well, hello there, this is my first RMT, but it doesn't means that i have been trying this team for a long while.
the concept behind this team was originally to make houndoom shine (my fav poke) so a Batonpassing team looked like a good option.
Still, i had have some preivious experience witrh BP teams (a beastly chain in dreamworld with BP blaziken and espeon) but this team differs a lot from longer BP chains since it also aims to be very quick, offensive and flexible (if the BP strategy gets screwed the team can still function as an offensive team).
also, i'm aware that this could perfectly be an UU team just replacing Mienshao ( i'm accepting suggestions for an UU poke that can fill a similar role) but i'm kinda ddicted to shaos HJKs *¬*
also this team tries to shy away from legendary pokes and use a selction of pokes i kinda like. but still is designed with performance in mind.
withouth further introduction, the team:
Mienshao:The path of Yin
-Life Orb//Regenerator
Naive/ Evs: 252 Atk /252 speed /4 SPa
-Fake out
-High Jump Kick
-U turn
-Hidden power Ice.
a very standar mienshao set. quick and deadly. its usually the lead and his objective is to gain the most ammount of momentum posible the first 2-3 turns while forcing the opponent to adopt an defensive strategy. when not leading she can be a very effective revenge killer and physical sweeper once ghosts and faster mons have been taken out. if employed correctly her HJK is trully an assasination weapon, even denting what resist it.
Gardevoir: Let's dance, the deadliest dance.
-Light Clay//Trace
Timid/ Evs 252 HP /252 Speed /4 SPd
-Light Screen
-Reflect
-Thunder wave /Magic Coat
-Memento
a double screener, trace can give her lots of chances to enter the fray and do her magic, and since there is always the chance she may be a sweeper the opponent have to guess at least one turn before being 100% sure to taunt. still, withouth magic coat she is completly taunt bait. so she needs to be played carefully. thanks to trace and psychic resist (and also tge fact that the opponent would be playing defensivly) she can found some instances of switching after a mienshao's U turn and keep developing the strategy. Thunder wave is prefered since she is still most of the cases a single use pokemon and her objective is to give venomoth the biggest amount of chances at setting up. also helping her setting up against strong attackers. but magic bounce help her shutting up taunters.
Memento is to guarantee venomoth at least one turn of setup as well as putting it on the field unscratched. sadly she is kinda a sacrifical lamb :( poor Gardy... so loyal Y.Y.
Venomoth: Forbidden knowledge of the night butterflies
-Leftovers//Tinted Lens/Shield Dust
Bold/EVs 252 hp/ 240 speed/ 16 Def
-Quiver Dance
-Baton Pass
-Sleep powder/Bug Buzz/ Substitute.
-Sleep Powder/Bug Buzz/ Substitute.
I've never have used venomoth before, but I've been very happy with her performance so far. most of the times, with aid of Gardevoir, it gets the job done. yet, it's the poke in my team i'm feeling most insecure about her set.
foour slot syndrome all along, no matter how much i tweak the set, it seems that there is always a time when i direly miss one of them.
So far i've gave priority to subtitute since i want my little BP chain to be as safe as it can be. since i'm aiming to get as many quiver dances as i can posible keeping away the chances of a crit, a hax status (such as par or freeze) and mostly keeping control of the situation as long as i can. (plus if the attacker is special based, after 1 or 2 quiver dances my subs can take 2 hits. )
paired with bug buzz and tinted lenses seems to be a very safe but not so high reward option, as veny becomes much less taunt or trick bait. to the point of sweeping entire teams if gets tricked a choice specsif you managed to get 2 dances. and putting lots of pressure to taunters so they can't freely do whatever they want.
sub +sleep is the high risk high reward option. coupled with memento, and thunder wave, sleep powder (providing it hits) can give you a second completly free setup turn+and gives you teh abbility to pass a sub along the quiver dances (meaning that not even the most powerful priority can stop you). also there is a chance that due to fear to getting another poke sleep, the opponent will keep his paralyzed poke, with it's extremly beneficial to venomoth. specially with substitute, as it can opens lots of free turns. the problem is that you become completly taunt bait and if you make a little error and get tricked, venomoth will also be dead weaight. plus, outside BP, venomoth will ending being death weight in your team. unlike with bug buzz where you still could hit and damage phazers. also it kinda makes you predictable.
I'm going to try now Sleep powder+bug buzz combintaion right now.. though i can't count the ammount of times sub have saved me.
also.. the evs haven't been given much though. i need the biggest ammount of phisycal bulk while being able to outspeed lots of things after only one quiver dance. but certainly the EVs can still be optimized (276 normal speed with these Evs)
now that i have the baton pass set up, lets get to the sweepers :) this is not the first venomoth BP quiver dance to nidoking team you have ever seen, and I certainly know that i havent invented the genre. but what sets this team aparts of other teams is having not one predictable sweeper, but 3 special sweepers that their not so good speed tends to be their worst enemy that are perfectly capable of using quiver dance to its full extent, while at the same time, so different between themselves than they hardly overlap. and can still be useful outside the chain, thus granting flexibility.
so lets get to the 3 Kings.
Nidoking: knowledge of the secret magicks
Life Orb// sheer force
Timid/ Evs 252 speed/ 252 SPa /4 hp
-Earthpower
-Icebeam
-Thuderbolt
-Flamethrower
All hail the king of coverage. seriously, it almost seems like i'm hitting for SE damage 75% of the time i attack with this beast. sheer force+lifeorb have been discussed to death and make special nidoking very dangerous. just look at the usage list, and this nidoking can probably hit for SE the first 10 (and conkeldur mach punch only tickles nidoking, while recieving enough damage for eathpower to be imposible to setup) add to the equation only one quiver dance boost. and not only nidoking will be denting anything not named blissey, but will outspeed almost everything not scarfed. also, it resist rock attacks that may be aimed to venomoth, making it easy to baton pass on a predicted stonedge, and it resist the most common priority (mach punch). he isn't very bulky but this facts greatly helps him entering the stage, and if the team is not prepared. or sacrify some pokemons to wear it down with priority, it usually ends with a gg. the speed is also very useful outside the BP chain, letting it revenge kill some things. it's downide is that its weak to 2 kinds of attack that usually are aimed at venomoth, psychic and ground. but given the right team support, he can truly shine.
if the enemy team doesn't have blisseys and venomoth is not being constatly attacked by psyshocks and earthquakes, he is the most likely candidate to recieve the boosts.
Houndoom: The darkest hour.
Baloon // Flash Fire
Naive/ Evs 240 speed (314)/ SPa 240/ Atk 28
-Fire Blast
-Dark Pulse
-Sucker Punch
-Taunt /maybe HP fighting?
Houndoom , my fav pokemon. I have mixed feelings for him. i can only wonder how the strategy would work with a volcarona or a chandelure instead (i also love both of them), and even if it have some strenght's and niches he isn't that good. but at the same time, since it have lots of interesting options, it can be quite unpredictable since not most people isn't familiar with it and it's different sets can achieve quite different things, and it can be very useful if you play it at it's strenghts.
still, it's typing and immunities have a VERY powerful sinergy with the team. nidoking venomoth and gardevoir can take fighting attacks aimed at her while empoleaon can take water attacks. Also, it just simply loves to recieve a baton pass freely while the enemy is trying to take venomoth with fireblitz or psyshocks, (and with baloon, eartquakes). while getting a flash fire boost, along with quiver dances can dent even things that resist it (or blissey). dark pulses can also threaten various pokes and quicks darkpulses have also a handy chance to flinch.
now taunt can be a little unorthodox on houndoom, specially since its supposed to be a sweeper, and certainly it doesnt have the bulk to get hits. but to the moment, is my best chance to beating blyssey and keep my chain. very important if i managed to get 3 dances or more. aslo, it can be very useful on lots of outside the chain scenarios. (it's funny how paired with baloon you can completly shut hippowdowns, and extremly useful at taking out dusclops and other bulky ghosts. so you can unleash mienshao's HJKs safer).
and suckerpunch. again, on a special sweeper may sound odd. but it helps alot against lots of things outside of the chain. still, azumarill and conkeldurr are houndooms doom (:o) with their priorty. but if venomoth manages to add a substitute to the chain (outside a chain would be wiser just switch out) just this simply fact can greatly threathen both this pokes since a boosted fireblast decimates conckeldur, and a combination of darkpulse and suckerpunch can terminate azumarill. Tyranitar also gives some problems and even with FF boosted FB you can only take out half of tyranitars health at best. HP fighting maybe could help this scenario, (as helping against heatharan) but the whole four moves seem to be very useful on houndoom. (and i need taunt to stop blissey withouth loosing the boosts)
also the Evs are pretty rushed, so i'm certainly accepting suggestion in that matter. (the nature is for not being a complete paper sword and take resisted priorty such as bullet puches or ice shards)
Also i'm still not 100% regarding baloon since genrally empoleon seems to be a better baloon user but houndoom apreciate the biggest ammount of immunities it can get.
Empoleon: The emperor of the deep.
Baloon//Torrent
Bold/ Evs 252 hp/ 220 Spa / 36 Def (156 speed)
-Surf
-Icebeam
-Grass Knot
-stealthrock /signal beam
this slot was previously used by a offensive jellicent but i've found that with nidoking and venomoth around, I don't need too much the fighting resist. so i though wich other special viable water sweeper i could use that could make use of the speed boost and remembered reading that empoleon fav sets were agility sets. It's my first time using an empoleon and in 4th I never fought too much aginst them anyways so i'm a little new to what he can do. still it have been proved to be a more valuable member than jellicent (even though offensive jellicent have taken so much people by surprise, 2koing pokes that though that could set up on him). the Evs aren't optimized either, but it aims to give him a respectable physical bulk, being extremly useful to resist pretty well outrages and retaliating back with ice beam. giving me an edge against various popular dragons. (and withouth BP my team had previously some problems against powerful outrages). and baloon can be quite useful on him if you manage to keep it for a long time. most notably is stopping excadrill right in his tracks, since neither rock slide or X scizzor do much damage and i can retaliate back with surf if he tries to break the baloon. grass knot also helps lots against quagsires, wich otherwise could ignore a BP with unaware.
signal beam proved useful some times aginst bulky psychics but is not an attack i was using too much or i said "Thank god i have signal beam!". right now i'm testing stealth rock, which can be useful if i need to use empoleon as a lead or if he have a free turn to keep the opponent switching less when the team forsakes the BP strategy and starts acting as an ofensive team. but I'm certainly not finding the time to use it much either. maybe i could try sub to keep the baloon intact for more time? or a HP...
so, here you have it.. my first RMT. i haven't won any tournaments yet with it. but teir performance in OU have been fairly good, and it's nice to be able to pose a threath with so cool non legendary pokes :D. comments and suggestions are really apreciated.
the concept behind this team was originally to make houndoom shine (my fav poke) so a Batonpassing team looked like a good option.
Still, i had have some preivious experience witrh BP teams (a beastly chain in dreamworld with BP blaziken and espeon) but this team differs a lot from longer BP chains since it also aims to be very quick, offensive and flexible (if the BP strategy gets screwed the team can still function as an offensive team).
also, i'm aware that this could perfectly be an UU team just replacing Mienshao ( i'm accepting suggestions for an UU poke that can fill a similar role) but i'm kinda ddicted to shaos HJKs *¬*
also this team tries to shy away from legendary pokes and use a selction of pokes i kinda like. but still is designed with performance in mind.
withouth further introduction, the team:
Mienshao:The path of Yin
-Life Orb//Regenerator
Naive/ Evs: 252 Atk /252 speed /4 SPa
-Fake out
-High Jump Kick
-U turn
-Hidden power Ice.
a very standar mienshao set. quick and deadly. its usually the lead and his objective is to gain the most ammount of momentum posible the first 2-3 turns while forcing the opponent to adopt an defensive strategy. when not leading she can be a very effective revenge killer and physical sweeper once ghosts and faster mons have been taken out. if employed correctly her HJK is trully an assasination weapon, even denting what resist it.
Gardevoir: Let's dance, the deadliest dance.
-Light Clay//Trace
Timid/ Evs 252 HP /252 Speed /4 SPd
-Light Screen
-Reflect
-Thunder wave /Magic Coat
-Memento
a double screener, trace can give her lots of chances to enter the fray and do her magic, and since there is always the chance she may be a sweeper the opponent have to guess at least one turn before being 100% sure to taunt. still, withouth magic coat she is completly taunt bait. so she needs to be played carefully. thanks to trace and psychic resist (and also tge fact that the opponent would be playing defensivly) she can found some instances of switching after a mienshao's U turn and keep developing the strategy. Thunder wave is prefered since she is still most of the cases a single use pokemon and her objective is to give venomoth the biggest amount of chances at setting up. also helping her setting up against strong attackers. but magic bounce help her shutting up taunters.
Memento is to guarantee venomoth at least one turn of setup as well as putting it on the field unscratched. sadly she is kinda a sacrifical lamb :( poor Gardy... so loyal Y.Y.
Venomoth: Forbidden knowledge of the night butterflies
-Leftovers//Tinted Lens/Shield Dust
Bold/EVs 252 hp/ 240 speed/ 16 Def
-Quiver Dance
-Baton Pass
-Sleep powder/Bug Buzz/ Substitute.
-Sleep Powder/Bug Buzz/ Substitute.
I've never have used venomoth before, but I've been very happy with her performance so far. most of the times, with aid of Gardevoir, it gets the job done. yet, it's the poke in my team i'm feeling most insecure about her set.
foour slot syndrome all along, no matter how much i tweak the set, it seems that there is always a time when i direly miss one of them.
So far i've gave priority to subtitute since i want my little BP chain to be as safe as it can be. since i'm aiming to get as many quiver dances as i can posible keeping away the chances of a crit, a hax status (such as par or freeze) and mostly keeping control of the situation as long as i can. (plus if the attacker is special based, after 1 or 2 quiver dances my subs can take 2 hits. )
paired with bug buzz and tinted lenses seems to be a very safe but not so high reward option, as veny becomes much less taunt or trick bait. to the point of sweeping entire teams if gets tricked a choice specsif you managed to get 2 dances. and putting lots of pressure to taunters so they can't freely do whatever they want.
sub +sleep is the high risk high reward option. coupled with memento, and thunder wave, sleep powder (providing it hits) can give you a second completly free setup turn+and gives you teh abbility to pass a sub along the quiver dances (meaning that not even the most powerful priority can stop you). also there is a chance that due to fear to getting another poke sleep, the opponent will keep his paralyzed poke, with it's extremly beneficial to venomoth. specially with substitute, as it can opens lots of free turns. the problem is that you become completly taunt bait and if you make a little error and get tricked, venomoth will also be dead weaight. plus, outside BP, venomoth will ending being death weight in your team. unlike with bug buzz where you still could hit and damage phazers. also it kinda makes you predictable.
I'm going to try now Sleep powder+bug buzz combintaion right now.. though i can't count the ammount of times sub have saved me.
also.. the evs haven't been given much though. i need the biggest ammount of phisycal bulk while being able to outspeed lots of things after only one quiver dance. but certainly the EVs can still be optimized (276 normal speed with these Evs)
now that i have the baton pass set up, lets get to the sweepers :) this is not the first venomoth BP quiver dance to nidoking team you have ever seen, and I certainly know that i havent invented the genre. but what sets this team aparts of other teams is having not one predictable sweeper, but 3 special sweepers that their not so good speed tends to be their worst enemy that are perfectly capable of using quiver dance to its full extent, while at the same time, so different between themselves than they hardly overlap. and can still be useful outside the chain, thus granting flexibility.
so lets get to the 3 Kings.
Nidoking: knowledge of the secret magicks
Life Orb// sheer force
Timid/ Evs 252 speed/ 252 SPa /4 hp
-Earthpower
-Icebeam
-Thuderbolt
-Flamethrower
All hail the king of coverage. seriously, it almost seems like i'm hitting for SE damage 75% of the time i attack with this beast. sheer force+lifeorb have been discussed to death and make special nidoking very dangerous. just look at the usage list, and this nidoking can probably hit for SE the first 10 (and conkeldur mach punch only tickles nidoking, while recieving enough damage for eathpower to be imposible to setup) add to the equation only one quiver dance boost. and not only nidoking will be denting anything not named blissey, but will outspeed almost everything not scarfed. also, it resist rock attacks that may be aimed to venomoth, making it easy to baton pass on a predicted stonedge, and it resist the most common priority (mach punch). he isn't very bulky but this facts greatly helps him entering the stage, and if the team is not prepared. or sacrify some pokemons to wear it down with priority, it usually ends with a gg. the speed is also very useful outside the BP chain, letting it revenge kill some things. it's downide is that its weak to 2 kinds of attack that usually are aimed at venomoth, psychic and ground. but given the right team support, he can truly shine.
if the enemy team doesn't have blisseys and venomoth is not being constatly attacked by psyshocks and earthquakes, he is the most likely candidate to recieve the boosts.
Houndoom: The darkest hour.
Baloon // Flash Fire
Naive/ Evs 240 speed (314)/ SPa 240/ Atk 28
-Fire Blast
-Dark Pulse
-Sucker Punch
-Taunt /maybe HP fighting?
Houndoom , my fav pokemon. I have mixed feelings for him. i can only wonder how the strategy would work with a volcarona or a chandelure instead (i also love both of them), and even if it have some strenght's and niches he isn't that good. but at the same time, since it have lots of interesting options, it can be quite unpredictable since not most people isn't familiar with it and it's different sets can achieve quite different things, and it can be very useful if you play it at it's strenghts.
still, it's typing and immunities have a VERY powerful sinergy with the team. nidoking venomoth and gardevoir can take fighting attacks aimed at her while empoleaon can take water attacks. Also, it just simply loves to recieve a baton pass freely while the enemy is trying to take venomoth with fireblitz or psyshocks, (and with baloon, eartquakes). while getting a flash fire boost, along with quiver dances can dent even things that resist it (or blissey). dark pulses can also threaten various pokes and quicks darkpulses have also a handy chance to flinch.
now taunt can be a little unorthodox on houndoom, specially since its supposed to be a sweeper, and certainly it doesnt have the bulk to get hits. but to the moment, is my best chance to beating blyssey and keep my chain. very important if i managed to get 3 dances or more. aslo, it can be very useful on lots of outside the chain scenarios. (it's funny how paired with baloon you can completly shut hippowdowns, and extremly useful at taking out dusclops and other bulky ghosts. so you can unleash mienshao's HJKs safer).
and suckerpunch. again, on a special sweeper may sound odd. but it helps alot against lots of things outside of the chain. still, azumarill and conkeldurr are houndooms doom (:o) with their priorty. but if venomoth manages to add a substitute to the chain (outside a chain would be wiser just switch out) just this simply fact can greatly threathen both this pokes since a boosted fireblast decimates conckeldur, and a combination of darkpulse and suckerpunch can terminate azumarill. Tyranitar also gives some problems and even with FF boosted FB you can only take out half of tyranitars health at best. HP fighting maybe could help this scenario, (as helping against heatharan) but the whole four moves seem to be very useful on houndoom. (and i need taunt to stop blissey withouth loosing the boosts)
also the Evs are pretty rushed, so i'm certainly accepting suggestion in that matter. (the nature is for not being a complete paper sword and take resisted priorty such as bullet puches or ice shards)
Also i'm still not 100% regarding baloon since genrally empoleon seems to be a better baloon user but houndoom apreciate the biggest ammount of immunities it can get.
Empoleon: The emperor of the deep.
Baloon//Torrent
Bold/ Evs 252 hp/ 220 Spa / 36 Def (156 speed)
-Surf
-Icebeam
-Grass Knot
-stealthrock /signal beam
this slot was previously used by a offensive jellicent but i've found that with nidoking and venomoth around, I don't need too much the fighting resist. so i though wich other special viable water sweeper i could use that could make use of the speed boost and remembered reading that empoleon fav sets were agility sets. It's my first time using an empoleon and in 4th I never fought too much aginst them anyways so i'm a little new to what he can do. still it have been proved to be a more valuable member than jellicent (even though offensive jellicent have taken so much people by surprise, 2koing pokes that though that could set up on him). the Evs aren't optimized either, but it aims to give him a respectable physical bulk, being extremly useful to resist pretty well outrages and retaliating back with ice beam. giving me an edge against various popular dragons. (and withouth BP my team had previously some problems against powerful outrages). and baloon can be quite useful on him if you manage to keep it for a long time. most notably is stopping excadrill right in his tracks, since neither rock slide or X scizzor do much damage and i can retaliate back with surf if he tries to break the baloon. grass knot also helps lots against quagsires, wich otherwise could ignore a BP with unaware.
signal beam proved useful some times aginst bulky psychics but is not an attack i was using too much or i said "Thank god i have signal beam!". right now i'm testing stealth rock, which can be useful if i need to use empoleon as a lead or if he have a free turn to keep the opponent switching less when the team forsakes the BP strategy and starts acting as an ofensive team. but I'm certainly not finding the time to use it much either. maybe i could try sub to keep the baloon intact for more time? or a HP...
so, here you have it.. my first RMT. i haven't won any tournaments yet with it. but teir performance in OU have been fairly good, and it's nice to be able to pose a threath with so cool non legendary pokes :D. comments and suggestions are really apreciated.
