At a glance:
Hey, Smogon, I'm back with a team I've been using and slowly altering for months. It plays like a dream, and I love it to death. The idea is that every member of the team is an immediate threat to be dealt with, keeping pressure on the opponent and hopefully getting him off-balance enough to get Gyarados a Dragon Dance or Raikou a Calm Mind and sweep.
If you read my last RMT for "Team Econ" (unlikely), then I'll save you a lot of time and tell you that this is just that team, but with Raikou replacing Jirachi, Gyarados changed to a more bulky Tauntrados, Latias becoming Timid, and a few EV tweaks on Empoleon and Scizor.
Without further ado, onto the team!
Empoleon@Shuca Berry
Modest; 148 HP / 252 SpA / 108 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Aqua Jet
-Grass Knot
-Stealth Rock
Shuca Berry Lead Empoleon. I'm amazed I don't see more of these, because lead Empoleon beats almost every popular lead; suicide leads are KOed by Hydro Pump + Aqua Jet, and bulky leads can't take two Hydro Pumps, while Shuca Berry ensures that it doesn't get KOed by an Earthquake from any common lead. Grass Knot makes the cut over Ice Beam because it OHKOs Swampert, which this team doesn't like facing, and because dragons aren't a big problem with Scizor and a Scarfed Latias to keep them in check. After the opening turns, Empoleon is great for taking Ice Beams and Bullet Punches that give Salamence and Latias trouble. Special Attack is maxed out for sheer power; 108 speed EVs brings Empoleon to 183 Speed, outspeeding standard Skarmory and most Metagross, Tyranitar, and Machamp, which is a godsend; and the rest go in HP for bulk.
Infernape, Roserade, Smeargle, and Machamp are about the only commonly seen leads Empoleon has trouble with; Infernape is handled by Latias, while the sleep leads have their sashes broken with Aqua Jet before being killed off by Salamence. Machamp is probably the biggest problem: Even though Empoleon moves first, Hydro Pump fails to KO (doing 61% max), and Dynamicpunch OHKOs; meanwhile, nothing on my team can OHKO Machamp, so I typically have to sacrifice Empoleon to dent Machamp with Hydro Pump before killing it with a Draco Meteor from Salamence.
Salamence@Life Orb
Naive; 68 Atk / 252 SpA / 188 Spe
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
MixMence is this team's heavy hitter, and he lives up to his role beautifully. Even though everyone and their mother has a Scizor or a Latias to revenge him, he still rampages over many a team; the damage potential of Outrage and Draco Meteor allow Salamence to cause problems even for teams that are prepared for it. Earthquake and Fire Blast for coverage; I use Fire Blast over Flamethrower because the latter misses some KOs, such as the OHKO on Scizor at -2.
I'm not using the standard spread because I don't like risking Salamence on a speed tie, so max speed isn't necessary; instead, I run enough to outrun max speed +natured base 90s, plus three extra points to outspeed various "clever" spreads at 309 or 310 speed. Max Special Attack because I'm using Draco Meteor more often than the rest of its moves combined, and the rest goes into Attack. This spread gives it enough power to OHKO and 2HKO many important walls and other threats with the relevant moves, most importantly Skarmory (Standard Skarm is OHKOed with Fire Blast and is KOed by a -2 Fire Blast after switching in on a Draco Meteor), Blissey (Max/Max Blissey is always 2HKOed by Outrage, and any Blissey is usually KOed by Outrage after switching in on a Draco Meteor), and Gyarados (which is OHKOed by Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock).
Scizor@Choice Band
Adamant; 248 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
-Bullet Punch
-U-Turn
-Superpower
-Pursuit
What is there to say about Scizor that hasn't been said already by so many other, better players? It scouts well and revenge-kills beautifully; I suppose I use Superpower and Pursuit occasionally, but STAB U-turn and STAB Technician Bullet Punch are the reasons that Scizor is here. Scizor loves that half the team resists Fire, its only weakness, so safety is always an easy switch or preemptive U-Turn away, and the rest of my team loves its resistances, especially to Dragon and Ice. It also checks a good number of otherwise problem Pokemon, most importantly to Tyranitar, Latias, Gengar, Celebi, and non-lead Azelf.
Max Attack and 248 HP is standard, but I moved one point of Speed to Special Defense so that it gets to U-Turn second against opposing Scizor but still outspeeds any base 65 that doesn't invest in speed, such as most Umbreon and the occasional 0 speed Vaporeon.
Latias@Choice Scarf
Timid; 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-Draco Meteor
-Thunderbolt
-Surf
-Trick
Latias is the suede elbows for this team's tweed jacket; she holds it together, protects it from some scary things, and in general makes it that much more comfortable and fun to use. She checks/counters a multitude of things that would cause my team troubles. Latias' main job is to revenge-kill DD Gyarados and bulky DD Salamence even after a boost, either of which would otherwise rampage my team; being able to outspeed most Agility users and Scarfers is just gravy. Timid and Max Speed to outspeed everything up to and including +1 max speed positive nature base 100s, most importantly DD Salamence and Scarf Flygon; max Special Attack is self-explanatory. Draco Meteor and Thunderbolt allow Latias to do its main jobs, KOing Salamence and Gyarados, respectively; Surf gives Latias perfect neutral coverage; and Trick cripples walls.
Raikou@Life Orb
Timid; 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power Fighting
-Calm Mind
Raikou is an amazing special sweeper for this team; he's fast and powerful, and he finds many opportunities to set up. Offensive Calm Mind Raikou is so very simple on its own, but Raikou fits in this team in a truly dynamic, synergistic way, making him one of the most lethal Pokemon I could use. Raikou can set up on a number of Pokemon that give other team members trouble, such as Scizor locked into Bullet Punch, Magnezone locked into Thunderbolt or HP Fire, choiced Latias (especially after a Draco Meteor), and most bulky waters, especially Suicune. Meanwhile, Raikou's biggest counters are handled easily by the rest of the team: Scizor and mixed Salamence cause trouble for special walls like Blissey and Snorlax; Empoleon outspeeds and OHKOs lead Swamperts (which covers most of them); and Latias KOs scarfed Flygon. Scizor handles Tyranitar well, but its assistance normally isn't needed if Tyranitar doesn't carry a Choice Scarf, as even an unboosted HP Fighting does a great deal of damage to most Tyranitar, and it OHKOs all but the bulkiest Tyranitar after a Calm Mind.
The EVs are self-explanatory; they allow Raikou to hit as hard and outspeed as many things as possible. The 30 Speed IV that HP Fighting requires is a bummer, as it means Raikou is outsped by Pokemon it would normally speed-tie, such as Starmie and Azelf, but they are (hopefully) handled by the rest of the team, and Raikou is still fast enough to outspeed everything up to positive-natured base 110s and scarfed base 70s.
Gyarados@Leftovers
Adamant; 156 HP / 168 Atk / 184 Spe
-Waterfall
-Frustration
-Dragon Dance
-Taunt
Oh, how wonderful Gyarados is; I'm still finding out how many teams I face are Gyara-weak. He hits incredibly hard and compliments the rest of the team nicely; he takes on Infernape that come for Empoleon, Scizor that try to prey on Latias and Salamence, and many fire attacks aimed at Scizor; meanwhile, his teammates (especially Scizor and Raikou) are well-equipped to take out Celebi, bulky waters, and scarfed Latias that many use to check him.
I'm using a bulky Tauntrados over any other variant for a few reasons. First, this team is somewhat Scizor-weak, so I want Gyarados to be bulky enough to counter Scizor and still be in shape to sweep. Its bulk also allows it to survive the occasional last-ditch revenge kill that 2HKOs offensive Gyarados, such as Heatran Fire Blast. Second, Taunt allows Gyarados to neutralize a few of his counters, which often gives him the chance to get a second Dragon Dance, assuring a KO on just about everything. The most important things Taunt stops are Whirlwind from Skarmory, and Roar from Swampert, neither of which pose much of an offensive threat to Gyarados. Taunt also prevents defensive Celebi from using Thunder Wave, and Grass Knot, Celebi's other method of taking down Gyarados, fails to 2HKO (doing 40.4% max) due to Gyarados' bulk and leftovers recovery.
I find this spread to be the best compromise between bulk and power: 184 Speed EVs ensures Gyarados outspeeds positive-natured base 115s, most importantly to get the jump on Starmie; 156 HP ensures that standard Scarftran's Fire Blast is never a 2HKO; and the rest go in Attack to hit things even harder. The spread was originally the standard bulky spread (156 HP / 72 Atk / 96 Def / 184 Speed), but as the Defense EVs are there almost exclusively to survive two Scizor Quick Attacks, and Scizor doesn't run Quick Attack nearly often enough for me to care, I moved the Defense EVs to Attack for extra power.
----
There's the team, in all its glory. I like to pretend it's perfect, but it's certainly got its weaknesses. Even though I switched from Jirachi to Raikou mainly to combat this problem, the team still has problems with strong users of electric moves. Rotom-A, especially with a Choice Scarf, is the bane of this team, as it makes life very difficult for Gyarados, Scizor, Salamence, and Empoleon. The only pokemon I have that's fast enough to kill it without risking harm to itself is Latias, and she doesn't appreciate taking a dent from Shadow Ball. Jolteon and Magnezone are also typically problems, as well as Agiligross that carry Thunderpunch (which is most of them). Tyranitar is usually a pain, but manageable; however, it becomes a problem when carrying a Choice Scarf, as it threatens Latias, Salamence, and Gyarados, while outspeeding and OHKOing Raikou (which is normally safe from Tyranitar with its HP Fighting). Starmie is also a problem. I have to rely on Raikou to scare it off, as Latias' Thunderbolt isn't powerful enough to OHKO all the time; if Raikou is KOed, then Salamence and dead in the water. To patch up these problems, I've been considering adding a Scarftran, Scarftar, or even Porygon2 to the team, but I can't think of any way to include them without rebuilding the team entirely or diluting its offensive power.
Art credits: PokemonElite2000.com for the sprites, and Arkeis.com for aragornbird's lovely drawings.
Hey, Smogon, I'm back with a team I've been using and slowly altering for months. It plays like a dream, and I love it to death. The idea is that every member of the team is an immediate threat to be dealt with, keeping pressure on the opponent and hopefully getting him off-balance enough to get Gyarados a Dragon Dance or Raikou a Calm Mind and sweep.
If you read my last RMT for "Team Econ" (unlikely), then I'll save you a lot of time and tell you that this is just that team, but with Raikou replacing Jirachi, Gyarados changed to a more bulky Tauntrados, Latias becoming Timid, and a few EV tweaks on Empoleon and Scizor.
Without further ado, onto the team!
Empoleon@Shuca Berry
Modest; 148 HP / 252 SpA / 108 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Aqua Jet
-Grass Knot
-Stealth Rock
Shuca Berry Lead Empoleon. I'm amazed I don't see more of these, because lead Empoleon beats almost every popular lead; suicide leads are KOed by Hydro Pump + Aqua Jet, and bulky leads can't take two Hydro Pumps, while Shuca Berry ensures that it doesn't get KOed by an Earthquake from any common lead. Grass Knot makes the cut over Ice Beam because it OHKOs Swampert, which this team doesn't like facing, and because dragons aren't a big problem with Scizor and a Scarfed Latias to keep them in check. After the opening turns, Empoleon is great for taking Ice Beams and Bullet Punches that give Salamence and Latias trouble. Special Attack is maxed out for sheer power; 108 speed EVs brings Empoleon to 183 Speed, outspeeding standard Skarmory and most Metagross, Tyranitar, and Machamp, which is a godsend; and the rest go in HP for bulk.
Infernape, Roserade, Smeargle, and Machamp are about the only commonly seen leads Empoleon has trouble with; Infernape is handled by Latias, while the sleep leads have their sashes broken with Aqua Jet before being killed off by Salamence. Machamp is probably the biggest problem: Even though Empoleon moves first, Hydro Pump fails to KO (doing 61% max), and Dynamicpunch OHKOs; meanwhile, nothing on my team can OHKO Machamp, so I typically have to sacrifice Empoleon to dent Machamp with Hydro Pump before killing it with a Draco Meteor from Salamence.
Salamence@Life Orb
Naive; 68 Atk / 252 SpA / 188 Spe
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
MixMence is this team's heavy hitter, and he lives up to his role beautifully. Even though everyone and their mother has a Scizor or a Latias to revenge him, he still rampages over many a team; the damage potential of Outrage and Draco Meteor allow Salamence to cause problems even for teams that are prepared for it. Earthquake and Fire Blast for coverage; I use Fire Blast over Flamethrower because the latter misses some KOs, such as the OHKO on Scizor at -2.
I'm not using the standard spread because I don't like risking Salamence on a speed tie, so max speed isn't necessary; instead, I run enough to outrun max speed +natured base 90s, plus three extra points to outspeed various "clever" spreads at 309 or 310 speed. Max Special Attack because I'm using Draco Meteor more often than the rest of its moves combined, and the rest goes into Attack. This spread gives it enough power to OHKO and 2HKO many important walls and other threats with the relevant moves, most importantly Skarmory (Standard Skarm is OHKOed with Fire Blast and is KOed by a -2 Fire Blast after switching in on a Draco Meteor), Blissey (Max/Max Blissey is always 2HKOed by Outrage, and any Blissey is usually KOed by Outrage after switching in on a Draco Meteor), and Gyarados (which is OHKOed by Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock).
Scizor@Choice Band
Adamant; 248 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
-Bullet Punch
-U-Turn
-Superpower
-Pursuit
What is there to say about Scizor that hasn't been said already by so many other, better players? It scouts well and revenge-kills beautifully; I suppose I use Superpower and Pursuit occasionally, but STAB U-turn and STAB Technician Bullet Punch are the reasons that Scizor is here. Scizor loves that half the team resists Fire, its only weakness, so safety is always an easy switch or preemptive U-Turn away, and the rest of my team loves its resistances, especially to Dragon and Ice. It also checks a good number of otherwise problem Pokemon, most importantly to Tyranitar, Latias, Gengar, Celebi, and non-lead Azelf.
Max Attack and 248 HP is standard, but I moved one point of Speed to Special Defense so that it gets to U-Turn second against opposing Scizor but still outspeeds any base 65 that doesn't invest in speed, such as most Umbreon and the occasional 0 speed Vaporeon.
Latias@Choice Scarf
Timid; 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-Draco Meteor
-Thunderbolt
-Surf
-Trick
Latias is the suede elbows for this team's tweed jacket; she holds it together, protects it from some scary things, and in general makes it that much more comfortable and fun to use. She checks/counters a multitude of things that would cause my team troubles. Latias' main job is to revenge-kill DD Gyarados and bulky DD Salamence even after a boost, either of which would otherwise rampage my team; being able to outspeed most Agility users and Scarfers is just gravy. Timid and Max Speed to outspeed everything up to and including +1 max speed positive nature base 100s, most importantly DD Salamence and Scarf Flygon; max Special Attack is self-explanatory. Draco Meteor and Thunderbolt allow Latias to do its main jobs, KOing Salamence and Gyarados, respectively; Surf gives Latias perfect neutral coverage; and Trick cripples walls.
Raikou@Life Orb
Timid; 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power Fighting
-Calm Mind
Raikou is an amazing special sweeper for this team; he's fast and powerful, and he finds many opportunities to set up. Offensive Calm Mind Raikou is so very simple on its own, but Raikou fits in this team in a truly dynamic, synergistic way, making him one of the most lethal Pokemon I could use. Raikou can set up on a number of Pokemon that give other team members trouble, such as Scizor locked into Bullet Punch, Magnezone locked into Thunderbolt or HP Fire, choiced Latias (especially after a Draco Meteor), and most bulky waters, especially Suicune. Meanwhile, Raikou's biggest counters are handled easily by the rest of the team: Scizor and mixed Salamence cause trouble for special walls like Blissey and Snorlax; Empoleon outspeeds and OHKOs lead Swamperts (which covers most of them); and Latias KOs scarfed Flygon. Scizor handles Tyranitar well, but its assistance normally isn't needed if Tyranitar doesn't carry a Choice Scarf, as even an unboosted HP Fighting does a great deal of damage to most Tyranitar, and it OHKOs all but the bulkiest Tyranitar after a Calm Mind.
The EVs are self-explanatory; they allow Raikou to hit as hard and outspeed as many things as possible. The 30 Speed IV that HP Fighting requires is a bummer, as it means Raikou is outsped by Pokemon it would normally speed-tie, such as Starmie and Azelf, but they are (hopefully) handled by the rest of the team, and Raikou is still fast enough to outspeed everything up to positive-natured base 110s and scarfed base 70s.
Gyarados@Leftovers
Adamant; 156 HP / 168 Atk / 184 Spe
-Waterfall
-Frustration
-Dragon Dance
-Taunt
Oh, how wonderful Gyarados is; I'm still finding out how many teams I face are Gyara-weak. He hits incredibly hard and compliments the rest of the team nicely; he takes on Infernape that come for Empoleon, Scizor that try to prey on Latias and Salamence, and many fire attacks aimed at Scizor; meanwhile, his teammates (especially Scizor and Raikou) are well-equipped to take out Celebi, bulky waters, and scarfed Latias that many use to check him.
I'm using a bulky Tauntrados over any other variant for a few reasons. First, this team is somewhat Scizor-weak, so I want Gyarados to be bulky enough to counter Scizor and still be in shape to sweep. Its bulk also allows it to survive the occasional last-ditch revenge kill that 2HKOs offensive Gyarados, such as Heatran Fire Blast. Second, Taunt allows Gyarados to neutralize a few of his counters, which often gives him the chance to get a second Dragon Dance, assuring a KO on just about everything. The most important things Taunt stops are Whirlwind from Skarmory, and Roar from Swampert, neither of which pose much of an offensive threat to Gyarados. Taunt also prevents defensive Celebi from using Thunder Wave, and Grass Knot, Celebi's other method of taking down Gyarados, fails to 2HKO (doing 40.4% max) due to Gyarados' bulk and leftovers recovery.
I find this spread to be the best compromise between bulk and power: 184 Speed EVs ensures Gyarados outspeeds positive-natured base 115s, most importantly to get the jump on Starmie; 156 HP ensures that standard Scarftran's Fire Blast is never a 2HKO; and the rest go in Attack to hit things even harder. The spread was originally the standard bulky spread (156 HP / 72 Atk / 96 Def / 184 Speed), but as the Defense EVs are there almost exclusively to survive two Scizor Quick Attacks, and Scizor doesn't run Quick Attack nearly often enough for me to care, I moved the Defense EVs to Attack for extra power.
----
There's the team, in all its glory. I like to pretend it's perfect, but it's certainly got its weaknesses. Even though I switched from Jirachi to Raikou mainly to combat this problem, the team still has problems with strong users of electric moves. Rotom-A, especially with a Choice Scarf, is the bane of this team, as it makes life very difficult for Gyarados, Scizor, Salamence, and Empoleon. The only pokemon I have that's fast enough to kill it without risking harm to itself is Latias, and she doesn't appreciate taking a dent from Shadow Ball. Jolteon and Magnezone are also typically problems, as well as Agiligross that carry Thunderpunch (which is most of them). Tyranitar is usually a pain, but manageable; however, it becomes a problem when carrying a Choice Scarf, as it threatens Latias, Salamence, and Gyarados, while outspeeding and OHKOing Raikou (which is normally safe from Tyranitar with its HP Fighting). Starmie is also a problem. I have to rely on Raikou to scare it off, as Latias' Thunderbolt isn't powerful enough to OHKO all the time; if Raikou is KOed, then Salamence and dead in the water. To patch up these problems, I've been considering adding a Scarftran, Scarftar, or even Porygon2 to the team, but I can't think of any way to include them without rebuilding the team entirely or diluting its offensive power.
Art credits: PokemonElite2000.com for the sprites, and Arkeis.com for aragornbird's lovely drawings.
