I feel like it's kinda silly to post an RMT when Gen VII is less than 3 weeks away but eh, I like writing these, although usually me writing one of these is me saying 'This team is losing a lot, please help.' This time, however, I'm writing saying 'Hey I've been having decent success with a team, what do you guys think? Is it good or am I just lucky and bad?'
TEAM BUILDING PROCESS
I'm not very good at knowing what kind of cores work well, but I heard from somewhere that Sawk and Xatu are pretty good together. And ever since Sawk was banned from NU it's always been one of my favorite wallbreakers to use in the tier, so I figured I'd just put this supposedly good core together, try and make a team and let Sawk break some things.
I looked at Sawk and Xatu and figured that Ghost-types could probably be an issue with their immunity to Sawk's STAB, super-effective STAB on Xatu and the ability to burn Sawk. Houndoom grants me a Will-O-Wisp deterent, something to hit Ghost-types super-effectively, and I guess it resists Ghost as well. It won't take too many ghost hits but I didn't think it'd need to take all that many when I added it.
Magneton! It's really really good now that Dugtrio's gone! I wanted something that kills Aromatisse and Granbull seeing how Sawk doesn't like Fairy-types and Xatu can't just stall them out with Toxic with them having Heal Bell. Plus this thing kills Alomomola which is cool because Alomomola not dying makes me upset when it isn't on my team.
Somehow I always end up having Blastoise on my teams. I wanted a hazard remover and honestly Blastoise is kinda the only one I like using. Defog Flygon is great but I really don't like having to make an offensive Pokémon do utility things if I can prevent it. So it was either, unless I missed something in the lower tiers, Blastoise, Hitmontop, Togetic, or Golbat. Togetic is bad so no. Golbat I kinda like but I didn't like sharing a typing with my other defensive Pokémon, and Hitmontop is... I've never had success using it. So Blastoise it is. Kinda makes me weaker to Electric but I think I can make it work.
Flygon is here because my fastest Pokémon at this point was Houndoom and that's not very fast. Also I wanted something to deter Electric-type moves, and Scarf Flygon fits both of the things I wanted.
THE SETS
TEAM BUILDING PROCESS
I'm not very good at knowing what kind of cores work well, but I heard from somewhere that Sawk and Xatu are pretty good together. And ever since Sawk was banned from NU it's always been one of my favorite wallbreakers to use in the tier, so I figured I'd just put this supposedly good core together, try and make a team and let Sawk break some things.
I looked at Sawk and Xatu and figured that Ghost-types could probably be an issue with their immunity to Sawk's STAB, super-effective STAB on Xatu and the ability to burn Sawk. Houndoom grants me a Will-O-Wisp deterent, something to hit Ghost-types super-effectively, and I guess it resists Ghost as well. It won't take too many ghost hits but I didn't think it'd need to take all that many when I added it.
Magneton! It's really really good now that Dugtrio's gone! I wanted something that kills Aromatisse and Granbull seeing how Sawk doesn't like Fairy-types and Xatu can't just stall them out with Toxic with them having Heal Bell. Plus this thing kills Alomomola which is cool because Alomomola not dying makes me upset when it isn't on my team.
Somehow I always end up having Blastoise on my teams. I wanted a hazard remover and honestly Blastoise is kinda the only one I like using. Defog Flygon is great but I really don't like having to make an offensive Pokémon do utility things if I can prevent it. So it was either, unless I missed something in the lower tiers, Blastoise, Hitmontop, Togetic, or Golbat. Togetic is bad so no. Golbat I kinda like but I didn't like sharing a typing with my other defensive Pokémon, and Hitmontop is... I've never had success using it. So Blastoise it is. Kinda makes me weaker to Electric but I think I can make it work.
Flygon is here because my fastest Pokémon at this point was Houndoom and that's not very fast. Also I wanted something to deter Electric-type moves, and Scarf Flygon fits both of the things I wanted.
THE SETS
Sawk @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Zen Headbutt
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Zen Headbutt
Standard Sawk, not really a whole lot to say. I know some people like to use an Adamant Nature on Sawk just so it kills more things, but I prefer the Jolly nature. The lack of extra power has never really been an issue in my experience and Jolly allows Sawk to outspeed things like Glalie before it mega evolves, Adamant Hitmonlee, Jolly Medicham which would otherwise outspeed, outspeed any Fletchinder so it can't burn you and sweep, etc. But yeah, just a typical Sawk.
Xatu @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Roost
- Night Shade
- Toxic
So Xatu's pretty cool. Magic Bounce makes this thing a really cool switchin to a lot of the fat things like Registeel, Uxie, and Qwilfish. A nice slow U-turn gives Sawk the proper momentum to switch into things that may want to kill Xatu such as Rhyperior, Magneton and Absol which is very nice, and Xatu is able to safely switch in to most of the status users of the tier, keeping Sawk healthy and making sure that the Sturdy stays intact.
Houndoom @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 216 Atk / 40 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
- Crunch
'Why are you running physical Houndoom? Have you lost your mind?' Technically yes, I have lost my mind long ago, but here me out. Most people life using Spiritomb as a Pursuit tapper, including myself. However I think Pursuit trapping Houndoom is better in some aspects. For starters, it can't get burned by the things it'd like to Pursuit trap like Cofagrigus, Delphox or Sigilyph. In addition it's faster than Spiritomb so the Sucker Punch/Pursuit mind games don't need to happen as often. But I think the biggest reason I like using Houndoom in this role over Spiritomb is because of Spiritomb being the more popular choice. People see that Houndoom's swapped in on their things weak to dark and they aren't expecting a Pursuit! They expect a Dark Pulse of Nasty Plot! Then they lose there thing that's immune to Sawk's STAB, and that's why Houndoom's here. As for the spread, I honestly couldn't tell you what the investment's for. I just remember this set being on the damage calc a long time ago and decided to start using it. If anyone knows what the attack and special attack spread is for then please by all means let me know. At one point I was running a spread of 32 HP / 220 Atk / 40 SpA / 216 Spe but I forgot that that would mean Drapion could outspeed and kill with EQ so yeah, this spread it is.
Magneton @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Water]
Magneton is really cool. There isn't a whole lot that likes coming in on one of Magneton's STABs, and for the things that do switch into its STABs, namely Mega Camerupt, Hidden Power Water is there to save the day! And then once that thing is gone you just Volt Switch and Flash Cannon your way to victory! Hidden Power Water IVs are cool because you have the option to either keep your speed at 31 or lower it to 30. I chose to lower the speed because looking at the speed stats of what I can outspeed there wasn't anything barring Max Speed + Speed boosting nature Base 70's that I wouldn't be outspeeding anymore. But that's kinda the key. If Magneton loses the speed tie with, say, another Magneton then I'll be the one getting the Analytic boost, or the one who'll be getting Volt Switch momentum!
Shia LaBeouf (Blastoise) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Refresh
- Rapid Spin
- Foresight
So now we have Blastoise. Blastoise is mainly here because every good team needs a good way of removing hazards, whether it be Rapid Spin or Defog. While Xatu can deter hazards from Uxie, Qwilfish, or Registeel stuff like Diancie, Rhyperior or Aerodactyl can still set up rocks because Xatu cannot safely switchin to them. So Blastoise is here to get rid of the hazards those things lay down while also being able to threaten them with a Scald. I'm running Foresight on this Blastoise over Toxic, which I usually prefer on my Blastoise so it can 1v1 Alomomola better, but I already had Toxic on Xatu, I don't usually enjoy doubling up on support moves and I felt that Toxic would be more beneficial on Xatu because there are more walls that I'd like to switch Xatu into than Blastoise.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
Electric-types were looking a bit dicey, and so was the lack of speed. Scarf Flygon makes me feel a bit safer with both. Flygon has U-turn and 3 moves that aren't U-turn that aren't usually clicked because it's a Choice Scarf Flygon and that's what Scarf Flygon do. Sometimes it'll go on an Outrage sweep late game if Sawk and Magneton were able to succesfully beat down some of the fat things but it's usually going to be using U-turn so Sawk, Houndoom or Magneton can get in and kill stuff or so Blastoise can come in and Rapid Spin.
THREATS
While Flygon does help with Electric-types such as Jolteon and Magneton, but when the Electric-type is Levitating and has a secondary STAB to hit you neutrally then it's kind of a threat. Fortunately unless it's scarfed I can U-turn into Magneton for some nice damage but even still Magneton doesn't really enjoy taking the Leaf Storms.
This thing isn't necessarily too difficult to deal with if the safety net of Sawk's Sturdy is still there, but otherwise this thing can me rather menacing midgame if Blastoise isn't very healthy.
This thing on its own isn't necessarily too hard to deal with, but it does a lot of little things that can add up over time. My switchin to this is generally Blastoise but then Blastoise loses its recovery. Houndoom can kinda switch into its STABs but then Low Kick becomes a bit of a menace. The only thing I have that outspeeds this thing is Flygon but Ice Shard kinda ruins Flygon's day. Sawk can usually take this thing down reliably but then I lose Sturdy and if they have something that's faster than Sawk or has strong priority then Sawk dies and is unable to punch holes in things.
CONCLUSION
And with that we have the team! Obviously there are some things with the team that may make people not like it such as the lack of Stealth Rock or the fact that half of the team is holding a choice item, but to be honest I've never felt those have hindered me too much when battling. If you have any comments on the team then please don't hesitate to let those comments be known! Thank you for reading and have a nice day!
Xatu @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Roost
- Night Shade
- Toxic
So Xatu's pretty cool. Magic Bounce makes this thing a really cool switchin to a lot of the fat things like Registeel, Uxie, and Qwilfish. A nice slow U-turn gives Sawk the proper momentum to switch into things that may want to kill Xatu such as Rhyperior, Magneton and Absol which is very nice, and Xatu is able to safely switch in to most of the status users of the tier, keeping Sawk healthy and making sure that the Sturdy stays intact.
Houndoom @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 216 Atk / 40 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
- Crunch
'Why are you running physical Houndoom? Have you lost your mind?' Technically yes, I have lost my mind long ago, but here me out. Most people life using Spiritomb as a Pursuit tapper, including myself. However I think Pursuit trapping Houndoom is better in some aspects. For starters, it can't get burned by the things it'd like to Pursuit trap like Cofagrigus, Delphox or Sigilyph. In addition it's faster than Spiritomb so the Sucker Punch/Pursuit mind games don't need to happen as often. But I think the biggest reason I like using Houndoom in this role over Spiritomb is because of Spiritomb being the more popular choice. People see that Houndoom's swapped in on their things weak to dark and they aren't expecting a Pursuit! They expect a Dark Pulse of Nasty Plot! Then they lose there thing that's immune to Sawk's STAB, and that's why Houndoom's here. As for the spread, I honestly couldn't tell you what the investment's for. I just remember this set being on the damage calc a long time ago and decided to start using it. If anyone knows what the attack and special attack spread is for then please by all means let me know. At one point I was running a spread of 32 HP / 220 Atk / 40 SpA / 216 Spe but I forgot that that would mean Drapion could outspeed and kill with EQ so yeah, this spread it is.
Magneton @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Water]
Magneton is really cool. There isn't a whole lot that likes coming in on one of Magneton's STABs, and for the things that do switch into its STABs, namely Mega Camerupt, Hidden Power Water is there to save the day! And then once that thing is gone you just Volt Switch and Flash Cannon your way to victory! Hidden Power Water IVs are cool because you have the option to either keep your speed at 31 or lower it to 30. I chose to lower the speed because looking at the speed stats of what I can outspeed there wasn't anything barring Max Speed + Speed boosting nature Base 70's that I wouldn't be outspeeding anymore. But that's kinda the key. If Magneton loses the speed tie with, say, another Magneton then I'll be the one getting the Analytic boost, or the one who'll be getting Volt Switch momentum!
Shia LaBeouf (Blastoise) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Refresh
- Rapid Spin
- Foresight
So now we have Blastoise. Blastoise is mainly here because every good team needs a good way of removing hazards, whether it be Rapid Spin or Defog. While Xatu can deter hazards from Uxie, Qwilfish, or Registeel stuff like Diancie, Rhyperior or Aerodactyl can still set up rocks because Xatu cannot safely switchin to them. So Blastoise is here to get rid of the hazards those things lay down while also being able to threaten them with a Scald. I'm running Foresight on this Blastoise over Toxic, which I usually prefer on my Blastoise so it can 1v1 Alomomola better, but I already had Toxic on Xatu, I don't usually enjoy doubling up on support moves and I felt that Toxic would be more beneficial on Xatu because there are more walls that I'd like to switch Xatu into than Blastoise.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
Electric-types were looking a bit dicey, and so was the lack of speed. Scarf Flygon makes me feel a bit safer with both. Flygon has U-turn and 3 moves that aren't U-turn that aren't usually clicked because it's a Choice Scarf Flygon and that's what Scarf Flygon do. Sometimes it'll go on an Outrage sweep late game if Sawk and Magneton were able to succesfully beat down some of the fat things but it's usually going to be using U-turn so Sawk, Houndoom or Magneton can get in and kill stuff or so Blastoise can come in and Rapid Spin.
THREATS
While Flygon does help with Electric-types such as Jolteon and Magneton, but when the Electric-type is Levitating and has a secondary STAB to hit you neutrally then it's kind of a threat. Fortunately unless it's scarfed I can U-turn into Magneton for some nice damage but even still Magneton doesn't really enjoy taking the Leaf Storms.
This thing isn't necessarily too difficult to deal with if the safety net of Sawk's Sturdy is still there, but otherwise this thing can me rather menacing midgame if Blastoise isn't very healthy.
This thing on its own isn't necessarily too hard to deal with, but it does a lot of little things that can add up over time. My switchin to this is generally Blastoise but then Blastoise loses its recovery. Houndoom can kinda switch into its STABs but then Low Kick becomes a bit of a menace. The only thing I have that outspeeds this thing is Flygon but Ice Shard kinda ruins Flygon's day. Sawk can usually take this thing down reliably but then I lose Sturdy and if they have something that's faster than Sawk or has strong priority then Sawk dies and is unable to punch holes in things.
CONCLUSION
And with that we have the team! Obviously there are some things with the team that may make people not like it such as the lack of Stealth Rock or the fact that half of the team is holding a choice item, but to be honest I've never felt those have hindered me too much when battling. If you have any comments on the team then please don't hesitate to let those comments be known! Thank you for reading and have a nice day!
