Recently, I decided to toy with the VoltTurn interaction between Scizor and Rotom-W. As I progressed through building the team, it began to look very familiar. It turned out to contain almost the exact six Pokemon that made up my most successful OU team from Gen IV. Sure the sets were all quite different, and one member changed in appearance slightly, but the names and faces remained the same. Needless to say, there's a lot of nostalgia surrounding this team, and I'm happy to see it perform as well as it does. Still, I think there's some room for improvement, and I'd love to hear what you think.
Team Building Process:
These two were the obvious starting point in this situation.
Recognizing that Breloom makes a fool of VoltTurn, a standard Gliscor set was added to cover the weakness.
With Breloom on my mind, I realized that it had fairly good synergy with the others, and penciled it in.
This is the point where I saw my old team almost fully represented, and it became clear that at least one more member would fit quite well in this fifth slot: Tyranitar was added, and Gliscor's set was adjusted to take advantage of the sand.
After trying and failing to fit Empoleon onto this team, I settled for 5/6. Gengar seemed to be a suitable choice for the final slot.
After testing some suggestions from the community, Jellicent proved to be a more useful teammate than Gengar, patching many of the team's weaknesses while only taking up one slot.
The Team In-Depth:
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Trick
-Hidden Power [Ice]
Much like Rotom-H did for me in Generation IV, Rotom-W handles several important tasks for this team. I lead with it more often than not, especially against teams with few or no ground types. It helps establish momentum early in the match, keeping the opponent on their back foot. I like the scarf set in particular for its ability to use Trick, and for its revenge killing prowess. Being able to take out a Landorus or a +1 Dragonite is always helpful.
Gliscor @ Flying Gem
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Substitute
-Swords Dance
This set is unusual, but looked like fun, so I gave it a shot. I have to say I'm impressed. This thing is a game changer. That first Acrobatics is tremendously powerful, and will often KO their best Gliscor switch-in (notably Politoed). With counters removed, Gliscor can do a respectable job of sweeping after one or two boosts. Surprise kills aren't the only benefit of this set, however. Sand Veil is a great asset for Gliscor. Buying an extra turn to set up or attack has turned games around. Also, seeing an opponent's reaction to multiple misses is wonderfully satisfying.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Rock Slide
-Fire Blast
This is just a simple specially bulky set. T-Tar's duties generally include setting up rocks, removing sun or rain, and sponging a few hits. Activating Gliscor's Sand Veil is a great perk as well. While I don't believe this team has enough synergy with the weather to call it a Sandstorm team, it is very important to keep the sand active. I'm considering swapping out Leftovers for a Shed Shell, as Dugtrio seems to be becoming more and more popular.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Bullet Punch
-Pursuit
The classic scourge of OU, and Rotom's partner in the infamous VoltTurn maneuver. I'm sure we all know the benefits of this guy by now: scouting, revenge killing, whittling down defenses, and sheer power. It does a great job of weakening the opposing team and often comes back late game (if it hasn't been battered by entry hazards) to clean up. Scizor definitely earns its keep on this team, and I often find myself relying on it more than I'd like to.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 212 SDef / 60 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Spore
- Seed Bomb
-Drain Punch
Breloom patches up some weaknesses on this team. It's a crucial asset against rain teams, which would otherwise be very difficult to beat. Against stall teams (especially rain stall) this little dude has a field day. Once it sets up, Breloom is a real pain for most teams to deal with. Even in the worst case scenario, it can still neutralize one Pokemon with Spore.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 84 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Toxic
- Taunt
-Recover
Jellicent is the only member of this team that wasn't present in my G4 squad. Sadly, Empoleon just doesn't cut it in today's metagame, but this set has proven to be a good use of that open slot. Jellicent helps to relieve this team of its troubles with rain teams, fire types, and Skarmory. If these threats don't need to be addressed, it serves as an all-purpose sponge, and a good user of Taunt to slow down enemy sweepers. The one issue I have with Jellicent is its speed, which is just barely lower than Skarmory. If it was just the slightest bit faster, I could Taunt and wall Skarmory all day. Putting any further investment in speed (and taking away from Jellicent's bulk) seems like a bad idea. I'm hoping to find a better alternative.
In the time I've spent laddering with this team so far, it has been relatively successful, floating between 1350-1400. There are still a couple of Pokemon that give me a ton of trouble, and certain strategies that this team has a difficult time overcoming. Skarmory can still basically have its way with this group. Rotom is the only one with a really effective attack, but it doesn't OHKO, and Volt Switch doesn't exactly give you a chance for a second attack. Gliscor could do a decent job as well, but tends to get phased out too quickly. Jellicent is helpful, but less than ideal.
Another major obstacle is Jirachi. Versions with high special defense or scarves pose a real problem. If Gliscor is eliminated, they become nearly impossible to beat. Sun teams in general give this team headaches as well. Heatran seems to be the obvious answer to all of these problems, but it seems like Tyranitar would have to be replaced in order to make it work. I would greatly appreciate any and all suggestions to improve this team, and hopefully take it to the next level.
Team Building Process:
These two were the obvious starting point in this situation.
Recognizing that Breloom makes a fool of VoltTurn, a standard Gliscor set was added to cover the weakness.
With Breloom on my mind, I realized that it had fairly good synergy with the others, and penciled it in.
This is the point where I saw my old team almost fully represented, and it became clear that at least one more member would fit quite well in this fifth slot: Tyranitar was added, and Gliscor's set was adjusted to take advantage of the sand.
After trying and failing to fit Empoleon onto this team, I settled for 5/6. Gengar seemed to be a suitable choice for the final slot.
After testing some suggestions from the community, Jellicent proved to be a more useful teammate than Gengar, patching many of the team's weaknesses while only taking up one slot.
The Team In-Depth:
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Trick
-Hidden Power [Ice]
Much like Rotom-H did for me in Generation IV, Rotom-W handles several important tasks for this team. I lead with it more often than not, especially against teams with few or no ground types. It helps establish momentum early in the match, keeping the opponent on their back foot. I like the scarf set in particular for its ability to use Trick, and for its revenge killing prowess. Being able to take out a Landorus or a +1 Dragonite is always helpful.
Gliscor @ Flying Gem
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Substitute
-Swords Dance
This set is unusual, but looked like fun, so I gave it a shot. I have to say I'm impressed. This thing is a game changer. That first Acrobatics is tremendously powerful, and will often KO their best Gliscor switch-in (notably Politoed). With counters removed, Gliscor can do a respectable job of sweeping after one or two boosts. Surprise kills aren't the only benefit of this set, however. Sand Veil is a great asset for Gliscor. Buying an extra turn to set up or attack has turned games around. Also, seeing an opponent's reaction to multiple misses is wonderfully satisfying.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Rock Slide
-Fire Blast
This is just a simple specially bulky set. T-Tar's duties generally include setting up rocks, removing sun or rain, and sponging a few hits. Activating Gliscor's Sand Veil is a great perk as well. While I don't believe this team has enough synergy with the weather to call it a Sandstorm team, it is very important to keep the sand active. I'm considering swapping out Leftovers for a Shed Shell, as Dugtrio seems to be becoming more and more popular.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Bullet Punch
-Pursuit
The classic scourge of OU, and Rotom's partner in the infamous VoltTurn maneuver. I'm sure we all know the benefits of this guy by now: scouting, revenge killing, whittling down defenses, and sheer power. It does a great job of weakening the opposing team and often comes back late game (if it hasn't been battered by entry hazards) to clean up. Scizor definitely earns its keep on this team, and I often find myself relying on it more than I'd like to.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 212 SDef / 60 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Spore
- Seed Bomb
-Drain Punch
Breloom patches up some weaknesses on this team. It's a crucial asset against rain teams, which would otherwise be very difficult to beat. Against stall teams (especially rain stall) this little dude has a field day. Once it sets up, Breloom is a real pain for most teams to deal with. Even in the worst case scenario, it can still neutralize one Pokemon with Spore.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 84 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Toxic
- Taunt
-Recover
Jellicent is the only member of this team that wasn't present in my G4 squad. Sadly, Empoleon just doesn't cut it in today's metagame, but this set has proven to be a good use of that open slot. Jellicent helps to relieve this team of its troubles with rain teams, fire types, and Skarmory. If these threats don't need to be addressed, it serves as an all-purpose sponge, and a good user of Taunt to slow down enemy sweepers. The one issue I have with Jellicent is its speed, which is just barely lower than Skarmory. If it was just the slightest bit faster, I could Taunt and wall Skarmory all day. Putting any further investment in speed (and taking away from Jellicent's bulk) seems like a bad idea. I'm hoping to find a better alternative.
In the time I've spent laddering with this team so far, it has been relatively successful, floating between 1350-1400. There are still a couple of Pokemon that give me a ton of trouble, and certain strategies that this team has a difficult time overcoming. Skarmory can still basically have its way with this group. Rotom is the only one with a really effective attack, but it doesn't OHKO, and Volt Switch doesn't exactly give you a chance for a second attack. Gliscor could do a decent job as well, but tends to get phased out too quickly. Jellicent is helpful, but less than ideal.
Another major obstacle is Jirachi. Versions with high special defense or scarves pose a real problem. If Gliscor is eliminated, they become nearly impossible to beat. Sun teams in general give this team headaches as well. Heatran seems to be the obvious answer to all of these problems, but it seems like Tyranitar would have to be replaced in order to make it work. I would greatly appreciate any and all suggestions to improve this team, and hopefully take it to the next level.
