Tier Shift: Mow you down! (ranked #1)

[Mr Omgness]

Hello all! After taking a break from tier shift for a few weeks I came back a few days ago with a new team I made together with the help and feedback from SpartanMalice. Surprisingly enough this team turned out to be just great getting me to #1 on the ladder (screenshot attached) and netting me a big win/loss ratio.

I also played this team on the nick CookieMonstah, so the games on the nick in the screenshot are not all of them.

The team at a glance​

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The team in depth​

I was kinda tired of all the weather in Tier Shift and how it is pretty imbalanced in my opinion. Some chlorophyll users are NU and get a +15 boost in TS but this isnt representative because most auto-weather is only available in OU. If Drought/Drizzle/Sand Stream was available in NU, RU and/or UU then things like Victreebel, Swanna, Sawsbuck, etc. would no way be NU. So I grabbed my courage and decided to go for a weatherless teams to punish all them weather ponies!

MowMowMow
Rotom-C @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
252 SpA/252 Spe/4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Volt Switch
- Trick
- HP Fire​

When I decided to build a weatherless team, my first thought was: "How do I counter rain's biggest threats?". And here we are! Rotom-C is a hurdle not to be taken lightly for rain teams as his Leaf Storm OHKOes most Politoeds, he doesnt care about Whiscash, revenge kills Swanna with no sweat and will mess with Tentacruel and Lapras. Rotom-formes have always been nasty guys and this one here is no exception, furthermore with a +10 boost in Tier Shift this guy can wreak havoc and made it even more an option on this team than Rotom-W.

The few weatherless teams that are played at the top are full stall teams. Against these teams this guy is invaluable as well giving me momentum with Volt Switch and being able to trick a Scarf on anything that doesnt like it.

Against balanced teams I dont trick the scarf unless I know I dont need it (anymore), because Rotom fulfills a 3rd role: the one of revenge killer. My team is not all that fast so that in some situations I have to preserve the Rotoom (and his scarf) until a certain opposing threat has been dealt with.

All in all this guy is really underrated, I wasnt too sure about him at the start but I can see his power now and I'm amazed that he doesnt get a spot on some sun teams. This guy is rain's worst nightmare fellas!

I chose a modest nature so that I get more damage out of my volt switches and leaf storms. Although a Timid nature could be run as it still OHKOes standard Politoed, not sure what it outspeeds when Timid tho, I just like the extra power on Volt Switches mainly.

(BAN ME PLEASE)
Heatran @ Leftovers
Flash Fire
252 HP/252 SpD/4 SpA
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Roar​

The second thought wasn't very farfetched either: "How do I counter sun's biggest threats?". Well Heatran still does it's job well being the prime guy to take grass and fire attacks. On top of that it has great synergy with Rotom as it resists (or is immune to) all weakness Rotom-C has; even better Rotom-C is immune to Ground attacks aimed at Heatran and can take Water attacks as well. The only type dat these two cannot cover is Fighting.

The set is fairly standard. I choose to run Earth Power over stuff like Protect or Toxic for opposing Heatran, Ninetales and Tentacruel. Roar is to force out certain Calm Minders and Quiver Dancers like Cresselia, Liligant and Swoobat and to counter BP teams (notably the ones using Shedinja or Ninjask) and other thins like Sigilyph. Lava Plume is mandatory STAB and to fish for some burns.

Like I said Heatran's main job is to give sun teams a hard time. Victreebel and Liligant cannot touch Heatran at all, although I have to look out for Sleep Powder. Worst case scenario the Victreebel carries HP Ground (but I havent seen one of them), but then it misses out on a different coverage move.

Heatran also has an easy time switching into things like Ferrothorn and Forretress and can scare them out while putting up rocks.

FishTank
Alomomola @ Leftovers
Regenerator
252 HP/252 Def/4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Waterfall
- Toxic
- Wish
- Protect​

With Heatran covering most of the special attackers I needed something to take on the physical side and who else but this guy? This FishTank takes physical attacks all day and makes Wishpassing as easy as taking candy from a baby. The synergy it has with Heatran, Ferrothorn and Rotom is amazing. Countless times have I been able to get 20% mons back to 100 because of a fishwish. It does not care too much for status because of Regenerator, altho if all hazards are up it can get worn down since I have no spinner.

Toxic is for opposing Alomomola and other stallish Pokemon like Tangela that try to switch in and feast on it with Leech Seed or Giga Drain, Cresselia and so on.

Even tho Sand does not worry me too much this guy deals with it as TTar, Stoutland and Sandslash all succumb to it.

Great Pokémon in TS, it actually deserves to be suspect even.... Although it is big Ferrothorn bait.

BOOM!
Golurk @ Leftovers
Iron Fist
252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch​

"Lord there are no good spinners in this tier."
Well Tentacruel is a good one if you're running rain but because I felt that adding a spinner to my team would set me back too much so I decided not to run one. And I thought by myself "If I can't spin, then no one can". And tadaaa, here's SubPunch Golurk. Golurk can set up a substitute on most of the tier's spinners (Tentacruel will try to scald him but it will fail to 2HKO and he will have to hope for a burn while he gets an EQ to the face) and then is ready for a Focus Punch (or in other words: BOOM!).

It also sets up easily on things like Chansey, Ferrothorn and Scizor while being a defensive check to things like Mienshao and (the rare) Terrakion.

He dislikes status a lot and because Alomomola has an easy time switching in this guy is probably my least useful poke, but he has done some jobs. He has great bulk making him able to revenge kill some threats, he spinblocks pretty good and no one seems to expect this set netting him a lot of KOes in some games.

I chose Ice Punch over Shadow Punch because the latter has low BP anyway and doesnt hit that much stuff for SE damage.

The Stache
Alakazam @ Focus Sash
Magic Guard
252 SpA/252 Spe/4 HP
Modest Nature
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- HP Fire​

This guy is my "Plan B", standard Sash Zam. If something is likely to sweep me then this guy comes in to revenge it by use of his sash. If I lost my Heatran somehow vs a sun team and there's a Victreebel running rampant then Psyshock takes care of it, Sawsbuck set up and ready to go? Focus Blast (if it doesnt miss) to the rescue. HP Fire is the choice to hit some more Chloromobbers with boosted sunlight power and for Scizor, Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and on and on.

He has done great and I wouldnt switch him for anything. He is a true nightmare for stall teams as well as he hits pretty much all stallmons for SE damage. He also fits the team great as I dont want any hazard-weak mons and this guy dont care, at all.

Modest nature is for biggest possible power as I dont necessarily need to outspeed some regulars, I just need to kill them. Especially cuz with the various TS boosts and with Chlorophyll and Sand Rush around, a speed boosting nature might be useless anyway.

Knock Knock
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Iron Barbs
252 HP/88 Def/168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Spikes​

Who's there? The cause of much ragequitting in Tier Shift. Countering various threats in rain, sun and sand he just has to be on a weatherless team. A non-exhaustive list: Sawsbuck, Whiscash, Lapras, Jynx, Stoutland, Sandslash,... On top of that it gets a free switch into Alomomola to lay some hazards (after all I got a spinblocker).

I made him a mixed wall using his set of resistances and his leech seed shenanigans to the best possible effect. Ferrothorn never seems to disappoint.

He actually completes a Fire/Water/Grass core with Heatran and Alomomola although in some game it's more as if Rotom-C is my grass core and Thorny just lays hazards hehe. With Alomomola WishPassing so easily I am not very desperate to leech seed as much and I can lay my spikes way earlier and even get in some attacks with this guy. I found myself clicking leech seed a bit too much when I played Thorny on other teams.

Goodbyes and Importable​

Thanks for checking out the team and leave a like/reply if you want to. If any questions about the team (like how I hande certain threats) or any suggestions for improvement, just reply (or send me a PM) and I will analyze them thoroughly for you.

I've gotten my no.1 spot so the team can be stolen and used for own amusement.

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MowMowMow (Rotom-Mow) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Volt Switch
- Trick
- Hidden Power [Fire]

(BAN ME PLEASE) (Heatran) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power

BOOM! (Golurk) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Ice Punch
- Focus Punch
- Earthquake

FishTank (Alomomola) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Waterfall
- Wish
- Protect

Knock Knock (Ferrothorn) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball

The Stache (Alakazam) (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Shadow Ball

 

[BlankZero]

I love the Ferro/Alo core you have going on here, and honestly I can't see much in the way of how to improve your team other than by swapping in a spinner somewhere. You mentioned Tentacruel, but I find Cryogonal to actually work well as a spinner/special wall, although you gain a rocks weakness.

 

[Mr Omgness]

Hmm although Cryogonal's stats are great for a special wall I just cant see it doing anything.

Take Swanna for example: Cryogonal can tank the hits, but cant do anything in return and Swanna will most likely fish for a confuse from Hurricane. Jynx is another special attacker that's gonna mess up the day because it can easily substitute up on cryogonal and go for nasty plot. Moltres and Charizard are too much to take in the sun. It also doesn't match up too well vs the weather starters, Ferrothorn and Heatran; all very common mons.

The only notable things Cryogonal counters are Galvantula, Exeggutor, Nidoking/queen and the genies.

I might be overreacting but to me it seems the meta isn't very friendly to Cryogonal.

Also: I'm thinking about making a new TS team, if anyone has suggestions for a mon/strategy I should build my team around lemme know. I can always use some inspiration.

 

[SomeDrunkRockLee]

The first thing I see looking at your team is a major Gyarados weakness. If politoed gets the burn on ferro, then you have serious problems:


Alomomola is set up fodder for substitute/taunt gyarados with the given moveset.

Burned Ferro is set up for substitute/taunt gyarados always.

Golurk is always OHKOd in rain (105-124%)

Heatran is OHKOd by waterfall from most gyarados variants; a gyarados uninvested in attack with leftovers would still have a small chance (31.25%) to KO after stealth rock.

Rotom-C is modest natured, meaning it can't outspeed timid 252 gyarados at +1 Speed (86 base scarfed modest vs 81 spe jolly).

Alakazam is your only answer, and gyarados only takes up to 49.24 - 58.3% from psyshock (most damaging move), and that's a calc done with no defensive investment. That's not even enough to KO after stealth rocks, and gyarados is likely to confront kazam with a substitute intact, since it can gain one when setting up vs burned ferrothorn or alomomola. Additionally, Waterfall nets a 20% to flinch alakazam, rendering it a shoddy gyarados check at best.

So I'd like to know how exactly you plan to deal with gyarados.

If nothing else, I'd advise switching Rotom-C's nature to timid to help deal with the problem, but other than that, I'm not sure how to deal with it too well without too much switching up.

Congratz on the peak~!

EDIT: Right, totally forgot about the shift lol...
Speaking of which, Venusaur seems a bit hard for your team to handle if it's running EQ/HP Fire/Giga Drain (or Solar Beam)/Growth or something. Although a lot opt for sleep powder, so it's probably not a big deal.

 

[watashi]

The first thing I see looking at your team is a major Gyarados weakness. If politoed gets the burn on ferro, then you have serious problems:


Alomomola is set up fodder for substitute/taunt gyarados with the given moveset.

Burned Ferro is set up for substitute/taunt gyarados always.

Golurk is always OHKOd in rain (105-124%)

Heatran is OHKOd by waterfall from most gyarados variants; a gyarados uninvested in attack with leftovers would still have a small chance (31.25%) to KO after stealth rock.

Rotom-C is modest natured, meaning it can't outspeed timid 252 gyarados at +1 Speed (86 base scarfed modest vs 81 spe jolly).

Alakazam is your only answer, and gyarados only takes up to 49.24 - 58.3% from psyshock (most damaging move), and that's a calc done with no defensive investment. That's not even enough to KO after stealth rocks, and gyarados is likely to confront kazam with a substitute intact, since it can gain one when setting up vs burned ferrothorn or alomomola. Additionally, Waterfall nets a 20% to flinch alakazam, rendering it a shoddy gyarados check at best.

So I'd like to know how exactly you plan to deal with gyarados.

If nothing else, I'd advise switching Rotom-C's nature to timid to help deal with the problem, but other than that, I'm not sure how to deal with it too well without too much switching up.

Congratz on the peak~!

rotom-c has 96 speed in this tier so it can outrun gyarados with a choice scarf and modest nature

 

[Mr Omgness]

Sorry for the rather late answer but I was on holiday.

I havent encountered many Gyarados but it can be a problem yes. I actually got swept by a SubDD Gyarados once but I got haxxed pretty bad (I got flinched 3 times in a row by WFall) which made me not think about it too much. Putting T-Bolt on Rotom would make my life easier with the GDos but it doesn't have any room for it I fear. So for now I have to play around it with Ferrothorn/Rotom giving it no opportunity to get more than 1 Dragon Dance. If a Gyarados is on the opposing team then Ferrothorn just cannot get burnt, meaning I dont switch it in on things like Politoed and Tentacruel. Rotom can switch in on Toed easily except if it's using Specs and Alomomola can Toxic it and abuse Regenerator to heal some back from a Hydro Pump. I also try to take advantage of the fact that people tend to play carelessly with their Politoed when facing a weatherless team.

How I play vs Venusaur:
- Switch in Heatran ASAP
- Double switch to Rotom to scout for Sleep Powder/Earthquake.
- Sleep Powder --> go to Heatran as sleep clause is activated, Earthquake --> Stay in on the Rotom-W and Volt Switch to Zam (Rotom might die cuz of HP Fire, but it's a sacrifice that has to be made, alternatively if I still need the Rotom I can switch to something like Ferrothorn or Golurk to sacrifice).

 

[youngjake93]

Landorus-T provides similar switch-in opportunities to Golurk if you want something different.

You'd get Intimidate instead of a spin blocker and could run the double dance set to either take pressure off of your scarfer to outspeed offensive teams with RP or blow holes in stall teams with SD. It also is less weak to both Venusaur and Gyarados.

The team is very well put together. Usually you have 1-3 switch-in options to any given bad match up which is perfect with the bulky offense hazard stacking set up of the team.


As for ideas for a new team.. You could try one with Absol since I haven't seen it used and it should be better in theory with buffered defenses and a MASSIVE 140 attack for Sucker Punching.

 

[Mr Omgness]

Hmm although Lando-T is an interesting pokemon, I'm not fully convinced. Switching it for Golurk would mean I cannot spinblock anymore, Intimidate isnt that useful on a team with an Alomomola on it and Venusaur and Gyarados still beat it.

The only purpose it could have on my team is thus as a sweeper (and that could function really well). But the Thorn/Alomo/Heatran core appreciates hazards as they cause a lot of switching and losing the spinblock would set me back early game.

I'll give Absol some thought, but I fear its lackluster speed (and no way of boosting it) will still give it a hard time. I'm thinking about a choice scarf set, but it's too bad it doesn't get Trick or Switcheroo tho. But I like a challenge so... :)