This is a fairly standard sand team, but I like it. It's probably the best team I've built (hopefully that doesn't say that I'm a horrible teambuilder). This time, to make my RMT more interesting, I've decided to theme it around my favorite movie, The Princess Bride!
The team at a glance:
Holy crap Talonflame is huge
The team in detail:
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Westley (Gyarados) (M) @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate-->Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
I started this team by wanting to build around Mega Gyarados, so who better to fill that role than Westley, also known as the Dread Pirate Roberts? Because you know, Water/Dark? Pirate? OK, I'll stop now. Anyway, Westley is the primary win condition of my team. Mold Breaker is great for ignoring Unaware users, Levitators, etc. I use Adamant because I don't really need to outspeed +1 Dragonite when I'm at +1, and that's about all Jolly does. There isn't a whole lot to say about this mon that any competent rater won't already know, so off to the next team member!
Buttercup (Breloom) (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spore
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Tomb
Buttercup is Westley's true love, and the one who starts the story by getting kidnapped. What better name for a lead Sashloom? I use a Focus Sash over a Life Orb because while a guaranteed OHKO with Mach Punch on Excadrill is nice, not being forced out by Charizard, Landorus, and Talonflame (to give some examples) is nicer. Similarly, Rock Tomb is awesome for slowing down switch-ins and being able to kill Fire and Flying types. An Adamant nature over a Jolly one is because there isn't a whole lot below 70 Speed that runs Speed EVs, and I'm fine with tying with Bisharp.
Inigo Montoya (Excadrill) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Inigo is the secondary win condition of my team. When I was first building the team, I had Rapid Spin instead of Swords Dance. However, I eventually added Latias because Healing Wish, and thus was free to use Swords Dance instead. I've heavily considered using an Air Balloon over a Life Orb, but I like the extra power more. In a meta with Aegi, it lets me always OHKO, and in a meta without it, hopefully Ground moves won't be so common. The 29 HP IVs let me hit a Life Orb number.
Fezzik (Tyranitar) (M) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Ice Beam
Where would Sand Rush Excadrill be without its sand, and where would Inigo Montoya be without Fezzik? He is a rock (pun intended) who always supports (yay puns!) his friends when the need arises. I went with a fully defensive spread because this team badly needs some bulk, and Fezzik must be able to switch in and set sand multiple times over the course of the match. Ice Beam is there since Ice is the best super effective coverage in all of OU, and Beam (unlike Punch) hits Landorus-T, while not being too much weaker in general.
Miracle Max (Talonflame) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind
The justification for this one is a bit weird, but think about it. It is nothing short of a miracle that a first-route bird with a 4x Stealth Rock weakness and no stat bar Speed over 100 is one of the top threats of OU! Miracle Max is my revenge killer and tertiary win condition (if my foe's bird checks are worn down). Tailwind lets Excadrill function without sand if it is an emergency, although using it means that this bird's time on the battlefield is done. If my opponent has an obvious counter-lead to Buttercup, I usually lead with this guy.
Valerie (Latias) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Defog
- Healing Wish
- Draco Meteor
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Latias is one of the best partners for Talonflame, being able to support it with Defog and Healing Wish. Who better than Miracle Max's wife, Valerie? I use Hidden Power Fire because otherwise, Ferrothron is a huge pain for my team to deal with, as Miracle Max doesn't like all of the recoil. The IVs hit a Life Orb number, as well as allowing me to use Hidden Power Fire. Healing Wish is an awesome move in general, letting me restore teammates who are mostly dead. As we all know, "Mostly dead is slightly alive."
So that's my team. Please rate and comment!
The team at a glance:
The team in detail:
Westley (Gyarados) (M) @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate-->Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
I started this team by wanting to build around Mega Gyarados, so who better to fill that role than Westley, also known as the Dread Pirate Roberts? Because you know, Water/Dark? Pirate? OK, I'll stop now. Anyway, Westley is the primary win condition of my team. Mold Breaker is great for ignoring Unaware users, Levitators, etc. I use Adamant because I don't really need to outspeed +1 Dragonite when I'm at +1, and that's about all Jolly does. There isn't a whole lot to say about this mon that any competent rater won't already know, so off to the next team member!
Buttercup (Breloom) (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spore
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Tomb
Buttercup is Westley's true love, and the one who starts the story by getting kidnapped. What better name for a lead Sashloom? I use a Focus Sash over a Life Orb because while a guaranteed OHKO with Mach Punch on Excadrill is nice, not being forced out by Charizard, Landorus, and Talonflame (to give some examples) is nicer. Similarly, Rock Tomb is awesome for slowing down switch-ins and being able to kill Fire and Flying types. An Adamant nature over a Jolly one is because there isn't a whole lot below 70 Speed that runs Speed EVs, and I'm fine with tying with Bisharp.
Inigo Montoya (Excadrill) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Inigo is the secondary win condition of my team. When I was first building the team, I had Rapid Spin instead of Swords Dance. However, I eventually added Latias because Healing Wish, and thus was free to use Swords Dance instead. I've heavily considered using an Air Balloon over a Life Orb, but I like the extra power more. In a meta with Aegi, it lets me always OHKO, and in a meta without it, hopefully Ground moves won't be so common. The 29 HP IVs let me hit a Life Orb number.
Fezzik (Tyranitar) (M) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Ice Beam
Where would Sand Rush Excadrill be without its sand, and where would Inigo Montoya be without Fezzik? He is a rock (pun intended) who always supports (yay puns!) his friends when the need arises. I went with a fully defensive spread because this team badly needs some bulk, and Fezzik must be able to switch in and set sand multiple times over the course of the match. Ice Beam is there since Ice is the best super effective coverage in all of OU, and Beam (unlike Punch) hits Landorus-T, while not being too much weaker in general.
Miracle Max (Talonflame) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind
The justification for this one is a bit weird, but think about it. It is nothing short of a miracle that a first-route bird with a 4x Stealth Rock weakness and no stat bar Speed over 100 is one of the top threats of OU! Miracle Max is my revenge killer and tertiary win condition (if my foe's bird checks are worn down). Tailwind lets Excadrill function without sand if it is an emergency, although using it means that this bird's time on the battlefield is done. If my opponent has an obvious counter-lead to Buttercup, I usually lead with this guy.
Valerie (Latias) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Defog
- Healing Wish
- Draco Meteor
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Latias is one of the best partners for Talonflame, being able to support it with Defog and Healing Wish. Who better than Miracle Max's wife, Valerie? I use Hidden Power Fire because otherwise, Ferrothron is a huge pain for my team to deal with, as Miracle Max doesn't like all of the recoil. The IVs hit a Life Orb number, as well as allowing me to use Hidden Power Fire. Healing Wish is an awesome move in general, letting me restore teammates who are mostly dead. As we all know, "Mostly dead is slightly alive."
So that's my team. Please rate and comment!
