Phazed and Confused
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Hey everyone! This is my first notable RMT on the smogon boards in quite a while, so hopefully you all like it. Basically, this team is predicated on set up phazers, notably Scrafty and Latias, that can phaze and set up simultaneously. These two are the stars of my team, while everyone else exists to support them. Basically the point of my team is set up hazards, set up/phaze, and then revenge kill what's left. (I hope that explains the "phased" part of the title)
Laddering on pokemonshowdown gave me a rating in the mid 1800s (best I've ever gotten), but I've been pretty much stuck there, and as I ladder, the holes on my team are becoming more glaring. I have an idea of what's wrong, but most of my solutions just set my team back, so I'm quite confused on what to do from here, hence the "confused" part of my title!
Also, there's a really obvious Led Zeppelin theme here...but I'm going to stick solely to pokemon before I get too fancy.
SO here we go...
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Calm
EVs: 248 HP/252 SpD/8 Speed
Moves:
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
Heatran's role on the team is pretty simple, set up Rocks and try to pass statuses like poisoning and burn. He'll be able to get rocks up more often than he won't, so he's pretty reliable in that sense. I love his defenses and ability, he can take almost all non super effective special hits aimed at Skarmory, not to mention the flame boost from fire moves. So he's a great partner with Skarmory. Roar is there to emphasize the phasing aspect of my team. The combination of Heatran and Skarm can phaze most teams together, with Skarm restoring his health and Heatran passing status.
The main problem with this set is the 4 moveslot syndrome. The Strategy Dex makes you choose either Roar OR Rocks, and for apparent reasons. Toxic stalling is almost impossible with my team, especially considering Heatran doesn't have protect. Toxic does force a couple of switches and burns obviously hurt some pokemon badly, but maybe there's a different moveset or pokemon that fits my team better that I haven't tried.
I've tried to replace Heatran with a more offensive Stealth Rock set, but the drop in defenses was very noticeable, and I didn't like it. I've thought about using Blissey, but Aromatherapy isn't really a necessity on my team, and a WishBliss on my team would probably have 4 moveslot syndrome as well.
Overall, Heatran is a really solid pokemon on my team, but if there's a better option out there, I won't hesitate to try it.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish
EVs: 224 HP/252 Def/32 SpD
Moves:
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Taunt
- Roost
Skarmory is one of the staples on my team and is a fantastic addition. He's so bulky and can take pretty much any hit he wants from the physical side (In my last battle, he didn't need to use Sturdy from a Dragonite's Fire Punch after 3 Dragon Dances...) This is a standard set so I don't think I need to go into too much detail, but he sets up Spikes, Roosts of hits, and Whirlwinds away opponents to pick up residual damage. My other pokemon greatly appreciate the Spikes and the gradual damage picked up from Whirlwind. I chose Taunt over Whirlwind just because it gives me extra time against other walls trying to set up, such as Ferrothorn. Brave Bird doesn't do a whole lot anyway for me, and I don't really like the idea of getting recoil damage for a pokemon that needs to survive a lot of the game.
Skarmory works great with Heatran and my other set up sweepers, as I stated above. I wouldn't really consider switching him out, but Forretress could be used instead for Rapid Spin, although I'd rather have Whirlwind and Roost. Ferrothorn is also an option I guess, but I think Skarm is probably just as effective as setting up Spikes, and it has Whirlwind. Leftovers over Shed Shell because Magnezone isn't that prominent.
Gengar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 SpA/ 252 Spe
- HP Ice
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Trick
Choice Scarf Gengar is a really solid revenge killer from the special side, and is an underrated Rapid Spin Blocker. The purpose of Choice Scarf is to outspeed Starmie, and hit it with a Shadow Ball. It can also hit Donphan with an HP Ice, and is a great dragon killer. It can also come in and revenge kill relatively effectively as well. Shadow Ball is the primary STAB and move of choice, Focus Blast is for coverage, and Trick is there to destroy walls, and get rid of the Scarf is the opponent's Starmie has fainted.
I've tried using Sub Disable Gengar, and actually preferred that over this set, but the fact that it can't outspeed Starmie is really killer. I'd have to come in on a Rapid Spin, sacrifice Gengar, and then have Dnite revenge kill Starmie. I've also tried Jellicent as a spin blocker, but felt it was really underwhelming.
Dragonite @ Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Atk/252 Spe
Moves:
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
- Extremespeed
Multiscale is such an awesome ability for Dragonite, practically guaranteeing he'll get at least one move off if there are no rocks. There in lies the problem, that I haven't been able to fit a Spinner on my team. I've already said why I prefer Skarm over Fortress, and I'm not sure how pokemon like Donphan or Starmie will really fit/ who to replace. I've tried using Banded Scizor, but haven't done enough to say how much of an improvement it is or not.
Scrafty @ Leftovers
Ability: Shed Skin
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP/ 4 Atk/ 252 SpD
Moves:
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Dragon Tail
- Rest
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet star #1 of my team. I can't even describe how much of a beast this thing is if it's used right. Basically, the point of this thing is to set up some Bulk Ups, and sweep using Drain Punch. Any ghosts or flying pokemon will just get Dragon Tailed, as the residual damage will be more than enough to damage them. With Shed Skin, burns/paralysis/toxic becomes pretty ineffective, and there's a 1/3 chance it wakes immediately from Rest. With impressive 65/115/115 defenses, Scrafty is built on survivability. Investing in HP is a must since it rounds out it's defenses nicely and is it's worse stat, and with 252 SpD and a +SpD nature, it can take care of a lot of special hits naturally. As for the physical side, that's all on Bulk Up. Even after one Bulk Up, it's defenses will be better than 252 Def and a +Def nature, making it really tough to kill. Once you get a Bulk Up or two (which isn't hard due to Scrafty's natural defenses), you sweep with Drain Punch (which restores HP even more!) and Dragon Tail everything you can't kill. Dragon Tail, while sometimes unreliable, is such an awesome move since it'll hurt the pokemon currently in and the pokemon switching in from residuals. Whenever you're low on health, just rest up and let Shed Skin do the rest.
Latias @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP/ 4 SpA/ 252 Spe
Moves:
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Roost
- Roar
