[Monotype] Steel - Peaked 1550 (Still Going )
The finest steel
has to go
through the
hottest fire ..
Introduction
Hi guys, Jase Duken here, I am very new to the monotype tier in general, while I have always enjoyed reading the associated Monotype articles and materials, I never played till recently and thought I'd give it a go. I opted to begin playing with Mono Steel as that felt a natural fit given how much I love Mega Scizor.
While playtesting in the tier, I played around with a variety of cores and playstyles. I originally was playing with dual scarf with both Excadrill and Jirachi, however I recently substituted it for Shuca Calm Mind Jirachi creating another wincon in the process.
Anyways here is the team, I feel while this core is fairly stock standard for steel, taking origin from the OU tier, I opted for some specific niches to make my journey more fun.
Teambuilding Process
Heatran provides a much needed fire immunity with its ability, Flash Fire. It has has the ability to pressure a variety of pokemon and is a fairly self important piece of the team being able to pressure a variety of threats.
Mega Scizor was my designated mega of the team, with its dominance theres no better choice for a mega evolution in steel mono. Mega Scizor can single-handedly dismantle Fighting teams once Keldeo is checked or removed, I opted for fast Scizor to deal with fat pokemon like Rotom who are ev'ed for dealing with impish and careful Scizor. I simply wanted a pokemon that could hit hard and fast and scizor delivers.
Skarmory has a very important function in steel teams because it counters Steel's weaknesses extremely well. It has an immunity to Ground and a neutrality to Fighting, along with an excellent Defense stat whilst being able to have a number of functions in a standard team, this was a no brainer. It creates a natural affinity with Heatran to have that fire immunity creating a nice defensive wall.
Excadrill is the teams dedicated choice scarf user. Excadrill is a fast Physical attacker that provides extremely hard hitting STAB against Fire and Electric. Earthquake is its hardest hitting Physical STAB move, and Mold Breaker enables EQ to hit Levitate users such as the Rotoms and the Lati twins. Rock Slide is for Flying types such as Charizard and Zapdos; an extremely good coverage move. Iron Head is a secondary STAB move that is able to hit Fairies, Rock types, etc. Lastly Excadrill is also my main form of hazard removal with Rapid Spin.
No steel team is complete without Jirachi, this team is no excetion. Jirachi's solid defenses and typing allow it to check Fairy-, Dragon-, and Psychic-types, such as Mega Diancie, Kyurem-B, Latias, Latios, Clefable, and Mega Alakazam, and it notably is one of the best switch-ins to Mega Gardevoir and Mega Alakazam for bulky teams. Its movepool is huge, allowing it to take advantage of its balanced stats to perform a wide variety of roles. I opted for the Calm Mind set with Icy Wind, Psychic and Energyball coverage respectfully to deal with a variety of matchups.
For my final choice,Ferrothorn was a natural fit in that it has a lot to give as a defensive Pokemon. First and foremost, it has a great Grass / Steel typing and solid mixed bulk. Together, its unique set of resistances and bulk allow Ferrothorn to check a plethora of threats. In addition to this, Ferrothorn has access to a wide array of support moves such as Thunder Wave which the rest of the team greatly appreciates.
Team Description
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Taunt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
The given EV spread lets Heatran outspeed a plethora of threats such as Adamant Excadrill and Jolly Mega Heracross, many threats are decimated by the combination of Magma Storm + HP Ice + Taunt. Other uses of the spread include outrunning Mega Tyranitar, standard stallbreaker Mew, Adamant Gyarados, Dragonite, Breloom, and Bisharp, giving Heatran the ability to fire off a powerful Magma Storm. Maximum Special Attack investment is given to hit as hard as possible, wearing down stall quicker and making Heatran more difficult to switch into when facing against offensive teams.
The given EVs allow Heatran to outrun everything up to Jolly Mega Scizor and Jolly Mega Heracross, allowing Heatran to pick them off or trap switch ins with Magma Storm. Lastly Air Balloon is used as naturally Ground-types, particularly Sand Rush Excadrill, pose a major threat steel teams in general.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Roost
Classic Scizor, really cant get any more simple than this. A simple spread of maximum Attack and Speed, along with an Adamant nature, allows Scizor to hit as hard and fast as possible. Mega evolution through the use of Scizorite, generally improves all of Scizor's relevant stats and makes it less vulnerable to Knock Off, while Light Metal before mega evolution allows Scizor to switch into low kick and grass knot taking less damage due to being lighter and since technician is gained after evolution this is purely a bonus for switching into weavile.
After a Swords Dance boost, Scizor transforms into an awesome offensive threat, capable of levelling teams with just Bullet Punch and Bug Bite. The former is both a good sweeping and revenge killing tool thanks to priority and boosts from Technician and STAB. Bug Bite further improves Scizor's coverage, hitting relevant threats such as Rotom-W, Celebi, Mega Slowbro, Jirachi, and Mega Venusaur harder so that Scizor does not have to rely on a weaker Bullet Punch.
A simple spread of maximum Attack and Speed, along with an Adamant nature, allows Scizor to hit as hard and fast as possible.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
Skarmory runs full HP and Defense EVs to maximize physical bulk, its most valuable statistical trait. An Impish nature is used to maximize Skarmory's Defense without reducing its Speed or the power of Brave Bird. Leftovers offers Skarmory longevity.
Generally speaking is a good idea to keep Skarmory healthy if the opponent has a physical sweeper that can be stopped by its Whirlwind, such as Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados or Mega Pinsir. Despite Skarmory's array of resistances, its easily-exploited weaknesses to Fire- and Electric-type moves means it must be wary of switching into many attackers, even those that must use coverage moves to inflict super effective damage, such as Garchomp's Fire Blast and Latios's Thunderbolt. If keeping Skarmory alive is crucial, it is a good idea to scout for these moves by double-switching into Heatran and Excadrill respectfully.
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
Earthquake has great coverage with the help of Mold Breaker, allowing Excadrill to hit Rotom-W, Gengar, and the rare Bronzong for super effective damage, as well as Latios and Latias for neutral damage. Iron Head deals more damage to Fairy-types such as Clefable, Sylveon, and Mega Gardevoir. Rock Slide has great coverage alongside Earthquake and hits Flying-types such as Talonflame, Thundurus, Mega Charizard Y, Dragonite, Tornadus-T, and Gyarados. Nothing else in Excadrill's movepool provides extra coverage, so Rapid Spin is the best option in the last slot, as it allows Excadrill to remove entry hazards, but it is a huge momentum killer.
Choice Scarf Excadrill is mainly a late-game cleaner and revenge killer, as it lacks the power that Life Orb Excadrill has and can find itself stopped by common bulky threats such as Hippowdon and Mega Scizor. Excadrill works best when these threats and Pokemon immune to Ground are weakened or removed so that it can spam Earthquake freely. Excadrill is also capable of revenge killing threats such as Mega Altaria at +1, Adamant Mega Charizard X at +1, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Aerodactyl. Earthquake is a very spammable move coupled with Mold Breaker, which means Excadrill should try to remove Flying-types outside of Skarmory and Landorus-T with Rock Slide on predicted switches.
Jirachi @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Icy Wind
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Energy Ball
Calm Mind gives the team another win con pokemon and increases Jirachi's sp atk and sp def by 1 stage. Icy Wind lets Jirachi deal heavy damage to Ground- and Dragon-types that would otherwise take advantage of it, 2HKOing Garchomp, Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Dragonite. It can also be used to cancel out Speed boosts from an opposing setup sweeper so that one of Jirachi's teammates can KO it. Energy Ball lets Jirachi handle Hippowdon, Swampert, and Quagsire, which it would otherwise struggle against whilst Psychic complements coverage and deals with pesky fighting and poison types dealing super effecting damage.
Maximum Speed EVs, and a Timid nature let Jirachi outspeed alot of the unboosted metagame with its base 100 speed stat. By taking Shuca Berry, jirachi can deal with the likes of many threatening ground pokemon such as Landorus, Mamoswine, Garchomp and more and deal with them which puts less pressure on Skarmory and Heatran if Air Balloon is popped.
Damage Calculations
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Shuca Berry Jirachi: 212-251 (61.9 - 73.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Shuca Berry Jirachi: 177-208 (51.7 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Shuca Berry Jirachi: 230-270 (67.2 - 78.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Shuca Berry Jirachi: 163-193 (47.6 - 56.4%) -- 85.9% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Earth Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Shuca Berry Jirachi: 187-222 (54.6 - 64.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoqueen Earth Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Shuca Berry Jirachi: 188-224 (54.9 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mega Swampert Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Shuca Berry Jirachi: 199-235 (58.1 - 68.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
Ferrothorn has a lot to love as a defensive Pokemon. First and foremost, it has a great Grass / Steel typing and solid mixed bulk. Together, its unique set of resistances and bulk allow Ferrothorn to check a plethora of threats. In addition to this, Ferrothorn has access to a wide array of support moves, such as Leech Seed, and Thunder Wave. Because it has decent offensive presence, Ferrothorn can be hard to switch into for many offensively-oriented teams.
The given EV spread with a Relaxed nature lets Ferrothorn fare well against both physically and specially oriented opponents. 168 Special Defense EVs give Ferrothorn enough special bulk to survive two Ice Beams from +3 Manaphy. Chople Berry is a useful item in that it allows Ferrothorn to take less damage from Fighting-types or the likes of Keldeo, Gengar, Mega Lopuny, Mega Herracross, Hawlucha, Mega Alakazam, Mega Gardevoir, and more and finally allow it to cripple them with Thunder Wave or OHKO the latter two with Gyro Ball respectfully.
Damage Calculations
252+ Atk Mega Swampert Superpower vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 107-127 (30.3 - 36%) -- 48.2% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Secret Sword vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 139-165 (39.4 - 46.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Keldeo Secret Sword vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 93-111 (26.4 - 31.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 Atk Mega Lopunny High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 148-175 (42 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 130-153 (36.9 - 43.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
232 SpA Mega Gardevoir Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 118-139 (33.5 - 39.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Mega Alakazam Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 124-147 (35.2 - 41.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Pure Power Mega Medicham High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 261-307 (74.1 - 87.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Importable
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Taunt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Roost
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
Jirachi @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Icy Wind
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Energy Ball
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-417631815
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-417259565
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-417937899
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-418202536
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-418205829
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-437903499
The finest steel
has to go
through the
hottest fire ..
Introduction
Hi guys, Jase Duken here, I am very new to the monotype tier in general, while I have always enjoyed reading the associated Monotype articles and materials, I never played till recently and thought I'd give it a go. I opted to begin playing with Mono Steel as that felt a natural fit given how much I love Mega Scizor.
While playtesting in the tier, I played around with a variety of cores and playstyles. I originally was playing with dual scarf with both Excadrill and Jirachi, however I recently substituted it for Shuca Calm Mind Jirachi creating another wincon in the process.
Anyways here is the team, I feel while this core is fairly stock standard for steel, taking origin from the OU tier, I opted for some specific niches to make my journey more fun.
Teambuilding Process
Heatran provides a much needed fire immunity with its ability, Flash Fire. It has has the ability to pressure a variety of pokemon and is a fairly self important piece of the team being able to pressure a variety of threats.
Mega Scizor was my designated mega of the team, with its dominance theres no better choice for a mega evolution in steel mono. Mega Scizor can single-handedly dismantle Fighting teams once Keldeo is checked or removed, I opted for fast Scizor to deal with fat pokemon like Rotom who are ev'ed for dealing with impish and careful Scizor. I simply wanted a pokemon that could hit hard and fast and scizor delivers.
Skarmory has a very important function in steel teams because it counters Steel's weaknesses extremely well. It has an immunity to Ground and a neutrality to Fighting, along with an excellent Defense stat whilst being able to have a number of functions in a standard team, this was a no brainer. It creates a natural affinity with Heatran to have that fire immunity creating a nice defensive wall.
Excadrill is the teams dedicated choice scarf user. Excadrill is a fast Physical attacker that provides extremely hard hitting STAB against Fire and Electric. Earthquake is its hardest hitting Physical STAB move, and Mold Breaker enables EQ to hit Levitate users such as the Rotoms and the Lati twins. Rock Slide is for Flying types such as Charizard and Zapdos; an extremely good coverage move. Iron Head is a secondary STAB move that is able to hit Fairies, Rock types, etc. Lastly Excadrill is also my main form of hazard removal with Rapid Spin.
No steel team is complete without Jirachi, this team is no excetion. Jirachi's solid defenses and typing allow it to check Fairy-, Dragon-, and Psychic-types, such as Mega Diancie, Kyurem-B, Latias, Latios, Clefable, and Mega Alakazam, and it notably is one of the best switch-ins to Mega Gardevoir and Mega Alakazam for bulky teams. Its movepool is huge, allowing it to take advantage of its balanced stats to perform a wide variety of roles. I opted for the Calm Mind set with Icy Wind, Psychic and Energyball coverage respectfully to deal with a variety of matchups.
For my final choice,Ferrothorn was a natural fit in that it has a lot to give as a defensive Pokemon. First and foremost, it has a great Grass / Steel typing and solid mixed bulk. Together, its unique set of resistances and bulk allow Ferrothorn to check a plethora of threats. In addition to this, Ferrothorn has access to a wide array of support moves such as Thunder Wave which the rest of the team greatly appreciates.
Team Description
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Taunt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
The given EV spread lets Heatran outspeed a plethora of threats such as Adamant Excadrill and Jolly Mega Heracross, many threats are decimated by the combination of Magma Storm + HP Ice + Taunt. Other uses of the spread include outrunning Mega Tyranitar, standard stallbreaker Mew, Adamant Gyarados, Dragonite, Breloom, and Bisharp, giving Heatran the ability to fire off a powerful Magma Storm. Maximum Special Attack investment is given to hit as hard as possible, wearing down stall quicker and making Heatran more difficult to switch into when facing against offensive teams.
The given EVs allow Heatran to outrun everything up to Jolly Mega Scizor and Jolly Mega Heracross, allowing Heatran to pick them off or trap switch ins with Magma Storm. Lastly Air Balloon is used as naturally Ground-types, particularly Sand Rush Excadrill, pose a major threat steel teams in general.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Roost
Classic Scizor, really cant get any more simple than this. A simple spread of maximum Attack and Speed, along with an Adamant nature, allows Scizor to hit as hard and fast as possible. Mega evolution through the use of Scizorite, generally improves all of Scizor's relevant stats and makes it less vulnerable to Knock Off, while Light Metal before mega evolution allows Scizor to switch into low kick and grass knot taking less damage due to being lighter and since technician is gained after evolution this is purely a bonus for switching into weavile.
After a Swords Dance boost, Scizor transforms into an awesome offensive threat, capable of levelling teams with just Bullet Punch and Bug Bite. The former is both a good sweeping and revenge killing tool thanks to priority and boosts from Technician and STAB. Bug Bite further improves Scizor's coverage, hitting relevant threats such as Rotom-W, Celebi, Mega Slowbro, Jirachi, and Mega Venusaur harder so that Scizor does not have to rely on a weaker Bullet Punch.
A simple spread of maximum Attack and Speed, along with an Adamant nature, allows Scizor to hit as hard and fast as possible.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
Skarmory runs full HP and Defense EVs to maximize physical bulk, its most valuable statistical trait. An Impish nature is used to maximize Skarmory's Defense without reducing its Speed or the power of Brave Bird. Leftovers offers Skarmory longevity.
Generally speaking is a good idea to keep Skarmory healthy if the opponent has a physical sweeper that can be stopped by its Whirlwind, such as Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados or Mega Pinsir. Despite Skarmory's array of resistances, its easily-exploited weaknesses to Fire- and Electric-type moves means it must be wary of switching into many attackers, even those that must use coverage moves to inflict super effective damage, such as Garchomp's Fire Blast and Latios's Thunderbolt. If keeping Skarmory alive is crucial, it is a good idea to scout for these moves by double-switching into Heatran and Excadrill respectfully.
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
Earthquake has great coverage with the help of Mold Breaker, allowing Excadrill to hit Rotom-W, Gengar, and the rare Bronzong for super effective damage, as well as Latios and Latias for neutral damage. Iron Head deals more damage to Fairy-types such as Clefable, Sylveon, and Mega Gardevoir. Rock Slide has great coverage alongside Earthquake and hits Flying-types such as Talonflame, Thundurus, Mega Charizard Y, Dragonite, Tornadus-T, and Gyarados. Nothing else in Excadrill's movepool provides extra coverage, so Rapid Spin is the best option in the last slot, as it allows Excadrill to remove entry hazards, but it is a huge momentum killer.
Choice Scarf Excadrill is mainly a late-game cleaner and revenge killer, as it lacks the power that Life Orb Excadrill has and can find itself stopped by common bulky threats such as Hippowdon and Mega Scizor. Excadrill works best when these threats and Pokemon immune to Ground are weakened or removed so that it can spam Earthquake freely. Excadrill is also capable of revenge killing threats such as Mega Altaria at +1, Adamant Mega Charizard X at +1, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Aerodactyl. Earthquake is a very spammable move coupled with Mold Breaker, which means Excadrill should try to remove Flying-types outside of Skarmory and Landorus-T with Rock Slide on predicted switches.
Jirachi @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Icy Wind
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Energy Ball
Calm Mind gives the team another win con pokemon and increases Jirachi's sp atk and sp def by 1 stage. Icy Wind lets Jirachi deal heavy damage to Ground- and Dragon-types that would otherwise take advantage of it, 2HKOing Garchomp, Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Dragonite. It can also be used to cancel out Speed boosts from an opposing setup sweeper so that one of Jirachi's teammates can KO it. Energy Ball lets Jirachi handle Hippowdon, Swampert, and Quagsire, which it would otherwise struggle against whilst Psychic complements coverage and deals with pesky fighting and poison types dealing super effecting damage.
Maximum Speed EVs, and a Timid nature let Jirachi outspeed alot of the unboosted metagame with its base 100 speed stat. By taking Shuca Berry, jirachi can deal with the likes of many threatening ground pokemon such as Landorus, Mamoswine, Garchomp and more and deal with them which puts less pressure on Skarmory and Heatran if Air Balloon is popped.
Damage Calculations
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Shuca Berry Jirachi: 212-251 (61.9 - 73.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Shuca Berry Jirachi: 177-208 (51.7 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Shuca Berry Jirachi: 230-270 (67.2 - 78.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Shuca Berry Jirachi: 163-193 (47.6 - 56.4%) -- 85.9% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Earth Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Shuca Berry Jirachi: 187-222 (54.6 - 64.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoqueen Earth Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Shuca Berry Jirachi: 188-224 (54.9 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mega Swampert Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Shuca Berry Jirachi: 199-235 (58.1 - 68.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
Ferrothorn has a lot to love as a defensive Pokemon. First and foremost, it has a great Grass / Steel typing and solid mixed bulk. Together, its unique set of resistances and bulk allow Ferrothorn to check a plethora of threats. In addition to this, Ferrothorn has access to a wide array of support moves, such as Leech Seed, and Thunder Wave. Because it has decent offensive presence, Ferrothorn can be hard to switch into for many offensively-oriented teams.
The given EV spread with a Relaxed nature lets Ferrothorn fare well against both physically and specially oriented opponents. 168 Special Defense EVs give Ferrothorn enough special bulk to survive two Ice Beams from +3 Manaphy. Chople Berry is a useful item in that it allows Ferrothorn to take less damage from Fighting-types or the likes of Keldeo, Gengar, Mega Lopuny, Mega Herracross, Hawlucha, Mega Alakazam, Mega Gardevoir, and more and finally allow it to cripple them with Thunder Wave or OHKO the latter two with Gyro Ball respectfully.
Damage Calculations
252+ Atk Mega Swampert Superpower vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 107-127 (30.3 - 36%) -- 48.2% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Secret Sword vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 139-165 (39.4 - 46.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Keldeo Secret Sword vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 93-111 (26.4 - 31.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 Atk Mega Lopunny High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 148-175 (42 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 130-153 (36.9 - 43.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
232 SpA Mega Gardevoir Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 118-139 (33.5 - 39.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Mega Alakazam Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 124-147 (35.2 - 41.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Pure Power Mega Medicham High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Chople Berry Ferrothorn: 261-307 (74.1 - 87.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Importable
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Taunt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Roost
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
Jirachi @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Icy Wind
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Energy Ball
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-417631815
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-417259565
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-417937899
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-418202536
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-418205829
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-437903499
FIR Mentor Team
JasonWilliam for helping with the initial team
Pokemon Fire Island Ruins
Connor for aiding team in final stages
JasonWilliam for helping with the initial team
Pokemon Fire Island Ruins
Connor for aiding team in final stages