Patience is Key
Changes are bolded
Hello everyone, just wanted to post my first RMT here, I'm relatively proud of it, as it has been a result of a week or so of brainstorming and testing. I tried to do something original by using a few pokemon that despite being in OU are less frequently seen, as well as avoiding using the ever so common weather inducing pokemon, while still using pokemon and a strategy that can take advantage of any weather the opponent may be using. It has fared pretty well in the battles I've used it in over wifi, but as always, I'm sure I have overlooked something and have noticed a few flaws which I will get into in the analysis. Just hoping to get some constructive criticism and suggestions which can make this team even better! So without further ado:
I started with the core of Gengar and Heatran, thinking that the two work well together. Not only is Gengar immune to fighting and ground, two of Heatran's main concerns, but Heatran can absorb quite a few hits that Gengar can't. Sub/disable Gengar works great with toxic Heatran in terms of immunity synergy and stalling. Not to mention Heatran is a decent lead for setting up stealth rocks which Gengar can prevent from being removed by spin blocking.
With this base, I decided I needed someone who could set up spikes and toxic spikes, as the goal of the team thus far was to cause a lot of switches and rack up entry hazard damage. Since I would probably be doing a fair amount of switching myself, I figured having a spinner would be invaluable as well. Forretress fit the role perfectly, not to mention Heatran happily absorbs and fire type attacks coming his way.
With the core of the team put together, I needed something that could do good amount of damage and set up on any switches I could force. Bulky Gyarados seemed to fit the role perfectly. Able to switch in on a variety of attacks at least one member of my team fears (fighting, fire, ground) and check a few physical threats with intimidate, Gyarados seemed like a great addition.
At this point, I had no one to absorb electric type attacks. Especially with Gyarados's 4x weakness, I needed something I could pivot in when I saw something electric coming while also being slightly bulky. Gastrodon seemed like the natural choice, as he also brings a second immunity to water with his storm drain ability. Not to mention his 4x grass weakness is gladly taken by Heatran, Forretress, and even Gengar on occasion. Capable of recovering and watching foes die from poison and switching, he seemed like a great addition.
Finally, I needed a sweeper to finish everything off and take advantage of weakened foes. Technician Breloom seemed like a natural fit with his priority mach punch and ability to set up on switches. However, spore seemed to conflict with the other statuses this team was inducing, so this pick remains my most uncertain.
Specifics of the team:
Heatran@Leftovers (Calm)
Flash Fire
248 HP/252 SpD/8 Spe
- Lava Plume
- Protect
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
Heatran is my all star special tank, stealth rock, protect abusing staller. He can take a ton of abuse and stall with protect for leftovers recovery. He can hope for a burn on the switch to a physical threat with lava plume and poison everything else. In the sun, he does a dangerous amount of damage to pretty much anything. I absolutely love this set. This guy has won plenty of games pretty much by himself.
Gengar@Black Sludge (Timid)
Levitate
4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Disable
- Substitute
Gengar takes advantage of any fighting or ground attacks coming my way for a free switch in and proceeds to lock down whatever he goes against. Should the opponent only have one move they can hit him with, a simple substitute followed by a disable will more than suffice to shut them down. Should they choose to switch, I get a free substitute in and entry hazard damage, so anything that can be KO'd in two hits is easily disposed of at this point. Otherwise he can substitute disable stall them if they are poisoned and force another switch. Gengar gets a ton of opportunities to switch in on this team and is more than capable of taking out many threats. Not to mention he spin blocks. Staple to the team.
Forretress@Leftovers (Relaxed)
Sturdy
252 HP/176 Def/80 SpD
- Spikes
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball
Forretress is pretty bland here. He has the meat and potatoes job of setting up entry hazards and removing any the opponent sets down, setting up a distinct advantage for me as I am able to force many switches which eat away at the opponent's HP. The last move is really a toss up. It's currently earthquake to deal with electric types, as Gastrodon is the only other member who can hit them effectively, but this leaves me screwed against levitating foes which I would like to surprise with an attack. This said, I would appreciate input on this last moveslot.
Gyarados@Leftovers (Adamant)
Intimidate
176 HP/128 Atk/204 Spe
- Taunt
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
Gyarados is able to take advantage of being able to switch in on a few attacks that this team seems to draw from opponents, notably fighting and ground. He intimidates physical attackers and taunts walls, allowing him to set up one or more dragon dances after which he is deadly. I most often use him earlier in the game should I see an opportunity to set up and sweep early, as Breloom is more valuable late game with priority to finish off weaker opponents.
Gastrodon@Leftovers (Sassy)
Storm Drain
252 HP/4 SpA/252 SpD
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Recover
Gastrodon is an all star pivot on this team, absorbing a variety of hits and allowing me to switch to the appropriate threat. That said, I feel he may be somewhat underachieving in other aspects, as the only other uses I have really found for him on this team are recovering through damage while toxic chips away at opponents' health and ice beaming dragons. Not to say that he isn't an incredibly useful pivot because he most definitely is.
Breloom@Life Orb (Adamant)
Technician
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Swords Dance
- Spore
Breloom is my late game sweeping option. With priority mach punch, technician, and life orb, he hits very hard and excels at finishing off teams after they have been weakened by entry hazards and poison. The only issue is he has difficulty setting up a swords dance with spore because of poison going around the other team like a rampant disease. I've considered a choice band version, but have not implemented it, as I don't often like choice band users, but it may be the best choice here. There may even be a better pokemon option here I have overlooked. This spot needs some heavy reflection, criticism, and input in comparison to the others.
That's it. I don't have much more to say, but I would greatly appreciate any input you may have for me however large or small. Thanks for reading, hope you liked it!
Considering who to replace Gastrodon with currently. Thank you for the feedback so far, I am currently playtesting the options given to me and am open to more constructive criticism
