Snakes on a Jellyfish

[DDRMaster]

I've been using this team for about two weeks now and it eventually peaked at 39th in DW OU before the ladder was reset. I want some feedback on this team before I try my hand at laddering again.

At a glance:

Team building process:

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I knew I wanted to use Serperior as the main sweeper from the start and I carried over Mienshao from my previous team because it's such a good lead.

Next, I looked at the Pokemon that would counter my HP Fire Serperior. I knew Heatran and Blissey could easily take Leaf Storms and Toxic Spikes were very problematic for Serperior. Thus, I realized Toxic Spiking Tentacruel was a great partner for it.

After that, I knew Latios had also given my Serperior a hard time, so decided that Specially Defensive Jirachi would be able to take it out while also being able to take Outrages if the need arised.

At this point, I thought about getting some synergy with Tentacruel and Jirachi. I noticed that Electric and Ground attacks would be problematic for them and that Serperior was my only resistance to these types. This is why I chose defensive Gliscor to take these attacks and beak down stall teams with Taunt.

Finally, I needed a Ghost-type to prevent my hazards from being spun away. I would normally have picked Jellicent but I already have Tentacruel as my bulky water and I also currently have no Ghost resistance, which is problematic when Chandelure shows up. This is why I chose Spiritomb as its combination of Pursuit and Sucker Punch takes out Ghost and Psychic-types quite easily.

In Depth Look:

Asura (Mienshao) @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpAtk)
Ability: Regenerator

~ Fake Out
~ Hi Jump Kick
~ Stone Edge
~ U-turn

Mienshao makes a great lead and can at least 'break even' against just about every Pokemon in the tier; most Ghost-types get dented with U-turn and everything else gets hit with Fake Out. Fake Out and U-turn provide me with a great way to scout and rack up damage and Hi Jump Kick will take a chunk out of anything that doesn't resist it.

Stone Edge isn't seen often on Mienshao, but I like it better than Hidden Power Ice. Stone Edge hits Zapdos and Dragonite harder than HP Ice and will still OHKO Moxie Salamence. It's also very useful for Chandelure to take it out before it can set up unless it's Scarfed. The EVs max out Mienshao's Attack and Speed and the remaining 4 EVs are placed into SpDef to prevent Genesect from getting a SpAtk boost with Download.

Other considerations
None. HP Ice might be useful for Gliscor and Intimidate Salamence, but the former isn't guarenteed to be OHKO'd without taking Stealth Rock damage and the latter isn't too common. Golurk would also be hit harder with HP Ice, but Spiritomb is much better at taking it on.

Synergy

Spiritomb/Jirachi

Jirachi

Name Origin
Like all of my Pokemon, Mienshao is named after a summon from Final Fantasy.

Asura, queen of the Eidolons...Lady Wife of the Eidolon King, and gatekeeper to all who would address him. Only those possessed of wit enough to turn her strength against her, and so overcome her challenge, may address the king himself.
—Eidolon Library, Final Fantasy IV

This is pretty fitting for Mienshao since I'm using her as a lead and one of the best ways to weaken her is to switch a Ghost-type into Hi Jump Kick.

Sylph (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpDef / 32 Spe
Nature: Careful (+SpDef, -SpAtk)
Ability: Serene Grace

~ Iron Head
~ Body Slam
~ Stealth Rock
~ Wish

Standard Specially Defensive Jirachi. I chose Body Slam over Thunder Wave so I could Paralyze things after Jirachi gets Taunted and have a decent move to use against Water-types. Although, I've found that Body Slam can be unreliable and I don't really need to Paralyze Ground-types besides Excadrill, who Jirachi shouldn't be staying in against. The reason I want a move that can Paralyze even while running Toxic Spikes is that I'd much rather Paralyze things like Dragonite and Steel-types like Genesect are immune to Toxic.

I need Stealth Rock to help against Dragonite and Volcarona and Wish is here because none of the other members on my team have a reliable form of recovery. It also lets it stall against a lot of Special attackers, as they can't do enough damage to 4HKO Jirachi. The EVs are standard for this type of Jirachi, and allow it to outrun Jolly Tyranitar, even though I'm not sure how common that is.

Other Considerations
Fire Punch over Wish, Thunder Wave over Body Slam, and Shed Shell. As much as I use Wish, Fire Punch would be a nice option to hit Scizor with and Thunder Wave is a more reliable way to Paralyze non-Ground-types. Although I haven't seen it yet, Sub Calm Mind Chandelure can easily set up on Jirachi and take it out as well as one of my other Pokemon. I often don't mind getting trapped by Scarf Chandelure, as I can just take it out with Spiritomb and it often comes in on Mienshao, anyway.

Synergy

Tentacruel

Gliscor/Serperior

Name Origin
Sylph is a summon in the Final Fantasy series that heals the party's HP, much like how Jirachi heals the team with Wish. While there are many summons that do this, I feel that Jirachi looks the most like Sylph due to the streamers on its back.

Atomos (Spiritomb) @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpDef
Nature: Sassy (+SpDef, -Spe)
Ability: Pressure

~ Sucker Punch
~ Pursuit
~ Psychic
~ Pain Split

I'm just going to copy the exact discription I used when I posted this set in the creative moveset thread.

IMO, this is the best Pokemon to trap and kill annoying Pokemon like Espeon, Alakazam, Wobbuffet, and Chandelure (mainly if you're playing Dream World). These Pokemon are often forced to do little damage to Spiritomb as it wears them down with Pursuit or outright KO's them if they switch. Sucker Punch is the priority move of choice to take out more potent threats like Specs Latios and Chandelure. Shadow Sneak would be an alternative, but Spiritomb needs the extra power as even frail Pokemon like Alakazam and Gengar aren't OHKO'd by it.

The last two moves are what sets this Spiritomb apart from the standard Choice Band set. Psychic makes this Spiritomb a good check for Fighting-types like Mienshao, Toxicroak, and Conkeldurr and means it's not set up fodder for Keldeo and Terrakion. Will-O-Wisp could go in this slot to cripple most Fighting-types as well as Steel-types that switch in, but that would do nothing to Sub Toxicroak, Keldeo, and Special Lucario and would actually benefit Conkeldurr.

Pain Split is Spiritomb's only form of recovery outside of Rest, which would be a terrible idea this gen with the new sleep mechanics. Pain Split also deals damage to the opponent and is a great move to use after Spiritomb has taken out a Pokemon. Most Pokemon can't OHKO Spiritomb if it's in good health, so it can simply take an attack from whatever comes in and take a chunk of its HP away while healing it back to enough health to take another hit when it comes back in. This makes that Pokemon much easier to take down by the rest of the team.

Other Considerations
I've been considering a more offensive spread of 252 HP / 200 Atk / 56 Def with an Expert Belt. This allows Spiritomb to always OHKO Chandelure with Sucker Punch or Pursuit if it switches and gives it about a 68% chance to KO Latios with the same attack. The boost from Expert Belt also allows it to OHKO bulky Toxicroak with Psychic and Mienshao now takes a minimum of 80% from it, as well.

Why not Tyranitar?
While Tyranitar is great at taking out Latios, Espeon, and Chandelure and messing up weather teams, Alakazam and Gengar can still take it out with Focus Blast, and would pose a problem to this team. Ice Punch Toxicroak and Lucario are also problematic for this team and Tyranitar can't really do anything to them. Finally, Sandstorm negates Serperior's Leftovers Recovery, which makes it much harder to SubSeed.

Synergy
Spiritomb has no weaknesses but I usually send Gliscor or Tentacruel in against the Dark and Steel-types that wall it.

Name Origin
As a summon, Atomos is associated with the Gravity-element. Gravity attacks usually take the opponent down to a set percentage of their remaining HP, much like Pain Split takes the opponent down to a set amount of HP. As an enemy, Atomos's signature attack is called Wormhole, which has a chance to remove of the player characters from the battle or cause instant death. This is very similar to how Spiritomb can use Pursuit and Sucker Punch to take out the apposing Pokemon.

Leviathan (Tentacruel) @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SpDef / 16 Spe
Nature: Calm (+SpDef, -Atk)
Ability: Liquid Ooze

~ Scald
~ Ice Beam
~ Rapid Spin
~ Toxic Spikes

Tentacruel is here to take Fire attacks aimed at Serperior (and Ice and Bug attacks to a lesser extent), to remove Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and to set its own Toxic Spikes down. Toxic Spikes are a great way to wear down defensive Pokemon, particularly because Serperior has Substitute, Gliscor has Protect and Taunt, and Meishao has Fake Out. Scald is for STAB and the Burn chance is always a plus, particularly against Steel-types like Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Genesect. Rapid Spin is mainly here for Spikes as only Gliscor is immune to them and Serperior doesn't really mind Stealth Rock damage.

I chose Ice Beam specifically for my opponent's Serperior. This allows Tentacruel to prevent Serperior from setting up a Sub against it. Liquid Ooze is also chosen for Serperior, as it could easily use Leech Seed first and then spam Substitute to wear Tentacruel down. The EVs are the similar to the standard Toxic Spikes set with enough Speed to outrun Adamant Breloom but I put the Def EVs into SpDef to make it easier to take attacks from the likes of Heatran, Serperior, Keldeo, and Genesect.

Other Considerations
I've been considering using Rain Dish instead of Liquid Ooze and moving some EVs from SpDef to Def. My opponent's Serperior rarely uses Leech Seed on Tentacruel and I often find myself switching Tentacruel into Politoed, who will end up healing it thanks to bringing permanent Rain. The Def EVs would be to take hits from Physical Infernape and Scizor better, as they are hard to take out with the rest of my team.

Synergy

Spiritomb/Jirachi

Gliscor/Serperior

Gliscor/Serperior

Name Origin
Leviathan is the standard Water elemental summon in Final Fantasy. That's about all there really is to it as it doesn't poison anything and is a sea serpent instead of a jellyfish.

Hecatoncheir (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Nature: Impish
Ability: Poison Heal

~ Earthquake
~ Ice Fang
~ Taunt
~ Protect

This is the standard Defensive set but with Ice Fang over Toxic. Toxic isn't really neccesary for Gliscor on this team, as Toxic Spikes will already Poison everything that's not grounded or is a Steel-type. Using both Taunt and Ice Fang is very useful as I can Taunt Pokemon like Ferrothorn who with try to set up hazards or hit Gliscor with Leech Seed while Ice Fang takes out Dragon and Flying-types like Dragonite and Zapdos that like to come in on Serperior.

Protect is an amazing move for Gliscor as many physical Pokmeon can't hit Gliscor hard enough with nuetral attacks and it also allows Gliscor to scout Choice users. However, it becomes even more potent if Tentacruel has layed some Toxic Spikes down or if Serperior has hit the opponent with Leech Seed. This allows Gliscor to wear the opponent down very quickly. The EVs are standard for Gliscor and allow it to outrun Jolly Tyranitar.

Other Considerations
I've considered running either 116 Spe EVs to outrun Modest Heatran or 212 Spe EVs to outrun Timid Heatran so I don't have to worry about HP Ice when I send Gliscor in against offensive Heatran. However, I'm worried that it would take too much of its bulk away and then it would no longer be able to tank physical hits like it's supposed to.

Synergy

Tentacruel/Jirachi

Tentacruel/Serperior

Name Origin
Hecatoncheir is an Earth-elemental summon with many arms in Final Fantasy XIII. It also has an attack called Aerial Tackle, which is fitting for Gliscor, even though I'm not running Acrobatics.

Bahumut (Serperior) @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spd
Nature: Timid
Ability: Contrary

~ Substitute
~ Leaf Storm
~ Hidden Power [Fire]
~ Leech Seed

This is the star of the team. Serperior easily comes in on bulky Waters and can set up a Sub that will usually remain in tact. It even has a chance to take a bulky Vaporeon's Scald in the Rain. Even if the bulky Water has Ice Beam to break Serperior's Sub, he can still use Leech Seed first, take an Ice Beam, and then proceed to use Substitute until the Water-type is in KO range of Leaf Storm. He can even use this strategy against its would be counters like Dragonite and Blissey. Serperior will usually lose little HP as it spams Substitute and can actually gain it back against Pokemon with particularly high HP. Even if they decide to heal themselves, Serperior can simply use that opportunity to get off a Leaf Storm to boost its SpAtk.

Once Dragon and Fire-types are out of the way, Serperior can sweep with boosted Leaf Storms and Hidden Powers. The EVs provide maximum Speed and SpAtk with the remaining EVs placed in SpDef. Placing the remaining EVs in HP is a bad idea because it makes Substitute take 1 more HP to create while Serperior won't regain an extra point from Leftovers. This means that after using Substitute and having 4 turns of Leftovers recovery, Serperior will have one less HP than he started with. Placing the EVs in also means that Genesect will get a boost to its Atk instead of its SpAtk thanks to Download.

Other Considerations
I've considered other types of Hidden Powers but I like having the ability to hit Grass-types that are immune to Leech Seed. While HP Ice also does that, Heatran is the major counter to Serperior and Dragonite can usually be SubSeeded much more easily. HP Fire is also more useful against Ferrothorn and Skarmory.

Synergy

Tentacruel

Tentacruel/Jirachi

Jirachi

Gliscor/Tentacruel/Mienshao

Jirachi/Tentacruel/Spiritomb/Gliscor

Name Origin
Bahumut is a dragon summon in the Final Fantasy games and is probably the most well know out of all of them. While Serperior isn't a dragon and Bahumut has arms, legs, and wings, their potency and designs are quite similar.

 

[DDRMaster]

Offensive Threats

Tyranitar: Mienshao can switch in on Crunch or Stone Edge and take it out with Hi Jump Kick. Jirachi can come in on anything but Fire Blast and 2HKO it with Iron Head. Gliscor can also take it on but has to watch out for Ice Beam.

Rotom-W: Nothing on the team really likes getting hit with Trick or Will-O-Wisp but Gliscor can switch in on a Choiced Electric attack and force it out while Tentacruel can take Hydro Pump. Jirachi is my switch in to it if I can't figure out what it's going to do and can Paralyze it with Body Slam.

Scizor: My best bet is usually to Burn it with Tentacruel's Scald and then take it out with Gliscor. Swords Dance variants with Roost are particularly annoying.

Dragonite: Gliscor can take Dragon Claws while 2HKOing it with Ice Fang. If I realize it's a Special variant, I send in Jirachi to take it out.

Politoed: Tentacruel is usually the best switch in to Politoed and start setting up Toxic Spikes to wear it down.

Heatran: Heatran is pretty annoying for this team and I'm usually forced to break offensive Heatran's Balloon with Tentacruel and then take it out with Gliscor's Earthquake. More Defensive variants can usually be taken out more easily by Gliscor.

Latios: Jirachi can take anything from Latios just fine except Choice Specs HP Fires and Specs Rain boosted Surfs, which Tentacruel can take fairly easily. Jirachi can then Paralyze Latios with Body Slam and then KO it with Iron Head.

Reuniclus: Spiritomb can take on Trick Room variants with ease and Reuniclus usually doesn't come in on my other Pokemon without taking a hit. More defensive ones can usually be taken out by Jirachi.

Haxorus: This has caused a lot of problems for my team, especially if it comes in without taking damage from Toxic Spikes. Not even Jirachi can really take boosted Outrages and dies to Earthquake. I've been able to take it out eventually with Mienshao's Fake Out or Spiritomb's Sucker Punch but it usually ends up taking down one of my Pokemon.

Ninetales: It can't really do much to Tentacruel and Mienshao can outspeed it and KO it with either HJK or Stone Edge.

Conkeldurr: Gliscor is usually my Pokemon to take it out but if it comes in on Spiritomb, I'll try to take it out with Psychic.

Celebi: I don't have a true counter for Celebi, but it can't come in very easily against any of my Pokemon, either.

Terrakion: Gliscor can take on most variants of Terrakion while Jirachi can switch in on its Stone Edges. Spiritomb can also check it with Psychic and Serperior can also take it out with Leaf Storm as long as it doesn't boost its Speed.

Gyarados: I'm not really sure how exactly I've been taking this out, but I haven't had much of a problem with it.

Gengar: Gengar can't 2HKO Spiritomb with Shadow Ball unless it has Choice Specs and gets OHKO'd by Sucker Punch or Pursuit if it switches. Spiritomb can also keep breaking its Subs with Pursuit or Sucker Punch if it tries to attack or use Disable.

Starmie: Spiritomb can take this on as well and Serperior has nothing to fear from it if it doesn't have Ice Beam.

Landorus: Gliscor can take it on if it doesn't have HP Ice but if it does, I have to do some crafty switching to get Serperior in to 2HKO it with Leaf Storm while not getting OHKO'd in return by HP Ice.

Infernape: Tentacruel can usually take it on but has to watch out for ThunderPunch. Gliscor can take on physical variants that don't run HP Ice.

Volcarona: Volcarona has been really annoying for this team. Tentacruel can't take it on if it's Sunny and nothing else can take boosted Fire Blasts. I often have to have it come in on Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes to effectively take it down.

Magnezone: Magnezone only really threatens Jirachi, who generally outspeeds it and hits it with Body Slam. Serperior can then come in and take it out if it doesn't have a boosted HP Ice.

Espeon: Spiritomb easily comes in on it and takes it out with Pursuit or Sucker Punch. More defensive ones won't always be OHKO'd, but won't really be able to come in again.

Salamence: I think I only ever saw one of these and Mienshao took it out. Like Dragonite, Gliscor can take boosted attacks and only really fears Draco Meteor and Hydro Pump.

Hydreigon: Similarly to Latios, it can't do a whole lot to Jirachi without resorting to Fire Blast. Tentacruel can also take its attacks after it uses Draco Meteor and KO it with Ice Beam.

Breloom: Gliscor can take on Poison Heal Breloom fairly easily as long as it doesn't get Spored before Toxic Orb activates. Technician Breloom are usually used either as early or late game sweepers. Mienshao usually takes out the former, while the latter usually gets hit by Toxic Spikes, limiting its time to sweep.

Latias: Essentially the same as Latios. Jirachi can take its attacks, Paralyze it, and KO it with Iron Head.

Toxicroak: Gliscor can take it out if it lacks Ice Punch, but I generally send out Spiritomb against it because it can take a Sucker Punch and then always OHKO offensive Toxicroak with Psychic. Defensive Toxicroak usually lead with Substitute, which lets Spiritomb take it out after the Sub is broken.

Lucario: Like Toxicroak, Gliscor can take on physical variants that lack Ice Punch and Spiritomb can take on Special ones.

Virizion: Jirachi can usually take on Special variants while Gliscor can usually take on physical variants.

Scrafty: Scrafty needs Ice Punch to take Gliscor out and Jirachi can take an attack before using Body Slam. Mienshao can switch in on Crunch or Bulk Up and take it out with HJK.

Venusaur: Venusaur is annoying mainly because it absorbs Toxic Spikes and Tentacruel is the only thing that can really take it on. I usually have to attack it with whatever I have out so it doesn't use Growth.

Metagross: Gliscor can take on Metagross as long as it doesn't have Ice Punch and Tentacruel and Jirachi can take Choiced Meteor Mashes.

Mienshao: I usually see these as leads, so they have to win the Speed tie with my Mienshao to get Fake Out off. After that, I try to get it to hurt itself by missing Spiritomb with HJK before KOing it with Psychic.

Cloyster: This can't set up on anything very effectively as it risks a Burn from Tentacruel, Gliscor Taunts it, Jirachi flinches it with Iron Head or Paralyzes it with Body Slam, Spiritomb is slower than it so it will get both a Psychic and Sucker Punch in, and Mienshao and Serperior will KO it outright.

Mamoswine: Another annoying Pokemon to face, as all of my Pokemon besides Mienshao and Spiritomb are weak to either Ground or Ice. I can get Jirachi in on an Ice Shard and then try to flinch it with Iron Head and Mienshao can KO it with HJK.

Tornadus: This isn't too common in Dream World since Thundurus is allowed there, but I do see it occasionally. Jirachi can take its attacks and Paralyze it with Body Slam.

Chandelure: This will usually get a kill if it's Scarfed, but Spiritomb can Pursuit it afterwards. I haven't seen any Sub Calm Mind ones that Mienshao didn't KO with Stone Edge.

Serperior: This is difficult to take out but I make sure I have ways around it. Toxic Spikes are particularly useful against it as it prevents it from stalling with Substitute.

Ditto: What I send in on Ditto depends entirely on what it came in on. Although, due to the fact that's it's almost always locked into one move, it's generally pretty easy to set up on.

Golurk: Spiritomb is immune to Dynamic Punch and isn't weak to Shadow Punch like most Ghost-types. It can then proceed to take it out with either Sucker Punch or Pursuit.

Keldeo: Keldeo can be pretty annoying but Serperior can switch in on Surf or Calm Mind and 2HKO it with Leaf Storm, taking a Secret Sword in the process.

Genesect: Genesect can't get a SpAtk boost against any of my Pokemon but Gliscor, who then can scout its move with Protect. Gliscor can take anything but Ice Beam, Jirachi can take anything but Flamethrower, and Tentacruel can take anything but Thunderbolt so I have multiple options for switch ins for it.

Excadrill: Gliscor can check Excadrill with Earthquake while Mienshao can pop its Balloon with Fake Out, if it decides to carry one. Most Excadrill I face choose to attack instead of setting up, which makes them easier to take out with Gliscor.

Garchomp: This wasn't allowed on the ladder when I was first playing, but Gliscor should be able to take it out with Ice Fang and Mienshao and Serperior can revenge kill it.

Zapdos: Almost all of them are Sub Roost variants with Lightningrod and HP Ice, which means Jirachi can take them on fairly well.

Thundurus: Also not on the ladder at first but I figure I can take them out with Jirachi like I did with Zapdos. Nasty Plot is a problem, but I should at least be able to weaken it enough for Mienshao or Spiritomb to be able to take it out with their priority moves.

Blaziken: Gliscor should be able to take it on unless Sun is boosting its Flare Blitzes.

Manaphy: I honestly don't know what I can do against this thing. Serperior and Mienshao likely won't be able to OHKO it and Jirachi can't even Paralyze it in the Rain.

Defensive Threats

Ferrothorn: Mienshao can switch in on Spikes or Leech Seed and take it out with HJK while Gliscor can switch in on Thunder Wave or an attack and Taunt it to prevent set up.

Gliscor: My own Gliscor can usually take it on unless it has both Swords Dance and Ice Fang. In that case, I have to get Serperior in on a Swords Dance or Earthquake to take it out with Leaf Storm.

Jirachi: Gliscor can take its attacks and take it out with Earthquake while Taunting it if it tries to set anything up.

Skarmory: Gliscor comes in and Taunts it, which almost always forces it out.

Forretress: Gliscor comes in and Taunts it, just like every other defensive Steel-type it seems.

Jellicent: Serperior only has Burn to fear as it switches in and gets a Sub up. If it has Ice Beam, I can always use Leech Seed first.

Tentacruel: Tentacruel is much more annoying than other bulky Waters because it removes Toxic Spikes and isn't weak to Leaf Storm. Also, I can't always hit it with Leech Seed because of the threat of Liquid Ooze.

Gastrodon: Serperior can come in on Scald or Earth Power and take it out with Leaf Storm.

Blissey: Mienshao only really fears getting hit with Thunder Wave while it can take it out with HJK. Gliscor can also come in and Taunt it. Tentacruel also doesn't mind Blissey comes in on it and can continue setting up Toxic Spikes.

Vaporeon: Like other bulky Waters, Serperior comes in and sets up on it. It's even better to use Leech Seed on Vaporeon due to its high HP.

Swampert: Like Gastrodon, Serperior can easily take it out with Leaf Storm.

Mew: Gliscor only really fears Ice Beam and can proceed to Taunt it. Jirachi and Spiritomb can also take its attacks, but have to watch out for Will-O-Wisp.

Slowbro: It's a bulky Water, so Serperior takes it out.

Quagsire: Serperior again and Unaware is useless in this case as Leaf Storm will OHKO even at +0.

Deoxys-S: This is always a lead and rarely caries Psycho Boost so Mienshao is free to hit it with Fake Out and U-turn. Serperior can then either take it out with Leaf Storm or set up a Sub first.

Amoonguss: I usually send Gliscor in against Amoonguss since Toxic Orb makes it immune to Spore but it can't do a whole lot back to it. Also, Amoonguss's Regenerator allows it to switch out and come back in whenever it wants, making it difficult to take out.