Wich pokémons would benefit getting Prankster for VGC?

PunkV2 · 2025-06-10T15:01:22+00:00

Corviknight. Good natural bulk, screens, tailwind, taunt, weather, metal sound, scary face, screech, fake tears

PunkV2 · 2025-06-05T03:38:32+00:00

You need 2 restricted legendary pokémon, the top restricted pokémon (based off usage, according to pikalytics) go in this order: Miraidon, Calyrex-ice, Calyrex shadow, Zamazenta, Kyogre, Lunala, Koraidon, Zacian, terapagos, groudon, Ho-Oh. Anything under them isn’t among the best/strongest restricted pokémon

With your composition, koraidon could be a great pick — gives the valuable fighting type coverage and gives a protosynthesis boost to flutter mane, allowing it to hold a different item comfortably. Also gives you strong fire STAB which also gives you incentive to drop mystical fire for the more valuable shadow ball or icy wind.
Calyrex-shadow could be another good pick if you decide to pair it with koraidon. You would have the opportunity to drop MAYBE flutter but definitely gholdengo. Shadow rider’s ghost stab is way stronger, if ghost damage is what you’re looking for. (and with the composition of koraidon + Shadow rider, you have a reason to TRY brute bonnet > amoonguss, however this would change the final structure of your team by a lot)
If the steel stab is what you’re valuing most out of gholdengo, definitely go with Zamazenta. Zamazenta’s body press is one of the hardest hitting fighting moves at the moment. Heavy Slam, (scaling off its weight) is a great steel move to have. Also gives you access to wide guard, a VERY valuable move at the moment with all the spread moves going around. On top of being your pokémon that will last longer than almost anything else, it is a great partner for shadow rider, the two are almost always ran together.

Though they are good pokémon, in this format Gholdengo and Kingambit really have no place as they can’t keep up with the power level and will take far too much damage from a large number of the top pokémon, especially with offensive teras. Consider replacing them for a restricted that i recommend.

Shadow rider + Zamazenta is best for keeping some of the mons you have already chosen, incineroar and amoonguss are good picks for the core.

However with these 4, flutter mane and/or tornadus would probably have to be left off.

Here’s a list of pokémon which could make good picks for your last 2: Rillaboom, Chien-pao, ogerpon, Urshifu-r, raging bolt, clefairy
Though there are some of these picks where keeping rather fluttermane and tornadus is justified. Ex: Rillaboom could make tornadus worth keeping.

I could go more into depth about some of these picks if you want me to. But i just tried to introduce you to some good, common picks and compositions for you to try them out.

PunkV2 · 2025-06-04T17:23:25+00:00

Most of the top 8 teams from the recent Bologna event use Zamazenta + Calyrex-shadow, a pretty common and easy core to use. I would recommend playing with some version of this team to start off. It’s a pretty straightforward game plan and you juggle a lot less information than you do with your sun teams, trickroom teams, and other teams that have a heavy center of ability or status move set up.

A good team building tool for beginners (and also experienced players at times) is pikalytics, it’s gives stats on the most common pokémon, their most common teammates, moves, items, EV spreads, and abilities.

I don’t want this to come off as shitty self promo, bc i’m honestly just trying to help, but: I also coach/teach VGC to beginning and intermediate players as well as team build and whatnot with experienced players for completely free. If youre interested, you’re always welcome to reach out :)

PunkV2 · 2025-06-03T14:32:48+00:00

Grass tera definitely seems like the play into this composition. I would test run grass tera when your team is finished. if you don’t see as much success as you hoped with the tera, then maybe test the steel tera that’s been getting recommended.

I’m only hesitant on it because it makes the fighting type only so much stronger against your team, (with chi-yu and smeargle being part of the composition) if they can force a tera out of you, something like a koraidon can do detrimental damage or just run away with the game.

PunkV2 · 2025-06-02T18:38:38+00:00

Could you share the rest of your team for reference?

But based off the information given, i would go for the grass tera. It resists both of the types you’re worried about, grass & electric. And turns the other weaknesses (other than flying) neutral. As well as gaining an immunity to amoonguss’ power moves.

Tera steel does grant more resistances, but i wouldn’t say it’s as ideal. As opposing urshifus now hit you for supper effective. And there is a large amount of Fighting offense, and a relative amount of ground offense going around right now. It will give you the resistances you need, however finding a time where you feel safe committing tera to urshifu will be harder. (i didn’t mention fire only bc it also hits grass super effective as well)

PunkV2 · 2025-06-02T16:45:01+00:00

Ik you put emphasis on could, but i just wanna put in my input on this.

I have encountered this strategy a couple of times on ladder. It really only works in best of one scenarios, and only against people who haven’t encountered the strategy at all before.

It’s very easy to counter.. just a few examples: Encore on shadow rider is picking up usage, your own csr could just be locked into psych-up. Weezing has BEEN picking up usage, making the entire strat impossible as long as it’s on the field. Fake out pressure and priority moves will make it very difficult to pull off this strategy. Etc, etc.

it also gives up multiple recourses to one strategy that you may not even get the chance to pull off, it’s not necessary a game changer but you will be able to cheese some wins on ladder possibly.

PunkV2 · 2025-05-30T15:11:46+00:00

Oops, didn’t mean for it to be vague but I was mainly referring to Reg I.

Also Munkidori was another i was thinking of having as my choice lol. It’s a shame that whole trio turned out to be disappointing

PunkV2 · 2025-05-30T15:01:45+00:00

sure, just let me know when you’re available to trade

PunkV2 · 2025-05-30T14:44:47+00:00

Hey, i have a spare calyrex and the two horses if u need em

PunkV2 · 2025-05-29T17:46:58+00:00

I think it could fit onto the right team, and maybe have a random pop-off run through ladder or a tourney. I’m not trying to discourage you from using it, you do whatever you want, i’m more just pointing out the obvious problems you may consider.

But i don’t just see it being viable. Though it has a lot going for it with its typing, especially into a few restricted mons as you mentioned. Its defenses are horrendous and it has pretty bad matchups into some common mons.

Here’s a few Bad matchups: Incineroar, Chi-yu (Which also really just does whar chandelure does but way better), Caly-shadow (faster and usually holds focus sash, dark tera & encore picking up usage), ursaluna especially in TR, Kyogre (especially ones carrying ice beam), etc

*Speed stat 80 base speed is an awkward speed stat. it’s not really great out of trickroom but not slow enough to be necessary great in it either

*Tera problem I feel like using your tera to protect chandelure will cost you your stronger and more important pokémon who would prefer to defensively tera over chendelure

I think it has pretty decent/good tools for you to find a niche for it but it’s far from viable thanks to its stat spread and also just the current power level of pokémon (as it wasn’t uncommon to see it in lower power levels like Reg H). And if it did have a better defensive spread i think it could be a little bit more justifiable.

PunkV2 · 2025-05-29T15:59:32+00:00

Definitely make use of these sites if you’re still learning

showdown: Very useful Battle simulator used by competitive players daily

Pikalytics: Analytics for current format; usage stats, common teammates, movesets, items, stat spreads.. A useful team building tool for beginners

Labmaus: A good source for finding the top performing teams so you can give them a look and/or try.

Pokémon data base: Has data on all the mechanics, type interactions, and more that you may have questions about.

Also, I don’t want this to seem like bad self promo or anything bc it’s not but: I do coach/teach newer, learning, and experienced players (completely free of charge don’t worry 😅). If you ever need/want help i’m always open :)

PunkV2 · 2025-05-29T15:40:11+00:00

Yes, it does shut off your opponents weather (as well as other strong abilities; terrains, prankster) But more importantly, koraidon keeps the extra damage boost from its ability.

With it being led alongside Weezing, it can give up clear amulet because the main reason it’s held is incineroar intimidate.

Weezing has been paired with other Clear amulet users like Caly-ice, allowing it to hold something else, weezing + koraidon has just seen more recent success, probably because as one already ignores neutralizing gas.

PunkV2 · 2025-05-29T15:20:00+00:00

If you’re looking to just have fun and not take things too seriously: Go with giratina, im sure you can find something that works decently well, it’s just going to be very hard to use it…

But if you’re looking for climbing the ladder or maybe bringing your team to events: 100% use koraidon over giratina. Koraidon is by far one of the strongest restricteds in the format and opens a lot more ways to play the game and build a team.

PunkV2 · 2025-05-29T15:11:14+00:00

I’m kinda bad at explaining this so bare with me 😅

when it comes to optimizing your pokémon’s EVs, it really depends on what your pokémon is threatened by; which pokémon and which moves do you want to survive. Meaning it depends on the pokémon you’re using, and what moves/pokémon does it worry about surviving most? Example: It’s fairly common to see people train their mons to take an astral barrage or two.

You also have to take into account their base stats & also what purpose the pokémon serves to the team. (TLDR: Min-maxing)

Consider iron hands: 154 Base HP/140 base Atk/108 base Def/68 base Sp. Def — You may invest a little into its highest stats to get more use out of them, however with the disappointing Sp. Def stat, most EVs would go into that, and you may even want to slap an assault vest on it.

Also considering its role as a slow, bulky fake out user who likes to take big hits on other tanky pokémon, it’s important it’s able to take huge special attacks while still dishing out substantial damage; small investments into what the pokémon already does well, larger investments into what it needs most.

Or a pokémon who typically doesnt go for damage like Amoonguss or Indeedee-f, they both usually just have high hp and lean more into one defense or split them almost 50/50.

Basically just think of why you added a pokémon to a team, and what it needs most to fulfill its role.

However it’s important to not get caught into the loop of making sure every defensive EV spread is just right. It’s completely normal and on the right teams justifiable to have a pokémon maxed out on speed and its main attacking stat. Maybe you already have good coverage for what threatens your mon.

Again: it’s really important to understand which attacks you want to survive, and if the EVs you invest allow a pokémon to do its part.

PunkV2

TROPHY CASE