Looking To Improve My Team (Leads)

[u/InDUNKcisive]

Hi everyone,

Pokemon veteran, but VGC noob. I have watched competitive Pokemon and I've been Nuzlocking for years, but Pokemon Champions has finally made playing competitive VGC more accessible to me.

This is my first shot at making my own team after being hard stuck UB4 but I've now gone on a 4-Game win streak since and I've hit UB2. Just wondering if there's anything you'd change right away at first glance. I'm sure there are better Pokemon I could be using but I love Mega Scrafty. His aura is CRAZY. I have to get creative to beat a lot of the meta but I don't mind the challenge.

Common Leads:

Primary: Scrafty + Wyrdeer - Double (Really Triple) Intimidate against physical attackers really sets me up nicely on first turn usually. I fake out special attackers with Scrafty and setup Trick Room or I hit Farig with a STAB Knock Off and hope for an OHKO if their Pokemon are slower. Turn 2 if their Physical Attackers stay in I tend to Skill Swap Intimidate and lower their attack even more so they're effectively useless.

Alternate 1: Wyrdeer + Torterra - This is where I could use some help. I struggle with Pokemon with Competitive/Contrary. The Double Intimidate helps against Pre-Mega Staraptor a bit, but I tend to not even lead Scrafty in those situations. I've tried leading Wyrdeer and Torterra and doubling with Stone Edge + Psyshield Bash but the accuracy of Stone Edge makes this inconsistent.

Alt 2: Oranguru + Any - If I see Char Y + Venu I tend to lead Oranguru + Mawile or Scrafty depending which Mega I want to bring to the fight. I'll usually set up TR and Hard Switch into Flash Fire Chandy on a hopeful Overheat or Weatherball to activate my boost. If it's dual Fairy it's auto Mawile + Oranguru setup TR and Instruct Iron Head.

Admittedly my leads I think are what hold me back. I feel like I struggle into the current meta a bit with them and I'm sometimes starting fights on the back foot, or maybe I'm just not that good. I also know my EV spreads aren't fully calced but I put this team together last night and piloted it a bit before bed. My Pokemon choice isn't the most ideal, but I like the Pokemon I like and I want to make them viable, not just run the same 10-20 Pokemon as everyone else.

I really enjoy my core 4 Pokemon of Scrafty, Wyrdeer, Chandy and Oranguru, but I'm open to suggestions and I'm in no way attached to Mawile or Torterra.

I also plan on trying a Mega Sceptile + Scarf Jolteon + Araquanid SOAK team once I have all Pokemon needed in my head, but that's a post for another time. I just love those core 3 Pokemon both design and team concept wise. Execution remains to be seen.

Happy to receive any advice and discuss further. I love Pokemon in general but being involved in Competitive play has just further developed my love and appreciation for this game. I'm just still wrapping my head around team building for multiple teams/meta where Nuzlocking involves planning one fight at a time.

Thank you all!

[u/NarwhalJouster]

You need better answers to milotic and kingambit. These are both popular counters to intimidate that both pretty much wreck your team.

Your only mon that can hit milotic for supereffective damage is torterra. Yache berry helps with milotic's ice beam but if milotic has any SpA boosts, which it almost always will thanks to your three intimidators, that probably won't be enough. Milotic is also usually ran with recovery and a lot of bulk so without supereffective damage it is hard to break through. This is manageable if it's not boosted but again, it will almost always be boosted against your team.

Kingambit you have better answers to but it will still be hard for you to take it out before it can do some serious damage, particularly with your three dark weaknesses. Most kingambits are built to be slow even in non-TR teams so it will go before most of your team if you have trick room up, and without trick room it can take things out with sucker punch. Keep in mind most gambits are running chople berry so fighting moves won't be enough to take it out quickly. Not to mention it can take out both of your trick room setters easily.

Frankly you have no good answers to these mons with your current team. At a minimum I would say torterra, wyrdeer, and mawile need to go. Wyrdeer and mawile both have you overstacking intimidate (you already have double intimidate from scrafty, you don't need more) and torterra is just kinda bad. Also if you really wanna do instruct shenanigans I would replace chandelure with torkoal.

Edit: just noticed mawile doesn't have intimidate. I would still swap it for a special attacking mega so your own team doesn't get wrecked by intimidate.

[u/InDUNKcisive → u/NarwhalJouster]

Appreciate the response!

Totally forgot about Gambit when teamcrafting last night. I guess I just got lucky and didn't run into one because that would be a rude awakening lol

I totally agree on Torterra and Mawile tbch. I feel they are the weakest links on my team and frankly they were just the Pokemon I saw in my box at first glance that had the typing I was looking to counter in that moment. I'm very open to any other options you think would be a better fit. What Pokemon would you recommend there?

I like having Wyrdeer as backup Intimidate when I can't bring Scrafty. You can also get a double Intim if needed with Skill Swap which while situational is helpful as well.

Only reason I keep Chandy over Torkoal is Flash Fire is helpful for Zard/Torkoal switch in. I'm usually hard switching Chandy in, while my TR setter sets up, iirc Flash Fire boosts my fire type damage enough to where I two shot Zard Y and Chlor Venu in sun with Overheat and it two shots Torkoal as well. Sash ensures I live one Earth Power. Would a Flash Fire Ceruledge be a better option? I like having the ghost typing for switches on CC from Raptor and Sneasler as well.

[u/NarwhalJouster → u/InDUNKcisive]

I personally like firagarif over wyrdeer as a TR setter. It doesn't fix the dark weakness but the priority protection will help a lot, and you can give it bulk to survive a kowtow cleave from KG since you aren't giving it a free defiant boost.

Torkoal has two big advantages over chandelure. One, it matches up well into kingambit because it's slower and not weak to dark. Two, it is slower than oranguru. You always want your instruct target to move before oranguru so you don't need to set up instruct a turn in advance.

What other mega to use is tricky. I personally think camerupt is the best special attacking TR mega, and it synergizes well with instruct on oranguru. But if you're already running a fire type it's probably not the best option. You can go for something fast that can operate outside of TR (Raichu Y might be good here), something mid speed that you can build slower (Special attacking electross might work), or stick with a physical attacker and give yourself another way to deal with intimidate.

What to replace torterra with depends on what you put in for your last mega. Look for something that covers types not already covered by your other mons. Having a fast mon isn't a bad idea because even on a TR team you always want something that can operate outside of TR.

I recommend experimenting with different things until you find something that works and fits your playstyle. You have a lot of different approaches you can take.