Team Name: 2nd Coming V2.0
Introduction
Hey, I am HasKal. About a month ago I posted my first team on RMT called 2nd Coming, which got some great feedback. This second version incorporates much of that feedback although not all of it. The changes that I made certainly helped me to get to higher ratings on the ladder and better results against pokemon that previously were problematic. So here goes.....
Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid (+Spe,-Atk)
EVs : 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Moves: Trick / Psychic / Draco Meteor / Surf
Description: In my previous team I had a Choice Scarf Alakazam, which I replaced with Choice Scarf Latios. Though slower and bit less powerful than Alakazam, Latios's much better bulk and better coverage over more prominent threats makes it the better choice. Trick allows it cripple almost all walls and stall pokemon, particularly the pink blobs and ferrothorn. Similar to Alakazam, it allows Latios to stop +1 Volcarona (after 1 Quiver Dance) as Latios is still faster and can Trick on the Choice Scarf. Latios dies in the process, but Volcarona is usually locked into Bug Buzz, which makes it more manageable. Scarf also lets it beat Scarf variants of Terrakion, Keldeo and Salamence.
The moves are standard ones with Psychic being chosen over Psyshock to ensure an unconditional OHKO on Conkeldurr, who can decimate the rest of the team after 1 Bulk Up.
The only downside to using Latios over Alakazam is that it leads to a tricky situation with Venusaur in the sun, as Latios is faster than Modest variants but slower than Timid variants(which are comparatively rare). This has cost me a match or two at times.
P.S: I know that the standard sets on Smogon suggest Timid nature on Venusaur, but I have seen most people use Modest in practice.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest
EVs: 232 HP, 56 SpA, 220 Spe
Moves: Hydro Pump / Volt Switch / Pain Split / Will-o-wisp
Description: This is the standard bulky attacker set of Rotom-W, taken from Smogon. My choice for a lead in most situations except versus Sun teams. The HP investment is important, as it allows to take powerful hits from many pokemon such as +0 Outrage from Garchomp,Dragonite and Salamence, and burn them in return with Will-o-wisp. Hydro Pump is pure power, and puts the hurt on most pokemon under the rain, which is pretty ubiquitous considering the number of rain teams in use. Volt Switch is pretty good, and helps preserve momentum. Pain Split fits really well, as it gives very decent recovery, and despite the investment in HP, still works likes a charm against most pokemon. The 220 speed EVs are crucial as it allows Rotom to cripple Breloom leads with Will-o-wisp, and also Gliscor leads if the opponent is inexperienced enough to stay in and not use Protect(It's surprising how often this happens).
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252HP, 88 Def, 168 SpD
Moves: Power Whip / Leech Seed / Stealth Rock / Gyro Ball
Description: This is one of my unchanged pokemon from the first team. Again, the standard set from Smogon. The nature and EV spread make Ferrothorn an amazing mixed wall, although I mostly use it against special attackers. Leftovers and Leech Seed provide just enough recovery to function in all but very few cases. Spikes is pretty self explanatory, while Power Whip and Gyro Ball are used for offense. The exclusion of Protect / Thunder Wave might raise questions, but the merits of using Gyro Ball justify the decision in my eyes. At full or near full health (>= 88%), Ferrothorn survives a Focus Blast from Alakazam and Gengar, and can OHKO in return with Gyro Ball. Plus it generally works well on many other pokemon, due to Ferrothorn's abysmal speed. Ferrothorn is my go-to-guy to counter most Draco-Meteor Dragons, and in general a very good defensive pivot.
Tentacruel @ Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
Nature: Bold (+Def,-Atk)
EV's: 252 HP, 236 Def, 20 Spe
Moves: Rapid Spin / Toxic / Scald / Protect
Description: I previously had a Forretress in this spot, which I replaced. Tentacruel works similarly to my Forretress, being able to switch in to almost the same pokemon except for Mamoswine. The resistances are also pretty similar, being able to counter Scizor, Conkeldurr and other fighting types. The addition of Toxic allows me to use Toxic stalling now, which is pretty effective technique. The synergy is maintained just as before, plus giving me an effective switch in to Infernape(Latios works for this too,but I have been caught by U-Turn Ape a few times), which is still pretty common. Liquid Ooze is used so as to catch opposing Ferrothorn off-guard, as the 'damage' done due to Leech Seed and Burn(from Scald or Rotom-W's WoW) puts on a lot of pressure. Also punishes Conkeldurr and Toxicroak looking to abuse Bulk Up + Drain Punch, although Tentacruel can't do anything to Toxicroak in return.
Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
Nature: Naive(+Spe,-Def) / Hasty(+Spe,-Spd)
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 SpA, 252 Spe
Moves: Close Combat / Overheat / U-Turn / Stone Edge
Description: I previously had an Offensive Quiver Dance Volcarona in this spot, but the inclusion of Latios gave me a good special attacker so I swapped in Infernape. The physically based mixed attacker set is quite effective and underrated in the current metagame. The type coverage is impeccable and with Infernape's attacking stats and Life Orb boost is able to take on a large number of threats.
Close Combat is staple, and is great move that doesn't need much explaining.
I chose Overheat over Fire Blast as most players are smart enough to switch to fire-resist or a special wall after one attack, hence the higher BP of Overheat is more useful. Also with good prediction can be used to surprise switch-ins, as Landorus-T and Gliscor are both OHKO'd after prior damage.
U-Turn allows Infernape to scout and escape would be checks, also offers great VoltTurn synergy with Rotom-W.
Stone Edge allows Infernape to nail dangerous pokemon like Gyarados, Salamence(non-Scarf), Dragonite(after Mutliscale is broken) and Volcarona.
The lack of Grass Knot means Infernape is walled by most water types, but they are dealt with by Rotom-W and Ferrothorn.
Haxorus @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Moves: Outrage / Earthquake / Superpower / Dual Chop
Description: Choice Band Haxorus with Jolly nature is highly underrated. Although it does not possess the sheer power of Adamant natured variants, if used correctly, it can dominate late-game. With a Jolly nature Haxorus can outrun most variants of Hydreigon and can OHKO. Against Sun teams, Jolly Haxorus works as an amazing lead, netting a OHKO with Earthquake on the first turn itself as most people don't invest in speed on their Ninetales. This helps to put pressure on the opponent. Also it allows Haxorus to check non-Scarf variants of Jirachi too, as again a lot of people just don't invest enough in speed. Mold Breaker lets it take on Levitate users such as Rotom-W and Bronzong. Superpower gives decent coverage over Steel-types and can OHKO Ferrothorn after a little prior damage. Dual Chop is great because it lets Haxorus hit through substitutes, stopping Focus Punch Breloom in particular. Also Dual Chop lets it effectively revenge kill Dragonite without locking into Outrage, as Mold Breaker negates Multiscale. In general as well it is a safe STAB option to use, in case I don't want to lock in Outrage. Outrage itself is ridiculously powerful, and can score OHKO's on a lot many pokemon even without an Adamant nature.
Extra Remarks
This team is definitely a better team than my previous one, allowing me to overcome a lot of hurdles. It still has its flaws though, the foremost being a lack of priority moves. This has cost matches more than once, and I am currently in the process of trying out Mach Punch on Infernape. Trick Room teams occasionally are troublesome, but not as much. Also hax sometimes becomes a big factor, as there a lot of moves without 100% accuracy on the team such as Draco Meteor, Stone Edge and so on.
I would appreciate feedback a lot, and will definitely try to use it to improve the team further.
Introduction
Hey, I am HasKal. About a month ago I posted my first team on RMT called 2nd Coming, which got some great feedback. This second version incorporates much of that feedback although not all of it. The changes that I made certainly helped me to get to higher ratings on the ladder and better results against pokemon that previously were problematic. So here goes.....
Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid (+Spe,-Atk)
EVs : 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Moves: Trick / Psychic / Draco Meteor / Surf
Description: In my previous team I had a Choice Scarf Alakazam, which I replaced with Choice Scarf Latios. Though slower and bit less powerful than Alakazam, Latios's much better bulk and better coverage over more prominent threats makes it the better choice. Trick allows it cripple almost all walls and stall pokemon, particularly the pink blobs and ferrothorn. Similar to Alakazam, it allows Latios to stop +1 Volcarona (after 1 Quiver Dance) as Latios is still faster and can Trick on the Choice Scarf. Latios dies in the process, but Volcarona is usually locked into Bug Buzz, which makes it more manageable. Scarf also lets it beat Scarf variants of Terrakion, Keldeo and Salamence.
The moves are standard ones with Psychic being chosen over Psyshock to ensure an unconditional OHKO on Conkeldurr, who can decimate the rest of the team after 1 Bulk Up.
The only downside to using Latios over Alakazam is that it leads to a tricky situation with Venusaur in the sun, as Latios is faster than Modest variants but slower than Timid variants(which are comparatively rare). This has cost me a match or two at times.
P.S: I know that the standard sets on Smogon suggest Timid nature on Venusaur, but I have seen most people use Modest in practice.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest
EVs: 232 HP, 56 SpA, 220 Spe
Moves: Hydro Pump / Volt Switch / Pain Split / Will-o-wisp
Description: This is the standard bulky attacker set of Rotom-W, taken from Smogon. My choice for a lead in most situations except versus Sun teams. The HP investment is important, as it allows to take powerful hits from many pokemon such as +0 Outrage from Garchomp,Dragonite and Salamence, and burn them in return with Will-o-wisp. Hydro Pump is pure power, and puts the hurt on most pokemon under the rain, which is pretty ubiquitous considering the number of rain teams in use. Volt Switch is pretty good, and helps preserve momentum. Pain Split fits really well, as it gives very decent recovery, and despite the investment in HP, still works likes a charm against most pokemon. The 220 speed EVs are crucial as it allows Rotom to cripple Breloom leads with Will-o-wisp, and also Gliscor leads if the opponent is inexperienced enough to stay in and not use Protect(It's surprising how often this happens).
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252HP, 88 Def, 168 SpD
Moves: Power Whip / Leech Seed / Stealth Rock / Gyro Ball
Description: This is one of my unchanged pokemon from the first team. Again, the standard set from Smogon. The nature and EV spread make Ferrothorn an amazing mixed wall, although I mostly use it against special attackers. Leftovers and Leech Seed provide just enough recovery to function in all but very few cases. Spikes is pretty self explanatory, while Power Whip and Gyro Ball are used for offense. The exclusion of Protect / Thunder Wave might raise questions, but the merits of using Gyro Ball justify the decision in my eyes. At full or near full health (>= 88%), Ferrothorn survives a Focus Blast from Alakazam and Gengar, and can OHKO in return with Gyro Ball. Plus it generally works well on many other pokemon, due to Ferrothorn's abysmal speed. Ferrothorn is my go-to-guy to counter most Draco-Meteor Dragons, and in general a very good defensive pivot.
Tentacruel @ Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
Nature: Bold (+Def,-Atk)
EV's: 252 HP, 236 Def, 20 Spe
Moves: Rapid Spin / Toxic / Scald / Protect
Description: I previously had a Forretress in this spot, which I replaced. Tentacruel works similarly to my Forretress, being able to switch in to almost the same pokemon except for Mamoswine. The resistances are also pretty similar, being able to counter Scizor, Conkeldurr and other fighting types. The addition of Toxic allows me to use Toxic stalling now, which is pretty effective technique. The synergy is maintained just as before, plus giving me an effective switch in to Infernape(Latios works for this too,but I have been caught by U-Turn Ape a few times), which is still pretty common. Liquid Ooze is used so as to catch opposing Ferrothorn off-guard, as the 'damage' done due to Leech Seed and Burn(from Scald or Rotom-W's WoW) puts on a lot of pressure. Also punishes Conkeldurr and Toxicroak looking to abuse Bulk Up + Drain Punch, although Tentacruel can't do anything to Toxicroak in return.
Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
Nature: Naive(+Spe,-Def) / Hasty(+Spe,-Spd)
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 SpA, 252 Spe
Moves: Close Combat / Overheat / U-Turn / Stone Edge
Description: I previously had an Offensive Quiver Dance Volcarona in this spot, but the inclusion of Latios gave me a good special attacker so I swapped in Infernape. The physically based mixed attacker set is quite effective and underrated in the current metagame. The type coverage is impeccable and with Infernape's attacking stats and Life Orb boost is able to take on a large number of threats.
Close Combat is staple, and is great move that doesn't need much explaining.
I chose Overheat over Fire Blast as most players are smart enough to switch to fire-resist or a special wall after one attack, hence the higher BP of Overheat is more useful. Also with good prediction can be used to surprise switch-ins, as Landorus-T and Gliscor are both OHKO'd after prior damage.
U-Turn allows Infernape to scout and escape would be checks, also offers great VoltTurn synergy with Rotom-W.
Stone Edge allows Infernape to nail dangerous pokemon like Gyarados, Salamence(non-Scarf), Dragonite(after Mutliscale is broken) and Volcarona.
The lack of Grass Knot means Infernape is walled by most water types, but they are dealt with by Rotom-W and Ferrothorn.
Haxorus @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Moves: Outrage / Earthquake / Superpower / Dual Chop
Description: Choice Band Haxorus with Jolly nature is highly underrated. Although it does not possess the sheer power of Adamant natured variants, if used correctly, it can dominate late-game. With a Jolly nature Haxorus can outrun most variants of Hydreigon and can OHKO. Against Sun teams, Jolly Haxorus works as an amazing lead, netting a OHKO with Earthquake on the first turn itself as most people don't invest in speed on their Ninetales. This helps to put pressure on the opponent. Also it allows Haxorus to check non-Scarf variants of Jirachi too, as again a lot of people just don't invest enough in speed. Mold Breaker lets it take on Levitate users such as Rotom-W and Bronzong. Superpower gives decent coverage over Steel-types and can OHKO Ferrothorn after a little prior damage. Dual Chop is great because it lets Haxorus hit through substitutes, stopping Focus Punch Breloom in particular. Also Dual Chop lets it effectively revenge kill Dragonite without locking into Outrage, as Mold Breaker negates Multiscale. In general as well it is a safe STAB option to use, in case I don't want to lock in Outrage. Outrage itself is ridiculously powerful, and can score OHKO's on a lot many pokemon even without an Adamant nature.
Extra Remarks
This team is definitely a better team than my previous one, allowing me to overcome a lot of hurdles. It still has its flaws though, the foremost being a lack of priority moves. This has cost matches more than once, and I am currently in the process of trying out Mach Punch on Infernape. Trick Room teams occasionally are troublesome, but not as much. Also hax sometimes becomes a big factor, as there a lot of moves without 100% accuracy on the team such as Draco Meteor, Stone Edge and so on.
I would appreciate feedback a lot, and will definitely try to use it to improve the team further.