Just Your Normal Team [Monotype]

[AuthorReborn]

Basis:

I was thinking about my team building skills the other day and pondering how terrible I was at it when I decided I'd try to improve my team building skills by making a Monotype team and thus restricting me to a sliver of possible mons and becoming aware of many mons' possible movesets. Pretty important stuff for any fletchling competitive player. Not only did I decide to do this, I decided to go with a type that's often overlooked: Normal. Gen VI has actually been amazing to the Normal Monotype family, with the introduction of strong members of Mega Loppuny and Kang, as well as the ever notable Diggersby. This expanded variety assisted, but given how most Normal types tend to be the sort you dispose of once you can actually get some decent mons, I figured it'd be a fun little challenge to put myself to.

Also, I'd like to note here that I'm making this inital post on mobile, which is a pain to add sprites and fonts to, so I will edit this post later when I am on a proper computer.

Team Members: Mega Loppuny, Diggersby, Porygon2, Chansey, Smeargle, and Meloetta

Teambuilding Process:

At the heart of many teams lies a strong Mega Evolution capable of destroying the hopes and dreams of many. And given the fact that there are only three Normal-type Megas I can think of off the top of my head, Kang, Loppuny, and Audino (one of which is banned and the other is just bad), I decided to use the best Mega I had access to, So with Loppuny providing strong Scrappy Returns and HJKs, I had quite a few common resistances (steel, rock, Sabeleye) already taken care of, I decided to provide a powerful priority user. And who else but the bunny king himself, Diggersby, who could SD on a switch in and throw a strong move right back at their when they expected an easy predidction. But a balanced team doesn't just have two rabbits trying to kill everything. No, it needs some stability. Some walls. That's where the next two come in. Porygon to deal with Special attackers and Chansey to deal with the Physical ones. Great. So now you need someone who can set up hazards and the like to put pressure on opposing teams. Here's where the artist comes in. He sets up rocks and Sticky webs, then he puts something to sleep and I switch into either Lopunny or a wall.

But the most obvious thing about Normal types is that they have a weakness to an extrememly common type: Fighting. There are plenty of Normal/Flying types that could potentially counter these threats... or you can use something interesting, new, and unexpected. My team was a bit lacking in special attacking coverage, so I decided to throw in the most neglected of Gen V event legendaries: Meloetta. This thing is a living, breathing counter to fighting types, as well as taking chuncks out of plenty of other mons in the process. But more on that below.

Actual Analysis:

1. Mega Lopunny

Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite

Ability: Scrappy

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- High Jump Kick

- Fake Out

- Return

- Ice Punch

What can I say? Return and HJK kills almost anything. Ice Punch just to catch certain bulky flying types off guard. Used as an offensive pivot to force switches or just or ruin the lives of your enemies depending on the situation. Is the obligatory fast sweeper. And by "fast," I mean faster than a fully invested Mega Manectric.

2. Diggersby

Diggersby @ Life Orb

Ability: Huge Power

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Earthquake

- Gunk Shot

- Return

- Swords Dance

Set up an SD on the mandatory switch and you will at least be able to do some impressive damage to whatever switches in. Provides obligatory Ground coverage, as well as Anti-Fairy power. When used in conjunction with Lopunny, provides a solid priority core for clean up.

3. Chansey

Chansey (F) @ Eviolite

Ability: Natural Cure

EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD

Bold Nature

- Soft-Boiled

- Toxic

- Heal Bell

- Seismic Toss

Try hitting it with a physical attack. I dare you. And watch as it does nothing, I get healed, and your health slowly whittles away. Used to catch attacks and status aimed at Lopunny, Porygon, and Meloetta.

4. Porygon2

Porygon2 @ Eviolite

Ability: Trace

EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD

Calm Nature

- Recover

- Tri Attack

- Ice Beam

- Thunder Wave

Recover for immortality, Tri-Attack is for STAB and something to do as you stall someone out of pp. T-wave to cripple most sweepers. Ice Beam for Dragons. Chansey/Porygon core works quite well to wall most everything. Main weakenss: Knock Off, which should be absorbed by Loppuny, Smeargle, or Diggersby.

5. Smeargle

Smeargle @ Focus Sash

Ability: Own Tempo

EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Spore/Dark Void

- Stealth Rock

- Sticky Web

- Topsy-Turvy

Basic hazard set up set. Go in, put something to sleep, set up rocks, ect. But this set has an extra trick up its sleeve. With Topsy-Turvy, you are the ultimate troll set-up bait. Opponent sees your Smeargle, they bring it down to its sash and then they begin to set up (assuming they already have a mon who's asleep). They become over confident and try to abuse the opportunity by setting up six Quicer Dances. Then you simply Topsy-Turvy and watch as they can't outspeed Chansey and die quite easily.

6. Meloetta

Meloetta @ Life Orb

Ability: Serene Grace

EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD

Modest Nature

- Psychic

- Hyper Voice

- Hidden Power [Fire]

- Dazzling Gleam

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a Meloetta's Life Orb Hyper Voice? Let me tell you, it's not pretty. It deals lovely chunks to most mons and Psychic/Dazzling Gleam will destroy pesky threats such as Malmar, most any fighting type, and Scrafty. HP Fire is there to deal with the ever present and extremely common Bug and Steel monotypes, which otherwise resist everything Meloetta has to offer. Covers the obvious fighting weakness.

Conclusion:

Okay, so this team obviously needs some work. I made it just the other day to have some fun with a different meta-game and try something new. Comments/ criticism greatly appreciated.

Main problems:

Knock Off

Set Up sweepers after Smeargle goes down

No Defog/Rapid Spin

[NickCrash]

This is a nice touch. I shouldn't be the only one to think that Normal lost too much in this generation when it lost Togekiss. Having practiced with normal mono in gen5 I can verify that. I guess you can say Lopunny made up somewhat. Also, you forgot that Normal also has Mega-Bird-Jesus.

I think that one eviolite user is enough for your team. So for this reason I thought that a bulky defensive Staraptor is more viable in monotype teams.

Staraptor @ Leftovers

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def

Impish Nature

- Close Combat

- Brave Bird / Tailwind

- Roost

- U-turn

That Intimidate is crucial at some points. Chansey can only sit and watch as the opponent sets up to kill. If they are behind a sub, you can take the turn to Seismic Toss it away, but you won't have that precious toxic. Both have reliable recovery (soft-boiled and roost), but Staraptor can help dispose of the opponent by putting a Tailwind, live the hit and do a slow u-turn out for your Diggersby or Lopunny. You won't even care if Lopunny hadn't mega evolved yet, because tailwind assures that you go first. Close combat is there for some more coverage, since Staraptor is usually a physical sweeper, so it will do damage no matter how little invested it is. The added Flying type neutralizes your main weakness, Fighting and if you go for Brave Bird, even the bulkiest Fighting types (eg Conkeldurr) will receive considerable damage.

Now the Smeargle set is really situational and if not used as a lead it cannot be as effective imo.

If you decide to keep the Chansey you can always use another Staraptor set. (yes I love Staraptor)

Staraptor @ Life Orb

Ability: Reckless

EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Double-Edge

- Close Combat

- Brave Bird

- Roost

Classic physical sweeper. It can bring towers down.

My suggestion however is another special attacker, who is underrated in the current meta.

Heliolisk @ Life Orb

Ability: Dry Skin

EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Thunderbolt

- Dark Pulse

- Hyper Voice

- Surf

This guy is there to patch your holes and sweep. Immune to water attacks targeted at Diggersby and having a STAB T-bolt to wreck opposing teams Heliolisk is a force that a normal team needs. Surf hits the Ground types that might come in to laugh at your T-bolt, but they're not going to laugh for long. Dark Pulse for coverage, as Ghost types are often to switch in, predicting normal type attacks. I would put glare over there, but you already have t-wave on P-2. Hyper Voice is there for STAB, which is nice. This guy has perfect coverage (even if H-voice does not add to that).

Also I'd throw away gunk shot from Diggersby and put Quick Attack, since this team is more effective being offensive and getting all the speed it can.

edit: Staraptor in action http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-204969318

Edited January 23, 2015 by nickcrash

[AuthorReborn]

I thought I edited my Diggersby se- oh wait that was on my computer as well. I'll edit that later.

I'll test out Starraptor today as well.

[Ojama Yellow]

Oh lord Normal, my favourite type. Anyway, if you're going to use Staraptor, I'd recommend the following set:

Raptorflakes (Staraptor) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Atk / 84 Def
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat/U-turn
- Roost
- Defog

This is my main set on Staraptor in mono Normal. The HP and Def investments give you the chance to bulk most unboosted physical hits, especially when combined with Intimidate. It also hits big threats to your team, most notably Fighting types like Conkeldurr. Roost helps you to recover from the damage done to you by rocks or switching in or whatevs. Defog might not be very suitable on this team, with Smeargle's hazards. Still, it helps you to get those pesky rocks, spikes and webs out of there. For the last move, I'd prefer Close Combat, but U-turn is a possibility, since you can get a free switch-in. Both have their pros and contras, feel free to use whichever you want.

Then, Porygon2.

Derpygon2 (Porygon2) @ Eviolite
Ability: Analytic/Download
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 SpD
Calm Nature
- Magic Coat/Toxic/Thunder Wave/Tri Attack
- Recover
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam

Based god Porygon2. With this set, you have created an absolute monsters that bulks pretty much all unboosted hits, no matter if they're special or physical. I chose Analytic as the ability, because Porygon2 moves slower than most mons. Download is a possibility too, but no Trace, please no. Recover is...well, you need a Recover. That's just obligatory. I am a fan of running Tri Attack on my Porygon2, but not in mono Normal, because at least half of my team already carries Normal moves. BoltBeam gives excellent coverage. With Ice Beam, you'll be able to freeze Dragon types to death, and Landorus can't bulk it either. Thunderbolt hits creatures such as Gyarados, but it also gives neutral damage to Steel types, which are not fun to face with Normal monos. You can choose the last move. The obvious things to put there are Toxic and Thunder Wave. Status moves are always a good thing to have. You could put Tri Attack there, but I don't recommend it. Really. Then the thing I use: Magic Coat. You never see this move, therefore, no one expects it. But when you use it, you bounce back all rocks, spikes, status moves, taunts...pretty much everything Magic Bounce bounces back. But only for that turn. Nevertheless, it's fun to see how you bounce Skarmory's rocks back to their Flying mono, or cripple creatures like Mandibuzz by bouncing back their Toxic, burn Rotom-W with their own Will-O-Wisp, and render haxers like Togekiss and Jirachi useless by paralyzing them with their own Thunder Wave. Truly, I've never seen a Pokemon make so many people ragequit before.

[NickCrash]

Ok I ran a test of the team. The only problem I faced was Quagsire. However, the team cannot touch it, which means that if the opponent has one, you're probably done (at least in the case without Chansey that I'm looking). So Energy ball instead of HP fire, which is not really needed.

[SJMistery]

tiny hint, try using counter on the chansey, physical attackers will never try to attack him again