Poison and Penguins, a match made in Heaven

[Ffancrzy]

Hey guys, its Mister Militia back in action after a LONG hiatus with another OU RMT.

Last time I came back from a hiatus, I decided to try out a team based on Toxic Spikes here (don't bump that). When I came back this time, I've tried a variety of teams, but settled on updating the team for the new Salamenceless metagame. This team aims to get up (and keep up) toxic spikes, then perform a late game sweep with the all mighty penguin, Empoleon.

Changes in Bold

Team At a Glance​

The Lead

Rade (Roserade) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP/88 Def/156 Spd/12 SDef
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Sleep Powder
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ground]
---

When you think of offensive ways to lay down the Toxic Spikes, think no further than Roserade. Roserade is a very solid and proven lead in since its move up to OU and needs no introduction. Sleep Powder despite its somewhat shaky (and always frustrating) accuracy is vital to the teams success. A successful sleep always leads to at least one layer of Toxic Spikes, and with my bulky spread and leftovers, if needed I can force down 2. I opt for Leaf Storm over Grass Knot for the extra power and the ability to hit Vaporeon harder. Hidden Power Ground comes in handy for those pesky grounds that like to switch in on my spikes. Against common Taunt leads like Azelf, its often correct to simply go for the leaf storm and break the Sash as they almost always waste a turn Taunting. Against Crobat you can often go straight to Tyranitar and either take the Taunt, or the Brave Bird with little problem. Against Metagross its always a 50/50 on weather they have Shucka Berry, or Lum, and can lead to some problems. Overall I am satisfied with Roserade, but its hard to get any momentum if Sleep Powder misses. The jury is still out on the bulky version of Roserade. Being able to take a Dynamic Punch is good, and it also lets Roserade switch back in later to either lay down some spikes it didn't get to, or that got spun/absorbed away earlier, or come in and sleep something slow.

The Hitman

Tom (Rotom-h) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd/252 SAtk/4 SDef
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Trick

Scarf Rotom fills many holes on this team. It gives me 3 great resistances, it (along a similar vein) is a spin blocker, and it is a revenge killer, which might be most important, as it gets me out of a lot of jams. Shadowball is over HP Ground for STAB to compliment the Thunderbolt and great Overheat. Rotom is really the glue to this team, revenging a lot of problem pokemon as well as handling many Dragon Dancing threats, or other set up sweepers, either with Trick, or just raw speed and power. This has some redundancy with Zapdos, which is why I might switch one out, but I think that the additional benefits mentioned give the edge to our ghostly friend.


(On) The Rocks

Pert (Swampert) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Swampert has taken over for my awkward Heatran slot. Swampert lets me do 2 things, Get down rocks, and provide a key set of resistances from which I can pivot about. Additionally the bulky build allows him to take hits while still dishing out STAB Earthquake. I opt for Hidden Power Electric here over something like Surf or Roar to have another reliable check to DDdos which if Rotom goes down, or has to trick its scarf, is impossibly difficult to deal with. It also lets me hurt any Skarmory that switch in on my Earthquake, assuming I cannot hurt them, and helps against other Bulky Waters. Swampert has been a great upgrade so far, despite sharing a type with my main late game sweeper, their secondary types allow them to have key resistances to the others main weaknesses.

The Zap

Dos (Zapdos) @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Heat Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
---
Zapdos has been much better for me on this team as of late. I originally took Zapdos off in favor of Swampert, figuring that Heatran would allow me to have a nice Fire Water Grass core from which to work with. This issue was that Heatran lacked the coverage and recovery of Zapdos. Zapdos's typing, while feeling redundant with Rotom, is excellent defensively. Between being able to switch in on Earthquakes aimed at my Tyranitar and Empoleon, and Roost, despite Zapdos having a Life Orb, its surprisingly durable. The other switch I made was to add Hidden Power Grass in place of HP Ice. HP Ice often proved fruitless as anything you'd want to hit with it is either covered by Heat Wave, or outspeeds you, either after a Dragon Dance (Dragonite) or with a Scarf (Flygon). HP Grass also gives me a non-Roserade check to Swampert that has proved quite useful. It also lets me hit almost anything in OU for neutral damage.

The Trapper

Tar (Tyranitar) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake

Choiced Starmie and such can be a really be pain to my team as it has such great coverage. Tyranitar lets me come in on certain pokemon, and perform a routine trap,easily eliminating a counter to my Empoleon. This guy is great against Blissey too, especially if you've already had your poison spikes down too as it lets you pursuit them out on the switch with relative impunity. This is a great teammate for Empoleon because it ensures some of the better counters for it are shut down. The switch from Band to Scarf has proved fruitful as I am now much less vulnerable due to the increased speed. This still lets me pursuit trap many common threats, like Starmie, Rotom, Gengar, and Azelf, while being able to revenge kill as well. Great teammate.

The Janitor

Leon (Empoleon) (M) @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 24 Def/232 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Agility
- Substitute
- Surf
- Ice Beam

SubPetayaAgiliEmpoleon, one of my favorite sweepers. This is usually my last pokemon revealed, and with good reason. Once its checks are dealt with (usually Blissey) it can literally tear through a team single handedly (I've surprised my self and come back from 5-2 or 4-1 to win with this puppy. With the second most resistances of any fully evolved pokemon, the chances it can come in on a resisted attack, Agility up and Sweep are quite high. Toxic Spikes from Roserade compliment Empoleon nicely, hampering almost all its counters. Additionally, Empoleon resists almost all priority moves, save Vacuum Wave and Mach Punch, neither of which are seen much outside of Breloom and Infernape, both of which are OHKOed by Empoleon.


Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Friar]

Hi,

I'm going to go in a slighty different direction from Fried_Rhys here. TSpikes Empoleon teams tend to be defensive, and yours is no different. Let's see if we can't change some things around to make this team great.

First off, a Bulky Roserade set could do you wonders. This recent innovation helps Roserade tackle recent lead trends and keeps it very viable. I would suggest this set:

Roserade @ Leftovers
Timid / Natural Cure
252 HP / 88 Def / 12 Sp. Def / 156 Speed
-Sleep Powder
-Toxic Spikes
-Leaf Storm
-HP Ground

Being able to more reliably combat Machamp and other leads is a huge help to your team and to Roserade's ability to set up your Toxic Spikes. HP Ground is a good option in my mind because Heatran can be a tad problematic it looks like, and being able to remove a Shuca Berry on a switch could be huge!

I like the idea of a bulkier Scarf Rotom just like Fried_Rhys, so take his advice on that one, its good advice ;)

Replace SR with Explosion on Heatran. Usually I would suggest Taunt, but your team really wants Bulky Waters and Blissey out of the way fast because Roserade wont be sticking around, so a good Explosion will help you out if your prediction is on. Use a Naive nature with 4 evs in Attack.

Now, Zapdos is certainly replacable as Fried_Rhys noted. However, the problem with adding Scarf Flygon is that you would have too many choice users. A ground type is a good bet though, I suggest Swampert. Its a good switch into Dragonite and Heatran, two Pokemon that aren't very kind to your team at the moment. It also gets you your SR back. Here is the set:

Swampert @ Leftovers
Relaxed / Torrent
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp. Attack
-Earthquake
-Ice Beam
-Stealth Rock
-Roar

Finally, I would switch Choice Items on Tyranitar, from Band to Scarf. CB Tar is no where near as useful in this metagame as scarf, and will help you deal with many Pokemon, such as Rotom, Starmie, and Gengar more easily. This will take some pressure off your core and give you a backup revenge killer should Rotom have to Trick it's Scarf (which may have to happen on this team to deal with CM 3 Attack Suicune and the like). Go with a Jolly Nature, 4 HP / 252 Attack / 252 Speed with a moveset of Stone Edge / Pursuit / Crunch / Earthquake.

That's all I have, good luck going forward!

 

[Adm. Empoleon]

THIEF! I WILL KILL YOU! lol jk.

i have been using a team similar to this one but with a few changes:

1. mixedvire over zapdos. this will provide a nice electric resistance you need for Empoleon, and an awesome sweeper to your team. say that starmie switchs in on Empoleon. whatcha gonna do? switch to vire knowing that he'll use t-bolt. that way he'll gain +1 to speed which should be enough to outspeed and OHKO starmie with either t-punch or t-bolt.

2. gengar over rotom. also a nice ground and fighting immunity. plus, it's a great sweeper. why not?

3. i have been using a smeargle recently as a lead. it's basically a spikes lead with t-spikes over spikes
smeargle@focus sash
252 spd/252 def/ 4 def
any +spd nature
~toxic spikes
~spore
~u-turn
~zen headbutt

you want stealth rock and a nice bulky poke? swampert. the set is the same as the one above me.

other than that, nice team!

hope i helped!

 

[Ffancrzy]

Hi,

I'm going to go in a slighty different direction from Fried_Rhys here. TSpikes Empoleon teams tend to be defensive, and yours is no different. Let's see if we can't change some things around to make this team great.

First off, a Bulky Roserade set could do you wonders. This recent innovation helps Roserade tackle recent lead trends and keeps it very viable. I would suggest this set:

Roserade @ Leftovers
Timid / Natural Cure
252 HP / 88 Def / 12 Sp. Def / 156 Speed
-Sleep Powder
-Toxic Spikes
-Leaf Storm
-HP Ground

Being able to more reliably combat Machamp and other leads is a huge help to your team and to Roserade's ability to set up your Toxic Spikes. HP Ground is a good option in my mind because Heatran can be a tad problematic it looks like, and being able to remove a Shuca Berry on a switch could be huge!

I like the idea of a bulkier Scarf Rotom just like Fried_Rhys, so take his advice on that one, its good advice ;)

Replace SR with Explosion on Heatran. Usually I would suggest Taunt, but your team really wants Bulky Waters and Blissey out of the way fast because Roserade wont be sticking around, so a good Explosion will help you out if your prediction is on. Use a Naive nature with 4 evs in Attack.

Now, Zapdos is certainly replacable as Fried_Rhys noted. However, the problem with adding Scarf Flygon is that you would have too many choice users. A ground type is a good bet though, I suggest Swampert. Its a good switch into Dragonite and Heatran, two Pokemon that aren't very kind to your team at the moment. It also gets you your SR back. Here is the set:

Swampert @ Leftovers
Relaxed / Torrent
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp. Attack
-Earthquake
-Ice Beam
-Stealth Rock
-Roar

Finally, I would switch Choice Items on Tyranitar, from Band to Scarf. CB Tar is no where near as useful in this metagame as scarf, and will help you deal with many Pokemon, such as Rotom, Starmie, and Gengar more easily. This will take some pressure off your core and give you a backup revenge killer should Rotom have to Trick it's Scarf (which may have to happen on this team to deal with CM 3 Attack Suicune and the like). Go with a Jolly Nature, 4 HP / 252 Attack / 252 Speed with a moveset of Stone Edge / Pursuit / Crunch / Earthquake.

That's all I have, good luck going forward!

Of all the suggestions, I like these the best. Swampert looks like a very good idea, as Zapdos has been a bit of a weak link, I'll try it out.

 

[ToF]

I mean I like the team aesthetically (probably because there are some movesets and Pokemon that I love on this team), but practically these team has a lot of problems with a few threats, most notably any form of Tyranitar and Gyarados. 5/6 of your team is walled by Tyranitar lol...and if Rotom-H gets Pursuited (kinda easy considering 5/6 of your team Tyranitar can take on single-handedly), Dragon Dance Gyarados beats you handily. You need something that can backup as a counter to both of these.

Swampert is an excellent suggestion over Heatran in my opinion. With the combination of Tyranitar and Heatran, you have sort of redundant countering coverage. Swampert gives you that necessary Tyranitar switch-in, as well as something that can tank hits from Gyarados (I recommend running HP Electric on Swampert solely for Gyarados, because it's a pain otherwise, unless you can play around Pursuiting).

Opposing Swampert now become a pain without a lure to kill them with Heatran. HP Grass on Zapdos solves this. HP Ice is solely for catching things like Scarf Flygon on the switch, which you can play around now with Swampert on the team. Speaking of Flygon, try and kill it as soon as possible, because it is often the only thing preventing an Empoleon sweep (except Blissey, who falls to Toxic Spikes).

 

[IronBullet]

Hey,

Really solid team. As Friar suggested, a bulky Roserade would do you good, but since you're quite weak to LO Starmie, I'd suggested trying it out as a mid-game bulky Spiker. Now Roserade becomes a solid check to Life Orb Starmie and offensive Suicune, two Pokemon who look like they might cause trouble seeing as you've replaced Zapdos with Swampert. A moveset of Grass Knot/Toxic Spikes/HP Fire/Stun Spore or Rest should work well. As for the EVs, I'd recommend simply maxing out HP and Special Defense and giving it a Calm nature. This allows it to tank special hits extremely well, even super-effective Ice Beams. It also makes an excellent Rotom check. Now you can move Swampert to the lead spot instead.

Since you've freed up a spot on Heatran, I'd suggest trying out Taunt to make it an excellent stall-breaker. This guy rips through most stall teams, easily defeating Blissey with Taunt and its powerful Fire Blasts. You can keep the same attacking moves, or you could try out HP Electric to hit Gyarados harder.

You could try out HP Electric on Swampert as ToF suggested, but since Rotom already makes a great Gyarados check, I'd suggest trying out Ice Beam to deal with DD Dragonite and Gliscor.

Very nice team, gl!

 

[ForTheSwarm]

3. i have been using a weird smeargle recently as a lead. hope this works!
smeargle@power herb (the herb which allows the poke holding it to attack first)
252 spd/252 atk/ 4 def
any +spd nature
~toxic spikes
~spore
~u-turn
~zen headbutt

Uh... Power Herb doesn't make you attack first, it just removes the charge-up turn on things like Solarbeam.

 

[Ffancrzy]

I made some team changes based off the suggestions given. So far I've really loved the addition of Swampert to this team, as it gives me less redundancy and a better Stealth Rock user.