Bulky-ish Offense featuring Latias

[Frotte]

AT A GLANCE

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This is a team that mainly wears down opposing teams while keeping Latias in reserve until counters and checks have been removed or weakened enough for Latias to come in, boost up, and kill. The core of the team that defends Latias is made up of CM Keldeo, Ferrothorn and Heatran. They cover each others weaknesses fairly well while keldeo and Heatran still maintain an offensive presence. For stealth rock support and a bulky attacker, I chose a defensive variant of Landorus-T. The last slot of my team is filled with my all time favourite pokemon, scizor. He's there to make use of his priority bullet punch for revenge killing and just to clean things up that Latias might have a problem with. But without further ado, let me introduce the pokemon.

The star:

Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Roost
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Latias is the main pokemon on the team and it's what the team is built around. Latias just stays in a bubble, without contact from the outside untill its safe for her to calm mind to the point of being untouchable and destroy. There are a few things that it cannot take out easily. Those things are Blissey, Chansey, fast dragons (garchomp, CS Salamence ect.) and other Latias that have CM'd before me.

Core Pony:

Keldeo-Resolute @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Calm Mind
- Hidden Power [Ice]

My first pokemon in the core of 3. Despite being a sweeper its in the core for it's resistances and its ability to boost its special defense. This is also my pokemon of choice for dispatching of blissey, chansey and dragons. Its typing also covers Latias adequately.

core Pinecone:

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 SDef / 248 HP / 8 Def
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Protect

This is a standard special variant of ferrothorn and it protects Keldeo from all of his threats. When I switch in on something attacking Keldeo, its not uncommon for the attacker to switch out providing me with a free turn to set up a layer of spikes. It's not uncommon for me to have 2 or 3 layers of spikes down by the end of the battle. Leech seed and protect give me decent recovery consistently. As an added bonus, people like to switch to get rid of leech seed which means... MORE SPIKES.

core ...blob?:

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Roar

So, I'll admit that my core isn't extremely defensive. But, it's effective at getting rid of things that latias cant and they cover each other. This set is for set up sweepers and anything switching in with flash fire. This set can surprise them with Hidden power rock if they have an air ballon and is more effective in battle than I can explain in text. Partially because I'm not good at explaining things.

Edit 1: changed HP rock to HP ice

Stealth rock Genie:

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 148 Spe/ 248HP / 112 Def
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- U-turn

This set has a marginally higher defense stat than my ferrothorn and still a respectable attack stat. That means it can tank a hit set up SR and get out to clean up later in the game and absorb thunder attacks for keldeo if ferrothorn is gone. Edgequake is fairly standard and provides good coverage. U-turn is just for getting out while maintaining momentum.

Edit 1: changed Ev spread from 64 Atk / 200 HP / 244 Def to current spread.

Metal Bug:

Scizor @ Expert Belt
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bug Bite
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Roost/Superpower

This is my favourite pokemon to date. Thats the main reason it's on the team. Other than that it can trap gengar, and completely decimate the lati twins and celebi with bug bite. Also, the black belt often makes people think you're choice locked into pursuit and you can surprise them with another move they weren't expecting.

Overall this team has done me well and I've enjoyed using it. Any suggestions on how i can make it better will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lady Alex]

Hi. I think you have a pretty good team, and my suggested changes are just minor. Sun teams with dugtrio currently walk all over you, so replacing Air Balloon with Shed Shell seems like a very important change. Generally, you would be switching in Landorus on anything that would be using a ground type against you, and you already have Latias as a Landorus-I check, so Balloon is largely unnecessary. HP Ice over HP rock would be better to allow you to 1hko Gliscor. You'll still be breaking opposing Heatran Balloons, and HP Rock only allows you to hit Volcarona harder, which isn't a problem anyway since you have Roar.

Personally, I'm inclined to suggest just using banded Scizor, but I can see the appeal of having the liberty of switching moves on it for things that would like to set up on your pursuits while bluffing a choice set. If you're going to go this route, though, definitely use Expert Belt over Black Belt. The only things you're going to be hitting with Superpower are already hit super effectively, so you get the 20% extra damage regardless. Good luck. Hope I helped.

 

[Frotte]

True. I haven't thought about dugtrio. Thanks for the suggestions iI'll switch things up for heatran. And ya Idid mean to put the expert belt on scizor but goofed up while looking for it in the items section and picked the first belt I saw.

Thanks for the suggestions :)

 

[Nova]

Hi Frotte

This is a solid team, but I do have some suggestions that can help improve it a bit. Teams that revolve around the offensive core of Tyranitar+Keldeo+Landorus can give you some trouble. The only thing that can check Keldeo and Landorus on your team is Latias, who is easily Pursuit trapped by opposing Tyranitar which lets your opponent's Keldeo and Landorus go to town on you. To help patch up this weakness a bit, try using a Defensive Rotom-W in place of Keldeo. Rotom-W can take a Focus Blast from Landorus and hit back with Hydro Pump and also a Secret Sword from Keldeo and allow you to weaken the pony significantly with Volt Switch. Rotom-W also helps form that notorious voltturn core with Scizor that allows them to create a lot of momentum and provide you with setup opportunities. Keldeo isn't too important for your team as you already have a CM sweeper in Latias.

Agreeing with Lady Alex in switching Heatran's item from Air Balloon to Shed Shell. This helps patch up your weakness to sun teams so you can't be trapped by Dugtrio. The lack of Leftovers or Balloon on Heatran also helps you bluff a Choiced item early game. On Scizor, go with U-turn over Bug Bite. U-turn hits really hard and builds momentum which is very helpful especially when your opponent thinks you're Choice-locked. I would also go with a faster spread of 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd with an Adamant nature which allows you to outspeed most defensive versions of Heatran and hit them with Superpower which can open them up for a CM Latias sweep.

Hope I helped and good luck with your team!


Set:

Hide

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 28 SAtk / 232 SDef
Calm Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split

tl;dr

Hide

Keldeo ----> Specially Defensive Rotom-W
Air Balloon on Heatran ----> Shed Shell
Bug Bite on Scizor ----> U-turn
Scizor's EV Spread ----> 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd with Adamant Nature

 

[Frotte]

I only have a few issues with your suggestions but I mostly agree.

The main reason i have bugbite is so i can do super effective damage without being forced to switch out as I might not have something to wall/counter the pokemon I'm facing but I'll give it a try. You're also right about switching to speed ev's as I don't think I've ever been saved by the hp investment and I'm out sped by almost the whole meta right now.

As for switching Keldeo with Rotom-W, I'm a little bit hesitant to. Keldeo has swept the majority of a few teams after a calm mind boost before being KO'd and then latias can come in and clean up. I see your point with that core so I'll give Rotom a try.

Thanks for the suggestions :)

Edit: My team really misses Keldeo's offensive presence and I find that rotom-w tends to die quickly. That might just be due to the fact that I dont know how to use him properly.

 

[Sayonara]

Your team seems really weak to Swords Dance Breloom, but mostly Swords Dance Toxicroak too, who can set-up on Keldeo, Ferrothorn and Latias (kinda). Your only check is Landorus-T, but it's outsped and OHKO'd by a Life Orb Ice Punch from Toxicroak. So to help with this problem I would simply change your Landorus-T EV spread to 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 Spd with a Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA). It doesn't have a big change with your previous ev spread, but this allows you to outspeed Adamant Toxicroak (and OHKO it with STAB Earthquake), Jolly Heatran, Adamant Lucario and Dragonite, which is really useful, and you mainly just lose out on Attack EVs which are not that necessary. And to help with your weakness to Breloom you could replace Latias' Hidden Power Fire with Substitute, which allows it to sweep pretty easily late-game, avoid status and obtain free additional Calm Mind boosts. Scizor doesn't seem to be a problem with Heatran, Landorus-T and Keldeo on your team, so I don't think it would change much to lose Hidden Power Fire. Finally, I'd try Metal Coat over Black Belt on your Scizor, Pursuit is pretty situational and you're not gonna use it much in a match, and if you catch a fleeing Latias, Latios or something the additional damage from Black Belt isn't going to change much since they are most likely dying. Metal Coat still bluffs the Choice Band and gives you a stronger STAB Bullet Punch. Good luck.

 

[Frotte]

I've noticed that SD Toxicroak gives me some problems or just Toxicroak in general. Having Landorus be able to take him out would be helpful and most of the hits he's been taking have been ineffective anyway so the new ev spread shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I do, however, like hp fire on Latios. It has saved me more than once when all my other scizor counters have been KO'd and it thinks it can switch in for an easy kill. It also provides coverage that dragon pulse alone can't provide. Coverage is essential for its job as a late game setup sweeper.

As for scizor's item, the Black Belt was a mistake on my part and should've been an expert belt. I just changed that now

Thanks for suggestions :)