Hello all, this is a team I've been throwing around in friendly matches recently that's pretty fun. When I built it I didn't expect much of it but it's been surprisingly effective. It's a TSS offensive team that uses a poke I was used to using in ADV 2U but is rather uncommon in 1U. Obviously it's not perfect, so I'm looking for any criticisms or tips that could make it better! Anyway, here is the team.
At a Glance
Zapdos
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Toxic
- Baton Pass
Zapdos leads off the team and acts as an amazing wall breaker, tank and Spikes abuser. I went with an offensive Toxic Baton Pass set as I wanted something capable of crippling switch ins such as Tyranitar, Flygon and Salamence while also being able to break through balanced teams with the combination of STAB Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Grass. Baton Pass allows Zapdos to pick up tempo on predicted switches to special walls such as Blissey in order to easily get Tyranitar in to punish them, and forcing the opponent to take more Spikes damage.
With Max Special attack and a Modest nature, this thing hits like a truck, without either a resistance, or some serious special defense nothing is taking those Thunderbolts well. Even Snorlax takes around 33% or so which with Spikes down and sand up makes it a fairly unreliable switch. The rest is just thrown into speed to attempt to tie against Pokemon such as Adamant Salamence and guarantee that it outspeeds Heracross.
Skarmory
Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Whirlwind
- Protect
Skarmory is the team's Spiker and acts as a solid counter to a number of physical attackers including Snorlax, Metagross, Flygon and some variants of Salamence. Specially Defensive Toxic Protect Skarm was chosen as it is a great set for getting down as many layers of Spikes as possible. With the EV spread it can easily come in on Bulky Waters such as Swampert, shrug off attacks and set down more layers of Spikes, or cripple it with Toxic. This EV spread also gives it over an 80% chance of surviving Magneton's Thunderbolt making it rather likely to get down 2 layers of Spikes against Magneton teams. It also shrugs off surprise Fire Blasts from the likes of Flygon and Snorlax. With Toxic and Protect, Skarmory is able to cripple a number of Rapid Spinners and stay quite healthy throughout the match.
Skarmory is a necessity to this team as the rest of the team functions much more effectively with Spikes down. I chose it over other Spikers due to the lack of support it requires, and its ability to provide actual defensive synergy to the team, which most of the other Spikers in the tier fail to do.
Gengar
Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 124 HP / 160 Atk / 116 Def / 12 SpA / 24 SpD / 72 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
- Explosion
- Will-O-Wisp
Gengar fulfills a number of roles on this team. First and foremost is as a Spin Blocker. Thanks to its ghost typing it is able to effectively block Rapid Spin against Forretress, Claydol, and Cloyster quite effectively. Starmie can prove difficult for it however. Its second role is as a Spikes abuser and late game cleaner. Thanks to the threat of its coverage, speed, power and status, it can force numerous switches in the mid game and clean up weakened teams at the end of the match. Its final role is to provide Explosion support for Alakazam and Zapdos in order to get rid of Special Walls like Blissey. With this team structure, if Alakazam is unrevealed, Explosion can be rather unexpected.
The Bulky EV spread is one I was introduced to by M Dragon in an RMT I posted a few years ago. It gives it enough bulk to survive Salamence's Hidden Power Flying at +1 while still maintaining a relatively powerful explosion and the ability to out speed neutral natured base 100s. This spread helps Gengar as a spin blocker, and more importantly aids the illusion that it is not an Explosion set. The inclusion of Will-O-Wisp also helps create this illusion as it is most often found on bulky support oriented sets. Will-O-Wisp is also a great move for abusing Spikes as it limits the number of Pokemon that can safely switch in to Gengar.
Swampert
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
Swampert gives the team a pivot that prevents powerful physical attackers such as Aerodactyl, Tyranitar and Salamence among others from cutting the team open. It also gives the team some defensive relief to fall back on. The move set is quite standard and does just what the team needs from it. Hydro Pump provides Swampert with a secondary STAB move that hits Skarmory and Gengar relatively hard while also being capable of abusing that Torrent ability. Protect gives Swampert passive recovery and allows it to scout for Hidden Power Grass, Explosion, and Choice Band moves. Earthquake and Ice beam of course round out its standard coverage moves.
The EV spread allows Swampert to out speed most Blissey, this is helpful for allowing it to pressure the fat blob with its Earthquakes, and more importantly for allowing it to finish off a weakened Blissey, this is particularly handy after it eats an Explosion from my Gengar. The rest is thrown in to HP and Defense to give it as much physical bulk as possible.
Tyranitar
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 180 Atk / 76 Def / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Hidden Power [Bug]
Tyranitar provides Sand Storm which is crucial to the team's success as it revolves around weakening the opposing team so that my faster attackers can clean up. Tyranitar also provides the team's primary means of physical offense. I chose to use a Dragon Dance set as I wanted an alternative win condition that could attack on the physical side. The set does not deviate from the standard but makes for an incredibly reliable late game cleaner or mid game wall breaker.
80 HP and 76 Special Defense give Tyranitar enough bulk to survive Jolly Dugtrio's Earthquake. 172 Speed EVs allows it to out speed neutral natured base 100s at +1. The rest is thrown into attack to give it as much power as possible.
Alakazam
Alakazam @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Fire Punch
When I came to the last slot, I found I still needed something that could answer Gengar, and I also needed a fast attacker that could clean up in the late game. Alakazam was one of the few Pokemon that fit those requirements so I went with it, and I've been quite impressed with the results. It functions as the team's primary win condition, and thanks to its amazing Speed and insane Special Attack it is quite good in that role. After a single Calm Mind boost, there is barely anything in the tier that can take these attacks well. I generally like to keep it saved for the late game. Opposing Gengar are the only threats that occasionally force my hand and make me reveal Zam, so it's generally not too hard to keep it hidden.
This set was chosen as I believe it provides Alakazam with the best chance of cleaning up in the late game. The combination of speed, power and coverage limits the things that can effectively counter it. Calm Mind allows it to set up on some weaker special attackers, Psychic is there for STAB, Hidden Power Grass hits Tyranitar and Swampert, and Fire Punch hits Steels such as Metagross. Max Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature make it as fast and strong as possible.
Problem Areas
This team is not without its flaws, I personally don't consider it tournament ready yet so any advice is definitely welcome. There are two main issues I've had so far. The first is opposing offensive Electric Types. I don't have a solid switch in for any of them. I do have ways to deal with them, Gengar's Explosion can catch them off guard, Zapdos' Toxic can be used to put a clock on them, and Tyranitar can check them decently, but they do provide a serious offensive threat to the team. The other main issue is Aerodactyl. Aero isn't a poke I have a hard time answering, between Swampert, Skarmory and Tyranitar I can generally handle it from a defensive perspective. The main issue is that it puts a hard stop on Alakazam. I don't really think there's a way to fix this but it is definitely something to keep in mind if using the team yourself.
At a Glance
Zapdos
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Toxic
- Baton Pass
Zapdos leads off the team and acts as an amazing wall breaker, tank and Spikes abuser. I went with an offensive Toxic Baton Pass set as I wanted something capable of crippling switch ins such as Tyranitar, Flygon and Salamence while also being able to break through balanced teams with the combination of STAB Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Grass. Baton Pass allows Zapdos to pick up tempo on predicted switches to special walls such as Blissey in order to easily get Tyranitar in to punish them, and forcing the opponent to take more Spikes damage.
With Max Special attack and a Modest nature, this thing hits like a truck, without either a resistance, or some serious special defense nothing is taking those Thunderbolts well. Even Snorlax takes around 33% or so which with Spikes down and sand up makes it a fairly unreliable switch. The rest is just thrown into speed to attempt to tie against Pokemon such as Adamant Salamence and guarantee that it outspeeds Heracross.
Skarmory
Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Whirlwind
- Protect
Skarmory is the team's Spiker and acts as a solid counter to a number of physical attackers including Snorlax, Metagross, Flygon and some variants of Salamence. Specially Defensive Toxic Protect Skarm was chosen as it is a great set for getting down as many layers of Spikes as possible. With the EV spread it can easily come in on Bulky Waters such as Swampert, shrug off attacks and set down more layers of Spikes, or cripple it with Toxic. This EV spread also gives it over an 80% chance of surviving Magneton's Thunderbolt making it rather likely to get down 2 layers of Spikes against Magneton teams. It also shrugs off surprise Fire Blasts from the likes of Flygon and Snorlax. With Toxic and Protect, Skarmory is able to cripple a number of Rapid Spinners and stay quite healthy throughout the match.
Skarmory is a necessity to this team as the rest of the team functions much more effectively with Spikes down. I chose it over other Spikers due to the lack of support it requires, and its ability to provide actual defensive synergy to the team, which most of the other Spikers in the tier fail to do.
Gengar
Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 124 HP / 160 Atk / 116 Def / 12 SpA / 24 SpD / 72 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
- Explosion
- Will-O-Wisp
Gengar fulfills a number of roles on this team. First and foremost is as a Spin Blocker. Thanks to its ghost typing it is able to effectively block Rapid Spin against Forretress, Claydol, and Cloyster quite effectively. Starmie can prove difficult for it however. Its second role is as a Spikes abuser and late game cleaner. Thanks to the threat of its coverage, speed, power and status, it can force numerous switches in the mid game and clean up weakened teams at the end of the match. Its final role is to provide Explosion support for Alakazam and Zapdos in order to get rid of Special Walls like Blissey. With this team structure, if Alakazam is unrevealed, Explosion can be rather unexpected.
The Bulky EV spread is one I was introduced to by M Dragon in an RMT I posted a few years ago. It gives it enough bulk to survive Salamence's Hidden Power Flying at +1 while still maintaining a relatively powerful explosion and the ability to out speed neutral natured base 100s. This spread helps Gengar as a spin blocker, and more importantly aids the illusion that it is not an Explosion set. The inclusion of Will-O-Wisp also helps create this illusion as it is most often found on bulky support oriented sets. Will-O-Wisp is also a great move for abusing Spikes as it limits the number of Pokemon that can safely switch in to Gengar.
Swampert
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
Swampert gives the team a pivot that prevents powerful physical attackers such as Aerodactyl, Tyranitar and Salamence among others from cutting the team open. It also gives the team some defensive relief to fall back on. The move set is quite standard and does just what the team needs from it. Hydro Pump provides Swampert with a secondary STAB move that hits Skarmory and Gengar relatively hard while also being capable of abusing that Torrent ability. Protect gives Swampert passive recovery and allows it to scout for Hidden Power Grass, Explosion, and Choice Band moves. Earthquake and Ice beam of course round out its standard coverage moves.
The EV spread allows Swampert to out speed most Blissey, this is helpful for allowing it to pressure the fat blob with its Earthquakes, and more importantly for allowing it to finish off a weakened Blissey, this is particularly handy after it eats an Explosion from my Gengar. The rest is thrown in to HP and Defense to give it as much physical bulk as possible.
Tyranitar
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 180 Atk / 76 Def / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Hidden Power [Bug]
Tyranitar provides Sand Storm which is crucial to the team's success as it revolves around weakening the opposing team so that my faster attackers can clean up. Tyranitar also provides the team's primary means of physical offense. I chose to use a Dragon Dance set as I wanted an alternative win condition that could attack on the physical side. The set does not deviate from the standard but makes for an incredibly reliable late game cleaner or mid game wall breaker.
80 HP and 76 Special Defense give Tyranitar enough bulk to survive Jolly Dugtrio's Earthquake. 172 Speed EVs allows it to out speed neutral natured base 100s at +1. The rest is thrown into attack to give it as much power as possible.
Alakazam
Alakazam @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Fire Punch
When I came to the last slot, I found I still needed something that could answer Gengar, and I also needed a fast attacker that could clean up in the late game. Alakazam was one of the few Pokemon that fit those requirements so I went with it, and I've been quite impressed with the results. It functions as the team's primary win condition, and thanks to its amazing Speed and insane Special Attack it is quite good in that role. After a single Calm Mind boost, there is barely anything in the tier that can take these attacks well. I generally like to keep it saved for the late game. Opposing Gengar are the only threats that occasionally force my hand and make me reveal Zam, so it's generally not too hard to keep it hidden.
This set was chosen as I believe it provides Alakazam with the best chance of cleaning up in the late game. The combination of speed, power and coverage limits the things that can effectively counter it. Calm Mind allows it to set up on some weaker special attackers, Psychic is there for STAB, Hidden Power Grass hits Tyranitar and Swampert, and Fire Punch hits Steels such as Metagross. Max Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature make it as fast and strong as possible.
Problem Areas
This team is not without its flaws, I personally don't consider it tournament ready yet so any advice is definitely welcome. There are two main issues I've had so far. The first is opposing offensive Electric Types. I don't have a solid switch in for any of them. I do have ways to deal with them, Gengar's Explosion can catch them off guard, Zapdos' Toxic can be used to put a clock on them, and Tyranitar can check them decently, but they do provide a serious offensive threat to the team. The other main issue is Aerodactyl. Aero isn't a poke I have a hard time answering, between Swampert, Skarmory and Tyranitar I can generally handle it from a defensive perspective. The main issue is that it puts a hard stop on Alakazam. I don't really think there's a way to fix this but it is definitely something to keep in mind if using the team yourself.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Toxic
- Baton Pass
Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Whirlwind
- Protect
Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 124 HP / 160 Atk / 116 Def / 12 SpA / 24 SpD / 72 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
- Explosion
- Will-O-Wisp
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 180 Atk / 76 Def / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Hidden Power [Bug]
Alakazam @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Fire Punch
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Toxic
- Baton Pass
Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Whirlwind
- Protect
Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 124 HP / 160 Atk / 116 Def / 12 SpA / 24 SpD / 72 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
- Explosion
- Will-O-Wisp
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 180 Atk / 76 Def / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Hidden Power [Bug]
Alakazam @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Fire Punch
