Well I've been away from Pokemon due to work and my DS breaking, but now I'm back and ready to take a crack at the 5th gen now that the dust has settled.
Last generation I ran a very successful bulky sandstorm team, so I decided to try it again this time round with a few tweaks, and it's been doing pretty well on PO so far, but I can see some room for improvement.
But thats up to you guys!
Hippowterus (Hippowdon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
I've always preferred Hippo over Tyranitar due to his general bulkiness at no great loss of power. This is a pretty standard Hippowdon set but it gets the job done, he sets up the weather and entry hazards, as well as hitting hard with EQ and Ice Fang. Many a Salamence/Dragonite have been surprised by his more aggressive posture, and he certainly takes chunks out of any poke that underestimates him.
Panzaeron (Skarmory) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Roost
As well as Hippo and SR, Spikes also complement sandstorm very well, and a move is needed to shuffle between pokes, so I use a Skarmory that sets up hazards and then just uses WW to chip away at whatever comes out. BB also hits hard, and Roost gives Skarm longevity.
Bathtime (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
To get some dearly needed Sp.Atk power on the team, I run a ScarfZone. Been in love with him ever since I started using him, due to his massive power and surprise value at being able to outspeed certain pokes and hit very hard. Flash Cannon, HP Ice and TB gives great coverage, and the new Volt Switch move only makes Zone more versatile. Also does a great job of trapping Forretress, Ferrothorn, Skarm and other Physical Steel Walls, and makes short work of them.
Vacilys (Cradily) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Energy Ball
- Protect
- Recover
- Toxic
The reason behind the name of the team, my Cradily. Cradily doesn't get a lot of love, but even last gen the 50% boost to Sp.Def in sandstorm makes him an incredibly bulky special, not quite a wall but very sturdy. Toxic adds to the general stalling theme, once I have spikes/SR/sandstorm running, using Toxic makes the swapping damage from Skarms WW all the more, and wears most foes down in no time. Protect goes very well with Toxic and increases the stall value, and Recover is vital. I used to run Rock Slide, but this team has more than enough physical attackers, and with the combination of Storm Drain (to increase Sp.Atk) and Energy Ball, Cradily makes a very good reply to Water pokemon looking to take advantage of the teams general weakness to water. Many a Politoed has put rain up over my sand and had his nose bloodied by Cradily. A vital member of the team.
Terraclasm (Landorus) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 228 Atk / 28 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Discounting Magnezone, the team doesn't hit hard enough, so a number of bulky attackers were needed to make the team dangerous. I did a bit of research and decided on Terrakion and Landorus, a baptism in fire into my 5th gen experience. They're both pretty bloody good. Landorus gets a boost to both EQ and SE from Sand Force, and U-Turn/HP Ice give him great coverage. Most opponents seem to assume he's using a choice item, so it's always a nasty surprise when he has much more coverage than expected, and the Expert Belt adds to his hard hitting power. Getting a super effective move isn't hard with the coverage, and he certainly makes a hole in the opponent.
Porthos Ox (Terrakion) @ Choice Band
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Quick Attack
The other bulky sandstorm-aligned attacker, Terrakion with a Choice Band is an utter beast. This super-standard set is very useful in the team, and Terrakion can serve as an early game menacer or to mop up the opponent later on, with not much standing up to the brutal CC. Quick attack has come in useful a lot more than I thought it would, making Terra a good revenge killer.
So that was my sandstorm team, what do people think?
Last generation I ran a very successful bulky sandstorm team, so I decided to try it again this time round with a few tweaks, and it's been doing pretty well on PO so far, but I can see some room for improvement.
But thats up to you guys!
Hippowterus (Hippowdon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
I've always preferred Hippo over Tyranitar due to his general bulkiness at no great loss of power. This is a pretty standard Hippowdon set but it gets the job done, he sets up the weather and entry hazards, as well as hitting hard with EQ and Ice Fang. Many a Salamence/Dragonite have been surprised by his more aggressive posture, and he certainly takes chunks out of any poke that underestimates him.
Panzaeron (Skarmory) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Roost
As well as Hippo and SR, Spikes also complement sandstorm very well, and a move is needed to shuffle between pokes, so I use a Skarmory that sets up hazards and then just uses WW to chip away at whatever comes out. BB also hits hard, and Roost gives Skarm longevity.
Bathtime (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
To get some dearly needed Sp.Atk power on the team, I run a ScarfZone. Been in love with him ever since I started using him, due to his massive power and surprise value at being able to outspeed certain pokes and hit very hard. Flash Cannon, HP Ice and TB gives great coverage, and the new Volt Switch move only makes Zone more versatile. Also does a great job of trapping Forretress, Ferrothorn, Skarm and other Physical Steel Walls, and makes short work of them.
Vacilys (Cradily) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Energy Ball
- Protect
- Recover
- Toxic
The reason behind the name of the team, my Cradily. Cradily doesn't get a lot of love, but even last gen the 50% boost to Sp.Def in sandstorm makes him an incredibly bulky special, not quite a wall but very sturdy. Toxic adds to the general stalling theme, once I have spikes/SR/sandstorm running, using Toxic makes the swapping damage from Skarms WW all the more, and wears most foes down in no time. Protect goes very well with Toxic and increases the stall value, and Recover is vital. I used to run Rock Slide, but this team has more than enough physical attackers, and with the combination of Storm Drain (to increase Sp.Atk) and Energy Ball, Cradily makes a very good reply to Water pokemon looking to take advantage of the teams general weakness to water. Many a Politoed has put rain up over my sand and had his nose bloodied by Cradily. A vital member of the team.
Terraclasm (Landorus) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 228 Atk / 28 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Discounting Magnezone, the team doesn't hit hard enough, so a number of bulky attackers were needed to make the team dangerous. I did a bit of research and decided on Terrakion and Landorus, a baptism in fire into my 5th gen experience. They're both pretty bloody good. Landorus gets a boost to both EQ and SE from Sand Force, and U-Turn/HP Ice give him great coverage. Most opponents seem to assume he's using a choice item, so it's always a nasty surprise when he has much more coverage than expected, and the Expert Belt adds to his hard hitting power. Getting a super effective move isn't hard with the coverage, and he certainly makes a hole in the opponent.
Porthos Ox (Terrakion) @ Choice Band
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Quick Attack
The other bulky sandstorm-aligned attacker, Terrakion with a Choice Band is an utter beast. This super-standard set is very useful in the team, and Terrakion can serve as an early game menacer or to mop up the opponent later on, with not much standing up to the brutal CC. Quick attack has come in useful a lot more than I thought it would, making Terra a good revenge killer.
So that was my sandstorm team, what do people think?
