Homecoming (My first Smogon RMT) UPDATED THREATS N' SETS!!

[the Logger]

So this is my first RMT on smogon. Keep in mind that I haven't played Pokemon in almost a year and am pretty noobish.

Team at a Glance:

Overview:
This team is aresult of me being bored on vacation and trying form a team that share the least weaknesses possible to common metagame types while having pokemon on the team that can cover those weaknesses. Not mention, I had to include Swampert, my fav and signature Pokemon. :naughty: The strategy of the team it for Swampert and Forretress, who cover up each other's double weakness quite well, to switch in and set up with Spikes and Stealth Rock. Forretress also Rapid Spins to clear the field for Starmie and Infernape, the sweepers. Blissey stops special threats that could overwise overrun my team. Additionally, Dusknoir blocks any Rapid Spinners aimed at easing the entry hazards for their team.

In-Depth Analysis

Forretress@Shed Shell

~ Spikes
~ Toxic Spikes
~ Payback
~ Rapid Spin

Nature: Impish

252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 Def

Leadtress. Sets down double spikes, Rapid Spins, and switches to Swampert for the rocks. Spikes and Toxic Spikes for entry hazard support, Rapid Spin to rain on the enemy's entry hazard parade, and Payback to destroy any spinblockers since with Forry's abyssmal speed it will attack second and really do some damage. Shed Shell so Magnezone can't OHKO with HP Fire.

Swampert@Leftovers
~ Stealth Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Ice Beam
~ Roar

Nature: Relaxed

240 HP / 216 Def / 52 SpD

My Swampert. It Stealth Rocks and then fights whatever dares challenge it. It can Protect to scout whether the opposition has a Grass move ready or not, EQ for STAB and Ice Beam for the Many Dragons in today's Metagame. It gets wish support as well as many Pokemon who can block Grass moves.

Infernape@Life Orb

~ Flamethrower
~ Close Combat
~ Grass Knot
~ Vacuum Wave

Nature: Hasty

64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe

Standard Specially Based Mixape. Flamethrower because of more accuracy/PP, Close Combat because it badly hurts anything not resisting it, and Grass Knot for mainly Swampert and other Bulky waters. Vacuum Wave it a good revenge killing move with STAB and is very powerful coming of Ape.

Blissey@Leftovers

~ Wish
~ Protect
~ Thunder Wave
~ Seismic Toss

Nature: Bold

252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

Special Wall so CM sweepers don't overrun my team. It also provides Wish support for the Bulkier members of my team. Protect for scouting. Seismic Toss to do some real damage to opposing Pokes. T-Wave can cripple more sweepers than Toxic since certain key ones like Scizor and Lucario can't be poisonned.

Starmie@Choice Scarf

~ Ice Beam
~ Surf
~ Thunderbolt
~ Trick

Nature: Modest

252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD


Status Absorber, Late Game Sweeper, and revenge Killer All in one. Ice Beam get the Flygon and Dragonite bad. Surf for powerful STAB that deals great damage to almost any thing not resisting it, and Thunderbolt kills Gyarados and a ton of other bulky Waters and Flyers. Finally, Trick is to cripple Blissey or any wall of my choice and lock them into something useless.

Dusknoir@Leftovers

~ Will-O-Wisp
~ Pain Split
~ Fire Punch
~ ThunderPunch/Shadow Sneak

Nature: Impish

252 HP / 28 Atk / 228 Def

Ah, Dusknoir, my spinblocker. He supports the team by Will-o-wisping those who haven't been paralysed by Blissey and can also stop many sweeps. Pain Split is for Recovery and it also weakens the other pokemon. The other two moves are for those Rapid Spinners that are popular, namely Forretress, Tentacruel, and Starmie. Thunderpunch KOs both waters and Fire Punch for Forretress. I'd like to put Shadow Sneak over ThunderPunch, but then it loses coverage of Tentacruel, though it gains coverage over Azelf.



Threat List:

Azelf: Dusknoir blocks the Explosion and threatens it.

Breloom: Pain in the ass. Dusknoir can switch in on a fighting move and hit it with Fire Punch

Celebi: Starmie outspeeds and kills with Ice Beam.

Dragonite: Starmie and Swampert wreck it with their Ice Moves

Dugtrio: Have fun against Swampert and Starmie!

Electivire: Swampert absorbs STAB moves and can KO unless it has HP Grass, If it hasn't Motor Drived, than Infernape can come in and simply batter the crap out of the Mixed set.

Empoleon: Swampert unless it has Grass Knot, in which case
Starmie OHKOs with TBolt

Flygon: Swampert can come in on a Stone Edge or Fire move and KO or atleast scare it away. Starmie does the same though it has to be a little more careful being not very bulky.

Gengar: Forretress can switch in on STAB attacks and use Payback if it lacks a Fire move. Dusknoir, if I decide to use Shadow Sneak, can do a number to it.

Gliscor: Good luck against Starmie and Swampert.

Gyarados: Starmie is a nightmare for it. If I keep Thunderpunch on it, Dusknoir hurts it bad too.

Heatran: Starmie checks it well and if it lacks HP Grass, then so does Swampert

Heracross: Fire punch off Dusknoir and Flamethrower from Infernape it doesn't enjoy unless it's scarfed.

Jirachi: Swampert Laughs at it as does Infernape when it out speeds

Kindra: Starmie outspeeds it and KOs it.

Lucario: Dusknoir can switch in on a Fighting move and Fire Punch.

Machamp: Dusknoir on the Dynamic Punch to Will-o-Wisp and Pain Split it to Death. STAB Surf from Starmie hurts too.

Magnezone: Swampert unless HP Grass/Magnet Rise, but Infernape and Dusknoir trouble it with Fire moves.

Mamoswine: Infernape loves switching in on an Ice move and Close Combating. Dusknoir also bullies with Fire Punch and Will-o-Wisp

Metagross: Swampert, Dusknoir, INfernape all have super effective moves on it.

Ninjask: With SR up, almost any thing can KO, especially Dusknoir.

Porygon-Z: Infernape can Vacum Wave it for Heavy Damage and Close Combat it overwise.

Rhyperior: Starmie's STAB Surf destroys it on the double weakness super effective weaker special side.

Roserade: Dusknoir and Infernape both destroy it.

Rotom-A: Forretress can use payback unless it's the Heat form, in which case I'm kinda screwed.

Scizor: Dusknoir Switches in on Superpower and Fire Punch FTW

Snorlax: It doesn't take Close Combat well. Curselax kinda screws me over though.

Starmie: If it isn't Scarfed, my own Starmie owns it with T-Bolt. Forretress hits with Payback and Dusknoir owns it with ThunderPunch/Shadow Sneak

Suicune: Starmie and Ape both can weaken it with their Super effective moves though Ape may die.

Togekiss: Starmie and Swampert hit it super effectively.

Tyranitar: It doesn't love Infernape, Swampert, or Starmie.

Yanmega: Falls hard against Infernape after Stealth Rock

Zapdos: Can be a pain in the Ass. Ice Beam from Swampert can hurt but it probably has HP Grass, so the best I can do just hit it as hard as I can with my strongest Pokemons or Trick it a Choice Scarf.
Will updates threats later.

Art is from a little place called arkeis.comArkies.com.

So Rate my Team and I'll do you a solid to rate your team if you want.

Also, anyone have a Mudkip they can trade me? Need it for my team. Don't care bout nature, just need one.

Changes in BOLD.

 

[the Logger]

Come on guys, I can't start building this team until I get at least some input. Please, I'm kinda n00b so I'd love suggestions.

 

[Azlanslayer]

Hey hi, imma just give a short rate

Stall teams, Lucario, Infernape gives you trouble.Infernape can KO Swampert, Forrestress, Togekiss, while Lucario KOs everything with Extremespeed + Close Combat. Starmie also gives problems while Thunderbolting Gyarados and Togekiss, Surfing Infernape, which makes you left with your choiced pokemon and two leads.

I Don't see why Gyarados should be there, you can remove it for Starmie, which remove's the nasty Spikes + Toxic Spikes and SR, preventing any entry Hazard Damage. Starmie also can be your status absorber. :)

With spikes and SR without a Spin Blocker is redundant imo, use Scarf Rotom-H to revenge Lucario,Gyarados as well as preventing them to even rapid spin :)

Good Luck

 

[greg3064]

I would second the notion of using Starmie. That Gyarados doesn't get a lot done. One of Gyarados's biggest assets is Dragon Dancing, allowing it to outspeed various threats, but you can't do that. I also would not suggest using it in a stall battle with Dragonite, as Dragonite resists you STAB and is immune to your other attack. Dragonite (especially bulky ones with Roost) would probably be able to get up 6 Dragon Dances against that Gyarados. :P

Go ahead and max out Pert's spread at 252/252/4. I'm pretty sure that the only reason for the SpA EVs is for the OHKO on Salamence, which is not an issue anymore.

Seems like a waste to run Flamethrower on Ape. Fire Blast can yield some valuable KOs, but if you really don't like the risk, I guess it's fine. I would probably not use HP Ice on Infernape... Flygon are usually scarfed and will take you out unless you catch them on the switch, and Dragonite can carry Extremespeed to finish you anyway, especially if you have used Close Combat. Vacuum Wave can be used to revenge Lucario and Tyranitar, potentially saving you from sweeps.

 

[the Logger]

Will replace Gyarados with Starmie, but who should I drop for Rotom - H? I missed that Event, so IDK how I'll get him. In Platinum BTW.

Also, Fire Blast, is a huge risk for missing in general. I will use Vacuum Wave though.

Anyway, thanks a bunch, this helps :)

 

[greg3064]

Rotom-H can be obtained in Platinum, but you can't use him on Wifi (since he can't be obtained in DP). Zapdos is an alternative to Rotom-H for wifi battlers that plays similarly. They have a similar set of resistances and counter more or less the same things (Lucario, Metagross, Scizor). Zapdos also has instant recovery in Roost but is generally considered inferior with weaknesses to rock and ice. But it's still good. Check out the physically defensive Zapdos spread in the analysis.

Fire Blast also has the same accuracy/power as Megahorn, so it's not THAT bad. And 120*.85=102 so it does deal higher damage on average than Flamethrower (though, yes, you can miss at important moments). But getting a OHKO 85% of the time is better than getting a 2HKO 100% of the time, is it not?

 

[the Logger]

But I was going to use Rotom-H as a spin Blocker. Who's a good spin Blocker who can be beneficial to my team, and who should get the boot for them. Also, What Starmie set should I use?

One more thing. For Wish support, can I use a Blissey in stead of Togekiss since I'm lacking a Special Wall. Thoughts?

 

[3v3rnoob]

I would take out Kiss for blissey. As much as I hate Blissey, you are really weak to special sweepers, most notably CM rachi. Any set will come in and CM one time, then survive Ape's Flamethrower or Close Combat, killing it with Psychic, and then sweeping the rest of your team with either psychic or thunderbolt. Even if you manage to force it out with swampert, it isn't really threatened by Gyara or even Hera. Look out for it. But in all honesty, I like snorlax over Blissey, because it can survive a taunt and not have status as its main threat to other teams.

 

[the Logger]

The main reason I'm using Blissey is because it's a special wall that has access to Wish, which is what Kiss's job. I like Snorlax too, but it doesn't have Wish...

 

[SlimMan]

You can't pass it, but Snorlax gets Rest. To finish the special wall role, have an Amlax (Snorlax+Amnesia).

The main point of Gyarados is to sweep. Give it DD over Sleep Talk or it's worth is much less.

You already heard about VW on 'Nape.

Try Stone Edge on Gyara, and Aerial Ace on Heracross. That's my advice.

 

[the Logger]

Yes but Blissey can support the team AND be a special wall while Snorlax can only do one.

 

[Faladran]

Hello,

While this appears to be a fairly solid team overall, I noticed that it possesses a large weakness to SD Lucario. After a single Swords Dance, the combination of Close Combat and Extremespeed can OHKO almost the entirety of your team. To help you revenge kill Lucario, along with a myraid of other threats, I'd like to suggest a Choice Scarf Jirachi over Heracross' spot:

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SpA)
-Iron Head
-Thunderpunch
-Fire Punch
-Trick

Scarf Jirachi is arguably the best revenge killer in OU, with access to a vast movepool that hits many threats for super effective damage. Iron Head, Thunderpunch, and Fire Punch can be used to kill Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Lucario, respectively, while Trick gives you a good way to cripple bulky stat-boosting sweepers. This is particularly useful against threats such as Kingdra, who currently presents some difficulty to your team.

Other than that, I don't feel that any major changes are necessary. However, I would advise you to use Thunder Wave and Seismic Toss instead of Flamethrower and Toxic on Blissey. The moves you are currently using are more suited towards stall-based teams, while yours is balanced/offensive. The paralysis support will often prove to be more useful than Toxic, and will prevent you from becoming set up bait for Lucario.

Also, to maintain a faster offensive pace, consider using a Life Orb Rapid Spin Starmie over your current bulky set. Here is the set below:

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin

LO Rapid Spin Starmie is one of the most dangerous threats in the metagame, and performs equally well against stall and offensive. With Rapid Spin, you retain the ability to spin away entry hazards that trouble your team, but the use of Life Orb and Starmie's excellent coverage will allow you to sweep many opponents clean after some residual damage. With Forretress providing entry hazards support in the form of Spikes, Starmie will be a much more potent threat against opposing players.

Good luck with your team!

 

[Super Mario Bro]

Hey, nice team!

First of all, make Vacuum Wave the first slash on Infernape to revenge Lucario. HP Ice is rather situational, and this team isn't particularly Dragonite weak.

Next, switch the positions of Forretress and Swampert, making Forry the lead. Forry is a superior lead to Swampert, as it is able to set up hazards against most leads, while Pert loses to pretty much everything. Also, Forry is really hard to bring out mid game.

It also concerns me that a CroCune flat out 6-0s this team, no sweat. If I were you, I would give Starmie a Choice Scarf and switch out Heracross for a Celebi, which lets you check Breloom.

Starmie @ Choice Scarf
Modest
EVs: 252 SpA/252 Spe/4 SpD
-Surf
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
-Trick

Celebi @ Leftovers
Bold
EVs: 252 HP/220 Def/36 Spe
-Perish Song
-Grass Knot
-HP Fire/Ice
-Recover

Finally, place Toxic Spikes on Forretress, as most of this team abuses them pretty well. Explosion is a pretty terrible move on Forry, so place it over that.

Good luck.

 

[the Logger]

tHX for positive feedback. Alright, so Starmie can either be Life Orbed or Scarfed... Alright, Scarfed. Forretress will lead with Toxic Spikes (Please say it's not an egg move). VW on Infernape. Alright, Celebi vs. Jirachi. I lean more toward Jirachi cuz it can revenge kill a lot of threats to my team. Thoughts? Also, how do I get a Celebi? Also,I have a Jirachi but I it's Brave.... help?

 

[Super Mario Bro]

Jirachi is a no-no because it makes your team Breloom weak. And, no, Toxic Spikes is not an egg move on Forry. :)

As for Celebi, you can either get it through events or Pal Park.

 

[the Logger]

good on the Forretress thing. :)

But where could get a Celebi? Also, I've seen video of Rotom formes being played on wifi. Could I possibly use one as my spin blocker?

 

[avroillusion]

Celebi is an event Pokemon, isn't it? They haven't released it yet. Though you can get one in Colosseum. As far as I know, you can transfer the Colosseum Celebi to your Advance games and then to Platinum.

Anything of the Ghost type can be a potential Spin Blocker, though Gengar is probably one of the better ones after the Rotoms.

 

[the Logger]

Yeah, I don't have Coliseum nor my GBA/ DS lite (I have a DSi).

I could use Gengar, but that would give me another special sweeper. I don't need another one of those.

 

[Zinocide]

Dusknoir, Spiritomb, a couple of spin blockers I can think of ATM.

 

[avroillusion]

Oh yes, I forgot about Dusknoir. He can be quite a pain with Will-O-Whisp and Pain Split.

Oh, and I noticed that you don't seem to have chosen between Payback or Gyro Ball on your Forretress, Logger. Payback can hit psychic and ghost types, so you can fight spin blockers and don't have to explode on Azelf. Some Azelf carry flamethrower, however.

 

[the Logger]

Actually, I decided on Payback. Also, I've considered Dusknoir. Any thoughts?

 

[the Logger]

A littleupdate: i've decided the last PKMN on my team to Replace Heracross will be a spin blocker. I still am deciding between Rotom-H and Dusknoir. Any other tips of PKMN to use in that slot or what spin blocker I should use?

 

[rickheg]

The only way to get a Rotom forme on wifi is to use the AR code that allows it, iirc. You might also have to put in your sig (if battling people here) that you use Rotom-A or you could end up blacklisted. Anyway, yeah, without an AR Dusknoir would probably be your best bet.
Also, if this is in fact for wifi, how will you get a Wish Blissey? Wasn't it from a one-time event at the VCG years ago, or something like that?

 

[the Logger]

So Dusknoir it is. And i think you may be right about Blissey, so I'll run Softboiled instead, unless I'm told otherwise.