VGC Intimidating Massive Fish-Dragon-Thing: A Mega Gyarados RMT

[Unsee]

Hey, Everyone! I'm The Unseen Potato. You may have probably have seen me around Showdown and here on the forums (mainly in CAP), and I'm planning to get back into competitive battling. I'm gonna go straight to the point—without further ado, here's the team:

•The Team•
​

Sky Blue (Thundurus-Therian) @ Sitrus Berry

Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 68 HP / 188 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunder Wave
- Protect/Taunt

What can I say? It's Thundy. I'll admit that its Therian form is less than common in the competitive world, but for its role on my team, I need the higher Special Attack. And although it doesn't have Prankster, its higher speed gets out T-Waves nicely. Before I continue, I'll show off some calcs:

Thundy Calcs

252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Return vs. 68 HP / 188 Def Thundurus-T: 136-162 (83.4 - 99.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Thundurus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 200-236 (121.2 - 143%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 68 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus-T: 132-156 (80.9 - 95.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Basically, it pretty much has just the right EVs to have a bit of bulk and a bit or brawn. It's definitely come through as a positive member of the team, as Discharge can be both a heavy hitter on opposing teams and avoided/unaffected by other members of the team. It especially has great chemistry with Excadrill. On a side note, I originally had Taunt instead of Protect in the fourth slot, and I'm still unsure if it was the right decision. Thoughts?
In terms of the rest of the moves, or I guess move, cuz I just haven't covered HP Ice yet, which happens to be the last move. =_= idk. Anyway, HP Ice is pretty standard, and it takes out Lando and pesky Grass-types like Amoonguss and Whimsicott. On to Excadrill!

Fatal Tickle Fights (Excadrill) @ Assault Vest

Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Skull Bash

Here we have Thundurus's somewhat-partner-in-crime, Excadrill. The Assault Vest is nearly never seen on Drill, and to be honest, I'm not sure it's worth it. I will admit, though, that it has been working so far. EV-wise, it's not exactly optimized. If I'm running Assault Vest, should I put more investment into Defense rather that Special Defense? Furthermore, I'd prefer a speedy Excadrill, but based on its role on my team, I fear it might be too weak.
Earthquake, Iron Head, and Rock Slide are pretty standard, but pretty much all Excadrill sets have Protect as the fourth move. Skull Bash caught my eye looking through its movepool... I haven't had the chance to use it much, but I feel that a little Defense boost now and then can't hurt, right?

Hit 'em on Top (Hitmontop) @ Lum Berry

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Wide Guard
- Mach Punch
- Close Combat

Caaan you feeel the nostalgia toniiiiight? I know I can. Hitmontop pretty much hasn't been seen since the 2012 championships—but I like it! It can get out a nice Fake Out, maybe a few Wide Guards, get a priority STAB move, even get off an Intimidate—and its stats are nice, too. I'll run a few calcs for ya:

Top Calcs

252+ Atk Hitmontop Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 182-216 (100.5 - 119.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Return vs. 240 HP / 12 Def Hitmontop: 130-154 (83.8 - 99.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

236+ SpA Choice Specs Thundurus-T Thunderbolt vs. 240 HP / 4 SpD Hitmontop: 126-148 (81.2 - 95.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

It only just survives many attacks on the field, but somehow, people often forget to target it. Which ends up a problem for them. One of its only problems is Sylveon, which can take it out easily with a Hyper Voice or Moonblast. Fortunately, I'm usually able to cover for it with Slash or Drill—but before I talk about the former of those two, I need to talk briefly about the set:
Fake Out's obvious; it's a must have move on such a defensive mon. Wide Guard's gotten me through many a pinch, in that it can save itself from a Discharge from Thundy and protect Gyarados from a Rock Slide as it D-Dances. Furthermore, it saves itself from Drill's Earthquake and Earthquakes against Drill. Mach Punch and Close Combat generally are verboten in a set together, but believe me, it works. The Lum Berry has saved me from many paralyses, burns, and whatnot. It's good stuff. Now we go on to Slash.

Mister Sword (Aegislash) @ Weakness Policy

Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Gentle Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield
- Flash Cannon
- Shadow Ball

*dun dun dun duuuuun!* You got the Master Mister Sword! Ahh... Aegislash. Why are you so good? On most teams, Aegislash is part of the core; the heart and soul of the team. Here, it's really filler/backup for Excadrill. It's really here for those rarely-seen Gengars or other ghost types in the meta. Or, if there are, like, 5 Fairy-types. It's set is more or less standard, so I don't think there's much more to talk about here. XD
On to the star of the team!

Flying Fish! (Gyarados) @ Gyaradosite

Ability: Intimidate / Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Protect

Picture this: You're on a boat, just relaxing, and then a horde of flying fish whips out of the ocean and into your face. And all those flying fish are Gyarados. Okay—this is getting too gruesome for me to picture. Unpicture it!
Anyway, Mega Gyarados. The first physical mega I've used in a while. (I don't know why, but I have some sort of grudge against using Kangaskhan.) Personally, I've found Gyarados to be great. It's a but bulky, it's hella speedy, and it can easily OHKO tons of mons after it sets up. Or even before it sets up, its Mega form can easily take out Lando and others. Plus, I can really troll out the opponent with a double Intimidate when I pair it up with Hitmontop. Time for the set...
D-Dance. Standard. NEXT! Waterfall is the most powerful physical Water-type move at Gyarados's disposal, with the lone exception of Aqua Tail—but who uses that? Not me, certainly. The 20% flinch chance just makes my day (and trolls everyone else's). Crunch is a standard Mega STAB Physical move, and Protect, well, is Protect. :3

Marilyn (Gardevoir) @ Gardevoirite

Ability: Telepathy / Pixilate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Taunt
- Psyshock
- Ally Switch

Pretty much backup if something turns up that won't let me use Gyarados. Hyper Voice and Psyshockandard, but Taunt and Ally Switch are of my own design. I can pull Gardevoir out to deal with Amoonguss or TR Cresselias with Taunt, and Ally Switch is one of my favorite moves, due to infinite mindgames. Welp, I'm tired (and a bit lazy) so I'm gonna finish this RMT up.

•Threats•
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Thundurus doesn't like my team. Especially Gyarados. When Gyarados gets paralyzed, it's a sitting duck for everyone else.

Rain. Just... rain. Tons of my mons are weak to Water, and my only counter to them is Thundy.

I'm not fond of Sableye either. Yep.

•Thend.•​

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So that's it! Please tell me what you all think, and remember—I do need help! This is not a team showcase. :3

 

[Steven Stone]

Amazing team idea you got there! The M-Gyara+Gardevoir+Volt Absorb reminds me of Se Jun Park. Well, onto the team
1: Thundurus: to be honest, the only reason to use Thundurus-T is sheer offensive power, as you really can't provide any utility without Prankster like Thundurus-I. Either replace it with Thundurus-I or run a more offensive set, such as Life Orb or Choice Scarf.
Excadrill: Excadrill's main niche is Sand, which your team doesn't really have, and it adds a Fighting weakness, which your team has lots of already. But i can feel that Landorus-T hate, as where you usually have Thundurus, you usually have Landorus. I'll still reccomend Landorus-T nowadays, as it fits here really well, but to be honest, i'll leave that up to you.
Hitmontop: *cries* Hitmontop is REALLY BAD in this metagame, which makes me sad. To be honest tho, Hitmontop does open you a window for Infernape, another cool Pokemon that can accomplish Hitmontop's Fake Out support and also adds fire coverage, which you team lacked atm (making your Ferrothorn matchup terribad).
A mixed set with Overheat, Close Combat, Hidden Power Ice and Encore / Protect @ Life Orb / Expert Belt is what i reccomend.
Tbh, i wish i could rate more, but i need to leave. I'll try to tackle your team later.
Tagging DaAwesomeDude1 because he's a really solid rater, and if there's a man to get the job done, it's him.
Hope i helped! Take care!

 

[DaAwesomeDude1]

I got you fam :)

Anyways, regarding your team man, it's definitely pretty good. I do agree with some of the things that Steven Stone mentioned above. For starters though, you should honestly never go with the spreads that the teambuilder tells you to do for VGC because 95% of the time, it's either wrong, because Protect will make it so that the teambuilder suggest a defensive set, or there are just better spreads out there, which tends to be the case since VGC gives so much room for creative spreads. Because of that, I suggest changing your Aegislash's spread to 252 HP / 100 SpA / 156 SpD with a Quiet Nature and 0 Spe IVs. This spread allows Aegislash to tank a Specs Dark Pulse from Modest Hydreigon and have a high chance to KO back with Flash Cannon. Most of the time, Aegislash prefers to run a negative Speed nature alongside 0 Speed IVs, as that allows it to underspeed a lot more Pokemon and take a hit in Shield Forme, then retaliate back in Blade Forme. You're also MUCH better off using Wide Guard instead of Shadow Sneak on Aegislash. Wide Guard offers a lot more utility for your team, as it allows Aegislash to protect Gyarados a lot better by blocking Hyper Voice, and it helps against other common spread moves too such as Rock Slide and Earthquake. Shadow Sneak, even at a +2, is SUPER weak unless Aegislash has a lot of Attack investment and its usually only used on speedy Aegislash sets, such as Life Orb or Spooky Plate.

Calcs

• 252+ SpA Choice Specs Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 156 SpD Aegislash-Shield: 138-164 (82.6 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Offensively

• +2 100+ SpA Aegislash-Blade Flash Cannon vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Hydreigon: 165-195 (98.2 - 116%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

This is a pretty minor change but I suggest switching Gyarados's nature from Adamant to Jolly. Gyarados, despite looking pretty fast, is honestly really slow. Without a Jolly nature, Gyarados cannot outrun Choice Scarf Landorus-T after a Dragon Dance boost. Adamant Gyarados also doesn't really pick up any notable KOs so you don't lose anything switching to Jolly.

As for Mega Gardevoir, I'm going to have to make a major change regarding the playstyle of your team. While looking through your team, I've found that you have major trouble with pretty much every single weather team, and there isn't a way for me to fix it without drastically changing some team members. So after some thinking, the best course of action would be to change to a Semi-Room Team. You've already got a Fake Out user alongside Gardevoir and some fairly slow Pokemon, so this change won't really affect too much other than the playstyle. I suggest switching your Gardevoir's moveset to Trick Room | Hyper Voice | Psychic | Protect. The first two moves are pretty self-explanatory. Psychic is generally preferred this year in VGC due to how physically oriented the metagame is. This means that defensive Pokemon, most notably Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur, will tend to invest more into Defense rather than Special Defense. Unfortunately I have to replace Ally Switch with Protect, because Protect is honestly way too good to pass up. In Trick Room mode, Gardevoir will be your main powerhouse attacker, so opponents will tend to target it first in order to get it off the field. This is where Protect comes in, as that essentially gives you a free turn if your opponent doubled into it, and free turns in Trick Room is SUPER important due to the "time limit" of Trick Room. I also suggest you change Gardevoir's moveset to 108 HP / 124 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 20 Spe with a Modest Nature. 20 Speed EVs allows Gardevoir to outrun Adamant Bisharp outside of Trick Room and OHKO it with a Hyper Voice, while 108 HP alongside 4 SpD allows Gardevoir to survive Modest Aegislash's Shadow Ball; the rest of the EVs were slapped into Defense to boost Gardevoir's physical bulk.

Calcs

• 252+ SpA Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 108 HP / 4 SpD Mega Gardevoir: 132-156 (84 - 99.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• -1 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 108 HP / 124 Def Mega Gardevoir: 130-155 (82.8 - 98.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Gardevoir is usually paired with an Intimidate user)

Now for some bigger changes, I definitely agree with what Steven Stone said about Thundurus-T. The only reason it should be used over Thundurus is that its much more offensive, other than that, you're much better off going with Thundurus. Looking at your team, I honestly think switching over to Thundurus benefits you a lot more. Thundurus supports your team a lot more than its Therian Forme, as it provides speed control and Taunt for Thunder Wave/Will-O-Wisp that cripples Mega Gyarados. It also works under Trick Room since it can Taunt Amoonguss and stop it from Sporing your entire team. A spread of 252 HP / 120 Def / 36 SpA / 68 SpD / 28 Spe with a Calm Nature allows Thundurus to outrun positive Base 70s, most notably Breloom, while the HP and Special Defense investment and a Calm Nature allows Thundurus to survive a Modest Life Orb Hydreigon's Draco Meteor. Going Thunderbolt over Discharge is a lot better, as it is much more reliable, and you don't have to worry about hitting your own Pokemon.

Calcs

• 252+ SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 68+ SpD Thundurus: 156-185 (83.8 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
  
• 252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 120 Def Thundurus: 173-205 (93 - 110.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
• 252 Atk Terrakion Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 120 Def Thundurus: 108-128 (58 - 68.8%) -- 62.5% chance to 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
  
• 252+ Atk Landorus-T Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 120 Def Thundurus: 88-104 (47.3 - 55.9%) -- 18.8% chance to 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery

Also agreeing with Steven Stone in that you should use Landorus-T over Excadrill. Like he said, Excadrill is pretty horrid outside of Sand. The Scarf set is alright but honestly there are better choices. Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and yes I understand you have Trick Room, but you're using Semi-Room, which means you don't need to use Trick Room every game, gives your team a reliable way of checking Charizard Y, which is currently a huge threat to your team, as well as complimenting Gyarados and Gardevoir pretty well, as it switches into Fighting- and Electric-type attacks aimed at Gyarados and can force them out, while also being able to threaten Steel-types that wall Gardevoir, such as Aegislash. I suggest using amr97's spread of 12 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Def / 4 SpD / 148 Spe with an Adamant Nature, as that allows Landorus-T to always live a Life Orb Adamant Bisharp's Sucker Punch and outspeed Jolly Weavile, which is the fastest unboosted non-mega Pokemon you'll encounter in VGC.

Calcs

• +1 252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 12 HP / 92 Def Landorus-T: 140-165 (84.3 - 99.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Finally, I suggest replacing Hitmontop with Hariyama. What Steven Stone said is correct, Hitmontop is REALLY bad. As an Intimidate Fake Out user, Scrafty is a lot better, and as a pure Fighting-type, Hariyama is light years better. While Hariyama doesn't have Intimidate, its sheer power is a lot better than Hitmontop's and its also "immune" to burns due to its Guts ability. Aaron Zheng's spread of 60 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 244 SpD / 4 Spe with a Brave Nature and an Assault Vest allows it to survive key hits, such as Specs Hydreigon's Draco Meteor, Mega Gardevoir's Psychic and Hyper Voice, and Sylveon's Hyper Voice. 100 Attack also allows it to pick up a KO on 4 HP Mega Kangaskhan with Close Combat.

Calcs

• 252+ SpA Choice Specs Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 60 HP / 244 SpD Assault Vest Hariyama: 129-153 (56.8 - 67.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  
• 252+ SpA Mega Gardevoir Psychic vs. 60 HP / 244 SpD Assault Vest Hariyama: 146-174 (64.3 - 76.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  
• 252+ SpA Pixilate Mega Gardevoir Hyper Voice vs. 60 HP / 244 SpD Assault Vest Hariyama: 140-168 (61.6 - 74%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  
• 252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 60 HP / 244 SpD Assault Vest Hariyama: 158-188 (69.6 - 82.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  
• 252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 60 HP / 100 Def Hariyama: 195-231 (85.9 - 101.7%) -- 2% chance to OHKO

Offensively

• 100+ Atk Hariyama Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 188-224 (103.8 - 123.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Once again man, sweet team! There were just a minor changes but the overall core of your team is still pretty much the same. Definitely watch out for weather teams, mainly sun and rain; Trick Room is the key to winning that matchup. Hope we helped man and good luck with the team!!! :]
-DaAwesomeDude1

Sets

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
EVs: 252 HP / 100 SpA / 156 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- King's Shield
- Wide Guard
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon

Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Dragon Dance
- Protect

Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Telepathy
EVs: 108 HP / 124 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psychic
- Trick Room
- Protect

Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 36 SpA / 68 SpD / 28 Spe
Calm Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Def / 4 SpD / 148 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-Turn
- Superpower

Hariyama @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 60 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 244 SpD / 4 Spe
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Fake Out
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge / Heavy Slam

 

[Unsee]

So after some thinking, the best course of action would be to change to a Semi-Room Team. You've already got a Fake Out user alongside Gardevoir and some fairly slow Pokemon...[/hide]

To be honest, this team grew out of the remains of a shattered TR team that involved Mega Slowbro. That pretty much explains my real use of Thundurus-T (whose Volt Absorb benefitted MegaBro's Skill Swap; then I could spam Discharge thereafter) and a team of mainly slow Pokémon. The sound of a Semi-Room team intrigues me, but I've never tried using one and am concerned about my success with it.

If, on some occasion, I feel the need to Trick Room, would you suggest going straight for the move via sending out Megavoir right away, or first sending out someone like Lando to get rid of Zards and pesky speedmons?

Just to mention—putting Gentle Aegislash in was a typo. XD

Aside from all that, thank you so much for your constructive criticism, and I'll get back to you after I test a bit with your new suggestions!

 

[Steven Stone]

If, on some occasion, I feel the need to Trick Room, would you suggest going straight for the move via sending out Megavoir right away, or first sending out someone like Lando to get rid of Zards and pesky speedmons?

It will be just team dependant. If you feel like setting up Trick Room will be huge for your game, then go ahead and sent out Gardevoir if you see a safe opening. If there's threat for your team that likes being under Trick Room (amoonguss, for example) you should try to get rid of it first before setting TR up.