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[toaster04]

One more team I'm going to dump (last post in here i swear). It is focused around the weather Hail. It is known that Hail possesses a myriad of weaknesses in the meta that holds it back as a weather. While Abomasnow matches well against Politoed, it truly cannot handle Fire types, Fighting types, Rock or Steel is wiped in the face by the sheer force of stealth rock. It also faces stiff competition against Sand teams, all of this rounded up holds Hail back as a weather to use in the world of competitive Pokemon. I actually enjoy building Hail teams, regardless of the weaknesses it has. Anyways, the team:

And the importable

Be careful with Sand teams and types like Fire in your matches! Using weathers like Hail comes with careful play- weaken the hazard setter, bring out a bulky Starmie if they whip out a threat. If their rapid spinners and hazard setters are down on a weakened team, then you can use Reuniclus for a Trick Room sweep late-game. For EV investment, Starmie needs as much speed and reasonable bulk it can have to make the cut in hail. Lando-T uses bulk to be a decent pivot (176 def) since it has enough attack for a STAB Earthquake. You're probably questioning "why not Forretress?". My goal here is to keep threats of the hail intact as much as possible so it can be successful. Anyways I'm done writing this huge block of text because I enjoy doing analyses of my teams too much, happy laddering

 

[Caetano93]

Yo guys, coming back to share another 3 crazy builds with you.
Again, these teams have been tested and all 3 of them have positive tour records.
Have fun!


Xatu + SubsDrill

My version of the Xatu sand style that becomes popular in tour recently. Scarf Ttar, def Lando-t and Subs Drill doesn't need explanations as they are absurdly common. Seismitoad here is my best answer to rain and Keldeo (yeah, HP Grass ebelt Keldeo trunces the team, sorry) and it can drop Toxic for Earthquake / Earth Power but in tests it becomes a little passive. Xatu have enough speed EVs to creep max speed Ttar. The Ferrothorn moveset I think is my creation as i have never see anyone runing Shed Shell + Rest before. The reason for it is to destroy any possible that a DragMag / Sand Zone team have to win versus this team and Rest is a move to win end games when my oponent can't x1 Ferro outside of stalling a burn status (this one happens a lot).


Rain Specs Spam

Players have forgotten that Starmie in rain is nuts. This team was designed to explore this to the extreme. Sadly, scarf Lando-t is needed to glue the team together as Latios need the Specs to open holes for Starmie. Def Toad to help versus Mamoswines MU and it can use Encore > Toxic. Ferrothorn standart for double hazards and a sand killer Rachi to defeat fat sand structures (speed to creep jolly Excadrill).


Dusclops!!!

Alongside a Dusclops we have here a pursuitless Ttar, crazy, I know. The ghost mummy here is the team special wall and it form a very curious core with Skarmory and Rotom. Skarmory have EVs to not be 2HKO from a non HP Fire Alakazam after SR. This is important because Tyranitar here is the team most important pokémon as bluffing a Scarf it breaks cores alone. Latios for a good speed control and Heatran for SR with speed EVs to creep modest Magnezone and SpDef Excadrills.

 

[Nalorium]

Hello BWers it's Nalorium!, I am here to share a couple of very curious teams that I have used throughout these months. I hope you like them!


Brinnie

Celebi NP + Torment Skarmory

Celebi with its decent speed and NP makes it a very useful pokemon when it comes to sweeping rival teams, always use it to weaken TTar and allow Latios to sweep or pressure rain teams. Latios, without a doubt the best Pokemon in the tier, is here to stop common threats like Keldeo and serve as the best speed control out there. Tyranitar as your best check in the team to Kzam, Latios and Reuni. Skarmory as everyone already knows Skarmory is the best physical defensive wall and with Rocky Helmet you provide the necessary chip for the team. With torment you avoid being constantly pressured by Focus blast of reuniclus, avoid the constant flinch of Jirachi and Exca, Surfs of Latios among many other situations. The eve in Skarm are to avoid being 2HKO by Alakazam's Focus Blasts and Surfs of Scarf Latios after Rocks. Excadrill use it to remove the annoying hazzards and destroy the rival team thanks to the sand force. Finally Rotom-W to assist in the Rain MUs and burn pesky walls as Ferrothorn


The last desire

THE CRAZIEST SET OF JIRACHI

Trick Flame Orb Jirachi is GREAT for burning Ferrothorn / Landorus / Politoed / Jirachi / Rotom-W, etc. Doom Desire is very useful to prevent Tyranitar or Latios from entering Reuniclus Set-Up, causing the opponent to have to enter Steel or Water if they don't want to take heavy damage from the Doom Desire. In the same way, it serves to generate even more damage to Ferrothorn when it goes to enter the Draco or Surf of Latios and prevent TTar from entering. The EVs of Rachi are to 2HKO Ttar after Rocks and 2HKO Latios, Chomp, Landorus and Reuniclus . Ttar chople to check Psyquics and Thundurus, Landorus Scarf, Specs Latios and Rest Rotom-W to make it more durable against rain MUs.


Fall Breeze

Choice Scarf Kyurem + Thunder Reuniclus

A strange mix of Wallbreakers added to the best core in rain can't mean more than the most bizarre combination in a Rain. Reuniclus with its unique ability to sweep + never missing a thunder thanks to rain, makes it a threat to rival teams, it is made to beat Tornadus, Politoed, Tentacruel and Keldeo, Garchomp, Latios among many others. Scarf Kyurem as a speed control as well as sweeping and breaking an incredible amount of teams thanks to his ice beams. Politoed defensive to help against Excadrill and Mamoswine. Tentacruel as a spinner and Ferrothorn to check dragons and set hazzards. Last but not least is Sub Thundu who is there to get rid of annoying Waters and break teams under his sub.


A wild punch

Choice Band Breloom+ NP Celebi

Banded Breloom + NP Celebi are threats to any kind of team. The offensive power of these two makes the rival run out of defensive options to hold the rest of the Pokemons on the team. Tyranitar the best check to Latios, Alakazam and Reuniclus. Landorus defensive with Stealth Rocks. Scarf Latios as a Speed control for the team and finally Excadrill Sand Force with Rapid Spin.


A 3-Edged Sword

Sceptile Absorb Bulb HO

Sceptile's movepool added to his incredible Speed and Spa makes him a great mon for sweeping teams, let Sceptile enter Pokemons like Politoed, Tentacruel, Rotom-W and Gastrodon when they go to use a water move to break Mamoswine's sub among other occasions. When the Absorb bulb is activated Sceptile will become a machine to break teams and thanks to its ability it will be faster than the entire tier. Garchomp an excellent lead, Mamoswine and Scizor some great wallbreakers. Zone is here to relieve Scizor and Latios of Ferrothorn and Skarmory. Latios your check to Keldeo, Thundurus, Reuniclus and your speed control


Isn't Among Us

Scarf Magnezone + HP Ice Reuniclus

First of all, s/o toytean for the help with the team

This "rock" is made to play against most MUs, it is built around the core of Rocky Spd Skarm + Amoonguss + Magnezone. Thanks to the Rocky Helmet you can chip away at big threats like Landorus, Tyranitar, Garchomp etc. Thanks to Zone this team is able to liquidate with Ferrothorn, Skarmory and Excadrill. Amoonguss is here to help against the Rain MUs. Finally Reuniclus and Latios are made to break the remaining Pokemon.


Brute is the force

Kyuren Power Herb + SD Baton Pass Celebi

This beauty can break any team, the celebi baton gives this team the ability to destroy any team. This team builds on the momentum that Celebi provides, allowing Tornadus, Kyub, and Exca to sweep any kind of team. If you want to exploit this team to the maximum, try to put the rocks + spikes as soon as possible so that Tornadus and Excadrill can knock things out more easily. Politoed's mission is to not let Landorus, Excadrill and Tyranitar stop Celebi from set-up.

 

[toaster04]

Hey guys, it's been a while. I got 3 more teams for you to give a shot again, enjoy!

Water Spout Jellicent Balance

Considering there are lots of mons who are threatening under rain, Choice Specs Jellicent under rain at full health is a really sweet wallbreaker. Early-game Jellicent can nuke a slow hazard setter like Forretress and the like. The star of the show forces switches too, because the Choice Specs set is pretty underrated in the meta now, considering they think you're going to wisp them you can actually get a free turn to kill a mon at full health. Politoed, Gastrodon and Ferrothorn are defensive pokemon meant to spread status and set up hazards freely. Tornadus and Mold Breaker Excadrill have a way to deal with Rotom-Wash to prevent them from pivoting around, and nearly make teams snap their own knees into defeat.

Swords Dance Lucario Sand

Made this to handle rain teams and break through unboosted sweepers through Lucario's Swords Dance. A common core in Tar + Lando and Wash helps the rest of the team gain momentum through Stealth Rock and pivoting in and out. Ferrothorn is here to stack spikes and get rid of mons' items while also slowly stalling threats out with Leech Seed. With the Life Orb, Lucario's brute force reaches a staggering 455 attack, and after a Swords Dance boost, it will guarantee you that the foundation of a team will fall flat on the ground.

Bisharp + Shaymin Sand Balance

This team is designed to naturally set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, and late game Bisharp gets a chance to sweep. Shaymin gets free healing with Natural Cure, increasing its longevity. Hippowdon is one of the sturdiest walls in the game, being able to phaze a variety of threats and allow Bisharp to enter safely. Terrakion is my obligatory Volcarona check, easily taking it out. Bisharp is an underrated threat in the metagame that should not be underestimated, but is often pummeled by Keldeo or Breloom.

Good luck

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

I'm an old BW Staller whose been out of the game now for 6 years, what does the proto-typical stall team even look like these days? Now that Chloro+Drought is banned you don't need a dedicated Venusaur counter and without spore you don't need multiple Breloom counters to sleep sack for it. Last time I was playing I was using Amoon-Bro as a crutch which has now been swept away due to the sleep ban. I don't even know what kind of type archetype I should be starting to toy with.

Don't tell me stall is impossible or some bullshit because that's what they told me 6 years ago and I did it fine.

 

[CalamityGreed]

I'm an old BW Staller whose been out of the game now for 6 years, what does the proto-typical stall team even look like these days? Now that Chloro+Drought is banned you don't need a dedicated Venusaur counter and without spore you don't need multiple Breloom counters to sleep sack for it. Last time I was playing I was using Amoon-Bro as a crutch which has now been swept away due to the sleep ban. I don't even know what kind of type archetype I should be starting to toy with.

Don't tell me stall is impossible or some bullshit because that's what they told me 6 years ago and I did it fine.

Stall Is Pretty Much Sun. ZF also has a Team Dump Where he has some stall team in it to

 

[Caetano93]

I'm an old BW Staller whose been out of the game now for 6 years, what does the proto-typical stall team even look like these days? Now that Chloro+Drought is banned you don't need a dedicated Venusaur counter and without spore you don't need multiple Breloom counters to sleep sack for it. Last time I was playing I was using Amoon-Bro as a crutch which has now been swept away due to the sleep ban. I don't even know what kind of type archetype I should be starting to toy with.

Don't tell me stall is impossible or some bullshit because that's what they told me 6 years ago and I did it fine.

Being honest stall is very dificult to use but can give you an auto win if you have luck at the MU war.

In the last 3 years stall apeared in 3 diferent styles: sun, rain and sand.

Sun stall is a classic and although still usable, got a severe hit with the sleep ban and is around B- in viability.
In this structure you normally will see a defensive Ninetails (with speed to creep adamant Excadrill), Cresselia, Chansey, Excadrill / Tentacruel +2 mons (with Victini, Volcarona, Xatu, Ditto, Gliscor being the most common choices).

Rain stall is dead after the Shadow Tag ban and nobody found a team that work yet.

Sand stall is seeing some tour usage with a build idealized by Dice during the SPL. It uses a core of Hippowdon + Zapdos + Jellicent + Shed Shell Ferrtohorn with the last mons being a Excadrill and an Alakazam. A bit MU fish but it is your best option in the current meta for a good stall team.

 

[toaster04]

Not posting another team for a while because I lost them all
But I wanted to talk about a pretty decent Pokemon that declined in use for a little while, but it still sees some life as it's being used by some advanced players in the metagame and mostly being used on the ladder and in tournaments in general. Set is standard but I messed around with the spread below:

Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 196 HP / 212 Def / 24 SpA / 76 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Slack Off
- Psyshock
- Thunder Wave/Toxic
- Scald

Slowking is pretty awesome against Keldeo, let alone things like Tentacruel in the rain. Slowking is good at taking hits and switching to maintain longevity as long as Stealth Rock + 3 Spikes aren't up, and to activate Regenerator which is an awesome ability for tanks of any kind. But it has been declining in use because its other variant Slowbro is usually preferred over it as it has bulkier physical defenses and isn't subsceptile to Pursuit trapping. Cancelling out the weather is incredibly useful too because Slowking is an obligatory check to a variety of rain sweepers that attempt to flip your momentum upside down. Thunder Wave or Toxic can suit lots of situations; to totally crippling speed reliant mons that can come with great luck, or whittling down brick walls with ease.

The EV spread is quite simple. 212 Defenses help repair its broken physical backbone and 196 HP also maintains longevity with Slack Off + Regen and spinners support it greatly to sport Slowking's great ways of recovery, just like Slowbro! 76 SpD helps maintain its good specially defensive capabilities.

choose wisely

 

[BKC]

If we're talking Slowking, one of my favorite cores on sand teams is Dragon Tail King paired with Leftovers Sand Force Excadrill.

• Exca's Spin helps maximize Regenerator recovery and Slowking's bulk when switching into threats. For example, without Rocks up, Calm Slowking only needs 56 SpDef EVs to never be 2HKOed by Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump in rain, whereas it'd need 180 SpDef to do the same with Rocks up, and SR + Spikes 2HKOes even max SpDef. It also becomes a great Alakazam check and helps a lot against Tornadus (Specs gets scouted and switched around, King can tank Sharp Beak/Lefties sets). Being able to invest in a lot of Defense EVs (200) and not being chipped further by SR means Slowking can escape from Tyranitar far more easily as well.
• Together, they deal with all CM Reuniclus variants. Slowking phazes out any set without Thunder, allowing you to preserve your Tyranitar for it, and Thunder sets run HP Ice so Excadrill eats it alive.
• Speaking of preserving Tyranitar, the combination of the two gives you a solid interim check to Latios.
• The duo can work nicely on weatherless teams as well (with Mold Breaker on Exca), just make sure you have backup against Reuniclus.
• Rotom-Wash annoys both Pokemon, and that's why Poison Heal Breloom is an amazing partner. Ferrothorn and its Spikes are great too, but I tend to favor Loom for its longevity and propensity for dominating Ferrothorn as well as walling Politoed and Tentacruel's Scald + Toxic combination.

Slowking is quite good even without Exca, of course; I just think Exca's Spin elevates it from good to great.

As an aside, the 180 SpDef benchmark is really nice even if you do have Exca, as you can do crazy stuff like survive +1 Volcarona and DTail it out or live Thundurus-T Thunder (technically requires 184 EVs to always live Modest max), allowing you crucial wiggle room to play around dangerous threats as well as having more security against Latios, Alakazam and Tornadus. People run so little Attack on Tyranitar nowadays that you'll be able to escape it just as well.

Slowking can also run a more physically defensive spread, even up to Bold max. It still functions similarly on a game-to-game basis but comes with the benefits of being a lot more secure against stuff like Garchomp, Dragonite, Mamoswine and Terrakion, while not being scared of Tyranitar at all. Of course, you have to watch out for Rain SpecsKeld, which brings me to another move I like on Slowking: Protect, whose recovery in rain lets you relax a bit on the SpDef investment. It doesn't heal in sand, but it's also great for scouting Latios/Kyurem-B (you can sit on Outrage/Dragon Claw but not Fusion Bolt) and messing with burned Rotom. That said, it is nice but you gotta be heads up with your team when you include it over Psyshock. Now, threatening Tentacruel isn't as important if you have Loom (especially on sand), but it should definitely be used if SubCM Keldeo is popping up with more frequency. Actually, for that matter, I tried Psychic a few times and it was quite nice for slamming Bulk Up Breloom.

 

[Samu77]

Any tips for using Rotom-Wash anybody? I see it more and more each day, it's super annoying to me and I think it's got mad potential, I'm just not very good at pairing it with stuff. I don't like using sand very much if that helps any, I'd rather use Weatherless or Rain.

 

[toaster04]

Any tips for using Rotom-Wash anybody? I see it more and more each day, it's super annoying to me and I think it's got mad potential, I'm just not very good at pairing it with stuff. I don't like using sand very much if that helps any, I'd rather use Weatherless or Rain.

You're going to love using this thing, since you mentioned that you'd rather use Weatherless or Rain teams you won't believe how great it functions on those types of playstyles.

By the way, Will-O-Wisp is incredible which makes this thing so good and a rinse and repeat process of pivoting in and out. It definitely has great potential as a pokemon because of it's massive benefits and performance in weather vs. weather battles. If you burn things like ttar and opposing rotom with wisp (bar Ninetales) the game will change a ton. You can opt for Toxic too but I prefer running wisp because if you have a rotom partnered with lati you do not want to miss out on a weakened pursuit from ttar so you can let the rest of your teammates clean. This thing's synergy with rain teams and all types of weather alone is insane. Pain Split is niche as a recovery option if you get chipped too much.

 

[Samu77]

What are the good partners though? I need to make sure I have a solid foundation with it so that I don't just get outplayed because I don't have reliable partners/switch ins?

 

[apesh!t]

What are the good partners though? I need to make sure I have a solid foundation with it so that I don't just get outplayed because I don't have reliable partners/switch ins?

Rotom pairs well with anything that can abuse the things it volt switches on. This is a very broad list, but the three biggest ones that come in on rotom are Breloom(once orb is activated), Latios, and Ferrothorn, So any sort of Pokémon that can abuse these. One of the greatest things about rotom is that it doesn’t really rely on teammates, it supports them. Pretty much just burn stuff and volt your breakers in. Ferrothorn is also a great teammate as rotom volt switching around forces your opponents to switch so spikes are great. It also can check the Latios that rotom invites in so often, and is so threatening to the rain, which is what you want to use. Scizor as well could work if you want a more offensive approach since it can trap Latios.

 

[CalamityGreed]

After SSNL I wanted to post some of my favorites I wanted to a team I used.

https://pokepast.es/4053d431eecdb2ac


I built this team in April when SPL was going on. When ZF was using Scizor on rain. I saw a game with Flame Orb Latios and I came up with this Team. Latios act as a Lure to mons such a Ferrothorn Tyranitar and Jirachi whole being able to still check mons such as Keldeo. The Breloom spread is relatively standard I went with seed bomb because I don't want to be walled by Jellicent and I have Scizor for mons Like Reuniclus. Scarf Keldeo Is a staple on rain. Amazing mon. nothing else to say about it. Cleans games. Now my spinner is Excadrill because the team really struggles with hazards up spikes pressure my scizor. I originally had Jirachi over Excadrill as the rocker but made the swap in the final phases of testing. The Scizor spread is from the BW hub. I can’t remember who posted it, but thank you; this spread is a lot better than my original one. I would also like to thank BKC and Finch in general because their video helped me a lot in my understanding of BW and the BW community as a whole.

 

[FNH]

Reserved (if i may)

Well, we are waiting.

 

[unfunny meme]

hey guys heres a team i usually use
https://pokepast.es/7a053d2ac676c2a6
i use alot of outrage dragons because the only type that resists dragon moves in gen5 are steels and magnezones role is to kill ferrothorn and other steels like skarmory and fortress. I also use mamo to ice shard other dragons that may end in a speed tie with the dragons. Even though it may seem not that good, its a fun team and recommend you try it.

 

[LuckOverSkill]

I have been silent for a while for no real reason but I'm back with more analysis of analyses. Here's my last post for context. I'm going down the VR so it's time to check out Garchomp and Thundurus-T's analyses!

Garchomp's analysis looks quite old judging by the user who wrote it, but it is still amazing. You will find all the information you'll need, so if you are new to BW read it and you will have a much better understanding of how the Pokémon works. The only thing I would change is the order of the sets, since Choice Scarf isn't the best set anymore because of how BW has developed after the sleep ban.

The order in my opinion should be:

1) Swords Dance - Excellent set that is very good at breaking down defensive cores. The beauty of the set is that it works independently of weather or teammates for the most part, so you can tailor it to your needs. Aqua Tail and Dragon Claw are my favorite options for a 4th move. Item wise, both Lum and Yache Berry are great, but I also suggest you try out Gems, just to see Garhomp's sheer power in action.

2) Mixed - Crazy set that works very well, but you want to run this in Sand since you are using a fire move. Chomp is great because it's fast, hits hard with good coverage, and also offers some nice physical bulk even without evs, plus Stealth Rock free up your Tyranitar to check Psychic types better, which is never a bad idea. You can run Outrage over SR if you don't need to get'em up though.

3) Choice Scarf - With all the Protect and Scarf Latios running around this isn't as good as it used to be, but it's still one of the few mons who can revenge kill Volcarona, so consider running this in Hyper Offense teams. It is also still a very capable lategame cleaner, so don't ditch it just because Latios is the FOTM scarfer.

I'd put the other sets in OO - Lead with Sash, Choice Band, and Substitute + Swords Dance, as they are a bit more niche and require specific setup / team structures to abuse well. And Tankchomp is not very good, don't use it.

Thundurus-T's analysis is ancient, don't rely on this to build your BW teams. Thundurus' main set right now is the following one:

Thundurus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 104 HP / 156 Def / 36 SpA / 212 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Substitute
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast

This set helps deal with Breloom while also letting you set up Substitute on defensive Pokémon like Ferrothorn and Jirachi. This gives Rain teams a huge defensive boost while maintaining strong offensive pressure. We figured out we didn't need to run max Special Attack EVs to kill everything with a Pokémon that has 145 base Special Attack.

We have also seen this set run with Agility or Nasty Plot over Focus Blast, usually when hitting Tyranitar and Ferrothorn isn't as important. This gives you better sweeping potential, so it's up to you to figure out whether or not it fits your team.

This is pretty much the only set you will face consistently, although some people are still fond of the old more offensively oriented ones, so don't just assume you aren't facing 331 Speed Thundurus because it can potentially lose you the game. As far as offensive moves, Electric + Fighting + Ice will be the coverage you see 90% of the times, but Grass Knot might pop up every now and then if you are facing a team particularly weak to Gastrodon.

 

[toaster04]

I might as well post some techs I've been tooling around with in my teambuilder. my last few posts included some teams that I've been spamming on the ladder so I decided why not share some fun new sets that can be utilized on the ladder/passive matches. Take a risk for a reward in many situations; I enjoyed exploring these options.

Ferrothorn @ Rawst Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 52 Def / 200 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Protect
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Power Whip

This ferro does two of these things; survives specs lati's draco and allows you to seed and scout for a weaker blow, and bait opposing Rotom that's game changing hungry for inflicting a burn. Rawst Berry remedies the burn and allows you to 2HKO spdef Rotom after the burn is cured. You can then soak the burn with tran in an effort to outspeed and revenge kill it. SpDef Rotoms tend to be fat or hyper fast, so you'd want to figure out how to play around your berry getting used. It loses passive lefties recovery and has to rely on Leech Seed, but that risk reaps the rewards since you'll have an effective Rotom lure after ferro nabs a K.O.

Skarmory @ Shed Shell / Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 244 HP / 152 Def / 112 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
- Spikes

Speed creeps standard SpDef Heatran in an effort to whirlwind it out and prevents Magnezone from getting a K.O. A partner like Gastrodon, Seismitoad or Quagsire is a great switch in to Magnezone since it gets stonewalled by the three no matter what set Magnezone runs. This will enable your skarm to keep spikestacking on things like Hippo, Dragon mons locked into outrage, etc. Rocky Helmet can be run to increase residual damage output and pressure DragMag teams, but if you need to preserve Skarmory throughout the game, Shed Shell is recommended so you can escape Magnezone.

Abomasnow @ Ground Gem
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 Atk / 172 SpA / 84 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Blizzard
- Protect
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake

For all of you Hail memeteamers, this set lures Heatran and Tyranitar. Abomasnow's many weaknesses (Stealth Rock, fighting mons, fire types) makes it stand out way less than the rest of the weather starters. However, if you can predict well enough and force one of the two to switch in, you can potentially nab a 1HKO/2HKO. Blizzard over Ice Shard because you will be doing nothing to bulky lando with shard and you can manage to speed creep Tyranitar's Support set and Earthquake it down. Pretty insane that you won't be getting passive recovery off of sr, but it does a lot for the game imo.

 

[Caetano93]

Ferrothorn @ Rawst Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 52 Def / 200 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Protect
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Power Whip

After seeing this I want to explain why almost all Ferrothorn sets atm uses Knock Off on it moveset and why Leech + Protect is considered bad right now.
Althought in theory Leech Seed and Protect seems good in a defensive Pokémon without a good recovery move, in reality we saw that the lack of support option makes the Leech Ferro loses the mirror MU (oposing Ferrothorn can Knock, up 3 Spikes AND recover HP doing it). Also, Breloom is an amazing Pokémon in the meta that just love the safe switchs Leech Ferro gives it. Another problem is the vast amount of Substitute users we see in the tour games.
Hazard + STAB + Knock Off is the mandatory for any Ferrothorn used in standart Sand / Rain structures to not suck momentum and keep presuring even the oposing defensive walls. The last slot normally is Worry Seed (counter Reuniclus, Gliscor, non Subs Breloom and Magnezone with rain up), another hazard option (for teams without other good SR options), Endeavor (for more agressive passed teams as an option to remove checks and walls) and Rest (in more bulky teams as an diferent win condition once Ferrothorn checks are removed).

Also, please use 208+ SpDef as this value let you hit a jump point in the builder. :)

Skarmory @ Shed Shell / Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 244 HP / 152 Def / 112 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
- Spikes

Shed Shell Skar is used since 2010, this isn't a new tech. Howerver it vanished from tour play because Skarmory need the Rocky helmet to make progress versus pivot Lando-t and Excadrill teams.
You don't need to use so much speed in a non suicide lead Skarmory. Taunt Skar (the one that likes to be a little faster) normally run around 68 Speed EVs to creep SpDef Heatran and Taunt it before it SR and to try to creep other Skarmory. The best BB Skarmory EVs to use atm are 248 HP / 8 Def / 224+ Spd / 28 Spe (the spdef makes you survive 2 Focus Blast from an Alakazam even after SR and you also are not 2hkoes by Rotom-w VS, the speed EVs creep Subs Breloom).

 

[LuckOverSkill]

Rejoice, as I am back with more expert analyses.

Reuniclus' analysis is quite aged, but to be fair the Pokémon hasn't changed much since BW1, though of course an update is in order when an analysis is that old. Offensive Trick Room is a set that's rarely seen anymore, and defensive CM is what you will face most of the times.

Calm Mind + Recover are mandatory, with the 2 attacks varying based on your team, and what you want Reuniclus to do. Psychic / Psyshock + Focus Blast have been the standard since BW1 times, they offer great coverage and Focus Blast helps Reuniclus score kills or severely damage Pokémon like Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Ferrothorn.

Thunder + Hidden Power Ice give Reuniclus better matchup vs certain things like Protect Gliscor, while also allowing it to fish for Paralysis on various things that would easily wall you otherwise, like Jirachi. I find this set better if you want to abuse Reuniclus' longevity, while the previous one feels a bit more centered on opening holes, mostly because Focus Blast has low accuracy and because of the set's overall low PPs compared to the BoltBeam one.

The OTR set still works although it's a lot more niche, so I'd simply swap the two sets in the analysis and slash in Thunder + Hidden Power Ice in the CM one. Other than that, the analysis is pretty good, it just needs a small touch-up.

Magnezone's analysis has been revamped recently, so I have nothing to say about it other than that it's great. Go read it.

As far as Alakazam's analysis goes, it also seems quite old to me, but this Pokémon hasn't changed much, it just needs a little update in its moveslots. First off, I'd argue that there are two "main" Alakazam sets at the moment. Both of them run Focus Sash, but one is more geared towards opening holes for other Psychic types, and is the one running Psychic + Grass Knot + Hidden Power Fire + Focus Blast.

The set is great at forcing damage on important defensive pieces like Tyranitar and Ferrothorn, but is overall worse at revenge killing stuff. No Hidden Power Ice is annoying against Pokémon like Garchomp, Dragonite and Gliscor; the lack of Thunder Wave means Volcarona is going to walk all over your team if you have no other way of dealing with it.

The other set is the one you see on the analysis with some minor tweaks. Personally, I like Psychic + Focus Blast + Hidden Power Ice + Thunder Wave, which is arguably the set you will see most often. It offers good lategame cleaning capabilities, and can stop even deadly sweepers like Volcarona with Focus Sash + Thunder Wave, but you will find yourself relying on Focus Blast more often than anyone would like to.

You can drop Thunder Wave in favor of Shadow Ball or Signal Beam, if you feel like you will need your Alakazam to hit other Psychic types, mostly Starmie and Celebi, as Thunder Wave is great against enemy Alakazam, and neither move does enough to Reuniclus to justify running either over Thunder Wave.

Still, the analysis is pretty good, so give it a read, you won't find horribly outdated info there.

 

[Separation]

Hello BW Community,

Just going to post a couple Celebi teams that I have been using recently.

Psycho Shift Latios and Celebi

If you hate clicking links

Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 68 SpA / 176 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Crunch
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Pursuit

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Scald
- Refresh

Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Earthquake

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Psychic

Latios @ Flame Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 136 HP / 120 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Trick
- Psycho Shift
- Ice Beam

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 160 HP / 72 Atk / 24 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off

This team is really focused around Celebi who seemed as an underutilized pick in the current meta. And it's a bit different from other Celebi builds because this team isn't Baton passing into anything (there is no Baton Pass lol). Celebi has unique typing and decent STAB coverage, plus it's extremely bulky. Its bulk allows for it to check some common rain threat such as Keldeo or Thundurus. Baton pass is viable here as well over to help dodge pursuits from Scizor or Tyranitar, but I prefer not to run it on these 6 as it's generally impossible for Celebi to safely pass into Latios. Also when using Celebi as an attacker, it can have somewhat of 4MSS, Adding baton pass means you have to drop something, and as it stands I can't afford to drop any of the 4 moves it already has.

Latios on this team is a bit different lol. The Flame Orb trick really supplements Celebi well. Psycho shift takes the set from unique to odd, but helps give Latios a second chance at burning another opponent, not to mention it doesn't mean you have to lead Latios and trick every game. It's a bit different of a set, but it seemed to work pretty well on Latios.

Nasty-less Pass Celebi

If you hate clicking links

Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Def / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Reflect Type

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 216 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Giga Drain
- Psychic
- Baton Pass

Keldeo @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Protect
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn

Second Celebi team I built uses it as pivot pass role (though once again I'm not passing anything), to maintain momentum and have a smooth offense that gets Keldeo in as often as possible. Most of the team is self explanatory in the roles they perform. CB Scizor helps vs Psychics looking to wall Keldeo; U-turn helps the team maintain momentum. Starmie here could be replaced with Excadrill, but I kept reflect type Starmie for a generally better MU vs the rain, although vs Skarm-less teams excadrill is probably better at keeping hazards out of play, which is important for a team that is trying to spam pivot moves.


All in all I was happy with these teams and how they performed. To anyone who ends up using them, hopefully you will enjoy them as well.


S/o FNH for the help (actually making this whole posting).

 

[Caetano93]

Competitively relevant guides / threads:

• Introduction to team building
• Viability Rankings
• Compendium
• Sample Teams
• Analyzing team preview
• Strategy Dex
• How to EV your Pokémon

The VR thread linked here is the old v.3, the one that was discontinued.

 

[MANNAT]

In light of the recent video by BKC on dragmag, I wanted to share a somewhat serious set that I've been using on a few dragmags to good success.

Kyurem-Black @ Choice Band
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Fusion Bolt
- Dragon Claw
- Freeze Shock

Traditionally, cb kyub's last moveslot isn't really clicked if ever, so most people tend to toss on ice beam to nab scarf lando-t trying to get cheeky on the switch. Freeze shock is a really interesting tech to use in the last slot because it allows you to force guaranteed kills on predicts against mons that are usually reasonably safe one-time answers, primarily ferro and exca. The idea is that you come in on something that always switches out against you, like ttar (can't sack with lati in the back) and clicking freeze shock predicting the switch to ferro. It comes in and they have a freeze shock incoming with likely nothing that can switch into it safely and are forced to just pick a sack. A lot riskier, but you can use it as exca clicks protect to scout for whether you're locking yourself into outrage or dragon claw and threaten to wipe something off the board. Admittedly the usages of freeze shock are incredibly niche and you're still clicking one of the first three moves 95% of the time, but it's still a fun option to consider.

 

[A Welcome Guest]

Hello guys, just posting this to share a set of my boi Kyurem that I've been doing pretty decently with.



Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 52 HP / 84 SpA / 148 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Tail
- Ice Beam
- Roost

This Kyurem set is great. It notably deals with non-Gyro Ball Ferrothorn, and Rotom-Wash very well due to its Dragon typing, and Substitute + Pressure. Dragon Tail works well in conjunction with hazards, as they wear down Kyurem's checks. The EVs outspeed max speed Landorus-Therian which isn't very necessary in a lot of situations IMO, so you could shift these to another stat. The 148 Special Defense allows your Substitute to always survive 0 Special Attack Gastrodon Earth Power, and 52 HP allows for 404 HP substitutes allowing it to deal with Jellicent, and the blobs (Chansey/Blissey).​

 

[LuckOverSkill]

The VR thread linked here is the old v.3, the one that was discontinued.

Thanks for pointing it out, fixed.