Hi all!
So I have been absent from the Smogon forums for a while now. I checked in now and then, but it has been almost a year since I last posted something. My trade thread probably has cobwebs on it by now, since it was more or less rendered obsolete by the introduction of PokeTransfer. Ah, the good old breeding days! Anyway, today I am here with an RMT. I have been experimenting with various teams with different cores, and managed to do quite well with this one. It, however, is far from perfect and has its fair share of flaws. I find myself wanting to change things over and over, but I'm afraid I will hurt the delicate balance on which the team is sitting right now. Therefore, I ask for some experienced eyes to aid me in this ridiculously difficult task.
Here's the team:
The sets:
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 140 HP / 156 Atk / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
I absolutely fell in love with Scarf Landorus when I played against it. It has an immense amount of natural attack, defensive bulk due to intimidate, great defensive typing to take on physical, fighting-type attackers (read: Terrakion and Conkeldurr), and neutrality to SR. It is a great pivot and can be a great revenge killer when it needs to be.
I run U-turn for obvious reasons. The EdgeQuake attacking combo is great against teams that are unprepared for it. Superpower lets it function like Terrakion, to a degree. I used to run Knock Off instead of Superpower, but Superpower seemed to come in handy more often than not because it packs a lot of power and is one of the only fighting-type moves in the team, which can be crucial to take down Chansey and Porygon-2.
The EVs are ripped off of the Smogon Analysis, but they basically give Landy enough speed to outrun Mega-Manectric (and OHKO it through intimidate; a lot of people seem to not realize that), decent bulk and good attacking prowess.
All in all, Landorus-T functions a lot like the pivot Landorus of BW and the Flygon of DPPt, and does one hell of a job at it.
Scizor-Mega (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Atk / 164 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Roost
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
Back in the days of BW, Scizor was one-half of the infamous Volt-Turn core with Rotom-W. The metagame has changed significantly since then, and so has Scizor with the access to a Mega Evolution.
This Scizor functions slightly differently than the Banded Scizor of old in that it can choose between its moves, it can use recovery because it is no longer choice-locked, and it has much better bulk. Otherwise, it functions very similarly to CB Scizor.
The moves are also self-explanatory. Roost once your HP falls to below 50% so that you can switch into a resisted move another time. U-Turn on switches for solid damage foes that do not resist it, and Bullet Punch is great priority. Superpower is there to combat Excadrill, who otherwise beats you one-on-one, and to smash in the cocky Heatran who comes in to try and absorb a U-turn. Knock off is an alternative that has good utility, but Superpower has proved better so far. I'm a bit skeptical about running Superpower on both my physical U-turners, but it's worked well so far. I don't use superpower on Landy as often, so I guess it's worth considering Knock off there.
The EVs are also ripped off of the Smogon Analysis page. It basically gives Scizor good Special bulk to function as a special tank alongside the physical tank that landorus can be.
Overall, Scizor is an invaluable member of the team. I always find myself looking for leftovers recovery when it comes to this guy, so I guess that's a testament to how valuable he is to the team.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
The second half of the legendary Volt-Turn core. Rotom-W is as amazing as it has ever been this meta. Its ability to check birdspam, cripple physical attackers, absorb hits like a boss and leech Blissey of half its HP is nothing short of phenomenal. The fact that it is a pivot is only icing on the cake. Its great defensive typing and ability make it hard to OHKO, and that's enough space for it to do some damage. Now only if it had a more reliable recovery...
The moves are standard and self-explanatory. Volt Switch is obvious. Hydro Pump is obvious. Will-O-Wisp is a must on defensive sets, and Pain Split over ChestoRest because Leftovers recovery is invaluable.
The EVs are from the defensive Rotom set. I would run the specially defensive set, but this set does a much, much better job of containing Azumarill, who walks all over my team otherwise. The defensive set also checks birdspam very well. Nothing feels quite as good as W-o-Wing a +2 M-Pinsir as it uses Return, and then proceeding to Pain Split on the weakened hit to leech HP. I wish I could run a more offensive set though. Failing to 2HKO specially defensive heatran hurts, A LOT. Damn toxic.
Great synergy with Scizor defensively AND offensively. Both mons have only one weakness, and they cover each others'. Both hit from different sides of the spectrum, and hit each others' checks well.
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Defog
Since I am switching around a lot, I generally like hazards off the field. If I'm playing against a smart opponent, they will put up hazards, and make me switch a lot with their choices. This team currently lacks entry hazards (I just can't figure out which mon to use, but these have worked well so far). Latios is great at putting on offensive pressure and forcing switches. That's when I use Defog, or just smash things in with Draco Meteor. Latios is also one of my only two Mega-Venusaur checks. Mega-Venusaur walks all over my pivot core, so it's necessary that I have something that can deal good damage to it. However, this slot is open for change, as Latios is not as necessary to the idea of this team as some of the other mons are.
The moves are mostly self-explanatory. Draco Meteor for great power and smashing things in. Psyshock for the secondary STAB and hitting the defensive end of special walls. I prefer hidden power fire over other Surf, Earthquake or Thunderbolt because it helps me deal with Ferrothorn, which is really annoying to deal with otherwise. It also lets me deal with the Scizor that wants to Pursuit me, the Bisharp that thinks it can get a free SD, and the occasional Forretress.
Obvious EVs are obvious.
Again, I'm open for change regarding this mon. I feel like I should have one more physical attacker because four of my Pokemon are special attackers, and that can make it tough to deal with Chansey/Blissey. That's also a reason I run Superpower on both my physical attackers. This slot could be swapped for something that can put up entry hazards, because having hazards on my opponent's side should probably be a bigger priority than not having hazards on my side, as I don't carry any mons weak to SR. I also don't carry any mons that resist rock-type moves, so that's worth noticing.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Flamethrower
The best stallbreaker of all time, hands down. Get rid of opposing steel/poison types (both weak to Ground, so that's worth noticing), and have a field day against walls and weak tanks. This is probably my favorite Pokemon on the team because of how mean it can be. I've had multiple battles where victory and loss have hinged on a critical hit just because of this guy. Absolutely phenomenal niche in today's metagame. Every team needs to be prepared for this, as if they aren't, Clefable can sweep entire teams.
I actually ran a specially defensive Heatran, which then turned into a ScarfTran, before I started running this. What made me make the switch? A person who was running physically defensive Poison Heal Breloom in tandem with specially defensive Mega-Charizard Y that had Will-O-Wisp and Roost. I quit that battle halfway because I couldn't deal with that core, at all. Clefable handles both, singlehandedly.
Moves are obvious for the most part. Flamethrower over Stored Power because I don't have a very hard time with Heatran or Mega-Venusaur, and it's one of only two fire-type moves on my team, which can be crucial in taking down opposing Mega-Scizor and Mega-Mawile.
Again, obvious EVs are obvious. I want defense because special defense is boosted by Calm Mind, and max defensive bulk allows Clefable to function as a mini-tank when she has to. In particular, she can tank Landorus-T's moves like a boss and just heal off the damage. She is also a good answer to Banded Dragonite at full health. There are many other examples, but because of the reliable recovery and immunity to passive damage, she's usually my go-to physical tank if I can afford being reckless with her.
She's also a status absorber who can deal with Breloom. Some problems arise when I have to deal with Sleep Powder Venusaur, but I can usually deal with it with clever switches.
Greninja (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Black Greninja is such a boss. Just sayin'.
Greninja has a role in the metagame that I have never before seen in previous metagames. It is a glass cannon, yes, and it does have good attacking prowess. However, it is not a sweeper, as it cannot hit hard enough to break walls and tanks. It is a sweeper-breaker, because of its amazing speed and unparalleled coverage due to protean. It murders Landorus, Keldeo, Mega-Venusaur (with some prior damage), Dragonite, Garchomp, Latios and the like. It's a great answer to heavy offense, and it usually gets a kill or two in every game. Despite all that, I'm not very sure about this mon. I feel that although it puts up offensive pressure, it doesn't match up to the defensive standards of a good pivot. Its niche is killing sweepers, but when the opponent starts switching and the LO recoil starts accumulating, you realize that its not as reliable as some of the other mons on the team. I wanted to run U-turn on this mon too, but four-moveslot syndrome hits this guy really hard. HP grass is almost standard now because it eliminates Rotom-W as a check, which is very common. Besides, this team doesn't handle Rotom-W very well, and this is a great way to eliminate it.
Moves are self-explanatory as they are almost set in stone.
EVs are also obvious.
I am open to change this guy and Latios for a defensive core that makes up for their absence and also provides some offense/status/hazards to support the pivot-core of the team. I am also open to change Landorus' set or run another, similar Pokemon, but Landorus has worked very well for me so far.
Anyway, that's the team. Thanks for taking the time to read everything! Any and all advice is appreciated.
Threat list coming soon.
Cheers!
P.S. Credit to pkparaiso.com for the amazing sprite database.
So I have been absent from the Smogon forums for a while now. I checked in now and then, but it has been almost a year since I last posted something. My trade thread probably has cobwebs on it by now, since it was more or less rendered obsolete by the introduction of PokeTransfer. Ah, the good old breeding days! Anyway, today I am here with an RMT. I have been experimenting with various teams with different cores, and managed to do quite well with this one. It, however, is far from perfect and has its fair share of flaws. I find myself wanting to change things over and over, but I'm afraid I will hurt the delicate balance on which the team is sitting right now. Therefore, I ask for some experienced eyes to aid me in this ridiculously difficult task.
Here's the team:
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 140 HP / 156 Atk / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
I absolutely fell in love with Scarf Landorus when I played against it. It has an immense amount of natural attack, defensive bulk due to intimidate, great defensive typing to take on physical, fighting-type attackers (read: Terrakion and Conkeldurr), and neutrality to SR. It is a great pivot and can be a great revenge killer when it needs to be.
I run U-turn for obvious reasons. The EdgeQuake attacking combo is great against teams that are unprepared for it. Superpower lets it function like Terrakion, to a degree. I used to run Knock Off instead of Superpower, but Superpower seemed to come in handy more often than not because it packs a lot of power and is one of the only fighting-type moves in the team, which can be crucial to take down Chansey and Porygon-2.
The EVs are ripped off of the Smogon Analysis, but they basically give Landy enough speed to outrun Mega-Manectric (and OHKO it through intimidate; a lot of people seem to not realize that), decent bulk and good attacking prowess.
All in all, Landorus-T functions a lot like the pivot Landorus of BW and the Flygon of DPPt, and does one hell of a job at it.
Scizor-Mega (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Atk / 164 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Roost
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
Back in the days of BW, Scizor was one-half of the infamous Volt-Turn core with Rotom-W. The metagame has changed significantly since then, and so has Scizor with the access to a Mega Evolution.
This Scizor functions slightly differently than the Banded Scizor of old in that it can choose between its moves, it can use recovery because it is no longer choice-locked, and it has much better bulk. Otherwise, it functions very similarly to CB Scizor.
The moves are also self-explanatory. Roost once your HP falls to below 50% so that you can switch into a resisted move another time. U-Turn on switches for solid damage foes that do not resist it, and Bullet Punch is great priority. Superpower is there to combat Excadrill, who otherwise beats you one-on-one, and to smash in the cocky Heatran who comes in to try and absorb a U-turn. Knock off is an alternative that has good utility, but Superpower has proved better so far. I'm a bit skeptical about running Superpower on both my physical U-turners, but it's worked well so far. I don't use superpower on Landy as often, so I guess it's worth considering Knock off there.
The EVs are also ripped off of the Smogon Analysis page. It basically gives Scizor good Special bulk to function as a special tank alongside the physical tank that landorus can be.
Overall, Scizor is an invaluable member of the team. I always find myself looking for leftovers recovery when it comes to this guy, so I guess that's a testament to how valuable he is to the team.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
The second half of the legendary Volt-Turn core. Rotom-W is as amazing as it has ever been this meta. Its ability to check birdspam, cripple physical attackers, absorb hits like a boss and leech Blissey of half its HP is nothing short of phenomenal. The fact that it is a pivot is only icing on the cake. Its great defensive typing and ability make it hard to OHKO, and that's enough space for it to do some damage. Now only if it had a more reliable recovery...
The moves are standard and self-explanatory. Volt Switch is obvious. Hydro Pump is obvious. Will-O-Wisp is a must on defensive sets, and Pain Split over ChestoRest because Leftovers recovery is invaluable.
The EVs are from the defensive Rotom set. I would run the specially defensive set, but this set does a much, much better job of containing Azumarill, who walks all over my team otherwise. The defensive set also checks birdspam very well. Nothing feels quite as good as W-o-Wing a +2 M-Pinsir as it uses Return, and then proceeding to Pain Split on the weakened hit to leech HP. I wish I could run a more offensive set though. Failing to 2HKO specially defensive heatran hurts, A LOT. Damn toxic.
Great synergy with Scizor defensively AND offensively. Both mons have only one weakness, and they cover each others'. Both hit from different sides of the spectrum, and hit each others' checks well.
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Defog
Since I am switching around a lot, I generally like hazards off the field. If I'm playing against a smart opponent, they will put up hazards, and make me switch a lot with their choices. This team currently lacks entry hazards (I just can't figure out which mon to use, but these have worked well so far). Latios is great at putting on offensive pressure and forcing switches. That's when I use Defog, or just smash things in with Draco Meteor. Latios is also one of my only two Mega-Venusaur checks. Mega-Venusaur walks all over my pivot core, so it's necessary that I have something that can deal good damage to it. However, this slot is open for change, as Latios is not as necessary to the idea of this team as some of the other mons are.
The moves are mostly self-explanatory. Draco Meteor for great power and smashing things in. Psyshock for the secondary STAB and hitting the defensive end of special walls. I prefer hidden power fire over other Surf, Earthquake or Thunderbolt because it helps me deal with Ferrothorn, which is really annoying to deal with otherwise. It also lets me deal with the Scizor that wants to Pursuit me, the Bisharp that thinks it can get a free SD, and the occasional Forretress.
Obvious EVs are obvious.
Again, I'm open for change regarding this mon. I feel like I should have one more physical attacker because four of my Pokemon are special attackers, and that can make it tough to deal with Chansey/Blissey. That's also a reason I run Superpower on both my physical attackers. This slot could be swapped for something that can put up entry hazards, because having hazards on my opponent's side should probably be a bigger priority than not having hazards on my side, as I don't carry any mons weak to SR. I also don't carry any mons that resist rock-type moves, so that's worth noticing.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Flamethrower
The best stallbreaker of all time, hands down. Get rid of opposing steel/poison types (both weak to Ground, so that's worth noticing), and have a field day against walls and weak tanks. This is probably my favorite Pokemon on the team because of how mean it can be. I've had multiple battles where victory and loss have hinged on a critical hit just because of this guy. Absolutely phenomenal niche in today's metagame. Every team needs to be prepared for this, as if they aren't, Clefable can sweep entire teams.
I actually ran a specially defensive Heatran, which then turned into a ScarfTran, before I started running this. What made me make the switch? A person who was running physically defensive Poison Heal Breloom in tandem with specially defensive Mega-Charizard Y that had Will-O-Wisp and Roost. I quit that battle halfway because I couldn't deal with that core, at all. Clefable handles both, singlehandedly.
Moves are obvious for the most part. Flamethrower over Stored Power because I don't have a very hard time with Heatran or Mega-Venusaur, and it's one of only two fire-type moves on my team, which can be crucial in taking down opposing Mega-Scizor and Mega-Mawile.
Again, obvious EVs are obvious. I want defense because special defense is boosted by Calm Mind, and max defensive bulk allows Clefable to function as a mini-tank when she has to. In particular, she can tank Landorus-T's moves like a boss and just heal off the damage. She is also a good answer to Banded Dragonite at full health. There are many other examples, but because of the reliable recovery and immunity to passive damage, she's usually my go-to physical tank if I can afford being reckless with her.
She's also a status absorber who can deal with Breloom. Some problems arise when I have to deal with Sleep Powder Venusaur, but I can usually deal with it with clever switches.
Greninja (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Black Greninja is such a boss. Just sayin'.
Greninja has a role in the metagame that I have never before seen in previous metagames. It is a glass cannon, yes, and it does have good attacking prowess. However, it is not a sweeper, as it cannot hit hard enough to break walls and tanks. It is a sweeper-breaker, because of its amazing speed and unparalleled coverage due to protean. It murders Landorus, Keldeo, Mega-Venusaur (with some prior damage), Dragonite, Garchomp, Latios and the like. It's a great answer to heavy offense, and it usually gets a kill or two in every game. Despite all that, I'm not very sure about this mon. I feel that although it puts up offensive pressure, it doesn't match up to the defensive standards of a good pivot. Its niche is killing sweepers, but when the opponent starts switching and the LO recoil starts accumulating, you realize that its not as reliable as some of the other mons on the team. I wanted to run U-turn on this mon too, but four-moveslot syndrome hits this guy really hard. HP grass is almost standard now because it eliminates Rotom-W as a check, which is very common. Besides, this team doesn't handle Rotom-W very well, and this is a great way to eliminate it.
Moves are self-explanatory as they are almost set in stone.
EVs are also obvious.
I am open to change this guy and Latios for a defensive core that makes up for their absence and also provides some offense/status/hazards to support the pivot-core of the team. I am also open to change Landorus' set or run another, similar Pokemon, but Landorus has worked very well for me so far.
Anyway, that's the team. Thanks for taking the time to read everything! Any and all advice is appreciated.
Threat list coming soon.
Cheers!
P.S. Credit to pkparaiso.com for the amazing sprite database.
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