She Who Mars the Skin of Gods: Leafeon Support (OU RMT)
Hello again, Team Raters! Some of you have seen my Pikapower team (Check my signature if not, I’m always open to new suggestions!), and I’m back with another team built around a rarely-seen Pokémon: Leafeon.
Yes, I said Leafeon. Leafeon is generally in UU as an SD sweeper, or in OU/UU as an SD Passer. But the build I feel in love with long ago on my first team was the rare Wish Passer. Building a team around this Pokémon posed a challenge, though: How do you build a team around a support Pokémon? Well, I thought about it, and decided a team built around a Wish Passing Leafeon isn’t one that makes Leafeon the key to victory. Rather, it is one that makes the best use of its Wish Passing abilities. So, it would be a team with intense type-resistance synergy, with Leafeon sponging attacks aimed at my offensive line and healing them right back. At the same time, Leafeon couldn’t be counted on to secure the win by itself (Any team that relies on just one Pokémon or strategy for a win condition is just stupid; I learned that the hard way. Always have a plan B), so the team needed to get by without Leafeon, yet still make full use of its healing and support. With that in mind, I created the following team:
At a Glance:
The basic strategy is wreck the lead or dent any switch-in with Honchkrow, then pull out for the appropriate counter. Magnezone traps and kills any steels, while Heatran prowls around for a Flash Fire boost, taking out Pokémon in the process. Leafeon’s Wishes keep the team healthy, and Starmie keeps rocks away from the field. Finally, Dragonite comes in and sets up, wrecking the opponent’s team. When a counter shows up, I switch to the appropriate re-counter, remove the threat, heal up with Leafeon if need be, and begin anew. Dragonite alone bashes the opponent’s team, while Heatran and Honchkrow clean up the mess. In all, the team flows around the opponent, then comes down in a torrent, like water (Cowboy Bebop, anyone?).
But this is a Smogon RMT, and thus requires far more in depth explanation. So, here you go:
The Lead and his Backup:
Honchkrow w/ Choice Scarf
Insomnia
Naïve
252 Atk, 252 Spd, 6 HP
Brave Bird
Superpower
Night Slash
Hidden Power (Ice) Pursuit
A build of my own design. I call it the “AntiKrow”, as it is an Anti-Lead. Brave Bird deals with Machamp, something few leads can do. Superpower handles Tyrannitar, and Night Slash does in Azelf. TrickScarf leads are dead in the water, particularly TrickZelf who is OHKOed after its failed Trick. Any Focus Sash lead that runs Taunt completely fails and is 2HKOed without getting up any hazards if they use Taunt on turn one. This is a guarantee, as the EVs allow it to out-speed all base 130s *cough*Aerodactyl*cough*. Sleep leads, of course, fail thanks to Insomnia. Roserade in particular is walked upon, as Scarfed users are OHKOed while Leaf Storm does negligible damage and Focus Sash users are done in with an additional hit. Metagross doesn’t really have anything to fear, but it can be handled by Magnezone very well, which (In a way) is the key to this lead. It can’t be thrown on to any team and work; I made it specifically for this team and for my weaknesses. Anything Honchkrow can’t handle is easily dealt with by another Pokémon. And very importantly, Honchkrow can switch out and come back in to tear up a particularly annoying Pokemon. Wish Support from Leafeon is very helpful here, as it negates Stealth Rock damage if Starmie hasn’t come out yet and heals off Brave Bird recoil. Once out again, I can punch through Rotom, Gengar, Blissey, Tyrannitar and many other threats. I can also come in on Ground attacks aimed at Heatran with impunity. Honchkrow is an amazing Breloom counter, taking the Spore and OHKOing back. That’s got a special meaning for me, since Breloom (and Machamp, while I’m at it) have annoyed the crap out of me with previous teams. He’s definitely one of my favorite Pokémon I’ve played with so far.
HP Ice was replaced with Pursuit, since Salamence is gone and HP Ice won't do any good against Dragonite. I'm better off switching to Heatran.
Mangnezone w/ Leftovers
Magnet Pull
Timid
40 HP, 252 SA, 216 Spd
Thunderbolt
Hidden Power (Fire)
Substitute
Magnet Rise
This set really surprised me with its usefulness on this team, as I had used it in the past with little success. First off it works with Honchkrow to take out Metagross with stupid ease, 2HKOing with minimum damage done to Magnezone with a simple combination of moves: Magnet Rise as they Earthquake, Sub on the Meteor Mash (Which won’t break the sub) and HP Fire twice for the KO. They’ll have to Bullet Punch to really do anything to me, and that damage is cancelled out by the Leftovers. Later in the game, Magnezone is a great steel killer, clearing the field for Dragonite’s sweep by taking out Scizor and any other Steels. True, Swampert walls this set completely, but I don’t intend to use him against Swampert. Receiving Leafeon’s Wish allows him to continue to slaughter any Steel that dares to oppose me.
The Sweeper and His Sidekick:
Dragonite w/ Life Orb
Inner Focus
Naive
236 Atk, 24 SA, 252 Spe
Outrage
Earthquake
Fire Blast
Dragon Dance
The classic Dragon Dancer. As long as I give myself the proper amount of time to prepare, his sweep is pretty much unhindered. I shouldn’t really have to explain much, other than that he works well in tandem with Heatran to blow holes in an opponent’s team that it then uses to rape them (How’s that for a metaphor?). Leafeon and Starmie provide additional support, with Magnezone removing troublesome Steels that Heatran can’t remove, or if I’m trying to keep him hidden. Dragonite is an amazing team with Magnezone, as together they resist all 17 types. Heatran is also a great teammate, and ties the defensive line with the offensive line to keep my team flowing and the panic button unpressed. As for why I chose him, this was a Salamence, but I replaced him after he was banned. Works just as well so far, though I feel like a jerk for not using Dragonite as it's own Pokemon.
Heatran w/ Choice Scarf
Flash Fire
Timid
252 SA, 252 Spd, 6 Atk
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Dragon Pulse
HP Grass Explosion
Heatran works amazingly well with Leafeon, taking both a Wish and a Flash Fire boost in the best situations. It’s similar to the Celetran combo defensively, but functions far differently. Heatran can come in on a revenge killer aimed at Dragonite (I’m looking at you, Weavile) and revenge-kill right back with Fire Blast or Earth Power. He resists Ice heavily, which is great when working with Dragonite. In fact, that’s often how he works, working in tandem with Dragonite to break down a team’s defenses. Fire Blast deals out massive damage in general, while Earth Power deals with other Heatran and rounds out the coverage. Dragon Pulse takes out any Dragon type I might have problems with. Explosion punches through any dedicated special wall, like Blissey (WHORE!). Overall, he’s a very versatile revenge killer, and despite being listed as sweeping support, he’s earned me many victories by cleaning up after Dragonite’s reign of terror has ended. I used to hate Heatran, but after using many different builds on different teams, I must say I love the support he offers my team when used properly.
The Support:
Starmie w/ Leftovers
Natural Cure
Timid
136 HP, 156 Def, 216 Spd
Surf
Thunderbolt
Rapid Spin
Recover
*In Limbo right now, as I'm trying to make a more offensive version*
Well, what can I say that hasn’t been said? Starmie is a generally great Pokémon, Rapid Spinning quite well to keep Honchkrow and Dragonite safe, while adding a check against Infernape. Gengar doesn’t bother me, as Heatran can come in on Shadow Ball and KO with Fire Blast, although if I predict it has Thunderbolt I can go for Leafeon, or Magnezone (Though I must watch out for Focus Blast). Rotom forms could possibly cause some problems, although Honchkrow can punch both them and Gengar out easily enough. Rotom-H takes some tricky mind games and prediction to get in a KO scot-free for me though, such as having Starmie take the burn and Surf, then I go to Honchkrow on the Shadow Ball and Night Slash. Starmie is an excellent Rapid Spinner and completes my defensive base of Fire, Water and Grass, which works amazingly well despite having happened by accident.
Leafeon w/ Leftovers
Leaf Guard
Impish
252 HP, 20 Def, 232 Spd *Messing with these EVs too*
Leaf Blade
Wish
Protect
Yawn
And now, my muse. Leafeon works amazingly well with this team, healing up both my offensive and defensive line. For example, let’s say Dragonite has gotten a Dragon Dance under its belt and is sweeping. A Scizor comes in to ruin its fun, and I switch to Heatran. Fire Blast KOs the Scizor, and Swampert comes out. Leafeon comes in on the Earthquake, and Wishes. Dragonite then comes in on the switch-in’s Fire attack aimed at Leafeon, and receives the Wish to heal up for another round, minus Scizor. This very scenario has happened several times, and variations occur even more often. Leafeon also gives Honchkrow another chance at life, though that match-up doesn’t work as well with Honchkrow sharing Leafeon’s Ice weakness (True, Dragonite does too, but if I suspected an Ice attack I’d just go back to Heatran) and not resisting any attacks aimed at Leafeon. Starmie also appreciates the support, although to a lesser extent. Yawn can force a switch or incapacitate the opponent, which is awesome either way. Protect allows me to scout, and if Swampert stays in to try to Ice Beam me, I can Leaf Blade back for the OHKO. Heatran can come in off of Fire-types aiming for Leafeon with impunity, and Leafeon can do the same for Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Leafeon also serves a secondary purpose, allowing me to scout for my opponent’s Ice type before sending Dragonite out into the unknown. All in all, a stellar Pokémon, and she still proves to be one of my favorites after all this time.
Team Building Process:
Well, after building a team around Pikachu, I was ready to build another team around one of my favorite and sorely underused Pokémon: Wish Passing Leafeon. In order to make her the star she deserves to be, I had to build a team that could make full use of her support.
Heatran could take Fire hits aimed at Leafeon, set up Stealth Rock and punch holes in the opponent. Starmie made a great Rapid Spinner and defender who appreciated Leafeon on the team to take Electric attacks. This also created a FGW defensive base, something I’d heard was very effective, although it was by accident.
I had to pick a sweeper to take full advantage of my defensive line, and Salamence fit perfectly. I changed Heatran to a Scarfran, and Salamence was like magic.
Magnezone works wonders with Salamence (Or so I’d heard) and also hits Waters hard and without fear, something I wanted. I heard that it and Salamence together resisted all 17 types, and I was sold.
I couldn’t decide on a lead, but I really wanted a counter to Breloom and Machamp. Then I had an idea: Anti-Lead Honchkrow. With that final addition, I started play-testing. After losing out to Leadmence BADLY, I added HP Ice and tweaked the nature and EVs for maximum all-around power. The result was more than I ever expected. LeadKrow is a force to be reckoned with, and with that last change, I began dominating.
Salamence was banned, sadly, and I had to replace him. I didn't want to restructure my team, so I just slapped on Dragonite. I know, I know. No0b move, and not to mention just plain mean to Dragonite, but it works very well and lets me keep on truckin'.
For my final notes, I must say that Wish Leafeon needs more exposure, and that a good FGW defensive base works well against many teams.
But the real victory here was the discovery of Anti-Lead Honchkrow. Yes, Leadkrow needs minor tweaking for each team it’s placed on, but the concept works amazingly well. And as always, Lead Synergy is amazingly important, and I can’t thank Neno enough for introducing this concept to me in his Breloom-based RMT. So please, try it out and maybe we can change the metagame together (Lol, wouldn’t that be awesome?).
So, who has questions? Comments? Let me know, as long as it’s constructive and DOES NOT remove Leafeon.
Also, if you got the title reference, MAJOR cookies are awarded to you.
Hello again, Team Raters! Some of you have seen my Pikapower team (Check my signature if not, I’m always open to new suggestions!), and I’m back with another team built around a rarely-seen Pokémon: Leafeon.
Yes, I said Leafeon. Leafeon is generally in UU as an SD sweeper, or in OU/UU as an SD Passer. But the build I feel in love with long ago on my first team was the rare Wish Passer. Building a team around this Pokémon posed a challenge, though: How do you build a team around a support Pokémon? Well, I thought about it, and decided a team built around a Wish Passing Leafeon isn’t one that makes Leafeon the key to victory. Rather, it is one that makes the best use of its Wish Passing abilities. So, it would be a team with intense type-resistance synergy, with Leafeon sponging attacks aimed at my offensive line and healing them right back. At the same time, Leafeon couldn’t be counted on to secure the win by itself (Any team that relies on just one Pokémon or strategy for a win condition is just stupid; I learned that the hard way. Always have a plan B), so the team needed to get by without Leafeon, yet still make full use of its healing and support. With that in mind, I created the following team:
At a Glance:
The basic strategy is wreck the lead or dent any switch-in with Honchkrow, then pull out for the appropriate counter. Magnezone traps and kills any steels, while Heatran prowls around for a Flash Fire boost, taking out Pokémon in the process. Leafeon’s Wishes keep the team healthy, and Starmie keeps rocks away from the field. Finally, Dragonite comes in and sets up, wrecking the opponent’s team. When a counter shows up, I switch to the appropriate re-counter, remove the threat, heal up with Leafeon if need be, and begin anew. Dragonite alone bashes the opponent’s team, while Heatran and Honchkrow clean up the mess. In all, the team flows around the opponent, then comes down in a torrent, like water (Cowboy Bebop, anyone?).
But this is a Smogon RMT, and thus requires far more in depth explanation. So, here you go:
The Lead and his Backup:
Honchkrow w/ Choice Scarf
Insomnia
Naïve
252 Atk, 252 Spd, 6 HP
Brave Bird
Superpower
Night Slash
A build of my own design. I call it the “AntiKrow”, as it is an Anti-Lead. Brave Bird deals with Machamp, something few leads can do. Superpower handles Tyrannitar, and Night Slash does in Azelf. TrickScarf leads are dead in the water, particularly TrickZelf who is OHKOed after its failed Trick. Any Focus Sash lead that runs Taunt completely fails and is 2HKOed without getting up any hazards if they use Taunt on turn one. This is a guarantee, as the EVs allow it to out-speed all base 130s *cough*Aerodactyl*cough*. Sleep leads, of course, fail thanks to Insomnia. Roserade in particular is walked upon, as Scarfed users are OHKOed while Leaf Storm does negligible damage and Focus Sash users are done in with an additional hit. Metagross doesn’t really have anything to fear, but it can be handled by Magnezone very well, which (In a way) is the key to this lead. It can’t be thrown on to any team and work; I made it specifically for this team and for my weaknesses. Anything Honchkrow can’t handle is easily dealt with by another Pokémon. And very importantly, Honchkrow can switch out and come back in to tear up a particularly annoying Pokemon. Wish Support from Leafeon is very helpful here, as it negates Stealth Rock damage if Starmie hasn’t come out yet and heals off Brave Bird recoil. Once out again, I can punch through Rotom, Gengar, Blissey, Tyrannitar and many other threats. I can also come in on Ground attacks aimed at Heatran with impunity. Honchkrow is an amazing Breloom counter, taking the Spore and OHKOing back. That’s got a special meaning for me, since Breloom (and Machamp, while I’m at it) have annoyed the crap out of me with previous teams. He’s definitely one of my favorite Pokémon I’ve played with so far.
HP Ice was replaced with Pursuit, since Salamence is gone and HP Ice won't do any good against Dragonite. I'm better off switching to Heatran.
Mangnezone w/ Leftovers
Magnet Pull
Timid
40 HP, 252 SA, 216 Spd
Thunderbolt
Hidden Power (Fire)
Substitute
Magnet Rise
This set really surprised me with its usefulness on this team, as I had used it in the past with little success. First off it works with Honchkrow to take out Metagross with stupid ease, 2HKOing with minimum damage done to Magnezone with a simple combination of moves: Magnet Rise as they Earthquake, Sub on the Meteor Mash (Which won’t break the sub) and HP Fire twice for the KO. They’ll have to Bullet Punch to really do anything to me, and that damage is cancelled out by the Leftovers. Later in the game, Magnezone is a great steel killer, clearing the field for Dragonite’s sweep by taking out Scizor and any other Steels. True, Swampert walls this set completely, but I don’t intend to use him against Swampert. Receiving Leafeon’s Wish allows him to continue to slaughter any Steel that dares to oppose me.
The Sweeper and His Sidekick:
Dragonite w/ Life Orb
Inner Focus
Naive
236 Atk, 24 SA, 252 Spe
Outrage
Earthquake
Fire Blast
Dragon Dance
The classic Dragon Dancer. As long as I give myself the proper amount of time to prepare, his sweep is pretty much unhindered. I shouldn’t really have to explain much, other than that he works well in tandem with Heatran to blow holes in an opponent’s team that it then uses to rape them (How’s that for a metaphor?). Leafeon and Starmie provide additional support, with Magnezone removing troublesome Steels that Heatran can’t remove, or if I’m trying to keep him hidden. Dragonite is an amazing team with Magnezone, as together they resist all 17 types. Heatran is also a great teammate, and ties the defensive line with the offensive line to keep my team flowing and the panic button unpressed. As for why I chose him, this was a Salamence, but I replaced him after he was banned. Works just as well so far, though I feel like a jerk for not using Dragonite as it's own Pokemon.
Heatran w/ Choice Scarf
Flash Fire
Timid
252 SA, 252 Spd, 6 Atk
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Dragon Pulse
Heatran works amazingly well with Leafeon, taking both a Wish and a Flash Fire boost in the best situations. It’s similar to the Celetran combo defensively, but functions far differently. Heatran can come in on a revenge killer aimed at Dragonite (I’m looking at you, Weavile) and revenge-kill right back with Fire Blast or Earth Power. He resists Ice heavily, which is great when working with Dragonite. In fact, that’s often how he works, working in tandem with Dragonite to break down a team’s defenses. Fire Blast deals out massive damage in general, while Earth Power deals with other Heatran and rounds out the coverage. Dragon Pulse takes out any Dragon type I might have problems with. Explosion punches through any dedicated special wall, like Blissey (WHORE!). Overall, he’s a very versatile revenge killer, and despite being listed as sweeping support, he’s earned me many victories by cleaning up after Dragonite’s reign of terror has ended. I used to hate Heatran, but after using many different builds on different teams, I must say I love the support he offers my team when used properly.
The Support:
Starmie w/ Leftovers
Natural Cure
Timid
136 HP, 156 Def, 216 Spd
Surf
Thunderbolt
Rapid Spin
Recover
*In Limbo right now, as I'm trying to make a more offensive version*
Well, what can I say that hasn’t been said? Starmie is a generally great Pokémon, Rapid Spinning quite well to keep Honchkrow and Dragonite safe, while adding a check against Infernape. Gengar doesn’t bother me, as Heatran can come in on Shadow Ball and KO with Fire Blast, although if I predict it has Thunderbolt I can go for Leafeon, or Magnezone (Though I must watch out for Focus Blast). Rotom forms could possibly cause some problems, although Honchkrow can punch both them and Gengar out easily enough. Rotom-H takes some tricky mind games and prediction to get in a KO scot-free for me though, such as having Starmie take the burn and Surf, then I go to Honchkrow on the Shadow Ball and Night Slash. Starmie is an excellent Rapid Spinner and completes my defensive base of Fire, Water and Grass, which works amazingly well despite having happened by accident.
Leafeon w/ Leftovers
Leaf Guard
Impish
252 HP, 20 Def, 232 Spd *Messing with these EVs too*
Leaf Blade
Wish
Protect
Yawn
And now, my muse. Leafeon works amazingly well with this team, healing up both my offensive and defensive line. For example, let’s say Dragonite has gotten a Dragon Dance under its belt and is sweeping. A Scizor comes in to ruin its fun, and I switch to Heatran. Fire Blast KOs the Scizor, and Swampert comes out. Leafeon comes in on the Earthquake, and Wishes. Dragonite then comes in on the switch-in’s Fire attack aimed at Leafeon, and receives the Wish to heal up for another round, minus Scizor. This very scenario has happened several times, and variations occur even more often. Leafeon also gives Honchkrow another chance at life, though that match-up doesn’t work as well with Honchkrow sharing Leafeon’s Ice weakness (True, Dragonite does too, but if I suspected an Ice attack I’d just go back to Heatran) and not resisting any attacks aimed at Leafeon. Starmie also appreciates the support, although to a lesser extent. Yawn can force a switch or incapacitate the opponent, which is awesome either way. Protect allows me to scout, and if Swampert stays in to try to Ice Beam me, I can Leaf Blade back for the OHKO. Heatran can come in off of Fire-types aiming for Leafeon with impunity, and Leafeon can do the same for Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Leafeon also serves a secondary purpose, allowing me to scout for my opponent’s Ice type before sending Dragonite out into the unknown. All in all, a stellar Pokémon, and she still proves to be one of my favorites after all this time.
Team Building Process:
Well, after building a team around Pikachu, I was ready to build another team around one of my favorite and sorely underused Pokémon: Wish Passing Leafeon. In order to make her the star she deserves to be, I had to build a team that could make full use of her support.
Heatran could take Fire hits aimed at Leafeon, set up Stealth Rock and punch holes in the opponent. Starmie made a great Rapid Spinner and defender who appreciated Leafeon on the team to take Electric attacks. This also created a FGW defensive base, something I’d heard was very effective, although it was by accident.
I had to pick a sweeper to take full advantage of my defensive line, and Salamence fit perfectly. I changed Heatran to a Scarfran, and Salamence was like magic.
Magnezone works wonders with Salamence (Or so I’d heard) and also hits Waters hard and without fear, something I wanted. I heard that it and Salamence together resisted all 17 types, and I was sold.
I couldn’t decide on a lead, but I really wanted a counter to Breloom and Machamp. Then I had an idea: Anti-Lead Honchkrow. With that final addition, I started play-testing. After losing out to Leadmence BADLY, I added HP Ice and tweaked the nature and EVs for maximum all-around power. The result was more than I ever expected. LeadKrow is a force to be reckoned with, and with that last change, I began dominating.
Salamence was banned, sadly, and I had to replace him. I didn't want to restructure my team, so I just slapped on Dragonite. I know, I know. No0b move, and not to mention just plain mean to Dragonite, but it works very well and lets me keep on truckin'.
For my final notes, I must say that Wish Leafeon needs more exposure, and that a good FGW defensive base works well against many teams.
But the real victory here was the discovery of Anti-Lead Honchkrow. Yes, Leadkrow needs minor tweaking for each team it’s placed on, but the concept works amazingly well. And as always, Lead Synergy is amazingly important, and I can’t thank Neno enough for introducing this concept to me in his Breloom-based RMT. So please, try it out and maybe we can change the metagame together (Lol, wouldn’t that be awesome?).
So, who has questions? Comments? Let me know, as long as it’s constructive and DOES NOT remove Leafeon.
Also, if you got the title reference, MAJOR cookies are awarded to you.
