I. Introduction
A grace-filled day to all of you, Smogonites, and welcome to my newest RMT--my centerpiece to behold! I am back here for showing off this RMT after several months of momentary stall here in this forum.
Anyway, I have a new alt name in Shoddy Battle - Smogon Server named Valenheart. In four days, this account reached the OU CRE peak of 1363, its personal best, only with this team. Within a few weeks time, it reaches to the OU CRE peak of 1412, but goes down to 1395 due to four consecutive losses.
This is my third RMT here in 3 months of existence here in my forums. As always, my usual style of playing is balanced, with a bit of twist because of my lead selection. Actually, it took me several days [yeah, weeks] to create this team without a tutor. From my simple yet artistic picture, you will see that my team is centralized on Suicune, and its explanations will be shown later in the succeeding chapters of the RMT. That's why I named the team "Battle Realms: The Valenheart's Soul."
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II. Building and Synergizing the Team
1. The Core of the Team
Actually, I loved Water-types the most, and without Water-types I would be as hopeless as hell. I used Suicune here mainly because after the ban of Salamence and Latias, Suicune becomes one of the Pokemon that regained the title as one of the most devastating Pokemon that rises in extraordinary levels, most especially its set: CroCune. I used this set even before the rise of this team, and it remained doing so.
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2. The "Hatapon" of the Team
Hatapon came from the PSP game "Patapon"; it defines as the "flag-bearer" or the leader of the Patapon Tribe.
Right after deciding about the core of the team, I chose to select a lead. I love selecting novelty leads that can be very efficient in the OU metagame, and after I explored a lot of Pokemon that can be viable in the lead spot, Hariyama is one of my truly novelty leads that can decimate a lot of opposing leads in the metagame, and possibly make a clean-up late game if possible.
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3. The Hatapon with the Deceiver
Hariyama needs a partner to maximize his potential early-game and late-game--Uxie replies to Hariyama's invitation pretty well. Uxie deceives enemies through Trick and Thunder Wave--almost similar to my recent Froslass [see this one for details about my Froslass].
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4. The Core Welcomes U-turn Attackers
First of all, Scizor pairs well with Suicune. First reason why I say this one is how they cover their weaknesses to each other--Suicune welcomes Fire attacks aimed at Scizor, and Scizor welcomes Grass attacks aimed at Suicune. Another one is that Suicune loves obliterating physical walls Scizor hates, and Scizor loves obliterating special walls Suicune hates.
Flygon is another Pokemon that pairs well with Suicune, as Suicune's Ice resistance fends off Flygon's weaknesses, and Flygon's Electric immunity fends off Suicune's weaknesses. This has to be with the same boat with Scizor.
Surprisingly, as U-turn attackers, Flygon and Scizor work hand-in-hand. Flygon takes care of Fire attacks aimed at Scizor, and Scizor takes care of Dragon and Ice attacks aimed at Flygon. They are designed to bewilder a lot of enemies while dealing massive damage to them.
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5. The Defensive Wishmaster
Since Flying-type attacks are this team's concern right now [despite only Togekiss is the most prevalent OU Flying-type Pokemon in existence], another Steel-type should be used here, since this is the only one that compensates Flying attacks aimed at the last five Pokemon in the team.
Here, Jirachi is the chosen Pokemon in my team because I liked using Jirachi as a Serene Grace abuser--Body Slam and Iron Head gives it an annoyance. Not only that, Jirachi is the only one in the team that gives health to its teammates with Wish; that's why the lead can sweep late-game because of that.
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6. The Fiery Volcano
After testing the original team a lot of times, Scizor didn't do well majority of the battles. Since my major threat here are the Steel Spikes users, such as Skarmory, I replaced Scizor to Heatran to remedy this situation, since this team lacks a Fire attack.
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7. The Black Rose
According to Philip7086, Uxie is a dead-weight to this team. I tried replacing Uxie for Roserade in the process, and it made a great success. So, I would say goodbye to Uxie, and say hello to Roserade, my new member of the team.
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Fun Facts about the Team:
1. One-half of my team consists of Legendary Pokemon.
2. Before Scizor and Uxie was being replaced by Heatran and Roserade, respectively, the team is full of U-turn attackers. Now with Heatran and Roserade welcomed in the team, the long lasting power was amplified.
3. The concept of the team is a combination of all greatly-inspired teams--be it in Marriland or in Smogon, like the "Long Shot Hero", "Calamity Trigger", a team showcase from someone that was shown in YouTube [but not anymore], and most especially, the most recent Battle Realms teams I've posted here.
4. The nicknames of this team is still based on the Zen Masters of Battle Realms.
5. No one in the team cares Toxic Spikes, but only one is immune to Spikes.
2. Before Scizor and Uxie was being replaced by Heatran and Roserade, respectively, the team is full of U-turn attackers. Now with Heatran and Roserade welcomed in the team, the long lasting power was amplified.
3. The concept of the team is a combination of all greatly-inspired teams--be it in Marriland or in Smogon, like the "Long Shot Hero", "Calamity Trigger", a team showcase from someone that was shown in YouTube [but not anymore], and most especially, the most recent Battle Realms teams I've posted here.
4. The nicknames of this team is still based on the Zen Masters of Battle Realms.
5. No one in the team cares Toxic Spikes, but only one is immune to Spikes.
Here's my Weakness/Resistance Type Chart [the new one].
Bored reading? Don't worry.
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III. The Team at its First Perusal
Behold, my centerpiece!
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IV. The Team at its Fullest Detail
--Changes are in Bold.--
"What are you looking at?"
Budo [Hariyama] @ Flame Orb
Adamant Nature [+Attack, -Special Attack]
Ability: Guts
EV's: 252 Attack / 200 Defense / 56 Speed
=> Fake Out <=
=> Close Combat <=
=> Payback <=
=> Facade <=
About Budo:
Budo is a peasant overseer, a large man who is always seen with a barbed whip in his hand and a look of low cunning on his face, early in his career he was the target of multiple accusations of torture, wanton beatings, and callous murder. Naturally the Serpent lords saw the limitless potential in this rising star.
Budo's cruelty and stupidity became a perfect tool in the hands of men like Lord Shinja. Any province where Budo was put in charge would reliable have the hardest productivity and lowest crime-rate in the known world - albeit also the highest rate of peasant deaths. After a while the simple threat of placing Budo in charge meant a ten percent jump in the harvest.
I named Hariyama as Budo because he has the highest endurance [HP] among all Pokemon in this team. You know, Hariyama can be an early-game and possibly a late-game sweeper, and that's his limitless potential as the rising star in the lead position.
Why this Pokemon?
This one is the real Budo of the team. Actually, during my first test of this team, the result is that I loved using Hariyama all over again. The first reason why I loved this Hariyama because it decimates a lot of opposing leads with a surprise factor. Also, Machamp Attacking Leads are very futile; at least, for the very least, such LOL-ish Lead Attacker such as this one should never be underestimated.
Vs. The Top Ten Leads
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Azelf: Nowadays, Psychic is very prevalent on this little pixie, because it wanted to counter Machamp. For that, after a Fake Out, I will switch to Jirachi and paralyze it to death.
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Machamp: Machamps are very prevalent now; that's why Psychic becomes very prevalent to Azelf. However, Hariyama can outrun and outpower Machamp [unless Machamp invests more Speed EV's than Hariyama] after a Fake Out and a Guts-boosted Close Combat.
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Aerodactyl: Hariyama has the same tactics against Aerodactyl to the tactics against Machamp, but on the second turn after Fake Out, either Taunt or Stealth Rock will be used.
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Metagross: Metagross receives more than 50% damage to Hariyama's Guts-boosted Close Combat, but doesn't KO [unless it gains a Critical Hit]. I will switch in to Heatran afterwards and kill it with Earth Power, or give Metagross more mind games with Substitute.
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Swampert: Swampert receives at most 50% damage to Hariyama's Guts-boosted Facade, good enough to kill Swampert with Close Combat on the third turn. This is to avoid Defense and Special Defense drops when the opponent switches in a Ghost-type.
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Jirachi: Hopefully not flinching, Hariyama has the ability to OHKO Choice Scarf Lead variants with a Guts-boosted Close Combat--that is, after Jirachi has taken a Fake Out.
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Infernape: This one is very different, and very hard to handle, actually, since Infernape leads have a faster Fake Out. For that, I will switch in immediately to Suicune to take a Fake Out, start using Calm Minds and attack to activate Infernape's Focus Sash, and Resting off the damage.
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Roserade: To block Sleep Powder that most leads doesn't want to encounter, Hariyama has a strong Fake Out that activates Flame Orb and deal lots of damage to Roserade with a Guts-boosted Facade.
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Heatran: Another Pokemon that is very hard to handle, since Fire Blast deals massive damage against Hariyama because he doesn't have Thick Fat. For that, Suicune will take care of that, taking damage from Fire Blast or Overheat, then start using Calm Minds.
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Ninjask: Another Pokemon that is very hard to handle. For that, I will switch in to Heatran and laugh at him [you know, Roar] to make Ninjask give more mind games.
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Movesets
Fake Out is the first thing that this Hariyama can do that afterward he can activate his Flame Orb. This means that his STAB move, Close Combat, 180 in Base Power, decimates almost all leads in the metagame. There are two filler moves that are of great consideration: Payback and Facade. Payback sums up the near-impeccable type coverage and it is designed to defeat Ghost-types and Psychic-types [mostly switch-ins, since Hariyama is too slow in handling Substitute Gengar and Rotom variants.] Facade is an interesting move to see, it can nearly 2HKO Swampert and OHKO Roserade with ease, with the help of Guts. 140 Base Power after the activation of Flame Orb, plus it gargantuan 120 Base Attack, it means a lot.
EV Spread and Nature Explanations
252 Attack EV's with an Adamant nature gives Hariyama maximum power that makes him a potent threat as a lead. Plus, 56 Speed EV's let him outrun any regular Attacking Lead Machamps with ease. The rest is dumped on Defense--as you can see, majority of the leads here are Physical Attackers, so I'm focusing on that.
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"Tread lightly in this place, for every forest is a temple."
Gaihla [Roserade] @ Leftovers
Timid Nature [+Speed, -Attack]
Ability: Natural Cure
EV's: 252 HP / 88 Defense / 12 Special Defense / 156 Speed
=> Stun Spore <=
=> Spikes <=
=> Energy Ball <=
=> Hidden Power [Fire] <=
About Gaihla:
We do not know much about Gaihla. She dwells in the deepest, oldest woodlands, and according to the tales she is a solitary druidess or forest goddess, or something in-between. Hundreds of years old, she has been known to disappear for decades and live out the time as a giant oak tree. All forests and growing things are under her protection.
Despite her allegiance to life, she can be a vicious fighter, wielding a wreath of thorns against those who would threaten the forests. Her relationship with plant life is mysterious - she moves unimpeded through the densest undergrowth, and any crops thrive in her very presence.
I named this Roserade as Gaihla because of Roserade's typing that links to Gaihla's passion to nature. She's the frailest Zen Master of the team, but she accomplishes more than everything.
Why this Pokemon?
Roserade, in the place of Uxie, is the first of the supporting duo to start with. Actually, I love using Roserade as a supporting Pokemon, and this one made me doubt no more. [Thanks, Ciaran!]
Uxie, according to Philip7086, is considered dead weight, and I also realized it. At least here, Roserade accomplishes more than Uxie in this stand, and I would place it permanently in the team.
Movesets
Spikes and Stun Spore are the cruces of the set. I prefer using Spikes over Toxic Spikes because I'm going to stick on paralysis than other statuses, and this is where Stun Spore takes place--spreading Paralysis to most of the Pokemon barring those with the ability Limber, Leaf Guard, and other abilities that block statuses in some circumstances. Two attacks can set up the pressure against the top setters of Entry Hazards and top Spin Blockers; Energy Ball and Hidden Power [Fire]. Setting up on Swampert, Vaporeon, and other Bulky Waters getting on my way, then Energy Ball is the solution, whilst Skarmory and Forretress can be handled by Hidden Power [Fire].
EV Spread and Nature Explanations
252 HP EV's on Roserade means overall durability, and with 12 Special Defense EV's and 88 Defense EV's, it survives even more, like Azelf's Psychic and Fire Blast, Tyranitar's Stone Edge, and Machamp's DynamicPunch. 156 Speed EV's with a Timid nature lets it outrun max Speed non-Scarf Heatran to get paralyzed easily.
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"Fat, flammable, and dangerous to know."
Kazan [Heatran] @ Leftovers
Calm Nature [+Special Defense, -Attack]
Ability: Flash Fire
EV's: 252 HP / 4 Special Attack / 252 Special Defense
=> Stealth Rock <=
=> Roar <=
=> Earth Power <=
=> Flamethrower <=
About Kazan:
Kazan is one of the four Elemental Brothers of the Serpent Clan, a monastic fighting order now scattered. Kazan the Fire Brother, however, is still very much with them, wandering the land, drinking, and lighting things on fire. In turbulent times he occasionally joins up with a traveling circus troupe, where his huge size and boisterous disposition appear less conspicuous to hostile eyes.
And in most contexts, Kazan is quite conspicuous indeed - he is a huge man, enormously fat and invariable drunk on the poisonously strong brew he carries with him in a pumpkin-sized gourd. In a fight it is usually the closest thing at hand and he swings it to deadly effect. Fires is his friend and element, and as such poses little danger to him - explosions and other fire and do little harm to his tough hide.
I named this Heatran as Kazan because of his Fire attacks and his almost-all out immunity to fire, thanks to Flash Fire.
Why this Pokemon?
Heatran's the second of the supporting duo to start with. Usually, I use Heatran as a sweeper like in most of my teams, but here it's changed to a whole new level.
This Heatran is the one that solves one of my problems dealing with Skarmory and Forretress, two physical walls that my original team has a hard time with. It also accomplishes the pseudo-CeleTran combination that is very infamous now. He can sweep, yes, but unlike other Heatran around, it focuses on Special Defense that sets in survival against most Pokemon who wanted to KO this Heatran.
Movesets
Do you know that this set is almost similar to my Swampert lately? Stealth Rock is a staple through almost all teams--dealing damage to every Pokemon around depending on the type, and Roar makes him a great scout with the racking damage of Stealth Rock from this Pokemon and Spikes coming from his co-supporters, Roserade. Flamethrower is more of a must here than Fire Blast because of its accuracy and PP, and since this one is a Specially Defensive variant, therefore Flamethrower is the best option. Earth Power sums up the type coverage that decimates against opposing Heatran [non-Shuca variants].
EV Spread and Nature Explanations
252 HP EV's and 252 Special Defense EV's coupled with a Calm Nature will never let this Heatran be death fodder in a single hit by Earth Power coming from Shaymin, Celebi, and Opposing Heatran, and never be 2HKO'ed by Jolteon's and Zapdos's Thunderbolt.
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"Let my foes perish in sulfur and smoke; for them, the underworld will hold no surprises!"
Teppo [Flygon] @ Choice Scarf
Jolly Nature [+Speed, -Special Attack]
Ability: Levitate
EV's: 4 HP / 252 Attack / 252 Speed
=> Earthquake <=
=> Outrage <=
=> ThunderPunch <=
=> U-turn <=
About Teppo
A genius from the far-off land of Malcolmson, he uses his dragon wheel invention to hurl several rockets a second at his enemies, which is effective against units. It is far more effective against buildings, though. He is also durable and agile.
I named this Flygon as Teppo because of his agility [Speed] with the help of the Choice Scarf. Outrages exploding through enemies is one of his specialties.
Why This Pokemon?
One of the problems in the team is: "Who will receive a Choice Item coming from a Tricking Pokemon?" This is where Choice Scarf Flygon takes place, since he is the sole Pokemon to obtain a Choice Item [preferably Choice Scarf] from a Tricking Pokemon to greatly bedazzle enemies with deception.
This Flygon is considered to be the "Sweeping Scout" of the team, since he is also the mid- and late-game main attackers in the team, in the Physical side. Yes, his Attack is very lackluster unlike Dragonite, but it doesn't mean that Flygon is very weak. He can decimate a lot of opponents mid-game with the help of two STAB moves, Earthquake and Outrage, and in Gyarados's case: ThunderPunch.
Movesets
Earthquake and Outrage are his STAB moves, and give him a near-impeccable type coverage, barring Levitate Bronzong and Skarmory. ThunderPunch leaves Dragon Dance Gyarados helpless. U-turn is one of Flygon's interesting moves that the Dragon brethren don't have. With this move, he is considered to be the "Sweeping Scout" of the team by determining the opponent's team.
EV Spread and Nature Explanations
252 Attack EV's and 252 Speed EV's with a Jolly Nature allows maximum power and allows outrunning of Jolly Gyarados with a +1 Dragon Dance in his belt.
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"Share my bed, share my sorrow."
Utara [Jirachi] @ Leftovers
Careful Nature [+Special Defense, -Special Attack]
Ability: Serene Grace
EV's: 252 HP / 40 Defense / 216 Special Defense
=> Body Slam <=
=> U-turn <=
=> Wish <=
=> Iron Head <=
About Utara
Anyone who believes the geisha arts are a harmless business of strewing flowers and strumming tunes should meet Utara. In appearance she resembles a normal geisha of great beauty, but she incarnates the dark side of their practices - she is a seductress, a poisoner, and possibly insane.
At four, Utara was orphaned by bandits and adopted by local geisha. She proved an apt pupil, delving into medicine and other arts. One day she disappeared from the bathhouse, leaving dead a dozen Serpent raiders - by all accounts men not unlike those who had killed her parents. A few years later she reappeared as one of the strangest weapons in the Serpent Clan's arsenal.
I named this Jirachi as Utara because of her innate ability that allows momentarily stalls after an attack lands on her; Jirachi's Body Slam does the same there--paralyzing enemies with relative ease.
Why this Pokemon?
P.S.: B.S. Hax.
Well, Jirachi is another mid-game annoying machine like Uxie--more annoying to a respectable degree.
This time, Jirachi is the sole defensive Pokemon, passing Wish to one of my teammates, paralyzing one after another, so myriad of causes. That is why Hariyama can sweep late-game because of Wish support [despite the damage from its burn]. That is why Heatran can take over the paralyzed speedy Pokemon because of Body Slam [yeah, Heatran's a bit too mediocre in Speed]. Jirachi is one of the most efficient Pokemon in my team [despite not my core] because of those myriad of causes.
Movesets
Body Slam and Wish are the cruces of the set. Body Slam is the other way of spreading Paralysis to other opponents--because of her ability Serene Grace, she has a 60% chance to successfully pull this off. Wish makes her teammates survive more, like Heatran, Hariyama, and a struggling Suicune. Iron Head paired with Body Slam makes it graduate to a school with a degree of B.S. Hax--that is, with Serene Grace, the opponent has at most 40% chance to make a move. U-turn makes it almost the same as Flygon's ability as a scout.
EV Spread and Nature Explanations
This EV spread and nature is almost the same as Heatran's--as a specially defensive set. Actually, she is the only defensive Pokemon here that can pass Wishes to her teammates.
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"I have not the jaws of the Wolf, nor the ferocity, or the speed… but I do have friends."
Wildeye [Suicune] @ Leftovers
Bold Nature [+Defense, -Attack]
Ability: Pressure
EV's: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Speed
=> Calm Mind <=
=> Rest <=
=> Hidden Power [Electric] <=
=> Surf <=
About Wildeye
After losing battle with the Lotus, Wildeye has lost all but his life. Yet, he refuses to surrender and spend his life as a fugitive. It seems that he hold a certain grudge toward Yvaine as the one who are responsible with the death of his family. Like his master Grayback, he seeks chance to free his brethren from the enslavement.
I named this Suicune as Wildeye in reference to Wildeye's Spirit Wolf, and in the eyes of the pack master Wildeye himself. He doesn't have the ferocity, the speed, and the fangs of a wolf [yeah, Suicune's beastly in form] but he has the calmness of his nature.
Why this Pokemon?
Suicune, my most favorite Pokemon in existence. Crocune has become one of the most efficient sets [despite being walled by many Dry Skin/Water Absorb Pokemon] ever executed in the faces of many opponents.
I would give great considerations to Ice Beam and Hidden Power Electric over Sleep Talk [not Rest]. This is because checking Gyarados or the Dragons is very concerned here, without risking of being hit by status thanks to Rest, and also Suicune would care less about opposing Calm Mind Suicune; Rest recovers all damages given from that.
Movesets
Calm Mind is the crux of the set here--it allows Suicune to raise his mediocre Special Attack and great Special Defense with greater heights. Rest chips off the damage taken from other Pokemon, such as Jolteon, Starmie, and others. Surf is Suicune's STAB move, while Hidden Power [Electric] [that replaced Sleep Talk in the process] checks Vaporeon and Gyarados easily.
EV Spread and Nature Explanations
Since Calm Mind raises his Special Defense with great heights, 252 HP EV's and 252 Defense EV's coupled with a Bold Nature is very prevalent here.
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V. The Greatest Threats
--Updated soon.--
1. Dragon Dance Kingdra
Depending on item and moveset, DD-Kingdra can be the most threatening Pokemon exist in my team. Lum Berry blocks any statuses formed from the likes of my Jirachi and Uxie and start to Dragon Dance and form a Substitute before it gets worse. If Kingdra is summoned too early, Uxie will trick its Choice Scarf to Kingdra and let one of its teammates get paralyzed. Jirachi can also paralyze him with Body Slam [sets without Substitute]--it can hinder its sweeping prowess.
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2. Rotom Appliance Formes
Rotom Appliance Formes, most especially Rotom-W, also becomes one of the most prominent threats in this team. A myriad of causes like Jirachi's, such as Tricking its Choice Scarf against Suicune, blowing others by Shadow Ball, Hydro Pump, and Thunderbolt, or burning Flygon with Will-O-Wisp, this one is a great pest if not properly handled.
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3. Spikes
Spikes is this team's greatest enemy, even in the original team with Scizor at hand. Even though no one is weak to Stealth Rock [1/2 of the team are neutral to that Entry Hazard], 2 vulnerable to Toxic Spikes [but even if they have, they don't care about it much], and 2 immune to Spikes, the other four Pokemon who are non-Levitating, or non-Flying are still suffering from Spikes.
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VI. Conclusion
Before I conclude my stand here, I will show you one of my valuable Pokemon that is going to leave right now....
"It's time to make the shadows afraid."
Kenji [Scizor] @ Choice Scarf
Jolly Nature [+Speed, -Special Attack]
Ability: Swarm
EV's: 12 HP / 252 Attack / 244 Speed
=> U-turn <=
=> Superpower <=
=> Iron Head <=
=> Night Slash <=
Goodbye, Scizor... But I'm sure that you'll come back soon...
Kenji [Scizor] @ Choice Scarf
Jolly Nature [+Speed, -Special Attack]
Ability: Swarm
EV's: 12 HP / 252 Attack / 244 Speed
=> U-turn <=
=> Superpower <=
=> Iron Head <=
=> Night Slash <=
Goodbye, Scizor... But I'm sure that you'll come back soon...
Also, prior to my conclusion, updates will be coming up soon:
1. Uxie will be replaced.
2. Battle Realms: The Valenheart's Soul poster picture will be changed--drastically.
3. Uxie will be placed above as well [at least Scizor has some friends already.]
4. Major presentation overhauls will happen.
Well, here it is, my most efficient team--Battle Realms: The Valenheart's Soul. Fire away your rates, Smogonites! :D
