Awesome Alliterating Army (OU RMT)

[Lord Blood]

Awesome Alliterating Army

-~Awesome Alliterating Army~-

Hello Smogonites! Merry Christmas! I'd like to start by saying that this team is a very, very standard OU team. But, there is a slight change. Each of the Pokemon have something unique to them, whether it be the change of moves, item or even the nature. I'd also like to tell you that the nicknames of the Pokemon on this team reflect the style of play they conduct. With the wide variety of styles in OU, I believe that I have created a team that sufficiently addresses many threats. I'll begin by explaining how I created this team.

-~Team Building~-

Well, I originally began my team with a new twist on Scizor. Everywhere I looked, all I saw was Choice Banded Scizor with Bullet Punch, U-turn, Pursuit and Superpower, Brick Break to a lesser extent. But then I realized that most Scizor were Choice Banded for a reason. They were good at it and they make excellent scouts.
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After looking at the Scizor, I focused what offensive Pokemon would pair really well with it. Then I saw Lucario and I instantly fell in love. I decided that since I would use Choice Banded Scizor that Swords Dance Lucario would fit perfectly. Not only do they remove the counters of each other, but they're both extremely powerful with or without a Swords Dance under it's belts.
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Then I saw a gaping Fire weakness. I decided that I should use a Pokemon that took very little to no damage from any Fire move. They also had to use mostly Special attacks as I already had two physical attackers. The first two Pokemon that jumped out at me were Infernape and Heatran. The former offered me with a small way to deal with Zapdos who hurt my team if Lucario didn't have Ice Punch as well as a way to deal with Salamence who really wasn't even a threat. The latter, Heatran, offered me really powerful moves and a slight way to stop stall, in the forms of Explosion and Taunt. I decided that even though Infernape was faster and a better stall breaker, that Heatran would provide me with a very valuable Fire immunity as well as immunity to Sand Storm, should I ever face a stall team.
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After looking at my team, I saw another gaping weakness. A weakness to Ground Pokemon, in particular Swampert. I decided that Heatran would have to be lead to lessen the amount of Ground weaknesses. But, with 2 weaknesses to Ground and only one neutrality, I had to find an immunity or a resistance. I saw Celebi and I loved how it paired excellently with Heatran, but it gave me yet another Fire weakness and I just felt like that was too much work for Heatran. Then I decided that this Pokemon should deal with Scizor and Lucario, relatively easily. I saw Gliscor and the Taunt + Toxic set caught my eye. Not only does it provide me with a stall breaker, but valuable immunity to Thunder Wave as well as Ground attacks.
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Again, I saw the Fire Weakness shows it's ugly head. This left me with no choice but to find a Pokemon that could deal with Infernape. There were two Pokemon: Latias and Vaporeon. Both were great Pokemon for my team except that Latias had a weakness to Scizor and Tyranitar and even though my Scizor and Lucario would deal with them, it required me to sacrifice Latias. This left me with Vaporeon who had 5 things I was looking for:

• Resistance to Fire moves
• Very little damage from Grass Knot
• No weakness to Pursuit
• Wish Passing
• Roaring

This may seem like a lot of things for one Pokemon, but most are passive such as the Fire and Grass resistance and little damage, respectively.
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With this, I needed one Pokemon that could revenge kill threats similar to Scizor but with damage from the opposing side of the attacking spectrum. In other words, Special Sweepers similar to a Latias that could deal with Latias and provided great neutral coverage along with it's STAB. Generally I was looking for an Electric Pokemon. There are only so many Pokemon that are immune/resist Electric attacks. Generally, each team has one or two resists/immunities to Electric attacks. I decided that if my team could get rid of those Pokemon, such as Latias and Swampert, then this Electric Pokemon could sweep easily. But this Pokemon should also be multi-functional and can change to a revenge killer. I present Choice Scarf Rotom-H.
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-~Output~-

-~Alliterating Army~-
(Bold - Changes. Italics - Testing)
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Hot Head (M) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spe/252 SpA/4 SDef
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)/Naive nature (+Spe, -SDef)

• Stealth Rock
• Flamethrower
• Earth Power
• Hidden Power [Grass]/Explosion

Usually, I go with a bulky lead to start my team off. But I decided that Swampert lacked a few qualities that Heatran has. Way to deal with Roserade leads if they miss the Sleep Powder. Swampert's best attack was Ice Beam. I have a STAB Flamethrower to work with. Not only that, but he deals with Azelf leads easily by 2HKOing them with Flamethrower which Swampert can't do. Heatran provides power from both sides as well as a better way to deal with leads. Earth Power catches opposing Heatran and Infernape on the switch as well as Tyranitar who think they can switch with impunity. Hidden Power [Grass] surprises lead Swampert and KOs. Explosion lets me go out with a bang. He's much faster and much more powerful than Swampert.

Heatran vs. Top 10 Common Leads:
Green - Easy
Orange - Slight Problem (No SR or Sleeping/Fainted Pokemon)
Red - Major Problem

• 
  - Flamethrower twice. (Could turn out bad if I don't get up Stealth Rock early in the game.)
• 
  - Stealth Rock and Flamethrower twice.
  
• 
  - Stealth Rock then Hidden Power [Grass].
• 
  - Hidden Power [Grass] then switch to Rotom-H and KO with Thunderbolt. (Could turn out bad if I don't get up Stealth Rock early in the game..)
• 
  - Stealth Rock then Earth Power.
• 
  - Switch to Rotom-H for 2HKO with Thunderbolt. (Could turn out bad if he Fire Blast's Rotom-H with a Blaze boost.)
  
• 
  - Take Sleep. Switch to Rotom-H for 2HKO with Shadow Ball. 2 Layers of Toxic Spikes will be up.
• 
  - Stealth Rock and Earth Power. (Could turn out bad if I lose both Speed ties.)
  
• 
  - Take Sleep. Go to Rotom-H for 2HKO with Thunderbolt.
  
• 
  - Stealth Rock and Switch to Rotom-H for 2HKO with Shadow Ball. If he Roars:
  
  • Heatran uses Hidden Power [Grass].
  • Gliscor uses Taunt.
  • Vaporeon uses Surf.
  • Scizor uses U-turn.
  • Lucario switches out to Gliscor.

~-----~
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Rough Ranger @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 136 HP/252 Spe/120 SpA
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)

• Shadow Ball
• Thunderbolt
• Trick
• Overheat

Rotom-H counters many things that would generally harm a team like this. This Rotom-H 2HKOs Latias on the switch with Shadow Ball. Absolutely destroying Scizor, Lucario and Forretress with Overheat and Tricking Choice Scarf onto Blissey, this Rotom-H does everything... However, all good things must come to an end there. Rotom forms are all base 86 Speed meaning that if Salamence gets up a Dragon Dance, it is free to Outrage from there as it would outspeed even Scarf Rotom forms. However, that is no need for concern as Rotom-H can always 2HKO with Thunderbolt on the switch. Basically anything that doesn't resist/immune to Rotom's attacks will be in for a beating. With a Scarf and dual STABs that give great neutral coverage, Ghost + Electric, there's no need to worry about damage as Rotom-H boasts a powerful base 105 SpA stat.

~-----~
​

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Graceful Greg (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP/32 Def/224 Spe
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SpA)

• Earthquake
• Roost
• Taunt
• Toxic

One of the best Stall breakers available to a Sand Storm team. The only difference, this isn't a Sand Storm team. None the less, he's a great counter to Bulky waters without Rest, Tyranitar, Scizor, Lucario and other Physical attackers. Gliscor can take all sorts of hits and hit back with a Toxic. But, in order to get the full effect of it, Taunt is given. With Taunt + Toxic, my opponent will slowly die of Toxic and they can't heal themselves. On the other hand, there are Steel types which are immune to Toxic. For that reason, we use Gliscor's STAB and a great move overall, Earthquake. Most Steels are weak to Ground therefore, they can't switch in easily. Roost when combined with the fact that I have Wish passing and Gliscor's natural physical bulk allows me to wall physical attacks for quite a while. If my opponent has a Tyranitar, this just means more fun for Gliscor. With Sand Veil, Gliscor's evasion is raised meaning my opponent will have a harder time making Gliscor faint. Overall, Gliscor generally pisses my opponent off and slowly wears them down.

~-----~
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Vicious Vicky (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 188 HP/252 Def/68 Spe
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)

• Protect
• Surf
• Wish
• Ice Beam

Vaporeon is a general bulky water which every team should have. Her defending capabilities allows her to easily take Outrages, Earthquakes and Stone Edges from the strong OU hitters, Salamence and Gyarados. The icing on the cake is her immunity to Water which forces Gyarados to resort to non-STAB attacks. She can also take Bullet Punches and Heat Waves all day and heal the damage off with Wish + Protect. The good thing about Vaporeon is her ability to KO Salamence with an Ice Beam if it's stuck in Outrage. Her bulk combined with her resistance to Fire lets her pass Wish to Scizor or even Lucario who can begin a sweep and heal off any damage.

~-----~
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Show Stopper (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 160 HP/176 Atk/168 SDef/4 Spe
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SpA)

• Bullet Punch
• Superpower
• U-turn
• Pursuit

As most of you know, Scizor has placed itself on the top of OU being on 30% of teams. And why wouldn't it with a base 90 Revenge killing tool. I've decided that even though Choice Banded Scizor is the bare minimum standard, there's a reason why it's used more than the other sets. Choice Banded Scizor provides a great scouting method and an easy lure for Zapdos. When Zapdos comes out, Lucario comes in. Scizor's scouting methods are for all Pokemon, not just Zapdos. I U-turn out from all Pokemon and bring in a proper counter. Usually, Scizor's my revenge killer to Salamence and the one who inflicts slight damage to bring my opponent's Pokemon into KO range. Lucario finishes them off.

~-----~
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Loud Luke (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
IVs: 29 HP
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SpA)

• Close Combat
• Extremespeed
• Crunch
• Swords Dance

The true end-game sweeper. If the rest of my team did their job properly, my opponent should have a weakened team which allows for Lucario to sweep. Swords Dance boost Lucario's power level to OVER 9000!!!! Sorry, couldn't resist. Close Combat is extremely power with or even without a Swords Dance boost. Crunch deals with the Rotom forms. Lucario and Scizor's jobs are to help each other. Lucario removes Scizor's counters, Rotom forms (in particular Rotom-H) and/or Zapdos. Scizor's job is to remove Salamence and anything that hits fast and hard but is frail. They can easily switch jobs if either is fainted. Wish is very useful here to take the Outrages and resisted attacks with ease and prepare for a sweep.

~-----~

-~Last Look~-

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Problems:
- Naive and Explosion or Timid and HP Grass on Heatran?

So, Smogon, rate, hate and comment.

 

[Enkidu]

Absolutely beautiful formatting and descriptions. Its really impressive.

Anyways as for your problem, I would use HP fire on Celebi to catch scizor/metagross/jirachi that think they can switch in and setup while also letting you switch into steel types that lack bug type attacks and deal with them ( if you have to ). The way I see it is Celebi is a versatile pokemon made to respond to threats and HP fire gives him more options to do so along with Grassknot than leech seed does.

As for Lucario's Dilemma I suggest perhaps testing out how bullet punch works in that last slot to deal with end game Gengar/frosslass and similarly frail pokemon when using Extreme speed may not be an option. But between Crunch and Ice punch, Crunch may be the better choice for its higher base power and the fact that any dragon you may encounter will likely outspeed you, so extreme speed will > Ice punch. However since the rest of your team appears to lure out pokemon like Dusknoir/Rotom/Cresselia/Azelf Ice punch may be the superior choice to hit ground pokemon that may come in and scare you.

I mainly came to the bullet punch suggestion earlier because I battled 3 people ran CS Tyranitars, and 2 people ran late game scarfGars today and Bullet punch on Lucario helped me win all of those matches.

Good luck and sorry my advice isn't that great.

 

[franky]

Hello Blood,

The most evident change I would look to tweak is the addition of Choice Band Scizor. I was a reluctant to change your dual Swords Dance strategy, but Choice Band Scizor really compliments Swords Dance Lucario. What are you losing from Swords Dance Scizor? Nothing really, just flexibility in your moves. However, Choice Band Scizor adds a nice way to check DD Salamence once Swampert goes down. Also, it adds immediate damage on Latias, Gengar, and Tyranitar. I only listed out some minor bonuses you would gain from Choice Band, but the true strategy with Choice Band Scizor is U-turn. It leaves many switch-ins including Zapdos, Gyarados, Salamence, and Rotom at OHKO range for Lucario to pick on. U-turn is such an excellent move at a team like this, and its too good to pass up at the moment so look for Choice Band Scizor. Basically, with Stealth Rock down many Flying-types trying to resist the hit will be left around 40-50% range after taking U-turn - enough for Lucario to take down. Look for that.

Oh man, Lucario absolutely wrecks this team apart. Scares away Heatran and can set up on Vaporeon pretty easily. One thing to look for is the addition of Choice Scarf Heatran to check the damn jackal. Standard 252 SpA / 252 Spe with Fire Blast / Earth Power / Explosion / Hidden Power Grass seems to be a good choice. You really don't need the power anyways from what I see, its better to check threats and let Lucario - and to a lesser extent, Scizor do the work.

On Vaporeon there are so many things to fill in on the final slot. Roar is pretty much a poor. In your descriptions, it says you phaze Scizor and whatnot when it can easily U-turn on you and take damage. Look for Ice Beam in that slot so Salamence doesn't have an easy time to set up. Hidden Power Electric is not needed since Celebi checks Gyarados nicely.

As for other options, strike for Stone Edge for Lucario to round off the coverage. Stone Edge hits many Flying-types for supe effective damage including Mence, Gyarados, Zapdos - all of which are severely dented by Scizor's U-turn (if you take my suggestion with CB). Stone Edge still hurts Rotom so don't worry. Also Swampert could aim for 252 Hp / 252 Def / 6 SpD if you like to maximize its defense. Checks CB Tyranitar and Salamence easier (percentage wise). 52 SpA EVs are really only needed for Garchomp. overall gl.

 

[ARandomDude]

I can see a pretty big problem with specially defensive Skarmory here, who Spike stacks on Swampert, Scizor, and Vaporeon. Meanwhile, you have recovery on almost nobdy, and if enough entry hazards get out, you could be in serious trouble.

I think Scizor is the problem here, as he right now doesn't have the staying power to pull off any type of sweep. Scizor's best job is a transitionmon, not a swords dancer. I'd recommend a change to Infernape. Skarmory doesn't dare come in on Infernape, and with so many options to choose from (SD, NP, CB, CS, etc) he easily fits into your theme. I'd say use the Swords Dance set since you want that theme.

Crunch goes on Lucario because he's going to outspeed Rotom-A 2/3 of the time, while he gets outsped by Gliscor/Zapdos most of the time.
HP Fire on Celebi to deal with your very ugly Breloom weakness.

 

[Lord Blood]

Absolutely beautiful formatting and descriptions. Its really impressive.

Anyways as for your problem, I would use HP fire on Celebi to catch scizor/metagross/jirachi that think they can switch in and setup while also letting you switch into steel types that lack bug type attacks and deal with them ( if you have to ). The way I see it is Celebi is a versatile pokemon made to respond to threats and HP fire gives him more options to do so along with Grassknot than leech seed does.

As for Lucario's Dilemma I suggest perhaps testing out how bullet punch works in that last slot to deal with end game Gengar/frosslass and similarly frail pokemon when using Extreme speed may not be an option. But between Crunch and Ice punch, Crunch may be the better choice for its higher base power and the fact that any dragon you may encounter will likely outspeed you, so extreme speed will > Ice punch. However since the rest of your team appears to lure out pokemon like Dusknoir/Rotom/Cresselia/Azelf Ice punch may be the superior choice to hit ground pokemon that may come in and scare you.

I mainly came to the bullet punch suggestion earlier because I battled 3 people ran CS Tyranitars, and 2 people ran late game scarfGars today and Bullet punch on Lucario helped me win all of those matches.

Good luck and sorry my advice isn't that great.

So basically HP Fire on Celebi and Bullet Punch over Crunch/Ice Punch? The only problem I have with this is that I already have another Bullet Punch, Scizor and I feel that two of the same moves with nearly identical movesets is useless. HP Fire on Celebi seems to be the superior choice.

Hello Blood,

The most evident change I would look to tweak is the addition of Choice Band Scizor. I was a reluctant to change your dual Swords Dance strategy, but Choice Band Scizor really compliments Swords Dance Lucario. What are you losing from Swords Dance Scizor? Nothing really, just flexibility in your moves. However, Choice Band Scizor adds a nice way to check DD Salamence once Swampert goes down. Also, it adds immediate damage on Latias, Gengar, and Tyranitar. I only listed out some minor bonuses you would gain from Choice Band, but the true strategy with Choice Band Scizor is U-turn. It leaves many switch-ins including Zapdos, Gyarados, Salamence, and Rotom at OHKO range for Lucario to pick on. U-turn is such an excellent move at a team like this, and its too good to pass up at the moment so look for Choice Band Scizor. Basically, with Stealth Rock down many Flying-types trying to resist the hit will be left around 40-50% range after taking U-turn - enough for Lucario to take down. Look for that.

Oh man, Lucario absolutely wrecks this team apart. Scares away Heatran and can set up on Vaporeon pretty easily. One thing to look for is the addition of Choice Scarf Heatran to check the damn jackal. Standard 252 SpA / 252 Spe with Fire Blast / Earth Power / Explosion / Hidden Power Grass seems to be a good choice. You really don't need the power anyways from what I see, its better to check threats and let Lucario - and to a lesser extent, Scizor do the work.

On Vaporeon there are so many things to fill in on the final slot. Roar is pretty much a poor. In your descriptions, it says you phaze Scizor and whatnot when it can easily U-turn on you and take damage. Look for Ice Beam in that slot so Salamence doesn't have an easy time to set up. Hidden Power Electric is not needed since Celebi checks Gyarados nicely.

As for other options, strike for Stone Edge for Lucario to round off the coverage. Stone Edge hits many Flying-types for supe effective damage including Mence, Gyarados, Zapdos - all of which are severely dented by Scizor's U-turn (if you take my suggestion with CB). Stone Edge still hurts Rotom so don't worry. Also Swampert could aim for 252 Hp / 252 Def / 6 SpD if you like to maximize its defense. Checks CB Tyranitar and Salamence easier (percentage wise). 52 SpA EVs are really only needed for Garchomp. overall gl.

I'll try Ice Beam on Vaporeon if you say that it'll help me to cover Salamence. Hopefully I can catch him while he's Dragon Dancing and use Ice Beam. I'll use those Swampert's EVs, I was really having a tough time finding better EVs than the standard set. ScarfTran seems to be everywhere and the only thing I was missing was the sheer power and versatility of Life Orb and Choice Specs, however, if it's for the greater good of the team then yes, I will revert to the standards. Should I use Flamethrower or Fire Blast. Sometimes, I need the accuracy, sometimes the power, so I'm not really sure.
The only problem I'll have with using Choice Banded Scizor, besides it being way too standard, is that I'll have to find a reliable move that covers Zapdos, Mence and Gyarados. Usually, Mence are always faster meaning that I have to rely on Extremespeed/Bullet Punch (If I do end up using CB Scizor). Zapdos would be dealt easily if I use Ice Punch, but Gyarados would leave me with a problem. If you say that Celebi can handle Gyarados, then I feel that I should use Ice Punch on Lucario. That way, I can U-turn from Scizor on my opponent's Zapdos to Lucario and Ice Punch for the KO.

I can see a pretty big problem with specially defensive Skarmory here, who Spike stacks on Swampert, Scizor, and Vaporeon. Meanwhile, you have recovery on almost nobdy, and if enough entry hazards get out, you could be in serious trouble.

I think Scizor is the problem here, as he right now doesn't have the staying power to pull off any type of sweep. Scizor's best job is a transitionmon, not a swords dancer. I'd recommend a change to Infernape. Skarmory doesn't dare come in on Infernape, and with so many options to choose from (SD, NP, CB, CS, etc) he easily fits into your theme. I'd say use the Swords Dance set since you want that theme.

Crunch goes on Lucario because he's going to outspeed Rotom-A 2/3 of the time, while he gets outsped by Gliscor/Zapdos most of the time.
HP Fire on Celebi to deal with your very ugly Breloom weakness.

Gliscor is usually faster than Lucario, so I have to catch him on the switch to hit him with an Ice Punch. However, it's not too hard to predict if I see Gliscor early in the game. Zapdos, however, is usually slower than Lucario due to most running 32 Speed and are Bold. Meaning Lucario easily outspeeds and if prior damage is done, then Ice Punch can KO.
I do have a problem with Infernape. He leaves me with another Ground weakness, total of two right now, and only one resistance, Celebi. Maybe another Swords Dancer would be better?

 

[The SPrinkLer]

If he wants a transition Pokemon, I think he should go with a Choice Band Scizor. SD Scizor without a LO generally doesn't have the raw power to get through stuff like Skarmory, meaning it can just Roost up later in the game. Scizor's has great scouting potential for stuff like Magnezone, meaning a Scarf version won't rip you up. Scizor's Bullet Punch will also have more immediate power for Salamence and friends, stuff you want to revenge kill. Also, since you have no reliable answer to Latias before this change, make Scizor's EV spread 200 HP/ 56 Att/ and 200 SpD. This will provide you with considerably more bulk, and still pose an as offensive powerhouse.

Another thing I see is you really lack a reliable Pursuit-bait for Lucario to take advantage of. Sure, Celebi is, but to be honest, if you run HP Fire and Grass Knot, to hit the most common Pursuiters, then you're not really abusing it are you? To provide a better lure, as well as an answer to Lucario and not make yourself Gyarados weak, I suggest changing out Celebi for a Choice Scarf Rotom-H. Quite frankly, Lucario easily destroys your team. It can set up on a mispredict on your part when Heatran is out, or Vaporeon, and severely injure the rest of your team. Rotom-H's Overheat will help with this.

Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf
Timid Nature l 248 HP/ 8 SpA/ 252 Spd
Thunderbolt/ Overheat/ Trick/ Shadow Ball

This spread allows you to 2HKO offensive Latias with Shadow Ball, and still have good bulk. Anyway, I hope this helps, and good luck with the team!

 

[Lord Blood]

If he wants a transition Pokemon, I think he should go with a Choice Band Scizor. SD Scizor without a LO generally doesn't have the raw power to get through stuff like Skarmory, meaning it can just Roost up later in the game. Scizor's has great scouting potential for stuff like Magnezone, meaning a Scarf version won't rip you up. Scizor's Bullet Punch will also have more immediate power for Salamence and friends, stuff you want to revenge kill. Also, since you have no reliable answer to Latias before this change, make Scizor's EV spread 200 HP/ 56 Att/ and 200 SpD. This will provide you with considerably more bulk, and still pose an as offensive powerhouse.

Another thing I see is you really lack a reliable Pursuit-bait for Lucario to take advantage of. Sure, Celebi is, but to be honest, if you run HP Fire and Grass Knot, to hit the most common Pursuiters, then you're not really abusing it are you? To provide a better lure, as well as an answer to Lucario and not make yourself Gyarados weak, I suggest changing out Celebi for a Choice Scarf Rotom-H. Quite frankly, Lucario easily destroys your team. It can set up on a mispredict on your part when Heatran is out, or Vaporeon, and severely injure the rest of your team. Rotom-H's Overheat will help with this.

Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf
Timid Nature l 248 HP/ 8 SpA/ 252 Spd
Thunderbolt/ Overheat/ Trick/ Shadow Ball

This spread allows you to 2HKO offensive Latias with Shadow Ball, and still have good bulk. Anyway, I hope this helps, and good luck with the team!

Choice Banded Scizor seems like a really good fit over the current SD Scizor. But I believe that if I put Scarf Rotom-H, I'll have three Choiced users. I think that's a problem (Heatran @ Choice Scarf, Scizor @ Choice Band, Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf) However, they do handle threats efficiently, so I'll consider it.

 

[supermarth64]

Not a full rate like I usually do, just a small clarification. When they suggest Scarf Heatran/Rotom-h, pick and choose one. There's no reason to use both since they both check Lucario. Personally, I'd say Scarf Rotom-h, as Celebi can't handle Bounceados and without HP Electric, Vaporeon is going to stall longer in order to take care of it.

 

[Lord Blood]

Well, I do agree that Scarfed Rotom-H seems more appealing, but then I will need a Pokemon to go over Heatran.

 

[les gets]

Hi, just a couple things:

I can see a problem with opposing Heatran, specifically the Substitute + Toxic (and possibly the rare Substitute + Hidden Power [Grass]) variant. It can pretty easily set up a sub on about half of your team (Celebi, Scizor, your locked-in Heatran) and procede to wreak havoc from there. Your best answer is arguably to sacrifice something and then bring in your late-game sweeper, Lucario, to OHKO it (assuming you got rid of its sub), but even then Heatran could be switched out for a wall like Gliscor, and your surprise late-game sweep is ruined. One of your best options is to give Heal Bell to either Vaporeon or Celebi so something can switch in on Heatran and take it down without worrying too much about being Poisoned for the rest of the battle. I also second franky's suggestion of using a Choice Band Scizor, as it wears down the walls that get in the way of Lucario. Not only that, but it also revenges dd mence which you will need, especially if you decide to go with Heal Bell on Vaporeon. It also helps beat other walls that carry Toxic as well like Gliscor...and speaking of Toxic, Toxic Spikes is brutal to your team, which is even worse than Toxic because you can't simply Heal Bell the poison status away; it comes back every time you switch in. Unfortunately your team doesn't really have room for a spinner or a poison-type so your best bet would be to beat Roserade from the start. I would use either a Tyranitar (with Fire Blast to beat Forretress as well) or, what I recommend, a Heatran and change your Scarf Heatran to Gliscor or some other bulky Lucario counter.

Heatran @ Shucca Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature (+Spe, -SpD)
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Explosion

+

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Def / 224 Spe
Impish nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Toxic

Gliscor + Vappy are also very strong together. Toxic and Taunt screw with Stall which probably gives you a little trouble having no real wall-breakers or a spin-blocker.

Nice job overall, gl (and merry christmas!)

edit: I totally meant a jolly nature for gliscor

 

[sora13]

Latias does rip some considerable holes in this team and I noticed a lack of special bulk in this team. Right now your current Scizor set is very much outclassed by Lucario. however, you don't need to change to CB scizor to not be outclassed. Scizor has one thing Lucario doesn't have, and this set capitalizes on it: buk. Here's the set I was thinking about for Scizor

Scizor @ Iron Plate
Adamant
252 HP/ 80 Atk/ 176 Sp Def
-Swords Dance
-Bullet Punch
-Brick Break
-Roost

The Attack EVs ensure a KO on Azelf and Gengar after a Swrods Dance. Scizor really doesn't need Lefties, as you will find he is lacking power if he doesnt use an Iron Plate. Anywas, this set sweeps much easier than your previous set, being able to get to +6 easily while alternating between Swords Dance and Roost, while most Bulky Waters and Ground will only be doing around 35% with their STAB. This is able to survive ScarfZone's HP Fire at full health, and KOes with +2 Brick Break in return. Takes hits from Latias much easier, and gives your team some special bulk. Skarmory, Heatran, and most other stuff that can beat this Scizor is taken care of by your current Heatran set.

For thesse reasons, I suggest the Scizor set above.

Merry Christmas! :)

 

[Lord Blood]

Hi, just a couple things:

I can see a problem with opposing Heatran, specifically the Substitute + Toxic (and possibly the rare Substitute + Hidden Power [Grass]) variant. It can pretty easily set up a sub on about half of your team (Celebi, Scizor, your locked-in Heatran) and procede to wreak havoc from there. Your best answer is arguably to sacrifice something and then bring in your late-game sweeper, Lucario, to OHKO it (assuming you got rid of its sub), but even then Heatran could be switched out for a wall like Gliscor, and your surprise late-game sweep is ruined. One of your best options is to give Heal Bell to either Vaporeon or Celebi so something can switch in on Heatran and take it down without worrying too much about being Poisoned for the rest of the battle. I also second franky's suggestion of using a Choice Band Scizor, as it wears down the walls that get in the way of Lucario. Not only that, but it also revenges dd mence which you will need, especially if you decide to go with Heal Bell on Vaporeon. It also helps beat other walls that carry Toxic as well like Gliscor...and speaking of Toxic, Toxic Spikes is brutal to your team, which is even worse than Toxic because you can't simply Heal Bell the poison status away; it comes back every time you switch in. Unfortunately your team doesn't really have room for a spinner or a poison-type so your best bet would be to beat Roserade from the start. I would use either a Tyranitar (with Fire Blast to beat Forretress as well) or, what I recommend, a Heatran and change your Scarf Heatran to Gliscor or some other bulky Lucario counter.

Heatran @ Shucca Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature (+Spe, -SpD)
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Explosion

+

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Def / 224 Spe
Impish nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Toxic

Gliscor + Vappy are also very strong together. Toxic and Taunt screw with Stall which probably gives you a little trouble having no real wall-breakers or a spin-blocker.

Nice job overall, gl (and merry christmas!)

Well, after taking your comments into consideration, I see this would be my following team:

Heatran
Rotom-H
Gliscor
Vaporeon
Scizor
Lucario

The only problem with this is I lack a good switch/counter for Zapdos. Really, Rotom can scarf, and if I get lucky, Ice Punch with Lucario, but that's about it. However I will try it. And as you said that Heatran can stop Roserade, this is impossible due to Sleep Powder making Heatran useless and then requiring me to show a few of my other Pokemon.

Latias does rip some considerable holes in this team and I noticed a lack of special bulk in this team. Right now your current Scizor set is very much outclassed by Lucario. however, you don't need to change to CB scizor to not be outclassed. Scizor has one thing Lucario doesn't have, and this set capitalizes on it: buk. Here's the set I was thinking about for Scizor

Scizor @ Iron Plate
Adamant
252 HP/ 80 Atk/ 176 Sp Def
-Swords Dance
-Bullet Punch
-Brick Break
-Roost

The Attack EVs ensure a KO on Azelf and Gengar after a Swrods Dance. Scizor really doesn't need Lefties, as you will find he is lacking power if he doesnt use an Iron Plate. Anywas, this set sweeps much easier than your previous set, being able to get to +6 easily while alternating between Swords Dance and Roost, while most Bulky Waters and Ground will only be doing around 35% with their STAB. This is able to survive ScarfZone's HP Fire at full health, and KOes with +2 Brick Break in return. Takes hits from Latias much easier, and gives your team some special bulk. Skarmory, Heatran, and most other stuff that can beat this Scizor is taken care of by your current Heatran set.

For thesse reasons, I suggest the Scizor set above.

Merry Christmas! :)

Well, I would like more suggestions as to whether I should use CB Scizor or SD Scizor. However, after trying out CB, I perfer it more, even though it is a bare standard.

 

[Itsuki]

Hi Lord Blood. These are rather nitpicks than a constructive advice. Its basically my ideas with some peoples advice as well.

Anyways since you are looking for a better Scarf Rotom spread. I suggest a spread that retains bulk and power such as this one.

Rotom-h @ Choice Scarf | Levitate
Timid | 140 HP | 252 Spe | 120 SpA
Thunderbolt | Shadow Ball | Overheat | Trick

I also suggest running a Jolly nature with the same EVs for Gliscor to outspeed max speed Lucario and mainly faster Rotom and CM Jirachi as they can pose quite a problem.

As for Scizor I feel that Choice Band would be better for your team. It causes switches and deals a good amount of damage to whatever switches in which are probably Flying types that can counter Lucario making it easier for your sweep. Also Scizor seems to absorb most special attacks mainly Draco Meteor from Salamence and Latias to revenge kill / trap them. With I would like to suggest an alternate spread for Scizor.

Scizor @ Choice Band | Technician
Adamant | 160 HP | 176 Atk | 168 SpD | 4 Spe
U-turn / Bullet Punch / Pursuit / Superpower

As for Lucario I don't see any use of Ice Punch besides Gliscor, Salamence, and Zapdos with all of them outspeeding you. You'd have to predict them on the second switch in hampering your sweep. So I suggest using Crunch as Rotom, Celebi, etc. seem to be more of an annoyance for your team.

Hope I helped!

 

[Lord Blood]

Hi Lord Blood. These are rather nitpicks than a constructive advice. Its basically my ideas with some peoples advice as well.

Anyways since you are looking for a better Scarf Rotom spread. I suggest a spread that retains bulk and power such as this one.

Rotom-h @ Choice Scarf | Levitate
Timid | 140 HP | 252 Spe | 120 SpA
Thunderbolt | Shadow Ball | Overheat | Trick

I also suggest running a Jolly nature with the same EVs for Gliscor to outspeed max speed Lucario and mainly faster Rotom and CM Jirachi as they can pose quite a problem.

As for Scizor I feel that Choice Band would be better for your team. It causes switches and deals a good amount of damage to whatever switches in which are probably Flying types that can counter Lucario making it easier for your sweep. Also Scizor seems to absorb most special attacks mainly Draco Meteor from Salamence and Latias to revenge kill / trap them. With I would like to suggest an alternate spread for Scizor.

Scizor @ Choice Band | Technician
Adamant | 160 HP | 176 Atk | 168 SpD | 4 Spe
U-turn / Bullet Punch / Pursuit / Superpower

As for Lucario I don't see any use of Ice Punch besides Gliscor, Salamence, and Zapdos with all of them outspeeding you. You'd have to predict them on the second switch in hampering your sweep. So I suggest using Crunch as Rotom, Celebi, etc. seem to be more of an annoyance for your team.

Hope I helped!

I will try your spread for both Rotom-H and Scizor. (I hope that you meant 136 HP/252 Spe/120 SpA, because 140 + 252 + 120 = 512) Crunch and Ice Punch, I'll have to alternate between to see which one I prefer more and I'll choose that one. Gliscor was meant to be Jolly. I just wrote down the wrong one. =D