Monotype Ready to Go / VoltTurn Steel

[maroon]

Banner by Zyo

Hey All! I'm iExca today im sharing with you my favorite Balanced Steel team as the ORAS draws closer to an end. Some of may know me from when I was in Phoenix and a few other leagues or some of my posts on the Monotype forums such as my Monotype Champions project. When I started playing OU I found that my favorite playstyle was VoltTurn Balance which lead me to build the Steel team. This team also was made to help Steel handle it common weaknesses especially Water which gives Steel a fair amount of trouble. Anyway without further ado here is my team!

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Techinican
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Atk / 16 Def / 200 SpD
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
I chose Mega Scizor as the teams mega evolution due to its great natural bulk, both a great defensive and offensive typing, access to reliable recovery, is a great setup sweeper and is apart of the teams VoltTurn core. It gives the team a great defensive pivot and alleviates many matchups that might trouble steel such as Psychic and Dark due to its great Bug Stab while providong great priority and overall being useful in most matchups. Roost is to preserve Scizor's longetivity in the match, U-turn is to gain and keep momentum on tour side of the field, Swords Dance helps Scizor setup and clean late game and take out targets that could otherwise easily wall it and finally Bullet Punch is great Priority Stab boosted by Techinican making Scizor a very annoying pokemon to try and pick off. Mega Scizor functions as the teams slow physical pivot and can help easily bring offensive threats to the field.



Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt

Magnezone is the Volt part of the VoltTurn core and allows Steel to help take on Water teams easier while also helping the team keep and or gain momentum. Magnezone while being electric type is a reliable Hidden Power Ice user which allows Steel to take on tgreats such as Mega Garchomp, Dragonite and the Landorus formes. Volt Switch is used as a nice pivot move and can help the team fain momentum, Flash Cannon is to hit pokemon such as Mega Diancie, Kyurem Black and Terrakion, and finally Thunderbolt is strong Electric stab which can help Magnezone be an excellent late gane cleaner against types such as Water and Flying. Magnezone functions as the teams fast Special pivot and can be used to safely bring in defensive teammates to help wall your opponents attacks.​

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird

Skarmory is a necessity on Steel teams as it provides an invaluable entire game lasting Ground Immunity which can help you wall threats such as Landorus and Excadrill. Skarmory is the teams main phazer which can cripple the opponents ability to setup sweep your team. Stealth Rock is used as Skarmory's main form of hazards as it can cripple Flying, Ice and Fire types ability to be preserved through the battle while generally being annoying to switch into. Roost is used to help Skarmory preserve its longetivity through the match so it can continue to set rocks after they have been removed and to phaze out setup sweepers. Finally Brave Bird is an answer to annoying Fighting types that can threaren Skarmory such as Infernape and Keldeo when at Sturdy while preventing while potentially act as a suicide pokemon your opponent can't remove hazards. Skarmory can run 56 in attack over defense to knock out Mega Medicham 100% of the time with Brave Bird.

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Earth Power

Heatran was mandatory to add to the team as it provides a necessary Fire immunity which severely threatens the team. Usually on steel teams Heatran can be used to support Skarmory by helping it hazard stack however Heatran can shine much more as an offensive stallbreaker due to the team being built around Volt Turn. Magma Storm allows Heatran to trap any pokemon and not leave the battle while its present and taking a little bit of damage each turn. To help cripple Bulkier teams I decided to add Taunt and Toxic a usual set for Stall Breaker Heatran as it allows Heatran to slowly widdle down the foe while preventing status or recovery moves from bring used. Finally to avoid completely being walled by other Heatrans and to capitalize on the Fire immunity I decided to add Earth Power as it hits Heatran for serious damage and is generally very effective against Fire, Steel, Rock and Electric types.

Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword

Doublade is the teams Fighting immunity amd can make it extremely annoying to deal with on Fighting monotypes without Keldeo or Infernape. Doublade is a great defensive pokemon that can setup on a majority of physical attackers and sweep the opposing team itself while also being a great defensive pivot into Fighting type attacks. While Doublade doesn't have access to reliable recovery its amazing defensove typing allows it to still function as a strong sweeper. Swords Dance is to help Doublade sweep through the opposing team with ease because of its access to priority STAB Shadow Sneak. Shadow Claw is a strong STAB attack that helps Doublade sweep through opposing teams. Finally I added Sacred Sword so Doublade wouldn't completely be walled by Dark type pokemon and could hit normal type pokemon for some damage. Doublade is a great late game sweeper against types like Ghost and Psychic.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Protect / Thunder Wave
- Power Whip

Ferrothorn has many roles on this team as a hazard stacker, it can help you scout moves, passively recover damage with Leech Seed and to hit Water types such as Swampert that give the team a bit of trouble. Ferrothorn is yet also another Ground and Electric type check which the team needa as those matchups can prove to be diffucult for steel. Leech Seed is to help Ferrothorn stay alive longer through the match while being able to switch to setup sweepers that benefit off the 12% recovery each turn. Spikes were given to ferrothorn because of its access to passive Leevh Seed and Leftovers recovery and why Skarmory carries rocks. Thunder Wave is to cripple opposing Hyper Offensive pokemon while supporting the team by making it harder for opposing threars to completely sweep. However protect on the other hand increases Ferrothorns amazing ability to passively recover while scouting moves on choice locked pokemon such as Keldeo and Volcanion which threaten the steel monotype. Finally power whip is to hit opposing Water type pokemon for supereffective damage.

Threats List

Fighting Types especially these two that break past Doublade can be very tricky for the team to handle. Your best bet is scouting Keldeos attacks and revenge killing it with Scarfed Magnezone. Infernape can be taken care of but is much more tricky the best way to do so is to keep sturdy Skarmory intact and click Brave Bird and or weaken it and revenge kill it with Magnezone.

Ground Types can really be annoying for the team especially when supported by Gravity from Landorus-I. Excadrill can sweep late gane and does a good chunk to Ferrothorn, is walled by Skarmory but can 1ohko the rest of the team. Landorus can be very tricky to deal with especially if its supported by Gravity but Choice Scarfed Magnezone can revenge kill it with HP Ice.

Charizard Y poses a major threat to the team as if it carries Focus Blast can 6-0 the team almost by itself. Scarfed Magnezon is again your safest bet of revenge killing Charizard Y. Scarfed Darminatan outspeeds the entire team including magnezone and can click Super power on heatran. Ferrothorn can be used to scout or fodder off to see what move Darmanitan clicked to send in the appropriate switchin to its attack.

Swampert isn't even touched by magnezone along with other Bulky Water/Ground types such as Gastrodon and Seimsitoad which can widdle down the entire team with Toxic to support a clean sweep for its teammates. Your best bet against Swampert is to click Power Whip with Ferrothorn. Kingdra under rain boosted by choice specs can easily sweep through the opposing team but Leech Seed and Protect can completely stall out Kingdra.

Zapdos is a threat to all steel teams especially on Electric when it carries heat wave and can easily roost off any minimal damage that the team can do. Usually Bisharp can punish Zapdoses defog but this team relies on StallBreaker Heatran to take out Zapd while hoping discharge doesnt paralyze. Manectric again has access to intimidate and can easily revemge kill any pokemon with Thunderbolt or a fire type coverage move. Heatran again with Earth Pkwer and Magma Storm can help you check Manectric.

Once doublade is out of the way this pokemon can mono 6-0 the team but can be revenge killed with Choice Scarfed Magnezone and Brave Bird from Skarmory.

Specs Hoopa Unbound can rip holes in this team with Dark Pulse and Hidden Power [Fire] with little to no check as Scizor is slower than Hoopa Unbound Variants and can 2ohko all of the team. Your best best is to keep Scizor healthy and sack a pokemon so it can safely u-turn and revenge kill Hoopa-Unbound and hope it doesn't get flinched.

Volcanion usually is annoying but not to hard to handle with its Choice Specs set as Ferrothorn can scout which it locks itself into then switch to the appropriate teammate. However AV Volcanion truly is terrifying as it can take on most of Steel single handely with Scarfed Magnezone being its only check as it can chip Volcanions health with Volt Switch.

Importable

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: techinican
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Atk / 16 Def / 200 SpD
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Earth Power

Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Protect / Thunder Wave
- Power Whip

Replays

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-459211309 vs King Choco's Ground
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ubers-506801270 vs Keldeo Infernape Fighting

Shoutouts

Zyo for the cool banner
iLlama & Waszap & Eienseiryuu for being cool friends/phoenix plebs
Ticktick monohthreat buddy :)
Hammy known you since day 1 of me playing mono
truedrew health and fitness pleb jk pretty cool dude :)
TY the King Choco for the replay
Nefertum Nick~XVZ for being bad ;)(;
Den of thieves peoples BHARATH_THEBEST Thimo Dokkerich ADF Test etc
Catalystic ag senpai nd mono hoe
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many other people for being cool and overall nice people such as
TheAveng92R StarBlim ara terrors. Oberyn zugubu royale Phoenix JaneIzaya. Dece1t. MiyoKa madman404
Arlaxeon Sandman VILIX KevinELF. KGBanter. Mateeus_1 Sundar
dusk raimon Jahkem
6ti Shadow Nebulous Granpapi

 

[Confluxx [Old]]

Solid team, only thing I would change is switching Toxic on Heatran for Stealth Rock on Skarmory. Skarmory benefits more from Toxic because it's a physically defensive wall and the residual damage allow it to beat or wear down Pokemon that it can't touch. Heatran on the other hand has an easier time getting up Stealth Rock due to its offensive pressure and Speed. I understand what Toxic does in combination of Magma Storm and Taunt, however your team doesn't have major issues dealing with common special walls such as Chansey, Zapdos, Mew etc.

 

[maroon]

Solid team, only thing I would change is switching Toxic on Heatran for Stealth Rock on Skarmory. Skarmory benefits more from Toxic because it's a physically defensive wall and the residual damage allow it to beat or wear down Pokemon that it can't touch. Heatran on the other hand has an easier time getting up Stealth Rock due to its offensive pressure and Speed. I understand what Toxic does in combination of Magma Storm and Taunt, however your team doesn't have major issues dealing with common special walls such as Chansey, Zapdos, Mew etc.

Ill give it a try. Heatran does offer a more offensive presence but the magma storm toxic combo is so lethal to fatter teams.

 

[Galaxy.]

Hey Pretty Dope Team Just one suggestion from My end. <HP Grass over HP Ice> HP Ice hits Lando and other ground mons but HP Grass hits mons like Seis and gastrodon which can be a problem for this team. I understand HP Ice is more pefered over HP Grass but HP Grass could benefit this team a whole lot by taking down 2 bulky sweepers

 

[maroon]

Hey Pretty Dope Team Just one suggestion from My end. <HP Grass over HP Ice> HP Ice hits Lando and other ground mons but HP Grass hits mons like Seis and gastrodon which can be a problem for this team. I understand HP Ice is more pefered over HP Grass but HP Grass could benefit this team a whole lot by taking down 2 bulky sweepers

I have a ferrothorn for pesky water types .-.