[RATE MY TEAM] Offense is your best defense, an analysis on my Medicham VGC'15 team

[Black117]

(Jun 12, 2015, 04:58 PM)Marcusube Wrote: Good day/night everyone. In my last attempts to make a VGC team for Mega Medicham, my initial thought process was to make a hyper offensive team that had speed control options and ways to work around bulky defensive VGC teams. About a week later I came together with this team.

Before I start, I want to apologize in advance for the amount of scrolling, as there was no way to edit the post to crunch each build into a table.

Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Psycho Cut
- Ice Punch

Scizor @ Lum Berry
Ability: Technician
Level: 50
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Tailwind
- Bullet Punch
- Protect

Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Protect
- Flamethrower

Nidoking @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sheer Force
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb

Aerodactyl @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Unnerve
Level: 50
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Sky Drop
- Protect

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Healer
Level: 50
Impish Nature
- Wide Guard
- Knock Off
- Icy Wind
- Waterfall

In the initial stages of testing, this team has performed, in my opinion, very well in the earlier days of the VGC meta. The issues I had with the team was that it only had one efficient means of speed control which was Scizor's Tailwind as I almost never brought Alomomola to a VGC match. In fact, the only reason I had it on my team was because of its Healer ability (which only helped in like 2 of the 50+ matches I've played with this team). As such, the games I lost were because I was outsped by the opponent or pinned down with paralysis. Another issue was that I had no immediate checks to Sylveon due to the fact that in most of my matchups it was a Pokemon that threaten a OHKO on Scizor which forced me to play more defensively, meaning that I was forced to go against the idea of my team. In the end, I was pleased, but not as pleased with this team. Only 5 Pokemon were needed and only 3 of them put out to win me matches. Oh and I forgot to mention that this is when I developed my love for the AeroNido lead since it was the lead that brought victory in most matches.

After months of research, I took it upon myself to try Mega Medicham out again because I wasn't determined to just throw away the potential of using my favourite Mega Evolution in VGC. I acknowledge each flaw my team had and noted them down in a notepad then I played with other teams to get a feel of the meta game and what the common threats to each team I've made were. The result is this team:



Mui Thai (Medicham-Mega) @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- Rock Slide

Behold, the star of the show. Mega Medicham's niche on my team, other than taking the spot of the Mega Evolution, is to provide Fake Out support and massive damage output. 252/252/4 EV spread was chosen because Medicham is frail even after the Mega Evolution so a bulky variant would be a bad choice. Jolly Nature over Adamant because I need the outspeed on Kangaskhan leads to scout whether they were Jolly 252/252/4 Kangaskhan or a bulkier variant. If it was bulky, I switched into a team mate to cut its attack stat or its health so Medicham can come back in and clean up. Drain Punch is Medicham best offensive choice for VGC in my opinion because Low Kick is too contingent on weight and High Jump Kick is a huge 50/50 that I don't want to take. Zen Headbutt for another STAB move and a better offensive option against Amoonguss, Venusaur and other Pokemon that made my cringe when battling with my other teams. Yes, I hate Amoonguss. Medicham is my favourite for one reason and that is that it threatens an OHKO on it. Rock Slide is my offensive option against Flying, Fire and Ice types. I opted for it over Rock Slide because it deals spread damage and has a chance to flinch plus Dragons and Landorus-T aren't a big issue especially with the next Pokemon I'm about to show you



Miranda (Whimsicott) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 60 HP / 228 SpD / 220 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tailwind
- Worry Seed
- Safeguard
- Encore

Let me introduce you to Miranda. In case you're wondering, I named Whimsicott this after a character from the old Nick series "As Told by Ginger". Anyways, Whimsicott was a key element in my core. Its job is to get up Tailwind and Safeguard, pressure opponents who love to use moves such as Fake Out, Substitute, Protect, Perish Song etc. on the first turn to evade Medicham's Fake Out or stop my other Pokemon from attacking on the first turn. The EV spread is just to outspeed Thundurus-I max speed Timid by 1 point and to survive Heat Wave from Heatran and Double Edge from Mega Kangaskhan at -1 attack.

-1 252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 60 HP / 0 Def Whimsicott: 115-137 (80.4 - 95.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Heatran Heat Wave vs. 60 HP / 228 SpD Whimsicott: 132-156 (92.3 - 109%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

Why Kang and Heatran? Well for Kangaskhan, it can bypass my Focus Sash which stops my Whimsicott from being the utter troll it is and that's not fun. As for Heatran well....  

Tailwind is the primary method of speed control chosen to support my team, Safeguard is to stop status moves such as Thunder Wave, Spore and the haxorific burn and freeze hax. Worry Seed is where things get interesting. What it does is remove the ability from the opponent and replace it with Insomnia. I did this because Pokemon such as Kangaskhan, Sylveon, Heatran, Gengar-Mega, Thundurus and Liepard all pose a threat to my team. What makes them so good? THEIR ABILITY. Kang now hits one time per turn, Sylveon's Hyper Voice falls on deaf ears allowing Medicham to scoop it with two consecutive Zen Headbutts, Flamethrower now hits Heatran, Perish Trap? HA trap what!, and Pranksters lose their utility with the seed of wrath.



El Tigre (Arcanine) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 204 HP / 128 Def / 108 SpD / 68 Spe
Bold Nature
- Snarl
- Will-O-Wisp
- Fire Blast
- Morning Sun

My favourite Fire type in VGC and Pokemon. Arcanine just drops stats like a fresh mixtape. This is a bulky variant of Arcanine intended to absorb hits on both ends of the spectrum and stick around to annoy the hell out of my opponent. It's a standard Arcanine set so I see no need to explain the move choices

60 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 204 HP / 108 SpD Arcanine: 146-174 (76.4 - 91%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 204 HP / 128+ Def Arcanine: 97-115 (50.7 - 60.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Terrakion Rock Slide vs. 204 HP / 128+ Def Arcanine: 62-74 (32.4 - 38.7%) -- 96.7% chance to 3HKO

0 SpA Arcanine Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Bisharp: 168-198 (119.1 - 140.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

The 68 points in speed is to outspeed Bisharp by 1 point and outspeed the common Swift Swim Pokemon by 2 under Tailwind to drop a surprise Will-o-Wisp on Swampert and Snarl on Ludicolo. Not sure why I did this because Whimsicott disables Swift Swim with Worry Seed but I digress.

The name is from the main protagonist of the Nick series, El Tigre



Fidel Gastro (Gastrodon) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Storm Drain
Level: 50
EVs: 204 HP / 100 Def / 196 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 27 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Earth Power
- Icy Wind

I shamelessly ripped this build off the NuggetBridge forums because I was too lazy to make my own EV spread. The only change is that I run Icy Wind over Ice Beam and Recover over Protect.

Gastrodon is here for the sole purpose of absorbing water attacks, dropping the opponents speed with Icy Wind and providing offensive coverage. If you want the analysis on the build otherwise, check out NuggetBridge.

Also, Fidel Gastro, Fidel Castro eyyy  



Ferb (Aegislash) @ Life Orb
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 108 HP / 148 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- King's Shield
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword

Eh um. So I bet I have you all puzzled. Why is this guy running a max speed, physical, jolly nature, non-Weakness Policy Aegislash without Wide Guard/Substitute. Simple, it didn't fit the playstyle of my team. Fast Aegislash outspeeds its greatest threat, Bisharp, by 1 point and OHKOs it with Sacred Sword. Not only that, it outspeeds Sylveon meaning I can take it out before it even has the chance to scream and burst my eardrum. King's Shield is a staple on Aegislash as its the only way to switch between its forms, Iron Head to pick up more kills than Flash Cannon can dream of, Shadow Sneak to cut the joy that people have when they think their Focus Sashed mon is about to destroy my team and Sacred Sword for another offensive option against Normal, Dark, Rock, Ice and Steel types. 148 Attack EVs does what I need it to do and the rest was put into HP to achieve an HP stat below a multiple of ten to reduce my Life Orb recoil.

148+ Atk Life Orb Aegislash-Blade Sacred Sword vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 153-182 (84.5 - 100.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
148+ Atk Life Orb Aegislash-Blade Iron Head vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 283-338 (140.7 - 168.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
148+ Atk Life Orb Aegislash-Blade Iron Head vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Terrakion: 221-265 (132.3 - 158.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 108 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 135-164 (90.6 - 110%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

The 50/50 chance of Sucker Punch to kill was something I was worried about but then I remembered that Bisharp mostly go for Knock Off unto Aegislash while its in Shield Forme

Ever heard of the sword of Excaliferb. Only true Phineas and Ferb fans get the joke  



SesameStreet (Zapdos) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 204 HP / 116 Def / 4 SpA / 164 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
- Heat Wave
- Tailwind
- Thunderbolt
- Roost

I was contemplating whether I should run Zapdos or Thundurus. Seeing as how I despise Thundurus as a Pokemon and that it wouldn't fulfill its roll as effectively as Zapdos would on this team, I made the obvious choice. Zapdos is my second Tailwind setter, my means of supportive offense and an answer to Breloom and Amoonguss. The EV spread and nature is to survive Overheat from a Timid max Special Attack Charizard Y which is the strongest wallbreaker to Zapdos barring Weavile, Tyranitar and Mamoswine, all who I have answers for. Heat Wave was a required spread move because I needed to clean up Amoonguss in case Medicham, Arcanine and Aegislash for some reason miss the kill. Thunderbolt is to hit Suicune and other bulky water types down to their Sitrus Berry, not to knock them out. Roost keeps Zapdos on the field for longer which is another reason why I think it is superior to Thundurus as an option for this team.

4 SpA Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 60 SpD Suicune: 104-126 (50.2 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
4 SpA Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 236 HP / 12 SpD Milotic: 102-122 (51 - 61%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 204 HP / 116 Def Zapdos: 151-178 (79 - 93.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Terrakion Rock Slide vs. 204 HP / 116 Def Zapdos: 96-114 (50.2 - 59.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 204 HP / 116 Def Zapdos: 152-182 (79.5 - 95.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Overheat vs. 204 HP / 164+ SpD Zapdos in Sun: 160-190 (83.7 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

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Well that's my most current VGC team. Please drop a comment down below telling me what you think about this team and suggestions on what I should improve. I feel this is a solid team so I'm not inclined to switch out any team members unless you have give me 3 good reasons to do so, however, EV spread and moveset suggestions will be looked into.

Here is a video on my new team. I'm sorry I don't have one on the old team. I had deleted them from my system to make room for newer team videos and free for all matches in the community that I participate in

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/battle...-240111553

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Thanks for reading and I appreciate the support in advance :D

I like the defensive portion of your team considering how Zapdos, Gastrodon, and Arcanine cover their respective weaknesses well. I'll go by each Pokemon one by one.

For Mega Medicham, I think you still need to run Protect in exchange of Fake Out given how frail Medicham is. Its no Mega Kangaskhan since its doesn't have the best stellar defenses or that one weakness in general. Not saying that Mega Kangaskhan is better, but running Fake Out would leave Mega Medicham vulnerable to an attack. The STAB options are fine given how powerful Mega Medicham is with Pure Power, though for the last moveslot I'm kinda stuck between Ice Punch or Rock Slide. You don't have a way to stop Charizard Y aside from Rock Slide from Mega Medicham, though a Wide Guard user especially standard Aegislash can steamroll this team. Ice Punch can help against the Double Genie combination, though Rock Slide might be better for now.

That Whimsicott set is very interesting given how it doesn't have at least one attacking move like Moonblast for Hydreigon or Giga Drain for opposing Water types. Some of your moveslots are rather interesting, but I don't know whether you need some of them. Safeguard is interesting to completely Dark Void crap and random status here and there, but I just don't know whether you need it. Same with Worry Seed, its an interesting move to completely screw over a Pokemon in battle. Key word is 'a', since you might be able to cut Mega Kangaskhan or Sylveon damage output, but you cannot stop the other partner. As far as potential movesets are concern, maybe test out Taunt or Moonblast and see how it goes. Other interesting choices you can use are Fake Tears/Tickle and Endeavor so those are some ideas.

For Aegislash, well its interesting to run a full speed investment to get Bisharp with Sacred Sword, but I think its rather too specific of a target to deal with. Arcanine, Gastrodon, Zapdos, and Mega Medicham all threaten Bisharp while Whimscott can use Encore on either a Protect or Sucker Punch. The reason why physical Aegislash fell out of VGC is due to the amount of Intimidate pressure from Landorus-T. I'd suggest opting a Specially Mixed Set with Shadow Ball, Sacred Sword, and either between Iron Head, Flash Cannon, King's Shield, and Wide Guard.

The rest of the team I don't have much to say because they cover each other's weaknesses great. Maybe change Heat Wave for HP Ice for Zapdos, but that's a suggestion.