Hi all,
If you remember my first RMT from a week back or so, it started off pretty disastrously with horrible type coverage. I spent the next few days trying to patch over those weaknesses, and its still pretty shoddy.
So, I decided to make the focus of this team complete cohesiveness - covering each others weaknesses perfectly. Its been doing pretty well and has lifted me from about 1150 to currently 1285. Often though I feel that I don't have much of a winning plan, other than to use my pokemon as individual counters to whatever the other guy has.
Process
I wanted to start off with a Roserade lead, since I feel most teams underprepare for them. Toxic Spikes is also something I'd like to see used more in the metagame, so my team is partly based on forcing switches and ensuring some nice handy poison damage.
Next, I needed something which could help Roserade function and beat out almost all of its counters. Heatran is the perfect choice, with the two ensuring a good start against virtually any lead.
Next, I needed a pokemon which could help cover Heatran's common weaknesses and stop it being set up on. Celebi could have worked but I dislike its number of weaknesses and anyway I already have a grass type, so I went for a Rotom-H, which has a bonus of blocking Rapid Spin. Rotom-H to help deal with Magnezone specifically and also any other steel types (since I rely on Heatran a fair bit and so need to keep him around).
Next, I decided I need, firstly, a powerful physical pokemon if I need to kill off Blissey, and two, something that can act as a secondary revenge killer (since Heatran will be Scarfed). I decided on Scizor, both for its great resistances and since it eliminates many of the common counters of the existing pokemon. Heatran works great in conjunction with it, and it can take the Dark and Ghost moves aimed at Rotom-H. It is also usually a safe counter for the common Rotom-A with Pursuit.
I need something further to take EQ's, cover some weaknesses, and force some switches. Also, I think I need at least one sweeper. I've never been much of a fan of it, but I decided Gyarados fits nicely here.
I need something bulky to help with threats like Salamence, other Heatran, etc. The obvious choice was a bulky water. It came down to Swampert or Suicune, either of which would make a good choice here, but I decided on Suicune eventually.
In Depth
Roserade (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Sleep Powder
- Toxic Spikes
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Lovely little Roserade. There are almost no leads it cannot threaten significantly, since with Focus Sash it can survive an Azelf’s attacks and KO back with Leaf Storm. A few pokemon, such as Heatran, take next to nothing from its attacks; and you have the choice of switching out to a good counter, or hoping that he thinks you’ll switch and using Sleep Powder. Roserade has incredible synergy with what exists of my team at the moment. She covers Heatran’s weaknesses and Heatran covers hers. She also is invaluable for taking out bulky waters such as Swampert and even Suicune (since most Crocune only use Surf and not Icebeam). The Toxic Spikes she brings to the table are also great for the team, allowing them to beat some crucial pokemon. Between them, my team should be encouraging lots of switching around (and Roserade herself if great at that, since she often induces multiple switches to absorb her Leaf Storm comfortably). Roserade also acts as an invaluable status absorber. She doesn’t particularly like Bronzong either, but I have some fairly comfortable switches on him so I don’t lose momentum at the start of the match. I need to keep poison types off the field, but luckily they are extremely few and I can comfortably beat them.
Heatran (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Explosion
- HP Electric/HP Grass/Dragon Pulse
Standard Choice Scarfing all purpose killing Heatran. I’m undecided on the HP Power of choice, since I need a way of taking down waters without blowing myself up. Dragon Pulse is more powerful, though, and lets me beat Kingdra and Salamence. This thing is an incredible revenge killer, being capable of outspeeding and KOing most brittle attackers like Lucario, and even some things with a Dragon Dance up. He also has great defenses and typing, meaning I can switch him in and scare something else off remarkably easily (woot Toxic Spikes). There’s always a bit of risk involved in a Choice item, and this is no different. If he’s locked into a non-damaging move, Salamence or something can come in and start DDancing. Great synergy with my existing team members, as I may have mentioned, meaning lots of free switch ins and lots of enemy switches out. I tend to rely a lot on Heatran since much both Scizor and Roserade basically force the opponent to use Fire type moves, so with that in mind I have been considering using a more defensive Heatran without Choice Scarf (although I’ll keep Explosion – its always fun to blow up on some Suicune or Swampert which thinks it can wall you).
Rotom-H (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EV’S: 252 HP, 168 Def, 88 Spe
Bold Nature
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Overheat
-Will-o-wisp
Yup, it’s a standard defensive Rotom-H. Great for spinblocking especially since it can KO pretty much every spinner in the metagame. I’ve been wondering whether to invest some EV’s in SpAtk since his non-SE damage is somewhat limited or even more speed, but of course either has to come at the cost of some durability. Blissey is a complete wall to this version and essentially forces you to switch. Scizor can usually defeat Blissey with Superpower unless she has Flamethrower, Gyarados too but everything hates being hit with a Thunderwave. This Rotom also compounds my slight Heatran problem, since its very easy to predict when an Overheat or Wisp is coming, which is why I chose Suicune as my final pokemon. Scizor teams well with him to resist Dark and Ghost and also to eliminate his common counters (Blissey, Tyranitar). Gliscor and Salamence are two more pokemon whom Rotom can’t do much to so again Suicune makes a useful team member.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
Secondary revenge killer and great glue for my team. He is fully capable of beating the majority of Salamence who might set up on another team member. Along with Roserade, he is also great at luring Fire attacks for Heatran to take. Pursuit over Quick Attack to stop the ever annoying Rotom forms and Gengar, ALTHOUGH, I may reconsider in order to help with Zapdos and Gyarados. Magnezone is a dead set counter unless I can predict and catch him with Superpower as he comes in, and although Heatran can take him out the big magnet is one thing my team needs more coverage of. Superpower also KO’s Heatran on the switch in. He also helps Gyarados and Heatran with their bulky water problem, since any of the three can normally take down the water with them, leaving the others with a clear path. Rotom forms are also great at this. I’ve been debating whether to stick with a Choice Band variant or go with Swords Dance – immediate power over versatility. For the moment I’m sticking with Choice because I can’t easily deal with Heatran who basically stops any potential SD sweep.
Gyarados (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 Def / 224 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
The current sole stat upper on the team. It works well here because of the tendency of my other pokemon to eliminate most of its counters and walls. Gyarados can’t switch in with the frequency of the others due to Rocks weakness and also because I like to save him for the late game – however, if I’m in trouble, with Intimidate he can also perform a useful defensive role. Skarmory laughs at him in general unless he’s the last pokemon, so, many of my other pokemon such as Rotom and Heatran can comfortably beat the leaden bird. With Jolly nature I can outrun the fastest Jolteon after a Dragon Dance, however, the difference is missing some OHKO’s and 2HKO’s I could have got with Adamant. If this becomes too common I’ll switch the natures around. Starmie can beat this and are generally good against this team since they don’t care about Toxic Spikes much (although it hurts them while they’re inJ) so Bounce could be an option. Gyarados loves Toxic Spikes in general for eliminating many of its walls. Scizor covers the Gengar and Rotom who often plague Gyarados, and Roserade works well as a defensive partner.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
A nice surprise for everyone expecting a Crocune. This is a more offensive Cune and as such scores a lot of KO’s on pokemon who don’t expect the type coverage. After one Calm Mind Hydro Pump is strong enough to OHKO things like Scizor, Tyranitar and the most specially defensive Skarm. Roserade partners really well with Suicune to set up helpful Toxic Spikes and deal with some of Suicune’s common walls. Scizor also works exceptionally well in tandem with Suicune, as he generally lures in Heatran and Gyarados and Salamence, all of whom Suicune can easily beat. Suicune doesn’t have much hope of a full early game sweep given Blissey essentially laughs at it and its slightly low speed, but, it is useful for getting rid of other counters and opening up the game for Gyarados and Scizor.
Suicune will be replaced by Swampert.
Threats List
Scizor:
-Heatran kills it easily, although I’d prefer not to switch against non-Choice variants and risk taking a Superpower. Even Roserade can KO if its locked into something which doesn’t hurt, same with Gyarados. Rotom, too, if I have Rotom-H. Suicune doesn’t mind its attacks too much unless it’s a SD variant.
Salamence:
-Heatran and Scizor can generally beat him, although its situational due to his great offensive movepool and stats. Rotom can take most stuff as well, and threaten back with Will-o-wisp or Thunderwave, whichever I get. Suicune is definitely best though, with a guaranteed KO with Icebeam and surviving Mence’s attacks (even boosted Outrage).
Rotom formes:
Not a huge problem, except for Rotom-H which can KO Scizor before it KO's him. My own Rotom can equal it with Shadow Ball but can hardly switch in on it. Heatran can make it run away if it switches in on an Overheat or Wisp, but can't switch into Thunderbolt comfortably.
Tyranitar:
-Scizor can KO Tyranitar without Babiri berry, as Shiny Pidgey pointed out BabiriDDtar could be a major problem. Suicune can KO with Hydro Pump after a CM according to its analysis, and I'm probably shortly changing him to Swampert which would deal with TTar better.
Heatran:
-Bit of a pain, especially if it comes in on my own Heatran and gets a boost. Gyarados can normally force it to explode one on one, Suicune is best though. Swampert, which is probably replacing Suicune, works great as well.
Gyarados:
-Rotom forms generally love zapping some Gyarados, and my own Gyarados can switch in for an Intimidate on a predicted EQ (which Heatran can draw). Roserade hurts him too. Suicune is great for the surprise HP (although it won’t kill bulky variants).
Metagross:
-Roserade can do well against him as a lead(no, he can't 2HKO, but he can Sleep Powder (even with Lum this is still helpful, so that he can be Slept or Burned later)), Heatran can force him out…Rotom handles him pretty well, and Gyarados can handle the fairly uncommon ones which don't have Stone Edge or TPunch. Suicune can beat him but it takes a while, so can the future Swampert.
Jirachi:
I can't honestly say if my team has more Jirachi troubles than the next one. I really hate the thing. It uses the same strategy generally as Togekiss minus Nasty Plot but with more versatility, but its not as cool as Togekiss. Heatran beats it, Rotom’s not bad depending on the Jirachi set (e.g. Calm Mind Wish = not good). Its got so many options that the best thing to do usually is just take it out no matter what. Some comments have said Jirachi can basically sweep my team bar Heatran, but I can't think of many teams not tailor made for beating Jirachi which couldn't be easily beaten by an opposing Jirachi with an inconvenient moveset and some luck/good prediction.
-Infernape:
-I hate Infernape. Yup, I chose it as my starter in Diamond, but only because its so good. Now I'm wishing it wasn't so good. I can probably take down a physical variant with Heatran and generally, although it could be a major problem (but after all, there are no real guaranteed counters to Infernape). Nasty Plot versions are much more problematic since Heatran can get KO'd after some damage by Vacuum Wave.
Lucario:
Okay, so it would be blasphemy to yawn and say I could handle this, right? Well, who can handle it? You can't really unless you know what set its running. Heatran's normally safe but can't switch in at all.
- Gengar:
Scizor can pursuit but isn't exactly safe against Gengar. Shiny Pidgey pointed out that some specific Gengar sets could cause a lot of problems, but, again, you can't guarantee yourself a KO on Gengar.
- Swampert:
Versus Roserade=auto switch=free Toxic Spikes. Gyarados and Rotom forms generally handle it fine too. Rest-Curse variants beat Rotom but still lose to Gyarados. Suicune can set up while Resters are asleep and kill with Hydro Pump.
- Starmie:
Bit of a problem. Swampert in place of Suicune makes the job easier, although even it can't exactly switch in. My pokemon can beat it situationally.
Blissey:
-Really, who doesn’t love Blissey? Its just this big pink smiling blob which sits their walling your special sweeper and laughing at you. It doesn’t even fight, it just lays eggs and wishes and stuff. Yup. I HATE U BLISSEY. Scizor’s good minus Flamethrower/Fire Blast, Gyarados doesn’t like Thunder wave but otherwise is good, and that’s basically all I can do to it.
Azelf:
-KO for Roserade which for some reason other people never expect, although lots do run Sash. Alternatively, Heatran beats it easily too, Scizor if no Flamethrower, and if it does have it, guess who comes in and gets a boost?
Gliscor:
-Gyarados usually does okay. The most common move by Gliscor would be Taunt, so I always go Waterfall, which doesn't KO but gets fairly close (okay, okay, so maybe I should have Stealth Rocks). Suicune/her replacement should also do fine. Gliscor's another good reason to not use Choice Scarf on Heatran, because it just invites Gliscor to come in and Baton Pass a Rock Polish.
Magnezone:
- Bit of a problem here. With the common HP Fire, Magnezone can KO Gyarados, Scizor, Roserade easily. Heatran can beat it but if he’s dead (conceivable with EQ), not so good.
Skarmory:
-Heatran beats it, but its not going to stay in, is it? Roserade too with Hidden Power, and Rotom form.
Machamp:
-Roserade hurts this thing bad and in response resists Dynamic Punch. Sash saves it from Ice Punch, but not Bullet Punch, meaning that Machamp will beat it. I've never really figured out how to beat Machamp without losing a pokemon, and there's no doubt it could do very well against my team. On my old team I just let my lead die after setting up Rocks and then brought in Togekiss after he died, but I'd prefer not to do that here (since I don't have a pokemon which can actually OHKO him).
Vaporeon:
Won’t like Toxic Spikes at all, or Gyarados, or Rotom. Suicune can set up on her but can’t take too long or risk being stalled out with Toxic.
-
Breloom:
Heatran revenge kills easily. If the opponent brings Breloom in at the right time I don’t think its possible to actually not lose a pokemon to Breloom (short of a Lum Berry Heatran or something). Basically, I normally sac Roserade or something and hope I wake up in time to stop it from killing me with a Sub up.
Dragonite:
- Suicune beats it fairly comfortably, I have some other options too but I'd definitely prefer to use Suicune/
Zapdos:
-A real nuisance. Rotom handles it comfortably, same with Heatran, but if it comes in on something like Gyarados multiple times I can be taking a lot of damage from switching around. Maybe I should run Stealth Rock on Suicune's replacement Swampert.
Flygon:
Roserade KO’s it, Gyarados can come in on a lured EQ and Intimidate and DD. Scizor can take Outrage okay and do a lot of damage back. Suicune is good too. However, its still all about prediction. Heatran can't touch the very common Scarfed one, and Scizor shouldn't risk a fire move.
-
Kingdra:
Suicune can handle him, thought apart from that my team (like all teams) still shudders at the thought of a Kingdra in the Rain.
-
Suicune:
I hate Crocune (can we just change its name to that?). Toxic Spikes help but it still rests every couple of turns. Gyarados is my best shot, and if Rotom can trick it a Choice scarf its basically useless except as death fodder.
-
Celebi:
-Heatran, Scizor, Rotom.
Jolteon:
Heatran prob best but everything else except Gyarados as well.
-
Empoleon:
Okay, quite big threat. But I can normally beat it, I just have to sac something to do it:( Normally Suicune. By the way, can someone point out a way of actually NOT taking a load of damage from this thing? I guess Taunt can stop it Subbing, but thats hardly a solution.
-
Forretress:
-Roserade loves this stuff. Most don’t realise the HP Fire and die, otherwise, Toxic Spikes if I’m feeling lucky.
Bronzong:
Heatran, Rotom, etc.
-
Togekiss:
-Rotom, I have some stuff which can kinda match it but since its my favourite pokemon I know not taking SE damage from Togekiss is a very long way from walling it.
Electivire:
Rotom mainly.
-
Snorlax:
-Snorlax is a bit like Blissey, in terms of how much I despise them. Gyarados is a decent choice BUT can’t take a Cursed Body Slam. Scizor can’t take Fire Punch, but can dish out Superpower pre-Curses. If Rotom can Trick or Wisp that would be great, so, the one I choose must have one of those two.
Aerodactyl:
-Great as a lead for me to face, since Roserade’s Leaf Storm destroys it.
Weavile:
-Scizor, Heatran, Suicune.
Tentacruel:
-Rotom, Gyarados, Suicune. Roserade absorbs Toxic Spikes, although he’ll absorb hers too.
Dusknoir:
Rotom generally beats him, Suicune can stall him out with Calm Mind versus Pain Split.
-
Mamoswine:
--Roserade KO’s in the common lead, Heatran easily forces a switch. Scizor as well.
Roserade:
-Well, same lead as me. I’m not sure, but I could go with HP Fire, since there’s not much point laying Toxic Spikes if the opponent has a still alive Roserade.
Smeargle:
-EasyJ
Hippowdon:
-Roserade obliterates it. Rotom too, especially if I go with Leaf Storm or Hydro Pump. Heatran can kill it off easily with Fire Blast but can’t take an EQ.
Ninjask:
Not exactly Roserade’s forte. The best she can do is lay Toxic Spikes once (since it’s a Baton Pass team there’s a good chance it’ll be pretty quick either way), hoping for the common Protect, and then break Sub’s or Sash or whatever with HP Fire.
Heracross:
-Heatran can take it, Gyarados too if it hits it with Intimidate. Rotom can be hurt but in general makes a good counter.
Porygon-Z:
-Not exactly the fastest cookie in the jar, right? Another 30 speed and this thing would be a beast (damn you Gamefreak) but as it is, any of my pokemon which can outspeed it can come in and KO (Heatran, Roserade, Scizor). Rotom’s great since Porygon rely on their Adaptability boosted Tri Attack normally, although, it can’t stay in or risk Dark Pulse.
Cresselia:
Assuming no very rare HPower, Scizor can force a switch and then Pursuit (otherwise she *thinks* she’ll take a STAB bug move).
-
Umbreon:
-Scizor can beat with Bug attacks.
If you remember my first RMT from a week back or so, it started off pretty disastrously with horrible type coverage. I spent the next few days trying to patch over those weaknesses, and its still pretty shoddy.
So, I decided to make the focus of this team complete cohesiveness - covering each others weaknesses perfectly. Its been doing pretty well and has lifted me from about 1150 to currently 1285. Often though I feel that I don't have much of a winning plan, other than to use my pokemon as individual counters to whatever the other guy has.
Process
I wanted to start off with a Roserade lead, since I feel most teams underprepare for them. Toxic Spikes is also something I'd like to see used more in the metagame, so my team is partly based on forcing switches and ensuring some nice handy poison damage.
Next, I needed something which could help Roserade function and beat out almost all of its counters. Heatran is the perfect choice, with the two ensuring a good start against virtually any lead.
Next, I needed a pokemon which could help cover Heatran's common weaknesses and stop it being set up on. Celebi could have worked but I dislike its number of weaknesses and anyway I already have a grass type, so I went for a Rotom-H, which has a bonus of blocking Rapid Spin. Rotom-H to help deal with Magnezone specifically and also any other steel types (since I rely on Heatran a fair bit and so need to keep him around).
Next, I decided I need, firstly, a powerful physical pokemon if I need to kill off Blissey, and two, something that can act as a secondary revenge killer (since Heatran will be Scarfed). I decided on Scizor, both for its great resistances and since it eliminates many of the common counters of the existing pokemon. Heatran works great in conjunction with it, and it can take the Dark and Ghost moves aimed at Rotom-H. It is also usually a safe counter for the common Rotom-A with Pursuit.
I need something further to take EQ's, cover some weaknesses, and force some switches. Also, I think I need at least one sweeper. I've never been much of a fan of it, but I decided Gyarados fits nicely here.
I need something bulky to help with threats like Salamence, other Heatran, etc. The obvious choice was a bulky water. It came down to Swampert or Suicune, either of which would make a good choice here, but I decided on Suicune eventually.
In Depth
Roserade (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Sleep Powder
- Toxic Spikes
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Lovely little Roserade. There are almost no leads it cannot threaten significantly, since with Focus Sash it can survive an Azelf’s attacks and KO back with Leaf Storm. A few pokemon, such as Heatran, take next to nothing from its attacks; and you have the choice of switching out to a good counter, or hoping that he thinks you’ll switch and using Sleep Powder. Roserade has incredible synergy with what exists of my team at the moment. She covers Heatran’s weaknesses and Heatran covers hers. She also is invaluable for taking out bulky waters such as Swampert and even Suicune (since most Crocune only use Surf and not Icebeam). The Toxic Spikes she brings to the table are also great for the team, allowing them to beat some crucial pokemon. Between them, my team should be encouraging lots of switching around (and Roserade herself if great at that, since she often induces multiple switches to absorb her Leaf Storm comfortably). Roserade also acts as an invaluable status absorber. She doesn’t particularly like Bronzong either, but I have some fairly comfortable switches on him so I don’t lose momentum at the start of the match. I need to keep poison types off the field, but luckily they are extremely few and I can comfortably beat them.
Heatran (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Explosion
- HP Electric/HP Grass/Dragon Pulse
Standard Choice Scarfing all purpose killing Heatran. I’m undecided on the HP Power of choice, since I need a way of taking down waters without blowing myself up. Dragon Pulse is more powerful, though, and lets me beat Kingdra and Salamence. This thing is an incredible revenge killer, being capable of outspeeding and KOing most brittle attackers like Lucario, and even some things with a Dragon Dance up. He also has great defenses and typing, meaning I can switch him in and scare something else off remarkably easily (woot Toxic Spikes). There’s always a bit of risk involved in a Choice item, and this is no different. If he’s locked into a non-damaging move, Salamence or something can come in and start DDancing. Great synergy with my existing team members, as I may have mentioned, meaning lots of free switch ins and lots of enemy switches out. I tend to rely a lot on Heatran since much both Scizor and Roserade basically force the opponent to use Fire type moves, so with that in mind I have been considering using a more defensive Heatran without Choice Scarf (although I’ll keep Explosion – its always fun to blow up on some Suicune or Swampert which thinks it can wall you).
Rotom-H (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EV’S: 252 HP, 168 Def, 88 Spe
Bold Nature
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Overheat
-Will-o-wisp
Yup, it’s a standard defensive Rotom-H. Great for spinblocking especially since it can KO pretty much every spinner in the metagame. I’ve been wondering whether to invest some EV’s in SpAtk since his non-SE damage is somewhat limited or even more speed, but of course either has to come at the cost of some durability. Blissey is a complete wall to this version and essentially forces you to switch. Scizor can usually defeat Blissey with Superpower unless she has Flamethrower, Gyarados too but everything hates being hit with a Thunderwave. This Rotom also compounds my slight Heatran problem, since its very easy to predict when an Overheat or Wisp is coming, which is why I chose Suicune as my final pokemon. Scizor teams well with him to resist Dark and Ghost and also to eliminate his common counters (Blissey, Tyranitar). Gliscor and Salamence are two more pokemon whom Rotom can’t do much to so again Suicune makes a useful team member.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
Secondary revenge killer and great glue for my team. He is fully capable of beating the majority of Salamence who might set up on another team member. Along with Roserade, he is also great at luring Fire attacks for Heatran to take. Pursuit over Quick Attack to stop the ever annoying Rotom forms and Gengar, ALTHOUGH, I may reconsider in order to help with Zapdos and Gyarados. Magnezone is a dead set counter unless I can predict and catch him with Superpower as he comes in, and although Heatran can take him out the big magnet is one thing my team needs more coverage of. Superpower also KO’s Heatran on the switch in. He also helps Gyarados and Heatran with their bulky water problem, since any of the three can normally take down the water with them, leaving the others with a clear path. Rotom forms are also great at this. I’ve been debating whether to stick with a Choice Band variant or go with Swords Dance – immediate power over versatility. For the moment I’m sticking with Choice because I can’t easily deal with Heatran who basically stops any potential SD sweep.
Gyarados (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 Def / 224 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
The current sole stat upper on the team. It works well here because of the tendency of my other pokemon to eliminate most of its counters and walls. Gyarados can’t switch in with the frequency of the others due to Rocks weakness and also because I like to save him for the late game – however, if I’m in trouble, with Intimidate he can also perform a useful defensive role. Skarmory laughs at him in general unless he’s the last pokemon, so, many of my other pokemon such as Rotom and Heatran can comfortably beat the leaden bird. With Jolly nature I can outrun the fastest Jolteon after a Dragon Dance, however, the difference is missing some OHKO’s and 2HKO’s I could have got with Adamant. If this becomes too common I’ll switch the natures around. Starmie can beat this and are generally good against this team since they don’t care about Toxic Spikes much (although it hurts them while they’re inJ) so Bounce could be an option. Gyarados loves Toxic Spikes in general for eliminating many of its walls. Scizor covers the Gengar and Rotom who often plague Gyarados, and Roserade works well as a defensive partner.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
A nice surprise for everyone expecting a Crocune. This is a more offensive Cune and as such scores a lot of KO’s on pokemon who don’t expect the type coverage. After one Calm Mind Hydro Pump is strong enough to OHKO things like Scizor, Tyranitar and the most specially defensive Skarm. Roserade partners really well with Suicune to set up helpful Toxic Spikes and deal with some of Suicune’s common walls. Scizor also works exceptionally well in tandem with Suicune, as he generally lures in Heatran and Gyarados and Salamence, all of whom Suicune can easily beat. Suicune doesn’t have much hope of a full early game sweep given Blissey essentially laughs at it and its slightly low speed, but, it is useful for getting rid of other counters and opening up the game for Gyarados and Scizor.
Suicune will be replaced by Swampert.
Threats List
Scizor:
-Heatran kills it easily, although I’d prefer not to switch against non-Choice variants and risk taking a Superpower. Even Roserade can KO if its locked into something which doesn’t hurt, same with Gyarados. Rotom, too, if I have Rotom-H. Suicune doesn’t mind its attacks too much unless it’s a SD variant.
Salamence:
-Heatran and Scizor can generally beat him, although its situational due to his great offensive movepool and stats. Rotom can take most stuff as well, and threaten back with Will-o-wisp or Thunderwave, whichever I get. Suicune is definitely best though, with a guaranteed KO with Icebeam and surviving Mence’s attacks (even boosted Outrage).
Rotom formes:
Not a huge problem, except for Rotom-H which can KO Scizor before it KO's him. My own Rotom can equal it with Shadow Ball but can hardly switch in on it. Heatran can make it run away if it switches in on an Overheat or Wisp, but can't switch into Thunderbolt comfortably.
Tyranitar:
-Scizor can KO Tyranitar without Babiri berry, as Shiny Pidgey pointed out BabiriDDtar could be a major problem. Suicune can KO with Hydro Pump after a CM according to its analysis, and I'm probably shortly changing him to Swampert which would deal with TTar better.
Heatran:
-Bit of a pain, especially if it comes in on my own Heatran and gets a boost. Gyarados can normally force it to explode one on one, Suicune is best though. Swampert, which is probably replacing Suicune, works great as well.
Gyarados:
-Rotom forms generally love zapping some Gyarados, and my own Gyarados can switch in for an Intimidate on a predicted EQ (which Heatran can draw). Roserade hurts him too. Suicune is great for the surprise HP (although it won’t kill bulky variants).
Metagross:
-Roserade can do well against him as a lead(no, he can't 2HKO, but he can Sleep Powder (even with Lum this is still helpful, so that he can be Slept or Burned later)), Heatran can force him out…Rotom handles him pretty well, and Gyarados can handle the fairly uncommon ones which don't have Stone Edge or TPunch. Suicune can beat him but it takes a while, so can the future Swampert.
Jirachi:
I can't honestly say if my team has more Jirachi troubles than the next one. I really hate the thing. It uses the same strategy generally as Togekiss minus Nasty Plot but with more versatility, but its not as cool as Togekiss. Heatran beats it, Rotom’s not bad depending on the Jirachi set (e.g. Calm Mind Wish = not good). Its got so many options that the best thing to do usually is just take it out no matter what. Some comments have said Jirachi can basically sweep my team bar Heatran, but I can't think of many teams not tailor made for beating Jirachi which couldn't be easily beaten by an opposing Jirachi with an inconvenient moveset and some luck/good prediction.
-Infernape:
-I hate Infernape. Yup, I chose it as my starter in Diamond, but only because its so good. Now I'm wishing it wasn't so good. I can probably take down a physical variant with Heatran and generally, although it could be a major problem (but after all, there are no real guaranteed counters to Infernape). Nasty Plot versions are much more problematic since Heatran can get KO'd after some damage by Vacuum Wave.
Lucario:
Okay, so it would be blasphemy to yawn and say I could handle this, right? Well, who can handle it? You can't really unless you know what set its running. Heatran's normally safe but can't switch in at all.
- Gengar:
Scizor can pursuit but isn't exactly safe against Gengar. Shiny Pidgey pointed out that some specific Gengar sets could cause a lot of problems, but, again, you can't guarantee yourself a KO on Gengar.
- Swampert:
Versus Roserade=auto switch=free Toxic Spikes. Gyarados and Rotom forms generally handle it fine too. Rest-Curse variants beat Rotom but still lose to Gyarados. Suicune can set up while Resters are asleep and kill with Hydro Pump.
- Starmie:
Bit of a problem. Swampert in place of Suicune makes the job easier, although even it can't exactly switch in. My pokemon can beat it situationally.
Blissey:
-Really, who doesn’t love Blissey? Its just this big pink smiling blob which sits their walling your special sweeper and laughing at you. It doesn’t even fight, it just lays eggs and wishes and stuff. Yup. I HATE U BLISSEY. Scizor’s good minus Flamethrower/Fire Blast, Gyarados doesn’t like Thunder wave but otherwise is good, and that’s basically all I can do to it.
Azelf:
-KO for Roserade which for some reason other people never expect, although lots do run Sash. Alternatively, Heatran beats it easily too, Scizor if no Flamethrower, and if it does have it, guess who comes in and gets a boost?
Gliscor:
-Gyarados usually does okay. The most common move by Gliscor would be Taunt, so I always go Waterfall, which doesn't KO but gets fairly close (okay, okay, so maybe I should have Stealth Rocks). Suicune/her replacement should also do fine. Gliscor's another good reason to not use Choice Scarf on Heatran, because it just invites Gliscor to come in and Baton Pass a Rock Polish.
Magnezone:
- Bit of a problem here. With the common HP Fire, Magnezone can KO Gyarados, Scizor, Roserade easily. Heatran can beat it but if he’s dead (conceivable with EQ), not so good.
Skarmory:
-Heatran beats it, but its not going to stay in, is it? Roserade too with Hidden Power, and Rotom form.
Machamp:
-Roserade hurts this thing bad and in response resists Dynamic Punch. Sash saves it from Ice Punch, but not Bullet Punch, meaning that Machamp will beat it. I've never really figured out how to beat Machamp without losing a pokemon, and there's no doubt it could do very well against my team. On my old team I just let my lead die after setting up Rocks and then brought in Togekiss after he died, but I'd prefer not to do that here (since I don't have a pokemon which can actually OHKO him).
Vaporeon:
Won’t like Toxic Spikes at all, or Gyarados, or Rotom. Suicune can set up on her but can’t take too long or risk being stalled out with Toxic.
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Breloom:
Heatran revenge kills easily. If the opponent brings Breloom in at the right time I don’t think its possible to actually not lose a pokemon to Breloom (short of a Lum Berry Heatran or something). Basically, I normally sac Roserade or something and hope I wake up in time to stop it from killing me with a Sub up.
Dragonite:
- Suicune beats it fairly comfortably, I have some other options too but I'd definitely prefer to use Suicune/
Zapdos:
-A real nuisance. Rotom handles it comfortably, same with Heatran, but if it comes in on something like Gyarados multiple times I can be taking a lot of damage from switching around. Maybe I should run Stealth Rock on Suicune's replacement Swampert.
Flygon:
Roserade KO’s it, Gyarados can come in on a lured EQ and Intimidate and DD. Scizor can take Outrage okay and do a lot of damage back. Suicune is good too. However, its still all about prediction. Heatran can't touch the very common Scarfed one, and Scizor shouldn't risk a fire move.
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Kingdra:
Suicune can handle him, thought apart from that my team (like all teams) still shudders at the thought of a Kingdra in the Rain.
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Suicune:
I hate Crocune (can we just change its name to that?). Toxic Spikes help but it still rests every couple of turns. Gyarados is my best shot, and if Rotom can trick it a Choice scarf its basically useless except as death fodder.
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Celebi:
-Heatran, Scizor, Rotom.
Jolteon:
Heatran prob best but everything else except Gyarados as well.
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Empoleon:
Okay, quite big threat. But I can normally beat it, I just have to sac something to do it:( Normally Suicune. By the way, can someone point out a way of actually NOT taking a load of damage from this thing? I guess Taunt can stop it Subbing, but thats hardly a solution.
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Forretress:
-Roserade loves this stuff. Most don’t realise the HP Fire and die, otherwise, Toxic Spikes if I’m feeling lucky.
Bronzong:
Heatran, Rotom, etc.
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Togekiss:
-Rotom, I have some stuff which can kinda match it but since its my favourite pokemon I know not taking SE damage from Togekiss is a very long way from walling it.
Electivire:
Rotom mainly.
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Snorlax:
-Snorlax is a bit like Blissey, in terms of how much I despise them. Gyarados is a decent choice BUT can’t take a Cursed Body Slam. Scizor can’t take Fire Punch, but can dish out Superpower pre-Curses. If Rotom can Trick or Wisp that would be great, so, the one I choose must have one of those two.
Aerodactyl:
-Great as a lead for me to face, since Roserade’s Leaf Storm destroys it.
Weavile:
-Scizor, Heatran, Suicune.
Tentacruel:
-Rotom, Gyarados, Suicune. Roserade absorbs Toxic Spikes, although he’ll absorb hers too.
Dusknoir:
Rotom generally beats him, Suicune can stall him out with Calm Mind versus Pain Split.
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Mamoswine:
--Roserade KO’s in the common lead, Heatran easily forces a switch. Scizor as well.
Roserade:
-Well, same lead as me. I’m not sure, but I could go with HP Fire, since there’s not much point laying Toxic Spikes if the opponent has a still alive Roserade.
Smeargle:
-EasyJ
Hippowdon:
-Roserade obliterates it. Rotom too, especially if I go with Leaf Storm or Hydro Pump. Heatran can kill it off easily with Fire Blast but can’t take an EQ.
Ninjask:
Not exactly Roserade’s forte. The best she can do is lay Toxic Spikes once (since it’s a Baton Pass team there’s a good chance it’ll be pretty quick either way), hoping for the common Protect, and then break Sub’s or Sash or whatever with HP Fire.
Heracross:
-Heatran can take it, Gyarados too if it hits it with Intimidate. Rotom can be hurt but in general makes a good counter.
Porygon-Z:
-Not exactly the fastest cookie in the jar, right? Another 30 speed and this thing would be a beast (damn you Gamefreak) but as it is, any of my pokemon which can outspeed it can come in and KO (Heatran, Roserade, Scizor). Rotom’s great since Porygon rely on their Adaptability boosted Tri Attack normally, although, it can’t stay in or risk Dark Pulse.
Cresselia:
Assuming no very rare HPower, Scizor can force a switch and then Pursuit (otherwise she *thinks* she’ll take a STAB bug move).
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Umbreon:
-Scizor can beat with Bug attacks.
