Hey Smogon Community. This is my first post, so it's sort of an introduction thread and many will think I'm just some newbie asking for advice. However, I've been lurking Smogon for what feels like years now and have been competitively battling since Gen 4. I feel that now I should probably actually get involved in posting and the likes, and perhaps I can even help with some analyses and testing, or the like. But, regardless, you're here to see my team, and so here it is!
About this team, I'm a battler who cares little for laddering and winning, but more so in just the mechanics and how to win. Usually, I am constantly changing my team from one thing to another on a very regular basis on what I find that a team needs and the like. It seems that lately, however, I find myself not having to change my team very often at all, actually, and that this team forms a defensive power that can hit back hard, a balanced team that can take on many different types of threats.
Fired (Scizor) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
One of the core powers to my team and easily essential and hard to put away. Scizor's scouting capabilities with sheer power and bulk make him a fierce competitor in today's (and yesterday's) metagame. A nasty bullet punch takes care of weakened foes and allows me to stop something bad from happening. U-turn is the move of choice, as it hits hard on most opponents that switch in to resist bullet punch like Rotom-W and allows myself to make a switch in for the better. Superpower is always fun to be able to beat Heatran on the switch or when I predict they decide to throw up Stealth Rock instead of Fire Blast. Pursuit, combined with U-turn, makes it very easy to defeat all Reuniclus and choice locked Lati@s, while still playing games and slows the fun with non choice variants. Fired is my main Tyranitar check with usually a U-turn that hits hard, although if they decide to switch a Ttar in on him, it usually means get out and send in Tanque (Heatran) or Slowbro to resist being literally "fired".
Scizor (and a few other team mates) also plays an important role in luring in Fire type attacks, which Heatran adores and takes can even threaten the likes of Blissey after a Flash Fire boost, especially if there is Sand or Sun on the field.
Tanque (Heatran) (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Dragon Pulse
Heatran is named Tanque for good reason. He comes in on many attacks that my team would have trouble with and soaks them and then retaliates with a powerful Fire Blast or helps set up with some Sneaky Pebbles. Because of his power and natural bulk and typing that can assist the rest of my team enormously, he provides an essential game turning momentum that only a powerful fire type and a bulky steel type can bring, all at once. The EV's and nature were were suggested by the Analysis team, and for good reason. He is not very fast with even 252 Speed, but he can still out speed a lot of potential threats. As Heatran forces so many switches, Stealth Rock goes with him almost perfectly and can save me later in the game from ultimate demise. Fire Blast is the move of choice over Flamethrower and damages anything that doesn't resist it, especially after a Flash Fire. Earth Power is to beat opposing Heatran and can actually beat Specially Defensive Tyranitar if it's not prepared to hit back with anything hard enough to beat me within a few turns. The fourth moveslot is tricky and changes a lot. It began with Hidden Power Ice to beat Gliscor and Dragonite, but Gliscor is usually taken out by Fire Blast with and prior damage or a Flash Fire boost, and now Dragon Pulse takes care of Dragonite in a similar manner. After HP Ice, I played with HP Electric to hit Gyarados, Bulky Waters, and for general team coverage, but then Tanque had trouble with Dragons (even as a steel type) and failed to beat a lot of the counters it faced. HP Grass was next in order to beat Gastrodon and Quagsire, but then changed to HP Rock after Virizion was added. HP Rock was a tested psuedo EdgeQuake Combo that Hit Dragonite and Gyarados hard, but not hard enough. With Gyarados being handled by other Team Members and Dragonite being ruined by Dragon Pulse, it seems so far that Dragon Pulse is the more optimal option that hits Everything but steel types Neutrally, which are ruined by Fire Blast or Earth Power.
Slooooowbro (Slowbro) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Fire Blast
- Psychic
- Slack Off
Slowbro is easily one of the best members on my team and can handle things that my team struggles with significantly. He has the coverage of Lati@s (minus the Dragon move), but can actually take hits from counters of these Pokemon (Scizor, Tyranitar) and can actually beat the variants unless Ttar is running Thunderbolt or Dark Pulse, which is not usually optimal. Among being help that can KO with no investment in Special Attack, he acts as a more surefire way of beating Physical Attackers with Scald's high burn rate and the massive Physical Bulk he brings to the field. Along with being a superb wall defensively that can hit back, he actually has two incredibly fantastic methods of recovery. Slack Off is nice for burned opponents or when predicting a switch, but what sees even more use is Slowbro switching out for a massive 130+ HP Regenerate. With Regenerate, moves that would 2 or 3HKO now take even longer and allow me to hit back after a couple turns of predicted switching. Slowbro takes most Physical (and some special) threats that would be able to destroy Gligscor, namely Gyarados or other water users and anything with Ice Punch. Slowbro gains special mention for being able to use a weather team's momentum against them. In the rain, Scald hits harder and can take care of all physical attackers in it not named Toxicroak, who doesn't stand a chance against Psychic while Sucker Punch only hits about 30% to Slowbro with no boosts. In the sun, Scald still gets merit for being able to burn physical attackers and still hits Fire types for considerable damage despite the power loss. In this weather, however, Fire Blast obliterates all Grass types that love to soak up the sun for their Chlorophyll fun almost as if Slowbro became Fire/Psychic due to the weather. Psychic is a powerful STAB move that can dwindle down opponents HP and actually allows me to outstall Chansey/Blissey due to the nice power and the potential drop in Special Defence.
Conkeldurr (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SDef
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Payback
- Mach Punch
Conkeldurr turns games on a dime. After one Bulk Up, he is ready to sweep, and if he could somehow manage to garner a Paralysis or Burn, the fun is multiplied (by 1.5, to be exact), as he cares not about speed nor the residual damage, although burn can add up if he must rely on Mach Punch and Payback to defeat enemies. Even without these boosts, his fantastic typing allows him to take hits from anything that isn't Reuniclus or Lati@s, but even so, if they have Psyshock instead of Psychic, the Conk stands a chance to retaliate with an extremely powerful Payback. He acts as a surefire way to beat Pokemon that plague my team, such as Blissey and Chansey, and surprises a lot of opponents with how a fighting type can beat a Psychic or Flying type. Generally, this is self explanatory and this will probably be my shortest explanation. Like Conkeldurr, I don't imagine he has stuff to say, but rather just liked to hit things. Really, really hard.
Wahisietel (Virizion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Giga Drain
- Calm Mind
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
When I first saw the Musketeer Trio (or Quad), I shrugged Virizion off as sort of being just there to sort of push things along. The more I fought him and the more I used him, however, I realized that Virizion is by far my favorite and in my opinion the best of all four. With an immense special bulk and typing that can eat up a lot of the metagame's attacks like Hydro Pumps, Surfs, Thunderbolts, and even Ice Beams, he becomes probably my most important Pokemon on my team. After a Calm Mind, He can even beat the likes of Thundurus, (who has my vote on being shipped off to the land of Blaziken, Soul Dew, and Mewtwo for being too powerful, but let's save that conversation for a rainy day). Virizion acts as a surefire way to completely overpower the likes of Rotom-W and Politoed. Giga Drain and Focus Blast carve a niche into a game that has immense trouble with fighting types and doesn't prepare for the ever so frail grass type. Calm Mind is something that boosts his immense Special Defence (that is untouched by EV's and nature) and Special Attack to levels that are alarming to even dedicated special walls like Blissey or sometimes Latias (who usually would force a switch with Roar or Psyshock). Hidden Power Ice rounds off the coverage and surprises a lot of Pokemon who are weak to it and has a surefire way of beating Ice Fang Gliscor.
Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 184 HP / 252 Def / 72 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Swords Dance
Gliscor brings something to the table that can only be done by a few well: Status absorbing with two key immunities. While this may not be the most appealing part of Gliscor, as a team that has immense trouble with the likes of Toxic and Thunderwave, Gliscor takes the cake in being the switch in for most status, and all hazardous status after Toxic Orb has been activated (which is usually easy to accomplish due to his resistances, immunities, and bulk). This set speaks for itself and lets me Taunt opponents or hit back with the appropriate move.
The problem I have with Gliscor is that he can usually not stay in due to the presence of powerful Special attackers, especially with the likes of Scald and other water attacks and the omnipresence of Ice Beam and Hidden Power Ice on everything that benefits from the fantastic coverage it brings. So, for a while, I used Tyranitar in place of Gliscor to round out the dedicated Special wall that my team needs and an easier way to deal with pesky psychic types, as even Slowbro makes easy work of threats that Gliscor can easily handle, like Conkledurr and Excadrill (even with X-Scissor). As well as defensive prowess, he helped me spread around paralysis and keep the weather off of sun or rain. But, my team can easily handle the likes of Drizzle and Drought, and the residual damage ended up hurting me more in the long run, as Conkledurr, Virizion, and Slowbro have very nice Recovery, the extra 6.25% adds up and negates the all important leftovers, so I had to make the cut for the massive dinosaur and head back to the poisonous sand imp.
Gliscor likes to help the team along in many ways as stated above, but he has trouble doing his job as many Pokemon carry ways to beat him, just because of his prowess if one isn't prepared. So, despite Gliscor being probably one of the longest running members on my team, I think that sooner or later Gliscor will have to be taken out. The main option that I think can handle Gliscor's job of Earthquake resistance and status absorbing (done even better by throwing it back) is none other than Sigilyph. I used to use the ancient Pokemon, but I had to make the cut because of frequent switching, horrible starting bulk that doesn't take undefended hits nicely, and relying on not being hit by a crit to succeed. But, as a Flying type with Magic Guard and a 4x resistance to fighting, it seems that Sigilyph may end up finding a spot in place of Gliscor in the future.
But, as for now, Gliscor does his job well enough and finds support for his weaknesses from my team.
OU Threat List
Images by Xous54. Slowbro and animated sprites by Gamefreak.
About this team, I'm a battler who cares little for laddering and winning, but more so in just the mechanics and how to win. Usually, I am constantly changing my team from one thing to another on a very regular basis on what I find that a team needs and the like. It seems that lately, however, I find myself not having to change my team very often at all, actually, and that this team forms a defensive power that can hit back hard, a balanced team that can take on many different types of threats.
Fired (Scizor) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
One of the core powers to my team and easily essential and hard to put away. Scizor's scouting capabilities with sheer power and bulk make him a fierce competitor in today's (and yesterday's) metagame. A nasty bullet punch takes care of weakened foes and allows me to stop something bad from happening. U-turn is the move of choice, as it hits hard on most opponents that switch in to resist bullet punch like Rotom-W and allows myself to make a switch in for the better. Superpower is always fun to be able to beat Heatran on the switch or when I predict they decide to throw up Stealth Rock instead of Fire Blast. Pursuit, combined with U-turn, makes it very easy to defeat all Reuniclus and choice locked Lati@s, while still playing games and slows the fun with non choice variants. Fired is my main Tyranitar check with usually a U-turn that hits hard, although if they decide to switch a Ttar in on him, it usually means get out and send in Tanque (Heatran) or Slowbro to resist being literally "fired".
Scizor (and a few other team mates) also plays an important role in luring in Fire type attacks, which Heatran adores and takes can even threaten the likes of Blissey after a Flash Fire boost, especially if there is Sand or Sun on the field.
Tanque (Heatran) (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Dragon Pulse
Heatran is named Tanque for good reason. He comes in on many attacks that my team would have trouble with and soaks them and then retaliates with a powerful Fire Blast or helps set up with some Sneaky Pebbles. Because of his power and natural bulk and typing that can assist the rest of my team enormously, he provides an essential game turning momentum that only a powerful fire type and a bulky steel type can bring, all at once. The EV's and nature were were suggested by the Analysis team, and for good reason. He is not very fast with even 252 Speed, but he can still out speed a lot of potential threats. As Heatran forces so many switches, Stealth Rock goes with him almost perfectly and can save me later in the game from ultimate demise. Fire Blast is the move of choice over Flamethrower and damages anything that doesn't resist it, especially after a Flash Fire. Earth Power is to beat opposing Heatran and can actually beat Specially Defensive Tyranitar if it's not prepared to hit back with anything hard enough to beat me within a few turns. The fourth moveslot is tricky and changes a lot. It began with Hidden Power Ice to beat Gliscor and Dragonite, but Gliscor is usually taken out by Fire Blast with and prior damage or a Flash Fire boost, and now Dragon Pulse takes care of Dragonite in a similar manner. After HP Ice, I played with HP Electric to hit Gyarados, Bulky Waters, and for general team coverage, but then Tanque had trouble with Dragons (even as a steel type) and failed to beat a lot of the counters it faced. HP Grass was next in order to beat Gastrodon and Quagsire, but then changed to HP Rock after Virizion was added. HP Rock was a tested psuedo EdgeQuake Combo that Hit Dragonite and Gyarados hard, but not hard enough. With Gyarados being handled by other Team Members and Dragonite being ruined by Dragon Pulse, it seems so far that Dragon Pulse is the more optimal option that hits Everything but steel types Neutrally, which are ruined by Fire Blast or Earth Power.
Slooooowbro (Slowbro) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Fire Blast
- Psychic
- Slack Off
Slowbro is easily one of the best members on my team and can handle things that my team struggles with significantly. He has the coverage of Lati@s (minus the Dragon move), but can actually take hits from counters of these Pokemon (Scizor, Tyranitar) and can actually beat the variants unless Ttar is running Thunderbolt or Dark Pulse, which is not usually optimal. Among being help that can KO with no investment in Special Attack, he acts as a more surefire way of beating Physical Attackers with Scald's high burn rate and the massive Physical Bulk he brings to the field. Along with being a superb wall defensively that can hit back, he actually has two incredibly fantastic methods of recovery. Slack Off is nice for burned opponents or when predicting a switch, but what sees even more use is Slowbro switching out for a massive 130+ HP Regenerate. With Regenerate, moves that would 2 or 3HKO now take even longer and allow me to hit back after a couple turns of predicted switching. Slowbro takes most Physical (and some special) threats that would be able to destroy Gligscor, namely Gyarados or other water users and anything with Ice Punch. Slowbro gains special mention for being able to use a weather team's momentum against them. In the rain, Scald hits harder and can take care of all physical attackers in it not named Toxicroak, who doesn't stand a chance against Psychic while Sucker Punch only hits about 30% to Slowbro with no boosts. In the sun, Scald still gets merit for being able to burn physical attackers and still hits Fire types for considerable damage despite the power loss. In this weather, however, Fire Blast obliterates all Grass types that love to soak up the sun for their Chlorophyll fun almost as if Slowbro became Fire/Psychic due to the weather. Psychic is a powerful STAB move that can dwindle down opponents HP and actually allows me to outstall Chansey/Blissey due to the nice power and the potential drop in Special Defence.
Conkeldurr (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SDef
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Payback
- Mach Punch
Conkeldurr turns games on a dime. After one Bulk Up, he is ready to sweep, and if he could somehow manage to garner a Paralysis or Burn, the fun is multiplied (by 1.5, to be exact), as he cares not about speed nor the residual damage, although burn can add up if he must rely on Mach Punch and Payback to defeat enemies. Even without these boosts, his fantastic typing allows him to take hits from anything that isn't Reuniclus or Lati@s, but even so, if they have Psyshock instead of Psychic, the Conk stands a chance to retaliate with an extremely powerful Payback. He acts as a surefire way to beat Pokemon that plague my team, such as Blissey and Chansey, and surprises a lot of opponents with how a fighting type can beat a Psychic or Flying type. Generally, this is self explanatory and this will probably be my shortest explanation. Like Conkeldurr, I don't imagine he has stuff to say, but rather just liked to hit things. Really, really hard.
Wahisietel (Virizion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Giga Drain
- Calm Mind
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
When I first saw the Musketeer Trio (or Quad), I shrugged Virizion off as sort of being just there to sort of push things along. The more I fought him and the more I used him, however, I realized that Virizion is by far my favorite and in my opinion the best of all four. With an immense special bulk and typing that can eat up a lot of the metagame's attacks like Hydro Pumps, Surfs, Thunderbolts, and even Ice Beams, he becomes probably my most important Pokemon on my team. After a Calm Mind, He can even beat the likes of Thundurus, (who has my vote on being shipped off to the land of Blaziken, Soul Dew, and Mewtwo for being too powerful, but let's save that conversation for a rainy day). Virizion acts as a surefire way to completely overpower the likes of Rotom-W and Politoed. Giga Drain and Focus Blast carve a niche into a game that has immense trouble with fighting types and doesn't prepare for the ever so frail grass type. Calm Mind is something that boosts his immense Special Defence (that is untouched by EV's and nature) and Special Attack to levels that are alarming to even dedicated special walls like Blissey or sometimes Latias (who usually would force a switch with Roar or Psyshock). Hidden Power Ice rounds off the coverage and surprises a lot of Pokemon who are weak to it and has a surefire way of beating Ice Fang Gliscor.
Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 184 HP / 252 Def / 72 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Swords Dance
Gliscor brings something to the table that can only be done by a few well: Status absorbing with two key immunities. While this may not be the most appealing part of Gliscor, as a team that has immense trouble with the likes of Toxic and Thunderwave, Gliscor takes the cake in being the switch in for most status, and all hazardous status after Toxic Orb has been activated (which is usually easy to accomplish due to his resistances, immunities, and bulk). This set speaks for itself and lets me Taunt opponents or hit back with the appropriate move.
The problem I have with Gliscor is that he can usually not stay in due to the presence of powerful Special attackers, especially with the likes of Scald and other water attacks and the omnipresence of Ice Beam and Hidden Power Ice on everything that benefits from the fantastic coverage it brings. So, for a while, I used Tyranitar in place of Gliscor to round out the dedicated Special wall that my team needs and an easier way to deal with pesky psychic types, as even Slowbro makes easy work of threats that Gliscor can easily handle, like Conkledurr and Excadrill (even with X-Scissor). As well as defensive prowess, he helped me spread around paralysis and keep the weather off of sun or rain. But, my team can easily handle the likes of Drizzle and Drought, and the residual damage ended up hurting me more in the long run, as Conkledurr, Virizion, and Slowbro have very nice Recovery, the extra 6.25% adds up and negates the all important leftovers, so I had to make the cut for the massive dinosaur and head back to the poisonous sand imp.
Gliscor likes to help the team along in many ways as stated above, but he has trouble doing his job as many Pokemon carry ways to beat him, just because of his prowess if one isn't prepared. So, despite Gliscor being probably one of the longest running members on my team, I think that sooner or later Gliscor will have to be taken out. The main option that I think can handle Gliscor's job of Earthquake resistance and status absorbing (done even better by throwing it back) is none other than Sigilyph. I used to use the ancient Pokemon, but I had to make the cut because of frequent switching, horrible starting bulk that doesn't take undefended hits nicely, and relying on not being hit by a crit to succeed. But, as a Flying type with Magic Guard and a 4x resistance to fighting, it seems that Sigilyph may end up finding a spot in place of Gliscor in the future.
But, as for now, Gliscor does his job well enough and finds support for his weaknesses from my team.
OU Threat List
Blissey - Easily beaten by Conkledurr. If Conkledurr is out, Scizor, Gliscor, and Virizion make easy work of the egg. Heal Bell tends to pose problems for Slowbro's burn damage, but other wise, Blissey is usually not much of a problem.
Breloom - Gliscor is the best way to deal with Breloom, who can absorb sleep and takes minimal damage from the main attacks. If Gliscor is gone, Scizor likes to Bullet Punch the mushroom into soup.
Bronzong - Almost all variants are dealt with by Heatran, my Pokemon of choice against him. If Heatran has a popped balloon or it is a Physical variant, Slowbro can burn and Fire Blast him. Virizion's Focus Blast and Scizor's U-turn can also add up the damage. Non special variants can be Drain Punched by Conkledurr.
Chandelure - Has never been a problem for me with the relatively low speed or if remidied by Scarf, easily taken care of by a predicted switch or mind games. A competent user with fabulous prediction, however, can always be defaulted to Heatran.
Cloyster - Easily handled by Scizor, Virizion, and Conkledurr, although I do not like switching Pokemon with Cloyster on the field, and usually will not unless it s Gliscor taking the hits, wherein I default to Slowbro. Anyone that isn't Gliscor can beat Cloyster otherwise with frail special defence (Heatran or Slowbro) or it's invaluable Water/Ice Typing (Virizion's Giga Drain, Scizor's BP 2HKO or Superpower OHKO with prior damage, and Conkledurr uses it's bulk to drain and outspeed with Drain Punch and Mach Punch, respectively).
Conkeldurr - If Conkeldurr is out, he usually underspeeds or already has a Bulk Up or status under his belt to muscle his way past other variants. Gliscor and Slowbro are very surefire ways to beat Conkeldurr, however, and I usually default to them. Scizor can not usually over power and Virizion and Heatran do not like taking his massive physical hits.
Darmanitan - Heatran and Gliscor together will beat Scarf variants with prediction, while Slowbro beats all variants all the time. Not usually a threat.
Deoxys-S - Since Deoxys usually leads, I default to my usual lead of Scizor. I always U-turn, and unless my opponent put up a Reflect, they usually only get one layer of Spikes or Stealth Rock before being beaten by a Focus Sashed U-turn and Mach Punch priority combination. If Reflect is used, it may mean trouble, however.
Dragonite - Physical variants are beaten by Heatran with Dragon Pulse and resistance to Dragon Claw/Fire Punch, while Slowbro can burn and cripple Dragonite for the rest of the match. If I cannot sustain a burn or if my opponent obtains too many boosts, however, I may still have trouble. Scizor can put a rain on it's parade with Bullet Punch and any prior damage, especially if locked into Outrage. Conkledurr can muscle it's way through with Payback if need be, and Virizion can beat with HP Ice if the opponent won't out speed or doesn't have full HP.
Excadrill - Easily taken care of by Gliscor or Slowbro. Conkeldurr loves to bend it's steel and Mach Punch the sand boost, while Virizion resists most of it's attacks and doesn't mind X-Scissor too much and can retaliate with a powerful Focus Blast against the frail mole.
Ferrothorn - Heatran can beat with Fire Blast even in the rain and Gliscor can taunt to uselessness. Conkeldurr can overpower with Drain Punch, although he does not like the recoil despite the healing. Slowbro is fun to face as people think that Ferrothorn can overpower with grass, but Power Whip fails to 2HKO and opponents are often surprised by Fire Blast.
Forretress - Scizor is the only Pokemon who can not beat Forretress, as everyone can focus on his Fire Weakness, taunt, or just being overpowered by fighting moves.
Gengar - Scizor is my first option, but I must be wary of a substitute and disable set if my opponent uses Disable when I break the Substitute with Bullet Punch. If this is the case, Conkeldurr switches in and beats with Payback, to where I then switch back to Scizor. Otherwise, Slowbro can beat with Psychic but does not like Shadow Ball whatsoever and Heatran can easily beat ith Fire Blast.
Gliscor - Virizion is default with HP Ice, but Heatran and Slowbro make easy work of him with their powerful and super effective STABs. I must be aware of surprise all out attacking Gliscors, however, and Acrobatics does not pose fun for Virizion.
Gyarados - Slowbro is almost always switched in and burns while resisting the STAB Waterfall. Bounce poses annoying with the paralysis chance, but otherwise, Slowbro is always a surefire way to beat it. Slowbro usually lasts the whole game and is often my last to faint, but if for some reason he is lost, then I may run into trouble and often times rely on Conkeldurr for the Payback or other random attacks to beat the psuedo Dragon.
Haxorus - Haxorus' Outrage causes problems for my team and my physical walls of Gliscor and Slowbro most often do not stand a chance against a Rivalry boosted one, which is why I just changed Slowbro's gender to be a surefire check against him. If Scizor is still around and healthy, Bullet Punch always beats him and his frailty.
Heatran - Gliscor makes quick work with Earthquake, while Conkeldurr and Heatran find their ways to beat him by hitting with Drain Punch or breaking his balloon and using Earth Power, if the balloon is still intact.
Hippowdon - Can cause problems if there are entry hazards, but otherwise is dealt with by Virizion and Slowbro.
Hydreigon - Choice variants are not a problem and other variants are beaten by Scizor and Conkeldurr. Heatran can also hit back with Dragon Pulse, although I have to be wary of Surf.
Infernape - Slowbro is the best counter for him and only takes about 30% from the average U-turn and then attempts a burn on the switch. If Slowbro is gone, then Heatran and Gliscor make nice prediction buddies, although I must be wary of Close Combat and HP Ice. Scizor picks off weakened ones with Bullet Punch, which is very often the case for Infernape for whatever reason.
Jellicent - Virizion eats up this watery grave with Giga Drain and doesn't mind the burn as much as it does Toxic. Conkeldurr beats almost all variants with Payback as well, and actually enjoys the burn from Scald or Will-o-Wisp.
Jirachi - Heatran is the best way to beat him with two stabs, despite the fantastic special bulk. Jirachi is usually a switch in for Scizor or Virizion, and so Heatran likes to absorb a Fire Punch from other variants. Virizion can also beat with Focus Blast, Slowbro with Scald and Fire Blast, Gliscor with Earthquake, and is overpowered by Conkeldurr, especially with the ever so prevalent paralysis on Jirachi.
Landorus - Can cause problems in the sand, but is often beaten by Gliscor, Virizion, Heatran, or Slowbro. Scizor also beats with Bullet Punch.
Latias - One of the hardest things to beat for my team, and one of the reasons I tested out Tyranitar. Non Psychic variants are beaten by Conkeldurr, while Virizion can beat with Calm Mind unless Latias is running Psyshock. Scizor can beat Psyshock variants without Hidden Power Fire.
Latios - Poses a problem, but can be beaten by Conkeldurr and Scizor, especially if choice locked. Heatran is the designated recipient of Draco Meteor, and can hit back with Dragon Pulse.
Lucario - Every single Pokemon on my team wipes the floor with Lucario, there is no simpler way to put this, lol. The only thing I can think of is if Scizor is choiced into Bullet Punch and for some reason Conkeldurr, Gliscor, and Slowbro are defeated and it is a physical Lucario that used Agility on the switch. Even then, I still don't see it posing problems, as U-turn is the move of choice and I can send Scizor back in to threaten with Superpower. It's funny to think that Lucario was so powerful last generation.
Machamp- Can be a problem if it runs Ice Punch, but Gliscor and Slowbro can both outpace him and outpace him. Slowbro is the designated response to him.
Magnezone - Heatran beats all variants, but Scizor must be constantly on the prowl of U-turn and Superpower if Magnezone is alive via team preview. If Heatran is gone, then Virizion makes easy work of him with his Special Bulk, typing, and powerful Focus Blast.
Metagross - Never been a problem and everything on my team can beat him.
Mienshao - Bullet Punch from Scizor is the move of Choice because of the frailty of Meinshao, but Slowbro can beat him and Gliscor can threaten non Hidden Power Ice variants.
Ninetales - Heatran's favorite chew toy. Conkeldurr usually beats Ninetales as well.
Politoed - Scizor often U-turns on the first turn to see what type of Politied I'm facing. The Pokemon I respond to after that is Virizion, and if my opponent doesn't have a Toxicroak or Lizuid Ooze Tentacruel, I may often just sweep right there and then unless a Blissey/Chansey comes and Paralyzes or Toxic's me.
Porygon2 - Can be a problem for some variants, but Conkeldurr usually makes easy work of the duck. Virizion shrugs off Ice Beam and hits back with Focus Blast, although I must still be wary of the Paralysis.
Reuniclus - Scizor makes quick work of all variants of Reuniclus, and Conkeldurr actually can beat with Payback if full HP, but must be wary of the set Reuniclus is running. Payback variants are the easiest to beat with Gliscor and Conkeldurr, but Virizion doesn't stand a chance.
Rotom-W - Virizion drinks Hydro Pumps to fuel his massive Giga Drain. I must be wary of Trick, Paralysis, or Toxic, however. If Virizion can not do the job, Scizor and Conkeldurr can ween down with U-Turn and Drain Punch, although Virizion is very important to keep alive during the event that Rotom-W has nice support or it usually means a sweep if he is gone.
Salamence - Never has posed much of a problem. Heatran Dragon Pulses, Scizor revenges with Bullet Punch, Slowbro burns and resists Fire Blast, Virizion Hidden Power Ice's, and Gliscor Ice Fangs. Scouting the set always helps, however.
Scizor - Slowbro adores burning with scald or literally burning with Fire Blast. If he is gone, Heatran and Gliscor make quick work and Fired (my Scizor) makes easy work if the opposing one is Choice Locked. Conkeldurr's Drain Punch usually beats as well. Virizion does not like going head to head, although he usually beats with Focus Blast.
Scrafty - Conkeldurr is an easy option to beat, while Scizor makes a nice switch in with Bullet Punch or Superpower.
Skarmory - Heatran and Slowbro love to Fire Blast Skamory to death, while switch in don't like Scald from Slowbro. Conkeldurr also beats with a Bulk Up or at full HP and a Drain Punch and Mach Punch combination.
Starmie - Virizion is my designated switch in, but he has no time to Calm Mind as Life Orb variants outspeed and 2HKO with Ice Beam and maybe prior damage. If Virizion is gone, I may have problems, but Scizor can often threaten the Psychic type with U-turn or Pursuit. Conkeldurr does not like going head to head, but if not running Psychic, Conkeldurr can Payback.
Swampert - Beaten by Slowbro's burn or Virizion's Giga Drain, although Virizion has to watch out for Physical Ice Moves, despite Swampert usually runs Ice Beam instead.
Tentacruel - Can be problematic, especially with Toxic Spikes and no surefire way to beat. It is usually easier to beat in the rain, as Virizion can beat with Giga Drain as it runs Rain Dish there, but Liquid Ooze Variants annoy Virizion. If one layer of Toxic Spikes is up, I often switch to Conkeldurr to catch the poison before it gets too bad. With regular poison and Rain Dish, Conkeldurr can also beat. Gliscor and Heatran can outspeed and OHKO with Earthquake and Earthpower, but they MUST be wary of Scald or Surf.
Terrakion - Has never posed much of a threat, as everyone has a way to deal with him. Scizor's Bullet Punch or Earth Power, Heatran's Earth Power (but must be wary of Close Combat or Double Dance after a Rock Polish), Slowbro's powerful STABs, Conkeldurr's bulk and STAB, Virizion's STABs namely Giga Drain, and Gliscor's Earthquake.
Thundurus - Often poses a threat. Virizion is my best answer but can still often beat most variants, unless I get unlucky with paralysis (seriously, I just want to ban this thing so badly, it has no counters, but just ignore this bit).
Tornadus - Can be a problem, but is often beaten by Slowbro or Heatran's STABs. Virizion wants to keep it's distance. Gliscor can take hits but has a hard time hitting back, especially on Bulk Up variants. Scizor's Bullet Punch is usually a solid response.
Toxicroak - Slowbro is the best way to beat Toxicroak, but Gliscor and Heatran can often beat him as well.
Tyranitar - Scizor makes quick work of Tyranitar, and always forces a switch unless they are running a Fire Move, in which case I U-turn to Heatran to outstall with Earth Power. U-turn is the move of choice against him unless weakened, in which I pick off with Bullet Punch. Slowbro also beats all variants that don't run Thunderbolt or Dark Pulse, but these moves are not optimal for Tyranitar. Virizion resists his physical STABs and Earthquake, while shrugging off Fire Blasts and Ice Beams. Conkeldurr can always beat him as well with Drain Punch or Mach Punch.
Vaporeon - Virizion is the best answer, but must be wary of Toxic. Conkeldurr can outdo him as well while generally ignoring Scald and Toxic.
Venusaur - Heatran is the modus operandi, but can also be taken care of by Scizor's STABs, Virizion's Hidden Power Ice, and Gliscor's Ice Fang or Earthquake.
Virizion - Calm Mind variants are beaten by Scizor's Bullet Punch and sometimes Conkeldurr's punches, although it must be wary of Focus Blast. Physical variants are usually a joke and are beaten by Slowbro, Gliscor, and residual damage and no way of healing itself, especially with the prevalent Life Orb attached and Close Combat's defense drop.
Volcarona - Stealth Rock and Heatran's Fire Blast can beat him, but I may sometimes be beat even after a Stealth Rock hit if Heatran is incapacitated. If this is the case, I default to Conkeldurr's payback.
Whimsicott - Scizor loves to U-turn and Bullet Punch while Virizion eats up Leech seeds. Nearly every Pokemon of mine can beat him unless they decide that Cotton Guard is worth a moveslot, in which case, I go to my special attackers.
Breloom - Gliscor is the best way to deal with Breloom, who can absorb sleep and takes minimal damage from the main attacks. If Gliscor is gone, Scizor likes to Bullet Punch the mushroom into soup.
Bronzong - Almost all variants are dealt with by Heatran, my Pokemon of choice against him. If Heatran has a popped balloon or it is a Physical variant, Slowbro can burn and Fire Blast him. Virizion's Focus Blast and Scizor's U-turn can also add up the damage. Non special variants can be Drain Punched by Conkledurr.
Chandelure - Has never been a problem for me with the relatively low speed or if remidied by Scarf, easily taken care of by a predicted switch or mind games. A competent user with fabulous prediction, however, can always be defaulted to Heatran.
Cloyster - Easily handled by Scizor, Virizion, and Conkledurr, although I do not like switching Pokemon with Cloyster on the field, and usually will not unless it s Gliscor taking the hits, wherein I default to Slowbro. Anyone that isn't Gliscor can beat Cloyster otherwise with frail special defence (Heatran or Slowbro) or it's invaluable Water/Ice Typing (Virizion's Giga Drain, Scizor's BP 2HKO or Superpower OHKO with prior damage, and Conkledurr uses it's bulk to drain and outspeed with Drain Punch and Mach Punch, respectively).
Conkeldurr - If Conkeldurr is out, he usually underspeeds or already has a Bulk Up or status under his belt to muscle his way past other variants. Gliscor and Slowbro are very surefire ways to beat Conkeldurr, however, and I usually default to them. Scizor can not usually over power and Virizion and Heatran do not like taking his massive physical hits.
Darmanitan - Heatran and Gliscor together will beat Scarf variants with prediction, while Slowbro beats all variants all the time. Not usually a threat.
Deoxys-S - Since Deoxys usually leads, I default to my usual lead of Scizor. I always U-turn, and unless my opponent put up a Reflect, they usually only get one layer of Spikes or Stealth Rock before being beaten by a Focus Sashed U-turn and Mach Punch priority combination. If Reflect is used, it may mean trouble, however.
Dragonite - Physical variants are beaten by Heatran with Dragon Pulse and resistance to Dragon Claw/Fire Punch, while Slowbro can burn and cripple Dragonite for the rest of the match. If I cannot sustain a burn or if my opponent obtains too many boosts, however, I may still have trouble. Scizor can put a rain on it's parade with Bullet Punch and any prior damage, especially if locked into Outrage. Conkledurr can muscle it's way through with Payback if need be, and Virizion can beat with HP Ice if the opponent won't out speed or doesn't have full HP.
Excadrill - Easily taken care of by Gliscor or Slowbro. Conkeldurr loves to bend it's steel and Mach Punch the sand boost, while Virizion resists most of it's attacks and doesn't mind X-Scissor too much and can retaliate with a powerful Focus Blast against the frail mole.
Ferrothorn - Heatran can beat with Fire Blast even in the rain and Gliscor can taunt to uselessness. Conkeldurr can overpower with Drain Punch, although he does not like the recoil despite the healing. Slowbro is fun to face as people think that Ferrothorn can overpower with grass, but Power Whip fails to 2HKO and opponents are often surprised by Fire Blast.
Forretress - Scizor is the only Pokemon who can not beat Forretress, as everyone can focus on his Fire Weakness, taunt, or just being overpowered by fighting moves.
Gengar - Scizor is my first option, but I must be wary of a substitute and disable set if my opponent uses Disable when I break the Substitute with Bullet Punch. If this is the case, Conkeldurr switches in and beats with Payback, to where I then switch back to Scizor. Otherwise, Slowbro can beat with Psychic but does not like Shadow Ball whatsoever and Heatran can easily beat ith Fire Blast.
Gliscor - Virizion is default with HP Ice, but Heatran and Slowbro make easy work of him with their powerful and super effective STABs. I must be aware of surprise all out attacking Gliscors, however, and Acrobatics does not pose fun for Virizion.
Gyarados - Slowbro is almost always switched in and burns while resisting the STAB Waterfall. Bounce poses annoying with the paralysis chance, but otherwise, Slowbro is always a surefire way to beat it. Slowbro usually lasts the whole game and is often my last to faint, but if for some reason he is lost, then I may run into trouble and often times rely on Conkeldurr for the Payback or other random attacks to beat the psuedo Dragon.
Haxorus - Haxorus' Outrage causes problems for my team and my physical walls of Gliscor and Slowbro most often do not stand a chance against a Rivalry boosted one, which is why I just changed Slowbro's gender to be a surefire check against him. If Scizor is still around and healthy, Bullet Punch always beats him and his frailty.
Heatran - Gliscor makes quick work with Earthquake, while Conkeldurr and Heatran find their ways to beat him by hitting with Drain Punch or breaking his balloon and using Earth Power, if the balloon is still intact.
Hippowdon - Can cause problems if there are entry hazards, but otherwise is dealt with by Virizion and Slowbro.
Hydreigon - Choice variants are not a problem and other variants are beaten by Scizor and Conkeldurr. Heatran can also hit back with Dragon Pulse, although I have to be wary of Surf.
Infernape - Slowbro is the best counter for him and only takes about 30% from the average U-turn and then attempts a burn on the switch. If Slowbro is gone, then Heatran and Gliscor make nice prediction buddies, although I must be wary of Close Combat and HP Ice. Scizor picks off weakened ones with Bullet Punch, which is very often the case for Infernape for whatever reason.
Jellicent - Virizion eats up this watery grave with Giga Drain and doesn't mind the burn as much as it does Toxic. Conkeldurr beats almost all variants with Payback as well, and actually enjoys the burn from Scald or Will-o-Wisp.
Jirachi - Heatran is the best way to beat him with two stabs, despite the fantastic special bulk. Jirachi is usually a switch in for Scizor or Virizion, and so Heatran likes to absorb a Fire Punch from other variants. Virizion can also beat with Focus Blast, Slowbro with Scald and Fire Blast, Gliscor with Earthquake, and is overpowered by Conkeldurr, especially with the ever so prevalent paralysis on Jirachi.
Landorus - Can cause problems in the sand, but is often beaten by Gliscor, Virizion, Heatran, or Slowbro. Scizor also beats with Bullet Punch.
Latias - One of the hardest things to beat for my team, and one of the reasons I tested out Tyranitar. Non Psychic variants are beaten by Conkeldurr, while Virizion can beat with Calm Mind unless Latias is running Psyshock. Scizor can beat Psyshock variants without Hidden Power Fire.
Latios - Poses a problem, but can be beaten by Conkeldurr and Scizor, especially if choice locked. Heatran is the designated recipient of Draco Meteor, and can hit back with Dragon Pulse.
Lucario - Every single Pokemon on my team wipes the floor with Lucario, there is no simpler way to put this, lol. The only thing I can think of is if Scizor is choiced into Bullet Punch and for some reason Conkeldurr, Gliscor, and Slowbro are defeated and it is a physical Lucario that used Agility on the switch. Even then, I still don't see it posing problems, as U-turn is the move of choice and I can send Scizor back in to threaten with Superpower. It's funny to think that Lucario was so powerful last generation.
Machamp- Can be a problem if it runs Ice Punch, but Gliscor and Slowbro can both outpace him and outpace him. Slowbro is the designated response to him.
Magnezone - Heatran beats all variants, but Scizor must be constantly on the prowl of U-turn and Superpower if Magnezone is alive via team preview. If Heatran is gone, then Virizion makes easy work of him with his Special Bulk, typing, and powerful Focus Blast.
Metagross - Never been a problem and everything on my team can beat him.
Mienshao - Bullet Punch from Scizor is the move of Choice because of the frailty of Meinshao, but Slowbro can beat him and Gliscor can threaten non Hidden Power Ice variants.
Ninetales - Heatran's favorite chew toy. Conkeldurr usually beats Ninetales as well.
Politoed - Scizor often U-turns on the first turn to see what type of Politied I'm facing. The Pokemon I respond to after that is Virizion, and if my opponent doesn't have a Toxicroak or Lizuid Ooze Tentacruel, I may often just sweep right there and then unless a Blissey/Chansey comes and Paralyzes or Toxic's me.
Porygon2 - Can be a problem for some variants, but Conkeldurr usually makes easy work of the duck. Virizion shrugs off Ice Beam and hits back with Focus Blast, although I must still be wary of the Paralysis.
Reuniclus - Scizor makes quick work of all variants of Reuniclus, and Conkeldurr actually can beat with Payback if full HP, but must be wary of the set Reuniclus is running. Payback variants are the easiest to beat with Gliscor and Conkeldurr, but Virizion doesn't stand a chance.
Rotom-W - Virizion drinks Hydro Pumps to fuel his massive Giga Drain. I must be wary of Trick, Paralysis, or Toxic, however. If Virizion can not do the job, Scizor and Conkeldurr can ween down with U-Turn and Drain Punch, although Virizion is very important to keep alive during the event that Rotom-W has nice support or it usually means a sweep if he is gone.
Salamence - Never has posed much of a problem. Heatran Dragon Pulses, Scizor revenges with Bullet Punch, Slowbro burns and resists Fire Blast, Virizion Hidden Power Ice's, and Gliscor Ice Fangs. Scouting the set always helps, however.
Scizor - Slowbro adores burning with scald or literally burning with Fire Blast. If he is gone, Heatran and Gliscor make quick work and Fired (my Scizor) makes easy work if the opposing one is Choice Locked. Conkeldurr's Drain Punch usually beats as well. Virizion does not like going head to head, although he usually beats with Focus Blast.
Scrafty - Conkeldurr is an easy option to beat, while Scizor makes a nice switch in with Bullet Punch or Superpower.
Skarmory - Heatran and Slowbro love to Fire Blast Skamory to death, while switch in don't like Scald from Slowbro. Conkeldurr also beats with a Bulk Up or at full HP and a Drain Punch and Mach Punch combination.
Starmie - Virizion is my designated switch in, but he has no time to Calm Mind as Life Orb variants outspeed and 2HKO with Ice Beam and maybe prior damage. If Virizion is gone, I may have problems, but Scizor can often threaten the Psychic type with U-turn or Pursuit. Conkeldurr does not like going head to head, but if not running Psychic, Conkeldurr can Payback.
Swampert - Beaten by Slowbro's burn or Virizion's Giga Drain, although Virizion has to watch out for Physical Ice Moves, despite Swampert usually runs Ice Beam instead.
Tentacruel - Can be problematic, especially with Toxic Spikes and no surefire way to beat. It is usually easier to beat in the rain, as Virizion can beat with Giga Drain as it runs Rain Dish there, but Liquid Ooze Variants annoy Virizion. If one layer of Toxic Spikes is up, I often switch to Conkeldurr to catch the poison before it gets too bad. With regular poison and Rain Dish, Conkeldurr can also beat. Gliscor and Heatran can outspeed and OHKO with Earthquake and Earthpower, but they MUST be wary of Scald or Surf.
Terrakion - Has never posed much of a threat, as everyone has a way to deal with him. Scizor's Bullet Punch or Earth Power, Heatran's Earth Power (but must be wary of Close Combat or Double Dance after a Rock Polish), Slowbro's powerful STABs, Conkeldurr's bulk and STAB, Virizion's STABs namely Giga Drain, and Gliscor's Earthquake.
Thundurus - Often poses a threat. Virizion is my best answer but can still often beat most variants, unless I get unlucky with paralysis (seriously, I just want to ban this thing so badly, it has no counters, but just ignore this bit).
Tornadus - Can be a problem, but is often beaten by Slowbro or Heatran's STABs. Virizion wants to keep it's distance. Gliscor can take hits but has a hard time hitting back, especially on Bulk Up variants. Scizor's Bullet Punch is usually a solid response.
Toxicroak - Slowbro is the best way to beat Toxicroak, but Gliscor and Heatran can often beat him as well.
Tyranitar - Scizor makes quick work of Tyranitar, and always forces a switch unless they are running a Fire Move, in which case I U-turn to Heatran to outstall with Earth Power. U-turn is the move of choice against him unless weakened, in which I pick off with Bullet Punch. Slowbro also beats all variants that don't run Thunderbolt or Dark Pulse, but these moves are not optimal for Tyranitar. Virizion resists his physical STABs and Earthquake, while shrugging off Fire Blasts and Ice Beams. Conkeldurr can always beat him as well with Drain Punch or Mach Punch.
Vaporeon - Virizion is the best answer, but must be wary of Toxic. Conkeldurr can outdo him as well while generally ignoring Scald and Toxic.
Venusaur - Heatran is the modus operandi, but can also be taken care of by Scizor's STABs, Virizion's Hidden Power Ice, and Gliscor's Ice Fang or Earthquake.
Virizion - Calm Mind variants are beaten by Scizor's Bullet Punch and sometimes Conkeldurr's punches, although it must be wary of Focus Blast. Physical variants are usually a joke and are beaten by Slowbro, Gliscor, and residual damage and no way of healing itself, especially with the prevalent Life Orb attached and Close Combat's defense drop.
Volcarona - Stealth Rock and Heatran's Fire Blast can beat him, but I may sometimes be beat even after a Stealth Rock hit if Heatran is incapacitated. If this is the case, I default to Conkeldurr's payback.
Whimsicott - Scizor loves to U-turn and Bullet Punch while Virizion eats up Leech seeds. Nearly every Pokemon of mine can beat him unless they decide that Cotton Guard is worth a moveslot, in which case, I go to my special attackers.
Images by Xous54. Slowbro and animated sprites by Gamefreak.
