Hey, everyone. Let me give a little background info as to why I wanted to make this team. First off, I really like the idea of a field changing move, it keeps you constantly interacting with the game and making sure everything is setup correctly. In that case, Gravity, Trick Room, and weather condition teams are what I'm looking for.
Gravity: I love the idea of moves gaining accuracy, making powerhouse moves like Stone Edge much more reliable and Earthquake hitting everything for about 5 turns. Very nice.
Bronzong @ Lum Berry
Relaxed
Heatproof
252HP/158DEF/100SPD
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Stealth Rock
Trick Room
Gyro Ball
Light Screen
Tangrowth @ Leftovers
Relaxed
Leaf Guard
252HP/4ATK/252DEF
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Sleep Powder
Leech Seed
Knock Off
Power Whip
Medicham @ Choice Band
Brave
Pure Power
252HP/252ATK/4DEF
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Hi Jump Kick
Ice Punch
Thunder Punch
Psycho Cut
Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Brave
Rock Solid
252HP/252ATK/4DEF
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Swords Dance
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Megahorn
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Careful
Thick Fat
160HP/128DEF/220SPD
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Return
Crunch
Rest
Curse
Dusknoir @ Leftovers
Relaxed
Pressure
252HP/44ATK/212DEF
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Trick Room
Will-O-Wisp
Pain Split
Fire Punch
I first started with the idea of a Trick Room team. Actually, the first pokemon in mind was Dusknoir. No doubt, almost every Trick Room team needs a Dusknoir.
1 Trick Roomer is not enough. I thought 2 would be sufficient, but who was it was the question. 2 Dusknoirs? No, the weaknesses are doubled, no matter how reliable they are. Well, I thought if I could make a Lead Trick Roomer WITH Stealth Rock, then that's just perfect; allowing for 4 slots instead of 3 with 1 taken by a Stealth Rocker. But he's got to be durable. This defines Bronzong.
Now, for the offense. Offense comes first because a Trick Room team is nothing without it. I needed big and tough offense, ones that could take hits, dish them out, and had absolutely no speed. As soon as this hit me I said Tyranitar!
My second choice for offense was automatically Medicham. Highly underrated, Medicham with a Scarf is already a great threat, but now it will go first with a Choice Band and Pure Power. Plus, the typing is nice, filling in the weakness to Dark and Bug; which would otherwise be a problem.
My third choice for "offense" was Tangrowth. I know he isn't offense, but boasting a 100 base ATK stat with Power Whip and Leech Seed was very appealing to me. When I first saw the Mojonbo set, I was like "YES!" it was indeed, the perfect moveset. Tanking all physical attackers and tanking tanks, this tank is my war-machine. I'll send him out on practically anything with Light Screen up and Rhyperior low on HP (and when I know most of the opponent's pokes are weak to Grass or their movesets are walled by Tangrowth).
And, here's where my "flashback" kicked in. I remembered Rhyperior at this point. I forgot him because I was loving Tyranitar's BOAH set. But then I realized that Rhyperior has Swords Dance. Tyranitar can boost his attack, but one stage at a time isn't nearly enough. I don't mind the speed boost, in fact, I encouraged it. A DDTar would fare well on a TR team; abusing TR to get as many DDs as possible, then, when over, sweep like crazy (if still alive). But, +1 per turn with only 1 or 2 turns to set up isn't that fast. I noticed Rhyperior's Sword Dance set and loved how it fit on my team. His typing, while not great in defense, boasted a ridiculous Earthquake, one that makes volcanoes erupt, spawning Entei. After TR is off, Rhyperior can still make use of his high defenses and demolish any pokemon in his way. Not to mention, his base attack also outranks Tyranitar's.
And now, my final slot goes to Snorlax. Why exactly? I looked through a lot of potential candidates with low speed such as: Empoleon, Torterra, Vaporeon, Swampert, Magnezone (a really nice candidate), Machamp, Mamoswine, Hippowdon (also really nice), Blissey, Aggron, Donphan, Honchkrow, and Spiritomb. I actually went through a ton more, but these stood out. I'll bar out those that I didn't have THAT much trouble taking off the list.
Empoleon, Swampert, Magnezone, Machamp, Hippowdon, Blissey, Donphan, Honchkrow, and Spiritomb. I narrowed it down to 9. After some discussion with fellow players, I narrowed the list down further:
Empoleon, Swampert, Macahmp, and Donphan. Now, let me explain why these are good candidates, but why Snorlax outranks them.
Empoleon: Water/Steel typing has a great amount of resistances. This, along with great overall defenses makes it...another Bronzong. Honestly, that's all this is. It's a Bronzong without Levitate and with a Water typing and special-attack oriented. Snorlax doesn't outrank him, but Bronzong does. As an offense, he's only mediocre, IMO. Water is easily taken out of question what with the Salamence, Gyarados, and Vaporeon runnin' 'round.
Swampert: A very good candidate indeed. Solid physical wall. Wait. Why do I need a physical wall? BAR! As an offense, his best bet is a tank. But everyone's preapred for a Swampert, which is why they carry Grass Knot, which is why I have Tangrowth. BAR!
Machamp: A very, very nice offense. NoGuard lets Dynamic Punch confuse and no downside whatsoever (i.e. no def drops from CC). His overall coverage as a ResTalker is only decent, but as a Bulk-Up artist, he's crazy. Clearly he outranks Snorlax, correct? Well, sure, as a PURE offense. What I'm looking for is a special tank because my entire team is physical walls/tanks. He was great to look at, but was not filling the role (but, he can replace Medicham at anytime :O)
Donphan: Again, a solid physical wall. BAR! Choice Band variants are not that strong, Ice Shard doesn't do that much and EQ is on Rhyperior. BAR!
Snorlax: This guy's so good, he outranks himself. Bases: 100ATK + 160HP + 110SPD = Special wall with physical power. How great is that? Considering the great Special powerhouses such as Gengar, Alakazam, and Latias are all Special-defensively oriented and their physical is wide open (50, 50, 90, respectively if memory serves) for Snorlax to manipulate.
Gravity: I love the idea of moves gaining accuracy, making powerhouse moves like Stone Edge much more reliable and Earthquake hitting everything for about 5 turns. Very nice.
Weather teams: I never really like the styles. Sure, a Rain Dance team with MixZel, Kingdra, Ludicolo, and all that can be deadly, the reliance on the weather is far too much for me to handle. Yes, I like things like that, but the reliance on the weather for the majority of the match to be active is difficult to keep on your hands (especially with Pursuiters runnin' 'round).
Trick Room: All speed (priority remains unchanged) is reversed. That's it. Simple but so great. Powerhouses like Rhyperior make use of their pitiful base speed and their monstrous attack stats (see "Rampardos"; "Rayquaza"), thus making them the ultimate killers. For 3-5 turns, anyway.
Deduction: Gravity and Trick Room were really hard to decide for. But the one thing that made me lean towards Trick Room is that Gravity can benefit the opponent as well. This isn't good at all. This isn't the case all the time, but the surprise that could happen that they have Dynamic Punch on Poliwrath makes his Poliwrath deadlier than ever (Hypnosis, Dynamic Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch) with the Dynamic Punch's accuracy growing up to 87. That's not a good thing. I know the chances of one having this are low, but the surprise can kill you. And the bonuses of Gravity don't totally outweigh those of Trick Room (which, by the way, will let WALLS go FIRST). Trick Room it is (I might make a Gravity one next week; exams lol).
Deduction: Gravity and Trick Room were really hard to decide for. But the one thing that made me lean towards Trick Room is that Gravity can benefit the opponent as well. This isn't good at all. This isn't the case all the time, but the surprise that could happen that they have Dynamic Punch on Poliwrath makes his Poliwrath deadlier than ever (Hypnosis, Dynamic Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch) with the Dynamic Punch's accuracy growing up to 87. That's not a good thing. I know the chances of one having this are low, but the surprise can kill you. And the bonuses of Gravity don't totally outweigh those of Trick Room (which, by the way, will let WALLS go FIRST). Trick Room it is (I might make a Gravity one next week; exams lol).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At a Glance
There are 2 obvious Trick Room setup-ers. Bronzong and Dusknoir. Both very durable and both can come in on resistances and immunities, respectively. A bulky offense to take and dish out as much as possible. 2 Tanks that do the above but with more emphasis on defense and support. 1 potential sweeper for late-game or mid-game clearing. With all the support and tanks/walls, it shouldn't be that hard to switch in and out even with Stealth Rock in play.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In-Depth Overview
Bronzong @ Lum Berry
Relaxed
Heatproof
252HP/158DEF/100SPD
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Stealth Rock
Trick Room
Gyro Ball
Light Screen
Description: Heatproof > Levitate? Why? Becuase no one would waste a turn trying to EQ a Brozong and they'd go straight to focusing on fire attacks. Even if they do, the EV spread is made to emphasize physical defenses, but have a solid special defense as well. Once they discover my Heatproof, it's most likely they'll switch to something that has EQ or Earth Power (screw Heatran for having Fire + Ground special on the same set!), giving me a free setup turn for whatever I like, or switching along with them. I have heard and have been recommended by people to continue with Levitate. I understand that Levitate just doesn't turn a weakness into standard, but it nullifies damage completely. I truly understand. But Heatproof also does the same thing, but indirectly. Who uses Earthquake on a Bronzong these days? With Levitate running around everywhere, who has EQ at all? I say Heatproof for the purpose of mindgames; but I can always switch it around, there's no harm to that. A simple ability change is all.
Sorry, I got carried away. In terms of strategy, it's quite simple, but requires a fair amount of prediction. a) does the opponent have Taunt? b) does the opponent want me to attack first thinking they have Taunt and will use it first? or c) does the opponent have Encore? a and b are the trickiest. First of all, if they have Taunt at all, it's a problem but it can be solved. If they use it on the first turn is the million dollar question. Because some people love using that mindgame. "They know this guy has Taunt, they'll attack anyway thinking it'll nullify it," if I can get past this by predicting right, Stealth Rock should be up first turn and if I am taunted thereafter, switch to Dusknoir to set up Trick Room. c is harder to deal with, as, if I'm Encored on anything, I'm screwed; auto swtich! Light Screen is there to support those with low special defense i.e. everyone! Rhyperior is on emphasis as I'll explain in his moveset. Overall, this lead is great as it can comeback in mid-game and reset Trick Room and even wall for a bit. Lum Berry > Leftovers for the sleep-inducing leads and pokés which pose big problems to my team as a whole.
Moving right along...
Moving right along...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tangrowth @ Leftovers
Relaxed
Leaf Guard
252HP/4ATK/252DEF
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Sleep Powder
Leech Seed
Knock Off
Power Whip
Description: Goodbye, physical sweepers. Goodbye, bulky offense. Goodbye, bulky waters. You have met your wall. And his sprite says what couldn't be said to you by any other pokemon: "Bring it on, *****!" Tangrowth deserves respect for this moveset. Not only does it threaten and counter physical sweepers (bar SD/CB Scizor w/ Bug Bite locked on CB variant), but it counters walls. The durability on this plant is mad. He'll be taking off Life Orbs, Leftovers, and Choice items like no tomorrow, while shrugging off almsot all of their attack they try dishing out.
SleepSeeding is incredible along with Knock Off, and I believe this is the reason Tangrowth used to have a spot in OU (but was probably brought down thanks to poor speed which this team remedies). The conjuction of these moves work so well in unison, it scares me. Not only me, but also the physical sweepers opposing Tangrowth. Power Whip is a great Grass move with 100/100 it's just EQ for Grass. STABing it brings it all the way up to 150BP. This takes care of most bulky waters (bar Gyara, who will still die to being knocked off of his precious Life Orb and being seeded in the process while Ice Fang will at the least 5HKO if they all do max damage). A DDTar also fears this wiggly wall, with Fire Punch 3HKOing and never 2HKOing. With a DD, it can only 2HKO while 2HKOing back with Power Whip. Note these all did not take Leftover or Seed into account.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Medicham @ Choice Band
Brave
Pure Power
252HP/252ATK/4DEF
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Hi Jump Kick
Ice Punch
Thunder Punch
Psycho Cut
Description: With Choice Band + Pure Power, the attack of Medicham climbs up to a forceful 720, all the while going first all the time with Trick Room up. 2 STABs, 2 coverage moves, and with 252HP EVs thanks to no need for SPE, the bulkiness has increased but Medicham is still quite frail. Medicham is a great mid- & late-game sweeper with this set. While it's not diverse like the LO (which is viable, given I can increase HP EVs to fit best for LO recoil, putting the remaining into DEF). There's not that much to say here, except that Light Screen support helps switching in on something like Heatran or Latias, giving them a nice Hi Jump Kick or Ice Punch, respectively.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Brave
Rock Solid
252HP/252ATK/4DEF
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Swords Dance
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Megahorn
Description: Ahh, the underestimated Rhyperior, always put down for its pathetic speed. Well that pathetic speed lets it go first! This monster will absolutely demolish teams with a Swords Dance. No more is needed: everything will die, barring Bronzongs and Metagrosses, as it stays healthy and alive. As I said, Bronzongs and Metagrosses are problems, but with a Swords Dance, Rhyperior still 2HKOs a max DEF/max HP Bronzong and Metagross guaranteed, with Megahorn. The reason I wouldn't switch it for Fire Punch is merely because Psychics and Darks pose problems, and the base power isn't great, including the fact that it isn't STAB'd. Low BP, no priority or STAB = do not want. I would show off a bunch of Damage calculations, but I want to move on to...
Light screen support. It's just magnificent. With Solid Rock already on him, turning Surfs and Grass Knots into triple effectiveness, Light Screen pumps up his SPD to a quite nice 292. With this in play, he can switch in on virtually anything. Any pokemon with a 130 Base SATK + Specs + Modest + 252SATK Evs would not OHKO Rhyperior. At max dmg, Rhyperior is left with 20HP. I know it's not good, but the fact that he can survive and switch in another day is a very nice feat and considering the conditions were 130 base SATK and Specs, there's virtually no pokemon that would run Specs with 130 Base SATK (they'd go Scarf :D). Light Screen support makes him virtually invincible, taking x3 hits like nothing.
Another thing I need to mention is this: Trick Room is only support for this guy. Elaborated, it means he just uses it to set up. Swords Dancing first turn before getting hit is a great asset to any SD pokemon. When Trick Room is unactive, all he CAN do is start attacking like a madrock. If I feel like wearing off Trick Room, I'll overdo it with 2 SDs, making this rock hold power levels just below 2000. Be afraid. Be very afraid. But, again, Trick Room is primarily for setting up SD and getting in a first hit, Rhyperior does not toally rely on Trick Room being active, which is the beauty of this set.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Careful
Thick Fat
160HP/128DEF/220SPD
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Return
Crunch
Rest
Curse
Description: A standard Curselax. Return > Body Slam because I WANT to be slower than them, and the added power is nice. Crunch is there for Ghosties who walk in and ruin the Return party. Rest to maximize durability, and Curse to boost attack and defense (ooh, two-way wall) as much as possible. Like Rhyperior, Trick Room is used to quickly get the setup and then do the best in my judgement to Rest when needed. Other than that, it's just attacking like crazy while absorbing attacks.
However, unlike Rhyperior, Snorlax doesn't need Light Screen to switch in (it needs Reflect d'oh!), it can absorb almost all special attacks and most physical attacks due to the monstrous base HP. This is one of the reasons why I chose Snorlax over other slow powerhouses: when Light Screen fades and Bronzong is dead and the current pokemon out there is sweeping and is someone like, say, LO Heatran, Snorlax can just pop in and say hi. He'll shrug off all of his pathetic attacks while he switches out, we get a free Curse. Yay! Then, when physical attackers roam about, Rhyperior can take over. Though Snorlax and Rhyperior both are weak to fighting, Dusknoir takes those CCs for them, while setting up Trick Room when needed. I know it seems like it's the pokemon being reliant upon each other, but it's just switching in at the right times. If everyone but Rhyperior and Snorlax were dead and the opponent had a Lucario out, then we have a slight problem. But Rhyperior can take a hit if it's unboosted, and hopefully live long enough to EQ back and OHKO. Anyway, all I can say to them being "reliant upon each other" is that it's true IF there are only the two left alive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dusknoir @ Leftovers
Relaxed
Pressure
252HP/44ATK/212DEF
IVs: 0SPE
Moveset:
Trick Room
Will-O-Wisp
Pain Split
Fire Punch
Description: The standard for Trick Room Dusknoir. I went physical because of how reliable Snorlax is to special attacks. Another Trick Roomer, a very durable one at that, has a very good reputation at tanking so many common hitters such as Lucario, Machamp, and Scizor. It also helps take down Metagross who will just keep Mashing Meteors and Punching Bullets at me.
A simple strategy: Trick Room ASAP, Will-O-Wisp even if they aren't physical attackers; 12.5% HP per turn is good for sapping HP. If they are special, I would switch to Snorlax in that case, so he can Curse and destroy. If they are physical and my other physical absorbers/tanks (Tangrowth, Bronzong) are dead or low on HP, Dusknoir will take over their duties, and for a long time at that. The nice thing here is his immunity to fighting. As I mentioned in Snorlax's description, Dusknoir can walk in on any of the omnipotent fighter-types and take them down or force switches with Will-O-Wisp, all the while setting up Trick Room. A very nice Trick Roomer indeed, is what.
A simple strategy: Trick Room ASAP, Will-O-Wisp even if they aren't physical attackers; 12.5% HP per turn is good for sapping HP. If they are special, I would switch to Snorlax in that case, so he can Curse and destroy. If they are physical and my other physical absorbers/tanks (Tangrowth, Bronzong) are dead or low on HP, Dusknoir will take over their duties, and for a long time at that. The nice thing here is his immunity to fighting. As I mentioned in Snorlax's description, Dusknoir can walk in on any of the omnipotent fighter-types and take them down or force switches with Will-O-Wisp, all the while setting up Trick Room. A very nice Trick Roomer indeed, is what.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Team Building Process
I first started with the idea of a Trick Room team. Actually, the first pokemon in mind was Dusknoir. No doubt, almost every Trick Room team needs a Dusknoir.
1 Trick Roomer is not enough. I thought 2 would be sufficient, but who was it was the question. 2 Dusknoirs? No, the weaknesses are doubled, no matter how reliable they are. Well, I thought if I could make a Lead Trick Roomer WITH Stealth Rock, then that's just perfect; allowing for 4 slots instead of 3 with 1 taken by a Stealth Rocker. But he's got to be durable. This defines Bronzong.
Now, for the offense. Offense comes first because a Trick Room team is nothing without it. I needed big and tough offense, ones that could take hits, dish them out, and had absolutely no speed. As soon as this hit me I said Tyranitar!
My second choice for offense was automatically Medicham. Highly underrated, Medicham with a Scarf is already a great threat, but now it will go first with a Choice Band and Pure Power. Plus, the typing is nice, filling in the weakness to Dark and Bug; which would otherwise be a problem.
My third choice for "offense" was Tangrowth. I know he isn't offense, but boasting a 100 base ATK stat with Power Whip and Leech Seed was very appealing to me. When I first saw the Mojonbo set, I was like "YES!" it was indeed, the perfect moveset. Tanking all physical attackers and tanking tanks, this tank is my war-machine. I'll send him out on practically anything with Light Screen up and Rhyperior low on HP (and when I know most of the opponent's pokes are weak to Grass or their movesets are walled by Tangrowth).
And, here's where my "flashback" kicked in. I remembered Rhyperior at this point. I forgot him because I was loving Tyranitar's BOAH set. But then I realized that Rhyperior has Swords Dance. Tyranitar can boost his attack, but one stage at a time isn't nearly enough. I don't mind the speed boost, in fact, I encouraged it. A DDTar would fare well on a TR team; abusing TR to get as many DDs as possible, then, when over, sweep like crazy (if still alive). But, +1 per turn with only 1 or 2 turns to set up isn't that fast. I noticed Rhyperior's Sword Dance set and loved how it fit on my team. His typing, while not great in defense, boasted a ridiculous Earthquake, one that makes volcanoes erupt, spawning Entei. After TR is off, Rhyperior can still make use of his high defenses and demolish any pokemon in his way. Not to mention, his base attack also outranks Tyranitar's.
And now, my final slot goes to Snorlax. Why exactly? I looked through a lot of potential candidates with low speed such as: Empoleon, Torterra, Vaporeon, Swampert, Magnezone (a really nice candidate), Machamp, Mamoswine, Hippowdon (also really nice), Blissey, Aggron, Donphan, Honchkrow, and Spiritomb. I actually went through a ton more, but these stood out. I'll bar out those that I didn't have THAT much trouble taking off the list.
Empoleon, Swampert, Magnezone, Machamp, Hippowdon, Blissey, Donphan, Honchkrow, and Spiritomb. I narrowed it down to 9. After some discussion with fellow players, I narrowed the list down further:
Empoleon, Swampert, Macahmp, and Donphan. Now, let me explain why these are good candidates, but why Snorlax outranks them.
Empoleon: Water/Steel typing has a great amount of resistances. This, along with great overall defenses makes it...another Bronzong. Honestly, that's all this is. It's a Bronzong without Levitate and with a Water typing and special-attack oriented. Snorlax doesn't outrank him, but Bronzong does. As an offense, he's only mediocre, IMO. Water is easily taken out of question what with the Salamence, Gyarados, and Vaporeon runnin' 'round.
Swampert: A very good candidate indeed. Solid physical wall. Wait. Why do I need a physical wall? BAR! As an offense, his best bet is a tank. But everyone's preapred for a Swampert, which is why they carry Grass Knot, which is why I have Tangrowth. BAR!
Machamp: A very, very nice offense. NoGuard lets Dynamic Punch confuse and no downside whatsoever (i.e. no def drops from CC). His overall coverage as a ResTalker is only decent, but as a Bulk-Up artist, he's crazy. Clearly he outranks Snorlax, correct? Well, sure, as a PURE offense. What I'm looking for is a special tank because my entire team is physical walls/tanks. He was great to look at, but was not filling the role (but, he can replace Medicham at anytime :O)
Donphan: Again, a solid physical wall. BAR! Choice Band variants are not that strong, Ice Shard doesn't do that much and EQ is on Rhyperior. BAR!
Snorlax: This guy's so good, he outranks himself. Bases: 100ATK + 160HP + 110SPD = Special wall with physical power. How great is that? Considering the great Special powerhouses such as Gengar, Alakazam, and Latias are all Special-defensively oriented and their physical is wide open (50, 50, 90, respectively if memory serves) for Snorlax to manipulate.
And there it is. Beautiful, innit?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flaws I Noticed
The only one off the top of my head is that my attacks are all physical. This can be a good thing, though: Blissey is no problem, really. Blissey's just another noob to setup on. The bad thing is easily seen: it's all physical =.=; If this becomes a big problem, I can replace Medicham or Tangrowth (PLS NOOOO =( ) with a special attacker/sweeper.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So there you have it. I worked really long and hard typing this to make it look nice, and I hope it was easy to read. Thank you for even reading this, I hope you will learn how good TR teams really are (when I mentioned Tyranitar's DD sweeping, I'm sure you did) and hopefully you'll make one in the future.
Any and all comments are sppreciated unless it is flame. I plan not to flame flamers unless it is something that I have explained why I chose to do so (i.e. "tyranitar > perior," even when I explained why I chose Rhyperior over Tyranitar).
Again, thanks for reading; please rate and comment (lol, youtube)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
