The Six Deadly Sins, an OU Sandstorm Team

deathsreturn

Number One
Gluttony
Mamoswine @Focus Sash

mamoswine.png

Nature: Jolly
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 atk 252 spd 4 hp

Stealth Rock
Protect
Earthquake
Ice Shard

This thing is an amazing lead. It's capable of destroying even Shuca Berry Heatran leads, it blows Aerodactyl and Azelf to little tiny pieces, fake out leads fall due to protect, and his STAB Earthquake tears through teams if unprepared. After the lead, he makes a good revenge killer on dragons, his Ice Shard is capable of OHKOing Dragonite, even before SR damage as long as Sandstorm is going.

Number Two
Wrath
Tyranitar @Babiri Berry
tyranitar__Rawr_by_mittenz_the_devil.jpg

Nature: Adamant
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 atk, 252 spd, 4 hp
Crunch
Stone Edge
Fire Punch
Dragon Dance

Tyranitar. One of the most commonly used pokemon in the tier, and for good reason. This thing is monstrous. It can counter Scizors that try to come in to kill it with it's fire punch, it has powerful stabs with great coverage in Stone Edge and Crunch. It can double as a special drinker, and it's a great sweeper in the late game.

Number Three
Sloth
Hippowdon @Leftovers
hippowdon.png

Nature: Impish
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 hp, 100 SDef, 152 Def

Earthquake
Thunder Fang
Slack Off
Roar

This thing is an AMAZING physical wall. It can blow holes in things that think they can come in and set up on it, (Hi Gyarados) and it's STAB EQs do some massive damage to anything that isn't a flyer or named Bronzong.

Number Four
Greed
Swampert @Leftovers
swampert.png

Nature: Careful
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP, 100 Def, 155 SDef

Earthquake
Avalanche
Rest
Sleep Talk

This is my double wall and revenge killing stopper. He takes about 13% from a Scizor's bullet punch and, as long as the attack isn't grass, he is never 2KOed by a special attack. Earthquake is there for STAB and Avalance gives me a way to deal with pesky dragons. I'm considering replacing this guy with a Starmie though, for some spin support as well as a fighting resist which I so dreadfully need.

Number Five
Envy
Scizor @Choice Band
Scizor_art_by_Pokemon_Diamond.png

Nature: Adamant
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 atk, 248 HP, 8 spd

Bullet Punch
Superpower
U-Turn
Pursuit

My Revenge killer. It's a Scizor, nothing really special about him. The HPs give him bulkiness should I decide to scout with him. Nothing really special about him.

Number Six
Pride
Empoleon @Petaya Berry
empoleon.png

Nature: Modest
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 SAtk, 252 Spd, 4 SDef (Notable IVs: Hp 30)

Agility
Substitue
Surf
Ice Beam

This thing is my Pride and Joy. The 30 HP IVs are so that empoleon will always activate the Petaya Berry after 3 substitutes, no matter what. I use Ice Beam over Grass Knot because I really hate Flygons, Dragonites and Salamences. They're mean. After he's fully set up, he can hit a standard spinning Starmie for a whopping 77% with surf alone. He tears through any team that doesn't pack Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave, and even if they do, they'll probably be dead by the time I bring him out.


Notable Threats:

Gyarados. This thing resists a lot of my attacks, can switch in on my Earthquakes and ruin my fun with intimidate. He's one of the few pokemon I actually dread when I see it. Thinking of replacing Swampert with Starmie just to handle this thing.

Breloom. He comes in and kills my Tyranitar, or Mamoswine and then makes me cry. He also commonly packs Mach Punch to kill my poor Empoleon. Seed Bomb destroys Swampert and Hippowdon as well.

Infernape: He's not a threat to the whole team, but he can take down my Mamo if he isn't at full health, can do some horrific damage to my Tyranitar, if not kill it, and can destroy poor Empoleon. Luckily, Swampert and Hippowdon have little trouble dispatching him.

This is my first RMT, so please be gentle. Or harsh. Or however you want to treat a person around here!
 
Okay, first thing's first. You do not want Focus Band. It is a terrible 'Luck Item', that depends solely on chance, not skill. If you're devoted to using Mamoswine, this is the set you should be using.

Mamoswine @ Focus Sash
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Spe

  • Ice Shard
  • Earthquake
  • Stealth Rock
  • Protect/Stone Edge/Endeavor
I would personally recommend Protect or Stone Edge over Endeavor, seeing as there are a lot of Priority attacks flying the OU meta-game.

You have a Dragon Dance Tyranitar on your team, that doesn't have Babiri Berry, and you have nothing to really trap Scizor with. Scizor can OHKO three members of your team with just Superpower and Bullet Punch alone. If you're going to run Babiri Berry on Tyranitar, as well as Dragon Dance, it would be wise to run Fire Punch on the same set, to defeat Scizor.

Tyranitar @ Babiri Berry
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe

  • Dragon Dance
  • Stone Edge
  • Crunch
  • Fire Punch
Hippowdon and Swampert are both taking massive damage from Infernape, as is Tyranitar and Empoleon. And if they have any type of Priority attack (Mach Punch/Vacuum Wave), then your entire team is swept by Close Combat/Grass Knot/Mach Punch. Nothing on your team is really a safe-switch into any of Infernape's attacks, other than maybe Fire Blast. Grass Knot alone hits at least three of your Pokemon for large amounts of damage, Close Combat hits the other, and Vaccum Wave/Mach Punch would deal with Mamoswine, should it still be around.

This team is completely wrecked by common OU players, such as Dragon Dance Salamence, Choice Band Scizor, Mixed (or Nasty Plot) Infernape, and is damn near completely shut down by stall.

Also, I don't see a clear purpose in this team? What is it aiming for? What are you trying to set up for a sweep? You do know that everything on a Sand Storm team doesn't have to resist Sand Storm damage, right? Cause that's the way it looks like you made your team.

As a side-note, these descriptions are way too short. Expand them, and quickly, before a mod gets to this topic and locks it.
 
I had Focus Sash from the beginning but for some reason though Focus Band when I was making the list and it got past my proofreading. The change to Tyranitar is making a big difference, as I can now kill Scizor and Forretress who try to switch in to me. Forretress, for some reason, wrecks with Gyro Ball. =/

I was thinking of switching Swampert with either Starmie or Gliscor. If so, I was wondering if a defensive Gliscor running

252 hp, 40 def, 216 spd
Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Impish

Earthquake
Stone Edge
Knock Off
Roost
Would help in my stall breaking abilities, which, as Shiny pidgey mentioned is incredibly lackluster on this team.

Maybe I'm just fighting bads (totally possible btw) but I have yet to see a Grass Knot from an Infernape.

And yes, I do know that not every pokemon in a Sandstorm team needs to resist Sandstorm. So far I've been doing very well with the set up I'm running, and as I said earlier, the only thing that really beats me is Spore Punch Breloom.
 
To counter Gyarados and Infernape I would recommend Choice Scarf Starmie>>Swampert. Then you can revenge kill Gyardos and Salamence after a DD.

Starmie @ Choice Scarf
4 HP/252 SAtk/252Spd
Timid

Surf
Ice Beam
Thunderbolt
Trick

This also helps with your Infernape problem.

Because you can now revenge kill dragons with Starmie it makes Mamoswine a bit redundant. Because of this you can now run a Shuca Lead Heatran>>Mamoswine.

Heatran @ Shuca Berry
4 HP/252 SAtk/252 Spd
Timid

Fire Blast
Earth Power
Explosion
Stealth Rock

This also helps with your Scizor problem as Tyranitar is only a lure and you make it obvious you have Fire Punch if you switch in. Also if you get hit by Bullet Punch on the switch in you no longer have your check. Or even if you get hit by Superpower/Brick Break you will lose your clean up. Heatran will help with this problem.

Hope this helped.
 
Cool! I'll have to give that a try! Thanks. So Starmie over Swampert and no Gliscor, right? Sweet.

And Shuca Berry Heatran over Mamo. Hehe.
 
B-b-b-but there are seven deadly sins. :pirate:

This team is 6-0'd by standard MixApe, but fear not my young ward, a few simple changes and plugs can help remedy this situation!

First of all, get rid of Hippowdon, having it with Tyranitar on the same team is useless and makes you more MixApe weak. I suggest replacing it with Defensive CM Suicune. This will help you beat MixApe and a handful of other pokemon who beat your team. A.k.a. anything with a water/grass/fire or some combination of the three type of attacks. I know you are thinking, "but alan, you said I'm MixApe weak and you suggest a Water-Type??? Are you HIGH?" No I am not. Defensive Suicune takes 53% - 62.9% from an unboosted Grass Knot from specially based MixApe, which allows it to KO with Surf. I suggest this set for your team as I feel it will help your weakness:

Suicune @ Leftovers | 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe | Bold Nature
Calm Mind | Surf | Hidden Power [Electric] | Rest

Similar to CroCune, but not walled by Vaporeon and also serves as an answer to Gyarados with something better than Thunder Fang or Stone Miss Edge. After a Calm Mind, Infernape cannot hope to 2HKO unless it crits as Grass Knot does 35.6% - 42.1%, garunteed 3HKO thanks to Leftovers recovery. Calm Mind helps to boost your Special Defense and Attack, Rest makes sure you don't die as fast. Surf + Hidden Power Electric has pretty awesome coverage in and of itself.

Empoleon also will have difficulty sweeping because bulky waters can switch in and fear nothing from it (and possibly KO with their assumed anti-water attacks). I suggest adding something in to help spread Toxic to these pokemon, something like Blissey does the job well because she fears no special attacks.

Blissey @ Leftovers | 24 HP / 252 Def / 232 Sp.Def | Calm Nature
Softboiled | Toxic | Heal Bell | Seismic Toss

Switch in on stuff like Vaporeon, Suicune, <bulky water>, Heal Bell if your team is afflicted, Toxic to get them started wearing down. SToss is for damage. Pretty straightforward set.

Also, it should be noted that Empoleon will not outspeed Scarf Flygon unless you have more than one Agility activated, I found that out the hard way :(.

I hope these changes helped, and good luck with your team. :toast:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top