Help with first Competitive Tournament

[Vdude09]

So, there is going to be a Pokemon Competitive Tournament coming up in my area this April. So I think I would give it a try and see how far I will get. But I wait to be prepared for this and knock have my butt handed to me so easily. So I wait to create a team for this upcoming tournament but I need help building/breeding the team. I have a OU team built on Pokemon Showdown, but I would like some advice on how to improve and if possible help build this team. I only have one rule: No Legendary Pokemon. I don't care for them and they are too hard to train. With that said, he is my team that I crated:

Pokemon: Talonflame
Position: Taunt/ Specially Defensive
Ability: Gale Wings
Item: None
Moves:
Acrobatics
Roost
Bulk Up
Taunt

Pokemon: Sylveon
Position: Healer
Ability: Pixilate
Item: Leftovers
Moves:
Wish
Protect
Hyper Voice
Heal Bell

Pokemon: Tentacruel
Position: Support
Ability: Liquid Ooze
Item: Black Sludge
Moves:
Scald
Rapid Spin
Acid Spray
Toxic Spikes

Pokemon: Garchomp
Position: Mixed Attacker
Ability: Rough Skin
Item: Life Orb
Moves:
Draco Meteor
Earthquake
Fire Blast
Stone Edge

Pokemon: Aggron
Position: Tank
Ability: Sturdy
Item: Aggronite
Moves:
Stealth Rock
Heavy Slam
Thunder Wave
Earthquake

Pokemon: Vocarona
Position: Offensive Quiver Dance
Ability: Flame Body
Item: Lum Berry
Moves:
Quiver Dance
Fire Blast
Giga Drain
Bug Buzz

I know this team has a weakness, but it also has it's strengths as well. Any help you can give would be great. I will trade just about anything to get this team up and running. Thanks.

Battle, Trade, and have a nice Day.

 

[Nah]

You need to EV train them, as that's a very important part of competitive sets. Same with natures.

You'll also probably want to run your Garchomp as your SR setter and swap Aggron with something else (Mega Garchomp makes for a better mixed attacker anyway). There's better options for your mega slot really. The usual SR Garchomp looks like this:
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
- Fire Blast

Though you could also make an offensive variant if you want.

 

[Vdude09]

First, I wait to thank you for your response. This really helps me in the long run. Next, I will keep EV training in mind, after all it is easier now than in past gens. Do you think I should also consider IV as well? I will take what you said and make my Garchomp my Mega Mix attacker and trade off my Aggron. However, I still wait a tank for my team. Ideas for a good tank? Again thanks!

 

[Nah]

You do want to IV breed if you can. It's not quite as necessary as most of the other stuff but the better stats are usually pretty helpful.

As for something to fill in the Aggron slot, one idea is Scizor:

Scizor @ Scizorite
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Atk / 16 Def / 200 SpD
Ability: Technician
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off/U-turn

Has pretty good bulk and has Roost, with Swords Dance to improve its offensive presence and threaten Fairies and frailer offensive 'mons with STAB Technician Bullet Punch. Knock Off is just plain a good move, while U-turn allows you to keep the momentum in your favor usually.

One other thing I was thinking was that your team's success largely hinges on Tentacruel being alive and well, since it sports a few key resistances and has Rapid Spin, which is vital to Talonflame and Volcarona being able to perform. Its lack of a recovery move bugs me a bit, but you can possibly get by anyway with Sylveon providing support. If not, bulky Natural Cure Starmie is another Rapid Spinning Water type to think about, since it gets Recover.

 

[ddrox13]

Snip.

The major issue is that your team is for OU and any official tournaments are played in the VGC tier, AKA Doubles (bring 6 mons to battle, choose 4 to use) and you absolutely MUST use 2 "restricted Pokémon", all of which are legendaries.

If your tournament is unofficial (i.e. not listed on Pokemon.com) AND you have spoken to the organizer to confirm that the battle format is singles OU, ignore this post. Otherwise assume that it's VGC. The format looks a lot like this:

Spoiler:

All battles will be Double Battles played in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.

Pokémon brought in via Poké Transporter will not be permitted (the blue pentagon is required).

All discovered Pokémon will be allowed except the following Mythical Pokémon: Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Deoxys, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Diancie, and Hoopa.

Teams may have no more than (and basically must have) two of the following Pokémon: Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde.

All items will be allowed except Soul Dew. Each Pokémon must hold a different item.

With that out of the way, here is how you might make this team VGC ready. It's hard to build off an OU team rather than building out from your Restricteds, but here goes nothing:

Spoiler:

1. Give Talonflame Tailwind. Speed Control is super important in VGC, and Talon is the best at it due to Gale Wings. Put Tailwind over Bulk Up and replace Acrobatics with Brave Bird, then switch the EVs so that it isn't deadweight. Enough speed to outrun max speed base 100s (52 EVs) or max base 120s (212 EVs), max out that HP, then throw the rest in Attack, with a Jolly nature.

2. Run Sylveon offensively, and only if you choose NOT to run Xerneas. Specs is my personal favorite item on Sylv, as it makes Hyper Voice hit really hard on anything that doesn't resist. Again, make the EVs functional. 252SpAtk/4SpDef/252Speed Timid is probably your best bet on that, but Modest works as well.

3. Due to the reduced battle time in VGC, hazards and boosting with anything not named Xerneas is not encouraged. That knocks off Tentacruel and Volc. It also isn't a great environment for tanks like Aggron, but more on that later. Don't worry about losing your spinner, if the opponent is stupid enough to use hazards that's a free turn for you.

4. Primal Groudon's popularity and Ferrothorn's ability to wall the other three useful Restricted Pokemon (P-Kyogre, Xerneas, some Rayquaza) has kinda driven all Steel types not named Ferrothorn into relative obscurity. That applies to M-Aggron as well. It just isn't worth your Mega slot over something like Salamence or Kanghaskhan (which are allowed in VGC btw)

5. Speaking of which, you need Restricted mons as much as you would prefer not to use them (I don't like them either). For your team, I'd use Xerneas and one of the Primals. Xerneas does both what Sylv does and what Volc does, except better. It's ability to get off effectively 2 Quiver Dances in a single turn with Geomancy and Power Herb is insane. PDon and POgre let you partake in the weather wars meta, both doing insane amounts of damage. PDon is better for beating up Xerneas and the Primals, while POgre hits PDon and everything else. Last option is Mega Rayquaza, but that uses your Mega slot.

5a. PDon or MRay with Xern leaves your team VERY weak to POgre. I'd recommend a Ferrothorn to piss them off.
5b. Not using MRay leaves you without a Mega. You aren't running Trick Room, so your choices are Salamence or Kanghakhan. Choose at your will.

6. Garchomp is just eh in this tier, there are better dragons.

And here is a skeleton of the first 5 mons from above. The 6th is up to you, I'd personally recommend Smeargle.

Spoiler:

Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Geomancy
- Dazzling Gleam
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast

Kyogre-Primal @ Blue Orb
Ability: Primordial Sea
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Origin Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Protect

Salamence-Mega (M) @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
Level: 50
EVs: 196 Atk / 60 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Double-Edge
- Hyper Voice
- Protect

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Taunt
- Tailwind
- Quick Guard

People on the trade forum can help you a Lot with this. Plenty of people who will breed the minions for you are scattered around. In all likelihood, someone can get you a clone of the restricted mons for basically nothing. I got my Xern and Kyogre (3IV each, but they were the IVs and Nature I wanted) for nothing and a cloned Shiny Fletchling respectively. Can't help the general desire not to use them, VGC is evil like that.

 

[Vdude09]

You do want to IV breed if you can. It's not quite as necessary as most of the other stuff but the better stats are usually pretty helpful.

As for something to fill in the Aggron slot, one idea is Scizor:

Scizor @ Scizorite
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Atk / 16 Def / 200 SpD
Ability: Technician
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off/U-turn

Has pretty good bulk and has Roost, with Swords Dance to improve its offensive presence and threaten Fairies and frailer offensive 'mons with STAB Technician Bullet Punch. Knock Off is just plain a good move, while U-turn allows you to keep the momentum in your favor usually.

One other thing I was thinking was that your team's success largely hinges on Tentacruel being alive and well, since it sports a few key resistances and has Rapid Spin, which is vital to Talonflame and Volcarona being able to perform. Its lack of a recovery move bugs me a bit, but you can possibly get by anyway with Sylveon providing support. If not, bulky Natural Cure Starmie is another Rapid Spinning Water type to think about, since it gets Recover.

I just did a Pokemon Showdown with what you said. I like the Srarmie on the team, cause it really fits well with my team and recover nicely. However I am not feeling Scizor that much on the team. One good fire attack and he is down. So I was thinking ofmaking Garchomp my mega. So instead of a tank Pokemon, I was thinking of a set up Pokemon. Sometimes that can either steath rock, or maybe toxic spikes. I was thinking Metagross could fit that position. What do you think?

 

[PlatinumDude]

I just did a Pokemon Showdown with what you said. I like the Srarmie on the team, cause it really fits well with my team and recover nicely. However I am not feeling Scizor that much on the team. One good fire attack and he is down. So I was thinking ofmaking Garchomp my mega. So instead of a tank Pokemon, I was thinking of a set up Pokemon. Sometimes that can either steath rock, or maybe toxic spikes. I was thinking Metagross could fit that position. What do you think?

Mega Garchomp must be paired with Tyranitar or Hippowdon, as Sand Force is useless outside of sandstorm. Surprisingly, regular Garchomp performs much better than its Mega counterpart, because the Speed drop as a Mega is rather detrimental for it.

Scizor is one of the best Mega Pokemon because of its excellent bulk all-round and has a good set of resistances. Yes, the 4x Fire weakness is a problem, but it's literally the only weakness Scizor has and Scizor shouldn't be staying in on Fire Pokemon anyway and you have teammates to cover for that weakness.

Also, in regards to legendaries, legendary status has no bearing on a Pokemon's viability. Heck, some legendaries are terrible in standard play, like all four Regis and Articuno.

 

[Vdude09]

Maybe I did jump the gun with Mega Scizor. Bug it's a pain when you lose so may times in a row. Thanks for the advice! I will keep trying on Showdown with this team. I am still learning and building, any more advice?

 

[ddrox13]

Maybe I did jump the gun with Mega Scizor. Bug it's a pain when you lose so may times in a row. Thanks for the advice! I will keep trying on Showdown with this team. I am still learning and building, any more advice?

Looks like that team might be weak to Talonflame with no Flying resists. Having trouble coming up with decent non-legendary Talon checks in singles though except possibly Rotom-W. Again, none of this matters if the tourney is doubles, so check that. I'm also on the battle server if you want to test your team, same name as here

 

[Vdude09]

So I might have to rethink my team here and break my one role. Cause I keep losing, badly, in Showdown. I wait to build a team that I am proud of so I can battle at this convention called Tekko. There are going to be Pokemon gyms, other trainer s and Team Rocket to fight. It is not a official tournament, but it can get me started. That's why I wait to build a good team. So I can battle with the best of them.