Honchkrow, et al.
Introduction
Honchkrow pretty much just wins. Unfortunately, teams need to contain six Pokemon, so he has to let some other guys tag along.
Teambuilding Process
Honchkrow is stupid powerful, but he does have his flaws, so (a little) team support is necessary. Honchkrow's main issue is that he's slow as all hell for an offensive Pokemon. Sticky Web fixes that up. Beyond that, the team is basically filler, or perhaps something of a separate team.
The Team
Honchkrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Brave Bird
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Honchkrow makes this team. With a Life Orb, it outdamages Mega Absol, and it only gets more powerful as time goes on thanks to Moxie. Unlike other sweepers like Mega Sharpedo, Honchkrow also doesn't simply lose to priority, as it can outprioritize with Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch and Brave Bird are both very powerful moves with minimal drawbacks, and no relevant Pokemon resists both. Pursuit gives Honchkrow a presence in the midgame by picking off weakened Pokemon. Additionally, it enables Honchkrow to snag an easy Moxie boost against a weakened foe to deal with a healthier one later. Superpower is mostly for Mega Aggron, dealing upwards of 50% at +1. The attack drop is also mitigated by Moxie. I don't run Roost, because Honchkrow doesn't really have the bulk to use it well, and once it's attacking, it's usually better to keep up the inertia. An Adamant nature maximizes Honchkrow's damage output, but that comes at the cost of being unable to outspeed -1 Whimsicott, which is an issue.
Shuckle @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Encore
- Toxic
Shuckle is my lead. Sticky Web allows Honchkrow to take out many threats that would otherwise simply shrug off a Sucker Punch and KO Honchkrow back. Galvantula has more offensive presence, but can't often set Sticky Web more than once, and without a spinblocker or any reliable way to prevent Defog on the team, that's an issue; and Smeargle is just a gimmick. Shuckle has absurd defensive stats which allow it to tank multiple of all but the strongest super effective hits, and the combination of Sturdy and Mental Herb mean that Shuckle is guaranteed to land Sticky Web at least once. 0 Spe EVs are to ensure that Shuckle is outsped by opposing Shuckle so it can Encore them reliably, and Shuckle was never outspeeding anything anyway. Stealth Rock provides passive damage and synergizes well with the ability of this team to force lots of switches. Encore locks opposing Pokemon into a single move, which makes the opponent waste turns either switching or being predictable, and Toxic gives Shuckle a method of dealing damage.
Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Iron Head
- Extreme Speed
- Stone Edge
Every good offensive team needs a wallbreaker, and Entei is one of the best in the tier. As a physical attacker, there are few Pokemon that wall Entei with stats alone, and Entei's fantastic (though admittedly narrow) movepool helps shore up its game against what would otherwise be checks. Entei can also take a hit or two, which is very valuable in such a bulky metagame. Choice Band takes Entei's power to an extremely high level, though it does make good predictions significantly more important. An Adamant nature is forced to use the necessary Extreme Speed, but the only thing Entei really misses out on because of it is the speed tie with other base 100s, and Sticky Web helps with that. Sacred Fire is Entei's most spammable move, and it can take physical attackers out of the game with a burn even if it doesn't deal significant damage. Iron Head gets the nod over Flare Blitz because it allows Entei to hit the odd Rock type. Extreme Speed allows Entei to take on faster Pokemon and Scarf users, and Stone Edge is needed coverage for opposing Fire types.
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 204 HP / 248 Def / 56 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Baton Pass
Vaporeon is my cleric and special wall. High HP and respectable defensive stats along with a great typing allow Vaporeon to reliably pass Wishes to its teammates, and it gets the nod over the otherwise-better Blissey because of its access to Baton Pass which allows it to pass Wishes to severely weakened teammates. Water Absorb allows Vaporeon to wall any variant of Suicune not running Toxic, and allows for some free switches against other Pokemon as well. Wish + Protect allow Vaporeon to heal itself and its teammates, as well as stall for Leftovers recovery and burn damage, while Scald gives Vaporeon something of an offensive presence (and prevent it from being total Taunt bait). Vaporeon can also use Baton Pass to bring in Honchkrow safely without sacrificing a Pokemon.
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Volt Switch
- Gyro Ball
Forretress is my spinner and physical wall. Honchkrow and Entei really don't like Stealth Rock, and with the amount of switching this team does, entry hazards in general are a problem. Forretress is the most reliable spinner in the tier outside of Tentacruel, and it has a more synergistic typing than Tentacruel as well as access to Volt Switch and higher defensive stats. Spikes allow Forretress to make switching in extra painful for the opponent, which is very helpful against problem Pokemon like Mega Ampharos. Volt Switch lets Forretress safely bring in a teammate, and Gyro Ball demolishes the fast Pokemon and Fairy type clerics that try to take advantage of Forretress' passivity.
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- U-Turn
This slot on the team has been in constant flux. Its only requirements are to resist Electric and Ground (to complete a Fire-Water-Grass core) and to be offensive (preferably fast) with a pivot move, but there just doesn't seem to be a Pokemon that fits perfectly. In the past, this slot has been taken by Whimsicott, Shedinja, Flygon, Rotom-Mow, and many others. Currently Hydreigon is filling this hole, but not particularly well. Choice Scarf allows Hydreigon to deal with fast Pokemon such as Infernape, but it often locks Hydreigon into unfavorable moves, and while Hydreigon's Special Attack and coverage are usable, they aren't fantastic, so more often than not Hydreigon doesn't actually do all that much. Unfortunately, neither has any other Pokemon I've tried in this slot. This is where help would be most appreciated.
Conclusion
Honchkrow rocks. But I don't think his backup is working together quite perfectly, so a little help making the rest of the team mesh more efficiently I think would go a long way.
Introduction
Honchkrow pretty much just wins. Unfortunately, teams need to contain six Pokemon, so he has to let some other guys tag along.
Teambuilding Process
Honchkrow is stupid powerful, but he does have his flaws, so (a little) team support is necessary. Honchkrow's main issue is that he's slow as all hell for an offensive Pokemon. Sticky Web fixes that up. Beyond that, the team is basically filler, or perhaps something of a separate team.
The Team
Honchkrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Brave Bird
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Honchkrow makes this team. With a Life Orb, it outdamages Mega Absol, and it only gets more powerful as time goes on thanks to Moxie. Unlike other sweepers like Mega Sharpedo, Honchkrow also doesn't simply lose to priority, as it can outprioritize with Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch and Brave Bird are both very powerful moves with minimal drawbacks, and no relevant Pokemon resists both. Pursuit gives Honchkrow a presence in the midgame by picking off weakened Pokemon. Additionally, it enables Honchkrow to snag an easy Moxie boost against a weakened foe to deal with a healthier one later. Superpower is mostly for Mega Aggron, dealing upwards of 50% at +1. The attack drop is also mitigated by Moxie. I don't run Roost, because Honchkrow doesn't really have the bulk to use it well, and once it's attacking, it's usually better to keep up the inertia. An Adamant nature maximizes Honchkrow's damage output, but that comes at the cost of being unable to outspeed -1 Whimsicott, which is an issue.
Shuckle @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Encore
- Toxic
Shuckle is my lead. Sticky Web allows Honchkrow to take out many threats that would otherwise simply shrug off a Sucker Punch and KO Honchkrow back. Galvantula has more offensive presence, but can't often set Sticky Web more than once, and without a spinblocker or any reliable way to prevent Defog on the team, that's an issue; and Smeargle is just a gimmick. Shuckle has absurd defensive stats which allow it to tank multiple of all but the strongest super effective hits, and the combination of Sturdy and Mental Herb mean that Shuckle is guaranteed to land Sticky Web at least once. 0 Spe EVs are to ensure that Shuckle is outsped by opposing Shuckle so it can Encore them reliably, and Shuckle was never outspeeding anything anyway. Stealth Rock provides passive damage and synergizes well with the ability of this team to force lots of switches. Encore locks opposing Pokemon into a single move, which makes the opponent waste turns either switching or being predictable, and Toxic gives Shuckle a method of dealing damage.
Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Iron Head
- Extreme Speed
- Stone Edge
Every good offensive team needs a wallbreaker, and Entei is one of the best in the tier. As a physical attacker, there are few Pokemon that wall Entei with stats alone, and Entei's fantastic (though admittedly narrow) movepool helps shore up its game against what would otherwise be checks. Entei can also take a hit or two, which is very valuable in such a bulky metagame. Choice Band takes Entei's power to an extremely high level, though it does make good predictions significantly more important. An Adamant nature is forced to use the necessary Extreme Speed, but the only thing Entei really misses out on because of it is the speed tie with other base 100s, and Sticky Web helps with that. Sacred Fire is Entei's most spammable move, and it can take physical attackers out of the game with a burn even if it doesn't deal significant damage. Iron Head gets the nod over Flare Blitz because it allows Entei to hit the odd Rock type. Extreme Speed allows Entei to take on faster Pokemon and Scarf users, and Stone Edge is needed coverage for opposing Fire types.
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 204 HP / 248 Def / 56 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Baton Pass
Vaporeon is my cleric and special wall. High HP and respectable defensive stats along with a great typing allow Vaporeon to reliably pass Wishes to its teammates, and it gets the nod over the otherwise-better Blissey because of its access to Baton Pass which allows it to pass Wishes to severely weakened teammates. Water Absorb allows Vaporeon to wall any variant of Suicune not running Toxic, and allows for some free switches against other Pokemon as well. Wish + Protect allow Vaporeon to heal itself and its teammates, as well as stall for Leftovers recovery and burn damage, while Scald gives Vaporeon something of an offensive presence (and prevent it from being total Taunt bait). Vaporeon can also use Baton Pass to bring in Honchkrow safely without sacrificing a Pokemon.
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Volt Switch
- Gyro Ball
Forretress is my spinner and physical wall. Honchkrow and Entei really don't like Stealth Rock, and with the amount of switching this team does, entry hazards in general are a problem. Forretress is the most reliable spinner in the tier outside of Tentacruel, and it has a more synergistic typing than Tentacruel as well as access to Volt Switch and higher defensive stats. Spikes allow Forretress to make switching in extra painful for the opponent, which is very helpful against problem Pokemon like Mega Ampharos. Volt Switch lets Forretress safely bring in a teammate, and Gyro Ball demolishes the fast Pokemon and Fairy type clerics that try to take advantage of Forretress' passivity.
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- U-Turn
This slot on the team has been in constant flux. Its only requirements are to resist Electric and Ground (to complete a Fire-Water-Grass core) and to be offensive (preferably fast) with a pivot move, but there just doesn't seem to be a Pokemon that fits perfectly. In the past, this slot has been taken by Whimsicott, Shedinja, Flygon, Rotom-Mow, and many others. Currently Hydreigon is filling this hole, but not particularly well. Choice Scarf allows Hydreigon to deal with fast Pokemon such as Infernape, but it often locks Hydreigon into unfavorable moves, and while Hydreigon's Special Attack and coverage are usable, they aren't fantastic, so more often than not Hydreigon doesn't actually do all that much. Unfortunately, neither has any other Pokemon I've tried in this slot. This is where help would be most appreciated.
Conclusion
Honchkrow rocks. But I don't think his backup is working together quite perfectly, so a little help making the rest of the team mesh more efficiently I think would go a long way.
