Hey there, I'm pretty new to online competitve battling, in fact this is the first year that I'm actually trying to participate in the main series games. I have a good ammount of experience on Smogon, playing primarily OU battles. Since VGC is the primary official competitive mode, I decided to learn what I can and how it funcions. I was delighted to find that you didn't need a massive set of lendaries this time around (although there's still a lot of UBs and Tapu).

The core goal of this team is to flip speed control on it's head with trick room, a very powerful move with the incredibly fast tapu metagame, which allows my team to be able to invest EVs/natures normally used for speed into other things. It also seeks to deny other weather users their set up, demolishing hail based teams both due to the speed flip and the removal of aura veil. While their is no rain synergy with abilities, this team takes advantage of the rain the increase hurricane and thunder's accuracy, boost water moves, and most importantly lower the fire type weakness that many of the pokemon on the team possess. It's a very all around team, with sneaky access to soak thunder to shut down any potential type walls. I've only had a bit of experience with the team, it's 6-2 on double battles latter, losing mostly to non-vgc based pokemon, such as ferrothorn (the initial reason I introduced soak) and powerful mega stone uses. Recently I participated in a casual VGC practice match, where the team went 4-1, losing purely because of human error of bad plays. I've played a good ammount of games on smougon, frequently tweaking things, however I'm unsure how to find a concrete W/L ratio, but it wouldn't be stellar, as I am very prone to errors with my in experience, and even type weakness I will frequently need to look up.

Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Soak
- Hurricane
- Scald
- Protect

This is one of my main two pokemon in the team. Pelipper is there primarily for it's ability drizzle, in order to set up for Porygon 2 and Magnezone, but also shut down fire threats and boost itself with hurricane and scald. I lead with Pelipper and Porygon 2 90% of the time, unless I forsee needing to save it to counter enemy weather, or the enemy team having a similar set up. I've been running Damp Rock, though I am not 100% sure it's the best item. It has kept rain up several times when it otherwise would have been down, at least 2 times resulting in my possible win from 100% accuracy on thunder. Moves are fairly standard, with soak being the exception that normally would be filled with tailwind (only took me 3 games to realize how dumb I was for running trick room tailwind). Soak has had mixed results, discounting my own idiocy where I think I am clicking scald, it can be a very great move to discourage any switching, since I've specially made it so my two thunder uses are 1 speed faster than pelipper, it will soak the target that switches in, often times a ground type Krookodile, or sometimes a garchomp (though I have icebeam so both of these aren't major) and hits then for super effective damage with 110 power. The upside is even if I predict wrong and they don't switch, it's still a guaranteed super effective hit without lightning rod.

Magnezone @ Life Orb
Ability: Magnet Pull
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 14 Spe
- Thunder
- Flash Cannon
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Water]

Magnezone is intended to be one of the teams primary offensive threats. Originally I was running choice specs, but found it to be too easy for the enemy to predict a move and then have my turn wasted. Coverage is intended to get bonuses from stab, hit enemies with discharge while either my ally protects or is porygon 2. Magnet pull was originally intended to trap celesteela, though works well trapping A.Sandslash for a soak thunder insta kill combo. 14 Speed IVs are so that magnezone outspeeds Pelipper, which will make Pelipper faster after trick room for the soak thunder combo. HP water is just a flat coverage move, since rain is nearly always up HP water does more than HP fire. I tend to actually not use magnezone a lot, simply because of the massive ammount of earthquake users I match up against, frequently at least one, sometimes two users, which nearly always OHKO's it. I am currently testing out running Togedemaru in this slot, simply for lightning rod on pelipper and great pairing with bulu, I'm not entirely sure of the set to run on it. EVs are for hitting even harder and general bulk.

Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 244 HP / 76 Def / 188 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 14 Spe
- Recover
- Trick Room
- Ice Beam
- Thunder

Frequently Porygon 2 is my last remaining pokemon should I lose in a battle. It has incredible bulk, solid offense, and great recovery. It's primary there to set up trick room, which the entire team needs to function. The 14 speed IVs are for the same reason as magnezone, to combo with soak on pelipper to get a super effective hit on any pokemon. Ice beam is there for coverage on Garchomp and Salamance , both of which are a fairly big threat to my team. I'm not entirely sure where my EVs came from, I imagine I pulled it from somewhere since I have no idea on damage calcs and why they would be that way. I could see maybe going max Def and HP to put Sash or scarf Pheramosa to a 25% OHKO, her a Buzzwhole (I've never seen it used, but fills the same problem) are one of the two ways to shut down my team with a turn one high jump kick. It usually will trade 1 for 1 because of pelipper's hurricane, but Tapu koko Pheramosa is a killer combo I don't have a great answer to immediately.

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 228 HP / 44 Atk / 116 Def / 120 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Protect
- Leech Seed
- Heavy Slam
- Substitute

Celesteela servers as a great mixed wall on my team. It's one of my primary ways to teal with fairy types (other than Tapu Koko) and is very annoying for teams with a more prolonged stall based approach. I'll be honest that this set is straight up taken from Smogon, and I don't know the math behind the EV spread. Truth be told, while I understand celesteela is powerful, I don't understand how and when to properly use it. It is frequently not included as part of the 4 pokemon I bring in, simply because I can't seem to find when would be ideal. Definitely looking for input on how and when to use celesteela, since type wise it feels like it should belong.

Salamence @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Protect
- Fly
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake

Salamance is here on the team primarily for it's ability Intimidate and coverage in earthquake. In truth, I feel it is the weakest link, and have been testing out Krookodile to fill it's role better. Salamance ususally being a special set has caught several people off guard when I reveal mine to be physical, flyinium z often is a suprise 1 shot, though I haven't noticed any specific cases where it's excelled beyond being a very high power, high attack pokemon, stab move. I went dragon claw over outrage simply due to the ammount of fairy types used, being locked into that move means it's an easy switch in, though salamance tends to only ever use earthquake and Z Fly.

Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Wood Hammer
- Zen Headbutt
- Superpower
- Rock Slide

Tapu Bulu is part of this teams namesake, though I only consider him partially core. Grass surge is great as the hardest hitting pokemon on the team (Magnezone) is 4x weak to earthquake. I don't actually have a great reason to run assault vest aside from the fact all Bulu's moves are offensive and my Z crystal is already in use on the team. It has been great vs icebeam from opponents porygon 2, forcing a 3HKO. HP is there for mixed bulk, attack is there for offense. Move are just general coverage, superpower often being very critical since I bring no other fighting type move.

Conclusion:

While I have been enjoying this team, the fact that I am very new to this format has made it hard for me to be able to properly objectively analyze things. I believe it's a really good team concept, with excellent synergy, but there's some pieces of the puzzle I can't quite place. One of my main questions, is should Magnezone and/or Salamance be switched out? Currently I am testing out Togedemaru in place of magnezone to cover peliper and work well with bulu, and Krookodile to replace Salamance for the earthquake STAB and set up denial with roar. I'm also very worried about a tapu koko Pheramosa opening from my enemy since that at the very least shuts down my trick room set up, and at worst takes out 2 pokemon round 1. I could use some advice on proper application of Celesteela, as right now I'm a bit lost on how to do so. I'd definately love to hear about more impactful EV spreads, as many of mine are simply generic Offensive Stat HP max.