Make Love Not Warcraft
Hello fellow Smogonites, and welcome to my RMT. I made this team about a week ago, and thus far, it has been used with relative success on shoddy battle and WiFi. I'd like to share it with the Smogon community, and I am open to any suggestions people have. Without further ado...
The Team
Hello fellow Smogonites, and welcome to my RMT. I made this team about a week ago, and thus far, it has been used with relative success on shoddy battle and WiFi. I'd like to share it with the Smogon community, and I am open to any suggestions people have. Without further ado...
The Team
This is a less than orthodox team I put together a while ago, and picked up using again recently, to find satisfying results, especially over WiFi. The team is based around Screening in tandem with the team's general bulk to whittle down the opposing team's pokémon, hopefully ending in a Gyarados sweep. The team sports 2 users of Explosion in case of emergencies, 3 resistances to Stealth Rock, 3 immunities to Spikes, and 5 immunities to Toxic Spikes.
Lead:
Heatran @ Shuca Berry
Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
Flash Fire
4 Atk/252 SpA/252 Spe
Stealth Rock
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Hidden Power Grass
Why a Heatran lead? Heatran is one of the most commonly used pokémon in OU, and for good reason. It's typing and ability grants it resistances to 12 out of 17 types, two of which are immunities, while only being debilitated by 3 weaknesses. I find that many of today's OU leads are weak to ground or fire type moves, which makes Heatran an obvious choice. Against most leads, the move is to set up rocks, then either switch to Bronzong to set up screens, or go on the offensive. I'm running HP Grass > Explosion because I already have two exploders, and Swampert can give Heatran a rim job.
Synergy:
: Bronzong, Gyarados, Flygon
: Gyarados
: Dusknoir, Gyarados
How do I fare against the top 16 common leads?
Physical Sweeper:
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
Intimidate
252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Dragon Dance
Waterfall
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Gyarados is among the most overused overused (woah déjavu) pokémon, and works perfectly on this team. Most of the time, Gyarados ends up switching in immediately after Bronzong sets up screens, or comes in immediately after a revenge kill against something it resists, and can fire off at least one or two Dragon Dances before it feels threatened, and by then it's usually too late for the opposing team. I chose Adamant over Jolly because of Suicune. After a Dragon Dance, Gyarados' Earthquake can 2HKO offensive Suicune factoring in Life Orb recoil and Stealth Rock damage. Adamant has also scored some key KO's that Jolly has failed to do in the past.
Synergy:
: Magnezone, Flygon
: Bronzong, Flygon
Steel Killer:
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
Magnet Pull
36 Atk/252 SpA/220 Spe
Substitute
Thunderbolt
Hidden Power Fire
Explosion
Magnezone is my favourite pokémon ever, and fits in well with this team. Prior to having Magnezone on this team, I frequently found myself having Spikes all over my side of the field by the likes of Forretress or Skarmory. Now, I can get rid of those pesky (T)Spikers upon a whim via HP Fire (for Forretress), or Thunderbolt (for Skarmory). This has the added attraction of being able to come in on Choice Banded Scizor's Bullet Punch, set up a Sub, then OHKO with Hidden Power Fire while having an "extra life" due to the Sub. I reallocated 4 points out of Attack into Speed to allow for the loss of 1 point in Speed from HP Fire's required IV spread.
Synergy:
: Bronzong, Gyarados, Flygon
: Gyarados, Flygon, Heatran
Physical Wall:
Dusknoir @ Leftovers
Impish (+Def, -SpA)
Pressure
252 HP/28 Atk/228 Def
Will-O-Wisp
Pain Split
Earthquake
Ice Punch
Although Rotom is the most common spin blocker to use in OU, I decided to opt for the not-so-common Dusknoir. For one, it has room to use Pain Split, and has far better defenses than Rotom. This thing is so useful when a set-up physical sweeper thinks it can come in on me. Will-O-Wisp can absolutely cripple anything that tries to set up, while Pain Split can heal away any damage in the meantime. Ice Punch and EQ I find have the best available coverage on this set, Ice Punch taking care of Dragons, while EQ taking care of things like Lucario or Metagross.
Synergy:
: Heatran, Magnezone
: Heatran, Magnezone
Special Wall/Screener:
Bronzong @ Light Clay
Relaxed (+Def, -Spe)
Levitate
252 HP/152 Atk/8 Def/92 SpD
Required IV's: 0 Spe
Reflect
Light Screen
Gyro Ball
Explosion
The thing I like about Bronzong is that it can function on little to no team support. In some matches, I only have needed to come in on the opposing lead, set up screens, then switch to Gyarados, and the match is pretty much mine. Gyro Ball is for faster pokés that think they can get an easy switch-in, while Explosion can net an emergency KO should the need arise. I have been thinking of running Sassy over Relaxed to allow for a more Specially Defensive stat spread, but Relaxed has worked fine for me thus far.
Synergy:
: Gyarados, Flygon, Heatran
Bait Mang:
Flygon @ Life Orb
Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
Levitate
80 Atk/252 Spa/176 Spe
Draco Meteor
Fire Blast
Earthquake
U-Turn
To round off the team, I needed something that could draw in nuisances to my team and KO them. Gliscor and Hippowdon both immediately come to mind. This set can draw them both in and dispatch them with Draco Meteor easily. I chose U-Turn instead of Roost because my team likes momentum despite its bulkiness, and I find Roost superfluous. Aside from Life Orb recoil and losing 6.25% max health from SR, Flygon takes little residual damage and thus there is no need for Roost. This Flygon can also leave huge dents in things with STAB Draco Meteor/Earthquake, and paves the way for Gyarados to effectively sweep.
Synergy:
: Magnezone, Heatran, Bronzong
: Magnezone, Heatran, Bronzong
Threats:
I am only posting things that actually threaten me, not an enormous list of everything.
Ninjask: The lead set is the most annoying thing for this team, and usually results in me having to Explode to achieve an emergency kill.
Snorlax: Can be a huge pain in the ass if left unchecked. My best option is to go to Dusknoir to avoid STAB attacks, Will-O-Wisp to weaken anything else, and try and KO it with some sort of Special Attack if it has used Curse more than once. Lax also takes fair amounts of damage from Flygon's EQ if it doesn't have any Curses up.
Machamp: Fuck Machamp.
*That's all I can think of that I've ran into trouble with thus far. May add things to list in the future.*
Summary:
Thanks to the team's overall girth, excellent typing, and threatening offensive power, it is a powerful adversary in today's OU metagame. It has dual screens, ability to function without team support, something to trap and kill steels, and a total of three wielders of Explosion, netting 2 emergency KO's should the need arise. The team's focus is to get a sweep with Gyarados, which is easily attained while the screens are up.
Team Building Process
I started with Dusknoir and Screening Bronzong, as I found - having used them in the past - they work well together, and provide several resistances for other teammates to come in on.
I then added in Heatran as the typical Stealth Rock Shuca Berry lead. He covers Bronzong's fire weakness, along with Dusknoir's Dark/Ghost weaknesses. He can also be surprisingly useful later on if I need to get rid of opposing Heatran and my Shuca Berry is intact.
Because of the typing of my team thus far, and the types of pokés that they draw in, Gyarados would have an easy time setting up multiple Dragon Dances, so I added him to the team.
Having a gaping electric weakness, I added Magnezone to the team. Magnezone can also take on the omnipresent Scizor along with any Forretress/Skarmory. Magnezone can also take out Suicune and Breloom should the need arise.
Not really knowing how to fill the last slot, I opted for Choice Scarf Salamence, for the sheer surprise factor allowed me to net some key revenge kills. I later changed Salamence to a Dragon Dance variant in case something happened to Gyarados, as I never really deperately needed to revenge anything.
When Mence was sent to Ubers, I tried to put Dragonite in its place with another Dragon Dance set. Unfortunately it didn't work out so well for some reason.
I decided to use the Special Life Orb Flygon set from the analysis. I have had troubles with Hippowdon and Gliscor in the past, so using it seemed a natural choice. Flygon can also net me some easy OHKO's on dangerous Dragon types (Dragonite & other Flygon) with Draco Meteor as well.
I started with Dusknoir and Screening Bronzong, as I found - having used them in the past - they work well together, and provide several resistances for other teammates to come in on.
I then added in Heatran as the typical Stealth Rock Shuca Berry lead. He covers Bronzong's fire weakness, along with Dusknoir's Dark/Ghost weaknesses. He can also be surprisingly useful later on if I need to get rid of opposing Heatran and my Shuca Berry is intact.
Because of the typing of my team thus far, and the types of pokés that they draw in, Gyarados would have an easy time setting up multiple Dragon Dances, so I added him to the team.
Having a gaping electric weakness, I added Magnezone to the team. Magnezone can also take on the omnipresent Scizor along with any Forretress/Skarmory. Magnezone can also take out Suicune and Breloom should the need arise.
Not really knowing how to fill the last slot, I opted for Choice Scarf Salamence, for the sheer surprise factor allowed me to net some key revenge kills. I later changed Salamence to a Dragon Dance variant in case something happened to Gyarados, as I never really deperately needed to revenge anything.
When Mence was sent to Ubers, I tried to put Dragonite in its place with another Dragon Dance set. Unfortunately it didn't work out so well for some reason.
I decided to use the Special Life Orb Flygon set from the analysis. I have had troubles with Hippowdon and Gliscor in the past, so using it seemed a natural choice. Flygon can also net me some easy OHKO's on dangerous Dragon types (Dragonite & other Flygon) with Draco Meteor as well.
Lead:
Heatran @ Shuca Berry
Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
Flash Fire
4 Atk/252 SpA/252 Spe
Stealth Rock
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Hidden Power Grass
Why a Heatran lead? Heatran is one of the most commonly used pokémon in OU, and for good reason. It's typing and ability grants it resistances to 12 out of 17 types, two of which are immunities, while only being debilitated by 3 weaknesses. I find that many of today's OU leads are weak to ground or fire type moves, which makes Heatran an obvious choice. Against most leads, the move is to set up rocks, then either switch to Bronzong to set up screens, or go on the offensive. I'm running HP Grass > Explosion because I already have two exploders, and Swampert can give Heatran a rim job.
Synergy:
How do I fare against the top 16 common leads?
Azelf: I usually start off with Hidden Power to break their Sash, then Stealth Rock as they Explode in my face and fail to KO. If they Taunt, then I will almost always follow up with Fire Blast instead of SR to remove Azelf from play. Trick variants usually catch me off guard and Trick their Choice Scarf onto me, but I can still get an OHKO on them with Fire Blast.
Swampert: Eat Hidden Power Grass asshole.
Metagross: Although Fire Blast is STAB and far more powerful then EQ, Most Metagross leads pack an Occa Berry to reduce Fire-type damage attacks. I use Earth Power, which puts them at <50%, then depending on what move they make, I respond accordingly; If they set up SR, I use Stealth Rock, then KO with Earth Power. If they attack, I KO with Earth Power then see if I can get rocks on the field later. The added surprise of using Earth Power over Fire Blast is that if an opposing Heatran tries to switch into me, I can OHKO them with Earth Power while surviving their Earth Power via Shuca Berry.
Aerodactyl: I rarely run into these, but when I do I see if I can get rocks up. If not, I usually switch to Dusknoir and Ice Punch to death.
Jirachi: Fire Blast to OHKO while they Trick their Scarf onto me. Fuck you Jirachi.
Infernape: Switch to Dusknoir for the Fake Out, then EQ twice for the KO.
Roserade: This thing frustrates me quite a bit. Usually I can just switch to Flygon and take the sleep (as I don't always need Flygon in a match) Then switch back to Heatran to either get rocks up or KO with Fire Blast.
Tyranitar: Set up rocks then either Earth Power or switch out to Bronzong to set up screens.
Ninjask: Not really much to do except spam Fire Blast until they are less than 25% and they Baton Pass. On the turn they Baton Pass, I use Fire Blast again to nail whatever is coming in. Luckily most of the time it's a Metagross who receives the Pass, which dies against Fire Blast.
Gliscor: I usually just whip off a Fire Blast and if it Taunts, then I will Fire Blast again for the 2HKO.
Heatran: Same tactic as with Metagross leads: Earth Power, then if they choose to set up rocks, Earth Power again for the 2HKO.
Smeargle: Switch to Flygon to absorb the Spore and activate Sleep Clause, then go back to Heatran and try to KO it before it can set up too many hazards.
Machamp: Very frustrating to deal with. I will usually switch to Dusknoir and Will-O-Wisp if it hasn't subbed up, and play it out from there.
Hippowdon: Rocks, switch to Bronzong to set up screens.
Bronzong: Fire Blast.
Dragonite: Stealth Rock, switch to Flygon, and OHKO with Draco Meteor.
Swampert: Eat Hidden Power Grass asshole.
Metagross: Although Fire Blast is STAB and far more powerful then EQ, Most Metagross leads pack an Occa Berry to reduce Fire-type damage attacks. I use Earth Power, which puts them at <50%, then depending on what move they make, I respond accordingly; If they set up SR, I use Stealth Rock, then KO with Earth Power. If they attack, I KO with Earth Power then see if I can get rocks on the field later. The added surprise of using Earth Power over Fire Blast is that if an opposing Heatran tries to switch into me, I can OHKO them with Earth Power while surviving their Earth Power via Shuca Berry.
Aerodactyl: I rarely run into these, but when I do I see if I can get rocks up. If not, I usually switch to Dusknoir and Ice Punch to death.
Jirachi: Fire Blast to OHKO while they Trick their Scarf onto me. Fuck you Jirachi.
Infernape: Switch to Dusknoir for the Fake Out, then EQ twice for the KO.
Roserade: This thing frustrates me quite a bit. Usually I can just switch to Flygon and take the sleep (as I don't always need Flygon in a match) Then switch back to Heatran to either get rocks up or KO with Fire Blast.
Tyranitar: Set up rocks then either Earth Power or switch out to Bronzong to set up screens.
Ninjask: Not really much to do except spam Fire Blast until they are less than 25% and they Baton Pass. On the turn they Baton Pass, I use Fire Blast again to nail whatever is coming in. Luckily most of the time it's a Metagross who receives the Pass, which dies against Fire Blast.
Gliscor: I usually just whip off a Fire Blast and if it Taunts, then I will Fire Blast again for the 2HKO.
Heatran: Same tactic as with Metagross leads: Earth Power, then if they choose to set up rocks, Earth Power again for the 2HKO.
Smeargle: Switch to Flygon to absorb the Spore and activate Sleep Clause, then go back to Heatran and try to KO it before it can set up too many hazards.
Machamp: Very frustrating to deal with. I will usually switch to Dusknoir and Will-O-Wisp if it hasn't subbed up, and play it out from there.
Hippowdon: Rocks, switch to Bronzong to set up screens.
Bronzong: Fire Blast.
Dragonite: Stealth Rock, switch to Flygon, and OHKO with Draco Meteor.
Physical Sweeper:
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
Intimidate
252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Dragon Dance
Waterfall
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Gyarados is among the most overused overused (woah déjavu) pokémon, and works perfectly on this team. Most of the time, Gyarados ends up switching in immediately after Bronzong sets up screens, or comes in immediately after a revenge kill against something it resists, and can fire off at least one or two Dragon Dances before it feels threatened, and by then it's usually too late for the opposing team. I chose Adamant over Jolly because of Suicune. After a Dragon Dance, Gyarados' Earthquake can 2HKO offensive Suicune factoring in Life Orb recoil and Stealth Rock damage. Adamant has also scored some key KO's that Jolly has failed to do in the past.
Synergy:
Steel Killer:
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
Magnet Pull
36 Atk/252 SpA/220 Spe
Substitute
Thunderbolt
Hidden Power Fire
Explosion
Magnezone is my favourite pokémon ever, and fits in well with this team. Prior to having Magnezone on this team, I frequently found myself having Spikes all over my side of the field by the likes of Forretress or Skarmory. Now, I can get rid of those pesky (T)Spikers upon a whim via HP Fire (for Forretress), or Thunderbolt (for Skarmory). This has the added attraction of being able to come in on Choice Banded Scizor's Bullet Punch, set up a Sub, then OHKO with Hidden Power Fire while having an "extra life" due to the Sub. I reallocated 4 points out of Attack into Speed to allow for the loss of 1 point in Speed from HP Fire's required IV spread.
Synergy:
Physical Wall:
Dusknoir @ Leftovers
Impish (+Def, -SpA)
Pressure
252 HP/28 Atk/228 Def
Will-O-Wisp
Pain Split
Earthquake
Ice Punch
Although Rotom is the most common spin blocker to use in OU, I decided to opt for the not-so-common Dusknoir. For one, it has room to use Pain Split, and has far better defenses than Rotom. This thing is so useful when a set-up physical sweeper thinks it can come in on me. Will-O-Wisp can absolutely cripple anything that tries to set up, while Pain Split can heal away any damage in the meantime. Ice Punch and EQ I find have the best available coverage on this set, Ice Punch taking care of Dragons, while EQ taking care of things like Lucario or Metagross.
Synergy:
Special Wall/Screener:
Bronzong @ Light Clay
Relaxed (+Def, -Spe)
Levitate
252 HP/152 Atk/8 Def/92 SpD
Required IV's: 0 Spe
Reflect
Light Screen
Gyro Ball
Explosion
The thing I like about Bronzong is that it can function on little to no team support. In some matches, I only have needed to come in on the opposing lead, set up screens, then switch to Gyarados, and the match is pretty much mine. Gyro Ball is for faster pokés that think they can get an easy switch-in, while Explosion can net an emergency KO should the need arise. I have been thinking of running Sassy over Relaxed to allow for a more Specially Defensive stat spread, but Relaxed has worked fine for me thus far.
Synergy:
Bait Mang:
Flygon @ Life Orb
Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
Levitate
80 Atk/252 Spa/176 Spe
Draco Meteor
Fire Blast
Earthquake
U-Turn
To round off the team, I needed something that could draw in nuisances to my team and KO them. Gliscor and Hippowdon both immediately come to mind. This set can draw them both in and dispatch them with Draco Meteor easily. I chose U-Turn instead of Roost because my team likes momentum despite its bulkiness, and I find Roost superfluous. Aside from Life Orb recoil and losing 6.25% max health from SR, Flygon takes little residual damage and thus there is no need for Roost. This Flygon can also leave huge dents in things with STAB Draco Meteor/Earthquake, and paves the way for Gyarados to effectively sweep.
Synergy:
Threats:
I am only posting things that actually threaten me, not an enormous list of everything.
Ninjask: The lead set is the most annoying thing for this team, and usually results in me having to Explode to achieve an emergency kill.
Snorlax: Can be a huge pain in the ass if left unchecked. My best option is to go to Dusknoir to avoid STAB attacks, Will-O-Wisp to weaken anything else, and try and KO it with some sort of Special Attack if it has used Curse more than once. Lax also takes fair amounts of damage from Flygon's EQ if it doesn't have any Curses up.
Machamp: Fuck Machamp.
*That's all I can think of that I've ran into trouble with thus far. May add things to list in the future.*
Summary:
Thanks to the team's overall girth, excellent typing, and threatening offensive power, it is a powerful adversary in today's OU metagame. It has dual screens, ability to function without team support, something to trap and kill steels, and a total of three wielders of Explosion, netting 2 emergency KO's should the need arise. The team's focus is to get a sweep with Gyarados, which is easily attained while the screens are up.
