Gen 5 Gliscor + Alakazam Spikes Offense

[Gamer1234556]

Gliscor + Alakazam Spikes Offense
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Introduction:

After viewing the SPL XII, I was inspired to make a team in the vein of the commonly used Alakazam Offense Sample Team, except using Finchinator’s Colbur Berry Latios Team Structure. The former team, while solid, had some choices that could have used updating for the team to be fit to use in the current meta. I have tested this team for a while on the BW ladder and here is the resulting team so far:

My Team:

Tyranitar (M) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Atk / 168 SpD
Adamant Nature

• Pursuit
• Crunch
• Superpower / Earthquake
• Thunder Wave / Roar / Fire Blast / Ice Beam / Stealth Rock

The best and most reliable Sand Setter in the tier. Pursuit-support helps against opposing Latios, Reuniclus, and Alakazam while simultaneously helping my own Latios and Zam. While the last option was Stealth Rock in the previous team, the problem I noticed is that Tyranitar rarely gets any chances to set Rocks up, made worse by its already bad matchup against Excadrill.

I was originally planning to use Superpower as my sole option for my 3rd Moveslot, but I had underestimated just how convenient Earthquake can really be. Despite it seemingly being an opportunity to invite Skarmory, Landorus-T, and Gliscor on the field, it also punishes Non-Air Balloon Heatran and Excadrill switch-ins without the drawback of having Attack and Defense drops while damaging Volcarona without having to risk a burn. Its usefulness further extends to Tentacruel and Jirachi. That said, I would either run Fire Blast or Ice Beam for the last slot as the former hits Skarmory while the latter is for Landorus-T and Gliscor. That said, T-Wave + Earthquake is a solid combination against Heatran and Volcarona.

Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 16 Atk / 116 Def / 132 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 IVs

• Stealth Rock
• Protect
• Earthquake
• U-Turn / Ice Fang / Facade

This is the first core change in the formerly used Zam Spikes Team. Adding Gliscor gives me a Ground-Type with much better longevity and really helps patch up my weakness to Rotom-Wash. I was originally intending to have Gliscor be my sole Rocker since it's one of the few rockers on Sand that is not set up fodder for Volcarona. Protect is necessary over Roost as it not only gives me recovery via Poison Heal, but also effectively scouts against Scarfers, particularly Latios, Keldeo, and Garchomp. Earthquake prevents me from getting ruined by Jellicent, keeps Heatran and Terrakion at bay, and at least gives me some damage output against Breloom. Finally, U-Turn allows pivoting on predicted switches, which is especially helpful for bringing in Latios for early wallbreaking, though Ice Fang or Facade could help prevent me from becoming setup fodder for threats such as Breloom and Dragonite.

Rotom-Wash @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature:
IVs: 0 Atk

• Volt Switch
• Hydro Pump
• Will-o-Wisp
• Trick

When I was playing around with Specially Defensive Rotom-W, I noticed that my team had to perform a very fragile dance around Sub Mamoswine, Sub DD Dragonite, Reuniclus, Thundurus-T, and Volcarona. Replacing the Specially Defensive set with a Scarfed set fixes all those issues. One particular reason why is Rotom is far better as a Scarfer to Latios is due to the lack of a Pursuit-Weakness. Moreover, the switch-ins to Rotom become much more restrictive as Trick can easily make them easier to dance around. Ferrothorn would be locked into SR (or Power Whip if it is packing Rawst Berry) and allows me a chance to fire off a free Wisp. Other defensive answers such as Gastrodon and Seismitoad would also be crippled by Trick and become free setup fodder. This set is particularly helpful against Weatherless as none of the mons would enjoy switching into Trick. Overall, Scarf Rotom is a very underrated and surprisingly effective set that could really use some experimentation in the future.

Ferrothorn (M) @ Rawst Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Atk / 248 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 IVs

• Spikes
• Power Whip
• Knock Off
• Stealth Rock

My main go-to for Spikes. Pairs particularly well with Rotom-W since it provides a defensive answer to strong special attackers such as Thundurus-T and Latios. Rawst Berry was used since Ferro tends to exchange in Knock Off wars with opposing Ferrothorn, so it ends up losing Leftovers anyways. While the original idea was to add Gyro Ball and have Gliscor being my sole Rocker, I then considered the fact that I would have a harder time getting rocks up against Rain and that adding Gyro would merely lead me to getting PP Stalled by Nite anyways. Therefore, I ended up adding Scarf Rotom to compensate for the lack of Gyro Ball.

Latios @ Dragon Gem
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 25 Spe
Timid Nature

• Draco Meteor
• Surf
• Calm Mind
• Recover

CM Latios is in this team because it lures out Tyranitar and forces damage onto it, thus giving Zam an easier time to sweep late game. Unlike Specs, CM allows me to turn the tables against Protect Spam from Gliscor and Heatran and give Latios a chance to heal off damage without fearing a potential trapper switch-in. While opposing Scarfers such as Garchomp and opposing Latios can give trouble since Latios is not Scarfed itself, Ferrothorn and Gliscor provide fine counterplay for them.

Alakazam @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def

• Psyshock
• Focus Blast
• Grass Knot
• Hidden Power Ice

The main star of this team, Magic Guard Alakazam is one of the best, if not the best, abuser of TSS. Being able to force the opponent to make fragile dances around such a mon and wear down opposing teams further is huge in a metagame reliant of Hazards as BW OU is. Psyshock instead of Psychic is crucial against Tentacruel, Terrakion and especially Volcarona. Focus Blast is an obvious addition to deal with Tyranitar and Ferrothorn, but I also added Grass Knot since it allows me to finish off a weakened Tar while improving my worsened matchup against Bulky Waters. Finally, Hidden Power Ice is crucial for Dragons, Grounds, and Grass-Types.

Threat List:

If Zam is not running HP Fire, then Scizor (particularly Scarfed Variants) becomes one the hardest Zam counter in the tier. I must extremely conservative when using Zam especially if Scizor is on the opposing team, as without Zam my team would fall apart quickly. Thankfully, cannot trap Latios as effectively and would have to play mind games around it. Once Scizor is removed, then my matchups become much less stressful.

Easily one of the most frustrating mons to face. Once it gets a chance to setup a Shell Smash, then this team pretty much falls apart. If Kings Rock does not activate a flinch against Ferrothorn, I could technically Power Whip it into oblivion, but that also comes with the issue that if Power Whip misses, then I lose anyways. My absolute best bet for counterplay would be to predict a switch and go for Scarf Rotom, which can be exploited and then my strategy would be ruined.

This mon. I swear, I must be extremely on point with my predictions or else this mon will completely shred this team. The problem here is that Gliscor is basically walking setup fodder unless it runs Ice Fang or Façade, but then I feel like I would have a harder time maintaining momentum by dropping U-Turn. Another mon that Dragonite can freely setup on is Ferrothorn, which is pretty much helpless even with Gyro Ball since Dragonite can freely PP Stall it. If everything goes as intended, my plan would be to Trick my Scarf on Rotom (This mon has the potential to completely dismantle my team, and it is rather bizarre how it is not even used all that much in Higher Ladder.

One of the biggest banes of this team. Adding Rotom-W was my best attempt to counterplay against Mamoswine, but unfortunately even that has the potential to backfire. Gliscor is pretty much a free switch-in for this mon to wreak havoc. The absolute best scenario I could hope for is to cross my fingers and hope that he doesn’t press Substitute as I switch into Rotom.

Since two of my rockers (and a potentially well-timed wisp from Rotom) get blocked by Xatu, I would have to play a bit more carefully against it. It also has Roost and Heat Wave which makes removing it much harder than expected.

If played properly, then Hydreigon can be horrifying to face. The fact that I am not running Scarf Latios means that I would have to rely on Zam on revenge killing it, and even then, Scarfed sets can easily use U-turn to predict switch-ins.

My matchup against Loom is not too bad on surface but can go drastically out of hand if played carelessly. My best bet for counterplay against Poison Heal Loom would be to go for Rotom and attempt to trick the Scarf, but that would mean that Rotom-W would get put out of commission by Toxic Orb. That said, my matchup against Technician Loom on Smurf HO is solid thanks to my numerous options for counterplay.

In a weird twist of irony, my most challenging matchup by far must be against opposing Zam Spikes teams, particularly those with Spin Support. Since Latios is not Scarfed, Zam can freely switch in after Latios has fainted something and force me in an uncomfortable Zam vs Zam matchup that I would more than likely lose since I lack coverage against opposing Zam.

 

[Gamer1234556]

Alternate Variations (Part 1):

This team features Mixed Chomp instead of Gliscor since Chomp doesn't have to constantly run away from Rain. It also comes with the luxury of not having to run Rocks on Ferro (thus helping my Sub DD Nite Matchup) since Chomp would generally have an easier time setting up rocks against Rain than Gliscor does. That said, Mixed Chomp tends to at its most effective during the early game since later on it would get worn down really fast from the combination of Life Orb Recoil, Hazards, and Status.


Despite my original intention of replacing Lando-T with Gliscor, I still do believe that Landorus-T can work fine on Zam Spikes. The biggest reason is to help my matchups against Breloom and Dragonite. It also really pairs well with Scarf Rotom to form a Volt-Turn core that maintains offensive momentum. That said, opposing Rotom and Jellicent can be a problem since my team becomes significantly weaker to status. This is also to say nothing about Landorus-T's awful matchup against Tentacruel in Rain.


One of the most used teams in the RoAPL, the general idea is that Gastrodon would do Latios’ job of checking rain, while Skarmory would provide Spikes Support while defensively checking Grounds and Dragons. Reuniclus would take Latios’ role of Wallbreaking thanks to its better matchup against Terrakion. That said, something I noticed is that this team tends to struggle to get Rocks against Rain Teams and still has a lot of the similar MU Problems that the original team had (while adding new problem matchups like Volcarona and Thundurus-T), but it also provides me a more robust Sub DD Dragonite answer in Skarmory, who is usually able to switch-in and phase out any attempts for setup.

The Reuniclus set is customisable, so I went with a Life Orb set with Psychic/Focus Blast/Hidden Power Ice/Recover. I do believe that a Reuniclus-Therian set could also work on this team and Calm Mind is not too bad either.

I have also developed a bit more respect for Gastrodon. At first, I felt like it was just a Passive Rain Check with a shallow move pool, but I then realised that it can also learn Clear Smog, which can be massive in terms of dealing with setup sweepers like Dragonite, Garchomp and Volcarona. Of course, a well-timed Toxic can also dismantle these mons, but Clear Smog also helps to blank attempts of using Gastrodon as setup fodder.


Peng made an excellent writeup about this Alakazam Spikes Offense Structure. Long story short, this is Jimmy Turtwig’s spin on the commonly used SkarmJelli Magic Guard Sand Balance team, except for the recent SPL, he had a Hyper Offensive variant of the team consisting of Custap Berry Skarmory, Sitrus Berry Jellicent and Flame Charge Heatran. The team ended up getting popular with the higher ranked players to the point where it eventually became a sample team after the SPL.

 

[Gamer1234556]

Update #1 (2021/07/17):

After playing with my team for a bit, I had resolved to make some fixups to this team. I noticed that SR on Ferrothorn is pretty redundant since Gliscor can get rocks against Rain with some smart play. Therefore, I resolved to make some changes to the team.

Ferrothorn (M) @ Rawst Berry Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Atk / 248 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 IVs

• Spikes
• Power Whip
• Knock Off
• Stealth Rock Thunder Wave

Since Ferrothorn doesn't have any recovery, I would find myself struggling to stave off attacks against Latios. This is why having Leftovers for passive recovery is so important. I then decided to have Thunder Wave to improve my matchup against Smurf HO. The only drawback is that I would have to be more careful not T-Waving opposing Ferro.

Tyranitar (M) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Atk / 168 SpD
Adamant Nature

• Pursuit
• Crunch
• Superpower
• Thunder Wave Ice Beam

I resolved that if I was to use T-Wave on Ferro, then I would have to decide between Fire Blast and Ice Beam. Ice Beam really helps me sway any switch-ins for Grounds.

King's Rock Ban and Cloyster's Current Threat Level to this team:
Cloyster still remains a threat to this team due to its ability to break through this team's walls such as Ferrothorn and Rotom-W, however, it isn't nearly as paranoia-inducing as it no longer has the ability to flinch them.

 

[Gamer1234556]

Replays:

Scarf Rotom proves its effectiveness here. With Tricking the Scarf early game, I can force my opponent into very awkward positions, which helps with gaining momentum. In this case, I was freely able to pivot into Tyranitar and suit Politoed, therefore, allowing my Ferro to dominate my opponent’s team. That said, my opponent did make the mistake of using Power Whip on Tyranitar when he could have freely gotten 3 Spikes off my switch.

Psyshock over Psychic really helped against CM Keldeo. If I had Psychic instead, then I would have had my Zam weakened and trapped by Scizor after KOing Keldeo.

252 SpA Alakazam Psyshock vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 296-350 (91.6 - 108.3%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

252 SpA Alakazam Psychic vs. +1 0 HP / 4 SpD Keldeo: 222-264 (68.7 - 81.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after sandstorm damage and Leftover’s recovery

That crit near the end on Scizor was admittedly unfair. I could have probably gone for a Calm Mind since Scizor had Roost, but even without the crit Scizor would have been chipped thanks to my Ferro dominating Cruel.

 

[Air2k]

In my Opinion, Pretty Solid Team you built there, (Especially the Update Changes.) The only Feedback and Thoughts I would give you is the EV Spread for Tyranitar if choosing the Mixed Coverage as Options like Fire Blast and Ice Beam. And what I prefer on my Calm Mind sets is Draco Plate on Latios because I like the All-Time Power Boost it gives for Draco Meteor to be Hitting like you were running Specs, instead of the One Time use of the Gems even though it gives a Stronger Boost to Latios STAB, Although this is what I prefer. I do think like using HP Fire will be helpful for Pokémon's like Scizor as Mentioned as a Check and other Defensive Steels that don't like taking one like Ferrothorn, Forretress, Excadrill and Skarmory. HP Ice is used more like a Offensive Coverage beacuse it can Heavily Damage alot of Pokémon in the BW2 OU Metagame such as Landorus-T, Gliscor (Basically a Good Amount of Ground Types), Breloom, Thundurus-T and the Majority of Dragon Types, Especially the x4 effective ones. You can use ether go with HP Fire or Ice depending on what Targets you want to Hit. I'd also run Roost over Protect on Gliscor for its better 50% Recovery of HP
And yes, I really like using Psyshock on Alakazam because of that and able to reliable Damage to Special Walls, bypassing the Special Bulk.

other than that, The Team is Amazing and I hope you Succeed with your Team, climbing the BW Ladder :-)