I have had a lot of trouble in the past when I just picked teams to follow a single strategy or strategy based off of one member, so this team was made to be balanced yet offensively mannered.
Team at a glance:
Lead: Dragonite @ Life Orb
Inner Focus
Quiet
240 Atk / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Extremespeed
I have found this lead to be extremely useful. Inner Focus is a great ability to lead with, annoying all those fake out users. The general idea is to attack the opponent's lead with one of the first three moves (generally Draco Meteor unless one of the other two is situationally better), then finish off the pokemon with extremespeed. My team really does not mind having rocks set up, as Dragonite is the only one who loses more than 12.5% (though the 25% is a nuisance). If they switch on the extremespeed, I either go for wreaking as much havoc with him in one shot (getting damage until he dies), or if he's certain to die quickly, I usually send in swampert or heatran, who usually resist whatever is coming at him. He can either be a powerhouse at the beginning or he can take the lead out and come back to break walls or get extremespeeds in to weaken enemy sweepers.
Celebi @ Life Orb
Natural Cure
Modest
232 HP / 244 SpA / 32 Spe
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power Fire
- Leaf Storm
- Recover
Celebi is has many purposes for this team. Celebi paralyzes, kills steels, and takes hit and status. For the most part, I switch Celebi in on resisted hits or walls. Blissey usually gets tied up with paralyze and Recover lets me beat the waves of Seismic Tosses before I get paralyze to work so I can safely switch without worrying about Celebi being low on HP later. Swampert almost always switches out immediately on Celebi, allowing me to T-wave the switch in. People usually do not expect this, and I can severely hinder the incoming threat. Getting paralyze on the enemy heatran or salamence (two of the most popular switch-ins I have seen) is extremely valuable. Celebi surprises Scizor by outspeeding and OHKO'ing with HP Fire (I guess people don't run Celebi with HP Fire, but Scizor switch in on him all the time and almost never bullet punch despite the difference in base speed). Leaf storm lets him get powerful STAB and a way to beat Swampert in the end, and I like Recover over rest because I use Celebi frequently in end game situations where switching out is disadvantageous.
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Flash Fire
Naive
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 6 Def
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- HP Ice
- Explosion
Who has never seen this guy before? Despite being way overused, Heatran's ability, resistances, and viability as a scarf sweeper makes him very appealing. I use HP Ice over Dragon Pulse to get the ability to hurt more than just Dragons. Gliscor and Hippowdon have the potential to annoy this team and are somewhat common switch-ins from my experience, yet HP Ice fixes this. Heatran usually comes in on the Ice/Dragon hit coming to hurt Dragonite or Celebi, and then just goes to work. Heatran's initial attack is usually just stopped in early game, but playing unpredictably and being able to abuse him once you know the final members (in the end game) make him very useful. He also solves my problem with many walls through Explosion (Snorlax, Blissey, and Cresselia, for example, don't really halt my team, but they can be annoying if they are switched around intelligently).
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
Timid
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hydro Pump
- Trick
What can I say about this pokemon? He saves my ass so many times. Out speeding non-scarfed Gengar, +1 Gyara, and non-scarfed Latias is just invaluable for my team. He also comes in on the fighting, normal, and ground type attacks to which he is immune. He can help me immensely in understanding the enemy team (knowing if they are scarfed, what they are not prepared for, etc) and revenging in the end game. I really do not mind when Tyranitar gets in, as I can get a little damage in even with Shadow Ball before the pursuit gets me, and then I can put Lucario in to set up the inevitable sweep. Trick helps greatly in crippling walls or destroying the opponent's end game strategy, as well as giving Rotom versatility once I know what I am up against. Hydro Pump is so nice when many of the common switch-ins are weak to it (or at least don't resist it, unlike his other attacks).
Addition: Stopping Starmie and other spinners is nice too.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Torrent
Relaxed
252 Hp / 4 Atk / 252 Def
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Roar
Swampert is just amazing. Great typing, ability to safely set up SR, and the physical defense to take so much even without a recovery move. Unless Heatran is the totally better switch-in, Swampert often comes in on the attack on Dragonite. Setting up rocks, taking t-waves, phazing and roaring around their teams for SR Damage, taking tons of hits, he does it all. I often let him take the incoming sleep attacks because he just ends up as a punching bag anyway for me, but to be sure, a valuable one. He is often dead by the end of the game, but he performs his job handily.
Lucario @ Life Orb
Inner Focus
Adamant
252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Extremespeed
One of the most popular finishers as of late, Lucario is just great at his job. I don't know if I really need to explain what he does, but I'll explain how he works with the team. Coming in at the end game or on a resisted hit to sword dance and sweep the remaining members of the enemy team is basically his M.O. He really appreciates if Dragonite is left alive for late game so Dragonite can weaken walls or get e-speeds in to get the opponents weaker for Lucario to finish off. Crunch helps with some walls that may be left over, and also to get those pesky ghost switch-ins (as they resist his other moves, they often switch in without much regard). He usually teams up with Heatran and/or Celebi in the end game; Fire attacks are absorbed by tran, Celebi takes incoming Superpowers or Close Combats, and despite his speed, Lucario loves going up against enemies who have been t-waved previously.
Please criticize and make suggestions to make my best team so far better. Thanks in advance.
Addition: I forgot to mention this, but I specifically created this team to resist every attack type with at least two members (I count immunity as a resist, as 0% damage is even better). Every type is covered by either 2, 3, or 4 members. I got this idea from Bologo, who wrote, "At least 2 resists to every single type... I personally think that this is a great theme, since it helps this team switch in on pretty much anything, and it really shows that pokemon is meant to be a team game with the synergy that resistances create." Maybe my team is somewhat close to his ("Adios mis estudiantes" in RMT Archive), but I see it as a mark of respect for his great idea, and how it works so well.
Team at a glance:
Lead: Dragonite @ Life Orb
Inner Focus
Quiet
240 Atk / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Extremespeed
I have found this lead to be extremely useful. Inner Focus is a great ability to lead with, annoying all those fake out users. The general idea is to attack the opponent's lead with one of the first three moves (generally Draco Meteor unless one of the other two is situationally better), then finish off the pokemon with extremespeed. My team really does not mind having rocks set up, as Dragonite is the only one who loses more than 12.5% (though the 25% is a nuisance). If they switch on the extremespeed, I either go for wreaking as much havoc with him in one shot (getting damage until he dies), or if he's certain to die quickly, I usually send in swampert or heatran, who usually resist whatever is coming at him. He can either be a powerhouse at the beginning or he can take the lead out and come back to break walls or get extremespeeds in to weaken enemy sweepers.
Celebi @ Life Orb
Natural Cure
Modest
232 HP / 244 SpA / 32 Spe
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power Fire
- Leaf Storm
- Recover
Celebi is has many purposes for this team. Celebi paralyzes, kills steels, and takes hit and status. For the most part, I switch Celebi in on resisted hits or walls. Blissey usually gets tied up with paralyze and Recover lets me beat the waves of Seismic Tosses before I get paralyze to work so I can safely switch without worrying about Celebi being low on HP later. Swampert almost always switches out immediately on Celebi, allowing me to T-wave the switch in. People usually do not expect this, and I can severely hinder the incoming threat. Getting paralyze on the enemy heatran or salamence (two of the most popular switch-ins I have seen) is extremely valuable. Celebi surprises Scizor by outspeeding and OHKO'ing with HP Fire (I guess people don't run Celebi with HP Fire, but Scizor switch in on him all the time and almost never bullet punch despite the difference in base speed). Leaf storm lets him get powerful STAB and a way to beat Swampert in the end, and I like Recover over rest because I use Celebi frequently in end game situations where switching out is disadvantageous.
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Flash Fire
Naive
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 6 Def
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- HP Ice
- Explosion
Who has never seen this guy before? Despite being way overused, Heatran's ability, resistances, and viability as a scarf sweeper makes him very appealing. I use HP Ice over Dragon Pulse to get the ability to hurt more than just Dragons. Gliscor and Hippowdon have the potential to annoy this team and are somewhat common switch-ins from my experience, yet HP Ice fixes this. Heatran usually comes in on the Ice/Dragon hit coming to hurt Dragonite or Celebi, and then just goes to work. Heatran's initial attack is usually just stopped in early game, but playing unpredictably and being able to abuse him once you know the final members (in the end game) make him very useful. He also solves my problem with many walls through Explosion (Snorlax, Blissey, and Cresselia, for example, don't really halt my team, but they can be annoying if they are switched around intelligently).
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
Timid
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hydro Pump
- Trick
What can I say about this pokemon? He saves my ass so many times. Out speeding non-scarfed Gengar, +1 Gyara, and non-scarfed Latias is just invaluable for my team. He also comes in on the fighting, normal, and ground type attacks to which he is immune. He can help me immensely in understanding the enemy team (knowing if they are scarfed, what they are not prepared for, etc) and revenging in the end game. I really do not mind when Tyranitar gets in, as I can get a little damage in even with Shadow Ball before the pursuit gets me, and then I can put Lucario in to set up the inevitable sweep. Trick helps greatly in crippling walls or destroying the opponent's end game strategy, as well as giving Rotom versatility once I know what I am up against. Hydro Pump is so nice when many of the common switch-ins are weak to it (or at least don't resist it, unlike his other attacks).
Addition: Stopping Starmie and other spinners is nice too.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Torrent
Relaxed
252 Hp / 4 Atk / 252 Def
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Roar
Swampert is just amazing. Great typing, ability to safely set up SR, and the physical defense to take so much even without a recovery move. Unless Heatran is the totally better switch-in, Swampert often comes in on the attack on Dragonite. Setting up rocks, taking t-waves, phazing and roaring around their teams for SR Damage, taking tons of hits, he does it all. I often let him take the incoming sleep attacks because he just ends up as a punching bag anyway for me, but to be sure, a valuable one. He is often dead by the end of the game, but he performs his job handily.
Lucario @ Life Orb
Inner Focus
Adamant
252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Extremespeed
One of the most popular finishers as of late, Lucario is just great at his job. I don't know if I really need to explain what he does, but I'll explain how he works with the team. Coming in at the end game or on a resisted hit to sword dance and sweep the remaining members of the enemy team is basically his M.O. He really appreciates if Dragonite is left alive for late game so Dragonite can weaken walls or get e-speeds in to get the opponents weaker for Lucario to finish off. Crunch helps with some walls that may be left over, and also to get those pesky ghost switch-ins (as they resist his other moves, they often switch in without much regard). He usually teams up with Heatran and/or Celebi in the end game; Fire attacks are absorbed by tran, Celebi takes incoming Superpowers or Close Combats, and despite his speed, Lucario loves going up against enemies who have been t-waved previously.
Please criticize and make suggestions to make my best team so far better. Thanks in advance.
Addition: I forgot to mention this, but I specifically created this team to resist every attack type with at least two members (I count immunity as a resist, as 0% damage is even better). Every type is covered by either 2, 3, or 4 members. I got this idea from Bologo, who wrote, "At least 2 resists to every single type... I personally think that this is a great theme, since it helps this team switch in on pretty much anything, and it really shows that pokemon is meant to be a team game with the synergy that resistances create." Maybe my team is somewhat close to his ("Adios mis estudiantes" in RMT Archive), but I see it as a mark of respect for his great idea, and how it works so well.
