Right now, I'd like some advice on SR and this team. Most people who have rated have recommended it, but I'm not sure what to replace or change.
This is a team I had been working on for a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving, and then peaked in the high 1500s sometime during the Thanksgiving break. Since then, its dropped due to my lack of playing and constantly having to close Shoddy and forfeiting. I play very sporadically, since Shoddy is mostly something I do to take my mind off life :/
As an avid chess player, my teams are all about making smart tradeoffs to the point where there is no possible way for the opponents team to win (typically with choiced users), though sometimes I straight up run through a team with brute force. Occasionally I make a mistake with this strategy and end up giving up a chance for a guaranteed win.
I also tend to base this team on the idea that "if X pokemon dies, Y pokemon sweeps." This can be said about any team, and thats why a strategy like this can be so successful. If you can break one core member on a team down (like Heatran), then certain pokemon have a very easy chance to sweep.
I'm posting this team so that I can get some advice from others on improvements and let other people try it out and see where they can go.
Tyranitar @ Chople Berry/Focus Sash
Sandstream
160 Atk/12 Def/252 SpA/84 Spd
Rash
-Crunch
-Ice Beam
-Fire Blast
-Earthquake
Offensive teams typically need to start off with a bang, or set up rocks for the ever so important residual damage. I decided not to bother with rocks (its not worth starting 5-6 when they can be spun away) and start up sandstorm, which has similar effects. I considered Hippowdon for this role at first since he could give the impression of a stall team, set up rocks, etc. but then I thought of Tyranitar's terrific movesets and said "that's my lead." Not to mention Tyranitar doesn't care about getting tricked...anything. Specs, Band, and Scarf can all help him wreak more havoc.
Obviously, a lead needs to be able to take on other leads, and my Tyranitar is specially made for that. I should probably explain the EVs first. 160 Atk EVs gives me 344 Atk which is just enough to 1hko Infernape with Earthquake with sandstorm. 252 SpA+Rash is just to make sure my special attacks have maximum power. 84 Spd EVs lets me outspeed (and often 1hko) skarm with Fire Blast and also outspeeds the standard CBtar. I just dumped 12 EVs into Def since they help more than HP against earthquakes, gyroballs, etc.
For the moveset: Crunch is pretty damn obvious, blowing the ever-so common Azelf, Gengar, and Alakazam out. Its also just a generally good move overall. I considered Dark Pulse to give the impression I'm boah, but I decided Crunch because getting people to think I'm a CBTar and getting Skarm and Forretress to switch into the imminent death is just priceless. I just said what Fire Blast is for (and for Scizor too). Fire Blast>Flamethrower since it 2hkoes Bronzong, which can mean all the difference in not getting slept, gyroballed a 2nd time, or letting him set a light screen up. Ice Beam is totally sexy; it 2hkos Hippowdon on those stall team leads, which is absolutely crucial since Hippowdon is such an important physical wall on those teams.
Earthquake was a move I decided a lot on. It was either that, or Superpower. I chose Earthquake in the end because of how common Leadape has become, as well as nailing steels and dumb Heatran that do a pitiful amount of damage with Earthpower.
I've been a bit more hazy about item choice recently. Chople allows Tyranitar to take Infernape's Close Combat, but it can't stop Heracross or Lucario, whereas Sash allows me to kick both their asses. Sash also allows me to kill the standard speed CBtar instead of just denting it, and lets me dent Metagross badly too. I just wonder whether something else on my team can handle Infernape before he does too much damage with FB and CC.
Tyranitar is also the poke I let to take sleep, since I usually consider him as good as dead anyway.
Overall, I find this Tyranitar to be one of my favorite leads since it can severely take out a big chunk of a team right from the start and can put the game in my favor right away.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
4 hp/252 Atk/252 Spd
]Adamant
-U-Turn
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Outrage
Oh Scarfchomp how I miss you. After he was exiled to the realm of Ubers, I struggled to find a revenger that did the job as well as he did. He had the power and typing to be a success. At the time, I did not give a look at Flygon for his severe lack of power. However, the addition of Outrage made me look at him again and I must say he is impressive. The tremendous typing of Ground/Dragon combined with Levitate is really awesome. Immune to just about all residual damage, this is a revenger that can really last throughout the match. And STAB Outrage with 328 attack is powerful enough for a nice late game sweep when the steels are gone.
The moveset is pretty standard, and its pretty easy to see. I chose Stone Edge because Flygon is my main switch in to Zapdos, and is my primary revenger against Gyara and Zappy too. U-Turning like crazy is always fun. Outrage is pretty obvious for revenging dragons as well as sweeping late game. I use Earthquake only when I need to because it does allow threats like Salamence and Gyarados to set up and potentially sweep me.
I went with all-offense EVs because I don't want another Scarfgon ruining a final game sweep (especially because I have 2 ice attacks on my team, and both of them are usually dead late game). Also, if I'm lucky, I can stop an Adamant Salamence from sweeping.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Flash Fire
4 hp/252 SpA/252 Spd
Timid
-Substitute
-Lava Plume
-HP Grass
-Earthpower
Though initially my scarfed revenger, I found Heatran to be a ridiculously good sweeper after trying him out. The Scarfer is definitely a great revenge killer, and his resistance to most priority moves was great too, but I felt this did too good of a job at cleaning up, building holes, and scouting out the opposing team to be switched back to.
Substitute is obvious. I don’t think any other pokemon cases switches as well as Heatran does, so getting a Sub down is usually very simple. From there, I just need to choose the right moves.
Lava plumes power can be quite disappointing at times (like failing to KO a machamp at 54% health after sandstorm!) but the burn rate makes it worth it (sometimes). Earth power is pretty obvious, helping to deal damage to rock types, and opposing Heatran especially. HP Grass was the superior choice for a HP, killing swampert and doing respectable damage to bulky waters. Sometimes I wish I had will-o-wisp or toxic, but you can’t get it all.
Heatran has some of the most important resists in the game, and his typing matches the rest of my teams extremely well. Indeed, these resists make him one of the most important checks on some of the deadliest pokemon out there.
I went with max speed and timid just to make sure that, if I’m lucky, I can outspeed a few nifty threats. Max SpA is pretty obvious though.
Salamence @ Life Orb
Intimidate
16 Atk/252 Spd/240 SpA
Naïve
-Draco Meteor
-Outrage
-Brick Break
-Flamethrower
Salamence is my primary wall breaker and his goal is to kill at least one full health pokemon, or deal fatal damage to multiple.
Draco Meteor+Outrage is the primary weapon for this goal, 2hkoing just about anything that doesn’t resist (and still denting anything that does). To fill out the gaps, Brick Break and Flamethrower are utilized. I chose Brick Break because getting a missed hit on a flyer/levitator can mean all the difference between getting a KO with Draco Meteor or Outrage. Same goes to flamethrower. Not to mention this Salamence comes out mid-game, when most pokemon have taken some damage due to sandstorm and various hits.
I always like to go Max Speed on any non-DD/Defensive Salamences, simply because there are so many base 100s out there that don’t do it. I didn’t need too many EVs in attack either, simply because Salamence already has such a good attack, and since Draco Meteor was the primary attack, I wanted it as strong as power.
In addition to his power, Salamence provides a solid switch in to a lot of threats because of his resistances, and also paves the way for Flygon’s late game Outrage sweep through his own turbo-charged Dragon attacks.
Suicune @ Life Orb
Pressure
4 hp/252 SpA/252 Spd
Timid
-Calm Mind
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-HP Electric
I originally had DDGyara here, but he seems to have lost some of his touch since when I first used him, mainly due to the fact that he has certain counters (Vappy, Celebi, etc.) that he has some huge difficulty to overcome. So I thought of the only other water that could really be offensive-Suicune.
Suicune with LO makes for a surprisingly good wall breaker, with Ice Beam 2hkoing Zapdos and Celebi. HP Electric is pretty good vs. bulky waters and Surf is just a general STAB move. I rarely use CM, Suicune’s too busy kicking ass to use it. I’m thinking about changing it to something else, but I’m not so sure considering his terrible movepool. Suggestions are welcome.
More importantly, Suicune is an important check against DDGyara, especially early game, and Salamence (later, if he lives long enough). With his natural bulk, he can take these boosted hits and hit back hard with super effective moves.
Unfortunately, Suicune generally dies very early game due, since I let the LO+Sandstorm+random hits all stack up and he usually ends up dead. Blissey is also a huge pain and walls the crap out of him. However, Suicune can really put the pressure (no pun intended) on pokemon that don’t have really reliable recovery since he is such a threat to so many pokemon.
Totally offensive stats to be able to get necessary 2hkos, as well as outspeeding a whole lot of pokemon, and even some base 100s
Scizor @ Choice Band
Technician
112 Hp/252 Atk/148 Spd
Adamant
-Bullet Punch
-Quick Attack
-Superpower
-U-Turn
I initially had Agiligross here. Loved him, he totally kicked ass with MM+EQ and Explosion to kill something. Unfortunately, I had a huge Mixmamo weak, since Suicune was usually dead and mamo would proceed to wreck my team. I considered SD Scizor and CB, and for now, I’ve been going CB (I haven’t bothered testing for the SD set. If someone wants to, that’d be great).
Bullet Punch is pretty obvious, allowing Scizor to revenge many threats and sometimes pull off a bullet punch sweep late game. Quick attack is nice for revenging weakened Infernapes, as well as doing some damage to Gyarados and Zapdos. Superpower for Blissey and Heatran/Magnezone switch-ins. U-turn for scouting.
I'm considering an SD Scizor because I saw the huge power Quick Attack had against many pokemon. I'm not sure whether LO would make up the power from CB however.
The EVs let me outspeed most bulky waters, and the rest of the extra ones go to HP for bulk. Max attack and Adamant is a given.
Comments: I’m looking for some way to deal with Blissey a bit better. My plan initially was to go from Suicune/Heatran to Flygon, then U-Turning to Scizor who could superpower. Unfortunately, that whole glitch with U-Turn makes me unable to do this. I usually have to play around a bit.
This team does have problems with Salamence, though I’m lucky because he can’t switch in to any of my pokes except Flygon on Earthquake and Scizor on Superpower (which is why I am very wary of using these two attacks). A max speed salamence would run through my team if suicune were dead though if Scizor failed to revenge (unlikely at best).
THE THREATDOWN: I’m just going to list today’s biggest threats
Salamence: As I explained, the guy has no switch-ins except on my choice users. Suicune is my go to guy early game, since he can take a hit and smack back with Ice Beam. He can also survive a DD Outrage as well. Meanwhile, Flygon can revenge the popular Adamant DD Salamences, and Scizor can generally revenge with Bullet Punch.
Lucario: One again, few switch-ins for him. Flygon generally revenges him, capable of taking an SD Extremespeed. Salamence is generally a good switch in (unless its clear he is going to ice punch/stone edge). Suicune can take a hit and blast a surf right back at him.
Gyara: Trouble. Flygon can dish out pain with Stone Edge, though Suicune is generally there first with a HP Electric. Quick attack can do some stuff too.
Zapdos: Flygon is a magnificent switch-in, though HP Ice is very scary. I generally u-turn to Suicune to take a HP Ice, then hit it back with Ice Beam.
Tyranitar: Bullet punch is very good, Earthquake flygon, Salamence brick break. Basically covered.
Skymin: Flygon, Scizor, and Heatran’s resists all make them fine killers of the annoying thing.
Infernape: Flygon earthquake, Quick attack from Scizor. Suicune can survive a grass knot and hit back with surf.
Kingdra: Trouble. Not many good switch-ins, but I generally have to rely on Flygon to beat him up. After a few DDs, its basically gg (except possibly suicune and quick attack). Luckily, I don't see too much of him.
Heatran: Suicune can take just about anything. All my pokes can resist some of his moves, it just depends on whether or not I make the right switch (can be difficult). He has a difficult time switching in anyway.
Bah, whatever. I think you guys will be able to spot threats well enough.
This is a team I had been working on for a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving, and then peaked in the high 1500s sometime during the Thanksgiving break. Since then, its dropped due to my lack of playing and constantly having to close Shoddy and forfeiting. I play very sporadically, since Shoddy is mostly something I do to take my mind off life :/
As an avid chess player, my teams are all about making smart tradeoffs to the point where there is no possible way for the opponents team to win (typically with choiced users), though sometimes I straight up run through a team with brute force. Occasionally I make a mistake with this strategy and end up giving up a chance for a guaranteed win.
I also tend to base this team on the idea that "if X pokemon dies, Y pokemon sweeps." This can be said about any team, and thats why a strategy like this can be so successful. If you can break one core member on a team down (like Heatran), then certain pokemon have a very easy chance to sweep.
I'm posting this team so that I can get some advice from others on improvements and let other people try it out and see where they can go.
Tyranitar @ Chople Berry/Focus Sash
Sandstream
160 Atk/12 Def/252 SpA/84 Spd
Rash
-Crunch
-Ice Beam
-Fire Blast
-Earthquake
Offensive teams typically need to start off with a bang, or set up rocks for the ever so important residual damage. I decided not to bother with rocks (its not worth starting 5-6 when they can be spun away) and start up sandstorm, which has similar effects. I considered Hippowdon for this role at first since he could give the impression of a stall team, set up rocks, etc. but then I thought of Tyranitar's terrific movesets and said "that's my lead." Not to mention Tyranitar doesn't care about getting tricked...anything. Specs, Band, and Scarf can all help him wreak more havoc.
Obviously, a lead needs to be able to take on other leads, and my Tyranitar is specially made for that. I should probably explain the EVs first. 160 Atk EVs gives me 344 Atk which is just enough to 1hko Infernape with Earthquake with sandstorm. 252 SpA+Rash is just to make sure my special attacks have maximum power. 84 Spd EVs lets me outspeed (and often 1hko) skarm with Fire Blast and also outspeeds the standard CBtar. I just dumped 12 EVs into Def since they help more than HP against earthquakes, gyroballs, etc.
For the moveset: Crunch is pretty damn obvious, blowing the ever-so common Azelf, Gengar, and Alakazam out. Its also just a generally good move overall. I considered Dark Pulse to give the impression I'm boah, but I decided Crunch because getting people to think I'm a CBTar and getting Skarm and Forretress to switch into the imminent death is just priceless. I just said what Fire Blast is for (and for Scizor too). Fire Blast>Flamethrower since it 2hkoes Bronzong, which can mean all the difference in not getting slept, gyroballed a 2nd time, or letting him set a light screen up. Ice Beam is totally sexy; it 2hkos Hippowdon on those stall team leads, which is absolutely crucial since Hippowdon is such an important physical wall on those teams.
Earthquake was a move I decided a lot on. It was either that, or Superpower. I chose Earthquake in the end because of how common Leadape has become, as well as nailing steels and dumb Heatran that do a pitiful amount of damage with Earthpower.
I've been a bit more hazy about item choice recently. Chople allows Tyranitar to take Infernape's Close Combat, but it can't stop Heracross or Lucario, whereas Sash allows me to kick both their asses. Sash also allows me to kill the standard speed CBtar instead of just denting it, and lets me dent Metagross badly too. I just wonder whether something else on my team can handle Infernape before he does too much damage with FB and CC.
Tyranitar is also the poke I let to take sleep, since I usually consider him as good as dead anyway.
Overall, I find this Tyranitar to be one of my favorite leads since it can severely take out a big chunk of a team right from the start and can put the game in my favor right away.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
4 hp/252 Atk/252 Spd
]Adamant
-U-Turn
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Outrage
Oh Scarfchomp how I miss you. After he was exiled to the realm of Ubers, I struggled to find a revenger that did the job as well as he did. He had the power and typing to be a success. At the time, I did not give a look at Flygon for his severe lack of power. However, the addition of Outrage made me look at him again and I must say he is impressive. The tremendous typing of Ground/Dragon combined with Levitate is really awesome. Immune to just about all residual damage, this is a revenger that can really last throughout the match. And STAB Outrage with 328 attack is powerful enough for a nice late game sweep when the steels are gone.
The moveset is pretty standard, and its pretty easy to see. I chose Stone Edge because Flygon is my main switch in to Zapdos, and is my primary revenger against Gyara and Zappy too. U-Turning like crazy is always fun. Outrage is pretty obvious for revenging dragons as well as sweeping late game. I use Earthquake only when I need to because it does allow threats like Salamence and Gyarados to set up and potentially sweep me.
I went with all-offense EVs because I don't want another Scarfgon ruining a final game sweep (especially because I have 2 ice attacks on my team, and both of them are usually dead late game). Also, if I'm lucky, I can stop an Adamant Salamence from sweeping.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Flash Fire
4 hp/252 SpA/252 Spd
Timid
-Substitute
-Lava Plume
-HP Grass
-Earthpower
Though initially my scarfed revenger, I found Heatran to be a ridiculously good sweeper after trying him out. The Scarfer is definitely a great revenge killer, and his resistance to most priority moves was great too, but I felt this did too good of a job at cleaning up, building holes, and scouting out the opposing team to be switched back to.
Substitute is obvious. I don’t think any other pokemon cases switches as well as Heatran does, so getting a Sub down is usually very simple. From there, I just need to choose the right moves.
Lava plumes power can be quite disappointing at times (like failing to KO a machamp at 54% health after sandstorm!) but the burn rate makes it worth it (sometimes). Earth power is pretty obvious, helping to deal damage to rock types, and opposing Heatran especially. HP Grass was the superior choice for a HP, killing swampert and doing respectable damage to bulky waters. Sometimes I wish I had will-o-wisp or toxic, but you can’t get it all.
Heatran has some of the most important resists in the game, and his typing matches the rest of my teams extremely well. Indeed, these resists make him one of the most important checks on some of the deadliest pokemon out there.
I went with max speed and timid just to make sure that, if I’m lucky, I can outspeed a few nifty threats. Max SpA is pretty obvious though.
Salamence @ Life Orb
Intimidate
16 Atk/252 Spd/240 SpA
Naïve
-Draco Meteor
-Outrage
-Brick Break
-Flamethrower
Salamence is my primary wall breaker and his goal is to kill at least one full health pokemon, or deal fatal damage to multiple.
Draco Meteor+Outrage is the primary weapon for this goal, 2hkoing just about anything that doesn’t resist (and still denting anything that does). To fill out the gaps, Brick Break and Flamethrower are utilized. I chose Brick Break because getting a missed hit on a flyer/levitator can mean all the difference between getting a KO with Draco Meteor or Outrage. Same goes to flamethrower. Not to mention this Salamence comes out mid-game, when most pokemon have taken some damage due to sandstorm and various hits.
I always like to go Max Speed on any non-DD/Defensive Salamences, simply because there are so many base 100s out there that don’t do it. I didn’t need too many EVs in attack either, simply because Salamence already has such a good attack, and since Draco Meteor was the primary attack, I wanted it as strong as power.
In addition to his power, Salamence provides a solid switch in to a lot of threats because of his resistances, and also paves the way for Flygon’s late game Outrage sweep through his own turbo-charged Dragon attacks.
Suicune @ Life Orb
Pressure
4 hp/252 SpA/252 Spd
Timid
-Calm Mind
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-HP Electric
I originally had DDGyara here, but he seems to have lost some of his touch since when I first used him, mainly due to the fact that he has certain counters (Vappy, Celebi, etc.) that he has some huge difficulty to overcome. So I thought of the only other water that could really be offensive-Suicune.
Suicune with LO makes for a surprisingly good wall breaker, with Ice Beam 2hkoing Zapdos and Celebi. HP Electric is pretty good vs. bulky waters and Surf is just a general STAB move. I rarely use CM, Suicune’s too busy kicking ass to use it. I’m thinking about changing it to something else, but I’m not so sure considering his terrible movepool. Suggestions are welcome.
More importantly, Suicune is an important check against DDGyara, especially early game, and Salamence (later, if he lives long enough). With his natural bulk, he can take these boosted hits and hit back hard with super effective moves.
Unfortunately, Suicune generally dies very early game due, since I let the LO+Sandstorm+random hits all stack up and he usually ends up dead. Blissey is also a huge pain and walls the crap out of him. However, Suicune can really put the pressure (no pun intended) on pokemon that don’t have really reliable recovery since he is such a threat to so many pokemon.
Totally offensive stats to be able to get necessary 2hkos, as well as outspeeding a whole lot of pokemon, and even some base 100s
Scizor @ Choice Band
Technician
112 Hp/252 Atk/148 Spd
Adamant
-Bullet Punch
-Quick Attack
-Superpower
-U-Turn
I initially had Agiligross here. Loved him, he totally kicked ass with MM+EQ and Explosion to kill something. Unfortunately, I had a huge Mixmamo weak, since Suicune was usually dead and mamo would proceed to wreck my team. I considered SD Scizor and CB, and for now, I’ve been going CB (I haven’t bothered testing for the SD set. If someone wants to, that’d be great).
Bullet Punch is pretty obvious, allowing Scizor to revenge many threats and sometimes pull off a bullet punch sweep late game. Quick attack is nice for revenging weakened Infernapes, as well as doing some damage to Gyarados and Zapdos. Superpower for Blissey and Heatran/Magnezone switch-ins. U-turn for scouting.
I'm considering an SD Scizor because I saw the huge power Quick Attack had against many pokemon. I'm not sure whether LO would make up the power from CB however.
The EVs let me outspeed most bulky waters, and the rest of the extra ones go to HP for bulk. Max attack and Adamant is a given.
Comments: I’m looking for some way to deal with Blissey a bit better. My plan initially was to go from Suicune/Heatran to Flygon, then U-Turning to Scizor who could superpower. Unfortunately, that whole glitch with U-Turn makes me unable to do this. I usually have to play around a bit.
This team does have problems with Salamence, though I’m lucky because he can’t switch in to any of my pokes except Flygon on Earthquake and Scizor on Superpower (which is why I am very wary of using these two attacks). A max speed salamence would run through my team if suicune were dead though if Scizor failed to revenge (unlikely at best).
THE THREATDOWN: I’m just going to list today’s biggest threats
Salamence: As I explained, the guy has no switch-ins except on my choice users. Suicune is my go to guy early game, since he can take a hit and smack back with Ice Beam. He can also survive a DD Outrage as well. Meanwhile, Flygon can revenge the popular Adamant DD Salamences, and Scizor can generally revenge with Bullet Punch.
Lucario: One again, few switch-ins for him. Flygon generally revenges him, capable of taking an SD Extremespeed. Salamence is generally a good switch in (unless its clear he is going to ice punch/stone edge). Suicune can take a hit and blast a surf right back at him.
Gyara: Trouble. Flygon can dish out pain with Stone Edge, though Suicune is generally there first with a HP Electric. Quick attack can do some stuff too.
Zapdos: Flygon is a magnificent switch-in, though HP Ice is very scary. I generally u-turn to Suicune to take a HP Ice, then hit it back with Ice Beam.
Tyranitar: Bullet punch is very good, Earthquake flygon, Salamence brick break. Basically covered.
Skymin: Flygon, Scizor, and Heatran’s resists all make them fine killers of the annoying thing.
Infernape: Flygon earthquake, Quick attack from Scizor. Suicune can survive a grass knot and hit back with surf.
Kingdra: Trouble. Not many good switch-ins, but I generally have to rely on Flygon to beat him up. After a few DDs, its basically gg (except possibly suicune and quick attack). Luckily, I don't see too much of him.
Heatran: Suicune can take just about anything. All my pokes can resist some of his moves, it just depends on whether or not I make the right switch (can be difficult). He has a difficult time switching in anyway.
Bah, whatever. I think you guys will be able to spot threats well enough.
