Suspect testing stages has finally come to an end, and I am going to post this RMT for two reasons. One, to show you what I came up with, and two, because I want to be ready if Garchomp ever shows his face in OU again.
Overview:
As you can see, this team stayed very strictly by the triple-dragon triple-steel that this metagame is so littered with, even daring to use salamence in a metagame that has Garchomp on 80% of teams. Two of the three suspects are used.
Closer Look:
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 84 HP/252 Atk/172 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Trick
- Stealth Rock
To start off, my lead, or rather my antilead. I chose Jirachi for many reasons, the first being that it was a steel. At first, I had chosen Metagross for this position, however Metagross simply lacked the versatility to do anything. Jirachi can check non-scarf Garchomp, as well as cripple many members of stall. Having as many U-turns on a team as possible is always nice, as it lets me keep up the momentum.
The moveset is straightforward, Iron Head provides STAB with a nice flinch rate. U-turn for scouting, and Trick for well, tricking. Always a fun combo in suspect is trick+U-turn against skarmorys, as it becomes a free kill with Magnezone (Two layers of spikes unfortunately).
The EVs are slightly changed from the Jirachi analysis, I run slightly less as it allows me to lose the speed tie with all opposing scarfrachi leads but still be able to outrun adamant Ninjask. Besides, Jirachi has no business messing with Lucario or Heatran, the most common pokemon in that speed tier.
Often times, Jirachi is my death/status fodder.
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 80 Atk/176 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Brick Break
- Draco Meteor
Mixmence. No, Salamence is not completely outclassed by Garchomp, and this is the set that proves it. I wanted a Salamence here for many reasons, the first of which is its ability to break stall. My other choice here was Infernape, who is faster than non-Scarf Garchomp, and who also packed nice STABs. However, some things turned me to Salamence. The first was its Earthquake immunity. My team is focused a lot around resistance, and Infernape has like, 0. Also, Salamence is not completely shut down by Latias, as it fears switching in on Draco Meteor. Lastly, it has served as a much needed check to Lucario. Often times I found out that Lucario's +1 Extremespeed cannot OHKO Salamence after Stealth Rock, but I can OHKO him with Brick Break (often breaking dual screens, another reason why I chose the Old Mixmence).
Latias (F) @ Haban Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
Latias is my favorite pokemon, as well as the glue of this team. There were many many reasons why I chose her, some being that she was my favorite pokemon, she is a suspect, and she handles so many threats. Gyarados's +1 Ice Fang cannot OHKO Latias, whereas I can strike back with Thunderbolt. Draco Meteor + Hidden Power Fire + Stealth Rock always OHKOs Scizor. She is faster than non-Scarf Garchomp, and can OHKO with Draco Meteor. There is much more on this list, including Infernape, Salamence, and Kingdra under rain.
Latias's purpose besides being glue is a very nice lure. She has a Haban Berry, which means she can both bluff a Scarf AND not get OHKOd by any of Garchomp's moves. That means many surprise Scizor and Garchomp kills, as well as many opposing Latias.
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 48 HP/252 Spd/208 SAtk
Rash nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt
- Explosion
- Substitute
Manezone is underrated, at least he finds his way onto a lot of my teams. I foresaw the omnipresence of Scizor, Skarmory and other assorted steels in the suspect metagame. Magnezone is incredibly sturdy, being able to take outrages as well as Scizor. He also serves as my secondary wallbreaker, having the ability to Explode on Blissey, giving Latias and Salamence freedom in firing off Meteors.
I chose the sub-set for many reasons. Garchomp is everywhere, and one cannot afford to be locked onto Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire when one comes in. The Scarf version is setup fodder, whereas this set allows me to gain SO much momentum, as Magnezone can do incredible things from behind a substitute, whether it be taking down Blissey, Latias, Infernape, or Garchomp. The moveset is obvious, STAB, Garchomp Killer, Sub, and Blissey killer.
The HP EVs make it so a +1 Meteor Mash from a Metagross does not break a sub, and still guarantees Heatran's Dragon Pulse does not break a sub even with the -SpD nature.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 200 HP/252 Atk/56 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
You saw this coming part 1:
What does Scizor do for this team? First of all it is a Steel, having the ability to switch into Garchomp a few times. It keeps the momentum up and up with U-turn, something that this team absolutely revolves around. It counters threats such as Latias, Garchomp, Salamence, Gengar, and Blissey. Self explanatory enough.
The EVs are strange, I like fast Scizors, since Scizor vs Scizor matchups aren't too common, and the ability to ourtun vaporeon, and faster versions of Ttar and Machamp are nice. 12 HP isn't that much, seriously.
Garchomp (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Claw
You saw this coming part 2:
If you havn't seen the last pokemon on your opponent's team and you have not seen their Garchomp, assume that last pokemon is a Garchomp. Garchomp has two purposes on this team; to get me SEXP and to revenge kill. Many people say Scizor and Garchomp are similar in that they can both fit onto any team well. I completely agree. Garchomp revenge kills so many things it isn't funny. Instead of listing what it can revenge kill, I'll list what it can't:
Skarmory
Stuff under Rain.
Scarf Gengar/Latias (Pursuit anyone?)
Thats literally it.
Garchomp acts as the second glue on this team, fixing up many threats that would otherwise run through my team. Unlike many other revenge killers, Garchomp resists Stealth Rock, and does not get owned by pursuit. 'Nuff said.
So yea, that's the team. It peaked at #20 on the suspect ladder for a little bit. If you want an idea of how I play/how I use this team, I have a warstory up: http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63405
So ya, rate it, and if Garchomp ever comes back to OU, I'll be ready I guess. And if not, well, I've wanted to make an RMT for a bit :p.
