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Salute to Team Monkeyfish

I know a lot of people are tired of hearing about Team Monkeyfish, what with my last RMT and the war story and what not, but I'm finally deciding to retire this team for now. Just a little while before Thanksgiving, I tried to ladder with it one more time. The Friday before Thanksgiving, I finally made it to #10 on the Smogon OU ladder before I had a couple of haxy battles, started playing terribly, and suddenly remembered why I usually don't like laddering. At any rate, 10 is my own personal record, and I'm kinda proud of this team for coming this far. Now that I've made it into the top 10 on Smogon, I've decided to give this old team a long awaited and well-deserved retirement. I'd like to get a little more advice for this team in case I decide to bring it out of retirement sometime in the future. All in all, this is no doubt the most reliable team I've ever used in BW OU, and it's my personal favorite.

As far as the RMT goes, I'm structuring this one similarly to the original. Same pictures, but different descriptions and slightly different threat list. I've also included a section for each Pokemon describing my experience with each: what other Pokemon I've used in that position, what changes have been made, and where I've found it the most useful. Oh, and here's the monkeyfish picture, since I know how much everyone loves to see it. :p

Flying_Monkey_Fish_by_dezignjk.jpg

legendario_jirachi.jpg

Jirachi@Leftovers
Careful
Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP, 240 SpD, 16 Spe
Moves:
-Wish
-Protect
-Body Slam
-Iron Head

My favorite Jirachi set in this Generation by a long shot, and overall a great team player. Wish is really helpful for getting health to the main muscles of the team, Hydreigon and Heatran. Protect also allows me to stall for health and Wish recovery, which is often very useful in and of itself. Protect also allows me to scout for the opponent's next move, which is really useful for catching Choice users who switch into Jirachi with the intent of killing it or U-Turning/Volt Switching on it. Although it seems sometimes that Body Slam's 60% paralysis rate with Serene Grace drops to 20% whenever I use it, the paralysis still remains invaluable in giving Jirachi the ability to check or counter Pokemon like Reuniclus and Lati@s that I might otherwise have trouble with. Once I get paralysis up, the KO is usually only a few Iron Heads away. Jirachi is just honestly a great switch in to a variety of special attacks (and some physical ones), and has proven to be one of the best pivots I've ever worked with.

Experience with Jirachi: Jirachi has honestly gone through the fewest changes of any member on this team. The only real change was to the EVs. Epic_eevee advised me in the original thread to drop the speed EVs since +0 Jolly Tyranitar is a rare sight, and I've taken the advice here. These EVs are placed to outspeed Adamant Breloom and Cloyster (before Shell Smash). The extra special bulk has also helped on a few occasions. During the last round before Deoxys-S's ban, I found that Jirachi was able to weaken HO teams by stopping Deoxys-S 9 times out of 10. They always seemed to Taunt me while I paralyze with Body Slam and then Iron Head Deoxys-S to death. I've also found that just spamming Body Slam can very easily cripple incoming threats, namely Landorus and Infernape, who might otherwise give me plenty of trouble. In addition, Jirachi forms a secondary answer to many Rain threats, and in conjunction with Gastrodon can usually handle most of them.

baby_hydreigon_by_pokemonandfootball-d46llyn.png

Hydreigon(F)@Expert Belt
Timid
Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Moves:
-Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse
-Fire Blast
-Focus Blast

Adorable, I know.

Hydreigon is one of the greatest powerhouses in the BW metagame. This thing pretty much acts like a Pursuit-resisting Latios, except that I very much prefer the Expert Belt on Hydreigon over a Specs set. I find that the fact that I can switch moves takes advantage of Hydreigon's immense power and coverage much better. Draco Meteor just hits stuff. Hard. Honestly, there's not a single Steel type that can switch into for fear of Fire Blast besides Heatran, who is threatened by Focus Blast immediately after and usually doesn't do too much back. Dark Pulse is just a nice STAB move overall, but it also gives me a great answer to Jellicent, who otherwise would be quite a problem. The Dark STAB gives me an additional answer to things like Reuniclus, in case Jirachi fails to take it out.

Experience with Hydreigon: Hydreigon was on the original team, but was removed and replaced by a few Pokemon to help cover some other weakness, mainly that to Rain. After Gastrodon was added (who honestly handled Rain fair enough on its own), I noticed that the one remaining hole that really bothered me was a weakness to Jellicent, as well as a lack of raw firepower. As such, Hydreigon was reinstated. I used to run U-Turn over Focus Blast, but Life Orb U-Turn was honestly a stupid idea. Focus Blast also allows me to catch some of the most common switch-ins, Tyranitar and Heatran. If I catch them on the switch, I might be able to kill them right then and there, since even the bulkiest sets are 2HKO'd. Some of the weaker ones are OHKO'd, which is very good news. Alongside Heatran, Hydreigon does really well checking Sun teams, as Fire Blast gets boosted to frightening levels, and Hydreigon resists many common attacks from abusers like Venusaur. As suggested by Puretrainer, the Expert Belt offers the same ability to KO the threats that worry Hydreigon or the rest of my team, and the elimination of the Life Orb recoil is a huge boon in assisting Hydreigon's ability to tank hits and dish them out.

31OK68v39mL._SL160_.jpg

Heatran(F)@Air Balloon
Timid
Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 SpD
Moves:
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-HP Ice
-Stealth Rock

Air Balloon Heatran has long been my favorite Heatran set, my preference honestly dating back to the release of the new item. With it's incredible set of resistances and a newfound immunity to Ground, Heatran suddenly becomes an incredible counter or check to plenty of Pokemon that would otherwise eat it alive. The fact that it has so many chances to come in and cause switches makes it a prime Stealth Rock supporter. After Rocks are up, Heatran finds it easy to go on the offensive. Even with no boosting item, Fire Blast is hitting a lot of things hard. If I can catch a Flash Fire boost, all the better for me. Earth Power mainly helps check things like other Heatran, but it's also kinda useful for getting Infernape on the switch. HP Ice is great for giving me a weapon against Landorus and Infernape, as well as allowing me to have something to show for against Dragons if I'm in a tight spot.

Experience with Heatran: Heatran has honestly been through one change since this team was made. I did attempt to run Flame Charge over Stealth Rock, since sweeping Heatran is actually pretty effective, but I found that Stealth Rock was too valuable for helping wear down prominent offensive threats. Honestly, Heatran is just so valuable for its ability to check or downright shut down Pokemon like Landorus, Salamence, Gliscor, and Dragonite. Heatran is also my main answer to Sun teams, with Hydreigon bringing up the rear. I prefer Air Balloon Heatran as a Sun check over the popularized Specially Defensive set for a number of reasons, mainly because it makes me immune to Dugtrio trapping and random Earthquakes/Nature Powers from sweepers like Venusaur and Sawsbuck.

Chibi_Gliscor_by_raizy.png

Gliscor(F)@Toxic Orb
Impish
Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP, 200 Def, 56 Spe
Moves:
-Swords Dance
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
-Taunt

The metagame has changed a bit since Terrakion was released, but Gliscor has remained the same. The set not only forms an excellent answer to physical Fighting types, but is a great stallbreaker in its own right. Common supporters such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress are all just set-up bait for Gliscor. If I can set up to +6 on a Taunted opponent, I can barrel through plenty of stall teams. Swords Dance and Taunt make up the main weapons of the stall breaking core. Once I'm set up, Earthquake and Ice Fang offer excellent coverage for just tearing apart whatever I need to. Besides helping against stall, Swords Dance and Taunt also help me to take out prominent Fighting types such as Conkeldurr and Scrafty. All around just a great Pokemon, and one of my favorite sets.

Experience with Gliscor: The main changes to Gliscor have been to its exact moveset. I've tried a couple of variants, mainly testing Protect and Toxic, mostly due to the fear of Excadrill during its time in OU. I finally settled on this one due to its stall breaking capabilities. I know it doesn't beat all stall Pokemon easily, but I can usually take on the ones that it has trouble with one by one until Gliscor is clear to sweep. Like Jirachi, Gliscor's EVs have been adjusted to outspeed Adamant Breloom and Cloyster, and the leftovers are used to further increase Gliscor's physical bulk. Gliscor really is invaluable against stall teams, and it's not unusually for me to sweep stall teams cleanly with Gliscor before late-game.

Dawn_of_the_Gastro_by_Gastrodon.png

Gastrodon(F)@Leftovers
Calm
Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 Def
Moves:
-Scald
-Ice Beam
-Toxic
-Recover

One of the common pieces of advice I received from d0nut and epic_eevee was that my original was weak to bulky Waters and Rain teams. After a few different changes to fill that gap, my eye turned to Gastrodon. I decided to try out its bulky set, and I haven't looked back since. Ever since Gastrodon was added, players have learned to be careful around it with their Rain teams, yet its effectiveness has hardly wavered. Scald is perhaps the most useful move on this set, mainly since there aren't many offensive Pokemon that appreciate a burn. It also has the potential to do plenty of damage if I get a Storm Drain boost. Ice Beam also gives me an additional answer to Pokemon like Lati@s, in case Jirachi is down on its luck. However, the move was mainly used for Thundurus, so I had considered changing it to Earth Power now that he's gone. Toxic gives me a way to cripple Pokemon that I otherwise cannot harm much, such as Rotom-W, and Recover keeps me healthy. Honestly, the fact that Gastrodon has reliable recovery is the main reason that I find it worthwhile; it can check plenty of threats and still maintain high health.

Experience with Gastrodon: During the Thundurus testing round, I had a custom EV spread tailored to take on Thundurus. Since then, I've changed it to the full specially defensive spread to better tank special hits alongside Jirachi. This has made Gastrodon all the more effective at countering Rain. While it isn't a perfect Rain-check, I can usually handle most Rain threats between Gastrodon, Jirachi, and other members depending on the threat. Gastrodon has started to lose some of its mojo, but I have to say that there hasn't been a single match I've been in where Gastrodon hasn't done something important to help me out. Pretty solid, definitely has a niche as a bulky water and answer to Rain.

150px-639_Terrakion.png

Terrakion@Choice Scarf
Jolly
Justified
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Moves:
-Close Combat
-Stone Edge
-X-Scissor
-Earthquake

A lot of people often refer to one Pokemon on their team as the "glue of the team," the one Pokemon that checks a wide variety of threats that would otherwise tear the team apart. Out of all the members of my team, Terrakion would definitely have to be my glue. I love all Terrakion sets, but the Scarf set has proven to be my favorite. With Base 129 Atk and incredible STABs, Terrakion hardly needs a Life Orb for extra damage. That Base 108 speed with a Scarf also allows it to outspeed virtually every +1 Pokemon in OU bar the odd Scarf Latios, as well as plenty of +2 threats. Close Combat and Stone Edge honestly hit almost everything in the tier hard on their own. X-Scissor has its uses, mainly getting a slightly more powerful and safer hit on Pokemon like Lati@s, Starmie, and Reuniclus than Stone Edge, and a much better hit on Celebi. Earthquake sees its uses every now and then, mainly when I want to take out something with a strong coverage move that's more reliable than Stone Edge and will not drop my defenses like Close Combat. It's also stronger than either STAB on a few Pokemon, like Tentacruel, so it's not totally useless.

Experience with Terrakion: Terrakion's set has mainly changed in one was. I used to run HP Ice over Earthquake for catching Gliscor for a 2HKO on the switch, but I found that the majority of the time that wouldn't work out for one reason or another. Gliscor also dropped in usage a bit after the Excadrill ban, so I went back to Earthquake. As far as game experience goes, I've found that if there's one of my Pokemon who can consistently sweep up the remainder of an opponent's team late-game, it's Terrakion. Many of my battles come down to softening up the opponent's team, bringing in Terrakion, picking a STAB and rolling with it. It's also one of the best checks Pokemon like DD Salamence, DD Dragonite, DD Gyarados, QD Volcarona, SS Cloyster, and DD Scrafty; pretty much anything that likes to boost its speed and sweep, Terrakion checks it. Easily the MVP in many of my matches, including my warstory match. All around great Pokemon, I just love it.



There's the final version of Team Monkeyfish. I've really been through a lot with this team, and I can honestly say that this is the only team that I've actually felt a little sentimental about (well, maybe it's just the monkeyfish). It's had its good battles and bad, but it has been reliable enough to get me to #10. Keep in mind as you're rating that this team was retired just prior to the Deoxys-S ban, and the peak was achieved not too long after the Thundurus/Excadrill ban. That said, there may be some changes in the metagame now that this team would need to prepare for that I simply didn't have to worry about as much in the past. I would appreciate it if you rated it as it would perform in the current metagame, just in case I decide to bring it out of retirement before the next big metagame shift. As usual, here's the threat list. I've shortened it, thank goodness. :)

Offensive Threats

Abomasnow- Doesn't really threaten much. Jirachi takes almost everything it can throw at. Heatran and Terrakion should be wary of some of its attacks, but they can both check it.

Breloom- Gliscor is the perfect answer, as long as its Toxic Orb has activated. Besides that, it honestly doesn't come in on much easily besides Gastrodon.

Chandelure- Heatran and Hydreigon counter it easily, depending on its Hidden Power and the set. Terrakion easily checks it as well.

Cloyster- It honestly doesn't have much of a chance to set up, since most of my team can OHKO or cripple it. However, it's not a total loss even if it does set up. Terrakion checks the standard variants, and Jirachi can take a hit bar Razor Shell in the Rain and hopefully paralyze it.

Conkeldurr- Gliscor is my main answer, and it usually does just fine. Tends to be annoying without Gliscor, but I can still usually wear it down.

Darmanitan- Fairly annoying, but Heatran loves switching into Flare Blitz, and Gliscor takes on everything else. I can also check it with Hydreigon and Terrakion if need be.

Dragonite- Heatran can usually come in and beat all sets bar the Rain abusers, which Gastrodon and Jirachi can usually handle. Terrakion and Hydreigon can also check it depending on the set. Stealth Rock is a real burden on Dragonite as well.

Espeon- Jirachi eats Espeon for breakfast. Heatran and Hydreigon also only really fear HP Fighting.

Gengar- Jirachi can handle it alright, though Shadow Ball seems to drop SpD every other turn. Terrakion can outspeed and OHKO after Stealth Rock, and occasionally without. It's relying on Fail Blast to beat Hydra and Heatran, so they might beat it.

Gliscor- Heatran is a near perfect answer to Gliscor, and Gastrodon can take a hit and KO back, depending on the set. Hydreigon and my own Gliscor can take it on as well.

Gyarados- Terrakion checks DD sets with ease, and I can usually handle RestTalk sets, although prediction is fairly important here. Stealth Rock also severely limits it.

Haxorus- Heatran can usually switch in safely on anything but Brick Break and threaten it. Terrakion can do a lot of damage with Close Combat, and Hydreigon can check a +0 Haxorus .

Heatran- My own Heatran handles opposing Heatran just fine, mainly if they aren't carrying a balloon. Terrakion checks it as well, and Gastrodon can take all but HP Grass.

Hydreigon- Because of its raw power and coverage, it's really hard to truly "counter" this thing. However, it's usually not hard to keep it in check. Heatran can take everything bar Focus Blast with ease and threaten with HP Ice. The amount of Modest Hydreigon makes my own Hydreigon an interesting check, and Gastrodon can at least survive a Specs Draco Meteor. Terrakion checks it above all else.

Infernape- Even though my team has somewhat of a weakness to this thing (as do most teams, lol), I can usually handle it. It's usually about predicting and getting Terrakion in to revenge kill. Luckily, the SD variants do not have an easy time setting up against my team at all, and those are honestly the most threatening to me at the moment.

Jirachi- Gliscor handles it perfectly as long as it's poisoned. Heatran and Hydreigon also take it on with ease.

Landorus- Honestly the thing I'm weakest to. Luckily, I can check it most of the time. Heatran and Hydreigon can take a +0 attack, even in the Sand, and KO back. Gastrodon can also take a hit from some variants and threaten. It can't really set up safely in front of Gliscor or Jirachi either, and Terrakion can keep all but the Rock Polish set in check.

Latias- Jirachi easily takes it on unless I get unlucky with paraflinch. Not a problem.

Latios- Jirachi can easily handle most everything Latios can throw at it, although Rain-boosted Surfs are dangerous. Gastrodon can make up for that, though.

Lucario- As long as it doesn't carry Ice Punch, Gliscor can handle SD Lucario. Terrakion can also check it, since it resists Extremespeed. NP variants are more dangerous, but if I can get paralysis with Jirachi, I'm golden. Gastrodon can also help, since it can survive a +2 attack. Even Terrakion may be able to check it in a Sandstorm, since +2 Vacuum Wave fails to OHKO in Sand (and occasionally without).

Magnezone- Heatran, Terrakion, and Hydreigon all outspeed and OHKO. Gliscor also outspeeds the standard, although I can bump up the EVs a smidge to outspeed Timid max speed.

Mew- Heatran and Gliscor are immune to Will-O-Wisp, and as such handle stall variants fairly well. Jirachi can take a hit from the Nasty Plot set, unless it runs Fire Blast/Flamethrower, but can't do too much too it since Synchronize hurts paraflinching. Terrakion threatens it with X-Scissor, and can kill it if it gets weak enough.

Mienshao- Some variants run Stone Edge over HP Ice, in which case Gliscor can handle it just fine. Terrakion also outspeeds all variants and can easily OHKO with Close Combat.

Ninetales- I hate Sun teams. Heatran handles most variants, but fears HP Fighting and HP Ground when its Balloon is popped. Hydreigon can damage a lot with Draco Meteor, and Terrakion revenge kills. Gastro doesn't like Energy Ball, but doesn't mind much else.

Politoed- Gastrodon loves Hydro Pump, and a SD + Rain boosted Gastro is scary. If it leads, I love to send out Gastro and switch to Jirachi, since Toed's main answer to Gastro is usually HP Grass on Choice sets and Toxic on bulky sets. If need be, Terrakion and Hydreigon outspeed and do a lot of damage.

Reuniclus- Surprisingly, Jirachi is incredible at handling this thing. Paraflinch usually does the trick over the course of a few turns. It's manageable even past Jirachi, since both Hydreigon and Terrakion can do a truckload of damage.

Rotom-W- Gastrodon walls it to infinity without HP Grass, and Tricking Specs on me doesn't really help either. Will-O-Wisp from the bulky variants hurts, though. Jirachi can also take those not in Rain in a pinch, and I can revenge kill it if I'm desperate enough. I love Taunting it with Gliscor as it switches in and then going to Gastrodon, which happens nearly every time.

Salamence- MixMence is very scary. Luckily, its only chance of beating Balloon Heatran is DMeteor on the switch followed by Earthquake. DD variants are also handled by Heatran, Terrakion, and Gliscor can do a lot of damage as well.

Scizor- Heatran takes everything but Superpower/Brick Break very well. Gliscor can check it as well and wear it down with Earthquake. Stealth Rock helps wear down those who spam U-Turn.

Scrafty- Gliscor handles everything without Ice Punch with incredible ease. Besides that, Terrakion checks it extremely well.

Starmie- Gastrodon pretty much shuts it down completely. Jirachi also handles most variants well, as even Timid Specs Hydro Pump can't 2HKO Jirachi after Leftovers, provided it's at full health. Terrakion can revenge kill with X-Scissor if it's weakened enough, guaranteed if it loses 25% health.

Terrakion- Gliscor is my main answer, able to tank even a +2 LO Stone Edge and hit it back with Earthquake. My own Terrakion can check it decently as well.

Tornadus- Similar Jirachi does the best job against it, and a paralyzed Tornadus is an easy target. Terrakion also revenge kills. Gastrodon can work in a pinch.

Toxicroak- If it doesn't carry Ice Punch, it's set-up bait for Gliscor. Jirachi can also come out on top if I paralyze it. It honestly doesn't like repeated hits from much on my team as it is, so it's not too much of a problem.

Tyranitar- Gliscor must be careful around mixed sets for fear of Ice Beam, but it can handle most else. If it does carry Ice Beam over Superpower, Heatran takes care of it. Choiced variants are pretty easy to play around, and Terrakion checks it.

Venusaur- Unfortunately, something's falling asleep, but that's about all it usually does to me. Heatran takes the special set easily, and mixed set without Earthquake (or if the Balloon is still intact). Hydreigon acts as a secondary check, resisting its most common attacks and OHKOing with Fire Blast.

Victini- Heatran can handle it for the most part, and Gliscor takes anything but V-Create from the physical sets. Terrakion can revenge kill, and Stealth Rock keeps it at bay very well.

Virizion- Not usually dangerous. If Jirachi can get in paralysis, that will usually do the trick. I can also hopefully wear it down so that Terrakion can revenge kill it (CC does 78.90% - 92.97% damage to 4/0 Virizion), but Giga Drain can hurt that. If all else fails, I pray for luck with Fail Blast and try with Heatran and Hydreigon.

Volcarona- Terrakion is pretty much the perfect answer to QD Volcarona. In a pinch, Gastrodon can also take a +1 hit and cripple it with Toxic. It's usually not that hard to wear down after that. Stealth Rock also hurts its survivability incredibly, so I try to get it up as soon as possible.

Defensive Threats:

Blissey- Terrakion tears it to pieces. Gliscor's Taunt shuts it down and turns it into set-up bait, and I honestly only fear Ice Beam.

Bronzong- Heatran takes most sets on easily with the Balloon intact, and Hydreigon can hurt it badly with Fire Blast. Besides that, Terrakion can revenge kill a Bronzong with CC if half its health is gone.

Ferrothorn- Heatran and Terrakion can come in and kill it with proper prediction. If I can avoid Leech Seed, Gliscor can use this thing to set up and possibly sweep.

Forretress- About the same as Ferrothorn. Terrakion doesn't do as well, but Heatran doesn't even have to fear paralysis. Gliscor again shuts it down and sets up on it.

Jellicent- I re-added Hydreigon mainly for the fact that I had trouble with this thing before. Decimates it with Dark Pulse. As long as it doesn't carry Taunt, I can poison it with Gastrodon as well, although Gastrodon hates a possible Toxic from Jellicent.

Porygon2- Sometimes tough. Terrakion can 2HKO, but risks getting paralyzed. Jirachi can flinch hax it, hopefully weakening it to the point that Terrakion can kill it without much worry. Gastro can wall its main attacks (usually TBolt and Ice Beam) and Toxic stall, but fears opposing Toxic.

Skarmory- Heatran and Hydreigon fry it. Gliscor will always win with Taunt as well. 'Nuff said.

Tentacruel- Gastro hates those Toxic Spikes, but she can usually handle Tenta if I can get a burn. Otherwise, I go offensive on it; it's not too hard to wear this thing down.

Vaporeon- Gastro walls this thing completely, unless it carries Toxic. Jirachi can also take everything it throws at me, only fearing a burn from Scald.
 
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Ice Blue Dragon

I belive I can fly!
Quagsire could replace gastro, because it has unaware. It might lose storm drain, but it stops set-up sweepers after scor has been taking out.

The scor set I have never seen before, but it looks like it completely stops swords dance scizor, among other threats.

Looks like a very solid team.
 
Timid on hydreigon
Dragon pulse>hp ice on heatran if possible making it cover everything neutrally except balloon heatran
 
Hey, thanks for the rates! ^_^

Quagsire could replace gastro, because it has unaware. It might lose storm drain, but it stops set-up sweepers after scor has been taking out.

While I do love Quagsire, the main reason I'm using Gastrodon is to check Rain and just random Water attacks in general. With its vulnerability to Water attacks, Quagsire will be worn down quickly by Hydro Pumps and Surfs in the Rain.

Timid on hydreigon

Oh hey, thanks for cathing that! Yeah, I had this team saved on a Microsoft Word document, and I guess I forgot to change Naive back to Timid when I removed U-Turn way back when.

Dragon pulse>hp ice on heatran if possible making it cover everything neutrally except balloon heatran

The main reason I use HP Ice is because in combination with the Air Balloon, Heatran makes a great check to Landorus, Gliscor, Salamence, and Dragonite. Each of those is OHKO'd (or 2HKO'd in Dragonite's case) with HP Ice, something that I could not do between Fire Blast and Dragon Pulse. The only thing that I may not 2HKO with HP Ice that I will always 2HKO with Dragon Pulse (that I can think of ) is Latios/Latias, neither of which Heatran should stay in on anyways.

EDIT: Oh, and while I'm at it, I forgot to change Terrakion back to Jolly. I'm glad you saw that, lol.
Thanks for the suggestions!
 
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Ninja Dewott

Ice Cold Fire
Great team!

I only have a few things to add:

Twave > Body Slam on Jirachi, purely for the guaranteed paralysis. I suppose this could be personal preference though. Also, I suggest protect over taunt on Gliscor. I find Gliscor doesn't have as much use for taunt, as it is invulnerable to status etc. If it works for you though... I'd also run adamant on Terrakion, it's a lot safer to do now that Deo-S has been banned (Huzzah!)
 
Twave > Body Slam on Jirachi, purely for the guaranteed paralysis. I suppose this could be personal preference though.

I've been itching to test Thunder Wave since the Excadrill ban. The main reason I like Body Slam is that it lets me have a chance to paralyze everything but Ghost types, mainly for the chance to paralyze an incoming Landorus, and pretty much any other Ground types that Jirachi often baits.

Also, I suggest protect over taunt on Gliscor. I find Gliscor doesn't have as much use for taunt, as it is invulnerable to status etc.

I have tried SD/Protect before, but I found it ineffective at handling stall, which Gliscor is very helpful for. The main reason for Taunt is stopping Recovery and opposing Taunts. For example, I can beat Skarmory if I Taunt it out of Roost, while even a +6 Ice Fang will not 3HKO, so I need to shut down its recovery. It's also kind of useful for Taunting Rotom-W when it switches in so that it can't Trick or Will-O-Wisp Gastrodon as he switches in, so that'll be a tough change to make.

If it works for you though... I'd also run adamant on Terrakion, it's a lot safer to do now that Deo-S has been banned (Huzzah!)

Nah, the main reason I use Jolly isn't for Deoxys-S; it's for all the things just slower than a Jolly Terrakion at +1. Without Jolly, I'm outsped by +1 Base 95's and up, which means that the list of things Terrakion can check drops dramatically.

Thanks for the advice, though! I'll seriously consider Thunder Wave on Jirachi if I bring this team back.
 

Fortunato

Sic Transit Gloria
The only thing that I can see that you could try out is

expert belt > life orb on Hydreigon. It loses a little bit of power but it can still destroy everything you listed not to mention it makes for a great lure and cuts down on you having to predict since most people will think its choiced.
 
The only thing that I can see that you could try out is

expert belt > life orb on Hydreigon. It loses a little bit of power but it can still destroy everything you listed not to mention it makes for a great lure and cuts down on you having to predict since most people will think its choiced.

Okay, I ran a couple of calcs on some of the things that I was most worried about (i.e. Tyranitar, Heatran, Jellicent, etc.), and Expert Belt does just as well as Life Orb in getting the KOs on those threats. The lack of recoil could also really help maintain Hydreigon's survivability, which works well with the more balanced nature of this team. I might miss the extra power on Draco Meteor, but the bluff could really work in the current metagame with the increase in ScarfHydra that I've been seeing lately.

That's a pretty good idea, thanks! I haven't used Expert Belt Hydreigon in a while. I'll edit that into the OP.
 
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