Latenite Sweepin'
Conception: This team is the result of roughly a week of mild speculation, followed by about two hours of actual teambuilding. When I first had the idea of making a new team, I had no idea what I wanted it to be. I'd been making semi-decent teams on PO for a while, only using each for about a day, before moving on to the next. I didn't really like this--I felt I wasn't learning anything, and I didn't have any teams that I really enjoyed playing with. I was determined to make this one better, something solid I could use for a long time and enjoy the whole time. But like I said, I had no idea what type of team to make. This was the first thing I had to do, decide what type of team I wanted. After a bit of time spent going over past successful RMTs, and also watching some videos by some of the more competitive YouTubers, I decided on a format that I felt was very viable in the current metagame.
Teambuilding Process: The format consists of a solid five-member defensive core and a lategame sweeper. The idea was to make the five-member core both independent and supportive of the sweeper. In other words, I wanted a team that could function without the need of the sixth member, but that also did a great job of removing its counters. This way I could chip away at the opponent's team indefinitely until all counters to my sweeper were gone, and then all I would need is an opportunity to set up. I started out not entirely sure what the sweeper would be, and first decided to focus on the core, since they would have to operate separately anyway.
Members: The first three members of the team are as follows, and I'd like to point out that they came in no particular order, but rather I thought of them as a group. I knew I wanted Stealth Rocks, Rapid Spin, and Spikes in my core, and this is pretty much the best thing I came up with.
Starmie @ Leftovers Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
The only viable rapid spinners in OU are Tentacruel, Starmie, and Forretress. While the other two are able to set up hazards as well as Rapid Spin, I felt that due to the fact that this team would be lacking multiple designated sweepers, some offensive prowess would be greatly appreciated. A complete lack of offense on a team is rather unattractive, and because the core is meant to function without a sweeper, Starmie provides the offensive power I require as well as rapid spinning. I run Thunderbolt over Ice Beam for Skarmory, although this wasn't a decision made until later in the process.
Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 152 SDef / 104 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Protect
Heatran makes a great specially defensive member for the core, particularly as, being a steel type with Roar, it is able to phaze out certain Dragon type threats locked into Outrage, albeit not always taking it greatly being that its invested in SpDef. It also just phazes for damage after I get all my hazards up. It also sets up Stealth Rock and completely counters Ferrothorn. A specially bulky steel type is pretty much essential for taking Draco Meteors, and Heatran works great for this team, forming a FWG core with Starmie and Roserade (like I said I thought of them pretty much simultaneously). I decided to run Protect over WoW or Toxic later in the process, which I will point out when I get there.
Roserade (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 96 SAtk / 108 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Rest
I originally ran Spikes here over T-Spikes, but switched it after switching Gliscor out for Skarmory, since I then had no need for two spikes users. The EV spread is a variation on the standard spikes set, and are made for a very specific situation, though one I found myself in several times while originally testing the team. It's basically built to defeat the Rotom-W/Scizor core under specific circumstances. The defensive EVs ensure that, if neither Stealth Rocks nor Sand is up, I can always live a Rotom-W's Volt Switch+Scizor's Bullet Punch combo, and the offensive EVs ensure I OHKO Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. Needless to say, my chances of living decrease a bit if either Rocks or Sand is up, and a bit more if both are.
Now that I had a solid FWG core that could get up and get rid of hazards, all the last two members of the core had to do was wall things and recover.
Skarmory (M) @ Shed Shell Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
I originally had a Gliscor in this spot, but changed it due to problems with Landorus. This also lessened the threat of Virizion and pretty much eliminated that of Breloom, assuming I can get it to sleep the right poke. Now that I had it for spikes, I could give Roserade T-Spikes, to help cripple some of Dragonite's more defensive counters. After switching Gastrodon for Slowbro and then Slowbro for Gliscor, I made this Skarm specially defensive to help with special threats such as Latios which I had been struggling with.
Gliscor (F) @ Toxic Orb Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Taunt
Gliscor is the newest addition to the team--the current holder of the fifth spot, the one I just can't seem to get right. However, Gliscor was something I hadn't considered for the fact that I already had Skarmory, and yet it's been working surprisingly well so far. I did try a Slowbro in this spot, but I experienced some serious 4-moveslot syndrome. Slack Off and Toxic were a must, but I also seemed to need Psychic, Scald, AND Ice Beam. This led to the team having IMMENSE problems with Heatran, which Gliscor can check fairly well (I gave Dragonite EQ for the same reason). Using an SD set with Taunt because I need Ice Fang and EQ, and Taunt over Protect because I already had the latter, and it makes Gliscor a decent stallbreaker, as well as being able to prevent Reuniclus from Recovering or setting anything up.
Dragonite (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
With my defensive core looking solid, it was time to decide on my lategame sweeper. After considering my options for a few minutes, the choice of Dragonite became rather obvious. It's already one of, if not THE best lategame sweeper in the current metagame. Multiscale+Lum Berry practically assures me a free turn of set up, assuming Starmie's done its job. I didn't want myself locked into Outrage, especially if I'd already used up my Lum Berry avoiding a burn, so I went with Dragon Claw. Fire Punch is necessary coverage for Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Bronzong if I haven't eliminated them. Because of my teams lack of a scarfer, or any other speed outside of Starmie, I felt that Extremespeed was necessary in case I hadn't managed to eliminate the opponent's scarfer, or if I came in on something that already had speed boosts, or even simply outsped me after +1.
Offensive Threats:
Terrakion-Pretty big problem if used correctly. If Sand is up, my Dragonite's Multiscale will be broken, and Terrakion can revenge kill if it's scarfed. Boosting sets aren't too threatening, as they'll need to get up both a Rock Polish and an SD in order to both threaten my walls and avoid being revenge killed, but if they do manage it, they can be a problem.
Virizion-A sizable threat to this team. A Calm Mind variant can basically run through my core if it sets up, the only thing in its way being Skarmory, but fortunately most of my members can prevent it from setting up for free. In addition, T-Spikes help a lot as they can prevent it setting up indefinitely.
Breloom-A bit of a threat. Skarm can take care of it, but not if it's asleep. As long as I make sure it Spores the right thing, I can handle it. Even less of a threat now that I have Gliscor, but it's still can be a bit of a worry.
Defensive Threats:
Skarmory, Bronzong, Gliscor, Slowbro, Ferrothorn-All in the same vein really, things that can wall my Dragonite to some extent if kept healthy, although the first two have a harder time of it outside of rain, and not all of them can do much to retaliate. The way I take care of these is simple, if not always easy. I pretty much have to get rid of these, or at least significantly weaken them (with hazards being necessary to do so to Slowbro) before attempting to sweep.
That pretty much sums it up. The team has been doing well on PO so far, though due to the previous testing of some bad teams I'm currently too low on the ladder to impress with rankings. Let me know what you think, specifically concerning Dragonite's moveset, and any other lategame sweepers you think could work in the final teamslot. All constructive criticism is welcomed, as well as invited, of course.
Conception: This team is the result of roughly a week of mild speculation, followed by about two hours of actual teambuilding. When I first had the idea of making a new team, I had no idea what I wanted it to be. I'd been making semi-decent teams on PO for a while, only using each for about a day, before moving on to the next. I didn't really like this--I felt I wasn't learning anything, and I didn't have any teams that I really enjoyed playing with. I was determined to make this one better, something solid I could use for a long time and enjoy the whole time. But like I said, I had no idea what type of team to make. This was the first thing I had to do, decide what type of team I wanted. After a bit of time spent going over past successful RMTs, and also watching some videos by some of the more competitive YouTubers, I decided on a format that I felt was very viable in the current metagame.
Teambuilding Process: The format consists of a solid five-member defensive core and a lategame sweeper. The idea was to make the five-member core both independent and supportive of the sweeper. In other words, I wanted a team that could function without the need of the sixth member, but that also did a great job of removing its counters. This way I could chip away at the opponent's team indefinitely until all counters to my sweeper were gone, and then all I would need is an opportunity to set up. I started out not entirely sure what the sweeper would be, and first decided to focus on the core, since they would have to operate separately anyway.
Members: The first three members of the team are as follows, and I'd like to point out that they came in no particular order, but rather I thought of them as a group. I knew I wanted Stealth Rocks, Rapid Spin, and Spikes in my core, and this is pretty much the best thing I came up with.
Starmie @ Leftovers Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
The only viable rapid spinners in OU are Tentacruel, Starmie, and Forretress. While the other two are able to set up hazards as well as Rapid Spin, I felt that due to the fact that this team would be lacking multiple designated sweepers, some offensive prowess would be greatly appreciated. A complete lack of offense on a team is rather unattractive, and because the core is meant to function without a sweeper, Starmie provides the offensive power I require as well as rapid spinning. I run Thunderbolt over Ice Beam for Skarmory, although this wasn't a decision made until later in the process.
Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 152 SDef / 104 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Protect
Heatran makes a great specially defensive member for the core, particularly as, being a steel type with Roar, it is able to phaze out certain Dragon type threats locked into Outrage, albeit not always taking it greatly being that its invested in SpDef. It also just phazes for damage after I get all my hazards up. It also sets up Stealth Rock and completely counters Ferrothorn. A specially bulky steel type is pretty much essential for taking Draco Meteors, and Heatran works great for this team, forming a FWG core with Starmie and Roserade (like I said I thought of them pretty much simultaneously). I decided to run Protect over WoW or Toxic later in the process, which I will point out when I get there.
Roserade (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 96 SAtk / 108 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Rest
I originally ran Spikes here over T-Spikes, but switched it after switching Gliscor out for Skarmory, since I then had no need for two spikes users. The EV spread is a variation on the standard spikes set, and are made for a very specific situation, though one I found myself in several times while originally testing the team. It's basically built to defeat the Rotom-W/Scizor core under specific circumstances. The defensive EVs ensure that, if neither Stealth Rocks nor Sand is up, I can always live a Rotom-W's Volt Switch+Scizor's Bullet Punch combo, and the offensive EVs ensure I OHKO Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. Needless to say, my chances of living decrease a bit if either Rocks or Sand is up, and a bit more if both are.
Now that I had a solid FWG core that could get up and get rid of hazards, all the last two members of the core had to do was wall things and recover.
Skarmory (M) @ Shed Shell Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
I originally had a Gliscor in this spot, but changed it due to problems with Landorus. This also lessened the threat of Virizion and pretty much eliminated that of Breloom, assuming I can get it to sleep the right poke. Now that I had it for spikes, I could give Roserade T-Spikes, to help cripple some of Dragonite's more defensive counters. After switching Gastrodon for Slowbro and then Slowbro for Gliscor, I made this Skarm specially defensive to help with special threats such as Latios which I had been struggling with.
Gliscor (F) @ Toxic Orb Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Taunt
Gliscor is the newest addition to the team--the current holder of the fifth spot, the one I just can't seem to get right. However, Gliscor was something I hadn't considered for the fact that I already had Skarmory, and yet it's been working surprisingly well so far. I did try a Slowbro in this spot, but I experienced some serious 4-moveslot syndrome. Slack Off and Toxic were a must, but I also seemed to need Psychic, Scald, AND Ice Beam. This led to the team having IMMENSE problems with Heatran, which Gliscor can check fairly well (I gave Dragonite EQ for the same reason). Using an SD set with Taunt because I need Ice Fang and EQ, and Taunt over Protect because I already had the latter, and it makes Gliscor a decent stallbreaker, as well as being able to prevent Reuniclus from Recovering or setting anything up.
Dragonite (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
With my defensive core looking solid, it was time to decide on my lategame sweeper. After considering my options for a few minutes, the choice of Dragonite became rather obvious. It's already one of, if not THE best lategame sweeper in the current metagame. Multiscale+Lum Berry practically assures me a free turn of set up, assuming Starmie's done its job. I didn't want myself locked into Outrage, especially if I'd already used up my Lum Berry avoiding a burn, so I went with Dragon Claw. Fire Punch is necessary coverage for Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Bronzong if I haven't eliminated them. Because of my teams lack of a scarfer, or any other speed outside of Starmie, I felt that Extremespeed was necessary in case I hadn't managed to eliminate the opponent's scarfer, or if I came in on something that already had speed boosts, or even simply outsped me after +1.
Offensive Threats:
Terrakion-Pretty big problem if used correctly. If Sand is up, my Dragonite's Multiscale will be broken, and Terrakion can revenge kill if it's scarfed. Boosting sets aren't too threatening, as they'll need to get up both a Rock Polish and an SD in order to both threaten my walls and avoid being revenge killed, but if they do manage it, they can be a problem.
Virizion-A sizable threat to this team. A Calm Mind variant can basically run through my core if it sets up, the only thing in its way being Skarmory, but fortunately most of my members can prevent it from setting up for free. In addition, T-Spikes help a lot as they can prevent it setting up indefinitely.
Breloom-A bit of a threat. Skarm can take care of it, but not if it's asleep. As long as I make sure it Spores the right thing, I can handle it. Even less of a threat now that I have Gliscor, but it's still can be a bit of a worry.
Defensive Threats:
Skarmory, Bronzong, Gliscor, Slowbro, Ferrothorn-All in the same vein really, things that can wall my Dragonite to some extent if kept healthy, although the first two have a harder time of it outside of rain, and not all of them can do much to retaliate. The way I take care of these is simple, if not always easy. I pretty much have to get rid of these, or at least significantly weaken them (with hazards being necessary to do so to Slowbro) before attempting to sweep.
That pretty much sums it up. The team has been doing well on PO so far, though due to the previous testing of some bad teams I'm currently too low on the ladder to impress with rankings. Let me know what you think, specifically concerning Dragonite's moveset, and any other lategame sweepers you think could work in the final teamslot. All constructive criticism is welcomed, as well as invited, of course.
