Team Vicarious
Overview:
Hello, and welcome to my first RMT. This was my most successful team on the ladder, peaking at ~1384 CRE. While still pretty bad, that was a big step forward for me, and I honestly think I'm becoming a better battler. However, this team has started to falter for a while. So I'd really like some suggestions on how to improve this team. The amount of time you would spend to give a rate would be greatly appreciated!
The basic "goal" I wanted to set for this team has been to use Skarmory and Blissey to set up entry hazards, and then send in Suicune to force switches, pushing more residual damage onto the opponent. I do realize that I did not execute the strategy as well as I could have, but that's where you guys come in. hopefully you'll help me fix the cracks in this team. So without further ado, I'll begin (this is a pretty long read, so break out your popcorn if you want to).
... No, wait. Actually, I have something else to say. I write my team in a slightly different format than you may be used to. Anyone who's played Netbattle should know what it is. The format for this team is very similar to Netbattle's [3rd gen battle simulator]. :) You'll see some minor changes in here from the Shoddy format, but of course you'll still know what I'm talking about. I'm still used to 3rd gen formatting. I typed this all by hand, by the way, even the movesets, so if something seems out of place, please tell me! So this time, we will begin without further interruption.
Apologies in advance if this thread has broken any rules. I checked over the rules thread, and I couldn't find any rules this thread was breaking. So please forgive me if I have broken any of them.
A Closer Look?
Jirachi (?) @ Choice Scarf ** Shooting Star
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+ Spd, - SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- Thunderpunch
zzz magnezone bait #1~!
Jirachi is actually a vital part of the team. Although it doesn't give me the ability to set up Stealth Rock turn one, Jirachi's mere presence is sometimes enough to lure out members of the opponent's team, such as Magnezone or Heatran, who will take most of Jirachi's attacks easily. In general, I will always switch out turn one, to make sure the opponent doesn't have Magnezone (unless there is something that I think I can beat). I typically swap in Jirachi on NVE moves, since we all know a Jirachi with very little investment in EVs cannot take repeated hits from some of the top threats in the metagame. It's my revenge killer, too. Jirachi is my only defense against Pokémon such as Tyranitar, Salamence, and Lucario (who will beat Rotom with Crunch).
Anyways, the moveset is pretty bog standard. Iron Head is a simply amazing move. 80 BP, STAB, and 60% chance of flinch are very nice things to have. Fire Punch allows me to defeat Scizor and Lucario easily if I am in a "last-pokemon set-up sweeper" situation. Ice Punch revenges +1 Salamence locked into Outrage, though if it is +Speed, then I may run into problems! Thunderpunch is for Gyarados, who I believe I have covered pretty well, since Rotom and Suicune stop it cold, but is more of an "insurance" than anything. I am considering Zen Headbutt over Thunderpunch to beat Infernape, since Rotom already beats Gyarados...
Generally, Jirachi will be in one turn, and out the next, since it's one of the frailest members of my team, and surprisingly it's one of the most important! I try to avoid swapping it in on neutral hits not named Hidden Power because its defenses aren't really strong enough to take repeated neutral hits. I'm also in constant fear of Magnezone switching in. Magnezone + Jirachi not locked into Fire Punch = ._.
Currently testing out a moveset of Trick/Ice Punch/U-Turn/Iron Head, suggested by Snorlaxe. It's been working well so far.
Skarmory (M) @ Shed Shell ** Great Tin Can
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 16 Spd / 24 SDef
Impish Nature (+ Def, - SAtk)
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Brave Bird
magnezone bait #2 - oh wait no.
The first half of my reisdual damage duo. Skarmory provides a more reliable physical Dragon-type resistance than Jirachi, and gives a lovely Dark-type resistance to suck up those nasty Crunches. Skarmory's role on this team is to set up Spikes for the team, and it does a good job of that, usually getting one or two layers up per game. Shed Shell is purely for the purpose of Magnezone, who traps and kills Skarmory like it's nothing. With Shed Shell, Magnezone looks very silly as it Thunderbolts Blissey for a small amount of damage. Also, with these EVs, Skarmory outspeeds standard CB Tar, and Roosts in its face when it tries to Stone Edge.
The moveset is simple. Spikes I have already mentioned before, but I guess it deserves another mention. Spikes deal damage whenever the opponent switches out, and can escalate to 25% if Skarmory manages to set up three layers of Spikes. Whirlwind allows me to answer to Baton Pass teams, and tacks on entry hazard damage, making it harder for Pokemon without recovery moves to come in. Roost heals 50% of Skarmory's health per turn, which is wonderful, since it keeps Skarmory kicking! Finally, Brave Bird is Skarmory's only way of dealing direct damage to the enemy. While Flying isn't quite the best STAB type in the game, just about anything without terrible attack stats would love a base 120 STAB move!
Blissey (F) @ Leftovers ** Aid in India
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 216 SDef
Calm Nature (+ SDef, - Atk)
- Softboiled
- Flamethrower
- Stealth Rock
- Seismic Toss
The second half of my residual damage duo. Blissey functions as my main special wall for this team, and my Stealth Rocker. Believeit or not, Blissey is a surprisingly good Stealth Rock user. She can switch into many special attacks with impunity, Stealth Rock, and recover off the damage with Softboiled. These are likely pretty bad for Blissey EVs, but I've used them, and I've had positive experiences with them. Anyone who wants to suggest better EVs, please tell me, and I'll test them out.:)
Now the moveset ^____________^ Seismic Toss is for hitting Pokemon like Suicune, Tyranitar, or even Raikou who Blissey can't touch otherwise. Sure, it won't OHKO, but it's nice to at least do something! Flamethrower is for smashing Steel-types (uhh, by "smashing", I mean 2HKOing at best!), and Stealth Rock and Softboiled have already been explained. I don't miss the Wish support one bit, by the way.
Blissey, along with Skarmory, were two Pokémon who I wanted on this team. Not only do they form a solid defensive backbone, but they form a decent duo to lay down entry hazards. Combine that with the fact that they take on the other's switch-ins fairly well, and you've actually got a decent defensive core! However, I usually don't rely on Blissey and Skarmory to take too many hits, and will avoid using them whenever possible, as they are very often defensless against their common switch-ins.
Blissey will almost never die, and I usually swap her in on special moves when Suicune or Latias are not healthy enough to take another attack. From there, I will usually Stealth Rock. If Blissey has already SR'd, and the other Pokémon has some 'kick' left in it, I'll switch into either Jirachi, Skarmory, or Latias, knowing the opponent will likely switch. This sometimes allows me to maintain an advantage in the game, and keeps tacking on residual damage. Blissey is probably one of the most annoying Pokémon in the metagame, due to the ability of it to continually force switches from Choiced special attacking Pokémon. It's a great Pokémon, really.
As for synergy, Fighting-type moves will usually go to toasty Rotom. If somehow toasty Rotom is dead, then Latias will take the majority of Fighting moves, along with Skarmory. Blissey sponges hits from Ghost-types, as Rotom and Latias don't particularly enjoy Shadow Balls, and as said before, Blissey will sponge some of the stronger special hits that other Pokémon on the team just can't take, like Specsjolt Thunderbolts and hits from LO Porygon-Z (though those are pretty rare these days right?).
Latias (F) @ Leftovers ** Neurosis
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 244 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spd
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Refresh
- Recover
- Dragon Pulse
this does nothing
No, but seriously. For some reason, Latias seems to be the weakest link to the team. It is almost never sent out, since I have Suicune to cover one of the Pokémon it would otherwise have no trouble switching into - Heatran. Since I'm very cautious about losing a Pokémon, I'll always switch Latias out to scout for switch-ins such as Scizor or Tyranitar. As a result, it really never comes in because of the huge problems it has with those two, who are extremely common. I'm really considering changing this slot, and I would welcome suggestions. However, no suggestions before you read this~
Latias was initially designed to be my secondary switch-in to Fighting-types, in the event that Rotom has fainted. So far, it hasn't done much. The EVs of Latias are designed to just avoid a 2HKO from Mr. Loomy Pants [Breloom], and iirc they outspeed Salamence... it was also supposed to be my secondary Fire resistance, but since Suicune does that job so well, I don't know what this does...
This moveset is standard, and in the analysis, although the EVs have been tweaked, likely for the worse. Dragon Pulse is to have an attacking move, and a move with STAB, too! Refresh so I don't get destroyed by Toxic ^_____^, and Recover is to heal off prior damage. Calm Mind is to boost Latias's special attack and defense. All in all, a pretty nice moveset. It's a shame Latias never comes out to play...
Latias was initially added onto the team because of the handy resistances it has to Fighting, Grass, Electric, and Fire, along with an immunity to Ground. Several of those types are quite common in OU play, so it is necessary to have a good switch-in to them. Latias, with 80 HP / 130 SDef, makes a wonderful switch-in to the majority of special moves in the metagame. Since most of the Dark-type attacks in OU are named Pursuit, I will usually switch right out to Skarmory or Suicune after coming in, to scout for switch-ins such as Scizor or Tyranitar...
Latias was the last Pokémon to be selected on this team. In the earliest version of this team, Scarf Tyranitar was put onto this team, to sponge Fire-type hits and give me a secondary revenge killer. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as well as I wanted it to. An extra Fire resistance was lovely, but Scarf Tyranitar suffered greatly from the fact that it didn't have much power at all. As a result, I chose a super-bulky Life Orb Salamence on a later version of this team. It was a Wish support Salamence, as well. Unfortunately, it didn't work out so well, either. It often was defeated too easily, and I never used Wish at all. So I put Latias onto this team. It's certainly been more helpful than Salamence or Tyranitar, but it hasn't been pulling its weight, and by the time I send it out, I almost always know if I'm going to win or lose. I would really like some help with this slot, please!
Currently testing Scizor in this slot. So far, he's been working excellently.
Rotom-H (?) @ Leftovers ** Toasty Rotom
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SDef
Bold Nature (+ Def, - Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
Yeah, I gave up on naming my Rotoms "Thunderstruck" and "Ghostbusters", so this will have to do.
STALK. That is one of Rotom's primary functions on this team. The second is to counter/check Gyarados, and the third is to provide me with a spin blocker. As you can see, Rotom does a lot of things for this team. It's probably the closest thing that I have to a "glue", since when Rotom goes down, things usually go nowhere but down for me. As said before Rotom provides me with an STalker (yes, that is intentional, and get used to me saying that in future RMTs :P), so I have something to take status.
In addition, Rotom provides a check to a various number of Pokemon, most notably Metagross. In the early game, it isn't hard to get Rotom in, thanks to its three immunities. Once in, Rotom will spam Will-O-Wisp, or Thunderbolt if I'm wary of Heatran coming in. In addition, I can bluff Overheat to scare away Steels, thanks to choosing the toasty Rotom. Rotom's EVs are pretty standard: they bulk up Rotom to sturdy levels, so it doesn't take much from a random Pursuit attack.
Rest and Sleep Talk give Rotom the combination of Resttalk/STalk (though I'm sure everyone calls it Resttalk these days, right?), allowing toasty Rotom to take status, have a form of recovery, and burn stuff in his sleep. Will-O-Wisp burns switch-ins like Tyranitar, who for some reason don't expect to get hit by Will-O-Wisp. ._. I am wary of enemy Heatran, though; perhaps too wary. Thunderbolt allows me to beat Sleep Talk Gyarados, and gives toasty Rotom a nice STAB move to attack with!
Rotom, along with Suicune, will swap into the Steel-type moves easily. In addition, the little toaster can switch into the majority of physical attacks which hit it for neutral damage, and force the enemy out. From there, I'll often spam Will-O-Wisp, though this has screwed me over more than once when an enemy Heatran rears its ugly head, and I am forced to switch to Blissey to avoid losing a Pokémon. Ghost attacks aren't often seen in OU, and the users of it are ridiculously predictable, so I will often go to Blissey from there. Dark-type moves are often in the form of Pursuit, so an opponent who uses a Dark-type move is likely going to get burned on the switch-in! If not, then toasty Rotom's screwed.:(
Suicune (?) Leftovers ** Animal Collective
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SDef
Bold Nature (+ Def, - Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Rest
- Toxic
Tempted to put an "Under Pressure" reference here, but I just couldn't do it.
Anyways, Suicune isn't really the star of the show as I planned it to be, but it does a very solid job at defeating Pokémon. Suicune basically puts Taunt-less Gyarados to a dead halt, and Rests off the damage done. In the beginning, Suicune was supposed to force its counters off the field with Toxic, Calm Mind, and Rest. And overall, I'd say it does a pretty good job at that. With Toxic, it even forces Blissey out sometimes. It stops some physical threats like Metagross and Mamoswine (to an extent! I can't come in on it), and even some threas that hit on the special end, like Heatran. Although Suicune is dangerous, there are many things that can stop it, such as Celebi and Specs Jolteon.
Calm Mind is not mandatory on Suicune, but quite a lot have it. It boosts Suicune's Special Attack to a somewhat respectable level at 324, and boosts that excellent special defense over 400. With a few CMs under its belt, Suicune becomes a monster, and is pretty hard to stop without Trick or Explosion. Surf is for STAB, and hits most Pokémon for neutral damage. Rest is for healing off damage and status, which helps a lot when trying to sweep with Suicune. Toxic is the central part of this set, and makes it slightly different from some Suicune. With Toxic, Suicune can take out some usual counters or checks to it. Besides Rest/Sleep Talk, Vaporeon has no way of dealing with poison, and Blissey is forced to switch. If the opponent doesn't have a PHazer, it could be difficult getting rid of Suicune!
Suicune is probably my all-purpose switch-in to Heatran and friends. It has a wonderful Special Defense stat, and that helps it to easily swap into Fire Blasts. I generally switch Suicune into Fire-type attacks, bullky waters, or Scizor's Bullet Punch. From there, it will usually wreak havoc on the opponent. Toxic neuters Vaporeon, and hurts Gyarados. The only Pokémon that really enjoy staying in will either be ones who can't be poisoned (Steels, Natural Cure), or those who can PHaze it while it is sleeping. This has been a really fun set, and although it hasn't worked as well as I would have liked it to, I must admit, it has been amazing.
Since Suicune was the Pokémon that I built this team around, it was obviously the first choice for this team. Suicune is a very, very good switch-in to other bulky waters (read: not named Starmie) and can cause trouble for an unprepared team. It's been my favorite Pokémon to play in this team, and I don't plan to get rid of it. However, if I have to get rid of Suicune, then I suppose I will. I guess that is it for the moveset!
Threat List - Ready, Go!
Apologies if this is inconvenient, but this threat list will be laid out in a slightly different way than most others. Instead of covering the offensive and defensive threats sepeartely, I will cover the top thirty used Pokémon from August of 2009, in additon to two others that I believe deserve mention. Admittedly, I was a little lazy with the bottom half... This top half pf this threat list is pretty accurate, though some of the lower numbered Pokémon I've never even fought. So, if you'd like, stick around for a little more?
1. Scizor - CB Scizor isn't particularly difficult to play around. SR and Spikes will hurt it, while it will only really enjoy switching in on Latias or a sleeping Suicune. SD + Roost versions are somewhat hard to play around. Rotom will come in an burn it, while Jirachi Fire Punches. All in all, between Skarmory, Jirachi, and Rotom, it's not a big deal.
2. Salamence - DD Salamence beating this team all comes down to a speed tie. If Jirachi wins, it's of no threat. If Jirachi loses, then I'm screwed. Mix Salamence is outsped and killed by Latias. No one uses Specs Salamence anymore. :(
3. Heatran - Scarf Heatran and Sub Heatran are stopped by Suicune. Specs Heatran can be tricky, but is walled by Blissey/Latias. Magma Storm (lol) versions could actually be difficult to deal with. They trap one of my mons, blow up, and the entire team will fall from there to high-powered special attackers.
4. Gyarados - Gyarados can't really do much against this team. Toxic Suicune stops those without Rest or Taunt from doing too much damage. Rotom checks most of them easily, too! If all else fails, Jirachi can revenge it, and Skarmory can PHaze it out.
- Rotom-A - This is very annoying. Electric and Ghost-type moves stop everything on my team, bar Blissey. Thunderbolt isn't particularly fun for Suicune to set up with, either. If it doesn't have Shadow Ball, however, Latias will stop it easily.
5. Latias - Again, an annoying Pokémon to take down. Usually, I'll have to rely on Jirachi's Ice Punch, or attempt to stall it with Blissey. Defensive ones are usually stalled by Jirachi.
6. Tyranitar - Oh, this is a nightmare. I have no safe switchin to the CB variants, and DD versions win against my team if Jirachi doesn't flinch it! Mix versions without Thunderbolt are handled without much difficulty by Suicune, and defensive versions can't do much to Suicune, either.
7. Metagross - Mixed versions are a problem. However, I haven't had a mixed Metagross used against me in the entire duration of the fourth generation. Offensive ones without Thunderpunch are set up on by Skarmory, and offensive Metagross without Pursuit are set up on by Suicune, or neutered by Rotom. I have to be wary of Explosion, though, as a wrong switch could mean disaster.
8. Lucario - My only defense against SD ones are Jirachi. Luckily, Jirachi has been alive against every SD Lucario I've played against. Mix ones will hurt me, since I can't switch into it at all. Specs Luke is dealt with between Blissey, Latias, and Jirachi.
9. Infernape - This is most likely the biggest problem for this team. Suicune doesn't like LO Grass Knots or Thunderpunches, and Jirachi can only hit for neutral damage with Thunderpunch. ...Wait, I don't have Mence on this team anymore, so it's not as big of a problem as I have led you to believe. Latias deals with it very well.
10. Jirachi - Now that Infernape is easily dealt with, this is probably the biggest problem for the team, most notably SubCM ones. For this reason alone, I'm considering using Roar on Latias over Refresh. Still doesn't deal with it late-game, though.:/ Physical versions are handled by toasty Rotom without much of an issue...
11. Gengar - Scarf versions are dealt with without much of a problem. SubPunch Gar or LOBoomGar are problems for this team, in my opinion, as they will usually sub when Blissey switches in... I usually have to predict/guess and bring Jirachi in, hoping to kil it.
12. Swampert - Swampert, unless it is choiced or has multiple curses under its belt, cannot touch Suicune. Suicune cripples Swampert afterwards with Toxic. Curse/Rest/Sleep Talk/Move versions are beaten by either Suicune or Latias. Not a threat at all.
13. Blissey - Ugh. Blissey creates problems for this team, since Salamence is gone. Suicune combined with Latias and Blissey can PP stall it without much of an issue, but man this thing is hard to get past without consecutive Iron Head flinches.
14. Azelf - Hmm. Suicide leads don't cause too many problems. Switch to Mr. Tomtom to scout for boom/Magnezone. The wrong switch could end in disaster, though. NP ones don't get through Blissey easily, and even if they do manage to, Jirachi revenge kills it. Trickscarf Azelf scares this team, since Flamethrower deals with Jirachi easily, and Trick will ruin one of my other Pokémon. Overall, not too threatening.
15. Starmie - Rapid Spin ones without Hydro Pump can't crack toasty Rotom, and ones without Rapid Spin are stalled by Blissey, or Thunderpunched by Jirachi.
16. Rotom-h - See Rotom-A.
17. Gliscor - Gliscor switches out of Suicune, or it dies, to put it simply. LO SD Gliscor was threatening to me when I was against it, so I suppose it could be troublesome if Suicune is sleeping / at <60%.
18. Vaporeon - Toxic means that if it doesn't have Roar, it loses one-on-one against Suicune. Without Ice Beam, it won't do much to Latias, either. Overall, it's not a threat.
19. Magnezone - Ugh, this UFO is annoying. It zaps Jirachi into oblivion, and stops Suicune from setting up. Fortunately, it won't touch Latias without Explosion, but it's still very annoying.
20. Zapdos - This world needs more Zapdos love. I'm weak to MS Dos, although I suppose all teams are weak to a monster like that... anyways, more defensive versions are not going to scratch Latias, and offensive versions don't enjoy Latias much, either.
21. Machamp - Is there really a counter to Machamp? Generally, I'll go to Rotom for the Fighting-type immunity, though he isn't fond of SE 100 BP moves! Machamp can only really be killed by WOW / Suicune Toxics on this team. If it doesn't get either one, it's pretty much gg, since I can't really stop it otherwise.
22. Kingdra - I've never fought a Kingdra before, so I'll have to guess what happens here.
* It would not be fun at all, though sometimes I could get around it depending on the set. Once the rain is gone, Latias can come in on non-boosted Kingdra and Dragon Pulse it. Substitute Kingdra in rain is very capable of sweeping the team entirely, though. Thankfully, I've never fought one! Kingdra without Substitute will get hit by Toxic, and from there, it's only a matter of time until it goes down.
23. Breloom - Probably one of the most annoying 'mons in the game. Send in Rotom to take the sleep, and from there, Latias should wall it. In theory, it shouldn't be so bad. However, Latias is almost never alive by the time Breloom is revealed.:|
24. Skarmory - It's scared lifeless by Rotom, so it is not much of an issue in itself. However, there are plenty of spaces in which the opponent can set up spikes. Spikes plus Whirlwind usually equates to large amounts of damage for my team!
25. Bronzomg - Bronzomg never has much fun with this team. It lacks recovery, and as a result, it gets worn down quickly by Blissey/Suicune/Jirachi, who either have super-effective moves on it, or can set up.
26. Celebi - Celebi isn't much of a problem for this team. The only problem I have with it is when Latias is down, since it can basically stall my entire team out between Leech Seed, Grass Knot, Earth Power, and Recover. With Earth Power, it decimates Jirachi, who can't even 2HKO with Ice Punch/Fire Punch. Unfortunately, I often find myself in this position. Can often be annoying...
27. Flygon - Flygon isn't a threat for this team. Without Fire Blast (and btw I haven't seen one use Fire Blast on me yet), it does very little to Skarmory aside from CB Fire Punches/Thunderpunches, which Skarm doesn't enjoy. It's been of no real threat, so far.
28. Suicune - Latias will CM up with it. If it doesn't have Ice Beam, Latias will often win.
29. Jolteon - Jolteon doesn't really do much to this team, unless Blissey is dead. If Blissey is dead, I have to switch between Rotom/Latias.
30. Empoleon - Hmm. If Blissey is at low health and/or Toxic Spikes are down, it's going to sweep my team. If TSpikes aren't down, Blissey will take on SubPetaya ones, and Rotom will beat physical Empoleon iirc. Dangerous Pokémon, though, seriously.
36. Mamoswine - To my knowledge, they don't run Ice Fang anymore. That's wonderful, too, since CB Mamo has its way with this team if I can't predict correctly. The only safe switch-in that I have is Skarm, and e doesn't really enjoy swapping in on anything but Earthquakes.
37. Snorlax - snolacks is annoying, i'd imagine, as are most mons for this team. I've never actually faced one, but I'd imagine that last Pokémon Curse versions will beat me without much difficulty bar Suicune still being in with at least +3 SAtk so that I can set up on it. I've never fought it, but it wouldn't be fun to play against.
Team Building Process:
Well, many teams have a team building process, so I may as well throw one in.:) Skip if you don't want to see this. Anyways, I wanted to make a team centered around Suicune, as it's one of my favorite Pokémon. I wanted to allow Suicune to use Toxic to hit some of its normal counters (Vaporeon, for example). As you can see, I didn't carry this out very well! Anyways, we have Suicune here.
Anyways, since this Suicune forces a lot of switches, I need something to take advantage of these switches. Instantly I thought of residual damage. Spikes and Stealth Rock allow me to easily take advantage of Suicune's ability to force switches. I thought of both Blissey and Skarmory for Stealth Rock and Spikes, respectively. Skarmory and Blissey give me a decent defensive core, and can force switches to easily set up their entry hazards. So why not?
This team still is pretty powerless against a number of things, including (Taunt!) Gyarados, Metagross, and Scizor. Most importantly, for a team which seems to be based off of stall, it has no spin blocker. As a result, I went for the obvious choice: Rotom! Rotom is a spin blocker, and checks Scizor and Metagross. It is also a nice answer to physical Jirachi. In addition, it can both take status and burn enemies. Rotom it is!
With the addition of Rotom to the team, this team looks pretty solid. However, I don't have an answer to Salamence or Lucario (Lucario will beat Rotom with a +2 Crunch). After reading JabbaTheGriffin's thread in the RMT Archive, the idea of Choice Scarf Jirachi appealed to me. It provided a revenge answer to Salamence, DD Tyranitar, and SD Lucario, and taking all of these things into consideration, I thought that it could make a great addition to my team. As a result, Jirachi was placed onto the team.
The first five spots on this team were always stable. The sixth and final slot was not. I decided that I needed something that could sponge Fire hits if Suicune went down, and I wanted a secondary revenge killer, so I used Choice Scarf Tyranitar. It seemed like a good addition for some reason, and I ignored my Fighting-type weakness!
Tyranitar, while not terrible, was very lacking in what it did. The coverage it provided was pretty silly, and since I was running Naive (don't ask), I missed the extra power that +Attack natures gave me. So if something doesn't work, you replace it. I did that with Tyranitar. I replaced it with a bulky LO Salamence with Wish/Protect/Outrage/Earthquake.
Salamence was not terrible in this final slot. In fact, it held its own with many dangerous 'mons like Infernaoe and Lucario. However, like Tyranitar, it did not pull its weight as much as the other five did. Outrage would often give a free set-up turn for the enemy, and that spelled death for me in the form of a 'gg'. As a result, I chose a Calm Mind/Refresh Latias. It, along with Suicune could provide some insurance against many top threats, like Salamence and Heatran. ... Or so I thought. The truth is, Latias really hasn't done anything for me!
So, erm... that's the team. Please rate it, and I'm sorry if I've taken up too much of your time; I just wanted to make sure that I had all of my bases covered.
Conclusion:
That's it. It's all over, so feel free to continue doing what you were doing before now. I'd just like to thank everyone for reading this, and it was probably pretty cringe-worthy... Anyways, if you want to rate this team, I'm open to suggestions.:) I'm still planning to use this team, so by all means, suggest something!
Unfortunately, this is a fairly short conclusion, but I'd just like to keep this short and simple: Thanks to you for reading, and thanks to Smogon for the sprites. Credit also goes to Jabba for the idea of Scarf Jirachi from his RMT, which has worked very well. This is a really great site, and I'm proud to be here. This is goodbye for now, I'll try to learn more about competitive Pokémon by reading the articles on Smogon, and then I'll come back and make another RMT, hopefully one that doesn't involve endless rambling like this one, or just pointless things in general like this one. Again, I'm sorry if I've wasted your time, I just want help with my team.
Until then, I guess?
(p.s. I don't like Tool, the title just sounded pretty)
Overview:
Hello, and welcome to my first RMT. This was my most successful team on the ladder, peaking at ~1384 CRE. While still pretty bad, that was a big step forward for me, and I honestly think I'm becoming a better battler. However, this team has started to falter for a while. So I'd really like some suggestions on how to improve this team. The amount of time you would spend to give a rate would be greatly appreciated!
The basic "goal" I wanted to set for this team has been to use Skarmory and Blissey to set up entry hazards, and then send in Suicune to force switches, pushing more residual damage onto the opponent. I do realize that I did not execute the strategy as well as I could have, but that's where you guys come in. hopefully you'll help me fix the cracks in this team. So without further ado, I'll begin (this is a pretty long read, so break out your popcorn if you want to).
... No, wait. Actually, I have something else to say. I write my team in a slightly different format than you may be used to. Anyone who's played Netbattle should know what it is. The format for this team is very similar to Netbattle's [3rd gen battle simulator]. :) You'll see some minor changes in here from the Shoddy format, but of course you'll still know what I'm talking about. I'm still used to 3rd gen formatting. I typed this all by hand, by the way, even the movesets, so if something seems out of place, please tell me! So this time, we will begin without further interruption.
Apologies in advance if this thread has broken any rules. I checked over the rules thread, and I couldn't find any rules this thread was breaking. So please forgive me if I have broken any of them.
A Closer Look?
Jirachi (?) @ Choice Scarf ** Shooting Star
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+ Spd, - SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- Thunderpunch
zzz magnezone bait #1~!
Jirachi is actually a vital part of the team. Although it doesn't give me the ability to set up Stealth Rock turn one, Jirachi's mere presence is sometimes enough to lure out members of the opponent's team, such as Magnezone or Heatran, who will take most of Jirachi's attacks easily. In general, I will always switch out turn one, to make sure the opponent doesn't have Magnezone (unless there is something that I think I can beat). I typically swap in Jirachi on NVE moves, since we all know a Jirachi with very little investment in EVs cannot take repeated hits from some of the top threats in the metagame. It's my revenge killer, too. Jirachi is my only defense against Pokémon such as Tyranitar, Salamence, and Lucario (who will beat Rotom with Crunch).
Anyways, the moveset is pretty bog standard. Iron Head is a simply amazing move. 80 BP, STAB, and 60% chance of flinch are very nice things to have. Fire Punch allows me to defeat Scizor and Lucario easily if I am in a "last-pokemon set-up sweeper" situation. Ice Punch revenges +1 Salamence locked into Outrage, though if it is +Speed, then I may run into problems! Thunderpunch is for Gyarados, who I believe I have covered pretty well, since Rotom and Suicune stop it cold, but is more of an "insurance" than anything. I am considering Zen Headbutt over Thunderpunch to beat Infernape, since Rotom already beats Gyarados...
Generally, Jirachi will be in one turn, and out the next, since it's one of the frailest members of my team, and surprisingly it's one of the most important! I try to avoid swapping it in on neutral hits not named Hidden Power because its defenses aren't really strong enough to take repeated neutral hits. I'm also in constant fear of Magnezone switching in. Magnezone + Jirachi not locked into Fire Punch = ._.
Currently testing out a moveset of Trick/Ice Punch/U-Turn/Iron Head, suggested by Snorlaxe. It's been working well so far.
Skarmory (M) @ Shed Shell ** Great Tin Can
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 16 Spd / 24 SDef
Impish Nature (+ Def, - SAtk)
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Brave Bird
magnezone bait #2 - oh wait no.
The first half of my reisdual damage duo. Skarmory provides a more reliable physical Dragon-type resistance than Jirachi, and gives a lovely Dark-type resistance to suck up those nasty Crunches. Skarmory's role on this team is to set up Spikes for the team, and it does a good job of that, usually getting one or two layers up per game. Shed Shell is purely for the purpose of Magnezone, who traps and kills Skarmory like it's nothing. With Shed Shell, Magnezone looks very silly as it Thunderbolts Blissey for a small amount of damage. Also, with these EVs, Skarmory outspeeds standard CB Tar, and Roosts in its face when it tries to Stone Edge.
The moveset is simple. Spikes I have already mentioned before, but I guess it deserves another mention. Spikes deal damage whenever the opponent switches out, and can escalate to 25% if Skarmory manages to set up three layers of Spikes. Whirlwind allows me to answer to Baton Pass teams, and tacks on entry hazard damage, making it harder for Pokemon without recovery moves to come in. Roost heals 50% of Skarmory's health per turn, which is wonderful, since it keeps Skarmory kicking! Finally, Brave Bird is Skarmory's only way of dealing direct damage to the enemy. While Flying isn't quite the best STAB type in the game, just about anything without terrible attack stats would love a base 120 STAB move!
Blissey (F) @ Leftovers ** Aid in India
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 216 SDef
Calm Nature (+ SDef, - Atk)
- Softboiled
- Flamethrower
- Stealth Rock
- Seismic Toss
The second half of my residual damage duo. Blissey functions as my main special wall for this team, and my Stealth Rocker. Believeit or not, Blissey is a surprisingly good Stealth Rock user. She can switch into many special attacks with impunity, Stealth Rock, and recover off the damage with Softboiled. These are likely pretty bad for Blissey EVs, but I've used them, and I've had positive experiences with them. Anyone who wants to suggest better EVs, please tell me, and I'll test them out.:)
Now the moveset ^____________^ Seismic Toss is for hitting Pokemon like Suicune, Tyranitar, or even Raikou who Blissey can't touch otherwise. Sure, it won't OHKO, but it's nice to at least do something! Flamethrower is for smashing Steel-types (uhh, by "smashing", I mean 2HKOing at best!), and Stealth Rock and Softboiled have already been explained. I don't miss the Wish support one bit, by the way.
Blissey, along with Skarmory, were two Pokémon who I wanted on this team. Not only do they form a solid defensive backbone, but they form a decent duo to lay down entry hazards. Combine that with the fact that they take on the other's switch-ins fairly well, and you've actually got a decent defensive core! However, I usually don't rely on Blissey and Skarmory to take too many hits, and will avoid using them whenever possible, as they are very often defensless against their common switch-ins.
Blissey will almost never die, and I usually swap her in on special moves when Suicune or Latias are not healthy enough to take another attack. From there, I will usually Stealth Rock. If Blissey has already SR'd, and the other Pokémon has some 'kick' left in it, I'll switch into either Jirachi, Skarmory, or Latias, knowing the opponent will likely switch. This sometimes allows me to maintain an advantage in the game, and keeps tacking on residual damage. Blissey is probably one of the most annoying Pokémon in the metagame, due to the ability of it to continually force switches from Choiced special attacking Pokémon. It's a great Pokémon, really.
As for synergy, Fighting-type moves will usually go to toasty Rotom. If somehow toasty Rotom is dead, then Latias will take the majority of Fighting moves, along with Skarmory. Blissey sponges hits from Ghost-types, as Rotom and Latias don't particularly enjoy Shadow Balls, and as said before, Blissey will sponge some of the stronger special hits that other Pokémon on the team just can't take, like Specsjolt Thunderbolts and hits from LO Porygon-Z (though those are pretty rare these days right?).
Latias (F) @ Leftovers ** Neurosis
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 244 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spd
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Refresh
- Recover
- Dragon Pulse
this does nothing
No, but seriously. For some reason, Latias seems to be the weakest link to the team. It is almost never sent out, since I have Suicune to cover one of the Pokémon it would otherwise have no trouble switching into - Heatran. Since I'm very cautious about losing a Pokémon, I'll always switch Latias out to scout for switch-ins such as Scizor or Tyranitar. As a result, it really never comes in because of the huge problems it has with those two, who are extremely common. I'm really considering changing this slot, and I would welcome suggestions. However, no suggestions before you read this~
Latias was initially designed to be my secondary switch-in to Fighting-types, in the event that Rotom has fainted. So far, it hasn't done much. The EVs of Latias are designed to just avoid a 2HKO from Mr. Loomy Pants [Breloom], and iirc they outspeed Salamence... it was also supposed to be my secondary Fire resistance, but since Suicune does that job so well, I don't know what this does...
This moveset is standard, and in the analysis, although the EVs have been tweaked, likely for the worse. Dragon Pulse is to have an attacking move, and a move with STAB, too! Refresh so I don't get destroyed by Toxic ^_____^, and Recover is to heal off prior damage. Calm Mind is to boost Latias's special attack and defense. All in all, a pretty nice moveset. It's a shame Latias never comes out to play...
Latias was initially added onto the team because of the handy resistances it has to Fighting, Grass, Electric, and Fire, along with an immunity to Ground. Several of those types are quite common in OU play, so it is necessary to have a good switch-in to them. Latias, with 80 HP / 130 SDef, makes a wonderful switch-in to the majority of special moves in the metagame. Since most of the Dark-type attacks in OU are named Pursuit, I will usually switch right out to Skarmory or Suicune after coming in, to scout for switch-ins such as Scizor or Tyranitar...
Latias was the last Pokémon to be selected on this team. In the earliest version of this team, Scarf Tyranitar was put onto this team, to sponge Fire-type hits and give me a secondary revenge killer. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as well as I wanted it to. An extra Fire resistance was lovely, but Scarf Tyranitar suffered greatly from the fact that it didn't have much power at all. As a result, I chose a super-bulky Life Orb Salamence on a later version of this team. It was a Wish support Salamence, as well. Unfortunately, it didn't work out so well, either. It often was defeated too easily, and I never used Wish at all. So I put Latias onto this team. It's certainly been more helpful than Salamence or Tyranitar, but it hasn't been pulling its weight, and by the time I send it out, I almost always know if I'm going to win or lose. I would really like some help with this slot, please!
Currently testing Scizor in this slot. So far, he's been working excellently.
Rotom-H (?) @ Leftovers ** Toasty Rotom
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SDef
Bold Nature (+ Def, - Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
Yeah, I gave up on naming my Rotoms "Thunderstruck" and "Ghostbusters", so this will have to do.
STALK. That is one of Rotom's primary functions on this team. The second is to counter/check Gyarados, and the third is to provide me with a spin blocker. As you can see, Rotom does a lot of things for this team. It's probably the closest thing that I have to a "glue", since when Rotom goes down, things usually go nowhere but down for me. As said before Rotom provides me with an STalker (yes, that is intentional, and get used to me saying that in future RMTs :P), so I have something to take status.
In addition, Rotom provides a check to a various number of Pokemon, most notably Metagross. In the early game, it isn't hard to get Rotom in, thanks to its three immunities. Once in, Rotom will spam Will-O-Wisp, or Thunderbolt if I'm wary of Heatran coming in. In addition, I can bluff Overheat to scare away Steels, thanks to choosing the toasty Rotom. Rotom's EVs are pretty standard: they bulk up Rotom to sturdy levels, so it doesn't take much from a random Pursuit attack.
Rest and Sleep Talk give Rotom the combination of Resttalk/STalk (though I'm sure everyone calls it Resttalk these days, right?), allowing toasty Rotom to take status, have a form of recovery, and burn stuff in his sleep. Will-O-Wisp burns switch-ins like Tyranitar, who for some reason don't expect to get hit by Will-O-Wisp. ._. I am wary of enemy Heatran, though; perhaps too wary. Thunderbolt allows me to beat Sleep Talk Gyarados, and gives toasty Rotom a nice STAB move to attack with!
Rotom, along with Suicune, will swap into the Steel-type moves easily. In addition, the little toaster can switch into the majority of physical attacks which hit it for neutral damage, and force the enemy out. From there, I'll often spam Will-O-Wisp, though this has screwed me over more than once when an enemy Heatran rears its ugly head, and I am forced to switch to Blissey to avoid losing a Pokémon. Ghost attacks aren't often seen in OU, and the users of it are ridiculously predictable, so I will often go to Blissey from there. Dark-type moves are often in the form of Pursuit, so an opponent who uses a Dark-type move is likely going to get burned on the switch-in! If not, then toasty Rotom's screwed.:(
Suicune (?) Leftovers ** Animal Collective
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SDef
Bold Nature (+ Def, - Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Rest
- Toxic
Tempted to put an "Under Pressure" reference here, but I just couldn't do it.
Anyways, Suicune isn't really the star of the show as I planned it to be, but it does a very solid job at defeating Pokémon. Suicune basically puts Taunt-less Gyarados to a dead halt, and Rests off the damage done. In the beginning, Suicune was supposed to force its counters off the field with Toxic, Calm Mind, and Rest. And overall, I'd say it does a pretty good job at that. With Toxic, it even forces Blissey out sometimes. It stops some physical threats like Metagross and Mamoswine (to an extent! I can't come in on it), and even some threas that hit on the special end, like Heatran. Although Suicune is dangerous, there are many things that can stop it, such as Celebi and Specs Jolteon.
Calm Mind is not mandatory on Suicune, but quite a lot have it. It boosts Suicune's Special Attack to a somewhat respectable level at 324, and boosts that excellent special defense over 400. With a few CMs under its belt, Suicune becomes a monster, and is pretty hard to stop without Trick or Explosion. Surf is for STAB, and hits most Pokémon for neutral damage. Rest is for healing off damage and status, which helps a lot when trying to sweep with Suicune. Toxic is the central part of this set, and makes it slightly different from some Suicune. With Toxic, Suicune can take out some usual counters or checks to it. Besides Rest/Sleep Talk, Vaporeon has no way of dealing with poison, and Blissey is forced to switch. If the opponent doesn't have a PHazer, it could be difficult getting rid of Suicune!
Suicune is probably my all-purpose switch-in to Heatran and friends. It has a wonderful Special Defense stat, and that helps it to easily swap into Fire Blasts. I generally switch Suicune into Fire-type attacks, bullky waters, or Scizor's Bullet Punch. From there, it will usually wreak havoc on the opponent. Toxic neuters Vaporeon, and hurts Gyarados. The only Pokémon that really enjoy staying in will either be ones who can't be poisoned (Steels, Natural Cure), or those who can PHaze it while it is sleeping. This has been a really fun set, and although it hasn't worked as well as I would have liked it to, I must admit, it has been amazing.
Since Suicune was the Pokémon that I built this team around, it was obviously the first choice for this team. Suicune is a very, very good switch-in to other bulky waters (read: not named Starmie) and can cause trouble for an unprepared team. It's been my favorite Pokémon to play in this team, and I don't plan to get rid of it. However, if I have to get rid of Suicune, then I suppose I will. I guess that is it for the moveset!
Threat List - Ready, Go!
Apologies if this is inconvenient, but this threat list will be laid out in a slightly different way than most others. Instead of covering the offensive and defensive threats sepeartely, I will cover the top thirty used Pokémon from August of 2009, in additon to two others that I believe deserve mention. Admittedly, I was a little lazy with the bottom half... This top half pf this threat list is pretty accurate, though some of the lower numbered Pokémon I've never even fought. So, if you'd like, stick around for a little more?
1. Scizor - CB Scizor isn't particularly difficult to play around. SR and Spikes will hurt it, while it will only really enjoy switching in on Latias or a sleeping Suicune. SD + Roost versions are somewhat hard to play around. Rotom will come in an burn it, while Jirachi Fire Punches. All in all, between Skarmory, Jirachi, and Rotom, it's not a big deal.
2. Salamence - DD Salamence beating this team all comes down to a speed tie. If Jirachi wins, it's of no threat. If Jirachi loses, then I'm screwed. Mix Salamence is outsped and killed by Latias. No one uses Specs Salamence anymore. :(
3. Heatran - Scarf Heatran and Sub Heatran are stopped by Suicune. Specs Heatran can be tricky, but is walled by Blissey/Latias. Magma Storm (lol) versions could actually be difficult to deal with. They trap one of my mons, blow up, and the entire team will fall from there to high-powered special attackers.
4. Gyarados - Gyarados can't really do much against this team. Toxic Suicune stops those without Rest or Taunt from doing too much damage. Rotom checks most of them easily, too! If all else fails, Jirachi can revenge it, and Skarmory can PHaze it out.
- Rotom-A - This is very annoying. Electric and Ghost-type moves stop everything on my team, bar Blissey. Thunderbolt isn't particularly fun for Suicune to set up with, either. If it doesn't have Shadow Ball, however, Latias will stop it easily.
5. Latias - Again, an annoying Pokémon to take down. Usually, I'll have to rely on Jirachi's Ice Punch, or attempt to stall it with Blissey. Defensive ones are usually stalled by Jirachi.
6. Tyranitar - Oh, this is a nightmare. I have no safe switchin to the CB variants, and DD versions win against my team if Jirachi doesn't flinch it! Mix versions without Thunderbolt are handled without much difficulty by Suicune, and defensive versions can't do much to Suicune, either.
7. Metagross - Mixed versions are a problem. However, I haven't had a mixed Metagross used against me in the entire duration of the fourth generation. Offensive ones without Thunderpunch are set up on by Skarmory, and offensive Metagross without Pursuit are set up on by Suicune, or neutered by Rotom. I have to be wary of Explosion, though, as a wrong switch could mean disaster.
8. Lucario - My only defense against SD ones are Jirachi. Luckily, Jirachi has been alive against every SD Lucario I've played against. Mix ones will hurt me, since I can't switch into it at all. Specs Luke is dealt with between Blissey, Latias, and Jirachi.
9. Infernape - This is most likely the biggest problem for this team. Suicune doesn't like LO Grass Knots or Thunderpunches, and Jirachi can only hit for neutral damage with Thunderpunch. ...Wait, I don't have Mence on this team anymore, so it's not as big of a problem as I have led you to believe. Latias deals with it very well.
10. Jirachi - Now that Infernape is easily dealt with, this is probably the biggest problem for the team, most notably SubCM ones. For this reason alone, I'm considering using Roar on Latias over Refresh. Still doesn't deal with it late-game, though.:/ Physical versions are handled by toasty Rotom without much of an issue...
11. Gengar - Scarf versions are dealt with without much of a problem. SubPunch Gar or LOBoomGar are problems for this team, in my opinion, as they will usually sub when Blissey switches in... I usually have to predict/guess and bring Jirachi in, hoping to kil it.
12. Swampert - Swampert, unless it is choiced or has multiple curses under its belt, cannot touch Suicune. Suicune cripples Swampert afterwards with Toxic. Curse/Rest/Sleep Talk/Move versions are beaten by either Suicune or Latias. Not a threat at all.
13. Blissey - Ugh. Blissey creates problems for this team, since Salamence is gone. Suicune combined with Latias and Blissey can PP stall it without much of an issue, but man this thing is hard to get past without consecutive Iron Head flinches.
14. Azelf - Hmm. Suicide leads don't cause too many problems. Switch to Mr. Tomtom to scout for boom/Magnezone. The wrong switch could end in disaster, though. NP ones don't get through Blissey easily, and even if they do manage to, Jirachi revenge kills it. Trickscarf Azelf scares this team, since Flamethrower deals with Jirachi easily, and Trick will ruin one of my other Pokémon. Overall, not too threatening.
15. Starmie - Rapid Spin ones without Hydro Pump can't crack toasty Rotom, and ones without Rapid Spin are stalled by Blissey, or Thunderpunched by Jirachi.
16. Rotom-h - See Rotom-A.
17. Gliscor - Gliscor switches out of Suicune, or it dies, to put it simply. LO SD Gliscor was threatening to me when I was against it, so I suppose it could be troublesome if Suicune is sleeping / at <60%.
18. Vaporeon - Toxic means that if it doesn't have Roar, it loses one-on-one against Suicune. Without Ice Beam, it won't do much to Latias, either. Overall, it's not a threat.
19. Magnezone - Ugh, this UFO is annoying. It zaps Jirachi into oblivion, and stops Suicune from setting up. Fortunately, it won't touch Latias without Explosion, but it's still very annoying.
20. Zapdos - This world needs more Zapdos love. I'm weak to MS Dos, although I suppose all teams are weak to a monster like that... anyways, more defensive versions are not going to scratch Latias, and offensive versions don't enjoy Latias much, either.
21. Machamp - Is there really a counter to Machamp? Generally, I'll go to Rotom for the Fighting-type immunity, though he isn't fond of SE 100 BP moves! Machamp can only really be killed by WOW / Suicune Toxics on this team. If it doesn't get either one, it's pretty much gg, since I can't really stop it otherwise.
22. Kingdra - I've never fought a Kingdra before, so I'll have to guess what happens here.
* It would not be fun at all, though sometimes I could get around it depending on the set. Once the rain is gone, Latias can come in on non-boosted Kingdra and Dragon Pulse it. Substitute Kingdra in rain is very capable of sweeping the team entirely, though. Thankfully, I've never fought one! Kingdra without Substitute will get hit by Toxic, and from there, it's only a matter of time until it goes down.
23. Breloom - Probably one of the most annoying 'mons in the game. Send in Rotom to take the sleep, and from there, Latias should wall it. In theory, it shouldn't be so bad. However, Latias is almost never alive by the time Breloom is revealed.:|
24. Skarmory - It's scared lifeless by Rotom, so it is not much of an issue in itself. However, there are plenty of spaces in which the opponent can set up spikes. Spikes plus Whirlwind usually equates to large amounts of damage for my team!
25. Bronzomg - Bronzomg never has much fun with this team. It lacks recovery, and as a result, it gets worn down quickly by Blissey/Suicune/Jirachi, who either have super-effective moves on it, or can set up.
26. Celebi - Celebi isn't much of a problem for this team. The only problem I have with it is when Latias is down, since it can basically stall my entire team out between Leech Seed, Grass Knot, Earth Power, and Recover. With Earth Power, it decimates Jirachi, who can't even 2HKO with Ice Punch/Fire Punch. Unfortunately, I often find myself in this position. Can often be annoying...
27. Flygon - Flygon isn't a threat for this team. Without Fire Blast (and btw I haven't seen one use Fire Blast on me yet), it does very little to Skarmory aside from CB Fire Punches/Thunderpunches, which Skarm doesn't enjoy. It's been of no real threat, so far.
28. Suicune - Latias will CM up with it. If it doesn't have Ice Beam, Latias will often win.
29. Jolteon - Jolteon doesn't really do much to this team, unless Blissey is dead. If Blissey is dead, I have to switch between Rotom/Latias.
30. Empoleon - Hmm. If Blissey is at low health and/or Toxic Spikes are down, it's going to sweep my team. If TSpikes aren't down, Blissey will take on SubPetaya ones, and Rotom will beat physical Empoleon iirc. Dangerous Pokémon, though, seriously.
36. Mamoswine - To my knowledge, they don't run Ice Fang anymore. That's wonderful, too, since CB Mamo has its way with this team if I can't predict correctly. The only safe switch-in that I have is Skarm, and e doesn't really enjoy swapping in on anything but Earthquakes.
37. Snorlax - snolacks is annoying, i'd imagine, as are most mons for this team. I've never actually faced one, but I'd imagine that last Pokémon Curse versions will beat me without much difficulty bar Suicune still being in with at least +3 SAtk so that I can set up on it. I've never fought it, but it wouldn't be fun to play against.
Team Building Process:
Well, many teams have a team building process, so I may as well throw one in.:) Skip if you don't want to see this. Anyways, I wanted to make a team centered around Suicune, as it's one of my favorite Pokémon. I wanted to allow Suicune to use Toxic to hit some of its normal counters (Vaporeon, for example). As you can see, I didn't carry this out very well! Anyways, we have Suicune here.
Anyways, since this Suicune forces a lot of switches, I need something to take advantage of these switches. Instantly I thought of residual damage. Spikes and Stealth Rock allow me to easily take advantage of Suicune's ability to force switches. I thought of both Blissey and Skarmory for Stealth Rock and Spikes, respectively. Skarmory and Blissey give me a decent defensive core, and can force switches to easily set up their entry hazards. So why not?
This team still is pretty powerless against a number of things, including (Taunt!) Gyarados, Metagross, and Scizor. Most importantly, for a team which seems to be based off of stall, it has no spin blocker. As a result, I went for the obvious choice: Rotom! Rotom is a spin blocker, and checks Scizor and Metagross. It is also a nice answer to physical Jirachi. In addition, it can both take status and burn enemies. Rotom it is!
With the addition of Rotom to the team, this team looks pretty solid. However, I don't have an answer to Salamence or Lucario (Lucario will beat Rotom with a +2 Crunch). After reading JabbaTheGriffin's thread in the RMT Archive, the idea of Choice Scarf Jirachi appealed to me. It provided a revenge answer to Salamence, DD Tyranitar, and SD Lucario, and taking all of these things into consideration, I thought that it could make a great addition to my team. As a result, Jirachi was placed onto the team.
The first five spots on this team were always stable. The sixth and final slot was not. I decided that I needed something that could sponge Fire hits if Suicune went down, and I wanted a secondary revenge killer, so I used Choice Scarf Tyranitar. It seemed like a good addition for some reason, and I ignored my Fighting-type weakness!
Tyranitar, while not terrible, was very lacking in what it did. The coverage it provided was pretty silly, and since I was running Naive (don't ask), I missed the extra power that +Attack natures gave me. So if something doesn't work, you replace it. I did that with Tyranitar. I replaced it with a bulky LO Salamence with Wish/Protect/Outrage/Earthquake.
Salamence was not terrible in this final slot. In fact, it held its own with many dangerous 'mons like Infernaoe and Lucario. However, like Tyranitar, it did not pull its weight as much as the other five did. Outrage would often give a free set-up turn for the enemy, and that spelled death for me in the form of a 'gg'. As a result, I chose a Calm Mind/Refresh Latias. It, along with Suicune could provide some insurance against many top threats, like Salamence and Heatran. ... Or so I thought. The truth is, Latias really hasn't done anything for me!
So, erm... that's the team. Please rate it, and I'm sorry if I've taken up too much of your time; I just wanted to make sure that I had all of my bases covered.
Conclusion:
That's it. It's all over, so feel free to continue doing what you were doing before now. I'd just like to thank everyone for reading this, and it was probably pretty cringe-worthy... Anyways, if you want to rate this team, I'm open to suggestions.:) I'm still planning to use this team, so by all means, suggest something!
Unfortunately, this is a fairly short conclusion, but I'd just like to keep this short and simple: Thanks to you for reading, and thanks to Smogon for the sprites. Credit also goes to Jabba for the idea of Scarf Jirachi from his RMT, which has worked very well. This is a really great site, and I'm proud to be here. This is goodbye for now, I'll try to learn more about competitive Pokémon by reading the articles on Smogon, and then I'll come back and make another RMT, hopefully one that doesn't involve endless rambling like this one, or just pointless things in general like this one. Again, I'm sorry if I've wasted your time, I just want help with my team.
Until then, I guess?
(p.s. I don't like Tool, the title just sounded pretty)
