Moustache and Canine Wreck [an OU Sandstorm RMT]

[KDhasrisen]

Hi Smogonites, KDhasrisen here bringing to you my first ever RMT on smogon forums featuring a sand team using 2 very underated threats in this metagame. This is a pretty hyper offensive team. So the main point of this team was to abuse these 2 underrated threats in sand Stoutland and Alakazam. So with nothing else left to say in the intro let’s get right into the team.


The Team:

Team Building:


So the main point of this team was to pair these 2 underrated threats Stoutland and Alakazam together.

Sand was necessary for Stoutland and the whole team in general so Tyranitar(now Hippowdon) came in to get the sand up.

Next I needed somebody who could set up hazards and take hits well. Ferrothorn was the Hazard setter of my choice

Now I had a revenge killer in stoutland, a special late game sweeper in Alakazam and a hazard setter in Ferrothorn. I needed something that could rip holes in the opponents team I also needed another sweeper so in came Landorus to tear massive Holes in teams and to sweep if given the Chance.

Rotom–W took the last slot to patch up a few weaknesses, to scout the opponents team and sets and finishing the team synergy.

And there we have it.


Strategy for each pokemon:

Landorus @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 SDef / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power Ice
- Rock Polish


Landorus is one of those Pokemon that got so much better with the release of Black and White 2. Its new ability, Sheer Force, coupled with its great Special Attack turned Landorus from one of the most feared Scarfed Pokemon to one of the most feared Special Attacking Pokemon in OU. Landorus lures in opposing Mamoswines and Focus Blasts them on the switch, or even better Focus Blast as they predict the switch to Rotom-W and Superpower, meaning you just killed one of the best revenge killers. Landorus's typing makes my opponent's wary of spamming Choiced Volt Switch since I could gain momentum by switching in Landorus, so that's always a positive as well. Rock Polish isn't used as much as I would like, but once it is used when your team is weakened you can say your goodbyes.

Stoutland @ Life Orb
Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 SDef / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Return
- Superpower
- Pursuit
- Wild Charge


Thanks to Sand Rush, Stoutland has an effective Speed stat of 518 in sandstorm, which is enough to outpace the entire unboosted metagame, including most Choice Scarf users. This allows Stoutland to become an effective revenge killer, as it can utilize a Life Orb to hit much harder than most other Choice Scarf revenge killers while still outpacing boosted opponents.
Return is Stoutland's preferred STAB move and allows it to heavily dent several foes or finish off a weakened team late-game. Superpower allows it to destroy most Rock- and Steel-types, such as Terrakion and Ferrothorn. Pursuit is used over Crunch now that tyranitar is gone is used to trap the Lati Twins and other ghost types. Finally, Wild Charge is there to 2HKO Skarmory and Jellicent, as they don't take much damage from any of Stoutland's other moves; furthermore, it lands an OHKO on bulkier variants of Gyarados.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Protect
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip


Ferrothorns are designed for laying out hazards. Ferrothorn in my opinion, turned out to be much more versatile than Forretress. He is an astounding wall against powerful rain boosted Water attacks. He's also great for crippling sweepers with Leech Seed. He's also great for scouting and can really upset Outrage spamming dragons. It's also just good to see what the opponent is trying to throw at me, and can be used to allow me to switch into something to resist the move. My Ferrothorn is built around crippling sweepers, and laying down hazards. Since he can’t do much attackingwise to an opponent, Leech Seed is used to stall and regain health, and works best on HP behemoths like Blissey, Chansey, and Gastrodon.

Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 28 SAtk / 232 SDef
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Rest
- Will O Wisp


Rotom-W is the team's pivot and checks a lot of threats that the team would have problems with otherwise. Rotom-W is the main pivot versus threats like Mamoswine, Tornadus-T, Politoed, Tentacruel, etc. Rotom-W is the teams' primary way of beating down bulky waters since Stoutland fears Burn. I use Chesto Burry to alleviate Toxic's and Burn's from these Pokemon like Tentacruel and Politoed so that Rotom-W has longer survivability. Rest is also more useful since this is a heavily offensive team and Pain Spliting repeatedly does hurt your momentum severely. With Rest and Chesto Berry you can bluff a Scarf at first so sometimes you can catch a Gliscor and/or the Therians on the switch.

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang


A slot which once upon a time used to held by Tyranitar. Hippowdon's excellent HP and Defense allow it to serve as a great physical wall. Despite the fact that Hippowdon and Tyranitar are both capable of setting up a permanent sandstorm and thus compete with each other for a team slot, Hippowdon is a much more defensive Pokemon. Additionally, Hippowdon has access to instant recovery in Slack Off, a tremendous asset for any wall. Hippowdon helps me deal with Terrakion much better which is a big ass threat to my Team

Alakazam @ Focus Sash
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psyshock
- Focus Miss
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power Fire


Alakazam only needs one set to wreak havoc, and here it is. With high Speed, impeccable coverage, and Special Attack higher than that of Latios, Alakazam is a struggle to face. The combination of Magic Guard and Focus Sash makes Alakazam a premier revenge killer. Focus Sash is particularly useful, as it will always take two separate hits to take him down.
Psyshock is recommended as it is a useful way to get through special walls such as Chansey and Blissey. Focus Miss allows Alakazam to hit Pokemon that would otherwise wall him, such as Tyranitar if it hits. It is important to note that even while holding a Choice Scarf, Tyranitar is still slower than Alakazam and will be OHKOed by Focus Blast. Shadow Ball provides important coverage against other Psychic-type threats, such as Latios and Latias. Hidden Power Fire is useful to hit Steel-types that are not weak to Focus Blast, such as Genesect and Scizor.

Conclusion:


In conclusion, this team helped me discover a newfound love for Alakazam and Stoutland both of which can be absolute monsters at times. Being able to utilize both of those amazing Pokemon as well as this team’s overall ability to catch people off guard has made using this team a really fun, enjoyable experience. Thank you for taking the time to read this RMT and if you decide to use this team I hope you enjoy using it as much as I have!

p.s there is no importable and I will edit the threat according to the changes I make so just revisit the thread to see changes in the team.

This took some time and hard work so please this read this RMT and give your comments and if you like it give it a luvdisc. Thank You :)

 

[ganj4lF]

Hi. Your team, although quite nice, shows a HUGE weakness to Fighting. In particular, CB Terrakion can switch on TTar or into Ferrothorn while it sets up something in and start to wreak havoc by simply clicking Close Combat. EVERYTHING is OHKO'd after SR, apart Landorus (yeah, Alakazam is that weak: 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Close Combat: 273-322 (108.33 - 127.77%) -- guaranteed OHKO), however it'll be 2HKO'd easily before it can even move. You can revenge Terrakion, of course, however it's not that hard to absorb Stoutland's hits and find another opportunity to switch in freely, especially if the opponent is using some VoltTurn strategy. To fix this big problem I suggest switching from Alakazam to a bulky Latias. It will still be KO'd by X-Scissor or Stone Edge (the second requires SR though) but it can absorb Close Combats without problems and Recover the damage, or just OHKO Terrakion with Psyshock after the Defense drop. It also retains the high speed of Alakazam (well, not that high, however you're not missing many threats between 350 and 371, since Tornadus-T is not included here, and everything else (except from gimmicks) is handled quite fine anyway) and packs quite a bit of surprise factor, since Latias is often associated to the CM set, and thus the opponent may not expect a powerful Draco Meteor or Surf.

Credit to The Great Mighty Doom for this Latias set:

Latias @ Life Orb | Levitate
Timid | 74 HP / 184 SAtk / 252 Spd
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Recover

You should also fix your EVs on Rotom-W, since they're over 510 and it's hard to get what set you're using. Another thing, I'd move Stealth Rock from Ferrothorn to Tyranitar, probably in place of Ice Beam; this would free a slot on Ferrothorn, which you can dedicate to Thunder Wave. This makes harder for many things to switch into Ferrothorn and use it as set-up bait, namely Fighting types.

Hope it helped. Good luck.

 

[Koji]

Hey!

I'm also new here, but please double check your presentation. Take a look on your Rotom's EVs, and Alakazam's item Leftover from Alakazam's description Focus Sash, as you can see I'm a bit confused. But anyway nice team you've got there! I'm not used to rate someone's presentation, I just loved to read them. Haha goodluck.

 

[KDhasrisen]

Hey!

I'm also new here, but please double check your presentation. Take a look on your Rotom's EVs, and Alakazam's item Leftover from Alakazam's description Focus Sash, as you can see I'm a bit confused. But anyway nice team you've got there! I'm not used to rate someone's presentation, I just loved to read them. Haha goodluck.

Thanks for the tip off. I fixed the RMT :)

Hi. Your team, although quite nice, shows a HUGE weakness to Fighting. In particular, CB Terrakion can switch on TTar or into Ferrothorn while it sets up something in and start to wreak havoc by simply clicking Close Combat. EVERYTHING is OHKO'd after SR, apart Landorus (yeah, Alakazam is that weak: 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Close Combat: 273-322 (108.33 - 127.77%) -- guaranteed OHKO), however it'll be 2HKO'd easily before it can even move. You can revenge Terrakion, of course, however it's not that hard to absorb Stoutland's hits and find another opportunity to switch in freely, especially if the opponent is using some VoltTurn strategy. To fix this big problem I suggest switching from Alakazam to a bulky Latias. It will still be KO'd by X-Scissor or Stone Edge (the second requires SR though) but it can absorb Close Combats without problems and Recover the damage, or just OHKO Terrakion with Psyshock after the Defense drop. It also retains the high speed of Alakazam (well, not that high, however you're not missing many threats between 350 and 371, since Tornadus-T is not included here, and everything else (except from gimmicks) is handled quite fine anyway) and packs quite a bit of surprise factor, since Latias is often associated to the CM set, and thus the opponent may not expect a powerful Draco Meteor or Surf.

Credit to The Great Mighty Doom for this Latias set:

Latias @ Life Orb | Levitate
Timid | 74 HP / 184 SAtk / 252 Spd
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Recover

You should also fix your EVs on Rotom-W, since they're over 510 and it's hard to get what set you're using. Another thing, I'd move Stealth Rock from Ferrothorn to Tyranitar, probably in place of Ice Beam; this would free a slot on Ferrothorn, which you can dedicate to Thunder Wave. This makes harder for many things to switch into Ferrothorn and use it as set-up bait, namely Fighting types.

Hope it helped. Good luck.

Firstly ganj4lF thanks for the rate i really appreciate it. The problem to Fighting types is evident to anyone who sees the team. On paper CB Terrakion is a bitch to this team but i can play around it. I see a bigger problem in Scarfed Terrakion than the CB one so i will definately try T-wave over SR on Ferrothorn cause it builds momentum for my team. Im not that keen to give up on Alakazam just yet because he is one of the things this team is about but i will give that suggestion a try as well. If fighting types prove to be too much then Latias will definately be given a shot on this team

Thanks :)

 

[Shurtugal]

Looks like Genesect / Fighting types look like a problem for you. I would replace Alakazam for Ganj4lF's Latias so you can fend off these fighting threats. However, you're still pretty Gene weak, so try Fire Fang over wild bolt to get the KO with Stout.

On TTar, that looks like a very shitty set this metagame. Firstly, you want Chople Berry so Torn-T doesn't smack you with Superpower (or Shed Shell since Duggy + Gene is a bitch). I would take Ice Beam off for Pursuit, and yes, I recommend it so you can trap things like Latios that people are starting to realize works in the meta. I would replace Fire Blast for maybe Stone Edge, while hitting Skarm is nice, hitting Torn-T is nicer. You still hit Ferro hard with superpower so it isn't much of a loss. Dump all you're special attack investment into physical attack.


As for Rotom-W set... I would use this:

Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 138 Hp / 144 SAtk / 4 Def / 224 Spe

~ Volt-Switch
~ Hydro Pump
~ WoW or TWave
~ Rest

The spread hits 290 speed, allowing you to beat Jolly Mamo, Jolly Breloom (or, at least, WoW it), Adamant Lucario, most Jirachi (WoW on SubCM before it subs :D), and Adamant Gliscor (sub spams for Hydro miss otherwise -.-). Defense is so Gene's U-turn does like, 38% at maximum, which is nicer than 56% for sure. Just be careful since TBolt can revenge you.

GL

 

[KDhasrisen]

Looks like Genesect / Fighting types look like a problem for you. I would replace Alakazam for Ganj4lF's Latias so you can fend off these fighting threats. However, you're still pretty Gene weak, so try Fire Fang over wild bolt to get the KO with Stout.

On TTar, that looks like a very shitty set this metagame. Firstly, you want Chople Berry so Torn-T doesn't smack you with Superpower (or Shed Shell since Duggy + Gene is a bitch). I would take Ice Beam off for Pursuit, and yes, I recommend it so you can trap things like Latios that people are starting to realize works in the meta. I would replace Fire Blast for maybe Stone Edge, while hitting Skarm is nice, hitting Torn-T is nicer. You still hit Ferro hard with superpower so it isn't much of a loss. Dump all you're special attack investment into physical attack.


As for Rotom-W set... I would use this:

Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 138 Hp / 144 SAtk / 4 Def / 224 Spe

~ Volt-Switch
~ Hydro Pump
~ WoW or TWave
~ Rest

The spread hits 290 speed, allowing you to beat Jolly Mamo, Jolly Breloom (or, at least, WoW it), Adamant Lucario, most Jirachi (WoW on SubCM before it subs :D), and Adamant Gliscor (sub spams for Hydro miss otherwise -.-). Defense is so Gene's U-turn does like, 38% at maximum, which is nicer than 56% for sure. Just be careful since TBolt can revenge you.

GL

Thanks for the rate Shrutugal :)

I was thinking of putting fire fang on Stoutland anywayz so i am testing that right now however i dont think the i should replace Wild Charge for Fire Fang because i loose out on coverage. Im thinking of removing Cruch for fire fang. Anywayz thanks for the fire fang suggestion as it will almost definitely be implemented.

Yes i will be changing the T-Tar set to the standard specially defensive set instead of the one im using or a more physical set not clearly decided on that just yet.

I will be definitely be testing the RotomW set which you gave since it also acts as a crippler as well as an special attacker though i lose out on the raw power of the previous set so i have to see the impact on the team.

Thanks once again :)

 

[dragonuser]

Hey there,

This is a pretty cool team, and I love the usage of Alakazam. This team looks pretty solid, but I think there are some weak points. Like gan4lf said, theres a large weakness to Pokemon like Terrakion, especially if it is scarfed. An option for dealing with threats like him could be running a Landorus-T over Landorus. Landorus-T makes an excellent check to Fighting-Types, while still providing incredible offensive pressure.

set

Landorus (Landorus-T) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

Landorus-T can act as a good early game Pokemon by scouting with U-Turn, while also functioning as a late game sweeper, by boosting with Swords Dance. A Double Dance set can also be used if you really value a Speed boost, but U-Turn provides more momentum which seemed helpful for your team.

To a lesser extent Choice Scarf Keldeo also seems pretty threatening to face, as you have to predict perfectly and don't have a reliable way to revenge it barring Alakazam. If your Sash is already broken, it can be very dangerous. This could be dealt with in a couple ways. One way would be to run more bulk on Rotom-W, but changing Stoutland's EV spread and Nature seems to be the most reliable way. By using 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd with a Jolly Nature Stoutland can outpace all base 110 scarfers and below. This can give you a way to reliably threaten Pokemon like Keldeo, without breaking Alakazam's sash. Anyways, this seems like a pretty cool team and hope I helped!

 

[Joeyboy]

Cool team man, LO Stoutland is an awesome 'mon!

The first big threat I see for this team is Terrakion. This is because you have nothing that likes taking any of its hits. Alakazam and Landorus both resist its hits are both fairly frail. Alakazam and Stoutland both act as checks but they still lose to certain variants, such as Choice Scarf. For this I suggest replacing Tyranitar with a Physically Defensive Hippowdon. The set I recommend is:

Hide

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang

Hippowdon gives you an incredibly hardy Terrakion counter. Hippowdon has no problems switching into Terrakion's punishing moves and threatening it out with Earthquake. Hippowdon also brings similar support as Tyranitar with it's Sand Stream. It also takes some pressure off of Ferrothorn to lay all of the entry hazards. Because of this I'd also like to recommend running Protect over Stealth Rock on Ferrothorn. With this Ferrothon can scout potential Choice users and recover more health from Leftovers and Leech Seed.

The change to Hippowdon opens you more up to threats such as Latias and Latios and because of this I recommend switching Crunch to Pursuit on Stoutland. With Pursuit Stoutland can trap these troublesome dragons, and stop them from having away with your team. This shouldn't affect you too much as you already have Wild Charge for Jellicent.

Finally I'd like to second the suggestion of running more bulk on Rotom-W. I believe a standard Specially Defensive spread would work wonders as it gives your bulky rain pivot much more longevity. Try a spread of 248 HP / 28 SAtk / 232 SDef.

Good Luck!

 

[KDhasrisen]

Hey there,

This is a pretty cool team, and I love the usage of Alakazam. This team looks pretty solid, but I think there are some weak points. Like gan4lf said, theres a large weakness to Pokemon like Terrakion, especially if it is scarfed. An option for dealing with threats like him could be running a Landorus-T over Landorus. Landorus-T makes an excellent check to Fighting-Types, while still providing incredible offensive pressure.

set

Landorus (Landorus-T) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

Landorus-T can act as a good early game Pokemon by scouting with U-Turn, while also functioning as a late game sweeper, by boosting with Swords Dance. A Double Dance set can also be used if you really value a Speed boost, but U-Turn provides more momentum which seemed helpful for your team.

To a lesser extent Choice Scarf Keldeo also seems pretty threatening to face, as you have to predict perfectly and don't have a reliable way to revenge it barring Alakazam. If your Sash is already broken, it can be very dangerous. This could be dealt with in a couple ways. One way would be to run more bulk on Rotom-W, but changing Stoutland's EV spread and Nature seems to be the most reliable way. By using 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd with a Jolly Nature Stoutland can outpace all base 110 scarfers and below. This can give you a way to reliably threaten Pokemon like Keldeo, without breaking Alakazam's sash. Anyways, this seems like a pretty cool team and hope I helped!

Cool team man, LO Stoutland is an awesome 'mon!

The first big threat I see for this team is Terrakion. This is because you have nothing that likes taking any of its hits. Alakazam and Landorus both resist its hits are both fairly frail. Alakazam and Stoutland both act as checks but they still lose to certain variants, such as Choice Scarf. For this I suggest replacing Tyranitar with a Physically Defensive Hippowdon. The set I recommend is:

Hide

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang

Hippowdon gives you an incredibly hardy Terrakion counter. Hippowdon has no problems switching into Terrakion's punishing moves and threatening it out with Earthquake. Hippowdon also brings similar support as Tyranitar with it's Sand Stream. It also takes some pressure off of Ferrothorn to lay all of the entry hazards. Because of this I'd also like to recommend running Protect over Stealth Rock on Ferrothorn. With this Ferrothon can scout potential Choice users and recover more health from Leftovers and Leech Seed.

The change to Hippowdon opens you more up to threats such as Latias and Latios and because of this I recommend switching Crunch to Pursuit on Stoutland. With Pursuit Stoutland can trap these troublesome dragons, and stop them from having away with your team. This shouldn't affect you too much as you already have Wild Charge for Jellicent.

Finally I'd like to second the suggestion of running more bulk on Rotom-W. I believe a standard Specially Defensive spread would work wonders as it gives your bulky rain pivot much more longevity. Try a spread of 248 HP / 28 SAtk / 232 SDef.

Good Luck!

Thanks for the rate dragonuser and Joeyboy. I really appreciate it :)

@Dragonuser the Lando-T set does give me the scout factor but its nowhere as offensive as the Lando-I set and its a physical attacker. i was looking to Landorus as a more specially based attacker but i could try out the Lando-T to see how it works with the rest of the Team. Stoutland dosent have the best of attacking stats so Adamant is needed over Jolly to allow Stoutland to secure those KO's. Thanks for the rate.

@Joeyboy Hippowdon fixes up the Terrakion weakness somewhat and still lets me keep the LO Stoutland and Alakazam on the Team so thanks for the suggestion it really worked out and since Bulky Rotom W has been suggested my many and works well with the team im changing Rotom to a bulky set as well. Thanks for the rate.