Yeah, it's been a long time since I've been active and such, but now that school is over I've been playing more. I've been doing mostly suspect, and this is the second team I have used on the ladder. Personally I've thought Salamence was tough to deal with, but never impossible, but this metagame I do find more enjoyable without that thing to worry about. But anyways, the RMT.
When making this team, I really wanted to try out MixNite, which was constantly hailed as the new Salamence:
But I'll be honest, Anti-Lead Machamp, LeadTran, and SubRoost Zapdos were all things I always wanted to put on a team, so I stuck them all on the team. Gengar and Empoleon round out my resistances, as well as providing more offense.
Unfortunately after some playing, Dragonite ended up being dead weight so I went with the other other other dragon:
So here is the team:
Machamp (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP/200 Atk/40 Spd/16 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dynamicpunch
- Bullet Punch
- Payback
- Stone Edge
Anti-Lead Machamp is a pain in the neck. Again, that's why I've wanted to try it out, also partially because I wanted to experiment with anti-leads instead of leads. Without Salamence, there is not as pressing a need for Stealth Rock. Anyways, Machamp can always get me off to a great start, since it is just too annoying. Dynamicpunch is its STAB, as No Guard+100% confusion+100 BP is just too good. Payback rounds it out for near perfect coverage. Stone Edge provides coverage against Gyarados, while Bullet Punch serves as priority to take out Sashes. With the given EV's it can always survive Timid Azelf's Psychic (And therefore basically everything on the special spectrum, except maybe Alakazam's Psychic) and KO with Payback+Bullet Punch. The speed is used to outrun random things, like Blissey and most Leadpert.
But this is how I deal with the Top 10 Leads:
The ones I Dynamicpunch: Aerodactyl, Swampert, Metagross, Machamp, Infernape, Tyranitar, Heatran, Roserade.
Azelf takes a Payback.
Against Jirachi I switch to:
Heatran (M) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
I've also wanted to try out Leadtran, for many reasons. First, it is so hard to OHKO with a Shuca Berry. Second, I needed a good fire resist (and it also had the plethora of other resistances). Third, as Issue #9 of the Smog pointed out, it has great synergy with Machamp, being able to switch on many many things that Machamp does not like.
This Heatran functions a lot like a sweeper once Stealth Rock is set up, which is not hard given all the switches Heatran causes. Fire Blast is its STAB, chosen over Flamethrower for more power, and because Heatran usually ends up dying early anyways. Earth Power is obligatory to hit other Heatran, and Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock. Explosion handles Blissey very well, as well as serving as immediate coverage against threats like Gyarados or Dragonite. The EVs are standard for Heatran, allowing it to sweep once it has set up Stealth Rock.
Dragonite (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 56 Atk/200 Spd/252 SAtk
Rash nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Superpower
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Roost
Salamence is close to being on the banlist because of its ability to break walls, which is very formidable. I personally used Mixmence during Garchomp testing because it was just irreplaceable. However, since I cannot use Salamence Dragonite is here.
I chose the MixNite set to emulate the power of MixMence, except with one difference: Superpower. With Draco Meteor and Superpower, it has perfect neutral coverage, combined with Life Orb which makes it a powerhouse. Flamethrower rounds it out by offering even better coverage, and Roost allows for longevity, Dragonite's main advantage over Salamence.
Unfortunately and maybe ironically, I am finding Dragonite to be somewhat dead weight. His lack of speed as compared to Salamence is disappointing, and with a -SDef nature, he is not turning out to be nearly as bulky as Dragonite can be. Right now I am debating using HP Fighting Jolteon to help with my Jolteon and DDTar weakness.
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Thunderpunch
As recommended by Flashstorm1, I made Dragonite into a Scarf Flygon. It provides many things that Dragonite did, and even some more. It kept the Ground immunity and several other resistances, but now I have a more reliable revenge killer. It also patches up my Jolteon weakness, being able to switch into Specs Thunderbolts. Unfortunately it does not have the raw power of Dragonite, though it is made up for.
Flygon's moveset is standard. Earthquake is its primary STAB, hitting the annoying Jolteon super effectively. Outrage is Flygon's strongest move. U-turn scouts, and Thunderpunch is to retain the ability to revenge kill Gyarados that the removal of Rotom lost.
I chose Adamant because I do not have to worry about DDMence or Scarf Jirachi, and to retain as much power on this set as possible.
Rotom-h @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Trick
- Will-o-wisp
This is my favorite version of Scarf-Rotom. Will-o-Wisp looks odd on a scarf set, but it actually has quite good use. It is great for nailing Tyranitar who switch into what they think is a Thunderbolt meant for Gyarados. Not to mention if it hits the +1 Gyarados it's hardly the worst thing in the world. Also, once my scarf is Tricked away no Tyranitar expects to be burned.
Basically, I needed a revenge killer, and I had between Scarf Jirachi and Scarf Rotom to choose between. Jirachi I would have chosen in many other situations but some things made Rotom the preferable choice. It has more immunities, as well as moves with more raw power. Jirachi had speed, but the only thing it's particularly capable of revenging that Rotom cannot is Salamence, who isn't around anyways. So I chose Rotom.
Thunderbolt is its most reliable STAB move, and handles the critical Gyarados. Then it was between Overheat and Shadow Ball. I found Overheat more useful because it handles Lucario and other Steels (which I havn't actually seen much of). I might switch it for Shadow Ball to hit Jolteon and other Rotom.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split
- Focus Blast
Gengar was also recommended by Flashstorm1, and I feel is addition was a good one. When choosing Gengar sets, I particularly wanted one that could still beat Blissey, so I could choose between the Focus Puncher, or the SubSplit set. I'm not particularly a fan of Focus Punch's unreliability, plus that there is reduced need for HP Fire due to the relative lack of Scizor, so I picked the SubSplit set.
Along with Zapdos, Gengar forms a pretty solid stalling core, while still maintaining offense (oxymoron)? Again, I chose this set due to its ability to deal with Blissey. Other moves that could be used over Substitute and Pain Split are not as necessary in the suspect metagame, like the aforementioned HP Fire. HP Ice is not needed due to the absence of Salamence. I have ways of dealing with Gyarados and Suicune, so I don't need Thunderbolt.
Substitute is to scout switches and protect Gengar from attacks, while Pain Split both heals Gengar and does damage. Both the healing and damage are significant given that Gengar is constantly sucking HP with Substitute and Life Orb. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast form perfect coverage.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP/44 Def/216 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Toxic
I've used SubRoost Zapdos on teams past, and it is just plain amazing. Between all the bulky waters that like to switch into my other team members, it is so easy to get a Substitute up. With Toxic and a little prediction, Zapdos can beat Blissey 1-on-1. It also puts things such as Flygon into an odd situation, forcing it to Outrage or Stone Edge to break the Substitute. Thunderbolt is a great STAB move that can dent most things that don't resist it.
The EVs were chosen to make it fast, beating Gliscor so I can stall it out of Stone Edge or Toxic it before it Taunts. HP provides bulk.
It also pulled me out of a 1-3 situation by stalling SpecsLuke out of HP Ice... which was great.
Empoleon (M) @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 12 HP/12 Def/232 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Agility
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Empoleon was actually the last member of the team chosen, but in reality he has turned out to be quite the star of the show. This is because of his ability to pull out so many last minute sweeps, through sub-sub-sub and sweep. I also find him incredibly easy to set up.
When picking the last member of the team chosen, there were several things I was looking for. First I wanted to complete the coverage throughout my entire team: I was missing a water type. I was missing a water move and an ice move. I was also lacking a Steel type that would last late into the game, and absolutely nothing looked too much like a sweeper. Hence Empoleon. The convenient thing was how much my team looked like it was made to take out Blissey. Machamp has Dynamicpunch, Heatran has Explosion, Flygon, though weak, is physically based, SubSplit Gengar was made to take on Blissey, and Zapdos has Pressure Stall. It actually worked out very very well.
I've implemented Flashstorm1's suggestions, which have both worked. Right now, I am at #30, with ~1500 CRE. My record is probably something like 50-5.
So that's the team, enjoy =).
When making this team, I really wanted to try out MixNite, which was constantly hailed as the new Salamence:
But I'll be honest, Anti-Lead Machamp, LeadTran, and SubRoost Zapdos were all things I always wanted to put on a team, so I stuck them all on the team. Gengar and Empoleon round out my resistances, as well as providing more offense.
Unfortunately after some playing, Dragonite ended up being dead weight so I went with the other other other dragon:
So here is the team:
Machamp (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP/200 Atk/40 Spd/16 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dynamicpunch
- Bullet Punch
- Payback
- Stone Edge
Anti-Lead Machamp is a pain in the neck. Again, that's why I've wanted to try it out, also partially because I wanted to experiment with anti-leads instead of leads. Without Salamence, there is not as pressing a need for Stealth Rock. Anyways, Machamp can always get me off to a great start, since it is just too annoying. Dynamicpunch is its STAB, as No Guard+100% confusion+100 BP is just too good. Payback rounds it out for near perfect coverage. Stone Edge provides coverage against Gyarados, while Bullet Punch serves as priority to take out Sashes. With the given EV's it can always survive Timid Azelf's Psychic (And therefore basically everything on the special spectrum, except maybe Alakazam's Psychic) and KO with Payback+Bullet Punch. The speed is used to outrun random things, like Blissey and most Leadpert.
But this is how I deal with the Top 10 Leads:
The ones I Dynamicpunch: Aerodactyl, Swampert, Metagross, Machamp, Infernape, Tyranitar, Heatran, Roserade.
Azelf takes a Payback.
Against Jirachi I switch to:
Heatran (M) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
I've also wanted to try out Leadtran, for many reasons. First, it is so hard to OHKO with a Shuca Berry. Second, I needed a good fire resist (and it also had the plethora of other resistances). Third, as Issue #9 of the Smog pointed out, it has great synergy with Machamp, being able to switch on many many things that Machamp does not like.
This Heatran functions a lot like a sweeper once Stealth Rock is set up, which is not hard given all the switches Heatran causes. Fire Blast is its STAB, chosen over Flamethrower for more power, and because Heatran usually ends up dying early anyways. Earth Power is obligatory to hit other Heatran, and Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock. Explosion handles Blissey very well, as well as serving as immediate coverage against threats like Gyarados or Dragonite. The EVs are standard for Heatran, allowing it to sweep once it has set up Stealth Rock.
Dragonite (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 56 Atk/200 Spd/252 SAtk
Rash nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Superpower
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Roost
Salamence is close to being on the banlist because of its ability to break walls, which is very formidable. I personally used Mixmence during Garchomp testing because it was just irreplaceable. However, since I cannot use Salamence Dragonite is here.
I chose the MixNite set to emulate the power of MixMence, except with one difference: Superpower. With Draco Meteor and Superpower, it has perfect neutral coverage, combined with Life Orb which makes it a powerhouse. Flamethrower rounds it out by offering even better coverage, and Roost allows for longevity, Dragonite's main advantage over Salamence.
Unfortunately and maybe ironically, I am finding Dragonite to be somewhat dead weight. His lack of speed as compared to Salamence is disappointing, and with a -SDef nature, he is not turning out to be nearly as bulky as Dragonite can be. Right now I am debating using HP Fighting Jolteon to help with my Jolteon and DDTar weakness.
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Thunderpunch
As recommended by Flashstorm1, I made Dragonite into a Scarf Flygon. It provides many things that Dragonite did, and even some more. It kept the Ground immunity and several other resistances, but now I have a more reliable revenge killer. It also patches up my Jolteon weakness, being able to switch into Specs Thunderbolts. Unfortunately it does not have the raw power of Dragonite, though it is made up for.
Flygon's moveset is standard. Earthquake is its primary STAB, hitting the annoying Jolteon super effectively. Outrage is Flygon's strongest move. U-turn scouts, and Thunderpunch is to retain the ability to revenge kill Gyarados that the removal of Rotom lost.
I chose Adamant because I do not have to worry about DDMence or Scarf Jirachi, and to retain as much power on this set as possible.
Rotom-h @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Trick
- Will-o-wisp
This is my favorite version of Scarf-Rotom. Will-o-Wisp looks odd on a scarf set, but it actually has quite good use. It is great for nailing Tyranitar who switch into what they think is a Thunderbolt meant for Gyarados. Not to mention if it hits the +1 Gyarados it's hardly the worst thing in the world. Also, once my scarf is Tricked away no Tyranitar expects to be burned.
Basically, I needed a revenge killer, and I had between Scarf Jirachi and Scarf Rotom to choose between. Jirachi I would have chosen in many other situations but some things made Rotom the preferable choice. It has more immunities, as well as moves with more raw power. Jirachi had speed, but the only thing it's particularly capable of revenging that Rotom cannot is Salamence, who isn't around anyways. So I chose Rotom.
Thunderbolt is its most reliable STAB move, and handles the critical Gyarados. Then it was between Overheat and Shadow Ball. I found Overheat more useful because it handles Lucario and other Steels (which I havn't actually seen much of). I might switch it for Shadow Ball to hit Jolteon and other Rotom.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split
- Focus Blast
Gengar was also recommended by Flashstorm1, and I feel is addition was a good one. When choosing Gengar sets, I particularly wanted one that could still beat Blissey, so I could choose between the Focus Puncher, or the SubSplit set. I'm not particularly a fan of Focus Punch's unreliability, plus that there is reduced need for HP Fire due to the relative lack of Scizor, so I picked the SubSplit set.
Along with Zapdos, Gengar forms a pretty solid stalling core, while still maintaining offense (oxymoron)? Again, I chose this set due to its ability to deal with Blissey. Other moves that could be used over Substitute and Pain Split are not as necessary in the suspect metagame, like the aforementioned HP Fire. HP Ice is not needed due to the absence of Salamence. I have ways of dealing with Gyarados and Suicune, so I don't need Thunderbolt.
Substitute is to scout switches and protect Gengar from attacks, while Pain Split both heals Gengar and does damage. Both the healing and damage are significant given that Gengar is constantly sucking HP with Substitute and Life Orb. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast form perfect coverage.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP/44 Def/216 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Toxic
I've used SubRoost Zapdos on teams past, and it is just plain amazing. Between all the bulky waters that like to switch into my other team members, it is so easy to get a Substitute up. With Toxic and a little prediction, Zapdos can beat Blissey 1-on-1. It also puts things such as Flygon into an odd situation, forcing it to Outrage or Stone Edge to break the Substitute. Thunderbolt is a great STAB move that can dent most things that don't resist it.
The EVs were chosen to make it fast, beating Gliscor so I can stall it out of Stone Edge or Toxic it before it Taunts. HP provides bulk.
It also pulled me out of a 1-3 situation by stalling SpecsLuke out of HP Ice... which was great.
Empoleon (M) @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 12 HP/12 Def/232 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Agility
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Empoleon was actually the last member of the team chosen, but in reality he has turned out to be quite the star of the show. This is because of his ability to pull out so many last minute sweeps, through sub-sub-sub and sweep. I also find him incredibly easy to set up.
When picking the last member of the team chosen, there were several things I was looking for. First I wanted to complete the coverage throughout my entire team: I was missing a water type. I was missing a water move and an ice move. I was also lacking a Steel type that would last late into the game, and absolutely nothing looked too much like a sweeper. Hence Empoleon. The convenient thing was how much my team looked like it was made to take out Blissey. Machamp has Dynamicpunch, Heatran has Explosion, Flygon, though weak, is physically based, SubSplit Gengar was made to take on Blissey, and Zapdos has Pressure Stall. It actually worked out very very well.
So that's the team. There are some issues with it though, one of which is Jolteon. I only have one Electric resist, and a poor one at that since it has no recovery and takes significant damage switching into Thunderbolt. Not to mention Overheat can't reliably kill it.
DDTar is also a problem, right now my only solution is to burn it.
Both these problems could be solved by making MixNite a Jolteon. I have enough ground immunities so I can lose Dragonite's.
Finally, the team is overall quite slow. It's not too much of a problem since the members are pretty bulky, but theres absolutely nothing between 246 and 318 speed.
Overall I've had good success with this team, though I've basically stopped at a bit over 1400.
DDTar is also a problem, right now my only solution is to burn it.
Both these problems could be solved by making MixNite a Jolteon. I have enough ground immunities so I can lose Dragonite's.
Finally, the team is overall quite slow. It's not too much of a problem since the members are pretty bulky, but theres absolutely nothing between 246 and 318 speed.
Overall I've had good success with this team, though I've basically stopped at a bit over 1400.
I've implemented Flashstorm1's suggestions, which have both worked. Right now, I am at #30, with ~1500 CRE. My record is probably something like 50-5.
So that's the team, enjoy =).
