Well, hello Smogon! Once again, I have come here in hope of getting some help with my team. Last time, it was quite successful, but now I have a different team, and a different strategy... Strike that, now I have a strategy. For any who care (yeah, probably no one), this team consistently stays at 1600 average with about 50 deviation. With a couple of changes to my playstyle that are currently being implemented (like actually predicting more often), that has potential to rise.
Anyway, this is a defensive team, as that's my best battle style. Please take the time to read through the whole thing, though. Thank you very much! I appreciate any help.
The Team:
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Sand Stream
252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Sp Def
Impish (+Def, -Sp Atk)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Roar
Here is my lead. Originally, I had Tyranitar here, but he gave me an immense endgame Swords Dance Lucario weakness. Hippowdon goes some way to counter said Lucario and also nearly all Tyranitar. He helps with passive damage and cutting off sweeps with Roar. Earthquake is basic STAB, so that he can deal damage (since nearly all who resist it are removed by Roar; “nearly” because I don't want to keep him in on some special-based things), Stealth Rock is to start the passive damage, and Slack Off is a necessity. I use Roar first on Metagross to make sure it doesn't go and Explode on me; most of the time, they don't do it first turn.
The EV's are to maximize general bulk; I did not really see the need for 88 Sp Def EV's for Sub-Punch Tyranitar Ice Beams, because of Shuckle, so I lowered that to 72. The reason I stopped at 72... eludes me at the moment, sorry, but I know that it was a good reason.
Basically, the reasons I chose Hippowdon are these: Sand Stream, which I need for Shuckle, physical bulk to fend off things like Swords Dance Lucario, etc. and a reliable starting Stealth Rock. Roar also helps for forcing switches and racking up passive damage.
Shuckle @ Leftovers
Gluttony
252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Sp Def
Relaxed (+Def, -Spd)
- Toxic
- Encore
- Knock Off
- Rest
Yes! This little guy here is one of my two favorite Pokémon in the game, and, as such, I will not replace him. He is one of the very few Pokémon who can (admittedly, with Stealth Rock off the field) survive a Mixed Salamence's Draco Meteor and the subsequent Outrage, and Rest off the damage, paving the way for Forretress to come in to set up some entry hazards. He is incredible in the Sandstorm, with his Def stat over 600 and his Sp Def stat effectively over 750. Sure, his HP is 244, but that really doesn't matter, as he takes minimal damage in the first place. He is incredibly useful in all of my games; even a +2 Technician Life Orb Max Atk Bullet Punch from Scizor only OHKO-es 1/3 of the time. Not that I'd actually want to keep him in in that situation, but it gives a perspective on the defensive prowess of this Pokémon.
Knock Off cripples so many strategies in today's game, it's not even funny. He can take off Choice Scarfs (I don't think standard English pluralization rules should apply to Pokémon) from things like Latias and other things that wish to cripple Shuckle (I hit them on the switch, as it's normally the first move I use, and they would normally want to cripple Shuckle as soon as possible) or outspeed Flygon. It can also make Life Orb users significantly less potent, and it can deprive things like Blissey of their Leftovers.
Encore really helps the rest of my team either set up or kill off the opponent. Toxic and Rest are necessities.
The EV's are to make a general counter to Mixed Infernape, and for him to generally take special hits better.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
136 HP / 148 Atk / 224 Spd
Jolly (+Spd, -Sp Atk)
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- U-Turn
- Outrage
And now we come to my other favorite Pokémon, Flygon. Sure, the EV's are a bit weird, but I've thought them out, and they've been working pretty well. 224 Spd is to eliminate the possibility of an endgame Empoleon sweep, and it also serves the purpose of going faster than many (most?) Ludicolo in Rain, so that I can get off a super-effective U-Turn. I've learned that it also conveniently outspeeds Choice Scarf Gengar with a neutral nature. 136 HP is to always survive a +2 Max Atk Extremespeed from Lucario, in case something happened to Hippowdon (like an Explosion early in the game from Metagross). It also makes me feel safer with Flygon having extra “bulk.” The rest is just thrown into Atk, since my Flygon is supposed to be more of a scouter than a sweeper.
Earthquake is for general powerful STAB, and it's one of the things that Flygon has over Salamence. Fire Blast scorches unwary Skarmory, as long as they don't Roost first turn. U-Turn is for scouting, causing switches, and retaining momentum in the battle. Outrage is reserved for endgame.
Also, I don't like being locked into attacks; but I need a decent revenge killer, so I think I'll keep Flygon as he is, with maybe some tweaks.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Natural Cure
252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spd
Bold (+Def, -Atk)
- Recover
- Heal Bell
- Grass Knot
- Perish Song
Celebi is for a cleric. I really need someone to remove Shuckle's and Forretress's and Rotom's Rests, and also in case Flygon / Hippowdon / Omastar gets Poisoned or Burned. It also helps for the random Freeze every now and then. Recover is necessary, and I've chosen Grass Knot for the high base power it has on the OU metagame. Perish Song is to force switches and cut sweeps, much like Roar. I used to have Leech Seed in its place, and I miss that move, but Perish Song is my only insurance against Baton Pass chains, and it also forces switches better. I just need to make sure I don't back myself into a corner with it.
I have the standard set to maximize HP and outrun neutral Max Spd Tyranitar, but I also want to get the jump on other things that want to do so, as well, and even one more tier above that. I've done so mainly for Suicune, but also for some Zapdos variants, so that I can Recover before they Heat Wave and possibly stall it out, or maybe get them to either hope for a Burn / critical (so I can switch into Omastar with impunity) or switch out, so I get healed.
Forretress @ Shed Shell
Sturdy
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed (+Def, -Spd)
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Rest
- Gyro Ball
Now, the third part of the passive damage. Spikes is obvious, since there are so few viable spikers in OU. The real reason I chose Forretress over Skarmory, though, is that Forretress gets Rapid Spin, so I don't have to run 2 Pokémon to have both.
The EV's and nature are self-explanatory. Shed Shell is so that he don't get massacred by Magnezone, since Forretress takes physical hits very well, and he helps my defensive core. Rest without Sleep Talk may seem like a mistake, but it's helped me in more situations than not. Gyro Ball is for Gengar switches, or if they can't OHKO me somehow.
... Sorry for the short description, but Forretress is the most standard Pokémon in my team, aside from Hippowdon.
Rotom-H @ Leftovers
Levitate
252 HP/4 Def/252 SDef
Calm nature (+Sp Def, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Light Screen/Sleep Talk/Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
I'm removing Omastar, since I really need a Fighting resist to guard against Machamps, etc. Also, this Rotom is able to take various special hits for my team, in addition to giving support to the rest of the team members. I'll test Light Screen versus Sleep Talk to see if Celebi can manage to heal Rotom, too. The main reason, though, is for a spin-blocker; I don't want Stealth Rock and Spikes to just go away just like that.
Old members:
Omastar @ Leftovers
Shell Armor
248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold (+Def, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Toxic Spikes
- Ice Beam
- Protect
Omastar is a new member to my team, and I really do like him. He provides me with the final bit of passive damage, Toxic Spikes, and he can get them up extremely easily. 343 HP (not 344, thanks to Jibaku's recent thread), 383 Def and effectively 264 Sp Def is not at all bad. The 8 Spd is to outrun no-Spd to 4-Spd Blissey and Machamp.
I've chosen Hydro Pump over Surf, because, for one thing, it 2HKO-es Skarmory. It gives that extra bit of oomph that is helpful in many situations, and its 80% somehow rarely seems to fail me. Ice Beam helps to kill off Dragons, since it's extremely unlikely that they'll OHKO me first:
+1 Max Atk Life Orb Salamence Outrage: 77.26% - 91.25%
+1 Max Atk Life Orb Salamence Earthquake: 86.30% - 102.04% (7.69% of a OHKO without Stealth Rock damage, not hard to pull off: switch on the Dragon Dance, then Protect once)
341 Sp Atk Life Orb Salamence Draco Meteor: 73.47% - 86.59%
Max Atk Scarf Flygon Earthquake: 54.23% - 63.56%
And just for kicks, Life Orb Mamoswine only OHKO-es 1/3 of the time if I've switched into Stealth Rock and gained one turn of Leftovers (i.e. 15/16 of full). At full HP, he never OHKO-es. Of course, I'd switch to Forretress or Celebi or Hippowdon or Shuckle.
Protect is to gain me extra Leftovers recovery and to scout for Choice moves. I can also rack up extra Toxic damage before leaving. I just need to make sure that I don't use it too predictably, as I sometimes have a tendency of doing.
I'm thinking of adding 132 EV's to Sp Def, so he always survives standard Gengar Focus Blast after Stealth Rock, so I can Protect to stall out more PP, then go to Shuckle. What do you guys think? If not that many, do you think I should add any EV's?
And now for Threats (format from Legacy Raider (great guy, helped me with my team previously (thanks))):
Defensive Threats
Blissey – Can be a very minor problem, but they normally last till the end, when I can Perish Song them or they die from Toxic (Spikes).
Bronzong – Eh, set-up attempts are Roared away, and offense is a bit lacking. Explosion barely manages 60% most of the time on even Celebi.
Celebi – U-Turn is what I usually use, but it tends to be another endgame thing, like Blissey.
Cresselia – No. Shuckle walls it dead. Charge Beam can be Encored to Flygon to make Toxic easier to kill them.
Donphan – Again, no. Shuckle and Celebi and Forretress and Hippowdon...
Dusknoir – Once again, no. See above 2.
Forretress – Fire Blast, and if that doesn't work, then Omastar can take it.
Gliscor – If it's Baton Passing, I can give it a little present to Pass: Perish Song. Otherwise, Shuckle outstalls it.
Gyarados – Defensive ones can be Roared away by Hippowdon, if necessary, but Celebi is a general counter. Ones with Bounce give me some troubles, though.
Hippowdon – Shuckle. Celebi also kills it.
Jirachi – Hmm, Scarfed ones give quite a lot of problems, as Flygon has trouble switching in, but Flygon can KO (not one-hit, but still) with Earthquake before they do with Iron Head (or whatever). Or Hippowdon. Actually, pretty much any luck-abusing ones give me trouble.
Rotom-A – Eh, Scarf again is a bit tricky (haha, no pun intended, seriously), but Flygon can take it, and I just need to be wary of Will-O-Wisp. I'm currently testing Shadow Ball on Rotom to see if it'll work.
Skarmory – Used to be quite a problem, but with the addition of Rotom, I can OHKO always or at least force it out. Flygon can also Fire Blast. If I really need to, I could also force them out with Hippowdon or Celebi.
Snorlax – No. Shuckle decimates it. (hah, that sounds a little funny... Shuckle decimating...)
Suicune – Celebi is EV-ed to outspeed most, since they go for outrunning Tyranitar, so I don't have to worry about a tie. Grass Knot, or if they already somehow have too many Calm Minds, Perish Song.
Swampert – Celebi is a very nice counter.
Tentacruel – Eh, Flygon can normally come in, with half-decent prediction and OHKO most of the time with Stealth Rock.
Tyranitar – Defensive ones are normally stopped by Celebi, Flygon and Shuckle... Oh, did I forget about Hippowdon?
Vaporeon – Celebi and Shuckle can take it.
Zapdos – Shuckle is whom I use most of the time.
Offensive Threats
Azelf – Normally a lead, and Hippowdon isn't KO-ed by Explosion. If they try Psychic-Explosion, then I'll switch. To Shuckle, naturally. Shuckle takes on basically all variants.
Breloom – Ah, now this guy is quite a nuisance. But with Perish Song, I can take him more easily. And Roar. Though if I get stuck on a 1v1 with him, I'm pretty much dead, since the only real things I have against him are Flygon's Fire Blast/Outrage, Celebi's Perish Song and Hippowdon's Roar (kinda). But with Rotom's addition, he should be more manageable.
Dragonite – Shuckle and Forretress team up nicely against this and Salamence.
Dugtrio – Well, it depends on who's trapped. Rotom isn't trapped, Forretress has Shed Shell, Celebi can use Grass Knot, Flygon isn't trapped, Shuckle outstalls, and Hippowdon can Earthquake to wear it down, or Roar if I feel like it (yeah, right).
Electivire – Shuckle. Also Hippowdon. Rotom can Will-O-Wisp him.
Gallade – Shuckle can take him, but Sleep can be a pain. Also, Forretress doesn't have much trouble.
Gengar – Eh, normally Omastar or Shuckle. But Omastar first, as Shuckle really doesn't want a Scarf.
Gyarados – Celebi. As before, Bounce can be a problem, but Perish Song will do it in. Rotom can kill him, but he can't really take a good hit.
Heatran – Shuckle can deprive it of its item. Flygon can kill it if I can switch him in.
Heracross – Flygon (not really a counter), Forretress, Shuckle or Hippowdon.
Infernape – Shuckle is my go-to guy for Infernape in general.
Jolteon – Shuckle again. Also, Flygon and Hippowdon can chase it out.
Kingdra– Celebi, with Grass Knot and Perish Song. If I predict it, I can switch to Forretress to set up on Outrage.
Lucario – Some trouble if Hippowdon is weak, but Flygon can reliably revenge kill, and if he's fine, Hippowdon is good.
Machamp – Ugh, Confusion is such a pain, but Celebi can normally take him out. Guts doesn't stand a chance. And Rotom is great to Burn him.
Magnezone– Flygon. Resists HP Fire directed at Forretress, immune to Thunderbolt... he works well.
Mamoswine – Shuckle, Celebi, Forretress and Hippowdon all counter him handily.
Metagross – Eh, well, I don't have a whole lot but Hippowdon, who is promptly dispatched by Explosion. I can revenge decently with Flygon, and Forretress can stall, but he can't really do anything but maybe set up. But Rotom counters neatly.
Porygon-Z – Shuckle.
Salamence – Shuckle and Forretress again pair up for Draco Meteor and Outrage. If I'm feeling lucky, I'll go Shuckle for Draco Meteor, then straight to Forretress for the impending Outrage. Shuckle can survive both consecutively, anyway, though.
Scizor – Hippowdon can Roar him away, racking up passive damage. Anyway, Rotom is a superb counter.
Starmie – Shuckle can take most sets. Normally, Celebi can also take it on. Rotom blocks spin, too, and does lots of damage with Thunderbolt.
Togekiss – Shuckle.
Tyranitar – Hippowdon is one of the greatest Tyranitar counters there is. If it's Choice Band Aqua Tail, I'll switch to Celebi (after taking a hit, unfortunately).
Weavile – Shuckle and Forretress. Even Hippowdon, if necessary.
Yanmega – Shuckle, normally, but Forretress doesn't take way too much from Air Slash or Bug Buzz, and he can use Yanmega's Spd boosts to KO him. Also, Rotom.
Zapdos – Shuckle.
So, as you can see, Shuckle kills so many of the threats, I really need him alive, but my team can function without him. Not as well, though. But I'm careful enough to not let him faint easily, as prediction is not nearly so “do-or-die” with Shuckle.
Team-Building Procedure (hey, since everyone's doing it now, I might as well, too; it can't hurt):
First, I started off with Shuckle and Flygon, as they are my favorites and they can function in OU play quite well.
Next, using Shuckle implies Sandstorm, and I liked Tyranitar for the 1.5x Sp Def boost. I was using a sort of TyraniBoah as a lead, to take out the common threats.
Then, I felt that I liked passive damage, and I needed Stealth Rock and already had Sandstorm. I also wanted someone who could also Rapid Spin, so that it doesn't take up 2 slots: Forretress.
Next, I wanteded someone to block spinning attempts so that my entry-hazard work wouldn't go to waste, so I had a Rest-Sleep Talk Rotom-H. This way, I also had a counter to Fighting types and a status absorber.
Finally, since I had Rotom-H and Shuckle using Rest, I felt that I needed a cleric, and I didn't like Blissey, since it's so easy to set up on or kill (or both), so Celebi was in order. Plus, Grass is my favorite type.
But this left me with a weakness to endgame Swords Dance Lucario with Crunch, so I swapped Tyranitar with Hippowdon. And here is the final
(Thanks to dragonflycave.com for sprites.)
Well, please rate my team! I think what the members are is pretty solid, but I'll accept a couple things here or there (but they must be good, and I will not replace Shuckle or Flygon). Also, I'd appreciate it if my team wasn't made too offensive. Balanced to stall is what I like and play best.
Anyway, this is a defensive team, as that's my best battle style. Please take the time to read through the whole thing, though. Thank you very much! I appreciate any help.
The Team:
Sand Stream
252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Sp Def
Impish (+Def, -Sp Atk)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Roar
Here is my lead. Originally, I had Tyranitar here, but he gave me an immense endgame Swords Dance Lucario weakness. Hippowdon goes some way to counter said Lucario and also nearly all Tyranitar. He helps with passive damage and cutting off sweeps with Roar. Earthquake is basic STAB, so that he can deal damage (since nearly all who resist it are removed by Roar; “nearly” because I don't want to keep him in on some special-based things), Stealth Rock is to start the passive damage, and Slack Off is a necessity. I use Roar first on Metagross to make sure it doesn't go and Explode on me; most of the time, they don't do it first turn.
The EV's are to maximize general bulk; I did not really see the need for 88 Sp Def EV's for Sub-Punch Tyranitar Ice Beams, because of Shuckle, so I lowered that to 72. The reason I stopped at 72... eludes me at the moment, sorry, but I know that it was a good reason.
Basically, the reasons I chose Hippowdon are these: Sand Stream, which I need for Shuckle, physical bulk to fend off things like Swords Dance Lucario, etc. and a reliable starting Stealth Rock. Roar also helps for forcing switches and racking up passive damage.
Gluttony
252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Sp Def
Relaxed (+Def, -Spd)
- Toxic
- Encore
- Knock Off
- Rest
Yes! This little guy here is one of my two favorite Pokémon in the game, and, as such, I will not replace him. He is one of the very few Pokémon who can (admittedly, with Stealth Rock off the field) survive a Mixed Salamence's Draco Meteor and the subsequent Outrage, and Rest off the damage, paving the way for Forretress to come in to set up some entry hazards. He is incredible in the Sandstorm, with his Def stat over 600 and his Sp Def stat effectively over 750. Sure, his HP is 244, but that really doesn't matter, as he takes minimal damage in the first place. He is incredibly useful in all of my games; even a +2 Technician Life Orb Max Atk Bullet Punch from Scizor only OHKO-es 1/3 of the time. Not that I'd actually want to keep him in in that situation, but it gives a perspective on the defensive prowess of this Pokémon.
Knock Off cripples so many strategies in today's game, it's not even funny. He can take off Choice Scarfs (I don't think standard English pluralization rules should apply to Pokémon) from things like Latias and other things that wish to cripple Shuckle (I hit them on the switch, as it's normally the first move I use, and they would normally want to cripple Shuckle as soon as possible) or outspeed Flygon. It can also make Life Orb users significantly less potent, and it can deprive things like Blissey of their Leftovers.
Encore really helps the rest of my team either set up or kill off the opponent. Toxic and Rest are necessities.
The EV's are to make a general counter to Mixed Infernape, and for him to generally take special hits better.
Levitate
136 HP / 148 Atk / 224 Spd
Jolly (+Spd, -Sp Atk)
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- U-Turn
- Outrage
And now we come to my other favorite Pokémon, Flygon. Sure, the EV's are a bit weird, but I've thought them out, and they've been working pretty well. 224 Spd is to eliminate the possibility of an endgame Empoleon sweep, and it also serves the purpose of going faster than many (most?) Ludicolo in Rain, so that I can get off a super-effective U-Turn. I've learned that it also conveniently outspeeds Choice Scarf Gengar with a neutral nature. 136 HP is to always survive a +2 Max Atk Extremespeed from Lucario, in case something happened to Hippowdon (like an Explosion early in the game from Metagross). It also makes me feel safer with Flygon having extra “bulk.” The rest is just thrown into Atk, since my Flygon is supposed to be more of a scouter than a sweeper.
Earthquake is for general powerful STAB, and it's one of the things that Flygon has over Salamence. Fire Blast scorches unwary Skarmory, as long as they don't Roost first turn. U-Turn is for scouting, causing switches, and retaining momentum in the battle. Outrage is reserved for endgame.
Also, I don't like being locked into attacks; but I need a decent revenge killer, so I think I'll keep Flygon as he is, with maybe some tweaks.
Natural Cure
252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spd
Bold (+Def, -Atk)
- Recover
- Heal Bell
- Grass Knot
- Perish Song
Celebi is for a cleric. I really need someone to remove Shuckle's and Forretress's and Rotom's Rests, and also in case Flygon / Hippowdon / Omastar gets Poisoned or Burned. It also helps for the random Freeze every now and then. Recover is necessary, and I've chosen Grass Knot for the high base power it has on the OU metagame. Perish Song is to force switches and cut sweeps, much like Roar. I used to have Leech Seed in its place, and I miss that move, but Perish Song is my only insurance against Baton Pass chains, and it also forces switches better. I just need to make sure I don't back myself into a corner with it.
I have the standard set to maximize HP and outrun neutral Max Spd Tyranitar, but I also want to get the jump on other things that want to do so, as well, and even one more tier above that. I've done so mainly for Suicune, but also for some Zapdos variants, so that I can Recover before they Heat Wave and possibly stall it out, or maybe get them to either hope for a Burn / critical (so I can switch into Omastar with impunity) or switch out, so I get healed.
Sturdy
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed (+Def, -Spd)
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Rest
- Gyro Ball
Now, the third part of the passive damage. Spikes is obvious, since there are so few viable spikers in OU. The real reason I chose Forretress over Skarmory, though, is that Forretress gets Rapid Spin, so I don't have to run 2 Pokémon to have both.
The EV's and nature are self-explanatory. Shed Shell is so that he don't get massacred by Magnezone, since Forretress takes physical hits very well, and he helps my defensive core. Rest without Sleep Talk may seem like a mistake, but it's helped me in more situations than not. Gyro Ball is for Gengar switches, or if they can't OHKO me somehow.
... Sorry for the short description, but Forretress is the most standard Pokémon in my team, aside from Hippowdon.
Levitate
252 HP/4 Def/252 SDef
Calm nature (+Sp Def, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Light Screen/Sleep Talk/Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
I'm removing Omastar, since I really need a Fighting resist to guard against Machamps, etc. Also, this Rotom is able to take various special hits for my team, in addition to giving support to the rest of the team members. I'll test Light Screen versus Sleep Talk to see if Celebi can manage to heal Rotom, too. The main reason, though, is for a spin-blocker; I don't want Stealth Rock and Spikes to just go away just like that.
Old members:
Shell Armor
248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold (+Def, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Toxic Spikes
- Ice Beam
- Protect
Omastar is a new member to my team, and I really do like him. He provides me with the final bit of passive damage, Toxic Spikes, and he can get them up extremely easily. 343 HP (not 344, thanks to Jibaku's recent thread), 383 Def and effectively 264 Sp Def is not at all bad. The 8 Spd is to outrun no-Spd to 4-Spd Blissey and Machamp.
I've chosen Hydro Pump over Surf, because, for one thing, it 2HKO-es Skarmory. It gives that extra bit of oomph that is helpful in many situations, and its 80% somehow rarely seems to fail me. Ice Beam helps to kill off Dragons, since it's extremely unlikely that they'll OHKO me first:
+1 Max Atk Life Orb Salamence Outrage: 77.26% - 91.25%
+1 Max Atk Life Orb Salamence Earthquake: 86.30% - 102.04% (7.69% of a OHKO without Stealth Rock damage, not hard to pull off: switch on the Dragon Dance, then Protect once)
341 Sp Atk Life Orb Salamence Draco Meteor: 73.47% - 86.59%
Max Atk Scarf Flygon Earthquake: 54.23% - 63.56%
And just for kicks, Life Orb Mamoswine only OHKO-es 1/3 of the time if I've switched into Stealth Rock and gained one turn of Leftovers (i.e. 15/16 of full). At full HP, he never OHKO-es. Of course, I'd switch to Forretress or Celebi or Hippowdon or Shuckle.
Protect is to gain me extra Leftovers recovery and to scout for Choice moves. I can also rack up extra Toxic damage before leaving. I just need to make sure that I don't use it too predictably, as I sometimes have a tendency of doing.
I'm thinking of adding 132 EV's to Sp Def, so he always survives standard Gengar Focus Blast after Stealth Rock, so I can Protect to stall out more PP, then go to Shuckle. What do you guys think? If not that many, do you think I should add any EV's?
And now for Threats (format from Legacy Raider (great guy, helped me with my team previously (thanks))):
Defensive Threats
Offensive Threats
So, as you can see, Shuckle kills so many of the threats, I really need him alive, but my team can function without him. Not as well, though. But I'm careful enough to not let him faint easily, as prediction is not nearly so “do-or-die” with Shuckle.
Team-Building Procedure (hey, since everyone's doing it now, I might as well, too; it can't hurt):
First, I started off with Shuckle and Flygon, as they are my favorites and they can function in OU play quite well.
Next, using Shuckle implies Sandstorm, and I liked Tyranitar for the 1.5x Sp Def boost. I was using a sort of TyraniBoah as a lead, to take out the common threats.
Then, I felt that I liked passive damage, and I needed Stealth Rock and already had Sandstorm. I also wanted someone who could also Rapid Spin, so that it doesn't take up 2 slots: Forretress.
Next, I wanteded someone to block spinning attempts so that my entry-hazard work wouldn't go to waste, so I had a Rest-Sleep Talk Rotom-H. This way, I also had a counter to Fighting types and a status absorber.
Finally, since I had Rotom-H and Shuckle using Rest, I felt that I needed a cleric, and I didn't like Blissey, since it's so easy to set up on or kill (or both), so Celebi was in order. Plus, Grass is my favorite type.
But this left me with a weakness to endgame Swords Dance Lucario with Crunch, so I swapped Tyranitar with Hippowdon. And here is the final
(Thanks to dragonflycave.com for sprites.)
Well, please rate my team! I think what the members are is pretty solid, but I'll accept a couple things here or there (but they must be good, and I will not replace Shuckle or Flygon). Also, I'd appreciate it if my team wasn't made too offensive. Balanced to stall is what I like and play best.
