Hey guys, we are all really happy you want to post recommendations and suggestions you have. In that way, the CCAT is already doing what it's supposed to--it's bringing the community together to provide input on a single team. However, even though we're all giving our ideas, we need to make sure these ideas are competitively viable. This team has to be the best it can be...we can't just recommend sets without playing with them or knowing how they work. I don't mean to call you out, Trakyan, but I'm going to use your posts as an example so we can all make this CCAT as good as it can be.
I'd like to suggest a bulky venonat as i believe the one mentioned was a batton passer.
Venonat @ Eviolite
Trait: Compound Eyes
EVs: 236 SDef / 196 Def / 36 HP
Nature: Careful
-Morning Sun
-Stun Spore
-Poison Fang
-Bug Bite
EVs and nature here are to maximize eviolites efficiency. Morning sun is venonats only recover and stun spore is good for paralysis which would make totodiles life easier, poison fang can poison walls that interfere with totdile and bug bite is to avoid being walled by steels or steal some oran berries. This thing also takes toxic if someone aims it at totodile while its setting up.
All right. So Venonat has the potential of being a pretty good Pokemon, and it IS a good Pokemon. It quad resists Grass, which assists Tododile, and is pretty bulky. It also quad resists Fighting, and is neutral to Dark / Ice, making it one of the greatest Scraggy checks in the metagame. However, I don't believe the set you posted is capitalizing on Venonat's specific strengths or what it can bring to the table.
Right now, the set you posted has issues with its EV spread and with the moveset suggested. Beginning with the EV spread, one tends to want to increase HP investment on a defensive Eviolite Pokemon, as it is neglected with the Eviolite boost. A better spread would probably be:
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 36 SAtk / 76 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
As it gives Venonat, with Eviolite: 25 HP / 21 Def / 21 Spd, as opposed to your Venonat's 23 HP / 21 Def / 24 Spd. The one I (and RayJay, once again, assisted with) provides more mixed bulk. This is important as its physical resistances are rather useful in the metagame.
Now its moveset. I'm sorry, but the one you suggested is just completely unviable. Morning Sun is great on a bulky Pokemon, like Venonat, and Stun Spore can definitely help out Totodile. However, the last two moves are both attacking moves with awful coverage that are being used to help a not offensively inclined Pokemon. I didn't even know Poison Fang was a real move.
I think it would be best to take what the Pokemon has to offer and then figure out how to go from there. Venonat has a fabulous support movepool, which includes moves such as Toxic Spikes, Sleep Powder **, Stun Spore **, Baton Pass, Agility, etc. I believe a better set for this Venonat, that could be used to support Totodile would be:
Venonat (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Compoundeyes
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Def / 36 SAtk / 236 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stun Spore
- Sleep Powder
- Morning Sun
- Signal Beam
Double status Venonat can cripple a lot of threats, giving Totodile many opportunities to set up. It completely defeats Scraggy and Mienfoo, and is never 2HKOed by Misdreavus, meaning it can pose as a full stop to many of Totodile's checks. Compoundeyes means its moves are nearly 100% accurate.
A swablu could work but with toto it opens an electric weakness, here is the swablu set though just in case.
Swablu @ Eviolite
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: SDef 236 / Def 196 / HP 76
Nature: Impish
-Roost
-Substitute
-Fly
-Ominous Wind
Roost is the method of recovery while sub can block statuses aimed at it, fly acts almost like a protect in its semi invulnerable state which works well if you need to PP or status stall something, omnious wind is there for the possibility to raise the defenses. It could also use heal bell to cure totodile of any status or body slam to spread paralysis to make totodiles set up and sweep easier.
Unfortunately, I have less nice things to say about this set, as I'm sure you've never tried it out. I have the same comments regarding EV spread...I tend to boost the HP of Pokemon using Eviolite if I can, and then focus on the defenses. It tends to be more useful. The moveset, unfortunately, needs a lot of work. Roost on Swablu is fine, but the other moves aren't. There's no use in Fly on Swablu as it is offensively useless, and doesn't even have Toxic or anything to pose as a threat. With Ominous Wind, we have to rely on a 10% chance to boost the defenses (and other stats)--that isn't worth a team slot. Finally, Swablu is rather slow and doesn't threaten anything, so its Substitutes will never stay up.
Swablu DOES have Heal Bell, yes, but I don't believe it is the greatest user of the move due to its overall inadequacies.
Booth those pokes are bulky and could take hits aimed at totodile (barring electric attacks in the case of swablu)
Venonat has the possiblity of being a great suggestion, and it's an underrated Pokemon, so I commend you for it. However, Swablu just doesn't have that same status.
duskull and porygon could work too, booth reaching 17 and 18 in booth defensive stats respectively, natu could also work as a team mate to bounce back hazards which would wear down totodile otherwise. Porygon/duskull/venonat are probably the best defensive options for totodile since they dont share a weakness with him.
maybe a togepi with a similar spread and set to natu but with wish somewhere in there to give totodile his second wind?
Duskull is just not a proper recommendation, plain and simple. It is not metagame relevant not, really...good. I appreciate your focus on bulk, but even if a Pokemon is bulky, that does not mean it's good. Porygon is very likely an excellent suggestion, though! It's one of the greatest Pokemon of the metagame, and checks a lot of the Pokemon that threaten Totodile. With Trace, it can switch into Chinchou easily, being immune to Volt Switch (which is definitely what they would use against Totodile). It also handily beats the big three and is a really bulky, offensively useful Pokemon. That's an excellent suggestion!
Your Natu suggestion also is good in that it explains why you suggested it. That is something many of the posts lack--reasons why you believe they assist the main CCAT Pokemon, Totodile, in its sweep. Same with Togepi. Unfortunately, Togepi is kind of awful, and due to Totodile's frailty and Togepi's inability to threaten anything, the Wish most likely won't successfully make it to Totodile.
Ohh, since this isnt a DD set a hazard user would do well in insuring some KOs with aqua jet on pokes that could do a good deal of damage to totodile. How about anorithe? it can spin, set up SR and is a sweeper in its own right as well as being decently fast. Not to sure for a specific set though since we only have one member of the team and a SRer or spinner could come in later.
Generally, it's better to focus on an offensive partner at this stage in the CCAT, and then move on to the defensive partners after we know where we're going with the team, especially for an offensively inclined CCAT. Likewise, I just don't really like Anorith. In this current metagame, its inability to do anything to Gligar, Bronzor, Croagunk, Mienfoo, Scraggy, or Misdreavus is definitely points against it.
However, Trakyan, I commend you for actually posting the sets you thought might help. Unlike many other people, you actually wanted to contribute to the CCAT. But for everyone, if this post was TL;DR, this is what you need to keep in mind:
1) Make sure the set you are suggesting actually ASSISTS the CCAT Pokemon and the team as a whole.
2) Make sure the set has been playtested and is competitively viable in the current metagame.
3) Keep defensive synergy (does it have useful resistances? does its typing help with entry hazards?) or offensive synergy (does it help the team break through its checks? is it a useful offensive partner? does it assist our sweeper in sweeping?) in mind when suggesting Pokemon.
4) For convenience sake, post the export of the set, so we can easily copy and paste it into PO.
5) Have fun!
The purpose of the CCAT is to gather the LC community and have fun in the process. Don't hesitate to jump in and contribute! Just make sure your sets remain competitive.