[RATE MY TEAM] (VGC) Blazing Fire in Rain (Featuring Mega Blaziken!)

[Black117]

(VGC) Blazing Fire in Rain (Featuring Mega Blaziken!)

Credits to JonathanJo


Hello Everybody! I haven't been at the forum lately because today I have another team to feature considering I haven't showcased one in awhile now. Recently if I have been interested in rain teams but coupled with some hyper offensive modes to beat opposing teams. Surely most of you have seen the Mega Mawile rain team which has been featured twice by ShadyPenguinn himself in his latest VGC series. In truth, I actually dropped the Mega Mawile team since there  have been some significant drops and additions to the point where I decided on a complete overhaul. Likewise my previous rain team required that I would setup Tailwind, Thunder Wave, Icy Wind, etc or have some sort of priority to help me win the "speed control" wars. This time I decided to why not have a Pokemon team with the complete opposite, Pokemon with pre-designated roles which they'll either "outspeed" and be "outsped". I actually used this team for the first time in the International Challenge without practice or even some last minute consideration and got me 23-7 which is a good record on my books. Honesty though 4 of the battles I could have won but untimely crits, parahax, and rather some poor late game play on my part costed me dearly, especially on day three when I went 6-4.


VERY SHORT BACKGROUND/TEAM CORE

First off, I originally intended to use my Mega Scizor team for the competition but I felt it wasn't the right call considering at the time I faced a bunch of "non-conventional" Pokemon strategies such as a full Nuzzle team. (Not gonna lie, I literally quit the last competition after I got parahax and DID NOT MOVE FOR THE REST OF THE BATTLE). Back then I was using Bulky Mega Metagross with Tailwind/Thunder Wave support but the fact my team was too slow for certain aspects left me vulnerable to flinches, all opposing Speed Control (team was all mid-tier speed), and Choice Scarfers. I did not want a repeat of last time so I eventually decided on having a hyper offensive team with three styles: fast mode with Mega Blaziken+Scizor/Thundurus-T, rain mode (or fast mode v2) with Politoed+Kingdra/Ferrothorn, and my slow mode with Politoed+Ferrothorn/Scizor. The main goal of the team is to sweep fast and hard or get rekt hard in less than 10 minutes or less especially against most inexperience players who typically have no answer to hyper offense.

Now here's what I wanted to showcase.


Blaziken-Mega @ Blazikenite
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 28 HP / 212 Atk / 4 Def / 12 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Low Kick
- Rock Slide
- Protect

Milestones:
-Takes one Specs Hyper Voice from 252+ Sylveon [(81.1 - 96.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO]
-Takes one Earth Power 252+ SpA Heatran: [(84.2 - 99.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO]
-Knocks out Bulky 212 HP / 60 Def Mega Kangaskhan with STAB Low Kick (BP 100) 81.3% of the time
-Knocks out Bulky 252 HP/ 4 Def Mega Charizard Y with Rock slided all the time aside missing. [(105.9 - 125.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO]
-Has a 89.1% chance to 2HKOs Cybertron's Mega Venusaur with STAB Flare Blitz


I'm going to say this right now, Mega Blaziken (and even regular Blaziken) is one of the most underrated Pokemon that definitely deserves usage in this metagame filled with kangaroo monsters and prominent Steel types. Again I could have easily gone with a regular Speed Boost Blaziken instead of the Mega Evolution I had two main team building issues. 1) Base 100 speed after Mega Evolution  and one Speed Boost allows Mega Blaziken to outspeed most standard Scarfers including standard Landorus-T. 2) Another factor was the Item Clause limitation since Life Orb was viable on either Blaziken, Scizor, or Kingdra. Eventually I opted for Mega Blaziken to be my main Mega considering I didn't have one yet. Flare Blitz is the main attack as Mega Blaziken can easily eliminate most Amoonguss, Aegislash, Ferrothorn, fast Thundurus, most Mega Metagross, and  basically 2HKO everything unresisted to Fire. Usually I have to weigh my options considering Mega Blaziken will take massive recoil from Flare Blitz  to the point of any neutral attack will knock me out.  Low Kick is opted instead of Superpower for consistence as can effectively knock out Heatran, Terrakion, Excadrill, most Mega Kangaskhan, and anything else weak to Fighting. Rock Slide is for obvious coverage against common Flying types like Talonflame, Thundurus, Gyarados, Charizard, etc. Considering how Mega Blaziken can easily set off fast Rock Slides, I often go for the flinch factor if in case there is no point in keeping my main Mega alive for the rest of the match if there's no use. Mega Blaziken was really fun to use in the competition especially if when I can get the prediction call correctly.  Probably the only things I had to worry about for the Ultimate Rooster Mon is just Talonflame, Trick Room, and Jolly Choice Scarf Landorus-T (which caught me off guard in two of my losses).




Thundurus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Volt Absorb
Level: 50
EVs: 68 HP / 24 Def / 196 SpA / 220 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Grass Knot

Milestones (as of May 15):
- 1.2% chance for Adamant Life Orb Talonflame to 2HKO with Brave Bird
- Outspeeds Choice Scarf Modest Hydreigon (225<226)
- OHKOs the following standard 4 HP investment Pokemon with the appropriate attack: Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, Terrakion, Politoed, etc.
- 95.7% chance for this Thundurus-T to 2HKO 4 HP Mega Kangaskhan with Thunderbolt

Honestly I wanted another fast Pokemon (particularly Electric type) that can take out any Pokemon that gives Mega Blaziken issues such as Flying, Water, Ground, and Dragon types all in one package and Thundurus-Therian fit the description. Probably the only regret about using this Thundurus-T is not tuning out the EVs on either Special Attack or Speed since it would have helped me in my matchup against Talonflame, otherwise is just standard Choice Scarf Thundurus-T. (May 15 Edit: Just added a Thundurus-T EV Spread with proper milestones) Anyways STAB Thunderbolt hit like a nuke coming off an incredibly high 145 base special attack and only used once all of my opponents electric immunities/resist are gone. Volt Switch is another necessary component as it allows Thundurus-T to scout out, leave some solid damage, and have one of its partners from the back handle the immediate threats. Grass Knot is coverage for Terrakion, Gastrodon, Tyranitar (without sand), Rhyperior, Swampert, or any bulky Water type who can think twice about switch in. Hidden Power Ice rounds out the moveset for Dragons (Mega Salamence, Garchomp, Hydreigon), Flying types (Landorus-T, Thundurus),  Grass types, and Ground types for super effective damage.




Scizor @ Lum Berry
Ability: Technician
Level: 50
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn  Quick Guard
- Bug Bite
- Protect

-Just a small disclaimer: I had originally had Quick Guard in place of U-Turn but I forgot to go to the Heart Scale move tutor from Fallorbor Town and re-teach the move. Had I taught my Scizor Quick Guard after EV Training, it would have gave me an incredible form or momentum shift and probably won me a couple more matches. I didn't use U-Turn at all in the IC Competition...

This is somewhat of a standard Scizor set... probably would have been the MVP of the team if I had taught it Quick Guard. Scizor pairs incredibly well with  Mega Blaziken as it can take out threats like Terrakion, Cresselia, Lati@s, Sylveon, and any weaken threat with its STAB options. Bullet Punch is what makes Scizor incredibly powerful as it can bypass speed control bar faster priority users. Bug Bite is Scizor strongest attack to offer with the added effect of stealing the effect of berries like Sitrus or Lum. Now here's a another long rant of why Quick Guard was opted but wasn't. Basically the idea of using Quick Guard is to prevent Talonflame from straight up OHKOing Mega Blaziken with Brave Bird or preventing paralysis from enemy Prankster Thundurus (only offensive variants). Mega Blaziken can then either go with an immediate Rock Slide to take out the Talonflame or Flare Blitz the Thundurus for a potential knock out. In all seven of my losses, four of them I was in this exact position where Scizor and Blaziken were facing either a Talonflame/Thundurus.  Taking out both these threats with Quick Guard and Rock Slide/Flare Blitz combo could have given me a huge momentum which my opponents would have no answers to my rain core in the back even if they take out Scizor or Mega Blaziken. In the end, it was a missed opportunity and an important lesson to always prepare and check your final team's EV spread and movesets.




Politoed @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
EVs: 232 HP / 36 Def / 124 SpA / 88 SpD / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Icy Wind
- Helping Hand
- Protect

Introducing the drizzle king who makes it rain all day and only member of the original rain team - Politoed! Honestly what would you expect to see... manual rain? Anyways this Politoed set is from Blake ("Bopper") Hooper which can take a Return from Mega Kangaskhan while has a 87.5% chance of 2HKOing a Standard Choice Scarf Landorus-T. Politoed's main objective for the team is to setup the weather, support the team the appropriate moves and survive as long as possible for Kindgra (Spoilers) to sweep. Scald is arguable the most used attack as one Scald burn on maybe a Mega Kangaskhan or a Cresselia can give me huge leverage.  Instead of the usual Ice Beam, Icy Wind is used to drop both the target's speed by one stage (or by *2/3). In the competition there where like 2 instances where Icy Wind came in clutch against a Togekiss/Amoonguss with Mega Salamence as I continuously spammed the attack to prevent Salamence from setting up completely. Usually I wasn't worried about spamming Icy Wind on a Defiant/Competitive users (Bisharp, Milotic, Braviery) as Mega Blaziken, Thundurus-T, or Ferrothorn beats them in some fashion. Helping Hand is incredibly useful to power up one of my Pokemon attacks (notably Scizor or Kingdra) and get an immediate knock out. Protect is just there to help stall out Trick Room/Tailwind/Weather (not rain), and lets Politoed support the team as long possible. One thing I have to note is if rain is still on the field, Mega Blaziken cannot hit anything hard with its powerful Flare Blitz. This is often why I rarely have Blaziken in the back since my opponents will try bringing rain checks (Amoonguss, Hydreigon, Mega Kangaskhan, Ferrothorn) who are weak to my main Mega. Often I will pair Politoed with Kingdra to hit my opponent with powerful rain boosted attacks while Mega Blaziken or Thundurus/Scizor clean up.



Kingdra @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
Level: 50
EVs: 28 HP / 244 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Surf / Muddy Water
- Ice Beam
- Protect

Here's all I have to say: Kingdra is the best rain sweeper in the game.  Seriously...  I  don't understand why a good portion of the fan base use "Critdra" instead of its rain staple in all seriousness. Kingdra was a originally gonna be Ludicolo but then I would have a severe Fire weakness to the team so I opted for the Water/Dragon itself. Between the three Pokemon I wanted to hold a Life Orb (Blaziken, Scizor, Kingdra) I knew that Kingdra was going to be the main "secondary" sweeper of the game once Mega Blaziken goes down and the extra power was much needed. Draco Meteor in tandem with Life Orb and Helping Hand Politoed can nuke Dragons and defensive Pokemon like say Suicune, Mega Venusaur, Scrafty, etc. Surf is opted instead of Muddy Water just because I need the accuracy from my main water sweeper to hit all the time instead of every now and then it misses out an important knock out. Probably the two instances where Surf costed me the game were a result of double protect plays from my opponents considering they can both 1) knock out Politoed after being at low health (no more Helping Hand support) and 2) stall out the last few turns of Rain.  In case this is an issues, Muddy Water can be opted instead just to prevent damage to my partner Pokemon. Ice Beam is another coverage move to hit Grass and Flying types such as Amoonguss, Landorus-T, or Zapdos outside of rain.




Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Atk / 108 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Probably the most annoying Pokemon in team if you aren't carrying any Fire or at some form of Fighting type attacks. Once Heatran, Charizard Y, Terrakion, Infernape, etc are out of the picture, Ferrothorn can just have fun for the rest of the match.  Ferrothorn has Relaxed nature just to take a STAB Close Combat from Terrakion and retaliate back with a Gyro Ball (or Power Whip if I'm want to play risky).  Ferrothorn is my answer to all the Fake Out users and protection against heavy rain teams. Power Whip and Gyro Ball will already do massive damage to the appropriate Pokemon. The Iron Barbs/Rocky Helmet is probably what makes Ferrothorn a nuisance against Mega Kangaskhan teams as they have to hit this thing with a Fighting move only to take about 58% of its health.  Leech Seed help give Ferrothorn recovery as well as chip way against defensive Pokemon like Rotom-W or Suicune. Heck I often play around with the opponent by using Leech Seed again on the same spot if I feel my opponent wants to switch out. Ferrothorn just works in tandem with my rain core as I always fall back to a bulky wall take can take most physical hits and special hits in the game. Expect this thing to make an appearance if I know for sure the opposing team doesn't have a solid answer to Ferrothorn.

http://www.teammagma.net/teambuilder/#?2...86|230|598

Anyways that's the team so feel free to leave any constructive criticism on how/where I can improve the team and any recommendations to make for this team. I know for sure Ghost types like Aegislash or Gengar (Mega) can work around this team. This team is very hyper offensive at best considering I have to really on my Mega Blaziken and Scizor/Thunurus-T leads with my main rain core in the back.

[Marcusube]

This team....incredible! The speed control methods really had me hooked on to it the most. Though the idea of hyper offense may not be as effective since people are going more defensive, I must say that this team on paper is flawless

[Dregran]

Yeah, this team is so great! It seems hard to counter. Inspires me to use Mega Blaziken, and it's awesome to see Kingdra back in the spotlight! :D

[GiMYz]

Definitely one of the most solid teams i've seen in this VGC so far, nice work.