Skies and Sands: Thundurus + Sand Offense
Tnx to Shaian for dem art
***
Hi, thanks for clicking my first Doubles RMT n_n
The idea of this team was to to use Defiant Thundurus alongside a Physical attacker that appreciates it the most. My first thought was Excadrill, whose main draw over other attackers was being able to use Earthquake as freely as possible. However, as Excadrill's Speed is strikingly average, it's either I use it with Sand or give it a Choice Scarf. As I tend to avoid using Choiced sets as much as possible, I took the former option. It turned out fairly well, and with Tyranitar in the team it gave me another attacker to pair Thundurus with. After that, it was all up to supporting the core and improving my match-ups and then the team was complete.
The team's play was pretty simple: manage to set-up with either Tyranitar or Excadrill, then sweep. Of course, this is easier said than done, but the rest of the team manages to support fairly well. Thundurus punishes attempts of opponents to use Intimidate in order to hamper my main sweepers. Amoonguss redirects any dangerous hit that may threaten the duo, mainly Fighting-type attacks and neuters anything that I deem a threat by the situation. The mushroom also gives my sweepers chances to use their set-up moves in order to become truly dangerous. Salamence provides Intimidate support that softens up the blows of opponents and blasts through the opponent with high Base Power attacks. Keldeo uses Taunt to hinder strategies such as Trick Room or Tailwind while also providing the team with non-drawback firepower.
Anyways, on to the team :]
Unwavering Hope (Thundurus) (M) @ Power Herb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Wild Charge
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Fly
The team's starting point and icon, Thundurus is used to punish Intimidates that may annoy Excadrill and Tyranitar and just throw around damage in general. This set is far from standard; Physical Thundurus is rarely seen in play when compared to its Prankster counterpart. However, this set has the specific qualities that make it work: has an immunity to Earthquakes for Excadrill, lures in Fighting-types then takes them out in one swift blow without danger for my Fighting-weak sweepers, has the ability to apply pressure even with Intimidate, and threatens the annoying Politoed. Even if there's a lack of Intimidate on the opposing side, Thundurus can still work by using its coverage and natural Speed to annoy the opponent.
Its moveset is simple: Wild Charge is for generic STAB, Knock Off and Superpower are coverage with their own merits such as taking items away, and Fly is there for specific purposes. Power Herb Fly takes out Fighting-types, particularly the Intimidate-mons Hitmontop and Scrafty, for an unhindered sweep while also hitting the ever-present Amooguss. It's also useful as another STAB move without recoil if for some reason its main targets are gone. The lack of Protect is annoying, but it hits fast and hard enough that it won't matter much. Defiant punishes Intimidates and some other stat-reducing moves such as Snarl, stealing free Attack boosts. EVs are pretty standard fare: max Attack and Speed is there for the most offensive capability.
Wandering Souls (Tyranitar) @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Protect
Meet Dragon Dance Mega-Tyranitar, one of the strongest and bulkiest megas around. Tyranitar supports the team by creating sand with Sand Stream to boost Excadrill and ruining opposing weather. Tyranitar also serves as a secondary sweeper at times Exca can't. Tyranitar plays a bit more conservatively compared to Excadrill, however, as he needs to support him by providing Sand until the time is right. Tyranitar is able to perform a one-two punch offense that can really prove dangerous if I can play my cards right. As an added bonus, sand ruins Focus Sashes for unhindered sweeps.
The set is simple. Dragon Dance boosts Tyranitar to dangerous levels, which is not that difficult to do with his natural bulk or if paired with Amoonguss. Rock Slide allows me to hit both of the opponent's Pokemon while also having a nifty Flinch chance, and Crunch hits harder but at the cost of hitting only one. Protect is obvious for scouting, letting its partner deal with the threat and also for safe Mega-Evolving. Tyranatrite doesn't really need explaining. Its stat spread maxes out offensive capbility and brings out the most of a Dragon Dance. All in all, mucho standard.
Bulletproof Hearts (Excadrill) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Protect
Killer Mole. Excadrill has a high Attack stat and an ability that doubles its Speed in the sand provided by Tyranitar that makes it a very fearsome attacker. Excadrill is the team's best punch, and is really untouchable when in sand. It can easily boost its offensive presence with Swords Dance with the help of either Amoonguss or its Focus Sash, effectively becoming a +2 +2 monster in sandy conditions, and it cant be easily stopped either because it's hard to kill with Priority and Thundurus punishes Intimidates; in fact, Excadrill and Thundurus in the field together make for a lethal combination as Exca can just spam Earthquakes while Intimidates are easily taken advantage of by Thundurus. In addition, Excadrill forms a dangerous one-two punch with DD M-Tar which can prove winning if played best. It's also worth noting that Excadrill is the team's main source of Speed which can prove useful against otherwise faster opponents.
The set is standard for Swords Dance Excadrill. Swords Dance is pretty obvious for pumping up Excadrill's damage output. Earthquake is there for an easy to spam STAB spread move, and Iron Head is for a secondary STAB move that bypasses Wide Guard. Protect is obvious for scouting, letting its partner deal with the threat, etc. Focus Sash lets it set up or hit back on an otherwise lethal blow, and is best preserved. EV spread and Nature give it the most potency in the sand.
Fleeting Dreams (Salamence) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Protect
All-Terrain Salamence. Salamence's role in the team was to basically take advantage of Intimidate while also hitting hard. Salamence was chosen specifically because of its immunity to Ground, which gives me a switch-in to opposing Earthquakes or have another partner of Excadrill. Salamence also has really high BP moves across his moveset that also have great coverage together, hitting some key targets such as Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, and Landorus-T hard. Salamence is more played as something that annoys the opponent by weakening Physical attackers and then causing huge damage.
Basic set. Salamence just uses its mucho coverage to blast through. Draco Meteor hits the hardest though, it being a STAB move and all. Hydro Pump and Fire Blast provide the team valuable coverage, and Protect does youknowwhat. It's interesting to note that both of Salamence's coverage moves get boosted in their respective weathers: Fire Blast in Sun and Hydro Pump in Rain, hence "All-Terrain Salamence." Life Orb amplifies Salamence's power even more at the cost of HP. Standard EV and Nature Spread: Max Speed, Max Special Attack, Timid = Mucho win.
Broken Memories (Amoonguss) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SDef
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Spore
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Protect
Basic Amoonguss. This thing just doesn't die. Its role in the team is to redirect hits in order for its teammates to set-up or KO something safely and to just pivot around. It's also my best shot against Trick Room teams, being EVd and Natured to be as slow as possible. Amoonguss is my answer to threats that I really want to be less annoying as it can easily neuter them with Spore. It's also my main check to annoying Water-types such as Rotom-W and my main absorber of Burns and Paralysis.
Spore is useful for taking out threats that I deem annoying by the situation and also for giving teammates some freedom in playing by having a check neutered. Rage Powder attracts attacks from opponents in order to give its partner opportunities to set-up or take out the current threat. Giga Drain gives Amoonguss an attacking option that also lets it steal some cheap HP from opponents. Protect does the usual and as Amoonguss draws a few attacks and Taunts. Regenerator means I can pivot around more as I get some recovery with every switch. Sitrus Berry is there in order to give Amoonguss a burst of vitality for those times I need it to get a second Rage Powder or Spore. The spread is meant to be as slow as possible and lives a Timid LO Psyshock from Latios.
Unending Resolve (Keldeo) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Protect
PONY. This last slot was really a shuffle, but so far Keldeo has been doing fine. Keldeo provides the team Taunt support while also being fine offensively. Its typing is useful for giving me more key resistances to Fire, Rock, and Water. Taunt is what really gives it purpose on the team, as it can prove useful against annoying redirector Pokemon and Trick Room setters if paired with Amoonguss. Keldeo also provides great power and coverage that can aid the team by softening up key threats.
Taunt lets me stop annoying Trick Room setters mostly, but is also useful against annoying Amoonguss and Togekiss. Hydro Pump and Secret Sword both serve as powerful attacking options that powered up by Expert Belt at times. Protect is obvious for letting a teammate do its thing and stuff. The EV spread is, like the others, just maxing Speed and the Offensive stat of choice with Timid.
***
Well, that's the team :D This team is far from perfect, but hopefully I can improve upon this concept a little more. Thanks for reading mah RMT :]
Tnx to Shaian for dem art
***
Hi, thanks for clicking my first Doubles RMT n_n
The idea of this team was to to use Defiant Thundurus alongside a Physical attacker that appreciates it the most. My first thought was Excadrill, whose main draw over other attackers was being able to use Earthquake as freely as possible. However, as Excadrill's Speed is strikingly average, it's either I use it with Sand or give it a Choice Scarf. As I tend to avoid using Choiced sets as much as possible, I took the former option. It turned out fairly well, and with Tyranitar in the team it gave me another attacker to pair Thundurus with. After that, it was all up to supporting the core and improving my match-ups and then the team was complete.
The team's play was pretty simple: manage to set-up with either Tyranitar or Excadrill, then sweep. Of course, this is easier said than done, but the rest of the team manages to support fairly well. Thundurus punishes attempts of opponents to use Intimidate in order to hamper my main sweepers. Amoonguss redirects any dangerous hit that may threaten the duo, mainly Fighting-type attacks and neuters anything that I deem a threat by the situation. The mushroom also gives my sweepers chances to use their set-up moves in order to become truly dangerous. Salamence provides Intimidate support that softens up the blows of opponents and blasts through the opponent with high Base Power attacks. Keldeo uses Taunt to hinder strategies such as Trick Room or Tailwind while also providing the team with non-drawback firepower.
Anyways, on to the team :]
Unwavering Hope (Thundurus) (M) @ Power Herb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Wild Charge
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Fly
The team's starting point and icon, Thundurus is used to punish Intimidates that may annoy Excadrill and Tyranitar and just throw around damage in general. This set is far from standard; Physical Thundurus is rarely seen in play when compared to its Prankster counterpart. However, this set has the specific qualities that make it work: has an immunity to Earthquakes for Excadrill, lures in Fighting-types then takes them out in one swift blow without danger for my Fighting-weak sweepers, has the ability to apply pressure even with Intimidate, and threatens the annoying Politoed. Even if there's a lack of Intimidate on the opposing side, Thundurus can still work by using its coverage and natural Speed to annoy the opponent.
Its moveset is simple: Wild Charge is for generic STAB, Knock Off and Superpower are coverage with their own merits such as taking items away, and Fly is there for specific purposes. Power Herb Fly takes out Fighting-types, particularly the Intimidate-mons Hitmontop and Scrafty, for an unhindered sweep while also hitting the ever-present Amooguss. It's also useful as another STAB move without recoil if for some reason its main targets are gone. The lack of Protect is annoying, but it hits fast and hard enough that it won't matter much. Defiant punishes Intimidates and some other stat-reducing moves such as Snarl, stealing free Attack boosts. EVs are pretty standard fare: max Attack and Speed is there for the most offensive capability.
Wandering Souls (Tyranitar) @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Protect
Meet Dragon Dance Mega-Tyranitar, one of the strongest and bulkiest megas around. Tyranitar supports the team by creating sand with Sand Stream to boost Excadrill and ruining opposing weather. Tyranitar also serves as a secondary sweeper at times Exca can't. Tyranitar plays a bit more conservatively compared to Excadrill, however, as he needs to support him by providing Sand until the time is right. Tyranitar is able to perform a one-two punch offense that can really prove dangerous if I can play my cards right. As an added bonus, sand ruins Focus Sashes for unhindered sweeps.
The set is simple. Dragon Dance boosts Tyranitar to dangerous levels, which is not that difficult to do with his natural bulk or if paired with Amoonguss. Rock Slide allows me to hit both of the opponent's Pokemon while also having a nifty Flinch chance, and Crunch hits harder but at the cost of hitting only one. Protect is obvious for scouting, letting its partner deal with the threat and also for safe Mega-Evolving. Tyranatrite doesn't really need explaining. Its stat spread maxes out offensive capbility and brings out the most of a Dragon Dance. All in all, mucho standard.
Bulletproof Hearts (Excadrill) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Protect
Killer Mole. Excadrill has a high Attack stat and an ability that doubles its Speed in the sand provided by Tyranitar that makes it a very fearsome attacker. Excadrill is the team's best punch, and is really untouchable when in sand. It can easily boost its offensive presence with Swords Dance with the help of either Amoonguss or its Focus Sash, effectively becoming a +2 +2 monster in sandy conditions, and it cant be easily stopped either because it's hard to kill with Priority and Thundurus punishes Intimidates; in fact, Excadrill and Thundurus in the field together make for a lethal combination as Exca can just spam Earthquakes while Intimidates are easily taken advantage of by Thundurus. In addition, Excadrill forms a dangerous one-two punch with DD M-Tar which can prove winning if played best. It's also worth noting that Excadrill is the team's main source of Speed which can prove useful against otherwise faster opponents.
The set is standard for Swords Dance Excadrill. Swords Dance is pretty obvious for pumping up Excadrill's damage output. Earthquake is there for an easy to spam STAB spread move, and Iron Head is for a secondary STAB move that bypasses Wide Guard. Protect is obvious for scouting, letting its partner deal with the threat, etc. Focus Sash lets it set up or hit back on an otherwise lethal blow, and is best preserved. EV spread and Nature give it the most potency in the sand.
Fleeting Dreams (Salamence) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Protect
All-Terrain Salamence. Salamence's role in the team was to basically take advantage of Intimidate while also hitting hard. Salamence was chosen specifically because of its immunity to Ground, which gives me a switch-in to opposing Earthquakes or have another partner of Excadrill. Salamence also has really high BP moves across his moveset that also have great coverage together, hitting some key targets such as Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, and Landorus-T hard. Salamence is more played as something that annoys the opponent by weakening Physical attackers and then causing huge damage.
Basic set. Salamence just uses its mucho coverage to blast through. Draco Meteor hits the hardest though, it being a STAB move and all. Hydro Pump and Fire Blast provide the team valuable coverage, and Protect does youknowwhat. It's interesting to note that both of Salamence's coverage moves get boosted in their respective weathers: Fire Blast in Sun and Hydro Pump in Rain, hence "All-Terrain Salamence." Life Orb amplifies Salamence's power even more at the cost of HP. Standard EV and Nature Spread: Max Speed, Max Special Attack, Timid = Mucho win.
Broken Memories (Amoonguss) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SDef
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Spore
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Protect
Basic Amoonguss. This thing just doesn't die. Its role in the team is to redirect hits in order for its teammates to set-up or KO something safely and to just pivot around. It's also my best shot against Trick Room teams, being EVd and Natured to be as slow as possible. Amoonguss is my answer to threats that I really want to be less annoying as it can easily neuter them with Spore. It's also my main check to annoying Water-types such as Rotom-W and my main absorber of Burns and Paralysis.
Spore is useful for taking out threats that I deem annoying by the situation and also for giving teammates some freedom in playing by having a check neutered. Rage Powder attracts attacks from opponents in order to give its partner opportunities to set-up or take out the current threat. Giga Drain gives Amoonguss an attacking option that also lets it steal some cheap HP from opponents. Protect does the usual and as Amoonguss draws a few attacks and Taunts. Regenerator means I can pivot around more as I get some recovery with every switch. Sitrus Berry is there in order to give Amoonguss a burst of vitality for those times I need it to get a second Rage Powder or Spore. The spread is meant to be as slow as possible and lives a Timid LO Psyshock from Latios.
Unending Resolve (Keldeo) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Protect
PONY. This last slot was really a shuffle, but so far Keldeo has been doing fine. Keldeo provides the team Taunt support while also being fine offensively. Its typing is useful for giving me more key resistances to Fire, Rock, and Water. Taunt is what really gives it purpose on the team, as it can prove useful against annoying redirector Pokemon and Trick Room setters if paired with Amoonguss. Keldeo also provides great power and coverage that can aid the team by softening up key threats.
Taunt lets me stop annoying Trick Room setters mostly, but is also useful against annoying Amoonguss and Togekiss. Hydro Pump and Secret Sword both serve as powerful attacking options that powered up by Expert Belt at times. Protect is obvious for letting a teammate do its thing and stuff. The EV spread is, like the others, just maxing Speed and the Offensive stat of choice with Timid.
***
Well, that's the team :D This team is far from perfect, but hopefully I can improve upon this concept a little more. Thanks for reading mah RMT :]
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