Team Magma- OU RMT

[MCBarrett]

TEAM MAGMA
An OU RMT by MCBarrett

Hello Smogon! MCBarrett here with another RMT. As you can probably tell, this team has some similarities to Lavos Spawn's Simulation of a Drought. This is because that was kind of my goal when building this team, to try and recreate that kind of offensive pressure from a sun team even after Genesect has been banned, and I'm pleased to say its gone pretty well. Its my most successful team since Genesect's banning, (I miss being able to put him on any team and fix half of my problems) and i'm currently sitting with a Glicko2 of 1900 and a +- of 77. So basically, i'm looking for your help to maximize this team's potential so i could reach my goal of qualifying for suspect voting! Anyways, thanks for reading and I'll leave you with a battle replay then move on to the team!
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/oucurrent7087611​

Ninetales @ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Flamethrower
- SolarBeam
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sunny Day

This is just a pretty standard ninetales set, with a focus on special bulk to be able to take hits from politoed, especially choice specs sets. Sunny Day is key to keep water type moves weakened even after politoed switches in and just gives me an easier way to gain the weather advantage. I like solarbeam a lot here since it applies pressure to opposing politoed right away.
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Xatu @ Rocky Helmet
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Toxic
- U-turn
- Heat Wave

Xatu is truly an amazing pokemon and what it does for this team can not be overstated. Keeping hazards off of the field, and keeping my sweepers safe from burns and paralysis is extremely beneficial. Also with heat have, being able to ohko threats like ferrothorn, breloom, and scizor is a huge plus. U-turn helps me keep momentum, which pairs well with dugtrio for trapping. I chose toxic over other options such as thunder wave because i found bulkier mons like hippowdon, donphan and jellicent were pretty difficult to deal without being able to deal residual damage. Also, xatu is a very good switch in to those types of pokemon so being able to deal damage through toxic if heat wave is resisted helps xatu stall out many pokes by itself. As far as the ev spread goes, i decided to forego the speed ev's that were recommended to outspeed adamant breloom because very few breloom that i've seen lately run stone edge so they can't touch xatu anyways. Also, i wanted to guarantee being able to take 2 bullet punches from banded scizor since he is a huge threat if my fire types are removed.

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Magma Storm
- SolarBeam
- Sunny Day

Heatran is arguably the most important member of this team, being my only steel type in a post-genesect metagame where dragons are running rampant. This is a pretty neat set that i found on site and its surprisingly effective. Magma Storm deals insane amounts of damage to everything in sight under the sun, and being able to trap bulkier mons gives me the ability to gain switch initiative, get the ko with heatran, or set up the sun again. The only move, i'm not sold on with this set is solarbeam, although it does allow me to ko politoed if i'm able to trap it. hp ice may be more useful in certain situations but i have yet to test it. air balloon and timid nature basically allows me to take on all opposing heatran which is a major wall to venusaur and kyurem-b.

Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 236 Spd / 252 Atk / 20 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stealth Rock
- Icicle Spear

I decided to replace Dugtrio with Mamoswine due to it's ability to Revenge KO Scarfed Dragons which are such a huge threat to Sun Teams in general. Mamoswine also has the ability to WallBreak much better than Dugtrio ever could, softening up the opposing team for Venusaur and Kyurem-B to sweep later on. I would like to run Adamant but I really felt that I needed to outspeed Timid Heatran since it is a pretty big threat to my team if my Heatran's Air Balloon is broken.

Venusaur @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 180 Spd / 252 SAtk / 72 HP
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SDef
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Not much needs to be said here. The ev spread allows venusaur to outspeed scarf latios which is a must. Venusaur does well as wall breaker for kyurem-b, blasting steels away with hp fire. It applies pressure to a great majority of rain teams and lures politoed in if sun is up, allowing me to deal major damage with giga drain. And of course as you all know, it will totally destroy a team that is unprepared for it, especially after a growth boost.

Kyurem-Black @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Fusion Bolt
- Dragon Claw
- Ice Beam

Kyurem-B is my revenge killer and late game sweeper alongside Venusaur. Kyurem-B benefits greatly from being on a sun team since steel types can be taken care of easily, allowing him to unleash his outrage upon the helpless opposition. I decided upon the choice scarf set because dragons are a pretty big problem for this team and if i was outsped by all of them besides dragonite, they would put way too much pressure on kyurem-b to be successful. I chose ice beam for the stab coverage and its the only member of my team with an ice type attack so that was pretty much necessary.

Thank you again for taking the time to review my team, all suggestions will be greatly appreciated and tested! I'll try to reply with feedback and make any changes as soon as possible.​

 

[Dragonbronze]

Hi, nice team you have here, but there are some changes you could implement.

Firstly, Espeon is recommended over Xatu, mainly because it has increased speed and offensive potential. Although Espeon's defense base is 10 points lower than Xatu, it has higher Sp.Def, Sp.Atk and Spe to make up for it. With Espeon, you can also attempt a dual screens set, which will be helpful for your team for set up, like Venusaur.

Espeon @ Light Clay
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Another thing would be that Earth Power on Heatran would mainly be used to hit opposing Heatran in case there isn't Dugtrio or any suitable pokemon to trap and kill the opposing Heatran. However you already have Dugtrio, which means you don't have to have Earth Power. Therefore, HP Ice > Earth Power

Other than that your team seems fine. Good luck.

 

[ganj4lF]

Hi, nice Sun team you got there. I don't have much feedback for you, the team appears quite solid at the moment. I don't like the above suggested Espeon, mainly because Espeon cannot reliably heal itself, and that means it's easily worn down with Gyro Balls from the things it's supposed to "wall", then the enemy team can lay down as many hazards as it's comfortable with. Xatu can, instead, stall out those Gyros with Roost and superior Defense, while still being able to hit back hard Steels with Heat Wave (which has higher base power than HP Fire so the point about offensive stats is kinda moot too).

The only thing I'd rather change is your choice of nature on Kyu-B. Since it appears that you rely quite a bit on its resistances (Water, especially) if Sun is not up for some reason, I'd rather use a Jolly nature instead of a Naive one. Ice Beam still gets the OHKOs you need it to have (Torn-T after SR, for example, or Gliscor / Lando regardless), and you can take advantage in a better way of Kyu-B's awesome special bulk. If you really want to not cut Ice Beam's power, I'd rather suggest a Hasty nature instead of a Naive one, since you rarely will use Kyu-B to take physical attacks (priority kills it anyway, and weaknesses to Fighting, Rock, Steel and Dragon means that it's quite unreliable at it, while it has awesome resistances to the special side, like Water, Electric, Grass, and neutrality to Ice). Just an example, if you really are desperate about an enemy Torn-T, Kyurem can switch into SR, tank a LO Hurricane and OHKO back with Ice Beam after SR, while if you choose Naive, you have a very big chance to not live the Hurricane and lose your revenge killer.

Hope my rate is useful somewhat. Good luck.

 

[Mr. Green]

Hi, nice team!

I do not agree in putting Espeon, Xatu can count on a recovery move, ie Roost, has much more defense Espeon, also it can be shot down easily for low defenses.

Your team is very weak to Rock Polish Landorus that with a boost in speed really does cause major problems to your team.
So without too upset Pokemon since I see that your all have a very specific role within the team, the only middle way is that you should change the revenge-killer, or Kyurem-B.
I suggest to replace Dragonite Choice Bander, who with Extremespeed, plus the support of Stealth Rock, Landorus can kill. Extremespeed compensate for its slowness compared to Kyurem-B Scarfer. Another solution to this, maybe even better than the previous post Latias instead of Kyurem-B as a revenge killer, Latias has more speed and is able to collect Hidden Power Ice Landorus, killing him with Draco Meteor. Finally, I suggest Hidden Power Ice> Earth Power of Heatran, since you Dugtrio the team that kills opponents Heatran also is very useful to kill the Dragon and Gliscor, though currently uncommon.
Not to mention that the two dragon suggested that both Dragonite and Latias would give an extra hand in the moves against Xatu Fight.
In the description of Dugtrio I read that Choice Scarf Latios is your biggest threat. It 'a problem easily solved, just change a move that Dugtrio same Sucker Punch> Stone Edge.
Good Luck, with your team!

Sets

Hide

Sucker Punch > Stone Edge (for Dugtrio)
Hidden Power Ice > Earth Power (for Heatran)

Dragonite (F) @ Choice Band
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
or

Latias (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Trick

 

[Bryce]

This is a very solid Sun team.I like how you used Kyurem-B in this team.ScarfKyurem-B can be a monster when played correctly.So props for that.

RP Landorus looks like it can cause quite the problem,as it threatens most Sun Offense teams including this one.It is usually abuses Dugtrio in setting up and then proceeds to sweep.Replacing Reversal for Memento will help you regarding this issue.It isn't just for Landorus,it can rob any sweeper of it's sweep,often saving you from a potential loss.The stat drops can also be abused by Venusaur in setting up.

Like ganjlF,I also think that Xatu is superior to Espeon when it comes to Hazard blocking.Xatu's bulk and reliable bulk makes it a better choice over Espeon.

Overall solid team and good luck!

 

[Prinz]

Hi there,

Cool team you have here anyway let's start with the rate!

First of all, as already said, your team has a big weakness to Rock Polish Landorus. It after one Rock Polish can 6-0'd you easily. Therefore, I suggest you to use Choice Scarf Latios, replacing Kyurem-B. It's a good revenge-kill for a lots of threats like Tornadus-T, Keldeo, Dragonite, Salamence and so on. It can also tank one Hidden Power Ice from Landorus and kill it with Draco Meteor so it's fine for your team. I will post its set below in this same rate. Then, on Dugtrio I suggest you to change Reversal into Memento. Memento would help your Venusaur to setup and it can also useful against Rock Polish Landorus. Reversal otherwise isn't very useful in this team, Dugtrio can kill anyway Tyranitar with Earthquake; Chansey and Blissey can be toxic-stalled my Xatu and they are setup fodder for Venusaur if they haven't Thunder Wave. Finally, I'd use Hidden Power Ice, replacing Earth Power on Heatran. Hidden Power Ice allows to kill dragon-types which can be problematic for your team because they have many chances to setup. Earth Power otherwise isn't very useful in this team because you have already Dugtrio to kill opposing Heatran.

That's about your team. Good luck, hope I helped!

Latios' set:

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Latios (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Trick
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]

 

[MCBarrett]

Thanks for the rates everyone!

Dragonbronze- I don't think i'll be testing espeon since it doesn't have the ability to stall out with roost as xatu does but hp ice over earth power seems like a common suggestion and that will be tested.

Ganj4IF- I'll be changing Kyurem-B's nature because being able to take resisted attacks with him is pretty important.

Mr. Green- I do like the idea of sucker punch on Dugtrio, but i'm not sure if it will be more useful than stone edge overall. I suppose i'll test it though. I don't really think Dragonite will work because i need a choice scarf to outspeed opposing dragons and extremespeed doesn't land the ohko on many of them. However, scarf latias/latios is definitely something i will try since they are the fastest dragons in ou.

White symphoni- you are right that RP Landorus can be a very big threat. I didn't realize that reversal wasn't that important for Dugtrio on this team and Memento is a great move that i've wanted to fit in on Dugtrio so i'll most likely be making that switch.

Alexander.- I kind of mentioned all of your suggestions already but i'll definitely be testing them out. I'm somewhat weary of not having a physical attacker outside of dugtrio, even though psyshock does hit for physical damage, but latios' superior speed could prove to be more useful than kyurem-b's physical attack.

 

[Shining_Latios]

Hi, cool team you have here. I haven't really seen Kyurem-B being used too often, but it's nice you are doing the opposite. There aren't any glaring threats to your team, honestly; it's a solid team. The only thing I really find problematic is Rock Polish Landorus, as stated already, and Dragon-types. My first suggestion would be to use a Stealth Rock Mamoswine over your Dugtrio. Mamoswine is a great check to both Landorus and Dragon-types as well with its access to STAB priority Ice Shard. Along with Kyurem-B, Dragons can easily be dealt with and you do not have to worry about Rock Polish Landorus. Just as Dugtrio provided you with Stealth Rocks, Mamoswine also does the same. You lose the ability to trap Pokemon such as Tyranitar, but Mamoswine should provide you with an answer to Tyranitar anyways.

I hope I helped and here is the set.

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Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash

 

[MCBarrett]

So i've been testing a little bit and i've found that hp ice over earth power has been working really well. Also Scarf Latios has worked well against teams with multiple dragons but i do sometimes miss the extra power from kyurem-b.

Thats why i really like Shining Latios' suggestion of mamoswine over dugtrio because that gives me an even better way to deal with scarf dragons and it allows me to use kyurem-b more effectively after those threats are gone.

 

[Drow]

I like the team and I use a similar shell (Ninetales, Xatu, Dugtrio, Venusaur, +2), which seems to be the current standard for OU Sun. I'll offer a few tidbits that may or may not prove useful.

Ninetales
~I'm on the fence about the choice of Solarbeam. I don't think it's as bad as many players make it out to be, but I think it comes down to playstyle. I tend to play more conservatively with my Ninetales, so I prefer Roar > Solarbeam, but if you're having success with this moveset then by all means Solarbeam away!
~I like the idea behind your EVs, but I would shift a bit of SpD into Spe to outpace some key threats. How much you do is up to you and will depend on who gives your team trouble. For instance, 32 Spe will outrun Jolly Tyranitar, 96 will outrun Adamant Mamoswine, etc. It's just a nice thing to keep in mind and can help Ninetales pull her weight in an otherwise sticky situation.

Dugtrio
~I would keep Reversal. It allows you to beat Air Balloon Heatran, among other things.
~Consider dropping Stealth Rock for Sucker Punch. They're both situational, so I would just see which fits best.
~As previously mentioned, Memento is a great option for pests that love to switch into 1hp Dugtrio, such as Gliscor.

Kyurem-B
~I haven't played with this guy much, but I've played against him plenty of times and find his typing and sluggishness a liability.
~As others have mentioned, Latias or Latios are begging for a spot here. Latios is obviously a monster revenge killer and Latias doubles as an excellent core with Heatran. Honestly I think either could get the job done. Try both!

I run virtually identical sets for Xatu/Venusaur and think your Heatran set is good.

Best of luck!

 

[Superpowerdude]

Hey! I got your request!

This team looks quite solid so there isn't really to much to critique so good job! However I think there are a few minor tweaks that can be made. Firstly I would suggest Memento>Stone Edge on Dugtrio. Memento is a great move to use on Dugtrio if you find you don't need it anymore because of its ability to lower the opponents special attack and attack. This can be quite useful, because it can give Venasaur an easier time setting up Growths. Stone Edge doesn't provide much coverage wise so losing it shouldn't be an issue. In order to give Dugtrio an easier time getting down to its Focus Sash I would run a Hasty nature which boosts speed and decreases defence. Also 21 Hp / 0 Def / 0 Sp Def Ivs also help Dugtrio get knocked down to it Focus Sash quicker and the 21 Hp ivs give Dugtrio 201 Hp, meaning after two Siesmic Toss's it gets knocked down to a full powered reversal.

Other then that nice team! I didn't really suggest to much I guess you could use a defensive Rapid Spin Starmie>Xatu if rain teams are a problem. It also helps with Mamoswine who can be a threat but it is not something you have to do.

TL:DR

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Dugtrio
.Stone Edge--->Memento
.Jolly--->Hasty
. 31 HP / 31 Def / 31 Sp Def--->21 Hp / 0 Def / 0 Sp Def (IVS)

~Superpowerdude