This team averages around a 1300 CRE. It's a good solid team, but it can use some adjustments. It's technically considered bulky offense, I suppose. The team is built around Stallbreaker Gliscor, and it's amazing Sand Veil hax. Gliscor basically dominates any stall team, and I try to take advantage of that.
TEAMBUILDING PROCESS
I started building this team after the Smogcast got me pumped about Stallbreaker Gliscor and Agility Lucario. Gliscor pwned stall teams, and Luke dominated frail offense, so I thought the pair together would allow me to pretty competently deal with a wide variety of teams.
So order me one stallbreaker gliscor with a side of agility lucario, please.
I needed to activate Sand Veil to unleash the british magic, plus that same Smogcast harped on the unsung merits of CBTar. So I stuck one in.
I decided I wanted an anti-lead, and Machamp seemed like the best at the time. So I added a Machamp anti-lead.
Rotom has great typing, countered some threats, and I wanted a choice-scarf revenger. The toaster was added.
At this point, I kinda lost direction. I tried a swampert and a tentacruel as a wall/support/rocker, and eventually settled on a Celebi. I playtested, and settled on a gimmickier Spiritomb lead and an Agiligross instead of a Lucario.
This is the current version:
At this point, the team seems to have lost some of its focus and synergy. Agiligross isn't pulling his weight, and I'm losing more with it. This team needs direction. Sooo... let's get to the team.
The Lead
Spiritomb @ Mind Plate
Quiet, 244 HP 60 Atk 204 SpA 0 Spe IVs
Pressure
-Psychic
-Shadow Ball
-Pain Split
-Shadow Sneak
Spiritomb is a fine lead. He's UU, but at this point in the metagame he works wonders. He shuts down Azelf--When Azelf Taunts or SR's, I Shadow Ball. Shadow Sneak takes him out next turn. I don't have to worry about him exploding, because of Spiritomb's typing. Spiritomb holds Mind Plate and uses Psychic to counter the rising amount of Machamp leads. Spiritomb is an amazing Machamp counter in any circumstance, and with the rising popularity of Machamp as a lead, he starts me out on the right foot. Dynamicpunch doesn't hit, and Payback does 50 DMG neutral because I'll always move after Champ. So there. In return, Mind Plate Quiet 204 SpA Psychic is a (albeit barely--i think the calcs work out to minimum 50.4%) guaranteed 2KO on the four-armed beast. Swampert and other bulky leads cause him trouble, as do Gyrados leads, so they generally go to Celebi. Shadow Ball is for STAB, Pain Split is for lategame when I need recovery or need to sponge a powerful attack, and is wonderful move for a poke with no weaknesses (not much OHKOes me, meaning I can usually drain a giant chunk of health on the way down, and maybe KO with Shadow Sneak) Shadow sneak is some nice STAB priority. I'm pretty happy with this guy right now, but the lack of stealth rock is limiting my other options on the team.
The Choice Scarfer
Rotom-h @ Choice Scarf
Timid, 252 SpA 252 Spe 4 HP
Levitate
-Shadow Ball
-Thunderbolt
-Overheat
-Trick
Rotom-h is a brilliant revenger, and fills a lot of holes on the team. He doesn't like taking hits, but he walks all over CB Scizor, Metagross, Gyrados, and other setup sweepers who must be dealt with. He has problems with Blissey, duh. Shadow Ball and Tbolt are for STAB, Overheat is because it's great and for coverage, and Trick is for Blissey, because she sucks. Rotom-h is great glue for this team, addressing a wide variety of threats. However, I'm considering possible a Scarf Jirachi in this position to better address Mence and Tar, sacrificing coverage of Metagross and still killing Scizor (fire punch.) Or perhaps a scarf dragon (Mence or Flygon--latias dies to Scizor) We'll see.
The Support
Celebi @ Leftovers
Bold, 252 HP 220 Def 36 Spe
Natural Cure
-Thunder Wave
-Stealth Rock
-Leaf Storm
-Recover
Celebi is my stealth rocker, and is pretty reliable at it. He'll come in on a resist (usually EQ) and rock it up, or T-wave depending on what I predict the switch in will be (not usually ground -_-). Leaf Storm is for STAB, recover is recover. At this point he could be being more proactive in supporting the team (this team doesn't care about paralysis THAT much.. no serene grace users, I suppose TTar likes it, but it can interfere with Gliscor's Toxic stalling.)
At this point, Celebi is being pretty boring and unhelpful, but I need a reliable rocker to make up for Spiritomb's lack of SR. Perhaps I should switch the two's positions? We'll see. I'm considering Empoleon in place of Celebi, but that would make me a bit EQ weak if I keep Metagross.
The... Tyranitar
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Adamant, 160 HP, 252 Atk, 96 Spe
Sand Stream
-Crunch
-Stone Edge
-Pursuit
-Earthquake/Aqua Tail/Fire Punch
Tyranitar is a beast with Choice Band. Most people expect the Scarf version at this stage in the game, and a Stone Edge coming off of Choice Band will decimate just about anything switching into it. I like bringing Tar in on blind switches and revenge kills, or on resisted attacks as soon into the game as possible, so I can activate Sand before Gliscor does his thing. Stone Edge and Crunch are a great combo, Pursuit traps choiced Latias and Rotom, etc. and the remaining attack depends on whether I want to wreck pesky steels, grounds, or Scizors on the switchin. I'm still not sure which attack to run there. Like Rotom, Tar is great glue for this team (Or any team, really) because he reliably (as far a Stone Edge can be reliable) hits for big damage no matter the circumstances. Obviously, he gels well with Gliscor's Sand Veil, and I would say he makes up the core of the team with Gliscor.
The British Stallbreaker
Gliscor @ Leftovers / Yache?
Jolly, 252 HP, 4 Def 252 Spe
Sand Veil
-EQ
-Taunt
-Toxic
-Roost
This guy's beautiful. His fast Taunt walks all over Skarmory and Blissey (I've seen two so far with Ice Beam, though, which was very lame.) EQ, Taunt, and Toxic form a potent duo, because essentially everything in OU that resists Toxic (steels and poisons) die to EQ except maybe Bronzong, Gengar, and Roserade. Roost is for survivability. I bring out Gliscor in the sand, see if I can get a Toxic in on the switch, then either Taunt or EQ depending on the switch in's weakness. I've got to watch for Ice, but those attacks are relatively easy to predict and send to Metagross or Tyranitar.
The Setup Sweeper
Metagross @ Occa Berry
Adamant, 112 HP, 252 Atk, 12 Def, 132 Spe
Clear Body
-Agility
-Meteor Mash
-EQ
-Ice Punch
This spot used to hold Lucario, but I switched him out for a bulkier sweeper. Metagross is solid in this role, but I've found that he just needs too much setup. Metagross loves spikes and stealth rock, and Celebi doesn't necessarily get around to spiking every match, and even then Metagross doesn't score enough OHKOs after an Agility to sweep entire teams. Often, Metagross seems to miss crucial moves with Meteor Mash (I don't appreciate the low accuracy) and doesn't do enough damage with ice punch or EQ to make enough of a dent without significant entry hazards.
I'm looking for a decent bulky sweeper here who jives with the rest of my team and can score KOs without large investments of entry hazards, which doesn't fit with my strategy for this team.
In Summary
So there it is. I would probably characterize this as a bulky offense team, and it's served me well, but I need to tighten it up before I can rely on it to push me further up the ladder.
To summarize, I would appreciate feedback on any of the following pokes
-A possible replacement for Rotom in the place of Scarfed Revenger, and what would best help my team in that position. Considering: Jirachi, Salamence, Flygon, Infernape, Specs Jolteon? Others?
-A possible replacement for Celebi that can Stealth Rock and provide reliable support--Possible Empoleon? Possibly Hippowdon, and change Tyranitar? I don't want to, but that might be for the best.
-A possible replacement for Metagross that needs less entry hazard support--A bulky setup sweeper that can function well on just SR, that jives well with Gliscor.
-Yache on Gliscor?
-Fire Punch/Aqua Tail on Tyranitar?
In addition, any other feedback is welcome. I'll take any and all criticism without ill will--I just want to improve. Anyway, comment and rate! Thanks for taking the time to read this
TEAMBUILDING PROCESS
I started building this team after the Smogcast got me pumped about Stallbreaker Gliscor and Agility Lucario. Gliscor pwned stall teams, and Luke dominated frail offense, so I thought the pair together would allow me to pretty competently deal with a wide variety of teams.
So order me one stallbreaker gliscor with a side of agility lucario, please.
I needed to activate Sand Veil to unleash the british magic, plus that same Smogcast harped on the unsung merits of CBTar. So I stuck one in.
I decided I wanted an anti-lead, and Machamp seemed like the best at the time. So I added a Machamp anti-lead.
Rotom has great typing, countered some threats, and I wanted a choice-scarf revenger. The toaster was added.
At this point, I kinda lost direction. I tried a swampert and a tentacruel as a wall/support/rocker, and eventually settled on a Celebi. I playtested, and settled on a gimmickier Spiritomb lead and an Agiligross instead of a Lucario.
This is the current version:
At this point, the team seems to have lost some of its focus and synergy. Agiligross isn't pulling his weight, and I'm losing more with it. This team needs direction. Sooo... let's get to the team.
The Lead
Spiritomb @ Mind Plate
Quiet, 244 HP 60 Atk 204 SpA 0 Spe IVs
Pressure
-Psychic
-Shadow Ball
-Pain Split
-Shadow Sneak
Spiritomb is a fine lead. He's UU, but at this point in the metagame he works wonders. He shuts down Azelf--When Azelf Taunts or SR's, I Shadow Ball. Shadow Sneak takes him out next turn. I don't have to worry about him exploding, because of Spiritomb's typing. Spiritomb holds Mind Plate and uses Psychic to counter the rising amount of Machamp leads. Spiritomb is an amazing Machamp counter in any circumstance, and with the rising popularity of Machamp as a lead, he starts me out on the right foot. Dynamicpunch doesn't hit, and Payback does 50 DMG neutral because I'll always move after Champ. So there. In return, Mind Plate Quiet 204 SpA Psychic is a (albeit barely--i think the calcs work out to minimum 50.4%) guaranteed 2KO on the four-armed beast. Swampert and other bulky leads cause him trouble, as do Gyrados leads, so they generally go to Celebi. Shadow Ball is for STAB, Pain Split is for lategame when I need recovery or need to sponge a powerful attack, and is wonderful move for a poke with no weaknesses (not much OHKOes me, meaning I can usually drain a giant chunk of health on the way down, and maybe KO with Shadow Sneak) Shadow sneak is some nice STAB priority. I'm pretty happy with this guy right now, but the lack of stealth rock is limiting my other options on the team.
The Choice Scarfer
Rotom-h @ Choice Scarf
Timid, 252 SpA 252 Spe 4 HP
Levitate
-Shadow Ball
-Thunderbolt
-Overheat
-Trick
Rotom-h is a brilliant revenger, and fills a lot of holes on the team. He doesn't like taking hits, but he walks all over CB Scizor, Metagross, Gyrados, and other setup sweepers who must be dealt with. He has problems with Blissey, duh. Shadow Ball and Tbolt are for STAB, Overheat is because it's great and for coverage, and Trick is for Blissey, because she sucks. Rotom-h is great glue for this team, addressing a wide variety of threats. However, I'm considering possible a Scarf Jirachi in this position to better address Mence and Tar, sacrificing coverage of Metagross and still killing Scizor (fire punch.) Or perhaps a scarf dragon (Mence or Flygon--latias dies to Scizor) We'll see.
The Support
Celebi @ Leftovers
Bold, 252 HP 220 Def 36 Spe
Natural Cure
-Thunder Wave
-Stealth Rock
-Leaf Storm
-Recover
Celebi is my stealth rocker, and is pretty reliable at it. He'll come in on a resist (usually EQ) and rock it up, or T-wave depending on what I predict the switch in will be (not usually ground -_-). Leaf Storm is for STAB, recover is recover. At this point he could be being more proactive in supporting the team (this team doesn't care about paralysis THAT much.. no serene grace users, I suppose TTar likes it, but it can interfere with Gliscor's Toxic stalling.)
At this point, Celebi is being pretty boring and unhelpful, but I need a reliable rocker to make up for Spiritomb's lack of SR. Perhaps I should switch the two's positions? We'll see. I'm considering Empoleon in place of Celebi, but that would make me a bit EQ weak if I keep Metagross.
The... Tyranitar
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Adamant, 160 HP, 252 Atk, 96 Spe
Sand Stream
-Crunch
-Stone Edge
-Pursuit
-Earthquake/Aqua Tail/Fire Punch
Tyranitar is a beast with Choice Band. Most people expect the Scarf version at this stage in the game, and a Stone Edge coming off of Choice Band will decimate just about anything switching into it. I like bringing Tar in on blind switches and revenge kills, or on resisted attacks as soon into the game as possible, so I can activate Sand before Gliscor does his thing. Stone Edge and Crunch are a great combo, Pursuit traps choiced Latias and Rotom, etc. and the remaining attack depends on whether I want to wreck pesky steels, grounds, or Scizors on the switchin. I'm still not sure which attack to run there. Like Rotom, Tar is great glue for this team (Or any team, really) because he reliably (as far a Stone Edge can be reliable) hits for big damage no matter the circumstances. Obviously, he gels well with Gliscor's Sand Veil, and I would say he makes up the core of the team with Gliscor.
The British Stallbreaker
Gliscor @ Leftovers / Yache?
Jolly, 252 HP, 4 Def 252 Spe
Sand Veil
-EQ
-Taunt
-Toxic
-Roost
This guy's beautiful. His fast Taunt walks all over Skarmory and Blissey (I've seen two so far with Ice Beam, though, which was very lame.) EQ, Taunt, and Toxic form a potent duo, because essentially everything in OU that resists Toxic (steels and poisons) die to EQ except maybe Bronzong, Gengar, and Roserade. Roost is for survivability. I bring out Gliscor in the sand, see if I can get a Toxic in on the switch, then either Taunt or EQ depending on the switch in's weakness. I've got to watch for Ice, but those attacks are relatively easy to predict and send to Metagross or Tyranitar.
The Setup Sweeper
Metagross @ Occa Berry
Adamant, 112 HP, 252 Atk, 12 Def, 132 Spe
Clear Body
-Agility
-Meteor Mash
-EQ
-Ice Punch
This spot used to hold Lucario, but I switched him out for a bulkier sweeper. Metagross is solid in this role, but I've found that he just needs too much setup. Metagross loves spikes and stealth rock, and Celebi doesn't necessarily get around to spiking every match, and even then Metagross doesn't score enough OHKOs after an Agility to sweep entire teams. Often, Metagross seems to miss crucial moves with Meteor Mash (I don't appreciate the low accuracy) and doesn't do enough damage with ice punch or EQ to make enough of a dent without significant entry hazards.
I'm looking for a decent bulky sweeper here who jives with the rest of my team and can score KOs without large investments of entry hazards, which doesn't fit with my strategy for this team.
In Summary
So there it is. I would probably characterize this as a bulky offense team, and it's served me well, but I need to tighten it up before I can rely on it to push me further up the ladder.
To summarize, I would appreciate feedback on any of the following pokes
-A possible replacement for Rotom in the place of Scarfed Revenger, and what would best help my team in that position. Considering: Jirachi, Salamence, Flygon, Infernape, Specs Jolteon? Others?
-A possible replacement for Celebi that can Stealth Rock and provide reliable support--Possible Empoleon? Possibly Hippowdon, and change Tyranitar? I don't want to, but that might be for the best.
-A possible replacement for Metagross that needs less entry hazard support--A bulky setup sweeper that can function well on just SR, that jives well with Gliscor.
-Yache on Gliscor?
-Fire Punch/Aqua Tail on Tyranitar?
In addition, any other feedback is welcome. I'll take any and all criticism without ill will--I just want to improve. Anyway, comment and rate! Thanks for taking the time to read this
