Hi Everyone!
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It has been a while since the last time I am active on Smogon. Thanks to many people here, including X-Act, Diesel, mingot, and many more, it is so easy and possible to get a great team in the real game. That said, the 4th Generation metagame is now officially history. Some Pokemon, such as Scizor and Salamence, haven’t changed much, while others like Rotom-W and Forretress have changes that are so significant to this current standard play. Seeing that Smogon now uses Pokemon Online as the official simulator, I have tried to battle there with my old and new teams. At first I am surprised by the existence of Wobbuffet, Deoxys, etc. and many unfamiliar Pokemon faces (note: not Poker Face). Weather is too prominent in this generation’s standard play (On a side note, I believe we should create a Pokemon in the CAP Project that can automatically clear any weather) , with rain as the most popular one. Perhaps it is too popular to win a match with, so I have used the second most popular strategy: sandstorm.
First, I started with the Uberistic (is that even a word?) combination: Tyranitar and Excadrill.
Now, being a little bit traditional, I have decided to create a FWG core. Given that I need to take into account the other weather effects, I have chosen these Pokemon:
Heatran – respectable defence and strong special attack, plus I saw that cute Heatran hanging on a balloon!
Samurott –this is a little bit strange, I could have easily picked a Jellicent, Starmie, Tentacruel or Gyarados. I will explain later.
Ferrothorn – general awesomeness and works great, especially under the rain, where it can actually outstall Magnezone quite well with leech seed.
Now that it has been settled, I need a last Pokemon. I thought of getting a Rapid Spinner, although it has never been my favourite move. Forretress can work, but it is redundant. I don’t like Rapid Spin + Life Orb either. Therefore, my utility Pokemon is Xatu.
You see, three Steel type Pokemon isnt doing much good, considering that they have the most common weaknesses like fire, ground. Seeing that Ferrothorn has less use outside of rain, I switched it with Virizion, even though that means I will have a harder time against Latios and Latias.
Begin to Rate my team! (because of the new battling system, Xatu will not necessarily be the lead)
The pest from the previous generations make her appearance from as an interesting character, replacing Virizion to enhance the general bulk of the entire team, and also to annoy people :)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Bold font to indicate changes
Xatu (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Roost
- Psychic
- Toxic
Towards the end of 4th generation battle, I have developed a liking for semi-stall, including the use of BulkyGyara, Counter-Stalling Gliscor, etc. A rather defensive moveset, this Xatu usually solves my threat issues, especially if the weather is against my favour. With the slight reduction of the use of Stealth Rock, Xatu finds himself more comfortable to come in and out very often. It has a tendency to lead anyway because of the entry hazard users from the opponent.
I am hesitant to say this, but the sole reason of using this Xatu is the counter the most annoying Pokemon, including Breloom, Forretress, Whimsicott and the likes. Simply switch into one of these things and you find yourself a free turn. Very often the time taken for you to stall is enough to reveal some of your opponent’s synergy.
Feel completely free to switch Xatu out if needed. The worst you can face is a faster special attacker which can hit Xatu with a thunderbolt. The foe would live for a lot shorter if Toxic hits, such as Tyranitar or Latios, Pokemon that uses a combination of tanking and attacking. Setting such a timer would allow me to catch the opponment easier as they are forced to play more conservatively. That being said, make sure you are aware of the common OHKOs and 2HKOs so that Xatu would not get simply toasted. If you find that leading with Xatu will put you into a disadvantage, however, …
Heatran (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock
… a floating Lava monster should deal with rest of the problem with leads. If you see Pokemon such as Scizor or Forretress having the potential to lead, Heatran would be the choice of response (obviously playing mind games with the opponent, but that’s a different story). Fire immunity, temporary Levitation, and the ability to set up Stealth Rock, what more can you get?
Actually, it can be problematic if Heatran faces a flying fire resistor like Latios, so if you see of these, flee (unless HP ice works). Usually, if Heatran is not leading, he will have to come in mid-game, because for Heatran getting the Stealth Rock is absolutely crucial. Unless you are sure that nothing is going to spin that rock off, save Heatran for later.
Strictly speaking, in the entire Standard metagame, Heatran is the only fire Pokemon with some defensive potential because of its secondary type. Really, Heatran doesn’t mind many Dragons as much as in 4th Gen, because he can buffer some Dragon damage while getting unaffected by Earthquakes. Once Stealth Rock setup is secured, Heatran can be used as a death fodder, or a suicider, so that the next ally can come in freely and set up.
Samurott (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Dragon Tail
- Detect
This is a physical Samurott SD set with a few tweaks. Prior to 4th Gen Pataya Berry Empoleon, no water starter Pokemon can really utilise the ability torrent. With this set, however, the player is much more in control of the use of this ability. Samurott has an above average attack stat and Aqua Jet isn’t particularly strong, but with Swords Dance Samurott can still prove to be very useful. In fact, I wasn’t yet looking for which Samurott set is best, rather, which Aqua Jet set is best. I can simply rule out Azumarill because Jellicent will come in and scream “FAIL”. The analysis suggests the use of a bug move in the third slot, but given that dark and psychic types are not to scary for this team, I figured that another move can be used.
Dragon Tail is a little nice addition to any team struggling with stat boosters. Gyarados giving you the blues? Flick it off and slap it with Stealth Rock damage the next time he comes in. ScarfTan (Darmanitan) or Sand Rush Excadrill or Landorus or Volcarona being troublesome? No problem!
It should be noted that these threats should be identified before the battle begins, so that Samurott is always ready while these greedy Pokemon can be suppressed accordingly. For this reason, Samurott is considered a mid-late player. Get into the field, Swords Dance if I can, and attack with Torrent activated.
Virizion is a previous member of this team
Virizion @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Leaf Blade
To be honest, this Virizion is not that hard to use. Set up like anyone would, then make predictions whether to use CC or SE. I tend to stay off Leaf Blade unless I am absolutely sure about using it. It is surprising to know how similar Virizion is to Infernape and Lucario. With some decent special bulk, Virizion can survive some non-STAB super effective attacks and menace through the other team.
It can be said that Virizion is my wall breaker. It is similar to Excadrill in terms of moveset, but Virizion will have more freedom to switch and attack, creating holes for Excadrill to exploit.
Currently I am thinking of using another item for Virizion, so I would like your opinion on that note.
Breloom (F) @ Toxic Orb Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Def / 20 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
I have chosen to keep the FWG core, but replace Virizion with a slower and (somewhat) bulker Pokemon of the same elements i.e. Grass + Fighting. Celebi is unusually rare these days, which means either leech seed or Focus Punch would work. Unless you are sure that you are faster and using Substitute has a purpose, don't use it before Spore.
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
ScarfTar first became popular in 4th Gen as a result of the unbanning of Dew-less Latias, to check it using the Pursuit-Crunch Dilemma. Even after the re-banning of Latias, ScarfTar still finds himself very capable in the metagame. For example, the Gengar and Starmie weaknesses that are so present in this team. Btw I hate you Stone Edge.
ScarfTar can come in on a Starmie’s ice beam, a Gengar’s Shadow Ball (beware of substitute) and many others. ScarfTar should appear from the early-mid game so that when Excadrill comes, the sandstorm is set.
Btw is it acceptable for Tyranitar to replace superpower with earthquake? Those Toxicroaks are so annoying.
Excadrill (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Return
Excadrill, the new Garchomp, more powerful but quite less coverage. It should be obvious that it is best to eliminate Excadrill’s counters before sending him in, for example, Mach Punch users. Still, it is quite difficult to get the scene up before Excadrill comes in, so he would need to improvise a little. Don’t expect Excadrill to wall anything because he will need full health.
Major Problems READ
Water-Electric Weakness: Starmie, Rotom-W, Thundurus
Fighting Weakness: Cobalion, Machamp, etc. Toxicroak, especially in rain
My General Slopyness in battling :(
Well, that sums up my fourth RMT and first BW RMT, hope you’ve enjoyed it.
Currently Testing:
AB2's suggestion http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3618821&postcount=13
Obliion IX's suggestion http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3618951&postcount=16
[[[_-----------------------------------------------------------------------_]]]
[[[_-----------------------------------------------------------------------_]]]
It has been a while since the last time I am active on Smogon. Thanks to many people here, including X-Act, Diesel, mingot, and many more, it is so easy and possible to get a great team in the real game. That said, the 4th Generation metagame is now officially history. Some Pokemon, such as Scizor and Salamence, haven’t changed much, while others like Rotom-W and Forretress have changes that are so significant to this current standard play. Seeing that Smogon now uses Pokemon Online as the official simulator, I have tried to battle there with my old and new teams. At first I am surprised by the existence of Wobbuffet, Deoxys, etc. and many unfamiliar Pokemon faces (note: not Poker Face). Weather is too prominent in this generation’s standard play (On a side note, I believe we should create a Pokemon in the CAP Project that can automatically clear any weather) , with rain as the most popular one. Perhaps it is too popular to win a match with, so I have used the second most popular strategy: sandstorm.
First, I started with the Uberistic (is that even a word?) combination: Tyranitar and Excadrill.
Now, being a little bit traditional, I have decided to create a FWG core. Given that I need to take into account the other weather effects, I have chosen these Pokemon:
Now that it has been settled, I need a last Pokemon. I thought of getting a Rapid Spinner, although it has never been my favourite move. Forretress can work, but it is redundant. I don’t like Rapid Spin + Life Orb either. Therefore, my utility Pokemon is Xatu.
You see, three Steel type Pokemon isnt doing much good, considering that they have the most common weaknesses like fire, ground. Seeing that Ferrothorn has less use outside of rain, I switched it with Virizion, even though that means I will have a harder time against Latios and Latias.
Begin to Rate my team! (because of the new battling system, Xatu will not necessarily be the lead)
The pest from the previous generations make her appearance from as an interesting character, replacing Virizion to enhance the general bulk of the entire team, and also to annoy people :)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Bold font to indicate changes
Xatu (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Roost
- Psychic
- Toxic
Towards the end of 4th generation battle, I have developed a liking for semi-stall, including the use of BulkyGyara, Counter-Stalling Gliscor, etc. A rather defensive moveset, this Xatu usually solves my threat issues, especially if the weather is against my favour. With the slight reduction of the use of Stealth Rock, Xatu finds himself more comfortable to come in and out very often. It has a tendency to lead anyway because of the entry hazard users from the opponent.
I am hesitant to say this, but the sole reason of using this Xatu is the counter the most annoying Pokemon, including Breloom, Forretress, Whimsicott and the likes. Simply switch into one of these things and you find yourself a free turn. Very often the time taken for you to stall is enough to reveal some of your opponent’s synergy.
Feel completely free to switch Xatu out if needed. The worst you can face is a faster special attacker which can hit Xatu with a thunderbolt. The foe would live for a lot shorter if Toxic hits, such as Tyranitar or Latios, Pokemon that uses a combination of tanking and attacking. Setting such a timer would allow me to catch the opponment easier as they are forced to play more conservatively. That being said, make sure you are aware of the common OHKOs and 2HKOs so that Xatu would not get simply toasted. If you find that leading with Xatu will put you into a disadvantage, however, …
Heatran (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock
… a floating Lava monster should deal with rest of the problem with leads. If you see Pokemon such as Scizor or Forretress having the potential to lead, Heatran would be the choice of response (obviously playing mind games with the opponent, but that’s a different story). Fire immunity, temporary Levitation, and the ability to set up Stealth Rock, what more can you get?
Actually, it can be problematic if Heatran faces a flying fire resistor like Latios, so if you see of these, flee (unless HP ice works). Usually, if Heatran is not leading, he will have to come in mid-game, because for Heatran getting the Stealth Rock is absolutely crucial. Unless you are sure that nothing is going to spin that rock off, save Heatran for later.
Strictly speaking, in the entire Standard metagame, Heatran is the only fire Pokemon with some defensive potential because of its secondary type. Really, Heatran doesn’t mind many Dragons as much as in 4th Gen, because he can buffer some Dragon damage while getting unaffected by Earthquakes. Once Stealth Rock setup is secured, Heatran can be used as a death fodder, or a suicider, so that the next ally can come in freely and set up.
Samurott (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Dragon Tail
- Detect
This is a physical Samurott SD set with a few tweaks. Prior to 4th Gen Pataya Berry Empoleon, no water starter Pokemon can really utilise the ability torrent. With this set, however, the player is much more in control of the use of this ability. Samurott has an above average attack stat and Aqua Jet isn’t particularly strong, but with Swords Dance Samurott can still prove to be very useful. In fact, I wasn’t yet looking for which Samurott set is best, rather, which Aqua Jet set is best. I can simply rule out Azumarill because Jellicent will come in and scream “FAIL”. The analysis suggests the use of a bug move in the third slot, but given that dark and psychic types are not to scary for this team, I figured that another move can be used.
Dragon Tail is a little nice addition to any team struggling with stat boosters. Gyarados giving you the blues? Flick it off and slap it with Stealth Rock damage the next time he comes in. ScarfTan (Darmanitan) or Sand Rush Excadrill or Landorus or Volcarona being troublesome? No problem!
It should be noted that these threats should be identified before the battle begins, so that Samurott is always ready while these greedy Pokemon can be suppressed accordingly. For this reason, Samurott is considered a mid-late player. Get into the field, Swords Dance if I can, and attack with Torrent activated.
Virizion is a previous member of this team
Virizion @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Leaf Blade
To be honest, this Virizion is not that hard to use. Set up like anyone would, then make predictions whether to use CC or SE. I tend to stay off Leaf Blade unless I am absolutely sure about using it. It is surprising to know how similar Virizion is to Infernape and Lucario. With some decent special bulk, Virizion can survive some non-STAB super effective attacks and menace through the other team.
It can be said that Virizion is my wall breaker. It is similar to Excadrill in terms of moveset, but Virizion will have more freedom to switch and attack, creating holes for Excadrill to exploit.
Currently I am thinking of using another item for Virizion, so I would like your opinion on that note.
Breloom (F) @ Toxic Orb Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Def / 20 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
I have chosen to keep the FWG core, but replace Virizion with a slower and (somewhat) bulker Pokemon of the same elements i.e. Grass + Fighting. Celebi is unusually rare these days, which means either leech seed or Focus Punch would work. Unless you are sure that you are faster and using Substitute has a purpose, don't use it before Spore.
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
ScarfTar first became popular in 4th Gen as a result of the unbanning of Dew-less Latias, to check it using the Pursuit-Crunch Dilemma. Even after the re-banning of Latias, ScarfTar still finds himself very capable in the metagame. For example, the Gengar and Starmie weaknesses that are so present in this team. Btw I hate you Stone Edge.
ScarfTar can come in on a Starmie’s ice beam, a Gengar’s Shadow Ball (beware of substitute) and many others. ScarfTar should appear from the early-mid game so that when Excadrill comes, the sandstorm is set.
Btw is it acceptable for Tyranitar to replace superpower with earthquake? Those Toxicroaks are so annoying.
Excadrill (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Return
Excadrill, the new Garchomp, more powerful but quite less coverage. It should be obvious that it is best to eliminate Excadrill’s counters before sending him in, for example, Mach Punch users. Still, it is quite difficult to get the scene up before Excadrill comes in, so he would need to improvise a little. Don’t expect Excadrill to wall anything because he will need full health.
Major Problems READ
Water-Electric Weakness: Starmie, Rotom-W, Thundurus
Fighting Weakness: Cobalion, Machamp, etc. Toxicroak, especially in rain
My General Slopyness in battling :(
Well, that sums up my fourth RMT and first BW RMT, hope you’ve enjoyed it.
Currently Testing:
AB2's suggestion http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3618821&postcount=13
Obliion IX's suggestion http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3618951&postcount=16
