FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE
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Hey what's up guys, here's DoomTrain with another RMT.
Just to let you know, Sun is my favourite weather and playstyle 'cause it can be very skill intensive but if played well can rip each other team apart.
That's why, after my Solar Flare RMT two weeks ago, today I'm going to show you another Drought team.
Furthermore, I'm a big Metallica fan and thus I decided to name this RMT and each pokemon in the team after Metallica's songs that suit best in my opinion.
These songs are taken from the first 5 Metallica's albums: Kill 'em All, Ride the Lightning, ...And Justice for All, Master of Puppets and Black Album.
Teambuilding Process
Ok, I wanted to make a Drought team so Ninetales is obviously the first member of the team.
In every Sun team I always want at least one Chlorophyll user, once again I chose Venusaur.
Now, as a Sun team, I needed a good control on entry hazard. That's why I chose a core formed by Xatu and Forretress, the former prevents hazards user to set up rocks and spikes and the latter can spin away them if Xatu wasn't able to prevent them. Furthermore, I added Dugtrio to this core to ensure it safe switch-ins against stuff like Heatran and Tyranitar thanks to Forretress' Volt Switch and Xatu's U-turn.
Next, I needed a strong and fast revenge killer. My choice landed on Scarf Kyurem-B.
After some games, I felt that Kyurem didn't fit so well in the team, it had raw power but wasn't fast enough for me. That's why I decided to replace him with Salamence and I never looked back.
In every Sun team I always want at least one Chlorophyll user, once again I chose Venusaur.
Now, as a Sun team, I needed a good control on entry hazard. That's why I chose a core formed by Xatu and Forretress, the former prevents hazards user to set up rocks and spikes and the latter can spin away them if Xatu wasn't able to prevent them. Furthermore, I added Dugtrio to this core to ensure it safe switch-ins against stuff like Heatran and Tyranitar thanks to Forretress' Volt Switch and Xatu's U-turn.
Next, I needed a strong and fast revenge killer. My choice landed on Scarf Kyurem-B.
After some games, I felt that Kyurem didn't fit so well in the team, it had raw power but wasn't fast enough for me. That's why I decided to replace him with Salamence and I never looked back.
JumpInTheFire (Ninetales) (F) @
Trait: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 120 Def / 96 SDef / 44 Spd
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Ah, here it is, the bringer of light and one of my favourite pokemons: Ninetales. As you all now, BW has blessed the white fox with one of the most gamebreaking abilites available: Drought. Unfortunately, Ninetales is the worst weather inducer in the game, having a bad match-up against each other one (bar Abomasnow), so why would people choose the fox over Politoed or Tyranitar or Hippowdon?
Well, permanent sun weakens Water-type moves and boosts Fire-type attacks, making this a good answer to the strong Water-type attacks that plague OU and, most importantly, activates Chlorophyll ability turning most Grass-types pokemon into speedy and deadly sweepers. Since all other weather inducers are weak to Grass-type moves (again, bar Abomasnow), Drought teams will always have (at least) one valuable member that can pick them off quite easily.
The EVs: 44 Spd EVs allow Ninetales to reach 247 Spd, enabling it to outspeed those defensive pokemon sitting on 245 like Gliscor, Jirachi and most Tentacruels. 120 Def EVs enable Ninetales to survive an Eartquake from Focus Sash Dugtrio, 248 Hp EVs maximize Ninetales' overall bulk and 96 SDef EVs with a positive nature allow the fox to switch into most special attacks.
The Moveset: Flamethrower is, of course, the STAB attack of choice, having decent power in the sun. I preferred it over the more powerful Fire Blast because of its higher PP and perfect accuracy. Sunny Day is pretty mandatory on Ninetales' defensive sets as it can nullify the switch-in of an opponent weather inducer and giving instant momentum advantage. Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers making them nearly useless, and finally Roar for those pesky Volcaronas that like so much setting up on Ninetales.
Possible changes: Move all Def EVs to SDef for maximum special bulkyness.
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HarvesterOfSorrow (Venusaur) (M) @
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SAtk / 176 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
Venusaur is one of those pokemon that received some tremendous boosts between the transition from DPP and BW and from the latter to BW2.
BW gave it access to Chlorophyll through the Dream World, making this giant frog with a flower on its back a real threat in the sun. But the gifts it
received don't stop here. Growth too had a boost becoming, under the sun, a Swords Dance and Nasty Plot paired together and thus one of the best, if not the best, set up move for sun abusers.
Furthermore, Giga Drain received a power and PP boost however in BW the Chlorophyll+Giga Drain combination was illegal. BW2 fixed this, giving Venusar a less powerful but more reliable STAB move than Solar Beam or Energy Ball and providing a way of recovering all in one. Thanks to its new toys and major boons Venusaur is easily a force to be reckoned with in OU.
The EVs: 176 Spd EVs along with a Timid Nature enable Venusaur to outspeed Scarfed Base 110 and below, like common Terrakion, Keldeo and Latios in the sun. 252 SAtk EVs in tandem with Life Orb give Venusaur excellent offensive power and the leftovers 80 were put in HP for better overall bulkyness.
The Moveset: As I said earlier, Growth is one of the best set up moves for sun abusers, sharply boosting Venusaur's Special Attack for the final sweep. Giga Drain is the Grass-type STAB move of choice, hitting some common pokes like Politoed, Rotom-W, Keldeo, Hippowdon, Tyranitar etc. for supereffective damage and is also a way of recovering Life Orb recoil. Sludge Bomb is Venusaur's strongest STAB move in this set, however it's the least used as it has poor coverage.
Hidden Power [Ice] is my Hidden Power of choice mainly used to revenge kill Dragons and both Landorus' formes who otherwise can be really troublesome for me. I know this moveset is walled by Steel-types but the rest of the team can deal with them quite easily so it's not really a big issue.
Possile changes: HP [Fire] over HP [Ice] or run a mixed EVs spread with Earthquake over Sludge Bomb.
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DontTreadOnMe (Forretress) (F) @
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
Forretress is my go-to guy for physical sweepers and first part of my "VoltTurn hazard-control core" along with Xatu. All it has to do is spin, spin,
spin. Set up one or two layer of Spikes comes in handy to weaken the opponent team enough to open up a sweep. Furthermore, Forretress can sponge an attack aimed to it and then Volt Switch out, granting a free switch to one of its teammates. Despite its lack of offensive presence and reliable recovery outside of Leftovers and Rest, Forretress is still a valuable member of my team that can block most physical attackers on their tracks and can support its teammates very well.
The EVs: 80 SDef EVs are for tanking some weaker special attacks without many issues, 252 HP EVs maximize Forretress' overall bulkyness and 176 Def Evs along with a Relaxed Nature are for the best physical defense. However I might change this spread to a 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef, since even with some EVs investment Forretress' SDef is still luckluster.
The Moveset: Spikes and Rapid Spin are pretty self-explanatory: the former lets me set up hazards on the opponent field, in order to weaken opposite teams, facilitating an attempt of sweeping; the latter keeps my field free of entry hazards, increasing the longevity of my team. Gyro Ball along with a negative nature and 0 Spd IVs allow Forretress to deal some damage while walling a potential threat, Relaxed Nature and 0 Spd IVs come in handy with Volt Switch too, enabling Forretress to tank a hit and then flee out, passing the baton to one of its teammates. Furthermore, Volt Switch allows Forretress to escape from Magnezone's clutches.
Possible changes: Move all SDef EVs to Def or replace Forretress with Magma Storm Heatran or Bronzong.
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SeekAndDestroy (Dugtrio) (F) @
Trait: Arena Trap
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
IVs: 21 HP
Despite having the lowest BST in the OU tier, luckluster defenses and subpar attack stat, Dugtrio still possess an important niche in the OU evironment, being the only fully-evolved Arena Trap user.
Its ability, combined with its blistering base 120 Speed allow Dugtrio to be one of the best trappers and revenge killers in OU metagame. In sun teams, Dugtrio is a staple due to the fact that it can trap and kill Tyranitar or other weakened weather inducers easily, allowing Ninetales to set up sun as the dominant weather.
Dugtrio's abilities don't stop here. It can trap and kill two of the major threats for Drought teams: Heatran and Volcarona. However, Dugtrio's paper-thin defenses don't let him switch into sun-boosted STAB Fire-type attacks (or any strong STAB attack), so one must be very careful when playing with the trio of moles.
Furthermore, Dugtrio can trap and kill stuff like Terrakion, Blissey and weakened Tentacruel with little effort and then set up Stealth Rock before fainting. All in all, with the correct support and a good amount of prediction Dugtrio can really be determinant for this team's success.
The EVs: pretty self-explanatory. 252 Atk and 252 Spd along with a Jolly Nature provide Dugtrio maximum power and speed. 4 SDef are useless like in any other stat. 21 HP IVs grant Dugtrio to survive two Seismic Tosses with 1 HP and thus fire off full-powered Reversals.
The Moveset: Stealth Rock because none of my other team members (bar Forretress) can learn it and it's easily the best move in the game. Earthquake act as a reliable and powerful STAB. Stone Edge grants almost perfect coverage along Earthquake and allows Dugtrio to kill Volcarona easily and comes in handy against other pokes weak to it. Reversal in tandem with Focus Sash allow Dugtrio to survive a hit with 1 HP left and then retaliate with a full-powered Reversal.
Possible changes: None.
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MasterOfPuppets (Xatu) (F) @
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 Spd
Bold Nature
Enter Xatu, another BW lottery winner, blessed with one of the best abilities in the game: Magic Bounce. This Trait let Xatu send back most non-damaging attacks in the game such as Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Spore, Toxic, Thunder Wave, Roar etc. Simply put, it acts as a permanent Magic Coat.
Xatu is the second half of my "VoltTurn hazard-control core" along with Forretress and it is just wonderful. It can switch into most hazards setters like Ferrothorn, Forretress, Skarmory and even Hippowdon with no efforts and bouncing hazards back. However there are some setters that it can't deal with, like Tyranitar, that's why I paired Xatu with Forretress so I always have a way of getting rid of hazards.
Furthermore this magical bird is my dedicated counter to Breloom, sending back Spore and taking pitful damage from its attacks. Xatu does its best against stall team, though they're rare nowadays. Furthermore, Xatu is able to kill all the pokemons I mentioned before (bar Hippowdon) with a powerful and supereffective Heat Wave in the sun. You have no idea how many people let their Forretress or Ferrothorn in against Xatu just to see them melting.
I chose Rocky Helmet as item because it comes in handy for stalling physical attackers, deal some damage to spinners and break Dragonite's Multiscale. Furthermore I didn't feel the need of the passive recovery provided by Leftovers as Xatu has access to Roost as its realiable recovery move.
Despite its low base stats, this clairvoyant bird has never let me down.
The EVs: 56 Spd EVs let Xatu outspeed Adamant Breloom and OHKO with Heat Wave in the sun. 248 HP EVs provide Xatu with an odd HP number in order to switch in 5 times in case of Stealth Rock and 204 Def EVs along with a Bold Nature maximize Xatu's physical bulk.
The Moveset: Thunder Wave allow Xatu to cripple those fast and powerful attackers that like switch into it like Latios, however sometimes I wanted to run Toxic instead to better deal with stuff like Hippowdon. U-turn formes a VoltTurn core with Forretress, making prediction and especially Dugtrio switch-ins easier. Roost is Xatu's realiable recovery move that provides increased longevity and Heat Wave roastes each Steel-type that Xatu likes switching into and has decent power in the sun.
Possible changes: Move all Spd EVs to Def and replace Thunder Wave with Toxic.
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CreepingDeath (Salamence) (M) @
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
Salamence was the last addiction to the team and man, I really love it. Salamence received a new toy in the BW transition too. Thanks to Dream World the mighty Dragon gained Moxie. I'm pretty sure you all know how it works but let me explain you, imagine a powerful outraging dragon that becomes more and more stronger as its opponents faint. Well, that's what Salamence is, a Dragon-type war machine that becomes more powerful the more it rages.
Moxie has really been a great boon to Salamence, making its Choice Scarf set more deadly than ever, providing mixed attacking power with solid speed.
Despite having a Choice Item, Salamence is very versatile and can act as a revenge killer and as late game sweeper once the opponent's checks and counters have been taken out.
Salamence is easily one of the best Choice Scarf users in the game.
The EVs: pretty simple, 252 Spd EVs and a positive nature for maximum speed enabling Salamence to outspeed stuff like +1 Dragonite and +1 Modest Volcarona, 252 Atk EVs take advantage of Salamence's high Base 135 Attack stat and let it fire off STAB Dragon-type attacks at full power. 4 SAtk EVs give a little more "oomph" to Fire Blast.
The Moveset: Outrage is Salamence's strongest physical STAB and can punch huge holes into the opponent team, Dragon Claw is an alternative STAB move used when Salamence can't lock itself into Outrage, Earthquake gives coverage against most Steel-types, namely Heatran and Jirachi and Fire Blast is used for those Steel-types that are neutral or immune to Earthquake, like Skarmory, Ferrothorn and Forretress.
Possible changes: None.
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Threatlist
Well, this was Fight Fire with Fire, a Drought team RMT by DoomTrain. Feel free to rate, steal or whatever, but please if you do leave a Luvdisc!
Importable
JumpInTheFire (Ninetales) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 120 Def / 96 SDef / 44 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Flamethrower
- Sunny Day
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roar
HarvesterOfSorrow (Venusaur) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SAtk / 176 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Sludge Bomb
DontTreadOnMe (Forretress) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Volt Switch
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball
SeekAndDestroy (Dugtrio) (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Stone Edge
MasterOfPuppets (Xatu) (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
- Roost
- Heat Wave
CreepingDeath (Salamence) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
Trait: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 120 Def / 96 SDef / 44 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Flamethrower
- Sunny Day
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roar
HarvesterOfSorrow (Venusaur) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SAtk / 176 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Sludge Bomb
DontTreadOnMe (Forretress) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Volt Switch
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball
SeekAndDestroy (Dugtrio) (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Stone Edge
MasterOfPuppets (Xatu) (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
- Roost
- Heat Wave
CreepingDeath (Salamence) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
