Hi everyone.
This is my first real competitive team - Stonestorm. Having only really been lured into the OU scene recently, this is the one team I've been trying to use and improve upon since I began. My purpose for posting this RMT is to gather opinions from more experienced members of the Smogon community who may spot errors or major weaknesses I may have overlooked. Before moving onto making another team (probably for the UU metagame) I would like to first do as much as I can to 'perfect' this one, I guess.
RMT Structure
Part I: Team Members
Part II: Weaknesses/Resistances Chart
Part I: Team Members
Tyranitar
@Choice Scarf
Sand Stream
Nature: Hasty
96 Atk/136 SpA/24 SpD/252 Spe
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Tyranitar is an imposing threat with its whopping offensive capabilities and automatically fulfills one of its roles in the team immediately upon entering the battle - setting up sandstorm. With its special defense boosted and residual damage on the go, it's next task is to assess the opposing lead and take necessary action. Choice Scarf is used over Choice Band for two reasons: to catch speedier leads like Infernape by surprise and to use its boosted skill and excellent type coverage to revenge kill later on in the battle. Tyranitar is in no way an expendable member and therefore any possible threats by Steel, Fighting or Ground are met head on by either Dusknoir or Bronzong.
While Metagross' usage has climbed at least in the latest usage statistics, I've encountered him very few times while using this time (the last few weeks). Azelf is OHKO'd in the usual way and Gliscor meets the same fate (being unable to outspeed Tyranitar's Ice Beam). Heatran is EQ'd and dies if it's not Scarf'd itself. Other speedy leads like Gengar, Infernape and Aerodactyl are outsped thanks to Tyranitar's scarf, the former two which are OHKO'd by EQ and Crunch respectively and the second which is 2HKO'd.
Bronzong
@Leftovers/Occa Berry
(experimenting with both)
Levitate
Nature: Relaxed
252 Hp/128 Atk/36 Def/92 SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Hypnosis
Predicted Earthquakes and Metagross are usually met head on by Bronzong who proceeds to set up Stealth Rock and then hypnotises the switch-in. Most lead Metagross are completely walled by Bronzong (as they usually only boast Earthquake and Bullet Punch aside from Explosion) and so Stealth Rock is a given. Incoming Heatran and Magnezone are met with Earthquake and die. Leftovers ensures gradual recovery and increases durability (Bronzong is better sturdy) but Occa Berry can let it survive a STAB fire attack without taking too much damage and then proceed to Earthquake the attacker. The interesting thing I've noticed when using an Occa Berry is how many people fail to see the Occa Berry message on the battle log and instead presume its a Flameproof Bronzong, in turn wasting precious time trying to EQ it. Still thats not something I'm going to rely on competitively and is just a general observation.
Of course when the time comes and Bronzong is no longer in a position where it's doom is imminent or when Kingdra (a few other Pokemon also) have thought it safe to try and set up on Bronzong... BOOM! It explodes. It's game over for Bronzong, but usually for the opponent as well.
Dusknoir
@Leftovers
Pressure
Nature: Brave
252 Hp/28 Atk/228 Def
- Will-o-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Thunderpunch
- Earthquake
A predicted Fighting move on Tyranitar (as is a fairly common strategy because of the obvious 4x weakness) is met head on with Dusknoir's bulky frame. While it's always safe to say the attacker is more then likely to have its battle capabilities crippled by being burned (presuming its a physical attacker) I always need to be sure there isn't a Heatran stalking around on the enemy's team waiting to boost its already impressive firepower. Because of this I normally always go for Thunderpunch first, unless I'm sure Heatran will come in then I will EQ, because if I can't inflict burn I may as well inflict paralysis (even if its only a small chance).
Brave nature is chosen over Impish for the slight boost in power so that coupled with Sandstorm and Stealth Rock damage Dusknoir can manage to dent the team outside his dishing out of status effects. Is he meant to sweep? Not at all. I just want to make sure that while he's keeping his opponent occupied with his huge bulk he is making sure to remind them that every second wasted is more hp down the drain for them.
Vaporeon
@Leftovers
Water Absorb
Nature: Bold
252 Hp / 252 Def / 6 SpA
- Wish
- Protect
- Surf
- Toxic
Wish support comes in the form of the third bulky Pokemon on the team and the final member of its defensive core. Combined they provide four immunities to Water, Poison, Normal, Ground and Fighting. Vaporeon switches in and out throughout the battle when given the opportunity to restore health to Bronzong, Tyranitar and Scizor as needed. When's it's not playing the role of healer, it is usually doing its best to solo-stall bulky Pokemon with the Toxic/Wish/Protect combo.
Many times Vaporeon proves to be the most valuable member of the defensive core due to its ability to not only cripple opposing bulky waters but to increase the life expectancy of the other defensive pokemon on the team. Note the lack of Hidden Power Electric for Gyarados namely. This is because the team is not only being used on Shoddy but in wifi as well and I want the two teams identical. I'm not in the position to be breeding a Vaporeon with Wish and Hidden Power Electric at the moment, so Toxic takes it's place. This is the same reason why Dusknoir is used over Rotom-H.
Scizor
@Choice Band
Technician
Nature: Adamant
248 Hp/252 Atk/8 Spe
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
Good day, my name is Scizor. I kill things. The second member of the offensive core is Scizor, who's job it is to come in on one of its resistances against a weakened enemy and finish it off. Pursuit is used on any foe with the mindset to try and escape, U-turn causes some decent STAB damage and allows a free switch and Bullet Punch is the ultimate finishing move. That leaves Superpower to take out opposing steels and Tyranitar (T-Tar is more often then not more easily dealt with with Bullet Punch of course).
Me using a Scizor has been quite interesting because my favourite Pokemon of all time is Scyther (so you can expect him in my first UU team) and I never really liked his evolution by comparison. But he's amazing at work. I am thinking of possibly switching to a Swords Dance set because I'm feeling a little constrained by being choiced to one move (and it leaves me open once the opponent has realised).
Rhyperior
@Life Orb
Solid Rock
Nature: Jolly
248 Atk/252 Spe/8 SpD
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Megahorn
So it's late game and if I've played my cards right and everything has worked out accordingly I should have managed to eliminate any possible threats to the final member of the offensive core - Rhyperior. His sole purpose is to come in and Rock Polish. What does he do then? What a massive rock dinosaur bolstered with sandstorm and stealth rock support does... finish it! If Rhyperior manages to survive an unpredicted threat that remains on the field, he'll switch out and come back in once the threat's been taken out with Wish support to help.
Rhyperior was the basis for creating this team in the beginning, it's pretty interesting to see how much it's changed and evolved since I originally started building the team.
Part II: Weaknesses/Resistances Chart
Credit to Marriland website for this chart.
And that's Team Stonestorm.
Please provide any constructive feedback you can offer. Keep in mind I'm new to the competitive battling scene, so even the slightest piece of advice could go a long way.
Thanks!
This is my first real competitive team - Stonestorm. Having only really been lured into the OU scene recently, this is the one team I've been trying to use and improve upon since I began. My purpose for posting this RMT is to gather opinions from more experienced members of the Smogon community who may spot errors or major weaknesses I may have overlooked. Before moving onto making another team (probably for the UU metagame) I would like to first do as much as I can to 'perfect' this one, I guess.
RMT Structure
Part I: Team Members
Part II: Weaknesses/Resistances Chart
Part I: Team Members
Tyranitar
@Choice Scarf
Sand Stream
Nature: Hasty
96 Atk/136 SpA/24 SpD/252 Spe
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Tyranitar is an imposing threat with its whopping offensive capabilities and automatically fulfills one of its roles in the team immediately upon entering the battle - setting up sandstorm. With its special defense boosted and residual damage on the go, it's next task is to assess the opposing lead and take necessary action. Choice Scarf is used over Choice Band for two reasons: to catch speedier leads like Infernape by surprise and to use its boosted skill and excellent type coverage to revenge kill later on in the battle. Tyranitar is in no way an expendable member and therefore any possible threats by Steel, Fighting or Ground are met head on by either Dusknoir or Bronzong.
While Metagross' usage has climbed at least in the latest usage statistics, I've encountered him very few times while using this time (the last few weeks). Azelf is OHKO'd in the usual way and Gliscor meets the same fate (being unable to outspeed Tyranitar's Ice Beam). Heatran is EQ'd and dies if it's not Scarf'd itself. Other speedy leads like Gengar, Infernape and Aerodactyl are outsped thanks to Tyranitar's scarf, the former two which are OHKO'd by EQ and Crunch respectively and the second which is 2HKO'd.
Bronzong
@Leftovers/Occa Berry
(experimenting with both)
Levitate
Nature: Relaxed
252 Hp/128 Atk/36 Def/92 SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Hypnosis
Predicted Earthquakes and Metagross are usually met head on by Bronzong who proceeds to set up Stealth Rock and then hypnotises the switch-in. Most lead Metagross are completely walled by Bronzong (as they usually only boast Earthquake and Bullet Punch aside from Explosion) and so Stealth Rock is a given. Incoming Heatran and Magnezone are met with Earthquake and die. Leftovers ensures gradual recovery and increases durability (Bronzong is better sturdy) but Occa Berry can let it survive a STAB fire attack without taking too much damage and then proceed to Earthquake the attacker. The interesting thing I've noticed when using an Occa Berry is how many people fail to see the Occa Berry message on the battle log and instead presume its a Flameproof Bronzong, in turn wasting precious time trying to EQ it. Still thats not something I'm going to rely on competitively and is just a general observation.
Of course when the time comes and Bronzong is no longer in a position where it's doom is imminent or when Kingdra (a few other Pokemon also) have thought it safe to try and set up on Bronzong... BOOM! It explodes. It's game over for Bronzong, but usually for the opponent as well.
Dusknoir
@Leftovers
Pressure
Nature: Brave
252 Hp/28 Atk/228 Def
- Will-o-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Thunderpunch
- Earthquake
A predicted Fighting move on Tyranitar (as is a fairly common strategy because of the obvious 4x weakness) is met head on with Dusknoir's bulky frame. While it's always safe to say the attacker is more then likely to have its battle capabilities crippled by being burned (presuming its a physical attacker) I always need to be sure there isn't a Heatran stalking around on the enemy's team waiting to boost its already impressive firepower. Because of this I normally always go for Thunderpunch first, unless I'm sure Heatran will come in then I will EQ, because if I can't inflict burn I may as well inflict paralysis (even if its only a small chance).
Brave nature is chosen over Impish for the slight boost in power so that coupled with Sandstorm and Stealth Rock damage Dusknoir can manage to dent the team outside his dishing out of status effects. Is he meant to sweep? Not at all. I just want to make sure that while he's keeping his opponent occupied with his huge bulk he is making sure to remind them that every second wasted is more hp down the drain for them.
Vaporeon
@Leftovers
Water Absorb
Nature: Bold
252 Hp / 252 Def / 6 SpA
- Wish
- Protect
- Surf
- Toxic
Wish support comes in the form of the third bulky Pokemon on the team and the final member of its defensive core. Combined they provide four immunities to Water, Poison, Normal, Ground and Fighting. Vaporeon switches in and out throughout the battle when given the opportunity to restore health to Bronzong, Tyranitar and Scizor as needed. When's it's not playing the role of healer, it is usually doing its best to solo-stall bulky Pokemon with the Toxic/Wish/Protect combo.
Many times Vaporeon proves to be the most valuable member of the defensive core due to its ability to not only cripple opposing bulky waters but to increase the life expectancy of the other defensive pokemon on the team. Note the lack of Hidden Power Electric for Gyarados namely. This is because the team is not only being used on Shoddy but in wifi as well and I want the two teams identical. I'm not in the position to be breeding a Vaporeon with Wish and Hidden Power Electric at the moment, so Toxic takes it's place. This is the same reason why Dusknoir is used over Rotom-H.
Scizor
@Choice Band
Technician
Nature: Adamant
248 Hp/252 Atk/8 Spe
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
Good day, my name is Scizor. I kill things. The second member of the offensive core is Scizor, who's job it is to come in on one of its resistances against a weakened enemy and finish it off. Pursuit is used on any foe with the mindset to try and escape, U-turn causes some decent STAB damage and allows a free switch and Bullet Punch is the ultimate finishing move. That leaves Superpower to take out opposing steels and Tyranitar (T-Tar is more often then not more easily dealt with with Bullet Punch of course).
Me using a Scizor has been quite interesting because my favourite Pokemon of all time is Scyther (so you can expect him in my first UU team) and I never really liked his evolution by comparison. But he's amazing at work. I am thinking of possibly switching to a Swords Dance set because I'm feeling a little constrained by being choiced to one move (and it leaves me open once the opponent has realised).
Rhyperior
@Life Orb
Solid Rock
Nature: Jolly
248 Atk/252 Spe/8 SpD
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Megahorn
So it's late game and if I've played my cards right and everything has worked out accordingly I should have managed to eliminate any possible threats to the final member of the offensive core - Rhyperior. His sole purpose is to come in and Rock Polish. What does he do then? What a massive rock dinosaur bolstered with sandstorm and stealth rock support does... finish it! If Rhyperior manages to survive an unpredicted threat that remains on the field, he'll switch out and come back in once the threat's been taken out with Wish support to help.
Rhyperior was the basis for creating this team in the beginning, it's pretty interesting to see how much it's changed and evolved since I originally started building the team.
Part II: Weaknesses/Resistances Chart
Credit to Marriland website for this chart.
And that's Team Stonestorm.
Please provide any constructive feedback you can offer. Keep in mind I'm new to the competitive battling scene, so even the slightest piece of advice could go a long way.
Thanks!
