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Introduction
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Hey There Smogon, this is my first RMT and before I actually post the team I'll tell you why I've decided to make it. My team has always done well on Shoddy's Standard Ladder but not well enough to get to the leaderboard(my CRE is always above or at least 1500 though). My desire to get way up there has seemed to jump leaps and bounds recently and even though I know people can just look this up while we're battling(which is why I've hesitated so long to make one)I think my team needs an improvement and this is the best place to do it. So now here's,
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The Team
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Not very special, just about every Pokemon here is seen in the normal Platinum metagame. The main goal is to take down Infernape's counters and let him go nuts.
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A Closer Look
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Azelf@Focus Sash
Nature: Naive (+ Spe -SpD)
EVs: 4 Atk/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Stealth Rock: Obvious reasons
-Psychic: For STAB and hits switch in Ghosts expecting Explosion
-Explosion: Take something with the grave with me
-Fire Blast: Hit Steel types
This is a typical Suicide Azelf Lead and, as everyone knows, it's job is to set up Stealth Rock for the team and then when it's job is done it goes BOOM. While it is the most used lead at the moment and everyone knows what it will do, it always gets the job done.
I chose Azelf because I wanted something fast that could set up Stealth Rock and when it's job was done it could either explode or use psychic and hit switch-ins. The only other lead that fit that position was Metagross but I didn't think he was fast enough and Zapdos can come in on him.
The EVs are pretty easy to guess, 252 Speed so Azelf will be able to go his fastest when getting SR up. 252 Special Attack boosts up Psychic and Fire Blast which can hurt switch-ins expecting Explosion like Rotom and Skarmory. 4 Attack EVs give Explosion a bit of a boost, since Naive is used over Timid Explosion's power doesn't drop at all.
Recap:
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Scizor@Choice Band
Nature: Adamant (+Atk -SpA)
EVs:244 HP/252 Atk/12 Spe
-Bullet Punch: Revenge kill and kill things like Gengar and Tyranitar
-Pursuit: Don't let things escape, pokemon like Latias are hit
-U-Turn: Chip HP off things like Gyarados, Zapdos, and Rotom
-Superpower: Hit Blissey, Snorlax, and incoming Heatran, and Magnezone
I find the Choice Band set more effective than the Swords Dance set, since Infernape is the main guy here I'm not going to take the time to dance away, especially since Heatran is on just about every team. I chose Scizor because of it's great typing, offensive capabilities and the power to stop pokemon like Latias and Gengar which are real pains for Infernape. His Steel typing also lets him switch into Toxic which can hinder Infernape, Vaporeon, Zapdos, and Azelf if he didn't go down during the first turns.
I changed the standard Choice Band Scizor EVs just a bit, I raised the speed one point(from 8 EVs to 12) so that he would outspeed the other CB Scizor(the most common set) in critical moments. 252 Attack lets Scizor reach a 591 Attack stat when combined with the Choice Band, then I just dumped the rest of the EVs into HP which lets Scizor switch into HP Fire-less Latias and not worry about a 2HKO.
Recap:
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Infernape@ Life Orb
Nature: Naive (+Spe -SpD)
EVs: 64 Atk/252 SpA/192 Spe
-Fire Blast: Super STAB, hit Skarmory
-Close Combat: STAB for things like Blissey
-Grass Knot: Hit the heavy ones like Swampert and Rhyperior
-Hidden Power Ice: Hit those pesky Dragons and Flying types
This is like Goku in pokemon form(tail, monkey, Gokuzaru in Japan, ass kicker) and in late game there is few things stopping him. Since he requires no set-up he goes at full power once he comes out but stays in his pokeball until the time is right. With the amount of coverage and power he has in late game he is a true monster, I went with Specially Biased Mixape because most pokemon have Defense EVs for the normal metagame and Close Combat will KO all it needs to. He also breaks the annoying combos SkarmBliss and CeleTran.
Infernape has 192 Speed EVs because he outruns everything he needs to outrun which lets more points go into his attacking power. 252 Special Attack EVs are ran because this is specially biased Mixape and the 64 Attack stat gives more power to Close Combat.
Recap:
Vaporeon@Leftovers
Nature:Bold (+Def -Atk)
EVs: 188 HP/252 Def/ 68 SpA
-Wish: To pass on some health to the others members of the team
-Protect: To see what kind of set and opponent is running and possibly get a Wish+Leftovers heal
-Surf:STAB, also helps with Heatran
-Hidden Power Electric: Stop Gyarados and possibly Starmie
The Wish-passing set of Vaporeon with the old EVs, I didn't see a whole point in out speeding Scizor and I've never had a problem with it. Vaporeon passes his wishes on to his teammates who all lack recovery moves(except for Zapdos) while getting rid of Gyarados with HP Elec and Water Absorb and Heatran with Surf. With Wish and Protect I can also see what kind of sets are being ran on my opponents pokemon and am able to take down Life Orbs threats like Starmie, who is one of the pokemon that can stop Infernape in his path.
252 Defense EVs and the Bold nature are for taking physical attacks, it helps take hits from things like Gyarados better. 188 HP EVs provide lots of bulk for Vaporeon and maximize Leftovers recovery, I dumped the rest into Special Attack because a bit extra power is nice and I didn't really see a reason to outspeed things like Scizor.
Recap:
Mamoswine@Life Orb
Nature: Adamant (+Atk -SpA)
EVs:64 HP/252 Atk/192 Spe
-Earthquake: Powerful STAB
-Ice Shard: Revenge kill, helpful against Dragons
-Ice Fang: Ice STAB for switch-ins and slower pokes
-Stone Edge: Hit things like Gyarados switching in
Mamoswine blocks the electric attacks for the team stopping things like Jolteon and Scarfzone with the ability to hit back with STAB EQ, things like Scarfgon and Latias get hit by Ice Shard. Another plus about Mamoswine's Ground typing is preventing Infernape and Zapdos from being paralyzed which will severely cripple them. Scizor, Salamence, Vaporeon, Swampert, Forretress, Flygon, Kingdra, Celebi, Breloom, Metagross, Togekiss, and Gengar, cannot switch into Mamoswine for fear of Earthquake, Ice Fang, or Stone Edge. This is an excellent pokemon, therefore, I can apply pressure on the opponent, but it requires some good prediction. With Mamoswine being hard to switch into a pokemon will usually go down making it easier for Infernape to take things down.
With these EVs and assuming they don't have scarf or agility boosts Mamos will outspeed Tyranitar, Empoleon, Magnezone, and Scizor. Outspeeding Scizor may not sound like alot but if Scizor switches into EQ and and SR is up Ice Shard will finish him off. 252 Attack EVs make him a much bigger threat with his hard to predict moves and is there really a reason not to run 252 Attack EVs on this guy? I dumped the rest of the EVs(64) into HP because his HP stat his bigger than his Defense and Special Defense stats.
Recap:
Zapdos@Leftovers
Nature:Timid (+Spe -Atk)
EVs:4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Roost: Heal it up
-Thunderbolt: STAB, takes care of Water types for Infernape
-Heat Wave: Takes down Scizor and Lucario
-Hidden Power Ice: Takes down ground types Zapdos switches into
Zapdos takes the Ground attacks for the team and can hit back with HP Ice, HP Ice will also hit Salamence, Gliscor, and incoming Flygon. Thunderbolt will take out Gyarados, Tentacruel, and Vaporeon which will help out Infernape alot. Heat Wave will take down Lucario who can easily revenge kill Infernape with Extreme Speed later on.
I went with Leftovers over Life Orb because of Stealth Rock and Zapdos usually gets the KOs it needs without Life Orb's damage boost, I don't think I need 3 LO users anyway, as the recoil can really wear down my team and increase it's fragility, although Vaporeon's Wishpassing abilities go someway to fixing this issue.
These EVs are pretty normal in Special Sweepers, 252 Special Attack EVs to maximize power, 252 Speed EVs to make sure it's going it's fastest and 4 HP EVs to give more life.
Recap:
Now onto,
The Threat List
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Green means they are not a problem for me.
Orange means they can cause a bit of trouble.
Red means they are very difficult to take down.
Offensive Threats:
Aerodactyl : Not common these days but Scizor kills him with Bullet Punch and Mamoswine with Shard. The lead version(most common Aero set) can also get killed by Azelf.
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Alakazam : Scizor does well if he doesn’t come in on focus blast. But if Scizor is down he can be a bit hard to take down, luckily Alakazam isn't used that much.
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Azelf : Same thing as Aerodactyl, only that he is more common and a bit harder to take down, but since Azelf is almost always a lead he isn't a huge problem.
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Breloom : Not that hard to take on let something low on HP take the Spore and get Azelf or Zapdos in to take the Focus Punch. Mamoswine, Scizor, and Infernape can also revenge kill him with Ice Shard, Bullet Punch, and Fire Blast.
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Dragonite : Mamoswine does well against all Dragonite sets Ice Shard/Fang will eliminate him, none of my pokemon really fear him either, Zapdos and Infernape both have HP Ice to deal with him.
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Dugtrio : After he has taken down a member Scizor can come in and deal with him thanks to Bullet Punch and Mamoswine with Ice Shard. Vaporeon isn't afraid of him either.
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Electivire : Most Electivire aren't very scary and Infernape, Zapdos, and Mamoswine can take care of him. If Vire didn't get a speed boost Nape's Fire Blast and Close Combat can take him out. Electivire also aren't very common.
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Empoloen : Vaporeon usually does a good job of taking out Empoleon and Zapdos/Scizor can come in and kill if he didn't get an Agility and in Scizor's case it doesn't matter. The SD Aqua Jet set can be a bigger problem if Vap isn't around though.
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Flygon : Flygon isn't very tough to take down, Vap can take his hits and Scizor/Mamoswine can finish him off with priorty.
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Gengar : Most Gengar I see run Life Orb and Scizor doesn't fear him much with Bullet Punch. Mamoswine can revenge kill him as well and Gengar can't OHKO Vaporeon or Zapdos.
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Gyarados : Vaporeon takes care of him with HP Elec and if it doesn't get a DD in Zapdos can take care of him.
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Heatran : Vaporeon can switch in to all of Heatran's moves on any set except Explosion which gets rid of itself. Can be a problem if Vaporeon is out but if Heatran isn't scarfed Nape's Close Combat takes care of it, Scizor/Mamoswine can also KO if it switches in to Superpower/EQ.
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Heracross : Don't see these very often but Vaporeon and Zapdos usually have it covered since most are Banded. Mamoswine's Ice Shard does a good revenge kill job as well, especially with CC Defense drops. Non-Scarf versions die to Nape's Fire Blast.
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Infernape : If Goku is against me, Vaporeon can take on most variants and Scizor can revenge kill if CC has been used and HP is around 25%. Zapdos isn't usually OHKOed and can take Nape down.
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Jirachi : There are a few different Jirachi but the most common are ScarfAchi and CM Jirachi. Zapdos can switch into most ScarfAchi attacks and Heat Wave and Heat Wave still does good damage to Jirachi if it only has 1 CM up. Vaporeon doesn't fear Scarf attacks as well but if Zapdos is down and CMs are set up if can be a problem.
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Jolteon : Mamoswine can switch into Thunderbolt/Charge Beam and Scizor can switch into HP Grass and Shadow Ball. If Mamoswine is gone and Specs is being ran he can be a problem.
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Kingdra : Kingdra can be a problem if Rain is up and/or he gets a Dragon Dance he can do some massive damage, sub sets are the worst, usually if I take it down 1-2 of my pokemon are down. Everyone hates Rain Dance.
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Latias : Any Latias not carrying HP Fire is destroyed by Scizor's U-Turn or Pursuit. Scizor/Mamoswine's priorty move does good too, if Azelf is still around(and with Latias, Azelf is around alot) Explosion takes care of it.
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Lucario : Zapdos can stop it if he doesn't get a SD up and if he sets up on Vap and he loses about 65% where Scizor can revenge kill him.
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Machamp : While Dynamic Punch confusion is annoying as hell Vaporeon can put up a fight with him and Mamoswine can come in, if he gets about 25% damage EQ him for a KO.
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Magnezone : Most Magnezone are scarfed but with Mamoswine and Vaporeon playing smartly I can take him easy, Scizor is also Magnezone bait but with Superpower he goes down.
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Mamoswine : Scizor can come in on the Ice Shard and deal with him with Bullet Punch but needs to watch out for Choice Band/Life Orb Earthquake, Vaporeon can also take him down with Surf while Nape can Close Combat him.
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Metagross : Zapdos can take a Meteor Mash/Bullet Punch and can easily come in on Earthquake and Heat Wave back. Vaporeon doesn't worry about Meta's that don't carry Thunder Punch and Infernape can Fire Blast him.
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Porygon-Z : Scarf Z still hits really hard with Downloaded STAB Tri-Attack and if Scizor is down, he can be a real problem.
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Rhyperior : Vaporeon's Surf will kill this thing as well as Nape's Grass Knot. Bullet Punch 2HKOes and he can't switch into Mamoswine. Just don't let it get +2 Speed and Attack and your fine.
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Salamence : Salamence is OHKOed by Zapdos/Infernape's Hidden Power Ice and Mamoswine's Ice Shard, Scizor's Bullet Punch will work as a nice revenge kill.
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Scizor : Zapdos and Vaporeon do a good job blocking Scizor and he cannot switch into Mamoswine's EQ because Ice Shard can than kill it. Infernape's Fire Blast also kills(obviously).
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Starmie : Vaporeon can block Starmie most of the time and Scizor can kill it with U-Turn but it is still a real pain in the ass.
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Togekiss : Mamoswine can come in on Thunder Waves and finish it with Ice Fang/Stone Edge as long as it doesn't carry Aura Sphere and revenge kill with Ice Shard. Scizor's Bullet Punch works as revenge kill and Zapdos's Thunderbolt will KO as well.
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Tyranitar : Scizor OHKOs with Bullet Punch and Superpower. Infernape revenge kills him with Close Combat and Mamoswine can outspeed non-scarf variants and KO with Earthquake.
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Weavile : Scizor does a good job of stopping this thing with Bullet Punch and Vaporeon can take it on. Infernape can stop it with Close Combat too.
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Defensive Threat List:
Blissey : Azelf, Scizor, and Infernape can all OHKO Blissey and Mamoswine can 2HKO with Earthquake, not a huge problem.
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Bronzong : Scizor comes in, U-turns into Salamence who can switch into Infernape or Zapdos and hit him with Fire, if it's the rare Heatproof carrying Zong, Mamoswine can take him down with EQ.
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Celebi : Infernape's Fire Blast is usually a OHKO and if it's damaged a bit Zapdos's Heat Wave can take it down. Mamoswine can revenge kill it with Ice Shard.
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Cresselia : Scizor's U-Turn puts a huge dent into Cresselia and than anything but Vaporeon can KO it from there.
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Donphan : While Donphan isn't seen as much Vaporeon can block him and Mamoswine 2HKOs with Ice Fang. Infernape can revenge kill with Grass Knot.
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Forretress : Infernape's Fire Blast and Zapdos's Heat Wave both will KO Forretress, Vaporeon and Mamoswine can 2HKO it.
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Gliscor : Zapdos, Mamoswine, and Vaporeon can all take on Gliscor without worry and Infernape can take it out with HP Ice but it wouldn't want to switch in.
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Hippowdon : Vaporeon's Surf can take him and Infernape's Grass Knot usually gets him, Mamoswine's Ice Fang does a good job as well.
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Rotom-A: Most Rotom-A are the Oven Forme and can completely block Scizor, Vaporeon, and Mamoswine. Azelf commonly hits Rotom-A switch-ins with Psychic and Zapdos can fight back with Heat Wave. Infernape and Mamoswine can revenge kill it with Fire Blast/Ice Shard, if Rotom is scarfed or has specs and is locked into Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt Scizor/Mamoswine can come in and attack. If Rotom isn't Oven Forme it doesn't scare me but Over Forme is the most common one.
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Skarmory : Azelf and Infernape's Fire Blast will both finish him as well as Zapdos's Heat Wave.
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Snorlax : Scizor’s CB Superpower murders him as well as Infernape's Close Combat and Mamoswine's EQ 2HKOes, just as long as Curse isn't up he's no problem but if it is he can be a problem but thanks to his lower speed I can KO before he rests the damage off.
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Suicune: Suicune is usually CroCune or CM Cune and CroCune can be a huge problem. If Zapdos doesn't stop it in time it can KO me and Rest off the damage.
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Swampert : Vaporeon can take on Pert and Nape's Grass Knot OHKOes it. It can't switch into Mamoswine because Earthquake 2HKOes.
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Tentacruel : One of the few Infernape blocks, while Zapdos and Azelf can take it on it is usually an annoyance.
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Vaporeon : Zapdos can take on Vaporeon with Thunderbolt and Vap cannot switch into Mamoswine's EQ because it 2HKOes. It, like Tentacruel, can be an annoyance at times.
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Zapdos : Zapdos blocks both Scizor and Vaporeon and Mamoswine cannot switch in, in fear of Heat Wave. My own Zapdos can weaken it with Thunderbolt while Infernape and Mamoswine can revenge kill it.
Introduction
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Hey There Smogon, this is my first RMT and before I actually post the team I'll tell you why I've decided to make it. My team has always done well on Shoddy's Standard Ladder but not well enough to get to the leaderboard(my CRE is always above or at least 1500 though). My desire to get way up there has seemed to jump leaps and bounds recently and even though I know people can just look this up while we're battling(which is why I've hesitated so long to make one)I think my team needs an improvement and this is the best place to do it. So now here's,
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The Team
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Not very special, just about every Pokemon here is seen in the normal Platinum metagame. The main goal is to take down Infernape's counters and let him go nuts.
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A Closer Look
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Azelf@Focus Sash
Nature: Naive (+ Spe -SpD)
EVs: 4 Atk/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Stealth Rock: Obvious reasons
-Psychic: For STAB and hits switch in Ghosts expecting Explosion
-Explosion: Take something with the grave with me
-Fire Blast: Hit Steel types
This is a typical Suicide Azelf Lead and, as everyone knows, it's job is to set up Stealth Rock for the team and then when it's job is done it goes BOOM. While it is the most used lead at the moment and everyone knows what it will do, it always gets the job done.
I chose Azelf because I wanted something fast that could set up Stealth Rock and when it's job was done it could either explode or use psychic and hit switch-ins. The only other lead that fit that position was Metagross but I didn't think he was fast enough and Zapdos can come in on him.
The EVs are pretty easy to guess, 252 Speed so Azelf will be able to go his fastest when getting SR up. 252 Special Attack boosts up Psychic and Fire Blast which can hurt switch-ins expecting Explosion like Rotom and Skarmory. 4 Attack EVs give Explosion a bit of a boost, since Naive is used over Timid Explosion's power doesn't drop at all.
Recap:
- Set up SR
- Hit switch-in Ghosts with Psychic
- Hit switch-in Steels with Fire Blast
- Explode when the time is right
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Scizor@Choice Band
Nature: Adamant (+Atk -SpA)
EVs:244 HP/252 Atk/12 Spe
-Bullet Punch: Revenge kill and kill things like Gengar and Tyranitar
-Pursuit: Don't let things escape, pokemon like Latias are hit
-U-Turn: Chip HP off things like Gyarados, Zapdos, and Rotom
-Superpower: Hit Blissey, Snorlax, and incoming Heatran, and Magnezone
I find the Choice Band set more effective than the Swords Dance set, since Infernape is the main guy here I'm not going to take the time to dance away, especially since Heatran is on just about every team. I chose Scizor because of it's great typing, offensive capabilities and the power to stop pokemon like Latias and Gengar which are real pains for Infernape. His Steel typing also lets him switch into Toxic which can hinder Infernape, Vaporeon, Zapdos, and Azelf if he didn't go down during the first turns.
I changed the standard Choice Band Scizor EVs just a bit, I raised the speed one point(from 8 EVs to 12) so that he would outspeed the other CB Scizor(the most common set) in critical moments. 252 Attack lets Scizor reach a 591 Attack stat when combined with the Choice Band, then I just dumped the rest of the EVs into HP which lets Scizor switch into HP Fire-less Latias and not worry about a 2HKO.
Recap:
- Trap pokemon that annoy Infernape like Latias and Gengar with Pursuit
- Revenge kill with Bullet Punch
- Scout pokemon with U-Turn
- Hit common Scizor switches like Heatran and Magnezone with Superpower who can cause Nape problems with their Choice Scarf sets being the most popular
- Switch into Toxic(the only poison type move actually used)
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Infernape@ Life Orb
Nature: Naive (+Spe -SpD)
EVs: 64 Atk/252 SpA/192 Spe
-Fire Blast: Super STAB, hit Skarmory
-Close Combat: STAB for things like Blissey
-Grass Knot: Hit the heavy ones like Swampert and Rhyperior
-Hidden Power Ice: Hit those pesky Dragons and Flying types
This is like Goku in pokemon form(tail, monkey, Gokuzaru in Japan, ass kicker) and in late game there is few things stopping him. Since he requires no set-up he goes at full power once he comes out but stays in his pokeball until the time is right. With the amount of coverage and power he has in late game he is a true monster, I went with Specially Biased Mixape because most pokemon have Defense EVs for the normal metagame and Close Combat will KO all it needs to. He also breaks the annoying combos SkarmBliss and CeleTran.
Infernape has 192 Speed EVs because he outruns everything he needs to outrun which lets more points go into his attacking power. 252 Special Attack EVs are ran because this is specially biased Mixape and the 64 Attack stat gives more power to Close Combat.
Recap:
- After the rest of the team has taken his counters down, he will kill everything in his path
Vaporeon@Leftovers
Nature:Bold (+Def -Atk)
EVs: 188 HP/252 Def/ 68 SpA
-Wish: To pass on some health to the others members of the team
-Protect: To see what kind of set and opponent is running and possibly get a Wish+Leftovers heal
-Surf:STAB, also helps with Heatran
-Hidden Power Electric: Stop Gyarados and possibly Starmie
The Wish-passing set of Vaporeon with the old EVs, I didn't see a whole point in out speeding Scizor and I've never had a problem with it. Vaporeon passes his wishes on to his teammates who all lack recovery moves(except for Zapdos) while getting rid of Gyarados with HP Elec and Water Absorb and Heatran with Surf. With Wish and Protect I can also see what kind of sets are being ran on my opponents pokemon and am able to take down Life Orbs threats like Starmie, who is one of the pokemon that can stop Infernape in his path.
252 Defense EVs and the Bold nature are for taking physical attacks, it helps take hits from things like Gyarados better. 188 HP EVs provide lots of bulk for Vaporeon and maximize Leftovers recovery, I dumped the rest into Special Attack because a bit extra power is nice and I didn't really see a reason to outspeed things like Scizor.
Recap:
- Use Water Absorb and HP Electric to tire down Gyarados and Starmie, two pokemon that can give Infernape problems.
- Use Surf and Water typing to take down Heatran and other Infernape
- Pass on Wishes to the other members of the who almost all lack recovery
- Use Protect to see what Choice pokemon are using making my switch-in much easier
Mamoswine@Life Orb
Nature: Adamant (+Atk -SpA)
EVs:64 HP/252 Atk/192 Spe
-Earthquake: Powerful STAB
-Ice Shard: Revenge kill, helpful against Dragons
-Ice Fang: Ice STAB for switch-ins and slower pokes
-Stone Edge: Hit things like Gyarados switching in
Mamoswine blocks the electric attacks for the team stopping things like Jolteon and Scarfzone with the ability to hit back with STAB EQ, things like Scarfgon and Latias get hit by Ice Shard. Another plus about Mamoswine's Ground typing is preventing Infernape and Zapdos from being paralyzed which will severely cripple them. Scizor, Salamence, Vaporeon, Swampert, Forretress, Flygon, Kingdra, Celebi, Breloom, Metagross, Togekiss, and Gengar, cannot switch into Mamoswine for fear of Earthquake, Ice Fang, or Stone Edge. This is an excellent pokemon, therefore, I can apply pressure on the opponent, but it requires some good prediction. With Mamoswine being hard to switch into a pokemon will usually go down making it easier for Infernape to take things down.
With these EVs and assuming they don't have scarf or agility boosts Mamos will outspeed Tyranitar, Empoleon, Magnezone, and Scizor. Outspeeding Scizor may not sound like alot but if Scizor switches into EQ and and SR is up Ice Shard will finish him off. 252 Attack EVs make him a much bigger threat with his hard to predict moves and is there really a reason not to run 252 Attack EVs on this guy? I dumped the rest of the EVs(64) into HP because his HP stat his bigger than his Defense and Special Defense stats.
Recap:
- Switch into Electric attacks
- EQ, Ice Fang, and Stone Edge make switching in hard to do
- Use Ice Shard to revenge kill
- Take down Dragons locked into Outrage with Ice Shard
Zapdos@Leftovers
Nature:Timid (+Spe -Atk)
EVs:4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Roost: Heal it up
-Thunderbolt: STAB, takes care of Water types for Infernape
-Heat Wave: Takes down Scizor and Lucario
-Hidden Power Ice: Takes down ground types Zapdos switches into
Zapdos takes the Ground attacks for the team and can hit back with HP Ice, HP Ice will also hit Salamence, Gliscor, and incoming Flygon. Thunderbolt will take out Gyarados, Tentacruel, and Vaporeon which will help out Infernape alot. Heat Wave will take down Lucario who can easily revenge kill Infernape with Extreme Speed later on.
I went with Leftovers over Life Orb because of Stealth Rock and Zapdos usually gets the KOs it needs without Life Orb's damage boost, I don't think I need 3 LO users anyway, as the recoil can really wear down my team and increase it's fragility, although Vaporeon's Wishpassing abilities go someway to fixing this issue.
These EVs are pretty normal in Special Sweepers, 252 Special Attack EVs to maximize power, 252 Speed EVs to make sure it's going it's fastest and 4 HP EVs to give more life.
Recap:
- Switch into Ground types
- Hit annoying water types like Gyara, Tenta, and Starmie making it easier for Infernape
- Hit pokemon like Scizor and Lucario who can revenge kill Infernape
- Hit Ground types and Dragon types with HP Ice
Now onto,
The Threat List
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Green means they are not a problem for me.
Orange means they can cause a bit of trouble.
Red means they are very difficult to take down.
Offensive Threats:
Aerodactyl : Not common these days but Scizor kills him with Bullet Punch and Mamoswine with Shard. The lead version(most common Aero set) can also get killed by Azelf.
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Alakazam : Scizor does well if he doesn’t come in on focus blast. But if Scizor is down he can be a bit hard to take down, luckily Alakazam isn't used that much.
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Azelf : Same thing as Aerodactyl, only that he is more common and a bit harder to take down, but since Azelf is almost always a lead he isn't a huge problem.
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Breloom : Not that hard to take on let something low on HP take the Spore and get Azelf or Zapdos in to take the Focus Punch. Mamoswine, Scizor, and Infernape can also revenge kill him with Ice Shard, Bullet Punch, and Fire Blast.
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Dragonite : Mamoswine does well against all Dragonite sets Ice Shard/Fang will eliminate him, none of my pokemon really fear him either, Zapdos and Infernape both have HP Ice to deal with him.
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Dugtrio : After he has taken down a member Scizor can come in and deal with him thanks to Bullet Punch and Mamoswine with Ice Shard. Vaporeon isn't afraid of him either.
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Electivire : Most Electivire aren't very scary and Infernape, Zapdos, and Mamoswine can take care of him. If Vire didn't get a speed boost Nape's Fire Blast and Close Combat can take him out. Electivire also aren't very common.
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Empoloen : Vaporeon usually does a good job of taking out Empoleon and Zapdos/Scizor can come in and kill if he didn't get an Agility and in Scizor's case it doesn't matter. The SD Aqua Jet set can be a bigger problem if Vap isn't around though.
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Flygon : Flygon isn't very tough to take down, Vap can take his hits and Scizor/Mamoswine can finish him off with priorty.
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Gengar : Most Gengar I see run Life Orb and Scizor doesn't fear him much with Bullet Punch. Mamoswine can revenge kill him as well and Gengar can't OHKO Vaporeon or Zapdos.
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Gyarados : Vaporeon takes care of him with HP Elec and if it doesn't get a DD in Zapdos can take care of him.
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Heatran : Vaporeon can switch in to all of Heatran's moves on any set except Explosion which gets rid of itself. Can be a problem if Vaporeon is out but if Heatran isn't scarfed Nape's Close Combat takes care of it, Scizor/Mamoswine can also KO if it switches in to Superpower/EQ.
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Heracross : Don't see these very often but Vaporeon and Zapdos usually have it covered since most are Banded. Mamoswine's Ice Shard does a good revenge kill job as well, especially with CC Defense drops. Non-Scarf versions die to Nape's Fire Blast.
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Infernape : If Goku is against me, Vaporeon can take on most variants and Scizor can revenge kill if CC has been used and HP is around 25%. Zapdos isn't usually OHKOed and can take Nape down.
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Jirachi : There are a few different Jirachi but the most common are ScarfAchi and CM Jirachi. Zapdos can switch into most ScarfAchi attacks and Heat Wave and Heat Wave still does good damage to Jirachi if it only has 1 CM up. Vaporeon doesn't fear Scarf attacks as well but if Zapdos is down and CMs are set up if can be a problem.
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Jolteon : Mamoswine can switch into Thunderbolt/Charge Beam and Scizor can switch into HP Grass and Shadow Ball. If Mamoswine is gone and Specs is being ran he can be a problem.
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Kingdra : Kingdra can be a problem if Rain is up and/or he gets a Dragon Dance he can do some massive damage, sub sets are the worst, usually if I take it down 1-2 of my pokemon are down. Everyone hates Rain Dance.
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Latias : Any Latias not carrying HP Fire is destroyed by Scizor's U-Turn or Pursuit. Scizor/Mamoswine's priorty move does good too, if Azelf is still around(and with Latias, Azelf is around alot) Explosion takes care of it.
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Lucario : Zapdos can stop it if he doesn't get a SD up and if he sets up on Vap and he loses about 65% where Scizor can revenge kill him.
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Machamp : While Dynamic Punch confusion is annoying as hell Vaporeon can put up a fight with him and Mamoswine can come in, if he gets about 25% damage EQ him for a KO.
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Magnezone : Most Magnezone are scarfed but with Mamoswine and Vaporeon playing smartly I can take him easy, Scizor is also Magnezone bait but with Superpower he goes down.
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Mamoswine : Scizor can come in on the Ice Shard and deal with him with Bullet Punch but needs to watch out for Choice Band/Life Orb Earthquake, Vaporeon can also take him down with Surf while Nape can Close Combat him.
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Metagross : Zapdos can take a Meteor Mash/Bullet Punch and can easily come in on Earthquake and Heat Wave back. Vaporeon doesn't worry about Meta's that don't carry Thunder Punch and Infernape can Fire Blast him.
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Porygon-Z : Scarf Z still hits really hard with Downloaded STAB Tri-Attack and if Scizor is down, he can be a real problem.
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Rhyperior : Vaporeon's Surf will kill this thing as well as Nape's Grass Knot. Bullet Punch 2HKOes and he can't switch into Mamoswine. Just don't let it get +2 Speed and Attack and your fine.
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Salamence : Salamence is OHKOed by Zapdos/Infernape's Hidden Power Ice and Mamoswine's Ice Shard, Scizor's Bullet Punch will work as a nice revenge kill.
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Scizor : Zapdos and Vaporeon do a good job blocking Scizor and he cannot switch into Mamoswine's EQ because Ice Shard can than kill it. Infernape's Fire Blast also kills(obviously).
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Starmie : Vaporeon can block Starmie most of the time and Scizor can kill it with U-Turn but it is still a real pain in the ass.
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Togekiss : Mamoswine can come in on Thunder Waves and finish it with Ice Fang/Stone Edge as long as it doesn't carry Aura Sphere and revenge kill with Ice Shard. Scizor's Bullet Punch works as revenge kill and Zapdos's Thunderbolt will KO as well.
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Tyranitar : Scizor OHKOs with Bullet Punch and Superpower. Infernape revenge kills him with Close Combat and Mamoswine can outspeed non-scarf variants and KO with Earthquake.
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Weavile : Scizor does a good job of stopping this thing with Bullet Punch and Vaporeon can take it on. Infernape can stop it with Close Combat too.
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Defensive Threat List:
Blissey : Azelf, Scizor, and Infernape can all OHKO Blissey and Mamoswine can 2HKO with Earthquake, not a huge problem.
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Bronzong : Scizor comes in, U-turns into Salamence who can switch into Infernape or Zapdos and hit him with Fire, if it's the rare Heatproof carrying Zong, Mamoswine can take him down with EQ.
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Celebi : Infernape's Fire Blast is usually a OHKO and if it's damaged a bit Zapdos's Heat Wave can take it down. Mamoswine can revenge kill it with Ice Shard.
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Cresselia : Scizor's U-Turn puts a huge dent into Cresselia and than anything but Vaporeon can KO it from there.
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Donphan : While Donphan isn't seen as much Vaporeon can block him and Mamoswine 2HKOs with Ice Fang. Infernape can revenge kill with Grass Knot.
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Forretress : Infernape's Fire Blast and Zapdos's Heat Wave both will KO Forretress, Vaporeon and Mamoswine can 2HKO it.
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Gliscor : Zapdos, Mamoswine, and Vaporeon can all take on Gliscor without worry and Infernape can take it out with HP Ice but it wouldn't want to switch in.
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Hippowdon : Vaporeon's Surf can take him and Infernape's Grass Knot usually gets him, Mamoswine's Ice Fang does a good job as well.
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Rotom-A: Most Rotom-A are the Oven Forme and can completely block Scizor, Vaporeon, and Mamoswine. Azelf commonly hits Rotom-A switch-ins with Psychic and Zapdos can fight back with Heat Wave. Infernape and Mamoswine can revenge kill it with Fire Blast/Ice Shard, if Rotom is scarfed or has specs and is locked into Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt Scizor/Mamoswine can come in and attack. If Rotom isn't Oven Forme it doesn't scare me but Over Forme is the most common one.
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Skarmory : Azelf and Infernape's Fire Blast will both finish him as well as Zapdos's Heat Wave.
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Snorlax : Scizor’s CB Superpower murders him as well as Infernape's Close Combat and Mamoswine's EQ 2HKOes, just as long as Curse isn't up he's no problem but if it is he can be a problem but thanks to his lower speed I can KO before he rests the damage off.
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Suicune: Suicune is usually CroCune or CM Cune and CroCune can be a huge problem. If Zapdos doesn't stop it in time it can KO me and Rest off the damage.
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Swampert : Vaporeon can take on Pert and Nape's Grass Knot OHKOes it. It can't switch into Mamoswine because Earthquake 2HKOes.
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Tentacruel : One of the few Infernape blocks, while Zapdos and Azelf can take it on it is usually an annoyance.
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Vaporeon : Zapdos can take on Vaporeon with Thunderbolt and Vap cannot switch into Mamoswine's EQ because it 2HKOes. It, like Tentacruel, can be an annoyance at times.
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Zapdos : Zapdos blocks both Scizor and Vaporeon and Mamoswine cannot switch in, in fear of Heat Wave. My own Zapdos can weaken it with Thunderbolt while Infernape and Mamoswine can revenge kill it.
