ｘ | a 1k rmt

[Trinitrotoluene]

(pokemon descriptions are not done yet. also, tab is a cute user ◠‿◠)​

PREFACE

here's a tl;dr warning. skip ahead to team assembly if you're not interested in reading my introductory ramblings.

Wow, has it really been over a year since I last posted a RMT? I guess now is as good a time to post another one, especially considering that it's my first XY OU RMT and my 1k post! Since RMT is my home forum, what better place is there to house my 1k? Now, about X. This isn't exactly an original team (I'm sure a bunch of other people have used the same cores that will be featured in this team), but I don't care about that. It works, and I have fun with it. I have quite a few variants of this team, each of them experimenting with one or more of the following variables: cores, moveset variations, and Mega Evolutions. The variant of this team featured in this RMT is the one I've had the most fun playing with. After all, what's the point of playing this game (or any other game in general) if you're not having fun while doing so?

Some history: I started working on the initial concept for X back when Kangaskhanite was allowed in OU. These variants tended to be more physically-inclined because the best threats (R.I.P. in peace Megakhan, Mega doge, and Genesect, and fuk all three of you for almost ruining OU for me) tended to be physically inclined. After playing with that team for a while, it kinda grew stale and tiresome to run, so I shelved the concept for a little while to dabble in other styles of offense, including birdy offense (which is this generation's analogue for BW OU's DragMag, albeit even more SR-weak and effective) and half-assed efforts at weather offense. I dabbled with various Mega Evolutions, trying to piece together the metagame for myself. It was during this time that I learned how badass Mega Mawile, Mega Charizard (both X and Y), and Mega Pinsir were, and how ass Mega Banette and Mega Blastoise were (though chances are I'm not using the latter two correctly). After a while, I decided to pick up my old team again and start innovating it. During this time, I made sure that my revamped team could adequately deal with a few threats that normally plague these types of teams (namely Mega Venusaur and Ass Vest Conkeldurr), all while covering the relevant threats in OU.

Now, to discuss flavor topics. There's no meaning behind the name of this RMT since I thought of it on a whim. Alternate names for this RMT include Zerofall (thanks Roxas!) and just a thought (the working title of this RMT). If you're asking about ladder performance, idgaf about the ladder, so I don't take my laddering experiences seriously. My main PS! account (Trinitrotoluene) is unranked at the moment, but really, its rating isn't something I care about, especially since I use it mainly to dick around on the ladder (seriously, who has the patience to ladder for hours at a time? i sure don't.) and play tournament matches. With all that said, let's proceed to the next section.​

TEAM ASSEMBLY

The usual framework for hazards-based offense (even in BW OU) was as follows: lead | wallbreaker (x2) | pivot | sweeper | speed. While this team doesn't follow that framework to the letter, those represented good ideas that I should have on the team. This leads me to my first two choices for this team: Mega Mawile and Thundurus. Mega Mawile, my personal favorite Mega Evolution, is a fantastic wallbreaker thanks to its access to Huge Power and relatively powerful moves. It can also sweep if I play my cards right, but that isn't Mawile's main purpose for being on the team. Almost , Mawile's typing provides an incredible array of resistances, including immunities to Dragon (always helpful for hyper offense) and Poison (not as helpful, but an immunity to Toxic Spikes is never a bad thing to have), which helps give the team a bit of breathing room.

The second choice for this team, Thundurus, helps alleviate Mawile's main issue: its lack of speed. Thundurus's typing provides an immunity to Ground-type moves, which is always helpful to have, especially on teams as offensive as this one. Thundurus's access to Prankster gives it a secondary role as an "oh shit" button that can bounce momentum back to my side should something go wrong. Of course, two Pokemon does not a good team make, and I still wanted a few elements to be present on the team.

Slots covered: breaker / pivot | sweeper / utility

The main element the team was lacking at the moment was entry hazards, and the first Pokemon that came to mind to drop hazards is Deoxys. However, picking Deoxys as my hazard setter led to the problem of choosing the right forme for the team. Each forme having their own perks did not make choosing this any easier. However, what steered me towards choosing Deoxys-D is its bulk, which gives it the freedom to run items other than Focus Sash, which lead Deoxys-S is mostly bound to. The extra bulk also makes sure mispredicting against the opponent doesn't set Deoxys-D back as much as it would Deoxys-S. While I do lose out on Deoxys-S's incredible base Speed and modest mixed offensive capabilites, those are not as important or relevant as Deoxys-D's mixed bulk. Now, having hazards is good, but I still needed some support if I wanted these hazards to stick around.

Slot covered: lead

Now, there's almost no way to stop Defog (unless you forcibly remove your Pokemon from the field using moves like Explosion, Memento, or Healing Wish), but spinblocking still exists as a method of stopping spinners (such as Excadrill!). In previous generations, I would have used Gengar for this purpose, but X & Y have decided to gift us with the great mighty doom Aegislash, which does what Gengar would have done, and then some. In one slot, it provides mixed wallbreaking power, spinblocking utility, and incredible resistances, which combined with its incredible defenses in Shield forme makes for an invaluable pivot that can easily take on multiple roles as the need arises.

Slot(s) covered: pivot / breaker

I don't know why I picked Greninja. It looks cool and it's fast, so there's that. It also gets Protean, so mindgames and STAB on every move it uses are pretty nice traits to have, I guess.

Slot(s) covered: breaker / speed

From looking at the team, I noticed that Rotom-W did quite a number to it since I had nothing that could switch into its STAB moves. Electric-types in general were nuisances for the team, so I chose Latios to cover them while adding even more offensive pressure to the mix. In addition, Latios has the ability to generate set-up opportunities for the rest of the team, which is something few other Pokemon can boast.

Slot(s) covered: breaker / speed

Since Bisharp was giving me grief, I changed Greninja up for Keldeo. This gave me a stronger wallbreaker, and I didn't lose much from this change because I have at least two Pokemon that can pressure Mega Venusaur. This change also granted the team some more bulk and a better defensive typing, which is helpful for dealing with the aforementioned Bisharp and a few other troublesome Pokemon.

Slot(s) covered: breaker / speed​

THE TEAM

DETAILED ANALYSIS

nota bene: my gameplay notes (paragraphs 2 and 3 of each team member's descriptions) are there to show how i think when i use my team. these are not a definitive guide on how to use this team.

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Aegislash @

| Stance Change
Quiet | 244 Atk / 252 SpA / 12 Spe
• Shadow Ball
• Shadow Sneak
• Iron Head / Sacred Sword
• Pursuit / King's Shield

SZ Engage: ur apparently
SZ Engage: stupid
SZ Engage: to iron head a conk

^ lol, accurate summary of me y/y?

Good day, everyone. This is the CRUMBLER, and it's here to make balance shit its pants and offense wet itself in fear. With its amazing typing, Aegislash serves as the resident spinblocker and pivot, and its amazing offenses give it another role as a slow, bulky wallbreaker that almost nothing screw you Mandibuzz, Krookodile >:[ can stand against. Shadow Ball and Shadow Sneak provide Aegislash its main STAB and reliable priority respectively. The last two moves are slashed because both options listed work well enough to the point where you won't see much of a difference in performance. Iron Head + Pursuit gives you a strong physical STAB (as well as an out v. lastmon Clefable) and a means of safely eliminating frail Psychic-types likely to switch out against Aegislash. Sacred Sword + King's Shield forfeits the extra offense of Pursuit + Iron Head, but in exchange, it grants extra longevity + perfect neutral coverage, which might be more helpful for some of you reading this RMT. The EVs maximize Aegislash's offensive potential while giving it enough speed to outpace the standard -Spe Tyranitar. Air Balloon sees use over other items so Aegislash can safely spinblock Excadrill and completely block off SubToxic Gliscor lacking Knock Off. However, if you think that having more power is better than having a temporary immunity to Ground-type moves (and reliably spinblocking Excadrill), Life Orb and Spell Tag / Spooky Plate are items worth trying out.

Usually, I'll bring Aegislash in on any potential spinners that tend to hop in against Deoxys-D. If I'm facing Excadrill (the most common spinner in OU), I usually spam Shadow Ball. With the Air Balloon intact, I can tank any attack Excadrill throws at me. Unless the Excadrill is holding Assault Vest or Leftovers, I should be able to pick up the KO the next turn with Shadow Sneak, assuming you don't hit two minimum damage rolls in a row. If Excadrill switches out into another Pokemon, then you lose nothing, since hazards are still up on the field. Against Starmie, beating it starts with figuring out its moveset. If I spot a Life Orb and / or Hydro Pump, Starmie most likely will switch out, fearing the STAB Shadow Ball; in response to this, I'll click Pursuit and watch it burn. Even if it doesn't switch out, Shadow Sneak is a guaranteed KO after Pursuit damage. Should I catch heat from Scald and / or spot Leftovers, I'll hit Starmie with Shadow Ball. Even with max HP, Shadow Ball is a guaranteed OHKO. Tentacruel is the one spinner Aegislash loses against the majority of the time, but it's rare (it only saw 2.58453% usage in 1760 OU last month), so don't fret when you see one. Thundurus and Latios are more than enough to pressure it once Aegislash goes down. Forretress and Donphan are even rarer, but Aegislash beats both of them 1v1. also, please don't use donphan in ou. it's utter horseshit that excadrill outclasses on almost all accounts. Defoggers are handled on a case-by-case basis, usually involving the rest of the team.

Aegislash's only problems lie with opposing Dark-types, Specially Defensive Hippowdon, and Heatran. If I'm facing a Mandibuzz, I'll usually switch Aegislash out and bring in a more capable teammate to pressure the opponent and swing momentum back to your side.. If I see a Tyranitar, my options become more varied. Most of the time, I'll usually switch Aegislash out and bring in Keldeo or Mawile, as this will force the Tyranitar out (most of the time, they do switch out). However, if I'm feeling ballsy or not in need of Aegislash (rare, but it happens), then I'll click Iron Head to see how much damage Tyranitar takes. Any non-Mega Tyranitar lacking HP and / or Defense investment will take 79.1 - 93.2% from Iron Head, while those with investment will take less. After checking the damage done to the Tyranitar, I can usually determine which set it's running (assuming that any blatant clues, e.g. Mega Evolution, have not been given out). From there, my game plan changes. If I'm facing a defensive Tyranitar, I'll go for the 2HKO with Iron Head. Since Choice-locked Tyranitar are also usually faster than Aegislash, I'll switch Aegislash out unless they're locked into Pursuit. If they happen to be locked into Pursuit, I'll let Aegislash fall (after all, I kept it in because I didn't really need it) and regain momentum with a teammate. I deal with Bisharp like I do with Mandibuzz: I always switch out to Keldeo or a teammate I want to sack. I deal with Heatran much like I do with Tyranitar, except most cases end with me switching out. Frailer Dark-types, namely Greninja, don't take Shadow Ball nearly as well, so they can't afford to switch into Aegislash more than once, especially if they want to take on the rest of my team.

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Keldeo @

| Justified
Timid | 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
• Hydro Pump
• Secret Sword
• Scald
• Icy Wind

Greninja originally occupied this slot, and I still don't know why I chose it. It looks cool, I'll admit. However, it still had some issues. Bisharp was starting to give me headaches, seeing how it was guaranteed the OHKO (and the sweep) if Greninja, my team's one of two Dark resists, took even 1 round of SR damage. To fix this issue, I replaced Greninja with Keldeo. Unlike Greninja, Keldeo could tank a boosted Sucker Punch, even after two rounds of SR damage, and land the OHKO with any of its STAB moves (Scald needs 1 round of SR damage to guarantee the OHKO on 32 HP Bisharp). The moves are standard, with Icy Wind seeing use over HP Flying because I already have two attackers (Thundurus, Latios) that give Conkeldurr and Mega Venusaur hell and not enough to hit dragons. I use both Hydro Pump and Scald because I like having both power and consistency on Keldeo. This also assures me that I won't have to bank on a move with the accuracy of Stone Miss if I need a Water-type move to win the game. Scald's 100% 30% chance to burn also helps when trying to wear down walls and score damage. This also ensures that Venusaur isn't 100% safe switching in. The EVs are standard, with the IVs minimizing Foul Play damage.

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Deoxys-Defense @

/

| Pressure
Timid | 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
• Sneaky Pebbles
• Spikes
• Taunt
• Magic Coat / Thunder Wave

I think it's fairly obvious that hazards-based offense kinda needs something to lay their hazards, and there's no one Pokemon better at laying multiple layers of hazards better than Deoxys. Note that I did not differentiate between the legal formes in OU just yet. Each Deoxys forme has its own perks, giving them different niches. Deoxys-S has its blinding speed, which gives it a faster Taunt than the rest of OU, and respectable attacking stats. This lets Deoxys-S get the drop on any Defogger (yes, I am including Mega Aerodactyl and Crobat in this list) and set-up sweeper not named Thundurus, Mega Absol, or Espeon. It also allows Deoxys-S to carry an attacking move other than Seismic Toss / Night Shade, which grants it the ability to throw other Pokemon for a loop. In fact, Deo-S could (and should, imo) run a SR + 3 Attacks set to retain some utility throughout the game. In comparison, Deoxys-D has increased bulk (50 / 160 / 160 defenses are nothing to be trifled with), which liberates it from being dependent on Focus Sash to set up more than one layer of hazards. Deoxys-D's base Speed of 90, while not as notable as Deoxys-S's, makes it just fast enough to outpace every major defensive Defogger and Taunt them before they can remove hazards. This combination of traits, plus its access to Magic Coat to stop faster Taunts, ultimately makes Deoxys-D a better dedicated hazards lead and the Deoxys forme I chose to use on this team. The moves and EVs are all standard, with the slashed moves and items showing combos that I like to use. Magic Coat + Red Card gives Deoxys-D an edge in mirror matches against other Deoxys, while Thunder Wave + Mental Herb was a combo I used back in BW2 OU that ensured Deoxys-D crippled at least one team member and got SR + 1 layer of Spikes on the field. Both beat Prankster leads, but the latter has vulnerabilities against opposing Magic Coat users and the former against set-up sweepers with a base Speed greater than 90. If you're using X, pick out the combo that works best with you.

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Thundurus @

| Prankster
Timid | 28 HP / 228 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 30 HP / 2 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
• Thunder Wave
• Nasty Plot
• Thunderbolt
• Hidden Power [Flying]

There's a reason Thundurus is at the top of the SPL usage statistics. It has so many options it can run effectively, and unlike many jacks-of-all-trades, Thundurus does not compromise its efficiency when adapting to different roles. It can be an annoyer or a utility that happens to hit kinda hard. It can even take on the role of a Defiant abuser, not unlike Bisharp. On X, Thundurus demonstrates this by taking on both the role of the sweeper and the utility, which Prankster makes possible. Thunder Wave cripples almost any Pokemon and is effective as a momentum-reverser, allowing me to bounce back from anything that might have gone wrong. Nasty Plot gives Thundurus the ability to set up and go for a sweep, and thanks to Prankster, Thundurus will usually get one boost before being forced to attack. Thunderbolt is standard coverage, but I've decided to use HP Flying over another coverage move because it screws over Mega Venusaur and Conkeldurr while getting excellent neutral coverage overall. The EVs make sure Thundurus's HP hits a lefties #, while maximizing its speed. The remaining EVs were tossed into Special Attack so it hits as hard as possible. The IVs guarantee that my Hidden Power is Flying, and in previous generations, this IV spread would guarantee that the base power would hit 70 while minimizing the Attack stat. Lefties are there to keep Thundurus alive for as long as possible.

•••

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Latios @

| Levitate
Timid | 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
• Draco Meteor
• Psyshock
• Thunderbolt
• Memento / Roost

Latios was an interesting choice for my team. As of now, people tend to associate the Lati twins with Defog and nothing else, so they tend to ignore the other options on Latios, which I am attempting to feature. The first two moves provide STAB that give Latios the ability to hit hard on both ends of the spectrum. This also allows Latios to royally screw Conkeldurr and Mega Venusaur, two major annoyances to hyper offense. Psyshock also allows Latios to get past CM Keldeo, a deadly sweeper that every team should be ready to deal with. I've seen people use a multitude of coverage options in the third slot, ranging from Surf to Hidden Power Fire to Earthquake, all of them hitting relevant threats. I chose to go with Thunderbolt because it hit Azumarill, Charizard-Y, and Togekiss super-effectively while making sure that I'm not dead in the water against Skarmory and Mandibuzz. On any other team, I'd use Defog as my Latios's last move, but since X kinda needs its hazards to stay on the field (and also since Thundurus is the only SR-weak team member), I chose Memento, which generates tons of set-up opportunities for the rest of the team. It's no Healing Wish, but it works well enough and my opponents are none the wiser (but I'm sure that will change after I post this RMT). Roost is cool if you want Latios to stick around for longer, but it doesn't have Memento's surprise factor, making it less effective. The EVs maximize Latios's Special Attack and Speed, while the HP IVs let Latios hit a Life Orb #; the Attack IVs minimize confusion and Foul Play damage.

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Mawile @

| Intimidate ==> Huge Power
Adamant | 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
• Substitute
• Focus Punch
• Play Rough
• Sucker Punch

I think it's only fitting that my first XY OU RMT features Mega Mawile, my personal favorite Mega Evolution. It's the team's primary stall-breaker, and thanks to its incredible Steel / Fairy typing (and boosted stats post-Mega Evolution), it also acts as the team's second pivot. The moves are standard for Mega Mawile, with Substitute and Focus Punch being used over Swords Dance and another coverage move to puncture holes in stall. Now, let's talk EVs. I've looked over many RMTs with Mega Mawile in it, and I noticed that people like to use a spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def on their Mega Mawile. While it may look good on paper (more bulk on Mega Mawile ftw), it isn't that great in practice because it allows common Pokemon that Mawile would normally beat, such as Scizor, non-Mega Tyranitar, opposing Mawile, and Azumarill, to outrun and lay the hurt on Mega Mawile. My EV spread hits 170 Speed, which allows Mawile to creep 8 Spe Scizor (a relic from the DPP days, but still a good benchmark to hit IMO) and the standard 124 Spe Mega Mawile while still being slower than Skarmory. This is an important asset for this set. Attack is maximized so Mawile can deal as much damage as possible, and the remaining EVs were tossed into HP to maximize Mawile's overall bulk.​

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

POSTFACE

So, this is my take on hyper offense. It's been extremely effective and I've had a ton of fun using it. I hope you enjoyed reading through this RMT, since I certainly had fun writing this up. Also, I do apologize for the length of the descriptions that are up thus far. Once I start writing, I tend to keep going on until I'm sure I have my thoughts down properly. This unfortunately leads to a bit of rambling, but I'm sure that you don't mind. I also hope you liked the presentation. I am very picky about the presentation of my threads (a habit I picked up in 2012. I think), so I designed it to look good to me. I spent a few weeks formatting this thread until it looked just right, and even now, I'm tweaking it so it looks even better. I guess I'll use this postface as a shameless plug for my Twitter account @246_Tritone, which you can follow if you want to see me rant on a near-daily basis about non-Pokemon (and maybe some Pokemon-related) matters. In the hide tags below are my 1k shoutouts. Read them if you're interested. Thanks for taking the time to read this RMT. Have a nice day.

also, if you use my team on the ladder or in any tournament, i have the right to laugh profusely at you, even if you win your match.

1k shoutouts!

I'm willing to bet that quite a few people probably skipped the entire RMT just to read my shoutouts. These are here to thank the people that have made my time on Smogon enjoyable. These shouts are in no particular order.

Harsha: We have a long (and happy, IMO) history together, starting from our time on Treehouse and continuing to when you and Sayonara helped me get immersed in team rating. It's kind of a shame that we slowly drifted apart. We need to catch up with each other. Good luck with school!

Sayonara: Thanks for helping me get started in the team rating business, bro. Hope life's treating you well!

The Treehouse: Big love to you all for dealing with and having me as your head administrator for 3 years! We're just starting to take off once again, so let's push onwards and upwards! teh vappy, JonFreeman, Zeo Abyss (or whatever you call yourself now, sorry, I can't keep track of your alts), Artist Smeargle, Audeino, Brie, I love you all (no homo). Let's make 2014 one to remember (in a good way, of course).

Hulavuta: Holy moly, how you have grown from that new-ish user I mentored to a properly integrated contributor to Orange Islands. #dogbirds wouldn't have been the same without you there to spice up the chat. Granted, I didn't get on IRC every day, but thanks for making my IRC experiences even better when I am online. Cute user, you definitely will go far, both on-site and IRL! I will find time to get on IRC (hopefully soon!) ◠‿◠

Also, join the mentorship program :o ! You'd be a perfect fit!

MCBarrett: you suck. goml. You're among the people on my shoutouts list that I have met very recently, but you have had a major impact on my Pokémon Showdown! experience. Being one of the few team raters I see actively modding the Competitive Tutoring room (besides me, Detective Dell, and ShootingStarmie) is pretty cool. You're also one of the few people I know to have consistently participated in the Rating Practice Team rounds, which is always cool! From messing around in Rate my Team to modding Competitive Tutoring to tossing team ideas around, you're one of the people whom I cannot thank enough. Also, thanks for introducing me to Skype and getting me integrated into the group there. I <3 you man.

Nog(e): What's gucci mane? Sick user, you're a rising star in my books. Stay based, and keep up your rating skills.

ShootingStarmie: A cute user who made his name known through his contributions to the Rating Practice Teams, just like MCBarrett! <3 you for doing them, since that gave work for me to do.

Subject 18: :o big ps! and ou mod in this town.

The Competitive Tutoring people: The entertainment you guys provide on Showdown! kinda makes up for the spam and flagrant disregard for the rules I have to deal with on occasion. Special shout to the drivers+ people (Royalty, Anna's Team, Tyler0, Darnell, Enfu, Rob, SakuyaIyazoi, Tppc) active in Competitive Tutoring; I love you all for helping me keep the room in order. A few unranked and voiced users (A, ArkenCiel, jpw234, SinfulPanda69, UberGamer, DaAwesomeDude01, DoYouEvenFriskBro, Jase135, pplzdude) deserve shouts as well for continually keeping the chat alive (even if you guys bring it off-topic sometimes).

Gary2346: Yes, the co-owner of SCO and one of the most relaxed, chilled folks out there. Giving you a shout because SCO was fun (until the change to Xenforo from vBulletin; r.i.p. in peace vBulletin). The internal drama was entertaining as fuck, and the various convos were cool since they often held cool core ideas, which helped when it came to building teams. Skype messaging is pretty fun too.

False Sense: Thanks for running SCO. It certainly provided one of the highlights for my Smogon experience pre-Xenforo change.

Labyrinthine: [19:22:01] %Labyrinthine: gibe shoutout pls

Seriously, you're a cool guy with a lot of motivation. Your analysis work is impressive, and the potential is there. Keep at it!

Delko: My rating hero! You are the coolest Benelux person I know, and your constant support is nice.

tab: cubchoo ʕ•͡ᴥ•ʔ !

Pocket: You're a cool old timer w/ good taste in anime.

Superpowerdude: #dogbirds :D

cbt: Cute user, still can't beat me in tours. Definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Dice: I wish we were closer than we are -- I've got a lot of respect for you and it really sucks that you stopped rating. Come back please!

Electrolyte: Get your TR back >:o BTW, I'm glad to see you returning to your old activity levels.

Jukain: Giving him a shout here because he forgot to give me one in his 2k at first >:(

Nova: You were active as fuck in BW OU and now you're just not as active as you used to be. wtf happened? come back pls.

ENZ0: The man that helped draw me into the site back in 2010. If it weren't for his kindness when I posted my first RMT, I most likely would not have gotten my postcount this high.

Enguarde: SUPER Twitter friend! You're an awesome Aussie, and your taste in anime is impeccable.

Doughboy: Team (>^-^)># LGI. Once Upon A Team was wicked fun!

Haunter: is a pretty cool guy.

If I forgot you, please let me know by VM so I can add you to my shoutout list.

 

[Tressed]

also, if you use my team on the ladder or in any tournament, i have the right to laugh profusely at you, even if you win your match.

• I accept the above terms and conditions.

Honestly, this team looks like so much fun, can't wait to try it out. I think Bisharp might be a threat to this team, since if Keldeo gets lit up Bisharp can run through it with Sucker Punch and the rest of your team doesn't deal with it too well (Mawile can take an Iron Head, but that's not ideal). I guess you could Jolly 56 Attack and Superpower on Deoxys-D over Magic Coat or something for a surprise OHKO, but that kinda opens up more holes than it fixes (puts a nice hole in Tyranitar, though). I'll play around with it, but I think its a lesser option.

I don't really know what else to say tbh, I just felt the need to comment since this thing dropped right off the front page, and it certainly doesn't deserve that.

 

[Electrolyte]

Thanks for the shoutout, man! Your RMT design just gets better and better, just like your team quality!

Well played TTar sand could definitely get under your skin with this team. Things like Rotom-W and Tyranitar in particular can give you a bit of trouble; the fact that a lot of the offense coming from this team is specially based makes it somewhat susceptible to Assault Vest strategies, and you know, standard sand. I feel like you could put forth a bit more offensive pressure with Mawile, especially since it naturally does so well against the specially bulky walls this team hates. I think you should try Swords Dance over Focus Punch on Mawile; Swords Dance would really help you take advantage of Mawile's type advantage against sand and ability to force switches. Focus Punch doesn't seem to be helping this team much as you have little trouble with Heatran or other Steel-types (not that SD Mawile can't handle them anyway) and you need extra STAB power to beat special walls, not physical walls. Physical set up seems to really benefit this team.


Aside from that, this team looks real solid. Awesome job TNT!

 

[Vert]

This team looks similar to one of my teams except its built around Mega Garchomp.

Anyways, this team is definitely at the top of its level and seems great to use, so I will try it out once PS starts working on my PC (and i'll battle Soul Fly). So you most likely want to start off with why I am using Deoxys-D? Is defog putting my hazards to waste? Either way, you should be focused on keeping these hazards on the field, because this team forces out a lot of the metagame. You should probably consider running Thunder > Thunderbolt on Latios. It OHKOes those pesky Specially Defensive Skarmory that can take a T-bolt and still Defog. It also OHKOes Mandibuzz after Stealth Rock which can help greatly. Mandibuzz walls this team really well after Thundurus-I has been elimanated and it can spam Foul Play and Toxic Stall you, but this is a theory. It even OHKOes Azumarill after Rocks which can otherwise survive Thunderbolt and steam you with Play Rough (fares better v. av azu too). Also, trying out Focus Blast > Hidden Power [Flying] won't hurt because your team doesn't care about conk or mvenu at all. It also lets you run a different item like spell tag on aegi since you can double switch to force exca out wo/ it rs'ing.

btw, i was going to use this exact same format for my rmt except i was going to put descriptions in code tags, i got ninja'd :[

hope i could help. congrats on 1k and team!

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

Before I address the issues and suggestions posited in the rates, let me say thank you to everyone for the love you've shown ｘ thus far. Each issue / suggestion in the rates above will be boldfaced, with my commentary next to it.

Bisharp vulnerability: Yea, Bisharp is a hassle to deal with, and it does sweep me clean should Keldeo go down, so you're not wrong about that. In fact, I kinda addressed that in my team assembly section when I noted the change from Greninja to Keldeo. Then again, this is a hyper offense team, which means that I will be swept by a lot of things if I lose momentum. I'm still trying to figure out how to mitigate its presence even further. Thanks for bringing this to light and giving me a seal of approval, BlackLight!

56 Atk + Superpower on Deoxys-D: This idea looks nice on paper, but that would leave me even more vulnerable to mirror matches with other Deoxys-D and Deoxys-S. Thanks for suggesting it, BlackLight!

Focus Punch ====> Swords Dance on Mega Mawile: I'm ambivalent about this change because I like the idea of using Swords Dance on Mega Mawile, but I don't like the idea of losing coverage and being unable to get past stall teams. I also don't like being vulnerable to status, so I don't want to drop Substitute for another coverage move. This looks like a good idea on paper, but SubPunch Mega Mawile has been extremely reliable in busting stall apart (and punishing Skarmory for Defogging), so I don't want to change it for now. Thanks for suggesting it, Electrolyte!

Sand team / Special wall vulnerability: Mega Mawile gives Ass Vest Tyranitar hell because it can set up a Substitute as the Tyranitar switches out, giving me the freedom to smash whatever's trying to break my sub with the appropriate move. As for special walls, most of them tend to fold against Mega Mawile, even without a Swords Dance boost. They do give my team a bit of hell, but since they have to switch into repeated offenses from the team, they'll eventually get worn down to the point where one of my Pokemon (usually Thundy fsr) can break through, if I'm not using Mega Mawile to pressure them in the first place. Thanks for noting me of these potential weaknesses, Electrolyte!

e: don't forget that hippo folds to keldeo and mega mawile!

Thunderbolt ====> Thunder on Latios: This looks like a fun idea. The accuracy does look like a bit of a bother, but more power is kinda fun. Besides, it's basically an Electric-type Focus Miss Blast. Vertex, thank you for suggesting it!

Hidden Power [Flying] ====> Focus Blast on Thundurus: I like busting Fighting-types and Grass-types, but Focus Blast could help me get past Tyranitar, so that's something cool. This is definitely going on my testing list. Thank you for suggesting this, Vertex!

 

[Srn]

Just a little nitpick:
When people say that aegislash spinblocks, you have to realize that excadrill is the main spinner here. Switching in aegislash on an excadrill is a big no-no without air-baloon. So this part right here:

In one slot, it provides mixed wallbreaking power, spinblocking utility, and incredible resistances, which combined with its incredible defenses in Shield forme makes for an invaluable pivot that can easily take on multiple roles as the need arises.

You should atleast add that you need an air balloon to "spinblock" and you need to keep it intact too. Not the most reliable thing, but w/e

Not gonna ramble about the tyranitar weakness, that has been mentioned. Keep Thundy alive to t-wave dd mega variants and it'll all be fine.

Another little nitpick:
HP flying>icy wind on specs keldeo. Icy Wind is a move I used to use too, but I never found myself using it, and it did nothing to the mega venusaur switch-ins. With Hp flying, you'll lure and pressure mega venusaur further, which is good since Mawile is the star of the show.

Speaking of Mawile, I'd go with SD+knock off>sub-punch. You have plenty of answers to heatran, and it doesn't appreciate the SD set much either when you run enough speed. It gives you more overall power (it comes in handy, as strong as mega mawile already is) and is a more effective set in general in my eyes. To compliment this change, you want to nail heatran with knock off before it lava plumes you, so you might lose some bulk but a spread of 224 Spd / 252 Atk / 32 HP is worth it (this spread outpaces 4 speed heatran). Mega Mawile gets worn down really fast and can't take special hits anyway, so I think the speed is more valuable. I've used Sub-Punch Mawile too (although the team supporting it was nothing compared to this lol) and SD has performed better for me. If you do decide to stick with sub-punch, you should totally name it YOLOpunch. I often found myself screaming that when I caught a heatran on the switch without a sub.

also, if you use my team on the ladder or in any tournament, i have the right to laugh profusely at you, even if you win your match.

I have agreed to the terms and conditions
[signature]
/begin testing

Sets

Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 224 Spd / 252 Atk / 32 HP
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off

Hope I was able to help!