Hello everyone...It's been a while since I posted a RMT. The last time I did it was when I was still playing Sun during Gen V...And I'm still lamenting the fact that I never posted my best Sun Team which peaked at #2 on Pokemon Showdown...And speaking of that, I guess should provide some proof of my Rating before continuing.
Anyway, let's go to the point, shall we? Since Sun...And Weather in General now...Well...Sucks, it took me a long time to adapt to the new Metagame. I started using a Team with Mega Charizard Y but Stelath Rock made my life miserable and Xatu isn't exactly viable in OU anymore...So, in the end I decided to start from Scratch. I wanted to make a Mega Mawhile Team but...Guess what? She was banned before I could even lay a finger on her...So, after taking a long look at all the available Megas, I decided to test Mega Gardevoir. And that's how the Team was born.
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
Unfortunaely, that's where the pros end...Yeah, yeah, she hits like a Truck with Hyper Voice but she has TERRIBLE HP and Defense...Not to mention that she lacks ANY kind of recovery which means that she goes down very, very fast...And I can't exactly switch her directly into battle. Sure, she has Trace to copy things like Intimidate from Landorus-T and Gyarados or Regenerator from Slowbro but I find it very situational because I want her to Mega Evolve as Soon as Possible because of her low speed, which is a huge issue for because I'm running Modest.
But even with her Flaws, Mega Gardevoir has helped me against the stall infested Metagame and I can't see myself using any other Mega...For now.
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Knock Off
- U-turn
When I'm not leading with Gardevoir, I usually start the match with Tornadus-T. He is a great Utility Pokemon because not only can he counter Threats like Mega Venuaur and Choice Specs Keldeo. He is a pretty good answer to Landorus, another Pokemon that was very difficult for me to check. Hurricane is a necessary Evil we we compare it to Air Slash's significantly lower Base Power. Also, the 30% chance of Confusion can prove useful. I run Heat Wave instead of Focus Blast/Superpowr because Ferrothorn and Skarmory make my life absolutely miserable and I need to get rid of them as fast and reliably as humanly possible. Finally, Knock Off and U-Turn are great Utility Moves that help Tornadus in his leading Role. He is faster than a great portion of the Metagame which means that he can Knock Off their Items AND has the Bulk to take a hit and U-Turn Out and heal some damage with Regenerator thanks to Assault Vest.
But just like with Gardevoir, not everything is roses to our Flying friend because of the Omnipresent Stealth Rock...Even with Regenerator, sometimes I NEED Tornadus-T at full health to take care of things that no other member of my team can...Like Mega Alakazam. And even then, there is fact that I have been in a couple of battles where I am forced to rely on a move wit 70% Accuracy and we all know that Hurricane can and WILL fail when you need it the most...Sometimes 3 times in a row...
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Playing with Mega Gardevoir means that I Instantly become a Magnet for Heatran and I need something that can reliably take him down, or a the very least force him out. And, of course, Keldeo is the best Heatran counter in the game. Hydro Pump is for when I need more Power to secure a Key KO or 2HKO but if I've learned something with Hurricane and Focus Blast is NOT to depend on low Accuracy Moves. That's why I use Scald most of the time. It does decent damage even when resisted and the burn chance can help me take down walls/cripple physical attackers. Secret Sword is for Blissey of course, and sometimes Ferrothorn when that thing is weakened enough. Finally Hidden Power Fly is used to Hit...Eeerrrr...Mega Venusaur? Maybe I should try Hidden Power Elecric instead to hit Azumarril and Slowbro on the switch...Or Icy Wind for Latios and Latias.
Now, the problem with Keldeo is that he is so common that everyone has some kind of counter to him. If it's not Azumarrill then it's Slowbro...Or Latios...Or Latias...Or Mega Venusaur, or Cleafable...Yeah, you get the picture. And of course, the fact that I'm running Choice Specs means that I need to choose very carefully what move I'm going to use...Which seems to be Scald most of the time. I've been thinking of running a Calm Mind set to break defensive cores but...With so many Keldeo checks and counters out there I think it's not worth it.
Amoonguss (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog
- Foul Play
- Spore
Another Utility Pokemon that forms a small Regenerator core with Tornadus-T. Amoongus is my answer to Azumarril, Slowbro, Keldeo, Breloom, Conkeldurr, Excadrill, Mega Gyarados, Landorus-T, Rotom-W and sometims even Landorus-T. He makes an admirable Job sponging pyshical attack and resisted Special Attacks. Giga Drain hits many of the water types it walls and provides recovery, Clear Smog helps immensely against Calm Mind Clefable or Taunt Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados. I rarely use Foul Play to be honest...So I may end up using Hidden Power Fire instead but...Other than beating Ferrothorn 1-on-1 it doesn't seem very useful. Finally, Spore is for when I need to safely switch another Pokemon and gain momentum or to incapacitate a big threat to the team long enough to KO it. Also,I use black sludge instead of leftover just in case I ran into a Trick Rotom-W
Amoongus is a great defensive Pokemon but...Once he has put something to sleep his usefulness decreases considerably because he lacks offensive presence so I end up Double Switching a lot...Overpredicting most of the time and sending my supposed Counter-Counter o it's doom...But hey, at least I have something to switch into Belly Drum Azumarril or a Sand Rushing Excadrill.
Excadrill (M) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Ah, Excadrill...Now I know why you were Banned during Gen V...You sure are a monster under the Sand. He outspeeds the entire OUT tier and packs quite a punch, making him an effective late game cleaner once Gardevoir and Kedeo have weakened the opponents team enough to attempt a Sweep. Earthquake is his strongest STAB move and doesn't really need any kind of explanation, same with Iron Head which is very VERY important against Fairy types. Rock Slide not only hits Flying Pokemon Immune to Earthquake but also makes quick work of Talonflame and Mega Pinsir. Finally, I use Rapid Spin instead of Swords Dance because I find myself switching A LOT, specially against stall and I absolutely need to keep Hazards out of the field. Also, Air Baloon was chosen to deal with opposing Sand Rush Excadrills and Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Garchomp locked into Earthquake.
And speaking of Harzards that's where the problems start...I find myself having to choose between OHKOing my opponent or attempt to predict a switch and use Rapid Spin...Which more often than not backfires horribly. Also, the lack of Liffe Orb means that sometimes I can't get those crucials OHKO's...Which once again results on Excadrill's early demise.
Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Atk / 104 SpA
Brave Nature
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
Finally, there is Tyranitar...The most...Underperforming member of my team. I use him for one reason and one reason only. Sand Stream for Sand Rush Excadrill...And that's it. Stone Edge is just there for generic STAB and to deal with Mega Charizad-X and Talonflame. Pursuit to Trap Latios and Latias and Taunted Chanseys. Ice beam to catch Tornadus-T, Landorus, Garchomp and the rare Dragonite by surprise and Finally Stealth Rock because he is the only one left to use the Move...Sometimes he can take out some of the aforementioned Pokemon but...Most of the timee he ends up as a dead weight that can't even set up Stealth Rock before dying....
My problem with Tyranitar is the constant pressure of checking Talonflame, both Mega Charizads, Latios and Latias, Setting up Stealth Rock AND Keeping sand...So, I can't even find time to set up Stealth Rock because I need to save him for latter so that Excadrill can clean. Maybe I should replace him with Hippowdon so that I can use Slack of to set up sand and Stealth Rock multiple times during the match and still walling Talonflame and Mega Pinsir.
And that's the team...As for a Threat list, first of all there is Greninja because of it's Speed, Power and Versatility with Protean forcing me to send in Tyranitar to set up and and attempt to Kno it with Excadrill.Next is Mega Alakazam...Specially if he manages to Trace Excadrill's Sand Rush...Mega Pinsir with Swords Dance is also very hard to deal with if I don't have Sand up...And even then, if Excadrill is weakened enough he can fall to a +2 Quick Attack. The rest...I usually can manage them trough Prediction and careful playing I guess but I would very much appreciate your Feedback.
Anyway, let's go to the point, shall we? Since Sun...And Weather in General now...Well...Sucks, it took me a long time to adapt to the new Metagame. I started using a Team with Mega Charizard Y but Stelath Rock made my life miserable and Xatu isn't exactly viable in OU anymore...So, in the end I decided to start from Scratch. I wanted to make a Mega Mawhile Team but...Guess what? She was banned before I could even lay a finger on her...So, after taking a long look at all the available Megas, I decided to test Mega Gardevoir. And that's how the Team was born.
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
The Main Reason I choose Gardevoir as my Mega was because I struggled A LOT against Stall and after Reading the Analysis claiming that Gardevoir was a good Stall Breaker I decided to try it and I was very satisfied with the results. Thanks to Hyper Voice, troublesome Pokemon who hide behind a Substitute, most notably Gliscor, are no longer a Threat while Psyshock takes care of Specially defensive Pokemon like Chansey and...Eerrrr...Assault Vest Conkeldurr...? And, of course it helps against Mega Venusaur. On the third slot we have Focus Blast so I can heavily damage Heatran, Ferrothorn, Skarmory and Scizor on the switch...IF I can hit them, of course. I try not to rely too much on Focus Blast. And finally, the move that makes it all possible for Mega Gardevoir to break trough stall, Taunt. It stops Chansey and Clafable from using Soft Boiled and/or Calm Mind/Toxic/Stealth Rock and actually gives me a chance to beat them 1-on-1, not to mention that it makes Mew, a Pokemon that I always struggled with in the past, almost useless.Unfortunaely, that's where the pros end...Yeah, yeah, she hits like a Truck with Hyper Voice but she has TERRIBLE HP and Defense...Not to mention that she lacks ANY kind of recovery which means that she goes down very, very fast...And I can't exactly switch her directly into battle. Sure, she has Trace to copy things like Intimidate from Landorus-T and Gyarados or Regenerator from Slowbro but I find it very situational because I want her to Mega Evolve as Soon as Possible because of her low speed, which is a huge issue for because I'm running Modest.
But even with her Flaws, Mega Gardevoir has helped me against the stall infested Metagame and I can't see myself using any other Mega...For now.
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Knock Off
- U-turn
When I'm not leading with Gardevoir, I usually start the match with Tornadus-T. He is a great Utility Pokemon because not only can he counter Threats like Mega Venuaur and Choice Specs Keldeo. He is a pretty good answer to Landorus, another Pokemon that was very difficult for me to check. Hurricane is a necessary Evil we we compare it to Air Slash's significantly lower Base Power. Also, the 30% chance of Confusion can prove useful. I run Heat Wave instead of Focus Blast/Superpowr because Ferrothorn and Skarmory make my life absolutely miserable and I need to get rid of them as fast and reliably as humanly possible. Finally, Knock Off and U-Turn are great Utility Moves that help Tornadus in his leading Role. He is faster than a great portion of the Metagame which means that he can Knock Off their Items AND has the Bulk to take a hit and U-Turn Out and heal some damage with Regenerator thanks to Assault Vest.
But just like with Gardevoir, not everything is roses to our Flying friend because of the Omnipresent Stealth Rock...Even with Regenerator, sometimes I NEED Tornadus-T at full health to take care of things that no other member of my team can...Like Mega Alakazam. And even then, there is fact that I have been in a couple of battles where I am forced to rely on a move wit 70% Accuracy and we all know that Hurricane can and WILL fail when you need it the most...Sometimes 3 times in a row...
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Playing with Mega Gardevoir means that I Instantly become a Magnet for Heatran and I need something that can reliably take him down, or a the very least force him out. And, of course, Keldeo is the best Heatran counter in the game. Hydro Pump is for when I need more Power to secure a Key KO or 2HKO but if I've learned something with Hurricane and Focus Blast is NOT to depend on low Accuracy Moves. That's why I use Scald most of the time. It does decent damage even when resisted and the burn chance can help me take down walls/cripple physical attackers. Secret Sword is for Blissey of course, and sometimes Ferrothorn when that thing is weakened enough. Finally Hidden Power Fly is used to Hit...Eeerrrr...Mega Venusaur? Maybe I should try Hidden Power Elecric instead to hit Azumarril and Slowbro on the switch...Or Icy Wind for Latios and Latias.
Now, the problem with Keldeo is that he is so common that everyone has some kind of counter to him. If it's not Azumarrill then it's Slowbro...Or Latios...Or Latias...Or Mega Venusaur, or Cleafable...Yeah, you get the picture. And of course, the fact that I'm running Choice Specs means that I need to choose very carefully what move I'm going to use...Which seems to be Scald most of the time. I've been thinking of running a Calm Mind set to break defensive cores but...With so many Keldeo checks and counters out there I think it's not worth it.
Amoonguss (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog
- Foul Play
- Spore
Another Utility Pokemon that forms a small Regenerator core with Tornadus-T. Amoongus is my answer to Azumarril, Slowbro, Keldeo, Breloom, Conkeldurr, Excadrill, Mega Gyarados, Landorus-T, Rotom-W and sometims even Landorus-T. He makes an admirable Job sponging pyshical attack and resisted Special Attacks. Giga Drain hits many of the water types it walls and provides recovery, Clear Smog helps immensely against Calm Mind Clefable or Taunt Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados. I rarely use Foul Play to be honest...So I may end up using Hidden Power Fire instead but...Other than beating Ferrothorn 1-on-1 it doesn't seem very useful. Finally, Spore is for when I need to safely switch another Pokemon and gain momentum or to incapacitate a big threat to the team long enough to KO it. Also,I use black sludge instead of leftover just in case I ran into a Trick Rotom-W
Amoongus is a great defensive Pokemon but...Once he has put something to sleep his usefulness decreases considerably because he lacks offensive presence so I end up Double Switching a lot...Overpredicting most of the time and sending my supposed Counter-Counter o it's doom...But hey, at least I have something to switch into Belly Drum Azumarril or a Sand Rushing Excadrill.
Excadrill (M) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Ah, Excadrill...Now I know why you were Banned during Gen V...You sure are a monster under the Sand. He outspeeds the entire OUT tier and packs quite a punch, making him an effective late game cleaner once Gardevoir and Kedeo have weakened the opponents team enough to attempt a Sweep. Earthquake is his strongest STAB move and doesn't really need any kind of explanation, same with Iron Head which is very VERY important against Fairy types. Rock Slide not only hits Flying Pokemon Immune to Earthquake but also makes quick work of Talonflame and Mega Pinsir. Finally, I use Rapid Spin instead of Swords Dance because I find myself switching A LOT, specially against stall and I absolutely need to keep Hazards out of the field. Also, Air Baloon was chosen to deal with opposing Sand Rush Excadrills and Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Garchomp locked into Earthquake.
And speaking of Harzards that's where the problems start...I find myself having to choose between OHKOing my opponent or attempt to predict a switch and use Rapid Spin...Which more often than not backfires horribly. Also, the lack of Liffe Orb means that sometimes I can't get those crucials OHKO's...Which once again results on Excadrill's early demise.
Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Atk / 104 SpA
Brave Nature
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
Finally, there is Tyranitar...The most...Underperforming member of my team. I use him for one reason and one reason only. Sand Stream for Sand Rush Excadrill...And that's it. Stone Edge is just there for generic STAB and to deal with Mega Charizad-X and Talonflame. Pursuit to Trap Latios and Latias and Taunted Chanseys. Ice beam to catch Tornadus-T, Landorus, Garchomp and the rare Dragonite by surprise and Finally Stealth Rock because he is the only one left to use the Move...Sometimes he can take out some of the aforementioned Pokemon but...Most of the timee he ends up as a dead weight that can't even set up Stealth Rock before dying....
My problem with Tyranitar is the constant pressure of checking Talonflame, both Mega Charizads, Latios and Latias, Setting up Stealth Rock AND Keeping sand...So, I can't even find time to set up Stealth Rock because I need to save him for latter so that Excadrill can clean. Maybe I should replace him with Hippowdon so that I can use Slack of to set up sand and Stealth Rock multiple times during the match and still walling Talonflame and Mega Pinsir.
And that's the team...As for a Threat list, first of all there is Greninja because of it's Speed, Power and Versatility with Protean forcing me to send in Tyranitar to set up and and attempt to Kno it with Excadrill.Next is Mega Alakazam...Specially if he manages to Trace Excadrill's Sand Rush...Mega Pinsir with Swords Dance is also very hard to deal with if I don't have Sand up...And even then, if Excadrill is weakened enough he can fall to a +2 Quick Attack. The rest...I usually can manage them trough Prediction and careful playing I guess but I would very much appreciate your Feedback.
