Battle Maison Singles Team

[Cindy_Quill]

Ok so I'm new to this competitive scene but I just want to start racking up the BP so I did some research to make a singles team specifically for the Battle Maison.
Kangaskhan-Mega (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dizzy Punch
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
After I heard Kangaskhanite was banned I figured "Perfect." I looked at all all strategies I could find and went with Dizzy Punch for the chance at confusion. I chose Power-up Punch because I figured it would raise attack, possibly twice. Sucker Punch for type coverage against ghosts. And Finnaly Earthquake because most everything I've read on competitive building in general says put Earthquake on a 'mon.

Cloyster (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 4 Spd / 252 Atk / 252 HP
Adamant Nature
- Rock Blast
- Icicle Spear
- Spike Cannon
- Shell Smash
I went with a basic Cloyster build so nothing to talk about.

Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 60 Atk / 176 HP / 252 SDef / 20 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Rock Slide
I literally got this from the B/W Ubers page, because I figured a non legendairy Uber mon sounded like big enough guns.

With this team as a whole I'm trying for strong mons with staying power. I havent made this team yet but with members of my current competative team (which needs work anyway) the best I ever did was 12 wins. I want to get all the TM's and other items. So um what do you think of my proposed team? Please be throughout and as harsh as necessary.

 

[Cindy_Quill]

What do I need to do?

 

[Tortoise]

Quick thoughts: Use Return on M-Kanga > Dizzy Punch. It kills stuff faster than waiting/fishing for confusion. I believe most optimal Cloyster nature for Battle Maison is Naughty (or something else, refer to Battle Maison thread). Replace Rapid Spin on Excadrill with a coverage move (Stealth Rock is NOT a big concern in Battle Maison Singles). Your EV spreads on all the pokes may need to be reworked also.

For more detailed analysis/critique, post in the Battle Maison thread here. There are a lot more people with better experience in Maison there, so we can help you out as a group better. :)

 

[lucariomaster2]

Your team looks pretty good, but I have a few suggestions. On your Cloyster, I would suggest replacing Spike Cannon with a Water attack; right now, Steel-types resist all of its attacks. Also, in the Maison, Rapid Spin is unnecessary on Excadrill, since hazards are practically nonexistant. You may also want to consider replacing Mold Breaker with Sand Rush on Excadrill, and then run Tyranitar, as from experience, I know that Sand Rush Excadrill in Sand outspeeds everything bar priority users in the Maison. Finally, on Kangaskhan, replace Dizzy Punch with Return; it's much more powerful.

In the future, I'd advise you to use this thread: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/battle-maison-discussion-records.3492706/

EDIT: Greninja'd

 

[Cindy_Quill]

Thank you both for your advice. I will reconsider what I have set up. I'm sorry if this is the wrong place but I thought this fit better in team building, but in the future I will use the thread.

 

[Tortoise]

Well, for normal 6v6 team building purposes, this is the forum to post in. For more niche teams (e.g. Battle Maison), it's much easier to get rates/advice if you post in the corresponding forum threads. :)

Also, just before I forget, your current team setup is VERY weak to Fighting (as in everything dies to Close Combat/whatever). May want to look into that. :p

 

[Cindy_Quill]

I took most of the advice and redid the team. I chose Excadrill mainly to fill up the team and I read good things about it, but would a Tallonflame be a better choice to fix the fighting problem? Either way I'm looking in the Tallonflame fourm for a strategy now

Kangaskhan-Mega (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake

Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Spd / 252 Atk / 252 HP
Naughty Nature
- Rock Blast
- Icicle Spear
- Razor Shell
- Shell Smash

Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 60 Atk / 176 HP / 252 SDef / 20 Spd
Adamant Nature
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Rock Slide

 

[Tortoise]

Talonflame will help to cover the Fighting weakness as well as eat up any stray Will-o-Wisp aimed at M-Kanga. But as you are aware, spamming Brave Bird/Flare Blitz = dead bird real fast, so you need to learn which pokes you can Brave Bird/Flare Blitz so that you don't suffer premature KO.

If you like Talonflame, I'd suggest something like:
Ability: Gale Wings (obviously)
Nature: Adamant
EVs: Dump into Attack, the rest I'm not sure as I don't want to check the Maison speed tiers + priority users now
Item: Sharp Beak / Sky Plate
Brave Bird
Flare Blitz
Roost (makes it live longer!)
U-Turn/Tailwind/Steel Wing (this is super filler, so it depends on what you want)

 

[Cindy_Quill]

Thank you but instead of two recoil moves could I switch Flare Blitz for Flame Charge? Beyond that what about investing 200 in speed and the rest in HP and giving it a Jolly nature instead?

 

[Tortoise]

Gale Wings renders Flame Charge pointless as Gale Wings grant you priority on all Flying type moves, including Brave Bird (pretty much what you'll be spamming 99% of the time) and Roost. Same reason renders Jolly sorta pointless in my opinion, as the added power from Adamant may net you an extra KO or two. I really suck at EV-ing, so can't help you much there.

If you want a speed tier reference, Battle Maison thread has a WIP speed tier list on this page. And, I can't stress enough, do post on that thread, as Battle Maison players (including everyone who has posted a high streak) are more likely to check it and give you better advice. We even have a records page on the first page if you want to just copy a successful team and the strategy used! Good luck in getting your Maison trophy (or trophies)!

 

[Cindy_Quill]

Thank You