Green eggs and go HAM
Introduction
Surprisingly this has been one of my most successful teams in laddering, considering I normally hit top 20-40's then just stop. The idea is to set up entry hazards quickly, then overpower my opponent while protecting the hazards. I actually made this team a while back, before the banning of Excadrill and Thundurus. The only difference was that Starmie used to be a Rotom-W. Excadrill caused problems for the team, easily spinning away the hazards on top of being a huge offensive threat. With Excadrill gone, this style has been much easier to pull off. I had to change my play style up quite a bit to use this team effectively because I can't switch around as freely as I would like. Regardless this team is hard to deal with once it gets going. Most of my losses occur due to hax, which is bad because this team can't afford misses or crits in bad situations. So if hax occurs that's my ass basically.
Unlike most people, I never change my lead after team preview. I always have a permanent lead to start the match in my favor, while my teammates can handle an unfavorable one. Imo it is bad to switch up leads because you can lose momentum if you predict wrong, giving your opponent control of the battle. Most likely all my team previews will have a fake lead. Below, Tyranitar(a common lead) is in the first slot which further influences my opponent to capitalize on the fact I will lead with it.
Preview
Skarmory @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Roost
Skarmory is my suicide lead of choice. Like I said before the idea was to set up as many hazards as possible to put pressure on my opponent. With Skarm, I could kill two birds with one stone basically. What makes Skarmory viable as a lead is the new mechanic of Sturdy, guaranteeing to set up at least one layer of hazards. With the special investment, Skarm can manage not getting 2HKO more often then not. The Lum Berry may look out of place but it guarantees my set ups and survivability. Ninetales usually try to burn me first expecting my Tyranitar and knowing nothing on my team will enjoy the burn. Most people will lead with their answer to Tyranitar first turn, allowing me to get up more layers. Here is a list of common leads that I tend to see and how I deal with them:
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
- Hidden Power [Grass]
I chose Starmie because stopping the random Infernape sweep was crucial. Even if I hardly see them, Starmie is still a great partner when it comes to dealing with sand and rain teams. The main reason I chose her over Rotom-W is the blistering speed. A lot of top threats like Landorus and Terrakion need to be checked easily. Also this gives Terrakion another Pursuit fodder. I've considered using Rapid Spin but Hp Grass sounds more rewarding for taking out Rotom-W and Gastrodon. Not much else to say about her though.
Gengar @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Trick
- Hidden Power [Ice]
This is a very underrated set, but I can see why. It lacks overall power and utility but scarf Gengar has done more good than bad for this team. Of course his main job is to protect the hazards, as well as become a huge Pursuit target. What this set accomplishes greatly helps keep my team's momentum. With the scarf I can unexpectedly check Deoxys-S and DD Dragonite who can't Extremespeed back. This also lets me spin block Starmie and KO before she does. I can further screw over stall or Virizion with Trick. Save this guy till late game, he runs over everything. Never thought I would use this set but it's actually kinda fun and not terrible if played with the right support.
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
Tyranitar offers many pluses for the team. He removes nasty weather, traps the psychics counters, and beefs up Terrakion's special bulk for easy set up. The old Choice Band set looked promising since I would still attain enough bulk and power to destroy Reuniclus and the Latis. This guy can also work as extra wall breaker to dent Terrakion's counters. I'm using Earthquake over Superpower to handle CM Jirachi but a scarf Tyranitar I might consider. However sometimes he is a liability to be choiced.
Jirachi @ Shuca Berry
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 36 HP / 252 SAtk / 220 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Calm Mind
- Grass Knot
Superachi is just amazing at what it does for the team. Once I get up a Calm Mind he can pretty much protect the hazards offensively by taking out Tentacruel, Donphan, and Fortress. From there the damage racks up fast, soon enough Jirachi is sweeping teams. He pairs up well with Terrakion because he easily lures in Gliscor and Scizor and just take them out. In return Jirachi can take a Bullet Punch or Mach Punch if I really need to. I recently stopped running Leftovers for Shuca Berry because the Rotom-W, Scizor, Landorus combo is so abundant now. I need to take out the Landorus in order to do any real damage to teams. Heatran stops rachi but I have a lot to deal with that.
Terrakion @ Air Balloon
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Rock Polish
The most aggressive mon in the game right now. Although he sits back until the time is right, then he goes off. The double boosting set is flexible enough to let me win anyway I want. The balloon lets me set up on crucial ground types like Dugtrio and gives offensive synergy with just about every member. Avoiding both types of Spikes before sweeping is a plus. I go with an Adamant nature for the extra power against other Skarmory and for power in general since I'm not trying to speed tie with anything. Not much to say but set up and go ham.
Conclusion
I love this team because it's not standard or predictable, but still kicks butt. My worst match ups I would say are Jirachi, the Rotom-W, Scizor, Landorus combo and other Terrakion to an extent. So any thoughts on how I should deal with them or change some sets would be nice.
