- Team Opprimere (Latin for: crush) -

[impact36inc]

- Team Opprimere -
- Latin for: crush -

I feel compelled to post my latest team here for further advice/critique/ridicule.

BACKSTORY!! I came into the new 5th Gen Metagame using the same Drought Team that I had incredible luck with when the metagame was in its early stages. After a busy summer, I came back to battling and was blown away with how drastically the metagame had changed. Therefore, I created a new team in an attempt to hold my own in the new metagame. I've been playing this team for a few weeks now, and I believe our record is 7-2, not counting opponent rage-quits (I only have time for a few games a week. no internet at home). Regardless, I believe there is always room for improvement, and thus I display my team to you all in the hope of advice, critique, or ridicule. Enjoy!

Violet (Espeon) (F) @ Light Clay
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psychic

Entry hazards cripple this team. Therefore, I deemed Espeon worthy of leading of my team, not only to Magic Bounce any initial entry hazards away, but also to set-up Dual Screens so Scrafty and/or Dragonite can set-up far more easily. I chose HP Fire because of the common use of Ferrothorn, Forretress, and sometimes Skarmory, as entry hazard leads, and even with no investment in SpAtk, Espeon can still deal a good deal of damage to these annoying Steel-Types. Forretress probably causes the most trouble if it Volt Switches out after being rescued from death by Sturdy, thereby forcing my next switch in to deal with set-up or damage, but thankfully Dual Screens should be up and they won't cause that much of a threat.
(Violet is named thus after a picture I drew of a purple fox, and Espeon is kind of a purple fox.)

Slice (Weavile) (F) @ Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Night Slash
- Ice Shard
- Low Kick
- Pursuit

My ever reliable Revenge Killer. Weavile can kill any Dragon-Type, as well as potentially Pursuit trapping Latias and Latios. Low Kick destroys Terrakion, Tyranitar, and Heatran, while Night Slash rounds out the set for reliable STAB. The negative side is that Weavile is pathetically fragile, so unless Espeon gets screens back up, Weavile won't last that long into the late game. The one exception is if Espeon, Jellicent, or Dragonite gets rid of all opposing Fighting-Types, Weavile can just sweep. I'm considering switching it out for either Tyranitar for Pursuit, or Mamoswine for Ice Shard, but I'd miss the Speed...
(Slice is named thus because she slices through stuff. duh.)

Dr. Pepper (Jellicent) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 172 HP / 216 Def / 76 SAtk / 44 Spe
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt

Ah, Jellicent. Who'd of thought that the Pringles guy could be so epic? Jellicent is a boss! Recover is epic as always, and Jellicent successfully covers the Fighting weaknesses of Scrafty, Weavile, and Heatran, while burning stuff with WOW. Scald covers opposing Taunt users (and for reliable STAB), but I'm not sure if my own Taunt is being useful. Perhaps switch it out for Psychic to wallop Fighting-Types that he switches into? Regardless, Jellicent has proven to be an excellent part of the team.
(Dr. Pepper is named thus because my brother is addicted to the stuff)

Scrap (Scrafty) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Atk / 52 Def / 196 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Ice Punch
- Drain Punch
- Crunch

When Black/White first came out, I didn't think much of Scrafty. But soon he started to grow on me, and I've loved using him ever since. My usual style of battle is pure offensive, so it was hard for me to not put DD on this guy, but Bulk Up proved extremely useful, ESPECIALLY under Reflect. Scrafty took a mere 23% from a LO Arcanine Close Combat under Reflect and 2 Bulk Ups, and then preceded to Drain Punch it for 69%. Epic, no? Drain Punch and Crunch provide both STAB and the legendary Fighting/Dark unresisted coverage (bar Heracross and Toxicroak), and Ice Punch murders Dragons. The crown jewel is Shed Skin. Moxie is awesome, but after a couple Bulk Ups it gets kinda redundant. Shed Skin, however, is constantly useful in prolonging Scrafty's offensive prowess. Defensively, Scrafty works well covering the Ghost and Dark weaknesses of Espeon and Jellicent.
(Scrap is named thus because that's what it always gets me out of)

Volcanus (Heatran) (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Roar

My trusted lava-steed. Since Gen 4, Heatran has been my mainstay for Fire power. This is basically my Gen 4 SpDef Heatran, except with the 5th Gen moveset. Lava Plume has always been useful, thanks to a practically uninvested SpAtk still being quite useable. Set up Stealth Rock, and just Toxic shuffle with Roar for continual annoyance. Heatran covers so much defensively. It takes an extra turn for even Water-Types to defeat him. Air Balloon helps with the 4x weakness to Ground, but it seems pretty easily eliminated by the opponent. Leftovers instead? Of course, I love Flash Fire, which makes Heatran and Jellicent the perfect back-ups for Weavile, and pretty much the rest of the team. I base a lot of my defensive core make-up on 4x Resistances, and with 4, Heatran certainly deserves the place he holds.
(Volcanus is named thus for a mythical entity I created)

Draco (Dragonite) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 136 HP / 44 Atk / 76 SDef / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Fire Punch
- Outrage
- Earthquake

Last, but certainly not least, is Dragonite. A proven powerhouse since the beginning of Pokemon, Dragonite does not displease in today's metagame. Multiscale, of course, makes all the difference. I was running him with a Yache Berry to combine with Multiscale for ultimate Ice defense, but statuses became very annoying, so I switched to Lum Berry, which also helps with Outrage if Dragonite hasn't been hit with status. 2 DDs and Dragonite outspeeds Scarf Latios/Salamence, and precedes to slap them upside the face with an Outrage. Fire Punch rids Dragonite of annoying Ice-Types and walling Steel-Types, while Earthquake rounds out the set for extra power. As stated above, Dual Screens really helps Dragonite get set up. Also, I'll sometimes lead with Dragonite and just DD a couple of times and just mow through their Fighting/Ice resisters so Scrafty and Weavile can have some fun.
(Draco is named thus for the dragon constellation)


Thank you for your time! I am anxious for any feedback that may be of use to my team! May the Force be with you!​

 

[DarkSlay]

Hi there! I've decided to come back to RMT, and your thread is the first one I saw, so hooray! Looking at this team, I definitely can tell that you went with a balanced offensive approach, and you picked some good overall Pokemon. However, it seems that your team shares a lot of common weaknesses, particularly to Fighting and Dark (as well as Rock for some crucial parts). While sometimes teams can get around these kinds of issues, there are quite a few threats that leave this team extremely unprepared.

DD Scrafty is probably this team's number one threat. It literally OHKO's 5/6ths of your team after one Dragon Dance, and 2HKO's Jellicent, whose only option is to burn it (hopefully that Scrafty doesn't carry Shed Skin or WoW misses) since it can't switch in. CB Terrakion is right up there, who can OHKO the same Pokemon that Scrafty can, and 2HKO Jellicent with Stone Edge. This one just takes more prediction than DD Scrafty.

Decent threats to the team include Tyranitar, who only fears Scrafty if it doesn't switch in on Superpower and Low Kick on Weavile. Scarf Terrakion, much like CB, will give this team trouble, although it can't get around Jellicent as easily. SubPunch Breloom will give the team some issues, sans Dragonite (although if Lum Berry is used up, you need to be wary of Spore). Outside of Jellicent, Rain-based teams, with powerful Pokemon such as Tornadus and Azumarill, might also give you some issues.

It's true, this team is especially weak to hazards. Dragonite needs to get rid of SR to be effective. However, I'm not too sure if Espeon is really doing the trick. It's so defensively weak, and things like Tyranitar knock it off in an instant, even with Reflect. Magic Bounce is not a reliable way to fend off hazards. Instead, why not go for something a bit more traditional? Something that will give you a nice Steel physical wall that can handle Fighting attacks well while baiting in attacks that a vast majority of the team resists?

Forretress @

Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Relaxed
EV's: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
IV's: 0 Spe
Moveset:
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball

Forretress may not exactly be the most sexy of picks for a Pokemon, but there's a reason why Forretress is still a reliable OU presence: Rapid Spin and hazards. Rapid Spin is a much more reliable way of getting rid of Stealth Rock for Dragonite, as Jellicent is pretty much the only common Ghost type in the tier. Meanwhile, setting up your own Stealth Rock and Spikes allows Dragonite to actually sweep, scoring a lot of OHKO's just with SR + one layer of Spikes up. Gyro Ball is the preferred option for your Forretress, so that it can be a solid check to Terrakion, as well as allowing it to hit other threats like Landorus, DD Scrafty and Hydreigon. Most importantly, Forretress has the ability to draw in Fire attacks, an attacking type that a majority of your team already resists. It's a solid choice.

Weavile is really questionable. I'm not doubting its ability to use CB Ice Shard here to revenge kill, but everything about Weavile is screaming "no" on this team. 4x Fighting weakness, lack of coverage, etc. Therefore, I'm going to recommend another revenge killer. It still has the potential to OHKO most Dragon types, but has better STAB typing and better overall stats. I'm talking about:

Terrakion @

Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
Nature: Jolly
EV's: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Rock Slide

Scarf Terrakion is fast. It out-speeds Deoxys-S, as well as every +1 Dragon Dancer and Scarf Dragon in the metagame. It is also powerful, hitting 357 Attack with these EV's and a neutral nature. Close Combat and Stone Edge hit like trucks, while X-Scissor is primarily for Celebi, Latias, Latios, and Reuniclus. Rock Slide is accuracy based, essentially here for times when you can KO your opponent with less power. Also, Scarf + Rock Slide often can lead to critical flinches. Scarf Terrakion is one of the best revenge killers in the game, and for good reason.

Heatran is a really cool Pokemon. However, all I am seeing it do here is cause status (nice, but is it necessary?) and shuffling things around. You really need to shore up your Fighting weakness. Here's a Pokemon that provides the team with some balanced support while also having resistances that benefit your team greatly.

Latias @

Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EV's: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Dragon Pulse
- Recover / Wish
- Roar
- Reflect

Latias checks a hell of a lot of things with this moveset, and becomes a nice pivot Pokemon for your team. Recover and Wish are options for the recovery spot. One is a bit more reliable than the other, but if you feel that Wish support would be beneficial for the team, then Wish is a viable option (although, you might want to consider Protect > Reflect if you choose this option). Roar allows you to send out stat boosting threats such as Conkeldurr in the blink of an eye while also compounding hazards damage set up by Forretress. Reflect is an invaluable tool that can de-fang a lot of would-be Latias checks and counters, and even without Light Clay, Reflect helps the team by softening up those heavy physical hits.

In terms of Dragonite, I strongly recommend that you replace Earthquake with Roost. Earthquake is pretty much only handy against Heatran, who can't hit you with much anyway. Fire Punch already covers everything Earthquake does except Rock types, which Outrage hits. It's unnecessary coverage. Meanwhile, Roost in conjunction with Multiscale is infuriating, allowing Dragonite to easily shrug off most attacks with ease after a Roost or two back to full health.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[impact36inc]

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely try out Forretress and Terrakion, but I'm not quite sure about Latias. If I remove Heatran, I remove my trusted Dragon and Ice resistance, and both Dragonite and Latias would become more threatened. Earth Power or HP Ice have helped in the past, so I may switch those in, and anyway Jellicent still covers Fighting types.
Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the help, but the threats you mentioned aren't really that much of a threat. It's hard to explain stuff on RMT, but Rain hasn't caused much of a problem, and enemy Scraftys fall pretty easily to Jellicent/Pre-Bulked Up Scrafty. I will certainly try out your suggestions though, and I am extremely grateful for your advice and critique!