PAX Pokemon League

While PAX West is still fresh in everyone's hearts and minds I figured I should post this team showcase thread. This thread is for leaders and challengers alike to show off the teams used throughout PAX West. I'll start things off with my team.

[bkhi]Cupcake Capone the Fairy Godfather[/bkhi]

[spoilerkhi]Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Hp / 4 SpD
Adament Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Super Power

Klefki @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
Calm Nature
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Thunder Wave
- Foul Play

Cannoli (Shiny Slurpuff) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 28 HP / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Play Rough
- Belly Drum
- Play Nice
- Drain Punch

Mega Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure to Pixilate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Roost
- Return
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake

Sylveon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 HP / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Protect
- Hyper Voice
- Shadow Ball
- Psyshock

Togekiss @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Spe / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Sweet Kiss

[bkhi]Standby[/bkhi]

Mega Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace to Pixilate
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast

Granbull @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Play Rough
- Fire Punch
- Close Combat[/spoilerkhi]

This was my first time as an Elite and I had my team prepped and ready to go months in advance. The first day of West made me really worried because I lost every battle that I had. The rest of the days of West proved a lot better. I learned how to use my team most efficiently and how to deal with common threats. Klefki was a solid pivot and the screens that it provided were invaluable. Weakness Policy Togekiss took many challengers by surprise and gave me the upper hand when the battle didn't seem in my favor. I thought that my Slurpuff would be the weakest link of my team and was considering replacing it with a Whimsicott, but I'm certainly glad that I didn't. My Slurpuff was able to get some great sweeps in and I even got a streak going with 3 Slurpuff sweeps in a row. This team started pretty rough but once I learned how to use it, I had some really fun battles.

I was one half of the Grand Dukes of Kalos and we had 5 teams of 3 Pokemon each for multi battles. Each team had some sort of gimmick to it and they were all strange in their own way. To determine what team a duo of challengers faced, we added up the total number of badges they had to determine what their rank would be in the Battle Chateau. 0-3 Badges faced our Belly Drum/Psych Up team, 4-7 badges faced our Safeguard/Swagger team (with a side of Gravity/Zap Cannon), 8-11 badges faced our Trick Room team, 12-15 badges faced our all out offense team, and 16+ badges would face our Skill Swap Team.

We ranked our teams based on how difficult we though they would be so that challengers having trouble getting badges could have a bit of an easier time, while those who were moving through the league fast could have a more difficult challenge. It also opened up the option for people to hold off on challenging if they wanted something tougher, or come back for a rematch if they wanted to see another team, even if they had our badge already.

Belly Drum/Psych Up team:
[spoilerpqk]Erkenhelm:
Slowking
Jirachi
Mew

Anthony:
Mega Metagross/Purugly (For X/Y compatibility)
Steelix
Regirock

This team was pretty much completely insane. Anthony wanted a Psych Up team and probably the best move to pair that with is Belly Drum. While sticking to Pokemon known for Intelligence limited my options, Slowking was a pretty good option, with the downside being that it is so slow that it necessitates a two turn set up. Anthony also wanted to be able to pass on the +6 attack to every Pokemon on our team, so they all had Psych Up excluding my Jirachi, which I decided to go with an elemental punching set with a King's Rock to really make use of that Serene Grace. As both a pro and con it ended up not being particularly "haxy" with only a small handful of status effects and a couple flinches.

Purugly was a second day option added by Anthony because he just wasn't feeling non mega Metagross. It is surprisingly fast at base 112 and Fake Out was really helpful. We got destroyed by Greninja a couple times the first day, but the combo of Purugly and Slowking's Drain Punch allowed us to shut down Greninjas without a problem for the remainder of the weekend. This was the team we used the most, it seemed like every day we had a bunch of challengers who were just starting to battle the league.[/spoilerpqk]

Safeguard/Swagger:
[spoilerpqk]Erkenhelm:
Dragonite
Gothitelle
Mega Alakazam

Anthony:
Registeel
Lucario
Mega Medicham

This was perhaps our favorite team to use. I've wanted to use a Safeguard/Swagger combo for some time, but I'm not a big doubles battler so haven't really had the opportunity. Plus 2 attack Dragonite is a scary thing, but it is a little on the slow side and being able to double hit it made it a huge threat that still wasn't too difficult to take out. If Safeguard was still up when it fainted, Gothitelle was carrying Flatter to boost Anthony's Pokemon on the special side, but we didn't get to make too much use of that. Anthony brought along Gravity/Zap Cannon on his Registeel so I paired it with Dragon Rush on my Dragonite for a higher powered single target hit than Dragon Claw.[/spoilerpqk]

Trick Room:
[spoilerpqk]Erkenhelm:
Slowking
Porygon 2
Reuniclus

Anthony:
Rampardos
Chesnaught
Escavalier

The first time we used this team the challengers used it against us by just bringing slower Pokemon. After that it went a lot better and we had some good battle with it. No really stand out on this team, but I think the battles tended to be a little longer than with the other teams.[/spoilerpqk]

All Out Offense
[spoilerpqk]Erkenhelm:
Dragonite
Latios
Mega Metagross

Anthony:
Mega Lopunny
Gyarados
Salamence

This team was pretty simple: hit things and hit them hard. I mixed it up and used Choice Band Dragonite, and after using it I can still say I'm not a fan of choice items. I don't like being locked into one move, even with a 50% damage boost. We didn't get to use this team very often, as we didn't get many challengers in its badge range.[/spoilerpqk]

Skill Swap:
[spoilerpqk]Erkenhelm:
Alakazam
Gardevoir
Dragonite

Anthony:
Regigigas
Terrakion
Heracross

This was the first team that we put together, and the one we were looking forward to using most. The plan was to Skill Swap Magic Guard to Regigigas so it was at its full Attack and Speed and it carried a Toxic Orb so that at the end of the turn it would poison itself so it couldn't be burned to cut its attack in half. With Magic Guard it wouldn't take damage every turn, and it boosted the power of it's Facade as well. We gave it Drain Punch for some sustainability and Rock Slide and Earthquake for spread damage. If the Alakazam was still around, we could pass Slow Start to one of the opponent's Pokemon, or use Thunder Wave to slow one down. Dragonite and Gardevoir were built defensively to try to take hits while Terrakion and Heracross could do some more damage.[/spoilerpqk]

It's really hard to test out teams for Multi Battles, as you need 4 people, and there is no multi battle option on Showdown. Because of this I'm not sure our teams were accurately ranked, but they all worked to the point where they were kind of on the same level anyway. I expected the Psych Up team to fall flat on its face, but we did manage to pass Belly Drum to at least Pokemon many times and even when we couldn't use Belly Drum the team performed pretty well. The glaring weakness to Dark types made it easy to counter and it got completely shut down a bunch of times.

I was Gonzo the Psychicdelic Leader. I ran a trick room set up with 4 slow Pokemon and 2 fast Pokemon to fall back on if trick room ran out. I ended with 65 wins and 17 loses. I had asked to be a casual leader because I didn't think my team would be that good.

[spoilerto8]Bronzong @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Levitate
-Trick Room
-Gyro Ball
-Explosion
-Stealth Rocks

Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
-Scald
-Ice Beam
-Slack Off
-Psychic

Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
-Zen Headbutt
-Earthquake
-Bullet Punch
-Meteor Smash

Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
-Highjump Kick
-Ice Punch
-Fake Out
-Zen Headbutt

Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
-Trick Room
-Psyshock
-Focus Blast
-Shadow Ball

Espeon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magic Bounce
-Psychic
-Psyshock
-Shadow Ball
-Dazzling Gleam[/spoilerto8]

I would start my team off with my Bronzong to set up Trick Room and then stealth Rock and then if it had any health left I would use Explosion or I would use Gyro Ball if I knew for sure it would take it out. I would follow it with either Slowbro for bulk and two moves that will probably go first because of Trick Room or Reuniclus for type coverage and to keep Trick Room going. After them I would use my Metagross to run out trick room so I can use my Medicham and Espeon to out speed and hopefully sweep the rest of their Team.

I'm not surprised you did as well as you did. Trick Room can be a nasty set up if the opponent is unprepared.

With a 68% win rate I give you the [b217]PAL900 [/b217]elite 6 team

[spoiler217]Ape (Infernape) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Mach Punch
- Close Combat
- Flare Blitz

Daisy (Venusaur) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Def / 144 SpD / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Knock Off

Jupiter (Starmie) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock

Discovery (Serperior) @ Life Orb
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Giga Drain

SAL (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split

Leonov (Skarmory) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Iron Head
- Brave Bird
- Whirlwind[/spoiler217]

I was running 3v3 Rotation Battles. Was in the high ~90% win rate with first time challengers. Re-matches were more around ~33%. Since Poke Showdown doesn't have a rotation option, and passers by were reluctant to accept the challenges, I used the Super Rotation Battle in the Battle Mansion to gauge my teams. If I could win 20 battles no problem then I assumed the teams were too tough and had to be nerfed somehow. Little did I know that most people only tried rotation battle once, so even with many weaknesses in my team, most victories were due to my opponents inexperience.

[bhzg][uhzg]Sun Team:[/uhzg][/bhzg][spoilerhzg]Ninetales @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA
Modest Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Solar Beam
- Nasty Plot
- Flamethrower

Heliolisk @ Life Orb
Ability: Solar Power
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Signal Beam
- Hyper Voice
- Dark Pulse

Shiftry @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Knock Off
- Seed Bomb
- Rock Slide[/spoilerhzg]
[bhzg][uhzg]Rain Team[/uhzg][/bhzg][spoilerhzg]Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA
Modest Nature
- Haze
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Protect

Heliolisk @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Surf
- Dark Pulse
- Signal Beam

Swampert-Mega @ Swampertite
Ability: Swift Swim
Level: 50
EVs: 196 HP / 236 Atk / 76 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Power-Up Punch[/spoilerhzg]
[bhzg][uhzg]Sand Team[/uhzg][/bhzg][spoilerhzg]Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 6 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Ice Fang
- Aerial Ace

Cacturne @ BrightPowder
Ability: Sand Veil
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thunder Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Poison Jab

Excadrill @ Razor Claw
Ability: Sand Rush
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drill Run
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
- X-Scissor[/spoilerhzg]
[bhzg][uhzg]Snow Team[/uhzg][/bhzg][spoilerhzg]Abomasnow @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Bold Nature
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Hail
- Water Pulse

Walrein @ Leftovers
Ability: Ice Body
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Blizzard
- Surf
- Aqua Ring
- Stockpile

Mamoswine @ BrightPowder
Ability: Snow Cloak
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Atk / 84 SpD
Careful Nature
- Avalanche
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Knock Off[/spoilerhzg]