Hi, welcome to my second RMT! I had a lot of fun building and playing with this team.
Teambuilding Process:
I started tinkering with Offensive Zapdos because I realized that not many things check or counter both Thunderbolt and Hurricane. I also think it's one of the scariest Pokemon under rain, nothing resisting its moves, probably only rivaled by Barraskewda.
The only counters Zapdos has are Blissey and Slowking-G. Checks include Heatran and Tyranitar, who don't have reliable recovery and could easily be chipped. Garchomp deals with all of those Pokemon. It also lures in Ground-types like Lando and Hippowdon only to wash them away with Aqua Tail.
I mostly put Corviknight here mostly because Zapdos' analysis said that it's a good partner and I needed a defogger anyway.
Heatran was added as it trapped and eliminated Glowking and Blissey. Garchomp's already on the team, but two counters to those two is better than one.
The team can't be full of wallbreakers; it needs some pivots too. Rotom-W is a great pivot and is also my Heatran check, which the other members of the team can struggle against. It also forms a VoltTurn core with Corviknight.
Weavile is a cleaner and also provides Knock Off support. Additionally, Weavile provides a resistance to Dragapult's Shadow Ball, who would otherwise 2HKO my team.
The general gameplan is to wallbreak, and eventually sweep/clean with Zapdos, Garchomp and Weavile, trap and remove important pokemon with Heatran, and pivot around with Corviknight and Rotom.
The Team:
Zapdos @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Roost
Zapdos is terrifying, as it can 2HKO most of the tier. Hurricane is a powerful STAB move that does decent damage to almost anything that doesn’t care for Thunderbolt, like Landorus and Garchomp. Heat Wave allows it to OHKO most Ferrothorn, though you should usually stick to Thunderbolt or Hurricane. Static is much more useful than Pressure as it can paralyze the opponent, which is really useful against teams with many U-turn users.
Garchomp @ Life Orb
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Scale Shot
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
Garchomp is a ferocious threat, no matter if it’s the early, mid or late game. It is mostly just the standard SD set, but I have Aqua Tail instead of Fire Fang. After a Swords Dance, it can break past Lando and Hippowdon, allowing Zapdos to wreak havoc. However, in practice I don’t think Aqua Tail is that useful. Zapdos, Weavile and Rotom already do a good job stretching the Ground types too thin. Maybe I should replace it with Fire Fang or Stone Edge instead? I’m also not sure how I feel about Life Orb. On one hand, it gives Garchomp a lot more power, but it also severely reduces its longevity. Perhaps Leftovers or Yache Berry would be better.
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
Corviknight is the only passive and defensive pokemon in this team, though even then it could still pivot to its more threatening teammates and has the important role of Hazard Removal. It’s also part of how I deal with Dragapult. I switch it into Dragapult’s attack, like a Draco Meteor or Shadow Ball, then U-turn out to Weavile. I’m not sure if I should use Body Press or Brave Bird. One’s more useful against Tyranitar and Bisharp, while the other is better against Dragapult.
Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Triple Axel
- Low Kick
- Ice Shard
Weavile has good synergy with Zapdos. It could kill Ground-types and provide Knock Off support for it, while Zapdos can deal with Tapu Fini, Ferrothorn and Toxapex for Weavile. Weavile also scares away Glowking and Blissey, Zapdos’ worst enemies. Originally, I used the Swords Dance HDB set, but I eventually changed it to Choice Band. Most of the time, Weavile goes in, uses Knock Off or Triple Axel, then switches out, so CB Weavile makes more sense than the Swords Dance set, even if being vulnerable to entry hazards is annoying.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
Heatran, just like Garchomp and Weavile, helps deal with Glowking and Blissey, while also providing Stealth Rock support. This is the first time I used Heatran in a while, so I was really surprised by how good it is. Landorus takes a lot from Magma Storm, it could defeat Tapu Fini and Toxapex even with a type disadvantage, and it checks Ferrothorn and Weavile, two very common pokemon. Heatran also destroys Trick Room teams, which its fast and frail teammates would struggle against.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 72 SpD / 184 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Toxic
- Pain Split
Washtom is like Heatran, in that it provides both offensive and defensive utility. I found this set from here. It could check Heatran, Landorus, Weavile and Melmetal and it has Volt Switch to pivot teammates in, forming a VoltTurn core with Corviknight. Toxic cripples opposing Zapdos and puts set up sweepers like Dragapult and Dragonite on a timer. I usually use Rotom as a lead, since it has a good matchup against Landorus (another common lead) and can pivot out to a more appropriate teammate.
Threats:
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Offense in general: I don’t think my team is weak against a specific threat; any barrage of powerful attacks will destroy it. My team is quite frail, so if another team has faster and more powerful breakers, like hyper offense or rain teams, I’ll be struggling a lot. This team also couldn’t really do anything against set up sweepers other than Taunt from Heatran, which is slow, and Toxic from Rotom-W, which will probably die in the process.
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RNG: These Pokemon all use moves with bad accuracy. Heatran’s Magma Storm, Rotom’s Hydro Pump, and Zapdos’ Hurricane will all miss at inconvenient times. I also have to hope that Garchomp’s Scale Shot and Weavile’s Triple Axel hit their maximum number of times.
Thanks for reading! Here's the pokepaste: https://pokepast.es/8663bcc0f2c4b711
