I had quite a bit of success with this team early, but lately it has found a lot of trouble. It started out as a way to test ScarfTar and ScarfJirachi and I wasn't expecting much out of the team. However I molded it to compete with the metagame well and had a good run with it. Lately it has found some struggles with no surefire Gyarados counter, and with the rise of Deo-E came an accompanied rise of the AgiliGross attempting to counter him which unfortunately creates more headaches for this team with no great AgiliGross counter. I've decided to put it into the hands of the intelligent Smogon community to see if I can make some minor tweaks to the team and help bring it back to better competitive shape.
Note: This is intended for 6v6 OU Shoddy Battle, Smogon Server rules
Pictures all courtesy of Smogon
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 48 Atk/248 Spd/212 SAtk
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
---
The beast I started the team around. With a little prediction he can take out many of his common swap-ins like Forretress, Gliscor, Hippowdon, etc. The reason I bring him on as a lead is to kick up the Sandstorm which is ever important to Shuckle's longevity as he needs the sandstorm special defense to function to his maximum potential. The great part of a Choice Scarf lead is that any non Scarf Azelf's or Gengar's generally are taken out right away. The lead Azelf's with Stealth Rock/Taunt/Explosion/Last Move get taken out by Crunch and the sandstream ruining their Focus Sash. He can also serve as an excellent revenge kill to Infernape which otherwise causes my teams troubles if Gyarados is down.
The EV's give me 363 speed to outspeed the Gengars, Azelfs, Raikous, Infernapes, and other various problem pokemon. The 48 Attack EV's gives me enough Attack to OHKO Infernape with 6% sandstorm damage already taken (on average). The rest are pumped into Special Attack because he can serve as a revenge kill to Garchomp with Ice Beam (or if I predict a Swords Dance he swaps in and can Ice Beam to break the Yache for Jirachi to finish him off), he can take out Gliscor's with one shot to set up Heracross to wreck havoc, and Fire Blast, at the highest end of its damage, can take out Roserade with the Sandstorm damage helping out.
He also serves as a nice Fire resist to swap into Heatrans. Gyarados is my other option for that role too.
Heracross (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
---
If you don't carry Gliscor this guy is taking out something on your team. Even if you have Gliscor and you don't carry Aerial Ace he can very well 2HKO it with Stone Edge on certain EV spreads if they don't Roost first turn (though Gyarados also can take an easy swap in also if he is around). He is also the bane of all stall teams as they commonly try to counter Heracross by committee through Skarmory/Hippowdon/Dusknoir. If he sets up Swords Dance on those guys he pumps out some pretty impressive numbers:
Smogon standard Skarmory: Damage: 90.42% - 106.59% (with Stealth Rock OHKO)
Full HP/Defense Hippowdon: Damage: 76.19% - 89.76% (Hippowdon can't KO Heracross in return)
etc... I can list Gyarados and Salamence, but majority of them are OHKO if they take Stealth Rock damage too
He puts out impressive numbers to any walls that have been chipped off, and can clean up many teams. The only problem I have with the overall set is that I feel like he is just a toss-in member of the team. He doesn't really promote to the synergy as I don't have anyone that can abuse of a team if Skarmory/Gliscor/Bronzong/Hippowdon (Garchomp is just begging for a spot on my team if I can clear out those guys!) is taken out from the opponents team. He also takes a punishing 10% life orb recoil and 6% from the sand every turn. I think when looking at this team I need to tweak Heracross/Gyarados/Gengar or tweak Tyranitar/Shuckle as the first 3 are all using Life Orb's and just ticking time bombs in the sand, but on the other side I can take out the sand and get rid of my Tyranitar/Shuckle for two other members and keep going with these guys. Any insight or help into this situation would be appreciated
Gyarados (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 80 HP/252 Atk/176 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Waterfall
---
Great swap in to Gliscor's if I bring out Heracross early. He helps take out any bulky waters that try and wall ScarfTar. He also swaps into Bronzong well as lead Bronzong's typically mean I let Shuckle take the sleep and then can bring Gyarados in to try and setup. Everyone has seen the set and it doesn't need much additional comments.
He also brings questionable synergy to the team. He takes heavy damage from Sandstorm and Life Orb. He mostly serves to take on Infernapes on the defensive side and throws out Intimidates too. He can cripple opposing bulky waters to let Heracross come in and setup in their face or finish them off, but I just feel like hes holding my team back right now.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 Atk/252 Spd/216 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Explosion
- Hypnosis
---
Another set taken straight off from Husk's team, I know I know. I threw Gengar in the team as a way to test it out and I must say the results are impressive (half this team is throw it in there and test it out, but they have been working together efficiently enough). His immunities make him easy to swap in and the combination of Focus Blast/Shadow Ball tears teams apart. He serves as a status inducer and just to clean up any messes left behind from Gyarados and Heracross. Explosion is a toss in as of now, but it has worked well since he is such a ticking time bomb with Sandstorm and Life Orb.
On a side note, he also serves as my primary Lucario counter/swap in as the majority of them don't run Bullet Punch.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 80 HP/176 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Ice]
---
The last two members of my team are straight from Aldaron's peer edits in the CC subforum Analysis workshop. I needed a rock/dragon resist and the only thing I could find that had viable ability to fit into my team was Jirachi. I also noted at this point that I had no Gyarados counter and ran across the peer edit Aldaron posted with Choice Scarf Jirachi. If I predict Gyarados is Dragon Dancing I swap him in and take them out with Thunderbolt. I toe the line of disaster by running a team so weak to Gyarados, but only a couple Gyarados have done me over. If I get this guy in smartly he easily eliminates them. The set is pretty obvious: Psychic for STAB and Gengar revenge kills, Thunderbolt for Gyarados and general coverage, Grass Knot for unsuspecting Swampert, and HP:Ice for general Dragon coverage.
I was considering Choice Scarf Celebi in this role as he functions similarly to Jirachi with the ability to come in and Leaf Storm Gyarados for the OHKO, and also abuse of Psychic to nail unsuspecting Gengar's and HP:Ice on Dragons. The rock/dragon resist was too important to me and I decided on Jirachi.
Jirachi also won over this role because of his solid ability to walk into the majority of Deo-E sets if Shuckle wasn't around and generally beat them 1v1 with Thunderbolt.
Shuckle (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 252 HP/208 Def/48 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Encore
- Rest
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
---
Another set taken straight from Aldaron's peer edits (that forum is awesome for people trying to learn any nuances in the game and always be aware of any kinds of new sets or threats that people are using regularly. Aldaron and many others post some great stuff in there for the advanced battler so check that forum out if you haven't!). This thing is amazing in the sand. The ability to take hits from ScarfChomp, DeoE, Salamence, etc. etc the list just goes on what he can take on. Stealth Rock is ever important in this metagame and he supplies me with that. He also is my primary sleep absorb as half the time I seem to be using Rest anyway to recover damage. I've won a couple matches with Encore/Toxic/Rest stalling out opponents final couple of pokemon that couldn't handle Shuckle. Encore is a fantastic move. 9 out of 10 people see Shuckle and think of him as set up bait, and if I predict a Substitute, Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Dragon Dance, etc he Encore's the move and can help me set up my own dangerous sweeper in Heracross and Gyarados.
I think every offensive team needs that "Stopper" as I have been calling it. He helps halt the game if the momentum gets turned the wrong way and they create an advantageous (is that a word?) situation. He provides me with that support I need to wall some threats that would otherwise cause the rest of my team headaches.
I love this guy to death, but as mentioned earlier he clicks well with the Sandstorm from Tyranitar, but then again maybe Tyranitar and Shuckle are the two links that need to go from this team as Gyarados/Gengar/Heracross don't appreciate the sand as much as those two do.
Then again, maybe I will just scrap the whole team and start rethinking another team too. Hopefully Smogon's great community can help me out
Key Problems (that I'm aware of): Gyarados, Offensive Suicune, Dragon Dancing Tyranitar, Agility Metagross, 2 Stealth Rock Weaknesses (Shuckle/Gyarados)
Final Thoughts: I am open to all kinds of ideas for change. I'm not afraid to redo several components if someone deems it necessary. Obviously if you find it so horrible that you think I should change out half the team then maybe I will just scrap the whole team and start from scratch. I would like to give anyone that offers advice a thank you in advance.
Note: This is intended for 6v6 OU Shoddy Battle, Smogon Server rules
Pictures all courtesy of Smogon
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 48 Atk/248 Spd/212 SAtk
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
---
The beast I started the team around. With a little prediction he can take out many of his common swap-ins like Forretress, Gliscor, Hippowdon, etc. The reason I bring him on as a lead is to kick up the Sandstorm which is ever important to Shuckle's longevity as he needs the sandstorm special defense to function to his maximum potential. The great part of a Choice Scarf lead is that any non Scarf Azelf's or Gengar's generally are taken out right away. The lead Azelf's with Stealth Rock/Taunt/Explosion/Last Move get taken out by Crunch and the sandstream ruining their Focus Sash. He can also serve as an excellent revenge kill to Infernape which otherwise causes my teams troubles if Gyarados is down.
The EV's give me 363 speed to outspeed the Gengars, Azelfs, Raikous, Infernapes, and other various problem pokemon. The 48 Attack EV's gives me enough Attack to OHKO Infernape with 6% sandstorm damage already taken (on average). The rest are pumped into Special Attack because he can serve as a revenge kill to Garchomp with Ice Beam (or if I predict a Swords Dance he swaps in and can Ice Beam to break the Yache for Jirachi to finish him off), he can take out Gliscor's with one shot to set up Heracross to wreck havoc, and Fire Blast, at the highest end of its damage, can take out Roserade with the Sandstorm damage helping out.
He also serves as a nice Fire resist to swap into Heatrans. Gyarados is my other option for that role too.
Heracross (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
---
If you don't carry Gliscor this guy is taking out something on your team. Even if you have Gliscor and you don't carry Aerial Ace he can very well 2HKO it with Stone Edge on certain EV spreads if they don't Roost first turn (though Gyarados also can take an easy swap in also if he is around). He is also the bane of all stall teams as they commonly try to counter Heracross by committee through Skarmory/Hippowdon/Dusknoir. If he sets up Swords Dance on those guys he pumps out some pretty impressive numbers:
Smogon standard Skarmory: Damage: 90.42% - 106.59% (with Stealth Rock OHKO)
Full HP/Defense Hippowdon: Damage: 76.19% - 89.76% (Hippowdon can't KO Heracross in return)
etc... I can list Gyarados and Salamence, but majority of them are OHKO if they take Stealth Rock damage too
He puts out impressive numbers to any walls that have been chipped off, and can clean up many teams. The only problem I have with the overall set is that I feel like he is just a toss-in member of the team. He doesn't really promote to the synergy as I don't have anyone that can abuse of a team if Skarmory/Gliscor/Bronzong/Hippowdon (Garchomp is just begging for a spot on my team if I can clear out those guys!) is taken out from the opponents team. He also takes a punishing 10% life orb recoil and 6% from the sand every turn. I think when looking at this team I need to tweak Heracross/Gyarados/Gengar or tweak Tyranitar/Shuckle as the first 3 are all using Life Orb's and just ticking time bombs in the sand, but on the other side I can take out the sand and get rid of my Tyranitar/Shuckle for two other members and keep going with these guys. Any insight or help into this situation would be appreciated
Gyarados (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 80 HP/252 Atk/176 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Waterfall
---
Great swap in to Gliscor's if I bring out Heracross early. He helps take out any bulky waters that try and wall ScarfTar. He also swaps into Bronzong well as lead Bronzong's typically mean I let Shuckle take the sleep and then can bring Gyarados in to try and setup. Everyone has seen the set and it doesn't need much additional comments.
He also brings questionable synergy to the team. He takes heavy damage from Sandstorm and Life Orb. He mostly serves to take on Infernapes on the defensive side and throws out Intimidates too. He can cripple opposing bulky waters to let Heracross come in and setup in their face or finish them off, but I just feel like hes holding my team back right now.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 Atk/252 Spd/216 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Explosion
- Hypnosis
---
Another set taken straight off from Husk's team, I know I know. I threw Gengar in the team as a way to test it out and I must say the results are impressive (half this team is throw it in there and test it out, but they have been working together efficiently enough). His immunities make him easy to swap in and the combination of Focus Blast/Shadow Ball tears teams apart. He serves as a status inducer and just to clean up any messes left behind from Gyarados and Heracross. Explosion is a toss in as of now, but it has worked well since he is such a ticking time bomb with Sandstorm and Life Orb.
On a side note, he also serves as my primary Lucario counter/swap in as the majority of them don't run Bullet Punch.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 80 HP/176 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Ice]
---
The last two members of my team are straight from Aldaron's peer edits in the CC subforum Analysis workshop. I needed a rock/dragon resist and the only thing I could find that had viable ability to fit into my team was Jirachi. I also noted at this point that I had no Gyarados counter and ran across the peer edit Aldaron posted with Choice Scarf Jirachi. If I predict Gyarados is Dragon Dancing I swap him in and take them out with Thunderbolt. I toe the line of disaster by running a team so weak to Gyarados, but only a couple Gyarados have done me over. If I get this guy in smartly he easily eliminates them. The set is pretty obvious: Psychic for STAB and Gengar revenge kills, Thunderbolt for Gyarados and general coverage, Grass Knot for unsuspecting Swampert, and HP:Ice for general Dragon coverage.
I was considering Choice Scarf Celebi in this role as he functions similarly to Jirachi with the ability to come in and Leaf Storm Gyarados for the OHKO, and also abuse of Psychic to nail unsuspecting Gengar's and HP:Ice on Dragons. The rock/dragon resist was too important to me and I decided on Jirachi.
Jirachi also won over this role because of his solid ability to walk into the majority of Deo-E sets if Shuckle wasn't around and generally beat them 1v1 with Thunderbolt.
Shuckle (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 252 HP/208 Def/48 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Encore
- Rest
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
---
Another set taken straight from Aldaron's peer edits (that forum is awesome for people trying to learn any nuances in the game and always be aware of any kinds of new sets or threats that people are using regularly. Aldaron and many others post some great stuff in there for the advanced battler so check that forum out if you haven't!). This thing is amazing in the sand. The ability to take hits from ScarfChomp, DeoE, Salamence, etc. etc the list just goes on what he can take on. Stealth Rock is ever important in this metagame and he supplies me with that. He also is my primary sleep absorb as half the time I seem to be using Rest anyway to recover damage. I've won a couple matches with Encore/Toxic/Rest stalling out opponents final couple of pokemon that couldn't handle Shuckle. Encore is a fantastic move. 9 out of 10 people see Shuckle and think of him as set up bait, and if I predict a Substitute, Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Dragon Dance, etc he Encore's the move and can help me set up my own dangerous sweeper in Heracross and Gyarados.
I think every offensive team needs that "Stopper" as I have been calling it. He helps halt the game if the momentum gets turned the wrong way and they create an advantageous (is that a word?) situation. He provides me with that support I need to wall some threats that would otherwise cause the rest of my team headaches.
I love this guy to death, but as mentioned earlier he clicks well with the Sandstorm from Tyranitar, but then again maybe Tyranitar and Shuckle are the two links that need to go from this team as Gyarados/Gengar/Heracross don't appreciate the sand as much as those two do.
Then again, maybe I will just scrap the whole team and start rethinking another team too. Hopefully Smogon's great community can help me out
Key Problems (that I'm aware of): Gyarados, Offensive Suicune, Dragon Dancing Tyranitar, Agility Metagross, 2 Stealth Rock Weaknesses (Shuckle/Gyarados)
Final Thoughts: I am open to all kinds of ideas for change. I'm not afraid to redo several components if someone deems it necessary. Obviously if you find it so horrible that you think I should change out half the team then maybe I will just scrap the whole team and start from scratch. I would like to give anyone that offers advice a thank you in advance.