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Jukain · Dec 1st, 2012, 11:09:24 AM

Introduction

Well it has been quite a while since I've posted an RMT, the usual rant, whatever. Today I've got a sun team for you. Pretty standard, maybe not perfect, but it performs well whenever I use it. It's offensive like every sun team and all that and has the super mega powerful Victini. This team started as a team with Lilligant but for it to actually perform well I sadly have to go without it. Oh, and this is also my 1k! There's some stuff in here that'll have to do with that. Okay, here we go.

Teambuilding

I started the team and my thought process was basically must use Lilligant must use Lilligant. I was testing it for an analysis and I needed to test it. This one was a Quiver Dance sweeper, and I used offensive Sunny Day Ninetales because duh I needed sun and for some reason didn't use defensive.

I wanted a second Chlorophyll sweeper, so I put Venusaur on the team. Just your standard Growth set. I also wanted a Fire-type sweeper, so I put the manly CB Victini on the team. I used Dugtrio to take out their counters.

I wanted hazards, so I threw a Deoxys-D on the team.

Well, that's the 5 minute team. I tried, but it was total shit. I tried Healing Wish Lilligant, team still sucked. I made a core of Bronzong / LO Latias. Let me tell you, non-max Speed Timid Latias is terrble. It was so infuriating, getting outsped by of all things Garchomp and losing games because of it. I did make it max Speed so I wouldn't facepalm every battle. Deoxys-D got kicked out because I didn't need Spikes and it was so freaking annoying to have a useless mon after the first few turns. Dugtrio because 99% it got no use. Bronzong is so underrated btw, seriously, more people should use it.

This version of the team was /okay/, I'd use it again. I do have a version of this team I use with Forretress > Bronzong, and it's good. Healing Wish support is awesome. However, it's not quite as successful as the next iteration of this team. Reluctantly, I scrapped Lilligant. I needed a spinner / Magic Bouncer so badly, hazards were horrible and this certainly taught me a lesson to not use a hazard-weak team without some method of combating them. I tried Xatu but it was really bad for some reason. I put on Forretress and it did well. From there, I had an issue where Bronzong was no longer pulling its weight. It got removed, and I put Landorus-T in its place to have a good SR setter, Fighting resist, Ground immune, Volt Switch absorber, and goodish Genesect switch-in when I didn't want to bring in Ninetales. Also, I nailed it through my thick skull that offensive Ninetales wasn't dojng me any favors, so I made it defensive. Hooray team ready to go fun ensues.

At a Glance

Importable

The Weather Inducer

this and all pokemon art from arkeis

Ninetales @ Leftovers
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Spe
Timid Nature

Flamethrower

Will-O-Wisp

Sunny Day

Substitute

Quote:

Ah, good old defensive Ninetales. Obviously since this a sun team I need a sun setter, and Ninetales is the only one available for OU (excpet terribad Vulpix). Flamethrower is the reliable STAB move. Not hitting Ferrothorn and co. made me want to pull my hair out. Next up is Will-O-Wisp, which I like to use leading against stuff like Dragonite and Mamoswine. It sounds risky, but I have Substitute to use when I need it. Mid- to late-game it helps out with things like CB Nite, Terrakion that try to predict a switch, Jirachi's Iron Heads (Flamethrower doesn't OHKO and I'd rather it do little to the rest of my team), and wearing stuff down when I need it. Substitute makes it SO easy to spread burns, even though it does take away HP. I sometime use it to bank on misses from Rotom-W Hydro Pump more safely. Substitute is one of those moves I can use in a clutch scenario and just win, i.e. as physical RP Landorus switches in, I Flamethrower and Substitute, then burning it / finishing it off with Flamethrower. Against slower Pokemon I can stall LO damage. Substitute is invaluable for a ton of situations where I'd otherwise be down for the count. Sunny Day is the same as on offensive Ninetales; predict the Politoed / Tyranitar / Hippowdon and use it. Substitute can be used on a sand setter switching in too, as then I can burn it with ease (besides accuracy issues) and also get off Sunny Day. The EVs are by SJCrew, allowing Ninetales surviving an Earthquake from sash Dugtrio after a layer of 1-2 (maybe) layers of Spikes or 1 regular poison (1 layer Toxic Spikes). 136 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allow Ninetales to outrun Jolly Mamoswine, which is important to get burnt because it's a big threat to my team.

The Nuke

Victini @ Choice Band
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature

V-create

Bolt Strike

Brick Break

U-turn

Quote:

V-V-V-V-V-V-create!!! That right there is Victini in a nutshell. LO doesn't hit hard enough for me and can't take any hits. CB just goes boom nuke everything in sight idgaf. V-create OHKOes standard Latios, some Gastrodon, etc. you get the idea. Predict!? Victini knows but one style, and that is V-create style. The other moves are icing on the cake compared to the raw power of CB sun-boosted V-create. Victini is my hard hitter; if want something dead, I bring Victini in. It's got the bulk to take most hits that aren't super effective. I have a spinner mostly so Victini can waltz in and out freely and V-create the world. There's a few things that can tank a V-create, granted, extremely bulky bulky Water-types being the main issue. Wait, bulky Water-type I hear? Be right back, zappin' 'em with Bolt Strike. New Bolt Strike event was awesome because Fusion Bolt was so damn weak. As Jellicent or Politoed comes in, they just get OHKOed effortlessly provided I get SR up. It also has 93% accuracy thanks to Victory Star. Brick Break is for Heatran and that annoying sand dinosaur. U-turn is my other de facto move. Fearing a switch-on but not sure what? "When in doubt, U-turn out." Other stuff on Victini is standard.

Adios, entry hazards, I hardly knew ye

Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SDef
Relaxed Nature

Spikes

Rapid Spin

Toxic

Volt Switch

Quote:

So I go to someone I know (coughtropcough) and ask if the team is okay and am given a ranking list of every spinner available. Forretress is at the way bottom of that list. Fortunately, I didn't fall for the trolling antics, as otherwise I would be without one of my MVPs. Forretress spins and does it repiably and repeatedly, which is all I need. It also sets up Spikes in the downtime. Okay, put this in perspective. You know the raw power of V-create. Now, imagine V-create at 2/3- HP. Also, Venusaur does a lot better because it misses many KOs without hazards. I don't use Toxic Spikes because I don't _need_ them and would much rather have my offensive Pokemon getting stuff done. Toxic cripples what I need it to. If Forretress can survive a hit (Sturdy helps), I can Toxic and switch around until an opposing sweeper dies. Also, it puts a timer on Jellicent, which god knows it needs to spin ever. Volt Switch is slow so I get a teammate in free. It escapes Magnezone too and breaks Sturdy / Focus Sash. The big thing I use Forretress for other than spinning is Dragon-type attacks. I try to limit taking Draco Meteors, but Outrages / Dragon Claws are game for Forretress to come in and spin or set up Spikes.

The Chlorophyll Sweeper

Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature

Growth

Giga Drain

Hidden Power Fire

Sludge Bomb

Quote:

Every sun team needs a Chlorophyll sweeper, and Venusaur is mine. It's the most common one, but that's for a reason. Really, I don't use Growth all the time. I use it when I need it, but the other three moves get a ton more use. Sludge Bomb is the move I spam usually, as Poison hits quite a lot for neutral damage. Sludge Bomb allows Venusaur to kill weakened Dragonite, the Lati twins when boosted, and more. Also, the residual damage from an occasional poison is invaluable in wearing down opponents. HP Fire sees a lot of use as well, hitting Steel-types (which for some reason always stay in?) hard and having a decent punch neutrally when I need it due to sun. Giga Drain helps keep Venusaur alive, and god knows I need that. Venusaur serves three important roles on my team. It is my revenge killer, as I lack a Scarfer, and a damn good one at that. It is a mid-game hit-and-run Pokemon to remove troublesome foes, which is always needed. It is also my late-game sweeper if it survives that long. Oh, there's one more thing. It beats weather inducers. If they don't switch out, Politoed, Tyranitar, and Hippowdon are dead. Unless something that outspeeds it comes in, it can function just fine in rain too, which is nice (this happens often actually). I conserve Venusaur quite a bit. That's not to say I won't let it take hits, as Giga Drain heals it up, and in fact I do use it often to switch into Water-type attacks, but I'm not willing to sack it except as a last resort. Strategically boosting up with Growth wins games for me. Growth on the opponent if Venusaur can survive a hit and kill the foe, then using Growth again on Chansey to beat it is one such example. Venusaur is such a valuable Pokemon, it's almost unreal.

Team Pivots

Landorus-T @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 200 HP / 64 Atk / 244 SpD
Adamant Nature

Stealth Rock

Earthquake

Stone Edge

U-turn

Quote:

This team could not function without two very important pivots; Landorus-T is the first one. There's a reason that this set is so successful. Landorus-T is immune to Ground-type. Landorus-T resists Fighting-type attacks. Landorus-T has Intimidate so it can take even some super effective physical hits. Landorus-T has the bulk to take some special hits. It takes the momentum away from Outraging Dragons if I somehow get in freely such as from a Forretress Volt Switch. My team would be unable to function without a Pokemon with these traits. Oh, and another thingâ€”Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock is needed for most if not all teams, and Landorus-T is arguably the best setter in OU. It can set up Stealth Rock quickly, reliably, and repeatedly. Not to mention its power. Landorus-T is extraordinarily powerful even with just 64 Attack EVs and an accompanying Adamant nature. I mean, it's not powering through resists and such, but it's still quite powerful. Landorus-T's Earthquake is the most important move on my team because it OHKOes Heatran; my only other move is Victini's Brick Break which is set-up fodder if it doesn't hit Heatran. It also hits a ton of neutrally hit Pokemon hard. Stone Edge has excellent coverage with Earthquake and whatever. It is innacurate but needed to hit things like Gengar (way more of a problem than one would think), Dragonite, and Salamence, among others. U-turn is always an awesome move to have. I said this with Victini, and I'll say it again: when in doubt, U-turn out. Seriously, Landorus-T basically embodies this. There's a ton of situations where I'd be forced out, which loses all my momentum, but with U-turn, I get in Victini, or Venusaur, or Latias, or whatever in for free. These situations are extremely common and make Landorus-T an amazing Pokemon for this team.

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 128 HP / 128 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature

Draco Meteor

Surf

Roost

Hidden Power Fire

Quote:

While I was writing this, Genesect got banned. Although I'm not so happy about it, it doesn't matter that much. The relevant part is that Latias got even better. In Genesect meta, I loved using Latias. Now take Genesect out of the picture. Latias got even better! Anyway, I prefer the LO Tank set for a number of reasons. First of all, it hits pretty hard right off the bat, and with a team like this, setting up with Latias is a waste of time. Second, it has two coverage moves and Roost, allowing it to hit an array of threats hard while still having the ability heal up and thus tank many hits. Latias has some nice special bulk that I need to take Fire- and Grass-type attacks, as well as the ability to survive most non-super effective neutral special hits and even comfortably take some super effective ones. The EV spread is one I made when I found out that losing to Garchomp, Keldeo, Terrakion, etc. was annoying as fuck. 128 Special Attack KOes Gliscor, Mamoswine, Keldeo, and some other Pokemon (the exact investment gets Abomasnow, but it's only 4 EVs of difference. There might be a better way to distribute the HP EVs (maybe a LO number or something idk) so if you know something tell me. It's just that max Speed Timid is 100% necessary in the current metagame. Draco Meteor is the power move, hitting more than hard enough to take out some problem Pokemon. Hidden Power Fire is important for the Steel-types who just LOVE to switch into Latias. The third attacking move is Surf. That probably seems really weird to you because Surf is weakened in sun, but the ability to do some damage to Heatran makes up for it ten times over. Latias is my second pivot and the final Pokemon of this RMT!

Conclusion

Well, that's the team. Not much else to say really. In hide tags is other stuff not related to the team whatsoever if you're interested.

shoutouts + other thing

/me is happy about being able to post again