Hello, Hack here with my second RMT. For those of you who don’t know me, I have been playing Ubers for almost a year now, and as Pokémon X and Y is around the corner, I might as well start revealing my secrets to everybody anyway. The team I am sharing today is a hyper offensive Sun team that has made great progress on the Ubers ladders for half a year now. Many players on the Pokémon Showdown! ladder have been given this team by me, so it comes as no surprise if you find it familiar. Ladder accomplishments and tournament victories are objective ways to determine a team’s strength, even though the ladder is bad, there have been a lot of different players who has had success with my team in both ladder play and tournaments. Therefore I feel comfortable saying this team is one of the best I have created. My last Rate My Team was vastly different. Being a stall team, something I viewed as the ultimate playstyle, it had an inherent disadvantage compared to offensive teams, which is that it is prone to bad luck and being specific to counter all threats (which is ultimately an impossible feat) . Therefore, I currently view offense as being the best playstyle in the Ubers metagame.
I am also a player that never builds a team without proper countermeasures against entry hazards. Being a tier in which blocking Rapid Spin is very easy due to the sheer bulk of the Ghost-types, the Ubers tier gives breed to terrific styles of play such as Spike-stacking offense and stall. Having a team with no answer to entry hazards can never be great in my eyes. There are some ways I can classify as having answers to entry hazards, such as having a Rapid Spin user, a Magic Bounce Pokémon, a high amount of offensive presence to hinder entry hazard setters from setting up, a team with Pokémon that are hardly affected a lot by Stealth Rock and Spikes (that is, a team with multiple Levitators) or a combination of the above. The team will feature two criteria of these, namely having an anti-hazard Pokémon as well as sufficient offensive presence.
Team building process:
Admittedly, this team I am about to showcase is not a team I built from scratch. Together with Anik, we took my original team and applied numerous changes to make it what it is today. The original team, which I have used for a long time, is what the current team is based on:
The success of this team on the ladder was mainly built on the premise of the excellent synergy between the three core members Palkia, Groudon and Ho-Oh. I had solid ways to combat threats in the metagame, and Espeon pulled its weight through the support given by its teammates. Given all this, it had a slight weakness to Terrakion, even though Groudon could mostly tank its attacks. Although I felt the team was in a state where I couldn't really improve it without harming the overall structure, CHAMPION LANCE showed me a very interesting set he had been using for his SmashPass team. Now the set was a sort of anti-lead Cloyster, built to combat the Giratina Formes with its Icicle Spear, as well as being able to pull out a very surprising amount of utilities in laying Spikes, using the move Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards, and power itself up for a sweep. This set inspired me to see how insane offensive presense could be a method to keep Stealth Rocks away, as I am a player that cannot stand entry hazards on my side of the field. The set below:
Cloyster (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Shell Smash
By adding Cloyster I had somewhat disrupted the team structure. Espeon's Hidden Power [Fighting] was the main tool for weakening Dialga from the lead spot, allowing a teammate to pick it off later, but this was all gone. Dialga leads seemed very problematic and I decided to use a different Groudon set. It was highly optimized, as it OHKO’d the common support Dialga, while retaining some bulk to check Arceus-Normal. Also, as Espeon somewhat deterred players from just spamming Dark Void with their Darkrai, I now needed a way to make sure Darkrai couldn't have its way. For example, a common play was to lead with Genesect against Darkrai before immediately U-turning out to Espeon to reflect the Dark Void. Anyway, Lum Berry Arceus solved this issue as a quick U-turn from Genesect followed by ExtremeSpeed neutralized Darkrai’s effort completely (note that this strategy only worked vs. Darkrai leads). The sets are found below:
Groudon @ Earth Plate
Trait: Drought
EVs: 176 HP / 220 Atk / 112 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Dragon Tail
Arceus @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 56 Spd / 252 Atk / 200 HP
Adamant Nature
- ExtremeSpeed
- Shadow Claw
- Swords Dance
- Brick Break
However, reducing Groudon's Defense stat made the team vulnerable to being swept by Terrakion, as even the Choice Scarf set could deal loads of damage to the team. The easiest fix was to add Arceus-Ghost instead of Extreme Killer Arceus, but this change reintroduced the issue that this team had with Darkrai leads. I am of the belief that a good team must have an answer to sleep, and without Lum Berry, my early game answer was gone. Following this premise I decided to use Choice Band Ho-Oh as it could easily take the sleep and proceed to destroy Darkrai while sleeping, and I don't regret this change one bit. As I had added Arceus-Ghost, I decided to crank up the Speed on Groudon to the maximum level. Now, I didn't exactly like how weak Palkia was, so the option to use the item Choice Specs was very appealing. Three choice users on a team might be a bit counterproductive, but as the Choice Scarf holder spams U-turn and the Choice Band holder could afford to use high base power moves with little drawbacks, Choice Specs Palkia was tested and it earned a permanent spot on this team. Here is Droughtfest:
A closer look:
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Trait: Drought
EVs: 4 HP 252 Atk 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Dragon Tail
As my team’s weather starter, one would expect the land behemoth to be vital part of this team’s success. As Drought fuels Ho-Oh, the centrepiece of the team, its justification is hardly needed. Groudon is also my Stealth Rock setter, which is of course mandatory for nearly all competitive team (except perhaps full Baton Pass chains and a certain SmashPass team two of my friends made :P). Earthquake is the obvious STAB move and hits really hard with the given EVs. Dialga, a common user of Stealth Rock, is OHKOed unless it has significant defensive investment (and no one should ever use Dialga that way). Ho-Oh appreciates Groudon’s ability to KO the Temporal Pokémon and thus preventing it from using Stealth Rock. Having such offensive presence is exactly what the team needs, and the Speed is maximized so that Groudon can at least Speed-tie with all other neutral-Natured 90 base Speed Pokémon. Groudon outruns Ho-Oh and slays it in one hit with Rock Slide, a move which is preferred over Stone Edge due to its higher Accuracy. Dragon Tail is used to stop Extreme Killer Arceus in a pinch and to pseudo-Haze Pokémon that try to set up on Groudon.
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Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 76 HP 252 Atk 180 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Sleep Talk
Being my personal favorite Uber Pokémon for its ability to be a tank and a wall-breaker with just one set, Ho-Oh is able to destroy my opponents’ team consistently if certain conditions are met. A desperate need for countermeasures to entry hazards (Stealth Rock) is needed, as well as teammates to kill enemy Stealth Rock setters. Normally, I elect to use Espeon for the role of an anti-hazard Pokémon on offensive Sun teams as it is very nifty, but this team works by combining a hyper offensive style of play along with a Cloyster anti-lead to Rapid Spin away hazards if necessary. The EVs grant maximum power and a Speed stat high enough to outpace the standard Rock Polish Groudon and Tailwind Zekrom by one point. The HP EVs ensure that Ho-Oh is never KO’d in two hits by Arceus-Ghost’s Calm Mind-boosted Judgments. Ho-Oh is not frail by any means, especially with Regenerator, which can be abused a lot should Stealth Rock not be up. Sacred Fire and Brave Bird are the obvious STAB moves, and Earthquake is used to heavily damage Pokémon that resist both of the aforementioned attacks, such as Zekrom, Tyranitar, and Dialga in the rain. Sleep Talk is a countermeasure against Darkrai as any of Ho-Oh’s attacks randomly picked while sleeping are very powerful and with few drawbacks.
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Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 4 HP 252 Atk 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes / Toxic Spikes
- Shell Smash
Cloyster is my team’s anti-hazard Pokémon and more often than not, my lead. Using Cloyster is very interesting and requires a lot of planning when scouting your opponent’s team in the Team Preview. If the opponent has a Deoxys-S, Deoxys-A, Groudon, Custap Berry Forretress or simply no countermeasures to entry hazards, Cloyster should be sent out as the lead and played with accordingly. Against Deoxys-S or Deoxys-A use Icicle Spear on the first turn - it will KO the Attack Forme in one hit, while the Speed Forme will take huge damage. If Deoxys-S uses Taunt on that turn, proceed to spam Rapid Spin until it is KOed, but if it setd up entry hazards on that turn, Shell Smash and proceed to Rapid Spin and KO as many Pokémon as possible. If you face a lead Groudon, Icicle Spear to weaken it - if it sets up Stealth Rock on that turn, attempt to Rapid Spin away the hazards or KO depending on the situation. If it attacks, then KO the Groudon with a second Icicle Spear or set up a layer of Spikes on an anticipated switch-out (only if you see the lack of a Rapid Spinner in the opponent’s team). Another way to deal with Groudon is to simply lead with Palkia and OHKO it. Against Custap Berry Forretress, things get tricky: You must break Sturdy and continue to keep hazards off the field by smart playing. I admit it is hard to handle but Leftovers Forretress with Stealth Rock is much worse as Sturdy is harder to break. Thankfully, leftovers Forretress it is a rare lead. Against Darkrai, go with Genesect and U-turn into Ho-Oh. Dialga is troublesome for Cloyster, but Groudon should handle most of these rather nicely. Against all teams without a Rapid Spinner, you should attempt to get up a layer of Spikes, which is really great to weaken the opposing team for an Arceus sweep. If you see it fit, Cloyster can be sacrificed for momentum. After many battles, I tested out Toxic Spikes as well, and it truly deserves a slash. While Spikes's advantages against Ferrothorn, Tentacruel and Heatran are quite obvious, a layer of Toxic Spikes is sometimes just what the team needs to pressure Pokémon without Leftovers. Common examples are Arceus Formes, such as Grass, who are easily worn down, which opens up for a Palkia sweep, or Kyogre as Toxic Spikes will cut Water Spout's power as well aiding the team to win the weather war. Credits for this set goes to CHAMPION LANCE/Ultimate Champion/Pokémon Trainer R as well as Sasha the Master.
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Trait: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP 4 SAtk 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Judgment
- Focus Blast
- Recover
- Calm Mind
Arceus-Ghost is obviously a good sweeper and also a Pokémon used to glue this team together as it can take on a wide range of threats with its awesome bulk in conjunction with Recover. Arceus becomes the tank to lean back on when everything else fails. It is also the sweeper than can turn a match around completely. Terrakion, which was a big threat to the old version of this team, is no more than set-up bait now. The ExtremeSpeed immunity allows my Groudon to be ever faster, because Arceus-Ghost can live one +2 Shadow Claw and try to hit at least one Focus Blast, which it theoretically has a 91 % chance of doing in two attempts. Since all attacks on the team put Extreme Killer Arceus within Focus Blast KO range, especially with entry hazard support, I personally feel that maximum HP investment is the way to go as it eases setup, and the extra power gained from maximizing Special Attack is unnecessary. The moves are self-explanatory, with Recover being the crux of this set as it allows my team to fall back on something sturdy every once in a while. Maximum Speed is usually the best way to go as it is better in Calm Mind wars, and allows Arceus-Ghost to Speed-tie with other maximum Speed support Arceus variants. In the lategame, Arceus-Ghost becomes a fearsome sweeper that sets up very easily against a multitude of threats. One common way to get a very easy set-up is to sacrifice Groudon to Kyogre before sending out Arceus-Ghost and proceeding to get a free Calm Mind.
Alternatively, one could opt for an offensive Calm Mind set consisting of Substitute, Fire Blast, Judgment and Calm Mind. This completely side-steps most support Arceus-Fighting variants, and hits Extremekiller Arceus for good damage with Fire Blast. The downside to this is an added dragon weakness, as Arceus cannot tanks attacks well now. Another bad thing is the set's weakness to sand in general.
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Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP 252 SAtk 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Spacial Rend
- Draco Meteor
- Thunder
- Hydro Pump
Credits to Aless123 (Ike) for this set. After battling him a couple of times on the ladder, it became apparent to me how hard Palkia can hit when it holds a pair of Choice Specs. It can even break Ho-Oh (non-Leftovers) sometimes without Stealth Rock. The EV spread maximizes Palkia’s Speed and Special Attack stat. The move set might seem strange as Fire Blast is absent on a Sun team like this. The reason is because Ferrothorn is seldom used in Sun teams, and because Palkia switches into Kyogre, the weather will be rainy as Ferrothorn attempts to switch in on Palkia. But here is the thing: Hydro Pump 2HKOs Ferrothorn after a layer of Spikes, and deals good damage to Kyogre anyway. Compare this to Fire Blast, which deals nothing to Kyogre, should it predict that move. Basically, Choice Specs Hydro Pump creates a scenario in which prediction is not needed. As for the rest of the set, Spacial Rend is the move I spam the most against Sun teams, and it always 2HKOs support Dialga, which often tries to switch into Palkia in order to set up Stealth Rock. Draco Meteor is the fuck all button and is used in lead scenarios against Groudon, as it OHKOs it. Thunder is another questionable move as I deal so much damage with my STAB moves alone anyway, but the rise of the specially-defensive Kyogre makes Thunder a necessity, and this move also 2HKOs Kyogre that have obtained a Calm Mind boost. What you want to do with Palkia is simple: Smash.
A possible change to make is using a Haban Berry or Lustrous Orb Palkia with Dragon Tail here. As Palkia tends to become set-up fodder for Arceus-Ghost, even when using Choice Specs, Dragon Tail could ease the pressure on Ho-oh and more importantly, Cloyster to do its job.
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Trait: Download
EVs: 248 Atk 8 SAtk 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Flamethrower
Genesect completes this team by fulfilling the role of a revenge-killer. Genesect can mindlessly spam U-turn to deal with Mewtwo, Darkrai, and especially Latias and Latios. Genesect is, in my opinion, a better Choice Scarf holder than Terrakion as it often doesn’t have to lock itself into a move when revenge-killing, thanks to U-turn. Ice Beam is a tool for disposing of Zekrom and Rayquaza, and the given EVs guarantee an OHKO on the latter without the Download-boost. Maximum Speed EVs are all that is needed to outpace 95 base Speed Pokémon that maximize their Speed stat, such as Rayquaza, as well as Speed-tying with other Genesect, which is important as my Genesect has Flamethrower to OHKO opposing Genesect. The maximum Attack investment grants a strong, boosted U-turn against Latias. Iron Head is a great move to spam in a late-game sweep, against some Calm Minding Arceus in an emergency, as well as the notorious Arceus-Rock that can wall many Sun teams easily. Toxic Spikes from Cloyster in combination with Iron Head makes Arceus-Ghost cry. Explosion could round off the set in a blasting manner - with it, Ho-Oh must always be wary of falling before the Pokémon it usually hard walls, but I elected for Flamethrower to get swift KOs against Forretress and friends as well as having a pseudo-STAB move in the Sun against Arceus-Normal. Even though Genesect is a cool lead, it is also quite predictable- and leading against Ho-Oh or Dialga is something to be avoided. Therefore, use the Team Preview wisely and and pick either Groudon or Cloyster, or in the few cases in which doing so is suitable (such as if the opponent has a Darkrai), Genesect.
Conclusion:
Please do try this team. I guarantee that it won't disappoint. Keep in mind that momentum is key when using offensive teams, so do not start the match by shooting yourself in the foot! Use Team Preview wisely and choose your lead accordingly, and from there, make a solid plan leading you to victory. Possible changes include using a Latias instead of Palkia to cover up for support Arceus-Figthing and Groudon better, and Extremekiller Arceus instead of Ghostceus if you feel like priority is your thing. Also, changing EV spreads on some of the Pokémon (making Ho-oh bulker or faster, using Arceus-Ghost with max special attack etc.) is also viable. And you don't have to use three choice users, lustkia goes well on the team, as does Life Orb Ho-oh :) Here is on last look and an importable:
Importable:
Credits:
Imma Fly- Who popularized the idea of Choice Band Ho-Oh within my former clan, Dragon Rush, and therefore inspiring the rest of us to consider using that Pokémon for this team.
Anik- A great friend who suggested many vital changes such as Arceus-Ghost and Choice Band Ho-oh, cleaned up this RMT and whatnot.
CHAMPION LANCE/PTR/Ultimate Champion- Another great friend. The Cloyster set is ingenius.
Sasha the Master- Read above.
Sweep- Great battler and friend alike. The number of matches you have tested the different versions of my team are insane. Thank you!
Kebabe- Bros 4 life.
And all the rest of you who hang out with me, you know who you are.
I am also a player that never builds a team without proper countermeasures against entry hazards. Being a tier in which blocking Rapid Spin is very easy due to the sheer bulk of the Ghost-types, the Ubers tier gives breed to terrific styles of play such as Spike-stacking offense and stall. Having a team with no answer to entry hazards can never be great in my eyes. There are some ways I can classify as having answers to entry hazards, such as having a Rapid Spin user, a Magic Bounce Pokémon, a high amount of offensive presence to hinder entry hazard setters from setting up, a team with Pokémon that are hardly affected a lot by Stealth Rock and Spikes (that is, a team with multiple Levitators) or a combination of the above. The team will feature two criteria of these, namely having an anti-hazard Pokémon as well as sufficient offensive presence.
Team building process:
Admittedly, this team I am about to showcase is not a team I built from scratch. Together with Anik, we took my original team and applied numerous changes to make it what it is today. The original team, which I have used for a long time, is what the current team is based on:
Code:
Groudon @ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 240 Def / 252 HP / 16 Spd
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Tail
Ho-Oh @ Life Orb
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Flame Charge
Palkia @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Spacial Rend
- Fire Blast
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Download
EVs: 224 Spd / 8 SAtk / 252 Atk / 24 HP
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Explosion
Arceus @ Silk Scarf
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 56 Spd / 252 Atk / 200 HP
Adamant Nature
- ExtremeSpeed
- Shadow Claw
- Swords Dance
- Brick Break
Espeon @ Focus Sash
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Psyshock
- Yawn
The success of this team on the ladder was mainly built on the premise of the excellent synergy between the three core members Palkia, Groudon and Ho-Oh. I had solid ways to combat threats in the metagame, and Espeon pulled its weight through the support given by its teammates. Given all this, it had a slight weakness to Terrakion, even though Groudon could mostly tank its attacks. Although I felt the team was in a state where I couldn't really improve it without harming the overall structure, CHAMPION LANCE showed me a very interesting set he had been using for his SmashPass team. Now the set was a sort of anti-lead Cloyster, built to combat the Giratina Formes with its Icicle Spear, as well as being able to pull out a very surprising amount of utilities in laying Spikes, using the move Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards, and power itself up for a sweep. This set inspired me to see how insane offensive presense could be a method to keep Stealth Rocks away, as I am a player that cannot stand entry hazards on my side of the field. The set below:
Cloyster (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Shell Smash
By adding Cloyster I had somewhat disrupted the team structure. Espeon's Hidden Power [Fighting] was the main tool for weakening Dialga from the lead spot, allowing a teammate to pick it off later, but this was all gone. Dialga leads seemed very problematic and I decided to use a different Groudon set. It was highly optimized, as it OHKO’d the common support Dialga, while retaining some bulk to check Arceus-Normal. Also, as Espeon somewhat deterred players from just spamming Dark Void with their Darkrai, I now needed a way to make sure Darkrai couldn't have its way. For example, a common play was to lead with Genesect against Darkrai before immediately U-turning out to Espeon to reflect the Dark Void. Anyway, Lum Berry Arceus solved this issue as a quick U-turn from Genesect followed by ExtremeSpeed neutralized Darkrai’s effort completely (note that this strategy only worked vs. Darkrai leads). The sets are found below:
Groudon @ Earth Plate
Trait: Drought
EVs: 176 HP / 220 Atk / 112 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Dragon Tail
Arceus @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 56 Spd / 252 Atk / 200 HP
Adamant Nature
- ExtremeSpeed
- Shadow Claw
- Swords Dance
- Brick Break
However, reducing Groudon's Defense stat made the team vulnerable to being swept by Terrakion, as even the Choice Scarf set could deal loads of damage to the team. The easiest fix was to add Arceus-Ghost instead of Extreme Killer Arceus, but this change reintroduced the issue that this team had with Darkrai leads. I am of the belief that a good team must have an answer to sleep, and without Lum Berry, my early game answer was gone. Following this premise I decided to use Choice Band Ho-Oh as it could easily take the sleep and proceed to destroy Darkrai while sleeping, and I don't regret this change one bit. As I had added Arceus-Ghost, I decided to crank up the Speed on Groudon to the maximum level. Now, I didn't exactly like how weak Palkia was, so the option to use the item Choice Specs was very appealing. Three choice users on a team might be a bit counterproductive, but as the Choice Scarf holder spams U-turn and the Choice Band holder could afford to use high base power moves with little drawbacks, Choice Specs Palkia was tested and it earned a permanent spot on this team. Here is Droughtfest:
A closer look:
Trait: Drought
EVs: 4 HP 252 Atk 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Dragon Tail
As my team’s weather starter, one would expect the land behemoth to be vital part of this team’s success. As Drought fuels Ho-Oh, the centrepiece of the team, its justification is hardly needed. Groudon is also my Stealth Rock setter, which is of course mandatory for nearly all competitive team (except perhaps full Baton Pass chains and a certain SmashPass team two of my friends made :P). Earthquake is the obvious STAB move and hits really hard with the given EVs. Dialga, a common user of Stealth Rock, is OHKOed unless it has significant defensive investment (and no one should ever use Dialga that way). Ho-Oh appreciates Groudon’s ability to KO the Temporal Pokémon and thus preventing it from using Stealth Rock. Having such offensive presence is exactly what the team needs, and the Speed is maximized so that Groudon can at least Speed-tie with all other neutral-Natured 90 base Speed Pokémon. Groudon outruns Ho-Oh and slays it in one hit with Rock Slide, a move which is preferred over Stone Edge due to its higher Accuracy. Dragon Tail is used to stop Extreme Killer Arceus in a pinch and to pseudo-Haze Pokémon that try to set up on Groudon.
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 76 HP 252 Atk 180 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Sleep Talk
Being my personal favorite Uber Pokémon for its ability to be a tank and a wall-breaker with just one set, Ho-Oh is able to destroy my opponents’ team consistently if certain conditions are met. A desperate need for countermeasures to entry hazards (Stealth Rock) is needed, as well as teammates to kill enemy Stealth Rock setters. Normally, I elect to use Espeon for the role of an anti-hazard Pokémon on offensive Sun teams as it is very nifty, but this team works by combining a hyper offensive style of play along with a Cloyster anti-lead to Rapid Spin away hazards if necessary. The EVs grant maximum power and a Speed stat high enough to outpace the standard Rock Polish Groudon and Tailwind Zekrom by one point. The HP EVs ensure that Ho-Oh is never KO’d in two hits by Arceus-Ghost’s Calm Mind-boosted Judgments. Ho-Oh is not frail by any means, especially with Regenerator, which can be abused a lot should Stealth Rock not be up. Sacred Fire and Brave Bird are the obvious STAB moves, and Earthquake is used to heavily damage Pokémon that resist both of the aforementioned attacks, such as Zekrom, Tyranitar, and Dialga in the rain. Sleep Talk is a countermeasure against Darkrai as any of Ho-Oh’s attacks randomly picked while sleeping are very powerful and with few drawbacks.
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 4 HP 252 Atk 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes / Toxic Spikes
- Shell Smash
Cloyster is my team’s anti-hazard Pokémon and more often than not, my lead. Using Cloyster is very interesting and requires a lot of planning when scouting your opponent’s team in the Team Preview. If the opponent has a Deoxys-S, Deoxys-A, Groudon, Custap Berry Forretress or simply no countermeasures to entry hazards, Cloyster should be sent out as the lead and played with accordingly. Against Deoxys-S or Deoxys-A use Icicle Spear on the first turn - it will KO the Attack Forme in one hit, while the Speed Forme will take huge damage. If Deoxys-S uses Taunt on that turn, proceed to spam Rapid Spin until it is KOed, but if it setd up entry hazards on that turn, Shell Smash and proceed to Rapid Spin and KO as many Pokémon as possible. If you face a lead Groudon, Icicle Spear to weaken it - if it sets up Stealth Rock on that turn, attempt to Rapid Spin away the hazards or KO depending on the situation. If it attacks, then KO the Groudon with a second Icicle Spear or set up a layer of Spikes on an anticipated switch-out (only if you see the lack of a Rapid Spinner in the opponent’s team). Another way to deal with Groudon is to simply lead with Palkia and OHKO it. Against Custap Berry Forretress, things get tricky: You must break Sturdy and continue to keep hazards off the field by smart playing. I admit it is hard to handle but Leftovers Forretress with Stealth Rock is much worse as Sturdy is harder to break. Thankfully, leftovers Forretress it is a rare lead. Against Darkrai, go with Genesect and U-turn into Ho-Oh. Dialga is troublesome for Cloyster, but Groudon should handle most of these rather nicely. Against all teams without a Rapid Spinner, you should attempt to get up a layer of Spikes, which is really great to weaken the opposing team for an Arceus sweep. If you see it fit, Cloyster can be sacrificed for momentum. After many battles, I tested out Toxic Spikes as well, and it truly deserves a slash. While Spikes's advantages against Ferrothorn, Tentacruel and Heatran are quite obvious, a layer of Toxic Spikes is sometimes just what the team needs to pressure Pokémon without Leftovers. Common examples are Arceus Formes, such as Grass, who are easily worn down, which opens up for a Palkia sweep, or Kyogre as Toxic Spikes will cut Water Spout's power as well aiding the team to win the weather war. Credits for this set goes to CHAMPION LANCE/Ultimate Champion/Pokémon Trainer R as well as Sasha the Master.
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP 4 SAtk 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Judgment
- Focus Blast
- Recover
- Calm Mind
Arceus-Ghost is obviously a good sweeper and also a Pokémon used to glue this team together as it can take on a wide range of threats with its awesome bulk in conjunction with Recover. Arceus becomes the tank to lean back on when everything else fails. It is also the sweeper than can turn a match around completely. Terrakion, which was a big threat to the old version of this team, is no more than set-up bait now. The ExtremeSpeed immunity allows my Groudon to be ever faster, because Arceus-Ghost can live one +2 Shadow Claw and try to hit at least one Focus Blast, which it theoretically has a 91 % chance of doing in two attempts. Since all attacks on the team put Extreme Killer Arceus within Focus Blast KO range, especially with entry hazard support, I personally feel that maximum HP investment is the way to go as it eases setup, and the extra power gained from maximizing Special Attack is unnecessary. The moves are self-explanatory, with Recover being the crux of this set as it allows my team to fall back on something sturdy every once in a while. Maximum Speed is usually the best way to go as it is better in Calm Mind wars, and allows Arceus-Ghost to Speed-tie with other maximum Speed support Arceus variants. In the lategame, Arceus-Ghost becomes a fearsome sweeper that sets up very easily against a multitude of threats. One common way to get a very easy set-up is to sacrifice Groudon to Kyogre before sending out Arceus-Ghost and proceeding to get a free Calm Mind.
Alternatively, one could opt for an offensive Calm Mind set consisting of Substitute, Fire Blast, Judgment and Calm Mind. This completely side-steps most support Arceus-Fighting variants, and hits Extremekiller Arceus for good damage with Fire Blast. The downside to this is an added dragon weakness, as Arceus cannot tanks attacks well now. Another bad thing is the set's weakness to sand in general.
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP 252 SAtk 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Spacial Rend
- Draco Meteor
- Thunder
- Hydro Pump
Credits to Aless123 (Ike) for this set. After battling him a couple of times on the ladder, it became apparent to me how hard Palkia can hit when it holds a pair of Choice Specs. It can even break Ho-Oh (non-Leftovers) sometimes without Stealth Rock. The EV spread maximizes Palkia’s Speed and Special Attack stat. The move set might seem strange as Fire Blast is absent on a Sun team like this. The reason is because Ferrothorn is seldom used in Sun teams, and because Palkia switches into Kyogre, the weather will be rainy as Ferrothorn attempts to switch in on Palkia. But here is the thing: Hydro Pump 2HKOs Ferrothorn after a layer of Spikes, and deals good damage to Kyogre anyway. Compare this to Fire Blast, which deals nothing to Kyogre, should it predict that move. Basically, Choice Specs Hydro Pump creates a scenario in which prediction is not needed. As for the rest of the set, Spacial Rend is the move I spam the most against Sun teams, and it always 2HKOs support Dialga, which often tries to switch into Palkia in order to set up Stealth Rock. Draco Meteor is the fuck all button and is used in lead scenarios against Groudon, as it OHKOs it. Thunder is another questionable move as I deal so much damage with my STAB moves alone anyway, but the rise of the specially-defensive Kyogre makes Thunder a necessity, and this move also 2HKOs Kyogre that have obtained a Calm Mind boost. What you want to do with Palkia is simple: Smash.
A possible change to make is using a Haban Berry or Lustrous Orb Palkia with Dragon Tail here. As Palkia tends to become set-up fodder for Arceus-Ghost, even when using Choice Specs, Dragon Tail could ease the pressure on Ho-oh and more importantly, Cloyster to do its job.
Trait: Download
EVs: 248 Atk 8 SAtk 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Flamethrower
Genesect completes this team by fulfilling the role of a revenge-killer. Genesect can mindlessly spam U-turn to deal with Mewtwo, Darkrai, and especially Latias and Latios. Genesect is, in my opinion, a better Choice Scarf holder than Terrakion as it often doesn’t have to lock itself into a move when revenge-killing, thanks to U-turn. Ice Beam is a tool for disposing of Zekrom and Rayquaza, and the given EVs guarantee an OHKO on the latter without the Download-boost. Maximum Speed EVs are all that is needed to outpace 95 base Speed Pokémon that maximize their Speed stat, such as Rayquaza, as well as Speed-tying with other Genesect, which is important as my Genesect has Flamethrower to OHKO opposing Genesect. The maximum Attack investment grants a strong, boosted U-turn against Latias. Iron Head is a great move to spam in a late-game sweep, against some Calm Minding Arceus in an emergency, as well as the notorious Arceus-Rock that can wall many Sun teams easily. Toxic Spikes from Cloyster in combination with Iron Head makes Arceus-Ghost cry. Explosion could round off the set in a blasting manner - with it, Ho-Oh must always be wary of falling before the Pokémon it usually hard walls, but I elected for Flamethrower to get swift KOs against Forretress and friends as well as having a pseudo-STAB move in the Sun against Arceus-Normal. Even though Genesect is a cool lead, it is also quite predictable- and leading against Ho-Oh or Dialga is something to be avoided. Therefore, use the Team Preview wisely and and pick either Groudon or Cloyster, or in the few cases in which doing so is suitable (such as if the opponent has a Darkrai), Genesect.
Conclusion:
Please do try this team. I guarantee that it won't disappoint. Keep in mind that momentum is key when using offensive teams, so do not start the match by shooting yourself in the foot! Use Team Preview wisely and choose your lead accordingly, and from there, make a solid plan leading you to victory. Possible changes include using a Latias instead of Palkia to cover up for support Arceus-Figthing and Groudon better, and Extremekiller Arceus instead of Ghostceus if you feel like priority is your thing. Also, changing EV spreads on some of the Pokémon (making Ho-oh bulker or faster, using Arceus-Ghost with max special attack etc.) is also viable. And you don't have to use three choice users, lustkia goes well on the team, as does Life Orb Ho-oh :) Here is on last look and an importable:
Importable:
Code:
My favorite bird (Ho-Oh) @ Choice Band
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Sleep Talk
My tail is underrated (Groudon) @ Earth Plate
Trait: Drought
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Dragon Tail
I carry lum berry (Cloyster) (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Shell Smash
My dick (Arceus-Ghost) @ Spooky Plate
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Judgment
- Focus Blast
- Recover
- Calm Mind
Because fuck yeah (Palkia) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Spacial Rend
- Draco Meteor
- Thunder
- Hydro Pump
Gotta go fast (Genesect) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Download
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- FlamethrowerImma Fly- Who popularized the idea of Choice Band Ho-Oh within my former clan, Dragon Rush, and therefore inspiring the rest of us to consider using that Pokémon for this team.
Anik- A great friend who suggested many vital changes such as Arceus-Ghost and Choice Band Ho-oh, cleaned up this RMT and whatnot.
CHAMPION LANCE/PTR/Ultimate Champion- Another great friend. The Cloyster set is ingenius.
Sasha the Master- Read above.
Sweep- Great battler and friend alike. The number of matches you have tested the different versions of my team are insane. Thank you!
Kebabe- Bros 4 life.
And all the rest of you who hang out with me, you know who you are.
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. Your Palkia set is pretty solid, however it does faces trouble against other sun teams, particularly sun teams with steel members. To remedy this, I suggest you replace Draco Meteor with Fire Blast to play well in both sun and rain. Since you are running a sun team yourself, if you can maintain your weather, sun-boost spec Fire Blast does a lot of damage without the nasty drop in special attack. The absolute power of Spec Draco Meteor may be tempting, but I find that it is usually not worth it to be at -2, especially considering the dangerous set up sweepers running amok in the uber environment, such as SD Arceus variants and RP Groudon, which currently gives this team major issues if allowed to set up.
