Eye of the Fire Storm
Recently I got sick and tired of todays metagame, as well as the way I had been playing. Every team I'd face would be almost the exact same, varying 2 or 3 pokes at most. They were all weather teams. The best way to combat weather is with your own weather. I decided to change things up from my previous teams and make a sun team because it was the least used of weathers and therefore best for combatting them, as well as the least combatted. I didn't know much about sun teams so I read some RMTs of the more succesful sun teams, which lead me to create this team. This team has been about equally succesful as my other teams peaking at 165, a little less than average for me. Please feel free to post suggestions, that's really the reason I'm putting this out here. I'd really like to be able to get voting rights with this team, and I feel it's really close to being there. Changes will be in Bold Italics.
Team Building Process
After I read Katakiri's RMT with the intentions of making a sun team, I really wanted to use his Lilligant set. Ninetales was obviously included because this is a sun team and is obligatory. I decided to bring Snorlax along because of the great synergy it has with Lilligant, and I've never used it before and I wanted to try something new with this team.
I've always wanted to use Dragonite on a sun team. Having Dragon and Fire STABs makes it incredibly hard to stop. With his addition and this being a sun team, I desperately needed a spinner. I also wanted stealth rock support. Donphan fit the bill very well and has been doing great.
Lots of other mons we're tried in this spot, and frankly, I can't even remember what they were because they were all here for a very short time. Volcarona works great in this last spot, now that it has rapid spin support and is under the sun.
The Team
In Depth Look
White Wolfos (Ninetales) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 216 SAtk / 76 SDef / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
This set is meant to beat Tyranitar on the switch in. Will-O-Wisp makes Tyranitar almost no threat to Ninetales. Hidden Power [Ground] hits Heatran for a decent amount on the switch in. Ninetales really doesn't do much for this team aside from Drought. Really not much more to say other than I protect it as much as possible in a weather war, and when sun's up it takes on Excadrill just fine. If anyone knows of a way to make Ninetales more useful to the team please let me know. Overheat is being used over flamethrower because it nabs some important OHKO's such as Gliscor.
Synergy
Kalle Demos (Lilligant) (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 64 HP / 252 SAtk / 192 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
I don't even know where to start with Llligant. This team wouldn't function half as well without her. With Life Orb Lilligant reaches a special attack stat of 499 and can fire off extremely powerful Leaf Storms. Sleep Powder has saved me so many times to stop sweepers dead in their tracks. Under the sun Lilligant reaches 556 speed and can sleep most sweepers who have already set up. Hidden Power [Rock] has great coverage with Leaf Storm and can finish off many important 2HKOs even at -2 SpA. The most important move on this set though, is easily Healing Wish. The ability to give Volcarona or Dragonite another chance at sweepings is invaluable. Most of their sweeps are stopped by a status. After being bruised and battered, almost KO'd late in the game, Lilligant (who will also most likely be severly weakened) can sacrifice herself and get Dragonite or Volcarona back in the fight. Now late in the game, after already having stopped them once, the opponet now has to deal with it again. Lilligant is most likely the MVP of this team.
Synergy
Biggoron (Snorlax) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
After reading Katakiri's RMT, I really liked the Snorlax + Lilligant combo. The synergy this two share is amazing. Basicy everything that likes to switch in to Lilligant really does not want to deal with Snorlax. Snorlax's great special bulk tends to make special attacks switch out, allowing him to hit hard on the switch. With choice band his attack reaches a whopping 525. Return OHKO's any non-bulky mon that doesn't resist it. Pursuit traps Latios and Gengar and does a fair amount to Jellicent. Skarmory loves to switch in to Snorlax for some reason, and with some prediction I can OHKO with Fire Punch. This goes for Ferrothorn as well. Superpower was placed over Katakiri's set to deal with Blissey and Chansey, as well as the ability changed to Immunity to prevent it getting Toxic'd. Superpower also can hit Balloon Heatran on the switch in. Even with it though, Heatran is a huge thorn in this teams side. Snorlax really requires a lot of prediction to be effective. Later on, I decided to change Immunity to Thick Fat to help fend off Heatran, and add a needed Ice-Type special sponge to work in conjunction with Dragonite.
Synergy
Valoo (Dragonite) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
Does this thing look like it's on steriods? Well it should, because it is. Under the sun this monster doesn't have to worry about sandstorm breaking it's multi-scale, allowing him to run Lum Berry over Lefties. Having Rapid Spin support also helps to keep his Multi-Scale intact. With his increidble bulk and access to the moves Dragon Dance and Roost, he has a very easy time setting up on non-status inducing walls and offensive pokes. That is one of his biggest problems though, even with Lum Berry. Status is almost always the thing that stops him from sweeping entire teams. Under the sun, Fire Punch gets a STAB and offers amazing coverage with Outrage, being able to tear through steels. The only OU mon that walls him (type wise) is Heatran. Also, with Lilligant's Healing Wish, Dragonite can switch in (and as long as he's not KO'd by them) to Stealth Rocks and then have his Multi-Scale restored. Lately though he has been the most unproductive member of the team and most open for replacement.
Synergy
Dongorongo (Donphan) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk/ 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
Donphan is as equally important to holding this team together as Lilligant is, in a differnt way. Donphan controls the Stealth Rock game for my team. Thanks to Sturdy and his Ground typing, Donphan can more than reliably set up Stealth Rocks for my team. He has some trouble 2HKO Espeon on the switch in with EQ, so I am considering more attack EV's. The Rapid Spin support he provides for my team is invaluable, and I find it much harder to win when I mess up and don't let him do his job. Removing Stealth Rocks greatly improves Ninetails longevity and effectiveness at winning weather wars, keeps Dragonite's Multi-Scale intact, and prevents Volcarona from getting shafted by rocks. He also provides a much needed rock resistance for my team. Donphan is a very underrated mon and I'm glad I gave him a try.
Synergy
Gohma (Volcarona) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
The picture should pretty much sum it up. Volcarona is a complete monster under the sun and is a very, very potent early game sweeper if it can get enoughs boosts off. With my weather up, Morning Sun allows Volcarona to recover 2/3 of it's HP. If you've ever used a CM + Recover Reuniclus, this is basicly it, on steroids. It's two STABs don't offer the best of coverage. Under the sun, Fiery Dance is incredibly powerful and can power through most walls unless it's Heatran or Blissey. Once again, Heatran keeps rearing it's ugly head. I'm considering a bit more speed so that after one boost it can reach 372 speed, but that would at the same time make it harder to set up.
Synergy
Threats
You guessed it, Heatran. Even though I have 3 mons capable of taking on Heatran, it is a huge pain in this teams side and would really like some suggestions on how to deal with it. Aside from Heatran, Blissey and Chansey have been causing this team serious problems. Thanks to Natural Cure, I can't just sleep them with Lilligant like I do to walls that could cause me problems. Any suggestions that could help me deal with these two and my somewhat lacking type synergy would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!
