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I say my first real RMT because I’m pretty sure I made one like 3 years ago but it was some trash VGC team, so I’m not counting that shit.

Anyways this team came about in a giant teambuilding spree I had about a week ago now. I had lost all of my teams because I’m retarded and deleted my cookies, so I figured there’s no better time to start building.

Honestly I don’t remember how the fuck these six members came together so I’m gonna make up some shit about how I cleverly threw them together and they synergized perfectly.

So typically when I build my teams I pick some shit mon that I wanna see get used more or I build around an interesting core and support it the best I can. In this case I got a little of both. Sheer Force Steelix has to be one of the most underused and underrated threats in this meta, it’s also surprisingly good in RU but that’s another story for another RMT. Honestly to all you people out there running Steelix for it’s amazing typing and insane bulk unless you’re running full stall don’t fucking run max defense. I mean holy shit this thing hits 436 defense uninvested and it’s attack stat is nothing to scoff at, you might as well use it… I’ve been running max attack adamant Steelix since early gen 5 so I know how powerful of a set it can be.

While Steelix does have an amazing typing in Ground-Steel, it’s weak to pretty much every special attack that’s not named thunderbolt or volt switch. Togetic actually covers most of Steelix’s weaknesses pretty well and shoutout to user Davon for pointing that out in the good cores thread a while ago. Pretty much every fighting type in the tier can be handled by mixed defensive Togetic and the only real special attackers that threaten this core are Magmortar and Electivire, you can typically predict around the latter and checking the former is fairly easy thanks to its sub par speed stat.

So at this point I can take the team in a bulkier direction or a more offensive direction, typically this is how my teams end up. I decided to go a little more offensive this time so I decided to just check the threats to my core instead of having reliable ways to switch in and beat them. Something that takes on electric type pokemon a little more reliably than Steelix is definitely a good start. Keep in mind this role on my team is something that can switch in on weaker attacks maybe once or twice before I have to start predicting or sacking things to save my ass. Rotom in its normal form serves a nice role for my team, it adds an element of speed gives me a way to keep my stealth rock on the field if I need it, and can switch in on pokemon like Electivire while also checking stronger threats like Feraligatr that can set up and break down my core.

Seeing as I already have probably the most reliable way to remove hazards on my team I think at this point it’s safe to add on something a little weaker to entry hazards to give my team a little more offensive presence. I decided to try Scyther for the second time this generation. Let me just say Banded Scyther hits like a fucking truck, don’t sleep on this shit.

I decide to put some more pressure on Togetic by adding another gigantic threat that just so happens to be weak to rocks. Sneasel is amazing for this team because it just breaks down shit for Scyther, if you can get an ice punch or two off on things like Granbull, Seismitoad, and other physically defensive walls Scyther can just run through weakened teams. Liepard used to be in this spot just for encore support for my last member but I found it very underwhelming and to be honest the momentum I gained from U-turn I can just gain by double switching so there’s really no loss there. I go with eviolite for random situations I’ll explain later.

As you can see nothing on this team resists fire, and honestly that type is becoming more and more common on not only offensive but balanced teams as well. Granted that my team has already taken a more offensive approach to dealing with common threats I decided to stick with that theme. Typhlosion and Pyroar are the main threats I’m concerned with because I have reliable ways to check Magmortar, Heatmor, etc. Typhlosion and Pyroar are unique because they’re in a speed tier my team falls into, but they can also commonly carry choice items so I have to play a little more carefully checking them. If I fall into a situation where say I lose Sneasel or Scyther to a Fire Blast because I predicted specs over scarf I need something that can take advantage of this offensively. I say offensively because Togetic can chew hits for days but its not gonna get the job done with stealth rock and piss poor Dazzling Gleam damage. Omastar can take advantage of fire types locked into STAB moves and it also has the added advantage of my opponents being wary of spamming those attacks blindly.

So like I said I just lied to you about how I built this team, but hopefully you can see the different roles the members perform and the synergies they share. Without further ado, onto the sets.

I said it once already in the team building process, but I know most people don’t read those so let me just say… unless you’re running full stall don’t fucking run max defense on Steelix. It doesn’t need the extra bulk to be able to deal with the threats you’re trying to take on. Swellow, Kangaskhan, BD Slurpuff, Archeops, Liepard, Klingklang, etc. are all still countered by offensive Steelix. This mon hits 436 defense uninvested and has incredible typing. With its hidden ability Sheer Force and a Life Orb equipped it has all the tools necessary to hit like a truck. Stealth Rock is very easy to set up reliably with Steelix and greatly helps all teams in the current metagame. Earthquake is obligatory STAB and hits extremely hard.

Iron Head is chosen over Gyro Ball or Heavy Slam for a few reasons, one I’m running a little speed investment, and two Iron Head doesn’t take life orb recoil and is boosted by Sheer Force. Both pretty obvious but I’ve actually had people ask me why I don’t run one of the alternatives. The last move slot is kind of a toss up depending on what you’re trying to do with Steelix. Most of the time I find Crunch has great neutral coverage in the tier and hits things like lead Uxie a little harder than Iron Head. However you can run Thunder Fang if you’re worried about Feraligatr trying to set up on you, or if you’re just feeling queer and want to run an elemental fang. The given EV spread lets you outspeed min speed Spiritomb before it can burn you, and still allows you to take hits well and dish out huge chunks of damage.

In my opinion Togetic is the most reliable way to remove hazards, it gives you the most opportunities to defog and leaves you less vulnerable to big threats than the other defoggers in the tier, barring maybe Swanna. This is just my opinion of course, but I’m pretty set with this one, try and convince me otherwise. Togetic like Steelix also has an amazing defensive type combination that allows it to beat nearly every fighting type in the tier. Couple that with amazing bulk with an Eviolite and you’ve got a prominent mixed wall that can switch in on a ton of things from Pyroar to Sawk. Anyways onto the set, Dazzling Gleam is there for an attacking move so that you’re not complete Taunt bait, and its also nice to hit some things for a small chunk of damage.

Roost is a reliable recovery option and allows Togetic to stick around for most of the battle, whether stealth rock is on the field or not. Defog is the best move this thing has access to hands down, and is an amazing support option for any team. Encore is something a little different that you don’t see too often. On offensive teams such as this I don’t find much need for Heal Bell because for one, it basically wastes a turn you could be using Togetic as a pivot into a threat, and two once something is statused I’ll typically prioritize sacking it, not to mention you don’t let important shit get para’d or burned. Encore is useful as a way to stop things like Feraligatr and Gorebyss from setting up on you while also giving you potential set up opportunities for Omastar. The given EV spread is just standard from what people were running in RU prior to Yanmega and Zoroark leaving the tier, and it serves a similar purpose here it allows Togetic to check the widest variety of threats possible. You can honestly go fully defensive or fully specially defensive if you prefer though.

Dun sleep on Scyther… this thing is an amazing pokemon that people commonly overlook. Whether it be the 4x Stealth Rock weakness or the fact that its classified as LC Uber on Pokemon Showdown’s teambuilder, the fact of the matter is this thing is underused. I’ve been running variants of Scyther since the beginning of Gen 5, while scarf and swords dance are extremely viable I’ve been most impressed by the choice band set in this metagame. CB Scyther takes souls, if I’m not feeling lazy I’ll post some relevant calcs below so you all can see the true power. I prefer Choice Band over something like Swords Dance due to the fact that you receive immediate power, a lesson my good friend Omfuga employs in most of his teams. (Seriously they’re all a 2 wall core with 4 choiced mons, usually 3 choice specs)

252 Atk Choice Band Technician Scyther Aerial Ace vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Seismitoad: 169-201 (40.8 - 48.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Technician Scyther Aerial Ace vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 102-120 (34.9 - 41%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Technician Scyther Aerial Ace vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slurpuff: 156-184 (42.3 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Technician Scyther Aerial Ace vs. 252 HP / 224+ Def Vileplume: 320-380 (90.3 - 107.3%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

252 Atk Choice Band Technician Scyther Aerial Ace vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Garbodor: 160-190 (43.9 - 52.1%) -- 17.2% chance to 2HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Technician Scyther Bug Bite vs. 40 HP / 252 Def Lanturn: 216-255 (53.8 - 63.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Your’re doing some respectable damage there, quite frankly when paired with another powerful physical attacker that has similar checks and counters (cough Sneasel cough) you can wear these walls down rather easily not to mention the switchins like Granbull and Torkoal only work when rocks aren’t up or in Granbull’s case when it gets off an intimidate.

Scyther’s EV’s are pretty straight forward for a fast choice banded attacker so I’m only mentioning them to keep consistent. Bug Bite and Aerial Ace take advantage of Technician and STAB, these two moves are your bread and butter. When one of the former can’t get the job done just click the gen 4 button and U-turn out. If you’re in a bit of a pickle against a set up mon or you’ve misplayed and lost a check Quick Attack can save you in a pinch and will often times sweep weakened teams late game.

While I may have just mentioned Choice Band being great for immediate power, on this team I prefer SD Sneasel. The main role this mon fulfills is breaking down Scyther’s counters, I don’t give a shit if I only get a +1 Ice Punch off on a Granbull before going down. That’s exactly what it’s here for it has a job and it does it well. Plain n’ Simple. EV’s are standard. SD to beat things with intimidate easier and also for breaking down stall teams. Knock off is a god send to this generation click it and watch shit suffer. Ice punch is a solid move but I suppose you could drop it for brick break or something if you really want. Ice Shard is a nice “oh shit” button when you fuck up and it also hits hard with a swords dance up. Now some of my friends have been giving me shit about running eviolite on Sneasel because I called it trash earlier this gen. I now realize the error in my ways, it’s not a bad item choice and allows Sneasel to get some hits and set up on bulkier mons that it wouldn’t be able to with Life Orb. It also has the benefits of not being worn down by recoil, and being able to chew fake outs from retarded users who mindlessly click fake out with Kangaskhan despite the fact that the mon in front of them has Inner Focus. Seriously people stop that shit, most of the time you should be clicking Double-Edge with Kanga.

I swear to god there are only a handful of users smart enough to use this thing. Rotom is a don, switch in’s to this thing are few and far between on nu teams these days. Rotom has the versatility of being a spin blocker, a great revenge killer, an amazing mon to cripple bulky walls, and a powerful electric type. Again a standard EV spread and standard moveslots, really not much to say about this lord other than the fact that people other than Soulgazer and FLCL need to use it.