Steels, Dragons, and... Raikou? What? [OU RMT]

[vbdood1337]

Hey there, I'm vbdood1337, with my first post ever on Smogon, and hopefully I'm following all the rules :D I've been lurking for quite a while, basically absorbing information like a sponge and trying to apply it to my Shoddy teams. This has been one of my first successful teams that I actually enjoy playing, and hopefully I can get some help to make this even better. My Shoddy rating just passed 1300 and is rising, hopefully about to break my own personal record of mid to high 1300s :D I'm mainly looking for help with EV's and natures and to a lesser extent, movesets. I feel like I've got a pretty good grasp on competitive battling and hopefully once I start rating teams I'll get better at making them myself. But enough with my lame intro, on with my team...

I'm not really sure how to classify this, but it features several pokemon who I believe can hit fast and hard and take a few attacks in the meantime. One of my first teams where I feel like a covered a lot of my previous weaknesses, as 5/6 of my team is immune to Toxic Spikes and only 1 (Gyara) is weak to Stealth Rock which, if I play correctly, may or may not get up. Status has troubled me throughout my battling career so I wanted to find at least a few pokes that could absorb Wow's, Toxic's, and pretty much all sleep moves. Looking for possibly adding in a ground type (or possibly Jolteon) to take the annoying T-Waves which none of my team likes dealing with. With 3 choice users I feel like I can hit hard and fast right from the switch in and hopefully if I predict correctly I can come up with some kills and switch ins that I may not have gotten earlier in my battling career. Anyways, enough with the intro, let's get to my team :D

At a Glance:

Thank you Pokemon Elite 2000.com for the sprites, and Arkeis for all images below!

Steels, Dragons, and... Raikou? What?

Scareodactyl, The Kamikaze Lead
*Not a Terrorist*

Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Overview: First time I've tried an Aero lead, and he's quickly become one of my favorite leads. Aero nearly always gets my SR up and keeps the opponent's down. Foes with priority moves and SR are a bit of a problem (mainly Metagross, which sucks because he's pretty common); I can Taunt turn 1 and try and keep his SR down, and get mine up next turn, but I risk eating a SE Meteor Mash/Bullet Punch and getting KO'd next turn with Bullet Punch. I can pretty much guarantee getting SR up if I just SR turn 1 but then I risk letting him get his SR up. It's a guessing game that I get better at with every game :). Anyways, one of my favorite leads right up there with Swampert, who I'm considering trying out for a few games.

Moveset, EV's, and Nature: Of course, SR and Taunt to get mine up and keep the opponent's down, respectively. EQ and Stone Edge are practically filler moves to hopefully get a hit off before I die. Max speed and Jolly to outspeed pretty much everything unscarfed, and the rest thrown into attack to get as much damage as possible out of his respectable 105 base attack and 100 base STAB move. Focus Sash of course on a suicide lead.

Here's how Aero fares against the top 10 leads of July:

Azelf - Taunt turn 1, SR turn 2. If I'm still alive, hit whatever's in with a EQ/Stone Edge.

Metagross - Just SR turn 1, and hope for a Meteor Mash miss so I can hit back with EQ. (Thank you MrIndigo :D)

Jirachi - Switch to Heatran straight away to take the Trick. I'll usually Earth Power, in case another Heatran thinks he can switch in on my Fire Blast, I'll still hit Jirachi for SE damage. Bring Aero back when it's safe and get SR up. Or as suggested by MrIndigo, just SR turn one and let Aero take the scarf to revenge nearly anything late game.

Swampert - Taunt turn 1, keeping his SR down. SR turn two, he'll probably KO with Ice Beam or roar me away. Either works; his SR stays down, mine goes up. Probably one of my best matchups.

Aerodactyl -

In the Aero-Aero matchup, you should just attack on Turn 1. SR doesn't cripple your team, but here are the options your opponent will have:

If you attack, and he uses Taunt, he wastes a turn and his Sash, and risks you outspeeding him next turn and preventing his Stealth Rocks anyway (while you get the chance to switch out and back in later, setting up your own). If you Taunt, and he attacks, this situation is reversed and you're the one who is essentially 1 poke down for no gain.

If you both attack, you have the speed tie issue exactly equivalent to both Taunting, only neither of you will get rocks (whereas trying for the Taunt coinflip gives you a 50% chance of having only your opponent getting rocks)

If you Taunt and he SRs on the first turn and outspeeds, you both get rocks but he keeps Aero alive as Death Fodder.

If you attack and he SRs, you kill him and get your own rocks up afterwards.

Thanks MrIndigo! :)

Infernape - Fake out will break my sash, so just SR turn 2 and EQ if I'm still alive.

Hippowdon - Taunt turn 1, SR turn 2. Even better matchup than Pert, because his EQ's aren't touching me and not very many carry Ice Fang (I know I personally use Roar over it). A great, if not my best matchup.

Ninjask - Taunt turn 1, SR turn 2, KO with Stone Edge if its still in.

Bronzong - Taunt turn 1, SR turn 2. He'll 2HKO with Gyro Ball so bring in Heatran and Fire Blast.

Roserade - I usually stay in and Taunt. If it's not scarfed I outspeed and keep its sleep move/toxic spikes down. If it is scarfed he's stuck on his sleep move anyways, and theres still a 25% chance he misses. I get SR up unless he's scarfed and Leaf Storm's both turns.
​

Overall he's been working pretty well, I have the advantage on most other leads and am pretty happy with him for now.

YouTurn, the Bullet Punching Bug
*No Need for Speed Here*

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/252 Atk/8 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Overview: This guy is so OU for a reason. STAB CB's Technician Bullet Punches HURT and STAB U-Turn is one of my favorite moves in the game. Basically everyone's scouter/revenge killer/etc this guy does it all. Pursuit to trap the likes of Latias and other psychics and ghosts and Superpower to hit opposing Steels's hard. Basically a great choice for pretty much any team, not much more to say about YouTurn.

Moveset, EV's, and Nature: Looks like I explained in the overview, haha :) Max attack to do as much damage as possible, 248 HP to make him as bulky as possible without hitting the dreaded SR health number. Rest are dumped into speed to outspeed other Scizor, although would they be better in Def/SDef to be slower and take advantage of opposing Scizor's Superpower defense drops one on one? Adamant, again, to hit as hard as possible, and Choice Band to be able to hit hard without a need for set up.

Hawtran, the Fiery Finisher
*So Hawt he Can Absorb Fire*

Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 36 Atk/252 Spd/220 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]/Hidden Power [Grass]/Dragon Pulse
- Explosion

Overview: My trusty revenge killer and pseudo status absorber. Flash Fire and Steel typing make it immune to WoW and Toxic, and switching in on a WoW gives me a helpful power boost for Fire Blast. This guy is just too good to pass up and is great for absorbing Ice Beams, Bullet Punches, and fire moves (Overheat, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Fire Punch, WoW, etc.) directed at Scizor and the rest of my team. Explosion is my ohshit button, and with a scarf its relatively easy to get off. Really one of my favorite pokemon in the game, and in my opinion goes very well with Scizor.

Moveset, EV's, and Nature: Fire Blast for the obvious STAB, although I'm strongly considering switching to Flamethrower because I just hate it's accuracy and with a Flash Fire boost I don't really suffer from Flamethrower's lowered base power. Earth Power as my special version of EQ, hitting 5 types for SE damage and a possible SDef drop. Absolutely murders opponent Heatran's and Magnezone's (not to mention Lucario xD). Explosion to take out Blisseys and other problem pokemon, or just when I'm at low health (and again, with a scarf I almost always outspeed). Last choice is a tricky one, either HP Ice for Mence, Gliscor, etc, HP Grass for Swampert and to a lesser extent Rhyperior, or Dragon Pulse for a more consistently powerful attack (and is great against Kingdra's who think they can switch in on a 1/4 damage Fire Blast). Max speed, a timid nature, and Scarf make this beast tough to outspeed. 36 in Atk for Explosion and the rest in SAtk for more power.

DosEquis, my Drunken, Sleepy Gyarados
*But When I Drink Beer, I Prefer Dos Equis...*

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 216HP/32Atk/252Def/8Spe
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Roar
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Overview: A very fun Gyara set. This thing is bulky as hell and near impossible to take down without a Thunderbolt. This thing covers Lucario incredibly well, shrugging off his attacks and hitting back pretty hard with Waterfall. He gets roared away the second he begins SD'ing, and DosEquis shrugs off +2 Close Combats, Extremespeeds, Ice Punches, and Crunches with ease. I have to watch out for Stone Edge but those are pretty rare at the moment. Also a pseudo status absorber, gladly taking sleep moves and resting away any other status. Pretty much my phazer, status absorber, and bulky as hell wall all put in one. Probably the most replaceable member of my team as of right now, I was originally considering Pert, Suicune, or Vaporeon, who's probably the leading candidate (Wish support would be REALLY nice).

Moveset, EV's, and Nature: 100 base SDef makes this thing hard to take down from the special side (barring electric moves), and 252 EV's in HP and Def, along with an Impish nature make this tough to touch on the physical side as well. Need's to watch out for Machamps and Metagrosses with Thunderpunch who he otherwise walls pretty heavily. Remaining 4 EV's thrown into SDef. RestTalk gives me a strong recovery option and takes care of status which the rest of my team does NOT like. Waterfall for a STAB move to do respectable damage and possibly give me some timely flinches :D. Roar completes the bulkiness of this set phazing away stat uppers and helping build up SR damage. Considering Bounce over Waterfall to give me more lefties recovery and avoid some damage in the process. Leftovers completes the set to make this Gyara a royal pain in the ass to kill.

eXstatix, the Ecstatic Electric Dog
*More Hyper Than a Jack Russel*

Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Overview: This is really just a great all around pokemon that I've fallen in love with in my last few teams. After a Calm Mind or two many pokes have trouble breaking this guy's sub. Just a great all around poke using a pseudo BoltBeam combo out of a great 115 base speed and SAtk. Zapdos is a possible replacement if I want something more physically defensive or with Roost. This guy takes most of the electric attacks directed at Gyara and can set up a sub or calm mind with ease. Sweeps a ton of unprepared teams and can also hit Mence hard with HP Ice if he hasn't gotten a DD.

Moveset, EV's, and Nature: Sub and Calm Mind make this guy a bulky offensive threat. STAB Thunderbolt from 115 base SAtk is great and hits tons of pokes hard. HP Ice is for dragons and the grounds that resist my Thunderbolt. Considering replacing with HP Grass for Pert but he hasn't been a problem so far, Gyara handles him pretty well. Max Speed and SAtk to maximize sweeping potential, and Modest for that extra SAtk boost. I'm open to suggestions for other possibly more helpful natures. Lefties rounds off the set. Signal Beam and Shadow Ball are options for a more offense Life Orb set.

and LatiLost, the Forever Puzzled Dragon
*Where Am I o.O*

Latias @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Trick

Overview: Another revenge killer, Latias hits hard and fast and can utilize trick to greatly hinder opposing walls like Blissey. STAB Draco Meteor hits nearly everything hard from 110 base SAtk and he reaches a blistering 525 speed with a Scarf. This guy can still take a bunch of special hits without any real defensive investment thanks to that great 130 base SDef and respectable 80 and 90 base HP and Defense, respectively. Really a great revenge killer and like Scizor can fit easily into any team. Originally a Scarf Starmie, with practically the same moveset (Hydro Pump/Surf, BoltBeam, Trick) was considered originally but I felt like i could deal with Ice Attacks better than electric that Gyara definitely doesn't like dealing with.

Moveset, EV's, and Nature: Draco Meteor is enough to scare away any non-steel opponent not named Blissey, who gets taken care of with a choice scarf tricked onto her. Thunderbolt is great for revenging Gyara, outspeeding him after 1 DD and easily KOing with Bolt. Surf hits Lucario hard even with neutral damage, and easily scares away Infernape, Heatran, and many others. Max SAtk and Speed to hit as hard as possible and a timid nature for the extra speed. Finishing it all off with a scarf practically guarantees this guy isn't being outsped by much.
​

So, there's my team. I am very open to suggestions and I'll take any advice I can get, because I know I'm in no position to disregard what I'm sure is going to be good advice :D Everyone on the team is replacable, it's not like there's anyone who HAS to stay.

Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll get some helpful rates :)

And I'm not gonna lie, I had a lot of fun with the nicknames on this team :)

 

[vbdood1337]

Team Building Process:

And now for my favorite part of RMT's, the team building process:

Not really sure where to start for this team, I basically took two pokemon I thought worked well together and were each able to take hits and deal solid damage at the same time. These formed the core of my team, Scizor and Heatran.

Next, I wanted someone to handle the fire, ground, and fighting moves that gave Scizor and Heatran trouble. I also knew I'd need a phazer and someone to absorb the status that wasn't already covered by Heatran. Hello, RestTalk Gyara.

Knowing Gyarados could handle nearly anything thrown at him barring a Thunderbolt, I knew I wanted something that could take those strong electric attacks easily. Raikou, a pokemon I had been using with great success recently, quickly came to mind. I knew there were probably better options for taking an electric attack but I wanted something that could hit back hard and even set up for the sweep.

I knew I still needed a lead, something that could set up SR reliably. Swampert originally seemed like the best option, but I remembered how much trouble Aero leads had given me in the past and thought he'd be a good fit. It seemed like the 4 pokemon I had already chosen could function pretty well on their own and I could use a suicide lead that could hopefully keep the opposing team's SR down.

For my final pokemon I wanted to choose something that would be able to easily take care of low health pokemon late game, because I knew with my almost guaranteed SR and relatively speedy team (barring Gyara, but he's not getting ohko'd anytime soon) that I'd be able to take at least some damage off of anyone. I also wanted something that wouldn't get swept late game by Infernape (he walked over my previous teams because of a lack of speed) and could be helpful in taking out Blissey and other walls midgame because of my relatively weak and fairly slow physical offense (and I don't want to risk throwing Scizor out to a Flamethrower). Trick seemed to be the best option, so I threw in a Scarfed Starmie with Hydro Pump, BoltBeam, and Trick.

I then realized that with Aero out of the picture early, and ground moves being a problem for my team (outside of Gyara, but he can't take repeated switch ins with SR up and Sleep Talk isn't reliable enough for me to trust him to take all EQs) I needed another flying type or levitator. Latias immediately came to mind, and after further inspection she seemed like a great fit; Ice moves aren't a real problem for my team and I was pretty sure I could OHKO any threatening dragons with a STAB Draco Meteor. She had the trick I wanted and could also switch into the Thunderbolts Gyara dislikes (something Starmie couldn't really do). Enter Choice Scarf Latias.

And there's my team! It's been pretty successful so far, barring a few unlucky losses it seems to be pretty consistent. I really had a lot of fun making and testing this team, and I really feel like I'm getting better at this :) I only had 1 stealth rock weak poke and 5/6 are immune to toxic spikes, not sure if it just happened by coincidence or I was subconsciously trying to do that xD Thanks in advance for reading!
​

 

[vbdood1337]

Threat List

And last but not least, my threat list :) Anytime I talk about Aero it's basically just extra; he's usually not alive and shouldn't be counted on to counter anyone (and I'm pretty sure every time I mention him I add in "if he's still alive" lol xD). I have a relatively speedy team with 2 Scarfs, a base 115 Raikou, and a STAB CB'd Technician Bullet Punch that my YouTurn loves to spam :) I ran calcs on everything for the first like 10 threats, then just got lazy and only checked the things I wasn't sure about. You can pretty much tell which ones I calc'd as they'll usually include SR damage and LO damage on the threats that normally run one. This really opened my eyes to a few pokemon that really look like they're going to be threats (Kingdra, Magnezone, and Empoleon just to start) and a few pokemon that I really handle better than I expected (surprisingly, Lucario, Mence, Metagross, Infernape, etc.) This really did turn out better than I expected :D

Green pokemon are easily handled, orange are a bit trickier, and red are problem pokemon.

Offensive Threats:

Azelf - Heatran can switch in basically unhindered and for sure OHKO with Fire Blast after SR damage. Latias can also switch in and OHKO with Draco Meteor. Raikou OHKO's with +1 Thunderbolt and will almost for sure KO after 1 turn of LO damage (again assuming SR).

Breloom - Gyarados completely walls. Spore does nothing, Seed Bomb, Focus Punch, and Mach Punch all do nothing. Facade sets can be a problem but those are rare and Gyara can just roar anyways. Heatran OHKO's with Fire Blast and Latias OHKO's with Draco Meteor.

Celebi - Scizor OHKO's all versions with U-Turn, Heatran easily 2HKO's, and can OHKO some versions. Can't really do much damage to my team, just annoy with TWave, sub, Leech Seed, etc.

Dugtrio - Latias outspeeds CB versions and KO's with Surf, Raikou OHKO's with HP Ice but gets outsped so it's trapped into an EQ.

Electivire - Heatran OHKO's with Earth Power, but gets outsped after a Motor Drive Boost. Latias will always outspeed and has ~50% chance of OHKOing with Draco Meteor (counting SR). It can't touch my Scizor and Aero can OHKO with EQ if its still alive. In short, very little threat without a Motor Drive Boost.

Empoleon - Problem if it can set up. Aero can EQ, Heatran can Earth Power, Scizor can Superpower, Gyara can Roar it away. If it sets up its a major problem, but otherwise I can handle it pretty easily. Latias outspeeds even after an Agility and can Trick a scarf as it subs/get it trapped into Ice Beam where Heatran can come in and clean up.

Flygon - Heatran and Raikou both can OHKO with HP Ice but both get outsped (by ScarfGon that is). Latias outspeeds and KO's with Draco Meteor and Gyara can wall it pretty well. Anything unscarfed is cake, scarfed can give me problems if Latias is down.

Gengar - Scizor KO's with Bullet Punch. Latias is in a speed tie with scarfed versions and KO's with Draco Meteor. Again, unscarfed gives me no problems, scarfed can give me trouble if Scizor is down but I handle it about as well as Flygon.

Gliscor - Raikou and Heatran OHKO with HP Ice. Gyarados walls and beats with Waterfall.

Gyarados - Raikou OHKO's with Tbolt but gets outsped after 1 DD. Latias outspeeds even after a DD and easily OHKO's with Tbolt.

Heatran - My Heatran OHKO's with Earth Power, but it comes down to a speed tie (unless he's running a weird Hidden Power). Gyarados beats with Waterfall and rests off any damage taken. Latias outspeeds and 2HKO's with Surf. Scizor can beat it if it's locked into something other than Fire Blast.

Heracross - Actually haven't run into one of these with this team yet, but Gyara walls those without Stone Edge badly and my entire team outspeeds. Heatran can OHKO, Latias threatens with Draco Meteor, Raikou with Thunderbolt.

Infernape - Heatran and Latias both outspeed and KO with Earth Power and Surf, respectively. Gyarados walls those without Thunderpunch or HP Electric and Aero outspeeds and KO's with EQ if he's still alive. Raikou hurts with Thunderbolt which 2HKO's easily even without SR, and is a possible OHKO counting in LO damage. I did NOT want my team to be Infernape weak, and my entire team either outspeeds or walls him.

Jirachi - Heatran with Fire Blast, Aero with EQ (if he's alive), Latias can Surf, Raikou can Thunderbolt. Almost everyone outspeeds which takes away the flinchax threat, and Raikou resists Iron Head if she's locked in. Can become a major problem if Paralysis gets spread around.

Kingdra - Latias still outspeeds even after a DD and OHKO's with Draco Meteor. Heatran can OHKO with Dragon Pulse after SR and 1 turn of LO, will kill for sure after 2 turns. Really one of the biggest threats to my team this guy is so underrated. If he gets a sub up I'm pretty much losing someone for sure, I just have to hope he only gets one DD off before I can get Latias in to Draco Meteor.

Latias - Scizor traps with Pursuit, Heatran threatens with HP Ice but gets outsped by Scarfed versions, and OHKO's with Explosion and can swith in on a resisted dragon move. Surf 2HKO's me so Explosion is probably my best option here (besides guessing on a coin flip with Draco Meteor). Scizor also does a pretty good job.

Lucario - Gyara walls the shit out of it. As long as it's not running Stone Edge, it has no chance barring some crazy crit on a +4 or more move (and Gyara can just roar when he starts to SD). Heatran OHKO's with Fire Blast and Earth Power, Aero OHKO's with EQ (if he's still alive) and Latias resists Close Combat (but gets hit pretty hard by Crunch and Ice Punch versions). Surf is a sure 2HKO after the 3% from SR and LO damage.

Machamp - Gyara walls the shit out of it, as long as it's not running Thunderpunch. Everything outspeeds but no one has SE damage against him. As long as no confuse hax happens I should be ok, but payback hits Latias hard and even Gyara doesn't like Dynamic Punch (really just because of the confuse).

Magnezone - Heatran outspeeds and OHKO's with Earth Power or Fire Blast (assuming it's not locked into something else, which may very well be the case if they're switching him in). Fucks over both my steels but gets taken care of pretty easily by Aero because he outspeeds even after scarf (if he's alive, of course). Raikou can't hit it for neutral damage and Gyara isn't an option. Probably the biggest problem for my team unless I can stick HP Ground on Raikou.

Mamoswine - Low base SDef means It shouldn't be very hard to take down from the special side, Scizor hurts with Bullet Punch as well. Gyara pretty much walls (barring Stone Edge) and hurts with Waterfall. Pretty much everyone has SE damage against him barring Raikou, who he easily KO's with EQ anyways so thats not an option. Aero gets raped by Ice Shard so he's not an option either, but 2/3 of my team checks him so not a real threat.

Metagross - Gyara walls the shit out of it, as long as it's not an Agiligross with Thunderpunch. Gyara is really all I need but... Heatran hits it hard (but fears EQ), Scizor can just U-Turn back to Gyara and Latias can come in and Surf if needed.

Ninjask - Aero taunts and sets up SR which ends up killing it easily. Gyara can just roar it out for 50% damage and everyone else has a SE move against it. Scizor rapes it with Bullet Punch.

Porygon-Z - Glad I don't see this very much. Nearly everyone outspeeds though so just hit it hard with STAB attacks and Superpower it if possible.

Rhyperior - Again, EVERYONE has a SE attack against it. Most of my team still outspeeds even after a Rock Polish and SD versions are so slow it doesn't even matter. Low SDef means Latias, Heatran and Raikou can go to town with Surf, Earth Power, and HP Ice. Solid Rock isn't a problem for Latias and shouldn't be a problem for Heatran or Raikou.

Roserade - Scizor goes to town on his pitiful 55 base defense and 60 base HP, although many do carry HP Fire. Latias can threaten with Draco Meteor and no one fears it's sleep with Gyara activating the sleep clause most of the time. Heatran can KO with Fire Blast and has nothing to fear if Gyara is asleep. Otherwise he eats a sleep powder and Raikou comes in to HP Ice. Bullet Punch hurts it hard and fast.

Rotom Formes: These guys are a pain. Thunderbolt scares away Gyara and Shadow Ball does the same to Latias. Scizor can stay and Pursuit but risks eating a WoW which he will NOT like, or an Overheat which will hurt a lot. Heatran can use it for the Flash Fire boost then hit it hard with a Fire Blast. W is probably my toughest forme, simply because Hydro Pump hurts Heatran the most, but it haven't run into this guy yet. Other formes aren't too bad, anything but H can probably be taken care of by Scizor.
C- Leaf Storm isn't a problem.
F- Latias has to watch for Blizzard; Heatran is a 4x resist so he comes in to take it, although they'll probably just Shadow Ball.
H- Overheat scares Scizor but Heatran just comes in anways, probably taking the Trick from the Shadow Ball/Tbolt/Overheat/Trick set
S- Air Slash isn't a problem, Confuse Ray is just annoying.
W- Hydro Pump scares away my main counter, Heatran, but honestly I haven't seen one of these yet.

Salamence - 2 HP Ice users which both outspeed him before a DD, a Draco Meteor that still outspeeds even after a DD, and a bulky Gyara that can take anything not named Draco Meteor or Stone Edge (haven't really seen this though) make this beast a smaller threat than I would have originally expected. Scizor can take out low health Mences with Bullet Punch (does a minimum of 40%). If he gets a DD I'm gonna have to sac something to get Latias in safely and OHKO from there with Draco Meteor. This guy is always a threat, but I think I've got him handled pretty well.

Scizor - Heatran OHKO's with Fire Blast and doesn't mind coming in on Bullet Punches. Gyara walls it pretty well as long as he can rest off the damage. Latias at most 3HKO's with Surf and Raikou resists Bullet Punches while hitting it back with Thunderbolt. Another threat to pretty much any team (without Magnezone, that is), I could probably handle him a bit better.

Snorlax - Special moves aren't touching him, so Scizor's gonna have to step it up for this one. Superpower is the move of choice here, this guy can be a real problem with Rest. RestTalk sets are probably better because they don't carry Fire Punch (unless for some reason it doesn't run Crunch or Return/Body Slam... in which case it would be losing a STAB attack or get walled by ghosts). A problem pokemon for me, especially after it starts getting curses going. Hopefully Gyara can roar it away if it ever gets going.

Starmie - Latias outspeeds and KO's with Thunderbolt. Raikou will lose pretty much all speed wars until I change it to timid, but without a SE move against him Starmie cannot OHKO while I can with a STAB Thunderbolt. It will have trouble breaking my subs after a few calm minds. Scizor can trap it with Pursuit, and can kinda clean up with Bullet Punch, but not very effectively, and Hydro Pump is going to hurt. Everyone else gets hit for SE so it's basically up to Latias and Raikou who can handle him pretty well.

Suicune - Totally walled by Gyara, who will roar it away after it wastes turns trying to calm mind. Raikou hits it hard with Thunderbolt (as does Latias) and Heatran can Explode on it if needed.

Togekiss - High base SDef make this guy tough to take down, especially with Paralysis and flinchax. Dies after a few Thunderbolts (from either Raikou or Latias) and definitely doesn't like Fire Blasts, especially those that are Flash Fired. Gyara can wall it pretty well and rest off the Paralysis.

Tyranitar - Thank god for Scizor or this beast could abslutely manhandle my team. Heatran outspeeds even after a DD, but this monster is hard to take down in the Sand with the 1.5x SDef gain. He KO's Heatran with either EQ or Aqua Tail (I'm seeing this more) and CB versions hit HARD. This guy is just so hard to take down so hopefully he's not running Fire Punch and I can just Bullet Punch for the KO (and hope he's not running Babiri). Everyone but Raikou can hit him for SE (not saying much with his 6 weaknesses) but in the Sand he's just that much harder to take down. I never want to send Latias in against this guy unless I have to and know I can KO with Surf, as a Crunch will OHKO for sure.

Weavile - Bullet Punch. No wonder this guy is never seen anymore. Heatran outspeeds and can Fire Blast, and it's not surviving a Draco Meteor. It can't hit Raikou for SE and again. Bullet Punch. Probably the least of my worries especially after taking 25% from SR. Gyara walls him epicly and oh yeah, Bullet Punch.

Yanmega - Just roar it away, and SR takes care of the rest. If that can't happen, hopefully Gyara is asleep so I can't be hit with Hypnosis and I can hit it hard with a Raikou Thunderbolt. Also, Bullet Punch.

Zapdos - Raikou pretty much takes care of it. It can basically calm mind up freely and hit it with a boosted STAB thunderbolt. Heatran will gladly take a Heat Wave and turn it into a Flash Fire boosted Fire Blast. Latias hits it hard with any of its moves, and tricking a scarf during roost can really mess a Zapdos up.

Defensive Threats:

Blissey - Scizor, Superpower is the move of choice. Gyara can Roar it away because it's not winning the stall war. Heatran can Explode on it and Latias can Trick its scarf onto it.

Bronzong - Heatran can Fire Blast but doesn't like the possible EQ. He can take Gyro Balls just fine. Scizor can help out here and so can Raikou (again, if there's no EQ).

Celebi - Already stated, but might as well cover it here too. Scizor's U-Turn will OHKO any celebi, Draco Meteor hits hard and Fire Blast can OHKO.

Cresselia - Scizor can Pursuit, U-Turn, and Bullet Punch. Heatran can Explode and hit it with a STAB Fire Blast. Latias can trick it's scarf onto it, Draco Meteor, Surf, or Thunderbolt, and Raikou can calm mind up fairly freely (although, so can Cress)

Dusknoir - Again, Scizor. Pursuit and/or switch out to Heatran to absorb the WoW and hit back with a STAB Flash Fire Boosted Fire Blast. Draco Meteor hurts, so does boosted Thunderbolts. Trick is also an option.

Forretress - Fire Blast, Fire Blast, Fire Blast. If Heatran is down Raikou is the next best bet, and can set up subs and calm minds (at the expense of letting forrie get his spikes/toxic spikes/rapid spin down)

Gliscor - Multiple speedy pokes with HP Ice and Latias with Surf. Gyara walls this to hell and hits hard with STAB SE Waterfall.

Hippowdon - Multiple pokes with SE Damage. EQ can't touch Gyara or Latias and my other 2 fast special sweepers both have SE HP Ice.

Porygon2 - Scizor is the best I can do against this guy. He spreads status like no other and is one hell of a Gyara, Heatran, Mence, Jolteon, and Vaporeon counter with Trace which is incredibly useful. Superpower is my best bet otherwise just Bullet Punches and my strong special STAB moves. This guy is really underrated in my opinion. Tricking a scarf onto it works as well.

Skarmory - Man I haven't seen one of these in a while... but all of my special attackers have a SE move and Latias can trick a scarf onto it. Fairly easy to handle unless all of my special sweepers are down.

Snorlax - A problem pokemon. Superpower works, but won't OHKO and from there it only gets harder, with my attack drop and him spamming Curse. Special moves aren't going to do shit to this guy (especially Fire Blasts with Thick Fat) so im really just down to Scizor and Gyara. Heatran can Explode, but it needs to be before he starts Cursing. Gyara can roar it away and Latias can trick a scarf onto it.

Spiritomb - Just hit it hard with my STAB attacks. Not much else to say but Latias probably isn't my best option here...

Suicune - Gyara walls this easily as long as he isn't running HP Electric, and can roar him away the second a calm mind or sub goes up. Heatran can Explode and Raikou and Latias can hit it with SE Thunderbolts. Latias can trick a scarf onto it as well.

Swampert - Gyara covers him pretty well, he'll win it one on one pretty much all the time. EQ isn't doing shit to me and Gyara can shrug off non-STAB ice beams and NVE water moves like Waterfall, Surf, or Hydro Pump. No one else really fares all that well against Pert, so Heatran can ususally just explode. HP Grass will take care of him no problemi just don't know where to put it...

Tentacruel - All my special sweepers have SE moves against Tenta, Heatran with Earth Power and Raikou/Latias with Thunderbolt. High SDef means this guy isn't going down anytime soon, but Raikou can get up a few calm minds and Latias shouldn't take much from a Tenta's Surf. Can also trick a scarf.

Umbreon - Superpower says hi. That's about it really this guy isn't that much of a threat. It can't kill any or my team thats for sure especially Scizor and Heatran with their Toxic immunity.

Vaporeon - Raikou and Latias can hit it with a SE Thunderbolt, and Gyara can roar it away while shrugging off its Surfs. Heatran can explode and Latias can trick her scarf, otherwise Raikou can set up a sub and start calm minding.

Zapdos - Already stated, but Raikou can set up on it and hit with a boosted STAB Thunderbolt. Latias can also TBolt or just Draco Meteor, and Heatran will gladly absorb a Heat Wave and turn that into a Flash Fire boost for his Fire Blast. A problem for Gyara and Scizor though.

Thank you guys for reading :)

Thanks again to http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites.html for the sprites :)

 

[Strik3]

I really like your lead ^^
Check out my post to see why lol.

 

[Bossnine]

You DEFINATLEY want Timid Raikou. With Timid, you dont have to worry about Azelfs or Starmies before you CM, and you can easily take care of Specs or non-scarfed Latias'.

I had a Trick Room team, with 3 Trick Room users, 2 slow (taking advantage of TR) sweepers, and a Raikou. I did around 15 battles with that team, and i won about 11. I guarantee you that in 8 of those 11 battles i would lose every pokemon i had, except Raikou (who i hadn't showed yet). The opponent would be expecting another slow sweeper who needed TR. Well, when i sent in Raikou, they would always be suprised, but also expecting a CMsub set like yours, but i didn't use it, and i would sweep and win with him. I used this set:


Raikou @ Life Orb
Timid
252 Spe / 252 SpA / 6 Def
-Reflect
-Thunderbolt
-HP [Ice]
-Shadow Ball



Raikou is GREAT. He has 361 speed, and 329 SpA (427 with LO), so he is extremely fast and strong straight outta the gate. But, his defences are commonly overlooked. He has base 90 HP and base 100 Sp. Def. Of course, he only has base 75 Def, but that is where Reflect comes in. In maybe, 4 of the 8 matches where Raikou won it for me, i would Reflect, and the guy would try to get me with Bullet Punch from Scizor or ExtremeSpeed from Luke: I always beat them.

I really think you should try this set, it is by FAR the best Raikou set i've ever used. If you prefer the CMsub set, at least try Timid on it as well.

 

[vbdood1337]

Thanks Bossnine, I've already changed to timid, I was wondering if that was the better option.

And I'll for sure give that Raikou a try, I think I mentioned something in there about running Signal Beam or Shadow Ball on a Life Orb set as well. I'm really really liking Raikou a lot :D

 

[MrIndigo]

I think you're playing a couple of your lead matchups wrong.

In the Aero-Aero matchup, you should just attack on Turn 1. SR doesn't cripple your team, but here are the options your opponent will have:

- If you attack, and he uses Taunt, he wastes a turn and his Sash, and risks you outspeeding him next turn and preventing his Stealth Rocks anyway (while you get the chance to switch out and back in later, setting up your own). If you Taunt, and he attacks, this situation is reversed and you're the one who is essentially 1 poke down for no gain.

If you both attack, you have the speed tie issue exactly equivalent to both Taunting, only neither of you will get rocks (whereas trying for the Taunt coinflip gives you a 50% chance of having only your opponent getting rocks)

If you Taunt and he SRs on the first turn and outspeeds, you both get rocks but he keeps Aero alive as Death Fodder.

If you attack and he SRs, you kill him and get your own rocks up afterwards.

Now, the other thing I've found is that Rock Slide is a much better move on LeadDactyl. The accuracy is very much relevant; I've seen a bunch of Aero-Aero matchups come down to a simple Stone Edge miss. Furthermore, Rock Slide's flinch chance gives you a slight advantage in terms of setting/blocking rocks. Rock Slide 2HKOs opposing Dactyls anyway, and the power loss isn't awful against everything else because you're basically just trying to do as much damage as possible as early as possible.

I've seen numerous matchups where you take out like half of the opponent's team at 1HP after killing their Dactyl and setting up Rocks, then just RS or EQing every switch in until they kill you.


Against Metagross, never Taunt. They care less about Rocks, they'll just Meteor Mash then Bullet Punch. SR on Turn 1, and try for a lucky EQ if MM missed.

I also don't mind letting Aero SR on turn 1 against Jirachi, taking the Trick, and then switching out to bring in Heatran, say. This gives you the fastest revenge killer in the match, and it comes in quite useful sometimes. Although your current system is fine.

 

[vbdood1337]

Thank you that was very helpful :) I still like SE just for the increased crit chance that can help me take things I normally wouldn't OHKO (Gyarados, for example). I also start a few matches off doing what you mentioned and basically starting the match off with SR and a 1 or more poke advantage. But I'll try Rock Slide for a few matches and see if I notice a difference (I'll probably change it the second I lose a game because of a SE miss anyways lol).

 

[MrIndigo]

The thing is, Aerodactyl very rarely acts as a sweeper from the lead position. The ability to OHKO Gyarados becomes less relevant then. The ability to out-do other leads is more often the relevant factor, and Rock Slide helps you do that. Once your lead is set up and you've prevented or set up Stealth Rocks, you just want to go as far as you can before dying, not really score OHKOs.

 

[vbdood1337]

Sorry I kinda worded that badly; what I meant was SE's increased crit chance can sometimes help me get a KO that allows me to squeeze one more hit in before dying. I really just want to do as much damage as possible after SR is up and before I die, and in my opinion Stone Edge helps me do that. I definitely don't see the point in not trying out Rock Slide so I'll throw it in for a few games and see what happens.

 

[DarkCyberElf]

You underestimated Empoleon as a threat. Empoleon can set up on various moves and your Pokemon, then sweep your entire team. Your Latias would have to be the Calm Mind version and come in before he Substitutes down and start CM-ing. Too tired to add much else, you should improve a lot on what you deem as a threat and how you might handle it.

 

[ARandomDude]

Overall comments: Watch out for Magnezone. He could trap Heatran and Scizor locked on non-ideal attacks, resists both of Raikous attacks, and threatens Gyarados with a high-powered Tbolt, while easily surviving a Waterfall. I would recommend making Heatran a sub-Heatran, especially if you go with HP Grass and can't revenge kill dragons anyways. Your team also has trouble killing Swampert besides just brute forcing your way in, since you have no status inflictors. Heatran with Toxic can help break down swampert.

Aerodactyl: Aero is fine, the only thing I'd even bother mentioning is Rock Slide for accuracy and flinch hax, but stone edge is perfectly fine if you don't find yourself missing

Scizor is fine

Heatran: My suggestions for Heatran above

Gyarados: Your spread should be 216HP/32Atk/252Def/8Spe. The 216 reaches 385HP, which allows for optimal Leftovers recovery and lets you switch into SR 4 times without dying. The 252Def is a given. The 8 speed allows you to outrun the Gyarados who run 252HP/252Def/4Spe. The rest goes into attack (these can go in SpD if you really want to).

Raikou is fine.

Latias is fine.

 

[franky]

Problems:

Magnezone

How to fix:

Well no major problems at the moment because you listed them out. Since your biggest threat is Magnezone right now, which can potentially take away your members, my advice is use your attacks wisely. I'd carefully use Bullet Punch or SP with care without scouting for Magnezone. To lessen up Magnezone trapping you, I would suggest a SubToxic Heatran. The moveset is: Substitute / Toxic / Fire Blast / Earth Power at a Timid Nature with the EV spread 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe. Generally speaking, Choice Scarf isn't required imo because the potential threats your checking is Lucario and Scizor which Gyarados can handle to a good degree. You might want to try that. Other than that good team. You COULD try, but I'm not really all for it, a Foretress lead which runs Toxic Spikes / Stealth Rock / Gyro Ball / Rapid Spin. Why? Because Rapid Spin can help out Gyarados the entire match and Toxic Spikes + Stealth Rock + Roar from Gyarados can be great. Toxic Spikes also helps out Raikou late-game. None of the bulk leads can't touch you btw. Well anyways, that's just a random thought, you could play around with a Foretress lead gl.

 

[vbdood1337]

Thank you all for the help. I've already changed Gyarados' EV spread and will try out a Sub Heatran because everyone seems to be suggesting one :) I know Magnezone is my biggest threat right now, and Empoleon can really deal some damage if it can set up (they were both red in my threat list for a reason xD). However, Aero can come in after Magnezone or Empoleon KO's one of my poke's and hit both hard with an EQ, even at its usual 1 HP which it is almost always at late game. I know I can't rely on him as a counter (both because he can't switch in on either of them and because he's going to be dead most of the time) so I'll try to bring in Gyara earlier to start roaring and U-Turn more with YouTurn (lol :D) to help scout the opposing team.

I've also gotten a few suggestions of Rock Slide over SE on Aero. Right now I feel like Stone Edge's increased power is benefiting me more than Rock Slide's superior accuracy, but I'll experiment with both and see how it goes.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys :)