First Foray in Fifth Gen

CynicalUnicorn

I played a little bit on Shoddy back in Gen. 4, shortly after Garchomp was made Uber and Deoxys-S was made OU. I've been playing with this team for a couple days and I'm doing decently.

Lead
Deoxys-S @ Lum Berry
Pressure
252/104/0/0/4/148
Jolly
-Stealth Rock
-Taunt
-Spikes
-Fire Punch

Pretty standard lead set. Taunt is to block slower enemies from setting up. The EVs in special defense are there to give Porygon-Z the wrong download boost. For some reason, Deoxys doesn't get Flamethrower, so I have to use Fire Punch instead (I've seen a couple of Jirachi leads, a bunch of Scizor leads, and one Genesect lead so far). Originally I had Ice Beam to stop the genies (OHKO on Landorus, 2HKO on Tornadus/Thundurus) but I haven't spotted any of those yet. Is Ice Beam or T-Bolt a better option?

Sceptile (may replace with Swords Dance Virizon) @ Grass Gem
Unburden
244/252/0/0/0/12
Adamant
-Leaf Blade
-Acrobatics
-Earthquake
-Filler (currently Swords Dance, might change to Dragon Claw)

My Sceptile can KO Infernapes and Heatrans on the switch. How about yours? This set uses Sceptile's sub-par attack stat as a surprise set. Most people expect to get hit by Leaf Storm, so they switch to their special tank, only to get hit by a ridiculously strong Leaf Blade. At this point, his speed becomes 554 and Acrobatics doubles in power. If I get a free turn, I'll use Swords Dance. 12 Speed EVs gets him fast enough to outspeed +2 Heatrans and +1 Infernapes after Unburden activates.

Latias @ Leftovers
Levitate
252/0/0/84/172/0
Calm
-Dragon Pulse
-Wish
-Substitute
-Calm Mind

Special tank/Earthquake absorber. I can typically pull off a Substitute, which gives me time to boost with Calm Mind. After two or three of those, special moves don't give me any problems. Wish is for recovery and team support.

Staraptor @ Expert Belt (maybe Choice Band?)
Reckless
200/252/0/0/0/56
Jolly
-Agility
-Brave Bird
-Close Combat
-U-Turn

Agility is there to get my speed to 550. It outspeeds +1 base 116s (Hi Whimsicott!). This is my main fighting counter, and it kind of sucks. I can't find a Psychic I like, and Tornadus isn't that great. Maybe Togekiss? I dunno. It can probably be replaced due to the constant switching and Brave Bird recoil, which is why I refuse to use Life Orb.

Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Solid Rock
132/0/124/0/252/0
Careful
-Curse
-Substitute
-Rock Slide
-Earthquake

Problem: I have no means of recovery outside of Latias. Basically, use Substitute, set up, and kill things. One gaping flaw is the lack of speed boosts.

Alternative set
Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Solid Rock
132/252/124/0/0/0
Adamant
-Rock Polish
-Substitute
-Rock Slide
-Earthquake

Same basic strategy: set up and sweep. I can't take a special hit, though. I considered using Rhydon with Eviolite, but it doesn't have Solid Rock. Which is better?

Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Flash Fire
20/0/0/252/0/236
Modest
-Flamethrower
-Overheat
-Earth Power
-Solarbeam (Flash Cannon, maybe? Dragon Pulse?)

249 Speed and Choice Scarf means that it outspeeds base 120s. It comes in on a fire move to get a boost, at which point Overheat has a base power of 315. Alternatively Solarbeam (in sun) or Earth Power are used to get super effective hits. I'm more worried about the Special Attack drop than base power, even if Overheat does hit a little harder.


My main concerns are a lack of a reliable Fighting type counter (especially versus Scrafty) and lack of coverage in some areas. I think I need a good Fire type counter too, as Sceptile can't do much, Rhyperior is a sitting duck, and Heatran can get screwed over with a few misplays on my end. I'm thinking about replacing Staraptor and Rhyperior. Staraptor doesn't get much coverage and takes tons of passive damage. Rhyperior might be better off replaced with SubSeeding Ferrothorn. I dunno. What do you guys think?
 
Hey man. First I thought I'd let you know that the definition of a counter in Pokemon doesn't fit your Sceptile. A counter is a Pokemon capable of safely switching into a an opposing Pokemon and then can threaten it out/beat it. Sceptile does NOT safely switch into Heatran OR Infernape on most occasions. Next off Swords Dance Virizion does Sceptile's job a lot better. With STAB Close Combat, Virizion has much better and more powerful coverage going for it, along with better stats in general.

Virizion @ Life Orb
Jolly| 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Swords Dance / Close Combat / Stone Edge / Leaf Blade

That should serve you better, good luck!
 
this is a pretty good team but u should know 4 members of your team are weak to ice beam so starmie can give your team some trouble. virizion sounds better than scept because of high special defense and better attack
 
Zephyr said:
Virizion @ Life Orb
Jolly| 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Swords Dance / Close Combat / Stone Edge / Leaf Blade

That should serve you better, good luck!
Click to expand...
Thanks! By counter, I meant I wouldn't need to switch if the enemy sends in an Infernape or Heatran, even if they had Choice Scarves. Is Close Combat really that much better than Sacred Sword? I don't like the defense drop, especially considering Virizon's lack of it. Swords Dance implies setting up to sweep, and if someone catches you with Extremespeed, you're gone.

@bluemon: Has Unburden Sceptile been officially released? And in the Wi-fi tier, doesn't your team get revealed before the match starts?
 
I know what you meant, but I thought it'd be worth pointing it out for future reference. Also yes, Close Combat is generally much preferred, but if you really insist I can't stop you from making use of Sacred Sword. :P
 
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