CBmence Reins Supreme!

[Malevolent Mismagius]

mencemeat!

With exams coming I haven't had a lot of opportunity to make a team, but now they are over and I can start up again. Browsing over more recent teams here I was interested in the excellent synergy between magnezone+salamence, in fact, who couldn't be, with mence's dominance in today's metagame as well as the 11 resistances magnezone can bring to the partnership. I began this team with the simple goal of having it do at least decently and was surprised at how pleasing the results were. I have made several changes from the original team and overall the team just keeps getting better and better. This is the current team and altogether this team has only lost 1 match and won possibly 10-20ish. But at last I have come to a dead end.

Metagross @ Lum Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 224 HP/76 Atk/208 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)

- Pursuit
- Bullet Punch
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake / Explosion

With the conception of this team I used a lead heatran. Maybe it was my unfamiliarity with it or maybe it is just bad but the results were pretty poor. I thought about all the lead pokemon I had run in the past and thought about dependability in the lead position to which I came to the conclusion that I should use my tried and true parter, Metagross.

Meteor Mash is missing here which means I no longer 2HKO suicide azelf, which is a bit of a bummer. I really value Explosion now that I have begun using it, just the ability to take out an important team member of my opponent's is great. I cannot decide between Explosion or EQ, I figure I need to keep it alive for Latias/Starmie/Gengar, but the ability to really take out such an important part of the oppnent's team is great.


CURRENTLY TESTING:
Skarmory @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)

- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Toxic / Whirlwind

Another pokemon I've seen Anti use, lead Skarmory is the result of me testing every lead that can set Spikes and SR. Also, by shutting down common leads like Metagross and Bronzong, this could potentially be a good lead.

I'm indecisive about the fourth move. Toxic can beat some common switch-ins, but Whirlwind helps beat Baton Pass chains as well as causing some entry hazard damage which means mence could go bonkers with Outrage even with steel types still running around.


Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
Evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)

- Surf
- Hidden Power Electric
- Wish
- Protect

Even though it isn't part of the necessary partnership for the team to win, Vaporeon quite often ends up being vital to my success. Vaporeon has saved my ass many a time, providing me with the important water immunity which is even better than it sounds, especially against rain dance teams and such.

Vaporeon really lasts quite a lot of the match with its wish+protect going for it, and this is really great because stuff like gyara usually hangs around until late game.


Heatran @ Shed Shell
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Def / 16 SAtk / 232 SDef
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

- Earth Power
- Lava Plume
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Special wall Heatran is my solution for Rotom-A, which was a massive problem in the early stages of the team. Also Lava Plume's burn rate really made me want to try this out as the solution. Buring tar and mence who commonly switch is bound to cause a burn.

This set is simply stolen from Anti's Team Orb, EVs and all, because I was browsing that thread at the time.


Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 84 HP / 172 Atk / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)

- Bullet Punch
- UTurn
- Superpower
- Pursuit

When this team began I had an Infernape>>this and Heatran>>Metagross, I was badly Latias weak. So Infernape was immediately swapped for this, whose power and scouting ability has made me happy with the change.

Not much more to say than that. Pursuit doesn't get much usage so I might go for Quick Attack, but that might be that great either. I usually just play it safe and go for the Bullet Punch when fighting most things. With vaporeon's wish support this ends up with so much more longevity, which I find is vital for something like scizor.

Forretress didn't work so well, so I have returned to this guy, except with bulkier EVs to ensure I am not OHKOed by SpecsStarmie's Hydro Pump.


Magnezone @ Leftovers
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, - Atk)

- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Grass
- Substitute
- Magnet Rise

So we come to the core of the team. Magnezone has been my favourite pokemon so far, and obviously it won't be replaced. With magnezone's popularity not that high I see fewer steel types with shed shell. It's simply hilarious when scizor is forced to do nothing bullet punch me, however it can break my sub with two bullet punches at the moment, so I need to invest more HP for that. Anyone who can give me the numbers would be a great help.

Magnezone has Magnet Rise>>Explosion for one simple reason: blissey is not a problem with a physical salamence running around. Thunderbolt does a decent job damaging dragons, so Flygon and gliscor are the only pokemon I can't hit hard when they come in.


Salamence @ Choice Band
Trait: Intimidate
Evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)

- Outrage
- Fire Fang
- Aqua Tail
- Dragon Claw

And this is the pokemon that finishes it off. Salamence frequently only comes in once magnezone has com in and elimintaed all the steel types on my opponent's team. This leaves him free to outrage for game without any set up required.

In the past I would've just run a DDmence, but set up sweepers never are that great end game. CBmence doesn't require set up and is just as powerful late game, when my opponent's team is all but gone. I'm really unfamiliar with CBmence sets and just went with the best coverage. It doesn't really matter that much because outrage is the only move I need at the endgame. Still, feel free to suggest moveset changes but obviously mnce cannot be replaced.

So yeah, that's the team. Feel free to suggest changes, but SOLID reasoning is needed for me to change anything. Also, obviously magnezone and salamence cannot be replaced. I made this team pretty casually so I probably missed a few threats, but everything I have battled so far is taken care of.

 

[Dark Azelf]

Use Max HP / Max Def on Vappy. Really the speed evs are useless and it makes vappy frail allowing physical Mixape to 2hko with CC and also LO Gyarados 2HKO with EQ/SE. To further support max hp on vappy, it hits a lefties recovery number. ^^

Speaking of SD/Physical based ape. Wow that junk really hurts you and so does Jolly Ice Punch/SE Lucario. Id definately switched to Jolly Mence just because of the threat that is to your team.

| Infernape | Attack EV | Max | 28.0 |

I mean you can play around it with Intimidate, but ouch.

Life Orb Starmie really hurts, especially with H-Pump doing 80% average to Scizor and 86% average to Magnezone (66.67% to OHKO with SR up)

| Starmie | Move | Hydro Pump | 26.6 |

1/4 of them should still be cause for concern.

I may come back later if i spot something else.

I used Shed Shell Tran before all of you. >O lol

 

[Calum.]

Metagross wants 32 Spe to outrun 28 Spe Metagross and below.

tbh CBNite is an option over Mence as it is able to run Espeed and Superpower.

Lucario weak.

 

[Malevolent Mismagius]

I've made the changes that I think are worth it.

I'm not sure about how to deal with LOStarmie, but I have noticed the problem.

I won't run CBnite, I need to check Lucario.

I might just run my normal lead metagross spread, 204 HP / 80 ATT / 224 DEF, Adamant @ leftovers. survives two cbtar crunches. Any thoughts?

 

[Dark Azelf]

I've made the changes that I think are worth it.

I'm not sure about how to deal with LOStarmie, but I have noticed the problem.

I won't run CBnite, I need to check Lucario.

I might just run my normal lead metagross spread, 204 HP / 80 ATT / 224 DEF, Adamant @ leftovers. survives two cbtar crunches. Any thoughts?

Well you could give Scizor a bulky Sp.Def Spread, but that really kills his revenge killing qualities, because you are cutting from attack which sucks. >_<

I think running some sort of trapper sp.def Metagross with Pursuit would be the best option to deal with Starmie.

Metagross @ Lum Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 224 HP/76 Atk/208 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Pursuit
- Bullet Punch
- Stealth Rock
- Meteor Mash / Earthquake / Explosion

37.64% - 44.28% <---Pursuit Vs 40 hp / 0 def Starmie if it stays in. So you can easily force it to recover or die and thus stall it out easily.

This set also checks Gengar, Latias amongst others etc very well.

You arent Tar weak with Scizor and Meta, so i wouldnt use physically defensive gross.

Dragon Claw >> EQ on Mence btw, you want something to scout early game with, EQ doesnt really offer any additional coverage.

Anyways my BIG issue with this team is that is really doesnt hit hard bar Mence so its quite bad stall bait tbh. What i mean is that nothing threatens a sweep late game or even threatens stall or even offensive teams significantly.

Id look to make this more offensively threatening in all honesty, ya know ? Something like every team has a DD Mence/SD Luke etc look into something that can smash things imo.

 

[Malevolent Mismagius]

I plan on running some sort of special sweeper which is pursuit bait to help beat Scizor. have the early game sweeper pursuited and then bring in Magnezone or Heatran. It really helps get rid of ALL the steels before mence comes out to sweep, as I have been having problems losing Magnezone and Heatran to good prediction. I can't decide whether to have LOLatias, LOStarmie or an LOGengar, probably gengar, I have a particular set in mind, after looking at some teams with the same idea in mind.

Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Protect

Bait Scizor in, Protect to see whether it Pursuits or Bullet Punches, if it pursuits, I Hidden Power Fire, if it bullet punches, I switch.

I might just run a more offensive Heatran though.


I was going to run my normal metagross because I am really familiar with what it can do. The standard set seems to lack defence. That set sort of checks lucario as well.


Any thoughts? Does anybody have any ideas what Gengar could replace?

 

[zukario]

Try to add special waller such as blissey,snorlax to support your team against choice specs starmie or something related.

 

[Malevolent Mismagius]

Try to add special waller such as blissey,snorlax to support your team against choice specs starmie or something related.

I'm adding skarmory lead for spikes + SR. We'll see how that goes. Using scizor again, specially defensive to check starmie.

Any thoughts?

 

[Malevolent Mismagius]

Can a mod close this?

I plan on opening a new one soon.

 

[Anti]

Sure, but for future reference, there is no need to bump your thread up--especially with a double post--for that request. On a similar note, we do allow two active RMTs at a time, so you don't even need to request it.

But yes, as requested...

Locked