Divine Retribution
Conquistador de pan
Wassapy, haven't done a competitive RMT in a while so I figured I'd post this one here. I decided to make this team after hearing about how good a Greninja / Medicham core is at destroying both stall and offensive teams. After that I got a little sidetracked with my hatred of that infernal bird Talonflame (who ironically eventually found a place on my team to replace Greninja after his impending ban...) and a desire to use Choice Band Ferrothorn. To be honest the entire teambuilding process took me all of 10 minutes, but it came out alright, so I'm going with it. As much fun as it is I may replace Ferrothorn with something more practical down the line, I just haven't decided what.
So right to it then, eh m8s?
We start with these two. The first thing I notice is a glaringly weak to Talon. I stuck the most reliable check that came to mind on there, Zapdos.
Zapdos also brings me Defog to remove hazards. Speaking of which I could use some hazards of my own, and maybe a Dragon... Why not kill two birds with one stone?
WOO GARCHOMP!! Well, now I've got Rocks and some Dragon spam... But Greninja is a problem, until he gets banned, and Talonflame still hurts me bad if Zapdos dies. I usually use Rotom-W, but I decided to give Rotom-H a try.
This right here is a pretty solid 5 way team but I'm still weak to certain threats, especially Water types. Instead of sticking Gastrodon or something like that on my team I decided to try something I had heard of but never actually used; Choice Band Ferrothorn.
**** YOU MAGNEZONE!!
But unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and Greninja's time on the chopping block has come. Now I must find a suitable replacement... I toyed around with the idea of Jolteon for a while but he's just not strong enough and his coverage is terrible. Finally I accepted what I had known all along; Talonflame was the answer...
But now I've got a huge Stealth Rock weakness. Well, Rotom-W can do all the same things as Rotom-H, isn't weak to Stealth Rock, and can actually check Water types, so I turned my oven into a washing machine cause logic.
And that is where the team stands.
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Adamant - Gale Wings
252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 Sp. Def
31/31/31/31/31/31
-Brave Bird
-Flare Blitz
-Roost
-Sword's Dance
Talonflame forms part of my offensive core, and absolutely devastates offensive teams, forcing frail sweepers to eat a powerful base 120 STAB priority move, possibly boosted by Sword's Dance. Even resists like Thundurus-T and Jolteon can be taken out with some prior damage. In addition, he forces so many switches that getting off a Sword's Dance is easy. Brave Bird is basically 90% of the reason to use this thing, having a 120 base power STAB priority move is just stupid. Forget Greninja, this thing is what truly wrecks offense. Flare Blitz provides coverage on Steel types and hits Electrics for neutral damage. Rock types are a problem, but... What Rock types? Tyranitar? Say hi to Medicham. Terrakion? Neutral damage from Brave Bird. In addition, he can break Sableye, one of the few stall threats Medicham has trouble with.
Medicham @ Medichamite
Jolly - Pure Power
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
31/31/31/31/31/31
-High Jump Kick
-Zen Headbutt
-Fake Out
-Ice Punch
Meet the Pokemon with the highest unboosted Attack stat in the game, second to Mega Mawile, thanks to Pure Power. This puts him at nearly 600 Attack unboosted, what a lot of Pokemon might hit after Sword's Dance. A 130 base power STAB move coming off of that Attack? Good luck. Zen Headbutt hits things like Conkeldurr and poison types hard while not risking HJK's recoil damage. Fake Out lets him revengekill weakened threats and ensures he can Mega Evolve safely. Ice Punch smacks Landorus-T and various Dragons. This thing destroys stall, struggling only against a few select threats like Sableye, which can be handled by other members of my team. Decent prediction is required, however. For instance I must be wary of High Jump Kicking a Ferrothorn lest it be carrying Protect.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Bold - Pressure
248 HP, 172 Defence, 68 Sp. Atk, 20 Speed
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Thunderbolt
-Heat Wave
-Defog
-Roost
Zapdos is my go-to Talonflame check and Defogger. In addition, unlike most Defoggers, it can kill incoming Bisharps expecting to gain a Defiant boost with Heat Wave. Heat Wave also cooks things like Ferrothorn and Scizor, while Thunderbolt serves as a reliable STAB for everything else, and a deterrent to Water types. Roost heals back health and keeps him in the game to stop things like Talonflame. Defog keeps hazards off the field, crucial to ensuring Talonflame's survival.
Garchomp @ Focus Sash
Jolly - Rough Skin
252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 HP
31/31/31/31/31/31
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Stealth Rock
-Sword's Dance
Standard suicide lead Garchomp, basically. Sets up Stealth Rock, then scores a kill or two and dies. Sword's Dance boosts his offensive power to insane levels and gives him a shot at sweeping. Outrage is a stupidly powerful STAB move that can almost always at least kill something, while Earthquake is slightly less powerful but doesn't lock him in, and hits Steels for solid damage. Stealth Rock is self explanatory, stripping away health each time my opponent switches, and since Medicham, Talonflame, and Ferrothorn force tons of switches, the damage definitely racks up fast.
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Timid - Levitate
252 Speed, 252 Sp. Atk, 4 HP
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Thunderbolt
-Hydro Pump
-Volt Switch
-Trick
Rotom-W checks bulky Waters, shuts down things like CroCune, and serves as a backup check to opposing Talonflame. It also revengekills slower threats, although it's not the fastest thing in the world, losing out to most things after a boost. Thunderbolt fries Waters like Suicune, Slowbro, Jellicent, etc., while Hydro Pump blasts Grounds and other stuff. Volt Switch lets me pivot to something else and knock that last bit of health off of a Pokemon, and Trick cripples stuff like CroCune, Chansey, Ferrothorn, etc.
Ferrothorn @ Choice Band
Brave - Iron Barbs
252 Attack, 252 HP, 4 Defence
31/31/31/31/31/0
-Gyro Ball
-Power Whip
-Bulldoze
-Knock Off
I've been meaning to use this thing for ages. Choice Band Ferrothorn takes a huge divergence from the role of most Ferrothorn sets, acting as a lure and a wallbreaker instead of a support Pokemon. For an idea of this thing's rather underestimated power...
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 348-410 (88.3 - 104%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Suicune: 338-398 (83.6 - 98.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 342-403 (53.2 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Bulldoze vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 328-388 (85.1 - 100.7%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Bulldoze vs. 172 HP / 0 Def Magnezone: 308-364 (95 - 112.3%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Latias: 306-360 (101.6 - 119.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Manectric: 207-244 (73.6 - 86.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
As you can see it takes huge chunks off of common switchins, often outright OHKOing them after Stealth Rock and/or a bit of prior damage. It also lures in Heatran and Magnezone and promptly wrecks them on the switch with Bulldoze. Gyro Ball and Power Whip are his powerful STABs, with Power Whip being more useful against opposing walls and Gyro Ball generally hitting fast sweepers harder. Bulldoze smashes Magnezone flat and takes a nice chunk out of Heatran. Knock Off is mostly filler (since the alternative is... What, Explosion?) but it OHKOs stuff like Latias and Alakazam which is nice. All in all this thing is incredibly fun to use but probably not all that practical, so I'd be open to alternative suggestions.
So that's it, feel free to r8, h8, and masturb8. Just keep the last one to yourself please.
So right to it then, eh m8s?
We start with these two. The first thing I notice is a glaringly weak to Talon. I stuck the most reliable check that came to mind on there, Zapdos.
Zapdos also brings me Defog to remove hazards. Speaking of which I could use some hazards of my own, and maybe a Dragon... Why not kill two birds with one stone?
WOO GARCHOMP!! Well, now I've got Rocks and some Dragon spam... But Greninja is a problem, until he gets banned, and Talonflame still hurts me bad if Zapdos dies. I usually use Rotom-W, but I decided to give Rotom-H a try.
This right here is a pretty solid 5 way team but I'm still weak to certain threats, especially Water types. Instead of sticking Gastrodon or something like that on my team I decided to try something I had heard of but never actually used; Choice Band Ferrothorn.
**** YOU MAGNEZONE!!
But unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and Greninja's time on the chopping block has come. Now I must find a suitable replacement... I toyed around with the idea of Jolteon for a while but he's just not strong enough and his coverage is terrible. Finally I accepted what I had known all along; Talonflame was the answer...
But now I've got a huge Stealth Rock weakness. Well, Rotom-W can do all the same things as Rotom-H, isn't weak to Stealth Rock, and can actually check Water types, so I turned my oven into a washing machine cause logic.
And that is where the team stands.
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Adamant - Gale Wings
252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 Sp. Def
31/31/31/31/31/31
-Brave Bird
-Flare Blitz
-Roost
-Sword's Dance
Talonflame forms part of my offensive core, and absolutely devastates offensive teams, forcing frail sweepers to eat a powerful base 120 STAB priority move, possibly boosted by Sword's Dance. Even resists like Thundurus-T and Jolteon can be taken out with some prior damage. In addition, he forces so many switches that getting off a Sword's Dance is easy. Brave Bird is basically 90% of the reason to use this thing, having a 120 base power STAB priority move is just stupid. Forget Greninja, this thing is what truly wrecks offense. Flare Blitz provides coverage on Steel types and hits Electrics for neutral damage. Rock types are a problem, but... What Rock types? Tyranitar? Say hi to Medicham. Terrakion? Neutral damage from Brave Bird. In addition, he can break Sableye, one of the few stall threats Medicham has trouble with.
Medicham @ Medichamite
Jolly - Pure Power
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
31/31/31/31/31/31
-High Jump Kick
-Zen Headbutt
-Fake Out
-Ice Punch
Meet the Pokemon with the highest unboosted Attack stat in the game, second to Mega Mawile, thanks to Pure Power. This puts him at nearly 600 Attack unboosted, what a lot of Pokemon might hit after Sword's Dance. A 130 base power STAB move coming off of that Attack? Good luck. Zen Headbutt hits things like Conkeldurr and poison types hard while not risking HJK's recoil damage. Fake Out lets him revengekill weakened threats and ensures he can Mega Evolve safely. Ice Punch smacks Landorus-T and various Dragons. This thing destroys stall, struggling only against a few select threats like Sableye, which can be handled by other members of my team. Decent prediction is required, however. For instance I must be wary of High Jump Kicking a Ferrothorn lest it be carrying Protect.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Bold - Pressure
248 HP, 172 Defence, 68 Sp. Atk, 20 Speed
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Thunderbolt
-Heat Wave
-Defog
-Roost
Zapdos is my go-to Talonflame check and Defogger. In addition, unlike most Defoggers, it can kill incoming Bisharps expecting to gain a Defiant boost with Heat Wave. Heat Wave also cooks things like Ferrothorn and Scizor, while Thunderbolt serves as a reliable STAB for everything else, and a deterrent to Water types. Roost heals back health and keeps him in the game to stop things like Talonflame. Defog keeps hazards off the field, crucial to ensuring Talonflame's survival.
Garchomp @ Focus Sash
Jolly - Rough Skin
252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 HP
31/31/31/31/31/31
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Stealth Rock
-Sword's Dance
Standard suicide lead Garchomp, basically. Sets up Stealth Rock, then scores a kill or two and dies. Sword's Dance boosts his offensive power to insane levels and gives him a shot at sweeping. Outrage is a stupidly powerful STAB move that can almost always at least kill something, while Earthquake is slightly less powerful but doesn't lock him in, and hits Steels for solid damage. Stealth Rock is self explanatory, stripping away health each time my opponent switches, and since Medicham, Talonflame, and Ferrothorn force tons of switches, the damage definitely racks up fast.
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Timid - Levitate
252 Speed, 252 Sp. Atk, 4 HP
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Thunderbolt
-Hydro Pump
-Volt Switch
-Trick
Rotom-W checks bulky Waters, shuts down things like CroCune, and serves as a backup check to opposing Talonflame. It also revengekills slower threats, although it's not the fastest thing in the world, losing out to most things after a boost. Thunderbolt fries Waters like Suicune, Slowbro, Jellicent, etc., while Hydro Pump blasts Grounds and other stuff. Volt Switch lets me pivot to something else and knock that last bit of health off of a Pokemon, and Trick cripples stuff like CroCune, Chansey, Ferrothorn, etc.
Ferrothorn @ Choice Band
Brave - Iron Barbs
252 Attack, 252 HP, 4 Defence
31/31/31/31/31/0
-Gyro Ball
-Power Whip
-Bulldoze
-Knock Off
I've been meaning to use this thing for ages. Choice Band Ferrothorn takes a huge divergence from the role of most Ferrothorn sets, acting as a lure and a wallbreaker instead of a support Pokemon. For an idea of this thing's rather underestimated power...
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 348-410 (88.3 - 104%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Suicune: 338-398 (83.6 - 98.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 342-403 (53.2 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Bulldoze vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 328-388 (85.1 - 100.7%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Bulldoze vs. 172 HP / 0 Def Magnezone: 308-364 (95 - 112.3%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Latias: 306-360 (101.6 - 119.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Manectric: 207-244 (73.6 - 86.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
As you can see it takes huge chunks off of common switchins, often outright OHKOing them after Stealth Rock and/or a bit of prior damage. It also lures in Heatran and Magnezone and promptly wrecks them on the switch with Bulldoze. Gyro Ball and Power Whip are his powerful STABs, with Power Whip being more useful against opposing walls and Gyro Ball generally hitting fast sweepers harder. Bulldoze smashes Magnezone flat and takes a nice chunk out of Heatran. Knock Off is mostly filler (since the alternative is... What, Explosion?) but it OHKOs stuff like Latias and Alakazam which is nice. All in all this thing is incredibly fun to use but probably not all that practical, so I'd be open to alternative suggestions.
So that's it, feel free to r8, h8, and masturb8. Just keep the last one to yourself please.
