Welcome to the newest round of rating practice teams. If you're an aspiring rater, then these will hopefully allow you to pick up on and address any problems with your rating, provide you with experience rating teams that have been specifically made to be as tough to rate as possible, and make you think creatively in order to find the best changes for the team. Any rates we receive will be replied to with personalized feedback by one of Electrolyte, Plus, Remedy, ShootingStarmie, or Trinitrotoluene. At the end of the round, we'll give some general hints and feedback on how things went, and post the best rate that we received as an example of how to rate the team.
Anyone is welcome to participate and send in their rate, and everyone will be guaranteed to receive feedback appropriate to the effort they put into their rate, regardless of their ability. However, to keep things fair, we won't be considering rates sent in by official Team Raters as winners of the best rate.
If you would like to participate in this round, PM your rate to Remedy no later than Monday, 12 May.
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A note before we begin regarding my EV formatting: spd = Special Defense, spe = Speed. Anyways, this is a team I made just because I wanted to use some cool Pokemon and have fun while doing so. ALSO I SWEAR I DID NOT MAKE THIS TEAM WHILE LISTENING TO DARUDE - SANDSTORM.
tyranitar @ smooth rock | sand stream ** DARUDE
hasty | 148 atk / 108 spa / 252 spe
• stealth rock
• earthquake
• crunch
• ice beam
I wanted to use a sand-based team, so it's kinda obvious that I needed a Sand Stream Pokemon. From the two viable-in-OU options that could hold Smooth Rock (lol Eviolite Hippopotas), I decided to use Tyranitar because it held a more imposing offensive presence, as well as the ability to pick off annoying Pokemon such as the Lati twins and Bisharp. Its Rock-typing also helps the team deal with Talonflame, which is kind of a threat otherwise. SR is a given, and Earthquake helps Tyranitar catch Bisharp by surprise and hit Aegislash w/out activating King's Shield. Crunch is Dark STAB which hits most of OU for neutral damage at worst, and Ice Beam lets Tyranitar act as a lure for Landorus-T and Garchomp, two threats that could keep Charizard and Excadrill from sweeping. The EVs maximize Tyranitar's Speed and give it enough Special Attack to OHKO 244 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T w/ Ice Beam. The rest of the EVs were thrown into Attack, and the Hasty nature keeps Tyranitar's Special Attack and Special Defense from being reduced.
excadrill @ life orb | sand rush ** SANIC
adamant | 252 atk / 4 def / 252 spe
ivs: 29 hp
• earthquake
• rapid spin
• rock slide
• iron head
This is the team's second sweeper and late-game cleaner, Sand Rush Excadrill. With Sand Rush, it can easily outrun the entire OU metagame, even with an Adamant nature. Earthquake is STAB, and Rapid Spin lets Excacrill become even more of a team player, keeping hazards off for Charizard and Breloom. Rock Slide is auxiliary coverage, and Iron Head is a second STAB move that hits Fairies super-effectively. The EVs maximize Excadrill's Attack and Speed, while the 29 HP IVs minimize Life Orb recoil.
breloom @ focus sash | technician ** DRUGS
adamant | 4 hp / 252 atk / 252 spe
• spore
• bullet seed
• mach punch
• rock tomb
In addition to Landorus-T, the only other Pokemon stopping Charizard and Excadrill from cleaning house were bulky waters, Quagsire in particular. Breloom came to mind as an answer to this problem, mainly because it was one of my favorite Pokemon back in BW OU. Spore is Breloom's signature calling card, and it allows Breloom to take out one Pokemon temporarily, which is always helpful. Bullet Seed and Mach Punch are Technician-boosted STABs, the former being Breloom's strongest move, and the latter providing valuable priority. Rock Tomb lets Breloom lure Talonflame in while giving the team another form of speed control. The EVs maximize Breloom's Attack and Speed, and the Focus Sash helps when facing off hyper offense.
charizard @ charizardite x | blaze ** OG FAN FAVE
adamant | 144 hp / 240 atk / 4 def / 120 spe
• dragon dance
• flare blitz
• dragon claw
• roost
Charizard is a sight to behold. With its Mega Evolution X, it transforms from a mediocre Pokemon to a powerful sweeper that can end games if the opponent slips up even once. Dragon Dance boosts Charizard's Attack and Speed, giving it the power necessary to sweep teams clean. Flare Blitz and Dragon Claw are Tough Claws-boosted STAB moves, with only Heatran and Azumarill resisting both. Roost keeps Charizard's HP up, which helps since this Charizard is a bulky sweeper. The EVs were pulled from the analysis, which lets Charizard outrun Tyranitar and a few other threats, while avoiding a few key 2HKOs.
azumarill @ assault vest | huge power ** BIG BLUE
adamant | 16 hp / 252 atk / 240 spd
• aqua jet
• play rough
• knock off
• waterfall
I'd argue that nearly every offensive team needs a pivot of sorts, and for this team, Azumarill its its pivot. With its Water / Fairy-typing, Azumarill can switch into many of the top specially-based threats and ruin them with its Huge Power-boosted attacks, a la Ho-Oh in Ubers (without the reliable recovery, sadly). Aqua Jet lets Azumarill revenge kill weakened Pokemon, and Play Rough gives Azumarill some much-needed power. Knock Off lets Azumarill hit most of what resists its usual Water / Fairy coverage, all with the bonus of removing their items (assuming they're not a Mega Pokemon themselves). Waterfall is a more powerful Water STAB, and it helps keep Tyranitar and other Water-weak threats in line. The EVs were pulled from the analysis, but there might be a better EV spread out there.
garchomp @ choice scarf | rough skin ** ITS CHOMPER
adamant | 252 atk / 4 def / 252 spe
• outrage
• earthquake
• dragon claw
• stone edge
Choice Scarf user, and general panic button. I chose Garchomp over something faster, such as Deoxys-S, because Thundurus cannot paralyze it, meaning that it can revenge kill Thundurus without worrying about a loss in speed. Its Dragon / Ground-typing also allows it to form a one-two punch combo with Excadrill and / or Charizard, which is pretty cool. The moves are all standard, with Stone Edge seeing use over Fire Blast to clip the wings of Flying-types not named Gliscor or Landorus-T. The EVs are par for the course, and an Adamant nature is used over a speed-boosting nature because Garchomp outruns all of the relevant threats, even with the reduction in speed. Anything faster usually falls to Sand Rush Excadrill and the priority on the team.
Anyone is welcome to participate and send in their rate, and everyone will be guaranteed to receive feedback appropriate to the effort they put into their rate, regardless of their ability. However, to keep things fair, we won't be considering rates sent in by official Team Raters as winners of the best rate.
If you would like to participate in this round, PM your rate to Remedy no later than Monday, 12 May.
---
A note before we begin regarding my EV formatting: spd = Special Defense, spe = Speed. Anyways, this is a team I made just because I wanted to use some cool Pokemon and have fun while doing so. ALSO I SWEAR I DID NOT MAKE THIS TEAM WHILE LISTENING TO DARUDE - SANDSTORM.
tyranitar @ smooth rock | sand stream ** DARUDE
hasty | 148 atk / 108 spa / 252 spe
• stealth rock
• earthquake
• crunch
• ice beam
I wanted to use a sand-based team, so it's kinda obvious that I needed a Sand Stream Pokemon. From the two viable-in-OU options that could hold Smooth Rock (lol Eviolite Hippopotas), I decided to use Tyranitar because it held a more imposing offensive presence, as well as the ability to pick off annoying Pokemon such as the Lati twins and Bisharp. Its Rock-typing also helps the team deal with Talonflame, which is kind of a threat otherwise. SR is a given, and Earthquake helps Tyranitar catch Bisharp by surprise and hit Aegislash w/out activating King's Shield. Crunch is Dark STAB which hits most of OU for neutral damage at worst, and Ice Beam lets Tyranitar act as a lure for Landorus-T and Garchomp, two threats that could keep Charizard and Excadrill from sweeping. The EVs maximize Tyranitar's Speed and give it enough Special Attack to OHKO 244 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T w/ Ice Beam. The rest of the EVs were thrown into Attack, and the Hasty nature keeps Tyranitar's Special Attack and Special Defense from being reduced.
excadrill @ life orb | sand rush ** SANIC
adamant | 252 atk / 4 def / 252 spe
ivs: 29 hp
• earthquake
• rapid spin
• rock slide
• iron head
This is the team's second sweeper and late-game cleaner, Sand Rush Excadrill. With Sand Rush, it can easily outrun the entire OU metagame, even with an Adamant nature. Earthquake is STAB, and Rapid Spin lets Excacrill become even more of a team player, keeping hazards off for Charizard and Breloom. Rock Slide is auxiliary coverage, and Iron Head is a second STAB move that hits Fairies super-effectively. The EVs maximize Excadrill's Attack and Speed, while the 29 HP IVs minimize Life Orb recoil.
breloom @ focus sash | technician ** DRUGS
adamant | 4 hp / 252 atk / 252 spe
• spore
• bullet seed
• mach punch
• rock tomb
In addition to Landorus-T, the only other Pokemon stopping Charizard and Excadrill from cleaning house were bulky waters, Quagsire in particular. Breloom came to mind as an answer to this problem, mainly because it was one of my favorite Pokemon back in BW OU. Spore is Breloom's signature calling card, and it allows Breloom to take out one Pokemon temporarily, which is always helpful. Bullet Seed and Mach Punch are Technician-boosted STABs, the former being Breloom's strongest move, and the latter providing valuable priority. Rock Tomb lets Breloom lure Talonflame in while giving the team another form of speed control. The EVs maximize Breloom's Attack and Speed, and the Focus Sash helps when facing off hyper offense.
charizard @ charizardite x | blaze ** OG FAN FAVE
adamant | 144 hp / 240 atk / 4 def / 120 spe
• dragon dance
• flare blitz
• dragon claw
• roost
Charizard is a sight to behold. With its Mega Evolution X, it transforms from a mediocre Pokemon to a powerful sweeper that can end games if the opponent slips up even once. Dragon Dance boosts Charizard's Attack and Speed, giving it the power necessary to sweep teams clean. Flare Blitz and Dragon Claw are Tough Claws-boosted STAB moves, with only Heatran and Azumarill resisting both. Roost keeps Charizard's HP up, which helps since this Charizard is a bulky sweeper. The EVs were pulled from the analysis, which lets Charizard outrun Tyranitar and a few other threats, while avoiding a few key 2HKOs.
azumarill @ assault vest | huge power ** BIG BLUE
adamant | 16 hp / 252 atk / 240 spd
• aqua jet
• play rough
• knock off
• waterfall
I'd argue that nearly every offensive team needs a pivot of sorts, and for this team, Azumarill its its pivot. With its Water / Fairy-typing, Azumarill can switch into many of the top specially-based threats and ruin them with its Huge Power-boosted attacks, a la Ho-Oh in Ubers (without the reliable recovery, sadly). Aqua Jet lets Azumarill revenge kill weakened Pokemon, and Play Rough gives Azumarill some much-needed power. Knock Off lets Azumarill hit most of what resists its usual Water / Fairy coverage, all with the bonus of removing their items (assuming they're not a Mega Pokemon themselves). Waterfall is a more powerful Water STAB, and it helps keep Tyranitar and other Water-weak threats in line. The EVs were pulled from the analysis, but there might be a better EV spread out there.
garchomp @ choice scarf | rough skin ** ITS CHOMPER
adamant | 252 atk / 4 def / 252 spe
• outrage
• earthquake
• dragon claw
• stone edge
Choice Scarf user, and general panic button. I chose Garchomp over something faster, such as Deoxys-S, because Thundurus cannot paralyze it, meaning that it can revenge kill Thundurus without worrying about a loss in speed. Its Dragon / Ground-typing also allows it to form a one-two punch combo with Excadrill and / or Charizard, which is pretty cool. The moves are all standard, with Stone Edge seeing use over Fire Blast to clip the wings of Flying-types not named Gliscor or Landorus-T. The EVs are par for the course, and an Adamant nature is used over a speed-boosting nature because Garchomp outruns all of the relevant threats, even with the reduction in speed. Anything faster usually falls to Sand Rush Excadrill and the priority on the team.
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