Other Metagames (Mono Steel) Generic? - Peaked 1717

[Trichotomy]

Hi guys, it's Contort here. This will be my first official RMT. yay. I used Steel because I wanted to try out a new type, and I thought that Steel would be interesting to use due to the increase in Psychic and Flying usage.

Proof of Peak

AT A GLANCE

Teambuilding

TEAMBUILDING PROCESS

I needed a good special wall, and Heatran seemed to be the ideal choice. I also struggle against Zapdos, and Heatran can wear it down with Toxic.

Excadrill is a fast Physical attacker (after Scarf) that helps tremendously against Electric and Fire, two of the types that I least enjoy facing.

I tend to run two scarves on each of my teams, and this is no different. Magnezone also deals with Water, which is probably the type I would least want to face.

Bisharp is really pretty standard. It's a scary physical attacker and is my #1 switchin to Defoggers.

Scizor can single-handedly dismantle teams lacking resistance to it. It, along with Skarm, counter Fighting for me.

LE ACE! Skarmory wins games for me. It is an outstanding physical wall that can easily hazard stack while Physical attackers attempt to do damage to it.

IN DETAIL

Heatran
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
Lava Plume/Toxic/Earth Power/Stealth Rock

Heatran provides a much needed fire immunity with its ability, Flash Fire. It has amazing Defenses and Special Defenses, and is able to burn opponents with Lava Plume. Toxic is to take out pokemon that would otherwise wall me, such as Zapdos, Chansey, and Porygon2. Earth Power is a good coverage move, hitting other Heatran, Rock Types, and Fire Types. Heatran is my rocker because it is able to counter most, if not all, viable Defoggers.

Excadrill
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Earthquake/Rock Slide/Iron Head/Rapid Spin

Excadrill is a fast Physical attacker that provides extremely hard hitting STAB against Fire and Electric. Earthquake is its hardest hitting Physical STAB move, and Mold Breaker enables EQ to hit Levitate users such as the Rotoms and the Lati twins. Rock Slide is for Flying types such as Charizard and Zapdos; an extremely good coverage move. Iron Head is a secondary STAB move that is able to hit Fairies, Rock types, etc. Excadrill is also my main form of hazard removal with Rapid Spin.

Magnezone
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Volt Switch/Thunderbolt/Flash Cannon/Hidden Power Ice

Magnezone is my main counter to Water types. Volt Switch is to provide momentum and to kill weakened Pokemon. Thunderbolt is the most accurate STAB move Magnezone has and also hits Flying types. Flash Cannon is just a STAB move that can finish off weakened Pokemon that resist Thunderbolt/Volt Switch. HP Ice provides coverage against Ground types, Grass types, and Flying types. No Pokemon resist the combination of Ice and Electric coverage, giving me a definite neutral attack on all Pokemon. I chose Sturdy as my ability over Magnet Pull as I didn't think I needed to trap any Steel types, barring Skarm, which I can defeat with predictions.

Bisharp
Item: Lum Berry
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
Knock Off/Sucker Punch/Iron Head/Swords Dance

Bisharp is a dangerous Physical sweeper due to its gaining of the move Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch provides hard-hitting STAB priority against many types. Knock Off is another hard-hitting STAB that is very useful for removing the items of walls such as Skarmory, Mandibuzz, Porygon2, and the Blobs. Iron Head is chosen for another STAB move. Swords Dance gives Bisharp an instant +2 Attack stat, making it a HUGE threat against almost any team. Defiant is the desired ability on Bisharp as you can easily switch into Defoggers such as Skarmory and Zapdos and gain a +2 Attack Stat without using Swords Dance.

Mega Scizor
Item: Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
Bullet Punch/Bug Bite/Swords Dance/Roost

Mega Scizor can single-handedly dismantle Fighting teams once Keldeo (and Poliwrath?) are defeated. Scizor is given almost maximum Defense stats as most Fighting types rely on Physical Attacks. Bullet Punch is pretty standard, as it provides a base 60 (after Technician) priority move that finishes off weakened Pokemon. I chose Bug Bite over Knock Off or Superpower because I would constantly get beat by Slowbro. Bug Bite 2HKOs Slowbro, whereas Knock Off is barely (if not even) a 3HKO. Swords Dance makes Mega Scizor scary and allows it to take down Ground monotypes. Roost is to regain health and perhaps PP Stall.

Skarmory
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 48 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
Brave Bird/Roost/Spikes/Whirlwind

Skarmory is the ace of this team because it counters Steel's weaknesses extremely well. It has an immunity to Ground and a neutrality to Fighting, along with an excellent Defense stat. Impish Nature is chosen to maximize Defense. Brave Bird is its hardest hitting STAB move that can take down Fighting types well. Roost is a reliable form of recovery and useful in PP Stall. I utilize Spikes on Skarmory because it is easy to switch in Skarmory to a Physical attacker and proceed to hazard stack for dayz. Whirlwind is there to force setup sweepers to switch out, thus removing stat changes. I chose Leftovers over Rocky Helmet because I needed some extra recovery along with Roost since I'm not running max Defenses.

Threat List

Mega Medicham is viable with two Fighting Type moves, and both are able to dismantle my team. High Jump Kick 2HKOs everything on my team, while Drain Punch recovers all the damage that I do with Magnezone when I attempt to Volt Switch. My only hope is to either have it miss HJK or be able to kill it with Scizor/Bisharp.

This thing, whether it be Specs, Scarf, or Sub CM, always manages to get at least 1 kill on me. When facing Keldeo, you need to make a few predictions and kill it with Magnezone.

Mega Swampert under rain is extremely dangerous to this team. I have no switch-ins to either. When facing both, you would need to wear down the Swampert and then attempt to win with Magnezone.

Luckily for me, and other Steel users, Infernape is mostly used as a lead. However, with the combination of Flare Blitz and Close Combat, it can dismantle my team. You must wear it down to the point where Scizor or Magnezone can kill it.

With the combination of Focus Blast (Miss) and Flamethrower/Fire Blast, I have no switch-ins to this. I simply need to predict correctly with Excadrill and Magnezone.

Zapdos is an extremely good wall that is capable of walling almost my whole team. I must hope that Heatran is alive to Toxic it and wear it down with Lava Plume.

Replays

So I didn't save too many replays because I didn't really expect to get this high. But uh, here are 2.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-281830142 vs Electric
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-281816248 vs Psychic

Importable

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 48 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Spikes
- Brave Bird
- Whirlwind

Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt

Bisharp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Defiant
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance

Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Roost

 

[Twix]

Hey man this is a really solid team, but I think I may have a change that can help a bit with Keldeo if it tried to switch in, which is Aerial Ace > Swords Dance on Bisharp. Although this may be a bit weird, it prevents Keldeo from getting a free switch into Bisharp, although it's mostly just opinion and the move doesn't do much else.

 

[Trichotomy]

Hi Contort! Nice Team.

Thanks Guy :)

Hey man this is a really solid team, but I think I may have a change that can help a bit with Keldeo if it tried to switch in, which is Aerial Ace > Swords Dance on Bisharp. Although this may be a bit weird, it prevents Keldeo from getting a free switch into Bisharp, although it's mostly just opinion and the move doesn't do much else.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I feel that Swords Dance is more helpful to this team. I will try it, though.

 

[Chleg]

Hate you for copying my layout.

I only really need to know is why would you use those specific EV's for Skarmory since you haven't mentioned it.

Other than that, It's a nice generic team and grats on your peak.

 

[Trichotomy]

Hate you for copying my layout.

I only really need to know is why would you use those specific EV's for Skarmory since you haven't mentioned it.

Other than that, It's a nice generic team and grats on your peak.

Thanks and yes, I did copy your layout :3
Yours was the first monotype RMT that I saw so I copied the layout.
Anyways, the EVs on Skarm aren't really specific. I just put a little SpD so I could tank a few Special Moves. Skarmory is already physically bulky enough, anyways.

 

[Hingo]

smh no Ferrothorn ;-;
Anyways nice team, looks very solid in my opinion, though i might suggest doublade over bisharp/scizor, as it has more bulk and can cover fighting types, such as the medicham threat. It also gives you some priority with shadow sneak to clean up late game.
Over all nice team. :)

 

[ed wins]

Hi Contort, it's nice to rep that Alliance name with all of the haters, and great Steel team. I will NEVER use Steel, but I built an almost identical team for an outside community member.

A few changes can make the team better. First of all, run Heatran with an Air Balloon. This will give you an advantage against a Steel mirror match and help against Charyzard-Ys running Earthquake over Focus Blast and the sort. Another small fix is to add more speed investment on Heatran. You can run enough speed for Scizor or what not, as you have nothing for opposing Bisharp + Scizor, or you can simply run enough to creep opposing Heatrans to get off that crucial Earth Power. I'm on mobile, so I won't post any sets, sorry:(

The next change would be replacing Magnezones ability to Magnet Pull. Magnet Pull doesn't clash with HP Ice, as HP Ice lets you pressure bird teams with BoltBeam and revenge kill Lando-I. However, Magnet Pull lets you trap Skarmory on both types, Screens Klefki on Fairy, Aegislash on Ghost, etc while allowing you to properly break opposing Heatran's balloon.

The final change that I would make(apart from making Skarmory slightly speedier) would be to make Scizor offensive. 148 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Spe should be more than sufficient to outspeed what it needs to while still granting him sufficient bulk to set up. Scizor's role is generally to clean, and once Bisharp breaks his checks, you'll find that cleaning with a single boost can be easier than stacking boosts, because Mega-Scizor is literally broken in this tier and requires 0 skill to use



Once again, congratulations on your peak and happy laddering

 

[dusk raimon]

Thanks Guy :)

Thanks for the suggestion, but I feel that Swords Dance is more helpful to this team. I will try it, though.

Just saying bisharp gets psycho cut, which is more damage and super effective, than aerial ace. I'd only reccomend Max hp for special threats on Scizor. Great team man!

 

[Trichotomy]

smh no Ferrothorn ;-;
Anyways nice team, looks very solid in my opinion, though i might suggest doublade over bisharp/scizor, as it has more bulk and can cover fighting types, such as the medicham threat. It also gives you some priority with shadow sneak to clean up late game.
Over all nice team. :)

I'll try Doublade over Bisharp, thanks. And also, screw Ferrothorn.

Hi Contort, it's nice to rep that Alliance name with all of the haters, and great Steel team. I will NEVER use Steel, but I built an almost identical team for an outside community member.

A few changes can make the team better. First of all, run Heatran with an Air Balloon. This will give you an advantage against a Steel mirror match and help against Charyzard-Ys running Earthquake over Focus Blast and the sort. Another small fix is to add more speed investment on Heatran. You can run enough speed for Scizor or what not, as you have nothing for opposing Bisharp + Scizor, or you can simply run enough to creep opposing Heatrans to get off that crucial Earth Power. I'm on mobile, so I won't post any sets, sorry:(

The next change would be replacing Magnezones ability to Magnet Pull. Magnet Pull doesn't clash with HP Ice, as HP Ice lets you pressure bird teams with BoltBeam and revenge kill Lando-I. However, Magnet Pull lets you trap Skarmory on both types, Screens Klefki on Fairy, Aegislash on Ghost, etc while allowing you to properly break opposing Heatran's balloon.

The final change that I would make(apart from making Skarmory slightly speedier) would be to make Scizor offensive. 148 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Spe should be more than sufficient to outspeed what it needs to while still granting him sufficient bulk to set up. Scizor's role is generally to clean, and once Bisharp breaks his checks, you'll find that cleaning with a single boost can be easier than stacking boosts, because Mega-Scizor is literally broken in this tier and requires 0 skill to use



Once again, congratulations on your peak and happy laddering

Thanks, I'll try Magnet Pull on Mag.

Just saying bisharp gets psycho cut, which is more damage and super effective, than aerial ace. I'd only reccomend Max hp for special threats on Scizor. Great team man!

Thanks :)

 

[ed wins]

While Doublade is a solid addition to most Steel teams, it is not mandated on every Steel team. Doublade can SOMEWHAT be compared to Lanturn on Water, and Lanturn on Water is a handicap, in my opinion. While I don't see Doublade as a handicap, the fact of the matter is that Steel can fare just fine without it.

I feel like this team is so successfull because a very powerful core consisting of Bisharp + Scizor is beautifully supported defensively and offensively. Bisharp or Scizor are used to break common checks to one another, such as Skarmory, Mandibuzz, Mew, Charizard etc to allow the other partner to sweep.

Let me share my teambuilding process with you when i initially built this same team.

Hide

1) The person who's team that I was fixing was a jumbled mess. However, the team included Screens Klefki, SD MegaZor and Agility Metagross, so it was evident that he wanted to take an offensive approach to the type.

Because of this, I kept Mega-Scizor because it's literally broken and scrapped the rest of the team.

2) Regardless of the fact that they share the same Steel typing, Bisharp is one of the best offensive partners for MegaZor as each break each others checks and threats.

3) The core was initially weak to Charizard, Infernape, Entei, Heatran, and Victini, so I added Heatran as a defensive pivot so that these threats don't get a kill everytime that they come in. Rocks were added to form a hazard stacking core later on.

4) Heatran doesn't last forever and can get bopped by x coverage moves(Focus Blast, Earthquake, Bulldoze, Superpower), so Excadrill was added as an offensive check to those threats and to spin hazards, as I did not like the idea of Defog on this team.

5) The team was still weak to Landorus-I, Swift Swim Water, and VoltTurn bird cores, so Magnezone was added to revenge kill Landorus and to apply equal pressure Water and bird teams. As a bonus, Magnezone can trap Skarmory, Aegislash, and Klefki. Magnezone can also break Heatran's Balloon and act as a tertiary wincon against Steel.

6) Finally, Skarmory was added as a defensive pivot, to function as a physical wall, and to hazard stack. Being neutral to Fighting, we all know what Skarmory does. Skarmory is a nice check to just about every physical in the tier not caring a Fire typing, and can even function as an emergency Medicham check.

The team isn't only neat because it is so offensive, but it is backed up by great defensive pivots, and the members typings take from the initial immunity core and offer solid switch ins from each others threats.

If you want to add Doublade to the team, then the removal of Scizor or Bisharp is not the answer. You'll have to contemplate the removal of Magnezone or Excadrill, but then that leaves you weaker to the aforementioned threats if you decide to remove either of them.

Here are the slight variations on our teams

Hide

Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Roost

Bisharp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 140 SpD / 120 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 248 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt

Skarmory @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Spikes
- Brave Bird
- Whirlwind

 

[Dece1t]

Hey contort, great team! I gave no complaints about it, bit if you wanted you could run specs magnezone over scarf, since you don't have a strong special wallbreaker, but that's based on preference. Otherwise, great job on the peak well done! :)

Btw, about balloon heatran, since this one is more toxic stall, I would probably prefer Leftovers as a mean to some way to revive health. As for doublade, scizor, skarm, and his scarfers do a fair job againot fighting, I don't think he needs it unless for rapid spin, which has less use than defog, which Bisharp goes on a spree when that happens (bar zapdos, may wanna run Jolly Bisharp to outspeed)

 

[Trichotomy]

While Doublade is a solid addition to most Steel teams, it is not mandated on every Steel team. Doublade can SOMEWHAT be compared to Lanturn on Water, and Lanturn on Water is a handicap, in my opinion. While I don't see Doublade as a handicap, the fact of the matter is that Steel can fare just fine without it.

I feel like this team is so successfull because a very powerful core consisting of Bisharp + Scizor is beautifully supported defensively and offensively. Bisharp or Scizor are used to break common checks to one another, such as Skarmory, Mandibuzz, Mew, Charizard etc to allow the other partner to sweep.

Let me share my teambuilding process with you when i initially built this same team.

Hide

1) The person who's team that I was fixing was a jumbled mess. However, the team included Screens Klefki, SD MegaZor and Agility Metagross, so it was evident that he wanted to take an offensive approach to the type.

Because of this, I kept Mega-Scizor because it's literally broken and scrapped the rest of the team.

2) Regardless of the fact that they share the same Steel typing, Bisharp is one of the best offensive partners for MegaZor as each break each others checks and threats.

3) The core was initially weak to Charizard, Infernape, Entei, Heatran, and Victini, so I added Heatran as a defensive pivot so that these threats don't get a kill everytime that they come in. Rocks were added to form a hazard stacking core later on.

4) Heatran doesn't last forever and can get bopped by x coverage moves(Focus Blast, Earthquake, Bulldoze, Superpower), so Excadrill was added as an offensive check to those threats and to spin hazards, as I did not like the idea of Defog on this team.

5) The team was still weak to Landorus-I, Swift Swim Water, and VoltTurn bird cores, so Magnezone was added to revenge kill Landorus and to apply equal pressure Water and bird teams. As a bonus, Magnezone can trap Skarmory, Aegislash, and Klefki. Magnezone can also break Heatran's Balloon and act as a tertiary wincon against Steel.

6) Finally, Skarmory was added as a defensive pivot, to function as a physical wall, and to hazard stack. Being neutral to Fighting, we all know what Skarmory does. Skarmory is a nice check to just about every physical in the tier not caring a Fire typing, and can even function as an emergency Medicham check.

The team isn't only neat because it is so offensive, but it is backed up by great defensive pivots, and the members typings take from the initial immunity core and offer solid switch ins from each others threats.

If you want to add Doublade to the team, then the removal of Scizor or Bisharp is not the answer. You'll have to contemplate the removal of Magnezone or Excadrill, but then that leaves you weaker to the aforementioned threats if you decide to remove either of them.

Here are the slight variations on our teams

Hide

Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Roost

Bisharp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 140 SpD / 120 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 248 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt

Skarmory @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Spikes
- Brave Bird
- Whirlwind

I've been experimenting with Doublade and Bisharp in place of each other, and they both seem to work equally well (Although I seem to have more success with Bisharp). I then took your advice and replaced Excadrill with Doublade. I promptly tilted, losing to 2 Flying teams, an Electric team, and almost losing to Fairy.

Hey contort, great team! I gave no complaints about it, bit if you wanted you could run specs magnezone over scarf, since you don't have a strong special wallbreaker, but that's based on preference. Otherwise, great job on the peak well done! :)

Btw, about balloon heatran, since this one is more toxic stall, I would probably prefer Leftovers as a mean to some way to revive health. As for doublade, scizor, skarm, and his scarfers do a fair job againot fighting, I don't think he needs it unless for rapid spin, which has less use than defog, which Bisharp goes on a spree when that happens (bar zapdos, may wanna run Jolly Bisharp to outspeed)

Thanks :) I might try Jolly Bisharp, although I do like Bisharp to hit a bit harder.

 

[Dece1t]

I've been experimenting with Doublade and Bisharp in place of each other, and they both seem to work equally well (Although I seem to have more success with Bisharp). I then took your advice and replaced Excadrill with Doublade. I promptly tilted, losing to 2 Flying teams, an Electric team, and almost losing to Fairy.


Thanks :) I might try Jolly Bisharp, although I do like Bisharp to hit a bit harder.

LO is always an option, I'm saying Jolly for a means to deal with zapdos and switch into it on the defog.

 

[ed wins]

Sorry for the tilt, fam

But I did state that the individual members were prefect and that Doublade isn't needed on this team:/