Hey Smogon!
So as I'm sure some of you more long-time members are aware, a while back there was a great RMT by M Dragon concerning the Art of the U-Turn (http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53850). Not only did M Dragon peak at #1, but he also was nominated for the RMT archive (and sadly didn't make it).
While this is not a plagiarism (or indeed even an imitation) of M Dragon's brilliant team, I believe that my team follows the same concept. While I, unlike him, am somewhat lacking in true offense, I have a bulky offense, supported by resistances, to slowly wear the opposing team down until eventually I can sweep with one of my Pokes.
The Team Building Process is a long one, because the original intent of this team was soooo much different from what it is now. (This may not be an accurate representation, because I deleted my older versions of this team and... well yeah.
(I don't know how to hide this; if anyone can tell me how, I'd be happy to do so, because this part is lengthy).
Actually, the initial intent was to build a team around DD Nite. I paired it with Magnezone because their synergy together is impeccable and it allowed me to actually run Extremespeed.
Now, I wanted an entry hazard Pokemon. I've been incredibly inspired by another RMT, called "Whispers in the Dark" (http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72315), and I instantly wanted to try out using Skarm and Subsplit Gengar. Skarm provides a great secondary resistance to dragon and sets up entry hazards nicely, while Gengar also takes advantage of the entry hazards, and Magnezone/Skarm take care of Scizor/Tyranitar, two of its biggest counters.
Next, I wanted a rapid spinner to spin those hazards away while also maintaining an offensive presence. Enter Starmie!
To round it off, a choice scarf revenge killer. Flygon has too much of the same uses as Dragonite and added another dragon weakness (a prick if Skarm gets trapped by Zone), so I went with Jirachi.
Dragonite simply wasn't holding its weight, so I switched it out for a scarf Flygon. Meanwhile, I noticed a bit of a weakness to Starmie, so Jirachi was swapped for Scarf TTar as well.
While Ttar was brilliant at handling Starmie and Gengar, it was an awful magnet to things like Flygon and Breloom. I looked around and saw Scarf Scizor, and was instantly enthralled by the idea.
Gengar simply didn't have the bulk, so I used a standard defensive Rotom, but with a washer to make it slightly more unpredictable.
Since everything but Skarm lacked any real recovery, and I was now incredibly Heatran weak, I tried sacking Starmie Vaporeon with roar first. After getting owned by toxic spikes, however, I changed to a sleeptalking roaring Suicune, to wall and rack up residual damage.
The team has stayed like this for a good amount of time. However, I noticed the overall uselessness of a spin blocker against, say, Starmie, not to mention how Tyranitar is usually about to spring on me, so I swapped for a Zapdos.
Now rapid spin weak (and vulnerable to spikes and SR myself), combined with the little utility of Suicune without my entry hazards, Starmie made a comeback.
I noticed that Magnezone is now kinda redundant, namely because I have a reliable rapid spinner now and I can so easily check Skarm, Forry, and Scizor. I replaced it with a Heatran, and the result is my team.
Notable statistics:
SR: 1 Pokemon weak, 3 neutral, and 2 resists
Toxic Spikes: 1 Pokemon
Spikes: 3 Pokemon
In-Depth look:
Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP/4 Spd/252 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
Leadskarm is such a great lead, it's not funny. Not only can it get up a free SR and 1 layer of Spikes on some leads, but it can keep coming back throughout the entire battle on the monstrous number of Pokemon it walls to put hazards up. Not to mention, it relieves the burden of other Pokemon to set up SR. Stealth rock is generally the first move, followed by Spikes, and then I WW or Spikes depending on whether or not I predict a switch.
Here is the matchup against other leads: green for free hazards, orange for sometimes troublesome, and red for immediate threat and definite switch-out.
Azelf: This thing will successfully prevent Skarm from doing anything. Usually, I go to Flygon as they Taunt (or even get greedy and Fire Blast), U-Turn to Scizor as they Stealth Rock, and then U-Turn again as they don't expect the scarf.
Aerodactyl: Also stops Skarm from doing anything, and Flygon doesn't exactly like risking with Stone Edge either. usually I go to Flygon to try and get lucky with Stone Edge, because thankfully it can't do great damage to Flygon either.
Celebi: Celebi can't touch Skarmory, so that means a free layer of Spikes and Stealth Rock. If it happens to stay in for two moves, (like Stealth Rock and Paralysis), then Whirlwind covers the obvious switch out.
Empoleon: When its a lead that is faster than I am, its really annoying to work against. I can always get SR up, but Hydro Pump does ~60% to Skarm, which hurts quite a bit. I'll try to trap it with Magnezone, because usually that's faster and can OHKO with LO Thunderbolt.
Forretress: A problematic lead. I usually go straight to Magnezone to 2HKO it with thunderbolt. Hopefully, Starmie will have enough chances to get the two layers he decided to lay out spun away.
Gliscor: Typically will Taunt, so I just switch to Starmie and use surf on the obvious switch out.
Heatran: In theory a very bad lead (especially since Skarm is OHKOed), but most players that I've seen try to set up SR first. Therefore, depending on how gutsy I am, I'll stay in first turn and then go to Starmie to wall it and leave a giant dent on their spinblocker.
Hippowdon: Great lead to face. Automatic Stealth Rock and Spikes, though if Roar hits Scizor or Flygon it can rack up a bit of residual damage.
Infernape: Not even as bad as Heatran. If it decides to Fake out, Taunt, for Fire Blast, then I'll go to Starmie, Surf to Focus Sash, and finish it off with a rapid spin.
Jirachi: Jirachi is a free Stealth Rock and Spikes if it is not a Trick Scarf variant. Usually I go to Flygon to take the Trick and U-Turn. If it stays, then I can switch between Scizor and Flygon until it's dead.
Metagross: It is pretty much a Hippowdon clone, and I will just Stealth Rock and Spikes. I do have to be wary of Explosion, but it doesn't even KO and sometimes I can even recover from that.
Roserade: I usually will let Magenzone take the sleep. I'll switch to Flygon as the first layer comes up, U-Turn to Scizor as the second layer comes up, and U-Turn for the KO. Since Toxic Spikes only affects Starmie (who doesn't stay in very long anyway), not much of a problem.
Skarmory: I assume it has taunt, so I go to Magnezone for, at worst, a SR and a Shed Shell.
Smeargle: I switch in Magnezone on the Spore. Then, I do the same U-turning madness with Flygon and Scizor.
Starmie: I am forced to switch out, and my lack of water resists really hurts here. Typically I'll go to Flygon to at least scare it away, and pray it uses Thunderbolt.
Swampert: Cannot touch me at all, so it is free layers of whatever I choose.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Scarf Trait: Technician
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Choice Scarf may seem like a gimmick, but it can surprise so many things it's not funny. Scizor is still a great scouter with U-Turn, helping to rack up residual damage (great because most of Scizor's counters are weak to SR), but here's the kicker: I can U-Turn on Starmie, Shaymin, Scarf Ttar, and +1 DDTar before they even touch me, allowing me many surprise KOs. Scarf Scizor is also a much better Pursuit user, allowing me to destroy weakened Gengars and scarf Rotoms stuck on Shadow Ball. Finally, Superpower can even be used as a last resort against Lucario and non-Scarf Heatran, and it can surprise them too.
Heatran (M) @ Life Orb Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SAtk / 224 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Explosion
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Heatran is my heavy hitter in my team, and a highly lethal one at that. Life Orb gives him an enormous boost to his attacks and, with SR, can possibly 2HKO Gyarados and Dragonite. I'll have to predict Heatran switch-ins to use Earth Power effectively, but it also provides pretty good coverage. Hidden Power Grass hits Water types, especially Swampert, who is OHKOed 100% of the time. The speed EVs hit 246 speed, which outspeeds Jolly Tyranitar and some Pokemon that sit around that speed. Finally, Explosion takes out a problem Pokemon and completely owns Blissey, although I already have enough checks for her as is.
I'm considering changing Explosion to either Taunt or Dragon Pulse. With all these entry hazards, Taunt can prevent recovery and owns Blissey all the same. It might also force bulky Gyarados to attack, so Skarm can actually beat it one on one. On the other hand, Dragon Pulse allows me to kill Flygon locked into Outrage without having to resort to Explosion, and hits Dragonite and Kingdra pretty well. Please give me your thoughts on it.
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Outrage
Flygon is my insurance against speedy sweepers and is also an excellent scouter with U-Turn. With the departure of Salamence, I've decided that Adamant is great for more power, and I rarely need that extra speed that Jolly provides (might help for some +2 Pokemon, but not much else).
This is one of my best checks for CM Rachi (especially if Magnezone died off), not to mention Zapdos, Gyarados, DD Nite, DD Tar, and Kingdra. He is also my sole electric resist, so I typically bring him him on choiced Rotoms.
U-Turn usually strikes something that takes loads of damage from entry hazards. If my opponent wants to bring Skarm in (a lot of them do), then Magnezone is also waiting right in the wings.
(why I have not found a nice pic for this threat yet is beyond me)
Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 156 HP / 136 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Recover
- Rapid Spin
At first glance, this is a highly unusual Starmie. Who, after all, doesn't run max speed, who doesn't run Thunderbolt, and who tries to make it both bulky and offensive? Well, I have an answer: I doooooooo.
I used to run Hydro pump over Surf to help make up for the loss of power, but seriously, Hydro pump seems to have 50% accuracy sometimes. Typically, I bring this in on an entry hazard Poke and open up with a surf to catch the rapid spin blocker. Ice Beam is for Roserade (which makes me cry), and while the lack of thunderbolt hurts, it's not like I'm coming in on Gyarados anytime soon. The extra bulk and recovery does wonders to Starmie's longevity, so it can keep coming in to perform utility and maybe even eventually sweep.
(Darn, where are them pictures?)
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 224 Def / 36 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Toxic
I use a physically defensive Zapdos to tie my team together. Like Starmie, Zapdos also scares away those that set up entry hazards a lot, and toxic has some amazing coverage with Thunderbolt and Heat Wave and is conducive to the whole idea of residual damage. Typically, I get this in on something it scares away and use toxic immediately. Catching a wall without recovery or natural cure, like Hippowdon, is usually priceless.
Zapdos is also a great secondary check to Gyarados, and takes even Stone Edge reasonably well. It checks Metagross too, albeit not as much. Unfortunately, this is also one of my only checks to opposing Zapdos and Rotom forms, but it usually gets the job down wonderfully. Heat Wave is so great against opposing Roserade-I used to run Roar there (and Starmie thunderbolt) and Roserade seriously made me cry.
Conclusion:
So, there you have it. This team has been very fun to make and very fun to test, and while it hasn't gotten me at a lucrative rank (top 50 atm on the main PO server at the moment), that's mostly due to hax, and I see this team having a lot of potential.
Hopefully, you enjoyed this RMT. If you really enjoyed it, maybe you could also do me a favor and get it nominated! :D
Spot-Check Threats:
-Rotom appliances and Zapdos (especially SUB-ROOST) are real pricks.
-Since I'm vulnerable to Rapid Spin, sometimes Skarm's hard work gets wasted.
-Since this is a somewhat slower paced team (due to lack of distinct offense), I like to think that it's a serious hax magnet sometimes. Skarmory getting parahaxed and Flygon getting burned by a lucky Heatran are not rare occurrences, unfortunately.
So as I'm sure some of you more long-time members are aware, a while back there was a great RMT by M Dragon concerning the Art of the U-Turn (http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53850). Not only did M Dragon peak at #1, but he also was nominated for the RMT archive (and sadly didn't make it).
While this is not a plagiarism (or indeed even an imitation) of M Dragon's brilliant team, I believe that my team follows the same concept. While I, unlike him, am somewhat lacking in true offense, I have a bulky offense, supported by resistances, to slowly wear the opposing team down until eventually I can sweep with one of my Pokes.
The Team Building Process is a long one, because the original intent of this team was soooo much different from what it is now. (This may not be an accurate representation, because I deleted my older versions of this team and... well yeah.
(I don't know how to hide this; if anyone can tell me how, I'd be happy to do so, because this part is lengthy).
Actually, the initial intent was to build a team around DD Nite. I paired it with Magnezone because their synergy together is impeccable and it allowed me to actually run Extremespeed.
Now, I wanted an entry hazard Pokemon. I've been incredibly inspired by another RMT, called "Whispers in the Dark" (http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72315), and I instantly wanted to try out using Skarm and Subsplit Gengar. Skarm provides a great secondary resistance to dragon and sets up entry hazards nicely, while Gengar also takes advantage of the entry hazards, and Magnezone/Skarm take care of Scizor/Tyranitar, two of its biggest counters.
Next, I wanted a rapid spinner to spin those hazards away while also maintaining an offensive presence. Enter Starmie!
To round it off, a choice scarf revenge killer. Flygon has too much of the same uses as Dragonite and added another dragon weakness (a prick if Skarm gets trapped by Zone), so I went with Jirachi.
Dragonite simply wasn't holding its weight, so I switched it out for a scarf Flygon. Meanwhile, I noticed a bit of a weakness to Starmie, so Jirachi was swapped for Scarf TTar as well.
While Ttar was brilliant at handling Starmie and Gengar, it was an awful magnet to things like Flygon and Breloom. I looked around and saw Scarf Scizor, and was instantly enthralled by the idea.
Gengar simply didn't have the bulk, so I used a standard defensive Rotom, but with a washer to make it slightly more unpredictable.
Since everything but Skarm lacked any real recovery, and I was now incredibly Heatran weak, I tried sacking Starmie Vaporeon with roar first. After getting owned by toxic spikes, however, I changed to a sleeptalking roaring Suicune, to wall and rack up residual damage.
The team has stayed like this for a good amount of time. However, I noticed the overall uselessness of a spin blocker against, say, Starmie, not to mention how Tyranitar is usually about to spring on me, so I swapped for a Zapdos.
Now rapid spin weak (and vulnerable to spikes and SR myself), combined with the little utility of Suicune without my entry hazards, Starmie made a comeback.
I noticed that Magnezone is now kinda redundant, namely because I have a reliable rapid spinner now and I can so easily check Skarm, Forry, and Scizor. I replaced it with a Heatran, and the result is my team.
Notable statistics:
SR: 1 Pokemon weak, 3 neutral, and 2 resists
Toxic Spikes: 1 Pokemon
Spikes: 3 Pokemon
In-Depth look:
Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP/4 Spd/252 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
Leadskarm is such a great lead, it's not funny. Not only can it get up a free SR and 1 layer of Spikes on some leads, but it can keep coming back throughout the entire battle on the monstrous number of Pokemon it walls to put hazards up. Not to mention, it relieves the burden of other Pokemon to set up SR. Stealth rock is generally the first move, followed by Spikes, and then I WW or Spikes depending on whether or not I predict a switch.
Here is the matchup against other leads: green for free hazards, orange for sometimes troublesome, and red for immediate threat and definite switch-out.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Scarf Trait: Technician
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Choice Scarf may seem like a gimmick, but it can surprise so many things it's not funny. Scizor is still a great scouter with U-Turn, helping to rack up residual damage (great because most of Scizor's counters are weak to SR), but here's the kicker: I can U-Turn on Starmie, Shaymin, Scarf Ttar, and +1 DDTar before they even touch me, allowing me many surprise KOs. Scarf Scizor is also a much better Pursuit user, allowing me to destroy weakened Gengars and scarf Rotoms stuck on Shadow Ball. Finally, Superpower can even be used as a last resort against Lucario and non-Scarf Heatran, and it can surprise them too.
Heatran (M) @ Life Orb Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SAtk / 224 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Explosion
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Heatran is my heavy hitter in my team, and a highly lethal one at that. Life Orb gives him an enormous boost to his attacks and, with SR, can possibly 2HKO Gyarados and Dragonite. I'll have to predict Heatran switch-ins to use Earth Power effectively, but it also provides pretty good coverage. Hidden Power Grass hits Water types, especially Swampert, who is OHKOed 100% of the time. The speed EVs hit 246 speed, which outspeeds Jolly Tyranitar and some Pokemon that sit around that speed. Finally, Explosion takes out a problem Pokemon and completely owns Blissey, although I already have enough checks for her as is.
I'm considering changing Explosion to either Taunt or Dragon Pulse. With all these entry hazards, Taunt can prevent recovery and owns Blissey all the same. It might also force bulky Gyarados to attack, so Skarm can actually beat it one on one. On the other hand, Dragon Pulse allows me to kill Flygon locked into Outrage without having to resort to Explosion, and hits Dragonite and Kingdra pretty well. Please give me your thoughts on it.
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Outrage
Flygon is my insurance against speedy sweepers and is also an excellent scouter with U-Turn. With the departure of Salamence, I've decided that Adamant is great for more power, and I rarely need that extra speed that Jolly provides (might help for some +2 Pokemon, but not much else).
This is one of my best checks for CM Rachi (especially if Magnezone died off), not to mention Zapdos, Gyarados, DD Nite, DD Tar, and Kingdra. He is also my sole electric resist, so I typically bring him him on choiced Rotoms.
U-Turn usually strikes something that takes loads of damage from entry hazards. If my opponent wants to bring Skarm in (a lot of them do), then Magnezone is also waiting right in the wings.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 156 HP / 136 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Recover
- Rapid Spin
At first glance, this is a highly unusual Starmie. Who, after all, doesn't run max speed, who doesn't run Thunderbolt, and who tries to make it both bulky and offensive? Well, I have an answer: I doooooooo.
I used to run Hydro pump over Surf to help make up for the loss of power, but seriously, Hydro pump seems to have 50% accuracy sometimes. Typically, I bring this in on an entry hazard Poke and open up with a surf to catch the rapid spin blocker. Ice Beam is for Roserade (which makes me cry), and while the lack of thunderbolt hurts, it's not like I'm coming in on Gyarados anytime soon. The extra bulk and recovery does wonders to Starmie's longevity, so it can keep coming in to perform utility and maybe even eventually sweep.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 224 Def / 36 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Toxic
I use a physically defensive Zapdos to tie my team together. Like Starmie, Zapdos also scares away those that set up entry hazards a lot, and toxic has some amazing coverage with Thunderbolt and Heat Wave and is conducive to the whole idea of residual damage. Typically, I get this in on something it scares away and use toxic immediately. Catching a wall without recovery or natural cure, like Hippowdon, is usually priceless.
Zapdos is also a great secondary check to Gyarados, and takes even Stone Edge reasonably well. It checks Metagross too, albeit not as much. Unfortunately, this is also one of my only checks to opposing Zapdos and Rotom forms, but it usually gets the job down wonderfully. Heat Wave is so great against opposing Roserade-I used to run Roar there (and Starmie thunderbolt) and Roserade seriously made me cry.
Conclusion:
So, there you have it. This team has been very fun to make and very fun to test, and while it hasn't gotten me at a lucrative rank (top 50 atm on the main PO server at the moment), that's mostly due to hax, and I see this team having a lot of potential.
Hopefully, you enjoyed this RMT. If you really enjoyed it, maybe you could also do me a favor and get it nominated! :D
Spot-Check Threats:
-Rotom appliances and Zapdos (especially SUB-ROOST) are real pricks.
-Since I'm vulnerable to Rapid Spin, sometimes Skarm's hard work gets wasted.
-Since this is a somewhat slower paced team (due to lack of distinct offense), I like to think that it's a serious hax magnet sometimes. Skarmory getting parahaxed and Flygon getting burned by a lucky Heatran are not rare occurrences, unfortunately.
