Registeel's viable once more (RMT)

[Flub]

I finally got unbanned, after about a year of banhood. I've been doing pretty well on Shoddy with this team. Registeel's solid enough to generally take down at least one other poke before it dies, and it also can set up stealth rock. Wobbuffet is unbanned (a bad idea imo,) so as long is it's allowed, I'll take advantage of it.

Metagross @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Def
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Meteor Mash
- Thunderpunch
---

Standard starter metagross. Generally metagross is EV'd for speed, so this, much like the Spanish Inquisition, is something nobody expects. It is resilient enough to take STAB'd earthquakes from garchomp (without CB) and then explode on it. Other than that, not much to say.

Wobbuffet (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 4 HP/252 Def/252 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Counter
- Destiny Bond
- Encore
- Mirror Coat
---

I absolutely love wobbuffet. Not only does he insta-kill choice-X pokemon, but he is 3-4 hit KO'd by unboosted DDers and CMers. This means encore leads to wobbuffet's win either way. There were pages and pages of arguments about whether he should be in OU, so I'm not going to reiterate. A nice thing is that encoring setup moves or leech seeds allows for a switch to either exeggutor or suicune, which can then set up for free.

Exeggutor (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Def)
- Sleep Powder
- Solarbeam
- Sunny Day
- Hidden Power [Fire]
---

Not much to say that isn't pretty obvious. Sunny day can be started on anything that won't OHKO or after a wobbuffet encore. It sleep powders the first switch-in, which is probably it's worst matchup. HP fire is the best alternate special attack, thanks to eggy's shitty movepool. Still, it's a power 105 move after sunny day boost. It also is a nice surprise for people who try to wall it with forretress, skarmory, or metagross. It's best used as a midgame sweeper, while the opponent still has a decent number of pokemon alive. After a sunny day, gets over 404 speed.

Registeel @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Def
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Counter
---

Works really well thanks to massive defensive stats. Lays down stealth rock, paralyzes what comes in, and then can counter physical attackers (including a CB adamant garchomp) or explode on special attackers. The iron defence/toxic/stoss/rest setup which made registeel a top contender in advance got gimped pretty badly by the physical/special split, as now it could be 2hko'd by focus ball. The increased prominence of fire pokemon also hurts, as before fire types tended to be underused. This moveset deals with pretty much anything by just exploding on it. It can survive one focus ball to paralyze the user, and then switch out.

Porygonz @ Salac Berry
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Substitute
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam

It is most effectively used after an encore from wobbuffet. It nasty plots, subsalacs, and sweeps. I debated whether to use thunderbolt or ice beam, but bulky grounds seem to be used more than bulky steels that would actually pose a threat (i.e. not bronzong or forretress.)

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/172 Def/86 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Rest
- Calm Mind
---

Really defensive build. Absorbs physical attacks well enough to survive against pretty much anything that doesn't have CB and doesn't have setup moves. I opted for Ice Beam over Roar so that suicune can do well if it's the only pokemon left, which is fairly common.



What are your opinions of this team? I am finding that I have a pretty bad Gengar weakness, and boah also seems to do really well if wobbuffet's dead (dbond/encore generally leads to a mutual death or a mutual switchout.) It drastically weakens suicune, and I end up left with nothing that can really hold lategame. Infernape and azelf also do some damage, though I don't think any of those three 6-0 me.

 

[Great Sage]

Wobbuffet should run a Bold nature so it can have a chance against Tyranitar, Garchomp, and other extremely powerful physical attackers; it takes things like Surfs from bulky Waters pretty well anyways.

I really advise against running Sunny Day Exeggutor. The ubiquity of Tyranitar makes trying to set up Sunny Day almost futile, and its uselessness is exacerbated by the fact that no other member of your team benefits from it. Additionally, Sunny Day helps Infernape sweep your team. You need a Gyarados counter, and it just so happens that the other Grass/Psychic, Celebi, fits the bill.

Registeel, particularly with your set, is just set-up bait for a lot of things. The most dangerous Pokemon you open yourself to is SubSalac Garchomp, which can Substitute and then Swords Dance up. Replacing Registeel with Bronzong maintains the Dragon resistance and Stealth Rock (and Explosion), and gives a good counter to Garchomp. That leaves you without a Bug resistance, but you should be able to handle any Bug attack but Choice Band Heracross Megahorn. For that you'll need to do some tricky footwork.

You remain weak to many other Pokemon, such as Lucario and Tyranitar; overall, this team needs some serious rethinking. More than anything else, it is just some Pokemon thrown together, without any cohesion.

 

[Flub]

Wobbuffet should run a Bold nature so it can have a chance against Tyranitar, Garchomp, and other extremely powerful physical attackers; it takes things like Surfs from bulky Waters pretty well anyways.

I really advise against running Sunny Day Exeggutor. The ubiquity of Tyranitar makes trying to set up Sunny Day almost futile, and its uselessness is exacerbated by the fact that no other member of your team benefits from it.

If I know my opponent has tyranitar, I sleep powder and sunny day on the switch in. Either way, it loses.

Additionally, Sunny Day helps Infernape sweep your team. You need a Gyarados counter, and it just so happens that the other Grass/Psychic, Celebi, fits the bill.

Metagross counters gyarados, as does registeel, as does wobbuffet. Gyarados doesn't OHKO metagross after a DD, and it dies to thunderpunch. It gets para'd and countered by registeel. I see your point about infernape though. Do you have any suggestions? Celebi loses to him, so he's out. Do you think swampert or vaporeon would work?

Registeel, particularly with your set, is just set-up bait for a lot of things. The most dangerous Pokemon you open yourself to is SubSalac Garchomp, which can Substitute and then Swords Dance up.

Yeah, registeel has issues vs. subbers. However, if a non-garchomp subber switched in on registeel, it would become paralyzed. If subsalac garchomp switched in, wobbuffet forces a 1:1 trade. Observe:

Garchomp subs, wobbuffet switches in
Garchomp SDs, wobbuffet encores
Garchomp SDs, switch to cune
forced switchout here

OR

Garchomp subs, wobbuffet switches in
Garchomp EQs, wobbuffet encores
Garchomp EQs, wobbuffet Dbonds
Garchomp EQs and both die

Replacing Registeel with Bronzong maintains the Dragon resistance and Stealth Rock (and Explosion), and gives a good counter to Garchomp. That leaves you without a Bug resistance, but you should be able to handle any Bug attack but Choice Band Heracross Megahorn. For that you'll need to do some tricky footwork.

Bronzong doesn't thunderwave.

You remain weak to many other Pokemon, such as Lucario and Tyranitar; overall, this team needs some serious rethinking. More than anything else, it is just some Pokemon thrown together, without any cohesion.

It seems to me that metagross and suicune easily deal with both these pokemon.

 

[blasphemy1]

That Metagross spread is wasteful. You take less damage from special attacks if you use the standard, 252 HP / 244 Atk / 12 Def. Hell you even take the same amount from physical attacks with either set, so why not have the ability to take a special hit or two?

 

[animenagai]

i'm not sure i like a team with 3 fire weaks and sunny day. it can easily backfire. really not liking exeggutor on this team. sunny day is good for nothing else and in terms of synergy it sticks out like a sore thumb. i would rather have something like SD garchomp there if you want to make use of wobb's set ups. i also see a heracross weak. you may be able to deal with it with good prediction but there are non-choiced variants such as the flame orb set, which would really hurt you. at least scarf your proygon or something to revenge kill it.