Hello, err'one. :3
I took quite a bit of an absence from competitive battling, so my team building skills are more than likely not up to par. With the meta-game changing ever-so-frequently, I have not kept up as much as I should have.. >.> So, basically:
this team obviously needs some tweaking.
One main point that I would like to throw out there is that I am trying to work my way around using Heatran, as well as Rotom. Why you ask? In my opinion, so many OU teams are following the same structure: Heatran for Stealth Rock set-up, and Rotom for spin-blocking. The 'surprise' factor has been eliminated. My main goal for my new team is to be able to counter as many OU threats as possible, without using a set of predictable Pokemon.
So, enough of my yapping, let's move onto the team. ;D
At A Glance:
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Overview:
Ambipom (F) @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Technician
Nature: Jolly (+ Spd, - Sp.Atk)
EV: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
1. Fake Out
2. Taunt
3. Return
4. U-Turn
Ambipom is by far the best leading Pokemon I have ever used, so it's surprising to me that I never see her anymore. She gets the job of an anti-lead done quite efficiently, while still having potential for a bit of late-game sweeping if I feel the need to U-Turn out in the beginning after Fake Out and Taunt are accomplished. Max speed is enough to outrun an extremely large chunk of leads. Fake Out takes care of any sashes, and does sufficient damage to most leads, especially Azelf. If placed against a Poke that is aiming to set up, Ambipom will outspeed and taunt the opponent. Then, the choice of either Return or U-Turn comes into play.
Common Opposing Leads:
Azelf: No issue whatsoever here. Fake out, then Return. An easy 2HKO.
Metagross: A decent enough threat. Fake out to bring in some minimal damage. Prediction plays a pretty large role. I could either risk the taunt, and hope they were willing to set up, or just U-Turn out right away and switch to Swampert.
Aerodactyl: Hardly a threat to me. Simply fake out to bring in some damage. Most of the time, with the opponent knowing they will outspeed me, they try to taunt me, thinking I will taunt them in return. Knowing that, simply U-Turn out and send in Lucario to finish the job.
Froslass: Not exactly a huge threat, but definitely annoying. Fake Out is useless, and she has the ability to outspeed me. Either place a taunt after one layer of spikes is set up, then U-Turn out, or just U-Turn out right away and send in Infernape to deal with her.
Machamp: No threat to me whatsoever. :p Fake Out deals a hefty chunk of damage, and if Return doesn't knock it out, then he is left with no more than a measly 10% of health when he OHKO's Ambipom with Dynamic Punch. Simply send out a priority attacker, and this guy is done.
Swampert: A decent enough threat if not taken care of correctly. Fake Out to throw in some damage, Taunt to avoid a setup, then Return. Ambipom might get knocked out before he does if my prediction don't end up being accurate. If that is the case, the small amount of HP he has left can be taken care of with Lucario.
Roserade: Fake Out. Return. No need to even taunt.
Tyranitar: As a lead, this guy can be a bit of a threat. Start with a Fake Out to reel in some starting damage, Taunt to stop a set-up, then U-Turn out and switch to Swampert who should be able to KO with an Earthquake.
Forretress: Not a large threat, but annoying nonetheless. Fake Out for some starting damage, Taunt to prevent a set-up, then U-Turn out, most likely to Swampert.
Infernape: No threat whatsoever. Fake out, then return. Another easy 2HKO.
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid (+ Spd, - Atk)
EV: 112 HP, 204 Sp. Attack, 192 Speed
1. Calm Mind
2. Dragon Pulse
3. Recover
4. Thunder
Latias truly is a piece of work. With a 110 base in both speed and special attack, this girl has a major sweeping ability. I send her in when faced against a special sweeper. Calm Mind to continuously raise her already amazing Special Attack and Special Defense, then sweep away with STAB Dragon Pulse. When the opponent's team is whittled down to their last Pokes and have no choice but to send out their Dragonites, Gyarados, or Tyranitar for example, they are quite simply screwed. Recover is simply to regain lost HP while calm minding; that is pretty self-explanatory. Thunder is for type coverage. While the accuracy is a bit lower than Thunderbolt, it has a much higher ability to OHKO oncoming opponents. The loss of accuracy for power is too much to pass up, especially for a power sweeper like this one. Plus, in case a OHKO is not thrown down, the 30% paralysis chance is more than enough to please me. ;D
Poncho (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Relaxed
EV: 240 HP, 216 Defense, 52 Sp. Defense
1. Stealth Rock
2. Earthquake
3. Ice Beam
4. Roar
Standard MixPert? D'ass right.
A standard MixPert named Poncho? HELL YUSSS.
Swampert is the perfect switch-in against the extremely common Jolteon threat, so he certainly needed a spot on this team, especially if Gyarados gets put at risk. I needed a Poke to set up Stealth Rock; what kind of team would I have without that kind of support? The main idea is to lay down Stealth Rock, and to have a very potent defensive wall. Roar is for scouting, and it's an easy way to get some extra damage into the opposing team's Pokemon after Swampert has successfully set up. Earthquake is the best STAB move you can get on this guy, and can easily take down common threats, such as Tyranitar. Ice Beam is for coverage, and will be able to OHKO incoming dragons after Stealth Rock damage.
Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
Nature: Hasty
EV: 252 Attack, 64 Sp. Attack, 192 Speed
1. Close Combat
2. U-Turn
3. Stone Edge
4. Overheat
The standard Physically-based MixApe set. Close Combat gives Infernape some amazing power, and as long as some OHKO sweeping occurs, the defense loss won't be too much of a hassle to deal with. If Close Combat isn't used, Stone Edge can take care of the flying types that attempt to come in to counter, due to Stealth Rock damage. U-Turn takes care of Starmie when it decides to come in and put a stop to the sweeping, as well as trying to spin away my entry hazard. Stealth Rock damage along with Super Effective U-Turn will take care of it with ease. Overheat is for some more STAB action.
I am not sure if I want to replace Stone Edge with Mach Punch or not. Stone Edge helps take care of Gyarados, while Mach Punch can help take care of SD Lucario which could pose an issue for the rest of my team. Suggestions?
Gyarados (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant
EV: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
1. Dragon Dance
2. Waterfall
3. Stone Edge
4. Earthquake
Again, another pretty standard set. Offense Gyarados is a staple in any OU team, seeing as he provides ultimate sweeping. One dragon dance is enough to enable him to tear through just about any wall. STAB Waterfall is the move I use the most on this set, as most OU walls will not resist it enough to withstand a 2HKO. Stone Edge is to take care of Zapdos when it tries to come in and put an end to the sweeping. After Stealth Rock damage, along with a Dragon Dance, Gyarados can easily take care of that threat. After Gyarados has his speed boost(s), he can even take on Jolteon with Earthquake. It doesn't get much better than that. Once Gyarados is powered up, not much will be able to bring him down. However, if a threat is brought in before he gets the change to power up, that is when problems will arise. Mostly, Jolteon. If this is the case, I will switch out to Swampert and KO as necessary.
Lucario (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
Nature: Adamant
EV: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
1. Swords Dance
2. Close Combat
3. Extremespeed
4. Crunch
Oh god. SD Lucario? It would be a crime to exclude one of the best late-game sweepers from my team. After a single swords dance, this guy wreaks havoc in opposing teams. His only major threat is fire types, which, as long as Heatran is disposed of, won't pose too much of a hassle. After Swords Dance, Extremespeed takes care of fire switch-ins, such as Infernape. Crunch is the perfect counter against Rotom forms, or any other ghost type that tries to switch in. Close Combat is for STAB, and easily rips right through Skarmory, Bronzong, or Tyranitar. Once the main threats are removed from the opposing team, I send out Lucario to work on the finishing touches. :3
**************************
And there you have it, my newest 4th Gen team.
Suggestions are welcome, I am willing to try just about anything.
I took quite a bit of an absence from competitive battling, so my team building skills are more than likely not up to par. With the meta-game changing ever-so-frequently, I have not kept up as much as I should have.. >.> So, basically:
this team obviously needs some tweaking.
One main point that I would like to throw out there is that I am trying to work my way around using Heatran, as well as Rotom. Why you ask? In my opinion, so many OU teams are following the same structure: Heatran for Stealth Rock set-up, and Rotom for spin-blocking. The 'surprise' factor has been eliminated. My main goal for my new team is to be able to counter as many OU threats as possible, without using a set of predictable Pokemon.
So, enough of my yapping, let's move onto the team. ;D
At A Glance:
*********************************
Overview:
Ambipom (F) @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Technician
Nature: Jolly (+ Spd, - Sp.Atk)
EV: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
1. Fake Out
2. Taunt
3. Return
4. U-Turn
Ambipom is by far the best leading Pokemon I have ever used, so it's surprising to me that I never see her anymore. She gets the job of an anti-lead done quite efficiently, while still having potential for a bit of late-game sweeping if I feel the need to U-Turn out in the beginning after Fake Out and Taunt are accomplished. Max speed is enough to outrun an extremely large chunk of leads. Fake Out takes care of any sashes, and does sufficient damage to most leads, especially Azelf. If placed against a Poke that is aiming to set up, Ambipom will outspeed and taunt the opponent. Then, the choice of either Return or U-Turn comes into play.
Common Opposing Leads:
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid (+ Spd, - Atk)
EV: 112 HP, 204 Sp. Attack, 192 Speed
1. Calm Mind
2. Dragon Pulse
3. Recover
4. Thunder
Latias truly is a piece of work. With a 110 base in both speed and special attack, this girl has a major sweeping ability. I send her in when faced against a special sweeper. Calm Mind to continuously raise her already amazing Special Attack and Special Defense, then sweep away with STAB Dragon Pulse. When the opponent's team is whittled down to their last Pokes and have no choice but to send out their Dragonites, Gyarados, or Tyranitar for example, they are quite simply screwed. Recover is simply to regain lost HP while calm minding; that is pretty self-explanatory. Thunder is for type coverage. While the accuracy is a bit lower than Thunderbolt, it has a much higher ability to OHKO oncoming opponents. The loss of accuracy for power is too much to pass up, especially for a power sweeper like this one. Plus, in case a OHKO is not thrown down, the 30% paralysis chance is more than enough to please me. ;D
Poncho (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Relaxed
EV: 240 HP, 216 Defense, 52 Sp. Defense
1. Stealth Rock
2. Earthquake
3. Ice Beam
4. Roar
Standard MixPert? D'ass right.
A standard MixPert named Poncho? HELL YUSSS.
Swampert is the perfect switch-in against the extremely common Jolteon threat, so he certainly needed a spot on this team, especially if Gyarados gets put at risk. I needed a Poke to set up Stealth Rock; what kind of team would I have without that kind of support? The main idea is to lay down Stealth Rock, and to have a very potent defensive wall. Roar is for scouting, and it's an easy way to get some extra damage into the opposing team's Pokemon after Swampert has successfully set up. Earthquake is the best STAB move you can get on this guy, and can easily take down common threats, such as Tyranitar. Ice Beam is for coverage, and will be able to OHKO incoming dragons after Stealth Rock damage.
Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
Nature: Hasty
EV: 252 Attack, 64 Sp. Attack, 192 Speed
1. Close Combat
2. U-Turn
3. Stone Edge
4. Overheat
The standard Physically-based MixApe set. Close Combat gives Infernape some amazing power, and as long as some OHKO sweeping occurs, the defense loss won't be too much of a hassle to deal with. If Close Combat isn't used, Stone Edge can take care of the flying types that attempt to come in to counter, due to Stealth Rock damage. U-Turn takes care of Starmie when it decides to come in and put a stop to the sweeping, as well as trying to spin away my entry hazard. Stealth Rock damage along with Super Effective U-Turn will take care of it with ease. Overheat is for some more STAB action.
I am not sure if I want to replace Stone Edge with Mach Punch or not. Stone Edge helps take care of Gyarados, while Mach Punch can help take care of SD Lucario which could pose an issue for the rest of my team. Suggestions?
Gyarados (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant
EV: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
1. Dragon Dance
2. Waterfall
3. Stone Edge
4. Earthquake
Again, another pretty standard set. Offense Gyarados is a staple in any OU team, seeing as he provides ultimate sweeping. One dragon dance is enough to enable him to tear through just about any wall. STAB Waterfall is the move I use the most on this set, as most OU walls will not resist it enough to withstand a 2HKO. Stone Edge is to take care of Zapdos when it tries to come in and put an end to the sweeping. After Stealth Rock damage, along with a Dragon Dance, Gyarados can easily take care of that threat. After Gyarados has his speed boost(s), he can even take on Jolteon with Earthquake. It doesn't get much better than that. Once Gyarados is powered up, not much will be able to bring him down. However, if a threat is brought in before he gets the change to power up, that is when problems will arise. Mostly, Jolteon. If this is the case, I will switch out to Swampert and KO as necessary.
Lucario (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
Nature: Adamant
EV: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
1. Swords Dance
2. Close Combat
3. Extremespeed
4. Crunch
Oh god. SD Lucario? It would be a crime to exclude one of the best late-game sweepers from my team. After a single swords dance, this guy wreaks havoc in opposing teams. His only major threat is fire types, which, as long as Heatran is disposed of, won't pose too much of a hassle. After Swords Dance, Extremespeed takes care of fire switch-ins, such as Infernape. Crunch is the perfect counter against Rotom forms, or any other ghost type that tries to switch in. Close Combat is for STAB, and easily rips right through Skarmory, Bronzong, or Tyranitar. Once the main threats are removed from the opposing team, I send out Lucario to work on the finishing touches. :3
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And there you have it, my newest 4th Gen team.
Suggestions are welcome, I am willing to try just about anything.
