Desert Strike

[Pokemasta77]

Desert Strike
What up smogonites! I have not made a team in a while so I decided to make one. My first competitive team was a Sandstorm team so I decided that is what I was going to do this time. Hope you guys enjoy!

Team Building

...

---

It was a sand team so I had to pick T-Tar to start. Well I didn't have to but I prefer T-Tar over Hippowdon. Why? I honestly don't know. I just have had better success with T-Tar.

I absolutely hate the overuse of steel types. Scizor is public enemy #1 for me. I refuse to use him in a team because I can't stand all these generic teams.(Another reason I did not use Rotom-W on this team) Therefore I chose Magneton to take care of all my unwanted steel types. I chose Magneton over Magnezone for the fact that it has higher speed than Magnezone. Magneton can actually function well without a steel type to trap.

Next, I wanted a pokemon that I have liked for a while. I also do not see him getting much use so I went with Mamoswine. His main job is to take care of dragons like MoxieMence with Ice Shard. Other than that, not much for Mamoswine.

I noticed that I had an obvious fighting type weakness. Therefore, I chose Latios to help this problem. This is another pokemon that I have liked for a while that can function well on a Sand team.

In a tier where entry hazards are everywhere, you absolutely need a spinner. This is why I chose Starmie. Can spin plus has great coverage in the form of BoltBeam as well as a STAB Surf and fantastic speed.

Lastly, I wanted somebody that could take advantage of the Sand. That is why I went with Landorus. Can spam STAB Sand Force Boosted Earthquakes. Also, a great scout with U-Turn and is just a good pokemon overall.

Latios was doing well but just did not have the right bulk. If only there was someone that has the same general stats but higher bulk. Oh wait, there is. This is where Latias came in. Has just enough power to secure kills and has the bulk to take some herself

In Depth

Tyranitar(Sand Stream) @ Chople Berry
252 HP,16 Atk, 84 SpDef, 156 Def
Sassy Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Crunch
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
Here is my weather inducer. There is not much to say about him. Comes in to setup Sand as well as rocks. Crunch and Stone Edge for the two STAB moves. May change Stone Edge to Rock Slide for better accuracy but no issues with that yet. Lastly, Earthquake because since I started playing pokemon, this was my favorite move. I take every opportunity to spam this move as possible. Now for the ev's because they are a little strange. For all my sets, I take Smogons sets and change them a little if at all. I did not like the evs for Tyranitar. He is support so I definitely started with the 252 for HP. Then I took the SpDef evs and distributed them. T-Tar already gets a SpDef boost in Sand so I did not see the need for all those. I gave some to Atk because I knew I wanted some investment in Atk and the others I gave to Def. I have actually some Physical Fighting moves because of those evs in Def.

Magneton(Magnet Pull) @ Choice Scarf
252 SpAtk/Spd, 4 HP
Timid Nature
-Hidden Power(Fire)
-Thunder
-Flash Cannon
-Volt Switch
Probably the MVP of my team in my eyes. As I said before, I can't stand all the damn Steel types, expecially SCIZOR. I can't stand that fricken thing. Every team I play has one and it annoys the heck out of me. I knew that this guy was necessary. As stated before, I chose Magneton over Magnezone because of the higher speed. It is only 10 Base Points higher but it makes a huge difference. Evs are self explanatory for this guy. Hidden Power to obviously take care of the Steel types. Thunderbolt for STAB and Volt Switch for scouting. Flash Cannon for other STAB move.

Mamoswine(Thick Fat) @ Choice Band
252 Atk/HP, 4 SpDef
Adamant Nature
-Ice Shard
-Icicle Spear
-Earthquake
-Superpower
Here is Mamoswine. Another great revenge killer for my team. In previous experience, I have noticed that I had trouble dealing with MoxieMence. They just came in and completely destroyed my team. If the Salamence has 0 Evs invested into Def is it a 100% OHKO. This is why he was necessary. Not only that, but it takes care of other pokemon like flying types and other dragons like Latios. Ice Shard for STAB priority as stated before. Icicle Crash in case I don't go for Ice Shard(Rare). Earthquake for other STAB move and I just love that more. Superpower just to get some added force. Not much to say here.

Latias(Levitate) @ Leftovers
252 Spd, 74 HP, 184 SpAtk
Timid Natured
-Recover
-Dragon Pulse
-Psyshock
-Surf
Next up is Latias. Was previously a Latios but was changed. Latios had the power but did not have the bulk. That is why Latias was chosen to replace it. Not much to say with this one. Surf and Dragon Pulse for strong moves. Psyshock for a strong move but calculates with the Def stat of the opponent other than the SpDef stat. Recover to make sure she will in long enough to do her role and make a dent in the opponents team.

Starmie(Natural Cure) @ Life Orb
252 Spd/SpAtk, 4 HP
Timid Nature
-Rapid Spin
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
-Surf
Now, the Spinner of my team. Starmie is usually the spinner I choose for my teams when they have one. Very fast as well as good coverage and Starmie can switch into any Fighting moves that may be aimed at my other teammates. 252 evs in Spd/SpAtk to get the most out every hit and the 4 HP just to give a little boost. Rapid Spin to obviously take care of entry hazards because they are everywhere and I MEAN everywhere in the current metagame. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam for the amazing BoltBeam combo that not really anyone can safely switch in to. Lastly Surf for STAB as well as a help to take care of pokemon that take neutral or less damage from BoltBeam like Heatran for example. Resists Ice Beam and takes neutral from Thunderbolt.

Landorus(Sand Force) @ Choice Scarf
252 Atk/Spd, 4 SpAtk
Naive Nature
-U-Turn
-Earthquake
-Hidden Power(Ice)
-Iron Tail
Lastly, Landorus, the pokemon with many roles on the team. Sometimes a sweeper, others wallbreaker, and sometimes scout. I knew that I wanted a pokemon that could take advantage of the Sand and Landorus came to mind. Me not being able to get Therian forms, had to settle for the Incarnate form.(Which I am actually fine with) This moveset is quite standard other than Iron Tail. I didn't even know it could get Iron Tail until I misspelled something wrong and it gave me Iron Tail on PO. I decided to give it a try considering it gets a boost. That move is fantastic on Landorus. People throw out their Ice types thinking it is safe and will be an easy kill. Not with Iron Tail it isn't. All moves on this set are boosted other than U-Turn which is solely used for scouting. Earthquake and Iron Tail to hit a variety of pokemon as well as all those moves being boosted in the Sand. Evs are standard sweeper evs. Hidden Power(Ice) was added because Stone Edge and Iron Tail were redundant to each other. Helps to take out main threats to the team like Tornadus-T, Dragons, and opposing Landorus.

Thanks for reading Desert Strike. Please suggest anything that you would like. It can be about the team or just about the RMT organization. I am going to say this know so I don't make anyone feel bad. You suggest things not tell me what to do. It is my team and it is up to me what happens. Just because you suggest it doesn't mean it will happen. I will think about everyone and decided. If I decide not to I will explain why this was my choice. Again, thanks for reading and rate on!

Videos Where I Used This Team

Vs.dragonking00

http://youtu.be/dHERo3cZk7s

Possible Candidates For A Spot On The Team

...

---

Nidoking

Lucario

Terrakion

Metagross

Gengar

Alakazam

[Leftiez]

Hi there.
It is a very interesting team, with a pokemon that I appreciate (Magneton) but I notice a weakness against Tornadus-T, you have nothing for tank his Hurricane correctly, Tyranitar is OHKO by Focus Blast/SuperPower, then even if you put Magneton, the opponent can switch and come after to continue because normally Magneton is not a counter to Tornadus-T so the Choice Scarf is obvious, Landorus and Mamoswine too, then you are disadvantage against Keldeo Scarf because Latios does not Recover/Roost, and it is 2HKO by HydroPump under rain, Starmie also, Magneton is OHKO by Hydrompump and Landorus also, I suggest you Rotom-W on Magneton, Rotom-W is a very good pokemon for your team, it can come easily on Tornadus-T and Keldeo then it has Paint Split to heal, then I suggest you swap Iron Tail with Hidden Power Ice on Landorus, with Hidden Power Ice (Naive Nature) it can kill Gliscor/Landorus/Landorus-T easily, then iron tail is useless here.U Can put Pursuit on Crunch for Tyranitar, now u can trapp Latios/Latias/Starmie.

Rotom-W

---

Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 192 SDef / 64 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Volt Switch

Tl;dr

...

---

Magneton--->Rotom-W
Landorus--->Hidden Power Ice + Naive Nature
Tyranitar--->Pursuit

Hope I Helped and Good Luck with your Team.

[Mr. Green]

Hi, there

No known major weaknesses in the team, but what you lack to really damage the opposing team is a true sweeper.
For one thing would change the set of Mamoswine giving the so evs 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP, with Icicle Spear> Icicle Crash, because this Icicle Spear otherwise makes great damage, is also able to break the Substitute by Breloom. I would also change Choice Band with Life Orb Salamence you can kill it using Ice Shard, and in general all the dragons used. Furthermore, with Life Orb can change move with Choice Band could grant Setup, especially after using Earthquake, any Levitate (Latios, Latias for example) and Flyng (three Therian for example) may attack undisturbed, while Life Orb not, with the which get the same kills the Therian that with Choice Band, you will not make the Okho of Latios and Latias with Ice Shard, but to make up for them is that Tyranitar can kill them which would give precisely Pursuit> Crunch.

Now let me turn to see the moveset for Latios that as it is not really like. To keep Expert Belt, then I would Psychock - Draco Meteor - Surf - Recover, I have not included Hidden Power Fire, because the first Magneton Steel should eliminate them, you can kill with Psychock Keldeo which is annoying, and Recover is to be used to recover energy since under the Sandstorm take damage every turn.

For Starmie, I would change the set, because under Sandstorm with Life Orb plus damages of Sand is soon to go KO, so I'd give him Leftovers and Recover> Thunderbolt, Psychock> Ice Beam, Scald> Surf, with 252 evs from attack special HP. This is for several reasons, Recover is used to recover energy, since Starmie will be useful to take water attacks against Rain Team thanks to evs in HP, reaches more Bulkyness. Psychock goes in place of Ice Beam, however, because to hit the Therian, the Flyng and Dragons have Latios and Mamoswine that are pretty, Psychock can affect more efficamente Tentacruel and especially Keldeo, and Scarf / Specs that Calm Minder. Scald instead I deemed best for the ability to burn that can sometimes prove to be winning burn one Sweeper physical or any other Pokemon also a Ferrothorn that enters always on Starmie.

Landorus, honestly I see it more useful with Rock Polish set, this team is very fast because of his ScarfMagneton, Latios, Starmie and Mamoswine with priority. So i would change own Landorus in the main Sweeper with Rock Polish, finishing opponents with the support of Magneton that eliminates Scizor is the only one that can give problems Landorus with Bullet Punch and Latios and Mamoswine as Revenge-Killer. That is all.
Good luck, with your team!

tl;dr

...

---

Mamoswine (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Spear
- Superpower

Pursuit > Crunch (for Tyranitar)

Latios (M) @ Expert Belt/Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Psychock
- Trick/Recover
- Surf

You could also try to use Choice Scarf> Expert Belt and Trick> Recover. This is because it would get a lot more speed, if you can not stop, well the Dragons to +1 Speed ​​with only Mamoswine though perhaps not strictly useful for the team but it is an option to consider.

Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Rock Polish
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Main Sweeper.

[Pokemasta77]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will be testing them all and will decide soon!
Ps What about possibly switching Mamo to Stoutland with Return/Superpower/Ice Fang/Thunder Fang?

[The Great Mighty Doom]

Hey Pokemasta77, nice team!

First of all, as Leftiez mentioned, you have a rather large weakness to Tornadus-T, but I wouldn't recommend getting rid of Magneton as you need it to help with your massive Scizor weakness, and it's great to get rid of Skarmory because half your team is walled by it. The most replaceable member in your team seems to be Starmie. Despite what you said in your teambuilding process section, spinners aren't absolutely neccessary, especially considering you have no Pokemon weak to Stealth Rock, one pokemon that resists Stealth Rock and two pokemon immune to Spikes. Starmie also just magnifies your team's weakness to Bug as well as Pursuit trappers such as Tyranitar. So, to help remedy your Tornadus-T problem, I suggest running Rotom-W over your current Starmie. Rotom-W not only helps with Tornadus-T, it also gives the team a Ground immunity that isn't weak to Ice, which is a great help against Mamoswine, quite possibly the biggest threat to your team atm, it gives this team another pivot, giving your team loads of momentum, something coveted in the current metagame, it gives the team some much needed bulk, it has similiar coverage to Starmie, and overall it's a great team member.

Now that you've lost a Fighting resist, and your current two fighting resists have no form of recovery, it's probably a good idea to change one of your Fighting resists to something more reliable, something that can switch in on multiple hits then recover from any damage it takes. I suggest Life Orb Latias over your current Latios. I could have just suggested you changed Latios' moveset a bitand gave it Recover, but Latias has much higher bulk, making it the better choice. You may like your current Expert Belt Latios, but not only does Expert Belt and Dragon Pulse lack the power you're going to need to make up for the power loss from the change between Starmie and Rotom-W, but it also just doesn't do much for the team, other than taking very few resisted hits before dying early in the battle. Life Orb may seem weird considering Latias is taking Sandstorm damage as well, but the power is needed and the recoil can be nullified by Recover. Overall, Latias takes alot more hits than Latios and it has Recover, giving it the ability to take multiple hits, which helps greatly with your Fighting weakness.

I'm not a big fan of Thunderbolt on Magneton, it's only a bit more powerful than Volt Switch, and Volt Switch is the better play nine times out of ten because it gives you momentum, prevents you from being setup fodder when locked into Thunderbolt, etc. I suggest Thunder over Thunderbolt on Magneton. Thunder's lack of accuracy is unappealing, but it destroys rain teams, has alot of extra power, and the 30% para chance is amazing.

Lastly, I'm backing up Leftiez's suggestions of Hidden Power [Ice] over Iron Tail and Naive over Jolly on Landorus, and Pursuit on Tyranitar (I think you should replace Stone Edge or Earthquake rather than Crunch though.) I also recommend trying out Chople Berry over Leftovers on Tyranitar. As it helps even more with your Fighting weakness (you won't be taking Terrakion's Close Combat's or anything like that, but it'll at least help you take down Reuniclus, Gengar, Alakazam, Tornadus-T etc because you can now survive their Focus Blasts.)

Anyway, I hope this rate helped and GL with the team :)

Rotom-W

---

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 32 SAtk / 228 SDef
Calm Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
- Thunder Wave

Latias

---

Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 74 HP / 184 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf
- Recover

[Pokemasta77]

Thanks for the rate. I will continue to test. The only thing I will definitely change is Thunderbolt>Thunder.

[dragonuser]

Hey there,

This is a pretty cool team, but I do see some ways to improve it. So as other people have told you, Tornadus-T looks incredibly threatening to face, as does a Scarf Keldeo in the rain. Very few of your Pokemon want to switch into either, making your team very limited versus Rain Offense. To help with this, I would recommend TGMD's suggestion of Rotom-W > Starmie and Latias > Latios. Both of those Pokemon complement your team very well, giving you both more momentum and offensive pressure, while checking troublesome Pokemon.

Now naturally for a team with so many Choice locked Pokemon, a well played stall team can be troublesome. You have plenty of wallbreakers, but due to having 3 Choice Items (something that should be avoided in most scenarios) their wallbreaking potential is pretty heavily limited. The loss of Starmie also compounds this issue as you are now weaker to hazards. So to help with this, I would recommend making Mamoswine a LO set. LO Adamant Mamoswine is an incredible wallbreaker, and maintains a lot of the power of a CB set. On your Mamoswine, I would also recommend changing his EV spread to 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SpDef. Mamoswine really appreciates the speed as it can allow it to outspeed a crucial speed tier, and Mamo's general subpar bulk + its offensive nature usually wastes HP EVs. Some other minor moveset changes I would suggest are; changing Earthquake to Pursuit on Tyranitar. This lets Tyranitar trap threatening Pokemon like Lati@s, and gives it more utility on the team. On Landorus I would also suggest using HP Ice > Iron Tail. Iron Tail has very little use on Landorus's set, as Stone Edge hits Ice-Types hard and Earthquake hits Rock-Types hard, and both moves are also boosted by Sand Force. With this change Landorus should also run a Naive Nature, as to not weaken either of its Offensive Stats. Anyways, cool team gl.

[Pokemasta77]

My current thoughts:
Landorus: You all recommend HP(Ice) but I do not see what it brings that can help Lando. Currently took out Stone Edge over Iron Tail because of better accuracy for Outrage. If you can tell me what it helps counter I will relook it.
Latios: I do like Latias so may change it because I can understand what it helps with.
The set would be Dragon Pulse over Draco Meteor though
Rotom-W Suggestion: Imo Rotom-W is also way overused. I really do not like using it. I will take other suggestions if you really think this is necessary though.
Mamoswine: Have not switched items yet but have switched Icicle Crash for Icicle Crash.
Still testing the ideas and thanks for all the rates!

[nygerman]

I have to say, 10 speed base don't matter. Your not outspeeding anything you trap and scarf puts you at a disadvantage against many steels. I recommend

(Magnezone) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 144 HP / 252 SAtk / 112 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spd
- Volt Switch
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon

[Steel.Storm]

The reason for Lando-I to have HP Ice is quite simple:
It allows him to effortlessly take care of +1 Dragons without resorting to non-STAB Outrage and being stuck in for 2-3 turns only to die and you lose your Scarfer. The power loss isn't very important considering most important things you hit are x4 Weak to Ice (Mence, Nite), not to mention it's useful outside of just Dragons (other Lando or Gliscor).

[Pokemasta77]

Actually, the ten base points do a lot. It reaches around 400 spd with the Choice Scarf while Magneonze does not come close. The Scarf is not only for Steels. Its role is to trap and kill Steels but you have to think about when there are no Steels to trap and kill. Ok, now I understand with Lando. Ill keep testing and will make some changes soon!

[Pokemasta77]

Today will be the end of round one of switches. Lando will be seitched to Naive and Outrage>HP(Ice). Latios will be switched to the suggested Latias set. Leftovers>Chople Berry on Tyranitar. Lastly, all the previously listed changes. Thanks for all the suggestions!