Hey Smogonites!
I joined here just over a month ago and with your help I was able to make a team thats doing decently well on the ladder. I am hoping you guys can continue to help me out! With the heavy usage in weather, I decided to be a complete hipster and build a team without it. Now this isn't Anti-Meta, but a team built to not only have success in weather but beat the rogue teams that are randomly faced. Without further due here we go:
Team at a Glance
Team Building Process:
I joined here just over a month ago and with your help I was able to make a team thats doing decently well on the ladder. I am hoping you guys can continue to help me out! With the heavy usage in weather, I decided to be a complete hipster and build a team without it. Now this isn't Anti-Meta, but a team built to not only have success in weather but beat the rogue teams that are randomly faced. Without further due here we go:
Team at a Glance
Team Building Process:
It all started with Lucario, my favorite Pokemon. I was determined to build a team with him. His priority moves allow him to be a sweeper, while after a swords dance he can basically break any wall. Very few pokemon can actually walk in on a close combat and laugh it off.
Instead of thinking logically about choosing a team mate that could cover Lucario's weaknesses and provide great synergy with, I decided to go with the king of priority. This allowed me to worry less about my sweepers speed.
Now what I had was two Steel Pokemon that could be demolished by a fire pokemon. I needed a counter bad, and thats where Heatran came in.
Deo-D, Hazards are absoluetly necessary. Every little damage matters, and thats to this legendary's bulk, I'm able to lay down stealth rocks along with spike.
Spin Blocking is a must on this team, if those hazards get away it could be a difference between a loss or a win. Gengars clutch offense was what I needed.
I didn't want to stop at Lucario, and Scizor. I wanted MOAR. This is where Dragonite came in.
Kingdra. I was having troubles with Keldeo and Specs Politoed, not to mention was in need of a special sweeper. Kingdra was the answer and havent looked back. Sorry Heatran!
In-Depth Analysis
Changes are in Red!
Lucario
@ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Bullet Punch----->Crunch
Man, I can't even tell you how much I played this guy in Brawl. He basically got me into gaming so leaving him out of a team was just out of the question. I really enjoy his priority moves, the big question came down to: Crunch or Bullet Punch? With crunch I can sweep past Jellicent, Slowbro, but with BP I can knock out Terrakion. After some testing, what I noticed was Terrakion was far more common, and if I didn't get rid of this guy he'll put a major dent on my team. The rest is self-explanatory but I have been debating between Jolly and Adamant nature. Jolly would allow me to outspeed jolly mamoswine, and other Lucarios but I really need the damage adamant nature can provide me. Slowbro, after stealth and spike damage gets 2HKO by lucario with CC.
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 244+ Def Slowbro: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Spikes
However, this leaves him vulnerable to possibly getting killed by psychic or psyshock.
Scizor
@ Leftovers
Trait: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn----------->Bug Bite
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Swords Dance
The King/Queen of Prio. As popular as the Choice Band set maybe, I absolutely HATE being locked into one move. If the opponent switch in pokemon can counter it, they most likely will seize the opportunity to set up. With bulk however, this allows me to get an easy swords dance off. I'm a little iffy on the super power but its done well so far. It easily OHKO Lucario and Cobalion, while taking a CC from them. Once a swords dance has been placed, very few 'mons can go toe to toe with him. Even Jirachi, assuming it is completely invested in Physical bulk, is OHKO by it, or at worst 2HKO.
Kingdra
Kingdra @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 228 Spd / 240 SAtk / 40 HP
Modest Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam
As much as I liked Heatran, he was slow and I needed to a way top stop Keldeo and Choice Spec Politoed. Luckily Kingdra was exactly what I needed. The EV spread are suggested by Sciztar. This allows me to outspeed Choice Scarf Latios in the rain. I have to be careful about Ferrothorn, but I only see it as opportunity to switch in Lucario for a swords dance. I decided to go with the special variant as I already have enough physial users and an outrager.
In Testing: Latios, and Rotom-W
Deoxys-Defense
@ Red Card
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Magic Coat
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Spikes
A lot of people may disagree my choice for a suicide lead, but Deo-D makes his presence felt with all those stealth rock and spike damages. Let me explain a few of my unusual choices. I went with Red Card because Deo-D screams set up heaven on him. Faster pokemon see this opportunity and go nuts. Magic Coat is there for the Tornadus-T and the rare Aerodactyl lead off. If these guys taunt Deo-D then Im basically playing an uphill battle and am at a COMPLETE disadvantage.
Gengar
@ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt------>Destiny Bond
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Alright, I know you're all question my decision to choice scarf the already very fast Gengar, but I honestly needed something that can out speed the Meta, while providing other benefits to my team. After a spin block on Starmie, Gengar can easily OHKO with shadowball. He's faster than a Keldeo and can hit it hard with thunderbolt, easily OHKO a ScarfChomp, Scarfundurus-T, Tornadus-T after stealth rock with HP Ice. He also blocks fighting moves, which hurt Lucario, Scizor, and Heatran pretty well.
Dragonite
@ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Outrage
- Earthquake--------->Super Power
Lucario, and Scizor's offensive wasn't enough. I needed more power, and dragonite was just the perfect guy. My choice for the 4th slot being Earthquake was to counter Jirachis and Ferrothorns. Some may most likely use fire punch but these two 'mons are found mainly on rain teams.Extremespeed allows me to revenge kill, or hit pokemon faster than me. For example, the Lati twins after being weakened with stealth rock get hammered with a ES from a DD Dnite. We all are aware after a DD, very few things are stopping this guy from going on an Outrage (Yes, a pun was intended).
Lucario
@ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Bullet Punch----->Crunch
Man, I can't even tell you how much I played this guy in Brawl. He basically got me into gaming so leaving him out of a team was just out of the question. I really enjoy his priority moves, the big question came down to: Crunch or Bullet Punch? With crunch I can sweep past Jellicent, Slowbro, but with BP I can knock out Terrakion. After some testing, what I noticed was Terrakion was far more common, and if I didn't get rid of this guy he'll put a major dent on my team. The rest is self-explanatory but I have been debating between Jolly and Adamant nature. Jolly would allow me to outspeed jolly mamoswine, and other Lucarios but I really need the damage adamant nature can provide me. Slowbro, after stealth and spike damage gets 2HKO by lucario with CC.
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 244+ Def Slowbro: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Spikes
However, this leaves him vulnerable to possibly getting killed by psychic or psyshock.
Scizor
@ Leftovers
Trait: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn----------->Bug Bite
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Swords Dance
The King/Queen of Prio. As popular as the Choice Band set maybe, I absolutely HATE being locked into one move. If the opponent switch in pokemon can counter it, they most likely will seize the opportunity to set up. With bulk however, this allows me to get an easy swords dance off. I'm a little iffy on the super power but its done well so far. It easily OHKO Lucario and Cobalion, while taking a CC from them. Once a swords dance has been placed, very few 'mons can go toe to toe with him. Even Jirachi, assuming it is completely invested in Physical bulk, is OHKO by it, or at worst 2HKO.
Kingdra
Kingdra @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 228 Spd / 240 SAtk / 40 HP
Modest Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam
As much as I liked Heatran, he was slow and I needed to a way top stop Keldeo and Choice Spec Politoed. Luckily Kingdra was exactly what I needed. The EV spread are suggested by Sciztar. This allows me to outspeed Choice Scarf Latios in the rain. I have to be careful about Ferrothorn, but I only see it as opportunity to switch in Lucario for a swords dance. I decided to go with the special variant as I already have enough physial users and an outrager.
In Testing: Latios, and Rotom-W
Deoxys-Defense
@ Red Card
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Magic Coat
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Spikes
A lot of people may disagree my choice for a suicide lead, but Deo-D makes his presence felt with all those stealth rock and spike damages. Let me explain a few of my unusual choices. I went with Red Card because Deo-D screams set up heaven on him. Faster pokemon see this opportunity and go nuts. Magic Coat is there for the Tornadus-T and the rare Aerodactyl lead off. If these guys taunt Deo-D then Im basically playing an uphill battle and am at a COMPLETE disadvantage.
Gengar
@ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt------>Destiny Bond
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Alright, I know you're all question my decision to choice scarf the already very fast Gengar, but I honestly needed something that can out speed the Meta, while providing other benefits to my team. After a spin block on Starmie, Gengar can easily OHKO with shadowball. He's faster than a Keldeo and can hit it hard with thunderbolt, easily OHKO a ScarfChomp, Scarfundurus-T, Tornadus-T after stealth rock with HP Ice. He also blocks fighting moves, which hurt Lucario, Scizor, and Heatran pretty well.
Dragonite
@ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Outrage
- Earthquake--------->Super Power
Lucario, and Scizor's offensive wasn't enough. I needed more power, and dragonite was just the perfect guy. My choice for the 4th slot being Earthquake was to counter Jirachis and Ferrothorns. Some may most likely use fire punch but these two 'mons are found mainly on rain teams.Extremespeed allows me to revenge kill, or hit pokemon faster than me. For example, the Lati twins after being weakened with stealth rock get hammered with a ES from a DD Dnite. We all are aware after a DD, very few things are stopping this guy from going on an Outrage (Yes, a pun was intended).
Proof of Rating
Importables
Lucario (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Bullet Punch
Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Outrage
- Earthquake
Scizor @ Leftovers
Trait: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Swords Dance
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Toxic
Gengar @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Deoxys-Defense @ Red Card
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Magic Coat
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Spikes
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Bullet Punch
Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Outrage
- Earthquake
Scizor @ Leftovers
Trait: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Swords Dance
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Toxic
Gengar @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Deoxys-Defense @ Red Card
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Magic Coat
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Spikes
With that being said. I really appreciate any help, comments, suggestions! Enjoy the RMT!