So here is my very first RMT. It's an OU Sandstorm team that mostly uses passive damage provided by sandstorm, burns, and entry hazards to open up for a late-game sweep by Starmie or Garchomp. I've had pretty good success with this team but I feel like it could be better. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
So the idea for the team first started when I came across Sigilyph. Magic Guard, Psycho Shift, and Cosmic Power? Yes please. I thought that it might fit well on a defensively oriented sandstorm team and so Tyranitar and Hippowdown were because sand has the advantage of having two viable weather starters. Ferrothorn was then included to help patch up some resistances. Garchomp was thrown in as a revenge killer and Sand Veil abuser. Finally, Starmie proved to be an awesome late-game sweeper with many of its checks being taken care of by the rest of the team.
Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Sandstream
Sassy
EVs: 252 HP / 180 SpA / 76 SpD
Stealth Rock
Crunch
Fire Blast
Ice Beam
My usual lead in all cases unless I see a potential Tyranitar lead on the other team, who will get the sand going instead of me. Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock, huge for putting dents in things like Volcarona, and giving Garchomp and Starmie an easier time sweeping. Crunch is mandatory STAB, and used against Deoxys-S and Azelf leads right off the bat. Fire Blast is for roasting things like Ferrothorn and Skarmory, and Ice Beam helps take care of Gliscor and sometimes a dragon who thinks it can switch in. I usually try to hide Tyranitar's special nature hidden, posing as a mostly attack-based poke. This allows Tyranitar to come in on something like Blissey and then nail the physical wall with the appropriate attack. Chople Berry is on there because it allows Tyranitar to survive first turn Superpowers from Deoxys and Scizor and to switch in to an unboosted Focus Blast from Reuniclus. The EVs give Tyranitar some special offensive prowess and still allow him to hit hard with Crunch while taking hits from the special side, as long as sand is still in play.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Sandstream
Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Slack Off
Earthquake
Ice Fang
Roar
The other Sandstorm inducer, Hippowdon acts as my physical wall. Slack Off is for healing, as well as stalling against burned opponents if need be. Earthquake is STAB, and hits steel types like Jirachi and Excadrill pretty hard. It also took care of Blaziken before it became Uber. Ice Fang is pretty much only used on predicted dragon switch-ins, Gliscor, and to pop Excadrill's balloon. Roar is used to phase boosting physical attackers like Swords Dance Scizor, and also helps rack up entry hazard damage. EVs are for a physical wall.
Sigilyph @ Flame Orb
Magic Guard
Timid
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Cosmic Power
Psycho Shift
Roost
Whirlwind
My favorite poke on the team, hands down. The main reason I made a sand team. Sigilyph is so much fun to use. I usually bring it in on other walls and defensive Pokemon like Ferrothorn or Skarmory, and let it get burnt and then proceed to burn the opponent with Psycho Shift. From there, Cosmic Power while Roosting when necessary. When done, Whirlwind away shuffling burns and racking up entry hazard damage. If Tyranitar's Chople Berry is gone or I don't feel like using it, Sigilyph is the main switch-in. It takes things like Conkeldurr's Mach Punch pretty easily, after which I just Cosmic Power because of Guts, or Whirlwind if it uses Bulk Up. Sigilyph is able to stall out most Pokemon if played correctly and causes real headaches for the opposing team if it's set up and spamming Whirlwind. I also try to avoid burning fast, special based Pokemon if Ferrothorn is still around and try to snag a Paralysis instead. I realize the thing is complete Taunt-bait but being able to phaze things like Skarmory and opposing Hippowdon before they can phaze me is awesome. Sigilyph also acts as an awesome Breloom counter, being immune to Leech Seed and Spore (if it's been burned) while resisting Focus Punch and Seed Bomb. Variants with Stone Edge also aren't that worrisome unless I switch into it. I did try Stored Power for a while, but it left me completely boned against any dark type and then things usually just boosted along with me. Also, phazing Reuniclus before it Trick Rooms is pretty sweet. EVs allow Sigilyph to outspeed Jolly Tyranitar while investing in as much physical bulk as possible.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Iron Barbs
Sassy
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Leech Seed
Spikes
Gyro Ball
Thunder Wave
IVs: 0 Spe
Ugh, Ferrothorn. As much as I didn't want to jump on the bandwagon right away Ferrothorn has proved pretty much irreplaceable. Its water and electric resist are too important for my team, and explains the focus on Special Defense. Leech Seed and Spikes are no-brainers and provide recovery and more passive damage. Thunder Wave and Gyro Ball may seem contradictory, but each move has saved me so many times. Thunder Wave is perfect against fast, special sweepers and Dragon Dancers that have not been burned yet. Even when I switch Ferrothorn in on a Dragon Dance, most people assume they can get another one off and are woefully surprised after their speed is cut. Thunder Wave also proves useful against Reuniclus, as Magic Guard does not protect against full paralysis, which helps greatly when taking on the thing. i originally had Power Whip here, but it's accuracy was off-putting and I didn't find myself using it as much as i though I would have. Gyro Ball is a nice STAB attack that deals decent damage to most things that don't resist it, sometimes even against paralyzed opponents, because Ferrothorn is SO slow. Ferrothorn is also my immediate switch to in case of Politoed leads half the time. With team preview, I can sort of get an idea as to what kind of set Toed is running, if it appears scarfed, I sometimes feel gutsy and let Tyranitar take the Focus Blast to get rocks up and then go to Sigilyph. If I think it is anything else, to Ferrothorn I go.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Sand Veil
Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spe
Outrage
Dual Chop
Earthquake
Fire Blast
Standard Scarfchomp. Revenge kills stuff like Heatran without a balloon, Kingdra in sand is in play, and other Garchomp. Outrage and Earthquake are self-explanatory. I chose Dual Chop over Dragon Claw because while the accuracy is sometimes a rage-inducing issue, the ability to break Gengar's and Dragonite's subs and then potentially KO has proved to be a life saver. Fire Blast is meh at best and only used if things that are 4x weak to it like Scizor and Ferrothorn already have a decent chunk taken out of them. I've been contemplating either changing the nature to Hasty or opting for Fire Fang. Input here would be appreciated.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Natural Cure
Timid
Evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hydro Pump
Thunderbolt
Ice Beam
Rapid Spin
The guy who gets the job done. I usually leave it for at least mid to late-game, where I hopefully have entry hazards up and stuff has been weakened through burns and sandstorm damage. Attacks are pretty standard. Hydro Pump is STAB and Thunderbolt and Ice Beam are for coverage. Rapid Spin, which at first glance might seem to be useless due to the stall-like nature of my team, is mostly used on Toxic Spikes, which severely hurt Hippowdon and Tyranitar's efficacy. It's also helpful in general because I do tend to switch between my four defensive Pokemon pretty frequently. The problem I have with Starmie is that Life Orb and sandstorm wear it down pretty quickly. I tried Expert Belt, but I lacked the oomph to get some of the KOs I would have otherwise gotten. This is another poke I would like some feedback on.
Sorry raters, but I don't really feel like going through the threat checklist and I'll just mention what I seem to be having trouble with. Rotom-W proves to be a huge pain for the most part since I got rid of Power Whip, and even when I had it, Ferrothorn usually just got burned anyway or Rotom used Volt Switch. Ferrothorn is still my switch-in, who then attempts to paralyze and Seed it. I usually end up hoping it's weakened enough by the time Starmie and/or Garchomp start sweeping. Another one is Reuniclus. If it's one of the 252 Def Bold ones, I'm usually stuck losing half my team to it as it Calm Minds in the face of everything and I have to pray that Garchomp can take it out after Trick Room has run out. The other big one is Volcarona if I don't get Stealth Rock down. After one Quiver Dance, I again have to rely on Garchomp to smash through it, while usually being sacrificed. There are other small things like Gliscor and Conkeldurr, but I've been more aggressive with Starmie against those two in particular and it's been working out OK. Latios and Latias haven't been that terrible, with Tyranitar and Ferrothorn being able to handle the former and Starmie with the latter. I do get worried when I see other Sigilyph though, but most run Stored Power, and I'm usually able to phaze it with my own Sigilyph before it gets too powerful.
So that's my team. I feel like it does pretty well for the most part and while I rarely ever get the 6-0 blowouts (even against bad teams), I think my team becomes better the longer the battle lasts. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated, Garchomp and Starmie in particular, but all of the members of my team are open to criticism. The only thing I will NOT do is put Excadrill on my team. I thinks it looks dumb and I hate it.
So the idea for the team first started when I came across Sigilyph. Magic Guard, Psycho Shift, and Cosmic Power? Yes please. I thought that it might fit well on a defensively oriented sandstorm team and so Tyranitar and Hippowdown were because sand has the advantage of having two viable weather starters. Ferrothorn was then included to help patch up some resistances. Garchomp was thrown in as a revenge killer and Sand Veil abuser. Finally, Starmie proved to be an awesome late-game sweeper with many of its checks being taken care of by the rest of the team.
Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Sandstream
Sassy
EVs: 252 HP / 180 SpA / 76 SpD
Stealth Rock
Crunch
Fire Blast
Ice Beam
My usual lead in all cases unless I see a potential Tyranitar lead on the other team, who will get the sand going instead of me. Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock, huge for putting dents in things like Volcarona, and giving Garchomp and Starmie an easier time sweeping. Crunch is mandatory STAB, and used against Deoxys-S and Azelf leads right off the bat. Fire Blast is for roasting things like Ferrothorn and Skarmory, and Ice Beam helps take care of Gliscor and sometimes a dragon who thinks it can switch in. I usually try to hide Tyranitar's special nature hidden, posing as a mostly attack-based poke. This allows Tyranitar to come in on something like Blissey and then nail the physical wall with the appropriate attack. Chople Berry is on there because it allows Tyranitar to survive first turn Superpowers from Deoxys and Scizor and to switch in to an unboosted Focus Blast from Reuniclus. The EVs give Tyranitar some special offensive prowess and still allow him to hit hard with Crunch while taking hits from the special side, as long as sand is still in play.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Sandstream
Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Slack Off
Earthquake
Ice Fang
Roar
The other Sandstorm inducer, Hippowdon acts as my physical wall. Slack Off is for healing, as well as stalling against burned opponents if need be. Earthquake is STAB, and hits steel types like Jirachi and Excadrill pretty hard. It also took care of Blaziken before it became Uber. Ice Fang is pretty much only used on predicted dragon switch-ins, Gliscor, and to pop Excadrill's balloon. Roar is used to phase boosting physical attackers like Swords Dance Scizor, and also helps rack up entry hazard damage. EVs are for a physical wall.
Sigilyph @ Flame Orb
Magic Guard
Timid
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Cosmic Power
Psycho Shift
Roost
Whirlwind
My favorite poke on the team, hands down. The main reason I made a sand team. Sigilyph is so much fun to use. I usually bring it in on other walls and defensive Pokemon like Ferrothorn or Skarmory, and let it get burnt and then proceed to burn the opponent with Psycho Shift. From there, Cosmic Power while Roosting when necessary. When done, Whirlwind away shuffling burns and racking up entry hazard damage. If Tyranitar's Chople Berry is gone or I don't feel like using it, Sigilyph is the main switch-in. It takes things like Conkeldurr's Mach Punch pretty easily, after which I just Cosmic Power because of Guts, or Whirlwind if it uses Bulk Up. Sigilyph is able to stall out most Pokemon if played correctly and causes real headaches for the opposing team if it's set up and spamming Whirlwind. I also try to avoid burning fast, special based Pokemon if Ferrothorn is still around and try to snag a Paralysis instead. I realize the thing is complete Taunt-bait but being able to phaze things like Skarmory and opposing Hippowdon before they can phaze me is awesome. Sigilyph also acts as an awesome Breloom counter, being immune to Leech Seed and Spore (if it's been burned) while resisting Focus Punch and Seed Bomb. Variants with Stone Edge also aren't that worrisome unless I switch into it. I did try Stored Power for a while, but it left me completely boned against any dark type and then things usually just boosted along with me. Also, phazing Reuniclus before it Trick Rooms is pretty sweet. EVs allow Sigilyph to outspeed Jolly Tyranitar while investing in as much physical bulk as possible.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Iron Barbs
Sassy
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Leech Seed
Spikes
Gyro Ball
Thunder Wave
IVs: 0 Spe
Ugh, Ferrothorn. As much as I didn't want to jump on the bandwagon right away Ferrothorn has proved pretty much irreplaceable. Its water and electric resist are too important for my team, and explains the focus on Special Defense. Leech Seed and Spikes are no-brainers and provide recovery and more passive damage. Thunder Wave and Gyro Ball may seem contradictory, but each move has saved me so many times. Thunder Wave is perfect against fast, special sweepers and Dragon Dancers that have not been burned yet. Even when I switch Ferrothorn in on a Dragon Dance, most people assume they can get another one off and are woefully surprised after their speed is cut. Thunder Wave also proves useful against Reuniclus, as Magic Guard does not protect against full paralysis, which helps greatly when taking on the thing. i originally had Power Whip here, but it's accuracy was off-putting and I didn't find myself using it as much as i though I would have. Gyro Ball is a nice STAB attack that deals decent damage to most things that don't resist it, sometimes even against paralyzed opponents, because Ferrothorn is SO slow. Ferrothorn is also my immediate switch to in case of Politoed leads half the time. With team preview, I can sort of get an idea as to what kind of set Toed is running, if it appears scarfed, I sometimes feel gutsy and let Tyranitar take the Focus Blast to get rocks up and then go to Sigilyph. If I think it is anything else, to Ferrothorn I go.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Sand Veil
Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spe
Outrage
Dual Chop
Earthquake
Fire Blast
Standard Scarfchomp. Revenge kills stuff like Heatran without a balloon, Kingdra in sand is in play, and other Garchomp. Outrage and Earthquake are self-explanatory. I chose Dual Chop over Dragon Claw because while the accuracy is sometimes a rage-inducing issue, the ability to break Gengar's and Dragonite's subs and then potentially KO has proved to be a life saver. Fire Blast is meh at best and only used if things that are 4x weak to it like Scizor and Ferrothorn already have a decent chunk taken out of them. I've been contemplating either changing the nature to Hasty or opting for Fire Fang. Input here would be appreciated.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Natural Cure
Timid
Evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hydro Pump
Thunderbolt
Ice Beam
Rapid Spin
The guy who gets the job done. I usually leave it for at least mid to late-game, where I hopefully have entry hazards up and stuff has been weakened through burns and sandstorm damage. Attacks are pretty standard. Hydro Pump is STAB and Thunderbolt and Ice Beam are for coverage. Rapid Spin, which at first glance might seem to be useless due to the stall-like nature of my team, is mostly used on Toxic Spikes, which severely hurt Hippowdon and Tyranitar's efficacy. It's also helpful in general because I do tend to switch between my four defensive Pokemon pretty frequently. The problem I have with Starmie is that Life Orb and sandstorm wear it down pretty quickly. I tried Expert Belt, but I lacked the oomph to get some of the KOs I would have otherwise gotten. This is another poke I would like some feedback on.
Sorry raters, but I don't really feel like going through the threat checklist and I'll just mention what I seem to be having trouble with. Rotom-W proves to be a huge pain for the most part since I got rid of Power Whip, and even when I had it, Ferrothorn usually just got burned anyway or Rotom used Volt Switch. Ferrothorn is still my switch-in, who then attempts to paralyze and Seed it. I usually end up hoping it's weakened enough by the time Starmie and/or Garchomp start sweeping. Another one is Reuniclus. If it's one of the 252 Def Bold ones, I'm usually stuck losing half my team to it as it Calm Minds in the face of everything and I have to pray that Garchomp can take it out after Trick Room has run out. The other big one is Volcarona if I don't get Stealth Rock down. After one Quiver Dance, I again have to rely on Garchomp to smash through it, while usually being sacrificed. There are other small things like Gliscor and Conkeldurr, but I've been more aggressive with Starmie against those two in particular and it's been working out OK. Latios and Latias haven't been that terrible, with Tyranitar and Ferrothorn being able to handle the former and Starmie with the latter. I do get worried when I see other Sigilyph though, but most run Stored Power, and I'm usually able to phaze it with my own Sigilyph before it gets too powerful.
So that's my team. I feel like it does pretty well for the most part and while I rarely ever get the 6-0 blowouts (even against bad teams), I think my team becomes better the longer the battle lasts. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated, Garchomp and Starmie in particular, but all of the members of my team are open to criticism. The only thing I will NOT do is put Excadrill on my team. I thinks it looks dumb and I hate it.
