OU Team: Shatterstar

[Kitsuyi]

Hello there, my friend recommended that I should make a RMT because I was having a few issues with my current set-up. ​

Without further delay.

Nature: Jolly // Ability: Sandveil // Item: Leftovers
EV: 252 HP // 4 DEF // 252 SPD
Moveset: Earthquake // U-Turn // Stealth Rock // Taunt

Reasoning: I chose this as my lead because it's capable of getting up SR and it's able to Taunt the more slower leads so they won't be able to get the initial hazards up. With U-Turn I can deal initial damage and switch into something which is capable of KOing said Pokemon so I can gain the early advantage. With Earthquake it's able to comfortably handle things weak against Ground.

Nature: Timid // Ability: Levitate // Item: Choice Scarf
EVs: 252 SpA // 252 SPD // 4 HP SpD
Moveset: Thunderbolt // Overheat // Trick // Shadowball

Reasoning: I chose Rotom-h for this position because I needed something that is capable of handling Gyarados and to take some damage from steel types which can harm the majority of my team. With the heightened speed it's capable of inflicting large amounts of damage to switch ins, and with Trick I'm able to handle those pesky walls which try to set up on my team. (Thanks Buddy)

Nature: Adamant // Ability: Sandstorm // Item: Choice Scarf
EV: 252 ATK // 6 HP // 252 SPD
Moveset: Crunch // Pursuit // Super Power // Stone Edge

Reasoning: With the loss of Scizor I needed something that was capable of dealing Super Effective damage to Blissey or anything weak against fighting moves. With the Scarf equipped it's capable of outrunning a lot of Pokemon which don't have their own scarf. Pursuit / Crunch are for those pesky types that switch in anticipation of something which can harm TTar. (Thanks Gabo)

Nature: Naive // Ability: Flash Fire // Item: Choice Scarf
EV: 4 ATK // 252 SPD // 252 SpA
Moveset: Fire Blast // Earth Power // Dragon Pulse // Explosion

Reasoning: The reasoning behind this one is because I've been on the end of the brutal assault Heatran is capable of dishing out. I chose the moves I did because I wanted something which could outspeed most of the Dragons, and is able to dish out a ton of damage to them before they have a chance to set anything up. With the build up of Spikes and SR, it could probably take them out in one fluid motion. I also chose Earth Power because it's good to be able to handle the things weak to Ground.

Nature: Bold // Ability: Water Absorb // Item: Leftovers
EVs: 188 HP // 252 DEF // 68 SPD
Moveset: Wish // Protect // Ice Beam // Surf

Reasoning: I needed something that's capable of keeping the synergy going between Heatran and Sala so they have an easier time to sweep as the game nears it's end. With a standard wish support set I feel like this is the best option because with Ice Beam I'm able to switch in on Dragon's and scare them away. (Thanks Ana)

Nature: Jolly // Ability: Intimidate // Item: Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP // 180 DEF // 76 SPD
Moveset: Dragon Dance //Dragon Claw // Earthquake // Roost

Reasoning: After being recommended to use a Bulky DD Sala to handle Lucario I listened to my friends advice and did just that. Now being able to take a hit or two DD will be able to go up almost effortlessly, and with the STAB of Dragon Claw it's still capable of inflicting damage to opposing Poke. (Thanks Ana)

Final Word: With the advice given I feel that this team is more complete, for that I am grateful for the tips which have been a great help.

I've tested it out in a battles and the most noticeable threats are things which set up before I can Taunt / have a chance to Whirlwind, it's basically a gamble to be able to absorb some of the damage so Skarm is capable of WWing it. With no real block for electric attacks, I will have to take that damage regardless, and risk being Paralyzed as well.

I appreciate the work you guys do with the rates and so I am hoping that I'll be able to fix the kinks out of it, because something really feels out of place. Sorry for the lengthy descriptions, I just wanted to be as thorough as I possibly could. Thanks for reading.

 

[Gaborik]

Immediate problem I noticed: Rotom forms, +speed attacking variants, especially -W, give you immense problems. Gengar plays very similar and could be a problem since most Gengar are Sub/Protect versions meant to deal with Scizor these days.

Also, the team lacks any identity. I see some sort of defensive balance in Skarmory and Rotom, but they cover some similar pokemon (Mamoswine, Metagross, Scizor, etc.) and the overlaps in what they cover give you problems. They also both lose to something like Lucario, and as I said earlier, offensive rotom forms. The rest of the team is highly offensive in nature with Heatran/Salamence/Scizor/Azelf.

I think that Skarmory/Rotom need to be adjusted to fit with your overall team. You don't have the time and defenses to lay down multiple layers of spikes and wear a team down. Skarmory should probably go because he just can't fit. I think it can be a slightly defensive pokemon, but to mesh with your teams offensive style I would lean towards a ScarfTar or CBTar. That gives you quite a bit of choice users, which is why I am hesitant to recommend it, but he also can trap something like Gengar that this team could only deal with through a Heatran revenge kill also. You are still left pretty weak to Lucario, barring Heatran revenge kills, but it patches up a decent hole and fits your teams style better in the end.

 

[BuddyBlueBomber]

Looking at your Rotom, I can see that it doesn't really do that job that it was meant to do. To counter Gyarados without a doubt, you need to be able to outrun a positive speed nature max Speed EV which has already gone through a Dragon Dance. This is because most Gyarados run DD, and it takes a turn to switch to your counter. This will minimize the damage you take, and therefor leave it in better shape to take on other pokemon. Right now, you don't have the speed to pull that off. Other pokemon, such as speedier Rotoms and Gengars will be able to OHKO this set with their STAB Shadow Balls as well. To better fit your team, I would go with a more offensive set for your Rotom. Here's a good suggestion:

Rotom-h @Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Special Attack/252 Speed/4 HP
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Overheat
-Trick

With this set, you can easily outrun a number of threats, like Gyarados, Gengar, non-scarfed Rotoms and Latias while dishing out OHKOs on all of them (Not sure with Latias, if not it's a 2HKO). Overheat also makes this set a great Scizor check as well, resisting Bullet Punch and U-turn as well as being immune to its fighting type attacks, then firing back an Overhear which OHKOs. Trick lets you put an end to any stall pokemon out there that's causing problems, as well as opening up the ability to use moves freely if it proves beneficial to trade off the speed at that point.

Hope I've helped, and good luck on your team.

 

[Kitsuyi]

Thank you both for the input, do you think a different lead would be more beneficial than the reckless suicide lead? Or maybe even switch the moves around so it can do Light Screen and Reflect? Or maybe even have a Swampert in place of where Skarmory is to SR and to have a ton of resistances to soak up damage.

 

[Anachronism]

Hello Kitsuyi

I think what he is trying to do here is set up a Heatran or Salamence sweep by wearing down counters with hazards. It seems like Scizor should be replaced for a Vaporeon to wall any possible counters. I think that the standard evs with a set of surf/wish/protect/ice beam would suit your needs well. it pivots well with heatran and Salamence also to heal them up. It also helps you against Mence.

It might also be a good idea to go ahead and use a Roosting variant of Mence so that you have a stronger counter to Lucario. Bulky DD or MixMence would both suit your needs.

Azelf leads are kind of weak imo. I think that tyranitar is probably a good idea for you. it takes down Latias for you and can lay out rocks, while having a good matchup against some common leads. I haven't used one myself, so if someone has a good set for a lead tar would they please post it? the one in the strategy dex could be fine. Chople seems like the ideal item since otherwise you do have some serious gar problems.

Sorry, I didn't have much time to post this ^_^

 

[Aircraft Cemetery]

Hello,

I got your PM, so I'll do my best.
Obviously you already did some changes, so I will comment on your team as it looks by now. I think there is some need of improvement, especially when I look at aour three Scarfers. Running 3 choiced pokemon in a rather balanced/defensive team is already a bit odd but the fact that none of them is able to outrun DD Salamence after a DD is just not acceptable. Jolly Mence with a DD under its belt will easily sweep you 6-0. In contrast to what has been said above Vaporeon with Ice Beam is absolutely not able to handle DD Mence as it's easily ohkoed by +1 Life Orb Outrage after Stealth Rocks. Your only chance will be sacrificing your Mence in order to intimidate it so that Vappy can survive a boosted Outrage. Another threat for your team is DD Tyranitar. After 1 DD and with a jolly nature it will easily beat everything but Gliscor with ease and Gliscor's lack of Roost won't make things easier for you. Something you will also have problems against is offensive CM Suicune. Your only chance will be wearing it down with your Scarfers, as even Rotom's TBolt only does pityful damage after Cune has used CM once. In fatc Tricking it will be your best bet, which isn't really reliable. The last issue I'd like to mention is your lack of a phazer. Each balanced/semi-defensive team should feature a reliable phazer or Baton Pass teams will become a major threat. These are the things I will focus on in the following.

The first thing I would do is dropping Gliscor for Swampert. Swampert will provide you with a pretty reliable check for Salamence and its Roar is also highly appreciated. The main problem with Gliscor leads is the fact that you can't use Roost, U-Turn and SR on the same set due to the neccessity of EQ and Taunt. Pert will also help against your electric problems, you just should watch out for HP Grass. This set will work:
Swampert@Leftovers
Relaxed-252HP, 252Def, 4SpDef
-Earthquake
-Ice Beam
-Stealth Rock
-Roar

Vaporeon: A good choice for your team as most of your team members will absolutely like Wish support. The only thing I would change is Toxic over Ice Beam. This will greatly help against offensive CM Suicune and Gyarados, while Ice Beam is not the best option because Vappy will usually lose to dragons anyway. Also Toxic Support is very useful in general. Also I would move those 68 Speed EVs into Sp Def as you will then be able to take Suicune's HP Electric better. The speed is not that important.

Tyranitar: Definitely use Jolly because if not Life Orb Starmie , gengar, latias and Azelf are not outsped and can run amok. Also Jolly will at least speed tie against DD ttar after a DD so you can threaten a ohko with Superpower.

Rotom: I feel it's not really needed for your team. Everything it's supposed to check is already checked by another team member and you also won't really need a ghost to block rapid spin. Therefore I would suggest Scarf Lirachi in that slot. It provides you with the much needed revenge killer for DD Salamence and other Dragon Types. Also its steel typing will provide you with a switch in for MixMence's Draco Meteor, something most of your other team members will absolutely hate to do.
Jirachi@Choice Scarf
Jolly-252Atk, 252Spe, 4HP
-Iron Head
-Fire Punch
-Ice Punch/Zen-Headbutt
-Trick/Zen-Headbutt
Zen-Headbutt can be used over one of the last two moves in order to combat Machamp better, who can become a real problem for your team.

Heatran: Now you already have two Scarf users that check everything that needs to be checked. Therefore I would drop the Scarf on Heatran and use this set:
Heatran@Shuca Berry
Timid-252Spe, 252SpAtk, 4HP
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-HP Grass
-Taunt/Substitute/Explosion
This Heatran is an all out attacker who can bluff a scarf with Shuca Berry and kill switchins with the according move. HP Grass deals with Swamperts who your team will have trouble against. Taunt lets you beat Curse Snorlax who run Fire Punch and Return easily and will provide you with a really handy option against Baton Pass teams.

I think this should help. Good Luck !