INTRO
Hey everyone what's going on, TheDoff back at it again, this time bringing you some SAND and MEGA GYARADOS action with a pinch of salt. Its a very solid team and despite some sets that may feel 'bad' at first glance they have proven time and time again that if a set is the 'good' set it doesn't mean another one won't work better in specific situations, for which it is specifically deviced. So please read through (and maybe try a few games) before discrediting it.
TEAMBUILDING PROCESS
Originally the team was meant to be built around Mega Heracross, a very powerful if underlooked threat lurking in OU, with the capability to stop things like Bulu and Zygarde in their tracks.
As Hera struggles a lot against faster teams I wanted an archetype that could deal with them easily, so I introduced SAND to make a powerful offensive core.
The team so far was too weak to greninja, with the capability of OHKOing Excadrill even in sand with its powerful Specs Water Shuriken. So to deal with that and to take the role of revenge killer outside of sand, Scarf Keldeo was added.
Needing to fill the roles of a rocker and a heavy special wall for the psyspam which is everywhere now, SpDef Jirachi was chosen. He also brought U-Turn momentum and Healing Wish to be able to resurrect a threat.
Finally the team was fine offensively, but struggled to deal with Hawlucha, Mega Pinsir and other heavy physical attackers. For that reason a special Zapdos set was chosen, which I will delve into later.
After some testing the team definitely performed, but there was a weakness to mega greninja and shadow ball MegaZam that was too big too ignore. For that reason I had to remove Jirachi and Mega Heracross, to replace them with Mega Gyarados and Ferrothorn. Overall the addition of these two has balanced the team a lot, and despite sacrificing two of the stars of this team I can say the change has definitely been for the better.
This is the team in its current form.
IN DETAIL:
Reason (Gyarados-Mega) @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Ice Fang / Waterfall
- Earthquake
Kicking off the RMT we have Hera's replacement, Gyarados. Its place in this team is to punch holes in the opponent's team so that its offensive partners are able to clean up nicely. Note that in this case Tyranitar is not Smooth Rock, so Excadrill will not always be in sand. For this reason Gyarados also provides a secondary win condition with Dragon Dance, for which a lot of speed is run to outspeed Tapu Koko and most notably Mega Lopunny, which can otherwise revenge and stall out crucial sand turns with fake out. The rest maximises Attack power and is dumped into HP to be a more comfortable switch in to Mega Pert and non protean Greninja when mega evolved. By changing the typing upon megaevolution Gyarados is able to change the resistances and weaknesses of the team, so it may be important to evolve as soon as possible or to keep it for mid/late game, when it's time to set up. Crunch is reliable stab to get heavy damage on Ferrothorn and OHKO psychics if you have to force them to miss a focus blast. Ice Fang is usually preferred over Waterfall to not allow Zygarde to get to +2, which can make short work of the team. EQ is for magearna and heatran considering the water move is missing. Intimidate is also pretty key as it allows Gyara to come in to check Mega Swampert mainly, and other threats multiple times if rocks aren't up. Note that the ability upon mega evolving allows to hit Rotom-W with EQ, Shedinja with any move and so on.
Fear (Tyranitar) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 44 SpD / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower / Fire Punch
Tyranitar is the second member of the team. Mainly he's here to set up sand, but the Choice Band makes him far from passive, as it allows him to threaten a huge hit every time he can come inside. Stone Edge and Crunch are obligatory STABs, and Pursuit is huge in today's meta as it means Tapu Lele cannot afford to spam psychic move as it risks losing the terrain for Megazam and Hawlucha. The last slot can be a number of options, including Ice Punch and even Aqua tail to ease prediction vs Heatran+Landorus. After extensive playing however I like to stick with Superpower as it has the ability to OHKO Chansey after rocks. Sand Stream is the obvious ability, getting residual damage on foes without recovery. The EV Spread is definitely very interchangeable. 252 Atk Adamant boosted to maximise the Choice Band's effect. 44 Speed allows you to abundantly outspeed and OHKO Pelippers before they have a chance to U-Turn out with Stone Edge, easing the matchup vs Rain. The rest is distributed between HP and SpD mainly for taking a +1 Bug Buzz from Volcarona (even though they always seem to be running Savage Spin-Out) and to have a great chance at surviving Focus Blast from scarf Lele, both when at 100%, as well as for being a more reliable switch in to Heatran to force it out when Keldeo cannot take damage. Side note: Smooth Rock is not used despite sand being the main wincon as there are a plethora of weather based teams out there, especially with the rise of Aurora Veil HO, and as such it loses usefulness compared to other items, of which Band is chosen.
Intel (Excadrill) (M) @ Steelium Z
Ability: Sand Rush
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
Yes, Intel because he's a mole. Excadrill, the Uber boy himself takes the role of Sand sweeper and Z move user in this team. However don't be quick to dismiss him outside sand, as it actually functions very well in today's meta HARD WALLING TAPU KOKO and being a huge threat for Toxapex, which this team aims to get rid of as quickly as possible. He's also my primary answer to most kinds of Magearna (broken mon smh). This Drill does not Spin, as it really likes getting the KOs on mons who stay in predicting it. Also it literally cannot afford to, as it needs both STABs (EQ being mandatory, Iron head for the powerful Z-Move that KOs unsuspecting Tangrowths and Landorus) and Rock Slide, to revenge kill Volcarona which otherwise 6-0s at +1 with rocks up (and what's a Drill that doesnt SD). EVs are for maximum speed and power output. The Z set is also chosen over standard Life Orb to get a big finishing blow on celesteela or a stall member. Jolly was nice as it outspeeded some mons at +2 but an Adamant nature has a much higher chance to OHKO toxapex and it has just proven to be more reliable in general.
Santa (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 144 Atk / 116 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
Next up is Ferrothorn. This team being very offensive this set tends to be a short lived one, that can however offer amazing utility. The EV spread in particular allows it to OHKO MEGAZAM, which is crucial as it can otherwise Trace Excadrill's Sand Rush and revenge kill very easily. The rest goes into HP and SpD to tank more hits from Battle Bond Greninja. Santa is coming with presents tonight, and he's bringing a whole plethora of hazards to distribute on the field if left unchecked. If there are no mons which it is necessary for (namely those two, but also a Mega Lopunny or other things it can heavily dent and take advantage of the Chople berry on) this ferro is used to set up as many hazards as possible and then kept for fodder when it's time to concede a body. Power Whip is crucial as it allows the OHKO on Swampert and Quagsire. Gyro is necessary for the OHKO on Zam. Leech Seed would be nice but Spikes tend to be more useful, and without protect the seed loses a lot of utility.
Finesse (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]
As mentioned in the intro, Choice Scarf Keldeo takes the role of revenge killing outside sand and switching in on Greninja and Heatran to keep Gyarados healthy. It's not the best water resist but the combination of this and Gyara tend to be able to keep Ninja in check. Pump Scald and Secret Sword are the best moves on this period, and HP Ice has a fundamental role in revenging every kind of Zygarde. For that reason my counterplay to HO zygarde is going hard Gyara and intimidate + ice fanging to prevent setup beyond +1 (as unboosted Fang doesn't KO), and then revenging with Keldeo. This is also a great lead in mid-high ladder as Landorus tries to U-turn on it turn 1 more often than I'd like to admit. Same thing for Greninja, that gets dismantled by Secret Sword. This mon forces a lot of switches but if scarf is not revealed it's adviced to think about whether to show it or not, as it can become a free KO as the game progresses. It's also super important that Keldeo stays healthy if it can afford to do so, to continue to be able to check the aforementioned pokemon. Don't sleep on Scald/Secret Sword sweep too as it can become a big win condition when its checks are weakened by Drill (thinking mainly about Pex and Tang, which is lured and OHKOd at +2 with Z Iron Head)
Choke (Zapdos) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Static
EVs: 244 HP / 240 Def / 4 SpA / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Defog
This is the key that turns the lock, the cog that makes the machine work perfectly. This Zapdos set is as good as it may seem unusual and bad due to lack of roost, and therefore, longevity. Due to the prominence of HO in the meta carrying things like Pinsir+Hawlucha+Kartana or a combination of these, and my team being super weak to all three so far, I needed a mon that could reliably get rid of all of them, and that wouldn't get over pressured by their combination. As such i crafted this set for Zapdos. The main problem with electric STAB+roost+defog sets is that they forced one of 2 conditions: either I was super weak to Ferrothorn and couldn't beat Scizor at all, or Zap becomes setup fodder for Zygarde, which i cannot allow. Then i hear you say, you could sacrifice defog for roost, and you'd have a point. However that means i would need to run Spin on the Excadrill, foregoing my ability to either revenge kill Volcarona and insta lose to it, or not allowing me to break through fat stall mons and most importantly Tangrowth, which Keldeo loves being gone and Drill lures super nicely (or i would just lose to webs). With these considerations, Iapapa Berry Zapdos became a thing. Defog is here almost only for Sticky Webs (always) and Tspikes (sometimes), which can hinder my sweeper's abilities to get the job done. But most of the times you'll be fishing for paras on mons like HEATRAN, which is important to predict not to give him flash fire, which can be a massive danger, Zard X (you usually get 3-4 chances through Static and Discharge), Heat Waving Kartanas and hp icing on Landos/Zygardes/other dragons. This means when it's out Zapdos is able to ALWAYS put out immense pressure as its always hitting for SE damage or threatening paras, and the defensive EVs mean it will be able to put a full stop to Kartana, Pinsir and Lucha, threatening Paralysis with static and OHKOing all three with the exception of Pinsir. The Iapapa berry's crucial role is that of relieving pressure on it, and the main selling point is that it is not expected. This means that if I'm able to manage the Zapdos' health well enough (usually by taking rocks damage + sand helps a lot in this case as it helps me manage my chip) my opponent will send out Lucha -POP THE ELECTRIC SEED- and SD seeing a zapdos at 49% (say because it already dealt with a Pinsir), that will only come in at 24% after rocks. Not a counter anymore. Well, it comes in and suddenly it's back at 75% and forces hawlucha to die or switch off, coming back in without the speed boost from Unburden and making it easily revenge killed by Keldeo and Excadrill.
The drawback with this set is that you obviously have to play the Zapdos much more carefully and thoughtfully, but honestly it has won me many, many games. Just when he thought it was GG zapdos is a counter again. If you don't believe me try it out I swear dude it works.
REPLAYS:
I considered making this RMT and made it straight up so I don't have many replays with this team despite a lot of playing with it. I'm posting one (EDIT: two) against a very high ladder opponent (1900+) that showcases exactly how the zapdos set is meant to lure mistakes. Also at this point i was running magnet rise on Drill for tech against Lando and gliscor spam, so I'm pretty glad I managed to bluff Rock Slide in the chat as his Volcarona was on the way to picking up the W. Lel.
Made a small choke at the end after outplaying him the whole game but gladly i wasn't crit so it's all good.
(ps I say first game with the team, I meant today)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-808145901
This other one is how to play the rain matchup after losing your Tyranitar turn 2 because you thought you knew the team.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-808154664
Here's the one that got me to 1800, another W copped by Zapdos
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-808441463
I'll post some more when I get some good battles. Had a couple really really good ones and it's super frustrating I didn't save the replays, but I'm sure there will be more.
CONCLUSION
So, that's the team. It's techy and it's trying to play the mindgame with the opponent, both things I particularly love in competitive pokemon. I can't stress enough how crucial team preview is as it will help you determine your main wincon and what needs to stay healthy for which occasions. But that taken into account, this has honestly the potential to beat anything, especially in the hands of a player that may be more skilled than me. There are threats, of course, big ones too (mostly Zygarde, Medicham, Screens HO in general, and psyspam+greninja) but they all allow for counter play. It needs to be played very offensively for it to perform at its best and to deal with the majority of its counters. Stall is a tough matchup, as I don't have a dedicated stall breaker and I have to rely on making the right predictions with my strongest attacks, but I definitely have enough ways to counter it.
(IMPORTANT: Against Aurora Veil HO lead Keldeo and spam Scald. Don't stop spamming Scald even if they have koko out, they do see the Excadrill. Whatever you do DON'T LET ZYGARDE IN FOR FREE. It's a threat but if you play correctly it cannot win. See replay below for reference on how the matchup should be played.)
I hope you like the team and if you decide to try it out, I hope you enjoy playing with it and can offer me insight as to how to improve it further.
Peace out
The drawback with this set is that you obviously have to play the Zapdos much more carefully and thoughtfully, but honestly it has won me many, many games. Just when he thought it was GG zapdos is a counter again. If you don't believe me try it out I swear dude it works.
REPLAYS:
I considered making this RMT and made it straight up so I don't have many replays with this team despite a lot of playing with it. I'm posting one (EDIT: two) against a very high ladder opponent (1900+) that showcases exactly how the zapdos set is meant to lure mistakes. Also at this point i was running magnet rise on Drill for tech against Lando and gliscor spam, so I'm pretty glad I managed to bluff Rock Slide in the chat as his Volcarona was on the way to picking up the W. Lel.
Made a small choke at the end after outplaying him the whole game but gladly i wasn't crit so it's all good.
(ps I say first game with the team, I meant today)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-808145901
This other one is how to play the rain matchup after losing your Tyranitar turn 2 because you thought you knew the team.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-808154664
Here's the one that got me to 1800, another W copped by Zapdos
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-808441463
I'll post some more when I get some good battles. Had a couple really really good ones and it's super frustrating I didn't save the replays, but I'm sure there will be more.
CONCLUSION
So, that's the team. It's techy and it's trying to play the mindgame with the opponent, both things I particularly love in competitive pokemon. I can't stress enough how crucial team preview is as it will help you determine your main wincon and what needs to stay healthy for which occasions. But that taken into account, this has honestly the potential to beat anything, especially in the hands of a player that may be more skilled than me. There are threats, of course, big ones too (mostly Zygarde, Medicham, Screens HO in general, and psyspam+greninja) but they all allow for counter play. It needs to be played very offensively for it to perform at its best and to deal with the majority of its counters. Stall is a tough matchup, as I don't have a dedicated stall breaker and I have to rely on making the right predictions with my strongest attacks, but I definitely have enough ways to counter it.
(IMPORTANT: Against Aurora Veil HO lead Keldeo and spam Scald. Don't stop spamming Scald even if they have koko out, they do see the Excadrill. Whatever you do DON'T LET ZYGARDE IN FOR FREE. It's a threat but if you play correctly it cannot win. See replay below for reference on how the matchup should be played.)
I hope you like the team and if you decide to try it out, I hope you enjoy playing with it and can offer me insight as to how to improve it further.
Peace out
