Introduction:
Right, this is yet another RMT from me in 6th Gen, and most of mine fall by the way side so it probably isn't noticed, but this must be my 10th this Gen. To cut any rambling short, I have never, or rarely to be accurate, ever built a team around weather, this is mainly due to my opinion that the teams lack skill to build and are cheap. After trying I have found that both of them statements are wrong, at least in regard to building a stand out team (for the sake of this argument I am not including the teams that have Tyranitar+Excadrill+4 others, as to me that isn't a sandstorm team, another argument for another day). However I like to challenge myself so I wanted to use one of the 2 lesser used weathers (Sun or Hail). I figured sun was actually the more difficult to use, because the benefactors of Sun are of a different type to the summoners, which to a degree cause unbalance. Also, Pokemon which receive sun based abilities, in general, tend to be less viable. But I plowed on with it, in part due to Zard Y being something that is rather powerful (despite me never being troubled by it personally, not to sound arrogant, and despite me preferring X), and in terms of synergy it allowed some (limited) creativity. Anyway the intro is long enough now, so on with the RMT!!
Team Building:
Team In-Depth:
Ninetales @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Pain Split/Hypnosis
Ninetales is the only Pokemon on the team that can be described as defensive, and as such often finds itself leading off. The instant sun is a very important factor to the team, and as mentioned in the team building section, it allows me to hide the true set of Zard. To break the set down, its main purpose other than sun, is to spread Status, Toxic is for use with any walls on the opposing team (bar Gliscor and probably Amoonguss) while Will-O-Wisp covers physical attackers and anything immune to Poison. The last slot is personal preference, I opted for Pain Split to give some longevity to the set, especially since I don't run Leftovers. Flamethrower is the attacking move so I'm not Taunt bait, I would love to have Lava Plume here, but it apparently isn't possible. Hypnosis is also an option, though the 60% accuracy puts me off for the most part, though Sleep support is always appreciated. The EVs for the set are pretty standard, Calm with 252 Special Defence EVs allows maximum special bulk, with 248 in HP, this allows me to switch into Rocks 4 times, rather than 3. That leaves 8 to go into Special Attack to slightly boost Flamethrower, though it could easily go into Defence.
Synergy:
Rock - Lucario, Excadrill
Ground - Latias, Charizard, Excadrill(Air Balloon)
Water - Venusaur, Latias
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 96 Atk / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Roost
- Earthquake
Charizard is in this team the secondary source of Sun, it is one of the main abusers though. The moveset is not exactly standard, the choice of Earthquake is especially for Heatran, and with the 96 Atk EVs and Hasty, it has a 50% chance to OHKO the standard sets. The rest of the EVs provide maximum speed, with the rest in Special Attack to allow me to hit as hard as possible. Fire Blast is chosen for pure power, and with lower Special Attack investment, a higher power attack is preferable. SolarBeam complements it nicely hitting 2 of its weaknesses for super effective damage. Roost was selected as the last attack for recovery, and occasionally dodging electric attacks, and lower the damage from Rock ( this being useful against Life Orb users).
Synergy:
Rock: Lucario, Excadrill
Water: Venusaur, Latias
Electric: Latias, Excadrill
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Latias is arguably one of the best Offensive Support Pokemon full stop. For this team, it offers some key resistances (Water being the main one) and thanks to Healing Wish, offers a second chance to sweep, set up, or to scout on occasion. Plus as it heals before hazard damage kicks in, it can even save Charizard, if I fail to gain opportunity to remove hazards. It is also the Hazard removal thanks to Defog, and luckily so far I've not used it much, as I seem to have a knack (or am very lucky) at keeping hazards distant. The final 2 moves are for STABS, Draco Meteor to act as a nuke, and Psyshock to hit Pink Blobs on the switch, and to hit common Assault Vest users, such as Conkeldurr, harder. The EVs are to enable maximum damage and speed, with Timid 4/252/252. The leftover 4 into HP.
Synergy:
Ice - Ninetales, Lucario
Dragon - Excadrill, Lucario
Fairy - Excadrill, Ninetales, Charizard, Venusaur
Dark - Lucario
Ghost - None
Bug - Ninetales, Charizard, Lucario, Excadrill
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- SolarBeam
- Earthquake
- Synthesis
Venusaur is the poster boy of Sun teams, thanks to Chlorophyll doubling the okay speed to amazing proportions. It also has a movepool to hit anything that the team requires, which is why I went for a mixed set. Sludge Bomb and SolarBeam provided power STAB coverage, and allow me to take on Water and Fairy types, that would often prove troublesome. Earthquake is the final offensive move, hitting Heatran and a few other choice Pokemon for better damage. Thanks to my access to Sun, Synthesis is used to give me 75% healing, and means Venusaur can be fairly self sufficient during Sun Turns. The EV spread is what Showdown suggested, though it is something I am keen to play around with so I can mix bulk, power and speed to suit the team.
Synergy:
Fire - Ninetales, Charizard, Latias
Ice - Ninetales, Lucario
Psychic - Excadrill, Latias
Flying - Excadrill
Lucario @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Blaze Kick/Crunch
- Ice Punch
Here is the Wild Card, the odd ball, the one that is unexpected. It's primary role is to deal with ANY version of Tyranitar, from Scarf, to Mega and up to +1 on either Dragon Dance version. It's ability to take on Tyranitar, also allows it to deal with any partnering Excadrills later game. As with any scarf wearer, it is the revenge killer of the team, and it utilizes good coverage to that end. Close Combat is STAB and hits hard as hell. Extreme Speed is a blessing as it allows the revenge killing of a Talonflame, which not many Pokemon can claim to be able to do that. It is also good neutral damage with priority. The next slot is contested, Blaze Kick takes advantage of Sun and hits Ice types, and certain Steel types harder than Close Combat. The alternative is Crunch, which offers coverage on Ghosts and Psychics that isn't offering already on the team, and due to there being on 3 resistances to Dark, it would be a useful move to scout with. It also does more to Mega Venusaur on the switch than Ice Punch, which is the last move of the set, used primarily for the 2 Ground/Flying types in the tier, Gliscor and Landorus (either form.) It does also offer coverage on Dragon types, as they are very common, and can threaten most sun teams.
Synergy:
Fighting - Charizard, Latias, Venusaur
Ground - Charizard, Latias, Excadrill (Air Balloon)
Fire - Ninetales, Charizard, Latias
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide/Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Finally to Excadrill, who adds Hazards into the equations, as well as a check to some usual switch ins such as Rotom-W, Tyranitar, opposing Excadrill etc. The moveset is pretty standard Earthquake is the main STAB, hitting anything that doesn't resist it hard, and thanks to Mold Breaker allows me to hit through Levitate. Iron Head is mainly for Fairies, which allows me to deal with things like Clefable easier. The next slot is between Rock Slide for Talonflame, or Rapid Spin for additional hazard removal. As it stands I find the ability to hit Talonflame to be more important. Stealth Rock rounds out the set as the teams hazard. Air Balloon is the chosen item as it allows me to lead off against Landorus and guarantee rocks up while avoiding Earthquake. If I can preserve the Balloon it can also give me free switches late game. The EVs and nature are as standard, Adamant and 252 Attack EVs for maximum damage, with 252 in speed, and the leftover going into Special Defence.
Closing Remarks:
This team is still rather early in development, and hasn't been effectively tested. It has so far proven inconsistent, winning 6 games in a row, before failing to win the following 4 or so. This has lead to a disappointing record of 12/10 and leaves me hovering around 1450's (I started the team at around 1368). This has lead me to believe that I either need to invest more into the Sun archetype, such as another Chlorophyll user, or try and adapt the team to be more anti-meta. I'm aware of a couple of weak links already, though replacing them is rather difficult, due to my inexperience with weather. For example Lucario will only pull its weight in maybe one in every 5 battles.
Right, this is yet another RMT from me in 6th Gen, and most of mine fall by the way side so it probably isn't noticed, but this must be my 10th this Gen. To cut any rambling short, I have never, or rarely to be accurate, ever built a team around weather, this is mainly due to my opinion that the teams lack skill to build and are cheap. After trying I have found that both of them statements are wrong, at least in regard to building a stand out team (for the sake of this argument I am not including the teams that have Tyranitar+Excadrill+4 others, as to me that isn't a sandstorm team, another argument for another day). However I like to challenge myself so I wanted to use one of the 2 lesser used weathers (Sun or Hail). I figured sun was actually the more difficult to use, because the benefactors of Sun are of a different type to the summoners, which to a degree cause unbalance. Also, Pokemon which receive sun based abilities, in general, tend to be less viable. But I plowed on with it, in part due to Zard Y being something that is rather powerful (despite me never being troubled by it personally, not to sound arrogant, and despite me preferring X), and in terms of synergy it allowed some (limited) creativity. Anyway the intro is long enough now, so on with the RMT!!
Team Building:
Despite my previous mention of Mega Charizard Y, this team actually began with Gen 5's premier Sun setter, Ninetales. This is because it offers instant sunlight, rather than a minor delay based on Mega Evolution. It also allowed me to have a defensive foothold on the team, rather than my usual thought process of just cramming 2 walls on a team at the end. In regards to this team I opted for Specially Defensive, spreading both Burn and Toxic, with some semi-reliable recovery through Pain Split.
Next up was inevitable Charizard Y, this was the second choice, not through it's mega, but the hidden ability of Solar Power. This enabled me to hide the true nature of my Charizard until necessary, while also offering a boost in offence. The Mega also adds additional sun support, and hits extremely hard in its own right.
Next up was using something that can tackle Sand with some success, and I went for abit of an oddball for this one. Scarf Lucario was chosen, as it is pretty much guaranteed to combat Tyranitar in both Mega and Regular forms, and it gets some pretty impressive coverage, including a Sun boosted Blaze Kick. I was met with a 'loool' when an opponent noticed the set, then he lost 2/3 Pokemon to it, so it has pulled some weight. This also provides a much needed revenge killing ability, especially outside of Sun.
With the backbone of the team coming together I needed something that can directly abuse the constant sunlight. Earlier in OU if a team had Zard and Venusaur you could guarantee the sets they ran, and for good reason! Venusaur is THE BEST sun abuser out there, whether you go Special, Physical or Mixed (as I did) it will get results and it outspeeds anything relevant under Sun, providing some key offensive pressure, and additional revenge killing.
With 2 of my Pokemon weak to Rocks, and all of them susceptible to hazards in some form, I needed a way to remove them, along with some more team support. In what I understand is fairly commonplace on Sun teams, Latias slots in very nicely, as it ha access to Defog for aforementioned Hazard removal, and with Heal.ing Wish it can give a sun setter, or Venusaur another chance to set up/sweep. Another factor is that it resists boosted Fire attacks, resists most (just not Ice types) attacks that Rain can throw at me, and it can hit pretty damn hard too.
The final piece I felt I needed was hazards, and I wanted something to could resist Rock, as that was the main weakness, typing wise, I was facing. Excadrill fit the bill, with a x4 resist and access to Rocks. It could also provide additional hazard removal, and a with Mold Breaker allows me to break Pokemon with Sturdy or Levitate to name 2 examples very easily.
Next up was inevitable Charizard Y, this was the second choice, not through it's mega, but the hidden ability of Solar Power. This enabled me to hide the true nature of my Charizard until necessary, while also offering a boost in offence. The Mega also adds additional sun support, and hits extremely hard in its own right.
Next up was using something that can tackle Sand with some success, and I went for abit of an oddball for this one. Scarf Lucario was chosen, as it is pretty much guaranteed to combat Tyranitar in both Mega and Regular forms, and it gets some pretty impressive coverage, including a Sun boosted Blaze Kick. I was met with a 'loool' when an opponent noticed the set, then he lost 2/3 Pokemon to it, so it has pulled some weight. This also provides a much needed revenge killing ability, especially outside of Sun.
With the backbone of the team coming together I needed something that can directly abuse the constant sunlight. Earlier in OU if a team had Zard and Venusaur you could guarantee the sets they ran, and for good reason! Venusaur is THE BEST sun abuser out there, whether you go Special, Physical or Mixed (as I did) it will get results and it outspeeds anything relevant under Sun, providing some key offensive pressure, and additional revenge killing.
With 2 of my Pokemon weak to Rocks, and all of them susceptible to hazards in some form, I needed a way to remove them, along with some more team support. In what I understand is fairly commonplace on Sun teams, Latias slots in very nicely, as it ha access to Defog for aforementioned Hazard removal, and with Heal.ing Wish it can give a sun setter, or Venusaur another chance to set up/sweep. Another factor is that it resists boosted Fire attacks, resists most (just not Ice types) attacks that Rain can throw at me, and it can hit pretty damn hard too.
The final piece I felt I needed was hazards, and I wanted something to could resist Rock, as that was the main weakness, typing wise, I was facing. Excadrill fit the bill, with a x4 resist and access to Rocks. It could also provide additional hazard removal, and a with Mold Breaker allows me to break Pokemon with Sturdy or Levitate to name 2 examples very easily.
Ninetales @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Pain Split/Hypnosis
Ninetales is the only Pokemon on the team that can be described as defensive, and as such often finds itself leading off. The instant sun is a very important factor to the team, and as mentioned in the team building section, it allows me to hide the true set of Zard. To break the set down, its main purpose other than sun, is to spread Status, Toxic is for use with any walls on the opposing team (bar Gliscor and probably Amoonguss) while Will-O-Wisp covers physical attackers and anything immune to Poison. The last slot is personal preference, I opted for Pain Split to give some longevity to the set, especially since I don't run Leftovers. Flamethrower is the attacking move so I'm not Taunt bait, I would love to have Lava Plume here, but it apparently isn't possible. Hypnosis is also an option, though the 60% accuracy puts me off for the most part, though Sleep support is always appreciated. The EVs for the set are pretty standard, Calm with 252 Special Defence EVs allows maximum special bulk, with 248 in HP, this allows me to switch into Rocks 4 times, rather than 3. That leaves 8 to go into Special Attack to slightly boost Flamethrower, though it could easily go into Defence.
Synergy:
Rock - Lucario, Excadrill
Ground - Latias, Charizard, Excadrill(Air Balloon)
Water - Venusaur, Latias
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 96 Atk / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Roost
- Earthquake
Charizard is in this team the secondary source of Sun, it is one of the main abusers though. The moveset is not exactly standard, the choice of Earthquake is especially for Heatran, and with the 96 Atk EVs and Hasty, it has a 50% chance to OHKO the standard sets. The rest of the EVs provide maximum speed, with the rest in Special Attack to allow me to hit as hard as possible. Fire Blast is chosen for pure power, and with lower Special Attack investment, a higher power attack is preferable. SolarBeam complements it nicely hitting 2 of its weaknesses for super effective damage. Roost was selected as the last attack for recovery, and occasionally dodging electric attacks, and lower the damage from Rock ( this being useful against Life Orb users).
Synergy:
Rock: Lucario, Excadrill
Water: Venusaur, Latias
Electric: Latias, Excadrill
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Latias is arguably one of the best Offensive Support Pokemon full stop. For this team, it offers some key resistances (Water being the main one) and thanks to Healing Wish, offers a second chance to sweep, set up, or to scout on occasion. Plus as it heals before hazard damage kicks in, it can even save Charizard, if I fail to gain opportunity to remove hazards. It is also the Hazard removal thanks to Defog, and luckily so far I've not used it much, as I seem to have a knack (or am very lucky) at keeping hazards distant. The final 2 moves are for STABS, Draco Meteor to act as a nuke, and Psyshock to hit Pink Blobs on the switch, and to hit common Assault Vest users, such as Conkeldurr, harder. The EVs are to enable maximum damage and speed, with Timid 4/252/252. The leftover 4 into HP.
Synergy:
Ice - Ninetales, Lucario
Dragon - Excadrill, Lucario
Fairy - Excadrill, Ninetales, Charizard, Venusaur
Dark - Lucario
Ghost - None
Bug - Ninetales, Charizard, Lucario, Excadrill
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- SolarBeam
- Earthquake
- Synthesis
Venusaur is the poster boy of Sun teams, thanks to Chlorophyll doubling the okay speed to amazing proportions. It also has a movepool to hit anything that the team requires, which is why I went for a mixed set. Sludge Bomb and SolarBeam provided power STAB coverage, and allow me to take on Water and Fairy types, that would often prove troublesome. Earthquake is the final offensive move, hitting Heatran and a few other choice Pokemon for better damage. Thanks to my access to Sun, Synthesis is used to give me 75% healing, and means Venusaur can be fairly self sufficient during Sun Turns. The EV spread is what Showdown suggested, though it is something I am keen to play around with so I can mix bulk, power and speed to suit the team.
Synergy:
Fire - Ninetales, Charizard, Latias
Ice - Ninetales, Lucario
Psychic - Excadrill, Latias
Flying - Excadrill
Lucario @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Blaze Kick/Crunch
- Ice Punch
Here is the Wild Card, the odd ball, the one that is unexpected. It's primary role is to deal with ANY version of Tyranitar, from Scarf, to Mega and up to +1 on either Dragon Dance version. It's ability to take on Tyranitar, also allows it to deal with any partnering Excadrills later game. As with any scarf wearer, it is the revenge killer of the team, and it utilizes good coverage to that end. Close Combat is STAB and hits hard as hell. Extreme Speed is a blessing as it allows the revenge killing of a Talonflame, which not many Pokemon can claim to be able to do that. It is also good neutral damage with priority. The next slot is contested, Blaze Kick takes advantage of Sun and hits Ice types, and certain Steel types harder than Close Combat. The alternative is Crunch, which offers coverage on Ghosts and Psychics that isn't offering already on the team, and due to there being on 3 resistances to Dark, it would be a useful move to scout with. It also does more to Mega Venusaur on the switch than Ice Punch, which is the last move of the set, used primarily for the 2 Ground/Flying types in the tier, Gliscor and Landorus (either form.) It does also offer coverage on Dragon types, as they are very common, and can threaten most sun teams.
Synergy:
Fighting - Charizard, Latias, Venusaur
Ground - Charizard, Latias, Excadrill (Air Balloon)
Fire - Ninetales, Charizard, Latias
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide/Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Finally to Excadrill, who adds Hazards into the equations, as well as a check to some usual switch ins such as Rotom-W, Tyranitar, opposing Excadrill etc. The moveset is pretty standard Earthquake is the main STAB, hitting anything that doesn't resist it hard, and thanks to Mold Breaker allows me to hit through Levitate. Iron Head is mainly for Fairies, which allows me to deal with things like Clefable easier. The next slot is between Rock Slide for Talonflame, or Rapid Spin for additional hazard removal. As it stands I find the ability to hit Talonflame to be more important. Stealth Rock rounds out the set as the teams hazard. Air Balloon is the chosen item as it allows me to lead off against Landorus and guarantee rocks up while avoiding Earthquake. If I can preserve the Balloon it can also give me free switches late game. The EVs and nature are as standard, Adamant and 252 Attack EVs for maximum damage, with 252 in speed, and the leftover going into Special Defence.
Closing Remarks:
This team is still rather early in development, and hasn't been effectively tested. It has so far proven inconsistent, winning 6 games in a row, before failing to win the following 4 or so. This has lead to a disappointing record of 12/10 and leaves me hovering around 1450's (I started the team at around 1368). This has lead me to believe that I either need to invest more into the Sun archetype, such as another Chlorophyll user, or try and adapt the team to be more anti-meta. I'm aware of a couple of weak links already, though replacing them is rather difficult, due to my inexperience with weather. For example Lucario will only pull its weight in maybe one in every 5 battles.
Threatlist:
- Talonflame - Probably the most difficult Pokemon to deal with I've encountered so far. The best bet is to keep hazards up and use Lucario's Extremespeed, or Excadrill on a Choice Locked attack.
- Scarf Garchomp - Outspeeds my entire team, except Venusaur under Sun, and if it is locked into Outrage I basically have to sac things until it is confused.
UNFINISHED
Replays:
Replays:
Importable:
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 96 Atk / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Roost
- Earthquake
Ninetales @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Pain Split
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- SolarBeam
- Earthquake
- Synthesis
Lucario @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Blaze Kick
- Ice Punch
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 96 Atk / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Roost
- Earthquake
Ninetales @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Pain Split
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- SolarBeam
- Earthquake
- Synthesis
Lucario @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Blaze Kick
- Ice Punch
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
