See what I did with the name there? :P
Quick Look:
In-Depth
Threat List:
Read, rate, fix... the whole shazam. :P
Quick Look:
Hippowdon:
Nickname: カバルドン
Role: Lead, Lategame Tank
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Fang
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
I feel that Hippowdon does pretty much what Swampert did for me back in Generation IV. It starts out as my lead, setting up Stealth Rock, and is defensive and powerful enough for me to switch out and call on later if needed. What Hippowdon does for me that Swampert didn't however is set up Sand Stream, meaning that the rest of my Pokemon (sans Mew) have a much easier time doing what they are supposed to do, unless of course another auto-weather inducer comes in.
In terms of choices in moves and itmes, Slack Off and Leftovers help to have Hippowdon survive longer, which is important considering the fact that Sandstorm is important for me. Ice Fang gives me coverage against Dragons and Flyings.
The general point of Hippowdon is to set up the rest of my team, and possibly re-set if necessary.
Excadrill:
Nickname: Driller
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Air Balloon
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
This one is pretty much a given. The rule of thumb of Gen V Sandstorm teams is that you run Excadrill. It's just too awesome to pass up.
If I'm not mistaken, the 252 Speed EVs and Sand Rush ability are enough for Excadrill under Sandstorm to outspeed even Deoxys-S. That is really saying something. If you can outspeed the absolute fastest Pokemon on the game, then there's no reason a Sandstorm team SHOULDN'T run Excadrill, especially after a Swords Dance boost.
Rock Slide helps deal with Fire and Flying, the former of which could potentially prove a problem to Excadrill (particularly Drought Ninetales). X-Scissor gives my team coverage against Psychics, Darks, and Grass, all of which are things I have little coverage over, and the latter of which is actually something I could have a problem with. Earthquake and Swords Dance are standard.
The Air Balloon is helpful because it gets rid of one of Excadrills major weaknesses, which is ironically Ground itself. Defense is a problem for Excadrill (which is odd, considering the fact that it's Steel-type), so getting rid of a weakness is always a benefit. It's not like it needs boosts in any other stats, since Swords Dance and Sand Rush take care of that.
This Pokemon is scary. I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually became Uber.
Garchomp:
Nickname: ChompChomp
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw
move 4: Aqua Tail
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Ah, the previously Uber Dragon. Garchomp being OU again is a great thing for me. It means my Sandstorm team has a highly effective Dragon-type.
As if being Ground-type means its unaffected by Sandstorm wasn't enough, Garchomp's Sand Veil actually means its harder to hit under Sandstorm. That's always good, because it means getting rid of this behemoth is now more of a challenge!
Garchomp's movepool is meant to deal with many possible situations. Aqua Tail is that Water-type move that the rest of my team doesn't have, so it's always a nice option. Earthquake is a STAB move, and although it's already been seen on two other Pokemon I use, a base 100 accuracy 100 move is never a bad choice (unless you go against Flying/Levitate).
And Outrage/Dragon Claw is that "I'm the choice when the other two don't cut it" move. The only thing that will be resisting either of those two moves is a Steel-type (which something like Stoutland can deal with). I include both because they are both good in certain situations. Outrage is good for power, while Dragon Claw is good if I just need a one move finisher and don't want to get locked.
Garchomp is still good. Not uber broken, but good.
Scizor:
Nickname: SCIZOR
move1: U-turn
move2: Bullet Punch
move3: Superpower
move4: Pursuit
item: Choice Band
ability: Techinician
nature: Adamant
248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Scizor has been on my team since my entrance into competitive Pokemon, back during the days of Pokemon Platinum. Luckily, Generation V did nothing to hinder him, and he is still what I consider the most effective Pokemon on my team. Scizor has gotten me out of so many sticky situations.
Bullet Punch is scary. That's all I can say about it. Technician, STAB, and Choice Band create a, if I'm not mistaken, 135 Base Power priority move. And that is definitely nothing to scoff at. It surprises me how many people switch into Scizor, expecting to finish it off, only to be destroyed by Bullet Punch.
Of course, if Bullet Punch doesn't cut it, I always have Superpower to fall back to if I need a fast KO. U-turn is a great STAB move to use in the case that I need Scizor to gtfo of the battle. And Pursuit is great for locking in the opponent's Pokemon (especially Ghost-types). They have the choice of fighting it out and praying that they knock out my Scizor, or switching out and letting me knock them out faster.
And then, of course, there is the added benefit of being Steel-type. This means that Scizor is not affected by Sandstorm. :D
Scizor is an incredible asset to my team, and I hope he stays that way for quite some time. So suck on that, Genesect! >:3
Stoutland:
Nickname: Sadie
move 1: Return
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Fire Fang
move 4: Retribution
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
item: Choice Band
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
I'll be honest that at first glance, I didn't think much of Stoutland. It had nice Attack, but it didn't seem very fast or special in terms of movepool. And it's ugly to boot (seriously? A five yard moustache?).
And then I discovered that Stoutland's other ability (the one that isn't Intimidate) is Sand Rush.
Mind. Blown.
So now I've got this freaking ugly behemoth that suddenly became quite the fast monster under Sandstorm.
Of course, Stoutland's movepool is less than steller, so it focuses on strong physical moves and coverage of types that I may lack.
Return and Retribution are great STAB, and Retribution is a great Revenge Kill move, ESPECIALLY under Sandstorm, where Stoutland could potentially run faster than a lot of Pokemon.
Fire Fang is the only Fire-type move on my team, so it adds extra coverage.
Crunch is powerful Dark coverage.
There is nothing very stellar about Stoutland's moves, but Sand Rush definitely makes it something very stellar, and it stands out above many other Sandstorm choices.
BTW, if you are wondering about the nickname, that's my dog's name.
Mew:
Nickname: None yet (I base nicknames on my in-game Pokemon, and I don't currently have an in-game Mew)
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Aura Sphere
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
As I was making this team, two types came into mind as types I would have problems with:
Water and Fighting. Water will tear apart Hippowdon and Excadrill, while Fighting will destroy Excadrill and Stoutland.
How do I remedy this to help quite possibly my two heaviest hitters?
Well, the first thing that popped into my mind was Thundurus. It's Electric (to counter Water) and Flying (to counter Fighting). And Prankster means it's almost guaranteed to get off a Nasty Plot.
And then I thought of Starmie, which is Psychic (for Fighting) and can learn Thunderbolt (for Water). That sounds like a great idea, and would fit perfectly.
But I thought I'd test things out and try something new.
And that's what led me to trying out Mew. It can, after all, learn every TM/HM, and has 100 base stats in all stats. The possibilities with Mew are endless.
It also has much fewer weaknesses than Starmie.
In terms of damaging moves, I decided to go with Psychic instead of Psyshock, since when I think of Fighting threats, the first that comes to mind is Conkeldurr, which has high Defense, so Psychic would prove better. Plus, any special wall I need to get rid of can be dealt with by any of those three Pokemon that know Earthquake, as well as any powerful Physical move.
I also chose Thunderbolt over Fire Blast / Shadow Ball because frankly, I need Electric coverage more than Fire or Ghost coverage.
So, I'm still testing Mew. If it turns out that Mew isn't anything spectacular, I'll go for Starmie instead. If it does work out, then great, I'll keep Mew!
Nickname: カバルドン
Role: Lead, Lategame Tank
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Ice Fang
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
I feel that Hippowdon does pretty much what Swampert did for me back in Generation IV. It starts out as my lead, setting up Stealth Rock, and is defensive and powerful enough for me to switch out and call on later if needed. What Hippowdon does for me that Swampert didn't however is set up Sand Stream, meaning that the rest of my Pokemon (sans Mew) have a much easier time doing what they are supposed to do, unless of course another auto-weather inducer comes in.
In terms of choices in moves and itmes, Slack Off and Leftovers help to have Hippowdon survive longer, which is important considering the fact that Sandstorm is important for me. Ice Fang gives me coverage against Dragons and Flyings.
The general point of Hippowdon is to set up the rest of my team, and possibly re-set if necessary.
Excadrill:
Nickname: Driller
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Air Balloon
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
This one is pretty much a given. The rule of thumb of Gen V Sandstorm teams is that you run Excadrill. It's just too awesome to pass up.
If I'm not mistaken, the 252 Speed EVs and Sand Rush ability are enough for Excadrill under Sandstorm to outspeed even Deoxys-S. That is really saying something. If you can outspeed the absolute fastest Pokemon on the game, then there's no reason a Sandstorm team SHOULDN'T run Excadrill, especially after a Swords Dance boost.
Rock Slide helps deal with Fire and Flying, the former of which could potentially prove a problem to Excadrill (particularly Drought Ninetales). X-Scissor gives my team coverage against Psychics, Darks, and Grass, all of which are things I have little coverage over, and the latter of which is actually something I could have a problem with. Earthquake and Swords Dance are standard.
The Air Balloon is helpful because it gets rid of one of Excadrills major weaknesses, which is ironically Ground itself. Defense is a problem for Excadrill (which is odd, considering the fact that it's Steel-type), so getting rid of a weakness is always a benefit. It's not like it needs boosts in any other stats, since Swords Dance and Sand Rush take care of that.
This Pokemon is scary. I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually became Uber.
Garchomp:
Nickname: ChompChomp
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw
move 4: Aqua Tail
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Ah, the previously Uber Dragon. Garchomp being OU again is a great thing for me. It means my Sandstorm team has a highly effective Dragon-type.
As if being Ground-type means its unaffected by Sandstorm wasn't enough, Garchomp's Sand Veil actually means its harder to hit under Sandstorm. That's always good, because it means getting rid of this behemoth is now more of a challenge!
Garchomp's movepool is meant to deal with many possible situations. Aqua Tail is that Water-type move that the rest of my team doesn't have, so it's always a nice option. Earthquake is a STAB move, and although it's already been seen on two other Pokemon I use, a base 100 accuracy 100 move is never a bad choice (unless you go against Flying/Levitate).
And Outrage/Dragon Claw is that "I'm the choice when the other two don't cut it" move. The only thing that will be resisting either of those two moves is a Steel-type (which something like Stoutland can deal with). I include both because they are both good in certain situations. Outrage is good for power, while Dragon Claw is good if I just need a one move finisher and don't want to get locked.
Garchomp is still good. Not uber broken, but good.
Scizor:
Nickname: SCIZOR
move1: U-turn
move2: Bullet Punch
move3: Superpower
move4: Pursuit
item: Choice Band
ability: Techinician
nature: Adamant
248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Scizor has been on my team since my entrance into competitive Pokemon, back during the days of Pokemon Platinum. Luckily, Generation V did nothing to hinder him, and he is still what I consider the most effective Pokemon on my team. Scizor has gotten me out of so many sticky situations.
Bullet Punch is scary. That's all I can say about it. Technician, STAB, and Choice Band create a, if I'm not mistaken, 135 Base Power priority move. And that is definitely nothing to scoff at. It surprises me how many people switch into Scizor, expecting to finish it off, only to be destroyed by Bullet Punch.
Of course, if Bullet Punch doesn't cut it, I always have Superpower to fall back to if I need a fast KO. U-turn is a great STAB move to use in the case that I need Scizor to gtfo of the battle. And Pursuit is great for locking in the opponent's Pokemon (especially Ghost-types). They have the choice of fighting it out and praying that they knock out my Scizor, or switching out and letting me knock them out faster.
And then, of course, there is the added benefit of being Steel-type. This means that Scizor is not affected by Sandstorm. :D
Scizor is an incredible asset to my team, and I hope he stays that way for quite some time. So suck on that, Genesect! >:3
Stoutland:
Nickname: Sadie
move 1: Return
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Fire Fang
move 4: Retribution
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
item: Choice Band
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
I'll be honest that at first glance, I didn't think much of Stoutland. It had nice Attack, but it didn't seem very fast or special in terms of movepool. And it's ugly to boot (seriously? A five yard moustache?).
And then I discovered that Stoutland's other ability (the one that isn't Intimidate) is Sand Rush.
Mind. Blown.
So now I've got this freaking ugly behemoth that suddenly became quite the fast monster under Sandstorm.
Of course, Stoutland's movepool is less than steller, so it focuses on strong physical moves and coverage of types that I may lack.
Return and Retribution are great STAB, and Retribution is a great Revenge Kill move, ESPECIALLY under Sandstorm, where Stoutland could potentially run faster than a lot of Pokemon.
Fire Fang is the only Fire-type move on my team, so it adds extra coverage.
Crunch is powerful Dark coverage.
There is nothing very stellar about Stoutland's moves, but Sand Rush definitely makes it something very stellar, and it stands out above many other Sandstorm choices.
BTW, if you are wondering about the nickname, that's my dog's name.
Mew:
Nickname: None yet (I base nicknames on my in-game Pokemon, and I don't currently have an in-game Mew)
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Aura Sphere
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
As I was making this team, two types came into mind as types I would have problems with:
Water and Fighting. Water will tear apart Hippowdon and Excadrill, while Fighting will destroy Excadrill and Stoutland.
How do I remedy this to help quite possibly my two heaviest hitters?
Well, the first thing that popped into my mind was Thundurus. It's Electric (to counter Water) and Flying (to counter Fighting). And Prankster means it's almost guaranteed to get off a Nasty Plot.
And then I thought of Starmie, which is Psychic (for Fighting) and can learn Thunderbolt (for Water). That sounds like a great idea, and would fit perfectly.
But I thought I'd test things out and try something new.
And that's what led me to trying out Mew. It can, after all, learn every TM/HM, and has 100 base stats in all stats. The possibilities with Mew are endless.
It also has much fewer weaknesses than Starmie.
In terms of damaging moves, I decided to go with Psychic instead of Psyshock, since when I think of Fighting threats, the first that comes to mind is Conkeldurr, which has high Defense, so Psychic would prove better. Plus, any special wall I need to get rid of can be dealt with by any of those three Pokemon that know Earthquake, as well as any powerful Physical move.
I also chose Thunderbolt over Fire Blast / Shadow Ball because frankly, I need Electric coverage more than Fire or Ghost coverage.
So, I'm still testing Mew. If it turns out that Mew isn't anything spectacular, I'll go for Starmie instead. If it does work out, then great, I'll keep Mew!
Threat List:
I haven't currently tested this, although I would guess that any auto-weather inducer (Politoed, Ninetales, Abomasnow) would prove a problem (unless they auto-Sandstorm, which helps me).
Read, rate, fix... the whole shazam. :P