Shoddybattle Sandstorm Team

Hans

Lead / Physical Sweeper

TYRANITAR @ Leftovers
Ability: Sandstream
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 6 HP
Moveset:

~ Dragon Dance
~ Taunt
~ Stone Edge
~ Crunch

Explanation: A beast, tbh. DDTar is my lead mainly to get the sandstorm going, but he is a definite threat to most any team. He taunts set-up leads such as Ninjask or Bronzong and starts to do a bit of setting up for himself. I chose Stone Edge and Crunch for his two attacking moves, simply because they are his most powerful STAB options.


Physical Sweeper

CACTURNE @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 6 HP
Moveset:

~ Swords Dance
~ Sucker Punch
~ Focus Punch
~ Seed Bomb

Explanation: In my experience with this team on Shoddybattle, Cacturne has honestly been the MVP. He is massively underrated. He comes in, generally after another pokemon has fainted, and Swords Dances up, surviving the hit with Focus Sash. Generally, you can then use STAB Sucker Punch for the KO. Generally, the reaction to something being sucker punched is to send in something that can set-up on Cacturne. Guess what? Focus Punch their ass. You can then play mindgames from there. I have even had people send in Swampert (on two occasions), obviously forgetting what type Cacturne is. Unfortunately for them, their Swampert gets met with a STAB Seed Bomb. In addition to all this, Sand Veil helps a lot, protecting Cacturne from Sandstorm and also making moves miss often. Cacturne is amazing.

Mixed Wall

SHUCKLE @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252 HP, 200 Def, 56 SpDef
Moveset:

~ Encore
~ Stealth Rock
~ Knock Off
~ Toxic

Explanation: Shuckle is really quite amazing. Most super-effective attacks just bounce right off his shell. With base 230 defenses, I decided to focus more on defense and allow him to wall special attackers as well with the SpDef boost granted by Sandstorm to rock types. His main purpose on the team is to set up Stealth Rock and support my other team members with Encore and Knock Off. Encore is really useful. When a Surf is aimed at Shuckle, Shuckle can encore it, giving Cacturne a chance to set-up. He can do this with many other moves as well. Toxic is really Shuckle's only way to do damage, so it earns a spot on this set.


Special Wall / Whore

BLISSEY @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
Nature: Bold
EVs: 148 HP, 252 Def, 104 SpAtk
Moveset:

~ Aromatherapy
~ Seismic Toss
~ Softboiled
~ Thunder Wave

Explanation: This is obvious. I know it gets walled by ghosts but that is a chance I am willing to take. Team cleric, and it also helps spread around paralysis. That's really all the explanation this set needs, IMO. I realize that Blissey is not at her best in a sandstorm but it'll do.

Special Attacker

GENGAR @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpAtk, 252 Spd, 6 HP
Moveset:

~ Hidden Power Ice [70]
~ Shadow Ball
~ Thunderbolt
~ Focus Blast

Explanation: This guy works well with my team, in addition to adding some much needed special-attacking power. He most often switches in on fighting moves directed towards Blissey, and fighting and/or ground moves directed towards Tyranitar. He hits hard and fast and then generally gets out of there. HP Ice helps me cover dragons, Focus Blast is for Blissey (which this set 2HKO's, I believe, as long as Focus Blast doesn't miss). Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt are given.

Physical Sweeper

LUCARIO @ Salac Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 6 HP
Moveset:

~ Swords Dance
~ Endure
~ Reversal
~ Crunch

Explanation: Endreversal Lucario, a magnificent sweeper. Come in and try to get a Swords Dance in before Enduring a hit and starting your sweep. This outspeeds most things after the Salac boost. Crunch is there for, you guessed it, ghost types.


So far with this team I'm undefeated on Shoddybattle.
 
cacturne is cool

I dunno, I'm really not sure I like this team. You don't have enough offense to hang with a pure offensive team and you don't have enough defense to not get worn down by a pure defensive team.

Furthermore, you have some clear weaknesses. If anything happens to Gengar, Heracross is 6-0ing you. Period. Lucario with Bullet Punch 6-0s you, period after a Swords Dance, the only thing that has a chance is Shuckle and it's not going to matter if Shuckle Encores Close Combat. If Luke is weak enough you *could* Sucker Punch with Cacturne though.

Reversal Lucario is not very good. Too much priority in DP on something that relies on getting to 1HP. I'd scrap it for a Sub/Salac Garchomp. Even though its also vulnerable to priority, it can still be a threat even without the berry, and abuses Sand Veil.

Shuckle is nice, but you're still fighting weak. Gyarados over Shuckle fixes that weakness, and give you more offense to boot, as well as a defense against Ice attacks.

I'd remove Blissey, and go with a Special Defensive Restalk Calm Heatran (Rest/Sleep Talk/Flamethrower/Earth Power). It's still a very effective special wall, threatens many of the common leads (Bronzong/Roserade/Gengar) and gives a much bigger offensive threat. Plus it resists Sandstorm.

Finally, I'd change Gengar's nature to Modest (you can keep Timid if you're worried about Deoxys-E though) and give it a Scarf for revenge killing.
 
Alright thanks for the advice. I'll think about making some of those changes, though my team really has served me well as long as I play well. I will definitely consider the Heatran > Blissey and Garchomp > Lucario changes though. Shuckle is just too useful on my team though.
 
with cacturne holding a focus sash, you'll need to have a spinner. i suggest replacing lucario since he's your third physical sweeper.

a starmie could work as your spinner as well as your counter to heracross if it isn't holding a choice scarf. starmie also brings some more special attacks to your team.

tentacruel, who also offers toxic spike support, could also work.
 
I played this, and lost to a 1 hp lucario because focus blast missed D'=

anyways, a correctly played cbgross, or just about any metagross set can wreak havoc on you, smashing shuckle for supereffective damage on its weaker side. it also has the potential to OHKO your entire team, barring blissey, who it will 2HKO. anyways, the team is a tad on the slow side, with the fastest guy being gengar, who isn't all that fast. if jolly sdluke gets an sd on you, he will sweep your whole team without too much trouble, so watch out for that. it kinda feels like blissey's not doing too much for the team, with sandstorm shuckle taking special hits just fine for the offensiveness on the team. I suggest scarfing gengar to add some speed, because you have enough offensive power on the team imo. also, replace blissey with gliscor to handle physical threats that shuckle can't.
 
Haha I remember that. That was a ridiculous battle.

Is it agreed that my team could be fixed by replacing:
Lucario with some version of Garchomp (Would Chainchomp work?)
Blissey with Resttalk Heatran

And then changing Gengar to modest and giving him a scarf.
 
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