Statues
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It’s been too long since I’ve done my last RMT. I had hoped to make one of some epic team that had peaked like 1500 on ladder, but with school and music getting in the way, it simply never happened. So, I’m going to give this team to you, please rate and enjoy!
The team itself is a very stall-oriented team. The basic principle is to sit there and set up hazards over an extended period of time. The team has no trouble doing that, however it has a severe lack of offensive power, which gets me into trouble when trying to kill any of my opponent’s Rapid Spinners. It also gives me a headache when my opponents play bulky-offensive pokemon, such as Suicune or Reuniclus. Rain gives this team a bit of trouble as well, although the main problem is hax. (isn’t it for everyone??) Here’s the team-building process:
Team-Building Process
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I started with this simple core here- I believe it’s called Tab’s core. The idea is simple. These 3 pokemon resist each other’s weaknesses (except for fighting), and can switch in and set up hazards or phaze throughout the game. They also each possess the ability to counter some kind of weather- Skarmory handles sand, Gastrodon handles rain, and Heatran can (mostly) handle the sun. With their types, stats, and immunities, they would have possessed great defensive synergy even in a clear skies format.
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I decided to add Hippowdon onto this core. He helps wall some of the fighting-types in case they blow through Skarmory. Hippowdon also sets up Sand Stream, however is still a great pokemon to use as a counter against opposing sand. Skarmory can get trapped by Magnezone, so having a second pokemon to help check pokemon like Landorus seemed like a good idea. Hippowdon can also set up Stealth Rock, and phaze.
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Tentacruel was added after Hippowdon. I needed a pokemon who could use Rapid Spin, or at least absorb Toxic Spikes so Hippowdon and Gastrodon would not get removed so easily. Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes of my own, which helps build up residual damage very quickly alongside the sand.
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Jirachi was added as the last member of the team. I had a big weakness to special sweepers like Latios and Reuniclus, and I had nobody to pass wish around the team. While Wish isn’t a necessity, it is nice to have when things like Heatran and Tentacruel can’t heal themselves.
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I started with this simple core here- I believe it’s called Tab’s core. The idea is simple. These 3 pokemon resist each other’s weaknesses (except for fighting), and can switch in and set up hazards or phaze throughout the game. They also each possess the ability to counter some kind of weather- Skarmory handles sand, Gastrodon handles rain, and Heatran can (mostly) handle the sun. With their types, stats, and immunities, they would have possessed great defensive synergy even in a clear skies format.
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I decided to add Hippowdon onto this core. He helps wall some of the fighting-types in case they blow through Skarmory. Hippowdon also sets up Sand Stream, however is still a great pokemon to use as a counter against opposing sand. Skarmory can get trapped by Magnezone, so having a second pokemon to help check pokemon like Landorus seemed like a good idea. Hippowdon can also set up Stealth Rock, and phaze.
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Tentacruel was added after Hippowdon. I needed a pokemon who could use Rapid Spin, or at least absorb Toxic Spikes so Hippowdon and Gastrodon would not get removed so easily. Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes of my own, which helps build up residual damage very quickly alongside the sand.
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Jirachi was added as the last member of the team. I had a big weakness to special sweepers like Latios and Reuniclus, and I had nobody to pass wish around the team. While Wish isn’t a necessity, it is nice to have when things like Heatran and Tentacruel can’t heal themselves.
In-Depth Look
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Valiant (Skarmory) @Leftovers
Impish nature
Trait: Sturdy
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
~Spikes
~Roost
~Whirlwind
~Brave Bird
This is a very basic defensive Skarmory. Max HP and Defense to make sure he survives even boosted assaults from Lucario, Landorus, and Conkeldurr. Skarmory gets Spikes up reliably in almost every match. Whirlwind is a great move to use for phasing, and racking up damage everywhere. Roost gives me instant recovery, although it does make me temporarily vulnerable to Earthquake and Earth Power. The last move is always a debate of Brave Bird and Taunt. I liked Brave Bird myself, because it actually gives me the option to hit opposing fighting types such as Conkeldurr before phasing them out. The recoil is easy to heal off with a simple roost. I also like Brave Bird because it allows me to surprise things like Starmie or low-health Tentacruel, who expect me to switch out and give them a free Rapid Spin. As I mentioned earlier, Skarmory can solidly counter sand pokemon, such as Landorus. Unless Landorus packs Smack Down, Skarmory will completely wall it, and I am free to either set up Spikes, attack with Brave Bird, or Whirlwind it away if I feel it is getting in too many Swords Dance boosts. Skarmory is also great to use to counter pokemon locked into Outrage, such as Dragonite, Salamence, or Haxorus. He can use them as set up bait, or simply phaze them out to add on another turn of Stealth Rock (and in haxorus’s case, Spikes) damage. Skarmory is a great physical wall overall, and is important to nearly any stall team that needs a sold sand counter.
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BattleTran (Heatran) @Leftovers
Calm nature
Trait: Flash Fire
252 HP/4 SpAtt/252 SpDef
~Lava Plume
~Protect
~Roar
~Toxic
Most people expect to see either an Air Balloon or a Choice Specs slapped onto Heatran as an item. They want to see Heatran set up Stealth Rock, or just attack all-out, guns a blazing with Specs Overheat. Lava Plume gets people thinking, although in most cases they expect TormentTran once they see it. Toxic can surprise quite a few people, when they switch in Politoed or Gastrodon. Specially Defensive Heatran can find many instances to use toxic, because of its amazing ability to absorb special hits. Sp. Def Heatran actually Survives a 252 Modest Rotom-W Hydro Pump (unless it has Specs or Rain is up.) Now I’m not suggesting I would ever stay in on a Rotom W Hydro Pump, but that gives you an idea of how much of a hit Heatran can take. Thunderbolts from things like Zapdos are no problem whatsoever, and Heatran is free to spread Status. But aside from this, Heatran can use Protect to potentially lock in pokemon like Scarf Landorus or Rotom-W, and scout them out. Roar is a great move for phasing pokemon and racking up residual damage. Lava Plume is the main attack of choice, since it has a good burn chance on things like Salamence who might switch in expecting a Fire Blast. Heatran can absorb all Fire attacks aimed at Skarmory, granting you a nice Lave Plume boost, while Skarmory in return will absorb all the Ground attacks thrown at Heatran. To an extent, Skarmory will also take some Fighting attacks that Heatran might not like.
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Turbo (Gastrodon) @Leftovers
Calm nature
Trait: Storm Drain
252 HP/4 Def/252 SpDef
~Scald
~Earth Power
~Toxic
~Recover
Gastrodon is the third and final member of Tab’s core. He completes the defensive synergy in typing, and against the various types of weather we see in the metagame today. Storm Drain, with its amazing boost in the transition to black/white boosts Gastrodon’s Special Attack stat one stage whenever it switches into a water attack aimed at Heatran (which is quite frequently.) Gastrodon does a great job of checking rain, since it can switch into offensive Politoed sets, and threaten with a +1 Earth Power, or simply Toxic. Gastrodon’s sole weakness is Grass, which both Skarmory and Heatran can switch into very effectively. The EVs give Gastrodon the most special bulk possible, allowing it to switch into neutral special attacks throughout the game from things like Starmie, and recover off the damage easily. Scald is used over Surf or Hydro Pump here because the lack of Special Attack EVs make the latter two fairly useless, Hydro Pump especially because of its not-so-reliable accuracy. Scald comes in handy over Surf because of the 30% burn chance it has on switch-ins like Venusaur or Ferrothorn. Earth Power can be used against Fire types, especially when sun is up, as well as the occasional Toxicroak in OU.
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Hungry (Hippowdon) @Leftovers
Impish nature
Trait: Sand Stream
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
~Earthquake
~Stealth Rock
~Roar
~Slack Off
As a physical wall, Hippowdon is just as good as it used to be. There has been a slight power creep, just like there always has been since Advanced play, however Hipppowdon still remains a great physical wall. Stealth Rock gets set up pretty reliably when Hippowdon finds a chance to switch in. Slack Off provides great instant recovery for the hippo, and allows it to live and switch in multiple times throughout the match. Earthquake is the main STAB attack, which is expected of virtually any ground type. Even without attack EVs, it still will but a good dent into a lot of pokemon. Roar is used to give me an option to phase stuff out. I am considering using Ice Fang to counter Gliscor and Landorus more effectively. The EVs give Hippowdon the most defense possible. The specially defensive set that was used in DPP format has been rendered virtually useless with all of the new Special Attackers in this metagame, such as Latios or Reuniclus. Max HP and Max Defense just make sure Hippowdon gets as much physical walling power as possible. There isn’t many other options when it comes to EVs on a boring old, Stealth Rock/physical wall Hippowdon.
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Friend (Tentacruel) @Leftovers
Bold nature
Trait: Rain Dish
252 HP/156 Def/64 SpDef/36 Spe
~Scald
~Rapid Spin
~Toxic Spikes
~Protect
Tentacruel was added so I could spin away my opponent’s entry hazards. The fact that he comes with Toxic Spikes is simply a bonus. Scald, similarily to Gastrodon, is used over Surf and Hydro Pump because of the lack of offensive EVs, as well as the burn chance. Rapid Spin is Rapid Spin. It doesn’t really need an explanation other than the fact that Tentacruel can find many times to switch in during a match. Toxic Spikes cripples opposing Gastrodon, Suicune, or other bulky pokemon my opponent might have. Its also a great way to make sure Politoed dies earlier than my Hippowdon does. Protect is used in combination with Rain Dish, to give myself an extra turn of recover against Rain. I’ve considered switching this one to Ice Beam, to help against Gliscor. 36 Speed EVs is enough to outpace Specially Defensive Jirachi, Nasty Plot Celebi, and the defensive version of Gliscor, (the ones that run 72 Speed and neutral nature.) Max HP is fairly obvious on a defensive pokemon, the Bold nature and Defense EVs allow Tentacruel to absorb physical hits decently, although it has to be careful since it doesn’t have instant recovery like Gastrodon does. The rest were dumbed into Special Defense to give it as much survivability as possible.
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Wishmaker (Jirachi) @Leftovers
Calm nature
Trait: Serene Grace
252 HP/32 Def/224 SpDef
~Wish
~Protect
~Body Slam
~Iron Head
This is a very basic Specially Defensive Jirachi for the most part. The Max HP EVs and the 224 Special Defense EVs are found on all of them. Max HP especially, because it allows me to pass of the most I can with Wish. Jirachi can switch into moves like Draco Meteor multiple times, as well as take weak Thunderbolts fairly easily. Wish will heal off the damage with a Protect the next turn. Wish is also useful to pass around to Heatran and Tentacruel, both of which have no access to instant recovery moves of their own, outside of Rest. Protect will also allow Jirachi to heal itself for an extra turn, and possibly scout for choiced pokemon. The 32 Defense EVs are there because of Body Slam. I didn’t see the point of running 32 Speed EVs to tie with Nasty Plot Celebi if I’m just going to Body Slam it and paralyze it anyways. It seems fairly contradictory. With Serene Grace, Body Slam will get a cool 60% paralysis rate, which makes it much easier to take down things like Latios. Iron Head has a cool 60% flinch rate, and with paralysis, the opponent will only have a 30% chance of moving.
Threats
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Most of the pokemon that threaten this team have been bulky offensive pokemon, things that can take a hit, and then fire back. Hidden Power Grass Heatran is an example of such a pokemon. Scald doesn’t hit it hard enough to OHKO, and HP Grass will wreck Gastrodon. Earth Power also does a hefty amount to Tentacruel, so I can’t switch it in over and over again. My own Heatran can’t even threaten to Speed Tie and Earth Power in return. Hippowdon doesn’t have much Special Defense. It can survive a Fire Blast at very high HP, but it will take a huge hit before it gets a chance to fire an Earthquake back.
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Landorus has been causing some problems for this team as well. Skarmory completely walls it, however Magnezone can easily come in and trap it. Hippowdon does wall Landorus, and can Roar it out, but otherwise its powerless. If Landorus is the last pokemon left, Hippowdon can do nothing. Gastrodon can’t even think about switching in. If it somehow does manage to come in on a non-boosted Landorus, Scald won’t even OHKO it.
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Gliscor is a problem pokemon for much of the same reasons as Landorus. Taunt Gliscor shuts down Skarmory completely, as well as Hippowdon. At +2, Gastrodon won’t be OHKO’d, however Scald won’t do enough to kill Gliscor either. Tentacruel can outseed it, but Scald still won’t kill Gliscor in one hit. Offensvie Gliscor (the ones that run 216 Speed with Jolly nature) can actually Outspeed and OHKO Tentacruel at +2, whether I run Ice Beam or not. Most of these ones however usually run Substitute or Façade over Taunt, in an effort to take out Wash Rotom, which Means they can not stop Skarmory from using Whirlwind.
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Xatu is a bit of a pest. He prevents me from setting up hazards, and I can’t do any real damage back. Heatran completely walls Xatu on the flip side, however Lava Plume, even with a Burn, won’t even 2HKO. Magic Bounce prevents anybody from Phazing it to simply rack up Stealth Rock damage, and I will not be able to Toxic it either. Jirachi can Body Slam/Iron Head it, however one missed flinch/paralysis means Xatu can Roost up. Some Xatu also run Will o Wisp, or Reflect which will make it harder for me. Nobody can touch Xatu, but Xatu can’t really touch me.
Thank you so much for reading my RMT. Any rates or comments would be awesome! Let me know what you think!
), can break through Xatu with Taunt or Swords Dance, and can potentially outrun Heatran if you really want it to. You lose Sandstorm, but it's worth trying out as you have an anti-weather core thing going on anyway.
