GT's Improved Platinum Team

[GoldTrainer]

Blaziken (male)

Nature: Jolly

Ability: Blaze

Item: Choice Band

EVs: 255 ATK / 255 SPEED

Moves:

Flare Blitz

Stone Edge

Superpower

Thunderpunch

I gave the advice for Blaziken that I was given some thought, tested it out, and I like it. After all, it got me to the second battle with the Tower Tycoon, and helped me win. But I'm wondering if I should replace Thunderpunch with something like Earthquake (I decided to ditch my whole "style" thing with moves). I only keep Thunderpunch to deal with Gyarados, and other water types. I tested Stone Edge on a Level 100 Gyarados and it did not OHKO it.

Shiny Gardevoir (female)

Nature: Timid

Ability: Synchronize

Item: Lum Berry

EVs: 188 SP.ATK / 67 DEF / 255 SPEED

Moves:

Psychic

Calm Mind

Focus Blast

Thunderbolt

Same as before. Though I am thinking about leftovers for her. The disadvantage to that is that my friend could now use his Starmie to thunder wave her without much worry.

Salamence (male)

Nature: Jolly

Ability: Intimidate

Item: Yache Berry

EVs: 255 ATK / 255 SPEED

Moves:

Outrage

Fire Blast

Earthquake

Dragon Dance

Like I said before, I ditched my "style", and Salamence's earthquake has done him well. Other than that he is the same.

Roserade (female)

Nature: Timid

Ability: Natural Cure

Item: Black Sludge

EVs: 188 SP. ATK / 67 DEF / 255 SPEED

Moves:

Energy Ball

Shadow Ball

Sludge Bomb

Sleep Powder

Same as before. I am thinking about giving her a choice specs and teaching her Leaf Storm, but her sleep powder is too useful to throw away. So I'm still not sure.

Milotic (female)

Nature: Modest

Ability: Marvel Scale

Item: Salac Berry

EVs: 255 SP.ATK / 255 SPEED

Moves:

Ice Beam

Recover

Hydro Pump

Mirror Coat

Same as before. I'm thinking about hypnosis, but one: it is innacurate, and two: Mirror Coat has proved really useful to me in the past a lot of times. For instance, using Mirror Coat, she can usually OHKO a Kyogre, provided that the Kyogre used Thunder.

Metagross (genderless)

Nature: Adamant

Ability: Clear Body

Item: Life Orb

Moves:

Meteor Mash

Agility

Explosion

Earthquake

EVs: 204 ATK / 152 SP.DEF/ 154 SPEED

I ditched ice punch and taught Metagross explosion. It packs more power than ice punch, and if unresisted, it can usaully OHKO the opponent's pokemon. I use it when either Metagross' HP is low (after he used agility), or if it is my opponent's last pokemon.

If I make a mistake or something this time, can you please not close this thread? Can you just inform me of any mistakes, and I'll correct them when I have the time?

Please rate.

[randomcouchpotato]

maybe get rid of roserades sludge bomb for toxic spikes and make it the lead, this wya you put them to sleep then set up toxic spikes so that anyone who switches in gets poisoned

[randomspot555]

First off, EVs are divisible by 4. Having 255 EVs in one stat is wasteful. The most any one stat should have is 252. The standard spread means 252/252/6 meaning you get 4 EVs in one stat which gives you a +1 boost, which might mean the difference between being KOed and being able to KO.

Your team continues to have little thought put into it. I don't care what anyone else says, the first Pokemon in your post is your lead. Blaziken has very little use as a lead.

I think you should take out the 3 OU Pokemon and make an UU team. This rate, for the sake of this being an OU team, will take the reverse approach.

As potato said, Roserade is a very popular lead. With the decrease in suicide leads and increase in bulky leads, Roserade can fire off a Sleep Powder and lay down Toxic Spikes.

Roserade w/ Focus Sash

Timid

Natural Cure

252 sp atk/252 speed/6 HP

- Sleep Powder

- Leaf Storm/Energy Ball/Grass Knot

- HP Fire/HP Ice/Hyper Beam/Sludge Bomb

- Toxic Spikes

Sleep Powder on the first turn, lay down Toxic Spikes until you die or got to two. From there, you got your STAB Grass as your primary attack. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages:

• Leaf Storm: Overall most powerful. But doesn't have 100% accuracy, and will drop your sp atk by two stages each time it hits. This makes it very easy for a counter to come in, even ones with SE weaknesses, after 1-2 uses of it.
  
• Energy Ball: Accurate, hits everything the same.
  
• Grass Knot: Only real reason to use this is if you are REALLY worried about Tyranitar an Swampert. This'll hit light waters like Vaporeon for laughable amounts of damage.
  

HP Fire and HP Ice really help round out it's offensive attacks. However, I'm guessing you are playing on Wi-Fi, and it's hard to breed for HPs without hacking or messing with the RNG. since Roserade isn't expected to live for long, Hyper Beam is an okay-ish attack. Sludge Bomb gives you a second STAB, but sucks because of allthe steels around.

HOWEVER, part of a Roserade team is the rest of the team. It's best use is on a team that is going to set up entry hazards and abuse them. That means some non-lead is probably going to lay down Stealth Rock (which you don't have), and a Whirlwind/Roar user is very helpful. You also need to have someone to block Rapid Spin (IE Ghost) also something you don't have.

Basically, Roserade forces you to re-vamp your team. I'm not going to fix your team for you, but I can at least tell you why these aren't serving you well.

Blaziken really isn't doing anything that Infernape can't already do. Infernape has the power and the speed to run a Choice Band set. And, on top of all that, it has access to U-Turn to scout out threats. Blaziken has much better offensive stats and, in UU, is a great wall breaker and sweeper because it doesn't have as many high speed threats to worry about. All the power Blaziken packs won't matter if everyone can outrun it.

The one possible area in which I think Blaziken could actually serve in OU is a Choice Scarf Revenge Killer. It's got 3 base speed more than Heatran, and can either go all physical/special or mix it up. However, it doesn't have Heatran's immunity to Fire, Poison, and only resists steel and grass by .5 compared to Heatran's .25.

If you do choose Choice Scarf Blaziken, then Flare Blitz and Superpower are fine moves since you're going to be switching out.

Gardevoir, in OU, is needless set up. Gengar gives you 5 base special attack more without needing to set up Calm Mind, a LOT more speed, and trades out Gardevoir's defenses for THREE IMMUNITIES. Two of these immunities are from the most common type attacks in the game, fighting and ground. This also gives you a Rapid Spin blocker.

Gengar w/ Choice Specs

Timid

Levitate

252 sp atk/252 speed/6 HP

- Shadow Ball

- Thunderbolt

- Energy Ball/Focus Blast/Icy Wind

- Trick

Shadow Ball gives you STAB. Thunderbolt gives you great coverage and able to revenge kill some bulky waters. Energy Ball lets you finish off some annoying Swamperts. Focus Blast can be very unreliable but some people love it. Icy Wind is your substitute for HP Ice, but also lowers speed by one stage.

Trick is your solution to stop Blissey, Snorlax, and Tyranitar from setting up on you.

Normally I'd also throw in suggestions for Destiny Bond or Explosion, but you need Gengar to stay alive to continue blocking Rapid Spin.

Salamence is fine. Watch out the PP on Fire Blast because it can easily be pressure stalled.

Milotic is, well, it can work in OU, but I don't think your set is the best. IT's best set is Rest Talk because that lets it use it's ability, but there's no shortage of bulky waters who don't need to Rest Talk to be bulky. So generally, it's better to run Vaporeon or Suicune or swampert. All of which have access to Roar, which you REALLY, really, need.

Also, Hypnosis and Mirror Coat are not legal on the same set. Milotic is female only, so egg move combinations are very limited.

Metagross can work as is, if you ditch Agility for Stealth Rock, and probably explode as soon as possible.

[wraith89]

Also, Hypnosis and Mirror Coat are not legal on the same set. Milotic is female only, so egg move combinations are very limited.

Milotic are 50/50 male/female...

[randomspot555]

Milotic are 50/50 male/female...

My bad. Somehow I could've sworn it was illegal and now I can't find confirmation. Maybe something changed since the beginnig of D/P

[randomcouchpotato]

Gengar w/ Choice Specs

Timid

Levitate

252 sp atk/252 speed/6 HP

- Shadow Ball

- Thunderbolt

- Energy Ball/Focus Blast/Icy Wind

- Trick

Shadow Ball gives you STAB. Thunderbolt gives you great coverage and able to revenge kill some bulky waters. Energy Ball lets you finish off some annoying Swamperts. Focus Blast can be very unreliable but some people love it. Icy Wind is your substitute for HP Ice, but also lowers speed by one stage.

do you mean your speed or opponents speed cuz it lowers the opponents speed

[GoldTrainer]

First off, EVs are divisible by 4. Having 255 EVs in one stat is wasteful. The most any one stat should have is 252. The standard spread means 252/252/6 meaning you get 4 EVs in one stat which gives you a +1 boost, which might mean the difference between being KOed and being able to KO.

Your team continues to have little thought put into it. I don't care what anyone else says, the first Pokemon in your post is your lead. Blaziken has very little use as a lead.

I think you should take out the 3 OU Pokemon and make an UU team. This rate, for the sake of this being an OU team, will take the reverse approach.

As potato said, Roserade is a very popular lead. With the decrease in suicide leads and increase in bulky leads, Roserade can fire off a Sleep Powder and lay down Toxic Spikes.

Roserade w/ Focus Sash

Timid

Natural Cure

252 sp atk/252 speed/6 HP

- Sleep Powder

- Leaf Storm/Energy Ball/Grass Knot

- HP Fire/HP Ice/Hyper Beam/Sludge Bomb

- Toxic Spikes

Sleep Powder on the first turn, lay down Toxic Spikes until you die or got to two. From there, you got your STAB Grass as your primary attack. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages:

• Leaf Storm: Overall most powerful. But doesn't have 100% accuracy, and will drop your sp atk by two stages each time it hits. This makes it very easy for a counter to come in, even ones with SE weaknesses, after 1-2 uses of it.
  
• Energy Ball: Accurate, hits everything the same.
  
• Grass Knot: Only real reason to use this is if you are REALLY worried about Tyranitar an Swampert. This'll hit light waters like Vaporeon for laughable amounts of damage.
  

HP Fire and HP Ice really help round out it's offensive attacks. However, I'm guessing you are playing on Wi-Fi, and it's hard to breed for HPs without hacking or messing with the RNG. since Roserade isn't expected to live for long, Hyper Beam is an okay-ish attack. Sludge Bomb gives you a second STAB, but sucks because of allthe steels around.

HOWEVER, part of a Roserade team is the rest of the team. It's best use is on a team that is going to set up entry hazards and abuse them. That means some non-lead is probably going to lay down Stealth Rock (which you don't have), and a Whirlwind/Roar user is very helpful. You also need to have someone to block Rapid Spin (IE Ghost) also something you don't have.

Basically, Roserade forces you to re-vamp your team. I'm not going to fix your team for you, but I can at least tell you why these aren't serving you well.

Blaziken really isn't doing anything that Infernape can't already do. Infernape has the power and the speed to run a Choice Band set. And, on top of all that, it has access to U-Turn to scout out threats. Blaziken has much better offensive stats and, in UU, is a great wall breaker and sweeper because it doesn't have as many high speed threats to worry about. All the power Blaziken packs won't matter if everyone can outrun it.

The one possible area in which I think Blaziken could actually serve in OU is a Choice Scarf Revenge Killer. It's got 3 base speed more than Heatran, and can either go all physical/special or mix it up. However, it doesn't have Heatran's immunity to Fire, Poison, and only resists steel and grass by .5 compared to Heatran's .25.

If you do choose Choice Scarf Blaziken, then Flare Blitz and Superpower are fine moves since you're going to be switching out.

Gardevoir, in OU, is needless set up. Gengar gives you 5 base special attack more without needing to set up Calm Mind, a LOT more speed, and trades out Gardevoir's defenses for THREE IMMUNITIES. Two of these immunities are from the most common type attacks in the game, fighting and ground. This also gives you a Rapid Spin blocker.

Gengar w/ Choice Specs

Timid

Levitate

252 sp atk/252 speed/6 HP

- Shadow Ball

- Thunderbolt

- Energy Ball/Focus Blast/Icy Wind

- Trick

Shadow Ball gives you STAB. Thunderbolt gives you great coverage and able to revenge kill some bulky waters. Energy Ball lets you finish off some annoying Swamperts. Focus Blast can be very unreliable but some people love it. Icy Wind is your substitute for HP Ice, but also lowers speed by one stage.

Trick is your solution to stop Blissey, Snorlax, and Tyranitar from setting up on you.

Normally I'd also throw in suggestions for Destiny Bond or Explosion, but you need Gengar to stay alive to continue blocking Rapid Spin.

Salamence is fine. Watch out the PP on Fire Blast because it can easily be pressure stalled.

Milotic is, well, it can work in OU, but I don't think your set is the best. IT's best set is Rest Talk because that lets it use it's ability, but there's no shortage of bulky waters who don't need to Rest Talk to be bulky. So generally, it's better to run Vaporeon or Suicune or swampert. All of which have access to Roar, which you REALLY, really, need.

Also, Hypnosis and Mirror Coat are not legal on the same set. Milotic is female only, so egg move combinations are very limited.

Metagross can work as is, if you ditch Agility for Stealth Rock, and probably explode as soon as possible.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm not changing the type of pokemon I use on this team! Sure, Infernape is better than Blaziken, but I don't want an Infernape, I want Blaziken on my team (I hate it that Infernape makes him look like a loser)! And Gardevoir is my all time favorite psychic type (if not my all-time favorite pokemon). Plus, I kind of dislike Gengar. I don't just play with my favorites, I try to bring out the best in them.

I did tweak Roserade a bit by having her know HP Fire. And I don't want to run a Vaporeon or Suicune (one, cause my friend already uses Vaporeon, and I don't like to copy him. And two, Suicune is a legendary, I don't use legendaries), I want to run Milotic! Basically because, back in sapphire version, she was a gift from my best friend. Sure, I re-raised her in Platinum, but the memory of that event stays with me to this day.

What you suggested for Metagross...well...right now I think hes fine, but if I have trouble in the future, I'll consider having him know Stealth Rock.

Please don't insult me for this, but I care about the Pokemon on my team. I don't care if they are imaginary, cause I have a very active imagination. I could never replace them....

[wraith89]

Um, nobody is insulting you for what you use. In fact, I do not like Infernape and would prefer the chicken over the ape anytime... and there is nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately though, the ape has more options and would do better in your team is what randomspot is saying. However, if you are going to use Blaziken, you would want to use it in a way that would be better than Ape in some way. Not many apes I know run Choice Scarf (although I know some do), so Blaziken can take the role of Heatran and equip a Choice Scarf and be a nice revenge killer, which can easily surprise people because no one expects Blaziken to be so fast. Then you can run hit and run moves like Superpower or Flare Blitz or something. Seems like you have the moves, but not the right item. A Choice Scarf would do well on it... although you should change its position. An RMT format has the team in order... so perhaps Roserade or Metagross would do better at that slot. And run Stealth Rocks on Meta... on single battles it'll help your Pokemon get better KOs and 2HKOs. Please don't be rude and at least just think about what people suggest before dismissing them without any thoughts. You posted up a team, and if you cannot take criticisms you should not post it for rating.

Your terms of playing is casual, and I can understand that. Randomspot sees things in a competitive point of view where he tries to maximize a team's efficiency in a metagame as great as possible. And not using legends is fine too, since they're not breedable and therefore not as customizable as regulars. But not using Vaporeon because you are "copying your friend"... erm... please tell me, did you make up a "I cannot have the same Pokemon as my friend's team" clause? It seems rather odd... since there are only 493 Pokemon... and out of all of that you won't even see half of them... I have a Vaporeon and my friends run it too, but I don't think it stops me from using one. Just pointing that out as a not-a-legit-excuse... but Vaporeon can pass Wishes to your team and be a great team player. But if you are adamant about running Milotic as your bulky water, it is fine for taking status like paralysis and raising its defenses... as for EVing Milly, why don't you run more HP and defense instead? Milotic is already strong enough without much Special Attack investment but will want all the survivability she can get, for she is one of the great bulky waters.

I'd go with what Random said about Roserade... try running Sludge Bomb/Shadow Ball as your secondary attack if breeding Hidden power is difficult...

I'd suggest running Wish on Gardevoir... or running some sort of support on her. Unfortunately, running Will-o-Wisp requires breeding, and you will need to change her EVs around to be more defensive. Some of your Pokemon are just EVd strangely... like all offensive but their role is rather defensive. So think about it a bit more and remember that this metagame does have threats to your team which should be issued. So far, a weakness I see in your team is the middling speed... so I'd try to do something about that too.

[randomspot555]

Closing this. You're clearly not up for criticism. Please don't re-post this again unless you're willing to get help for your Pokemon team. You dismissed my entire post with "friends clause" and crap like that.

I offered a smiilar suggestion to another poster, take out the OU Pokes and make an UU team. You know what he did? He did just that. Turned out pretty well.

I'm a Shoddy player with a Wi-Fi battle background, so I understand both worlds. Yes, a good Suicune is hard to find. But you flat out dismiss Milotic's best set (RestTalk) because...I don't know, you want your team to suck?

Go ahead and battle with this team. Hell, hit me up for a Wi-Fi battle when I'm in #projectpokemon or #pp-wifi. But I don't think it'll end well, because you're basically ignoring what your Pokemon are best at and using them for randomly assigned roles.