On your marks, get set, rate! (sandstorm brewing...)

[Expert Evan]

For an upcoming competitive tournament tomorrow which only allows non-legendary pokemon, I am placing here my son's intended team which usually does very well though using the same pokemon presents the opportunity for his opponents to better prepare for his team, so while most of them are the same, I am open for suggestions. So without further ado, here's a glance at the sandstorm theme party:

Quiet male tyranitar @ leftovers
Ability: SandStream
EVs: 252 HP, 190 sp.atk, 68 speed
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
Classic boah sent in to summon the sandstorm. An opponent thinking this is a dragon dancer might switch in garchomp only to get ice beamed, or switch out a blissey for gengar to get dark pulsed instead. 101 substitutes & focus punch almost guarantee at least one or 2 kills.

Relaxed Bronzong @ leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Atk / 8 Def / 96 SpD
- Hypnosis
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
Intended to use for supporting purposes as it's a defensive wall to prevent sweeps

Jolly Male Aerodactyl @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Attack/speed, 6 HP
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Aerial Ace
Speed and flinching rock slide make it hard to stop except for the likes of an ice sharding weavile.

Adamant female gyarados @ lum berry
Ability = Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Waterfall
Didn't have much luck with the bulky version last time so giving the DDGyara set a try to setup and cause more damage sooner.

adamant male garchomp @ choice scarf
Ability = Sand Veil
EVs: 160HP/252Atk/96Spd
- stone edge
- outrage
- fire blast
- earthquake
Enough to outspeed anybody except ninjask and other certain scarfers and is often primed to sweep late in the game.

adamant metagross @ Shuca Berry
ability = clear body
EVs = 160 HP, 252 Attack, 96 Speed
- Agility
- Thunderpunch
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
It can survive an earthquake with a berry then agility to prime itself the upper hand for an all-out sweep

This is the intended main team. For alternatives, we also have a careful special wall cradily, modest or adamant lucario & more recently a jolly gliscor with the physical sweeper set.

 

[IggyBot]

I'm thinking you're going to have a fair amount of trouble with HP Ice Yanmega. If this is on WiFi, don't worry about it. If it's on shoddy, Yanmega usage is rising, and it 1-2HKO's everything on this team.

I really think you can replace Aerodactyl. You already have Gyarados, Garchomp and Metagross, all three are physical powerhouses. I would add something special, with a Scarf. Porygon-Z, Gengar, Tinted Lense Yanmega (or Speed Boost, with Protect) come to mind. This would let you use Swords Dance Garchomp as well. Use either Sub / Salac, or a Yache Berry. With DD Gyarados, SD Garchomp and Agility Metagross, I think you're simply going to overpower any team physically.

Change Gyarados's EV spread to 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe. You will hit 384 speed after just 1 Dragon Dance, outspeeding everything up to +speed base 125 pokemon, like Weavile. Also consider Stone Edge over Ice Fang.

It's really a shame that the tournament is no legendarys, because Scarf Heatran over Aerodactyl could help quite a bit. It's a great Yanmega counter and hits very hard with special attacks.

 

[gaburu]

Sorry to say, but your team may be finished if you run into a few physcial walls. Other than your boah eveything else is physical and that could be a real problem with pokemon such as steelix and skarmory. Iggybot is right about the Yanmega factor. Since I can't really think of a good sweeper for you at the moment, I say use your weakness as your strength by making a Yanmega of your own.

 

[Djengo]

You need a fast special sweeper may I suggest the Yanmega the others suggested? With legends being banned that removes Azelf which is a blessing and a curse depending on if you were planning to use one so perhaps gengar would do the same job to a degree? maybe put that over Aero and see if you can't squeeze a wall in possibly over Gross? maybe Hippo/Skarm etc. you do have potential to win but I think you definetly need a special sweeper of some kind

 

[Shinkou]

I am trying to stick to the Sandstorm Theme while having at least 1 Non-Sandstorm compatible Pokemon, so for the Special Sweeper how about Specs Lucario? Also what do you all think about Gliscor being added to this team?

 

[Djengo]

you can try it but remember its not themes that win battles, however you have done a good job finding ss resisting pokemon that arent Ice weak so Gliscor could find a nice place on the team to fly over incoming EQ's and to counter Hera IMO it is almost a must

 

[Expert Evan]

Update, just found out they're actually allowing heatran in this PBR tournament today so I'll plan to include it. We have Juuka's rash heatran which was designed to be a choice scarfer at least.

Edit: I forgot to mention this is 3 vs 3.

 

[Purple Jesus]

For 3v3 Garchomp/Metagross/Gyarados are an obvious combo that cover each others weaknesses well and are bulky enough to take a hit. GDos lead for the lum berry probably.

EDIT: of course then you miss out on the TTar sandstorm. I guess TTar/Gdos/Chomp is a pretty good combo also.

 

[IggyBot]

Oh, if this is 3v3, that changes a lot. If Heatran is being allowed, it will defitnatly help, both in 3v3 and 6v6.

I've found 3v3 to be much, much more offensive. Yanmega does quite well in 3v3, especially if you were to run a set like Substitute / Hypnosis / Bug Buzz / Air Slash. HP Ice or Ground could be substituted in over either BB or AS. You could sleep one of your opponents pokemon, and the next turn substitute. If they switch, you're almost gauranteed 2 free attacks thanks to speed boost. If they stay in, well, Yanmega is just a monster of a pokemon to be facing with Substitute.

 

[Expert Evan]

As it turned out, bronzong & aerodactyl were replaced with jolly gliscor & rash heatran as heatran was in for the final win of the PBR tournament this evening. As the final opponent, I had counters lucario, weavile & yanmega and he managed to win in the end with heatran.