First gen 6 team!

[ProfDunsparce]

Hey guys, I've just started messing around with gen 6 battling and here's the first team I've put together. Any feedback is appreciated!

Carbink@Leftovers
Clear Body
Sassy Nature
252 HP/ 252 SpD/ 4 Def
-Reflect
-Stealth Rock
-Gyro Ball
-Toxic

This guy's basically here to set up Stealth Rocks and support the team with Reflect. Toxic allows him to spread some status a bit, while Gyro Ball allows him to take out (severely) weakened opponents. I'm a little iffy about its place on the team because usually it just gets the rocks up, sets up Reflect, and then dies. Definitely open to ideas for replacements here.

Conkeldurr@Assault Vest
Guts
Adamant Nature
252 HP/ 252 Atk/ 4 Def
-Drain Punch
-Mach Punch
-Payback
-Poison Jab

Thought I'd play with Assault Vest to patch up the weaker defensive stat. It prevents use of Bulk Up, but on the plus side, I can run 4 moves on him. Fighting/Dark is a good offensive combination, but is resisted by fairies, which is why Poison Jab is there. Drain Punch is for healing and Mach Punch is to pick off weakened foes.

Lucario@Lucarionite
Timid Nature
252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
-Nasty Plot
-Aura Sphere
-Vacuum Wave
-Shadow Ball

Lucario is fast, powerful, and has access to priority in Vacuum Wave. Ghost/Fighting hits a lot of things for neutral damage and Nasty Plot pads his already formidable special attack.

Gengar@Black Sludge
Timid Nature
252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
-Substitute
-Shadow Ball
-Focus Blast
-Thunderbolt

3 immunities give it a lot of switch in opportunities. I've also found from past experience that Gengar forces a lot of switches so Substitute works very well for it. On top of that, the popularity of Mega Gengar can really play mind games with people.

Alakazam@Life Orb
Magic Guard
Timid Nature
252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
-Psyshock
-Shadow Ball
-Dazzling Gleam
-Focus Blast

With Magic Guard and Life Orb, Alakazam actually has a higher damage output then its Mega form. I just went with 4 attacks here to get as much coverage as possible.

Bisharp@Blackglasses
Defiant
Adamant Nature
252 Atk/ 252 HP/ 4 Def
-Night Slash
-Sucker Punch
-Swords Dance
-Low Sweep

Basically my Aegislash counter. Defiant means it is unaffected by King's Shield. Sucker Punch is for taking on faster foes, but Night Slash is also there to allow him to hit Aegislash when it uses Swords Dance. Low Sweep is there for coverage and its somewhat useful speed lowering capabilities. Black Glasses might seem like a weak item, but I usually play with item clause so I can't use something like Life Orb (Alakazam's already using it). I'm open to suggestions though!

A potential weakness I'm just noticing is that my attacks are almost exclusively dark/ghost/fighting...

Anyway, I'm open to all suggestions/criticism!

 

[zygardian harbinger]

A good replacement for a Carbink to set up resistances and traps could be Klefki, due to its Prankster ability, prioritising status moves. There are two ways in which you might run a good Klefki set, the first being a Suicide Lead to set up hazards and status afflictions:

Nature: Bold/Calm
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Defence, 4 Special Defence
Ability: Prankster
Item: Focus Sash
Imprison
Spikes
Toxic
Dazzling Gleam/Play Rough/Draining Kiss

Or you could use it as a Double Screener (mainly a good Doubles Battle tactic):

Nature: Bold/Calm
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Defence, 4 Special Defence
Ability: Prankster
Item: Light Clay
Reflect
Light Screen
Toxic/Thunder Wave
Dazzling Gleam/Play Rough/Draining Kiss

 

[halcyonic]

Nature: Bold/Calm
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Defence, 4 Special Defence
Ability: Prankster
Item: Focus Sash
Imprison
Spikes
Toxic
Dazzling Gleam/Play Rough/Draining Kiss

Concerning this, Taunt is a viable option because it doesnt only shut down Pokemon which have Spikes and Toxic but other Pokemon such as entry hazard lead and other Pokemon which rely on status moves.

And Alakazam doesnt need to run Dazzling Gleam, it should go with Hidden Power [Fire] or Hidden Power [Ice] for coverage.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Carbink is weak as hell. Ferrothorn or Forretress are better because they actually fight back while also providing your hazards and defense:

Ferrothorn:
-Spikes/Stealth Rock
-Leech Seed
-Power Whip/Protect
-Gyro Ball/Thunder Wave
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252 HP/208 Def/48 SDef
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs

Forretress:
-Spikes/Stealth Rock
-Rapid Spin
-Gyro Ball/Volt Switch
-Earthquake/Volt Switch
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SDef
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy

Special Mega Lucario should use Flash Cannon to help it deal with Fairies more easily, since Shadow Ball may not be enough:
-Nasty Plot
-Flash Cannon
-Dark Pulse/Shadow Ball
-Aura Sphere/Vacuum Wave
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Lucarionite

Bisharp's STABs now have good neutral coverage with one another, so there's no need for it to use Low Sweep:
-Swords Dance
-Sucker Punch
-Iron Head
-Night Slash/Substitute
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 124 HP/252 Atk/132 Spe
Item: Leftovers/Lum Berry/Dread Plate/Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant

Edit: Something else to consider is Sylveon because it helps deal with the Dark/Fighting weakness:
-Wish
-Protect
-Moonblast
-Shadow Ball/Hidden Power (Fire)
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SDef
Item: Leftovers

or
-Calm Mind
-Moonblast
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power (Fire)
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP/252 SAtk/4 Spe
Item: Leftovers

 

[ProfDunsparce]

Concerning this, Taunt is a viable option because it doesnt only shut down Pokemon which have Spikes and Toxic but other Pokemon such as entry hazard lead and other Pokemon which rely on status moves.

And Alakazam doesnt need to run Dazzling Gleam, it should go with Hidden Power [Fire] or Hidden Power [Ice] for coverage.

Didn't HP get nerfed this gen? I went with Dazzling Gleam because I thought 60 BP Hidden Power without STAB would be a bit weak

 

[Hikamaru]

Didn't HP get nerfed this gen? I went with Dazzling Gleam because I thought 60 BP Hidden Power without STAB would be a bit weak

Yeah, they nerfed Hidden Power to always have 60 BP. However, it's still recommended in some cases for extra coverage. Don't let the weak BP fool you, it's still recommended for this set as MidnightShine stated. If your Alakazam doesn't have HP Fire or Ice, just rebreed until you get the right one.

 

[ProfDunsparce]

Yeah, they nerfed Hidden Power to always have 60 BP. However, it's still recommended in some cases for extra coverage. Don't let the weak BP fool you, it's still recommended for this set as MidnightShine stated. If your Alakazam doesn't have HP Fire or Ice, just rebreed until you get the right one.

Interesting. I'll keep that in mind.

Also, a question for anybody who has any experience using Alakazam: is Focus Sash worth the drop in power? I've been using Life Orb Alakazam because it hits hard with no recoil damage, but I find that a lot of the time, he gets OHKOd before he really does much.

 

[halcyonic]

If your Alakazam doesn't have HP Fire or Ice, just rebreed until you get the right one.

By this statement, Hikari meant that you should breed until you get the IVs needed for Alakazam to have HP [Fire] or [Ice]. Hidden Power is a TM in-game.

 

[zygardian harbinger]

I'm not so sure why you would use a Life Orb on Alakazam in the first place. The base HP stat for Alakazam is terrible, sitting at 55 for both the normal and Mega versions.

 

[dreyko]

I'm not so sure why you would use a Life Orb on Alakazam in the first place. The base HP stat for Alakazam is terrible, sitting at 55 for both the normal and Mega versions.

Dont forget its ability, Magic Guard. It ensures the boost from LO but without the recoil as Magic Guard only lets it take damage from attacks.

 

[zygardian harbinger]

Ah, good point. Well, to answer your question, ProfDunsparce, it would seem that keeping the Life Orb would be smart, since it doesn't take away health but still boosts move power.

 

[ProfDunsparce]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I've replaced Carbink with Forretress and that alone has made the team significantly better. I guess I'll continue to play test and see what happens :)