THE OTHER SIDE OF BIRDSPAM
OVERVIEW
Hi Smogoners, Kyurem-Purple here with my very first RMT. Ever since I've started going competitive in Pokemon, I've always loved Birdspam. Namely, Tflame-Staraptor with a touch of Mega Sceptile. The sheer offensive power of Birdspam just makes it so fun to play. However, it got boring slowly, but surely. So, I wanted to try my hand at the other form of Birdspam; the special variant with Hurricanes. The team did surprisingly well. So without further ado, the team!
TEAMBUILDING
To start off, we have my Birdspam core, Mega Pidgeot and Tornadus-T. They wear down each other's checks and open doors for the other to sweep.
The core was weak to fast electric types like Mega Manectric, Scarfzone, etc. Plus, hazard removal and hazard setting were required as well. So, I brought in my special tank, my spinner and my hazard setter, Excadrill.
Mega Manny was still a problem due to the fact that it can learn Overheat, which Excadrill does not like. Plus, I had no water resist, so Hydro Pumps would suck. To further wall Mega Manny (which completely destroys the core), I brought in Gastrodon, my physical wall, which nearly completely walled Mega Manny while taking water attacks easily through Storm Drain.
Now I needed a scarfer to outspeed the threats to my team such as Weavile, plus I needed a Talonflame and Mega Scizor counter. Mega Pidgeot could OHKO it with Heat Wave, but it would NOT want to switch into it. So, I brought in ScarfTran.
With 5 Pokemon done, I realized I needed a setup sweeper to counter the stally and bulky teams that would give my birdspam quite some trouble, most notably that one Chansey. So I rounded out the team with Sashed SD Breloom, making a nice FWG core with Heatran and Gastrodon too.
Scarftran and Breloom wasn't putting in much work, plus I was weak against lots of setup sweepers like Charizard X. Plus, Breloom's slow as balls in the current meta, only taking out one Pokemon at most. So, I replaced it with physically defensive Unaware Clefable, which pretty much walled Weavile. I realized I didn't need a setup sweeper much anyways due to the wearing down of the BirdSpam on stall. To replace Scarftran as a Tflame and Scizor counter comes Scarfed Rotom-H with Trick, to mess up Chansey and co., which Breloom used to do. I put Heal Bell on Clefable to alleviate the damage TWave causes in my core.
Due to a helpful suggestion from SoverignC2, I switched Gastrodon for Seismitoad, as it does everything Gasty does better, and does a bit more while at it.
IN-DEPTH LOOK
Pitt (Pidgeot) @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Big Pecks
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- U-turn
Pitt (Pidgeot) @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Roost
- Refresh
- Work Up
Starting off our list is my setup special sweeper, late-game cleaner, stallbreaker, wallbreaker, and 1/2 of the BirdTurn core, Pitt the Mega Pidgeot. Don't let Pidgeot's PU tier fool you, it's Mega form deserves to be where it is. It does absurdly high damage, never misses, and does it all in lightning speeds, only being outsped by a small margin of Pokemon. A No-Guarded Max invested STAB Hurricane to the face hurts everything but Chansey (that piece of shit) and steels, and the confusion is a nice side bonus too. It's a compulsory STAB I would not want to pass up. This used to be an all-attacker set with U-Turn for the BirdSpam momentum to pair with Thundurus, but due to many suggestions and some testing, it seems the stallbreaker set is better. So, Roost is for longevity to keep it alive to setup, Refresh is to heal off any status crippling it, effectively stallbreaking on the likes of Chansey. Work Up is for boosting Hurricane to crazy high levels, so it can sweep, beating everything that's slower than it.
Freddie (Tornadus-Therian) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
To complete the BirdSpam, we have Freddie the Tornadus-Therian, my other special sweeper, late-game cleaner and wallbreaker. Named after the legend himself (you have to admit, they do quite look alike in facial terms, when he rocked the stache), he whips up Hurricanes in battle just like Mercury in music. I chose the LO set over the AssVest set because of the sheer power I need to correctly wear down Torn-T's checks for the BirdSpam to work. Besides, the Regenerator takes away whatever LO damage I took anyways. Hurricane is the compulsory BirdSpam STAB used to wear down and destroy teams. Superpower over Focus Miss because of Chansey, so I'm not completely walled. Furthermore, it still hits Heatran pretty well. Plus, it's called Focus MISS for a reason, knowing my luck. U-Turn is replaced by Knock Off for the utility and killing those pesky Psychic types like the Lati twins, since U-Turn is no longer needed due to the stallbreaker set. HP Ice replaces Grass Knot as repeated Hurricanes from BirdSpam effectively whittle it down anyways. The 76 Atk EVs allow a clean KO on Sand Rush Excadrill and support TTar after a U-Turn from Mega Pidgeot, so sand offense is effectively killed. Remaining EVs are put into Speed and SpAtk to deal as much damage as quick as possible, with the nature boosting the Speed.
Resetti (Excadrill) @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Resetti (Excadrill) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Slide
The BirdSpam core was incredibly weak to fast electrics like Mega Manectric, and Stealth Rocks. So, to counter those, I brought in a faster ground type that could spin. Enter Resetti the Excadrill, my physical scarfer, spinner and cleaner. This used to be a bulky SpDef variant to setup rocks and spin, but due to a helpful suggestion by SovereignC2, hazards were taken care of so I made it into a scarfer. Mold Breaker is a blessing with the scarf, meaning Levitate is a thing of the past, killing prime targets like Rotom-W. This is a standard Scarfdrill set, with EQ as the Manectric-killer STAB. Iron Head is another STAB that deals with the fairies, Rapid Spin to clear those hazards pestering my BirdSpam, and Rock Slide is to hit the flying types, providing good coverage. The EVs make Resetti as fast and strong as possible, to ulitize his scarf to the fullest.
Slippy (Seismitoad) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Now, while Resetti can easily kill Mega Manny, he can't switch into it for fear of an Overheat. Furthermore, I needed hazards desperately since BirdSpam relies on those to net some much needed KOs. Plus, strong water attacks has a field day with BirdSpam and Resetti can't switch into that either. To fix all those problems I brought in Slippy the Seismitoad, my physical tank, hazard setter and water detergent. This guy has so much synergy with my team it's not even funny. It takes all the weaknesses of BirdSpam easily, and it's only weakness, Grass, are taken care of by the birds, forming an effective core. Water Absorb is a godsend, bringing Slippy back from the brink and dismantling any choiced mon using Scald or Hydro Pump at the time. Stealth Rock is used to whittle down the enemy, something BirdSpam appreciates VERY much. Scald is the chosen STAB for the nifty burn chance, and EQ wrecks Mega Manny. Knock Off is for the utility, messing up the tanks or item-reliant mons that switch in to Slippy, taking away Lefties, Choice items, AssVest, etc. The EVs are to give Slippy just enough speed to SLIP past uninvested Mega Scizor and outspeed it, while the rest are dumped into bulk.
Kirby (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect
I noticed quickly that strong setup sweepers like Dragonite, Mega ChariX, and SD Talonflame will shit all over me. Plus, I could not TOUCH dragons at all, especially those who were strong enough to take a Hurricane or like above, know Dragon Dance. So, I brought in Kirby the Clefable, my physical wall, anti-setup, and cleric. With Excadrill having BOTH my rocks and my spin, if it ever dies, my birds would be in trouble. So, with Wish, Kirby is a last resort to solving the hazard problem, simply by healing the damage off whenever they come in to take the rock damage and whatever pussy attack they have to take. You can't go wrong with extra health. Lefties are the obvious choice of item for a tank such as Kirby. Heal Bell is to cleanse my birds of Thunder Wave (if it ever happens), Spores, and most notably the Toxic off Gastrodon. Gastrodon is a high-value Pokemon and I need it alive most of the time, as it is the counter to many of the threats to the BirdSpam core and the whole team. Protect is to scout for any surprise move and get some cheap Lefties recovery to tank another hit, or 100% receive the Wish hit from last turn. The EVs and nature make Kirby as physically tanky as possible to keep it wishing and healing.
Harvey (Rotom-Heat) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Overheat
- Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick
Harvey (Rotom-Heat) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 40 Def / 220 Spe
Bold Nature
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Thunder Wave
I needed a Mega Scizor counter, plus a Talonflame counter since both would rip my team in half. However, while Heatran sounds lovely for this, I wanted an electric type too to take a TWave, and dish out TWave on the faster threats to this team. As such, I brought in Harvey the defensive Rotom-H. This is a standard set for defensive Rotom-H. Overheat is the fire STAB, OHKOing Scizor and doing a sizable amount of damage to everything without Flash Fire. Volt Switch is to keep up momentum since with the edits, my BirdSpam loses the U-Turn. Pain Split is to keep Harvey relatively healthy, but definitely alive to keep doing what it does. Thunder Wave neutralizes all the fast mons faster than my BirdSpam, which is very helpful. Good examples of this are Talonflame, Weavile, Megazam, and choice scarfers. The EVs are there to put Rotom-H at exactly 263 Speed, outspeeding Bisharp, Breloom and pre-mega Metagross. 248 HP Evs to take less damage from Stealth Rock, allowing it to switch in 4 times, and the rest are dumped into physical bulk.
THREATLIST
While a Clefable on my team is much appreciated, a Clefable on the other, especially the CM variants, suck. If this is on the opposing side, Excadrill must survive. If not, I'm usually forced to wishstall it with my own Clefable.
If Tflame is banded, it can 2HKO Rotom-H, so I need to sack a Pokemon first before killing it with a Volt Switch. Otherwise, it's easy pickings.
CONCLUSION
Well, that's the end of my RMT. Hope you enjoyed reading it, and I look forward to hearing from y'all soon!
OVERVIEW
Hi Smogoners, Kyurem-Purple here with my very first RMT. Ever since I've started going competitive in Pokemon, I've always loved Birdspam. Namely, Tflame-Staraptor with a touch of Mega Sceptile. The sheer offensive power of Birdspam just makes it so fun to play. However, it got boring slowly, but surely. So, I wanted to try my hand at the other form of Birdspam; the special variant with Hurricanes. The team did surprisingly well. So without further ado, the team!
TEAMBUILDING
To start off, we have my Birdspam core, Mega Pidgeot and Tornadus-T. They wear down each other's checks and open doors for the other to sweep.
The core was weak to fast electric types like Mega Manectric, Scarfzone, etc. Plus, hazard removal and hazard setting were required as well. So, I brought in my special tank, my spinner and my hazard setter, Excadrill.
Mega Manny was still a problem due to the fact that it can learn Overheat, which Excadrill does not like. Plus, I had no water resist, so Hydro Pumps would suck. To further wall Mega Manny (which completely destroys the core), I brought in Gastrodon, my physical wall, which nearly completely walled Mega Manny while taking water attacks easily through Storm Drain.
Now I needed a scarfer to outspeed the threats to my team such as Weavile, plus I needed a Talonflame and Mega Scizor counter. Mega Pidgeot could OHKO it with Heat Wave, but it would NOT want to switch into it. So, I brought in ScarfTran.
With 5 Pokemon done, I realized I needed a setup sweeper to counter the stally and bulky teams that would give my birdspam quite some trouble, most notably that one Chansey. So I rounded out the team with Sashed SD Breloom, making a nice FWG core with Heatran and Gastrodon too.
Scarftran and Breloom wasn't putting in much work, plus I was weak against lots of setup sweepers like Charizard X. Plus, Breloom's slow as balls in the current meta, only taking out one Pokemon at most. So, I replaced it with physically defensive Unaware Clefable, which pretty much walled Weavile. I realized I didn't need a setup sweeper much anyways due to the wearing down of the BirdSpam on stall. To replace Scarftran as a Tflame and Scizor counter comes Scarfed Rotom-H with Trick, to mess up Chansey and co., which Breloom used to do. I put Heal Bell on Clefable to alleviate the damage TWave causes in my core.
Due to a helpful suggestion from SoverignC2, I switched Gastrodon for Seismitoad, as it does everything Gasty does better, and does a bit more while at it.
IN-DEPTH LOOK
Ability: Big Pecks
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- U-turn
Pitt (Pidgeot) @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Roost
- Refresh
- Work Up
Starting off our list is my setup special sweeper, late-game cleaner, stallbreaker, wallbreaker, and 1/2 of the BirdTurn core, Pitt the Mega Pidgeot. Don't let Pidgeot's PU tier fool you, it's Mega form deserves to be where it is. It does absurdly high damage, never misses, and does it all in lightning speeds, only being outsped by a small margin of Pokemon. A No-Guarded Max invested STAB Hurricane to the face hurts everything but Chansey (that piece of shit) and steels, and the confusion is a nice side bonus too. It's a compulsory STAB I would not want to pass up. This used to be an all-attacker set with U-Turn for the BirdSpam momentum to pair with Thundurus, but due to many suggestions and some testing, it seems the stallbreaker set is better. So, Roost is for longevity to keep it alive to setup, Refresh is to heal off any status crippling it, effectively stallbreaking on the likes of Chansey. Work Up is for boosting Hurricane to crazy high levels, so it can sweep, beating everything that's slower than it.
Freddie (Tornadus-Therian) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
To complete the BirdSpam, we have Freddie the Tornadus-Therian, my other special sweeper, late-game cleaner and wallbreaker. Named after the legend himself (you have to admit, they do quite look alike in facial terms, when he rocked the stache), he whips up Hurricanes in battle just like Mercury in music. I chose the LO set over the AssVest set because of the sheer power I need to correctly wear down Torn-T's checks for the BirdSpam to work. Besides, the Regenerator takes away whatever LO damage I took anyways. Hurricane is the compulsory BirdSpam STAB used to wear down and destroy teams. Superpower over Focus Miss because of Chansey, so I'm not completely walled. Furthermore, it still hits Heatran pretty well. Plus, it's called Focus MISS for a reason, knowing my luck. U-Turn is replaced by Knock Off for the utility and killing those pesky Psychic types like the Lati twins, since U-Turn is no longer needed due to the stallbreaker set. HP Ice replaces Grass Knot as repeated Hurricanes from BirdSpam effectively whittle it down anyways. The 76 Atk EVs allow a clean KO on Sand Rush Excadrill and support TTar after a U-Turn from Mega Pidgeot, so sand offense is effectively killed. Remaining EVs are put into Speed and SpAtk to deal as much damage as quick as possible, with the nature boosting the Speed.
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Resetti (Excadrill) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Slide
The BirdSpam core was incredibly weak to fast electrics like Mega Manectric, and Stealth Rocks. So, to counter those, I brought in a faster ground type that could spin. Enter Resetti the Excadrill, my physical scarfer, spinner and cleaner. This used to be a bulky SpDef variant to setup rocks and spin, but due to a helpful suggestion by SovereignC2, hazards were taken care of so I made it into a scarfer. Mold Breaker is a blessing with the scarf, meaning Levitate is a thing of the past, killing prime targets like Rotom-W. This is a standard Scarfdrill set, with EQ as the Manectric-killer STAB. Iron Head is another STAB that deals with the fairies, Rapid Spin to clear those hazards pestering my BirdSpam, and Rock Slide is to hit the flying types, providing good coverage. The EVs make Resetti as fast and strong as possible, to ulitize his scarf to the fullest.
Slippy (Seismitoad) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Now, while Resetti can easily kill Mega Manny, he can't switch into it for fear of an Overheat. Furthermore, I needed hazards desperately since BirdSpam relies on those to net some much needed KOs. Plus, strong water attacks has a field day with BirdSpam and Resetti can't switch into that either. To fix all those problems I brought in Slippy the Seismitoad, my physical tank, hazard setter and water detergent. This guy has so much synergy with my team it's not even funny. It takes all the weaknesses of BirdSpam easily, and it's only weakness, Grass, are taken care of by the birds, forming an effective core. Water Absorb is a godsend, bringing Slippy back from the brink and dismantling any choiced mon using Scald or Hydro Pump at the time. Stealth Rock is used to whittle down the enemy, something BirdSpam appreciates VERY much. Scald is the chosen STAB for the nifty burn chance, and EQ wrecks Mega Manny. Knock Off is for the utility, messing up the tanks or item-reliant mons that switch in to Slippy, taking away Lefties, Choice items, AssVest, etc. The EVs are to give Slippy just enough speed to SLIP past uninvested Mega Scizor and outspeed it, while the rest are dumped into bulk.
Kirby (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect
I noticed quickly that strong setup sweepers like Dragonite, Mega ChariX, and SD Talonflame will shit all over me. Plus, I could not TOUCH dragons at all, especially those who were strong enough to take a Hurricane or like above, know Dragon Dance. So, I brought in Kirby the Clefable, my physical wall, anti-setup, and cleric. With Excadrill having BOTH my rocks and my spin, if it ever dies, my birds would be in trouble. So, with Wish, Kirby is a last resort to solving the hazard problem, simply by healing the damage off whenever they come in to take the rock damage and whatever pussy attack they have to take. You can't go wrong with extra health. Lefties are the obvious choice of item for a tank such as Kirby. Heal Bell is to cleanse my birds of Thunder Wave (if it ever happens), Spores, and most notably the Toxic off Gastrodon. Gastrodon is a high-value Pokemon and I need it alive most of the time, as it is the counter to many of the threats to the BirdSpam core and the whole team. Protect is to scout for any surprise move and get some cheap Lefties recovery to tank another hit, or 100% receive the Wish hit from last turn. The EVs and nature make Kirby as physically tanky as possible to keep it wishing and healing.
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Overheat
- Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick
Harvey (Rotom-Heat) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 40 Def / 220 Spe
Bold Nature
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Thunder Wave
I needed a Mega Scizor counter, plus a Talonflame counter since both would rip my team in half. However, while Heatran sounds lovely for this, I wanted an electric type too to take a TWave, and dish out TWave on the faster threats to this team. As such, I brought in Harvey the defensive Rotom-H. This is a standard set for defensive Rotom-H. Overheat is the fire STAB, OHKOing Scizor and doing a sizable amount of damage to everything without Flash Fire. Volt Switch is to keep up momentum since with the edits, my BirdSpam loses the U-Turn. Pain Split is to keep Harvey relatively healthy, but definitely alive to keep doing what it does. Thunder Wave neutralizes all the fast mons faster than my BirdSpam, which is very helpful. Good examples of this are Talonflame, Weavile, Megazam, and choice scarfers. The EVs are there to put Rotom-H at exactly 263 Speed, outspeeding Bisharp, Breloom and pre-mega Metagross. 248 HP Evs to take less damage from Stealth Rock, allowing it to switch in 4 times, and the rest are dumped into physical bulk.
THREATLIST
While a Clefable on my team is much appreciated, a Clefable on the other, especially the CM variants, suck. If this is on the opposing side, Excadrill must survive. If not, I'm usually forced to wishstall it with my own Clefable.
If Tflame is banded, it can 2HKO Rotom-H, so I need to sack a Pokemon first before killing it with a Volt Switch. Otherwise, it's easy pickings.
CONCLUSION
Well, that's the end of my RMT. Hope you enjoyed reading it, and I look forward to hearing from y'all soon!
Pitt (Pidgeot) @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Roost
- Refresh
- Work Up
Freddie (Tornadus-Therian) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Resetti (Excadrill) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Slide
Slippy (Seismitoad) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Kirby (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect
Harvey (Rotom-Heat) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 40 Def / 220 Spe
Bold Nature
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Thunder Wave
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Roost
- Refresh
- Work Up
Freddie (Tornadus-Therian) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Resetti (Excadrill) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Slide
Slippy (Seismitoad) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Kirby (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect
Harvey (Rotom-Heat) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 40 Def / 220 Spe
Bold Nature
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Thunder Wave
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