M-m-m-moltres

[Torkoals]

Hey! This is my first RMT and i decided to start with my RU team

Purpose- Moltres has always been a favorite of mine, yet he's sunk all the way down to RU over the years. This team was made to see if he could still be viable in some form, even if only in RU (although i do love RU more than any other tier). While i know SR ruins him, i still felt Moltres had the ability to put out a lot of damage with the right support.

How could this not send waves of fear down every battler's spine?

THE TEAM-

The team's main purpose was to allow Moltres to get out and jut detstroy, although still be able to function if he was taken out.

Did that rock just Move?!? (Crustle) @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spd
- X-Scissor
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Rock Blast

Crustle is usually my lead, and with good reason. He always gets at least one wave of spikes up, or just rocks, as he carries sturdy. The custap berry allows for an guaranteed second wave if he's been hit hard enuogh, and if he hasn't lost more than 50% of his hp, then he can set up another wave anyway. Rock blast ensures that if Aerodactyl switches in to taunt, Crustle can OHKO him. SR is important to have here as Moltres is often threatened by an opponents Moltres, and my team as a whole isn't exactly prepared to face one.

Jigsaw (Feraligatr) @ Water Gem
Ability: Torrent
Shiny: No
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Swords Dance
- Crunch
- Aqua Jet

Feraligatr is just plain awesome He has enough bulk to take a hit, and then get up a swords dance. Once Jigsaw has a +2 attack boost, one water gem boosted water jet will seriously damage almost everything in the tier. Feraligatr offers some much needed water coverage and also the speed to beat out Crawdaunt. Countless times Jigsaw has gotten that one boost he needs and punched gaping holes in opponent's teams.

Javier (Electivire) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Motor Drive
Shiny: No
EVs: 248 Atk / 36 SAtk / 224 Spd
Naive Nature
- Flamethrower
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
- Wild Charge

Electivire has great synergy with Ferligatr and Moltres, as the two are the offensive core of my team yet both are susceptible to electric attacks. Javier can switch in and grab a speed boost from incoming electric attaks, then proceed to eliminate these threats with an earthquake. Electivire has great coverage, and Javier even carries flamethrower to take out pesky grass types hoping to absorb a wild charge. Ice punch is for Druddigon and Sandslash, and Electivire can threaten opposing Moltres with his STAB boosted wild charge.

Gerald (Tangrowth) @ Quick Claw
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
- Leech Seed
- Sleep Powder
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Power Whip

Tangrowth is an amazing physical wall with an ability that perfectly compliments him. Tangrowth can switch in and top a potential threat such as Kabutops by either putting him to sleep with sleep powder, taking him out with power whip, or stealing his health with leech seed. Often its a combination of all. Hidden power fire is for pokoemon that would stop Tangrowth in its tracks, such as Lilligant. Quick claw might seem risky, but Tangrowth outspeeds few mons in the RU tier, so the occasional surprise first move helps out greatly. Power whip over giga drain, as Tangrowth already heals it self with leech seed and regenerator

Nougat (Lickilicky) @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
Shiny: No
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Body Slam

The soft, pliable cleric of the team. Lickilicky is the team's special wall and defensive pivot. Nougat is the team's answer to sigilyph trying to set up, phazing them out with dragon tail. STAB boosted body slam can actually put out some damage too, and a paralyzation can shut down a potential threat. Heal bell for status, and wish for when SR is up and I need to get Moltres out. This actually offers a good amount of synergy between the too, as often times lickilicky takes a scald, perhaps heal bells it off, then after dispatching the threat can wish if SR is up and Moltres can enter the fray. Also, passing along Lickilicky's huge wish can heal life orb damage Moltres has racked up.

Mayday (Moltres) @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Hurricane
- Fire Blast
- Roost
Ah, the star of the team. Moltres, once allowed to attack, can sweep entire teams with no boosts. STAB fire blast wrecks pokemon without a resistance, and those who can withstand a fire blast almost always fall to a hurricane. While hurricane and fire blast may miss, hp grass can be used for 100% accuracy and to hit water types. Hurricane and Fire blast also offer confuse and burn chances, respectively, which can cripple a threat. Moltres can sometimes serve as my lead, to a team that seems ill equipped to deal with it, as sending off a few hurricanes or fire blasts to start a battle can give the team a huge amount of momentum.

All in all, i think the team is well balanced, however far from perfect. Item suggestions would be a huge help. Thanks for checking M-m-moltres out!

 

[Brawlfest]

Moltres takes 50% from stealth rocks. Thats a lot. Even with roost, that isn't something that most competitive battlers are willing to take. Due to that, I suggest replacing Feraligatr with Swords Dance Kabutops, to fill the same roll, but help remove hazards. On tan growth, remove your quick claw. Quick Claw is one of the worst items in the game, giving you an unreliable secondary effect. Tangrowth benefits so much more from leftovers, due to it's ability to then reliably recover health. I also suggest giga drain or leaf storm over power whip, as you would much rather depend on a higher base power attack, or a reliable recovery move. Lickilicky is unneded to the team. It's wishes may be gargantuan, but in a tier where half the pokes are willing to carry toxic, Clefable makes a much better cleric.

Sets:
Kabutops @ Lum Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Aqua Jet / Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

Tangrowth @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 8 SAtk / 248 Def
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain / Leaf Storm
- Leech Seed
- Sleep Powder
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave / Encore / Heal Bell

 

[atomicllamas]

Hi, so the first thing I noticed when reading your RMT was a Moltres on a team with no way to prevent hazrds (read: taunt, rapid spin, Natu), but you also had a SD Feraligatr, so I will second Brawlfest's recommendation to switch to SD Kabutops. I prefer the following set:

Sets:
Kabutops @ Lum Berry
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

Life Orb is an acceptable item, but lum allows you to spin more easily on Tomb, so I would definitely go with Lum, also aqua jet is p much mandatory on SD kabutops to give you a chance vs. Rotom-N.

I also agree with Brawlfest that quick claw is a terrible item, and definitely should be replaced by leftovers, however, I am not totally a fan of the set he proposed and am shamelessly going to rip off the set that user Nails submitted for the NBT thread.

Tangrowth @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 SDef
Impish Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Knock Off
- Power Whip
- Rock Slide/Earthquake

Nails likes Earthquake, but I think rock slide has generally better coverage in RU alongside power whip, and can cripple common switch ins like Magmortar, Sigilyph, and Moltres. Knock off is a really cool move that can disrupt the opposing team by taking out an item that they rely on. The EVs allow Tangrowth to live some more special hits without taking to much away from it's physical bulk.

Okay, custap Crustle is, in my opinion, pretty terrible, but there is another Crustle set that I think could really work for your team (especially since you have nothing to absorb Smeargle's spore). (I also stole this from Nails :p).

Crustle @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Spikes
- X-Scissor
- Rock Blast

This set allows you to choose how you start off the game, you can either shell smash and do heavy damage to their team, or lay spikes. This also gives you a great lead vs. Smeargle, as you can absorb the sleep and shell smash, and then KO through the sash with rock blast. Unfortunately this leaves you with no stealth rocker, but that can be repaired pretty easily by also following some of Brawlfest's advice, Clefable is a way better special wall than Lickilicky while also having access to Stealth Rock meaning that it can really help out your team if you make my other changes.

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Wish
- Protect/Toxic
- Seismic Toss

This gives you stealth rock, and since I suggested two users of lum berry you should be fine dealing with status. Toxic can be used over protect to avoid being total set up fodder for ghosts. (Speaking of which I would like to fit a ghost onto your team, as you are spike stacking, but that may be hard to find a place for, at least now your crustle set isn't completely worthless if they have a good spinner).

Anyways, Best of Luck, hope I helped!

 

[Torkoals]

Moltres takes 50% from stealth rocks. Thats a lot. Even with roost, that isn't something that most competitive battlers are willing to take. Due to that, I suggest replacing Feraligatr with Swords Dance Kabutops, to fill the same roll, but help remove hazards. On tan growth, remove your quick claw. Quick Claw is one of the worst items in the game, giving you an unreliable secondary effect. Tangrowth benefits so much more from leftovers, due to it's ability to then reliably recover health. I also suggest giga drain or leaf storm over power whip, as you would much rather depend on a higher base power attack, or a reliable recovery move. Lickilicky is unneded to the team. It's wishes may be gargantuan, but in a tier where half the pokes are willing to carry toxic, Clefable makes a much better cleric.

Sets:
Kabutops @ Lum Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Aqua Jet / Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

Tangrowth @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 8 SAtk / 248 Def
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain / Leaf Storm
- Leech Seed
- Sleep Powder
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave / Encore / Heal Bell

I think using kabutops for spinning is a great idea, and will change feraligatr out for him. I might give tangrowth leaf storm, although with power whip he can attack twice if needed. Clefable is an option i've considered, and i should probably test. Its just that i don't want this team to be torn apart by sigilyph sets and lickilicky can phaze him out.

 

[Torkoals]

Hi, so the first thing I noticed when reading your RMT was a Moltres on a team with no way to prevent hazrds (read: taunt, rapid spin, Natu), but you also had a SD Feraligatr, so I will second Brawlfest's recommendation to switch to SD Kabutops. I prefer the following set:

Sets:
Kabutops @ Lum Berry
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

Life Orb is an acceptable item, but lum allows you to spin more easily on Tomb, so I would definitely go with Lum, also aqua jet is p much mandatory on SD kabutops to give you a chance vs. Rotom-N.

I also agree with Brawlfest that quick claw is a terrible item, and definitely should be replaced by leftovers, however, I am not totally a fan of the set he proposed and am shamelessly going to rip off the set that user Nails submitted for the NBT thread.

Tangrowth @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 SDef
Impish Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Knock Off
- Power Whip
- Rock Slide/Earthquake

Nails likes Earthquake, but I think rock slide has generally better coverage in RU alongside power whip, and can cripple common switch ins like Magmortar, Sigilyph, and Moltres. Knock off is a really cool move that can disrupt the opposing team by taking out an item that they rely on. The EVs allow Tangrowth to live some more special hits without taking to much away from it's physical bulk.

Okay, custap Crustle is, in my opinion, pretty terrible, but there is another Crustle set that I think could really work for your team (especially since you have nothing to absorb Smeargle's spore). (I also stole this from Nails :p).

Crustle @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Spikes
- X-Scissor
- Rock Blast

This set allows you to choose how you start off the game, you can either shell smash and do heavy damage to their team, or lay spikes. This also gives you a great lead vs. Smeargle, as you can absorb the sleep and shell smash, and then KO through the sash with rock blast. Unfortunately this leaves you with no stealth rocker, but that can be repaired pretty easily by also following some of Brawlfest's advice, Clefable is a way better special wall than Lickilicky while also having access to Stealth Rock meaning that it can really help out your team if you make my other changes.

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Wish
- Protect/Toxic
- Seismic Toss

This gives you stealth rock, and since I suggested two users of lum berry you should be fine dealing with status. Toxic can be used over protect to avoid being total set up fodder for ghosts. (Speaking of which I would like to fit a ghost onto your team, as you are spike stacking, but that may be hard to find a place for, at least now your crustle set isn't completely worthless if they have a good spinner).

Anyways, Best of Luck, hope I helped!

I like how crustle is working out now, i'd rather not make him a shellsmasher right now, but i might test it anyway. I will stick with aqua jet on kabutops though. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[The TurtleLord]

U r using the inaccurate power whip on your wall tangrowth with a bold nature, so i would suggest changing it to the reliable giga drain which has perfect accuracy, and helps keep tangrowth healthy.