Pickle's team that puts you in a Pickle

[picklesword]

This is the team ive been using to ladder on Shoddy Battle Smogon Server. So far it has peaked at th rank 3rd and I stopped using it, because of that I have decided to post it to contribute some of the weird sets I was using at the time.

Team at a Glacne:

Froslass @ Focus Sash
Timid
- Ice Beam
- Spikes
- Thunderwave
- Destiny Bond
4 Hp / 252 Speed / 252 Spatk

The main function of this team is to get Spikes out ASAP! I figured since so many things learn SR, I could wait until a little latter to set it up. Also against jirachi leads, I imideatly swap to get in a Stealth Rock. Thunderwave has that chance they can't move so more time setting up spikes. Destiny Bond is its last Trump card. Scizor is the most common swap in against this. Normally means you just get another layer of spikes bear I have sash still. Thunderwave Azelf leads helps. Tyranitar leads, I normally just suicide and set up spikes. Sometimes they are the sub variant and I just Destiny bond 2nd move. Infernape leads are easily Twaved. Catches scarf leads off early to cripple late game.

I have been testing many things here to replace this. Generally, I have no luck of what to replace in the second slot. so I have been testing many things. So I guess I need help of what to replace here, but as for now, I think I will try something like Latios, Salamence, Kingdra. all generally take out infernape decently besides the last.

Latias @ Choice Specs
Timid
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Trick
- Dragon Pulse
4 hp / 252 spatk / 252 speed

Latias is a decent spatk late game sweeper, not weak to SR and can swap in on infernape quite easily. So this would be a general purpose of this. Also fast. Salamence would replace this / (scarf type) if I could cope with the SR damage. Generally, trick ruins blissey, which is always good. Zapdos used to be in this spot as a good blissey counter / late game sweeper, but I needed something faster.

Swampert @ Leftovers
Relaxed
- Hydropump
- Earthquake
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
252 hp / 252 Def / 4 Atk

Good jirachi counter. If it is a CM jirachi I roar, if its phsyical, I can just set up Stealth Rock helping my cause even more. Roar is also really good here as sometimes with Light Screen and Reflect up, it can roar for many turns without dieing, severly crippling the opponents team.

Jirachi @ Light Clay
Adamant
- Iron Head
- Wish
- Reflect
- Light Screen
200 Hp / 56 Atk / 252 speed

This helps with blisseys as when I normally toxic it but it keeps healing I can swap in, flinch it and now it can not swap because of when It swaps back in It dies from passive damage. Same idea for celebi. Reflect and Light screen support. It dies to magnezone, but I normally still can deal with it in other means. Recenlty I noticed things like calm mind celebi outspeed me, so I was going to change it to timid and do 216 speed to at least tie with CM celebi. Hopefully its paralyzed by Pory2 by then, so it would have a hard time Baton passing. This normally is the only thing that can stop a breloom when its behind its sub of death. If its leech seed Breloom, I have to do some major prediction.

Porygon2 @ Leftovers
Trace
Bold
- Ice Beam
- Discharge
- Thunderwave
- Recover
252 hp / 252 def / 4 spatk

Really good counter to Gyrados and Physical Salamences. Also my only safe Celebi swap in. It has come down to celebi vs. porygon2 once. And pory2 amazingly won. also it has a good job to cripple other things for me. Its normaly the safe swap in to things like heatran and vaporeon. Discharge + Thunderwave might seem like unecessary, but I think I can save time using both, at the loss of some power. This is mainly a cripler and a safe swap in to many things forcing more swaps, therefor more passive Damage.

Rotom-H @ Leftovers (any forme besides regular works, just certain formes make certain pokemon swap in)
Bold
- Discharge
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Substitute
252 Hp / 252 Def / 4 Spatk

With Substitute, it can accuratly predict what move to make against the opponent and scout. Also breaks stall of the opponent. Except when blissey has high PP moves like SR, normally they can't stay in for long. After a while I can accuratly swap to jriachi to force a swap at low HP so that its doomed from spikes + SR. I needed an antispinner also, so this was the best choice. Shadow Ball beats non CM Cresselia's as SPdef drop is enevitable.

With this team the idea is spikes deals a lot of damage on the swap in, so have many pokemon that normally force swaps. Substitute helps with this also. Zapdos can Toxic back and forth on blissey with Spikes, but has to be careful of thunderwaves. Thanks for reading.

 

[MetaNite]

Nasty Plot Mixape can put this team in a world of pain. I doubt that offensive EV'd Zapdos can survive a +2 Flamethrower, same with Rotom. Porygon2 hates any STAB fighting attack, and then there's Grass Knot for Swampert.

To combat this you could change Swampert into Gyarados, and squeeze Stealth Rock onto Jirachi. You could make a Dual Screen Rotom, just replace Substitute with Light Screen.

I also don't understand why you want Heatran to switch in. If anything, have Rotom-W to scare them away and Mixape aswell.

A spread of 252 HP / 160 SpD / 96 Spe and Timid is a good one for Zapdos.

 

[RaikouLover]

I saw this team play... its gay as shit.

Mixape is definately the biggest problem for this team, but mixape will die fast from life orb + spikes + Stealth Rock, but will still leave a huge whole, but Jirachi getting up Light Screen / Reflect is the whole reason the team works.

I don't know if there is too much to change. Gyarados won't do anything for this team since it still loses to NP Mixape anyway.

Also, pickle's Zapdos spread is probably the best. Max speed is essential for stalling, not a slow spread.

 

[picklesword]

I have changed a bit around for testing so I decided to rebump this thread for that reason, basically the team concept still works really well, except having problems with the zapdos replacement ever since I wanted to beat infernape.

 

[greg3064]

Eh, Froslass doesn't work. It'll probably lose to MM+BP from Metagross, etc. It looks like a lesser suicide lead that gets maybe 2 layers of Spikes up. This team doesn't really cause a lot of switching, so your entry hazards aren't reaching their potential. Really, the only offensive Pokemon on here is Latias, and it isn't nearly full blown stall.

Do away with Swampert for Gyarados:

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

This gives you something to actually set up with Dual Screens (otherwise I don't know what you're doing). It also takes care of Infernape. Use a 156 HP/108 Atk/100 Def/144 Spd spread instead if you want to be bulkier. This will counter Scizor.

Use Swampert as a lead instead. Suicide leads aren't consistent enough these days.

Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 240 HP/52 SAtk/216 Def
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam / Surf
- Surf / Roar / Protect

This gets rocks down and can be used later to dent stuff, replenish rocks, or Roar to mount up rocks damage. Protect can scout for Explosions.

Replace Discharge on Porygon2 for Thunderbolt. Discharge is good for one thing, paralysis, which Thunder Wave does already. Thunderbolt is fine for Gyara.

With Gyara, you don't have a problem with Scizor. Replace Froslass with Skarmory if you really want Spikes that bad (although you're going to want to lead with Swampert).

Skarmory @ Shed Shell/Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP/64 Atk/176 Def/16 Spd
- Spikes
- Roost
- Brave Bird / Drill Peck
- Whirlwind

Now you have entry hazards and Gyarados, who will force switches to utilize them (honestly, you might want something else threatening as well). You can now set up Gyara with Dual Screens instead of just setting them up and doing nothing.

 

[picklesword]

Eh, Froslass doesn't work. It'll probably lose to MM+BP from Metagross, etc. It looks like a lesser suicide lead that gets maybe 2 layers of Spikes up. This team doesn't really cause a lot of switching, so your entry hazards aren't reaching their potential. Really, the only offensive Pokemon on here is Latias, and it isn't nearly full blown stall.

Do away with Swampert for Gyarados:

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

This gives you something to actually set up with Dual Screens (otherwise I don't know what you're doing). It also takes care of Infernape. Use a 156 HP/108 Atk/100 Def/144 Spd spread instead if you want to be bulkier. This will counter Scizor.

Use Swampert as a lead instead. Suicide leads aren't consistent enough these days.

Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 240 HP/52 SAtk/216 Def
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam / Surf
- Surf / Roar / Protect

This gets rocks down and can be used later to dent stuff, replenish rocks, or Roar to mount up rocks damage. Protect can scout for Explosions.

Replace Discharge on Porygon2 for Thunderbolt. Discharge is good for one thing, paralysis, which Thunder Wave does already. Thunderbolt is fine for Gyara.

With Gyara, you don't have a problem with Scizor. Replace Froslass with Skarmory if you really want Spikes that bad (although you're going to want to lead with Swampert).

Skarmory @ Shed Shell/Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP/64 Atk/176 Def/16 Spd
- Spikes
- Roost
- Brave Bird / Drill Peck
- Whirlwind

Now you have entry hazards and Gyarados, who will force switches to utilize them (honestly, you might want something else threatening as well). You can now set up Gyara with Dual Screens instead of just setting them up and doing nothing.

kinda sceptical on that, froslasss, does not really stay in on metagross. I generally would swap to rotom asap or get 1 layer spikes. Froslass lead beats infernape, bronzong leads though. Which generally is better.

I don't know why you said I had problems with scizor. Gyrados could work in latias's spot, but maybe I should test bulkymence, since I think that would work better. The same resitances roughly speaking.

 

[greg3064]

You beat Infernape by what? Paralyzing him? Unless luck is on your side, you'll have a dead Froslass and your opponent will have rocks up.

Bronzong isn't a suicide lead nor a lead that aims to KO the opposing lead (although Gyro Ball is supereffective and will 2HKO you taking into account the Sash and Froslass's defenses). It's also not common. But it will probably accomplish whatever its goal is, whether that means getting up rocks, Dual Screens, or something different.

I didn't say you had problems with Scizor. I meant that you would if I replaced Rotom, which is why I was accounting for the weakness I opened up.

Gyarados resists Bullet Punch, X-Scissor/U-Turn, and Superpower/Brick Break. Salamence doesn't resist Bullet Punch, and thus gets revenged by Scizor way too easily.

I was also implying that this team doesn't really have a goal. You set up rocks and spikes. Then what? You don't have anything that really can stall or anything that can force switches, barring Latias, who is choiced.