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Assassination in Sarajevo! [OU RMT]

Anti

return of the king
  • 10,818
    Posts
    17
    Years
    Assassination in Sarajevo!
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    An Anti Pop Culture Warrior Production

    Introduction
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    It's probably surprising to see me posting an RMT, but I really want to for a few reasons. First of all, I need help on this team, since it wasn't made with serious battling in mind (as you're about to see); however, it's not horrible, and it has actually won games against some of my fellow-PCers' normal OU teams. I haven't played on Smogon yet (mostly because I don't really feel like it yet, as I am still getting back into the flow of things), but I might very soon if this is improved a bit. The other reason I'm posting this is because a lot of the RMTs we have been getting lately are mediocre to say the very least. I'm posting this to provide a model RMT because I'm really sick of RMTs with comments that aren't helpful (yeah, we know that Fire Blast on Heatran beats Scizor, tell me something useful please), teams that aren't well thought out (awesome, you rely on Scarf Rotom-H for your defense...what happens when "Tyranitar used Pursuit" exactly?), and obnoxious layouts that have more time put into them than the actual team (sorry, the Pokesho sprites don't cover up your team's suck...and neither does the hideous right alignment).

    With that said, this is a fun team. I made this team to be fun, and it hasn't let me down in that department. Don't hold back on more "boring" suggestions though, since winning is more fun that losing with style (unless it's Team Luvdisc, in which case that probably isn't true lol). The theme of this sucker is World War I, my favorite part of history. World War I ended the czarist Russian Empire and led to the creation of the Soviet Union, brought down the Second Reich (which would help lead to Hitler's Third Reich), hammered France with tons of losses and horribly weakened it despite getting back Alsace-Lorraine and winning the war, and it ended the tottering Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires. Because of its obvious importance and the fact that it's totally the most interesting part of world history for me, I decided to make it the theme of my team. The theme is actually somewhat ironic since WWI featured trench warfare, so maybe the blitzkrieg of WWII would be more appropriate for this sweeper team, but whatever lol. And yeah, it's a sweeper team...but I'm willing to make changes since this team was thrown together in many respects (though I made sure everything worked together well). I'm even willing to go for a bulky offense team instead of all-out offense, but I won't reduce the power of this team any more than that.

    Anything that is slashed means that I'm unsure, but the first option is the one that I'm currently using.

    The Gallant Warriors
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    *pokemonelite2000 image removed**pokemonelite2000 image removed**pokemonelite2000 image removed**pokemonelite2000 image removed*"image removed"*pokemonelite2000 image removed*

    In The Trenches
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    *pokemonelite2000 image removed*
    Skarmory (♂) @ Focus Sash / Lum Berry ** Franz Josef
    Trait: Sturdy
    EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
    Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
    - Stealth Rock
    - Spikes
    - Taunt
    - Toxic

    Lead Skarmory is kind of a joke lol. I put it here to have fun and whatnot, but to tell you the truth, it's not horrible or anything. It also stops Hippowdon, Metagross, Bronzong, etc. from setting up Stealth Rock, which I would assume is nice, but most people on the PC server use useless suicide junk like Aerodactyl so I wouldn't know lol. Speaking of Aerodactyl, I'll usually just switch to Scarf Starmie (see below) to come in on the obvious Taunt and end it quickly. Giving away that I'm Scarfed sucks, but it's not like I was going for surprise value anyway.

    Since this is "just for fun" (despite it being fairly effective lol), I'm more than willing to replace it because, you know, it's Lead Skarm lol. Still, getting up SR and usually a layer or two of Spikes is really helpful, especially for my sweeping friends. Even if I can't get Stealth Rock up right away, I usually do pretty quick since Skarmory can switch in on a lot of stuff. Also, I won't use Roost if I actually keep this, if anything because Skarmory isn't meant to last long. It actually makes a really great death fodder, and by extension, it makes a really good way to get something like Lucario or Salamence into the game. Also, I can't really replace Taunt, and Toxic wasting bulky Pokémon (especially Zapdos) is too fun to pass up.

    The EVs make Skarmory pretty frail given its stats...Aerodactyl's Stone Edge will 3HKO this. But like I said, I used it as a support Pokémon and then a death fodder, so being frail doesn't matter. Besides, Jolly Skarmory outspeeds stuff like 36 Speed Celebi (which means I can Taunt its Reflect/Thunder Wave and bring in Salamence or Latias) and every slow lead in the game. If it gets TrickScarfed, it can Toxic something or set up an extra layer of Spikes before going down. Hot. I might use Lum Berry though, since stuff like Smeargle and Roserade can sort of be a pain, and being able to Taunt them after Spore/Sleep Powder is really nice.

    Skarmory is Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary because he's old and doesn't take long to kill, just like Austria-Hungary and Franz Josef himself. Skarmory is just cool and respect despite being death fodder. But hey, death fodder is actually pretty useful.

    *pokemonelite2000 image removed*
    Starmie @ Choice Scarf ** Czar Nicolas II
    Trait: Natural Cure
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
    Timid / Modest Nature
    - Surf
    - Ice Beam
    - Thunderbolt
    - Trick / Psychic

    Scarf Starmie was actually the last Pokémon I added and was put in the team just to serve as defense against Salamence and Gyarados (at least on paper). In practice, Starmie is hardly a revenge killer at all, but a late game sweeper. I've been pleasently surprised with Starmie's effectiveness, and Trick is especially useful when my opponent figures out that it's Scarfed and will randomly switch in anything that even sort of walls Starmie. It's super useful against stall obviously, but I'm considering putting in Psychic since Gengar is by far my biggest weakness (along with SDLuke but w/e), but I might just make Latias Timid to help with that.

    And yeah, I know this is Pursuit weak to the max, but that's why I have cute SDLuke and Empoleon to set up on that crap. Also, I actually don't mind if Starmie dies since even though it's useful and seems to be my only form of defense, it is really only used to sweep teams late. I was actually considering running Specs on this instead for a lot more power, but having Gyarados and Salamence insurance sure is nice, even though I can usually scare them away with the thread of having Choice Scarf alone, lol.

    I'm considering Modest Nature over Timid (in fact, I'll probably end up using Modest) since Starmie still outspeed Naive DDMence after one DD, and Gyarados usually won't get more than one DD anyway. The extra power would be nice for my planned late game sweeping/softening up, especially since Starmie only has 299 Special Attack with Timid.

    Starmie is Czar Nicolas II of Russia because it's just sort of weak. Despite having lots of soldiers/coverage, it doesn't hit very hard. It might be an empire in name only and fairly incompetent, but it's still important to the outcome of the war/battle, so I can deal with it being weak.

    *pokemonelite2000 image removed*
    Latias (♀) @ Choice Specs ** Woodrow Wilson
    Trait: Levitate
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
    Timid / Modest Nature
    - Draco Meteor
    - Dragon Pulse
    - Surf
    - Trick / Thunderbolt / Hidden Power [Fire]

    Specs Latias is obvious. I am now using a Timid Nature to help with my Gengar weakness, but if it doesn't help much, I'll switch back to Modest. Either way, the moveset is pretty self-explanatory, but I would like to emphasize that I won't be changing the moveset at all (besides maybe Trick since Starmie is already doing that, and yeah it's sort of redundant lol). I don't know how you can run this set without Dragon Pulse...some people seem to think that Draco Meteor covers everything it does, but Dragon Pulse is just as useful in battle, and it lets Latias actually sweep mid to late game. But yeah, I am willing (actually very eager) to get rid of Trick on either Starmie or Latias, since it's basically doing the same thing. I would use Thunderbolt here, but I won't use HP Fire with a Timid Nature, as I need to outspeed Gengar if I end up using Timid.

    Anyway, Latias has the special job of weakening Steels, even if that means that she has to die to Pursuit or whatever. In case you haven't noticed, I don't really mind if my Pokémon die as long as they've done their job, and Latias is no exception. Draco Meteor and Surf are very useful at making Steels easy to finish off, which means that Salamence can start ripping everything to shreds with Outrage. That's actually why I went with Modest in the first place (since I didn't have Starmie on the team yet)—to just power through the opponent.

    Latias is Woodrow Wilson of the United States because she/he isn't very realistic...lol League of Nations, and of course, lol @ thinking you're Uber. Nice one.

    *pokemonelite2000 image removed*
    Salamence (♂) @ Choice Band ** Kaiser Wilhelm II
    Trait: Intimidate
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
    Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
    - Outrage
    - Earthquake
    - Fire Fang
    - Dragon Claw

    The Stealth Rock weakness sucks, but this does a ton of damage while it's still alive. It's a check for Fighting-types along with Latias/prediction (and I know prediction is faulty defenses, but a team with all sweepers doesn't have anything better lol), and its bulk is totally awesome if it hasn't taken too much from Stealth Rock. Outrage just murder everything...even Steel-types take a fair amount of damage from it. Obviously, Dragon-types' secondary moves revolve around eliminating Steel-types, and Salamence is no different. Earthquake is obviously, but Fire Fang does actually have the power to wipe out Skarmory with Stealth Rock down. I really hate Fire Blast's tendency to miss, and Fire Fang gets the job done fine anyway. And yeah, I know Earthquake is dangerous since it invites Gyarados or whoever else to come in, but I can usually predict okay and avoid that. I always have Starmie as insurance anyway. Dragon Claw is another unpopular choice (and I can see why since I rarely use it), but it's here so that I don't have to Outrage a 36% Gyarados or something like that, and it's good for being conservative in the early game.

    Salamence is here for late game sweeping with Outrage if it's not dead yet, but its real purpose is to clear out bulky Waters and Cresselia, both of whom give Lucario and Empoleon trouble. Like Latias, I'll be satisfied if it does just that, even if that means that he dies. Salamence is a pseudo-lure to severely weaken the counters of my other sweepers.

    Salamence is Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany because he hits like a nuke lol (wow the kaiser could have used a nuke)...half of the kaiser's army neutralized all of France and Britain's armies, and the other half brought Russia to her knees. Salamence has that same kind of power, but luckily for him, he isn't restricted by a two-front war!

    "image removed"
    Empoleon (♂) @ Petaya Berry ** David Lloyd George
    Trait: Torrent
    EVs: 12 HP / 12 Def / 232 Spd / 252 SAtk
    Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
    - Agility
    - Substitute
    - Surf
    - Ice Beam

    Yeah, SubPetaya Empoleon, and with Ice Beam >>> Grass Knot because Salamence can clear out or severely weaken Waters for me, and I don't like being walled by Salamence of all things, and I have Celebi troubles as it is. I don't even know what the nature and EVs do, but I would assume they work lol. This is just a really good sweeper that basically everyone is weak to, and it sets up on Pursuit users that demolish Latias and Starmie. I'll even try to set this up even if its counter is still alive (typically Vaporeon or Suicune), as it will make them want to break my Sub with HP Electric, which lets Latias come in and scare them off. There's not really much else to say, as it's just your standard SubPetaya Empoleon.

    Empoleon is David Lloyd George because the seas are ruled by Britain and Empoleon. The British Royal Navy is just super sexy, but I bet Kaiser Billhelm II (sorry lol), Napoleon, and Dictator_Adolf aren't too happy about that!

    *pokemonelite2000 image removed*
    Lucario (♂) @ Life Orb ** Georges Clemenceau
    Trait: Inner Focus
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
    Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
    - Swords Dance
    - Close Combat
    - Stone Edge
    - Extremespeed

    SDLuke is super useful, obviously. I know Adamant is much more popular than Jolly, but the rest of my team softens up the opposition already, and outspeeding stuff like Salamence and Timid Suicune is just more important to me than power I guess. Swords Dance and Close Combat do enough damage as far as I'm concerned. And yeah, I have something against Crunch on SDLuke...it has got to be the worst move you could ever use on it. Crunch doesn't even KO what it's supposed to (Dusknoir, Cresselia, and Celebi), so I don't quite get its appeal. Obviously, that means I went with Stone Edge to waste Gyarados, Salamence, and Zapdos.

    Also, Lucario works as an okay revenge killer for weakened stuff with Extremespeed...as obvious as this is, you have no idea how helpful it can be, especially against stuff like CM Latias who wall Starmie to hell. Like Empoleon, this is really awesome for setting up on the things that take advantage of Starmie and Latias with Pursuit. Lucario is obviously pretty fragile, so getting an opportunity to switch in is great since it obviously has a big impact once it enters the match.

    Lucario is Georges Clemenceau because he rallies the troops and wins the battle at the end! And he's French and nobody likes the French, just like nobody likes Lucario because it's a noob magnet and good player magnet all in one.

    The Military Timetable
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    The strategy is basically to hit hard right away with whatever I can. Of course, Skarmory's Stealth Rock and spikes are very helpful with that. Salamence and Latias are the main heavy hitters, and Lucario works too if I'm not foolish enough to try to set it up too early (and I'm usually not lol). The strategy, like with most offensive teams, is pretty straightforward...just hammer the opposition and break their defenses so the Pokémon X can sweep. In this case, Salamence and Latias attempted to open up sweeps for Empoleon and Lucario, and Starmie's role just kind of varies.

    In the matches I've had, how exactly things have panned out has varied completely, so nothing is too concrete. Still, I would like to think that there is at least some synergy (like luring Pursuiters to set up my Steels and Salamence crushing bulky Waters), but I think in this area especially this team could use a few improvements. After all, it was made just for a fun battling experience and not for strategic battles against my foe. Still, in my experiences, these Pokémon work together fairly well, which is a good start.

    Problems
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    Status: A problem for most offensive teams, but the big one here is paralysis...it just tears me to shreds. All of my sweepers need Speed or they fall apart pretty quickly. I can usually send in Starmie to scout for status or just death fodder Skarmory (who is great for activating Sleep Clause, lol), but it's still a problem.

    Lucario: Even though it can't set up on much (to say the very least), Jolly Lucario is troublesome. I can get a Speed tie with my own Lucario and Latias can take Extremespeed (though it severely hinders her), but I can't do much else. Salamence is a shaky check at best, so yeah, some insurance (maybe at the lead position) would be nice.

    Gengar: Oh my gosh, this is the biggest pain in the world. It basically rips my whole team apart with no trouble. I have considered running Psychic >>> Trick on Starmie or Timid >>> Modest Nature on Latias. Both should solve the problem (or at least solve it to my liking), but I don't know which one to choose.

    Starmie: Latias can shrug off a hit and kill it, and I've actually done better against it than I thought possible, but it's obviously a problem when played well. It's just really fast and strong. =(

    Celebi / Cresselia: Defensive sets are a huge problem, or at least the ones with Thunder Wave. This is basically me restating my problem with paralysis, but Celebi and Cresselia can abuse it very well, and I have trouble damaging it at all with my attacks. Cresselia is eager to switch into Salamence, so it can be eliminated early, but Celebi is harder to deal with.

    Closing Comments
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    So there it is, my model RMT (just wish the team itself was a little better lol :x). I really need help making this from an okay (but very fun) team into a much more competitive force. That way, when I run into France again in 1940, I can scare the French all off to Britain while I take over their country. Oh wait, that's D_A's job. ^_^
     
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    The best way I can currently think of to rid all of your current weaknesses is by getting rid of Skarmory and Empoleon. In their place, bring in Scizor and a Gliscor lead. Gliscor can bring down Lucario, while Scizor lols at any Gengar with HP Ice and revenges with Bullet Punch/ Pursuit. HP Fire variants of Gengar(The more common variants), you can switch in Mence or Latias. Having Timid on Latias allows it to bring Gengar down, so go ahead and use that. Celebi and Cresselia don't like repeated CB U-Turns from Scizor at all as well.

    Oh, and all T-Waves are absorbed by Gliscor.

    I can't really see any weaks that the above changes add.
     
    I mean I guess that's true and all, but I don't know if I'm willing to put in a fourth Choice user in place of a significant sweeping threat to cover a few weaknesses...defensively it would be to my benefit, but offensively, it would be a big blow. CB Scizor is in many ways a defensive Pokemon (just look at its moveset and how it's used), and Gengar is a pretty easy problem to fix (with Timid on Latias, as stated). I'm VERY reluctant to add a fourth Choice user for what is essentially one or two Pokemon when the result would be my offensive power taking a pretty significant hit. I doesn't open me up to any defensive weaknesses, but Empoleon sure has been useful.

    As far as Gliscor is concerned, I'm much more open to that one, especially because of the possibility of spamming U-Turn. I'm not very confident about its ability to absorb Thunder Wave, as most of the common users of the move (Blissey, Cresselia, Celebi, etc.) aren't always the safest Pokemon for old Gliscor to be switching into, especially with Bliss and Cress. Still, I can't use Stealth Rock and U-Turn on the same set (I need Taunt, Roost, and Earthquake already), so I'm a bit bummed there. I'll keep Gliscor in mind in my search to replace Skarmory. Gliscor is pretty cool if you don't use it horribly lol.

    Thanks though. In short:

    Scizor is a definite no, but Gliscor is a maybe at the moment. I'll probably try it out soon.
     
    Elf stall, elf offense, elf balance, elf weather weak. This weak cannot be fixed so give up !!


    On to more serious matters. You could always use/try a SD Scizor >> Lucario or something to help with Gar and to generally do the same job late game as Luke.

    Either a Bulky Roost version or if you dont care about bulk just use the SD + 3 attacks.

    Helps with Cress and Celebi too.

    That or id highly consider using Bullet Punch on your Lucario to prevent said Gengar switching in too much.

    I also reccomend Hydro Pump on Scarf star, if you do end up using Modest with SR and one layer of Spikes you do have a chance of OHKOing (iirc and have done calcs correctly) Max HP Scizor which may be neat so it cant u-turn/pursuit you. I did calcs and it does something like 68-76%, so yeah.

    Lastly i know you will say no, but have you ever considered using a scarf "burn" Gengar >> Scarf Starmie ?

    + He is great at luring in Pursuit users so you can burn them and not have to worry about them coming near Latias.
    + He helps alot in dealing with Lucario who you said was an issue.
    + Its defensive qualities and immunities help your team defensively too aka it helps block rapid spin so your spikes will stay up a while.

    That and it revenge kills the same stuff. Shadow Ball already does a crap load to mence and you will have priority too if it somehow lives/gets past gar so yeah that lessens the need for Ice Beam all together.

    Sure you lose Natural Cure and what not, but you can always let skarm take your status and i mean if worst comes to worst Scizor getting t-waved isnt the end of the world because its frikkin slow anyway lol. That and you have immunities to Toxic too and special sweepers bar Empleon could care less about burns.

    Sorry if i said anything "lolwut" btw because i am going off exactly 0 hours sleep because its like 8 am now....lol. Ok ill shut up rambling now. XD

    Anyways i like the team and just some general thoughts here. Good luck with it buddy. (b'-')b
     
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