Heey guys, it's been a while since my last RMT (it's been a while since I last played PO, I've been busy with Black). Yet again I make another team with Infernape, and I borrowed an old idea from my very first team, which was badly applied back then: Batton Pass. After playing black for a while, I started to think of new strategies and combinations, and after being forced by the game to use only 5th gen pokemon, I noticed that they were actually a lot better than I'd thought.
It all started with Shell Smash. I wanted a pokemon who used it, either Crustle or Carracosta, for a team. I liked the Shell Smash + White Herb combo I'd seen in a RMT, and wanted to apply it. Maybe a Bulky SR Crustle lead, which then used Shell Smash? Then I thought I could use a pokemon that could Batton Pass both defensive and offensive boosts. I used Serebii's moveset calculator and found out that Gorebyss could use a combination of Batton Pass, Shell Break, Iron Defense and Amnesia... and instantly fell in love with it, at the same time I found my new Shell Breaker. Infernape was the core of all my teams, and while it still is here, now Gorebyss is the main guy.
For the rest of my team, I mainly recycled pokemon that worked really well in other teams: Sigilyph, Vaporeon, and Infernape were back, and then I added Garchomp and Whimiscott to the mix (I really wanted to try Whimiscott's trolling potential). When choosing them, I tried to add as many immunities as I could, resulting in a team with good synergy and the ability to safely switch between my pokemon.
This makes a balanced team, with 3 support pokemon, and 3 offensive pokemon, out of which two are physical sweepers and one is special.
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to my team!
----------------------------------------------------------------------- CLOSER LOOK
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Whimsicott (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 Def / 20 SAtk / 232 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Encore
- Taunt
- Grass Knot
- U-turn
Ah, the little troll. I always wanted to know how effective this thing was. It always looked so awesome on paper, but with my old Cloyster and Double Chop Haxorus it wasn't too fearsome since they were all SubSeeders and my multiple hitting attacks just pierced through the substitutes and raped them. However, this is a completely disruptive pokemon: Taunt is Taunt, you know how it works. Encore is used after they attack me with an ice or fire type move, so that I lock them into that move (even if it means Whimiscott is KO'd after using Encore) so that I send Gorebyss, resistant to those moves, and set up safely. I used to run Stun Spore instead of Grass Knot, but it's inaccurate, and not that useful really. Encore and Taunt are all I need to guarantee an effective setup or otherwise mess up pokemon. U-turn is to switch after the opponent moves (Whimiscott is quite slow without EVs or Speed nature) so that I scout what they do, and Grass Knot in case I'm in a situation where I'm forced to attack or against Water/Ground pokemon. The EV spread is defensive minded so that I survive a couple neutral and ineffective hits, and I gave it 4 speed EVs to outrun other Whimiscott.
Gorebyss (M) @ White Herb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Baton Pass
- Iron Defense
- Amnesia
- Shell Smash
Before you scream "TAUNT BAIT!!", remember this guy shows up AFTER my opponent is taunted or encored, and therefore is safe from those moves (people don't generally have 2 pokemon with those moves). In some situations I can be screwed, tough, like if another pokemon uses Mean Look or after my Batton Pass target is KO'd or forced to switch, but those ocassions are rare.
The set is simple: Shell Smash first (White Herb only works when Defense and Sp. Defense are at -1), then either Iron Defense or Amnesia (or both if I can), then Batton Pass. The target pokemon then becomes a fast, powerfull AND bulky pokemon. This guy is the key of the team, which is supported by the other pokemon and in return supports them. I really like how it works, tough either more HP or Speed would've been awesome.
Vaporeon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Scald
- Protect
This guy's recycled from my last team. He heals and de-statuses my other pokemon, which is really useful. I swapped Toxic with Protect since he isn't the one who deals with walls, and the Wish+Protect combo is not only useful, but necessary at times, when I'm low on health or facing a strong pokemon, so that I can heal, Wish again, and THEN switch out. Scald's burn effect is really awesome.
One thing I have to say is that this dude's no longer as useful as it was in my last team, where he was crucial since it was an offensive team, crippled by status. Now I only see it trying to heal Gorebyss for more Batton Passes, which I usually fail at since a weakened Gorebyss won't survive the switch-in generally. I'm not saying Vaporeon's completely useless tough, he actually does help with Wish and Heal Bell, but not as much as before.
Sigilyph (F) @ Flame Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Cosmic Power
- Psycho Shift
- Stored Power
- Roost
I don't know wether I'm a genius or retarded. I just brought Sigilyph because it's as awesome as always as a last-man auto win, and because it resisted Psychic moves and was immune to Ground, but it was only now that I tried my team again that I found how much of an amazing combo she makes with Gorebyss. Not only Gorebyss ups Sp. Attack (which I forgot Shell Smash did), but it also ups Sigilyph to +6 with a single Shell Smash and Batton Pass, raising Stored Power's damage to crazy levels instantly in two different ways simultaneously. This can be further boosted with Amnesia and/or Iron Defense, since Stored Power doesn't have a max Base Power.
Now, as to how Sigilyph works per se, you might already know this set. Cosmic Power boosts both defenses, making Sigilyph bulky and powering Stored Power up at the same time. Roost heals and eliminates Rock, Electric, and Ice weaknesses for a turn, giving me enough HP to use Cosmic Power again. Psycho Shift passes the burn, making Sigilyph untouchable by physical sweepers, and wears down Dark-Type pokemon little by little. Stored Power destroys everything after Sigilyph has enough boosts.
Even tough Sigilyph is ugly as hell, it's also a hell of a pokemon. If you use it last, or if my opponent doesn't have a move that force switches, they're dead. Even Dark pokemon can't touch this pokemon when she has enough defenses, and they're slowly damaged by burn, so the lack of a second attacking move isn't a problem.
Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Mach Punch
- Flare Blitz
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
Infernape's my favorite pokemon, and is really versatile and unpredictable, and while he's not the big powerhouse, he's fast and strong enough to be a viable sweeper. Using Infernape is simple: Do as much damage as possible, exploiting the awesome super effective coverage Infernape has, then either die or switch out. Now thanks to Gorebyss this is much more easier. I use Rock Slide rather than Stone Edge because a miss can equal death for the frail ape. Also that flinch rate can be extremely helpful at times. Mach Punch is for priority, which is always vital to any team.
Garchomp (M) @ Yache Berry
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Hone Claws
- Dual Chop
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang
This guy's a true powerhouse. After a Shell Smash, it's almost unbeatable. I used to run Dragon Rush to make a good combo with Hone Claws' extra accuracy, but Dual Chop is much better: rips through substitutes, destroys multiscale Dragonite, has a higher critical hit rate than single-hitting moves, damages dragons hiding behind a Haban Berry, and also benefits from the extra accuray (in Black it misses a lot, it's really annoying). Earthquake simply destroys every non-flying pokemon, and Fire Fang is for Ferrothorn, Foretress, Skarmory, and every other steel pokemon that gets in my way and resists or is immune to EQ.
Now for the Threat List:
REAL THREATS:
Reuniclus - I have nothing that hits it with a super effective move, and without boosts it's really hard to bring it down. And not bringing something like Reuniclus down quickly means I'm going to take some serious damage.
ANNOYERS OR POSSIBLE THREATS (depending on the circumstances):
Hydreigon - Scarf variants (almost all of them) can put me in serious trouble if I haven't set up yet. Once boosted, either Garchomp or Infernape rape it, but if it shows up in early game I'm dead or at least really vulnerable.
Garchomp - Same as Hydreigon. Early game Scarfchomps pose a big threat to me.
Conkeldurr - It takes really good prediction to hit them. I have to either Taunt or Encore Bulk Up (preferably the later), then find a way to KO it with Garchomp. If I'm already boosted by Gorebyss or with a boosted Sigilyph, it's a piece of cake.
Jellicent - No super effective attacks against this bulky bastard, and with shadow ball it prevents Sigilyph from setting up, and screws Garchomp with Will-o-Wisp. Finally, it resists all of Infernape STABs, so yeah, a pain in the ass.
Whimsicott - Never faced one, but with the wrong pokemon, or the wrong move, I'll be in trouble. Hopefully my Whimiscott outruns them wuth those 4 EVs.
Gliscor - Without an Ice move, it's really hard to KO a poison heal Gliscor. I guess I could Taunt it, but without Whimiscott it can be hard to deal with. Also if he manages to poison Sigilyph somehow (on a switch-in, for example), I'm done for.
Politoed - Again, nothing to hit it with. Since the bastard brings the rain, it puts my whole team in a disadvantage. Even if I taunt it, it can just switch out and come back later, or Ice Beam Whimiscott, leaving Gorebyss unprotected.
I didn't like the team too much when I first tried it out, but that's mainly because I didn't know how to use whimiscott and I didn't notice the awesome Gorebyss and Sigilyph combo. Now I love it, and while I dropped that fantasy of being in the top of the ladder, I will use it as my stable team, and will start working on having those pokemon in my Black game for Wi-Fi battles.
It all started with Shell Smash. I wanted a pokemon who used it, either Crustle or Carracosta, for a team. I liked the Shell Smash + White Herb combo I'd seen in a RMT, and wanted to apply it. Maybe a Bulky SR Crustle lead, which then used Shell Smash? Then I thought I could use a pokemon that could Batton Pass both defensive and offensive boosts. I used Serebii's moveset calculator and found out that Gorebyss could use a combination of Batton Pass, Shell Break, Iron Defense and Amnesia... and instantly fell in love with it, at the same time I found my new Shell Breaker. Infernape was the core of all my teams, and while it still is here, now Gorebyss is the main guy.
For the rest of my team, I mainly recycled pokemon that worked really well in other teams: Sigilyph, Vaporeon, and Infernape were back, and then I added Garchomp and Whimiscott to the mix (I really wanted to try Whimiscott's trolling potential). When choosing them, I tried to add as many immunities as I could, resulting in a team with good synergy and the ability to safely switch between my pokemon.
This makes a balanced team, with 3 support pokemon, and 3 offensive pokemon, out of which two are physical sweepers and one is special.
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to my team!
----------------------------------------------------------------------- CLOSER LOOK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Whimsicott (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 Def / 20 SAtk / 232 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Encore
- Taunt
- Grass Knot
- U-turn
Ah, the little troll. I always wanted to know how effective this thing was. It always looked so awesome on paper, but with my old Cloyster and Double Chop Haxorus it wasn't too fearsome since they were all SubSeeders and my multiple hitting attacks just pierced through the substitutes and raped them. However, this is a completely disruptive pokemon: Taunt is Taunt, you know how it works. Encore is used after they attack me with an ice or fire type move, so that I lock them into that move (even if it means Whimiscott is KO'd after using Encore) so that I send Gorebyss, resistant to those moves, and set up safely. I used to run Stun Spore instead of Grass Knot, but it's inaccurate, and not that useful really. Encore and Taunt are all I need to guarantee an effective setup or otherwise mess up pokemon. U-turn is to switch after the opponent moves (Whimiscott is quite slow without EVs or Speed nature) so that I scout what they do, and Grass Knot in case I'm in a situation where I'm forced to attack or against Water/Ground pokemon. The EV spread is defensive minded so that I survive a couple neutral and ineffective hits, and I gave it 4 speed EVs to outrun other Whimiscott.
Gorebyss (M) @ White Herb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Baton Pass
- Iron Defense
- Amnesia
- Shell Smash
Before you scream "TAUNT BAIT!!", remember this guy shows up AFTER my opponent is taunted or encored, and therefore is safe from those moves (people don't generally have 2 pokemon with those moves). In some situations I can be screwed, tough, like if another pokemon uses Mean Look or after my Batton Pass target is KO'd or forced to switch, but those ocassions are rare.
The set is simple: Shell Smash first (White Herb only works when Defense and Sp. Defense are at -1), then either Iron Defense or Amnesia (or both if I can), then Batton Pass. The target pokemon then becomes a fast, powerfull AND bulky pokemon. This guy is the key of the team, which is supported by the other pokemon and in return supports them. I really like how it works, tough either more HP or Speed would've been awesome.
Vaporeon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Scald
- Protect
This guy's recycled from my last team. He heals and de-statuses my other pokemon, which is really useful. I swapped Toxic with Protect since he isn't the one who deals with walls, and the Wish+Protect combo is not only useful, but necessary at times, when I'm low on health or facing a strong pokemon, so that I can heal, Wish again, and THEN switch out. Scald's burn effect is really awesome.
One thing I have to say is that this dude's no longer as useful as it was in my last team, where he was crucial since it was an offensive team, crippled by status. Now I only see it trying to heal Gorebyss for more Batton Passes, which I usually fail at since a weakened Gorebyss won't survive the switch-in generally. I'm not saying Vaporeon's completely useless tough, he actually does help with Wish and Heal Bell, but not as much as before.
Sigilyph (F) @ Flame Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Cosmic Power
- Psycho Shift
- Stored Power
- Roost
I don't know wether I'm a genius or retarded. I just brought Sigilyph because it's as awesome as always as a last-man auto win, and because it resisted Psychic moves and was immune to Ground, but it was only now that I tried my team again that I found how much of an amazing combo she makes with Gorebyss. Not only Gorebyss ups Sp. Attack (which I forgot Shell Smash did), but it also ups Sigilyph to +6 with a single Shell Smash and Batton Pass, raising Stored Power's damage to crazy levels instantly in two different ways simultaneously. This can be further boosted with Amnesia and/or Iron Defense, since Stored Power doesn't have a max Base Power.
Now, as to how Sigilyph works per se, you might already know this set. Cosmic Power boosts both defenses, making Sigilyph bulky and powering Stored Power up at the same time. Roost heals and eliminates Rock, Electric, and Ice weaknesses for a turn, giving me enough HP to use Cosmic Power again. Psycho Shift passes the burn, making Sigilyph untouchable by physical sweepers, and wears down Dark-Type pokemon little by little. Stored Power destroys everything after Sigilyph has enough boosts.
Even tough Sigilyph is ugly as hell, it's also a hell of a pokemon. If you use it last, or if my opponent doesn't have a move that force switches, they're dead. Even Dark pokemon can't touch this pokemon when she has enough defenses, and they're slowly damaged by burn, so the lack of a second attacking move isn't a problem.
Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Mach Punch
- Flare Blitz
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
Infernape's my favorite pokemon, and is really versatile and unpredictable, and while he's not the big powerhouse, he's fast and strong enough to be a viable sweeper. Using Infernape is simple: Do as much damage as possible, exploiting the awesome super effective coverage Infernape has, then either die or switch out. Now thanks to Gorebyss this is much more easier. I use Rock Slide rather than Stone Edge because a miss can equal death for the frail ape. Also that flinch rate can be extremely helpful at times. Mach Punch is for priority, which is always vital to any team.
Garchomp (M) @ Yache Berry
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Hone Claws
- Dual Chop
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang
This guy's a true powerhouse. After a Shell Smash, it's almost unbeatable. I used to run Dragon Rush to make a good combo with Hone Claws' extra accuracy, but Dual Chop is much better: rips through substitutes, destroys multiscale Dragonite, has a higher critical hit rate than single-hitting moves, damages dragons hiding behind a Haban Berry, and also benefits from the extra accuray (in Black it misses a lot, it's really annoying). Earthquake simply destroys every non-flying pokemon, and Fire Fang is for Ferrothorn, Foretress, Skarmory, and every other steel pokemon that gets in my way and resists or is immune to EQ.
Now for the Threat List:
REAL THREATS:
ANNOYERS OR POSSIBLE THREATS (depending on the circumstances):
I didn't like the team too much when I first tried it out, but that's mainly because I didn't know how to use whimiscott and I didn't notice the awesome Gorebyss and Sigilyph combo. Now I love it, and while I dropped that fantasy of being in the top of the ladder, I will use it as my stable team, and will start working on having those pokemon in my Black game for Wi-Fi battles.
