What is up everybody!? As you all know by now, VGC'16 has been announced and to our surprise, cover legendaries have now been legalized in the format, similarly to VGC'10. Most say that the format will be even more unbalanced than last year and it will immediately become uninteresting. I, however, feel that this new ruleset will bring forth a fresh experience that will be fun to play in and focus around more strategy than hax.
The team I have today is based around the core of Lugia, P-Kyogre and M-Scizor:
![[Image: lugia.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/diamond-pearl/lugia.png)
![[Image: kyogre-primal.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/xy-fan/kyogre-primal.png)
![[Image: scizor-mega.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/xy-fan/scizor-mega.png)
Firstly, I feel it is necessary to list the top anticipated threats in the upcoming VGC'16 season:
![[Image: xerneas.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/xy-fan/xerneas.png)
![[Image: groudon-primal.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/xy-fan/groudon-primal.png)
![[Image: ludicolo.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/black-white/ludicolo.png)
![[Image: rayquaza-mega.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/xy-fan/rayquaza-mega.png)
All Xerneas needs to do is get off 1 Geomancy to destroy your team. I'm not even kidding. After the Geomancy boost, anything that isn't Steel or Poison type gets OHKOd by Fairy Aura boosted Dazzling Gleam (at least to my experience on the ladder).
Primal Groudon is also very solid as it is nearly unable to be OHKOd by Ground moves and is immune to Water moves due to its ability. Not only that, put P-Groudon with Xerneas on the field at the same time and you have easily created a formation stronger than double genie. Feel I'm being ridiculous?
P-Groudon KOs all of Xerneas' checks with Fire Punch, Precipice Blades or the latter. This level of pressure exerted by P-Groudon makes it easy for Xerneas to get a free turn to pull off a Geomancy and sweep.
Mega Rayquaza cancels out all weather conditions, hits like a truck with LO boosted Dragon Ascent, pretty much takes out all what threatens it if it has the Choice Scarf, can be ran mixed, seriously why is this mon legal!?
Ludicolo may not look like a threat to begin with but merely having access to a fast Fake Out in the rain makes it viable for allowing P-Kyogre to set up a Calm Mind, or worse, fire off a barrage of Water Spouts. Since Ludicolo will most likely outspeed the mons that threaten Kyogre, it has the option of either crippling or KOing Kyogre's checks
Okay now for the team.
This core is meant to achieve the following objectives:
1) With Primordial Sea, Scizor basically has no weaknesses, meaning it has an easier time setting up Swords Dances and picking off the opponent's Pokemon 1 by 1
2) Lugia serves as speed control with Thunder Wave as well as using Skill Swap to steal abilities or reset Primordial Sea
![[Image: thundurus.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/black-white/thundurus.png)
![[Image: mamoswine.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/black-white/mamoswine.png)
![[Image: seismitoad.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/black-white/seismitoad.png)
Movesets:
Lugia is my all out support Pokemon. Thunder Wave is the ideal speed control method as it stops Geomancy Xerneas, Swift Swimmers and pretty anything fast that isn't immune to Electric in its tracks. Skill Swap's main utility is to reset Primordial Sea, take Prankster from Thundurus to be even more of an annoyance and disrupt the opposing team in any way possible. Aeroblast is Lugia's signature move and his strongest reliable STAB move. It's intended for Ludicolo and Whimsicott mainly but the move itself brings solid neutral coverage. Recover over Roost in the case the opponent baits Roost and uses a Ground move.
The spread here was intended to 2HKO M-Rayquaza with Ice Beam at +2 while being able to survive a LO boosted Dragon Ascent. This spread was developed when I was using an older set of Calm Mind, Psychic, Ice Beam and Recover so it may need to be changed again.
Quiet Kyogre gets the ideal creep behind Groudon so Primordial Sea gets set up last if they're sent out at the same time. The moveset is pretty basic. Origin Pulse for STAB (not Water Spout because it relies heavily on having a certain amount of hit points) and your classic BeamBolt combo. The spread is, again, to survive LO boosted Dragon Ascent
I took the Scizor set from Kiev and the Thundurus set from PodFighterNinja so check out their analysis on their respective threads :D
Mamoswine was intended to be a check for Rayquaza but it hasn't been performing that well. I intend to change it later. Same for Seismitoad. It was supposed to counter P-Groudon but it barely misses out on the KO
This team report was pretty short because this team is still in progress. My intention was to show off what I have now and to see if you guys have any suggestions or comments on the team or the metagame in general. Thanks for reading the thread and I appreciate the time you spent viewing it :D
REPLAYS:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303323582
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303323125
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303322056
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303318939
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303316743
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303315420
Showdown IGN : LuSCARFio
The team I have today is based around the core of Lugia, P-Kyogre and M-Scizor:
Firstly, I feel it is necessary to list the top anticipated threats in the upcoming VGC'16 season:
All Xerneas needs to do is get off 1 Geomancy to destroy your team. I'm not even kidding. After the Geomancy boost, anything that isn't Steel or Poison type gets OHKOd by Fairy Aura boosted Dazzling Gleam (at least to my experience on the ladder).
Primal Groudon is also very solid as it is nearly unable to be OHKOd by Ground moves and is immune to Water moves due to its ability. Not only that, put P-Groudon with Xerneas on the field at the same time and you have easily created a formation stronger than double genie. Feel I'm being ridiculous?
P-Groudon KOs all of Xerneas' checks with Fire Punch, Precipice Blades or the latter. This level of pressure exerted by P-Groudon makes it easy for Xerneas to get a free turn to pull off a Geomancy and sweep.
Mega Rayquaza cancels out all weather conditions, hits like a truck with LO boosted Dragon Ascent, pretty much takes out all what threatens it if it has the Choice Scarf, can be ran mixed, seriously why is this mon legal!?
Ludicolo may not look like a threat to begin with but merely having access to a fast Fake Out in the rain makes it viable for allowing P-Kyogre to set up a Calm Mind, or worse, fire off a barrage of Water Spouts. Since Ludicolo will most likely outspeed the mons that threaten Kyogre, it has the option of either crippling or KOing Kyogre's checks
Okay now for the team.
This core is meant to achieve the following objectives:
1) With Primordial Sea, Scizor basically has no weaknesses, meaning it has an easier time setting up Swords Dances and picking off the opponent's Pokemon 1 by 1
2) Lugia serves as speed control with Thunder Wave as well as using Skill Swap to steal abilities or reset Primordial Sea
THE POKEMON
Movesets:
Lugia is my all out support Pokemon. Thunder Wave is the ideal speed control method as it stops Geomancy Xerneas, Swift Swimmers and pretty anything fast that isn't immune to Electric in its tracks. Skill Swap's main utility is to reset Primordial Sea, take Prankster from Thundurus to be even more of an annoyance and disrupt the opposing team in any way possible. Aeroblast is Lugia's signature move and his strongest reliable STAB move. It's intended for Ludicolo and Whimsicott mainly but the move itself brings solid neutral coverage. Recover over Roost in the case the opponent baits Roost and uses a Ground move.
The spread here was intended to 2HKO M-Rayquaza with Ice Beam at +2 while being able to survive a LO boosted Dragon Ascent. This spread was developed when I was using an older set of Calm Mind, Psychic, Ice Beam and Recover so it may need to be changed again.
Quiet Kyogre gets the ideal creep behind Groudon so Primordial Sea gets set up last if they're sent out at the same time. The moveset is pretty basic. Origin Pulse for STAB (not Water Spout because it relies heavily on having a certain amount of hit points) and your classic BeamBolt combo. The spread is, again, to survive LO boosted Dragon Ascent
I took the Scizor set from Kiev and the Thundurus set from PodFighterNinja so check out their analysis on their respective threads :D
Mamoswine was intended to be a check for Rayquaza but it hasn't been performing that well. I intend to change it later. Same for Seismitoad. It was supposed to counter P-Groudon but it barely misses out on the KO
This team report was pretty short because this team is still in progress. My intention was to show off what I have now and to see if you guys have any suggestions or comments on the team or the metagame in general. Thanks for reading the thread and I appreciate the time you spent viewing it :D
REPLAYS:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303323582
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303323125
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303322056
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303318939
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303316743
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-303315420
Showdown IGN : LuSCARFio
[Insert signature here]
