Intro
Pixie Dust is a team I've been using for the past 2 or so months. At its peak, it got me up to the top 150 on Smogon University's ladder, and had a very good win-loss ratio. I've decided to retire this team after it's long use in Smogon Ladder, the Master Cup, Master Cup Circuit Tournies, and other various tournaments. Maybe if you guys throw a cool edit my way, I'll bring it out of retirement and use it again. Only time will tell. Anyways, on to the team!
Team Building Process
The team started with Celebi. If you don't know me, I like playing Bulky Offensive teams. Celebi was a great candidate to be a sweeper, since it's got access to multiple boosting moves, base 100 HP, Def, and Special Defense, and good recovery options in Giga Drain and Recover. I decided to use Nasty Plot Celebi. I couldn't figure out who to play him with, but PDC gave me the idea of playing NP Celebi wtih Choice Band Tyranitar. Tyranitar will put a sandstorm into play (which is neccesary now with all the sun/rain/weather teams running around) and he's got great HP and Defense (plus a boosted Special Defense in the sandstorm) so he won't die early in the match. He also does a great job of eliminating Celebi's threats. So now, I needed a core around Celebi. I had a good start with Tyranitar, but I need more than 2 pokemon to form a core.
Heatran was a threat to Celebi, and even though CB Tar can take it out, it runs the risk of getting burned (by Lava Plume) poisoned (by toxic) or hit multiple times with Earth Power. I added Wash Rotom to take out Heatran, Volcarona, and other fire types I might face. He might have lost his ghost typing, but STAB Hydro Pump and a typing that gives him only 1 weakness more than make up for the "rotom nerf" that happened from DPP to B/W. Now, Rotom's 1 weakness is grass. I needed something to help out against this, because Ttar also has a weakness to grass.
With 2 pokemon weak to grass, I added in Heatran. Heatran gives the team great type synergy. It can switch in repetitively to Rotom and Tyranitar's Grass weakness, as well as Celebi's Ice, Ghost, Bug, Dark, and Fire (flash fire) weaknesses. In turn, Wash Rotom and Celebi can swap into various Fighting, Ground, and Water types thrown back at Heatran. With Heatran in the mix, the team was looking a bit weak to Nasty Plot Thundurus. Focus Blast/Thunderbolt after a Nasty Plot nuke 3/4 team members so far, and HP Ice will nail Celebi.
Specially Defensive Jirachi plays quite a roll on this team. For one, he can take a +2 Thunderbolt from Thundurus, and threaten to Paralyze it back with Body Slam. Jirachi also passes Wish around the team, since some of the members (Heatran and TTar) are bulky, but they don't have access to cool recovery moves like Celebi does. Wish's new mechanic also means each pokemon will regain half of JIRACHI'S health rather then half of their own, so for a low-HP pokemon like Rotom, that is huge. Looking back at the team, I realized I really only had 1 pokemon to counter sand. Rotom doesn't live forever, especially not when pokemon like Excadrill and Landorus hit it like a truck every time it switches into them.
Gliscor was the last add to the team. Gliscor gives me a second option against sand sweepers like Excadrill, and it can threaten to Swords Dance and sweep my opponent's team. Poison Heal makes it live forever, and it's 2 weaknesses to Water and Ice are balanced out by the resistances provided by Celebi, WashTom, Heatran, and Jirachi. So there's the team at a glance. Here's a more in-depth look at it:
The Team
Predator (Tyranitar) @Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
Adamant
252 HP/36 Att/220 SpDef
~Crunch
~Pursuit
~Stone Edge
~Aqua Tail
Now, I know what most of you are thinking. You're thinking "Why is his lead pokemon Tyranitar when it doesn't have Stealth Rock?" Well, with the introduction of Team Preview, my lead pokemon is completely irrelevant, since I can switch my lead with each match as I please. Tyranitar actually ends up leading a small amount of the battles I play. I put Tyranitar in the lead slot, however, to hopefully bait my opponents into thinking that it does run Stealth Rock when they look on Team Preview. I get more of a surprise factor when they realize it's a Choice Band Tyranitar.
Tyranitar has really only one specific purpose on this team: kill the Lati Twins. Latias and Latios are a huge hinderance to a sweep by Celebi. They resist both of Celebi's STAB attacks and HP Fire, they can simply Calm Mind up while Celebi Nasty Plots, or they can laugh and fire monstrous Draco Meteors at my face. Tyranitar can switch into any attacks that the Lati's can dish out, save for Choice Specs HP Fighting, which is extremely rare. With a Choice Band equipped, Tyranitar will hit the dragons for 70+ % damage if they stay in. So I think it's safe to say that Tyranitar eliminates these poke's fairly well. Crunch is for when I predict a pokemon to stay in rather than switch out. This is generally only used on Reuniclus, since it often maxes out HP and Defense, so anything else is unlikely to kill it. Stone Edge coming off an Adamant nature with a Choice Band and STAB hits like a truck to pretty much anything not named Hippowdon or Defensive Quagsire. Aqua Tail is there for the predicted Gliscor, Heatran, or Hippowdon switch-in. I selected Aqua Tail over Earthquake because Aqua Tail, even though it has a lower accuracy and lower power, has better type coverage. Aqua Tail will hit grounds like Gliscor or Hippowdon as well as fire types and opposing Tyranitar for super effective damage, rather than Earthquake which only hits fire types and opposing Tyranitar. Plus, there's about a billion OU Pokemon that are either flying, or have Levitate, so a bit of damage with Aqua Tail is generally better than a complete whiff off of Earthquake.
The EVs are pretty standard on a CB TTar. With a Choice Band and Adamant nature, you already hit extremely hard, so you don't have a huge need to max out your Attack stat. The EVs placed in HP and Special Defense allow Tyranitar to take hits from the likes of Latias/Latios, which I commonly switch into (because like I said, Tyranitar is supposed to eliminate them.) The extra bulk is a huge help when switching into STAB Draco Meteors. The bulk also allows Tyranitar to take weak special attacks, even if they are super effective, such as Giga Drain from Celebi. Tyranitar can then proceed to fire back STAB Crunch or Pursuit and laugh.
Voltergeist (Rotom-Wash) @Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
Modest
128 HP/252 SpAtt/128 Speed
~Hydro Pump
~Thunderbolt
~Will-o-Wisp
~Pain Split
As stated earlier, Wash Rotom lost its ghost typing in the transition from DPP to B/W. However, it gained STAB Hydro Pump, and a great offensive typing, which has made Wash Rotom the 7th most common pokemon in the entire game. Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt get good coverage, hitting everything except for Dragons and Lanturn neutrally. Will o Wisp is great for burning stuff that switches in, such as random grass types on sun teams (like Tangrowth, which often runs Power Whip.) Will o Wisp is also nice to hit Ferrothorn with, because it weakens Power Whip and Gyro Ball immensely. Plus, there isn't really much more this Rotom can do, since I don't run HP Fire. Pain Split gives Rotom a somewhat decent recovery option, since the only other thing it has access to was ResTalk, which was really only useful in DPP since you could use it to absorb sleep and repetitively block rapid spin.
The EVs, like Tyranitar's, are pretty standard. Max Special Attack with a Modest nature is good for hitting stuff really hard with STAB Hydro Pump. 128 HP gives Rotom some bulk. It's pretty neccessary since Rotom has an obscenely low base HP, but good Defense/Special Defense. The rest are just dumped into Speed. I really would like to add some more speed, so I get the jump on 244 Speed Jirachi, Celebi, Gliscor, etc. These EVs currently put me just shy at 240.
Wishmaker (Jirachi) @Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
Careful
252 HP/224 SpDef/32 Speed
~Wish
~Protect
~Iron Head
~Body Slam
Jirachi is a great special tank. Some of the common things that would threaten a Celebi sweep, such as Thundurus, Latias, or Latios are special attackers. None of these pokemon like paralysis, so Body Slam is a cool move to use here. It has a great 60% chance to paralyze with the ability of Serene Grace in play. I use Body Slam over Thunder Wave mainly so I can still paralyze grounds that switch in, like Hippowdon or Gliscor (if they haven't activated Toxic Orb yet.) Iron Head is annoyingly paired with Body Slam for the infamous "ParaFlinch" combo. Iron Head has a 60% chance to flinch the opponent with Serene Grace. Factoring in paralysis, your opponent has an annoying 70% chance to be immobile through flinch or paralysis. Protect gives Jirachi a turn of leftovers recovery, and it allows me to scout Choiced pokemon, like CB Scizor, or Specs Heatran. Wish pairs with Protect to allow Jirachi to heal itself. Wish also can be passed throughout the entire team, which is great when pokemon like Tyranitar can't heal themselves, but still need to switch in throughout the match. The new mechanic is huge, giving each pokemon 202 HP of recovery when Wish is passed to them (rather than half of what their HP is.)
The EV's give Jirachi a lot of special bulk. Max HP and 224 Special Defense gives Jirachi the ability to soak up special hits like a sponge, and it can even survive a +2 Thunder from Thundurus (granted I'm at high health.) Max HP also ensures each pokemon on my team gets the most out of Wish's new mechanic. The bulk acquired is great, since Jirachi will be switching in multiple times throughout the match. Jirachi resists Tyranitar and Washtom's weakness to grass, and it also resists the Ice Beams fired at either Gliscor or Celebi. Steel-typing also gives Jirachi the opportnity to switch into Draco Meteors from Latios, Latias, and Hydregion. Since Jirachi switches in repetitively, it's not uncommon for me to eat a Hidden Power Fire on a switch-in to the Latis. The Specially Defensive bulk allows me to be 3HKO'd rather than 2HKO'd, so I can freely wish up, and threaten to Paralyze. The 32 Speed EVs put Jirachi at 244 speed, which is pretty standard for base 100 speed pokemon. I'm not sure why it's standard, aside from that's where Gliscor normally stands at (244 speed,) but I do force speed ties with base 100s like Celebi and Mew. If I can get a Body Slam paralysis, I will get to outspeed and flinch them to death (hopefully.)
Vulcan (Heatran) @Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
Timid
252 SpAtt/252 Speed/4 HP
~Stealth Rock
~Fire Blast
~Earth Power
~Hidden Power Rock
As mentioned earlier, Tyranitar does not run Stealth Rock. Therefore, I have to put it on another one of my pokemon. Stealth Rock is extremely important, since it turns many of Celebi's close 2HKO's into OHKO's, and 3HKO's into 2HKO's. It's also huge for racking up damage on flyers, like Thundurus and Tornadus, as well as a huge 50% to Volcarona. Air Balloon gives Heatran the opportunity to switch into more attacks, and set up Stealth Rock easier, It also gives Heatran the opportunity to threaten Excadrill if I have not had my Balloon popped yet. Fire Blast is massive, coming off of base 130 Special Attack with max EVs. Earth Power allows me to hit a mirror Heatran matchup, as well as Infernape on a switch, or Ninetales, more commonly seen now to set up sun. Hidden Power Rock was originally supposed to be HP Grass to hit Swampert, Quagsire, and Gastrodon. Well, Quagsire and Gastrodon are in the RU tier, so they're very rarely seen in OU. Swampert is more common, but he isn't very popular either. I also noticed a huge weakness to Volcarona. Wash Rotom was all I had at this point to take it out, and a +1 Bug Buzz would kill it if I had low enough health. HP Rock lets me nail Volcarona with a X4 weakness, and I can still bluff HP Ice, since I still hit flyers like Togekiss or Zapdos for super effective damage.
The EVs are nothing special. Max Special Attack for maximum damage. I don't run a modest nature since I'm not running Choice Specs. Max Speed with timid will outspeed a lot- it's quite surprising. I outspeed anything hovering at 244, so many base 100 pokemon get surprise outsped and OHKO'd (like Celebi.) I also outspeed Gliscor, and while I may not run HP Ice, Fire Blast will dent it seriously, since it only has base 75 HP and Special Defense. 252 Speed Timid puts me at 277 speed (factoring in HP Rock's imperfect Speed IV,) so I do get the opportunity to hit many slower threats that would expect a slow Heatran.
Tinkerbell (Celebi) @Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
Modest
220 HP/252 SpAtt/36 Speed
~Nasty Plot
~Recover
~Giga Drain
~Hidden Power Fire
Nasty Plot Celebi is the sweeper on this team. Celebi has actually been booted down to the underused tier this generation, which surprised a lot of people. However, this means that I get the surprise factor on a lot of people who don't expect to see anything from UU in competitive OU play. With base 100's all around, access to Nasty Plot, great offensive typing, and a huge movepool, I really don't see why this thing is underused.
Nasty Plot is the move to use here, immediately giving me a +2 in Celebi's Special Attack stat. I use Recover for a good option to heal myself, since Giga Drain isn't always hitting my opponent for massive damage (what if they switch in Heatran?) Giga Drain is my main STAB attack, it will hit hard at +2, and I get to heal myself. Giga Drain got a great power boost in Black and White, so it has a base power of 75 instead of 60 now, and gets 10 base PP instead of only 5 (so 16 with a PP Max used.) This is huge, when it comes to hitting things neutrally, such as Excadrill or Conkeldurr, the extra power is a huge plus in aiding Celebi's sweep. Hidden Power Fire is for type coverage. It allows me to hit Scizor, Ferrothorn, Metagross, or any other steel type out there that isn't named "Heatran."
Darkwing (Gliscor) @Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
Impish
252 HP/184 Defense/72 Speed
~Swords Dance
~Taunt
~Earthquake
~Ice Fang
Glisco got a huge boost in popularity from last generation (where it was already OU.) Poison Heal gives Gliscor great recovery, and allows it to live for an annoyingly long amount of time in a match. It also protects Gliscor from status such as burn or sleep, so I can safely switch into things that would fire off a Will o Wisp or a Hypnosis once Toxic Orb activates. His type is great, synergizing witht he two steels on the team, and with Washtom and Celebi. The only 2 weaknesses are to Ice and Water. Gliscor can also freely switch into Ground attacks fired at Heatran or Jirachi, and it can switch into the common U-turns thrown at Celebi.
Earthquake and Ice Fang are found on almost any Gliscor. Earthquake is for STAB, and Ice Fang is for type coverage, hitting any flying-types that may switch into Earthquake. It also hits dragons like Flygon, Dragonite, and Salamence for a huge 4X weakness, which is great because Celebi can't really handle dragons with Giga Drain and HP Fire. Gliscor can take hits from these dragons easily because of it's massive base 125 Defense. Taunt is used to shut down stuff that may try to use Gliscor as setup bait. It shuts off Ferrothorn's ability to lay down hazards and use Leech Seed, it shuts off Blissey and Jirachi's ability to pass wish, and it shuts off Reuniclus's ability to set up Trick Room or Calm Mind. Taunt also shuts off Skarmory's ability to phaze me with Whirlwind as I set up Swords Dance. Swords Dance allows me to threaten to sweep my opponent's team, and it often does since some of the most common pokemon today such as Excadrill, Landorus, and Dragonite are weak to Gliscor's two attacks.
The EVs on Gliscor are fairly common. Max HP is a must since Gliscor is supposed to be bulky. An impish nature and 184 Defense EVs make Gliscor an absolute physical tank. It allows Gliscor to switch into fighters like Mienshao and Conkeldurr with impunity, and it ensures Gliscor will survive long enough to Ice Fang dragons to death. the 72 Speed EVs put Gliscor at 244 Speed, so it forces a tie with opposing Gliscor, Celebi, and Jirachi. This is good because Gliscor can threaten to win the tie and Earthquake or Ice Fang.
Other Options
I've been trying out a few changes on the team reccently, but most of them haven't had a positive effect.
For a while, I tried running HP Ice on Heatran over HP Rock. The idea behind this was to get dragons on the switch-in, and Heatran will generally outspeed Gliscor anyways, so I can get it for a 4X effective hit. I then got rushed 3 games in a row, which all ended in Volcarona sweeps, save for the one where I got a crit with Rotom's Hydro Pump when he was at +3. I then immediately changed it back to HP Rock.
I've tried running Choice Scarf Rotom for a bit. I used a set of:
Rotom @Choice Scarf
Timid
252 SpAtt/252 Speed/4 HP
~Volt Switch
~Hydro Pump
~Hidden Power Fire
~Trick
This was suggested by a smogonite, and it had a rather neutral effect on the team. Infernape is a pest for most of this team, it normally kills itself with Sand and Life Orb recoil, but not before ripping holes. ScarfTom was my attempt to fix this, as I could threaten to outspeed with Hydro Pump and kill it. This also gave me something to deal with Blissey and Chansey. I could trick them my Choice Scarf, and make Celebi's job of sweeping much easier. This did, however, make me much weaker to the standard Tyranitar. Normally, I burn it, and then 2HKO it with Hydro Pump, because they're crippled from burn. Without Will o Wisp, I can't really cripple Tyranitar, and Crunch or Stone Edge will hit very hard, as I can't even 2HKO it when sandstorm is in play.
Threats
Infernape decimates most of this team. It hits Jirachi and Celebi supereffectively with one STAB attack, Tyranitar and Heatran super effectively with the other STAB attack, and Gliscor super effectively with Hidden Power Ice. That leaves Rotom. Rotom can't even swtich into Infernape safely. A Flare Blitz or Fire Blast will hurt enough, Close Combat will hurt even more since Rotom is no longer a ghost type. Scarf Rotom can be used on my team to threaten it, but I still have no safe switch-in to Infernape.
While not extremely common, Mamoswine will also create huge holes in this team. It hits Gliscor and Celebi for big damage with it's Ice attacks, and can kill Heatran, Tyranitar, and Jirachi with STAB Earthquake. Rotom is all I have to take it on, and like Infernape, STAB Icicle Crash is going to hurt Rotom a lot. If low enough on health, it can kill, or if Rotom is dead, there is nothing I have left to take on Mamoswine.
While being the focus of my team, Celebi can me fairly hard. Nasty Plot Giga Drain isn't fun for Rotom or Gliscor to deal with, and Celebi and Jirachi are hurt by Hidden Power Fire. Earth Power is also sometimes seen on Celebi, so Heatran isn't a safe bet. Tyranitar can threaten to hit it with STAB Dark attacks and Choice Band, but if low on health, a +2 Giga Drain will kill me.
Conclusion
This team has performed greatly for me, but it isn't perfect. While I said I'm retiring it, I would love to see you guys edit it, and give me a reason to bring it back out and try another run with it. I did not do a "past members" section, because I made this team almost 2 months ago, so I don't clearly remember many of the past members. What you do from here, I don't really care. If you just read the RMT to learn about team building, that's cool. If you copy my team, I don't really care. I'm just happy you took the time to read this RMT, and hopefully, actually rate (or at least comment) on my team. Thanks for reading, and good luck in future teams and battles!
So anyways, I'd like to congratulate you on another outstanding team; I'm sad to see it retire. Keep it up!
