Roar Steel

[cosmicfinch]

This is my first attempt at getting away from weather. I'm just starting to find it really boring, and unoriginal at this point. I made this team around my favorite pairing for sun and rain teams. Scizor and Heatran. I want to keep this teams concept in tact, 4 steel 2 Dragons. Any suggestions to help it along will be greatly appreciated!

Scizor (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def /4 Attack
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Roost
- Bug Bite
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch

I started the team around this guy. I have took a lot of flack for him by other ppl, but I love this guy to death. He always beats other scizors, and can set up on any Fighting type outside of Infernape, unless he's locked into a move. I originally made him to be able to switch into Terrakion and not be 2hko. He lacks a lot in the offense department, but setting up is extremely easy with him. It forces alot of ppls hands allowing me to switch heatran into a fire move. Plus it's great switching into U-turns and watching ppl take more damage than me with the rocky helmet. He also walls landorus lacking HP fire as well.

Heatran (F) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Torment
- Earth Power
- Flame Charge
- Hidden Power [Ice]

This guy partners amazingly well with Scizor. He allows me to never be afraid of retreating my Set up Scizor, as I know my boosting Flame Charge will just get stronger. I chose hasty Nature so I can outspeed all other scizors, and so I don't have a pathetic Flame Charge. Which allows me to destroy unprepared sunteams. HP ice is for switching into outrages and destroying them dragons, and unsuspecting Gliscors. Swapped rocks for Torment, I have never ran torment but the concept seems rather useful to this team.

Salamence (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Brick Break
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake

I thought I would just throw in my favorite sweeper into this team. He's strong and fast. You are pretty much always guaranteed this guy will deal more damage than he will take, which is why I love him to death. Especially if a team lacks any steel. I can sacrifice a weak poke, switch this guy in for an easy kill, and watch outrage/dragon claw demolish teams. Plus he's great Synergy with scizor, taking Fighting moves and Ground does nothing to him. I could foresee swapping with D'Nite but haven't managed to find a set with D'nite that im in love with.

Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Dragon Pulse
- Recover

I was struggling with my second dragon. Life Orb/Expert belt Latias worked ok sometimes, but this guy if has a chance to get a calm mind in and a sub up is an unstoppable force. His defense is so amazing that he can easily do that. Plus his synergy with Scizor and Ferrothorn is really amazing, anything that hurts him those two shrug off and deal more damage back to the foe. Typically though I like to save this guy for later in the game. I tried out refresh over substitute and can't say I liked it. Typically I set a sub up right away and try to get some calm minds in before my sub breaks. Set up an even stronger one next time.

Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- stealth rock
My answer to rain teams. Outside of Toxicroak/Tornadus this guy wrecks them. I originally wanted to run your typical set with him, but the more I used him, I discovered everyone switches a taunter into him, or a trick into him. If you taunt him you are dead. If you trick him, that poke becomes useless.
After some testing I decided to keep the ev's the same. Trick is pretty rare on him, so I tossed leftovers on him. He can still OHKO starmie with power whip, who is a common switch in to him, and still hurts dragons with Gyro Ball. It's nice having a reliable rock setter now as well.

Jirachi @ Choice Band
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Wish

I decided to go with a super strong Hax machine here. The set is pretty self explanatory, really strong Iron Heads can Hax someone to death. Body Slam for fast pokes giving me trouble. U-Turn for some strong scouting. Wish choice band may seem odd, but it's really useful to switch into some attacks aimed at the dragons fire up a wish and switch right away. I tried out a couple smogon sets in test mode, and they just weren't very useful to this team, and I found Jirachi wasn't pulling his weight.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[cosmicfinch]

reserved for threat list.

 

[Shouting]

Hey There! This is a pretty original team as far as sets go, but I pretty sure I can suggest some changes for you.

First of all, this seems reminiscent of a 2Mag4Drag team, but obviously the numbers are switched. Since it seems you'd like a Salamence sweep, Magnezone over one of your team members (I'm thinking heatran, but you can choose which ever one). It can remove steels in a blink of an eye, because even after a boost Salamnence will have difficulty getting past steels with just spamming outrage. If you replace Heatran, you now lack stealth rock so I suggest you use a specially defensive Jirachi over your current set because since Jirachi and Ferrothorn are offensive sets they cannot withstand Latios that change attacks (Life Orb, Calm Mind, Expert Belt etc. ) Ferrothorn and Scizor are taken out with Hidden Power Fire, Heatran with surf, and since Scizor lacks attack investment it will not KO with bullet punch. Jirachi with investment can take on many special dragons with ease through a use of body slam and iron head. It also has wish, which can heal entry hazard damage that your team may take (since you have a lot of choice pokemon)

On Ferrothorn, Shadow Claw really doesn't hit anything that Gyro Ball and Power Whip isn't, so I'd reccomend you put Bulldoze over Shadow Claw so you can hit incoming steels as well as get a hit on toxicroak.

I'm not really sold on your Scizor spread, most people opt for a specially defensive spread to deal with Reuniclus, gengar, etc. better so you may want to try that spread. I believe it is 248 HP / 216 Sdef / 40 Attack with an adamant nature.

Also, try Refresh over Substitute on Latias as you really have nothing to take status right now, especially scald burns. Latias can set up on most water types and even blissey which right now your latias loses to. ( not that you exactly struggle with it, but it is nice)

Good Luck with the team! I hope I helped!

 

[NezumiX3]

Hi! When I look at your team I appreciate not using the wildly popular weather and being at least a bit creative. However on to the helping.

First of all I see a major weakness to specifically Choice Scarf Infernape with a Choice Scarf attached it can start outrunning most of your team and can ruin potentially perfect sweep with its combination of Stone Edge/Close Combat/Flare Blitz.

To remedy this problem I would recommend running the Torment Heatran. Once you torment on the switch and protect his close combat Infernape can't really do much to you as you resist Stone Edge and are immune to it's fire STAB.

Another hole is that variant of Gengar, specifically the Substitute +3 Attacks variant can really cause you trouble. Other than Salamence you have little to stand up against it and if it runs Hidden Power Fire it can rip through your team with relative ease.

As said above by Shouting I believe that a more specially defensive spread would assist you greatly.

As a closing note this is a very solid team, just some kink's that need to be ironed out!

 

[cosmicfinch]

It's funny how I figured Infernape would run wild, but so far i've done amazing on it. Torment tran was somethign I was considering. If I switch to Specially Defensive Jirachi I can add stealth rock on that set instead. So i'll give that a go.
I keep trying to find a way to get Magnezone on this team the problem is i'd have to drop ferrothorn, who at least takes ground hits neutrally, Magnezone seems to make me absolute fodder to sand teams. Which when I get to around 1300 with this team, every other battle seems to be.
As far as specially defensive Scizor goes, I haven't found gengar or Reuniclus to be a problem, although I have had some 40 turn battles with Reun and Lati, that thankfully Lati oulasts Reun by about 4 moves in if we get in one of those. But scizor can OHKO with Bug Bite after one swords dance and OHKO gengar with Bullet Punch after one as well. I think switching the ev's would really ruin his purpose. Not to spam him, but if you tried this set out, you would be a believer in a hurry.
I'm gonna try out the Jirachi set, add torment on tran and see how it goes. Refresh is something Ill look into, I just find if I can get a sub up Lati can destroy any of its non steel counters quite easily. Especially if i'm faster as after +1 or 2 I can 2hko most things.
Thanks for your tips guys.

 

[Chester]

I guess you missed 4 EVs on Scizor. Put it on Atk or SDef (I think Atk), but that's good.

I'm still wondering how can you deal with bulky fighters as well (Conkeldurr soon comes in mind, as Payback will leave a big toll), especially when Latias is already down. But otherwise, and with so few Infernape running around, this seems promising

 

[cosmicfinch]

Thanks for spotting that out, I had posted a test Scizor instead of the one I was actually using. Changed back to impish now.
He actually destroys any conkeldurr except one that is carrying a burn or poison. If they aren't burnt I can swords dance roost roost swords dance roost and watch the health deplete with rocky helmet. If they are burnt, I just have to start Bullet Punching right away. But they are yet to be a problem.
He really checks any fighting type quite well. As does Latias unless they run Payback/Heracross.