Young Moneys First RTM Standard OU

[YoungMoney]

Team "Balanced Diet"
Ok its passed midnight Im really not in the mood for thinking of creative team names.

Hi, its YoungMoney and I will be posting my very first RMT here on smogon (I have just joined 3 days ago)!

Why am I posting this team up?: The reason I am posting this team is because I think there are things that can be improved drastically in it. This is the very first team I have created (I have 3 more) and has been the most sucsessfull out of all of them. But the thing is, it has only peaked of 1370...I did the most I could do durring the team building proccess, until the point where I didnt know why I wasnt winning alot of my games. So I decided to have my team up on smogon to figure out whats wrong or to hear some suggestions or feed back. I also want to take your say into consideration when building future teams.

How did this team originate?: Uhh, well not much to say here. It was my first team on I have ever made for shoddy. Since it was my first I decided that it shouldnt be anything special, just your regular balanced team. Oh and yeah I know the title is lame but its past midnight right now lol.

The Team Building Process:

The first slot I though I should fill for a balanced team was the first. I wanted a lead who can fair againts most other leads and at the same time get up rocks with little prevention. I also wanted this pokemon to be somewhat bulky so after hunting around a bit I found my one true love, Metagross :)
After Selecting my lead, I wanted a threatening sweeper to lurk in the middle of my team. This was still the open part of my team so I was free to pick whoever. After looking at Salamence I saw that it was extreamly threaten in the OU metagame and might get me some sweeps.
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Next, I noticed that if I want Salamence to sweep I would need to take Scizor out of the picture. There were alot of options here but the pokemono that really attracted me was Rotom-H. He makes a nice bulkywall and can block rapidspin. Rotom-H also provides me with an awnser to Gyarados.
I wanted something to safely counter Latias since it is so commonly used, I also needed a pokemon to utilize pursuit nicely to trap choiced users like Gengar. Tyranitar seemed like a good pick to fill this role, it also created good synergy with my last two.
Now I wanted something that would be able to set up on pokemon that rely on status to cripple them EG Celebi and Vapporeon. I immideatly looked at Latias since in can set up substitute and render these pokemon useless. It can also take advantage of Scizor being out of the picture.
Lastly I neede a pokemon that can fill the holes left on my team. I also needed a revenge killer to make sure I dont get swept. I looked at ScarfRachi because it can check off pokemon Like Scizor and Tyranitar, should they set up on me. It was also a good scout with U-turn.

So then came Team (Insert silly name here)

Little Moving sprites of my team :)

Now lets get into the team a bit more

Metagross

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Metagross @ Lum Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP/236 Atk/8 Def/12 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake

I really like this lead and for a really good reason. It almost always gets rock up and unlike suicidal leads like azelf, it can inflict some mad damage and at the same time tkae hits like crazy. With this moveset and EV spread it can take on most of the common leads currently used in the metagame really nicely. SR is here obviously for the entry hazzard. Mash+Bullet+Earthquake gives me some insane coverage and allows me to hit most leads hard. The reason I dont run explosion here is that I really dont want to have to choose between Earthquake and Mash. Each which hits different leads. The EVs are pretty basic. Max HP to increase my survivibility, 12 in speed is to outpace other Metagross leads (Standard is 8 EVs) and 2hko with quake. 8 EVs in defence to makesure I dont get OHKOed by dugtrio. Then I dumped the rest into attack. Lum berry was chosen over occa because it gives me the abillity to combat sleepinducers like Smergle and Roserade. The only leads I will be forced to switch out of ar Heatran, Infernape and Mamoswine.

Salamence

Salamence (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 232 Atk/252 Spd/24 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Outrage
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance

Salamence was great on this team and would sometimes get a sweep on my opponent. I chose this pokemon because it can be a serious problem for my oppenent if they are not prepared to combat a +1 Salamence. I use to run the set with LO for he extra 30% boost but I saw that salamence would die to quickly when I used this team. So I tried Lum berry and was satisfied with the result. After a DD I can unleash my insanely powerfull Outrage without having to worry about confusion. Lumberry also gives Salamence an extra DD vs a pokemon who is planning on giving Status to him. For example vs Blissey, without icebeam she might try and T-wave me on the DD just to relize that her move wasted. Lumberry has also proved to save mence out of those random hax situations. Outrage is my main weapon but EQ is to hit everything else. I chose fireblast specifically to hit Skamory who would otherwise wall this set and stop my sweep. Because Metagross isnt an anti lead, my opponent will most likely have rocks out which means Salamence takes 25% every switch in. Which is why I dont bring out mence until I have seen my opponents team and eliminated the counters. When I bring Mence out for a lategame sweep, I dont want to switch him back out.

Rotom-Heat

Rotom-h @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/168 Def/88 Spd
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- ThunderBolt
- Will-o-wisp
- Rest
- SleepTalk

This guy has been a really reliable pokemon and a good sport on this team. Rotom is here to Take on bulkywaters that may be tough to take down with the rest of my team. He kills or forces a switch on Scizor and makes a fine switch in to swampert, Burning him with WoW. Although I have no real way of killing him with rotom other than burn stalling with rest. WoW is here MAINLY for Tyranitar. The amount of Tyranitars that switch into this pokemon is countless. If I suspect a band I stay in to burn them and cripple Tyranitar for the rest of the game, then rest to full HP before I switch. Another problem pokemon for rotom is heatran. But always durring a Rotom vs Scizor situation I will Tbolt first for the incomming Heatran who ussually comes out. I am forced to switch out still but its usefull getting a chunk of Heatrans HP out. This Rotom plays a vital role in my team in absorbing status. Rotom is also my answer to most Jirachi. 252 EVs in HP is that aid that horrible HP base. 88 speed is to outpace most tyranitars and the rest were dumped into Defence to take physcial hits effectively

Latias

Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 128 HP/252 Spd/128 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Dragon Pulse
- Substitute

This set might not look like much on paper but it is extreamly effective in battle. The advantage with Latias over other CM/Sub sweepers is the move recover. Substitute is the real key aspect of this pokemon though. It can substitute to avoid status and get a free CM on the switch. Substitute can also be used early game to scout out there Latias counter, and also avoid taking the pursuit when switching. But the real reason I like this pokemon is that it can sweep an entire team if I got a chance to set up. Unlike other Latias, this one can beat Blissey (Without S-Toss) one on one. CM will reduce there Icebeam damage and sub protects you from Twave and Toxic. Other than sweeping, latias also makes a good team player. She gives me a solid counter to Infernape, Heatran and Swampert (All which will force out my Metagross lead). Timid with max speed to hit 350 and outspeed Infernape and non scarfed Heatran. The rest were split into HP and Special attack to give her some bulk and at the same time keep her offensive stat.

Tyranitar

Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 164 HP/252 Atk/92 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail

Tyranitar is here to trap pokemon like Gengar and Latias then kill em off. Tyranitar has proven to be a real power house to my team, dealing heavy damage right off the bat. Aquatail was chose over Earthquake to hit most switch ins hard like Gliscor and Hippodown. I kinda played with the EVs though. Smogon suggested 92 speeds evs to outpace Skamory but I honestly wasnt to concern about Skamory so instead I decided to dump those EVs into Special Defence allowing me to combat Latias easier.

Jirachi

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk/6 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch

Jirachi is my teams trust revenge killer. And it has been doing a great job at it too. Jirachi can check off DD salamence and DDtar with Ironhead (2hko, 60% of a OHKO due to flinch) nicely. Lucario and Scizor wont have a hard time getting a SD up so Jirachi is my awnser to both of them. U-Turn is here to scout if a switch occurs, and its nice getting an advantageuos switch in on my own. U-turn is a great move and is used effectively with a scarf. Trick was formerly used on this set but it was suggested that Icepunch would be overall a better option to OHKO mence and not rely on the flinch. This Jirachi isnt used to combat Gyarados because they ussually dont get passed Rotom-H. The evs here are to outpace JollyLuke and +1 AdamentMence. I will also tie with a +1 Naivemence which is nice.

Closing comments: Ok so theres my team. Like I said it was by far my most sucessfull team to date but I feel that it can be improved better than what it is now. I would appreciate any feedback, suggestions on what you think could be changed on the team to make it better. My peak with this team was below 1400, my goal is 1500:) Leave a reply with your thoughts, thanks!


**This is my first RMT so let me know if there is anthing I need to change or add to make my next RTM better. All pictures were taken from Marriland.com. Also sorry about the yellow font, if you can read just highlight**
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[The SPrinkLer]

This actually looks like a pretty solid team here, and I must commemorate the effort you put into this RMT!

To get things started, I think a better option over your current Rotom set would be the RestTalk set. Your team lacks a reliable answer to Gyarados, since even if you do burn their Tyranitar with Rotom, you have no recovery. With the RestTalk set, you also have a means of absorbing status, something your team doesn't do as effectively as it would like to. Sleep leads, in particular, could be a problem for your team. Go with the standard RestTalk set here:

Rotom-H @ Leftovers
EV's: 252 HP/88 Spd/ 168 Def Bold Nature
Thunderbolt/Rest/Sleep Talk/Will o Wisp

With this set you can outpace Adamant Tyranitar and Scizor, while providing great physical bulk to tank hits. Another thing I think you should change (it's minor) is a simple EV change on Jirachi. Currently, the only thing stopping your team getting swept by DDMence is Jirachi, but its EV's are insufficient to do so. Change the EV's to 4 hp/252 spd/252 att and perhaps change U-turn to Ice Punch so you won't have to winning two speed ties in a row. I hope this helps, and good luck with the team!

 

[AndyD1994]

Hey good team so far! It looks very solid but I do have a few pieces of advice to give you. First of all agree with Sprinkles that you should use the RestTalk set on rotom, also I advise running flamethrower, a naive nature and 40 Sp.Atk ev's on Salamence. Flamethrower because missing can really mean that scizor and other steel types can revenge kill you a lot easier, and the 40 ev's in Sp.Atk mean you can still 2HKO the standard Skarmory. Finally the naive nature means you can outrun many other Salamence and all neutral based 100 speed pokemon. All in all a good team and well done on the format for your first RMT!

 

[199 Lives]

Firstly congratulations on what seems to look like a fairly solid team.

On Salamence I suggest you switch Fire blast to Flamethrower. This is because without the extra power of Life Orb Fire Blast is a 2HKO on Skarmory, and this way you don't have to worry about costly misses. On Jarachi if you are using this as your main to beat DD mence I suggest you use a max speed jolly with Ice Punch, that way you can alteast tie with max speed jolly mence and OHKO without having to rely on an iron head flinch. I would put Ice Punch over U-Turn or Trick, whatever floats your boat.

Anyway hope I helped.

 

[syrim]

Really solid team, theres only one real threat.

I would have to agree with your set up weakness, and if jirachi ever goes low on health you have a problem with almost everything. One thing you could do is switch the T-tar set up a little.

Tyranitar @ Expert Belt - Hasty
252 Atk/48 SpA/208 Spe
Crunch
Pursuit
Superpower/ Ice Beam
Fire Blast/Flamethrower

This your weakest team member in terms of set up, becomes a deadly lure and momentum changer. Ice beam gives you less coverage, but helps alot with DDmence. The synergy this has with your team is really pretty suprising. It lures in many common Stat-uppers and eliminates them quickly, sometin essential for your team. It also mimmicks (alebeit not nearly as well) the choiced pursuit. But most importantly it lures in many common checks for Latias, allowing the sub set much more free reign with the likes of scizor and many other steels out of the way.
( This set also has great offensive and defensive synergy with Gengar, and would make a Scarfgar very viable. But I don't honestly think your That set up weak, and i would probably prefer the bulk of Scarfrachi).

Best of Luck!

 

[franky]

Hello Young$,

Definitely look for Explosion on Metagross in order to punch an early hole on bulkier leads such as Hippowdon and Swampert. You will definitely need to bluff so the former two stay in if you wish, but other than that it shouldn't be too difficult to pull of an Explosion. With those bulky leads gone or possibly dented, Salamence will have an easy time on the field as most teams usually pack one Salamence check.

Alright, you can't ignore the problems here: DD Gyarados and SD Lucario. Gyarados can set up on locked in Jirachi and locked in Pursuit Tyranitar. Rotom can't possibly handle the Gyarados if it has switched in on SR many times. Lucario can do the same and quite literally dismantle the entire team and the only way you really check it is if you come in after someone dies or coming in on Extremespeed from Lucario - a tough task to do. Look to place a Choice Scarf on Rotom with the movesets Overheat / Thunderbolt / Trick / Shadow Ball with the EV 232 HP / 26 SpA / 252 Spe. This way, you can really defeat Lucario and Gyarados. EVs are allocated to 2HKO Latias with Shadow Ball.

With that being said, I don't see the point of that Latias set. You can't touch Heatran without any moves. Also you could replace Substitute with Refresh to beat status anyways. Getting back to the point, Heatran will completely shed you to pieces eventually since you don't have a move to hurt it. I would really look for a Life Orb set which utilizes Dragon Pulse / Grass Knot / Thunderbolt / Recover with the EVs 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe. With this curent set, you can succesfully strike Heatran and check many threats. Dragon Pulse over Draco Meteor so your not prone to Pursuit trap. Grass Knot is excellent for jabbing Tyranitar for a clean 2HKO if it comes in on Dragon Pulse once. With Tyranitar gone, Rotom is no longer exposed to getting trapped! Thunderbolt is used so Gyarados doesn't have much room to set up. It also allows you to hit Scizor, as well as Heatran for neutral damage.

As for other options, seek out an EV spread of 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe on Jirachi with a Jolly nature. This way, you can aim to speed-tie Naive Salamence at best and OHKO with Ice Punch. Oh wait, you don't have it. Go for Ice Punch over Fire Punch since Scarf Rotom covers Lucario. overall gl.

Also.. sprinkles

Sleep leads, in particular, could be a problem for your team.

LumGross beats Roserade and Breloom with relative ease (albeit there is no hax with Meteor Mash)

 

[YoungMoney]

Thanks guys I really do appreciate all your help. I really put in alot of effort with building my teams but I sometimes miss little things that can draw me back.

It looks like most of you agree that Icepunch and max speed on Scarfrachi is the way to go to give me a more reliable answer to DDSalamence. So I guess I should move the HP evs into speed and see how that works out. As for Icepunch, I will be putting it over trick because now it seems that Jirachi plays a vital role in this team with the Scarf.
I will also definitely try out that Resttalk Rotom set that both Andy and Originally Sprinkles recommended to insure I dont get swept by a DDGyarados, which overall I think is a great idea.
It was also suggested to run a NaiveNature a Salamence to outrun more pokemon and Flamethrower>Fireblast to keep the power but gain more reliability. I will make this little change as see how it does.
Also, Franky, Its true that Latias CANT touch heatran bu in reality it cant touch her either. Due to my experience with this team Latias can take full advantage of Heatran and set up to the point where I can easily 2HKO or OHKO the Heatran. From scratch I cant really do much to the heatran but it makes a REALLY good set up fodder for latias. Substitute is to block the Explosion and random crits. I am not to big on the Baittar set considering how well my current set has been working on the team but open to all suggestions and will definalty try that out for a bit.

Thanks for all the help guys I will make the changes to the team and update the thread. Hopefully the team will have some major improvements in battle and if I feel that more can be done, I will bump.

Again, thanks for the help!

 

[YoungMoney]

*Bump*

Any last suggestion guys?

BTW is that the proper way to bump the thread, or is there a specific key I have to hit? Kinda new to this

 

[Fall]

Yo Young Money,

Nice team dude! My only concern is if a Scarf Flygon comes in to your Salamence as it DDs, because it'll be OHKO'd for sure. My suggestion is that you change Salamence's nature to Naive (+Spe, -SpD) because you can force a Speed tie against Jolly Scarf Flygons and Speed tie against opposing Salamence, and Jirachi. Also I agree with j.franky about the Latias set.
Good luck!

PS: I love the stuff Young Money's doing right now, I can't imagine what's gonna happen when Weezy gets locked up. :(