My First Team (Help Appreciated)

[sdmssj]

This is a SandStorm team trying to also set-up Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes. It is also my first attempt at creating a competitive battling team.

I've tried to create this team without using any of my favourite Pokemon and by using some Pokemon that I've never used before.

I mostly just play Pokemon for the enjoyment I get from the series stories and for the satisfaction of being able to destroy the Elite Four and Champion with just my fave Tyranitar once you get far enough into the game, so...

...I would really appreciate some constructive criticism to make this team better.

1st Lead - SandStreamer / StealthRocker:

Hippowdon @ Leftovers / Shed Shell
Ability: Sand Stream
EV's: 252 HP / 12 Atk / 120 Def / 120 SpDef
Nature: Brave

- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Stone Edge / Fire Fang
- Stealth Rock

I put Shed Shell up there for a just in-case scenario where he gets trapped on the battlefield and I also added a lot of bulk to Hippowdon so I can survive to set up Stealth Rock and also counter-attack if the opportunity arises.



SpinBlocker:

Golurk @ Shell Bell
Ability: Iron Fist
EV's: 176 HP / 168 Atk / 164 SpDef
Nature: Adamant / Jolly

- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch / ThunderPunch
- Ice Punch / Gravity

Pretty self explanatory I think. Added Gravity because it could be extremely useful against Flyers and Levitators to both poison them and hit them with Earthquake.



Physical Sweeper/Wall:

Cloyster @ King's Rock
Ability: Overcoat
EV's: 126 Atk / 126 Def / 252 Speed
Nature: Jolly / Adamant

- Shell Smash
- Razor Shell / Dive
- Explosion
- Rapid Spin / Substitute / Poison Jab

I would like Cloyster to be my Physical Sweeper but he can also double as a Physical Wall. Not really sure what moves to equip to a Cloyster though. Also he has the ability Overcoat to protect against the SandStorm.



MixedSweeper:

Metagross @ Life Orb
Ability: Clear Body
EV's: 252 Atk / 228 SpAtk / 24 Speed
Nature: Naughty

- Meteor Mash
- Hidden Power (Fire)
- Grass Knot
- Zen Headbutt / Earthquake

Again pretty self explanatory. Metagross is my mixed sweeper.



ToxicSpiker:

Omastar @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Shell Armour
EV's: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Speed
Nature: Bold

- Toxic Spikes
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Shell Smash

Rocky Helmet for no other reason than I didn't have a clue with item to give Omastar even though its doubtful someone is going to use physical moves against him.



2nd Lead - ?:

Ferrothorn @ Big Root
Ability: Iron Barbs
EV's: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpDef
Nature: Brave

** 0 Speed IV's **

- Ingrain / Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Curse
- Payback / Explosion / Giga Drain

Big Root to make the most out of Ingrain or Leech Seed, Curse to lower speed and add attack which is a necessary set-up to get the most out of STAB Gyro Ball. Ferrothorn's 0 IV's in speed also contribute to making Gyro Ball as powerful as I can make it.

Ferrothorn is a really risky pokemon choice for me in everything about him but if it were successfully pulled off it would give anyone a feeling of immense satisfaction to destroy half an opponents team with this strategy.
​

I wanted it to be a really unorthodox and unique team, hence some of the choices I made.

Thank you in advance for your help. :)

 

[PlatinumDude]

Offensively, Hippowdon is outclassed by the Landorus formes, and even Donphan. And you do realize it can have Slack Off as a recovery move, right? If a defensive Pokémon has a move that can restore 50% of its health, take it. Shed Shell is only useful on Steel Pokémon, as they have a tendency to be trapped by Magnezone's Magnet Pull:
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Whirlwind/Ice Fang
-Slack Off
Nature: Impish/Careful
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SDef or 252 HP/4 Def/252 SDef
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream

Golurk is a terrible spinblocker in OU. Because of its typing, Starmie beats it. Forretress can take whatever Golurk can throw at it. Gengar, or even Jellicent are better spinblockers:

Gengar:
-Substitute
-Shadow Ball
-Focus Blast
-Disable/Thunderbolt/Hidden Power (Fire)/Pain Split
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Black Sludge/Life Orb

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

Jellicent:
-Scald/Surf
-Will-o-Wisp/Toxic
-Recover
-Taunt
Nature: Bold
EVs: 248 HP/216 Def/44 Spe
Item: Leftovers

or
-Scald/Surf
-Shadow Ball/Ice Beam
-Will-o-Wisp/Toxic
-Recover
Nature: Calm
EVs: 252 HP/36 Def/220 SDef
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb

Cloyster's current set doesn't scream physical wall. Explosion isn't that useful compared to past generations because it no longer halves Defense before it hits. Shell Smash Cloyster has better options to run. And y u no have Icicle Spear + Skill Link? Overcoat is tempting, but don't even bother with it, as Skill Link is what makes Cloyster so good in OU. This is assuming you choose Gengar over Jellicent, as having 2 Water types is kinda redundant outside of Rain teams:
-Shell Smash
-Icicle Spear
-Rock Blast
-Hydro Pump/Razor Shell
Nature: Naive/Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/4 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: White Herb/Lum Berry/King's Rock
Ability: Skill Link

Having Omastar do two things at once (Shell Smashing/Spiking) is doing too much. Choose one or the other; also, Omastar isn't good in OU outside of manual rain teams. I noticed this team gets screwed over by Celebi, so you need something like Latias to check it:
-Calm Mind
-Dragon Pulse
-Recover
-Psyshock/Substitute/Hidden Power (Fire)
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP/4 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Leftovers

or
-Draco Meteor
-Psyshock
-Surf/Hidden Power (Fire)
-Recover/Trick
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Choice Specs

Ingrain forces Ferrothorn to stay in battle and this is downright crippling if the opponent sends in a Fire or Fighting opponent like Infernape or Conkeldurr. A Curse set needs a lot of support to succeed, and this team doesn't seem to do a good job at it, IMO:
-Spikes/Stealth Rock
-Leech Seed
-Power Whip
-Gyro Ball/Thunder Wave/Protect
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252 HP/88 Def/168 SDef
Item: Leftovers/Shed Shell