchups with these pokemon that would be great. Anyway, thanks for any feedback you're willing to provide if you read this, I appreciate it a lot and am looking forward to improving the team!
