Hi all. I've been playing competitively for quite some time, and I finally got enough spare time to be able to write up this RMT for my team. I've been using this team since Salamence was banned, and it's been going really well - peaking at 134 on Pokemon Online (although fluctuating to late 1000s later that day). Without further ado, I introduce Team Who Needs Leftovers?
THE TEAM BUILDING PROCESS
I started out with Aerodactyl, my favourite lead and one of my favourite Pokemon, in mind. The fact that it almost always gets up Stealth Rocks, and can also prevent other leads from doing so early on, is a great drawcard. As soon as I knew I wanted Aero, a goal for an offensive team followed. And what better to have on an offensive team than the next Pokemon?
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Yep, I use Gyarados. It is, without a doubt, one of the best late-game sweepers in the metagame, mowing through weakened teams with its incredible power. I opted for the standard Life Orb Dragon Dancer, because for this type of team, it wouldn't need to worry about residual damage so much as it (hopefully) could sweep through opponents quickly and easily. One of my favourite partners to Gyarados is the next Pokemon I chose.
I never thought Celebi could ever be useful on an offensive team. But oh, how wrong I was. 60% of the time, the little green pixie is my MVP, blasting aside unprepared opposition with its unpredictability and power. For an offensive team, a Water / Grass / Fire core would be pretty neat. So my next Pokemon I chose complements all the Pokemon in my team so far.
Heatran was kinda obvious. It's easily the best Fire-Type out there, and its list of resistances is perfectly suited for my team. I'm going all out now, so I chose the obvious item - Choice Scarf. I can bring Heatran in on Fire attacks aimed at Celebi, powering up the omnipresent Fire Blast, or just switch in on a resisted attack, and play mindgames with the opponent. Heatran makes a fantastic revenge killer for my sweepers, too. When you think Heatran, what partner does it best suit?
Scizor gives my team a much-needed physical tank. With its powerful STAB Technician-boosted Bullet Punch off 591 Attack, nothing save for Rotom stands in its way without getting seriously injured. It also acts as a scout for my team, which is always helpful. At this point in time, I noticed a glaring Bronzong and Blissey weakness. The Pokemon I next use to counter that will suprise you.
What? Gengar, as a Blissey counter? But, this Gengar is one of the most reliable and unpredictable wall-breakers (nay, wall-obliteraters) that I could use. Aside from its typing complementing my other Pokemon well, it stands out from other Gengars as a wall-breaker with the use of Trick, and a Choice Scarf. This way, it destroys SkarmBliss combinations, Bronzong, and any other wall that could generally switch into a powerful Shadow Ball.
After quite a bit of playtesting, Scizor seemed to stick out as the Pokemon that really doesn't do all that much. So I decided I would use another scout, and one that can soak up the omnipresent Electric attacks that seem to plague my team...
Flygon works well on my team, adding another aspect of pace and constantly forcing switches. Although this gives me three Scarfed Pokemon and three Pokemon weak to Ice, the bonus power Flygon gives my team outclasses what Scizor ever did.
Well, there you have it, the team building process. Next, I'll move on to breaking up the different aspects of each individual Pokemon.
THE TEAM ITSELF
Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash
[4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE]
Jolly Natured
Pressure
-Stealth Rock
-Taunt
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
I lead with Aerodactyl for a number of reasons. He consistenly sets up Stealth Rocks early on in the match (only losing to other Aerodactyl 50% of the time), and prevents most leads from setting them up. He can also pack a fair wallop, and can hit opposing leads hard before his death. My team doesn't mind the 5-6 disadvantage, as long as Rocks are up. Rocks play an incredibly important role for my team, turning so many 2HKOs in to OHKOs. And that's why Aero fits the job perfectly. The EVs are generic - as fast and as strong as possible.
Gyarados @ Life Orb
[252 ATK / 4 SpD / 252 SPE]
Jolly Natured
Intimidate
-Dragon Dance
-Waterfall
-Stone Edge
-Taunt
My endgame, Gyarados. The absolute destructive power this thing exudes is both terrifying and magnificent...
I use a Jolly Nature to outspeed standard Jolteon after a +1 Speed boost. After a few Dragon Dances, it doesn't really make a difference whether I'm Adamant or Jolly - a weakened team will still fall. Waterfall and Stone Edge provide great coverage, and Taunt is there to prevent Vaporeon and Suicune from switching in and setting up (as long as they don't have HP Electric...). I use almost the same EVs as I do above - as fast and as strong as possible. A problem I have with Gyara is that he tends to die quickly. If my opponent does happen to get up Rocks, and has Sandstorm up, I might not last as long as I could to sweep the team.
Celebi @ Life Orb
[32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 SPE]
Timid Natured
Natural Cure
-Leaf Storm
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power Ice
-Recover
I never though Celebi could be used as a sweeper. I always believed it was just used as a sub-standard defensive Pokemon, spreading status and that's about it. How wrong I was. On my team, Celebi is used as so many things - one of my most powerful sweepers, a Pokemon to absorb status, a check to many of my team's weaknesses, and a sheerly unpredictable Pokemon. No one expects an offensive variant of the little pixie, and STAB 140-BP Leaf Storm is nothing to sneeze at. Earth Power is there for coverage, and it destroys Metagross, a common switch in to Celebi. More importantly, HP Ice is a check for the omnipresent Flygon switch-in. Recover rounds off the list as a way of negating any form of Life Orb recoil, and boosting Celebi's longevity tenfold. The EVs used are to give it a tiny but of extra bulk, whilst still retaining speed and power. Timid Nature is to outspeed other Base 100s with Attack-boosting natures.
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
[252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 SPE]
Naive Natured
Flash Fire
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power Electric
-Explosion
Heatran is used as my primary revenge killer. There's no denying the impact this Pokemon has on the metagame - it rarely goes without severely denting the opponent's team. I use the classic Choice Scarf variant; I find it works the best for my offensive team, and it outspeeds so much of the metagame that isn't Scarfed. Fire Blast and Earth Power are generic on a Heatran, but I use HP Electric as a coverage move and for its ability to revenge kill Gyarados, who think the most they are going to take is a Dragon Pulse. Explosion rounds off the set, as it keeps opponents on their toes - fear of an Explosion is well justified. EVs are, again, for revenge killers and sweepers. Naive makes it as fast as possible, without losing power for Explosion.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
[252 ATK / 4 SpD / 252 SPE]
Jolly Natured
Levitate
-Earthquake
-Outrage
-U-Turn
-Stone Edge
After Scizor not really cutting it for the team, I decided I'd use Flygon as my primary scout and revenge killer. He forces a lot of switches, racking up the residual damage from Rocks, and takes away that mindgames that Heatrans play with my old Scizor. It also provides a much-needed Electric immunity, as well as adding to my Ground ones. Jolly is to make it as fast as possible, whilst EQ and Outrage are great STAB to have. Stone Edge destroys Zapdos who trouble my team, and U-Turn is great for forcing switches. The EV spread is for making Flygon as fast and as strong as possible.
Gengar @ Choice Scarf
[4 DEF / 252 SpA / 252 SPE]
Modest Natured
Levitate
-Shadow Ball
-Thunderbolt
-Focus Blast
-Trick
My TrickScarf Gengar. Not many people expect Gengar to have a Choice Scarf - one of its most frequent switch-ins is Starmie. Yet this takes them by surprise, outspeeding and destroying Starmie, other Gengar and most other Pokemon in the metagame. For this alone, it makes a fantastic revenge killer. But the real reason I use it, as stated earlier, is the fact that it consistently cripples common walls, such as Blissey, Bronzong and Cresselia with Trick. With a Tricked Scarf, they are free to be destroyed by Scizor or Gyarados without hassle of a surprise Thunderbolt or Flamethrower, or some unwelcome status. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast supply perfect coverage, though Focus Blast is completely unreliable as a move. Thunderbolt fits Gengar perfectly, further destroying Skarmory and Togekiss. EVs are, again, standard. I use a Modest Nature for that extra bit of power in destroying Rotom-A, and because Gengar is fast enough with a Scarf on. Finally, Gengar acts as a reasonable Spin Blocker - I really need to keep Rocks up!
So there you have it. Thank you for taking the time to read all this, I'm sorry about the Wall of Text. Fixes, rates and comments would be much appreciated...thanks!
THE TEAM BUILDING PROCESS
I started out with Aerodactyl, my favourite lead and one of my favourite Pokemon, in mind. The fact that it almost always gets up Stealth Rocks, and can also prevent other leads from doing so early on, is a great drawcard. As soon as I knew I wanted Aero, a goal for an offensive team followed. And what better to have on an offensive team than the next Pokemon?
Yep, I use Gyarados. It is, without a doubt, one of the best late-game sweepers in the metagame, mowing through weakened teams with its incredible power. I opted for the standard Life Orb Dragon Dancer, because for this type of team, it wouldn't need to worry about residual damage so much as it (hopefully) could sweep through opponents quickly and easily. One of my favourite partners to Gyarados is the next Pokemon I chose.
I never thought Celebi could ever be useful on an offensive team. But oh, how wrong I was. 60% of the time, the little green pixie is my MVP, blasting aside unprepared opposition with its unpredictability and power. For an offensive team, a Water / Grass / Fire core would be pretty neat. So my next Pokemon I chose complements all the Pokemon in my team so far.
Heatran was kinda obvious. It's easily the best Fire-Type out there, and its list of resistances is perfectly suited for my team. I'm going all out now, so I chose the obvious item - Choice Scarf. I can bring Heatran in on Fire attacks aimed at Celebi, powering up the omnipresent Fire Blast, or just switch in on a resisted attack, and play mindgames with the opponent. Heatran makes a fantastic revenge killer for my sweepers, too. When you think Heatran, what partner does it best suit?
Scizor gives my team a much-needed physical tank. With its powerful STAB Technician-boosted Bullet Punch off 591 Attack, nothing save for Rotom stands in its way without getting seriously injured. It also acts as a scout for my team, which is always helpful. At this point in time, I noticed a glaring Bronzong and Blissey weakness. The Pokemon I next use to counter that will suprise you.
What? Gengar, as a Blissey counter? But, this Gengar is one of the most reliable and unpredictable wall-breakers (nay, wall-obliteraters) that I could use. Aside from its typing complementing my other Pokemon well, it stands out from other Gengars as a wall-breaker with the use of Trick, and a Choice Scarf. This way, it destroys SkarmBliss combinations, Bronzong, and any other wall that could generally switch into a powerful Shadow Ball.
After quite a bit of playtesting, Scizor seemed to stick out as the Pokemon that really doesn't do all that much. So I decided I would use another scout, and one that can soak up the omnipresent Electric attacks that seem to plague my team...
Flygon works well on my team, adding another aspect of pace and constantly forcing switches. Although this gives me three Scarfed Pokemon and three Pokemon weak to Ice, the bonus power Flygon gives my team outclasses what Scizor ever did.
Well, there you have it, the team building process. Next, I'll move on to breaking up the different aspects of each individual Pokemon.
THE TEAM ITSELF
Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash
[4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE]
Jolly Natured
Pressure
-Stealth Rock
-Taunt
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
I lead with Aerodactyl for a number of reasons. He consistenly sets up Stealth Rocks early on in the match (only losing to other Aerodactyl 50% of the time), and prevents most leads from setting them up. He can also pack a fair wallop, and can hit opposing leads hard before his death. My team doesn't mind the 5-6 disadvantage, as long as Rocks are up. Rocks play an incredibly important role for my team, turning so many 2HKOs in to OHKOs. And that's why Aero fits the job perfectly. The EVs are generic - as fast and as strong as possible.
Gyarados @ Life Orb
[252 ATK / 4 SpD / 252 SPE]
Jolly Natured
Intimidate
-Dragon Dance
-Waterfall
-Stone Edge
-Taunt
My endgame, Gyarados. The absolute destructive power this thing exudes is both terrifying and magnificent...
I use a Jolly Nature to outspeed standard Jolteon after a +1 Speed boost. After a few Dragon Dances, it doesn't really make a difference whether I'm Adamant or Jolly - a weakened team will still fall. Waterfall and Stone Edge provide great coverage, and Taunt is there to prevent Vaporeon and Suicune from switching in and setting up (as long as they don't have HP Electric...). I use almost the same EVs as I do above - as fast and as strong as possible. A problem I have with Gyara is that he tends to die quickly. If my opponent does happen to get up Rocks, and has Sandstorm up, I might not last as long as I could to sweep the team.
Celebi @ Life Orb
[32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 SPE]
Timid Natured
Natural Cure
-Leaf Storm
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power Ice
-Recover
I never though Celebi could be used as a sweeper. I always believed it was just used as a sub-standard defensive Pokemon, spreading status and that's about it. How wrong I was. On my team, Celebi is used as so many things - one of my most powerful sweepers, a Pokemon to absorb status, a check to many of my team's weaknesses, and a sheerly unpredictable Pokemon. No one expects an offensive variant of the little pixie, and STAB 140-BP Leaf Storm is nothing to sneeze at. Earth Power is there for coverage, and it destroys Metagross, a common switch in to Celebi. More importantly, HP Ice is a check for the omnipresent Flygon switch-in. Recover rounds off the list as a way of negating any form of Life Orb recoil, and boosting Celebi's longevity tenfold. The EVs used are to give it a tiny but of extra bulk, whilst still retaining speed and power. Timid Nature is to outspeed other Base 100s with Attack-boosting natures.
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
[252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 SPE]
Naive Natured
Flash Fire
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power Electric
-Explosion
Heatran is used as my primary revenge killer. There's no denying the impact this Pokemon has on the metagame - it rarely goes without severely denting the opponent's team. I use the classic Choice Scarf variant; I find it works the best for my offensive team, and it outspeeds so much of the metagame that isn't Scarfed. Fire Blast and Earth Power are generic on a Heatran, but I use HP Electric as a coverage move and for its ability to revenge kill Gyarados, who think the most they are going to take is a Dragon Pulse. Explosion rounds off the set, as it keeps opponents on their toes - fear of an Explosion is well justified. EVs are, again, for revenge killers and sweepers. Naive makes it as fast as possible, without losing power for Explosion.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
[252 ATK / 4 SpD / 252 SPE]
Jolly Natured
Levitate
-Earthquake
-Outrage
-U-Turn
-Stone Edge
After Scizor not really cutting it for the team, I decided I'd use Flygon as my primary scout and revenge killer. He forces a lot of switches, racking up the residual damage from Rocks, and takes away that mindgames that Heatrans play with my old Scizor. It also provides a much-needed Electric immunity, as well as adding to my Ground ones. Jolly is to make it as fast as possible, whilst EQ and Outrage are great STAB to have. Stone Edge destroys Zapdos who trouble my team, and U-Turn is great for forcing switches. The EV spread is for making Flygon as fast and as strong as possible.
Gengar @ Choice Scarf
[4 DEF / 252 SpA / 252 SPE]
Modest Natured
Levitate
-Shadow Ball
-Thunderbolt
-Focus Blast
-Trick
My TrickScarf Gengar. Not many people expect Gengar to have a Choice Scarf - one of its most frequent switch-ins is Starmie. Yet this takes them by surprise, outspeeding and destroying Starmie, other Gengar and most other Pokemon in the metagame. For this alone, it makes a fantastic revenge killer. But the real reason I use it, as stated earlier, is the fact that it consistently cripples common walls, such as Blissey, Bronzong and Cresselia with Trick. With a Tricked Scarf, they are free to be destroyed by Scizor or Gyarados without hassle of a surprise Thunderbolt or Flamethrower, or some unwelcome status. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast supply perfect coverage, though Focus Blast is completely unreliable as a move. Thunderbolt fits Gengar perfectly, further destroying Skarmory and Togekiss. EVs are, again, standard. I use a Modest Nature for that extra bit of power in destroying Rotom-A, and because Gengar is fast enough with a Scarf on. Finally, Gengar acts as a reasonable Spin Blocker - I really need to keep Rocks up!
So there you have it. Thank you for taking the time to read all this, I'm sorry about the Wall of Text. Fixes, rates and comments would be much appreciated...thanks!
