This is just a quick RMT with a team I've had for a long time before XY hits the scene. I've used this team to get high ranks on the ladder and it's generally pretty consistent, although the increasing popularity of offensive Groudon and Arceus-Fighting with Toxic makes it sad. Most notably, I used it to qualify for the Ubers Sleep Clause test, which it did pretty quickly, though I made this team long before that. I had a lot of fun using this team but it probably won't be nearly as good in XY, so I guess its time to retire it. I've played ~200+ matches with it anyways, so I wanna do something else now lol.
It's Sand Offense if you're into that kind of thing. The team has two primary offensive cores - Latias/Arceus-Ghost and Rayquaza/Excadrill - that also compliment each other and focus on overwhelming the opposition by threatening sweeps and strong attacks at every turn. It took some getting used to since it lacks some of the bulk of my usual teams, but it's fun!
(The name of the team is the song I listened to while laddering with this team. It's awesome.)
Sets
Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Payback
- Fire Blast / Pursuit
- Superpower
This is usually my lead unless the opponent has a Groudon, in which case I lead with Rayquaza to bluff Draco Meteor and force it out, or Deoxys-A, in which case I lead Genesect and U-turn to Tyranitar so it dies to Sand. It sets up Stealth Rock consistently, OHKOes Deoxys formes with Payback, checks Ghost Arceus with Chople Berry, and is a good Lati@s and Scarf Palkia check. It's also my best check to Arceus-Ghost with Chople - it can take a hit, do a messload with Payback, and then Gene or Excadrill finishes it off. TTar is an all-around solid mon that hardly ever lets me down.
I use Payback over Crunch since it guarantees the kill on Deo-S with my Attack EVs and does more to Arceus-Ghost. I used to use Lum and I indeed used Lum for the Sleep Clause test, but I switched to Chople since this team didn't really have a good Arceus-Ghost check otherwise and I have a lot of Darkrai checks on this team. I used to have Pursuit on it since it helped trap Lati@s and wear down Scarfed Kyogre and Palkia, but this team was having trouble with SkarmBliss cores and Forretress was being too annoying so I slapped on Fire Blast and it's been working pretty well. I hardly ever used Pursuit anyway.
EVs give me enough Attack to OHKO Deoxys-S with Payback while maximizing special bulk. It takes Mewtwo LO Aura Sphere very easily with Chople as well.
Latias (F) @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 96 SAtk / 252 Spd / 160 HP
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Recover
She's cute. And she counters Kyogre, which is cool too I guess.
Latias is primarily here to counter Kyogre, though she also does a great job of checking Palkia and most CM Arceus, and defensive Groudon. She also helps weaken Steel-types for Rayquaza and Arceus-Ghost, provided the former hasn't made them explode yet. She and Arceus-Ghost share a lot of the same checks so it's usually pretty easy to wear them down so one can sweep.
I'm running a sand team so Thunder isn't the most reliable option and HP Fire is not good when she's meant to switch in on Kyogre. Psyshock also lets me quickly kill Arceus-Fighting who is otherwise a jerk. Spikers like Forry can set up on her but I can usually abuse this to get free switches for Excadrill and Rayquaza. I like Calm Mind on this team since she can sometimes grab a sweep on her own with my offensive core destroying a lot of her checks.
EVs give me enough SpA to always KO Palkia with Dragon Pulse after Stealth Rock which is good enough for me. Rest goes into Speed and bulk to help tank hits from Kyogre (mainly Scarf Ice Beam).
Arceus-Ghost @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Focus Blast
- Recover
General soft-check to everything and an incredibly deadly sweeper. Most notably stops Scarf Terrakion from wrecking my team. We all know how deadly this thing is. It shares a lot of checks with Latias (most notably Forretress) and is nice to lead with early-game to put holes into things if need be. I'll sometimes lead with it against teams that have Groudon but no Ho-Oh to start nabbing Calm Minds. Also, it spinblocks and is useful against opposing offensive teams.
This is also my main check to EKiller. When it comes it I hit it as hard as I can with whatever mon I have out as it sets up, then I immediately go to Arceus-ghost and Focus Blast which Koes after the initiall attack + a few rounds of sand damage. If it misses I have Excadrill and Genesect to emergency check it so EKiller is usually safely handled.
Not much to explain here aside from the EVs. I wanted a mix of bulk and power, but still wanted max Speed. I have enough bulk to survive Latios Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock + 1 Layer of Spikes and enough SpA to deal good damage to Forretress, Ho-Oh, and SpD Kyogre. It's odd, but it does what it needs to do most of the time.
Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 Spd / 8 SAtk
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Ice Beam
- Explosion
I wanted a fast Pokemon on this team that wasn't weather dependent and Genesect fits the bill nicely. He revenge kills Rayquaza and is a superb check to Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Shaymin-S. He provides a second Dragon resist too, but he's frail so I have to be careful into switching him into stuff like Draco Meteor. Most things people use to tank his U-turns (like Dialga) can be taken advantage of by my sweepers, so he's a great scout. I sometimes lead with him just to Ice Beam lead Groudon for huge damage early game since most expect me to U-turn immediately, which goes a long way towards winning the weather war.
Moveset is standard, with Naive over Hasty to help tank Extremespeeds from Rayquaza and the like. i run 248 Speed to underspeed enemy Genesect and get switch advantage with U-turn in case I find myself in a Genesect vs. Genesect situation (not uncommon). Explosion has won me a few games against Ho-Oh and defensive Kyogre so I do not plan on replacing it anytime soon, plus it can be used to emergency kill Extremekiller or things like Arceus-Fighting/Water if it gets too out of hand.
Rayquaza @ Life Orb
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Dragon Claw
- ExtremeSpeed
- Swords Dance
Checks weather sweepers and kills stall teams. +2 V-create is absolutely ridiculous since it nukes just about any physical wall you can think of. Only Rock Arceus can really handle it and that is usually Excadrill bait. Rayquaza is one of the most valuable members of this team as it usually paves the way for a sweep later and it stops me from getting swept by Kabutops and Excadrill. It synergizes very well with Excadrill due to complimentary typing and shared checks, and either one can easily pull off a sweep lategame.
I like SD over Mixed since it gives me a more powerful Extremespeed and sweeping potential. V-create is ridiculously strong, unboosted it can do ~70% to most Arceus formes and at +2 it cleanly OHKOes support Groudon which is crazy. Dragon Claw is only really there for Giratina and Palkia that come in predicting V-create, most of the time I use it to revenge things with Extremespeed or slam something into the ground with V-create. It also helps check Scarf Kyogre and sort of Scarf Palkia since it can set up on choiced Water attacks.
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Monster. This thing just cleans house lategame. With sand up it outspeeds the whole metagame and at +2 OHKOes most of it with STAB Earthquake. It also counters Zekrom, checks Dialga, provides a second Dragon resistance, backup checks EKiller, and spins for Rayquaza. Its counters are generally easy to remove - support Groudon is lured and killed by Rayquaza, and Skarmory/Giratina are easily worn down. Giratina-O also struggles to stay alive in a sandstorm for long and is easily hurt badly or killed by the rest of my team. I use Rock Slide over Iron Head as I needed something that could OHKO Ho-Oh and flinchhax is nice against Lugia and occasionally Skarmory and Giratina-O. It, Genesect, and Arceus-Ghost make opposing offensive teams very, very sad. It and Rayquaza combined usually walk over most Stall teams as well.
I'll probably be using this beast again in X and Y to Iron Head dem Fairies. :)
I like max Speed to beat those Excadrill who only run enough to get by Scarf Terrakion. EVs are pretty basic here.
Main Threats
Offensive Groudon - Hits everything really hard and can outspeed Excadrill despite me having max Speed which is not cool. Rock Polish Groudon with Life Orb is the biggest threat, sweeping this team very easily if Latias and Arceus-Ghost are weakened or dead. I might use a bulkier Arceus-Ghost to help combat this thing.
Toxic Arceus-Fighting - I hate it. It can Toxic Latias and Arceus-Ghost and then retreat until they succumb to sand and poison damage, at which point it can pretty much sweep the rest of my team. I can beat it but it's a bugger to kill.
Shaymin-S - I have multiple checks but it's hard to switch into. Latias can kind of handle it but Air Slash and sand suuuuuuucks. X_X
Arceus-Water - I can beat it with Latias but it can do a number on everyone else.
Conclusion
Shoutouts to everyone who helped keep Ubers alive in 5th Gen. Let's make Gen 6 a good one!Do not hesitate to ban Chandelure if it ever gets Shadow Tag I don't care if you have to invent a new clause for it.
It's Sand Offense if you're into that kind of thing. The team has two primary offensive cores - Latias/Arceus-Ghost and Rayquaza/Excadrill - that also compliment each other and focus on overwhelming the opposition by threatening sweeps and strong attacks at every turn. It took some getting used to since it lacks some of the bulk of my usual teams, but it's fun!
(The name of the team is the song I listened to while laddering with this team. It's awesome.)
Sets
Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Payback
- Fire Blast / Pursuit
- Superpower
This is usually my lead unless the opponent has a Groudon, in which case I lead with Rayquaza to bluff Draco Meteor and force it out, or Deoxys-A, in which case I lead Genesect and U-turn to Tyranitar so it dies to Sand. It sets up Stealth Rock consistently, OHKOes Deoxys formes with Payback, checks Ghost Arceus with Chople Berry, and is a good Lati@s and Scarf Palkia check. It's also my best check to Arceus-Ghost with Chople - it can take a hit, do a messload with Payback, and then Gene or Excadrill finishes it off. TTar is an all-around solid mon that hardly ever lets me down.
I use Payback over Crunch since it guarantees the kill on Deo-S with my Attack EVs and does more to Arceus-Ghost. I used to use Lum and I indeed used Lum for the Sleep Clause test, but I switched to Chople since this team didn't really have a good Arceus-Ghost check otherwise and I have a lot of Darkrai checks on this team. I used to have Pursuit on it since it helped trap Lati@s and wear down Scarfed Kyogre and Palkia, but this team was having trouble with SkarmBliss cores and Forretress was being too annoying so I slapped on Fire Blast and it's been working pretty well. I hardly ever used Pursuit anyway.
EVs give me enough Attack to OHKO Deoxys-S with Payback while maximizing special bulk. It takes Mewtwo LO Aura Sphere very easily with Chople as well.
Latias (F) @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 96 SAtk / 252 Spd / 160 HP
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Recover
She's cute. And she counters Kyogre, which is cool too I guess.
Latias is primarily here to counter Kyogre, though she also does a great job of checking Palkia and most CM Arceus, and defensive Groudon. She also helps weaken Steel-types for Rayquaza and Arceus-Ghost, provided the former hasn't made them explode yet. She and Arceus-Ghost share a lot of the same checks so it's usually pretty easy to wear them down so one can sweep.
I'm running a sand team so Thunder isn't the most reliable option and HP Fire is not good when she's meant to switch in on Kyogre. Psyshock also lets me quickly kill Arceus-Fighting who is otherwise a jerk. Spikers like Forry can set up on her but I can usually abuse this to get free switches for Excadrill and Rayquaza. I like Calm Mind on this team since she can sometimes grab a sweep on her own with my offensive core destroying a lot of her checks.
EVs give me enough SpA to always KO Palkia with Dragon Pulse after Stealth Rock which is good enough for me. Rest goes into Speed and bulk to help tank hits from Kyogre (mainly Scarf Ice Beam).
Arceus-Ghost @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Focus Blast
- Recover
General soft-check to everything and an incredibly deadly sweeper. Most notably stops Scarf Terrakion from wrecking my team. We all know how deadly this thing is. It shares a lot of checks with Latias (most notably Forretress) and is nice to lead with early-game to put holes into things if need be. I'll sometimes lead with it against teams that have Groudon but no Ho-Oh to start nabbing Calm Minds. Also, it spinblocks and is useful against opposing offensive teams.
This is also my main check to EKiller. When it comes it I hit it as hard as I can with whatever mon I have out as it sets up, then I immediately go to Arceus-ghost and Focus Blast which Koes after the initiall attack + a few rounds of sand damage. If it misses I have Excadrill and Genesect to emergency check it so EKiller is usually safely handled.
Not much to explain here aside from the EVs. I wanted a mix of bulk and power, but still wanted max Speed. I have enough bulk to survive Latios Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock + 1 Layer of Spikes and enough SpA to deal good damage to Forretress, Ho-Oh, and SpD Kyogre. It's odd, but it does what it needs to do most of the time.
Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 Spd / 8 SAtk
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Ice Beam
- Explosion
I wanted a fast Pokemon on this team that wasn't weather dependent and Genesect fits the bill nicely. He revenge kills Rayquaza and is a superb check to Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Shaymin-S. He provides a second Dragon resist too, but he's frail so I have to be careful into switching him into stuff like Draco Meteor. Most things people use to tank his U-turns (like Dialga) can be taken advantage of by my sweepers, so he's a great scout. I sometimes lead with him just to Ice Beam lead Groudon for huge damage early game since most expect me to U-turn immediately, which goes a long way towards winning the weather war.
Moveset is standard, with Naive over Hasty to help tank Extremespeeds from Rayquaza and the like. i run 248 Speed to underspeed enemy Genesect and get switch advantage with U-turn in case I find myself in a Genesect vs. Genesect situation (not uncommon). Explosion has won me a few games against Ho-Oh and defensive Kyogre so I do not plan on replacing it anytime soon, plus it can be used to emergency kill Extremekiller or things like Arceus-Fighting/Water if it gets too out of hand.
Rayquaza @ Life Orb
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Dragon Claw
- ExtremeSpeed
- Swords Dance
Checks weather sweepers and kills stall teams. +2 V-create is absolutely ridiculous since it nukes just about any physical wall you can think of. Only Rock Arceus can really handle it and that is usually Excadrill bait. Rayquaza is one of the most valuable members of this team as it usually paves the way for a sweep later and it stops me from getting swept by Kabutops and Excadrill. It synergizes very well with Excadrill due to complimentary typing and shared checks, and either one can easily pull off a sweep lategame.
I like SD over Mixed since it gives me a more powerful Extremespeed and sweeping potential. V-create is ridiculously strong, unboosted it can do ~70% to most Arceus formes and at +2 it cleanly OHKOes support Groudon which is crazy. Dragon Claw is only really there for Giratina and Palkia that come in predicting V-create, most of the time I use it to revenge things with Extremespeed or slam something into the ground with V-create. It also helps check Scarf Kyogre and sort of Scarf Palkia since it can set up on choiced Water attacks.
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Monster. This thing just cleans house lategame. With sand up it outspeeds the whole metagame and at +2 OHKOes most of it with STAB Earthquake. It also counters Zekrom, checks Dialga, provides a second Dragon resistance, backup checks EKiller, and spins for Rayquaza. Its counters are generally easy to remove - support Groudon is lured and killed by Rayquaza, and Skarmory/Giratina are easily worn down. Giratina-O also struggles to stay alive in a sandstorm for long and is easily hurt badly or killed by the rest of my team. I use Rock Slide over Iron Head as I needed something that could OHKO Ho-Oh and flinchhax is nice against Lugia and occasionally Skarmory and Giratina-O. It, Genesect, and Arceus-Ghost make opposing offensive teams very, very sad. It and Rayquaza combined usually walk over most Stall teams as well.
I'll probably be using this beast again in X and Y to Iron Head dem Fairies. :)
I like max Speed to beat those Excadrill who only run enough to get by Scarf Terrakion. EVs are pretty basic here.
Main Threats
Offensive Groudon - Hits everything really hard and can outspeed Excadrill despite me having max Speed which is not cool. Rock Polish Groudon with Life Orb is the biggest threat, sweeping this team very easily if Latias and Arceus-Ghost are weakened or dead. I might use a bulkier Arceus-Ghost to help combat this thing.
Toxic Arceus-Fighting - I hate it. It can Toxic Latias and Arceus-Ghost and then retreat until they succumb to sand and poison damage, at which point it can pretty much sweep the rest of my team. I can beat it but it's a bugger to kill.
Shaymin-S - I have multiple checks but it's hard to switch into. Latias can kind of handle it but Air Slash and sand suuuuuuucks. X_X
Arceus-Water - I can beat it with Latias but it can do a number on everyone else.
Conclusion
Shoutouts to everyone who helped keep Ubers alive in 5th Gen. Let's make Gen 6 a good one!
Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Payback
- Fire Blast
- Superpower
Latias (F) @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 96 SAtk / 252 Spd / 160 HP
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Recover
Arceus-Ghost @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Focus Blast
- Recover
Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 Spd / 8 SAtk
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Ice Beam
- Explosion
Rayquaza @ Life Orb
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Dragon Claw
- ExtremeSpeed
- Swords Dance
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Payback
- Fire Blast
- Superpower
Latias (F) @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 96 SAtk / 252 Spd / 160 HP
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Recover
Arceus-Ghost @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Focus Blast
- Recover
Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 Spd / 8 SAtk
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Ice Beam
- Explosion
Rayquaza @ Life Orb
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Dragon Claw
- ExtremeSpeed
- Swords Dance
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
