New to competitive play and want help with EMERALD team

[jfflow]

Hey i'm just starting competative play. While i havn't been able to test this yet i have tried to put a good amount of time into building this team.

Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252-ATK 200- SpA 52- DEF
Nature: Naughty (+atk, -SpD)
- Surf
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Ice Beam

Pretty much just a lead sub-puncher (not sure on term sorry). Substitute then take the foe out with focus punch. If they swap with a grass type (not common i know) then ice beam them to take them out. when low on health surf's power increases because of Torrent

Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA 252 Spe 4 HP
Nature: Modest (+SpA, - ATK)
- Hypnosis
- Dream Eater
- Sludge Bomb
- Destiny Bond

In a way its a mix of a special sweeper and a revenge killer, plus it can also make your foe swap out pokemon. Hypnotize the pokemon at start and if they switch out keep hypnotizing the pokemon but if the dont then you can do dream eater to damage them but also heal your gengar. Sludge Bomb is also a decent move to use against other ghosts if any were to come out. Destiny bond is mainly for when you know Gengar is about to die. That way you bring their pokemon down no matter what

Gardevoire @ Leftovers
Ability: Trace
EVs:56 HP 252 Spa 200 SpE
Nature: Timid ( +SpE, -ATK) / Modest (+SpA, -ATK)
- Calm Mind
- Hypnosis
- Psychic
- Dream Eater

SPecial sweeper that induces sleep with hypnosis, then while the foe is sleeping it can buff it's self up by using calm mind (if they wake up just keep hypnotizing them) then if, after an appropriate amount of CM, the opponent is still asleep you can use dream eater to deal a good chunk of damage but if they aren't asleep then use psychic. Putting them to sleep and using dream eater is also a good way to heal Gardevoire if needed

Salamance @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 116-HP 252-ATK 140-SpE
Nature: Adamant ( +ATK, -SpA)
- Dragon Dance
- Flame Thrower
- Hidden Power Flying
- Earthquake

Mainly a Physical sweeper. Use Dragon Dance to buff up its ATK and DEF then use Earthquake, and HP Flying to deal damage. Flame thrower is there in case in ice pokemon is switched out.

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252- HP 252- ATK 4- SPE
Nature: Careful ( +SpD, -SpA)
- Toxic
- Defense Curl
- Rollout
- Rest

Basically a staller that can deal damage while poisoning the opponents team. Defense Curl obviously increases its defense even more than it already is. Toxic allows you to deal damage while poisoning your opponents pokemon while (hopefully) making them swap out and allowing you to eventually poison their entire team. Rollout allows you to deal good chunks of damage after the 4th and 5th roll which also takes down their team. Rest is to heal shuckle while in the process of poisoning their team. So basically its a support staller.

Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 144- HP 68- ATK 132- DEF 164- SpD
Nature: Adamant ( +ATK, -SpA)
- Curse
- Body Slame
- Earthquake
- Rest

Curselax. Use curse when first brought into the field to boost ATK and DEF. Body Slam deals damage while giving you the chance to slowly paralize their pokemon and/or team. Earthquake is to deal large chunks of damage. and rest Heals Snorlax when needed.

I'm up for any suggestions and while gladly accept any criticism that anyone offers. Thanks :)

[KingWiggins]

Why Swampet with -Special Defence? I would go with Brave nature.
Sub-Punch is unique, especially when using Swampert, but if you are going to use this set, no EV's in HP? At that, why doesn't Swampert have Earthquake.. or Curse??? Really taking some good things from him. I would suggest:
Swampert @ Leftovers
Nature: Careful
Curse
Rest
Earthquake
Rock Slide

Provides good coverage with QuakeSlide, and with Curse and Rest, it can truely dominate. If you want to go with Brave Natured Swampert I'd go with
Swampert @ Leftovers
Nature: Brave
Surf
Curse/Ice Beam
Earthquake
Hidden Power Bug/Rock Slide

Set works good, as the one above, just with more coverage, but without Rest. Surf with Stab can hurt pretty bad. Ice Beam is an option, but I would not suggest it if you are trying to use it to kill grass types. Grass types will run over you no-matter what, so Ice Beam is just for Salamance and Flygon. Hidden Power Bug is an optional move, going good with Curse, and Rock Slide with Ice Beam. Without Rest though, it relies too much on Leftovers for recovery.

Gengar is... uhm...how can I put this... you aren't using it to its advantage. Trying to put your opponent to sleep with low accuracy move isn't a good idea, and when it does hit, your opponent will just make a switch and all you can do will be able to throw weak Physical Sludge Bombs and hope you can predict your death with Destiny Bond.
A better set would be:
Gengar @ Petyra Berry/Leftovers
Thunderbolt
Ice Punch
Giga Drain/Psychic/Fire Punch
Will-O-Wisp/Destiny Bond

Pseudo BoltBeam supplies good coverage, while Giga Drain destroys Swampert, Psychic makes Heracross cry, and Fire Punch makes Scizor and Forretress useless. Will-O-Wisp is there to make Physical attackers rage, while Destiny Bond can let Gengar get taken out with its opponent. I suggest Will-O-Wisp to be with Giga Drain, and also with Petyra Berry, while Destiny Bond with Leftovers.

Gardevoir.. wow. Same mistake as Gengar. Gardevoir can set up REALLY good, probably not as good as Alakazam, but not by too much. A good set for 'voir would be:

Gardevoir @ Leftovers/Salac Berry
Nature: Modest/Timid
Calm Mind
Psychic
Thunderbolt
Ice Punch/Will-O-Wisp

To be perfectly honest, having Gardevoir and Gengar on the same team is useless. They have pretty much the same moveset, and at that, the some of the same weaknesses (Ghost and Dark). But, hell, you are the boss. This is the set that works the best on 'voir, but I still vote Alakazam. Calm Mind is for boosts, Psychic and Thunderbolt for power, and Ice Punch/Will-O-Wisp as a filler. I suggest if you use 'voir, don't let Gengar have Destony Bond or Psychic, because there is no point having it then. If you do take out Destiny Bond, give Gardevoir Ice Punch. If for some reason you want Will-O-Wisp on 'voir, I suggest Gengar have Destiny Bond. Salac Berry is for speed boost after you Calm Mind and get low, but Leftovers can work if you are scared to use this fragile thing without it. Either way, it works.

Salamance looks good, but I would suggest replacing Flamethrower with Rock Slide because it works pretty well with Dragon Dance, giving it the power to make Rock Slide stronger, and also making it faster, giving it a chance to make your opponent flinch, which is just priceless. If you still want a Fire type move, I would suggest Fire Blast for power, unless you are scared of missing. Salamance can also get Lum Berry if you are paranoid of status.

Shuckle is a good wall, but I would suggest Claydol or Dusclops, or a UU pokemon like Meganium that is still good at walling. If you still are interested in it though, the only thing I would change is probably just Defense Curl for Encore, but Defense Curl makes Rollout stronger and raises its defense, so either way works.

Snorlax looks good.

Overall, your team is good, but I would consider to change the things I have mentioned.

[Wailmer]

I agree with Wills pokemon, gardevoir is pretty pointless with gengar especially with the same moveset.

[meteor64]

Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 SpAtk
Nature: Relaxed (+Def, -Spd)
- Surf Hydro Pump is an option here
- Rest
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam

SubPunch Pert is pretty redundant when you consider Earthquake will be doing the same to most things anyway, and is far more reliable. Even then your EVs were wrong because you want max HP so your Sub can take Seismic Tosses. I've given you the standard MixPert set because this team really needs it (or at least something to check Mence, Metagross and Tyranitar).
Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA 252 Spe 4 HP or 172 HP / 148 SpA / 188 Spe
Nature: Modest (+SpA, - ATK)
- Hypnosis / Will-o-Wisp
- Ice Punch
- Thunderbolt
- Destiny Bond / Taunt

Sludge Bomb is physical in 3rd gen. Dream Eater is pretty unusable, since they can just switch out after you sleep them. Both this Gengar and Gardevoir have no way past Blissey (without surviving), so you should really make this Gengar dedicated to luring in Blissey and beating it. You can either keep Destiny Bond, and place all your hopes on Gardevoir, or go for Will-o-Wisp and Taunt, so Blissey can't Softboil/Aromatherapy the burn away. If you do that, then I would change up the EVs so you have more bulk (Suggested EVs given).

Gardevoir @ Leftovers
Ability: Trace
EVs:52 HP 252 Spa 204 Spe
Nature: Timid ( +SpE, -ATK)
- Calm Mind
- Will-o-Wisp / Wish
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt / Fire Punch

Again, Dream Eater is trash. Don't use it. Timid Nature and those extra 4 EVs gives you one point more than Dragon Dance Mence and everything else that runs 270 Speed for Heracross- Use it wisely to Will-o-Wisp or finish it when they think they can set up or scare you off. If you're using this on Pokemon Online, you should be using Wish, because your teammates, especially Swampert, will love the recovery. However, on Cartridge, you probably cant get Wish, so go for Will-o-Wisp. Last move is a toss up, if for some reason Tyranitar doesn't seem threatening at all, Fire Punch is the way- it's actually pretty decent (and allows you to destroy Magneton with its own Magnet Pull, but you don't have any Steels so its not much of a problem anyway). Also, it allows you to toe-to-toe with Claydol. Thunderbolt is more damaging, but doesnt give greater coverage when you consider Gengar already has it.

Note: If you can't get Wish, I'd really change this to a Jirachi with the exact same set I've given you here, Wish is just SO valuable to this team.


Salamence @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 112-HP 252-ATK 144-Spe
Nature: Adamant ( +ATK, -SpA)
- Dragon Dance
- Flame Thrower
- Hidden Power Flying
- Earthquake

Looks fine, I just added an extra Speed point because it really does make the difference with numbers like 270, 299, 199, etc.

Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
Nature: Impish (+Def, -SpAtk)
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake / Hidden Power [Bug]
- Explosion

Scrap Shuckle. It doesn't do you any favours, and it never will. Forretress, I think, will do you a world of good. You need a Spinner, and probably all the resistances Steel typing brings, it lays Spikes for Gengar to be obnoxious with, can Explode when you need, works magnificently with Gardevoir, as it loves the Wish support and can lure in Magneton for Gardevoir to set up on.

Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 144- HP 68- ATK 132- DEF 164- SpD
Nature: Adamant ( +ATK, -SpA)
- Curse
- Body Slame
- Shadow Ball
- Rest

Earthquake is bad, because Gengar will completely wall you, and Gengar gives this team enough trouble anyway. Snorlax is your only real answer to it.



If you follow all my bolded notes, theres not much I can think of that will trouble you. Other Curselax will be a pain in the butt, but Gengar, Snorlax, and Forretress go a good way to helping with that problem.

[32er]

Get rid of Gardevoir.

[TyphlosionXD]

Crucial mistake is giving all of them leftovers. Try other items OTHER than leftovers. Also, need ev tweaking in the future.

[meteor64]

Crucial mistake is giving all of them leftovers. Try other items OTHER than leftovers. Also, need ev tweaking in the future.

No, this is 3rd gen, leftovers is the best choice the vast majority of the time. Your choices are leftovers, choice band, or pinch berries, and I dont see anything here that wants to be banded or using a pinch berry.