JIPUN WO~
First of all, this is a 1k post. It's also an RMT, which is much more important. As you can see, this is a team based on Code Geass, which is a really good anime series you should watch. More importantly, this is a balanced anti-weather (mainly anti-rain) team with the offensive elements of Dragonite and Deoxys, which is currently unbanned on the PO ladder. Deoxys-S with Life Orb is a suitable substitute on the Smogon ladder, but obviously the power loss is very significant. The combination of Skarmory, Chansey and Gastrodon takes a massive shit on rain teams, while Rotom-H and Dragonite gain massive perks in sun, hopefully out-powering their sweepers. Chansey, as always, is a great help. Against sand, it's a little iffy though. As a bonus, Team Geass is 50% anti-Ferrothorn. Details will follow, but first, the team!
Jeremiah
"Orange-kun"
Dragonite @Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Spe
~Dragon Dance
~Dragon Claw
~Fire Punch
~Extremespeed
In Depth: Dragonite is the lead of this team as seen from Team Preview. As a starting-off pokemon, it's meant to discourage opponents from leading with pokemon the stallbreaker Dragonite beats, hopefully giving it a set-up opportunity at the hands of Starmie or Gengar hoping to deal quick damage to it. Thanks to no residual damage as a lead, it can abuse Multiscale to set up on Starmie's Ice Beam or Gengar's Shadow Ball, outspeed and OHKO with Dragon Claw. However, it can perform pretty well without Multiscale intact, setting up on choice-locked Earthquakes and the like. Dragon Claw is obligatory safe STAB, while Fire Punch is the reason I'm not using Salamence: powerful physical STAB that bests Earthquake when vs. Ferrothorn, Scizor, Bronzong and Skarmory though the last one needs a couple boosts to be damaged enough.
The last move is Extremespeed, which is used over Roost. The reason is firstly to differentiate it from Salamence, and secondly to redeem what I can from a seeming loss due to paralysis. Extremespeed at +1 OHKOs your average Thunderus at +1 with rocks down, preventing Dragonite from getting hit by the priority Thunder Wave in the first place. Weavile is also hypothetically OHKO'd before it can Ice Shard thanks to the glorious +2 priority. It sadly doesn't do much to Kingdra, not even OHKOing at +1. Still, it's a pretty useful move to have around in case I need the super priority versus very frail enemies with threatening moves.
Edits: Currently testing the Choice Band variant, so far it's proven to be semi-useful when vs. Thunderus and Ludicolo. Outrage is a bitch to use, however.
Synergy:
Ice > Rotom-H
Rock > Gastrodon
Dragon > Skarmory
Zero
"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you...to die!"
Deoxys @Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Rash
EVs: 4 Atk | 252 SAtk | 252 Spe
~Psycho Boost
~Superpower
~Hidden Power (Fire)
~Thunderbolt
In Depth: This is the second powerhouse of this team. Normally, I'd use two setup sweepers, one backing up the other to pummel through opponent walls, but Deoxys is too powerful on its own to warrant setup, and it's frail as...well, Lelouch himself. Setting up will just get Deoxys killed. Did I mention he's a brilliant lead when I feel like keeping Dragonite in (when opposing team is sun, or has an obvious Deoxys weakness)?
Psycho Boost is the mandatory everything-smashing STAB, killing all whose bulk is anything equal or less than Swampert's as long as the hit is neutral or super-effective. Superpower is mainly for Dark-types like Tyranitar, but Heatran is deserving of getting knocked up by it as well. HP Fire destroys Scizor and Ferrothorn, as well as the rarer Forretress. It can't OHKO Bronzong though, which is of not much consequence since Rotom-H can take care of it easily. Thunderbolt is for general coverage on water-types, most notably those who take all the other moves for resisted damage or not much at all (Slowbro, Starmie, Vaporeon and Jellicent come to mind). It can't OHKO if said target is very specially defensive, however.
Playing Deoxys requires shit loads of prediction to work, nailing things like Blissey, Tyranitar and Scizor on the switch as well as frying Excadrill who think Deoxys is just going to run away like a baby. Against Scizor, plenty of players tend to U-turn and if they keep doing that in a match I would just HP Fire them before they can even make a move. Even without prediction, unprepared players can sacrifice pokemon after pokemon to super-effective moves before deciding the best course of action is Scizor or Toxicroak. It's good, and should really be used a lot more on the PO server.
Synergy:
Dark > Skarmory
Ghost > Chansey, Skarmory
Bug > Dragonite, Skarmory, Rotom-H
Kallen
"GET BLOWN AWAY, BRITANNIA!"
Rotom-H @Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SAtk | 4 SDef | 252 Spe
~Overheat
~Thunderbolt
~Hidden Power (Ice)
~Trick
In Depth: Ah, Kallen. The main reason I have Specs Rotom around is to OHKO Conkeldurr, but its utility other than that seems limited. It can severely scare off Scizor and Ferrothorn, maybe mess up some pokes with Trick. However, it's not exactly the bulkiest per se, and Trick is very situational since I rarely get a chance to use it. I guess prediction is key here too, since swapping items with Chansey is priceless. I'm considering Choice Scarf and Volt Switch for better utility purposes, but then it'd lack the power to beat Conkeldurr. Trickscarf is also a much better alternative to giving Latios some specs or something like that.
Overheat is the standard STAB (nuclear hand, anyone?), dealing massive damage even to neutral pokes. Fire is still a semi-horrible attacking type, though, and often I simply find myself firing off HP Ices and Thunderbolts just to catch their token Water or Dragon on the switch. Sometimes, it's only the threat of Overheat that makes it useful at all since stuff like Ferrothorn and Scizor just switch out anyway.
Synergy:
Water > Dragonite, Gastrodon
Rock > Gastrodon
Electric > Gastrodon
C.C.
"...where is the giant pizza?"
Chansey @Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Def | 252 SDef | 4 Spe
~Seismic Toss
~Thunder Wave
~Softboiled
~Aromatherapy
In Depth: The unkillable witch, existing solely to heal status and spread paralysis so Rotom-H and Dragonite can have a slightly easier time. Personally, I find the EVs to be rather decent since it takes hits brilliantly from both ends (living +2 Focus Blasts from Thunderus as well as neutral weak physical attacks). A full stop to any special attacker, she can come in and throw paralysis around like there's no tomorrow.
There are plenty of options I could have used on Chansey, but I have no space for Wish/Protect (Aromatherapy helps Gastrodon tank a whole load more, as well as giving paralysed Deoxys a second chance to sweep. Stealth Rocks is even less of a necessity, since Skarmory already carries it. There isn't much else to say here, except that if I had another space for Wish/Protect, Dragonite would be so much more fun to use.
Synergy:
Fighting > Dragonite, Deoxys
Suzaku
"Live on!"
Skarmory @Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish
EVs: 248 HP | 252 Def | 8 Spe
~Stealth Rock
~Whirlwind
~Brave Bird
~Roost
In Depth: Skarmory is the supporting bodyguard of Chansey, taking most physical hit that she so despises. All the moves there are obligatory, with the exception of Stealth Rocks since Deoxys and Chansey can't find much of a spot for it. The EVs give it a little more speed to out-phaze opposing Skarmory. Other than that, it's your everyday physical wall since Gen II.
Skarmory's playstyle tends to differ. If Excadrill or Terrakion is present, I try to keep him at full health as much as possible and use Dragonite and Chansey for my sub-walling needs. Skarmory can beat an Excadrill one-on-one, despite its STAB being resisted as it only takes about 30%+ from +2 Rock Slide. Discounting flinches, Excadrill is usually stalled out straight and beaten to death slowly but surely. Life Orb variants are actually a sort of blessing for Skarmory since it can just stall off LO damage instead of risking recoil to KO Excadrill with Brave Bird. Also, Magnezones suck. Against situations like a rampaging Haxorus with Magnezone in reserve, I'm usually screwed--if I stay in, Magnezone may come in and kill me, if I switch out, Haxorus will also kill me. In such a situation, all I rely on is hax and a prayer to my local Jirachi.
Synergy:
Fire > Dragonite, Rotom-H, Gastrodon
Electric > Rotom-H, Gastrodon
Sayoko
"The last kuniochi!"
Gastrodon @Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
Nature: Calm
EVs: 252 HP | 4 Def | 252 SDef
~Earth Power
~Ice Beam
~Toxic
~Recover
In Depth: Gastrodon is the glue to my defensive core. With the given EV spread, it sucks against physical attackers, even managing to get 3HKO'd by Jirachi's Body Slam. While up versus Rotom-W, Starmie, Thunderus, Gengar and the like however, she performs brilliantly, and doesn't fear the random Toxic due to Chansey's Aromatherapy. She's my best answer to Rotom-W, giving me opportunities to predict hitting their Ground-resist with Ice Beam. Scald could have been used, but the power output is really disappointing even with the Storm Drain boost and it burns much less than I'd expect it to. Toxic is still a better alternative to kill off stuff like Gyarados more quickly provided I hit it on the switch (Taunt is a bummer).
Its immunity to Water works very well against rain teams, walling all Kabutops and some Kingdra. As long as Chansey and Gastrodon are alive, I still have a sporting chance against rain teams in general. Gastrodon has loads of trouble with Ferrothorn though, which is why 50% of my team carries a fire move. Its best option otherwise is to use Earth Power whenever possible to wear down the Ferrothorn and eventually KO it. Ferrothorn just tanks my defensive core, which is the failsafe of my team lest the offensive forces fall, and leaving Ferrothorn around in the case of a defensive plan B would be very, very problematic.
Going back to the topic, I agree that Gastrodon is the epitome of anti-metagame in this period of the game, as even though its physical stats are lacking, its niche ability and typing more than make up for it, along with its decently bulky special defence.
Synergy:
Grass > Dragonite, Rotom-H, Skarmory
Threat list:
Ranked by severity.
Reuniclus. Chansey wins against Trick Room variants with no Psyshock, but loses against Calm Mind. Calm Minders can only be dealt with by Tricking it with Rotom-H. Unfortunately, a choice-locked Reuniclus with a couple boosts under its membrane isn't the bestest of ideas.
Haxorus. Powerful as fuck, it sometimes tears apart even Skarmory. Dragonite can neither outspeed it or deal significant damage with Extremespeed, and barely survives even with Multiscale intact, while Deoxys loses to DD versions. Rotom-H, Chansey and Gastrodon obviously cannot take hits or outrun it for nuts. I only beat it with predictions or whacking it before it can set up, which only Rotom and Deoxys can sort of do.
Magnezone. As mentioned previously, it traps Skarmory and blows the hole to let tons of dragon sweepers in. Coupled with a dragon, the results are mindblowing.
Ferrothorn. Even with half my team carrying fire moves, it just doesn't seem to DIE at times. Deoxys barely OHKOs it with Superpower or HP Fire if said Ferrothorn was very defensive in the right end of the spectrum and Rotom-H locked into Thunderbolt/HP Ice can't do shit. Dragonite can't even OHKO with Fire Punch under rain, or 2HKO for that matter. A real bitch.
Chansey. It lives Superpowers, recovers, spreads Toxic, prevents Dragonite from setting up...my only solution is Rotom-H's Trick. Luckily, this is always easier to pull off than I'd think.
Conkeldurr. Taken care of by Rotom-H's Specs Overheat, though if it's within Mach Punch OHKO range (especially with Stealth Rock down on my side) then gg. Skarmory can't exactly counter it due to being unable to Roost, but it tries. If all else fails, I sacrifice a poke and bring Deoxys in but Conkeldurr usually just switches out at the sight of that/
Conclusion
Till next time, bye!
