Intro
Hello Smogon, I go by the username 1338 and this is my first RMT. This is a team that I’ve transformed over the past few months, starting it during the Latias suspect test and seeing it evolve to the one that it is now. The team is unique in that all its pokemon have Choice items; the immediate power provided by these items allows me to break apart teams as they scramble to combat my steroid team. Its success lies in the use of both Choice Band Flygon and Choice Band Dragonite, which lure out counters for each other and allows the rest of my team to deal with them accordingly. This is the best Choice item team that I’ve ever seen, but that’s because I haven’t seen many in my pokemon playing life. If you know if any famous Choice item teams, feel free to let me know!
The Process (You can skip this if you want since my RMT is pretty long)
I started this team during the Latias suspect test, so obviously I wanted a team based around the controversial Specs Latias. I was too lazy to play on the suspect ladder during 3-4 and 3-5 though… go figure.
With Latias on my team, I needed something that was able to deal with steels that would switch in constantly. Magnezone was the obvious choice.
With Magnezone on the team, I knew that I was pretty good when it came to steels since Specs Draco Meteors do so much damage. To take advantage of the early game steel battering, I wanted Salamence.
At this point I knew that I wanted a U-turner in order to come in and shuffle the opponent’s team around. In came Scizor, the most powerful U-turner in the game.
Scizor is a pretty good revenge killer, but I knew that it was not reliable enough to check foes such as Gyarados. I also wanted another Dragon type so that the opponent would be forced to send out the Steels: Flygon.
Now I only needed a lead. I chose Shuca Tran as the lead so that my team could be 3 dragons and 3 steels, and it worked pretty well because Heatran is one of the best Steel type destroyers.
After some experimenting, I was getting annoyed with Machamp leads, so I decided to switch my Shuca Tran over to Specstran. I also had trouble deciding what moveset to use on Salamence; then I realized that Choice Band was the way to go since I’d often get met with a physical wall with DDmence and a special wall with Mixmence (don’t ask). So then I ended up with a weird team consisting of 2 Specs users (Heatran and Latias), 2 Scarf users (Magnezone and Flygon), and 2 Band users (Scizor and Salamence). 3 steels, 3 dragons, 6 Choice items.
Then, Latias got banned. I had to shuffle up the team because I always loved using it; therefore, I put in the closest replacement to Latias at the time which was Specs Starmie. However, I knew it didn’t have the effect that Latias had to I switched things up by slapping a Choice Band onto Flygon and giving a Choice Scarf to Starmie, which worked pretty well.
After Salamence got banned, I didn’t really change anything except replacing it with Dragonite which, admittedly, is a bit inferior other than its access of Extremespeed.
And this is how my team stands today. I’d appreciate rates because although this team is all around solid, I know that it can be better.
The Team
Heatran (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/254 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Overheat
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Stealth Rock
My lead is none other than the infamous SpecsTran. The main goal of a lead like this is to be able to take down many of the metagame’s most popular leads such as Metagross, Swampert, and Machamp, while still being able to come back later again to fire off more powerful hits, thus maintaining pressure on the opponent. In the midgame, it is no surprise if my opponent is sweating while trying to decide what Pokémon they are willing to sacrifice to Heatran. Specs Overheat is the main attraction to using this Heatran, since it boasts enough power to OHKO the majority of threats that don’t resist it, even going as far as OHKOing resistant foes such as MixApe. Earth Power is chosen mostly to combat a predicted Heatran or Tyranitar switch, but most of the time I’ll just be pressing Overheat with this guy because it does a ton of damage even to bulky waters. Hidden Power [Grass] is for lead Swamperts or for predicted Vaporeon switchins if I’m in a hole against those. I’ve chosen a modest nature because it allows me to guarantee an OHKO against standard Hippowdon and lead Machamp. I hardly ever get an opportunity to use Stealth Rock with this Heatran though, since I'd rather just be firing off Overheats the entire time.
vs. top 15 leads
Azelf: Attack it with Overheat, nothing you can do.
Aerodactyl: Switch out to Scizor, then either Bullet Punch or U-turn depending on how I feel.
Swampert: Hidden Power Grass, or Stealth Rock if I'm predicting a switch.
Machamp: Overheat can OHKO, but Stealth Rock if I'm predicting a switch.
Metagross: Overheat or SR, depending on how I feel.
Jirachi: Overheat or SR, depending on how I feel...
Infernape: Switch to Dragonite.
Ninjask: Fail. Try to bait it into protect and then switch to a priority user.
Roserade: Team isn't affected by Toxic Spikes except Starmie; try to wake up from sleep while it sets up...
Hippowdon: OHKO with Overheat usually...
Tyranitar: Set up SR, then switch out to Flygon.
Heatran: Switch out to Flygon, or Earth Power if I'm daring.
Smeargle: Fail. Allow it to sleep Heatran, then switch out to Flygon.
Uxie: Overheat usually hits it for massive damage. If it tricks, owned.
Starmie: Stall out some LO damage, then hit it with Scarf Starmie's Thunderbolt. Trouble.
---
Starmie @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/254 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Trick
Choice Scarf Starmie is my number one choice for a revenge killer for many reasons. Its blistering speed and overall low usage allows me to surprise opponents; I’ve 2HKOed many Scarftars and Scarf Rotoms on the switch with this thing. Surf is the STAB move of choice, since I don’t enjoy Hydro Pump’s accuracy. This Starmie is my primary answer against Gyarados and Trick is very useful against stall. It’s a timid nature in order to outspeed Scarf Infernape, and after Tricking its Scarf it still outspeed the important unscarfed threats like Gengar. Also, timid Choice Scarf Starmie outspeeds a +2 Baton Pass Gliscor, which allows me to Trick my Scarf against those if I’m facing it, preventing the sweep.
---
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/254 Atk/8 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Bug Bite
This is the standard Choice Band Scizor. Its U-Turn allows me to scout the opponent’s team and possibly get Dragonite in to hit the opponent hard with Outrage. Bullet Punch is rarely used, but it saves me sometimes thanks to its ability to do heavy damage to fast threats. The only change from the standard set I have here is Bug Bite over Superpower, because I had often found myself wanting to use a strong attack against Pokémon such as Swampert without U-turning. More often or not, I’d use U-Turn only to have my Dragonite switch-in destroyed by Ice Beam. By using Bug Bite, I can make those Swamperts look like fools trying to Ice Beam my Scizor for pitiful damage. Pursuit is mostly used against Gengar, which can do heavy damage to my team if it is let loose. Getting rid of Roserade, Jolteon, and Starmie is also a plus.
---
Dragonite (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP/254 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Extremespeed
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
Choice Band Dragonite is essentially what I have used to replace Salamence after it was banned. It does pretty well, with the more noticeable advantage being Extremespeed. Extremespeed helps alleviate my Starmie and Jolteon weaknesses to an extent, hitting them both for well over 50% damage. Outrage is the most used attack that I have on Dragonite, OHKOing opposing Pokémon more often than not. I rarely use any of the remaining two attacks since they’re very situational. Dragonite’s Outrage is equivalent to a neutral attack Heatran blasting off Explosions every turn, except with better typing. I have considered going with a Jolly nature in order to outspeed neutral Lucario and positive nature Heatran, but I’m not sure if the power loss will be worth it.
---
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP/254 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flash Cannon
- Explosion
Since this team is based on Dragon types, Magnezone makes an appearance to trap pesky Choice-locked Scizors. It can also punish the opponent if he decides to use Leftovers Skarmory. Hidden Power Ice is chosen over Fire because it allows me to get a surprise KO against Dragonite. With prediction, I can nail a Gliscor or Flygon on the switch as well, which can open up a sweep easily. Flash Cannon is rarely used, but it can OHKO unsuspecting Mamoswines as well as 2HKOing Tyranitar if necessary. Explosion is usually an endgame move, where I explode on the opponent’s Pokémon instead of using an attack to ensure a safe switch-in to another one of my Pokémon, such as Scarf Starmie so that it can use Trick on my opponent’s last Pokémon, making it easier to handle. Overall, Scarf Magnezone and its powerful Thunderbolt and steel trapping support is a very important part of my team.
---
Flygon (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/254 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Fire Punch
Choice Band Flygon is a great fit to my team. When paired up with Choice Band Dragonite, their Outrages together can destroy teams by themselves. Flygon is switched in more often than Dragonite thanks to its resistance to Stealth Rock and access to U-turn. U-turn allows me to scout a steel switch-in or something else and act accordingly with Heatran or Magnezone. It is also useful to pair up with Scizor, since two U-turners are definitely better than one on any team. Choice Band Outrage, although not as powerful as Dragonite’s, still hits like a truck, enough to 2HKO checks such as Zapdos and Gliscor. Earthquake is more powerful than Dragonite’s; it also enjoys the power boost provided by Choice Band. A Jolly nature is chosen to outspeed Substitute + Calm Mind Jirachi and OHKO with Earthquake. Fire Punch is not used often, but when it is used it’s usually on a double switch where I can OHKO an unsuspecting Scizor as they try to U-turn on me.
Conclusion
This has been one of my favourite teams of all time; its beauty lies in that it can overwhelm an opponent to the point that it hurts. I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions that could make the team better; I’m willing to forgo the Choice item theme of the team to make it better, since I am so competitive.
I Don't Use Ubers Anymore!
Hello Smogon, I go by the username 1338 and this is my first RMT. This is a team that I’ve transformed over the past few months, starting it during the Latias suspect test and seeing it evolve to the one that it is now. The team is unique in that all its pokemon have Choice items; the immediate power provided by these items allows me to break apart teams as they scramble to combat my steroid team. Its success lies in the use of both Choice Band Flygon and Choice Band Dragonite, which lure out counters for each other and allows the rest of my team to deal with them accordingly. This is the best Choice item team that I’ve ever seen, but that’s because I haven’t seen many in my pokemon playing life. If you know if any famous Choice item teams, feel free to let me know!
The Process (You can skip this if you want since my RMT is pretty long)
I started this team during the Latias suspect test, so obviously I wanted a team based around the controversial Specs Latias. I was too lazy to play on the suspect ladder during 3-4 and 3-5 though… go figure.
With Latias on my team, I needed something that was able to deal with steels that would switch in constantly. Magnezone was the obvious choice.
With Magnezone on the team, I knew that I was pretty good when it came to steels since Specs Draco Meteors do so much damage. To take advantage of the early game steel battering, I wanted Salamence.
At this point I knew that I wanted a U-turner in order to come in and shuffle the opponent’s team around. In came Scizor, the most powerful U-turner in the game.
Scizor is a pretty good revenge killer, but I knew that it was not reliable enough to check foes such as Gyarados. I also wanted another Dragon type so that the opponent would be forced to send out the Steels: Flygon.
Now I only needed a lead. I chose Shuca Tran as the lead so that my team could be 3 dragons and 3 steels, and it worked pretty well because Heatran is one of the best Steel type destroyers.
After some experimenting, I was getting annoyed with Machamp leads, so I decided to switch my Shuca Tran over to Specstran. I also had trouble deciding what moveset to use on Salamence; then I realized that Choice Band was the way to go since I’d often get met with a physical wall with DDmence and a special wall with Mixmence (don’t ask). So then I ended up with a weird team consisting of 2 Specs users (Heatran and Latias), 2 Scarf users (Magnezone and Flygon), and 2 Band users (Scizor and Salamence). 3 steels, 3 dragons, 6 Choice items.
Then, Latias got banned. I had to shuffle up the team because I always loved using it; therefore, I put in the closest replacement to Latias at the time which was Specs Starmie. However, I knew it didn’t have the effect that Latias had to I switched things up by slapping a Choice Band onto Flygon and giving a Choice Scarf to Starmie, which worked pretty well.
After Salamence got banned, I didn’t really change anything except replacing it with Dragonite which, admittedly, is a bit inferior other than its access of Extremespeed.
And this is how my team stands today. I’d appreciate rates because although this team is all around solid, I know that it can be better.
The Team
Heatran (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/254 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Overheat
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Stealth Rock
My lead is none other than the infamous SpecsTran. The main goal of a lead like this is to be able to take down many of the metagame’s most popular leads such as Metagross, Swampert, and Machamp, while still being able to come back later again to fire off more powerful hits, thus maintaining pressure on the opponent. In the midgame, it is no surprise if my opponent is sweating while trying to decide what Pokémon they are willing to sacrifice to Heatran. Specs Overheat is the main attraction to using this Heatran, since it boasts enough power to OHKO the majority of threats that don’t resist it, even going as far as OHKOing resistant foes such as MixApe. Earth Power is chosen mostly to combat a predicted Heatran or Tyranitar switch, but most of the time I’ll just be pressing Overheat with this guy because it does a ton of damage even to bulky waters. Hidden Power [Grass] is for lead Swamperts or for predicted Vaporeon switchins if I’m in a hole against those. I’ve chosen a modest nature because it allows me to guarantee an OHKO against standard Hippowdon and lead Machamp. I hardly ever get an opportunity to use Stealth Rock with this Heatran though, since I'd rather just be firing off Overheats the entire time.
vs. top 15 leads
Azelf: Attack it with Overheat, nothing you can do.
Aerodactyl: Switch out to Scizor, then either Bullet Punch or U-turn depending on how I feel.
Swampert: Hidden Power Grass, or Stealth Rock if I'm predicting a switch.
Machamp: Overheat can OHKO, but Stealth Rock if I'm predicting a switch.
Metagross: Overheat or SR, depending on how I feel.
Jirachi: Overheat or SR, depending on how I feel...
Infernape: Switch to Dragonite.
Ninjask: Fail. Try to bait it into protect and then switch to a priority user.
Roserade: Team isn't affected by Toxic Spikes except Starmie; try to wake up from sleep while it sets up...
Hippowdon: OHKO with Overheat usually...
Tyranitar: Set up SR, then switch out to Flygon.
Heatran: Switch out to Flygon, or Earth Power if I'm daring.
Smeargle: Fail. Allow it to sleep Heatran, then switch out to Flygon.
Uxie: Overheat usually hits it for massive damage. If it tricks, owned.
Starmie: Stall out some LO damage, then hit it with Scarf Starmie's Thunderbolt. Trouble.
---
Starmie @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/254 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Trick
Choice Scarf Starmie is my number one choice for a revenge killer for many reasons. Its blistering speed and overall low usage allows me to surprise opponents; I’ve 2HKOed many Scarftars and Scarf Rotoms on the switch with this thing. Surf is the STAB move of choice, since I don’t enjoy Hydro Pump’s accuracy. This Starmie is my primary answer against Gyarados and Trick is very useful against stall. It’s a timid nature in order to outspeed Scarf Infernape, and after Tricking its Scarf it still outspeed the important unscarfed threats like Gengar. Also, timid Choice Scarf Starmie outspeeds a +2 Baton Pass Gliscor, which allows me to Trick my Scarf against those if I’m facing it, preventing the sweep.
---
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/254 Atk/8 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Bug Bite
This is the standard Choice Band Scizor. Its U-Turn allows me to scout the opponent’s team and possibly get Dragonite in to hit the opponent hard with Outrage. Bullet Punch is rarely used, but it saves me sometimes thanks to its ability to do heavy damage to fast threats. The only change from the standard set I have here is Bug Bite over Superpower, because I had often found myself wanting to use a strong attack against Pokémon such as Swampert without U-turning. More often or not, I’d use U-Turn only to have my Dragonite switch-in destroyed by Ice Beam. By using Bug Bite, I can make those Swamperts look like fools trying to Ice Beam my Scizor for pitiful damage. Pursuit is mostly used against Gengar, which can do heavy damage to my team if it is let loose. Getting rid of Roserade, Jolteon, and Starmie is also a plus.
---
Dragonite (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP/254 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Extremespeed
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
Choice Band Dragonite is essentially what I have used to replace Salamence after it was banned. It does pretty well, with the more noticeable advantage being Extremespeed. Extremespeed helps alleviate my Starmie and Jolteon weaknesses to an extent, hitting them both for well over 50% damage. Outrage is the most used attack that I have on Dragonite, OHKOing opposing Pokémon more often than not. I rarely use any of the remaining two attacks since they’re very situational. Dragonite’s Outrage is equivalent to a neutral attack Heatran blasting off Explosions every turn, except with better typing. I have considered going with a Jolly nature in order to outspeed neutral Lucario and positive nature Heatran, but I’m not sure if the power loss will be worth it.
---
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP/254 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flash Cannon
- Explosion
Since this team is based on Dragon types, Magnezone makes an appearance to trap pesky Choice-locked Scizors. It can also punish the opponent if he decides to use Leftovers Skarmory. Hidden Power Ice is chosen over Fire because it allows me to get a surprise KO against Dragonite. With prediction, I can nail a Gliscor or Flygon on the switch as well, which can open up a sweep easily. Flash Cannon is rarely used, but it can OHKO unsuspecting Mamoswines as well as 2HKOing Tyranitar if necessary. Explosion is usually an endgame move, where I explode on the opponent’s Pokémon instead of using an attack to ensure a safe switch-in to another one of my Pokémon, such as Scarf Starmie so that it can use Trick on my opponent’s last Pokémon, making it easier to handle. Overall, Scarf Magnezone and its powerful Thunderbolt and steel trapping support is a very important part of my team.
---
Flygon (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/254 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Fire Punch
Choice Band Flygon is a great fit to my team. When paired up with Choice Band Dragonite, their Outrages together can destroy teams by themselves. Flygon is switched in more often than Dragonite thanks to its resistance to Stealth Rock and access to U-turn. U-turn allows me to scout a steel switch-in or something else and act accordingly with Heatran or Magnezone. It is also useful to pair up with Scizor, since two U-turners are definitely better than one on any team. Choice Band Outrage, although not as powerful as Dragonite’s, still hits like a truck, enough to 2HKO checks such as Zapdos and Gliscor. Earthquake is more powerful than Dragonite’s; it also enjoys the power boost provided by Choice Band. A Jolly nature is chosen to outspeed Substitute + Calm Mind Jirachi and OHKO with Earthquake. Fire Punch is not used often, but when it is used it’s usually on a double switch where I can OHKO an unsuspecting Scizor as they try to U-turn on me.
Conclusion
This has been one of my favourite teams of all time; its beauty lies in that it can overwhelm an opponent to the point that it hurts. I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions that could make the team better; I’m willing to forgo the Choice item theme of the team to make it better, since I am so competitive.
I Don't Use Ubers Anymore!
