D/P/Pt Finally got a team for Pearl, and here it is.

[ProgMetal_64]

So I finally got myself a new team for Pearl, because I've been meaning to make a new one since they made Garchomp and uber >:( Basically the idea here is to have all the different Pokemons' roles create a chain reaction, thus making a circle. So one Pokemon sets the stage for the next, and then the next one sets the stage for the one after it, and so on. Anyway, here is the team in detail:

(M)
@Shell Bell
Inner Focus/Adamant
252 Atk/252 Spd/6 HP
-Cross Poison
-Zen Headbutt
-Brave Bird
-U-Turn

Your standard "Attack and GTHO" lead. To start, many people say the Shell Bell isn't a good item. I disagree. If a sweeper runs plenty of speed (which Crobat does), then it works nicely, and helps to make an effective recovery from a Brave Bird. Anyway, Crobat's roll is to pound the enemy with Cross Poison and Zen Headbutt, then U-Turn out when his work is done. Brave Bird I usually save for later in the match, but if the enemy lead really needs to be sent packing, I'll gladly use it. If the opponent started with a Spikes lead, than Crobat U-Turns early and we move on to the next Pokemon.


(F)
@Leftovers
Sturdy/Relaxed
252 Def/150 HP/108 Atk
-Rapid Spin
-Gyro Ball
-Earthquake
-Spikes

Forretress acts as both a slow physical wall and a Rapid Spinner. Due to the very likely chance that Spikes or something will be up when she comes in, Rapid Spin is used right away. Forretress is easily the best Rapid Spinner in the game because it can switch into all 3 types of "Spikes" and simply laugh in their faces. Once they have been cleared, I set up Spikes of my own then let loose an Earthquake or Gyro Ball for good measure. So Forretress stays in until either a Fire-type or Special Sweeper comes in. That's what our next Pokemon is for.


(F)
@Light Clay
Serene Grace/Calm
252 SpDef/126 Def/126 Spd/6 HP
-Wish
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Air Slash/Flamethrower

Togekiss is responsible for screens, wishing, and special walling. First and foremost is to put up Reflect and Light Screen, then abuse Serene Grace with Air Slash or Flamethrower (haven't decided which, I need suggestions). After that Togekiss is pretty much done, and we're ready for the next Pokemon. But Togekiss does come out frequently in the match to put screens back up, pass Wishes, and wall out special sweepers.


(M)
@Charti Berry
Swarm/Jolly
252 Speed/126 Def/126 SpDef/6 HP
-Baton Pass
-Swords Dance
-Agility
-Substitute

Before you ask, "Why Scyther instead of Scizor? Scizor is PWNAGE!" I have a simple answer, Scyther is WAAAYYYY faster, and thus makes a better Baton Passer. Also, don't try to convince me to swap Scyther for Ninjask (and I already know what your reasons will be), because unlike Ninjask, who will drop dead if you touch him with a feather, Scyther can take a hit. So anyway, Scyther usually comes out after Togekiss because, with the screens up, prime conditions are set for Scyther to start cranking up his stats for the next sweeper. After one or two Swords Dances and Agilities, I put up a Substitute, and Baton Pass out to the next Pokemon.


(M)
@Muscle Band
Mold Breaker/Adamant
252 Atk/132 Def/126 Spd
-Crunch
-Iron Tail
-Hammer Arm
-Avalanche

With the second-highest base Attack of any Pokemon (at 165, just under Attack Deoxys), a few Swords Dances from Scyther, and a Muscle Band, this guy is simply a wrecking ball. He has a very nice strategy behind him: use Hammer Arm to dole out some damage and lower speed and thus absorb a hit with the Substitute on the next turn, then use Avalanche, which doubles in power if the user was attacked first. If Avalanche wouldn't be very effective on the opponent, then I ignore Hammer Arm for the most part and simply Crunch and Iron Tail the enemy to death. Now, both my sweepers so far have been physical, right? So if a physical wall comes out, I could be screwed, right? Wrong. That is why we have one more Pokemon.


(F)
@Salac Berry
Unberden/Modest
252 SpAtk/132 Atk/126 Spd
-Toxic
-Shadow Ball
-Silver Wind
-Explosion

Yes, our special sweeper is the ghostly balloon himself (well, this one is a "herself), Drifblim. I actually used this same Drifblim on a Ghost-type theme team (which I never actually used for competitive battling, I made it for fun), and carried him over to this one. So anyway, the idea here is to Poison a wall, then Shadow Ball and Silver Wind it to death. Now, let's say Drifblim dosen't seem like she's going to go much farther. That's when the Salac Berry get's activated (which it should already be if Drifblim is low on health), triggering the Unburden ability (making Drifblim's speed skyrocket into like, the high 500's), and finally, KABOOM! If I REALLY need to get a wall out of the way, Drifblim is very likely to catch the wall off-guard with an early Explosion, but I only do that if I absolutely need to.


So yeah. That's my team. Comments and criticism would be much appreciated.

 

[J.T.]

Okay, let's look here.

(M)
@Shell Bell Focus Sash
Inner Focus/Adamant
252 Atk/252 Spd/6 HP
-Cross Poison / Taunt
-Zen Headbutt Hypnosis
-Brave Bird
-U-Turn

Your standard "Attack and GTHO" lead. To start, many people say the Shell Bell isn't a good item. I disagree. If a sweeper runs plenty of speed (which Crobat does), then it works nicely, and helps to make an effective recovery from a Brave Bird. Anyway, Crobat's roll is to pound the enemy with Cross Poison and Zen Headbutt, then U-Turn out when his work is done. Brave Bird I usually save for later in the match, but if the enemy lead really needs to be sent packing, I'll gladly use it. If the opponent started with a Spikes lead, than Crobat U-Turns early and we move on to the next Pokemon.

These people would be right. Leftovers does everything Shell Bell does and then some; for example, Shell Bell doesn't give recovery after a switch-in, or when you take a turn to not do damage. Besides, it's a rather lame item for a lead; Focus Sash is a better one, because it ensures Crobat survives to do... whatever it's supposed to be doing.

Anyway, this thing needs a little work. I'd drop Zen Headbutt because of its awful coverage and bring in Hypnosis; that way it's actually bringing some support by forcing switches or incapacitating serious threats, although its accuracy can be offputting. It's also a nice way to shut down Aerodactyl leads if you can outspeed them. Cross Poison gets STAB, but it's still pathetic in terms of coverage. Consider dropping it for Taunt, as that lets you further fuck with opponents - say, when you've already got Sleep Clause in effect.

Jolly over Adamant. I understand that Crobat has blistering speed, but without Jolly it loses against some important threats, not the least of which is Adamant Gyarados after a Dragon Dance (possibly Naughty Salamence too, but I don't have the calculation on that one), which is a huge deal.

(F)
@Leftovers
Sturdy/Relaxed
252 Def/150 HP/108 Atk
-Rapid Spin
-Gyro Ball
-Earthquake
-Spikes

Forretress acts as both a slow physical wall and a Rapid Spinner. Due to the very likely chance that Spikes or something will be up when she comes in, Rapid Spin is used right away. Forretress is easily the best Rapid Spinner in the game because it can switch into all 3 types of "Spikes" and simply laugh in their faces. Once they have been cleared, I set up Spikes of my own then let loose an Earthquake or Gyro Ball for good measure. So Forretress stays in until either a Fire-type or Special Sweeper comes in. That's what our next Pokemon is for.

Pretty good. Consider Explosion over Earthquake, although both have their uses.

Reverse the EVs - go with max HP and 150 Def EVs. You want at least some chance to survive special moves.

(F)
@Light Clay
Serene Grace/Calm
252 SpDef/ 124 Def/124 Spd/10 HP
-Wish
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Air Slash/Flamethrower

Togekiss is responsible for screens, wishing, and special walling. First and foremost is to put up Reflect and Light Screen, then abuse Serene Grace with Air Slash or Flamethrower (haven't decided which, I need suggestions). After that Togekiss is pretty much done, and we're ready for the next Pokemon. But Togekiss does come out frequently in the match to put screens back up, pass Wishes, and wall out special sweepers.

Bit of an odd set, but it looks like it would work. Air Slash is more powerful with STAB, and its secondary effect is more likely to come into play than with Flamethrower, so it'd probably be best to go with that. However, if you have trouble outspeeding things, Flamethrower would probably become more useful.

(M)
@Charti Ganlon / Starf Berry
Swarm/Jolly
252 Speed/126 124 Def/126 124 SpDef / 6 10 HP
-Baton Pass
-Swords Dance / X-Scissor
-Agility
-Substitute

Before you ask, "Why Scyther instead of Scizor? Scizor is PWNAGE!" I have a simple answer, Scyther is WAAAYYYY faster, and thus makes a better Baton Passer. Also, don't try to convince me to swap Scyther for Ninjask (and I already know what your reasons will be), because unlike Ninjask, who will drop dead if you touch him with a feather, Scyther can take a hit. So anyway, Scyther usually comes out after Togekiss because, with the screens up, prime conditions are set for Scyther to start cranking up his stats for the next sweeper. After one or two Swords Dances and Agilities, I put up a Substitute, and Baton Pass out to the next Pokemon.

Ninjask. I went there. Here's my reasoning: Yes, Ninjask can die from a feather. However, if you're doing it right, he shouldn't be getting hit by said feather. If Forretress can spin away Stealth Rock and Togekiss can put up its screens, the defense boost should be enough for even Ninjask to survive a hit or two. Further, with Protect or Substitute, Ninjask is essentially guaranteed to get at least one speed boost to someone else, usually more; Scyther can get broken by any quick Pokemon with a super-effective move. But if you're dead-set against Ninjask, then.

This thing gets completely destroyed by any Taunt user without an attack move of some sort. You could drop Swords Dance for some sort of attacking move, or keep it like that and pray you don't find any Taunt users. Charti Berry serves little purpose except to stop maybe weak non-STAB Rock attacks from breaking your Sub. A better option would be a Starf Berry for a random boost, or Ganlon Berry to reinforce that glass cannon Rampardos.

The EVs you have in his defensive stats leave 4 EVs with no point whatsoever; make it 124 Def / 124 SpD / 10 HP to get the most out of them.

(M)
@Muscle Band
Mold Breaker/Adamant
252 Atk/132 Def/126 Spd
-Crunch
-Iron Tail Stone Edge
-Hammer Arm Earthquake
-Avalanche Fire Punch / Outrage

With the second-highest base Attack of any Pokemon (at 165, just under Attack Deoxys), a few Swords Dances from Scyther, and a Muscle Band, this guy is simply a wrecking ball. He has a very nice strategy behind him: use Hammer Arm to dole out some damage and lower speed and thus absorb a hit with the Substitute on the next turn, then use Avalanche, which doubles in power if the user was attacked first. If Avalanche wouldn't be very effective on the opponent, then I ignore Hammer Arm for the most part and simply Crunch and Iron Tail the enemy to death. Now, both my sweepers so far have been physical, right? So if a physical wall comes out, I could be screwed, right? Wrong. That is why we have one more Pokemon.

Avalanche has negative priority. Even with its boosted speed, Avalanche will force Rampardos to go last, meaning Hammer Arm is completely useless. I'm surprised to see no STAB move on this set; Rock is a great attack type, and Rampardos gets great options like Stone Edge and Head Smash. Earthquake should be obligatory on any Rampardos set, as it is hands-down one of the best attack types out there. A boosted Earthquake will ravage anything. In addition, Mold Breaker eliminates Levitate on enemies, meaning you can hit things like Bronzong for super-effective damage without worry. Steel, in contrast, lacks in coverage, and Iron Tail's accuracy is pathetic. Crunch is good, though.

I do think you're expecting a little too much out of Scyther to expect to get a Sub on Rampardos. It's likely the opponent will be desperately bashing on every Sub you bring up to stop you from setting up. As such, I really wouldn't go with Avalanche on this set. Fire Punch is an option because of its impressive coverage (which is ultimately the goal on this set), as is Outrage for its ability to take out Dragons (although it might be a dangerous move to use because of the drawback).

(F)
@Salac Petaya Berry
Unberden/Modest
252 SpAtk/132 Atk/126 Spd
-Toxic
-Shadow Ball
-Silver Wind Substitute / Endure
-Explosion

Yes, our special sweeper is the ghostly balloon himself (well, this one is a "herself), Drifblim. I actually used this same Drifblim on a Ghost-type theme team (which I never actually used for competitive battling, I made it for fun), and carried him over to this one. So anyway, the idea here is to Poison a wall, then Shadow Ball and Silver Wind it to death. Now, let's say Drifblim dosen't seem like she's going to go much farther. That's when the Salac Berry get's activated (which it should already be if Drifblim is low on health), triggering the Unburden ability (making Drifblim's speed skyrocket into like, the high 500's), and finally, KABOOM! If I REALLY need to get a wall out of the way, Drifblim is very likely to catch the wall off-guard with an early Explosion, but I only do that if I absolutely need to.

I don't know if Drifblim is bulky enough to safely get down to 1/4 health, but in any case, Substitute will help it get down to that point. Endure is a bit riskier, but it's an option as well. Substitute down to 1/4 (or Endure a big hit), get the Petaya boost (400-something Speed after Unburden is still absolutely huge, and Drifblim's SpA is rather lacking), and sweep. Silver Wind's secondary effect is too rare to have much of a gamebreaking effect. Aside from that, it looks a little on the gimmicky side. A better move with more coverage might be in order, but it could work.

A few errors, but it looks unique and surprising. It's that whole effect of "surprise! I actually use a frigging Rampardos" or whatever other unconventional Pokemon that could win a game for you.

That's the longest RMT I've ever posted. Be proud that I spent it all on your team. =D