After finally springing the 100ish dollars to buy my fancy used DS and pokemon platinum, and after finally beating the elite 4 and finishing the Sinnoh dex, I'm ready to make my competitive team.
This is for Wifi, not shoddy battle
That being said, it's not quite as easy to just change the EVs or choose my IVs and the moveset I want, etc., etc., I was hoping to get some great input before I put in the time required to breed for these guys.
All introductions aside, let the curtains rise on what may be a well balanced team or just a complete lack of experience (Hopefully the former, I've been lurking for nearly a year now :P).
Needs Editing with the changes implemented
Azelf- No true counter, but due to its lower defenses all I need is some prediction then a strong stab to take this guy out. Forretress walls nicely.
Breloom- Stab Air Slash, anyone? Togekiss should have no problem switching into any of his moves (except spore, of course) and taking him out. Motor Drive Electivire may be able to Ice Punch before the Spore, I'd have to see a damage calc to be sure though.
Celebi- Air Slash would work nicely and Togekiss can safely switch into just about anything Celebi runs.
Dugtrio- No true counter, a Motor Drive Electivire may be able to take it out with Ice Punch considering Dugtrio's weak defense, but it'd have to watch out for Earthquake.
Electivire- My own Electivire would fare nicely, given it has a Motor Drive and the other doesn't. Aside from Flamethrower/Ice Punch, Breloom has little to fear from this set.
Empoleon- Breloom is pretty good, just needs to watch out for the Drill Peck. An Aura Sphere from Togekiss would work nicely, aside from the Ice Beam. Forretress has no trouble switching in and EQing, but his Attack stat is a little weak. Electivire is safe to switch in and EQ.
Flygon- No real counter, but an Ice Beam from Tentacruel or possibly an Ice Punch could finish it off due to it's 4x damage.
Gengar- If Psychic were on Azelf, lead Gengar would fall pretty fast. Otherwise I'm fairly vulnerable.
Gliscor- Ice Beam from Tentacruel would probably be the best way to take this gliding scorpion down, but and Ice Punch might be able to do the job. Tentacruel and Electivire would both have to look out for the Earthquake, however.
Gyrados- Electivire should have no trouble with Gyrados, especially if rocks were down. If I added Stone Edge to Breloom it would work nicely, I'd just have to watch out for Bounce.
Heatran- Electivire would absolutely destroy Heatran with Earthquake, he only has to watch out for Earthpower coming off of Heatran's high special attack. Aura Sphere from Togekiss would work fairly nicely as well. Tentacruel only needs to look out for Earthpower, otherwise he's fine to attack with the stab Surf.
Heracross- Air Slash from Togekiss would destroy this, but it'd need to look out for the Stone Edge.
Infernape- Earthquake from Electivire would work nicely, as would Air Slash from Togekiss. They would need to look out for Earthquake and Stone Edge respectively.
Jirachi- Lead Azelf would take care of lead Jirachi, given Azelf has Flamethrower and not Psychic. Earthquake from Electivire of Forretress works nicely as well.
Kingdra- As I have no Dragon type moves, the most effective way to kill Kingdra is through the most powerful stab move off of the most powerful attack/special attack. Tentacruel could Ice Beam without really worrying about taking too much damage, unless it was a physical Kingdra. I'm a little weak in this regard.
Latias- I have nothing super effective to psychic, but Ice Punch or Ice Beam would have to do their best to the dragon typing. Tentacruel doesn't suffer too much from Latias' movepool.
Lucario- Earthquake from either Forretress or Electivire would work nicely. Focus Punch from Breloom works well too.
Machamp- Air Slash from Togekiss or Psychic from Azelf (if it runs it, that is). Otherwise not much can hit this defensive beast.
Magnezone- Earthquake from a Motor Driven Electivire would do smashingly well in this case, especially due to the double weakness. Aura Sphere would also work, but Togekiss would have to look out for Thunder(bolt). Thankfully Togekiss has a great special defense. Breloom wouldn't have too much trouble pulling off a Focus Punch either.
Mamoswine- Stab Gyro Ball from Forretress is probably the safest bet, but he has to watch out for the massive stab Earthquake. Other options are the uber-powerful Focus Punch from Breloom, Flamethrower if Azelf has it, and Surf from Tentacruel (who also needs to look out for the Earthquake.)
Metagross- Earthquake from Forretress would be OK as it doesn't have too much to fear from Metagross' movepool. The same goes for Electivire. Otherwise a very powerful neutral stab Focus Punch from Breloom might do the trick.
Ninjask- Air Slash from Togekiss would work nicely against Ninjask, and if Breloom ran Stone Edge it would help. With Stealth Rocks down by Azelf, it'll have half health to begin with. Most are leads, however, so Flamethrower would help.
Porygon-Z- Due to Porygon-Z's massive special attack, it would probably be best to hit it with an Aura Sphere from Togekiss. Focus Punch from Breloom and Cross Chop would most likely get the job done as well, however, just with more risk.
Rhyperior- Seed Bomb is good, but it hits Rhyperior's massive defense. Surf from Tentacruel would be my best bet.
Roserade- Air Slash from Togekiss would be the best, especially due to Togekiss' high special defense. Foretress has nothing to fear from Roserade and can wear it down with constant Earthquakes.
Rotom-A- I really don't have much of anything to counter this guy, so it's a good thing it's not in wifi!
Salamence- Tentacruel's Ice Beam is probably the best bet to a special Salamence set, and if I change Breloom's moveset a Stone Edge.
Scizor- If I ran Flamethrower on Azelf, this would be the place to use it. Earthquake would work decently from Electivire's high attack.
Snorlax- Aura Sphere from Togekiss or a Cross Chop from Electivire. Focus Punch from Breloom destroys it. Without Fire Blast, Snorlax really can't do much of anything to Forretress.
Starmie- Seed Bomb would probably be my best bet, but ThunderPunch from Electivire works too.
Suicune- ThunderPunch from Electivire, Seed Bomb from Breloom. Breloom needs to look out for the Ice Beam, however.
Togekiss- Stone Edge if I ran it on Breloom, Ice Punch from Electivire would also work well. Tentacruel Ice Beam is nice too, and Tentacruel really has nothing to fear from Togekiss.
Tyranitar- Aura Sphere and Cross Chop from Togekiss and Electivire, respectively. Forretress can wall quite nicely then hit with Earthquake or the stab Gyro Ball for some decent damage.
Weavile- Aura Sphere, problem solved. I'd need to watch out for the priority Ice Shard hitting Togekiss, so Cross Chop from Electivire would work nicely.
Yanmega- Air Slash would do nicely, as I want to kill this as fast as possible. If I ran Stone Edge on Breloom it would probably be the best way to take this out, I'd just need to look out for Air Slash.
Zapdos- Ice Punch from Electivire is probably the best way to go here, unless Breloom runs Stone Edge, in which case he'd need to look out for the Heat Wave.
After reading many RMTs and lurking around the Stark Mountain forum for quite some time now, I've noticed the importance of Cohesion to a team. I forget exactly who said it, but someone smartly pointed out "you can't just put six strong pokemon together and call it a team." While the quote may not be exact, the idea remains the same. I was worried about this fact when I began making this team, as I feel it has too many standalone players.
The main, unifying idea around this team is similar to a sports team: I have the players who stay in the back field and wait for the other team to take action, Azelf and Forretress; I have the players who run up and attack whenever possible, Electivire and Breloom. I even have the middle players, who can attack when necessary but can also fall back to provide support, Tentacruel and Togekiss. While they all have their niches, I need help tying them together. Tentacruel can draw out electric attacks to provide Electivire the Motor Drive boost he needs to sweep, as can Togekiss, although I fear Earthquake to Tentacruel's poison typing and Stone Edge to Togekiss' Flying typing. Forretress is there mainly to switch in to any move that may hamper a sweep, yet he can't protect everyone from everything. I guess if I had to write a central strategy for my team, it would be "Get all entry hazards down to help weaken my opponents, turning what may be a 2 or 3 HKO into a 1 or 2, allowing my sweepers to continue their job, unencumbered."
Don't be gentle when critiquing this team as I'm up for all criticisms and comments. Also, it would be much appreciated if you could comment on the actual layout and writing style of this RMT, as it is my first in this thread so I would like to know what you think. Thanks for you time, fellow Smogoners.
This is for Wifi, not shoddy battle
That being said, it's not quite as easy to just change the EVs or choose my IVs and the moveset I want, etc., etc., I was hoping to get some great input before I put in the time required to breed for these guys.
All introductions aside, let the curtains rise on what may be a well balanced team or just a complete lack of experience (Hopefully the former, I've been lurking for nearly a year now :P).
The team at a glance:
When first approaching the competitive world of Pokemon, I was tempted to pump out a team my friend aptly named, "the most OU team, ever." With a team made up almost entirely of the most used pokes, he was completely right. I decided to take a different approach, and while I didn't attempt anything unheard of or gimmick, I did try to use some of the more underused overused. I know Azelf leads are fairly common, Nasty Plot Togekiss isn't a rare gem either, and Tentacruel has its moments, but I wanted to create a team without the TTar and Luc and Skarmbliss. Now that I'm finished with my pseudo-idealist rambling, on with the team!
Swampert @ Leftovers
Torrent
Relaxed (+Def, -Spe)
252 Hp/ 216 Def/ 40 SpA
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Ice Beam
-Roar
Lead Swampert is fairly common, and I chose MixPert so physical walls don't "rofl at him" (thanks, Sc4rf). I Stealth Rock on the first turn given I don't expect a taunt, in which case I use whatever move is the most effective. Earthquake for stab off of Swampert's relatively high attack stat, Ice Beam for Gliscor and dragons mainly, but it helps for other bulky walls. Roar is for the nice phazing, as my team lacks it, to help out some with all the DDers in the metagame. Leftovers help increase Swampert's staying power, while the relaxed nature makes him that much bulkier. Besides, he's already going second so the speed doesn't really matter. His dual typing is nice but he needs to look out for lead Infernapes with Grass Knot. I'm not sure about the damage calcs, but he may be able to roar it away after taking one.
Scizor @ Life Orb
Technician
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
32 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 224 Spe
-Swords Dance
-Brick Break
-X-Scissor
-Bullet Punch
Who doesn't love a stab, priority double base power from technician Bullet Punch coming off base 130 attack? The allure was simply too much to resist. Scizor's typing allows it to switch into a multitude of attacks, resist, set up Swords Dance and hopefully sweep, as long as his counters have been eliminated. Brick Break handles Tyranitar, which is always very nice. X-Scissor is for stab and helps nicely with the darks and psychics I used to have trouble with. Bullet Paaauunch is the coup de grâce, with 120 bp priority coming off nearly 400 attack is surely a force to be reckoned with. Life Orb increases damage output and the given EVs allow 11 LO boosted hits and also protect an 8 switch in KO from Stealth Rock.
Weavile @ Choice Band
Pressure
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
6 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
-Pursuit
-Ice Shard
-Brick Break
-Ice Punch
Before DPP, Sneasel was just a one stage pokemon with an unique typing. Thanks to the advent of the 4th generation, what was fairly worthless competitively is now a revenge killing powerhouse. Enter Weavile, stage right, boasting a whopping base 120 attack paired with an incredible base 125 speed. Paired with stab priority move Ice Shard, we have here quite possibly the greatest revenge killer of dragons (excluding Kingdra). Brick Break handles Tyranitar with ease, OHKOing him and outspeeding him even after a Dragon Dance, something my team previously feared. Ice Punch is for a more solid stab attack, Pursuit can kill many Psychics and Ghosts even if they stay in. Choice Band means I'll need better prediction, which shouldn't be too difficult. Pressure won't see much use as I won't be stalling any time soon with a Weavile. This really fills the hole my team had against dragons and DDers.
Togekiss @ Lum Berry
Serene Grace
Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
252 Hp/ 152 SpA/ 104 Spe
-Nasty Plot
-Roost
-Air Slash
-Aura Sphere
Togekiss has quite a few differences from the Togepi it once was, namely a killer base SpA stat of 120 and an almost equally killer base 115 SpD stat. It's for these reasons Togekiss is assigned the role as a primary set up and sweep, requiring a small amount of prediction to pull of the Nasty Plot. And oh what a nasty plot it'll be when this oddly shaped bird tears a hole through the opponents team with stab air slash (the 60% flinch hax is always nice too) and Aura Sphere to provide coverage against those bilky rocks that can end the sweep. As Roost provides enough staying power, I didn't find leftovers necessary, and I believe the potential paralysis could be worse than not having the extra health from leftovers. The idea is to either sweep or be sacrificed for the potential sweep of the other two sweepers.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Poison Heal
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
44 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 212 Spe
-Spore
-Focus Punch
-Seed Bomb
-Substitute
It's pretty odd the short-armed Breloom is one of the best users of Focus Punch, but coupled with Spore and Substitute, it's no wonder his punches land quite frequently on my opponent's team. Spore is for the fast, guaranteed sleep. I chose Substitute over Stone Edge for the added staying power and the Focus Punch opportunity, but Seed Bomb and Focus Punch both leave me wide open to flying types. I feel the added protection of the sub is nice, but I'm slightly concerned about this glaring weakness, as it has the very great potential to ruin a sweep. Toxic Orb coupled with Poison Heal is a great combo, as not only does it heal me 1/8 of my health at the end of every turn, but also prevents me from being crippled by another status that could stop a sweep cold. Adamant is the obvious nature choice.
Electivire @ Expert Belt
Motor Drive
Mild (+SpA, -Def)
36 Atk/ 252 SpA/ 220 Spe
-Thunderbolt
-Flamethrower
-Cross Chop
-Ice Punch
Electivire fills the role of my final sweeper, as he gets amazing coverage with the given moveset. Because he has the ability to hit so many things for super effective damage, Expert Belt was the best option for this set. Thunderbolt hits the waters and all flying that isn't named Zapdos, Ice Punch is great against the dragons, and Cross Chop gives good coverage for the fat pink blobs out there. I went with Ice Punch mainly because my inability (translation: lack of patience) to breed for a high bp Hidden Power Ice, so I may need to invest a little more EVs into attack. Flamethrower can help most importantly with Scizors, and it's an added benefit that Electivire resists the Bullet Punch. Once the few counters to this set are taken out, a Motor Drive boost will make this poke unstoppable. His speed isn't terrible, as it's enough to outspeed a few dangerous pokes (most notably Gliscor and Lucario), but a boost is essential to sweeping.
________________________________
Threat List, Concepts, and Concerns
When first approaching the competitive world of Pokemon, I was tempted to pump out a team my friend aptly named, "the most OU team, ever." With a team made up almost entirely of the most used pokes, he was completely right. I decided to take a different approach, and while I didn't attempt anything unheard of or gimmick, I did try to use some of the more underused overused. I know Azelf leads are fairly common, Nasty Plot Togekiss isn't a rare gem either, and Tentacruel has its moments, but I wanted to create a team without the TTar and Luc and Skarmbliss. Now that I'm finished with my pseudo-idealist rambling, on with the team!
Swampert @ Leftovers
Torrent
Relaxed (+Def, -Spe)
252 Hp/ 216 Def/ 40 SpA
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Ice Beam
-Roar
Lead Swampert is fairly common, and I chose MixPert so physical walls don't "rofl at him" (thanks, Sc4rf). I Stealth Rock on the first turn given I don't expect a taunt, in which case I use whatever move is the most effective. Earthquake for stab off of Swampert's relatively high attack stat, Ice Beam for Gliscor and dragons mainly, but it helps for other bulky walls. Roar is for the nice phazing, as my team lacks it, to help out some with all the DDers in the metagame. Leftovers help increase Swampert's staying power, while the relaxed nature makes him that much bulkier. Besides, he's already going second so the speed doesn't really matter. His dual typing is nice but he needs to look out for lead Infernapes with Grass Knot. I'm not sure about the damage calcs, but he may be able to roar it away after taking one.
Scizor @ Life Orb
Technician
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
32 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 224 Spe
-Swords Dance
-Brick Break
-X-Scissor
-Bullet Punch
Who doesn't love a stab, priority double base power from technician Bullet Punch coming off base 130 attack? The allure was simply too much to resist. Scizor's typing allows it to switch into a multitude of attacks, resist, set up Swords Dance and hopefully sweep, as long as his counters have been eliminated. Brick Break handles Tyranitar, which is always very nice. X-Scissor is for stab and helps nicely with the darks and psychics I used to have trouble with. Bullet Paaauunch is the coup de grâce, with 120 bp priority coming off nearly 400 attack is surely a force to be reckoned with. Life Orb increases damage output and the given EVs allow 11 LO boosted hits and also protect an 8 switch in KO from Stealth Rock.
Weavile @ Choice Band
Pressure
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
6 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
-Pursuit
-Ice Shard
-Brick Break
-Ice Punch
Before DPP, Sneasel was just a one stage pokemon with an unique typing. Thanks to the advent of the 4th generation, what was fairly worthless competitively is now a revenge killing powerhouse. Enter Weavile, stage right, boasting a whopping base 120 attack paired with an incredible base 125 speed. Paired with stab priority move Ice Shard, we have here quite possibly the greatest revenge killer of dragons (excluding Kingdra). Brick Break handles Tyranitar with ease, OHKOing him and outspeeding him even after a Dragon Dance, something my team previously feared. Ice Punch is for a more solid stab attack, Pursuit can kill many Psychics and Ghosts even if they stay in. Choice Band means I'll need better prediction, which shouldn't be too difficult. Pressure won't see much use as I won't be stalling any time soon with a Weavile. This really fills the hole my team had against dragons and DDers.
The Sweepers
Togekiss @ Lum Berry
Serene Grace
Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
252 Hp/ 152 SpA/ 104 Spe
-Nasty Plot
-Roost
-Air Slash
-Aura Sphere
Togekiss has quite a few differences from the Togepi it once was, namely a killer base SpA stat of 120 and an almost equally killer base 115 SpD stat. It's for these reasons Togekiss is assigned the role as a primary set up and sweep, requiring a small amount of prediction to pull of the Nasty Plot. And oh what a nasty plot it'll be when this oddly shaped bird tears a hole through the opponents team with stab air slash (the 60% flinch hax is always nice too) and Aura Sphere to provide coverage against those bilky rocks that can end the sweep. As Roost provides enough staying power, I didn't find leftovers necessary, and I believe the potential paralysis could be worse than not having the extra health from leftovers. The idea is to either sweep or be sacrificed for the potential sweep of the other two sweepers.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Poison Heal
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
44 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 212 Spe
-Spore
-Focus Punch
-Seed Bomb
-Substitute
It's pretty odd the short-armed Breloom is one of the best users of Focus Punch, but coupled with Spore and Substitute, it's no wonder his punches land quite frequently on my opponent's team. Spore is for the fast, guaranteed sleep. I chose Substitute over Stone Edge for the added staying power and the Focus Punch opportunity, but Seed Bomb and Focus Punch both leave me wide open to flying types. I feel the added protection of the sub is nice, but I'm slightly concerned about this glaring weakness, as it has the very great potential to ruin a sweep. Toxic Orb coupled with Poison Heal is a great combo, as not only does it heal me 1/8 of my health at the end of every turn, but also prevents me from being crippled by another status that could stop a sweep cold. Adamant is the obvious nature choice.
Electivire @ Expert Belt
Motor Drive
Mild (+SpA, -Def)
36 Atk/ 252 SpA/ 220 Spe
-Thunderbolt
-Flamethrower
-Cross Chop
-Ice Punch
Electivire fills the role of my final sweeper, as he gets amazing coverage with the given moveset. Because he has the ability to hit so many things for super effective damage, Expert Belt was the best option for this set. Thunderbolt hits the waters and all flying that isn't named Zapdos, Ice Punch is great against the dragons, and Cross Chop gives good coverage for the fat pink blobs out there. I went with Ice Punch mainly because my inability (translation: lack of patience) to breed for a high bp Hidden Power Ice, so I may need to invest a little more EVs into attack. Flamethrower can help most importantly with Scizors, and it's an added benefit that Electivire resists the Bullet Punch. Once the few counters to this set are taken out, a Motor Drive boost will make this poke unstoppable. His speed isn't terrible, as it's enough to outspeed a few dangerous pokes (most notably Gliscor and Lucario), but a boost is essential to sweeping.
________________________________
Threat List, Concepts, and Concerns
Needs Editing with the changes implemented
Azelf- No true counter, but due to its lower defenses all I need is some prediction then a strong stab to take this guy out. Forretress walls nicely.
Breloom- Stab Air Slash, anyone? Togekiss should have no problem switching into any of his moves (except spore, of course) and taking him out. Motor Drive Electivire may be able to Ice Punch before the Spore, I'd have to see a damage calc to be sure though.
Celebi- Air Slash would work nicely and Togekiss can safely switch into just about anything Celebi runs.
Dugtrio- No true counter, a Motor Drive Electivire may be able to take it out with Ice Punch considering Dugtrio's weak defense, but it'd have to watch out for Earthquake.
Electivire- My own Electivire would fare nicely, given it has a Motor Drive and the other doesn't. Aside from Flamethrower/Ice Punch, Breloom has little to fear from this set.
Empoleon- Breloom is pretty good, just needs to watch out for the Drill Peck. An Aura Sphere from Togekiss would work nicely, aside from the Ice Beam. Forretress has no trouble switching in and EQing, but his Attack stat is a little weak. Electivire is safe to switch in and EQ.
Flygon- No real counter, but an Ice Beam from Tentacruel or possibly an Ice Punch could finish it off due to it's 4x damage.
Gengar- If Psychic were on Azelf, lead Gengar would fall pretty fast. Otherwise I'm fairly vulnerable.
Gliscor- Ice Beam from Tentacruel would probably be the best way to take this gliding scorpion down, but and Ice Punch might be able to do the job. Tentacruel and Electivire would both have to look out for the Earthquake, however.
Gyrados- Electivire should have no trouble with Gyrados, especially if rocks were down. If I added Stone Edge to Breloom it would work nicely, I'd just have to watch out for Bounce.
Heatran- Electivire would absolutely destroy Heatran with Earthquake, he only has to watch out for Earthpower coming off of Heatran's high special attack. Aura Sphere from Togekiss would work fairly nicely as well. Tentacruel only needs to look out for Earthpower, otherwise he's fine to attack with the stab Surf.
Heracross- Air Slash from Togekiss would destroy this, but it'd need to look out for the Stone Edge.
Infernape- Earthquake from Electivire would work nicely, as would Air Slash from Togekiss. They would need to look out for Earthquake and Stone Edge respectively.
Jirachi- Lead Azelf would take care of lead Jirachi, given Azelf has Flamethrower and not Psychic. Earthquake from Electivire of Forretress works nicely as well.
Kingdra- As I have no Dragon type moves, the most effective way to kill Kingdra is through the most powerful stab move off of the most powerful attack/special attack. Tentacruel could Ice Beam without really worrying about taking too much damage, unless it was a physical Kingdra. I'm a little weak in this regard.
Latias- I have nothing super effective to psychic, but Ice Punch or Ice Beam would have to do their best to the dragon typing. Tentacruel doesn't suffer too much from Latias' movepool.
Lucario- Earthquake from either Forretress or Electivire would work nicely. Focus Punch from Breloom works well too.
Machamp- Air Slash from Togekiss or Psychic from Azelf (if it runs it, that is). Otherwise not much can hit this defensive beast.
Magnezone- Earthquake from a Motor Driven Electivire would do smashingly well in this case, especially due to the double weakness. Aura Sphere would also work, but Togekiss would have to look out for Thunder(bolt). Thankfully Togekiss has a great special defense. Breloom wouldn't have too much trouble pulling off a Focus Punch either.
Mamoswine- Stab Gyro Ball from Forretress is probably the safest bet, but he has to watch out for the massive stab Earthquake. Other options are the uber-powerful Focus Punch from Breloom, Flamethrower if Azelf has it, and Surf from Tentacruel (who also needs to look out for the Earthquake.)
Metagross- Earthquake from Forretress would be OK as it doesn't have too much to fear from Metagross' movepool. The same goes for Electivire. Otherwise a very powerful neutral stab Focus Punch from Breloom might do the trick.
Ninjask- Air Slash from Togekiss would work nicely against Ninjask, and if Breloom ran Stone Edge it would help. With Stealth Rocks down by Azelf, it'll have half health to begin with. Most are leads, however, so Flamethrower would help.
Porygon-Z- Due to Porygon-Z's massive special attack, it would probably be best to hit it with an Aura Sphere from Togekiss. Focus Punch from Breloom and Cross Chop would most likely get the job done as well, however, just with more risk.
Rhyperior- Seed Bomb is good, but it hits Rhyperior's massive defense. Surf from Tentacruel would be my best bet.
Roserade- Air Slash from Togekiss would be the best, especially due to Togekiss' high special defense. Foretress has nothing to fear from Roserade and can wear it down with constant Earthquakes.
Rotom-A- I really don't have much of anything to counter this guy, so it's a good thing it's not in wifi!
Salamence- Tentacruel's Ice Beam is probably the best bet to a special Salamence set, and if I change Breloom's moveset a Stone Edge.
Scizor- If I ran Flamethrower on Azelf, this would be the place to use it. Earthquake would work decently from Electivire's high attack.
Snorlax- Aura Sphere from Togekiss or a Cross Chop from Electivire. Focus Punch from Breloom destroys it. Without Fire Blast, Snorlax really can't do much of anything to Forretress.
Starmie- Seed Bomb would probably be my best bet, but ThunderPunch from Electivire works too.
Suicune- ThunderPunch from Electivire, Seed Bomb from Breloom. Breloom needs to look out for the Ice Beam, however.
Togekiss- Stone Edge if I ran it on Breloom, Ice Punch from Electivire would also work well. Tentacruel Ice Beam is nice too, and Tentacruel really has nothing to fear from Togekiss.
Tyranitar- Aura Sphere and Cross Chop from Togekiss and Electivire, respectively. Forretress can wall quite nicely then hit with Earthquake or the stab Gyro Ball for some decent damage.
Weavile- Aura Sphere, problem solved. I'd need to watch out for the priority Ice Shard hitting Togekiss, so Cross Chop from Electivire would work nicely.
Yanmega- Air Slash would do nicely, as I want to kill this as fast as possible. If I ran Stone Edge on Breloom it would probably be the best way to take this out, I'd just need to look out for Air Slash.
Zapdos- Ice Punch from Electivire is probably the best way to go here, unless Breloom runs Stone Edge, in which case he'd need to look out for the Heat Wave.
After reading many RMTs and lurking around the Stark Mountain forum for quite some time now, I've noticed the importance of Cohesion to a team. I forget exactly who said it, but someone smartly pointed out "you can't just put six strong pokemon together and call it a team." While the quote may not be exact, the idea remains the same. I was worried about this fact when I began making this team, as I feel it has too many standalone players.
The main, unifying idea around this team is similar to a sports team: I have the players who stay in the back field and wait for the other team to take action, Azelf and Forretress; I have the players who run up and attack whenever possible, Electivire and Breloom. I even have the middle players, who can attack when necessary but can also fall back to provide support, Tentacruel and Togekiss. While they all have their niches, I need help tying them together. Tentacruel can draw out electric attacks to provide Electivire the Motor Drive boost he needs to sweep, as can Togekiss, although I fear Earthquake to Tentacruel's poison typing and Stone Edge to Togekiss' Flying typing. Forretress is there mainly to switch in to any move that may hamper a sweep, yet he can't protect everyone from everything. I guess if I had to write a central strategy for my team, it would be "Get all entry hazards down to help weaken my opponents, turning what may be a 2 or 3 HKO into a 1 or 2, allowing my sweepers to continue their job, unencumbered."
Don't be gentle when critiquing this team as I'm up for all criticisms and comments. Also, it would be much appreciated if you could comment on the actual layout and writing style of this RMT, as it is my first in this thread so I would like to know what you think. Thanks for you time, fellow Smogoners.
