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Starmie @ Choice Scarf - Natural Cure
Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
252 SpA, 216 Spe, 40 HP
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic
Starmie - as a quick and relatively strong Special Attacker with a nice movepool and useful ability - should fare pretty well as a lead. In non-lead slots, Specs are generally a better option for choice item use, as Starmie is already quite fast. However, using a Specs/Life Orb set in the lead slot for more power generally ends with being OHKOed by an opposing Gengar lead, many of which run Scarf sets.
The answer, of course, is to go with a Scarf yourself, much like Scarf Azelf does. Now, Azelf is the same speed, is significantly more powerful on the special side, and has a 120 attack stat to dip into physical moves as well, so why use Starmie? Well, STAB on water attacks is pretty useful, allowing Starmie learns Ice Beam, and - perhaps most importantly - that people have come to expect Choice Scarf as a possibility on Azelf, where it is rarely seen on Starmie. I'm using Hydro Pump over Surf to help rectify the power loss from Specs, but I must admit, it only goes so far. Check back after the rest of the team for a rundown of Scarfmie vs. Common Leads.
Magnezone @ Lum Berry - Magnet Pull
Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
252 SpA, 164 HP, 92 Spe
- Substitute
- Magnet Rise
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power (Ice)
Standard trapper Magnezone, with a few extra Speed EVs so it outspeeds the listed standard non-Agility Metagross sets. Lum Berry over Leftovers so it can switch into a Bronzong lead's Hypnosis without risking getting EQ'd to death. Once it's in safely, it outspeeds and can Sub to scout if they're going to EQ or use a second Hypnosis. If the first Hypnosis misses, Magnet Rise instead, and sub up after that.
Garchomp @ Yache Berry - Sand Veil
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Fang
Hey, look, a Garchomp! Bet you've never seen one of THESE before!
Standard set. I would have switched Fire Fang for Crunch like I did with Ursaring (see two slots below), but I realized that Forretress could still escape Magnezone due to occasional Shed Shell use, and Crunch would still only 2HKO Cresselia after a Swords Dance, which isn't too much of an improvement over Dragon Claw, which usually does the same.
Yache Berry over Life Orb since it seems to be the flavor of the week, and although it's generally expected, there isn't much that people can do about it. Being able to scrape a semi-free Swords Dance is always appreciated.
Cresselia @ Leftovers - Levitate
Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
252 SpA, 160 Spe, 96 HP
- Calm Mind
- Moonlight
- Psychic
- Hidden Power (Fighting)
Standard CM Cress. HP Fighting rather than loading down everything in sight with Ice Beam - It helps against TTar and Blissey, and will nail Weavile if it goes for a Pursuit instead of Night Slash.
Ursaring @ Toxic Orb - Quick Feet
Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
- Swords Dance
- Facade
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Probably one of my favorite sweepers, and by far the most threatening-looking sprite. Ursaring goes with Crunch over the standard Fire Punch since problem steels will be taken care of by Magnezone or Garchomp's Fire Fang, and only being able to hit ghosts neutrally with a non-STAB attack didn't seem like a good plan.
Blissey @ Leftovers - Natural Cure
Bold (+Def, -Atk)
252 Def, 148 HP, 104 SpA, 4 Spe
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Ice Beam
Between Leftovers-less Sub Magnezone and Ursaring's life loss due to Toxic, I felt like wish support was a good plan, and my favorite Wish-passer, Vaporeon, is out due to my team's already notable leanings toward Bolt/Beam use, and the fact that I don't want half of my team weak to the combo. Wishbliss is probably my second favorite, perhaps tied with Jirachi, so I'm using her.
I've debated dropping Ice Beam for Sing/Toxic/Stealth Rock and max HP as, more and more lately, the set-up-happy dragons that would be sent in on a Wish are running with Yache berries to allow them a SD/DD without being OHKOed left and right by random Ice attacks. Good idea? Terrible idea?
(As a side note to the team, you'll notice that there are only 9 different attacking types across this entire team, which tends to either be good or tremendously bad for me from game to game.)
Scarfmie vs. Top 10 Leads Rundown
Gengar - The EVs listed outspeed even max-speed Timid Scarfgar, who is OHKOed by Psychic. Focus Sash sets are a bit of an issue, and will OHKO me back with Shadow Ball, or if they're not too bright, put me to sleep.
Bronzong - Obvious switch to Magnezone. Bronzong leads likely won't be Earthquaking Starmie, so it'll either be setting up rocks or using Hypnosis. Neither fazes Magnezone, who completely obliterates every Bronzong but Trick Roomers.
Gyarados - Gyarados pisses his pants at the prospect of getting T-Bolted, so odds are he's getting out of there. I generally TBolt anyway, but sometimes I'll Hydro Pump to take a chunk out of whatever's switching in.
Tyranitar - Switch out and risk getting Pursuited to bits with nothing to say for it, or stay in, do some harm, and get Crunched/Dark Pulsed to death. I tend to stay in, Hydro Pump and hope it hits so I can clean up with someone else, to be honest, but I'm noticing that a lot of people aren't running Pursuit (or are just outpredicting the hell out of me...), so I don't know if this is the right move, especially with Garchomp to go to. (A previous incarnation of this team had a Reversal Lucario in his place, who would tend to crash and burn more often than kill things.) Either way, Starmie vs. Tyranitar is not a fun way to start a match, and there's no sugar-coating it.
The increasingly uncommon (from what I've seen) DDTar, on the other hand, is actually quite welcome in comparison, since they don't carry Pursuit, have no HP EVs, and will often dance thinking I will switch out. (This isn't really a good idea on their part (against Starmie, at the very least) unless they're Jolly so they'll outrun a max speed Timid Starmie after one DD.)
Salamence - Ice Beam. If it's a DDMence with a Yache Berry, he'll do his thing, expecting to outspeed after the boost, and be sorely mistaken (This happens to Dragonites far more often, and is endlessly amusing to watch.) Don't expect him to stay in, though.
Yanmega (and Ninjask) - Speed Boost Yanmega will Protect first turn, but will STILL be slower even after the first boost, so Ice Beam is a good choice for turns one and two, as it won't realize Starmie is Scarfed until it's too late. Even then, it could very well be Focus Sashed, so it's almost a better idea to go to Blissey right off the bat, in case Yanmega goes for Bug Buzz rather than a Hypnosis after his first boost. Tinted Lens users will probably switch out, but if it stays in to try and get off a Bug Buzz or Hypnosis, Ice Beam will clip its wings nicely. You rarely see Tinted Lens on leading Yanmega, though.
Ninjask is in here because of same typing/Speed Boost. Ninjasks will often expect to outspeed, and use X-Scissor (if they run it), or Substitute. Either way, Ice Beam takes care of it. Focus Sash ruins your fun, but they generally don't use it due to how common Sandstorm is. It's quite unlikely that Ninjask will have Protect AND Substitute, but if it does, there's not much you can do except hope you can stop the thing that gets Baton Passed to.
Hippowdon - Hydro Pump/Ice Beam is the plan here. Hydro Pump will OHKO, while Ice Beam 2HKOs, but doesn't risk missing. Expect a switch to Blissey or one of her wall-pals, though.
Azelf - This is an interesting matchup, since they're both 115 base speed. It all comes down to what set Azelf is using. Non-boosted Azelf Grass Knots don't OHKO, so if you expect Focus Sash/Rash+Choice Scarf/1st-turn-Nasty Plot, Hydro Pump is your best bet, as it 2HKOs. Expert Belt Grass Knot OHKOs you only a fraction of the time, while Life Orb, one of the more common choices, has a comparable percentage chance of NOT OHKOing.
The listed set for Choice Item Azelf suggests Naive with 220 Speed EVs, which will outspeed this particular Starmie set, though it only seems to be listed this way in order to outrun other CSAzelf who elect to try and outspeed other CS-Base-115s who only go for enough to outspeed Scarfgar (...who, ironically, will probably be using the same EV spread, which will result in a speed tie. Goddamnit, Smogon.) I'm not sure if Naive CSAzelf is common enough at the moment to warrant me moving 8 EVs from HP to Speed, in order to outspeed the thing that outspeeds the thing that outspeeds the thing I'm aiming to outspeed. It all seems a little crazy, but I suppose that's what I did with the Magnezone EVs, so I'm a bit of a hypocrite.
This is one of the matchups in which Modest would be preferable, since the added damage makes it possible for Life Orb recoil to kill Azelf off after one Hydro Pump, rather than letting it explode. Timid knocks Azelf down to somewhere around 1% after one Max damage Hydro Pump and one Life Orb recoil.
In short, generally a switch to Blissey is in order, especially since I'm running one with Protect to dodge a possible Explosion.
Infernape - Eats flaming death via both Psychic (the recommended choice, as it won't miss) and Hydro Pump. I haven't seen an Infernape lead in a LONG time, though, so I'm not sure what sets are being used... If he doesn't switch, the worst you can possibly take is a Crit STAB CB Mach Punch, which does around 40%. (Or if Psychic misses due to Brightpowder, you can take around 75% from a Grass Knot, and be entitled to scowl until your face hurts.)
Other notable leads outside the top 10:
Weavile - I cry silently to myself while hoping for a Hydro Pump crit and no Focus Sash. If Weavile Swords Dances expecting to outspeed and sweep away, it's possible for me to escape unscathed, but I need Hydro Pump to hit twice, and they need to get greedy. I've got a Weavile weak the size of the sun and I know it.
Swampert - If Starmie only had a fifth move slot, I wouldn't even have to say anything here. I decided that Psychic to OHKO the most common lead (one who would actually consider staying in on me, to boot) was more important than Grass Knot to OHKO the 13th most common lead (one who will generally switch out anyway, fearing the very move decided to cut.)
Metagross - I'll generally go with Hydro Pump against a Metagross lead, as it has a near-100% chance to 2HKO the CBer if it hits twice - guaranteed if Metagross is using a Life Orb - while Metagross 2HKOs back with both CB Meteor Mash and EQ, but is outsped. Even an Adamant CB Pursuit won't OHKO if I stay in, so I can still 2HKO with Hydro Pump. If he uses Thunderpunch, Starmie dies a horrible death, but since the only non-CB set that tends to use Thunderpunch is Agiligross - and if it were an Agiligross, it'd have used Agility first - from there, I can generally switch in Magnezone, outspeed, Magnet Rise, and revenge kill it safely.
If it uses Agility, I'm in alright shape, as I still 2HKO the standard Agiligross even if it's using Leftovers, as I am still faster even after the Agility.
Jolteon - Get out to Blissey, there is no other option. Jolteon thinks it outspeeds you, and rather than putting up a Sub - which would be good in this case, since it would end up putting itself down to near-death if hit with a Hydro Pump first - it will usually Thunderbolt.
So... yeah. Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
Starmie @ Choice Scarf - Natural Cure
Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
252 SpA, 216 Spe, 40 HP
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic
Starmie - as a quick and relatively strong Special Attacker with a nice movepool and useful ability - should fare pretty well as a lead. In non-lead slots, Specs are generally a better option for choice item use, as Starmie is already quite fast. However, using a Specs/Life Orb set in the lead slot for more power generally ends with being OHKOed by an opposing Gengar lead, many of which run Scarf sets.
The answer, of course, is to go with a Scarf yourself, much like Scarf Azelf does. Now, Azelf is the same speed, is significantly more powerful on the special side, and has a 120 attack stat to dip into physical moves as well, so why use Starmie? Well, STAB on water attacks is pretty useful, allowing Starmie learns Ice Beam, and - perhaps most importantly - that people have come to expect Choice Scarf as a possibility on Azelf, where it is rarely seen on Starmie. I'm using Hydro Pump over Surf to help rectify the power loss from Specs, but I must admit, it only goes so far. Check back after the rest of the team for a rundown of Scarfmie vs. Common Leads.
Magnezone @ Lum Berry - Magnet Pull
Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
252 SpA, 164 HP, 92 Spe
- Substitute
- Magnet Rise
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power (Ice)
Standard trapper Magnezone, with a few extra Speed EVs so it outspeeds the listed standard non-Agility Metagross sets. Lum Berry over Leftovers so it can switch into a Bronzong lead's Hypnosis without risking getting EQ'd to death. Once it's in safely, it outspeeds and can Sub to scout if they're going to EQ or use a second Hypnosis. If the first Hypnosis misses, Magnet Rise instead, and sub up after that.
Garchomp @ Yache Berry - Sand Veil
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Fang
Hey, look, a Garchomp! Bet you've never seen one of THESE before!
Standard set. I would have switched Fire Fang for Crunch like I did with Ursaring (see two slots below), but I realized that Forretress could still escape Magnezone due to occasional Shed Shell use, and Crunch would still only 2HKO Cresselia after a Swords Dance, which isn't too much of an improvement over Dragon Claw, which usually does the same.
Yache Berry over Life Orb since it seems to be the flavor of the week, and although it's generally expected, there isn't much that people can do about it. Being able to scrape a semi-free Swords Dance is always appreciated.
Cresselia @ Leftovers - Levitate
Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
252 SpA, 160 Spe, 96 HP
- Calm Mind
- Moonlight
- Psychic
- Hidden Power (Fighting)
Standard CM Cress. HP Fighting rather than loading down everything in sight with Ice Beam - It helps against TTar and Blissey, and will nail Weavile if it goes for a Pursuit instead of Night Slash.
Ursaring @ Toxic Orb - Quick Feet
Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
- Swords Dance
- Facade
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Probably one of my favorite sweepers, and by far the most threatening-looking sprite. Ursaring goes with Crunch over the standard Fire Punch since problem steels will be taken care of by Magnezone or Garchomp's Fire Fang, and only being able to hit ghosts neutrally with a non-STAB attack didn't seem like a good plan.
Blissey @ Leftovers - Natural Cure
Bold (+Def, -Atk)
252 Def, 148 HP, 104 SpA, 4 Spe
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Ice Beam
Between Leftovers-less Sub Magnezone and Ursaring's life loss due to Toxic, I felt like wish support was a good plan, and my favorite Wish-passer, Vaporeon, is out due to my team's already notable leanings toward Bolt/Beam use, and the fact that I don't want half of my team weak to the combo. Wishbliss is probably my second favorite, perhaps tied with Jirachi, so I'm using her.
I've debated dropping Ice Beam for Sing/Toxic/Stealth Rock and max HP as, more and more lately, the set-up-happy dragons that would be sent in on a Wish are running with Yache berries to allow them a SD/DD without being OHKOed left and right by random Ice attacks. Good idea? Terrible idea?
(As a side note to the team, you'll notice that there are only 9 different attacking types across this entire team, which tends to either be good or tremendously bad for me from game to game.)
Scarfmie vs. Top 10 Leads Rundown
Gengar - The EVs listed outspeed even max-speed Timid Scarfgar, who is OHKOed by Psychic. Focus Sash sets are a bit of an issue, and will OHKO me back with Shadow Ball, or if they're not too bright, put me to sleep.
Bronzong - Obvious switch to Magnezone. Bronzong leads likely won't be Earthquaking Starmie, so it'll either be setting up rocks or using Hypnosis. Neither fazes Magnezone, who completely obliterates every Bronzong but Trick Roomers.
Gyarados - Gyarados pisses his pants at the prospect of getting T-Bolted, so odds are he's getting out of there. I generally TBolt anyway, but sometimes I'll Hydro Pump to take a chunk out of whatever's switching in.
Tyranitar - Switch out and risk getting Pursuited to bits with nothing to say for it, or stay in, do some harm, and get Crunched/Dark Pulsed to death. I tend to stay in, Hydro Pump and hope it hits so I can clean up with someone else, to be honest, but I'm noticing that a lot of people aren't running Pursuit (or are just outpredicting the hell out of me...), so I don't know if this is the right move, especially with Garchomp to go to. (A previous incarnation of this team had a Reversal Lucario in his place, who would tend to crash and burn more often than kill things.) Either way, Starmie vs. Tyranitar is not a fun way to start a match, and there's no sugar-coating it.
The increasingly uncommon (from what I've seen) DDTar, on the other hand, is actually quite welcome in comparison, since they don't carry Pursuit, have no HP EVs, and will often dance thinking I will switch out. (This isn't really a good idea on their part (against Starmie, at the very least) unless they're Jolly so they'll outrun a max speed Timid Starmie after one DD.)
Salamence - Ice Beam. If it's a DDMence with a Yache Berry, he'll do his thing, expecting to outspeed after the boost, and be sorely mistaken (This happens to Dragonites far more often, and is endlessly amusing to watch.) Don't expect him to stay in, though.
Yanmega (and Ninjask) - Speed Boost Yanmega will Protect first turn, but will STILL be slower even after the first boost, so Ice Beam is a good choice for turns one and two, as it won't realize Starmie is Scarfed until it's too late. Even then, it could very well be Focus Sashed, so it's almost a better idea to go to Blissey right off the bat, in case Yanmega goes for Bug Buzz rather than a Hypnosis after his first boost. Tinted Lens users will probably switch out, but if it stays in to try and get off a Bug Buzz or Hypnosis, Ice Beam will clip its wings nicely. You rarely see Tinted Lens on leading Yanmega, though.
Ninjask is in here because of same typing/Speed Boost. Ninjasks will often expect to outspeed, and use X-Scissor (if they run it), or Substitute. Either way, Ice Beam takes care of it. Focus Sash ruins your fun, but they generally don't use it due to how common Sandstorm is. It's quite unlikely that Ninjask will have Protect AND Substitute, but if it does, there's not much you can do except hope you can stop the thing that gets Baton Passed to.
Hippowdon - Hydro Pump/Ice Beam is the plan here. Hydro Pump will OHKO, while Ice Beam 2HKOs, but doesn't risk missing. Expect a switch to Blissey or one of her wall-pals, though.
Azelf - This is an interesting matchup, since they're both 115 base speed. It all comes down to what set Azelf is using. Non-boosted Azelf Grass Knots don't OHKO, so if you expect Focus Sash/Rash+Choice Scarf/1st-turn-Nasty Plot, Hydro Pump is your best bet, as it 2HKOs. Expert Belt Grass Knot OHKOs you only a fraction of the time, while Life Orb, one of the more common choices, has a comparable percentage chance of NOT OHKOing.
The listed set for Choice Item Azelf suggests Naive with 220 Speed EVs, which will outspeed this particular Starmie set, though it only seems to be listed this way in order to outrun other CSAzelf who elect to try and outspeed other CS-Base-115s who only go for enough to outspeed Scarfgar (...who, ironically, will probably be using the same EV spread, which will result in a speed tie. Goddamnit, Smogon.) I'm not sure if Naive CSAzelf is common enough at the moment to warrant me moving 8 EVs from HP to Speed, in order to outspeed the thing that outspeeds the thing that outspeeds the thing I'm aiming to outspeed. It all seems a little crazy, but I suppose that's what I did with the Magnezone EVs, so I'm a bit of a hypocrite.
This is one of the matchups in which Modest would be preferable, since the added damage makes it possible for Life Orb recoil to kill Azelf off after one Hydro Pump, rather than letting it explode. Timid knocks Azelf down to somewhere around 1% after one Max damage Hydro Pump and one Life Orb recoil.
In short, generally a switch to Blissey is in order, especially since I'm running one with Protect to dodge a possible Explosion.
Infernape - Eats flaming death via both Psychic (the recommended choice, as it won't miss) and Hydro Pump. I haven't seen an Infernape lead in a LONG time, though, so I'm not sure what sets are being used... If he doesn't switch, the worst you can possibly take is a Crit STAB CB Mach Punch, which does around 40%. (Or if Psychic misses due to Brightpowder, you can take around 75% from a Grass Knot, and be entitled to scowl until your face hurts.)
Other notable leads outside the top 10:
Weavile - I cry silently to myself while hoping for a Hydro Pump crit and no Focus Sash. If Weavile Swords Dances expecting to outspeed and sweep away, it's possible for me to escape unscathed, but I need Hydro Pump to hit twice, and they need to get greedy. I've got a Weavile weak the size of the sun and I know it.
Swampert - If Starmie only had a fifth move slot, I wouldn't even have to say anything here. I decided that Psychic to OHKO the most common lead (one who would actually consider staying in on me, to boot) was more important than Grass Knot to OHKO the 13th most common lead (one who will generally switch out anyway, fearing the very move decided to cut.)
Metagross - I'll generally go with Hydro Pump against a Metagross lead, as it has a near-100% chance to 2HKO the CBer if it hits twice - guaranteed if Metagross is using a Life Orb - while Metagross 2HKOs back with both CB Meteor Mash and EQ, but is outsped. Even an Adamant CB Pursuit won't OHKO if I stay in, so I can still 2HKO with Hydro Pump. If he uses Thunderpunch, Starmie dies a horrible death, but since the only non-CB set that tends to use Thunderpunch is Agiligross - and if it were an Agiligross, it'd have used Agility first - from there, I can generally switch in Magnezone, outspeed, Magnet Rise, and revenge kill it safely.
If it uses Agility, I'm in alright shape, as I still 2HKO the standard Agiligross even if it's using Leftovers, as I am still faster even after the Agility.
Jolteon - Get out to Blissey, there is no other option. Jolteon thinks it outspeeds you, and rather than putting up a Sub - which would be good in this case, since it would end up putting itself down to near-death if hit with a Hydro Pump first - it will usually Thunderbolt.
So... yeah. Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
