I know that I've posted another RMT relatively recently, sorry about that :s It's a few pages back now though, so I hope that's not too much of a problem, as I'd really like some help with this one. I've had a good rate of success with this, but I've had a few problems with some specific threats that I'd like some help resolving.
Steelix @ Leftovers
Nature: Sassy
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
IVs: 0 Spe
~ Earthquake
~ Gyro Ball
~ Stealth Rock
~ Roar
Steelix leads off my team, and does alright against a few leads, most notably Ambipom who is probably the most common lead at the moment. This allows me to get Stealth Rock down very early on, which is very important as the extra damage helps a lot against a lot of threats who can break my team with a bit of luck and/or good prediction on my opponents part. Pinsir, Staraptor and Crobat come to mind. Steelix is also immensely helpful against a lot of massive threats to my team, such as CM Raikou and Choice Banded Staraptor. I've rarely found the need to run either any Defense or Attack; Attack never seems to be too important as Steelix is easily walled by a lot of things anyway, whilst without any defense it still takes most physical attacks exceptionally well. However, the Special Defense is more useful for taking on random Electric types, most notably Raikou who is a massive threat and I want to be able to counter it even when Steelix has been severely weakened. After having run Stone Edge for a while as a secondary attack, I changed to Gyro Ball as otherwise the damage output to the likes of Dragon Dance Altaria wasn't great, seeing as it could just stall me out of Stone Edges. Roar is pretty useful for scouting my opponents team, racking up SR damage as well as just for getting rid of any stat boosters that could otherwise cause trouble, though I have considered replacing it with Rest, seeing as I am dependant on Steelix for an awful lot defensively and Rest would let me come in on these threats repeatedly much more easily. Toxic and Explosion are both options, but Roar seems to be the most useful option at the moment.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
~ Calm Mind
~ Dark Pulse
I used to have an Uxie here, but Spiritomb generally has more utility seeing as it provides an immunity to Fighting, which makes the likes of Choice Banded Fighting-types considerably easier to deal with, as well as some form of offense, something that Uxie lacked. Generally Calm Minding early in the match doesn't tend to help me; the likes of Staraptor always seem to come in straightaway, so weakening it with Dark Pulse early on seems to really help me sweep with Spiritomb in the late-game. It also takes status for my team; whilst it's not exactly ideal seeing as it can't take Leaf Storms from Roserade particularly well, it's better than nothing. Being able to anti-spin to a degree is pretty nice too; the likes of Charizard and Substitute-stall Moltres can be a bit of a pain when Stealth Rock isn't down. I have seriously considered running Will-o-Wisp over Calm Mind, particularly for snagging the likes of Torterra who can really cause me problems, but generally the extra offense Calm Mind provides is more useful.
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
~ Waterfall
~ Aqua Jet
~ Double-Edge
~ Superpower
Choice Banded Azumarill is such a huge asset to any team, and this one is no exception. Most of the time I'll be spamming Aqua Jet to revenge kill anything faster that could threaten a sweep, which really helps me avoid several 6:0s. The Fire resistance is undeniably useful too, as the only other thing that could take any sort of Fire attack on my team before was Milotic, which is prone to taking a lot of damage from random Thunderpunches and Thunder Fangs, so some form of back-up is certainly useful. I used to have a CB Arcanine here, which was really effective and was considerably better at taking Fire attacks, but coming into SR became annoying, particularly when taking the recoil from Flare Blitz into account. I decided against Ice Punch as the only things I'll be threatening it with (Shaymin and Tangrowth mostly) aren't really fazed by it much anyway, and don't take much more from Ice Punch than they do from Double-Edge. Superpower is also pretty much filler, but it's got its uses in terms of powerful neutral coverage, as well as the much harder hits on Registeel and Clefable (which, with my EVs, I outspeed unless it runs more than 4 EVs in Speed. This also allows me to outspeed Weezing, which is 2HKOed by Waterfall)
Crobat @ Leftovers
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
~ Brave Bird
~ Roost
~ Taunt
~ Substitute
Crobat's not particularly scary offensively, but it has the bulk and the Speed to revenge kill a few key threats such as Sceptile. My EVs are only there to beat Sceptile; running any more seemed irrelevant as I would never keep my Crobat in on an opposing Crobat or a Swellow anyway, seeing as Steelix makes a decent counter to both. It also allows me to come in on Choiced X-Scissors from Pinsir, Close Combats from pretty much anything, and Seed Flares from Shaymin. Taunt is most useful against anything that wants to Recover or Rest such as Slowbro, as well as Spiritomb who likes to Calm Mind up on Crobat or Will-o-Wisp it. Substitute has a lot of utility against the likes of Swords Dance Toxicroak and Absol, who can otherwise run through my team once they get in safely, as I can stick up a Substitute on their Sucker Punch and KO next turn with Brave Bird. Running more HP instead of max speed is something I have considered, but ultimately near-max speed puts me ahead of a lot of important stuff, most notably +1 Feraligatr, and when you're running so close to max speed hitting the speed tie with other Crobat is worthwhile.
Milotic @ Life Orb
Nature: Modest
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpA / 56 Spe
IVs: 3 Atk
~ Hydro Pump
~ Ice Beam
~ Hidden Power Electric
~ Recover
On paper, Milotic is probably the weakest link in my team; it offers very little in terms of notable resistances (except Fire) and doesn't provide much offensively either. However, when actually playing, the ability to switch into all sorts of attacks and Pokemon due to Milotic's great bulk on both sides of the spectrum is invaluable and has saved me in a lot of matches. I used to run a much more defensive variant, but I've found that I really needed some form of powerful Special Attacker as the majority of my offense is physical. If I come in on the right move, Milotic can still generally ward off most of the stuff it countered with the more defensive spread. With 56 Speed EVs, I will always outspeed max Speed Adamant Torterra, which can do a lot of damage to my team otherwise, and OHKO it with Ice Beam.
BTW I'm not sure as to whether running 252 HP optimises defenses on Milotic; I would check with X-Act's applet but it doesn't work on my PC >.> Any suggestions with regards to EVs here would be welcome, as apart from the speed the ones I am using at the moment are completely arbitrary. I have also considered just running Max Speed with Timid in order to outspeed Blaziken, but that does make taking hits from pretty much everything else a lot harder >.>
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
~ Cross Chop
~ Swords Dance
~ Sucker Punch
~ Taunt
Toxicroak is probably the most dangerous Pokemon on my entire team tbh. This used to be a Rock Polish Torterra, but I replaced it as I needed something that could threaten Water-types without risking an OHKO from Ice Beam. Not much can really safely wall it, with the exception of Nidoqueen and Weezing, neither of whom are particularly common. However, after a Swords Dance, not many walls are capable of beating this one on one. Milotic is simply set-up bait, as Ice Beam is a 3HKO, Surf heals Toxicroak thanks to Dry Skin, and a Swords Danced Cross Chop will OHKO. Slowbro is more difficult as it has the option of carrying Psychic, however, a Swords Danced Sucker Punch can do upwards of 86% to it if it runs max/max. Obviously Thunder Wave is another risk that has to be taken into account, but hopefully I will have scouted my opponent's set by this point and can work out whether I need to Taunt it to force it to attack Toxicroak and avoid a nasty paralysis. Mesprit can't take Sucker Punches at all well, whilst Uxie needs to switch in at nearly 100% to guarantee survival, and seeing as I can generally hit it with a Toxic early on, beating Uxie isn't normally too hard unless it runs Rest. Spiritomb is more difficult, but max/max Spiritomb is 2HKOed by Sucker Punch after an SD, and it can't do much back as Shadow Ball is a 3HKO and Taunt stops it from Calm Minding or Will-o-Wisping Toxicroak. Toxicroak is also very useful in that it can clear Toxic Spikes for my team, which cripple both Azumarill and Milotic. Swords Danced Sucker Punches are also fantastic against more frail, offensive teams; it's powerful enough to dispatch most speedy sweepers.
Threat list;
Defensive Threats
Abomasnow - Abomasnow can be a bit of a problem; the sub-seed set in particular. Spiritomb can occasionally set up on it, depending on how much SpA it runs, though seeing as most run Max SpA Spiritomb is generally 2HKOed. Milotic does OK if it lacks Grass Knot, as Focus Punch does about 35% tops if it runs minimal attack. Defensively it doesn't really wall anything too badly; Milotic I guess, though Hydro Pump still does some pretty significant damage, particularly with SR.
Articuno - Rarely causes me any problems; Stealth Rock in particular makes it really easy to handle. Spiritomb can set up on some variants, Azumarill walls it and can beat it up with Waterfall, Milotic walls it to a degree (though struggles to do anything back) and both Steelix and Toxicroak can generally KO it before it KOes them.
Blastoise - Toxicroak is generally my first port of call here; unboosted Ice Beams do very little and so Toxicroak can set up on it. Spiritomb can set up on it, and also blocks Rapid Spin unless it has Foresight.
Chansey - Not too much of a problem; Toxicroak and Azumarill obviously beat it easily. Spiritomb can set up on it. Crobat can't switch in for fear of Thunder Wave, but thanks to Taunt it does OK once it's in. Only Milotic only really has problems with it, and even that can do upwards of 35% to some Chansey with Hydro Pump.
Claydol - Spiritomb stops Rapid Spin and sets up, whilst Milotic can threaten it with Hydro Pump and takes minimal damage from any moves. Toxic can be annoying when switching in the latter. Azumarill also threatens it, though lesser defenses and lack of Recover means I'll generally bring in Milotic first.
Clefable - Clefable is generally relatively easy to beat; Toxicroak and Azumarill outspeed and OHKO. Spiritomb can beat it in a CM war. Milotic does OK against any without Calm Mind or Cosmic Power.
Cloyster - Spikes are obviously annoying, seeing as almost my entire team is vulnerable to them. STAB on Ice Beam makes setting up with Toxicroak slightly harder, but Milotic and Spiritomb both come in easily.
Cradily - Without Toxicroak, this thing can really be a pain, particularly Swords Dancers. Those that aren't setting up are set-up on by Spiritomb.
Drapion - Defensively, this doesn't scare me too much. Offensive variants are much worse, seeing as they have the defense to take Aqua Jets, Brave Birds, Earthquakes and Sucker Punches. They struggle to get into play though on anything bar Spiritomb. Without Earthquake Steelix can come in everytime.
Gastrodon - Difficult, though Spiritomb can set up on the vast majority of them.
Grumpig - This poses a minimal threat to my team. Milotic can 2HKO some variants and takes next to nothing in return, whilst Toxicroak, Spiritomb and Azumarill can also get round it easily. Crobat does OK, though Brave Bird doesn't necessarily do enough to KO.
Hypno - Much the same as Grumpig, though Wish allows it to stall Milotic slightly better. Spiritomb is still the safest switch.
Kangaskhan - Haven't faced many of these, but Scrappy means they can be pretty nasty when they do show up. Steelix doesn't take Focus Punches particularly well either. Getting into play can be difficult; it can only really come in on Steelix and Spiritomb.
Lanturn - Spiritomb can set up on it pretty easily; otherwise this can be very difficult to deal with. I guess Toxicroak does OK as long as I get it in on a Surf and not a Thunderbolt.
Lapras - Milotic does excellently against this, taking minimal damage from most of the common sets and threatening with HP Electric. Toxicroak does OK too, though STAB Ice Beam can hurt. Spiritomb can set up on more defensive variants.
Mantine - Spiritomb is the best switch, as it can set up on it very easily. Milotic does OK too, but has to be wary of Toxic. Toxicroak beats it every time if it lacks Hidden Power Flying.
Mesprit - Spiritomb sets up on this with relative ease. Can be problematic otherwise, though knowing which moves it runs can be very useful. Without Toxic Milotic beats it. Without Thunder Wave or Psychic Toxicroak can switch in and set up on it.
Milotic - Toxicroak is my best switch, barely 3HKOed by Ice Beam and easily KOing with a +2 Cross Chop. Spiritomb can set up on it, whilst my own Milotic does OK sometimes.
Miltank - Milotic is a pretty good switch. Non-scrappy ones get set up on by Spiritomb. Toxicroak can KO it, otherwise this thing can be difficult to switch into.
Muk - Curse variants are relatively easy to beat; depending on what they run as a secondary attacking move, Crobat or Steelix can force it out. Choice Banders are easy enough to beat with prediction; Steelix takes everything that isn't Focus Punch, which Spiritomb or Crobat takes pretty well.
Nidoqueen - Milotic is always a pretty safe switch. Toxicroak absorbs Toxic Spikes, though can't really do anything in return and risks an Earthquake. Azumarill can come in safely and KO with Waterfall, whilst Spiritomb can set up on it.
Politoed - Toxicroak can beat this pretty easily. Milotic does OK, and Spiritomb can set up on it.
Porygon2 - Doesn't really threaten anything on my team tbh, bar maybe Steelix.
Probopass - Running Roar on Steelix means that this really threatens next to nothing on my team bar Crobat. Everything else can easily OHKO or 2HKO it, apart from Spiritomb who still beats it one on one.
Quagsire - This can be problematic, as it walls the vast majority of my offense. Spiritomb does OK, though Curse variants certainly have the potential to be annoying, though Milotic can wear them down with Ice Beam. Mono-attackers are easily beaten by Toxicroak.
Regirock - Apart from Crobat, my entire team beats this one on one. They can all switch in relatively easily too, with the exception of Toxicroak.
Regice - Azumarill can beat this easily with Superpower whilst taking next to nothing from even Charge Beam. Spiritomb can set up on it, Milotic can stall some variants and Toxicroak doesn't have too many problems with it either.
Registeel - Milotic is a great switch as Thunder Wave is awesome for it. Azumarill does OK, though Superpower is only a 2HKO against most variants. Spiritomb can set up against most variants, and can take Explosions for me. Steelix takes next to nothing from Earthquake and hits back harder, whilst Toxicroak can KO with a +2 Cross Chop.
Rotom - Spiritomb is my only real choice for this. Trick is a nuisance to predict around, though if needs be Milotic doesn't mind Specs. Scarf is more annoying though.
Shuckle - Milotic and Azumarill beat this easily. Taunt allows Toxicroak to get lots of Swords Dances without being Encored.
Slowbro - Spiritomb can set up on this, and Toxicroak does OK if it doesn't have Psychic and comes in on something other than Thunder Wave. Milotic can 2HKO and takes little damage in return.
Spiritomb - Mono-attackers are beaten by most of my team one on one, and Steelix can Roar them out. Will-o-Wisp variants are more difficult, but Milotic helps there, as does my own Spiritomb.
Torterra - Massive problems here. I don't really have any problems with defensive Torterra, as Crobat tends to do fine. Rock Polish Torterra though is arguably my most significant weakness as it can set up on a large proportion of my team and proceed to do a lot of damage to pretty much everything. Shrugs off weak Aqua Jets and Sucker Punches.
Umbreon - Taunt, Toxic immunity and a resistance to Dark STAB makes Toxicroak probably the best switch-in here. Crobat does OK against some variants, particularly Baton Passers.
Uxie - Spiritomb sets up on this every time. Toxicroak can threaten it if it doesn't have Psychic, whilst Milotic can do the same if it lacks Toxic.
Weezing - Milotic beats this pretty much every time. Spiritomb can set up on it, and Azumarill outspeeds and 2HKOes.
Offensive Threats
Absol - Can be difficult to deal with, if it ever gets into play. If it does, Substitute on Crobat to avoid Sucker Punches is generally a pretty reliable way of beating it.
Altaria - Dragon Dance Altaria can be a pain, though Steelix can do some pretty hefty damage with Gyro Ball and takes +1 Earthquakes ok. Being able to set up on almost my entire team doesn't help things either.
Ambipom - Steelix takes this on well, as Brick Break does next to nothing, even with no defensive investment. Spiritomb also beats it every time.
Arcanine - Unfortunately, Choice Banded Flare Blitzes really hurt my team. Azumarill can force it out once with Aqua Jet, but nothing else really stands a chance unfortunately :( Stealth Rock helps here, as does careful prediction to stop it getting into play safely in the first place. Could be sorted by running a more defensive Milotic, but offensive Milotic provides me with the Special firepower my team otherwise lacks.
Azumarill - Milotic counters this relatively safely. Having Toxicroak around to absorb Waterfalls is also useful.
Blaziken - Again, Choice Banded Flare Blitzes are a massive problem. Running max speed on Milotic would be helpful here, as that puts me ahead of Blaziken allowing me to switch in and beat it, but that would mean taking a lot more from everything else :(
Camerupt - Milotic is a relatively safe switch here. Spiritomb takes Explosions if I can predict them.
Charizard - Bellyzard isn't something that scares me too much, seeing as Azumarill can force it out and Stealth Rock pretty much neuters it. Being able to set up on Toxicroak and Steelix is unfortunate though :( Special variants are beaten pretty soundly by Milotic.
Crobat - Steelix takes on most physical variants with ease. Milotic can take Nasty Plotters relatively well and OHKO with Ice Beam.
Entei - Generally, between Milotic and Azumarill, I can handle Entei relatively well. Stealth Rock really helps to wear it down.
Espeon - Spiritomb comes in for free basically and Calm Minds. Nothing else really likes taking it on tbh.
Feraligatr - Pretty annoying tbh, though Milotic can generally hit it with HP Electric at least once to allow for a revenge kill with Toxicroak later on. Crobat outspeeds and can hit it with Brave Bird even after one DD, whilst Azumarill can either take one boosted hit and Double-Edge it or just finish off a severely weakened one with Aqua Jet.
Floatzel - Similar to Feraligatr, but Crobat always outspeeds and weaker defenses make it more susceptible to revenge killing with priority.
Froslass - As leads go, spiker Froslass are incredibly annoying. Almost always manages to take something out with Destiny Bond, though if I can get Crobat in on a Destiny Bond/Spikes, then thanks to Substitute and/or Taunt I generally come out on top. Offensive variants are weak, rarely seen and never cause trouble.
Gallade - With Crobat, Spiritomb and two priority users, Gallade rarely threatens a sweep with either the Choice Band or Swords Dance sets.
Glaceon - Milotic is a pretty good switch into this, as is Azumarill to a lesser extent. It struggles to get into play against anything tbh.
Hariyama - Spiritomb is a pretty safe counter. Crobat is incredibly useful against the Choice Band set.
Hitmonlee - Spiritomb switches in for free everytime. Crobat helps against Choice sets.
Hitmonchan - Spiritomb takes pretty much everything, and Crobat helps against Choice sets.
Hitmontop - Spiritomb beats this every time if it lacks Foresight. If it carries Foresight, it can be a problem, though it doesn't really wall anything of mine.
Honckrow - Physical variants are beaten by Steelix every time. Mixed variants with Heat Wave are much more difficult to take on, particularly if they carry something to hit hard Milotic with.
Houndoom - Milotic beats this everytime. Azumarill and Crobat can revenge kill.
Jynx - Between Milotic and Spiritomb I don't typically have too many problems with Jynx. Also struggles to get in on anything bar a support move.
Kabutops - Toxicroak generally does relatively well against this. It outspeeds if there isn't any rain, and with rain Toxicroak recovers lots of health every turn, allowing it to take Stone Edges easily to KO with Cross Chop.
Leafeon - Crobat pretty much shuts all Leafeon variants down.
Lickilicky - Steelix beats purely physical variants, whilst Spiritomb can beat most others due to immunity to Explosion and Return. Generally need to scout the set before blindly sending something in.
Linoone - Steelix and Spiritomb will always beat this even after it has a Belly Drum, which it will very rarely get. Azumarill and Toxicroak can also force it out with their priority moves.
Magmortar - Milotic hates Thunderbolt, but takes everything else easily. It has real problems getting into play as well, as everything can either hit it SE or beat it one on one.
Marowak - This thing is pretty much uncounterable really, but Milotic, Crobat, and Toxicroak all outspeed it and hit it hard, whilst Azumarill can hit it with Aqua Jet.
Medicham Spiritomb makes an excellent switch here; the recoil from Hi Jump Kick will seriously hurt it whilst Spiritomb takes no damage whatsoever. Predicting around it with Crobat and Steelix is also an option if Spiritomb goes down, though that is considerably more difficult and dangerous.
Mismagius - Spiritomb will always beat this in a Calm Mind war. Crobat can switch in on the Calm Minder and come out on top. Azumarill can force it out with priority, as can Toxicroak if it is low enough on HP as to not be able to Substitute again.
Ninetales - Azumarill can OHKO with Aqua Jet, Crobat can force it out. Energy Ball makes Milotic a dubious switch.
Omastar - Milotic beats this pretty much every time. Toxicroak also does excellently against this if it can get in on a Hydro Pump as opposed to an Ice Beam.
Pinsir - Crobat provides me with all the insurance I need with regards to Pinsir. Steelix can take the odd Choiced Stone Edge if needs be, but Crobat can take everything else.
Poliwrath - Without Ice Punch or Rock Slide, it isn't getting past Crobat. Without Waterfall, Spiritomb sets up on it, and can even set up on it sometimes with Waterfall. Toxicroak can work, though Focus Punches still sting, despite a resistance.
Primeape - Spiritomb and Crobat have me pretty well covered against this.
Raikou - Steelix will pretty much always beat this, unless it carries a Super Effective Hidden Power. In that case, it can really be a problem, particularly as Substitute makes revenge killing with priority moves considerably harder.
Roserade - After taking the sleep with Spiritomb, Crobat can counter this very effectively. Taunt stops sub-seeders from having too much fun.
Sceptile - Crobat makes a very reliable counter, outspeeding, taking most hits like nothing, OHKOing with Brave Bird and blocking Leech Seed with Substitute or Taunt.
Scyther - Steelix counters this pretty well, as even a Swords Danced Brick Break is only a 3HKO. Crobat and Azumarill can revenge kill it easily. Stealth Rock means it generally kills itself before I have to.
Sharpedo - Milotic does excellently against this. Azumarill and Toxicroak's priority moves hurt it badly despite their resistance, and Toxicroak in particular can survive any STAB attack it carries. Crobat can revenge kill it if not carrying a scarf.
Shaymin Crobat beats this relatively easily, with a 4x resistance to Seed Flare, immunity to Earth Power and neutral damage from everything else. Brave Bird OHKOes some variants, and will 2HKO all.
Slaking - Spiritomb is a massive asset here, as is Steelix. It's massive bulk is generally more of a problem than it's attacking prowess, as it gets so many opportunities to come in that eventually I'm bound to mispredict and lose something.
Staraptor - Between Spiritomb and Steelix, Staraptor is covered adequately. It can still do some significant damage if it predicts right, but Stealth Rock and Brave Bird recoil generally kills it before it kills too much of my team.
Swellow - Steelix beats this every time. Spiritomb does OK as well if it doesn't carry Brave Bird.
Tauros - Steelix does ok against Tauros, though Earthquakes can sting. Between Crobat, Azumarill and Toxicroak it can generally be revenge killed or forced out if Steelix and Spiritomb go down.
Toxicroak - Crobat does very well against Toxicroak with Substitute and Brave Bird, though it still requires a degree of prediction to beat. Choice Banders can be beaten by predicting adequately with Steelix, Spiritomb and Crobat.
Typhlosion - Milotic takes this on relatively well. Stealth Rock quickly cuts Eruption's power.
Ursaring - Very difficult to wall outright, but even after Quick Feet Crobat can do upwards of 70% with Brave Bird, and Azumarill and Toxicroak can both threaten it as well.
Zangoose - Between Steelix, Spiritomb, Crobat, Azumarill and Toxicroak, this is covered pretty well.
Steelix @ Leftovers
Nature: Sassy
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
IVs: 0 Spe
~ Earthquake
~ Gyro Ball
~ Stealth Rock
~ Roar
Steelix leads off my team, and does alright against a few leads, most notably Ambipom who is probably the most common lead at the moment. This allows me to get Stealth Rock down very early on, which is very important as the extra damage helps a lot against a lot of threats who can break my team with a bit of luck and/or good prediction on my opponents part. Pinsir, Staraptor and Crobat come to mind. Steelix is also immensely helpful against a lot of massive threats to my team, such as CM Raikou and Choice Banded Staraptor. I've rarely found the need to run either any Defense or Attack; Attack never seems to be too important as Steelix is easily walled by a lot of things anyway, whilst without any defense it still takes most physical attacks exceptionally well. However, the Special Defense is more useful for taking on random Electric types, most notably Raikou who is a massive threat and I want to be able to counter it even when Steelix has been severely weakened. After having run Stone Edge for a while as a secondary attack, I changed to Gyro Ball as otherwise the damage output to the likes of Dragon Dance Altaria wasn't great, seeing as it could just stall me out of Stone Edges. Roar is pretty useful for scouting my opponents team, racking up SR damage as well as just for getting rid of any stat boosters that could otherwise cause trouble, though I have considered replacing it with Rest, seeing as I am dependant on Steelix for an awful lot defensively and Rest would let me come in on these threats repeatedly much more easily. Toxic and Explosion are both options, but Roar seems to be the most useful option at the moment.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
~ Calm Mind
~ Dark Pulse
I used to have an Uxie here, but Spiritomb generally has more utility seeing as it provides an immunity to Fighting, which makes the likes of Choice Banded Fighting-types considerably easier to deal with, as well as some form of offense, something that Uxie lacked. Generally Calm Minding early in the match doesn't tend to help me; the likes of Staraptor always seem to come in straightaway, so weakening it with Dark Pulse early on seems to really help me sweep with Spiritomb in the late-game. It also takes status for my team; whilst it's not exactly ideal seeing as it can't take Leaf Storms from Roserade particularly well, it's better than nothing. Being able to anti-spin to a degree is pretty nice too; the likes of Charizard and Substitute-stall Moltres can be a bit of a pain when Stealth Rock isn't down. I have seriously considered running Will-o-Wisp over Calm Mind, particularly for snagging the likes of Torterra who can really cause me problems, but generally the extra offense Calm Mind provides is more useful.
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
~ Waterfall
~ Aqua Jet
~ Double-Edge
~ Superpower
Choice Banded Azumarill is such a huge asset to any team, and this one is no exception. Most of the time I'll be spamming Aqua Jet to revenge kill anything faster that could threaten a sweep, which really helps me avoid several 6:0s. The Fire resistance is undeniably useful too, as the only other thing that could take any sort of Fire attack on my team before was Milotic, which is prone to taking a lot of damage from random Thunderpunches and Thunder Fangs, so some form of back-up is certainly useful. I used to have a CB Arcanine here, which was really effective and was considerably better at taking Fire attacks, but coming into SR became annoying, particularly when taking the recoil from Flare Blitz into account. I decided against Ice Punch as the only things I'll be threatening it with (Shaymin and Tangrowth mostly) aren't really fazed by it much anyway, and don't take much more from Ice Punch than they do from Double-Edge. Superpower is also pretty much filler, but it's got its uses in terms of powerful neutral coverage, as well as the much harder hits on Registeel and Clefable (which, with my EVs, I outspeed unless it runs more than 4 EVs in Speed. This also allows me to outspeed Weezing, which is 2HKOed by Waterfall)
Crobat @ Leftovers
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
~ Brave Bird
~ Roost
~ Taunt
~ Substitute
Crobat's not particularly scary offensively, but it has the bulk and the Speed to revenge kill a few key threats such as Sceptile. My EVs are only there to beat Sceptile; running any more seemed irrelevant as I would never keep my Crobat in on an opposing Crobat or a Swellow anyway, seeing as Steelix makes a decent counter to both. It also allows me to come in on Choiced X-Scissors from Pinsir, Close Combats from pretty much anything, and Seed Flares from Shaymin. Taunt is most useful against anything that wants to Recover or Rest such as Slowbro, as well as Spiritomb who likes to Calm Mind up on Crobat or Will-o-Wisp it. Substitute has a lot of utility against the likes of Swords Dance Toxicroak and Absol, who can otherwise run through my team once they get in safely, as I can stick up a Substitute on their Sucker Punch and KO next turn with Brave Bird. Running more HP instead of max speed is something I have considered, but ultimately near-max speed puts me ahead of a lot of important stuff, most notably +1 Feraligatr, and when you're running so close to max speed hitting the speed tie with other Crobat is worthwhile.
Milotic @ Life Orb
Nature: Modest
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpA / 56 Spe
IVs: 3 Atk
~ Hydro Pump
~ Ice Beam
~ Hidden Power Electric
~ Recover
On paper, Milotic is probably the weakest link in my team; it offers very little in terms of notable resistances (except Fire) and doesn't provide much offensively either. However, when actually playing, the ability to switch into all sorts of attacks and Pokemon due to Milotic's great bulk on both sides of the spectrum is invaluable and has saved me in a lot of matches. I used to run a much more defensive variant, but I've found that I really needed some form of powerful Special Attacker as the majority of my offense is physical. If I come in on the right move, Milotic can still generally ward off most of the stuff it countered with the more defensive spread. With 56 Speed EVs, I will always outspeed max Speed Adamant Torterra, which can do a lot of damage to my team otherwise, and OHKO it with Ice Beam.
BTW I'm not sure as to whether running 252 HP optimises defenses on Milotic; I would check with X-Act's applet but it doesn't work on my PC >.> Any suggestions with regards to EVs here would be welcome, as apart from the speed the ones I am using at the moment are completely arbitrary. I have also considered just running Max Speed with Timid in order to outspeed Blaziken, but that does make taking hits from pretty much everything else a lot harder >.>
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
~ Cross Chop
~ Swords Dance
~ Sucker Punch
~ Taunt
Toxicroak is probably the most dangerous Pokemon on my entire team tbh. This used to be a Rock Polish Torterra, but I replaced it as I needed something that could threaten Water-types without risking an OHKO from Ice Beam. Not much can really safely wall it, with the exception of Nidoqueen and Weezing, neither of whom are particularly common. However, after a Swords Dance, not many walls are capable of beating this one on one. Milotic is simply set-up bait, as Ice Beam is a 3HKO, Surf heals Toxicroak thanks to Dry Skin, and a Swords Danced Cross Chop will OHKO. Slowbro is more difficult as it has the option of carrying Psychic, however, a Swords Danced Sucker Punch can do upwards of 86% to it if it runs max/max. Obviously Thunder Wave is another risk that has to be taken into account, but hopefully I will have scouted my opponent's set by this point and can work out whether I need to Taunt it to force it to attack Toxicroak and avoid a nasty paralysis. Mesprit can't take Sucker Punches at all well, whilst Uxie needs to switch in at nearly 100% to guarantee survival, and seeing as I can generally hit it with a Toxic early on, beating Uxie isn't normally too hard unless it runs Rest. Spiritomb is more difficult, but max/max Spiritomb is 2HKOed by Sucker Punch after an SD, and it can't do much back as Shadow Ball is a 3HKO and Taunt stops it from Calm Minding or Will-o-Wisping Toxicroak. Toxicroak is also very useful in that it can clear Toxic Spikes for my team, which cripple both Azumarill and Milotic. Swords Danced Sucker Punches are also fantastic against more frail, offensive teams; it's powerful enough to dispatch most speedy sweepers.
Threat list;
Defensive Threats
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Offensive Threats
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