Excadrill is for Noobs!: A Bulky Offensive Team!

Excadrill is for Noobs!


I made this team a long time ago, the inspiration for the team was when I was swept clean by a Salamence. I looked over my team and realized I lacked a steel type. This proved to me how much a team may depend on a steel type to stop a Dragon type. So I tried to find some pokemon, that would become the ultimate steel check. The answer was LO + 4 attacks Thundurus. Every steel type pokemon such as Ferrothorn or Scizor is easily checked by Thundurus. This results in a clean DD mence sweep. I put my idea into action and worked beautifully. The result ended in Salamence outright destroying the team. Perhaps another deciding factor for my wins was my "lead" Scizor. It has priority along with an amazing base 130 attack stat, and unlike Tyranitar leads it survived over 70% of the time to help out late game. Often Salamence leaves pokemon in Bullet Punch KO range. Then in the latest version I changed Latias to Starmie, Swampert to Gastrodon, and of course Metagross to Bronzong. After these changes my ladder rating has gone up and I hope to continue with it. Note: The name comes from the fact that Excadrill checks most offensive teams even though I check it well.




Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/252 Atk/8 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
-Bullet Punch
-U-turn
-Superpower
-Pursuit


The lead 99% of the time is Scizor, considering how well it matches up against Tyranitar and can U-turn to Salamence to lure out it's checks. Although it doesn't set up entry hazards, it does a heck of a job preventing them. Also the 252 attack EVs make it surprisingly more powerful than the standard set. For an example Deoxys-s takes 60%~ from Bullet Punch, so it gets up stealth rock and then dies. Mienshao also takes massive damage from Bullet Punch a 2HKO while Scizor survives fake out + Hi Jump Kick. Scizor also can survive a Politoed's scald or Surf while being able to U-turn, although I usually lead with Gastrodon if Politoed is leading. Scizor is also able to U-turn on switch in counters, letting you put momentum in your favor. Should you see a Terrakion you probably might want to save Scizor for it.



Gastrodon (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
-Scald
-Ice Beam
-Toxic
-Recover


Gastrodon is a great check to rain teams, as well as being a great Ferrothorn lure for Thundurus to kill off. Occasionally you can use it after Politoed has been defeated so that Gastrodon can be on top shape against the more dangerous rain abusers also toed could have HP Grass. Aside from the rain, many other teams have problems with Gastrodon which is important since BW OU is so centralized. Gastrodon can also Toxic pokemon such as Slowbro so it's less of a threat to Starmie and Salamence with Ice Beam or Thunder Wave. Gastrodon goes hand in hand with Thundurus since they lure out each other's checks and kill them. Also Gastrodon is a good weapon to sand stall since you can kill off Hippowdon as well as Forretress or Nidoqueen.




Thundurus (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP/252 SAtk/252 Spd
Timid nature (+ Spd, -Atk)
-Thunderbolt
-Nasty Plot
-Hidden Power [Ice]
-Focus Blast


Thundurus is extremely important to the team's success because it paves the way for Salamence and Starmie to cleanly sweep through the opposition. When I said Thundurus checks steel types that was an understatement, it checks every steel type except specially defensive Heatran easily. Also every Ferrothorn/Scizor stay in since they don't expect a Lum Berry to cure me, since that is not common. However it is a very deadly check to Gliscor since they lack the power to KO and HP Ice will easily OHKO. Once the opponent figures out Thundurus, it may be too late. I will have probably have eliminated the Dragon checks and they will have no way to stop my fierce double dragon core. This Thundurus even works better than Magnezone since many steel types carry shed shell but they generally stay on Thundurus. In it's own right this thing is a great sweeper.




Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/72 Def/88 SAtk/98 SDef
Sassy nature (+SDef, -Spd)
-Stealth Rock
-Gyro Ball
-Earthquake
-Hidden Power [Ice]


Bronzong is here to absorb Draco Meteor, get up Stealth Rock, check Excadrill and be a basic physical wall. Since I have nothing but Bronzong to switch in on Latios, he is vitally important. Stealth Rock is also helpful for being able to put 4x weak Dragons in HP Ice KO range, as well as supporting the rest of the team to snag a few KOs and it can weaken Volcarona. I have considered a Specially defensive Jirachi here, but it is too easy to counter for my liking. If you noticed all of my pokemon are immune to Toxic Spikes, which makes it hard to outstall Bronzong. To let you know I have a 1 speed IV to outspend 0 IV Bronzong. Also, in the rain Bronzong has many resistances and no weaknesses! Which makes it an excellent anti-metagame pokemon.



Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 SAtk/252 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
-Hydro Pump
-Psyshock
-Rapid Spin
-Recover


Starmie is here to be a very powerful sweeper if Ferrothorn is gone, while also stopping CM Virizion with Psyshock as well as fighting types. This thing can break open the game on occasion before Salamence, but generally it destroys at least one to two pokemon. Playing with Starmie can be risky, should Tyranitar still be on the field. However a well timed Hydro Pump will destroy Tyranitar switch ins if they were weakened beforehand. Starmie is also good at destroying Terrakion, and doing sizable damage to anything with Hydro Pump. You may notice the lack of Thunderbolt. This is because my Starmie tends to come out late game and spin, which leads to damage that Recover can heal off. Starmie is a frightening sweeper and important for checking some key threats.



Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -Atk)
-Dragon Dance
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Roost


Meet Salamence, next to impossible to defeat when steel types are gone and is basically guaranteed to defeat 3 pokemon should confusion activate after the third Outrage. Salamence is excellent clean up, many teams do not prepare for a LO Salamence with DD and roost. You may think that I gamble to much on beating steels but you would be surprised. From experience this strategy hardly ever fails, and you can thank Thundurus for that. I prefer this over Dragonite by a landslide, it's way too weak for my liking also Salamence comes in on choices ground attacks and his sweep won't be interrupted as easily as Dragonite because of the power behind Outrage. Basically Salamence is the strongest pokemon on this team and it's the focus for a reason.



Credits!
Did you really think one mind alone made this team possible? Think again! Give a round of applause to.....

BKC- Suggested NP Thundurus, I used it and it works great! Also helped with the Bronzong spread. Helped increase the result of a ladder rating so thanks!

Tobes- Gastrodon > Rotom-W was brilliant, immunity to water makes it a great rain check thanks!

IronBullet93- Starmie really, helped Salamence and I love it as a sweeper! Thanks!

Threatlist!
Taken From IB93's Rmt which he took from PK's Rmt.....





Breloom: Just sack something that is like at maybe 25% or if I'm not developing a late game plan that needs Thundurus and he's killed steels, sac him. Then you can go kill it with something that doesn't take much damage from Focus Punch. Like Bronzong for example or Starmie.

Blissey: Salamence OHKO's at +1, Starmie catches switch ins with Psyshock. Bronzong can set up SR on it. Blissey doesn't do anything game breaking so it's not a"threat" really.

Bronzong: Thundurus can 2HKO it with Thunderbolt while not really taking much from Gyro Ball or Earthquake. This thing actually walls my team pretty well but it is handled by community and lacks recovery.

Celebi: Salamence at +1 can KO but really almost anything on this threat list that isn't a steel type can. Bronzong walls NP variants are walled forever since they always have HP Ice. Scizor can U-turn for massive damage or possibly a OHKO.

Conkeldurr: Salamence flat out sets up on this thing, unless they run Stone Edge, which Salamence can take at -1(Intimidate) and roost off any damage. Bronzong does okay but can't do anything in return. Starmie handles it fairly well with Psyshock. Thundurus at +2 can OHKO. Honestly this thing isn't OU worthy in my opinion.

Deoxys-S Scizor laughs at this thing. Bullet punch is always a 2HKO to offensive and lead versions. Basically it either gets up one entry hazard or it just flat out dies. Should Scizor fall before Deoxys comes out, Bronzong does superbly against it with a massively powerful Gyro Ball and it walls it as well. Gastrodon can wall it while wearing it down with Toxic.

Excadrill: Bronzong will make this mole wish it stayed underground. With no boosts Excadrill is doing literally 23-26% which is healed off by leftovers. In turn Gyro Ball/HP ice can pop balloon and Earthquake will OHKO. Excadrill at +2 will do at max 36%, good check huh?

Ferrothorn: Thundurus resists both it's stabs and can 2HKO-OHKO with Focus Blast depending on if Thundurus has a nasty plot or not. Bronzong if necessary can beat it in a stall war unless they have leech seed, which they usually do so stick with Thunderbro.

Forretress: Forretress sits there calmly setting up Toxic Spikes while Thundurus sets up on it, which let's Thundurus 2HKO or OHKO if there's SR in play. Plus Toxic Spikes affects 1 out of 6 pokemon and that pokemon can spin and remove it with Natural Cure. Not a problem at all.

Gengar: It is OHKO'd by every member on this team. It is not strong enough to OHKO anything and is covered extremely well. If it had higher defenses it would be a problem but it doesn't so it is not a problem.

Gliscor: Bronzong resists all of it's attacks and has HP Ice to OHKO. Thundurus is on a similar boat but watch out for Ice Fang on the switch. Starmie also covers it with Hydro Pump.

Gyarados: It's easily defeated by Thundurus it sets up on Bronzong but it is walled by Starmie and takes a lot of damage from Psyshock and is destroyed by stealth rock + Outrage. Defensive versions are more common because of team fable, but Thundurus still beats it. Gastrodon fares nicely.

Haxorus: Thundurus can almost KO it with HP ice but then Scizor can bullet punch the locked in Haxxy. Bronzong walls it if stuck in Outrage and has HP ice to threaten it and Gyro Ball is pretty strong. Without prior damage, Scizor can 2HKO. Salamence can outspeed and kill it with Outrage.

Heatran: Starmie has the ever threatening Hydro Pump, and can always recover if Fire Blast damage becomes problematic. Defensive variants lack Air Balloon and get OHKO'd by Salamence's EQ. Bronzong can nail defensive or offensive switches (If balloon is popped) with EQ if you predict correctly. Gastrodon takes on most variants bar Torment and HP Grass.

Hydreigon: Yeah so as a late game sweeper it's powerful, but Scizor can take on specs variants locked in DM. Bronzong takes minimal damage from DM but a Fire Blast is problematic. Mixed variants are defeated by mence. It seems to be handled well but I usually have to sack something because of it's move pool, so okay it's a nuisance.*

Infernape: Starmie can come in on it's Fire/Fighting Stab and use Psyshock ( a miss could be annoying so use that). It switches in on Bronzong and can be KO'd by EQ with proper prediction. At +1 it is beaten by mence and Scizor can do some real damage even with Bullet Punch. Gastrodon can take on Fire Blast but you need to watch out for the rare Grass Knot.

Jellicent: It often spams Will-o-wisp, meaning Thundurus can come in and Lum Berry will cure him. STAB Thunderbolt will take down the "floating pokemon" and it takes a ton of damage from Outrage, courtesy of Salamence. Gastrodon can take scald but can't do anything in return.

Jirachi: The definition of hax, Jirachi. Bronzong doesn't care about paralysis and Iron Head is a 24HKO. Thundurus can surprise it with a Lum Berry and has powerful Thunderbolts against it. It's an annoyance to any team though. Gastrodon can take on Iron Head for a while and has Scald to burn it.

Kingdra: With rain dance it is plain deadly, however it cannot get up Rain Dance without taking enough damage to be defeated by Scizor. It is a powerful threat with rain dance but at least Drizzle + Swift Swim is banned because that is just cheap. Gastrodon also does well.

: Kyurem: It's outright walled by Bronzong and is taking some real damage from Gyro Ball, it can't set up in any way so it isn't sweeping the team anytime soon. SR allows Scizor to Bullet Punch it while coming in on Ice Beam. Salamence has Outrage as well and Thundurus has Focus Blast.

Landorus: Scizor does a lot with Bullet Punch. Starmie has Hydro Pump, Bronzong is an excellent stop to it. Thundurus can outspeed and OHKO with HP Ice, or set up on choice locked Earthquake, Salamence can set up on choice EQ as well except scarf can revenge you.

Latias: Bronzong easily takes Dragon Pulse + HP Fire while firing off a powerful Gyro Ball. Scizor picks off weakened variants and can U-turn on the Sub CM variant.

Latios: It has a lot of power I'll give it that, but Bronzong can handle it well much like his sister. Scizor can defeat choice locked DM variants and has Pursuit. Gastrodon takes damage from DM but can recover it off and absorbs specs surf.
*
*Magnezone: It traps Bronzong however, it's nailed by EQ and can't 2HKO my floating bell so it loses to that. Scizor has Superpower, and Gastrodon walls anything no named HP Grass.

*Mew: Scizor handles it well since most lack Flamethrower. Bronzong walls it and does good damage with Gyro Ball. Defensive Mew takes 52%~ from Thundurus' +2 Thunderbolt and even more from Salamence.

*Ninetales: Gastrodon walls defensive versions, Starmie has Psyshock for a 2HKO. Salamence uses it as set up fodder and destroys it. It's frail so it's not a threat. Most sun teams are set up fodder for mence in the first place.
*
*Politoed: Gastrodon can take anything, if it is specs HP grass Salamence gets a free DD and cam sweep. Thundurus can beat non scarf variants.*

* Reuniclus: Bronzong can wall it but do nothing back. Scizor has U-turn to destroy it with especially CM variants. Trick Room is annoying so Bronzong can outstall it so Scizor has an opportunity.

*Rotom-W: Salamence wrecks it with Outrage, Thundurus can do some real damage to it. Gastrodon performs excellently against it.
*
Salamence: Bronzong can take a locked Outrage and HP Ice it to it's chilly grave. Starmie has Ice Beam to beat it. Thundurus as well. DD can be powerful since it can clean my team should I lose Bronzong and Scizor.

*Scizor: Salamence can set up on U-turn, Bronzong does okay against it. SD is strong but is handled by Thundurus before it sets up.
**
Scrafty: Scizor has U-turn to wreck it, Salamence has a powerful Outrage while Thundurus has Focus Blast.
*
Sigilyph: Scizor can U-turn for good damage and go to Bronzong who can take Stored Power forever. Gastrodon has Ice Beam to threaten it, Salamence can get up a DD before Flame Orb activates and destroy it.
*
Skarmory: Thundurus outright murders this thing, it's immune to spikes and destroys it with Thunderbolt. Bronzong walls it forever and since only two pokemon are hurt by spikes it's okay if it sets up.
*
Slowbro: Thundurus has a lot of power over it, Gastrodon sits there and Toxics it while shrugging off Ice Beam. Scizor outruns it and can use U-turn.

Starmie: Gastrodon takes it on forever. Scizor can U-turn on it. It has no way to set up so that's good news for the team. Thundurus is actually beaten by it so do not try it if you use this team.
*
Terrakion: Scizor can come in on Quick attack (no joke) and Bullet Punch it. Salamence sets up on CB Close Combat and can destroy the opposing team.
*
*Thundurus: Starmie can revenge with Ice Beam, Scizor is doing 33~% with Bullet Punch and has SR to help it. Gastrodon can beat it very well unless it has Grass Knot.
*
*Tornadus: Scizor does much more with Bullet Punch. Starmie has Ice Beam again. Gastrodon can beat it but takes much more from Hurricane. Somewhat easier than Thundurus.
*
*Tyranitar: Scizor matches up well as a lead, Bronzong fares pretty well against it. Thundurus has a + 2 Focus Blast and mence has EQ.

Victini: Powerful but adamant versions are outran and killed by Salamence, Starmie handles it outside the sun. Thundurus beats it at -1 Defenses.*

*Virizion: Starmie has Psyshock to OHKO while Bronzong can do okay against it with Gyro Ball. It's a big threat that should not be underestimated.*
*
*Volcarona: SR makes it much easier to counter. Salamence defeats the chesto rest set with ease. Starmie can OHKO after SR, Thundurus has a powerful Thunderbolt. It is a problem.
 
Replace roost on Salamence with fire blast. After one dd, it outspeeds choice scarf Genesect and ohko's with fireblast as opposed to a 2hko with eq which leaves you vulnerable to ice beam. It's a useful check to the threat Genesect poses to your team.
 
Zapdos looks like the weak link in this team as it is outclassed by Thundurus as a Life Orb attacker (higher speed, Nasty Plot, Focus Blast). Thundurus would make an excellent fit for this team thanks to its ability to break stall and kill off Latios's counters.

Thundurus @ Lum Berry | Timid | EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nasty Plot | Thunderbolt | Focus Blast | Hidden Power [Ice]

As for other changes, I highly recommend using an EV spread of 252 HP / 88 SpA / 168 SpD on Bronzong, replacing Rest for Hidden Power Ice. This will give you an extremely solid Gliscor counter as well as hitting Dragonite and Salamence hard. The high special defense investment is needed for switching into strong Draco Meteors. Try some of these changes out, I think you'll see improved results. Nice team and good luck.
 
I'll second replacing Zapdos with Thundurus, and you're also very very weak to Volcarona, so I suggest replacing Rotom-W with Gastrodon. It can take on Volcarona pretty well and helps against rain teams.

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Storm Drain
Calm 252/0/4/0/252/0
- Scald
- Ice Beam / Earth Power
- Toxic
- Recover

Good luck.
 
This team looks good, just make sure you get Stealth Rocks up to lessen the threat of Volcarona. I actually think Zapdos can stay, courtosy of Heat Wave. Heat Wave has better accuracy than Thundurus's Focus Miss. Yeah, good team.
 

IronBullet

Astronomy Domine
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnus
Hey,

I support both of BKC's suggestions of a NP Thundurus of Zapdos and the EV spread change on Bronzong. Rest is practically useless without Sleep Talk and you just turn Bronzong into free set up bait for 3 turns. It really appreciates the coverage from HP Ice to deal with Gliscor, Dragonite and Salamence. I also think Gastrodon would be an excellent choice over Rotom-W with its ability to take on all Volcarona barring ChestoRest versions which are handled by Salamence who resists both of its STABs.

Salamence needs to be run with a spinner, otherwise it will get far too easily worn down. Since yours is an offensive team, Starmie is one of the best choices for this job. I would recommend running it over Latios, since it is also a frightening sweeper with excellent STAB attacks, and checks similar things, such as rain and Infernape. The set I would recommend is Hydro Pump | Rapid Spin | Recover | Thunderbolt with EVs of 252 Sp Atk | 252 Speed | 4 Def with a Timid nature and a Life Orb. However, you can also opt for Psyshock over Thunderbolt to check Virizion and deal a lot of damage to Blissey. Rapid Spin support is also valuable to Thundurus.

I feel that the Scizor set could use some work, perhaps it would be better to simply use the standard Choice Band set. Most of the time you will be spamming U-turn, and since Scizor is fairly slow it won't be sweeping very often without a boosting move. If you still want the special bulk, it is perfectly acceptable to run a bit of special defense. The ideal moveset would be Bullet Punch | U-turn | Superpower | Pursuit, with EVs of 248 HP | 252 Atk | 8 Speed with an Adamant nature, but consider running Quick Attack as Volcarona can still be a bit of a bother.

Good luck!
 
Thanks IB93 for the rate. Starmie>Latios sounds good, I found the Ice weakness annoying so Latios can kick it's butt off the team. Gastrodon>Rotom-W sounds good, I am considering Thundurus and it should be doing the same to steel types at +2 with Focus Blast, of course a miss could result in death but if that gets annoying I can always change it to Zapdos again. Thanks everyone!
 
Hey there.

Definitely run the standard ev spread of 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Speed on Scizor, and change the item to Choice Band, as it definitely outclasses Metal Coat, and life Orb is only worth running for an SD set.

If you're going to be running Salamence over Dragonite you should definitely change the nature to hasty / naive and run Fire Blast over Roost, as the ability to go mixed is one of the only reasons to use Salamence over Dragonite in 5th generation. I do not know why you find Dragonite to be too weak, it only has 1 less base attack than Salamence, and is a much better option with Roost thanks to Multiscale and higher defenses.

Since you already agreed on Starmie > Latios, Thundurus > Zapdos, and HP Ice > Rest on Zong, I have nothing else to suggest. Good luck.
 
Problem is for Dnite not to be outclassed is that it needs 252 HP/40 Atk/216 Spd which makes it undesirably weak, I prefer Salamence with Roost but thanks for the suggestion.
 
I've finally found another guy that thinks Salamence is good (but underrated).
Lucario can be used over scizor, because he completely destroys Salamences main counters (gliscor, Thundurus, latios, slowbro, jellicent) after a SD. It does have the 4-slot syndrome, so choose whatever helps the rest of your team most:

name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: ExtremeSpeed
move 4: Crunch / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
 
hey man awesome team... I love how you can easily get rid of excadrill and for a pokemon who never dropped of the top 10 list for like 2 gens, mence is seriously underrated this gen. Plus anyone who thinks they can kill you off by abusing your LO recoil can think twice, I like the idea of roost. @Aeromence: luke doesn't really have the jawdropping early game power to punch holes in opponent's teams just when scouting that scizor does
 

ginganinja

It's all coming back to me now
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a CAP Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
hey man just posting to ask why you still are not running the standard NP Thundurus set thats been recomended so many times. HP Fire simply isn't needed when a +2 Thunderbolt or Focus Blast destroys steels anyway. Lum NP Thundurus also beats Gliscor and Jirachi which your own set fails to do. Seeing as you stated your entire goal was to eliminate checks to DD Salamnece NP Lum Thundurus allows you to do this much better. Again this is the set if you missed it

Thundurus @ Lum Berry | Timid | EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nasty Plot | Thunderbolt | Focus Blast | Hidden Power [Ice
 
Hey thanks for the rates guys

@Aeromence-Salamence! Yeah Lucario doesn't have bone crushing power early without a boost, and needs stuff to be weakened. Jellicent is destroyed by Thunderbro while Bronzong walls and KO's Gliscor Latios is beaten from community while Slowbro shares the fate of Jellicent.

@-Sun- I agree, Scizor is a great scout and roost has always proven useful.

@ginganinja- Ok I'll put NP there, I did find HP Fire a liability anyway... the surprise was fun at first though ;)
 
Sun teams seem like they could trouble you a lot. For example, a simple Growth Venusaur with Energy Ball / Sludge Bomb / Hidden Power Fire can 6-0 your team after a single Growth. Gastrodon and Starmie get destroyed by Energy Ball, Scizor and Bronzong go down to Hidden Power Fire, and Thundurus and Salamence fall to Sludge Bomb. You also don't have a good switch-in to Victini's V-Create or Darmanitan's Flare Blitz. Salamence can Intimidate and resist V-Create, but still has a chance of being KOed after Stealth Rock. To prove my point, here are some V-Create calculations (assuming sun):

252Atk Choice Band Victini (+Atk) V-create in Sun vs 252HP/4Def Storm Drain Gastrodon: 96% - 113% (411 - 485 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO. 79% chance to OHKO.
252Atk Choice Band Victini (+Atk) V-create in Sun vs 4HP/0Def Starmie: 131% - 155% (345 - 407 HP). Guaranteed OHKO.
252Atk Choice Band -1 Victini (+Atk) V-create in Sun vs 4HP/0Def Salamence: 72% - 85% (242 - 285 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO.


Your team also seems pretty weak to Volcarona. It can set up a Quiver Dance against Scizor or Bronzong, and at +1, everything on your team bar Gastrodon is KOed by Bug Buzz / Fire Blast after Stealth Rock damage.

To fix all this, I recommend a Heatran over Bronzong. The exact set is:


Heatran @ Air Balloon | Flash Fire
Calm | 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Stealth Rock / Lava Plume / Hidden Power Ice / Protect


This is a specially defensive Heatran with a bit of a twist. It still checks the threats Bronzong used to check. Excadrill can't beat Heatran thanks to Air Balloon, and Latios can't beat Heatran either, outside of maybe Choice Specs Surf in the rain, while he gets smacked with Hidden Power Ice. Thanks to Air Balloon, this guy also beats sun teams with no trouble. He is immune to Fire, Poison and Ground, and 4x resists Grass and Bug. Sun teams normally carry Dugtrio to deal with Heatran, but Air Balloon makes Dugtrio a non-factor.

Good luck!
 
Sun teams seem like they could trouble you a lot. For example, a simple Growth Venusaur with Energy Ball / Sludge Bomb / Hidden Power Fire can 6-0 your team after a single Growth. Gastrodon and Starmie get destroyed by Energy Ball, Scizor and Bronzong go down to Hidden Power Fire, and Thundurus and Salamence fall to Sludge Bomb. You also don't have a good switch-in to Victini's V-Create or Darmanitan's Flare Blitz. Salamence can Intimidate and resist V-Create, but still has a chance of being KOed after Stealth Rock. To prove my point, here are some V-Create calculations (assuming sun):

252Atk Choice Band Victini (+Atk) V-create in Sun vs 252HP/4Def Storm Drain Gastrodon: 96% - 113% (411 - 485 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO. 79% chance to OHKO.
252Atk Choice Band Victini (+Atk) V-create in Sun vs 4HP/0Def Starmie: 131% - 155% (345 - 407 HP). Guaranteed OHKO.
252Atk Choice Band -1 Victini (+Atk) V-create in Sun vs 4HP/0Def Salamence: 72% - 85% (242 - 285 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO.


Your team also seems pretty weak to Volcarona. It can set up a Quiver Dance against Scizor or Bronzong, and at +1, everything on your team bar Gastrodon is KOed by Bug Buzz / Fire Blast after Stealth Rock damage.

To fix all this, I recommend a Heatran over Bronzong. The exact set is:


Heatran @ Air Balloon | Flash Fire
Calm | 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Stealth Rock / Lava Plume / Hidden Power Ice / Protect


This is a specially defensive Heatran with a bit of a twist. It still checks the threats Bronzong used to check. Excadrill can't beat Heatran thanks to Air Balloon, and Latios can't beat Heatran either, outside of maybe Choice Specs Surf in the rain, while he gets smacked with Hidden Power Ice. Thanks to Air Balloon, this guy also beats sun teams with no trouble. He is immune to Fire, Poison and Ground, and 4x resists Grass and Bug. Sun teams normally carry Dugtrio to deal with Heatran, but Air Balloon makes Dugtrio a non-factor.

Good luck!
On paper, you are correct. However in practice, I find sun teams predictable. Every battle with them I manage to get +2 withbSalamence and sweep as planned. I have never had to take Darmanitan full on because they usuall run scarf with U-turn spam which leads to boosts and such, Victini's calcs suggest it runs Adamant nature, making it promptly outran by Salamence, which after my SR Earthquake is a OHKO. I would use Heatran but since used it on earlier versions of the team and it failed I respectfully choose to keep Bronzong. Also I find Volcarona has never defeated me, SR hinders it enough that practically everything bar Bronzong can defeat it.
 

august

you’re a voice that never sings
is a Community Leaderis a Tiering Contributoris a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis the 8th Smogon Classic Winnerwon the 5th Official Smogon Tournamentis a Five-Time Past WCoP Champion
OGC Leader
I disagree with the Heatran suggestion honestly.
Excadrill can't beat Heatran thanks to Air Balloon
This especially. While Balloon Tran is cool and everything, you can't say that Balloon is _always_ going to be around to prevent an Excadrill weak, especially considering you're relying on Heatran to lay Stealth Rock (presumably early game), and Excadrill generally won't attempt a sweep until late game or all counters have been wiped out. Choice Specs / Life Orb Surf will still 2HKO Heatran, and even in the event that you switch into Draco Meteor, your Balloon is popped and you have no Leftovers recovery to attempt to outstall Latios (HP Ice will not 2HKO either). It also doesn't stop Sun, as most Sun teams carry Focus Sash Dugtrio, which still beats Heatran regardless of whether or not you are running Balloon.

Honestly I think in Salamence's replacement Bulky DDNite would work with Multi Scale. With Roost + Rapid Spin support you can deal with Volcarona, and this way you can keep Bronzong to counter Excradrill. Dragonite can easily sweep late game with Roost / Fire Punch / Dragon Claw / Dragon Dance. The only thing you have to do is avoid Burn / status and you should be pretty solid.

Just some 2 cents!
 
Okay so I agree with you to an extent. Bulky DD nite does do much better against Volcarona and sun teams. As a sweeper though, Salamence is a much better end game sweeper. Here are some calcs involving some common Pokemon.

+1 Bulky Dragonite vs 252 HP/4Def/252 SDef Heatran 35% - 41.2%
+1 Salamence vs the same Heatran 48.2% - 56.7%

Dnite lacks EQ but Salamence has it, you could argue Gastrodon manhandles Heatran. However there is no guarantee of Gastrodon lasting long enough, plus against Gliscor and Celebi, Salamence performs much better. I also used Dnite on an earlier version, but overall Salamence worked better. Thanks for the rate though!
 
Hi there Tyranitar Looks good but a few things Gastrodon seems to be a little weak on this team. See Tyranitar can stop sun and rain. Plus Jellicent and Sigiliph are easly defeated by crunch so try that out maybe. Also Choice Band Scizor I'm a little iffy see let's say you bullet punch lead Terrakion and switchs you can surrvive and Ko with U-turn. Or put Lum Berry on Scizor but if you like the extra power I understand. Last Starmie Psychic will do more damage but than Blissy walls you but you might want to think about it. Also Jellicent walls you with out Thunder Bolt it's probly one of Starmies best moves. So after all these suggestions and changes you might want to go back to Zapdos. See it's much more bullky than Thundrus and hits just as hard and you can Roost off damage if your weak. Great team Tyranitar and good luck
 
Hey Epic OU thanks for the rate. I have highly considered this comment. Interesting, Tyranitar along with Zapdos makes this team fairly more bulky. Many of my somewhat threats become obsolete with Tyranitar. I will try out both variations of the team and I can edit the post depending on what version gains the most ladder points. If anyone wants to second Epic Ou's suggestions then thanks.

GL with that badge quest!
 
Not much to add after so many rates but I'd recommend running Fire Blast on Salamence, as running Roost on it is outclassed by Dragonite. Salamence really only shines over dragonite with its offensive stats, making Fire Blast an excellent option over Roost, and allows you to sweep mindlessly with attacks on both sides of the spectrum. Roost and Outrage can be kind of together as well. Fire Blast greatly reduces the amount of pokemon it fears.

Overall a very handsome team, and good luck fellow Salamence user.
Now that I think about it, our teams have very similair concepts.. I use Scizor and Salamence, combined with some bulky pokemon to slow the offensive opposition, and I use no weather. Check it out if you'd like for ideas and what not.
http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3449860

*Also, change the nature to Naive if you go with Fire Blast. (Naive > Hasty because of Intimidate, so you can somewhat reliably switch into resisted physical attacks and use them to set up.

Hope I helped somehow
 
Hello :]

Nice rmt. You might want to try toxic over gyro ball on bronzong. This allows you to still counter threats such as excadrill or landorus, while giving you that ability to hit things on the switch.
 
Hello :]

Nice rmt. You might want to try toxic over gyro ball on bronzong. This allows you to still counter threats such as excadrill or landorus, while giving you that ability to hit things on the switch.
I don't get this comment. Excadrill is immune from poison, and Bronzong has earthquake for it, and HP-ice for Landorus.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top