np: OU Suspect Testing Round 5 - Sandstorm (Excadrill/Thundurus Banned)

[New World Order]

What storm would it cause? Firestorms? Not that feasible.

 

[tehy]

No, its weather power would be the SUN. Countering the storms. That's the whole point. Since there's one that is supposed to fight the other two, why not bring sun to clear up the storms?

 

[marilli]

You mean... Firestorms?

 

[alphatron]

Dunno. The old dude at the shrine talks about how landorus is responsible for the crops growing. Plants need sunlight, so...

Then again a drought would kill plants. Meh. Not sure what landorus has to do with sand outside of being a ground type.

Edit: Clear skies clear up the storms.

 

[tehy]

Yeah, they really slipped up there. should've made him ho'oh's type bro.

And why didn't they make a genie with the ability air lock or something...


Come to think of it, the whole weather thing is just emerald's plotline, except not as important to the game. How lazy.

 

[Eggbert]

Other weathers are really predictable. Since there are so many rain teams 3 of my consecutive matches literally started with Venusaur vs. Politoed, switch to Ninetales while they go to Ferrothorn, WoW the politoed switch. Infernape is cool but Volcarona is the reason I put up with ninetales and annoying niche spinners like hitmontop.

 

[alphatron]

For me, its like that but then politoed switches in on heatran and takes a solarbeam to the face after I use sunny day.

As far as rain stall teams go, why did everybody stop using parasect?! Makes fun of ferrothorn, rotom-w, etc. I mean, its a subseeder that doesn't lose to reun and ferro.

 

[Ewil]

I've used parasect in the early 5gen with the first rain team, it was decent, but now i can't say how he works in this meta, maybe he can be a good & unexpected check to something like alpha above me said.

 

[tehy]

Idk alpha, rain teams these days seem to go for super offense, strange as that might seem.

Anyways i like it, parasect is an actual threat to my team.

 

[Eggbert]

a threat to tehy's team????

What does it run, sub / seed / spore / x-scissor?

 

[Birkal]

I've been working a lot with sun teams and I've always been told that Rapid Spin support is absolutely necessary. But my question is: is it? If you're running a Sun-based team that's focusing on hitting as fast and as hard as possible (Chlorophyll, Scarfs, and Choice), why weigh down your team's versatility by adding a lackluster Rapid Spinner? If your matches end in 20 turns (or fewer) consistently, is there a purpose?

 

[-Tsunami-]

I've been working a lot with sun teams and I've always been told that Rapid Spin support is absolutely necessary. But my question is: is it? If you're running a Sun-based team that's focusing on hitting as fast and as hard as possible (Chlorophyll, Scarfs, and Choice), why weigh down your team's versatility by adding a lackluster Rapid Spinner? If your matches end in 20 turns (or fewer) consistently, is there a purpose?

Spinners are mainly only useful if you plan to use stuff such as Scarf Darmanitan and Volcarona. And since most sun teams use Volcarona, they're basically required to have a spinner. It's also useful to keep Ninetales alive against other weather teams.

 

[erratic]

Volcarona becomes way easier to check at 50% and Darmanitan can no long spam U-turn. While it isn't absolutely necessary on all sun teams, it's certainly helpful and generally worth the team slot depending on the team you run.

 

[Birkal]

Spinners are mainly only useful if you plan to use stuff such as Scarf Darmanitan and Volcarona. And since most sun teams use Volcarona, they're basically required to have a spinner. It's also useful to keep Ninetales alive against other weather teams.

I understand why it is useful but I'm questioning if it's necessary. If you're running a team that aims to hit hard as quickly as possible, it's not going to be surviving opponent hits anyways. So why waste the Pokemon on a Rapid Spinner?

 

[WinstonShnozwick]

It's fun to phaze out volcarona when rocks are up and the opponent has no rapid spinner. Not to mention at +0 volc can't hurt my phazer. And phazing/baiting Ninetails gets him killed so much quicker so I can change the weather. Lesson, carry a spinner on your sun teams, they help.

 

[SlimMan]

Calm 252/252 DNite is the only switchin to NPApe, since it's the only pokemon who isn't ohko'd after rocks(!!!)

I used NP Nape at almost the same time you started harping on him a couple months back. I actually silently wished you'd stop, or else people might actually be ready to stop him. He's really good, but your statement here is an over-exaggeration.

Assuming SR but not Sun, the following Pokemon can switch in on him:
Latios, Latias, DNite, Defensive Gyara, Jellicent
Defensive Mence is really rare, but it does just fine.

Now, to be fair, you can screw over Gyara and Jelli by running Grass Knot. I, however, preferred Vacuum Wave, because it allowed me to beat Terakion (without speed-tying) and Excadrill, whereas you lose with GK. That's simply a matter of preference.

But yeah, everything else you'd ever see can't switch into it. It's speed and power allow it to perform masterfully. Its main flaw is this: you have to choose between CC and FB. CC is, tbh, kinda weak without a lot of investment, while Focus Miss is... ya know. I ran FB, simply due to the insane wall-breaking power (OHKOing Blissey after SR and possibly without? yes please!), but because of that, I adjusted my plan accordingly. I ran it more as a hole-puncher, cuz I knew I'd eventually miss against a Haxorus or Hydreigon or something and promptly die. However, the kills I got in the meantime were awesome.

 

[Jaetheho]

hows starmie?

hp fire/recover
ice beam
thunderbolt
rapid spin

 

[erratic]

I find that Starmie has too difficult a time coming in on most things and so it is mostly just relegated to revenge killing duties on every team I've tried her on. Starmie is also an easy switch-in generally for things like Rotom-W who can then cause problems for the rest of your team.

Not that Starmie doesn't have her perks. Good coverage, amazing speed, and rapid spin all help her out quite a bit. She's certainly a good pokemon, just not as good as she was last gen.

 

[Stratos]

Golurk at a glance with a Sub Punch set with Shadow Punch and Stone Edge looks pretty good. If it comes in on something it threatens, it can sub up, and OHKO (after rocks):

Ferrothorn with Iron Fist boosted FPunch
Tyranitar lol
scarf/specs Politoed
Speedy Scizor
Latios
Excadrill lol
Thundurus
Dragonite (If he roosts first instead of a DD, you'll lose)
Heatran lol
Reuniclus sometimes
Gengar
Jellicent
Starmie
Magnezone

EDIT: Moving past the top twenty, he also gets:

Blissey
Terrakion
Volcarona
Infernape
Ninetales
Espeon
Haxorus

etc etc

you can also run EQ over stone edge and you'll trade thundurus for Jirachi, depending on which is a bigger bitch

 

[alphatron]

slim, every time I've talked about NPNape, its been under sun. With sun up the things you mentioned can't take a hit from fire blast. I run the 40 attack evs and CC for killing 252 ttar. Without sun, yeah you're right.

And sorry, I usually only talk about this stuff if I'm gonna be unable to play. Same with when I post a warstory.

As for rapid spinning, no it isn't necessary. The help goes a long way, but you can manage without it. Kinglypuff got voting reqs with an offensive morning sun volc. No spinner

 

[Jaetheho]

is donphan still the best sunny day spinner?
is claydol even viable? lol

EDIT: how is tentacruel with hp fire??

 

[Eggbert]

Forretress was on the RMT Alpha. Forry actually gets alot of switch ins against Haxorus, Landorus, ect but its biggest flaw is that Heatran wrecks it gets free and switches on it if it tries to rapid spin or set up hazards instead of double switch. Most of the spinners are pretty bad or really out of place on offensive teams though.

 

[AceTrainerJason]

I find starmie to be a good pokemon offensively, I just predict the appropriate switch and it works good for me. I can 3hko sp.def jirachi so if I don't miss hydro pump can kill and natural cure is also good to have. I like starmie although it was so much better in gen 4.

 

[alphatron]

Ah.
I wish the spinners all had more offensive presence. Sand gets excadrill. Rain has Starmie and used to have kabutops. Every other offensive team variant is probably better without one. Hitmontop is probably the best you're gonna get. Donphan is...not worth the OU teamslot.

Tenta is alright. Spinners in general lose to the high end OU pokemon, so be prepared for that.

 

[-Tsunami-]

Forretress is a pretty good rapid spinner for sun teams, as it can set up entry hazards as well, which sun teams struggle to do otherwise. It also has access to Volt Switch, which can win you games if you have Dugtrio.

ie:
Turn 1: Politoed uses Hydro Pump on Forretress. Forretress lives with Sturdy, and Volt Switches out to Dugtrio.

Turn 2: Dugtrio Earthquakes, lives with Focus Sash, and KO's with another Earthquake next turn.

All of a sudden, you have a major advantage, as if you lose the weather battle vs sun, it's basically gg.