Team Ex-pert

[Opposite Day]

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Hi there, I'm Opposite Day! You may remember me from threads such as the Battle Log Archive or the disputed social group Hot and Humid, but now I'm here to present you with my fun, sort-of gimmicky team, exclusively with 100% more Cresselia weaks!

Team Building:

I wanted to use Swampert, as it receives excellent coverage from both its stabs + stone edge. As it is slow as hell, Choice Band is probably the way to go.

Swampert has only one weakness, namely Grass. Bouffalant eats grassers for a living, much like Jellycent walls Azumarill for pringles.

I'm rather weak to non-grassers that enjoy switching into its stabs as well (Read: Gyarados, Dragonite, Salamence etc). To remedy this, Deoxys-S is brought into the fray, as it can easily revenge either of these regardless of if they have boosted or not.

It always sucks to have trouble with weather, as even Deo-S isn't fast enough to outspeed some of the weather sweepers. Thunderus has the fantastic priority T-Wave, which cuts my team some slack, especially considering how two of the team members aren't exactly what you'd call fast.

Rotom-W is thrown in as a second check to weather, this time mainly as a Rain/Sand check.

I really really really want to have Stealth Rock somewhere on the team, and with Deo-S being prone to being killed with priority, a solid resist is needed to that. Despite not resisting the ever-common Bullet Punch, Celebi can both set up rocks and do solid damage to priority users on its own, so it's a fairly decent choice.

The team:

Thunderus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

This usually goes in the lead slot, and man does it do well in that regard. Priority Taunt really screws over Deo-S leads (without Magic Coat, that is), and even without a life orb thunderbolt does a number to everything. HP Ice is there as a general way of addressing dragons, grassers, anything that likes switching into electric attacks really. It is also surprisingly specially bulky with lefties, living iirc a LO Sun boosted Flamethrower from Ninetails and outspeeding and 2hkoing it in return with T-bolt. This is my main check to sun together with Bouffalant, as Venusaur, Tangrowth, Liligant etc gets paralyzed and gets its main stab nullified in the presence of these two. All in all Thunderus have done nothing but exceed my expectations, and it does solidly outside of the lead slot as well. I would show how it deals with other leads, but having no list of common leads based on statistics I'll just tell you how I deal with a few of them that I remember:

Tyranitar: (woo team preview!) Swap Swampert for Thunderus in the lead slot, as it should outspeed and ohko with a cb Aqua Tail.

Ninetails: Tricky bastard. I can either predict a hypnosis and taunt it, or I could just go for the safe 2hko. Either way it becomes a sort of prediction war, which is really annoying.

Jirachi: Priority taunt it before it tricks. If it tries to paralyze, go to Celebi for free rocks, if it Iron Heads I can either just stay in or go to Pert to unleash the fury.

Ferrothorn: Gyro Ball hurts despite resisting it; nevertheless I generally Taunt it on the first turn, then go to Bouffalant to absorb the Power Whip/Gyro.

Deoxys-S: Taunt. If it Ice Beams for some reason, go to Rotom and split the pain away.

Deo-D: TAUNT

Thunderus: Go to Swampert, as most of them just run HP Ice if they are leading. They usually taunt me, so it's an easy ko with Stone Edge/Aqua Tail.

Volcorona: Taunt. Swampert should be able to kill it off after that despite suffering from taking a fire blast + bug buzz.

Politoed: Start with Celebi and Leaf Storm it to death.

[sprite][/sprite]

Scizor (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Bug Bite
- Bullet Punch
- Roost

Replacing Swampert, Scizor allows me to actually take on dragons without actually murdering pokemon in the process.

Bouffalant (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Afro Break
- Wild bolt
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance

Say hello to one of the most smashing mons in the history of pokemon. Bouffalant is Swamperts partner in crime, switching into leech seeds, leaf storms, giga drains etc all night long, and sets up on them with glee. Ferrothorn can do nothing to this, Sun teams usually struggle provided that I get it in at full health, and Smeargle trying to spore my team while baton passing finds that giving this mon a +1 means usually instant death to whatever switches in. Really, being immune to every single grass-type move is great, and regardless of how badly I've played, it always seem to perform well. Need I remind you of its excellent bulk? The best part is that it also has next to no trouble with Skarmory as well as tearing up combinations like Ferroseed + Gyarados on its own. My only issue with this is that it DOESN'T get Mirror Coat. >:(

Celebi @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Recover
- Stealth Rock
- Leaf Storm

I heard you like Loom, so I'm using Celebi. Fighting weaknesses is the most annoying thing ever in this meta, so figure out why I'm using this yourself. It generally serves as a sort of priority sponge (I hate you too Azumarill and Roobushin), as well as providing me with a way to get rid of Scizor/Excavalier seeing how Deoxys hates dealing with them. This checks fighters in general, + non-x-scissor Excadrill, though I'm sort of considering making this more defensive along with Rotom, as it dies really fast despite its natural bulk. (not that surprising given that it holds a Life Orb, but still) As Celebi forces quite a few switches due to its resistances, it is also my mon of choice to set up Stealth Rock.

Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 164 HP / 252 SAtk / 92 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split

Say hello to team member #2 that dies far too quickly! Rotom serves as a secondary check to both Rain and Sand as well as being a near-perfect answer to Heatran, allowing me to demolish Tornadrus, Excadrill without Frustration, etc, however with next to no defensive investment this is hard pressed to keep on taking attacks. Pain Split allows me to really laugh at Blissey, even though toxic sucks. But really, I'm considering making this more defensive together with Celebi, though my main issue with that is that it will by then be slower than most rain sweepers despite the lack of swift swim, which again might make the defensive evs pointless. I'm really kind of torn here.

Deoxys-S @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Psycho Boost
- Superpower

Yello folks, witness the amazingly speedy superman! (That also tends to die a lot despite my artistic interpretation of it) Deo-S is my main answer to about every speedy booster in existence barring the ones with priority, and Celebi should take care of the majority of those. It has amazing coverage and is usually a very good cleaner after Swampert and Bouffalant has torn the opponent's defenses apart. Psycho Boost might seem like an odd move over Psychic, but it ensures that I get the kos on stuff like for instance Ninetails and Viziron at full health with the Life Orb. I'm sort of considering giving it an Expert Belt as LO recoil really messes with his health, but then I lose out on ko's which might not be the most desirable thing ever.. Really torn on this one as well.

PREVIOUS TEAM MEMBERS:

Spoiler:

Swampert (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
- Stone Edge
- Sleep Walk

Ah, the horribad, fallen from grace swampert. With no reliable recovery it's bound to just roll over and die eventually, right? Well, not if it tries to do as much damage as possible first! CBPert does a number to absolutely everything. I usually Aqua Tail the first turn seeing as the things that resist/is immune to Water are far fewer than Levitators, and it provides me with a nice way of ensuring that next to nothing on sand teams can switch in safely. Aqua Tail is a 2hko on specially defensive Skarmory, and even though that doesn't matter too much given the rest of my team, it also means that it can't come in and spike, as this team is severely lacking in the spinning department. Aqua Tail is also a 2hko on Conkeldurr, that might be tempted to switch in and start setting up. On the other hand, Earthquake 2hko's most Ferrothorns that might be tempted into switching into any move Swampert carries, as well as it outspeeds Jellycent and 2hko's it. Stone Edge is there for annoying crap like Gyarados, Mence, Hydreigon etc, however I try to use it sparingly as being locked into SE screams setup bait for dangerous mons such as for instance SD Lucario, a threat that while I've yet to see I know is incredibly dangerous for my team. Essentially Swampert is also my non-spore sleep absorber, as a choice item no longer restricts you to ONE single attack after having used Sleep Talk.
As with all other choicers, Swampert requires its fair share of prediction, however it is usually really easy to know what they will switch in thanks to team preview, so it is basically guaranteed to lay down the hurt on any team.

(BIG) Troubles:

LATIOS. Well, most teams probably have trouble with this regardless due to the specs meteor, but no stab se moves on the team really makes this an annoyance. Deo-S only manages 40-45% on average, as does Thunderus, so it is a ko with SR damage, however if those two disappear I'm having a really hard time trying to do something about it.

CRESSELIA. Yes, you read that right. I've only faced it like two times on the ladder, but it downright destroyed my team when it felled Bouffalant, my only booster. The sad thing is that I don't know what I can do to remedy this weakness, as I'm far too tangled into all of the changes I've made to this team.

Changes I'm considering:

I really really want a ghost in here somewhere as it serves like a good SD Lucario check (and has se stab vs Cress and Latios), but idk where it could fit. I also really want priority, as outspeeding with Deo-S only works for so long. I'm sort of considering Azumarill over Swampert despite creating the team around him, but that would make me much more weak to Jolteon/Thunderus due to the lack of an electric immunity. HALP ME

I will add a threat list later, mainly because I appear to be unable to locate it. Vrai, LINK ME TO IT NOW

Oh, and in case you didn't catch the pun in the title, it is called Team Ex-Pert for two reasons:
1) I'm not as decent as I used to be in Gen IV yet, so you may consider me an Ex-pert (get it lolol)
2) This team is based around Swampert. It is EXtremely unEXpected that it hits so EXtraordinarily hard.

Peace out, wiggas.



threat list coming soon I guess. Hate hate hate on the double post merging!

 

[jkriall]

I tried out a great (similar) rotom W set that used hp fire and more bulk to surprise nattorei, its on smogon somewhere, ill try and find and post it. Reccomend highly :)

Even though your team is swampert based, i think you should replace it for a better cber: i used terakion for a while, does a similar job better imo:

Terakion @ choice band
Jolly nature
252spe 252att 4hp
~ Stone edge
~ Close combat
~ Quick attack
~ Toxic/Earthquake/Filler

Yea just spam SE or Close combat, i like priority for it, especially as your team lacks it. Also eq seems nice but tbh it often leads to a free move for the opponent so toxic hits bulky physical walls.

Afaik ttar is still a common lead with that SpD bulky, stealth rock set, so maybe using hammer arm on lead voltlos would give an early lead vs those.

I've also never liked deoxys S as a revenger, so maybe use SpD scizor here, which may somewhat help with latios and cresselia. Again ill return with the set, theres a great one.

So please use my suggestions, :) been away for a while so please ignore irrelevant info, and old names, yet to catch up again...


Scizor (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Bug Bite
- Bullet Punch
- Roost




Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 164 HP / 252 SAtk / 92 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Pain Split

heres the sets, try em :)

 

[Dark Azelf]

-Looks at sig-

-Looks at drawings-

ROFL thats worth 4 stars in itself hahahaha.

The main problem i see with this team is you simply dont have ANYTHING steel. This makes it east for stuff like Latios to crush you. Luckily it SHOULD be getting banned soon (thanks god)

Id try Sp.Def Scizor over Swampert or even Baffuron or something.

 

[Opposite Day]

I tried out a great (similar) rotom W set that used hp fire and more bulk to surprise nattorei, its on smogon somewhere, ill try and find and post it. Reccomend highly :)

Even though your team is swampert based, i think you should replace it for a better cber: i used terakion for a while, does a similar job better imo:

Terakion @ choice band
Jolly nature
252spe 252att 4hp
~ Stone edge
~ Close combat
~ Quick attack
~ Toxic/Earthquake/Filler

Yea just spam SE or Close combat, i like priority for it, especially as your team lacks it. Also eq seems nice but tbh it often leads to a free move for the opponent so toxic hits bulky physical walls.

Afaik ttar is still a common lead with that SpD bulky, stealth rock set, so maybe using hammer arm on lead voltlos would give an early lead vs those.

I've also never liked deoxys S as a revenger, so maybe use SpD scizor here, which may somewhat help with latios and cresselia. Again ill return with the set, theres a great one.

So please use my suggestions, :) been away for a while so please ignore irrelevant info, and old names, yet to catch up again...


Scizor (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Bug Bite
- Bullet Punch
- Roost


Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 164 HP / 252 SAtk / 92 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Pain Split

heres the sets, try em :)

-Looks at sig-

-Looks at drawings-

ROFL thats worth 4 stars in itself hahahaha.

The main problem i see with this team is you simply dont have ANYTHING steel. This makes it east for stuff like Latios to crush you. Luckily it SHOULD be getting banned soon (thanks god)

Id try Sp.Def Scizor over Swampert or even Baffuron or something.

Thanks. I've considered making rotom more defensive, so I'll try your rotom set out. I haven't had that much trouble with nattorei though, but who knows. Might even try Shadow Ball >> HP Fire in order to hit Lati twins a bit harder on the switch than HP Ice, but regardless, thanks for the set.

About Terrakion, however, I'm not too sure. I'll think I'll follow both of your suggestions and swap Swampert (sadface) for a specially defensive scizor, and I'll post back and tell you how it worked out. Do you think it would be worth it to replace SD with Pursuit in order to hit Lati as it flees, or should I just be intent on taking a hit and roosting the damage off? If I change SD with Pursuit I might also just swap Bug Bite for U-Turn, hopefully not turning it into an inferior CB Scizor.


Oh, and you'll have to apologize for me not updating the OP, I'm a horrible artist and it literally took me more than two hours to draw the pictures. I'll fix the rotom set, and leave the swampert alone in a spoiler, replacing it with a SDef Scizor.

EDIT: Might as well call it "Team Ex-Ex-Pert" since it no longer has a pert in it lolol