Team Pulse [OU RMT]

Hello Smogon, this is my first RMT. After playing around with teams in the RMT archives, I decided to make my own team. I am not the most experienced battler out there, but I found this creation very enjoyable to play with and with your help, I believe that this team can be improved. This is an offensive team.

At a glance:



Click below to reveal my team building process. You'll also get a glimpse of how the team can work.




Swampert (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 6 Atk / 252 Def
Nature: Relaxed (+Def, -Spe)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Roar

Swampert is here to set up Stealth Rock. Its bulk, along with the given nature, allows it to withstand a fair amount of punishment early on. Earthquake and Ice Beam gives Swampert coverage. While Ice Beam comes off of Swampert's less impressive Special Attack, it puts the hurt on things that are 4x weak against it. Earthquake rounds out things nicely, and getting a benefit from STAB doesn't hurt it either. If I get to save Swampert for later, it can deal with things weak to ground. Roar gives Swampert phazing capabilities. As long as I play carefully, I'm usually able to keep Swampert alive after it uses Stealth Rock in the beginning.


Flygon (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA) / Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Fire Blast

Scarf Flygon stood out to me as a great revenge killer. It is immune to Thunder Wave, doesn't get hurt by Stealth Rock like a granny, and has the chance to revenge against Dragon Dance users (provided that they only gained +1 when Flygon is sent in). Earthquake and Outrage are two strong STAB options for Flygon to revenge with. U-turn on a Scarf user allows me to use Flygon as a speedy scout early on. Fire Blast is my only option for Flygon to touch Skarmory. The nature suggested on the Analysis hinders SpA, however, so occasionally I would use Naive, which only affects my SpD (as opposed to Def, which can give Flygon trouble against most priority attacks). I would like some input on this matter


Scizor (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 18 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower

This is everyone's favorite little insect-man. Bullet Punch gives Scizor a strong STAB priority move. U-turn on Scizor is different than Flygon, since Scizor is slower; in this case, it gives me a chance to switch in something for "free". Either way, U-turn on both Scizor and Flygon lets me scout in slightly different ways. Pursuit nails those Psychics and Ghosts that are susceptible to it. Superpower rounds out Scizor's coverage. For the EVs on this Scizor, I've given it a bit more speed to outpace opposing CB Scizors, which can come in handy.


Breloom (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 46 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
- Spore
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb

I'll admit it, Spore sucks (in a good way). While there are many ways of circumventing sleep, it almost always guarantees one thing: a free turn for Breloom to set up a Substitute to hide behind. I can switch Breloom into Swampert fairly easily, provided that my opponent had no prior knowledge of its existence. In some cases, if I scare my opponent into switching when I have Jolteon in play, I can even Baton Pass a Substitute to Breloom so it can start up right away. Being resistant to Rock and Ground is a huge plus as well. I find that Breloom functions best when behind a Substitute; it gives Breloom cushion against priority and Scarf users, and Focus Punch can be used without worry. For example, if I'm hiding behind a Sub, it can even take on Scarf Heatran with Focus Punch. Seed Bomb allows me to threaten bulky waters (in addition to Jolteon) as well as giving me a secondary STAB option. Finally, Toxic Orb grants me a better healing option than Leftovers, as well as attaching a status on Breloom so it doesn't get affected by others. Given the availability of my two scouters, I have little to no difficulty getting Toxic Orb to activate in time.

For the EVs, I pumped up the Speed by 4 EVs/1 point so I can outspeed opposing standard Spore Puncher Brelooms (yes, this actually happened to me before, haha). In some cases, Breloom alone can drive some players insane.


Jolteon (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 26 SpD / 232 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
- Wish
- Baton Pass

A support set for Jolteon? Oh yes! This is the Team Support set taken from the Analysis page. In a nutshell, Jolteon helps create Substitutes for Breloom and Gyarados to enjoy. While Breloom with a Substitute can immediately start Focus Punching without worry, a Substitute for Gyarados gives it a chance to boost via Dragon Dance. I usually get the chance to either switch in Jolteon against something that threatens the opponent, such as a bulky water (that are not Water/Ground). Without prior knowledge, many opponents would simply switch (thinking that it's a Specs Jolteon or something), giving me an opportunity to create a Sub. From there, I can do a speedy Baton Pass to an appropriate recipient. Volt Absorb allows Jolteon to switch in to Thunder Waves and other electric attacks, allowing it to restore HP that were lost from creating Subs. Thunderbolt is Jolteon's STAB option and I prefer it to Discharge due to its raw power, which I do need at times. Finally, while not used as often as it should, Wish allows me to heal injured members when the opportunity presents itself.

As explained on the Analysis page, the given EVs allows my Subs to survive neutral Hidden Powers from 319 SpA. My speed is lower than the standard Jolteon so I can pass Subs I just created. At the same time, my Jolteon is still fast enough to outpace most Gyarados. The 0 IVs in Attack is just a nitpick, since I want to minimize confusion damage (if that ever shall happen...).


Gyarados (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 74 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Bounce

At this point, hopefully when opposing bulky waters has been eliminated and Gyarados is hiding behind a Sub from Jolteon (ideally), I can put on some hurt. Dragon Dance helps boost Gyarados when I predict a switch or behind a Sub, which allows it to be a menacing sweeper. Waterfall gives Gyarados a water STAB with a small chance of flinching. Stone Edge covers things such as Zapdos, Salamence, and other Gyarados. Bounce serves not only as a secondary STAB, but it also threatens Celebi into switching. While mid-air, Gyarados can benefit from Leftovers recovery as well. Should Bounce land a hit, it can also potentially induce paralysis, which is an added perk for the team. Leftovers compliment this bulkier EV spread nicely, giving Gyarados more longevity than the Life Orb counterpart.

Conclusion

While the team works nicely together, I often do not always get to do everything I want to do in a game, partly due to my own inexperience as a player. While I can improve my battling skills on my own, I also greatly appreciate any input the community can give to improve this team. Thank you for reading.

This team is VERY much like this one
http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68169

its a good team. Zapdos can be quite a problem. If you want some good things to do about this team look at the thread above. (its the exact same team)

Your team is pretty nice and since you want Gyarados to do some sweeping I would try a faster EV Spread to outspeed Jolteon, SR will be set up on Lead Swampert and you don't want to switch in Gyarados anymore than you need to so just being able to outspeed and OHKO Jolteon with +1 Gyarados will be better. The Gyarados set looks like this,

Gyarados@Leftovers
Jolly Nature
EVs: 90 HP/ 252 Atk/ 168 Speed
-Dragon Dance
-Waterfall
-Stone Edge
-Bounce

So your moveset is kept the same but the nature was changed to Jolly and the EVs were moved around. With this EV Spread you will outspeed and OHKO Jolteon with Earthquake after a single Dragon Dance, the EVs also give you just a little more bulk than your current spread. With Jolly you will also still got a Stone Edge OHKO on non-bulky Salamence at +0 with SR up but lose the OHKO(with SR) on Bulky Gyarados.

Very good offensive team, just some minour nitpicks and I'll get out your hair (I'm more of a stall or bulky offense player).

As for the nature on your Flygon, I think Jolly is fine, because Fire Blast gets the kills it needs anyways.

Those 4 EVs in Attack on Mixpert I find really helpful in Speed, simply to outspeed one of the most common leads guaranteed (Swampert). Not hugely important, but those extra 4 don't do much elsewhere.

Latias has her way with this team, if Scizor is out of the way or if she packs HP Fire and you don't use Bullet Punch. I'd consider ScarfTar in Flygon's place, but it would sort of mess up synergy. I honestly cannot think of other suggestions- again, superb team.

Thank you all for the comments!

@Curtains:
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Although monkfish's team has the same Pokemon as this team, it seems to play a bit differently, particularly with Gyarados and Jolteon utilizing different sets. But thank you anyways

Zapdos can be a pain, but Jolteon can hold it off for a bit. I usually start chipping at it with Thunderbolt for awhile. At this point, the damage that Zapdos has been dealing to Jolteon should allow me to determine its EV investment in SpA. At any rate, after weakening Zapdos down via Thunderbolt for awhile, I throw up a Sub when I predict that it's going to Roost. Once I have an intact Sub, I pass it to Gyarados. At that moment, Zapdos wouldn't have used Thunderbolt yet and (probably) won't break the Sub during the pass, which means that Gyarados will be able to pull off at least one Dragon Dance while hiding behind the Sub. From there, I use Stone Edge. While not completely foolproof, this has worked for me in my experiences so far.

@TheFourthChaser:
Thanks for the suggested spread, I will check it out and see how it goes. However, I don't have Earthquake on this Gyarados. Personally, I like Bounce because I already have two other Earthquake users and Bounce lets me scare Celebi. Plus, Bounce also has other nice little perks, such as being a secondary STAB, allowing me to recover HP mid-air, and has a chance of paralysis. But if anyone thinks that Earthquake is the way to go, feel free to let me know.

@Toxic Spork:
Thanks for the tips on Flygon's nature and the slight EV adjustment on Swampert. Latias is a bum for sure, especially Scarf variants. Early on, some scouting (plus a few roars if I decided to keep Swampert out early) should allow me to discover my opponent's threats. Should I discover an opposing Latias, hopefully its behaviors will allow me to discover its variant.

Besides Scizor, if I currently have Breloom out with a Sub (which happens often) and Latias comes in, it becomes a priority target for Spore. Although Latias resists fighting moves, Focus Punch can leave a fair dent with its high base power, and with help from Spore, it makes killing Latias more feasible. Nevertheless, the above is just from my experiences so far and I do realize that it's situational at best. Thank you for the rate!

Oh sorry, that was a typo I actually meant Waterfall, +1 Waterfall gets the KO on Jolteon just fine.

Hi.

Looking at your team, it is possible to patch up weaknesses to a couple of offensive threats. Nothing on your team can switch-in safely onto Scizor's U-Turn since Gyarados isn't bulky enough and the Stealth Rock weakness means that it won't be able to come in multiple times on Scizor. Rotom-A also seems like an issue as it walls Scizor, Jolteon and Breloom while it keeps Gyarados in check while the rest doesn't perform well against it. SD Lucario can be an issue as well since Gyarados' lack of bulk means it cannot take it on very well and it can set-up on your Scizor locked onto Pursuit. Gyarados, especially Jolly Gyarados can trouble your team after setting up on Scizor locked onto Bullet Punch or Flygon locked onto Earthquake with Waterfall taking care of Swampert, Scizor, Flygon; Earthquake taking care of Jolteon; Stone Edge murdering your own Gyarados. Flygon must lock it self onto an Outrage to revenge kill it. Stall team also seem to be an issue - As you will get higher on the leaderboard, Stall teams will become more common. Basically, every one of your Pokemons is walled by a certain Pokemon on a Stall team and entry hazards will wear your team down. Breloom may seem like an appropriate solution but after sleep clause is activated, it is terribly walled by Skarmory / Gyarados / Gliscor.

Now, in order to remedy these weaknesses, there are only minor changes that will allow you to keep those threats at bay. For your Scizor, Lucario and Stall problem; the best thing you can do is use a more bulky Gyarados with Taunt. Use this EV Spread: 156 HP | 72 Atk | 96 Def | 184 Spe which will provide enough bulk to take on Lucario and Scizor. Also, use Taunt instead of Stone Edge or Bounce so that you have a reliable way of beating Stall.

As for you Gyarados issues, I would suggest tweaking Flygon's move-set by replacing Fire Blast with Thunder Punch. With Taunt on Gyarados, Skarmory is a set-up fodder to Gyarados so Fire Blast isn't needed. Instead, Thunder Punch will allow you to revenge kill Gyarados after a Dragon Dance even Jolly ones that your Jolteon fails to achieve.

Finally, I feel like Wish isn't suited on a Pokemon as frail as Jolteon. Wish should be used on a defensive Pokemon and Jolteon surely isn't bulky enough to use it effectively. You should be focusing on Jolteon's high Speed and SpAtk instead. So, with that being said, use Shadow Ball instead of Wish and an EV Spread of 4 HP | 252 SpAtk | 252 Spe; Jolteon can switch-into Rotom-A's Thunderbolt, does not mind Will-o-Wisp because it is specially oriented and has above average SpDef to switch-in safely.

This is a solid and well built team, that's why I didn't want to resort to more complicated changes. Good Luck.

@TheFourthChaser:
I actually got the chance to test this out earlier against an opposing Jolteon on ladder and it performed as advertised. Thanks!

@Nosferalto:
Thank you for the detailed rate.

For Gyarados, I have considered Taunt but I was initially put off by the loss of an attack move. But then again, Taunt does help against not only Celebi (which was what I was thinking about in the first place when I chose Bounce), but also against other stall Pokemon too.

My only question left for Gyarados is to whether stick to Jolly (since it worked well as I described earlier) or go with the default Adamant nature. I figured if I went Jolly I could just shift the EV investment to 156 HP | 88 Atk | 96 Def | 168 Spe so I can still outspeed Jolteon with +1 on Gyarados. Would this be a decent alternative, or am I missing out on certain KOs with a +1 boost?

Also, thank you very much for the suggestions on Jolteon and Flygon.