Hi all, welcome to a Rate-My-Team that showcases one of my more successful teams I've ever built. Yes, this is more of a showcase than an RMT, as the team's better days are already behind it. But, I guess it wouldn't hurt to make this team better. Who knows, I might start using it again. To start off, I'd like to talk about the team's background.
EVs:
Spread Explanation:
EVs:
Overview:
Set & Strategy:
Spread Explanation:
EVs:
Overview & Set:
Strategy:
Spread Explanation:
EVs:
~ Surf
Overview:
Set Explanation:
Spread Explanation:
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Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs:
~ Calm Mind
~ Substitute / Hidden Power [Fire]
~ Dragon Pulse
~ Recover
Overview & Strategy:
Latias has always been a personal favorite of mine, and acts as somewhat of a centerpiece in this team. It usually comes in rather early to take hits from the like of Infernape, Mixmence and Breloom, only to lure in Pokemon that lurk in almost any team in the current metagame that spell doom for Latias - Tyranitar and Scizor. Blissey and Jirachi are two other common switch-ins that handle Jirachi very well. All of these are grounded, meaning they will take Spikes damage. All of these, bar bait Tar and special oriented Jirachi, are also set-up bait for Skarmory, so I often use Latias to lure these Pokemon in and double switch to Skarmory, making them take SR and Spikes damage in the process and giving Latias a much easier time with them weakened to the point that they are KO'd by her eventually. This strategy, if successful, usually takes care of Latias' counters and checks and leaves the opposing team open for a CM Latias sweep.
Substitute vs. Hidden Power [Fire]:
This Latias utilizes Substitute to set-up on Pokemon like Blissey, Celebi, Rotom-A and other Pokemon that try to use indirect moves on Latias. Substitute often makes for an amazing tool, but often I have found it to be more of a burden than a help, as only 16 Dragon Pulse PP mean that Latias doesn't have too much opportunities to sweep. Also, mono-Dragon means that Jirachi and Skarmory both pose as big threats that stop Latias' sweep. Therefore, I have been testing HP Fire the last week or so, and the results are really satisfying, though I'm not 100% sure if to replace Substitute yet.
Spread Explanation:
The EVs give Latias the most out of her offenses, while the 4 leftover EVs are placed into HP.
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Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs:
~ Iron Head
~ Thunderpunch
~ Fire Punch
~ Trick / Ice Punch
Overview:
Jirachi is a Pokemon that can be made to complete almost any team. In this one, it's the Pokemon that ensures that anything threatening won't sweep the easily. Tyranitar, Gyarados, Lucario, Scizor, Salamence, Latias, all of them are stopped by Jirachi, more or less. Bulky "last stand" set-up Pokemon such as Snorlax and Suicune can also be stopped by the ever useful Trick. Jirachi also brings excellent resistances to Dragon- and Rock-type attacks to the table, ensuring he'll come in eventually and do what it does best - revenge kill.
Strategy:
Bringing Jirachi into the many threats it needs to check needs accurate prediction and timing, and is definitely not an easy task. Pokemon such as LO Gyarados and Salamence can catch Jirachi on the switch with a SE attack, and in general can deal heavy damage to the metal star. I often try switching Jirachi in on the stat-up move, or on the NVE attack. Hell, I can even get in on a Taunt. Since Jirachi may need to check many threats, it's Hit Points are precious, and as such I often need someone else to take a powerful attack instead, even though Jirachi might take it the best.
Set Explanation:
Jirachi uses its wide movepool to beat a large pool of threats. Fire Punch is for Scizor, Lucario and Jirachi, while Thunderpunch is for Gyarados. Iron Head deals with Tyranitar and has a good chance of beating Latias thanks to the flinch chance, and +1 Salamence as well, provided it wins the speed tie(s).
Trick vs. Ice Punch:
Trick is an excellent move to have, stopping Pokemon like Suicune, Jirachi and Snorlax from ripping the team apart. However, I find it hard to rely on Iron Head's flinch chance alone to ensure I beat what I need to, and since Trick is sometimes just a burden, Ice Punch is a very viable option as a replacement.
EVs:
252 EVs are in Attack and Speed to ensure that Jirachi has enough power to get the job done, while outspeeding threats at +1, and sometimes even +2 Speed boosts. Jolly in pretty much a must-have to at least tie with positive nature DD Mence, and is a good speed boost with a Scarf on anyway.
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Pre-RMT:
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So there you have it, the team that has served me well for a slightly more than three months, and will likely see its last days now with the likelihood of Latias being banned from standard play. It was fun to use and got me up to Round 3 of st6, beating some big names and succumbing only in an extremely close loss. So, I feel like it is time to show the team to the community. Maybe you, the reader, will have some suggestions that might get me to use this team again.
Thank you for reading the whole RMT, I really appreciate it! Now, as for closing words...
Rate away!
This team dates back to three weeks before the beginning of st6. I was desperately looking for a team that will serve me well for the tournament and other battles in general, and I was looking for some starting point. With that in mind, I began looking through some of my older successful teams, and I realized that almost all of them relied on a steady, reliable core. So, I looked for a core to begin building on.
Team Building Process:
The time was in the heart of the pre-Scarftar semi-stall era, and without trying out the new breed of semi-stall in the past, I was willing to try it out. I didn't want something too bog-standard though, so I looked for something rather original and effective that will start my core. A pal threw out SubToxic Zapdos as an option, and I took it to form the first piece of the team;
I was looking for Pokemon that compliment Zapdos well, giving it opportunities to begin stalling the opposition with Toxic, Substitute and Roost. I also wanted a Pokemon to deal with Pokemon that take advantage of Zapdos to wreak havoc, such as Latias. It was near impossible to find one Pokemon that does it all, but I managed to find two that fit the bill, as well as compliment one another in general: Suicune and Tyranitar;
I looked for Pokemon that trouble the team, and found Mixmence and Infernape to be some of them, so I added Latias to counter and check them, respectively. With Zapdos, Suicune and Latias already causing a fair amount of switching, Spikes was natural to fit in, and with that, Skarmory was next to come;
The team looked rather stable, though I did notice some notable weaknesses to the like of LO DD Gyara and DD Tar, so I slapped on a Jirachi to check both, along with carrying Trick to stop some pesky bulky set-up Pokemon.
With Jirachi in, the team building process was complete;
With that behind me, I took another glance at the team. I was rather optimistic about it, but then tested it out and enjoyed the results. One thing that clearly showed, and was clearly lacking, was the absence of a spin blocker, and so a switch to Rotom-H over Zapdos was a rather natural move to do. And that leads us to the current, and retired version of the team;
With that out of the way, let me introduce the team:
Hazardous Steamroll
The_Exposition:
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Tyranitar (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs:
- 252 HP
- 4 Atk
- 12 Spd
- 240 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
~ Stealth Rock
~ Pursuit
~ Earthquake / Stone Edge
~ Rest
~ Stealth Rock
~ Pursuit
~ Earthquake / Stone Edge
~ Rest
Overview:
Tyranitar. Sand Stream, Stealth Rock and a farewell ticket for Latias is exactly what this team needs to function at it's best, and Tyranitar does it all.
Tyranitar. Sand Stream, Stealth Rock and a farewell ticket for Latias is exactly what this team needs to function at it's best, and Tyranitar does it all.
Strategy:
In all honesty though, this Tyranitar is more of a mid-game team player than a lead, as most of the time I find myself switching out, only to come straight back in later in the game, be it to take a Heatran Fire Blast, to trap a Latias or to take hits from defensive Rotom-A. I like to switch into Skarmory against the common Metagross and Swampert leads, set up as much layers of Spikes as I can, then go back to Tyranitar on the likely Heatran/Latias/Rotom-H and set up SR, sometimes scraping some HP off of fleeing opponents with Pursuit. Even the ~22% on Heatran can be important later on, factoring more switch-ins and entry hazards.
In all honesty though, this Tyranitar is more of a mid-game team player than a lead, as most of the time I find myself switching out, only to come straight back in later in the game, be it to take a Heatran Fire Blast, to trap a Latias or to take hits from defensive Rotom-A. I like to switch into Skarmory against the common Metagross and Swampert leads, set up as much layers of Spikes as I can, then go back to Tyranitar on the likely Heatran/Latias/Rotom-H and set up SR, sometimes scraping some HP off of fleeing opponents with Pursuit. Even the ~22% on Heatran can be important later on, factoring more switch-ins and entry hazards.
Stone Edge vs. Earthquake:
Although Stone Edge is by far the better option for a Tyranitar such as this, I forced myself to use EQ after I've discovered I'm quite (special) defensive Jirachi and Magnezone weak, and, to be honest, Tyranitar does an excellent job at switching into both and countering them. However, with the addition of Hidden Power [Fire] to Latias' movepool, Tyranitar may have more freedom to use SE once more, so I often switch between the two.
Although Stone Edge is by far the better option for a Tyranitar such as this, I forced myself to use EQ after I've discovered I'm quite (special) defensive Jirachi and Magnezone weak, and, to be honest, Tyranitar does an excellent job at switching into both and countering them. However, with the addition of Hidden Power [Fire] to Latias' movepool, Tyranitar may have more freedom to use SE once more, so I often switch between the two.
Spread Explanation:
The EVs provide 335 Attack, which provide Tyranitar with 94% or more damage on Leadrade with SE, practically an OHKO after SS. Or... had. I didn't find any need to change the EVs after the shift to EQ, and a change isn't so important anyway, imo. The rest of the EVs are obviously there to help TTar tank hits from Latias and friends, while 12 Speed EVs may outspeed other Lead Tyranitar.
---The_Solid_Core:
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Skarmory (M) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs:
- 252 HP
- 136 Def
- 112 Spd
- 8 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
~ Taunt
~ Spikes
~ Brave Bird / Whirlwind
~ Roost
~ Taunt
~ Spikes
~ Brave Bird / Whirlwind
~ Roost
Overview:
What was at first an average SpD Spiker slowly turned to a physically defensive Skarm with above average speed. I slowly made the transformation from SpD to Def after realizing I was relying on Skarm to take many Physical hits in comparison to Special hits, so I geared it for the purpose.
Set & Strategy:
Skarmory is a necessity for this team, bringing Spikes into play and helping out greatly against some semi-stall and heavy stall teams utilizing Taunt. Roost is for the much needed longevity that Skarmory requires to function like it should, and really needs no explanation.
Brave Bird vs. Whirlwind:
Brave Bird serves Skarmory well, dealing exactly what is needed against Machamp, scoring a KO after some residual damage. It also KOs Infernape, weakened Gengar and weakened Latias on the switch in, often changing matches. Whirlwind is sometimes a must-have though, so I often switch between the two.
Brave Bird serves Skarmory well, dealing exactly what is needed against Machamp, scoring a KO after some residual damage. It also KOs Infernape, weakened Gengar and weakened Latias on the switch in, often changing matches. Whirlwind is sometimes a must-have though, so I often switch between the two.
Spread Explanation:
Max Speed is obviously for taking hits from both sides the best a Skarmory can, while the other EVs split mostly between Defense and Speed. I started off with 100 Speed EVs to outspeed 8 speed Gyarados, but then added a bit more just for more safety against other Taunt Skarm. 136 Def brings us to an extra Defense point, so I stopped there and gave SpD the 8 leftover EVs.
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Rotom-H @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs:
- 252 HP
- 48 Def
- 208 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
~ Thunderbolt
~ Will-O-Wisp
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
~ Thunderbolt
~ Will-O-Wisp
Overview & Set:
Good ol' Rotom-A, in toasty form. Any competitive OU player should know this set very well, but I'll explain it anyway. Rest and Sleep Talk provide a decent recovery and a status-healing option in two slots, something Pain Split and Substitute barely achieve. Thunderbolt is a nice STAB move to have, OHKOing Gyarados and dealing with Vaporeon and Suicune, before it has too many CMs up that is. Will-O-Wisp catches Latias and Tyranitar on the switch in, as well as others who don't exactly like the idea of being crippled. It also does something against the likes of Swampert and Magnezone, which Rotom-H would be hopeless against otherwise.
Strategy:
Rotom-H is my well-needed spin blocker, Explosion blocker, Gyarados counter, Metagross counter, Skarmory counter, Scizor counter... the list goes on. No stall oriented balance could survive without this handy toaster, so a slot for it is essentially guaranteed. It also pairs very nicely with Skarmory, luring in Tyranitar's Crunch as Spikes set-up bait for the metal bird.
Spread Explanation:
The spread is my personal favorite, which I will explain now. 208 Speed with a +speed nature gives Rotom-H 286 Speed, outspeeding positive 80 base speed Pokemon, and more importantly, neutral 90 base speed Pokemon. This lets me cripple/attack Adamant Lucario before it gets a LO boosted +2 Crunch off, usually saving my team from being swept. The rest of the EVs are poured into HP and then Defense to take Gyarados and Metagross the best I can.
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Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs:
- 252 HP
- 236 Def
- 20 Spd
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
~ Surf
~ Ice Beam
~ Calm Mind / Roar
~ Rest
~ Calm Mind / Roar
~ Rest
Overview:
Suicune has a rather mixed role at first site: It acts both as a supporter, checking and/or countering threats such as DD Mence, Heatran, Tyranitar, Metagross and Infernape, and as a late-game sweeper, utilizing Calm Mind and Rest to shortly become near-impossible to take down.
Calm Mind vs. Roar:
The truth is, though, that Suicune often doesn't find opportunities to sweep a team. Suicune is most of the time used as a tank, taking hits when the team needs it, wearing down threats and eventually taking a strong hit for the team late-game and fainting. It does find some opportunities though, so Calm Mind isn't a complete waste. I do sometimes swap it with Roar, though, to rack up some more Spikes damage and ease up on Latias' sweep and just weaken the opposition overall.
The truth is, though, that Suicune often doesn't find opportunities to sweep a team. Suicune is most of the time used as a tank, taking hits when the team needs it, wearing down threats and eventually taking a strong hit for the team late-game and fainting. It does find some opportunities though, so Calm Mind isn't a complete waste. I do sometimes swap it with Roar, though, to rack up some more Spikes damage and ease up on Latias' sweep and just weaken the opposition overall.
Set Explanation:
Surf is the obvious STAB attack that has great neutral coverage, being Suicune's main attack when sweeping. It also hits Heatran, Tyranitar and Metagross among others that Suicune is meant to stop. Ice Beam is a good coverage attack that often surprises the opponent in their switch to a Salamence, Latias, Breloom or Roserade. It also, of course, OHKOs Salamence and provides a better option aginst non-Yache Gliscor.
Spread Explanation:
The EVs are rather simple: 252 HP for maximum durability while 20 Speed EVs outspeed 8 Speed Rotom-H, letting you Calm Mind to take the Thunderbolt much, much better. The rest is dumped into Defense to better handle DD Mence and Tyranitar. Sometimes, I take EVs from Defense to Speed in order to outspeed the standard Breloom and OHKO it with a +1 Ice Beam, which often turns out to be very handy in battle for that reason alone.
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The_Hit-and-Run_Sweeper:
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Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs:
- 4 HP
- 252 Spd
- 252 SAtk
~ Calm Mind
~ Substitute / Hidden Power [Fire]
~ Dragon Pulse
~ Recover
Overview & Strategy:
Latias has always been a personal favorite of mine, and acts as somewhat of a centerpiece in this team. It usually comes in rather early to take hits from the like of Infernape, Mixmence and Breloom, only to lure in Pokemon that lurk in almost any team in the current metagame that spell doom for Latias - Tyranitar and Scizor. Blissey and Jirachi are two other common switch-ins that handle Jirachi very well. All of these are grounded, meaning they will take Spikes damage. All of these, bar bait Tar and special oriented Jirachi, are also set-up bait for Skarmory, so I often use Latias to lure these Pokemon in and double switch to Skarmory, making them take SR and Spikes damage in the process and giving Latias a much easier time with them weakened to the point that they are KO'd by her eventually. This strategy, if successful, usually takes care of Latias' counters and checks and leaves the opposing team open for a CM Latias sweep.
Substitute vs. Hidden Power [Fire]:
This Latias utilizes Substitute to set-up on Pokemon like Blissey, Celebi, Rotom-A and other Pokemon that try to use indirect moves on Latias. Substitute often makes for an amazing tool, but often I have found it to be more of a burden than a help, as only 16 Dragon Pulse PP mean that Latias doesn't have too much opportunities to sweep. Also, mono-Dragon means that Jirachi and Skarmory both pose as big threats that stop Latias' sweep. Therefore, I have been testing HP Fire the last week or so, and the results are really satisfying, though I'm not 100% sure if to replace Substitute yet.
Spread Explanation:
The EVs give Latias the most out of her offenses, while the 4 leftover EVs are placed into HP.
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The_Avenger:
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Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs:
- 4 HP
- 252 Atk
- 252 Spd
~ Iron Head
~ Thunderpunch
~ Fire Punch
~ Trick / Ice Punch
Overview:
Jirachi is a Pokemon that can be made to complete almost any team. In this one, it's the Pokemon that ensures that anything threatening won't sweep the easily. Tyranitar, Gyarados, Lucario, Scizor, Salamence, Latias, all of them are stopped by Jirachi, more or less. Bulky "last stand" set-up Pokemon such as Snorlax and Suicune can also be stopped by the ever useful Trick. Jirachi also brings excellent resistances to Dragon- and Rock-type attacks to the table, ensuring he'll come in eventually and do what it does best - revenge kill.
Strategy:
Bringing Jirachi into the many threats it needs to check needs accurate prediction and timing, and is definitely not an easy task. Pokemon such as LO Gyarados and Salamence can catch Jirachi on the switch with a SE attack, and in general can deal heavy damage to the metal star. I often try switching Jirachi in on the stat-up move, or on the NVE attack. Hell, I can even get in on a Taunt. Since Jirachi may need to check many threats, it's Hit Points are precious, and as such I often need someone else to take a powerful attack instead, even though Jirachi might take it the best.
Set Explanation:
Jirachi uses its wide movepool to beat a large pool of threats. Fire Punch is for Scizor, Lucario and Jirachi, while Thunderpunch is for Gyarados. Iron Head deals with Tyranitar and has a good chance of beating Latias thanks to the flinch chance, and +1 Salamence as well, provided it wins the speed tie(s).
Trick vs. Ice Punch:
Trick is an excellent move to have, stopping Pokemon like Suicune, Jirachi and Snorlax from ripping the team apart. However, I find it hard to rely on Iron Head's flinch chance alone to ensure I beat what I need to, and since Trick is sometimes just a burden, Ice Punch is a very viable option as a replacement.
EVs:
252 EVs are in Attack and Speed to ensure that Jirachi has enough power to get the job done, while outspeeding threats at +1, and sometimes even +2 Speed boosts. Jolly in pretty much a must-have to at least tie with positive nature DD Mence, and is a good speed boost with a Scarf on anyway.
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Changes Log
Pre-RMT:
- Swapped Ice Punch for Trick on Jirachi
- Swapped Zapdos for Rest-Talk Rotom-H
- Swapped Stone Edge for Earthquake on Tyranitar
- Changed Skarmory's EVs to bias on Defense and Speed
- Swapped Brave Bird for Whirlwind on Skarmory
- Swapped Calm Mind for Roar on Suicune
- Swapped Substitute for Hidden Power [Fire] on Latias
- Swapped Earthquake for Stone Edge on Tyranitar
So there you have it, the team that has served me well for a slightly more than three months, and will likely see its last days now with the likelihood of Latias being banned from standard play. It was fun to use and got me up to Round 3 of st6, beating some big names and succumbing only in an extremely close loss. So, I feel like it is time to show the team to the community. Maybe you, the reader, will have some suggestions that might get me to use this team again.
Thank you for reading the whole RMT, I really appreciate it! Now, as for closing words...
Rate away!
