Introduction
So yeah, what's up against smogon. I, D4RR3N is back with another RMT, this time being a team for the RU tier. Being encouraged by users yee, Upstart and DittoCrow to start playing RU, and after watching some of the RU battles and found them being interesting, I decided to dip my hands into the tier. I spent around 2 weeks looking through the RU forums, and having talks with people in the #rarelyused channel, only to get to know how the tier works, before i settled down to build a team myself.
As many of you know, I'm an offensive player. I simply can't stand sitting there for like 70 turns stalling. Therefore, I decided to make myself a Hyper Offense team as it not only gave me respectable success in other tiers (OU,UU), it's also my favourite playstyle of all time.
This team is meant to kill as fast as possible, while at the same time winning me the match. It's centered around the common yet fearsome sweeper by the name of Feraligatr, and being paired with Moltres and Sceptile to form the infamous Fire/Water/Grass combo, it's certainly built to wreck. This team peaked #5 on the Smogon RU ladder with a rating of 1292 on my first try, without losing a single match, so that pretty much shows how well built this team is. The final peak for this team is #4 with a rating of uhh... 1320 if i remember correctly, under the alt The Boys.
So without further ado, let me present you: Total Destruction!
Team Overview:
Teambuilding Process:
It all started with Feraligatr. After seeing the success user ShakeItUp has gotten using Feraligatr, I decided it's my go-to mon as i've always been a fan of set up sweepers like these as well.
After picking Feraligatr as my base mon, I decided to add two of RU's most fearsome sweepers, which being Moltres and Sceptile, to form the infamous Fire/Water/Grass combo.
So, seeing as Moltres is on a team, I know I need a spinner. Hitmonchan was immediately added, as other spinners in the tier would pretty much slow down my team. I also decided to add Accelgor and Trick Room Cofagrigus, basically seeing that hazards would eases my sweep, and having Accelgor would prevent my hazards from being spun away. And this is the first version of the team.
After getting all 6 mons done, I immediately challenged Upstart and ShakeItUp for a battle, in which I then lost to both badly. I noticed huge weaknesses towards opposing Trick Room Cofagrigus, Shell Smash Omastar and Sharpedo. Lack of Stealth Rocks wasnt that great, either. Cofagrigus was immediately taken out for Spiritomb, as it can not only does the same job as Cofagrigus which is Spin blocking, it also helps me to deal with opposing Cofagrigus better. Mach Punch was then added to Hitmonchan with a more offensive spread, making it a good check to both boosted Omastars and Sharpedos. Accelgor was removed, too, seeing Stealth Rocks is much much more important then spikes after testing it. So now, the team's done.
Aerodactyl (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
Every good team needs a Stealth Rocker in my opinion, and this team is no exception. Aerodactyl is hands down, one of the best Stealth Rockers in the current RU metagame, thanks to his amazing 130 speed and access to Taunt. Lead Uxies were very common when this team was created, and Aerodactyl was capable of handling them really well (Fuk TrickScarf seriously), being able to Taunt them and completely stopping them from setting up rocks, crippling me with T-Wave/Yawn, and also stopping them from setting up Stealth Rocks. The EVs are pretty simple, maxed speed to outspeed like every non scarfed mon, and maxed attack to hit as hard as possible as Aerodactyl also has a really respectable Attack stat, allowing it to still hit pretty hard after setting up rocks. Focus Sash is a great item, as nobody expects that. I still honestly see people trying to kill my Aero with opposing Aero's Stone Edge, but then it lives and OHKO back with Rock Slide, which also caused a lot of rage quits. Rock Slide and Earthquake forms the infamous EdgeQuake combo, being able to hit the majority of the metagame for a neutral damage. Rock Slide was chosen over the usual Stone Edge as Stone Edge's accuracy really pisses me off all the time, in any tier. Besides, Aerodactyl is also a really great check to Life Orb Moltres, being able to resist Fire Blast and Air Slash, as HP Grass is too weak to deal a lot of damage to Aerodactyl.
Moltres @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Roost
Gosh this thing is totally the powerful. Being popularized by user Pearl., this thing is forced to be reckoned for being able to hit everything in the tier extremely hard. On this team, it serves as the first pokemon of my Fire/Water/Grass core, and also one of my mid game sweepers. Maxed Special Attack and Maxed Speed were given, as this thing was meant for sweeping. Life Orb speaks for it itself, being able to boost Moltres's already high attacking powers to a higher level. Fire Blast and Air Slash are totally powerful stab moves to have on a beast pokemon like Moltres, and both moves are certainly capable of 2HKO'ing anything in RU that doesnt resists them. HP Grass rounds off the attacking moves of this set, hitting Rock types, Lanturn and Slowbro really hard. Roost is an important move to keep Moltres healthy, as in my opinion Moltres is a really important pokemon to have at good health no matter if it's early game or late game.
Sceptile (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Rock]
Sceptile is another amazing pokemon in the tier, with base 105 Special Attack and base 120 Speed, and a powerful stab by the name of Leaf Storm, it immediately makes people scream sweeper upon encountering it. In this team, Sceptile is featured as the second part of my Fire/Water/Grass core. It also serves as the Hole-Puncher on my team, helping me punch holes on opposing teams, just so Feraligatr can have a easier time sweeping later on. A Choice Scarfed set was originally chosen for this team seeing as I dont have a Scarfer on this team. But after some playtesting, I decided to remove the Choice Scarf on my lovely Sceptile, seeing my team doesnt need a scarfer as I already have enough priority and an Aerodactyl. After some playtesting, I decided to have a go with the Choice Specs set. Leaf Storm is immediately added, seeing it's the most powerful stab move Sceptile can have. Focus Blast and HP Rock were added afterwards to round off the coverage by hitting Steels and Moltres respectively. Giga Drain is pretty much a filler, but I find it useful at times when I don't wanna use Leaf Storm, as Leaf Storm still has imperfect accuracy.
Hitmonchan (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch
- Ice Punch
- Rapid Spin
Teams with Moltres are bound to have a spinner, and this team is no exception. So after deciding that I need a spinner, i was looking through the list of vialable spinners in RU, but most of them were either slow as fuck or hits like a pussy, as in my opinion I don't wanna spin of hazards and have it being death fodder afterwards. Hitmonchan immediately caught my eye, as it neither as frail as Hitmonlee, or as weak as Claydol. I originally had a bulkier spread with Drain Punch/Ice Punch/Rapid Spin/Foresight, but then I immediately noticed how weak my team is to boosted Omastars and Sharpedos, so I immediately switched Hitmonchan to an Offensive spinner set with Mach Punch. 252 Attack allows me to hit as hard as possible with Hitmonchan's decent base 105 Attack, while 224 speed allows me to speed creep other Hitmonchans and KO them with a CC. Lefties was chosen over Life Orb because I don't like having Life Orb on a spinner, as it would make the spinner die very quickly, which isnt that great especially against stall. The moves are rather usual, with Close Combat being my main stab to deal damage. Ice Punch hits flyers trying to switch in, and Mach Punch is pretty much for revenge killing Sharpedos and Omastars.
Spiritomb (M) @ BlackGlasses
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
As I mentioned earlier, having Stealth Rocks up is very, very crucial for my team, therefore a SpinBlocker was added. A Nasty Plotting Trick Room Cofagrigus had this spot on the earlier version of the team, but then after realizing how weak my team is towards opposing Nasty Plot Trick Room Cofagrigus, and seeing how easy it can set up, I decided I need to make a change. Spiritomb was chosen as the replacement after some testing, as it not only helps with the Cofagrigus weakness, it also helps by removing stuff like Rotom easier, which would only makes sweeping easier for the rest of my team. The Black Glasses set was chosen, as I prefer a more offensive variant of Spiritomb. 252 HP give me maximum bulk, allowing +2 Cofagrigus to never come close to OHKO'ing me with Shadow Ball. 252 Attack allows me to hit everything hard, and it's especially hot when i have 3 stab moves to abuse. Sucker Punch revenges slightly weakened threats, and also performs a notable 2HKO on cofagrigus, which would've only spell trouble against my team. Pursuit traps ghosts, notably Rotom, while at the same time removing annoying spinners such as Claydol. Shadow Sneak allows me to revenge the likes of Jynx who would usually use Lovely Kiss against me assuming all I can do is Sucker Punch or Pursuit. Wisp cripples defensive mons, notably spinners that arent Dark/Ghost weak, therefore makes removing Spinners easier for my team.
Feraligatr (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Return
Last but not least, it's GATRRRRRRR TIMEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Jokes aside, here's the star of my team. Not even words can describe how awesome gatr is, it's just a total beast. Swords Dance is the chosen set as in my opinion it's better then the Dragon Dance set, as +1 attack is never impressive in my opinion, plus +1 speed Aligatr still end up getting outsped by alot of scarfers anyway. Swords Dance is well, more powerful, and I get to abuse Aqua jet, a very valuable priority to its fullest. With Aqua Jet, I get to revenge kill the likes of Scarf Manectric, which Dragon Dance variant could've only wished of doing so without +2. Maxed Attack paired with Adamant hits hard as fuck, and in my opinion that's the best thing to run on Swords Dancers. 208 Speed allows me to speed creep most of the Gatrs running around, while also giving me the opportunity to outspeed Honchkrows as well. As for the moves, ya know, Waterfall and Aqua Jet are powerful moves I need to break through teams, and Return rounds off the coverage by hitting the likes of Slowbro, Lanturn and other Feraligatrs. The only thing that doesnt fear it could only be Ferroseed, which can be easily handled by Hitmonchan and Moltres.
That's all I guess. Hopefully this would make an enjoyable read for you guys. Apologies for my somewhat bad English, as it's not my main language. And last but not least, go play RU! It's certainly not as gay as OU, yeah you can trust me on that. Feel free to try out this team, I wont mind xD.
Importable:
Aerodactyl (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
Moltres @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Roost
Spiritomb (M) @ BlackGlasses
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Sceptile (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Rock]
Feraligatr (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Return
Hitmonchan (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch
- Ice Punch
- Rapid Spin
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
Moltres @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Roost
Spiritomb (M) @ BlackGlasses
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Sceptile (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Rock]
Feraligatr (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Return
Hitmonchan (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch
- Ice Punch
- Rapid Spin
Example Replays:
vs. Blue Star: http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-D4RR3N-vs-blue-star--2012-02-21-private128721399
vs. Heysup: http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-The-Boys-vs-Hisup--2012-03-10-private324904464
I had a lot of other amazing battles against users such as Silentverse, Upstart, Molk, ShakeItUp and Dittocrow, but too bad i forgotten to save the logs =/
vs. Heysup: http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-The-Boys-vs-Hisup--2012-03-10-private324904464
I had a lot of other amazing battles against users such as Silentverse, Upstart, Molk, ShakeItUp and Dittocrow, but too bad i forgotten to save the logs =/
Threat list would be up shortly.