rating practice team 18 itt.

[Trinitrotoluene]

Welcome to the newest round of practice teams. If you're an aspiring rater, then these will hopefully allow you to pick up on and address any problems with your rating, as well as providing you with experience rating teams that have been specifically made to be as tough to rate as possible, and to make you think creatively in order to find the best changes. Any rates we receive will be replied to with personalized feedback by one of harsha2014, Jirachi, Remedy, tab, and Trinitrotoluene. Then, at the end of the round, we'll give some general hints and feedback on how things went, and post the best rate that we received as an example of how to rate the team.

Anyone is welcome to participate and send in their rate, and everyone will be guaranteed to receive feedback appropriate to the effort they put into their rate, regardless of their ability. However, to keep things fair we won't be considering rates sent in by official team raters as winners of the best rate.

If you would like to participate in this round, PM your rate to tab no later than Sunday September 30.

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Hey, Trinitrotoluene here. Relax, and breathe slowly; this will not be another tl;dr wall of text like my normal RMTs are. Origin of the team came from the numerous DRAGONITE v. SALAMENCE debates on GameFAQs and other Pokemon-related websites, including this one. Sick of these debates, I had a friend make a team that plays to both Dragonite's and Salamence's strengths. This is his end result. Get at it.

Dragonite @ Choice Band | Multiscale
Adamant | 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
• Outrage
• ExtremeSpeed
• Fire Punch
• Earthquake

Dragonite is one half of the core this team was based around, and its main job is to demolish walls so Salamence can have an easier time sweeping. Thanks to ExtremeSpeed, Dragonite can also act as a competent revenge killer, thus ensuring its role remains dynamic. Dragonite also keeps sun and rain in check, thanks to its incredible resistances and bulk (w/ Multiscale factored in) for an offensive Pokemon. The EV spread maximizes Dragonite's bulk and power, optimizing it for the wallbreaking and weather-checking roles that were thrust upon it. I like Dragonite, but I'm open for any suggestions regarding replacement wallbreakers.

Salamence @ Choice Scarf | Moxie
Naive | 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
• Outrage
• Dragon Claw
• Earthquake
• Fire Blast

Fastmon, one of the two scarfers on my team, and the usual late-game sweeper. Thanks to Moxie, saccing a Pokemon to stop Salamence usually won't end well, as that will just give it Attack boosts, which just makes it harder to stop. Weather teams really don't like Salamence, since it can use a weaker attack to come in and wreck face as the game progresses, while exploiting the lack of steels present on the opponent's team. Salamence's Speed makes it a perfect answer to unscarfed dragons, as well as Volcarona. The EVs make Salamence as fast and powerful as it needs to be, as the priority on the team takes care of any faster Scarfers.

Scizor @ Life Orb | Technician
Adamant | 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Swords Dance
• Bullet Punch
• Bug Bite
• Superpower

The team's primary Terrakion and Mamoswine check, as well as the second source of priority on the team! Since both of the dragons on my team are vulnerable to these two threats, I decided to add Scizor, whose priority kept these two threats in their place. Coincidentally, Scizor also keeps the Lati twins from acccomplishing too much. EVs maximize speed and power, which helps since Scizor can also sweep, adding pressure to the battle. Adamant over Jolly because I'd rather have the extra kick Scizor's attacks get from it than the speed Jolly brings.

Starmie @ Leftovers | Natural Cure
Timid | 252 HP / 32 Def / 4 SpA / 224 Spe
• Scald
• Psyshock
• Recover
• Rapid Spin

Secondary Mamoswine and Terrakion check, as well as this team's spinner! Both Dragonite and Salamence are weak to hazards, and this Starmie has the tools to clean the field so hazards don't clip their wings. The increased bulk also ensures that Starmie will stick around longer, keeping hazards (and Keldeo!) at bay. Simple Pokemon, I say.

Mamoswine @ Focus Sash | Thick Fat
Jolly | 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Earthquake
• Ice Shard
• Icicle Crash
• Stealth Rock

Lead, hazard setter, and third source of priority. Throws other leads for a loop thanks to its dual STAB and surprising power, even with a Jolly nature. Opposing dragons, Tornadus, and Thundurus-T HATE Mamoswine thanks to Ice Shard, and bulkier walls neutral or weak to Ice will not enjoy an Icicle Crash to the gonads. Earthquake ruins steels and Terrakion, and if Mamoswine has its Sash later on in battle, it can be used as a last resort against boosted sweepers, a la Alakazam. Jolly because being slower than Breloom SUCKS.

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf | Serene Grace
Jolly | 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
• Iron Head
• Ice Punch
• U-turn
• Healing Wish

Second scarfer, and general pivot for the team. Keeps Lati twins and Reuniclus in check. Having two scarfers grants the team extra flexibility and helps keep Salamence healthy for its late-game run. All moves are fairly standard, and Healing Wish acts as a Full Restore for one team member, essentially granting the team 7 team members. That is huge. Jolly over Adamant and a simple 252 / 252 EV spread because I like speed on this Jirachi.

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

plot twist: my friend decided he didn't really want to respond to this team because he was playing league of legends and starcraft at the same time. as a result, i'm here in his stead to close off this team.

user: ShootinStarmie submitted the winning rate for this edition of rating practice teams, so kudos to him! he deserves a swift kick in the dick from one of us the praise of all of his peers. here was the rate he submitted:

http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/rating-practice-team-18.3488520/

Hi there, so I'm here to rate your team!

So by the looks of it, this is generally a very offensive team, utilizing Dragonite and Salamence to break down each others counters, and get a late game sweep with Scizor or one of the Dragon types. Jirachi acts as the glue of the team, Starmie keeps rocks off of the field and Mamoswine sets SR. The team has lots of priority to prevent opposing offensive teams from sweeping you easily.

However, I feel that you're slightly weak to a few Pokemon. Skarmory can set up Spikes on Scizor, Salamence, Dragonite, Mamiswine, and Jirachi, while Starmie can't really hit it other than with a weak Scald. Much like Skarmory, Ferrothorn can cause some trouble once Scizor is down, as it walls the majority of the team. I'm also maybe seeing a weakness to Rotom-W, as Rotom-W can burn Dragonite, Salamence, Scizor, and hit Starmie and Mamoswine hard with it's STABs. It also resists most of Jirachi's attacks. Finally, I'm seeing a slight weakness to Magnezone, but I'm guessing you could play around it with smart switching (although it's still a problem).

So, here are my suggestions to help you fix these weaknesses.

1) Change Scarf Mence to Mix Mence. I feel like having two Scarfers on your team is quite redundant, as I don't think you need a second revenge killer thanks to all the powerful priority you have on your team. Mix Mence does a great job in weakening Dragonite's counters, and makes you much less weak to Ferrothorn and Skarmory, as now you can hit them without the fear of being choice locked.

2) Replace Scizor with Breloom. I feel that Scizor + Jirachi is kinda redundant, as on this team they do the same thing. They both gain momentum in the form of U-turn, they both check Latias and Alakazam, and their typing is also pretty similar. Breloom still checks Mamoswine and Terrakion nicely too, but the main reason I'm suggesting this is that Breloom makes you much less weaker to Rotom-W and Magnezone. As well as being a much better answer for Ferrothorn.

3) Replace Banded Dragonite with DD Dragonite. I feel that the wall breaking power from Banded Dragonite isn't really needed, since Mix Mence is going to be destroying stall. Using DD Nite also makes you much less weak to Rotom-W and Ferrothorn as you can easily take a Will-O-Wisp / Thunder Wave and threaten them out. You still have very powerful priority even without the +1 boost, and Dragonite offers you a way to clean up late game once Mix Mence and Breloom have weakened his counters.

Here are the sets.

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Salamence @ Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 64 Atk / 192 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Outrage
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake

So Mix Mence is fantastic in breaking down Dragonite's counters down very nicely. So, you'll want max speed to out speed Hydreigon, Haxorus, and speed tie with opposing base 100s. The EV spread ensures every variant of Hippowdon is 2HKOed by this set, which is often a nice check to Dragonite. So Draco Meteor is STAB and hits physical walls like Landorus-T, Hippowdon, and Politoed very hard. Outrage is also STAB, but hit's off of Salamence's great physical attack, making Salamence impossible to counter directly. Fire Blast offers great coverage with Dragon type attacks, as the only Pokemon to resist the two together is Heatran. Fire Blast hit's Steel type Pokemon like Skarmory, Scizor, and Ferrothon, thinking they can easily switch into Outrage. Finally, Earthquake is the last move to hit Heatran and Jirachi for more damage.

Breloom @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Low Sweep
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Spore

So this is just the standard Breloom set. Breloom has been suggested to make you much less weak to Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, and Magnezone. It still checks Mamoswine and Terrakion nicely, and still has great priority in the form of Mach Punch. So, with Breloom you want max speed and max attack, to hit as hard as possible and be as fast as possible. Low Sweep is Breloom's main form of STAB, as boosted by STAB and Technician, it becomes very powerful, while also lowering the target's speed. This is pretty amazing, as it allows you to put faster threats to sleep the next turn, like Latias, Tornadus-I, and Thundurus-T. Mach Punch is strong priority like Bullet Punch, but has much better general coverage than Bullet Punch. It also allows you to check Mamoswine and Terrakion nicely. Bullet Seed is Breloom's other form of STAB and hits bulky Ground types that often wall fighting types hard. Finally, Spore is an amazing move, allowing you to cripple a switch in or the majority of the match.

Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fire Punch

And finally, we have Dragonite. Dragonite allows you to sweep late game once Breloom and Salamence have weakened it's checks, while Dragonite also acts as a mid game pivot, allowing you to switch into Rotom-W and Ferrothorn pretty easily. So EVs are used to max attack and speed, allowing you to hit as hard as possible right off the bat. A Lum Berry is suggested, allowing you to easily come in on Rotom-W and other status inducers. Dragon Dance is used to boost your attack and speed to great levels. Outrage is STAB and hits extremely hard, allowing you to muscle through the opposing team easily. Extreme Speed allows you to easily beat faster threats like Jolteon and Alakazam while also offering priority to prevent other sweepers like Breloom or Volcarona from sweeping you. Finally, Fire Punch is used to offer coverage, as it hits steel types that like to come in on Outrage.

Well, there's my rate. Hopefully my suggestions have helped you, and good luck in the future with your team.

he correctly identified an inability to get by skarmory, which nobody else seemed to notice for some reason, and he suggested changes that kept the overall goal of the team (break walls and sweep with the two dragons) in mind.

a piece of advice for everyone though: don't suggest a trendy set for the hell of it. make sure to justify this change, as well as any other changes you suggest, while keeping the focus of the team in mind. a lot of you just replaced the sd scizor on the team with a flying gem acrozor variant without providing more actual justification than "lol jelli weak". while this team does have an issue with jellicent spinblocking the shit out of starmie, this change alone isn't some magic glue that will make the jellicent problems disappear.

now, here's how i'd have rated the team (sans my usual rambling):

1) this team cannot get past skarmory, and starmie has issues spinning against jellicent, which can absorb anything starmie throws at it, returning the favor with burns that the team does not like.

2) solution 1: replace scizor w/ a specs magnezone. magnezone is a dragon's best friend due to its ability to remove the steels that hinder them from performing at maximum capacity. specs magnezone also has the bonus of ohkoing every common jellicent, which eases some pressure from starmie's shoulders.

3) defensive starmie also robs the team of precious momentum due to its inability to get past any spinblocker not named gengar and deny set-up opportunities for threatening pokemon, such as kyurem-b and thundurus-t. to resolve this issue, i'd recommend makng starmie an offensive life orb variant. this starmie retains the offensive momentum this team enjoys thanks to its very respectable power, while boasting the ability to blast its way past any spinblocker. in addition, this increase in power also allows starmie to deny thundurus-t and kyurem-b set-up opportunities.

4) small changes: jirachi could appreciate a bit more bulk, especially considering that it's the team's main answer to the likes of latios and alakazam, which could tear the team apart with their superior speed. an ev spread of 48 hp / 252 atk / 208 spe with an adamant nature should be sufficient for this purpose. of course, you're free to experiment with the evs a bit until you find a spread that suits you, but these are fairly consistent, and the loss of speed on jirachi is mitigated thanks to your use of scarfmence and extremespeed dragonite.

sets:

magnezone @ choice specs | magnet pull
modest | 128 hp / 232 spa / 148 spe
ivs: 2 atk / 30 spa / 30 spe
• volt switch
• thunderbolt
• hidden power fire
• flash cannon

starmie @ life orb | analytic
timid | 252 spa / 4 spd / 252 spe
ivs: 29 hp / 0 atk
• hydro pump
• psyshock
• ice beam
• rapid spin

nitpick:

• 
  • 4 hp / 252 atk / 252 spe jolly ====> 48 hp / 252 atk / 208 spe adamant

of course, there's more than one way of improving this team and resolving its issues.

from me, trinitrotoluene, a simple "thank you" to everyone that sent in rates for this edition of the practice team. harsha2014 will post the next practice team sometime soon, so look out for that! remember to rate the video, like the video, comment, and subscribe to my channel if you want to see more of my content.