I get it, everyone's sick of Sandstorm teams. But they work, yo. that's why they get used.
Anywho, Here's the team builing process, handily marked by an eye-rapingly pink title.
What would a sandstorm team be without sandstorm? Just a regular team, that's what. I have chosen Hippowdon over Tyranitar for a bit more bulk, and better defensive typing. (The Hippowdon animation is going really fast lol)
You don't have to look far to learn that this guy is a staple of every sandstorm team nowadays. How could I pass up something like this? Double speed, access to SD, STAB Earthquake? Amazing stuff, thanks Game Freak!
I never got the chance to use Forretress in Gen 4, so I figured I could this gen. Nice defensive stats, good typing. Why am I telling you all this? You already know what makes Forretress an amazing Pokemon.
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Wow, my Sprites are really wacky. Sorry guys. Anyway, Gyarados seemed like a good idea to be my counter for my developing Fire weakness, and he went well with Excadrill, so I was looking for a bulky DD set.
Holy shit, is that Blissey flying? I've used Blissey before, and was endlessly stunned by its ability to take special moves like a total champ. I had noticed that I didn't really have a special wall, and there's nothing better than Blissey. Or so I thought...
It is moving... Just very slowly. Rotom-H is another Fire-resist, and his new typing gave him massive STABs in Tbolt and Overheat. His resistance to his double-weakness is pretty awesome too. And the funny thing is how many people forget that he loses his Ghost typing this gen and try to nail him with Ghost and Dark moves.
Ferrothorn. Personally I think this is much better than Forretress. So my affair with Gen 4's best spinner was brief. Basically, it can do more than set up and blow up. Besides, Explosion's useless this generation.
Since it's not banned anymore, I figured that I'd run it and see what all the fuss about. I settled on a offensive EV spread and a defensive moveset, so it's interesting and unexpected.
Sprite.gif)
In an unexpected twist, Chansey is superior to it's evolved form this generation thanks to a wonderful little item called Eviolite. Will wonders never cease?
This has been passed over a couple of times and people have blown it over. So I'm going to come out and say it. Magic Guard. Possibly the best legal ability in the game. I can get poisoned, burned, switch into entry hazards, and I take no damage. Amazing stuff. An overturned team for sure, but I think I've straightened out the kinks.
Time for...
Ralph (Hippowdon) @ Leftovers
Impish Nature (+Def, -Sp.A)
Sand Stream
252 HP, 152 Def, 104 Sp.D
~Earthquake
~Stone Edge
~Roar
~Slack Off
This guy is a beast. Lately I've dropped Stealth Rock for Stone Edge, giving him magnificant coverage, and meaning that he's not totally useless if someone (SKARMORY) Taunts him. If I don't spend a turn setting up an unnecessary hazard, I can spend it ripping some poor opposing lead to small, bite-sized pieces. Roar stops the enemy from setting up too easily.
Balls (Ferrothorn) @ Leftovers
Impish Nature (+Def, -Sp.D)
Iron Barbs
156 HP, 94 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Sp.D
~Power Whip
~Spikes
~Toxic
~Leech Seed
I can't get over how awesome this guy is. I mean sure, I was nearly driven mad by the spinning Ferroseed babies, but it's worth it in the long run. Power Whip is a massive STAB attack, and Leech Seed means that it can still pull off something resembling recovery with LS and Leftovers. The EV spread Is one I came up with, and it evens out the Def and Sp.D stats, as well as providing some physical power.
Spiky (Excadrill) @ Air Balloon
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -Sp.A)
Sand Rush
252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 Def
~Earthquake
~Rock Slide
~Swords Dance
~Rapid Spin
Holy crap is this a great Pokemon. Base 135 Atk, and Base 176 Spd in sandstorm makes this almost unstoppable if it gets any SDs in. The only way that it could be better was if it got Stone Edge. I was running X-scissor to deal with bulky Grass-types, but I had to put Rapid Spin on once I got rid of Forry. Air Balloon over Life Orb gives it a turn to either boost or spin as they pop it or switch out.
Firestarter (Salamence) @ Lum Berry
Mild Nature (+Sp.A, -Def)
Intimidate
252 Sp.A, 252 Spd, 4 Atk
~Earthquake
~Fire Blast
~Dragon Tail
~Roost
This is an interesting set that I came up with. I took a mixed supportive set and gave it an offensive EV spread. As well as being my counter to plenty of annoying types, such as Grass, Fire, and Water, he's my Breloom counter, because that little bastard is still around. I can switch in on a Spore and outspeed and K.O. with Fire Blast, which tricks the opponent into thinking that this is a special-based Salamence. This lets me hit plenty with Earthquake. Dragon Tail is its only STAB attack, but the negative priority means that I don't use it as often as I should.
Blissey (Chansey) @ Eviolite
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
Natural Cure
252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Sp.D
~Toxic
~Aromatherapy
~Softboiled
~Seismic Toss
Who saw this coming? Chansey reclaiming her place as the best special wall in the game? Wow. This set is a Blissey set from last Gen, so you should all be familiar with it. She pairs with Ferrothorn in passing Toxic around the opposing team, as well as healing status on my team with Aromatherapy. Her below-appalling offensive stats means that the only way that she can deal damage is through the increasingly difficult to obtain Seismic Toss. I have seen this take rediculous moves to bounce back. On one occasion, she took out four enemy Pokemon, almost winning the game for me. Amazing stuff. I always thought Blissey was ugly anyway.
U Jelly? (Reuniclus) @ Life Orb
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
Magic Guard
252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Sp.A
~Focus Blast
~Psyshock
~Calm Mind
~Recover
This is so much fun to use. After a few CMs, not much can touch it. I have laughed so hard when people switch in their Bisharp or Tyranitar and get nailed by Focus Blast. Blissey and Chansey are wrecked by Psyshock. Recover lets me heal whatever damage I get dealt and keep boosting. I used to run Acid Armor over Focus Blast. It got more RQs, but i kept getting walled by Dark-types. Life Orb because it gets a 30%(?) boost for nothing, which makes it's uninvested Special Attack much more menacing.
I'm not the best battler, I still do this for fun, which is what I believe the game is about. This team doesn't always win, but when they gel together and rip someone apart, it's magical to watch.
Criticism is appreciated, as long as it's constructive. Thanks for reading this, I hope it was presented in a pleasing manner.
~B.C.
Anywho, Here's the team builing process, handily marked by an eye-rapingly pink title.
Team Building Process
What would a sandstorm team be without sandstorm? Just a regular team, that's what. I have chosen Hippowdon over Tyranitar for a bit more bulk, and better defensive typing. (The Hippowdon animation is going really fast lol)
You don't have to look far to learn that this guy is a staple of every sandstorm team nowadays. How could I pass up something like this? Double speed, access to SD, STAB Earthquake? Amazing stuff, thanks Game Freak!
I never got the chance to use Forretress in Gen 4, so I figured I could this gen. Nice defensive stats, good typing. Why am I telling you all this? You already know what makes Forretress an amazing Pokemon.
Wow, my Sprites are really wacky. Sorry guys. Anyway, Gyarados seemed like a good idea to be my counter for my developing Fire weakness, and he went well with Excadrill, so I was looking for a bulky DD set.
Holy shit, is that Blissey flying? I've used Blissey before, and was endlessly stunned by its ability to take special moves like a total champ. I had noticed that I didn't really have a special wall, and there's nothing better than Blissey. Or so I thought...
It is moving... Just very slowly. Rotom-H is another Fire-resist, and his new typing gave him massive STABs in Tbolt and Overheat. His resistance to his double-weakness is pretty awesome too. And the funny thing is how many people forget that he loses his Ghost typing this gen and try to nail him with Ghost and Dark moves.
Ferrothorn. Personally I think this is much better than Forretress. So my affair with Gen 4's best spinner was brief. Basically, it can do more than set up and blow up. Besides, Explosion's useless this generation.
Since it's not banned anymore, I figured that I'd run it and see what all the fuss about. I settled on a offensive EV spread and a defensive moveset, so it's interesting and unexpected.
In an unexpected twist, Chansey is superior to it's evolved form this generation thanks to a wonderful little item called Eviolite. Will wonders never cease?
This has been passed over a couple of times and people have blown it over. So I'm going to come out and say it. Magic Guard. Possibly the best legal ability in the game. I can get poisoned, burned, switch into entry hazards, and I take no damage. Amazing stuff. An overturned team for sure, but I think I've straightened out the kinks.
Time for...
A Closer Look
Ralph (Hippowdon) @ Leftovers
Impish Nature (+Def, -Sp.A)
Sand Stream
252 HP, 152 Def, 104 Sp.D
~Earthquake
~Stone Edge
~Roar
~Slack Off
This guy is a beast. Lately I've dropped Stealth Rock for Stone Edge, giving him magnificant coverage, and meaning that he's not totally useless if someone (SKARMORY) Taunts him. If I don't spend a turn setting up an unnecessary hazard, I can spend it ripping some poor opposing lead to small, bite-sized pieces. Roar stops the enemy from setting up too easily.
Balls (Ferrothorn) @ Leftovers
Impish Nature (+Def, -Sp.D)
Iron Barbs
156 HP, 94 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Sp.D
~Power Whip
~Spikes
~Toxic
~Leech Seed
I can't get over how awesome this guy is. I mean sure, I was nearly driven mad by the spinning Ferroseed babies, but it's worth it in the long run. Power Whip is a massive STAB attack, and Leech Seed means that it can still pull off something resembling recovery with LS and Leftovers. The EV spread Is one I came up with, and it evens out the Def and Sp.D stats, as well as providing some physical power.
Spiky (Excadrill) @ Air Balloon
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -Sp.A)
Sand Rush
252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 Def
~Earthquake
~Rock Slide
~Swords Dance
~Rapid Spin
Holy crap is this a great Pokemon. Base 135 Atk, and Base 176 Spd in sandstorm makes this almost unstoppable if it gets any SDs in. The only way that it could be better was if it got Stone Edge. I was running X-scissor to deal with bulky Grass-types, but I had to put Rapid Spin on once I got rid of Forry. Air Balloon over Life Orb gives it a turn to either boost or spin as they pop it or switch out.
Firestarter (Salamence) @ Lum Berry
Mild Nature (+Sp.A, -Def)
Intimidate
252 Sp.A, 252 Spd, 4 Atk
~Earthquake
~Fire Blast
~Dragon Tail
~Roost
This is an interesting set that I came up with. I took a mixed supportive set and gave it an offensive EV spread. As well as being my counter to plenty of annoying types, such as Grass, Fire, and Water, he's my Breloom counter, because that little bastard is still around. I can switch in on a Spore and outspeed and K.O. with Fire Blast, which tricks the opponent into thinking that this is a special-based Salamence. This lets me hit plenty with Earthquake. Dragon Tail is its only STAB attack, but the negative priority means that I don't use it as often as I should.
Blissey (Chansey) @ Eviolite
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
Natural Cure
252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Sp.D
~Toxic
~Aromatherapy
~Softboiled
~Seismic Toss
Who saw this coming? Chansey reclaiming her place as the best special wall in the game? Wow. This set is a Blissey set from last Gen, so you should all be familiar with it. She pairs with Ferrothorn in passing Toxic around the opposing team, as well as healing status on my team with Aromatherapy. Her below-appalling offensive stats means that the only way that she can deal damage is through the increasingly difficult to obtain Seismic Toss. I have seen this take rediculous moves to bounce back. On one occasion, she took out four enemy Pokemon, almost winning the game for me. Amazing stuff. I always thought Blissey was ugly anyway.
U Jelly? (Reuniclus) @ Life Orb
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
Magic Guard
252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Sp.A
~Focus Blast
~Psyshock
~Calm Mind
~Recover
This is so much fun to use. After a few CMs, not much can touch it. I have laughed so hard when people switch in their Bisharp or Tyranitar and get nailed by Focus Blast. Blissey and Chansey are wrecked by Psyshock. Recover lets me heal whatever damage I get dealt and keep boosting. I used to run Acid Armor over Focus Blast. It got more RQs, but i kept getting walled by Dark-types. Life Orb because it gets a 30%(?) boost for nothing, which makes it's uninvested Special Attack much more menacing.
Overview
I'm not the best battler, I still do this for fun, which is what I believe the game is about. This team doesn't always win, but when they gel together and rip someone apart, it's magical to watch.
Criticism is appreciated, as long as it's constructive. Thanks for reading this, I hope it was presented in a pleasing manner.
~B.C.
