The Team at a Glance
The inspiration of this team was Weezing. I was reading through the strategy pokedex a few weeks ago, and I realized that Weezing countered a significant portion of OU. When I noticed that I could -to a degree- counter all of the OU pokemon from A to G with just Spiritomb, Weezing and Cresselia, I ran with an idea of trying to have some kind of counter to as much of the tier as possible. It's fairly extreme in its results, as it either 5-0s or is swept by Heatran after Curse Snorlax KOs Suicune with Selfdestruct as I try to Roar it. What I have found is that I lack powerful enough attacks to break walls, and that I am too specially oriented.
Jolteon (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Signal Beam
Jolteon generally uses Substitutes on turn one, or switches out immediately. Substitute tells me one of their moves, and if they do something harmless like use Stealth Rock, Spore or Trick, then I get a safe attack before switching out for a counter. She almost never stays in longer than two turns at the beginning, but then she's healthy for later when I need to revenge a Tyranitar or Zapdos.
HP Grass is for revenging weakened Rhyperior, as well as for Rest/Roar Swampert, who I otherwise can't touch. Signal Beam is for beating Umbreon specifically, as I have no fighting moves. The confusion rate has let me beat a couple of Tyranitar switch ins, so it has other merits.
I had the Team Support set, but Wish was never passed to anything that needed it. I found that I was just using Substitute to scout things and then getting walled by Swampert. I switched EVs to SpA so I could beat Umbreon reliably.
Spiritomb (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/140 Atk/116 SDef
Sassy nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Psychic
- Pain Split
This came from the alphabetical analysis of OU. It was the most reliable counter listed to Alakazam and Azelf, and then listed as a Blissey counter. The Blissey part didn't work out so well.
When I decided to use this set, I immediate thought I would regret it, but it actually does what I want it to 90% of the time. Switch Spiritomb into Machamp Dynamic Punch or Infernape Fake Out and go to town with Psychic. Spiritomb beats Alakazam, Azelf, Gengar, Rotom, Starmie and usually Celebi and Cresselia with Pursuit and Sucker Punch mind games. While not great recovery, Pain Split does let me safely whittle down weak attackers and then KO them with Sucker Punch when they think they've almost got me.
The Lum Berry is for dealing with Hypnosis Gengar and sometimes Breloom if Cresselia and Weezing go down.
Weezing (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/176 Def/80 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Haze
- Pain Split
Probably the most satisfying Pokemon on the team to use. Surviving a 2 Swords Dance Scizor Bullet Punch and OHKOing with Flamethrower is one of Platinum's simple pleasures.
Weezing can reliably counter Scizor, Weavile, Aerodactyl, Mamoswine, Bronzong, Breloom, Forretress, Ninjask, and Skarmory, with the occasional Metagross, Celebi, Heracross and Gyarados. With its Ground immunity and lack of common weaknesses, it can wall things like Snorlax and Haze away stat boosts. It of course it Heatran bait, but it works far better than I would usually anticipate an UU to work.
Cresselia (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Charge Beam
- Moonlight
- Toxic
Cresselia beats most Salamence, as well as Dragonite, Flygon, Breloom, Donphan, Dugtrio, Electivire, Gliscor, Hippowdon, and Mamoswine with Ice Beam, as well as being able to stall out defensive threats like Zapdos and Swampert with Toxic. Not Blissey, though. D:
I'm finding that I don't use Charge Beam all that much except to rack up SpA boosts when I don't need to use Ice Beam. But that SpA boost is rarely useful because whatever they send in after a KO will probably not mind special attacks. I did sweep with +6 Ice Beam once, but that rarely becomes a viable win condition.
I was expecting to run into problems with Moonlight, but even in Sand Stream, I can generally hold out against things that aren't Tyranitar itself.
Gliscor (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP/40 Def/216 Spd
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Ice Fang
- Stealth Rock
This beats physical Lucario, Tyranitar lacking Ice Punch/Ice Beam, and things like Metagross and Heracross that Weezing can't beat as well. Ice Fang has been a let down, as it's really only for surprising Zapdos switch ins. Of all of the pokemon on the team, I think Gliscor is the least successful, although it does beat Tyranitar when no one else can. I'm thinking maybe to replace it with Machamp, since it would help with my inability to beat Blissey and Umbreon as well. Gliscor rarely sees early play since Lucario and Tyranitar tend to be late-game sweepers, so I need to find a way to get Stealth Rock into play sooner.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/96 Def/160 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Surf
- Calm Mind
- Roar
- Ice Beam
Suicune is my immediate Heatran switch-in, as well as being my attempt at removing threats that I don't want to deal with until I know what the rest of the team is. Suicune shuffles the team around until I find something that won't stay in of its own volition, at which time I CM. This doesn't typically work all that well, since I lack recovery. I generally don't use Ice Beam since Cresselia has dragons covered reliably, so I could put Rest over that with a Chesto Berry, I guess. SpD EVs are so that Heatran with Specs OR a Flash Fire boost can't 3KO with Fire Blast.
Weaknesses -
Blissey
SubToxic Heatran, or any Heatran at all once I lose Suicune.
Suicune with Recovery
Zapdos with SpD
Rest/Talk Rotom
Draco Meteor Latias
Ice Punch/Ice Beam Tyranitar
SD Lucario with Crunch
Trick Pokemon with Choice Scarves
Vaporeon with Toxic
