He's Going the Distance! [OU RMT]

[Rawbi]

Azelf is one of my favorite Pokemon. The embodiment of willpower, 125 Attacking stats, and a lightning fast 115 Speed is all wrapped up in a package that is no bigger than a breadbox. What really sweetens the deal is the unique move the pixie has -- Nasty Plot. Although arguably harder to pull off in an era of bullet-punching bugs, this team I've created is designed to give Azelf the best chance of pulling off a Nasty Plot sweep possible.

He's Going the Distance!

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Team Building Process

This wouldn't be an Azelf-based team without an Azelf. Unlike the common suicide lead seen today, this one isn't meant to scout or set up hazards, but to boost itself and sweep.

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Being a frail sweeper, Azelf attracts Scizors like honey and bees. Zapdos helps take care of said "bees" very well, tanking through anything Scizor throws at it and recovering off the damage. Zapdos also takes care of enemy Gyarados, who would otherwise laugh at this team.

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Zapdos and Azelf share a common enemy, and that enemy is Tyranitar. Having Scizor around is good for dealing with those beasts. It's bulky enough be switched in to anything not Fire-typed, and can usually scare TTar out. Scizor is also a good scout with U-Turn and a revenge killer with Bullet Punch.

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Hariyama and Arcanine come in to help with Scizor's Fire weakness. Hariyama has the added benefit of being able to deal with Tyranitar as well, if Scizor can't take it. The fighting fatty also handles Heatran pretty well. Its all-around tanking ability is also helped by Whirlwind. Arcanine eats up Fire attacks aimed at Scizor, and can support the team by supplying a secondary form of priority.

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Finally, I needed a good lead, someone to set up Stealth Rock, and assist in taking Rock and Ground attacks. I decided to go with Swampert. Its bulk is a nice addition to the team as well.

A Closer Look

Swampert -- "Hushpuppy" @ Leftovers
Relaxed
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Torrent
-Earthquake
-Ice Beam
-Stealth Rock
-Protect

Your typical leading Mixpert. Despite the numerous Azelves floating around, this one can hold its ground, since the little pixies rarely carry Grass Knot...at least the ones I've battled. Stealth Rock first turn, usually, then Protect to dodge the incoming Explosion if the opponent wants to go kablooey.

Synergy:

Grass:

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Scizor -- "Jack" @ Choice Band
Adamant
248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Technician
-Bullet Punch
-U-Turn
-Pursuit
-Superpower

The glue that keeps my team together. Scizor is my main muscle, scouting switches with U-Turn and revenge killing faster foes. He's also my answer to Latias, although if it has HP Fire, I'm in a bit of a pickle. Tyranitars that want to munch on little Azelf end up with this bug in their face.

Synergy:

Fire:

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Azelf -- "Miles" @ Expert Belt
Timid
4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Levitate
-Nasty Plot
-Psychic
-Flamethrower
-Grass Knot

The star of the show is none other than NPZelf! With all the suicide leads and Choice Scarf scouts, I think people have forgotten that Azelf can double its power in one move and go on to sweep with over 700 SpAtk, provided Expert Belt activates. I like to use Expert Belt over Life Orb or Leftovers because it lets me bluff a Choice item if Azelf is called upon to revenge kill. The facade ends when I use Nasty Plot, but at least it lasts longer than with the other two items. Besides, while extra power is a nice offering, I'd rather keep as much HP as I can, since Azelf is unfortunately easy to take out with priority. The moves are pretty self-explanatory: Psychic STAB, Flamethrower for Steels, GK for bulky Waters.

Azelf's nickname is also the meaning behind the team's name. "Miles"...going the distance...? Get it? Get It? GET IT?

Synergy:

Bug:

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Dark:

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Ghost:

Hariyama -- "E. Honda" @ Leftovers
Careful
80 HP / 172 Atk / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Thick Fat
-Force Palm
-Earthquake
-Whirlwind
-Knock Off

This is the special sponge of the team. Its main purpose is to handle enemy Heatran, especially since it carries Earthquake. Hariyama also laughs at enemy Tyranitar, who would like nothing more to eat Azelf for breakfast. Even better: it also dispatches Blissey and Snorlax, who wall Azelf for days. Whirlwind helps get rid of said Snorlaxes who have Cursed up, and also phaze out threats. Knock Off is helpful to get rid of Leftovers the opponent is carrying.

Synergy:
Psychic:

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Flying:

Zapdos -- "Waukheon" @ Leftovers
Bold
248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe
Pressure
-Discharge
-Heat Wave
-HP Grass
-Roost

Without this Zapdos, I'd be Gyarados bait. Luckily, I have the thunder bird around to tank physical hits like a pro. As well as getting rid of said giant blue shrimps, this can also handle Scizors who want to nail Azelf. Discharge's chance to paralyze is useful, Heat Wave roasts Steels, and HP Grass destroys Swampert and other Water types. Roost lets Zapdos heal itself.

Synergy:
Rock:

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Ice:

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Arcanine -- "PINGAS" @ Life Orb
Naive
76 Atk / 252 SpAtk / 180 Spe
Flash Fire
-Flare Blitz
-Overheat
-Extremespeed
-HP Grass

The final piece of the team hopefully covers up the loose ends. I chose Arcanine because of its ability to switch into Fire attacks without worry, getting a power boost in the process. It hits both sides of the spectrum, is reasonably fast, and also boasts priority to clean up nearly-dead threats. Overheat destroys more Def-oriented Steel types like Skarmory and Metagross, while HP Grass helps with Water and Ground types.

Synergy:
Water:

(the best I can do, really)
Ground:

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Rock:

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Previous team member:
There used to be a Togekiss in Zapdos's place, who provided support with Wish and Encore. Without Zapdos, however, Gyarados ran through me like a hot knife through butter.

That's my team! It's far from perfect, but that's where you come in, friends. Thanks for your time.

 

[DarkCyberElf]

Solid team even using two UU's, I'm not sure how to change anything without creating too much trouble with something else. This team is noticeably Lucario weak, although the only real chance he is getting in (or even wanting to) is on Scizor's Pursuit. Zapdos handles variants without Ice Punch or Stone Edge without too much difficulty, but you had better hope Stealth Rock is off the field. On that note, you have two Poke's taking 25% everytime they switch in to SR (which is going to be up since you are using a slow lead without Taunt). My first thing I would change is Scarf Starmie over Azelf, since Salamence is also a huge issue, as Scizor's Bullet Punch will often fail to KO without sufficient LO or SR damage (does at max around 60% to most DD Mence). You need a revenge killer, because Scizor isn't able to beat DD Gyarados (who with Stone Edge, SR and LO will KO Zapdos) or Empoleon (who kills your entire team once he gets in on Scizor's Bullet Punch, Pursuit, etc.). Also, a rapid spinner perhaps? So to sum it up, you need answers to the following:

• Salamence
• Empoleon
• Machamp
• Heatran
• Rotom Appliances
• Jolteon
• Electivire
• Latias
• Kingdra
• Flygon
• Dragonite
• Gengar
• Gliscor

Now, don't think I wasn't going to suggest something for each and every one these! I'm here to help remember (although sometimes us team raters tend to make more problems than we fix when we rate)!

Hmm, well, for Salamence, the best answers lie in Steel types and revenge killers that can outspeed Mence. You opted for Arcanine over Heatran, which I suggest you switch around, because Heatran will lure more Ground attacks for Zapdos and Azelf to come in on (and Azelf has good moves to kill most users of EQ). Heatran provides better Defense overall, can survive most of Salamence's attacks even boosted (providing Heatran has enough health) except EQ, resists his most famous attack Outrage, etc. Heatran pairs very well with Scizor as well. Make Heatran Scarfed, and find out that all of a sudden, Draco Meteor-using Latias, Outrage stuck Kingdra and Mence, most Rotom appliances, and other Heatran start getting killed. Heatran has access to Dragon Pulse to kill off said Dragons, and if you don't need Scarfed, you can use Shuca Berry to fake the Scarf and survive a random EQ. Give Heatran Explosion, and Blissey dies early provided you predict her if using Scarf.

A Pokemon that will really give your team trouble is Machamp, whose Dynamic Punch hits your whole team, and Stone Edge Machamp (less common but still) will kill off Zapdos, your sole Fighting resist (Azelf can't take these attacks anyway). Machamp's dangerous attacks, whether CB Close Combat or Dynamic Punch, can be blocked by Ghosts (although Payback will kill them too). A defensive Rotom would benefit your team in that suddenly Electivire's speed boost only lasts until you Will-O-Wisp him, while Gyarados fails to Waterfall kill you and you KO (or scare out since he will believe you are Scarfed if your Leftovers haven't activated). Speaking of Leftovers, you have no RestTalker, so Rotom could be a RestTalk variant to take the imminent Spore from Breloom and wall his ass, who will get a free switch when Scizor gets stuck on Pursuit, or Swampert Protects an Explosion, etc. Remember, I'm talking about a Rotom appliance! Pick the Heat forme preferably as he scares most things out. Rotom should go over Zapdos, as together they are redundant. Lastly, with enough SpD and HP, Rotom can take a Surf from a boosted Empoleon and kill it off. Rotom will also block Rapid Spin from throwing your Stealth Rocks off the field that Swampert worked so hard to get up.

The other threats I mentioned are only threats so long as you can't predict their attacks, otherwise, just use your team's resistances to beat them. Plus, the addition of Rotom and Heatran should add enough bulk and resistances to ensure you get your fair sure of time to get Azelf in. At this point, you might try Lucario in place of Hariyama, one more Ground weak Pokemon that Azelf takes advantage of, and Lucario gets the free switch on Tyranitar and Blissey and kills them both if they stay in. Also, Lucario's Extreme Speed will serve as an insurance policy of sorts.

If you need the sets for these, either go to Smogon's analyses or simply respond and I'll "hand 'em over".


Sorry if I replaced your two UU's, but hey at least Azelf still lives! Sorry for the long rate as well! 7/10

Good team though, I'd like to play it before you change it so I can see how it fairs. Just PM me if you want a match!

 

[cmurph]

I'm going to agree with the poster above that 1. Rotom-A is a far better Gyara/Scizor counter than Zapdos because Gyara usually runs stone edge. and 2. Heatran is better than Arcanine. I don't know what Arcanine can do that Heatran can't, and Heatran has the added benefits of more power, better bulk, stealth rock neutrality, and better defensive typing. So those are two changes I would suggest.

One thing that concerns me though is how well this team sets up Azelf for a sweep. It's not enough just to counter pokemon that Azelf doesn't like, you need to lure in and weaken/kill its counters and create set up opportunities for it. For example, Hariyama counters Blissey and TTar, but if they switch out which they probably will, you've accomplished nothing in helping Azelf sweep. So that's something to think about if you decide to revamp this team. For example, you could lure in and kill scizor with a hp fire gengar or latias. Latias has the added benefit of being able to lure in ttar and hit it really hard with grass knot or surf. Another idea is to give Azelf enough defense to survive a scizor bullet punch after stealth rock. I can't remember what the evs are but it doesn't take a large investment.

 

[DarkCyberElf]

I'm going to agree with the poster above that 1.
- cmurph

This is me saying it by not having to type it =D

Yeah so anyway, I wanted to infer something about your team's looks. At a glance, it looks as if Swampert is your immediate SR user, Hariyama to Whirlwind and stack damage, Scizor to cause switches, Zapdos to Roar for more entry hazard damage.... blah blah blah

Your team contradicts itself in that you want an Azelf sweep, but your team is more like a entry hazard stacker. With two UU's. And a flying, two-tailed hooker. Lol

Azelf can't touch Blissey once the enemy realizes, "Oh, he has no Explosion". Personally, I wanted to say this a while back, but got carried away. Azelf should be used to SOFTEN the other team up, not perform a whole damn sweep. Azelf lacks the bulk, coverage, and spectrum to sweep entire teams. Sure, Azelf is usually a lead and ruled out as a sweeping threat, which makes it hard to counter initially, but I think you should just use a Modest Scarf Azelf to revenge kill just about everything, and explode when that fucking pink blob decides it's ok to come out of hiding. Hurray for expletives! =D

If you make the changes I already suggested, you should be able to soften up just about anything pretty easily. Whether it's Scizor's U-Turn, Rotom's Will-O-Wisp and Discharge for status, Heatran's speed and power, or Lucario's Close Combats, and finally, Azelf's ANYTHING, your opponent should be getting worn down whether or not they are stalling or not.

If your team had a Wish passer, I would have already suggested you make the whole damn team a Life Orb powerhouse, but as it is, you were looking for some durability, and I gave ya' some.

Once again, if you need help with sets, spreads, anything for whatever I mentioned, just PM me.

 

[Rawbi]

I haven't been able to implement any changes to the team yet, but I'd like to say thanks to DarkCyberElf (can I call you DCE?) and cmurph for taking the time in looking through my stuff and giving me constructive criticism.

I probably should have mentioned earlier that this is a Wifi team, but since my Acekard newly arrived I may be able to use Rotom forms anyway.

I had a Wish passer in Togekiss at one point, but that was removed for Zapdos. Since Zapdos is apparently going to be canned, would this be a good time for Togekiss to reappear? The flying egg seems to be more suited to this team than, say, Blissey.

 

[Crudkip]

I don't have time to rate right now, but I will say that you seem to lack an answer to MixApe, as he can OHKO / 2HKO every member of your team with relative ease. As well as being weak to DDGyara carrying Stone Edge, for this reason I can see Vaporeon fitting easily over Arcanine.

 

[Delko]

Hello

Azelf indeed is a great sweeper, but he can't set up with Scizor in the picture. That's why I suggest a Scarfed Magnezone either over Zapdos or Arcanine.

Magezone @ choice scarf/ naive/ magnet pull
4 HP, 252 Spe, 252 SAtk

- Thunderbolt
- HP grass/ HP fire
- Explosion
- Signal Beam/ Flash Cannon

--> Magnezone is an excellent revenge-killer and steel trapper. With Zone around you can take care of Scizor much easier since most will try to Bullet Punch your Azelf so Magnezone can come in with ease. Thunderbolt is obvious the STAB attack of choice. Hp grass is suggested when you take out Arcanine and is best paired with Signal beam (to hit grass') same goes for HP fire and Flash Cannon when you take out Zapdos. Explosion let's you take out special walls standing in the way of Azelf.

You also have nothing to absorb status, so I suggest a Rest-Talk Machamp instead of Hariyama.

Machamp @ leftovers/ adamant/ no guard
252 HP, 252 Atk, 4 Spe

- Rest
- Payback
- Sleep Talk
- Dynamic Punch

--> Plain Rest-Talk Machamp. Dynamic Punch covers for Whirlwind since confused pokes are often switched-out. Payback is to solve a Rotom problem, especially the scarfed version who can outspeed Azelf and OHKO with Shadow ball.

Hope I helped!