Arkian
this is the state of grace
Hi everyone, welcome to my first RMt. To be honest, this team didn't get very high on the ladder (rough estimate = low 90s) because I played with it on my main alt (Rohail17), the alt that I used to battle with many other team (most of which weren't successful lol). So here I have a weatherless balance team, I was inspired to make this team after having my Sand team's backside (yeah I don't swear..) handed to me by an opposing weatherless balance team. Although I'm using completely different Pokemon from the team my opponent used on me, I was still very successful countering opposing weather and achieving my goal of sweeping (or sometimes late-game cleaning). This team heavily depends on the typing synergy of my teammates, and it also has a bit of surprise factor. I had a lot of fun with this team, so much fun that I didn't play with any other team afterwards, so I'm posting my team here for you to critisize and enjoy using on your own :)
I started out with Sash lead Cloyster just because it capable of single handedly winning 6-0, the surprise factor of this set helps me to achieve that.
The classic Heatran+Skarmory core never gets old, it also doesn't hurt to have them lay SR and Spikes, respectively.
Since a lot of people have been talking about a celebi+Heatran core resisting every type (bar Rock), I thought I'd try it out myself; although there's a twist, this is Scarfbi, another one of my Pokemon that has a great surprise factor yet stays effective.
I needed priority, and I wanted a boosting sweeper, I thought I'd give Lucario a shot since it was effective in SSBB, so why won't it be effective in Pokemon. Turns out, I was right!
To make sure the hazards Skarmory and Heatran set up don't go to waste, I looked for a spinblocker, since my team was defensive enough and I wanted some sort of trolling offensive prowess, I chose SubSplit Gengar. And my team was made. :D
A Closer Look
Cloyster
Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Rash Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
The way to use this monster of a Pokemon is simple: Lead with it, use SS as they try to attack, if they set up hazards or screens, then continue boosting (unless you spot the team has priority), after that, choose the appropriate move and attack till' the opponent's team is no more. However, there are a few things that hamper this, such things are Sand, Priority and random multi-hit leads (seriously people stop leading with Cinccinno -.-). Don't worry though, as even with those around, you will still be able to take out/dent at least one Pokemon. HP Electric is almost never seen on Cloyster, so it's a nasy surprise for Politoed an Gyarados :P. The beauty of this set is that it can almost always take something out, potentially a Pokemon that may prevent Lucario from sweeping, opposing sweepers, scarfers, walls, etc.
Skarmory
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 232 Def / 252 HP / 24 Spd
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Drill Peck
Physically defensive Skarmory is my counter to Sand teams as most of everything on them have trouble getting past the BirdODeath. Spikes are amazing for residual damage, and since my team is rather good at forcing switches, it will quickly rack up. Roost provides Skarm with a reliable recovery move, also making sure that slower (lol) Electric-type attacks do neutral damage. Roost is just a trolly move in general, especially when faced with poor Terrakion and Breloom. Whirlwind is another trolly move on Skarmory, as a surprisingly large amount of people don't bother getting their hazards up before they send in their boosting sweeper. When this is the case Sturdy+WW combo temporarily saves me, although it does leave a dent in Skarmory :(. I use Drill Peck in place of Brave Bird because I really don't like the recoil it provides, besides, Drill Peck still OHKOes Breloom and does around 1/4 to LO or Status Orb Conkeldurr and Scarfed Terrakion.
Heatran
Heatran @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
Heatran is the second part of my somewhat (Scarfbi) defensive core, it comes in on Skarmory's Fire-type weakness while Skarmory takes care of Heatran's Ground- and Fighting-type weaknesses. Heatran is an excellent special wall that is also capable of dishing out major damage back with a potential Flash Fire boosted Lava Plume (with a nice 30% burn rate;)). It is also the SR setter and sun counter for my team. Roar is another phasing move as I believe we can never have enough of those, since I'm most scared of boosting sweepers when it comes to this team. Toxic cripples walls that love switching in on Heatran, such as Jellicent and Blissey. Heatran is the one Pokemon that can deal with Volcarona (granted it lacks HP Ground) on my team, so its essential to keep it alive if I spot one.
Celebi
Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
ScarfBi really keeps my team together as it can come in on Electric- and Water-type attacks (the two attacks that when combined give my walls trouble). It also has a great surprise factor stored for it to rid the field of any Starmie, Rotom-W, or unboosted Dragon-types. It accomplishes this task with Leaf Storm, its main STAB that hits for a truckload of damage and follows well with its hit-and-run playstyle. HP Ice is for troublesome Dragon-types and Landorus-T, somethings that give my team a little trouble thanks to their bulk, coverage, and abilities. Earth Power keeps opposing Heatran at bay (granted the Air Balloon has popped) while also denting incoming Fire-types. U-turn is a safe getaway for when I suspect my opponent to go into their Scizor or T-tar, its just a great move to gain momentum (albeit a weak one :(). If it wasn't implied, Celebi is my rain check.
Lucario
Lucario @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Ice Punch
I never used Lucario before this (aside from Brawl lol), and I have to say, I'm REALLY impressed. Its excellent typing somewhat makes up for its lackluster bulk, while its ability allows me to check obvious dark moves from the likes of t-tar and Scizor (its overall a great check to Scizor locked into anything but Superpower). It forces switches easily as well (just switch in on Ferro), allowing setup opportunities with SD, it has CC and Ice Punch for overage (missing out on Jellicent, but that can be handled by Celebi or gengar granted I don't switch them in on a Shadow Ball). It even has priority in the form of E-Speed. Lucario is the perfect late-game cleaner for this team as it offers great synergy with the other members. It is also the only Pokemon on my team that easily gets past the blobs (Gengar needs prediction...I guess).
Gengar
Gengar @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
Gengar really never appealed to me, and it still hasn't because it is the first thing that comes to my mind when I need to sac a Pokemon. However, this team needed a reliable spinblocker and a failsafe check to the blobs, Gengar fit perfectly. Other than that I really don't have much to say except the fact that its a trolly offensive Pokemon whose STAB Shadow Ball SERIOUSLY hurts any Pokemon that isn't a dedicated special wall. I'm strongly considering changing this set to the SubDisable set, but I want your input on it first as the SubSplit set is a better check to the blobs.
So there you have it, my team. I can't really think of threats to this team (hail really isn't a problem, and neither are EH [Spikes is annoying though -.-]) except Pokemon such as Jellicent, and even then it could be played around through the use of smart prediction. So I would really appreciate your input on this, thanks in advance to any raters ^_^
The classic Heatran+Skarmory core never gets old, it also doesn't hurt to have them lay SR and Spikes, respectively.
Since a lot of people have been talking about a celebi+Heatran core resisting every type (bar Rock), I thought I'd try it out myself; although there's a twist, this is Scarfbi, another one of my Pokemon that has a great surprise factor yet stays effective.
I needed priority, and I wanted a boosting sweeper, I thought I'd give Lucario a shot since it was effective in SSBB, so why won't it be effective in Pokemon. Turns out, I was right!
To make sure the hazards Skarmory and Heatran set up don't go to waste, I looked for a spinblocker, since my team was defensive enough and I wanted some sort of trolling offensive prowess, I chose SubSplit Gengar. And my team was made. :D
A Closer Look
Cloyster
Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Rash Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
The way to use this monster of a Pokemon is simple: Lead with it, use SS as they try to attack, if they set up hazards or screens, then continue boosting (unless you spot the team has priority), after that, choose the appropriate move and attack till' the opponent's team is no more. However, there are a few things that hamper this, such things are Sand, Priority and random multi-hit leads (seriously people stop leading with Cinccinno -.-). Don't worry though, as even with those around, you will still be able to take out/dent at least one Pokemon. HP Electric is almost never seen on Cloyster, so it's a nasy surprise for Politoed an Gyarados :P. The beauty of this set is that it can almost always take something out, potentially a Pokemon that may prevent Lucario from sweeping, opposing sweepers, scarfers, walls, etc.
Skarmory
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 232 Def / 252 HP / 24 Spd
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Drill Peck
Physically defensive Skarmory is my counter to Sand teams as most of everything on them have trouble getting past the BirdODeath. Spikes are amazing for residual damage, and since my team is rather good at forcing switches, it will quickly rack up. Roost provides Skarm with a reliable recovery move, also making sure that slower (lol) Electric-type attacks do neutral damage. Roost is just a trolly move in general, especially when faced with poor Terrakion and Breloom. Whirlwind is another trolly move on Skarmory, as a surprisingly large amount of people don't bother getting their hazards up before they send in their boosting sweeper. When this is the case Sturdy+WW combo temporarily saves me, although it does leave a dent in Skarmory :(. I use Drill Peck in place of Brave Bird because I really don't like the recoil it provides, besides, Drill Peck still OHKOes Breloom and does around 1/4 to LO or Status Orb Conkeldurr and Scarfed Terrakion.
Heatran
Heatran @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
Heatran is the second part of my somewhat (Scarfbi) defensive core, it comes in on Skarmory's Fire-type weakness while Skarmory takes care of Heatran's Ground- and Fighting-type weaknesses. Heatran is an excellent special wall that is also capable of dishing out major damage back with a potential Flash Fire boosted Lava Plume (with a nice 30% burn rate;)). It is also the SR setter and sun counter for my team. Roar is another phasing move as I believe we can never have enough of those, since I'm most scared of boosting sweepers when it comes to this team. Toxic cripples walls that love switching in on Heatran, such as Jellicent and Blissey. Heatran is the one Pokemon that can deal with Volcarona (granted it lacks HP Ground) on my team, so its essential to keep it alive if I spot one.
Celebi
Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
ScarfBi really keeps my team together as it can come in on Electric- and Water-type attacks (the two attacks that when combined give my walls trouble). It also has a great surprise factor stored for it to rid the field of any Starmie, Rotom-W, or unboosted Dragon-types. It accomplishes this task with Leaf Storm, its main STAB that hits for a truckload of damage and follows well with its hit-and-run playstyle. HP Ice is for troublesome Dragon-types and Landorus-T, somethings that give my team a little trouble thanks to their bulk, coverage, and abilities. Earth Power keeps opposing Heatran at bay (granted the Air Balloon has popped) while also denting incoming Fire-types. U-turn is a safe getaway for when I suspect my opponent to go into their Scizor or T-tar, its just a great move to gain momentum (albeit a weak one :(). If it wasn't implied, Celebi is my rain check.
Lucario
Lucario @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Ice Punch
I never used Lucario before this (aside from Brawl lol), and I have to say, I'm REALLY impressed. Its excellent typing somewhat makes up for its lackluster bulk, while its ability allows me to check obvious dark moves from the likes of t-tar and Scizor (its overall a great check to Scizor locked into anything but Superpower). It forces switches easily as well (just switch in on Ferro), allowing setup opportunities with SD, it has CC and Ice Punch for overage (missing out on Jellicent, but that can be handled by Celebi or gengar granted I don't switch them in on a Shadow Ball). It even has priority in the form of E-Speed. Lucario is the perfect late-game cleaner for this team as it offers great synergy with the other members. It is also the only Pokemon on my team that easily gets past the blobs (Gengar needs prediction...I guess).
Gengar
Gengar @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
Gengar really never appealed to me, and it still hasn't because it is the first thing that comes to my mind when I need to sac a Pokemon. However, this team needed a reliable spinblocker and a failsafe check to the blobs, Gengar fit perfectly. Other than that I really don't have much to say except the fact that its a trolly offensive Pokemon whose STAB Shadow Ball SERIOUSLY hurts any Pokemon that isn't a dedicated special wall. I'm strongly considering changing this set to the SubDisable set, but I want your input on it first as the SubSplit set is a better check to the blobs.
So there you have it, my team. I can't really think of threats to this team (hail really isn't a problem, and neither are EH [Spikes is annoying though -.-]) except Pokemon such as Jellicent, and even then it could be played around through the use of smart prediction. So I would really appreciate your input on this, thanks in advance to any raters ^_^
Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Rash Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 232 Def / 252 HP / 24 Spd
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Drill Peck
Heatran @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
Lucario @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Ice Punch
Gengar @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Rash Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 232 Def / 252 HP / 24 Spd
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Drill Peck
Heatran @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
Lucario @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Ice Punch
Gengar @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast