RMT - Because catchy titles are pointless

[Kenshin]

I have had much succes with this team, but despite everything from time to time every team finds something it has a problem dealing with something and I'd like your help so that I can critique and improve my team, speaking of the team heres a line up of our members.

Roserade, Heatran, Lucario, Swampert, Machamp, Porygon 2

This team relies on roserade hopefully getting a status off straight away (sleep) and then immediantly switching to either lucario or heatran to try and sweep, occasionally I will switch to swampert to set up stealth rocks.

Any changes I make will be made in Blue

@

Roserade
Timid Nature (+ Spe, - Atk)
Ev's: 4 Hp, 252 SpA, 252 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure

Sleep Powder

Stun Spore

Leaf Storm

Hidden Power Fire


Why do I run a scarf? well I am sick and tired of being outsped by stupid aerodactyls and azelfs who taunt me, forcing to switch out and then proceed to stealth rock, while stealth rock doesn't really hurt my time, it can still mean the world of difference in many battles, so I choose to scarf allowing me to outrun almost everything and put it to sleep it also negates trick scarf pokemon and allows me to outrun pokemon who think I'm slower and put some major damage on with Leaf Storm and Hidden power fire.

Roserade allows me to OHKO scizor and swampert which is extremely useful as that overgrown fish can set up SR and hit 1 / 3 of my team extremely hard, scizor also OHKOs pory with super power ( I think ) and 2HKOs machamp aswell, apart from rose scizor is also revenged by Machamp.

I also run Stun Spore so I can keep handing out status after sleeping as sleep clause prevents more than one enemy having naptime at once.

I'm not going to bother putting up a what-I-do-to-enemy-leads list as I always sleep unless under extreme threat.

@

Porygon 2
Calm Nature (+ SpD, - Atk)
Ev's: 236 hp / 60 sp.atk / 60 sp.def / 152 def
Ability: Trace

Thunder Wave

Ice Beam

Thunder Bolt

Recover

Oh man do I love porygon 2, it allows me to switch in on salamence or gyrados, thinking they have a sweep and trace their intimidate, most switch out, but those who don't are either OHKO'd by Ice Beam / T - Bolt respectivly or T - Waved so I can recover a few times. This spread means pory will always 100% of the time survive a specs mence's Draco Meteor and can easily survive a Mix - Mence or DD - Mence's outrage after Intimidate. I have been considering Discharge over T - wave & T - Bolt to allow me to add in mirror coat but I'm not sure yet.

@

Heatran
Modest Nature (+ SpA, - Atk)
Ev's: 4 Hp, 252 SpA, 252 Spe
Ability: Flash Fire

Fire Blast

Earth Power

Explosion

Dragon Pulse

Scarf Heatran is an extremely great pokemon, roserade makes excellent fire bait allowing this pokemon to pick up a flash fire boost and absolutely decimate my enemies teams. Heatran is my main answer to Magnezone, Skarmory and that jerk Scizor, he also outspeeds most Mences & D - Nites, and can Dragon Pulse for the OHKO. Unfortuentally, most flygons I have faced were scarfed and EQ'd him to bits. When Heatran has finally had his run he simply explodes being able to take many threats with him as an explosionm with that power can wipe out almost anything that doesn't resit.

@

Swampert
Impish Nature (+ Def, - SpA)
Ev's: 252 Hp / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Ability: Torrent

Stealth Rock

Avalanche

Roar

Earthquake

Avalanche? why not ice beam? well personally I find that avalanche does that little bit more, allowing me to secure every OHKO, I could probably replace it with ice beam but it was personal preference as swampert isn't exactly a speed machine, is he?
This swampert is another slightly mixed, but more physically defensive orientated pokemon in my team, allowing me to set up stealth rock which helps my team to no end, roar allows me to stir their teams up a bit, forcing switchs and racking up stealth rock damage.
EQ is for a definite STAB, hitting metagross and others super-effectively

Ev's changed for survavability.

@

Machamp
Adamant Nature (+ Atk, - SpA)
Ev's: 252 Hp, 252 Atk, 4 Spe
Ability: No Guard

Sleep Talk

Rest

Dynamic Punch

Stone Edge

Machamp is my status absorbing punching bag, taking every form of status aimed at pokemon that would rather not be burdened by a crippling paralysis or painful burn which can stop dead half my team. Dynamic punch is obvious 100% confusion fun putting a little hax into the game and stone edge allows me coverage on resisters and certain flying types (Gyra...). Rest - talk is an old stratergy and I love it, it allows machamp to rest up, and recover up his absorbed statuses, and abuse sleep talk to over use the low PP stone edge and dynamic punch.

@

Lucario
Adamant Nature (+ Atk, - SpA)
Ev's: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Ability: Inner Focus

Agility

Ice Punch

Crunch

Close Combat

Agility Lucario, A member barely used on this team only being added after a suggestion. Agility up with any oppurtunity and sweep away, plus +2 allows you to hit 558 speed which dominates most pokemon, outspeeding and OHKO'ing Salamence, Gengar and ScarfTran respectively with each of its moves, all pokemon of which caused a few problems for my team, this new luke solves all the problems mix - luke did before it, only faster.

 

[greenstreet]

Interesting team here especially the lucario sets and swampert sets. Since roserade isnt running any entry hazards have you thought of breloom in it's place since spore guarantees the sleep. The Lucario set relaly intruiges me, how about running the new agility lucario? It basically does the same thing but with the added kick and speed it needs.

Awesome team.

 

[TrainerJon]

Nice layout. Well, I would say the Roserade can find more uses than Sleep. To me, if its a lead, its bound to die :D sad but true. Alot of things can kill it in one hit so successful sleep is valuable. I would go with a Sleep Powder/ Toxic Spikes/ Stun Spore/ and a STAB move. ? Leaf Storm. well i only got that much. Its all up to you.

 

[technomancer]

I think the biggest weakness is probably that you have no way to set up. You beat a lot of really common pokes with yours but many of them just need a switch to escape, and you have no solid revenge-killer.

Porygon2 is an interesting Salamence counter, but is unable to switch in more than once if it runs into a Draco Meteor or really any other non-outrage attack, and Salamence can just switch out if its playing carefully. Your team actually really does have a problem with Earthquake, and Gliscor can switch in and threaten to revenge scarftran and Lucario, and just switch out of anything threatening. I'd also be worried about any LO Gengar running focus blast, which can OHKO most of your team I think or at least take chunks and can switch in on resting machamp, only fearing a 1/3 stone edge, or come in on revenge, scarf Heatran does a similar number on most of your pokes.

Toxic Spikes w/ some stall is also is a problem, have you considered a spinner? Tentacruel and Hitmontop might do well, or even Donphan over Swampert, but you lose some resistances in the process.

 

[Kenshin]

I'll look into that agility luke atleast that way it can outspeed and hit pokemon, like scarftran and salamence (asuming agila luke is mixed?) and can also hit gengar

Is agila luke mixed? because its current moveset with agility over extreme speed is very viable for countering those above pokes.

 

[george182]

You are raped backwards by any pokemon with a ground move as none of your pokes can switch in happily. You even have the type chart, but you didn't use it. For ever weakness have a resistance. The basics of team building.

A choice band mamoswine can actually 2hko or 1hko every member of your team with EQ.

On swampert I would suggest an impish nature. If your not using ice beam, then why bother lowering your speed? I would also advise using max hp. It will maximise your duel walling alot more than splitting the ev's between the defences. The only time you don't need to use max hp, is when the poke already has a really high HP stat, e.g. blissey and snorlax.

Also max hp, max defence will mean that swampert is not 2hkoed by EQ so you have something to switch into a mamoswine.

 

[greenstreet]

agility lucario kills all of its counters since it runs cc crunch and ice punch.

 

[ginganinja]

Well you have a huge Ground and Fighting weakness, So I will try and fix this up,

First I suggest a Lead Celebi instead or Roserade, Celebi sets up rocks and has much longer longativity than Roserade. In adition Celebi can pretty much do everything you Roserade can do...except put a poke to sleep.

I also suggest a Scarf Flygon over Machamp since (in my opinion) status is not a huge issue for you. Scarf FLygon can be a relible revenge killer and gives you a second Earthquake immune Pokemon while still retaining a Electric immunity you lost with Swampert.

Finally with Flygon being a fine revenge killer I suggest a SubTran since Flygon is now your revenge killer and with Substute you can control the tempo of the match. SUb train also hits very hard and gives you freedome to switch attacks while denting things with LO.

Lastly you still have 1/2 your team weak to fighting. Therefore I suggest a Cressilia over Porygon2. Cressilia can check Salamence much better (gyarados is handles by Scarf Flygon and Heatran by Flygon and Gyarados) and will not die to a Draco Meteor. You lose trace in exchange for much more bulk and an Earthquake and Fighting resist, I suggest a standard wall set for Cressilia authough you could meake it a Sleep talker if you really want a Status Absorber.



Well I just realised that I wrecked large amounts of your team and I am very sorry for this, However you are no longer crippled by a large Ground and Fighting weakness and you have most threats countered. Furthermore I endevered to make the replacements still have similar roles to your team, I apoligise in advance if I have failed in this regard.

Have a Nice Day!

Next you need a Earthquake resist, Bulky Gyarados gives you both a fighting and Ground immunity and can go over Swampert since Celebi is already setting up Rocks.

 

[Kenshin]

Tested a few times, agila luke is working well.

Trying new Ev's for swampert although I must say I have never ran into a CB mamoswine.

After reading Ginganinja's advice I agree that flygon would be nice over machamp (I never really liked him) and SubTran is a fine replacement but I'd rather not switch to gyrados over swampert, I do agree with celebi, although sleep is a very handy tool.

You do a good job, your advice was excellent, I just don't want my team completely ruined.

( I will test your exact changes on shoddy tomorow ginga )

 

[ginganinja]

Fair enough I did go a little overboard, CB mamoswine is not exactualy common but the new Evs give your swampert extra bulk which it needs since its commong out later game. Also pointing out that IF you run Celebi over Swampert then swampert becomes almost redundant since Celebi is already setting up rocks, if you still want swampert in the team I would run Swampert in the Lead spot and make it a Mixpert lead.

 

[Kenshin]

Tested both teams, ginganinja's suggestion's are amazing, you're improved team hasn't lost yet.

still testing rose (FS) + Swampert.

 

[HalcyonCub]

My Roserade lead runs Toxic Spikes, Sleep Powder, Leaf Storm, and Hidden Power Fire. You could try that perhaps?

 

[jgiovanni89]

also instead of dragon pulse which hits salamence hard but not so much gyra... try hp ice instead... it works wonders on both poke

 

[ginganinja]

NO
HP Ice does not cover Gyarados at all. HP Ice does hit Salamecne harder however Dragon Pulse covers both Pokemon (Gyarados and Salamence) very well. Keep Dragon Pulse on Heatran