Hey everyone, I'm Angrysmurf, and this is my first post here on Smogon. Quickly, for any admins/important people on this site, Smogon really helped me get on my feet competitive battling-wise. You guys really have a mass of info here.
Alright, now to get down to business. Long ago (two weeks ago), when I was getting bored with Pokémon, I thought, 'How can I freshen my Pokémon experience?' The answer, I think, was quite clear- get into competitive battling. The problem, however, was that I was reluctant to really get involved in this crazy business- all the info, the shorthand, really just the intelligence, had intimidated me up until that point. However, I really was bored, and had time (this was the Saturday before Christmas, so break was just beginning), so I decided to try it. With a stroke of intelligence, I did some digging before I really started any team-building, and I discovered the Shoddy Battle program (that's important, because this team doesn't exist on anything but Shoddy). During the research process (yes, I did research before building the team; yes, I treated this almost like a school project; go ahead and laugh at me, research is pretty much how I get things done :P), I also fine-tuned my knowledge of IV's and EV's (I had a basic understanding of both beforehand, but now I know what they mean inside and out), got a feeling for the tiers in competitive battling, learned the rules, found a few sets I liked, and generally learned what's smart... and what's not so smart. Anyways, after 4 hours of perusing articles and info (I viewed Smogon's DP movesets loads during that time period), I decided it was time to build a team. The first results were... not so fun to look at. That first team included some poorly distributed EV's, a Stalling Wailord that had no business in OU, really, now that I think about it, no business anywhere, a ToxiStalling Dugtrio that was of my own invention (not the wisest decision I ever made in my life, lol), some mediocre moveset choices, etc. etc. The team won matches, but I think a lot of that had to do with the quality of the opponents I faced and our good friend Mr. Hax :P. Fortunately, I posted an RMT on three separate forums, and the knowledgeable members of those forums rose to the occasion and helped fix up my team (Anthrix, Kiwi Dean, and Polelover44 of Marriland being of special mention here). The end result looked a lot better.
Now, however, I feel something gnawing at me. It feels like the team is... incomplete- I feel like right now it's a decent team, but it could be a GREAT team, with a bit of careful tweaking (I'll address specifics in the body of the RMT). Marriland and HOA were great for firstly working out the nightmarish technical errors (such as poor EV spreads) and secondly building upon the foundation of the team to make it work better, but I feel that they've done all they can. I need the experts now :P (this is also going on CAL, another great competitive battling-orientated site).
If you see any of those nasty technical errors and/or 'noobish' things, don't hesitate to dish the dirt.
I congratulate you for reading that huge block of text if you did read it; this is where the RMT begins, save for a few technical notes:
Alright, now to get down to business. Long ago (two weeks ago), when I was getting bored with Pokémon, I thought, 'How can I freshen my Pokémon experience?' The answer, I think, was quite clear- get into competitive battling. The problem, however, was that I was reluctant to really get involved in this crazy business- all the info, the shorthand, really just the intelligence, had intimidated me up until that point. However, I really was bored, and had time (this was the Saturday before Christmas, so break was just beginning), so I decided to try it. With a stroke of intelligence, I did some digging before I really started any team-building, and I discovered the Shoddy Battle program (that's important, because this team doesn't exist on anything but Shoddy). During the research process (yes, I did research before building the team; yes, I treated this almost like a school project; go ahead and laugh at me, research is pretty much how I get things done :P), I also fine-tuned my knowledge of IV's and EV's (I had a basic understanding of both beforehand, but now I know what they mean inside and out), got a feeling for the tiers in competitive battling, learned the rules, found a few sets I liked, and generally learned what's smart... and what's not so smart. Anyways, after 4 hours of perusing articles and info (I viewed Smogon's DP movesets loads during that time period), I decided it was time to build a team. The first results were... not so fun to look at. That first team included some poorly distributed EV's, a Stalling Wailord that had no business in OU, really, now that I think about it, no business anywhere, a ToxiStalling Dugtrio that was of my own invention (not the wisest decision I ever made in my life, lol), some mediocre moveset choices, etc. etc. The team won matches, but I think a lot of that had to do with the quality of the opponents I faced and our good friend Mr. Hax :P. Fortunately, I posted an RMT on three separate forums, and the knowledgeable members of those forums rose to the occasion and helped fix up my team (Anthrix, Kiwi Dean, and Polelover44 of Marriland being of special mention here). The end result looked a lot better.
Now, however, I feel something gnawing at me. It feels like the team is... incomplete- I feel like right now it's a decent team, but it could be a GREAT team, with a bit of careful tweaking (I'll address specifics in the body of the RMT). Marriland and HOA were great for firstly working out the nightmarish technical errors (such as poor EV spreads) and secondly building upon the foundation of the team to make it work better, but I feel that they've done all they can. I need the experts now :P (this is also going on CAL, another great competitive battling-orientated site).
If you see any of those nasty technical errors and/or 'noobish' things, don't hesitate to dish the dirt.
I congratulate you for reading that huge block of text if you did read it; this is where the RMT begins, save for a few technical notes:
- It's a Shoddy Standard Team, so all OU Pokés. Also, perfect EV's since it's Shoddy (unless I decide to run Hidden Power, which is a possibility- again, specifics in body).
- Some of the points I make in the notes in the body are now moot due to changes. Just ignore if I say something stupid and/or outdated- I may have missed editing something out of the original post.
- I know a lot of people like to make those huge lists where they address the team's threats, but I never liked that, and this RMT won't have that.
- Be nice-after all, I have been doing this for only a couple of weeks, and I spent a lot of time building this RMT :)
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Team CRUSH
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Flare (Infernape) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 68 Atk/252 Spd/64 SAtk/124 SDef
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
-Fake Out
-Stealth Rock
-Vacuum Wave
-Fire Blast
Infernape used as an anti-lead, not a sweeper. I actually hope a hard-hitter with type-effectiveness, like Swampert, is led by the opponent. [strike]I use Stealth Rock on turn 1, as Flare is the only Pokémon with Stealth Rock on the team, and hopefully they use a move like Earthquake or Surf that would normally OHKO Flare. Instead, he hangs on with Focus Sash, amd I use Endeavoar on Turn 2 to bring them down to one HP. After Flare is KO'd, I just bring in Scrash in later to clean up. It effectively stops a lot of sweeps.[/strike] Fake Out Turn 1 Stealth Rock Turn 2 Vacuum Wave Turn 3
If Flare survives the early game, he can always come back later to clean up an under-10% opponent with Vacuum Wave or use Fire Blast to score KOs.
The name Flare comes from the fact that Flare usually occupies a short role on the team- get in, use Stealth Rock, take out the opponents lead, exit.
(PROTIP: Notes after the main body of notes on a specific Poké were added recently, so pay attention peeps!)
This Infernape is not my favorite. Personally, I think it lacks... punch. There's really no offense; he only earns KO's on Fire Blast. I don't think he should be scrapped, but I think a good move to replace either Fake Out or Vacuum Wave would be a good idea. Suggestions?
---
Luna (Cresselia) (F) @ Light Clay
Ability: Leviate
EVs: 252 HP/148 Def/40 Spd/68 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Lunar Dance
-Grass Knot
Cresselia as a wall/sweeper set-up. Reflect and Light Screen bolster team defenses (both special and physical), and Light Clay lengthens the duration of these screens from 5 turns to 8. The nature and EVs improve the physical defense of Luna, with some EVs also quickening Luna a bit and upgrading HP Fire. The aforementioned HP Fire gives Luna a way to attack Scizor and any other Steel type looking to stop Luna. The showcase move, however, in the moveset is Lunar Dance. Late in the game, after the first sweep, if a/the sweeper is ailing, Luna should come in to wall off whatever the opponent is using, set up Barrier and Light Screen, and use Lunar Dance to heal the ailing sweeper. Most of the time, the opponent can not withstand the second sweep.
The name Luna comes from 'lunar'; take off an 'r', and you have Luna.
(Protip: More notes after the body! Gasp!)
Ignore the sentence about HP Fire in there; too lazy to edit. Obviously, that means I've considerd HP Fire, and I'd possibly use it now. What do you think- HP Fire for Bugs like Scizor, or Grass Knot for Bulky Waters? (Note well that this team is pretty weak to Bulky Waters right now, so it's a good idea to get SOME Grass move in there...
---
Vexo (Flygon) @ Leftovers
Jolly (+ Spe, - SAtk)
252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe
-Toxic
-Roost
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
.
Flygon Toxic-Stalling edition. After Toxic takes hold, Substitute is used to take hits, and Roost and Leftovers restore lost HP. Dig stalls turns. Jolly Nature for speed, EVs for speed and and defenses.
Vexo roughly means annoy in Latin
Would put a strikethrough through the above para if I could
Now, Flygon is possibly the weak link here. I think a ToxiStaller works on my team, but some people think Flygon isn't bulky enough to stall. I've heard Hippowodon suggested as a replacement. Thoughts?
---
Scrash (Scizor) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Technician
EVs: 32 HP/252 Atk/226 Spd
Admant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
-Bullet Punch
-Swords Dance
-Brick Break
-Bug Bite
Scrash is my physical Sweeper. Bullet Punch is a great priority move that Technician makes brilliant. It's a great clean-up move on opponents with less than 30% left; getting STAB is just a bonus. Brick Break is a strong Fighting move (perfect for Special walls like Blissey), and it takes care of Barrier, Light Screen, etc. Bug Buzz is a strong STAB move, perfect for KO'ng Psychcis. Roost and Leftovers recover lost HP and keep Scrash in the game.
Scrash's Admant nature powers Attack, and no power is lost- Scrash has no special attacks. The Evs used further utilize attack power and also boosts Scrash's speed. Technician makes Bullet Punch a very effective move.
Scrash's name is derived from crash, and the 's' is taken from Scizor (and makes it sound a lot better, IMO).
Not much for me to really say. Pretty much Team MVP, although Metagross can really get it done on some days too.
---
Chex Mence (Salamence) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 80 Atk/176 Spd/252 SAtk
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Earthquake
-Roost
Chex Mence is a Salamence utilized as a mixed Sweeper (although he's actually mostly a Special Sweeper, as evidenced by his nature, moves, and EVs). Fire Blast KOs nasty Steel Types (like Skaramory) and is a general firepower move when I can't sacrifice SP Atk for a big blast. Draco Meteor is Chex Mence's most powerful move, and probably the most powerful move of any Pokémon on this team (excluding Meteor's Explosion). Switching out restores the lost Sp Atk depleted by Draco Meteor. Earthquake is a solid move, great for KO'ng annoying Electrics. Roost replenishes lost HP depleted by the Life Orb attatched for extra strength.
Although he's not a true mixed Sweeper, I got his nickname by taking 'Chex Mix' and put Mence where Mix is (Mence being a common shorthand term for Salamence)
Lol, Salamence is so common these days you pretty much have to build a team with a Mence counter. KO'd early sometimes, but when he's not KO'd early, he wreaks havoc.
---
Meteor (Metagross) @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP/236 Atk/12 Def/8 Spd
Admant Nature (+Atk, -Satk)
-Meteor Mash
-Earthquake
-Explosion
-Trick
Meteor is a Sweeper/Tank/do all. He is literally the mop-up role of the group- if everyone else can't, Meteor can. Iron Head is a solid STAB move that can utilize hax and change the game. Earthquake is for Electric Pokémon who harass the rest of the team and can't be Toxic Stalled. It also banks on the Atk stat, which is very high, with extra support from the EVs and the nature. Trick is used to annoy an opponent and possibly render them useless. Explosion is sometimes used to stop sweeps, to neutralzie walls, or, occasionally, as a battle finisher. It is almost exclusively used while the team is in the lead.
Probably the worst part of Meteor is dealing with his Choice Band, but I have found that the team seamlessly switches back and forth between Pokémon. The extra power is worth the trouble.
PROTIP: Some of the info in the above para is moot now.
Okay, Metagross is a nice tank. Can take the hits but dish it right back, which is nice. Probably the greatest part is when Gross gets down to 20%< HP, I switch into Cresselia, she sets up barriers, than uses Lunar Dance to fully heal Gross. Most people aren't ready for two shots from Gross.
Team CRUSH
=====
Flare (Infernape) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 68 Atk/252 Spd/64 SAtk/124 SDef
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
-Fake Out
-Stealth Rock
-Vacuum Wave
-Fire Blast
Infernape used as an anti-lead, not a sweeper. I actually hope a hard-hitter with type-effectiveness, like Swampert, is led by the opponent. [strike]I use Stealth Rock on turn 1, as Flare is the only Pokémon with Stealth Rock on the team, and hopefully they use a move like Earthquake or Surf that would normally OHKO Flare. Instead, he hangs on with Focus Sash, amd I use Endeavoar on Turn 2 to bring them down to one HP. After Flare is KO'd, I just bring in Scrash in later to clean up. It effectively stops a lot of sweeps.[/strike] Fake Out Turn 1 Stealth Rock Turn 2 Vacuum Wave Turn 3
If Flare survives the early game, he can always come back later to clean up an under-10% opponent with Vacuum Wave or use Fire Blast to score KOs.
The name Flare comes from the fact that Flare usually occupies a short role on the team- get in, use Stealth Rock, take out the opponents lead, exit.
(PROTIP: Notes after the main body of notes on a specific Poké were added recently, so pay attention peeps!)
This Infernape is not my favorite. Personally, I think it lacks... punch. There's really no offense; he only earns KO's on Fire Blast. I don't think he should be scrapped, but I think a good move to replace either Fake Out or Vacuum Wave would be a good idea. Suggestions?
---
Luna (Cresselia) (F) @ Light Clay
Ability: Leviate
EVs: 252 HP/148 Def/40 Spd/68 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Lunar Dance
-Grass Knot
Cresselia as a wall/sweeper set-up. Reflect and Light Screen bolster team defenses (both special and physical), and Light Clay lengthens the duration of these screens from 5 turns to 8. The nature and EVs improve the physical defense of Luna, with some EVs also quickening Luna a bit and upgrading HP Fire. The aforementioned HP Fire gives Luna a way to attack Scizor and any other Steel type looking to stop Luna. The showcase move, however, in the moveset is Lunar Dance. Late in the game, after the first sweep, if a/the sweeper is ailing, Luna should come in to wall off whatever the opponent is using, set up Barrier and Light Screen, and use Lunar Dance to heal the ailing sweeper. Most of the time, the opponent can not withstand the second sweep.
The name Luna comes from 'lunar'; take off an 'r', and you have Luna.
(Protip: More notes after the body! Gasp!)
Ignore the sentence about HP Fire in there; too lazy to edit. Obviously, that means I've considerd HP Fire, and I'd possibly use it now. What do you think- HP Fire for Bugs like Scizor, or Grass Knot for Bulky Waters? (Note well that this team is pretty weak to Bulky Waters right now, so it's a good idea to get SOME Grass move in there...
---
Vexo (Flygon) @ Leftovers
Jolly (+ Spe, - SAtk)
252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe
-Toxic
-Roost
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
.
Flygon Toxic-Stalling edition. After Toxic takes hold, Substitute is used to take hits, and Roost and Leftovers restore lost HP. Dig stalls turns. Jolly Nature for speed, EVs for speed and and defenses.
Vexo roughly means annoy in Latin
Would put a strikethrough through the above para if I could
Now, Flygon is possibly the weak link here. I think a ToxiStaller works on my team, but some people think Flygon isn't bulky enough to stall. I've heard Hippowodon suggested as a replacement. Thoughts?
---
Scrash (Scizor) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Technician
EVs: 32 HP/252 Atk/226 Spd
Admant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
-Bullet Punch
-Swords Dance
-Brick Break
-Bug Bite
Scrash is my physical Sweeper. Bullet Punch is a great priority move that Technician makes brilliant. It's a great clean-up move on opponents with less than 30% left; getting STAB is just a bonus. Brick Break is a strong Fighting move (perfect for Special walls like Blissey), and it takes care of Barrier, Light Screen, etc. Bug Buzz is a strong STAB move, perfect for KO'ng Psychcis. Roost and Leftovers recover lost HP and keep Scrash in the game.
Scrash's Admant nature powers Attack, and no power is lost- Scrash has no special attacks. The Evs used further utilize attack power and also boosts Scrash's speed. Technician makes Bullet Punch a very effective move.
Scrash's name is derived from crash, and the 's' is taken from Scizor (and makes it sound a lot better, IMO).
Not much for me to really say. Pretty much Team MVP, although Metagross can really get it done on some days too.
---
Chex Mence (Salamence) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 80 Atk/176 Spd/252 SAtk
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Earthquake
-Roost
Chex Mence is a Salamence utilized as a mixed Sweeper (although he's actually mostly a Special Sweeper, as evidenced by his nature, moves, and EVs). Fire Blast KOs nasty Steel Types (like Skaramory) and is a general firepower move when I can't sacrifice SP Atk for a big blast. Draco Meteor is Chex Mence's most powerful move, and probably the most powerful move of any Pokémon on this team (excluding Meteor's Explosion). Switching out restores the lost Sp Atk depleted by Draco Meteor. Earthquake is a solid move, great for KO'ng annoying Electrics. Roost replenishes lost HP depleted by the Life Orb attatched for extra strength.
Although he's not a true mixed Sweeper, I got his nickname by taking 'Chex Mix' and put Mence where Mix is (Mence being a common shorthand term for Salamence)
Lol, Salamence is so common these days you pretty much have to build a team with a Mence counter. KO'd early sometimes, but when he's not KO'd early, he wreaks havoc.
---
Meteor (Metagross) @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP/236 Atk/12 Def/8 Spd
Admant Nature (+Atk, -Satk)
-Meteor Mash
-Earthquake
-Explosion
-Trick
Meteor is a Sweeper/Tank/do all. He is literally the mop-up role of the group- if everyone else can't, Meteor can. Iron Head is a solid STAB move that can utilize hax and change the game. Earthquake is for Electric Pokémon who harass the rest of the team and can't be Toxic Stalled. It also banks on the Atk stat, which is very high, with extra support from the EVs and the nature. Trick is used to annoy an opponent and possibly render them useless. Explosion is sometimes used to stop sweeps, to neutralzie walls, or, occasionally, as a battle finisher. It is almost exclusively used while the team is in the lead.
Probably the worst part of Meteor is dealing with his Choice Band, but I have found that the team seamlessly switches back and forth between Pokémon. The extra power is worth the trouble.
PROTIP: Some of the info in the above para is moot now.
Okay, Metagross is a nice tank. Can take the hits but dish it right back, which is nice. Probably the greatest part is when Gross gets down to 20%< HP, I switch into Cresselia, she sets up barriers, than uses Lunar Dance to fully heal Gross. Most people aren't ready for two shots from Gross.
=====
Yes, this is the end. Holy smokes, I spent an hour on this- feels shorter.
Anyways, rate the team everyone!
Anyways, rate the team everyone!
