Hi All,
I've taken a break from competitive battling for 3 years now, and have only very recently returned to the scene. Here's what I've been running with for the last 2 weeks, and I'd like to seek some advice from more experienced players.
The core of the team is the sandstorm weather, which was essentially my old team in DPP, but it seems to be every bit as good as I remembered it to be.
To start off, every sandstorm team needs an enabler, and for that I've chosen hippowdon.
Hippowdon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake
The first thing you may notice is the lack of slack-off, which was originally in the set in the place of ice fang. Then you may notice the very offensive EV investment. I have originally tried the toxic/slack off tank build, but it was extremely poor against fast taunt users or substitute set-up sweepers. After some matches I decided to go for an offensive build that will sometimes let me surprise OHKO their leads.
To date, this set has done very well, even after getting burned I can OHKO a ninetales, and I can roar away most sub-setup sweepers before I stealth rock. Ice fang is incredible, hippowdon can switch into a dragonite with extremespeed and take ~44% damage, survive the next hit and OHKO with ice fang. It can also OHKO most dragons that try to dragon dance.
Salamence (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Dragon Claw
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
Moxie Salamence feels like a completely new pokemon to me. To be honest, I have only used 3 moves in this set, with dragon claw never being the right choice, so there is a good chance that it could be a 4th coverage move. I just don't know what that should be.
Salamence's role is usually a revenge killer+sweeper, switching in on faster pokemon that would outrun him otherwise. Once outrage claims its first victim, nothing is safe. The moxie sweep has won me the most games out of my entire team.
Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
The spikes setup,physical tank, and bulky water check. Gyro Ball deals surprisingly large amounts of damage to fragile special attackers, such as Alakazam, Infernape and allows Ferrothorn to break subs when faster sub users are expecting leech seed. Powerwhip allows the team to take out bulky waters, and ice move users.
Gliscor (M) @ Flying Gem
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Acrobatics
- Substitute
The other physical sweeper on the team, whereas salamence is a revenge killer, the flying gliscor comes in to tank a fighting move/earthquake and starts setting up. Sand veil is incredible as an ability, tilting many opponents and let me OHKO them back with a +2 165 base power Acrobatics. This scenarios happens most commonly with scarfed starmie, which will miss their hydro pump in the sandstorm and die on the hit, allowing me to complete the sweep. +2 Acrobatics hits even skarmory for 30+% and outraces them if they choose to hit back with brave bird. It is also very easy to predict the roost and use earthquake to 1 shot Skarmory.
The inclusion of gliscor allows the team to wall most physical threats in conjunction with ferrothorn. But this introduces the deadly weakness of ice shards, since the majority of my team relies on outspeeding my opponent.
Alakazam (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Alakazam is the special wall breaker in my team, easily KOing blissey and chansey, clears out almost all fighting types and ghost pokemon. Life orb not only provides that extra boost in OHKOing bulky ghosts, but it also lets you OHKO an opposing Alakazam(w/0 life orb shadow ball only deals 95% damage). He has saved me plenty of games by coming out really late and decimating low HP opponents. That said, this is pokemon that is next on the chopping board. Possibly for a mixed-attack infernape or something else that lets me check ferrothorn, swampert and mamoswine.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
Starmie is a rapid spinner in name, but most of the time she provides incredible coverage with boltbeam and surf. Hydropump is deemed inconsistent enough in a sandstorm team. Often times surf lets you 2HKO spinblockers that switch in expecting you to rapid spin. Starmie is also a great check to mixed ghosts such as chandelure and jellicent.
Team matchups :
I have had mostly good matchups against other sand and sun teams. With the slow offensive hippowdon usually taking out ninetales and tyranitar. Baton passing teams are have troubles setting up the chain with roar on my weather lead. Other mixed teams are generally favorable as well, as long as there are not too many priority moves running around..
The greatest issue to this team is ice shards, taking out Gliscor, Salamence, Alakazam and Hippowdon with ease. Other bulky ice-move users such as ice punch from Dragonite, Ice fang from gliscor are all extremely problematic. Bulky waters are a problem as well, since my only electric attack is thunderbolt on starmie, although I have often times powered through them with a stabb+2 acrobatics after a missed hydropump.
Please provide any feedback on my team or anything I've missed.
Cheers
Doomdg
I've taken a break from competitive battling for 3 years now, and have only very recently returned to the scene. Here's what I've been running with for the last 2 weeks, and I'd like to seek some advice from more experienced players.
The core of the team is the sandstorm weather, which was essentially my old team in DPP, but it seems to be every bit as good as I remembered it to be.
To start off, every sandstorm team needs an enabler, and for that I've chosen hippowdon.
Hippowdon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake
The first thing you may notice is the lack of slack-off, which was originally in the set in the place of ice fang. Then you may notice the very offensive EV investment. I have originally tried the toxic/slack off tank build, but it was extremely poor against fast taunt users or substitute set-up sweepers. After some matches I decided to go for an offensive build that will sometimes let me surprise OHKO their leads.
To date, this set has done very well, even after getting burned I can OHKO a ninetales, and I can roar away most sub-setup sweepers before I stealth rock. Ice fang is incredible, hippowdon can switch into a dragonite with extremespeed and take ~44% damage, survive the next hit and OHKO with ice fang. It can also OHKO most dragons that try to dragon dance.
Salamence (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Dragon Claw
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
Moxie Salamence feels like a completely new pokemon to me. To be honest, I have only used 3 moves in this set, with dragon claw never being the right choice, so there is a good chance that it could be a 4th coverage move. I just don't know what that should be.
Salamence's role is usually a revenge killer+sweeper, switching in on faster pokemon that would outrun him otherwise. Once outrage claims its first victim, nothing is safe. The moxie sweep has won me the most games out of my entire team.
Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
The spikes setup,physical tank, and bulky water check. Gyro Ball deals surprisingly large amounts of damage to fragile special attackers, such as Alakazam, Infernape and allows Ferrothorn to break subs when faster sub users are expecting leech seed. Powerwhip allows the team to take out bulky waters, and ice move users.
Gliscor (M) @ Flying Gem
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Acrobatics
- Substitute
The other physical sweeper on the team, whereas salamence is a revenge killer, the flying gliscor comes in to tank a fighting move/earthquake and starts setting up. Sand veil is incredible as an ability, tilting many opponents and let me OHKO them back with a +2 165 base power Acrobatics. This scenarios happens most commonly with scarfed starmie, which will miss their hydro pump in the sandstorm and die on the hit, allowing me to complete the sweep. +2 Acrobatics hits even skarmory for 30+% and outraces them if they choose to hit back with brave bird. It is also very easy to predict the roost and use earthquake to 1 shot Skarmory.
The inclusion of gliscor allows the team to wall most physical threats in conjunction with ferrothorn. But this introduces the deadly weakness of ice shards, since the majority of my team relies on outspeeding my opponent.
Alakazam (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Alakazam is the special wall breaker in my team, easily KOing blissey and chansey, clears out almost all fighting types and ghost pokemon. Life orb not only provides that extra boost in OHKOing bulky ghosts, but it also lets you OHKO an opposing Alakazam(w/0 life orb shadow ball only deals 95% damage). He has saved me plenty of games by coming out really late and decimating low HP opponents. That said, this is pokemon that is next on the chopping board. Possibly for a mixed-attack infernape or something else that lets me check ferrothorn, swampert and mamoswine.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
Starmie is a rapid spinner in name, but most of the time she provides incredible coverage with boltbeam and surf. Hydropump is deemed inconsistent enough in a sandstorm team. Often times surf lets you 2HKO spinblockers that switch in expecting you to rapid spin. Starmie is also a great check to mixed ghosts such as chandelure and jellicent.
Team matchups :
I have had mostly good matchups against other sand and sun teams. With the slow offensive hippowdon usually taking out ninetales and tyranitar. Baton passing teams are have troubles setting up the chain with roar on my weather lead. Other mixed teams are generally favorable as well, as long as there are not too many priority moves running around..
The greatest issue to this team is ice shards, taking out Gliscor, Salamence, Alakazam and Hippowdon with ease. Other bulky ice-move users such as ice punch from Dragonite, Ice fang from gliscor are all extremely problematic. Bulky waters are a problem as well, since my only electric attack is thunderbolt on starmie, although I have often times powered through them with a stabb+2 acrobatics after a missed hydropump.
Please provide any feedback on my team or anything I've missed.
Cheers
Doomdg
