New World Order
Licks Toads
Scrafty: Dragon Warrior
Introduction:
One of my favorite Pokemon in 5th Gen OU is Scrafty. This little Gila Monster has a very unique niche, having access to STAB Hi-Jump Kick, as well as great set up moves in Dragon Dance and Bulk Up. It seemed to me that this little guy has the ability to become a potent offensive force, so lets get to it.
Team Building Process:
Scrafty, of course, would be the star of this team. Since Dragon Dance has more offensive potential, I decided to start with a DD Scrafty and build around him.
Of course, the first thing to do was develop ways to eliminate pokemon that can stop Scrafty's sweep, them being Bronzong, Skarmory, Hippowdon and fighting types. So I added Heatran to combat the first two and Celebi for the latter group.
These pokemon would be shredded apart by a sand team. Bronzong may very well be the best answer to sand in the metagame which justifies his addition to the team. It also sets up SR, so Heatran can opt to run another move.
I needed someone to take on powerful special threats such as Thundurus, so I added the slug slowly crawling its way to the top of OU. Gastrodon and Celebi together can stop almost any rain team in its tracks. Therefore, Gastrodon was added to the team. Creating a nearly indestructible defensive grouping of Bronzong, Heatran, Gastrodon, and Celebi.
The last spot was sort of iffy, I didn't know who to put in. Originally I inserted Gyarados to further combat with annoying fighting types, especially Infernape, one of the only few Pokemon that could break through my defensive combination.
However, Gyarados was rather ineffective, its role already emulated by Celebi. As a result, Gyara would rarely see action. I kept playing around with the sixth member, and was about to give up on the team. But then, with a little luck (and unintended help from a friend), I discovered a secret weapon...
http://pldh.net/dex/sprites/celebi#
After playing around with the team for a while, I found the team struggled against stall. So I replaced Celebi with Reuniclus, providing me with the Conkeldurr check I so desperately need, as well as giving stall teams a run for their money.
In Depth:
Bronzong, Desert Guardian @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
Sassy Nature
252 Hp / 84 Atk / 80 Def / 92 SpD / 2 Spd IVs
Stealth Rock
Gyro Ball
Earthquake
HP Ice
I never really liked Bronzong in 4th Gen OU, as it really didn't fill any important niches. But when I tried it this Gen I found that Bronzong is a freaking tank! This oddly drawn bell is capable of shutting down Excadrill, Landorus, and Gliscor. The only prominent sand sweeper it fails to counter is Terrakion, and even then, it can act as a last resort check to Terrakion. Furthermore, Bronzong can bring down the multitude of dragons roaming OU, including Dragonite, Haxorus, the Latii twins, and Salamence without Fire Blast. Unfortunately, Bronzong can only bring one or two of the aforementioned threats down, if needed to counter too many threats, lack of recovery will hinder Bronzong's usefulness. However, that takes nothing away from Bronzong's utility, as other members can bail Bronzong out if necessary.
Heatran, Magma Guardian @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
Nature: Modest
244 Hp / 252 SpA / 12 Spd
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Hidden Power Ice
Roar
Heatran helps bring down a number of threats that can stop Scrafty's sweep such as Skarmory and Bronzong. He is also arguably the best check to sun in existence, capable of defeating Venusaur, Volcorona, and Sawsbuck without Jump Kick. Air Balloon is the item of choice, as it temporarily eliminates Heatran's worst nightmare, allowing it to act as a back-up check to the likes of Excadrill and Salamence. His respectable bulk means he can sponge Draco Meteors from Latios and Hydreigon if Bronzong has a more important assignment. More EVs are placed into Hp for more bulk, better for sponging random DMs/ Outrages when Air Balloon is used up. Since Bronzong already carries Stealth Rock, Heatran uses Roar instead to phaze out incoming checks, or preventing opponents from setting up on it.
Gastrodon, Ocean Guardian @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
Calm Nature
252 Hp / 252 SpD / 4 SpA
Earth Power
Ice Beam
Toxic
Recover
Gastrodon is an integral part of my defensive core. Arguably the best rain check in existence, Gastrodon takes on the likes of Thundurus, Tornadus, and Gyarados with little difficulty. With Storm Drain, Gastrodon also brings down bulky waters such as Rotom-W and Vaporeon, while actually becoming respectable offensively upon absorbing a water attack. Toxic and Recover are staple moves, Earth Power is chosen over Scald so Gastrodon can hit bulky waters harder bar Rotom-W, who will never stay in against Gastrodon anyways. Even if the opponent doesn't have a rain team and lacks bulky waters, the sheer bulk of this guy makes him useful in most battles. It isn't even 2HKOed by DM Specs Latios!
Reuniclus, Bio-Warfare Sentry @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
Bold Nature
252 Hp / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Calm Mind
Recover
Psychic
Focus Blast
This abnormally developed fetus has become a valuable addition to my team. Magic Guard means he wants to get poisoned or burned, so he can avoid sleep or paralysis. He also takes no damage from entry hazards and Leech Seed. As a result, Reuniclus is able to tear stall a new one once Scrafty and Heatran have gotten Tyranitar, Scizor, and Jirachi out of the way. Due to his horrendous speed. Payback from Conkeldurr does next to nothing, Psychic is chosen over Psyshock almost specifically for Conkeldurr. He replaces Celebi's job as the Conkeldurr counter, in fact, he does it much better.
Scrafty, Dragon Warrior @ Leftovers
Trait: Moxie
Jolly Nature
252 Atk / 252 Spd/ 4 Hp
Dragon Dance
Hi-Jump Kick
Crunch
Ice Punch
Scrafty's picture has been changed because this new one has an abundance of win! Its amazing how many clean sweeps Scrafty can get on opposing teams. It truly is one of the most underappreciated threats in the metagame. As there are a number of teams that choose not to prepare for it: big mistake. There are times when I can get Scrafty out on turn one, and finish the match with nobody else even participating. Respectably bulk means it can often get two DDs under its belt and proceed to wreak absolute havoc. Ironically, even though this team is based on Scrafty, I put in the least thought for this set. While Ice Punch does help with coverage, I am considering Taunt, or even Shed Skin + Life Orb to deal with annoying status.
Latios, Hidden Legend @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
Timid Nature
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Hp
Dragon Pulse
Surf
Calm Mind
Trick
Wow, Calm Mind on a Choice Scarf set, you fail at life AHAHAHAHA, what a noob. However, before everyone rips me apart, hear me out on how effective this gimmick actually is. But first lets see how I actually "developed" this set. I originally had DM over CM, and Latios was meant to revenge kill the likes of Infernape, Terrakion, and Salamence, and cripple Reuniclus. However, a friend of mine thought he was clever and replaced DM with CM while I wasn't looking. I was pissed beyond belief when I saw Calm Mind, and after tricking a Reuniclus, I had no idea what to do, as I couldn't just spam DM. So I decided to Calm Mind since I was bored. I think my opponent was thinking, "revenge kill with Starmie", and sent out a death fodder, and was super unimpressed as I proceeded to sweep his team. Then I realized the element of surprise (and awesomeness) of this set. Dragon Pulse and Surf were the only attacks I needed for revenge killing what I wanted, after losing its Choice Scarf, the traditional Latios loses its effectiveness, but in this case, I suddenly have a sweeper than can switch in and set up against Heatran etc. often causing my opponent to call me a noob, and ragequit. Whats more, I think this gimmick has serious competitive value, being able to fulfill two roles at the same time. Think of it as having 7 Pokemon, with CS Latios with disabled DM and CM Latios with disabled Psyshock.
Conclusion:
All in all, this is an extremely fun team to use, and quite effective as well. Its the only 5th Gen team I've made thats cracked 1200 CRE (hell, 1100 CRE). I'm definately a below average player, so I would like to see how better players would do with this team. Scrafty not only looks epic, but his 6-0 sweeps are always fun to experience. This team makes weather teams wish they never made the weather team. But best of all: Choice Scarf CM Latios. It surprises everyone and has caused more ragequits than the rest of my team combined. I suggest everyone give this set a try, not only is it an effective revenge killer, but also an effective boosting tank as well. I'm not sure how many other trick users with boosting moves exist, but I'm sure that there are other sets that can utilize this strategy as well. Even if you don't find this strategy effective, its always fun to troll people with it and cause people to break their computers:naughty:.
Retired Members:
Celebi, Forest Guardian @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
Modest Nature
188 Hp / 252 SpA / 68 Spd
Nasty Plot
Giga Drain
Psychic
Hidden Power Fire
Celebi completes my defensive grouping, its typing and respectable bulk allows it to take on offensive juggernauts such as Terrakion, and check certain threats in all three weathers. Its ability allows it to absorb status, which my team absolutely abhorrs. However, Celebi's most important role is to clean up those annoying fighting types that would otherwise hinder Scrafty's sweep, most notably Conkeldurr. I opted for a Nasty Plot version because I'm an offensively oriented player, and NP Celebi gives me another means of closing out a game. Psychic is chosen over recover to deal with fighting types. Now, the EVs may seem strange, but it actually does serve a purpose: including the speed drop from HP Fire, these EVs allow Celebi to outspeed max speed Scizor. While not as common as defensive Scizor, still exist in a significant enough number and love to come in for the "surefire revenge kill".
Introduction:
One of my favorite Pokemon in 5th Gen OU is Scrafty. This little Gila Monster has a very unique niche, having access to STAB Hi-Jump Kick, as well as great set up moves in Dragon Dance and Bulk Up. It seemed to me that this little guy has the ability to become a potent offensive force, so lets get to it.
Team Building Process:
Scrafty, of course, would be the star of this team. Since Dragon Dance has more offensive potential, I decided to start with a DD Scrafty and build around him.
Of course, the first thing to do was develop ways to eliminate pokemon that can stop Scrafty's sweep, them being Bronzong, Skarmory, Hippowdon and fighting types. So I added Heatran to combat the first two and Celebi for the latter group.
These pokemon would be shredded apart by a sand team. Bronzong may very well be the best answer to sand in the metagame which justifies his addition to the team. It also sets up SR, so Heatran can opt to run another move.
I needed someone to take on powerful special threats such as Thundurus, so I added the slug slowly crawling its way to the top of OU. Gastrodon and Celebi together can stop almost any rain team in its tracks. Therefore, Gastrodon was added to the team. Creating a nearly indestructible defensive grouping of Bronzong, Heatran, Gastrodon, and Celebi.
The last spot was sort of iffy, I didn't know who to put in. Originally I inserted Gyarados to further combat with annoying fighting types, especially Infernape, one of the only few Pokemon that could break through my defensive combination.
However, Gyarados was rather ineffective, its role already emulated by Celebi. As a result, Gyara would rarely see action. I kept playing around with the sixth member, and was about to give up on the team. But then, with a little luck (and unintended help from a friend), I discovered a secret weapon...
http://pldh.net/dex/sprites/celebi#
After playing around with the team for a while, I found the team struggled against stall. So I replaced Celebi with Reuniclus, providing me with the Conkeldurr check I so desperately need, as well as giving stall teams a run for their money.
In Depth:
Bronzong, Desert Guardian @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
Sassy Nature
252 Hp / 84 Atk / 80 Def / 92 SpD / 2 Spd IVs
Stealth Rock
Gyro Ball
Earthquake
HP Ice
I never really liked Bronzong in 4th Gen OU, as it really didn't fill any important niches. But when I tried it this Gen I found that Bronzong is a freaking tank! This oddly drawn bell is capable of shutting down Excadrill, Landorus, and Gliscor. The only prominent sand sweeper it fails to counter is Terrakion, and even then, it can act as a last resort check to Terrakion. Furthermore, Bronzong can bring down the multitude of dragons roaming OU, including Dragonite, Haxorus, the Latii twins, and Salamence without Fire Blast. Unfortunately, Bronzong can only bring one or two of the aforementioned threats down, if needed to counter too many threats, lack of recovery will hinder Bronzong's usefulness. However, that takes nothing away from Bronzong's utility, as other members can bail Bronzong out if necessary.
Heatran, Magma Guardian @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
Nature: Modest
244 Hp / 252 SpA / 12 Spd
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Hidden Power Ice
Roar
Heatran helps bring down a number of threats that can stop Scrafty's sweep such as Skarmory and Bronzong. He is also arguably the best check to sun in existence, capable of defeating Venusaur, Volcorona, and Sawsbuck without Jump Kick. Air Balloon is the item of choice, as it temporarily eliminates Heatran's worst nightmare, allowing it to act as a back-up check to the likes of Excadrill and Salamence. His respectable bulk means he can sponge Draco Meteors from Latios and Hydreigon if Bronzong has a more important assignment. More EVs are placed into Hp for more bulk, better for sponging random DMs/ Outrages when Air Balloon is used up. Since Bronzong already carries Stealth Rock, Heatran uses Roar instead to phaze out incoming checks, or preventing opponents from setting up on it.
Gastrodon, Ocean Guardian @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
Calm Nature
252 Hp / 252 SpD / 4 SpA
Earth Power
Ice Beam
Toxic
Recover
Gastrodon is an integral part of my defensive core. Arguably the best rain check in existence, Gastrodon takes on the likes of Thundurus, Tornadus, and Gyarados with little difficulty. With Storm Drain, Gastrodon also brings down bulky waters such as Rotom-W and Vaporeon, while actually becoming respectable offensively upon absorbing a water attack. Toxic and Recover are staple moves, Earth Power is chosen over Scald so Gastrodon can hit bulky waters harder bar Rotom-W, who will never stay in against Gastrodon anyways. Even if the opponent doesn't have a rain team and lacks bulky waters, the sheer bulk of this guy makes him useful in most battles. It isn't even 2HKOed by DM Specs Latios!
Reuniclus, Bio-Warfare Sentry @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
Bold Nature
252 Hp / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Calm Mind
Recover
Psychic
Focus Blast
This abnormally developed fetus has become a valuable addition to my team. Magic Guard means he wants to get poisoned or burned, so he can avoid sleep or paralysis. He also takes no damage from entry hazards and Leech Seed. As a result, Reuniclus is able to tear stall a new one once Scrafty and Heatran have gotten Tyranitar, Scizor, and Jirachi out of the way. Due to his horrendous speed. Payback from Conkeldurr does next to nothing, Psychic is chosen over Psyshock almost specifically for Conkeldurr. He replaces Celebi's job as the Conkeldurr counter, in fact, he does it much better.
Scrafty, Dragon Warrior @ Leftovers
Trait: Moxie
Jolly Nature
252 Atk / 252 Spd/ 4 Hp
Dragon Dance
Hi-Jump Kick
Crunch
Ice Punch
Scrafty's picture has been changed because this new one has an abundance of win! Its amazing how many clean sweeps Scrafty can get on opposing teams. It truly is one of the most underappreciated threats in the metagame. As there are a number of teams that choose not to prepare for it: big mistake. There are times when I can get Scrafty out on turn one, and finish the match with nobody else even participating. Respectably bulk means it can often get two DDs under its belt and proceed to wreak absolute havoc. Ironically, even though this team is based on Scrafty, I put in the least thought for this set. While Ice Punch does help with coverage, I am considering Taunt, or even Shed Skin + Life Orb to deal with annoying status.
Latios, Hidden Legend @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
Timid Nature
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Hp
Dragon Pulse
Surf
Calm Mind
Trick
Wow, Calm Mind on a Choice Scarf set, you fail at life AHAHAHAHA, what a noob. However, before everyone rips me apart, hear me out on how effective this gimmick actually is. But first lets see how I actually "developed" this set. I originally had DM over CM, and Latios was meant to revenge kill the likes of Infernape, Terrakion, and Salamence, and cripple Reuniclus. However, a friend of mine thought he was clever and replaced DM with CM while I wasn't looking. I was pissed beyond belief when I saw Calm Mind, and after tricking a Reuniclus, I had no idea what to do, as I couldn't just spam DM. So I decided to Calm Mind since I was bored. I think my opponent was thinking, "revenge kill with Starmie", and sent out a death fodder, and was super unimpressed as I proceeded to sweep his team. Then I realized the element of surprise (and awesomeness) of this set. Dragon Pulse and Surf were the only attacks I needed for revenge killing what I wanted, after losing its Choice Scarf, the traditional Latios loses its effectiveness, but in this case, I suddenly have a sweeper than can switch in and set up against Heatran etc. often causing my opponent to call me a noob, and ragequit. Whats more, I think this gimmick has serious competitive value, being able to fulfill two roles at the same time. Think of it as having 7 Pokemon, with CS Latios with disabled DM and CM Latios with disabled Psyshock.
Conclusion:
All in all, this is an extremely fun team to use, and quite effective as well. Its the only 5th Gen team I've made thats cracked 1200 CRE (hell, 1100 CRE). I'm definately a below average player, so I would like to see how better players would do with this team. Scrafty not only looks epic, but his 6-0 sweeps are always fun to experience. This team makes weather teams wish they never made the weather team. But best of all: Choice Scarf CM Latios. It surprises everyone and has caused more ragequits than the rest of my team combined. I suggest everyone give this set a try, not only is it an effective revenge killer, but also an effective boosting tank as well. I'm not sure how many other trick users with boosting moves exist, but I'm sure that there are other sets that can utilize this strategy as well. Even if you don't find this strategy effective, its always fun to troll people with it and cause people to break their computers:naughty:.
Retired Members:
Celebi, Forest Guardian @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
Modest Nature
188 Hp / 252 SpA / 68 Spd
Nasty Plot
Giga Drain
Psychic
Hidden Power Fire
Celebi completes my defensive grouping, its typing and respectable bulk allows it to take on offensive juggernauts such as Terrakion, and check certain threats in all three weathers. Its ability allows it to absorb status, which my team absolutely abhorrs. However, Celebi's most important role is to clean up those annoying fighting types that would otherwise hinder Scrafty's sweep, most notably Conkeldurr. I opted for a Nasty Plot version because I'm an offensively oriented player, and NP Celebi gives me another means of closing out a game. Psychic is chosen over recover to deal with fighting types. Now, the EVs may seem strange, but it actually does serve a purpose: including the speed drop from HP Fire, these EVs allow Celebi to outspeed max speed Scizor. While not as common as defensive Scizor, still exist in a significant enough number and love to come in for the "surefire revenge kill".