Deep Blue Sea - A gen 5 RMT
[Introduction]
I'll throw in a small introduction about myself and the team before starting this RMT, as this is my first ever RMT, and one of my first posts on Smogon in general.
I'm a 17 year old from the Netherlands, so English is not my primary language, excuse me for that. I am finishing high school within the next three weeks. Next year I will be going to university to study physics as I seem to enjoy it a lot. In my spare time I like to play xbox, chill with friends, occasionally work out at the gym, and listen to a wide variety of music. I don't only play xbox, I've played about every console there has been since 2000 and still am quite the PC gamer. Pokemon has a special place in my heart, it's been my best English teacher I've ever had :). Playing older versions of the game brings back so many good memories of good times. Unfortunately the interior battery of my pokemon blue recently died :(.
About this team, Deep Blue Sea, this is my first serious attempt at an Ubers team, of course with some help of other RMTs on the forums. This is also my first ever RMT and I hope I'm doing this right. There's been a lot of tweaking, and a lot of other mons have had their place on this team, but those would be too many to all put in here, so in my teambuilding process I will only explain why the current members of this team deserve their spot. I haven't made an attempt to ladder with this team, but it's made it to 1350-1400 points with ease, and not many teams find it easy to keep momentum their way and break my defenses.
The team at first glance:
Team Building Process:
As I was new to the Ubers metagame I decided to just take a look at some usage statistics and quickly noted Kyogre was the most used poke, I asked some people for a counter, and they mentioned Palkia and Gastrodon, Gastrodon being utterly useless as it is I decided to go with Palkia. I gave Palkia a choice scarf and decided to add in a specially defensive Ferrothorn to heal it with Leech Seed, and also to provide general team support against any weather inducer in Ubers.
Now I needed a counter to the physical threats in Ubers, Forretress crossed my mind but I realised it's only set up bait, and I already had Ferrothorn, I noticed Extremekiller was easily phazed by Skarmory, even at the likes of +4, as long as I could keep it healthy, so Skarmory was added to the team, the only physical threat that could potentially hurt Skarm a lot is Zekrom. I chose to run a fully supportive set which is explained below.
I decided that my team had quite a Fire weakness with Ferrothorn and Skarmory, so Kyogre was added. I chose to run a bulky Choice Specs varient over the standard scarf set because I felt my team needed some more offensive firepower. Specs Kyogre is just too good to switch out for anything.
Time for a physical attacker. I looked at Arceus-Rock, because of its solid EdgeQuake coverage, but decided extremekiller would be a better adition to my team as I lacked priority. I chose to run a bulky Extremekiller because this team would otherwise be too frail to function well. Lastly PsychoKiller Mewtwo was thrown in because it provided me with some essential coverage against non scarfed pokes.
Now I needed a counter to the physical threats in Ubers, Forretress crossed my mind but I realised it's only set up bait, and I already had Ferrothorn, I noticed Extremekiller was easily phazed by Skarmory, even at the likes of +4, as long as I could keep it healthy, so Skarmory was added to the team, the only physical threat that could potentially hurt Skarm a lot is Zekrom. I chose to run a fully supportive set which is explained below.
I decided that my team had quite a Fire weakness with Ferrothorn and Skarmory, so Kyogre was added. I chose to run a bulky Choice Specs varient over the standard scarf set because I felt my team needed some more offensive firepower. Specs Kyogre is just too good to switch out for anything.
Time for a physical attacker. I looked at Arceus-Rock, because of its solid EdgeQuake coverage, but decided extremekiller would be a better adition to my team as I lacked priority. I chose to run a bulky Extremekiller because this team would otherwise be too frail to function well. Lastly PsychoKiller Mewtwo was thrown in because it provided me with some essential coverage against non scarfed pokes.
In depth:
Skarmory (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Roost
- Whirlwind
Ahh, Skarmory, one of the best physical walls in OU does her job just as fine in the Ubers metagame. No attacking moves might seem strange at first glance, but there's no real need for them. Skarmory is only around to put down hazards and to phaze extremekiller, + a brave bird is far too weak and only limits Skarmorys walling capabilities because of the recoil. Taunt is to shut down Ferrothorn and Forretress, if they decides to come in on Skarm that is. Roost is obviously for healing purposes, to guarantee that extra layer of spikes, or that extra whirlwind, which may just help me win the game. Outrage locked pokemon like Zekrom are also easily phazed, racking up entry hazard damage. Spikes were put on Skarmory instead of Ferrothorn to take the weight of Ferrothorns back a little, both Ferro and Skarm have quite a bit of pressure on them when it comes to keeping the team alive.
I feel that Skarmory is the most expendable member of this team, but I'm not sure about what to put in its place, help with this would be appreciated :-).
Palkia @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 144 HP / 252 SAtk / 112 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Spacial Rend
- Surf
- Thunder
- Fire Blast
As best of a counter to Kyogre there is. 4x resistence to Water-type attacks and only one weakness is amazing. Choice Scarf with 112 Speed EVs gives me just enough speed to outspeed every form of Mewtwo (barring Choice Scarf lol). Spacial Rend was picked over Draco Meteor because I hate the Special Attack drop from Draco Meteor. Thunder is to hit Water-types super effectively and Fire Blast does a lot of damage if the enemy decides to bring sun but is also very effective in wearing down 4x weak pokes like Ferrothorn, even in the rain.
Mewtwo @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Psystrike
- Aura Sphere
Standard Psycho Killer Mewtwo. Ice Beam to hit the many dragons that swarm around Ubers, Psystrike because not only does it hit like a Mac truck, it also hits on the physical side of the defensive spectrum, which is often rather uninvested in Ubers. Aura Sphere to hit Tyranitar, Dialga, and other steel types for super effective damage. Mewtwo is awesome because of its high base 130 speed and 154 Special Attack. Life Orb to make it hit even harder is a nice boost to it's godlike powers. I sometimes lead with this if I see my opponent has a Smeargle, hoping to bring it down to its sash after which I can switch to Arceus to E-speed for the KO.
Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave
- Power Whip
Deals with Kyogre and Groudon that lacks fire punch perfectly fine. Can work wonders against Tyranitar also, as long as it lacks the powerful Fire Blast. Iron bars also help wearing down excadrill, who often carry life orb AND rapid spin, meaning they will take a nice 22.5% per turn they try to spin my rocks away. I decided to split rocks and spikes because Ferrothorn normally does not get enough time alive to set up 3 layers of spikes. Leech seed helps against the pink blobs that for some reason often switch into it, and also helps in keeping Palkia and Kyogre and Mewtwo on a healthy amount of HP.
Kyogre @ Choice Specs
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Water Spout
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Surf
Rain is not essential to this team, the powerhouse that is Kyogre however, is. Choice specs, rain boosted, max special attack, modest Water Spouts hit everything hard. This set is completely walled by Gastrodon, but Gastro is a useless poke and should never be used anyway + the rest of my team deals with the seaslug perfectly fine. Ice beam to hit the many dragons, and Thunder to hit other Kyogres. If I am in a lead matchup against Groudon and see their sun goes up after my rain I instantly use Water Spout, even in the sunshine it will do massive damage to almost anything that does not resist it. But normally they will stay in with their Groudon to get up rocks or Thunder Wave, predicting a switch. People tend to think Kyogre doesn't function in sunshine, they couldn't be more mistaken.
252 SAtk Kyogre full HP Water Spout in rain vs Specially defensive Blissey: 54,76% - 64,71%, 2 Hit KO
VS Specially defensive Ferrothorn: 61,65% - 72,72% 2 Hit KO
Surf in sun vs support Groudon: 76,49% - 90,59% Potential OHKO after some spikes and rocks.
Yes, all of these pokes in their respective weather conditions are always 2H KO'd, proving exactly why Specs Kyogre is such a monster!
Arceus @ Leftovers
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Def / 24 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Shadow Force
- Refresh
Bulky extremekiller, Refresh + Reftovers over Recover because this team lacks a spinner and Toxic Spikes are very common, also nullifying a burn always helps. Refresh in general makes Arceus last longer on the field than Recover ever would. Shadow Force over Shadow Claw to hit Lugia and both Giratinas extremely hard. Walled by a lot of pokes, but nothing my team can't handle. Extremespeed is usually only used to clean late game, but I might sometimes revenge kill a poke with Arceus if I'm sure it's at low enough HP and if it would outspeed the rest of my team. I don't feel like Swords Dance needs any explenation. I normally only bring in Arceus once, because one SD against a worn down team means GG.
[Conclusion]
A couple of problems remain, most notably the lack of a spinner on this team, but there just isn't enough space. This team has proved to work, even with hazards on the field. The only other notable weak spots might be smashpass and an opponent who plays a choice scarf Dialga correctly. Other than that, this team proved to be very solid, and I am quite proud of it, I've never been much of a great teambuilder, but this time I managed to do it (with the help of some other RMTs of course, as I built this team around being able to work against some of the top rated teams), and it's worked out nicely!
[Importable]
Skarmory (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Roost
- Whirlwind
Palkia @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 144 HP / 252 SAtk / 112 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Spacial Rend
- Surf
- Thunder
- Fire Blast
Mewtwo @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Psystrike
- Aura Sphere
Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave
- Power Whip
Kyogre @ Choice Specs
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Water Spout
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Surf
Arceus @ Leftovers
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Def / 24 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Shadow Force
- Refresh
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Roost
- Whirlwind
Palkia @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 144 HP / 252 SAtk / 112 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Spacial Rend
- Surf
- Thunder
- Fire Blast
Mewtwo @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Psystrike
- Aura Sphere
Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave
- Power Whip
Kyogre @ Choice Specs
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Water Spout
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Surf
Arceus @ Leftovers
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Def / 24 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Shadow Force
- Refresh
[Threat list (will finish later hopefully)]
Arceus-Bug: Never seen this before, but it takes 25% from Stealth Rocks, which should always help, Ferrothorn can paralyze, it will also get destroyed by Palkia.
Arceus-Dark: Annoying to say the least. If it lacks a Fire-type attack Ferrothorn deals with it, if not I might have to try and wear it down before Mewtwo can finish it.
Arceus-Dragon: Never seen this but Palkia can outspeed, Kyogre can Ice Beam.
Arceus-Electric: Ferrothorn or Mewtwo and my own Arceus, depending on moveset.
Arceus-Fighting: Psystrike from Mewtwo, can give lots of trouble with a Calm Mind up and Mewtwo out of the field though.
Arceus-Fire: Can't do anything as long as rain is up.
Arceus-Flying: Kyogress Ice Beam, Thunder, Palkias Thunder, Stealth Rock damage, they all help.
Arceus-Ghost: Shadow Force on my own Arceus will hurt this a lot, and it normally can't do much in return because of Refresh I can just shake of a burn or paralyze Mewtwo can hurt it a lot, but will have to suicide if it doesn't KO.
Arceus-Grass: Never seen this, I suppose Palkia or Mewtwo would have to deal with it?
Arceus-Ground: Surf from Palkia/Kyogre.
Arceus-Ice: Can't really hurt much on my team, and is destroyed by Mewtwo
Arceus-Poison: Mewtwo
Arceus-Psychic: Ferrothorn and my own Arceus can deal with it, eventually Palkia could finish it off or Kyogre could do some damage, because it can live an unboosted hit.
Arceus-Rock: If sandstorm is up: Ferrothorn, if not anything really will destroy it.
Arceus-Steel: Mewtwo and Palkia kill it, it can't really hurt any of my pokes, except maybe cripple them with status, but nothing should have a lot of trouble taking this down.
Arceus-Water: Thunder from Palkia, Thunder from Kyogre, Ferrothorns Power Whip also hurts.
Thundurus: Priority Thunder wave is annoying, Ferrothorn walls it though, can't really hurt it in return. Perhaps
Non-Ubers
Blissey:
Chansey:
Deoxys-D:
Dugtrio:
Espeon:
Whimsicott:
Forretress:
Gastrodon:
Gengar:
Haxorus:
Heatran:
Heracross:
Jirachi:
Kingdra:
Kyurem:
Latias:
Latios:
Lucario:
Ludicolo:
Mew:
Metagross:
Ferrothorn:
Hydreigon:
Salamence:
Scizor:
Chandelure:
Shedinja:
Tentacruel:
Terrakion:
Tornadus:
Tyranitar:
Victini:
Wobbuffet:
Bisharp
Quagsire
Skarmory
These last three lack images due to the 100 image limit, and I was at 103:P
Haxorus:
Tornadus:
Bisharp
Quagsire
Skarmory
These last three lack images due to the 100 image limit, and I was at 103:P