LonelyBarstool
Master Bird-Feeder
- 21
- Posts
- 11
- Years
- Age 25
- The Local Pub
- Seen Oct 2, 2014
INTRO
So I've been playing competitive pokemon for several months now, and have made fairly successful teams for every metagame except for Ubers and Hackmons. I recently started playing around with LC when some of my friends wanted me to make a team to play them. It has become my favorite metagame because of its many different strategies and the fact that most people that play the tier are experienced and know what they are doing. This is my third team I made and it's definitely met my expectations, currently hovering between 1800-1850 on the ladder which is not quite top 100, but I think it could get there with a few minor tweaks and more dedication to laddering it on my part. The premise of my building this team is based upon one of my favorite team-styles of having 5 offensive pivots that check eachother's threats and one fast powerful sweeper to clean up at the end. There are a few obvious weaknesses, but probably many others I haven't noticed as well, so all advice and insights are welcome.
THE TEAM
Enough talking, here's the lineup.
Misdreavus (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SAtk / 240 Spd / 28 HP
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Misdreavus is the closest thing to a staple in LC, and is arguably one of the most useful pokemon in the tier. It's ability to check and then set up on many threats, including everyone's boy Mienfoo, is in itself a great asset to Misdreavus. She can take on special attacks as well as physical ones with the help of will-o-wisp, and after one nasty plot boost is able to KO or severely dent whatever the opponent throws at it. Shadow Ball and HP Fighting work very well together and are unresisted as far as I know. I chose timid nature so that che can outspeed abra on occasion. Levitate adds to her usefulness because as you will see, this team has a glaring weakness to ground attacks. In a tier where almost every team carries a fighting type, Misdreavus' ghost typing makes her one of the most important pokemon on this team. That fact most opponents carry several checks for Misdreavus and she is still able to do well proves how good of a pokemon she is.
Murkrow (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 188 Spd / 20 SDef / 28 Def
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Substitute
- Roost
Murkrow has great synergy with Croagunk, Misdreavus, and Magnemite, and posses great offensive power as well, so it seemed like a no-brainer to add him to this team. One of the most important facts to note about this guy is his ability to check opposing Misdreavuses. He can sub before the burn and proceed to brave bird the hell out of her or if I'm feeling especially good with my predicting skills attempt to sneak in a sucker punch before she can do anything. Brave Bird is a powerful STAB that leaves dents in everything unresisted and allows this bird to destroy foonguses which can be very annoying to this team. Sucker Punch allows Murkrow to check any fast setup sweepers, or just fast pokemon in general. Sub and roost are what make this guy a great pivot. he can sub on predicted switches or status moves, and then roost off the damage to keep him in the game. A stealth rock weakness is slightly annoying, but overall not that big of a deal. The fact that Murkrow does not preform well against chinchou is a major let down, but I cannot see any reasonable replacement that is able to do what he does and take care of chinchou at the same time.
Ponyta (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Flame Body
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 76 SDef / 4 HP / 196 Spd / 76 Def
Jolly Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Wild Charge
- Flare Blitz
- Morning Sun
This slot originally belonged to a curse Munchlax, but I found his physical bulk and offensive prowess to be sadly underwhelming, so I made the switch to Ponyta. Ponyta takes fire hits just as well if not better than Munchlax, and is able to burn the opponent back with Will-O-Wisp or Flame Body. His ability to soak up burns targeted at Croagunk is also very helpful as well as drawing water attacks for the punching frog to absorb. Flare Blitz and Wild Charge both hit very hard, making the opponent wary to switch anything into it. However Ponyta's weakness to entry hazards and the fact that its two attacking moves cause major recoil for the horse means that he does not stay in the game as long as I'd like sometimes, not to mention that his typing also gives my team more weaknesses to rock and ground. Morning Sun remedies the health problem somewhat but comes up short more often than not.
Croagunk (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Dry Skin
Level: 5
EVs: 28 Atk / 116 SDef / 116 Def / 36 Spd / 212 HP
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
Croagunk is one studly pokemon. Among its fighting type brethren Croagunk stands out as bulky badass that can check its own brothers, and proceed to set up on them. If allowed to nab a few boosts croagunk can deal out major damage to the opposing team, while unboosted the toad can still dent many pokemon and take their hits in return. Drain Punch provides much needed healing while doubling as a powerful STAB that hits many pokemon very hard. Sucker Punch makes up for Croagunk's lack of speed and lets him take down many pokemon that could severely hurt him such as Abra or Rick Ghastly. Earthquake takes the last spot instead of payback, to make Croagunk an effective chinchou counter, but leaves him hopelessly walled by defensive Misdreavus. If his counters are taken out early in the game, Croagunk can pull off many a sweep to leave the opponent helpless and considering of putting more Croagunk checks on his team.
Magnemite @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Magnet Pull
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SAtk / 240 Spd / 28 SDef
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Magnemite's ability to scout out opposing switch ins is invaluable to this team, and lets my team get the upper hand early on. Magnemite is more often than not my lead if I am not sure about who the opponent will throw at me first, and does an excellent job of it. Its typing also grants me many helpful resistances, but his low bulk does disappoint on occasion. Magnet Pull lets me quickly dispatch of Ferroseeds which is a nice bonus. T-Bolt is a powerful STAB option if I don't want to switch out, and Flash Cannon takes care of Snovers and occasional rock type switch-ins. The momentum that Magnemite provides to this team is invaluable.
Abra (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Remember when I mentioned that frail but powerful and fast end game cleaner? Abra is able to get things done after the other five have done their job of wearing down the opposing team, and is often not even needed to finish the game. Magic Guard lets Abra enter the battle without enrty hazards taking away its sash and I will occasionally switch her into a predicted leech seed or toxic/burn but that job generally falls to Croagunk and Ponyta. I don't see why more people don't put sashes on their abras, it lets her take a sucker punch and then retaliate back without worry and lets her beat other Abras one on one. Calm Mind aids the sweep as Abra causes many switches, allowing for time to grab the boost and make sure that nothing can take a Psychic to the dome. I put timid on Abra to ensure it outspeeds Misdreavus.
THREAT LIST
I'll update this list as I continue to battle with this team.
Entry Hazards:
Because of the fact that this team does a good share of switching and lacks a spinner, entry hazards can be an annoyance that rack up unnecessary damage against my team. However I can't see any way to fit a spinner in without losing a large amount of this team's synergy so i decided to roll without it.
Dwebble:
Not very hard for me to take down, and I can generally set up with Misdreavus or Croagunk on this guy, but the entry hazards he lays are as stated above a great annoyance to me.
Chinchou:
I don't have much that's super effective against him and he can severely cripple my team before I manage to get rid of him.
Diglett:
His ability to trap and then counter most of my team is a great danger, and I always have to be careful when the opponent has him on his team.
Foongus:
While not hard for me to get rid of, if switched in at the right time will make me have to sacrifice something to spore, rendering them incapable to battle.
Drilbur:
Can deal with a good chunk of my team in the sand if Misdreavus is out of play.
Murkrow:
If the opponent is running the same set as I am, then I am hard pressed to find something that can get rid of Murkrow before it takes out my whole team.
Misdreavus:
A threat to almost every team in LC. Even with two sucker punchers, a pokemon that outspeeds it, hits physically, and can take burns, and Abra who speed ties it and can hit it super effectively, I still find myself having trouble with Misdreavus.
CONCLUSION
I'd like to mention that most of these EV spreads are based off ones from smogon, so if you have a better idea for a spread, I'll gladly consider using it. That's pretty much it! Please take the time to rate or at least give advice. Thank you!
So I've been playing competitive pokemon for several months now, and have made fairly successful teams for every metagame except for Ubers and Hackmons. I recently started playing around with LC when some of my friends wanted me to make a team to play them. It has become my favorite metagame because of its many different strategies and the fact that most people that play the tier are experienced and know what they are doing. This is my third team I made and it's definitely met my expectations, currently hovering between 1800-1850 on the ladder which is not quite top 100, but I think it could get there with a few minor tweaks and more dedication to laddering it on my part. The premise of my building this team is based upon one of my favorite team-styles of having 5 offensive pivots that check eachother's threats and one fast powerful sweeper to clean up at the end. There are a few obvious weaknesses, but probably many others I haven't noticed as well, so all advice and insights are welcome.
THE TEAM
Enough talking, here's the lineup.
Misdreavus (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SAtk / 240 Spd / 28 HP
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Misdreavus is the closest thing to a staple in LC, and is arguably one of the most useful pokemon in the tier. It's ability to check and then set up on many threats, including everyone's boy Mienfoo, is in itself a great asset to Misdreavus. She can take on special attacks as well as physical ones with the help of will-o-wisp, and after one nasty plot boost is able to KO or severely dent whatever the opponent throws at it. Shadow Ball and HP Fighting work very well together and are unresisted as far as I know. I chose timid nature so that che can outspeed abra on occasion. Levitate adds to her usefulness because as you will see, this team has a glaring weakness to ground attacks. In a tier where almost every team carries a fighting type, Misdreavus' ghost typing makes her one of the most important pokemon on this team. That fact most opponents carry several checks for Misdreavus and she is still able to do well proves how good of a pokemon she is.
Murkrow (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 188 Spd / 20 SDef / 28 Def
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Substitute
- Roost
Murkrow has great synergy with Croagunk, Misdreavus, and Magnemite, and posses great offensive power as well, so it seemed like a no-brainer to add him to this team. One of the most important facts to note about this guy is his ability to check opposing Misdreavuses. He can sub before the burn and proceed to brave bird the hell out of her or if I'm feeling especially good with my predicting skills attempt to sneak in a sucker punch before she can do anything. Brave Bird is a powerful STAB that leaves dents in everything unresisted and allows this bird to destroy foonguses which can be very annoying to this team. Sucker Punch allows Murkrow to check any fast setup sweepers, or just fast pokemon in general. Sub and roost are what make this guy a great pivot. he can sub on predicted switches or status moves, and then roost off the damage to keep him in the game. A stealth rock weakness is slightly annoying, but overall not that big of a deal. The fact that Murkrow does not preform well against chinchou is a major let down, but I cannot see any reasonable replacement that is able to do what he does and take care of chinchou at the same time.
Ponyta (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Flame Body
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 76 SDef / 4 HP / 196 Spd / 76 Def
Jolly Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Wild Charge
- Flare Blitz
- Morning Sun
This slot originally belonged to a curse Munchlax, but I found his physical bulk and offensive prowess to be sadly underwhelming, so I made the switch to Ponyta. Ponyta takes fire hits just as well if not better than Munchlax, and is able to burn the opponent back with Will-O-Wisp or Flame Body. His ability to soak up burns targeted at Croagunk is also very helpful as well as drawing water attacks for the punching frog to absorb. Flare Blitz and Wild Charge both hit very hard, making the opponent wary to switch anything into it. However Ponyta's weakness to entry hazards and the fact that its two attacking moves cause major recoil for the horse means that he does not stay in the game as long as I'd like sometimes, not to mention that his typing also gives my team more weaknesses to rock and ground. Morning Sun remedies the health problem somewhat but comes up short more often than not.
Croagunk (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Dry Skin
Level: 5
EVs: 28 Atk / 116 SDef / 116 Def / 36 Spd / 212 HP
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
Croagunk is one studly pokemon. Among its fighting type brethren Croagunk stands out as bulky badass that can check its own brothers, and proceed to set up on them. If allowed to nab a few boosts croagunk can deal out major damage to the opposing team, while unboosted the toad can still dent many pokemon and take their hits in return. Drain Punch provides much needed healing while doubling as a powerful STAB that hits many pokemon very hard. Sucker Punch makes up for Croagunk's lack of speed and lets him take down many pokemon that could severely hurt him such as Abra or Rick Ghastly. Earthquake takes the last spot instead of payback, to make Croagunk an effective chinchou counter, but leaves him hopelessly walled by defensive Misdreavus. If his counters are taken out early in the game, Croagunk can pull off many a sweep to leave the opponent helpless and considering of putting more Croagunk checks on his team.
Magnemite @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Magnet Pull
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SAtk / 240 Spd / 28 SDef
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Magnemite's ability to scout out opposing switch ins is invaluable to this team, and lets my team get the upper hand early on. Magnemite is more often than not my lead if I am not sure about who the opponent will throw at me first, and does an excellent job of it. Its typing also grants me many helpful resistances, but his low bulk does disappoint on occasion. Magnet Pull lets me quickly dispatch of Ferroseeds which is a nice bonus. T-Bolt is a powerful STAB option if I don't want to switch out, and Flash Cannon takes care of Snovers and occasional rock type switch-ins. The momentum that Magnemite provides to this team is invaluable.
Abra (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Remember when I mentioned that frail but powerful and fast end game cleaner? Abra is able to get things done after the other five have done their job of wearing down the opposing team, and is often not even needed to finish the game. Magic Guard lets Abra enter the battle without enrty hazards taking away its sash and I will occasionally switch her into a predicted leech seed or toxic/burn but that job generally falls to Croagunk and Ponyta. I don't see why more people don't put sashes on their abras, it lets her take a sucker punch and then retaliate back without worry and lets her beat other Abras one on one. Calm Mind aids the sweep as Abra causes many switches, allowing for time to grab the boost and make sure that nothing can take a Psychic to the dome. I put timid on Abra to ensure it outspeeds Misdreavus.
THREAT LIST
I'll update this list as I continue to battle with this team.
Entry Hazards:
Because of the fact that this team does a good share of switching and lacks a spinner, entry hazards can be an annoyance that rack up unnecessary damage against my team. However I can't see any way to fit a spinner in without losing a large amount of this team's synergy so i decided to roll without it.
Dwebble:
Not very hard for me to take down, and I can generally set up with Misdreavus or Croagunk on this guy, but the entry hazards he lays are as stated above a great annoyance to me.
Chinchou:
I don't have much that's super effective against him and he can severely cripple my team before I manage to get rid of him.
Diglett:
His ability to trap and then counter most of my team is a great danger, and I always have to be careful when the opponent has him on his team.
Foongus:
While not hard for me to get rid of, if switched in at the right time will make me have to sacrifice something to spore, rendering them incapable to battle.
Drilbur:
Can deal with a good chunk of my team in the sand if Misdreavus is out of play.
Murkrow:
If the opponent is running the same set as I am, then I am hard pressed to find something that can get rid of Murkrow before it takes out my whole team.
Misdreavus:
A threat to almost every team in LC. Even with two sucker punchers, a pokemon that outspeeds it, hits physically, and can take burns, and Abra who speed ties it and can hit it super effectively, I still find myself having trouble with Misdreavus.
CONCLUSION
I'd like to mention that most of these EV spreads are based off ones from smogon, so if you have a better idea for a spread, I'll gladly consider using it. That's pretty much it! Please take the time to rate or at least give advice. Thank you!
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