Hello everyone! Welcome to my first ever post on Smogon. Although I am new here, I am no stranger to competitive battling, and have been playing on the smogon servers and PO servers since the beginning of Gen V, and even well before during Gen IV.
Pirates of the Poke-world
The theme of my team is Pirates.
Pirates have taken and taken all throughout history and continue to do so today, however on a much smaller scale. And this is what inspired me to make this team. With a meta game overflowing with Weather based teams and over powered weather abusers, one often finds themselves struggling with one certain type of weather. The main idea behind my team is to take over the match, and win regardless of the weather while not using any of my own, so in a sense I'm taking whatever you have and using it as much as i can.
I carry no spinner, no walls, and no weather. How crazy am I?
You don't need to answer that...
So onto the team building and thinking process.
Team:
Well I haven't seen many Volt-Turning based teams as much since BW2
I started with Scizor + Rotom-W : Because they are great for keeping momentum and cover eachothers weakness's well.
I then added Azelf : Because i needed Rocks and wanted to continue the pressure while being able to use SR effectively.
Next was both the Therians : Landorus T and Thundurus T were added because they both have monstrous attack stats in their own respects. And can both keep pace and abuse different forms of weather well.
Finally was Hydreigon : because I feel every team needs some form of dragon offense. Hydreigon can abuse certain weather aswell and he too can keep the pace. Switched out Landorus T, for Landorus Because of his superior speed stat allowing me to deal with Faster set up sweepers easier.
The Team in Depth:
Azelf @ Life orb/Red card
Rash - 252Speed 252Atk 6hp
Levitate
Taunt
Stealth Rocks
Psychic
U-turn
Well Azelf is usually my lead, however that really is subject to change depending on what how I feel. Azelf is great for this team as he packs a punch with Psychic, and can ruin common walls with Taunt, often allowing him to set up Rocks for my team a lot easier. U-turn is the crux of the set allowing me to keep momentum and keep the pace of the match fast enough so as to keep my opponent on their heels. Also an offensive pivot for the team as Psychic deals with the ever common Breloom, and the abundance of fighting types on the fly. I changed his scarf to Life orb for more power, however sometimes i dabble with Red card incase i make a mistake and allow something to set up, I just sac Azelf as he is the least crucial member of the team mid or late game.
Rotom-W @ ChoiceScarf
Modest -252Speed 252Spatk 6hp
Levitate
Trick
Hidden Power [Fire]
Hydro Pump
Volt Switch
Classic Rotom W with HP for for Scizors or Ferrothorns who come in on me.
Rotom is also great because he too can shut down pokemon via Trick and also keeps momentum extremely well with Volt switch. Hydro pump is a great stab and even better in rain. With the dominance of Tornadus T in ou Rotom is a great pokemon to carry for battling rain teams. He also makes an impact facing sand teams as well and is an all around solid pokemon. Also Checks Landorus extremely well who would otherwise be a problem for this team.
Scizor @ ChoiceBand
Adamant - 252Atk 220HP 36Speed
Technician
Bullet Punch
U-Turn
Super Power
Pursuit
The Second part of the "Volt-turn" duo, Scizor comes in as a power house once again. You've all seen and know what Scizor can do. There is nothing i need to explain about this set that hasn't been said before, but i will say this he serves as my only source of priority and also keeps key threats like Cloyster, Mamoswine, and Terrakion all in check and can KO any of them when needed. He is excellent for keeping momentum and makes a fine trapper for those choice locked Latios and such.
Hydreigon @ Expert belt
Mild 252Speed 252Spatk 4atk
Levitate
Draco Meteor
U-turn
Fire blast
Focus blast
Hydreigon is an excellent pokemon to have when facing sun teams, and even some rain teams. Dragon typing has a lot of benefits in those situations for sure, not to mention he has a wonderful move pool and access to some very high powered special attacks to go with his great special stats. U-turn again is the crux of this set allowing him to also keep the pressure on and keep my opponent guessing. Draco meteor is going to smash anything that doesn't resist it of isn't a blob. Fire blast is great for taking on sun teams, and Focus Blast is great for heatran and ferrothorn while in rain, provides great coverage as fighting is an excellent offensive type move. I'm running expert belt to bluff choice while also allowing my coverage to go to work for me and break common walls.
Thundurus T@ ChoiceScarf
Naive 252Speed 252spatk 4hp
Volt absorb
Thunder Bolt
Volt Switch
Hidden Power Ice
Focus Blast
So I decided to run Thunderbolt after all and continue to abuse volt switch. Hidden power ice is great combined with those moves for coverage and of course Focus blast for the ever annoying steel types. Thundurus really helps keep momentum and makes a deadly one-two punch with landorus as they hit on opposite sides of the damage scale. Much like Scizor and Rotom W these two are always playing tag with one another and can turn any match around when played right. Thundurus serves as a great answer to rain teams combined with Rotom W and an excellent revenge killer.
Landorus @ ChoiceScarf
Naive 252Speed 236atk 16spatk
Sand Force
U-turn
Stone edge
Earthquake
Hidden Power Ice
.So this WAS Landorus T, hence the picture but I`m too lazy to redo it on paint.This form of Landorus is my best bet against Volcarona and generally does the same thing minus Intimidate. His set is simple and standard for scarfed versions as far as i know. I added some special attack Evs just to get it to an even 270, and leaving his attack at 345. Earthquake and Stone edge for the infamous edge-quake combo and works really nice. U-turn is the theme of the teams offense and he uses it extremely well. HP ice again for dragons and coverage. Hes a great pokemon to have against sand and sun as well. He captains this team as the main star and i feel can be an impact in any weather.
Conclusion:Overall I can deal with any weather as long as I don't derp out. This team is so fast and it runs like a machine.
Once i get in a motion it often just goes and goes and goes ,until the match is over. If i lose its usually because i made a stupid choice or something. You all know the routine.
Sun : Hydreigon - Landorus
Rain: Rotom-W - Thundurus - Hydreigon
Sand: Scizor - Landorus - Rotom-W
Hail: Scizor - Rotom-W
Even the ones who arent listed can work in any weather when played correctly.
Again i DO NOT carry rapid spin. And i dont need to. Spikes can only hit Scizor, and Tspikes cannot hit anything on my team. Rocks only really hurt on Thundurus and Landorus but in most cases is never really a problem.
When facing stall the main idea is to Trick the scarf asap and then Do as much damage as i can each time i bring in a new attacker. And is a lot easier to deal with again because hazards don't hurt my team as much as other teams who are grounded. Also Azelf with Taunt just makes life easier.
Tbh i don't see many baton pass teams. So i can't say I've tested this against many.
I suppose this may qualify as a form of Hyper offense.
Thank you all for reading and rating. Please Luv Disc If you like this team.
If not Luv Disc because All artwork was done by me :) on paint.
Any feedback is appreciated. Please stick to the theme of the team
Pirates of the Poke-world
The theme of my team is Pirates.
Pirates have taken and taken all throughout history and continue to do so today, however on a much smaller scale. And this is what inspired me to make this team. With a meta game overflowing with Weather based teams and over powered weather abusers, one often finds themselves struggling with one certain type of weather. The main idea behind my team is to take over the match, and win regardless of the weather while not using any of my own, so in a sense I'm taking whatever you have and using it as much as i can.
I carry no spinner, no walls, and no weather. How crazy am I?
You don't need to answer that...
So onto the team building and thinking process.
Team:
Well I haven't seen many Volt-Turning based teams as much since BW2
I started with Scizor + Rotom-W : Because they are great for keeping momentum and cover eachothers weakness's well.
I then added Azelf : Because i needed Rocks and wanted to continue the pressure while being able to use SR effectively.
Next was both the Therians : Landorus T and Thundurus T were added because they both have monstrous attack stats in their own respects. And can both keep pace and abuse different forms of weather well.
Finally was Hydreigon : because I feel every team needs some form of dragon offense. Hydreigon can abuse certain weather aswell and he too can keep the pace. Switched out Landorus T, for Landorus Because of his superior speed stat allowing me to deal with Faster set up sweepers easier.
The Team in Depth:
Azelf @ Life orb/Red card
Rash - 252Speed 252Atk 6hp
Levitate
Taunt
Stealth Rocks
Psychic
U-turn
Well Azelf is usually my lead, however that really is subject to change depending on what how I feel. Azelf is great for this team as he packs a punch with Psychic, and can ruin common walls with Taunt, often allowing him to set up Rocks for my team a lot easier. U-turn is the crux of the set allowing me to keep momentum and keep the pace of the match fast enough so as to keep my opponent on their heels. Also an offensive pivot for the team as Psychic deals with the ever common Breloom, and the abundance of fighting types on the fly. I changed his scarf to Life orb for more power, however sometimes i dabble with Red card incase i make a mistake and allow something to set up, I just sac Azelf as he is the least crucial member of the team mid or late game.
Rotom-W @ ChoiceScarf
Modest -252Speed 252Spatk 6hp
Levitate
Trick
Hidden Power [Fire]
Hydro Pump
Volt Switch
Classic Rotom W with HP for for Scizors or Ferrothorns who come in on me.
Rotom is also great because he too can shut down pokemon via Trick and also keeps momentum extremely well with Volt switch. Hydro pump is a great stab and even better in rain. With the dominance of Tornadus T in ou Rotom is a great pokemon to carry for battling rain teams. He also makes an impact facing sand teams as well and is an all around solid pokemon. Also Checks Landorus extremely well who would otherwise be a problem for this team.
Scizor @ ChoiceBand
Adamant - 252Atk 220HP 36Speed
Technician
Bullet Punch
U-Turn
Super Power
Pursuit
The Second part of the "Volt-turn" duo, Scizor comes in as a power house once again. You've all seen and know what Scizor can do. There is nothing i need to explain about this set that hasn't been said before, but i will say this he serves as my only source of priority and also keeps key threats like Cloyster, Mamoswine, and Terrakion all in check and can KO any of them when needed. He is excellent for keeping momentum and makes a fine trapper for those choice locked Latios and such.
Hydreigon @ Expert belt
Mild 252Speed 252Spatk 4atk
Levitate
Draco Meteor
U-turn
Fire blast
Focus blast
Hydreigon is an excellent pokemon to have when facing sun teams, and even some rain teams. Dragon typing has a lot of benefits in those situations for sure, not to mention he has a wonderful move pool and access to some very high powered special attacks to go with his great special stats. U-turn again is the crux of this set allowing him to also keep the pressure on and keep my opponent guessing. Draco meteor is going to smash anything that doesn't resist it of isn't a blob. Fire blast is great for taking on sun teams, and Focus Blast is great for heatran and ferrothorn while in rain, provides great coverage as fighting is an excellent offensive type move. I'm running expert belt to bluff choice while also allowing my coverage to go to work for me and break common walls.
Thundurus T@ ChoiceScarf
Naive 252Speed 252spatk 4hp
Volt absorb
Thunder Bolt
Volt Switch
Hidden Power Ice
Focus Blast
So I decided to run Thunderbolt after all and continue to abuse volt switch. Hidden power ice is great combined with those moves for coverage and of course Focus blast for the ever annoying steel types. Thundurus really helps keep momentum and makes a deadly one-two punch with landorus as they hit on opposite sides of the damage scale. Much like Scizor and Rotom W these two are always playing tag with one another and can turn any match around when played right. Thundurus serves as a great answer to rain teams combined with Rotom W and an excellent revenge killer.
Landorus @ ChoiceScarf
Naive 252Speed 236atk 16spatk
Sand Force
U-turn
Stone edge
Earthquake
Hidden Power Ice
.So this WAS Landorus T, hence the picture but I`m too lazy to redo it on paint.This form of Landorus is my best bet against Volcarona and generally does the same thing minus Intimidate. His set is simple and standard for scarfed versions as far as i know. I added some special attack Evs just to get it to an even 270, and leaving his attack at 345. Earthquake and Stone edge for the infamous edge-quake combo and works really nice. U-turn is the theme of the teams offense and he uses it extremely well. HP ice again for dragons and coverage. Hes a great pokemon to have against sand and sun as well. He captains this team as the main star and i feel can be an impact in any weather.
Conclusion:Overall I can deal with any weather as long as I don't derp out. This team is so fast and it runs like a machine.
Once i get in a motion it often just goes and goes and goes ,until the match is over. If i lose its usually because i made a stupid choice or something. You all know the routine.
Sun : Hydreigon - Landorus
Rain: Rotom-W - Thundurus - Hydreigon
Sand: Scizor - Landorus - Rotom-W
Hail: Scizor - Rotom-W
Even the ones who arent listed can work in any weather when played correctly.
Again i DO NOT carry rapid spin. And i dont need to. Spikes can only hit Scizor, and Tspikes cannot hit anything on my team. Rocks only really hurt on Thundurus and Landorus but in most cases is never really a problem.
When facing stall the main idea is to Trick the scarf asap and then Do as much damage as i can each time i bring in a new attacker. And is a lot easier to deal with again because hazards don't hurt my team as much as other teams who are grounded. Also Azelf with Taunt just makes life easier.
Tbh i don't see many baton pass teams. So i can't say I've tested this against many.
I suppose this may qualify as a form of Hyper offense.
Thank you all for reading and rating. Please Luv Disc If you like this team.
If not Luv Disc because All artwork was done by me :) on paint.
Any feedback is appreciated. Please stick to the theme of the team