Delta [Sand OU RMT]

[Aura Sensai]

Delta

This is a Sand OU Team I've been working on for about a month or so. I've narrowed the Team down, and the synergy is pretty good, but I still think there are some gaping holes. Since the beginning, I've made quite significant changes, and most of my Team has been changed around.

So, without further ado, here we go!



• Tyranitar @ Leftovers
• Quiet
• Sand Stream
• 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 SpA
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock

Tyranitar is my Lead almost always, as it starts the Sandstorm. I've decided to keep the same set as before, as it's performed pretty well. Stone Edge is my main STAB, hitting most POkemon for a good chunk of damage, namingly Politoed who tries to KO me under the Sand. Pursuit catches Pokemon who are at a disadvantage switching out, and has proved some usefulness outside of that. Fire Blast is my answer to Skarmory, Forretress and the rest of the family, having enough Power to make 'em think twice about switchting in. Stealth Rock is usually layed down right from the beginning.



• Terrakion @ Salac Berry
• Jolly
• Justified
• 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
- Swords Dance

This is pretty straightforward. Terrakion will try to come in on things like Tyranitar and force 'em out, so I can get a free Sub and try to setup or Sweep. CC is my main STAB, hitting plenty of things for chunks of damage even without setup. Stone Edge is my secondary STAB, and works well against Ghost / Psychic Types who resist CC. Swords Dance is pretty well the bread and Substitute is the butter on this set, working nicely with Salac Berry.



• Scizor @ Choice Scarf
• Adamant
• Technician
• 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- U-Turn
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower

ScarfZor has been added to catch non Scarf Celebi off guard and OHKO it with U-Turn. U-Turn is my usual route, to scout out the opponent. It's also a solid STAB. Bullet Punch hits Terrakion and others who generally slice through my Team like a clever otherwise. Pursuit can catch Celebi and the Lati's when they don't want to stay in, although most Celebi will stay in expecting to outspeed and OHKO with Hp [Fire]. Superpower is a way to hit Chansey / Blissey and some others as they try to block my path.


• Forretress @ Red Card
• Relaxed
• Sturdy
• 252 Hp / 4 Atk / 252 Def
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball
- Spikes
- Volt Switch

This guy is here to provide some walling capabilities. The main strategy is to let setup Sweepers setup as I setup my Hazards. Most would think they would safely Sweep my whole Team due to my reckless play. Not so much. Once they go to Attack, I hang on with Sturdy, and Red Card tells them to gtfo, and at that point I have most of my Hazards up. Forretress also acts as a Spinner, although I haven't seen it Spin too much. Volt Switch is good for getting away from Magnezone.



• Latias @ Leftovers
• Timid
• Levitate
• 252 Hp / 16 Def / 240 Spe
- Roost
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock

Latias is mainly here to deal with Terrakion - Keldeo cores whom are annoying. The Speed EV's are just enough to outspeed Jolly Terrakion or Timid Keldeo when they aren't Scarfed. Calm Mind = Roost is a great combo to keep me healthy and Tank many Special hits. Dragon Pulse and Psyshock provide me Dual STABs, and together get solid coverage.


• Landorus @ Life Orb
• Modest
• Sheer Force
• 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Hp [Ice]
- Rock Polish

Landorus is really a great addition. Rock Polish acts as a double Scarf and allows me to get past Starmie and the like after one boost and Earth Power it. Earth Power is a very solid STAB when combined with LO, STAB and Sheer Force, making it the main move. Focus Blast provides some coverage against Skarmory and after Rocks is OHKOed. Hp [Ice] is for other Landorus, Gliscor and Dragon Types in general.

Threats

- I generally have a tough time getting around Starmie, with Tyranitar being one of the few things capable of taking it on. However, I can't stomach 2 Hydro Pumps boosted by LO

- Scarf Celebi. Although not common, the only surefire Counter is Latias.

- Terrakion and Keldeo core. Latias keeps them in Check, but once down, they give me trouble.

[azeem40]

One minor nitpick. Recover > Roost.
Full rate later.

[Aura Sensai]

One minor nitpick. Recover > Roost.
Full rate later.

I'm almost positive they have the same rate of recovery.

[Superpower22]

They do. I'm pretty sure roost negates levitate, which is what he was getting at. Correct me if I'm wrong on either account.

[azeem40]

They do. I'm pretty sure roost negates levitate, which is what he was getting at. Correct me if I'm wrong on either account.

Roost does not negate levitate, but Recover has more PP.

[azeem40]

I'd suggest putting Stealth Rock on Tyranitar instead. Use Volt Switch > Stealth Rock on Forretress. With Volt Switch, you can grab momentum away from your opponent and you escape the clutches of Magnezone who traps and KOs you with ease without it. On Terrakion, transfer the 4 HP EVs to Def instead. This way, you can Sub one extra time without being too weak to do so. You never know when it will come in handy. I see you lack a Ghost type. It would be a shame losing all those entry hazards in one turn should a Spinner come in. I will test out your team and report back with any problems should they arise.

[justinjiaxinghu]

One thing: Recover does not have more pp lol. Roost is actually better than Recover, because it catches some players off guard, as they think Roost negates Levitate

And yes, SR on T-Tar seems like a good idea. I would give up Superpower, because I've used Superpower on T-Tar on before, and it doesnt do very well xD. Also, nice to see specially based Landorus!! It hits insanely hard, and catches things off guard, thinking its Physically-based.

Also Scizor. I've also used ScarfZor, and it performed amazingly, revenge killing a crapload of things. But it really lacks power, and eventually I stopped using it. I would suggest BandZor or Swords Dance Scizor.
    Spoiler:- Scizor (2 Sets):

Show Spoiler

 
Scizor@Choice Band
EVS: 248 HP; 252 Atk; 8 SpD
Nature: Adamant
Trait: Technician
-U-Turn
-Bullet Punch
-Pursuit/Aerial Ace
-Superpower
Very straightforward set. All out attacker, nothing else to it. Pursuit for trapping Psychics, and Aerial Ace to smash through Volcorona on the switch-in.

Scizor@Life Orb/Lum Berry/Leftovers
EVS: 252 Atk; 252 HP/Spe; 4 SpD OR 40 Atk; 252 HP; 216 SpD
Nature: Adamant
Trait: Technician
-Bullet Punch
-Roost/Aerial Ace
-Superpower
-Bug Bite
There are two types of sets for SD Scizor. One is the all out attacker, the first set of EVS. For the item, Life Orb or Lum Berry is ok. Life Orb is to buff up Scizors attack even higher, but Lum Berry is to guarantee a free burn/para heal. You could use Roost on this set, but that will leave you helpless against Volcorona/Jellicent. The second set is a bulkier version, the second set of EVS. It gives you more bulk (duh) allowing you to take a few more hits, and possible get up an extra SD. Any of the three items can be used for this set, but I prefer LO because you need to boost. You can also Roost off the damage if you choose to use it.
 

Your team also seems really weak to rain teams, and I would suggest Celebi over Latias.
    Spoiler:- Celebi:

Show Spoiler

 
Celebi@Leftovers
EVS: 252 HP; 20 SpA; 236 SpD
Nature: Modest/Calm
Trait: Natural Cure
-Giga Drain
-U-Turn
-Recover
-Psychic/HP Fire
 

[Aura Sensai]

Alright, so lemme think.

Tyranitar - I'll try out Stealth Rock instead of Superpower.

Forretress - I'll try Volt Switch instead of Stealth Rock.

Terrakion - I'll change the EV's :P

Scizor - I've used Scarf to get Celebi :P I think I'll leave the Scarf, because Scizor mainly revenges kills anyways.

I'm not sure Celebi will help, but I'll test it out.

Edit: Most of the changes have worked, but without Latias my Team struggles against Gliscor. I'll probably keep Latias for that reason. Outside of that, I'm willing to get rid of Terrakion.

[Atrocious]

Aren't most Landorus-I specially based? Oh well. The team seems to have problem with speedy threats like you mentioned Starmie, Scarf Keldeo with HP Ice/Icy Wind, Gengar to an extent depending on moveset although anything other than SubDisable is uncommon nowadays, Alakazam, etc.

Scarf Celebi isn't as common anymore anyways and Latias covers it well as it can stomach a U-Turn so perhaps a better revenge killer that can cover the speedy threats? You could probably slap a Band on Scizor and with entry hazards, take out the above threats with maybe the exception of SashKazam.

Idk haven't rated in awhile so probably poop, but oh we'll.

[Aura Sensai]

Alright then, I've decided to try out Thundurus in place of Terrakion to try and counter Keldeo / Starmie.

• Thundurus @ Choice Scarf
• Modest
• Prankster
• 4 Hp / 252 SpA/ 252 Spe
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
- Hp [Ice]
- Grass Knot

Thunder is to be used if the current weather is Rain, so I'll mainly Volt Switch. Grass Knot catches Gastrodon on the switch, as I figured I already have Landorus to use Focus Blast. Hp [Ice] hits Gliscor and other Dragons.

I've also decided to use Band on Celebi for the time being.

[Hydreigon Mix]

thundurus is uber

[Atrocious]

Thundurus-T? Regular Thundurus is banned from OU I'm pretty sure.

Now that I think of it, it's a sand team so what greater of an addition then Gastrodon? It covers Starmie and Keldeo amazingly well.

[Hydreigon Mix]

well he said the ability is prankster

[Aura Sensai]

Whoops lol, I didn't know it went Uber. I should pay more attention. Anyways, I'll be using Thundurus-T instead.

[philzone]

as you say, you don't spin much. i suggest thundurus-t > forretress. this leaves you with a good split of special and non special pokemon, since the terrakrion loss is then meaning that you are blissey weak.

[Aura Sensai]

I like the idea, I'll try that out. Thanks for the help!