

DPP UU Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Peaked #1 On UU Leaderboard)

Discussion in 'RMT Archive' started by Bluewind, Apr 5, 2010.

  1. Bluewind

    Bluewind My appearance, ability, and awesomeness strike fea
    is a Contributor Alumnus

    Jun 28, 2009
    Somewhere Over The Rainbow



    Hey there guys, thanks for clicking! As Cresselia left the tier and new things started to pop up everywhere, from Primeape to Hitmonlee, I knew I had to come up with something new for this round, something that most players weren’t ready to face; and it was as I tested some new combinations on the ladder that I ran into a Raikou. That was a Pokémon I always wanted to use, but had never gotten around doing so, and that reminded me of a very neglected yet powerful force on the UU tier: the LO CM set; that was able to get past most of its so said counters. Raikou had all the bulk, the power and the speed I could ever want from a poké, so why not base a team around that?

    Basically this team’s focus is shutting down Raikou’s main counters making use of Dugtrio and Venusaur’s Sleep Powder, and then proceed to setup and sweep (and yes, it looks a lot like franky’s team; but no, we didn’t make it together or steal from each other). Accomplishments-wise, this team has allowed me to comfortably reach the upper requirements, getting me a CRE of 1728 under the name of Mario Strikers.

    Anyways, without further ado, here’s the team (in case you’re wondering, the title is related to one of the missions you have to perform to get a star in Mario 64, in one of the most challenging yet one my favorite stages of the game; the Rainbow Ride):

    The Closer Look


    Moltres @ Life Orb *** Baby Mario
    Ability: Pressure
    Nature: Timid (+Spe/-Atk)
    EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
    - Fire Blast
    - Air Slash
    - Hidden Power Grass
    - Roost

    Why Moltres? Wynaut?? Really, the reason I could only make one team this stage is because whenever I’d start thinking of what the premise should be I’d say “Ok, add Moltres and think of other stuff later”; and would end up with nearly the same team everytime. Moltres is possibly one of, if not the best lead and poke in the current metagame. First, it stops those annoying Whorelasses (Omastar and Cloyster too) from setting up infinite layers of spikes with no retaliation, which means I don’t have to worry so much if my opponent is packing a strong spin blocking core. Second, it’s able to either defeat or severely cripple the most common leads, and that means I’m never in disadvantage from the get go. Finally, he acts as my early game Chansey bait, who sees on Moltres a perfect fodder to either setup SR or start spreading status, only to be met by Dugtrio and an OHKO, making it easier for Raikou to sweep.

    Moltres’ usefulness on my team is not limited to leading though. Because of its respectable bulk he can constantly switch into Fighting-types like Hitmonlee and Primeape, whose usages seem to have spiked as Cresselia left the metagame; absorb Will-O-Wisp from things like Weezing and the always annoying Rest Talk Rotom; counter the Venusaur surge, which seems to be back and stronger than ever and make an awesome late game cleaner when special walls like Lanturn and Chansey have already been removed by Dugtrio.

    Changes I’ve been considering: Sometimes I think of changing Moltres’ nature to Modest so that I can say a 72-sized Microsoft Word letter “Fuck You” to Milotic, but I’m really nippy about not being able to outspeed base 80 and 85 pokés (namely Toxicroack and Blaziken). Besides the nature change, I’ve also thought of changing Moltres to a Scarf set because of my gross Torterra weakness, but I’m afraid his overall usefulness will be way too compromised.

    Name Reference: The only connection between Moltres and Mario is that both of them are popular, overused and red lol… I also named him after Mario’s baby counterpart due to the fact baby characters are much cooler than their adult alternative forms, and definitely cooler than any Funky Kong and their damn Flame Runners that plague the Wi-Fi channel (yes, all in all, this was a huge stretch, like great part of the other nicknames).


    Venusaur @ Life Orb *** Yoshi
    Ability: Overgrow
    Nature: Jolly (+Spe/-SpAtk)
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
    - Sleep Powder
    - Swords Dance
    - Power Whip
    - Return

    Why Venusaur? When I was building this team I knew an answer to bulky waters like Milotic, Azumarill and Blastoise was necessary, and because Raikou simply cannot afford switching into them with no form of recovery whatsoever; that meant I had to go with a bulky grass type to handle these threats. It wasn’t much of a brainer to figure this spot out. Because of his bulk, automatic absorption of Toxic Spikes and access to a physical set; Venusaur is the guy who takes this job. However, because of the amazing amount of bulk this thing got, even with no defensive investment and holding a Life Orb, Venusaur can do many other things outside of acting as my main bulky water counter, having in Sleep Powder a great answer to anything I cannot immediately handle but that I can take a hit from, like Torterra among others; putting a temporary halt to cursers, setting up alongside and sleeping them when I see fit (being that one of the main reasons why I went with the SD set over its special counterpart); while also messing up stall teams to an outstanding deegre (second reason) and acting as a solid check for the always annoying SubSeeders, especially Sceptiles that decide to run HP Rock (third reason). All those things together mean something: this guy is never a dead weight on my team, and always a true nightmare for anyone who gets to face it. Because of several recommendations I have replaced Earthquake with Return to deal wtih Flying-types better, and even though I didn't get the chance to test it extensively, I have the feeling Earthquake is not really needed with Dugtrio around to cover Steel-types.

    Changes I’ve been considering: As of lately the number of Altarias on the ladder has been vertiginously increasing, and that added to the fact Moltres is one of the most common and annoying pokés made me consider using Return over Eathquake to actually deal some damage as they switch in; even though that would mean not getting past Registeels. I’m also considering using Leftovers because constantly switching into Milotic and Azumarill is the perfect formula for major HP depletion; but (IIRC) I wouldn't be able to OHKO bulky Rotom after a SD and Milotic without one; added to the fact I’ll miss Venusaur hitting like a really really bad bad plant when on Overgrow range. Finally, I’ve been thinking of replacing Venusaur with SD Leafeon to handle Torterra better, but that base 60 SpD is a real turn off, especially when you are switching into Milotic once every five turns.

    Changes that have beem made: Return has taken Earthquake's spot so that Venusaur is able to actually hit Altaria and Moltres; while being able to hit pure Grass-types that like to wall him, like Leafeon. Earthquake, on the other hand, doesn't seem that needed anymore (even though Shed Shell Registeel is still quite troublesome); and the metagame urges me to make the change.

    Name Reference: Do I really need to say why Venusaur is Yoshi?? They are green, they are cute and they can Walk the Dinosaur! Added to that, Venusaur supports Moltres taking Water attacks aimed at the latter just like Yoshi aids (Baby) Mario on his quest. On an unrelated note, if anyone dares to suggest I should name my Venusaur Taylor Swift, this very same person will face the divine wrath of Arceus (that’s your fault, Thund).


    Blastoise @ Leftovers *** Bowser
    Ability: Torrent
    Nature: Bold (+Def/-Atk)
    EVs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe
    - Surf
    - Ice Beam
    - Rapid Spin
    - Foresight

    Why Blastoise? Because spike stacking teams are literally everywhere, I’ve been very reluctant to run a team without a spinner no matter if there are 0 or 6 pokés weak to SR, and that added to the facts Moltres has a disgusting 4x SR weakness and that none of my pokes, except for Moltres, has a recovery move reminds me that the very last thing I want is to be bothered everytime I switch pokes around. The reasons why I chose Blastoise over any other spinner are simple: I do not make teams without a bulky water, as the multitude of resistances added to the little number of weakness they present is something way too appealing for me to pass; this guy makes a great check for many underrated threats of this metagame like Absol, Arcanine, Houndoom, Rhyperior, Aggron, Blaziken, *insert huge list of underused yet powerful pokémons*; and most importantly, he can actually do a decent amount of damage to all common spin blockers, as most of them focus on physical defense to block Donphan and Hitmontop. Regarding the moveset, as it might look a bit different from standart, I tweaked it because things like Sleep Talk Altaria and Rotom were proving to be way too annoying for my team to face (and because mind owned me with a specially bulky rest Froslass); so I decided to bypass things like Yawn and Toxic and use Ice Beam and Foresight instead, which allows me to either beat or get my spin against the aforementioned pokés and to do something against Venusaur. The speed EVs were there initially so that I could outspeed max speed Rhyperior, but because neutral nature max speed Aggron was so close to that benchmark I decided to add 12 extra EVs so that I could reach 200 Speed and beat it by one point.

    Changes I’ve been considering: To be honest, if Blastoise had 5 moveslots to work with I’d still be undecided about its moveset. I’ve used both Roar and Toxic on the past and they proved to be very useful by then, phazing things that got way too many setups (effing Whorebreon) and crippling Milotic and Ghost types switch-ins respectively; but also made spinning a much harder task against teams that packed any ghost-type; and in the first stages of this team, without Ice Beam, I was as good as dead against any team with a bulky DD Altaria, though that isn't much of an issue by now.

    Name Reference: Ahh Bowser, the good old King of the Koopas. Both him and Blastoise share the same body structure: big heavy bad ass turtles with weapons all over their shells, but that still retain their personal charisma over the years, either as a hilarious villain or a starter Pokémon from the Kanto region; the unforgettable Squirtle.


    Registeel @ Leftovers *** Bullet Bill
    Ability: Clear Body
    Nature: Careful (+SpDef/-SpAtk)
    EVs: 252 HP / 104 Atk / 152 SpDef
    - Ice Punch
    - Seismic Toss
    - Thunder Wave
    - Stealth Rock

    Why Registeel? Registeel is, most importantly, some sort of backup on this team, giving me the always important Flying/Normal resistances, which are very important with all those Swellow and Scyther flying around (a duo of real mofos once this guy is gone); acting as my Stealth Rocks user; an extra rain insurance and a counter/check for the many specially oriented threats that have been thriving on the ladder as of lately, namely Mismagius, Alakazam (people love to use these two together…), Sceptile and Raikou, against whom you’re never safe, even having Dugtrio (fuck Shuca Berry…). However, this guy’s biggest utility on my team is another one. Because Registeel is my only check to a small amount of threats, I can afford not to run Shed Shell on it, so that I can scout for Dugtrios and severely weaken them with Ice Punch, getting them into my own Dugtrio’s Sucker Punch range and making it easier for Raikou to sweep; without having to worry about getting trapped and killed before it can say Thunderbolt (or Raikou…). The attack combination might look strange, but because things like Torterra and Altaria were proving to be way too annoying for my team to face I have replaced the usual Earthquake/Iron Head combo and added Ice Punch/Seismic Toss. With these two attacks I can hit Swellow, Dugtrio, Altaria and Torterra much harder (ironically, now Registeel can actually check Torterra); while also packing enough punch to always break Rotom's Substitutues from the standart Charge Beam Set, meaning that shouldn't be that troublesome now.

    Changes I’ve been considering: Because Rotom is an annoying son of a battery I’ve been thinking of replacing Iron Head and Earthquake with Shadow Claw and Seismic Toss to deal with SubCharge and choiced sets much easier, also stopping those smart SubGatr from setting up on its face and hit its common switch-ins harder. Now that I'm running Ice Punch and Seismic Toss the only poké I'm having more trouble with is Mismagius, which is perfectly manageable; so I don't think I'll switch this.

    Changes that have beem made: Ice Punch and Seismic Toss were given the nod over Earthquake and Iron Head. With this new attacking combination I can hit almost everything that Registeel is meant to check harder, while not being a complete setup fodder for Altaria, Torterra and, to an extent SubCharge Rotom, as it always has its Substitues broken by Ice Punch. Credits to Folgorio.

    Name Reference: This is more related to aesthetics than anything, as it looks like they are twin brothers separated as they were born. Added to that, they are equally annoying and persistent… but useful if you know how to exploit them.


    Dugtrio @ Life Orb *** Major Burrows
    Ability: Arena Trap
    Nature: Jolly (+Spe/-SpAtk)
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
    - Earthquake
    - Beat Up
    - Stone Edge
    - Sucker Punch

    Why Dugtrio? Raikou is one of the most fearsome sweepers on the UU tier, but like all of them, it has some drop dead counters, and in this case they present themselves as Registeel, Chansey and well... just the two of them. That’s where Dugtrio comes in. Initially, I placed this guy here with the sole reason of defeating these two mons, an easy task to perform as long as I don’t mess up and switch into a Registeel’s Iron Head; but he has proven to be very useful on an offensive team in the most diverse situations and an all around great "Oh, Shit" button, taking out scarfed mons that could end up putting a premature ending to my sweep or team and revenging opposing LO Kou, Drapion, Blaziken, Lanturn, Specs Alakazam *insert huge list of mons*. This guy also happens to be the best answer ever to the annoying surge of scarf Venusaurs who try to sleep Moltres on the first turn, but that end up being met by a triple “Lol... Nah” sign and an early 6-5 score. Finally, Dugtrio happens to be the reason why I nicknamed my whole team as well, because Beat Up would reveal it otherwise.

    Changes I’ve been considering: Sometimes I feel like saying “fuck Moltres” and going back to the CB set, as I definitely prefer the extra power over the possibility of changing attacks; but that’s easier said than done; and as long as Blastoise is a shaky check to say the least, Life Orb is staying. I’ve also thought of using Soft Sand to bluff a choiced set and catch some Moltres trying to be smart in the process, but the power drop is very big and it shouldn’t be hard for my opponent to tell I’m not banded by the 30% damage difference.

    Name Reference: Major Burrows is one of the bosses from Super Mario Galaxy, precisely the one from Gusty Garden Galaxy; and its main way of attacking is digging its way underground and attacking the opponent when it least expects, making use of its high speed. Also, the way Major Burrows is chasing the rabbit across the planet just as you land on it reminds me of Dugtrio murdering Chansey (>:D).


    Raikou @ Life Orb *** Watt
    Ability: Pressure
    Nature: Timid (+Spe/-Atk)
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
    - Calm Mind
    - Thunderbolt
    - Extrasensory
    - Hidden Power Water

    Why Raikou? The poké this whole team was based around. So much power… so much potential… if I were to name what are the biggest offensive threats of the current metagame, LO Raikou would definitely be at the top of the list. The way this set play is very simple, extremely predictable; yet very hard to stop once scarfed mons, Registeel and Chansey have been removed from game with Dugtrio’s support and opposing Dugtrios have been defeated by a combination of Registeel and my own mole. Get a CM up on the plethora of things Raikou either scares out or does not mind taking a hit from with his impressive bulk (Milotic’s Surf barely achieves 25% damage after a CM) and, from there, proceed to sweep the rest of the opponent’s team, while making most of its offensive checks eat dirt with the awesome coverage provided by HP Water and Extrasensory that allows him to hit Rhyperior, Donphan, Steelix and Venusaur for super effective damage; OHKOing all of them unless they have a specially defensive set to work with. As franky said: “No final words here go use Raikou and Dugtrio”, you won’t regret.

    Changes I’ve been considering: Because things like Torterra have been getting on my nerves and relatively free setups on Raikou, I’ve been considering using HP Ice over Water on Raikou to deal with the annoying tortoise, added to messing up teams that rely on Altaria, Leafeon and Meganium to check it; and then replace Extrasensory with something like Shadow Ball as I would have Venusaur covered already (though the damage difference really matters).

    Name Reference: Watt is a character from Paper Mario that on battle has the capacity of penetrating enemies' defenses and paralyzing them with its electric attacks. Added to that, Watt is also able to increase Mario’s attacking prowess, just like Calm Mind does to Raikou; and because he can do all that with a pacifier on its mouth, this should be a proof of how strong that thing is!

  2. Bluewind

    Bluewind My appearance, ability, and awesomeness strike fea
    is a Contributor Alumnus

    Jun 28, 2009
    Threat List

    Ok, rather than going over the whole UU tier again to show how I obviously beat every single poké, I think it's better to save me and you some work and just point out threats that stick out as troublesome; and then explain how I beat weather teams:

    Individual Threats

    [​IMG] Beast, just beast. Torterra gets free setups on Registeel and Dugtrio and, from there, can OHKO my whole team with minor hazards support. If Venusaur is in pristine conditions or if Torterra is holding Leftovers he has a chance of surviving the EQ and sending Torterra to bed early. Dugtrio can at least hit it for some lol damage with Sucker Punch and I can force it to kill itself using Blastoise, maybe surviving to use Ice Beam. This guy makes me wish I had a Leafeon or a scarfer... Now that I have Ice Punch on Registeel this weakness has been somewhat soothened, even though Torterra remains a very troublesome poké.

    [​IMG] That isn't a huge threat per say, but because it can outspeed my whole team, get past all of my priority moves with some prediction and see an easy sweep with Dugtrio's support; this can be rather troublesome. I try not to give it many chances to activate its orb, not going berserk with Thunder Wave and giving Dugtrio easy switch-ins and forcing it to use Brave Bird. If all goes wrong, Blastoise takes around 60% from Swellow and has Surf to hit back (being usually in Torrent range).

    [​IMG] Yeah, fucking birds. Blastoise can only safely switch into it and come out victorious if there are no entry hazards and Moltres isn't using HP Grass; so I pretty much have no safe switches. However, I can predict around it and get Raikou in, use my own Moltres and pray for the best and OHKO it with Dugtrio. Moltres doesn't really dismantle my team, but when well played is going to give me the hell of a hard time.
    [​IMG] Not a big time threat, but if I were to build a trouble team this would be one of my picks. RestTalk Rotom is really annoying for my team to face, and I have to predict around it with Moltres to beat it, which is very risky considering it gets STAB on Thunderbolt. SubCharge and scarf aren't that troublesome and Venusaur, Raikou and prediction can usually handle it, but it can be annoying if it gets way too many boosts; so much that I'm considering changing half of Registeel's moveset to check it better. Now that Registeel has Ice Punch I can at least break the SubCharge set's Substitutes.
    [​IMG] Birds, birds, birds... I actually just find myself in trouble against one set of Altaria, the Bulky DDer one. Because those sets of Altaria have protection against paralysis and enough SpDef to shrug off continuous Ice Beams (only the Roost set can do that though) this guy can slowly setup on me and, unless I hax it with a crit or a freeze, get to +6 and proceed to sweep my whole team. However, now that I'm packing Ice Punch on Registeel he happens to be a nearly foolproof answer, and Venusaur is no longer a fodder because of Return.
    [​IMG] This sprite pictures better how evil you actually are. I have absolutely no safe way of taking out Curse Umbreon, to the point I have to pray something hasn't been put to sleep already, go to Venusaur (eating a Payback in the process), and then pray again so that it doesn't wake up early and I can get a fair amount of boosts to smack it hard. If that just isn't doable, I try to hit it as hard as I can with Moltres and Raikou, forcing it to use all its scarce Moonlight PP; and then go to Registeel to slowly finish it as I take laughable amounts of damage from Payback. Tough shit, bro.

    Team Styles
    [​IMG] Rain Dace teams are tough cookies for any team to face, but I'm not so worried about it as I was with my last team to be honest. Blastoise, Registeel and Venusaur make great insurances against these sweepers, wasting lots of turns of rain with general statusing and making it not all too hard for me to get through the initial 8 turns. From there I can plow my way through the opponent's team with either Moltres, who OHKOes every rain sweeper with SR down; and Raikou, who OHKOes all of them but Ludicolo. Finally, Dugtrio makes an awesome support pokémon, trapping Raikou, Registeel and revenge killing weakened sweepers with Sucker Punch.
    [​IMG] Sunny Day teams are even less of a threat. Most Chlorophyll abusers are stopped cold by Registeel and have their pace slowed down by Venusaur's Sleep Powder, while Fire-type sweepers have to get past 2 solid Fire resistances and aren't that fast, meaning Moltres and Dugtrio have a fair shot at sweeping them, while making it hard for my opponent to pull off one himself. Finally, Raikou outspeed everything outside of sun, sweeper or not (except for Dugtrio...) and has a fair shot at sweeping if Grass-types are gone or if I'm using HP Ice.
    [​IMG] Sandstorm teams can be real bitches at times if my opponent knows how to play Cradily. Those kinds of teams vary a lot, but among its common staples; things like Cacturne aren't all that troublesome with Moltres, Registeel and Venusaur around; while Cradily is somewhat handled by Venusaur, Moltres and Registeel, but if it gets way too many curses or gets lucky with Sleep Talk, I might have to resort to critiing. Finally, Raikou outspeeds everything and can attempt a sweep with some team support.
    [​IMG] Hail teams are never easy to deal with due to the amount of hax involved when taking Froslass down, Walrein's top annoying potential and a field effect to which none of my pokés are immune to; but because these teams tend to run a ghost-type only, Froslass, who can't really hurt Blastoise and because Dugtrio traps things like Nidoqueen, Chansey and Drapion, it's not really hard for me to beat them. Raikou happens to be one of the biggest nemesis these teams can face as well, so as long as I remove their special walls with Dugtrio and Snover; I can setup and make my way to the victory.
    [​IMG] Trick Room teams don't tend to cause this team too many troubles as well, save on the hands of an extremely skilled player (which is a condition that doesn't present itself very oftenly). Registeel makes a solid roadblock to the many slow special sweepers out there, while I also have Venusaur's Sleep Powder to waste some valuable turns, Dugtrio to kill everything that has been previously weakened and the duo of Moltres (who comes with the nice bonus of being immune to Marowak's Earthquake) and Raikou to punish them when Trick Room is not on effect. Speaking of Moltres, it usually causes these teams to start with a 5-6 score against me due to most leads and their switches being 2HKOed by the bird; especially because TR Slowbro/Slowking don't invest on SpDef as much as it's needed.
  3. Folgorio

    Folgorio I KickTehAss
    is a Past SPL Winner

    Jun 7, 2009
    Hey bluewind

    For the billionth time there really isn't much to say here since its obviously already a really good team. On the other hand why dont you try ice punch on registeel maybe over iron head or something? It can nail torterra on the switch or while it RPs and i know you would especially love to see this guy dead. Its also usefull for the extra damage on grass types and i guess altaria who so many people are beginning to hate. Id try it out over iron head if you want but i guess you'd lose the paraflinch that way so you decide.

    I'm using hp ice on my own raikou since the massive invasion of torterras began to consume the rhyperior and steelix usage. Its also useful for those other random grass types like tangrowth and whatnot.

    My last suggestion is to perhaps try return over EQ on venusaur. I know you lose out on the ability to hit basically all steels, but on the other hand you are no longer walled by every flier (moltres, altaria, SWELLOW)+ grass types excluding venu, plus you also have duggy for registeels so it shouldnt hurt THAT much. Oh and nickname venusaur taylor swift since they have so much in common.

    I know it wasn't really much but not all that much to say anyway. Hope i helped and good luck.
  4. LoveHate


    Jul 3, 2009
    If you do like the return on venusaur you could tryout SD leafeon in that spot. Although you lose the sleep the speed gained is very beneficail aiding in getting rid of the likes of moltres and rotom.
    Overall fantastic team but I wouldn't expect anything else
  5. PK Gaming

    PK Gaming Pursuing My True Self

    Aug 18, 2009
    Fantastic team bluewind. My only suggestion would be to run Seismic toss on Registeel. I know you run EQ just for Raikou but Seismic toss can deal with him just the same. Furthermore it doesn't make Registeel fodder due you stripping around 30% of your opponents switch in per turn.

    Other than that it's all good.
  6. Bluewind

    Bluewind My appearance, ability, and awesomeness strike fea
    is a Contributor Alumnus

    Jun 28, 2009
    @Hoegorio: Hmm, Ice Punch is really interesting man. It hits Torterra, Duggy, Rotom Swellow and that damn cloud nine bird for more damage than Iron Head, and in tandem with Seismic Toss I could really see that working. Thanks a lot man (couldn't you have said that the 300 times you stalked instead of spamming how Selena Gomez is wanted by every teenager?)... But still, thanks; will make sure to try that out =)
    (and the divine wrath of Arceus shall strike you, get ready mexican).

    @LoveHate: The problem with Leafeon is exactly that (and the lack of special bulk), as I resort to Sleep Powder to check a lot of threats and get setups on Cursers. I've been trying it as of lately and i can't deny it has been useful; but I don't think as useful as Venusaur. Will make sure to try it again though, as maybe I just didn't give it much of a chance. Thanks a lot for the rate man =)

    @PK Gaming: Yeah, all in all Earthquake hasn't been that useful, so I'll try a set of Ice Punch/Seismic Toss/Thunder Wave/SR. Thanks a lot man, and curse you for using Altaria ._.
  7. IronBullet93

    IronBullet93 Sitting on a cornflake waiting for the van to come
    is a Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus

    Oct 14, 2009
    Hey pinky
    Well this is obviously a fantastic team, even thought you are using broken shit:P
    Return on Venu is a pretty good idea, since Steels are fucked over by Duggy anyway. The satisfaction of KOing a Moltres on the switch-in is too good to pass up.
    Not much else to add...Ice Punch on Regi sounds interesting while making it harder to take on Missy but that's up to you.
    Great team:)
    Guess I might get my rmt done now
  8. franky

    is a Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus

    Apr 12, 2009
    Hi Taylor,

    Having such similar cores I can tell that we share the same weaknesses. I had several suggestions in my thread, but I think I like Gomez's suggestion on Ice Punch over Iron Head. This allows you to prevent Torterra from having such an easy set-up, while also hitting Dugtrio as it switches in. I know that you haven't laddered for a while but the sudden influx of Torterra makes this team vulnerable to it more than ever. Your best bet is to limit its set up oppurutnities. My next suggestion is Aerical Ace over Beat Up, hey, it deals 20-30% but this means that Torterra is still taking in damage, making your life easier when facing it. Aerical Ace + Sucker Punch could potentially bring its HP down to 40~ range.

    As for other options, there really isn't much but you can always alternate between Hidden Power Water and Ice if torterra proves to be bothersome. You won't kill Rhyperior and Steelix with a single blow, but you'll adress your bigger threat first. overall gl! 5 stars.
  9. Megapants


    Jul 3, 2009
    I definitely agree with Return on Venusaur. It's not hard to predict Steel switch-ins in this metagame, since they have to check SO many things right now, so catching them with Dugtrio is incredibly easy. Keeping the pressure on Moltres is pretty important, as it is one of the best ways to keep it in check, in my opinion. It can't tear anything apart if it can't even get in without taking huge damage from both SR and a fatty Return.

    Also seconding (or thirding or whatever) Ice Punch + Seismic Toss on Registeel. Ice Punch still breaks Missy's subs and it makes Torterra's think about Rock Polishing on Regi's face. Seismic Toss is also a great option because like PK Gaming said, it sucks giving Flying types and Levitators totally free switch-ins (this ties in with keeping pressure on Moltres, as well).

    Looks like a great team, though. Obviously not much to change about it.
  10. Heysup

    Heysup Monsters are dangerous and kings are dying like flies.
    is a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Forum Moderator Alumnus

    Jun 28, 2008
    I ran into many of the same "problems" you have when I was making my team(s). I think the best way to remedy Torterra, Swellow, and Moltres would be to carry a Special Scarf Saur over your physical one. Use Leaf Storm / Sludge Bomb / Sleep Powder / HP Rock or something, and you'll find that "when all else fails, you have Venusaur to revenge kill".

    Obviously you lose a bit of pressure against bulky waters, but it's just a suggestion ^_^.
  11. HR.


    Aug 24, 2008
    Hey Bluewind, there really isn't much to rate as this is a great team. One pretty big problem I can see is a 3 attack DD Feraligatr with Waterfall Ice Punch Earthquake can do a number to your team. Since you seem to be going with Ice Punch on Registeel, I definitely think you should use Roar over Ice Beam on Blastoise. Having a Phazer has proved to be invaluable on my team, especially against stuff like crotomb and curse umbreon, who could also be annoying with some duggy support. Heysup's suggestion could also be something worth trying out. All in all, great team.
  12. shrang

    shrang Reaction to Ubers ladder

    Jul 24, 2009
    I would run HP Ice (On Raikou) for Torterra, simply because Steelix doesn't cause anywhere near as many problems as Torterra does. Putting Ice Punch on Registeel helps, but would do absolutely jack shit if your opponent (Like me) decides it's fun to chuck a Yache Berry on Torterra (27.79% - 33.23% after Yache). But then again, if you let Torterra set up, it'll be trouble anyway. Explosion is another option on Registeel as a last ditch effort, I guess.

    Anyways, nice team.
  13. Bluewind

    Bluewind My appearance, ability, and awesomeness strike fea
    is a Contributor Alumnus

    Jun 28, 2009
    Because there has been a lot of feedback (thanks a lot for that guys), I’ll try to sum it up a bit so that I avoid writing the same thing over and over again; and then address answers to other points that were raised.

    Ok, as it was recommended by many people, and as my testing proved them to be more useful, I have changed the OP and put Return over Earthquake on Venusaur; while also changing Ice Punch/Seismic Toss over Iron Head/EQ on Registeel. Thanks a lot, guys =)

    @(Not j.) franky: The problem with running Aerial Ace over Beat Up is that I’m not guaranteed to beat Chansey, as it can just outstall LO recoil; and now that I have Ice Punch on Regi I suppose Torterra won’t be troublesome to that degree. Regarding the Hidden Power dilemma, it’s really hard to decide, as considering my luck I always end up having the worst one at any given situation; so I guess I’ll just toy with the two of them depending on the ladder. Thanks a lot for taking the time to rate =)

    @Heysup: I actually thought of trying that out when you recommended that on franky’s RMT, but I suppose I would be way too weak to cursers like Umbreon and Cradily; especially being Venusaur my only hope of getting past them. I’ve also been very reluctant to run scarf Sleep Powder with things like Dugtrio everywhere, but I guess it’s worth trying that out. Thanks a lot for the rate =)

    @HR.: TBH I never had any troubles against DD Gatr. Nothing on my team, outside of Blastoise gives it a free setup, and it definitely cannot take repeated Surfs; added to the fact Registeel can shrug off a +1 EQ and paralyze it. However, now that Venusaur has Return and Registeel has Ice Punch I suppose Ice Beam should see some replacement (even though with Dugtrio around you’re never safe enough against Altaria; and hitting Grass-type switch-ins is so good); so I’ll test Toxic/Roar again. Thanks a lot for the rate =)

    @shrang: Yache Torty could pose a trouble to my team I think, but it gets far from OHKOing Registeel (70% max damage IIRC); which means Torterra would be left with 20% if it decided to go for the setup and would be on Dugtrio’s/Wood Hammer’s recoil killing range. Regarding Explosion, I simply cannot use it as I need a way to hit Ghosts; and Thunder Wave is too good (and needed) to pass. Thanks a lot for the rate =)

    Yet again, thanks a lot for all the rates; and keep them coming!
  14. CausalXXLinkXx


    Sep 10, 2009
    its sad that raikou went to BL. team was hot.

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