Latest Balanced Team; A push on Offense.

[XxBlueCleric.xX]

INTRODUCTION:Hey Smogonites, I'm back with my 4th RMT and all of which were pretty successful and helped me think new ways in building my teams. Each team I've made has built off a previous one with drastic changes based on teamrate requests and what my past 2 tutors had to say. This is my latest team with which I've only laddered for about 10~15 matches, but it has won all of those games.

I'd appreciate any amount of criticism and really want to know exactly how to improvize on this team. If you feel something isn't covered, don't hesitate to ask or point it out. Without further ado, I'd like to say: enjoy!

TEAM AT A GLANCE:

IN DEPTH LOOK:

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Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def -Spe)
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
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Comments / Thoughts:

Swampert leads off this team and a fine lead it is! With only 1 weakness which 3 pokes in this team resist (one being a 4x), it can easily set up Rocks or EQ the Jirachi and Metagross leads. I don't worry too much about Focus Sash leads as the common Infernape and Mamoswine leads can't even 2HKO this guy. Azelf is the only concerning lead, but that's what I have Tyranitar for.

Later on during the game, Swampert's role is crucial. His Ice beam helps me kill off Dragons while Stone Edge helps crush Gyarados. Earthquake is for Metagross. Wish support helps Swampert stay alive and finish his job.

Swampert, being my only Ground type, doesn't care about taking Thunder Waves that can really mess up my team.

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Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 216 SpDef/ 40 HP
Adamant Nature (+Atk -Satk)
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail
- Crunch / Earthquake
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Comments / Thoughts:


Choice Banded Tyranitar vexed my bulky offensive team building ability so much that I had to put it in on my team. It helps me destroy Stall and helps against Balanced teams as well.

The standard CB Tar generally has 252 Spe EVs, but I'm more interested in Special Walling with Tyranitar, thus the 216 SpDef EVs. This makes Tyranitar a solid Special Tank that can dish out a ton of damage.

Lastly, CB Tar has some good synergy with this team. Well, not a lot, but it does form the notorious CB Tar + MixApe combination. Especially with people relying upon Latias as their main MixApe counter these days. If Manaphy becomes OU, then Special-Based Mixed Infernape is definitely dead, but w/e....

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Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Spe/ 220 Def
Bold Nature (+Def -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Wish
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Comments / Thoughts:

I swear that this is on every one of my teams. It's a blast to play with. Wish support is just freakin' awesome. Calm Mind and immunity to Toxic screws Blissey and it sweeps too often and has saved me numerous times in the past. I simply love when CB Tar removes a CM Latias, the only poke (bar some Celebi, which is uncommon) that can CM up with this Jirachi to beat it. Definitely irreplaceable.

220 Defense EVs and Bold because I don't care about Speed. I'm not running Substitute either. 220 Def. easily allows me to survive stuff like CB Dugtrio EQ and a host of other moves. Seriously, I'm paranoid about Dugtrio revenge kills. ALSO, it can take +1 Lo Gyarados EQ and survive all the time.

Jirachi is also the only Steel type on this team. Swampert handles the Dragons, but Jirachi is often relegated to taking random Outrages at certain times.

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Latias @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 148 HP / 184 Def / 176 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe -Atk)
- Reflect
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Roost
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Comments / Thoughts:

Latias becoming OU makes the biggest change to my teams. I really wanted to test it out. (I played Suspect Latias for a little while, but hadn't played with it on Standard much, if at all).

I wanted Latias to help me in forcing Salamence out (assuming it didn't use a Dragon move) and so the Speed was Timid/176 Spe. I also wanted it to be bulky so I went with the bulky spread. 148 HP was standard for a bulky spread utilizing leftovers, so I used that and threw the rest into Defense.

The Defense allows Latias to come in on +1 LO Gyarados and set up Reflect. This means Jirachi can easily take a +3 Earthquake with Rocks down and KO with Thunderbolt. (lol) Lastly, Latias's Reflect is very critical to this team:
1) Reflect eases some big hits for the team
2) Reflect weakens ground moves meaning Dugtrio can't revenge Tyranitar or Jirachi
AND there's more, but w/e. Overall, Latias is really cool.

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Salamence @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe -Satk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
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Comments / Thoughts:

Physically Bulky Salamence is fun to play with. It's a vicious stat-upper in the late-game and really helps sweep up Offensive teams. So many teams rely on a Steel like Scizor to take a +1 Outrage and revenge that this thing seems almost anti-metagame.

It's got great synergy with Jirachi and easily recieves Wishes. I also use this Salamence to help counter many physical threats, most notably Lucario.

Other than that, this thing is standard.

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Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 24 Atk / 232 Spe / 252 SAtk
Naive (+Spe -SDef)
- Fire Blast / Flamethrower
- Nasty Plot
- Close Combat
- Vacuum Wave / Grass Knot
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Comments / Thoughts:

Ah, Infernape. Would've been the Star of the Show if I had a better Gyarados counter, lol.

So it seems very odd that Infernape would be on a very defensive and bulky team as above, but it's actually that Infernape is the only Pokemon that managed to cover whatever else I needed!

So I wanted a better Scizor counter in this slot. Then I realized Burns would annoy me a whole lot. I also needed some more speed on this team. Also, my only source of immediate power was Tyranitar, which was extremely slow. I thought and thought. Maybe a Life Orb Suicune w/ Hydro Pump?? Maybe a ScarfTran?? How about a Zapdos? But no, it ended up being Infernape

Infernape seems like a terrible Scizor counter. But the truth is that it isn't exactly a "counter" per se. BulkyMence works well in wearing it down. But I needed something to switch in on Bullet Punches. In that sense, Infernape works like Magnezone when it comes to countering Scizor.

Offensively, Infernape's counters are covered on this team for the most part, very nicely. The Moveset was very hard to choose. IDK if I should go with no set up moves, a Plot/SD Ape, or a Choice'd Ape. I wanted priority (blame my Dugtrio paranoia) but also wanted good coverage and a Mixed set. It couldn't work. Eventually, it seemed as though Reflect Latias could possibly put up a Reflect and thus allow Jirachi and Tyranitar to take Dugtrio EQs, and that acted as a 'security blanket' and so I went with PlotApe. It sweeps too well. I could not be more pleased.
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ANYWAYS, THREAT LIST TO COME SOON. DONT FORGET TO POST AND THANKS FOR READING!!!

 

[les gets]

A faster mixape w/ grass knot, any fire move, and hp ice can hit your entire team super effectively (edit: except your own mixape, but CC or something will easily OHKO it if it's faster), and I don't know how to fix that, lol. Hopefully you can weaken it and faint it w/ vacuum wave or something. Same w/ scarftran, but it fears swampert, however it can always explode.

I would use grass knot on infernape, cause otherwise swampert will be a pain to kill, since you don't have any toxic users or anything.

Jolteon could be a problem, as it carries hp grass and hp ice, and 1/3 of your team is weak to each. T-bolt will probably 2HKO jirachi every time w/ no SpD EVs, and infernape will fall every time, unless you vacuum wave, which still doesn't OHKO it.

Just some thoughts, gl w/ your team.

 

[Darkmalice]

Infernape a Gyarados counter??? What are you thinking? He can't switch in on Waterfall or Dragon Dance. And he's a horrible Scizor counter thanks to pathetic Defense. If you want a counter for both of these, use the standard defensive Rotom-H - Bold, 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 Spe (to outrun max. Speed Scizor), Thunderbolt, Overheat, Will o Wisp, Shadow Ball.

Tyranitar should have 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef. It maximises his overall defensive potential - he only loses a bit of physical durability, but he gains a relatively high boost in Def. The same goes with Latias, but more strongly thanks to a lower base HP and Reflect - change her EVs to 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe.

Swampert should have Surf in place of Stone Edge. Surf gets STAB. It works great against physical walls like Skarmory and Hippowdon, and is your best option against most Leviaters. Ice Beam already hits Flying pokemon super-effective, but without a shaky 80% accuracy. Use the standard MixPert EVs, so its Surf and Ice Beam hit harder.

Jirachi should have Flash Cannon in place of Psychic. Why? It provides better type coverage, only resisted by Swampert, Magnezone, Jolteon and Electivire. Flash Cannon is excellent against Tyranitar, Latias and Celebi. Jirachi will beat the last two thanks to Calm Mind, and a +1 Flash Cannon can 2HKO a 252 HP / 4 SDef Tyranitar 98.36% of the time.

 

[Oxypad]

I would consider Refresh on Latias in place of Reflect. It can then act as a force that stands alone, not fearing status. That makes it a great switch-in against Blissey, Zapdos, Celebi, and Heatran. Reflect has its merits, surely, but Dugtrio is not used too much. The bigger thing Reflect provides is protection against the Scizor/Tyranitar that will come in. Latias still can't beat them with Reflect up if it stays in, so I feel Reflect is sort of pointless most of the time, as far as trying to sweep with that Latias.

It (Reflect) can soften their blow and give Latias another chance to switch in later, but I prefer Refresh on that set over Reflect.

Granted, I could be dead wrong in my opinions and Reflect might be helping you set up that Salamence. Like you say, the "team support" aspect is a good thing, and Reflect can soften a blow and give Latias another chance to switch in later. If that's how you use it, then by all means keep it.

I guess my point is that you probably won't end up sweeping with that Latias without Refresh. You haven't indicated that you use it as a sweeper really...so maybe rethink it into a whole different set. Perhaps get rid of Calm Mind, keep Reflect if you want, and give it Roar. Or Refresh.

(LOL...this is coming from a guy who's so paranoid of status that I would even think about giving Swampert Refresh sometimes. But it's awesome on Latias. I'm a HUGE fan of it.)

Might as well give Jirachi Substitute and keep it as a Calm Mind variant. I'm skeptical of Wish passing in this generation, since there's the potential for it to not be successful if whatever intends to receive the Wish gets knocked out. Then no one gets healed. So yeah...I would try Substitute over Wish and fiddle with the EVs.

Good choice of Salamence for this team.

Infernape is fragile, but I like your reasoning for choosing it. It comes in on Will-o-wisp attempts, and you need to avoid those burns. Funny thing that it works so well with Tyranitar Pursuiting all the Pokes that could wall it. It's worth it to get a Nasty Plot in because Life Orb damage when you attack + Sand damage means Infernape will go down fast if it's damaging anything. So make that 10% count!

Swampert with Stone Edge manages to beat Gyarados, does it? Alright; so that's why it doesn't have a Water move. That's fine then.

So my final rating is that you'll likely do fine with the team as is. You don't have to change any of the members. Try altering Latias' set, since I feel it can be more versatile than the one posted, but keep Reflect cuz it will probably act as some glue for this team. It helps justify making your only Steel type, Jirachi, more of a self-centered Sweeper. Salamence with Roost should be able to fend for itself, so is losing Wish that big a deal? Swampert and Tyranitar could use the support, but personally Wish passing just gets in the way of how I would want to play in this generation. Keep it if you'd like.

Threat lists are infantile. Honestly, the reasoning I've seen on some is very bad. You'd really have to get into specifics to do a good threat list. Just something to think about. A team can't be perfect anyway, so don't sweat it.

 

[puffery]

bronzong might look like its a pain it can come in and set up everything it wants hypnosis rocks screens

 

[RainDance]

Having dual screens on teams is more officiant but only reflect it just sucks, won't really help that much.
No wish protect just wish on jirachi could be pretty risky since you could die on the second hit. I would just suggest to add substitute over wish to help you set up more and to block up coming status moves.
Go with flamethrower on ape since with one nasty plot flamethrowers power will go over the roof.
Also go with grass knot on ape since I see no grass coverage curseperts could mall this team heavily since your giving them the chance to set up.

 

[XxBlueCleric.xX]

@ Darknessmalice: Infernape isn't a gyarados counter...lol, did I say that? Typo if I did. I use Swampert for that since it has Stone Edge.
Also, Infernape isn't a scizor counter. I can use Infernape to switch Scizor out though. That's if I come in on Bullet Punch. Also, he has a 4x X-Scissor resist, so he come in on anything bar SuperPower/brick Break and force Scizor out. That's not too bad.

@ Oxypad: I actually thought about that for a while. I really wanted to keep Reflect. In the end, I just figured, "Oh well, i'll let Ty and Swampert take Paralysis, and Jirachi can come in on Toxic" You really can't have everything.

@ Cost: Latias is a good Infernape counter.

@ Rain Dance: Reflect is really good. I don't need Light Screen. What special poke have I not covered so well that warrants use of Light Screen? Anyways, Reflect + Calm Mind is extremely efficient. But you're definitely correct about Swampert, which I'd completely forgotten. So I'm going to go with Grass Knot. Thanks.

 

[ToF]

Hey,

First thing, swap Stone Edge on Swampert for HP Electric. It will allow you to first and foremost hit Gyarados much harder (its BulkyGyara Intimidates you, it could get 2 DD's in, plus Stone Edge has poor accuracy). Additionally, it hits stuff like Skarmory decently (who always loves to switch in on Swampert).

Jirachi seems out of place on this team. You say its offensive, yet its running a primarily defensive EV spread with a setup set. Not what I'd call offense. Change up Jirachi to run max speed, and 180 Attack, and 76 Special Attack. Give Jirachi and Expert Belt, and it essentially acts as a wall-breaker. Nothing in today's metagame can stand upto Iron Head, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and Grass Knot. It hits a lot of the metagame hard, and you would be surprised that it only takes 40% or so from an LO Outrage from Salamence. With Roost, Salamence does not need Wish support anyway. You should be able to come in on your resistances, and stat-up when possible.

On Infernape, definitely run Flamethrower (I'd prefer Fire Blast) over Nasty Plot. There isn't much space for Infernape to get out boosts anyway. Just run the standard Mixnape set of Close Combat / Fire Blast / Grass Knot / Vacuum Wave (to catch Lucario and Scarftran at low health). Also, switch around your EV spread a bit. Run 24 Att / 232 Sp.Att / 252 Speed so that you at least tie with other Infernapes if Latias somehow dies.

Overall, it looks pretty good, you covered your basis quite well. Good job, and good luck.

 

[Wolfie92]

On swampert it might be a good idea to run protect over stone edge. This gives you a way to protect yourself if you think your opponent will go boom, will give you a turn of lefties recovery, as well as scout moves. You could use another steel type somewhere as outrage and draco meteor really hurt swampert making him a somewhat shaky dragon counter.

 

[XxBlueCleric.xX]

Hey Twist of Fate,

Awesome rate, thanks. I'm using HP Electric on Swampert now, it does work well.

I tried using the Jirachi you suggested, but it didn't work too well overall with this team. Nonetheless, you're right about the not much standing up to such a set. It's really powerful when it comes to type coverage, etc. but the power is a bit lacking in any case.

For Infernape, I think Vacuum Wave doesn't work too well on such a set. With nasty plot, vacuum wave has the ability to finish Dugtrio in a blow over 50% of the time with Rocks down, and it probably take a chunk out of ScarfTran. Analysis suggests HP Ice in the last slot. With a Nasty Plot set, Salamence is still KOd by +2 Fire Blast after Rocks.
BUT I'm agreeing with Nape not being able to pull off a Nasty Plot. But if CB Scizor kills something with Bullet Punch, I can bring it in and get a Nasty Plot off. But if the Scizor stays in (they usually don't if they're on full health), then it can still take a chunk out of Nape (especially when coupled with Rocks, Lo, and SS.)

thanks for the rates, any more?

 

[Thorns]

yeah starmie rips you to shreds especially if latias is weakened just a little bit. try using scarfmence with like outrage/earthquake/fire blast/draco meteor or something to revenge kill it.

 

[Justinawe]

Hey I really like this team dude, you have a lot of great coverage. One thing to me that seems to be a big problem is Scizor. Nothing on the team can really switch into one, but Reflect helps with that somewhat. If Infernape is down, how do you deal with it?