*~*Firing the Cannons*~*
A Triple Dragon Team
A Triple Dragon Team
Hey, Smogon!
This team was initially conceived as a joke, though it’s since developed into something much more serious/viable. A while back, I was troubled by a number of things irl. I wanted to take a break from all the stress and make something absolutely ridiculous. As a defensive/balanced player, I figured nothing would be more ridiculous than an offensive triple dragon team, so that’s what I set out to make. I edited the lineup a number of times before arriving at the finished product. The team has experienced a great deal of success, either hitting the leaderboard or coming very close (I didn't really keep track of ratings) before I was forced to stop playing to drive across the country and settle into a new university. Once I found the time to get back on shoddy, my rating was shot. I tried a couple matches to see if I could get it back up, but I got haxed and decided I didn't care enough to work to undo all of it (especially since the internet security up here blocks shoddy and I have to drive over to Wendy's to get on). Because of all this, I'm retiring the team for right now. Though I'm too burnt out to continue the run at the moment, I plan on using it again sometime down the road. Hopefully you guys can help me improve it for the future!
Anyways, I'm consistently entertained by the fact that such a rudimentary concept actually works. Just goes to show the destructive potential of the dragons, I suppose. This is my first RMT in a long while...I'm not a very frequent poster here, but I check the forums regularly and like the community. I'm hoping that this thread will "break down the doors" and help me get formally acclimated into the world of Smogon, because I would like to become a somewhat-active member here. :)
*~*From A Distance*~*
*~*The Preparation*~*
The ball can’t get rolling without a push.
Smeargle (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP/6 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Trick
Smeargle was chosen as my lead because I wanted both Spikes and Stealth Rock on my team and I was pressed for space. Since I have my three dragons, the obligatory Magnezone and one other pokemon to help fill the cracks, I needed to cram both of those entry hazards into one slot. Smeargle, Skarmory and Forretress are the only pokemon in OU that could set both up, and the last two obviously weren’t going to work on an offensive team like this. That left me with Smeargle, and I've never regretted my decision. With this set he’s exceeded all of my expectations, often starting battles off with two crippled pokemon (one with scarf, one with sleep), Stealth Rock and 1-2 layers of Spikes. I usually spam Trick on turn one—since nobody really expects anything but a first-turn Spore from lead Smeargle, opponents will often switch in a sleep-talker and find themselves limited beyond use. When used in conjunction with Magnezone, Smeargle can bring down nearly all of the top leads. Let’s take a closer look:
Smeargle’s a fantastic addition to the team, really screwing almost everything up from the get-go. High-five, Smeargle.
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP/84 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Toxic
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Toxic
Magnezone is almost essential for a dragon-heavy team like this. The steel-removing and the typing synergies with dragons are invaluable. The question was, which set should I run? I eventually settled on the Substitute set for a couple of reasons. First, given the limitations of my team (three set-up dragons—it doesn’t leave much room for revenging), I didn’t want to provide the opponent with any opportunity to set up. This ruled out the Scarf set. Secondly, I wanted to have an answer to both Magnezone’s most common switch-ins and as many dragon counters/checks as possible. With Sub, prediction/set up becomes notably easier. HP Ice is a great way to remove the dangerous Scarf Flygons from the game after they switch in (and they do frequently switch in, since they resist most of a standard Magnezone’s moveset). It’s also useful for killing opposing dragons locked into Outrage. Should a Salamence ever get a DD in, I'm able to force them into Outrage with my own Mence/Nite and then revenge with Magnezone immediately after. Toxic might look like an uninteresting filler move upon first glance, but it’s been chosen after careful consideration. Since I can’t run HP Grass for Swampert (another dragon counter), Toxic is a fine alternative, slowly weakening it until one of the cannons can break through. It also cripples Cresselia and a couple other bulky pokemon that would stand in the way of my sweepers. With Toxic here, it’s worth noting that my entire team can beat Blissey (excluding cleric variants). Magnezone has performed his role wonderfully, often netting me multiple kills per match. His ability is practically designed for a team like this, and he’s pretty irreplaceable. (On a non-competitive note, Magnezone is the only legit shiny I've caught in a pokemon game, so it's really cool to finally have him on a good, wifi-compatible team!)
Metagross @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 200 HP/124 Atk/160 SpD/24 Speed
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Thunderpunch
- Pursuit
Metagross is essentially my multi-purpose buffer pokemon, preventing a number of threats from sweeping right through me. He’s capable of taking down +1 Gyarados and (slightly weakened) +1 Salamence, two pokemon that can give me problems should they find an opening to set up. He also helps my team’s overall cause by removing a number of dragon counters, making him more than just a quick fix to some weaknesses. Scarf Latias and Scarf Rotom, two pokemon capable of revenging some of my sweepers, are both Pursuited as they attempt to flee the scene. Metagross also handles Gengar and Starmie, both of whom could prove troublesome otherwise. The EVs allow Metagross to avoid 2HKOs from both pokemon while retaining the ability to hit hard. Pursuit has been incredibly useful, hitting things Smeargle has tricked to on top of the counters I listed. Scizor originally filled this spot, but he was replaced once I realized it gave Gyarados an opportunity to set up. Every team needs something to patch up weaknesses, and Metagross seems like the perfect “glue” for a team like this. If you have other ideas, though, feel free to suggest them! There are a number of moves I wish I could fit onto Meta's set--Ice Punch and Bullet Punch are two big ones. The former is being considered because even though these two threats are uncommon, DD Dragonite and bulky non-Outrage DD Mence can give me a terrible time if they manage to set up against Meta. Bullet Punch, as always, is useful priority. Opinions?
*~*The Artillery*~*
Head for the hills!
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 232 Atk/252 Spd/24 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spe, -SDef)
- Dragon Dance
-Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Outrage
Salamence is the first of my dragons, and often the first to come into play. Easily the most dangerous of the OU DDers, Mence was a pretty simple pick. His job isn’t to sweep late-game, but to come in as soon as possible and start denting things. I’m very reckless with Mence—I don’t mind if he dies early on as long as he weakens something. Ideally, the opponent won’t be able to withstand boosted attacks from three dragons + entry hazards, and they’ll cave once I hit Dragonite. This has a bit of a suicide offense vibe to it, but that’s to be expected given the nature of the team (three dragons with similar counters). Anyways, Mence is a solid (and obvious) choice, and does exactly what I need him to. I'm running Max Speed to outrun some Scarf Jirachi/Flygon and tie with the rest--KOing one of those two early on could make a world of difference to Kingdra and Dragonite.
Kingdra (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk/232 Spd/24 SAtk
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Waterfall
- Hydro Pump
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk/232 Spd/24 SAtk
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Waterfall
- Hydro Pump
Kingdra, like Salamence, is a mid-game sweeper designed to blow holes in the opponent’s lineup. Whoever sets up first really just depends on the situation. Once both Kingdra and Salamence have DD'd and rampaged, the opponent’s team is usually visibly weaker. I'm running this LO Hydro Pump variant to give myself another chance to break Shed Shell Skarmory, a pokemon that can really cause problems for my team otherwise. EVs are pretty standard, and Swift Swim gives me a fighting chance against Rain Dance.
Dragonite (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 224 HP/84 Atk/200 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
Dragonite is the late-game sweeper, and he’s a fine one at that. I’m running a bulky set to ensure survivability and because by this point (hopefully), the opponent won’t have the defenses/counters to stop me regardless of how much attack I pump into the stats. I’m using Dragonite instead of Latias for a couple reasons. First, his counters are much closer to those of Mence/Kingdra than Latias’ are, so it’s easier to break through the weakened team late-game. Secondly, I didn’t want to have to worry about Blissey. Without Latias, all of my team members (bar Smeargle) beat Blissey, so she’s pretty much a non-factor in most matches. Finally, I prefer the speed boosts Dragon Dance provides to the Special Defense bulk that comes with Latias' Calm Mind--the speed is immensely useful for outrunning/KOing random scarfed things before they have a chance to explode/trick/etc. Nite is a sturdy finisher, shaking off minor blows and breaking down anything Mence and Kingdra didn’t get to. He's usually my answer to Sub Charge Beam Rotom, as he can win 1-on-1 if he enters at full health (which isn't hard to do, since I don't pull him out early/mid game unless I need to deal with a couple very specific threats).
And there you have it: the triple dragon team that originated as a crazy [amazing league!] stress reliever but quickly grew into something more promising. Thanks for reading, everyone—I hope you enjoyed! :)