The Wrath of Moltres

[Yoshida]

The Wrath of Moltres

Introduction

Hello everyone, I'm here to present you one of my more successful RU teams that I've been using. I should probably introduce myself as well; I'm Yoshida and I've been lurking on Smogon for a while. I finally decided to join because I was looking for advice with this team, and all I have to say is that this place is really great! The people here are funny and nice and I'm glad I decided to join. So, hello!

Normally I haven't been playing RU due to Cofagrigus being dominant in the tier, but due to the addition of Nidoqueen and Escavalier in the tier, and due to Cofagrigus leaving for UU soon, I'm actually really excited for the future of RU, so I decided to make a team that will abuse one of RU's biggest specially offensive threats, Moltres. The reason I'm not using Nidoqueen is because I fear it will also be moving back to UU/BL2, so I want to try not to make this RMT irrelevant. Anyway, onto the team!

Team Building Process

I started the team off with an obvious combo, Moltres and Kabutops. With SR being a big factor in defeating an opponent's Moltres, it is obvious that a team running Moltres must have a Rapid Spinner. I chose a Rapid Spinner that can at least touch two of the bulky Ghost tyes in RU, Cofagrigus and Spiritomb. Sandslash is absolute trash who shouldn't even be RU and Hitmonchan can't touch Ghosts. I thought about Cryogonal, but the team is more offensively oriented, so I went with Kabutops.

One Pokemon I really love using in RU is Jynx. With Dry Skin, Jynx is my primary check to Rain Dance teams and can actually put on a full sweep with NP + Ice Beam. Behind a Substitute, Jynx can be very naughty, and it serves as a helpful team mate due to absorbing Water type attacks aimed at Moltres.

Rotom-C is probably the best scout B/W RU has to offer, and it can be a great revenge killer thanks to its coverage and excellent Speed when equipped with a Choice Scarf. Like I said, this team is oriented towards offense, so Speed is a necessity. That's pretty much all I have to say about Rotom-C; oh, and its typing is very helpful because it takes Fighting type attacks very well.

Absol is also really great, and I'm happy to see it moving up from NU at the end of the month. It serves as the second revenge killer on the team due to its access to Sucker Punch, which can be really helpful when a set up sweeper on the other team is running low on health. Absol is a nasty physical sweeper, especially after an SR boost, and I feel many people underestimate its power because it isn't seen much (due to it still being NU, but it's still used). Like Jynx, Absol can come back from a 4-1 match and give me a win when set up properly.

Finally, an offensive team always appreciates hazard support, and Uxie can be a great lead when I need it to be (and it's the best lead RU has to offer; some argue Smeargle, but I digress). Access to Thunder Wave and Stealth Rock are really helpful when faster Pokemon like Sceptile and Unburden Hitmonlee threaten to run over my team. In fact, it can even take a +2 Night Slash from Drapion and cripple it with Thunder Wave so another team mate can come in and finish it off. Uxie and Absol are the two slowest members on the team, but Absol has priority to make up for it, and Uxie has Thunder Wave and great bulk, so I don't regret putting Uxie on the team.

At A Glance

In Depth Description of the Team

Moltres @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Hurricane
- Roost​

Moltres functions as the special sweeper on the team, and does a really good job at it. Hurricane and Fire Blast are the two primary STABs here, and aside from the miss hax that can be frustrating, it seldom lets me down. I chose Hurricane over Air Slash because flinch hax doesn't matter much when you're 2HKOing Slowking after SR damage. In fact, Moltres pretty much 2HKOs everything after SR damage bar Munchlax and Togetic (but who uses that stuff anyway).

Roost can help if Kabutops is down and SR is on the field, but most of the time it isn't needed when Moltres is dishing out damage. The EV spread allows it to hit as hard as possible and out speed a good portion of the RU meta game (although it speed ties with +0 Lilligant and Klinklang, and is unfortunately out sped by Rotom by one point; curse 91 Speed).

Edits:

Kabutops (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Weak Armor
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Rapid Spin
- Stone Edge​

Kabutops is very important for the team because it removes Stealth Rock from the field, which allows Moltres to have a better chance at sweeping. I chose Kabutops because the team is a very fast paced and offensive team, so I needed something that could not only threaten Ghosts like Cofagrigus and Spiritomb, but also get the job done of spinning. The move set choice was easy, as Swords Dance is required to reliably KO bulky Ghosts so it can spin effectively.

I chose Adamant over Jolly precisely so I could OHKO Cofagrigus after SR damage, but I can always change it back to out speed random stuff like Medicham iirc, but that's why I have Aqua Jet. Life Orb provides a lot of extra power, but sometimes it is harmful when I just have to bring it in to spin, but most of the time, the extra power is worth it. Also, Weak Armor is a really good Trait that can really help in some matches when I need to out speed something, but most of the time Kabutops is OHKOd anyway.

Edits:

Jynx (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Lovely Kiss
- Ice Beam​

Like I said, Jynx is just one of those Pokemon that I use on almost every team I make. Why? Because it is so good at setting up a Sub while the opponent switches out, sets up, and either get Nasty Plot boosts through stalling with Lovely Kiss, or taking a hit and then proceeding to KO with Ice Beam. The one problem with Jynx is that sometimes Lovely Kiss can miss, and it can really screw me over if I'm not behind a Sub (and even if I am, it's possible it can be KOd if the opposing Pokemon out speeds). Combine that with Jynx's awesome Speed stat and an excellent Trait, and you have yourself a Pokemon worthy of being banned from NU.

Dry Skin is great to abuse, and because of it, Jynx is a great switch in to Pokemon like Slowking and Lanturn (and it can really help when SR is in play and Jynx regains the HP with Dry Skin). Also, due to the prevalence of Rain Dance teams, Jynx is a great check to them due to Dry skin restoring her HP. Overall, Jynx is just really awesome in all aspects of the game, and definitely deserves a spot on the team.

Edits:

Rotom-C @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick​

Rotom-C is an awesome scout and Pokemon in general, and 445 Speed is awesome, because it provides a last resort option for clutch Speed if a set up sweeper is in play (Rotom-C can out speed a lot of +1 Speed Pokemon, believe it or not). Volt Switch helps the team gain a little momentum, and Leaf Storm is great because of all the bulky Water types in RU, like Slowking and Lanturn. Hidden Power Ice is just there if I need to hit something like Druddigon, but it is helpful when they switch to Nidoqueen expecting a Volt Switch, and you 2HKO them with HP Ice.

Trick is probably one of the cooler moves that I like on the set, because it can cripple a lot of the special walls I have a little trouble with, like Sigilyph, Munchlax, and Clefable. Trick can also be used in a combo with Uxie's Thunder Wave to nullify Choice Scarf, and sometimes Rotom-C can pick up a useful item like Leftovers or Life Orb in the process. I have no regrets putting Rotom-C on the team; it gets the job done and can often swing a match in my favor.

Edits:

Absol (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Naughty Nature (+Atk, -SpD)
- Sucker Punch
- Night Slash
- Superpower
-Fire Blast
​

Absol is a very underrated threat in the B/W RU meta game, and I wish people would use it more (maybe things will change when it moves up to RU). Absol packs a powerful Attack stat backed up by a priority Sucker Punch and extremely powerful Superpower that prevents Absol from being walled by Steel types. Absol is one of my answers to set up sweepers in KO range, and also special walls in general. Night Slash and Superpower have pretty good coverage, but I often use Sucker Punch unless I'm facing a CM user or something like that. Fire Blast is to surprise Bug types expecting me to switch out to something else (and sometimes I can surprise Galvantula on the switch), so overall it is very helpful to have a back-up plan for Bug types if Moltres is down.

Finally, although Super Luck is based on luck (seems pretty obvious), it can be really helpful in certain situations, and although I feel bad when I get multiple critical hits in a game, it can't be helped. Other than that, though, Absol is really great on its own and should definitely be used more than it is being used right now.

Edits: Swords Dance ---> Fire Blast - I decided to change Absol to an all out attacker because the team is having trouble with Bug types, so instead I can surprise Bug types like Escavalier who expect me to switch out.

Adamant Nature ---> Naughty Nature - Because Absol now runs Fire Blast, I can't have a Nature that takes away from Absol's already sub-par SpA stat.

Uxie @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic​

Uxie is arguably the best lead in the RU meta game, and it's pretty obvious why it's #4 on the usage list. What's awesome about Uxie is that it gets access to Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave, so it can cripple Scarfed Pokemon and SR weak users like Moltres and Entei. Uxie is a great mixed wall; with the EV spread Uxie hits 369/296 Defense/SpD, which allows it to take multiple hits before it goes down. U-Turn helps to gain momentum in tandem with Rotom-C's Volt Switch, but due to Uxie's low Attack stat, it is almost never very useful. Psychic is mainly filler but it helps to get rid of Hitmonlee, which is rather threatening to the team.

One thing I would like to change about Uxie is put Light Screen/Reflect over Psychic, and Lum Berry over Leftovers. Lum Berry is helpful so Uxie isn't crippled by Thunder Wave, and Light Screen/Reflect could be a lot more helpful than Psychic, but I'm still debating it because Psychic is very helpful for Hitmonlee and Nidoqueen, so I'm still not sure. However, Uxie is still very good and will always be my primary choice for a hazard setter and team supporter.

Edits:

Threat List

Minor threats in orange
Major threats in red

Unburden Users: Unburden users like Hitmonlee and Sceptile are very dangerous, especially the former, because after a Speed boost they can out speed my entire team. Once the Fighting Gem or Petaya Berry is used, either of the users can run through the entire team. I usually rely on Uxie for Hitmonlee and Moltres for Sceptile, but without them I have nothing to do as they out speed and kill off my team. Jynx is unreliable because Hitmonlee carries Blaze Kick, not to mention Jynx is so frail.

Special Walls: Special Walls are a problem because they prevent Moltres from attempting a sweep. My most reliable options for them are Absol with Superpower or Kabutops with SD Aqua Jet / Stone Edge, but Rotom-C can also cripple any special wall with Trick. Special walls like Lanturn are easy to deal with, but Eviolite Munchlax and CM Clefable are sometimes difficult. However, I do have many ways to deal with them, so I'm usually not concerned (plus who uses Munchlax?).

Aggron: Aggron is a minor threat because of Sturdy. Often Absol is able to make the kill because of Superpower, but if Aggron is behind a Sub or is at full health, it can be quite troublesome. A good way I deal with Aggron is to break Aggron's Sub with Rotom-C's Volt Switch, and deal with it accordingly (although I usually lose someone in the process).

Bug types: Accelgor, Galvantula, Escavalier, and any other Bug type threatens the team because my team often does not have a direct answer to them. Galvantula in particular hits every member of my team for weakness, and a CB Megahorn/Iron Head from Escavalier can leave holes in the team. Accelgor isn't as powerful, but is definitely fast and I should always be cautious of it. Overall, though, Moltres can make quick work of Bug types not named Galvantula (assuming it doesn't switch in), and Absol's Sucker Punch or Kabutops' Aqua Jet can make quick work of Galvantula. Also, having Stealth Rock on the field is a good bonus to limit the lifespan of the bugs, so I can finish them off with a strong priority move. Also, Absol has Fire Blast to surprise them with proper prediction, so overall I have listed them as a minor threat.

The team actually deals with two of the most used Pokemon in the tier, Cofagrigus and Nidoqueen. Absol, Jynx, and Kabutops are all good ways to handle these two, so they aren't too threatening, which is a good thing I like about the team. I might have missed some stuff like CB Entei, but every Pokemon has some way that it can be handled, so this is a just a short draft of what could be a much more extensive threat list.

Laddering Peaks

I'll try to get a screenshot of the ladder when I have a chance (and when I feel I've laddered pretty well), but at one point this team was in the top 20 on the PO Server (doesn't really mean much since PO is just a bunch of n00bs who actually use stuff like Sandslash and Munchlax, but I still am proud of myself for laddering so high up, especially against the more competitive people).

Credits and Conclusion

Pokemonelite2000.com - for letting me use sprites
A dude, Thathavocguy, and Shouting for their suggestions to the team :]

So, that's it for my RMT. Feel free to use the export found at the bottom of this post to try out the team for yourself. I don't care if you give me credit or not, but if you decide to give me credit, give the Pokemon nick names that correspond to Yoshi colors (Moltres = Red Yoshi, Uxie = Yellow or Pink Yoshi, and so on). :] Thanks for reading, and please comment/criticize my team; all feedback is appreciated, because I understand my team isn't perfect. Finally, thank you Smogon for being a great university! :]

Team Export

Moltres @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Hurricane
- Roost

Kabutops (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Weak Armor
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Rapid Spin
- Stone Edge

Rotom (Rotom-C) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick

Absol (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Night Slash
- Superpower

Jynx (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Lovely Kiss
- Ice Beam

Uxie @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic

 

[Alfalfa]

I would recommend, since you have two Pokemon that can abuse Rain, and one with access to Hurricane, that you make this a rain team. Although Moltres' Fire Blast will be weakened, the STAB bonus helps. With Uxie, go Damp Rock > Leftovers, and Rain Dance > Thunder Wave. Also, I suggest Volbeat > Rotom-C. Volbeat has access to Prankster, so it can subpass for Jynx so she is not a mono-attacker. Also, Volbeat can set up rain with ease.

Hide

Volbeat @ Damp Rock
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 Sp Def
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Rain Dance
- Encore
- Baton Pass

With Volbeat SubPassing, you have a space for Jynx to go Energy Ball > Substitute, so you can destroy bulky waters. Good luck.

 

[Thatguyhavoc]

The team is called "the wrath of Moltres", why would he use a rain dance team that's supposed to be centered around Moltres?

Kabutops is there to spin away rocks which will strip 50% from Moltres.

Jynx and Rotom-C are there to soak water hits FOR Moltres.

Rotom-C also pairs with Absol to revenge kill if necessary.

And Uxie is a bulky SR user, who CAN take hits for Moltres if necessary and also has access to Thunder Wave.

See the Theme?

Also that Volbeat set is too easily Tauntable.

 

[Shouting]

This is a team with awesome synergy and all (I'm pretty sure I've played this team before, or something incredibly similar to it.) but there is one somewhat big flaw I see and that is Bug types, specifically Galvantula, which outruns everything but Rotom-C, but it can't do too much back to it, and hits your team with Thunder + Bug Buzz which hits all of your team for Super Effective damage. Aqua Jet and Sucker Punch help, but they are pretty easy to see coming and aviod so they are not complete answers. Esca pretty much hard counters Jynx and Rotom-C, and Uxie and fires of STAB Megahorns. Moltres cannot reliable switch in because return will do well over 50% (which means a KO after Stealth Rock if it is up) and even Megahorn or Iron Head will sting pretty badly. Scolipede is similar, as it can hit your team hard or set up hazards on the switch, and it out runs most of your team.

The most minor change I can think of would be to use Hidden Power Fire over Ice on Rotom-C, so you can revenge them more reliably. It also can hit ferroseed on the switch which can cause problems for Kaputops. It still hits Grass types like Ice, you just miss out on dragons, which there are only 1 or 2 commonly seen ones.

Something more drastic would be to change Absol to a mixed all out attacker with Fire Blast over sword dance. I suggest this because Absol and Kaptutops are both Sword Dancers and are somewhat redundant. With Fire Blast you can hit Scolipede and Esca pretty hard. Just a thought.

 

[Yoshida]

@Shouting: Yes, I've noticed that Bug types such as Galvantula in particular are threatening to the team (I don't know why I didn't add it to the threat list; I think it just slipped my mind). I think I'm going to keep HP Ice on Rotom-C, since otherwise I can't 2HKO Nidoqueen on the switch, but I'm likely going to change Absol to an All-Out Attacker (I see your point about two SD users becoming redundant), and Absol isn't as crippled as an all-out attacker when it gets a Choice Scarf Tricked onto it. Thanks for your advice!

@A dude: As tempting as the idea sounds, I think I'm going to pass on the idea. Like Thatguyhavoc explained, the team is meant to support Moltres (hence the title "The Wrath of Moltres), so I'd like to focus on centering the team around Moltres and special sweeping. Thank you for your advice, though! I really appreciate when new people to the forum are assisted by those who are more experienced than them, so thanks again for the idea.

Note: When I have time I'll update the RMT with some changes if I make any (a.k.a if I'm satisfied with the suggestions to the team). Thanks :].

 

[Yoshida]

I've updated the RMT by changing Absol to an all out attacker without SD (Fire Blast to replace it), and changing the Nature from Adamant to Naughty. Any and all suggestions are welcome! I want to make this team really great! Thanks :].

 

[Incon]

Hi Yoshida! Very cool team you got here. Moltres is a beast in this current meta and your team supports it fairly well. Like Shouting said, you have big problem with bug types. Galvantula can sweep through your entire team, outspeeding (Bar Rotom-C who cant do much back) and hitting every member for Super Effective damage with its powerful STAB attacks.

While Jynx is a great Pokemon, she seems out of place on your team, simply adding to your Bug weakness. For this reason, i suggest swapping her out for Lanturn. Lanturn's massive special defense lets it tank any special bug type attack thrown at it and is immune to Galvantula's secondary STAB in Electric. Lanturn can spread paralysis with Twave which would benefit your team greatly, or it can heal status with Hell Bell. Scald, with the gracious hax gods, can you get some much appreciated burns on physical sweepers in the tier, which also helps your team. The addition of Lanturn will definitely give you an easier time with your bug problem and will help your team out greatly.

Summary of Changes:

Lanturn > Jynx

Sets

Hide

Lanturn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 216 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Volt Switch / Rest
- Thunder Wave / Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Heal Bell / Protect

Volt Switch, Thunder Waver, Scald, and Heal Bell are the prefered moves, however if you want him to survive longer, Rest Talk is viable as well.

 

[Yoshida]

Hello Incon! Thank you for the advice. I've definitely considered Lanturn on the team, and I'm very well aware of the major weakness to Bug types on the team (Galvantula hits everything for weakness), and I think adding Lanturn would be a great idea. I also agree that Jynx doesn't mesh with the team as well as it should (Rotom-C already covers the Water weakness for Moltres, and deals with Rock types accordingly), and also I think it just doesn't support the cause of a Moltres sweep. I'm definitely going to try out Lanturn over Jynx. Thanks so much for the suggestion!