OU: Strategy Not Using Hazard Remover in Teambuilding

[Scattered mind]

Hazards, mainly Stealth Rock and Spikes which are most common, are being used in almost every battle in OU. They ensure some KO's, breaking sashes and sometimes even doing massive damage depending on the Pokémon switching in.
This thing helps for both Stall and Offense teams to make their Pokémon's job a lot easier whether it's wearing down the opponent or to sweep much easier. Although there are variety of ways to handle with hazards (Taunt, Magic Bounce etc..) the prime way is either using Rapid Spin, or Defog. These are the most effective ways to deal with hazards, and they are the only way to deal with hazards after they already had been set on you. There were many arguments in the past wether Rapid Spin or Defog is the best out of the two, but it pretty much depends on your team. The problem is, these moves are pretty much useless out of that area. They can be replaced many times with a much better move or even a better Pokémon. Now, if your team consist of Charizard, Talonflame, Volcarona or Pinsir, you must use them, duo to the fact they are extremely vulnerable but sometimes it is not really necessary.

Do you always use RS or Defog user on your team? Why?
Do you try not to use these moves? By not using Pokémon that are vulnerable to SR?
And the most interesting thing I want to know: What is the point in which you must have these moves?
For example, Many times I have such a good team and no place for a hazard remover, when can I just ignore that and when do I must find a place for them? If I have Thundurus, is it enough to make me using a defogger/spinner? or having something like a Taunt user can be enough when I don't have a place for one since making a place for one means giving up on a good Pokémon for the synergy of the team.

 

[One Approved]

Well first off, I definitely do not always use a Rapid Spin or Defog user on my team. I usually find I end up with *some* way of dealing with hazards (read as: magic bounce, taunt, or rapid spin/defog, etc) but that's usually just because one of those pokemon happens to find their way onto my team. I do not set out to put a hazard controller/remover on my team intentionally, though.

I don't actively try to avoid using these moves, because like I said, sometimes the pokemon is just a really good fit for my team. If I find I need a good fire-type switch in, as well as something with longevity, why should I actively seek to avoid using Starmie? At that point, why not use Rapid Spin? It's never bad to have an out against entry hazards.

I also don't seek to actively avoid using pokemon weak to Stealth Rock. One of the most interesting concepts I've noticed is that of all the monotype teams in existence, mono-Flying is actually one of the most difficult ones to deal with. It wouldn't seem like it, given that every single pokemon is weak to Stealth Rock (aside from like, Gliscor) but the amount of offensive presence is more than enough to overcome that usually. So I won't try to actively avoid using pokemon weak to SR, but if I notice that 3 or more members of my team are weak, I might start to look for replacements.

As for the eternal question: when must I add these moves? Well, it depends on the team. I usually don't ever auto-include a spinner in my plan unless I'm using Volcarona, Charizard or Multiscale Dragonite. The only reason I make an exception for these pokemon is because they are EXTREMELY powerful if you manage to keep hazards off the field. They're not "bad" pokemon when Stealth Rock is set up, but they're so much more powerful when you manage to spin the hazards away. Aside from those 3 pokemon though, whether or not I have a spinner usually depends on a couple of factors:

1) how much Stealth Rock actually hampers my team - if I have 2 or more pokemon weak to SR that I plan on switching in multiple times in a game, then I might invest in a spinner or defogger. Using something like Thundurus isn't that big of a deal without a spinner because it's not like I'm going to switch it in repeatedly in a game anyways, so I don't have to worry about passive damage. Stealth Rock, in essence, doesn't really prevent Thundurus from doing its job. But if I've got like, a Gyarados and a Zapdos on the same team, both of which are usually bulky pokemon but will lose a chunk of health to Rocks every time they switch in, that's a different story.

2) How many pokemon are weak to layers of spikes - I've built teams before where I've got 5 grounded pokemon and a levitator. After several extremely frustrating games with people that like stall teams (ie: Pride, Kevin Garrett) it becomes apparent that I'll need a spinner.

3) What style is my team - If my team is an aggressive team where matches don't usually last very long, then I typically don't care about entry hazards too much unless my opponent is stacking like 3 layers plus some weather damage. The game doesn't last long enough for switches into hazards to take a huge toll on my teams, and my walls aren't usually built to last for the entire match anyways. I have no problem sacrificing a pokemon if it means my setup sweeper can come in and clean house. On the flipside, if I'm using something like balanced or stall where I need the potential to go into the late-game consistently, then a hazard control pokemon would be more necessary so that I have the potential to switch around my mons and play more defensive.