This RMT is dedicated to the assholes on PS who are most of the reason that I still play this game. And also all of the Italians who are cringing and shaking their heads at the title of this RMT. You know who you are <3
Before we begin to breakdown the team, let's start with a block of text:
Hey there again. I was looking back at a lot of my posts and the teams that I have shared have all been somewhat of a bunch of joke teams including the last RMT I did. That is to say, they still are fun to play, but I thought I’d try my hand at something a bit more competitive. I’m an avid fan of balance this gen especially with the release of new pokemon like Toxapex, Tapu Bulu, and Celesteela. I thought I would just start with something I was comfortable with. The team actually began as a GastroSteela core with Zapdos and Bulu to fill in weak spots. It was a bit more complicated then this though. I have built several teams around Celesteela + Zapdos and it is a pretty solid core with the support of a fat water type. In the past I have used random pokemon like Seismitoad but I honestly hadn’t built a good team with Gastrodon yet. Gastro is one of my favorite pokemon, and really fit the role I needed for the beginning of the team. From the start, I knew I wanted to use mega Latios, mainly because of its un-anticipated rise in popularity and the fact that it is just a lot of fun to use as a wallbreaker. With that in mind, I found a way to fit it onto the team while having to sacrifice Mega-Venusaur. Venusaur while effective, proved to be too passive of a focal point for the team, but I really needed the type coverage that it provided. Assault Vest Tapu Bulu just made sense here due to a weakness to Mega-Gyarados, Zygarde, Ash-Greninja, and many others. I would have run Roost + 3 Atks Zapdos here and I was because I had no Defog on the first version. But I ended up running Defog, Roost, Heat Wave, Discharge to help out especially because I lost the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes with the departure of Mega-Venusaur. Granted, the switch to Mega-Latios really helped the team, but Toxic Spikes became a problem for Bulu and Gastrodon, especially the latter. Gastrodon or Bulu getting poisoned can sometimes cost you the game. I was noticing a common weakness in the team by now, and that was that it was passive as hell bar Latios and I suppose Tapu Bulu. I needed a last slot that could not only break down fat teams, use a Z-Move, and set up rocks. The first thing that came to mind of course was Landorus-Therian, which I quickly decided not to go with because for once it just didn’t fit on the team. The second thing that came to mind was Dragonium Z Garchomp, and this proved to be effective to some extent. However Stall teams were a large problem, and I needed something that could cripple Chansey while still accomplishing the before mentioned. The 3rd thought I had which was also the one I went with was Heatran. Z Move Heatran was something that I found appealing and it had the ability to get up rocks and trap Chansey. It fit quite well onto the build and did extremely well in practice.
Accomplishments:
(cus i'm bad)
WEAKNESSES
PuP Lopunny - Make sure to keep Celesteela, Latios, and Zapdos as healthy as possible to beat it
Volcarona - Gastrodon, Heatran, and Latios can beat some variants but its certainly a tough one. Make sure you get rocks up and try to just spam attacks at it
PuP Lopunny + Volcarona - save yourself from tilting and click X lol
Medicham - Another tough one. Latios can revenge kill it but it is a pain to switch into. You can go Celesteela on the Fake Out and just Heavy Slam on turn 1 when they predict the protect. That way you force a 50/50
Charizard-Y - Latios is the main counter but if its Zardy + TTar then you have to play extremely carefully
Tyranitar - Not many switchins. Get off Earthquakes with Latios and you can also Z Move it with Heatran. Bulu wins 1v1
I'll add more later because I am probably forgetting a ton
SHOUTOUTS:
Shedinja balance : Thunder Pwoell BanDisnDatnMe
Draco
WG <3
Other honorable mentions: Huge shoutout to Latioswars for his peak and also to Jascha and many more for testing the team and proving it wasn't garbage
I honestly would give a shoutout to everyone I know closely on PS but there are just too many amazing people for me to try and convince myself to dig up all of their smogon accounts and put them into one giant ass list. But you know who you are and don't feel any less appreciated then those I put above :)
Anyways yeah, thanks for reading. This is one of my more serious teams, and one of my most successful as well. If you decide to use the team, I hope you enjoy it! Also as always feedback on really anything at all is always more then welcome.
Thanks once again :D
TEAM OVERVIEW
Before we begin to breakdown the team, let's start with a block of text:
Hey there again. I was looking back at a lot of my posts and the teams that I have shared have all been somewhat of a bunch of joke teams including the last RMT I did. That is to say, they still are fun to play, but I thought I’d try my hand at something a bit more competitive. I’m an avid fan of balance this gen especially with the release of new pokemon like Toxapex, Tapu Bulu, and Celesteela. I thought I would just start with something I was comfortable with. The team actually began as a GastroSteela core with Zapdos and Bulu to fill in weak spots. It was a bit more complicated then this though. I have built several teams around Celesteela + Zapdos and it is a pretty solid core with the support of a fat water type. In the past I have used random pokemon like Seismitoad but I honestly hadn’t built a good team with Gastrodon yet. Gastro is one of my favorite pokemon, and really fit the role I needed for the beginning of the team. From the start, I knew I wanted to use mega Latios, mainly because of its un-anticipated rise in popularity and the fact that it is just a lot of fun to use as a wallbreaker. With that in mind, I found a way to fit it onto the team while having to sacrifice Mega-Venusaur. Venusaur while effective, proved to be too passive of a focal point for the team, but I really needed the type coverage that it provided. Assault Vest Tapu Bulu just made sense here due to a weakness to Mega-Gyarados, Zygarde, Ash-Greninja, and many others. I would have run Roost + 3 Atks Zapdos here and I was because I had no Defog on the first version. But I ended up running Defog, Roost, Heat Wave, Discharge to help out especially because I lost the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes with the departure of Mega-Venusaur. Granted, the switch to Mega-Latios really helped the team, but Toxic Spikes became a problem for Bulu and Gastrodon, especially the latter. Gastrodon or Bulu getting poisoned can sometimes cost you the game. I was noticing a common weakness in the team by now, and that was that it was passive as hell bar Latios and I suppose Tapu Bulu. I needed a last slot that could not only break down fat teams, use a Z-Move, and set up rocks. The first thing that came to mind of course was Landorus-Therian, which I quickly decided not to go with because for once it just didn’t fit on the team. The second thing that came to mind was Dragonium Z Garchomp, and this proved to be effective to some extent. However Stall teams were a large problem, and I needed something that could cripple Chansey while still accomplishing the before mentioned. The 3rd thought I had which was also the one I went with was Heatran. Z Move Heatran was something that I found appealing and it had the ability to get up rocks and trap Chansey. It fit quite well onto the build and did extremely well in practice.
TEAM BREAKDOWN
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Def / 204 SpD / 4 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Celesteela is the beginning of the defensive backbone of the team. It is really good when paired with Gastrodon and Zapdos, and is valuable to the team's success. It can be a win condition in a lot of situations, so it is in one's best interest to keep it healthy as it will probably counter at least 1 if not more pokemon on your opponents team. The set is really straight forward and the EVs are mixed defenses with a heavy SpD lean. Play it like you would normally play Celesteela, predicting switches to get free leech seed recovery. Not really much I can say about this thing that you guys don't probably already know so I'll end this bit here.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Defog
Zapdos plays many important roles on the team besides just being a standard pivot for Heatran and Latios. Obviously, it is the team's defogger, and as I said before, defog is crucial because the team while boasting 3 non-grounded pokemon, is considerably weak to hazards, especially since you will be doing a lot of switching around throughout the game. Zapdos covers a lot of key weaknesses to the team as well, including Hawlucha and Lopunny. Zapdos' spread is Defensive, allowing it to check more physical threats and help against Medicham. Overall, Zapdos is a really good staple for the team and can put in a lot of work each game.
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 240 SpD / 20 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
Gastrodon is such a fun mon to use at the moment. As a SpD wall, the variety of pokemon that it walls and counters spreads widely across the ou meta, being able to shut down Magearna, Blacephalon, Greninja, Tapu Koko, and many others. Its key purpose here is to provide a strong defensive synergy with Zapdos and Celesteela. Rather then running Celesteela + Toxapex, I wanted a reliable switch in to Tapu Koko mainly that could also 1v1 Tapu Lele in most situations. It can force out threats and allow you to get off a Toxic against your opponent. This is also the team's main way of dealing with things like Mew. Gastrodon provides a sturdy wall to lean on and fits well on the team due to being able to Recover, its strong defensive typing and its ability.
Latios-Mega @ Latiosite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Psychic
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
Latios is another super fun Pokemon to make use of especially on teams like this one. Fat teams generally need a tanky wallbreaker to help actually win games, and Latios' coverage, speed stat, respectable bulk, and attacking stats make it a really good fit on the team. It is able to lure and kill stuff that get in the way of the team's playstyle and chip down a lot of potent threats. Not only that, but it is able to check a few threats of its own. Main examples of this are Charizard Y and Zygarde, although the latter is more easily dealt with by Tapu Bulu. Latios' strong STAB moves make it really tricky to switch in on and it can deal considerable damage at any stage of the game. Draco Meteor is your nuke. It will OHKO a ton of neutrally affected opposing pokemon such as Landorus. Latios will be used in short increments of time, as it is not really meant to stay in for more then about 3-4 turns tops. Of course there are exceptions and hopefully you will know what those exceptions are if they present themselves, but it is best to play safe with Latios rather then risk your main damage dealer.
Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 196 SpD / 60 Spe
Careful Nature
- Horn Leech
- Nature's Madness
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt/Wood Hammer
Tapu Bulu's typing and its ability make it such a great pokemon for the team. It is able to shut down numerous threats to Balance teams like Mega Gyarados, Tapu Lele, Ash Greninja, CM Keldeo, and Zygarde. The set is quite standard for Assault Vest Tapu Bulu, but you can run Zen Headbutt over Wood Hammer if you want, mainly to surprise Hawlucha. Grassy Terrain is a HUGE help to the team, allowing Gastrodon to regain health faster and take on more threats, as well as keeping Heatran from being completely vulnerable to chip damage. It can also help Bulu itself against things like Tapu Koko and VoltTurn teams. Together, Gastrodon and Tapu Bulu can usually beat most rain teams, with the exception of Hawlucha rain where obviously Zapdos would be needed. Overall, Tapu Bulu can be a really valuable pokemon to the team and puts in a ton of work late into the game.
Heatran @ Groundium Z / Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
The last Pokemon on the team is Tectonic Rage/Inferno Overdrive Heatran. This Pokemon can really help out a lot against annoying Pokemon like Toxapex, that set up Toxic Spikes and shut down Bulu + Gastrodon. Firium z can be used to eliminate pokemon like Mew and Landorus, but keep in mind that Tectonic Rage is the one that I prefer, especially with all of the Trick Room teams back on the ladder. Heatran is also your way of getting up rocks, which is crucial in some matchups like Zard Y / Zard X. Heatran doesn't do anything that strays from the norms too far, and is a very solid Pokemon on any Balance team in my own opinion.
IMPORTABLE
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Def / 204 SpD / 4 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Celesteela is the beginning of the defensive backbone of the team. It is really good when paired with Gastrodon and Zapdos, and is valuable to the team's success. It can be a win condition in a lot of situations, so it is in one's best interest to keep it healthy as it will probably counter at least 1 if not more pokemon on your opponents team. The set is really straight forward and the EVs are mixed defenses with a heavy SpD lean. Play it like you would normally play Celesteela, predicting switches to get free leech seed recovery. Not really much I can say about this thing that you guys don't probably already know so I'll end this bit here.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Defog
Zapdos plays many important roles on the team besides just being a standard pivot for Heatran and Latios. Obviously, it is the team's defogger, and as I said before, defog is crucial because the team while boasting 3 non-grounded pokemon, is considerably weak to hazards, especially since you will be doing a lot of switching around throughout the game. Zapdos covers a lot of key weaknesses to the team as well, including Hawlucha and Lopunny. Zapdos' spread is Defensive, allowing it to check more physical threats and help against Medicham. Overall, Zapdos is a really good staple for the team and can put in a lot of work each game.
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 240 SpD / 20 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
Gastrodon is such a fun mon to use at the moment. As a SpD wall, the variety of pokemon that it walls and counters spreads widely across the ou meta, being able to shut down Magearna, Blacephalon, Greninja, Tapu Koko, and many others. Its key purpose here is to provide a strong defensive synergy with Zapdos and Celesteela. Rather then running Celesteela + Toxapex, I wanted a reliable switch in to Tapu Koko mainly that could also 1v1 Tapu Lele in most situations. It can force out threats and allow you to get off a Toxic against your opponent. This is also the team's main way of dealing with things like Mew. Gastrodon provides a sturdy wall to lean on and fits well on the team due to being able to Recover, its strong defensive typing and its ability.
Latios-Mega @ Latiosite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Psychic
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
Latios is another super fun Pokemon to make use of especially on teams like this one. Fat teams generally need a tanky wallbreaker to help actually win games, and Latios' coverage, speed stat, respectable bulk, and attacking stats make it a really good fit on the team. It is able to lure and kill stuff that get in the way of the team's playstyle and chip down a lot of potent threats. Not only that, but it is able to check a few threats of its own. Main examples of this are Charizard Y and Zygarde, although the latter is more easily dealt with by Tapu Bulu. Latios' strong STAB moves make it really tricky to switch in on and it can deal considerable damage at any stage of the game. Draco Meteor is your nuke. It will OHKO a ton of neutrally affected opposing pokemon such as Landorus. Latios will be used in short increments of time, as it is not really meant to stay in for more then about 3-4 turns tops. Of course there are exceptions and hopefully you will know what those exceptions are if they present themselves, but it is best to play safe with Latios rather then risk your main damage dealer.
Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 196 SpD / 60 Spe
Careful Nature
- Horn Leech
- Nature's Madness
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt/Wood Hammer
Tapu Bulu's typing and its ability make it such a great pokemon for the team. It is able to shut down numerous threats to Balance teams like Mega Gyarados, Tapu Lele, Ash Greninja, CM Keldeo, and Zygarde. The set is quite standard for Assault Vest Tapu Bulu, but you can run Zen Headbutt over Wood Hammer if you want, mainly to surprise Hawlucha. Grassy Terrain is a HUGE help to the team, allowing Gastrodon to regain health faster and take on more threats, as well as keeping Heatran from being completely vulnerable to chip damage. It can also help Bulu itself against things like Tapu Koko and VoltTurn teams. Together, Gastrodon and Tapu Bulu can usually beat most rain teams, with the exception of Hawlucha rain where obviously Zapdos would be needed. Overall, Tapu Bulu can be a really valuable pokemon to the team and puts in a ton of work late into the game.
Heatran @ Groundium Z / Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
The last Pokemon on the team is Tectonic Rage/Inferno Overdrive Heatran. This Pokemon can really help out a lot against annoying Pokemon like Toxapex, that set up Toxic Spikes and shut down Bulu + Gastrodon. Firium z can be used to eliminate pokemon like Mew and Landorus, but keep in mind that Tectonic Rage is the one that I prefer, especially with all of the Trick Room teams back on the ladder. Heatran is also your way of getting up rocks, which is crucial in some matchups like Zard Y / Zard X. Heatran doesn't do anything that strays from the norms too far, and is a very solid Pokemon on any Balance team in my own opinion.
IMPORTABLE
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Def / 204 SpD / 4 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Defog
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 240 SpD / 20 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
Latios-Mega @ Latiosite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Psychic
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 196 SpD / 60 Spe
Careful Nature
- Horn Leech
- Nature's Madness
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt
Heatran @ Groundium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Def / 204 SpD / 4 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Defog
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 240 SpD / 20 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
Latios-Mega @ Latiosite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Psychic
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 196 SpD / 60 Spe
Careful Nature
- Horn Leech
- Nature's Madness
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt
Heatran @ Groundium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
Accomplishments:
WEAKNESSES
PuP Lopunny - Make sure to keep Celesteela, Latios, and Zapdos as healthy as possible to beat it
Volcarona - Gastrodon, Heatran, and Latios can beat some variants but its certainly a tough one. Make sure you get rocks up and try to just spam attacks at it
PuP Lopunny + Volcarona - save yourself from tilting and click X lol
Medicham - Another tough one. Latios can revenge kill it but it is a pain to switch into. You can go Celesteela on the Fake Out and just Heavy Slam on turn 1 when they predict the protect. That way you force a 50/50
Charizard-Y - Latios is the main counter but if its Zardy + TTar then you have to play extremely carefully
Tyranitar - Not many switchins. Get off Earthquakes with Latios and you can also Z Move it with Heatran. Bulu wins 1v1
I'll add more later because I am probably forgetting a ton
SHOUTOUTS:
Shedinja balance : Thunder Pwoell BanDisnDatnMe
Draco
WG <3
Other honorable mentions: Huge shoutout to Latioswars for his peak and also to Jascha and many more for testing the team and proving it wasn't garbage
I honestly would give a shoutout to everyone I know closely on PS but there are just too many amazing people for me to try and convince myself to dig up all of their smogon accounts and put them into one giant ass list. But you know who you are and don't feel any less appreciated then those I put above :)
Anyways yeah, thanks for reading. This is one of my more serious teams, and one of my most successful as well. If you decide to use the team, I hope you enjoy it! Also as always feedback on really anything at all is always more then welcome.
Thanks once again :D
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