In-Between

Hello Smogonites. Here's a quick background on the team. Well, B&W were going to be out in Japan soon and I realized in this dawn of GenV that I'd never laddered since I joined late-GenIV. I wanted to before I had to re-learn pokemon, before I was a noob all over again. So I made a team. Not this one. I made an epic fail. This team was later inspired by a part of the game: hax. I realized that ""If you can't beat em, join em."" So I made this team, and while it isn't entirely hax oriented, it does take advantage of it every time it occurs. Also, for the first time, I actually used Smogon sets, which helped the team a lot, if not my creativity. By the way, this team is named for its time of testing. Between GenIV and GenV. And now we're between Lab and Shoddy. Don't bash my sentimentality. Without further adieu:


(Abridged) Team Building Process:


For a hax-based team, it seemed natural to have a para-flinch core. For this, Serene Grace was a must, as was T-Wave. These three fit the bill.


Trying to use Dunsparce in OU was like going into a match with only 5 pokes. At least for me it was. I dropped him very quickly.



Now I wanted some sweepers who could do something of their own merit. T-Tar was chosen first, for his bulk as a potent sweeper. With no investment, his SS puts him at 354 SpDef. Not bad for a purely sweeping dude. Next, I wanted Gengar as a special sweeper, so I wouldn't be totally walled by Gliscor and the like. Also, Gengar, along with Kiss, provides a Ground immunity for Jirachi and T-Tar.


Zapdos synergized well with T-Tar, resisting Grass, Bug, Steel, and Fighting, as well as a third Ground immunity. Unfortunately, it shares the same Ice and Rock weaknesses of Togekiss. However, it was bulky and possessed Roost, and I needed some actual defense, so I went for it. Swampert could set up SR and phaze. So can Skarm, but it shared and Electric weakness with Kiss and a Fire weakness with Jirachi. Swampert has only only one shared weakness (Grass with T-Tar), but I have 3 & 1/2 Grass resists already (I only consider Gengar 1/2 due to pitiful defenses). Swampert fit right in. And that's a VERY concise and under-stated way of how I got this team.


Gengar did what he did very well, sealing certain gaps in the team. But there were roles he obviously couldn't fill. Rediamond suggested a Celebi as a replacement, as she's been very helpful. While she doesn't necessarily seal any gaps, she patches them all up, unlike Gengar. What I traded in power, I made up for in survivability with a pseudo-sweeper Celebi. While I miss Gar's Levitate, Natural Cure is not a bad thing. Overall, I like Celebi and she's been a good addition to the team.

----------
@Leftovers
Relaxed Nature; Torrent Ability; 240 HP EVs/216 Def EVs/52 SpDef EVs
Moveset-
Stealth Rock
Roar
Earthquake
Ice Beam

Swampert is the start of this team, but the least predictble. Some matches he'll stay in and sweep (lol) the opponent's team, while other matches he'll die without being any help at all. I understand that it varies depending on the team I'm facing, but I said that as a comparison to my other team members. However, he gets up SR, which is his most important duty. Also, I love switching this guy into Gyarados. He DD's expecting me to Ice Beam. Then I Roar his boosts away. I don't see why the other people never see it coming. Swampert can switch in on a Flygon's Stone Edge (or a T-Tar's), then immediately threaten with Ice Beam or EQ respectively. Also, Gliscor and Nite die to Ice Beam. This set, despite the fact that I obviously didn't make it, works very well. Here are some common lead match-ups:
Aerodactyl---I use Ice Beam while it Taunts. I use Ice Beam while it sets up rocks. Ice Beam does a minimum of 50.5% to a standard lead Aero (4 HP EVs), so I'm guaranteed a 2HKO with no or slight damage.

Hippowdon---Switch to Celebi to scare hi away, the paralyze the switch-in. No big deal.

Infernape---Switch to Zapdos to take the Grass Knot, then T-Bolt/Roost until he's dead. For once, things are as simple as they look.

Machamp---Switch to Zapdos to take the Dynamicpunch, then to Togekiss on the Payback. Air Slash for the KO. Ice Punch/Stone Edge is rare, so no trouble.

Swampert---Switch to Celebi, T-Wave the switch-in. Same as Hippowdon.

Heatran---I switch to Zapdos. It always either switches or uses HP Grass, which OHKOes Swampert. I can T-Bolt for a 3HKO.However, I normally alternate between T-Bolt and Roost a couple of times. One of each normally causes a switch, so I'll T-Wave then. Zapdos deals with Heatran easily enough, as does an Aqua Tail from +1 (+2 for Scarfed) T-Tar.

Metagross---All it can do to actually hurt Swampert is Explode, which people are often unwilling to do the first turn. I SR on their EQ, then switch to Zapdos for their next EQ. They'll Explode, and I hate losing Zapdos, but they die too, so it's alright.

Smeargle---It's going to Spore, then Spikes. I just let it do it's thing. 4 T-Spikes immunities and 3 Spikes immunities on my team. 2 SR resists. I don't care about entry hazards. Besides, he can't phaze due to negative priority and his frailness. Smeargle, when not Baton Passing, is a piece of cake to take care of.

Roserade---Switch to Celebi. If it Sleeps me, I abuse Natural Cure. If it attacks, I resist Leaf Storm. No worries.

Weavile---I SR, since it can't KO that turn, then switch to Zappy. She'll take an Ice Punch then Heat Wave, then be KOed. Swampert is free to come in and KO at that point. Swampert is the better one to keep alive, at least, in the Weavile scenarios I've encountered so far.

Ninjask---I SR the first turn while it Protects, then Ice Beam at it, while it Sub/Protects. When I anticipate the Baton Pass, I Roar. Ninjask is normally too weak to go again, so it's all good.

Forretress---I SR. He SRs. I switch to Zapdos to Heat Wave while he tries to set up more hazards. They rarely Explode before all their hazards are set up, so I'm not too worried about it.

Jirachi--- I SR and end up with a Scarfed Swampert. I switch to Zappy while it SRs. I Heat Wave to 2HKO, T-Wave if I predict a switch. The latter is often the case, as Zappy resists Iron Head.

Gliscor--- Ice Beam OHKOes, and they very rarely carry Protect/Sub. Nor do they often switch. Death fodder.

Azelf--- Switch to Zapdos. I slowly kill it with T-Bolt/Roost. Celebi is an extra buffer against Azelf lacking Flamethrower.

That's 15 lead match-ups, which I think is enough. Many involve switching ( to Zapdos/Celebi), but only none are able to truly wreak havoc.

Covered Weaknesses:
Grass- Zapdos, Jirachi, Togekiss, Celebi
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@Leftovers
Calm Nature; Pressure Ability; 248 HP EVs/228 SpDef EVs/32 Spe EVs
Moveset-
Thunderbolt
Roost
Thunder Wave
Heat Wave

Zapdos is a good staller, hands down. Access to Roost, good stats, and status moves all point to a defensive set. But it isn't set-up fodder due to its 125 base SpAtk. Swampert has good physical bulk, and I have an obsession with things being equal, so I went with Specially Defensive Zapdos. Toxic was rejected because of how much Kiss and Jirachi benefit from paralysis support. It also synergizes well with Pert and T-Tar. A phenomenal Scizor counter, as well a Skarm and Forretress. Zappy's bulk is much appreciated. As shown in my lead comparisons, Zapdos is probably this team's MVP, and very few times (Weavile) will I allow it to die early on.

Covered Weaknesses:
Ice-Jirachi
Rock-Swampert, Jirachi
----------
@Lum Berry
Jolly Nature; Sand Stream Ability; 252 Atk EVs/252 Spe EVs/4 HP EVs
Moveset-
Dragon Dance
Stone Edge
Crunch
Aqua Tail

If you go up to 100 Smogoners, and ask them about the best 10 physical sweepers, I bet T-Tar is said about 90 times. However, he's constantly being demeaned into using Choice sets. I don't like Choice. Gyarados and Dragonite don't run around getting locked into moves (barring Outrage in the latter's case). One DD=Band+Scarf. 2 DD=sweep, though the sweep length is unpredictable. The first three moves are self-explanatory, but most people pick EQ for the last slot. Aqua Tail helps me against Gliscor and Hippowdon, but still hits opposing T-Tar and Heatran relatively hard. Scizor means trouble, but I try to save this guy for late game anyway, when I'll know about Scizor in advance. He has one glaring fault, though. He reaches 486 speed at +2. ScarfGon reaches 492. So a Scarfed Jolly Flygon can still revenge me. Babiri Berry would help with Scizor, but Lum gets me a DD on WoWing Rotom formes, as well as T-Waveing Zapdos/Jirachi's. It also negates T-Spikes once. All this at the cost of adding one more (albeit a very common) counter. I think it's worth it.

Covered Weaknesses:
Water-Celebi
Grass-Jirachi, Zapdos, Togekiss, Celebi
Ground-Togekiss, Zapdos, Celebi
Steel- Swampert, Zapdos, Jirachi
Fighting-Zapdos,Celebi
Bug-Zapdos, Togekiss
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@Life Orb
Modest Nature; Natural Cure Ability; 252 SpAtk EVs/32 Spe EVs/224 HP EVs
Moveset-
Thunder Wave
Recover
Leaf Storm
Psychic

Celebi is my replacement for Gar, and while it opens up a 3x Ice weakness, her other benefits cannot be ignored. Status absorber, paralysis support, access to recovery, a Water resist for T-Tar (I lacked one before), etc. I actually reached this set before I checked Smogon, then realized I had made the TinkerBell set. However, I wanted to maximize Celebi's offensive abilities. Only 32 EVs are required to out-speed Jolly non-Scarfed T-Tar (the analysis is wrong, it says 36 are needed), and then the rest are dumped into HP for bulk. Psychic was chosen over HP Fire/Earth Power for a stronger, STAB move. The coverage lost on Steels is a bummer, but whenever I'm NOT facing Steels, Psychic seems to me the better choice. Celebi, more than anyone else I've got, opens up the door for Kiss/Rachi to mop up late game, and for that, I love her. She's been a strong addition to the team, and I have very few regrets.

Covered Weaknesses:
Ice-Jirachi
Fire-Tyranitar, Swampert
Bug-Zapdos, Togekiss
Flying-Jirachi, Tyranitar
Ghost-Tyranitar, Togekiss
Dark-Tyranitar
Poison-Jirachi
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@Leftovers
Careful Nature; Serene Grace Ability; 252 HP EVs/ 224 Atk EVs/32 Spe EVs
Moveset-
Substitute
Body Slam
Iron Head
Fire Punch

I think that many of us can attest to the annoyance of ParaFlinch. Having a 30% chance of doing anything. And when you do something, you hit a Sub. Fire Punch is simply for coverage. The EVs give it 101 HP Subs, in case someone is strange enough to leave a Blissey in on it. Check the anlysis for Jirachi to see this also, but you bring in Jirachi, paralyze their switch-in, and then switch out. You bring Jirachi back in and Sub as they bring in their paralyzed check. You wreak havoc. For once, the set works just as the analysis says. Despite how much I love this little.... thing, I have nothing more to say about him.

Covered Weaknesses:
Ground-Zapdos, Togekiss, Celebi
Fire-Tyranitar, Swampert
----------
@Leftovers
Relaxed Nature; Serene Grace Ability; 252 HP EVs/188 Def EVs/68 SpDef EVs
Moveset-
Air Slash
Body Slam
Substitute
Roost

Here is the special attacking equivalent to Jirachi. T-Wave and Sub are the same, while Air Slash=Iron Head roughly. Aura Sphere would provide much better coverage, but Roost allows Kiss to stall out ScarfGon's Outrage, as well as various other miscellaneous attacks. Other than Zapdos, Kiss is the most reliable member of the team. However, she functions just like Jirachi, so I feel not the need to delve back into it when a lot of Smogonians know it anyway.

Covered Weaknesses:
Ice-Jirachi
Electric-Swampert, Celebi
Rock-Jirachi, Swampert
----------
@Life Orb
Timid Nature; Levitate Ability; 252 Spe EVs/252 SpAtk EVs/4 Def EVs
Moveset-
Substitute
Pain Split
Shadow Ball
Focus Blast

SubSplitting Gengar is one of a VERY select group of special attackers that can bring down Blissey 1vs1. 130 base SpAtk is nothing to sneeze at, and behind a Sub his wretched defenses are (for one attack) rectified. This set provides, as everyone knows, perfect neutral coverage. HP Fighting was considered over Focus Blast, but FB brings with the low accuracy an ability to OHKO Heatran ad Tyranitar; something I wouldn't want to lose. Pain Split eases the recoil of LO, plus is the key to bringing Blissey down. Shadow Ball is STAB. Most people know about SubSplitting Gar already, so I mustn't ramble on too long.

Covered Weaknesses:
Psychic-Tyranitar, Jirachi
Dark-Tyranitar
Ghost-Tyranitar, Togekiss

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I had reached 1500 CRE when Shoddy was shut down, still rising fast, but I didn't feel like starting all over on Lab, so that's as high as it went. That's my team, and so please do rate/improve/something positive. When giving advice, keep some last minute things about the team in mind:
-3 T-Spikes immunities and 2 Spikes immunities and 2 SR resists
-minor bulky Ground weakness

I don't know why I just listed those. I all of a sudden had the urge to. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you didn't hate my RMT! :)
 
Orange=minor threat (generally kills 2 pokes)
Red=major threat (generally kills 3 or more pokes)
Black=no threat (generally kills 1 or fewer pokes)


OFFENSIVE THREATS(taken from Jumpman16's thread here)

Azelf- Togekiss and Zapdos can out-stall using Roost as they chip away at it. T-Tar takes an un-boosted Grass Knot, nabs a DD, then KOes with Crunch. Azelf lacking Flamethrower are walled by Celebi and slowly taken down Jirachi. The only danger is if it has Flamethrower AND Grass Knot. Which is rare, in my experience.

Breloom- Swampert can KO with Ice Beam. Jirachi can Fire Punch for heavy damage, as can Zapdos with Heat Wave. Togekiss uses Air Slash and Celebi uses Psychic. Someone will get put to sleep, but then someone else can come in as it Subs, break the Sub as it attacks, and proceed from there. Yay Sleep Clause!

Celebi-T-Tar, if he already achieved +1, KOes with Crunch. Swampert is no match, but Jirachi, Togekiss, and Zapdos all handle it very well with their STAB resistances, and SE attacks. Celebi is at risk from U-Turn.

Dugtrio-Swampert can Ice Beam, which does more than its EQ, or Celebi can Leaf Storm. T-Tar doesn't out-speed at +1, so he would've already needed a boost. Jirachi is at high risk as well. But Zapdos and Togekiss both take down with Heat Wave/Air Slash and are immune to EQ. Jirachi survives an EQ (after SR damage) and KOes with Iron Head.

Electivire- Obviously Swampert. Other than him, Togekiss and Jirachi are at risk, but the other four are not. Even with Togekiss and Jirachi endangered by EQ and Thunderpunch, they aren't OHKOed, and can get a Body Slam in for some extra damage.

Empoleon-SubAgility Petaya says "Hello paralysis". Swampert is in, and T-Wave isn't an option, then I EQ to break each Sub it makes. T-Tar, regrettably is set-up fodder for it. If it DOES come in on T-Tar, it manages to setup while I switch and wreak havoc. That's why it is Orange.

Flygon-Togekiss stalls out Outrage with Roost, then 2HKOes with Air Slash. It's OHKOed by Swampert's Ice Beam, and 2HKOed by Celebi's Psychic. Celebi can wait out an Outrage with Recover. If it's locked into not-EQ, Jirachi can do major damage with Iron Head. BAsically, T-TAr is the only one it threatens.

Gengar- If I paralyze it (with Zapdos), it's as good as dead. While Celebi is the only one threatened by STAB Shadow Ball (and T-Tar by Focus Blast), once it gets a Sub up its incredibly hard to take down. Zapdos can't break Subs forever, after all. Neither can Togekiss or Jirachi. No one out-speeds, so paralysis is essential, lest it bring us down from behind a Sub.


Gliscor-T-Tar has Aqua Tail, which will weaken it as it KOes with EQ. Ice Beam from Swampert hurts. Kiss and Rachi paralyze with Body Slam, then wreak havoc. Zapdos only succumbs to Stone Edge, which is becoming a scarcity. Celebi resists EQ and hurts it with Leaf Storm. No sure-fire counter, but it fails to hurt us much either.

Gyarados-Zapdos and T-Bolt. Celebi resists Waterfall and EQ and can weaken it with Leaf Storm. T-Tar survives an un-boosted Waterfall and KOes with Stone Edge. Swampert rids it of its boosts with Roar. Togekiss and Jirachi cripple it with Body Slam. It doesn't do much.

Heatran-It OHKOes Swampert with HP Grass. It KOes Celebi with Overheat. Jirachi as well. T-Tar doesn't like HP Grass, and needs +1 to OHKO with Aqua Tail. Zapdos and Togekiss aren't threatened, but Togekiss won't hurt it much at all. Zapdos is really the only one who can deal with it. That's not good.

Heracross-T-TAr hates it, as does Celebi with Megahorn, but Zapdos, Togekiss and Jirachi all stop it with SE attacks. Zappy and Kiss are threatened by Stone Edge. However, with all that switching (due to Scarf), it takes a lot of attacks, which brings it down.

Infernape-MixApe kills us. CC for T-TAr, Grass Knot for Swampert, Flamethrower for Celebi and Jirachi. No one out-speeds it. Zapdos cam check it, but Kiss is my only real counter. If Kiss is down, it can sweep my whole team.

Jirachi-My Jirachi has Fire Punch. Zapdos has Heat Wave. Swampert has EQ. As annoying as it is to face, T-Tar is the only one who fears it. It's merely an annoyance.

Kingdra-I have no SE attacks. But paralysis stops it cold, and I have plenty of that. We can wear it down pretty easily.

Lucario-EQ from Pert, Heat Wave from Zappy, Fire Punch from Rachi. It requires set-up to do much to anyone besides T-Tar, and I don't let it have that.

Machamp-Togekiss KOes with Air Slash, it's just a matter of getting her in. T-Tar hates this. Celebi has Psychic. Overall, I'm not weak to it, but the raw power frightens my team.

Magnezone-Pert has EQ, Zappy has Heat Wave, Rachi has Fire Punch. Similar to Luke, really. Only Togekiss fears it, as HP Ice is more common than HP Fire.

Mamoswine- Ice Shard brings down Celebi, Zappy, and Kiss. EQ brings down T-Tar and Rachi. Swampert can't KO with either move. In short, it kills 5 of mine (SE moves are irrelevant because it out-speeds us), while I sitad watch. Definitely an issue.

Metagross-EQ from Pert, Heat Wave from Zappy, Fire Punch from Rachi. Similar to Luke/Maggy.

Ninjask-Always used to Baton Pass. I switch to Swampert, then Roar when it does. Each switch-in costs it 25%, so sooner or later it throws in the towel. Without Pert, Zapdos (given the chance) can Heat Wave, Rachi can Fire Punch, Kiss can Air Slash, T-Tar can Stone Edge. The only danger is if it gets off the Baton Pass. Therefore, it's a pseudo-danger.

Porygon-Z---Despite its massive SpAtk, it won't sweep much when paralyzed. Simple as that. Set-up is required for it to be a threat.

Rhyperior-EQ from Pert. Aqua Tail from T-Tar. Leaf Storm from Celebi. Iron Head from Jirachi. It can be an issue, but its myriad weaknesses keep it in check. This is one mon where ""It's Super Effective!"" does almost always translate to OHKO.

Roserade-Jirachi can Fire Punch, and Zapdos can Heat Wave, and Kiss can Air Slash, but Celebi absorbs Sleep Powder compliments of Natural Cure, resists Leaf Storm, and possesses Psychic. With 3 T-Spikes immunities, one Natural Cure, and one Lum Berry,not even T-Spikes scare me. It does straight-up beat T-Tar and Pert though, so I'll call it a threat.

Rotom-A---T-Tar sets up in its face due to Lum Berry, and Jirachi loves to Iron Head it to death. Zapdos can Heat Wave as well. However, Kiss and Celebi die to it, so I have to pay attention. As long as I keep mindful and watch out, I can beat it handily.

Scizor-Having 3 Bullet Punch resists comes in handy. Rachi and Zappy OHKO with Fire moves. Kiss survives 2 CB Bullet Punches and Air Slashes. Meanwhile, Pert EQs as it Bullet Punches. Only T-Tar is Bullet Punch weak, and I rarely see them use any other move. U-turn threatens Celebi, but still. I don't care about this guy.

Snorlax- Jirachi and T-Tar can set up on him, resisting STAB Return. Without Curse, his offensive prowess is limited, and I take advantage of that. Sort of a speed bump, not a road block.

Starmie-LO Starmie is a serious threat. Hyrdro Pump can bring down T-Tar, Swampert, and Jirachi. Ice Beam troubles Kiss, Celebi, and Zapdos. Without any previous DD's, T-Tar, and no one else on the team, will out-speed it. Starmie is something that this group has problems with.

Suicune-If it gets some CM's going, it can sweep. But with Swampert's Roar, Zapdos's T-Bolt, Celebi's Leaf Storm, and ParaFlinch running around, I doubt it. However, I should watch out for it trying to set-up on T-Tar. With set-up, I can have issues with it.

Togekiss-Zapdos has T-Bolt, Swampert has Ice Beam, T-Tar has Stone Edge. Much like Suicune, it's only a threat if it sets up. However, Air Slash+Aura Sphere is a combo to think about.

Tyranitar-Another set-up problem. Leaf Storm, EQ, Aqua Tail, and Iron Head all say ""NO!"", while paralysis hinders its sweeping abilites. However, at +2 no one here survives. That's why I have to be mindful of it.

Weavile-Three Ice weaknesses don't like this. But Zapdos survives an Ice Punch and can Heat Wave in retaliation. Jirachi can Fire Punch. Thanks to its pitiful defenses, even Swampert threatens it with EQ. If T-Tar survives a Low Kick, he can Stone Edge it. With all the paralysis running around, it can be managed.

Yanmega-Swampert has Ice Beam. T-Tar has Stone Edge. Zapdos has Heat Wave. Togekiss has Air Slash. Jirachi has Fire Punch. My pokemon are bulky enough to take a Specs Tinted Lens Bug Buzz and execute one of these attacks. Yanmega doesn't have the best defenses. No problem.

Zapdos-Ice Beam from Pert and Stone Edge from T-Tar. Celebi resists T-Bolt but must watch out for Heat Wave. T-Tar ad Swampert resist Heat Wave though, the latter immune to T-Bolt. These three can handle Zappy, and Jirachi can serve as a last-ditch check if I paralyze it first.

There appear to be many troubles at first glance, but I can play around most Oranges, and gave the enemy the best of circumstances in them. Many of these are only problems if they manage to set up, which I often prevent. But when considering threats it's always best to assume the worst. Overall, it's not an appalling list, but it shows that the team could use some improvement.
 
If you have issues with Bulky Grounds, it may be an idea to change Thunder Wave on Jirachi to Body Slam giving you a chance to Parahax them too
 
Problem: Gyarados
Reason: No resistances to it's STAB move, and it's ability to hit 2/3 of the team for SE damage with EQ and Stone Edge.
Suggestion: Celebi over Gengar
Reason: Celebi, while slower than Gengar, resists Water attacks, and does not take SE damage from the five most common moves on Gyarados as of August. It also can spread more paralysis, and deal out Special Attacks. Defensively, Gengar's worthless anyway.

GL
 
Problem: Gyarados
Reason: No resistances to it's STAB move, and it's ability to hit 2/3 of the team for SE damage with EQ and Stone Edge.
Suggestion: Celebi over Gengar
Reason: Celebi, while slower than Gengar, resists Water attacks, and does not take SE damage from the five most common moves on Gyarados as of August. It also can spread more paralysis, and deal out Special Attacks. Defensively, Gengar's worthless anyway.

GL
I've never considered Celebi before. It would certainly create a weakness to Heatran and Infernape. However, despite its plethora of weaknesses, it does have bulk and would provide paralysis support. Not to mention how Leaf Storm would help my bulky Ground problem. With Recover as well, it's hard not to want to! I'll start testing it immediately. Thanks, Red.







If you have issues with Bulky Grounds, it may be an idea to change Thunder Wave on Jirachi to Body Slam giving you a chance to Parahax them too
Body Slam doesn't affect Ghosts, but Gengar is KOed by Iron Head/Air Slash, and Rotom formes usually end up facing Zapdos who can T-Wave anyway. Body Slam sounds like it would theoretically work. Thanks.
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Nice comments so far. Keep em comin. ;)
 

aVocado

@ Everstone
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Physical Mixape with Close Combat / Stone Edge / Overheat threatens this team, other than that i can't see any shared weakness..

Maybe you can change Kiss's moveset ?

Kiss @ Choice Scarf
252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
- Fire Blast
- Trick

It can revenge Infernape and cripple walls like Blissey who walls it all day, you can trick it a scarf and then either 5-7HKO it with Aura Sphere or switch to a counter.

Fire Blast on this set is necessary to 2HKO Bronzong and OHKO standard Spikes Skarmory.

Also, this is just a nitpick, but you might want to give Celebi Hidden Power Fire to take down Scizor, but it's not really needed.

And if you're planning to keep Kiss's moveset the way it is, using a Relaxed nature is better, so Body Slam can do slightly more damage.
 
Physical Mixape with Close Combat / Stone Edge / Overheat threatens this team, other than that i can't see any shared weakness..

Maybe you can change Kiss's moveset ?

Kiss @ Choice Scarf
252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
- Fire Blast
- Trick

It can revenge Infernape and cripple walls like Blissey who walls it all day, you can trick it a scarf and then either 5-7HKO it with Aura Sphere or switch to a counter.

Fire Blast on this set is necessary to 2HKO Bronzong and OHKO standard Spikes Skarmory.

Also, this is just a nitpick, but you might want to give Celebi Hidden Power Fire to take down Scizor, but it's not really needed.

And if you're planning to keep Kiss's moveset the way it is, using a Relaxed nature is better, so Body Slam can do slightly more damage.
I forgot to change the nature. Thank you for mentioning that! It doesn't need to out-speed anything anyway.

I agree that Nape is an issue. Your set is interesting for Kiss. It changes her purpose, obviously, but I find it somehow intriguing. Currently, I have to Paralyze Nape, then KO with Kiss. Zapdos also checks it. But if Zapdos is gone and it has Grass Knot, it will mow through my team. Togekiss can KO, but again, there's no guarantee that something else won't kill her. I'll test out your set, though.

I'm gonna stick with Psychic on Celebi, for a stronger move against neutral targets. Though Scizor, Metagross, and Luke wall her, they will out-speed with 252 EVs (a common occurrence) and KO her with Stab Bug Bite/Crunch/etc. Therefore, I wouldn't leave her in on them anyway. I could hit them on the switch, but still.....

Thanks for the tips, Arikado, and I'll take them into account!
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On another note..... OP has been updated (as seen by Arikado's rate), and I'm working the threat list now.
 
Hi SlimMan,

Having played around with parahax in the past, I can safely state that this is a pretty solid team. In fact, with the addition of Celebi over Gengar to fix up your problems with bulky Ground-types, I don't think that there's much left to change. Speaking of Celebi, I noticed that could have some problems with CB Scizor switch-ins, who could threaten with a STAB x4 effective U-turn and put some pressure on your team. The only resists you have to U-turn are Zapdos and Togekiss, but both are weak to Stealth Rock and therefore cannot consistently switch in to take attacks. If your opponent happens to U-turn out to a faster, threatening sweeper such as LO Starmie on the switch, you could be put in a difficult position due to the great amount of opposing offensive momentum. With this in mind, I'd like to suggest a slightly bulkier Celebi set to help you alleviate these concerns:

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SpA / 36 Spe
Modest nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power Fire
- Thunder Wave
- Recover

With Leftovers and the given EVs, Celebi gains significantly more longevity, while still retaining the ability to switch into and threaten Ground-types. I personally prefer Grass Knot over Leaf Storm because of its greater reliability and PP, but the choice of STAB is up to you. Hidden Power Fire is rather important on this moveset, as it can OHKO Scizor switch-ins even without Stealth Rock down and gives you some important type-coverage on a team that otherwise lacks a strong Fire-type presence. Max HP gives Celebi the highest amount of overall bulk, while 36 EVs in speed allow you to outpace non-scarfed Jolly Tyranitar with one point, meaning that you can paralyze it or hit it hard with Grass Knot before it sets up or attack. The rest of the EVs are put into SpA to increase your offensive output, and ensure that Celebi still maintains enough power to hit surprisingly hard.

Good luck with your team!
 
Hey Faladran, thanks for the rate. I really like your set, but I'm curious about two things:
1)Why 36 EVs when only 32 are needed to out-run Jolly T-Tar?
2)Why Timid when Jolly T-TAr is all I must out-speed? Why not Modest?

Scizor on its own is not an issue, but in tandem with, as you said, LO Starmie, it could cause serious problems. I'll test out your set, but just looking at it I think I'll probably use it. Thanks again for the rate! :)
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@Arikado,
I tested your Togekiss set in ~40 battles. It's not enough to be sure, but that Kiss required a different type of team support, which mine currently doesn't provide. I'll keep testing, but I'll likely end up respectfully declining your set.
 
I apologize, my mistake on that part. Modest is the correct nature, so I've edited that into my post. You are also half-correct about 32 EVs in speed, but 36 is needed because Hidden Power Fire results in an imperfect speed IV. Good catch on that!
 
Right, I forgot the HP Fire IV spread. And thanks for the clarification.
Your Celebi certainly does hurt the Steels who so love to switch in on her. However, the loss of power from LO to Lefties hurts. I can't really utilize Recover until her counters are mostly gone, which would put a damper on LO, but Lefties she doesn't hit hard enough for my tastes. I'm just noting a preliminary thought, so we'll see how it goes.
 
Hey I got your message, and about half way through the rate I accidentally hit f5 and totally deleted it. So I'm going to summarize a bit. Anyways cool team, but I see a couple of problems- weakness to powerful, mixed water/ice/electric sweepers.

Togekiss + Zapdos is a bit redundant, at least to me. They're both special defensive flying types that cover many of the same things. However I think you should keep Togekiss over Zapdos, for reasons I shall describe in a moment. I think Parafusion Lanturn as found on the analysis over Zapdos would be of tremendous aid. Firstly, he is the best Starmie counter in the game and a great one for Rotom-a (so long as it doesn't pack Leaf Storm), as well as Suicune, Zapdos, Jolteon and even Subpetaya Empoleon (remember, grass knot only has 40 power against the beast). Secondly, he fits excellently onto the team and is a perfect synergy partner for Togekiss, taking each other's attacks with ease. Thirdly he helps lessen the ice weakness you currently pack. In case this wasn't clear, he would go in over Zapdos.

A less notable thing, I think that Thunder Wave over substitute on kiss is probably best. I don't really see the point of SubRoost without pressure or toxic spikes, and thunder wave means he can support himself instead of relying on the paralysis support of his teammates. Alternatively Encore can give the rest of the team some easy switch ins.

Otherwise a cool team, you mentioned that fire types give you problems. I think that by just playing smart with Jirachi you can pull this off. However you might try Thunder Wave to reliably paralyze the duo. That's all I really got, hope this helps and I apologize for the summary.
 
In Generation 5, Rotom-W turns into Electric/Water, and will outclass Lanturn, and to an extent of greater value, Zapdos.

Being only x2 weak to Grass (lol Levitate), it will also outclass Swampert in a way. But not enough to demote Swampert to BL (I could never see Swampert in UU. Then we cue "Running in the 90's" music and "lol internet" be the quote of the day).

I'd recommend using him when synergizing different OU teams. Especially when using him and Parasect together alongside DrizzleToad. Rotom-W and Parasect are going to be best friends in Gen. 5, but you can keep Celebi if you like.

In fact, Rotom-W would be better off over Zapdos in the long run because your Swampert lead defies prediction. That, and in Gen. 4 you'll need a solid Machamp counter. Its only useful move with No Guard is Dynamicpunch, and with that eliminated, you basically start pwning 'champ.

In Generation 5, Rotom-W doesn't wall Machamp anymore. Not like it'll need to, though, with Burunkeru and possible Shanderaa overhyping.
 

aVocado

@ Everstone
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Except that this is a generation 4 rmt, and Zapdos and Rotom-A are extremely different Pokemon with different roles.
 
Except that this is a generation 4 rmt, and Zapdos and Rotom-A are extremely different Pokemon with different roles.
Rotom-W and Zapdos are different, that's true.

Just pointing out a fun fact of eliminating weaknesses to Heatran / Infernape / Machamp. Sorry for the Confusion.
 
/B/utterfree, I'm sorry to blow you off, but this is a GenIV team, as Arikado said.

Smith,
Encore Kiss sounds fun to use, and I'll try her out. Zapdos is this team's best player, and I'll miss her greatly. But the synergy with Kiss (or lack thereof) would be much helped by that switch. I'll check up on Lanturn, though its lack of recovery is a let-down, as well as its lack of offensive power. Still, good thought.
 

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