Stargazing
A RMT by [member]Bippa[/member]
Intro
Lots of things have changed since I last posted a team, even though it seems like it wasn’t too long ago, despite it being posted in December. The activity in the VG forums is at the highest I’ve seen it in months; it’s no longer the dying section on PokeBeach. Lots of new activities are starting, and it seems like the right direction is being set, and it can only go up. So right now, I’d like to thank every active poster in the VG forum. We’ve grown to become something like a family, and, altogether, we’ve made this place what it is now.
Anyways, back to the team. I don’t know about any of you, but one of the most relaxing activities I enjoy is stargazing. Lying on the deck in a reclining chair and looking up at the stars calms the mind down, and is the perfect way to end a stressful day (and yes, it is winter right now and yes, I do live in Canada). For me, it’s a time of reflecting. It’s a time for me to think about what happened during the day, and to sometimes get some ideas for a new team. After I built Moving Forward, I was totally stuck. Moving Forward was my best team to date, and I felt like I had a lot to live up to. No one wants to see a backward propelling team. So as I’m sitting on my deck, looking up at the stars and thinking of ideas.
(Yeah, I know I’m still not getting anywhere with the team. But it’s coming, I guarantee) And then it hit me; Starmie, my favourite Pokemon from Gen.1. Not a lot of seriously competitive players get a chance to use one of their favourites, so it seemed like an awesome idea. Life Orb Starmie is a wonderful Pokemon in the metagame. It’s one of the few Pokemon that doesn’t need a Choice Scarf to act as a revenge killer, and it boasts phenomenal three move coverage. While I’m on the topic of Choice Scarves, Starmie doesn’t mind being given a Scarf or some spectacles either, as both only improve its revenge killing capacities. So there’s my focal Pokemon for this team.
Teambuilding Process
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This is the obvious step here. Looking at the list of Starmie’s counters of Blissey/Chansey, Ferrothorn and Snorlax, the also obvious partner is a fighting type Pokemon. There were a couple of solid candidates. Breloom and Guts Pokemon really stuck out, because they had the ability to come in on status moves that nearly all Blissey/Chansey and some Ferrothorn run.
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I ended up going with Conkeldurr for a couple reasons. First of all, it boasts more natural bulk than Breloom, making it easier to switch in. The second was priority in Mach Punch, which essentially provided insurance for the team. The final one was Guts, as I mentioned above. Guts essentially acts like a free boost to Conkeldurr’s attack, and with it, it doesn’t mind coming on in Blissey/Chansey/Ferrothorn at all. The two have a great amount of synergy, but that’s to be expected. Starmie’s BoltBeam coverage hits two of Conkeldurr’s big counters, Skarmory and Gliscor, and I’ve already mentioned what Conkeldurr does for Starmie.
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Now that most Pokemon are covered, the defensive core had to be built. I normally don’t run it, but I can’t deny that Skarmory has saved me numerous times against threatening physical attackers. Nearly all the dragons and fighters are stopped by Skarmory (Band Terrakion and Haxorus being the exceptions), while Skarmory sets up some spikes or whirls them away. Its physical walling ability is unparalleled in OU, and its great typing is a huge part of its job.
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Yeah, I run Skarmory and Ferrothorn on the same team. To me, Ferrothorn always seemed like a special wall, which really helped differentiate it from Skarmory. Critical resistances to the Water-, Electric- and Dragon-type all help Ferrothorn in its goal of walling special attackers that lack Fire moves, like nearly every Pokemon on a rain team and some Latias/Latios/Hydreigon.
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By now you’ve noticed that the defensive core, while very solid, has a major problem with Fire-type Pokemon. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix to that. Latias is a wonderful counter to nearly every Fire-type under the sun (haha pun, and the only one it loses against is Volcarona). If need be, Latias can also function as a counter to Reuniclus, a Pokemon for which I had no previous answer for. Latias also provided a crucial second resistance to rain teams, which I really came to appreciate. It’s also a solid check to sun teams, and after Ferrothorn eats a Sleep Powder, Latias can come in and wall all of the sun abusers except for Sawsbuck.
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Heatran was the last Pokemon inserted into the team. Like Latias, its versatility allows it to function as a critical check to sun teams, as well as Volcarona and Hydreigon. Heatran pretty much patches up any remaining weaknesses the team has while providing Stealth Rock support. It’s a wonderful Pokemon for the team, and provides an awesome pool of resistances for the team.
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The latest incarnation of the team. Slowbro over Skarmory is a fairly easy choice. It covers the weakness to Terrakion marvelously, while still maintaining the ability to counter Dragon-type Pokemon. The more difficult choice was Salamence. I had decided that Latias was the next to be replaced, because it compounded my weaknesses to Dark- and Ghost-types. The removal of Latias opened up a weakness to Reuniclus, and Salamence was the best answer to both of them, while still providing the synergy Latias offered.
Detailed Analysis
[animate]starmie[/animate]
Starmie @ Life Orb
Natural Cure | Timid Nature
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp.A / 252 Spe
Surf | Thunderbolt | Ice Beam | Recover
The focal point of the team is Starmie. Boasting a wonderful stat spread for an offensive Pokemon, Starmie makes a wonderful cleaner. It’s frail, so it must be used with caution. But when Starmie is used correctly, it gets me out of every situation. Threatening Pokemon like Latias and Terrakion are no problem for Starmie, because Starmie can either significantly weaken them or outright kill them. Starmie’s offensive moves are only resisted by Lanturn and Shedinja, both of which are rare in OU. Max Special Attack and Maximum speed ensures that Starmie hits like a hippo with the speed of a cheetah. So yeah, Starmie is an incredible Pokemon in the metagame.
Surf is the obvious STAB move. When backed by Life Orb, Starmie’s Surf hits incredibly strong. Starmie’s Surf is tied for the seventh strongest Surf in OU. In other words, it hits with incredible force. However, Starmie gets more use out of its secondary coverage moves. Part of what makes Starmie great is its access to BoltBeam coverage. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam form a nearly unresisted combination, and hit quite the number of Pokemon in OU for super effective damage. Starmie’s Ice Beam does 68% minimum to 4HP Latios, while Thunderbolt does 53% minimum to 248 HP Jellicent. So in other words, Starmie easily 2HKOs anything that isn’t known for special defending prowess (Blissey, Latias, Chansey, Virizion and Snorlax), which is quite the feat. What this means is that if I can predict the switch in and act accordingly, Starmie will always come out on top. Recover ties the set together by healing off Life Orb damage, as well as patching up damage Starmie takes from neutral hits.
Surf is the obvious STAB move. When backed by Life Orb, Starmie’s Surf hits incredibly strong. Starmie’s Surf is tied for the seventh strongest Surf in OU. In other words, it hits with incredible force. However, Starmie gets more use out of its secondary coverage moves. Part of what makes Starmie great is its access to BoltBeam coverage. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam form a nearly unresisted combination, and hit quite the number of Pokemon in OU for super effective damage. Starmie’s Ice Beam does 68% minimum to 4HP Latios, while Thunderbolt does 53% minimum to 248 HP Jellicent. So in other words, Starmie easily 2HKOs anything that isn’t known for special defending prowess (Blissey, Latias, Chansey, Virizion and Snorlax), which is quite the feat. What this means is that if I can predict the switch in and act accordingly, Starmie will always come out on top. Recover ties the set together by healing off Life Orb damage, as well as patching up damage Starmie takes from neutral hits.
[animate]conkeldurr[/animate]
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Guts | Brave Nature
EVs: 68 HP / 224 Atk / 216 SDef | IVs: 0 Spe
Bulk Up | Drain Punch | Mach Punch | Payback
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Guts | Brave Nature
EVs: 68 HP / 224 Atk / 216 SDef | IVs: 0 Spe
Bulk Up | Drain Punch | Mach Punch | Payback
When put with Starmie, Conkeldurr forms a very solid offensive core. Everything that troubles Starmie, like Chansey and Snorlax, is no problem at all for Conkeldurr to take down. Meanwhile, all the Skarmory and Gliscor that trouble Conkeldurr aren’t a problem at all for Starmie to take down. I suppose you could call it mutalism. Conkeldurr’s EV spread allows it to take on all of Starmie’s counters. It survives a +3 Latias Dragon Pulse (barely), while +0 Payback is a guaranteed OHKO. As for Virizion, Conkeldurr barely lives a +2 Giga Drain, while a +0 Drain Punch is a guaranteed 2HKO on the Aramis reincarnate. Blissey and Chansey really can’t do anything at all to Conkeldurr, while Drain Punch pretty much stops them from trying to threaten Conkeldurr. Guts changes everything, 2HKO turns into OHKOs, and Conkeldurr hits like a truck with the boost.
Bulk Up slowly transforms Conkeldurr from the cruiserweight it is (87 kg is really not a lot) to a massive heavyweight behemoth. After two Bulk Ups, Conkeldurr is pretty much invincible on the physical side. Drain Punch is something that any defensive Fighting-type Pokemon would kill for. Damage dealing and recovery is a rarity nowadays, with Giga Drain being the only other move that does such. Conkeldurr also has another move that any Fighting-type would kill for - Mach Punch. +1 Mach Punch does 75% minimum to 4HP Terrakion, essentially killing it after three layers of Spikes. Mach Punch also does quite a bit to Cloyster too, with +1 Mach Punch doing 80% minimum after a Shell Smash (meanwhile, Cloyster fails to get the OHKO). Mach Punch is a valuable tool for the team, providing lots of insurance and lots of power. Payback completes the set by creating phenomenal Dark+Fighting coverage, resisted only by Toxicroak and Heracross. Beyond hitting Psychic types like Latias, it has little merit and Conkeldurr is usually better of Drain Punching or Mach Punching. However, the incredible coverage it offers was the lone reason for selecting it instead of Stone Edge.
Bulk Up slowly transforms Conkeldurr from the cruiserweight it is (87 kg is really not a lot) to a massive heavyweight behemoth. After two Bulk Ups, Conkeldurr is pretty much invincible on the physical side. Drain Punch is something that any defensive Fighting-type Pokemon would kill for. Damage dealing and recovery is a rarity nowadays, with Giga Drain being the only other move that does such. Conkeldurr also has another move that any Fighting-type would kill for - Mach Punch. +1 Mach Punch does 75% minimum to 4HP Terrakion, essentially killing it after three layers of Spikes. Mach Punch also does quite a bit to Cloyster too, with +1 Mach Punch doing 80% minimum after a Shell Smash (meanwhile, Cloyster fails to get the OHKO). Mach Punch is a valuable tool for the team, providing lots of insurance and lots of power. Payback completes the set by creating phenomenal Dark+Fighting coverage, resisted only by Toxicroak and Heracross. Beyond hitting Psychic types like Latias, it has little merit and Conkeldurr is usually better of Drain Punching or Mach Punching. However, the incredible coverage it offers was the lone reason for selecting it instead of Stone Edge.
[animate]slowbro[/animate]
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Regenerator | Relaxed Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp.A | IVs: 29 Spe
Scald | Psychic | Ice Beam | Slack Off
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Regenerator | Relaxed Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp.A | IVs: 29 Spe
Scald | Psychic | Ice Beam | Slack Off
With access to a wonderful ability for a defensive Pokemon, Slowbro is capable of an Outrage on the switch. If it doesn't end up taking Outrage, Slowbro is capable of responding with Ice Beam. So thing of Slowbro as an offensive variant of Skarmory. The 29 Speed EVs ensure that Payback Conkeldurr outspeeds Slowbro, meaning that Slowbro is also able to counter Conkeldurr, just like Skarmory before it. Access to potential burns in the form of Scald compounds Slowbro's ability to take physical hits. For example, a burnt CB Haxorus 4HKOs Slowbro with Outrage. A 50% recovery move further increases the walling potential of Slowbro. Awesome synergy with Ferrothorn is only icing on the cake.
Scald is the move of choice for any bulky water. Like I've said above, a 30% burn chance makes Slowbro's walling ability much better. Its the most obnoxious move in the game solely because of the burn chance. Psychic offers a second STAB for Slowbro, and also lets it counter Fighting-type Pokemon like Skarmory before it. Ice Beam makes countering burnt Dragons much easier by hitting them for weakness (obviously). Slack Off keeps Slowbro healthy and let it continue its walling spree. Funny enough, its almost overkill with Regnerator.
Scald is the move of choice for any bulky water. Like I've said above, a 30% burn chance makes Slowbro's walling ability much better. Its the most obnoxious move in the game solely because of the burn chance. Psychic offers a second STAB for Slowbro, and also lets it counter Fighting-type Pokemon like Skarmory before it. Ice Beam makes countering burnt Dragons much easier by hitting them for weakness (obviously). Slack Off keeps Slowbro healthy and let it continue its walling spree. Funny enough, its almost overkill with Regnerator.
[animate]ferrothorn[/animate]
Ferrothorn @ Shed Shell
Iron Barbs | Sassy Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SDef | IVs: 0 Spe
Leech Seed | Spikes | Power Whip | Gyro Ball
Ferrothorn @ Shed Shell
Iron Barbs | Sassy Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SDef | IVs: 0 Spe
Leech Seed | Spikes | Power Whip | Gyro Ball
Boasting some of the highest overall defenses in the game, Ferrothorn is incredibly durable. I went with a special defending approach with Ferrothorn because its typing is more favored towards special defending (with resistances like Water, Electric, Psychic and Dragon). Though to be honest, each of Ferrothorn’s nine resistances is welcome. With this EV spread, Ferrothorn avoids being 2HKOed by Standard Latias +0 HP Fire. Because Ferrothorn’s Gyro Ball is a 2HKO on Latias, Ferrothorn can usually win. Lack of a 50% recovery move is disappointing with Ferrothorn, but you can’t have everything. Shed Shell is the item of choice because I can’t afford to have any part of my defensive core trapped by Magnezone.
Some analyses of Ferrothorn say that Leech Seed is optional on Ferrothorn, but I do consider it staple on the Pokemon. It’s not the most reliable recovery, but it’s still a recovery move. Spikes support makes KOs for Conkeldurr, Starmie and Salamence easier to acheive, like OHKOing Terrakion with Mach Punch after three layers of Spikes. Power Whip and Gyro Ball are Ferrothorn’s STAB attacks. Power Whip compliments Ferrothorn’s role as a rain counter, with hitting all those Water-types for super effective damage. Gyro Ball is more versatile, and hits anything. It hits anything with 240 speed (neutral nature base 102s with no investment, max speed base 71s with neutral nature and max speed base 60s with a positive nature) for 150 base power. Those calculations mean that Ferrothorn hits Latias, Latios and Alakazam for 150 base power, and on their lower defense side to boot. Even though the move only has 8 PP, it’s still a valuable tool in Ferrothorn’s arsenal.
Some analyses of Ferrothorn say that Leech Seed is optional on Ferrothorn, but I do consider it staple on the Pokemon. It’s not the most reliable recovery, but it’s still a recovery move. Spikes support makes KOs for Conkeldurr, Starmie and Salamence easier to acheive, like OHKOing Terrakion with Mach Punch after three layers of Spikes. Power Whip and Gyro Ball are Ferrothorn’s STAB attacks. Power Whip compliments Ferrothorn’s role as a rain counter, with hitting all those Water-types for super effective damage. Gyro Ball is more versatile, and hits anything. It hits anything with 240 speed (neutral nature base 102s with no investment, max speed base 71s with neutral nature and max speed base 60s with a positive nature) for 150 base power. Those calculations mean that Ferrothorn hits Latias, Latios and Alakazam for 150 base power, and on their lower defense side to boot. Even though the move only has 8 PP, it’s still a valuable tool in Ferrothorn’s arsenal.
[animate]salamence[/animate]
Salamence @ Choice Scarf
Moxie | Jolly Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Sp.D / 252 Speed
Outrage | Earthquake | Stone Edge | Fire Blast
Salamence @ Choice Scarf
Moxie | Jolly Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Sp.D / 252 Speed
Outrage | Earthquake | Stone Edge | Fire Blast
Having never used a Salamence yet in Gen.5, MoxieMence certainly surprised me. I don't think its fair to say that Dragonite outclasses it anymore. Moxie transforms Salamence into an offensive juggernaut. It 2HKOs CM Reuniclus after one Moxie boost. It also solves my HP Ground Volcarona problem. It ties with Volcarona at +1, and resists all of its offense while hitting it with Stone Edge to dodge Flame Body. It gets solid coverage in its offense, and even though Fire Blast is weakened by the Jolly nature, its more filler than anything else, because Starmie, Heatran and Conkeldurr are also to beat Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise resist Outrage.
Outrage is the main allure to MoxieMence. With the Scarf, it outspeeds +1 Haxorus, as well as any scarfed base 99s and slower, and easily beats them with Outrage, unless they're a Steel-type, and gets an attack boost in the process. 2HKOs turn into OHKOs, and Salamence rivals Starmie as a finisher once it has a boost. Earthquake and Stone Edge are for coverage, with Stone Edge in particular avoiding Volcarona's Flame Body in the process. Earthquake hits grounded Steel-type Pokemon that resist Outrage. Fire Blast is filler, but it can be used to beat a weakened Skarmory and Ferrothorn. All four attacks help Salamence break down walls that would otherwise prevent a Starmie sweep.
Outrage is the main allure to MoxieMence. With the Scarf, it outspeeds +1 Haxorus, as well as any scarfed base 99s and slower, and easily beats them with Outrage, unless they're a Steel-type, and gets an attack boost in the process. 2HKOs turn into OHKOs, and Salamence rivals Starmie as a finisher once it has a boost. Earthquake and Stone Edge are for coverage, with Stone Edge in particular avoiding Volcarona's Flame Body in the process. Earthquake hits grounded Steel-type Pokemon that resist Outrage. Fire Blast is filler, but it can be used to beat a weakened Skarmory and Ferrothorn. All four attacks help Salamence break down walls that would otherwise prevent a Starmie sweep.
[animate]heatran[/animate]
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Flash Fire | Timid Nature
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp.A / 252 Spe
Fire Blast | Earth Power | Hidden Power Rock | Stealth Rock
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Flash Fire | Timid Nature
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp.A / 252 Spe
Fire Blast | Earth Power | Hidden Power Rock | Stealth Rock
I know I’ve said this before, but offensive Heatran with Air Balloon is one of the best Stealth Rock users available. With its high special attack, Heatran forces lots of switches, giving it plenty of opportunities to set up Stealth Rock. It’s also got a wide pool of resistances, and while it’s no Ferrothorn, it is capable of taking hits. Heatran’s typing also creates a solid anti-weather core with the above Latias and Ferrothorn, with Heatran’s clear bias towards countering sun teams. In fact, let’s look at Heatran’s clear bias. First is the obvious, with Heatran’s Fire-type STAB getting multiplied in damage. Sun team’s main offensive STABs, Fire and Grass, are incapable of doing damage, or do 0.25x normal damage, respectively, to Heatran. Furthermore, Volcarona isn’t capable of doing anything to Heatran unless it has HP Ground. Finally, Forretress, the most common spinner on a sun team, can’t stay in on Heatran. If that doesn’t say “I beat your sun teams”, then I don’t know what does.
Fire Blast is Heatran’s main STAB, and it does a whole lot to anything not named Blissey, Dragon-types or Water-types (as well as opposing Heatran). 120 base damage, when backed by one of the highest special attack stats in OU and STAB, is nothing at all to scoff at. Earth Power is for coverage. Most notably, it hits grounded Steel-type Pokemon, like Heatran without an Air Balloon. It’s also a fallback against rain teams, or in other situations when Fire Blast isn’t an optimal decision. Hidden Power Rock is more a couple different Pokemon, like Gyarados, Dragonite and Volcarona. It creates a pseudo EdgeQuake coverage, which is only resisted by Bronzong, Virizion, Breloom, Claydol, Flygon and Torterra, and four of them are hit hard by Fire Blast. Stealth Rock is a staple for any team, and Heatran is the best Pokemon to utilize it.
Fire Blast is Heatran’s main STAB, and it does a whole lot to anything not named Blissey, Dragon-types or Water-types (as well as opposing Heatran). 120 base damage, when backed by one of the highest special attack stats in OU and STAB, is nothing at all to scoff at. Earth Power is for coverage. Most notably, it hits grounded Steel-type Pokemon, like Heatran without an Air Balloon. It’s also a fallback against rain teams, or in other situations when Fire Blast isn’t an optimal decision. Hidden Power Rock is more a couple different Pokemon, like Gyarados, Dragonite and Volcarona. It creates a pseudo EdgeQuake coverage, which is only resisted by Bronzong, Virizion, Breloom, Claydol, Flygon and Torterra, and four of them are hit hard by Fire Blast. Stealth Rock is a staple for any team, and Heatran is the best Pokemon to utilize it.
Threats
[animate]reuniclus[/animate]
If its set up, CM Reuniclus is a large threat. Salamence can't come in on once its gotten to +2. But if Salamence can come in on it as it Calm Minds, Salamence will come out on top even without a Moxie boost.
Closing
I’ve loved working with this team. Life Orb Starmie is surprisingly underrated (as most people run Rapid Spin support), and I feel like my team makes great use of it. Because I built it using a favorite, I didn’t think it would be very competitive, and as such, I mostly used it casually while using my other team as a competitive team. But things changed and I started laddering with this team to high ranks. It came out of the shadows in a bang, much to my surprise. But hey, I guess that’s a good thing.
