Hi everybody - I'm SteamWitch, and on Showdown I'm known as ReaveroftheSands. Despite my name, I typically don't run Sandstorm teams - I usually run Rain Dance or M-Gallade screens. However I figured it was high time I made myself a strong Sandstorm team - however, I'm not a very good judge of team synchronization to be honest - so I was hoping you'd be willing to rate my team and let me know how I did! ^_^
Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Tyranitar is meant for two things - his primary function is to set sandstorm so that M-Steelix can come in for it's sweep. His secondary function is to be a wallbreaker - I know I could run SR instead of Fire Punch, but I feel as nice as SE support would be, giving T-tar the most amount of clearing capability possible seems to be more effective in the long run. D-Dance, Stone Edge and Crunch are all rather self-explanatory choices.
Steelix-Mega @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Curse
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
The ringleader of the sandy circus, M-Steelix has an absolutely monumental amount of defense, and that's something I can't help but get excited about. Yes, M-Aggron has the same defense stat at a lower cost of weaknesses, but I chose M-Steelix instead for three reasons - 1) offensively M-Steelix is a beast - EQ is always just a great STAB move for any Ground type, and Heavy Slam combined with Curse ensures it's hitting at full power almost every time. 2) M-Aggron, while very nice, doesn't fit into the sandstorm team as well as M-Steelix does - this is the one scenario that he can actually utilize his ability, and with a base 125 ATK stat, an extra 30% boost makes both Heavy Slam and EQ not even need the Curse boost to be terrifyingly effective. 3) I just really, really love Steelix - always have since Gen 2. Now most people would probably run SR or Roar over Aqua Tail, but again I say SR doesn't add much to what this bulky team does, and Roar is only really effective if you're using entry hazards.
Mantine @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Aqua Ring
- Scald
- Defog
- Toxic
Man time is the other half of the core - Steelix has four weaknesses, and Mantine doesn't give a flying flip about any of them - Water Absorb kills water types, and Ground types always get frustrated when you switch into a flyer. While most fighting types are gonna hit physically generally speaking, M-Steelix's low SPD stat is going to lure more Focus Blasts than anything else, which Mantine is very well equipped to handle. Aqua Ring is an unorthodox choice, and I'm not entirely sure I'll keep it, but seeing as how it's Mantine's only form of recovery and I'm rather fond of the move in general, I went with it for now. Toxic is always a good special wall crippler, and Defog can dispose of Toxic Spikes should they become an issue. Finally Mantine gets Scald, which is an all-around great move for bulky water types, and it gives him the ability to cripple physical sweepers.
Umbreon @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Baton Pass
- Heal Bell
- Foul Play
Umbreon is a staple cleric of mine, my other favorite being Vaporeon - I chose Umbreon instead, however, simply because Mantine already has Scald, plus Foul Play counters D-Dance users and Swords users pretty well, and as we all know OU is riddled with 'em. Umbreon's main purpose here is to BP Wishes to M-Steelix, but as I said he makes a good sweeper-killer and general cleric as well, so I recommend him on any team that isn't using that psychotically strong monster known as Chansey.
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Spore
- Sludge Bomb
This one is more of a coverage choice than anything else - one of the types I absolutely despise the most is Fairy-type Pokemon - some of my favorite Pokemon include Sharpedo, Gallade, Absol, Garchomp and Kingdra - these pink jerks counteract every single one of these, so I usually take extra precautions against them. Amoongus is a generally beefy mushroom, and with both Synthesis and Regenerator working in his favor, it's rather difficult to deal with him unless you're wielding some good old fashioned fire. Giga Drain is another way to recover even more HP, and Spore is just a great supporting move in general, especially since the only other Pokemon that gets it that's actually worth his salt is Breloom. Sludge Bomb, as I said, is my fairy-killer - it doesn't one shot very many, but it 2HKO a lot, or at the very least threaten with poisoning them.
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- X-Scissor
Excadrill was chosen for a couple reasons - while this team is particularly resilient to SR, Toxic Spikes can still mess with me pretty bad - so Excadrill provides that much-needed RS support. Another Pokemon I have it out for is Rotom-W, and Mold Breaker Ex here is the perfect counter to his scrawny little washing machine butt head self. EQ does just that as well as being one of Ex's most powerful STAB moves alongside Iron Head. The last slot has a lot of options, but I chose X-Scissor, because this team lacks a way to seriously deal with Psychic and Dark type Pokemon - Poison Jab and Stone Edge would be redundant since there are others on the team who can use similar, if not the same moves.
Replays (Will be posted here as I compile them)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-499146905
In summary, this team seems pretty stable to me, but I can see where there might be a couple holes in it - for one I have no special sweeper, and two there's no Knock Off for dealing with things like Chansey and Scarf Gengar. I don't know how necessary these things are though, so just let me know what I can change to make this team amazing! Thanks in advance!
Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Tyranitar is meant for two things - his primary function is to set sandstorm so that M-Steelix can come in for it's sweep. His secondary function is to be a wallbreaker - I know I could run SR instead of Fire Punch, but I feel as nice as SE support would be, giving T-tar the most amount of clearing capability possible seems to be more effective in the long run. D-Dance, Stone Edge and Crunch are all rather self-explanatory choices.
Steelix-Mega @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Curse
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
The ringleader of the sandy circus, M-Steelix has an absolutely monumental amount of defense, and that's something I can't help but get excited about. Yes, M-Aggron has the same defense stat at a lower cost of weaknesses, but I chose M-Steelix instead for three reasons - 1) offensively M-Steelix is a beast - EQ is always just a great STAB move for any Ground type, and Heavy Slam combined with Curse ensures it's hitting at full power almost every time. 2) M-Aggron, while very nice, doesn't fit into the sandstorm team as well as M-Steelix does - this is the one scenario that he can actually utilize his ability, and with a base 125 ATK stat, an extra 30% boost makes both Heavy Slam and EQ not even need the Curse boost to be terrifyingly effective. 3) I just really, really love Steelix - always have since Gen 2. Now most people would probably run SR or Roar over Aqua Tail, but again I say SR doesn't add much to what this bulky team does, and Roar is only really effective if you're using entry hazards.
Mantine @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Aqua Ring
- Scald
- Defog
- Toxic
Man time is the other half of the core - Steelix has four weaknesses, and Mantine doesn't give a flying flip about any of them - Water Absorb kills water types, and Ground types always get frustrated when you switch into a flyer. While most fighting types are gonna hit physically generally speaking, M-Steelix's low SPD stat is going to lure more Focus Blasts than anything else, which Mantine is very well equipped to handle. Aqua Ring is an unorthodox choice, and I'm not entirely sure I'll keep it, but seeing as how it's Mantine's only form of recovery and I'm rather fond of the move in general, I went with it for now. Toxic is always a good special wall crippler, and Defog can dispose of Toxic Spikes should they become an issue. Finally Mantine gets Scald, which is an all-around great move for bulky water types, and it gives him the ability to cripple physical sweepers.
Umbreon @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Baton Pass
- Heal Bell
- Foul Play
Umbreon is a staple cleric of mine, my other favorite being Vaporeon - I chose Umbreon instead, however, simply because Mantine already has Scald, plus Foul Play counters D-Dance users and Swords users pretty well, and as we all know OU is riddled with 'em. Umbreon's main purpose here is to BP Wishes to M-Steelix, but as I said he makes a good sweeper-killer and general cleric as well, so I recommend him on any team that isn't using that psychotically strong monster known as Chansey.
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Spore
- Sludge Bomb
This one is more of a coverage choice than anything else - one of the types I absolutely despise the most is Fairy-type Pokemon - some of my favorite Pokemon include Sharpedo, Gallade, Absol, Garchomp and Kingdra - these pink jerks counteract every single one of these, so I usually take extra precautions against them. Amoongus is a generally beefy mushroom, and with both Synthesis and Regenerator working in his favor, it's rather difficult to deal with him unless you're wielding some good old fashioned fire. Giga Drain is another way to recover even more HP, and Spore is just a great supporting move in general, especially since the only other Pokemon that gets it that's actually worth his salt is Breloom. Sludge Bomb, as I said, is my fairy-killer - it doesn't one shot very many, but it 2HKO a lot, or at the very least threaten with poisoning them.
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- X-Scissor
Excadrill was chosen for a couple reasons - while this team is particularly resilient to SR, Toxic Spikes can still mess with me pretty bad - so Excadrill provides that much-needed RS support. Another Pokemon I have it out for is Rotom-W, and Mold Breaker Ex here is the perfect counter to his scrawny little washing machine butt head self. EQ does just that as well as being one of Ex's most powerful STAB moves alongside Iron Head. The last slot has a lot of options, but I chose X-Scissor, because this team lacks a way to seriously deal with Psychic and Dark type Pokemon - Poison Jab and Stone Edge would be redundant since there are others on the team who can use similar, if not the same moves.
Replays (Will be posted here as I compile them)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-499146905
In summary, this team seems pretty stable to me, but I can see where there might be a couple holes in it - for one I have no special sweeper, and two there's no Knock Off for dealing with things like Chansey and Scarf Gengar. I don't know how necessary these things are though, so just let me know what I can change to make this team amazing! Thanks in advance!
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