lol @ me making a team

[LethalTexture]

Well, summer is coming, and college exams will be over, so I can get back into this. I was playing through Platinum yesterday and was suddenly hit with a stroke of inspiration to make a new team. So I had a gander at my Pearl boxes and browsed Smogon for some more stuff and here's what I came up with. Had done very well on Shoddy; only two losses in ten fights, both due to hax (as always is the way):

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Tyranitar @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 240 HP/38 Atk/48 Def/184 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Thunder
- Fire Punch
- Crunch

I needed a new lead, and this can deal with most of the common ones. I am considering Focus Sash over Lum Berry, but I'm not sure whether most leads that this deals with would go for status first, stat up or attack me (Gyarados, Gengar, Bronzong etc) and would help deal with suicide leads.
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Salamence @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 216 Atk/176 Spd/118 SAtk
Rash nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast/Flamethrower
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw

Always been a fan of Scarfmence, so that's why this is here. Lucario counter, and to an extent can counter Heracross. I'm having a few iffy thoughts about the moveset though, and possibly the EVs. Can this outspeed Scizor?
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Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 66 Atk/192 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Close Combat
- Flamethrower
- Grass Knot
- Nasty Plot

Good ol' Plotape, gets rid of many threats and walls. Nothing much more really to say about this guy, just a good all round hard hitter.
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Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 142 HP/216 Spd/152 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin

Bulkystar, a stalwart on my teams of old. Veratile on the attacking spectrum and gets rid of any spikes that threaten my team.
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Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP/102 Atk/156 Def
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rest/Light Screen

Another team favourite that has seen many changes since I bred her almost two years ago now. More or less standard Phys. Wall, with Rest to heal, with Light Screen as a Possibility. Gets the rocks down, and can Gyro Ball away any fast threats that try to breach the walls, and Earthquake for coverage.
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Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 42 HP/252 Def/216 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
- Softboiled
- Aromatherapy

Bog standard special wall. It's staying Bold, because getting my hands on a Calm Blissey with SToss is gonna be a pain in the bum. I prefer Bold anyway. T-Wave for status, rest is self-explanatory.
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Well, there you go. Rip it to shreds, chaps.

 

[Dark Azelf]

1. Get on pc shoddy server, you have no excuse not to now. If you dont i will ban you lololol! :3

2. Hi and welcome back. o/

3.

Always been a fan of Scarfmence, so that's why this is here. Lucario counter, and to an extent can counter Heracross. I'm having a few iffy thoughts about the moveset though, and possibly the EVs. Can this outspeed Scizor?

Yes and no. Yes because you have a higher base speed and a scarf and no because you lose to Bullet Punch lol.

Regardless onto the team : -

Ive Tried that Tyranitar before and it really is awful these days (it was awful D/P too =/), the only lead it actually beats is Azelf. Then its very much set up fodder. =_=

Tyranitar vs top ten leads : -
"image removed"Azelf : You win here.
"image removed"Metagross : Loss.
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*Jirachi : Loss to trick scarf or Iron head.
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*Swampert : Loss.
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*Aero : Cant do much to it thanks to you giving it a free S.Def boost lol and it EQ's you.
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*Hippow : Loss.
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*Ape : LOL huge loss.
"image removed"Zong : I guess you kinda win but kinda not because of EQ does infact break your subs iirc.
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*Tran : You literally cant touch it. It then just wears you down with Earth power.
*pokemonelite2000 image removed*Jask : Taunt >> Jask.

Taunt/Counter/SR/Crunch or Stone Edge @ Sash works better imo on lead Tar.

Starmie is ughh especially when its the only thing that stops Gyarados sweeping since your spread is OHKO'd pretty much with SR + SS up by LO Gyarados. That and because its just a free switch in for Tar, Scizor and just yells "please Pursuit me". It literally needs Max hp / 176 def / 80 speed @ Bold with Reflect/Surf/T-Bolt/Recover to be even removely effective to handle Gyarados and also Pursuit, sure losing speed hurts with Mixape but cant you just send in a scarfer on that or w/e anyway? Basically forget Rapid Spin you dont even need it, its a useless move outside of stall gives them a free set up and if your team is like "Moltres, Jask, Yanmega" anyway which yours isnt with only 1 sr weak. Not to mention that forry can do it, but w/e.

Salamence is also Pursuit weak, worst scarfer in the game possibly. Salamence can do alot but negating it to a scarf set is really not good. Get a better scarfer and make Mence do something better.

Forry seems like dead weight tbh and so does Bliss. Additionally Rest + Aroma is even more set up fodder, your team doesnt even mind status really.

This is one of those balanced teams that do NOT work. I mean you have 4 walls and tanks and a poor excuse for a scarfer (sorry, but it is lol). Infernape is your only sweeper which between SR, SS and LO recoil isnt gonna last long and that isnt gonna be sweeping any well built team.

Regardless this team is in the middle. You lack the ability to break stall and are going to get overwhelmed and you also lack the ability to check/counter threats (Scizor who does like 80% to Ape with SD LO Bullet Punch btw lol, Salamence amongst various others eat you) and lack the ability to stall yourself (lack of entry hazards, spin blocker, wish aka the basics needed to stall) so will be at risk from getting overwhelmed by foe full out offense too. That and to further expand, by reacting to what the foe is doing aka "spinning away spikes" you are giving them a free switch in to set up. Something which you cannot afford to do in such a heavily offensive metagame where one turn of set up = gg. Not only that, but reacting solely to what your opponent is doing you are not executing a strategy of your own and are quite literely sitting there trying to counter them and doing nothing else.

Anyways every team NEEDS a strategy these days to open up sweeps. Using Lures, Pursuit, or even simple things like "Well Duggy traps Tar, Bliss etc for me and by doing this my Raikou can sweep" or "Magnezone traps Scizor which allows my DDTar to sweep". Heck or in this case "I set up t-spikes to destroy infernapes counters, aka bulky waters" just something lol

There are two maybe 3 viable playing styles in platinum : - Full out offense or Bulky offense and full out stall. No in between because it doesnt work. You need to decide on which playing style you want, have a game plan and adapt your team FULLY to support this.

I know i might have been a bit harsh and that you have been gone a while, but imma help you with that. ^^

Usage statistics, get yourself familiar with the current metagame

This too.

This might help too.