Offensive team with plans to Calm the Mind

[Dan Dan]

At a glance:

Bestow the crappy MS Paintwork. This team largely a team built around Flygon and Jirachi, with other heavy hitters there to keep on the offensive to allow for a clear sweep with Jirachi.

Mystic (Flygon) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 Atk/184 Spd/252 SAtk
Mild nature (+SAtk, -Def)
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
---

Flygon is still a great lead, being able to hit outspeed a lot of threats and scout teams. On turn 1, U-turn is my usual move as I see what they want to do, unless I'm sure I can get a quick KO. Draco Meteor is a very powerful attack that 2HKOs Hippowdon and Swampert, and I can revenge kill a +1 Salamence. Flygon offers some great resistances, namely Ground and Rock making it a very nice switch in to Rhyperior and Tyranitar, whilst also being a great check for Zapdos, opposing Swampert and Celebi. Flygon is key to my team's success, so I will rarely leave it in to be sacrificed. It's lategame cleaning is way too useful.

Plasma (Rotom-c) @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 240 HP/204 Def/64 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Discharge
- Leaf Storm
- Light Screen
- Reflect
---

Rotom-C was something I really wanted to try with the addiion of Platinum. Leaf Storm will keep opposing Swampert at bay, and Discharge will hopefully spread a bit of status around. Reflect and Light Screen give me a much needed defensive boost. Rotom offers a huge number of resistances and immunities, and helps patch up some holes in my team.

Wish (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP/216 Def/40 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
---

Jirachi is one of my sweepers. I've used Jirachi in so many ways (support, physical, rain dance, SR, choice etc), but this one is the most simple to use, and easily the most destructive. Jirachi has excellent synergy with Flygon, and as I U-Turn out of an Ice attack, I can set up a Substitute on the switch out and get a Calm Mind in. 101 subs allow it to beat Blissey, Snorlax and Cresselia 1vs1 too. I gave it 404 HP / 300 Def / 270 Speed just for some nice numbers (101 subs, outspeeding Adamant Heracross etc).

Atrocious (Gyarados) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 Spd
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Rest
- Avalanche
- Sleep Talk
---

Bulky Gyarados is my #1 Salamence counter. Well, not Specs Mence. This beast easily takes a +1 DD Outrage and KOs back with Avalanche. It provides my team with much needed Fighting resistance, and gives me a designated status absorber. Waterfall is for STAB, and with a few EVs it sits at about 213, enough to outspeed stuff like Jolly Marowak and other pokemon that sit around 200 speed.

Armor (Tyranitar) (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Aqua Tail
---

My 5th spot is reserved for Tyranitar, an absolute monster in this game. With the item Choice Band, it's Crunches and Stone Edges put dents in anything that doesn't 4x resist. Aqua Tail is a Platinum addition, and a safer Choice Band option when facing numerous possible switch ins. It hits Heatran, Hippowdon and Hariyama for nice damage, all common switch ins for TTar. Pursuit/Crunch traps and kills Cress, Celebi, Gar and other frail Psychics.

Lava Dome (Heatran) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP/164 Spd/92 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
---

"Baitran". First couple of turns are spent setting up Stealth Rock and Toxic, hopefully catching a bulky wall off guard. Then I use Heatran's natural bulkiness and amazing resistances to wear down the opposing team. I don't mind switching this into a Trick once I get off SR, as I can save it as another late game cleaner.

Threats:

Scizor - Gyarados and Heatran make good checks and can scare Scizor off.
Heatran - Working around choice scarf ones with Heatran, Jirachi and Gyarados, all can hurt it.
Salamence - Gyarados takes on DD/CB variations, Flygon can revenge it. Specsmence is annoying as it usually takes out something before I realise it's a Specsmence.
Tyranitar - Flygon can take Quake/Slide for a bit, Gyarados non Stone Edges... pretty shaky against it tbh.
Zapdos - Flygon takes non HP ice, Heatran for those with HP ice or Heatwave. Bulky or SubZapdos may prove difficult.
Blissey - lol
Gyarados - DDos can be stopped by Jirachi up to 2 DDs if reflect is in play, Flygon can revenge with DM.
Lucario - Non Crunch variations are stopped by Rotom, Flygon does nicely as he outspeeds although changing Flygons nature to Rash could help with those Extrmespeeds.
Infernape - I have a lot of trouble with Infernape.
Gengar - McGar hurts my team although not common anymore. Sub/Punch or Focus Blast Gengars in general hurt me as Heatran can't switch in. Life Orb or Specs Shadow Balls flying around hurt too.

I usually don't get many replies so some advice about this and my team building in general would be great because it seems I've lost a lot of ground on the youth of today!

 

[Legacy Raider]

Hey

Overall your team is very well built overall, but I have some small EV suggestions. On your Gyarados, I would get rid of the extraneous Atk EVs and put them into HP. You don't need those EVs to kill Salamence with a boosted Avalanche, and even an unboosted one will KO it after SR damage with no Atk investment. Also, even with your 32 Atk EVs, you still can't 2HKO Celebi with boosted Avalanches so you might as well not bother. Gyarados needs all the HP and Def investment it can get for it to reliably counter Fighting types, so I would also drop all the Spe EVs and put them into Def. Jolly Marowak is a very uncommon threat, and if you do face it it will be either in Trick Room or with Speed boosts passed to it. So you should change your Gyarados' spread to 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Spe. However, if you do choose to run Dragon Dance over Avalanche (which would help you out against opposing stall teams a great deal), make the spread 252 HP, 220 Def, 36 Spe, which will let you hit 309 after 1 DD.

I don't really know what the EVs on your Heatran are meant to be doing, but I suggest you either use a more offensive EV spread or change it to a Rest Talker. If you do choose to make him bulky, make it on the special spectrum, as he is weak to 2 very common physical attack types making him unideal for physical tanking. Also, all Heatran should ensure that they outrun max speed Adamant Scizor or they risk taking a Superpower in the face. You need 160 Spe EVs for that.

You shouldn't run both Will-o-Wisp and Reflect on the same pokemon. I suggest dropping Will-O-Wisp for Light Screen and giving Rotom Light Clay. Also, I suggest EVing it to be bulky on the physcial spectrum, as this means that after a Reflect you can switch out of a CB Tyranitar Pursuit without dying. It will also make Rotom a much better fighting type counter with the extra Def, allowing him to take random Stone Edges, Ice Punches and Megahorns. The screens will help Jirachi set up a lot easier.

Flygon, with no boosting item, really wants Fire Blast to be able to 2HKO Bronzong and Celebi.

That's all I can think of right now. Hope it helps.

LR.

 

[Dan Dan]

Thanks for your reply Legacy Rider. I'm just making the changes that you suggested, and I'll give the team another run. I've editted my original post with the EV changes and moveset alterations.

 

[RaikouLover]

Jirachi wants to be faster... try this spread:

252 HP / 80 SpA / 176 Spe

That way, you outspeed Lucario and most Salamence to get the extra hit in. It makes a good back-up Lucario counter. The reason you don't need all that defense is that most things that actually hit Jirachi neutral anyway will break your sub (ie. Close Combat, Megahorn, and other fighting moves.)

 

[blasphemy1]

With threats such as Zapdos, Salamence, and Gyarados coming out late game, I really don't understand how Flygon cleans up late game. I suggest Outrage > Fire Blast. However, if it works for you, use it, although I think an explanation should be provided as Outrage is why U-Turn is soo valuable on Flygon.

 

[Dan Dan]

Well, most of the clean up with Flygon is: come in on something that threatens to sweep, use Draco Meteor, end of problem. I've tried Outrage on Flygon in the past, and it always fails to 2HKO stuff. With the EVs, I get an easy OHKO on Salamence and 2hko on Hippo. Swampert doesn't quite get 2hkod which is annoying. I tried HP Grass > Fire Blast for a bit and that worked nicely, but Bronzong and Skarmory more important imo.

I'll try the Jirachi spread, thanks RL