dcae
plaza athénée
Hey Smogon, Dcae here with my second RMT. I am here to present my new bulky offensive team called Crowtei Devastation. A simple offensive team that employs hazards and sweepers to kill opposition, it is my second entry into a tough RU tier. I have previously dabbled in all the tiers, having my greatest success in Ubers, with my offensive team. I am, normally, an offensive player: I do not really see how stall works. This is exemplified by my Ubers team I have not posted an RMT on yet. This team is slightly more balanced than my previous RU attempt, but this one is much more effective. Without further ado, here is the team which got me so high up on the ladder:
I know how the majority of people obviously play OU, but RU is one of the most fun tiers nowadays, and I hope this RMT will convince some of you to play RU and enjoy the unique tier. Now, on to the main building of my team.
Team Building:
Former Members:
The metagame of RU has definitely changed with Krookodile becoming RU, Aerodactyl and Sigilyph dropping down to RU, and other such pokes. However, this team has lived through the changes and is still doing well. But, I'm talking too much. Time to get to the nitty gritty details of this team. So, I give you:
In Depth:
Scolipede (F) @Focus Sash
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Spikes
-Rock Slide
-Megahorn
-Earthquake
This Pokemon is my standard lead, and generally gets a few layers of hazards down. It also provides decent offensive the ability to still lay down a couple of layers of Spikes minimum. Its durability is greatly reduced, however. It was selected thanks to its great speed, and hazards. Scolipede is a great poke and lead with good typing, making it an excellent selection to my team over other spikers such as Roselia or Qwilfish, both top-notch spikers as well.
EV Corner : The EVs were selected to give Scolipede durability while retaining its splendid speed. 252 speed and atk allows it to function as a good attacker early on, while 4 def provides minor improvement in durability.
Moveset Explained: Megahorn and Earthquake give Scolipede decent attacking coverage, only missing out on Flying types such as Gligar and Ghosts with Levitate (read: Rotom) Spikes and Toxic Spikes give good hazards, and Leftovers allows good durability. As mentioned above, Rock Slide is being considered over Toxic Spikes to provide the infamous StoneEdge coverage, due to Toxic Spikes being slightly redundant on a more offensive team. The common Poison types in RU compound the problem.
Changes Considered: Might replace with a Magneton
Previous Members in This Slot: None
Claydol (N) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 178 Def / 80 Spe
Nature: Calm
-Trick
-Stealth Rock
-Rapid Spin
-Earth Power
This is my spinner and rocks supporter. I use this poke to spin Stealth Rocks away from my field for Entei and Honchkrow, also disposing of any irritating (Toxic) Spikes for my main walls, Dusknoir and Poliwrath. The excellent typing Claydol has allows it to switch in indefinitely, with a resistance to Stealth Rocks and immunities to (Toxic) Spikes. It can switch into common Electric and Fighting attacks, while having supreme bulk to shrug off weak super effective strikes. It was selected over other spinners due to excellent bulk and typing.
EV Corner: This is a custom set I have constructed for Claydol. The Calm nature allows Claydol to hit a mighty 303 in SpD, while the Def EVs hoist it to 290 Def, giving it good all around defenses. Max HP is obvious, increased durability. The Speed EVs were tailored for Claydol to outspeed max Speed base 90s with Choice Scarf, allowing it to cripple or damage them.
Moveset Explained: The moveset is relatively standard for a TrickDol. It has Trick to completely cripple opposing Ghosts who switch in expecting Rapid Spin. Trick also takes care of many Eviolite users, a great plus. Earth Power for powerful STAB, but the lack of Ice Beam makes it set-up fodder for Flying types. Stealth Rock for necessary rocks support, while Rapid Spin is there to preserve hazards on my foes field.
Changes Considered: I might try to implement Ice Beam somewhere on the set, but currently I have no space for it.
Previous Members in This Slot: Steelix
Dusknoir (F) @Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Nature: Impish
-Taunt/Trick
-Will-o-Wisp
-Shadow Sneak
-Pain Split
This is my spinblocker, granting excellent defenses as well as burn support. This poke can easily switch into the current number one spinner in RU, Claydol, and outstall it. It is an amazing wall and shuts down Hitmonlee completely, and takes all of Hitmonchan's attacks with ease. This poke is a great check to common pokes in RU, and access to priority and status doesn't hurt.
EV Corner: This is yet another custom set I constructed for Dusknoir. This one gives balanced defences with max HP. Access to WoW obviously buffs up Dusknoir's defense. The Impish nature goes a long way to help Dusknoir to achieve 350 defense, and SpD EVs pull Dusknoir all the way to 358. It might not be Dusclops, but Dusknoir sports great bulk and fulfills its spinblock role perfectly.
Moveset Explained: Taunt shuts down all Ferroseed and walls with a lower speed than Dusknoir, making Dusknoir my number one wall for slow pokes. Will-o-Wisp can screw physical attackers permanently, while Pain Split provides decent healing, especially considering Dusknoir's low HP. Shadow Sneak provides a decent priority STAB option, and can finish off most Focus Sash users.
Changes Considered: I was thinking about replacing Taunt with Trick. Not many pokes are slower than Dusknoir, so Taunt is redundant. It is only effective on Ferroseed, who can be handled by all my pokes anyways. Dusknoir is a primary target for a Choice item, and therefore Trick could come in handy sometimes. Either way, it will still be the least used moveslot.
Previous Members in This Slot: None
Poliwrath (M) @Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 188 Def
Nature: Impish
-Waterfall
-Toxic
-Ice Punch
-Circle Throw
This is the most recent addition to my team, replacing my inefficient Hitmonlee. It provides a much needed Water switch in, and Fire resist. It also keeps the useful Fighting type and gives me phazing capabilities, which the former member lacked. This poke could easily switch into Water types and either phaze or cripple. A great physical wall with impressive typing, Poliwrath is welcome on my team.
EV Corner: I'm sure you all are tired of my constant custom sets, but here's another one. I run max HP to take hits better, and 188 Def with an Impish nature to hit 300 Def. I used to run the final 68 EVs in SpD, but finally decided to put them into Atk to add a bit more oomph to my hits.
Moveset Explained: To be honest, this is pretty self explanatory. Circle Throw is a great phazing move, while Waterfall gives main STAB. Ice Punch completes the perfect coverage, while Toxic permanently cripples common wall switch ins. A relatively standard moveset, Poliwrath functions as a top-notch physical wall.
Changes Considered: None
Previous Members in This Slot: Hitmonlee
Honchkrow (M) @Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-Brave Bird
-Sucker Punch
-Roost
-Substitute
This bird is a beast. It's so good it should be banned. Once a team loses their Honckrow check, it is over for the other player. Priority, Moxie, Roost. What more could you want? Anyways, let's be realistic: Honchkrow is a superb late game sweeper and has clinched me so many games. Its dual STABs function well in RU due to the subpar amount of good Steels. Those Steels are further decimated by Entei and Poliwrath's STAB attacks. Rocks are kept off my field courtesy of Claydol, meaning Honchkrow has more breathing space when moving on and off the field. It also synergizes well with the rest of my team, making it an excellent fit. This team was all built around facilitating a Honchkrow sweep.
EV Corner: Absolutely standard. This version of Honchkrow has no difference with other Moxiekrows. 252 Atk and Adamant for most power, while 252 Spe allows decent speed. 4 Def EVs so it isn't brought down by priority and allows it to switch in to SR 4 times, highly unlikely though.
Moveset Explained: Again, standard. Sucker Punch is a great priority move requiring good prediction, Brave Bird hurts anything that doesn't resist. Substitute allows the crow to avoid status, while Roost heals Life Orb, SR, and Sub damage. A standard set that works wonders in the right hands.
Changes Considered: Are you kidding?
Previous Members in This Slot: None, the team was based around this guy.
Entei (N) @Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-Flare Blitz
-Extremespeed
-Stone Edge
-Iron Head
This poke is a beast. A pure beast. The damage output from Flare Blitz is mindblowing. This poke functions as a great revenge killer with priority, or it will gouge huge holes in opposing teams. Even without the superior Jolly nature, Entei outspeeds the majority of the tier and kills. To show the sheer strength of a Banded Flare Blitz, take these calculations:
Flare Blitz at +1 does 90.4% - 107.3% to a 252 HP / 40 Def Steelix, OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes
Flare Blitz at +1 does 43.4% - 51.1% to a standard Lanturn, 2HKO after SR
As shown, Entei's power is godly. It fit my team well as the Flare Blitz takes out any opposing Steels daring to stop my Honchkrow sweep. An excellent physical attacker, I have never looked back after selecting Entei as my Fire type.
EV Corner: Yet another standard offensive set. It is crude but effective. 252 Atk and 252 Spe, like a typical physical sweeper. Adamant nature is chosen because of its compatibility with the event moves of Extremespeed and Flare Blitz. 4 Def so Entei can switch into Stealth Rocks four times.
Moveset Explained: The typical Band moveset with the exception of Iron Head. I added Iron Head because it hits Rock types, which none of the other moves can do. Extremespeed so Entei can function as an effective revenge killer, Flare Blitz for sheer power. Stone Edge hits other Fire types and Flying types. This set hits most RU pokes hard, making it very effective.
Changes Considered: None
Previous Members in This Slot: None
And with that, you have seen my team. I am open to any comments to change my team. However, I did want to present my previous team members, Steelix and Hitmonlee and their movesets:
Former Members:
Steelix (M) @Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Nature: Careful
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
-Roar
This guy was a good rocks setter, but after that was just deadweight. He also added to my Water weakness.
Hitmonlee (M) @Life Orb
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-High Jump Kick
-Earthquake
-Blaze Kick
-Toxic
Hitmonlee was a beast when I could use it at its full potential. All other times, it felt like 5 vs 6. Hitmonlee's frailty allowed almost any neutral physical move to KO it. Its huge HJK was not enough to keep a spot on my team, so Hitmonlee was discarded.
There, you have the former members of the team. Now, it is time to arrive to every raters favorite part (I don't actually know, but it's useful to see this) the Threat List. So, I shall part to present the Threat List:
Red: Major Threat
Blue: Minor Threat
Black: No Threat
Offensive Threats:
Honchkrow- Shut down by Entei's Extremespeed
Sharpedo-Poliwrath counters
Porygon-Z-Honckrow Sucker Punch
Entei-Poliwrath counters
Gallade-Honchkrow KOs
Durant-Entei KOs
Moltres-Depending on the set: Choiced ones are simple to handle. Life Orb sweepers are covered by Entei or Honchkrow
Electivire-Dusknoir walls forever
Galvantula-Entei rips to pieces, Dusknoir walls
Sceptile-Entei kills, all variants are covered by Dusknoir
Manectric-Claydol counters
Lilligant-Entei kills, Scolipede kills, Honchkrow kills, etc
Gorebyss-Poliwrath walls
Primeape-Dusknoir walls
Typhlosion-Poliwrath covers, Entei or Honchkrow kill
Omastar-Poliwrath counters
Rotom-C-Scarfed versions are messed up by Claydol and later taken down by Entei, Lefties sets are removed by Entei
Scyther-bulky Eviolite sets are taken down by Entei and crippled by Claydol, Banded sets are used as set-up fodder depending on the chosen move
Medicham-Dusknoir counters
Sneasel-Poliwrath counters
Hariyama-Honchkrow destroys
Qwilfish-Poliwrath walls and phazes
Feraligatr-Poliwrath completely walls and phazes
Tauros-Dusknoir walls forever
Honchkrow is a decent threat once Entei is disposed of, but otherwise it is covered. Rotom C can destroy half my team courtesy of its excellent STAB combo. Moltres can provide a threat late game
Defensive Threats:
Claydol-Poliwrath, Scolipede, and Honchkrow hit hard
Moltres-Entei, Poliwrath hit hard
Uxie-Poliwrath cripples, Honchkrow and Scolipede hit hard
Clefable-Poliwrath, Entei, Honchkrow hit hard
Gligar-Poliwrath cripples, Poliwrath and Honchkrow hit hard
Ferroseed-Entei murders, Dusknoir outstalls
Dusknoir-Poliwrath cripples, Honchkrow and Entei hit hard
Quagsire-Poliwrath cripples, Honchkrow hits hard
Cofagrigus-Poliwrath cripples, Entei and Honchkrow hits hard
Drapion-Scolipede, Entei, Honchkrow hit hard
Steelix-Dusknoir cripples, Entei hits very hard
Mandibuzz-Poliwrath cripples, Honchkrow, Entei hit hard
Poliwrath-Poliwrath cripples, Honchkrow hits hard
Aggron-Poliwrath, Entei hit hard
Miltank-Poliwrath, Entei, Honchkrow hit hard
Tangela-Poliwrath cripples, Honchkrow, Entei hit hard
Weezing-Dusknoir cripples, Honchkrow, Entei hit hard
Hariyama-Poliwrath cripples, Honchkrow OHKOs
Qwilfish-Scolipede, Honchkrow hit hard
Munchlax-Poliwrath cripples, Poliwrath, Entei, Honchkrow hit hard
Lickitung-Poliwrath cripples, Poliwrath, Honchkrow, Entei hit hard
As you can see, no defensive poke gives me trouble, except for Stunfisk. It can shrug off most physical attacks, but mostly shuts down Honchkrow sweeps.
And with that, we come to the end of this RMT. I hope you had a good read, and hopefully rated my team too. Here is an importable if needed:
I know how the majority of people obviously play OU, but RU is one of the most fun tiers nowadays, and I hope this RMT will convince some of you to play RU and enjoy the unique tier. Now, on to the main building of my team.
Team Building:
I decided to focus the team around the most devastating sweeper in RU, the one, the only Honchkrow. With great offensive stats and decent speed, along with access to the wonderful Moxie ability and priority, this crow can wreak havoc on unprepared teams. Because of its prevalence, every team in RU must carry a Honchkrow check or counter. I selected it due to the fact it can destroy teams once their main Honchkrow counter is gone.
Most teams have Steel types to wall Honchkrow. To bypass these omnipresent steels, I chose to add an Entei. I decided on Entei due to the fact its Fire type grants a super effective hit on every Steel in the tier. The sheer power it grants was also very welcome, so Entei was an instant success on my team. It could also sweep teams on its own, while having a minor weakness to Stealth Rocks. That alone makes it a superior Fire type than a Moltres, who otherwise would give much better coverage.
However, due to having two Stealth Rocks weak Pokemon, I chose to add a spinner. What better spinner is there in RU than Claydol, the currently most used spinner in the tier. It provides great defensive presence along with the ability to cripple potential counters. Since this team was becoming frail, the defensive capabilities this floating multi-eyed psychic had made it the preferred choice over the Hitmons and other possible spinners. With that, I had Stealth Rocks support, a defensive behemoth, and my main offense.
Now, I wanted my physical attackers to have more hazards support, such as Spikes and Toxic Spikes. I looked immediately to Scolipede, due to it providing a decent STAB in Megahorn along with the hazards and great speed. It generally gets two layers down minimum in games, while also weakening opposing leads. Toxic Spikes, while being an odd choice for such an offensive team, provides a way to wear down opposing stall teams, though it is rarely used. Scolipede fit into my team as a reliable lead.
Now that I was using so many hazards, I just had to have a spinblocker. There were three main options I could select from: Rotom, Dusknoir, and Cofagrigus. After much testing, I settled on Dusknoir due to the fact it provided burn status, useful to shut down powerful physical sweepers, as well as giving further defensive presence. Rotom was far too frail for use, I already had too many frail pokes. Cofagrigus' lack of reliable recovery and extreme slowness made it an unattractive option, but the significantly more powerful Shadow Ball was a good thing lost. I now had a good spinblocker able to outstall the premier spinner in RU, Claydol.
I had most of my team ready and successful, so this last teamslot was a filler. I chose a Hitmonlee for its huge HJK, the most powerful attack in RU. Its Fighting type provides this team with another reliable way to destroy Steels. However, frailness leads me to wonder if I should change this slot to a special sweeper, as this team certainly lacks special threats. So far, though, this poke has been relatively successful. At one point, I was running a Steelix in this slot, but it was mostly deadweight. I had now completed my team, so it was time to start testing.
After several weeks of laddering, this team was doing marvelously at a peak of 28. Several hax battles later, I dropped down into the 200s, where I realized Hitmonlee was useless. After some searching, I stumbled upon Poliwrath, who synergized excellently with the rest of my team, providing useful phazing and a Water immunity. My team was at long last complete, but I am here for more help and a chance to break the top 10.
Most teams have Steel types to wall Honchkrow. To bypass these omnipresent steels, I chose to add an Entei. I decided on Entei due to the fact its Fire type grants a super effective hit on every Steel in the tier. The sheer power it grants was also very welcome, so Entei was an instant success on my team. It could also sweep teams on its own, while having a minor weakness to Stealth Rocks. That alone makes it a superior Fire type than a Moltres, who otherwise would give much better coverage.
However, due to having two Stealth Rocks weak Pokemon, I chose to add a spinner. What better spinner is there in RU than Claydol, the currently most used spinner in the tier. It provides great defensive presence along with the ability to cripple potential counters. Since this team was becoming frail, the defensive capabilities this floating multi-eyed psychic had made it the preferred choice over the Hitmons and other possible spinners. With that, I had Stealth Rocks support, a defensive behemoth, and my main offense.
Now, I wanted my physical attackers to have more hazards support, such as Spikes and Toxic Spikes. I looked immediately to Scolipede, due to it providing a decent STAB in Megahorn along with the hazards and great speed. It generally gets two layers down minimum in games, while also weakening opposing leads. Toxic Spikes, while being an odd choice for such an offensive team, provides a way to wear down opposing stall teams, though it is rarely used. Scolipede fit into my team as a reliable lead.
Now that I was using so many hazards, I just had to have a spinblocker. There were three main options I could select from: Rotom, Dusknoir, and Cofagrigus. After much testing, I settled on Dusknoir due to the fact it provided burn status, useful to shut down powerful physical sweepers, as well as giving further defensive presence. Rotom was far too frail for use, I already had too many frail pokes. Cofagrigus' lack of reliable recovery and extreme slowness made it an unattractive option, but the significantly more powerful Shadow Ball was a good thing lost. I now had a good spinblocker able to outstall the premier spinner in RU, Claydol.
I had most of my team ready and successful, so this last teamslot was a filler. I chose a Hitmonlee for its huge HJK, the most powerful attack in RU. Its Fighting type provides this team with another reliable way to destroy Steels. However, frailness leads me to wonder if I should change this slot to a special sweeper, as this team certainly lacks special threats. So far, though, this poke has been relatively successful. At one point, I was running a Steelix in this slot, but it was mostly deadweight. I had now completed my team, so it was time to start testing.
After several weeks of laddering, this team was doing marvelously at a peak of 28. Several hax battles later, I dropped down into the 200s, where I realized Hitmonlee was useless. After some searching, I stumbled upon Poliwrath, who synergized excellently with the rest of my team, providing useful phazing and a Water immunity. My team was at long last complete, but I am here for more help and a chance to break the top 10.
Former Members:
The metagame of RU has definitely changed with Krookodile becoming RU, Aerodactyl and Sigilyph dropping down to RU, and other such pokes. However, this team has lived through the changes and is still doing well. But, I'm talking too much. Time to get to the nitty gritty details of this team. So, I give you:
In Depth:
Scolipede (F) @Focus Sash
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Spikes
-Rock Slide
-Megahorn
-Earthquake
This Pokemon is my standard lead, and generally gets a few layers of hazards down. It also provides decent offensive the ability to still lay down a couple of layers of Spikes minimum. Its durability is greatly reduced, however. It was selected thanks to its great speed, and hazards. Scolipede is a great poke and lead with good typing, making it an excellent selection to my team over other spikers such as Roselia or Qwilfish, both top-notch spikers as well.
EV Corner : The EVs were selected to give Scolipede durability while retaining its splendid speed. 252 speed and atk allows it to function as a good attacker early on, while 4 def provides minor improvement in durability.
Moveset Explained: Megahorn and Earthquake give Scolipede decent attacking coverage, only missing out on Flying types such as Gligar and Ghosts with Levitate (read: Rotom) Spikes and Toxic Spikes give good hazards, and Leftovers allows good durability. As mentioned above, Rock Slide is being considered over Toxic Spikes to provide the infamous StoneEdge coverage, due to Toxic Spikes being slightly redundant on a more offensive team. The common Poison types in RU compound the problem.
Changes Considered: Might replace with a Magneton
Previous Members in This Slot: None
Claydol (N) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 178 Def / 80 Spe
Nature: Calm
-Trick
-Stealth Rock
-Rapid Spin
-Earth Power
This is my spinner and rocks supporter. I use this poke to spin Stealth Rocks away from my field for Entei and Honchkrow, also disposing of any irritating (Toxic) Spikes for my main walls, Dusknoir and Poliwrath. The excellent typing Claydol has allows it to switch in indefinitely, with a resistance to Stealth Rocks and immunities to (Toxic) Spikes. It can switch into common Electric and Fighting attacks, while having supreme bulk to shrug off weak super effective strikes. It was selected over other spinners due to excellent bulk and typing.
EV Corner: This is a custom set I have constructed for Claydol. The Calm nature allows Claydol to hit a mighty 303 in SpD, while the Def EVs hoist it to 290 Def, giving it good all around defenses. Max HP is obvious, increased durability. The Speed EVs were tailored for Claydol to outspeed max Speed base 90s with Choice Scarf, allowing it to cripple or damage them.
Moveset Explained: The moveset is relatively standard for a TrickDol. It has Trick to completely cripple opposing Ghosts who switch in expecting Rapid Spin. Trick also takes care of many Eviolite users, a great plus. Earth Power for powerful STAB, but the lack of Ice Beam makes it set-up fodder for Flying types. Stealth Rock for necessary rocks support, while Rapid Spin is there to preserve hazards on my foes field.
Changes Considered: I might try to implement Ice Beam somewhere on the set, but currently I have no space for it.
Previous Members in This Slot: Steelix
Dusknoir (F) @Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Nature: Impish
-Taunt/Trick
-Will-o-Wisp
-Shadow Sneak
-Pain Split
This is my spinblocker, granting excellent defenses as well as burn support. This poke can easily switch into the current number one spinner in RU, Claydol, and outstall it. It is an amazing wall and shuts down Hitmonlee completely, and takes all of Hitmonchan's attacks with ease. This poke is a great check to common pokes in RU, and access to priority and status doesn't hurt.
EV Corner: This is yet another custom set I constructed for Dusknoir. This one gives balanced defences with max HP. Access to WoW obviously buffs up Dusknoir's defense. The Impish nature goes a long way to help Dusknoir to achieve 350 defense, and SpD EVs pull Dusknoir all the way to 358. It might not be Dusclops, but Dusknoir sports great bulk and fulfills its spinblock role perfectly.
Moveset Explained: Taunt shuts down all Ferroseed and walls with a lower speed than Dusknoir, making Dusknoir my number one wall for slow pokes. Will-o-Wisp can screw physical attackers permanently, while Pain Split provides decent healing, especially considering Dusknoir's low HP. Shadow Sneak provides a decent priority STAB option, and can finish off most Focus Sash users.
Changes Considered: I was thinking about replacing Taunt with Trick. Not many pokes are slower than Dusknoir, so Taunt is redundant. It is only effective on Ferroseed, who can be handled by all my pokes anyways. Dusknoir is a primary target for a Choice item, and therefore Trick could come in handy sometimes. Either way, it will still be the least used moveslot.
Previous Members in This Slot: None
Poliwrath (M) @Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 188 Def
Nature: Impish
-Waterfall
-Toxic
-Ice Punch
-Circle Throw
This is the most recent addition to my team, replacing my inefficient Hitmonlee. It provides a much needed Water switch in, and Fire resist. It also keeps the useful Fighting type and gives me phazing capabilities, which the former member lacked. This poke could easily switch into Water types and either phaze or cripple. A great physical wall with impressive typing, Poliwrath is welcome on my team.
EV Corner: I'm sure you all are tired of my constant custom sets, but here's another one. I run max HP to take hits better, and 188 Def with an Impish nature to hit 300 Def. I used to run the final 68 EVs in SpD, but finally decided to put them into Atk to add a bit more oomph to my hits.
Moveset Explained: To be honest, this is pretty self explanatory. Circle Throw is a great phazing move, while Waterfall gives main STAB. Ice Punch completes the perfect coverage, while Toxic permanently cripples common wall switch ins. A relatively standard moveset, Poliwrath functions as a top-notch physical wall.
Changes Considered: None
Previous Members in This Slot: Hitmonlee
Honchkrow (M) @Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-Brave Bird
-Sucker Punch
-Roost
-Substitute
This bird is a beast. It's so good it should be banned. Once a team loses their Honckrow check, it is over for the other player. Priority, Moxie, Roost. What more could you want? Anyways, let's be realistic: Honchkrow is a superb late game sweeper and has clinched me so many games. Its dual STABs function well in RU due to the subpar amount of good Steels. Those Steels are further decimated by Entei and Poliwrath's STAB attacks. Rocks are kept off my field courtesy of Claydol, meaning Honchkrow has more breathing space when moving on and off the field. It also synergizes well with the rest of my team, making it an excellent fit. This team was all built around facilitating a Honchkrow sweep.
EV Corner: Absolutely standard. This version of Honchkrow has no difference with other Moxiekrows. 252 Atk and Adamant for most power, while 252 Spe allows decent speed. 4 Def EVs so it isn't brought down by priority and allows it to switch in to SR 4 times, highly unlikely though.
Moveset Explained: Again, standard. Sucker Punch is a great priority move requiring good prediction, Brave Bird hurts anything that doesn't resist. Substitute allows the crow to avoid status, while Roost heals Life Orb, SR, and Sub damage. A standard set that works wonders in the right hands.
Changes Considered: Are you kidding?
Previous Members in This Slot: None, the team was based around this guy.
Entei (N) @Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-Flare Blitz
-Extremespeed
-Stone Edge
-Iron Head
This poke is a beast. A pure beast. The damage output from Flare Blitz is mindblowing. This poke functions as a great revenge killer with priority, or it will gouge huge holes in opposing teams. Even without the superior Jolly nature, Entei outspeeds the majority of the tier and kills. To show the sheer strength of a Banded Flare Blitz, take these calculations:
Flare Blitz at +1 does 90.4% - 107.3% to a 252 HP / 40 Def Steelix, OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes
Flare Blitz at +1 does 43.4% - 51.1% to a standard Lanturn, 2HKO after SR
As shown, Entei's power is godly. It fit my team well as the Flare Blitz takes out any opposing Steels daring to stop my Honchkrow sweep. An excellent physical attacker, I have never looked back after selecting Entei as my Fire type.
EV Corner: Yet another standard offensive set. It is crude but effective. 252 Atk and 252 Spe, like a typical physical sweeper. Adamant nature is chosen because of its compatibility with the event moves of Extremespeed and Flare Blitz. 4 Def so Entei can switch into Stealth Rocks four times.
Moveset Explained: The typical Band moveset with the exception of Iron Head. I added Iron Head because it hits Rock types, which none of the other moves can do. Extremespeed so Entei can function as an effective revenge killer, Flare Blitz for sheer power. Stone Edge hits other Fire types and Flying types. This set hits most RU pokes hard, making it very effective.
Changes Considered: None
Previous Members in This Slot: None
And with that, you have seen my team. I am open to any comments to change my team. However, I did want to present my previous team members, Steelix and Hitmonlee and their movesets:
Former Members:
Steelix (M) @Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Nature: Careful
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
-Roar
This guy was a good rocks setter, but after that was just deadweight. He also added to my Water weakness.
Hitmonlee (M) @Life Orb
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-High Jump Kick
-Earthquake
-Blaze Kick
-Toxic
Hitmonlee was a beast when I could use it at its full potential. All other times, it felt like 5 vs 6. Hitmonlee's frailty allowed almost any neutral physical move to KO it. Its huge HJK was not enough to keep a spot on my team, so Hitmonlee was discarded.
There, you have the former members of the team. Now, it is time to arrive to every raters favorite part (I don't actually know, but it's useful to see this) the Threat List. So, I shall part to present the Threat List:
Red: Major Threat
Blue: Minor Threat
Black: No Threat
Offensive Threats:
Honchkrow is a decent threat once Entei is disposed of, but otherwise it is covered. Rotom C can destroy half my team courtesy of its excellent STAB combo. Moltres can provide a threat late game
Defensive Threats:
As you can see, no defensive poke gives me trouble, except for Stunfisk. It can shrug off most physical attacks, but mostly shuts down Honchkrow sweeps.
And with that, we come to the end of this RMT. I hope you had a good read, and hopefully rated my team too. Here is an importable if needed:
HTML:
Scolipede (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Rock Slide
- Spikes
- Earthquake
- Megahorn
Poliwrath (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Toxic
- Circle Throw
- Ice Punch
Dusknoir (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Sneak
- Pain Split
Claydol @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Trick
- Rapid Spin
- Earth Power
Mob Boss (Honchkrow) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Sucker Punch
- Substitute
Entei @ Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Flare Blitz
- ExtremeSpeed
- Stone Edge
- Iron Head