Background
Hello, my name is Kudou Shinichi. I started playing competitive Pokemon at the very end of Gen 4, but the majority of my time playing Pokemon was spent during the 5th gen metagame, which I played until the very end. However, Pokemon became kind of stale at the end of the 5th gen meta, so I grew bored of the game and took a break when gen 6 came out through X and Y. I came back into the game about 2 months ago, and I still haven't fully adapted to the new meta as much as I would like, but I'll try my best for this RMT =). I hope you enjoy, and any criticism or advice is accepted and appreciated.
Hello, my name is Kudou Shinichi. I started playing competitive Pokemon at the very end of Gen 4, but the majority of my time playing Pokemon was spent during the 5th gen metagame, which I played until the very end. However, Pokemon became kind of stale at the end of the 5th gen meta, so I grew bored of the game and took a break when gen 6 came out through X and Y. I came back into the game about 2 months ago, and I still haven't fully adapted to the new meta as much as I would like, but I'll try my best for this RMT =). I hope you enjoy, and any criticism or advice is accepted and appreciated.
The Team
Rotom-Wash @Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: No
EVs: 248 HP/216 Def/44 Spe
Bold Nature
-Volt Switch
-Hydro Pump
-Rest
-Will-O-Wisp
Ah, Rotom-Wash, the most versatile Pokemon in the game. Rotom-W is the glue of this team, serving as a pivot switch, bird spam counter, ice resist, and part of the defensive core of this team. As part of the volt-turn combo, Rotom-Wash's main purpose is to act as a pivot, and get my threats in safely, while countering Lando-T and SD Scizor in particular, which can cause some problems for the rest of the team. Volt Switch and Hydro Pump are the two main stab moves which give Rotom some threat, and are pretty much standard on every Rotom-W set. I chose Volt Switch over Thunderbolt because I prefer maintaining the momentum, and also because my team can handle sub Gyarados pretty well. Will-O-Wisp is important on any Rotom set because it cripples physical attackers, and also provides helpful status on other Pokemon. I chose Resto-Chesto to pain split because I needed a Pokemon that could absorb status, as Mega Alakazam loses its Magic Guard ability upon Mega evolving, although I do believe the Lefty's + Pain Split set would also work, as Rotom would still perform its main job on the team.
Alakazam @Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard/Trace (upon mega evolving)
Shiny: No
EVs: 252 SpA/252 Spe/4 HP
Modest Nature
-Substitute
-Psyshock
-Shadow Ball
-Focus Blast
The main man, the team player bringing spoons for the rest of the team, and a glorious beard/mustache to boot. I chose Mega Alakazam because I wanted a Pokemon that would hit ridiculously hard from the special side. I believe Mega Alakazam is one of the most underrated threats in today's meta. He has insane coverage, blistering speed, ridiculous special attack, and is almost uncounterable (is that a word?). I chose Modest nature to Timid because I wanted raw power, although it is a matter of preference in my opinion, so feel free to use Timid nature if it so suits you. Unfortunately, Alakazam loses magic guard when it is mega evolving, which is a great ability. Trace is not the worst ability, but about 90% of the time it will be completely useless when taking into account Alakazam's job of revenge killing and punching holes in the enemy team. I chose substitute over Calm Mind or another coverage move because of the sheer amount of threat Mega Alakazam holds, meaning that it will force a lot of switches, which can be capitalized upon. Also, Mega Alakazam is not too common, so some opponents might not expect it. Finally, sub can be used in mind games ie. Bisharp/any other sucker punch user. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast are a classic combo, which provide insane coverage for any Pokemon. An alternative to Focus Blast would be Dazzling gleam, which can be more useful in some cases. Finally, I chose Psyshock over Psychic because I wanted a better way to deal with the blobs (Chansey and Blissey) as the only option for hitting them on the physical side would be Lando-T, wihch isn't renowned for its blob killing powers. It's also just nice being able to hit from both sides, although if you prefer psychic, go for it.
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: No
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 Def
Jolly Nature
-Earthquake
-U-turn
-Knock Off
-Stone Edge
Landorus-T is the other half of the pivot core, also a bird spam check, and also my scarfer on the team. It provides offensive threat and speed, which are both needed on the team. Intimidate is very nice, as it allows Lando-T to take some hits on the physical side despite being an offensive Pokemon. Its job is to revenge kill Pokes that Alakazam can't outspeed, as well as just being a solid pivot to get Mega Alakazam on the field. Jolly Nature is needed as Lando-T needs to be as fast as possible, and its base speed isn't NASCAR level. Earthquake is the main STAB move, and coming off of Lando-T's massive 145 base attack, it will hurt anything that doesn't resist/is immune to it. U-turn is nice as you can maintain momentum. Knock Off is (the most annoying move in the game) a nice utility move, as you can get rid of items all while dealing a hefty chunk of damage. Finally, Stone Edge is just nice coverage, as it lets you hit those ever annoying birds.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Shiny: No
EVs: 252 HP/88 Def/168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
-Stealth Rocks
-Spikes
-Leech Seed
-Gyro Ball
Standard.Ferrothorn. Since its introduction in 5th gen, Ferrothorn has always been a premier defensive monster, and a staple on most teams. Ferrothorn is part of the defensive core of the team, as well as the main steel type. Generally, it can take almost any hit in the game, even fire type moves. On my team, its main purpose is to lay down the hazards, as hazards are very important for Mega Alakazam because, as powerful as it is, it can't OHKO threats it needs to OHKO. Hazards help because they weaken the team upon switch in, which can lead to those OHKOs that Mega Alakazam needs. Other than that, Ferrothorn is useful for taking hits from Dragons, as well as fairies. The EV spread is for max tanky annoyingness. Stealth Rocks and Spikes, as said before, are needed for my team. Leech seed provides a form of recovery, while sapping away at the opponents health. Finally, Gyro ball is chosen because it can deal with fairies and dragons that set up with speed. However, Power Whip is also a nice choice as it deals with Rotom-W in particular, and other water types. An option on this team is to switch Stealth Rocks to Heatran and have a status move such as Thunder Wave, but I prefer leaving those slots on Heatran for other useful moves.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP/248 SpD/8 Spe
Calm Nature
-Lava Plume
-Toxic
-Taunt
-Roar
Heatran is the third member of my defensive core, as it rounds out the classic fire-water-grass core, as well as spreading status, and being my only threat to grass types. In addition to this, it adds a nice bonus in the fact that it can absorb fire type attacks, which is essential for my team. As the other steel type on the team, Heatran can deal with dragons to some extent, although most physical dragons have some way of dealing with it. However, Heatran is the only Pokemon on my team that can effectively deal with Lati@s, so it is essential. Also, this is my way of dealing with Mega Sabaleye, as I will hope to burn it while taking its hits. The extra 4 speed EVs are there so I can speed creep other SP defensive Heatrans, and hit them with a Taunt/Earth Power. Lava plume is essential because of the high burn chance, as well as being a nice STAB move. Toxic is used to deal with bulky waters, as well as any other threat that you would rather have toxiced then burned. As mentioned above, an alternative to Taunt would be Earth Power, as you could deal with other Heatran. Although I hate slow taunters, I feel that it is needed on my team as my team needs a good way to break stall. Finally, Roar is nice to phase out those set up sweepers, which can cause problems to my relatively slow team.
Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: No
EVs: 248 HP/178 Def/68 SpA/16 Spe
Bold Nature
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power Ice
-Roost
-Defog
The last member of the team, as well as the last member of the defensive core, Zapdos is important because it provides an alternative to Lando-T when taking on fighting types and bird spam. Together with Ferrothorn and Heatran, Zapdos forms a solid defensive core. This is my other way of dealing with Scizor and Lando-T, and Zapdos is bulky enough to take some hits from dragons as well. Rocky Helmet is nice because of the extra damage that physical attackers will be taking when they use contact moves. Thunderbolt is Zapdos's strong STAB move, and gets nice coverage when paired with HP ice. HP ice is mainly used to deal with dragons like Dnite and Garchomp, while it also hits ground types, Lando-T in particular. Roost is Zapdos's form of recovery, and is necessary as Zados is not holding leftovers. Finally, defog provides nice support, even though my team doesn't really mind hazards too much. That being said, be careful when using defog, as sometimes having your hazards on the opponent's team is more beneficial then taking them off your side.
The Threats
Keldeo is a threat to my team no matter what item it is holding. Nothing on my team can take both of its dual stab very well. If it is specs Keldeo, it can be easily revenge killed by Alakazam IF YOU HAVE ALREADY MEGA EVOLVED. Scarf Keldeo will outspeed everything on my team, but fortunately, it doesn't hit as hard as specs, and when you find out what it is locked into, you can adjust accordingly. Sub CM Keldeo is more of a problem, as you will have to play around the sub and get in Alakazam to revenge kill it. Also, beware of Ebelt Keldeo, as if you assume it's choiced, it can catch you off guard.
Charizard, the most annoying Pokemon in the game IMO. Try to keep Stealth Rocks on the field if possible. Once it gets in, scout which form it is. Lando-T can check both forms relatively well, assuming ZardX doesn't have 10 billion DDs up. In general, play around which ever form it is and revenge it with Lando-T
Mega Sableye can be a big threat to my team, and most teams in general. My way of dealing with it is going into Heatran and spamming lava plume until it burns, and hope by that point it doesn't have 10 billion boosts. After that I'd have to sac something and pressure it with Lando-T
Replay of how I dealt with this Sableye:
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-221642652
Still more to come...
Last thoughts
Thank you very much for reading this RMT. As stated before, any criticism/advice is appreciated. I do believe that Mega Alakazam is a strong threat and could be used more. I hope you enjoy using the team if you do so choose to test it, and I hope you can improve upon it, as long as you don't beat me on the ladder with the new and improved team :]. Have Fun!
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