Mythological Hax

[Druxee]

...Hax for Haxorus, of course. ;)

As a relatively new player, and my first post on Smogon, I hope I can get good feedback on the team. After ages of painstaking changes through playtesting, I think I've finally approached roughly where I would like this team to be at.

From the outset, my team has been based around Haxorus, and his phenomenal attack stat. Dragonite gets all the love currently, but I think that, if supported well, Haxorus can become a fierce predator and deserves some poke-respect.

EDIT: Edited sets with feedback from Jirachi and Asek, thanks guys! Oh, and mistakes fixed thanks to Superpowerdude.

Tiamat (Haxorus) (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake

Tiamat was the Babylonian Mother of Life and the first Gods, and most importantly, the dragonic embodiment of Chaos, and that's what she does here.
Haxorus is the focus of the team. Double Dancing allows this Haxorus to sweep defensive, balanced and offensive teams, giving more flexibility than either Swords Dance or Dragon Dance Hax. The HP EVs save Tiamat from death by Reiunculus, as well as giving her much needed bulk. Obviously, EV's and nature are there to maximise attack followed by speed as a secondary priority. Outrage and Earthquake, with Mold Breaker, provide awesome coverage. Lum Berry is primarily for outrage, but if the sweep is saved until very late, it also doubles as a useful status absorber, and reduces worrying about the odd scald and will'o'wisp from frightened and doomed Jellicents.

Marvin (Magnezone) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 148 HP / 252 SAtk / 108 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon

Marvin the Paranoid Android is very paranoid about steel types. As a Dragon sweeper, Haxorus gets walled by steel types, and so Marvin is here to obliterate them. With Choice Specs, maximum special attack and modest, Marvin has phenomenal power with which to dispatch the various steel types in the game. STAB Thunderbolt has decent coverage, destroys Skarmory and really hurts bulky water types. Hidden Power Fire OHKOs Ferrothorn, Scizor, and generally anything with a weakness to fire. Volt Switch allows Magnezone to keep momentum going, and flash cannon provides a final STAB move where the others just don't cut it. Magnezones typing also allows it to come in on the two dragon weaknesses.

Medusa (Latias) (F) @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Psychic
- Healing Wish

Medusa means 'Guardian' which describes well what Latias does here. In a team chock full of frail but potent pokemon, not least Haxorus, duel screens provide invaluable support. Latias typing really complements Magnezone's: it resists fighting and fire while ignoring ground altogether. Healing wish provides Latias with a final way to help the team, and letting me give a poorly judged Haxorus sweep another try. Finally, psychic is chosen over dragon pulse to deal with those pesky fighting types. Although dragon pulse provides better coverage, I find psychic better supports the team, and gives Latias a better time against as a switch in, as it rarely has the power or speed to deal with dragon types anyway.

At this point, the core part of the team was finished. Now, I needed pokemon to cover the teams weaknesses, disrupt the opponent and provide offensive pressure on the opponent.

Agrona (Tyranitar) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Ice Punch
- Superpower

Agrona was the Celtic Goddess of war and death, a fitting name for such a fearsome monster as Tyranitar.
This Tyranitar does two things: it shuts down opposing weather teams while acting as revenge killer. Stone Edge and Crunch provide powerful STABs, Ice Punch hits those pesky dragons while Superpower beats up Heatran.

Sun Wukong (Infernape) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 160 Atk / 92 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Stealth Rock
- Overheat
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat

The magical chinese monkey, Sun Wukong provides wallbreaking and stealth rocking duties. Close Combat and Overheat obviously provide powerful STABs, while Stone Edge hits dragons and Gyrados. Expert Belt provides extra power without the short lifespan of Life Orb.

Manju (Starmie) @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Recover
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin

Everyone's favourite starfish returns as Manju, the Japanese magical tide-flowing jewel. Starmie fills many roles on the team. Providing the only water STAB on the team allows Starmie to fill holes on the team. With fearsome power and speed, it acts as a great late game cleaner if Haxorus has already bit the dust, and finally Starmie provides invaluable rapid spin support and status absorbing to the team. Finally, as a lead, it is capable of severely punishing many common leads and immediately removing the stealth rock threat. Recover allows Starmie to survive much longer between Life Orb and sandstorm.





Importable:

Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Recover
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin

Sun Wukong (Infernape) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 160 Atk / 92 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Stealth Rock
- Overheat
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat

Agrona (Tyranitar) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch

Medusa (Latias) (F) @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Psychic
- Healing Wish

Marvin (Magnezone) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 148 HP / 252 SAtk / 108 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon

Tiamat (Haxorus) (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake

 

[Jirachee]

Hi

You seem to have a moderate weakness to stall teams. Most of your pokemon are either choiced or easily wallable by some of the most common stall team members. While having Swords Dance Haxorus is nice, it is still walled pretty solidly by Skarmory and Ferrothorn can easily defeat it if it's locked into Outrage. You might think that Magnezone automaticly fixes this issue, while this can be the case against certain teams, Team Preview really screws Magnezone up as it makes it easy to play around and you'll have to make smart plays to beat the annoying steels who wall Haxorus. Furthermore, your own Rapid Spinner will see its HP reducing at an alarming rate since it carries a Life Orb, will suffer from Sandstorm damage, and will possibly take a hit or get hurt by Ferrothorn's Iron Barbs, which is a common switch-in. I would recommend swapping Ice Beam on Starmie to get Recover, as it allows you to live for a much longer duration and will provide you Rapid Spin support all game long, giving you the ability to remove stall's precious entry hazards. Keeping Thunderbolt and Life Orb is very important if you don't want to get spinblocked by Jellicent, probably the most common ghost type on stall teams.

Removing Ice Beam on Starmie will have the negative effect to make you much weaker to Dragon types. It's not like your team was really great against them either. Powerful physical dragons could really cause great damage to this team as nothing takes Outrage really well and your only check (Infernape with Stone Edge) has 20% chance of missing its only shot at revenge killing them. This is far from optimal. Another thing that could potentially do a lot of damage to this team is Trick Room Reuniclus. Whenever it comes in late game it could potentially clean this team up with its great power, coverage and "speed". Calm Mind Reuniclus can also reliably defeat at least one pokemon on this team every time you face it. To fix these weaknesses I'd recommend you change your Latias for a Choice Band Scizor. Scizor has great priority in Bullet Punch and it allows it to revenge DD Dragons easily with prior damage (SR and Sandstorm) while Scizor is considered to be one of the best at checking Reuniclus. I don't think Latias is an exceptional asset to this team as the only one that really takes advantage of Dual Screens is Haxorus, and is a pokemon slot really worth it? For the CM Reuniclus problem, you should also switch Tyranitar's held item to Chople Berry, it allows it to take Reuniclus' Focus Blast and retaliate with a 2HKO with Crunch.

Set:

Choice Band Scizor

@ Choice Band
Adamant
Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
-Bullet Punch
-Superpower
-Pursuit
-U-Turn

Good luck!

 

[Druxee]

Hi, thanks for the feedback! Your right, I have been trying to find a space for Scizor, but have been unwilling to give up Latias' place. Perhaps I've been a bit too obsessed with the duel screens thing. For now I will definitely swap Latias for Scizor and make the changes to Tyranitar.
However, with those changes, would it be better to change Infernape & Starmie with:

Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Trick
- Volt Switch

*Immunity to ground
*Synergy with Scizor
*Can come in on water attacks (Before, only Tyranitar can really come in on non-special)
*Can come in on fire attacks (Again, only Tyranitar before)
*Can eliminate unsuspecting steel types


Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Rapid Spin
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Toxic

*Wallbreaker
*Fighting STAB
*Reduce DDer threat w/intimidate
*Bulky spin

?

 

[Superpowerdude]

Hey great looking team! i dont have time for a full rate now but you do realise your Starmie has No evs and your infernape is missing 4 evs?

 

[Asek]

Hey,
As Jirachi said above me, Magnezone if fairly predictable in team preview. Also stated was your teams undesirable weakness to opposing dragons. To be Honest, having a Special Tank in Tyranitar seems preety pointless as Latias has amazing Special Bulk without investment and can set up Light Screen to boost that further. I know Tyranitar is your answer to weather teams, and I don't think he should go. But maybe it is worth trying Choice Scarf Tyranitar over your current set

Hide

Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Jolly (+Spd -Atk)
Trait: Sand Stream
EV's: 252Atk / 4SpD / 252Spd
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch / Superpower

The set revenges so much stuff its unbelievable. Any Dragons trying to boost ans sweep will be KO'd by this monster. Crunch and Stone Edge are for STAB Ice Punch for dragons and Fire Punch / Superpower for Steels. I prefer Superpower as it offers a way to beat Heatran and STAB Stone Edge does the same damage to Skarmory as SFE Fire Punch anyway. Now i know your thinking, I dont have any Hazards any more. But I think changing you Infernape Set to a more StallBreaker approach could also help In getting your Other poke's to sweep. An EV spread of 160 Atk / 98SpA/ 252Spd and giving him an Expert Belt would make him the stallbreaker your team yearns to have. Steath Rock over U-Turn and Overheat over Flare Blitz with Naive nature.
GL with the team!

 

[NeLLY979]

If you're gonna add Hitmontop, two moves I've found to greatly benefit its role from experience are Foresight and Sucker Punch. With these you can combat pesky Spinblockers. I would make a set but I'm really tired so I'll have to leave it xD

 

[Druxee]

Hey great looking team! i dont have time for a full rate now but you do realise your Starmie has No evs and your infernape is missing 4 evs?

That explains why Starmie would never win a speed war. Fixed

@Asek: Thanks for the feedback! I'll definitely try out your suggestions. I've clearly not thought about the team enough. I'll update the thread with these changes as it messes with the team the least, although I'm trying everything suggested.

@NeLLY979: Thanks! Don't worry, I know the set. I'll give it a go as I'd be tempted to put something over toxic.