Team Preview:
Introduction:
Before I get into the actual introduction of this team I would like to state some things.
1. I enjoy weather and I do not find it annoying or OP in anyway.
2. This is not my first RMT, however it is my first on this site.
3. Most EV spreads on my Pokemon are custom, if they are in anyway similar to another person's then it is completely by coincidence.
Please enjoy.
2. This is not my first RMT, however it is my first on this site.
3. Most EV spreads on my Pokemon are custom, if they are in anyway similar to another person's then it is completely by coincidence.
Please enjoy.
As the title states this is a Standard OU Anti weather team for the current August meta-game, if certain weather threats change their move-sets to better take on Anti-weather teams than adjustments will be made (IT IS NOW SEPTEMBER). The idea for this team came to me on Faladran's website while looking at his "Core" section. Now that the back story is out of the way, on to the building process...
Building Process:
This team started out with Hydreigon, due to his large move pool and useful resistances/ immunities to the three main weathers in OU. I ran an Expert Belt set, 252Spd/252SpA with Timid nature just to make sure I wouldn't be the last one to strike and also bluff the choice item. Later on I find out a better Expert belt set, on this site actually, but this is irrelevant due to team changes later down the road.
Here is where the core is introduced: Skarmory, Gastrodon, and Heatran all are great Pokemon in their own right. When used together however, a core is born that almost flawlessly counters weather. Sandstorm is countered by Skarmory due to its main abusers being psychical attackers. Gastrodon does an amazing job at sponging special attacks coming from Rain abusers, due to her ability: Storm Drain, water attacks are absorbed and give Gastrodon a +1 boost to its Special attack which is very useful to fight back against its opponents. For Sunny Day abusers, the one Pokemon that they absolutely hate to come across is here just for that; Heatran. Each of these Pokemon have great synergy with each other and work well in defending against the weathers.
It took me a while to choose the last two Pokemon for my team considering that there are over 600 to choose from. However after looking at the OU usage statistics I noticed that Reuniclus had dropped substantially lately and so had Rotom-W. Coincidentally they were both great at handling weather threats, so I decided to use a Life Orb Rotom-W and a Trick Room Reuniclus as my final two Pokemon and I was all set! Or so I thought... stupid pink blob...
I came across, quite literally, a massive problem, its name: Blissey. I just couldn't take it down no matter what I did, while it was stalling out my entire team I was just facepalming at the fact that I forgot to put a good psychical attacker. So, after some more laddering, I discovered the perfect Pokemon for the job. Introducing, Terrakion. He COMPLETELY solves my lack of raw power problem and then some, and that was it. My team was completed and I was quite content with it.
After many more matches and constant personal reviews of my team, I realized something. Reuniclus/ Terrakion completely destroyed my team, no matter how I tried combating them the end result was always the same; never good. I needed someone else to ease the stress off my teammates so they could accomplish the jobs that I gave them, I needed something that could take both Fighting and Psychic attacks with ease. Then it came to me, the onion head itself: Celebi.
About one month later (give or take), the metagame has shifted at a noticeable rate. Rain is much more common than it was before; specifically rain stall. Along with that they lack the Super Effective power to hit Gastrodon hard, which still to this moment surprises me. Now that choice users have become more common (along with other hard hitters), I have found that Wobbuffet is much more useful; getting him a spot on my team. With the addition of Wobbuffet, I noticed that Volcarona could give my team some trouble. To somewhat remedy this, Landorus has been added to give me more Super Effective strength to KO Volcarona with. However, his slot is still up in the air, as I feel Landorus struggles in this fast paced metagame and I do not want to force him to use a scarf considering Gliscor could then give me trouble.
Detailed Look:
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- X-Scissor
- Stone Edge
- Quick Attack
I know this is an inappropriate way of describing a Pokemon but gosh... CB Terrakion is an absolute monster. My first encounter with it forced me to ditch Hydreigon and Trick Room Reuniclus and make the team the way it is now. Considering no one on my team could take a hit from it, actually let me rephrase that. I believe that there is no Pokemon, in OU, that will not get 2HKO'd by one of Terrakion's moves. Standard Physical attacker set, no real thought put into the EVs.
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Hidden Power [Ice]
After some hard thought and good suggestions, I have decided to drop the Sub set for Landorus and use the Scarf set. Not only does this function as a late game sweeper, but I can now reliably check Volcarona more so than before (Now with the more accurate Rock Slide as opposed to Stone Edge). Also, if Landorus is at high enough HP, he can function as a pretty reliable +0 Excadrill check as well. Losing out on changing moves is a small price to pay considering I now have a devastating revenge killer in exchange.
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Def / 228 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Mirror Coat
- Counter
- Encore
- Safeguard
Why do I not see this guy anymore? I thought he was Ubers material and he is BL? What is this?! I don't even. Wobbuffet comes in on choiced users (either when he resists the hit or when one of my guys goes down), traps the opposing Pokemon and proceeds from there. He functions as a Choiced Politoed, Haxorus (Banded too if at high enough health), Rotom-A, etc.. check. I could go on but it is pretty redundant at this point. Obvious Encore for Pokemon that want to play mindgames with me and go for a set-up move instead of attacking, then I switch into a check and proceed from there. Very solid Pokemon and another great addition.
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
One of the best psychical walls in the game, I use Skarmory to set up the spikes and whirlwind out stat boosters such as Excadrill for example considering it can't do a thing to me. Skarmory is also useful in taking out Air Balloons on said Excadrill to make it that much more easier for the rest of my team to handle. Considering the new mechanics of Sturdy, having an auto-sash at full HP is a great tool for shenanigans.
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SDef / 12 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Toxic
- Flamethrower
While my previous Heatran set was very effective in regards to what I needed it for, this set better suits my team in its current condition. This set was actually given to me by "TheMasterOfOz" and I thank you for it, it really fits in with this team. Being able to take more beatings for the SpA spectrum is invaluable and allows my other members to remain at a higher health. See, my philosophy with Pokemon with no reliable recovery is "Once they have done their job, their usefulness is gone and become more of a liability than an asset". Heatran's job, for me at least, is to set up rocks and take hits, normally. If I'm up against a Sunny Day team than obviously her roles change but that's only in that scenario.
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Some changes are Flamethrower>Lava Plume since Flamethrower nets the 2HKO on a Ferrothorn in Rain. I also decided that Toxic>Roar was more beneficial since it allows me to stall out Jellicent which would otherwise force my team to a full stop.
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Some changes are Flamethrower>Lava Plume since Flamethrower nets the 2HKO on a Ferrothorn in Rain. I also decided that Toxic>Roar was more beneficial since it allows me to stall out Jellicent which would otherwise force my team to a full stop.
Trait: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Recover
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
For this guy I couldn't really be too playful with the EVs considering her stats. Regardless, she does a fantastic job at sponging special hits and can dish them out rather well also. Most people don't expect Gastrodon to do well in the OU enviorment, me being one of them. But after playing with her on my team, she has proven herself very potent.
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Like I said in the beginning, as the metagame changes, so will this team. Gastrodon was removed because it wasn't as helpful, and now it is back because it is less expected. Pretty simple.
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Like I said in the beginning, as the metagame changes, so will this team. Gastrodon was removed because it wasn't as helpful, and now it is back because it is less expected. Pretty simple.
See the Team in Action:
Some logs will be provided here using the Pokemon Replay Viewer for those who are a little iffy on this teams performance.
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-Ebon-vs-whitesocks--2011-09-30
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-whitesocks-vs-ShinyRelicanth--2011-09-30
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-Mpi-vs-whitesocks--2011-10-01
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-izzy28-vs-whitesocks--2011-09-29
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-MoP---Leitao-vs-Damien--2011-08-23
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-Thornark-vs-Damien--2011-08-22
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-Flush-vs-whitesocks--2011-08-24
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-whitesocks-vs-ShinyRelicanth--2011-09-30
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-Mpi-vs-whitesocks--2011-10-01
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-izzy28-vs-whitesocks--2011-09-29
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-MoP---Leitao-vs-Damien--2011-08-23
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-Thornark-vs-Damien--2011-08-22
http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-Flush-vs-whitesocks--2011-08-24
Previous Members/ Sets:
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Recover
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Thunder Wave
Reuniclus has really surprised me as of late, I will put up the battle to show why this is. Moving away from that... his move set is somewhat custom, I have never gone up against another Reuniclus with T-wave so not many people will expect it. Paralyzing weather sweepers on the switch is so invaluable. The EV spread allows Reuniclus to sponge many Psychical hits and still send a strong hit back. My goal was to give him enough EVs to survive a CB Scizor's U-turn, reason being: If he can take a hit like that, he can most definitely take none STAB/ SE hits with ease.
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Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 128 HP / 252 SAtk / 128 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Grass]
My take on the ShucaTran set, while I was team building I thought of Sunny Day teams, more specifically Venusaur. I know that some like to run mix sets with Growth and EQ and I thought that would be a problem. Since I don't want to run Air Balloon in fear of it breaking before I need it, Shuca Berry seemed like the best choice. Speed EVs are to outpace Jolly Tyranitars, max Sp.A for power and then the rest was dumped into HP.
***This set is open for change!***
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Trait: Levitate
EVs: 124 HP / 252 SAtk / 132 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Trick
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Originally this Rotom-W was a Life Orb variant, however after some more laddering I decided to give it a TrickScarf set. Not only does it function as a fantastic lead, it also can cripple some of the common weather abuser walls, heres looking at you Ferrothorn. Speed EVs allow this Rotom to outspeed base 115s such as Choice Specs/ Life Orb Starmie in the Rain for example. Maxed out it's Special attack for power and then the rest of the EVs were dumped into HP for good amount of bulk.
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When this RMT was first posted, some input on my Rotom was that I should use a less bulkier set with the same amount of speed and a Modest nature. While it is a good suggestion, this Rotom is not meant to hit hard, I need it to be multi-functional so the current EV spread is almost necessary. I have however replaced T-bolt with HP Fire in order to hit Ferrothorns harder than I previously could with Hydro Pump in Rain. Some calcs here show that in Rain, 252 SpAtk Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs 252 HP/252 SpDef Ferrothorn: 23.01% - 27.27%
5-6 hits to KO (with Leftovers). With HP Fire the calcs are 25% - 29.55% 5 hits to KO (with Leftovers), not much of a notable difference in Rain. If I am forced to use Rotom-W to take out opposing Ferrothorns, it will have to be in the range of health were I can actually do so.
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Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
Instead of my previous take at Reuniclus, I have decided to take a different approach with grand results. Here you see I am using a pretty standard Calm Mind set for Reuniclus with 8 speed EVs to hopefully outrun any other Reuniclus'. I'm not really a fan of speed creeps so the highest I'm willing to go is 16 Spd EVs, after that it just becomes silly. With her current set I can take on opposing Pokemon and attempt to either whittle them down for the rest of my team to handle, or proceed to set up in their face because their attacks are just not doing enough. If I come up against opposing Reuniclus' my best bet and my opponents is to get into a Calm Mind war and see who comes out the victor. Normally I don't want this outcome to happen but if it cannot be avoided then so be it.
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Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SAtk / 44 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Recover
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
I put A LOT of thought into this and when I say a lot I mean it. Gastrodon was amazing at what it did, taking Lati@s' Draco Meteors and recovering it off no problem is a great perk. But when it came down to it I realized that I needed Celebi on my team bad, not only does it take pressure of my ENTIRE team in terms of taking hits, it can also take down opposing grass types with a boosted HP Fire and the now more common Gastrodon with Giga Drain. To be honest, the only real thing that I'm losing here is another reliable Heatran check in the form of Gastrodon but the rest of my team can handle Tran just fine. So in conclusion, I have gained something to ease the pain off the rest of my team, a heavy hitter, and one more Pokemon that doesn't mind status. A good trade I think.
Possible Changes:
- Taunt on Skarmory over Whirlwind
- Put a Choice Scarf on Landorus (done)
- Replace Landorus?
In Conclusion:
I'm very content with this team and I really wish to know what other people think of it. Please only constructive comments, I really don't feel like getting into an argument with someone over a video game. This isn't Call of Duty people. :P
