Competitive team help, just starting out and trying stuff out.

[ryantzb]

Hi guys, I just started playing pokemon competitively and sort of made my own team for OU(pokemon showdown), however, I feel like I tend to lose alot and I felt like it could be my team's problem, do you guys mind helping me improve on my team?
Most of my ev spreads and moves are referenced from smogon as I dont really know how to spread it optimally and do not know much moves as I stop playing pokemon at gen3 (Emerald) so do point out if there is any way I can better spread my Evs or use better moves that are available to me.


Firstly I have aggron as my mega evolver, I like him because his bulky and can soak alot of damage especially with mega aggron filter ability. Rest is for sustaining fights and sleep talk to still be able to deal damage while asleep. Iron head for STAB and ice punch for coverage.

Aggron @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD
Impish Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch

Sylveon is my cleric, Hypervoice(+passive) for STAB and wish, to heal the rest of my team if they need it, heal bell is to cure talonflame off paralysis or toxic which I find tends to happen and protect to scout. I also use it to store time for wish before taking down the opponent with hypervoice. Leftovers to heal up a little as I protect to store time.

Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
Bold Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Protect

Zapdos is my defogger as well as my special attacker, I chose zapdos because it is an electric type which I need for my team and also because it can use defog to clear stealth rocks and what not. (Even though zapdos is my defogger, I personally do not think it is so great as I find I tend to take alot of damage from pre existing stealth rock before I have a chance to clear it with defog. I want to change it for something else but the problem is that I dont think there are any defoggers out there that can dish out good electric type special damage like zapdos.)
Thunderbolt is for STAB and I prefer it over thunder as thunder tends to miss alot. Roost is for me to heal myself back up after taking damage from stealth rock or an opponent's attack. U-turn is for me to be able to swap aggron in to the fight when appropriate and defog to clear stealth rocks that can deter talonflame. Leftovers to heal myself after taking damage from stealthrock.

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 SpA
Bold Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn

Diggersby is my physical attacker and I chose it because of its passive, huge power.
Return, I find, is an overall strong attacking move with 102 power and can hit almost every type. Earthquake for coverage and STAB and U-turn to swap aggron in to the fight when appropriate. Wild Charge is also for coverage in case my zapdos faints as that is my only pokemon with electric moves. Choice Scarf to outspeed other pokemons and try to finish them off with one hit.

Diggersby @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Wild Charge

Talonflame is my starter as well as my physical attacker. I like talonflame because of its ability, gale wings which usually allows me to outspeed my opponent when using brave bird. Will-O-Wisp to burn my opponent physical attackers if that is their starter. Brave bird and flare blitz for STAB and U-Turn to swap aggron in to the fight when necessary. Choice Band for more attacking power as no ev points is being put into attack.(Thinking of putting some in as there was once I fail to OTK (One Turn Kill) one of my opponent pokemon and it was left with really little health. Forgot which pokemon it was though.)

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Will-O-Wisp

I like Tentacruel as my utility pokemon as it can pretty much do everything.
Rapid spin to clear away stealth rock and toxic spike to toxic poison all my opponent's pokemon. Scald is for STAB as well as to try and burn my opponent physical attacker if it has not been statused yet. Sludge bomb is also for STAB and is my primary attacking move. Black Sludge to substitute leftovers as if my opponent takes my item and they are not poison type, they will take damage every turn.

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Sludge Bomb
- Toxic Spikes

 

[phenix]

I'll post a bigger reply when I'm on my laptop rather that my phone, but I'd say one big difference you can make is to max Talonflame's attack. It has only 81 base (which isn't super high) so it's preferable to run max and the band to ensure you hit as hard as possible

 

[ryantzb]

Thank you for your response , but which Ev point do you think we should remove?
Since we are going for a Max attack, do you think we need to go for max speed as well? This is so that we can flare blitz with our max attack and hit as hard as possible. It also makes it easier to Will-O-Wisp and U-turn if needed to. Or do you think it is safer to save some defensive points so we dont get OTK(One Turn Kill) after using Will-O-Wisp on the opponent?

 

[Matt_192]

A spread like that is possible on Talonflame, but that's mainly for more supportive sets. You're probably going to want 252 Attack / 4 Defence / 252 Speed with an Adamant nature. Generally, Choice Band is a good option, but if you don't want to be locked into one move, you could try Sharp Beak

 

[phenix]

Thank you for your response , but which Ev point do you think we should remove?
Since we are going for a Max attack, do you think we need to go for max speed as well? This is so that we can flare blitz with our max attack and hit as hard as possible. It also makes it easier to Will-O-Wisp and U-turn if needed to. Or do you think it is safer to save some defensive points so we dont get OTK(One Turn Kill) after using Will-O-Wisp on the opponent.

Alright, I've got a laptop now.
While Talonflame is scared of rocks, it's not totally necessary to have two Pokemon to clear them. If you don't like the amount of damage done to Zapdos by the rocks as well as the burns Talonflame can inflict, I would suggest looking into a Rotom-W for the replacement for Zapdos. That way you could put roost/steel wing in the final spot on Talonflame (the move doesn't really matter, but it usually isn't the best for burning things). In the case of max attack, special defense is not necessary. 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 SpD or Def is usually the set.
Other than that it looks like you have a solid team. The Aggron is a bit strange (I like it lol). Overall if you're new, then it just takes some getting used to predicting and swapping before you start to really succeed. I'd be more than happy to do some test battles with you if you want
You have a nice balance of defense, physical offense, and special offense, so I commend you.

 

[EliteFourCronos]

Hi guys, I just started playing pokemon competitively and sort of made my own team for OU(pokemon showdown), however, I feel like I tend to lose alot and I felt like it could be my team's problem, do you guys mind helping me improve on my team?
Most of my ev spreads and moves are referenced from smogon as I dont really know how to spread it optimally and do not know much moves as I stop playing pokemon at gen3 (Emerald) so do point out if there is any way I can better spread my Evs or use better moves that are available to me.


Firstly I have aggron as my mega evolver, I like him because his bulky and can soak alot of damage especially with mega aggron filter ability. Rest is for sustaining fights and sleep talk to still be able to deal damage while asleep. Iron head for STAB and ice punch for coverage.

Aggron @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD
Impish Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch

Sylveon is my cleric, Hypervoice(+passive) for STAB and wish, to heal the rest of my team if they need it, heal bell is to cure talonflame off paralysis or toxic which I find tends to happen and protect to scout. I also use it to store time for wish before taking down the opponent with hypervoice. Leftovers to heal up a little as I protect to store time.

Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
Bold Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Protect

Zapdos is my defogger as well as my special attacker, I chose zapdos because it is an electric type which I need for my team and also because it can use defog to clear stealth rocks and what not. (Even though zapdos is my defogger, I personally do not think it is so great as I find I tend to take alot of damage from pre existing stealth rock before I have a chance to clear it with defog. I want to change it for something else but the problem is that I dont think there are any defoggers out there that can dish out good electric type special damage like zapdos.)
Thunderbolt is for STAB and I prefer it over thunder as thunder tends to miss alot. Roost is for me to heal myself back up after taking damage from stealth rock or an opponent's attack. U-turn is for me to be able to swap aggron in to the fight when appropriate and defog to clear stealth rocks that can deter talonflame. Leftovers to heal myself after taking damage from stealthrock.

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 SpA
Bold Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn

Diggersby is my physical attacker and I chose it because of its passive, huge power.
Return, I find, is an overall strong attacking move with 102 power and can hit almost every type. Earthquake for coverage and STAB and U-turn to swap aggron in to the fight when appropriate. Wild Charge is also for coverage in case my zapdos faints as that is my only pokemon with electric moves. Choice Scarf to outspeed other pokemons and try to finish them off with one hit.

Diggersby @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Wild Charge

Talonflame is my starter as well as my physical attacker. I like talonflame because of its ability, gale wings which usually allows me to outspeed my opponent when using brave bird. Will-O-Wisp to burn my opponent physical attackers if that is their starter. Brave bird and flare blitz for STAB and U-Turn to swap aggron in to the fight when necessary. Choice Band for more attacking power as no ev points is being put into attack.(Thinking of putting some in as there was once I fail to OTK (One Turn Kill) one of my opponent pokemon and it was left with really little health. Forgot which pokemon it was though.)

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Will-O-Wisp

I like Tentacruel as my utility pokemon as it can pretty much do everything.
Rapid spin to clear away stealth rock and toxic spike to toxic poison all my opponent's pokemon. Scald is for STAB as well as to try and burn my opponent physical attacker if it has not been statused yet. Sludge bomb is also for STAB and is my primary attacking move. Black Sludge to substitute leftovers as if my opponent takes my item and they are not poison type, they will take damage every turn.

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Sludge Bomb
- Toxic Spikes

I'll preface this by saying what everybody else has already said about Talonflame. Tossing EVs into Attack and Speed seems like the best way to go for a Banded set. I also recommend replacing Will-o-Wisp since you'd rather not be locked into a non-damaging move when you have a Choice item. You have the right intentions, but the execution needs work.

Now onto the defensive core of your team, Sylveon/Aggron is super gross for coverage and I wholly recommend that combination of types, but seeing as Sylveon already provides both health restoration and status clearing in the Heal Bell/Wish Pass set, Rest on Aggron seems very redundant. I would say replace the Rest/Sleep Talk core on Aggron with Thunder Wave and Stealth Rock. Thunder Wave will cripple your opponent's fast threats while Stealth Rock is just a fantastic move that has a lot of merit in the OU metagame.

Zapdos is a bit of an oddball, but I know what you're trying to do with the set. My first recommendation would be to replace Thunderbolt with Volt Switch and U-Turn with Toxic. Physically Defensive Zapdos is a great set, but it isn't really meant for dealing damage, so the difference between Volt Switch and Thunderbolt doesn't matter, what matters with that set is momentum. I also like the EV spread, but I would also recommend maxing out the HP and Defense while leaving 4 in the Special Attack just for added bulk.

The Rapid Spin on Tentacruel threw me off a little alongside the Defog Zapdos. I feel like this choice is the weakest slot on the team. Rapid Spin doesn't contribute much to the team since Zapdos already has Hazard Clearing duty covered, and Toxic Spikes just isn't a very strong hazard to set up, plus it conflicts with your own Defog. I would recommend replacing this slot with a stronger special attacking Water-type Pokemon such as Keldeo, Rotom-Wash, or Greninja (though I can't fully recommend Greninja since he may be under the ban-hammer soon enough).

The last slot to talk about is DIGGASBY THO. All jokes aside, I also run this Scarf set that you have with a near identical list, but I've replaced Wild Charge with Quick Attack. While it may seem redundant alongside the Choice Scarf, priority moves are currently defining the metagame by the likes of Scizor, Breloom, Conkeldurr, Lopunny and everybody's favorite Smogon-bird, Talonflame. Being able to outspeed popular priority users like Lopunny using Fake Out and then being able to 2HKO with Quick Attack is an insane amount of value and I definitely recommend giving it a whirl.

Hopefully my dumb competitive insight was good for you and I hope to see more teams from you in the future my friend.

 

[ryantzb]

A spread like that is possible on Talonflame, but that's mainly for more supportive sets. You're probably going to want 252 Attack / 4 Defence / 252 Speed with an Adamant nature. Generally, Choice Band is a good option, but if you don't want to be locked into one move, you could try Sharp Beak

Thanks for the suggestion Was thinking of a better item to replace choice band as it locks me onto Will-O-Wisp forcing me to switch out multiple times haha. But since I am changing moveset, I think I will stick to the Choice Band. Thanks for the suggestion though, really appreciate it.

 

[ryantzb]

Alright, I've got a laptop now.
While Talonflame is scared of rocks, it's not totally necessary to have two Pokemon to clear them. If you don't like the amount of damage done to Zapdos by the rocks as well as the burns Talonflame can inflict, I would suggest looking into a Rotom-W for the replacement for Zapdos. That way you could put roost/steel wing in the final spot on Talonflame (the move doesn't really matter, but it usually isn't the best for burning things). In the case of max attack, special defense is not necessary. 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 SpD or Def is usually the set.
Other than that it looks like you have a solid team. The Aggron is a bit strange (I like it lol). Overall if you're new, then it just takes some getting used to predicting and swapping before you start to really succeed. I'd be more than happy to do some test battles with you if you want
You have a nice balance of defense, physical offense, and special offense, so I commend you.

Thanks for the suggestion Yeah, you do have a point. I think I would first change up my talon flame maxing out attack and speed follow by 4 in SpD and replacing Will-O-Wisp with Steel Wing. Because of my choice band, I think I prefer Steel Wing over Roost.
I will then replace zapdos with Rotom-W and teach Rotom-W
Will-O-Wisp, Thunderbolt and Hydro pump , still deciding what moves to put at the last slot.
was thinking of pain split and with leftovers / rest with chesto berry/ light screen or reflect with leftovers.
Maybe also replace aggron's rest and sleep talk with stealth rock and thunderwave as like what EliteFourCronos says

 

[Blaguard]

First of all, on Diggersby, it's impossible to outspeed Fake Out, since it has priority +3, so Mega Lop wrecks you anyway. Plus since you're already running banded Talonflame you're not really worried about opposing priority (and if you run Rotom-W like phenix suggested and I agree with, opposing T-flame isn't really a problem), so the coverage from Wild Charge, Gunk Shot, or Knock Off would likely benefit more than the weak Quick Attack (since locking yourself into priority essentially leaves you with no item and 1 attack). Also Quick Attack doesn't kill most of the common priority users (Conkeldurr, Scizor, Azumarill) and they'll KO you in return with coverage or STAB.

Also you can keep the spinning Tentacruel, since you're dropping Defog on Zapdos. Keldeo and Greninja are cool, but they don't do what Tentacruel does, so Tent is still a good team option (and it beats the new Greninja sets, assuming it doesn't get banned).

I'd keep the band on Talonflame since that's the best option to give it the power it needs. You can have Will'o'Wisp on a Rotom-W; the fourth move on T-flame doesn't matter all that much since you'll usually just be bird spamming anyway.

I don't personally think ResTalk on Aggron is redundant, as Wish-passing is often unreliable. Just be sure you cover what resists your attacks (in this case water) with the rest of your team.

Overall, solid team. I like it.

 

[phenix]

Thanks for the suggestion Yeah, you do have a point. I think I would first change up my talon flame maxing out attack and speed follow by 4 in SpD and replacing Will-O-Wisp with Steel Wing. Because of my choice band, I think I prefer Steel Wing over Roost.
I will then replace zapdos with Rotom-W and teach Rotom-W
Will-O-Wisp, Thunderbolt and Hydro pump , still deciding what moves to put at the last slot.
was thinking of pain split and with leftovers / rest with chesto berry/ light screen or reflect with leftovers.
Maybe also replace aggron's rest and sleep talk with stealth rock and thunderwave as like what EliteFourCronos says

Volt switch is also a solid option on Rotom. I run pain split myself, but I've seen all of those. Usually I end up with a sitrus berry (since leftovers are normally taken). You could run a partial support set and set up rocks with it. Dragon tail is an option for the last move to phase out things.

I like the Tentacruel personally so I don't see a reason to replace it.

 

[ryantzb]

I'll preface this by saying what everybody else has already said about Talonflame. Tossing EVs into Attack and Speed seems like the best way to go for a Banded set. I also recommend replacing Will-o-Wisp since you'd rather not be locked into a non-damaging move when you have a Choice item. You have the right intentions, but the execution needs work.

Now onto the defensive core of your team, Sylveon/Aggron is super gross for coverage and I wholly recommend that combination of types, but seeing as Sylveon already provides both health restoration and status clearing in the Heal Bell/Wish Pass set, Rest on Aggron seems very redundant. I would say replace the Rest/Sleep Talk core on Aggron with Thunder Wave and Stealth Rock. Thunder Wave will cripple your opponent's fast threats while Stealth Rock is just a fantastic move that has a lot of merit in the OU metagame.

Zapdos is a bit of an oddball, but I know what you're trying to do with the set. My first recommendation would be to replace Thunderbolt with Volt Switch and U-Turn with Toxic. Physically Defensive Zapdos is a great set, but it isn't really meant for dealing damage, so the difference between Volt Switch and Thunderbolt doesn't matter, what matters with that set is momentum. I also like the EV spread, but I would also recommend maxing out the HP and Defense while leaving 4 in the Special Attack just for added bulk.

The Rapid Spin on Tentacruel threw me off a little alongside the Defog Zapdos. I feel like this choice is the weakest slot on the team. Rapid Spin doesn't contribute much to the team since Zapdos already has Hazard Clearing duty covered, and Toxic Spikes just isn't a very strong hazard to set up, plus it conflicts with your own Defog. I would recommend replacing this slot with a stronger special attacking Water-type Pokemon such as Keldeo, Rotom-Wash, or Greninja (though I can't fully recommend Greninja since he may be under the ban-hammer soon enough).

The last slot to talk about is DIGGASBY THO. All jokes aside, I also run this Scarf set that you have with a near identical list, but I've replaced Wild Charge with Quick Attack. While it may seem redundant alongside the Choice Scarf, priority moves are currently defining the metagame by the likes of Scizor, Breloom, Conkeldurr, Lopunny and everybody's favorite Smogon-bird, Talonflame. Being able to outspeed popular priority users like Lopunny using Fake Out and then being able to 2HKO with Quick Attack is an insane amount of value and I definitely recommend giving it a whirl.

Hopefully my dumb competitive insight was good for you and I hope to see more teams from you in the future my friend.

Thank you for the suggestion , must have took a long time for this. Really appreciate it.
Haha, even I laugh at myself for putting toxic spike with defog now that you mentioned it. I did not noticed it at all . Since I am replacing Zapdos with Rotom-W, I think I would not replace Tentacruel as I need the rapid spin but I will follow your suggestion and reconsider my Tentacruel moveset. Thank you so much

 

[EliteFourCronos]

Thank you for the suggestion , must have took a long time for this. Really appreciate it.
Haha, even I laugh at myself for putting toxic spike with defog now that you mentioned it. I did not noticed it at all . Since I am replacing Zapdos with Rotom-W, I think I would not replace Tentacruel as I need the rapid spin but I will follow your suggestion and reconsider my Tentacruel moveset. Thank you so much

Yeah, Rotom is a good pick as a middle ground between Zapdos and Tentacruel. One or the other should be fine, so I'm definitely behind that

 

[Blaguard]

Thank you for the suggestion , must have took a long time for this. Really appreciate it.
Haha, even I laugh at myself for putting toxic spike with defog now that you mentioned it. I did not noticed it at all . Since I am replacing Zapdos with Rotom-W, I think I would not replace Tentacruel as I need the rapid spin but I will follow your suggestion and reconsider my Tentacruel moveset. Thank you so much

Haze could be helpful for M-Slowbro and M-Sableye, Toxic is great for stalling, and Ice Beam has great coverage. It also gets some weirder things like Giga Drain and Knock Off, but Haze might be your best option for the new Mega boosters.

 

[ryantzb]

First of all, on Diggersby, it's impossible to outspeed Fake Out, since it has priority +3, so Mega Lop wrecks you anyway. Plus since you're already running banded Talonflame you're not really worried about opposing priority (and if you run Rotom-W like phenix suggested and I agree with, opposing T-flame isn't really a problem), so the coverage from Wild Charge, Gunk Shot, or Knock Off would likely benefit more than the weak Quick Attack (since locking yourself into priority essentially leaves you with no item and 1 attack). Also Quick Attack doesn't kill most of the common priority users (Conkeldurr, Scizor, Azumarill) and they'll KO you in return with coverage or STAB.

Also you can keep the spinning Tentacruel, since you're dropping Defog on Zapdos. Keldeo and Greninja are cool, but they don't do what Tentacruel does, so Tent is still a good team option (and it beats the new Greninja sets, assuming it doesn't get banned).

I'd keep the band on Talonflame since that's the best option to give it the power it needs. You can have Will'o'Wisp on a Rotom-W; the fourth move on T-flame doesn't matter all that much since you'll usually just be bird spamming anyway.

I don't personally think ResTalk on Aggron is redundant, as Wish-passing is often unreliable. Just be sure you cover what resists your attacks (in this case water) with the rest of your team.

Overall, solid team. I like it.

Thanks for the reply really appreciate it.
Wow, I did not know Fake Out has a priority+3 at all haha, thanks for teaching me that
I am still considering about the aggron as both you and EliteFourCronos has a point so I think I would do some more test battles before deciding on what to do. Thank you so much for bothering to help out a new guy like me and I really appreciate it

 

[phenix]

Thanks for the reply really appreciate it.
Wow, I did not know Fake Out has a priority+3 at all haha, thanks for teaching me that
I am still considering about the aggron as both you and EliteFourCronos has a point so I think I would do some more test battles before deciding on what to do. Thank you so much for bothering to help out a new guy like me and I really appreciate it

We're here to help, so it's no problem. If you want, we can test battle today

 

[ryantzb]

We're here to help, so it's no problem. If you want, we can test battle today

Haha thanks , sure , a test battle would be really helpful, but I dont think I can do it now, I am still busy working on a school project. Would you be free tomorrow?
oh, and one thing, sorry for asking but what is Team Nova about? Is it like a group on this site? If it is possible, can I request to join after I get better at competitive battling? haha, all of you are so helpful I feel like doing my part too by helping others once I learn more about this.

 

[phenix]

Haha thanks , sure , a test battle would be really helpful, but I dont think I can do it now, I am still busy working on a school project. Would you be free tomorrow?
oh, and one thing, sorry for asking but what is Team Nova about? Is it like a group on this site? If it is possible, can I request to join after I get better at competitive battling? haha, all of you are so helpful I feel like doing my part too by helping others once I learn more about this.

It's team on the site. There are some others as well. We do things like participate in "team wars" where we challenge the other teams. We're more than happy to accept new players and even have a mentor team (both Blaguard and I are on it).
I'm free for tomorrow morning CST, but if I'm not on Blaguard should be able to battle you as well.

 

[ryantzb]

It's team on the site. There are some others as well. We do things like participate in "team wars" where we challenge the other teams. We're more than happy to accept new players and even have a mentor team (both Blaguard and I are on it).
I'm free for tomorrow morning CST, but if I'm not on Blaguard should be able to battle you as well.

Thanks so much, I will look forward to tomorrows battle