Zeraato's Poor Player Team [OU] RMT

[zeraato]

~*Zeraato's Poor Player Team*~

Introduction
------------------------------

Greetings everyone :D This is the first time im making an RMT on Smogon's forums, so i'll try to do it as best as i can. I named this team "Poor Player Team" because the pokemon that are being used are all fairly common and easily acquired in game. The reason being that I don't have access to Legendaries like Heatran or Suicune etc. yet i want to participate in Wi-Fi matches, so i'm limited to using such pokemon. After play-testing on Shoddy battle, i found that a lot of players run around with Legendaries even if more than half of them won't end up EV-ing them or even having them on their actual NDS system. Therefore, to make a statement and still hold up in the OU environment, i decided to make a team comprising of common pokemon and base it around one of the most unexpected tyrants : Azumarill.

I hope everyone would help me improve this team further, and make it a worthy team for me to use in competitive Wi-Fi matches.
​

Team Building Process:
------------------------------

I chose to use Azumarill as the main focus of the team because of its resonance with the central theme - it is a pokemon that is extremely easy to obtain. Being one that is often underestimated not many teams would have dedicated counters to this little water bunny, making it a perfect candidate to surprise and potentially sweep with.
​

Having chosen Life Orb Azumarill as the main focus of the team, I had to next think of ways to exploit Azumaril's strengths and weaknesses. Life Orb Azumarill is strong as a sweeper, but still needs to be flexible in terms of switching. The use of Stealth Rocks and Spikes in the standard metagame really deters this, therefore Starmie was chosen to be the Rapid Spinner for the team. It shares common weakness with Azumarill, but is reliable and counters other water pokemon that Azumarill will otherwise be walled by.

To assist Life Orb Azumarill in the uphill battle against many strong and sturdy pokemon, Stealth Rock support of his own is absolutely essential.The pokemon that would be in charge of laying down the Stealth Rocks needs to be relatively bulky and also able to hold its own. Bronzong fits this role perfectly (and also resists the two types that Starmie and Azumarill are weak to).

Another factor I originally considered was the healing support that Azumarill would require from all the constant switching and hammering. Considering that Bronzong, Starmie and Azumarill all seem to be endangered by Special Attacks (mostly), Blissey fit the bill perfectly by bringing invaluable Wish or Aromatherapy support.

Having covered the support side, it was time to look at the offensive options. While Azumarill is a force to be reckoned with on its own, it still can't fight the battles on its own. To "mimic" the famous "Water Grass Fire" combination, i decided to use a Choice Scarf Abomasnow to launch Stab Woodhammers and Blizzards as well as absorb hits aimed at Azumarill. It combats weather teams with finesse and can give many people a surprise with it's unorthodox moveset.

​

With the 5 other pokemon chosen, i needed a Leader to bring the team to victory. Considering that my team was weak to Fighting type moves and seemingly prone to death by other rampaging pokemon, i needed a leader that was fast enough to Taunt yet strong enough to stop other teams. Therefore, Gengar was chosen as the lead, since if it survived the first few turns it could be used later on to "absorb" fighting moves aimed at Blissey or Abomasnow.

​

So as the team was ready, play-testing on Shoddy battle begun. I tried out about 25 matches with the team, and noticed that it was utter CRAP. I was in need of something stronger to break walls and punch holes in teams. Hence, the decision to remove Abomasnow was made. The addition of Scizor gave my team the much needed Priority attacks that Scizor was infamous for.

​

Play-testing continued, and one other problem emerged - Lead Machamps. It might be me being unlucky and facing almost 20 Machamp lead teams but whatever it was one thing was for sure, that Machamp was tearing holes through my team. To combat this, i had to sacrifice my Lead Gengar for a Lead Crobat. Using a set i designed specifically for Machamps, i was rid of that issue...for now at least :p.

​

As well as the Crobat lead was doing (even though opening an extra thunder weakness), something was still amiss in the team. Already lacking in the "Grass Water Fire" department, it was imperative that i found a way to stop thunder moves and hit back hard. Hence, the decision to remove Blissey in exchange for Flygon was made. Ever since, i have been playtesting this team on Shoddy and have had a success ratio of nearly 65%. Hence, i hope that with this RMT all of the experts on Smogon can help me further improve this team of mine :D

I recieved comments and tips from both Groshi and Ranigad about the efficiency of my Lead Crobat. As good as it is, Lead Crobat just didnt get the job done with Machamps. This was mainly due to the fact that most Machamp leads carry Lum Berries and rid themselves of Hypnosis, and in turn proceeded to OHKO-ing Crobat with a single Ice Punch. To remedy that situation, Ranigad suggested i try out a Metagross Lead with Lum Berry. And taking Azumarill's place is Sub LO Gengar. Not only does Gengar not need too much SR support to be potent, it also has the ability to kill off walls, counters and even block predicted Rapid Spins and explosions. Gengar brought about extra firepower to the team and is doing a good job at it too :D
​

It then hit me that with 3 Steel type pokemon in the team, it would be a massive disaster to have Starmie and Flygon work overtime to block incoming Fire moves, especially from Heatran. My first instinct was telling me to put on a wall like Blissey or Weezing, but then i thought that i needed fire attacks of my own as well. Therefore, Infernape made its way on to the team and has replaced Bronzong's position since Stealth Rocks is set up by Metagross most of the time. Whether or not this works out, i'm not too sure..so please do help me find better solutions :D p/s : With the absence of Bronzong, i might need to put Ice Beam on to Starmie just to counter Dragons..opinions anyone?

Hours of play-testing on Shoddy Battle coupled with play-test results provided by Ranigad quoting "I found that many of your pokemon can't take a hit" clearly points out that even if Infernape was a good pokemon to absorb Will-o-wisps and threaten sweeps, it just wasn't strong enough to take punishment. To switch out Infernape meant i would lose out on a Fire type, but lessened the burden of Flygon and Starmie because a lot of Heatran were just laughing at on Metagross, Scizor and Infernape. This move made me consider using a Bulky wall to handle incoming hits, since the team was too offensive oriented. Weezing immediately came to mind, and play-testing is underway to determine if it works (and also which move to use..so far its a debate between Haze and Will-o-wisp). So far, the results are that Weezing actually stops Gyarados stone cold as well, letting my Starmie survive longer to Rapid Spin or threaten Heatrans with Surf in case Flygon goes down. Weezing also brings about Earthquake immunity unlike Infernape, although Weezing can't do anything much back to Heatran besides spam Thunderbolt. The current team stats are as below (courtesy of Marriland) :​

​

​

​

Closer look
------------------------------

/

Metapod the Metagross
Adamant @ Lum Berry
Clear Body + 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spe
- Bullet Punch
- Meteor Mash
- Stealth Rocks
- Explosion

This Metagross was suggested to me by Ranigad, and i must say i absolutely love it! Not only is Metagross able to take all sorts of status from a plethora of leads due to the Lum Berry it utilizes, it can also fire off STAB Bullet Punches and Meteor Mashes at anything that tries to put it to sleep, potentially wrecking them :D More importantly, Lum Berry also makes sure that my team is guaranteed Stealth Rocks advantage for the first half of the game, and usually racks up residual damage very fast. What makes me really happy using this pokemon is that my previous Machamp dilemma has been solved :D According to playtests, Meteor Mash can OHKO a lead Machamp..making this pokemon a big step-up from the previous Crobat set that i came up with.

Thank you Ranigad!
​

/

WeeWee the Weezing
Bold @ Leftovers
Levitate + 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 Sp.Atk
- Pain Split
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Will-o-wisp / Haze (Still testing)

Weezing came about as a replacement to Infernape, mainly because Infernape was opening up holes in my team where other pokemon could just come in and set-up. Weezing can carry Fire moves that my team needs to handle certain pokemon, has the Levitate ability and is a fantastic check to Gyarados (which leaves Starmie too battered up to function well as a spinner sometimes)..so naturally it was a good pokemon to have on the team considering it needs a bulky wall of some sort. Though still in the testing phase, Weezing has already brought about a few good changes - one of them is that it can learn Haze to check those nasty Suicunes. Even though it is weak to Special Attacks, Weezing is a great addition to the team defensively, and it would be a big mistake taking this Smog Bomb lightly :p
​

/

Misty the Starmie
Timid @ Leftovers
Natural Cure + 252 HP/252 Spe/4 Def
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin

I have always been a fan of Misty, and her pokemon also never cease to amaze me - especially Starmie. Starmie is a godsend on this team, being able to absorb any predicted status effects then using Rapid Spin to alleviate the stress of the team right after. Not only is it fast, Starmie is also my number 2 go-to pokemon to keep Gyarados in check now that Weezing is in the team. Instead of being a recover starmie though, i opted to hit harder with the addition of Ice Beam, nabbing important KOs against pokemon like Gliscor, Dragonite, Flygon and Zapdos who tend to always cause trouble to my team.
​

/

CommandoKnife the Scizor
Adamant @ Choice Band
Technician + 248 HP/252 Atk/8 Spe
- Bullet Punch
- U-Turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit

What can i say about good old Scizor? It hits hard, it hits fast, and it shows no mercy to whatever is facing it. The Choice Band that it carries further enhances this Pokemon's already potent attacking abilities, being an absolute terror on the battlefield. Red just as the colour of blood, Scizor is definitely the symbolization of Death. Seeing as how Scizor annoys and tears teams apart, i decided to name it CommandoKnife in honour of [Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]'s most powerful weapon.
​

/

Fly be Gone the Flygon
Jolly @ Choice Scarf
Levitate + 248 Atk/252 Spe/8 Sp.Def
- U-Turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Outrage

Just like how Batman had Robin, Scizor has Flygon. With a scarf, Flygon can pair up with Scizor to spam U-turns and annoy an opponent while scouting for opportunities to launch an offensive. I absolutely love this Flygon, which can be pretty much summed up as the "standard" scarfgon set from the Smogon archives. Being standard is not a bad thing though, and Flygon definitely proves that point by resisting any Electric attacks going for my team and hitting back hard with its fantastic moveset. The main attraction though is Flygon's SR resistance, paired with the ability to U-turn and counter lots of threats :D

​

/

Gengster the Gengar
Timid @ Life Orb
Levitate + 4 HP/252 Sp.Atk/252 Spe
- Substitute
- PainSplit
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast

This Gengar has taken the place of my prized Shiny Azumarill, simply because it takes down lots of walls so effectively :p Thanks to Groshi for suggesting this brilliant set *high five* Unlike Azumarill that relied heavily on residual damage and priority Aqua Jet to take down enemies, Sub LO Gengar sweeps so much better and can potentially do it on its own. The use of Substitute also makes sure that Gengar can at least survive CB Scizor's Pursuit and have a chance of KO-ing it back with STAB Shadow Ball. The same goes for Tyranitar as well, since hiding behind a Substitute gives Gengar at least 2 chances to hit with a OHKO Focus Blast. All in all, even if there is some sadness in losing Azumarill, Gengar puts a smile on my face everytime it manages to sweep :D


​

*Important : I hope that no Legendary pokemon be suggested since it is extremely difficult for me to obtain them.​

 

[zeraato]

***IMPORTANT***
This threat list will be updated in the next 18 hours due to changes in team synergy (exchanging Infernape for Weezing).

Current threat list based on :

This list will be updated along with any changes in test team. Results based on Shoddy Battle results and may vary with frequency of encounters. Information will be updated as time progresses.

* RED names = Extremely Dangerous
* GREEN names = moderate threat

Offensive Threats

Aerodactyl - So far almost all the Aerodactyls i faced in Shoddy are leads, and usually since they are most likely going to Metagross's STAB Meteor Mash or Bullet Punches will either OHKO or leave a serious dent in it. Either way, it wont last long even if it gets past Metagross due to Starmie being there to launch Thunderbolts. Scizor can dent it as well with CB Bullet Punch.

Azelf - So far, 100% of the Azelf leads i've faced have tried to Taunt my metagross, and have paid the full price with a STAB Bullet Punch or Meteor Mash. I'm not sure how the Trick or Suicide leads would do if they got past Metagross, but just in case it does Scizor can usually come in to BP/Pursuit it away.

Breloom - Spore/SubPunch Breloom used to be one of the things that threatened my team, but not anymore since Infernape and Gengar joined the team. Infernape can threaten it directly with STAB Fire Punches while Gengar will laugh at it if its behind a Substitute or if Breloom had already slept a teammate. I'm glad to be rid of this guy's annoying ways :p

Dragonite - So far since the team got changed i have not fought a lot of Dragonite. Usually Metagross would have Stealth Rocks up so the amount of times it can switch in would be slim. However even with the absence of HP Ice that was previously carried on Bronzong, Scarfgon takes it out with either Stone Edge or Outrage. Scizor and Metagross can also come in and Bullet Punch for the revenge.

Electivire - Flygon handle this Pokemon well with Earthquake, though things could get messy if if manages to pull off Motor Drive. This has happened once before, and i had to rely on Scizor to Bullet Punch. So far, even though it can be a pain if Motor Drive is activated, It doesn't live very long. I'm being skeptical about this, and i'll update this info if i face an Electivire that plows through my team.

Empoleon - Same as above, Empoleon is quickly disposed of by Earthquake coming from Flygon. Starmie can also check Empoleon with Thunderbolt. The only problem is, i rarely see Empoleons being used apart from Leads or Late game sweepers. For the leads, they can get painful if Hypnosis doesn't put them to sleep, since they will most likely Hydro Pump regardless what you do. Using Crobat to Hypnosis an Empoleon lead is always a 50-50 outcome, and would result in a OHKO on Crobat if Hypnosis misses (which so far, it has missed 2 out of 3 times). As for the late game sweepers, most likely they are of the SubPetaya set, so having Starmie or Bronzong (if it survives the match) wear it down to Azumarill's Aqua Jet range usually does the job.

Flygon - With Bronzong replaced with Infernape, Starmie and Flygon would be the other two reliable counters. Scarfgon can come in and threaten with Outrage or U-turn, while Starmie can threaten and potentially kill with STAB Surf if SR is up. This still needs some more playtesting though, as i've only met a few so far. I'll keep a look out and update when more info is acquired.

Gengar - Taken care of by Scizor's Pursuit or ironically, my own Gengar. Though in terms of Gengar, its pretty much based on which Gengar manages to get the Substitute up first. Scarfed Gengars would be a no-no for my own Gengar, so it would be up to Scizor to Pursuit and take it down.

Gyarados - Kept in check by Starmie. Starmie usually survives a +1 DD Gyarados Waterfall/Bounce and can OHKO with Thunderbolt. If not boosted and weakened, Flygon can also scare it with Outrage. I have yet to face any of the RestTalk variants, but on paper they could get troublesome if Starmie does not take it out. Again, this threat is still being cautiously analyzed.

Heatran - Dealt with by Starmie's Surf or Flygon's Earthquake. Not really a threat to the team (SO FAR) even with the presence of Scizor and Metagross, which is a surprise. Having said that however, Heatran can still be a pain if left unattended. With its popularity on shoddy battle, it is almost omni-present in OU teams, and i'm praising my good luck for not having trouble with Heatran as of yet.

Heracross - Infernape is the number one pokemon of choice to threaten Heracross, but it is relatively frail and wont like taking a Guts boosted Close Combat. Gengar also outspeeds Heracross and can scare it away with STAB Shadow Ball. Having been moved down to UU, Heracross isn't as popular in current teams as it used to, so i'm counting my graces.

Infernape - Sadly the only Infernapes i have faced so far in play-testing come out really late in the game, probably SD versions. At that stage, Flygon's Earthquake or Starmie's Surf will usually threaten or KO it. Mixed/Nasty Plot Infernape could pose a threat to Starmie if they pack Grass Knot, so i'm still being cautious when i see this one. Gengar can take it on if it has a Substitute up to absorb the incoming fire attacks, and hit back hard with STAB Shadow Ball.

Jirachi - So far the sets i faced are mostly Trick Jirachis, therefore i found it manageable despite their efforts to Iron Head. Infernape is usually used to combat Jirachi with STAB FirePunch (though it has to watch out for Iron Head's flinch if it is outsped), but in the event that fails Flygon can step in and intervene. It makes me wonder though..about how many people who use Jirachi on Shoddy actually own Jirachis with the right Nature and Stats on their NDS to be used in competitive play? LOL.

Jolteon - Flygon is the reliable counter to this Pokemon with STAB Earthquake that hits it hard. In the event that Flygon is unable to battle, Bronzong can attempt to check it with Earthquake as well.

Kingdra - A threat as far as i know (from matches i played). If it manages to pull of a Dragon Dance, it would be hard to counter even with Starmie packing Thunderbolt. Usually weakened with Starmie then KOed by spamming Priorities from either Scizor. I've lost to a Kingdra most of the time, which happens really late in the game..This thing has the potential to sweep if it manages to get in Rain, so i've yet to find a suitable way of disposing it. Even with the addition of Gengar, the situation is still 50-50 depending on whether or not i have a Substitute up. Please advise :(

Lucario - So far, Infernape and Flygon have kept the Lucarios at bay with their Fire Punch and Earthquakes. I have used SD Lucario in previous teams, and i am fully aware of the damage it can do if it is allowed to pull off a Swords Dance, so i'm not underestimating him yet. The force is always with Luke right? :D

Machamp - Extremely annoying pokemon to be facing, and its frequency in OU teams recently really demands a counter be placed in teams just to handle it. It is exactly that reason that my lead changed from Crobat to Metagross. Metagross takes it out with STAB Bullet Punches or Meteor Mashes, and this guy threatens my team no more :D However if it comes out AFTER Metagross is gone, the only viable way would be to spam Bullet Punch priority on it via CB Scizor or Shadow Ball it behind Gengar's Substitute.

Magnezone -Scizor will always fall to Magnezone, and it is frustrating to have to deal with it after because there is nothing i can do to save Scizor. However, Flygon can kill it with Earthquake, and Infernape can avenge Scizor provided that Magnezone doesnt flee.

Mamoswine - Scizor and Metagross take it fairly well. Bullet Punch seems to always hit Mamoswine hard, though Metagross has to watch out for Earthquake. In the case that fails, Flygon can revenge with Earthquake or Fire Blast, but has to be extemely careful of Ice Shard. The only time a Mamoswine dealt massive damage to my team was when it got hax under a hail team. Having said that, STAB Ice Shard would OHKO Flygon, and that would be problematic for my team.

Metagross - Infernape can threaten it with Fire Punch although it has to be wary of Earthquakes and Flygon can burry it with Earthquake. They have to watch out for exploding variants though, and even Meteor Mashes coming at them if the opponent gets really lucky.

Ninjask - Metagross laughs at the Ninjask Leads that have to face it. With STAB Bullet Punch and Stealth Rocks, Metagross usually makes sure that no Ninjask can switch in on it more than once - if it even survives at all. In the event it appears AFTER Metagross is down, Infernape and Flygon can threaten it with Fire Punch or Stone Edge.

Roserade - Metagross ruins Roserade leads that attempt to Sleep Powder it with the help of Lum Berry. Meteor Mash will secure the kill provided that Roserade does not respond with HP Fire, which Metagross dislikes. Infernape can also threaten it with Fire Punch while Scizor and Flygon can annoy it with U-turns.

Scizor - Opposing Scizor are always fun to go up against, because of the rush i suppose :D So far, if i'm not using Flygon to check it then my answer to Scizor is Scizor D: Ironic..but despite the irony a CB Superpower seems to always take down opposing Scizor after Stealth Rocks. Maybe i just got lucky D: Surprisingly, with the addition of Substitute LO Gengar Scizors that come in to revenge it also find themselves in trouble if Gengar is sitting behind a substitute.

Smeargle - Metagross can take the spore if it is facing a Smeargle lead and hit back with Bullet Punches or Meteor Mashes. Infernape and Scizor both have moves that would send smeargle back to pokemon art school. A combination of Stealth Rocks and Priority Scizor stop this thing from passing Belly Drum/Substitutes so currently Smeargle isn't doing anything threatening to my team.

Starmie - I actually have not yet faced an opponent who uses Starmie in their team. Life Orb Starmie would be a pain if it manages to Thunderbolt my Crobat, Azumarill or Starmie, and my only answer to it would be CB Scizor's Pursuit or Bronzong's Payback. I'll have to keep an eye out for it and update as soon as i get any information.

Togekiss - The togekiss that i have went up against in the past few days have all fallen to Crobat's Hypnosis, but with Crobat out of the team now the duty falls on the other pokemon on the team. Starmie resists Aura Sphere if it manages to wake up and can hit back really hard with Thunderbolt. With Stealth Rocks down 80% of the time, Togekiss wont be a big issue if its Counters are available. LO Substitute Gengar also handles Togekiss nicely with Thunderbolt. I'm not underestimating it though, and i'm open to any suggestions on handling this one.

Tyranitar - Tyranitar can cause problems to my team if left unchecked. Starmie and Bronzong are afraid of Tyranitar's Crunch, but to remedy that dire situation i have opted to run Grass Knot and Earthquake on them, though i wouldn't say they Counter Tyranitar perfectly. In most cases, i would rely on CB Scizor's Bullet Punches or Superpower to rid of Tyranitar. If Gengar has a substitute up, it has a 2 turn chance of killing Tyranitar using Focus Blast.

Weavile - Lead Weavile are the only types that i have come up against, and they are really annoying. Metagross has fallen prey to Counter Weavile although it has managed to set up Stealth Rocks beforehand. Infernape can come in and threaten it with Fire Punch, and Scizor can revenge if need be. However, this can be a threat to my team if it carries Counter and Ice shard because Flygon, Metagross and Scizor could potentially fall to it.

Defensive Threats

Blissey - Blissey is one of the most annoying thing to be facing if Infernape and Scizor are out of commission. It's ability to spread Status and constantly heal is really a pain, however this can be remedied by most of my team since they carry massive amounts of physicals . 50% of the time, opposing Blisseys would be taken out fairly quickly. However, i have to be careful of variants that carry Defense Curl/Acid Armor (i heard it is being used) as they can seriously wall my entire team. But currently, Blissey is not a big issue.

Bronzong - Infernape handles most versions well, though Earthquake and Gyro Ball tend to hurt it in return. Gengar also threatens a lot of Bronzongs with STAB Shadow Ball if it is sitting behind a Substitute. Not a very big issue as of yet, but i'm keeping an eye out.

Celebi - With the addition of Gengar and Infernape, Celebi's threat level has decreased. Infernape usually scares it off and can nab a free turn to set up Swords Dance, but has to watch out for Thunderwaves as it dislikes getting paralyzed. Gengar can also counter it with STAB Shadow Ball if it is weakened or if its sitting behind a Substitute.

Dusknoir - Although rare to see in recent OU environments, this pokemon can still be a pain for my team. The combination of Ice Punch/Will-o-wisp/PainSplit can really take its toll. With the addition of Gengar and Infernape, Dusknoir's Will-o-wisps would do next to nothing and can be eventually worn down by Gengar behind a substitute. However, there isnt a surefire way of taking it down so i'm keeping it as a moderate threat.

Forretress - With the addition of SD Infernape, Forretress becomes a regular threat. Infernape can come in on Forretress, threaten it with Fire Punch and set-up Swords Dance on the switch. Even so, Explosion is a potent threat so i have to time it well.

Gliscor - Gliscor used to threaten the team when Starmie was running Grass Knot, but that has been changed. With Starmie running the famous "BoltBeam" set, Gliscor will think twice before trying to take it on.

Hippowdon - The Hippowdons that i have faced so far are of the Lead variants, and Metagross dispatches of them very quickly. However, Metagross needs to watch out for STAB Earthquakes. Flygon and Starmie can come in to threaten it, however Roar variants can be a handful. All in all a moderate threat, but still keeping my eyes peeled for versions that would devastate.

Rotom - Even with the addition of Infernape and Gengar, Rotom's danger levels have still been kept at moderate because of it's ability to cripple my physical pokemon if Gengar and Infernape are gone. Infernape can take the Will-o-wisps aimed at the team, but other than that it cant do anything in return. Gengar however can KO rotom if it has a substitute up or on the revenge.

Skarmory -Skarmory can be a nuisance if it manages to set up spikes and phaze with Whirlwind, but otherwise it is disposed of fairly quickly by Infernape and Starmie. Starmie can come in Skarmory to threaten with Thunderbolt or Rapid Spin to ruin the set-up. Infernape can threaten it with Fire Punch but has to watch out for Brave Bird.

Snorlax - Infernape and Scizor take Snorlax on like champs, threatening with boosted Superpower or Close Combats for a OHKO or 2HKO most the time.

Suicune - CroCune is still a threat even with Sub LO Gengar added to the team. If it manages to get a few Calm Minds in, the only way i can take it down is by sacrificing priority users and eventually exploding on it with Metagross. Though the threat levels have been dropped, it is still a potent force to be reckoned with, especially if im running Infernape over Haze/Taunt Crobat (though Crobat also has to watch out for Ice Beams) or SubPunch Breloom. Suicune is the one pokemon that is frequently raising debate over the last Pokemon that should go on the team. More help is needed on this department. I hate this pokemon with a passion >:(

Swampert - Swampert just loves to switch in on my Starmie or Metagross to set up Stealth Rocks, which was really bad before i had Grass Knot on Starmie because i had literally nothing that could effectively hurt it. The one way would be to use Starmie's Surfs or Gengar's Shadow Ball/Focus Blast to kill it.

Tentacruel - Gengar stops tentacruel cold in its jelly tracks. Gengar can threaten it with LO Thunderbolt and block its attempts to Toxic Spike or Rapid Spin, effectively shutting it down. If Gengar fails to stop it, Flygon can check it with Earthquake as well.

Vaporeon - With 4 Pokemon unscathed by Toxic, Vaporeon's threat only lies in its STAB Surf. Taken out fairly easily by either Starmie or Gengar.

Zapdos - With the addition of Flygon's Stone Edge instead of Fireblast, Zapdos is not much of a problem. However, if Flygon is taken out (in the event that i get hit with Heat Wave and Stone Edge misses), the only thing that can take it on would be Starmie which now packs Ice Beam. Even so, Starmie dislikes taking Thunderbolts from Zapdos.

 

[zeraato]

I just completed the threat list based on play-testing on shoddy battle, and i would really appreciate it if people would help me with this team..

Thank you for your help :)

*BUMP*

 

[yiran]

just some little things... why would you add attack EVs for Crobat when Air Slash is special (I think...)... and your team obviously has a lot of trouble against defensive stuff. Considering your team is so offensive orientated (Bronzong and MAYBE Starmie and Crobat are defensive/utility), you shouldn't have so much trouble. Well, there should be some twitching, not just with items or moves, also pokemon. I'll try to not include legendaries...

Dusknoir: Well this guy is normally used as a physical wall with pain split to bring down blisseys a crap lot, since Blissey > it a lot at special walling. But it isn't that good at physical walling either. Since it will mostly invest in Defense more than SpDef, you better get an official special sweeper, unlike Starmie, which is a half duty one. So what should you switch out, Azu, Flygon, or Scizor? I would recommend switching out Azumarril, but you're probably not willing to... anyways. Heatran would be a good idea as a special sweeper, but the problem is it's a legendary. So just get something... like Gengar. Not as a lead, just a sweeper. Focus Blast + Shadow Ball = Perfect coverage against absalute everything. now who should be switched out to fit in this Gengar? You decide. (Sorry that I'm too lazy to make a list... actually i'll try.)
Blissey should have no problem with your Scizor and Flygon and Azumarill, so I'll just do a generic sweeper set instead of the subsplit (although it's good for bringing down other stuff like snorlax)

Gengar @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Spatk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Moveset:
Shadow Ball
Focus Blast
Thunderbolt
Substitute

Well I picked Subsititute over HP Fire since you probably would have your sub up even if scizor comes in to revenge anyways, so you just 2HKO it.

And who to switch out...? I would recommend Azumarill, but obviously since your team is built around it, you choose.

Suicune: With Thunderbolting Gengar and Grass Knotting Starmie it shouldn't be that bad. But there's times when both pokes have fainted... so i recommend a hazer. Yes, without the P. Teach your Crobat Haze. Replace... uh... Probably Hypnosis with it's low accuracy AND sleep clause, and the fact that most Machamps carry lum berries. But if you think Hypnosis is extremely useful, get rid of Air Slash, which isn't that good as you are taunt bait.

Zapdos: If your Flygon would fix the problem by having Stone Edge, give it Stone Edge. Now, what to lose? U-Turn is the main move, therefore not going to be removed. Outrage and Earthquake are main STABs. I think you can figure out from there. And now your arsenal has fully Physical attacks. Only thing it can't hurt too much is Skarmory, but don't you have Starmie, or Gengar for that?

Thanks... I'm not too good at formatting and stuff. Hope it helps...

 

[zeraato]

@ Groshi,

Thanks a lot for the reply :D

My apologies on the Crobat, it indeed is Sp.Atk instead of Atk. And i'm currently playtesting the Haze Crobat idea, i'll let you know how it goes after a while :D My only concern while looking at this Crobat currently is that without an Attacking move, i might get shut down with Taunt D: Taunt Lead shut down by Taunt..epic :D

For the Zapdos issue, i switched Stone Edge onto Flygon. Now with this Flygon, i need a fire type to do fire damage instead. That would merit a change of another pokemon on my team...i'm thinking of switching out Bronzong for something else..what would you think?

And considering the Gengar, it seems more viable as a sweeper. The only bad thing would be that i would lose out Priority coming from Azumarill. This would also be another thing to consider when replacing Bronzong.

I'll get back to you on the results once they come in :D Thanks!


* Currently testing :

 

[yiran]

You could add Heatran in, as you have 4 IMMUNE TO GROUND!!!!!!! so you probably won't run out. Rotom-H comes to mind as a fire guy, but ghost and electric are both covered by Gengar. Infernape would be another choice. Lets give like an example; Infernape is the fast, strong and fragile, Heatran is the slow (ish, but not with Choice Scarf) bulky sweeper.

I personally like Heatran better with the Steel typing and a much more useful Ability, but Fighting STAB may help on your team.

The main problem with Bronzong gone is a wall do defend stuff. But I believe your team is good enough to come around sweeping strategies bar life orb, which isn't really that strong anyways, and will make killing the opponent easy for yourself;

Choice - You have Scizor for most types. Fire with Starmie, Electric with flygon, Ground with... practically everthing, fighting with Gengar... And stuff like that. A team doesn't HAVE have a wall to defend; just get your typings good for the choicers.

Stat boosting/Baton Passing: Crobat Haze? Yes.

Flinch Hax: Well, Scizor takes a lot of Air slashes and Iron Heads. Maybe not air Slashes, but these aren't common anyways.

Status: Flygon switches into Thunder Wave, New Fire switches into Will-O-Wisp. Heatran will get a boost. Sleep? For Breloom get it to sleep a non Gengar if it has Sub, and if it doesn't just get anything to sleep practically and kill it with your New Fire. Air Slash could of been useful... but Haze is more important, so... yea.

Your team is quite well rounded defensively, although it doesn't really have walls. List a threat list, and I'll help you come around them (I'm really bad at identifying threats, sorry)

Thanks, hope it helps.

 

[zeraato]

You could add Heatran in, as you have 4 IMMUNE TO GROUND!!!!!!! so you probably won't run out. Rotom-H comes to mind as a fire guy, but ghost and electric are both covered by Gengar. Infernape would be another choice. Lets give like an example; Infernape is the fast, strong and fragile, Heatran is the slow (ish, but not with Choice Scarf) bulky sweeper.

I personally like Heatran better with the Steel typing and a much more useful Ability, but Fighting STAB may help on your team.

The main problem with Bronzong gone is a wall do defend stuff. But I believe your team is good enough to come around sweeping strategies bar life orb, which isn't really that strong anyways, and will make killing the opponent easy for yourself;

Choice - You have Scizor for most types. Fire with Starmie, Electric with flygon, Ground with... practically everthing, fighting with Gengar... And stuff like that. A team doesn't HAVE have a wall to defend; just get your typings good for the choicers.

Stat boosting/Baton Passing: Crobat Haze? Yes.

Flinch Hax: Well, Scizor takes a lot of Air slashes and Iron Heads. Maybe not air Slashes, but these aren't common anyways.

Status: Flygon switches into Thunder Wave, New Fire switches into Will-O-Wisp. Heatran will get a boost. Sleep? For Breloom get it to sleep a non Gengar if it has Sub, and if it doesn't just get anything to sleep practically and kill it with your New Fire. Air Slash could of been useful... but Haze is more important, so... yea.

Your team is quite well rounded defensively, although it doesn't really have walls. List a threat list, and I'll help you come around them (I'm really bad at identifying threats, sorry)

Thanks, hope it helps.

Thank you so much for the time to reply to this :D

I added SD Infernape to the team to gain a much needed Fire type and Will-o-wisp immunity since it can cripple my physically based team. SD Infernape also can be a backup sweeper if Gengar is out of commision. However, that means that CroCune would have a field day just rampaging through.

So far, i've found several viable ways of taking on CroCune :

1. Exploding on it if its weak, Metagross would dent a huge hole in it if it doesn't kill it.

2. Using Haze/Taunt Crobat against it, though taking a non-boosted Ice Beam also hurts...so this method isnt really affective.

3. Substitute + Thunderbolt with Gengar or Grass Knot spam with Starmie. This method gradually weakens out if the Suicune gets lucky and manages to pull off a few calm minds.

so as of currently, CroCune is still a major issue in my opinion. But this also needs more play-testing to make sure it is consistent.

Current Standing :

 

[yiran]

Quite well rounded teams. Suggested minor tweaks, not neccesarily beneficial. You decide. Threats aren't all listed. Comparable major ones will be listed.

@Metagross

Not much change. Could consider changing Lum Berry to Occa Berry, but Dynamicpunch will confuse it and there might be other annoying statuses. I use Occa Berry on my Metagross, but I run Earthquake, which destroys the fire leads (ape and heatran). For you, it's all right. You may stay with the Lum Berry and Meteor Mash, just switch to Starmie/Flygon etc. if a fire lead is here. Another thing is it's EV investment. You could be cheeky and move 4 EVs from HP to speed so you outspeed other lead Metagrosses. (Teehee)

@Infernape

While the only two Fire OUs are Infernape and Heatran, if you are not satisfied with Infernape, don't get sad and resort to Rotom-H or something, there's UUs, you know. But if you're fine with Infernape, just ignore the above lines. Now for the actual changes on Infernape; the moves are fine; not resisted by anything common in OU except Starmie, Gyrados and Tentacruel, but you wouldn't want to stay in regularly anyways. Mach Punch is a beast after swords dance, first of all, rips through Weavile (not so common) and Tyranitar (very common), and after a swords dance also rips through everything that doesn't resist it. Fire Punch is enough fire moves, as the main point of fire moves in OU is to get rid of Scizor and Forretress, and since Infernape resists Gyro Ball/Payback from Forretress, and Bullet Punch from Scizor, you can just switch Infernape easily. Also nicely done on the extra little Evs, in case you didn't notice, it changes Porygon Z's Download to download the Attack which is useless to it.

@ Starmie

Ahh, the original that stayed throughout the entire team making process bar the first. Uhh, lets get on with it. First of all, the moves; Grass Knot is a good idea as you don't have grass pokes to counter Swampert, but don't forget about the Boltbeam Coverage. Plus, I think you should run Max speed on the EVs; it allows you to outspeed Scarfed Magnezone, and Neutral Jolteon, who would otherwise kill or dent Starmie badly. Plus, since Rapid Spin is your only move thats utilitized (?), you might consider changing your Starmie to the Life Orb set Ev and Moves (with Rapid Spin of course), just without the Life Orb so your Starmie can live longer to Spin stuff. But it's your choice in the end. Also consider using Hydro Pump a bit if you want to net some OHKO/2HKOs, but only with Life Orb so... Still, you might not want to change it, due to the much too Offensive nature of your team. Your choice still. Oh, and the Defense Evs... Porygon Z Download = Def = Download Error. (Fail try at joke...)

@Scizor

Good. No changes needed. Magnezone traps it... but Magnezone is rare. Yep, that's for Scizor. Except for maybe you wanna get rid of Choice Band... nah.

@Flygon

Perfect Scouter and Revenge Killer. Even more perfect than Scizor.

@Gengar

Well, the choice between HP Fire and Substitute already ended, so this guy is practically done too. Oh, and by the way, Focus Blast/Thunderbolt kills Scizors quicker than STAB shadow balls.

Seems like I wasted too much time on the first few pokes. Argh, whatever.

Now a sum up of your team:
Metagross in, Stealth Rock Set up for big help for Offensive Team. Then Explode on non-Froslasses, but becareful of ghost switchins...

Infernape, Full game Sweeper and Burn Absorber. Tyranitar and Weavile ripper. (Jack the Ripper? no.)

Starmie, Rapid Spinner and Swampert counter. Or Dragonite and Flygon counter if you chose Ice Beam.

Scizor, Full-early ish game sweeper. Late Game, when everything else has died, you are stuck with one move for eternity, but it might be a good thing if you know the rest of their pokemon, or they are stuck with one move. Problem is, other late game sweepers like Empoleon loves coming into Choice Locked Bullet Punches... just kill as much as you can early on.

Flygon, Revenge Killer and Scout. Normally after Leads both die from Explosion, send this in and U-turn away! Unless the opponent suspiciously laughs as you realise they have Ice shard.

Gengar, Sweeper and Spinblocker and Explosionblocker. After the leads, if you set up rocks succesfully AND they have a spinner, their spinner usually comes in. Get gengar in and laugh and Substitute, or kill.

Moderate Threats:

Kingdra: Flygon's Outrage doesn't work that well, especially if Kingdra's in rain. The best idea is to get a Tyranitar or something... or simply just a weather move. But it's not that big of a problem. If metagross is still available, try to explode or pretend to explode on it. If not in rain get Flygon out and Outrage away.

Magnezone: Useless other than Killing your Scizor.

Weavile: Rip it in half by... guess who? Otherwise beware of Ice Shared aimed at flygon. Scizor is a nice counter to it by Bullet Punching it, or just simply scaring it away so Flygon can scout again.

Dusknoir: Your right, gengar is the best choice to put here; although you must watch out for Payback from Dusknoir. Not too threatening other than burning your Scizor or Flygon, which ruins them. Gengar doesn't like health loss too.

Gliscor: If you didn't get Ice Beam for Starmie, just Surf it to death, and hope Starmie has enough bulk to survive an Earthquake. Or something else.

Rotom: The same Burn Problem. Starmie can't take it due to Thunderbolt; your best bet is to Keep Gengar/Infernape alive.

Suicune: Without Haze and a double weakness, it sets up with relatively big bulk. Metagross could try to explode on it. If Metagross is already scrap metal, get Starmie in which resists Surf, and just Thunderbolt it, or Grass Knot if you still have it.

Vaporeon: Without Crobat, baton pass teams with Acid Armor are really painful. Well, 4 of your team members are not weak to Toxic (Starmie has natural cure), which is good enough. Just don't get Infernape and Flygon Toxiced. (?)

Zapdos: If you have Ice Beam on Starmie, this problem will be solved. Otherwise... just medicore.

Now from those you can decide your changes. Note that this is just pure opinion. You can also add a "Lead Match Up" list.

Hope this helps. Will visit again around 18 hours time.

 

[zeraato]

Quite well rounded teams. Suggested minor tweaks, not neccesarily beneficial. You decide. Threats aren't all listed. Comparable major ones will be listed.

@Metagross

Not much change. Could consider changing Lum Berry to Occa Berry, but Dynamicpunch will confuse it and there might be other annoying statuses. I use Occa Berry on my Metagross, but I run Earthquake, which destroys the fire leads (ape and heatran). For you, it's all right. You may stay with the Lum Berry and Meteor Mash, just switch to Starmie/Flygon etc. if a fire lead is here. Another thing is it's EV investment. You could be cheeky and move 4 EVs from HP to speed so you outspeed other lead Metagrosses. (Teehee)

@Infernape

While the only two Fire OUs are Infernape and Heatran, if you are not satisfied with Infernape, don't get sad and resort to Rotom-H or something, there's UUs, you know. But if you're fine with Infernape, just ignore the above lines. Now for the actual changes on Infernape; the moves are fine; not resisted by anything common in OU except Starmie, Gyrados and Tentacruel, but you wouldn't want to stay in regularly anyways. Mach Punch is a beast after swords dance, first of all, rips through Weavile (not so common) and Tyranitar (very common), and after a swords dance also rips through everything that doesn't resist it. Fire Punch is enough fire moves, as the main point of fire moves in OU is to get rid of Scizor and Forretress, and since Infernape resists Gyro Ball/Payback from Forretress, and Bullet Punch from Scizor, you can just switch Infernape easily. Also nicely done on the extra little Evs, in case you didn't notice, it changes Porygon Z's Download to download the Attack which is useless to it.

@ Starmie

Ahh, the original that stayed throughout the entire team making process bar the first. Uhh, lets get on with it. First of all, the moves; Grass Knot is a good idea as you don't have grass pokes to counter Swampert, but don't forget about the Boltbeam Coverage. Plus, I think you should run Max speed on the EVs; it allows you to outspeed Scarfed Magnezone, and Neutral Jolteon, who would otherwise kill or dent Starmie badly. Plus, since Rapid Spin is your only move thats utilitized (?), you might consider changing your Starmie to the Life Orb set Ev and Moves (with Rapid Spin of course), just without the Life Orb so your Starmie can live longer to Spin stuff. But it's your choice in the end. Also consider using Hydro Pump a bit if you want to net some 2HKOs, but only with Life Orb so... Still, you might not want to change it, due to the much too Offensive nature of your team. Your choice still. Oh, and the Defense Evs... Porygon Z Download = Def = Download Error. (Fail try at joke...)

TO BE CONTINUED

Hi there :D Thanks again for taking the time to reply to this RMT :D

@ Metagross:

I tried out the Occa Berry instead of Lum Berry, and i found that when Metagross gets hit by status i really cant get it to do anything else but die..and Stealth Rocks needs to be up mostly so it really is beneficial to use Lum Berry instead. Haha, thanks for the tip on changing the EVs for Metagross to outspeed others, but its rarely an issue since the first turn is always used to set up Stealth Rock and im not running Earthquake...unless its a case where im coming in to Bullet Punch a weakened Metagross :p

@ Infernape :

Having Infernape to come in and absorb Will-o-wisp is amazing, it saves my team so many times. Also, having a good way of threatening Tyranitar really is good since Gengar can sweep easier. The only main concern with using Infernape is that Vaporeon or Suicune can wall my team easier... Suicune is still a threat, i hate those things.

But i guess the fun part about Pokemon is that there is no 100% team, there will always be weaknesses right? haha

 

[zeraato]

Quite well rounded teams. Suggested minor tweaks, not neccesarily beneficial. You decide. Threats aren't all listed. Comparable major ones will be listed.

@Metagross

Not much change. Could consider changing Lum Berry to Occa Berry, but Dynamicpunch will confuse it and there might be other annoying statuses. I use Occa Berry on my Metagross, but I run Earthquake, which destroys the fire leads (ape and heatran). For you, it's all right. You may stay with the Lum Berry and Meteor Mash, just switch to Starmie/Flygon etc. if a fire lead is here. Another thing is it's EV investment. You could be cheeky and move 4 EVs from HP to speed so you outspeed other lead Metagrosses. (Teehee)

@Infernape

While the only two Fire OUs are Infernape and Heatran, if you are not satisfied with Infernape, don't get sad and resort to Rotom-H or something, there's UUs, you know. But if you're fine with Infernape, just ignore the above lines. Now for the actual changes on Infernape; the moves are fine; not resisted by anything common in OU except Starmie, Gyrados and Tentacruel, but you wouldn't want to stay in regularly anyways. Mach Punch is a beast after swords dance, first of all, rips through Weavile (not so common) and Tyranitar (very common), and after a swords dance also rips through everything that doesn't resist it. Fire Punch is enough fire moves, as the main point of fire moves in OU is to get rid of Scizor and Forretress, and since Infernape resists Gyro Ball/Payback from Forretress, and Bullet Punch from Scizor, you can just switch Infernape easily. Also nicely done on the extra little Evs, in case you didn't notice, it changes Porygon Z's Download to download the Attack which is useless to it.

@ Starmie

Ahh, the original that stayed throughout the entire team making process bar the first. Uhh, lets get on with it. First of all, the moves; Grass Knot is a good idea as you don't have grass pokes to counter Swampert, but don't forget about the Boltbeam Coverage. Plus, I think you should run Max speed on the EVs; it allows you to outspeed Scarfed Magnezone, and Neutral Jolteon, who would otherwise kill or dent Starmie badly. Plus, since Rapid Spin is your only move thats utilitized (?), you might consider changing your Starmie to the Life Orb set Ev and Moves (with Rapid Spin of course), just without the Life Orb so your Starmie can live longer to Spin stuff. But it's your choice in the end. Also consider using Hydro Pump a bit if you want to net some OHKO/2HKOs, but only with Life Orb so... Still, you might not want to change it, due to the much too Offensive nature of your team. Your choice still. Oh, and the Defense Evs... Porygon Z Download = Def = Download Error. (Fail try at joke...)

@Scizor

Good. No changes needed. Magnezone traps it... but Magnezone is rare. Yep, that's for Scizor. Except for maybe you wanna get rid of Choice Band... nah.

@Flygon

Perfect Scouter and Revenge Killer. Even more perfect than Scizor.

@Gengar

Well, the choice between HP Fire and Substitute already ended, so this guy is practically done too. Oh, and by the way, Focus Blast/Thunderbolt kills Scizors quicker than STAB shadow balls.

Seems like I wasted too much time on the first few pokes. Argh, whatever.

Now a sum up of your team:
Metagross in, Stealth Rock Set up for big help for Offensive Team. Then Explode on non-Froslasses, but becareful of ghost switchins...

Infernape, Full game Sweeper and Burn Absorber. Tyranitar and Weavile ripper. (Jack the Ripper? no.)

Starmie, Rapid Spinner and Swampert counter. Or Dragonite and Flygon counter if you chose Ice Beam.

Scizor, Full-early ish game sweeper. Late Game, when everything else has died, you are stuck with one move for eternity, but it might be a good thing if you know the rest of their pokemon, or they are stuck with one move. Problem is, other late game sweepers like Empoleon loves coming into Choice Locked Bullet Punches... just kill as much as you can early on.

Flygon, Revenge Killer and Scout. Normally after Leads both die from Explosion, send this in and U-turn away! Unless the opponent suspiciously laughs as you realise they have Ice shard.

Gengar, Sweeper and Spinblocker and Explosionblocker. After the leads, if you set up rocks succesfully AND they have a spinner, their spinner usually comes in. Get gengar in and laugh and Substitute, or kill.

Moderate Threats:

Kingdra: Flygon's Outrage doesn't work that well, especially if Kingdra's in rain. The best idea is to get a Tyranitar or something... or simply just a weather move. But it's not that big of a problem. If metagross is still available, try to explode or pretend to explode on it. If not in rain get Flygon out and Outrage away.

Magnezone: Useless other than Killing your Scizor.

Weavile: Rip it in half by... guess who? Otherwise beware of Ice Shared aimed at flygon. Scizor is a nice counter to it by Bullet Punching it, or just simply scaring it away so Flygon can scout again.

Dusknoir: Your right, gengar is the best choice to put here; although you must watch out for Payback from Dusknoir. Not too threatening other than burning your Scizor or Flygon, which ruins them. Gengar doesn't like health loss too.

Gliscor: If you didn't get Ice Beam for Starmie, just Surf it to death, and hope Starmie has enough bulk to survive an Earthquake. Or something else.

Rotom: The same Burn Problem. Starmie can't take it due to Thunderbolt; your best bet is to Keep Gengar/Infernape alive.

Suicune: Without Haze and a double weakness, it sets up with relatively big bulk. Metagross could try to explode on it. If Metagross is already scrap metal, get Starmie in which resists Surf, and just Thunderbolt it, or Grass Knot if you still have it.

Vaporeon: Without Crobat, baton pass teams with Acid Armor are really painful. Well, 4 of your team members are not weak to Toxic (Starmie has natural cure), which is good enough. Just don't get Infernape and Flygon Toxiced. (?)

Zapdos: If you have Ice Beam on Starmie, this problem will be solved. Otherwise... just medicore.

Now from those you can decide your changes. Note that this is just pure opinion. You can also add a "Lead Match Up" list.

Hope this helps. Will visit again around 18 hours time.

wow, thanks again on coming back to rate the team over and over again :p i really am learning alot from this.

For Starmie,

- I playtested with the Grass Knot Starmie for quite a while now, and i find that it does almost the same damage to Suicune as Thunderbolt does. Also, the amount of Flygon and Dragonite being used is alarmingly more than Swampert, and not having a good counter to them is painful. So i guess its about time to switch to Ice Beam and continue testing from there.

- Also, Ice Beam > Grass Knot in this case because Gliscor and Flygon have now started giving me a lot of trouble with Bronzong gone. I handle Suicune with Explosion now, and 50% of the time it kills them.

- LOL at the Porygon joke :D haha... but seriously, i will try out the EV set that you mentioned, it might be a better thing to do since i need Starmie to be fast. I'll test this and get back to you with more updates.

@ Infernape :

- I have pulled of 5 SD Mach Punch sweeps out of 24 matches i tested since the team changed, and its looking pretty nice with a SD Priority user in the team.

- Infernape cant really function as a 100% Tyranitar counter because most of the time it cant just switch in due to Earthquake, and 6 out of 10 Tyranitars don't switch out when i bring in Infernape so they OHKO with Earthquake.

- Defensively speaking, what do you think of Arcanine? Is Arcanine > Infernape, or is Infernape > Arcanine?

For the threats :

@ Kingdra : This thing rampages like crazy if it gets in Rain. Only hope is to predict a Kingdra coming in and quickly set up a Gengar Substitute..or hope to kill it with Starmie.

@ Suicune : This still gives me big troubles. The only reason i moved it down to moderate threat is because i have an option to Explode on it. In fact, i just lost a game 5 mins before posting this because of a Calm Mind Suicune that went crazy after my Metagross was dead :\ i really hate this thing. Even Sub LO Gengar and Starmie cant take it head on..and i need Metagross to explode on it before it can Calm Mind to kill it.

 

[zeraato]

*UPDATE*

Quoting Groshi :

"@ Starmie

Ahh, the original that stayed throughout the entire team making process bar the first. Uhh, lets get on with it. First of all, the moves; Grass Knot is a good idea as you don't have grass pokes to counter Swampert, but don't forget about the Boltbeam Coverage. Plus, I think you should run Max speed on the EVs; it allows you to outspeed Scarfed Magnezone, and Neutral Jolteon, who would otherwise kill or dent Starmie badly. Plus, since Rapid Spin is your only move thats utilitized (?), you might consider changing your Starmie to the Life Orb set Ev and Moves (with Rapid Spin of course), just without the Life Orb so your Starmie can live longer to Spin stuff. But it's your choice in the end. Also consider using Hydro Pump a bit if you want to net some OHKO/2HKOs, but only with Life Orb so... Still, you might not want to change it, due to the much too Offensive nature of your team. Your choice still. Oh, and the Defense Evs... Porygon Z Download = Def = Download Error. (Fail try at joke...)"

I took the Starmie out for a field test with those EVs, and it turns out i was hit pretty badly by other Starmies that had Life Orbs on. Although it was hitting harder, it lost a lot of survivability without Recover and HP EV investment so it ended up dying almost 85% of the time. I still prefer the EV investment of the Rapid Spinner set on Smogon's archives, so i'm sticking with that as it lives longer even against LO Starmies. :p


RANIGAD :

Ranigad has been play-testing with my team everytime I updated it and giving me his rates through PM responses, and i must say it is a really big help to have him assisting me on this.

According to Ranigad, my team was too physically offensive to the point that they could not take any hits and ironically were having trouble breaking teams because of the extra weakness Infernape brought about. Therefore, i have opted to test out using something Bulkier to take hits for the team - Weezing.

Though Weezing can't do anything to Heatran in return with the set i'm running, it negates the Earth Power/ Earthquake weakness that Infernape brought about to the team (Metagross alone is already weak to those). Also, Weezing can block some hits and burn threats like Tyranitar, Gyarados, Physical Dragonite and even Haze the annoying Suicune (if i run that set). It can also kill Gyarados and lessen Starmie's burden, since Starmie was used to Counter Gyarados and Rapid Spin.

Results for Weezing's addition are currently pending as play-testing just started.

Quoting Demon :

"I actually run a team like this. Exceptions are I change around my Infernape's spread a lot, really liked Nasty Plot though, running Specially Based Mixape atm and I use Stamie as my Anti lead with Metagross backing it up, got the idea from that Lead Synergy article. The only pokemon difference we have is your Gengar and my rotom, whose spread was from a suggestion from the user Alan.

Rotom-C @ Leftovers | 252 HP / 68 Def / 188 Spe | Timid Nature
Substitute | Pain Split | Will-O-Wisp | Thunderbolt

Rotom unlike Gengar can survive Kingdra's DD RD Stab attacks and then inflict a burn status onto Kingdra lowering its sweeping potential.

However its still pretty shaky since Kingdra can use DD then Outrage instead of RD or Waterfall and dealing 75.3% - 89.1% and have a lum berry. Though anything else it does you will get 2-3 chances to inflict a burn. lol

Cro Cune is easily handled but Offensive Cune is a major threat still since after 1 calm mind it can Hydro Pump to obliterate me.

Think the only way to handle em is to get a bulky grass like Celebi or bulk in general or boom with Meta. "

I appreciate you taking the time and effort to read through and help with the team, it means a lot to me :D

However Celebi and Rotom are options i don't want to go to. The reason being is i personally have no means of acquiring them for competitive gameplay.

The whole purpose of me posting this RMT was to get opinions on acquiring "readily obtainable" Pokemon instead of whoring Legendaries (which really does disgust me because everyone in Shoddy uses them when more than half don't have the right natured Legendary pokemon to use on their NDS for competitive wifi or tournaments...yes Jirachi, get out :D ).

* Threat list will be updated as soon as possible.
** Weakness/Resistance table uploaded.

Currently testing this team :

 

[SOMALIA]

Small nitpick, nothing major really. I'd recommend you to replace Thunderbolt with Pain split. This way you don't have to switch out on Blissey and it can't outstall with softboiled. This also gives your Gengar some more battery life.
Nice team Good luck there soldier.

 

[zeraato]

Small nitpick, nothing major really. I'd recommend you to replace Thunderbolt with Pain split. This way you don't have to switch out on Blissey and it can't outstall with softboiled. This also gives your Gengar some more battery life.
Nice team Good luck there soldier.

Thanks a lot for the suggestion :p I'll get around to testing it and get back to you on what results it will yield :D

**UPDATE**

Magnezone really is a pain now without a fire type to get it out of the way, and it usually knocks out Scizor, and in rare cases (mainly because Metagross is lead) it has also taken out Metagross. And Weezing cant do much if it just switches out (though 50% of the time Flygon comes in for the revenge and nails it unless it switches)...though in other cases, Weezing takes so many hits and comes out alive..epic :D

 

[yiran]

Nice choice for Weezing, as it's weakness is probably the most uncommon attack type in OU.

Also on the threat list, I suggest that you add stuff like Alakazam, Uxie, Weezing, Gallade, and others in, not just OU Pokemon.

Let's get back on to the actual team; the main thing here is Weezing's move choice.

If you select haze, Boosting Sweepers won't be a threat anymore.
If you select Wow, Your team is less suspectable to physical attacks and can wither down the opponent in the process.

Your choice again.

Any changes; well, not yet in the team. Without Haze a potential Boosting Special Sweeper basically walks through your team. In this team there are ABSALUTELY no Stealth Rock Weakness, so you may considering putting Recover on Starmie instead.

Thats it for now.

(I didn't go to sleep in the end)

 

[zeraato]

Nice choice for Weezing, as it's weakness is probably the most uncommon attack type in OU.

Also on the threat list, I suggest that you add stuff like Alakazam, Uxie, Weezing, Gallade, and others in, not just OU Pokemon.

Let's get back on to the actual team; the main thing here is Weezing's move choice.

If you select haze, Boosting Sweepers won't be a threat anymore.
If you select Wow, Your team is less suspectable to physical attacks and can wither down the opponent in the process.

Your choice again.

Any changes; well, not yet in the team. Without Haze a potential Boosting Special Sweeper basically walks through your team. In this team there are ABSALUTELY no Stealth Rock Weakness, so you may considering putting Recover on Starmie instead.

Thats it for now.

(I didn't go to sleep in the end)

About Weezing,

well, it really is a hard choice. I know for a fact that even with Haze Suicune will just spam Surf till Weezing dies then CM all over again...so its looking favourable to go with WoW at the moment. And WoW can help weezing tank and stay alive for longer..so its a done decision i guess.

As for Starmie,

I really do miss Recover support, but most the time Starmie wont have a chance to use it since its always fast paced and Starmie is used to block fire/spin hazards/surf...so in between that its really rare i get the one turn to recover...

Plus, i think Recover would demand that i take out Ice Beam...which is bad because Starmie is the only thing that can counter Gliscor, Dragonite (if lucky), Altaria and Flygon.

Which would you suggest i remove for Recover though?

 

[DemonBahki]

Well he said rapid spin. On your team the only pokemon effected by toxic spikes is Starmie. Spikes only hits Scizor Metagross and Starmie. Stealth rock hits all your pokemon but only normal to not very effective damage.

Sorry I couldn't help much. I really like how much depth you put into your threat list. Really looking forward to the final team of yours. Good luck.