Changes in BoldIntroducing:
Myself. I'm SenorKetchum! This is my first RMT, as well as my first post on Smogon. Since 2 days ago, when I started Shoddying, I've made 3 teams. This would be the third one, since the other 2 were basically me trying to get the hang of battling competitively. I asked for help in the main chat, and a few users were kind enough to help me get to the point where I win a large majority of my matches with the find tab. However, I'm sure that I could be way better, which is all I really wanna do. Again, I'm new at this, so I'm open to any criticism/advice/"hey do this." So without further ado,
MY TEAM
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
- Grass Knot
The major change. In my battles I would have major problems with entry hazards. They hurt, and I hate Toxic Spikes. I brought in a Rapid Spinner, Starmie. Like Dragonite, it's a very effective anti-lead, beating or really damaging pretty much anything not packing U-Turn. I loved Dragonite against other Dragons, Starmie still can outspeed them mostly and murder with and Ice Beam. Grass Knot helps against Swampert, though I'm not sure if it's overkill with my Rotom-C. Surf rounds out the set, one of the best STAB moves on my team. Most attacks sent at Starmie come from special attackers, which Snorlax loves to come in on.
Swampert (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Protect
While I don't have a Dragonite luring in Ice Beams any longer, Swampert still plays a very important role in my team. Basically a second lead. I still like to bring it out and lay down SR. I use Protect to scout for a grass move on Pokemon like Heatran or Infernape, and if they don't have them EQ does wonders. I have Ice Beam, but I'm wondering if there's a better option due to Starmie and Jirachi being able to handle Dragons already. I have no way to stop Baton Passers once they're set up, so is Roar over Ice Beam sensible maybe? I use Jirachi/Snorlax to receive the grass attacks Swampert will always receive.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
Late game sweeper/counter to a lot of threats. It's so versatile, and I chose Ice Punch over trick because I like to be able to KO things like Gliscor, as well as the flying Dragons. Fire Punch is basically for Scizor and other steels, as well as other bugs. Iron Head is almost unfair with STAB and Serene Grace, but doesn't one hit Flygon and Salamence. I was told to use this pokemon and it was the best advice I've gotten here yet. I don't have much to really say about this pokemon except that it's saved me from a lot of DD Gyarados sweeps, as well as finishing off matches for me. It does well with Gengar and Dragonite. Plus, flinchhax!
Tbolt did better than Tpunch against Skarm and Gyara
If I feel a fire move I bring out Swampert, a ghost move, then Snorlax, but for ground or fighting I go with
Rotom-c @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/168 Def/88 Spd
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Discharge
- Will-o-wisp
- Leaf Storm
- Shadow Ball
Previously, I used Rotom basically as a Gengar, which was bad. This is the "double status" set, even though Discharge only causes 30% paralysis, it works pretty effectively. Will-o-wisp shuts down physical attackers well, Shadow Ball stings when it's switch into, and Leaf Storm is awesome against Swampert/the reason I chose this appliance. Incoming Ghost moves allow me to switch to..
Snorlax (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP/100 Atk/156 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Body Slam
- Crunch
- Sleep Talk
- Rest
I ended up going with Rest Talk Snorlax, it gave me something for status with Jolteon gone, and played to Snorlax's strengths better. Body Slam's paralysis as well as being a STAB attack is why I chose it over Return, and Crunch allows Snorlax to not be walled against Ghost types, which is what I'm usually switchin Snorlax into. Rest/Sleep Talk keep me alive/helps a lot with status.
Machamp @ Leftovers
Adamant 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
~ Dynamicpunch
~ Payback
~ Substitute
~ Stone Edge
"SubChamp gives you that straight off the bat power, but without the glass cannon-ness of Gengar. Stall is another big issue that needs to be resolved, and SubChamp can clean up a weakened stall team easily. He gives you the physical prowess that your team really lacks. At the moment, it's really anyone's game against the average player's average balance team, but Machamp tips the scales in a battle with the average player. They have a 50% chance to attack you, but when they do they still have to suffer through another attack, AND get another coin flip. Just to put a dent in Machamp. He along with Snorlax should help you out a lot."
-Bad Ass
Let me know what you think! From my experiences so far, I tried to give my best possible descriptions for every pokemon listed. I read other RMTs and improved my own descriptions. If anyone has any advice for this, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
Oh, you! (OU) RMT
- Thread starter SenorKetchum
- Start date
Thunderbolt over ThunderPunch is a must on Choice Scarfed Jirachi to prevent getting walled by Skarmory.
Against a standard 252 HP / 64 Atk / 176 Def / 16 Spe Skarmory: ThunderPunch deals between 24-29%, whereas ThunderBolt inflicts a staggering 55-65%, sealing a 2HKO.
ThunderBolt also helps with taking down Gyarados easier as ThunderBolt is unaffected by Intemidate.
Against a standard 252 HP / 64 Atk / 176 Def / 16 Spe Skarmory: ThunderPunch deals between 24-29%, whereas ThunderBolt inflicts a staggering 55-65%, sealing a 2HKO.
ThunderBolt also helps with taking down Gyarados easier as ThunderBolt is unaffected by Intemidate.
A minor nitpick--if you want to increase the power of Explosion on your Gengar while keeping a +Speed nature, I would suggest running Naïve/Hasty nature(I generally choose Hasty because most physical attacks used against Gengar (Bullet Punch) would KO you anyway even without the -Def. nature. However, you can still take weak special attacks from Blissey without too much worry).
An alternative to Gengar is Rotom-A. You lose Explosion and Focus Blast, but you gain STAB on Thunderbolt and you can use Hidden Power on either of them to get Fighting 70 if Focus Blast misses too much.
You can also bring in Swampert against Thunder Waves, and typically threaten the opponent out. I recommend Roar or Protect over Surf on Swampert, too. It serves more purpose overall than Surf, I find.
I'm not convinced of Jolteon here. You don't really have anything like Gyarados or Suicune or any other Electric-bait to abuse it's ability, so any other status-absorber could back-up Swampert to take TWaves. There's RestTalkers, for a start, like Gyarados/Machamp/Rotom-A, or there's Guts things like Machamp or Scarfed Heracross.
Finally, there are things like Refresh/Psycho Shift Latias.
You can also bring in Swampert against Thunder Waves, and typically threaten the opponent out. I recommend Roar or Protect over Surf on Swampert, too. It serves more purpose overall than Surf, I find.
I'm not convinced of Jolteon here. You don't really have anything like Gyarados or Suicune or any other Electric-bait to abuse it's ability, so any other status-absorber could back-up Swampert to take TWaves. There's RestTalkers, for a start, like Gyarados/Machamp/Rotom-A, or there's Guts things like Machamp or Scarfed Heracross.
Finally, there are things like Refresh/Psycho Shift Latias.
Aren't Jolteon and Gengar enough to take care of Skarmory and do a better job at it? You do have a point with Gyarados though, although if it gets an Intimidate off, he'd probably either revenge-killing or setting up on the Jirachi (if locked to something other than TPunch), so he'd have to switch out anyway.
Here are my two cents:
-Gengar should have a Hasty/Naive nature to give Explosion more power.
-I think Snorlax would be better off with Immunity to prevent Toxics
-Not sure if Dragonite would be OHKO's often to necessitate the use of a Focus Sash. If you fear Ice Shards, perhaps you can give it a Yache Berry to live some ice attacks so that it would have more bulk for later.
Yeah, I'm not sure why a SpecsJolteon has Baton Pass either. My initial guess was so that it could escape a boosted Pursuit but I'm sure Pursuit users would have better options against Jolteon...
Okay, first, I would l would like to say that you are not one of those dumbass members who has 2 posts, and that what you say is actually coherent. Thank you for making your RMT readable! The team isn't bad at all, but I do see some things that could improve it. The first is Snorlax. While I do like Snorlax, Snorlax without healing is pretty bad. While he does work well to absorb a lot of blows that you can't take otherwise, it is that exact reason I want you to change him around. Anything can just come in, dent him, switch out, rinse and repeat until Snorlax is dead. That's why I think Stalk Snorlax would be better suited to you. He still gets that good coverage in Body Slam and Crunch, but you can rest off all the damage and come back in later to take more blows. Besides, he won't be sweeping anyway with all the high powered attacks and steel types going around, so you might as well just have him do the one thing he is good at. The evs given allow him to not be a sitting duck, but not lose too much defensive power
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Adamant 252 Hp / 156 SDef / 100 Atk
~ Body Slam
~ Crunch
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
The second change is a little nitpick, but I want you to use a Life Orb on your Dragonite. It lets you score some notable OHKOes, like on Gliscor. If you need him to come back in to revenge late game, Life Orb is better there too. The only thing that bites is how Swampert beats you now, but if it goes for the kill, they get no Stealth Rock. If they go for rocks, you get a free kill.
Lastly, I want you to replace Jolteon. His main purpose on this team was to, what, absorb Thunder Waves? You have something for that now. There is something that better fits in Jolteon's team slot. I really think that a Sub Machamp would fit in that slot better. I know they are two completely different Pokèmon, but you don't need another strong special attacker. SubChamp gives you that straight off the bat power, but without the glass cannon-ness of Gengar. Stall is another big issue that needs to be resolved, and SubChamp can clean up a weakened stall team easily. He gives you the physical prowess that your team really lacks. At the moment, it's really anyone's game against the average player's average balance team, but Machamp tips the scales in a battle with the average player. They have a 50% chance to attack you, but when they do they still have to suffer through another attack, AND get another coin flip. Just to put a dent in Machamp. He along with Snorlax should help you out a lot. Here's the set.
Machamp @ Leftovers
Adamant 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
~ Dynamicpunch
~ Payback
~ Substitute
~ Stone Edge
Well, that's all I have to say. I hope my changes help your team, and good luck!
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Adamant 252 Hp / 156 SDef / 100 Atk
~ Body Slam
~ Crunch
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
The second change is a little nitpick, but I want you to use a Life Orb on your Dragonite. It lets you score some notable OHKOes, like on Gliscor. If you need him to come back in to revenge late game, Life Orb is better there too. The only thing that bites is how Swampert beats you now, but if it goes for the kill, they get no Stealth Rock. If they go for rocks, you get a free kill.
Lastly, I want you to replace Jolteon. His main purpose on this team was to, what, absorb Thunder Waves? You have something for that now. There is something that better fits in Jolteon's team slot. I really think that a Sub Machamp would fit in that slot better. I know they are two completely different Pokèmon, but you don't need another strong special attacker. SubChamp gives you that straight off the bat power, but without the glass cannon-ness of Gengar. Stall is another big issue that needs to be resolved, and SubChamp can clean up a weakened stall team easily. He gives you the physical prowess that your team really lacks. At the moment, it's really anyone's game against the average player's average balance team, but Machamp tips the scales in a battle with the average player. They have a 50% chance to attack you, but when they do they still have to suffer through another attack, AND get another coin flip. Just to put a dent in Machamp. He along with Snorlax should help you out a lot. Here's the set.
Machamp @ Leftovers
Adamant 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
~ Dynamicpunch
~ Payback
~ Substitute
~ Stone Edge
Well, that's all I have to say. I hope my changes help your team, and good luck!
Grass Knot is a viable alternative to Thunderbolt on Scarf Jirachi to hit mainly Swampert hard. But when it comes down to the decision of ThunderPunch vs. Thunderbolt on Jirachi, Thunderbolt is always the better option for reasons I mentioned in my first post.
Take Electivire for example, whose Attack stat is far higher than it's Special Attack, Thunderbolt is still nearly always the better option for the same reasons as Jirachi.
Thanks all
I took a little advice from everyone except switching Gengar, only because I'm not familiar with Rotom-A..if someone could clarify that I'd appreciate it
I also, went ahead and gave Dragonite the Life Orb, though I might go back to be able to kill those other Dragons if I feel it's necessary. But we shall see.
I figured out the A was for appliance
so, I'll leave Tbolt on Jirachi, bring in Machamp for Jolteon, and Use Rotom-C instead of Gengar, so I can have something for Swampert still.
I took a little advice from everyone except switching Gengar, only because I'm not familiar with Rotom-A..if someone could clarify that I'd appreciate it
I also, went ahead and gave Dragonite the Life Orb, though I might go back to be able to kill those other Dragons if I feel it's necessary. But we shall see.
I figured out the A was for appliance
so, I'll leave Tbolt on Jirachi, bring in Machamp for Jolteon, and Use Rotom-C instead of Gengar, so I can have something for Swampert still.
Careful with those double posts. ^_^; In any case, I have just a small nitpick. On Snorlax, Thick Fat would be better than Immunity, considering Snorlax now has a way to be rid of annoying status. It will also make it another good switch-in to Fire and Ice attacks (even moreso). May as well supplement its bulky-ness with the ability, no..?
Seems to me like you have a solid team.
Seems to me like you have a solid team.
After another day spent testing, I replaced Starmie with Dragonite, basically to remove hazards. I still wonder if there's a better choice. I fixed those nitpicks, I'm also quite interested in using Expert Belt on Jirachi, but wouldn't I be scarily unprepared for Gyarados? If there's a way around that I'd appreciate hearing it. I'm not the best at this, and all the advice has helped tons. Just looking for a final glance at the seemingly finished product.