Team ExploScarf

[Marowack]

Team ExploScarf!

Overview:

This Team has been somewhat interesting.. the main purpose is to explode on things and screw things over with my scarfs. go figure.

The Lead:

Steele Sensai (Metagross) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Explosion
- Trick
- Earthquake
- Meteor Mash

With the addition of nearly everything getting trick in platinum, and my fondness for scarf explosion, i tried this out as a lead, and it's been working fantastically. The main strategy is sort of like old chainchomp, use a move on said pokemon and see your opponent's counter. then on the next switch in you either trick or explode. Nobody excpects this either, which has allowed me to score many, many ko's on infernape, gengar and the like. IMO, solid lead.

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The Special Sweeper:

Fyre Sensai (Heatran) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def )
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earth Power
- Explosion

With the coming of sky shaymin, this has been become somewhat standard, and i finally get to use him again :) also counters scizor, who gives my team lots of trouble after an sd (yes, even to metagross and lucario) also, my second scarf explosion. this is the one guy i'm not willing to change.

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The Wall:

Forest Sensai (Celebi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP/220 Def/36 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Recover
- Thunder Wave

This is a set sugegsted to me over my somewhat gimmicky SD LO set, and it's a great help to my team. Stealth rock is a must on an offensive team, as i have found out over the past few days, and this also helps with my heatran weak as well as vaporeon. Provides Paralysis support as well.

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The Second Wall:

Ocean Sensai (Vaporeon) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/6 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Wish
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Ice Beam

A new vaporeon, suggested by Twash Man, helps with my abnormally large weak to heatran, mamoswine, weaville and donphan, all of which countered the previous pokemon to occupy this slot (salamence) and also removed the stealth rock weak of salamence, as this is a choiced team, and it will involve a lot of switching. Currently testing this.

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Bliss Counter? (on anything but t wave):

Ghost Sensai (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd/252 SAtk
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Explosion
- Thunderbolt

I've just become so fond of this guy, and to my surprise, has had a somewhat large impact on the platinum metagame (at least against the majority of opponents i faced) Counters many threats, and is all around awesome. Explosion is there for, if you haven't guessed, my love of the move and my general hate of blissey.

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Mixed sweeper

Aura Sensai (Lucario) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 40 Atk/252 Spd/216 SAtk
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Close Combat
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stone Edge
- Dark Pulse

I hae a general love of this pokemon, and this set on it. it counters many pokemon coming out with the release of platinum and is my second skymin counter, in case heatran falls to a somewhat unexcpected earth power. Close combat allows him to counter heatran, etc. dark pulse is for gengar, cresselia and dusknoir. Hp Ice allows him to become a makeshift donphan counter, and also counters skymin, and all the ddmence's who run adamant, and stone edge is for the rare gyara, zapdos, or any other flying or fire type.

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Changes:

None yet

 

[Taylor]

I am intrigued with this Celebi's potential in the new metagame. I haven't acquired enough personal experience with it in this generation, so I cannot provide you with any constructive advice on how to help utilize it best. I can, however, propose the standard Celebi set, in place of the current.

Suprisingly you don't use Stealth Rock on an offensively-based team. I will get back to this later on.

To me, two Choice Scarf members indicates that you will oftenly find yourself out-predicted in certain scenarios as time goes on, which will force you to switch Pokemon constantly. This isn't so welcoming especially when the rest of your team is far from bulky, and all but one of the four being frail sweepers with items that inflict recoil damage. For example, if your Heatran's Earth Power is correctly predicted against as the opponent switched in his/her Gyarados, then you're in severe trouble.

Now forgive me if I'm mistaking Celebi's potential as a threat, and one that can continue to heal itself with an EV spread that only suggests to me that Recover won't be as beneficial as intended to be. But I believe it is best if we terminate Celebi's current moveset entirely, and as a replacement, give it some general support moves with a defensively-based spread; one that should be a huge benefit to your team.

Incidentally this is also where Stealth Rock comes in.

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Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP/220 Def/36 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Grass Knot
- Stealth Rock
- Recover
- Thunder Wave / Hidden Power [Fire] / Earth Power

The last moveslot is in a 'move of importance' sequence from a personal point of view. I recommended Thunder Wave before the latter two; feel free to ask why I chose this particular order.

Celebi's well-known for its switching capabilities, coming in on bulky Water-types, general walls/tanks, and any heavy, offensive opposition that Celebi can pose an immediate threat to. Further, Celebi plays an important role in any team and sees a lot of the playing field, which makes Stealth Rock a viable choice that suits its style well because it's simple to set-up for a Pokemon like Celebi.

 

[twash]

I would first of all go with what Taylor said, and run a supporting set with Stealth Rock. I have two main reasons for this.

The first is obviously what Taylor said, your running an offensive team with no Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock would help you change the KO rate. I would also Earth Power in the last slot, as it would help against Heatran (which I shall go more in-depth in a minute).

Heatran OHKOs your Metagross, will OHKO your Heatran (if you predict wrong and switch it in, or you stay in to Earth Power and lose the Speed Tie!), will OHKO your Celebi with Stealth Rock down, will OHKO Lucario (though you can revenge kill, it may just switch out, and your Scarf hurts here!). Gengar too gets OHKOd. This leaves Salamence, which is your best switch-in. OHKOd by Hidden Power Ice, and on average you will even be 2HKOd after Stealth Rock by Fire Blast (although, you can go to your own Heatran then).

Heatran is my main worry, hence why Earth Power should be used on Celebi to hurt it as it comes in. You should also make getting Stealth Rock down as a priority, seeing as your problem is with Choice Scarf, predict right and your opponent will have to switch, so of course when Heatran comes in next time it pays the toll of Stealth Rock.

I'm also worried about the amount of Choice users you have, especially on such a fast paced team. As soon as you don't do enough damage with one of your Choice users, you are forced to switch, your opponent can attack, and can set up and sweep, or use the time to Recover, or set some entry hazards, which again hurts you tremendously with the amount of Choice users.

Salamence seems (to me) to be the weak link, especially with the amount of Choice users on your team, Stealth Rock could effectively be easier for the opponent to set up, limiting Salamence. Also, with the amount of Mamoswines and Weaviles running about it really does seem like the poor link. I would switch Salamence to Vaporeon (Wish/Surf/Hidden Power Electric/Ice Beam], which would also help against Donphan, Weavile, Mamoswine and Heatran, as well as supporting the team.

 

[Marowack]

Thanks, i'll try that celebi set. no stealth rock actually does reduce the impact of this team dramatically and heatran..well.. needs a counter :P, but would a set with t-wave over grass knot work? heatran are 97% of the time scarfed in the platinum metagame and how is celebi going to avoid being ohko'ed by a scarf fire blast before it can earth power?

 

[Taylor]

You answered your own question. The only way you will Thunder Wave Heatran without getting hit by Fire Blast first is predicting the Heatran switch. Instead of trying to predict Heatran's switch in and following with Thunder Wave, hit Heatran on the switch with Earth Power.

Your team is considerably fast with Choice Scarf additions everywhere, so Thunder Wave seems somewhat counter-productive, as there's little need to slow the opponent down when four Pokemon are already fast. I'd favour Grass Knot before Thunder Wave.