[RU] Spiritomb

[Emvee]

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Hey everyone. So I couldn't really find an "Introduction" section in this forum so I thought I'd make an RMT introducing myself. My name is Emvee, and I do a lot of competitive Pokemon battling, especially in the OU tier. I started getting very competitive around the time when Gen 5 came out. Last year I reached my record high top 5 in the OU tier. I play Pokemon Online (a competitive battling simulator designed to improve ones battling skills by allowing you to create custom (legal) teams and fight off against other players). Tons of people play, and I've been on Pokebeach's Pokemon Online battling server from time to time. Though I'm mainly an OU player, I started trying out other tiers, like Ubers, UU, and RU. What you all are about to see is a few hours spent in the RU tier. I peaked pretty high and made it to #9 on the ladder (I laddered on Pokemon Online's LU tier (beta server), which is pretty much equivalent to RU on Smogon, however as from this date their tiers have changed, so Qwilfish is no longer playable in LU. The team works on Smogon's RU tier.). This team is actually really fun to play with because it's rather easy to use, and it pressures your opponent a lot with entry hazards while Spiritomb cleans up your opponent's team. I made the thread title in honorable mention of Spiritomb, which finished off countless numbers of Pokemon after hazards were up. It's probably the coolest Pokemon on this team since people rarely use him in RU. I'm not sure who here has played RU before, but I'm hoping that this team will encourage you to give it a shot.

Spoiler

I generally use different names each time I ladder, so that people don't recognize who I am. [$G] is the clan I'm in.

Qwilfish (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes
- Taunt
- Waterfall

Qwilfish has many opportunities to switch in on opposing physical attackers thanks to its bulk from Defense and Intimidate and start laying down Spikes. It acts as a great lead in order to set up hazards and Taunt away other leads. With a good Speed stat for a wall, Qwilfish is also able to outspeed and Taunt most other defensive Pokemon, shutting them down. Waterfall is a fairly powerful STAB attack which allows Qwilfish to deter common Rapid Spinners such as Cryogonal and Sandslash and get them off the field. It's also a good Pokemon to absorb Toxic Spikes assuming your opponent has set them up on your side.

Sandslash (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Night Slash

Sandslash is the team's Rapid Spinner. The set works in a simple way: Swords Dance on the switch and defeat every Ghost-type in the tier in one or two hits with a combination of Earthquake and Night Slash while avoiding a burn from Will-O-Wisp with its Lum Berry. Upon either defeating or scaring out the opposing Ghost-type Pokemon, Sandslash is then free to Rapid Spin unimpeded. Although the primary aim of this set is to Rapid Spin, it has more than this niche use; Sandslash is very powerful after a Swords Dance, and has the bulk to boost multiple times and function as a powerful wallbreaker. Earthquake is necessary on this set as it is Sandslash's most powerful move, securing the 2HKO on every grounded Ghost-type after a Swords Dance, including even the bulkiest Dusknoir and Cofagrigus. Night Slash in particular will always OHKO standard bulky Rotom after a Swords Dance. Even an unboosted Night Slash can OHKO Haunter. Night Slash can also be used to specifically target threats such as Uxie and Cofagrigus. Lum Berry grants Sandslash a one-time immunity to it's biggest threat Will-O-Wisp, allowing it to defeat various Ghost-types.

Spiritomb (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Trick

Spiritomb's primary objective is to clean up your opponents weakened Pokemon or pin them while they have the urge to switch. This set heavily relies on prediction, however, it is a great set to eliminate Rapid Spin users such as Cryogonal, which will take heavy damage from a Choice Band-boosted Pursuit. Spiritomb can also get rid of other Ghost-types that prevent your team from eliminating hazards, either by beating them to the punch with Sucker Punch as they try to go for the 2HKO or by trapping them with Pursuit as they switch to a teammate on a predicted Sucker Punch. Shadow Sneak is a great asset late-game, as all of your opponent's Pokemon will be weakened, allowing it to 2HKO nearly everything that doesn't resist it with the help of entry hazards from Qwilfish. It is also a good countermeasure against Bulk Up Gallade. Trick cripples Eviolite users such as Ferroseed, walls that won't hit that hard such as Steelix, or Pokemon that rely on their coverage to be effective, such as Absol. It also functions as an anti-spinner, allowing you to switch in on a Rapid Spinner and Pursuit-ing them as they switch out.

Slowking (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Atk / 72 Def / 176 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Scald
- Psychic
- Dragon Tail
- Slack Off

Slowking acts as an excellent mixed wall with the ability to take almost any hit. Regenerator allows Slowking to switch into Pokemon it can threaten, take a hit, and retaliate before switching out without losing much health in the process. If it does stay in longer, it can also use Slack Off to recover its health. This combination means that Slowking can stay at high health throughout the match and do its job for a long period of time. Scald does decent damage to anything that doesn't resist it and can burn any switch-in, while Psychic hits Qwilfish and Fighting-types, especially Poliwrath, which is immune to Scald. Dragon Tail helps shuffle your opponents team, poisoning all of his/her Pokemon from Qwilfish's Toxic Spikes.

Rotom-C @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Trick

Rotom-C happens to be one of the best scouters RU has to offer thanks to its access to STAB Volt Switch, making it a very effective Pokemon for gaining momentum. It also has the ability to go along the power route, with STAB Leaf Storm providing plenty in that department. Alongside Volt Switch, Leaf Storm also has the added benefit of providing much needed coverage against the Ground-types immune to Rotom-C's trickery. Hidden Power Fire completes the coverage of this set, hitting the Grass-types that resist Rotom-C's STABs for super effective damage. If Rotom-C runs against a series of Pokemon that cause it problems, Trick allows it to cripple one of these threats while also freeing up its own versatility.

Hitmonlee (M) @ Normal Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Hitmonlee plays the role of the revenge killer, and is arguably the best revenge killer in the RU metagame. It outruns the entire metagame after Normal Gem is activated by Fake Out, and with its great coverage and massive Attack stat, Hitmonlee can demolish a wide variety of threats in the tier. This Hitmonlee is a very good late-game cleaner, and can wipe out whole teams once Ghost- and Psychic-types are eliminated. Hitmonlee's prowess is increased even further by its access to Fake Out, which essentially doubles its Speed by activating Normal Gem, and thus Unburden. Close Combat is Hitmonlee's best STAB move, and lets it eliminate many threats, such as Archeops and Aerodactyl. Stone Edge provides great coverage in tandem with Close Combat, allowing Hitmonlee to decimate the likes of Moltres and Sigilyph. Lastly, Earthquake, hits threats such as Qwilfish and Drapion harder.

So thats about it. I hope you guys enjoyed this. It's quite an enjoyable team to use. I've included the importable below, so if anyone who plays Pokemon Online wants to test the team out, you can go ahead and do that. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Like any pro team, it requires lots of prediction. Also remember, Spiritomb is key! Get those Toxic Spikes up and have a blast. Thanks for reading this, and I hope you all comment/rate/critique/etc! Also if you have any suggestions for the next tier I should use for my next RMT, leave the suggestion in your comment.

Spoiler

Qwilfish (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes
- Taunt
- Waterfall

Sandslash (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Night Slash

Spiritomb (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Trick

Slowking (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Atk / 72 Def / 176 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Scald
- Psychic
- Dragon Tail
- Slack Off

Rotom-C @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Trick

Hitmonlee (M) @ Normal Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

credit to smogon for descriptions
credit to the internet for the images
credit to me for the fancy titles

 

[Guts]

Hey there Emvee, it's a pleasure to meet you; it's not often we get enthusiastic new players such as yourself. :]

So, on to the team. I've played a bit of RU myself, and although I'm no expert, there are a couple of nitpicks that I think could benefit the team. The first thing I notice is Sandslash and the lack of Stealth Rock. The premise of offensive Sandslash on your team is good, but I think using a defensive set along with Stealth Rock would work better, which wouldn't be completely crippled by status anyway, making the use of a Lum berry counter-productive. I could post a set along with EV spreads, if you'd like.

Next, on to Spiritomb. I love banded Tomb, and it's an excellent Pokemon to base your team around. If you find yourself lacking flexibility with it, you could run a completely bulky set that utilizes Blackglasses and Will-O-Wisp instead of tricking. If you predict correctly, though, I don't see Spiritomb being any type of hindrance on your team.

Finally, running Psyshock over Psychic on Slowking is the only suggestion I have left for the team, although that usually comes down to personal preference and what you feel what threats you run into more often while laddering. Other than that, excellent team! I do like the offensive choices you made in Hitmonlee and Rotom-C, and it makes for a solid team overall. Great job, and I hope to see you on PO/PS! sometime for a game.

Oh, and one last tip. Be careful about ripping descriptions straight from Smogon, even if you give credit. We've had some RMT's that did things similar to that in the past, and basically, it's just better to create some small descriptions yourself. But for your first RMT on the forums, 4 stars man.

 

[Emvee]

Hey ShadowLugia,

For Sandslash, I've tried the defensive set before (that was actually what it was initially), however, without it being offensive the team has bulky Ghost problems. Lum Berry + Sword Dance allows me to set up while my opponent makes the switch to a Ghost Type and sweep without getting burned on the first turn of Will-O-Wisp. I've found that Stealth Rocks doesn't really make/break the team (Toxic Spikes and Spikes by itself have proven most useful), so I put Sandslash to better use by making it a SD sweeper.

Thanks for the idea for Spiritomb :] Keeping 2 Trickers (Spiritomb and Rotom-C) have been pretty useful though but I'll try out the Blackglasses set when I get the chance..

I've tried Psyshock on Slowking before, but the extra base power on Psychic has helped in the past. But yeah like you said it's pretty much personal preference haha.

Yeah I get ya. :] Thanks for the heads up about the Smogon thingy. I'll make sure it's completely my own for the next RMT.

Thanks for the rate!

EDIT: :] And it's very nice to meet you too.

 

[The Yoshi]

You seem to lack a threat list, which could be useful because this team has problems with Drapion right off the bat (Sandslash is a check at best). You don't need a Rapid Spinner because nothing on your team is SR weak, and Qwilfish absorbs Toxic Spikes. I suggest you try Stealth Rock Aerodactyl over Sandslash to beat Drapion and to use Stealth Rock. I think you'll be very pleased with Aerodactyl's ability to check Drapion and set up an entry hazard this team lacks is very important, because it makes Spiritomb, Rotom-C, and Hitmonlee's jobs so much easier, whether it be cleaning up late game or revenge killing.

Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
-SR
-EQ
-Stone Edge
-Taunt/Roost (whichever you prefer)

I also agree with SL's suggestions, and Psyshock helps to hit a lot of defensively weak Pokemon on the physical side. Good luck with this team, and I do love your RMT set up; it's all very neat and organized. I do advise to add a threat list in the future, but have fun with the team! We're glad to have a competitive battler such as yourself. ;D

We've had some RMT's that did things similar to that in the past, and basically, it's just better to create some small descriptions yourself.

...

 

[Emvee]

Hey Yoshi,

So yeah, threat lists usually take up a long time for me to make which is why I never really use them. Plus I know how to counter each Pokemon in the designated tier. But if any of you guys ever use my teams and have a problem against a certain Pokemon I'd be glad to explain how to deal with it.

Ok so on to Drapion. I've faced a bunch of them while laddering in RU, and I can admit that they're the least of my worries. The set that I've seen the most out there is the Specially Defensive set (that sets up Toxic Spikes and Whirlwinds), and I usually just take it out with Sandslash or Hitmonlee. I have encountered some Sword Dance sets, but again they've been no problem at all. I usually predict when they Earthquake and switch into Rotom-C (which outspeeds on next turn). Then I can predict an incoming Crunch and Volt Switch out either into Qwilfish to give them -1 Attack from Intimidate or into Hitmonlee which survives +1 Crunch, then Fake Out/Earthquake. Sandslash has decent enough Defense to land an Earthquake on it. So overall I'm pretty fine. As long as you know how to predict in battle, it shouldn't be a problem.

I don't think I'll be switching Sandslash for Aerodactyl any time soon. :[ The team does need a spinner (as many battles have told me), and the set I use counters bulky ghost types like coffagrigus which can cause potential problems to the team. And Sandslash did help me become the 9th best player in RU. ;D

:] Hm you too huh? Well then I guess ima try Psyshock once more and give that a go.

Thanks for the rate, and it's nice to meet you! :] Maybe if I have more time for my next RMT I'll add a threat list.

 

[Juliacoolo]

May I ask how you came to your EV spread on Slowking?

 

[Emvee]

Someone I met who is pro in RU recommended me the set. It works very well.