Please Rate My 3 Man SS Team 'Desert Eagle'

Hello all, this is my first attempt ever at a serious competitive team this generation, so I figured I would start off my practice in the battle subway and random WiFi matchup arenas. These both require solid 3 man teams with little weaknesses, so I thought I would give the sandstorm team a go, here they are:

[Excadrill]

move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Return
item: Air Balloon
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Excadrill acts as my main physical sweeper for the team. This guy really takes great advantage of his sand rush speed boost courtesy of Tyranitar, and he uses it to outspeed a huge portion of the metagame. His attack stat is boosted to ridiculous levels after a swords dance, and return in the final slot ensures some great neutral coverage and strength. Air balloon is used to keep him from being OHKO'd from a nasty earthquake, and saves his life quite often.

[Tyranitar]

move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Leftovers
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 180 SpA / 76 SpD

Tyranitar acts as my lead sand streamer, mixed attacker, stealth rock setter, and special wall for the team. This set grants this pokemon some great coverage and a fine STAB move in Crunch. Finally, his leftovers help keep him alive while he decimates the likes of Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forttress who try to set up on him.

[Salamence]

move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast
nature: Naive
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

Now here's the guy that has given me more than a few headaches. Salamence here is used mainly to counter the multitude of fighting types in this generation, and he is seen sporting this mixed set to outspeed and hit hard near everything else. Now here is where the intricacies come in, I have debated more than a few times using roost over fire blast, and replacing Naive with a Jolly Nature. Reason being he will quite frankly stay alive a whole lot longer with this recovery option with all that residual damage, even at the loss of some coverage, and not lose some crucial defense needed to stay alive. Also and finally I was thinking about moxie over intimidate, now given, he may need to take less opponent damage given all the hurt he's putting on himself, but does the added power outweigh the risk?

Let me know what you think and thank you so much for helping me out, I really appreciate all the insight!

phinamthi said:

Tyranitar with Special Attacks, Sassy Nature- No, just, no. A bulky Water type Pokemon can easily 2KO it.

Click to expand...

DDTar is 2hko'd easier by bulky waters than sp.def tar is lol.

Regardless, if you hope to sweep with Excadrill. Sp.Def Tank Tar is an amazing lure to Pokemon who wall it. It lures in things such as Skarm, Gliscor and Hippowdon and crushes them to put them in Excadrill sweep range.

DDTar is also rather bad in this metagame. Its easy to stop, switch into and set up on and is one of those walled by nearly everything with Def evs sort of pokes. DDTar is basically near obsolete. Tyranitar is better at other roles this generation.

EDIT:

Also Salamence isnt too good on sand teams. Sand, LO recoil really wear on it. If you want something to counter fighting types look into Landorus, Latios and Gliscor.

Landorus and Gliscor don't really work here because of my water weakness though is my problem. I will definitely look into both of them when the time comes to fill in my other three pokemon. Who could I replace Salamence with given that?

Thanks alot and please keep the ratings coming!

P.S.
I love the idea of Latios here, problem is I can only RNG in BW, and have no way of getting a decent one in this generation if I can't breed them unfortunately :'(

Ramos123 said:

Landorus and Gliscor don't really work here because of my water weakness though is my problem. I will definitely look into both of them when the time comes to fill in my other three pokemon. Who could I replace Salamence with given that?

Thanks alot and please keep the ratings coming!

P.S.
I love the idea of Latios here, problem is I can only RNG in BW, and have no way of getting a decent one in this generation if I can't breed them unfortunately :'(

Click to expand...

I can give you a Latios with the nature you want.

I don't think you'll go so far with mostly ground types, cause as you said, you'd have a great weakness against Water or Grass Pokemon.
I suggest scrolling through http://serebii.net/pokedex-bw/ground.shtmlhttp://serebii.net/pokedex-bw/ground.shtml or other types to find the right Pokemon

Edit: My internet is down so I can't really trade you, sorry

Quick Weavile makes your team cry :(

If you're using Tyranitar and his sand stream, why not send out a rock pokemon who can truly benefit from it? I may just be looking at phinamnthi's signature, but an Aggron would love some sp. Def boosting, plus he kills ice pokemon dead.

So, from Water Pokemon Master's post, I think it would be right to give you my Aggron Set

Aggron @ Leftovers
Rock Head
252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Joyful/Adamant
-Head Smash
-Earthquake
-Rock Polish
-Iron Tail/Aqua Tail

It doesn't have any Sp.D EV's, but this is my personal set.
First of all, Aggron should use Rock Polish to "Polish" up it's terrible speed.
Head Smash does incredible damage and you take no recoil thanks to Rock Head ability, but due to low PP, I suggest using as a last/2nd-to-last resort. Earthquake should fend off some of the best defensive types like Tyranitar for example. If you actually ARE fighting one, then Aggron should hold it's ground and stay alive because of the high base Def. it has.
I don't know what to say to for Iron Tail/Aqua Tail, but it can prove useful in certain occasions-such as being critical about how much PP you use.

Good luck, and have fun with the Aggron set :D

Before I say anything, let me tell you that looks like a SOLID Aggron set that I will undoubtedly use when I construct my full squad, and I really appreciate the time and effort that went into it's creation. That being said however, Aggron still doesn't quite give me the defensive type coverage I need now for the three man. With Tyranitar and Excadrill all EV trained, I'm stuck at the crossroads of picking a third pokemon :[. Dragon/Flying I feel gives me the best coverage (AND TRUST ME I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE RAYQUAZA), but who else could give me such coverage if not Salamence? Maybe Dragonite?

Thanks alot everybody!

How about this Dragonite set if you want a bulky attacker

Dragonite @ Leftovers/Life Orb
Multiscale
EV's: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spd-----Use for Leftovers
EV's: 216 HP / 80 Atk / 212 Spd-----Use for Life Orb
Adamant
-Dragon Dance
-Dragon Claw/Outrage
-Roost
-Earthquake/Fire Punch

This set uses Dragonite's great bulk, so it's easy to set up as many Dragon Dances as you can. If you take damage in the process, Roost will do the job. After you set up the DD, the choice between Earthquake and Fire Punch is a difficult one; Fire Punch and Dragon Claw together have great coverage against every Pokemon in OU bar Heatran, while Earthquake has a higher base power and you're only walled by Skarmory and Bronzong. So, let's keep this team of yours going.

http://www.smogon.com/dp/moves/fire_punch

Excadrill's fine - that thing's a beast in sand.

My main issue here is the Salamence. It means your whole team is weak to ice. Maybe Magic Guard Reuniclus with Life Orb? That way you don't have the fighting weakness and no Sandstorm damage, unless I misunderstood Magic Guard.

xiodinex said:

Excadrill's fine - that thing's a beast in sand.

My main issue here is the Salamence. It means your whole team is weak to ice. Maybe Magic Guard Reuniclus with Life Orb? That way you don't have the fighting weakness and no Sandstorm damage, unless I misunderstood Magic Guard.

Click to expand...

Tyranitar nor Excadrill are weak to Ice lol.

Dark Azelf is right I really don't see the ice type to be so much of a weakness. Thanks very much for the dragonite set but I was really using him just as an example of another strong dragon/flying type that could cover my grass, water, fighting and ground weaknesses. I'm not restricting Salamence's replacement to just another pokemon of his typing, just one that gives just as much defensive type coverage, preferably a special attacker. Reuniclus is a great idea for the 6 person team, but again, lacks in the coverage I need now. Great ideas though everybody keep them coming.

Ramos123 said:

Dark Azelf is right I really don't see the ice type to be so much of a weakness. Thanks very much for the dragonite set but I was really using him just as an example of another strong dragon/flying type that could cover my grass, water, fighting and ground weaknesses. I'm not restricting Salamence's replacement to just another pokemon of his typing, just one that gives just as much defensive type coverage, preferably a special attacker. Reuniclus is a great idea for the 6 person team, but again, lacks in the coverage I need now. Great ideas though everybody keep them coming.

Click to expand...

No problem, It was already on my team anyway, so it's no big deal.
Hmmm... Like I said, I'm not as good as this yet, so maybe give us raters some ideas? e.g "I would like to replace my Pikachu for Emolga, suggestions?"

phinamthi said:

No problem, It was already on my team anyway, so it's no big deal.
Hmmm... Like I said, I'm not as good as this yet, so maybe give us raters some ideas? e.g "I would like to replace my Pikachu for Emolga, suggestions?"

Click to expand...

Hmmmmmm... ok sure, I would like to replace my Salamence for a DW Exeggutor, any suggestions?

Well, if you're looking for a good replacement for Salamence, try Scizor with this set.

Scizor@ Life Orb
Adamant Nature
Ability: Techtician
EV's: 252 Atk/ 4 Sp Def/ 252 Spd
Swords Dance
Bullet Punch
Roost/Bug Bite
Roost/Brick Break

Swords Dance sets up already impressive Attack to OHKO mode, Bullet Punch has a base power of 90 thanks to STAB and Techtician, and is a priority move, Roost heals you, Bug Bite gets 135 (CRAZY) Base Power thanks to STAB/ Techtician combo, Brick Break is for Steel coverage.

This help you with Grass, Water, and Ground. SStill need to watch out for Fighting. I'd get a Skarmory for that.

Also, Exeggutor would be alright, but this is a sandstorm team, se he doesn't fit in.

I can see that you're also a Steel Type fanatic pkknight :D

That Scizor can do some (CRAZY) coverage for you team, I suggest to use that and maybe my Skarmory set.

Skarmory @ Shed Shell
Sturdy
252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Speed
Impish
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Stone Edge/Brave Bird
________________________________
HP and Def EV's should be at a max, because I don't think Skarmory is supposed to be offensive. Plus the fact that Skarmory shouldn't have to use Roost too often, taking the chance of using the other moves. This is a great stall and slowly HP rips the opponent's HP taking each one off, one by one. Set up the Spikes (and/or) Stone Edge and keep using Whirlwind, to tick the person on the other side off :D. Good luck!

Coincidentally, all of the Pokemon sets I gave you are from my own team, and none of them were my own suggestions.
Weird, huh?

Thanks so much for the continued feedback, I love the sets here. personally I think scizor would give me the best coverage if not from salamence though, particularly with this set here:

[scizor]
Move 1: swords dance
Move 2: bullet punch
move 3: bug bite
Move 4: roost
nature: adamant
Item: leftovers
ability: technician
Evs: 252 hp, 40 atk, 216 sp.d

This set aims to provide some bulk to allow a swords dance set up, and then provide a successful sweep. Bullet punch will be its primary attack of choice, with bug bite bringing another nice STAB to the table. Roost is great for shrugging off damage to keep this steel bug alive a bit longer to successfully KO the pesky grass, ice, water and even fighting types that try to ruin the fun additionally. I have also been caught between replacing bug bite and leftovers with superpower and life orb for enhanced offensive prowess, but am unsure if the risks outweigh the benefits given the situation.

Please let me know what you think, the reception has really been awesome so far!!!

I can no longer use Scizor on a side note because his moves roost and bug bite are not breed-able in BW, giving me no way to RNG some decent IV's for him :'(. Please let me know any alternatives for him you may know of.

Ok, sorry for the late reply
So you're picking Scizor right? That must mean that you want a battle done "Snap".
Try going for Rhypherior, it seems like a good/great bulky attacker.

Rhypherior @ Life Orb
Adamant/Jolly
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Solid Rock
-Swords Dance
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Fire Punch

This is a basic set, not much to explain. Swords Dance sets up a MUCH higher attack, and you'd scare away most of your biggest threats away, like Brongzong or Skarmory. Good luck!

Scizor Replacement Request

I can no longer use Scizor on a side note because his moves roost and bug bite are not breed-able in BW, giving me no way to RNG some decent IV's for him :'(. Please let me know any alternatives for him any of you may know of.