Avenida de la Muerte
(Avenue of Death) a 5th Gen OU RMT by Dcae
Introduction:
Hello Smogon, Dcae here with another RMT. Following my last team's success, I posted the team, and obtained the controversial RMT Shadows in the Sky. I received plenty of random comments that helped nothing after NWO gave the last good rate. However, I decided to still post my new team, and hopefully get useful rates. Since the peak of my previous team, I wanted to try a new type of team. I experimented with Sun, Rain, Sand, stall, and even Volt-turn. However, as none of the teams got me anywhere, I decided to revert to my tried and true formula of non-weather offense. This time, I wanted better synergy overall and a team in which every team member contributes, unlike last team where I always had insurance in Salamence. For this RMT, I chose to go in a different direction than the standard format I presented in Shadows in the Sky. I decided to theme my RMT around the Mayan Deities and the Avenida de la Muerta, or Avenue of Death. Each of my team members have been assigned a deity's name. The king and focus of this team is a Sharpedo, which is also known as Hun Came, the demonic beast in the Mayan underworld. It rises from the depths of the sea and ravages foes. Without further ado, I present Avenida de la Muerta.
Team at a Glance:
Team Building:
For this team, I decided to create a team using unused pokes in OU. For the grand focus of this team, I chose a Sharpedo. Sharpedo is one of the best late game sweepers in OU, walled only by Ferrothorn and Poliwrath, the latter never seen in OU. Now that I had the basis of my team going, I had to figure out what pokes would simplify Sharpedo's late game cleaning.
Ferrothorn stops Sharpedo, and Scizor can Bullet Punch Sharpedo. While I was thinking of what puts a stop to these two, I remembered Magnezone, the great Steel killer. I decided that Magnezone was a good fit for my team, giving me powerful special based attacks, and eliminates both Ferrothorn and Scizor, but also shuts down bothersome physical walls such as Skarmory and Forretress.
I now needed a lead and a lure for Scizor. After a long time of searching, I remembered the one poke that pained my old team. The poke I am obviously talking about is the one mammoth that survived the Ice Ages, Mamoswine. I chose the Focus Sash lead. This lead can OHKO Ninetales and Tyranitar, and will also remove Politoed leads if Scald doesn't burn. It is an excellent lure for Scizor, which will be trapped by Magnezone.
I love the ability to trap and dispatch foes such as Heatran. Through a friend's advice, I selected Dugtrio as my next poke. Functioning as a trapper too, it worked wonderfully by using its speed to take out threats that could be bothersome. Access to Memento allows it to cripple a sent out poke and force a switch, allowing Sharpedo time to get its speed boost.
Having used Starmie on my last team to great success, I decided to implement it once more as my spinner. This poke serves as glue, taking all the unwanted hits from other pokes and dealing with Fighting-types, notably Conkeldurr. It shuts down Rain teams not using Scarf Rotom and Jolteon.
Now, having taken care of Hail, Sand, and Rain, I needed something to rip through Sun teams and weaken them sufficiently so Sharpedo could devastate them. I came upon Darmanitan while playing around in UU. Access to a monstrous Flare Blitz, able to 2HKO even resistant bulky waters such Jellicent cleanly under Sun. It revenges Dragonites efficiently and allows me to scout with U-turn.
Having completed my team, I proceeded to ladder a bit. It does not have any amazing peak, but does decently, hovering around in the high 1200s to mid 1300s. Then, I experienced hax like I never did before, and it dropped me to the mid 1100s (Wouldn't you get pissed if Ice Fang misses ToxicStall Gliscor 5 times in a row?) I have now come to Smogon to allow me to break into the first page once more with this new team. Thanks to new advice, I have updated my team. The team now wins much more battles than previously. I replaced Magnezone with Celebi because its trapping was not as necessary. Celebi gives me an important resist to Ground. Dugtrio was also useless, so it was replaced with a Scizor to counter Latias.
Ferrothorn stops Sharpedo, and Scizor can Bullet Punch Sharpedo. While I was thinking of what puts a stop to these two, I remembered Magnezone, the great Steel killer. I decided that Magnezone was a good fit for my team, giving me powerful special based attacks, and eliminates both Ferrothorn and Scizor, but also shuts down bothersome physical walls such as Skarmory and Forretress.
I now needed a lead and a lure for Scizor. After a long time of searching, I remembered the one poke that pained my old team. The poke I am obviously talking about is the one mammoth that survived the Ice Ages, Mamoswine. I chose the Focus Sash lead. This lead can OHKO Ninetales and Tyranitar, and will also remove Politoed leads if Scald doesn't burn. It is an excellent lure for Scizor, which will be trapped by Magnezone.
I love the ability to trap and dispatch foes such as Heatran. Through a friend's advice, I selected Dugtrio as my next poke. Functioning as a trapper too, it worked wonderfully by using its speed to take out threats that could be bothersome. Access to Memento allows it to cripple a sent out poke and force a switch, allowing Sharpedo time to get its speed boost.
Having used Starmie on my last team to great success, I decided to implement it once more as my spinner. This poke serves as glue, taking all the unwanted hits from other pokes and dealing with Fighting-types, notably Conkeldurr. It shuts down Rain teams not using Scarf Rotom and Jolteon.
Now, having taken care of Hail, Sand, and Rain, I needed something to rip through Sun teams and weaken them sufficiently so Sharpedo could devastate them. I came upon Darmanitan while playing around in UU. Access to a monstrous Flare Blitz, able to 2HKO even resistant bulky waters such Jellicent cleanly under Sun. It revenges Dragonites efficiently and allows me to scout with U-turn.
Having completed my team, I proceeded to ladder a bit. It does not have any amazing peak, but does decently, hovering around in the high 1200s to mid 1300s. Then, I experienced hax like I never did before, and it dropped me to the mid 1100s (Wouldn't you get pissed if Ice Fang misses ToxicStall Gliscor 5 times in a row?) I have now come to Smogon to allow me to break into the first page once more with this new team. Thanks to new advice, I have updated my team. The team now wins much more battles than previously. I replaced Magnezone with Celebi because its trapping was not as necessary. Celebi gives me an important resist to Ground. Dugtrio was also useless, so it was replaced with a Scizor to counter Latias.
The Team in Depth:
Zipacna(Stealth Rock and Lure)
Mamoswine(M) @Focus Sash
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Earthquake
-Icicle Spear
-Ice Shard
-Stealth Rock
Overview: This poke is new to me, I had never used Mamoswine before. However, remembering the pain it gave my old team, I set about to use it. An excellent Focus Sasher and lead, its combination of typing and offensive threat allowed it to shine when I used it. I fooled around with the Endeavor set, but after some testing, I came to hate it. I settled on making a slightly different set than usual. Back to Mamoswine, he takes Ninetales and Tyranitar in one hit and 2HKOs all variants of Politoed. It will also threaten dragons who like to set up first turn. It sets up Stealth Rock reliably, assuring me that tip of damage that breaks Sashes and nullifies Multiscale. However, the most important role it has is to lure Scizor. Essentially, when my foes spot Mamoswine leading, they bring their Scizor out to the front and launch Bullet Punch. Unfortunately for them, I switch in Starmie and set up. I take minimal damage and take out Scizor with no further problems. Smart players may use U-turn, though they are increasingly rare.
Moveset and EVs: This set is slightly original, allowing me to surprise foes expecting the standard set. Earthquake serves as powerful, reliable STAB and defeats the weather starters. Ice Shard is that priority that destroys dragons and finishes off weak pokes. Stealth Rock is obviously to set up hazards, while Icicle Spear remains a bizarre choice. It obtains several advantages over Endeavor: Prediction is not necessary, it is not shut down by Gengar, and is more reliable. I love Icicle Spear due to its ability to break Subs and deal more damage than Icicle Crash and Endeavor. If it hits 4 times, then Gengar dies, while SubDisable Gengar loves to set up on this guy. It also rips through Multiscale and ToxicStall Gengar, one of the most annoying pokes in OU. Jolly nature is used to outspeed offensive Heatran.
Nickname: I named Mamoswine Zipacna after the Mayan deity Zipacna. (obviously) Zipacna is the demonic personification of the Earth's crust, and I consider Mamoswine that too. Mamoswine uses Earthquake to modify the Earth's crust and is represented as a demon to sweeping dragons or the weather starters. Overall, a fitting name and the start to my Avenida de la Muerta.
Cizin(Priority and U-turn)
Scizor (F) @Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP | 252 Atk | 8 Def
Nature: Adamant
-U-turn
-Bullet Punch
-Superpower
-Pursuit
Scizor (F) @Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP | 252 Atk | 8 Def
Nature: Adamant
-U-turn
-Bullet Punch
-Superpower
-Pursuit
Overview: Scizor is the #1 most used poke in BW OU for a good reason. Having used it on my last team for the first time ever, I enjoyed abusing its priority and powerful U-turn. Scizor has amazing typing that leaves it with only one weakness, to Fire. This thing can absorb Draco Meteors and Outrages easily, and swiftly counter with Bullet Punch or U-turn. My primary check to Latias and Latios, this guy can trap and kill both, as well as non-Life Orb Starmie. It is a major member of this team and is superior to the poke it replaced by a wide range. Dugtrio was set up fodder for most pokes, and highly frail: CB Dragonite could run through my team easily using Extremespeed once Mamoswine and Starmie were under 50% health. Overall, a great addition. Scizor was recommended to me by BTzz, emirinho, Expert Physics, and Commander Tow. Just wanted to give a shout out to them.
Moveset and EVs: Everything is standard here except a slight tweak in the EV set I will explain later. The moves are fairly obvious, U-turn is the hard hitting STAB that provides momentum, forming a core with Darmanitan. Bullet Punch is the incredibly overpowered priority that destroys frail sweepers and frail pokes in general, such as Gengar. Superpower hits Steels on the switch in, such as Heatran and Ferrothorn. Pursuit is used to trap Latios, Starmie, and other pokes of the sort.
Nickname: Scizor is named Cizin after the Mayan god of war. When Cizin gets onto the field, something dies, setting up an epic clash that will last until I defeat my foe completely. A fitting name, Cizin is the second part of my Avenida de la Muerta.
Kinich Kakmo(Physical Wall and Paralysis)
Celebi (N) @Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP | 220 Def | 36 Spe
Nature: Bold
-Giga Drain
-Thunder Wave
-Hidden Power [Fire]
-Recover
Celebi (N) @Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP | 220 Def | 36 Spe
Nature: Bold
-Giga Drain
-Thunder Wave
-Hidden Power [Fire]
-Recover
Overview: The cute little fairy is back! Celebi is starring for the first time on any of my teams. I generally did not use Celebi due to the fact it had so many weaknesses, and to common types too. However, the thing that caught me this time was the amazing resists it brought to the table for my team. The vital Ground, Fighting, and Water resists allowed Celebi to function as my glue, absorbing all the dirty hits my other pokes did not enjoy taking. This also gave me a sort of FWG core with Starmie and Darmanitan, though Darmanitan generally doesn't take hits. Another great trait of Celebi was Natural Cure, allowing it to not mind status. The paralysis support it gives my team, however, is its biggest selling point. Due to Celebi's great bulk, most hits will not KO it if it is at full health. I take a hit while paralyzing my foe, crippling that poke for the rest of the game. Then I Recover until parahax kicks in, or my opponent chooses to switch out. Then, I just cripple the newcomer. This strategy completely kills my opponents, permitting an open window for Scizor to switch in and out with U-turn freely.
Moveset and EVs: This is the standard defensive Celebi set, one of its best sets. The moves are standard, with Giga Drain providing STAB and recovery, while Hidden Power [Fire] hits bothersome Steels super effectively. Recover is obviously a form of recovery, allowing Celebi to survive longer. Thunder Wave is the crux of the set, crippling set up sweepers and allowing my pokes free rein to rage through my opponent's team.
Nickname: Celebi is named Kinich Kakmo after the solar deity of the Mayans. Though the relation might be bizarre to you, Celebi unleashes Fire through its Hidden Power and paralyzes foes who dare stand in its way thanks to the extreme light it has. Therefore, the third part of my Avenida de la Muerta works out just fine.
Hun Came(Late Game Sweeper)
Sharpedo (M) @Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-Protect
-Waterfall
-Ice Fang
-Crunch
Sharpedo (M) @Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-Protect
-Waterfall
-Ice Fang
-Crunch
Overview: We have finally arrived to the beast of the underworld, Hun Came. Literally translated, the name signifies One Death. Lording over my team is the great badass shark Sharpedo. One of the best late game cleaners currently, it will tear through unprepared teams. In this team, I have made it my job to give this underwater terror the support it needs to succeed. Priority users are trapped and removed by my two trappers Dugtrio and Magnezone. All pokes are weakened by powerful Flare Blitzes launched by Darmanitan. Mamoswine provides that vital Stealth Rock and uses its amazing STAB combination to weaken other threats. Starmie also weakens foes and provides the vital spinning that keeps Mamoswine and Dugtrio's Sashes intact. Then, Sharpedo tears the remaining pokes to pieces using its combination of decent STAB, 372 Attack boosted by Life Orb, and Speed Boost. One Protect gets me instantly to 433, outspeeding 99% of the unboosted and unScarfed meta. It is a highly underrated threat, as shown by its RU tier placement. The deadly shark is capable of great things with the correct support, as demonstrated by the success it has gained on my team.
Moveset and EVs: The moveset and EVs are common sense. Max Speed and Max Attack to get the sweeping going, while Adamant nature allows me to hit threats far harder than with Jolly nature. The only slight change perhaps on the moveset is Ice Fang > Earthquake. I've found that taking out Dragonite and such is far more important than landing super effective hits on Steels such as Jirachi and Metagross.
Nickname: Sharpedo is named Hun Came after the King of the Underworld. It is depicted generally as a creature of the water, such as a shark or crocodile. Just as Hun Came lords over the underworld, Sharpedo rules my team and therefore the name fits very well. Generally the final part of the Avenida de la Muerta, it is brought out at the end to dash all fleeting hopes foes might have contained until that moment.
Hurakan(Special Hitter and Spinner)
Starmie (N) @Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP | 252 SpA | 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
-Hydro Pump
-Thunderbolt
-Psychic/Ice Beam
-Rapid Spin
Starmie (N) @Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP | 252 SpA | 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
-Hydro Pump
-Thunderbolt
-Psychic/Ice Beam
-Rapid Spin
Overview: Okay, if any of you have seen my Shadows in the Sky RMT, you will recognize this baby. I realized that in OU, no spinner even comes close to the sheer awesomeness of Starmie. Hands-down the best spinner in the game, Starmie destroys spinblockers such as Jellicent and Gengar, while they can do nothing back. This poke provides great specially based hits and definitely weakens foes before Hun Came can beat them up late game. If only Hurakan had been gifted with base 120 Special Attack, it would be one of the greatest threats in the meta. With splendid coverage and Life Orb boosted base 100 Special Attack, Starmie can outspeed and OHKO many threats. Scizor takes ~75-80% from Hurakan's Hydro Pump, and is generally OHKOed, if enough damage was dealt prior. The spinning support Hurakan provides allows my Darmanitan to navigate on and off the field easily, without sustaining entry hazard damage that would cut down its capacity to Flare Blitz all opponents. A standard Life Orb set, Starmie also absorbs all the statuses directed at my other pokes, especially Breloom's Spore. Starmie's typing also makes it my only switch in to Fighting moves, while due to its decent bulk, I make Hurakan take almost all the hits thrown at my team. Overall, Hurakan is a vital part of my team.
Moveset and EVs: Once again, standard EV set. I am maximizing the Special Attack and Speed EVs to outspeed and hit threats hard before they can hit me. I might try out a bulkier set, mostly relative to the fact Starmie is the poke that takes all the dirty hits of the team, essentially like the Heatran of my old team. The vital difference here in the moveset is Psychic being selected over Ice Beam. Psychic serves me well, hitting Fighting types and Poison types hard (mostly Tentacruel, Conkeldurr, and Venusaur) However, due to my huge weakness to SubCM Latias, which gives my team a headache, I am reconsidering Ice Beam. I will no longer be able to OHKO Conkeldurr and Venusaur, but I am no longer set up fodder for SubCM Latias either. Hydro Pump is the crux of the set, hitting incredibly hard, while Thunderbolt hits pesky Water types who resist Hydro Pump. Rapid Spin is the important utility support, giving me another reason to use this beast.
Nickname: Starmie was named after the great Mayan deity Hurakan, god of the storms. When Starmie arrives on the field, he begins a great storm that destroys all who stand in his way. Therefore, Hurakan represents the fourth part of the Avenida de la Muerta.
Ozomatli(Big Hitter and Revenge Killer)
Darmanitan (M) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Flare Blitz
-U-turn
-Rock Slide
-Superpower
Darmanitan (M) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Flare Blitz
-U-turn
-Rock Slide
-Superpower
Overview: What can I possibly say about the Howler Monkey? Ozomatli hits like a monster. The sheer power of Flare Blitz is astounding: it 2HKOs most Water types in OU and UU. Though its usage is limited in OU, I have found it the second most effective member of my team following Hun Came. This guy weakens my foes to such a point that Hun Came easily cleans up. Ozomatli breaks through the most popular physical walls with ease, tearing through Skarmory, Forretress, Ferrothorn, and others. With this awesome power comes also a Stealth Rock weakness. However, Fire typing allows Ozomatli to break through Will-o-Wisp and take little damage from Scizor's Bullet Punch or an Ice Shard from Mamoswine or Weavile. Choice Scarf permits this firey monkey to rip through threats normally faster than him, and revenge kill threats that are getting out of hand. This is a vital part of my team and is the reason behind many of my victories. Ozomatli is quite possibly the most important poke on the entire team, contributing either directly or indirectly to victory in every battle.
Moveset and EVs: Standard moveset and EVs for a Scarfed Darmanitan. Maximizing attack and speed is the way to go, while 4 Def allows me to switch into to Stealth Rock four times. Flare Blitz is the crux of this set, hitting harder than any other move I've used. U-turn is an excellent move on Scarfed pokes in general, due to it maintaining momentum with ease. It combines with Magnezone to create a decent Volt-turn core, albeit with a huge weakness to Ground. Rock Slide is used to revenge Dragonite and the such, while Superpower is useful to use against some pokes, such as Blissey (the recoil damage from Flare Blitz is 2/3 of Darmy's health!)
Nickname: Darmanitan is imprinted with the name of the Howler Monkey God of the Mayans, Ozomatli. It was known to stalk the jungle and frighten other creatures. Darmanitan does more, though, as it actually hurts the opposition. Overall, a good fifth part to my Avenida de la Muerta.
Major Threats:
Several pokes naturally give my team trouble, as they are pesky and they can hurt big time. There are, thankfully, only a few pokes that serve as a true threat. The greatest one is SubCM Latias:
Almost my entire team is set up fodder for it, and if it lands behind a sub when i bring out Sharpedo, my fortunes are definitely taking a bad turn. I am considering throwing Ice Beam onto Starmie to reduce the set up fodderness it currently has, but I have no phazer, a must on all my teams. Another threat is Choice Band Dragonite:
Choice Band Dragonite hits incredibly hard with Extremespeed right off the bat, and can OHKO Sharpedo, Darmanitan, and Dugtrio, while 2HKOing all others, Magnezone excepted. Essentially, a good player wielding Choice Band Dragonite will tear my team to shreds. I have been testing a bulky SubDD Gyara over Dugtrio to fix up both my weaknesses at the moment.
Former Members:
Overview: Dugtrio has one of the most extraordinary backrounds I've seen in a poke. Somehow, Dugtrio leaped from the depths of NU all the way to OU in the last tier sorting. He was accompanied by another Gen 1 pal, Alakazam, who rose from BL2 to OU. Even though Dugtrio had had its peak in 3rd Gen, while Alakazam had his in 1st Gen, they were both long out of the spotlight due to the nerf to the Psychic type and the amount of pokes that could rip through both (Scizor Bullet Punch anyone?) However, with weather teams on the rise, both experienced a rise to glory in different roles. To me, Dugtrio remains the most reliable trapper of frail pokes weak to its STAB. I will freely admit they require support to function, but function very well with support. Due to Starmie's spin support, Dugtrio normally enters the field with its Sash intact. I generally use the trapper to eliminate Heatran, weak Slowbro or Mienshao, Latios, Infernape, and most important of all, Terrakion. Terrakion's Choice Band set rapes my team, and Dugtrio is the vital piece of my team that switches into it while surviving with Sash, then eliminates it with Earthquake. Memento is a great last ditch move, which I use to guarantee a switch/speed boost for Sharpedo. Due to its frailness, however, Dugtrio is another lure to Scizor. Once again, noobs Bullet Punch it while I switch out to Magnezone, who takes minimal damage and takes out Scizor without a problem.
Moveset and EVs: This is once more a slightly tweaked moveset. I still use the standard Jolly + max Attack + max Speed, to allow me to outspeed 95% of the unboosted and unScarfed meta. I on the other hand use Sucker Punch to defeat Scarf Latios or and other variant who likes to come in and take him out. It also defeats weak Scizor or Mamoswine. Earthquake functions as main STAB and is the move that is the most used per game. It efficiently KOs the threats listed previously and combines with Stone Edge to form the dreaded EdgeQuake coverage. Stone Edge defeats dragons trying set up on it. Memento is my clutch move, which is the move that makes the opponent's Atk and SpA stats -2, albeit with the sacrifice of Dugtrio. It is a useful clutch move, however I am open to changes to any of the moveset.
Nickname: Dugtrio was named after Cabrakan, the Mayan deity of mountains and earthquakes. Just like Dugtrio, no one can escape from Cabrakan, and its Earthquakes destroy those who try to. Both control the earth, and therefore another good name. This was the second part of my Avenida de la Muerta.
Overview: What can I say. Since the introduction of the ability Magnet Pull, Magnezone and Magnetron have become the banes of all Steel types bar Heatran and Excadrill. It is especially effective while combating Scizor, who is lured in by Dugtrio and Mamoswine. Magnezone's utility on my team is infinite, trapping and eliminating pesky physical walls such as Skarmory, Forretress, Ferrothorn, and others. Vital to a successful Sharpedo clean up, Magnezone provides powerful special STAB and functions uniquely: No other poke can accomplish its one of a kind role. An excellent combination with Darmanitan provides me with a small, inefficient Volt-turn core. However, it is decent enough to take out threats such as Rotom-W and Latios. However, my team lacks a vital Ground resist, and this poke's x4 weakness makes it worse. Magnezone was built upon the amazing things Magneton did, and has added a whole new level to trapping and eliminating.
Moveset and EVs: This is a easily made Scarf set, allowing it to outspeed and defeat its counters. I run Timid nature to beat base 110s, while I miss the power boost of Modest. Volt Switch provides scouting and maintains momentum, while combining beautifully with Darmanitan for a Volt-turn core. Thunderbolt is powerful STAB, hitting much harder than Volt Switch and defeats SubDD Gyarados. Flash Cannon is also strong STAB, hitting dragons such as Latios and Hydreigon neutrally and doing some decent damage to Latias. Hidden Power [Fire] is a requirement, dispatching troublesome Steels and freeing up space for my Sharpedo. The EV set is obvious, using max Special Attack and max Speed to outrun things and hit hard.
Nickname: Magnezone is named Ah Pekku after the great god of thunder. Ah Pekku controlled all the thunder and lightning, destroying unbelievers and abusing its power. Magnezone does this and taps into its hidden ability and gains power over Fire as well. Another corresponding name, Ah Pekku is the third part of my Avenida de la Muerta.
Conclusion
As you can see, this team is generally unorthodox, using some low tier pokes to decent success up here in OU. I am attempting to get even more success, hopefully, by picking up advice here in Smogon. I am open to all suggestions, except replacing Sharpedo, as the beast shark is the focus of the team. Overall, I hope you all had a good read and enjoyed Avenida de la Muerta. Here is an importable:
Several pokes naturally give my team trouble, as they are pesky and they can hurt big time. There are, thankfully, only a few pokes that serve as a true threat. The greatest one is SubCM Latias:
Almost my entire team is set up fodder for it, and if it lands behind a sub when i bring out Sharpedo, my fortunes are definitely taking a bad turn. I am considering throwing Ice Beam onto Starmie to reduce the set up fodderness it currently has, but I have no phazer, a must on all my teams. Another threat is Choice Band Dragonite:
Choice Band Dragonite hits incredibly hard with Extremespeed right off the bat, and can OHKO Sharpedo, Darmanitan, and Dugtrio, while 2HKOing all others, Magnezone excepted. Essentially, a good player wielding Choice Band Dragonite will tear my team to shreds. I have been testing a bulky SubDD Gyara over Dugtrio to fix up both my weaknesses at the moment.
Former Members:
Cabrakan(Trapper and Memento)
Dugtrio (F) @Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Sucker Punch
-Memento
Dugtrio (F) @Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Sucker Punch
-Memento
Overview: Dugtrio has one of the most extraordinary backrounds I've seen in a poke. Somehow, Dugtrio leaped from the depths of NU all the way to OU in the last tier sorting. He was accompanied by another Gen 1 pal, Alakazam, who rose from BL2 to OU. Even though Dugtrio had had its peak in 3rd Gen, while Alakazam had his in 1st Gen, they were both long out of the spotlight due to the nerf to the Psychic type and the amount of pokes that could rip through both (Scizor Bullet Punch anyone?) However, with weather teams on the rise, both experienced a rise to glory in different roles. To me, Dugtrio remains the most reliable trapper of frail pokes weak to its STAB. I will freely admit they require support to function, but function very well with support. Due to Starmie's spin support, Dugtrio normally enters the field with its Sash intact. I generally use the trapper to eliminate Heatran, weak Slowbro or Mienshao, Latios, Infernape, and most important of all, Terrakion. Terrakion's Choice Band set rapes my team, and Dugtrio is the vital piece of my team that switches into it while surviving with Sash, then eliminates it with Earthquake. Memento is a great last ditch move, which I use to guarantee a switch/speed boost for Sharpedo. Due to its frailness, however, Dugtrio is another lure to Scizor. Once again, noobs Bullet Punch it while I switch out to Magnezone, who takes minimal damage and takes out Scizor without a problem.
Moveset and EVs: This is once more a slightly tweaked moveset. I still use the standard Jolly + max Attack + max Speed, to allow me to outspeed 95% of the unboosted and unScarfed meta. I on the other hand use Sucker Punch to defeat Scarf Latios or and other variant who likes to come in and take him out. It also defeats weak Scizor or Mamoswine. Earthquake functions as main STAB and is the move that is the most used per game. It efficiently KOs the threats listed previously and combines with Stone Edge to form the dreaded EdgeQuake coverage. Stone Edge defeats dragons trying set up on it. Memento is my clutch move, which is the move that makes the opponent's Atk and SpA stats -2, albeit with the sacrifice of Dugtrio. It is a useful clutch move, however I am open to changes to any of the moveset.
Nickname: Dugtrio was named after Cabrakan, the Mayan deity of mountains and earthquakes. Just like Dugtrio, no one can escape from Cabrakan, and its Earthquakes destroy those who try to. Both control the earth, and therefore another good name. This was the second part of my Avenida de la Muerta.
Ah Pekku(Trapper and Volt Switch)
Magnezone (N) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP | 252 SpA | 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
-Volt Switch
-Thunderbolt
-Flash Cannon
-Hidden Power [Fire]
Magnezone (N) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP | 252 SpA | 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
-Volt Switch
-Thunderbolt
-Flash Cannon
-Hidden Power [Fire]
Overview: What can I say. Since the introduction of the ability Magnet Pull, Magnezone and Magnetron have become the banes of all Steel types bar Heatran and Excadrill. It is especially effective while combating Scizor, who is lured in by Dugtrio and Mamoswine. Magnezone's utility on my team is infinite, trapping and eliminating pesky physical walls such as Skarmory, Forretress, Ferrothorn, and others. Vital to a successful Sharpedo clean up, Magnezone provides powerful special STAB and functions uniquely: No other poke can accomplish its one of a kind role. An excellent combination with Darmanitan provides me with a small, inefficient Volt-turn core. However, it is decent enough to take out threats such as Rotom-W and Latios. However, my team lacks a vital Ground resist, and this poke's x4 weakness makes it worse. Magnezone was built upon the amazing things Magneton did, and has added a whole new level to trapping and eliminating.
Moveset and EVs: This is a easily made Scarf set, allowing it to outspeed and defeat its counters. I run Timid nature to beat base 110s, while I miss the power boost of Modest. Volt Switch provides scouting and maintains momentum, while combining beautifully with Darmanitan for a Volt-turn core. Thunderbolt is powerful STAB, hitting much harder than Volt Switch and defeats SubDD Gyarados. Flash Cannon is also strong STAB, hitting dragons such as Latios and Hydreigon neutrally and doing some decent damage to Latias. Hidden Power [Fire] is a requirement, dispatching troublesome Steels and freeing up space for my Sharpedo. The EV set is obvious, using max Special Attack and max Speed to outrun things and hit hard.
Nickname: Magnezone is named Ah Pekku after the great god of thunder. Ah Pekku controlled all the thunder and lightning, destroying unbelievers and abusing its power. Magnezone does this and taps into its hidden ability and gains power over Fire as well. Another corresponding name, Ah Pekku is the third part of my Avenida de la Muerta.
Conclusion
As you can see, this team is generally unorthodox, using some low tier pokes to decent success up here in OU. I am attempting to get even more success, hopefully, by picking up advice here in Smogon. I am open to all suggestions, except replacing Sharpedo, as the beast shark is the focus of the team. Overall, I hope you all had a good read and enjoyed Avenida de la Muerta. Here is an importable:
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Mamoswine (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Spear
- Stealth Rock
Celebi @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Recover
Sharpedo (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Protect
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Ice Fang
Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic
- Hydro Pump
- Rapid Spin
Scizor (F) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- Bullet Punch
Darmanitan (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Flare Blitz
- Rock Slide
