Sandstorm in Olympus (BW2 RMT)

[Pikachuu]

Sandstorm in Olympus

​

Hey Smogon! I made this team about 2 months ago and I thought it was time to make an RMT about it seeing as we are close to 6th gen but this has to be the best sand team I ever made. This team has took me to the top 10 on the PO ladder several times and I win about 90% of the time. Although I didn't take pictures and overtime you fall in points if you don't play often. Also it's very fun to use well for me anyway since it has 4 of my favorite pokemon in it. Anyways I made the theme Sandstorm in Olympus because the Uber tier can be seen as Olympus I guess lol.

The team:

This team is half stallish and offensive the goal of this team is to set up hazards wearing down the opponents team specially Groudon and Kyogre so I can win the weather war easier and faster that way than sweeping with Excadrill or Mewtwo or even Garchomp.

Tyranitar @ Lum Berry

Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Atk / 192 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Payback
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Superpower

I obviously chose Tyranitar for this team since it's the one with the awesome sandstorm ability. He has great special defense in the sand that allows it to tank a lot of special hits even a Water Spout from a full health Kyogre if it needs to and can even survive an Aura Sphere from Life Orb Mewtwo while Tyranitar OHKO's back with Payback. I chose Payback since Tyranitar almost always hits last and it does more damage though it does laughable damage to things like Giratina if it uses Dragon Tail. Pursuit is to trap Latias and Latios or if they stay in then OHKO them with Payback. Also it's useful to trap low health things who want to be saved for later like Kyogre. Stone Edge lets me check Ho-Oh who would otherwise wall this Tyranitar and Rayquaza trying to set up on it. Superpower is to hit Arceus hard while it sets up Swords Dance and also OHKO Darkrai. The Lum Berry is very useful as it allows me to get rid of status once and also switch into Sacred Fire not to mention absorb Dark Void from lead Darkrai's and OHKOing back with Superpower. Also Tyranitar can take on Lugia not worrying too much about Toxic and I can just keep hitting Payback even if it roosts since it does about 50% with Multiscale broken. It's also a nice check to Arceus-Ghost who at +1 can't OHKO Tyranitar with Focus Blast while I can deal huge damage back with Payback. The EV's are pretty standard and it allows it to be very bulky while also hitting hard.

Excadrill @ Air Balloon

Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head

Next is Excadrill, my god this thing is just beast in sand and every Ubers sand team needs to have this awesome pokemon. Good luck outspeeding this thing in the sand unless you have Rayquaza or Choice Scarf Deoxys. EV's are pretty straight forward as you always want max speed and max attack on a physical sweeper. I chose Air Balloon as the item since it's very useful against opposing Excadrill and also walling Gliscor and can avoid Earthquake from Groudon if it needs to. Swords Dance to double his attack and proceed to sweep. Earthquake because STAB and hits very hard after a boost. Rock Slide mainly for Ho-oh and Lugia and Iron Head over Rapid Spin because I already have another Rapid Spinner and Iron Head hits Arceus-Grass, Giratina-O etc harder than Rock Slide. Also a nice check to Zekrom and Arceus-Steel, Arceus-Poison.

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge

Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 236 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic
- Protect

I chose Tentacruel because it's pretty good at spinning and also setting up Toxic Spikes and provides the team with another water resist. Toxic Spikes is to wear down the opponents team and like I said helps me win the weather war easier specially against teams that have both Kyogre and Groudon. Rapid Spin to get rid of hazards and Toxic is to hit Ho-Oh with it, Giratina-O, Arceus and Lugia who are Toxic Spikes immune and to also Toxic stuff that avoided Toxic Spikes. Protect to scout and lead with it if my opponent has Genesect as they will most likely lead with it then use Protect to see what move he's going to use if Thunderbolt than I will switch out. Tentacruel also allows me to get rid of Toxic Spikes by just switching in. It also benefits from Rain with his ability and it can be a good anoyer to rain teams. The EV spread is so that it can take special hits very well and makes it a nice Kyogre check.

Arceus-Grass @ Meadow Plate

Trait: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 144 SDef / 112 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Recover
- Grass Knot
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast

I chose Arceus-Grass because it's very very useful to this team and it counters both Groudon and Kyogre (to an extent) and it's my main switch in to both of them it can also take a +2 Extremespeed from Arceus and deal good damage back with Grass Knot. Recover because this thing needs to be alive as much as possible. Grass Knot is to hit Kyogre and Groudon very hard. Grass Knot also beat's Calm Mind Kyogre faster than it can boost. Stealth Rock because Ho-Oh is very troublesome and it limits every switch in even more stacked up with Toxic Spikes. Also breaks Lugia's Multiscale. Fire Blast may be weird but it's been great to catch those Genesect's off guard and also hits Forretress and Ferrothorn who try to set up on it.

Mewtwo @ Life Orb

Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Recover
- Psystrike
- Ice Beam
- Aura Sphere

Next is Mewtwo who is my other sweeper. Man this thing just hits really hard. EV's are also pretty straight forward. I chose this pokemon for my team because it just hits everything hard without giving a shit lol. It's also the second fastest pokemon in the tier I believe after Deoxys. Recover is very helpful on Mewtwo since it allows it to stick around longer who would otherwise get worn down too quickly with SS and LO damage . Psystrike for STAB and it laughs at special walls. Ice Beam for Groudon and all the Dragons in the tier and also hits Lugia. Aura Sphere to hit Arceus, Dialga, Darkrai etc. I chose Life Orb because it's here to hit everything hard although sandstorm damage + Life Orb recoil does suck. It also allows me to counter Arceus-Fighting, Poison etc. Also good revenge killer for Darkrai.

Garchomp @ Choice Scarf

Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Dual Chop
- Fire Fang

Last but not least Garchomp who serves as my team's revenge killer even though I do have Excadrill who is crazy fast under sandstorm it's just not a reliable revenge killer and also can't revenge kill Rayquaza. Garchomp fits this job better as it has access to STAB Earthquake and Outrage 2 of the best moves in the games and have good coverage by themselves. Outrage is to hit all the dragons and revenge kill Rayquaza, Scarf Palkia, Moxie Scarfmence, Dialga, Zekrom etc. Earthquake hits all those steels and is a good alternative to Outrage if you are not hitting a dragon and don't want to get locked in and get confused. Dual Chop is for when it can't afford getting confused and hitting itself in crucial moments. Fire Fang is mainly filler but can be useful in some moments against Ferrothorn who could otherwise Leech Seed Garchomp and then stall it out with Protect. Also can pick off weakened Scarf Kyogre which is awesome. Can also outspeed Deoxys-A. EV's are also pretty standard. Sand Veil because it's nice for it to avoid attacks sometimes.

Threats:

Ho-Oh is a big threat since it gets a free switch in to Arceus-Grass the first time I set up Stealth Rock and he can then Substitute and try to burn everything. I usually go into Tyranitar to break his Sub with Payback than Stone Edge hoping it doesn't miss. Though I have to be careful about Earthquake but Tyranitar can tank atleast one. Then next time I switch into Arceus-Grass I can predict the switch and go into Mewtwo who can take it out with Psystrike after Stealth Rock. Very anoying ass pokemon though.

Arceus Extremekiller is a huge threat to my team I usually try to hit it hard as it Swords Dances then I switch into Tyranitar on the predicted Extremspeed or sometimes just let my pokemon die if I don't need it since I don't want unnecessary damage on my other pokemon then I can hit it with Earthquake from Excadrill. Though sometimes even that fails to KO and end up losing 2 pokemon though it never sweeps my whole team. I believe Garchomp can take a +2 Extremespeed at full health too.

Of course there are other threats but these are the most common and hardest for this team to deal with. Anyways that's the team. I encourage you to try it.

Importable:

Tyranitar (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Atk / 192 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Payback
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Superpower

Excadrill (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head

Tentacruel (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 236 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Protect

Arceus-Grass @ Meadow Plate
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 144 SDef / 112 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Recover
- Grass Knot
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast

Mewtwo @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Recover
- Psystrike
- Ice Beam
- Aura Sphere

Garchomp (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Dual Chop
- Fire Fang

Final Look at the team:

 

[IAmAnHero]

Your team looks good. You could change Fire Fang to Stone Edge on Garchomp. That would help your Hooh problem. That's really the only suggestion I have.

 

[Donkey]

ok team but here are some things to change:

Forretress > Tentacruel (this way you have a backup ekiller check and a check to cm arceuses if you run toxic on it)

Stealth Rock/Superpower/Stone Edge/Pursuit on TTar

Calm Mind OR Willowisp/Stone Edge/Grass knot/Recover on Arceus Grass

Outrage/Dual Chop/EQ/Fire blast on Garchomp (Dual Chop for sub dragons, Fire blast for ferro/forry/skarm)

Also consider Taunt on Mewtwo instead of CM to shut down some things like lugia

 

[Pikachuu]

@IAmAnHero Thanks man but Stone Edge isn't really nessecary since Outrage already OHKO's most Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock.

@Donkey Forretress seems interesting but then I lose the ability to set up hazards faster and another water resist and also the ability to get rid of Toxic Spikes by just switching in. Though I will definetely try it out to see how it does in the team. I don't like the idea of Stealth Rock on Tyranitar since it's very difficult to set them up with Groudon and Kyogre everywhere while Arceus sets them up really easily and also I would lose Payback which is very helpful to break Ho-Oh's substitute without relying on stone miss and also counter Lugia. I don't know why I never thought of Dual Chop on Garchomp lol but I will change Dragon Claw to that. Also about Fire Blast I think I'll just stick with Fire Fang because of the accuracy and it's more reliable to revenge kill Genesect.

 

[lousy918]

You could give Tyranitar an Adamant nature with 252 HP / X Atk / (256-X) SDef, since that is the only way T-tar OHKOes Darkrai after SS. X can be anything you want obv.

Tentacruel's defense in Ubers is negligible, and Ubers is generally specially offensive, so you want to take advantage of Tentacruel's SDef with 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef with Calm. However if you're paranoid about EQ Gira-O that doesn't have Outrage you can run 252 HP / 32 Def / 224 SDef, but you're gonna die to SS anyway.

 

[Furai]

Hey there Pikachuu, nice sand team.

There are a few prominent weaknesses that this team has. Firstly, your team is awfully weak to strong Dragon-type moves; your only resist is in Excadrill who's not that bulky. Grass Arceus can take a few hits, but it will die to repeated ones and SS damage. Garchomp can revenge kill, but you're gonna lose a member. Next, as you said, you're also Extreme Killer Arceus weak, as it can steamroll your entire team once it sets up. Ho-Oh is also a threat for the reasons you mentioned. I can also see Fighting Arceus being a problem if it manages to avoid poison damage, as it is bulky enough to take a few hits and can do a ton of damage to your team with Judgment and Ice Beam. Mewtwo can't take more than two hits, and Tentacruel and Grass Arceus are used as setup fodder. Kyurem-W is a threat but nothing really counters it; you should do well with Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock and some prediction.

Firstly, I second Donkey's suggestion of Forretress > Tentacruel. Forretress can easily be an Extreme Killer check and a great sponge for Dragon-type attacks. With Toxic and Pain Split it can wear down many threats, when the most prominent one is Arceus. Since your team appreciates the poison damage from Toxic Spikes more you can ditch Spikes, but they're always an option over Toxic if you get Toxic Spikes up soon enough. The EVs allow you to tank two Outrages from +1 Rayquaza. Here's the set

Forretress

Forretress (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Def / 220 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic / Spikes
- Pain Split

Next I think you should use Recover > Calm Mind on Mewtwo. Mewtwo is your only check to Fighting Arceus which would otherwise steamroll your entire team. Toxic Spikes from Forretress also help Mewtwo sweep without the need for Calm Mind.

To mitigate the Ho-Oh weakness I advice using Toxic > Stealth Rock on Grass Arceus and using Stealth Rock > Pursuit / Payabck on Tyranitar; you should also change Tyranitar's nature to Brave with 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD, which would allow you to OHKO Darkrai with Superpower. Grass Arceus is setup bait for Ho-Oh, which is why you should carry Toxic. Ho-Oh HATES poison damage, and with smart switches and Stealth Rock, it's not gonna do anything back. I believe Payback is more helpful to you on Tyranitar, so I'd switch Pursuit with Stealth Rock.

Good luck!

 

[Pikachuu]

@lousy918 I always OHKO Darkrai after SS with my current T-tar though. About Tentacruel I tried that EV spread and it worked wonders as it now tanked Thunders from Kyogre easier which allowed to set up on it, never going back to my old EV spread lol. Thanks for the rate.

@Furai Thankfully most Dragon moves that are spammed are special and Tyranitar can tank those really well and not to mention Draco Meteor is one of the most common in which Arceus-Grass can take repeated ones while recovering. Though for things like Band Zekrom I can check it with Excadrill. Dragon spam hasn't really been a problem at all. Thankfully Arceus-Fighting isn't common lol as well played ones can be a problem like you said. About Forretress I tried it out and it was a good fit to my team honestly but then It turned out my team was really weak to stall teams which are very common when you start facing players with high ranks and they rely on Toxic Spikes to wear down teams unfortunately Forretress can't get rid of Toxic Spikes by just switching in like Tentacruel :( so I'll just stick with Tentacruel not to mention another water resist is very helpful at times if Arceus-Grass dies it's really like opening other holes to close other holes in this situation with Forretress. I really liked Recover on Mewtwo I tried it out for a few matches and it did really well I didn't use Calm Mind all that much anyway so thanks for that suggestion. Like I said I didn't really like the idea of Stealth Rock on Tyranitar but I did took that in consideration but I just decided to replace Scald on Tentacruel for Toxic and it's been working pretty nicely actually as it allows me to handle things that didn't get to get poisoned with Toxic Spikes such as Arceus-Ghost, Fighting, Lugia, Ho-Oh etc much easier. Thanks for the rate!

 

[lousy918]

The thing is you lack a sleep absorber, so you must guarantee an OHKO which requires Adamant (unless you want to waste EVs). The OHKO isn't guaranteed otherwise, you are just being lucky