Totally not a Sandstorm team

[farranpoison]

So, I've been randomly putting together teams that are intended to be able for me to use both ingame and on sims (should I want to play there), and I've recently come up with this team. At first glance, it totally seems like a Sandstorm team, but it's not intended to be. I mostly intended to make a team icluding Tyrantrum and this is what I came up with, a somewhat balanced team spread. I'd appreciate any suggestions or moveset changes. I've tested this team a bit, but I can't say for certain what problems this setup has yet. Also my first RMT ever, as breeding in Sixth Gen is a breeze, so I can make flawless mons ingame.

Without further ado:

THE LINEUP:

Details:

Tyranitar(F) @ Leftovers
Nature: Careful
Ability: Sand Stream
252 HP/4 Atk/252 SpD
-Rock Slide
-Pursuit
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake Crunch

Special Wall. Stealth Rocker. Has Pursuit to trap Ghosts/Psychics, though it's more of an added bonus than something necessary. Earthquake is for Aegislash , should it ever be faced with one. Instead of Earthquake, I've decided to run Crunch, as I already have other mons with Earthquake, and it provides me a more reliable way to get rid of Ghost/Psychic types. I run Rock Slide instead of Stone Edge for reliability, as this is mostly going to threaten switches to accumulate SR damage, and I want to be able to reliably hit things as they come in. Able to take Fire/Flying attacks aimed at Mega Pinsir or Excadrill (Rock Slide kills Talonflame, but I have to be wary of WoW or U-Turn), and can tank Ice Beams like a pro aimed at Mega Pinsir or Noivern.

Yeah, it's shiny. Blue TRex ftw.

Tyrantrum(M) @ Lum Berry/Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Strong Jaw
252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
-Dragon Dance

One of two setup sweepers. Edgequake coverage, and Ice Fang to hit Gliscor and Dragons like Garchomp, Noivern, Salamence, etc. Also another mon that can tank physical Fire/Flying attacks aimed at Mega Pinsir. I'm not sure which item is best, as Lum Berry gives it a turn to set up on anything that tries to WoW it, but Life Orb gives a very good boost to damage.

Pinsir(F) @ Pinsirite
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Hyper Cutter/Aerilate
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
-Return
-Quick Attack
-Earthquake
-Swords Dance

Second setup sweeper. Aerilate Return/Quick Attack murders Fighting, Grass, and Bug types that threaten other members of my team. Earthquake is for steels like Aegislash or (Mega)Lucario. Jolly for added speed to outrun threats like Garchomp. I decided for the pre-MEvo ability to be Hyper Cutter to prevent Intimidate users switching in before I MEvo. Can switch into Ground, Grass or Fighting attacks aimed at Tyrantrum, Gastrodon, Excadrill and Tyranitar to MEvo, set up and sweep or after MEvoing.

Noivern(M) @ Choice Specs
Nature: Timid
Ability: Frisk
252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Spe
-Draco Meteor
-Boomburst
-Flamethrower
-Switcheroo

Special Attacker. Specs Draco Meteor hurts, Boomburst is a good attack to spam in general and ignores Subs, Flamethrower is for Steels like Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Switcheroo cripples walls that try to switch into it, or even enemy physical attackers. Frisk is used instead of Infiltrator because I want to be able to scout items to see if I want to Switcheroo. Handy to switch into Earthquakes that are bound to be flying around my team, and sports a nice 4x Grass resist to help Gastrodon. Another Fire resist helps too.

Excadrill(M) @ Air Balloon
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Mold Breaker
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Shadow Claw
-Rapid Spin

Spinner to keep those pesky pebbles away from my Pinsir/Noivern. Mold Breaker is used to scare off Gengar/Rotom-W. Rock Slide and earthquake give Edgequake coverage, and Shadow Claw is for Ghosts like Trevenant or Gourgeist that may switch in to block Rapid Spin. Air Balloon gives it Ground immunity, and also lets it bypass Spikes/Toxic Spikes. Dual Rock resistance also gives ample switch-in opportunities (though not a lot because of Excadrill's frail defenses) to defend Pinsir or Noivern.

Gastrodon(M) @ Leftovers
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Storm Drain
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
-Earthquake
-Scald
-Recover
-Toxic

Physical wall. Great Rotom-W counter. Scald for Burns, Earthquake for Electrics, Recover and Toxic for stally shenanigans. Surprisingly bulky. Mostly used to counter stray physical attacks/Water moves, but it can even tank Scarf Garchomp if necessary.

252 Atk Garchomp Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gastrodon: 180-213 (42.2 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO

Not terribly ideal, but it works enough for me.
Storm Drain is amazing to soak up Water attacks that may be thrown around at Tyranitar/Excadrill, and can power up its Scald to retaliate against switch-ins. Also has a handy resistance to Rock that may threaten Pinsir or Noivern.


Thoughts:
While overall I like this team, I'm a bit worried about Ice attacks. Relying on Tyranitar on the special side or Gastrodon on the physical side seems a bit iffy, though maybe I'm thinking about things too hard. Also, the lack of a Taunter gives me some concern. I did have a build where I used Specially Defensive Mega Scizor and Talonflame instead of Mega Pinsir and Noivern, but I was concerned about not having a Special Attacker so I switched.

Again, I am open to any suggestions and changes. I really like Tyrantrum though, so keep in mind this team was sort of built to support him.

 

[Mettie7]

I've never rated a team before so take everything with a grain of salt...

Since you built it around Tyrantrum I'll start with him first:
He looks pretty good to me, along with everyone else to take hits for him. There's really nothing I would change here!

Tyranitar also looks pretty decent bulky enough to guarantee rocks and can take hits for others later in the game!

Pinsir is where I would change something, though. Instead of Hyper Cutter, I would go for Moxie and use it at a revenge killer with Quick Attack. Get a kill, get a Moxie boost, so you get half a Swords Dance. If you predict a switch or can't revenge kill properly then Swords Dance is there for backup! PS: A SD + Aerilate boosted Quick Attack is insane!

Noivern looks pretty good too, unless knowing what item your opponent has is that important to you, I would just change Frisk to Infiltrator so all of it's moves instead of just one can go through subs!

Pretty much what I would run on an Excadrill, be mindful he won't be able to take a hit very well. His HP might save him but I wouldn't count on it.

"Gastrodon looks pretty good too," I don't see anything wrong with it, physical walls and special walls are recommended anyway!


I probably screwed up so many times going over this it's not even funny so someone else can bash my comments if they want.

 

[HeartlessAngel1993]

Might I suggest running Crunch somewhere on Tyrantrum? Since most Magic Bouncers (Xatu and Espeon) Are psychic types, Crunch gives you some good coverage, especially since it gets boosted with Strong Jaw. Also, it is just a good anti-psychic move in general, especially with Strong Jaw. Since you already run EQ on T-Tar, maybe swap EQ with Crunch on Tyrantrum? Sorry if these seems silly, I'm new at rating teams so....yeah >.>

 

[farranpoison]

Thanks for the current input, everyone.

I've never rated a team before so take everything with a grain of salt...

Since you built it around Tyrantrum I'll start with him first:
He looks pretty good to me, along with everyone else to take hits for him. There's really nothing I would change here!

Tyranitar also looks pretty decent bulky enough to guarantee rocks and can take hits for others later in the game!

Pinsir is where I would change something, though. Instead of Hyper Cutter, I would go for Moxie and use it at a revenge killer with Quick Attack. Get a kill, get a Moxie boost, so you get half a Swords Dance. If you predict a switch or can't revenge kill properly then Swords Dance is there for backup! PS: A SD + Aerilate boosted Quick Attack is insane!

Noivern looks pretty good too, unless knowing what item your opponent has is that important to you, I would just change Frisk to Infiltrator so all of it's moves instead of just one can go through subs!

Pretty much what I would run on an Excadrill, be mindful he won't be able to take a hit very well. His HP might save him but I wouldn't count on it.

"Gastrodon looks pretty good too," I don't see anything wrong with it, physical walls and special walls are recommended anyway!


I probably screwed up so many times going over this it's not even funny so someone else can bash my comments if they want.

I probably should have said that rather than building a team around Tyrantrum, I built a team that I could include him in without it being utterly outclassed by something else, lol. I like him that much. Now, I have thought about using Moxie Pinsir, but tbh I don't really see it coming in handy most of the time. Pinsir isn't super strong in his base form, especially without any STAB moves, and base 85 speed isn't going to help it revenge kill much. I've had problems with Gyarados and the like, which is why I used Hyper Cutter. I'll think about it some more, though. And yeah, SD + Aerilate is stupid good.

I also haven't run into much problems with Subs, so I don't really think Infiltrator is useful over Frisk on Noivern since Boomburst does pass through anway, and Frisk allows me to abuse Switcheroo. However, should that change, I can always use an Ability Capsule on my ingame Noivern lol.

Might I suggest running Crunch somewhere on Tyrantrum? Since most Magic Bouncers (Xatu and Espeon) Are psychic types, Crunch gives you some good coverage, especially since it gets boosted with Strong Jaw. Also, it is just a good anti-psychic move in general, especially with Strong Jaw. Since you already run EQ on T-Tar, maybe swap EQ with Crunch on Tyrantrum? Sorry if these seems silly, I'm new at rating teams so....yeah >.>

Earthquake is better on a sweeper Tyrantrum because it hits much more things for SE damage. Although, your comment has brought to my attention that pretty much all members of my team bar Noivern run Earthquake. I might actually run Crunch on TTar instead of Earthquake, seeing as 4 other members of my team have it, and as something to hit Ghosts/Psychics harder if they don't switch out since Pursuit is a pretty poor move regularly.

I find it funny that Tyranitar and Tyrantrum have similar names. Best buds?

 

[HeartlessAngel1993]

Earthquake is better on a sweeper Tyrantrum because it hits much more things for SE damage. Although, your comment has brought to my attention that pretty much all members of my team bar Noivern run Earthquake. I might actually run Crunch on TTar instead of Earthquake, seeing as 4 other members of my team have it, and as something to hit Ghosts/Psychics harder if they don't switch out since Pursuit is a pretty poor move regularly.

I find it funny that Tyranitar and Tyrantrum have similar names. Best buds?

I myself would put Crunch on Tyrantrum just because of Strong Jaw, but you do have a point about EQ being better on a Sweeper. Personal preference I suppose. And yeah, I'd say they are. One comes straight from Godzilla, the other from King Kong. Funny, isn't it?

 

[Mettie7]

I probably should have said that rather than building a team around Tyrantrum, I built a team that I could include him in without it being utterly outclassed by something else, lol. I like him that much. Now, I have thought about using Moxie Pinsir, but tbh I don't really see it coming in handy most of the time. Pinsir isn't super strong in his base form, especially without any STAB moves, and base 85 speed isn't going to help it revenge kill much. I've had problems with Gyarados and the like, which is why I used Hyper Cutter. I'll think about it some more, though. And yeah, SD + Aerilate is stupid good.

Quick Attack solves the problem if they're at low enough health, but I see where you're coming from with Intimidate and whatnot. Same reason I run Clear Body on everything that can.

I also haven't run into much problems with Subs, so I don't really think Infiltrator is useful over Frisk on Noivern since Boomburst does pass through anway, and Frisk allows me to abuse Switcheroo. However, should that change, I can always use an Ability Capsule on my ingame Noivern lol.

I must be an idiot for not putting Frisk and Switcheroo together, I like both of our ideas though! I tend to play either hyper offensive or incredibly bulky, I guess I was leaning toward the hyper offensive this time.

 

[Psycho_Sunshine]

I like your team alot, I have found sand as a nice way to pack on residual damage over the course of a match and your team uses it the same way...
A few things I feel are awkward though

Your Tyrantrum is packing strong jaw +ice fang. Is it better than rock head +head smash replacing stone edge? It is also worth noting that head smash does more damage than strong jaw icefang against dragonite (and salamence though they are both ohkos). Strong jaw is fair since you loose a TON of damage on gliscor and garcomp but neither one is ohko'd (assuming max hp gliscor) even after stealth rocks (garchomp is like 12% or something to be ohkod) of course at +1 its like having a +2 on your icefang and a guarenteed ohko (except against 252/188 gliscor is 25% to survive after stealth rocks) normal icefang against these guys is still a guarenteed 2hko without stealth rocks but I dont know if sacrificing the power of head smash is worth it for 2 pokemon on 1 coverage move. screwed up my calcs ignore this, had the wrong custom spread im assuming its an ohko since it was close with custom and only random over bulky ev spreads live that

I have a personal qualm with excadrills in general specifically mold breaker variants and his speed tier. I don't think 252 speed can be correct and would lean to 188 or something. The only things that jolly 252 outspeeds are that jolly 188 doesnt include, timid rotom (but timid rotom generally runs scarf so its irrelevant) and base 85 pos nature 252 which are few and far between. Basically once you are sub 90 speed the speed tiers become real convoluted and at that point I think you have to look at what you want to outspeed. 188 is what I would instinctively go with but there are no gen 6 speed tiers yet so im not really sure. 188 outspeeds +speed 252 base 80s if your curious including mammoswine, dragonite and venasaur. Assuming I calcd it right.

I like icebeam on gastrodon as well but I am not sure how to justify it just a preferance over earthquake (which you already have 4 exceptional users of). Like I dont think you need to pack earthquake on everything regardless of how good edgequake actually is.

All in all I like your team

 

[Shroomisaur]

Hi there farranpoison ! Saw you made a team here as well so dropped by to take a look. It's nice to see quite a few underrated threats in the team like Tyrantrum and Gastrodon. It sounds like this is a Wifi team of yours primarily, but testing it on Showdown can really help you figure out its weaknesses.

Just skimming over the team, it's obvious that it's very weak to Mega Kanga. You have no Ghost-type so it's free to PuP away and then smash every single mon on the team. Obviously you know the perfect mon to add in this case, but if you're banking on the incoming banhammer, this won't be an issue much longer!

I also see you lack an Ice-type resist, and could really use a secondary utility Pokemon. What I would suggest for you is:

Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf
Timid, 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Hidden Power Ice
- Trick

This would be an easy replacement over your Noivern, because it functions nearly the same. It would allow you to keep the Grass and Fire resists, Ground immunity, while adding an Ice Resist in place of a 4x weakness! The big bonus is the ability to scout and pivot with Volt Switch, and use WoW for an emergency burn. If you're looking for a more defensive teammate, a bulky Chesto-restro Rotom-W would also make a great addition to your team.

Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest

Your Tyrantrum is packing strong jaw +ice fang. Is it better than rock head +head smash replacing stone edge?

Just need to point out here that Rock Head isn't released yet, which makes Head Smash a much less attractive option. Once it comes out, absolutely, it will be a huge boost to Tyrantrum.

 

[farranpoison]

I like your team alot, I have found sand as a nice way to pack on residual damage over the course of a match and your team uses it the same way...
A few things I feel are awkward though

Your Tyrantrum is packing strong jaw +ice fang. Is it better than rock head +head smash replacing stone edge? It is also worth noting that head smash does more damage than strong jaw icefang against dragonite (and salamence though they are both ohkos). Strong jaw is fair since you loose a TON of damage on gliscor and garcomp but neither one is ohko'd (assuming max hp gliscor) even after stealth rocks (garchomp is like 12% or something to be ohkod) of course at +1 its like having a +2 on your icefang and a guarenteed ohko (except against 252/188 gliscor is 25% to survive after stealth rocks) normal icefang against these guys is still a guarenteed 2hko without stealth rocks but I dont know if sacrificing the power of head smash is worth it for 2 pokemon on 1 coverage move. screwed up my calcs ignore this, had the wrong custom spread im assuming its an ohko since it was close with custom and only random over bulky ev spreads live that

I have a personal qualm with excadrills in general specifically mold breaker variants and his speed tier. I don't think 252 speed can be correct and would lean to 188 or something. The only things that jolly 252 outspeeds are that jolly 188 doesnt include, timid rotom (but timid rotom generally runs scarf so its irrelevant) and base 85 pos nature 252 which are few and far between. Basically once you are sub 90 speed the speed tiers become real convoluted and at that point I think you have to look at what you want to outspeed. 188 is what I would instinctively go with but there are no gen 6 speed tiers yet so im not really sure. 188 outspeeds +speed 252 base 80s if your curious including mammoswine, dragonite and venasaur. Assuming I calcd it right.

I like icebeam on gastrodon as well but I am not sure how to justify it just a preferance over earthquake (which you already have 4 exceptional users of). Like I dont think you need to pack earthquake on everything regardless of how good edgequake actually is.

All in all I like your team

I've never really run Excadrill before, so I just sorta rolled with 252 Spe EVs, since everyone seemed to. I'm not too familiar with the speed tiers when it comes to what threatens Excadrill, so I may look into that. And yes, though Head Smash + Rock Head would be freaking devastating, it's not released yet, so I have to make do with Strong Jaw + Ice Fang. It hurts much more than most people think, though I'm not too familiar with calcs. I'll look into them as well.

Hi there farranpoison ! Saw you made a team here as well so dropped by to take a look. It's nice to see quite a few underrated threats in the team like Tyrantrum and Gastrodon. It sounds like this is a Wifi team of yours primarily, but testing it on Showdown can really help you figure out its weaknesses.

Just skimming over the team, it's obvious that it's very weak to Mega Kanga. You have no Ghost-type so it's free to PuP away and then smash every single mon on the team. Obviously you know the perfect mon to add in this case, but if you're banking on the incoming banhammer, this won't be an issue much longer!

I also see you lack an Ice-type resist, and could really use a secondary utility Pokemon. What I would suggest for you is:

Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf
Timid, 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Will-O-Wisp
- Trick

This would be an easy replacement over your Noivern, because it functions nearly the same. It would allow you to keep the Grass and Fire resists, Ground immunity, while adding an Ice Resist in place of a 4x weakness! The big bonus is the ability to scout and pivot with Volt Switch, and use WoW for an emergency burn. If you're looking for a more defensive teammate, a bulky Chesto-restro Rotom-W would also make a great addition to your team.

Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest



Just need to point out here that Rock Head isn't released yet, which makes Head Smash a much less attractive option. Once it comes out, absolutely, it will be a huge boost to Tyrantrum.

Sup Shroomisaur! You are quite right, this is primarily a Wi-fi team, though it is designed to also be able to work in PS. You are also right in that my team is horribly, horribly weak to Mega Mom, though she will definitely be booted Ubers, so I won't touch PS until then with this team lol. I had thought about using Rotom, but I wasn't sure what spread to go with. I am liking the Rotom-H spread you have there. It'd definitely allow me to absorb both Burns and Paralysis directed at Tyrantrum or Pinsir, and Volt Switch is great. I'm more leaning towards it than Rotom-W because of Ferrothorn. It feels a bit weird though to run WoW on a Scarf set, is that normal?

And I love Tyrantrum, best bro mon I've had in a while. I look forward to using it as much as possible. And Gastrodon is seriously the most used mon I have, almost no team I make, either in Wi-Fi, BS or PS has not had Gastrodon in it, it's too useful. I used it extensively in 5th Gen, and I don't see that changing now. Once Bank comes up, I might change the spread to Bold with Earth Power, but a mixed Relaxed spread is fine too. Helps me OHKO Aegislash who is faster than me.

Edit: I am also considering a few changes. Please let me know what you all think.

One problem I am concerned with is Mega Lucario, which is probably the most threatening Mega besides Mega Mom right now. Because of this, I am considering changing Mega Pinsir with Mega Venusaur, as another tank. TBH, the more I use this team, the more I realize that maybe I don't need two setup sweepers. Tyrantrum does its job quite well, and I'd like to have another damage sponge so I don't have to rely on Gastrodon too much on the physical side, instead allowing it to sponge Water Attacks. I do worry about Talonflame, but I feel Tyranitar, Rotom-H, Tyrantrum and Gastrodon will be able to deal with it. Plus Stealth Rock.

Along with Mega Venusaur, I am considering switching Excadrill's item from Air Balloon to Choice Scarf. This would allow me to have a revenge killer, and deal with Gengar/Rotom-W more offensively. It'd also be able to work with Scarf Rotom-H, killing faster threats.

So, my proposed changes:

-Noivern
-Mega Pinsir
+Change Excadrill's item to Choice Scarf
+Mega Venusaur
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Chlorophyll/Thick Fat
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD (not too sure about EV spread here)
-Earthquake
-Giga Drain
-Sleep Powder
-Synthesis/Leech Seed (not sure which is better)

+Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid
Ability: Levitate
4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Overheat
-Volt Switch
-Will o Wisp(?)
-Trick

Any input on this proposed change would be appreciated.

 

[Shroomisaur]

Sup Shroomisaur! You are quite right, this is primarily a Wi-fi team, though it is designed to also be able to work in PS. You are also right in that my team is horribly, horribly weak to Mega Mom, though she will definitely be booted Ubers, so I won't touch PS until then with this team lol. I had thought about using Rotom, but I wasn't sure what spread to go with. I am liking the Rotom-H spread you have there. It'd definitely allow me to absorb both Burns and Paralysis directed at Tyrantrum or Pinsir, and Volt Switch is great. I'm more leaning towards it than Rotom-W because of Ferrothorn. It feels a bit weird though to run WoW on a Scarf set, is that normal?

And I love Tyrantrum, best bro mon I've had in a while. I look forward to using it as much as possible. And Gastrodon is seriously the most used mon I have, almost no team I make, either in Wi-Fi, BS or PS has not had Gastrodon in it, it's too useful. I used it extensively in 5th Gen, and I don't see that changing now. Once Bank comes up, I might change the spread to Bold with Earth Power, but a mixed Relaxed spread is fine too. Helps me OHKO Aegislash who is faster than me.

Edit: I am also considering a few changes. Please let me know what you all think.

One problem I am concerned with is Mega Lucario, which is probably the most threatening Mega besides Mega Mom right now. Because of this, I am considering changing Mega Pinsir with Mega Venusaur, as another tank. TBH, the more I use this team, the more I realize that maybe I don't need two setup sweepers. Tyrantrum does its job quite well, and I'd like to have another damage sponge so I don't have to rely on Gastrodon too much on the physical side, instead allowing it to sponge Water Attacks. I do worry about Talonflame, but I feel Tyranitar, Rotom-H, Tyrantrum and Gastrodon will be able to deal with it. Plus Stealth Rock.

Along with Mega Venusaur, I am considering switching Excadrill's item from Air Balloon to Choice Scarf. This would allow me to have a revenge killer, and deal with Gengar/Rotom-W more offensively. It'd also be able to work with Scarf Rotom-H, killing faster threats.

So, my proposed changes:

-Noivern
-Mega Pinsir
+Change Excadrill's item to Choice Scarf
+Mega Venusaur
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Chlorophyll/Thick Fat
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD (not too sure about EV spread here)
-Earthquake
-Giga Drain
-Sleep Powder
-Synthesis/Leech Seed (not sure which is better)

+Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid
Ability: Levitate
4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Overheat
-Volt Switch
-Will o Wisp(?)
-Trick

Any input on this proposed change would be appreciated.

First of all, sorry about that WoW on the Scarf set - I changed the set to Scarf when I noticed how well it would fit on your team, but forgot to update that move. That's what I get for posting in a rush! Hidden Power Ice is a much better choice with Scarf and helps make up for your lack of Ice Beam on Gastrodon. With Levitate and Scarf, it makes a good answer to Garchomp, DNite, and Gliscor.

Changing Excadrill to Choice Scarf as well would give you 2 Scarfers, I'm not sure if you would be happy with multiple choice Pokemon on the same team. If you saw my RMT you know I like Scarf Exca, but it is very high risk, high reward.

I see you're thinking about changing Pinsir to Megasaur, which will really change the complexion of your team. Less offensive, more balanced. If you decide to add Saur, you might consider adding offensive Starmie to replace Excadrill, as it is fast and has excellent coverage without a choice item, and also provides spin support.

A lot of things will change if you do decide to make the Mega Venusaur swap. You might even decide that spin support isn't vital, so I'll hold off on more suggestions until you test out your current ideas and decide what you're aiming for. Good luck with your team!

 

[Uore]

So, I've been randomly putting together teams that are intended to be able for me to use both ingame and on sims (should I want to play there), and I've recently come up with this team. At first glance, it totally seems like a Sandstorm team, but it's not intended to be. I mostly intended to make a team icluding Tyrantrum and this is what I came up with, a somewhat balanced team spread. I'd appreciate any suggestions or moveset changes. I've tested this team a bit, but I can't say for certain what problems this setup has yet. Also my first RMT ever, as breeding in Sixth Gen is a breeze, so I can make flawless mons ingame.

Without further ado:

THE LINEUP:

Details:

Tyranitar(F) @ Leftovers
Nature: Careful
Ability: Sand Stream
252 HP/4 Atk/252 SpD
-Rock Slide
-Pursuit
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake Crunch

Special Wall. Stealth Rocker. Has Pursuit to trap Ghosts/Psychics, though it's more of an added bonus than something necessary. Earthquake is for Aegislash , should it ever be faced with one. Instead of Earthquake, I've decided to run Crunch, as I already have other mons with Earthquake, and it provides me a more reliable way to get rid of Ghost/Psychic types. I run Rock Slide instead of Stone Edge for reliability, as this is mostly going to threaten switches to accumulate SR damage, and I want to be able to reliably hit things as they come in. Able to take Fire/Flying attacks aimed at Mega Pinsir or Excadrill (Rock Slide kills Talonflame, but I have to be wary of WoW or U-Turn), and can tank Ice Beams like a pro aimed at Mega Pinsir or Noivern.

Yeah, it's shiny. Blue TRex ftw.

Tyrantrum(M) @ Lum Berry/Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Strong Jaw
252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
-Dragon Dance

One of two setup sweepers. Edgequake coverage, and Ice Fang to hit Gliscor and Dragons like Garchomp, Noivern, Salamence, etc. Also another mon that can tank physical Fire/Flying attacks aimed at Mega Pinsir. I'm not sure which item is best, as Lum Berry gives it a turn to set up on anything that tries to WoW it, but Life Orb gives a very good boost to damage.

Pinsir(F) @ Pinsirite
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Hyper Cutter/Aerilate
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
-Return
-Quick Attack
-Earthquake
-Swords Dance

Second setup sweeper. Aerilate Return/Quick Attack murders Fighting, Grass, and Bug types that threaten other members of my team. Earthquake is for steels like Aegislash or (Mega)Lucario. Jolly for added speed to outrun threats like Garchomp. I decided for the pre-MEvo ability to be Hyper Cutter to prevent Intimidate users switching in before I MEvo. Can switch into Ground, Grass or Fighting attacks aimed at Tyrantrum, Gastrodon, Excadrill and Tyranitar to MEvo, set up and sweep or after MEvoing.

Noivern(M) @ Choice Specs
Nature: Timid
Ability: Frisk
252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Spe
-Draco Meteor
-Boomburst
-Flamethrower
-Switcheroo

Special Attacker. Specs Draco Meteor hurts, Boomburst is a good attack to spam in general and ignores Subs, Flamethrower is for Steels like Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Switcheroo cripples walls that try to switch into it, or even enemy physical attackers. Frisk is used instead of Infiltrator because I want to be able to scout items to see if I want to Switcheroo. Handy to switch into Earthquakes that are bound to be flying around my team, and sports a nice 4x Grass resist to help Gastrodon. Another Fire resist helps too.

Excadrill(M) @ Air Balloon
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Mold Breaker
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Shadow Claw
-Rapid Spin

Spinner to keep those pesky pebbles away from my Pinsir/Noivern. Mold Breaker is used to scare off Gengar/Rotom-W. Rock Slide and earthquake give Edgequake coverage, and Shadow Claw is for Ghosts like Trevenant or Gourgeist that may switch in to block Rapid Spin. Air Balloon gives it Ground immunity, and also lets it bypass Spikes/Toxic Spikes. Dual Rock resistance also gives ample switch-in opportunities (though not a lot because of Excadrill's frail defenses) to defend Pinsir or Noivern.

Gastrodon(M) @ Leftovers
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Storm Drain
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
-Earthquake
-Scald
-Recover
-Toxic

Physical wall. Great Rotom-W counter. Scald for Burns, Earthquake for Electrics, Recover and Toxic for stally shenanigans. Surprisingly bulky. Mostly used to counter stray physical attacks/Water moves, but it can even tank Scarf Garchomp if necessary.

252 Atk Garchomp Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gastrodon: 180-213 (42.2 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO

Not terribly ideal, but it works enough for me.
Storm Drain is amazing to soak up Water attacks that may be thrown around at Tyranitar/Excadrill, and can power up its Scald to retaliate against switch-ins. Also has a handy resistance to Rock that may threaten Pinsir or Noivern.


Thoughts:
While overall I like this team, I'm a bit worried about Ice attacks. Relying on Tyranitar on the special side or Gastrodon on the physical side seems a bit iffy, though maybe I'm thinking about things too hard. Also, the lack of a Taunter gives me some concern. I did have a build where I used Specially Defensive Mega Scizor and Talonflame instead of Mega Pinsir and Noivern, but I was concerned about not having a Special Attacker so I switched.

Again, I am open to any suggestions and changes. I really like Tyrantrum though, so keep in mind this team was sort of built to support him.

First of all, <3 Gastrodon!

Noivern is a odd case, Gets easily one of the best sp.attacking moves, But has semi-poor sp.attack. Specs seems useful, however, any pokemon with a higher sp.attack stat is alot better.

Your teams only water stopper is Gastrodon, And that gets murdered by grass types. (albeit you can switch in to noivern but its defenses ain't that good so)

May I reccomend either:

Jolteon

Volt Absorb

252 SPEED 252 SPECIAL ATTACK 4 SP.DEF

Specs/LO

Thunderbolt/Thunder
Volt Switch
Signal Beam
Dark Pulse (I THINK it gets this, so this is just filler.)

Venusaur (Mega or not, Does'nt really matter)

Chlorophyll
72 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe

Sludge

Giga Drain
Sludge Bomb
Leech Seed
Sleep Powder