Introduction
Sup guys. Some of you may know me from the server, most of you probably don't. Either way, this is my first RMT on Smogon. This team has seen a fair bit of success but to be quite frank, I never really seriously laddered with it but moreso just messed around, testing new things and stuff like that. I did manage to hit ~1500 with this team before I got bored and started playing Ubers and UU and dropped to roughly 1350. I decided to bring this team out of retirement, revamp it, and start climbing after I get some feedback.
Team Building Process
I had been trying to work Agiligross into a team for quite a while and it finally struck me to just make a team that allows Metagross to utilize it's teammates and sweep late-game no problem.
I felt like I would probably need a Ground/Fire to support Metagross and 3 pokemon came to mind immediately, Gyarados/Latias/Salamence. I went for the most aggressive choice seeing as this team would be based around offense and gave it a Bulky DD set so that it could do it's job of blocking Ground/Fire attacks as well as absorb Fighting and Bug type moves and Roost off the damage.
Next, I knew I was going to need something to come in on Scizor. I didn't want a wall like Skarmory or Hippowdon, and I knew that Bulky Gyarados would be able to contribute a lot both defensively and offensively to the team. Being able to come in on Scizor, scare it off and then DD up and potentially sweep can put me at a phenomenal advantage.
Heatran when Scarved can be one dangerous pokemon. It's revenge killing abilities are unrivaled because of how hard this thing hits and the type coverage it can pull off. Not to mention base 106 defenses on both ends of the spectrum means it can switch in on a multitude of things and generally take more damage from Stealth Rock than from what it's switching in on.
After dicussing the idea for this team with some friends and being told Zapdos was Metagross' other half, I figured "why not?" and threw it on board. I could see right away that the synergy that Metagross and Zapdos had was good stuff.
Finally, after testing out several leads and playing against several different teams employing varying strategies, I was finally convinced to use a suicide lead Yanmega by Grizzly Bear, who was using one himself on an Agiligross team. Yanmega hits incredibly hard and has two very good STAB attacks in Air Slash and Bug Buzz.
Due to personal preference and very extensive testing, I took note of Bulky DDMence's usefulness and Zapdos' lack thereof, and chose to go with the more aggressive and straightforward Mixmence. I found that, while it wasn't losing to Bullet Punches from Scizor and Fire Blasts from Infernape, it couldn't take the number of attacks that it could with Roost. I felt that sacrificing it's bulkyness for much, much more damage output was necessary and I'm totally alright with that. However, I had to find something that could do what Mence was meant to do defensively while retaining some amount of firepower. I immediately went to Latias, who actually filled in for Zapdos and Salamence very, very well.
I had been testing out a new lead Metagross on another team, and after taking an in-depth look at some of the major metagame shifts that have taken place over the last month or two and I decided that moving that Metagross lead to this team would be a pretty solid move on my part. While essentially changing the focus of the team, I found that the pokemon on the team could still remain very useful and allow for a Metagross/Salamence/Gyarados sweep just as easily as before. However, I also realized at this point that Metagross, Gyarados, Salamence and Latias all had this annoying tendency to lure out opposing Latias and Rotom. Against Rotom, I normally will switch in Heatran to check for Will'o'Wisp so my Tyranitar doesn't get crippled, but after that initial staredown, Tyranitar is free to come in and kill things. Latias' only hope of beating Tyranitar is to Crit with Specs Surf on the switch-in, and since I don't even run that set, I have Metagross, Heatran, Tyranitar and Salamence to revenge it if Latias dies.
On to the Actual Team
Metagross @ Occa Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
Ahh, Metagross. The usefulness of this monster goes beyond saying. I had originally been using Agiligross as you would have found out if you'd read the Team Building Process, but the rise of the Rotoms has convinced me that while given the opportunity, Agiligross can utterly destroy a team, it's not nearly as effective against a great player as I had initially thought. This set is guaranteed to beat at least two Pokemon, and it absolutely loves Heatran switch-ins. It can take Tricks, Fire attacks, Earthquakes, Focus Punches, you name it. The defensive bulk coupled with it's offensive capabilities are absolutely profound, and the moveslot that could have gone to Stealth Rock actually turns this guy into a sweeper. Shockingly effective as a lead. Considering replacing Occa Berry with Lum Berry just so I can beat those really freaking annoying Sleep Leads.
Fire -> Salamence, Heatran, Latias, Gyarados, Tyranitar
Ground -> Salamence, Latias, Gyarados
CB Scizor U-Turn -> Gyarados, Heatran
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 16 Atk/252 Spd/240 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
When I fully realized what I was attempting to use Salamence for, I opened up the analysis page and knew immediately that while the Bulky DDMence set was very utilitarian on my team, I needed to kill threats immediately rather than having to stat-up to beat things. With a good prediction on my part or a bad play on my opponent's, Mixmence can literally kill anything in one hit and a power like that is very valuable on this team because several of Metagross' counters like to switch in on Mence as well.
Ice -> Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Gyarados
Dragon -> Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran
Rock -> Metagross, Tyranitar
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 156 HP/72 Atk/96 Def/184 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
Ahh, the dreaded Bulky Gyarados. I've had so many people ragequit to this set, or rather type in all caps "WHO RUNS BOUNCE LIKE THAT?!" and then ragequit after their Celebi dies. I absolutely love this set, and choosing Bounce over Stone Edge/Earthquake adds both longevity and unheard of offensive capability to Bulkydos. While Bounce does have it's drawbacks, like low PP and somewhat lesser type coverage, it does something very important by allowing Gyarados to step on it's counters and generally lets it sweep with little-to-no objection when it does go off.
Electric -> Tyranitar, Heatran, Latias
Rock -> Metagross, Tyranitar
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
Standard Scarftar, no fun. This guy actually contributes a lot to this team by killing off Rotoms/Lucarios/Gyarados'/Latias' and whatever else I know I can outspeed. Lead Azelfs die to this guy, as do Gengars and Starmies. It's definitely got a certain niche of Pokemon to eliminate but that niche is pretty prevalent in this metagame, which is probably why Scarftar has increased so much in use recently. This one is pretty straightforward and I don't think it requires too much explanation. Revenge Killer. Special Wall. Physical Sweeper?
Water -> Salamence, Gyarados, Latias
Fighting -> Salamence, Gyarados, Latias
Ground -> Salamence, Gyarados, Latias
Grass -> Metagross, Heatran, Latias, Salamence
Bug -> Heatran, Gyarados, Salamence
Heatran (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spd/252 SAtk/4 SDef
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
Ahh Scarftran. This thing's utility is nuts, and it looks pretty unlikely at first glance, but when you take into account the hits this thing can dish out, it's speed, and it's impressive defenses. Like Scarftar, this one is pretty straightforward as well, but the list of things that this Poke' beats is much more extensive and it's definitely been pulling it's weight. Probably why it's been on the team is since it's conception.
Water -> Gyarados, Latias, Salamence
Ground -> Gyarados, Latias, Salamence
Rock -> Metagross, Tyranitar
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 128 HP/252 Spd/128 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
This is my Mystic Latias, and it can either be the bread and butter of the team or be...killed by Tyranitar. lol It's really quite good, and the given EVs, while standard, allow Latias to do some pretty good damage. HP Fire is going to do put some major hurt on any Steels that switch in not named Heatran and in rare cases, Specially bulky Bronzong. It's generally going to 1-3HKO every commonly played non-Heatran/Bronzong Steel in the game under average circumstances, even better if I can predict well and catch them coming in expecting a pulse. Protect is an insanely useful move that most people will probably suggest Calm Mind or Refresh or even Safeguard over, but what's a Mystic set without Protect? It lets me scout Scizor U-Turn/Bullet Punch/Pursuit and Tyranitar's Pursuit/Crunch among many other things and it's even let me scout Scarfnites and Menses before. While losing the slot to Protect may make Latias more vulnerable to status, with some alright playing I can make that seem like not so much of an issue and majorly outpredict my opponent utilizing Protect. I was also seriously considering using Sugarless GiRL.
Dark -> Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Gyarados, Salamence
Ice -> Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Gyarados
Bug -> Heatran, Gyarados, Salamence
Dragon -> Metagross, Heatran, Tyranitar
Threat List
Tyranitar - Metagross, Gyarados, Tyranitar, Heatran. If it's not Dragon Dance all of these pokemon have an easy time beating it or revenge killing it. I don't bring in my Tar on Scarved versions.
Gyarados - Metagross can Explode. Gyara can Intimidate it and Taunt and stop it from Dragon Dancing. Tyranitar can switch in and Stone Edge it, surviving Waterfall due to it's bulk. Heatran can outspeed after a Dragon Dance and Explode. Latias can eat several Waterfalls and 3HKO with Dragon Pulse. This isn't necessarily a problem Pokemon but it can be annoying if I don't neuter it quickly. I was almost considering using Thunderbolt over Recover/Protect on Latias just to kill it faster.
Infernape - Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Gyarados, Latias.
Azelf - Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Latias.
Electivire - Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Latias. I have no Electric type moves for it to Motor Drive.
Heracross - If it's Scarved it can be a niusance but it can also be dealt with. It it's a SD set or a Flame Orb set, it's easily beaten by every member on the team aside from maybe Tyranitar.
Salamence - Metagross, Heatran if Mixmence, Latias if Mixmence, Tyranitar.
Togekiss - Tyranitar and Metagross come in on it and absorb the status and swing for the KO, but Tyranitar may lose out to Aura Sphere. Metagross either MMashes or Explodes. Again, not really a problem pokemon, it's just annoying as hell and can be hard to take down sometimes because of it's bulkyness.
Gengar - Tyranitar and Heatran come to mind immediately. Both outspeed and OHKO. Gyara outspeeds after a DD and OHKO's. Metagross can take a hit and OHKO with MMash.
Lucario - Metagross EQ's for an OHKO. Gyara is my main switch-in, and does some major damage with Bounce. Salamence can come in and OHKO, but doesn't like to.
Starmie - Tyranitar and Latias can both switch in and kill it pretty easily with their respective STAB moves. Heatran can Explode I guess. If it's an Ice Beam version, I tend to bait it out with Latias and get a free switch-in with Tyranitar.
Weavile - Heatran outspeeds and OHKO's. Gyarados resists everything, sets up and sweeps. Metagross is the same as Gyarados but without the sweep part, usually.
Dugtrio - Life Orb variants can be somewhat bothersome because Sucker Punch can hurt Latias and it OHKO's Mence and Metagross with Rock Slide and Earthquake respectively. Latias is my main switch-in if I know it doesn't have Life Orb because it's not going to beat Latias with anything but Sucker Punch or Night Slash or something off the wall. Gyara also likes to come in and set up on Choiced variants.
Machamp - Gyarados can come in, but doesn't like the confusion. Latias is the same way, but can't take the hits from payback. I usually find myself revenge killing this in the late game with Mixmence or Heatran, or Exploding on it early game with Metagross.
Snorlax - Anything physically-oriented not named Tyranitar comes in and has a field day.
Zapdos - Metagross can take the Heat Wave with Occa and hit back with Explosion. Heatran switches in comfortably on any of it's attacks and hurts it pretty badly with Flamethrower. Latias is probably the best switch-in. It's not hurt by anything Zapdos can do other than U-Turn.
Suicune - Metagross blows it up, as does heatran. Salamence can hurt it with Draco Meteor and Dragon Claw but can't pull off a 2HKO. Gyarados can come in and Taunt it, and set up fairly easily if it's not LOrb Suicune. If it is, I don't have a problem beating it. It's the CalmRest sets that hurt me.
Breloom - Gyarados can Taunt it, Latias can eat it's attacks. Heatran revenges it. Salamence can pretty much tear it apart.
Ninjask - Gyarados' Taunt and Bullet Punch beat it.
Metagross - My own Metagross usually beats other Metagross'. Salamence and Heatran have a field day with it. Heatran outspeeds Jolly Agiligross and kills it with Flamethrower. Latias can usually eat a non-LO MMash and do ~40% with HP Fire.
Heatran - Heatran can switch in on Fire type moves and retaliate with Earth Power. Metagross eats Heatrans due to Occa + Earthquake. Latias can tank it's attacks all day, but this team does have problems with the rare Toxic Tran.
Jirachi - Metagross and Salamence can generally come in on any set. Heatran comes in on almost any set too, but I'm more wary of switching it in due to Thunder Wave. Latias takes a pretty good chunk out of it with HP Fire. Tyranitar can revenge it with Earthquake.
Dragonite - If it's a Choiced Dragonite I just switch around accordingly. Heatran can take it's Dragon and Fire type moves as well as Extremespeed, and hit back with Pulse or Explosion depending on which is more appropriate. Salamence outspeeds Mixnite and OHKO's. Latias doesn't OHKO Mixnite but it does do roughly 45%-55% per Pulse. Metagross takes the Fire Blast and can either Explode or MMash. Gyarados likes to come in and set up.
Mamoswine - Heatran, Gyarados, Metagross if Choiced. Tyranitar can generally OHKO with Stone Edge.
Yanmega - Heatran if it doesn't have HP Ground. Salamence and Gyarados take pretty significant hits from it but can beat it pretty soundly. Metagross beats it with Explosion or MMash and BP.
Kingdra - This thing is a menace if it's MixDra with DD/Pulse/Outrage/Waterfall. Gyarados can come in on it and hurt it with Bounce. Heatran can outspeed it after a DD and Pulse it or Explode if appropriate. Metagross eats it's attacks with disdain and blows it up if need be.
Roserade - Only a minor problem if it's a sleep lead. Since I don't care about Toxic Spikes, I generally just Bullet Punch, take the sleep and wait until Metagross wakes up. Nothing to worry about here at all.
Scizor - Heatran takes all of it's attacks except for Superpower and kills it. Latias OHKO's with HP Fire. Salamence eats the BP and kills it with Fire Blast. Metagross can always blow it up I guess. Gyarados comes in on it and sets up no problem.
Rotom-A - Tyranitar and Heatran, Heatran being my initial switch to check the set. Fairly easily dealt with. Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse hurt it pretty badly as well.
Blissey - Everything but Latias is going to 1-2 hit this blob. Gyarados Taunts it and sets up.
Skarmory - Heatran, Latias, Gyarados, Salamence. Latias gets a 2HKO with HP Fire, Heatran and Mence both OHKO it. Gyarados Taunts and sets up.
Swampert - Without a recovery move, anything I can throw at it is going to pitch in towards it's demise, but I don't have a Pokemon that can pose an immediate threat to Swampert without killing itself. Gyarados can set up on it, but if Gyarados is dead I'm usually in for some hurtin'.
Magnezone - Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran and Latias can all switch in fairly comfortably on Scarf versions and beat it 1v1. Salamence beats non-Scarf variants, and can generally take on Scarved variants taking a lot of damage in the process.
Jolteon - Metagross and Tyranitar straight up beat it. Heatran outspeeds and beats it. Latias can come in on a Specs set and beat it if it's locked into Thunderbolt/HP Grass. I generally try to keep the Dragons out of confrontations with this guy, and Gyarados is an obvious no-no.
Forretress - Metagross can blow it up. Heatran, Latias and Salamence can OHKO it with their Fire type moves. Gyarados can Taunt and set up on it.
Empoleon - Depending on if it has HP Grass or Ice Beam, Latias/Salamence or Gyarados can come in on it and beat it. Heatran can outspeed it and beat it with Earth Power if it's already done Subbing. Tyranitar can EQ it I guess. If it's a lead, Metagross beats it with EQ and BP.
A Final Look
I appreciate anyone looking and commenting on this team. I won't be laddering with it until I'm 100% certain that I have it exactly the way I want it to be. Right now I'm fairly content, but I'm not of the same caliber as some of the players here and I would love to get input from some better players than myself. Thanks a lot guys. Tear it apart. :]
Sup guys. Some of you may know me from the server, most of you probably don't. Either way, this is my first RMT on Smogon. This team has seen a fair bit of success but to be quite frank, I never really seriously laddered with it but moreso just messed around, testing new things and stuff like that. I did manage to hit ~1500 with this team before I got bored and started playing Ubers and UU and dropped to roughly 1350. I decided to bring this team out of retirement, revamp it, and start climbing after I get some feedback.
Team Building Process
I had been trying to work Agiligross into a team for quite a while and it finally struck me to just make a team that allows Metagross to utilize it's teammates and sweep late-game no problem.
I felt like I would probably need a Ground/Fire to support Metagross and 3 pokemon came to mind immediately, Gyarados/Latias/Salamence. I went for the most aggressive choice seeing as this team would be based around offense and gave it a Bulky DD set so that it could do it's job of blocking Ground/Fire attacks as well as absorb Fighting and Bug type moves and Roost off the damage.
Next, I knew I was going to need something to come in on Scizor. I didn't want a wall like Skarmory or Hippowdon, and I knew that Bulky Gyarados would be able to contribute a lot both defensively and offensively to the team. Being able to come in on Scizor, scare it off and then DD up and potentially sweep can put me at a phenomenal advantage.
Heatran when Scarved can be one dangerous pokemon. It's revenge killing abilities are unrivaled because of how hard this thing hits and the type coverage it can pull off. Not to mention base 106 defenses on both ends of the spectrum means it can switch in on a multitude of things and generally take more damage from Stealth Rock than from what it's switching in on.
After dicussing the idea for this team with some friends and being told Zapdos was Metagross' other half, I figured "why not?" and threw it on board. I could see right away that the synergy that Metagross and Zapdos had was good stuff.
Finally, after testing out several leads and playing against several different teams employing varying strategies, I was finally convinced to use a suicide lead Yanmega by Grizzly Bear, who was using one himself on an Agiligross team. Yanmega hits incredibly hard and has two very good STAB attacks in Air Slash and Bug Buzz.
Due to personal preference and very extensive testing, I took note of Bulky DDMence's usefulness and Zapdos' lack thereof, and chose to go with the more aggressive and straightforward Mixmence. I found that, while it wasn't losing to Bullet Punches from Scizor and Fire Blasts from Infernape, it couldn't take the number of attacks that it could with Roost. I felt that sacrificing it's bulkyness for much, much more damage output was necessary and I'm totally alright with that. However, I had to find something that could do what Mence was meant to do defensively while retaining some amount of firepower. I immediately went to Latias, who actually filled in for Zapdos and Salamence very, very well.
I had been testing out a new lead Metagross on another team, and after taking an in-depth look at some of the major metagame shifts that have taken place over the last month or two and I decided that moving that Metagross lead to this team would be a pretty solid move on my part. While essentially changing the focus of the team, I found that the pokemon on the team could still remain very useful and allow for a Metagross/Salamence/Gyarados sweep just as easily as before. However, I also realized at this point that Metagross, Gyarados, Salamence and Latias all had this annoying tendency to lure out opposing Latias and Rotom. Against Rotom, I normally will switch in Heatran to check for Will'o'Wisp so my Tyranitar doesn't get crippled, but after that initial staredown, Tyranitar is free to come in and kill things. Latias' only hope of beating Tyranitar is to Crit with Specs Surf on the switch-in, and since I don't even run that set, I have Metagross, Heatran, Tyranitar and Salamence to revenge it if Latias dies.
On to the Actual Team
Metagross @ Occa Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Explosion
- Earthquake
- Bullet Punch
- Meteor Mash
Ahh, Metagross. The usefulness of this monster goes beyond saying. I had originally been using Agiligross as you would have found out if you'd read the Team Building Process, but the rise of the Rotoms has convinced me that while given the opportunity, Agiligross can utterly destroy a team, it's not nearly as effective against a great player as I had initially thought. This set is guaranteed to beat at least two Pokemon, and it absolutely loves Heatran switch-ins. It can take Tricks, Fire attacks, Earthquakes, Focus Punches, you name it. The defensive bulk coupled with it's offensive capabilities are absolutely profound, and the moveslot that could have gone to Stealth Rock actually turns this guy into a sweeper. Shockingly effective as a lead. Considering replacing Occa Berry with Lum Berry just so I can beat those really freaking annoying Sleep Leads.
Fire -> Salamence, Heatran, Latias, Gyarados, Tyranitar
Ground -> Salamence, Latias, Gyarados
CB Scizor U-Turn -> Gyarados, Heatran
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 16 Atk/252 Spd/240 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Draco Meteor
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast
When I fully realized what I was attempting to use Salamence for, I opened up the analysis page and knew immediately that while the Bulky DDMence set was very utilitarian on my team, I needed to kill threats immediately rather than having to stat-up to beat things. With a good prediction on my part or a bad play on my opponent's, Mixmence can literally kill anything in one hit and a power like that is very valuable on this team because several of Metagross' counters like to switch in on Mence as well.
Ice -> Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Gyarados
Dragon -> Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran
Rock -> Metagross, Tyranitar
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 156 HP/72 Atk/96 Def/184 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Taunt
- Dragon Dance
- Bounce
Ahh, the dreaded Bulky Gyarados. I've had so many people ragequit to this set, or rather type in all caps "WHO RUNS BOUNCE LIKE THAT?!" and then ragequit after their Celebi dies. I absolutely love this set, and choosing Bounce over Stone Edge/Earthquake adds both longevity and unheard of offensive capability to Bulkydos. While Bounce does have it's drawbacks, like low PP and somewhat lesser type coverage, it does something very important by allowing Gyarados to step on it's counters and generally lets it sweep with little-to-no objection when it does go off.
Electric -> Tyranitar, Heatran, Latias
Rock -> Metagross, Tyranitar
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Pursuit
Standard Scarftar, no fun. This guy actually contributes a lot to this team by killing off Rotoms/Lucarios/Gyarados'/Latias' and whatever else I know I can outspeed. Lead Azelfs die to this guy, as do Gengars and Starmies. It's definitely got a certain niche of Pokemon to eliminate but that niche is pretty prevalent in this metagame, which is probably why Scarftar has increased so much in use recently. This one is pretty straightforward and I don't think it requires too much explanation. Revenge Killer. Special Wall. Physical Sweeper?
Water -> Salamence, Gyarados, Latias
Fighting -> Salamence, Gyarados, Latias
Ground -> Salamence, Gyarados, Latias
Grass -> Metagross, Heatran, Latias, Salamence
Bug -> Heatran, Gyarados, Salamence
Heatran (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spd/252 SAtk/4 SDef
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Explosion
Ahh Scarftran. This thing's utility is nuts, and it looks pretty unlikely at first glance, but when you take into account the hits this thing can dish out, it's speed, and it's impressive defenses. Like Scarftar, this one is pretty straightforward as well, but the list of things that this Poke' beats is much more extensive and it's definitely been pulling it's weight. Probably why it's been on the team is since it's conception.
Water -> Gyarados, Latias, Salamence
Ground -> Gyarados, Latias, Salamence
Rock -> Metagross, Tyranitar
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 128 HP/252 Spd/128 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Recover
- Protect
This is my Mystic Latias, and it can either be the bread and butter of the team or be...killed by Tyranitar. lol It's really quite good, and the given EVs, while standard, allow Latias to do some pretty good damage. HP Fire is going to do put some major hurt on any Steels that switch in not named Heatran and in rare cases, Specially bulky Bronzong. It's generally going to 1-3HKO every commonly played non-Heatran/Bronzong Steel in the game under average circumstances, even better if I can predict well and catch them coming in expecting a pulse. Protect is an insanely useful move that most people will probably suggest Calm Mind or Refresh or even Safeguard over, but what's a Mystic set without Protect? It lets me scout Scizor U-Turn/Bullet Punch/Pursuit and Tyranitar's Pursuit/Crunch among many other things and it's even let me scout Scarfnites and Menses before. While losing the slot to Protect may make Latias more vulnerable to status, with some alright playing I can make that seem like not so much of an issue and majorly outpredict my opponent utilizing Protect. I was also seriously considering using Sugarless GiRL.
Dark -> Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Gyarados, Salamence
Ice -> Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Gyarados
Bug -> Heatran, Gyarados, Salamence
Dragon -> Metagross, Heatran, Tyranitar
Threat List
Tyranitar - Metagross, Gyarados, Tyranitar, Heatran. If it's not Dragon Dance all of these pokemon have an easy time beating it or revenge killing it. I don't bring in my Tar on Scarved versions.
Gyarados - Metagross can Explode. Gyara can Intimidate it and Taunt and stop it from Dragon Dancing. Tyranitar can switch in and Stone Edge it, surviving Waterfall due to it's bulk. Heatran can outspeed after a Dragon Dance and Explode. Latias can eat several Waterfalls and 3HKO with Dragon Pulse. This isn't necessarily a problem Pokemon but it can be annoying if I don't neuter it quickly. I was almost considering using Thunderbolt over Recover/Protect on Latias just to kill it faster.
Infernape - Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Gyarados, Latias.
Azelf - Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Latias.
Electivire - Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran, Latias. I have no Electric type moves for it to Motor Drive.
Heracross - If it's Scarved it can be a niusance but it can also be dealt with. It it's a SD set or a Flame Orb set, it's easily beaten by every member on the team aside from maybe Tyranitar.
Salamence - Metagross, Heatran if Mixmence, Latias if Mixmence, Tyranitar.
Togekiss - Tyranitar and Metagross come in on it and absorb the status and swing for the KO, but Tyranitar may lose out to Aura Sphere. Metagross either MMashes or Explodes. Again, not really a problem pokemon, it's just annoying as hell and can be hard to take down sometimes because of it's bulkyness.
Gengar - Tyranitar and Heatran come to mind immediately. Both outspeed and OHKO. Gyara outspeeds after a DD and OHKO's. Metagross can take a hit and OHKO with MMash.
Lucario - Metagross EQ's for an OHKO. Gyara is my main switch-in, and does some major damage with Bounce. Salamence can come in and OHKO, but doesn't like to.
Starmie - Tyranitar and Latias can both switch in and kill it pretty easily with their respective STAB moves. Heatran can Explode I guess. If it's an Ice Beam version, I tend to bait it out with Latias and get a free switch-in with Tyranitar.
Weavile - Heatran outspeeds and OHKO's. Gyarados resists everything, sets up and sweeps. Metagross is the same as Gyarados but without the sweep part, usually.
Dugtrio - Life Orb variants can be somewhat bothersome because Sucker Punch can hurt Latias and it OHKO's Mence and Metagross with Rock Slide and Earthquake respectively. Latias is my main switch-in if I know it doesn't have Life Orb because it's not going to beat Latias with anything but Sucker Punch or Night Slash or something off the wall. Gyara also likes to come in and set up on Choiced variants.
Machamp - Gyarados can come in, but doesn't like the confusion. Latias is the same way, but can't take the hits from payback. I usually find myself revenge killing this in the late game with Mixmence or Heatran, or Exploding on it early game with Metagross.
Snorlax - Anything physically-oriented not named Tyranitar comes in and has a field day.
Zapdos - Metagross can take the Heat Wave with Occa and hit back with Explosion. Heatran switches in comfortably on any of it's attacks and hurts it pretty badly with Flamethrower. Latias is probably the best switch-in. It's not hurt by anything Zapdos can do other than U-Turn.
Suicune - Metagross blows it up, as does heatran. Salamence can hurt it with Draco Meteor and Dragon Claw but can't pull off a 2HKO. Gyarados can come in and Taunt it, and set up fairly easily if it's not LOrb Suicune. If it is, I don't have a problem beating it. It's the CalmRest sets that hurt me.
Breloom - Gyarados can Taunt it, Latias can eat it's attacks. Heatran revenges it. Salamence can pretty much tear it apart.
Ninjask - Gyarados' Taunt and Bullet Punch beat it.
Metagross - My own Metagross usually beats other Metagross'. Salamence and Heatran have a field day with it. Heatran outspeeds Jolly Agiligross and kills it with Flamethrower. Latias can usually eat a non-LO MMash and do ~40% with HP Fire.
Heatran - Heatran can switch in on Fire type moves and retaliate with Earth Power. Metagross eats Heatrans due to Occa + Earthquake. Latias can tank it's attacks all day, but this team does have problems with the rare Toxic Tran.
Jirachi - Metagross and Salamence can generally come in on any set. Heatran comes in on almost any set too, but I'm more wary of switching it in due to Thunder Wave. Latias takes a pretty good chunk out of it with HP Fire. Tyranitar can revenge it with Earthquake.
Dragonite - If it's a Choiced Dragonite I just switch around accordingly. Heatran can take it's Dragon and Fire type moves as well as Extremespeed, and hit back with Pulse or Explosion depending on which is more appropriate. Salamence outspeeds Mixnite and OHKO's. Latias doesn't OHKO Mixnite but it does do roughly 45%-55% per Pulse. Metagross takes the Fire Blast and can either Explode or MMash. Gyarados likes to come in and set up.
Mamoswine - Heatran, Gyarados, Metagross if Choiced. Tyranitar can generally OHKO with Stone Edge.
Yanmega - Heatran if it doesn't have HP Ground. Salamence and Gyarados take pretty significant hits from it but can beat it pretty soundly. Metagross beats it with Explosion or MMash and BP.
Kingdra - This thing is a menace if it's MixDra with DD/Pulse/Outrage/Waterfall. Gyarados can come in on it and hurt it with Bounce. Heatran can outspeed it after a DD and Pulse it or Explode if appropriate. Metagross eats it's attacks with disdain and blows it up if need be.
Roserade - Only a minor problem if it's a sleep lead. Since I don't care about Toxic Spikes, I generally just Bullet Punch, take the sleep and wait until Metagross wakes up. Nothing to worry about here at all.
Scizor - Heatran takes all of it's attacks except for Superpower and kills it. Latias OHKO's with HP Fire. Salamence eats the BP and kills it with Fire Blast. Metagross can always blow it up I guess. Gyarados comes in on it and sets up no problem.
Rotom-A - Tyranitar and Heatran, Heatran being my initial switch to check the set. Fairly easily dealt with. Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse hurt it pretty badly as well.
Blissey - Everything but Latias is going to 1-2 hit this blob. Gyarados Taunts it and sets up.
Skarmory - Heatran, Latias, Gyarados, Salamence. Latias gets a 2HKO with HP Fire, Heatran and Mence both OHKO it. Gyarados Taunts and sets up.
Swampert - Without a recovery move, anything I can throw at it is going to pitch in towards it's demise, but I don't have a Pokemon that can pose an immediate threat to Swampert without killing itself. Gyarados can set up on it, but if Gyarados is dead I'm usually in for some hurtin'.
Magnezone - Metagross, Tyranitar, Heatran and Latias can all switch in fairly comfortably on Scarf versions and beat it 1v1. Salamence beats non-Scarf variants, and can generally take on Scarved variants taking a lot of damage in the process.
Jolteon - Metagross and Tyranitar straight up beat it. Heatran outspeeds and beats it. Latias can come in on a Specs set and beat it if it's locked into Thunderbolt/HP Grass. I generally try to keep the Dragons out of confrontations with this guy, and Gyarados is an obvious no-no.
Forretress - Metagross can blow it up. Heatran, Latias and Salamence can OHKO it with their Fire type moves. Gyarados can Taunt and set up on it.
Empoleon - Depending on if it has HP Grass or Ice Beam, Latias/Salamence or Gyarados can come in on it and beat it. Heatran can outspeed it and beat it with Earth Power if it's already done Subbing. Tyranitar can EQ it I guess. If it's a lead, Metagross beats it with EQ and BP.
A Final Look
I appreciate anyone looking and commenting on this team. I won't be laddering with it until I'm 100% certain that I have it exactly the way I want it to be. Right now I'm fairly content, but I'm not of the same caliber as some of the players here and I would love to get input from some better players than myself. Thanks a lot guys. Tear it apart. :]
