Black and White are going to be released on the 18th in Japan so I felt it was the proper time to write a long rmt with my favorite team from the 4th generation. I started competitive battling by simply building rain dance teams and stuck with that idea for a while, after that I came up with a version of this bulky offense team, which got me to 1445 on the ladder (good for me personally). I never got close to that again because laddering can be so tedious, I messed around with semi stall and heavy stall for a while like a veteran but I realized bulky offense was the way for me to go.
I began competitive battling in fall of last year and after a while I decided Gyarados was my favorite set up sweeper, not only a favorite because of nostalgia but also the way it destroys anyone who isn't prepared for it. Common pokemon like Swampert, Scizor, Heatran etc. could do nothing to slow it down with a bulky set. Intimidate was also a nice feature, letting it set up on so many physical attackers. In the days of Latias I generally paired it with a Choice Band (recently scarf) Tyranitar to take care of its counters, the team that got me to my peak on the ladder looked like this-
I originally ditched this team because I lacked a hard counter for DDTar, but then I realized months later how much better it was than the stuff I was making and came back to it. All of these pokemon did their specific roles like bosses. It is still my favorite team, even more than my rain dance team which isn't constantly being adjusted. Now, near the end I have come up with another version. I can't bring myself to say its better because I haven't had time to play it and my original is the best Ive ever done but here it is in the building process right now-
A FWG core (I LIKED IT BEFORE IT WAS COOL) of bulky/balanced offense. The idea is a huge number of the pokemon that counter my sweepers (Vaporeon, Suicune, Rotom, etc.) are set up by on Roserade. From here it gets tough to decide which pokemon and which sets to use, and this I where I really need your help. Here is the best I could come up with and what may be my retirement team for the 4th generation-
I began competitive battling in fall of last year and after a while I decided Gyarados was my favorite set up sweeper, not only a favorite because of nostalgia but also the way it destroys anyone who isn't prepared for it. Common pokemon like Swampert, Scizor, Heatran etc. could do nothing to slow it down with a bulky set. Intimidate was also a nice feature, letting it set up on so many physical attackers. In the days of Latias I generally paired it with a Choice Band (recently scarf) Tyranitar to take care of its counters, the team that got me to my peak on the ladder looked like this-
I originally ditched this team because I lacked a hard counter for DDTar, but then I realized months later how much better it was than the stuff I was making and came back to it. All of these pokemon did their specific roles like bosses. It is still my favorite team, even more than my rain dance team which isn't constantly being adjusted. Now, near the end I have come up with another version. I can't bring myself to say its better because I haven't had time to play it and my original is the best Ive ever done but here it is in the building process right now-
A FWG core (I LIKED IT BEFORE IT WAS COOL) of bulky/balanced offense. The idea is a huge number of the pokemon that counter my sweepers (Vaporeon, Suicune, Rotom, etc.) are set up by on Roserade. From here it gets tough to decide which pokemon and which sets to use, and this I where I really need your help. Here is the best I could come up with and what may be my retirement team for the 4th generation-
My Final Version
The Details
Metagross @ Lum Berry
Ability- Clear Body
Nature- Adamant
EVs- 252 HP, 232 atk, 24 spe
-Stealth Rock
-Meteor Mash/Iron Head
-Bullet Punch
-Explosion
Metagross has earned its place as one of my favorite leads because it is just so strong and reliable. Stealth Rock is a given, its vital for nearly every team and mine happens to run Spikes so the extra hazard is really appreciated. Meteor Mash is its signature move, and incredibly effective but I often find that Iron Head could do enough damage with 100% accuracy. Bullet Punch is for picking off Sash leads and paired with Lum Berry annoying leads like Roserade and Smeargle are dead. Explosion is a staple of this set, destroying anything that doesn't resist it and a bunch of things that do. Its my way to get a pokemon in for free (which this team loves) and get rid of Metagross when its at low health and would have no utility later in the game.
HP is maxed to take advantage of Metagross's natural bulk and maximize my chances of pulling off an Explosion. The remainder are split between attack and speed based on how much speed I think Empoleon will run today.
Fuego (Infernape) @ Life Orb
Ability- Blaze
Nature- Naive
EVs- 252 atk, 4 spA, 252 spe
-U-Turn
-Close Combat
-Overheat
-Mach Punch
I run a physically based mixape to help get rid of some of Gyarados's counters. U-Turn can mean a dead Starmie when I U-Turn/Pursuit it with Scizor, although LO Starmie will be killed by a +1 Bounce anyway. Vaporeon is 2hkoed by Close Combat which could open up a clean sweep when their alternate check is gone. Overheat for durr reasons and Mach Punch gives me some extra insurance against Lucario, Tyranitar, and Empoleon. Infernape has great synergy with Gyarados by continuing an onslaught of powerful physical attacks, slaying bulky waters, and bringing in stuff Gyarados laughs at like Crocune and Gliscor.
The EVs maximize the power of Close Combat, U-Turn, and Mach Punch while giving me the best chance of outrunning another Infernape possible.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability- Intimidate
Nature- Adamant
EVs- 156 HP, 72 atk, 96 def, 184 spe
-Waterfall
-Dragon Dance
-Taunt
-Bounce
Gyarados is my main sweeper and the center of the team. I beefed it up so it could also be a check to physical attackers and Heatran if I needed it to be. My basic strategy is to Waterfall early on to scout for any revenge killers, Rotom or reckless Jolteon. Later, when there are no counters left Dragon Dance and Taunt put a lot of pokemon in a helpless situation. Normal checks like Starmie, Celebi, and Shaymin are put in their place by Bounce, letting me keep my +1 boosts without going to Scizor. I personally think its way better than Stone Edge now that Salamence and its Intimidate are gone. Overall this Gyarados does an excellent job plowing through a weakened team because a lot of pokemon can barely touch it besides dedicated checks with Electricity.
156 HP makes sure im never 2hkoed by Heatran's Life Orb Fire Blast, and the defense lets me survive 2 Choice Banded Quick Attacks from Scizor. The speed lets me outrun Scarftar and all those things below after a dd.
Roserade @ Leftovers
Ability- Natural Cure
Nature- Calm
EVs- 252 HP, 120 def, 136 spD
-Spikes
-Rest
-Energy Ball
-Hidden Power Fire
Energy Ball is my stab attack, and all I need to take on Rotom and bulky waters. Spikes is the original point of using Roserade to take advantage of switch ins on my sweepers and set up another hazard which proves especially deadly with all the switches this team forces. After I found out Sleep Powder was illegal with Spikes I replaced it with Rest to stay alive much longer thanks to Natural Cure. I have HP Fire over Stun Spore because I thought it would be better to KO Forretress than make my frail Rotom take constant Paybacks.
I used to have a lot of speed when I had Sleep Powder but since its illegal with Spikes im using the standard defensive spread.
Rotom-W @ Choice Specs
Ability- Levitate
Nature- Timid
EVs- 4 HP, 252 spA, 252 spe
-Thunderbolt
-Hydro Pump
-Shadow Ball
-Trick
Rotom's job is to counter Gyarados and block Rapid Spin. I did have a scarf set but I have found it is too useless outside of those two things. So I decided to throw specs on it and try this monster everyone has been talking about. It cant take a +1 Life Orb Waterfall from Gyarados but it can OHKO Calm Mind Cune which this team also happens to be weak to. The jobs of a scarfer are covered already, Gyarados/Dragonite are revenged by Flygon and Lucario by Infernape's Mach Punch. This is gonna be a huge change in the 5th generation when Rotom-W becomes Water/Electric and all these overpowered ghosts come out (seriously one of them has 145 base spA).
Basic sweeper evs to make the most out of Choice Specs.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Ability- Levitate
Nature- Jolly
EVs- 4 HP, 252 atk, 252 spe
-U-Turn
-Earthquake
-Outrage
-Dragon Claw/Stone Edge/Fire Blast
This slot used to be a scarf Rotom but I replaced it to help with Dragonite, Offensive Zapdos, and to compliment Scizor with U-Turn. The biggest choice I have to make with this pokemon is if it should replace Rotom or Scizor, because Scizor takes a lot of entry hazard damage. I chose to keep Scizor though because the extra U-Turn utility along with Infernape contributes much more to the overall synergy of the team and makes it much more annoying to play against. For the last slot I thought Dragon Claw would be the best option to beat Dragonite without using Outrage, because Stone Edge hits Gyarados and Zapdos only a tiny bit harder than Outrage and Ape's Overheat does more to Zapdos. Fire Blast is also getting thought because my team is becoming weaker to Skarmory.
Max speed and attack for obvious revenge killing purposes, the last 4 in HP.
The Details
Metagross @ Lum Berry
Ability- Clear Body
Nature- Adamant
EVs- 252 HP, 232 atk, 24 spe
-Stealth Rock
-Meteor Mash/Iron Head
-Bullet Punch
-Explosion
Metagross has earned its place as one of my favorite leads because it is just so strong and reliable. Stealth Rock is a given, its vital for nearly every team and mine happens to run Spikes so the extra hazard is really appreciated. Meteor Mash is its signature move, and incredibly effective but I often find that Iron Head could do enough damage with 100% accuracy. Bullet Punch is for picking off Sash leads and paired with Lum Berry annoying leads like Roserade and Smeargle are dead. Explosion is a staple of this set, destroying anything that doesn't resist it and a bunch of things that do. Its my way to get a pokemon in for free (which this team loves) and get rid of Metagross when its at low health and would have no utility later in the game.
HP is maxed to take advantage of Metagross's natural bulk and maximize my chances of pulling off an Explosion. The remainder are split between attack and speed based on how much speed I think Empoleon will run today.
Fuego (Infernape) @ Life Orb
Ability- Blaze
Nature- Naive
EVs- 252 atk, 4 spA, 252 spe
-U-Turn
-Close Combat
-Overheat
-Mach Punch
I run a physically based mixape to help get rid of some of Gyarados's counters. U-Turn can mean a dead Starmie when I U-Turn/Pursuit it with Scizor, although LO Starmie will be killed by a +1 Bounce anyway. Vaporeon is 2hkoed by Close Combat which could open up a clean sweep when their alternate check is gone. Overheat for durr reasons and Mach Punch gives me some extra insurance against Lucario, Tyranitar, and Empoleon. Infernape has great synergy with Gyarados by continuing an onslaught of powerful physical attacks, slaying bulky waters, and bringing in stuff Gyarados laughs at like Crocune and Gliscor.
The EVs maximize the power of Close Combat, U-Turn, and Mach Punch while giving me the best chance of outrunning another Infernape possible.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability- Intimidate
Nature- Adamant
EVs- 156 HP, 72 atk, 96 def, 184 spe
-Waterfall
-Dragon Dance
-Taunt
-Bounce
Gyarados is my main sweeper and the center of the team. I beefed it up so it could also be a check to physical attackers and Heatran if I needed it to be. My basic strategy is to Waterfall early on to scout for any revenge killers, Rotom or reckless Jolteon. Later, when there are no counters left Dragon Dance and Taunt put a lot of pokemon in a helpless situation. Normal checks like Starmie, Celebi, and Shaymin are put in their place by Bounce, letting me keep my +1 boosts without going to Scizor. I personally think its way better than Stone Edge now that Salamence and its Intimidate are gone. Overall this Gyarados does an excellent job plowing through a weakened team because a lot of pokemon can barely touch it besides dedicated checks with Electricity.
156 HP makes sure im never 2hkoed by Heatran's Life Orb Fire Blast, and the defense lets me survive 2 Choice Banded Quick Attacks from Scizor. The speed lets me outrun Scarftar and all those things below after a dd.
Roserade @ Leftovers
Ability- Natural Cure
Nature- Calm
EVs- 252 HP, 120 def, 136 spD
-Spikes
-Rest
-Energy Ball
-Hidden Power Fire
Energy Ball is my stab attack, and all I need to take on Rotom and bulky waters. Spikes is the original point of using Roserade to take advantage of switch ins on my sweepers and set up another hazard which proves especially deadly with all the switches this team forces. After I found out Sleep Powder was illegal with Spikes I replaced it with Rest to stay alive much longer thanks to Natural Cure. I have HP Fire over Stun Spore because I thought it would be better to KO Forretress than make my frail Rotom take constant Paybacks.
I used to have a lot of speed when I had Sleep Powder but since its illegal with Spikes im using the standard defensive spread.
Rotom-W @ Choice Specs
Ability- Levitate
Nature- Timid
EVs- 4 HP, 252 spA, 252 spe
-Thunderbolt
-Hydro Pump
-Shadow Ball
-Trick
Rotom's job is to counter Gyarados and block Rapid Spin. I did have a scarf set but I have found it is too useless outside of those two things. So I decided to throw specs on it and try this monster everyone has been talking about. It cant take a +1 Life Orb Waterfall from Gyarados but it can OHKO Calm Mind Cune which this team also happens to be weak to. The jobs of a scarfer are covered already, Gyarados/Dragonite are revenged by Flygon and Lucario by Infernape's Mach Punch. This is gonna be a huge change in the 5th generation when Rotom-W becomes Water/Electric and all these overpowered ghosts come out (seriously one of them has 145 base spA).
Basic sweeper evs to make the most out of Choice Specs.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Ability- Levitate
Nature- Jolly
EVs- 4 HP, 252 atk, 252 spe
-U-Turn
-Earthquake
-Outrage
-Dragon Claw/Stone Edge/Fire Blast
This slot used to be a scarf Rotom but I replaced it to help with Dragonite, Offensive Zapdos, and to compliment Scizor with U-Turn. The biggest choice I have to make with this pokemon is if it should replace Rotom or Scizor, because Scizor takes a lot of entry hazard damage. I chose to keep Scizor though because the extra U-Turn utility along with Infernape contributes much more to the overall synergy of the team and makes it much more annoying to play against. For the last slot I thought Dragon Claw would be the best option to beat Dragonite without using Outrage, because Stone Edge hits Gyarados and Zapdos only a tiny bit harder than Outrage and Ape's Overheat does more to Zapdos. Fire Blast is also getting thought because my team is becoming weaker to Skarmory.
Max speed and attack for obvious revenge killing purposes, the last 4 in HP.
Pokemon that deserve some thoughts
- Flygon could be a great fit in this team as a scarfer, which would make me a bit safer against Gyarados and Heatran while abusing spikes more effeciently, or as a mixed attacker which sounds really cool and would also patch up my Heatran weakness a bit. In the team now.
-Donphan wouldnt be as useful as Flygon because nowadays Tyranitar is the only common pokemon it can take advantage of. A set with Earthquake, Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock, and Roar could be a great deal of support to this team though. Sadly, special attackers and water types are most of OU now so it has nothing to switch into. Your huge physical stats did not go unnoticed and hopefully in Black in White you'll have more oppurtunities to come in. Its sad that it can take even a +2 Close Combat from Lucario yet have no place in the current metagame.
-Forry is the lucky one, it has bulk and the typing to rapid spin in OU. If you think the older version of the team is better or I could really use the utility (Rapid Spin+Explosion) Forretress will be really useful.
Thanks for reading all the way through I really appreciate any help finishing up my 4th gen team.
Thanks for reading all the way through I really appreciate any help finishing up my 4th gen team.
