Soooo, those who have been on the PokéBeach Shoddy server lately will have been exposed to this team, and frustrated to no end by some of the members of it 
. I was told of a unique Heatran moveset to try out, and decided to try and build a team around it. I didn't get as many entry hazards in as I would've liked, but god, it's such a potent set as it is that it hardly needs them to do its job. I'll try and make a newer version soon though, so although this isn't retired it's maybe not going to be used much when I revamp it.
(BTW the record when I post this is 13-0; definitely better than most of my teams lately)
The Team At A Glance:
Taking a Closer Look:
Uxie @ Choice Scarf
Bold Nature
Levitate
EVs: 232 HP / 124 SpA / 152 Spe OR 252 HP / 104 Def / 152 Spe
Moveset:
Trick
Stealth Rock
U-turn
Psychic
I wrote a big analysis of this set before (linky - it's the third set), so I'll be a little more brief with this one. At least in terms of describing the SET.
My idea for this team was to use that Heatran as a key staying force within the team. To do that, it needed to be able to stop things from setting up on it... but running Taunt would be suicide. So I decided to go to Scarf Trick pokes instead to do the job. I was thinking about Azelf, but Azelf is really fragile... and I wanted something that had use beyond simple tricks. Uxie has staying power as well as a high degree of disruption, especially in the lead slot. Let's take a look at what most common leads will do for a sec:
Azelf: Usually sets up Rocks or Taunts, as most as sash leads. Sash is pretty useless to Uxie (but it does give more disruption with Trick later), but Uxie essentially prevents Azelf from doing anything EXCEPT set up rocks, or at worst a screen. If it Taunts I 100% U-turn, but if it sets up rocks then I have the opportunity to set my own up as they switch. Uxie is so bulky naturally that it takes a massive shot (usually Explosion) to OHKO it anyhow, so it doesn't tend to be a bad thing to set up afterwards.
If it is ALSO Trick Scarf, it's not an issue: I simply switch out to Celebi as they keep trying to palm their Scarf off on me. I U-turn from there to keep momentum in my favour.
Aerodactyl: Same as Azelf, just without the Trick bit.
Metagross: Practically always sets up rocks. TrickScarf disables it - with two Protect users on the team it isn't usually hard to scout choiced pokes.
Infernape: Fake Out does like 7-9% or so, then it sets up rocks. Trick deals with that, and from there it plays pretty much the same as above.
Swampert: See Metagross. Pert can't even hope to scratch Uxie, so even if it attacks it's hardly an issue.
Roserade: Well, I'm faster, so Trick will lock it into Sleep Powder. Even as Uxie sleeps, it's not the end of the world: Celebi tends to make for a good double-switch thanks to its own Scarf, and I can try to get Uxie to wake up later. The key point here is that Toxic Spikes don't go down, and that's a big help for Vaporeon.
Jirachi: Well, most are also Trick Scarf, so what I'd tend to do HERE is set up rocks alongside it and go to Celebi on the double switch. If it starts spamming Iron Head I'll go to Metagross; if he starts to fail due to flinching I'll go to Vaporeon and Wish back up.
Smeargle: Meh, Trick as it Spores is usually the best idea. Similar to Roserade; the difference being that in this case the sleep is 100%, and it's general entry hazards that are messed with. If it Taunts for some reason instead of Spore, all the better; it becomes like Azelf then.
Ninjask: Welllll this one is slightly trickier. Overall, +Spe isn't devastating to most of my team (given the nature of much of it), so it isn't a big deal to see it sub down. What IS a big issue is potentially what comes out at the end... I can't outspeed it to Trick Scarf onto it, so it will Sub before I get a chance to pull that off. I think the best bet is to go with Psychic to break a sub, then go to Metagross and attempt to Bullet Punch it out of the game.
Heatran: TBH I have no idea. I GUESS I could Trick it as it sets up rocks/a sub, but I've never seen a Heatran lead, so idk.
As you can see, the set really does mess with many of the common leads we see in the game atm. Whilst it doesn't always shut down their primary purpose (setting up rocks), it neuters them for the rest of the game, and that to me is just as important. Seeing as how I don't tend to switch very often after I bring certain pokes in anyhow ^_^
A note on the EV's: The Spe hits 264, enough to outdo base 130's + Scarf Breloom. The latter is extremely important for using the first EV spread, as 124 SpA (factoring in the 30 IV to make the IVs legit) guarantees a OHKO on Breloom with Psychic. The second EV spread was the one I originally started with, but I've since tested the second one out (thanks bacon for giving me the numbers) and it's definitely proved useful. Uxie still survives enough to afford to give those defensive EVs up. Speaking of which, the HP on the first set hits 349, which in the case where I find Uxie with a Life Orb rounds down the damage it takes.
If I still have my Scarf later on in the match, it's always helpful to trick it onto a wall or something that tends to set up on Uxie
Metagross @ Iron Plate
Adamant Nature
Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Moveset:
Meteor Mash
Bullet Punch
Thunderpunch
Earthquake
This was chosen over Scizor (omgnoScizorwtf) because of the Rock resist primarily, but also because Meta is an absolute beast and can serve as an emergency check to Gyarados is Vappy fails.
This is the basic CB set with one key difference; it lacks CB. Since I have two Steel moves, I decided to fake a CB set and run Iron Plate instead. It still gives the impression of a CB set, but the key thing is that it allows me to finish things off with Bullet Punch much more easily. It's really awesome when Lucario/Latias/Salamence come in on Thunderpunch expecting to be able to set up, only to be wasted by Meteor Mash/EQ next turn... and if they live THAT Bullet Punch is usually enough to finish them off.
The EVs are simple; max Atk gives the biggest offensive power possible, which is important without CB. Max HP gives Metagross the physical (and sometimes special!) bulk it needs to be able to take the hits the team needs it to, and the Spe is to outdo base 70's that don't invest at all. I could be persuaded to run slightly more if needed, but atm I haven't had to worry about it.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Calm Nature
Flash Fire
EVs: 244 HP / 224 Spe / 32 SpA / 8 SpD
Moveset:
Lava Plume
Substitute
Torment
Protect
So, this is the new Breloom for me (those who played me in the old days should know what I mean ;D), and seriously it's just nuts. Comes in on something that doesn't particularly threaten it (not hard given that it's Heatran), Subs up as they switch, and Torments as they break the sub with their best attack. From there, usually it's a second Sub that is set up, and Protect every second turn to guard against the attack they have that can break it. Lava Plume comes when I get the chance to use it, and the 30% burn rate is very handy against Gyarados/Swampert/Salamence/anything.
Obviously this relies on the opponent only having one move that is capable of breaking its sub, but that's not normally a bad assumption; with Heatran's gigantic resistance set, coupled with the extraordinary bulk of the set, most pokémon can't break it. Choice users are especially destroyed, as they are forced to Struggle every second turn, doing almost all of my damage for me. The vast majority of pokémon that normally beat choiced Heatran can't stop this one.
Some key pokémon can though. Blissey, since I don't have Toxic Spikes, will stop it cold, although it will be very annoyed by Torment. Opposing Heatran can't be touched even if I DO get TSpikes down, but they can't do anything BACK either, so if I have a Sub up it isn't a disaster (Torment then switch normally). What IS an issue though is those who can set up as well as Rest, as they can stop my burn from killing them. This is where the trick pokes come into play; they're designed to palm off Choice Scarves onto the pokes I can't handle with Heatran, so that it makes it easier for Tran to wreck stuff.
Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Timid Nature
Natural Cure
EVs: 80 HP / 248 SpA / 180 Spe
Moveset:
Leaf Storm
Hidden Power Fire
Trick
U-turn
So the idea of this Celebi is to complement Heatran perfectly, by being able to completely disable a setup sweeper that would tend to beat Heatran (particularly Calm Mind sweepers, although any setup sweeper with Rest is hugely problematic to TormentTran). Choice Scarf is the most obvious thing to trick to things to neuter them completely, so that’s why ScarfBee is the set of choice here. Leaf Storm allows Celebi to cause considerable damage to any potential opponent that doesn’t resist it. Sadly that’s a lot of opponents, but quite often you will find that teams don’t have half a team resistant to grass. Hidden Power Fire is obviously for Scizor, although it complements Leaf Storm pretty well in terms of coverage (Steel, Grass and Bug are all hit for SE damage). Trick is self-explanatory, and U-turn is to scout initially. It isn’t completely safe to open with HP Fire, as most good players are cautious of this move on Celebi. After all, most bees do use HP Fire JUST because Scizor is such a threat...
The EVs are pretty simple. 248 SpA lets me hit things as hard as possible with Leaf Storm, allowing for an easy 2HKO on 252 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar,as well as a OHKO on min/min versions, even factoring in Sandstorm. 180 Spe acts alongside the point dropped for HP Fire to hit 308 Speed, which outdoes everything up to positive natured Lucario, thus allowing a swift KO with HP Fire before it gets the chance to Crunch me to death (even after giving up my Choice Scarf). It also avoids a speed tie with neutral nature base 100 Scarf pokes, which always helps considering Flygon is in that category. The HP seems odd, but it serves a purpose – factoring in the 29 I had to give Celebi to make the IVs legal on Shoddy (although it generates HP Fire 69 as a result, it was the change that caused the fewest points to be dropped), 80 HP EVs generate a HP stat of 359. This is handy for the cases when I receive a Life Orb from the opponent. That way, my recoil damage rounds down, which is always helpful.
The power of Leaf Storm makes this a potent revenge killer, but if it receives a Life Orb (as factored in above), it becomes a dangerous sweeper in its own right. The fact that this and Heatran cover each other so perfectly really helps though, as it gives both pokémon ample opportunities to switch in. Lack of recovery on this Celebi is made up for by Vaporeon’s Wish, when it stays alive -_-
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Careful Nature
Thick Fat
EVs: 168 HP / 88 Atk / 252 SpD
Moveset:
Body Slam
Earthquake
Fire Punch
Crunch
Not quite a faker like Metagross, Snorlax is coining the Choice Band setup without the band. Obviously I have a lot less power this way, but Snorlax's defensive investments means that it's hanging around for quite a while, which is what this team needs to ward off threats like Starmie and Jolteon.
Being a coined CB set, I have a move for virtually every occasion. Body Slam is usually what I lead with; almost everything that switches into Snorlax eats paralysis 30% of the time, which really helps my team overall. Quite often, the stuff that comes in on Snorlax are then weak to one of the other moves (Scizor, Lucario being the best examples), so I often get to hit them for a KO at the same time. Always a plus.
Few things don't take somewhat effective damage from this set. Those that don't take much tend to be easily handled by other team members though (Gyarados/Salamence etc), so it normally isn't an issue.
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Calm Nature
Water Absorb
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Def / 60 SpA / 4 Spe
Moveset:
Wish
Protect
Surf
Hidden Power Electric
Theoretically MVP for the team, it normally doesn't end up becoming that. Mostly because Heatran and Celebi run the show D:
But yeah, Vaporeon is a quintessential addition to the majority of my teams, and this one is no exception. The idea is that Vaporeon's Wish can be passed to literally every member of this team (well, Uxie is debatable) without excessive risk, as practically everything resists one of the types that Vappy is weak to, or has the SpD to eat the move regardless. EVERYTHING on this team greatly appreciates Wish, as nothing else has its own recovery, and pretty much everything is bulky enough to take a hit. Protect is obvious for scouting and self-healing with Wish. HP Electric is a better move than Ice Beam nowadays because Salamence OHKO's Vappy with DD Outrage anyway, making Ice Beam a bit of a useless move to use. With HP Electric, Vappy can easily counter Gyarados, who if it packs EQ can devastate most of the rest of the team.
The EVs and Nature are slightly custom, but not drastically different from the standard. Calm is preferred to me beause it gives a higher overall stat total, and makes taking on Heatran and other special attackers that much easier. It's a big benefit to be able to take less damage from a Starmie's TBolt when you're attempting to KO it with HP Electric. Vappy's Def isn't undermined much; I've hardly ever noticed the difference, and I can't think of a single circumstance whereby I lost due to a lower Def. The HP EVs hit 449, which is one above lefties for safety. The Spe is just to outdo min Spe Vaporeon, although I've heard that they are rarer now for some reason o.o. The rest is applied to SpA to give Vappy some needed bite in its attacks, hitting a respectable 270 SpA.
And that's that! I might add more later, but I don't have time atm. So, rate and enjoy!
. I was told of a unique Heatran moveset to try out, and decided to try and build a team around it. I didn't get as many entry hazards in as I would've liked, but god, it's such a potent set as it is that it hardly needs them to do its job. I'll try and make a newer version soon though, so although this isn't retired it's maybe not going to be used much when I revamp it.(BTW the record when I post this is 13-0; definitely better than most of my teams lately
)The Team At A Glance:
Taking a Closer Look:
Uxie @ Choice Scarf
Bold Nature
Levitate
EVs: 232 HP / 124 SpA / 152 Spe OR 252 HP / 104 Def / 152 Spe
Moveset:
Trick
Stealth Rock
U-turn
Psychic
I wrote a big analysis of this set before (linky - it's the third set), so I'll be a little more brief with this one. At least in terms of describing the SET.
My idea for this team was to use that Heatran as a key staying force within the team. To do that, it needed to be able to stop things from setting up on it... but running Taunt would be suicide. So I decided to go to Scarf Trick pokes instead to do the job. I was thinking about Azelf, but Azelf is really fragile... and I wanted something that had use beyond simple tricks. Uxie has staying power as well as a high degree of disruption, especially in the lead slot. Let's take a look at what most common leads will do for a sec:
Azelf: Usually sets up Rocks or Taunts, as most as sash leads. Sash is pretty useless to Uxie (but it does give more disruption with Trick later), but Uxie essentially prevents Azelf from doing anything EXCEPT set up rocks, or at worst a screen. If it Taunts I 100% U-turn, but if it sets up rocks then I have the opportunity to set my own up as they switch. Uxie is so bulky naturally that it takes a massive shot (usually Explosion) to OHKO it anyhow, so it doesn't tend to be a bad thing to set up afterwards.
If it is ALSO Trick Scarf, it's not an issue: I simply switch out to Celebi as they keep trying to palm their Scarf off on me. I U-turn from there to keep momentum in my favour.
Aerodactyl: Same as Azelf, just without the Trick bit.
Metagross: Practically always sets up rocks. TrickScarf disables it - with two Protect users on the team it isn't usually hard to scout choiced pokes.
Infernape: Fake Out does like 7-9% or so, then it sets up rocks. Trick deals with that, and from there it plays pretty much the same as above.
Swampert: See Metagross. Pert can't even hope to scratch Uxie, so even if it attacks it's hardly an issue.
Roserade: Well, I'm faster, so Trick will lock it into Sleep Powder. Even as Uxie sleeps, it's not the end of the world: Celebi tends to make for a good double-switch thanks to its own Scarf, and I can try to get Uxie to wake up later. The key point here is that Toxic Spikes don't go down, and that's a big help for Vaporeon.
Jirachi: Well, most are also Trick Scarf, so what I'd tend to do HERE is set up rocks alongside it and go to Celebi on the double switch. If it starts spamming Iron Head I'll go to Metagross; if he starts to fail due to flinching I'll go to Vaporeon and Wish back up.
Smeargle: Meh, Trick as it Spores is usually the best idea. Similar to Roserade; the difference being that in this case the sleep is 100%, and it's general entry hazards that are messed with. If it Taunts for some reason instead of Spore, all the better; it becomes like Azelf then.
Ninjask: Welllll this one is slightly trickier. Overall, +Spe isn't devastating to most of my team (given the nature of much of it), so it isn't a big deal to see it sub down. What IS a big issue is potentially what comes out at the end... I can't outspeed it to Trick Scarf onto it, so it will Sub before I get a chance to pull that off. I think the best bet is to go with Psychic to break a sub, then go to Metagross and attempt to Bullet Punch it out of the game.
Heatran: TBH I have no idea. I GUESS I could Trick it as it sets up rocks/a sub, but I've never seen a Heatran lead, so idk.
As you can see, the set really does mess with many of the common leads we see in the game atm. Whilst it doesn't always shut down their primary purpose (setting up rocks), it neuters them for the rest of the game, and that to me is just as important. Seeing as how I don't tend to switch very often after I bring certain pokes in anyhow ^_^
A note on the EV's: The Spe hits 264, enough to outdo base 130's + Scarf Breloom. The latter is extremely important for using the first EV spread, as 124 SpA (factoring in the 30 IV to make the IVs legit) guarantees a OHKO on Breloom with Psychic. The second EV spread was the one I originally started with, but I've since tested the second one out (thanks bacon for giving me the numbers
) and it's definitely proved useful. Uxie still survives enough to afford to give those defensive EVs up. Speaking of which, the HP on the first set hits 349, which in the case where I find Uxie with a Life Orb rounds down the damage it takes.If I still have my Scarf later on in the match, it's always helpful to trick it onto a wall or something that tends to set up on Uxie
Metagross @ Iron Plate
Adamant Nature
Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Moveset:
Meteor Mash
Bullet Punch
Thunderpunch
Earthquake
This was chosen over Scizor (omgnoScizorwtf) because of the Rock resist primarily, but also because Meta is an absolute beast and can serve as an emergency check to Gyarados is Vappy fails.
This is the basic CB set with one key difference; it lacks CB
. Since I have two Steel moves, I decided to fake a CB set and run Iron Plate instead. It still gives the impression of a CB set, but the key thing is that it allows me to finish things off with Bullet Punch much more easily. It's really awesome when Lucario/Latias/Salamence come in on Thunderpunch expecting to be able to set up, only to be wasted by Meteor Mash/EQ next turn... and if they live THAT Bullet Punch is usually enough to finish them off.The EVs are simple; max Atk gives the biggest offensive power possible, which is important without CB. Max HP gives Metagross the physical (and sometimes special!) bulk it needs to be able to take the hits the team needs it to, and the Spe is to outdo base 70's that don't invest at all. I could be persuaded to run slightly more if needed, but atm I haven't had to worry about it.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Calm Nature
Flash Fire
EVs: 244 HP / 224 Spe / 32 SpA / 8 SpD
Moveset:
Lava Plume
Substitute
Torment
Protect
So, this is the new Breloom for me (those who played me in the old days should know what I mean ;D), and seriously it's just nuts. Comes in on something that doesn't particularly threaten it (not hard given that it's Heatran), Subs up as they switch, and Torments as they break the sub with their best attack. From there, usually it's a second Sub that is set up, and Protect every second turn to guard against the attack they have that can break it. Lava Plume comes when I get the chance to use it, and the 30% burn rate is very handy against Gyarados/Swampert/Salamence/anything.
Obviously this relies on the opponent only having one move that is capable of breaking its sub, but that's not normally a bad assumption; with Heatran's gigantic resistance set, coupled with the extraordinary bulk of the set, most pokémon can't break it. Choice users are especially destroyed, as they are forced to Struggle every second turn, doing almost all of my damage for me. The vast majority of pokémon that normally beat choiced Heatran can't stop this one.
Some key pokémon can though. Blissey, since I don't have Toxic Spikes, will stop it cold, although it will be very annoyed by Torment. Opposing Heatran can't be touched even if I DO get TSpikes down, but they can't do anything BACK either, so if I have a Sub up it isn't a disaster (Torment then switch normally). What IS an issue though is those who can set up as well as Rest, as they can stop my burn from killing them. This is where the trick pokes come into play; they're designed to palm off Choice Scarves onto the pokes I can't handle with Heatran, so that it makes it easier for Tran to wreck stuff.
Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Timid Nature
Natural Cure
EVs: 80 HP / 248 SpA / 180 Spe
Moveset:
Leaf Storm
Hidden Power Fire
Trick
U-turn
So the idea of this Celebi is to complement Heatran perfectly, by being able to completely disable a setup sweeper that would tend to beat Heatran (particularly Calm Mind sweepers, although any setup sweeper with Rest is hugely problematic to TormentTran). Choice Scarf is the most obvious thing to trick to things to neuter them completely, so that’s why ScarfBee is the set of choice here. Leaf Storm allows Celebi to cause considerable damage to any potential opponent that doesn’t resist it. Sadly that’s a lot of opponents, but quite often you will find that teams don’t have half a team resistant to grass
. Hidden Power Fire is obviously for Scizor, although it complements Leaf Storm pretty well in terms of coverage (Steel, Grass and Bug are all hit for SE damage). Trick is self-explanatory, and U-turn is to scout initially. It isn’t completely safe to open with HP Fire, as most good players are cautious of this move on Celebi. After all, most bees do use HP Fire JUST because Scizor is such a threat...The EVs are pretty simple. 248 SpA lets me hit things as hard as possible with Leaf Storm, allowing for an easy 2HKO on 252 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar,as well as a OHKO on min/min versions, even factoring in Sandstorm. 180 Spe acts alongside the point dropped for HP Fire to hit 308 Speed, which outdoes everything up to positive natured Lucario, thus allowing a swift KO with HP Fire before it gets the chance to Crunch me to death (even after giving up my Choice Scarf). It also avoids a speed tie with neutral nature base 100 Scarf pokes, which always helps considering Flygon is in that category. The HP seems odd, but it serves a purpose – factoring in the 29 I had to give Celebi to make the IVs legal on Shoddy (although it generates HP Fire 69 as a result, it was the change that caused the fewest points to be dropped), 80 HP EVs generate a HP stat of 359. This is handy for the cases when I receive a Life Orb from the opponent. That way, my recoil damage rounds down, which is always helpful.
The power of Leaf Storm makes this a potent revenge killer, but if it receives a Life Orb (as factored in above), it becomes a dangerous sweeper in its own right. The fact that this and Heatran cover each other so perfectly really helps though, as it gives both pokémon ample opportunities to switch in. Lack of recovery on this Celebi is made up for by Vaporeon’s Wish, when it stays alive -_-
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Careful Nature
Thick Fat
EVs: 168 HP / 88 Atk / 252 SpD
Moveset:
Body Slam
Earthquake
Fire Punch
Crunch
Not quite a faker like Metagross, Snorlax is coining the Choice Band setup without the band. Obviously I have a lot less power this way, but Snorlax's defensive investments means that it's hanging around for quite a while, which is what this team needs to ward off threats like Starmie and Jolteon.
Being a coined CB set, I have a move for virtually every occasion. Body Slam is usually what I lead with; almost everything that switches into Snorlax eats paralysis 30% of the time, which really helps my team overall. Quite often, the stuff that comes in on Snorlax are then weak to one of the other moves (Scizor, Lucario being the best examples), so I often get to hit them for a KO at the same time. Always a plus.
Few things don't take somewhat effective damage from this set. Those that don't take much tend to be easily handled by other team members though (Gyarados/Salamence etc), so it normally isn't an issue.
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Calm Nature
Water Absorb
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Def / 60 SpA / 4 Spe
Moveset:
Wish
Protect
Surf
Hidden Power Electric
Theoretically MVP for the team, it normally doesn't end up becoming that. Mostly because Heatran and Celebi run the show D:
But yeah, Vaporeon is a quintessential addition to the majority of my teams, and this one is no exception. The idea is that Vaporeon's Wish can be passed to literally every member of this team (well, Uxie is debatable) without excessive risk, as practically everything resists one of the types that Vappy is weak to, or has the SpD to eat the move regardless. EVERYTHING on this team greatly appreciates Wish, as nothing else has its own recovery, and pretty much everything is bulky enough to take a hit. Protect is obvious for scouting and self-healing with Wish. HP Electric is a better move than Ice Beam nowadays because Salamence OHKO's Vappy with DD Outrage anyway, making Ice Beam a bit of a useless move to use. With HP Electric, Vappy can easily counter Gyarados, who if it packs EQ can devastate most of the rest of the team.
The EVs and Nature are slightly custom, but not drastically different from the standard. Calm is preferred to me beause it gives a higher overall stat total, and makes taking on Heatran and other special attackers that much easier. It's a big benefit to be able to take less damage from a Starmie's TBolt when you're attempting to KO it with HP Electric. Vappy's Def isn't undermined much; I've hardly ever noticed the difference, and I can't think of a single circumstance whereby I lost due to a lower Def. The HP EVs hit 449, which is one above lefties for safety. The Spe is just to outdo min Spe Vaporeon, although I've heard that they are rarer now for some reason o.o. The rest is applied to SpA to give Vappy some needed bite in its attacks, hitting a respectable 270 SpA.
And that's that! I might add more later, but I don't have time atm. So, rate and enjoy!
