VGC VGC 2016

[Justin Rinehimer]

So, folks, I need some help. I'm new to the VGC (battling anyway, I've watched previous tournament streams).
I just need some advice on my team. I feel like it's pretty solid, but I still go on some rough losing streaks. There are times I get my rating on Showdown up into the 1200s (not great, I know), then it drops all the way back down to 1000.
For the record, I refuse to use the Primals and Xerneas, I think they're far too broken to use. Any friendly advice would be appreciated....thanks!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thundurus @ Lum Berry
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic
- Taunt
This guys is here for speed control mostly, I'm not a huge fan of tailwind, I feel like it's a wasted turn, so I have the priority t-wave. Taunt also checks Smeargle and other disruptive mons. T-bolt for stab and Psychic for coverage.

Milotic @ Shell Bell
Ability: Marvel Scale
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Scald
- Protect
- Ice Beam
I have him here to throw around status (toxic and scald). With Milotic's bulk, I'm not afraid to use toxic on the Primals, it resists Kyogre and can take a hit or two from Groudon.

Whimsicott @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 52 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Worry Seed
- Leech Seed
- Dazzling Gleam
Whimsicott is mostly here as for that priority Worry Seed to erase Desolate Land, coupled with a STAB scald, it's a garaunteed OHKO on P-Groudon. Priorty Taunt for those disruptive Pokemon and priority Leech Seed for chip damage.

Palkia @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Spd / 252Sp
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Spacial Rend
- Earth Power
- Thunder
Palkia is my big hitter, not a whole lot of brain power went into this guy. I put a bunch of different types of moves for good overall coverage. Thunder never misses Kyogre, Spacial Rend for STAB, Earth Powere for a 2HKO on P-Groudon, and Flamethrower OHKO Ferrothorn.


Kangaskhan-Mega @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Return
A pretty standard set for this girl. Max speed so its faster than most popular Pokemon, max ATK so it hits hard. She's my Fake Out support as well. I chose return Return for STAB instead of Double-edge to minimize damage. And I chose Drain Punch for some health recovery.

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA / 0 Spe
- Toxic
- King's Shield
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Gyro Ball

Aegislash is here to trow around Toxic if i dont bring Milotic, or if Milotic faints. Gyro Ball is usually a OHKO on a Geomancy Xerneas. I put HP Fire on him so he could do some damage to Ferrothorn which usually stalls the crap out of Aegislash

 

[GradeAGarchomp]

Justin Rinehimer your pokemon lack proper descriptions. looking at the rmt rules here will help you fix this issue. this thread will still probably get locked but at least you know now. :D

 

[Justin Rinehimer]

I edited my post, i hope it's more sufficient :-)

 

[RebornFX]

It doesn't seem like you put much thought in to making this team. Most of the sets seem slapped together, and when straying from the standard you really need to be able to justify it by it significantly improving your match up versus a certain Pokemon that would otherwise be a significant threat to the team. For example, removing Low Kick for Drain Punch or Kang makes you significantly weaker to opposing Kangaskhan, while not really improving your matchup versus anything at all. This is even more the case when deciding not to use both restricted legends slots, and even more so still when not using a Primal due to it leaving you without any options to remove opposing weather.

As for the descriptions, as Garchomp mentioned, they aren't sufficient. For an example of an RMT with great descriptions click here. Explain why you chose a Pokemon over another (a proper reason, not just that it isn't Xerneas or a Primal which are broken), why you chose the moveset/item/spread (if the set isn't standard then you're going to need to provide calcs, making sure they're at level 50). I can't imagine this thread staying open for much longer if the descriptions aren't improved drastically.

And lastly, if you refuse to use a Pokemon, even while knowing that adding it to the team would improve the team dramatically then you probably shouldn't be posting an RMT.

 

[GradeAGarchomp]

hi Justin Rinehimer, i can rate now that i have time.

before i even start to rate anything, understand that, in order to play pokemon sometimes, you need to use pokemon that you may not enjoy to use; this team is a perfect example. you'll need a primal and there's nothing that you can do to get around that. as a point of reference, vgc teams generally want the following:

restricted pokemon (usually a primal)
second restricted pokemon
primal groudon / kyogre and mega rayquaza checks (these can be spread between 2-3 pokemon)
mega (mence, kang, mawile, rayquaza if you have a restricted slot open)
speed control / trick room check (talon, thundy, crobat, amoonguss etc.)

this framework is just for when you attempt to build another team on your own. now onto the actual rate.

i see that you like to use palkia, and it's fairly easy to fix the team to fit palkia better so here goes.

OVERALL_CHANGES

thundurus was okay here, but raichu fits a little better here to bring more reliable speed control and it has an immunity to electric-type moves which is appreciated.

Raichu @ Magnet
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Volt Tackle
- Nuzzle
- Feint

this raichu helps in beating stuff like kyogre and yveltal as well as providing damage and speed control in the form of nuzzle. fake out is nice priority, beating out the likes of kangaskhan which is nice. volt tackle is needed to hit the aforementioned pokemon as well as other targets for plentiful damage. nuzzle is speed control as stated before, and it also does damage, albeit little of it. feint breaks protect which is very useful and makes raichu annoying to fight in general. the spread is a standard one and magnet increases the power of volt tackle which is great.

milotic is frankly unviable and doesn't bring much of anything to the table; primal kyogre fits better here and fits the bill as your second restricted pokemon.

Kyogre-Primal @ Blue Orb
Ability: Primordial Sea
Level: 50
EVs: 140 HP / 172 Def / 60 SpA / 4 SpD / 132 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Origin Pulse
- Thunder
- Icy Wind
- Protect

this is a primal kyogre set made by SamVGC that provides speed control to the team as well. the spread lives 3 precipice blades from jolly primal groudon while outspeeding mega salamence after the icy wind drop. origin pulse is powerful stab under the rain and is pretty reliable. thunder hits other primal kyogre and makes the dual primal / rayogre matchup more favorable.

the final pokemon change is whimsicott to salamence. mega salamence beats mega rayquaza as well as amoonguss which is a bit anonying to break through with your team. it also provides intimidate which is useful.

Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 4 Atk / 4 Def / 244 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Tailwind
- Double-Edge
- Protect

the ev spread may look a bit strange but it's just using the 244-tech; it sacrifices a little bit of attacking power for more overall bulk which is appreciated. the set is fairly standard; hyper voice is powerful stab and is spread damage which is nice. tailwind provides another form of speed control and double edge smacks dual primal teams hard as well as nuking most single targets. protect's use is fairly obvious.



SET_CHANGES

Palkia @ Focus Sash
Ability: Telepathy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 76 Def / 172 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spacial Rend
- Hydro Pump
- Flamethrower
- Protect

focus sash on palkia helps it against stuff like rayquaza if the situation should come to it. the bulkier spread lives mega kangaskhan's double-edge while speed tying kang and outspeeding yveltal. hydro pump is needed to have a stab water-type attack. flamethrower smacks ferrothorn which other wise pretry much walls this team. protect is practically a staple and it does what was said above.

Kangaskhan-Mega (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 172 Atk / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick

this is basically a better kangaskhan spread more suited for your team; it lives a low kick from opposing mega kangaskhan which is nice. low kick is wanted since it hits the meta harder since most pokemon weigh a lot. double edge is more powerful and works better since you don't have max attack.

Aegislash @ Lum Berry
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Atk / 116 Def / 140 SpA / 12 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Ball
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

lum berry aegislash is a bit of a fail safe in case you need to switch aegislash into smeargle. the new spread lives double target precipice blades / water spout from primal groudon and kyogre while also ohkoing xerneas with gyro ball. shadow ball is used on aegislash to hit things like gengar for some damage, but it's mainly just used as a secondary stab. wide guard helps against spread moves like precipice blades, water spout, eruption, origin pulse, dazzling gleam etc. and is usually a staple in aegislash's moveset.

that's about it. hopefully this is a successful palkia / kyogre team. :D

tl;dr

to

to

to

set changes on

,

, and

importable

Palkia @ Focus Sash
Ability: Telepathy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 76 Def / 172 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spacial Rend
- Hydro Pump
- Flamethrower
- Protect

Kyogre-Primal @ Blue Orb
Ability: Primordial Sea
Level: 50
EVs: 140 HP / 172 Def / 60 SpA / 4 SpD / 132 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Origin Pulse
- Thunder
- Icy Wind
- Protect

Aegislash @ Lum Berry
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Atk / 116 Def / 140 SpA / 12 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Ball
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

Kangaskhan-Mega (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 172 Atk / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick

Raichu @ Magnet
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Volt Tackle
- Feint
- Nuzzle

Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 4 Atk / 4 Def / 244 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Tailwind
- Double-Edge
- Protect

 

[Steven Stone]

hi Justin Rinehimer, i can rate now that i have time.

before i even start to rate anything, understand that, in order to play pokemon sometimes, you need to use pokemon that you may not enjoy to use; this team is a perfect example. you'll need a primal and there's nothing that you can do to get around that. as a point of reference, vgc teams generally want the following:

restricted pokemon (usually a primal)
second restricted pokemon
primal groudon / kyogre and mega rayquaza checks (these can be spread between 2-3 pokemon)
mega (mence, kang, mawile, rayquaza if you have a restricted slot open)
speed control / trick room check (talon, thundy, crobat, amoonguss etc.)

this framework is just for when you attempt to build another team on your own. now onto the actual rate.

i see that you like to use palkia, and it's fairly easy to fix the team to fit palkia better so here goes.

OVERALL_CHANGES

thundurus was okay here, but raichu fits a little better here to bring more reliable speed control and it has an immunity to electric-type moves which is appreciated.

Raichu @ Magnet
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Volt Tackle
- Nuzzle
- Feint

this raichu helps in beating stuff like kyogre and yveltal as well as providing damage and speed control in the form of nuzzle. fake out is nice priority, beating out the likes of kangaskhan which is nice. volt tackle is needed to hit the aforementioned pokemon as well as other targets for plentiful damage. nuzzle is speed control as stated before, and it also does damage, albeit little of it. feint breaks protect which is very useful and makes raichu annoying to fight in general. the spread is a standard one and magnet increases the power of volt tackle which is great.

milotic is frankly unviable and doesn't bring much of anything to the table; primal kyogre fits better here and fits the bill as your second restricted pokemon.

Kyogre-Primal @ Blue Orb
Ability: Primordial Sea
Level: 50
EVs: 140 HP / 172 Def / 60 SpA / 4 SpD / 132 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Origin Pulse
- Thunder
- Icy Wind
- Protect

this is a primal kyogre set made by SamVGC that provides speed control to the team as well. the spread lives 3 precipice blades from jolly primal groudon while outspeeding mega salamence after the icy wind drop. origin pulse is powerful stab under the rain and is pretty reliable. thunder hits other primal kyogre and makes the dual primal / rayogre matchup more favorable.

the final pokemon change is whimsicott to salamence. mega salamence beats mega rayquaza as well as amoonguss which is a bit anonying to break through with your team. it also provides intimidate which is useful.

Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 4 Atk / 4 Def / 244 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Tailwind
- Double-Edge
- Protect

the ev spread may look a bit strange but it's just using the 244-tech; it sacrifices a little bit of attacking power for more overall bulk which is appreciated. the set is fairly standard; hyper voice is powerful stab and is spread damage which is nice. tailwind provides another form of speed control and double edge smacks dual primal teams hard as well as nuking most single targets. protect's use is fairly obvious.



SET_CHANGES

Palkia @ Focus Sash
Ability: Telepathy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 76 Def / 172 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spacial Rend
- Hydro Pump
- Flamethrower
- Protect

focus sash on palkia helps it against stuff like rayquaza if the situation should come to it. the bulkier spread lives mega kangaskhan's double-edge while speed tying kang and outspeeding yveltal. hydro pump is needed to have a stab water-type attack. flamethrower smacks ferrothorn which other wise pretry much walls this team. protect is practically a staple and it does what was said above.

Kangaskhan-Mega (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 172 Atk / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick

this is basically a better kangaskhan spread more suited for your team; it lives a low kick from opposing mega kangaskhan which is nice. low kick is wanted since it hits the meta harder since most pokemon weigh a lot. double edge is more powerful and works better since you don't have max attack.

Aegislash @ Lum Berry
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Atk / 116 Def / 140 SpA / 12 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Ball
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

lum berry aegislash is a bit of a fail safe in case you need to switch aegislash into smeargle. the new spread lives double target precipice blades / water spout from primal groudon and kyogre while also ohkoing xerneas with gyro ball. shadow ball is used on aegislash to hit things like gengar for some damage, but it's mainly just used as a secondary stab. wide guard helps against spread moves like precipice blades, water spout, eruption, origin pulse, dazzling gleam etc. and is usually a staple in aegislash's moveset.

that's about it. hopefully this is a successful palkia / kyogre team. :D

tl;dr

to

to

to

set changes on

,

, and

importable

Palkia @ Focus Sash
Ability: Telepathy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 76 Def / 172 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spacial Rend
- Hydro Pump
- Flamethrower
- Protect

Kyogre-Primal @ Blue Orb
Ability: Primordial Sea
Level: 50
EVs: 140 HP / 172 Def / 60 SpA / 4 SpD / 132 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Origin Pulse
- Thunder
- Icy Wind
- Protect

Aegislash @ Lum Berry
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Atk / 116 Def / 140 SpA / 12 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Ball
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

Kangaskhan-Mega (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 172 Atk / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick

Raichu @ Magnet
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Volt Tackle
- Feint
- Nuzzle

Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 4 Atk / 4 Def / 244 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Tailwind
- Double-Edge
- Protect

Hey man you sort of forgot to mention that Low Kick is his team's second way of beating Ferrothorn if the situation came to it (not counting Salamence), otherwise Power-Up Punch could still be a better fit as it allows Kangaskhan to do plethora of damage once it gets it up, and it isn't like there are a lot of Fighting-type weak Pokemon in the meta for Low Kick to pick up...

 

[cityscapes]

I'll look at this team from a different standpoint - in my opinion, primals are unnecessary. Good? Sure. But unnecessary. Let's focus on the basic stuff first:
Thundurus: I don't see a reason for it to be running a Lum Berry, because it can Taunt Smeargle; it also has an immunity to paralysis. If you're going to follow GradeAGarchomp 's advice and replace Whimsicott, you could use a Focus Sash instead if you find that Palkia is better off with another item. Hidden Power Ice is also a better coverage move than Psychic because the latter only hits Gengar, while with Hidden Power, you can KO threats like Mega Salamence. Thundurus also really wants Protect, so consider dropping Thunder Wave or Hidden Power Ice / Psychic. The thing is that if you replace Thundurus with Raichu, you have nothing for Smeargle besides Fake Out and faster stuff. I recommend keeping it.
Milotic: Milotic definitely isn't as good as it used to be, because Primal Groudon is everywhere. If you do use it, I highly recommend using the ability Competitive instead of Marvel Scale. Intimidate is a commonly seen ability in Doubles, and you will see it on Pokémon such as Salamence, Mawile, and Landorus-T. With Competitive, you can grab a +2 Special Attack bonus thanks to the irrelevant Attack drop. Shell Bell is also a really bad item because the restoration it provides (1/16 of the damage you dealt) is so low. Sitrus Berry looks like a good choice since it means Milotic will be able to take more hits. Toxic stalling is bad in doubles, so I suggest replacing Toxic.
Whimsicott: The last two moves on this set - Leech Seed and Dazzling Gleam - seem questionable. First of all, Whimsicott really wants Encore to lock Xerneas into Geomancy, and it also helps with opponents that like to use Protect (a.k.a. all of them) Speaking of Protect, it looks like a good choice for your fourth slot. Some Whimsicott run Moonblast here, but yours doesn't really have room. Dazzling Gleam is just too weak coming from that mediocre Special Attack alongside the spread nerf, and Leech Seed is better on Pokémon like Ferrothorn that are built to wall things. Alternatively, you could try Tailwind: Far from being a "waste" of a turn/moveslot, it almost guarantees that you will move first for the next three turns.
Palkia: First of all, put some thought into your Pokémon's EV spreads in general. If you're going for as much speed/power as possible, then 252/252 is fine, but consider what threats you really want to deal with: Do you need to deal as much damage as possible to Kyogre? Do you want to survive a Double Edge from Kangaskhan? If not, how does your team fare against Kangaskhan as a result? Looking at this set, you can see that Thunder is pretty much unnecessary since you wall Kyogre anyway. Earth Power is also redundant because Spacial Rend 2HKOs Groudon anyway (I think). Hydro Miss works if you plan to use Kyogre, but if you don't, try checking out the vast coverage Palkia gets.
Kangaskhan: You have 4 extra EVs that I recommend you put into Special Defense. Drain Punch doesn't really work that well because opponents weak to Fighting type moves, like Dialga, M-Kanga, and Ferrothorn, are going to take more damage from Low Kick anyway. Other than that, though, pretty standard.
Aegislash: I mentioned this before, but Toxic is bad in VGC because of its fast pace. Wide Guard would make a good replacement. I think you should keep HP Fire, because your team is relatively weak to Ferrothorn.
That's all I've got. Good luck with your team!