The Team At A Glance
The Strategy
The idea behind this team is simple - bring out as many powerhouse pokemon as possible to open up a sweep for my late-game pokemon. I usually aim to set up Jirachi to sweep, although if that fails, Scizor is typically left to clean up afterwards. Each pokemon has specific uses, and I'll go ahead and specify them now.
The Breakdown
The Lead
Ability: Pressure
6 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Speed
Jolly Nature (+Speed -SpAtk)
-Taunt
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Stealth Rock
Aerodactyl leads the match, setting up quick Stealth Rocks and using Taunt to prevent the other lead from setting anything up. It isn’t ruined by Sand Stream and gets the jump on Azelf, too. Stone Edge provides STAB while Earthquake pairs nicely with it. It's respectable base 105 Atk can come in handy at times, too.
The Mixed Sweeper
Ability: Motor Drive
120 Atk, 212 Sp.Atk, 176 Speed
Mild Nature (+SpAtk -Def)
-HP Ice
-Cross Chop
-Thunderbolt
-Flamethrower
It’s been quite some time since I’ve used Electivire, but it finds itself with a nice niche in the team with its wide type coverage and immunity to electrical attacks. With an Expert Belt, Electivire is able to boost the power of its attacks thanks to its wide type coverage, but without the recoil that accompanies Life Orb. By hitting on both ends of the spectrum, Electivire is able to do some weakening early on in the match and is also capable of cleaning up after all's said and done.
The Wallbreaker
Ability: Intimidate
80 Atk, 252 Sp.Atk, 176 Speed
Lonely Nature (+Atk -Def)
-Outrage
-Fire Blast
-Earthquake
-Draco Meteor
MixMence, Platinum style. With the Life Orb, high base power of its moves, and great offensive stats, Salamence is able to rip holes through every pokemon that comes its way. Fire Blast is great for the likes of Celebi, Skarmory, and others, while Earthquake provides nice coverage overall. Draco Meteor destroys physical walls and dents everything else pretty badly. Once I’ve taken care of something, Outrage finishes the job, especially since most opponents will switch expecting to take another special attack. As the title implies, Salamence is capable of opening up huge holes in the opponent's wall, and this makes it a highly valuable team member.
The Revenger
Ability: Natural Cure
6 HP, 252 Sp.Atk, 252 Speed
Modest Nature (+SpAtk -Atk)
-Surf
-Psychic
-Ice Beam
-Thunderbolt
Starmie is another team player, although it is one of the weaker team members along with Aerodactyl. This particular Starmie is equipped with a Choice Scarf, allowing it to be quite the revenge killer. Modest nature with max Sp.Atk allows me to hit as hard as possible, while I still hit 329 speed – enough to outpace even +Speed base 100s with a Scarf. It serves as a nice check against DDMence, Gyarados, Infernape, and other random pokemon as well, which is much appreciated.
The Late Game Sweepers
Ability: Technician
232 HP, 252 Atk, 24 Speed
Adamant Nature (+Atk -SpAtk)
-Roost
-X-Scissor
-Bullet Punch
-Swords Dance
Typical Scizor, but it works very effectively. Roost lets me heal back LO damage as I sweep with SD-boosted Bullet Punch. X-Scissor is nice for STAB and the hit on Cresselia. As far as EVs go, max attack lets me hit for the most damage, while 232 HP lets me have minimum LO recoil. The rest is thrown into speed. Scizor is one of the team's focus pokemon, since its counters are taken care of by the other pokemon. Zapdos isn't doing anything to Electivire anytime soon, while Heatran falls to Starmie, Salamence, or Aerodactyl.
Ability: Serene Grace
108 HP, 224 Sp.Atk, 176 Speed
Timid Nature: (+Speed -Atk)
-Psychic
-Calm Mind
-HP Ground
-Grass Knot
And finally, the star (literally) player of the team. With its bulkiness, Jirachi is able to stick around long enough to get in a Calm Mind, often more than one, and finish up with a sweep. 108 HP gives it a Lefties number, while 176 speed hits 308 (outrunning +speed Lucario, Roserade, etc). The rest of the EVs are thrown into Sp.Atk. Psychic provides welcome STAB, Grass Knot covers bulky ground and water types, and HP Ground is there to kill Metagross and Heatran thinking they can force me out. After a Calm Mind, Jirachi will always survive a Fire Blast from Modest ScarfTran (even if SR is down) and OHKO with HP Ground.
Well there it is. Please rate away and let me know what I should change. Credit goes to http://www.serebiiforums.com and http://www.arkeis.com for the images.
