ORAS NU Puffles and the Squad

[HotFuzzBall]

So it has definitely been a long time since I have competitively battled in Pokemon (I stopped during the release of X and Y) and I missed those days quite a bit, so I'm coming back and starting with one of my favorite tiers back in BW, NU! c:

This team was built around Altaria, which happens to be one of my favorite mons ever! I think Altaria is amazing since it has decent stats, amazing typing, and is quite unpredictable because it has a diverse move pool allowing it to potentially run a special, physical, or supportive set. This team overall has done decent so far, winning and losing an equal amount of games.

Team Preview~

Process

So obviously, I started with Altaria.

Afterwards, I realized that I needed some sort of Wallbreaker since Altaria doesn't have the highest Special Attack and it doesn't do well against bulky Steels and Rocks so I chose Sawk.

I decided on Liepard next since it can be annoying towards bulky Pokemon and fast Pokemon to an extent which allows Altaria to outspeed and kill things. Also, it is a nice pivot into either Altaria or Sawk.

Claydol was next because it can be a rock setter and a spinner. Also, it completes the fighting-dark-psychic core.

The last 2 mons were very random tbh, I was not sure what to add so I chose Lanturn for Heal bell support, and Garbodor is only there to counter other mons like Liepard and Audino :>

Overview:

Altaria @ Choice Specs
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Pulse / Moonblast
- Rest

Altaria is my main counter to Sceptile, Vivillon, and other Grass/Bug types that would otherwise wall Claydol, Liepard and Lanturn. Fire Blast is used for coverage against Steel types and the annoying Ferroseed. Moonblast was another move I used during a few games, but I feel like it's unnecessary in some ways (but I haven't used it in a battle yet so idk... thoughts?).

Sawk @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt / Earthquake
- Ice Punch

Sawk was my go to wallbreaker against bulky Rock (mainly) and Steel types that would otherwise wall Altaria such as Steelix, Golem and Rhydon. Zen Headbutt was a move I chose to catch other Fighting types and also Poison types off guard but, Earthquake deals more damage overall so I'm not sure which would be better in this case.

Liepard @ Black Glasses
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave

Liepard is my offensive/supportive pivot on this team, it also provides momentum as this team was kinda lacking in it. Thunder wave was chosen since Liepard would be able to paralyze faster mons which would allow Altaria and Sawk to outspeed them. Taunt is used against set-up mons like Musharna.

Claydol @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Earth Power

Claydol ultimately is my answer to Poison and Fighting types that Sawk and Liepard don't do well against. Claydol is also my rock setter and spinner which is necessary since most of the team will be switching out quite often.

Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave

Ehh... I chose Lanturn since it has access to Heal Bell and it is also my answer to bulky waters (Mantine) and also it scares physical attackers with potential Scald burns. It is also another pivot since I can switch to Altaria if some grass type were to come in.

Garbodor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Haze

Lastly, Garbodor is my fairy and Liepard counter. I chose Haze since I will be able to remove Calm Minds from Mega-Audino and hit it hard with Gunk Shot. Drain Punch is for recovery and Spikes is for more hazards c;. 96 speed allows it to outspeed neutral mons like Cacturne and Exeggutor.

...sorry for my terrible explanations :c

Anyways...

Threats

Psychic Types in-general
Mons like Mesprit and Xatu can attack with U-turn to damage Liepard while being able to live a Knock Off due to Colbur Berry. Also, my team doesn't do well against Psychic types once Liepard is down.

Liepard
Once Garbodor is down, switching into Liepard isn't good for team since I either have to eat a Knock Off or get paralyzed by it.

Samurott
This thing basically wrecks once it gets to +2 and I don't have a reliable switch in.

Probably missing more... But those were the major problems during my test battles.

Import

Altaria @ Choice Specs
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Pulse
- Rest

Sawk @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch

Liepard @ Black Glasses
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Sucker Punch
- Encore

Claydol @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Earth Power

Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave

Garbodor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Haze

Thank you for your time! I appreciate any feedback (both positive or negative, don't hold back)! c:

 

[Rapture]

Specs Altaria / Banded Sawk / Liepard / Defensive Claydol / Defensive Lanturn / Garbodor

Hi, Twerkerella, this is a pretty solid build with Altaria in my opinion. Specs Altaria, in particular, is something that is pretty fun to use since it is one its more consistent sets right now. With that being said, I think a few tweaks to your team is essential to help with the bad match ups you described in the rmt.

• For your Sawk, one possible idea would be to try an Expert belt over Choice Band. With an Adamant Nature and a moveset of Close Combat / Knock Off / Earthquake / Stone Edge Sawk still retains a lot of its power while being able to dismantle all the balance cores running around right now a bit easier due to its ability to switch moves. E-belt Sawk is a set I've been using these past few days and with spikes support, I think the sets utility would be a better overall fit for the reason I listed above.
• To better handle the weakness to Samurott, my suggestion would be to change your Ev spread on Lanturn. Replacing your current spread with a spread of 40 HP / 252 Def / 168 SpD / 48 Spe and a Calm nature would give you a much better check to SD Samurott alongside Garbodor and would be able to counter Samurott's special attacker set which is starting to pick back up in popularity. The heavy investment in defenses over HP helps to give lanturn more overall bulk while the speed investment beats Adamant Rhydon which is still an important benchmark to hit in my opinion.
• Finally, these are all minor changes that would be worth trying out; Encore > Taunt on Liepard, Colbur Berry > Leftovers on Claydol, and Toxic Spikes > Haze on Garbodor. Encore is a better choice overall on Liepard since it is a much more reliable way of handling set up sweepers in the tier, and can really help to swing momentum in your favor should you manage to lock something into a useless move. Colbur Berry on Claydol makes it a sturdier fighting check which is important since Garbodor is your only Normal-type check so it is prone to getting worn down too quickly otherwise. Lastly, Toxic Spikes are half the reason to use Garbodor and the extra damage will help to put the opposing team in range for attacks from Altaria and Sawk. Between Liepard and Lanturn you hardly give much room to let things set up anyway, so I feel T-spikes is a more appropriate move over Haze in that last slot. Speaking of Lanturn, if you feel that two t wave users is overkill, then try out Signal Beam over Thunder Wave. Signal Beam is a pretty neat coverage move that can bop things like Shiftry and Cacturne trying to switch in. Also takes a decent chunk off of Malamar which can be troublesome if Garbodor gets weakened.

Sets

Sawk @ Expert Belt
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge

(cat) (Lanturn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 168 SpD / 48 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave / Signal Beam

Liepard @ Black Glasses
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Sucker Punch
- Encore

Claydol @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Earth Power

Garbodor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Toxic Spikes

Best of luck with the team and hope my changes help you out n_n

 

[Shadestep]

hey man, nice team!
altaria + sawk is a really cool core to build around, although I don't think Specs is the optimal set for it.
with Dragon-Flying being such a good defensive typing in the meta and with Altaria's incredible bulk, I think a bulkier set will give you the best of both worlds.
you stated that it was your primary counter to things like Lilligant and Vivillon, which you really need. after wearing down your team a bit, Lilligant or Vivillon after a QD can pretty much sweep your team. thats why i recommend you change the Altaria set to the following:

altaria set

Lucky (Altaria) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Roost
- Heal Bell

this gives you a way better check to threats previously stated, as well as a solid fire-type switchin (think Pyroar, Magmortar).

the second change I'd recommend is Skuntank > Liepard. I think Liepard is way too frail of a mon to be a good pivot (especially without any bulk) , and I think Skuntank does a better job in that slot. You lose out on some momentum and utility, but the strong sucker punch, combined with some respectable bulk is a solid add-on to your team.

skuntank set

Skuntank @ Lum Berry
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 24 HP / 224 Atk / 176 SpD / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Poison Jab
- Taunt
- Pursuit / Defog

sorry if I seem harsh by breaking down your team xD , I don't mean it in any bad way haha. your team is really solid! good day :]

 

[Toni Chopper]

Hey! I generally agree with what the others have said before me, I'd only like to add a tiny bit of change and that is concerning your Claydol set. Defensive claydol is hardly necessary as Lanturn and Garbodor are already there in those roles. Moreover things such as Samurott can easily set up on Claydol and if Lanturn is dead by then you pretty much lose. I'd run an offensive Claydol over the defensive variant.

Claydol

Claydol @Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- Psyshock
- Earth Power
- Grass Knot/Shadow Ball
- Rapid Spin

Claydol's base bulk still makes this a solid spinner while it still beats fighting and poison types with ease

 

[HotFuzzBall]

thanks for all of your suggestions! I definitely want to try them all out c: Also I like the idea of Offensive Claydol and having skuntank since the team doesn't have much of an offensive presence.