This is: Ender's Game
Intro
With the drop of Porygon-z and Cresselia, two giant special threats were unleashed into the UU metagame. For a couple days, Cressy and to a lesser extent Pz ravaged the metagame until adjustments were made. This is my "adjustment": a sand team.
Sand brings numerous advantages to the table. The foremost is that every single one of the potential suspects right now HATES sand. The SpD boosts, extra damage each turn, mitigation of Synthesis/Moonlight/Morning Sun healing, it all adds up.
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I set out to make a sand team so dominant that I would become a legend - ROLFKIP and CAN'T TOUCH THIS would become synonymous, one and the same, in the Pokemon world. People would know the kid with 150 posts and be grateful they knew him. He would get auto-ops on all irc servers and free tickets to the movies. He would get hot dates. All the time.
...Actually, I just settled with my old username of I suck u.u, whose origins go back to the old UU when I really did, well, suck. Poor, poor me.
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Ender's Game
Froslass(Ender's Shadow)@Choice Scarf
248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe - Timid
~ Spikes
~ Trick
~ Ice Beam
~ Pain Split
Role Summary: Froslass is a suspect for a reason. Spikes with it are just too easy. It's guaranteed at least one layer on everything in UU except faster Taunters and faster Sleepers, of which there aren't many. Spikes is an integral part of my strategy. It allows Hippopotas to not be dead weight like many sand teams seem to make him, along with just the general utility of having Pokemon take 12.5% just for switching in. It is also my spin blocker, so keeping it healthy is important. Finally, it allows me to check the fighters in the tier (somewhat) with it's immunity to their STABs. Proslass was meant to be used out of the lead spot, but I still really didn't want Hippo as my lead, so I used Trick and Choice Scarf over Taunt and Lefties to specialize it for the lead spot.
Moveset: Spikes is an obvious choice. Trick allows me to beat almost every lead out there bar other Trickers, who I can just lay a layer of Spikes on and maybe two. Ice Beam is the general STAB. Pain Split allows for decent recovery, and also screws lots of switch-ins by taking up to half their health.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Is 4-5HKOed by Spiritomb depending on Damage rolls. It beats Donphan reliably, switching in on Earthquake and being able to simply Pain Split enough HP to survive another Earthquake and putting Donphan in KO range. It's damn bulky....survives a Honchkrow Night Slash! - Hyu
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Hippopotas(Colonel Graff)@Leftovers
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Att - Relaxed
0 IV in Spe
~Stealth Rock
~Yawn
~Roar
~Earthquake
Role Summary: Set up the storm. He is also my Stealth Rocker, which plays an integral part in my secondary strategy of entry hazard stacking. He is also surprisingly bulky; he is not the waste of a team slot most take him to be. He is also a pseudo-hazer to rack up the entry hazard damage. Oh, he is also my status absorber. :)
Moveset: Stealth Rock is the best move in the game (bar maybe substitute) for a reason. It alone is what keeps many potent threats from going into the BL threshold. Yawn creates win-win situations, and is always a great move. Roar piles on entry hazard damage and has great synergy with Yawn, as they (literally) force switches. Earthquake makes me not as much Taunt bait and can break Subs in critical moments.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The EVs are geared towards Hippo's far superior physical defense, giving him great bulk on that side. The terrible speed is because I'm paranoid; if a Snover switches in at the same time as me, I definitely want sand on the field and not hail. Leftovers add to my bulk, as only super effective special moves will be OHKOing me.
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Cradily(Shen)@Leftovers
252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Att - Careful
~ Curse
~ Seed Bomb
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
Role Summary: My number 1 abuser of sand. I'm pretty sure many, many a person can attest to being swept by this Cradily. Basically, if you don't have a strong physical attacker that's preferably got STAB Fighting moves, you are dead. Roar doesn't work because of its ability, Suction Cups, so no pHazing this sucker either. It's a stinker to take down due to its incredibly high Special Defense in the sand. Many pokemon turn into setup bait because of this monster, and stall is absolutely run over. Only Altaria causes this set problems, but it is taken care of quite handily with Sceptile.
Moveset: Curse patches up my somewhat weak Defense and Attack, and can overall boost them to fever-pitch levels. Seed Bomb has less x4 resisters than Rock Slide does and in general is a better option mostly due to Steelix. Rest and Sleep Talk get rid of status and heal my health as not much is 2HKOing me after a Curse or two.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Since Curse is boosting my Attack and Defense, I'm free to invest all I want into HP and Special Defense. In the sand, Cradily's SpD soars to 516: ridiculous. Leftovers turn some would-be 2HKOs into 3HKOs.
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Rhyperior(Bonzo Madrid)@Leftovers
252 HP / 16 Att / 16 Def / 224 SpD - Adamant
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
~ Megahorn
~ Roar
Role Summary: My second sand abuser. Everyone has heard stories about MANperior, but why no one takes advantage of it I'm not sure. With Solid Rock reducing damage from super-effective attacks, even Raikou's HP Grass isn't KOing this monster. In fact, the standard SubCM Raikou can only muster 34.6% - 40.8% before a CM. Yes, that is with HP Grass. Yes, just as many run HP Ice. Yes, that is x4 effective. (x3 effective due to Solid Rock) He also acts as a secondary shuffler and gives me a very powerful duel STAB even with minimal Attack investment.
Moveset: Earthquake and Stone Edge make up the great QuakeEdge coverage set, while Megahorn rounds it out by hitting Cresselia and Grass switch ins for super effective damage. Roar is an awesome scouting move and also makes the other team take entry hazard damage at the same time.
EVs, Nature, and Item: EVs suggested by SDS. Max HP for great bulk along with 224 spD EVs gives him some ridiculous resistance against attacks from special side. 16 EVs in both Attack and Defense allow for an extra point in each iirc. Adamant so his moves hit harder, as he really doesn't need any more defense than he has. Leftovers are a great item on any poke.
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Feraligatr(Crazy Tom)@Leftovers
252 HP / 28 Att / 228 Spe - Adamant
~ Dragon Dance
~ Substitute
~ Waterfall
~ Return
Role Summary: Feraligatr is my check to bulky waters, and overall is a great sweeper. Without him, much of my team would fall apart. He is able to set up on lots of choiced attacks or weak attacks from walls, as sub protects from status. After 2 DDs (which isn't hard to get by any stretch of the imagination) he is able to outspeed and kill most all of the UU metagame. Sandstorm also helps him in one way: if I Sub into Torrent range, the sand will keep me in Torrent instead of Leftovers taking me out, which sometimes is game breaking.
Moveset: Dragon Dance is the obvious boosting move here, as I really needed something that could sweep on its own accord without much setup, and SD just doesn't do that the same way. Sub blocks status, which helps especially against things like Cresselia who try to Twave you only to let you get a free DD in. Water + Normal gives perfect coverage in two movesets.
EVs, Nature, and Item: I needed this thing to be able to come in multiple times as it patches up a lot of my weaknesses. 252 HP gives it a "wtf" amount of bulk while 228 Speed and an Adamant nature allow it to outspeed base 120s after a DD. (Sceptile) The rest is poured into Attack.
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Sceptile(Petra Arkanian)@Leftovers
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def - Timid
2 IV in HP
~ Leech Seed
~ Substitute
~ Leaf Storm
~ Hidden Power [Ice]
Role Summary: Sceptile is gifted with great base speed while also having Leech Seed, making it the fastest SubSeeder outside of Ubers. I had a couple holes to patch up from the rest of the team, mainly a Donphan weakness, Altaria weakness, and a general physical grass weakness. Haze Milotic was also ever annoying. It brings to the table a very strong STAB and blazing speed while still being able to fit the more defensive style of this team.
Moveset: Leech Seed and Substitute give me free turns and free damage against many UU threats. It also gives me pseudo-recovery, especially with my EVs. Leaf Storm gives me a great STAB move that is much needed to scare away or kill the likes of Donphan and Milotic, while HP Ice lets me hit Altaria and Torterra that otherwise gives this team large problems, along with the other Grass types in the tier.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Max Special Attack and Speed give him the speed and power that I chose him for. The 0 IV in HP allows for max % gain from Leech Seed, allowing me to heal more and create more Subs.
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Team Building
I really wanted to make a sandstorm team to try and deal with the recent OU dropdowns, and sandstorm teams all have one thing in common: Hippopotas.
All sandstorm teams need at least one Rock-type. Due to their amazing bulk in the sand, I went with Rhyperior and Cradily as my sand abusers. Cradily got Curse with HGSS, which makes it a powerful monoattacker with RestTalk, while Rhyperior just in general does a great job of shutting down lots of common threats in the metagame.
The glaring bulky water weakness at this point needed some fixing. I needed something that could consistently take hits while still dish them out. It was a close battle between Azumarill and Feraligatr, but I found Feraligatr to fit the play of the team a lot better, so Gatr was in.
Alakazam would give this set of Pokemon great trouble. I wanted something bulky that could also act as a check against Cresselia. Spiritomb fit that bill well, so he was a shoo-in.
Finally, I decided that I would rather like to have the flexibility of not leading with Hippopotas. This team also really would appreciate Spike support due to two pHazers in Hippopotas and Rhyperior, so Froslass would make a great choice in the lead position.
I then quickly figured out that physical Grass-types (Venusaur, Sceptile, and Torterra) would leave giant holes in my team. Spiritomb was doing the least for me, so I decided he would be going. I also wanted something fast enough to deal with the quicker threats in UU. Sceptile fit perfectly.
...and there you go!
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PS: I still get hot dates even though my name is not synonymous with Can't Touch This.
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Ender's Game is a novel by Orson Scott Card, and by far one of the best books I have ever read. This team is by far the best team I have made. That is the only relation between the two :)
Caution: If you haven't read the book, some of the comments are spoilers. Only look if you don't mind.
Just so there is no questions about this: None of my Pokemon are named Ender because none of them really glue the team together; they all work together. You can consider yourself as Ender as you are the one making the calls and such. The team is your toon.
-----------
Ender's Game is a novel by Orson Scott Card, and by far one of the best books I have ever read. This team is by far the best team I have made. That is the only relation between the two :)
Caution: If you haven't read the book, some of the comments are spoilers. Only look if you don't mind.
Just so there is no questions about this: None of my Pokemon are named Ender because none of them really glue the team together; they all work together. You can consider yourself as Ender as you are the one making the calls and such. The team is your toon.
-----------
Intro
With the drop of Porygon-z and Cresselia, two giant special threats were unleashed into the UU metagame. For a couple days, Cressy and to a lesser extent Pz ravaged the metagame until adjustments were made. This is my "adjustment": a sand team.
Sand brings numerous advantages to the table. The foremost is that every single one of the potential suspects right now HATES sand. The SpD boosts, extra damage each turn, mitigation of Synthesis/Moonlight/Morning Sun healing, it all adds up.
---------
I set out to make a sand team so dominant that I would become a legend - ROLFKIP and CAN'T TOUCH THIS would become synonymous, one and the same, in the Pokemon world. People would know the kid with 150 posts and be grateful they knew him. He would get auto-ops on all irc servers and free tickets to the movies. He would get hot dates. All the time.
...Actually, I just settled with my old username of I suck u.u, whose origins go back to the old UU when I really did, well, suck. Poor, poor me.
----------
Ender's Game
Froslass(Ender's Shadow)@Choice Scarf
248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe - Timid
~ Spikes
~ Trick
~ Ice Beam
~ Pain Split
Role Summary: Froslass is a suspect for a reason. Spikes with it are just too easy. It's guaranteed at least one layer on everything in UU except faster Taunters and faster Sleepers, of which there aren't many. Spikes is an integral part of my strategy. It allows Hippopotas to not be dead weight like many sand teams seem to make him, along with just the general utility of having Pokemon take 12.5% just for switching in. It is also my spin blocker, so keeping it healthy is important. Finally, it allows me to check the fighters in the tier (somewhat) with it's immunity to their STABs. Proslass was meant to be used out of the lead spot, but I still really didn't want Hippo as my lead, so I used Trick and Choice Scarf over Taunt and Lefties to specialize it for the lead spot.
Moveset: Spikes is an obvious choice. Trick allows me to beat almost every lead out there bar other Trickers, who I can just lay a layer of Spikes on and maybe two. Ice Beam is the general STAB. Pain Split allows for decent recovery, and also screws lots of switch-ins by taking up to half their health.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Is 4-5HKOed by Spiritomb depending on Damage rolls. It beats Donphan reliably, switching in on Earthquake and being able to simply Pain Split enough HP to survive another Earthquake and putting Donphan in KO range. It's damn bulky....survives a Honchkrow Night Slash! - Hyu
Ender's Shadow is a parallel novel to Ender's Game written from the point of view of Bean, one of Ender's friends. Bean is genetically altered to be super smart. He always aids in Ender's victories and if Ender is ever to falter, Bean is there to pick up the slack and finish the job.
Hippopotas(Colonel Graff)@Leftovers
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Att - Relaxed
0 IV in Spe
~Stealth Rock
~Yawn
~Roar
~Earthquake
Role Summary: Set up the storm. He is also my Stealth Rocker, which plays an integral part in my secondary strategy of entry hazard stacking. He is also surprisingly bulky; he is not the waste of a team slot most take him to be. He is also a pseudo-hazer to rack up the entry hazard damage. Oh, he is also my status absorber. :)
Moveset: Stealth Rock is the best move in the game (bar maybe substitute) for a reason. It alone is what keeps many potent threats from going into the BL threshold. Yawn creates win-win situations, and is always a great move. Roar piles on entry hazard damage and has great synergy with Yawn, as they (literally) force switches. Earthquake makes me not as much Taunt bait and can break Subs in critical moments.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The EVs are geared towards Hippo's far superior physical defense, giving him great bulk on that side. The terrible speed is because I'm paranoid; if a Snover switches in at the same time as me, I definitely want sand on the field and not hail. Leftovers add to my bulk, as only super effective special moves will be OHKOing me.
Colonel Graff is an adult that runs the Battle School where all the children are taught. He sets up and maintains everything the school needs to stay productive, but also defends the children fiercely after the Formics are killed.
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Cradily(Shen)@Leftovers
252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Att - Careful
~ Curse
~ Seed Bomb
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
Role Summary: My number 1 abuser of sand. I'm pretty sure many, many a person can attest to being swept by this Cradily. Basically, if you don't have a strong physical attacker that's preferably got STAB Fighting moves, you are dead. Roar doesn't work because of its ability, Suction Cups, so no pHazing this sucker either. It's a stinker to take down due to its incredibly high Special Defense in the sand. Many pokemon turn into setup bait because of this monster, and stall is absolutely run over. Only Altaria causes this set problems, but it is taken care of quite handily with Sceptile.
Moveset: Curse patches up my somewhat weak Defense and Attack, and can overall boost them to fever-pitch levels. Seed Bomb has less x4 resisters than Rock Slide does and in general is a better option mostly due to Steelix. Rest and Sleep Talk get rid of status and heal my health as not much is 2HKOing me after a Curse or two.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Since Curse is boosting my Attack and Defense, I'm free to invest all I want into HP and Special Defense. In the sand, Cradily's SpD soars to 516: ridiculous. Leftovers turn some would-be 2HKOs into 3HKOs.
Shen is a Japanese student who is part of Ender's group of launchies. He is introduced as the kid who has a big butt that wriggles when he walks and is constantly mocked by Bernard and his gang. Ender steps in and sends a number of messages under pseudonyms (such as "Cover your butt. Bernard is watching. - God") to break Bernard's control over the room. He becomes Ender's first friend in Battle School.
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Rhyperior(Bonzo Madrid)@Leftovers
252 HP / 16 Att / 16 Def / 224 SpD - Adamant
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
~ Megahorn
~ Roar
Role Summary: My second sand abuser. Everyone has heard stories about MANperior, but why no one takes advantage of it I'm not sure. With Solid Rock reducing damage from super-effective attacks, even Raikou's HP Grass isn't KOing this monster. In fact, the standard SubCM Raikou can only muster 34.6% - 40.8% before a CM. Yes, that is with HP Grass. Yes, just as many run HP Ice. Yes, that is x4 effective. (x3 effective due to Solid Rock) He also acts as a secondary shuffler and gives me a very powerful duel STAB even with minimal Attack investment.
Moveset: Earthquake and Stone Edge make up the great QuakeEdge coverage set, while Megahorn rounds it out by hitting Cresselia and Grass switch ins for super effective damage. Roar is an awesome scouting move and also makes the other team take entry hazard damage at the same time.
EVs, Nature, and Item: EVs suggested by SDS. Max HP for great bulk along with 224 spD EVs gives him some ridiculous resistance against attacks from special side. 16 EVs in both Attack and Defense allow for an extra point in each iirc. Adamant so his moves hit harder, as he really doesn't need any more defense than he has. Leftovers are a great item on any poke.
Bonzo is a real douche. He is a stereotypical bully. He's built big and has lots of friends to back him up. When he finally confronts Ender physically, Ender beats him badly so that he won't confront him again, but Ender ends up killing him in the process.
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Feraligatr(Crazy Tom)@Leftovers
252 HP / 28 Att / 228 Spe - Adamant
~ Dragon Dance
~ Substitute
~ Waterfall
~ Return
Role Summary: Feraligatr is my check to bulky waters, and overall is a great sweeper. Without him, much of my team would fall apart. He is able to set up on lots of choiced attacks or weak attacks from walls, as sub protects from status. After 2 DDs (which isn't hard to get by any stretch of the imagination) he is able to outspeed and kill most all of the UU metagame. Sandstorm also helps him in one way: if I Sub into Torrent range, the sand will keep me in Torrent instead of Leftovers taking me out, which sometimes is game breaking.
Moveset: Dragon Dance is the obvious boosting move here, as I really needed something that could sweep on its own accord without much setup, and SD just doesn't do that the same way. Sub blocks status, which helps especially against things like Cresselia who try to Twave you only to let you get a free DD in. Water + Normal gives perfect coverage in two movesets.
EVs, Nature, and Item: I needed this thing to be able to come in multiple times as it patches up a lot of my weaknesses. 252 HP gives it a "wtf" amount of bulk while 228 Speed and an Adamant nature allow it to outspeed base 120s after a DD. (Sceptile) The rest is poured into Attack.
Crazy Tom was notorious for being incapable of working with any commander he believed to be an idiot, reacting to perceived "stupidity" with physically and verbally violent tantrums. Under Ender's superior training and leadership in Dragon Army, however, Crazy Tom ultimately learned to control his temper.
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Sceptile(Petra Arkanian)@Leftovers
252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def - Timid
2 IV in HP
~ Leech Seed
~ Substitute
~ Leaf Storm
~ Hidden Power [Ice]
Role Summary: Sceptile is gifted with great base speed while also having Leech Seed, making it the fastest SubSeeder outside of Ubers. I had a couple holes to patch up from the rest of the team, mainly a Donphan weakness, Altaria weakness, and a general physical grass weakness. Haze Milotic was also ever annoying. It brings to the table a very strong STAB and blazing speed while still being able to fit the more defensive style of this team.
Moveset: Leech Seed and Substitute give me free turns and free damage against many UU threats. It also gives me pseudo-recovery, especially with my EVs. Leaf Storm gives me a great STAB move that is much needed to scare away or kill the likes of Donphan and Milotic, while HP Ice lets me hit Altaria and Torterra that otherwise gives this team large problems, along with the other Grass types in the tier.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Max Special Attack and Speed give him the speed and power that I chose him for. The 0 IV in HP allows for max % gain from Leech Seed, allowing me to heal more and create more Subs.
Petra Arkanian is an Armenian student who is the only female in the jeesh. During the Earth's invasion of the Bugger worlds, Ender relies on her heavily, often giving her complicated and critical assignments; she is the first student to burn out, falling asleep during a battle.
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Team Building
I really wanted to make a sandstorm team to try and deal with the recent OU dropdowns, and sandstorm teams all have one thing in common: Hippopotas.
All sandstorm teams need at least one Rock-type. Due to their amazing bulk in the sand, I went with Rhyperior and Cradily as my sand abusers. Cradily got Curse with HGSS, which makes it a powerful monoattacker with RestTalk, while Rhyperior just in general does a great job of shutting down lots of common threats in the metagame.
The glaring bulky water weakness at this point needed some fixing. I needed something that could consistently take hits while still dish them out. It was a close battle between Azumarill and Feraligatr, but I found Feraligatr to fit the play of the team a lot better, so Gatr was in.
Alakazam would give this set of Pokemon great trouble. I wanted something bulky that could also act as a check against Cresselia. Spiritomb fit that bill well, so he was a shoo-in.
Finally, I decided that I would rather like to have the flexibility of not leading with Hippopotas. This team also really would appreciate Spike support due to two pHazers in Hippopotas and Rhyperior, so Froslass would make a great choice in the lead position.
I then quickly figured out that physical Grass-types (Venusaur, Sceptile, and Torterra) would leave giant holes in my team. Spiritomb was doing the least for me, so I decided he would be going. I also wanted something fast enough to deal with the quicker threats in UU. Sceptile fit perfectly.
...and there you go!
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PS: I still get hot dates even though my name is not synonymous with Can't Touch This.
