Well, it's been quite a while since I posted an RMT - in fact, the first time in months where I actually made a post that made sense. Call me lazy, I'm just untalkative. Still, it's been about one and a half months since the UK nationals (where I just missed out on round 5), and it's time for another tournament over here. I've been experimenting with straight-up offensive teams since my Trick Room team failed, and I came down to a half-decent team. And they say you should learn from the best, so i'm posting my team here in the hope that, in 2 weeks, it can be turned from a half-decent team into a near-perfect one. So anyway, here it is: team 'Safety Second' (for lack of a better name).
Thundurus @ Electric Gem
Trait: Prankster
Timid: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power (Flying)
-Protect
-Thunder Wave
Fist of all, here it is: one of the most common pokemon in the '11 metagame. And quite rightly so. Thundurus is a murderer when he's not paralyzed. Electric Gem Thunderbolt maybe old, but it does its tricks, and that is to OHKO a number of threats, namely other Thundurus, among other things. I chose HP Flying over HP Ice because the only things Ice allows me to hit better are Hydreigon and Haxorus, the former being manhandled by the more common partners for Thundurus (like Scrafty, for instance) and the latter just being plain frail - both Hidden Powers will 2HKO it anyway. It also allows me to hit Grass types harder, and while I do lack the power to defeat Landorus as easily, I genuinely think that Flying is a better choice. Protect is there as usual for scouting and helping to eradicate Rock types before they do any serious damage. Finally Thunder Wave is just plain useful and a tool no Thundurus should be without, allowing it to cripple Tailwind teams in an instant, thanks to Prankster. Thundurus is a staple to my team and I doubt there is much else to replace it for what it does.
Possible Changes:
-Taunt?
-Substitute?
-Discharge?
Tornadus @ Flying Gem
Trait: Prankster
Jolly: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
-Tailwind
-Acrobatics
-Substitute
-Protect
Umm, yeah... basic Tornadus. Tailwind combined with Prankster was the main reason I chose this set, but I chose Tornadus over Whimsicott for a number of reasons: it's immune to Ground attacks, it's more offensively based and it's not nearly as frail, especially when combined with Krookodile's Intimidate. Substitute is there when I see an ideal opportunity, it also stops Dark Gem Bisharp nabbing an OHKO on me and also suppresses Amoonguss's Spore, and, if I win the speed tie, Thundurus's Thunder Wave. And Protect is just... you know. A valuable asset to my team, though I may be a little more prepared to lose it than Thundurus.
Possible Changes:
-Whimsicott?
-Taunt?
Scrafty @ Sitrus Berry
Trait: Moxie
Jolly: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
-Fake Out
-Drain Punch
-Crunch
-Protect
SPEED CREEP! Yes, I got max speed Scrafty for beating other not-max speed Scrafty, so I can LOL at them. It is always the element of surprise, so it's always a sweet bonus. The ability and moves are self explanatory, Moxie gives an attack boost whenever I KO a pokemon and then the moves of Fake Out, Drain Punch over Hi Jump Kick for reliability and health restoration, Crunch as standard and Protect as that filler move. Fake Out is the entire reason for Scrafty on this team. It is my only Fake Outer here, and I used to run Mienshao instead for Wide Guard, but after a bit of testing, I can see that Scrafty's bulk and access to Moxie as well as limited weaknesses and great STAB combo makes him a more suitable candidate for the job. Yes, you saw a Sitrus Berry there. Since both Coba and Chople Berries are being used, I decided to follow Skarmbliss's other option and go with Sitrus Berry. I used to run Fight Gem but Sitrus Berry was more beneficial.
Possible Changes:
-Mienshao?
-Ice Punch?
-Rock Slide?
Krookodile @ Chople Berry
Trait: Intimidate
Adamant: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpD
-Earthquake
-Crunch
-Rock Slide
-Protect
When Krookodile's a-knockin', you'd better start a-hidin'! Well, okay, I'll grant you: it's a Krookodile. But if Krookodile weren't a Krookodile, would I add it to my team? No. There you go. But there is more to Krookodile than simply wearing a trollface to scare the living daylights out of people, and failing still. For example, it's the only pokemon in the team to possess Earthquake, which is great when two of my major pokemon are Flying. It also has Crunch, and has more immediate power than Scrafty so it can mess with Psychic and Ghost pokes. The two may team up to grab Scrafty a first-turn Moxie bonus if I feel like it. Rock Slide is there to be a pain for Flying pokes like Thundurus, Tornadus etc. and also is a real nightmare for Volcarona (however, I will have to have Tailwind to get a Rock slide on Volca). The piling of EVs into HP combined with Intimidate and Chople Berry (there it is!) gives it outstanding bulk, enough to survive nearly anything in the whole damn metagame (excluding Volcarona and Scarf Jellicent, but those are crushed by Krooko under Tailwind). The max attack is to actually put some damage on opposing pokemon, which it very much succeeds in doing. I used to use Landorus here, but... well, let's just put it this way: never again.
Possible Changes:
-None ATM.
Amoonguss @ Coba Berry
Trait: Effect Spore
Timid: 252 HP/4 Def/252 Spe
-Spore
-Rage Powder
-Giga Drain
-Protect
Speedy Amoonguss for the win! Thou shalt not underestimate speedy Amoonguss: many people have done so before and perished under the might of Spore being sent off 180 speed (under Tailwind, that is). Even outside of Tailwind, those with bulky Eelektross and Scrafty and Amoonguss suffer from a faster Spore. Faster opponents, like Thundurus, are tricked by Anger Powder as Tornadus sets up Tailwind, then are Spored next turn. Anyway, this set aims to take one of the most versatile, common pokemon in the VGC and turn it into a surprising, yet more versatile version of the set we all know and love/hate. I used to hate Amoonguss but this set has changed me - for the better I hope. Coba Berry stops those Tornadus OHKOing me with their dreaded Acrobatics, and the change in bulk has not troubled me at all; in fact, I barely notice the difference - what OHKOed him still does, what didn't still doesn't. Apart from that it's all standard stuff.
Possible Changes:
-Black Sludge/Sitrus Berry?
Chandelure @ Ghost Gem
Trait: Flame Body
Modest: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpA
-Shadow Ball
-Heat Wave
-Trick Room
-Imprison
Yes, it's an anti-TR Chandelure, so old-fashioned, so easy to block, bla, bla, bla... not quite. This is a Ghost Gem Chandelure. That means one shot from Shadow Ball will OHKO any Trick Roomer, unless they have that annoying Sash or the very rare (in fact, practically non-existent) Kasib Berry. The few that do have Sashes (which are almost always Chandelures) I Imprison, keeping them from doing, erm, anything, in the case of Chandelures. Scrafty almost always partners with this, preventing any counter-offensives that might be made using Fake Out. Sometimes I use Amoonguss, who uses max speed to outpace and sleep opposing pokemon. Chandelure's HP is maxed as I never use it for anything other than TR countering, and max HP will even allow it to survive Guts Conkeldurr Rock Slide, as well as +1 Scrafty's Crunch, and much more.
Possible Changes:
-Focus Sash/Choice Scarf?
-Fire Blast?
And... that's my team, as it stands. Like I said, as much as I want it to be, it's not perfect, and that's where everyone else comes in to help here. There's a free trip to worlds in it for me, so I really want to win!
Thundurus @ Electric Gem
Trait: Prankster
Timid: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power (Flying)
-Protect
-Thunder Wave
Fist of all, here it is: one of the most common pokemon in the '11 metagame. And quite rightly so. Thundurus is a murderer when he's not paralyzed. Electric Gem Thunderbolt maybe old, but it does its tricks, and that is to OHKO a number of threats, namely other Thundurus, among other things. I chose HP Flying over HP Ice because the only things Ice allows me to hit better are Hydreigon and Haxorus, the former being manhandled by the more common partners for Thundurus (like Scrafty, for instance) and the latter just being plain frail - both Hidden Powers will 2HKO it anyway. It also allows me to hit Grass types harder, and while I do lack the power to defeat Landorus as easily, I genuinely think that Flying is a better choice. Protect is there as usual for scouting and helping to eradicate Rock types before they do any serious damage. Finally Thunder Wave is just plain useful and a tool no Thundurus should be without, allowing it to cripple Tailwind teams in an instant, thanks to Prankster. Thundurus is a staple to my team and I doubt there is much else to replace it for what it does.
Possible Changes:
-Taunt?
-Substitute?
-Discharge?
Tornadus @ Flying Gem
Trait: Prankster
Jolly: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
-Tailwind
-Acrobatics
-Substitute
-Protect
Umm, yeah... basic Tornadus. Tailwind combined with Prankster was the main reason I chose this set, but I chose Tornadus over Whimsicott for a number of reasons: it's immune to Ground attacks, it's more offensively based and it's not nearly as frail, especially when combined with Krookodile's Intimidate. Substitute is there when I see an ideal opportunity, it also stops Dark Gem Bisharp nabbing an OHKO on me and also suppresses Amoonguss's Spore, and, if I win the speed tie, Thundurus's Thunder Wave. And Protect is just... you know. A valuable asset to my team, though I may be a little more prepared to lose it than Thundurus.
Possible Changes:
-Whimsicott?
-Taunt?
Scrafty @ Sitrus Berry
Trait: Moxie
Jolly: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
-Fake Out
-Drain Punch
-Crunch
-Protect
SPEED CREEP! Yes, I got max speed Scrafty for beating other not-max speed Scrafty, so I can LOL at them. It is always the element of surprise, so it's always a sweet bonus. The ability and moves are self explanatory, Moxie gives an attack boost whenever I KO a pokemon and then the moves of Fake Out, Drain Punch over Hi Jump Kick for reliability and health restoration, Crunch as standard and Protect as that filler move. Fake Out is the entire reason for Scrafty on this team. It is my only Fake Outer here, and I used to run Mienshao instead for Wide Guard, but after a bit of testing, I can see that Scrafty's bulk and access to Moxie as well as limited weaknesses and great STAB combo makes him a more suitable candidate for the job. Yes, you saw a Sitrus Berry there. Since both Coba and Chople Berries are being used, I decided to follow Skarmbliss's other option and go with Sitrus Berry. I used to run Fight Gem but Sitrus Berry was more beneficial.
Possible Changes:
-Mienshao?
-Ice Punch?
-Rock Slide?
Krookodile @ Chople Berry
Trait: Intimidate
Adamant: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpD
-Earthquake
-Crunch
-Rock Slide
-Protect
When Krookodile's a-knockin', you'd better start a-hidin'! Well, okay, I'll grant you: it's a Krookodile. But if Krookodile weren't a Krookodile, would I add it to my team? No. There you go. But there is more to Krookodile than simply wearing a trollface to scare the living daylights out of people, and failing still. For example, it's the only pokemon in the team to possess Earthquake, which is great when two of my major pokemon are Flying. It also has Crunch, and has more immediate power than Scrafty so it can mess with Psychic and Ghost pokes. The two may team up to grab Scrafty a first-turn Moxie bonus if I feel like it. Rock Slide is there to be a pain for Flying pokes like Thundurus, Tornadus etc. and also is a real nightmare for Volcarona (however, I will have to have Tailwind to get a Rock slide on Volca). The piling of EVs into HP combined with Intimidate and Chople Berry (there it is!) gives it outstanding bulk, enough to survive nearly anything in the whole damn metagame (excluding Volcarona and Scarf Jellicent, but those are crushed by Krooko under Tailwind). The max attack is to actually put some damage on opposing pokemon, which it very much succeeds in doing. I used to use Landorus here, but... well, let's just put it this way: never again.
Possible Changes:
-None ATM.
Amoonguss @ Coba Berry
Trait: Effect Spore
Timid: 252 HP/4 Def/252 Spe
-Spore
-Rage Powder
-Giga Drain
-Protect
Speedy Amoonguss for the win! Thou shalt not underestimate speedy Amoonguss: many people have done so before and perished under the might of Spore being sent off 180 speed (under Tailwind, that is). Even outside of Tailwind, those with bulky Eelektross and Scrafty and Amoonguss suffer from a faster Spore. Faster opponents, like Thundurus, are tricked by Anger Powder as Tornadus sets up Tailwind, then are Spored next turn. Anyway, this set aims to take one of the most versatile, common pokemon in the VGC and turn it into a surprising, yet more versatile version of the set we all know and love/hate. I used to hate Amoonguss but this set has changed me - for the better I hope. Coba Berry stops those Tornadus OHKOing me with their dreaded Acrobatics, and the change in bulk has not troubled me at all; in fact, I barely notice the difference - what OHKOed him still does, what didn't still doesn't. Apart from that it's all standard stuff.
Possible Changes:
-Black Sludge/Sitrus Berry?
Chandelure @ Ghost Gem
Trait: Flame Body
Modest: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpA
-Shadow Ball
-Heat Wave
-Trick Room
-Imprison
Yes, it's an anti-TR Chandelure, so old-fashioned, so easy to block, bla, bla, bla... not quite. This is a Ghost Gem Chandelure. That means one shot from Shadow Ball will OHKO any Trick Roomer, unless they have that annoying Sash or the very rare (in fact, practically non-existent) Kasib Berry. The few that do have Sashes (which are almost always Chandelures) I Imprison, keeping them from doing, erm, anything, in the case of Chandelures. Scrafty almost always partners with this, preventing any counter-offensives that might be made using Fake Out. Sometimes I use Amoonguss, who uses max speed to outpace and sleep opposing pokemon. Chandelure's HP is maxed as I never use it for anything other than TR countering, and max HP will even allow it to survive Guts Conkeldurr Rock Slide, as well as +1 Scrafty's Crunch, and much more.
Possible Changes:
-Focus Sash/Choice Scarf?
-Fire Blast?
And... that's my team, as it stands. Like I said, as much as I want it to be, it's not perfect, and that's where everyone else comes in to help here. There's a free trip to worlds in it for me, so I really want to win!
