Mega-Scizor with UU

[Silversnk]

So the idea in general started because I wanted to come up with a team that focused on a mega an relied mostly on surprising the current OU Pokémon with some that aren't that common (Preferably not OU). I decided to use Mega-Scizor since that mega itself is not used as often as Megasaur, Charizard-X/Y, Megacham, and the rest (to be honest, I may have seen only a couple of Mega-Scizors in hundreds of battles); and can still be a nice threat to common teams. (And making sure Fairy Hyper Voices don't destroy me as they have done many times before with my other teams)

Including Scizor in the team meant that I needed an immediate risponse to Talonflame, Charizard-Y, and Mandibuzz, as those are the biggest threats to her that still linger around (maybe Heatran too). I feel like my worries for those Pokémon are gone with Rotom-H, Goodra, and Vaporeon being able to resist their most powerful attacks and complementing each other so that I can force and make switches on my own more easily. From experience, I can tell these Pokémon can neutralize most of Scizor's counters and/or checks without too much effort and might as well poison and burn in the process.

My main problem though, is the last two slots. While they have worked well so far, I'm not sure if I want them in my team. Conkeldurr is there because it adds coverage, makes up for some resistances, and also benefits from having the fire/flying monsters out of the battle. Clefable was just because I needed a fairy there, and since I didn't have any Stealth Rock/Spikes user, I figured it would be handy to have her.

Hazards hasn't been that much of a problem but they have put me in tough situations sometimes, so I'd like to know which way to go from here.

Scizor (F) @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Atk / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Swords Dance

This one's very standard. Just the common bulky version of Scizor hitting hard with technician bullet punch once he sets up; Knock off works nice too. Roost has proved to be useful a lot of times though U-turn is still a possibility for me.

Rotom-Heat @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp

I previously had a full attacker with this thing but then changed because I needed the support Will-o-wisp gives to the team. Pain Split just servers for longevity and can be easily used against Talonflame and Charizard-Y. I usually make sure to leave them with half their HP before finishing them off with Volt Switch (I don't know the math, but it works good enough). Overheat for the STAB; Volt Switch to gain momentum or get back after if I've used Overheat and I need him to get his stats normalized. Will-O-Wisp for predicted switches or Pokémon that literally can't do anything against him (I may use Volt Switch instead depending on the opponent's Pokémon left).
I pretty much always lead with this guy.

Vaporeon (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Toxic
- Scald
- Protect
- Roar

Vaporeon started as an experiment and I ended up keeping it. Toxic+Protect is a must for me here since it messes up the opponent's team if I use it wisely with Rotom's W-O-W and Clefable's Stealth Rock. I can always switch in when I predict a water-type attack so that's another plus for Vaporeon here (Rotom-H really knows how to get those for Vaporeon to restore HP). And well, Roar is just there for to annoy the opponent and prevent anything from setting up on her.

Goodra (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Mild Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Wave

Goodra works great alongside Vaporeon too, since I can switch into any Grass type that wants to hit Vaporeon hard while boosting my attack stat for Dragon Tail. It is not innovating but she can definitely enter whenever my other Pokémon are in trouble. Draco Meteor is the main move; hits hard and it's preferred most of the times. Dragon Tail is there in case I see it useful during certain moments (I almost always make sure Clefable has Stealth Rock up already before spamming Dragon Tail). Fire Blast for the coverage and the reasonable amount of damage. Sludge Wave for incoming Fairies (After several battles, I decided to use Sludge Wave over Sludge Bomb since I rather have the extra damage)

Conkeldurr (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Knock Off

So this is one of my recent experiments in the team. Rock Slide is there for coverage (preferred over Stone Edge for the accuracy) but I rarely use it as Rotom-H handles most flying types. Drain Punch for the STAB and healing. Ice Punch for coverage. Knock Off for coverage as well as to get rid of important items.

Clefable (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 100 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Heal Bell

And my other testing here. Stealth Rock because it works nicely with Goodra's Dragon Tail and Vaporeon's Roar. Moonblast to have something to hit and deal a decent amount of damage. Soft-Boiled for longevity (Particularly useful when either Rotom-H or Vaporeon have already Burned/Poisoned the opponent); and Heall Bell just because (Have yet to use it in a battle)

Anyway, I think that's all I can say about it. Again, I would rather have the surprise factor over more common Pokémon (also, I hate Legendaries, sorry xD) so should I change Clefable or Conkeldurr for other Pokémon that can fulfill their role better / can add more sinergy to the team? Should I use the classic Acid Armor/Baton Pass Vaporeon to set up for Goodra and try to kill everything in my way? Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance ^^

 

[PlatinumDude]

What's the point of an Impish nature for Mega Scizor when you're not investing in Defense at all? The spread for bulky Swords Dance Mega Scizor is 248 HP/44 Atk/116 Def/108 SDef to give it well-rounded bulk while still packing plenty of power.

Consider using Wish on Vaporeon. It helps to heal the rest of the team members that lack reliable recovery, especially Goodra.

You could use Dragon Tail, but Goodra is walled badly by Heatran. Sure, you can force it out with Dragon Tail, but Goodra would like a way to threaten Heatran:
-Draco Meteor/Dragon Pulse
-Fire Blast
-Sludge Wave/Thunderbolt
-Earthquake/Muddy Water
Nature: Modest
EVs: 240 HP/252 SAtk/16 Spe
Item: Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper/Gooey

Stone Edge > Rock Slide on Conkeldurr because Rock Slide isn't that strong and Conkeldurr is too slow to utilize the flinch chance. Use Mach Punch over Ice Punch or Knock Off; why are you not using this neat priority move to pick off weakened targets? The ideal EV spread for Assault Vest Conkeldurr is 252 Atk/236 SDef/20 Spe. This lets it outspeed 0 Speed Hippowdon while giving it better special bulk to work with, as seen here:

252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 236 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 133-156 (37.8 - 44.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 236 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 175-208 (42.6 - 50.7%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO

 

[Silversnk]

For Goodra I decided to use Earthquake over Dragon Tail (To take a little more advantage of Sap Sipper - I like how well immunities work in the team) and leave Draco Meteor there since I've needed that extra damage most of the times.

I changed Scizor's and Conkeldurr's EVs, and decided to drop Knock Off for Mach Punch on the latter.

I have to say this is working great, many thanks! I'm still a little dubious on Wish; I have considered using it before but what move should I drop in that case? Protect or Roar? And in the case its Roar, should I desist on Clefable's Stealth Rock for something more useful? ( Flamethrower / Fire Blast / Thunder Wave / Calm Mind )

I've been having many issues with toxic spikes lately (Rotom, Clefable and Scizor go unharmed, but Goodra and Conkeldurr in particular really suffer from it) is there anything I could do on that matter?

 

[PlatinumDude]

For Goodra I decided to use Earthquake over Dragon Tail (To take a little more advantage of Sap Sipper - I like how well immunities work in the team) and leave Draco Meteor there since I've needed that extra damage most of the times.

I changed Scizor's and Conkeldurr's EVs, and decided to drop Knock Off for Mach Punch on the latter.

I have to say this is working great, many thanks! I'm still a little dubious on Wish; I have considered using it before but what move should I drop in that case? Protect or Roar? And in the case its Roar, should I desist on Clefable's Stealth Rock for something more useful? ( Flamethrower / Fire Blast / Thunder Wave / Calm Mind )

I've been having many issues with toxic spikes lately (Rotom, Clefable and Scizor go unharmed, but Goodra and Conkeldurr in particular really suffer from it) is there anything I could do on that matter?

Stealth Rock is a staple move in competitive play, so Clefable should keep it.

Drop Roar on Vaporeon if you intend on using Wish. Protect is absolutely mandatory if you use Wish, since after using it, you can Protect to ensure Vaporeon gets the Wish itself if needed.

If you have problems with Toxic Spikes, try making Scizor your Defogger:
-Bullet Punch
-U-turn/Bug Bite/Superpower/Knock Off
-Defog
-Roost
Nature: Impish
EVs: 248 HP/252 Def/8 SDef
Item: Scizorite
Ability: Technician

 

[Silversnk]

So far I've been trying many variations of the team, including full attacker Scizor, Defogger Scizor, and the previous set I had; with the Roar Vaporeon and Wish Vaporeon. There's still a lot of combinations to test but I have to say: many thanks for all the help.

This may be a little annoying to answer, but I was wondering if this team had any chances at all in an Item Clause match. I know for one that Rotom-H doesn't necessarily need the Leftovers, having the possibility of healing on switch ins with Pain Split and Volt Switching afterwards most of the times or having Vaporeon help with Wish; but I'm not really sure which items could I use on which Pokémon; especially, on Conkeldurr's case (I rather have Assault Vest Goodra and change Conk but if there's a better solution I'm all ears --or should I say eyes?)

I've been thinking Sitrus Berry on Rotom-H. Maybe Red Card/Rocky Helmet on Vaporeon or Clefable? (I'm really dubious about that choice)