INTRODUCTION
Hello and welcome to my first RMT. This team is neither a face-paced offensive team nor a stall team. Hopefully it is a balanced team capable of any threat. I have had above-decent success Shoddy winning about 7/10 times.
TEAM REASONING
1. I wanted to start with Celebi for support.
2. Looking at Celebi's weaknesses, i chose Heatran. The two can counter almost anything thrown at each other.
3. Next i wanted to choose a lead that could lay down SR. I decided to choose Jirachi for its Twave support and reliability in setting up SR.
4. Along with SR, i wanted to create further entry hazards and i decided to go with a toxic spikes user. I chose Tentacruel to provide further coverage of attacking move types with surf and ice AND it provided the invaluable RS. It could also be my SpWall.
5. I then noticed 3 of my pokemon were weak to ground and wanted to choose a flying or levitating pokemon as a counter. I chose Gengar with its ability to block RS and explosions and also provides me the only fighting, electric, and ghost attacking type.
6. I desperately needed a physical attacker and a physical wall as my last pokemon. I picked Hippowdon for the invaluable EQ and roar (especially useful on my entry hazard heavy team). Sandstorm is also very helpful to keeping heatran alive. Without further ado the team:
THE TEAM
Jirachi @ choice scarf
Jolly / Serene Grace
80hp / 252 atk / 176 spe
-trick
-iron head
-thunder wave
-stealth rock
This is the standard lead setup which is very reliable at putting up SR. Trick often forces a switch where i can then thunder wave and then stealth rock or switch to the appropriate counter. Trick often renders the opponent's lead useless. If Jirachi survives and doesnt't suicide to put up SR, it can provide great support with Twave later in the game, sometimes even killing other pokemon with the flinching from iron head and paralysis.
Tentacruel @ leftovers
Calm / Liquid Ooze
252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD
-surf
-ice beam
-toxic spikes
-rapid spin
Tentacruel is my Sp Wall. It provides invaluable toxic support and rapid spin. I chose ice beam because no one else on my team is capable of an ice move. It is great for unsuspecting SpA sweeping dragons and grass types who unknowingly stay in and attempt to set up. Tentacruel is an especially great switch on leech seeding celebi due to its ability.
Heatran @ choice scarf
Rash / Flash Fire
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-fire blast
-dragon pulse
-earth power
-dark pulse
Anti-metagame counter switch. It sports enough resistances to safely switch in and kill. I chose dark pulse over explosion to take out unsuspecting gengars and other ghost/ physic types. Heatran is the only real answer on my team to enemy gengars. Fire blast for metagross, scizor, foretress, skarmory, lucario. Dragon pulse for salamence and kingra. The scarf allows me to outspeed almost anything making it a great revenge killer and sometimes a great late-game sweeper.
Gengar @ life orb
timid / levitate
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-shadow ball
-thunder bolt
-focus blast
-Hp Fire (superpower scizor)
Half my team has weaknesses to ground and gengar sports a great immunity to safely switch in and destroy. If i am expecting an EQ on Tentacruel, Jirachi or Heatran i can switch and kill or force a switch. Substitute would work great but i would lose either Hp Fire or Tbolt. Considering i have no other electric moves, i am at loathe to lose it. Hp fire is great for pokemon like scizor and weavile who try to pursuit and die trying. Its primary job is revenge killing while providing secondary duties to switching in on explosions and blocking rapid spin (although this is seriously hampered from Rapid Spinning Starmies whom Gengar can not reliably switch into).
Celebi @ leftovers
bold / natural cure
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
-heal bell
-leech seed
-grass knot
-recover
My swampert and ttar counter. The infamous celetran duo provides excellent type resistances to most pokemon. Heatran only becomes stronger from incoming fire attacks that Celebi attracts while celebi gets a free turn to leech seed or heal bell from incoming EQs that heatran and tentacruel attract. In general a great support pokemon capable of downing bulky waters.
Hippowdon @ leftovers
impish / sand stream
252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
-roar
-EQ
-stone edge
-slack off
My physical wall. It is a great switch in for any electric attacks especially provoked from tentacruel. Late game it is the only reliable stop to jolteon and allows me a free switch. Electivires often for some reason try to take down hippowdon through ice punch. EQ finishes them off quickly. Hippowdon also provides a secondary way of taking out scizor, if heatran is gone. Roar is especially useful for removing CM or DD users and creating damage through toxic spikes and SR. If the battle resorts to a stall, as i have no definite sweeping pokemon, hippowdon and celebi provide a great duo to take down any stall team. Sand stream is especially useful as a counter to weather teams while further bulking up heatran.
CONCLUSION
I do realize i do have glaring weaknesses that i have managed to mitigate through my excellent defensive type coverage. This team is neither a fast-paced offensive team nor a stall team. Accurate predictions and counters are what i rely on to win along with the slightly odd move sets on a couple of pokemon to surprise my opponent. My biggest hole, however, is that I lack a physical sweeper. When I am up against Blissey or Snorlax (although i can eventually take them out) i sorely miss a physical sweeper capable of a fighting move. I have no real way to sweep except through heatran (which is only possible late game when its counters have been removed). Therefore there are two pokemon i have been looking into: suicune and infernape:
Infernape, while being a great anti-lead and SR setter, provides the much needed close combat. Offensive Suicune(CM, HP elec, ice beam, surf) can replace tentacruel as a semi-bulky water and is capable of sweeping through CM.
However, i would not have anyone to remove entry hazards and provide toxic support if i incorporate Suicune. I would lose Twave support and the chance to gimp pokemon if I incorporate Infernape.
Any suggestions are welcome, especially on your thoughts to address my weaknesses and any threats that you can see.
Hello and welcome to my first RMT. This team is neither a face-paced offensive team nor a stall team. Hopefully it is a balanced team capable of any threat. I have had above-decent success Shoddy winning about 7/10 times.
TEAM REASONING
1. I wanted to start with Celebi for support.
2. Looking at Celebi's weaknesses, i chose Heatran. The two can counter almost anything thrown at each other.
3. Next i wanted to choose a lead that could lay down SR. I decided to choose Jirachi for its Twave support and reliability in setting up SR.
4. Along with SR, i wanted to create further entry hazards and i decided to go with a toxic spikes user. I chose Tentacruel to provide further coverage of attacking move types with surf and ice AND it provided the invaluable RS. It could also be my SpWall.
5. I then noticed 3 of my pokemon were weak to ground and wanted to choose a flying or levitating pokemon as a counter. I chose Gengar with its ability to block RS and explosions and also provides me the only fighting, electric, and ghost attacking type.
6. I desperately needed a physical attacker and a physical wall as my last pokemon. I picked Hippowdon for the invaluable EQ and roar (especially useful on my entry hazard heavy team). Sandstorm is also very helpful to keeping heatran alive. Without further ado the team:
THE TEAM
Jirachi @ choice scarf
Jolly / Serene Grace
80hp / 252 atk / 176 spe
-trick
-iron head
-thunder wave
-stealth rock
This is the standard lead setup which is very reliable at putting up SR. Trick often forces a switch where i can then thunder wave and then stealth rock or switch to the appropriate counter. Trick often renders the opponent's lead useless. If Jirachi survives and doesnt't suicide to put up SR, it can provide great support with Twave later in the game, sometimes even killing other pokemon with the flinching from iron head and paralysis.
Tentacruel @ leftovers
Calm / Liquid Ooze
252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD
-surf
-ice beam
-toxic spikes
-rapid spin
Tentacruel is my Sp Wall. It provides invaluable toxic support and rapid spin. I chose ice beam because no one else on my team is capable of an ice move. It is great for unsuspecting SpA sweeping dragons and grass types who unknowingly stay in and attempt to set up. Tentacruel is an especially great switch on leech seeding celebi due to its ability.
Heatran @ choice scarf
Rash / Flash Fire
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-fire blast
-dragon pulse
-earth power
-dark pulse
Anti-metagame counter switch. It sports enough resistances to safely switch in and kill. I chose dark pulse over explosion to take out unsuspecting gengars and other ghost/ physic types. Heatran is the only real answer on my team to enemy gengars. Fire blast for metagross, scizor, foretress, skarmory, lucario. Dragon pulse for salamence and kingra. The scarf allows me to outspeed almost anything making it a great revenge killer and sometimes a great late-game sweeper.
Gengar @ life orb
timid / levitate
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-shadow ball
-thunder bolt
-focus blast
-Hp Fire (superpower scizor)
Half my team has weaknesses to ground and gengar sports a great immunity to safely switch in and destroy. If i am expecting an EQ on Tentacruel, Jirachi or Heatran i can switch and kill or force a switch. Substitute would work great but i would lose either Hp Fire or Tbolt. Considering i have no other electric moves, i am at loathe to lose it. Hp fire is great for pokemon like scizor and weavile who try to pursuit and die trying. Its primary job is revenge killing while providing secondary duties to switching in on explosions and blocking rapid spin (although this is seriously hampered from Rapid Spinning Starmies whom Gengar can not reliably switch into).
Celebi @ leftovers
bold / natural cure
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
-heal bell
-leech seed
-grass knot
-recover
My swampert and ttar counter. The infamous celetran duo provides excellent type resistances to most pokemon. Heatran only becomes stronger from incoming fire attacks that Celebi attracts while celebi gets a free turn to leech seed or heal bell from incoming EQs that heatran and tentacruel attract. In general a great support pokemon capable of downing bulky waters.
Hippowdon @ leftovers
impish / sand stream
252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
-roar
-EQ
-stone edge
-slack off
My physical wall. It is a great switch in for any electric attacks especially provoked from tentacruel. Late game it is the only reliable stop to jolteon and allows me a free switch. Electivires often for some reason try to take down hippowdon through ice punch. EQ finishes them off quickly. Hippowdon also provides a secondary way of taking out scizor, if heatran is gone. Roar is especially useful for removing CM or DD users and creating damage through toxic spikes and SR. If the battle resorts to a stall, as i have no definite sweeping pokemon, hippowdon and celebi provide a great duo to take down any stall team. Sand stream is especially useful as a counter to weather teams while further bulking up heatran.
CONCLUSION
I do realize i do have glaring weaknesses that i have managed to mitigate through my excellent defensive type coverage. This team is neither a fast-paced offensive team nor a stall team. Accurate predictions and counters are what i rely on to win along with the slightly odd move sets on a couple of pokemon to surprise my opponent. My biggest hole, however, is that I lack a physical sweeper. When I am up against Blissey or Snorlax (although i can eventually take them out) i sorely miss a physical sweeper capable of a fighting move. I have no real way to sweep except through heatran (which is only possible late game when its counters have been removed). Therefore there are two pokemon i have been looking into: suicune and infernape:
Infernape, while being a great anti-lead and SR setter, provides the much needed close combat. Offensive Suicune(CM, HP elec, ice beam, surf) can replace tentacruel as a semi-bulky water and is capable of sweeping through CM.
However, i would not have anyone to remove entry hazards and provide toxic support if i incorporate Suicune. I would lose Twave support and the chance to gimp pokemon if I incorporate Infernape.
Any suggestions are welcome, especially on your thoughts to address my weaknesses and any threats that you can see.
