Better Angels
xy // sandstorm balance
“So this is where you plan to do it?”
I never intended to create a sandstorm team, but as I kept adding pieces the picture painted itself. I originally started with Tyranitar and Excadrill; A core that transcended generations due to its beautiful synergy and capability. I then read something about Sand Force Landorus being stronger than the Life Orb Sheer Force variant (under sand of course), so I decided to add him to the team. The core was extremely weak to water / ice / fighting, and after a couple test battles I decided to add Slowbro and Ferrothorn. Then finally I needed a baton pass assassin, a pokemon that could break through baton pass chains fairly easily, which is how Mega-Scizor joined the team.
In Depth
Rick Grimes (Scizor) (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Atk / 108 SDef / 144 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
The team leader and arguably the most important member. Scizor has to check a number of Pokemon so I felt a bulky variant would be the most useful for a balanced team. He's truly Rick Grimes as he does whatever is necessary to ensure a team victory. Whether it's picking apart baton pass chains or picking off weakened Pokemon for an end game sweep. I used a similar spread in BW just without so much speed investment. The speed evs are absolutely needed because they allow him to outspeed Rotom-W (a huge pain), and they also allow him to outspeed 50 speed ev Heatran. I placed 40 evs into attack to give him some investment then split the rest between hp and special defense. I decided to forgo U-turn or Bug Bite because the bug typing is poor offensively, and also because wasting a free turn to set up then switch out with U-turn didn't make much sense. Super Power didn't make sense either because I didn't invest in bulk to sacrifice it for a non-stab with huge penalties. Plus Knock off is OP this gen and it slaps items into the dirt leaving opponents with very unpleasant taste in their mouths. Roost to increase staying power and Swords Dance to increase ... power.
Daryl Dixon (Excadrill) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
Excadrill is such a great teammate, it's a powerful revenge killer, a hazard remover, and a late game cleaner all into one. And its decent bulk makes it possible to fulfill all of these roles most games. Daryl is an important member of the group. The reason why I like using it as the primary late game cleaner is because it can't be paralyzed with T-wave and it forces most players to switch Thundurus out on Excadrill and gift wrapping me a free turn. Sometimes I use Rock Slide and sometimes I don't. The reason why I don't use it primarily is because Landorus can handle most of the Flying types, but in some situations he can't. If I feel that the players laddering are using alot of flying types I use Rock Slide, and when they aren't I use Swords Dance. Iron Head is the staple hax flinch stab fairy killer.
Maggy (Slowbro) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SDef
Bold Nature
- Fire Blast
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
Now onto Maggy. Like I said before the team was having trouble with Keldeo. Slowbro is a full stop to Keldeo barring the rare HP Ghost / HP Bug variants. There's nothing Keldeo can do but switch out or take a psyshock to the chops. The problem at first was finding a balanced ev spread. I wanted to be able to take on special threats while still holding onto some physical bulk. I played around with leftovers, Slack Off, Yawn, etc. Until I finally gave up and slapped an Assault Vest on it. Then I split the remaining evs to defense and special defense with enough special defensive evs to avoid a 3HKO from Landorus (another headache). Fire Blast is to wreck, Mega-Mawile, Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and Scizor switch ins, Scald is my burn lure I use to neuter physical attackers who hope to overpower Slowbro. Ice Beam is for those annoying 4x weak Pokemon like Garchomp and Gliscor.
Michonne (Tyranitar) (M) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Atk / 16 Def / 44 SAtk / 184 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
Arguably the second most important part of the team, the weather inducer. Fingerscrossed gave me this set and I'm not sure what those values in atk / def / satk are for but they've been working and that's enough for me. Stealth Rock because it's absolutely necessary in a tier where Flying types reign supreme, the passive damage is also lovely to, penalizing opponents for switches. Smooth Rock is to obviously extend the duration of the sandstorm so Excadrill and Landorus can enjoy its lovely benefits. Fire Blast is for M-Mawile, Scizor, Ferro, and other 4x or 2x weak pokemon who try to switch in freely. Ice beam to catch Thundurus and Gliscor offguard.
Shane (Landorus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Now onto Shane the maniac. Shane can't come to good terms with Scizor, and is often trying to steal the shine and make himself seem like the strongest one on the team. Landorus is a powerful Pokemon and I've always wondered why people used its special set despite it having a higher base attack stat. I originally had Leftovers and Substitute on it until I was told to use Life Orb by a fellow ladder mate. The life orb switch has been a blessing. Now under sandstorm my attacks hit as if I'm holding two life orbs because of the Sand Force and Life Orb boost. Earthquake everything! It's the only stab on the set and Landorus' main attack option. Stone Edge for the timeless quake-edge combo. Hidden Power Ice is for opposing Landorus and 4x weak Pokemon.
Glenn (Ferrothorn) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 188 SDef / 252 HP / 68 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Leech Seed
- Rest
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Ferrothorn is the teams utility Pokemon. Most teams are unprepared for this thing and it's criminally underrated. He's able to check the Pokemon that Slowbro and Tyranitar can't deal with, without sacking a Pokemon or two. Pokemon like Greninja (without HP Fire), Azumarill (without Super Power), Excadrill, and Rotom-W. There are some others but I can't recall. Leech Seed and Leftovers for some much needed staying pwer. I honestly forgot this thing could use spikes and when I remembered it could, it only made choosing this Pokemon that much easier. Gyro Ball to fuck over speedy Pokmeon who try to switch in the line and sweet talk themselves into discounts and cash. For this last slot I've been considering using Thunder-Wave but Power Whip is crucial. The ability to paralyze a foe could prove to be very useful though and I may try this in the near future.
The team is obviously flawed and is weak to a few Pokemon like Mega-Venu, Rotom-W, Mandibuzz (if Lando's gone), Conkeldurr, and more. But it was a pleasure to make it and was even better when I was able to achieve suspect reqs while using this team.
xy // sandstorm balance
“So this is where you plan to do it?”
I never intended to create a sandstorm team, but as I kept adding pieces the picture painted itself. I originally started with Tyranitar and Excadrill; A core that transcended generations due to its beautiful synergy and capability. I then read something about Sand Force Landorus being stronger than the Life Orb Sheer Force variant (under sand of course), so I decided to add him to the team. The core was extremely weak to water / ice / fighting, and after a couple test battles I decided to add Slowbro and Ferrothorn. Then finally I needed a baton pass assassin, a pokemon that could break through baton pass chains fairly easily, which is how Mega-Scizor joined the team.
In Depth
Rick Grimes (Scizor) (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Atk / 108 SDef / 144 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
The team leader and arguably the most important member. Scizor has to check a number of Pokemon so I felt a bulky variant would be the most useful for a balanced team. He's truly Rick Grimes as he does whatever is necessary to ensure a team victory. Whether it's picking apart baton pass chains or picking off weakened Pokemon for an end game sweep. I used a similar spread in BW just without so much speed investment. The speed evs are absolutely needed because they allow him to outspeed Rotom-W (a huge pain), and they also allow him to outspeed 50 speed ev Heatran. I placed 40 evs into attack to give him some investment then split the rest between hp and special defense. I decided to forgo U-turn or Bug Bite because the bug typing is poor offensively, and also because wasting a free turn to set up then switch out with U-turn didn't make much sense. Super Power didn't make sense either because I didn't invest in bulk to sacrifice it for a non-stab with huge penalties. Plus Knock off is OP this gen and it slaps items into the dirt leaving opponents with very unpleasant taste in their mouths. Roost to increase staying power and Swords Dance to increase ... power.
Daryl Dixon (Excadrill) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
Excadrill is such a great teammate, it's a powerful revenge killer, a hazard remover, and a late game cleaner all into one. And its decent bulk makes it possible to fulfill all of these roles most games. Daryl is an important member of the group. The reason why I like using it as the primary late game cleaner is because it can't be paralyzed with T-wave and it forces most players to switch Thundurus out on Excadrill and gift wrapping me a free turn. Sometimes I use Rock Slide and sometimes I don't. The reason why I don't use it primarily is because Landorus can handle most of the Flying types, but in some situations he can't. If I feel that the players laddering are using alot of flying types I use Rock Slide, and when they aren't I use Swords Dance. Iron Head is the staple hax flinch stab fairy killer.
Maggy (Slowbro) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SDef
Bold Nature
- Fire Blast
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
Now onto Maggy. Like I said before the team was having trouble with Keldeo. Slowbro is a full stop to Keldeo barring the rare HP Ghost / HP Bug variants. There's nothing Keldeo can do but switch out or take a psyshock to the chops. The problem at first was finding a balanced ev spread. I wanted to be able to take on special threats while still holding onto some physical bulk. I played around with leftovers, Slack Off, Yawn, etc. Until I finally gave up and slapped an Assault Vest on it. Then I split the remaining evs to defense and special defense with enough special defensive evs to avoid a 3HKO from Landorus (another headache). Fire Blast is to wreck, Mega-Mawile, Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and Scizor switch ins, Scald is my burn lure I use to neuter physical attackers who hope to overpower Slowbro. Ice Beam is for those annoying 4x weak Pokemon like Garchomp and Gliscor.
Michonne (Tyranitar) (M) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Atk / 16 Def / 44 SAtk / 184 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
Arguably the second most important part of the team, the weather inducer. Fingerscrossed gave me this set and I'm not sure what those values in atk / def / satk are for but they've been working and that's enough for me. Stealth Rock because it's absolutely necessary in a tier where Flying types reign supreme, the passive damage is also lovely to, penalizing opponents for switches. Smooth Rock is to obviously extend the duration of the sandstorm so Excadrill and Landorus can enjoy its lovely benefits. Fire Blast is for M-Mawile, Scizor, Ferro, and other 4x or 2x weak pokemon who try to switch in freely. Ice beam to catch Thundurus and Gliscor offguard.
Shane (Landorus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Now onto Shane the maniac. Shane can't come to good terms with Scizor, and is often trying to steal the shine and make himself seem like the strongest one on the team. Landorus is a powerful Pokemon and I've always wondered why people used its special set despite it having a higher base attack stat. I originally had Leftovers and Substitute on it until I was told to use Life Orb by a fellow ladder mate. The life orb switch has been a blessing. Now under sandstorm my attacks hit as if I'm holding two life orbs because of the Sand Force and Life Orb boost. Earthquake everything! It's the only stab on the set and Landorus' main attack option. Stone Edge for the timeless quake-edge combo. Hidden Power Ice is for opposing Landorus and 4x weak Pokemon.
Glenn (Ferrothorn) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 188 SDef / 252 HP / 68 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Leech Seed
- Rest
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Ferrothorn is the teams utility Pokemon. Most teams are unprepared for this thing and it's criminally underrated. He's able to check the Pokemon that Slowbro and Tyranitar can't deal with, without sacking a Pokemon or two. Pokemon like Greninja (without HP Fire), Azumarill (without Super Power), Excadrill, and Rotom-W. There are some others but I can't recall. Leech Seed and Leftovers for some much needed staying pwer. I honestly forgot this thing could use spikes and when I remembered it could, it only made choosing this Pokemon that much easier. Gyro Ball to fuck over speedy Pokmeon who try to switch in the line and sweet talk themselves into discounts and cash. For this last slot I've been considering using Thunder-Wave but Power Whip is crucial. The ability to paralyze a foe could prove to be very useful though and I may try this in the near future.
The team is obviously flawed and is weak to a few Pokemon like Mega-Venu, Rotom-W, Mandibuzz (if Lando's gone), Conkeldurr, and more. But it was a pleasure to make it and was even better when I was able to achieve suspect reqs while using this team.
Hope you enjoyed reading
Glenn (Ferrothorn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 188 SDef / 252 HP / 68 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Shane (Landorus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Michonne (Tyranitar) (M) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Atk / 16 Def / 44 SAtk / 184 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
Maggy (Slowbro) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SDef
Bold Nature
- Fire Blast
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
Rick Grimes (Scizor) (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Atk / 108 SDef / 144 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
Daryl Dixon (Excadrill) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 188 SDef / 252 HP / 68 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Shane (Landorus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Michonne (Tyranitar) (M) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Atk / 16 Def / 44 SAtk / 184 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
Maggy (Slowbro) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SDef
Bold Nature
- Fire Blast
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
Rick Grimes (Scizor) (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Atk / 108 SDef / 144 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
Daryl Dixon (Excadrill) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
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