Triumph of the Jackal | OU RMT

[Azumi]

Triumph of the Jackal | An OU RMT​

Presented by Rei aka frozenvirus​

​

A "Brief" Introduction:
My Dragon-Steel combination teams have served me well for the past couple of months, and have earned me a great deal of success and have also pulled me out of many tight spots. However, with only two types of team members at ones disposal, one can only go so far in terms of synergy and team support. Only a week ago, I had attempted to revive one of the most dangerous physical sweepers back in third generation: Heracross. I had tried to set the stage to give the big bad blue beetle a chance to shine, but this attempt had ended in utter humiliation. Unfortunately, with a mediocre speed stat, and lack of priority moves, Heracross had to rely too much on paralysis support to actually pull off even miniscule-sized team sweeps. In fact, there was one key member (not Heracross, by the way) without whom the team could not function, and without whom the team could not check some of the biggest threats in the current metagame. Also, Heracross itself seldom had the chance to set up a Swords Dance, and the burn from the Flame Orb and Stealth Rock damage wore it down much too quickly. Finding set-up opportunities and ensuring Heracross’s long-term survival proved to be even more difficult without Wish support from a team member.

But of course, I’m not here today to tell you where my former team went wrong. After suffering many embarrassing defeats, I decided that I would have to go back to the drawing board. I’ve always enjoyed making teams that are based around a sweep by a single Pokémon, with the remainder of the team members designed to help set up or facilitate the sweep in some way or another. This new team is certainly no exception. Of course, the most obvious place to start would be at the “end”, or at the Pokémon whose job is to actually do the sweeping. However, finding the right Pokémon to perform this job is no easy feat. I wanted something that could not only find plenty of opportunities to get some stat boosts, but could deal the maximum amount of damage with the minimum amount of set up. Of course, such sheer power usually comes with a high price to pay, and the cost is often a comparatively lower speed stat. However, access to a powerful and reliable priority move can easily remedy this lack of speed.

It became quite clear to me that only a single Pokémon in the entire metagame could claim to do all this, and earn cool points at the same time. The sad thing is, I had once tried to use this certain Pokémon (near the beginning of my 4th generation competitive career), but as my knowledge of the completely changed metagame was very limited at the time, I dismissed that Pokémon as “too fragile to pose a real threat”. Over time, I have grown to realize that despite this Pokémon’s fragility, it can be downright deadly if used under the right support. Most of you experienced battlers probably already have a clear idea of the Pokémon to which I am referring, but in case you don’t, or are too lazy to read the first part of the introduction, this unstoppable force is none other than the lovable steel jackal we call Lucario.

Having decided on the most important member of the team, I started to look for other Pokémon that would work well in conjunction with it. Tyranitar immediately came to mind because it had the ability to switch into and scare away the majority of Pokémon that are a nuisance to Lucario. I'd elaborate more on this when I get to the detailed descriptions later. And of course, the presence of Sandstorm also contributes to the weakening of my opponents.

Tyranitar and Lucario both have nasty weaknesses to Ground and Fighting-type attacks, so I had to think of something that would be able to cover these weaknesses well. Naturally, the huge flying scorpion Gliscor fit this description, and also possesses the defenses to take these attacks, and Lead and Anti-Leading capabilities. Having Sandstorm in play also proves to be very beneficial to Gliscor as well.

Gengar is a Pokémon that causes problems for Lucario, because it is immune to both Close Combat and Extremespeed, and is easily able to outpace Lucario and finish it off with Focus Blast. With a quadruple weakness to Fighting-type attacks, one would be foolish to say that Tyranitar could act as a Gengar check. Blissey came to mind, but I honestly wanted to go for a more offensive approach with my team. I did not want to rely on setting up screens and utilising status moves to support my Lucario sweep. That being said, there is a certain Pokémon that is known for its ability to trap Gengar. This Pokémon is also arguably one of the best scouters in the entire metagame, and one of the most effective abusers of priority. Do I even need to mention what this Pokémon is?

These four members of the team acted as my solid physical core. Now I needed to start thinking about what could hit hard on the special side of the spectrum. First of all, I noticed all four of these physical attackers had a bit of a dilemma when it came to dealing with Swampert. Of course, I could have just incorporated a Celebi or Rotom-C to scare off any Swampert that decides to switch in. But my objective is to completely eliminate Swampert, and not to make it run away. At the same time, I noticed that I had a considerable weakness to all variants of Infernape, so Latias came to mind as a Pokémon that could not only handle Swampert, but also act as a reliable check against Infernape.

Finally, it occurred to me that I could not afford to make the mistakes that I had made during the construction of my former team. I needed Wish support, because only one of the five members of my team possessed a recovery move (Latias), and therefore the others would get worn down over time, especially Lucario. Of course, there are only so many candidates that are able to act as Wish passers. Only one of them seemed to fit in with my team, however. Using Jirachi would only amplify my Fire and Ground-type weakness. On the other hand, Using Umbreon would amplify my Fighting and Bug-type weaknesses. Finally, using Salamence would make me extremely vulnerable to Ice-type attacks. And I've already mentioned why I refused to use Blissey. So, I decided to settle on Vaporeon, and I'm glad that I made that choice because it brought a welcome water immunity to the team, and acted as a decent check to the fearsome Gyarados.

Now that you're familiar with the six members that make up my team, let's have a look at Marriland's Team Builder for a detailed weakness/resistance analysis:

Now, I think I've already half bored you to death with all of this introductotry business. So I'm not going to stall any longer. Ladies and gentlemen, and hamsters, it is my great pleasure to present to you one of my most successful teams so far in my competitive Pokémon career, the Triumph of the Jackal.​

The perfect way to start things off...

Drac the Gliscor (M) @ Leftovers​

Jolly Nature | Sand Veil
200 Hit Points | 88 Attack | 220 Speed

Stealth Rock

Taunt

Earthquake

U-turn

Moveset Description:

• Stealth Rock: What's an offensive team (especially one based around Lucario) without Stealth Rock? Surely, not a very effective offensive team. The presence of Stealth Rock makes it harder for Salamence and Gyarados, the two of the biggest threats in the metagame, to switch in and stay for a prolonged period of time. It also wears down other Pokémon in general, and gives Lucario an easier time when the stage is finally set.
• Taunt: This is the entire reason why I don't lose to Baton Pass-Swords Dance Ninjask. Taunt also stops Roserade and Smeargle in their tracks, as they no longer are able to use their sleep-inducing moves and set up entry hazards. In general, it is also very useful in preventing set up attempts by slower Pokémon, and completely ruins any attempts by the opponent to stall or to spread status effects.
• Earthquake: A no-brainer when it come to deciding on Gliscor's moveset. Gliscor is primarily used defensively, and Earthquake is one of its only methods of dealing some real damage.
• U-turn: Gliscor may be fast, but sometimes, it's not fast enough. U-turn's main purpose is to break the Focus Sash on suicide leads (ie. Aerodactyl and Azelf) while giving me the opportunity to switch to one of my two priority users to finish them off. U-turn is also very useful when it comes to team scouting, and deals a massive amount of damage to Celebi, one of Lucario's premier counters.

EV Spread Description:

• 88 Attack EVs allows for a guaranteed 2HKO on 252/0 Metagross, which are common leads in the current metagame.
• 220 Speed EVs puts Gliscor at a speed stat of 309, enough to outpace Jolly Lucario, and other Gliscor who run 216 Speed, allowing me to be the first to Taunt.
• 200 HP EVs give Gliscor a considerable amount of bulk.

Comments:
Will finish later.

Team Synergy:

Scizor | Vaporeon | Lucario

Vaporeon | Latias


How could I possibly make a team without her?

Naomi~ the Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Timid Nature | Levitate
4 Hit Points | 252 Special Attack | 252 Speed

Draco Meteor

Hidden Power (Fire)

Grass Knot

Recover

Moveset Description:

• Draco Meteor:It's on the set simply because of its sheer power. With the Life Orb boost factored in, Draco Meteor can be used to effortlessly finish of any opposing Pokémon that is not of the Steel-type, or that is not named Blissey.
• Hidden Power (Fire): Scizor is definitely one of the most common switch-ins to Latias, because it either takes neutral damage from its attacks (Surf and Thunderbolt), or resists them (Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse). Then, Scizor will either use U-turn to scout out the switch, or Pursuit to nail the fleeing Latias. With Hidden Power (Fire) at its disposal, Latias has the ability to eliminate the annoying steel mantis once and for all. Hidden Power (Fire) can also score a surprise kill on Forretress, Magnezone, and other Steel-types that switch in expecting a Dragon-type attack.
• Grass Knot: As previously mentioned, Grass Knot is mainly here to eliminate the trouble-causer Swampert from the game. However, it deals massive damage to Hippowdon, and other bulky Rock and Ground-types. Even the mighty Tyranitar has a reason to fear a Life Orb boosted Grass Knot coming from Latias. Finally, Grass Knot helps take out the bane of essentially every team: Calm Mind Suicune. Even after a Calm Mind, Grass Knot does considerable damage due to Suicune's weight (120 base power).
• Recover: With Life Orb recoil damage and Sandstorm wearing her down, Latias needs a form of reliable recovery. And Recover does just that because unlike Moonlight and Synthesis (yes, I'm aware that Latias cannot learn these moves), its effectiveness is not affected by weather conditions.

EV Spread Description

• The EV spread is self-explanatory. Maximum power and maximum speed make Latias a huge threat to any team.

Comments:
Will finish later.

Team Synergy:

Scizor | Vaporeon | Lucario

Scizor | Lucario

Lucario | Scizor | Gliscor

Lucario | Scizor | Tyranitar

Scizor | Tyranitar | Lucario


The Combat Medic

Sprinkles the Vaporeon (F)@ Leftovers
Bold Nature | Water Absorb
252 Hit Points | 252 Defense | 4 Speed

Surf

Hidden Power (Electric)

Wish

Protect

Moveset Description:

• Surf: Like Earthquake on Gliscor, Surf is a no-brainer on Vaporeon. Vaporeon actually boasts decent special attack (even when not invested in), so its Surf actually can do considerable damage to fragile foes.
• Hidden Power (Electric): With an extremely useful ability in Water Absorb, Vaporeon becomes on the most effective counters to Gyarados. Especially with maximized defenses, Gyarados fails to do significant damage to Vaporeon even after a Dragon Dance. Hidden Power (Electric) is rather uncommon on Vaporeon on Wi-Fi, so that contributes to the surprise factor. I'm pretty sure that it can get a swift OHKO on Gyarados providing the beast of the sea switches into Stealth Rock.
• Wish:It is Vaporeon's best choice for a recovery move, especially when coupled with Protect. As previously mentioned, Wish also plays a vital role in supporting my team and ensuring that they live for as long as possible.
• Protect:Protect is essentially a must when using Wish Vaporeon. It also allows me to PP stall Bounce Gyarados (who can actually do serious damage to a Vaporeon without Protect), as Bounce can only have a maximum of 8 PP. Although rarely seen, Slaking is also forced to switch out if it ever encounters Vaporeon. In general, it's great for scouting purposes, especially if I have a reason to believe that my opponent is holding a choice item.

EV Spread Description:

• 252 EVs were invested into Defense because this Vaporeon was designed to be a physical wall. And let's face it, Vaporeon's base Defense stat isn't exactly spectacular.
• 252 HP EVs were used because I wanted this Vaporeon to be as bulky as possible. I wanted it to be able to take Outrages from Salamence and Dragonites, and live to tell the tale. Outspeeding a particular Pokémon is not of any concern to me, anyways.

Comments:
Will finish later.

Team Synergy:

Gliscor | Latias

Scizor | Latias | Lucario


The Lucario Counter Counter

RAWR! the Tyranitar (F) @ Expert Belt
Brave Nature | Sandstream
112 Hit Points | 252 Attack | 120 Special Attack | 24 Speed

Crunch

Pursuit

Earthquake

Ice Beam

Moveset Description:

• Crunch: This is undoubtedly Tyranitar's most reliable attack. Whereas it does not provide the power that the other STAB Stone Edge does, it has 100% accuracy. Besides, luck is never on my side, and Stone Edge always misses for me despite the 80% accuracy.
• Pursuit: This is what makes Tyranitar special. It has the ability to come in and scare numerous things away, especially considering Sandstorm increases its Special Defense stat by a factor of 1.5. And as they try to flee, Tyranitar slaps them in the face for showing such cowardice, hopefully OHKOing them and completely removing them from the match.
• Earthquake: Tyranitar is a decent counter to Heatran, and only really fears Earth Power (although Choice Scarf Heatran manages less than 150 damage with Sandstorm in play). Other than Pokémon that set up, Heatran commonly switch into a Tyranitar that has just used Pursuit, because that majority of Tyranitar carry a Choice Band. In general, Earthquake ensures that Tyranitar does not get walled by Steel-types, and has great overall coverage, hitting 5 types for super-effective damage.
• Ice Beam: Now this is where this specific Tyranitar is different. As most of you are probably aware, Gliscor is one of the best Lucario counters due to its high speed and overall physical bulk. Coincidentially, Gliscor also does quite a good job stopping Tyranitar, again because of its physical bulk. As I am using an Expert Belt, people typically expect this Tyranitar to be holding a Choice Band, and therefore it would not carry special-based attacks. Ice Beam gives Tyranitar the ability to knock out Gliscor in one swift blow, and it also makes it more difficult for Salamence and Dragonite to come in, expecting to use a presumably locked-in Tyranitar as set up bait. Ice Beam also deals massive damage to Hippowdon, another one of Tyranitar's biggest counters.

EV Spread Description:

• 120 Special Attack EVs gives Tyranitar enough power to 2HKO Hippowdon.
• 252 Attack EVs gives Tyranitar maximum physical attacking power, and most of its moveset is physically-based.
• 24 EVs invested into speed puts Tyranitar 1 point ahead a typical Blissey.
• 112 remaining EVs were put into HP to maximize bulk.

Comments:
Will finish later.

Team Synergy:

Gliscor | Latias

Gliscor | Latias

Scizor | Latias | Lucario

Vaporeon | Latias

Lucario | Scizor | Gliscor

Vaporeon | Scizor | Lucario


Just because everyone and their second cousin, twice removed has one...

SoOU the Scizor (F) @ Choice Band
Adamant Nature | Technician
248 Hit Points | 80 Attack | 176 Special Defense | 8 Speed

Bullet Punch

U-turn

Superpower

Pursuit

Moveset Description:

• Bullet Punch: With Technician and STAB factored in. the originally base 40 move reaches a respectable 90 base power. Add that to Scizor's sky-high 591 attack (with Choice Band), and you get a fearsome combination. Bullet Punch allows Scizor to finish off weakened and/or frail Sweepers, in spite of its mediocre speed.
• U-turn: The best option for scouting in the metagame, it becomes an extremely powerful move in the hands of the beast we call Scizor. It deals massive damage to bulky Psychics like Cresselia, and spells death to even the bulkiest of Celebi. It is unique in that it allows Scizor to escape from the iron grip of a trapping Magnezone.
• Superpower: Scizor's answer to Steel-types that would normally wall its entire set. Even though Scizor does not receive STAB for it, it is still extremely powerful, capable of knocking out the most defensive of Blissey, as well as both Magnezone (172/0 Steel Killer variant), and Heatran should they have the temptation to switch in.
• Pursuit: Scizor is able to trap frail Ghost and Psychic types with the notion of "will I Bullet Punch or will I Pursuit?". Regardless of whether or not they stay in, Pursuit is a OHKO on the likes of Gengar and Alakazam (the former occasionally carries Hidden Power Fire), as Technician boosts its base power from 40 to 60.

EV Spread Description:

• 252 Attack EVs put Scizor at an attack stat of 591 with Choice Band factored in. You certainly don't want to be standing in front of one of its attacks.
• 4 Speed EVs allows Scizor to be outsped by other Choice Band Scizor. In this way, my own Scizor uses U-turn second, giving me the chance to see the Pokémon to which my opponent switches.
• 248 EVs invested into HP give Scizor the ability to soak up attacks with its massive number of resistances.

Comments:
Will finish later.

Team Synergy:

Tyranitar | Vaporeon | Latias


Ça termine ici.

UzTehForce the Lucario (M) @ Life Orb
Jolly Nature | Inner Focus
252 Attack | 4 Defense | 252 Speed

Swords Dance

Close Combat

Extremespeed

Stone Edge

Moveset Description:

• Swords Dance: What's Swords Dance Lucario without Swords Dance? The ability to double its attack in a single turn is something that not many Pokémon can boast to have. With Swords Dance at its arsenal, even the sturdiest of walls have a reason to fear Lucario.
• Close Combat: Swords Dance + a STAB base 120 power move + Life Orb = complete and utter destruction. Too bad it only has 8 PP. But with the power provided simply by dancing around with swords, chances are high that Lucario won't even need that much PP to get its job done.
• Extremespeed: It is tied with Sucker Punch as the most damaging priority move, and unlike its counterpart, Extremespeed does not need the enemy's compliance to function. That being said, Lucario makes great use of Extremespeed because of its immediate attack boosts, and its relatively low base speed stat.
• Stone Edge: I'm pretty sure that I put Stone Edge on Lucario's set simply to knock out Gyarados, who can give it a fair bit of trouble at times. Lucario has no need for Crunch because most of the Psychic and Ghost-types will have already been eliminated by Tyranitar and Scizor before it reveals itself.

EV Spread Description:

• Like Latias's EV spread, Lucario's is more or less self-explanatory. It should be noted that I used a Jolly nature over Adamant because I wanted to be able to outpace Jolly Mamoswine, and a variety of other Pokémon that commonly try to outspeed Adamant Swords Dance Lucario.

Comments:
Will finish later.

Team Synergy:

Gliscor | Latias

Gliscor | Latias

Tyranitar | Vaporeon | Latias


Changes Log


Testing out Substitute Machamp > Choice Band Scizor
It didn't really work too well as I rely heavily on priority to Revenge-kill.Testing Choice Scarf Latias > Life Orb Latias
Didn't provide enough power to take down Suicune and whatnot.
Changed Scizor's EV spread to 248 HP / 80 Atk / 176 SDef / 8 Spd.

 

[Azumi]

Offensive Threat List:

Aerodactyl: Lead variants are U-turned on, then finished off with a Bullet Punch from Scizor. Sweeper variants answer to Scizor and Vaporeon.
Alakazam: Scizor can easily knock out the fragile sweeper, and Lucario can as well (even with an unboosted ES). Tyranitar can trap it if it's Choiced.
Azelf: As a lead, it gets U-turned on, and then Bullet Punched by Scizor. Otherwise, Latias can check special variants pretty well, as can Vaporeon. Physical Azelf don't carry anything that can harm Tyranitar, barring U-turn. Most Physical variants are Choiced, as well.
Breloom: I will generally have to sacrifice something to take the sleep, and I will make a choice based on my needs at the time. Gliscor can stop Breloom from using Substitute, and Breloom fails to do anything significant to Latias. Scizor can also Bullet Punch if it's Subsitute-less.
Celebi: Scizor, Scizor, Scizor. For ones that lack HP Fire. Tyranitar can easily scare away a Celebi that lacks Leaf Storm, or has already had the -2 Special Defense drop. As Celebi runs away, it is OHKO'ed by STAB Pursuit. Offensive Celebi also can't do much to Latias, with the exception of the Tinkerbell set that runs Thunder Wave.
Dragonite: It can't really come in and set up on anything, barring Vaporeon. Anyhow, if it somehow does manage to get a Dragon Dance up, I can use Latias as Outrage bait and both Scizor and Lucario can come in and abuse their priority.
Electivire: It'll honestly never get the chance to obtain a Motor Drive boost, because the only Pokémon on my team with an Electric attack is Vaporeon, who'll probably OHKO Gyarados anyways. If it does somehow get the boost, it'll be hard to work around as Electivire has nearly flawless coverage. Latias isn't OHKO'ed by Ice Punch with Expert Belt, however. I can rely on Lucario to take it out with Extremespeed once it's worn down enough. But honestly, I've never considered Electivire as much of a threat.
Empoleon: Vaporeon is my best option against Empoleon, who are typically SubPetaya. Grass Knot has a ridiculous 40 base power on Vaporeon, and even with a Petaya boost it'll fail to deal significant damage. Some Empoleon also bring themselves down to 1 HP (4 Subsitutes), and those are even more easy to handle as priority is what defines my team.
Flygon: Not a problem at all. It can't do anything to Vaporeon, with the exception of locking itself into Outrage. Lucario and Scizor can both use priority once it's worn down. I try to be careful about switching Latias into this thing because it's often Choiced and often scouts with U-turn.
Gengar: Scizor traps it if it's Choiced. It also fails to KO Empoleon if it is Choiced, and is in turn OHKOed by Hydro Pump. Latias can also take un-Scarfed versions as Shadow Ball shouldn't do too much if unboosted.
Gliscor: Vaporeon and Latias can both deal with it. Gliscor will typically be Swords Dance and Rock Poilsh.
Gyarados: Vaporeon is the best answer. Lucario can use Extremespeed if it's worn down enough. Gyarados typically do not carry Ice Fang, therefore Latias can also semi check it.
Heatran: Vaporeon and Tyranitar are two Pokémon to which Heatran fails to do significant damage. If I must, I can use Latias's Draco Meteor, which does 30-40% damage with a Life Orb.
Heracross: Gliscor can't do anything back to it, but Heracross can't do anything to Gliscor either. Heracross are typically Choiced as well, so depending on what move it locks itself into, I can pick a suitable counter. Finally, Scizor and Lucario can abuse priority, as Heracross has fragile defenses.
Infernape: Latias is the best answer to the mighty monkey. Infernape can't do much to Vaporeon either, as Grass Knot has a very low base power. ThunderPunch will hurt Vaporeon, however.
Jirachi: Typically Scarfed. I find out what it locks itself into, then respond appropriately. Although it can hit many of my Pokémon for super-effective damage, it really lacks the power to be considered an immediate threat. Vaporeon only takes around 30% from its ThunderPunch. As for special variants, Tyranitar and Scizor, and Latias make decent checks.
Jolteon: The best initial switch-in is Gliscor, because Jolteon spams Thunderbolt and are typically Choice Specs'ed. Tyranitar has the special defense to take anything that isn't Thunderbolt as well. Finally, Jolteon's paper-like defenses are easily crushed by priority.
Kingdra: Vaporeon can piss the hell out of it and tempt it into using Outrage. Then it can be dealt with with either Scizor or Lucario. Rain Dance Kingdra is foiled by Tyranitar and Sandstorm.
Latias: Tyranitar and Scizor are two of the best Latias counters.
Lucario: Gliscor is known as the universal Lucario counter. If all else fails, I'll just have to outspeed it with my own Lucario. who is Jolly.
Machamp: A bit of a tough one here. Nothing on my team likes confusion, but Gliscor generally has the defenses to wall the typical Rest-Talker. It just doesn't like Ice Punch. Latias's Draco Meteor is sure to take a huge chunk of Machamp's HP, and Scizor can Bullet Punch if it's worn down.
Magnezone: I'll be extremely careful when facing Magnezone, being sure to properly scout out the team with Scizor's U-turn. Once I'm aware of Magnezone as a threat, it's no longer very threatening. Magnezone is unable to do much to Gliscor and Latias, and even Tyranitar can beast its Flash Cannon to an extent.
Mamoswine: Latias can take an Ice Shard, although it doesn't like it very much. Scizor can KO with Bullet Punch. Vaporeon doesn't like Choice Banded Earthquakes, but it can take them providing it has enough HP. Lucario outspeeds even the fastest of non-Scarfed (who even uses Choice Scarf Mamo?) variants.
Metagross: Most Metagross opt for ThunderPunch as opposed to Ice Punch to hit Gyarados, so Gliscor makes a decent check. It is able to handle Agility Metagross as well because of its natural physical bulk. Scizor can generally take anything Metagross can throw at it, and retaliate with a strong U-turn.
Porygon-Z: As long as it lacks HP Fire, Scizor generally walls it, although it doesn't like taking Nasty Plot boosted Tri-Attacks. Latias can also do serious damage with Draco Meteor, and outspeeds it. Lucario also has Extremspeed to finish off weakned variants, as Porygon-Z's defenses aren't very good. Tyranitar can wall it providing it doesn't have HP Fighting, and I'll watch out for that.
Rhyperior: Back when it was OU, it was rarely seen anyways. Anyhow, Latias, Vaporeon, and Scizor can all handle it.
Roserade: If it leads, which is generally what it's used for, Gliscor stops it cold. Otherwise, it doesn't have the defenses to take boosted attacks from Latias, or Bullet Punch and Extremespeed from Scizor and Lucario.
Rotom Formes: Latias can do serious damage to non-Scarf variants, and Tyranitar can generally handle all Scarf variants. It just has to watch out for Will-o-Wisp.
Salamence: Same procedure as Dragonite. I use Latias to draw the Outrage, then use Scizor or Lucario to finish it off (Lucario only if it has no boosts, because I can use the opportunity to set up). I also laugh when a Salamence switches into Tyranitar, thinking that I'm locked on Pursuit or Earthquake, only to get an Ice Beam in the face.
Scizor: Latias has HP Fire, as Scizor typically either use U-turn or Pursuit after switching into a Latias. Lucario can OHKO after a Swords Dance, and takes minimal damage from Bullet Punch.
Snorlax: Scizor outpseeds the fat man and does serious damage with Superpower as long as it doesn't have too much Curses up. Lucario can scare the shit out of it and make it run.
Starmie: Scarf variants are easy to handle, as they are easily walled. Surf goes to Vappy or Latias, Ice Beam to Scizor or Lucario, and Thunderbolt to Gliscor or Vappy. Tyranitar can also switch into anything that isn't Surf (or Grass Knot). Life Orb Starmie, on the other hand, is a pain in the behind. Both Tyranitar and Scizor aren't OHKO'ed providing they are near full HP, but typically I have to resort to abusing priority to take Starmie on.
Suicune: Latias, and I've already addressed how it works. Lucario can also put a huge dent into its HP after a Swords Dance.
Togekiss: This one is a bit of a pain. Tyranitar can wall most of its moveset, but Aura Sphere will typically OHKO. Latias walls it as well, but hates Thunder Wave. I guess I've have to rely on Stealth Rock and priority to take this flying...thing...down.
Tyranitar: Both Scizor and Lucario scare the shit out of it, and it fails to do anything significant to Gliscor as well. Vaporeon and Latias have super-effective moves, but I'll only rely on them if Tyranitar is at low enough HP.
Weavile: Surprisingly, my team is actually pretty open to this thing. But with Stealth Rock flying all over the place, and Scizor by my side, it generally doesn't cause me much trouble.
Zapdos: Offensive Zapdos is generally stopped by Tyranitar. Latias also outspeeds it, and dents it severely with Draco Meteor.

Defensive Threat List:

Blissey: Scizor and Lucario both laugh in its face. Tyranitar also succeeds in scaring it away.
Bronzong: Lead variants are completely stopped by Gliscor. Otherwise, Scizor can do serious damage with U-turn (as Bronzong typically focus on Special Defense) and Lucario's Close Combat will also silence the bronze bell.
Celebi: Tyranitar and Scizor. 'nuff said. Gliscor can also dent it with U-turn, and Latias can do serious damage with Draco Meteor or even HP Fire.
Cresselia: Scizor's U-turn deals a massive amount of damage, and Tyranitar can also Pursuit/Crunch it.
Dusknoir: Ew. Tyranitar's Crunch cannot OHKO since I'm not carrying a Choice Band, but it'll do serious damage after Dusknoir switches into SR. Latias's Draco Meteor can also OHKO physically defensive Dusknoir. But nothing on my team likes burn, however.
Forretress: Latias has HP Fire. Lucario's +2 Close Combat also seriously dents it.
Gliscor: Tyranitar is designed to take it out. Otherwise, Vaporeon and Latias can also do a good job.
Gyarados: RestTalk Gyara is completely walled by Vaporeon.
Hippowdon: Both Vaporeon and Latias do serious damage. Tyranitar can 2HKO with Ice Beam.
Skarmory: Latias laughs in its face. It also doesn't like taking a +2 Close Combat from Lucario.
Swampert: Latias's Grass Knot is an easy OHKO. Scizor does more than 40% with U-turn. Lucario's +2 Close Combat is also a huge denter.
Tentacruel: Tyranitar's Earthquake can do serious dents. Gliscor also has Earthquake, and it's STABed as well. Tentacruel generally can't do much to Lucario, who can set up on it.
Vaporeon: Latias, and my own Vaporeon (because I have HP Electric). Lucario can also set up on it, and +2 Close Combat can OHKO.

 

[Zach]

Since you say that Life Orb Starmie gives you difficulty, I reccommend changing your Scizor spread to 160 HP / 176 Atk / 4 Spe / 168 SpD to better take Special Attacks.

Also nice team, pretty similar to mine as well

 

[Huntofthelion]

This team looks really solid, and the presentation is also very good. One issue I have though is that Scizor and Latias kinda look like they were just thrown in, so I'm going to try and change those two up a little to better help the team. Latias isn't going to draw in Swampert too often, it has no reason to stay in either. It may be bulky, but most of the time the opponent will have a designated Latias check, and it shouldn't be Swampert. I think changing it to a Choice Scarf variant would be better, allowing you several things you don't have. One is a reliable way to revenge kill physically bulky Salamence, ones able to shrug off physical attacks and thus would cost you at least one Pokemon to kill. Another is Trick support, which lets you break stall easier and not lose to bulky set up Pokemon, although none really trouble you too much with all six members alive. Trick can also give Lucario more chances to set up, by adding another move locked Pokemon to your opponents team.

Latias @Choice Scarf
252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Dragon Pulse/ Surf/ Thunderbolt/ Trick

Now Scizor seems kind of unnecessary, with most things it can revenge being handled by Latias, and trapping duties being taken by Tyranitar. So perhaps something to draw in things like Bulky Gyarados and Rotom, so that they can be dealt with. I was thinking something along the lines of Sub 3 attack Machamp, who is pretty hard to deal with, and it's common switch-ins can also hinder Lucario. With Dynamic Punch's confusion and Stone Edge's high critical hit rate, you'll be able to chip through enemy physical walls pretty easy.

Machamp @Leftovers
252 Atk/ 252 HP/ 4 SpD
DynamicPunch/ Stone Edge/ Payback/ Substitute

Lastly, your Vaporeon will be unable to kill certain Gyarados variants with that current set. Change the spread to something like 188 HP / 252 Def / 68 SpA , which I believe will guarantee the OHKO. Starmie is still a problem, but you should be able to play around it.
If you can't, change Tyranitars set to a more specially defensive one, so it can take it on better.
Just a few ideas, test them out and see if you prefer these options!

 

[Azumi]

Thanks for the rates, people.

@ huntofthelion
I had considered Choice Scarf Latias at one point, but I wanted to avoid Choice users as much as possible simply because they are easily walled and relatively predictable. The original idea behind the team was to use Pokémon that typically hold a Choice item, and use the element of surprise to my advantage when the opponent makes the mistake of making too many assumptions. Also, I felt that I wasn't really that weak to Salamence because typically, Scizor is the only Pokémon that Salamence would feel safe switching into. Gliscor sometimes carry Ice Fang, and have Taunt to stop set up attempts, Vaporeon often carry Ice Beam, and finally, Salamence doesn't particularly enjoy taking +1 Life Orb boosted Extremespeeds from Lucario, especially after switching into Stealth Rock. The problem with dropping the HP Fire Latias is that it was my only real "counter" to Scizor. Without it, my team struggles considerably because none of the individual Pokémon manages to do significant damage to Scizor, with the exception of Lucario (who, regardless, cannot OHKO Scizor without a Swords Dance boost). My own Choice Band Scizor could check opposing Scizor to an extent, but as I run less speed EVs than usual, they will be able to outspeed me and 2HKO with Superpower. Also, without Grass Knot on Latias, my team lacks anything that can do significant damage to Swampert, as I seriously do not like the special attack drop caused by Draco Meteor. Regardless, I will give Choice Scarf Latias a try, but I really feel that it's overused so much that often you'll see teams relying entirely on it. I do like Trick's ability to cripple walls and break stall, however.

And Subsitute Machamp seems to be amazing on paper. I can't wait to give it a try.

Something that I had considered in the past was using Ice Beam instead of Protect on Vaporeon. This would make me less vulnerable to Salamence, but at the same time would make me more vulnerable to Bounce Gyarados. Thankfully, they are not too common. And to which variants of Gyarados were you referring when you mentioned that Vaporeon was unable to take it down?

@ sprinkles and crunchatize_me
If I do change Latias to a Scarf variant, and swap Scizor with Substitute Machamp, I doubt I'll have any more problems with Starmie.

The entire reason why I did not use Roost on Gliscor was that I had Vaporeon to do the recovering for it. Gliscor is a great recipient of Wish from Vaporeon because it is completely immune to the Electric-type attacks that are aimed at Vaporeon. It's also not weak to Grass-type attacks, but those aren't too commonly seen.

 

[bxchink89]

I would srsly go for the Tyraniboah set. No one expects it and although u might lose a trapper, u can keep Scizor who is an awesome trapper. Tyraniboah is like one of the best T-Tar sets out there. 252 HP gives it a 101 HP Sub and Sandstream makes it very bulky on both spectrum.

Tyranitar @ LEftovers/ Expert Belt
Brave Nature
Sandstream Ability
252 Hp/ 28 atk/ 176 Sp. A/ 52 Speed
-Substitute
-Focus Punch
-Crunch
-Thunderbolt
52 Speeds allows it to outspeed Blissey so Sub-in and Focus Punch is like the goal against special walls. Crunch is T-Tar's most reliable Stab as you said, and not much can get the Sub out and survive a Focus Punch thats one of T-Tar's Counters. T-Bolt is to hit switch in gyarados

 

[Azumi]

I would srsly go for the Tyraniboah set. No one expects it and although u might lose a trapper, u can keep Scizor who is an awesome trapper. Tyraniboah is like one of the best T-Tar sets out there. 252 HP gives it a 101 HP Sub and Sandstream makes it very bulky on both spectrum.

Tyranitar @ LEftovers/ Expert Belt
Brave Nature
Sandstream Ability
252 Hp/ 28 atk/ 176 Sp. A/ 52 Speed
-Substitute
-Focus Punch
-Crunch
-Thunderbolt
52 Speeds allows it to outspeed Blissey so Sub-in and Focus Punch is like the goal against special walls. Crunch is T-Tar's most reliable Stab as you said, and not much can get the Sub out and survive a Focus Punch thats one of T-Tar's Counters. T-Bolt is to hit switch in gyarados

Sadly, Tyranitar's role on the team is to trap. Scizor is unable to make Rotom-H and Zapdos run away because it fears Fire-type attacks. Also, Tyranitar is a Gliscor lure, and if I drop Ice Beam, it won't be able to do anything to the giant flying scorpion. And the entire point of Tyraniboah is to break SkarmBliss, correct? Luckily, SkarmBliss isn't as unbeatable as it was back in the days of RSE, because a +2 Life Orb boosted Close Combat will annhilate your typical 252/176 Skarmory with Stealth Rock factored in, and let's not even talk about what it can do to Blissey.

 

[MetaGross66]

Yes, Lucario effectively breaks Skarmbliss. Something more worrying, though, is scarfrachi. You can't do much to it thanks to Iron head and it easily breaks your only answers to gliscor. Furthermore, it has the ability to hit all of your team for super effective damage if utilizing the 3 elemental punches with iron head. Trick also has the potential to ruin one of your pokemon almost all of the time due to the fact you carry no choice user. If you really want to deal with it effectively, you can replace vaporeon who isn't doing much for you other than beating Gyarados who is effectively handled by Rotom. The pursuit weakness may throw you off, but will-o-wisp can help that. Also, it can take trick for Jirachi and takes little from its most common moves. Furthermore, it handles Scizor which hurts your team after Latias is down. Even then, LO, SS, and SR damage will easily bring it into KO range of Bullet Punch.

 

[pokemon]

IF Scarf-Rachi had all 3 elemental punches plus iron head, it would de choiced into using one move while he could switch into an appropriate counter. Now if it was a Trick Jirachi it would do a lot more damage. If it tricks choice scarf onto lucario when SDing it would be royally screwed. Same goes with gliscor using taunt, vaporeon using protect or wish, latias using recover, scizor using pursuit/bullet punch. It then hits whatever comes in on the switch for super effective damage excluding vaporeon, if it had iron head, ice punch, and fire punch.

 

[Azumi]

Yes, Lucario effectively breaks Skarmbliss. Something more worrying, though, is scarfrachi. You can't do much to it thanks to Iron head and it easily breaks your only answers to gliscor. Furthermore, it has the ability to hit all of your team for super effective damage if utilizing the 3 elemental punches with iron head. Trick also has the potential to ruin one of your pokemon almost all of the time due to the fact you carry no choice user. If you really want to deal with it effectively, you can replace vaporeon who isn't doing much for you other than beating Gyarados who is effectively handled by Rotom. The pursuit weakness may throw you off, but will-o-wisp can help that. Also, it can take trick for Jirachi and takes little from its most common moves. Furthermore, it handles Scizor which hurts your team after Latias is down. Even then, LO, SS, and SR damage will easily bring it into KO range of Bullet Punch.

ScarfRachi can only manage around 30-40% with ThunderPunch on a Vaporeon that is as bulky as mine. Vaporeon's Surf can do considerable damage back to it. What's more is that Vaporeon has Wish and Protect to heal up whenever it feels the need. This isn't to say that Jirachi isn't a nuisance to the team. But chances are, it'll either carry Ice Punch or Fire Punch, and not both, because the other three moves will undoubtedly be ThunderPunch, Iron Head, and U-turn. I'll scout out its moveset, then use either Gliscor or Scizor to deal with it.

The good thing is that after Scarfrachi reveals what move it's locked onto, I can easily find something to wall it, and make it run away.

 

[MetaGross66]

But then you risk paralysis. It really can be bothering, but what I'm saying is Vaporeon is only slowing down your momentum just being set up bait for some pokemon like Suicune. Rotom seems more beneficial actually doing something like acting as a secondary check to Lucario who also sweeps your team once Gliscor is down. Taking it down won't be hard once the opponent knows you have one from the start. ;)

 

[Azumi]

But then you risk paralysis. It really can be bothering, but what I'm saying is Vaporeon is only slowing down your momentum just being set up bait for some pokemon like Suicune. Rotom seems more beneficial actually doing something like acting as a secondary check to Lucario who also sweeps your team once Gliscor is down. Taking it down won't be hard once the opponent knows you have one from the start. ;)

Actually, one of the reasons why my own Lucario's nature is Jolly is to check the vast majority of its brethren that are almost always Adamant.

And I'm really reluctant to replace Vaporeon simply because I'd hate to lose the Wish support with which it provides my team. Rotom can act as a spin blocker, but I honestly think that Vaporeon does more for the team in the long run.

As I've mentioned before, Calm Mind Suicune cannot withstand repeated beatings by Latias. Even after a Calm Mind boost, it will not live a Grass Knot + Draco Meteor combination.

 

[Lord Blood]

Blissey almost never carry Speed EVs:

| Blissey | Speed EV | None | 98.6 |

I suggest you drop the 24 EVs on Speed for Tyranitar and put it into HP. If not, Special attack would be your second best option.

248 Hit Points | 252 Attack | 4 Special Defense | 4 Speed

This wouldn't help you out too much as an 8 speed Scizor would. You'll be able to outspeed general 4 speed (weakened) Scizors (around 50% HP for the KO) and hit them hard with Superpower.

 

[MetaGross66]

You don't have to change it, but it seems more beneficial being able to check what you need to and more. To further that, it gets will-o-wisp helping Latias and Gliscor in the long run. Wish does help in some cases, but not much when you have a team with 3 pokemon with a 4x weakness. You do have resistances, but then that leads to mind games with your opponent. As for your Lucario's nature, you're missing out on a bunch of KOs, but you have that covered with your team (except for LOstar).

Also, you have no idea how bulky Suicune is....Especially since most teams have a check for Latias, a minor threat to Suicune (mainly due to trick).

 

[Azumi]

You don't have to change it, but it seems more beneficial being able to check what you need to and more. To further that, it gets will-o-wisp helping Latias and Gliscor in the long run. Wish does help in some cases, but not much when you have a team with 3 pokemon with a 4x weakness. You do have resistances, but then that leads to mind games with your opponent. As for your Lucario's nature, you're missing out on a bunch of KOs, but you have that covered with your team (except for LOstar).

Also, you have no idea how bulky Suicune is....Especially since most teams have a check for Latias, a minor threat to Suicune (mainly due to trick).

According to Psypokes (I don't use Metalkid anymore because after the update it's become all weird), Grass Knot does an average of 165 damage to +1 252/0 Bold Suicune, and Draco Meteor, 172. That's a grand total of 337 damage, and Suicune is taken down to 353 HP after switching into Stealth Rock once (assuming that it starts off with 404 HP). I am aware that Suicune has Leftovers for recovery, but this is cancelled out by Sandstorm. Plus, it will have probably already sustained damage from previous switch-ins and whatnot.

 

[ginganinja]

Just a quick questian, how do you handle MYSTIC Gar. It can stop scizor killing it and can hit this team fairly hard with only vaporeon and gliscor not getting hit for SE damage.

 

[Azumi]

Just a quick questian, how do you handle MYSTIC Gar. It can stop scizor killing it and can hit this team fairly hard with only vaporeon and gliscor not getting hit for SE damage.

IIRC, Mystic Gengar is:

Gengar @ Life Orb
Timid / Levitate
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
~ Shadow Ball
~ Focus Blast
~ Hidden Power (Fire)
~ Protect

It can't stop Scizor, per se, because it still cannot do anything to strike back if Scizor decides to use Bullet Punch. Sure, it'll be able to scout which move into which I lock my Scizor, but if I do see it use Protect, I'll know that it's this type of Gengar as I have once experimented with it myself. Evidently, after I know that it's going to run to something that resists Bullet Punch, I'm not going to stay in and aimlessly waste a turn. If I've already seen the majority of my opponent's team, I'll have a pretty good idea about what my opponent would want to switch out to. Otherwise, I'll probably play it safe and switch out to Latias or Vaporeon as Fire, Steel, and Water types will likely switch in to take the Bullet Punch.

 

[Snorlaxe]

Hey, got your pm, but at this point there really isn't much that I can do to fix this team. It's a very solid build, defintely one of the better teams I have seen today. There are only a few things here, first off I would definitely use Stone Edge over Earthquake on Tyranitar, as one of the biggest counters to SD Luke is Zapdos...Tyranitar with Stone Edge cleanly OHKOes most any Zapdos, even the most physically defensive ones, after factoring in Stealth Rock damage. Also, I suggest using 64 SpA EVs on Vaporeon (taken out of Hp), as having 64 SpA EVs allows you to OHKO all Gyarados variants 100% of the time after Stealth Rock damage factored in. I also think you should use an Adamant nature instead of a Jolly nature on Lucario, as Adamant is generally the better choice to use when not running Crunch (people generally run Jolly to outspeed max speed Rotom-A).

I think that you should change Latias to a Choice Specs variant, as she is a ridiculously powerful attacker capable of easily opening up holes in the opposing team's core, allowing Lucario to sweep much more easily. I suggest a set of Draco Meteor, Surf, Dragon Pulse, and Trick, a Timid nature, and a spread of 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe. Generally the thing to do here is to just switch in on one of Latias's many resists, and spam a super-powerful Draco Meteor to kill whatever switches in. Even something like Heatran will be taking 45%+ damage from Specs Draco Meteor, so prediction isn't a big issue. Dragon Pulse is a useful move for lategame sweeping, and Trick cripples stall.

Thats about all I have for you, hope I helped, and great team! =)

EDIT: Hooray 400th post! =)

 

[Azumi]

Hey, got your pm, but at this point there really isn't much that I can do to fix this team. It's a very solid build, defintely one of the better teams I have seen today. There are only a few things here, first off I would definitely use Stone Edge over Earthquake on Tyranitar, as one of the biggest counters to SD Luke is Zapdos...Tyranitar with Stone Edge cleanly OHKOes most any Zapdos, even the most physically defensive ones, after factoring in Stealth Rock damage. Also, I suggest using 64 SpA EVs on Vaporeon (taken out of Hp), as having 64 SpA EVs allows you to OHKO all Gyarados variants 100% of the time after Stealth Rock damage factored in. I also think you should use an Adamant nature instead of a Jolly nature on Lucario, as Adamant is generally the better choice to use when not running Crunch (people generally run Jolly to outspeed max speed Rotom-A).

I think that you should change Latias to a Choice Specs variant, as she is a ridiculously powerful attacker capable of easily opening up holes in the opposing team's core, allowing Lucario to sweep much more easily. I suggest a set of Draco Meteor, Surf, Dragon Pulse, and Trick, a Timid nature, and a spread of 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe. Generally the thing to do here is to just switch in on one of Latias's many resists, and spam a super-powerful Draco Meteor to kill whatever switches in. Even something like Heatran will be taking 45%+ damage from Specs Draco Meteor, so prediction isn't a big issue. Dragon Pulse is a useful move for lategame sweeping, and Trick cripples stall.

Thats about all I have for you, hope I helped, and great team! =)

EDIT: Hooray 400th post! =)

Thanks for the rate and the kind words ^^

I have considered using Stone Edge on TTar, but the 80% accuracy seriously makes me question its usefulness. It also makes me get walled to hell by Steel-types, sadly. I can see what you're saying about hitting Zapdos with Stone Edge, but chances are that Zapdos won't be staying in once Tyranitar switches in. It'll most likely switch out, and I can use this opportunity to use a base 120 damage Pursuit on it. It can't OHKO, but with Stealth Rock in play, it likely won't be able to come in again. Anyhow, if it does decide to switch in, Ice Beam still hits it hard because typically Zapdos are physically defensive.

And I can see how the extra HP EVs don't really matter, but tbh Gyarados can't even do much to Vaporeon in the first place, so getting a guaranteed KO isn't really a big concern. Lucario is Jolly because this way it outspeeds Jolly Mamoswine, who could otherwise be a bit of a nuisance. I've also mentioned that it gives me that extra bit of security against opposing SD Lucario, who are typically Adamant. However, there is no sense denying that Adamant definitely hits a lot harder.

=| True. Choice Specs Latias does have the sheer power factor, but it can't handle CM Suicune like my current Latias set can, unless it uses Trick.

 

[RaikouLover]

This team is very similar to a team I just made.. EXTREMELY similar. With that being said you have two GAPING weaknesses that I shared as well:

Crocune and LO Starmie.

Now, you say that you have Crocune covered, but you realy don't. Suicune will Calm Mind on your switch to Latias and now your trying to bust through a Suicune with +1 Special Defense, that will be rising every turn. Your only hope is to pray to GOD it doesnt attack while its sleeping long enough for Luke to punch a huge whole in it. LO Starmie is also a total BITCH to this team.

So how do you handle this? I know you probably don't want to change the structure of this team so leave it the way it is. However, I would change Latias set to this:

Latias @ Leftovers
Timid Nature
144 HP / 252 Spe / 112 SpA or
144 HP / 252 Spe / 112 SpD
*Calm Mind
*Dragon Pulse
*Hidden Power [Fire]
*Recover

Now, with Calm Mind yourself, you can at least battle it out with Crocune. Hidden Power Fire will always OHKO Scizor from either spread at +1, but only the first spread will carry an 80% chance to OHKO Scizor after SR with no boosts (which is good if he comes in while your recovering). The 2nd EV spread pumps your special defense more to help against LO Starmie, who can only max at 58% with Ice Beam if you have no Special Defense Boosts, meaning you can recover-stall it until it surcuums to LO damage if need be (or long enough to get it in range of Luke's E-Speed). Other than that, your team is solid, your bases are covered, and you have a solid strategy.

PS: I wouldn't worry about losing Latias to Tyranitar by dropping Grass Knot. A Pursuit or Crunch is set-up time for Luke =]

Just for kicks, if you want to change up this team at any time laddering to surprise people, you can just as easily switch Lucario and Scizor. By that I mean running SpecsLuke and Swords Dance Scizor (bulky varient is probably best) gives you the same good one-two punch with Luke taking out Scizor's counters. :=] Just something to think about.

 

[frogbandit]

Hi, I got your pm


This team looks extremely solid, and nice presentation by the way. I do see a weakness to LO Starmie and Crocune, but thats been covered already by above posters. All I can offer is a nitpick, you may want to consider Toxic over HP Electric on Vaporeon. I have found that Toxic is usually the superior option, as is the case with your team. Vaporeon already counters Gyarados well without HP Electric, and once Latias goes down (our if you decide to use a set without Grass knot) your team is extremely vulnerable to walls like Swampert, who can't be touched by anything on your team. This is why I'd opt for Toxic on Vaporeon.

That's just my opinion, overall its a nice team, and gl

 

[Scofield]

you know, I really don't think that this team is LO starmie weak. I think it's more of a paper weak than anything. To minimize it's ability to hurt you, you can simply replace gliscor with aero. Aero is a much better lead, beating azelf while also preventing starmie from coming in easily and wrecking you. Now there is no longer any poke which easily allows starmie to switch in. Yeah, aero is less bulky than gliscor, but glis isn't lasting long without roost anyways, and aero still allows you to check luke if it can make it out of the first turn with most of its health (hint: +2 adamant LO ES from luke does about 60% max, factoring in SR and it's not a bad check, especially if you can keep SR off your side of the field, also, don't leave aero in on things like gross). Of course, a more defensive spread on scizor really can't hurt.

 

[Azumi]

-bump-

Added threat list.

Also, I've decided to make Scizor more specially defensive so that it can better absorb Starmie's attacks. I was thinking the spread 244 HP / 80 Atk / 176 SDef / 8 Spd or something like that, but I'm not sure I'l be able to guarantee a OHKO on Gengar with Bullet Punch if I don't have those additional attack EVs. The special defense EVs will definitely come in handy however.

@RaikouLover: I gave your Latias set a try, but I still had troubles with Swampert Roaring me away. I don't have Life Orb to boost my attack power or anything, so Dragon Pulse just isn't cutting it. Suicune can't Roar me away, but I still think that having Grass Knot on the set would be better.

@frogbandit: =\ If I don't have HP Electric on Vaporeon, Gyarados has a much easier time setting up on me. Toxic will wear it down eventually, but not before it shreds through half of my team. Vaporeon still takes serious damage from a +2 or +3 Stone Edge, and it has a high critical hit ratio as well.

@scofield: The problem with Aerodactyl is that it goes down waaay too fast. If I encounter a lead such as Metagross, I'm definitely going to switch out, but I don't really have anything that'll immediately scare it away. In other words, it'll get the opportunity to set up Stealth Rock on me. On the other hand, Aerodactyl rarely gets a chance to set up Stealth Rock without getting hurt in the process. So I really don't think something as fragile as Aerodactyl would do the team any good. I hope the extra Special Defense EVs on Scizor will cut it.

 

[franky]

Got your pm and hopefully I could help out. Firstly, you absolutely need the bulk from Scizor as he is your reliable Steel-type to take on Dragon-type hits - especially from Latias. A simple patch up to this is 160 HP / 176 Atk / 4 Spe / 168 SpD which allows you to survive 2 consecutive Specs Draco Meteor and improve your overall bulkiness to trap Latias in exchange for a measly 10% attack drop. This also lets you survive Life Orb HP Fire from Latias I believe.

While I was looking at the team, it seems like Specs Latias with Draco Meteor / Surf / Trick / Dragon Pulse and same EVs fit in the team currently. The reason this would fit your team is Trick. Crocune will be troublesome to take down once it gets a Calm Mind boost under its belt. Your only source of deep penetration to its HP is Lucario; however, Jolly nature slices its Attack so it can't do much. Trick screws any form of Suicune set up. I personally don't like Choiced items on Latias because of Recover but the raw power and insurance to Suicune is needed. On certain situations where Tyranitar is potentially faced with Swampert, switching into Latias to get a free Draco Meteor off really helps compared to Life Orb damage. With Swampert severely injured or removed, it makes Lucario sweeps better. It all works out anyways, as SpecsDraco Meteor can 2HKO Scizor who don't pack a lot of investment into Special Defense. With Scizor gone, Tyranitar can safely lure in Gligar.

As for other options, Tyranitar can't effectively trick Gliscor into wielding Choice Scarf due to the possibility of Choice Band. I'd like you to try out Shuca Bery on Tyranitar. This way you have a surefire way of beating Gliscor off the bat with Ice Beam while surviving Earthquake.

Edit: If you're not satisfied with SpecsLatias - I'd like you to try out Roar / Dragon Pulse / Recover / Surf with the EVs 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe . This may slow down things a bit but it adresses Suicune and lets you "out-roar" stuff like Skarmory and Swampert before they roar you. With stealth rock down, you can seriously rack up some damage especially with Salamence and Gyarados around to check Lucario late-game. EVs designed to take Pursuits.

 

[Azumi]

Got your pm and hopefully I could help out. Firstly, you absolutely need the bulk from Scizor as he is your reliable Steel-type to take on Dragon-type hits - especially from Latias. A simple patch up to this is 160 HP / 176 Atk / 4 Spe / 168 SpD which allows you to survive 2 consecutive Specs Draco Meteor and improve your overall bulkiness to trap Latias in exchange for a measly 10% attack drop. This also lets you survive Life Orb HP Fire from Latias I believe.

While I was looking at the team, it seems like Specs Latias with Draco Meteor / Surf / Trick / Dragon Pulse and same EVs fit in the team currently. The reason this would fit your team is Trick. Crocune will be troublesome to take down once it gets a Calm Mind boost under its belt. Your only source of deep penetration to its HP is Lucario; however, Jolly nature slices its Attack so it can't do much. Trick screws any form of Suicune set up. I personally don't like Choiced items on Latias because of Recover but the raw power and insurance to Suicune is needed. On certain situations where Tyranitar is potentially faced with Swampert, switching into Latias to get a free Draco Meteor off really helps compared to Life Orb damage. With Swampert severely injured or removed, it makes Lucario sweeps better. It all works out anyways, as SpecsDraco Meteor can 2HKO Scizor who don't pack a lot of investment into Special Defense. With Scizor gone, Tyranitar can safely lure in Gligar.

As for other options, Tyranitar can't effectively trick Gliscor into wielding Choice Scarf due to the possibility of Choice Band. I'd like you to try out Shuca Bery on Tyranitar. This way you have a surefire way of beating Gliscor off the bat with Ice Beam while surviving Earthquake.

Edit: If you're not satisfied with SpecsLatias - I'd like you to try out Roar / Dragon Pulse / Recover / Surf with the EVs 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe . This may slow down things a bit but it adresses Suicune and lets you "out-roar" stuff like Skarmory and Swampert before they roar you. With stealth rock down, you can seriously rack up some damage especially with Salamence and Gyarados around to check Lucario late-game. EVs designed to take Pursuits.

Thanks for the rate franky. I'm definitely going to change Scizor to make it more specially defensive, as it has been suggested by countless people and I've felt the need to change it myself as well. As for using Specs Latias, I can see it definitely helping against Suicune and Swampert, but with Scizor, problems sort of arise. Without HP Fire on my Latias, none of my pokémon carry moves that could seriously dent Scizor (assuming it's specially defensive), barring Close Combat from Lucario. And based on how popular Scizor is in today's metagame, I'd say that I'm probably going to encounter it every two matches.

And my intention with Tyranitar was to nail Gliscor while it's switching in, and not when I'm actually facing it head-on. That being said, I don't really like losing the Expert Belt, because it provides the power I need to KO things like Cresselia, Celebi, and Dusknoir with Crunch/Pursuit. And I'm pretty sure Tyranitar is only 2HKO'ed by Gliscor's Earthquake anyways? And that's only if it's running the 88 Atk EVs to 2HKO Metagross as well.