Hi all,
I've been vocal recently about the lack of RMTs available for old generations, resulting in huge gaps of undocumented metagame history, so decided to put my money where my mouth is and actually contribute - hopefully this will inspire some of our generation's best players to also put pen to paper on some iconic BW teams - Finchinator and BKC, I'm looking at you!. Notably, there are next to no resources documenting Skarmory+Jellicent offense, which has emerged as a strong archetype in BW OU, so here I'm writing up my version of that mould which I have found to be especially solid, peaking at #1 on the amazing Showdown ladder as well as grabbing two wins in the most recent RoAPL, albeit in two poor games.
I say my version because there are a lot of versions of this team floating around in recent months, created by many different people. I am not claiming to be the sole creator of the team, nor the person who has had the most success with this style. Many people would attribute the team itself to Jimmy Turtwig, who I give a huge amount of credit for pioneering the use of suicide lead Skarmory on this 6 in the latest SPL. However, the history of the team goes back a bit further than that, myself and others using versions as long ago as last December [e.g.].
The team originally started out as a sand balance team built around entry hazards, burn, and stacked special attackers to weaken the few Alakazam counters. Like many Alakazam teams, it aimed to dominate the Spikes game, though does this in a different way to the more common teams of the time. Most Alakazam teams you'll see in 2020-21 will aim to completely reduce susceptibility to Spikes by running as few as 1 grounded Pokemon (Tyranitar), although this heavily limits your teambuilding options and will almost always leave you fucked by Volcarona. This team, however, instead aimed to limit the opponent even clicking Spikes through the use of a fast(ish) Taunt Skarmory, Taunt Jellicent, and a further deterrent in offensive Substitute Heatran. This original version had some issues - to name a few, it struggles with Rotom-W and Reuniclus and commits the cardinal BW sin, using Stealth Rock Tyranitar - but it was a user-friendly Alakazam Spikes team that gained some ladder and side-tour popularity particularly with players new to the PsySpam style.
As previously mentioned, a turning point for this style of sand came in this year's SPL, when Jimmy Turtwig of Team Raiders ran out this exact 6, but with a couple of sets modified to make the team more offensive. Most notably, Jimmy went all-in on the idea of Taunt Skarmory and opted to utilise a Salac Berry suicide lead set with dual hazards; although not a new invention per se, the novel part is using this set on a team that looks like it would use defensive Skarmory. Jellicent was slightly modified with Sitrus Berry over Leftovers, giving it an improved match-up against offensive spinners in the short-term. Heatran was completely overhauled from Sub Lava Plume to an Air Balloon Flame Charge set, putting on offensive pressure to overload shared counters with Latios and Alakazam. Most importantly, none of these changes were guessable from Team Preview, meaning that Jimmy's team was able to bluff Sand balance against watashi, take a significant hazards lead early with Skarmory, and dominate the game.
Following this development, suicide lead Skarmory teams have become a solid metagame presence, even without the bluffing aspect. We saw several variations of Skarmory+Jellicent+Tyranitar+Alakazam pop up across the remainder of SPL, including an SD Landorus-T + Garchomp team used by GaryTheGengar, and a crazy, spinless Volcarona + OTR Reunclus team used by Caetano93 too. Resident BW brain Luck>Skill also spams this kind of team at any opportunity he can. Its become clear that this is a highly effective playstyle in BW and one that deserves to be written up in some form.
The team I am writing up here is what I consider my own "final" version of this style, that has obviously been inspired by fellow players' takes on the archetype. Where it significantly differs though is in the use of Eject Button Jellicent, which I believe takes the team to another level. Eject Button dashes attempts of Rapid Spinners to forcefully remove Jellicent thereby giving you a minimum of 2 spinblocks in any game, as well as counteracting opposing Volt Switch / U-turn strategies and getting scary threats such as CM Latios in for free. Others may disagree but for me, this is the definitive version of Skarmory+Jellicent hyper offense, with very few poor match-ups and a collection of near autowins (Smurf, Rain balance, Celebi+Drill Sand).
Thats a long enough introduction, lets just explain the team:
Skarmory @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Brave Bird
Suicide lead Skarmory. Skarmory is second-to-none at getting up multiple layers of hazards in the early game, with the added benefit of also having defensive sets that the opponent needs to respect at Team Preview. The basic concept is simple: lead with this almost always, if the opponent has a slower hazard lead of their own then Taunt it, and if not then just start laying your own. Sturdy means that, with the exception of Magma Storm, Lava Plume, or Kyurem-B Fusion Bolt, you'll always be on the field at the end of the first turn.
The only intricacy to building with lead Skarmory comes down to Salac Berry vs Custap Berry and how best to utilise this to get additional hazards or deny Rapid Spinners. Although the current dogma is that Salac is better than Custap, I have the opposite opinion. 80% of the time these two items are identical, as you'll just get one free turn to either lay another hazard or self-KO with Brave Bird, but there are many situations where Custap is superior and, to my mind, very few situations where Salac is better. In my experience Salac Berry is only good against poor opponents who are happily giving Skarmory multiple free turns after Berry has procked - these are realistically not the people you will be playing in tournament who you will get one free turn against. Custap Berry is better to me because 1) it makes Skarmory ∞ speed for 1 turn, therefore beating all Choice Scarf users and 2) it procks at the start of a turn when your HP is below 25%, therefore letting you switch out and save the 1 turn of boosted speed for a mid-game Spike or a clutch late-revenge kill against Volcarona or Alakazam.
Further, there is some debate about whether 0 IVs in HP / Def / SDef is worth it to consistently get knocked into Berry range. For me, the answer is no. 0 HP / 0 SDef IV Skarmory can easily lose to Politoed turn 1 if the Scald burns (81.2 - 95.4%), whereas with 31 IVs Skarmory will always survive for a second hazard into turn 2. Further, 0 HP / 0 Def IV Skarmory takes up to 40% from Garchomp Outrage, which sucks because this is a Pokemon you actively want to sit in front of and click Spikes for as long as possible. There might be a midground where like 20 IVs hits some kind of perfect range, but minimum IVs just isn't the play. Don't do it!
Jellicent (M) @ Eject Button
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 176 HP / 120 Def / 212 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Night Shade
- Recover
In many ways the focal point of the team. Jellicent is primarily a spinblocker, utilising its respectable bulk and excellent defensive typing to deny Starmie, Tentacruel, and Excadrill. However, on hyper offense Jellicent is often at risk of losing to offensive spinners if it comes in on the wrong attack, 2HKOd by either LO/Specs Thunderbolt or Sand Force Earthquake from Starmie and Excadrill, respectively. Sacrificing Jellicent in this manner can be beneficial as it gives a free switch-in to a scary offensive threat, but in offense vs offense match-ups that 6-4 Pokemon deficit after only a few turns can be tough to claw back from. Ideally, Jellicent wants to be able to switch in only to deny Rapid Spin, but to then get out again as soon as possible.
Eject Button enables Jellicent to do this handily, giving one guaranteed spinblock, whilst then generating momentum to prevent your opponent ever getting another chance later. A lot of this comes down to the teammates surrounding Jellicent. Should Starmie click Thunderbolt to try and 2-3HKO Jellicent, it is then easily dispatched by the incoming Scarf Tyranitar, guaranteeing that your hazards are here to stay. Against Excadrill, a quick calc gives you a bit of information about its nature and then any of Scarf Tyranitar, Heatran, Latios, or Alakazam can be called upon to take advantage. All of this is done without needing to sacrifice Jellicent to get the privilege of momentum, at worst letting you keep it as a late-game sac but in some situations going ham again later with Taunt/Wisp/Recover.
Eject Button has a wide array of other uses beyond just beating spinners. Alakazam and Heatran both have single-use items that they don't want to lose on switch-in, so giving a free switch-in with Eject Button goes a long way to boost their consistency. Likewise, Calm Mind Latios is a devastating Pokemon that is limited by the fact its best switch-ins are typically Scald users, which carries inherent risk - Eject Button provides Latios numerous set-up opportunities. Finally, like most Skarmory hyper offense teams, this 6 is annoyed by Rotom-W - Eject Button nullifies the switching effect of U-turn and Volt Switch, however, therefore turning Rotom-W into a sitting duck for CM Latios. All-in-all, Eject Button is massively influential for the flow of the team, keeping hazards on the field, and giving set-up opportunities for the offensive threats.
Importantly, Eject Button does not compromise Jellicent's secondary role as a Rain / Keldeo counter. Water Absorb ensures that Jellicent never takes true damage from Politoed, Tentacruel, and choice-locked Keldeo, allowing it to stay-in without Eject Button being activated. Even in the worst case scenario that Jellicent takes a Specs Hidden Power [Ghost] or [Grass] from Keldeo on switch-in, you now know its item, get to keep Jellicent alive to deter Hydro Pump later, and take the free switch to Latios/Alakazam. In many other situations, almost nothing bar Scarf Latios is actually going to touch Jellicent on rain so you can reserve the Eject Button for the safe trap with Tyranitar. All-in-all, Eject Button improves almost every important match-up and I think its influence on how the team plays is monumental.
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 240 Atk / 16 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- Ice Beam
From a very long description for Jellicent, to a very short one for Tyranitar. ScarfTar is ScarfTar - it traps things and stops Starmie from spinning, thats what its here for. Tyranitar also elevates the speed of the team somewhat, giving more offensive outs against mid-range speed threats such as Latios, Garchomp, and Terrakion which can be important when the other two fast Pokemon are Pursuit-weak. Like with any Tyranitar set, Sand Stream is important to remove Rain, get the best out of Heatran, and put scary mons like Dragonite and Volcarona on a timer. The EV spread is not particularly scientific - Jolly max speed for Starmie, and then a mixed offensive spread with Ice Beam for Garchomp / Gliscor / Landorus-Therian. Although 48 SAtk is standard here to guaranteed the OHKO on 244 HP / 0 SDef Gliscor, that set just doesn't exist in modern BW and I felt a more appropriate benchmark was 16 SAtk to always KO -SDef Landorus-T after Stealth Rock and 1 round of Leftovers recovery (94.2% minimum). The slight bump up to 240 Atk EVs now means you always KO Mamoswine after rocks which can be really important for teams like this.
Fundamentally, however, Tyranitar is the weakest link of the team beyond its Starmie- and Latios-trapping role. It is arguably the Pokemon that gives up the most momentum, and gives away set-up opportunities notably to Cloyster. Its use over the more standard Chople Tyranitar also means that you lose the blanket check against Alakazam too compared to other variations of this team. Whilst I think both sets work well here, my personal preference is to ScarfTar due to its great synergy with Eject Button and ability to act as a win-condition in its own right.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 8 HP / 192 SpA / 64 SpD / 244 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Flame Charge
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Special sweeper #1. The 3 offensive threats on this team are chosen to overlap a little in their counterplay, therefore forcing specific Pokemon to come in, take hazard damage, and get crippled so Alakazam cleans up. Here, Heatran functions as a bit of a bait for the likes of Tyranitar and a handful of bulky waters, whilst still being defensively distinct from Latios (i.e. not a Psychic), and also having sweeping potential in its own right.
The set is a bit of a midground between a dedicated Flame Charge set, and the more standard Magma Storm set, therefore allowing Heatran to code-switch between match-ups. Against rains, for example, you're unlikely to ever click Flame Charge but the additional chip of Magma Storm can be incredibly annoying to Politoed and Tentacruel. However, against a lot of Sands, Heatran can find opportunities to set-up a Flame Charge and go on a tear. Jimmy Turtwig used this set on his iconic version of the team from SPLXII, but unfortunately never got to use it himself - props to him for the inspiration.
Air Balloon is utilised to provide set-up opportunities against the myriad of Ground-types in the format, but is most important for Mamoswine who is otherwise an absolute terror to teams like this. Further, Air Balloon makes Heatran immune to Spikes, allowing it to make better use of its fantastic defensive typing in certain match-us. The EV spread is simply to outspeed Adamant Excadrill (which you can easily calc for on the Eject Button activation turn), whilst also surviving an Alakazam Focus Blast after Stealth Rock. The latter point is important as this means that this Heatran can actually use Alakazam as a set-up opportunity via Flame Charge, helping to overcome what is a bit of a weakness. Hidden Power [Ice] is too tough to go without. Earth Power is in the set by default but I do actually think there is room to innovate here. Flash Cannon is no joke and cripples Tyranitar better than anything else in Heatran's arsenal. Hidden Power [Grass], also, can remove Gastrodon which can otherwise pose some issues as part of specific defensive cores. Earth Power is just quite consistent though and reduces your reliance on Magma Storm vs Magnezone, Jirachi, and Excadrill, which is always good!
Latios (M) @ Dragon Gem
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Recover
Special threat #2 - the meat cleaver. The team needs a dedicated wallbreaker to put huge amounts of damage on Tyranitar and other specially defensive tanks so that Alakazam or Heatran can clean up, and no Pokemon does this better than Calm Mind + Dragon Gem Latios. Are Gems broken? Probably.
As well as its wallbreaker role, Latios also serves as a key revenge killer against mid-speed threats including Garchomp or Terrakion, and with Recover is also a relatively consistent check to Keldeo and Thundurus. Vs Smurf teams, Latios plays a key role in revenge killing Garchomp or Breloom, and then baiting and chipping Scizor down so that it can no longer beat Alakazam in the late-game. Is Latios broken? Probably.
CM Latios is one of the major beneficiaries of Eject Button in match-ups vs Rotom-W, which annoy Skarmory+Jellicent teams by endlessly Volt Switching unpunished. When Rotom-W Volt Switches into Eject Button, however, Latios gets to switch in on it for a free Calm Mind, a situation that can be game winning alone. Latios also benefits as it no longer needs to switch in directly on Gastrodon to Calm Mind, as Jellicent can serve as a solid Scald / Ice Beam pivot.
Alakazam @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Signal Beam
Giovanni Giorgio himself. My personal favourite BW OU Pokemon, and for me the easiest end-game cleaner to build around and enable. Alakazam is devastatingly quick, powerful and is never KOd in one hit thanks to Magic Guard Focus Sash. Alakazam is the game-winner in almost every game, simply because it is close to unhandleable when supported with unremovable entry hazards and Calm Mind Latios.
The set here is what I find myself drawn to most often. Psyshock is my STAB of choice - something that I've spoken about to death but long story short it hits really important ranges on the likes of Terrakion, Volcarona, Tentacruel, Politoed, and Rotom-W that are too hard for me to pass up. In a modern metagame defined by Alakazam vs Volcarona, Psyshock is a great way to improve the 1v1 without needing to sacrifice coverage for Thunder Wave. Focus Blast is the imperfect coverage option that you want to rely on as little as possible, which is why Signal Beam fits into the last slot - being able to deal 20-30% to Tyranitar with 100% accuracy is often enough when you're supported by entry hazards and Latios. Signal Beam also has the benefit of hitting opposing Alakazam, Reuniclus, Latios, Latias, Celebi, even Cresselia for decent damage, and importantly stops Cloyster from fishing against you once they know you're Psychic-less. Finally, Hidden Power [Ice] stops you being walled by Gliscor, and also lets Alakazam act as a last-ditch revenge killer for +1 Dragonite.
Conclusion:
Long post. These teams are really really good in current BW but there is next to no documentation on them, so hopefully this helps to correct that. Like I said, I don't think there's any person who single-handedly built this team including me, but the likes of Jimmy Turtwig, Caetano, and Luck>Skill deserve huge credit for their experimentation with the style at the top level, putting it in the spotlight a little bit! Thanks for reading.
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