The idea of the team that I have been using recently is more-or-less designed to take on (almost) every threat that the OU metagame can throw at me, as well as set up a potential sweep for a Dragon Dancing Salamence. To do this, I brought in my bulkiest walls and sweepers to take out potential DDMence checks(lets not go into counters) and to set up Stealth Rocks to increase KO rates. So I present, Team DarkAndroid v2:
Note: My EV spread system goes as: HP/Atk/Def/SpA/SpD/Spe
Note: My EV spread system goes as: HP/Atk/Def/SpA/SpD/Spe
The DA Crew:
Hot Mama/Magmortar(F)
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power(Grass)
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest
evs: 0/0/0/252/4/252
Normally, I would have Hippowdon as my leadoff to instantly put up SR, but since putting up sand from turn one usually proves to be disadvantageous in the long run and the fact that most leads would beat me regardless, I put in my Scarf Magmortar as my lead instead. With 397 Speed(factoring in the Modest nature and the Scarf), I barely outrun Timid Jolt and Jolly Aero and can KO them if they have switched into SR once. Fire Blast is my source of STAB because, quite frankly, Flamethrower doesn't pack as much of a punch as I would like. It also can massively dent any lead not resistant to Fire(Hint: not Swampert or Heatran). Thunderbolt is perfect for revenge-killing Water types that have been weakened slightly, as well as a check against a +1 Gyarados, assuming Adamant(How many Gyaras run Jolly these days?). Focus Blast will OHKO any Tyranitar that doesn't pack excessive SpD EV's with SR(assuming it hits) and will do good damage to other Rocks as well. Hidden Power Grass is mostly filler, but Swampert causes more hell to this team than dragons do. I'm thinking of running Timid to outspeed any and all Gyarados as well as ScarfTran.
Death Star/Starmie(N)
- Surf
- Recover
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 136/0/120/0/0/252
To begin with, two members of my team are Stealth Rock weak and I have only one resist. Therefore, Rapid Spin support would really up this team's sucess rating. Since Forretress and Claydol are almost useless since they are slow and get set up on easy and Donphan has no recovery, I went with Starmie for its speed and access to Recover. I run max Speed on my Starmie so that I can at least tie with other Starmies(though most Starmie run only 216 Speed EV's, so I generally outspeed them)and Thunderbolt them for a 2KO. Thunderbolt also works wonders against the omnipotent Gyarados(Starmie is one of my best DD Gyara switchins and can survive a +1 LO Earthquake at full health.)as well as other waters. Surf is mostly for STAB and a quick death to Infernape, Rhyperior, and Mamoswine. I am not running Ice Beam because Starmie is not a good switch into DD Salamence and Garchomp is currently uber(the latter's tier status may be subject to change. Or not).
BulletBill/Scizor(M)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 240/252/16/0/0/0
I really wanted a hard-hitting Choice Banded sweeper that could stop Psychics, and I ultimately had three choices: Heracross, Metagross, and Scizor. Of the three, I chose Scizor since he had access to both a STAB Bug attack and STAB Technician priority. The most frequent attack I use on this badass is U-turn, and for damn good reason. His STAB U-turn can cause massive damage to even a 252 HP/252 Def Bold Cress; Latias and Celebi do not stand a chance in hell even with their bulkiest spreads(I still have to watch for Hidden Power Fire). It also helps me weaken my counters so then their counters can kill them easier. Bullet Punch is another core move that allows Scizor to smite faster enemies; it is fully capable of OHKOing anything frail or weak to it, and they cannot escape by trying to HP Fire/Flamethrower me. Pursuit only adds to my schtmik by doling double damage to any Ghost/Psychic/Blissey foolish enough to escape my wrath, and even when they do stay in, they are still being hit with 60 Base Power(Technician, I thank thee) Superpower adds more frosting to the cake by absolutely creaming Heatran, Magnezone, and Blissey. It also does irreparable harm to T-Tar.
HungyHippo/Hippowdon(M)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Ice Fang
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252/0/168/0/88/0
Hippowdon is the closest thing to a true Tyranitar counter I'm going to get, and a good thing too, since Tyranitar rampages through this team like a white-hot knife through a stick of Antarctic-cold butter. He also is a check to some other sweepers like Lucario, Electivire, and physical Infernape. Earthquake, as well as for STAB, serves me well in hitting those sweepers HARD. The sand hippo also sets up Stealth Rock for me, even though, as I have said, I do not like leading with something that causes sand upon entry. Slack Off is to heal(part of the reason why I chose Hippo over Donphan), and Ice Fang is useful for killing dragons and Gliscor alike. I originally had Stone Edge, but a Latias managed to wipe out my PP for it(it was the last Pokemon on that dude's team), and I need the extra Salamence coverage pretty badly.
Ignorance/Blissey(F)
- Softboiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Seismic Toss
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 188/0/252/108/0/0
Since Latias was not cutting out for me(since I have two Ice weaks already), I grudgingly chose Blissey as my special wall of choice. Even though I have not yet updated her with the new 0/0/252/80/176/0 spread, she still gets the job done. I pretty much need Seismic Toss on Blissey because her physical Attack sucks balls and while she has decent Special attack, she does not get good STAB(Hyper Beam sucks). Ice Beam might be able to hit Latias super-effectively, but in the end, I will probably have done more damage with Seismic Toss. It does KO Salamence with Stealth Rock and will harm Hippowdon as well. Thunder Wave may look moot because Toxic is more effective, but my team really appreciates paralysis support, and Steels are more common than Grounds. Softboiled is my form of healing.
Zelgius/Salamence(M)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
nature: Naughty
evs: 0/252/0/80/0/176
Yes, the big man himself. After weakening his counters and setting up entry hazards for him, Zelgius the killer Salamence is ready to set up and clean house. After a Dragon Dance, I basically 2KO everything non-resistant in the game with my LO-boosted Dragon Claw(except sometimes Cresselia, but then again, Cress is a bitch and I still have SR on my side, meaning that a 2KO is 70% possible.); after 2 Dances it's basically overkill. Any steel that wants to get in the way of a Dragon Claw will meet a swift brutal end once they get hit by Earthquake. Oh, and even the floating Steels are not safe from Zelgius' wrath. Skarmory gets flat-out OHKO'd by Fire Blast and even Sassy Bronzong is 2KO'd by the same attack. Yes, I know Outrage packs a bit more bite, but I would rather be able to switch out if I was met with an Ice Shard user or a Scizor, plus the self-induced confusion would make me seriously consider the use of a Persim/Lum Berry(I like my 30% power boost).
Threat List:
Green means I have this Pokemon under control.
Orange means I have some issues with that Pokemon.
Red means I have major issues with that Pokemon.
Aerodactyl: Almost all my Pokemon can beat him up, though he will generally get SR up anyway. CB versions go to Hippowdon.
Azelf: Blissey walls the crap out of him unless he carries Explosion, and Scizor can KO him with BP if he is at 80% or less.
Blissey: Scizor can switch into any of Blissey's attacks except Flamethrower and KO with Superpower or damage with Pursuit if she flees.
Breloom: A major pain in the ass. I lack a RestTalker, so something will have to hit the hey, then I need something to break his sub, so then I can send in another guy to finish him off.
Bronzong: Scizor resists Gyro Ball and takes laughable damage from Earthquake. He can then cause massive damage with U-turn. Magmortar is also not a pal.
Celebi: Scizor is easily able to switch into any of Celebi's attacks bar HP Fire and absolutely %$&@ it with U-turn.
Cresselia: Scizor can survive everything Cress can throw at him and will put the pain on her with U-turn or Pursuit.
Dusknoir: Magmortar can switch in on the WoW or elemental punch and attempt a 2KO with Fire Blast. My physical sweepers absolutely hate him, though.
Electivire: Hippowdon says hi. Evire can't even 3KO with Ice Punch unless he is CBed.
Empoleon: Even Agility SubPetaya vaiants will struggle against Blissey if I do not have TSpikes on my end of the field.
Flygon: Unlike Salamence and Garchomp, this guy cannot 2KO Hippowdon no matter how hard he tries. Hippo can then proceed to KO with Ice Fang.
Gengar: Any Gengar that runs into Scizor is a re-dead Gengar. Blissey also walls his phantom ass.
Gyarados: Full health Starmie, teams' delight. Near dead or dead Starmie, team's sorrow. Magmortar can revenge kill Adamant Gyara in a pinch.
Heatran: Blissey basically walls his ass unless he cares to assplode, in which case his job is complete.
Hippowdon: Starmie can overwhelm Hippowdon with STAB Surf, and my walls can get into a stall war with him if need be.
Infernape: Starmie resists both of Infernape's STAB, and is not immeadiately OHKOed by Grass Knot or U-turn. It then proceeds to give Infernape a permanent sock-bath.
Jirachi: While he won't appreciate being given a scarf, Hippowdon walls physical Jirachi decently. CM variants are dealt with by Blissey.
Kingdra: I actually have problems with DD Kingdra. Special-based Kingdra is walled by Blissey.
Latias: Unless she has HP Fire or Surf, she is suspect to Scizor. Blissey can wall Specs variants.
Lucario: Yes, he 2KO's everybody I have, but if he is on full HP as he switches in on the SD, Hippowdon can KO with Earthquake.
Mamoswine: While I have no good switchin, Starmie and Magmortar both OHKO with their STAB.
Metagross: Anything that cannot 2KO Hippowdon is not friends with him, and Metagross is no exception. Magmortar can also revenge kill with Fire Blast.
Porygon2: Scizor can come in on pretty much anything bar HP Fire(if that is common enough)and proceeds to KO with Superpower.
Porygon-Z: While he can 2KO everything after a Plot(even Blissey), Blissey can Twave him and Scizor can kill with BP.
Rhyperior: While I have no acceptable switch in, Starmie can OHKO with Surf. Magmortar can KO with HP Grass if he is weakened.
Rotom-A: Most are scarfed ovens that hate Magmortar and Blissey.
Salamence: DD versions will 1-2KO everything I have with Outrage, and Mixed versions are somewhat problematic. Specsmence is owned by Blissey.
Scizor: Hippowdon can survive the CBers onslaught, but unless I have Fire Fang, he is only a buffer. Salamence and Magmortar work as revenge killers.
Skarmory: Yeah, right. I have a Magmortar and a Starmie. My Salamence can also OHKO with Fire Blast.
Snorlax: Scizor may fear Fire Punch, but if he gets in safely, Snorlax is torn apart by U-turn or Superpower.
Starmie: Blissey=love
Suicune: Defensive CM Suicune, especially Crocune, tears my team a new one. Offensive CM Cune can be stopped by Blissey, though.
Swampert: Magmortar has a very good shot of OHKOing with HP Grass, but other than that...
Togekiss: Blissey walls any Togekiss that does not carry Nasty Plot + Roost, and even those I can paralyze.
Tyranitar: Hippowdon can edgeguard T-Tar unless he nails me on the switch with Aqua Tail or Ice Beam. Magmortar works in a pinch with Focus Blast.
Weavile: Scizor time, bitch.
Zapdos: Between Blissey and Hippowdon, why would Zapdos pose a problem to this team? Baton Passing Zappies may be problematic, though.
This list is subject to change. I am not adding suspects to this list because I do not plan to use this team on the suspect ladder(This team has nothing on Garchomp and Skymin).
My Choice of Nicknames:
Hot Mama: I chose this because Magmortar is continually on fire and mine is female and looks like a soccer mom.
Death Star: This is a reference to the Death star on Star Wars, since Starmie is a star that deals death.
Bullet Bill: A reference to Bullet Bill from SMB. It is also a reference to Scizor's Bullet Punch.
Hungry Hippo: This is akin to the Hungry Hungry Hippos board game I played as a lad.
Ignorance: From the meme "Ignorance is Bliss". Nuff said.
Zelgius: His name is a reference to Ike's rival from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
All damage estimates are courtesy of the Libelldra Damage Calculator.
Some of the EV spreads I got from Smogon, but do not use the ones I made myself.
Thanks to Caelum for getting me sprites.
Nuff said.
Hot Mama/Magmortar(F)
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power(Grass)
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest
evs: 0/0/0/252/4/252
Normally, I would have Hippowdon as my leadoff to instantly put up SR, but since putting up sand from turn one usually proves to be disadvantageous in the long run and the fact that most leads would beat me regardless, I put in my Scarf Magmortar as my lead instead. With 397 Speed(factoring in the Modest nature and the Scarf), I barely outrun Timid Jolt and Jolly Aero and can KO them if they have switched into SR once. Fire Blast is my source of STAB because, quite frankly, Flamethrower doesn't pack as much of a punch as I would like. It also can massively dent any lead not resistant to Fire(Hint: not Swampert or Heatran). Thunderbolt is perfect for revenge-killing Water types that have been weakened slightly, as well as a check against a +1 Gyarados, assuming Adamant(How many Gyaras run Jolly these days?). Focus Blast will OHKO any Tyranitar that doesn't pack excessive SpD EV's with SR(assuming it hits) and will do good damage to other Rocks as well. Hidden Power Grass is mostly filler, but Swampert causes more hell to this team than dragons do. I'm thinking of running Timid to outspeed any and all Gyarados as well as ScarfTran.
Death Star/Starmie(N)
- Surf
- Recover
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 136/0/120/0/0/252
To begin with, two members of my team are Stealth Rock weak and I have only one resist. Therefore, Rapid Spin support would really up this team's sucess rating. Since Forretress and Claydol are almost useless since they are slow and get set up on easy and Donphan has no recovery, I went with Starmie for its speed and access to Recover. I run max Speed on my Starmie so that I can at least tie with other Starmies(though most Starmie run only 216 Speed EV's, so I generally outspeed them)and Thunderbolt them for a 2KO. Thunderbolt also works wonders against the omnipotent Gyarados(Starmie is one of my best DD Gyara switchins and can survive a +1 LO Earthquake at full health.)as well as other waters. Surf is mostly for STAB and a quick death to Infernape, Rhyperior, and Mamoswine. I am not running Ice Beam because Starmie is not a good switch into DD Salamence and Garchomp is currently uber(the latter's tier status may be subject to change. Or not).
BulletBill/Scizor(M)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 240/252/16/0/0/0
I really wanted a hard-hitting Choice Banded sweeper that could stop Psychics, and I ultimately had three choices: Heracross, Metagross, and Scizor. Of the three, I chose Scizor since he had access to both a STAB Bug attack and STAB Technician priority. The most frequent attack I use on this badass is U-turn, and for damn good reason. His STAB U-turn can cause massive damage to even a 252 HP/252 Def Bold Cress; Latias and Celebi do not stand a chance in hell even with their bulkiest spreads(I still have to watch for Hidden Power Fire). It also helps me weaken my counters so then their counters can kill them easier. Bullet Punch is another core move that allows Scizor to smite faster enemies; it is fully capable of OHKOing anything frail or weak to it, and they cannot escape by trying to HP Fire/Flamethrower me. Pursuit only adds to my schtmik by doling double damage to any Ghost/Psychic/Blissey foolish enough to escape my wrath, and even when they do stay in, they are still being hit with 60 Base Power(Technician, I thank thee) Superpower adds more frosting to the cake by absolutely creaming Heatran, Magnezone, and Blissey. It also does irreparable harm to T-Tar.
HungyHippo/Hippowdon(M)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Ice Fang
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252/0/168/0/88/0
Hippowdon is the closest thing to a true Tyranitar counter I'm going to get, and a good thing too, since Tyranitar rampages through this team like a white-hot knife through a stick of Antarctic-cold butter. He also is a check to some other sweepers like Lucario, Electivire, and physical Infernape. Earthquake, as well as for STAB, serves me well in hitting those sweepers HARD. The sand hippo also sets up Stealth Rock for me, even though, as I have said, I do not like leading with something that causes sand upon entry. Slack Off is to heal(part of the reason why I chose Hippo over Donphan), and Ice Fang is useful for killing dragons and Gliscor alike. I originally had Stone Edge, but a Latias managed to wipe out my PP for it(it was the last Pokemon on that dude's team), and I need the extra Salamence coverage pretty badly.
Ignorance/Blissey(F)
- Softboiled
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
- Seismic Toss
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 188/0/252/108/0/0
Since Latias was not cutting out for me(since I have two Ice weaks already), I grudgingly chose Blissey as my special wall of choice. Even though I have not yet updated her with the new 0/0/252/80/176/0 spread, she still gets the job done. I pretty much need Seismic Toss on Blissey because her physical Attack sucks balls and while she has decent Special attack, she does not get good STAB(Hyper Beam sucks). Ice Beam might be able to hit Latias super-effectively, but in the end, I will probably have done more damage with Seismic Toss. It does KO Salamence with Stealth Rock and will harm Hippowdon as well. Thunder Wave may look moot because Toxic is more effective, but my team really appreciates paralysis support, and Steels are more common than Grounds. Softboiled is my form of healing.
Zelgius/Salamence(M)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
nature: Naughty
evs: 0/252/0/80/0/176
Yes, the big man himself. After weakening his counters and setting up entry hazards for him, Zelgius the killer Salamence is ready to set up and clean house. After a Dragon Dance, I basically 2KO everything non-resistant in the game with my LO-boosted Dragon Claw(except sometimes Cresselia, but then again, Cress is a bitch and I still have SR on my side, meaning that a 2KO is 70% possible.); after 2 Dances it's basically overkill. Any steel that wants to get in the way of a Dragon Claw will meet a swift brutal end once they get hit by Earthquake. Oh, and even the floating Steels are not safe from Zelgius' wrath. Skarmory gets flat-out OHKO'd by Fire Blast and even Sassy Bronzong is 2KO'd by the same attack. Yes, I know Outrage packs a bit more bite, but I would rather be able to switch out if I was met with an Ice Shard user or a Scizor, plus the self-induced confusion would make me seriously consider the use of a Persim/Lum Berry(I like my 30% power boost).
Threat List:
Green means I have this Pokemon under control.
Orange means I have some issues with that Pokemon.
Red means I have major issues with that Pokemon.
Aerodactyl: Almost all my Pokemon can beat him up, though he will generally get SR up anyway. CB versions go to Hippowdon.
Azelf: Blissey walls the crap out of him unless he carries Explosion, and Scizor can KO him with BP if he is at 80% or less.
Blissey: Scizor can switch into any of Blissey's attacks except Flamethrower and KO with Superpower or damage with Pursuit if she flees.
Breloom: A major pain in the ass. I lack a RestTalker, so something will have to hit the hey, then I need something to break his sub, so then I can send in another guy to finish him off.
Bronzong: Scizor resists Gyro Ball and takes laughable damage from Earthquake. He can then cause massive damage with U-turn. Magmortar is also not a pal.
Celebi: Scizor is easily able to switch into any of Celebi's attacks bar HP Fire and absolutely %$&@ it with U-turn.
Cresselia: Scizor can survive everything Cress can throw at him and will put the pain on her with U-turn or Pursuit.
Dusknoir: Magmortar can switch in on the WoW or elemental punch and attempt a 2KO with Fire Blast. My physical sweepers absolutely hate him, though.
Electivire: Hippowdon says hi. Evire can't even 3KO with Ice Punch unless he is CBed.
Empoleon: Even Agility SubPetaya vaiants will struggle against Blissey if I do not have TSpikes on my end of the field.
Flygon: Unlike Salamence and Garchomp, this guy cannot 2KO Hippowdon no matter how hard he tries. Hippo can then proceed to KO with Ice Fang.
Gengar: Any Gengar that runs into Scizor is a re-dead Gengar. Blissey also walls his phantom ass.
Gyarados: Full health Starmie, teams' delight. Near dead or dead Starmie, team's sorrow. Magmortar can revenge kill Adamant Gyara in a pinch.
Heatran: Blissey basically walls his ass unless he cares to assplode, in which case his job is complete.
Hippowdon: Starmie can overwhelm Hippowdon with STAB Surf, and my walls can get into a stall war with him if need be.
Infernape: Starmie resists both of Infernape's STAB, and is not immeadiately OHKOed by Grass Knot or U-turn. It then proceeds to give Infernape a permanent sock-bath.
Jirachi: While he won't appreciate being given a scarf, Hippowdon walls physical Jirachi decently. CM variants are dealt with by Blissey.
Kingdra: I actually have problems with DD Kingdra. Special-based Kingdra is walled by Blissey.
Latias: Unless she has HP Fire or Surf, she is suspect to Scizor. Blissey can wall Specs variants.
Lucario: Yes, he 2KO's everybody I have, but if he is on full HP as he switches in on the SD, Hippowdon can KO with Earthquake.
Mamoswine: While I have no good switchin, Starmie and Magmortar both OHKO with their STAB.
Metagross: Anything that cannot 2KO Hippowdon is not friends with him, and Metagross is no exception. Magmortar can also revenge kill with Fire Blast.
Porygon2: Scizor can come in on pretty much anything bar HP Fire(if that is common enough)and proceeds to KO with Superpower.
Porygon-Z: While he can 2KO everything after a Plot(even Blissey), Blissey can Twave him and Scizor can kill with BP.
Rhyperior: While I have no acceptable switch in, Starmie can OHKO with Surf. Magmortar can KO with HP Grass if he is weakened.
Rotom-A: Most are scarfed ovens that hate Magmortar and Blissey.
Salamence: DD versions will 1-2KO everything I have with Outrage, and Mixed versions are somewhat problematic. Specsmence is owned by Blissey.
Scizor: Hippowdon can survive the CBers onslaught, but unless I have Fire Fang, he is only a buffer. Salamence and Magmortar work as revenge killers.
Skarmory: Yeah, right. I have a Magmortar and a Starmie. My Salamence can also OHKO with Fire Blast.
Snorlax: Scizor may fear Fire Punch, but if he gets in safely, Snorlax is torn apart by U-turn or Superpower.
Starmie: Blissey=love
Suicune: Defensive CM Suicune, especially Crocune, tears my team a new one. Offensive CM Cune can be stopped by Blissey, though.
Swampert: Magmortar has a very good shot of OHKOing with HP Grass, but other than that...
Togekiss: Blissey walls any Togekiss that does not carry Nasty Plot + Roost, and even those I can paralyze.
Tyranitar: Hippowdon can edgeguard T-Tar unless he nails me on the switch with Aqua Tail or Ice Beam. Magmortar works in a pinch with Focus Blast.
Weavile: Scizor time, bitch.
Zapdos: Between Blissey and Hippowdon, why would Zapdos pose a problem to this team? Baton Passing Zappies may be problematic, though.
This list is subject to change. I am not adding suspects to this list because I do not plan to use this team on the suspect ladder(This team has nothing on Garchomp and Skymin).
My Choice of Nicknames:
Hot Mama: I chose this because Magmortar is continually on fire and mine is female and looks like a soccer mom.
Death Star: This is a reference to the Death star on Star Wars, since Starmie is a star that deals death.
Bullet Bill: A reference to Bullet Bill from SMB. It is also a reference to Scizor's Bullet Punch.
Hungry Hippo: This is akin to the Hungry Hungry Hippos board game I played as a lad.
Ignorance: From the meme "Ignorance is Bliss". Nuff said.
Zelgius: His name is a reference to Ike's rival from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
All damage estimates are courtesy of the Libelldra Damage Calculator.
Some of the EV spreads I got from Smogon, but do not use the ones I made myself.
Thanks to Caelum for getting me sprites.
Nuff said.