Introduction
So after my team ended up looking almost exactly like 2 other posters (except I never thought of the brilliance of spike stacking), I decided to try to update it and do something different.
I prefer making teams and experimenting with them, as I get bored battling really fast. My volatility is like .3 so my rating goes up only one point for each win and I got bored when I realized I just won 40 times and only went up 40 points in my CRE...I knew I should've used a different account. Oh well.
Anyway, its a really, really standard team. However, I am using some less popular sets that few people are prepared for. Effective? Yell yeah.
Basically, this team wears down the opposing team enough so that the weaker, but faster DDMence can wipe the floor. Even though it is probably WEAKER than a max attack, LO DDMence, its speed and bulk after two DDs allow it to wipe the floor.
Attack of the Bulky Dragon (no, not the fat one)
Analysis:
Azelf @ Focus Sash
Levitate
216 Atk/252 Spe/40 SpA
Naive
-Stealth Rock
-Psychic
-Taunt
-Explosion
Leads don't get much more reliable and effective than this. I was never a big fan of Azelf and other suicide leads since I first was introduced to Shoddy, and instead opted for bulkier stuff like Metagross, Empoleon, and Jirachi. In fact, I don't even know if I even used Azelf more than a few times. I chose Azelf because I predict a spike in Smeargle leads thanks to the success of Kevin/August, just like how Panamaxis' use of Metagross led to his spike in usage. Lum berries will be everywhere, and Azelf will be top dog again.
Well Azelf is a monster of a lead. A fast SR is obviously the main point of using Azelf, and boy he does a good job at setting them up. SR is essential for wearing down stuff on my team, and it is needed for my Heatran to get the important 2hkos. Psychic is there to do a bit of damage if I need to, and 2hko Aerodactyl. Taunt for other Azelf, slow leads and stop them from getting rocks, which is always cool.
Explode is so great for my team. With the attack investment, I can absolutely destroy just about anything, and even something like Tyranitar takes 60% or more, which really eases pressure for the rest of my team. And it gets me some real momentum.
Max speed and Naive is obvious, but I opt for more Atk EVs for a bigger Explosion. 40 SpA guarantees the KO on Aero.
Heatran @ Life Orb
Flash Fire
4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid
-Substitute
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-HP Grass
Again, another monster of a pokemon. This thing absolutely crushes any team without Blissey; it's unbelievable killing power really puts my opponent into a hole wondering what to do. Gimme a Flash Fire boost and anything bar Blissey is probably getting itself KOed. His main job is to lure bulky waters and proceed to wreck them with HP Grass, which makes Salamences job much easier.
Substitute is the absolute crux of this set, forcing opponents to attack, easing my prediction, and getting me cool 2hkos. Yes the damage racks up fast, but his immunity to sandstorm and his amazing number of 4x resistances means he lives a lot longer than expected. Usually he dies from kicking too much ass hehe.
Fire Blast is completely awesome with LO. 2hkos so many pokemon, even stuff that resists. Sometimes I wish flamethrower would be cool, but the power this gets with LO and a possible FF boost is amazing. Even a Latias takes a big chunk of its health when it gets hit.
Earth Power 2hkos Tentacruel and Tyranitar that think they have any business. Obviously takes care of opposing Heatran, and provides a relatively safe move for stuff like Metagross or Jirachi.
HP Grass has killed many a Swampert and other bulky waters. Most of them don't stand a chance, except for a fast Suicune. Do I wish I had DPulse here at times? Yes, very much, but Salamence needs those Bulky Waters dead and Heatran is here to do it.
Rotom-C @ Leftovers
Levitate
216 HP/220 Spe/72 SpA
Timid
-Substitute
-Thunderbolt
-HP Fighting
-Shadow Ball
Hehe, another good one. My spin blocker, but more importantly, he is a menace against teams again. Just the right stats in just the right places make him shine.
With 72 SpA, he 2hkos 248/0 Scizor with TBolt after Stealth Rock. Yeah, that is really cool, especially since it is always trying to Pursuit me. HP Fighting deals modest damage against Magnezone, Mamo, but it is the only move that can touch Tyranitar. Luckily, Azelf usually blows up on T-Tar, meaning he loses to my Rotom. Shadow Ball rounds out the coverage, deals with other Rotom, Gengar, etc.
LO Starmie can be a pain for this. It is a pain in general, but Rotom's nice defenses mean that if he is healthy, he can take that LO shot and KO right back.
His ability to lure in T-Tar and Scizor and kill them off (or at least weaken) make him a great pair with Scarf Latias, relieving any pressure.
Rotom-c makes Swampert think twice before switching in....and you know it, he looks cool.
Latias @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
4 Def/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid
-Draco Meteor
-Surf
-Thunderbolt
-Trick
My favorite pokemon, this is why my team can succeed. It is THE ultimate, most flexible revenger. Between the 3 attacks and Trick, it can stop just about any assault my opponent throws at me. Once the Pursuiters are gone, this is an absolutely amazing pokemon that just runs wild.
The moves are totally self explanatory. Trick is a neat move for stat uppers, as well as breaking down stall by tricking it Blissey. Blissey is actually quite troublesome to my team, so I appreciate it when the trick pulls off. I actually prefer Latias without Scarf, so I generally trick it off fairly early once I know my opponent's team a little. Basically, the 4 moves allow me to handle just about any threat my opponent throws at me. Cool.
Checks a lot of stuff....likes killing Starmie hehe.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Technician
120 HP/216 Atk/4 Spe/172 SpD
Adamant
-U Turn
-Bullet Punch
-Pursuit
-Superpower
Yep...here he is again. Ridiculous this guy is right? Just so good. I don't think he needs any explaining but I will anyway.
Deals with revenge jobs. Can sweep. Scouts. Transition mon. My go to guy. Trapper. So many roles are filled by this guy, its a shame his defenses really aren't that good. I don't feel I need to write much....
Anyway the EVs are funky. I didn't bother going with max attack, instead I wanted some SpD bulk (172 is pretty good), but the 120 HP helps him take some physical stuff a bit better too. If you have a better spread, hit me up.
Salamence @ Lum Berry
Intimidate
248 HP/156 Def/104 Spe
Jolly
-Dragon Dance
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Roost
This guy is what it is all about. BulkyMence....long time no see right? Everyone think that Dragonite outclasses this...wrong. Physically bulky Salamence is where its at! Why? Scizor. I can actually not get 2hkoed by the brawling bug, which is really just fine and dandy. Oh, and I outspeed EVERYTHING after 2 DDs, Dragonite is far too fat for that. Levitating steels? No problem, they get worn down by my team anyway. Bulky waters? That is what Heatran was for.
Once it is all said and then, Salamence can go for 2 DDs, heal back up, and sweep it up. Pretty self explanatory moves in terms of what we are going for. DD is obvious, Roost to heal throughout the match, DClaw and EQ provide sick coverage.
EVs are to outspeed Jolly Gyara before a DD, and outspeed tons of other random things that try to outrun Lucario. Also a good Adamant Lucario check. Jolly ones use Ice Punch, and Rotom can handle those.
I chose Lum because I was completely tired of getting paralyzed, frozen, burned, etc. during my set up. I am considering Outrage now though, since I do run Lum. Oh and it is nice for those SubTran that run Toxic.
Yep....that is the team. I like it, I hope you do too. It does a great job at reaching its goal usually, and most importantly, it is flexible. Flexiblity is the key to a good team; no matter what I face, no matter what happens, I'm still going to be able to have a chance to win. Oh yeah and stall? 1 SR weak, Toxic Spike Immune (I always have that, this is really useful since it makes Roserade/Tentacruel waste their time when getting those spikes up), 4 immune to spikes. I still have difficulty breaking stall if Blissey is around though. I didn't play too many stall teams during my 41 matches and managed to beat most of them via Tricking scarf to blissey---->Heatran
That is the kind of team I like. I'm going to take a nice long break from shoddy for a bit and get my summer homework done haha....
So after my team ended up looking almost exactly like 2 other posters (except I never thought of the brilliance of spike stacking), I decided to try to update it and do something different.
I prefer making teams and experimenting with them, as I get bored battling really fast. My volatility is like .3 so my rating goes up only one point for each win and I got bored when I realized I just won 40 times and only went up 40 points in my CRE...I knew I should've used a different account. Oh well.
Anyway, its a really, really standard team. However, I am using some less popular sets that few people are prepared for. Effective? Yell yeah.
Basically, this team wears down the opposing team enough so that the weaker, but faster DDMence can wipe the floor. Even though it is probably WEAKER than a max attack, LO DDMence, its speed and bulk after two DDs allow it to wipe the floor.
Attack of the Bulky Dragon (no, not the fat one)
Analysis:
Azelf @ Focus Sash
Levitate
216 Atk/252 Spe/40 SpA
Naive
-Stealth Rock
-Psychic
-Taunt
-Explosion
Leads don't get much more reliable and effective than this. I was never a big fan of Azelf and other suicide leads since I first was introduced to Shoddy, and instead opted for bulkier stuff like Metagross, Empoleon, and Jirachi. In fact, I don't even know if I even used Azelf more than a few times. I chose Azelf because I predict a spike in Smeargle leads thanks to the success of Kevin/August, just like how Panamaxis' use of Metagross led to his spike in usage. Lum berries will be everywhere, and Azelf will be top dog again.
Well Azelf is a monster of a lead. A fast SR is obviously the main point of using Azelf, and boy he does a good job at setting them up. SR is essential for wearing down stuff on my team, and it is needed for my Heatran to get the important 2hkos. Psychic is there to do a bit of damage if I need to, and 2hko Aerodactyl. Taunt for other Azelf, slow leads and stop them from getting rocks, which is always cool.
Explode is so great for my team. With the attack investment, I can absolutely destroy just about anything, and even something like Tyranitar takes 60% or more, which really eases pressure for the rest of my team. And it gets me some real momentum.
Max speed and Naive is obvious, but I opt for more Atk EVs for a bigger Explosion. 40 SpA guarantees the KO on Aero.
Heatran @ Life Orb
Flash Fire
4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid
-Substitute
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-HP Grass
Again, another monster of a pokemon. This thing absolutely crushes any team without Blissey; it's unbelievable killing power really puts my opponent into a hole wondering what to do. Gimme a Flash Fire boost and anything bar Blissey is probably getting itself KOed. His main job is to lure bulky waters and proceed to wreck them with HP Grass, which makes Salamences job much easier.
Substitute is the absolute crux of this set, forcing opponents to attack, easing my prediction, and getting me cool 2hkos. Yes the damage racks up fast, but his immunity to sandstorm and his amazing number of 4x resistances means he lives a lot longer than expected. Usually he dies from kicking too much ass hehe.
Fire Blast is completely awesome with LO. 2hkos so many pokemon, even stuff that resists. Sometimes I wish flamethrower would be cool, but the power this gets with LO and a possible FF boost is amazing. Even a Latias takes a big chunk of its health when it gets hit.
Earth Power 2hkos Tentacruel and Tyranitar that think they have any business. Obviously takes care of opposing Heatran, and provides a relatively safe move for stuff like Metagross or Jirachi.
HP Grass has killed many a Swampert and other bulky waters. Most of them don't stand a chance, except for a fast Suicune. Do I wish I had DPulse here at times? Yes, very much, but Salamence needs those Bulky Waters dead and Heatran is here to do it.
Rotom-C @ Leftovers
Levitate
216 HP/220 Spe/72 SpA
Timid
-Substitute
-Thunderbolt
-HP Fighting
-Shadow Ball
Hehe, another good one. My spin blocker, but more importantly, he is a menace against teams again. Just the right stats in just the right places make him shine.
With 72 SpA, he 2hkos 248/0 Scizor with TBolt after Stealth Rock. Yeah, that is really cool, especially since it is always trying to Pursuit me. HP Fighting deals modest damage against Magnezone, Mamo, but it is the only move that can touch Tyranitar. Luckily, Azelf usually blows up on T-Tar, meaning he loses to my Rotom. Shadow Ball rounds out the coverage, deals with other Rotom, Gengar, etc.
LO Starmie can be a pain for this. It is a pain in general, but Rotom's nice defenses mean that if he is healthy, he can take that LO shot and KO right back.
His ability to lure in T-Tar and Scizor and kill them off (or at least weaken) make him a great pair with Scarf Latias, relieving any pressure.
Rotom-c makes Swampert think twice before switching in....and you know it, he looks cool.
Latias @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
4 Def/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid
-Draco Meteor
-Surf
-Thunderbolt
-Trick
My favorite pokemon, this is why my team can succeed. It is THE ultimate, most flexible revenger. Between the 3 attacks and Trick, it can stop just about any assault my opponent throws at me. Once the Pursuiters are gone, this is an absolutely amazing pokemon that just runs wild.
The moves are totally self explanatory. Trick is a neat move for stat uppers, as well as breaking down stall by tricking it Blissey. Blissey is actually quite troublesome to my team, so I appreciate it when the trick pulls off. I actually prefer Latias without Scarf, so I generally trick it off fairly early once I know my opponent's team a little. Basically, the 4 moves allow me to handle just about any threat my opponent throws at me. Cool.
Checks a lot of stuff....likes killing Starmie hehe.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Technician
120 HP/216 Atk/4 Spe/172 SpD
Adamant
-U Turn
-Bullet Punch
-Pursuit
-Superpower
Yep...here he is again. Ridiculous this guy is right? Just so good. I don't think he needs any explaining but I will anyway.
Deals with revenge jobs. Can sweep. Scouts. Transition mon. My go to guy. Trapper. So many roles are filled by this guy, its a shame his defenses really aren't that good. I don't feel I need to write much....
Anyway the EVs are funky. I didn't bother going with max attack, instead I wanted some SpD bulk (172 is pretty good), but the 120 HP helps him take some physical stuff a bit better too. If you have a better spread, hit me up.
Salamence @ Lum Berry
Intimidate
248 HP/156 Def/104 Spe
Jolly
-Dragon Dance
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Roost
This guy is what it is all about. BulkyMence....long time no see right? Everyone think that Dragonite outclasses this...wrong. Physically bulky Salamence is where its at! Why? Scizor. I can actually not get 2hkoed by the brawling bug, which is really just fine and dandy. Oh, and I outspeed EVERYTHING after 2 DDs, Dragonite is far too fat for that. Levitating steels? No problem, they get worn down by my team anyway. Bulky waters? That is what Heatran was for.
Once it is all said and then, Salamence can go for 2 DDs, heal back up, and sweep it up. Pretty self explanatory moves in terms of what we are going for. DD is obvious, Roost to heal throughout the match, DClaw and EQ provide sick coverage.
EVs are to outspeed Jolly Gyara before a DD, and outspeed tons of other random things that try to outrun Lucario. Also a good Adamant Lucario check. Jolly ones use Ice Punch, and Rotom can handle those.
I chose Lum because I was completely tired of getting paralyzed, frozen, burned, etc. during my set up. I am considering Outrage now though, since I do run Lum. Oh and it is nice for those SubTran that run Toxic.
Yep....that is the team. I like it, I hope you do too. It does a great job at reaching its goal usually, and most importantly, it is flexible. Flexiblity is the key to a good team; no matter what I face, no matter what happens, I'm still going to be able to have a chance to win. Oh yeah and stall? 1 SR weak, Toxic Spike Immune (I always have that, this is really useful since it makes Roserade/Tentacruel waste their time when getting those spikes up), 4 immune to spikes. I still have difficulty breaking stall if Blissey is around though. I didn't play too many stall teams during my 41 matches and managed to beat most of them via Tricking scarf to blissey---->Heatran
That is the kind of team I like. I'm going to take a nice long break from shoddy for a bit and get my summer homework done haha....