throwmeapeanut
New Member
The Team
After trying out rotation battles on the GBU random matchup, I decided I really wanted to build a team that can take advantages of the mechanics. I decided that a bulky offensive team could be rather effective, slowly boosting up until the time came to unleash hell. I thought of Dragonite for a number of reasons. Firstly, he's one of my all time favourites. Secondly, he has high attack, decent bulk, excellent STAB coverage, and Multiscale to put the icing on the cake. I decided he would be a good starting point for the team:
Dragonite@Perism Berry
Multiscale
Adamant (+Att -SpA)
252 HP, 252 Att, 4 Spe
-Dragon Dance
-Protect
-Outrage/Dragon Claw
-Extreme Speed
The EV's provide extra bulk and maximum attack. It may seem odd having next to no speed, however I often get to +3/4DD before I go on the offensive. Protect is there to scout the opponent and for ensuring wish is recieved (see below). I need to ensure Nite stays alive before attacking, as this is when he is most vulnerable. I am currently testing Dragon Claw over Outrage for a number of reasons. The power of Outrage is immense, OHKO'ing even things that resist after several DD's. However, this locks me in and makes me easier to kill. The other reason is that Outrage prevents me from launching a small attack early to take out a threat. With Dragon Claw I can attack earlier if needed, but also fire an Extreme Speed if necessary. Extreme Speed is useful for out speeding a number of things, including strong priority attacks, but more often out speeding Pranksters. Priority Tail Wind, Twaves, and Stun Spores are just a couple of things that can spoil a sweep.
After deciding on Nite, I decided I needed a way of keeping his health up. I could have ran roost, but this both takes a move slot and is not overly effective. I need to safely heal, not become a sitting duck. Whilst I was searching for a wish passer, Vaporeon quickly came to mind. Resistance to ice, good bulk, and grass resistance covered by Nite, and access to Heal Bell made it an obvious choice.
Vaporeon@Leftovers
Water Absorb
Bold (+Def -Att)
252 HP, equal defences
-Wish
-Heal Bell
-Protect
-Scald
This moveset is pretty self explanatory. Wish and Heal Bell have been explained - Dragonite needs to be kept alive and healthy. Vaporeon's huge HP mean I can recover large amounts of health with a single Wish. Protect is for more scouting and to ensure Vappy can heal itself if needed. Scald over surf because burning attackers adds to the teams survivability, and the burn damage over several turns can add up nicely.
I then decided Vaporeon was a vital part of the team and if it fell early I was in trouble. Screens became an obvious choice. At first I chose Bronzong for its amazing bulk, but then the team seemed to have very little attacking options. Instead, I went for a dual screen Metagross. The same typing as Bronzong covers Nites rock weakness and Vaporeon's grass weakness. In return, Metagross' fire and ground weakness are covered by Nite and Vappy.
Metagross@Light Clay
Clear Body
Adamant (+Att -Spa)
252 HP, 252Att, 4Spe
-Light Screen
-Reflect
-Meteor Mash
-Hammer Arm
Metagross' bulk and resistances let me get up atleast the most important screen easily, as often only one is actually needed. Max attack makes threats think twice before launching an attack without thinking first. Meteor Mash is for powerful STAB, and Hammer Arm is to provide some coverage along side Nite's STAB to hit steels hard, causing heavy damage in preparation for a sweep.
My fourth slot was recently given to Terrakion as a back-up sweeper running the dual boost set, however after facing a few powerful Thunder's I realized electricity ripped through the entire team. I am currently testing Landorus in its place due to its immunity.
Landorus@Life Orb
Jolly
252 Att, 252 Spe, 4HP
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Rock Polish
-Swords Dance
Whereas Terrakion was designed as a back-up late game sweeper, he was often pretty useless. He was either not needed or added no defensive synergy to the team. Landorus shrugs off all the electric attacks that serverly maim the rest of the team. The attacking options give decent coverage, and the boosting moves give me the choice of picking speed vs power depending on what is necessary. If he is out first, Nite will become the back-up sweeper to avoid having two 4x Ice weakness on the field.
Future Changes:
Considering adding Nasty Plot Lucario as a substitute with Landorus for the sake of Shell Smash Cloyster. Many boosting sweepers can be handled with a well timed Extreme Speed, but even after a Smash, he boosts and attacks too quick for Nite to handle his physical bulk. A +2 Vaccum wave should have no problems.
Notes, or something...
Thanks for reading, and also in advance for the rate. I also hope that this inspires you to give rotation a go if you havn't already. It's a refreshing pace from singles, and anything but a gimmick. Please do not advice on Hidden Powers to use, this is an in-game team and I do not cheat - including RNG abuse - therefore this is practically impossible.
After trying out rotation battles on the GBU random matchup, I decided I really wanted to build a team that can take advantages of the mechanics. I decided that a bulky offensive team could be rather effective, slowly boosting up until the time came to unleash hell. I thought of Dragonite for a number of reasons. Firstly, he's one of my all time favourites. Secondly, he has high attack, decent bulk, excellent STAB coverage, and Multiscale to put the icing on the cake. I decided he would be a good starting point for the team:
Dragonite@Perism Berry
Multiscale
Adamant (+Att -SpA)
252 HP, 252 Att, 4 Spe
-Dragon Dance
-Protect
-Outrage/Dragon Claw
-Extreme Speed
The EV's provide extra bulk and maximum attack. It may seem odd having next to no speed, however I often get to +3/4DD before I go on the offensive. Protect is there to scout the opponent and for ensuring wish is recieved (see below). I need to ensure Nite stays alive before attacking, as this is when he is most vulnerable. I am currently testing Dragon Claw over Outrage for a number of reasons. The power of Outrage is immense, OHKO'ing even things that resist after several DD's. However, this locks me in and makes me easier to kill. The other reason is that Outrage prevents me from launching a small attack early to take out a threat. With Dragon Claw I can attack earlier if needed, but also fire an Extreme Speed if necessary. Extreme Speed is useful for out speeding a number of things, including strong priority attacks, but more often out speeding Pranksters. Priority Tail Wind, Twaves, and Stun Spores are just a couple of things that can spoil a sweep.
After deciding on Nite, I decided I needed a way of keeping his health up. I could have ran roost, but this both takes a move slot and is not overly effective. I need to safely heal, not become a sitting duck. Whilst I was searching for a wish passer, Vaporeon quickly came to mind. Resistance to ice, good bulk, and grass resistance covered by Nite, and access to Heal Bell made it an obvious choice.
Vaporeon@Leftovers
Water Absorb
Bold (+Def -Att)
252 HP, equal defences
-Wish
-Heal Bell
-Protect
-Scald
This moveset is pretty self explanatory. Wish and Heal Bell have been explained - Dragonite needs to be kept alive and healthy. Vaporeon's huge HP mean I can recover large amounts of health with a single Wish. Protect is for more scouting and to ensure Vappy can heal itself if needed. Scald over surf because burning attackers adds to the teams survivability, and the burn damage over several turns can add up nicely.
I then decided Vaporeon was a vital part of the team and if it fell early I was in trouble. Screens became an obvious choice. At first I chose Bronzong for its amazing bulk, but then the team seemed to have very little attacking options. Instead, I went for a dual screen Metagross. The same typing as Bronzong covers Nites rock weakness and Vaporeon's grass weakness. In return, Metagross' fire and ground weakness are covered by Nite and Vappy.
Metagross@Light Clay
Clear Body
Adamant (+Att -Spa)
252 HP, 252Att, 4Spe
-Light Screen
-Reflect
-Meteor Mash
-Hammer Arm
Metagross' bulk and resistances let me get up atleast the most important screen easily, as often only one is actually needed. Max attack makes threats think twice before launching an attack without thinking first. Meteor Mash is for powerful STAB, and Hammer Arm is to provide some coverage along side Nite's STAB to hit steels hard, causing heavy damage in preparation for a sweep.
My fourth slot was recently given to Terrakion as a back-up sweeper running the dual boost set, however after facing a few powerful Thunder's I realized electricity ripped through the entire team. I am currently testing Landorus in its place due to its immunity.
Landorus@Life Orb
Jolly
252 Att, 252 Spe, 4HP
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Rock Polish
-Swords Dance
Whereas Terrakion was designed as a back-up late game sweeper, he was often pretty useless. He was either not needed or added no defensive synergy to the team. Landorus shrugs off all the electric attacks that serverly maim the rest of the team. The attacking options give decent coverage, and the boosting moves give me the choice of picking speed vs power depending on what is necessary. If he is out first, Nite will become the back-up sweeper to avoid having two 4x Ice weakness on the field.
Future Changes:
Considering adding Nasty Plot Lucario as a substitute with Landorus for the sake of Shell Smash Cloyster. Many boosting sweepers can be handled with a well timed Extreme Speed, but even after a Smash, he boosts and attacks too quick for Nite to handle his physical bulk. A +2 Vaccum wave should have no problems.
Notes, or something...
Thanks for reading, and also in advance for the rate. I also hope that this inspires you to give rotation a go if you havn't already. It's a refreshing pace from singles, and anything but a gimmick. Please do not advice on Hidden Powers to use, this is an in-game team and I do not cheat - including RNG abuse - therefore this is practically impossible.
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