Latias; Dragon Pulsing your team into oblivion :)
Introduction
So, in a time far ago, we tested Latias to see if it was Uber. And it was deemed OU and rightly so! However, on my many ventures onto the standard ladder, not once did I touch a Latias (eww no...), I never got round to actually using it. However, that was going to change, hell, major changes were to happen! As you will see I decided to drop my oh so overused combination of CeleTran for something a little different. Might not seem huge to me, but it sure was to me! Basically, I worked my team around Latias and its massive sweeping potential and I created a team that was designed to wear and tear at it's counters and then fawk up shit from there :) Have fun!
The mootherfookin team!
Resistance heaven no?
THE LEAD
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Empoleon (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 148 HP/108 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Aqua Jet
- Hydro Pump
- Stealth Rock
- Grass Knot
Lead Empoleon! The anti-starter of all anti-starters? :D This particular lead allows for me to beat the MAJORITY of all the other leads. Instead of going for my usual leads, I decided to opt for something different. Something that was well, not expected and Empoleon was the one! He's perfect in the majority of situations I'm put up against. The combination of Hydro Pump & Aqua Jet allow for me to beat most of the fragile Sashed leads and as a result they'll only be able to SR (sacrifcing a Taunt) or Taunt (sacrificing a vital SR). Stealth Rock, is important to any team really. It helps me break down fliers such as Salamence and Gyarados making them easier to ride of as a life without Salamence and Gyarados is soooo much nicer wouldn't you agree? ^_^
I decided to opt with the much riskier option of Hydro Pump rather than Surf because I'm one of the players who much prefer to the riskier option, I'm a offensive player whose plan is to dish out as much damage as possible. And the option of Surf just simply doesn't cut it against most other popular leads. Running the option of Surf would make me have to run Rash and Empoleon has amazing SpD, so why let that go to waste?
There was the option of Ice Beam and Gross Knot as my final attack and this one was a no brainer for me. Swampert or Roserade/Dragons? Swampert is a much more common lead other than both the things I listed, and off the bat, I CAN OHKO with Grass Knot and that would prevent it from setting up SR early game which would beneift alot. Roserade leads own Empoleon so even with Ice Beam, it wouldn't really matter either way. Dragons/FLiers are usually taken care of my other Pokes and SR so to be honest, Ice Beam wouldn't really help in this situation especially when most of them carry EQ which end Empoleon's life anyways ^^;
I added 8 Spd EVs to outrun other Empoleon that might get smart and run 4 Spd EVs. I'm retarded, what can I say? :)
If I can, I try to conserve Empoleon's health wherever possible as Empoleon is never dead weight with that amazing SpA and the amazing Hydro Pump. Torrent Boosted Hydro Pump and Aqua Hets are nothing to laugh at as they can pack quite a punch. I've been happy with the addition of Empoleon and I've never looked back at using it.
Here's how it fares against July's top 10 standard leads:
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THE OFFENSIVE CORE
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Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 Atk/196 Spd/64 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- U-turn
- Overheat
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch
RAPFERNAPE. RAPE. Seriously. Rape. RAPE. Ever since I've been using Infernape, I've always decided to use the specially mixed version because it was capable of late game sweeping. However, I feel as though it wasn't right for this team as Infernape doesn't need to necessarily sweep but scout and give me the offensive momentum needed to keep my opponents on their toes. And the reason I believe this set was the one was because of one move; U-Turn.
U-Turn is probably the most amazing move Game Freak ever created, it's simply sublime. OFFENSE OFFENSE OFFENSE is what my mentality is when Empoleon goes down and the offensive core are thrown into battle. I have TWO U-Turn users and this benefits my momentum greatly for obvious reasons. U-Turn is an amazing move on Infernape as 2 of its biggest counters are then killed by Scizor with Pursuit. This is an example of U-Turn's greatness and the offense I was harping on about.
Overheat was chose over Fire Blast as Infernape usually doesn't stay in for too long as I'm usually U-Turning/switching out and Overheat has the immediate power over Fire Blast. And 2 Overheats usually kills what 2 Fire Blasts would really... :P And Close Combat is a given, it's an amazing STAB move to have and breaks down the duo of SkarmBliss and is just a good move to have in general blasting it off carelessly if I'm in a whatdoido situation.
Mach Punch or Stone Edge? That's the question! Stone Edge is insanely useful for defeating the likes of Zapdos and Gyarados, some of Infernape's biggest counters however the team is basted around my little lady Latias. And tbh, I've never had much problem with either given my offensive core and there was 1 problem I was having. And that was opposing Empoleons who resist both of Latias' main attack moves so Mach Punch is there to weaken it and make it easier for Latias to get past.It's also there for Weavile who is a pest and if something like Tyranitar manages to get a few DD's under it's belt. x_x
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Scizor (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 240 HP/56 Atk/214 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
I would be lost without Scizor. There's not more I can say about this Pokemon except that it's simply sublime. It's typing, it's movepool, it's ability, it's look... <_<; Blah blah, everyone and their mum knows what this does, it fucks shit up. Boasting a plethora of resistances and one measile weakness, I'm able to find many opportunities to switch this beat of a Pokemon in giving me a free U-Turn.
Scizor's main move U-Turn is sexy. It gains STAB off it and allows for me to scout around for potential counters and switching to the appropriate Pokemon. By accomplishing this, it also allows for me to keep the momentum in my favour gaining the instant advantage. With Infernape and both Scizor having U-Turn I'm easily able to work around stall, picking off threats one by one. Brick Break was a no-no because of the difference in base power as one OHKO's Heatran, Blissey and Magnezone flat out, whereas the other one doesn't so Superpower was clearly the superior option despitee the eventual Attack and Defense drop.
The EVs are the ones that I've alwayss had the most sucess with. Why change a winning formula eh? :D Adamant gives Scizor a much needed attack boost and 52 Evs in Attack give it decent offense but the Evs are speciafically designed to capitalise on Scizor's amazingly uniue dual typing of Bug/Steel. The steel typing being the most important allowing it to survive a multitude of both physical and special dragon and ghosts assaults. The move Pursuit compliments Scizors typing fantastically and it's bulk. It's able to shrug off such attacks like Shadow Balls/Dragon Pulse/ Grass Knots from the likes of Gengar/Latias/Celebi and destroying them with U-Turn and Pursuit. Scizor's synergy with Latias is that its able to remove some potential checks to Latias and obliterate them clearing a Latias sweep.
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Rotom-h @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/44 Def/212 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Will-o-wisp
- Overheat
- Rest
Instead of my usual core that consisted of TrickTom, I decided to go for something a little different. As this spot was once occupied by a Bulky Zapdos, I decided that I needed something that functioned in that similar manner to that Zapdos. However, I was looking at the Rotom-H analysis and thought that the ResTalk version did not fit my needs as limiting myself to 2 other options was pretty bad. So, for a while I was occupying that space with Zapdos, even though I felt that it was a weak link due to it being weak to SR which is not something thats ideal when it's supposed to be supporting other Pokemon. I was wondering whether Zapdos learnt Reflect and to my dismay it didn't so I thought it was dead weaight and needed changing immediatly. So I was looking for something that was immune to Ground, resistant to Fighting, not weak to SR and being able to hold it's own against most of the metagame's strong physical attackers. And only one Pokemon came to mind, Rotom! Seriously, this thing is amazing. Even better than Zapdos in the sense that it's able to do more to slow down the physical attackers that Latias so hates.
The moveset was stolen off Haunter I think, who suggested it in someone's RMT. So credit goes to him for this set or whoever :) It gives Rotom-H the perfect blend of offense yet still maintaining some strong defense. WoW was a given seeing as how my team struggles to keep up with strong physical attacks and I can't always revenge kill things like Tyranitar so WoW was the perfect option for me beating such attackers. It's also perfect for things such as Flygon who think they can switch in on such attacks like Overheat and Thunderbolt. So eat that. Ha. When you don't know what to do, WoW! Except if I know there's a Heatran lurking somewhere... <____<
Thunderbolt is just a fantastic stab move and gives me amazing neutral coverage against most Pokemon in OU. Due to Rotom's amazing typing, it makes a fantastic switch into Lucario ad Scizor, both of whom Latias hates so Overheat was only natural that it was the 2nd attacking option helping me to elimianate them quicker.
The last option was either Reflect / WoW. Both have their advantages however, for my Latias sweep I decided that Latias will need time to CM up to naturally sweep and Reflect just does not last that long enough without Light Clay.It would have been wasted because Light Clay + only Refelct would be rather wasteful and WoW lasts for the duration of the battle so to me. WoW + Rest + Thunderbolt also allow for me to beat Tyranitar which is a common situation that I'm put in. Any type of pasive damage I can get running, the better! The positives of WoW outwieghed those of Reflect so WoW it was!
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Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Atk/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Explosion
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Standard standard standard blah blah blah. IT DOES ITS JOB WELL! :D It gets rid of things such as Scizor and the occasional Skarmory allowing Latias to Dragon Pulse its way through the opponent. Whenever in trouble, switch in Magnezone if it resists the attack and start firing off Thunderbolts!
Thunderbolt provides me with a good neutral STAB move damaging a wide variety of things for neutral damage. Flash Cannon, I barely use but if I expect the Tyranitar or Ground Pokemon switch switch in, it'll get smacked around like a bitch. HP Fire traps Scizor and eats the mofo alive with the Naive + Choice Scarf. Magezone is amazing when it comes down to mind games especially with Explosion. Blisseys need to think twice before switch in as Explosion will do massive damage. Or I can double switch to Infernape/Scizor and start having frun from there. I also provides my team with a much needed Rock resist, and that's about it! There's not much more to say about this Pokemon except that with Magnet Pull and it's Steel typing I'm giving tons of opportunities to switch in and cause a hurtin! :D
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THE ONE WHO MAKES ME TYPE GG :)
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Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf
- Recover
I want to marry this cute little thing. It's bloody amazing with it's Dragon typing. I could do without the Psychic though. Ahh, this thing is AMAZING. When the games clear, Latias stays behind and cleans up the mess. With it's amazing 110 special attack and speed, it's capable of sweeping through most of the leftovers that my team leaves behind. I decided that I needed a stat-supper yet something that was able to tank hits if needed and Latias' 130 SpD usually goes unnoticed and it does have a decent defense base stat. And I've never used it so hoorah to changes!
The moveset I decided to go with is the offensive Calm Mind variant, simply for the reason that by the time my team is done working their magic, most of the opponent will have been worn down and this set allows for Latias to sweep efficiently. Calm Mind is a given, it allows me to boost Latias' amazing special stats even higher. Calm Mind gives special sweepers a hard time as I can boost in the face while their attacks will continue to do less and less. Dragon Pulse and Surf give me near perfect coverage (screw empoleon and shedinja!!!) Dragon Pulse is basically for everything non-steel. And Surf is for the mutherfookers that are called Tyranitar and Heatran! And for the forth slot, I figured that Swampert isn't that much of a problem for me so Grass Knot didn't warrant a spot and Tyranitar really should be taken care of especially with my offensive core. Scizor is also taken care by the offensive core so HP FIre wasn't really needed. So I was left with Recover and I've never regretted choosing it. Calm Minding on a special attack then Recovering off the damage is insanely fun and it also allows for me to function as a reliable Mixfernape.
I opted for Leftovers over Life Orb because I prefer the bulkiness Leftovers provides me with so if I don't have a Calm Mind under my belt I always have that extra Leftovers recovery to help me out.
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Team Building Process
I was going to build my team around Latias seeing as how I had never used it before. SO the team was going to be based around Latias and the Pokemon that would follow would be used to assist its sweep!
Then I needed a lead that would help me get rocks up in the majority of situations. I looked at Azelf and Aero and to be honest, I'm not a suicide lead type of guy as I think it's a huge waste just to get SR up, so I went with the unorthodox Empoleon lead who gains the upper hand in the most of the situations its put in.
Latias and Dragon Pulse hate steel types with a passion, so who better as an offensive partner than Magnezone?! They cover one anothers weaknesses and Magnet Pull is the perfect abilty when used in tandem with Latias as it traps steel types who dare stand in the way of the cute red dragon thing.
I thought my team would strugglw with stall without a dedicated mixed attack and who better than Infernape?! However, I didn't want to forgo the standard specially mixed attack and opted for the physical one as it lets me abuse the move U-Turn and this offense should be paired up with another Pokemon that can use U-Turn whilst being able to use Pursuit aswell for easy killings so...
Scizor fit that role perfectly! It's steely typing and bulk allows for me to kill off things like Gengar/Latias easily who also stand in the way of a Latias sweep. U-Turn gives me the edge I need when keeping up the offense and paired with Magnezone and Infernape, not much can stand up with their offensive prowesses.
I randomly put Zapdos in there for some reason, I have no idea why but I felt as though I needed extra assurance against Lucario and I wanted something with recovery, bad I know. However, I felt as though Zapdos was the weak link of the team, it sat there and Roosted and Toxiced but didn't actually achieve much for this team so I decided to replace it with a...
Rotom-H! It was not weak against SR, which was a huge factor, had the ever useful Ghost immunity and had an amazing move in WoW. While it may not have an amazing recovery move like Roost, it had WoW. And to me, that move is more useful than anything in Zapdos' movepool as it was able to make huge pphysical threats non existant and that was something Zapdos could never have achieved.
