Well, I do like to ramble a lot, but this time I'm going to do it in my own RMT.
I like offensive teams. Having tried stall on many occasions, I find the whole pace of the game too slow for my liking. As a result, the majority of my teams tend to be focused around beating the opponent into the ground with strong attacking pokemon, and this team is no different. This has been one of my most successful teams to date, surpassing even my rain team on the leaderboard. It has been updated and revised many times, but now I think it's time I asked all you guys for help. After all, two heads are better than one, and with the help of the many heads here I hope I can make this team reach even greater heights than before =).
Just one note, please take the time to read the descriptions as well, as many of my pokemon have very specific roles on my team and these need to be taken into consideration when suggesting alternatives.
Smogonites, I present team Siren Song:
____________________
At a Glance:
____________________
____________________
Strategy Overview:
____________________
The overall aim of this team is to systematically remove Scizor's counters to allow it to sweep unhindered in the end game. This team mainly utilizes bulky sweepers to not only slow down the opponent's sweepers, but to do weaken the entire opposing team into Bullet Punch range.
However, despite the end aim being a Scizor sweep, all my pokemon are respectable sweepers on their own. If left unchecked, each and every one of them can sweep a team by themselves. Each member also contributes something to the team as a whole as well.
____________________
In Depth:
____________________
Azelf --- Samarium
@ Focus Sash
Levitate
Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
200 Atk, 56 SpA, 252 Spe
- Psychic
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
---
Azelf, the standard lead. I'm very surprised at how few Azelf run Taunt nowadays. It really is such a great move - especially so since so few people use it nowadays and it is not really expected. Hippowdon always waste a turn trying to SR up against me, and Ice Fang is a 4HKO, which gives me plenty of time to set up my own SR and smack him a couple of times with Psychic. Taunt also messes up Trick / Stealth Rock leads, since even if they do manage to Trick the scarf onto me they won't be able to set up their rocks.
Psychic is good for OHKOing Gengar and Infernape, and 2HKOing Aerodactyl. Stealth Rock is essential to this team as it cancels out opposing Focus Sashes and really helps weaken flying type pokemon such as Zapdos, Gyarados and Salamence, which really slow down my own Lucario and Scizor. Explosion allows Azelf to really leave his mark on an opponent's team, doing a good deal of damage to even super bulky things such as Hippowdon.
Despite its frail defenses, Azelf does provide a very valuable fighting and ground resist to the rest of my team. However, more often than not Azelf suicides in the first few turns, meaning that most of my battles start off like this:
____________________
Tyranitar --- Krag
@ Choice Band
Sand Stream
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
172 HP, 252 Atk, 84 Spe
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Earthquake
---
Tyranitar is the real powerhouse of my team. It works very well with Azelf, resisting the Dark and Ghost attacks that plague it, while Azelf can take most Ground and Fighting attacks aimed at Tyranitar. Azelf also attracts a lot of scarf Gengars, which can then be taken out easily by Tyranitar.
With Sand Stream in effect, Tyranitar is effectively working with a SpD stat of 354. Add to that the 384 HP and 256 Defense and you have one tough bugger to take down. Tyranitar serves as my special wall of sorts, and is my only real answer to Zapdos, which gives this team a lot of trouble. Thunderbolts don't really do anything memorable, and Tyranitar can Pursuit or Stone Edge the electric bird to its grave.
Stone Edge is the primary method of attacking. It is usually quite hard for teams to find good Rock resistances in a team, and so STAB Stone Edge coming off 604 Atk is going to leave a dent in almost everything. It also 2HKOs Skarmory, who Tyranitar has been EVed to outspeed to hit it before it can roost. Pursuit is my favourite move in the game, allowing me to damage the thing I want to before it can escape. Crunch utilizes Tyranitar's Dark STAB to the fullest. The last slot was a toss up between Earthquake and Aqua Tail, but I decided to go with Earthquake for Magnezone and Lucario since all my other pokemon can deal quite well with Hippowdon and Gliscor.
Tyranitar's Sand Stream does a great job of weakening opposing walls, but it doesn't bother my team too much seeing as half of it is immune, and Gyarados and Porygon2 pack recovery.
____________________
Gyarados --- Chiasmara
@ Leftovers
Intimidate
Impish (+Def, -SpA)
252 HP, 236 Def, 20 SpD
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
---
I needed something that can take status, strong fighting, fire, ground and steel attacks, and yet pose an offensive threat at the same time. RestTalk Gyarados fits the bill perfectly. A lot of my team is weak to fighting, and Gyarados makes an excellent switch into almost all fighting types and can outdamage them with Waterfall. For example, a Machamp Dynamicpunch manages less than a quarter damage on this Gyarados. Gyarados also deals with Scizor, Breloom, Lucario, Heracross, Heatran, and numerous other things that would sweep me in a heartbeat if not for him. So you can say that Gyarados is my primary physical wall in this team.
Once again, Gyarados has great synergy with Tyranitar, resisting the Water, Fighting, Steel and Ground attacks that he hates. In turn, Tyranitar doesn't really mind taking strong electric attacks with his bolstered SpD. Rest and Sleep Talk, along with Gyarados' great bulk and Intimidate, mean that the opponent better be packing a strong electric attack or Gyarados will set up all over them. This makes an excellent late game stat up sweeper as well if needed.
____________________
Porygon2 --- Binaryte MK II
@ Leftovers
Trace
Bold (+Def, -Atk)
252HP, 216 Def, 40 SpA
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Recover
---
<3 P2. This is really such a great pokemon, and fits in very nicely in my team. Lucario often gives things like Salamence and Gyarados free turns to set up, so I need something that can provide a guaranteed stop to them. And what better a counter than Porygon2? Intimdating the duo on the switch in, he takes laughable damage from LO Outrage and Waterfall and can OHKO both of them. Porygon2 can also Trace Electivire's Motor Drive and Jolteon's Volt Absorb as they try to zap Gyarados; Trace Magnezone's Magnet Pull after it kills one of my steels and paralyse it while taking <50% from Thunderbolt; can copy Dugtrio's Arena Trap and kill it with Ice Beam while taking less than half health damage from CB Earthquake; and can trace Heatran's Flash Fire and paralyze it as it tries to prey on Scizor. All in all, P2 rocks.
Ice Beam and Thunderbolt give it excellent coverage and get the aforementioned KOs on Salamence/Gyarados. Although Toxic would be really nice in helping stall out other bulky pokemon, the great sweeping advantage granted to all my pokemon by Thunder Wave is too good an opportunity to pass up. Once paralysed, things like Zapdos, Gyarados, Magnezone, Heatran, etc cease to be threats any more. Recover makes Porygon2 extremely hard to take down. I've outstalled whole stall teams without T spikes with this thing before.
Porygon2 provides excellent paralysis support for all my pokemon, and works great in tandem with Gyarados.
____________________
Lucario --- Skywalker
@ Choice Specs
Steadfast
Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
4 HP, 252 SpA, 252 Spe
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power Ice
- Vacuum Wave
---
Specs Luke takes to the stage once more. The team is named after Lucario's fighting technique. The sirens of old used to be seductive creatures that lured sailors to their deaths. Much like these seductresses, Specs Lucario acts as a lure to common SD Lucario and Scizor counters and then takes them out by surprise on the special side. I'm talking about things like Gliscor, Hippowdon, Swampert, Forretress, Rotom and Zapdos, who expect to switch into a Close Combat and are instead surprised by a HP Ice or Shadow Ball.
Aura Sphere is a scarily powerful attack, taking out things as bulky as Scizor out in one blow. It's also great when the opponent switches Blissey out of a predicted Close Combat, only to have to bring it back in to try and take Lucario's special attacks. Shadow Ball is nice for getting the neutral hit on Heracross, but I am strongly considering replacing it for Dark Pulse, which will let me hit Blissey and Snorlax for reasonable damage. HP Ice is excellent for getting the surprise KO at the start of the game, as well as being a ward for Salamence and Zapdos who think they can smugly switch in. Vacuum Wave is a great attack on Specs Luke, allowing him to make up for his mediocre speed and get the kill on things like Weavile and DD Tyranitar. Having strong STAB priority on both spectrums on the same team is also invaluable for revenge killing purposes.
Lucario acts as an excellent lure for many of Scizor's counters, and with some smart play paves the way for it to sweep an entire team.
____________________
Scizor --- Skarlet
@ Leftovers
Technician
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
252 HP, 76 Atk, 176 SpD, 4 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Brick Break
- Roost
---
We come to the star of the show. This Scizor set is incredible. The difference in survivability between Leftovers and Life Orb is really noticeable. Things that usually slow down a normal Scizor sweep - pokemon like Starmie, Vaporeon, Swampert, Bronzong, Gliscor, etc - are mere set up fodder for this Scizor. Alternating between Swords Dance and Roost while taking ~35% damage from most of these pokemon's attacks, it is ridiculously easy to get to +6 and sweep an entire team.
Brick Break is chosen over X-Scissor because it means that Heatran and Magnezone will think twice before switching in to try and kill of Scizor. With these defensive EVs, Scizor will always survive Modest Specs Magnezone's Thunderbolt. At full health, it also has a 75% chance to surivive a Timid ScarfZone's HP Fire.
Scizor is the pokemon that everyone else tries to set up for. This set is very independent and can take me from being 1-4 down to victory. It also makes an excellent revenge killer for things like Skymin and Salamence. All in all a truly excellent pokemon.
____________________
I like offensive teams. Having tried stall on many occasions, I find the whole pace of the game too slow for my liking. As a result, the majority of my teams tend to be focused around beating the opponent into the ground with strong attacking pokemon, and this team is no different. This has been one of my most successful teams to date, surpassing even my rain team on the leaderboard. It has been updated and revised many times, but now I think it's time I asked all you guys for help. After all, two heads are better than one, and with the help of the many heads here I hope I can make this team reach even greater heights than before =).
Just one note, please take the time to read the descriptions as well, as many of my pokemon have very specific roles on my team and these need to be taken into consideration when suggesting alternatives.
Smogonites, I present team Siren Song:
____________________
At a Glance:
____________________
____________________
Strategy Overview:
____________________
The overall aim of this team is to systematically remove Scizor's counters to allow it to sweep unhindered in the end game. This team mainly utilizes bulky sweepers to not only slow down the opponent's sweepers, but to do weaken the entire opposing team into Bullet Punch range.
However, despite the end aim being a Scizor sweep, all my pokemon are respectable sweepers on their own. If left unchecked, each and every one of them can sweep a team by themselves. Each member also contributes something to the team as a whole as well.
____________________
In Depth:
____________________
Azelf --- Samarium
@ Focus Sash
Levitate
Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
200 Atk, 56 SpA, 252 Spe
- Psychic
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
---
Azelf, the standard lead. I'm very surprised at how few Azelf run Taunt nowadays. It really is such a great move - especially so since so few people use it nowadays and it is not really expected. Hippowdon always waste a turn trying to SR up against me, and Ice Fang is a 4HKO, which gives me plenty of time to set up my own SR and smack him a couple of times with Psychic. Taunt also messes up Trick / Stealth Rock leads, since even if they do manage to Trick the scarf onto me they won't be able to set up their rocks.
Psychic is good for OHKOing Gengar and Infernape, and 2HKOing Aerodactyl. Stealth Rock is essential to this team as it cancels out opposing Focus Sashes and really helps weaken flying type pokemon such as Zapdos, Gyarados and Salamence, which really slow down my own Lucario and Scizor. Explosion allows Azelf to really leave his mark on an opponent's team, doing a good deal of damage to even super bulky things such as Hippowdon.
Despite its frail defenses, Azelf does provide a very valuable fighting and ground resist to the rest of my team. However, more often than not Azelf suicides in the first few turns, meaning that most of my battles start off like this:
____________________
Tyranitar --- Krag
@ Choice Band
Sand Stream
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
172 HP, 252 Atk, 84 Spe
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Earthquake
---
Tyranitar is the real powerhouse of my team. It works very well with Azelf, resisting the Dark and Ghost attacks that plague it, while Azelf can take most Ground and Fighting attacks aimed at Tyranitar. Azelf also attracts a lot of scarf Gengars, which can then be taken out easily by Tyranitar.
With Sand Stream in effect, Tyranitar is effectively working with a SpD stat of 354. Add to that the 384 HP and 256 Defense and you have one tough bugger to take down. Tyranitar serves as my special wall of sorts, and is my only real answer to Zapdos, which gives this team a lot of trouble. Thunderbolts don't really do anything memorable, and Tyranitar can Pursuit or Stone Edge the electric bird to its grave.
Stone Edge is the primary method of attacking. It is usually quite hard for teams to find good Rock resistances in a team, and so STAB Stone Edge coming off 604 Atk is going to leave a dent in almost everything. It also 2HKOs Skarmory, who Tyranitar has been EVed to outspeed to hit it before it can roost. Pursuit is my favourite move in the game, allowing me to damage the thing I want to before it can escape. Crunch utilizes Tyranitar's Dark STAB to the fullest. The last slot was a toss up between Earthquake and Aqua Tail, but I decided to go with Earthquake for Magnezone and Lucario since all my other pokemon can deal quite well with Hippowdon and Gliscor.
Tyranitar's Sand Stream does a great job of weakening opposing walls, but it doesn't bother my team too much seeing as half of it is immune, and Gyarados and Porygon2 pack recovery.
____________________
Gyarados --- Chiasmara
@ Leftovers
Intimidate
Impish (+Def, -SpA)
252 HP, 236 Def, 20 SpD
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
---
I needed something that can take status, strong fighting, fire, ground and steel attacks, and yet pose an offensive threat at the same time. RestTalk Gyarados fits the bill perfectly. A lot of my team is weak to fighting, and Gyarados makes an excellent switch into almost all fighting types and can outdamage them with Waterfall. For example, a Machamp Dynamicpunch manages less than a quarter damage on this Gyarados. Gyarados also deals with Scizor, Breloom, Lucario, Heracross, Heatran, and numerous other things that would sweep me in a heartbeat if not for him. So you can say that Gyarados is my primary physical wall in this team.
Once again, Gyarados has great synergy with Tyranitar, resisting the Water, Fighting, Steel and Ground attacks that he hates. In turn, Tyranitar doesn't really mind taking strong electric attacks with his bolstered SpD. Rest and Sleep Talk, along with Gyarados' great bulk and Intimidate, mean that the opponent better be packing a strong electric attack or Gyarados will set up all over them. This makes an excellent late game stat up sweeper as well if needed.
____________________
Porygon2 --- Binaryte MK II
@ Leftovers
Trace
Bold (+Def, -Atk)
252HP, 216 Def, 40 SpA
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Recover
---
<3 P2. This is really such a great pokemon, and fits in very nicely in my team. Lucario often gives things like Salamence and Gyarados free turns to set up, so I need something that can provide a guaranteed stop to them. And what better a counter than Porygon2? Intimdating the duo on the switch in, he takes laughable damage from LO Outrage and Waterfall and can OHKO both of them. Porygon2 can also Trace Electivire's Motor Drive and Jolteon's Volt Absorb as they try to zap Gyarados; Trace Magnezone's Magnet Pull after it kills one of my steels and paralyse it while taking <50% from Thunderbolt; can copy Dugtrio's Arena Trap and kill it with Ice Beam while taking less than half health damage from CB Earthquake; and can trace Heatran's Flash Fire and paralyze it as it tries to prey on Scizor. All in all, P2 rocks.
Ice Beam and Thunderbolt give it excellent coverage and get the aforementioned KOs on Salamence/Gyarados. Although Toxic would be really nice in helping stall out other bulky pokemon, the great sweeping advantage granted to all my pokemon by Thunder Wave is too good an opportunity to pass up. Once paralysed, things like Zapdos, Gyarados, Magnezone, Heatran, etc cease to be threats any more. Recover makes Porygon2 extremely hard to take down. I've outstalled whole stall teams without T spikes with this thing before.
Porygon2 provides excellent paralysis support for all my pokemon, and works great in tandem with Gyarados.
____________________
Lucario --- Skywalker
@ Choice Specs
Steadfast
Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
4 HP, 252 SpA, 252 Spe
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power Ice
- Vacuum Wave
---
Specs Luke takes to the stage once more. The team is named after Lucario's fighting technique. The sirens of old used to be seductive creatures that lured sailors to their deaths. Much like these seductresses, Specs Lucario acts as a lure to common SD Lucario and Scizor counters and then takes them out by surprise on the special side. I'm talking about things like Gliscor, Hippowdon, Swampert, Forretress, Rotom and Zapdos, who expect to switch into a Close Combat and are instead surprised by a HP Ice or Shadow Ball.
Aura Sphere is a scarily powerful attack, taking out things as bulky as Scizor out in one blow. It's also great when the opponent switches Blissey out of a predicted Close Combat, only to have to bring it back in to try and take Lucario's special attacks. Shadow Ball is nice for getting the neutral hit on Heracross, but I am strongly considering replacing it for Dark Pulse, which will let me hit Blissey and Snorlax for reasonable damage. HP Ice is excellent for getting the surprise KO at the start of the game, as well as being a ward for Salamence and Zapdos who think they can smugly switch in. Vacuum Wave is a great attack on Specs Luke, allowing him to make up for his mediocre speed and get the kill on things like Weavile and DD Tyranitar. Having strong STAB priority on both spectrums on the same team is also invaluable for revenge killing purposes.
Lucario acts as an excellent lure for many of Scizor's counters, and with some smart play paves the way for it to sweep an entire team.
____________________
Scizor --- Skarlet
@ Leftovers
Technician
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
252 HP, 76 Atk, 176 SpD, 4 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Brick Break
- Roost
---
We come to the star of the show. This Scizor set is incredible. The difference in survivability between Leftovers and Life Orb is really noticeable. Things that usually slow down a normal Scizor sweep - pokemon like Starmie, Vaporeon, Swampert, Bronzong, Gliscor, etc - are mere set up fodder for this Scizor. Alternating between Swords Dance and Roost while taking ~35% damage from most of these pokemon's attacks, it is ridiculously easy to get to +6 and sweep an entire team.
Brick Break is chosen over X-Scissor because it means that Heatran and Magnezone will think twice before switching in to try and kill of Scizor. With these defensive EVs, Scizor will always survive Modest Specs Magnezone's Thunderbolt. At full health, it also has a 75% chance to surivive a Timid ScarfZone's HP Fire.
Scizor is the pokemon that everyone else tries to set up for. This set is very independent and can take me from being 1-4 down to victory. It also makes an excellent revenge killer for things like Skymin and Salamence. All in all a truly excellent pokemon.
____________________
