Stupid Name, Awesome Team
Introduction
Introduction
Welcome to my second RMT! With the banning of Thundurus imminent, I decided to start working on a new team and retire my old one: Genies in the Rain. I didn't want this team to just be a carbon copy of every other weather team out there, so I started looking at some RMTs for inspiration. I found the classic "2Drag1Mag" strategy to fit my offensive style, so I went with it. There was only one problem: Garchomp, a key dragon, had been banned. So I tried using the powerful Haxorus to replace him, and eventually added a third dragon, Dragonite, for even more power, with great success. So, without further ado, here is...
The Team
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power (Fire)
- Flash Cannon
Magnezone's main role is pretty simple: trap and kill steels. This allows my dragons to sweep with their stab dragon attacks with almost no resistance. Aside from trapping steels, Magnezone also serves as a defensive buffer to take dragon and ice type hits, which would otherwise cripple my dragons.*
***
The bazaar EVs and nature allow Magnezone to always out-speed SD Scizor (who could otherwise KO Mag with Superpower) while still giving Magnezone as much power as possible. The moveset on the other hand is fairly simple. Substitute allows Magnezone to get in an extra hit after the trapped steel type goes down, Thunderbolt gets stab, and HP Fire hits steels hard (especially if Jirachi's sun is up). I chose Flash Cannon over Charge Beam since Charge Beam made me set up bait once I switched in. Flash Cannon's ability to lower the opponent's SDef is helpful when dealling with specially defensive stuff like Jirachi. I chose Leftovers over Air Balloon as it allows me to out-stall Jirachi most of the time.*
Type Synergy
: Latios, Dragonite
: Latios, Dragonite
: Haxorus, Latios, Dragonite
Haxorus (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
- Dual Chop
Yep, here's my (sort of) Garchomp replacement. Although Haxorus is somewhat lacking in the speed department, Haxorus has an incredible amount of raw power. Look at how much damage CB Haxorus's Outrage does to some of the best physical walls and steel types out there:
Gliscor: 64.69% - 76.27%
Hippowdon: 54.29% - 63.81%
Vaporeon: 75.16% - 88.77%
Excadrill: 73.76% - 87.02%
Scizor: 51.45% - 60.47%
Ferrothorn: 34.94% - 40.91%
Jirachi: 43.81% - 51.49%
Heatran: 52.01% - 61.30%
Yea, we're talking OHKOs/2HKOs on almost every Pokemon in the game. Now imagine that some of those pesky steel types (mainly Ferrothorn, Skarmony, and Jirachi) have been taken out by Magnezone.*Now we're almost OHKOing the rest of the opponent team! Unfortunatly, Haxorus lacks Garchomp's speed, so its forced to be used as a wallbreaker/stallbreaker. This is especially helpful for me since I HATE stall and usually rage quit when going up against it. Haxorus's wallbreaking abilities are also helpful for getting certain non-steel walls out of the way (like Chansey and Reuniclus) for my other dragons to have a clean sweep.
The EV and nature simply give Haxorus maximum power and speed. The moves are also fairly basic. Outrage for maximum power and Earthquake for non-levitating/non-Ferrothorn steels. Brick Break is there to threaten Ferrothorn somewhat. Dual Chop is an interesting move that lets me deal with annoying substitute users or even Dragonite's multiscale. (although Mamoswine is normally used for Dragonite) I chose Mold Breaker over Rivalry because the 25% damage reduction if the Pokemon is the opposite gender isn't optimal, especially since people are beginning to use female Pokemon. It also lessens the damage Haxorus does to Chansey and Blissey, whom I rely on Haxorus to take out. *
Type Synergy
: Magnezone, Jirachi
: Magnezone, Jirachi
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power (Fighting)
- Recover
- Psyshock
Latios is my second dragon, and serves to punch holes in the opponents team for Mamoswine and Dragonite to finish off. LO Latios hits very hard, especially when Magnezone has eliminated the opponents steel types and Latios can simply spam it's stab Dragon Pulse. Latios also helps when dealing with other dragons. With his blistering base 110 speed, Latios can out-speed all other non-boosted/scarved dragons (bar his sister, Latias) and kill them with a super effective Dragon Pulse.*
Latios's EVs and Nature are normal (maximum speed and power... again), but his moves are not. Dragon Pulse is used over Draco Meteor so I don't have to switch as often and rack up Stealth Rock damage along with LO damage and even Sandstorm damage. Hidden Power Fighting is used to hit steel types that Magnezone can't handle (like Excadrill and Heatran) for super effective damage, whereas HP Fire only hits for neutral or even no damage in Heatran's case. It also allows me to hit Dark types, particularly Tyranitar, hard. Recover allows me to heal off LO damage and occasionally Samdstorm damage. Physhock is a wonderful move that gives Latios a second stab move and hits those Blisseys and Chanseys who would like to switch in for good damage.*
Type Synergy
: Magnezone, Dragonite*
: Magnezone*
: Magnezone, Jirachi
: Magnezone, Jirachi
: Magnezone
Mamoswine (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Icicle Spear
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Its Mamoswine. Who doesn't love an adorable wooly mammoth who can tear dragon types to shreds? That's mostly why Mamoswine is here: killing dragon types. Choice Scarf Mamoswine is a very effective dragon killer, as he can outspeed all dragon types (provided they don't have any boosts or scarves) and kill them with Icicle Spear. Mamoswine is also useful for killing non-levitating steels, as Earthquake can do a large amount of damage. Mamoswine also serves as a weather-inducer killer, as he can OHKO TTar with Superpower and Ninetales with Earthquake. He can also deal about 65% to Specstoed with Earthquake. Mamoswine's final role is a late game sweeper. After the opponents team has been weakened and their choice scarf user has been taken out, Mamoswine is powerful enough to finish the job.*
Mamoswine's EVs and nature are for max speed and power. (have I said that before?) I chose Jolly over Adamant so Mamoswine could outrun stuff like Latios and Scarftran, who would otherwise cause trouble for my team. His moves are also standard. Earthquake and Stone Edge for neutral coverage and Superpower to hit Tyranitar. Icicle Spear was chosen over Icicle Crash since normally (with 3 hits) Icicle Spear has just 10 less BP, but it can break Subs, Sashes, and Dragonite's ever-popular Multiscale.*
Type Synergy*
: Latios, Dragonite
: Magnezone, Jirachi*
: Haxorus, Latios, Dragonite
: Haxorus, Latios, Dragonite
: Magnezone, Haxorus, Latios, Dragonite, Jirachi
Dragonite (F) @ Leftovers/Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Punch
- Roost
Say hello to Dragonite, my third dragon. Dragonite is my bulky setup sweeper. She is very effective if I lead with her, as there are no field hazards to break her Multiscale. Speaking of Multiscale, Multiscale is an excellent ability, as it almost always guarantees a Dragon Dance. Should I decide to not lead with Dragonite (for instance if the opponent appears to be leading with Tyranitar), Dragonite also makes a great late game sweeper along with Mamoswine. If Dragonite can get a Dragon Dance off, she has plenty of power to finish off a weakened team.*
This is a pretty standard set. The EVs and nature allow her to out-speed Modest Scarftoed after one DD and Scarf Landorus after two and still maintain decent bulk and power. Dragon Dance is for setup. Dragon Claw is for STAB. Fire Punch hits steels that resist that STAB, and Roost allows Dragonite to heal. Not much else to say. I'm debating replacing Leftovers for a Lum Berry to help with crippling status.
Type Synergy
: Magnezone, Jirachi
: Magnezone, Jirachi
: Magnezone, Jirachi
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs:*252 HP / 84 Atk / 80 Def / 92 SpD
IVs: 2 Spd
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Hidden Power Ice
- Earthquake
Trapping steels, taking Ice and Dragon hits for my dragons, and just being a defensive buffer in general is to much for one man (or Magnezone), so I gave Magnezone a partner in Bronzong. Although Bronzong can't trap steels, Bronzong is a pro at taking Ice and Dragon attacks for the team. He also has a handy ability to set up rocks to make the dragons' sweep easier. Also, Bronzong checks threats such as Excadrill and Landorus, who would otherwise rampage through this team. Thanks Delko for recommending this.*
Bronzong may be standard, but he is very effective. His EVs give him maximum bulk and decent attack power. Sassy boosts his bulk even farther while lowering his speed and powering up Gyro Ball. Stealth Rocks are one of the main reasons I have Bronzong, *as they can turn almost OHKOs into OHKOs. Gyro Ball is a strong move coming off of Bronzong's terrible speed. HP Ice is here to nail Landorus and hit dragons in an emergency. Earthquake kills Excadrill after I've broken his balloon with Gyro Ball.*
Type Synergy
: Haxorus, Latios, Dragonite
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power (Fire)
- Flash Cannon
Magnezone's main role is pretty simple: trap and kill steels. This allows my dragons to sweep with their stab dragon attacks with almost no resistance. Aside from trapping steels, Magnezone also serves as a defensive buffer to take dragon and ice type hits, which would otherwise cripple my dragons.*
***
The bazaar EVs and nature allow Magnezone to always out-speed SD Scizor (who could otherwise KO Mag with Superpower) while still giving Magnezone as much power as possible. The moveset on the other hand is fairly simple. Substitute allows Magnezone to get in an extra hit after the trapped steel type goes down, Thunderbolt gets stab, and HP Fire hits steels hard (especially if Jirachi's sun is up). I chose Flash Cannon over Charge Beam since Charge Beam made me set up bait once I switched in. Flash Cannon's ability to lower the opponent's SDef is helpful when dealling with specially defensive stuff like Jirachi. I chose Leftovers over Air Balloon as it allows me to out-stall Jirachi most of the time.*
Type Synergy
Haxorus (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
- Dual Chop
Yep, here's my (sort of) Garchomp replacement. Although Haxorus is somewhat lacking in the speed department, Haxorus has an incredible amount of raw power. Look at how much damage CB Haxorus's Outrage does to some of the best physical walls and steel types out there:
Gliscor: 64.69% - 76.27%
Hippowdon: 54.29% - 63.81%
Vaporeon: 75.16% - 88.77%
Excadrill: 73.76% - 87.02%
Scizor: 51.45% - 60.47%
Ferrothorn: 34.94% - 40.91%
Jirachi: 43.81% - 51.49%
Heatran: 52.01% - 61.30%
Yea, we're talking OHKOs/2HKOs on almost every Pokemon in the game. Now imagine that some of those pesky steel types (mainly Ferrothorn, Skarmony, and Jirachi) have been taken out by Magnezone.*Now we're almost OHKOing the rest of the opponent team! Unfortunatly, Haxorus lacks Garchomp's speed, so its forced to be used as a wallbreaker/stallbreaker. This is especially helpful for me since I HATE stall and usually rage quit when going up against it. Haxorus's wallbreaking abilities are also helpful for getting certain non-steel walls out of the way (like Chansey and Reuniclus) for my other dragons to have a clean sweep.
The EV and nature simply give Haxorus maximum power and speed. The moves are also fairly basic. Outrage for maximum power and Earthquake for non-levitating/non-Ferrothorn steels. Brick Break is there to threaten Ferrothorn somewhat. Dual Chop is an interesting move that lets me deal with annoying substitute users or even Dragonite's multiscale. (although Mamoswine is normally used for Dragonite) I chose Mold Breaker over Rivalry because the 25% damage reduction if the Pokemon is the opposite gender isn't optimal, especially since people are beginning to use female Pokemon. It also lessens the damage Haxorus does to Chansey and Blissey, whom I rely on Haxorus to take out. *
Type Synergy
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power (Fighting)
- Recover
- Psyshock
Latios is my second dragon, and serves to punch holes in the opponents team for Mamoswine and Dragonite to finish off. LO Latios hits very hard, especially when Magnezone has eliminated the opponents steel types and Latios can simply spam it's stab Dragon Pulse. Latios also helps when dealing with other dragons. With his blistering base 110 speed, Latios can out-speed all other non-boosted/scarved dragons (bar his sister, Latias) and kill them with a super effective Dragon Pulse.*
Latios's EVs and Nature are normal (maximum speed and power... again), but his moves are not. Dragon Pulse is used over Draco Meteor so I don't have to switch as often and rack up Stealth Rock damage along with LO damage and even Sandstorm damage. Hidden Power Fighting is used to hit steel types that Magnezone can't handle (like Excadrill and Heatran) for super effective damage, whereas HP Fire only hits for neutral or even no damage in Heatran's case. It also allows me to hit Dark types, particularly Tyranitar, hard. Recover allows me to heal off LO damage and occasionally Samdstorm damage. Physhock is a wonderful move that gives Latios a second stab move and hits those Blisseys and Chanseys who would like to switch in for good damage.*
Type Synergy
Mamoswine (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Icicle Spear
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Its Mamoswine. Who doesn't love an adorable wooly mammoth who can tear dragon types to shreds? That's mostly why Mamoswine is here: killing dragon types. Choice Scarf Mamoswine is a very effective dragon killer, as he can outspeed all dragon types (provided they don't have any boosts or scarves) and kill them with Icicle Spear. Mamoswine is also useful for killing non-levitating steels, as Earthquake can do a large amount of damage. Mamoswine also serves as a weather-inducer killer, as he can OHKO TTar with Superpower and Ninetales with Earthquake. He can also deal about 65% to Specstoed with Earthquake. Mamoswine's final role is a late game sweeper. After the opponents team has been weakened and their choice scarf user has been taken out, Mamoswine is powerful enough to finish the job.*
Mamoswine's EVs and nature are for max speed and power. (have I said that before?) I chose Jolly over Adamant so Mamoswine could outrun stuff like Latios and Scarftran, who would otherwise cause trouble for my team. His moves are also standard. Earthquake and Stone Edge for neutral coverage and Superpower to hit Tyranitar. Icicle Spear was chosen over Icicle Crash since normally (with 3 hits) Icicle Spear has just 10 less BP, but it can break Subs, Sashes, and Dragonite's ever-popular Multiscale.*
Type Synergy*
Dragonite (F) @ Leftovers/Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Punch
- Roost
Say hello to Dragonite, my third dragon. Dragonite is my bulky setup sweeper. She is very effective if I lead with her, as there are no field hazards to break her Multiscale. Speaking of Multiscale, Multiscale is an excellent ability, as it almost always guarantees a Dragon Dance. Should I decide to not lead with Dragonite (for instance if the opponent appears to be leading with Tyranitar), Dragonite also makes a great late game sweeper along with Mamoswine. If Dragonite can get a Dragon Dance off, she has plenty of power to finish off a weakened team.*
This is a pretty standard set. The EVs and nature allow her to out-speed Modest Scarftoed after one DD and Scarf Landorus after two and still maintain decent bulk and power. Dragon Dance is for setup. Dragon Claw is for STAB. Fire Punch hits steels that resist that STAB, and Roost allows Dragonite to heal. Not much else to say. I'm debating replacing Leftovers for a Lum Berry to help with crippling status.
Type Synergy
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs:*252 HP / 84 Atk / 80 Def / 92 SpD
IVs: 2 Spd
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Hidden Power Ice
- Earthquake
Trapping steels, taking Ice and Dragon hits for my dragons, and just being a defensive buffer in general is to much for one man (or Magnezone), so I gave Magnezone a partner in Bronzong. Although Bronzong can't trap steels, Bronzong is a pro at taking Ice and Dragon attacks for the team. He also has a handy ability to set up rocks to make the dragons' sweep easier. Also, Bronzong checks threats such as Excadrill and Landorus, who would otherwise rampage through this team. Thanks Delko for recommending this.*
Bronzong may be standard, but he is very effective. His EVs give him maximum bulk and decent attack power. Sassy boosts his bulk even farther while lowering his speed and powering up Gyro Ball. Stealth Rocks are one of the main reasons I have Bronzong, *as they can turn almost OHKOs into OHKOs. Gyro Ball is a strong move coming off of Bronzong's terrible speed. HP Ice is here to nail Landorus and hit dragons in an emergency. Earthquake kills Excadrill after I've broken his balloon with Gyro Ball.*
Type Synergy
I started with Latios. Since the 2Drag1Mag strategy used Latios (and with good reason), he was an obvious choice on this team.*
Next came Magnezone. Magnezone is a essential for a team that needs dragons to sweep, so again, he was an obvious choice.*
After Magnezone came Haxorus. I considered many options for replacing Garchomp (like Salamence, Dragonite, and even Flygon), but I decided to try and replicate the sheer brute power of Garchomp, so I went with Haxorus.*
I realized that Latios and Haxorus couldn't replicate the old 2Drag1Mag strategy's power on there own, so I gave them more power and some bulk with Dragonite.*
I realized my team needed more bulk to cope with the hard hitting metagame, so I thought, "Hey, why don't I put Latias in to go with Latios and match my theme of dragon types. "
Last came Ninetales. With all the weather this generation, I figured it would be a great idea to have my own weather to counter other weather.*
Ninetales*was the first to go because in all honesty... she stinks. I still wanted to have some way to counter weather, so I decided to put Sunny Day on a Pokemon who could take a lot of hits and support the team, like Chansey.*
With Chansey on the team, Latias had lost her place. Latias didn't work too well to begin with, as most of the hits I needed Latias to take were either dragon or ice. So I thought about a replacement, and realized a Choice Scarf Pokemon would be helpful. To keep with the spirit of the team, I put in Hydreigon.*
I finally decided that 4 Dragons were to many, so I gave up on the dragon theme and put in Mamoswine instead of Hydriegon. Never looked back.*
I realized Magnezone was having trouble taking hits for my dragons and trapping steels, so I decided to put in another steel type of my own. Jirachi was chosen because it could easily replace Chansey and assume all Chansey's roles except status healer.
The team was doing fine, but Landorus and Excadrill were destroying it. After he was recommended to me by Delko, I tried replacing Jirachi with Bronzong. Although I miss driving my opponents crazy with paraflinching, Bronzong solved my problem. He also gave my team something it had been wishing for: Stealth Rocks. Unfortunately, lost my ability to change the weather, but this team can handle weather teams even without its own weather.
Conclusion
All in all, I'm very happy with this team. This team has climbed the PO ladder with relative ease so far, and I can't wait to see how far it goes on Smogon. The team was created to replicate the power of the 2Drag1Mag strategy, and it has done this extremely well. It may have a stupid name, but it is an awesome team.*
(note: take out the random *'s. There's nothing I can do about them.)
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Haxorus (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
- Dual Chop
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Recover
- Psyshock
Mamoswine (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Icicle Spear
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Dragonite (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Punch
- Roost
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Atk / 80 Def / 92 SpD
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Hidden Power Ice
- Earthquake
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Haxorus (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
- Dual Chop
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Recover
- Psyshock
Mamoswine (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Icicle Spear
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Dragonite (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Punch
- Roost
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Atk / 80 Def / 92 SpD
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Hidden Power Ice
- Earthquake
Questions and constructive criticism are appreciated!*
