I have always loved teams based on different strategies, so I have developed a strategy that I hope will be succesful. The team building strategy is based on 'cores'. My team will be aiming to represent 3 cores, a sweeper core, a defensive core, and a counter core
Each core will have 3 pokemon, and if you see that 3x3=9. And I can have 3 pokemon on one team, therefore some pokemon will represent and work in 2 cores at the same time. My pokemon on the team will be:
~Tyranitar
~Skarmory
~Gastrodon
~Inferape
~Gengar
~Latios
The three cores consist of:
Defensive Core:
~Tyranitar
~Skarmory
~Gastrodon
Sweeping Core:
~Gengar
~Inferape
~Latios
Counter Core:
~Latios
~Gengar
~Tyranitar
Now the core names speak for themselves, the defensive core revolves around a tight defense and walling the opponent with a combination of typing, moves and sheer tankness. The sweeper core revolves around offense and compliment the defensive core. They are hard hitting, they set up and in general, sweep. However the counter core is something that needs to be explained, the counter core are a set of three pokemon that counter the greatest threats of the metagame, they also (try) to counter the counters of this team, so plans of setup can go smoothly. For example the Gliscor will try to counter any Excadrill that is boosted by
sandstorm which can basically destroy a lot of my team, the Tyranitar is specially based and will (try) counter any special threat without Focus Blast, which means it counters Lati twins and a variant of Thundurus, which of course are threats in themselves. Gengar will try to counter the rest of the pokemon, any randoms, with it's Sub set it can threaten a range of pokemon. However as you can see there are dillemas and holes in my counter core. For instance if my gliscor is gone from an external threat my team is 80% open to Excadrill. So therefore, it in my opinion is the core I want to perfect.
Now onto the pokemon (Also I will refer to my cores often)
SWEEPER CORE
Gengar @ Life Orb
252 Sp.Atk/252 Speed/4 Def
Timid - Levitate
~Substitute
~Pain Split
~Shadow Ball
~Focus Blast
This is quite the standard Pain Split set, the point of this is to basically use a combination of blasting apart sweepers with brute strength, and whittling down tanks then taking them down with brute strength. Substitute to get a guard since admittedly Gengar is quite the frail pokemon, therefore it needs a guard, however the side benefit is that in lowers down Gengar's HP a bit, which in turn allows Pain Split to come into more of an effect, with lesser HP, the more HP that will be 'split'. This allows extra substitutes to occur due to more HP that can be used up. Shadow Ball is a nice strong and reliable STAB hitting off a very good Sp.Atk stat, Focus Blast is to generally cover what Shadow Ball cannot, Normal types, Steel, Dark etc. This move combo offers nice coverage and generally counters a lot of things in the metagame, like Reiunculus and Jellicent, it can destroy sweepers that are slower than it, like Infernape. The reason why it is in the sweeper core is because it is capable of sweeping weakened teams, as it ravages their open special guard. It compliments the other sweepers as with the sweeper core I am able to deal damage on the physical and special side of the spectrum.
Latios @ Choice Scarf Suggested by New World Order, reworked by me
4 HP/ 252 Sp.Atk/ 252 Speed
Modest - Levitate
~Draco Meteor
~Thunderbolt
~Hidden Power Fire
~Psyshock
Latios is a replacement for Gyarados. Latios serves the team in a multitude of ways, it supplies an excellent source of offense, boasting 130 Base special attack, and excellent 110 Speed, with a Choice Scarf it is able to outspeed and defeat Starmie who is a real threat to this team. The reason why there is Modest instead of Timid, is because even with Timid, Excadrill still outspeeds Latios in the sand (only just), and Skarmory deals with Excadrill just fine. The EV spread is quite a basic spread designed to maximise offense and speed. Draco Meteor is a powerful STAB, pseudo used as a hit and run technique, devastating, and OHKO pokemon and even a 2HKO for someone with a resistance. Thunderbolt allows me to effectively deal with Starmie, non-bulky Politoed (and even bulky ones). Vaporeon can be defeated with a combo of sand and Thunderbolt. Hidden power Fire is there to deal with Scizor and the odd Forretress. And for general coverage as well as hitting Venasaur and other grass types, they usually come with sun teams so HP Fire is boosted. Psyshock is there for Blissey and other similar pokemon, again due to Choice Scarf I can bring down Gengar as well. This fits well on my Sweeper Core, once things are beaten down, Latios can provide a sweep, however a real benefit in having Choice Scarf Latios is that if Latios is my last pokemon 90% of the time it will win due to the sheer power of Draco Meteor (in a 1vs1 situation). Therefore Latios is an effective member of my team
Infernape @ Life Orb
192 Atk/64 Sp.Atk/252 Speed
Jolly - Blaze
~Overheat
~Close Combat
~Stone Edge
~U-turn
Inferape is the last and most diverse beast in my sweeper core, it boasts respectable attacking stats both physically and specially. The EV Spread is spread among the attacking stats with physical dominating, the reason why the Infernape is physically oriented is because physical attacks are generally stronger because pokemon generally have a larger (even slightly) Sp.Def stat, the lack of sufficient EVs for Sp.Atk is made up for Overheat's dominating base power. Infernape is more of an early game sweeper, determined to knock some sense into the opponent, then switching out (or U-turning) to a defensive pokemon, then it will come back at another time at the right opportunity, to get a free switch, allowing the opponenet to get cleaned with Close Combat or Overheat. Overheat is a powerful juggernaut STAB, that will OHKO most sweepers and even kill or at least cripple walls without a resistance. Close Combat is the more reliable STAB, which Infernape will use over Overheat if it can, Close Combat will generally follow the Overheat if the pokemon is somehow still standing, after this they should die, however if the pokemon simply cannot be knocked down by Infernape, Inferape can U-turn to switch to another pokemon for the finishing blow. Stone Edge is to hit nasty pokemon like Gyarados and Salamence who otherwise laugh at the attempts Infernape does with his other attacks, with Stone Edge pokemon like those will be crippled or will die depending on previous damage, for if Stealth Rock does come on to the field they have to hope to survive the Stone Edge with 75% health, unless the Salamence or Gyarados are bulky variants they shouldnt stand much of a chance. U-turn is to get the 'hit and run' edge over the opponent, if I know Im faster I will U-turn rather than switch out more of the time, to get a scout on the move that they use to see how they respond to a threat like Infernape. Infernape is a pokemon that attracts pokemon like Salamence and Gyarados like fresh meat, they acknowledge that Infernape will be easy set up bait, especially if bulky, if it is bulky they will be able to get a
Dragon Dance off and proceed to try and destroy my team, therefore due to this issue, Infernape will need support from the defensive core of the team to try and stop any attempts and a sweep.
DEFENSIVE CORE
Skarmory @ Leftovers
252 Atk/232 Def/24 Speed
Impish - Sturdy
~Roost
~Brave Bird
~Spikes
~Whirlwind
This is the start of my defensive core of my team, it is the good old Skarmory, a beast in the 4th gen, to be acknowledged in the 5th gen as sturdy pokemon (pun not intended). It fits well on my team and is generally a good all round defensive pokemon its item is rather self-explanatory, its EV spread reflects the rather standard EV spread (I suck at making them), it gives Skarmory a well rounded physically defensive pokemon, Sturdy is essentail to give Skarmory a chance to make another move. Impish allows me to increase my defenses further, Special Defense is covered by my Tyranitar which will be covered below. My game plan is rather simple with this pokemon take in the physical hits (most of them), lay down some spikes, phaze out pokemon, and switch out to Tyranitar on a special threat that Tyranitar can take down. Roost is to heal Skarmory when it gets weak to possibly get more spikes or to give Skarmory more of a use in its tanking abilities. Brave Bird is a powerful STAB move that Skarmory can utilise when given the chance. Spikes is the team-supporting move, by laying hazards on the field combined with the Stealth Rock that is layed down by Tyranitar, switching will be rather limited essentially putting an obstacle into weather teams because they cannot switch as easily. Whirlwind is there to batter the team around when both hazards are up, or to simply phaze a boosted opponent. Skarmory works well within both the sweeper and defensive core, it provides helpful resistances to absorb the attacks many of my sweepers fear, it also has adequate synergy with Tyranitar, while Tyranitar takes the special attacks (most of them) Skarmory takes the physical ones. It as said above provides hazards, which generally makes the sweeping easier.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
252 HP/252 SpDef/ 4 Speed
Adamant - Sand Stream
~Stealth Rock
~Superpower
~Crunch
~Pursuit
This is the compliment of Skarmory, boasting an awesome Sp.Def stat in Sandstorm coupled with its alread impressive Defense Tyranitar is a sturdy as it can be, while also boasting a very impressive attack stat. However the purpose of Tyranitar in this team is primarily defensive, it also rids the team of any Lati threats by easily dispatching them with the appropriate Crunch or Pursuit. Its EVs maximise its Sp.Def stat as physical abrosption is taken by Skarmory, and it does a better job due to its steel type. However there are a lot of things Skarmory cannot do that Tyranitar can, for example Tyranitar has an impressive attack stat, so even if there is litte or no investment it can still wreck a degree of havoc. Stealth Rock is there to provide the team with support with the entry hazard itself, combined with spikes, the opponent will have a hard time switching in and out. Usually with weakened pokemon, Tyranitar can finish them off even with no Attack investment, or Tyranitar could switch to a pokemon in the sweeper core to setup and finish the job. Superpower allows me to hit fellow (or foe) Tyranitar, and it is this reason why there are 4 EVs in Speed rather than Attack. Standard Sp.Def Tyranitar has 4 EVs in Atk and not Speed. Therefore because mine has it in speed instead I outspeed other Tyranitar with no Speed investment (e.g. Sp.Def Tyranitar). Crunch is a strong reliable STAB move that allows me to OHKO Lati twins if they stay in, or to generally pound the opponent up. Pusruit is there to actually trap and kill and Lati twins or similar threats. The Lati twins along with a lot of other Psychic types and Ghost types are specially offensive Tyranitar can easily absorb moves from the Lati twins, even moves like Surf cannot 2HKO Tyranitar. Tyranitar like Skarmory is very important if not the most important member on my team, it can hit like a tank, take hits like a tank and it counters a lot of the metagame threats, (even if it is a metagame theat itself). That is also why it has a place on my Counter Core which will go into detail below
Gastrodon @ Leftovers Suggested by Jirachi
252 HP/ 4 Def/ 252 SpD
Calm - Storm Drain
~Scald
~Ice Beam
~Toxic
~Recover
Gastrodon is a rather sturdy wall, boasting excellent HP, and backing it up with respectable defenses. Its real use lies within Storm Drain, as it allows me to absorb water attacks with ease, as it boosts its own offenses. The EVs are designed for a real Specially Defensive wall, maximising its stats in that regard. It pulls the job well like Tyranitar however, the advantage Tyranitar has is its ability to hit hard, while Gastrodon's advantage is the ability to work really well in rain. The Grass weakness of this pokemon is very easily covered by Skarmory, and god forbid that Skarmory goes down Gengar, Infernape and Latios can switch in to an extent, so yeah Grass is basically covered for Gastrodon, and that is it's only weakness. It is prone however to set up bait, which can be solved with a timely switch to Skarmory (if applicable) to Whirlwind them away. Scald is better than Surf due to Scald's respectable burn chance, and its not like Gastrodon will do extraordinary damage with Surf anyway, also it provides the good compulsory STAB move of choice. Ice Beam is there for coverage, to hit dragons and the like and even hit the rather common Grass type switch in. Unfortunately this leaves Gastrodon practically open to Empoleon, but Latios can take care of that. Toxic is there to posion pokemon really and Gastrodon does such a role very well, it can cripple opposing walls, without having to resort to the Scald burn chance, and it can shorten the life span of persistently switching sweepers. Recover is there for recovery, as its name suggests it allows me to regain another life for Gastrodon. It works well with the defensive core with my experience it has excellent synergy with Skarmory.
COUNTER CORE:
~Latios
~Gengar
~Tyranitar
Latios is a fast attacker which can shut down many threats to this team, such as Starmie and fast Rain threats, it has good synergy with Tyranitar and to an extent Gengar. Gengar is also a fast opponent however his real treasure lies in his ability to take down non-offensive walls with a combination of Pain Split and Substitute. Politoed is countered by Tyranitar to an extent, only if Tyranitar comes in on Politoed (or at the same time). So it gets the sand up therefore boosting Tyranitar's Sp.Def up to a point where Tyranitar can get the 1-UP on Politoed, same thing with Ninetales except Tyranitar naturally counters Ninetales. That is why Tyranitar is so essential to this team, it has its ability to use weather not to use it, but to prevent others from doing so.
(Quote and idea shamelessly stolen from Dumbledore and the Elder Wand)
Thank you and I will be updating this RMT adding things in, and changing it to whatever is better. I assure you I have been working quite hard to make this team, and decided to use cores as a team building strategy.
Thank You!
Each core will have 3 pokemon, and if you see that 3x3=9. And I can have 3 pokemon on one team, therefore some pokemon will represent and work in 2 cores at the same time. My pokemon on the team will be:
~Tyranitar
~Skarmory
~Gastrodon
~Inferape
~Gengar
~Latios
The three cores consist of:
Defensive Core:
~Tyranitar
~Skarmory
~Gastrodon
Sweeping Core:
~Gengar
~Inferape
~Latios
Counter Core:
~Latios
~Gengar
~Tyranitar
Now the core names speak for themselves, the defensive core revolves around a tight defense and walling the opponent with a combination of typing, moves and sheer tankness. The sweeper core revolves around offense and compliment the defensive core. They are hard hitting, they set up and in general, sweep. However the counter core is something that needs to be explained, the counter core are a set of three pokemon that counter the greatest threats of the metagame, they also (try) to counter the counters of this team, so plans of setup can go smoothly. For example the Gliscor will try to counter any Excadrill that is boosted by
sandstorm which can basically destroy a lot of my team, the Tyranitar is specially based and will (try) counter any special threat without Focus Blast, which means it counters Lati twins and a variant of Thundurus, which of course are threats in themselves. Gengar will try to counter the rest of the pokemon, any randoms, with it's Sub set it can threaten a range of pokemon. However as you can see there are dillemas and holes in my counter core. For instance if my gliscor is gone from an external threat my team is 80% open to Excadrill. So therefore, it in my opinion is the core I want to perfect.
Now onto the pokemon (Also I will refer to my cores often)
SWEEPER CORE
Gengar @ Life Orb
252 Sp.Atk/252 Speed/4 Def
Timid - Levitate
~Substitute
~Pain Split
~Shadow Ball
~Focus Blast
This is quite the standard Pain Split set, the point of this is to basically use a combination of blasting apart sweepers with brute strength, and whittling down tanks then taking them down with brute strength. Substitute to get a guard since admittedly Gengar is quite the frail pokemon, therefore it needs a guard, however the side benefit is that in lowers down Gengar's HP a bit, which in turn allows Pain Split to come into more of an effect, with lesser HP, the more HP that will be 'split'. This allows extra substitutes to occur due to more HP that can be used up. Shadow Ball is a nice strong and reliable STAB hitting off a very good Sp.Atk stat, Focus Blast is to generally cover what Shadow Ball cannot, Normal types, Steel, Dark etc. This move combo offers nice coverage and generally counters a lot of things in the metagame, like Reiunculus and Jellicent, it can destroy sweepers that are slower than it, like Infernape. The reason why it is in the sweeper core is because it is capable of sweeping weakened teams, as it ravages their open special guard. It compliments the other sweepers as with the sweeper core I am able to deal damage on the physical and special side of the spectrum.
Latios @ Choice Scarf Suggested by New World Order, reworked by me
4 HP/ 252 Sp.Atk/ 252 Speed
Modest - Levitate
~Draco Meteor
~Thunderbolt
~Hidden Power Fire
~Psyshock
Infernape @ Life Orb
192 Atk/64 Sp.Atk/252 Speed
Jolly - Blaze
~Overheat
~Close Combat
~Stone Edge
~U-turn
Inferape is the last and most diverse beast in my sweeper core, it boasts respectable attacking stats both physically and specially. The EV Spread is spread among the attacking stats with physical dominating, the reason why the Infernape is physically oriented is because physical attacks are generally stronger because pokemon generally have a larger (even slightly) Sp.Def stat, the lack of sufficient EVs for Sp.Atk is made up for Overheat's dominating base power. Infernape is more of an early game sweeper, determined to knock some sense into the opponent, then switching out (or U-turning) to a defensive pokemon, then it will come back at another time at the right opportunity, to get a free switch, allowing the opponenet to get cleaned with Close Combat or Overheat. Overheat is a powerful juggernaut STAB, that will OHKO most sweepers and even kill or at least cripple walls without a resistance. Close Combat is the more reliable STAB, which Infernape will use over Overheat if it can, Close Combat will generally follow the Overheat if the pokemon is somehow still standing, after this they should die, however if the pokemon simply cannot be knocked down by Infernape, Inferape can U-turn to switch to another pokemon for the finishing blow. Stone Edge is to hit nasty pokemon like Gyarados and Salamence who otherwise laugh at the attempts Infernape does with his other attacks, with Stone Edge pokemon like those will be crippled or will die depending on previous damage, for if Stealth Rock does come on to the field they have to hope to survive the Stone Edge with 75% health, unless the Salamence or Gyarados are bulky variants they shouldnt stand much of a chance. U-turn is to get the 'hit and run' edge over the opponent, if I know Im faster I will U-turn rather than switch out more of the time, to get a scout on the move that they use to see how they respond to a threat like Infernape. Infernape is a pokemon that attracts pokemon like Salamence and Gyarados like fresh meat, they acknowledge that Infernape will be easy set up bait, especially if bulky, if it is bulky they will be able to get a
Dragon Dance off and proceed to try and destroy my team, therefore due to this issue, Infernape will need support from the defensive core of the team to try and stop any attempts and a sweep.
DEFENSIVE CORE
Skarmory @ Leftovers
252 Atk/232 Def/24 Speed
Impish - Sturdy
~Roost
~Brave Bird
~Spikes
~Whirlwind
This is the start of my defensive core of my team, it is the good old Skarmory, a beast in the 4th gen, to be acknowledged in the 5th gen as sturdy pokemon (pun not intended). It fits well on my team and is generally a good all round defensive pokemon its item is rather self-explanatory, its EV spread reflects the rather standard EV spread (I suck at making them), it gives Skarmory a well rounded physically defensive pokemon, Sturdy is essentail to give Skarmory a chance to make another move. Impish allows me to increase my defenses further, Special Defense is covered by my Tyranitar which will be covered below. My game plan is rather simple with this pokemon take in the physical hits (most of them), lay down some spikes, phaze out pokemon, and switch out to Tyranitar on a special threat that Tyranitar can take down. Roost is to heal Skarmory when it gets weak to possibly get more spikes or to give Skarmory more of a use in its tanking abilities. Brave Bird is a powerful STAB move that Skarmory can utilise when given the chance. Spikes is the team-supporting move, by laying hazards on the field combined with the Stealth Rock that is layed down by Tyranitar, switching will be rather limited essentially putting an obstacle into weather teams because they cannot switch as easily. Whirlwind is there to batter the team around when both hazards are up, or to simply phaze a boosted opponent. Skarmory works well within both the sweeper and defensive core, it provides helpful resistances to absorb the attacks many of my sweepers fear, it also has adequate synergy with Tyranitar, while Tyranitar takes the special attacks (most of them) Skarmory takes the physical ones. It as said above provides hazards, which generally makes the sweeping easier.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
252 HP/252 SpDef/ 4 Speed
Adamant - Sand Stream
~Stealth Rock
~Superpower
~Crunch
~Pursuit
This is the compliment of Skarmory, boasting an awesome Sp.Def stat in Sandstorm coupled with its alread impressive Defense Tyranitar is a sturdy as it can be, while also boasting a very impressive attack stat. However the purpose of Tyranitar in this team is primarily defensive, it also rids the team of any Lati threats by easily dispatching them with the appropriate Crunch or Pursuit. Its EVs maximise its Sp.Def stat as physical abrosption is taken by Skarmory, and it does a better job due to its steel type. However there are a lot of things Skarmory cannot do that Tyranitar can, for example Tyranitar has an impressive attack stat, so even if there is litte or no investment it can still wreck a degree of havoc. Stealth Rock is there to provide the team with support with the entry hazard itself, combined with spikes, the opponent will have a hard time switching in and out. Usually with weakened pokemon, Tyranitar can finish them off even with no Attack investment, or Tyranitar could switch to a pokemon in the sweeper core to setup and finish the job. Superpower allows me to hit fellow (or foe) Tyranitar, and it is this reason why there are 4 EVs in Speed rather than Attack. Standard Sp.Def Tyranitar has 4 EVs in Atk and not Speed. Therefore because mine has it in speed instead I outspeed other Tyranitar with no Speed investment (e.g. Sp.Def Tyranitar). Crunch is a strong reliable STAB move that allows me to OHKO Lati twins if they stay in, or to generally pound the opponent up. Pusruit is there to actually trap and kill and Lati twins or similar threats. The Lati twins along with a lot of other Psychic types and Ghost types are specially offensive Tyranitar can easily absorb moves from the Lati twins, even moves like Surf cannot 2HKO Tyranitar. Tyranitar like Skarmory is very important if not the most important member on my team, it can hit like a tank, take hits like a tank and it counters a lot of the metagame threats, (even if it is a metagame theat itself). That is also why it has a place on my Counter Core which will go into detail below
Gastrodon @ Leftovers Suggested by Jirachi
252 HP/ 4 Def/ 252 SpD
Calm - Storm Drain
~Scald
~Ice Beam
~Toxic
~Recover
COUNTER CORE:
~Latios
~Gengar
~Tyranitar
Latios is a fast attacker which can shut down many threats to this team, such as Starmie and fast Rain threats, it has good synergy with Tyranitar and to an extent Gengar. Gengar is also a fast opponent however his real treasure lies in his ability to take down non-offensive walls with a combination of Pain Split and Substitute. Politoed is countered by Tyranitar to an extent, only if Tyranitar comes in on Politoed (or at the same time). So it gets the sand up therefore boosting Tyranitar's Sp.Def up to a point where Tyranitar can get the 1-UP on Politoed, same thing with Ninetales except Tyranitar naturally counters Ninetales. That is why Tyranitar is so essential to this team, it has its ability to use weather not to use it, but to prevent others from doing so.
(Quote and idea shamelessly stolen from Dumbledore and the Elder Wand)
Thank you and I will be updating this RMT adding things in, and changing it to whatever is better. I assure you I have been working quite hard to make this team, and decided to use cores as a team building strategy.
Thank You!
