Death

The Pale Horseman

Philippines
Seen December 4th, 2020
Posted December 4th, 2020
617 posts
9.6 Years
It's the first time I've ever wanted to build a team with two Pokemon in mind, usually I just randomly IV breed and EV train whatever Pokemon and plop them back into the PC. I'm more of a Pokemon breeder than battler, I guess? Moving on, here is what we have so far:

Update 1.3
Ambipom @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- Shadow Claw
- U-turn

Scrafty @ Lum Berry

Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Drain Punch
- Crunch
- Poison Jab

Azumarill @ Splash Plate
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Superpower

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Will-O-Wisp
- U-turn

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Autotomize
- Shadow Claw
- Sacred Sword
Replaced:
Spoiler:
Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb


Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
- Earthquake (was replaced by Gyro Ball, but changed back to EQ)


Original Team
Spoiler:

Ambipom @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- U-turn

Scrafty @ Lum Berry
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Drain Punch
- Crunch
- Ice Punch

Azumarill @ Splash Plate
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Superpower

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Steel Wing
- U-turn

Sableye* @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Taunt
- Recover

Garchomp** @ Focus Sash
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

*originally Scizor
**originally Tyrantrum

PlatinumDude

Nyeh?

Age 29
Male
Canada
Seen July 31st, 2020
Posted May 30th, 2020
12,958 posts
12.7 Years
I'm afraid that Mega Kangaskhan outclasses Ambipom as an attacker, because of Parental Bond:
-Return
-Power-Up Punch/Fake Out
-Sucker Punch
-Earthquake/Crunch
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Item: Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy (becomes Parental Bond when it Mega Evolves)

Scrafty is better off using Poison Jab over Ice Punch, since it gained a 4x weakness to Fairy this gen.

Talonflame doesn't need all its Speed EVs; it only needs enough to outspeed Jolly Mega Kangaskhan: 92 HP/252 Atk/164 Spe. Also, Steel Wing is a terrible option for it, even if it deals with Rock Pokemon. It's better off U-turning/switching out to an appropriate counter. In its place, use Tailwind or Will-o-Wisp to allow Talonflame to support its teammates in a pinch.

Thunder Fang doesn't see much use on Tyrantrum because Head Smash hits the bulky Waters that Thunder Fang normally targets hard enough already:
-Head Smash
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
-Dragon Claw/Fire Fang
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Item: Choice Band

You do realize that Vacuum Wave is a Special move, right? It may benefit from Technician, but it runs off of Scizor's terrible Special Attack. Replace it with Brick Break, as this is its only option to deal with Steels.

Also, I noticed this team is seriously vulnerable to Fighting Pokemon (seen with half of your current team). You need something to deal with those outside of Azumarill, like Gengar and Aegislash:

Gengar:
-Shadow Ball
-Sludge Bomb
-Focus Blast/Hidden Power (Fire)
-Substitute/Protect
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Black Sludge/Life Orb

or
-Shadow Ball
-Sludge Bomb
-Focus Blast
-Hidden Power (Ice)/Dazzling Gleam
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Choice Scarf

or
-Shadow Ball
-Sludge Bomb/Focus Blast
-Taunt
-Destiny Bond
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Focus Sash

or
-Substitute
-Disable/Will-o-Wisp
-Shadow Ball
-Sludge Bomb/Focus Blast
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Black Sludge

Aegislash:
-King's Shield
-Shadow Ball
-Shadow Sneak
-Iron Head/Sacred Sword
Nature: Quiet
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SAtk
Item: Leftovers

or
-Swords Dance
-Autotomize
-Shadow Claw
-Iron Head/Sacred Sword
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 88 HP/252 Atk/168 Spe
Item: Leftovers

or
-Shadow Ball
-Shadow Sneak
-Iron Head
-Sacred Sword
Nature: Quiet
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 SAtk
Item: Life Orb/Spooky Plate/Spell Tag

or
-Swords Dance
-King's Shield/Shadow Claw
-Shadow Sneak
-Iron Head/Sacred Sword
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spe
Item: Leftovers

or
-Autotomize
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power (Ice)
-Iron Head/Sacred Sword
Nature: Rash
EVs: 88 Atk/252 SAtk/168 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Weakness Policy

Because Talonflame is 4x weak to Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin or Defog support is required. These Pokemon can do that for you:
Forretress:
-Stealth Rock/Spikes
-Rapid Spin
-Gyro Ball/Volt Switch
-Earthquake/Volt Switch
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SDef
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy

Starmie:
-Hydro Pump/Surf
-Psyshock/Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
-Rapid Spin
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SAtk/4 SDef/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure

or
-Scald
-Rapid Spin
-Psyshock/Ice Beam/Thunderbolt
-Recover
Nature: Timid
EVs: 248 HP/32 Def/4 SAtk/224 Spe
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure

Excadrill:
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Rapid Spin
-Shadow Claw/Swords Dance
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Assault Vest/Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker

Crobat:
-Brave Bird
-U-turn
-Defog
-Roost
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Item: Black Sludge/Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator

Mandibuzz:
-Foul Play
-Defog
-Taunt
-Roost
Nature: Bold
EVs: 248 HP/252 Def/8 SDef
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat

Death

The Pale Horseman

Philippines
Seen December 4th, 2020
Posted December 4th, 2020
617 posts
9.6 Years
Ah, thank you very much, let me play around with my current team and I'll update in a bit.

edit.
Okay, updated my current team, added Gengar and Forretress; kept Ambipom. But I do have a Kangaskhan in my PC with almost the same build you suggested.

Hiatus

Seen 2 Days Ago
Posted July 24th, 2021
12,283 posts
10.8 Years
For Forretress, I would replace Earthquake with Gyro Ball. You'd be able to take down a variety of rock- and ice-types with this attack, and it'd be quite powerful as well since Forretress is very, very slow. If I remember right, the strength of Gyro Ball depends on the slowness of your Pokémon, so, yeah. Aside from that, don't really have anything else to suggest; your team looks pretty good!

Aeroblast

Male
Basement
Seen February 25th, 2017
Posted February 25th, 2017
4,173 posts
9.8 Years
Not that Gyro Ball is a bad choice by any means, but just take caution that other steels like Aegislash, Excadrill will wall your Forretress completely if you run Gyro Ball instead of Earthquake. If you decide to stick with Gyro Ball, make sure Forretress has 0 speed IVs to take more advantage of Gyro Ball's power.
Age 29
Male
Seen May 10th, 2016
Posted January 9th, 2016
372 posts
12 Years
I'm afraid that Mega Kangaskhan outclasses Ambipom as an attacker, because of Parental Bond.
I wouldn't say so completely. In terms of power, sure thing. But Ambipom has a higher speed stat and the option of using an item. I've used him plenty and found him very useful in various situations. Being able to outspeed and KO Garchomp after a fakeout is amazing because nobody expects it. But I'm also sick of Mega Kangaskhan everywhere so I'm a little biased. But a Technician Life Orb Ambipom is not something to ignore completely, it hits very hard and is amazing as a pop in and out annoyance Pokemon. I also think a Switcheroo Ambipom can be frustrating, especially if someone wants to swap into it thinking they can take a hit and bam, they've got themselves a Flame Orb etc.

At the same time, does anybody know how Technician calculates? I worked it out on a stream and if I'm right, Double Hit has a slightly higher damage output then Return so you may want to swap those moves.

halcyonic

Seen March 12th, 2023
Posted September 5th, 2015
1,476 posts
11.2 Years
megakhan does have its merits. with parental bond, 2hko's effectively become ohko's thanks to parental bond.

and double hit is outclassed by return. double hit has nearly the same base power as a full powered return, and double hit has shaky accuracy.

PlatinumDude

Nyeh?

Age 29
Male
Canada
Seen July 31st, 2020
Posted May 30th, 2020
12,958 posts
12.7 Years
I wouldn't say so completely. In terms of power, sure thing. But Ambipom has a higher speed stat and the option of using an item. I've used him plenty and found him very useful in various situations. Being able to outspeed and KO Garchomp after a fakeout is amazing because nobody expects it. But I'm also sick of Mega Kangaskhan everywhere so I'm a little biased. But a Technician Life Orb Ambipom is not something to ignore completely, it hits very hard and is amazing as a pop in and out annoyance Pokemon. I also think a Switcheroo Ambipom can be frustrating, especially if someone wants to swap into it thinking they can take a hit and bam, they've got themselves a Flame Orb etc.

At the same time, does anybody know how Technician calculates? I worked it out on a stream and if I'm right, Double Hit has a slightly higher damage output then Return so you may want to swap those moves.
megakhan does have its merits. with parental bond, 2hko's effectively become ohko's thanks to parental bond.

and double hit is outclassed by return. double hit has nearly the same base power as a full powered return, and double hit has shaky accuracy.
I second Pirouette. While Ambipom has a wide move pool and higher Speed than Mega Kangaskhan, the latter's raw power in conjunction with Parental Bond is enough to make Mega Khan outclass Ambipom.

Parental Bond's double-attacking ability (the first hit at full power, with the second at half the power) is essentially a Choice Band boost that lets Mega Kangaskhan switch moves. This makes Mega Kangaskhan still edge out on Life Orb Ambipom in terms of power.

Death

The Pale Horseman

Philippines
Seen December 4th, 2020
Posted December 4th, 2020
617 posts
9.6 Years
On Return vs. Double Hit, I do prefer Return's 100% accuracy. I'm paranoid with missing.

I also rather like the surprise factor on Ambipom since nobody expects it to be fast. Though one thing MKanga has over Ambipom that I sometimes really wish my Ambipom had is a priority move (besides Fake Out, anyway). haha

PlatinumDude

Nyeh?

Age 29
Male
Canada
Seen July 31st, 2020
Posted May 30th, 2020
12,958 posts
12.7 Years
On Return vs. Double Hit, I do prefer Return's 100% accuracy. I'm paranoid with missing.

I also rather like the surprise factor on Ambipom since nobody expects it to be fast. Though one thing MKanga has over Ambipom that I sometimes really wish my Ambipom had is a priority move. haha
People already know that Ambipom is fast, fyi. 115 Speed is good, actually.

Death

The Pale Horseman

Philippines
Seen December 4th, 2020
Posted December 4th, 2020
617 posts
9.6 Years
Yeah, that they do. But there are still those odd times when people assume one Pokemon is faster than Ambipom so they switch into two returns that can potentially take the opposing Pokemon out. But then again, we can't rely on people making those kinds of mistakes anyway.

That aside, how would a switcheroo Ambipom look? Would it be the same as LO Ambi?
Ambipom @ Flame Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Switcheroo
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- U-turn

Zeffy

g'day

Male
Seen December 1st, 2022
Posted January 30th, 2021
6,395 posts
14.1 Years
There are a lot more Pokemon who can utilize a Switcheroo set far better than Ambipom--it's only main advantage is speed. A burned Ambipom is a useless Ambipom as if it isn't already. If you're going to keep using Ambipom, keep your current set.

Aeroblast

Male
Basement
Seen February 25th, 2017
Posted February 25th, 2017
4,173 posts
9.8 Years
I wouldn't say so completely. In terms of power, sure thing. But Ambipom has a higher speed stat and the option of using an item. I've used him plenty and found him very useful in various situations. Being able to outspeed and KO Garchomp after a fakeout is amazing because nobody expects it. But I'm also sick of Mega Kangaskhan everywhere so I'm a little biased. But a Technician Life Orb Ambipom is not something to ignore completely, it hits very hard and is amazing as a pop in and out annoyance Pokemon. I also think a Switcheroo Ambipom can be frustrating, especially if someone wants to swap into it thinking they can take a hit and bam, they've got themselves a Flame Orb etc.

At the same time, does anybody know how Technician calculates? I worked it out on a stream and if I'm right, Double Hit has a slightly higher damage output then Return so you may want to swap those moves.
Parental Bond is just so overpowered. Not that Ambipom is completely useless by any means, but it's just outclassed by majority of factors terms of sheer power that Mega Kangaskhan has. Double Power-up Punch and 200 damage Seismic Toss (post-Bank) is just icing on the cake.

Yeah, that they do. But there are still those odd times when people assume one Pokemon is faster than Ambipom so they switch into two returns that can potentially take the opposing Pokemon out. But then again, we can't rely on people making those kinds of mistakes anyway.

That aside, how would a switcheroo Ambipom look? Would it be the same as LO Ambi?
Ambipom @ Flame Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Switcheroo
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- U-turn
If you really want to use Switcheroo... it is a bit tricky to use with Flame Orb, especially if you opponent has something like Choice specs, because you have to use it in the first turn otherwise you'd get burned. You could try other items like Choice Band which is a better alternative on Ambipom, though be careful about using switcheroo with other powerful physical 'mons.
Age 29
Male
Seen May 10th, 2016
Posted January 9th, 2016
372 posts
12 Years
I think there's a high chance Mega Kanga will eventually get moved to Ubers though. But I think at the same time the one thing that's great about Ambipom is as I said before, his ability to just keep popping in and out to put on some damage, and sometimes even finish off or just scout with U-Turn. It's attack isn't amazing but I reckon it's still nice. I've had some great use of it against some common OU Pokemon such as Garchomp, Dragonite, Mamoswine, Togekiss, Cloyster etc. But you're all right in that Mega Kanga definitely has the advantage with Parental Bond, but I think that's the exact reason he will be moved to Ubers. I'm not too sure about a Switcheroo set, it's just an idea I had, ideally though I think an Orb might be more effective then a Choice item because the Pokemon looking to finish off Ambipom are usually offensive hitters. But I don't think his niche is in Switcheroo either.

Death

The Pale Horseman

Philippines
Seen December 4th, 2020
Posted December 4th, 2020
617 posts
9.6 Years
My friend uses another set for Ambipom and I think it looks like this:

Ambipom @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double Hit
- Power-Up Punch
- U-turn

My only question is how effective is using a Silk Scarf over Life Orb? I understand that this Ambipom doesn't take LO damage, but if the Silk Scarf boost is only 20% compared to the 30% boost of LO, is it really worth it [not taking LO recoil]?

PlatinumDude

Nyeh?

Age 29
Male
Canada
Seen July 31st, 2020
Posted May 30th, 2020
12,958 posts
12.7 Years
My friend uses another set for Ambipom and I think it looks like this:

Ambipom @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double Hit
- Power-Up Punch
- U-turn

My only question is how effective is using a Silk Scarf over Life Orb? I understand that this Ambipom doesn't take LO damage, but if the Silk Scarf boost is only 20% compared to the 30% boost of LO, is it really worth it [not taking LO recoil]?
Don't bother with Double Hit for the reasons already stated. A miss from there can cost you. Also, U-turn wipes away any Attack boosts racked up by Power-Up Punch, so something like Payback or Shadow Claw is better for Ghosts. Jolly is also the preferred nature, since Adamant Ambipom will fail to outspeed threats like Mienshao and Mega Lucario.

Age 29
Male
Seen May 10th, 2016
Posted January 9th, 2016
372 posts
12 Years
Don't bother with Double Hit for the reasons already stated. A miss from there can cost you. Also, U-turn wipes away any Attack boosts racked up by Power-Up Punch, so something like Payback or Shadow Claw is better for Ghosts. Jolly is also the preferred nature, since Adamant Ambipom will fail to outspeed threats like Mienshao and Mega Lucario.
I'd double that actually now that I think about it. A miss is not worth I think 2-4 extra attack power. I don't think Ambipom is a very good Pokemon to try and stack stats on either, he'll go down very quickly and be forced to swap out often. Jolly is also preferred, you can get the extra attack boost from a Life Orb should you choose to use it.