IF FIRST PARAGRAPH IS TL;DR, SKIP TO THE TEAM COMPOSITION
Hello everyone. Although this if my first time posting in the Smogon forums, I have had experience playing early BW OU, and then became quite invested in Dream World OU. However, when the B2W2 metagame appeared, I stopped playing competitively for the most part, because of the death of Dream World OU and the banning of two of my Pokemon: Excadrill and Shadow Tag Chandelure (I know he wasn't technically banned; he was just never released). The sixth generation brought in the weather nerf, rendering Excadrill's Sand Rush no longer OP, and now, I have been using a team that plays quite similarly to the one I've used back in Dream World OU. I have played a few games with this team, the majority of them becoming victories. Regardless, I have faced several problems that my team has some trouble dealing with, and would like some feedback as to what I can do to optimize this team.
TEAM COMPOSITION
As you see from the above list, my team is a fairly balanced sand team. Details of each pokemon's role are listed below.
Rotom-Wash @
Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spd
Bold Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Prior to X/Y, I have never really used Rotom-W, as it just didn't exactly have a place in my team. Regardless, my old DW OU sand team was deathly afraid of water, despite its relative success, so I decided I needed a bulky water resist in this generation. Seeing that Rotom-W was the most used Pokemon early in the generation, I had to give him a try. Ever since I've started using it, it's been working wonders. It checks so many offensive threats, like Pinsir, Talonflame, Azumarill, Mawile, and physical versions of Aegislash. Of course, because of the utility of Volt Switch, I tend to lead with Rotom-W for scouting purposes. Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of Pokemon Rotom-W checks for my team, I am often hard-pressed to switch it in constantly to take hits; this is further hampered by its lack of reliable recovery.
Hippowdon (M) @
Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
As the title of my team implies, of course I need at least one sand inducer. Hippowdon is an amazing physical wall that can take neutral hits better than Rotom-W can, not to mention he has access to reliable recovery. Of course, with Whirlwind, he phazes most set-up sweepers that fail to OHKO him. It may be odd that I don't have Stealth Rock on my Hippowdon, and have the somewhat-gimmicky Ice Fang. Since I switch Hippowdon into very-weak-to-ice set-up sweepers like Dragonite and Landorus-T, Ice Fang can at least do severe damage to them so I do not have to worry about being swept by the said threats later in the match.
Tyranitar (M) @
Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Payback
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Ever since I started competitive battling, I have always used Tyranitar, and his roles have changed over time; I started off with TyraniBoah early BW, and then began using Choice Band Tyranitar in DW OU. In DW OU, I relied on Blissey to take almost all of the opponent's special hits; unfortunately, she often gave the opponent free turns, due to her inability to immediately get rid of whoever she was up against. Aware of Tyranitar's fairly high special defense in the sand, I had to try out the assault vest; his ability to take special hits wearing the vest exceeded my original expectations. I can switch Tyranitar directly into any special attack, provided it is not Focus Blast or STAB Aura Sphere/Hidden Power Fighting (Greninja, lol); Scald can also be an issue, due to its burn chance. Against special attackers, Tyranitar can easily take them down long before they can do the same to him. Due to the lack of attack investment, Tyranitar doesn't exactly "pursuit trap," but he can at least damage escaping Pokemon a reasonable amount, so they can be picked off more easily after they switch back in.
Charizard (M) @
Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost
The ever-present defensive steel-types couldn't care less about the Pokemon I have listed above. This is, of course, where Charizard Y comes in. Aside from steel-types, however, Charizard Y just destroys most walls in general, paving the way for the rest of my team. After the opponent's faster threats have been whittled down by my walls, Charizard can even pull off sweeps, due to his sheer power and decent speed. I typically use Charizard Y mid-to-late game, which is generally when his checks have been eliminated, allowing him to wallbreak almost unhindered.
Espeon (M) @
Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Psychic
- Baton Pass
Of all of my pokemon, Espeon is probably the least useful overall. Regardless, he has been a fairly effective niche Pokemon for me. As Hippowdon lacks Stealth Rock, because of Ice Fang or Whirlwind, I rely on Espeon to bounce back my opponent's hazards. Espeon is also very useful in reflecting predicted status; Toxic has been one of the banes of my team, as it cripples Rotom-W, Tyranitar, and Hippowdon. Dual Screens is useful in reducing the pressure on my walls (Rotom-W, Hippowdon, and Tyranitar), and can reduce Charizard's and Excadrill's chances of being revenge-KOd. Oddly enough, Espeon has had his history of scoring last-resort revenge KOs on threats that are weak to Psychic, such as Mega-Venusaur and Conkeldurr. Despite Espeon's utility, he does have difficulty doing his job, due to his poor bulk. Because of this, in place of Espeon, I have heavily considered using Sylveon, who has significantly more bulk, more power, far better typing, and the ability to pass wishes to Tyranitar, whose inability to recover does hinder his walling capabilities somewhat. Sylveon also packs Heal Bell, which would solve the status problem. Using Sylveon, however, would force me to run Stealth Rock on Hippowdon, making him lose either (from my experience) a good coverage move or the ability to phaze. Losing Espeon would also make my team more vulnerable to Mega-Venusaur.
Excadrill (M) @
Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
Back in BW, we all know the Excadrill was just far too good in the sand. With two sand-inducers on my team, maintaining weather has not been a large issue, especially when a good number of my opponents do not make use of weather at all. Although I mostly save Excadrill for last as a very-lategame cleaner, I have had a few cases of needing Rapid Spin. Oftentimes, an opponent can predict an Espeon switch and nail the Eeveelution with a reasonably powerful attack. At the same time, the opponent could "play dumb," and go about setting up his entry hazards at a time I don't want to risk sacrificing Espeon. In either scenario, I am in danger of getting hazards - especially Stealth Rock (Charizard must live!) - on my side of the field, and therefore, Rapid Spin is mandatory. Excadrill has 204 Spd EVs, giving him just enough speed to outpace Scarfed Gengar (I know they're not common, but some asshole decided it was a good idea, outsped and KOd Excadrill, so I will no longer be taking any chances), and the rest go into HP to slightly improve his survivability on stray hits.
So this is my fairly successful team thus far, and I really like sticking to what I am used to. I would certainly love to have feedback to optimize the effectiveness of this team, as I know it is far from perfect.
Hello everyone. Although this if my first time posting in the Smogon forums, I have had experience playing early BW OU, and then became quite invested in Dream World OU. However, when the B2W2 metagame appeared, I stopped playing competitively for the most part, because of the death of Dream World OU and the banning of two of my Pokemon: Excadrill and Shadow Tag Chandelure (I know he wasn't technically banned; he was just never released). The sixth generation brought in the weather nerf, rendering Excadrill's Sand Rush no longer OP, and now, I have been using a team that plays quite similarly to the one I've used back in Dream World OU. I have played a few games with this team, the majority of them becoming victories. Regardless, I have faced several problems that my team has some trouble dealing with, and would like some feedback as to what I can do to optimize this team.
TEAM COMPOSITION






As you see from the above list, my team is a fairly balanced sand team. Details of each pokemon's role are listed below.

Rotom-Wash @

Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spd
Bold Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Prior to X/Y, I have never really used Rotom-W, as it just didn't exactly have a place in my team. Regardless, my old DW OU sand team was deathly afraid of water, despite its relative success, so I decided I needed a bulky water resist in this generation. Seeing that Rotom-W was the most used Pokemon early in the generation, I had to give him a try. Ever since I've started using it, it's been working wonders. It checks so many offensive threats, like Pinsir, Talonflame, Azumarill, Mawile, and physical versions of Aegislash. Of course, because of the utility of Volt Switch, I tend to lead with Rotom-W for scouting purposes. Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of Pokemon Rotom-W checks for my team, I am often hard-pressed to switch it in constantly to take hits; this is further hampered by its lack of reliable recovery.

Hippowdon (M) @

Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
As the title of my team implies, of course I need at least one sand inducer. Hippowdon is an amazing physical wall that can take neutral hits better than Rotom-W can, not to mention he has access to reliable recovery. Of course, with Whirlwind, he phazes most set-up sweepers that fail to OHKO him. It may be odd that I don't have Stealth Rock on my Hippowdon, and have the somewhat-gimmicky Ice Fang. Since I switch Hippowdon into very-weak-to-ice set-up sweepers like Dragonite and Landorus-T, Ice Fang can at least do severe damage to them so I do not have to worry about being swept by the said threats later in the match.

Tyranitar (M) @

Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Payback
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Ever since I started competitive battling, I have always used Tyranitar, and his roles have changed over time; I started off with TyraniBoah early BW, and then began using Choice Band Tyranitar in DW OU. In DW OU, I relied on Blissey to take almost all of the opponent's special hits; unfortunately, she often gave the opponent free turns, due to her inability to immediately get rid of whoever she was up against. Aware of Tyranitar's fairly high special defense in the sand, I had to try out the assault vest; his ability to take special hits wearing the vest exceeded my original expectations. I can switch Tyranitar directly into any special attack, provided it is not Focus Blast or STAB Aura Sphere/Hidden Power Fighting (Greninja, lol); Scald can also be an issue, due to its burn chance. Against special attackers, Tyranitar can easily take them down long before they can do the same to him. Due to the lack of attack investment, Tyranitar doesn't exactly "pursuit trap," but he can at least damage escaping Pokemon a reasonable amount, so they can be picked off more easily after they switch back in.

Charizard (M) @

Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost
The ever-present defensive steel-types couldn't care less about the Pokemon I have listed above. This is, of course, where Charizard Y comes in. Aside from steel-types, however, Charizard Y just destroys most walls in general, paving the way for the rest of my team. After the opponent's faster threats have been whittled down by my walls, Charizard can even pull off sweeps, due to his sheer power and decent speed. I typically use Charizard Y mid-to-late game, which is generally when his checks have been eliminated, allowing him to wallbreak almost unhindered.

Espeon (M) @

Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Psychic
- Baton Pass
Of all of my pokemon, Espeon is probably the least useful overall. Regardless, he has been a fairly effective niche Pokemon for me. As Hippowdon lacks Stealth Rock, because of Ice Fang or Whirlwind, I rely on Espeon to bounce back my opponent's hazards. Espeon is also very useful in reflecting predicted status; Toxic has been one of the banes of my team, as it cripples Rotom-W, Tyranitar, and Hippowdon. Dual Screens is useful in reducing the pressure on my walls (Rotom-W, Hippowdon, and Tyranitar), and can reduce Charizard's and Excadrill's chances of being revenge-KOd. Oddly enough, Espeon has had his history of scoring last-resort revenge KOs on threats that are weak to Psychic, such as Mega-Venusaur and Conkeldurr. Despite Espeon's utility, he does have difficulty doing his job, due to his poor bulk. Because of this, in place of Espeon, I have heavily considered using Sylveon, who has significantly more bulk, more power, far better typing, and the ability to pass wishes to Tyranitar, whose inability to recover does hinder his walling capabilities somewhat. Sylveon also packs Heal Bell, which would solve the status problem. Using Sylveon, however, would force me to run Stealth Rock on Hippowdon, making him lose either (from my experience) a good coverage move or the ability to phaze. Losing Espeon would also make my team more vulnerable to Mega-Venusaur.

Excadrill (M) @

Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
Back in BW, we all know the Excadrill was just far too good in the sand. With two sand-inducers on my team, maintaining weather has not been a large issue, especially when a good number of my opponents do not make use of weather at all. Although I mostly save Excadrill for last as a very-lategame cleaner, I have had a few cases of needing Rapid Spin. Oftentimes, an opponent can predict an Espeon switch and nail the Eeveelution with a reasonably powerful attack. At the same time, the opponent could "play dumb," and go about setting up his entry hazards at a time I don't want to risk sacrificing Espeon. In either scenario, I am in danger of getting hazards - especially Stealth Rock (Charizard must live!) - on my side of the field, and therefore, Rapid Spin is mandatory. Excadrill has 204 Spd EVs, giving him just enough speed to outpace Scarfed Gengar (I know they're not common, but some asshole decided it was a good idea, outsped and KOd Excadrill, so I will no longer be taking any chances), and the rest go into HP to slightly improve his survivability on stray hits.
So this is my fairly successful team thus far, and I really like sticking to what I am used to. I would certainly love to have feedback to optimize the effectiveness of this team, as I know it is far from perfect.
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