credit to Ted Nasmith for the banner art of Storm's End
Introduction
Hi everyone! I'm Zedseayou, and I've been casually lurking among competitive Pokemon communities for a while now, especially here. I decided to make an RMT to showcase one of my more effective teams on WiFi OU recently, improve my battling, and of course to introduce myself to you lovely folks :D
Without further ado, welcome to the Laughing Storm.
Team-Building Process
Without further ado, welcome to the Laughing Storm.
Team-Building Process
This is a team I built around Sandslash, one of BW2's more overlooked additions. With its DW ability, Sand Rush, it provides surprising speed in sand in this speed-dominated metagame.
Of course, Sand Rush is nothing without Sand, so I need an inducer. Of Tyranitar and Hippowdown, I chose the former as it is far less defensive. I had previously used the Dragon Dance set to great effect as Ttar could often setup, so I put that on.
As everyone will know, rain teams got a huge boost to their arsenal with Tornadus-T and Thundurus-T. I therefore chose Celebi as a standby against rain, tanking water attacks and using SE Giga Drain to stay alive.
In order to tackle the rampant Fighting types in the tier looking to take a chunk out of Tyranitar, I added a Bulky Gyarados to come in and Intimidate them. I noticed how infuriating having attack lowered by Landorus-T was getting as its usage rose, so I figured this would do something similar but synergise better with Celebi.
To complete an offensive core, I added two of the most threatening Pokemon on both sides of the spectrum - LO Alakazam and SD Terrakion as a setup sweeper. Both had the benefit of immunity to sandstorm. This also allowed me to change DDTar to a Scarfed Variant, making it more durable and less likely to lose the weather war.
Unfortunately, Alakazam gave me three pokemon cripplingly weak to Bug, forced out by the threat of U-Turn and ensuring I had zero momentum. Terrakion also had significant coverage overlap with Tyranitar, and was too easily walled by bulky waters which Alakazam could not touch. I consequently sacrificed some speed to replace them with two bulkier pokemon. Zapdos provided a stop to Tornadus (-T) with HP Ice and Roost, while Conkeldurr could recover off damage from the likes of Vaporeon and abuse STAB Mach Punch.
Zapdos was being troubled by its weakness to Stealth Rock and lack of Electric resistance (I wish Lightningrod had been released...). Additionally, although none of Sandslash, Celebi or Zapdos could be OHKOed by Ice Shard, this triple weakness made playing around Mamoswine and Kyurem difficult. I decided I needed a Steel-type and settled for Mixrachi. With some minor adjustments to movesets, the Laughing Storm was complete.
Type Synergy
As you can see, the addition of Jirachi means I have a resistance for every type, and no more than 2 pokemon weak to any team.
credit to Pokemon Marriland for the chart tool
In-Depth
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Jolly | Sand Stream | Male
252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Spe
Crunch | Pursuit | Stone Edge | Superpower
Choice Scarf Tyranitar is one of the most effective Tyranitar sets I've ever used. With a scarf and Jolly 252 Spe, Ttar outspeeds all base 115s and below, including Starmie, Espeon, Gengar, Azelf and Lati@s. This means it can fulfill the role of both trapper and revenge killer. Pursuit allows me to trap the aforementioned weakened Ghost/Psychics, and Crunch can get the OHKO on hazard/screen leads before they set up. Scarftar also has an element of surprise value since most Ttar are CB or SDef variants: Ninetales trying to get a Will-o-Wisp on lead Tyranitar end up getting OHKOed by Stone Edge. Superpower also allows Scarftar a solid revenge on Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Lucario, as well as OHKOing opposing lead Tyranitar not running Chople Berry. I also often lead with Ttar against opposing Smeargle SmashPass teams, since I can knock them to Focus Sash before I get Spored and let Sandstorm do the rest.
Of course, we mustn't forget the original reason Tyranitar is here, and that is Sand Stream. Although I wouldn't call this a dedicated sand team, with only a single abuser, being able to nullify opposing rain and sun with a switch-in is incredibly useful. Pokemon such as Toxicroak, Tornadus and Venusaur are all much easier to deal with once their weather is removed.
Sandslash @ Ground Gem
Jolly | Sand Rush | Male
252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Spe
Earthquake | Stone Edge | Rapid Spin | Swords Dance
Sandslash is the original reason for this team's existence, and it does not disappoint. With a Jolly nature and Sand Rush, it hits 502 Speed, enough to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame as well as threats including +2 Cloyster and Metagross and +1 Salamence and Landorus. This means it can pull off a Rapid Spin against almost any opponent, especially since Tyranitar is so adept at eliminating enemy Ghosts. Earthquake and Stone Edge make up the classic EdgeQuake combo, providing great coverage across the board and allowing Sandslash to KO threats including Jirachi and Dragonite. I have generally found Swords Dance to be superior to a coverage move such as Night Slash, since with Ground Gem even 252/252 Jellicent is OHKOed at +2. In the lategame, Sandslash is often able to attempt a cleanup sweep against a weakened team with no remaining priority (Scizor).
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Brave | Guts | Male
72 HP | 252 Atk | 184 SDef | 0 Spe IV
Bulk Up | Drain Punch | Mach Punch | Payback
Conkeldurr shines in a metagame full of setup opportunites, including the pink blobs, Tyranitar, Ferrothorn and Forretress. Often just a single Bulk Up will allow Conk to severely dent opposing pokemon with Drain Punch, as well as adequately tank hits from the likes of Gliscor and Landorus who come in to try and wall Conkeldurr. Consistently Conkeldurr is able to simply Bulk Up on a forced switch, tank the incoming counter and recover with Drain Punch, and finish with Mach Punch. Few special attackers not named Alakazam/Espeon/Tornadus are capable of OHKOing Conkeldurr. Payback allows Conkeldurr to hit Ghost types, as well as providing good coverage on Flying and Psychic types that resist Drain Punch.
The EVs are designed to hit a Leftover number +1, while maximizing Conkeldurr's Attack so Drain Punch can hit off the bat if need be. The relatively low HP investment increases the %recovery of Drain Punch slightly, which is beneficial in hitting switchins that are hoping to come in on a Bulk Up. A Brave nature and 0 Spe IV minimize Conkeldurr's Speed, to ensure that Payback hits at max power most of the time (notably against Slowbro, which loses if it carries Psyshock or Fire Blast over Psychic.) The remainder is dumped into SDef, which is not boosted by Bulk Up, reducing hits taken from stray Volt Switches and Scalds. Speaking of which, Conkeldurr is often my switch into Scalds/Lava Plumes/Body Slams, since with Guts Drain Punch + Mach Punch it can get many unresisted KOs.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Modest | Natural Cure | Genderless
176 HP | 220 SAtk | 112 Spe
Leaf Storm | Psychic | Hidden Power [Fire] | Stealth Rock
This pixie is possibly one of the most useful mons on my team. A great Grass/Psychic typing gives resistances to Water, Electric, Ground and Fighting, allowing Celebi to wall many of the Pokemon commonly found on rain teams. Celebi is my most used lead, since if it comes in on Pokemon like Politoed or Breloom I can often force a switch and get rocks up for free.
Leaf Storm is the only Grass type move on the team, vital for dealing with bulky waters such as Gastrodon and Swampert. The power increase over Giga Drain makes up for the lack of recovery, I've found - few Pokemon weak to Grass will stay in on Celebi anyway, so I prefer a solid ~40% off Tornadus-T since I would have to switch anyway regardless of the SAtk drop. Psychic provides reliable neutral STAB, as well as being my primary check to Breloom and Toxicroak. HP Fire has lost some of its surprise value, since so many Celebi now carry it, but it is still worth carrying for the 4x hits on Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress and Genesect. I will often Psychic Forretress to break Sturdy before KOing with HP Fire when not in rain. Unfortunately, it does only ~25% to most Jirachi.
Celebi's EVs provide surprising bulk without significant investment in defenses. 176 HP EVs puts me at Leftovers +1, while 112 Spe EVs ensure I outspeed Jolly Breloom and can OHKO before I get Spored. The remainder is dumped in SAtk with Modest to boost the power of Celebi's neutral hits (which most of them will be).
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Impish | Intimidate | Male
218 HP | 252 Def | 38 SDef
Waterfall | Dragon Tail | Thunder Wave | Taunt
Gyarados is my switch-in to most physical attackers, including Terrakion, Infernape, Landorus and such like. He easily tanks Close Combats, Flare Blitzes and U-Turns from these pokemon, and can deal with Stone Edges too if they have been intimidated. Waterfall provides obligatory STAB, dealing good damage to Pokemon like Mamoswine and Landorus-T that Gyarados comes in on. Thunder Wave is great for crippling offensive threats that are not weak to water: Venusaur, Kyurem and the Lati twins are examples. This is especially useful since most of my team is not particularly fast, and in some cases it can prevent Tyranitar’s scarf from being revealed. I am usually wary of paralysing Pokemon such as DD Dragonite and Haxorus, however, since they often carry Lum Berry. Dragon Tail deals nicely with such mons, as well as Pokemon that decide to U-Turn or switch out of Gyarados having been Intimidated - allowing me to see what their intended counter was and replace it with something more favourable. Taunt is an extremely useful move that prevents Ferrothorn coming in and setting up, but more importantly pokemon such as Toxicroak and Gliscor, who are difficult to deal with if they get both Substitute and Swords Dance up. Taunt also provides a failsafe against Baton Pass chains: it not only prevents Substitutes and stat-boosting moves but Baton Pass itself, ensuring that a switch is unlikely. If Taunt hits Protect, I can simply phaze out the switch-in.
The EVs are designed to maximize Gyarados’ physical Defense, hitting a Leftovers number +1 and putting the rest into SDef. Few neutral or resisted physical attackers can deal significant damage to Gyarados at -1, but without reliable recovery I sometimes avoid keeping sand up when Gyarados is important, to preserve Leftovers.
Jirachi @ Shuca Berry
Rash | Serene Grace | Genderless
120 Atk | 168 SAtk | 220 Spe
Hidden Power [Ice] | Thunderbolt | Fire Punch | Iron Head
Mixed Jirachi is a great set for surprising common switch-ins. Making my first moves Iron Head or Fire Punch can easily fake the classic paraflinch set, luring in Pokemon like Gliscor or Politoed only to take an HP Ice or Thunderbolt respectively. This set patches up a lot of weaknesses in the team: providing a resistance to Ice and Dragon as well as being able to take hits from Tornadus-T. When testing Jirachi over Zapdos, I found that despite the lack of weakness to Stealth Rock, I missed the Ground immunity more - Landorus and Scarf Landorus-T just became too threatening and could U-Turn on my forced switch. My solution was to give Jirachi Shuca Berry, preventing any OHKO from Earthquake or Earth Power by the aforementioned genies and OHKOing back with HP Ice. The only problem with this, of course, is that the utility diminishes if Jirachi takes too much damage - most Earthquakes do only ~60%, but Earth Power does ~80% which is getting tight with SR. HP Ice is the only Ice type move on this team, covering the Landorus (-T), Gliscor, Dragonite and Salamence. Thunderbolt does good damage to Politoed, Jellicent and Keldeo, as well as Flying types such as Tornadus (-T) and Togekiss. Fire Punch rounds out the coverage, hitting Genesect, Scizor and Magnezone. I prefer not to have to deal with Ferrothorn using Fire Punch, as Iron Barbs wears down Jirachi’s HP - Conkeldurr can use it as setup bait and Sandslash can spin away hazards later. Iron Head is a powerful STAB, great for abusing Serene Grace and bringing slower/paralysed Pokemon into KO range of another move. It also serves as good damage on Tyranitar and Mamoswine.
The EVs are designed to ensure Jirachi outspeeds Adamant Gliscor and Modest Kyurem, as well as slower threats such as Dragonite. 120 Atk guarantees an OHKO on uninvested Scizor after Stealth Rock, and the remainder is dumped in SAtk to increase the power of Thunderbolt.
credit to Arkeis PokemonFactory and Merum-SB-BlueOlimar for the various images.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading this RMT. I'd say this team still has some issues with Genesect+Rotom-W cores, which put a great deal of pressure on Celebi and Gyarados. This really is the only team I've made which I've kept going back to and changing/testing, so I'd love to see what you all think! Please rate, not only the team itself but also the RMT - I'd like to know if I should have explained/presented something more clearly!
Importable
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Jolly | Sand Stream | Male
252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Spe
Crunch | Pursuit | Stone Edge | Superpower
Choice Scarf Tyranitar is one of the most effective Tyranitar sets I've ever used. With a scarf and Jolly 252 Spe, Ttar outspeeds all base 115s and below, including Starmie, Espeon, Gengar, Azelf and Lati@s. This means it can fulfill the role of both trapper and revenge killer. Pursuit allows me to trap the aforementioned weakened Ghost/Psychics, and Crunch can get the OHKO on hazard/screen leads before they set up. Scarftar also has an element of surprise value since most Ttar are CB or SDef variants: Ninetales trying to get a Will-o-Wisp on lead Tyranitar end up getting OHKOed by Stone Edge. Superpower also allows Scarftar a solid revenge on Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Lucario, as well as OHKOing opposing lead Tyranitar not running Chople Berry. I also often lead with Ttar against opposing Smeargle SmashPass teams, since I can knock them to Focus Sash before I get Spored and let Sandstorm do the rest.
Of course, we mustn't forget the original reason Tyranitar is here, and that is Sand Stream. Although I wouldn't call this a dedicated sand team, with only a single abuser, being able to nullify opposing rain and sun with a switch-in is incredibly useful. Pokemon such as Toxicroak, Tornadus and Venusaur are all much easier to deal with once their weather is removed.
Sandslash @ Ground Gem
Jolly | Sand Rush | Male
252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Spe
Earthquake | Stone Edge | Rapid Spin | Swords Dance
Sandslash is the original reason for this team's existence, and it does not disappoint. With a Jolly nature and Sand Rush, it hits 502 Speed, enough to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame as well as threats including +2 Cloyster and Metagross and +1 Salamence and Landorus. This means it can pull off a Rapid Spin against almost any opponent, especially since Tyranitar is so adept at eliminating enemy Ghosts. Earthquake and Stone Edge make up the classic EdgeQuake combo, providing great coverage across the board and allowing Sandslash to KO threats including Jirachi and Dragonite. I have generally found Swords Dance to be superior to a coverage move such as Night Slash, since with Ground Gem even 252/252 Jellicent is OHKOed at +2. In the lategame, Sandslash is often able to attempt a cleanup sweep against a weakened team with no remaining priority (Scizor).
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Brave | Guts | Male
72 HP | 252 Atk | 184 SDef | 0 Spe IV
Bulk Up | Drain Punch | Mach Punch | Payback
Conkeldurr shines in a metagame full of setup opportunites, including the pink blobs, Tyranitar, Ferrothorn and Forretress. Often just a single Bulk Up will allow Conk to severely dent opposing pokemon with Drain Punch, as well as adequately tank hits from the likes of Gliscor and Landorus who come in to try and wall Conkeldurr. Consistently Conkeldurr is able to simply Bulk Up on a forced switch, tank the incoming counter and recover with Drain Punch, and finish with Mach Punch. Few special attackers not named Alakazam/Espeon/Tornadus are capable of OHKOing Conkeldurr. Payback allows Conkeldurr to hit Ghost types, as well as providing good coverage on Flying and Psychic types that resist Drain Punch.
The EVs are designed to hit a Leftover number +1, while maximizing Conkeldurr's Attack so Drain Punch can hit off the bat if need be. The relatively low HP investment increases the %recovery of Drain Punch slightly, which is beneficial in hitting switchins that are hoping to come in on a Bulk Up. A Brave nature and 0 Spe IV minimize Conkeldurr's Speed, to ensure that Payback hits at max power most of the time (notably against Slowbro, which loses if it carries Psyshock or Fire Blast over Psychic.) The remainder is dumped into SDef, which is not boosted by Bulk Up, reducing hits taken from stray Volt Switches and Scalds. Speaking of which, Conkeldurr is often my switch into Scalds/Lava Plumes/Body Slams, since with Guts Drain Punch + Mach Punch it can get many unresisted KOs.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Modest | Natural Cure | Genderless
176 HP | 220 SAtk | 112 Spe
Leaf Storm | Psychic | Hidden Power [Fire] | Stealth Rock
This pixie is possibly one of the most useful mons on my team. A great Grass/Psychic typing gives resistances to Water, Electric, Ground and Fighting, allowing Celebi to wall many of the Pokemon commonly found on rain teams. Celebi is my most used lead, since if it comes in on Pokemon like Politoed or Breloom I can often force a switch and get rocks up for free.
Leaf Storm is the only Grass type move on the team, vital for dealing with bulky waters such as Gastrodon and Swampert. The power increase over Giga Drain makes up for the lack of recovery, I've found - few Pokemon weak to Grass will stay in on Celebi anyway, so I prefer a solid ~40% off Tornadus-T since I would have to switch anyway regardless of the SAtk drop. Psychic provides reliable neutral STAB, as well as being my primary check to Breloom and Toxicroak. HP Fire has lost some of its surprise value, since so many Celebi now carry it, but it is still worth carrying for the 4x hits on Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress and Genesect. I will often Psychic Forretress to break Sturdy before KOing with HP Fire when not in rain. Unfortunately, it does only ~25% to most Jirachi.
Celebi's EVs provide surprising bulk without significant investment in defenses. 176 HP EVs puts me at Leftovers +1, while 112 Spe EVs ensure I outspeed Jolly Breloom and can OHKO before I get Spored. The remainder is dumped in SAtk with Modest to boost the power of Celebi's neutral hits (which most of them will be).
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Impish | Intimidate | Male
218 HP | 252 Def | 38 SDef
Waterfall | Dragon Tail | Thunder Wave | Taunt
Gyarados is my switch-in to most physical attackers, including Terrakion, Infernape, Landorus and such like. He easily tanks Close Combats, Flare Blitzes and U-Turns from these pokemon, and can deal with Stone Edges too if they have been intimidated. Waterfall provides obligatory STAB, dealing good damage to Pokemon like Mamoswine and Landorus-T that Gyarados comes in on. Thunder Wave is great for crippling offensive threats that are not weak to water: Venusaur, Kyurem and the Lati twins are examples. This is especially useful since most of my team is not particularly fast, and in some cases it can prevent Tyranitar’s scarf from being revealed. I am usually wary of paralysing Pokemon such as DD Dragonite and Haxorus, however, since they often carry Lum Berry. Dragon Tail deals nicely with such mons, as well as Pokemon that decide to U-Turn or switch out of Gyarados having been Intimidated - allowing me to see what their intended counter was and replace it with something more favourable. Taunt is an extremely useful move that prevents Ferrothorn coming in and setting up, but more importantly pokemon such as Toxicroak and Gliscor, who are difficult to deal with if they get both Substitute and Swords Dance up. Taunt also provides a failsafe against Baton Pass chains: it not only prevents Substitutes and stat-boosting moves but Baton Pass itself, ensuring that a switch is unlikely. If Taunt hits Protect, I can simply phaze out the switch-in.
The EVs are designed to maximize Gyarados’ physical Defense, hitting a Leftovers number +1 and putting the rest into SDef. Few neutral or resisted physical attackers can deal significant damage to Gyarados at -1, but without reliable recovery I sometimes avoid keeping sand up when Gyarados is important, to preserve Leftovers.
Jirachi @ Shuca Berry
Rash | Serene Grace | Genderless
120 Atk | 168 SAtk | 220 Spe
Hidden Power [Ice] | Thunderbolt | Fire Punch | Iron Head
Mixed Jirachi is a great set for surprising common switch-ins. Making my first moves Iron Head or Fire Punch can easily fake the classic paraflinch set, luring in Pokemon like Gliscor or Politoed only to take an HP Ice or Thunderbolt respectively. This set patches up a lot of weaknesses in the team: providing a resistance to Ice and Dragon as well as being able to take hits from Tornadus-T. When testing Jirachi over Zapdos, I found that despite the lack of weakness to Stealth Rock, I missed the Ground immunity more - Landorus and Scarf Landorus-T just became too threatening and could U-Turn on my forced switch. My solution was to give Jirachi Shuca Berry, preventing any OHKO from Earthquake or Earth Power by the aforementioned genies and OHKOing back with HP Ice. The only problem with this, of course, is that the utility diminishes if Jirachi takes too much damage - most Earthquakes do only ~60%, but Earth Power does ~80% which is getting tight with SR. HP Ice is the only Ice type move on this team, covering the Landorus (-T), Gliscor, Dragonite and Salamence. Thunderbolt does good damage to Politoed, Jellicent and Keldeo, as well as Flying types such as Tornadus (-T) and Togekiss. Fire Punch rounds out the coverage, hitting Genesect, Scizor and Magnezone. I prefer not to have to deal with Ferrothorn using Fire Punch, as Iron Barbs wears down Jirachi’s HP - Conkeldurr can use it as setup bait and Sandslash can spin away hazards later. Iron Head is a powerful STAB, great for abusing Serene Grace and bringing slower/paralysed Pokemon into KO range of another move. It also serves as good damage on Tyranitar and Mamoswine.
The EVs are designed to ensure Jirachi outspeeds Adamant Gliscor and Modest Kyurem, as well as slower threats such as Dragonite. 120 Atk guarantees an OHKO on uninvested Scizor after Stealth Rock, and the remainder is dumped in SAtk to increase the power of Thunderbolt.
credit to Arkeis PokemonFactory and Merum-SB-BlueOlimar for the various images.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading this RMT. I'd say this team still has some issues with Genesect+Rotom-W cores, which put a great deal of pressure on Celebi and Gyarados. This really is the only team I've made which I've kept going back to and changing/testing, so I'd love to see what you all think! Please rate, not only the team itself but also the RMT - I'd like to know if I should have explained/presented something more clearly!
Importable
Code:
[LEFT]Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Sandslash @ Ground Gem
Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance
Celebi @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 240 HP / 40 Spd / 228 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Stealth Rock
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 218 HP / 252 Def / 38 SDef
Impish Nature
- Waterfall
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Tail
- Taunt
Jirachi @ Shuca Berry
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 120 Atk / 220 Spd / 168 SAtk
Rash Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Fire Punch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Iron Head
[/LEFT]
