Guess the weather!

[Dr. Eyepatch]

If you guessed Sandstorm, you are right! I did my part by reading each appropriate sticky, so hopefully I do things correctly. If I made any mistakes or missed anything, feel free to let me know and I shall fix/add anything posthaste. ^_^

Contrary to what the title may lead one to believe, this team only has one weather status. I wanted to try my take on a Sandstorm team, but being rather inexperienced with Weather-related strategies (and, well, competitive battling in general), I turn to my fellow Smogoneers (Is this the right term?) for advice.

But first, a little bit about what I expect from forming this team: I would like to try pokémon that fit decently into the strategy; pokémon that I think would be fun to use. If at all possible, I would like to avoid the use of Blissey, Skarmory, Celebi, and Scizor. Aside from that stipulation, I am flexible to advice. I did what I could to cover the roles of the team, but what I post is rather likely to change.

One last thing. I provided nicknames for some of the pokemon for your amusement or interest. If I think of any for the rest, they will also be included.

So without further ado, my team:

Tyranitar (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sandstream
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Mild nature (+SpAtk, -Def)
~ Earthquake
~ Dark Pulse
~ Flamethrower
~ Ice Beam
---
After testing it out, I find Tyranitar with Focus Sash to be a valuable member of my team. The most obvious tribute it provides is the establishment of Sandstorm. Secondly, the wide array of attacks provide nice coverage, while being Specially-oriented is always a surprise. At times, people will send in pokemon such as Lucario, Gliscor, and Scizor to dispose of him, only to be met by a SE attack after rebounding from Focus Sash.

In summary, this disrupts other leads well enough and can be harnessed to full effect later in the game. He has trouble with some leads, but for most of which I have a fine counter. It is not uncommon for Tyranitar to net atleast two kills.

Flygon (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SpAtk)
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
~ Outrage
~ U-Turn
---
A great all-around pokemon, Flygon can fulfill the role of "Revenge Killer" and "Scout" with ease. It is quite fast yet still punches rather hard. Not much to say here except that perhaps her moveset needs a little work, although what I have now allows her nice coverage and an answer to DD Gyarados.

Iwagama (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpDef / 4 Def
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
~ Fire Blast
~ Earth Power
~ Stealth Rock
~ Will-o-Wisp
---
Um... A Heatran meant to take hits and support the team. It is my only Steel as well. I am afraid that I am not too keen on how it should work. Since I am usually switching it into an attack, due to Leftovers, the surprise factor hardly exists.

This is also meant to counteract Scizor and Celebi, but it has trouble doing so to the latter. Will-o-Wisp has proven quite useful, but I am still unsure. It certainly can render physical threats and some switch-in's bait for my other pokemon (namely Regirock), however.

I recently allocated 252 SpAtk EV's to SpDef (which makes it survive a Gengar's Focus Blast, among other things). Some feedback on this change would be nice.

Gassy (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 212 HP / 88 Def / 208 SpDef
Calm nature (+SpDef, -Atk)
~ Stockpile
~ Recover
~ Toxic
~ Surf
---
What can I say..? My absolute favorite wonder pokémon who does it all. It blocks Trick users (and even makes the forgetful ones waste a turn when they switch in), bulks up to withstand moves from both end of the spectrum, and stalls as it recovers and whittles the opponent's away with Toxic/Surf.

Against the unprepared, Gassy has "swept" teams and made others disconnect out of frustration when they realise they can do nothing to it. I have seen opponents send in pokémon to desperately try and trick it an item and others send in kamikaze Explosion-users to no avail.
To give an idea of it's vitality, it is not uncommon for it to easily survive Energy Balls from Gengar/Alakazam or Explosions from Metagross after it Stockpiles up (which is very easy to do). Furthermore, weighing in at 65.9 pounds, it laughs heartily at Grass Knot. Sadly, though, poor Gassy has troubles against Resters, Empoleon, and most critical hits. He also has a little trouble with status, especially Toxic.

I find that his largest bane is Celebi and critical hits, the latter of which can hardly be corrected. Either way, I would really like to see this pokemon stay; he does an excellent job, so please do not opt against him and rate with consideration to Gassy.

Regirock @ Leftovers / Chesto Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpDef / 4 Def
Careful nature (+SpDef, -SpAtk)
~ Rock Slide
~ Sleep Talk / Hammer Arm
~ Curse
~ Rest
---
The SpDef boost from Tyranitar made it too difficult to resist this impervious beauty. That, coupled with Regirock's already monsterous physical defense make it a great candidate for a team such as this.

Cursing seems to be the best way to take this titan. I have chosen Rock Slide for higher accuracy and more PP. Earthquake is just nice to have, but could potentially be replaced. Finally, when the opponent thinks the horror is just about over, Regirock shrugs off all damage and status afflictions by resting. It tends to do its best late game when I show it to battle (or if it is my last pokemon, thus making it immune to Phazers) and has swept teams.

I am not too sure whether I should go with Hammer Arm/Chesto Berry or Sleep Talk/Leftovers. Both have proven to be useful.

This behemoth and Gassy certainly seem to be a pair; Regirock's biggest bane is also Critical Hits. It also has trouble with Skarmory. However, I feel Regirock is a solid investment for this team. I would like to try it for a while.

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
~ Surf
~ Thunderbolt
~ Grass Knot / Ice Beam
~ Rapid Spin / Ice Beam / Grass Knot
---
Probably the most likely candidate to leave my team. Not exactly a perfect match for the theme, its use is sound. It is fast, hits hard, and possesses the much-needed Electric attack. Mostly, though, it Rapid Spins. Despite this, I wonder if the team really needs a Rapid Spinner...

After some testing, I find I hardly use Rapid Spin, so I am not sure... If this pokemon is to be replaced, I feel a pokemon with a Fighting, Grass, and Ground resistance and atleast a neutrality to Water would be appropriate. An Electric attack on said replacement would also prove quite useful.


Well, there you have it. Any suggestions are very welcome and quite appreciated. All I can really say is that I have the most trouble against Celebi and Breloom. Hopefully my team looks decent (and I apologize if my team description is lackluster), but I know much work must be done.

I look forward to the replies. Have at thee!

 

[Dr. Eyepatch]

Some changes have been made: Replaced Earthquake with Sleep Talk on Regirock; replaced Shuca Berry with Focus Sash and added Earthquake on Tyranitar.

Some help would be greatly appreciated, everyone. I could really use it. ^_^;

EDIT: Five minutes off. I apologize for the mistake.

 

[MapleSandwich]

Your team is very solid. While I have some second thoughts about your lead, it seems like it would do its job very well, so I guess it can stay. One thing I CAN advise you on, however, is Regirock.

In my opinion, Sleep Talk is a novice mistake on Regirock. You can do much better by using Chesto Berry, and replacing Sleep Talk with Hammer Arm. This Regirock can Curse a couple of times, and then proceed to rest off damage and sweep. The current set you have is super easy to wall. I personally use Stone Edge instead of Rock Slide, but that's your preference.

If you are going to use Heatran as a surprise, I would replace Stealth Rock with Substitute. That allows you to get at least one hit no matter what. I usually would use Explosion over Will-O-Wisp, but if you say it's being useful, then keep it, as I know WoW on Heatran is an annoyance, personally.

Instead of Stone Edge on Flygon, I use Fire Blast. That's just me, since I lack a reliable Fire type on my team to easily KO Steels besides HP Fire Magnezone.

If you're going to use Starmie, use Choice Specs. That's my advice.

 

[Dr. Eyepatch]

First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to review my team. I appreciate it very much.

Thank you very much. I am glad my team looks as solid to you as it feels to me, especially since it allows me to use pokemon I like.

The Special Tyranitar ("Tyraniboah", is it?) works extremely well. It sets up Sandstorm and takes out many common leads. In addition, with the sash, it is not uncommon for it to faint two-to-three opponents, sometimes by sheer surprise. I have also seen a lot of Gliscor switching in to try and set up on my, only to be nailed by Ice Beam.

Hm... Sound advice that merits a try. It makes sense. The previous moveset had Earthquake over Sleep Talk, but I must say, Sleep Talk certainly makes it easier to absorb status, especially Hypnosis or Sleep Powder. I will try your suggestion, though. Editting first post... By the way, I like Rock Slide over Stone Edge because of the better accuracy and more PP. After I Curse up once or twice, base power becomes little of an issue.

Substitute makes sense, but then I would be in need of a Stealth Rock user. Normally, I would forego Stealth Rock, but it really helps the team. Will-o-Wisp has allowed Heatran to take even Earthquakes. It also eases the duties of the other pokemon. As much as I would like an Exploder (and I really like Exploding), Will-o-Wisp almost needs to stay. If anything were to replace it, it probably would have to be another attack.

Hm... I could see that (or another move) on Flygon. Normally, I would prefer to not take the chance with Stone Edge, and I think I only have used it once or twice. With Heatran my only Fire user, it may be nice. I do hate to sacrifice defense on Flygon, but should I then make it Naughty?

Why Choice Specs in particular, especially if it has Rapid Spin and Recover?

 

[MapleSandwich]

As for Flygon, I personally use Naughty. It works wonders for me.

Referring to Starmie, If you don't think your team needs the Rapid Spinning, the first thing I would suggest to change would be changing Starmie to Choice Specs. It is amazingly strong, capable of scoring many KOs. The STAB Choice Specs Water attacks deal ridiculous damage, unless your opponent has Blissey, but your team has a few ways to deal with her. Grass Knot, Ice Beam, Psychic, and Thunderbolt are all reliable attacks to run on Starmie, and the extra coverage is welcome on your team. Since you have Scarf Flygon, you don't need to worry so much about going up against DD Outrage users and losing.

However, if you don't want to use Starmie, then you COULD use another Pokemon to resist Grass, since your team isn't particularly covered from strong Grass types (currently you have 4 weaknesses, one neutral, one resist). Moltres is a good option to complement Gastrodon's stalling, although without Rapid Spin support it has a hard time competing in OU. Another option would be to use Celebi, although it doesn't really do a whole lot your team doesn't already do. It could provide Stealth Rock if you need it, though. Thunder Wave, Leech Seed, Grass Knot, Leaf Storm, Recover, and Heal Bell are all viable moves. I personally have not used a Celebi with Stealth Rock in a long time. I used SR, TWave, Leech Seed, and Giga Drain. However, that's probably not the best set. It can provide useful HP recovery and status, but without Recover it won't stay around for very long.

Anyways, hopefully one of those suggestions will fit your team.

 

[Dr. Eyepatch]

Naughty it is. ^_^

I can understand from where you are coming. However, I am not sure about the prospect of Specs Starmie. Is its advantage on Starmie really that much greater than Life Orb or Expert Belt? If I went either route, Surf and Thunderbolt are necessary attacks, and it would be nice to have an easier way to take out Fighting-types with Psychic (and STAB is nice, too). Not sure whether to use Ice Beam or Grass Knot for the last slot.

If I choose not to use Starmie, can you suggest another alternative aside from Celebi? I have no intent of undermining the suggestion (and if my team really calls for it, I will give it a try), but something different may be nice. Like you said, another Grass-resist would do well, preferably one that could handle water-types well and has an Electric attack. Moltres is an interesting thought, though.

Nonsense. You have been a big help already. Now we just need to hammer out a few more loose ends and details. ^_^

 

[Staraptor Call]

:naughty: nature on Flygon would work better, becuase it doesn't decrease the power of Fire Blast.
A Tyranitar one like yours seems as if it would be vulnerable to many common leads. Against Metagross, it is 2HKOed by M-Mash. Another possibility for Metagross would be to set up Stealth Rock, take damage, Meteor Mash Tyranitar, and then get KOed. Either way, the Metagross user is ahead. Jirachi can flinch you to death with Iron Head, and Infernape breaks your Sash with Fake Out and then uses Close Combat for the knockout. Swampert can set up Steath Rock and hit Ttar for Super Effective damage.

 

[Dr. Eyepatch]

Nice use of icon.

Against most of those things, I switch to a pokemon better suited to dealing with them. Once I know what they do, they are much easier to defeat. Stealth Rocks, if set up, hardly phase my team. If they are not up or are spun away, I still have my Tyranitar with the ever-useful Sash still intact.

Either way, what would you suggest I do differently?

 

[Darkartisan]

On your Tyranitar set, I would opt for Crunch over Dark Pulse, or even pursuit. I don't see Azelf staying in on you, and you can trap naughty things like Gengar and shoot them down. I would go with a mainly physical set with one special attack, either Ice Beam or Fire Blast, up to you. On Flygon, opt for Stone Edge. you can get that much needed kill on Gyarados without worrying about having to outrage and be locked and most likely revenged the next turn.

Gastrodon is very nice, and unexpected, I applaud you for using a UU pokemon in the OU tier, it looks fine to me. As for you Celebi problem, you need something that can surprise it and OHKO it, not something like Heatran that's so obvious to the opposition. Hmm, off the top of my head, Celebi would stay in on Special Electivire. Oh, got it. Gliscor.

Remove Regirock or Heatran and use Gliscor. This being a Sandstorm theme, I can't see how you missed Gliscor. Gliscor can use many sets to its potential, and not to mention that Gliscor gets sand veil, meaning that the opponents will miss more often. You can use Aerial ace on gliscor and take out Celebi. The dancing tank variation from Smogon seems like the best choice, as it outruns Lucario, a nasty pokemon to this team.

NameItemAbilityNatureDancing Tank

Leftovers / Yache Berry Hyper Cutter Jolly / Impish MovesetEVs~ Swords Dance
~ Roost
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge / Baton Pass
252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 Spe
^^ That's the set directly from smogon's pokedex.

Starmie is like a fish out of water, let's replace it with something else, shall we? Your biggest threat is grass pokemon, so i would suggest something that can effectively counter them. How about a bug type like Heracross or Scizor? Scizor sounds better because he doesn't take any damage from sandstorm. Opt for Scizor, and use the standard set with X scissor. This will give you thast much needed backup to defeat grass types if Gliscor fails to do so.

Otherwise great team, keep up the great work!

-Artisan out.

 

[MapleSandwich]

Hahaha, oh wow. Nice catch with the Scizor, there, I completely forgot about its 4x Grass resist. That should be able to handle any Celebi barring Scarf HP Fire nicely. I also have to agree with Pursuit, although Flamethrower really needs to stay

However, I have to disagree with Gliscor. It has poor synergy with the rest of the team, IMO. A well-played Celebi will defeat that Gliscor almost every time, since it doesn't have Aerial Ace. It has very little potential to pass to, as if it replaces Regirock, the team loses its only real physical attacker, and I would not recommend ditching Heatran seeing as how it takes attacks to well already. If you're going to use Gliscor, do lose Heatran instead of Regirock.

 

[wildfire393]

For Heatran, I would suggest dropping a good deal of your Special attack for Special Defense. Yes, it weakens him overall in terms of attacking power (though he still packs quite a punch, especially with a Flash Fire boost), but it gives him a couple of distinct advantages: He can never be OHKO'd by Gengar's Focus Blast, and he can never be OHKO'd by Heatran's Earth Power. This means you can lure in an opposing (scarfed) Heatran by spamming Fire Blast, and when he either tries to Earth Power you or figures you'll switch and tries to Fire Blast, you will survive either way and OHKO back with your own Earth Power. The Heatran analysis page lists a good spread under "Burn Support".

I would also suggest finding room for a Ghost Type like Rotom-A on your team somewhere, as you have 3 Fighting Weaknesses and 3 Ground Weaknesses, with only 1 resist for Fighting and 1 Immunity for Ground.

 

[Dr. Eyepatch]

First of all, you each make excellent points. I am very happy this thread managed to attract the opinions and suggestions of you all, because I cannot mention just how much I appreciate all of this. Thank you. ^_^

On your Tyranitar set, I would opt for Crunch over Dark Pulse, or even pursuit. I don't see Azelf staying in on you, and you can trap naughty things like Gengar and shoot them down. I would go with a mainly physical set with one special attack, either Ice Beam or Fire Blast, up to you.

I find Ice Beam and Flamethrower to be a must on this particular Tyranitar, especially since it carries Focus Sash. I may not be too experienced in competitive battling, but do you think lead Azelf would really pass up the opportunity to lay Stealth Rock?

Is the advantage of a physical Dark attack really that much greater over the special attack variant, considering Tyranitar's SpAtk is higher in this instance? Unless Pursuit does not require a good deal of prediction, I would like to forego the idea. I am beginning to get a grasp of good prediction skills, but I am not quite proficient in it.

On Flygon, opt for Stone Edge. you can get that much needed kill on Gyarados without worrying about having to outrage and be locked and most likely revenged the next turn.

I suppose that makes sense to me. It would be nice for Flygon to be able to dent Steels other than with Earthquake, but Gyarados seems like the bigger threat, and with Stone Edge, I have the chance to switch it Flygon in on a Dragon Dance and outspeed it for the KO (correct me if I am wrong).

Gastrodon is very nice, and unexpected, I applaud you for using a UU pokemon in the OU tier, it looks fine to me.

Glad you like it. It is my favorite pokemon and it also happens to catch many off guard. It can even defend well against Trick users. I realise that pokemon of the UU tier should not be used for novelty, but that is not to say that some, when applied correctly, work well in the OU environment. ^_^

As for you Celebi problem, you need something that can surprise it and OHKO it, not something like Heatran that's so obvious to the opposition. Hmm, off the top of my head, Celebi would stay in on Special Electivire. Oh, got it. Gliscor.

Remove Regirock or Heatran and use Gliscor. This being a Sandstorm theme, I can't see how you missed Gliscor. Gliscor can use many sets to its potential, and not to mention that Gliscor gets sand veil, meaning that the opponents will miss more often. You can use Aerial ace on gliscor and take out Celebi. The dancing tank variation from Smogon seems like the best choice, as it outruns Lucario, a nasty pokemon to this team.

NameItemAbilityNatureDancing Tank

Leftovers / Yache Berry Hyper Cutter Jolly / Impish MovesetEVs~ Swords Dance
~ Roost
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge / Baton Pass
252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 Spe
^^ That's the set directly from smogon's pokedex.

However, I have to disagree with Gliscor. It has poor synergy with the rest of the team, IMO. A well-played Celebi will defeat that Gliscor almost every time, since it doesn't have Aerial Ace. It has very little potential to pass to, as if it replaces Regirock, the team loses its only real physical attacker, and I would not recommend ditching Heatran seeing as how it takes attacks to well already. If you're going to use Gliscor, do lose Heatran instead of Regirock.

It is not as though I missed Gliscor, but merely I had no idea where to fit it. It would be nice to take out Lucario much easier, and the extra evasion on a wall seems like a tempting prospect.

After my experiences with Regirock, a great wall and clean-up hitter, I am beginning to realise how important it is to the team. Regirock would be one of the last to go from this team, so that means Heatran would have to be it. To the matter of Celebi by association, I am essentially replacing a Celebi counter (since not many carry Earth Power these days, it seems) for another. Since Celebi is predominately a physical defender, I do not see much advantage in the switch. In addition, the loss of an extra Fire attack (which, I suppose could go to Flygon) sort of hurts, but Stealth Rock could be placed on Gliscor if I use it, so that is a plus. Roost recovery is also nice.

Starmie is like a fish out of water, let's replace it with something else, shall we? Your biggest threat is grass pokemon, so i would suggest something that can effectively counter them. How about a bug type like Heracross or Scizor? Scizor sounds better because he doesn't take any damage from sandstorm. Opt for Scizor, and use the standard set with X scissor. This will give you thast much needed backup to defeat grass types if Gliscor fails to do so.

Hahaha, oh wow. Nice catch with the Scizor, there, I completely forgot about its 4x Grass resist. That should be able to handle any Celebi barring Scarf HP Fire nicely. I also have to agree with Pursuit, although Flamethrower really needs to stay.

Now, for the replacement of Starmie... Generally, I was thinking it should be replaced with a somewhat bulky pokemon with resistance to Ground, Fighting, and Grass attacks, and at least neutrality to Water. This pokemon could also have an Electric attack, but it is not required. Any suggestions? Perhaps a Pinsir could do well here.

I really wanted to avoid using Scizor, but if that is the only best option, then I suppose I will give it a shot.

Otherwise great team, keep up the great work!

Thank you very much. I put some thought into this, and I appreciate the encouragement. ^_^

For Heatran, I would suggest dropping a good deal of your Special attack for Special Defense. Yes, it weakens him overall in terms of attacking power (though he still packs quite a punch, especially with a Flash Fire boost), but it gives him a couple of distinct advantages: He can never be OHKO'd by Gengar's Focus Blast, and he can never be OHKO'd by Heatran's Earth Power. This means you can lure in an opposing (scarfed) Heatran by spamming Fire Blast, and when he either tries to Earth Power you or figures you'll switch and tries to Fire Blast, you will survive either way and OHKO back with your own Earth Power. The Heatran analysis page lists a good spread under "Burn Support".

Hm... I supose max Special Defense would be quite beneficial. However, I must ask, would I be missing out on any important OHKO's or 2HKO's if I made this transition?

I would also suggest finding room for a Ghost Type like Rotom-A on your team somewhere, as you have 3 Fighting Weaknesses and 3 Ground Weaknesses, with only 1 resist for Fighting and 1 Immunity for Ground.

My sentiments exactly (although it does not necessarily need to be a Ghost-type). I believe I do need to cover those two bases a little better.

 

[blasphemy1]

I don't really think your lead is going to work all that well with all of the Metagross leads running amok, but it seems like it is the best lead for this team, so I say keep it.

As for Flygon, Adamant or Jolly are much better natures than Naughty. IMO Dragon Claw is more useful for ScarfGon, since you won't have to lock yourself in to revenge kill Salamence and Latias. Keep Outrage tho, for late game sweeping. Like you said, Flygon is a scout and a revenge killer, there is absolutely no need for Fire Blast just to hit Skarmory/Forry/Scizor when you can be scouting with U-Turn, send in Heatran, and set up Stealth Rock as they switch out.

While Skarmory gives some of your pokes trouble, you have plenty to break through it. Tyranitar can Flamethrower it, Starmie can Thunderbolt, Heatran can Fire Blast it. Regirock can beat it if it is your last pokemon, so really only Gastrodon and Flygon have issues with it. The ability to keep your revenge killer away from those deadly Ice Shards and Bullet Punches (with prior damage) is far more valuable than letting Salamence, Gyarados, Flygon, and Heatran switch in easily.

 

[Dr. Eyepatch]

Made some changes: Heatran's 252 SpAtk EVs converted to 252 SpDef; replaced Starmie's Leftover's for Life Orb and switched Recover for Ice Beam / Grass Knot.

I don't really think your lead is going to work all that well with all of the Metagross leads running amok, but it seems like it is the best lead for this team, so I say keep it.

With decent prediction, it works fine, especially since, as you said, it is the best candidate as a lead on my team.

As for Flygon, Adamant or Jolly are much better natures than Naughty. IMO Dragon Claw is more useful for ScarfGon, since you won't have to lock yourself in to revenge kill Salamence and Latias. Keep Outrage tho, for late game sweeping. Like you said, Flygon is a scout and a revenge killer, there is absolutely no need for Fire Blast just to hit Skarmory/Forry/Scizor when you can be scouting with U-Turn, send in Heatran, and set up Stealth Rock as they switch out.

I opted for Adamant. If you are suggesting Dragon Claw, what should be replaced for it? I see no room, really.

While Skarmory gives some of your pokes trouble, you have plenty to break through it. Tyranitar can Flamethrower it, Starmie can Thunderbolt, Heatran can Fire Blast it. Regirock can beat it if it is your last pokemon, so really only Gastrodon and Flygon have issues with it. The ability to keep your revenge killer away from those deadly Ice Shards and Bullet Punches (with prior damage) is far more valuable than letting Salamence, Gyarados, Flygon, and Heatran switch in easily.

True enough. I agree with these points.

 

[Dr. Eyepatch]

I believe this will constitute as my twenty-four hour "bump". I made some changes to the descriptions of my choices.

Any comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. ^_^

 

[GarcianSmith891]

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
~ Surf
~ Thunderbolt
~ Grass Knot / Ice Beam
~ Rapid Spin / Ice Beam / Grass Knot
---
Probably the most likely candidate to leave my team. Not exactly a perfect match for the theme, its use is sound. It is fast, hits hard, and possesses the much-needed Electric attack. Mostly, though, it Rapid Spins. Despite this, I wonder if the team really needs a Rapid Spinner...

After some testing, I find I hardly use Rapid Spin, so I am not sure... If this pokemon is to be replaced, I feel a pokemon with a Fighting, Grass, and Ground resistance and atleast a neutrality to Water would be appropriate. An Electric attack on said replacement would also prove quite useful.

Ok, I'll try to help.
So are you still looking for a fighting, grass and ground resist?
well, ive got one, and he resists water too.
Salamence.
He can also help you with your Celebi and Lucario issues with his life orbed fireblasts.

If you're worried about his longevity due to SR, i would go with the Classic Mixmence set, or if you feel you need some more physical power, maybe the more physically oriented version.

I hope I was of help. Just returning the favor.
Oh, and your display name/location rules. milk chan ftw.

 

[Dr. Eyepatch]

Ok, I'll try to help.
So are you still looking for a fighting, grass and ground resist?
well, ive got one, and he resists water too.
Salamence.
He can also help you with your Celebi and Lucario issues with his life orbed fireblasts.

If you're worried about his longevity due to SR, i would go with the Classic Mixmence set, or if you feel you need some more physical power, maybe the more physically oriented version.

I hope I was of help. Just returning the favor.
Oh, and your display name/location rules. milk chan ftw.

How kind of you to return the favor. I hope I was able to help you atleast a little in your thread. ^_^;

Hm... Sound advice. I had considered Salamence, but it (especially a Life-Orbed version) almost requires spin support. How do you feel Latias would do on this team? It fits the criteria and even provides a much-needed Electric attack. The only and biggest problem I have with Latias, however, is my inability to get a specific one in-game...

How do you feel about the team in general, though?

And I am surprised you got the reference. Thank you. ^_^ Interestingly enough, I sometimes go by Dr. Eyepatch in real life for some obvious reasons.

 

[Futility]

I'm curious, how does this stand up to other weather teams? With Tyrannitar as your lead, Rain dance looks like it would walk all over you considering with the Rain, water attacks will severely hurt Tyrannitar. My suggestion would be to not use Tyrannitar in the lead spot, as weather teams are usually advised to save the weather effects as a surprise.

To not wreck your team synergy, perhaps you can make Starmie an Anti-lead and save Tyrannitar for later on. I don't see anything wrong with your attacks, and with Starmie doing a ton of damage with her attacks, it can just spin the Rocks away when she's through with the opposing lead.

 

[Dr. Eyepatch]

I'm curious, how does this stand up to other weather teams? With Tyrannitar as your lead, Rain dance looks like it would walk all over you considering with the Rain, water attacks will severely hurt Tyrannitar. My suggestion would be to not use Tyrannitar in the lead spot, as weather teams are usually advised to save the weather effects as a surprise.

To not wreck your team synergy, perhaps you can make Starmie an Anti-lead and save Tyrannitar for later on. I don't see anything wrong with your attacks, and with Starmie doing a ton of damage with her attacks, it can just spin the Rocks away when she's through with the opposing lead.

You know, I have to be honest with you, I have not faced a Hail/Rain/Sunny Day team with this. It simply just never came up. I do not know if any of those teams' usage has increase in the past couple of months, though.

I must disagree with you on one thing. Given how often most of my pokémon are used by other players (barring Regirock, who is always saved for late game), especially Tyranitar, my opponents hardly expect a Sandstorm team. Sure, any pokémon used that has Sandstream kind of makes the team a Sandstorm team to some degree, but those players typically do not capitalize on the SpDef boost (barring Tyranitar itself). In other words, the surprise factor is different when comparing Sandstorm to other types of weather.

Tyranitar really has been a wonderful lead by setting up Sandstream early and netting one or, most likely, two surprise kills. The major problem I have with not having it as a lead is that the Sash, one key factor in this Tyranitar's performance, will likely be broken through means of entry hazards or switch-in's, so I cannot simply switch it in whenever I want.

But your suggestion has merit to it, so it is definitely worth a try. Does the Starmie analysis have an Anti-Lead setup?

 

[Snorlaxe]

For your Spinner, youre probably going to want a pokemon that can hit harder with electric types than just little Starmie...while it is fast, and has good Special Attack, it wont be able to hit water types hard enough for good damage to your team. Plus an opposing Starmie would rip through most of your team...here's who I would suggest instead:

Electivire (m) @ Life Orb
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 36 Atk / 252 SpA / 220 Spe
Mild nature (+Special Attack, -Defense)
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power Ice
- Cross Chop

The type coverage that this thing offers is so tremendous, it's just too good to pass down on a team that has common weaknesses like this one. Thunderbolt kills most all waters, Flamethrower gets grasses (so Gastrodon can sleep easy), HP Ice can get pussy dragons like Salamence, and Cross Chop wraps up this beautiful image, killing a majority of things that are weak to it. I have used this set to enormous success on Shoddy Battle, and it can sweep unprepared teams. If you happen to get it a motor drive boost (like switching in on a Blissey TWave), its pretty much "gg" for the opponent. While some people use Expert Belt, I prefer Life Orb; it offers more power, and the HP cost isn't a big downer...once Electivire is hit by a powerful attack, its pretty much down n' out.
-
-

 

[DragonFireKazekage]

I really like your sashed Tyraniboah. In fact, I like it so much I may even use it on my team :)

 

[zapdos=god]

On your Flygon I would recommend jolly nature because it needs that extra boost to tie with other positive base 100 like Jirachi. I would also replace stone edge on flygon to thunderpunch because bulky gyarados survives a stone edge and most gyarados are now bulky. On Heatran I would change the nature from bold to calm because you are allocating only 4 evs into def and you already have will-o-wisp. Also change fire blast to flamethrower on it cause it can't really afford to miss.

 

[Celestavian]

About time someone else recognizes the power of SashTar. However, I think the EVs for it can be improved. Try running 252 HP and whatever mix of Atk and SAtk you like, along with a Quiet nature. The reason is that with the Pokemon you mentioned (Gliscor, Lucario, Scizor) all outspeed or outprioritize you, and thus the Speed EVs do nothing. The HP EVs can help out when your Sash is broken by hazards, granting you some extra survivability. Plus, without that -Def nature, you can take hits that much better.

For Starmie, you said you wamt to replace it with a Grass, Fighting and Ground resist neutral to Water, with an Electric move. That describes Zapdos perfectly. Try out this set:

Zapdos @ Life Orb/Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- Roost

This thing packs both speed and power while still being relatively bulky. Thunderbolt + HP Ice grants excellent coverage made perfect by Heat Wave. Roost helps to heal off LO damage and sand damage. Alternatively, you can run Leftovers if you feel you don't need the power.

I hope that I helped you out!

 

[Class]

Do you people realize you're responding to a year and a half old topic?

 

[Celestavian]

Do you people realize you're responding to a year and a half old topic?

...nice. I really should check this stuff before replying.