Hello everyone! Let me share with you my new Rarely Use team that got me to the #1 spot on the smogon ladder. Since the beginning of RU, I have tried different playstyle along with a wise variety of poke before finally settling it down to the 15th version of my balance team. I know that hyper offense is usually better in RU thanks to monsters like Tinted Lens Yanmega, but balance can be quite good if played correctly.
Please listen to this song while reading this RMT. It will help you get in the mood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub5p1aKUkxg
Hariyama (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 128 Def / 128 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Payback
Hariyama always helps me at getting the advantage at the beginning of the match. Fake out gives me a free turn while breaking any focus sash and activating guts. After that, guts boosted close combat destroys just about anything not resisting it. The other moves are for coverage. Haryama's bulk is also quite impressive and helps in a lot of situation. He can also be use as a status absorbers for those pesky Venomoth with sleep powder.
Cresselia (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Def / 48 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
Cresselia is one of the bulkiest pokémon of all time and that's why I love her. I use a simple sub calm mind set that works quite well. Sub protects me from toxic which is sometimes to only way to deal with cress for the other team. Psyshock let me win calm mind wars versus things like other cress and that's why I use it over Psychic. 208 HP is a leftovers number and the small 48 EVs in SAtk can help when I don't have the time to boost.
Venomoth (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Tinted Lens
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Sleep Powder
- Quiver Dance
- Roost
- Bug Buzz
This set may seems weird at first but it's actually quite good. The goal behind this set is to get as many quiver dance as possible and then destroy everything with tinted lens bug buzz. I put roost on it because it already has great coverage with only one attack thanks to tinted lens. I usually use him as a late game sweeper when things like Honchkrow and Yanmega are gone.
Omastar (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Shell Armor
EVs: 92 HP / 252 SAtk / 164 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Shell Smash
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Omastar is in my opinion the best shell smasher not just in RU but in every tier. He is really underrated. Sure, he can't use baton pass like gorebyss, but it doesn't need to since he can do the sweeping himself. It's also stronger and have a better typing than the overhyped Cloyster. Anyways, the purpose of this set is quite simple: shell smash and sweeps. Surf, ice beam and HP Grass give great coverage that is unresisted and it hits SE quite a few poke. The 164 Spd Evs give him enough speed to outspeed Alakazam and everything slower after a shell smash. Only extreme bulky stuff like Cresselia, Uxie and Blastoise can take a hit. Fortunately, they often try to Thunder wave or yawn me which is useless thanks to lum berry. The only real pokémon stopping him are priority user and choice scarfers.
Ferroseed (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 112 HP / 144 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
There's not a whole lot of steel type to choose from in RU. Thankfully, Ferrothorn's little sister can fill up this spot quite nicely with eviolite. Ferroseed helps me scout, put some stealth rock and stall out big threats like rain dancers. The EVs are optimized to make the best use out of eviolite while still focusing on taking special hits. She doesn't have any attack simply because her damage output is pitiful even with full power gyro ball. It's still a big problem against substitute users.
Rotom-S @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Confuse Ray
- Substitute
- Air Slash
Rotom-S is my best counter to speed boost Yanmega. It can also beat tinted lens Yanmega if SR are not up. Otherwisae, it is 2HKO after Stealth rock. Aside form that, it is an excellent annoyer with its parafusionflinch strategy which can help get some free turns for Omastar. Sometimes, with a little bit of luck, it can beat the entire opposing team by himself. Rotom-Spin is also double immune to ground!
I really don't feel like posting a big long threat list so I will simply say that the biggest threats to this team are subseeding Sceptile and Serperior which need to be outstall and moderately fast powerful threat like honchkrow since my team is pretty slow.
Anyways, feel free to leave any suggestion to improve my team. I would especially like if you could suggest me a replacement for Venomoth since it will be moving to UU soon. Also, if you are going to suggest Lilligant, please elaborate.
Please listen to this song while reading this RMT. It will help you get in the mood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub5p1aKUkxg
The Team
Hariyama (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 128 Def / 128 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Payback
Hariyama always helps me at getting the advantage at the beginning of the match. Fake out gives me a free turn while breaking any focus sash and activating guts. After that, guts boosted close combat destroys just about anything not resisting it. The other moves are for coverage. Haryama's bulk is also quite impressive and helps in a lot of situation. He can also be use as a status absorbers for those pesky Venomoth with sleep powder.
Cresselia (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Def / 48 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
Cresselia is one of the bulkiest pokémon of all time and that's why I love her. I use a simple sub calm mind set that works quite well. Sub protects me from toxic which is sometimes to only way to deal with cress for the other team. Psyshock let me win calm mind wars versus things like other cress and that's why I use it over Psychic. 208 HP is a leftovers number and the small 48 EVs in SAtk can help when I don't have the time to boost.
Venomoth (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Tinted Lens
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Sleep Powder
- Quiver Dance
- Roost
- Bug Buzz
This set may seems weird at first but it's actually quite good. The goal behind this set is to get as many quiver dance as possible and then destroy everything with tinted lens bug buzz. I put roost on it because it already has great coverage with only one attack thanks to tinted lens. I usually use him as a late game sweeper when things like Honchkrow and Yanmega are gone.
Omastar (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Shell Armor
EVs: 92 HP / 252 SAtk / 164 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Shell Smash
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Omastar is in my opinion the best shell smasher not just in RU but in every tier. He is really underrated. Sure, he can't use baton pass like gorebyss, but it doesn't need to since he can do the sweeping himself. It's also stronger and have a better typing than the overhyped Cloyster. Anyways, the purpose of this set is quite simple: shell smash and sweeps. Surf, ice beam and HP Grass give great coverage that is unresisted and it hits SE quite a few poke. The 164 Spd Evs give him enough speed to outspeed Alakazam and everything slower after a shell smash. Only extreme bulky stuff like Cresselia, Uxie and Blastoise can take a hit. Fortunately, they often try to Thunder wave or yawn me which is useless thanks to lum berry. The only real pokémon stopping him are priority user and choice scarfers.
Ferroseed (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 112 HP / 144 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
There's not a whole lot of steel type to choose from in RU. Thankfully, Ferrothorn's little sister can fill up this spot quite nicely with eviolite. Ferroseed helps me scout, put some stealth rock and stall out big threats like rain dancers. The EVs are optimized to make the best use out of eviolite while still focusing on taking special hits. She doesn't have any attack simply because her damage output is pitiful even with full power gyro ball. It's still a big problem against substitute users.
Rotom-S @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Confuse Ray
- Substitute
- Air Slash
Rotom-S is my best counter to speed boost Yanmega. It can also beat tinted lens Yanmega if SR are not up. Otherwisae, it is 2HKO after Stealth rock. Aside form that, it is an excellent annoyer with its parafusionflinch strategy which can help get some free turns for Omastar. Sometimes, with a little bit of luck, it can beat the entire opposing team by himself. Rotom-Spin is also double immune to ground!
I really don't feel like posting a big long threat list so I will simply say that the biggest threats to this team are subseeding Sceptile and Serperior which need to be outstall and moderately fast powerful threat like honchkrow since my team is pretty slow.
Anyways, feel free to leave any suggestion to improve my team. I would especially like if you could suggest me a replacement for Venomoth since it will be moving to UU soon. Also, if you are going to suggest Lilligant, please elaborate.