Hey guys, it's time for another team and my first RMT in over a year. It was originally envisioned as a bulky offense team. However, it was based off of the idea that a combination of ultra-bulky Pokemon who don't need recovery are capable of successfully tanking most of the metagame. In this respect, it is your average bulky offense team in a simplified manner. This comes at the sacrifice of reliable recovery- CB Tyranitar is as much of an offensive threat as a defensive threat. The same goes for Gyarados and Metagross- their mere presence and implied power forces switches.Unlike most teams, this is not followed up with a core, but additional Pokemon that have many uses and allow for more complete threat coverage. In addition, I refrained from using a Scarfed Pokemon, since they are easily walled and do not help against stall. The result is a team that can adapt to either a slow or fast pace of play. By being able to deal with nearly all threats in a direct way, the opponent has significantly more trouble working through the defenses with a variety of sweepers.
The success of this team is mediocre as far as a win record. It got a new account up into the 1500's in two days while enduring more losses than I would have liked. I believe it can be improved further; I had this posted on another forum, but few valid suggestions arose.
The team, in short:
Six small sprites for viewing pleasure. I like the second frame view because it's truly awkward and isn't seen quite as much. Now, lets continue to the substance- long walls of text!
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
It's not an original lead, but it remains a solid way to begin the game. Rapid Spin deters SR leads from performing their purpose by Starmie's sheer presence, and if they do, they can be spun away regardless, breaking Sashes in the meantime. Surf is self-explanatory- it hits Heatran, Infernape and Azelf, mainly, and is generally a strong STAB move. Due to poor accuracy, I chose against Hydro Pump, which is mainly for Metagross. Usually I have not missed Hydro Pump; I have decent switch-ins to Scizor and Metagross is completely walled by one of my other Pokemon. In fact, opposing Metagross leads, in recognition that they cannot win, may choose to Explode first turn while I switch to Rotom. Ice Beam has proven itself useful when against Celebi and Latias switch-ins, both of which are 2HKO'ed. In addition, I can revenge kill any Dual-STAB Mixmences that come my way. Originally I was running Recover over Grass Knot, but the prevalence of Swampert leads convinced me that Grass Knot was a needed move. So far, it has proven to be useful as Starmie can function as a revenge killer of Suicune. Thunderbolt was ignored as an option because it wouldn't help against anything but Gyarados, which I already have a good counter for.
I am not completely satisfied with Starmie, as it's prowess at leading has been questionable, and the lack of recovery without dropping an important attacking move is disconcerting. However, the ability to Rapid Spin makes life much, much easier for Gyarados and generally helps my team fulfill its purpose. Starmie's purpose is as much intimidating the opponent as it is performing a purpose- in the first case, Starmie is saved for late game to sweep or revenge kill.
Tyranitar (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP/104 Atk/156 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Tyranitar has lost some effectiveness in Platinum with the use of Bullet Punch Scizor, but it has also brought additional threats, like CM Latias and Rotom, that can be completely stopped by Tyranitar. In addition, the lack of complete Tyranitar counters common on a notable number of teams make it that much easier for him to pull more than his own weight. The simplicity of the moveset belies its effectiveness. The combination of Crunch and Pursuit is a dilemma for Pokemon like Celebi, where they are OHKO'ed with Crunch if it stays in and OHKO'ed by Pursuit if it switches. Perhaps Pursuit is an even more useful tool, since it is easy to figure out the item of Pursuit-weak Pokemon (Scarf Latias, Scarf Gengar, etc.). Earthquake was added to hit Heatran and CM Jirachi, who has the potential to be problematic if Metagross is at low health. Stone Edge is another amazing STAB move that hits Scizor for over 75% each time, ensuring that they cannot switch in again with Stealth Rock on the field.
Tyranitar is part of the defensive combination as tank focused on special defense and maintaining sky-high attack power. Resttalk Tyranitar was not considered here because it seriously lacks power and the necessary coverage that I needed in this slot. First, 252 Ev's were invested in Hp, which ensures survival of CB Scizor Bullet Punch after SR over 90% of the time, as well as contributing to general bulkiness. The SDef Ev's allow him to survive two Surfs from 299 SAtk (Leftovers Starmie) as well as never falling from three consecutive Earth Powers from Timid Heatran after SR. The rest was placed into attack, with an extra point taken from Hp (because it happened to be insignificant in the above objectives) and put into attack to yield a jump point. Overall, this Tyranitar reaches 403 Hp, 544 Attack, and 412 SDef. To give a comparison, this Tyranitar gives up roughly 10% of its power when compared to max attack CB Tar, but is 16% more defensive on the special side.
Thanks to wrecklesswrage for the excellent Tyranitar picture. I assure you, this isn't what happens to Tyranitar on the battlefield though.
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Rotom-w @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/160 Def/96 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Will-o-wisp
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Rotom is an outstanding spin-blocker and is able to wall quite a few Pokemon, including Scizor and Metagross. When considering this, it wasn't necessary to use Overheat or a Choice Scarf, which would (crucially) make Rotom Pursuit weak. Will-O-Wisp and Thunderbolt were essential to be an effective check to Scizor and Metagross. By utilizing Resttalk, it can absorb status and outstall Blissey if need be. Even though it cannot be hit with Thunderbolt, Rotom is capable of beating Mamoswine. Rotom's ability to completely wall Hippowodon and Gliscor has been useful when facing stall teams, since it gives Roserade an easier switch-in. Lucario is unable to set up on Rotom and can be used as a secondary check to Lucario, as it can survive a +1 Crunch (using Gyarados to lower Lucario's attack) from 85%. Furthermore, it can deal with any Lucario that doesn't carry Crunch.
Rotom works well in tandem with Tyranitar, since Scarf Rotom-H will generally try to revenge kill this Rotom if they have nothing else. A NVE Shadow Ball does 8% to Tyranitar, which is rather insignificant. Defensive Latias is also a common switch-in to Rotom, which Tyranitar deals with well. Conversely, Scizor likes to switch into Tyranitar after another Pokemon has died, which Rotom can deal with. As mentioned before, it can switch into Tyranitar counters and disable them enough for Roserade to pick up the pieces.
As for the Ev's, 252 were placed in Hp because Rotom needs all the Hp he can get. At 304, this is Leftovers number, but also a Sandstorm number. Since Stealth Rock will not be on the field too often, the extra damage that would result from it is not a concern. A Bold nature and 160 Ev's were used so that Scizor and others can be dealt with more efficiently before the WoW. It also gives a bonus point with the nature. The rest was placed into SAtk for more power (enough to OHKO 4 Hp Starmie from full health with Thunderbolt) and a confident 2HKO on Vaporeon. I had originally considered placing the extra Ev's in special defense to absorb water attacks better, but the Ev's I currently had to spare along with the physical defense needed for Rotom to perform his duty made this an impractical goal.
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Roserade (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Leech Seed
- Leaf Storm
- Weather Ball
- Sleep Powder
Roserade adds utility to my entire team. With its decent special defense, it makes a more than adequate switch-in to Vaporeon, Suicune and Starmie. Originally, I had used a bulkier form of Roserade with Grass Knot and HP Fire along with Toxic Spikes. However, this fared poorly against offensive CM Suicune, needing excessive SDef to avoid being OHKO'ed by +1 Ice Beam every time. Without speed, he had trouble laying Toxic Spikes (which ended up being useless much of the time, considering how many Pokemon in OU are immune). At the point of conception, this team was having issues getting walled by Blissey. Roserade changes this- in fact, Blissey loses one-on-one with some residual damage. Leech Seed is great for hitting the first switch-ins and is beneficial in the way it heals my next switch-in, assuming no double-switch occurs. Leaf Storm works as a STAB move packing enormous power- enough to OHKO 252 Hp Gliscor with Stealth Rock. Weather Ball may seem like a weird choice, but in Sandstorm it turns into a 100 Base power Rock-type move, which pairs quite nicely with Grass. It hits for an OHKO on unsuspecting Zapdos and Salamence after Stealth Rock while not giving up the ability to hit Scizor and Celebi for decent damage. Furthermore, its effectiveness doesn't diminish when facing Rain Dance teams, being able to hit Bronzong / Jirachi with a 150 base power Water-type move. Sleep Powder is further used to disable switch-ins and prevent Pokemon like Lucario from setting up (since it cannot threaten with an OHKO).
Roserade's ability to disable switch-ins has proven valuable when facing heavy stall, where often the only good switch-in they have is Blissey (an insufficient answer if Sleep Clause has not been activated yet). The Ev spread is very standard, but the speed and special attack are all needed. The lack of bulkiness does not diminish its utility, as with Pokemon like Breloom. Speaking of which, it does decently against Breloom once sleep clause is activated.
In particular, Roserade means that the strategy of Toxic Spikes + set-up Pokemon is foiled. It adds to the immediate power that is one of the strong points of bulky offense.
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Metagross @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP/216 Def/44 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Meteor Mash
- Explosion / Light Screen
- Stealth Rock
Metagross is the second part of the ultra-defensive counters. Its wonderful typing and defensive stats are generally eschewed for a more offensive set. Defensive Metagross has defensive capabilities that exceed that of standard Skarmory, but with more attack power and special defense, in exchange for a lack of reliable healing. However, Metagross functions just fine without recovery due to Explosion. It is my main switch-in to Salamence and Tyranitar and can adequately defeat every variant with little prediction required. In addition, it serves as a back-up counter to Lucario if it is at full health. Earthquake and Meteor Mash offer decent coverage and deal with everything Metagross is supposed to switch into. Explosion is mainly used to take out Suicune and friends when it is low on health. Usually the last slot would have Light Screen, but Tyranitar already takes on most special attackers with ease (with exception of Sub Gengar, who loses to Metagross anyway). That, and Stealth Rock was a needed addition to this team. Metagross is also able to deal with CM Jirachi, DD Kingdra, and Latias effectively.
The defensive Ev's are the key to this set's success. First, Hp is maxed for survivability from both ends of the spectrum. 216 Ev's and an Impish nature are used to have defenses that rival Skarmory. This ensures that +2 LO Close Combat from Lucario will never OHKO from full health. Babiri Tyranitar is also beaten, as +1 Fire Punch is unable to 2HKO. DD Salamence is unable to OHKO with +1 Earthquake, while Metagross does enough to OHKO in return when accounting for SR, LO, and Sandstorm damage. The rest and 4 Ev's from Hp were piled into special defense, allowing Metagross to survive Rash Mixmence Draco Meteor + Fire Blast after switching in on SR. It also helps against Sub Gengar- with Leftovers, Hidden Power: Fire cannot 2HKO, forcing Gengar to continually use Substitute to have a chance at winning. I have considered using Light Screen in order to keep LO Gengar at bay until I can make a proper sacrifice and revenge kill.
Occasionally I have lamented over the lack of power when compared with standard Metagross, but these qualms are forgotten when it performs its job properly.
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Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 216 HP/64 Atk/184 Def/44 Spd
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Stone Edge
In the last slot of this team is the third and last of the group of ultra-defensive counters. The use of Rapid Spin on Starmie is really what has allowed Gyarados to perform this role perfectly. Due partly to Intimidate, Gyarados makes an exceptional switch-in to Scizor and Lucario. Taunt is the mainstay of this set, allowing Gyarados to stop set-ups, especially Curse Snorlax and Empoleon. Importantly, it prevents Blissey from using Thunder Wave and prevents Skarmory from phazing my boosts. Waterfall utilizes STAB and works fine as a secondary Infernape / Heatran counter. Dragon Dance is to transform Gyarados into a late-game sweeper if the opportunity arises. However the last slot is more tentative; originally, Stone Edge was used, as this Gyarados is a counter to DD Salamence even with SR on the field. However, the ability to OHKO Lucario and harm Empoleon was enough to convince me to switch over to Earthquake. Sporadically, I still use Stone Edge. This doesn't help in getting past walls, but breaking walls is not its purpose.
With Gyarados, I have no fear of Scizor + Lucario strategies, as it can handle both effectively with SR support. It has great synergy with Tyranitar, as together they foil both parts of the Pursuit weak Pokemon + Lucario (or one of the variations of this strategy). Scarf Rotom, Gengar, and Latias (somewhat) are commonly used to revenge kill Gyarados, and each are an easy win for Tyranitar. Roserade works well with Gyarados due to all of the easy switch-ins it gets on common Gyarados counters such as Celebi, Vaporeon, and offensive CM Suicune.
The Ev's are crafted to meet the lofty expectations I had set. 216 HP Ev's reaches a total of 385, one more than the maximum leftovers point to yield an odd number indivisible by four (in case that SR could not be removed). The defense investment and nature gives a jump point and allows Gyarados to survive a +0 Outrage from LO Salamence, as well as surviving +2 Stone Edge from Jolly Hyper Cutter Gliscor, each with SR damage accounted for to be safe. Adamant Lucario +1 Close Combat, the most powerful attack most SD Lucarios can muster, only manages 45%. This specific investment gives it the liberty to deal with physical and special Infernape, since it can survive a +1 Infernape Stone Edge and Grass Knot from Mixape does insignificant damage. 44 Ev's in speed yields 209, enough to beat no speed Cresselia and Rotom as well as Lucario after one DD and all Scarf Heatran after 2 DD's. The rest was put into attack, which guarantees an OHKO on Salamence with Stone Edge after SR and LO damage. Without Stone Edge, this is significant as it means that Breloom's Substitute will always be broken if it runs 4 HP (not a bad idea in itself) and standard Breloom's Sub is broken around 83% of the time. As I run EQ more often, I have considered running enough speed to beat standard Empoleon before an Agility so that I can prevent its setup.
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There are a few small things that I've noticed are more of a nuisance than others:
Changes made:
There are other issues, such as LO Starmie, but due to circumstances where it would come in (on Gyarados) allow either Tyranitar or Rotom-w a good switch-in. I don't believe that I missed anything else...
Thanks for reading. Rate / Comment if you so desire. Also, I can change the fonts if it is a nuisance to read.
The success of this team is mediocre as far as a win record. It got a new account up into the 1500's in two days while enduring more losses than I would have liked. I believe it can be improved further; I had this posted on another forum, but few valid suggestions arose.
The team, in short:
Six small sprites for viewing pleasure. I like the second frame view because it's truly awkward and isn't seen quite as much. Now, lets continue to the substance- long walls of text!
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
It's not an original lead, but it remains a solid way to begin the game. Rapid Spin deters SR leads from performing their purpose by Starmie's sheer presence, and if they do, they can be spun away regardless, breaking Sashes in the meantime. Surf is self-explanatory- it hits Heatran, Infernape and Azelf, mainly, and is generally a strong STAB move. Due to poor accuracy, I chose against Hydro Pump, which is mainly for Metagross. Usually I have not missed Hydro Pump; I have decent switch-ins to Scizor and Metagross is completely walled by one of my other Pokemon. In fact, opposing Metagross leads, in recognition that they cannot win, may choose to Explode first turn while I switch to Rotom. Ice Beam has proven itself useful when against Celebi and Latias switch-ins, both of which are 2HKO'ed. In addition, I can revenge kill any Dual-STAB Mixmences that come my way. Originally I was running Recover over Grass Knot, but the prevalence of Swampert leads convinced me that Grass Knot was a needed move. So far, it has proven to be useful as Starmie can function as a revenge killer of Suicune. Thunderbolt was ignored as an option because it wouldn't help against anything but Gyarados, which I already have a good counter for.
I am not completely satisfied with Starmie, as it's prowess at leading has been questionable, and the lack of recovery without dropping an important attacking move is disconcerting. However, the ability to Rapid Spin makes life much, much easier for Gyarados and generally helps my team fulfill its purpose. Starmie's purpose is as much intimidating the opponent as it is performing a purpose- in the first case, Starmie is saved for late game to sweep or revenge kill.
Tyranitar (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP/104 Atk/156 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Tyranitar has lost some effectiveness in Platinum with the use of Bullet Punch Scizor, but it has also brought additional threats, like CM Latias and Rotom, that can be completely stopped by Tyranitar. In addition, the lack of complete Tyranitar counters common on a notable number of teams make it that much easier for him to pull more than his own weight. The simplicity of the moveset belies its effectiveness. The combination of Crunch and Pursuit is a dilemma for Pokemon like Celebi, where they are OHKO'ed with Crunch if it stays in and OHKO'ed by Pursuit if it switches. Perhaps Pursuit is an even more useful tool, since it is easy to figure out the item of Pursuit-weak Pokemon (Scarf Latias, Scarf Gengar, etc.). Earthquake was added to hit Heatran and CM Jirachi, who has the potential to be problematic if Metagross is at low health. Stone Edge is another amazing STAB move that hits Scizor for over 75% each time, ensuring that they cannot switch in again with Stealth Rock on the field.
Tyranitar is part of the defensive combination as tank focused on special defense and maintaining sky-high attack power. Resttalk Tyranitar was not considered here because it seriously lacks power and the necessary coverage that I needed in this slot. First, 252 Ev's were invested in Hp, which ensures survival of CB Scizor Bullet Punch after SR over 90% of the time, as well as contributing to general bulkiness. The SDef Ev's allow him to survive two Surfs from 299 SAtk (Leftovers Starmie) as well as never falling from three consecutive Earth Powers from Timid Heatran after SR. The rest was placed into attack, with an extra point taken from Hp (because it happened to be insignificant in the above objectives) and put into attack to yield a jump point. Overall, this Tyranitar reaches 403 Hp, 544 Attack, and 412 SDef. To give a comparison, this Tyranitar gives up roughly 10% of its power when compared to max attack CB Tar, but is 16% more defensive on the special side.
Thanks to wrecklesswrage for the excellent Tyranitar picture. I assure you, this isn't what happens to Tyranitar on the battlefield though.
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Rotom-w @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/160 Def/96 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Will-o-wisp
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Rotom is an outstanding spin-blocker and is able to wall quite a few Pokemon, including Scizor and Metagross. When considering this, it wasn't necessary to use Overheat or a Choice Scarf, which would (crucially) make Rotom Pursuit weak. Will-O-Wisp and Thunderbolt were essential to be an effective check to Scizor and Metagross. By utilizing Resttalk, it can absorb status and outstall Blissey if need be. Even though it cannot be hit with Thunderbolt, Rotom is capable of beating Mamoswine. Rotom's ability to completely wall Hippowodon and Gliscor has been useful when facing stall teams, since it gives Roserade an easier switch-in. Lucario is unable to set up on Rotom and can be used as a secondary check to Lucario, as it can survive a +1 Crunch (using Gyarados to lower Lucario's attack) from 85%. Furthermore, it can deal with any Lucario that doesn't carry Crunch.
Rotom works well in tandem with Tyranitar, since Scarf Rotom-H will generally try to revenge kill this Rotom if they have nothing else. A NVE Shadow Ball does 8% to Tyranitar, which is rather insignificant. Defensive Latias is also a common switch-in to Rotom, which Tyranitar deals with well. Conversely, Scizor likes to switch into Tyranitar after another Pokemon has died, which Rotom can deal with. As mentioned before, it can switch into Tyranitar counters and disable them enough for Roserade to pick up the pieces.
As for the Ev's, 252 were placed in Hp because Rotom needs all the Hp he can get. At 304, this is Leftovers number, but also a Sandstorm number. Since Stealth Rock will not be on the field too often, the extra damage that would result from it is not a concern. A Bold nature and 160 Ev's were used so that Scizor and others can be dealt with more efficiently before the WoW. It also gives a bonus point with the nature. The rest was placed into SAtk for more power (enough to OHKO 4 Hp Starmie from full health with Thunderbolt) and a confident 2HKO on Vaporeon. I had originally considered placing the extra Ev's in special defense to absorb water attacks better, but the Ev's I currently had to spare along with the physical defense needed for Rotom to perform his duty made this an impractical goal.
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Roserade (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Leech Seed
- Leaf Storm
- Weather Ball
- Sleep Powder
Roserade adds utility to my entire team. With its decent special defense, it makes a more than adequate switch-in to Vaporeon, Suicune and Starmie. Originally, I had used a bulkier form of Roserade with Grass Knot and HP Fire along with Toxic Spikes. However, this fared poorly against offensive CM Suicune, needing excessive SDef to avoid being OHKO'ed by +1 Ice Beam every time. Without speed, he had trouble laying Toxic Spikes (which ended up being useless much of the time, considering how many Pokemon in OU are immune). At the point of conception, this team was having issues getting walled by Blissey. Roserade changes this- in fact, Blissey loses one-on-one with some residual damage. Leech Seed is great for hitting the first switch-ins and is beneficial in the way it heals my next switch-in, assuming no double-switch occurs. Leaf Storm works as a STAB move packing enormous power- enough to OHKO 252 Hp Gliscor with Stealth Rock. Weather Ball may seem like a weird choice, but in Sandstorm it turns into a 100 Base power Rock-type move, which pairs quite nicely with Grass. It hits for an OHKO on unsuspecting Zapdos and Salamence after Stealth Rock while not giving up the ability to hit Scizor and Celebi for decent damage. Furthermore, its effectiveness doesn't diminish when facing Rain Dance teams, being able to hit Bronzong / Jirachi with a 150 base power Water-type move. Sleep Powder is further used to disable switch-ins and prevent Pokemon like Lucario from setting up (since it cannot threaten with an OHKO).
Roserade's ability to disable switch-ins has proven valuable when facing heavy stall, where often the only good switch-in they have is Blissey (an insufficient answer if Sleep Clause has not been activated yet). The Ev spread is very standard, but the speed and special attack are all needed. The lack of bulkiness does not diminish its utility, as with Pokemon like Breloom. Speaking of which, it does decently against Breloom once sleep clause is activated.
In particular, Roserade means that the strategy of Toxic Spikes + set-up Pokemon is foiled. It adds to the immediate power that is one of the strong points of bulky offense.
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Metagross @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP/216 Def/44 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Meteor Mash
- Explosion / Light Screen
- Stealth Rock
Metagross is the second part of the ultra-defensive counters. Its wonderful typing and defensive stats are generally eschewed for a more offensive set. Defensive Metagross has defensive capabilities that exceed that of standard Skarmory, but with more attack power and special defense, in exchange for a lack of reliable healing. However, Metagross functions just fine without recovery due to Explosion. It is my main switch-in to Salamence and Tyranitar and can adequately defeat every variant with little prediction required. In addition, it serves as a back-up counter to Lucario if it is at full health. Earthquake and Meteor Mash offer decent coverage and deal with everything Metagross is supposed to switch into. Explosion is mainly used to take out Suicune and friends when it is low on health. Usually the last slot would have Light Screen, but Tyranitar already takes on most special attackers with ease (with exception of Sub Gengar, who loses to Metagross anyway). That, and Stealth Rock was a needed addition to this team. Metagross is also able to deal with CM Jirachi, DD Kingdra, and Latias effectively.
The defensive Ev's are the key to this set's success. First, Hp is maxed for survivability from both ends of the spectrum. 216 Ev's and an Impish nature are used to have defenses that rival Skarmory. This ensures that +2 LO Close Combat from Lucario will never OHKO from full health. Babiri Tyranitar is also beaten, as +1 Fire Punch is unable to 2HKO. DD Salamence is unable to OHKO with +1 Earthquake, while Metagross does enough to OHKO in return when accounting for SR, LO, and Sandstorm damage. The rest and 4 Ev's from Hp were piled into special defense, allowing Metagross to survive Rash Mixmence Draco Meteor + Fire Blast after switching in on SR. It also helps against Sub Gengar- with Leftovers, Hidden Power: Fire cannot 2HKO, forcing Gengar to continually use Substitute to have a chance at winning. I have considered using Light Screen in order to keep LO Gengar at bay until I can make a proper sacrifice and revenge kill.
Occasionally I have lamented over the lack of power when compared with standard Metagross, but these qualms are forgotten when it performs its job properly.
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Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 216 HP/64 Atk/184 Def/44 Spd
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Stone Edge
In the last slot of this team is the third and last of the group of ultra-defensive counters. The use of Rapid Spin on Starmie is really what has allowed Gyarados to perform this role perfectly. Due partly to Intimidate, Gyarados makes an exceptional switch-in to Scizor and Lucario. Taunt is the mainstay of this set, allowing Gyarados to stop set-ups, especially Curse Snorlax and Empoleon. Importantly, it prevents Blissey from using Thunder Wave and prevents Skarmory from phazing my boosts. Waterfall utilizes STAB and works fine as a secondary Infernape / Heatran counter. Dragon Dance is to transform Gyarados into a late-game sweeper if the opportunity arises. However the last slot is more tentative; originally, Stone Edge was used, as this Gyarados is a counter to DD Salamence even with SR on the field. However, the ability to OHKO Lucario and harm Empoleon was enough to convince me to switch over to Earthquake. Sporadically, I still use Stone Edge. This doesn't help in getting past walls, but breaking walls is not its purpose.
With Gyarados, I have no fear of Scizor + Lucario strategies, as it can handle both effectively with SR support. It has great synergy with Tyranitar, as together they foil both parts of the Pursuit weak Pokemon + Lucario (or one of the variations of this strategy). Scarf Rotom, Gengar, and Latias (somewhat) are commonly used to revenge kill Gyarados, and each are an easy win for Tyranitar. Roserade works well with Gyarados due to all of the easy switch-ins it gets on common Gyarados counters such as Celebi, Vaporeon, and offensive CM Suicune.
The Ev's are crafted to meet the lofty expectations I had set. 216 HP Ev's reaches a total of 385, one more than the maximum leftovers point to yield an odd number indivisible by four (in case that SR could not be removed). The defense investment and nature gives a jump point and allows Gyarados to survive a +0 Outrage from LO Salamence, as well as surviving +2 Stone Edge from Jolly Hyper Cutter Gliscor, each with SR damage accounted for to be safe. Adamant Lucario +1 Close Combat, the most powerful attack most SD Lucarios can muster, only manages 45%. This specific investment gives it the liberty to deal with physical and special Infernape, since it can survive a +1 Infernape Stone Edge and Grass Knot from Mixape does insignificant damage. 44 Ev's in speed yields 209, enough to beat no speed Cresselia and Rotom as well as Lucario after one DD and all Scarf Heatran after 2 DD's. The rest was put into attack, which guarantees an OHKO on Salamence with Stone Edge after SR and LO damage. Without Stone Edge, this is significant as it means that Breloom's Substitute will always be broken if it runs 4 HP (not a bad idea in itself) and standard Breloom's Sub is broken around 83% of the time. As I run EQ more often, I have considered running enough speed to beat standard Empoleon before an Agility so that I can prevent its setup.
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There are a few small things that I've noticed are more of a nuisance than others:
- Celebi. Is hard to kill, especially with reflect, and Tyranitar isn't a great direct switch-in. Rotom-w is able to completely wall it, but it cannot do anything back at all. Starmie can do a lot of damage on the switch, and Thunder Wave versions aren't able to do too much with Natural Cure on my two fastest Pokemon. Still, without Fire or Bug moves, it is kinda hard to take down.
[*]SubToxic Heatran. I have three Pokemon that can deal with Heatran, but none of them can do it repeatedly without caring about Toxic. It can definitely be played around. Heatran has to work to come in, but consequently I have to work to scare it away.
[*]Babiri/Leftovers DD Tar with Earthquake. Since I rely on Metagross as a counter, and Meteor Mash doesn't OHKO (or if it misses), it takes some thinking to get past. Gyarados's Intimidate is incredibly useful in these circumstances, and well-thought out prediction works wonders here if I'm in the circumstances where it is possible to pull off. The Leftovers variants are slightly more annoying.
[*]LO Gengar. Usually requires prediction to get around. Tyranitar is a good initial switch-in, luring Focus Blast to go to Starmie, who outspeeds and kills.
Changes made:
- Put Stone Edge over Earthquake on Gyarados to deal with DDMence more reliably.
There are other issues, such as LO Starmie, but due to circumstances where it would come in (on Gyarados) allow either Tyranitar or Rotom-w a good switch-in. I don't believe that I missed anything else...
Thanks for reading. Rate / Comment if you so desire. Also, I can change the fonts if it is a nuisance to read.
