Pony In The Sandbox [OU Sand Balance]

[Pony In The Sandbox]


*Pic drawn by Suikuzu on DA*



[At A Glance]



Hey guys, coming at ya yet again with another Sand Team! For a while I hadn't really been in a Pokemon groove, losing to poorly constructed Sun Teams, 2/3rds UU and/or RU Teams, terrible hax (Crit Freeze Ice Beams anyone?), and other such things that just don't make playing enjoyable. Now however, the tables have turned! The 4th Musketeer has come to save my Pokemon and Team Building woes giving me new ideas and NOT increasing a Water weakness, looking at you SubSalac Terra and SF Lando.

The focus this go around is obviously the awesome core of CBTar + Scarf Keldeo. I've had great success with this Team messing around on Showdown and just really enjoy playing this kind of "Semi-Offensive Balanced" style of team. Looking forward to suggestions as they are very welcome of course.

So without further ado, let's get down to the Team!








[In Depth]




The Phy. Pivot

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 200 HP / 64 Atk / 244 Def
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Why?
My personal favorite Therian, Nyandorus! He serves as my only true Physical Wall and damn does he do it well tanking hits even Gliscor would be jealous of being able to ward off even CB Terrakion. When backed by Ferro, these 2 make up a great Defense handling most things not named Keldeo or spamming Fire attacks, which is where Latias comes in to save the day.

Between his impressive Bulk, Intimidate, and sky high Attack it's no surprise this guy is a fantastic user of Stealth Rocks forcing switches all over the place. On that same note, Lando-T easily makes use of his Bulk and a slow U-Turn helping keep up momentum as well as getting any of my Offensive Pokes in without having to take a hit. STAB Earthquakes coming off of 376 Attack hit like trucks. To compliment that, Stone Edge allows me to hit things immune to EQ as well as providing a bit of a safety net against an Outraging Mence or Nite if needed.

Synergy:

Keldeo, Latias, Ferro

Keldeo, Scizor






The Mixed Wall

Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball

Why?
When Keldeo and Tornadus-T came onto the scene, this guy just didn't feel all that effective in my hands. Now, however, we've seen the banishment of Birdnadus and Latias loves to crap all over any kind of Keldeo... I'm back to loving Ferrothorn <3. This thing can tank all kinds of hits on both sides, namely Outrages and Dracos for the Team, and just will not die.

Leech Seed helps ensure Ferro stays healthy and is a great way to break Multiscale/Sturdy/a Sash or just help wear an opponent down a bit and punish them for not switching. Spikes help lay the path for Scizor and Keldeo to do major work mid and late game and make CBTar and Lati's Draco Bombs that much more threatening. Power Whip is here to give me an offensive option vs any Waters, namely Gastro, that may want to try and face me down while Gyro Ball, as suggested by Alexander, is here to let Ferro actually do something back to the Dragons he's walling. A Relaxed Nature with 0 Speed IV's help to ensure Gyro ball is as strong as possible.

Synergy:
Latias, Lando
Keldeo, Latias, TTar






The Pony <3

Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Surf

Why?
It took a while, but people have finally realized the power of Keldeo! This little pony is a force to be reckoned with, especially if my opponent is kind enough to provide him with some Rain. TTar loves to eat up Keldeo's counters making them wonderful teammates and Keldeo, thanks to that blazing 108 Speed and massive SpAtk, a prime target for Choice Scarf. With Torn-T gone from OU, Fighting types can once again flourish and Keldeo has finally gotten its own spotlight.

STAB Hydro Pump ain't playin' no games, it's out for blood and loves to run through teams late game. Surf is a 100% Acc. alternative for when hitting can be the difference between a sweep, losing Keldeo, or losing the match. Secret Sword is Keldeo's nasty little trick for laughing at Spec. Walls and makes him rather hard to Wall since he can hit hard from both sides with STABs. HP Ice, as expected on a Scarfer, is here to deal with the many DDing and Scarfed Dragons that float around OU. The EV's are self explanatory while the IV's are to minimize Confusion damage while keeping 70 HP Ice and Max Speed.

Synergy:
TTar
Latias, Ferro (x2), Scizor (x2)
Latias, Ferro, Lando (Immune)
Latias, Ferro, TTar (Immune), Scizor






The Sandbox Powerhouse

Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 154 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Why?
I must say, CBTar took me some getting used to after running SpDef TTar all of BW1, but man this set is a monster and a phenominal partner for Keldeo! After seeing his ability to win Weather Wars from unsuspecting opponents and witnessing it OHKO a Ferrothorn from ~95% I gave him a try and have never looked back since... This is easily one of, if not THE, best TTar Sets for the current BW2 Meta.

Crunch is a Solid STAB and, when backed by a Choice Band, pushes through the likes of Celebi, Jellicent, and other common Keldeo Counters with ease helping to break open teams for a "Keldeo Hydro Pump Rampage!". The exact same can be said for Pursuit (though it isn't the greatest of things to be locked into) as it destroys anything that may want to escape from TTar fearing a Crunch, such as the Lati Twins. Stone Edge is another great STAB and, if it hits, can outright 1-2HKO things that don't resist it. it even threatens a 2HKO on Skarmory! Superpower is here to deal with Steels and can hit for massive damage on switch ins expecting to sponge either of TTars impressive STABs. EV's here are pretty simple: maximize Attack, outspeed Skarmory (and 4 extra to outrun other TTars ;D), and the rest to Bulk.

Synergy:
Latias, Lando
Latias (Immune), Lando (Immune)
Keldeo, Lando, Scizor
Keldeo, Ferro, Scizor
Keldeo, Latias, Ferro
Latias, Ferro (x2), Scizor (x2)






The Priority Sweeper

Scizor (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Bug Bite

Why?
As Bri brought to my attention, this Team was missing 2 key things: a Set Up Sweeper to help bust though Stall (and punch holes in general) as well as a solid Priority User to get me out of sticky situations. Scizor fills both of these roles fantastically and meshes very well Defensively with Latias. The banning of Tornadus-T took away one of Rotom's most important duties and reasons to hold a spot in my Team considering Latias, Keldeo, and Ferro all don't mind Rain being on the field instead of my own Sand. While I did lose a Special Wall, I still have both Lati and Ferro to block most of the same threats along side Scizor now to add much more to the offensive prowess to the Team!

Ahh, Bullet Punch... the bread and butter of any Scizor Set! This shouldn't require any explaination really, however I will note that the Priority can simply be a godsent and is greatly appreciated by the Team when something like Keldeo's Hydro Pump, despite it's shaky Accuracy, or a Speed Tie would be my best answer. Bug Bite comes in as a solid secondary STAB to nail slower things Bullet Punch wouldn't be as effective for as well as helping the team deal with threats like TR Reuniclus. Superpower helps to turn Steels from Walls into straight Set Up Fodder, most notably letting Scizor Set Up against opposing Ferrothorn which the Team can sometimes struggle with. Swords Dance gives Scizor the power he needs to achieve his goals and coupled with Life Orb leaves little beyond Phy. Walls who can stomach its attacks.

Synergy:

Keldeo, Latias, TTar






The SpDef Pivot

Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spd
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Roost

Why?
Lando and Ferro don't particularly like playing the guessing game with opposing Keldeo, nor do they like Special Fire attacks too much... so I decided to look else where for a solution and luckily my favorite Dragon was there to back me up! Equip with a Life Orb, Latias not only has her awesome Bulk, but has now gained the immediate fire power that her brother offers. This is extremely important in cases such as Keldeo where a more Bulky Set would not allow for easy OHKO's. 72 HP Ev's allows Lati to survive a +2 Venu Sludge Bomb and KO back with Psyshock while the rest are invested into maxing Speed and then sheer attack power.

Draco Meteor can put a large dent into just about anything as long as any Steels are out of the way. HP fire, on the other hand, lets Lati destroy Steels herself if need be, especially Scizor and Ferro who are common Switch Ins to absorb Draco's. Psyshock is here specifically for the Musketeers, Breloom, and any other Fighting Types looking to punch holes and is also quite nice for nailing Tentacruel and the aforementioned Vena. Roost helps to keep Lati alive between Hazards, LO Recoil, and my own Sand and has even made some people try to EQ me lol.

Synergy:
Keldeo, Lando, Scizor
Ferro, TTar, Scizor
Keldeo, Scizor
Ferro, Scizor
Keldeo, Ferro, TTar, Scizor





[Final Look]

Well that's the Team! Hopefully I've done a fairly good job with both creating and presenting it! I look forward to any suggestions anyone may have :D




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