So basically I did barely anything in regards to EV's apart from demand to survive ludicrous attacks. Thankfully everyone is a babe and actually helped this happen. Shoutouts to Eden (XenobladeHero) for doing 99% of the EV work for me since I can't do basic maths and I shouldn't be let near a damage calculator full stop. He also literally did all the highlighted calcs so thanks bro.
I'll slap all the Ev's and shiz at the end and talk about how everything came to fruition first since that makes the most sense.
After using the core of Kangaskhan Groudon Yveltal Thundurus nearly all season I decided after nationals that this would what I would stick to using for worlds, since I was most comfortable with it and knew pretty much every calc imaginable with it. I laid off building properly until US nationals had finished however, just to see if a new direction was needed. With Xdon winning that event nothing had changed in my plans and I proceeded with Ydon MK2. The team I used at Nationals was
I loved this team to bits. It had its flaws that needed addressing but for the most part I was convinced I wouldn't need to change anything. That was until I stopped bringing Thundurus to games almost all together prompting me to replace it. Salamence was also incredibly clunky with Kangaskhan being brought to the majority of games because i'm bad and need FO pressure to win games. Whimsicott was complete booty after nationals so that was dropped also leaving me with the original Kang Ydon core to mess with. As with most Pokemon, these 3 really enjoyed Intimidate support to make ko'ing them incredibly difficult. This clashed with Foul Play quite a bit however and I simply wasn't comfortable in juggling my own teams options. I wanted things to be as straightforward as possible so the idea of Salamence/Landorus was thrown aside. Struggling to fill the void I decided to literally visit the void and test out ways to make Groudon completely invulnerable, which led me to this guy.
Heliolisk was really really cool. It had potential to OHKO basically anything with Solar power boosted attacks and with the move Electrify, it could make Groudon immune to any attack. It could also be used on my own Groudon to get an Electric type Pblades to nail Ho-oh if I wanted to be cheeky. I used this behemoth an embarrassing amount before I decided it was not the call at all and I was being silly. Funnily enough, if I had subbed it in over a Pokemon in Day 2 I very well could of cut since all I kept seeing were pokemon waiting to get eviserated by the animal we call Heliolisk. Hindsight is bad though and I made the correct call in continuing to look. I'll leave a funny calc though anyways:
236 SpA Life Orb Solar Power Heliolisk Hyper Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Dialga in Harsh Sun: 109-129 (52.6 - 62.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
2shotting Dialga with a resisted move is pointless and funny.
Moving on from me being somewhat of an idiot/innovator (you decide) I needed to fill the void left by Thundurus which was strong stab and speed control. Obviously I went for Cresselia with Icy wind and Thunder wave but it just wasn't strong enough. It dealt with Salamence nicely however which was a problem the core has. I was also getting swept up by the 'new Xdon' which was incredibly worrying. I had every problem in the world including Kangaskhan and I was almost ready to give up on the team. Until my friend Tyler @somethingWeeby told be to use Gengar since it beat his team quite nicely. I was hesitant since I don't like mons that only beat one team. But oh my this thing was doing work in a ton of games. I finally had a 4 mon core that was set after about 2 months. Next was even more Xerneas hatred and a Pokemon to stand up to Salamence Smeargle and Rayquaza. First mon to come to mind was Crobat, but that doesn't really beat anything on its own. I had to do some digging... after discarding scarf Sigilyph as an idea I got angry at myself and randomly threw an Aerodactyl in the teambuilder as a joke. Hoping to prove just how bad I was at building. Except I wasn't losing... My Win/Loss had shot up and this thing had literally everything I needed. A way to make Groudon invulnerable, a way to beat out Salamence and Rayquaza and a way to dunk on Xerneas. As weird as it was, Aerodactyl had found its home on the squad.
The last mon wasn't actually as hard as I thought it would be as I had used it previously and loved it. Scrafty had just popped his head up out of the vgc16 toilet and started to make a name for itself. It convieniently reminded me of just how good Fairy STAB is on an Yveltal team and how I was a bit weak to Double Primal (embarrasingly) It was time for good old LO Whimsicott to come back with an updated moveset to hate on Smeargle some more. Whimsicott also helps massively against the common lead of Salamence Thundurus that is always brought against me. While my place on the PS ladder was always disgracefully low for someone trying to win worlds I was semi confident I could do well so it didn't bother me too much. As long as I played well on the day I was fine.
Here's the final team:
Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite (Ripper Roo)
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 20 HP / 124 Atk / 68 Def / 44 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Sucker Punch
- Power-Up Punch
- Return
> Speed investment needed for Xerneas and to tie with Base 100's.
> 252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Low Kick (100 BP) vs. 20 HP / 68 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 158-188 (86.3 - 102.7%) -- 5.1% chance to OHKO
> +1 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 20 HP / 44 SpD Mega Kangaskhan: 156-184 (85.2 - 100.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
> 252 Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 20 HP / 68 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 157-187 (85.7 - 102.1%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
> Rest put into attack, has a chance to 2HKO opposing Kang with Dark Aura Sucker Punch - double Sucker Punch KO'ing Kang is the dream
> PuP over Low Kick for Sucker Punch synergy and as an option to punish setup/Trick Room in particular
Kangaskhan is tried and tested as my favorite mega to use competitively. Yes its my crutch and I rely on it to win games more often than not. But that just shows how darn good this beast is. Weaker than my usual Kangaskhans for the sole reason of surviving a +1 Moonblast from Xerneas after a Snarl from Yveltal should I end up in that spot (I did a few times) Xerneas would have to waste 2 attacks to deal with Kangaskhan after setting up and that extra turn is enough to KO the Xern and outright win the game at times. The def is for Kangs Low Kick as that is an obvious thing to want to survive. I was tempted to drop Power Up Punch for Protect to help with Haze shenanigans but couldn't give up the 50000 win cons that PuP can present. Return was used over Double-Edge because after the recoil the defensive calcs were pointless and I didn't use Frustration because I want my Kang to love me and Ditto is stupid.
Groudon @ Red Orb (LilMissSunshine)
Ability: Drought Level: 50
EVs: 212 HP / 172 Atk / 4 Def / 76 SpD / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Precipice Blades
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Wave
> Hella bulky - this originally had more speed to outspeed Thundurus after Icy Wind but Icy Wind was removed from the team
> +2 252 Atk Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 212 HP / 4 Def Primal Groudon: 174-205 (86.1 - 101.4%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
> 252 SpA Primal Groudon Earth Power vs. 212 HP / 76 SpD Primal Groudon: 170-204 (84.1 - 100.9%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
> Speed to creep other Groudons - 28 was a number that was hit a lot
> Rest put into attack for powah
> TWave was a last minute choice to help the team tackle Salamence better and allow Groudon to support the team/do something on an opposing switch.
Oh Groudon. I don't even know what to say about you. Apart from how stupidly strong you are. A lot of my games revolved around getting Groudon in a good spot to put immense pressure on my opponent and have the freedom to do whatever I wanted on turns. I opted for Physical since I don't like getting walled out by Xerneas after it's set up, especially since I have an Yveltal I needed as many ways to smack Xerneas around as possible. T-wave fwas there because I really didn't know what to use as a third move. I'll likely change it even though it won a game or 2.
Yveltal @ Black Glasses (BlackBirbFren)
Ability: Dark Aura Level: 50
EVs: 20 HP / 100 Atk / 28 Def / 132 SpD / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Foul Play
- Snarl
- Protect
> With such a high HP stat HP investment isn't optimal
> 228 speed investment outpaces the max speed base 95 tier (Non scarf Kyurem, Non mega Rayquaza, Arcanine)
> Blackglasses over Life Orb to maintain bulk calculations, allow another team member to use Orb. This works since most offensive calculations are achieved anyway
> 252 Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 20 HP / 28 Def Yveltal: 172-203 (84.3 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
> 252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 20 HP / 132 SpD Yveltal: 174-205 (85.2 - 100.4%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
> Can 2HKO Kang that invest for LO Rayquaza Dragon Ascent - 100 Atk Black Glasses Dark Aura Yveltal Sucker Punch vs. 28 HP / 92 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 90-106 (48.9 - 57.6%) -- 95.7% chance to 2HKO
> Snarl turned out to be the best third move since the team didn't require Tailwind support and it bypasses redirection, as well as shutting down certain special attackers
Bulky Yveltal has always been best Yveltal. Sharing the same stats as Xerneas. This thing can be hella bulky if it want's to be. And a Pokemon that can pressure whole teams just by being on the field wants to be able to stay on the field as long as possible no? Blackglasses were used over Dread plate because they look cool and I couldn't be bothered to find the plate. LO wasn't ever needed on this Yveltal since it clashes with the bulk and other Pokemon needed it more. The 100% KO on Mega Rayquaza and Landorus-T would of been nice though. Snarl was incredibly nice to help the rest of the team out. Specifically Kangaskhan and Groudon. Also helped get past Togekiss. One of the teams annoyances.
Aerodactyl @ Lum Berry (NigelFarage)Ability: Unnerve
Level: 50
EVs: 228 Atk / 28 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Wide Guard
- Taunt
- Tailwind
> Lum Berry for the spooky Scarf Smeargle
> 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 28 SpD Aerodactyl: 133-157 (85.8 - 101.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
> Rocks Rocks everywhere - chip damage and sometimes you flinch :)
Very simple spread for a simple Pokemon. Just click the move you need to on any given turn. Deciding which move that is can be tricky but that's the skill part of it all. And if you're not sure. You can always just Rock Slide. Ev'd for Xerneas Moonblast at neutral incase they get cheeky and predict a Taunt. Unnerve was actually quite handy for blocking out Sitrus berry on Cresselia so boosted Kang could blow right through. Burning Ferro was kinda nice as well but it wasn't really something Aero wanted to stay in on anyways. Denying Thundurus it's Sitrus berry actually came into play countless times in practise as they all attempt to Thunder wave you instead of Ko'ing. This led to 2hkoing Thundurus almost consistently.
Gengar @ Focus Sash (Harambe)
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50 EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Haze
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect
> Standard EV's
> Seriously nothing else makes sense with Sash involved
> Haze for shenanigans. Good utility for XRay and general Xerneas demolition
Haze Haze Haze. Haze is a cool move that no one I talked to knew Gengar even learnt. This team is very physically based and so intimidate shuffling was incredibly annoying. Haze completely mitigated that, along with any boosts the opponent might have, including a boosted Kangaskhan,Groudon or even Xerneas. So long as the sash was intact Gengar could be used as a last ditch effort to rid of Xerneas and win the game on the spot. (this happened twice) Protect is relatively uncommon on SashGar but in conjunction with Haze it allowed some nice pivoting to Haze safely next to a protecting partner. Will-O-Wisp is a fab move albeit inaccurate, it makes Gengar an incredibly safe lead against opposing Kangaskhan, Rayquaza Mawile Yveltal Scrafty,Hitmontop. Any common Physical attacker basically. It checked so many of the teams threats through the threat of burn and it was such strong glue for the core as a whole.
Whimsicott @ Life Orb (Mimzi)
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50 EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Grass Knot
- Encore
- Safeguard
> Safeguard is a call for Worlds - shuts down Smeargle, Gravnosis and helps against particular leads (hello Salamence Smeargle)
> Needed Encore over Protect to punish setup on this team
> Life Orb enabled MASSIVE DAMAGE
> 252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Mega Salamence: 182-218 (107 - 128.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
> 252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Salamence: 166-198 (97.6 - 116.4%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
> 252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 60 SpD Primal Groudon: 97-114 (46.8 - 55%) -- 66.8% chance to 2HKO
> 252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Primal Kyogre: 127-151 (61.3 - 72.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Whimsicott was a personal favourite of mine and also the whole chat of friends I'm in. The first thing I theoried this year was LO Whimsicott before being shelved swiftly. It was then resdiscovered when someone was destroyed by one and a lengthy discussion took place in Spoons (UK Pub) It felt fitting that the first thing I thought of this year was the last thing I would add to the worlds team and also the Pokemon that outright won me the most games. Life orb was chosen for the simple fact that it could OHKO Salamence before it could move (before Mega) Grass knot was also dealing insane damage to the Primals and could be combined with almost any attack across the team to KO a target. LO Grass Knot + Yvel Foul Play would kill any Primal. And LO Moonblast + Return would KO Xerneas because of the Fairy Aura. Whimsicott was an offensive combo machine in the team and was invaluable to its success. I added Safeguard because Hypnosis/Scarf Dark Void was incredibly annoying to deal with. I also had Encore over Protect because I wasn't sure if I could bluff no Encore for potentially 20+ games. It was nice for locking Pokemon into moves other than Protect and exploiting it.
That's basically it ( Or all I can think of on the top of my head) I probably have wayyyyy more info up in my brain but you'll have to ask me specific questions to get at that. I hope you enjoyed all this stuff. This is probably the most in depth I've ever gone with a team and it showed. Thanks to everyone who helped me. You know who you are and I love you so much <3
-Matt
