![Requiem[9]](/forums/media/data/avatars/m/38/38887.jpg?1514734517){kind=avatar}
I made this team recently and I've been fairly successful with it (I think I'm at 4 on the ladder as of this writing, but I haven't been on today). Most of the games I've lost have been due to bad play more than the team, and when I found problems -- Breloom, Suicune -- I couldn't come up with a way to deal with it without ruining the team's synergy. It's so weirdly built that I feel it could be better, however, so I thought I'd post a quick RMT to get some opinions on it. I don't have much time and a lot of the team is pretty self-evident so hopefully the short descriptions are okay. (If not, just let me know and I'll expand them. I'll probably expand them later one way or another.)
At a Glance
Teambuilding
I'd made a team with a Scarf Scizor lead before, but the rest of the team was just a FWG core with Jirachi and Tyranitar and it wasn't much good and put it to the back of my mind. However, seeing Bad Ass tear the ladder up with it a week ago inspired me. While he used it to build momentum for an offensive team, getting rid of Starmie and Gengar for his slower team, I wanted to really abuse it.
I wanted pokemon that wrecked Skarmory, Forretress, and Gliscor. I needed a pokemon to kill Sash Azelfs after Scizor's U-turn. This core was at the back of my head from a Smog article and it felt like it perfectly fit my needs.
To round the team out, I felt like I needed a reliable switch into Heatran: a bulky water. Furthermore, I needed a phazer for the ChestoRest Kingdra, which nothing else could handle. Vaporeon is one of the best partners for Tyranitar, baiting Rotom-h and passing Wishes to a pokemon without recovery. Since 4/5 of my pokemon were grounded and 2/5 were weak to Toxic Spikes, I decided I needed Rapid Spin on whatever I had SR on, which meant Donphan or Forretress. Looking for a definitive reason to use Forretress, I noticed a problem with offensive Suicune. Its access to Toxic Spikes gave me a definitive reason to use the better pokemon. Forretress pairs well with Vaporeon as well, moreso because of the Toxic Spikes.
Ultimately, I realized that Skarmory is one of the main pokemon Forretress sets up on, making Magnezone redundant. I was having a lot of problems with Scarf Flygon given my lack of an EQ resistance beyond Gengar, which dies to every other attack. I also noticed I had nothing I wanted to switch into lead Specsdos, since half the use of Magnezone is the surprise and Tyranitar is far too valuable to take 33% on turn one. So I threw Flygon on. I didn't have anything that really benefited from Scizor's ability to eliminate Starmie and Gengar either, beyond Gengar, which made my decision either: Starmie and Gengar are Mixgon's worst enemies, and Fire Blast handles steel types just as well.
Then, I got annoyed easily Vaporeon was beaten by Explosion or Toxic or Toxic Spikes. Or Will-o-Wisp, even. Pretty much every status is a death sentence to it. I decided to replace it with Suicune, who plays roughly the same role with less utility but less hassle. I wasn't passing many Wishes either, partly because I didn't want to risk Tyranitar so early and partly because everything hits Vaporeon too hard to give me the opportunity. I considered Gyarados, but felt there would be times I needed Suicune to take an electric attack and that Gyarados is too easily surprised by a random HP Electric or Thunderpuch or Thunderpunch.
And that's the team.
In Detail
Every Step (Scizor) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Technician
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
Scarf Scizor isn't a common lead for good reason: it has barely any favorable matchups and can't set up hazards. But, its few favorable matchups -- Azelf and Starmie -- are so favorable that it certainly has a niche, and U-turn is one of the best moves in the game. Unlike most leads, this Scizor is meant to build momentum while making it untouched to the midgame, but it can randomly start the battle off 5-0. And, while Superpower can't kill Heatran, just weakening it is incredibly useful because of my Forretress. It's not a risk I'll take lightly, because this team has problems with Starmie and Gengar without Scizor, but I have a chance of starting the game at an advantage even in my most disadvantageous matchup. The only problem I have with it is that it's very transparent it's Scarfed and I've been tempted to switch its position with Forretress at times, but I can't afford to use a lead that's at a disadvantage against Starmie and I need Gyro Ball on Forretress for the midgame.
As for the team as a whole, Scizor's job is to get rid of Starmie and Gengar. If I see Starmie as a lead, I'll often Pursuit to trade Scizor for it, but there's nothing in OU that I can't take advantage of on a U-turn. In the midgame, it comes in occasionally to weaken the opposing core or get kills with Pursuit. As the fastest pokemon on my team, it even cleans lategame. While not its best set, Scarf Scizor is highly underrated and underused.
Although U-turn is its only move most of the time, some lead matchups to illustrate how the rest of the team works with it:
Azelf: U-turn to Tyranitar if it doesn't kill, to Flygon (to bluff Scarf) if it does.
Aerodactyl: U-turn to Forretress.
Swampert: U-turn to Forretress.
Machamp: U-turn to Suicune, usually. They often Payback and I can't afford to risk Gengar; Suicune can stall it out or weaken it if that happens. If they DynamicPunch, I assume they'll do it again and go to Gengar, which I'll sac for some damage since it's less valuable than Suicune. Thankfully they're less common now.
Metagross: U-turn to Forretress.
Jirachi: U-turn to Forretress or Tyranitar. I've been seeing ones with Fire Punch lately, so switching to Suicune is a safe option.
Infernape: U-turn to Suicune.
Roserade: U-turn to Suicune and go to Gengar, usually. Or U-turn to Gengar.
Hippowdon: U-turn to Forretress.
Tyranitar: U-turn, go from there.
Heatran: U-turn to Suicune or Flygon. Superpower if I'm looking to play risky.
Smeargle: U-turn to Suicune, then go to Forretress or Scizor.
Uxie: U-turn to Forretress or Tyranitar.
Starmie: U-Turn to Flygon or Pursuit.
Every Breath (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Substitute
- Pain Split
Gengar provides several important immunities and resistances to the team to the team; the entire team is neutral or weak to ground and fighting and nothing else can take on Breloom. Moreover, Gengar takes advantage of the Gliscor that often switch into Scizor, forcing the opponent to reveal and weaken the rest of his team instead. Its speed can be essential against fast threats that Scizor can't eliminate, like Zapdos, Infernape, and opposing Flygon. It can also block spins though I don't make use of the fact often, since I don't have Spikes and Gengar is one of the most valuable members of the team. However, there have been moments where I've been thankful for it, with an almost-dead Gengar and Flygon needing SR to sweep. In addition to its typing and ability, Gengar has great offensive synergy with the team. After Tyranitar or Flygon weaken Skarmory, it's open season on most teams. Gengar deals with Blissey, making predicting around Flygon significantly more difficult. The team deals exceptionally with pokemon faster than it, trapping Starmie, opposing Gengar, and Jolteon, making it even more difficult to stop. Sandstorm and Toxic Spikes make it difficult for anything to take a hit.
The set and EVs are standard; Subsplit Gengar is so common for good reason. I considered an Explosion variant when first adding it but Gengar's role is to fill the holes in my team rather than open ones in the opponent's. While using such a predictable set is annoying at times, its longevity and utility more than make up for it.
Watching You (Tyranitar) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 136 SDef / 120 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail
- Pursuit
Though Tyranitar's offenses see more light than its defenses, it has amazing special bulk in sand. Tyranitar's role is to switch into the special threats Suicune can't handle, like Zapdos, Jolteon, and Rotom-H. With Pursuit, it traps the latter two, paving the way for Gengar and Flygon and allowing Forretress to spin. Tyranitar is also my only check to threats like Superachi, weakening it for Scizor. In the endgame, if Flygon is down, it takes care of WishCM Jirachi as well. Though the team benefits more from Tyranitar's defenses than its offenses, few teams are truly prepared for CBtar. While it may seem strange to have a choice item on such a key defensive member, the Choice Band lets it hit hard through burn and softens the other team for Flygon and Gengar. I'm continually impressed by its power and durability, and it gets me out of situations I never would have thought it'd be useful in; for example, in one battle, I used it to break Gyarados/Hitmontop/Rotom-H by double-switching into Hitmontop and Rotom-H. The sandstorm it provides is also instrumental in wearing down opposing grass and water types.
While this is arguably the most essential member of the team, there's one big problem I have with it: its longevity. I often have trouble bringing it into play in the early game for fear of weakening it, and there are times I don't have Sandstorm when I need it. Because of that, and SubRoost Zapdos, I've been considering a variant with Rest. At the same time, it's not effective without Pursuit, Crunch, and Stone Edge, so I couldn't use a conventional Cursetar. I'm considering just replacing Aqua Tail with Rest at the moment, SubRoost Zapdos is so frustrating to play against, but that feels a bit extreme. I'm also considering Fire Punch over Aqua Tail, to more reliably beat Forretress and Scizor, but I'm not sure.
The EVs are standard, with the HP EVs in SpD. This is my preference because investment in SpD doubles in Sandstorm while investment in HP stays constant, but I use it to tank Scarf Flygon's Outrage often enough that I should probably change them.
Every Move (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Surf
- Roar
This was originally Vaporeon, but I got tired of how useless it is after any status. I needed a reliable switch into Heatran in this spot, as Tyranitar is too important to recklessly weaken, and I had trouble keeping Vaporeon alive against any team with Toxic Spikes or any Heatran with Will-o-Wisp or Toxic. The Wish support for Tyranitar was nice, but Vaporeon was so frail I rarely managed it. Not only that, Vaporeon was my way of dealing with threats like Kingdra and Gyarados, meaning I randomly lost a lot of games. While there's something to be said for good play, I noticed Suicune filled all of the roles Vaporeon did without any of the hassle. Gyarados was my first thought, but while Intimidate was nice, the 4x weakness made it too much of a liability. Suicune can take the stray HP Electric like a champ and, despite its reliance on Rest, lasts far longer than Vaporeon. To give a sense of its colossal bulk, Heatran's Explosion does 50% without LO. It's a weird set on such an offensive team, but it really holds the team together. In the middle game, it scouts and harasses. In the endgame, it sits there and Surfs until everything's dead. As a phazer, it guarantees I never lose to anything stupid like Ninjask and keeps pokemon like Dragonite from instantly running me over. The unusually fast Roar has won me games. I've been considering Gyarados because of how annoying Breloom is, however.
The EVs are standard, preferring physical bulk to take hits from Machamp and Snorlax. Sleep Talk/Roar is unusual, but too many pokes 4HKO Suicune for me to be comfortable running Rest without Sleep Talk. With luck it can Roar Gyarados before it can Rest, too. The 8 speed EVs are to give it a faster Sleep Talk than Crocune and a faster Roar than other Suicune. It's only helped once but I'm a big fan of investing in speed, because it's the only stat in which one point can win a game.
A Single Day (Flygon) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 16 Atk / 252 SAtk / 240 Spd
Mild Nature (+SAtk, -Def)
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Earthquake
Mixgon takes full advantage of the absence of Starmie and Gengar, the two main pokemon faster than it. It's surprisingly powerful and a lot of teams are weak to it. The speed lets it beat Timid Suicune and the rest went into power. It's typing is incredibly useful as well, giving me something to take Specsdos's Tbolts and an offensive switch into Heatran. It often forces Scarf Flygons to Outrage, giving me games. It's Mild > Rash because I rarely have it take physical hits relative to special, though it backfires occasionally.
Every Bond (Forretress) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin
Forretress takes advantage of the Metagross and Skarmory that nothing else on my team really can. Toxic Spikes are essential for Suicune and Blissey, to the point where I often get them up first. Forretress was really a perfect pokemon, since I needed something with SR, Toxic Spikes, and Rapid Spin. I have Gyro Ball > Payback for something to hit DDnite and DDtar with, since Tyranitar can deal with Rotom and most people play around Payback anyway. Mixed EVs to help it take EQs.
Threats
I don't think the team would benefit from a full threat list because how fluid play with it is, but these are some pokemon to watch out for:
Breloom - Nothing on this team can afford to be asleep from the get-go, and it switches into half the team for free. Nothing switches into it except Gengar, which is often weakened. Manageable with good play, but a well-played Breloom is an absolute nightmare.
Gyarados - I don't care about most, but Taunt-DD versions have been really popular lately for some reason. I can pretty much only get Sandstorm up and Surf it to death with Suicune, Roaring if my opponent isn't conservative. Forretress can live a Waterfall and +6 and kill with Gyro Ball if it's healthy, but that only works 80% of the time. Weirdly, Suicune gets the job done much of the time.
Suicune - I only care about the ones with HP Electric but those are the most common, so it's not much consolation. I need TSpikes up and Sandstorm up and I need to hit it as it switches in. The problem is that it usually switches in on Forretress as I TSpike, but a lot of players prefer to bring Heatran in if they don't know the team. If that happens, I'll go to Suicune to tank an HP Electric and Roar.
Dragonite - Barely manageable with lucky play and proper sacrificing, but incredibly difficult.
Zapdos - Most are handled by Tyranitar via Pursuit or Crunch, but SubRoost variants are difficult to kill and can singlehandedly win the game when paired with Forretress, as they're faster than Flygon and nothing else on the team likes Thunderbolt.
Import
NICKNAMES MANDATORY
Conclusions
Thanks in advance for any advice!
At a Glance
Teambuilding
I'd made a team with a Scarf Scizor lead before, but the rest of the team was just a FWG core with Jirachi and Tyranitar and it wasn't much good and put it to the back of my mind. However, seeing Bad Ass tear the ladder up with it a week ago inspired me. While he used it to build momentum for an offensive team, getting rid of Starmie and Gengar for his slower team, I wanted to really abuse it.
I wanted pokemon that wrecked Skarmory, Forretress, and Gliscor. I needed a pokemon to kill Sash Azelfs after Scizor's U-turn. This core was at the back of my head from a Smog article and it felt like it perfectly fit my needs.
To round the team out, I felt like I needed a reliable switch into Heatran: a bulky water. Furthermore, I needed a phazer for the ChestoRest Kingdra, which nothing else could handle. Vaporeon is one of the best partners for Tyranitar, baiting Rotom-h and passing Wishes to a pokemon without recovery. Since 4/5 of my pokemon were grounded and 2/5 were weak to Toxic Spikes, I decided I needed Rapid Spin on whatever I had SR on, which meant Donphan or Forretress. Looking for a definitive reason to use Forretress, I noticed a problem with offensive Suicune. Its access to Toxic Spikes gave me a definitive reason to use the better pokemon. Forretress pairs well with Vaporeon as well, moreso because of the Toxic Spikes.
Ultimately, I realized that Skarmory is one of the main pokemon Forretress sets up on, making Magnezone redundant. I was having a lot of problems with Scarf Flygon given my lack of an EQ resistance beyond Gengar, which dies to every other attack. I also noticed I had nothing I wanted to switch into lead Specsdos, since half the use of Magnezone is the surprise and Tyranitar is far too valuable to take 33% on turn one. So I threw Flygon on. I didn't have anything that really benefited from Scizor's ability to eliminate Starmie and Gengar either, beyond Gengar, which made my decision either: Starmie and Gengar are Mixgon's worst enemies, and Fire Blast handles steel types just as well.
Then, I got annoyed easily Vaporeon was beaten by Explosion or Toxic or Toxic Spikes. Or Will-o-Wisp, even. Pretty much every status is a death sentence to it. I decided to replace it with Suicune, who plays roughly the same role with less utility but less hassle. I wasn't passing many Wishes either, partly because I didn't want to risk Tyranitar so early and partly because everything hits Vaporeon too hard to give me the opportunity. I considered Gyarados, but felt there would be times I needed Suicune to take an electric attack and that Gyarados is too easily surprised by a random HP Electric or Thunderpuch or Thunderpunch.
And that's the team.
In Detail
Every Step (Scizor) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Technician
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
Scarf Scizor isn't a common lead for good reason: it has barely any favorable matchups and can't set up hazards. But, its few favorable matchups -- Azelf and Starmie -- are so favorable that it certainly has a niche, and U-turn is one of the best moves in the game. Unlike most leads, this Scizor is meant to build momentum while making it untouched to the midgame, but it can randomly start the battle off 5-0. And, while Superpower can't kill Heatran, just weakening it is incredibly useful because of my Forretress. It's not a risk I'll take lightly, because this team has problems with Starmie and Gengar without Scizor, but I have a chance of starting the game at an advantage even in my most disadvantageous matchup. The only problem I have with it is that it's very transparent it's Scarfed and I've been tempted to switch its position with Forretress at times, but I can't afford to use a lead that's at a disadvantage against Starmie and I need Gyro Ball on Forretress for the midgame.
As for the team as a whole, Scizor's job is to get rid of Starmie and Gengar. If I see Starmie as a lead, I'll often Pursuit to trade Scizor for it, but there's nothing in OU that I can't take advantage of on a U-turn. In the midgame, it comes in occasionally to weaken the opposing core or get kills with Pursuit. As the fastest pokemon on my team, it even cleans lategame. While not its best set, Scarf Scizor is highly underrated and underused.
Although U-turn is its only move most of the time, some lead matchups to illustrate how the rest of the team works with it:
Every Breath (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Substitute
- Pain Split
Gengar provides several important immunities and resistances to the team to the team; the entire team is neutral or weak to ground and fighting and nothing else can take on Breloom. Moreover, Gengar takes advantage of the Gliscor that often switch into Scizor, forcing the opponent to reveal and weaken the rest of his team instead. Its speed can be essential against fast threats that Scizor can't eliminate, like Zapdos, Infernape, and opposing Flygon. It can also block spins though I don't make use of the fact often, since I don't have Spikes and Gengar is one of the most valuable members of the team. However, there have been moments where I've been thankful for it, with an almost-dead Gengar and Flygon needing SR to sweep. In addition to its typing and ability, Gengar has great offensive synergy with the team. After Tyranitar or Flygon weaken Skarmory, it's open season on most teams. Gengar deals with Blissey, making predicting around Flygon significantly more difficult. The team deals exceptionally with pokemon faster than it, trapping Starmie, opposing Gengar, and Jolteon, making it even more difficult to stop. Sandstorm and Toxic Spikes make it difficult for anything to take a hit.
The set and EVs are standard; Subsplit Gengar is so common for good reason. I considered an Explosion variant when first adding it but Gengar's role is to fill the holes in my team rather than open ones in the opponent's. While using such a predictable set is annoying at times, its longevity and utility more than make up for it.
Watching You (Tyranitar) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 136 SDef / 120 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail
- Pursuit
Though Tyranitar's offenses see more light than its defenses, it has amazing special bulk in sand. Tyranitar's role is to switch into the special threats Suicune can't handle, like Zapdos, Jolteon, and Rotom-H. With Pursuit, it traps the latter two, paving the way for Gengar and Flygon and allowing Forretress to spin. Tyranitar is also my only check to threats like Superachi, weakening it for Scizor. In the endgame, if Flygon is down, it takes care of WishCM Jirachi as well. Though the team benefits more from Tyranitar's defenses than its offenses, few teams are truly prepared for CBtar. While it may seem strange to have a choice item on such a key defensive member, the Choice Band lets it hit hard through burn and softens the other team for Flygon and Gengar. I'm continually impressed by its power and durability, and it gets me out of situations I never would have thought it'd be useful in; for example, in one battle, I used it to break Gyarados/Hitmontop/Rotom-H by double-switching into Hitmontop and Rotom-H. The sandstorm it provides is also instrumental in wearing down opposing grass and water types.
While this is arguably the most essential member of the team, there's one big problem I have with it: its longevity. I often have trouble bringing it into play in the early game for fear of weakening it, and there are times I don't have Sandstorm when I need it. Because of that, and SubRoost Zapdos, I've been considering a variant with Rest. At the same time, it's not effective without Pursuit, Crunch, and Stone Edge, so I couldn't use a conventional Cursetar. I'm considering just replacing Aqua Tail with Rest at the moment, SubRoost Zapdos is so frustrating to play against, but that feels a bit extreme. I'm also considering Fire Punch over Aqua Tail, to more reliably beat Forretress and Scizor, but I'm not sure.
The EVs are standard, with the HP EVs in SpD. This is my preference because investment in SpD doubles in Sandstorm while investment in HP stays constant, but I use it to tank Scarf Flygon's Outrage often enough that I should probably change them.
Every Move (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Surf
- Roar
This was originally Vaporeon, but I got tired of how useless it is after any status. I needed a reliable switch into Heatran in this spot, as Tyranitar is too important to recklessly weaken, and I had trouble keeping Vaporeon alive against any team with Toxic Spikes or any Heatran with Will-o-Wisp or Toxic. The Wish support for Tyranitar was nice, but Vaporeon was so frail I rarely managed it. Not only that, Vaporeon was my way of dealing with threats like Kingdra and Gyarados, meaning I randomly lost a lot of games. While there's something to be said for good play, I noticed Suicune filled all of the roles Vaporeon did without any of the hassle. Gyarados was my first thought, but while Intimidate was nice, the 4x weakness made it too much of a liability. Suicune can take the stray HP Electric like a champ and, despite its reliance on Rest, lasts far longer than Vaporeon. To give a sense of its colossal bulk, Heatran's Explosion does 50% without LO. It's a weird set on such an offensive team, but it really holds the team together. In the middle game, it scouts and harasses. In the endgame, it sits there and Surfs until everything's dead. As a phazer, it guarantees I never lose to anything stupid like Ninjask and keeps pokemon like Dragonite from instantly running me over. The unusually fast Roar has won me games. I've been considering Gyarados because of how annoying Breloom is, however.
The EVs are standard, preferring physical bulk to take hits from Machamp and Snorlax. Sleep Talk/Roar is unusual, but too many pokes 4HKO Suicune for me to be comfortable running Rest without Sleep Talk. With luck it can Roar Gyarados before it can Rest, too. The 8 speed EVs are to give it a faster Sleep Talk than Crocune and a faster Roar than other Suicune. It's only helped once but I'm a big fan of investing in speed, because it's the only stat in which one point can win a game.
A Single Day (Flygon) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 16 Atk / 252 SAtk / 240 Spd
Mild Nature (+SAtk, -Def)
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Earthquake
Mixgon takes full advantage of the absence of Starmie and Gengar, the two main pokemon faster than it. It's surprisingly powerful and a lot of teams are weak to it. The speed lets it beat Timid Suicune and the rest went into power. It's typing is incredibly useful as well, giving me something to take Specsdos's Tbolts and an offensive switch into Heatran. It often forces Scarf Flygons to Outrage, giving me games. It's Mild > Rash because I rarely have it take physical hits relative to special, though it backfires occasionally.
Every Bond (Forretress) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin
Forretress takes advantage of the Metagross and Skarmory that nothing else on my team really can. Toxic Spikes are essential for Suicune and Blissey, to the point where I often get them up first. Forretress was really a perfect pokemon, since I needed something with SR, Toxic Spikes, and Rapid Spin. I have Gyro Ball > Payback for something to hit DDnite and DDtar with, since Tyranitar can deal with Rotom and most people play around Payback anyway. Mixed EVs to help it take EQs.
Threats
I don't think the team would benefit from a full threat list because how fluid play with it is, but these are some pokemon to watch out for:
Breloom - Nothing on this team can afford to be asleep from the get-go, and it switches into half the team for free. Nothing switches into it except Gengar, which is often weakened. Manageable with good play, but a well-played Breloom is an absolute nightmare.
Gyarados - I don't care about most, but Taunt-DD versions have been really popular lately for some reason. I can pretty much only get Sandstorm up and Surf it to death with Suicune, Roaring if my opponent isn't conservative. Forretress can live a Waterfall and +6 and kill with Gyro Ball if it's healthy, but that only works 80% of the time. Weirdly, Suicune gets the job done much of the time.
Suicune - I only care about the ones with HP Electric but those are the most common, so it's not much consolation. I need TSpikes up and Sandstorm up and I need to hit it as it switches in. The problem is that it usually switches in on Forretress as I TSpike, but a lot of players prefer to bring Heatran in if they don't know the team. If that happens, I'll go to Suicune to tank an HP Electric and Roar.
Dragonite - Barely manageable with lucky play and proper sacrificing, but incredibly difficult.
Zapdos - Most are handled by Tyranitar via Pursuit or Crunch, but SubRoost variants are difficult to kill and can singlehandedly win the game when paired with Forretress, as they're faster than Flygon and nothing else on the team likes Thunderbolt.
Import
NICKNAMES MANDATORY
Every Step (Scizor) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Technician
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
Every Breath (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Substitute
- Pain Split
Watching You (Tyranitar) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 136 SDef / 120 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail
- Pursuit
Every Move (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Surf
- Roar
A Single Day (Flygon) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 16 Atk / 252 SAtk / 240 Spd
Mild Nature (+SAtk, -Def)
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Earthquake
Every Bond (Forretress) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin
Trait: Technician
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
Every Breath (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Substitute
- Pain Split
Watching You (Tyranitar) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 136 SDef / 120 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail
- Pursuit
Every Move (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Surf
- Roar
A Single Day (Flygon) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 16 Atk / 252 SAtk / 240 Spd
Mild Nature (+SAtk, -Def)
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Earthquake
Every Bond (Forretress) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin
Conclusions
Thanks in advance for any advice!
