The Abyss Awaits You...
So back in October or so, I just lost interest in battling for several months after my rating was erased when the PS! server was DDOS'd, for those that remember it. I got the urge to give battling a try again in the past couple months and have dabbled in various teams. I argued with myself over which team to do an RMT for...but of the teams I came up with, this one is the most interesting, so I decided to go with this one. I also have a cute Breloom+Mamoswine team that I've been tweaking and I might do an RMT for down the line. Anyway...
TEAM CONCEPT:
I was originally going to build a team around Slowking, who I've always had a fondness for. The first attempt was awful. The second attempt was a much better team, pretty much the one you see above. I eventually decided to drop Slowking in favor of Whimsicott. Three electric weaknesses was just too painful. Of course, now I have three ice weaknesses, but I feel that's easier to play around.
I've never made a stall team before. Stall is a very difficult style of play, and I'm frankly not skilled enough to pull it off. This is my compromise: some elements of rain stall backed up by two brutal sweepers. The idea is to wear down the opponent with residual damage, cripple their sweepers, and then sweep away the remnants.
THE TEAM:
Drowned Prince
Politoed @ Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
Bold Nature
252 HP/252 DEF/4 SPE
Scald
Protect
Perish Song
Toxic
While Politoed is a very potent attacker in the rain, I've always favored his defensive set. I just like the idea of Politoed staying alive longer, especially in case of a weather war. Toxic and Scald both can add residual damage. Protect is useful for scouting out an opponent's strategy as well as getting a bit of extra recovery. Perish Song is good to force a switch. If there is no opposing weather inducer, Politoed also makes good sleep fodder, which comes in handy against Breloom.
King of Thorns
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Impish Nature
252 HP/88 DEF/168 SpD
Stealth Rock
Spikes
Leech Seed
Power Whip
I have to admit, I've become a huge fan of Ferrothorn lately. Sure, it isn't as good at laying down hazards as Deoxys-D or S, and may not even be as good as Skarmory, but it's still pretty awesome. It's an obvious fit for a rain team, too, and can be frustrating for the opponent to deal with. I prefer to run both Stealth Rock and Spikes so I'm not forced to run another hazard setter. Leech Seed is there for healing and residual damage, and Power Whip is the preferred STAB. I absolutely love this thing, its ability to switch into so many threats with impunity cannot be overstated.
Baron of Sorrow
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Rain Dish
Bold Nature
252 HP/236 DEF/20 SPE
Scald
Rapid Spin
Toxic
Protect
Here's another staple of defensively oriented rain teams. I've always preferred Starmie as a spinner, but I wanted to try out something with a lot more staying power. The main point of this set is rapid spin, but the other moves are important too. Again, residual damage is the theme here, so Toxic and Scald are both key. I considered running Toxic Spikes, but Toxic can't be foiled by Rapid Spin and doesn't require two turns to set up, so I went with that. Very annoying, and very effective.
Jester of Tears
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
Impish Nature
252 HP/252 DEF/4 SpD
Encore
Leech Seed
Stun Spore
U-Turn
This is the most recent addition to my team, and so far, one of the most useful. Encore locks the opponent into a nonthreatening move, Leech Seed adds yet more residual damage, and Stun Spore cripples would-be sweepers. Priority Stun Spore is especially important, as it makes an excellent 'panic button' of sorts. U-Turn is there to grant a favorable switch-in once I've crippled my opponent. I'm considering ditching U-Turn for something like Taunt or Substitute, though.
Duke of Winds
Tornadus @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Prankster
Timid Nature
4 DEF/252 SpATK/252 SPE
Hurricane
Focus Blast
Taunt
Tailwind
Why limit myself to one Prankster? Tornadus combines the raw power of STAB Hurricane with the team support of Taunt and Tailwind. Tailwind especially could grant Garchomp an excellent sweeping opportunity. Focus Blast is there to hit opponents who don't mind Hurricane. I went with Sharp Beak over Life Orb, since the Smogon analysis pointed out that Life Orb wouldn't power up Focus Blast up enough to give any useful KO's. I really want to keep Taunt on this set, but I could consider dropping Tailwind for a third attack or maybe Rain Dance. Makes a fantastic late-game cleaner along with Garchomp.
Lord of Slaughter
Garchomp @ Choice Band
Ability: Rough Skin
Jolly Nature
4 HP/252 ATK/252 SPE
Outrage
Dragon Claw
Earthquake
Aqua Tail
Last but not least, we have the 'heavy' of the team. Sporting massive attack, good bulk, and a nasty STAB combination, Garchomp is as much of a threat as it ever was. This set is designed to tear its way through a weakened team at maximum power. Aqua Tail is chosen over Fire Fang due to the rain. Honestly, I prefer to save Garchomp until late in a match. I'll only bring it out earlier if I really need to take out Heatran or Jirachi or something.
THE STRATEGY:
Since this is a defensively oriented team, I have to play carefully. Generally, I lead with Ferrothorn if the enemy team lacks a magic bounce user or something that can OHKO it. I sometimes lead with Politoed as well, but that depends on if they have their own weather inducer. Getting those hazards up tends to be a priority for me, though, and I don't mind sacrificing Ferrothorn as long as hazards are up.
From there, it's all about wearing down the enemy team. Spread toxic and burn, or have Whimsicott paralyze it if it could threaten to sweep. Leech Seed is especially useful to wear down walls and force switches. Once the enemy team has been softened up, Tornadus and Garchomp can come in to deal with the rest.
THREATS AND QUESTIONS:
1.) Magic Bounce: Xatu and Espeon really put a damper on my strategy. As long as rain is up, Tornadus can maul them both with Hurricane, but it might not be enough to keep those two from getting in the way.
2.) Enemy Weather: This team has not been tested against sun yet, so I don't know how it'll perform. I do feel comfortable knowing I have Whimsicott waiting in the wings to Stun Spore dangerous chlorophyll sweepers, but again, I'm not sure that's enough. Garchomp is also good for eliminating Tyranitar and Ninetales, but Abomasnow and Hippowdon could prove more dangerous.
3.) Taunt: Taunt is the mortal enemy of any defensively oriented team, and it's no different here. Fortunately, I have Tornadus' priority Taunt to help with that. Should I give Whimsicott Taunt as well?
4.) Moveset Changes?: I'm pretty comfortable with the members of the team, and I'm fairly confidant I don't want to change the roster. However, I could definitely see some changes to movesets being useful. For instance, my Politoed's set is nearly identical to Tentacruel's. Should I change it around somewhat? Also, I might consider tweaking Tornadus' and Whimsicott's sets. Any input in that regard would be extremely useful.
CONCLUSION: It's been a lot of fun battling in the past few weeks. I really had fun making this team, and I hope all of you find it interesting. It's performing pretty decently so far, and any suggestions that you guys (and gals) have would only make it better! Thanks for reading this, and it's good to be back on Smogon!
So back in October or so, I just lost interest in battling for several months after my rating was erased when the PS! server was DDOS'd, for those that remember it. I got the urge to give battling a try again in the past couple months and have dabbled in various teams. I argued with myself over which team to do an RMT for...but of the teams I came up with, this one is the most interesting, so I decided to go with this one. I also have a cute Breloom+Mamoswine team that I've been tweaking and I might do an RMT for down the line. Anyway...
TEAM CONCEPT:
I was originally going to build a team around Slowking, who I've always had a fondness for. The first attempt was awful. The second attempt was a much better team, pretty much the one you see above. I eventually decided to drop Slowking in favor of Whimsicott. Three electric weaknesses was just too painful. Of course, now I have three ice weaknesses, but I feel that's easier to play around.
I've never made a stall team before. Stall is a very difficult style of play, and I'm frankly not skilled enough to pull it off. This is my compromise: some elements of rain stall backed up by two brutal sweepers. The idea is to wear down the opponent with residual damage, cripple their sweepers, and then sweep away the remnants.
THE TEAM:
Drowned Prince
Politoed @ Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
Bold Nature
252 HP/252 DEF/4 SPE
Scald
Protect
Perish Song
Toxic
While Politoed is a very potent attacker in the rain, I've always favored his defensive set. I just like the idea of Politoed staying alive longer, especially in case of a weather war. Toxic and Scald both can add residual damage. Protect is useful for scouting out an opponent's strategy as well as getting a bit of extra recovery. Perish Song is good to force a switch. If there is no opposing weather inducer, Politoed also makes good sleep fodder, which comes in handy against Breloom.
King of Thorns
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Impish Nature
252 HP/88 DEF/168 SpD
Stealth Rock
Spikes
Leech Seed
Power Whip
I have to admit, I've become a huge fan of Ferrothorn lately. Sure, it isn't as good at laying down hazards as Deoxys-D or S, and may not even be as good as Skarmory, but it's still pretty awesome. It's an obvious fit for a rain team, too, and can be frustrating for the opponent to deal with. I prefer to run both Stealth Rock and Spikes so I'm not forced to run another hazard setter. Leech Seed is there for healing and residual damage, and Power Whip is the preferred STAB. I absolutely love this thing, its ability to switch into so many threats with impunity cannot be overstated.
Baron of Sorrow
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Rain Dish
Bold Nature
252 HP/236 DEF/20 SPE
Scald
Rapid Spin
Toxic
Protect
Here's another staple of defensively oriented rain teams. I've always preferred Starmie as a spinner, but I wanted to try out something with a lot more staying power. The main point of this set is rapid spin, but the other moves are important too. Again, residual damage is the theme here, so Toxic and Scald are both key. I considered running Toxic Spikes, but Toxic can't be foiled by Rapid Spin and doesn't require two turns to set up, so I went with that. Very annoying, and very effective.
Jester of Tears
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
Impish Nature
252 HP/252 DEF/4 SpD
Encore
Leech Seed
Stun Spore
U-Turn
This is the most recent addition to my team, and so far, one of the most useful. Encore locks the opponent into a nonthreatening move, Leech Seed adds yet more residual damage, and Stun Spore cripples would-be sweepers. Priority Stun Spore is especially important, as it makes an excellent 'panic button' of sorts. U-Turn is there to grant a favorable switch-in once I've crippled my opponent. I'm considering ditching U-Turn for something like Taunt or Substitute, though.
Duke of Winds
Tornadus @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Prankster
Timid Nature
4 DEF/252 SpATK/252 SPE
Hurricane
Focus Blast
Taunt
Tailwind
Why limit myself to one Prankster? Tornadus combines the raw power of STAB Hurricane with the team support of Taunt and Tailwind. Tailwind especially could grant Garchomp an excellent sweeping opportunity. Focus Blast is there to hit opponents who don't mind Hurricane. I went with Sharp Beak over Life Orb, since the Smogon analysis pointed out that Life Orb wouldn't power up Focus Blast up enough to give any useful KO's. I really want to keep Taunt on this set, but I could consider dropping Tailwind for a third attack or maybe Rain Dance. Makes a fantastic late-game cleaner along with Garchomp.
Lord of Slaughter
Garchomp @ Choice Band
Ability: Rough Skin
Jolly Nature
4 HP/252 ATK/252 SPE
Outrage
Dragon Claw
Earthquake
Aqua Tail
Last but not least, we have the 'heavy' of the team. Sporting massive attack, good bulk, and a nasty STAB combination, Garchomp is as much of a threat as it ever was. This set is designed to tear its way through a weakened team at maximum power. Aqua Tail is chosen over Fire Fang due to the rain. Honestly, I prefer to save Garchomp until late in a match. I'll only bring it out earlier if I really need to take out Heatran or Jirachi or something.
THE STRATEGY:
Since this is a defensively oriented team, I have to play carefully. Generally, I lead with Ferrothorn if the enemy team lacks a magic bounce user or something that can OHKO it. I sometimes lead with Politoed as well, but that depends on if they have their own weather inducer. Getting those hazards up tends to be a priority for me, though, and I don't mind sacrificing Ferrothorn as long as hazards are up.
From there, it's all about wearing down the enemy team. Spread toxic and burn, or have Whimsicott paralyze it if it could threaten to sweep. Leech Seed is especially useful to wear down walls and force switches. Once the enemy team has been softened up, Tornadus and Garchomp can come in to deal with the rest.
THREATS AND QUESTIONS:
1.) Magic Bounce: Xatu and Espeon really put a damper on my strategy. As long as rain is up, Tornadus can maul them both with Hurricane, but it might not be enough to keep those two from getting in the way.
2.) Enemy Weather: This team has not been tested against sun yet, so I don't know how it'll perform. I do feel comfortable knowing I have Whimsicott waiting in the wings to Stun Spore dangerous chlorophyll sweepers, but again, I'm not sure that's enough. Garchomp is also good for eliminating Tyranitar and Ninetales, but Abomasnow and Hippowdon could prove more dangerous.
3.) Taunt: Taunt is the mortal enemy of any defensively oriented team, and it's no different here. Fortunately, I have Tornadus' priority Taunt to help with that. Should I give Whimsicott Taunt as well?
4.) Moveset Changes?: I'm pretty comfortable with the members of the team, and I'm fairly confidant I don't want to change the roster. However, I could definitely see some changes to movesets being useful. For instance, my Politoed's set is nearly identical to Tentacruel's. Should I change it around somewhat? Also, I might consider tweaking Tornadus' and Whimsicott's sets. Any input in that regard would be extremely useful.
CONCLUSION: It's been a lot of fun battling in the past few weeks. I really had fun making this team, and I hope all of you find it interesting. It's performing pretty decently so far, and any suggestions that you guys (and gals) have would only make it better! Thanks for reading this, and it's good to be back on Smogon!
