A Disgraceful Team(OU 5th Gen)

[Disgrace]

Haha, I'm funny.

I've been into the Gen 5 metagame for a few days now and while I am having fun, I can never quite get the rating I want. I think this is in part due to my horrid teambuilding skills, so I would quite like some help in improving my existing one^^

The idea of this team is to get entry hazards up (Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock) with pokemon that could be incredible offensive threats if left unchecked, leading to switches and damage being racked up.

Team building process:

With that idea in mind, I pondered what could set up Spikes and/or Toxic Spike while putting the hurt an most pokemon. I had a choice between Roserade and Agirudaa, I choice Roserade for her more useful resistances and nice 125 Special Attack.

Now, I don't want my lovely spikes to be spun away so a Ghost is in order. The first thing that came to mind was Shandera, a special powerhouse and possibly the best revenge killer of any pokemon.

Ironically, with Shandera and pokemon to come, I found my team weak to entry hazards itself. In came Starmie, the fastest rapid spinner outside Doryuuzu in the sand and a good check for a variety of pokemon. This also makes a rather neat G-F-W partnership

Now, as powerful as these pokemon are, I do need something that can take and dish out Physical hits. So I recycled a very bulky-DDmence that has proved itself to me before.

Going along with that physical attacker, I noticed that I didn't have the most influential of entry hazards, stealth rock. Metagross was quickly added to fill this niche, with the added bonus of being very powerful and having great synergy with Salamence.

As you can see, there is an every so slight weakness to Ghost-type attacks. I wanted something fast that could easily take them. Surprisingly, the UU bird, Swellow fit that bill, with Guts for power and a Normal Typing.

In-depth: Changes in Bold

Roserade @ Leftovers
EVs: 24Hp/252Sp.Att/232Spe
Nature: Timid
Ability: Natural Cure
Moveset:
-Toxic Spikes
-Leaf Storm
-Sleep Powder
-HP Fire
Aparently Roserade can't learn Leaf Storm and Sleep Powder with normal Spikes on PO, but Toxic Spikes are nice for taking down walls anyway. Sleep Powder is always nice(When it hits) as it usually means a pokemon is down for sometime. Leaf Storm running off 348 Special Attack hurts and HP Fire is for coverage. This set can be throughly walled by Heatran, especially Substitute versions but then again Roserade has no business dealing with him. The EVs and nature allow Roserade to outspeed Neutral Base 100s while Special attack is maxed for better damage output. The rest is put into HP to be able to switch into resisted hits better.

My main problems with this set and indeed this team is that I usually am not able to get too many entry hazards up.

Weaknesses: Fire (Shandera, Salamence, Starmie), Ice(Metagross, Starmie), Psychic(Starmie, Metagross)

Shandera @ Choice Scarf
EVs: 4HP/252Sp.Att/252Spe
Nature: Timid
Ability: Flash Fire
Moveset:
-Overheat
-Shadow Ball
-HP Fighting
-Memento
God damnit Shadow Tag so uber, I sometimes feel bad for using this. Provided I'm not an idiot, Shandera will get at least one K.O per match. The Moveset is pretty simple, Overheat and Shadow Ball for STAB, HP Fighting to handle Tyranitar(Whom is a big problem) and Memento as a last ditch effort to let someone else get in.. The EV spread and nature is standard and nothing interesting, Max Speed to Outspeed things, Max Special Attack because why not, yadda yadda.

The problem I have is that Shandera is a little too frail for me. Maybe a bulkier set or Heatran would do better here?

Weaknesses: Water (Roserade, Salamence, Starmie), Ground (Salamence, Swellow), Rock (Metagross), Ghost(Swellow), Dark (Metagross and Salamence can take then in a pinch)

Starmie @ Leftovers
EVs: 252HP/252Spe/4Sp.Att
Nature:Timid
Ability: Natural Cure
Moveset:
-Rapid Spin
-Recover
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
Max HP here, to help Starmie soak up hits and continue spinning, recovering and checking. Max Speed because 115 isn't has fast as in was and Starmie needs every bit it can get. The moveset again is nothing exciting, Rapid Spin is for well, Rapid Spinning. Recover is to make sure Starmie stays around and Surf and Thunderbolt are attacking moves, hitting a nice chunk of pokemon for natural damage.

Starmie is a good performed in my team, though I find it's attacks slightly weak, not surprising. Can someone suggest a set that maintains good bulk but nets vital KOs?

Weaknesses: Grass(Everyone else on the team), Electric(Roserade), Ghost(Swellow), Dark(Again, Mence and Meta can take some)

Dragonite @ Leftovers
EVs: 252Hp/180Def/76Att
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Multi Scale
Moveset:
-Dragon Dance
-Roost
-Dragon Claw
-Extreme Speed/Earthquake?
Suggested by Jaroda as a replacement for Salamence

Lucario @ Leftovers
EVs: 4Hp/252Sp.Att/252Spe
Nature: Modest
Ability: Justice heart
Moveset:
-Aura Sphere
-Nasty Plot
-Vacuum Wave
-Dark Pulse
Suggest by cco as a replacement for Metagross.

Swellow @ Toxic Orb
EVs: 4HP/252Att/252Spe
Nature: Jolly
Abilty: Guts
Moveset:
-U-Turn
-Quick Attack/Protect?
-Brave Bird
-Facade
Swellow, a force of destruction in Gen 4 OU somehow finds its way into my standard team. I have been using it to take Shadow Balls and start making holes. Steels and Rocks naturally wall this pokemon completely, but my other pokemon can largely handle then. The trick with this set is getting to orb to activate, since Swellow isn't taking any hits and flees at the sight of priority. Swellow is also used as the primary status absorber, Toxic and Burn don't bother it too much. Despite this, I believe it is the weakest link of my team.

Weaknesses: How about everything? It cannot take a hit from a Luvdisc. The Ground and Ghost Immunities are nice, though.

Threats: WIP

- Normally seen with Ninetails. Salamence can wall some versions but can be set up on. Shandera might be able to revenge kill.

- Those without HP Ice as walls but Mence, though he doesn't like a burn. Starmie resists STAB

-Salamence can again take those without and ice attack. Starmie too can give it trouble.

-Oh, these are annoying. Salamence can initimidate it, but can't hit it too well if it's bulky. Starmie and Roserade resist its STAB and can hit it with special attacks. Swellow can revenge it.

-Metagross can take most of what it can throw, but doesn't like the burn rate of Boiling Water. Roserade can mop up Toxic Spikes and hit it with Leaf Storm, but doesn't like Ice Beam.


Ending comments: So, that's my horrid team^^ I will edit and continue as rates are given.

 

[Jaroda]

If you want a bulky Dragon Dancer then Dragonite does it better thanks to Multi Scale with Roost. Salamence is better with pure offense on a DD set if you ask me.

Explosion got super nerfed this gen since it doesn't half defense anymore. Replace it with Thunder Punch or Earthquake.

Give Starmie Ice Beam over Surf for Boltbeam coverage. Even though you lose STAB the ammount of things 4x weak to Ice kind of makes it mandatory.

Several things can lay down Toxic Spikes better than Roserade can. Drapion and Tentacruel to name two. Plus since Tentacruel can Rapid Spin you can change Starmie into a Life Orb sweeper with Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Hydro Pump and HP Fire/Psychic.

 

[Disgrace]

I've changed the sets of Metagross and Starmie to your suggestion, but I am not of some of the things you can said. I like Salamence because of Initimadate; I can switch it in and baring critical hits neuter a physical attacker, causing them to switch and rack up spikes damage. But, what bulky dragonite set would you suggest best fits this team?

As for Drapion and Tentacruel, could they be an offensive threaten while setting up Toxic Spikes?

 

[Jaroda]

Yes but Intimidate doesn't affect special attackers. Also, Dragonite's ability, Multi Scale, reduces all damage by 50% from full health. This activates every time you heal back to full with Roost, on top of better defensive stats gives you much better longevity than Salamence.

Drapion is more of a tank and Tentacruel is more of a special wall.

 

[Disgrace]

I suppose I could consider it, though I am really attached to the Mence. Would the Dragonites moveset be like it? (DD/Roost/DClaw/EQ)?
Yes, but could Drapion be threatening enough to cause switches and rack up spikes damage? It seems like more fun pokemon to use, though IMO.

 

[Tortferngatr]

Is this OU or Dream World?

If the former, Shadow Tag Shandera is illegal, and if the latter, you need it tagged as DW.

 

[cco]

So, I'm looking this team over, and I'm seeing weaknesses to Ice and Dark, not to mention that half your team is Rocks Weak.

In all honesty, you need to figure out who's doing what on your team, right now you're trying to rack up switch damage, but you're going to be taking lots of it, and you don't even have Spikes!

I see that you have a balanced attacking spectrum, but take a look at your actual pokemon, Roserade, Starmie, and Scardera (If he has Shadow Tag then this team is Dream World, by the way) are very fragile, what's more, Starmie and Roserade, are being given the side task of setting hazards and Spinning respectively. A dedicated Special sweeper to compliment Salamence might do you well, therefore I'm suggesting that you try out Nasty Plot Lucario He gives you almost Identical resists as Metagross, but also gives you a Resistance to Dark as well as a double resist to Ice, which your team otherwise struggles with. A set like this

Lucario@Leftovers/Life Orb 4 HP/252Sp.Attack/252 Speed
Nasty Plot
Aura Sphere
Dark Pulse/Dragon Pulse
Vacuum Wave

I'd give it a shot, not that many people expect it, and you might see people switching in their Nattoreis, only to get slammed by Aura Sphere. The downside here being that you lose Rocks, but unless you're going to run Spikes and Rocks, I wouldn't say that forcing switches is a very reliable strategy.

 

[DetroitLolcat]

Uh, do you mean Lucario or keruido, lol. One's bolded and the other is listed.

 

[Disgrace]

Terribly sorry about the mess! I have put the Dream World tag on this thread! I can also added Dragonite and Lucario to me lineup, she suggested by Jaroda and cco. Comments are pending because I just started testing then.

Also, should I replacement Shandera with Heatran? Heatran is more bulky and can set up SR