Introduction
Hi there RMT, I'm demonlordraiden and I'm here for my first RMT. I'm 1460 ELO currently in the Doubles OU ladder and my Glicko-1 is 1675 + or - 59 (don't know which would be more relevant). I've had this team for a year or so and have played with it on my main account, but I also made a second account when I first made it to see how high I could get it by itself while changing it to fit my wants better. I hit ~1400 before considering it decent enough to keep. Now that I know RMT is here (didn't know any of these forums were here), I want to see what you all think of it. I've never cared much what's meta or not, it's never really mattered to me, but I'd still like to know what my team could do better. I have a few ideas, but I'm not sure about any of it yet. Anyway, without further adieu, to the team!
P.S. I know that Stakataka would be really good on this team, but I made this one before it came out. I tried it for a little bit, but my team had too many Fighting type weaknesses with it. So, if anyone has an idea of what to replace for it and something else to replace to minimize my Fighting type weakness, that would be pretty good.
P.S.S. Upon writing this, I realized that my IVs aren't perfect, and most of my EVs aren't as well. Any help with those would be appreciated.
The Team
Garchomp-Mega @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Outrage
- Swords Dance
Garchomp's one of the ones I'm not so sure about. Initially, I put it in because I couldn't always safely get a Trick Room off, so I felt that I needed a fast enough mon to cover the speed gap, while also working well with the team. Currently, I'm not so sure it does its job as well as I'd like, but it is what it is at the moment. It does well versus Dragon and Fairy types, but my team doesn't have too many issues with them as is. I like sending it out turn 1 with Gigalith to scout and, in case I feel that I can't get a good Trick Room going, potentially set-up and sweep on its own. Earthquake is a good stab and works well with Oranguru or Vikavolt as not to hit them (although I feel that I have too many Earthquakes on my team at the moment), Iron Head offers a counter to Fairy types, Outrage is a good stab while also pressuring teams without a Fairy type, and Swords Dance lets it set-up if I can't get a Trick Room off and lets it do its job even better.
Gigalith @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
- Earthquake
- Protect
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
Gigalith feels solid on this team, giving me a way to set Sandstorm as well as Stealth Rocks. I have Lum Berry on it because I found that it tends to get Hypnosis'd, Thunder Waved, etc. so it can't set-up. I haven't done proper damage calculations to see exactly how well it does, but with Brave Nature, 252 Atk, and Sand, Rock Slide seems to OHKO many neutral mons, as well as almost any super effective mons. Earthquake is one that I'm not sure about currently, while Protect allows Garchomp to Earthquake safely. Stealth Rock feels essential to me for chip damage. All-in-all, Gigalith preforms well for me, especially against any physical mon.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
I'm not sure about keeping Hippowdon since I already have one mon with Sand Stream, but having another Sandstorm setter that can heal itself has done well for me. I've got Leftovers to keep it going without having to Slack Off, but Slack Off keeps it going even more than that. Earthquake is a good stab move, while also having boosted damage in Sandstorm and doing well against most mons that it can hit. Ice Fang offers much needed coverage versus Grass types, especially since Hippowdon is weak to Grass types. Whirlwind allows me to force switches on mons who are boosting as well as allowing for added chip damage with Gigalith's Stealth Rocks.
Oranguru @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Telepathy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Energy Ball
- Instruct
- Psychic
- Trick Room
Oranguru offers 1 of my 2 Trick Rooms, as well as offering some good support and damage with Instruct. Safety Goggles are to keep Oranguru from dying to Sandstorm, but could be switched to something better. As mentioned in the P.S.S., Oranguru is one of the ones I'm really not sure about in terms of EVs. However, Energy Ball counters Water types that threaten the team, Psychic counters Fighting types that threaten Gigalith and Hippowdon, and Instruct allows me to have Gigalith or Vikavolt to do major damage to almost any mon they've been up against in the past,
Reuniclus @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
- Recover
- Trick Room
Reuniclus is the one I'd most readily replace for Stakataka if I could think of a good replacement for someone above. Toxic Orb makes it where Reuniclus can't be statused, and Magic Guard makes it where it doesn't take chip damage from the Toxic or Sandstorm. I've heard that Grassinium-Z would be good on Reuniclus, and I don't have any Z moves on this team, so let me know if that's the case. In its case, I feel that it dies too fast to Dark types, and having it with Oranguru gives me too much of a Dark weakness for me to feel comfortable, especially given the prevalence of Knock Off. However, Focus Blast lets me deal with some of them, especially if I'm in Trick Room. Psychic exists mostly as a stab, but also helps deal with the Fighting types that plague Gigalith and Hippowdon. Recover lets it stay alive longer, but I've found that I don't often get use out of it because it often dies before it gets a second turn. Finally, Trick Room is essential on this team.
Vikavolt @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Bug Buzz
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
Vikavolt may seem like a strange pick, but it's been nothing but phenomenal for me. Specs make its 145 base Special Attack even better. Its moveset is pure coverage, with Air Slash helping deal with Fighting types, Bug Buzz dealing with Dark types, Grass types, and Psychic types, offering much needed coverage for the Trick Room setters and the Sandstorm setters. Flash Cannon deals with Fairy types for Garchomp (but I'd be willing to replace it if Garchomp gets switched out), and finally, Thunderbolt is a great stab, especially when supported by Instruct from Oranguru. It also offers coverage versus Flying types (which isn't very needed) and for Water types (which is pretty needed).
Conclusion
Well, that's it for my first RMT. If I did anything wrong, let me know!
In regards to the team, I'm looking to get Stakataka in the team, as well as a replacement for Garchomp and maybe Hippowdon. I feel that Gigalith, Oranguru, and Vikavolt do well for the team as a whole and were kind of the initial core for the team, but if any of you have a better option, let me know and I'll consider it. I've always liked Trick Room and Sandstorm, and putting the two of them together was really fun for me. Well, let me know what you think!
