C/P'd from my post on Smogon, but I thought I might as well put it here too. idk who still comes here, but if anyone from my heyday is still around, I'd value your opinion.
I'm not gonna bother with an explanation of my many month absence, it's not important, and I doubt I'm gonna make a full comeback any way :/ I've lost my 100% understanding of every aspect of the metagame, and I honestly don't care as much about EV's anymore.
For instances where multiple move selections are written, Bold = Primary Option, and the one I have it set to atm
Basically, this team is three dragons and three steels. Why? Because Dragons already have sick offense, and the amount of things that can counter them is very little. However, they are fragile and they have high-risk, high reward moves (Outrage especially, Draco Meteor too) so if a counter shows up at the wrong time, it's common to find yourself stuck. By tripling up on dragons, even if one fails and hits a wall, that wall will be significantly weakened, meaning the other dragons can sweep much more easily.
The three steels are there to pretty much protect myself against my own strategy. The steels also form the defensive backbone of this pretty much entirely offensive team. Instead of focusing on taking threats down with 100% effective counters, I focused on having 2 or more semi-effective counters, allowing me to adjust my strategy to the situation. Plurality and redundancy are by far the most effective defense tools, more so than having a single dedicated stopper.
Done with the overall view, on to the nuts and bolts:
Lead Kingdra - Neutralize/Scout
Kingdra @Leftovers
Adamant
200 HP/252 Atk/56 Spe
~Mimic
~Yawn
~Dragon Dance/Rain Dance/Draco Meteor
~Outrage/Waterfall
Kingdra is a cool lead, and defensively, it functions similarly to LeadPert. Offensively, however, it functions like LeadGyara. Mimic is a fun move, and while it's pretty inefficient, it works well against leads that really can't do much to Kingdra (Metagross, Swampert, etc.) Basically, if I'm faster, I Yawn as they SR. I then use Mimic, causing me to learn SR as they attack, which will never kill me (Unless Metagross explodes... then I'm screwed, although they now have one less Steel type). If I expect a switch, however, I use Dragon Dance. It really suprises me how often people leave their lead in to get slept. I then manipulate Yawn and Dragon Dance, trying to keep Kingdra alive, till I'm up against a non-steel type, and then I just Outrage. I can usually get a glimpse at exactly what my opponent is packing to counter Dragon types, and I sometimes get to do heavy damage to some poor sap as well. On a side note, Mimic works against Trickers too, allowing me to play some games with unwitting Jirachi. A fun lead, but it has a lot on its plate and a limited movepool, meaning it doesn't always get its job done. Its ability to se up SR via Mimic is also questionable at best. 56 Spe beats max Spe base 100's after a DD, meaning some odd permutation of Salamence or Zapdos is prevented from beating me... not that important, but useful in pinch situations. Rain Dance could work too, and it would assist Empoleon greatly, especially since Empoleon gets a near free switch in against Kingdra's counters. Then I would not only scout Steels, but have a way to kill them as well. Hmmm... Opinions?
Assassin Jirachi - Revenge/Counter the whole ****ing metagame
Jirachi @Choice Scarf
Jolly
252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
~Iron Head
~Fire Punch
~Ice Punch
~Thunder Punch
Jirachi is an incredibly dynamic pokemon, as it can switch in to a lot of things, put up a reasonable defense, and hit back with an appropriate move. More often than not, this move is Iron Head, which is absolutely broken with a Choice Scarf. Even some water types like Starmie succumb easily to it. Combine this with the elemental punches (For 4x effective situations) and you've got a hell revenge killer and pinch counter. Then add in the fact that Jirachi is a Steel type, meaning it resists some of the most deadly attacks in the metagame: Bullet Punch, Outrage, Draco Meteor, and to a lesser extent Stone Edge I guess. It can also kill all the things that use these moves, meaning it had ample opportunity to switch in and knock things out. People also don't expect a Scarf Jirachi, so they're more likely to leave their Salamence, Scizor, Gyarados, Tyranitar, etc. in against me, netting me tons of suprise kills. A ground type move would be welcome, to kill Infernape and Heatran, but there isn't room for it and the rest of my team has them covered very well (Latias, Kingdra, Empoleon, Salamence...) I originally had only 180 Spe and extra HP, to beat +1 +nature 176 Spe Salamence, but I decided that tying with every possible Salamence is more important than some very minor and largely meaningless padding.
Mixmence - Stall break, midgame domination
Salamence @Life Orb
Hasty/Naive
84 Atk/252 Spe/172 SpA
~Outrage
~Fire Blast
~Earthquake
~Draco Meteor
Salamence was originally my main sweeper, but now he's more of a game breaker than a clean finisher. That's more the intention of this set anyway, because without a Spe boost, it's just too slow to sweep multiple pokemon at once. I picked a +Spe nature and max EV's because in my eyes, outspeeding everything possible is more valuable than hitting a bit harder. This is because Salamence is a HUGE threat, and a lot of people specifically EV to beat it. By simply maxing Spe, the only way I can be outsped by something is if it has a higher base Spe than mine. This takes guessing out of the question, meaning I don't have to worry if this Lucario is packing Jolly and Ice Punch. I'm certain I beat it. The drop in power is noticeable, but in many cases irrelevant, because it takes the same number of hits to KO something as it does with the power boost. I picked Hasty because Ice Beams don't need any extra help to KO me, but i think Naive may be better, because although the 1-2HKO from a Vaporeon or w/e is inevitable, Salamence has the ability to switch in on physical threats, specifically slow fighting types, due to intimidate. Opinions on nature are welcomed. The Atk and SpA ev's are taken from the Smogon page >.>; because metalkid doesn't work properly on my new mac so I couldn't do calcs. Anyone have a good calculator that's Mac friendly?
CM Latias - Sweeping and support
Latias @Leftovers
Timid
252 Spe/76 HP/180 SpA
~Calm Mind
~Dragon Pulse
~Surf
~Wish
Pretty standard again, but it still warrants explanation. Latias has two major ways of being powerful: Choice Specs, and Calm Mind. Any other set is either underpowered or using a Choice Scarf, which is a totally different discussion. I chose Calm Mind, because I didn't need another Choicer, and the Wish support is fantastic. Dragon Pulse + Surf is good coverage, and although it leaves Empoleon as a 100% solid counter, it's the only two-move combo that lets Latias sweep and still counter Infernape and Heatran. Empoleon should be severely injured by Salamence or Kingdra by this point anyway. Wish is there to heal my Steel types, which again, are the defensive backbone of the team. A great thing about Latias and Steel types is that they cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. While this isn't a novel or ingenious idea, it's effective and makes delivering Wish much easier. This keeps my steels running, because although their type is defensively astounding, their actual defensive stats are only marginal. The EV's let me outspeed all Napes, and tie with all Gengar. 76 HP is a lefties number, and the rest went in SpA. Since getting CM's up is easy in most circumstances, the small drop in power is unsubstantial.
CB Lucario - Powerhouse, specific checker
Lucario @Choice Band
Jolly
252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
~Blaze Kick
~Close Combat
~Crunch
~Ice Punch
I wrestled a lot over this set, and this particular party spot has been switched around between a Forretress, CB Scizor, and a Bronzong multiple times. It's unorthodox, fairly limited, and seemingly ineffective compared to other sets (And CB Scizor) but it's actually proven itself, despite my skepticism. Basically, this thing counters SD Luke, CB Scizor, and SD Scizor by switching in on resisted moves and outspeeding. It also takes down Snorlax, Blissey, Tyranitar, and Skarmory with suprising efficiency. Salamence also does that same job, but Salamence is more fragile and takes much greater SR damage. I would use CB Scizor, but then my team has somewhat of a Lucario weakness, because my only hope against an SD'd Luke is to take it out with Jirachi, who can't easily 1HKO, and would have to rely on multiple flinches from Iron Head. I sorely miss the priority, but Jirachi can do a lot of what CB Scizor can. Oh well. Latias adds a lot to Lucario's abilities as a counter-er, ensuring he stays in the game longer and backing him up on a lot of his shortcomings. Without Jirachi and Latias' support, I think this set would be absolute trash.
Sub Sweep Empoleon - The REAL sweeper/defensive core
Empoleon @Petaya Berry
Modest
252 SpA/252 Spe/4 HP
~Substitute
~Agility
~Surf
~Grass Knot
It's funny how on a team with 3 dragons, the most fearsome beasts in the game, a penguin ends up being the most effective sweeper... while simultaneously being a huge part of my defense. This pokemon is a beast, and while this set is standard to an extreme degree, it still has the ability to confound and frustrate people. Let's face it, this thing is a ***** to try and counter. And at the same time, it's a ***** at countering. Combined with Wish, Empoleon can keep ticking till it's time for him to go off with ease. EV's are basic, as SpA is necessary, Spe is useful, and the suggested 12 HP EV's are useless ******** <.<; I picked Grass Knot because my team basically devours opposing dragons already, while water types are quite bothersome.
Known Issues:
-Machamp: Salamence and Latias already have trouble taking his hits, combined with the fact that the sub set screws both of them over. Oh, and don't forget confusion....
-Gengar: Jirachi is my best counter, and a neutral Shadow Ball still hurts. Empoleon has some luck, but Tbolt and Focus Blast seal its fate. *Bullet Punch on Lucario could fix this, but every move is currently necessary.
-Lack of SR/Spikes/Anything: I originally had Forretress, but it ruined the tempo and power of the team. Kingdra is o.k., but Mimic is still a gimic when you get down to it.
-Wish only works on steels: Latias has an easy time getting Wish to Steel types, because of their complementary weaknesses. However, getting them to Dragons is much harder. When an Ice/Dragon move is heading at my Latias, I can't switch to either of my Dragons.
-Entry Hazards: My defense is resistance-based, meaning entry hazards can ruin a lot of what I try to accomplish by switching. Starmie was on the team at some point, but not anymore :/
That's about it, it's pretty late so mistakes might have been made. Just point them out and I'll fix it.
*Threat List Coming Soon*
Thanks for reading, sorry it's so long D:
I'm not gonna bother with an explanation of my many month absence, it's not important, and I doubt I'm gonna make a full comeback any way :/ I've lost my 100% understanding of every aspect of the metagame, and I honestly don't care as much about EV's anymore.
For instances where multiple move selections are written, Bold = Primary Option, and the one I have it set to atm
Basically, this team is three dragons and three steels. Why? Because Dragons already have sick offense, and the amount of things that can counter them is very little. However, they are fragile and they have high-risk, high reward moves (Outrage especially, Draco Meteor too) so if a counter shows up at the wrong time, it's common to find yourself stuck. By tripling up on dragons, even if one fails and hits a wall, that wall will be significantly weakened, meaning the other dragons can sweep much more easily.
The three steels are there to pretty much protect myself against my own strategy. The steels also form the defensive backbone of this pretty much entirely offensive team. Instead of focusing on taking threats down with 100% effective counters, I focused on having 2 or more semi-effective counters, allowing me to adjust my strategy to the situation. Plurality and redundancy are by far the most effective defense tools, more so than having a single dedicated stopper.
Done with the overall view, on to the nuts and bolts:
Lead Kingdra - Neutralize/Scout
Kingdra @Leftovers
Adamant
200 HP/252 Atk/56 Spe
~Mimic
~Yawn
~Dragon Dance/Rain Dance/Draco Meteor
~Outrage/Waterfall
Kingdra is a cool lead, and defensively, it functions similarly to LeadPert. Offensively, however, it functions like LeadGyara. Mimic is a fun move, and while it's pretty inefficient, it works well against leads that really can't do much to Kingdra (Metagross, Swampert, etc.) Basically, if I'm faster, I Yawn as they SR. I then use Mimic, causing me to learn SR as they attack, which will never kill me (Unless Metagross explodes... then I'm screwed, although they now have one less Steel type). If I expect a switch, however, I use Dragon Dance. It really suprises me how often people leave their lead in to get slept. I then manipulate Yawn and Dragon Dance, trying to keep Kingdra alive, till I'm up against a non-steel type, and then I just Outrage. I can usually get a glimpse at exactly what my opponent is packing to counter Dragon types, and I sometimes get to do heavy damage to some poor sap as well. On a side note, Mimic works against Trickers too, allowing me to play some games with unwitting Jirachi. A fun lead, but it has a lot on its plate and a limited movepool, meaning it doesn't always get its job done. Its ability to se up SR via Mimic is also questionable at best. 56 Spe beats max Spe base 100's after a DD, meaning some odd permutation of Salamence or Zapdos is prevented from beating me... not that important, but useful in pinch situations. Rain Dance could work too, and it would assist Empoleon greatly, especially since Empoleon gets a near free switch in against Kingdra's counters. Then I would not only scout Steels, but have a way to kill them as well. Hmmm... Opinions?
Assassin Jirachi - Revenge/Counter the whole ****ing metagame
Jirachi @Choice Scarf
Jolly
252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
~Iron Head
~Fire Punch
~Ice Punch
~Thunder Punch
Jirachi is an incredibly dynamic pokemon, as it can switch in to a lot of things, put up a reasonable defense, and hit back with an appropriate move. More often than not, this move is Iron Head, which is absolutely broken with a Choice Scarf. Even some water types like Starmie succumb easily to it. Combine this with the elemental punches (For 4x effective situations) and you've got a hell revenge killer and pinch counter. Then add in the fact that Jirachi is a Steel type, meaning it resists some of the most deadly attacks in the metagame: Bullet Punch, Outrage, Draco Meteor, and to a lesser extent Stone Edge I guess. It can also kill all the things that use these moves, meaning it had ample opportunity to switch in and knock things out. People also don't expect a Scarf Jirachi, so they're more likely to leave their Salamence, Scizor, Gyarados, Tyranitar, etc. in against me, netting me tons of suprise kills. A ground type move would be welcome, to kill Infernape and Heatran, but there isn't room for it and the rest of my team has them covered very well (Latias, Kingdra, Empoleon, Salamence...) I originally had only 180 Spe and extra HP, to beat +1 +nature 176 Spe Salamence, but I decided that tying with every possible Salamence is more important than some very minor and largely meaningless padding.
Mixmence - Stall break, midgame domination
Salamence @Life Orb
Hasty/Naive
84 Atk/252 Spe/172 SpA
~Outrage
~Fire Blast
~Earthquake
~Draco Meteor
Salamence was originally my main sweeper, but now he's more of a game breaker than a clean finisher. That's more the intention of this set anyway, because without a Spe boost, it's just too slow to sweep multiple pokemon at once. I picked a +Spe nature and max EV's because in my eyes, outspeeding everything possible is more valuable than hitting a bit harder. This is because Salamence is a HUGE threat, and a lot of people specifically EV to beat it. By simply maxing Spe, the only way I can be outsped by something is if it has a higher base Spe than mine. This takes guessing out of the question, meaning I don't have to worry if this Lucario is packing Jolly and Ice Punch. I'm certain I beat it. The drop in power is noticeable, but in many cases irrelevant, because it takes the same number of hits to KO something as it does with the power boost. I picked Hasty because Ice Beams don't need any extra help to KO me, but i think Naive may be better, because although the 1-2HKO from a Vaporeon or w/e is inevitable, Salamence has the ability to switch in on physical threats, specifically slow fighting types, due to intimidate. Opinions on nature are welcomed. The Atk and SpA ev's are taken from the Smogon page >.>; because metalkid doesn't work properly on my new mac so I couldn't do calcs. Anyone have a good calculator that's Mac friendly?
CM Latias - Sweeping and support
Latias @Leftovers
Timid
252 Spe/76 HP/180 SpA
~Calm Mind
~Dragon Pulse
~Surf
~Wish
Pretty standard again, but it still warrants explanation. Latias has two major ways of being powerful: Choice Specs, and Calm Mind. Any other set is either underpowered or using a Choice Scarf, which is a totally different discussion. I chose Calm Mind, because I didn't need another Choicer, and the Wish support is fantastic. Dragon Pulse + Surf is good coverage, and although it leaves Empoleon as a 100% solid counter, it's the only two-move combo that lets Latias sweep and still counter Infernape and Heatran. Empoleon should be severely injured by Salamence or Kingdra by this point anyway. Wish is there to heal my Steel types, which again, are the defensive backbone of the team. A great thing about Latias and Steel types is that they cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. While this isn't a novel or ingenious idea, it's effective and makes delivering Wish much easier. This keeps my steels running, because although their type is defensively astounding, their actual defensive stats are only marginal. The EV's let me outspeed all Napes, and tie with all Gengar. 76 HP is a lefties number, and the rest went in SpA. Since getting CM's up is easy in most circumstances, the small drop in power is unsubstantial.
CB Lucario - Powerhouse, specific checker
Lucario @Choice Band
Jolly
252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
~Blaze Kick
~Close Combat
~Crunch
~Ice Punch
I wrestled a lot over this set, and this particular party spot has been switched around between a Forretress, CB Scizor, and a Bronzong multiple times. It's unorthodox, fairly limited, and seemingly ineffective compared to other sets (And CB Scizor) but it's actually proven itself, despite my skepticism. Basically, this thing counters SD Luke, CB Scizor, and SD Scizor by switching in on resisted moves and outspeeding. It also takes down Snorlax, Blissey, Tyranitar, and Skarmory with suprising efficiency. Salamence also does that same job, but Salamence is more fragile and takes much greater SR damage. I would use CB Scizor, but then my team has somewhat of a Lucario weakness, because my only hope against an SD'd Luke is to take it out with Jirachi, who can't easily 1HKO, and would have to rely on multiple flinches from Iron Head. I sorely miss the priority, but Jirachi can do a lot of what CB Scizor can. Oh well. Latias adds a lot to Lucario's abilities as a counter-er, ensuring he stays in the game longer and backing him up on a lot of his shortcomings. Without Jirachi and Latias' support, I think this set would be absolute trash.
Sub Sweep Empoleon - The REAL sweeper/defensive core
Empoleon @Petaya Berry
Modest
252 SpA/252 Spe/4 HP
~Substitute
~Agility
~Surf
~Grass Knot
It's funny how on a team with 3 dragons, the most fearsome beasts in the game, a penguin ends up being the most effective sweeper... while simultaneously being a huge part of my defense. This pokemon is a beast, and while this set is standard to an extreme degree, it still has the ability to confound and frustrate people. Let's face it, this thing is a ***** to try and counter. And at the same time, it's a ***** at countering. Combined with Wish, Empoleon can keep ticking till it's time for him to go off with ease. EV's are basic, as SpA is necessary, Spe is useful, and the suggested 12 HP EV's are useless ******** <.<; I picked Grass Knot because my team basically devours opposing dragons already, while water types are quite bothersome.
Known Issues:
-Machamp: Salamence and Latias already have trouble taking his hits, combined with the fact that the sub set screws both of them over. Oh, and don't forget confusion....
-Gengar: Jirachi is my best counter, and a neutral Shadow Ball still hurts. Empoleon has some luck, but Tbolt and Focus Blast seal its fate. *Bullet Punch on Lucario could fix this, but every move is currently necessary.
-Lack of SR/Spikes/Anything: I originally had Forretress, but it ruined the tempo and power of the team. Kingdra is o.k., but Mimic is still a gimic when you get down to it.
-Wish only works on steels: Latias has an easy time getting Wish to Steel types, because of their complementary weaknesses. However, getting them to Dragons is much harder. When an Ice/Dragon move is heading at my Latias, I can't switch to either of my Dragons.
-Entry Hazards: My defense is resistance-based, meaning entry hazards can ruin a lot of what I try to accomplish by switching. Starmie was on the team at some point, but not anymore :/
That's about it, it's pretty late so mistakes might have been made. Just point them out and I'll fix it.
*Threat List Coming Soon*
Thanks for reading, sorry it's so long D:
