Hi guys! I've wanted to build a team around Altaria practically since it was introduced back in Ruby/Sapphire. Unfortunately, lackluster stats prevented it from being competitively viable... that is until recently when its shiny new Mega evolution was introduced. Now, Altaria is more popular than ever, much to the chagrin of pretentious hipsters like myself. (Note: I'm being sarcastic- in classic hipster fashion I am simply highlighting the irony. I actually love Mega Altaria's newfound popularity). So, I've decided to try and build a somewhat unconventional set around it and I could really use some input.
Team Preview
Design Strategy: Backwards Design
I teach college for a living, and one of the big trends right now is backwards course design. The idea is that you start with your end goal, and work your way backwards planning out what you need to achieve that goal. Boring stuff aside, I thought why not apply it to team building and see if it works? So I started with one of my all-time favorite Pokémon, Mega Altaria, and worked my way from there. I figured out what Mega Altaria needed with special attention to defenses, and from there added Heatran and Tentacruel since they resist all of the types that super effectively hit Altaria. To balance out the defensive side a bit, Cofagrigus was selected for its walling capabilities, especially against fighting types that could threaten Heatran. The next pick, Jolteon, might seem unconventional, but I really wanted to include at least a couple lower-tier Pokémon and keep a fresh team; plus, Jolteon's tiny niche just happens to fit well with the rest of the team. Finally, Weavile rounds things off as a glass cannon cleaner, filling the cracks by eliminating foes that could threaten Heatran, Tentacruel, Cofagrigus, and Jolteon.
The Leader of the Pack: Jolteon
Nature: Timid
Ability: Volt Absorb
EV’s: 252 Sp. Attack, 252 Speed, 6 HP
Item: Life Orb
Moves: Thunderbolt, Volt Switch, Thunder Wave, Protect
Jolteon might seem like an odd pick at first, but it has several coveted tools at its disposal that just so happen to allow it to fill a niche on my team. Volt Switch and Protect let Jolteon scout foes out as a lead and bounce in and out of teammates while building momentum and racking up damage. Protect was admittedly an experimental choice: originally, I considered Shadow Ball or Signal Beam, but the coverage each provides is redundant, so I thought that Protect might be a valuable choice for scouting purposes. Thunder Wave allows Jolteon to serve as a check to threats that might otherwise outside and KO it or its teammates. Volt Absorb is great for taking electric attacks meant for Tentacruel. High speed means very few Pokémon move before it, so Jolteon usually has the upper hand. Its special attack is nothing to scoff at with, either, and with a Life Orb buff Jolteon can do wicked damage to unprepared teams. Its biggest threats are strong physical attackers, especially ground types that completely wall this set.
The Utility Guy: Heatran
Nature: Gentle
Ability: Flash Fire
EV’s: 252 HP, 188 Sp. Defense, 68 Speed
Item: Air Balloon
Moves: Lava Plume, Toxic, Stealth Rock, Taunt
Heatran is the perfect partner for Mega Altaria, as it boasts an immunity to poison and 4x resistances to ice, steel, and fairy. This is a bit of an unconventional set that mixes Heatran’s walling capabilities with its equally impressive special attacking prowess. It can handily sponge attacks that would hit Altaria super effectively, and it can fire off Lava Plumes to deter steel and ice types. Moreover, its typing makes it immune to both poison and burn, so it can act as a stop to Toxic and Will-O-Wisp alike. Stealth Rock chips away at the foe’s HP and punishes switch-ins. Toxic and Taunt cripple walls; Taunt has the added advantage of being able to prevent entry hazards and backs up Tentacruel’s Rapid Spin. Air Balloon lets it switch into at least one ground type attack unscathed and forces the opponent to use something less effective before moving in for the kill, which can be just enough time for Heatran to perform its role in a fast-paced matchup. The given EV spread is standard for specially defensive variants. Heatran's biggest drawback is its IV spread: I didn’t bother to soft reset until I got one with a decent nature and IV’s, but this one isn’t so bad, as it has perfect IV’s in HP, Special Defense, and Attack, and it’s Special Attack and Speed IV’s are pretty good (upper 20’s, I think). My team has other options for tanking physical hits that would otherwise destroy Heatran, so it’s all the same to me in the end. To summarize, this set maximizes Heatran’s potential within a particular niche: blocking fairies from giving Mega Altaria trouble.
The Sponge: Tentacruel
Nature: Timid
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EV’s: 252 HP, 252 Speed, 6 Sp. Attack
Item: Black Sludge
Moves: Hydro Pump, Sludge Wave, Giga Drain, Rapid Spin
Like Heatran, Tentacruel is here to sponge super effective hits intended for Mega Altaria, and it has a movepool to help it do just that. Tentacruel can absorb Toxic Spikes and spin away Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Sticky Web. Hydro Pump provides for a powerful STAB attack, while Black Sludge and Giga Drain permit recovery; Giga Drain is another unusual pick that most foes won't see coming until it's too late. Sludge Wave is probably Tentacruel’s most valuable attack because it defeats the fairies that would otherwise threaten Altaria. Poison typing allows it to act as a Toxic absorber. Together with Heatran, Tentacruel provides invaluable support both as an attack absorber with good synergy and as an entry hazard remover. Admittedly, I almost picked Starmie for this role because of its greater speed and power, but I opted for Tentacruel as a way to diminish the offensive threats fairies might like Azumarill or opposing Mega Altaria might otherwise pose.
The Wall: Cofagrigus
Nature: Bold
Ability: Mummy
EV’s: 252 HP, 252 Defense, 6 Sp. Defense
Item: Leftovers
Moves: Shadow Ball, Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split, Calm Mind
IMHO, Cofagrigus is one of the most underrated OU viable Pokémon. The combination of its insane defense, Mummy, and Will-O-Wisp let it shut down lots of physical threats, particularly those that threaten Mega Altaria (I’m looking at you, Azumarill). Leftovers provides passive recovery. Calm Mind allows Cofagrigus to tank a few special hits as well as powers up Shadow Ball. Pain Split can help Cofagrigus turn momentum against the opponent and is invaluable for stalling. Finally, Cofagrigus’ ghost typing lets it act as a spin blocker to keep opponents from removing Heatran’s Stealth Rock, as well as allowing it to block fighting type attacks meant for Heatran.
The Cleaning Lady: Weavile
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Pressure
EV’s: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 6 HP
Item: Focus Sash
Moves: Icicle Crash, Knock Off, Ice Shard, Swords Dance
Weavile’s great offensive typing plus high attack and speed make it a perfect late-game glass cannon. Barring its terrible defenses, it does have a small defensive niche on my team in being able to absorb psychic attacks that would otherwise threaten Tentacruel. Provided entry hazards are off the field, Focus Sash lets Weavile tank at least one hit, often just enough to set up Swords Dance and pose an immediate offensive threat. Knock Off hits foes holding items very hard, and Icicle Crash rounds out good neutral coverage. Ice Shard lets Weavile pick off weakened opponents; due to Weavile’s speed, it’s a rarity that Ice Shard is needed, but it comes in handy with Weavile’s role as a cleaner. Notably, Weavile can take out ground types that threaten Jolteon, Heatran post air balloon, and Tentacruel. It can also wreak havoc by taking out foes’ items. It's the perfect combination of speedy and powerful to pave the way for this team's kingpin...
The Final Boss: Mega Altaria
Nature: Adamant
Abilities: Natural Cure/Pixilate
EV’s: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 6 HP
Item: Altarianite
Moves: Return, Outrage, Earthquake, Dragon Dance
To paraphrase Mike Huckabee, the purpose of Mega Altaria is to faint Pokémon and break things. I’ve loved this Pokémon since it debuted in Ruby/Sapphire, but unfortunately its lackluster stats kept me from using it outside of my in-game team. Now, its new mega evolution has caused it to see a spike in popularity. This is a straightforward Dragon Dance set: Return and Outrage for insanely powerful STAB, and Earthquake for coverage. Altaria is my late game cleaner/sweeper, meaning the rest of this team is built around safely and efficiently removing Altaria’s checks and counters, as well as adding on damage to make Dragon Dance sweeps more guaranteed. Noting all of this, Altaria has a few obvious flaws: steel, fairy, poison, and ice types can easily take advantage of it, especially if it’s weakened. Thus, the rest of this team must first get rid of these to make a sweep by Mega Altaria safe. An Adamant nature maximizes damage output, with the assumption that one Dragon Dance will be enough in terms of Speed once my glass cannons have taken out faster foes. Finally, Natural Cure allows it to act as an emergency status absorber prior to Mega evolving.
Things I Need Help With
- Ground types are an enormous threat. Air Balloon and the option to switch in to Altaria prior to Mega evolving only get me so far. Tentacruel and Weavile can defeat some of the slower ones, but the threat of an Earthquake wrecking my team is so imminent that it feels like I'm living in California.
- Heatran's pathetic IV's and subpar nature. This was a mistake, but there's nothing I can do short of resetting Omega Ruby and playing through the game again. A Gentle nature and max IV's in HP and Special Defense at least make it proficient at its one job.
- The decision between Tentacruel and Starmie was a hard one. I opted for Tentacruel due to its superior bulk and the ability to reliably take out fairies after deciding that Starmie's Natural Cure wasn't helpful considering I have one Pokémon to absorb any status except sleep (Jolteon for paralysis, Heatran and Tentacruel for Poison, Heatran for burn). Perhaps I am missing something and Starmie really would be the better choice?
- While Jolteon has a good niche here, it is unarguably one-dimensional. It gets hard walled by the ground types that already present my team with trouble, and it lacks precious coverage.
- Finally, while I think I've covered my bases in terms of supporting Mega Altaria as the star sweeper, I would appreciate extra sets of eyes in case there's something potent I've forgotten about.
Thanks in advance for your help guys! I look forward to your feedback.
Team Preview
Design Strategy: Backwards Design
I teach college for a living, and one of the big trends right now is backwards course design. The idea is that you start with your end goal, and work your way backwards planning out what you need to achieve that goal. Boring stuff aside, I thought why not apply it to team building and see if it works? So I started with one of my all-time favorite Pokémon, Mega Altaria, and worked my way from there. I figured out what Mega Altaria needed with special attention to defenses, and from there added Heatran and Tentacruel since they resist all of the types that super effectively hit Altaria. To balance out the defensive side a bit, Cofagrigus was selected for its walling capabilities, especially against fighting types that could threaten Heatran. The next pick, Jolteon, might seem unconventional, but I really wanted to include at least a couple lower-tier Pokémon and keep a fresh team; plus, Jolteon's tiny niche just happens to fit well with the rest of the team. Finally, Weavile rounds things off as a glass cannon cleaner, filling the cracks by eliminating foes that could threaten Heatran, Tentacruel, Cofagrigus, and Jolteon.
The Leader of the Pack: Jolteon
Nature: Timid
Ability: Volt Absorb
EV’s: 252 Sp. Attack, 252 Speed, 6 HP
Item: Life Orb
Moves: Thunderbolt, Volt Switch, Thunder Wave, Protect
Jolteon might seem like an odd pick at first, but it has several coveted tools at its disposal that just so happen to allow it to fill a niche on my team. Volt Switch and Protect let Jolteon scout foes out as a lead and bounce in and out of teammates while building momentum and racking up damage. Protect was admittedly an experimental choice: originally, I considered Shadow Ball or Signal Beam, but the coverage each provides is redundant, so I thought that Protect might be a valuable choice for scouting purposes. Thunder Wave allows Jolteon to serve as a check to threats that might otherwise outside and KO it or its teammates. Volt Absorb is great for taking electric attacks meant for Tentacruel. High speed means very few Pokémon move before it, so Jolteon usually has the upper hand. Its special attack is nothing to scoff at with, either, and with a Life Orb buff Jolteon can do wicked damage to unprepared teams. Its biggest threats are strong physical attackers, especially ground types that completely wall this set.
The Utility Guy: Heatran
Nature: Gentle
Ability: Flash Fire
EV’s: 252 HP, 188 Sp. Defense, 68 Speed
Item: Air Balloon
Moves: Lava Plume, Toxic, Stealth Rock, Taunt
Heatran is the perfect partner for Mega Altaria, as it boasts an immunity to poison and 4x resistances to ice, steel, and fairy. This is a bit of an unconventional set that mixes Heatran’s walling capabilities with its equally impressive special attacking prowess. It can handily sponge attacks that would hit Altaria super effectively, and it can fire off Lava Plumes to deter steel and ice types. Moreover, its typing makes it immune to both poison and burn, so it can act as a stop to Toxic and Will-O-Wisp alike. Stealth Rock chips away at the foe’s HP and punishes switch-ins. Toxic and Taunt cripple walls; Taunt has the added advantage of being able to prevent entry hazards and backs up Tentacruel’s Rapid Spin. Air Balloon lets it switch into at least one ground type attack unscathed and forces the opponent to use something less effective before moving in for the kill, which can be just enough time for Heatran to perform its role in a fast-paced matchup. The given EV spread is standard for specially defensive variants. Heatran's biggest drawback is its IV spread: I didn’t bother to soft reset until I got one with a decent nature and IV’s, but this one isn’t so bad, as it has perfect IV’s in HP, Special Defense, and Attack, and it’s Special Attack and Speed IV’s are pretty good (upper 20’s, I think). My team has other options for tanking physical hits that would otherwise destroy Heatran, so it’s all the same to me in the end. To summarize, this set maximizes Heatran’s potential within a particular niche: blocking fairies from giving Mega Altaria trouble.
The Sponge: Tentacruel
Nature: Timid
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EV’s: 252 HP, 252 Speed, 6 Sp. Attack
Item: Black Sludge
Moves: Hydro Pump, Sludge Wave, Giga Drain, Rapid Spin
Like Heatran, Tentacruel is here to sponge super effective hits intended for Mega Altaria, and it has a movepool to help it do just that. Tentacruel can absorb Toxic Spikes and spin away Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Sticky Web. Hydro Pump provides for a powerful STAB attack, while Black Sludge and Giga Drain permit recovery; Giga Drain is another unusual pick that most foes won't see coming until it's too late. Sludge Wave is probably Tentacruel’s most valuable attack because it defeats the fairies that would otherwise threaten Altaria. Poison typing allows it to act as a Toxic absorber. Together with Heatran, Tentacruel provides invaluable support both as an attack absorber with good synergy and as an entry hazard remover. Admittedly, I almost picked Starmie for this role because of its greater speed and power, but I opted for Tentacruel as a way to diminish the offensive threats fairies might like Azumarill or opposing Mega Altaria might otherwise pose.
The Wall: Cofagrigus
Nature: Bold
Ability: Mummy
EV’s: 252 HP, 252 Defense, 6 Sp. Defense
Item: Leftovers
Moves: Shadow Ball, Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split, Calm Mind
IMHO, Cofagrigus is one of the most underrated OU viable Pokémon. The combination of its insane defense, Mummy, and Will-O-Wisp let it shut down lots of physical threats, particularly those that threaten Mega Altaria (I’m looking at you, Azumarill). Leftovers provides passive recovery. Calm Mind allows Cofagrigus to tank a few special hits as well as powers up Shadow Ball. Pain Split can help Cofagrigus turn momentum against the opponent and is invaluable for stalling. Finally, Cofagrigus’ ghost typing lets it act as a spin blocker to keep opponents from removing Heatran’s Stealth Rock, as well as allowing it to block fighting type attacks meant for Heatran.
The Cleaning Lady: Weavile
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Pressure
EV’s: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 6 HP
Item: Focus Sash
Moves: Icicle Crash, Knock Off, Ice Shard, Swords Dance
Weavile’s great offensive typing plus high attack and speed make it a perfect late-game glass cannon. Barring its terrible defenses, it does have a small defensive niche on my team in being able to absorb psychic attacks that would otherwise threaten Tentacruel. Provided entry hazards are off the field, Focus Sash lets Weavile tank at least one hit, often just enough to set up Swords Dance and pose an immediate offensive threat. Knock Off hits foes holding items very hard, and Icicle Crash rounds out good neutral coverage. Ice Shard lets Weavile pick off weakened opponents; due to Weavile’s speed, it’s a rarity that Ice Shard is needed, but it comes in handy with Weavile’s role as a cleaner. Notably, Weavile can take out ground types that threaten Jolteon, Heatran post air balloon, and Tentacruel. It can also wreak havoc by taking out foes’ items. It's the perfect combination of speedy and powerful to pave the way for this team's kingpin...
The Final Boss: Mega Altaria
Nature: Adamant
Abilities: Natural Cure/Pixilate
EV’s: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 6 HP
Item: Altarianite
Moves: Return, Outrage, Earthquake, Dragon Dance
To paraphrase Mike Huckabee, the purpose of Mega Altaria is to faint Pokémon and break things. I’ve loved this Pokémon since it debuted in Ruby/Sapphire, but unfortunately its lackluster stats kept me from using it outside of my in-game team. Now, its new mega evolution has caused it to see a spike in popularity. This is a straightforward Dragon Dance set: Return and Outrage for insanely powerful STAB, and Earthquake for coverage. Altaria is my late game cleaner/sweeper, meaning the rest of this team is built around safely and efficiently removing Altaria’s checks and counters, as well as adding on damage to make Dragon Dance sweeps more guaranteed. Noting all of this, Altaria has a few obvious flaws: steel, fairy, poison, and ice types can easily take advantage of it, especially if it’s weakened. Thus, the rest of this team must first get rid of these to make a sweep by Mega Altaria safe. An Adamant nature maximizes damage output, with the assumption that one Dragon Dance will be enough in terms of Speed once my glass cannons have taken out faster foes. Finally, Natural Cure allows it to act as an emergency status absorber prior to Mega evolving.
Things I Need Help With
- Ground types are an enormous threat. Air Balloon and the option to switch in to Altaria prior to Mega evolving only get me so far. Tentacruel and Weavile can defeat some of the slower ones, but the threat of an Earthquake wrecking my team is so imminent that it feels like I'm living in California.
- Heatran's pathetic IV's and subpar nature. This was a mistake, but there's nothing I can do short of resetting Omega Ruby and playing through the game again. A Gentle nature and max IV's in HP and Special Defense at least make it proficient at its one job.
- The decision between Tentacruel and Starmie was a hard one. I opted for Tentacruel due to its superior bulk and the ability to reliably take out fairies after deciding that Starmie's Natural Cure wasn't helpful considering I have one Pokémon to absorb any status except sleep (Jolteon for paralysis, Heatran and Tentacruel for Poison, Heatran for burn). Perhaps I am missing something and Starmie really would be the better choice?
- While Jolteon has a good niche here, it is unarguably one-dimensional. It gets hard walled by the ground types that already present my team with trouble, and it lacks precious coverage.
- Finally, while I think I've covered my bases in terms of supporting Mega Altaria as the star sweeper, I would appreciate extra sets of eyes in case there's something potent I've forgotten about.
Thanks in advance for your help guys! I look forward to your feedback.
