I have recently lost access to ShoddyBattle and have been unable to ladder as I always have (that stupid "Unable to Launch Application sign is driving me insane!). Anyway, while I am working to get Shoddy back up and running, I decided to get some viable teams together so I can come back to Shoddy with a solid team. That is where you guys come in. I have theorymoned for weeks now and have come to a team that I think is a real winner. I am presenting this RMT so you can fix the errors that will hold it back in matches. The difference is, I hope you will steal this team. Yes, steal it. I cannot play-test this team as I wish I could so I hope some members of Smogon can play test to give ideas on how to perfect the team straight from the field of battle.
Note: While no team can counter everything, a team that has a solid stop to the most overused threats is one that
is hard to stop, so I have crafted a defensively-based team. The team implements the classic CeleTran defensive combination and also the more offensive Zapdos/Machamp duo to keep the opponets on its toes. The team's objective is not to rip a massive hole with high powered sweepers but to use my heatran and team support to gain an endgame sweep. I for one like long intros as they give you the background on the team and how it plays. So, without further ado,
WE BEGIN! Changes in BOLD
Pushing the tempo:
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Serene Grace
EV's: 108 HP/252 Attack/200 Speed
Iron Head
Trick
Stealth Rock/U Turn
Ice Punch
As the match begins, it is my Jirachi pitted against the foe's lead. Jirachi is used over its Psychic/Steel brethren (Metagross/Bronzong) for a few reasons. A team that relies on defense is going to be switching all over the place. Although my team is not overly weak to Stealth Rock, the lack of damage upon switching in is always a blessing for my walls to tank those hard hits. If confronted by an opposing Azelf or Aerodactyl trying to get a quick Stealth Rock on the field, Jirachi will use Iron Head. Iron Head has a 60% chance for Stealth Rock to not even be set up with Jirachi's ability Serene Grace. Trick is a great disruption move. If a pokemon is threatening my team by Calm Minding over and over, Jirachi can Trick to obtain that Suicune's Life Orb or Leftovers while rendering the statting up useless. Trick can also be used on walls to diminish their tanking ability. Stealth Rock is a great move to have on any team. As long as the rocks are hovering around the opponent's side of battle, his or her pokemon will be taking damage just by switching in. Ice Punch is the final move for Jirachi. While trying to have an impenetrable defense,I ended up with an EXTREME Salamence weak. However, Jirachi rushes to the rescue, at least tying with a max speed terror of the skies at +1. Jirachi provides much of the offense mid-game for the team, along with Zapdos, while revenging treats and keeping Salamence from wrecking my team. He is walled utterly by steels, meaning a Magnezone can neuter my offense by trapping Jirachi. SoT helped out with the Jirachi spread. U Turn allows him to get away from Magnezone. U Turn is a great move in general, switching in a counter to the opponent's counter, keeping my team in control. Ev's are currently MythTrainer Infinity's from the Choice Items Discussion, as outspeeding dragons is now a non-issue.
Providing Support:
Celebi @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
Ability: Natural Cure
EV's: 252 HP/220 Def/36 Speed
Hidden Power Ice
U Turn/Recover
Leech Seed
Zen Headbutt/Grass Knot
My Celebi set, but standard Ev's and with an Impish nature . It makes up the first part of the CeleTran combo, covering each other's weaknesses perfectly. The Guardian of the Forest makes a great partner with Zapdos, the Thunderbird, in stopping the physical threats in the metagame. Thunderwave is a great move that Celebi can use well. It slows down the pace of the match, perfect for a slow, bulky team like mine. U Turn is an addition to the set that allows Celebi to escape Pursuit users and damage paralyzed counters before switching out. Leech Seed is a brilliant support move, causing switches, replenishing Celebi's health and softening blows taken by switching. Zen Headbutt is the chosen STAB move for the set. I am using U Turn so a physical STAB works fine. Before we move on, I would like to talk about Gyarados in particular. The attacker is a problem, yet Celebi can hold his own as few carry Taunt. His Gyarados countering duties are made even easier because everyone is spamming RestTalkGyara/SpecsJolt, so Celebi can latch a Leech Seed onto the Leviathan and annoy Gyara into switching. The only thing in theory I miss on this set is Recover. However, I still have Leech Seed and feel the other three moves complete the set best. If you have a different opinion, preferably play-tested, I am happy to hear it. SoT has changed Celebi to be a better Dragon Counter, adding HP Ice. Thunderwave has been dropped in favor of Leech Seed as few members benefitted from paralysis more than any other Pokemon out there would.
Opening the Hole:
Heatran @ Life Orb
Nature: Hasty
Ability: Flash Fire
Ev's: 4 HP/252 Sp. Attack/252 Speed
Hidden Power Electric/Fire Blast
Substitute/Stealth Rock
Earth Power
Explosion
Here's a set for you. Now Before you yell "NO STAB!" I need to explain what the set is designed to do. He's here to open a hole that allows one of my other members to bring home the victory with its counter eliminated. He pretty much just comes in once. To play the set, simply bluff the scarf (hence Life Orb), then Substitute on the switch. As I substitute, the foe recalls DP and yells, "Go Vaporeon! Go Gyarados! Go Blissey!" All of these threats come crashing back to their pokeballs when Heatran is done. Heatran will lure in Bulky Waters, Blissey/Snorlax, and opposing Heatran looking for a Flash Fire boost. Heatran will scout for protect as his sub is broken, then go out with a bang...literally. Opposing Heatran eats an Earth Power. Most Bulky Waters get blown up on. Whats more, this Heatran outspeeds max speed neutral nature 85s. That means Gyara falls to HP electric with the sub intact, waiting to blow up on something else. What does removing these walls do? Well if Blissey/Snorlax falls, Zapdos has it made. If a bulky water bites the dust in the explosion, Kingdra will steal the show. The most underrated yet most important member of the team is Heatran. Yet in using him, I cannot stress enough, SCOUT FOR PROTECT. Don't lose Heatran for nothing. Thanks to SoT, we now have the classic Baitran (not that I would know that). He is still great at killing Bulky Waters and kills Blissey/Snorlax. Basically, this is a better version of my old spread.
Giving and Receiving the Beating:
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Ability: Pressure
EV's: 252 HP/88 Def/168 Speed
Hidden Power Grass
Roost
Heat Wave
Thunderbolt
The man who is going to make or break the match. If Zappy crashes to Earth (when not roosting), the team is royally screwed against Lucario, Scizor, and Heracross, among other, albeit lesser used, physical threats.The Ev's maximize physical bulk, allowing him to tank hard physical hits. Again him and Celebi can wall physical sweepers not named Salamence or Flygon. He's no slouch on offense either. He is still pretty quick, with solid coverage and (untouched) 125 base special attack. Thunderbolt is generic STAB, while Heat Wave deals with the big three he is supposed to check, Scizor, Lucario, and Heracross. I'm jumping on the bandwagon with HP Grass. I always ran HP Ice to surprise Flygon that thought he could counter Zapdos, yet I lack a Grass type move on the team so I imagine Swampert is going to be a problem if Heatran can't explode on him. Not sure on how much speed I should be running, should I outspeed Adamant Luke? Jolly Luke? I'm worried about a potential Ice Punch screwing Zappy over. Help on the Ev's and nature of Zapdos (preferably play-tested) is appreciated. Thanks to basic math, Zapdos can outspeed Jolly Lucario while still being a respectable presence against physical threats.
Annoying To the End:
Machamp @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
Ability: No Guard
Ev's: 252 HP/252 Attack/4 Speed
DynamicPunch
Payback
Rest
Sleep Talk
The main status taker for the team is Machamp. The RestTalk set is great as it gives Machamp HUGE survivability while allowing him to use more than 8 DynamicPunches. Machamp is great for causing switches with DynamicPunch, which hits 100% of the time and causes confusion 100% of the time with Machamp's amazing ability No Guard. Rest and Sleep Talk give Machamp survivability, and then the last move is Payback. Why? Well my team can't kill Rotoms, and Machamp lures in Rotom's all day due to their immunity to DynamicPunch. Then I gave Machamp Payback over Stone Edge, and now the set is complete. When you play Machamp, if a Rotom comes in to wall you, don't switch. At that point, Machamp's job is to do as much damage as possible to Rotom before biting the dust. If the Rotom is a Choice Scarf user, Machamp has a good chance to wreak some havoc. I imagine if both Rotom and Machamp are RestTalkers it will be a big pocket of stall war, but Machamp needs to put the Rotom down or at least in range that something else can destroy it.
Sweeping at A Moment's Notice:
Kingdra @ Leftovers
Nature: Careful
Ability: Sniper
Ev's: 252 HP/ 68 Def/176 Sp. Def/12 Speed
Waterfall/Outrage
Dragon Dance
Rest
Sleep Talk
It's the Offensive RestTalk Kingdra set with the Defensive RestTalk Kingdra Ev's. Why? Because after my first five guys were placed I still had a nasty weakness to Heatran and Zapdos. Really quick, let's rattle off who counters both: This Kingdra, Swampert, Flygon, and potentially Latias (if you're on Suspect I'd use Substitute, Recover, Calm Mind and Dragon Pulse on Latias with Max HP, speed to outspeed +nature 100's, and the rest in Sp. Defense over Kingdra). Anyway, for Standard Ladder, there's still Flygon, Kingdra, and Swampert. I didn't want to use Flygon as he badly compounds an already prevalent Ice Weakness. I would love a RestTalk Curse Swampert here, but everyone and their mother runs HP Grass on Zapdos, so thats a no-go. So, we have Kingdra. He plays much like RestTalkDD Gyara, but works primarily on special threats. Once the dragon type user of the opposing team goes down, this Terror of the Deep is going to be extremely hard to take down. I forewent (is that a word?) the offensive RestTalk set because I needed Kingdra to tank midgame. He should only start DD'ing once the Bulky Water and Dragon of the opponent's team goes down. By then, it doesn't matter who he outspeeds at +1 or +2, because he won't die by any non-dragon attack, save for Explosion. Sniper over Swift Swim because he can already tank against all Pokes on a Rain Dance team not named Kingdra, and the occasional crazy powerful critical hit is always appreciated. By the way, Kingdra can set up on Bulky Waters that lack recovery (like Tentacruel). This is a nifty way to still get a sweep if something went wrong with the Heatran's suicide mission. Heatran or Zapdos need to have KO'd Bulky Waters like Suicune or Vaporeon however, as Kingdra won't be beating them. Also should beat Empoleon that switch in. Fine, I caved! Outrage it is! There being no glitch on Shoddy's Sleep Talk Outrage helps, although blasphemy1 brought about how screwed my team is to LOSuicune if Kingdra carries Waterfall. If you run the team, be cautious with Outrage mid-game as being locked into Outrage too early is bad.
That's the team. I hope you will play-test the team and have success running it. If on Ladder you find I have an extreme weakness to some threat, please post and we'll work a way around it. Non-play-tested advice is also welcome, but if comments are only non-play-tested, the team really won't be seeing action for a long time.
Here's a threat list, mostly the OU list from the Strategy Pokedex with a few extra Pokes included:
Aerodactyl: Never not a lead, Jirachi will Iron Head to hopefully prevent Stealth Rock. I guess I'd go with Celebi is one was not a lead. She would paralyze Aero, diffusing any threat he used to pose.
Alakazam: Intelligent switching get Jirachi in relatively unscathed, then nail Alakazam's terrible defense with Iron Head.
Azelf: A combination of the first two. Jirachi Iron Heads lead Azelf, and will come on a sweeper on Psychic to hit it hard with Iron Head again.
Blissey: Heatran lures brilliantly, then explodes. The blob also doesnt enjoy Machamp's DynamicPunch. She also is set-up fodder for Kingdra.
Breloom: Celebi is the end-all counter. End of Story.
Bronzong: Jirachi and Bronzong trade Stealth Rock's early game. Then I can scare him off with Heatran and Zapdos. Machamp can DynamicPunch, and Kingdra doesn't mind his attacks much. Explosion is a real problem though as it usually neuters my defensive core.
Celebi: Defensive Annoyers are gonna be around a while, I usually U turn to get some damage or Trick. CM users get Tricked by Jirachi, and Choice Users are outpredicted. Fire Blast from Heatran hurts.
Cresselia: Walls tend to stick around against my team, but few can really do anything. I can trick a Scarf, or explode on it, or Set-Up Kingdra.
Dragonite: A lesser problem than Salamence but still similar. Jirachi Ice Punches, Celebi can paralyze in a pinch, so other members can outspeed and cause serious damage. Celebi has HP Ice now.
Dugtrio: Not really counterable, but not a problem. Jirachi really only dies if he stayed in after Stealth Rocking which is amazingly stupid, Heatran is a Kamikaze bomber who will be substituting then can explode on Dugtrio. It's not like Aerial Ace will bother Celebi, Machamp can destroy it with its high-powered moves. Kingdra hits for supereffective damage and Zapdos can switch or HP grass.
Dusknoir: Not seen anymore, but he is in the same category as Rotom. He will switch in on Machamp who turns suicidal to kill it. Also set-up fodder for Kingdra.
Flygon: Is a real nuisance. Jirachi Ice Punch is a godsend, Zapdos takes U-Turn, and Celebi can take a few shots from Choice versions and, if she avoides U Turn, can KO with HP Ice.
Electivire: Can only grab a boost on Zapdos or Celebi. If he gets a boost that sucks, but whittling him down with Zappy,Celebi, or Machamp makes short work of him.
Empoleon: Is a major threat. Luckily the maximum boost he can get is +1 Sp. Attack, so I imagine Kingdra will come out on top. If someone tries to pull a fast one and is using the Swords Dancing Penguin, Zapdos and Celebi both wall it.
Forretress: My team doesn't mind entry hazards much, although spinning away SR is annoying. Heatran forces a switch, and Zapdos can Heat Wave. Heatran now actually can back up his switch-in, with Fire Blast.
Gengar: Is a threat. Jirachi is very bulky can can threaten with Iron Head. Kingra and Zapdos can take a hit in a pinch and KO with STAB moves.
Gliscor: Celebi can annoy with Leech Seed and destroy with HP Ice, and Kingdra can set up on a non-SD'er.
Gyarados: Celebi and Kingdra...meh. RestTalk isn't a threat. But the offensive one is. Still, Celebi can take a hit and Leech Seed. Celebi now works better than before with Recover and Grass Knot.
Heatran: Kingdra loves Heatran! Burn/toxic doesn't bother him as he is RestTalk. He 4x resists fire. ScarfTran only manages 53% with Dragon Pulse, but few ScarfTran run Dragon Pulse, instead prefering HP Ice. Exploding is his only option, meaning Kingdra counters.
Heracross: Choiced Always, meaning the combination of Jirachi and Zapdos walls all moves except the unSTAB'ed Night Slash. Zapdos is perfect if he avoids Stone Edge, KO'ing with Heat Wave.
Hippowdon: Leads a stall team, which this team can beat (to come later). Zapdos scares with HP Grass, and Celebi bluffs Grass Knot. Kingdra can set up on one without Roar. Celebi now actually has Grass Knot.
Infernape: Not a common sight, but a problem. Zapdos can take a hit (I think?) can deal good damage with Thunderbolt, and Kingdra does the same with Waterfall.
Jirachi: As a lead we trade Stealth Rock. SuperRachi is a huge threat. I mostly send in Celebi to wall/break the Sub then hope for the best. This is one threat where I'm hoping Latias gets into OU, as Latias will own SuperRachi.
Jolteon: Is Specs'ed, so play around it.
Kingdra: Zapdos and Celebi combine to deal with it.
Lucario: Zapdos does very well against physical based Luke. SpecsLuke will scout first turn with Aura Sphere, which Zapdos still takes, then is played around.
Machamp: Dunno, I can PP stall DynamicPunches with Zapdos, then switch to Jirachi on Stone Edge and Trick the Scarf.
Magnezone: Is a definite threat. He can easily trap/kill Jirachi, which leaves me with a huge Dragon weak. If he switches into Heatran, my only other steel, I Earth Power as I know he won't Magnet Rise. Here's why. The only way he outspeeds me is if he is scarfed, meaning he can't Magnet Rise. If he carries magnet rise I outspeed and OHKO. Jirachi now has U Turn but can still be trapped.
Mamoswine: Celebi can tank a few STAB Ice attacks, although I would switch Celebi in to lure an Ice Attack then switch to Jirachi who threatens with Iron Head.
Metagross: As a lead we trade Stealth Rock. Celebi can tank most everything, save for Explosion, and Zapdos can handle non-AgiliGross versions nicely.
Ninjask: Don't know if I've seen one since Platinum came out. I guess Zapdos can hit whoever he Baton Passes to really hard.
Porygon-Z: Will hurt me if he gets a boost, although Jirachi can take Tri-Attacks and Ice Beams and deal lots of damage with Iron Head.
Porygon2: Likes coming in on Heatran, who Explodes on the poor duckie. Also, DynamicPunch hurts and Kingdra sets up.
Rhyperior: Hates a Scarf, Celebi bluffs Grass Knot, HP Grass from Zappy, Kingdra can Waterfall. If he has Rock Polish I'm in trouble though.
Rotoms: Just don't die! Machamp Paybacks until he dies to weaken them enough for something else to take them out.
Salamence: DD'er is Ice Punched by Jirachi. MixBomber is going to be dealing a lot of damage, although most members can take a hit and weaken it. Few pack Roost anymore so even Stealth Rock means its switch ins are numbered. Celebi packs a trump card in HP Ice that beats Mence.
Scizor: Zapdos is a great counter. CB U-Turn hurts, although there's not really a way to counter U-Turn.
Skarmory: Zapdos turns it into scrapnel with Thunderbolt. Spikes aren't a big problem, and neither is PHazing.
Snorlax: Heatran explodes, and Machamp DynamicPunches. Hates a Scarf, and Kingdra can set up to an extent.
Starmie: Not fun to play against. Spins away my Rocks, although Kingdra can take what it dishes out, and will be baited by Heatran, who explodes.
Suicune: Hates a scarf, if it gets one I play around it. Zapdos hits a non-Rest user with TBolt to whittle it down. Kingdra won't mind its attacks much (Dragon/Water is an epic combo!) and can beat one without recovery. Lured by Heatran, who explodes.
Swampert: Heatran goes BOOM!, and Zappy HP Grass, Celebi bluffs Grass Knot.
Tentacruel: Toxic Spikes are not a problem, and it has no recovery. Kingdra will beat it one on one, and Zapdos hits it for super-effective damage with Thunderbolt.
Togekiss: Zapdos was THE counter back in DP, and still beats it in Platinum.
Tyranitar: Machamp sends the T-Rex back to the Jurassic with a DynamicPunch.
Vaporeon: Heatran explodes, Zapdos T-Bolts, DynamicPunch hurts, hates a Scarf blah blah blah...
Weavile: Scizor banished Weavile to the Realm of the Forgotten, Jirachi neuters with Iron Head.
Yanmega: Zapdos, Heatran, and Kingdra all do well. (Sorta depends on the Hidden Power being used)
Zapdos: Zapdos is deftly handed by Kindra. He even beats SubRoost Zapdos, simply not using Sleep Talk so Zapdos actually loses its PP much faster than Kingdra.
Stall Teams: Not a specific threat, but I wanted to show that even a team that is this focused on defense can beat stall. First, toxic spikes don't bother me. Zapdos, Jirachi, and Heatran are immune. Celebi has Natural Cure. Machamp and Kingdra are RestTalk. Anyway most stall teams are pretty close to Hippo/Bliss/Skarm/Tentacruel/Rotom/Celebi. Machamp comes in and does everything he can to kill Rotom. This leaves Heatran free to explode. Hopefully I hit Blissey, as this leaves Zapdos in a great position to rip a hole in the team. Jirachi tricks its scarf first turn to keep Hippo from being an efficient PHazer, leaving Kingdra in a favorable position. Celebi is the only threat, as if too many spikes get up Perish Song switching will be a bother. Even so, I can't imagine this team losing to stall.
If you actually read the threat list, you can see what a huge role Jirachi and Heatran play in the team. I hope I have adequatley described how I imagine the team will play. Good Luck with the team, as I hope you will use it on the ladder to great success.
Credit to Pokemon Elite 2000 for all sprites and Arkeis for the more artistic images.
-friar04-
Note: While no team can counter everything, a team that has a solid stop to the most overused threats is one that
is hard to stop, so I have crafted a defensively-based team. The team implements the classic CeleTran defensive combination and also the more offensive Zapdos/Machamp duo to keep the opponets on its toes. The team's objective is not to rip a massive hole with high powered sweepers but to use my heatran and team support to gain an endgame sweep. I for one like long intros as they give you the background on the team and how it plays. So, without further ado,
WE BEGIN! Changes in BOLD
Pushing the tempo:
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Serene Grace
EV's: 108 HP/252 Attack/200 Speed
Iron Head
Trick
Stealth Rock/U Turn
Ice Punch
As the match begins, it is my Jirachi pitted against the foe's lead. Jirachi is used over its Psychic/Steel brethren (Metagross/Bronzong) for a few reasons. A team that relies on defense is going to be switching all over the place. Although my team is not overly weak to Stealth Rock, the lack of damage upon switching in is always a blessing for my walls to tank those hard hits. If confronted by an opposing Azelf or Aerodactyl trying to get a quick Stealth Rock on the field, Jirachi will use Iron Head. Iron Head has a 60% chance for Stealth Rock to not even be set up with Jirachi's ability Serene Grace. Trick is a great disruption move. If a pokemon is threatening my team by Calm Minding over and over, Jirachi can Trick to obtain that Suicune's Life Orb or Leftovers while rendering the statting up useless. Trick can also be used on walls to diminish their tanking ability. Stealth Rock is a great move to have on any team. As long as the rocks are hovering around the opponent's side of battle, his or her pokemon will be taking damage just by switching in. Ice Punch is the final move for Jirachi. While trying to have an impenetrable defense,I ended up with an EXTREME Salamence weak. However, Jirachi rushes to the rescue, at least tying with a max speed terror of the skies at +1. Jirachi provides much of the offense mid-game for the team, along with Zapdos, while revenging treats and keeping Salamence from wrecking my team. He is walled utterly by steels, meaning a Magnezone can neuter my offense by trapping Jirachi. SoT helped out with the Jirachi spread. U Turn allows him to get away from Magnezone. U Turn is a great move in general, switching in a counter to the opponent's counter, keeping my team in control. Ev's are currently MythTrainer Infinity's from the Choice Items Discussion, as outspeeding dragons is now a non-issue.
Providing Support:
Celebi @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
Ability: Natural Cure
EV's: 252 HP/220 Def/36 Speed
Hidden Power Ice
U Turn/Recover
Leech Seed
Zen Headbutt/Grass Knot
My Celebi set, but standard Ev's and with an Impish nature . It makes up the first part of the CeleTran combo, covering each other's weaknesses perfectly. The Guardian of the Forest makes a great partner with Zapdos, the Thunderbird, in stopping the physical threats in the metagame. Thunderwave is a great move that Celebi can use well. It slows down the pace of the match, perfect for a slow, bulky team like mine. U Turn is an addition to the set that allows Celebi to escape Pursuit users and damage paralyzed counters before switching out. Leech Seed is a brilliant support move, causing switches, replenishing Celebi's health and softening blows taken by switching. Zen Headbutt is the chosen STAB move for the set. I am using U Turn so a physical STAB works fine. Before we move on, I would like to talk about Gyarados in particular. The attacker is a problem, yet Celebi can hold his own as few carry Taunt. His Gyarados countering duties are made even easier because everyone is spamming RestTalkGyara/SpecsJolt, so Celebi can latch a Leech Seed onto the Leviathan and annoy Gyara into switching. The only thing in theory I miss on this set is Recover. However, I still have Leech Seed and feel the other three moves complete the set best. If you have a different opinion, preferably play-tested, I am happy to hear it. SoT has changed Celebi to be a better Dragon Counter, adding HP Ice. Thunderwave has been dropped in favor of Leech Seed as few members benefitted from paralysis more than any other Pokemon out there would.
Opening the Hole:
Heatran @ Life Orb
Nature: Hasty
Ability: Flash Fire
Ev's: 4 HP/252 Sp. Attack/252 Speed
Hidden Power Electric/Fire Blast
Substitute/Stealth Rock
Earth Power
Explosion
Here's a set for you. Now Before you yell "NO STAB!" I need to explain what the set is designed to do. He's here to open a hole that allows one of my other members to bring home the victory with its counter eliminated. He pretty much just comes in once. To play the set, simply bluff the scarf (hence Life Orb), then Substitute on the switch. As I substitute, the foe recalls DP and yells, "Go Vaporeon! Go Gyarados! Go Blissey!" All of these threats come crashing back to their pokeballs when Heatran is done. Heatran will lure in Bulky Waters, Blissey/Snorlax, and opposing Heatran looking for a Flash Fire boost. Heatran will scout for protect as his sub is broken, then go out with a bang...literally. Opposing Heatran eats an Earth Power. Most Bulky Waters get blown up on. Whats more, this Heatran outspeeds max speed neutral nature 85s. That means Gyara falls to HP electric with the sub intact, waiting to blow up on something else. What does removing these walls do? Well if Blissey/Snorlax falls, Zapdos has it made. If a bulky water bites the dust in the explosion, Kingdra will steal the show. The most underrated yet most important member of the team is Heatran. Yet in using him, I cannot stress enough, SCOUT FOR PROTECT. Don't lose Heatran for nothing. Thanks to SoT, we now have the classic Baitran (not that I would know that). He is still great at killing Bulky Waters and kills Blissey/Snorlax. Basically, this is a better version of my old spread.
Giving and Receiving the Beating:
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Ability: Pressure
EV's: 252 HP/88 Def/168 Speed
Hidden Power Grass
Roost
Heat Wave
Thunderbolt
The man who is going to make or break the match. If Zappy crashes to Earth (when not roosting), the team is royally screwed against Lucario, Scizor, and Heracross, among other, albeit lesser used, physical threats.The Ev's maximize physical bulk, allowing him to tank hard physical hits. Again him and Celebi can wall physical sweepers not named Salamence or Flygon. He's no slouch on offense either. He is still pretty quick, with solid coverage and (untouched) 125 base special attack. Thunderbolt is generic STAB, while Heat Wave deals with the big three he is supposed to check, Scizor, Lucario, and Heracross. I'm jumping on the bandwagon with HP Grass. I always ran HP Ice to surprise Flygon that thought he could counter Zapdos, yet I lack a Grass type move on the team so I imagine Swampert is going to be a problem if Heatran can't explode on him. Not sure on how much speed I should be running, should I outspeed Adamant Luke? Jolly Luke? I'm worried about a potential Ice Punch screwing Zappy over. Help on the Ev's and nature of Zapdos (preferably play-tested) is appreciated. Thanks to basic math, Zapdos can outspeed Jolly Lucario while still being a respectable presence against physical threats.
Annoying To the End:
Machamp @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
Ability: No Guard
Ev's: 252 HP/252 Attack/4 Speed
DynamicPunch
Payback
Rest
Sleep Talk
The main status taker for the team is Machamp. The RestTalk set is great as it gives Machamp HUGE survivability while allowing him to use more than 8 DynamicPunches. Machamp is great for causing switches with DynamicPunch, which hits 100% of the time and causes confusion 100% of the time with Machamp's amazing ability No Guard. Rest and Sleep Talk give Machamp survivability, and then the last move is Payback. Why? Well my team can't kill Rotoms, and Machamp lures in Rotom's all day due to their immunity to DynamicPunch. Then I gave Machamp Payback over Stone Edge, and now the set is complete. When you play Machamp, if a Rotom comes in to wall you, don't switch. At that point, Machamp's job is to do as much damage as possible to Rotom before biting the dust. If the Rotom is a Choice Scarf user, Machamp has a good chance to wreak some havoc. I imagine if both Rotom and Machamp are RestTalkers it will be a big pocket of stall war, but Machamp needs to put the Rotom down or at least in range that something else can destroy it.
Sweeping at A Moment's Notice:
Kingdra @ Leftovers
Nature: Careful
Ability: Sniper
Ev's: 252 HP/ 68 Def/176 Sp. Def/12 Speed
Waterfall/Outrage
Dragon Dance
Rest
Sleep Talk
It's the Offensive RestTalk Kingdra set with the Defensive RestTalk Kingdra Ev's. Why? Because after my first five guys were placed I still had a nasty weakness to Heatran and Zapdos. Really quick, let's rattle off who counters both: This Kingdra, Swampert, Flygon, and potentially Latias (if you're on Suspect I'd use Substitute, Recover, Calm Mind and Dragon Pulse on Latias with Max HP, speed to outspeed +nature 100's, and the rest in Sp. Defense over Kingdra). Anyway, for Standard Ladder, there's still Flygon, Kingdra, and Swampert. I didn't want to use Flygon as he badly compounds an already prevalent Ice Weakness. I would love a RestTalk Curse Swampert here, but everyone and their mother runs HP Grass on Zapdos, so thats a no-go. So, we have Kingdra. He plays much like RestTalkDD Gyara, but works primarily on special threats. Once the dragon type user of the opposing team goes down, this Terror of the Deep is going to be extremely hard to take down. I forewent (is that a word?) the offensive RestTalk set because I needed Kingdra to tank midgame. He should only start DD'ing once the Bulky Water and Dragon of the opponent's team goes down. By then, it doesn't matter who he outspeeds at +1 or +2, because he won't die by any non-dragon attack, save for Explosion. Sniper over Swift Swim because he can already tank against all Pokes on a Rain Dance team not named Kingdra, and the occasional crazy powerful critical hit is always appreciated. By the way, Kingdra can set up on Bulky Waters that lack recovery (like Tentacruel). This is a nifty way to still get a sweep if something went wrong with the Heatran's suicide mission. Heatran or Zapdos need to have KO'd Bulky Waters like Suicune or Vaporeon however, as Kingdra won't be beating them. Also should beat Empoleon that switch in. Fine, I caved! Outrage it is! There being no glitch on Shoddy's Sleep Talk Outrage helps, although blasphemy1 brought about how screwed my team is to LOSuicune if Kingdra carries Waterfall. If you run the team, be cautious with Outrage mid-game as being locked into Outrage too early is bad.
That's the team. I hope you will play-test the team and have success running it. If on Ladder you find I have an extreme weakness to some threat, please post and we'll work a way around it. Non-play-tested advice is also welcome, but if comments are only non-play-tested, the team really won't be seeing action for a long time.
Here's a threat list, mostly the OU list from the Strategy Pokedex with a few extra Pokes included:
Stall Teams: Not a specific threat, but I wanted to show that even a team that is this focused on defense can beat stall. First, toxic spikes don't bother me. Zapdos, Jirachi, and Heatran are immune. Celebi has Natural Cure. Machamp and Kingdra are RestTalk. Anyway most stall teams are pretty close to Hippo/Bliss/Skarm/Tentacruel/Rotom/Celebi. Machamp comes in and does everything he can to kill Rotom. This leaves Heatran free to explode. Hopefully I hit Blissey, as this leaves Zapdos in a great position to rip a hole in the team. Jirachi tricks its scarf first turn to keep Hippo from being an efficient PHazer, leaving Kingdra in a favorable position. Celebi is the only threat, as if too many spikes get up Perish Song switching will be a bother. Even so, I can't imagine this team losing to stall.
If you actually read the threat list, you can see what a huge role Jirachi and Heatran play in the team. I hope I have adequatley described how I imagine the team will play. Good Luck with the team, as I hope you will use it on the ladder to great success.
Credit to Pokemon Elite 2000 for all sprites and Arkeis for the more artistic images.
-friar04-
