GOJIRA
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Introduction
In a metagame where the skies are rarely serene, I needed a team to bare the constant errosion of sand, the explosive thunderstorms and the harsh fires of the sun. To survive this cruel weather, I needed some tough Pokemon to play around them. I could've fought fire with fire, sand with sand or water with water and had a weather of my own. However, I didn't want an overreliance on my weather succeeding and for the most part I feel a weather Pokemon is a slot that could be used better. I wanted to prove to people that you could be succesful without weather. I think of this team as the eye of the storm, surrounded by chaotic weather but within is calm and quiet.
After jumping blindly into the storms of fifth gen, I quickly discovered the raw power of weather based Pokemon. I was being swept left and right Sand Rush abusers, Chlorophyl abusers and even Rain Dish users. Weather was a new thing to me and I tried a few weather teams of my own. After slight success with a Sand team (and later, a Drought team), I discovered that this new weather fad didn't fit my playstyle.
This new generation released a plethora of much more powerful Pokemon. I have never been a fan of stall, I was always more of a balanced or offensive player. But with all these new sweepers I figured the only thing to stop them was some defensive walls. At this point I had at least some idea of what I wated my team to look like. I wanted a physical and special wall on my team to stop it from being decimated by the powerhouses introduced this generation and from the more common threats that we are all well aware of. After more thought though, I decided I didn't want a full on stall team. I wanted a team that took advantage of a defensive backbone, and could sweep with its help. Now I knew that I didn't want the basic SkarmBliss or FerroCent defensive core, I needed something that could spread status while also having potential to do damage.
After several weeks of play testing and thinking this is what I have come up with. I had formed a balanced defensive core that could spread status excellently and stop many threats in the current metagame. One of the things I like most about them is they all have decent offensive power and are capable of KO'ing Pokemon if I really need them to. After the formation of the defensive core I had added several Pokemon to take advantage of the potentially crippled opposing team. The team does fairly well against all styles of play. Against an offensive team, my teams walls do their job and make the oppenents life hell. When facing stall, this team is threatened very little as 5 out of 6 members of the team are immune to Toxic Spikes. Gliscor actually loves facing stall teams. And of course, against weather this team is well prepared and carries several anti-weather Pokemon which allow this team to be victorious.
One of the biggest factors in creating a successful Pokemon team is synergy. I learned that the hard way. This team overall has decent syenergy (great for a team built by me) both offensively and defensvely. It resist every type twice (except for Ghost), and they all share synergistic roles on the team which will be explained more below, as will the slow formation and building of the team. Now, please enjoy my presentation and thank you for reading.
Terrakion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
-Rock Polish
-Swords Dance
-Close Combat
-Stone Edge
EV’s/Item/Nature: EV's are standard, maximum offensive power, with the remaining EV's dumped into HP for increased bulk. With Jolly nature and 252 Speed EV's Terrakion can outspeed even Excadrill after Rock Polish. I feel Jolly is much better than Adamant because of that. Life Orb allows Terrakion to OHKO Forretress and Skarmory after a Swords Dance.
Move Set: Double Booster Terrakion is an absolutely deadly sweeper. I love its versatality. When facing a slower team, I can get a Swords Dance up and wreak havoc upon my oppenent. I went for a set-up set over a scarf set because I wanted anoter Pokemon beside Salamence to take adavantge of Jirachi's paralysis, which helps set-up Pokemon sweep because their usual checks are now too slow. When facing a stall team I usually go with Swords Dance to take down their walls. When against offensive teams I use Rock Polish to crush the frail Pokemon.
Team Role/Synergy: Terrakion is my secondary sweeper, second only to Salamence. It is used primarily to soften up the team for Salamence, and lures out Scizor which provides a great oppurtunity for Rotom-W to come in and Burn it for Salamence. It can can destroy Porygon2, one of Salamences best counters. Terrakion is one of my best defenses agaisnt a Sandstorm. It loves the defense boost, and can further capatalize on Sand teams with its STAB Close Combat, something sand teams fear. It is even good against Drought teams with its STAB Stone Edge. Conkeldurr, one of Terrakions biggest threats, is easily handled by Gliscor with Taunt and its massive defense or Rotom-W with its strong special attacks. Usually Terrakion is used after my defensive core have spread status. I usually try to use it before Salamence becasue Terrakion can weaken many of Salamences threats.
Opinion: Terrakion is my favorite 5th generation Pokemon. I love its sprite, stat spread, and effectivness. The only thing I don't love about him is its weakness to priority. Luckily, Gliscor can absorb Bullet/ Mach Punches. Terrakion has fantastic STAB's and is a very underrated Pokemon in todays metagame. I am currently debating on wether or not I should run Scarfed Terrakion. This would provide extra insurance against Volcarona and Dragon Dancers if Scizor fails.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 8 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
-Bullet Punch
-Pursuit
-Super Power
-U-Turn
EV’s/Item/Nature: Scizors famous set. Everyone knows the Adamant Nature + 252 Atk EVs + 31 Atk IVs + Technician + Priority + STAB + Choice Band equation. And it is popular for very good reasons. The power Scizor has is tremendous. This set should be relatively self explanitory. All those things listed in the equation above give Scizor maximum offensive power. The EV's that aren't dumped into Attack are put into HP to increase Scizors bulk, which is already great on the physical side (for an offensive Pokemon). 248 Hp may seem odd at first, but this allows Scizor one extra switch in before being worn down and KO'd by Stealth Rock.
Move Set: This set is only overpowered by his Swords Dance set (assuming he has a preformed a Swords Dance), but this set requires no set-up. Choice Band Scizor found its way onto this team because I was looking for something to KO Dragons for Salamence. Scizor is famous for its ability to KO Dragons. U-Turn is great for scouting, which can really give me the upper hand. Bullet Punch stops any fast Pokemon who thinks their tough enough to sweep my team.
Team Role/Synergy: Scizor is this teams revenge killer. He was put on the team because I needed something to stop my team from getting destroyed by Dragons. With Scizors typing, movepool, and stats he was the best choice in my opinion. He fit very well type wise, I already had 3 fire resist, and he patched up my lack of a Ghost resistance along with many other potential weak points. Generally, I try to use Scizor whenever I can to begin wearing the oppent down which helps for a future sweep.
Opinion: I never really used Scizor until this generation. I don't really know why, he just never found his way onto my team. After using he became a staple in my Pokemon building routine. He is so reliable. He saves me from so much trouble, and is a very important member on this team. I am considering changing Scizor to a Swords Dance Scizor, especially if Terrakion is changed to a scarfer as that would put less emphasis on Scizor for revenge killing, and would allow him to sweep easier.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 112 Hp/ 252 SpA/ 144 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
-Will-O-Wisp
-Pain Split
-Volt Switch
-Hydropump
EV’s/Item/Nature: Maximum Special Attack to pack a punch against as much Pokemon as I can, while the remaining EV's are dumped into Hp and Speed. Having EV's in HP allows Rotom-W to take more hits, giving it more time to spread status or KO a Pokemon. The EV's in Speed help Rotom-W out by outpseeding max Speed Tyranitar, max Speed Adamant Scizor, max Speed Adamant Breloom, and most variants of Gliscor which I think is rather helpful. Leftovers greatly increases bulk and without it this little washing machine would power off much too soon. Modest Nature is for maximum attacking power, which really helps me abuse Rotom-W's great dual STABs and already decent Special Attack.
Move Set: "Standard" is what the moveset is called. It is by far the most popular moveset for Rotom-W. Will-O-Wisp is great for the team, it cripples many sweepers. It utilizes it's fantastic STAB moves which give it great coverage. Hidden Power Fire is a useful option on this moveset, but it is really only somewhat useful against Scizor and Ferrothorn, both are very common in the rain which makes HP Fire almost useless. I opted for Will-O-Wisp for its broader range of Pokemon it can cripple which is overall more useful to the team.
Team Role/Synergy: Rotom-W is my main man against Drizzle teams. It zaps Water Pokemon with its STAB Thunderbolt and doesn't mind the boost recieved from Rain. Rotom-W counters Scizor excellently, which is great because Scizor can be very threatening if I don't deal with him properly. Rotom-W can even stand up to Sand teams. After a SD Excadrill still doesn't OHKO Rotom-W with Rock Slide and Rotom-W can OHKO back with Hydro Pump. Rotom-W forms a very solid defensive core with Gliscor and Jirachi. Rotom-W is the mixed wall in this core. Its Grass weakness is covered by Scizor and Salamence, both of them barely even notice Grass attacks as they share a x4 resistance to it.
Opinion: Rotom-W is currently one of the most valuable Pokemon in OU. I believe this is mainly because it can counter Drizzle teams so well, combined with its great STAB and stats this Pokemon is all round a good Pokemon and deserves a spot on almost any team. It is surprisngly durable thanks to its new typing which I strongly believe is an upgrade from the previous generation.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 Hp/ 184 Def/ 72 Spe
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
-Protect
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
-Taunt
EV’s/Item/Nature: EV's in HP are used to maximize its bulk. The 72 Speed EV's are decepitvely helpful. They may not seem like much, but they allow Gliscor to ouspeed Max Speed Tyranitar, who would otherwise OHKO with Ice Beam. Adamant Breloom is also outsped by this EV Spread. Toxic Orb is standard, and allows Gliscor to regain health each turn. Impish Nature because this this Gliscor is a physical wall, and that boosts his defense.
Move Set: Protect is great on this set to really abuse Poison Heal, and serves a great scouting move. Earthquake is obligatory STAB and Ice Fang hits Dragons hard. Taunt stops set up Pokemon from using Gliscor as set-up bait, and stops Skarmory from putting down Spikes. Swords Dance was something I considered for a long time on this Gliscor, but I really wanted to abuse Gliscors walling capabilities and would rather use Protect to increase longevity.
Team Role/Synergy: Gliscor is my Physical wall in my defensive core. It really only gets competition as a physical wall from Skarmory, but I feel Gliscor is better because it can retaliate and KO the Pokemon rather than just using Whirlwind and simply delaying a future attack. Gliscor covers my slight Scizor weakness perfectly, and walls almost all physical attackers. Its weakness to Ice is covered by Rotom-W who can hit back hard with Thunderbolt if the Pokemon is Water Type. Gliscor serves as my second Sand counter, it takes almost no damage from Excadrill and can handle it easily. Its STAB Earthquake is also generally threatening to Rock and Steel types, both of which are common on Sand teams.
Opinion: Gliscor is another Pokemon I severally underestimated this generation. I never imagined Gliscor would be the wall of choice for Gen V. Poison Heal is so amazing for a wall. It has great typing for a wall, and enough offensive power that it can occasionally sweep if I need it to.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Hp/ 224 SpD/ 32 Spe
Careful Nature (+SpD, -SpA)
-Iron Head
-Body Slam
-Stealth Rock
-Wish
EV’s/Item/Nature: The EV's are tailored to maximize Special Defense which allows to support the team more effectively. 252 Hp creates a gargantuan Wish, which can give any Pokemon on my team a second wind. 32 EV's are placed into speed to outpspeed max speed Ttar and a few other slow Pokemon. 224 Special Defense maintain its Special bulk. Leftovers increases its bulk greatly, especially in the sand when the oppenent loses HP each turn. Careful Nature rounds of its Special defense to awesome levels, making Jirachi a great Special wall.
Move Set: Jirachi's signature moveset. Probably the most annoying set in all of Pokemon.. Body Slam paralyzes everything you want Paralyzed (besides Gengar), after they are Paralyzed, Jirachi generally goes first and can abuse Iron Head until your oppenents head explodes. Stealth Rock was necassary in my opinion because I had no other source of entry hazards. Wish rounds off the support orientated nature of this set, and can give save any of my Pokemon that are near fainting, which can change the outcome of any battle.
Team Role/Synergy: Jirachi is the teams Special wall, and besides Blissey, is the Special wall of choice. When paired with Gliscor and Rotom-W, they form a powerful defensive core, capable of walling almost anything while spreadng status. Jirachi only has two weaknesses; Ground and Fire. It's Ground weakness give Salamence an oppurtunity to switch in and sweep, and it's fire weakness is covered by Rotom-W, and Terrakion depending on who is "firing" out the attacks. (Please, once you get done peeing your pants from my hilarious pun, remember to rate my team :P)
Opinion: Jirachi is my favorite Pokemon, so my opinion of him is a good one. I love how easily he supports a team and I belive he is a valuable asset to any team. He requires very little support and gives so much to the team in return. I absolutey hate facing other Jirachi's though.. :P
Salamence @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 SpA/ 252 Spe
Naive Nature (+Spe, -SpD)
-Dragon Dance
-Fire Blast
-Outrage
-Earthquake
EV’s/Item/Nature: This is your standard Mixed DdMence. The EV's are for maximum offensive power and speed. Max Speed Nature and EV's are necassary to outspeed things like Haxorus and Hydreigon and Speed tie with other max speed base 100's like Victini and Volcarona. 4 EV's are spared and put into Special Attack to get every bit of damage I can out of Fire Blast, while the remaining Ev's are dumped into Attack for a very powerful STAB Outrage. Naive Nature was selected over the more common Jolly Nature because I'm running Fire Blast, and don't want to miss out on any extra Fire Blast damage. Naughty Nature could've been selected, but I really feel that I need every bit of defense I can get to stand a better chance of surviving Scizors Bullet Punch.
Move Set: Salamence has plenty of movesets ranging from defensive sets all the way to all out attacking mixed sets. I was looking for a late game sweeper that could take advantage of the crippled opposing team so the defensive sets were ruled out. With the opposing teams counters to Salamence crippled, I figured I could abuse this nicely with a Mixed Dragon Dance set with really takes advantage of all of Salamences stats and uses it to its fullest potential.
Team Role/Synergy: Salamence is this teams primary sweeper. It can simply decimate teams late game, especially if it gets a Dragon Dance. Salamence doesn't usually switch in on attacks, I generally wait until a Pokemon of mine has fainted to send him and scare out the oppenent to Dragon Dance on the switch. Salamence really loves having Jirachi and Rotom-W by his side. Jirachi slows its counters, which makes Salamence even harder to counter while Rotom-W can remove any bulky Waters and Burn Salamences greatest nemises, Scizor. Defensively speaking, Salamences weakness are covered well. All Ice attacks can be redirected to Rotom-W, Jirachi and Scizor. Dragon attacks are generally absorbed by Scizor who can Bullet Punch the Dragon to death. Rock moves are welcomed by Terrakion with its x4 resistance to it.
Opinion: I love Salamence. It's a bad butt (I'm trying to make this RMT ok for ALL ages :P) in the anime and in competitive battling. It functions very well in todays metagame, which could be partially due to the surprise factor generated from Fire Blast. People will often switch in things like Ferrothorn only to get roasted by a Fire Blast. Salamence has great synergy with the team offensively and defensively. It is very fun to play with, and when I play my cards right, Salamence can often be the difference between winning and losing. Salamence suffers heavy competition from Dragonite for this spot, and it was chosen over Dragonite almost only for Fire Blast, which obliterates any Skarmory in its way, which is something Dragonite cannot do. One more advantage is being able to take down Heatran. Dragonite cannot hurt Heatran unless it sacrifices Fire Punch, but then it is left defensless against levitating steels.
Conclusion
And that sums up the team. I didn't want to ramble on too long, so sorry if was a little to much. The team was created to prove to myself (and other players) that you don't need weather to be succesful. I guess its up to you raters to decide if I acheived my goal. I put a lot of time and effort into this RMT and team, so any tips on the formatting of it are appreciated as are tips about the team. I will consider anything, as long as you present your thoughts well and don't post things like "Mence is no0o0obz br0", I would appreciate some form of reasoning in your post, and this will persuade me to follow your recommendation if you provide solid reasonig. As for the name of the team, it is based of the Japanese name for Godzilla, Gojira, which I believe is a fitting nickname for Salamence (Gojira is also a great band!), and the coloration was intended to match the color of my Pokemons sprites. The team is fun to play with, and fits my style perfectly, so please, tell me what you think!
In a metagame where the skies are rarely serene, I needed a team to bare the constant errosion of sand, the explosive thunderstorms and the harsh fires of the sun. To survive this cruel weather, I needed some tough Pokemon to play around them. I could've fought fire with fire, sand with sand or water with water and had a weather of my own. However, I didn't want an overreliance on my weather succeeding and for the most part I feel a weather Pokemon is a slot that could be used better. I wanted to prove to people that you could be succesful without weather. I think of this team as the eye of the storm, surrounded by chaotic weather but within is calm and quiet.
After jumping blindly into the storms of fifth gen, I quickly discovered the raw power of weather based Pokemon. I was being swept left and right Sand Rush abusers, Chlorophyl abusers and even Rain Dish users. Weather was a new thing to me and I tried a few weather teams of my own. After slight success with a Sand team (and later, a Drought team), I discovered that this new weather fad didn't fit my playstyle.
This new generation released a plethora of much more powerful Pokemon. I have never been a fan of stall, I was always more of a balanced or offensive player. But with all these new sweepers I figured the only thing to stop them was some defensive walls. At this point I had at least some idea of what I wated my team to look like. I wanted a physical and special wall on my team to stop it from being decimated by the powerhouses introduced this generation and from the more common threats that we are all well aware of. After more thought though, I decided I didn't want a full on stall team. I wanted a team that took advantage of a defensive backbone, and could sweep with its help. Now I knew that I didn't want the basic SkarmBliss or FerroCent defensive core, I needed something that could spread status while also having potential to do damage.
After several weeks of play testing and thinking this is what I have come up with. I had formed a balanced defensive core that could spread status excellently and stop many threats in the current metagame. One of the things I like most about them is they all have decent offensive power and are capable of KO'ing Pokemon if I really need them to. After the formation of the defensive core I had added several Pokemon to take advantage of the potentially crippled opposing team. The team does fairly well against all styles of play. Against an offensive team, my teams walls do their job and make the oppenents life hell. When facing stall, this team is threatened very little as 5 out of 6 members of the team are immune to Toxic Spikes. Gliscor actually loves facing stall teams. And of course, against weather this team is well prepared and carries several anti-weather Pokemon which allow this team to be victorious.
One of the biggest factors in creating a successful Pokemon team is synergy. I learned that the hard way. This team overall has decent syenergy (great for a team built by me) both offensively and defensvely. It resist every type twice (except for Ghost), and they all share synergistic roles on the team which will be explained more below, as will the slow formation and building of the team. Now, please enjoy my presentation and thank you for reading.
The Team
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
-Rock Polish
-Swords Dance
-Close Combat
-Stone Edge
EV’s/Item/Nature: EV's are standard, maximum offensive power, with the remaining EV's dumped into HP for increased bulk. With Jolly nature and 252 Speed EV's Terrakion can outspeed even Excadrill after Rock Polish. I feel Jolly is much better than Adamant because of that. Life Orb allows Terrakion to OHKO Forretress and Skarmory after a Swords Dance.
Move Set: Double Booster Terrakion is an absolutely deadly sweeper. I love its versatality. When facing a slower team, I can get a Swords Dance up and wreak havoc upon my oppenent. I went for a set-up set over a scarf set because I wanted anoter Pokemon beside Salamence to take adavantge of Jirachi's paralysis, which helps set-up Pokemon sweep because their usual checks are now too slow. When facing a stall team I usually go with Swords Dance to take down their walls. When against offensive teams I use Rock Polish to crush the frail Pokemon.
Team Role/Synergy: Terrakion is my secondary sweeper, second only to Salamence. It is used primarily to soften up the team for Salamence, and lures out Scizor which provides a great oppurtunity for Rotom-W to come in and Burn it for Salamence. It can can destroy Porygon2, one of Salamences best counters. Terrakion is one of my best defenses agaisnt a Sandstorm. It loves the defense boost, and can further capatalize on Sand teams with its STAB Close Combat, something sand teams fear. It is even good against Drought teams with its STAB Stone Edge. Conkeldurr, one of Terrakions biggest threats, is easily handled by Gliscor with Taunt and its massive defense or Rotom-W with its strong special attacks. Usually Terrakion is used after my defensive core have spread status. I usually try to use it before Salamence becasue Terrakion can weaken many of Salamences threats.
Opinion: Terrakion is my favorite 5th generation Pokemon. I love its sprite, stat spread, and effectivness. The only thing I don't love about him is its weakness to priority. Luckily, Gliscor can absorb Bullet/ Mach Punches. Terrakion has fantastic STAB's and is a very underrated Pokemon in todays metagame. I am currently debating on wether or not I should run Scarfed Terrakion. This would provide extra insurance against Volcarona and Dragon Dancers if Scizor fails.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 8 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
-Bullet Punch
-Pursuit
-Super Power
-U-Turn
EV’s/Item/Nature: Scizors famous set. Everyone knows the Adamant Nature + 252 Atk EVs + 31 Atk IVs + Technician + Priority + STAB + Choice Band equation. And it is popular for very good reasons. The power Scizor has is tremendous. This set should be relatively self explanitory. All those things listed in the equation above give Scizor maximum offensive power. The EV's that aren't dumped into Attack are put into HP to increase Scizors bulk, which is already great on the physical side (for an offensive Pokemon). 248 Hp may seem odd at first, but this allows Scizor one extra switch in before being worn down and KO'd by Stealth Rock.
Move Set: This set is only overpowered by his Swords Dance set (assuming he has a preformed a Swords Dance), but this set requires no set-up. Choice Band Scizor found its way onto this team because I was looking for something to KO Dragons for Salamence. Scizor is famous for its ability to KO Dragons. U-Turn is great for scouting, which can really give me the upper hand. Bullet Punch stops any fast Pokemon who thinks their tough enough to sweep my team.
Team Role/Synergy: Scizor is this teams revenge killer. He was put on the team because I needed something to stop my team from getting destroyed by Dragons. With Scizors typing, movepool, and stats he was the best choice in my opinion. He fit very well type wise, I already had 3 fire resist, and he patched up my lack of a Ghost resistance along with many other potential weak points. Generally, I try to use Scizor whenever I can to begin wearing the oppent down which helps for a future sweep.
Opinion: I never really used Scizor until this generation. I don't really know why, he just never found his way onto my team. After using he became a staple in my Pokemon building routine. He is so reliable. He saves me from so much trouble, and is a very important member on this team. I am considering changing Scizor to a Swords Dance Scizor, especially if Terrakion is changed to a scarfer as that would put less emphasis on Scizor for revenge killing, and would allow him to sweep easier.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 112 Hp/ 252 SpA/ 144 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
-Will-O-Wisp
-Pain Split
-Volt Switch
-Hydropump
EV’s/Item/Nature: Maximum Special Attack to pack a punch against as much Pokemon as I can, while the remaining EV's are dumped into Hp and Speed. Having EV's in HP allows Rotom-W to take more hits, giving it more time to spread status or KO a Pokemon. The EV's in Speed help Rotom-W out by outpseeding max Speed Tyranitar, max Speed Adamant Scizor, max Speed Adamant Breloom, and most variants of Gliscor which I think is rather helpful. Leftovers greatly increases bulk and without it this little washing machine would power off much too soon. Modest Nature is for maximum attacking power, which really helps me abuse Rotom-W's great dual STABs and already decent Special Attack.
Move Set: "Standard" is what the moveset is called. It is by far the most popular moveset for Rotom-W. Will-O-Wisp is great for the team, it cripples many sweepers. It utilizes it's fantastic STAB moves which give it great coverage. Hidden Power Fire is a useful option on this moveset, but it is really only somewhat useful against Scizor and Ferrothorn, both are very common in the rain which makes HP Fire almost useless. I opted for Will-O-Wisp for its broader range of Pokemon it can cripple which is overall more useful to the team.
Team Role/Synergy: Rotom-W is my main man against Drizzle teams. It zaps Water Pokemon with its STAB Thunderbolt and doesn't mind the boost recieved from Rain. Rotom-W counters Scizor excellently, which is great because Scizor can be very threatening if I don't deal with him properly. Rotom-W can even stand up to Sand teams. After a SD Excadrill still doesn't OHKO Rotom-W with Rock Slide and Rotom-W can OHKO back with Hydro Pump. Rotom-W forms a very solid defensive core with Gliscor and Jirachi. Rotom-W is the mixed wall in this core. Its Grass weakness is covered by Scizor and Salamence, both of them barely even notice Grass attacks as they share a x4 resistance to it.
Opinion: Rotom-W is currently one of the most valuable Pokemon in OU. I believe this is mainly because it can counter Drizzle teams so well, combined with its great STAB and stats this Pokemon is all round a good Pokemon and deserves a spot on almost any team. It is surprisngly durable thanks to its new typing which I strongly believe is an upgrade from the previous generation.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 Hp/ 184 Def/ 72 Spe
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
-Protect
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
-Taunt
EV’s/Item/Nature: EV's in HP are used to maximize its bulk. The 72 Speed EV's are decepitvely helpful. They may not seem like much, but they allow Gliscor to ouspeed Max Speed Tyranitar, who would otherwise OHKO with Ice Beam. Adamant Breloom is also outsped by this EV Spread. Toxic Orb is standard, and allows Gliscor to regain health each turn. Impish Nature because this this Gliscor is a physical wall, and that boosts his defense.
Move Set: Protect is great on this set to really abuse Poison Heal, and serves a great scouting move. Earthquake is obligatory STAB and Ice Fang hits Dragons hard. Taunt stops set up Pokemon from using Gliscor as set-up bait, and stops Skarmory from putting down Spikes. Swords Dance was something I considered for a long time on this Gliscor, but I really wanted to abuse Gliscors walling capabilities and would rather use Protect to increase longevity.
Team Role/Synergy: Gliscor is my Physical wall in my defensive core. It really only gets competition as a physical wall from Skarmory, but I feel Gliscor is better because it can retaliate and KO the Pokemon rather than just using Whirlwind and simply delaying a future attack. Gliscor covers my slight Scizor weakness perfectly, and walls almost all physical attackers. Its weakness to Ice is covered by Rotom-W who can hit back hard with Thunderbolt if the Pokemon is Water Type. Gliscor serves as my second Sand counter, it takes almost no damage from Excadrill and can handle it easily. Its STAB Earthquake is also generally threatening to Rock and Steel types, both of which are common on Sand teams.
Opinion: Gliscor is another Pokemon I severally underestimated this generation. I never imagined Gliscor would be the wall of choice for Gen V. Poison Heal is so amazing for a wall. It has great typing for a wall, and enough offensive power that it can occasionally sweep if I need it to.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Hp/ 224 SpD/ 32 Spe
Careful Nature (+SpD, -SpA)
-Iron Head
-Body Slam
-Stealth Rock
-Wish
EV’s/Item/Nature: The EV's are tailored to maximize Special Defense which allows to support the team more effectively. 252 Hp creates a gargantuan Wish, which can give any Pokemon on my team a second wind. 32 EV's are placed into speed to outpspeed max speed Ttar and a few other slow Pokemon. 224 Special Defense maintain its Special bulk. Leftovers increases its bulk greatly, especially in the sand when the oppenent loses HP each turn. Careful Nature rounds of its Special defense to awesome levels, making Jirachi a great Special wall.
Move Set: Jirachi's signature moveset. Probably the most annoying set in all of Pokemon.. Body Slam paralyzes everything you want Paralyzed (besides Gengar), after they are Paralyzed, Jirachi generally goes first and can abuse Iron Head until your oppenents head explodes. Stealth Rock was necassary in my opinion because I had no other source of entry hazards. Wish rounds off the support orientated nature of this set, and can give save any of my Pokemon that are near fainting, which can change the outcome of any battle.
Team Role/Synergy: Jirachi is the teams Special wall, and besides Blissey, is the Special wall of choice. When paired with Gliscor and Rotom-W, they form a powerful defensive core, capable of walling almost anything while spreadng status. Jirachi only has two weaknesses; Ground and Fire. It's Ground weakness give Salamence an oppurtunity to switch in and sweep, and it's fire weakness is covered by Rotom-W, and Terrakion depending on who is "firing" out the attacks. (Please, once you get done peeing your pants from my hilarious pun, remember to rate my team :P)
Opinion: Jirachi is my favorite Pokemon, so my opinion of him is a good one. I love how easily he supports a team and I belive he is a valuable asset to any team. He requires very little support and gives so much to the team in return. I absolutey hate facing other Jirachi's though.. :P
Salamence @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 SpA/ 252 Spe
Naive Nature (+Spe, -SpD)
-Dragon Dance
-Fire Blast
-Outrage
-Earthquake
EV’s/Item/Nature: This is your standard Mixed DdMence. The EV's are for maximum offensive power and speed. Max Speed Nature and EV's are necassary to outspeed things like Haxorus and Hydreigon and Speed tie with other max speed base 100's like Victini and Volcarona. 4 EV's are spared and put into Special Attack to get every bit of damage I can out of Fire Blast, while the remaining Ev's are dumped into Attack for a very powerful STAB Outrage. Naive Nature was selected over the more common Jolly Nature because I'm running Fire Blast, and don't want to miss out on any extra Fire Blast damage. Naughty Nature could've been selected, but I really feel that I need every bit of defense I can get to stand a better chance of surviving Scizors Bullet Punch.
Move Set: Salamence has plenty of movesets ranging from defensive sets all the way to all out attacking mixed sets. I was looking for a late game sweeper that could take advantage of the crippled opposing team so the defensive sets were ruled out. With the opposing teams counters to Salamence crippled, I figured I could abuse this nicely with a Mixed Dragon Dance set with really takes advantage of all of Salamences stats and uses it to its fullest potential.
Team Role/Synergy: Salamence is this teams primary sweeper. It can simply decimate teams late game, especially if it gets a Dragon Dance. Salamence doesn't usually switch in on attacks, I generally wait until a Pokemon of mine has fainted to send him and scare out the oppenent to Dragon Dance on the switch. Salamence really loves having Jirachi and Rotom-W by his side. Jirachi slows its counters, which makes Salamence even harder to counter while Rotom-W can remove any bulky Waters and Burn Salamences greatest nemises, Scizor. Defensively speaking, Salamences weakness are covered well. All Ice attacks can be redirected to Rotom-W, Jirachi and Scizor. Dragon attacks are generally absorbed by Scizor who can Bullet Punch the Dragon to death. Rock moves are welcomed by Terrakion with its x4 resistance to it.
Opinion: I love Salamence. It's a bad butt (I'm trying to make this RMT ok for ALL ages :P) in the anime and in competitive battling. It functions very well in todays metagame, which could be partially due to the surprise factor generated from Fire Blast. People will often switch in things like Ferrothorn only to get roasted by a Fire Blast. Salamence has great synergy with the team offensively and defensively. It is very fun to play with, and when I play my cards right, Salamence can often be the difference between winning and losing. Salamence suffers heavy competition from Dragonite for this spot, and it was chosen over Dragonite almost only for Fire Blast, which obliterates any Skarmory in its way, which is something Dragonite cannot do. One more advantage is being able to take down Heatran. Dragonite cannot hurt Heatran unless it sacrifices Fire Punch, but then it is left defensless against levitating steels.
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Conclusion
And that sums up the team. I didn't want to ramble on too long, so sorry if was a little to much. The team was created to prove to myself (and other players) that you don't need weather to be succesful. I guess its up to you raters to decide if I acheived my goal. I put a lot of time and effort into this RMT and team, so any tips on the formatting of it are appreciated as are tips about the team. I will consider anything, as long as you present your thoughts well and don't post things like "Mence is no0o0obz br0", I would appreciate some form of reasoning in your post, and this will persuade me to follow your recommendation if you provide solid reasonig. As for the name of the team, it is based of the Japanese name for Godzilla, Gojira, which I believe is a fitting nickname for Salamence (Gojira is also a great band!), and the coloration was intended to match the color of my Pokemons sprites. The team is fun to play with, and fits my style perfectly, so please, tell me what you think!
