Steel Storm v1.2

[Gah777]

v1.0:
http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3043614

v1.1:

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(Not going to explain since this is about SSv1.2, but it was basically v1.0 changed on the recommendations of fellow Smogoners.)

Hippowdon Impish Leftovers
252 HP/ 152 Def/ 104 SpD
-Earthquake
-Slack Off
-Stealth Rock
-Roar

Lucario Adamant Life Orb
252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 Hp
-Agility
-Close Combat
-Crunch
-Ice Punch

Suicune Timid Leftovers
4 Hp / 252 SpA/ 252 Spe
-Calm Mind
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-Hidden Power Electric

Forretress Relaxed Leftovers
252 Hp/ 112 Atk/ 144 Def
-Spikes
-Rapid Spin
-Payback
-Gyro Ball

Gengar Timid Life Orb
4 Def/ 252 SpA/ 252 Spe
-Pain Split
-Hidden Power Fire
-Thunderbolt
-Substitute

Scizor Adamant Life Orb
176 Hp/ 100 Atk/ 232 SpD
-Pursuit
-U-Turn
-Roost
-Bullet Bunch

Alright, so after quite a bit of editing and testing, I came out with these results, but I'll go through the team building process.

To boot, I wanted Lucario to be my star sweeper, so i wanted to make a team around his needs.

Alright, so to help Lucario sweep Stealth Rock and Spikes support is greatly appreciated. I've tried out Forretress, but having him throw Spikes/Rocks and spin wasn't too appealing. Plus lack of an instant recovery move is a really big letdown. So I went with the infamous Skarmory. He can lay spikes/rocks, phase, and has instant recovery.

I don't exactly remember how i picked the next three Pokemon, as all I remember is needing a Spinner (preferably one with insta-recovery), a Pokemon to absorb fire attacks, and an offensive spin blocker/ special sweeper. So I went with Starmie, Heatran, and Gengar. The Heatran/Gengar/Starmie combo is amazing. Heatran and Starmie can take fire moves, Gengar takes fighting and ground moves, and Starmie can take water moves.

Even though this team started out as a sandstorm team, It was now missing one last thing: a Sandstreamer. It was a throw up between Tyranitar and Hippowdon, so i went with an old favorite, someone who is extremely threatening with his great attack power, good coverage, decent bulk, and ability to set up for the sweep: Tyranitar.

In depth:

Skarmory@Leftovers
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP/ 4 Def/ 252 SpD
-Stealth Rock
-Spikes
-Whirlwind
-Roost

This guy is my lead. He can usually get up SR, a layer or two of spikes and come back later as a mixed wall, that is, if he's up against slower, bulkier leads. Against faster leads like Infernape, Aerodactyl, and Azelf, I usually switch out into an offensive Poke as they will almost always taunt.

Gengar@Life Orb
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 SpA/ 252 Spe
-Energy Ball
-Thunderbolt
-Focus Blast
-Shadow Ball

This guy has proven quite useful with his two great immunities. Focus Blast/ Shadow Ball give unresisted coverage while Thunderbolt provides a great offensive option hitting things like Skarmory and Vaporeon. Energy ball is for those Swamperts I often switch in on. They usually don't expect it and decide to stay in. I'm thinking about switching it to HP Fire.

Heatran@Choice Scarf
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SpA/ 4 SpD/ 252 Spe
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-Dragon Pulse
-Hidden Power Grass

Even though this set has been around for a while, it's still incredibly useful. Fire Blast does massive damage, even without the Flash Fire boost. Earth Power hits opposing Heatran coming in expecting a Fire Blast, as well as any other non flying/levitating steels, rocks, and fires. Dragon Pulse is for Flygon and Dragonite coming in expecting a Fire Blast or Earth Power. HP Grass is for Swamperts that think they can come in and threaten.

Starmie@Leftovers
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP/ 4 SpA/ 252 Spe
-Rapid Spin
-Recover
-Surf
-Ice Beam

My rapid spinner. Being fairly bulky, fast, and having instant recovery means she can keep coming in and spinning away hazzards. Other than the obvious Rapid Spin, Recover, and STAB Surf, I wasn't too sure what other move to have, so I'm running Ice Beam for now. it really seems to get them Gliscor, but other than that, I don't know.

Tyranitar@Life Orb
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
-Dragon Dance
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Crunch

I don't know what else to say other than this guy can be a beast. He's got great attack, decent coverage and natural bulk. Unfortunately, I never get this guy out much, so I can't really go very in depth.

Lucario@Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
-Swords Dance
-Extreme Speed
-Crunch
-Close Combat

I went with Jolly over Adamant since I'm more concerned with outspeeding things. A good Swords Dance helps even out the difference. With the right setup, I've swept entire teams with this guy before. Even Skarmory falls to a boosted Close Combat.

Alright, so one last look:

Please comment, rate, subscribe (oh wait, this isn't Youtube lol). I might add a threat list if I get the time later, but feel free to point out any glaring (or not so obvious) weaknesses.

 

[Spenstar]

Really nice team here! I guess the only thing I would change is maybe make your T-tar a scarftar. You already have a late-game sweeper, and a well-played scarftar can be really useful.

 

[Aerrow]

This looks like an excellently built team with a great sense of synergy. Although, it does have a couple of weaknesses that can result in this team being easily swept away; this team is threatened heavily by the likes of Infernape and Lucario; Agility Lucario to be precise. If they are allowed to set up, they would quite frankly, be able to heavily dent your entire team or even sweep it entirely if a few key members have been previously damaged. But luckily, there is one Pokemon who can quite easily take on both of these aforementioned threats while also holding decent synergy well with the rest of your team; Gyarados.

[box]Rest Talk

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP/252 Def/8 SpDef
Impish nature (+Def,-SpAtk)
- Rest
- Roar
- Sleep Talk
- Waterfall[/box]
[box]Bulky Dragon Dance

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 156 HP/72 Atk/96 Def/184 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk,-SpAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Stone Edge
- Taunt
- Waterfall[/box]
Gyarados can easily wall Agility Lucario due to its key resistances and decent defenses while also being able effectively retaliate against the said Pokemon. Infernape is in a similar vein as bulky variants of Gyarados can easily take Infernape's STAB attacks even after being boosted by nasty plot or swords dance. I suggest using the Rest Talk set over Tyranitar (which by your explanations has been proving to be a dead weight) since that set can also abuse the entry hazards you're team revolves around while also being able to deal with Lucario and Infernape. However, if you feel that you want the Pokemon in this team slot to have a more offensive nature, a bulky dragon dance variant can be utilized due to it being a bigger threat, in terms of offense. The two sets I've suggested are shown above for easy reference. I hope I helped, and good luck!

 

[Gah777]

Hey thanks for the input. I'll definitely try that bulky DD 'Dos out. The only thing that concerns me is that with Gyarados added to my team, Jolteon and Zapdos will become much larger threats.

 

[The Grand Babido]

Hello Gah777.

This is a cool team you have here and Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Swords Dance Lucario work incredibly well at weakening each others' counters so the other can sweep unphazed. However, there are a few changes I would like you to consider.

Aqua Tail on Tyranitar is a great option and you should probably try it. The reason is, it can OHKO Gliscor [Lucario's #1 enemy], giving Lucario a MUCH higher chance at sweeping.

As a lead, Machamp can cause a number of problems to this team, and you ultimately want it weakened as it pretty much ends Tyranitar's sweep unless it has taken a bit of damage. You are at risk of losing up to two Pokemon vs it if you play incorrectly. For this reason, I would like to suggest you try Lum Berry Skarmory over your current set.

Skarmory @ Lum Berry
Impish | Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 200 SpDef / 40 Spe
Brave Bird / Spikes / Taunt / Roost

The combination of Lum Berry and Brave Bird allows Skarmory to always beat Machamp leads, although I would recommend Spiking turn 1 in case your opponent switches to something like Heatran, as that can really put you at a disadvantage seeing as it shrugs off Brave Bird and forces you out easily. Taunt + Lum Berry allows you to beat Roserade and Smeargle leads and allows you to Spike up vs them easily. Roost rounds off the set nicely.

By using the above set on Skarmory, you unfortunately lose Stealth Rock. For this reason I would like to suggest Stealth Rock Heatran over your Scarf Tran and replace Gengar with a Scarf Rotom. Heatran is a really reliable setter of Stealth Rock and can lure out Pokemon like Swampert and dispatch it with HP Grass or Explosion if it has taken previous damage. With Scarf Heatran gone, you open yourself up to a few threats [such as DD Gyarados, SD + BP Lucario, Dragon Dance Kingdra, and any other fast Pokemon]. Scarf Rotom resolves most of these issues and its Pursuit bait makes for easy set-up for one of your dangerous late-game sweepers.

Heatran @ Passho Berry
Hasty or Timid | Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Stealth Rock / Fire Blast / Earth Power / HP Grass or Explosion

With Passho Berry, Heatran can defeat many bulky waters such as Suicune and Starmie that decide to switch-in. Passho is incredibly important as your team currently has quite a big problem with these types of Pokemon. HP Grass nabs a quick KO on Swampert that have dropped below approxiamately 85% and Explosion can be used to nab a KO on a team problem such as Starmie.

Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf
Timid | Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Thunderbolt / Shadow Ball / Overheat / Trick

Scarf Rotom resolves most issues your team had and allows you to get good damage on may water Pokemon, such as Starmie. Speaking of Starmie, Rotom is a much more reliable spin-blocker, as it outruns standard spinner Starmie, something Gengar cannot do. Rotom is quite a large Pursuit bait so using it as a lure for things like ScarfTar and Scizor can make one of your endgamers' sweeps that much easier.

Skarmory / Heatran / Starmie / Rotom-H / Tyranitar / Lucario.

Good team and good luck!

 

[KidX]

Hi, Just wanted to point out that you should tryout thunderbolt over ice beam because it can help against the likes of Gyara and Skarm a lot more than ice beam + surf is. Also try a more offensive spread for starmie because in past experiences having a more offensive spread really paid off, just use a simple set like this: 4 hp 252 spe 252 SAtk it helps tackle threats easier although you lose a substantial amount of bulk, I find it worth it. Oh and try hydro pump over surf for more power, but it does have low pp and only 80 accuracy so its a shaky option. Anyways thats just my two cents.

Good Luck!

 

[Setsuna]

Probably the biggest threats this team can find out there are Agility users, such as Empoleon, Metagross, and Lucario, plus the commonly seen Swords Dance Luke, LO variants of Starmie, and Dragon Dance Gyarados. Replacing Gengar with the H forme of Rotom-A seems like a pretty good change to me, and your team will now have an opportunity at posing a problem to all of the aforementioned threats while maintaining a good synergy and general team-line up as well. I'm not suggesting you use a random variant of Rotom-H, but concretely the following one:

Timid nature | Choice Scarf
Evs: 200 HP / 56 SpA / 252 Spe
Thunderbolt | Shadow Ball | Overheat | Trick

As outlined in you Gengar's description, its main goals are: block Rapid Spin, block Fight- and Ground-type moves, and provide the team with a fast, solid offensive option to deal supper-effective amounts of damage on Pokemon like Skarmory, Vaporeon, and Swampert. All of this is part of Rotom-H's basic objectives, which can be easily accomplished if played correctly. Unlike Gengar, Rotom-H possesses some valuable resistances to a wide repertoire of attacks (i.e. Metagross's MM, EQ, T-punch... Scizor's Bug- and Steel-type moves, etc.), and it also boasts two type of STAB (Electric / Ghost) as opposed to one (Ghost) in Gengar, which allows it to hit very hard with both types of attacks. Furthermore, Rotom-H's bulkiness is just too much to overlook, and so is its capacity to revenge kill common Pokemon such as Infernape, Starmie, Gengar, Shaymin, opposing Rotom-A, and so on. Speaking of bulkiness, I tweaked a bit the EVs -- just the necessary to make it able to take more hits than the usual two or three that its full offensive variant usually resists. Finally, now with CS Rotom-H Gyarados won't be a threat anymore, and the rest of bulky Water-types (some of which make use of set-up moves that could certainly grow into a major problem) won't be that much of a menace either. All in all, I would not hesitate to give this idea a try if I were to use this team!

Taking this change as our starting point towards the next suggestion, I have to say that I don't think having a Scarf on Heatran will continue being useful. However, you're free to leave it as is, but I'm going to go with the recommendation anyways: remove the CS and use a Life Orb or Substitute variant instead. This way Heatran will have full liberty to switch between attacks and hence cause a lot more damage to its opponent; for instance, say that you can use the combination of Toxic + Substitute to wear down bulky Water-types and other Pokemon that hate to be inflicted this status, or perhaps opt to use a fully offensive variant with LO and four attacks -- both are potential options to keep in mind.

On Starmie, if you're using that EV spread, which basically leans towards making Starmie able to take hits from the likes of Gyarados, Heatran, and Infernape a lot better, then I suggest going with Thunderbolt in the last slot. Note: Rotom-H will not always be there to act as the perfect switch-in when Pokemon such as the aforementioned ones come and attempt to cause some troubles, so Starmie will need to go out and defend the position in that situation -- having Thunderbolt gives you perfect coverage against these three, and subsequently the opportunity to not lose the match-up.

Good luck with your team ;)