Genre: Sand Balance
Everyone's eyes draw right to Cacturne, I know it. Anyway, I'm not crazy. Here is my team rationale:
Slowking + Ferrothorn: Slowking and Ferrothorn became my defensive core. I didn't want to do a Trick Room team (even though 5 out of these 6 Pokemon suit TR very well), and this core also screamed "RAIN," so I made myself avoid that. Slowking is my special wall and Ferrothorn is my physical wall. These two Pokemon provide the bulk of my support options. Ferrothorn gives me rocks and paralysis support, while Slowking's set is much further from standard than Ferrothorn's. This is because I gave myself insurance from absence of a spinner via Magic Coat, letting it bounce back hazards, as well as the Toxics that Slowking tends to draw in. It also bounces back Spore from Breloom, Amoonguss, or Smeargle.
Cacturne: Cacturne was added for a few reasons. 1) Cacturne is just awesome and is very underrated. 2) I wanted to SpikeStack, and Cacturne was my Spiker. 3) The water immunity was very helpful for a free switch into Politoed or Starmie, letting me get out Spikes. This core makes my team very rain-proof, and I now have a source of priority--Sucker Punch. The attack stat rivals that of Terrakion.
*Cradily could be used in this slot, but Cacturne has Spikes and a more offensive nature. People who wanted to modify this team to make it more defensive should use Cradily here.
Tynraitar: Having Ferrothorn, a Regenerator, and a cactus, this team screamed Sandstorm. I needed special bulk more than physical bulk, so Tyranitar became my inducer. With Stealth Rock covered by Ferrothorn, Tyranitar was free to run 4 attacks. I played around with its set a bit until I got my final product, which I will go into detail with since it is very unusual:
Stone Edge: The only straightforward move, this is my only STAB and does good damage on most targets.
Dragon Tail: Tyranitar is my phazer, removing things such as DD Dragonite. This move's effectiveness is amplified by the hazards on my team.
Fire Blast: Tyranitar is my Scizor/Ferrothorn lure. With a Fire Gem, non-Occa sets are burnt to a crisp easily. I haven't come across an Occa variant yet with this team, but Chandelure can switch into either pretty easily and force them out. Hazards can give me the extra push I need.
Thunder: Tyranitar also seems to bait Politoed. Since its ability brings rain, I use Thunder on a predicted switch-in; it becomes 100% accurate upon the change of the weather and comes with a 30% paralysis rate.
Chandelure: My spinblocker, my "F" in the FWGG core, my Fighting immunity, and most importantly, my nuke.
With Ferrothorn and Cacturne, I knew a Fire immunity would be helpful. Four Pokemon came to mind: the premier Fire-type, Heatran, the physical tank, Arcanine, the nuke, Chandelure, and the underdog, Houndoom. Chandelure was chosen since it could spinblock. I wanted to experiment with the Specs set since it is an absolute nuke behind a base 145 Special Attack. With a bit of prediction Chandelure can get 2-3 kills within 5 turns, including on Rotom-W and Landorus-T. HP Fighting was chosen over the usual Energy Ball because I already have 2 grass-types, two water resistances, and a water immunity. Also, Chandelure is no longer walled by Heatran.
Stoutland: My cleaner, a good Pokemon for any Sand team that is not Stall. Stoutland was originally a Choice Band user, but often Stoutland was the last Pokemon I had standing, and the inability to switch moves came back to bite me, so I chose an Expert Belt instead to bluff the usual Choice Band.
What this team handles well: Rain. This team is anti-Rain, and specifically anti-Politoed. Even if I lose Tyranitar, Ferrothorn has Sandstorm to erase other weather conditions. Stall is rare these days, but between all the hazards, Magic Coat, and an excellent wallbreaker, this isn't too hard.
Threats: Conkeldurr and Terrakion are the biggest threats to this team, due to the 4 Fighting weaknesses. However, Conkeldurr gets worn down by hazards, and Chandelure can come in on a predicted Bulk Up or Fighting-type move and blast it. Stoutland's EV spread ensures it outspeeds 252+ Scarf Terrakion under sand by 1 point. Superpower then dispatches it.
Vote for my team!
Importable:
Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Power Whip
- Sandstorm
Slowking (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SAtk / 240 HP / 12 SDef / 4 Spd
Modest Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Scald
- Magic Coat
- Focus Blast
Cacturne (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 240 HP / 4 SDef / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Spikes
- Drain Punch
Tyranitar (M) @ Fire Gem
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Brave Nature
- Stone Edge
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Tail
- Thunder
Chandelure (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Stoutland (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 164 Spd / 252 Atk / 12 SDef / 80 HP
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SAtk
- Return
- Superpower
- Crunch
- Ice Fang