For lack of a better name, I'm just gonna quote my friend Roscoe on this one. Anyways, hi guys, this is Bowl Cut. I have a team here that needs rates, it has a few minor weaknesses after tweaking it for about a month, but I still want some good rates to make this team a lot better because, you know, we're playing competitively, why else? I have reached to about 1200 CRE on the PO server and have reached a little over 1100 CRE on the Smogon server. Why am I not higher? Hax makes pisses me off to an extent, but you know, we're playing competitively, so I am obviously going to lose some battles. I have had a lot of helpful suggestions from friends to make this team good, or at least in my opinion, considering my low standards, and it is certainly been doing very well to me in my recent battles. This team is... kind of odd I guess, as it has 4 physical Pokes, but they still seem to do a good job nonetheless. Without further ado, here is Team "What's with all these physi--" yeah, that's a long title:
Team at a Glance
Team Building Process
Will be up soon.
First off we have physical dude #1, Gliscor!
Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
Being one of my favorite sweepers in the current metagame, and my favorite Pokemon overall at the moment, Gliscor is "the man with the plan" when facing stall teams (when Skarmory is dead, obviously). I taunt whatever my opponent has out (unless it's something that I expect has Ice Beam, in that case I would switch)/decides to switch in to, and then Swords Dance, attack, or switch out depending on the situation. Taunt may seem odd on a Poison Heal Gliscor, but trust me, it is annoying to deal with phazers (sad that it doesn't deal with Dragon Tail though), plus it helps when facing stall teams, even though I might replace it with Protect because of the ammount of Pokemon in my team that can single-handedly beat stall. This also serves as a good Excadrill/Conkeldurr/Terrakion switch in (unless it's Swords Dancing Terrakion, Gliscor doesn't like taking +2 STAB Stone Edges from a Donphan on steroids).
Up next we have physical dude #2, Blaziken!
Blaziken (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Hi Jump Kick
- Flare Blitz
- Stone Edge
After about 2 pages of sexually related Blaziken pictures, I have found a neat looking Blaziken portrait or whatever. This is your standard Swords Dance Blaziken in Gen5. After one Swords Dance, it is going to take a huge dump on any team that doesn't have a Slowbro, or Reuniclus, or anything that has a good physical defense stat that resists at least one of Blaziken's STAB moves. I like to lead with Blaziken when I see that my opponent's team is VERY weak to it and proceed to wreck teams unless Hi Jump Kick hax kicks in (unintentional pun) and then Blaziken will be forced to die a painful and tragic death. Still, to this day, Blaziken gets killed by pretty much any boosted priority move that it doesn't resist, or any strong move that it doesn't resist in general, so it is not as easy as you think it is to pull off a sweep with the Blazin Kickin Chicken. Despite its flaws, it is a great sweeper and an effective stallbreaker, after one Swords Dance.
Opponent sent out Reuniclus!
Bowl Cut sent out Blaziken!
Bowl Cut called Blaziken back!
Bowl Cut sent out Scizor!
(Hot damn, it's a huge image, but... damn, it's HOT)
Scizor (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Roost
Specially defensive Scizor is my main Reuniclus check, and it also handles Terrakion very nicely. The moveset is self explanatory, Swords Dance for that extra boost if I ever need it, Bullet Punch is there mainly for Terrakion obviously, but it works well in killing Reuniclus off when Trick Room is up and I am about to die. Bug Bite is mainly for Reuniclus, but it does a good enough check to Slowbro in case I have to switch it in to one. Finally, Roost is there for the obligatory recovery and it lengthens Scizor's life significantly.
Finally, physical dude #4 is up next. It is none other than Ferrothorn!
Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Not exactly "none other", but you know, it's my RMT, damnit. Ferrothorn is the main supporter in the team as it helps out by setting up the necessary hazards against the opponent, and at the same time bait other Ferrothorn to come in and resist the incoming Leech Seed, except it's not even there, or that or bait something that I can safely switch into one of the four sweepers in my team and just wreck havoc early game, while not being the best idea, it is certainly a lot more effective than it was back in Gen4. Ferrothorn doesn't really do much besides setting up hazards and spamming it's dual STAB which is resisted only by Fire and Steel types (I'm probably missing one), but like I said, it is meant to be a supporter. I have both Spikes and Stealth Rocks primarily to limit the times that the opponent can switch around, even though I am considering Leech Seed because otherwise Ferrothorn won't have any way to recover itself bar Leftovers.
Now that we got all the physical dudes out of the way, let's get to the special-ed dudes.
umad bro? I SLOW SON.
Slowbro (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regeneration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Slack Off
- Surf
- Flamethrower
- Thunder Wave
Notice the HUGE Blaziken weakness in my team. I obviously need something to stop it. I found a certain Pokemon fishing by Lake Noonecares and little did I know it, it started to evolve when a Shelder bit its tail! Slowbro is one of the best things to switch into a Blaziken as it resists both of it's STABs and hits it with a Super Effective move. Something else that this Pokemon has that caught me off guard was Flamethrower. I did not know that this thing could use it as a child and only learned recently (and by recently I mean back in my D/P days). Flamethrower is there for an obvious reason: to murder Ferrothorn. I know it does a little over half after one Flamethrower, but considering most things in my team can easily switch into a Ferrothorn and kill it, I think I am good to go. Slack Off and Thunder Wave are there for self recovery and team support. I can cripple whatever decides to switch into Slowbro, because I know my opponent isn't dumb enough to leave a Blaziken in and hope for a crit. All in all, this is a pretty cool Pokemon, especially with Regenerator/Regeneration.
For the lack of a better picture that isn't the size of the one I got for Scizor's, I got a standard Thundurus picture because I couldn't find anything cool looking that wasn't over 600x400 for example.
So yeah, last dude in the team is Thundurus!
Thundurus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Mischievous Heart
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
This is another great sweeper this generation, and it handles one of Blaziken's most feared switch ins, Slowbro. It also takes the Lati siblings out, too. I usually sent this thing into Ferrothorns or something that I know can't hurt me at all, and I set up a Nasty Plot on the switch or just attack depending on what I think my opponent will do. Thunderbolt is a strong STAB move that, after a Nasty Plot, does like 40% to a Blissey, which is fascinating to say the least. Hidden Power Ice is obviously for the Ground or Dragon types that are immune or resist Thunderbolt. Focus Blast is there mainly for Ferrothorn. This is also probably the best BoltBeamer in the game at the moment, or maybe a tie between Thundurus and Starmie, because they can both be hard to handle and are both really fast. Sad that Thundurus is checked by Starmie.
Team at a Glance
Team Building Process
Will be up soon.
First off we have physical dude #1, Gliscor!
Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
Being one of my favorite sweepers in the current metagame, and my favorite Pokemon overall at the moment, Gliscor is "the man with the plan" when facing stall teams (when Skarmory is dead, obviously). I taunt whatever my opponent has out (unless it's something that I expect has Ice Beam, in that case I would switch)/decides to switch in to, and then Swords Dance, attack, or switch out depending on the situation. Taunt may seem odd on a Poison Heal Gliscor, but trust me, it is annoying to deal with phazers (sad that it doesn't deal with Dragon Tail though), plus it helps when facing stall teams, even though I might replace it with Protect because of the ammount of Pokemon in my team that can single-handedly beat stall. This also serves as a good Excadrill/Conkeldurr/Terrakion switch in (unless it's Swords Dancing Terrakion, Gliscor doesn't like taking +2 STAB Stone Edges from a Donphan on steroids).
Up next we have physical dude #2, Blaziken!
Blaziken (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Hi Jump Kick
- Flare Blitz
- Stone Edge
After about 2 pages of sexually related Blaziken pictures, I have found a neat looking Blaziken portrait or whatever. This is your standard Swords Dance Blaziken in Gen5. After one Swords Dance, it is going to take a huge dump on any team that doesn't have a Slowbro, or Reuniclus, or anything that has a good physical defense stat that resists at least one of Blaziken's STAB moves. I like to lead with Blaziken when I see that my opponent's team is VERY weak to it and proceed to wreck teams unless Hi Jump Kick hax kicks in (unintentional pun) and then Blaziken will be forced to die a painful and tragic death. Still, to this day, Blaziken gets killed by pretty much any boosted priority move that it doesn't resist, or any strong move that it doesn't resist in general, so it is not as easy as you think it is to pull off a sweep with the Blazin Kickin Chicken. Despite its flaws, it is a great sweeper and an effective stallbreaker, after one Swords Dance.
Opponent sent out Reuniclus!
Bowl Cut sent out Blaziken!
Bowl Cut called Blaziken back!
Bowl Cut sent out Scizor!
(Hot damn, it's a huge image, but... damn, it's HOT)
Scizor (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Roost
Specially defensive Scizor is my main Reuniclus check, and it also handles Terrakion very nicely. The moveset is self explanatory, Swords Dance for that extra boost if I ever need it, Bullet Punch is there mainly for Terrakion obviously, but it works well in killing Reuniclus off when Trick Room is up and I am about to die. Bug Bite is mainly for Reuniclus, but it does a good enough check to Slowbro in case I have to switch it in to one. Finally, Roost is there for the obligatory recovery and it lengthens Scizor's life significantly.
Finally, physical dude #4 is up next. It is none other than Ferrothorn!
Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Not exactly "none other", but you know, it's my RMT, damnit. Ferrothorn is the main supporter in the team as it helps out by setting up the necessary hazards against the opponent, and at the same time bait other Ferrothorn to come in and resist the incoming Leech Seed, except it's not even there, or that or bait something that I can safely switch into one of the four sweepers in my team and just wreck havoc early game, while not being the best idea, it is certainly a lot more effective than it was back in Gen4. Ferrothorn doesn't really do much besides setting up hazards and spamming it's dual STAB which is resisted only by Fire and Steel types (I'm probably missing one), but like I said, it is meant to be a supporter. I have both Spikes and Stealth Rocks primarily to limit the times that the opponent can switch around, even though I am considering Leech Seed because otherwise Ferrothorn won't have any way to recover itself bar Leftovers.
Now that we got all the physical dudes out of the way, let's get to the special-ed dudes.
umad bro? I SLOW SON.
Slowbro (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regeneration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Slack Off
- Surf
- Flamethrower
- Thunder Wave
Notice the HUGE Blaziken weakness in my team. I obviously need something to stop it. I found a certain Pokemon fishing by Lake Noonecares and little did I know it, it started to evolve when a Shelder bit its tail! Slowbro is one of the best things to switch into a Blaziken as it resists both of it's STABs and hits it with a Super Effective move. Something else that this Pokemon has that caught me off guard was Flamethrower. I did not know that this thing could use it as a child and only learned recently (and by recently I mean back in my D/P days). Flamethrower is there for an obvious reason: to murder Ferrothorn. I know it does a little over half after one Flamethrower, but considering most things in my team can easily switch into a Ferrothorn and kill it, I think I am good to go. Slack Off and Thunder Wave are there for self recovery and team support. I can cripple whatever decides to switch into Slowbro, because I know my opponent isn't dumb enough to leave a Blaziken in and hope for a crit. All in all, this is a pretty cool Pokemon, especially with Regenerator/Regeneration.
For the lack of a better picture that isn't the size of the one I got for Scizor's, I got a standard Thundurus picture because I couldn't find anything cool looking that wasn't over 600x400 for example.
So yeah, last dude in the team is Thundurus!
Thundurus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Mischievous Heart
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
This is another great sweeper this generation, and it handles one of Blaziken's most feared switch ins, Slowbro. It also takes the Lati siblings out, too. I usually sent this thing into Ferrothorns or something that I know can't hurt me at all, and I set up a Nasty Plot on the switch or just attack depending on what I think my opponent will do. Thunderbolt is a strong STAB move that, after a Nasty Plot, does like 40% to a Blissey, which is fascinating to say the least. Hidden Power Ice is obviously for the Ground or Dragon types that are immune or resist Thunderbolt. Focus Blast is there mainly for Ferrothorn. This is also probably the best BoltBeamer in the game at the moment, or maybe a tie between Thundurus and Starmie, because they can both be hard to handle and are both really fast. Sad that Thundurus is checked by Starmie.
Conclusion: I am probably very weak to a few of the common threats in today's metagame, so I would like all the positive rates as possible to make this a really good team. In the end, I consider this a solid team already, but like I said, I want rates. :)
With all this being said, I'm out.
