~~TAILWIN~~
A BASHING, SMASHING TEAM BY STEELJACKAL<3 AND ELECTROLYTE
ElectrolyteA BASHING, SMASHING TEAM BY STEELJACKAL<3 AND ELECTROLYTE
Steeljackal<3
Hello!
The Doubles metagame is exceedingly stable right now. Thus, a popular topic amongst Doubles players is the exploration of the potential of new Pokemon and new strategies that haven't been tapped into before. There are plenty of powerful Pokemon in Doubles, such as Deoxys-A, Mega Kangaskhan, and Landorus-T, but it gets pretty repetitive when you go months without really shifting the tier dramatically.
Steeljackal<3 and I decided to test out Mega Heracross. Immediately, one of the prime traits that stand out is its high Attack stat. It's got the highest Attack stat of any non-legendary Pokemon, and the highest Attack stat of all Pokemon legal in Smogon Doubles. Its ability, Skill Link, is also perfect for it in conjunction with its movepool, giving it a reliable base 125 STAB move to use along with a base 125 coverage move that grants it almost perfect coverage. Its 2HKOs practically the entire metagame, and only came with one usage requirement: patch up its Speed. That wasn't difficult at all; we not only did that but also gave it more tools to work with and partners to synergize with to maximize Mega Heracross's potential.
Right, so I built this team one day with Electrolyte towards the end of the summer. We wanted something rather unique to terrify opponents with, and this is more or less the end result of that. Since we designed it, it's had a lot of tour history, with probably five people using it in the open and generally winning. Sand is a generally neglected playstyle in this metagame, and I'm not entirely sure why. Excadrill is utterly terrifying and easy to support, and there's room within the archetype to do a lot of interesting things.
Mega Heracross was Electrolyte's idea, and it's really pretty interesting. It has a colossal 185 attack, dramatically higher than that of Doubles titans such as Landorus-T and Life Orb Terrakion. All it really needs is minimal support from Tailwind or the good fortune to get matched up versus something slow and bulky like Trick Room, and it smashes faces. When you combine that with a nice defensive core and offensive support from Excadrill and Shaymin-S, it's hard to see how you'd ever lose. This is Electrolyte's 2k and not mine, so I'll try to keep my comments to a minimum, but definitely try this team if you're looking for something fun and somewhat easy to use.
Teambuilding Process
We started, obviously, with Mega Heracross. Its beneficial traits are near and far between. To provide it with Speed support, we added Shaymin-S, and that was the beginning of the offensive core.
Shaymin-S is a pretty obvious teammate for Heracross. It provides us with ever-valuable Tailwind, as well as a way to either hax or legitimately beat any Heracross answers the opponent might have.
Next we decided to add Sand and a Sand sweeper to work alongside Mega Heracross. Tyranitar brought so much to the team, and the sand was perfect for countering Mega Heracross's main enemies: Sand and Sun. Excadrill could clean up easily afterwards and take down Fairy-types as well.
Excadrill is another strong physical attacker, and it manages to beat the few things Shaymin-S / Heracross can't. The EV spread on it is something I created myself, and is far more efficient than the 252 / 252 bullshit you see on most weather sweepers nowadays. With Excadrill we obviously needed a Tyranitar, and its set is as much Electrolyte's as it is mine. He occasionally runs Rocky Helmet over the item listed in our rmt out of sheer hatred for Kangaskhan, but the item choice is yours.
Then, we added Rotom-W, to help the team handle Flying- and Fire-types when Tyranitar couldn't switch in. Rotom-W also provided a secondary Water-type resistance, a Ground immunity to work with Excadrill, and a whole lot more bulk.
Rotom-W is part one of our defensive backbone. Having a solid switchin to common Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Heatran and Talonflame is invaluable to any build.
Finally, came Hitmontop. We really wanted Wide Guard and Quick Guard to not only make conquering the lower ladder that much easier but also to give the team extra roadblocks against foes that try to outoffense the team with priority and spread attacks. It's also a surprise ace in the whole to catch Talonflame off guard.
Hitmontop partners really well with Rotom-W since they provide really reliable checks to a lot of similar things. This also means that they lose to similar things, but that is what team support is for. I think it really rounds out the team, and dual guard support is quite good, perhaps even better than Feint on Hitmontop.
In essence, this team relies on the combined offensive power of Shaymin-S and Mega Heracross to tear down the opponent, while Tyranitar picks off threats and Rotom-W / Hitmontop support the team. It all leads up to either a Tailwind sweep or an Excadrill sweep in the end, both which are fairly easy to pull off given the amount of support the other team members provide.
~~POKEMON DESCRIPTIONS~~
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OFFENSIVE SUPPORTERS
SHAYMIN-S
Coldsteel (Shaymin-Sky) @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare
- Tailwind
- Protect
Shaymin-S starts off the team by providing Speed control which every team needs. When building around Heracross, one of the major problems we faced was how to help it overcome its limiting Speed stat. We had two options- going up or going down, and we chose to go up with Tailwind, as have many other famous Mega Heracross cores. It might seem like Tailwind helps nobody besides Mega Heracross, as all other Pokemon are either already fast or too slow, but even if it doesn't, that's ok, as Mega Heracross is powerful enough to sweep whole teams by itself.
SHAYMIN-S
Coldsteel (Shaymin-Sky) @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare
- Tailwind
- Protect
There's more to Shaymin-S than Tailwind, though. Another vital part about covering for a slower team member is sideline offense. Sometimes, it's not possible to get Tailwind up before Mega Heracross has to make its show. However, Shaymin-S's sky high Speed stat helps cover for it by removing or flinching dangerous faster opponents. Seed Flare hits like a truck, and although Shaymin was made Timid and with maximum Speed investment to allow it to outspeed and stun as many opponents as possible, and especially other Shaymin-S; Seed Flare can still put a dent in anything, OHKOing Rotom-W, Keldeo, Jellicent, and Suicune, all of which could pose a threat to the three main physical attackers of the team. Air Slash is vital for hax control, and helps turn coinflips into favorable matchups when it comes to that. It also beats down on Hitmontop, an annoying check to Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Mega Heracross. Protect is obligatory, helping the frail Shaymin-S pass tank-killing to Mega Heracross for a turn. Unfortunately, it also stalls Sand / Tailwind turns, but Shaymin-S gets worn down by Sand very quickly and does not significantly benefit from Tailwind, and thus should not be played as aggressively under those conditions anyway.
Offensive Synergy:
TYRANITAR
Fuck Hippo (Tyranitar) @ Smooth Rock*
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 140 HP / 252 Atk / 116 SpA
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge / Crunch
- Ice Beam
Tyranitar's movepool is tailor-made to support the rest of the team. Stealth Rock, a move rarely seen in Doubles because of its lower utility, is present because checking Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame are of utmost importance, and Stealth Rock's damage brings them into KO range of Mega Heracross's Close Combat should they try to switch in. It and gradual sandstorm damage are also a great boon for Mega Heracross, who achieves a significantly increased amount of reachable OHKOs / 2HKOs, and also breaks Focus Sashes for Excadrill and Shaymin-S, allowing for cleaner sweeps. Pursuit lets Tyranitar trap and kill Psychic- and Ghost-types that always switch out, since they assume it doesn't carry the move. Pursuit also allows Tyranitar to seemlessly counter Talonflame / Mega Charizard Y by knocking them down to below 50% with Pursuit and then setting up Stealth Rock to seal their fates. Pursuit gets rid of Latios, too, whose high special bulk, high Speed, immunity to Earthquake, and numerous resistances make it very dangerous to face for the rest of the team. Ice Beam is another oddity, though not so much as the above two. Its sole purpose is to OHKO 72 HP Landorus-T, which the 116 SpA EVs allow it to do. Landorus-T cannot stop the team (it gets 2HKOd by -1 Mega Heracross, OHKOd by Rotom-W) but it can be extremely annoying if not taken out quickly. Finally, Tyranitar has Stone Edge, which is used just because it's so damn powerful once Intimidate Pokemon are removed and rapes Sun teams lickety split. Crunch can also be used, as it's more reliable and hits Trick Room setters for extra damage, making Tyranitar an even more reliable Trick Room counter. In terms of investment, its Attack stat is maximized, and it uses a Brave nature not only to not lower its Special Attack but also so that it can pose a greater threat if the team faces Trick Room. The rest of the EVs are stashed into HP for as much bulk as possible.
*Note: the item choice can vary dependent on the playstyle. Smooth Rock is used to generally boost Sand turns and increase the amount of time Excadrill has to sweep. Other item choices include Sitrus Berry, which makes Tyranitar last longer, and Rocky Helmet, which punishes Mega Kangaskhan.
Defensive Synergy:
ATTACKERS
EXCADRILL
Haruno's GF (Excadrill) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 32 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Protect
The first physical attacker is Excadrill. Its powerful Earthquake makes it a less direct but more efficient sweeper in comparison to Mega Heracross. When put together against a team that has its Intimidate users removed, the two can kick ass. Earthquake smashes Poison-types that Shaymin-S and Mega Heracross have trouble with, and also hits Aegislash, which no other Pokemon on the team (besides Rotom-W, to an extent) can do reliably. Excadrill's high Speed under Sand allows it to provide sideline offensive for Mega Heracross as well, and it has great offensive synergy with the bug, hitting everything Mega Heracross can't--fast Pokemon, Fairy-types, some Steel-types, and Poison-types, to name a few. It is also a great revenge killer and check to Hyper Offense, as it and Shaymin-S can just out offense everything that comes in their way.
EXCADRILL
Haruno's GF (Excadrill) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 32 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Protect
Earthquake is extremely useful (and should be on every team, in my opinion) as it is powerful and reliable. Backed by an Adamant nature, Life Orb, and STAB, it can often 2HKO uninvested opponents, even factoring in spread reduction. It doesn't hit Excadrill's partner often, either, as Skymin and Rotom-W are immune, Hitmontop has Wide Guard, and Mega Heracross resists the attack (or can use Protect.) Rock Slide is the other spread move, hitting Flying-types like Thundurus and Talonflame. Because Excadrill is immune to Thunder Wave and resists Brave Bird, it is often the first answer against both Pokemon. Excadrill's last attack is Iron Head, which is extremely vital so that it can hit and remove Fairy-types. Fairy-types, with their high special bulk and resistance to Fighting and Bug, are probably the biggest threat to the team, and it's Excadrill's job to check them. It does this job reliably, OHKOing Mega Gardevoir and Sylveon, the two most prominent Fairy-types in the metagame. With EQ, it can also hit Mega Mawile. Finally, there's Protect, which is pretty much obligatory for any Pokemon that does not have any other immediately useful move to carry.
The EV spread is definitely unique, but is extremely efficient for Excadrill's purposes and was hand-crafted by Steeljackal. 252 Attack and Adamant is obvious for as much power as possible, while 32 Speed EVs let Excadrill outpace Deoxys-A, the fastest nonboosted relevant threat. 192 HP hits a Life Orb number and helps Excadrill shrug off hits, while 32 SpD EVs allow it to survive Modest Life Orb Shaymin-S's Earth Power / Seed Flare 3 times 75% of the time.
Offensive Synergy:
HERACROSS
Betelgeuse (Heracross) @ Heracronite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Close Combat
- Protect
Heracross has superb coverage, and can hit every Pokemon in the metagame bar Aegislash neutrally. This is just an added bonus, however, as Pin Missile and Close Combat are often more than enough tools for Mega Heracross to deal a lot of damage. Pin Missile hits with 187 Base Power, and, when coming off of Mega Heracross's gigantic base 185 Attack stat, it hits hard enough to OHKO most non-defensive Pokemon, and even defensive ones, such as Cresselia. Close Combat is also powerful, reaching 180 Base Power, and is so powerful that it can OHKO semi-bulky Pokemon such as Keldeo. Rock Blast finishes off Mega Heracross's coverage, nailing the threatening Fire- / Flying-types before they can hurt it. Under Tailwind, this makes Mega Heracross very difficult to defeat (unless your name is Talonflame, but good luck getting past Stealth Rock and/or switching in in the first place), as it can hit all of its weaknesses (bar Fairy-types) super effectively, and often for an OHKO. It's so powerful it can even 2HKO Landorus-T on the switch in, shrugging off the -1 easily. Pair it with Shaymin-S or Excadrill for an extreme offensive battering, or Tyranitar / Hitmontop for lasting damage. Against slower teams, it should be used offensively to try to wall break and open up opportunities for an Excadrill sweep. Against faster / offensive teams, Tailwind is the priority, and then switching it in to overpower the opponent. Protect is present again often because Mega Heracross needs to stall so that a teammate can take out a threatening Pokemon. Being forced to switch out every time a threat switches in is detrimental for the team's momentum, so Protect allows Mega Heracross to shield itself for a turn.
As for the ability, Moxie and Guts can both be used depending on user playstyle. Moxie allows Mega Heracross to grab an attack boost and then hit even harder, while Guts allows Heracross to be useful even if it gets statused, acting like a just-in-case guard. The EVs maximize its Attack stat, and Adamant was chosen as the nature as Heracross should not rely on its Speed as much as its Attack stat (remedying Heracross's Speed is pretty much the whole point of the rest of the team.) The Speed EVs allow it to outspeed neutral base 70s below outside of Tailwind.
Offensive synergy:
Defensive synergy:
DEFENSIVE SUPPORTERS
ROTOM-W
Maytag (Rotom-Wash) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SpA / 24 SpD
Calm Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Rotom's moveset and spread are tailored to help it help its teammates. Will-O-Wisp is a must, allowing Rotom-W to cripple physical attackers or punish switch-ins. It and Hitmontop's Intimidate effectively curb most setup attempts and makes switching / attacking much easier. Thunderbolt is there as a reliable STAB attack, hitting Flying-types hard. Its main target is Talonflame, but it can also be used to hit Water-types, such as Jellicent or Suicune, making it much easier for Tyranitar / Excadrill / Mega Heracross to sweep. Hydro Pump hits Fire-, Ground-, and Rock-types hard, limiting the switchin ability of the main counters to the offensive sweepers. Rotom-W is always the first Heatran switch in, so it needs Hydro Pump to be able to weaken it. Finally, obligatory Protect is present.
The EVs are pretty much standard, as is the Sitrus Berry. Maximum HP makes Rotom-W bulky on both ends, and the minor SpDef investment allows it to shrug off Water- and Fire-type attacks.
Defensive Synergy:
HITMONTOP
Beyblade (Hitmontop) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Atk / 80 Def
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Wide Guard
- Quick Guard
Another important part of Hitmontop's presence on the team is its supportive movepool. Close Combat is obvious for its power, allowing Hitmontop to nail things for quite a lot of damage and increase its stayin ability. Fake Out is also quite regular, buying time for a partner to attack or set up. It can also be used to force a threat into protecting so a partner can deal more damage for a turn before having to switch out. Wide Guard is there to protect Mega Heracross from Heat Wave and Hyper Voice / Dazzling Gleam. It's also just generally useful against spread spam teams, stopping Muddy Water, Discharge, and Blizzard as well, and protecting the team from Earthquakes and Rock Slides. Quick Guard's main purpose is to cockblock Talonflame's Brave Bird. Dual Guard is very rarely seen on Hitmontop, and really helps Mega Heracross defeat Talonflame, which will often Brave Bird instead of Protecting, giving you a turn to kill it with Rock Blast before it realizes and switches to Flare Blitz. Quick Guard is also just generally useful for such a fast yet slightly frail team, protecting Shaymin-S and the lot from Thundurus-I and priority.
Defensive Synergy:
~~CLOSING COMMENTS~~
The team is fairly easy to use; only a little bit of experience is necessary to know which Pokemon can switch in and when Pokemon are ready to sweep. In general, the main goal in the beginning of each match is to remove physical sweeper counters, such as Intimidate users, status users, and faster, more powerful Pokemon. Threats should be dealt with quickly and efficiently, as beating around the bush will cause you to lose valuable Sandstorm and Tailwind turns. A more aggressive playstyle is probably the best fit for the team, as it relies on creating and seizing opportunities, though a more conservative playstyle also works by gradually wearing the opponent down with Stealth Rock, Sandstorm, and Will-O-Wisp.
The team is reliable, solid, and easy to use. It also has an excellent track record! Numerous players have used it in high end tournaments, and this team has won in almost every match it's participated in. (Except when under the control of shituser @Haruno.) If you ever want something fun and interesting to play with, look no further!
I don't really know what to say here that Electrolyte hasn't already covered but I want to feel relevant to this rmt so uhh.... Our team rocks and wins a lot, do be sure to try it out if you're ever in the mood for something a little unorthodox.
Here is an importable of you want to try out the team!
Coldsteel (Shaymin-Sky) @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare
- Tailwind
- Protect
Fuck Hippo (Tyranitar) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 140 HP / 252 Atk / 116 SpA
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Ice Beam
Haruno's GF (Excadrill) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 32 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Protect
Betelgeuse (Heracross) @ Heracronite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Close Combat
- Protect
Maytag (Rotom-Wash) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SpA / 24 SpD
Calm Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Beyblade (Hitmontop) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Atk / 80 Def
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Wide Guard
- Quick Guard
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare
- Tailwind
- Protect
Fuck Hippo (Tyranitar) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 140 HP / 252 Atk / 116 SpA
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Ice Beam
Haruno's GF (Excadrill) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 32 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Protect
Betelgeuse (Heracross) @ Heracronite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Close Combat
- Protect
Maytag (Rotom-Wash) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SpA / 24 SpD
Calm Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Beyblade (Hitmontop) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Atk / 80 Def
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Wide Guard
- Quick Guard
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This post also happens to be my 2k! That means shoutouts and such
Honestly I've been around here for long enough that everyone I like should (hopefully) know that I like them :)) BUT since people apparently want their names listed I guess I shall cater
Pwnemon / Audiosurfer - thanks for leading one of the better tiers in this damned place. No tier would be complete with a tyrannical dictator and a obsessive fanatic- I'll leave it to the both of you to determine who is who :)
Doubles Room people
finally / KyleCole / Dashspin / BLOOD TOTEM / Nollan / Steeljackal<3 / Laga - you guys say the same about me but honestly you're all pretty chill and a nice crew to hang out with. We don't actually talk about Doubles very often heheh
Doubles Room people
finally / KyleCole / Dashspin / BLOOD TOTEM / Nollan / Steeljackal<3 / Laga - you guys say the same about me but honestly you're all pretty chill and a nice crew to hang out with. We don't actually talk about Doubles very often heheh
Redew - you know you're awesome so I'll keep it short
Blitzamirin - I love your new avatar Bolin rocks
shaymin - you're better than you think you are
Scene - fine music taste, boy
SnoopingGil - I can finally put you under this category
prem - ew but you know why
Blitzamirin - I love your new avatar Bolin rocks
shaymin - you're better than you think you are
Scene - fine music taste, boy
SnoopingGil - I can finally put you under this category
prem - ew but you know why
Trinitrotoluene / Hulavuta / GatoDelFuego / Transmuter / Muk
I have gotten noticeably lazy at this point
y'all are cool and that's that zzz
I have gotten noticeably lazy at this point
y'all are cool and that's that zzz
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