In case you don't know who adman2 is, I mainly play as SaunterDownwards and TestingDownwards on Showdown.
I was fond of heavily offensive teams ever since my Pokemon Pearl Rain Dance Wifi team. My Wifi "double dragon" team of Garchomp and Haxorus back in early BW was a lot of fun for me too. Nothing was immune to Dragon then, so you could overpower everything with Outrage after the enemy's Steel type was eliminated. Now that Gamefreak has made the Fairy type, such silliness is much less viable now. Flying types have filled that power vacuum in XY and ORAS. My team so far has done well on the lower ladder, but falters when confronted with common threats.
The team as it was when I slapped it together:
Swellow @ Toxic Orb, Guts
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Special Defense, Jolly
Facade
Brave Bird
Protect
U-Turn
Swellow is one of the main sweepers of the team Guts Facade is stronger than Brave Bird on neutral hits, and without that nasty recoil. Brave Bird is for super-effective hits or the occasional Gengar or Scizor. U-Turn provides momentum if Swellow is faster and runs into a bad matchup. The problem is, Normal and Bug do not complement Flying very well, and Swellow will often have to sit there until late game. Stealth Rock damage, Brave Bird recoil, and poison damage wear it down quickly too. However, the real problem is Scarfers and priority. Raw Speed doesn't carry you as far as it used to. Scarfed Keldeo and Landorus-Therian scare him the most. Should I switch it out for Mega Pinsir, Staraptor, or another Flying type I haven't mentioned?
Talonflame @ Choice Band, Gale Wings
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP, Adamant
Brave Bird
Flare Blitz
Steel Wing
U-Turn
Talonflame is the star of the team. Choice Band makes for a good revenge killer as well as sweeping in the late game. Flare Blitz gives it the coverage Swellow could only wish for. Stealth Rock is the bane of any Fire/Flying type, and Steel Wing is a filler move in case I run into a rare Diancie. However, it can be played around easily like all Choice users. All of its most powerful moves are recoil as well. Should I try a bulky or Swords Dance set to solve this problem?
Latias @ Mega Stone, Levitate
248 HP, 252 Special Attack, 8 Special Defense, Modest
Defog
Roost
Draco Meteor
Psyshock
I'm not so good at EVing myself, so I mainly rely on Showdown's questionable spreads. This is meant to get rid of entry hazards, and occasionally hit hard with Draco Meteor. Of course, Steel and Fairy types are common enough that its coverage with Psyshock is limited. Perhaps I should change the nature and Special Attack EVs into Special Defense, and maybe swap out Draco Meteor if it's going to stay in longer. The Mega Stone might go too if the team raters think something else can serve the Mega Evolution slot better. U-Turns, Bisharp Pursuits, and other things hurt Latias. Still, it helps to have a Defogger that isn't weak to Rock or Electric and can take Special attacks.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers, Sand Stream
252 HP, 252 Special Defense, 4 Attack, Careful
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Roar
Crunch
I've experimented a bit with this Tyranitar. Crunch used to be Stealth Rock, for example. Sandstorm is mainly there for the Special Defense boost, which only Focus Blasts can get through. It is meant to counter Talonflame, Latias, Volcarona, and other things that might cause problems with this team. As with most team members, Bisharp is a serious problem. Earthquake is mainly for Heatran. A pretty valuable member of the team, I think.
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf, Magnet Pull
252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Thunderbolt
Flash Cannon
Hidden Power Fire
Volt Switch
Many players on the ladder underestimate how big of a threat Magnezone is. I don't see as many Skarmorys now, but I've taken out Ferrothorns, Scizors, and even the odd Bisharp or Klefki with this thing. It can revenge kill a weakened Mega Metagross if needed too. Magnezone is a great complement to Flying sweepers. The Scarf is there if it needs to take out fast Water or Flying types. I often lead with Magnezone, as some people send their Steel types first, or it can Volt Switch out, assuming the lead is not the ubiquitous Landorus Therian. Some players higher on the ladder have wised up and put Shed Shell on their Ferrothorns and Skarmorys, making for a much more difficult battle.
And for the true weak link and least valuable player on this team *drumroll*
HITMONTOP! @ Leftovers, Intimidate
252 HP, 252 Defense, 4 Attack, Impish
Rapid Spin
Hi Jump Kick
Stone Edge
Mach Punch
This thing is easily the worst member of the team. I thought it would be good for a backup to Latias's entry hazard removal, as well as dealing with Tyranitar and bulky Normal types. The problem is, either Hitmontop or my spread for him seems rather weak even with Hi Jump Kick, which also has bad consequences for missing. Even with its bulky spread and Intimidate, physical attackers tend to wear him down pretty quickly. I know I want to replace him, but what might be a good teammate? A true "jack of all trades, master of none". With this Hitmontop build, emphasize the "master of none" part.
Are there any major threats that I haven't accounted for here? What changes might take this team to the top of the ladder?
EDIT: Garchomp and Mega Sableye are problems for this team too. Mega Sableye can Will-O-Wisp Tyranitar, Knock Off items, and laugh at Hitmontop. Garchomp can Earthquake Tyranitar and Magnezone, Outrage Latias, and Stone Edge the Flying types. You can see an example of this team's weaknesses here:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-205011151
I was fond of heavily offensive teams ever since my Pokemon Pearl Rain Dance Wifi team. My Wifi "double dragon" team of Garchomp and Haxorus back in early BW was a lot of fun for me too. Nothing was immune to Dragon then, so you could overpower everything with Outrage after the enemy's Steel type was eliminated. Now that Gamefreak has made the Fairy type, such silliness is much less viable now. Flying types have filled that power vacuum in XY and ORAS. My team so far has done well on the lower ladder, but falters when confronted with common threats.
The team as it was when I slapped it together:
Swellow @ Toxic Orb, Guts
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Special Defense, Jolly
Facade
Brave Bird
Protect
U-Turn
Swellow is one of the main sweepers of the team Guts Facade is stronger than Brave Bird on neutral hits, and without that nasty recoil. Brave Bird is for super-effective hits or the occasional Gengar or Scizor. U-Turn provides momentum if Swellow is faster and runs into a bad matchup. The problem is, Normal and Bug do not complement Flying very well, and Swellow will often have to sit there until late game. Stealth Rock damage, Brave Bird recoil, and poison damage wear it down quickly too. However, the real problem is Scarfers and priority. Raw Speed doesn't carry you as far as it used to. Scarfed Keldeo and Landorus-Therian scare him the most. Should I switch it out for Mega Pinsir, Staraptor, or another Flying type I haven't mentioned?
Talonflame @ Choice Band, Gale Wings
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP, Adamant
Brave Bird
Flare Blitz
Steel Wing
U-Turn
Talonflame is the star of the team. Choice Band makes for a good revenge killer as well as sweeping in the late game. Flare Blitz gives it the coverage Swellow could only wish for. Stealth Rock is the bane of any Fire/Flying type, and Steel Wing is a filler move in case I run into a rare Diancie. However, it can be played around easily like all Choice users. All of its most powerful moves are recoil as well. Should I try a bulky or Swords Dance set to solve this problem?
Latias @ Mega Stone, Levitate
248 HP, 252 Special Attack, 8 Special Defense, Modest
Defog
Roost
Draco Meteor
Psyshock
I'm not so good at EVing myself, so I mainly rely on Showdown's questionable spreads. This is meant to get rid of entry hazards, and occasionally hit hard with Draco Meteor. Of course, Steel and Fairy types are common enough that its coverage with Psyshock is limited. Perhaps I should change the nature and Special Attack EVs into Special Defense, and maybe swap out Draco Meteor if it's going to stay in longer. The Mega Stone might go too if the team raters think something else can serve the Mega Evolution slot better. U-Turns, Bisharp Pursuits, and other things hurt Latias. Still, it helps to have a Defogger that isn't weak to Rock or Electric and can take Special attacks.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers, Sand Stream
252 HP, 252 Special Defense, 4 Attack, Careful
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Roar
Crunch
I've experimented a bit with this Tyranitar. Crunch used to be Stealth Rock, for example. Sandstorm is mainly there for the Special Defense boost, which only Focus Blasts can get through. It is meant to counter Talonflame, Latias, Volcarona, and other things that might cause problems with this team. As with most team members, Bisharp is a serious problem. Earthquake is mainly for Heatran. A pretty valuable member of the team, I think.
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf, Magnet Pull
252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Thunderbolt
Flash Cannon
Hidden Power Fire
Volt Switch
Many players on the ladder underestimate how big of a threat Magnezone is. I don't see as many Skarmorys now, but I've taken out Ferrothorns, Scizors, and even the odd Bisharp or Klefki with this thing. It can revenge kill a weakened Mega Metagross if needed too. Magnezone is a great complement to Flying sweepers. The Scarf is there if it needs to take out fast Water or Flying types. I often lead with Magnezone, as some people send their Steel types first, or it can Volt Switch out, assuming the lead is not the ubiquitous Landorus Therian. Some players higher on the ladder have wised up and put Shed Shell on their Ferrothorns and Skarmorys, making for a much more difficult battle.
And for the true weak link and least valuable player on this team *drumroll*
HITMONTOP! @ Leftovers, Intimidate
252 HP, 252 Defense, 4 Attack, Impish
Rapid Spin
Hi Jump Kick
Stone Edge
Mach Punch
This thing is easily the worst member of the team. I thought it would be good for a backup to Latias's entry hazard removal, as well as dealing with Tyranitar and bulky Normal types. The problem is, either Hitmontop or my spread for him seems rather weak even with Hi Jump Kick, which also has bad consequences for missing. Even with its bulky spread and Intimidate, physical attackers tend to wear him down pretty quickly. I know I want to replace him, but what might be a good teammate? A true "jack of all trades, master of none". With this Hitmontop build, emphasize the "master of none" part.
Are there any major threats that I haven't accounted for here? What changes might take this team to the top of the ladder?
EDIT: Garchomp and Mega Sableye are problems for this team too. Mega Sableye can Will-O-Wisp Tyranitar, Knock Off items, and laugh at Hitmontop. Garchomp can Earthquake Tyranitar and Magnezone, Outrage Latias, and Stone Edge the Flying types. You can see an example of this team's weaknesses here:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-205011151
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