Checkmate
This team has brought me quite a bit of success on both Beta and Pokemon Showdown. Peaking number eleven on the Beta server with 1537 points and getting first page on numerous alts after the ladder reset losing only twice(once to Princess Bri because of flinchhax ;) and one to a Perish Song team) while also going 26-0 on Pokemon Showdown. It's definitely one my more entertaining teams to play with building off of good synergy and bulky offense utilizing some Pokemon I've been dying to try in this metagame - Baton Pass Celebi and Xatu. Although I don't ladder too much, I've seen variants and carbon copies of this team a few times, some claiming it theirs, so I decided it was high time that I posted this team. I bring to you Checkmate.
Process:
I wanted to make a team around a Banded variant of Tyranitar which I haven't used since Gen 4 so this is where I started.
Every Sand team needs a solid Rain check, the rival of all rivals, in order to be successful in the current Metagame. Specially Defensive Celebi did just that proving to be a wonderful defensive pivot.
Noticing my major Scizor weakness I began to think of something along the lines of Forretress as a good spinner and a great way to set up rocks. However, I realized that Landorus - T did pretty much the same job while also proving to be a defensive partner to Celebi.
Once again realizing how phenomenally weak the team was to Rain and Ice type attacks, Keldeo came into the picture as one of the best Stall breakers in the game. It also hits a wide variety of the meta incredibly hard.
Now looking at the team, I began to wonder what it lacked. It was obviously a good spinner with my team easily crippled by Spikes/TSpikes. I began to go back to Foretress now showing to be great against Dragon types and as a support to Landorus T. However, I began to realize that Ferrothorn would still pose a huge threat - common fare on rain teams so I decided upon Xatu.
Last but not least, Jirachi came to be the steel type that I sought for. It checked Tornadus-T, not banned on Beta, and was my main answer to huge threats like Alakazam and Gengar.
And So Checkmate Was Born.
Changes in bold.This team has brought me quite a bit of success on both Beta and Pokemon Showdown. Peaking number eleven on the Beta server with 1537 points and getting first page on numerous alts after the ladder reset losing only twice(once to Princess Bri because of flinchhax ;) and one to a Perish Song team) while also going 26-0 on Pokemon Showdown. It's definitely one my more entertaining teams to play with building off of good synergy and bulky offense utilizing some Pokemon I've been dying to try in this metagame - Baton Pass Celebi and Xatu. Although I don't ladder too much, I've seen variants and carbon copies of this team a few times, some claiming it theirs, so I decided it was high time that I posted this team. I bring to you Checkmate.
Process:
I wanted to make a team around a Banded variant of Tyranitar which I haven't used since Gen 4 so this is where I started.
Every Sand team needs a solid Rain check, the rival of all rivals, in order to be successful in the current Metagame. Specially Defensive Celebi did just that proving to be a wonderful defensive pivot.
Noticing my major Scizor weakness I began to think of something along the lines of Forretress as a good spinner and a great way to set up rocks. However, I realized that Landorus - T did pretty much the same job while also proving to be a defensive partner to Celebi.
Once again realizing how phenomenally weak the team was to Rain and Ice type attacks, Keldeo came into the picture as one of the best Stall breakers in the game. It also hits a wide variety of the meta incredibly hard.
Now looking at the team, I began to wonder what it lacked. It was obviously a good spinner with my team easily crippled by Spikes/TSpikes. I began to go back to Foretress now showing to be great against Dragon types and as a support to Landorus T. However, I began to realize that Ferrothorn would still pose a huge threat - common fare on rain teams so I decided upon Xatu.
Last but not least, Jirachi came to be the steel type that I sought for. It checked Tornadus-T, not banned on Beta, and was my main answer to huge threats like Alakazam and Gengar.
And So Checkmate Was Born.
..........
King @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 56 SDef / 96 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
The King of Sand, Tyranitar, has been with me on most of my teams since the third generation. It’s effectiveness has never dropped and it is one of my favorite Pokemon for being such a diverse team member and a badass in general. This banded is very effective in that it hits the entirety of the Overused tier very hard even against resistances. He serves as not only my weather starter but also as a bulky yet hard hitting threat. He is able to check many of the Special Attacking threats such as Latias, Latios, Starmie, Celebi, Jolteon, Espeon, and even Volcarona. His ability to effectively trap and kill serves a large purpose for paving the way for the rest of the team to come in and take out the opponent through consistent offense and pivotal moves. Pursuit does this job as the move I utilize the most. It does insane damage despite being Base 40, on non switchers, with the inclusion of Band. Crunch and Stone edge are basic coverage/STAB moves that are great for weakening incoming threats such as Scizor, if they dare to do so, and Dragonite. Finishing off with Superpower, Tyranitar gains extra coverage against opposing Dark types and also Steel types. Lucario and Heatran can’t safely switch in without fearing a quick KO. The only notable factor about the EV’s is the use of 8 speed as opposed to 4. It is really just to take out the usual Band Tyranitars and proves to be effective in outspeeding variants of Lonely Abomasnow both of which can wreak havoc if given the chance.
As many people have suggested - Speedy tyranitar has helped a great deal in checking Jellicent, opposing Tyranitar most of which are running significant speed, and many other defensive threats. Test wise - it has been working wonders.
..........
Queen @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SDef / 40 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Giga Drain
- Calm Mind
- Baton Pass
- Recover
(Kidogo/Ginganinja, I hate you both for posting before me… </3)
Tyranitar’s darling may look cute but she is one feisty gal. Celebi picks things up as my way to check the omnipresent rain teams. Usually, people run the common Tinkerbell Celebi which proves to be a great nuisance in tandem with offensive teams, however, it honestly can’t do much offensively at all, and with that set being so common and each to counter, I decided upon the almost non existent Calm Mind set. If you are running a Rain team without either Jirachi or Ferrothorn, get ready for hell. This thing is not only bulky at the bat but it’s even more so with Special Defense boosts along with being a heavy hitter. Here are some calcs:
+2 0 SpA Celebi Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus-T: 97-114 (32.44 - 38.12%) -- 98.46% chance to 3HKO
+2 0 SpA Celebi Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 108 SpD Tentacruel: 127-150 (34.89 - 41.2%) -- 75.68% chance to 3HKO
+2 0 SpA Celebi Giga Drain vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 75-88 (24.83 - 29.13%) -- possible 4HKO
-
252 SpA Life Orb Landorus Hidden Power Ice vs. +1 252 HP / 216+ SpD Celebi: 91-109 (22.52 - 26.98%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Latios Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 216+ SpD Celebi: 169-201 (41.83 - 49.75%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 252 SpA Thundurus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. +1 252 HP / 216+ SpD Celebi: 164-194 (40.59 - 48.01%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 0 SpA Celebi Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 108 SpD Tentacruel: 127-150 (34.89 - 41.2%) -- 75.68% chance to 3HKO
+2 0 SpA Celebi Giga Drain vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 75-88 (24.83 - 29.13%) -- possible 4HKO
-
252 SpA Life Orb Landorus Hidden Power Ice vs. +1 252 HP / 216+ SpD Celebi: 91-109 (22.52 - 26.98%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Latios Draco Meteor vs. +1 252 HP / 216+ SpD Celebi: 169-201 (41.83 - 49.75%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 252 SpA Thundurus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. +1 252 HP / 216+ SpD Celebi: 164-194 (40.59 - 48.01%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
..........
Rook @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 236 HP / 180 Def / 92 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock
The brute, the mighty, the Rook. Whenever I need a wall to protect the King and Queen, Landorus-T is there. Whenever I need an offensive monster Landorus-T Is there. Honestly, the weight that Landorus-T hold cannot be exchanged with any other Pokemon, literally. My main check to any offensive threat lies in Landorus. The therian form was blessed with the ability Intimidate making it a better defensive threat than Gliscor. Not only this, but it gains access to Stealth Rock which every team surely needs. Moving on, Landorus-T has a versatile moveset through Earthquake and HP Ice doing wonders against the main problems to this team – Scizor, Jirachi, Dragonite, Salamence, Lando-T himself. Being able to take out boosts is a great way for the team to gain momentum and then either taking the opponent out then and there or even switching to an appropriate check – namely Jirachi. I believe that the only definitive factor of this Landorus would be the EV spread which I believe is the best for this particular set. Running at 264 Speed – I haven’t been outrun by a similar Lando-T yet and the way it can also outspeed so many common threats is a sight to behold. Tentacruel gets KO’d off the bat because they are ballsy enough to stay in for a Scald. Breloom? Hell, if it’s at lower than 70% its not hurting anything. Max Speed LO Scizor? Yeah, get 2hkod. Seriously, the only trouble that this has is with Aqua Tail Garchomp in Rain and Hydro Pump Salamence. Nothing can utilize this role as well as Landorus T.
..........
Knight @ Expert Belt
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
When this team lacked a late game sweeper and a major offensive presence, Keldeo galloped down to fill the role. The Knight, cleverly named :3, stomps over the opposing kingdoms through raw power. There is not a single Pokemon that resists every move that Keldeo has… except for Shedinja. As a great offensive core with Tyranitar, Keldeo really benefits with its main counters dealth with which are namely Latias, Starmie, and Celebi. They put an end to Keldeo’s myriad of strong attacks so when they are out of the picture, this cutie causes pandemonium on the playing field. Now, I am not running a typical Keldeo set. I found that in order for this team to preform well, I needed Keldeo to be able to not be hindered by a choice item or 4 move syndrome. So, with Expert Belt, which also catches people off guard by faking a choice set, Keldeo can easily KO most of the Metagame with the amount of Super Effective hits that it gets. Secret Sword and Surf Together are the primary STAB moves and is overall better than running the risk of Hydro Miss. At first glance, this team is incredibly weak to Gyarados, specifically the Moxie variants. So Hidden Power Electric helps with this as it isn’t as common anymore. Many inexperienced players get caught up in trying to set up that they forget about it netting a quick KO on Mr. Shenlong. Icy Wind has been opted over HP Ice due to the fact that HP Elec gives more coverage and the fact that I like the nifty Speed Drop against Latis, sometimes at low enough health for a KO. However, the main reason this specific set was chosen was because it is the primary receiver from Celebi. Instead of running a run of the mill CM set on Keldeo with little coverage, this set up allows me to put just about everything in OHKO range. Most of my wins come from Mid/Late game sweeps from Keldeo after a single CM pass. It’s also nice to boast that I’ve won a game, with a Keldeo sweep, in nine turns which is a record for me. Also, Keldeo happens to serve a purpose of taking on Scarf Politoed as Celebi fears Ice beam along with dealing with Ferrothorn and Scizor, thankfully.
..........
Bishop @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 220 HP / 236 Def / 36 SDef / 16 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
- Toxic
- Roost
The Bishop comes in as the support predicting opponent moves and making them backfire. Xatu is such an underrated Pokemon in the Overused tier. I rarely ever see it outside of Sun teams which isn’t all that fair considering its purpose is extremely valuable. The necessity of a way to get rid of hazards has always followed the team. Although not detrimental, hazards on the field definitely would cost the team many losses considering that Stall can definitely outplay the team otherwise, notably non spinning Sand Stall such as Ninety’s Aromasticity. Proving to be an effective counter to defensive threats such as Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Tentacruel, Xatu is a vital part of the team. Another benefit is that Xatu is great at stopping Jellicent and Sableye cold although Shadow Ball and Foul Play can pose to be irritating at times. B/W 2 brought Xatu Heatwave and for that I am extremely grateful to Gamefreak. Scizor, Forretress, Ferrothorn, Bronzong, or even Abomasnow (Mainy Leech Seed variants) have so much trouble finding a way to get through Xatu on the get go with its decent bulk. All are 1-2hkod and often times, a majority of OU players are unaware of the set that Xatu uses so they expect Thunder Wave, Toxic, Reflect, or even Psychic. However, they are surprised with a quick KO. Surprisingly enough, the game has often come down to only Xatu and Scizor and thankfully Scizor cannot take out a full health Xatu with Bullet Punch :3. U-Turn serves a purpose to get away from Tyranitar and proving to be a great move in scouting opposing Pokemon and trapping the Latis and Celebi occasionally. Toxic and Roost work wonders together as they out offensive threats who try to force their way through Xatu when they can’t get up hazards. The Evs are pretty much to make it phsyically bulky and the Speed Ev’s allow Xatu to outrun max speed Adamant Scizor which is still a problem with constant U-Turning.
..........
Pawn @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
Finally, the Pawn is the annoying little member that just seems to be everywhere threatening a plethora of pieces. Jirachi is hands down one of the best Scarfers for not only this team but the Meta in general. It is the glue of the team making sure that countless Pokemon aren’t trying to set up and proving to be another late game sweeper once its checks are out. The hax is probably the better side to Jirachi – 30% freezes, flinches, and burns are no laughing matter. So it may cause rages but that doesn’t really negatively impact the team. Joking aside, Jirachi usually serves as my primary lead against the majority of teams. It U-turns most of the time, usually in an effort to get weather up and trap an opposing weather starter with Tyranitar. However, as I don’t necessarily like Rocks up with Xatu on the team, I might feel overzealous and Iron Head Tyranitar. Ice Punch and Fire Punch are pretty solid in taking out x4 weaknesses after rocks/prior damage such as Dnite, Salamence, Landorus, Scizor. Iron Head is the move that is so handy in dire times. Flinch hax is just so helpful allowing me to finish off Pokemon without gaining damage getting me a win even when it’s the last one. Also, it is neat to take out U turning Tornadus T who believe they can just leave and recover not expecting a Scarf set. Once Tornadus T is out of the way, Rain teams become significantly less threatening.
Zen Headbutt has been used over Fire Punch because it really alleviates the fact that fighting Pokemon can really set up on this team. It also does a significant amount to Pokemon that don't resist it.
..........
Conclusion
So, this is the end of my second RMT on Smogon and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please rate/critique/comment on the team – I won’t get angry :<… Promise. If you liked the team and or want to use it, why not leave a Luvdisk so I know how many People are testing it and thought the team was good because I really like seeing my teams on the ladder and if it helps you on the ladder, even better!
Importable:
King (Tyranitar) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Queen (Celebi) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SDef / 40 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Giga Drain
- Calm Mind
- Baton Pass
- Recover
Rook (Landorus-T) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 236 HP / 180 Def / 92 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock
Knight (Keldeo-R) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Bishop (Xatu) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 220 HP / 236 Def / 36 SDef / 16 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
- Toxic
- Roost
Pawn (Jirachi) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Queen (Celebi) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SDef / 40 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Giga Drain
- Calm Mind
- Baton Pass
- Recover
Rook (Landorus-T) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 236 HP / 180 Def / 92 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock
Knight (Keldeo-R) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Bishop (Xatu) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 220 HP / 236 Def / 36 SDef / 16 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
- Toxic
- Roost
Pawn (Jirachi) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch