RMT: Mega-Scizor
Oct 30, 2015, 07:11 PM
Hello everyone. This is my first real post here. I came to this place with the intentions of getting better at VGC, at least good enough to put up a fight at local events and regionals with the top goal being competing at nationals and hopefully doing well! This is the team I've been running through Showdown, I think I peaked at around 1400 before I went on tilt and dipped down pretty low. I currently hover around 1300. I'll list the Pokemon and an explanation as to why I chose them and maybe I can get some feedback from y'all.
This team is made to be a "control" team, focused on disrupting the opponent and picking off threats. It was inspired by Baz Anderson's 2015 worlds team. Beforehand, I would like to mention I am aware of the lack of Protect on my team, and I understand that that is typically a big no-no in doubles. I like to play high-risk high-reward style and I feel like this team is that philosophy incarnate.
Also, here is the resistance chart from http://www.teammagma.net/teambuilder with my team plugged in.
![[Image: 212-m.png]](http://serebii.net/art/th/212-m.png)
Scizor @ Scizorite
Adamant / Technician
236 HP / 92 Atk / 24 Def / 156 SpDef / 16 Spe
-Bullet Punch
-Knock Off
-Swords Dance
-Protect
This is Baz Anderson's VGC 2015 Mega-Scizor that he brought to Worlds. I am actually not quite sure why he used this exact spread, but I went ahead and found some nice offensive/defensive benchmarks for it. I would really like suggestions on this spread. Without knowing Baz Anderson's intentions with this build, I feel like I am running Scizor sub-optimally. I tried fiddling with the EVs a bit before, like I gave it less speed because I was having trouble with trick room teams and I pumped the rest of the IVs into attack, but it didn't help me KO anything that I couldn't already.
I chose to run Mega-Scizor because it is a Mega that I personally like and like to use. Mega-Scizor isn't threatened by much, especially a burned or intimidated physical attacker, allowing it to set up in the face of many opponents. After a set up, Scizor excels at picking off weakened targets with it's Bullet Punch and does massive damage to enemies still holding items with Knock Off. I chose to run Knock Off over Bug Bite because Knock Off is ALWAYS useful, where as Bug Bite can be situational.
![[Image: 510.png]](http://serebii.net/art/th/510.png)
Liepard @ Black Glasses
Prankster / Jolly
158 HP / 100 Def / 252 Spe
-Fake Out
-Foul Play
-Fake Tears
-Encore
This Liepard set is also a part of Baz Anderson's Worlds 2015 team. I'm not exactly sure what the 158 HP / 100 Def spread is supposed to achieve, but the bulk has done wonders so far, allowing Liepard to survive much longer than it should. Maximum speed is a must. Liepards speed is it's best offense and defense, allowing it to take care of threats before they are able to act. Most notably, Liepard is the fastest Prankster user, besides Thundurus and I believe Whimsicott, and is faster than most other Fake Out users besides Weavile. This also allows Liepard to outspeed Adamant 252 Spe Mega-Salamence.
The moveset is fairly self-explanatory. Fake Out is for threat neutralization and disruption. Foul Play is a potent attack alongside Swagger and stops Liepard form being useless under Taunt. Fake Tears sets up Thundurus/Infernape/Milotic to get 1HKOs they wouldn't normally. In fact there is not a whole lot that a Life Orb Thunderbolt form Thundurus on a -2 SpDef can't 1HKO. Encore is for disruption and control. Common Encore targets are Protect, Fake Out, Trick Room, or any set up moves but it can be used for much more depending on the situation. For example, locking a bulky water tank into Ice Beam, allowing Scizor to set up without fear of Scald.
![[Image: 642.png]](http://serebii.net/art/th/642.png)
Thundurus @ Life Orb
Prankster / Timid
4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power: Ice
-Thunder Wave
-Swagger
This is a very standard Thundurus set, so I wont say I took it from Baz Anderson's team. But I did get the inspiration to pair Liepard+Thundurus together from Baz, along with Scizor! The EVs are pretty standard. 0 Atk and 30 Def IVs minimize Thundurus' attack to take as little damage from opposing Swagger's and Foul Plays as possible and allow Thundurus to maintain HP: Ice.
The moveset is also incredibly standard. Not much to talk about. The only really special thing to mention here is that there is a lot of synergy here with Liepard, specifically Swagger/Foul Play and Fake Tears/Thunderbolt OR HP: Ice.
![[Image: 392.png]](http://serebii.net/art/th/392.png)
Infernape @ Focus Sash
Blaze / Naive
158 Atk / 100 SpAtk / 252 Spe
-Fake Out
-Overheat
-Close Combat
-Feint
Infernape is probably the oddest choice here. A lot of people ask me why I use Infernape over Blaziken. Honestly, at first, the answer was because I simply dislike Blaziken but LOVE Infernape. But after testing both a bit, I have at least a few reasons to justify the choice. I will try my best to explain this concisely.
First of all, Infernape provides a second Fake Out which is very useful considering the ONLY Pokemon on my team that runs Protect is Mega-Scizor. I realized if I ran Blaziken, I would have another option for Protect BUT BEAR WITH ME. The second reason to not run Blaziken is because I feel like Blaziken needs to run Life Orb to get the most out of it. A lot of people tell me Blaziken can NEARLY 1HKO Amoonguss or NEARLY 1HKO this and that. This leads me to my third reason--Blaze. Blaziken has more offensive power front-loaded into it, but lacks Infernape's speed. Therefore it needs to run Speed Boost and almost ALWAYS has to Protect the first turn it is out, losing momentum in certain situations. Infernape is innately very fast, allowing it to run Blaze. Infernape functions best when he survives with low HP after sash. He is extremely fast and hits most anything in the meta INCREDIBLY hard with Overheat while Blaze is activated. I get so giddy when Infernape hits sash, it means his true power has been unlocked. The final reason is because I prefer Close Combat to Superpower. Close Combat allows Infernape to constantly assert offensive pressure without having to switch out to reset his stats. Both Overheat and Superpower drop offensive stats on Blaziken, which I don't think is ideal considering the fast but fragile nature of my team.
The last thing worth mentioning is Feint. Feint is fantastic. Mega-Gardevoir trying to pop Protect to avoid that Bullet Punch? Feint. M-Charizard popping protect to avoid a Rock Slide? Feint. Good stuff. Feint has the power to completely reverse the moment of battle in a single turn, emphasizing the high-risk high-reward gameplay I strive for with this team.
More than anything, I love this set because I put it together from scratch myself and it does everything I need it to do.
![[Image: 350.png]](http://serebii.net/art/th/350.png)
Milotic @ Kee Berry
Competetive / Bold
236 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpAtk / 12 SpDef / 4 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
-Scald
-Ice Beam
-Icy Wind
-Recover
Alright, I'll come clean. This spread was given to me by a generous soul over at the Showdown VGC chat room. He never told me what the spread was supposed to achieve, but I have never used Milotic before and I'm not sure where it's stats are meant to be allocated. The Pokemon I had in this slot before Milotic was Assault Vest Azumarill but I found that I needed a defensive pivot, and chose Milotic as I was also susceptible to Intimidate. I also needed a way to inflict Burn, though it wasn't a necessary option.
I chose to use Kee Berry and Recover because I wanted Milotic to be something I could leave out on the field to constantly apply pressure. Optimal conditions leave Milotic with +2 SpAtk and +1 Def, making it a juggernaut on the field. Not much cant comfortably eat a +2 SpAtk Scald, and even fewer can handle taking a Burn from such a hard hitting Scald.
Milotic is a mainstay on the team and improves many matchups, though I would appreciate help with a more centralized spread that I understand. I am also more than willing to compromise it's item/nature/moveset.
![[Image: 645-s.png]](http://serebii.net/art/th/645-s.png)
Landorus (Therian Forme) @ Choice Scarf
Intimidate / Adamant
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Superpower
-U-Turn
This was the last slot I had to fill for this team, and I tried many many different things here. I tried Amoonguss, Sylveon, Ferrothorn, Conkeldurr and many more and found that I just couldn't find what I needed. Then I though, "What kind of control team has no Intimidate or any reliable form of Burn?" So then I tried out Arcanine and Gyarados. Neither really fit the bill. So I bit the bullet and did the one thing I never wanted to do--run double genies. And I have to say I don't regret it.
Landorus, specifically Scarf Lando-T, exerts IMMEDIATE offensive presence with no need for set up at all. I also appreciate the ability to shuffle Intimidates. There's not a whole lot to say here ... this is a pretty standard, splashable Landorus. I was running Assault Vest on him, but switched to Choice Scarf just very recently and I have to say I like the Scarf better.
Alright guys, please tear it apart. Tell me why my spreads are bad or why I should be running CHALK. Tell me the reasons why I should use Blaziken over Infernape. Let me know I'm not running enough Protect. The one thing I ask is that if you suggest I change something, please provide me an alternative! You don't have to ... but it would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
This team is made to be a "control" team, focused on disrupting the opponent and picking off threats. It was inspired by Baz Anderson's 2015 worlds team. Beforehand, I would like to mention I am aware of the lack of Protect on my team, and I understand that that is typically a big no-no in doubles. I like to play high-risk high-reward style and I feel like this team is that philosophy incarnate.
Also, here is the resistance chart from http://www.teammagma.net/teambuilder with my team plugged in.
![[Image: aSqFX9U.png]](http://i.imgur.com/aSqFX9U.png)
Scizor @ Scizorite
Adamant / Technician
236 HP / 92 Atk / 24 Def / 156 SpDef / 16 Spe
-Bullet Punch
-Knock Off
-Swords Dance
-Protect
OFFENSIVE:
*2HKO defensively bulky Sylveon even after intimidate w/ Bullet Punch*
*High chance of 1HKO on Mega-Gardevoir after a Fake Out or Feint w/ Bullet Punch*
*2HKO Cresselia after Swords Dance w/ Knock Off*
*1HKO Aegislash-Shield with Knock Off after Swords Dance*
DEFENSIVE:
*Choice Specs Sylveon Hyper Voice is always a 3HKO*
*Aegislash Shadow Ball is always a 3HKO*
*Mega-Kangaskhan Double Edge has %15.7 chance to be a 4HKO, otherwise 3HKO*
*2HKO defensively bulky Sylveon even after intimidate w/ Bullet Punch*
*High chance of 1HKO on Mega-Gardevoir after a Fake Out or Feint w/ Bullet Punch*
*2HKO Cresselia after Swords Dance w/ Knock Off*
*1HKO Aegislash-Shield with Knock Off after Swords Dance*
DEFENSIVE:
*Choice Specs Sylveon Hyper Voice is always a 3HKO*
*Aegislash Shadow Ball is always a 3HKO*
*Mega-Kangaskhan Double Edge has %15.7 chance to be a 4HKO, otherwise 3HKO*
This is Baz Anderson's VGC 2015 Mega-Scizor that he brought to Worlds. I am actually not quite sure why he used this exact spread, but I went ahead and found some nice offensive/defensive benchmarks for it. I would really like suggestions on this spread. Without knowing Baz Anderson's intentions with this build, I feel like I am running Scizor sub-optimally. I tried fiddling with the EVs a bit before, like I gave it less speed because I was having trouble with trick room teams and I pumped the rest of the IVs into attack, but it didn't help me KO anything that I couldn't already.
I chose to run Mega-Scizor because it is a Mega that I personally like and like to use. Mega-Scizor isn't threatened by much, especially a burned or intimidated physical attacker, allowing it to set up in the face of many opponents. After a set up, Scizor excels at picking off weakened targets with it's Bullet Punch and does massive damage to enemies still holding items with Knock Off. I chose to run Knock Off over Bug Bite because Knock Off is ALWAYS useful, where as Bug Bite can be situational.
Liepard @ Black Glasses
Prankster / Jolly
158 HP / 100 Def / 252 Spe
-Fake Out
-Foul Play
-Fake Tears
-Encore
OFFENSIVE:
*100% 1HKO on 4 HP / 252 Atk Mega-Kangaskhan after Swagger w/ Black Glasses Foul Play*
*High chance to 2HKO 252 HP / 252 Def Sableye after Swagger w/ Black Glasses Foul Play*
*100% 1HKO 4 HP / 252 Atk Mega-Salamence after Swagger w/ Black Glasses Foul Play*
DEFENSIVE:
*Liepard is very frail. It survives many physical attacks and some special with a bit of bulk investment, but not much else.*
*100% 1HKO on 4 HP / 252 Atk Mega-Kangaskhan after Swagger w/ Black Glasses Foul Play*
*High chance to 2HKO 252 HP / 252 Def Sableye after Swagger w/ Black Glasses Foul Play*
*100% 1HKO 4 HP / 252 Atk Mega-Salamence after Swagger w/ Black Glasses Foul Play*
DEFENSIVE:
*Liepard is very frail. It survives many physical attacks and some special with a bit of bulk investment, but not much else.*
This Liepard set is also a part of Baz Anderson's Worlds 2015 team. I'm not exactly sure what the 158 HP / 100 Def spread is supposed to achieve, but the bulk has done wonders so far, allowing Liepard to survive much longer than it should. Maximum speed is a must. Liepards speed is it's best offense and defense, allowing it to take care of threats before they are able to act. Most notably, Liepard is the fastest Prankster user, besides Thundurus and I believe Whimsicott, and is faster than most other Fake Out users besides Weavile. This also allows Liepard to outspeed Adamant 252 Spe Mega-Salamence.
The moveset is fairly self-explanatory. Fake Out is for threat neutralization and disruption. Foul Play is a potent attack alongside Swagger and stops Liepard form being useless under Taunt. Fake Tears sets up Thundurus/Infernape/Milotic to get 1HKOs they wouldn't normally. In fact there is not a whole lot that a Life Orb Thunderbolt form Thundurus on a -2 SpDef can't 1HKO. Encore is for disruption and control. Common Encore targets are Protect, Fake Out, Trick Room, or any set up moves but it can be used for much more depending on the situation. For example, locking a bulky water tank into Ice Beam, allowing Scizor to set up without fear of Scald.
Thundurus @ Life Orb
Prankster / Timid
4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power: Ice
-Thunder Wave
-Swagger
OFFENSIVE:
*1HKO Heatran after Fake Tears w/ Thunderbolt*
*1HKO offensive Thundurus after Fake Out w/ Thunderbolt*
*1HKO non-Assault Vest Landorus w/ Hidden Power: Ice*
*1HKO 4 HP Mega-Salamence w/ Hidden Power: Ice*
DEFENSIVE:
*Again, this Thundurus is made to disrupt, not survive hits. All stat investments are put into offensive stats.*
*1HKO Heatran after Fake Tears w/ Thunderbolt*
*1HKO offensive Thundurus after Fake Out w/ Thunderbolt*
*1HKO non-Assault Vest Landorus w/ Hidden Power: Ice*
*1HKO 4 HP Mega-Salamence w/ Hidden Power: Ice*
DEFENSIVE:
*Again, this Thundurus is made to disrupt, not survive hits. All stat investments are put into offensive stats.*
This is a very standard Thundurus set, so I wont say I took it from Baz Anderson's team. But I did get the inspiration to pair Liepard+Thundurus together from Baz, along with Scizor! The EVs are pretty standard. 0 Atk and 30 Def IVs minimize Thundurus' attack to take as little damage from opposing Swagger's and Foul Plays as possible and allow Thundurus to maintain HP: Ice.
The moveset is also incredibly standard. Not much to talk about. The only really special thing to mention here is that there is a lot of synergy here with Liepard, specifically Swagger/Foul Play and Fake Tears/Thunderbolt OR HP: Ice.
Infernape @ Focus Sash
Blaze / Naive
158 Atk / 100 SpAtk / 252 Spe
-Fake Out
-Overheat
-Close Combat
-Feint
OFFENSIVE:
*1HKO 4 HP Mega-Kangaskhan after Fake Out w/ Close Combat*
*1HKO 252 HP Amoonguss after Fake Tears w/ Overheat*
*1HKO 252 HP Amoonguss w/ Blaze activated Overheat*
*1HKO 252 HP Aegislash-Shield w/ Blaze activated Overheat*
DEFENSIVE:
*Like Liepard and Thundurus, Infernape is an offensive control Pokemon. It is not meant to survive any hits. Kang Sucker Punch is probably the only really relevant calculation.
*252 Atk Mega-Kangaskhan Sucker Punch is always a 3HKO, 2HKO after taking Fake Out*
*1HKO 4 HP Mega-Kangaskhan after Fake Out w/ Close Combat*
*1HKO 252 HP Amoonguss after Fake Tears w/ Overheat*
*1HKO 252 HP Amoonguss w/ Blaze activated Overheat*
*1HKO 252 HP Aegislash-Shield w/ Blaze activated Overheat*
DEFENSIVE:
*Like Liepard and Thundurus, Infernape is an offensive control Pokemon. It is not meant to survive any hits. Kang Sucker Punch is probably the only really relevant calculation.
*252 Atk Mega-Kangaskhan Sucker Punch is always a 3HKO, 2HKO after taking Fake Out*
Infernape is probably the oddest choice here. A lot of people ask me why I use Infernape over Blaziken. Honestly, at first, the answer was because I simply dislike Blaziken but LOVE Infernape. But after testing both a bit, I have at least a few reasons to justify the choice. I will try my best to explain this concisely.
First of all, Infernape provides a second Fake Out which is very useful considering the ONLY Pokemon on my team that runs Protect is Mega-Scizor. I realized if I ran Blaziken, I would have another option for Protect BUT BEAR WITH ME. The second reason to not run Blaziken is because I feel like Blaziken needs to run Life Orb to get the most out of it. A lot of people tell me Blaziken can NEARLY 1HKO Amoonguss or NEARLY 1HKO this and that. This leads me to my third reason--Blaze. Blaziken has more offensive power front-loaded into it, but lacks Infernape's speed. Therefore it needs to run Speed Boost and almost ALWAYS has to Protect the first turn it is out, losing momentum in certain situations. Infernape is innately very fast, allowing it to run Blaze. Infernape functions best when he survives with low HP after sash. He is extremely fast and hits most anything in the meta INCREDIBLY hard with Overheat while Blaze is activated. I get so giddy when Infernape hits sash, it means his true power has been unlocked. The final reason is because I prefer Close Combat to Superpower. Close Combat allows Infernape to constantly assert offensive pressure without having to switch out to reset his stats. Both Overheat and Superpower drop offensive stats on Blaziken, which I don't think is ideal considering the fast but fragile nature of my team.
The last thing worth mentioning is Feint. Feint is fantastic. Mega-Gardevoir trying to pop Protect to avoid that Bullet Punch? Feint. M-Charizard popping protect to avoid a Rock Slide? Feint. Good stuff. Feint has the power to completely reverse the moment of battle in a single turn, emphasizing the high-risk high-reward gameplay I strive for with this team.
More than anything, I love this set because I put it together from scratch myself and it does everything I need it to do.
Milotic @ Kee Berry
Competetive / Bold
236 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpAtk / 12 SpDef / 4 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
-Scald
-Ice Beam
-Icy Wind
-Recover
OFFENSIVE:
*Not sure about what this spread is supposed to achieve.*
DEFENSIVE:
*Not sure what this spread is supposed to achieve.*
*Not sure about what this spread is supposed to achieve.*
DEFENSIVE:
*Not sure what this spread is supposed to achieve.*
Alright, I'll come clean. This spread was given to me by a generous soul over at the Showdown VGC chat room. He never told me what the spread was supposed to achieve, but I have never used Milotic before and I'm not sure where it's stats are meant to be allocated. The Pokemon I had in this slot before Milotic was Assault Vest Azumarill but I found that I needed a defensive pivot, and chose Milotic as I was also susceptible to Intimidate. I also needed a way to inflict Burn, though it wasn't a necessary option.
I chose to use Kee Berry and Recover because I wanted Milotic to be something I could leave out on the field to constantly apply pressure. Optimal conditions leave Milotic with +2 SpAtk and +1 Def, making it a juggernaut on the field. Not much cant comfortably eat a +2 SpAtk Scald, and even fewer can handle taking a Burn from such a hard hitting Scald.
Milotic is a mainstay on the team and improves many matchups, though I would appreciate help with a more centralized spread that I understand. I am also more than willing to compromise it's item/nature/moveset.
Landorus (Therian Forme) @ Choice Scarf
Intimidate / Adamant
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Superpower
-U-Turn
OFFENSIVE:
*1HKO bulky Mega-Charizard Y w/ Rock Slide*
*1HKO bulky Heatran w/ Earthquake*
*43.8% chance to 1HKO 4 HP Mega-Kangaskhan w/ Superpower*
*2HKO bulky Sylveon w/ Earthquake*
DEFENSIVE:
*252 Atk Mega-Kangaskhan Return is always a 3HKO after Intimidate*
*Survives Choice Specs 252 SpAtk Sylveon Hyper Voice*
*1HKO bulky Mega-Charizard Y w/ Rock Slide*
*1HKO bulky Heatran w/ Earthquake*
*43.8% chance to 1HKO 4 HP Mega-Kangaskhan w/ Superpower*
*2HKO bulky Sylveon w/ Earthquake*
DEFENSIVE:
*252 Atk Mega-Kangaskhan Return is always a 3HKO after Intimidate*
*Survives Choice Specs 252 SpAtk Sylveon Hyper Voice*
This was the last slot I had to fill for this team, and I tried many many different things here. I tried Amoonguss, Sylveon, Ferrothorn, Conkeldurr and many more and found that I just couldn't find what I needed. Then I though, "What kind of control team has no Intimidate or any reliable form of Burn?" So then I tried out Arcanine and Gyarados. Neither really fit the bill. So I bit the bullet and did the one thing I never wanted to do--run double genies. And I have to say I don't regret it.
Landorus, specifically Scarf Lando-T, exerts IMMEDIATE offensive presence with no need for set up at all. I also appreciate the ability to shuffle Intimidates. There's not a whole lot to say here ... this is a pretty standard, splashable Landorus. I was running Assault Vest on him, but switched to Choice Scarf just very recently and I have to say I like the Scarf better.
Alright guys, please tear it apart. Tell me why my spreads are bad or why I should be running CHALK. Tell me the reasons why I should use Blaziken over Infernape. Let me know I'm not running enough Protect. The one thing I ask is that if you suggest I change something, please provide me an alternative! You don't have to ... but it would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
