Introduction
Hello, smogon! This is my first RMT here and I hope you enjoy it. I'm not born or grown-up in an english-speaking country, so my English might be a little bit... bad sometimes xD Well, onto the team: The main idea is to set up Spikes and SR and to avoid that my opponent gets his entry hazards. I know, not very creative, but the way I try to accomplish this strategy might be a bit more creative than just this Skarm-BS =) As I'm a friend of Swamper-Leads, I know how annoying the Steelbird can be, and because everyone is using some kind of Spikestacking-Team, I had to make one, too, because a team with only SR has a lot more trouble nowadyas, imo. However, a team with Spikes-Support is just better atm and increases the chance of winning (although it's kinda boring that nearly EVERYONE plays the same teamstyle :/). So, yeah, this team is rather defensive orientated...
Nevertheless, I've tested this team a few weeks ago and I got pretty decent results imo. I didn't manage to get on the Leaderboard though, but that wasn't my intention, when I started to ladder. I just wanted to improve my skills a bit, because I felt like playing like a noob back then, I really was in a crysis xD So, I decided to build a new team and this is what actually came out. It didn't change very much since then and I got a CRE of 1479 with it, which is not that bad at all, imo (1506 was needed to become 50th iirc).
But let's have a look at the team now...
At a Glance
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Now, you know the members of my team but you still don't know their exact sets, so let's take a closer look at them. I won't describe the Teambuilding process here, just because I can't remember xD All I know, is that I wanted to use Crobat, and as you can see, the speedy bat found its way into this team! D=
Heatran (M) @ Shuca Berry
The Team
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Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Will-o-wisp
Set:
Yeah, this is my Lead, Heatran. The Moves are pretty obvious, except Will-o-wisp. But I'll come back to it later. Heatran's job is to set up Stealth Rock at the very beginning of the match. Besides that, it's the perfect Lead to force Skarmory to switch out, which is a pretty cool bonus.
It does its job quite well, but you may ask yourself "Why Heatran? Infernape can set up SR as well!" The answer is very simple: Infernape is a SuicideLead, and I think Heatran fits way better here because of its many resistances, better defenses and stronger STAB. Besides that, Heatran is part Steel and is a good Switch-In to a lot of Pokémon. Short: I can use Heatran later in the match, where Infernape would probably die, due to SR (after activated Sash, of course).
As mentioned above, Heatran is able to force Skarmory out, which is quite important, because I don't have a Rapid Spinner. A lot of people switch into Tyranitar or Gyarados, and now, W-o-w's time to shine has come, because a burning Tyranitar ist pretty much useless and Gyarados doesn't like the burn, either. Even, if I can manage to burn a Vaporeon, it's perfectly fine for me, because a burned Vappy is better than a Vappy without status, which often forces Vaporeon to switch out and rack up Spikes+SR damage. Fire Blast and Earth Power are the standard moves on any Heatran, no need to explain them any further.
EVs & Nature:
The EVs are pretty much straight forward. Max Speed and Special Attack to get SR up as fast as possible and to hit as hard as possible. Timid is used to tie with other Heatran, at worst. I consider a 80 HP / 252 Spd / 176 SAtk Split, this allows Heatran to survive Fake Out and Close Combat from standard Lead-Infernape. Shuca Berry is the obvious choice here, so Heatran can do its job against other common Leads, such as Swampert. An other move here could be Roar (instead of Will-o-wisp, I think), for phazing, having an perfect SubCMJira-Counter and racking up entry hazards damage...
Let's see how effective Heatran works against the Top 10 Leads:
Azelf can't really touch Heatran. I Fire Blast when they Taunt or SR when they SR and have two options then: Go to Crobat when they use SR. Crobat is faster and finishs it off with Brave Bird. Or I switch to Rotom-h to "take" the Explosion, when they SR'd in Turn 1. I even have the chance to Fire Blast two times, in this case, my opponent loses his Lead and only knows my Heatran, which can be advantageous...
This one isn't as easy to handle. Most of the time, I just switch to Rotom-h, which threatens Aero with TBolt...
I wouldn't say it's a problem but it comes down to prediction here. If they SR, I can SR, too. If they EQ, I get my SR but my Heatran loses a lot of its health. Most of the time, I switch to Suicune or burn it. Then Roserade to get 1 layer of Spikes for free :>
Heatran is faster and can 2HKO easily with Earth Power. I SR and go to Rotom...
Machamp is a tricky lead. I have to switch to Rotom and hope to god, that w-o-w hits two times in a row. After machamp is burned, it doesn't cause trouble anymore, Suicune does nice damage with Surf and can Roar it away.
Jirachi can do absolutely nothing to Heatran. I SR in turn 1. If they SR, fine, only Crobat has trouble with it, if they Trick me a Scarf, I have a nice Revengekiller =)
As mentioned above, I could run 80 HP-EVs to ensure that Fake Out+CC never kills Heatran. This would guarantee SR... I can go to Rotom to absorb the Fake Out, LeadNape can't touch Suicune and Heatran doesn't mind getting Fake Out'd, either ...
SR, Cune, Roar. Thx!
I can SR and w-o-w. I can go to Suicune, Rotom, Jirachi. Not a Problem...
I get SR up, unless they win the Speed tie and crit with Earth Power. After Sr -> Suicune.
Well, Heatran might not be the best of the Lead-Pokémon, but it fits very well on this team and does its job very reliable.
Crobat (M) @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 104 Atk / 136 Spd / 16 SDef
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Super Fang
- Taunt
- Roost
Set:
Well, this is one of the reasons I built this team. And it is freakin'g awesome!! The Set itself is Crobat's standard set - the Stallbreaker! And it breaks Stall like a BOSS. Super Fang dents every Switch-In (except ghosts) and does 50% damage, when the opposing Pkmn is at full health. Taunt prevents the Walls from recovering while Super Fang allows Crobat to beat the likes of Skarmory, Forretress and Swampert. Just use Super Fang until they can be finished off with Brave Bird. This thing is a beast, if played correctly. Besides that, it's the best Machamp-Counter ever made (DynamicPunch does laughable damage thanks to the 4x Resistance to Fighting). Roost helps Crobat to survive as long as possible and recovers Brave Bord recoil damage. Because of the amazing Combo of Taunt + Super Fang, it causes a lot of Switches, which can be deadly for the opponent, simply because of Spikes and Stealth Rock.
EVs & Nature:
The Ev-Split might look a little bit complicated at first, but it's very simple and even more effective. The most important thiing here is probably the Item! Sharp Beak boosts Flying-Attacks by 20%, which allows Crobat to OHKO Machamp with Brave Bird 100% of the time. Well, I lose the Leftovers-Recovery, but it's realy worth it. Crobat also makes a decent Revenge-Killer to Mixmence, Latias and only few weakened Pokémon can survive Brave Bird. 136 Speed EVs and a jolly Nature means, that Crobat is faster than all positive Base-115's. So, technically only Jolteon, Aerodactyl Ninjask and Weavile outspeed this Crobat. Aero is a suicide Lead, Weavile isn't commonly used and Ninjask fails hard against Taunt. Jolteon can be handled with Roserade+Rotom+Jirachi. 252 HP-EVs for the max possible Staying-Power. Crobat only has 85/80/80 Defenses but a really good typing which allows to survive a lot of hits and strike back. The remaining EVs are placed in SDef to win against Blissey with Ice Beam btw ...
Crobat is the star of this team because not many people expect it and it often turned losses into wins. besides that, it's just an amazing Pokémon. If you didn't use Crobat, you should definitely try it =)
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 8 Spd / 12 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Roar
- Ice Beam
Set:
First of all: Suicune is another great Pokémon, too. With its amazing defenses, only few Pkmn can OHKO it. But: I'm not happy with my Set atm. I really need Ice Beam to stop Dragons, and Roar is always useful. Surf is a very good STAB-Move. I think, I will change Calm Mind to Rest and probably use Sleep Talk, but I don't know which move I need the fewest. CM Cune works better with TSpikes-Support, maybe I could change that, and change this Suicune to a SubCune? Wel, I really don't know and this is the Pokémon, where I need the most advice :/ My intention was to set up a CM-Cune sweep in the endgame, when 1 CM is enough to finish off the opponent, but I still wanted to have a very bulky Suicune. It's the clue that holds the team together because of its ability to take strong hits (Draco Meteor from Mence, for example) and OHKO back. If Suicune faints, there is a very big hole in my defense :/ Help, pls ^^"
EVs & Nature:
The EVs are pretty much standard again. Max HP and a lot of Def to take on some of the strongest physical attackers, like Lucario (even after a SD!), etc... I chose 8 Speed-EVs to outspeed other Suicune and some slower Pkmn that don't invest in Speed. 12 SDef-EVs generate 269 SDef which is very impressive and it helps to take some special attacks better, most notably Fire Blasts xD Yeah, I like odd Stats on my Pkmn =0 I think I don't need to explain the Leftovers, do I?
Roserade (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Spd / 136 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Energy Ball
- Spikes
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Rest
Set:
Roserade is probably the most important team member, because it's main purpose is to set up the Spikes! A lot of people don't expect Roserade to be a defensive Pkmn, but it is very bulky - at least on the special side. This team wouldn't even work without Spikes, so it's obvious that I won't change it. Hidden Power [Fire] is a cool Move on Roserade. Even without any investment in SAtk, it deals a lot of damage to Skarmory (an easy 2HKO with SR). Forretress and Scizor are both easily OHKOed. Metagross takes ~40%. I really love, having a Grasspokémon on my team, especially if it has such a good SDef-Stat. As long as Roserade is alive, Vaporeon and Suicune are no problem for my team, which is pretty cool. Rest is used as a Recovery-Move, and I chose it over Synthesis because of its higher PP and, of course, because it works so perfectly with Natural Cure. Now, you might think again "Why did he play Energy Ball? Grass Knot is much better!". Well, of course, I have a reason for this. Energy Ball does more damage against Vaporeon but mainly to deal damage to Rotom. Grass Knot might be better against Suicune and Tyranitar, but for me, it was more important that Rotom can't set up a Sub and spam Charge Beam.
EVs & Nature:
The Speed-EVs allow Roserade to be faster than Base-100's with only 36 Speed-EVs, such as Celebi and Zapdos, which can be helpful sometimes. The HP- and SDef-EVs maximize Roserade's potential to sponge special hits, and the Calm nature helps here, too. I consider the other EV-Spread suggested in the Analysis (252 HP / 56 Def / 80 SpD / 120 Spe), because this allows Roserade to survive CB-Scizor's Bullet Punch. Roserade has great synergy with Suicune and Heatran, while Crobat helps to cause switches and let the opponent take a lot entry hazards damage. I actually fell in love with Roserade, because it's another Pokémon, no one really expects, but yet is very effective!
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 240 HP / 20 Atk / 68 Def / 180 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Fire Punch
- Iron Head
- Wish
- U-turn
Set:
Yep, it's Jirachi. But not this ceap one that makes you ragequit =) Jirachi's purpose is to provide Wish-Support and take on the mighty dragons. With this EV-Spread, Draco Meteor does verry little damage, so it is probably the best check to Salamence/Latias. Of course, Fire Blast and Earthquake do a lot of damage, but these moves don't kill, and Jirachi is not meant to take these attacks. I always have to switch around, but Jirachi plays a great part at checking these dragons! Fire Punch is essentially for Scizor, Magnezone and Breloom, while Iron Head is the STAB, that can annoy, if I really don't have another chance :/ Wish + U-Turn is a great Combo, and U-turn also allows Jirachi to flee rom Magnezone. Yeah, U-Turn is an epic move, because I can see what the opponent sends in and react with a counter to his counter =) If everything works out perfectly, my counter restores 50% health. Nothing left to say :O
EVs & Nature:
240 HP-EVs generate 401 HP, which means that Jirachi has a HP stat which is divisible by 16, +1 -> magic Leftovers number xD 180 SDef-EVs in combination with a Careful nature lets Jirachi take on most special attackers. Because of that, Jirachi is often my initial Switch-In to Gengar, because Shadow Ball only 3HKOs while Iron Head deals heavy damage to Gengar. The 20 Atk-EVs are used to 2HKO Breloom most of the time with Fire Punch. It also deals max. 77% to Scizor, which is enough because of SR+Spikes =) The opponent has to think twice, if he really wants to spam U-Turn against Jirachi =O The rest was put into Def to take some weaker physical hits better. In general, I'm very happy with this split :> Jirachi is a little bit like Suicune: If it's gone, I got a deep hole in my team =/
Rotom-h @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 16 Spd / 44 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Will-o-wisp
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Set:
And the last Pokémon is a ghost! Rotom-H, in its role as SleepTalker. Well, I think everyone knows, why this is here, right? Right! It server as Spinblocker. And the Set is the standard SlpTalkSet. I chose Tbolt over SBall because it hits more important things for neutral damage and has a better side effect. I'm not so sure, whether w-o-w is the right move here, because I already can inflict burn with Heatran. But on the other hand, it's extremely useful against Lucario, Breloom and Scizor. The last two moves are the famous Rest + SleepTalk combo everyone knows and everyone loves =) At least, I like RestTalk-Rotom because it lives so damn long and because of its many resistancens and immunities, it is a perfect switch-in to many Pokémon. It also acts as my status absorber what makes Rotom my #1 Breloom Switch-In (obviously to take the Spore).
Evs & Nature:
252 HP-EVs for max. stayingpower and 196 Def-EVs + Bold nature help Rotom to be one of the the best counter to Scizor and the aforementioned physical attackers. 16 Speed-EVs are useful because I can outspeed other Rotoms and finish them off, when they're low at health :> It also means, that Rotom is faster than most defensive Suicune, TBolt can deal some heavy damage then. The remaining EVs go into SDef, because it often faces special attackers, basically Starmie, which tries to Spin away my entry hazards. There's really nothing more to say about Rotom-h :/
Conclusion
Yeah, this was my first RMT here, I hope you enjoyed to read it (and that my English was good enough to understand the descriptions o=). I think I can add a threat list later (maybe tomorrow), it's too late here now and I'm really tired ... >_>"
Hopefully, someone read all this and will rate this team, I think it's worth being rated =O
Offensive Threats:
- Can be annoying, because I dont get SR up, and have to switch. But Suicune and Rotom easily beat it, even Jirachi and Heatran can take one EQ ...
- Jirachi beats it with its good SDef and 4x Resistance to Psychic, Suicune can take a hit, and it doesn't like entry hazards.
- For the Lead set, see heatrans description. Sweeper are very rare and I often have to sacrifice a Pkmn against it. Heatran and Jirachi are decent checks, Crobat can outspeed and kill with BB.
- Annoying, but nothing more. Heatran is faster and can kill, Jirachi can Fire Punch, Roserade has resistances to both STABs (but poor defenses :/) and [fire], Rotom can take the Spore and Crobat shuts Breloom down, as well. Once it gets a Sub up, it becomes quite difficult to handle, if the player uses it clever, though..
- Suicune, Jirachi and Heatran handle this very well. Rotom can take physical hits and burn in return, while Crobat outspeeds and deals some good damage.
- Hm, it potentially kills Jirachi, Heatran and Roserade. But Rotom, Suicune and Crobat to an extent can handle this very well, not a huge problem imo.
- TBolt is my only Electric-move in the team so it's difficult for Vire to get a speed boost. And without speed boost, it's not very dangerous imo. Anyways, this could cause some trouble to my team, but Rotom makes an excellent Switch-In =)
- If it's leading, I fail hard :/ Otherwise, Suicune, Roserade (if Empoleon doesn't carry IB) and Rotom can phaze it away to make the SubPetaya-variant useless. Heatran can finish it off with Earth Power
- Rotom, Suicune, these both easily handle it. Heatran & Jirachi can come into Outrage ...
- Jirachi is my initial switch-in, LO Shadow Ball only 3HKOes it. Suicune, Roserade and Heatran can take a hit, but take a lot of damage. Crobat is faster and BB kills :>
- Rotom and Suicune. Heatran can burn the seasnake. Roserade resists Waterfall and can deal some damage with Energy Ball or set up spikes on more defensive versions.
- Can become troublesome. Suicune is my main counter to it, while my own Heatran can take fire moves and [ice/grass] and Dragon Pulse. Rotom survives a Fire Blast, too and is immune to Explosion...
- Hera is a tricky Pkmn to handle, because of guts. I can't just w-o-w it, but Rotom is my best Switch in here. Heatran can come in on dark attacks aimed at Rotom and Megahorn. Jirachi and Suicune should be able to survive it, too. Crobat has resistances to both STABs and BB easily kills, but i have to pay attention on Stone Edge :/
- Suicune is my best bet against Nape. A mixed LO attacker can cause serious problems... I often have to sac a Pkmn and revenge with Crobat
- Heatran takes on specially based sets, such as the CMer. Suicune can Roar away versions without TBolt with not much to fear. My best switch in against physical versions is Rotom... My own Jirachi can Fire Punch, but that could take some time :/
- Roserade is a great Jolteon Counter, as it resists its strongest attack and has a great special bulk. Shadow Ball is rather weak and can be taken from Heatran (same for [ice]. I can abuse Jolteon to set up my spikes :> Rotom is another nice switch-in, because of its electric-resistance.
- Suicune does a good job at countering Kingdra but can't do anything to it, except for Roar. LumDD versions can cause trouble, because it's harder to burn them. Jirachi+Suicune should be able to deal with it.
- Rotom and Suicune make good switch ins to Lucario. Heatran can burn it, if I predict correctly. Crobat has a 4x resistance to Close Combat and Brave Bird should deal a lot of damage to a Lucario with -1 Def =)
- Very difficult to handle >.> I usually go to Rotom and hope that w-o-w hits two times in a row... After that, Suicune, Jirachi and of course: Crobat can deal with it quite ok.
- It isn't a big threat to my steels. Jirachi can U-Turn out and Heatrans can launch deadly ground and fire attacks. Roserade is a great Switch-In, [fire] does some nice damage and Rotom can come in on most sets with ease, too
- I usually switch to Rotom for the burn. Rotom is not affected by Endeavor. Suicune can take on it, too and strike back with a super effective Surf.
- Rotom & Heatran are my best bets against Metagross. Both cann cripple it with a burn or just attack it right off the bat. Roserade can deal some damage with [fire] and Jirachi can Fire Punch it. If it's the Agility set, only Rotom can beat it, though ...
- Jirachi and Heatran both resist its STAB, Rotom is immune to it. Suicune and Roserade shoud be able to survive its attacks to, and set up, attack or roar it away. Crobat is usually faster and BB does a lot of damage.
- This can't do anything to Suicune. Rotom is another great Switch-In, as it can burn it and make it pretty much useless. Roserade's Energy Ball and Heatran's Earth Power, as well as Jira's Iron Head are effective attacks and deal a lot of damage (at least enough damage to prevent Rhyp from sweeping my whole team)
- This dragon is a threat to any team. My first Switch-In is Jirachi, to take the DM. With -2 SAtk, it's quite easy to handle. Suicune, Rotom and Crobat can come in on the following EQ, while KOing (IB, BB does ~65% iirc) or crippling it. SR is a great help here
- Rotom is one of the best Scizor-Counters. Besides that, i have a great check with Heatran. Jirachi and Suicune have resistances to Bullet Punch and can deal a lot of damage (Fire Punch!) or Roar it away. Roserade can KO incoming Scizor's with [fire]. Besides that, it has problems with entry hazards =D
- LO Starmie is a beast and it's very difficult to play around it. Roserade is my first switch-in as Surf/Hydro Pump does very little damage to it. It is also able to survive the following IB and KO with Energy Ball (with SR up...). Suicune can take Surf and IB, Heatran can take TBolt and IB, Rotom survives Surf and has a resistance to TBolt and an immunity to Rapid Spinner. Crobat is faster and Brave Bird finishs it off. Jirachi should be able to survive Starmies powerful attacks and deal some heavy damage with U-Turn.
- Rotom.
- I can often manage to burn it, which means it is handicaped for the rest of the Match. Almost all of my Pkmn can come in on the right moves (Crobat on EQ, for example). DDTar is handled by Roar from Suicune most of the time... entry hazard issues here =]
- SR problems. Jirachi and Suicune make quite good checks to it, heatran can easily come in on its STABs and threaten it with Fire Blast. One of the few Pkmn that isn't revenge killed by Crobat =(
- Huh, didn't see any of these yet. I think Rotom makes a good counter and as long as it doesn't carry [ground] Jirachi and Heatran can handle it. Here again: BIG SR problems...
- Hm, Crobat? I have to play safely, though, because a TWave on my team's star isn't that good =/ So, my first switch in is almost always Rotom... Roserade set up Spikes with ease on her!
- Heatran threatens it. Rotom is a very good switch in, too. Roserade and Jirachi can finish it off with the super effective move...
- Heatran, Crobat and Jirachi are my best switch ins to the onion. If it Twaves my Jirachi, it's pretty much dead, because my U-Turn is the 2nd move in the turn so I can bring in Crobat without something to fear =D
- I usually try to burn and force it to use Rest. Then Crobat taunts it and does 50% with Super Fang, if it lacks Psychic... This thing can't beat my Pkmn.
- Rotom, Suicune. Roserade can Energy Ball it, but its risky to switch Rose into STAB EQ =O Rotom also blocks Rapid Spin.
- Heatran threatens it and I wonder how often it stays in aainst Roserade, just to find out that [fire] kills o.O Jirachi can finish it off and Rotom blocks Spin, burns and deals good damage with TBolt!
- Crobat is the perfect Switch-In, because Gliscor can't touch it. Toxic and EQ immunity help Crobat to wear it down. I can switch it into any move, bar Taunt :/ Suicune also deals with Gliscor, and Heatran survives EQ and fires off a very powerful Fire Blast!
- Rotom, Suicune, Crobat. Roserade is difficult to switch in, but yeah, it can force the Hippo out and Energy Ball does a lot of damage :]
- Heatran prevents opposing Lead-Skarms from setting up their own Spikes. Roserade 2HKOs with [fire] and Rotom is not affected by Spikes and can TBolt the steelbird into oblivion! Crobat can use Taunt to force Skarm to attack (hopefully with Brave Bird, because of the recoild damage :>) and Super Fang until it is in Brave Bird kill range ^^
- Difficult, difficult, because I lack a fighting type move. It has problems with spikes and I usually have to roar it our with Suicune. often, I try to burn it because burn+Spikes+SR is a deadly combination for Snorlax. Brave Bird from Crobat can finish it off ...
- As long as Roserade is alive, NO watertank can do something against my team. Energy Ball deals nice damage, my own Suicune can come in to absorb the Ice Beam with ease and roar it away to rack up Spikes-damage! Rotom can TBolt it.
- I usually go to Rotom first and burn it. Why? Because this allows Roserade to easily come in and set up for free or just kill Swampert =)
- I didn't see much of them, and I'm happy about this! Rotom is my inital switch in, to block Spin. In return I can force it out with a strong TBolt. My only other effective move against this is Heatran's Earth Power... Well, Roserade cann use Tentacruel to set up Spikes but thats risky. Brave Bird deals good damage so I have to bring it into kill rangen first :/
- Roserade can easily set up Spikes on it. It can't touch Suicune and Rotom threatens it with ThunderBolt. Not a big problem, imo
- Quite tricky Pkmn to handle. I can't do really much against it. Roserade can tyr to stall ou SubToxic sets, but this probably doesn't work very often. Rotom is another good switch-in and Heatran can potentially kill it, if it's at low health. Anyways, one of the bigger problems, because my Roar-Pkmn is weak to its STAB :/
