All right, this is my second RMT here at Smogon, and what I personally believe to be my best team so far. I have gained the most number of wins from this team, and I only lose about once out of every five battle on Shoddy Battle. This started out much earlier, but has went through some major overhauls these past few days. Keep in mind that I followed my personal rules, which are "No Legendaries" and "No Pokemon already used elsewhere." Enough talk, lets see the team!
Claydol@Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP, 80 Defense, 176 Sp. Defense
Nature: Careful
-Explosion
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Stealth Rock
Description:
Claydol is not a bad Pokemon at all. I remember when I was playing Pokemon Emerald that Liza & Tate's Claydol was annoying as heck. That fact that it's in UU doesn't make it unusable in OU. In fact, this has worked as the best lead I have ever used so far. At first this was Flygon, which was okay, then it was an anti-lead Lucario, which kinda failed, and now, it's a supporting lead Claydol. The strategy on this is to use either Reflect or Light Screen, depending on what type of threat it is, then use the other screen, then use Stealth Rock. After everything's set up, and my opponent is saying,"Die, Claydol, die!" out of frustration from the lowered damage of the screens, I explode on them. :) The stealth rocks help nullify Focus Sashes and the screens soften the blow of powerful attacks. With Light Clay, I can make those screens last longer. The EVs are there to help Claydol last in order to set everything up. If everything goes well, Explosion usually kills their Pokemon. If it doesn't, I then go to Lucario.
Lucario(F)@Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Attack, 4 Defense, 252 Speed
Nature: Timid
-Close Combat
-Extremespeed
-Ice Punch
-Swords Dance
Description:
When I first decided to make a sandstorm team, I immediately knew I had to use Lucario. Lucario is just... awesome. It looks cool, has a wide moveset, and is one powerful Pokemon. At first, the second Pokemon was an offensive Starmie with Rapid Spin and Life Orb, so you can see that didn't work out quite well. Now, this works out very well. If Claydol didn't faint the Pokemon with Explosion, I use Extremespeed to kill it off. When my opponent goes to the next Pokemon, I use Swords Dance, provided there were no Stealth Rocks. Then, I sweep away! Ice Punch is mainly for coverage for things like Salamence, Ghosts, etc. I chose Focus Sash instead of Life Orb to guarantee a Swords Dance, and therefore, a sweep. This thing is a beast, especially under protection from the screens!
Hippowdon(M)@Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP, 168 Defense, 88 Sp. Defense
Nature: Impish
-Earthquake
-Roar
-Stone Edge
-Slack Off
Description:
Now for the sandstorm! Of course, when you make a sandstorm team, you have to have a Sand Streamer, right? Following my personal rule of "No repeating Pokemon already used, I chose Hippowdon instead of Tyranitar (I used a Tyranitar in Pokemon Leafgreen). Plus, it adds to the defensive core of the team. The reason I chose this to be the third Pokemon instead of the lead is for opposing weather teams. After two Pokemon with no weather, hopefully the opponents sends out their own weather starter, leaving me to interrupt freely. If this were first, the other guy could just make it another weather status (hail, rain, or sun), forcing me to either switch out so I can bring Hippowdon in again for sandstorm, or try to deal with opposing weather with Hippowdon as my only Sand Streamer. This is also my phazer against other stat-raising Pokemon. The third move slot used to be Ice Fang, which, frankly, didn't do enough damage. My main thought with Ice Fang was to kill the likes of Salamence, but Stone Edge works better. Slack Off used to be Stealth Rock, but since I have Claydol as Stealth Rock, I'm free to have a healing move.
Gallade(M)@Leftovers
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 HP, 152 Attack, 104 Speed
Nature: Adamant
-Thunder Wave
-Will-o-Wisp
-Night Slash
-Close Combat
Description:
Gallade is cool. That's about it. This came from the want to have a status supporter on the team, and this comes from that want. The 252 HP adds a little bit of bulk. Thunder Wave and Will-o-Wisp is to cripple opposing Pokemon. This can even sweep with coverage from Night Slash and Close Combat. Leftovers is there to cancel out sandstorm damage. This used to be Magnezone, but not anymore. Magnezone added to many common weaknesses.
Note: This Gallade has not proven itself yet, so if anyone has any suggestions to something else, I'll try it out. But I like Gallade, so I would rather keep it, so just suggestions for improvements is fine.
Cradily(M)@Lum Berry
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 252 HP, 160 Defense, 96 Sp. Defense
Nature: Careful
-Earthquake
-Confuse Ray
-Rock Slide
-Recover
Description:
Now for the special wall. With help from 50% Sp. Defense from sandstorm and protection from the screens (assuming they're still here), this thing can be a monster. There's not much to explain. This thing is way underestimated, so it can mess a few things up for the opponent. As I said, stall is not my style, so I chose Confuse Ray over Toxic. I once confused a Scizor, and it did over a quarter of damage to itself every time! Furthermore, Toxic does not affect Steels or Poisons, so I find Confuse Ray more helpful, though the opponent can still attack half of the time. This can switch into many special threats, such as Heatran or Salamence. Rock Slide 2HKOs Salamence (or so I've read) and Earthquake is also for coverage. Recover is to increase Cradily's longevity. This has to potential to stall somewhat, but again, stalling is not my style. This used to be an accuracy-abusing Cacturne with Sand Veil and Brightpowder, but that didn't live up to the expectations enough.
Porygon-Z@Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Sp. Attack, 4 Defense, 252 Speed
Nature: Timid
-Nasty Plot
-Tri Attack
-Dark Pulse
-Signal Beam
Description:
This is my special attacker. The plan is to hopefully have Thunder Wave support from Gallade, as Porygon-Z's speed isn't the highest. Then, Nasty Plot, then Tri Attack. Dark Pulse and Signal Beam are for coverage, although Signal Beam does not have very good coverage. The Smogon article for Porygon-Z suggested Hidden Power Fire, but let's be realistic. It's almost impossible to get the Hidden Power of your choice in the games, and it wouldn't be really fair to rig your Hidden Power's type in Shoddy Battle. It also messes up your IVs. So, if anyone has any suggestions to replace Signal Beam, please do so. Life Orb is there to power up my moves, which is always helpful. Also, Adaptability powers STAB from 150% of the original move to 200%! That's pretty strong considering Tri Attack already has an 80 base power. Coupled with Nasty Plot... well, that's a lot. Lucario used to be in this slot, but its works better for me earlier in the game. This has, like Gallade, not proven itself yet, so if anyone has a suggestion for a different special attacker, suggest, please. I also need an Ice, and preferably a Fighting resist, so I'm considering Forretress. What do you think?
At a Glance:
Strategy:
I have tried to create a balanced team with this, but many sandstorm teams are stall, which I don't do unless it is necessary. Therefore, I had to create this is while only studying a few of the past RMTs, in which, some of them didn't help. The objective of this team is to... well, to win, I guess. :) First, I set up screens with Claydol to let my team last longer, and then I attempt a sweep with Lucario. When Lucario faints, I come in with Hippowdon to start the sandstorm. Then it goes from there. The reasoning behind all this is explained below.
Strategy:
In Depth:
Claydol@Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP, 80 Defense, 176 Sp. Defense
Nature: Careful
-Explosion
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Stealth Rock
Description:
Claydol is not a bad Pokemon at all. I remember when I was playing Pokemon Emerald that Liza & Tate's Claydol was annoying as heck. That fact that it's in UU doesn't make it unusable in OU. In fact, this has worked as the best lead I have ever used so far. At first this was Flygon, which was okay, then it was an anti-lead Lucario, which kinda failed, and now, it's a supporting lead Claydol. The strategy on this is to use either Reflect or Light Screen, depending on what type of threat it is, then use the other screen, then use Stealth Rock. After everything's set up, and my opponent is saying,"Die, Claydol, die!" out of frustration from the lowered damage of the screens, I explode on them. :) The stealth rocks help nullify Focus Sashes and the screens soften the blow of powerful attacks. With Light Clay, I can make those screens last longer. The EVs are there to help Claydol last in order to set everything up. If everything goes well, Explosion usually kills their Pokemon. If it doesn't, I then go to Lucario.
Lucario(F)@Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Attack, 4 Defense, 252 Speed
Nature: Timid
-Close Combat
-Extremespeed
-Ice Punch
-Swords Dance
Description:
When I first decided to make a sandstorm team, I immediately knew I had to use Lucario. Lucario is just... awesome. It looks cool, has a wide moveset, and is one powerful Pokemon. At first, the second Pokemon was an offensive Starmie with Rapid Spin and Life Orb, so you can see that didn't work out quite well. Now, this works out very well. If Claydol didn't faint the Pokemon with Explosion, I use Extremespeed to kill it off. When my opponent goes to the next Pokemon, I use Swords Dance, provided there were no Stealth Rocks. Then, I sweep away! Ice Punch is mainly for coverage for things like Salamence, Ghosts, etc. I chose Focus Sash instead of Life Orb to guarantee a Swords Dance, and therefore, a sweep. This thing is a beast, especially under protection from the screens!
Hippowdon(M)@Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP, 168 Defense, 88 Sp. Defense
Nature: Impish
-Earthquake
-Roar
-Stone Edge
-Slack Off
Description:
Now for the sandstorm! Of course, when you make a sandstorm team, you have to have a Sand Streamer, right? Following my personal rule of "No repeating Pokemon already used, I chose Hippowdon instead of Tyranitar (I used a Tyranitar in Pokemon Leafgreen). Plus, it adds to the defensive core of the team. The reason I chose this to be the third Pokemon instead of the lead is for opposing weather teams. After two Pokemon with no weather, hopefully the opponents sends out their own weather starter, leaving me to interrupt freely. If this were first, the other guy could just make it another weather status (hail, rain, or sun), forcing me to either switch out so I can bring Hippowdon in again for sandstorm, or try to deal with opposing weather with Hippowdon as my only Sand Streamer. This is also my phazer against other stat-raising Pokemon. The third move slot used to be Ice Fang, which, frankly, didn't do enough damage. My main thought with Ice Fang was to kill the likes of Salamence, but Stone Edge works better. Slack Off used to be Stealth Rock, but since I have Claydol as Stealth Rock, I'm free to have a healing move.
Gallade(M)@Leftovers
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 HP, 152 Attack, 104 Speed
Nature: Adamant
-Thunder Wave
-Will-o-Wisp
-Night Slash
-Close Combat
Description:
Gallade is cool. That's about it. This came from the want to have a status supporter on the team, and this comes from that want. The 252 HP adds a little bit of bulk. Thunder Wave and Will-o-Wisp is to cripple opposing Pokemon. This can even sweep with coverage from Night Slash and Close Combat. Leftovers is there to cancel out sandstorm damage. This used to be Magnezone, but not anymore. Magnezone added to many common weaknesses.
Note: This Gallade has not proven itself yet, so if anyone has any suggestions to something else, I'll try it out. But I like Gallade, so I would rather keep it, so just suggestions for improvements is fine.
Cradily(M)@Lum Berry
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 252 HP, 160 Defense, 96 Sp. Defense
Nature: Careful
-Earthquake
-Confuse Ray
-Rock Slide
-Recover
Description:
Now for the special wall. With help from 50% Sp. Defense from sandstorm and protection from the screens (assuming they're still here), this thing can be a monster. There's not much to explain. This thing is way underestimated, so it can mess a few things up for the opponent. As I said, stall is not my style, so I chose Confuse Ray over Toxic. I once confused a Scizor, and it did over a quarter of damage to itself every time! Furthermore, Toxic does not affect Steels or Poisons, so I find Confuse Ray more helpful, though the opponent can still attack half of the time. This can switch into many special threats, such as Heatran or Salamence. Rock Slide 2HKOs Salamence (or so I've read) and Earthquake is also for coverage. Recover is to increase Cradily's longevity. This has to potential to stall somewhat, but again, stalling is not my style. This used to be an accuracy-abusing Cacturne with Sand Veil and Brightpowder, but that didn't live up to the expectations enough.
Porygon-Z@Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Sp. Attack, 4 Defense, 252 Speed
Nature: Timid
-Nasty Plot
-Tri Attack
-Dark Pulse
-Signal Beam
Description:
This is my special attacker. The plan is to hopefully have Thunder Wave support from Gallade, as Porygon-Z's speed isn't the highest. Then, Nasty Plot, then Tri Attack. Dark Pulse and Signal Beam are for coverage, although Signal Beam does not have very good coverage. The Smogon article for Porygon-Z suggested Hidden Power Fire, but let's be realistic. It's almost impossible to get the Hidden Power of your choice in the games, and it wouldn't be really fair to rig your Hidden Power's type in Shoddy Battle. It also messes up your IVs. So, if anyone has any suggestions to replace Signal Beam, please do so. Life Orb is there to power up my moves, which is always helpful. Also, Adaptability powers STAB from 150% of the original move to 200%! That's pretty strong considering Tri Attack already has an 80 base power. Coupled with Nasty Plot... well, that's a lot. Lucario used to be in this slot, but its works better for me earlier in the game. This has, like Gallade, not proven itself yet, so if anyone has a suggestion for a different special attacker, suggest, please. I also need an Ice, and preferably a Fighting resist, so I'm considering Forretress. What do you think?
Final (Few) Words:
So, there it is. My sandstorm team. Again, stall is not my style, balanced is, so I have tried to create a balanced team with this. There are 4 resists to Stealth Rock and 1 immunity to Toxic Spikes, 2 if you count Cradily's Lum Berry. I think the weakest links are Gallade and Porygon-Z, so improvements there are welcome. So... umm... rate away, please!
Final Glance:
So, there it is. My sandstorm team. Again, stall is not my style, balanced is, so I have tried to create a balanced team with this. There are 4 resists to Stealth Rock and 1 immunity to Toxic Spikes, 2 if you count Cradily's Lum Berry. I think the weakest links are Gallade and Porygon-Z, so improvements there are welcome. So... umm... rate away, please!
Final Glance:
