Undefeated :D

Introduction...

Ello! I've been floating around Smogon for the past 3 months, using it as my source for all the poke-knowledge I have acquired. So I finally decided, hey, I should sign up. And after doing so I realized, hey, I should post my near-undefeated team. (yes, the nickname is just to draw in users.) So without further adieu, this is my team that went 101-9 (wins/losses) with wifi battles. I do not use shoddy, because I paid 150$ for my nintendo DS and plan to use it until it breaks :). I will be simply listing the team mates on my team, and then farther below I will get into a very descriptive .. description about my team and how the SYNERGY spreads throughout my team. This is not some little RMT where i post stats and a little blurb about each pokemon. After months of battling with this team, I have so much information, that this will be an intense read. In all honesty, it won't all be posted because I will get lazy half way through. xD



metagross.png


The Lead:
Metagross @ Occa Berry
Adamant- 252atk/40defense/60speed/156Hitpoints
Stealth Rocks-Meteor Mash-Earthquake-Explosion

infernape.png


The BIG hitta (physical):
Infernape @ choice band
Jolly- 252atk/252speed/6hp
Flare Blitz-Uturn-CloseCombat-Mach Punch


latias.gif


The BIG hitta (special):
Latias @ Choice Specs
Timid - 252 spatk/252speed/6def
Draco Meteor-Surf-Thunderbolt-Trick

kingdra.png


Set up = Endgame
Kingdra @ leftovers
Adamant - 252atk/252speed/6hp
Dragon Dance, Substitute, Waterfall, Outrage

Starmie.png


The "Star"
Starmie @ Life Orb
Timid - 252spatk/252speed/6hp
Surf/HydroPump-ThunderBolt, Ice Beam, Grass Knot

scizor.jpg


The Cleanup
Scizor @ Choice Band
Adamant - 252attack/240hp/16speed
SuperPower, Uturn, Bulletpunch, Pursuit

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So that's my team. Pretty much regular OU spam. It doesnt rely on Bulk as much as it relies on resistances to ensure switches for free hits. But now I'm going to tell you all about my team, and why it works, and the weaknesses I have found. A couple things before I start; please be positive :). I don't need negative comments. Secondly, I have Pokemon Pearl. So as much as I would LOVE to use the Rotom forms, I can't, so please dont mention that as an additon to my team. Thanks, and enjoy.

-Oh, and I notice that when I talk about the other player, I generally mention the player as "he." I appologize to any females reading this, I know you play pogemanz too :)
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Common Leads and how I deal with them...

Azelf- I don't know why, but this I'm seeing this suicide lead less and less all the time. However, it always starts with a Flamethrower/Fire blast dealing 40-60% respectively after factoring in Occa Berry and I return the hit dealing 99% damage with meteor mash. From there, most people expect bulletpunch, and switch out to Heatran/Scizor/Skarmory or something of the like, since that is the common Smogon lead. So they switch out as I stealth rock, and I eliminate their Lead and get my rocks up. If they flamethrower for the kill, then I send out Scizor, and they also get no stealth rocks.

Metagross- I gave my meta 60 speed EVs to outpace even some of the daring people who give 40 speed EV's. So I earthquake initially outspeeding them, dealing about 55% damage, and then they in turn Earthquake/stealth rock dealing back the same damage. After that, any good player would switch out to avoid a ko and go to something like Gyarados/Latias and Salamence, so I set up my stealth rocks. From this point Im either at full HP and they have their own rocks up, or Im at ~50% hp and they DO NOT have their own rocks up. From there, I either explode to prevent a set up, or switch accordingly to prevent sweeps from the afformentioned.

Heatran- The supposed Metagross lead "counter." It begins by usually Fire Blasting or Earth Power if expecting the obvious Occa Berry, and I return the favor and Earthquake leaving it at about 10% hitpoints. From here, it is a guessing game. Most good players expect a switch and will stealth rock on their own. In turn, I will also and now the playing field is about even. Of course, he will get a free hit on one of my pokes, but if he/she decides to go straight for the KO, then they eliminate any chance at stealth rocks. From there I generally send out Latias and use Thunderbolt for neutral coverage.

Bronzong- Meh. These things. I never know if they're gonna set up rocks or hypnosis first. However, I get my stealth rocks up, and generally he does as well. Then depending on how antagonized I am by the floating rock, I will either Earthquake it before being put to sleep, just to check for heatproof (you'd be surprised to see how many try to sneak that into their team)
or I explode simply because I dont want anything on my team asleep. If I do EQ and they have levitate and they do put me to sleep, I switch out to my counter and use Metagross as death fodder/scouting later.

Gyarados- Although Smogon suggests a Taunt-a-ros lead for Gyarados users, most seem to turn their back on that and go for a bulky one with Ddance and Substitute (sometimes even bounce). In this case, I switch directly into Starmie on Gyarados leads, they either Taunt or Earthquake on switch, and if they Ddance and they are bulky they cannot outspeed Starmie. Regardless, the main point of sending out starmie is to make that threat go away and find out what kind of gyarados it is. This helps a lot late game.

Roserade- Wow, a UU lead. This thing is interesting. Again, like with bronzong, except a bit different. Since they are definitely faster, I go for the Mmash right away in hopes of sleep powder missing, because they are always sashed and Id rather break their sash then set up my rocks. I dont need it coming in late game and stopping a sweep because it survives @ 1hp... If I fall asleep, I switch into Infernape and U turn to break sash/predicted switch.

Jirachi- Generally a trickrachi. It tricks choice scarf to Metagross and metagross takes it well. I earthquake dealing about 80% damage. Then I switch out to starmie since any good player would go out to a flyer/levitate person in attempts to get a free Dragon Dance/set up move. Starmie deals very well with these. If it is a support jirachi with Thunderwave, I generally get a hit in and then set up rocks while they U turn away. From there I act accordingly.

I realize there are a lot of other leads but these are the ones I encounter most frequently. Infernapes are similar to Azelf, except I have to be careful because a fire blast + Blase breaks the Occa berry for the OhKo. However, Flamethrower does not.

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Im not going to list all of the OU threats, I will simply list how my team deals with its counters and general information I have learned. Please feel free to bring up any mistakes I have made.

Table of Contents
1. Infernape
2. Starmie
3. Latias
4. Kingdra
5. Scizor
6. Weaknesses, common occurences, closing remarks

infernape.png


I just thought I'd throw in more pictures to liven this thread up a bit, Im not going to spend too much time changing my fonts to cute little colors for your entertainment. Jokes aside, Infernape is a key player in this game, and it relies on its synergy with Latias.

Latias is weak to: Ice, Bug, Dark
Infernape resists: Ice, Bug, Dark
Infernape is weak to: Ground, Water
Latias resists/is not affected by: Ground, Water

I hope by now you understand how important these two are for eachother. a match made in heaven. If I set up my stealth rocks, even the biggest switchins to Infernape (Gyarados, Salamence, Zapdos) are 2hkoed from Close Combat/Flare Blitz EVEN AFTER INTIMIDATE. This raw power is what aids in blowing through pokemon that simply think they can wall it. Mach Punch is for weakened Scarfers, Lucario, DD Ttar, and the odd Ursaring who tries to run through OU with Quick Feet.

starmie01.jpg


Starmie's typing allows for switchins to many attacks, and then deals back SuperEffective or Neutral STAB damage to EVERYTHING IN OU. Doesnt help much versus Blissey .. But i'll get to that. Grass Knot is simply for the Swampert's that mid-game think they can take a Surf/Hydro Pump and finish me off with an Earthquake after residual damage from Life Orb. Oh how wrong they are :). Starmie can take a bulletpunch even after a couple of Life Orb recoils, so If a scizor switches into anything but an Ice beam, it is generally dead next turn. (Surf and Ice Beam dont ohko Scizor, however, Thunderbolt and Surf do) Hydro pump on starmie is only if Im feeling lucky. Spamming Hydropumps is not a bad idea though, with STAB it still puts a dent in many pokemon, even those who resist it. I use Starmie to absorb status often, usually keeping it in Vs. Blissey for one turn to see what it will do.

latias.png


As mentioned earlier, Latias works well with Infernape. With Specs activated, I can shoot off D meteor's with confidence. Latias hates scizors who come in after death fodder, or even bulky ones, to take the D meteor and then pursuit. Sometimes they U turn, so I go for the bait and just switch Latias out to Scizor. I would rather lose Latias and have the opposing scizor locked into pursuit then do an extra 20% damage and lose Latias if they Uturn.

kingdra.png


This thing loves to come in on Scarfed Heatran's Fire blast and begin "The Sweep" If I have seen the opponents entire team, I will make my move accordingly (ddance or sub). However, If i have yet to see the opponents entire team, then I will substitute. Why not Ddance on the switch? As I will mention later, Scarf Latias plays a role in the destruction of this team. This thing LOVES to set up on Dusknoir and Vaporeon. Its base 95 defensive stats means that most Dusknoir's elemental punches do not break my sub, and I can begin the Ddancing. Vaporeon frequently carry HP electric or Toxic, and those two dont break/affect a substitute. I usually bring this in mid to late game, although I have to be careful. If i come in on a scizor's bulletpunch, I can only take 2-3 more, so I have to be cautious and not go all crazy with the Ddances.

scizor2.jpg


Scizor is here for clean up and Typing, resisting attacks and getting rid of half health pokemon. This is the pokemon I would like to replace most of all. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post. Having 2 choice Banded pokemon on a team can sometimes be a double edge'd sword, however I miss several key Ohkos if I went for the Life Orb version. He works well with everyone on my team - Kingdra, Infernape, Latias, and Starmie all resist fire type moves. (although 2/4 of them are quite frail) Again, this is the pokemon that I would consider replacing.

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Again, not to brag, but this team has gone 101/9 wins/losses.
My team has two major counters which I have found. Gyarados w\ Ice fang and Latias (scarf/specs). If infernape comes out early game against something like scizor and a person happens to have both of these pokemon on their team, they tend to go out to Latias first to avoid the SR damage gyarados would falter from. It is in this way that I deal with Latias. I U-turn on suspected switches. It may sound like a stupid way to deal with Latias. But I have dealt with countless Latias simply by U-turning with the banded Infernape, putting latias @ 35% hp (approximately, depending on EVs) and going out to Starmie to finish the job. I don't know why everyone switches in Latias, probably because of the resistances and higher speed, but always ends in the opponents demise. Otherwise, Scizor can do about 80% with bulletpunch or ohko with Uturn if they are locked into d meteor.

In the 9 games that I have lost, 7 of them have been to people with Gyarados with Ice Fang, 1 has been to a scarf Latias, and the other... *mumbles something about 3 crits in a row* I'd prefer not to talk about.
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A lot of my strategy relies on my opponent being knowledgable with Pokemon too. If they play smart, I play smart.

Im simply going to mention Blissey because I hate her. It is my opinion that in OU (I do like her in ubers though :p) she is for cowards who hide behind walls. Everyone is subject to their own opinion, and that is mine. I can trick Blissey with specs, Go out to Scizor on the Twave/toxic and force the switch, or set up with Kingdra is she does not carry Seismic Toss. Blissey is never really a threat, it just makes me have to think ahead and make sure I don't lose all of my physical attackers early game.

red_gyarados.jpg



Gyarados is honestly the only true demise for this team. Ive considered Weezing, but I miss Scizor's priority. So a suggestion here is what I need. I will not be retiring this team, however it will go to a dark corner of my PC as I have gotten bored with it. And whats up with everyone using a red gyarados ..? xD With Scarf Latias, I generally just need to let one pokemon die as it is locked into a move, and then finish it off with Scizor.

My main problem with Gyarados is when I lock myself into bulletpunch or mach punch. I have considered changing Thunder Punch for Mach punch, but Gyarados would always come out after I have sent in Infernape, and I'd already be locked into another move. And Mach punch has saved me on several occasions. If I am locked into one of the two priority moves, I switch into Latias on the Ddance. If they are bulky, I can survive an Ice fang even after a Ddance, although with life orb its a toss up (but many Bulky Gyara dont carry life orb...) It is the ones that are strictly Offensive and carry Ice Fang over Stone edge that cripple my team. I generally end up losing atleast one or two pokemon to it.

Regardless of this flaw, this team has carried me through and won me many Tournaments on the Wifi Battle Zone known as PurpleSurge. It relies on prediction, making the opponents attack do null damage, and forcing switches as I get free hits in. I am looking for advice on how to make this team better, and to counter the gyarados without losing the Synergy of my team. Please do not try to revamp my whole team with brand new sets, I am capable of that. If you have a suggestion, that'd be great. And I appologize for the lengthiness of this RMT if some of you are bored by now, but I am a serious battler, and I wanted to try to get it all out.

Thank You For Reading And Hopefully Rating :)


And I appologize for the abnormal largeness of the pictures, I thought I had shrunk them enough...
 
Oh wow, if only I could be as descriptive as this. Maybe I should just copy this team...=P

The question is, how does Ice Fang Gyara hurt your team when you have T-bolt Starmie?

And Scizor should be able to take a hit, Latias does NOT like CB U-turn.

Now that's just my n00b opinion, but other than that, this is a very well put together team, maybe you can give me some advice in my RMT. *Hint Hint*=P
 
Well since my starmie is not the bulky "gyarados counter" that smogon suggests with rapid spin and defensive EVs - after some life orb damage and stealth rocks, an earthquake from a gyarados after a ddance can KO starmie. My usual counter however is latias, either they ddance and are forced out of switch, OR they stone edge and does ab 65% damage. However, if they have ice fang... :X
 
I'm still putting my team together one Pokemon at a time. So I've been perusing several RMT threads, seeing if I can get inspiration for an original team of my own.

I have to say, I never see a Jolly Infernape anymore, and I'm happy to see that moveset is still alive. Maybe my old breed still has a chance.

I have a few good Pokes of my own, and I don't really have any real good advice, but I was hoping maybe since yours seems 'undefeated' as you say, maybe you could give me some team advice?

Cool pics btw.
 
I like the team it looks good.

I like the Choice band Infernape it looks good, I just think you should take off Mach punch and put thunder punch because this team looks massively weak to DD Gyarados, I don't know how you can get away from Dragon dance Gyara with one DD this team could die if the Gyara had Life orb.

So I prefer you into making you're Starmie bulky because it can also take down Gyarados. But yeah anything that can setup in my opinon can really hurt this team that's why I think you need a Scarfer because it can take anything down that might go for a Sweep.

But other than that I hoped this suggestion helped!
 
Yeah, thanks :). Like I said, the DD Gyarados is what kills me- Which is essentially why I made this RMT. I guess I could make Starmie bulky. But honestly, I love Starmie how it is. It can KO so many pokemon w\ Life Orb, and its speed is practically unmatched. But I guess I can consider it. Like I said, I dont mind taking Scizor out, but he takes care of Salamence after a DD and stealth rock. (Bulletpunch does about 80%)
 
Hey, I read the entire thing and this team is very good. You have proven that with your win percentage. Anyway, I believe I have a fix to your problem with DDGyara w/ Ice Fang and perhaps Scarf/Spec Latias. My solution is the physical choice Jirachi over Scizor. Here is the set.

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Jolly
EVs: 72 Hp, 252 Atk, 184 speed
-Iron Head
-U-turn
-Thunder Punch
-Fire Punch/Zen Headbutt/Ice Punch

This set is a guaranteed OHKO on the Gyarados you mentioned having problems with. Also, with ice punch it hits standard Scarf/Spec Latias for 55.81% - 65.78% as well as hitting it for 52.16% - 61.46% with U-turn. To me it seems like the answer to your biggest weakness, and possibly your second largest one depending on what set you choose. If you decide to change to Adamant, it only ups your damage on Latias by about 6% so it still does not get the kill. The EVs are to outspeed other ScarfRachi because most have 176 so with 184 you can even outspeed the ones that think they are smart for running 180. If you want to be slower than others for u-turn just drop 8 EVs from speed to hit 168 and put them into health.

Hope this helps!
 
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