Hw to use a Glass Cannon

X4 Kelly

How to use a Glass Cannon

So the question is how can one fire a glass cannon without the shards of victory shattering. Well, the answer is simple when you fire your shot make sure you make the kill. I'm not a great writer so bear with me, but I find that this team has granted me success on Smogon's Shoddy Server and therefore I would like help on improving it for further sucess. Any advice will be appreciated. My team looks very weak on the surface, but usally takes out my opponents key counters allowing a sweep from TTar.

Rampardos (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Rock Polish
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Endeavor

Ramparados, on this team, is a great lead. As the Smogon analysis states, "you can use it to let your Tyranitar sweep much easier." Either you attack slower leads or Polish against guick leads. If you do get a polish up you have a good chance of killing any non bulky ground. Even Skarmory is 3HKO on Skarmory and Earthquake is a 2HKO on Bronzong. If Azelf attempts to set up Stealth Rock it dies as does Gengar if it fails to Hypnosis.

Cresselia (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/6 Def/252 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Charge Beam
- Rest
- Psychic
- Toxic

This use to be the standard Resttalk set, however, I occasionally got into stall wars with either Blissey or other Cresselias and generally found Sleep Talk near useless. Psychic and Chargebeam allow Cress to hurt Gyarados, and Infernape who can potentially cause my team problems. Salamence can't kill cress without a Dark attack and since Crunch is not standard on the mix I can usually wear Mence down with swiches on Stalth Rock.

Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP/96 Atk/156 Def/6 Spd
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind

SkarmCress is as annoying in D/P as SkarmBliss was in ADV. Skarmory sets up Stealth Rock and is incredible hard to take down on the physical side. He often gets switched in on Gyarados who falls readily to Brave Bird assaults, however prediction is usually necessary to determine if Gyarados will or will not taunt because life orb double DD will spell doom to my team.

Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP/84 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
- Magnet Rise
- Hidden Power [Ice]

As my overall strategy is to set up TTar, I took Smogon's advice to using Zone to take out his Steel Threats to heart. Magnezone works great. He easily can take out two pokemon, almost everyone uses steels, and if Ramparados gets taken out on a Bullet Punch from Metagross, Metagross is dead. I have encountered times when Metagross has been EVed to outspeed Magnezone and am not quite sure if there is a better spread for my Zone to help fix this problem.

Tyranitar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+ATK, -SATk)
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Dragon Dance

The Star of th show. Having a Tyranitar Counter is essential to surviving in Pokemon. However, when you lose both your steels and you Bulky Grounds little can save you from this menace. Ice Beam takes out Bulky Grounds and the Garchomp who thinks he can switch in on me. Crunch with stab takes out Blissey, Ghost, and Cress. While Earthquake covers other TTars and dark resisters like Lucario.

Garchomp (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk/254 Spd/4 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw

After Ramparados Endeavours them down to around 1-7, leftovers, Garchomp can usually come in and Dragon Claw taking out 1-2 of my opponents guys because they do not know that he is carrying Scarf. Overall, Garchomp is a great revenge killer taking out most pokemon at 50% or less. He, therefore, allows my defensive combination which induces switches to be much more effective.

Tyranitar - Garchomp, Skarmory
Gyarados - Skarmory, Cresselia
Infernape - Cresselia, Garchomp
Azelf - Cresselia, Tyranitar
Rhyperior - Ramparados usually take it out.
Electivire - Cresselia, any amount of decent prediction can kill it.
Heracross - I don't have a reliable counter.
Salamence - Cress on Special Skarm of Physical and usually mixed ones are worn down quckly by Stealth Rock
Togekiss - SR any physical attack can cause me problems
Gengar - Depends on the set. Tyranitar usually gets set up for free on Gengar.
Garchomp - Skarm and Garchomp.
Raikou - It has a hard time switching in and if it dosen't have a sub up Garchomp kills it easily.
Lucario - Cresselia, Skarmory, and Garchomp in conjunction with decent prediction can take it out.
Starmie - Cresselia
Weavile - Skarmory
Alakazam - Garchomp
Staraptor - SR
Machamp - Cress
Jolteon - Ramparados prevents it from doing anything constructive
Aerodactyl - SR Garchomp Skarmory
Zapdos - Falls to toxic from Cress
Blissey - Generally gets toxic stalled at the end
Suicune - Ramparados usually takes it out.
Ninjask - Ramparados attacks it until it bps and then endeavours the next guy and then usually I set up sand and then switch to an appropriate wall.
Metagross - Skarmory, Magnezone
Heatran - Garchomp, Tyranitar
Celebi - Causes me Problems
Jirachi - Tyranitar, Magnezone on non CM versions
Deoxys-S - Prediction and fraility hurt it non LO versions can cause me problems.
 
I'm not entirely sure of the viability of using Rampardos as a lead. It's slower than most of the common leads you'll run into, and the ones that it's faster than, like Bronzong, will just put it to sleep and continue to set up because it doesn't fear any of Rampardos' attacks. You mention that "even skarmory is 3hkoed and bronzong is 2hkoed by earthquake". You're not going to be hitting Bronzong with earthquake due to levitate, and a 3hko isn't necessarily something to brag about. Skarm would simply set up on you and then phaze you out. The Cress is alright I guess, but if you're using it as your Gyarados and Infernape counter, why so many Sp. Def. evs? A more balanced spread like the one for the ST set in the analysis 252 HP / 108 Defense / 148 Special Defense seems a little more functional in this case. A timid magnezone with 204 speed evs will outpace your standard Gliscor as he is a common switch in to the evident t-bolt, and it lets you get your magnet rise set up while he tries to earthquake you. You also accomplish the goal of outspeeding most Metagrosses with this spread as well, definitely CB gross, and agiliGross as well because they normally run a max speed of 202. Ok, why are you using a bold nature on tyranitar? You have 2 physical attacks and you are using a decreasing nature. I know you have ice beam for Chomp, but if you're going to use a mix tar, go all mix tar. Same with DDtar, don't try and mix the two unless you have some revolutionary spread that makes it workable. Scarfchomp is fine, it's one of the best revengers in the game. Just consider some of the things i've recommended.

edit: oops, i forgot about mold breaker. lol but still, rampardos isn't one of the pokes i'd really choose as my lead because your lead sets the tone of the game and should be able to get your team rolling in the right direction.
 
My TTar is Adamant sry about the mistype Mold Breaker owns Levitate and if Ramparados gets sleeped Magnezone sets up. Thx for the Ev suggestion on Zone I'll test it out
 
Mold Breaker prevents levitate from working, so actually, Bronzong eats an average of 80% if it's crazy enough to stay in.

However, I agree, leading off with your big surprise isn't a great idea. Pick someone else... I don't really know who though, your team has terrible lead pokemon : /
 
How is he a bad lead? Please give me feedback on the issues so I can help find a way to correct the problem. BTW, the smogon analysis states him as a good lead as far as setting up TTar so Someone might need to correct the analysis if he is in fact a bad lead.

Comments not supported by facts are useless
 
SD Lucario weakness.

Ice Beam on Tyranitar isn't too necessary as you appear to be trying to KO his counters before you send him in.
 
Yep, a defensive Zapdos would really help out... after the -def from CC Thunderbolt should OHKO. It would also give you a fairly reliable switch in to Heracross. If it picks Stone Edge just run to Cress or Garchomp and roost off the damage later.
 
How does Zapdos do vs Garchomp? Another issue I have is where do I put SR if I use Zapdos? I could possible put it on Garchomp over Fire Blast
 
OK, I guess, usually it's my first switch-in on my offensive team because if it can remove the Yache Berry, then Gengar or Alakazam can finish it. If it Outrages, then my Heatran kills it.

Basically, Swords Danced Life Orbed Dragon Claw doesn't even come close to OHKOing it. It does 83% maximum. If this is the case, HP Ice will OHKO it anyways. If it's Yache, it does even less. If it uses Outrage to kill Zapdos, Magnezone or your own Garchomp can kill it.
 
I've used that exact Rampardos before, and I have to tell you it isn't a great lead. Especially when you consider how many leads are faster then it and generally induce sleep. It is a fun and rather effective sweeper in the mid-late game because you can KO a few things and then ruin their walls with Endeavor. If you really want to use it, pack some Rapid Spin support somewhere because if you lose that Focus Sash you're dead in the water. Rampardos needs that Rock Polish to do anything.

Also, I'd highly suggest a priority move and pursuit somewhere on your team. Rampardos isn't going to sweep their entire team, so the idea is to KO one or two things and then get their wall down to 1hp with Endeavor. If you want to get that free kill afterwards, you either need to outspeed the wall and Pursuit, predict the switch and Pursuit, or hit them quick with a priority move. This is probably the biggest benefit of using a Endeavor Rampardos, because otherwise it is a lackluster sweeper.
 
In my experience, Rampardos honestly only shines in Trick Room teams, where it can be Choice Banded and wreck massive damage. Otherwise it's pretty lackluster.

I mean, you could also try Scarf, but it's still not going to last long.
 
I'd use Rampardos as either that set there or a Scarf revenge killer. It does both jobs well.
 
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