Rate the team above the team below this team

[Objection]

Foreword

In the beginning, there were six pokemon. These pokemon didn't really work well individually or as a team. Beaten to a pulp by opponents' teams, it became clear that most of the pokemon were underperforming, or they were contributing to a massive team weakness. Over time, the faulty members were replaced by other pokemon, who usually had the power to solve one problem, but other problems began to rise, so more pokemon were replaced. Until, finally, there were six strong fighters, each with their own specialities and all working together harmoniously, smashing almost everything that stands in their way, with only the occasional surprise bringing their reign of terror to a halt. Now the time has come for these brave warriors to face possibly their toughest opponents yet: the team raters.

Four words

How was that intro?



Lead and main revenge killer

Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Pursuit
- Night Slash
- Ice Shard
- Brick Break

Choice Band Weavile is one of the best revenge killers in the OU metagame. A strong attack stat combined with the type coverage of fighting, ice and dark is already good, but when any opponent is threatened by the chance of not being able to switch out safely, or Salamence's 6 dragon dances go down the drain thanks to Ice Shard, you have the icing on the cake. Ice Punch is not on this moveset because Weavile needs a strong STAB move for if any psychic or ghost type opponents decide to stay in, and the power behind Ice Shard is usually sufficient for the job anyway. Aerial Ace is not on this moveset because of the limited coverage it provides. Instead of using the suggested 40 HP/252 Atk/216 Spd EV spread, which gives Weavile a little more survivability while maintaining enough speed to outrun everything it possibly could, I have invested more EVs into speed because, well, Weavile isn't supposed to be taking hits. The extra HP EVs wouldn't change any notable OHKOs into 2HKOs and the unsuspected extra speed means this Weavile should beat opposing Weavile who don't run max speed.

Note: Due to the drop in Gengar and Azelf leads and the increase in other leads that Weavile can't take out, as well as the use of Focus Sash on Tyranitar leads to prevent Brick Break from OHKOing, I am considering using one of the other pokemon on this team as a lead instead.

Spinner and phazer

Blastoise @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/6 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rapid Spin
- Roar
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]

If you're looking for a utility that doesn't need to provide Wish support or heal status, look no further than Blastoise. This thing is a spinner, phazer and Gyarados counter all in one. Thanks to its defences, Blastoise can come in on any neutral STAB attacks and even the occasional unboosted Thunderbolt. Outside of Gyarados and Heatran, however, Blastoise's offensive capabilities are not that great, which makes him even more useful as a late game sacrifice, especially against pokemon I suspect to be choiced.

Special sweeper

Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Most of what you see here is pretty obvious. You might wonder, however, why I have stuck Psychic on Gengar. The answer to that is Machamp. The only pokemon that don't have to worry about Machamp's DynamicPunch are ghost types, and the one that can take the most damage off of him in return is the one with the highest special attack. Even though Gengar's Psychic with a Life Orb boost won't OHKO, it will bring Machamp into Weavile's killing range. Psychic is also useful against other fighting types such as Infernape and Lucario.

EDIT: Changed Thunderbolt to Energy Ball to stop Swampert from causing problems and HP Ice to HP Fighting for better coverage against normal types. Focus Blast is too inaccurate.

Mixed sweeper

Honchkrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Super Luck
EVs: 224 Atk/236 Spd/50 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Sucker Punch
- Drill Peck
- Heat Wave
- Superpower

Well, OK, it's mostly physical, but any offensive team without a way of dealing with SkarmBliss does not have the right to call itself an offensive team. Honchkrow doesn't usually come in on a threatening pokemon. Instead, like Weavile, it waits for its ally to fall at the hands of a ruthless opponent and comes in for a revenge kill. Unlike Weavile, however, Honchkrow doesn't have to switch out after its revenge killing is done but can continue to sweep for another few turns. Of course, if Superpower is used, Honchkrow will often be hightailing it out of there. The great thing about Honchkrow is that it can Sucker Punch an opponent that might think it can kill him easily, such as Rotom-H or pretty much anything that doesn't resist it and has less than 25% health.

Note: This pokemon is NOT subject to change.

Physical powerhouse (not a sweeper)

Hariyama @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 66 HP/192 Atk/252 Def
IVs: 0 Spd
Brave nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Payback
- Ice Punch

Smogon, if you promote just one BL pokemon to OU in 2009, make that pokemon Hariyama. Sub Punch is a brilliant way to catch an opponent off guard and guarantee a hell of a lot of damage, and because it is an even sturdier fighting type than Machamp, Hariyama is the best user of Sub Punch (tied perhaps with Breloom). With Thick Fat providing him with even more resistances, there are few pokemon who can prevent Hariyama from putting up a Substitute and many pokemon who can't even break the Substitute in one hit. Now consider that Focus Punch, when STAB is factored in, has a base power beaten only by Selfdestruct and Explosion, and Hariyama's base attack is the same as Weavile's, and you can understand why a lot of pokemon, even Skarmory, are a little worried. Psychic and ghost types had better beware of Payback as most of them will be OHKO'd by it. Hariyama's nature and speed IV of 0 ensure that he outspeeds as few of these as possible, virtually guaranteeing a base power of 100. To deal with any flying types, Hariyama has three moves to choose from: Stone Edge, Thunderpunch and Ice Punch. Most pokemon are hit harder by Focus Punch than any of these, but Ice Punch hits most of the others hardest.

Status absorber

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP/6 Atk/252 Def
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Aerial Ace
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Virtually every pokemon that isn't meant to do proper damage is meant to paralyse a pokemon with Thunder Wave or put it to sleep with Spore, Hypnosis, Sleep Powder or whatever sleep move it is they use. Gliscor can come in on these without much worry, thanks to its immunity to Thunder Wave and a way to use the sleep in Sleep Talk. Like Blastoise, Gliscor's offensive capabilities are limited to taking down Jolteon and Heracross, though opponents who like to stat up a lot will still have their health cut down by either Gliscor or Blastoise before another pokemon (usually Weavile) comes in for the revenge kill.

Final words

In the past, success rates for this team have been low. With these six pokemon, success rates are soaring and every last move has proven at some point to be vital to the team's success, so it is natural that I will be adamant about how this team has been set up. Therefore, if you are going to suggest a change, think about how I will object to your suggestion and include a good response to my counter argument, otherwise your points are very likely to be attacked.

 

[Riddler]

You have a major scizor and mamoswine weakness it is not even funny, I suggest you use skarmory instead of gliscor. Although you would need to change a lot more to make it competitive.

 

[MetaNite]

Well first of all, no Pokemon is "promoted to OU", its based on who people use most which is why they call it OverUsed.

Secondly, a simple Specs Jolteon can run through this team, until is meets Gliscor. But he is easily taken care of if don't choose the right attack in your sleep.

I reccomend changing Gengar into ScarfGar. Also, change Honchkrow to NP Mixape. Handles Skarmbliss incredibly easily and can sweep on its own.

I'm not sure about Hariyama.

EDIT: Like Riddler said, Scizor tears you to shreds. I'd replace Gliscor for Restalking Rotom-H, and that will also handle Jolteon a whole hell better.

This team has a ways to go, but it's not bad. Just incredibly frail.

 

[Objection]

You have a major scizor and mamoswine weakness it is not even funny, I suggest you use skarmory instead of gliscor. Although you would need to change a lot more to make it competitive.

Have you even heard of Hariyama? It is so sturdy that it can survive Scizor's Bullet Punches and Mamoswine's Earthquakes and still have enough HP to put a sub up, then Focus Punch will OHKO both of them.
Other ways I have killed Scizor in the past include Honchkrow's Heat Wave and Blastoise's Surf. Mamoswine is also not a big problem because Weavile can OHKO with Brick Break as well.
Furthermore, if I use Skarmory instead of Gliscor, I lose my only electric resist so I become weak to virtually every electric type and anything with Thunder Wave.
It appears that you didn't put much thought into your rate at all.

A simple Specs Jolteon can run through this team, until is meets Gliscor. But he is easily taken care of if don't choose the right attack in your sleep.

I reccomend changing Gengar into ScarfGar. Also, change Honchkrow to NP Mixape. Handles Skarmbliss incredibly easily and can sweep on its own.

I'm not sure about Hariyama.

EDIT: Like Riddler said, Scizor tears you to shreds. I'd replace Gliscor for Restalking Rotom-H, and that will also handle Jolteon a whole hell better.

This team has a ways to go, but it's not bad. Just incredibly frail.

Gliscor isn't always going to be asleep. Specs Jolteon won't be hypnotising him any time soon, and since very few seem to carry HP Ice, Gliscor has nothing to worry about.
The main drawback of choice items is being locked onto one move. On Weavile, although the power boost is welcome, the negative effect does become apparent quite often. On Gengar, this would be the same. Also, if I were to use a choice item on Gengar, it would be Specs so that Psychic would OHKO Machamp. Gengar needs to hit hard, and even though it has good special attack, that alone isn't enough power.
Mixape does sound like a good idea for a Honchkrow replacement (despite Sucker Punch saving me in a pinch) but not the NP version. Due to my playing style, I cannot utilise stat boosting moves.
Hariyama is probably the most useful pokemon on this team, often becoming a late game physical sweeper despite having an actual speed stat below 100.

 

[nyczxjay]

I wouldn't use Honchkrow as your mixed sweeper. With its shitty speed, Honchkrow won't be doing any "sweeping". If you want a wall-breaker use MixMence.

 

[MetaNite]

Have you even heard of Hariyama? It is so sturdy that it can survive Scizor's Bullet Punches and Mamoswine's Earthquakes and still have enough HP to put a sub up, then Focus Punch will OHKO both of them.
Other ways I have killed Scizor in the past include Honchkrow's Heat Wave and Blastoise's Surf. Mamoswine is also not a big problem because Weavile can OHKO with Brick Break as well.
Furthermore, if I use Skarmory instead of Gliscor, I lose my only electric resist so I become weak to virtually every electric type and anything with Thunder Wave.
It appears that you didn't put much thought into your rate at all.

Uh, no friggin' way.

+2 LO Bullet Punch vs. YOUR Hariyama: 95.06% - 111.91% no way is that a counter
+2 LO Bullet Punch vs. Gliscor: 48.59% - 57.63% your attacks won't come close to killing him
+2 LO Bullet Punch vs. YOUR Honchrow: 184.16% - 217.30% hmm...
LO Bullet Punch vs. YOUR Honchrow: 92.38% - 109.09% heat wave huh?
+2 LO X-Scissor vs. Blastoise: 74.03% - 87.29% 2HKO, at worst

Oh yeah, that really works.

Every single SpecsJolt WILL have HP Ice (Unless it's some weird HP Fire or something Jolt). Also, replace Psychic on Gengar for Focus Blast. It completes your type coverage.

 

[Objection]

Uh, no friggin' way.

+2 LO Bullet Punch vs. YOUR Hariyama: 95.06% - 111.91%
+2 LO Bullet Punch vs. Gliscor: 48.59% - 57.63%
+2 LO X-Scissor vs. Blastoise: 74.03% - 87.29%

EDIT: Every single SpecsJolt WILL have HP Ice. Also, replace Psychic on Gengar for Focus Blast. It completes your type coverage.

1. The damage calcs against Hariyama are assuming that a) Hariyama is coming in on Scizor, not the other way around, and b) Scizor uses Swords Dance when Hariyama comes in. This has not always been the case.
2. If Blastoise comes in on the Swords Dance and doesn't get OHKO'd by X-Scissor, it can either Surf Scizor to death or simply Roar it away. Besides, from experience, when people see Blastoise, they usually just jump straight to Celebi anyway.
3. If SpecsJolt does carry HP Ice, then I simply take advantage of the fact that it is choiced and predict which move it is going to use. The great thing about opponents' choice users is that if you have half-decent prediction skills, you can easily take care of them.
4. The problem with Focus Blast is that it is inaccurate. On a team like this, I cannot afford a miss.

From battling experience, Scizor is easy enough to deal with and Jolteon is rare and not hard to deal with. What I am currently doing, however, is replacing Honchkrow with an all-out attacking Mixape. If the Mixape is to have HP Ice, then Gengar can have HP Fighting instead.

 

[titan11]

scizor comes in easy on weaville or gengar
and most of them will sd on the switch
you also lack a special wall
calm zapdos or rotom-h could be your special wall and scizor counter

 

[Riddler]

No way hariyama is a counter to scizor and mamoswine, you have no poke that can switch in on those threats, which means you have no counter for them and are mamo and scizor weak like I said. And the other rater is also right with pokes like jolteon and also raikou btw plowing to your team.

 

[Objection]

No way hariyama is a counter to scizor and mamoswine, you have no poke that can switch in on those threats, which means you have no counter for them and are mamo and scizor weak like I said. And the other rater is also right with pokes like jolteon and also raikou btw plowing to your team.

Just because a team doesn't have a counter to something doesn't mean it's weak to that pokemon. The point about Scizor has been taken (despite Scizor not causing problems, either due to my own battling skills or my opponents' lack thereof), but exactly what can Mamoswine do to Hariyama?

 

[titan11]

Just because a team doesn't have a counter to something doesn't mean it's weak to that pokemon. The point about Scizor has been taken, but exactly what can Mamoswine do to Hariyama?

Damage: 65.62% - 77.08%
that is with choice band

rotom-h would also work against mamo
you really should consider it

 

[Objection]

Damage: 65.62% - 77.08%
that is with choice band

OK, so if Mamoswine has a choice band when it attacks Hariyama (who either came in at the same time, came in for a revenge kill or was already in), there's still a large chance of Hariyama getting a sub up. Therefore, Mamoswine does not destroy Hariyama completely.

 

[titan11]

OK, so if Mamoswine has a choice band when it attacks Hariyama (who either came in at the same time, came in for a revenge kill or was already in), there's still a large chance of Hariyama getting a sub up. Therefore, Mamoswine does not destroy Hariyama completely.

i am not saying hariyama can't revange kill it but you cant counter it
however you also have blastoise so i would worry about mamo to much

 

[Venom]

Seriously just tell us if its going to end up like your last thread, gladly pull it up if you like, people like MetaNite are giving you helpful advice, and you don't want to do accept it.

Gliscor isn't always going to be asleep. Specs Jolteon won't be hypnotising him any time soon, and since very few seem to carry HP Ice, Gliscor has nothing to worry about.

theorymon at its best

 

[User 12783]

when the statistics (as well as the Smogon Analysis) can back up HP Ice...

 

[Objection]

Seriously just tell us if its going to end up like your last thread, gladly pull it up if you like, people like MetaNite are giving you helpful advice, and you don't want to do accept it.

If a team that I have put together myself has had a high win rate against a variety of pokemon, including those which have been mentioned in this thread already, then why should I simply change something upon the advice of one or two people? This is why I said at the end:

Therefore, if you are going to suggest a change, think about how I will object to your suggestion and include a good response to my counter argument, otherwise your points are very likely to be attacked.

So far, the only person who has done this is MetaNite with his damage calcs for Bullet Punch, which have been taken into account.

And while you're here, maybe you could explain how this team has not been swept by Scizor when everyone else says it should be.

 

[Druggedfox]

Hmm, another replacement for honchkrow that has yet to be mentioned is electvire. Because of it's low sp attack stat it is looked down upon, but it's a great unexpected mixed sweeper than can easily take on skarm/bliss. Not to mention, you were tallking about electric weaks... electric attacks seem to be the main way to kill Blastoise, so electvire would work perfectly with it.

Keeping with that idea (though this one you'll probably consider less) you could go with Suicune over Gliscor. Suicune has the ability to take physical hits easily with the Max HP Bold Calm Mind set, it resists steel type attacks and can then set up while scizor is forced to switch. Though this increases the number of electric weaknesses, paired with electvire it can work amazingly well. Also, hariyama is so bulky it can take most electric type attacks easily anyway, so though it's not a resist, it can switch in easily. If you really like having that electric resist and you're ever considering a replacement for gliscor, swampert can work nicely as well, seeing as it has the water typing which provides a nice amount of resists doubled with an electric immunity.

Last recommendation is possibly hypnosis over psychic; sleep talk machamp isn't that common, and if you can bluff a revenge kill with gengar and just hypnosis their switch in, there's a good chance you might have crippled your opponent's gengar counter. Though 60% is appealing, I'd recommend testing it out over psychic just to see how it works.

Hope I brought some ideas into consideration~

 

[User 12783]

Then why the fuck did you create the RMT? You want advice then accept it, or if this is only to show off the team, there was no point in creating it. It is Rate My Team, not show it off.

 

[Objection]

Hmm, another replacement for honchkrow that has yet to be mentioned is electvire. Because of it's low sp attack stat it is looked down upon, but it's a great unexpected mixed sweeper than can easily take on skarm/bliss. Not to mention, you were tallking about electric weaks... electric attacks seem to be the main way to kill Blastoise, so electvire would work perfectly with it.

Keeping with that idea (though this one you'll probably consider less) you could go with Suicune over Gliscor. Suicune has the ability to take physical hits easily with the Max HP Bold Calm Mind set, it resists steel type attacks and can then set up while scizor is forced to switch. Though this increases the number of electric weaknesses, paired with electvire it can work amazingly well. Also, hariyama is so bulky it can take most electric type attacks easily anyway, so though it's not a resist, it can switch in easily. If you really like having that electric resist and you're ever considering a replacement for gliscor, swampert can work nicely as well, seeing as it has the water typing which provides a nice amount of resists doubled with an electric immunity.

Last recommendation is possibly hypnosis over psychic; sleep talk machamp isn't that common, and if you can bluff a revenge kill with gengar and just hypnosis their switch in, there's a good chance you might have crippled your opponent's gengar counter. Though 60% is appealing, I'd recommend testing it out over psychic just to see how it works.

Hope I brought some ideas into consideration~

Team raters, this is the kind of response I am looking for. Druggedfox has suggested stuff, explained it in detail and anticipated my responses to the main points.

The idea of replacing Honchkrow/Mixape with MixVire, given his ability and movepool, does sound like a good idea, although I am a little wary about Cross Chop's accuracy. Given that this team needs a pokemon that doesn't worry greatly about any status, if I were to replace Gliscor, it would be with Restalk Swampert, who can still safely come in on Thunder Wave, unlike Suicune. As for Hypnosis, however, if I wasn't prepared to accept Focus Blast's 70% accuracy, I won't be accepting Hypnosis' 60%.

 

[Darkartisan]

Weavile as a lead is a really great idea, I mean, with Choice band. Stops those damn Azelf leads that are ever so abundant. You honestly don't need a spinner, Blastoise is an open slot. The only things that take damage are Weavile and HonchKrow, and you'll soon be replacing Honchkrow, so...

Scizor is quite a tough pokemon to counter, well, not really. Rotom H is the best possible counter for Scizor imo, although you already have Gengar. Blastoise does nothing for your team besides spin, he's bulky, but there are much better choices for a tank than Blastoise, such as CMcune.
I can actually see Arcanine coming into the picture. With Intimidate, he'll fare well against Scizor. He also gets priority, which will benefit your late game sweep. Have you ever seen Light's Arcanine set? You should look into it, it's a support sweeper.

I think that gengar could benefit by using Psychic, if Machamp carries Bullet Punch, Weavile wont be killing anything, even with ice shard. Tossing specs to gengar makes him a massive immediate threat, you should at least tes him. But I would use energy ball for bulkier waters like Cmcune. I can see Boah over Honchkrow, it will give you something to attack from behind a sub, you could run Substitute/Earthquake/ Dragon Dance/ Crunch, get up the sub and stop scarved ghosts, and other problems. Yes, Boah would be an amazing asset to your team.

I like your Gliscor, but he doesn't seem reiable enough. Maybe only use sleep talk and axe rest, then throw on roost for better reliable damage recovery. Well, just my two cents, hope I helped you.

 

[Objection]

Weavile as a lead is a really great idea, I mean, with Choice band. Stops those damn Azelf leads that are ever so abundant. You honestly don't need a spinner, Blastoise is an open slot. The only things that take damage are Weavile and HonchKrow, and you'll soon be replacing Honchkrow, so...

Scizor is quite a tough pokemon to counter, well, not really. Rotom H is the best possible counter for Scizor imo, although you already have Gengar. Blastoise does nothing for your team besides spin, he's bulky, but there are much better choices for a tank than Blastoise, such as CMcune.
I can actually see Arcanine coming into the picture. With Intimidate, he'll fare well against Scizor. He also gets priority, which will benefit your late game sweep. Have you ever seen Light's Arcanine set? You should look into it, it's a support sweeper.

I think that gengar could benefit by using Psychic, if Machamp carries Bullet Punch, Weavile wont be killing anything, even with ice shard. Tossing specs to gengar makes him a massive immediate threat, you should at least tes him. But I would use energy ball for bulkier waters like Cmcune. I can see Boah over Honchkrow, it will give you something to attack from behind a sub, you could run Substitute/Earthquake/ Dragon Dance/ Crunch, get up the sub and stop scarved ghosts, and other problems. Yes, Boah would be an amazing asset to your team.

I like your Gliscor, but he doesn't seem reiable enough. Maybe only use sleep talk and axe rest, then throw on roost for better reliable damage recovery. Well, just my two cents, hope I helped you.

Another good, well-explained and well-thought-out response.
With Weavile coming in and out a lot, Stealth Rock damage will take its toll very quickly. Besides there are also Spikes and Toxic Spikes to beware of (although these are less common). Therefore, I still see the need for a spinner. Besides, as I have mentioned, although it is hard to believe, Scizor doesn't actually cause problems for me.
Putting specs on Gengar does sound like an attractive option, but given what choice band has done to Weavile, causing it to come and go very frequently, I'm not sure I could effectively use two choice users on one team. Even if Machamp does have Bullet Punch, if it has taken a beating from Gengar, Weavile's Ice Shard still outspeeds and kills it.
Energy Ball on Gengar does sound like a good idea though because right now, Swampert is a bit of a problem to the team, so something that can hit it for super effective damage would be very useful.
The problem I have with Tyranitar is that it brings in permanent weather that only he and Gliscor will benefit from and everyone else will suffer, especially Hariyama losing out on Leftovers recovery and maybe even one Substitute. In that case, I might have to sacrifice Rapid Spin on Blastoise for Rain Dance just to cancel out the sand stream.
The reason I use Rest instead of Roost is because I figured that if I was going to have Gliscor do stuff in his sleep, then I might as well use Rest because it fully heals Gliscor and doesn't stop him from functioning.

 

[SimPleeMe]

I love the idea of HP fighting. So many normal pokemon running around now a days that have such low sdef, that really helps keep them in check. Nice team man.
Also, I will definitely be using Hariyama from now on, I never realized how much of a power house it was before. Only thing, I don't know about using sub on hariyama. He is such a solid pokemon people will usually be switching out when they see this guy come in, so you should be able to focus punch without a sub no problem.
Nice team though.

 

[Objection]

Firstly, some news about this team.

I have looked at the replacements you've all suggested for Honchkrow. The problem is, none of them have STAB Sucker Punch coming from an attack stat good enough to finish off many weakened opponents with a surprise hit. Honchkrow really is a bird of surprise on this team. In fact, a lot of this team is built around stuff that people don't usually expect, and it works! The standard Mixape and Mixvire actually hindered the team more than they helped, but when I put Honchkrow back in, I found that I was winning more often.

Also, I have fought some more battles against Scizor, including one against a team of 6 Scizor, and I still haven't been swept by one, despite what your rates foretell. Therefore, I won't be making changes to this team for the sake of Scizor when I have managed to kill Scizor with either Honchkrow's Heat Wave (if they're really stupid and don't have Bullet Punch), Blastoise's Surf (since no Scizor has used X-scissor against Blastoise yet), Hariyama's Focus Punch (sometimes, people send in Scizor when Hariyama has a sub up) or Gliscor's Earthquake (if the Scizor has been weakened). When a Scizor 6-0s my team, then I will take action. Until then, no dice.

Secondly, an explanation of my actions

If you're wondering why I'm being so adamant about my team and very critical about advice I receive, it's because of how this team was built. Every time I lost a battle because of one or two of my opponent's pokemon, I changed the team to make handling those one or two pokemon easier while still taking care of everything that it could before. It has taken 30 such changes, including one that was almost a complete overhaul, to get this team to what it is, but this version of the team has not been swept by any single OU pokemon with its standard set. It is only natural, therefore, that I be reluctant to make any changes to this team, even though I know that it is not a perfect team. For example, Ludicolo once 6-0'd this team with its special sweeping Rain Dance set, and in fact weather teams in general are a pain in the butt for me, but I don't know how I can sort out such a problem.

That's why I posted the RMT: a lot of you are far more experienced in competitive battling than I am, so I would expect you to look at this team and know its strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, I would expect the most experienced of you to know how the majority of pokemon in OU are used by the typical battler as you will have fought these pokemon many times yourselves. What I have found from my experience is that if a pokemon is not one of the most frequently seen OU pokemon, the typical battler doesn't know what to do. I use this to my advantage. It's part of my strategy and part of my team building, but some of the users I thought were very good team raters have failed to see this.

It also seems that most of you don't actually read anything in an RMT other than the actual team, as otherwise you would have given me better rates.

You are weak to pokemon A, replace pokemon B with pokemon C, problem solved.

I could then turn around and say

But if I use pokemon C instead of pokemon B, I'm weak to pokemon D.

A good rate and one that I am likely to take to heart rather than with a pinch of salt, will not wait for me to say that, but anticipate that response and say

This means you're weak to pokemon D, but if you change move E to move F, then you can deal with pokemon D and not lose coverage because the only things move E would be used for are things you have other ways of taking care of.

This is the sort of rate I expected when I posted this RMT and I made this clear at the bottom of the first post. So far, I have had only two rates like that. Rest assured, if your rate stops at 'replace B with C, problem solved', I will attack it. If you are not prepared to go further than that, then don't even bother rating this team.