Ola people!
My first RMT, I was having so much fun with this team I thought I'd post it. It is centered around the Emperor of Pokes. The craziness that is Empoleon late game can not be ignored, but it so often is. It rivals Lucario in the late game sweeping area IMO, be it on the special side.
Lots of room for improvement I bet.
Alright first off, I really dislike suicide leads. I think using explosion after SR with pokemon like azelf, metagross and bronzong (great pokes) is a complete waste. Most likely your opponent will predict (if (s)he is any good), and you will have traded 1 poke to lay down SR. If your opponent has a spinner, he might even be able to cancel it.
Therefore, I chose a lead that not only beats a LOT of common leads, but can also heal, switch outl, and come back into action later. And, as a bonus, he hax the shit out of my enemy, frustrating them into often making an early mistake.
You probably already guessed the awesomeness I am talking about:
Togekiss @ Lum Berry
Serene Grace
Calm
216 HP, 96 Def, 198 Spe
-Air Slash
-Thunder Wave
-Roost
-Aura Sphere
I love it. More often the not, Togekiss is the first and the last thing my opponent sees. He beats common leads like Azelf and Infernape by thunder waving the turn they SR, then flinching them once. If the flinch fails, another 25% para. I can see why people think a controverse lead like this sucks, because of the chance of the hax failing. The thing I like most, is that this thing can return onto the battlefield later when my opponent has drained it's counters, functioning as a special wall (292 SpD), and being able to KO a lot of stuff through Air Slash/Thunder Wave. Also survives thunderbolts from all but the strongest Zapdos, so it can Paralyze and roost the next turn. This is key for Empoleon later on, as he can get up a sub while they hopefully get paralyzed (i get 3 tries for that). Otherwise sub down till petaya and OHKO with Surf/Ice Beam.
I chose Lum berry over Leftovers. Tested both, and Lum Berry keeps Toge's usability. If it gets para/toxic when I don't expect it, the whole idea of it being useful through the entire match fails. Roost provides plenty recovery.
I didn't really tweak the EV's yet, if anybody has suggestions, feel free.
So now, I need to improve Empoleon's chances to sweep. There is a very effective way to do so, as you all know, through toxic spikes. Now there are three viable toxic spikers in OU. First, Roselia. The problem with her is that she is so frail, and therefore best used as a lead. I already have Togekiss as a lead, which I like, and although I am willing to make a lot of changes to this team, Togekiss stays. Also, Roselia relies a lot on sleep powder, a move I just don't like. I never used a sleeping move (bar a little breloom phase) on any team. Alright, second; Tentacruel. This guy gives me a third Electric weakness between Empoleon and Togekiss. Me no like. I also don't think that besides Toxic Spikes he can add anything else to my team, except maybe Knock Off. It also shares a Ground Weakness with Empoleon. No, my toxic spiker has to be:
Forretress @ Leftovers
Sturdy
Impish
244 HP, 130 Att, 136 Def, 0 Speed IV
-Toxic Spikes
-Rapid Spin
-Explosion
-Gyro Ball
He has basically done a good job if he gets to lay down 2 layers. People always switch in something with a fire move, so I thought about Occa Berry (that's the one that halves fire damage right?). But this guy's special def is so weak, he won't survive a hit anyways. Just lay down the spikes, or Rapid Spin if my enemy is a big fieldhazardfan, and get out. This guy does make a nice check to ghosts like Gengar (not Rotom due to it's electric typing), and dragons without fire moves like most Latias.
Again I didn't tweak the EV's yet, it's been working so far.
Just to make Empoleon a little more effective against a lot of Pokes, Stealth Rock would be nice. Right now I have two electric weaknesses, one fire weakness, and nothing to kill something like Salamence. Enter:
Swampert @ Leftovers
Torrent
Relaxed
236HP, 216 Def, 56 SpA
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Ice Beam
-Roar
I find having a pokemon other then your lead set up SR to be equally useful, maybe even more. Think about it, half of todays teams have a lead that's either going to stop you from setting up SR, or set up SR and blow up. This thing can come in on any thunder attack, or for instance a heatran using a fire move, set up SR, then switch back out again or Roar to check the opponents team. I find Roar a very useful move on any team, and in my experience the best Roar user is Suicune. Swampert takes the second place though. Besides that, Swampert counters Salamence (dragon dancing variants), Flygon, Tyranitar (bar Boah) and some more crazy physical threats. Also a good check against zapdos, something that can seriously harm Empoleons sweep.
So looking at the team thusfar we can all notice the insane DDGyara weakness. Just for this guy, I need an ace up my sleeve. Why not combine it with a Rapid Spin blocker? Something that outspeeds Gengar and OHKOs? Something that is even capable of disabling blissey, even though all of its attacks are special? Yes, it's:
Rotom-h (couldn't find the sprite) @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
Bold
252 HP, 224 Spe, 34 SpD
-Trick
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Will-o-Wisp
This is the closest to a priority move your gonna see on this team. He outspeeds anything you will ever see in OU that is not Ninjask or Electrode and doesn't have a speedboost. Adamant Gyara will fail to outspeed after 1 DD, and fail to OHKO if it is Jolly. Trick pwnz a lot of the usual counters to Rotom, and Will-o-Wisp over Overheat because Tyranitar switches into this guy more often then I breath during my sleep. Choice Scarf Gengar is powned by this thing, as it does not OHKO with shadow ball, while Rotom does. All other forms of Gengar are powned as well, obviously. This guy ends up dealing with a lot of pokes, mostly Gyarados, Starmie, Blissey, Scizor and Tyranitar. I have more checks to most of those pokes, but I need to kill Gyarados before Rotom dies, otherwise I have to get lucky with Swampert phazing him, praying he doesn't have taunt.
Lots of weak spots covered, and you can smell a little synergy already. What am I lacking? Well there will always be Vaporeons and Blisseys and Zapdos lurking somewhere I didn't look yet. So I need a check for them. The next member of my team will fool my opponent into thinking it is my late game sweeper, when it actually isn't. It's so genius.
Salamence @ Lum Berry
Intimidate
Jolly
216 HP, 74 Att, 104 Spe, 116 SpD
-Dragon Dance
-Roost
-Outrage
-Earthquake
Ehhh, no seriously, this thing will switch into stuff like Heatran and Jirachi, Dragon dance as they bring out an obvious counter like Vaporeon, Dragon Dance again, then depending on Vappy using Toxic or Ice Beam (which won't KO), I will either Outrage or Roost of the damage. He will take out 2 pokemon a lot of times. Enough to punch that little hole needed for Empoleon to crwal through. Just enough speed to always win against Dragonite, another dragon with increased late game sweeping popularity. Also outspeeds Jolly Gya by 1 point.
Now without further yapping, the star of the team:
Empoleon @ Petaya Berry
Torrent
Modest
12 HP, 8 Def, 236 Spe, 252 SpA
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-Substitute
-Agility
It's just so horrifying. Along with Toxic Spikes (preferably two layers) and SR, it can beat things like Vaporeon or Blissey that survived earlier struggles. Along with that, it has so many opportunities to step in, Agility or Sub, and start causing frustration. Even if my Opponent has 6 Members left, it often comes out on top (as long as the rest of my team did it's thing). You would be surprised about the damage a STAB, Torrent Boosted Surf+1 does, even to things that resist it. It's crazy.
Well this is it, my first RMT. I've had like 20 teams before this, but I was bored and thought I'd share this one, with one of my favorites in it, with you all.
About a threat list, Gyarados in certain situations, Rest/Talk Suicune, and Lucario to some extend can cause a lot of problems. Other then that I just have to keep an eye out for anything trying to set up against on of my pokes (something that happens a lot, but isn't a really big problem if I act on it right away). I have been thinking about replacing some things, but don't know what and where. As you can see, most of the EV's haven't been tweaked (except for some speed EV's). Everything has just been working more or less so far.
One big issue this team has, is that it has no attacking fire moves. I can put Heat Wave on Togekiss instead of Aura Sphere, but then it loses its already small chance against Lead Tyranitar (or the ability to revenge kill later). Then again, I have been beaten by a few well played Swords Dance Scizor before, and he usually switches in to Togekiss due to Bullet Punch negating the "hax effect".
Anyway, I can't put together a real threat list right now, a lil short in time, but you are all pro enough to see the gigantic flaws.
One last glance:
Happy rating!
My first RMT, I was having so much fun with this team I thought I'd post it. It is centered around the Emperor of Pokes. The craziness that is Empoleon late game can not be ignored, but it so often is. It rivals Lucario in the late game sweeping area IMO, be it on the special side.
Lots of room for improvement I bet.
Alright first off, I really dislike suicide leads. I think using explosion after SR with pokemon like azelf, metagross and bronzong (great pokes) is a complete waste. Most likely your opponent will predict (if (s)he is any good), and you will have traded 1 poke to lay down SR. If your opponent has a spinner, he might even be able to cancel it.
Therefore, I chose a lead that not only beats a LOT of common leads, but can also heal, switch outl, and come back into action later. And, as a bonus, he hax the shit out of my enemy, frustrating them into often making an early mistake.
You probably already guessed the awesomeness I am talking about:
Togekiss @ Lum Berry
Serene Grace
Calm
216 HP, 96 Def, 198 Spe
-Air Slash
-Thunder Wave
-Roost
-Aura Sphere
I love it. More often the not, Togekiss is the first and the last thing my opponent sees. He beats common leads like Azelf and Infernape by thunder waving the turn they SR, then flinching them once. If the flinch fails, another 25% para. I can see why people think a controverse lead like this sucks, because of the chance of the hax failing. The thing I like most, is that this thing can return onto the battlefield later when my opponent has drained it's counters, functioning as a special wall (292 SpD), and being able to KO a lot of stuff through Air Slash/Thunder Wave. Also survives thunderbolts from all but the strongest Zapdos, so it can Paralyze and roost the next turn. This is key for Empoleon later on, as he can get up a sub while they hopefully get paralyzed (i get 3 tries for that). Otherwise sub down till petaya and OHKO with Surf/Ice Beam.
I chose Lum berry over Leftovers. Tested both, and Lum Berry keeps Toge's usability. If it gets para/toxic when I don't expect it, the whole idea of it being useful through the entire match fails. Roost provides plenty recovery.
I didn't really tweak the EV's yet, if anybody has suggestions, feel free.
So now, I need to improve Empoleon's chances to sweep. There is a very effective way to do so, as you all know, through toxic spikes. Now there are three viable toxic spikers in OU. First, Roselia. The problem with her is that she is so frail, and therefore best used as a lead. I already have Togekiss as a lead, which I like, and although I am willing to make a lot of changes to this team, Togekiss stays. Also, Roselia relies a lot on sleep powder, a move I just don't like. I never used a sleeping move (bar a little breloom phase) on any team. Alright, second; Tentacruel. This guy gives me a third Electric weakness between Empoleon and Togekiss. Me no like. I also don't think that besides Toxic Spikes he can add anything else to my team, except maybe Knock Off. It also shares a Ground Weakness with Empoleon. No, my toxic spiker has to be:
Forretress @ Leftovers
Sturdy
Impish
244 HP, 130 Att, 136 Def, 0 Speed IV
-Toxic Spikes
-Rapid Spin
-Explosion
-Gyro Ball
He has basically done a good job if he gets to lay down 2 layers. People always switch in something with a fire move, so I thought about Occa Berry (that's the one that halves fire damage right?). But this guy's special def is so weak, he won't survive a hit anyways. Just lay down the spikes, or Rapid Spin if my enemy is a big fieldhazardfan, and get out. This guy does make a nice check to ghosts like Gengar (not Rotom due to it's electric typing), and dragons without fire moves like most Latias.
Again I didn't tweak the EV's yet, it's been working so far.
Just to make Empoleon a little more effective against a lot of Pokes, Stealth Rock would be nice. Right now I have two electric weaknesses, one fire weakness, and nothing to kill something like Salamence. Enter:
Swampert @ Leftovers
Torrent
Relaxed
236HP, 216 Def, 56 SpA
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Ice Beam
-Roar
I find having a pokemon other then your lead set up SR to be equally useful, maybe even more. Think about it, half of todays teams have a lead that's either going to stop you from setting up SR, or set up SR and blow up. This thing can come in on any thunder attack, or for instance a heatran using a fire move, set up SR, then switch back out again or Roar to check the opponents team. I find Roar a very useful move on any team, and in my experience the best Roar user is Suicune. Swampert takes the second place though. Besides that, Swampert counters Salamence (dragon dancing variants), Flygon, Tyranitar (bar Boah) and some more crazy physical threats. Also a good check against zapdos, something that can seriously harm Empoleons sweep.
So looking at the team thusfar we can all notice the insane DDGyara weakness. Just for this guy, I need an ace up my sleeve. Why not combine it with a Rapid Spin blocker? Something that outspeeds Gengar and OHKOs? Something that is even capable of disabling blissey, even though all of its attacks are special? Yes, it's:
Rotom-h (couldn't find the sprite) @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
Bold
252 HP, 224 Spe, 34 SpD
-Trick
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Will-o-Wisp
This is the closest to a priority move your gonna see on this team. He outspeeds anything you will ever see in OU that is not Ninjask or Electrode and doesn't have a speedboost. Adamant Gyara will fail to outspeed after 1 DD, and fail to OHKO if it is Jolly. Trick pwnz a lot of the usual counters to Rotom, and Will-o-Wisp over Overheat because Tyranitar switches into this guy more often then I breath during my sleep. Choice Scarf Gengar is powned by this thing, as it does not OHKO with shadow ball, while Rotom does. All other forms of Gengar are powned as well, obviously. This guy ends up dealing with a lot of pokes, mostly Gyarados, Starmie, Blissey, Scizor and Tyranitar. I have more checks to most of those pokes, but I need to kill Gyarados before Rotom dies, otherwise I have to get lucky with Swampert phazing him, praying he doesn't have taunt.
Lots of weak spots covered, and you can smell a little synergy already. What am I lacking? Well there will always be Vaporeons and Blisseys and Zapdos lurking somewhere I didn't look yet. So I need a check for them. The next member of my team will fool my opponent into thinking it is my late game sweeper, when it actually isn't. It's so genius.
Salamence @ Lum Berry
Intimidate
Jolly
216 HP, 74 Att, 104 Spe, 116 SpD
-Dragon Dance
-Roost
-Outrage
-Earthquake
Ehhh, no seriously, this thing will switch into stuff like Heatran and Jirachi, Dragon dance as they bring out an obvious counter like Vaporeon, Dragon Dance again, then depending on Vappy using Toxic or Ice Beam (which won't KO), I will either Outrage or Roost of the damage. He will take out 2 pokemon a lot of times. Enough to punch that little hole needed for Empoleon to crwal through. Just enough speed to always win against Dragonite, another dragon with increased late game sweeping popularity. Also outspeeds Jolly Gya by 1 point.
Now without further yapping, the star of the team:
Empoleon @ Petaya Berry
Torrent
Modest
12 HP, 8 Def, 236 Spe, 252 SpA
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-Substitute
-Agility
It's just so horrifying. Along with Toxic Spikes (preferably two layers) and SR, it can beat things like Vaporeon or Blissey that survived earlier struggles. Along with that, it has so many opportunities to step in, Agility or Sub, and start causing frustration. Even if my Opponent has 6 Members left, it often comes out on top (as long as the rest of my team did it's thing). You would be surprised about the damage a STAB, Torrent Boosted Surf+1 does, even to things that resist it. It's crazy.
Well this is it, my first RMT. I've had like 20 teams before this, but I was bored and thought I'd share this one, with one of my favorites in it, with you all.
About a threat list, Gyarados in certain situations, Rest/Talk Suicune, and Lucario to some extend can cause a lot of problems. Other then that I just have to keep an eye out for anything trying to set up against on of my pokes (something that happens a lot, but isn't a really big problem if I act on it right away). I have been thinking about replacing some things, but don't know what and where. As you can see, most of the EV's haven't been tweaked (except for some speed EV's). Everything has just been working more or less so far.
One big issue this team has, is that it has no attacking fire moves. I can put Heat Wave on Togekiss instead of Aura Sphere, but then it loses its already small chance against Lead Tyranitar (or the ability to revenge kill later). Then again, I have been beaten by a few well played Swords Dance Scizor before, and he usually switches in to Togekiss due to Bullet Punch negating the "hax effect".
Anyway, I can't put together a real threat list right now, a lil short in time, but you are all pro enough to see the gigantic flaws.
One last glance:
Happy rating!
