Without A King

======================
Introduction
======================

'Sup community member folk, glad you could find the time to check this out! As if you haven't already since Day 1, BW2 brought about some pretty huge changes in every tier, from new moves to cool abilities to entirely new 'mons! Well while I definitely played around in my "safe" tiers, yielding reasonable success in all of them (I've even got a Dual Weather team that's been playing pretty well in OU lol), I just wasn't satisfied. So I found my friend Sweetie Luv, and told her "Teach me how to Ubers". That resulted in a bulky offensive Sun team focused around slowly setting up hazards and utilizing faster offensively oriented phazers like Sub+3 Attacks Giratina-O and Latias to beat common stall-based phazers and present problems for offensive teams alike. This is not that team .-. Why? Well for one, I had some pretty painful issues with physically-based Dragon-types, though the most prominent issue was that it was just a little too standard for my liking I'd rather be playing something ridiculous to that anyday. Of course, what's been classified unjustly as an underdog of the tier so long? Why Sand of course! Though it has been recognized recently by prominent Ubers players like Shrang and Donkey (who I can in no way compare myself to, I suck ), there teams both lay within the confines of the BW metagame. Not only was this a perfect time for me to start getting into Ubers, with all the new additions to the tier, but it was also a great time for Sand teams, introducing some excellent new additions to their arsenal.

This team, not unlike my prior one, is more or less a bulky offense team, geared towards setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes, utilizing various phazers to build up residual damage, using Excadrill as both a spinner and win-con to help me against offensive and defensive teams alike. However, with a solid defensive core backing it, this team can very well remain self-suffucient without the aide of Excadrill, becoming stall-oriented should anything go sour. In the end there is no "star of the show", with every man supporting the team in his or her own respect, leaving my team without a king (name, drops).

I decided to name this team after one of my favourite chapters in one of my favourite games, Fire Emblem:Path of Radiance. This team not only represents the ragtag band of mercenaries to the letter, but also represents the shift in the power, with the Greil Mercenaries (or in this case, Sand teams) are finally becoming a tangible threat that deserves attention. What's more, it just so happens to be the chapter in which Dragons (a Red Dragon, even) are introduced, not unlike the introduction of what might very well be my favourite Ubers 'mon, Soul Dew Latias. So without further ado, allow me to introduce my team, Without a King.

======================
A Closer Look
======================

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]
Tyranitar (F) @ Leftovers***Ike
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Atk / 16 Def / 172 SDef / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- Stealth Rock

Why Tyranitar? Well, ya know, Sand team. Sand. A little bit mandatory. And Tyranitar is actually pretty damn solid in the Ubers metagame. His enormous special bulky in the sand allows him to sponge hits with relative ease, allowing him to sponge Draco Meteors and such without much trouble, allowing him to check the myriad of Dragon-types in the tier. Additionally, the presence of sand also allows Tyranitar the ability to both disrupt opposing weather conditions (being slower than both Kyogre and Groudon naturally), as well as breaking sashes from dedicated leads like Darkrai, Deoxys-S, and Smeargle, which largely contributes to my leading with him 90% of the time. Dark typing helps him here more than ever, allowing him to punish the various Psychic-types of the tier, as well as hitting outgoing Choice-locked pokes for good damage with a STAB Pursuit. I've said this time and time again, but Tyranitar is just a really solid utility, pivot, and teammate.

The EV spread takes advantage of Tyranitar's excellent special bulk, maximizing special bulk. The investment in Attack allows Tyranitar to dispatch Mewtwo and other opposing Psychic-types more easily, threaten 4 HP Kyogre with the 2HKO w/Crunch after SR (essentially forcing the Surf / Hydro Pump, and granting a totally free switch to either Latias or Giratina), and unconditionally OHKO Darkrai.

Changes I've Been Considering: I've been thinking about using Stone Edge over Crunch, allowing Tyranitar to hit stuff like Ho-Oh and Rayquaza hard, though I'm hesitant as it would make playing around Giratina-O and Support Arceus-Ghost a little troublesome. Lum Berry also got some consideration, though it was mainly there to straight beat Smeargle and Darkrai Turn 1, but with a solid sleep absorber and 4 different phazers, it seemed rather paltry.

Name Reference: Leading the charge (almost) every time, Tyranitar is the closest thing to Ike I have on this team. Versatile and powerful, Tyranitar is what holds this team together. Whether or not he plays a huge role, or just sets things up, without him, the team just doesn't function the same.


[Only admins are allowed to see this image]
Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers***Naesala
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 248 SDef / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Whirlwind
- Roost

Why Skarmory? My team needs a Spike user, basically every bulky offense team I make does. Forretress is somewhat unneeded, with a niche of being able to spin and set any forme of hazards being greatly undermined by Excadrill's spinning capabilities and Tyranitar's ability to set up Stealth Rock so well. Ferrothorn, while still being a strong pick and all that, really struggled to actually check Dragon-types, especially ones that utilize Substitute. That left me with Skarmory (well, I mean, Deoxys-D, I guess, but he kinda sucks in Ubers .-.). In addition to being the Extreme Killer Arceus counter, it has the potential to check and/or counter such an extensive variety of threats, from Double Dance Groudon to NP Darkrai.On top of that, it has reliable recovery and phazing capabilities, what more could I have asked for? As a plus, Skarmory serves to prevent my team from becoming "weak to itself", as it were, holding down what otherwise might be huge problems in Garchomp and Excadrill. In the end, Skarmory is Skarmory, even if you don't play OU you should know full well how obnoxious he is.

It's EV spread is geared to optimize it's ability to take both physical and special hits, though it has an obvious physical bias in order to switch into various Outrages and stuff that my doesn't like eating otherwise :/ While I would preferably be using Ho-Oh to sponge special attacks of such nature, there are occasions (ie.SR up) where I find myself unable to, and it's then when I really need Skarmory to take a Seed Flare from Shaymin-S or something along those lines. Additionally, should Mewtwo not be carrying the Fire Blast or the Thunder, Skarm may full well be my best bet, again justifying a hefty SpD investment.

Changes I've Been Considering: Well the only real change I've been looking into would be Toxic over Taunt. While it is certainly nice to shut down Ferrothorn and opposing Skarmory, the ability to wear hinder stuff like Ho-Oh and Lugia on the switch would be pretty nice. Otherwise, perhaps a more concise EV spread? I haven't felt any particular need to meet some particular physical threat with extra EVs, but at the same time I'm certainly not opting for a Calm nature :/

Name Reference: Well it's Naesala .-. He's an asshole, he's trying to kill you until the final stretches of the game...he's pretty awesome. Let's be real, anti-heroes are entirely more interesting than most heroes, and the same can be said about Skarmory. He's the crown prince of what he does, and he's more than willing to remind anyone and everyone of it.


[Only admins are allowed to see this image]
Giratina @ Leftovers***Gatrie
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 232 Def / 20 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Dragon Tail
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Why Giratina? How can you even ask a question like that? But really doh, he's only about the fattest spin-blocker in the game. Oh, and as a plus, he compliments my current defensive "core" (lol, their current synergy just so good ). In addition to keeping my hazards up, key resistances to Fighting-, Electric-, and Water-type attacks give Giratina the qualifications to support my team indefinitely (though he doesn't have much trouble sponging neutral hits either ) In addition, Dragon Tail <3 If I had to waste a moveslot on a phazing move and obligatory STAB, I might have reconsidered my options (maybe), but fortunately I don't have to make that kind of decision. Between him and Skarmory, essentially 0 physically based attackers clear through my team, bar maybe a really conservatively played Mixed DD Rayquaza (yet to see all of those requirements in one .-.).

Minorly adapted EV spread from the standard, but for fairly good reason. Base 90's, in my experiences, are running either 4-12 EVs in Speed, or they're running 252, with the occasional middle ground for beating minimally invested Base 100's. I just decided to go one step beyond those people thinking the same thing I was .-. 4 EVs were tossed to Attack, because as it turns out, that guarantees Dragon Tail break standard CM Giratina-O's subs, and who am I to deny such a cheap and tangible benefit?

Changes I've Been Considering: Man, what can I really change? If I didn't really need the recovery Rest-Talk provides, I'd change it in a heartbeat, but there's just no two ways about it, that's all he's got for recovery I might look into some investment into special bulk to allow him to check Palkia to a degree, but otherwise there isn't much I could change without compromising his role.

Name Reference: They both don't die .-. The original Knight, Gatrie's an enormous, staunch defender capable of taking all sorts of ridiculous punishment for the sake of his commander. No matter what the situation is, worst case scenario I can just throw him at it and it usually resolves itself just fine.

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]
Latias (F) @ Soul Dew***Ena
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 56 SDef / 204 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Calm Mind
- Roar
- Recover

Why Latias? Hi, I'm Latias, I'm arguably the best Kyogre response in the game, and I'm painfully underestimated Seriously, people need to use this more, it's awesome. It's so bulky, even without a hefty investment, and definitely isn't any kinda of slouch offensively either. In addition to serving as my primary response to Kyogre of almost any nature, Latias also serves as a late-game cleaner, with very few teams being able to handle it outside the use of either Scarfed Outrages (ie.set-up bait for Skarm) or Toxic users (ie.set-up bait for Skarm / Exca). Of course it continues on with the somewhat recurring theme of "phaze everything", utilizing Roar as a trump card in Calm Mind wars and a panic button when I'm not all too sure what to do. I don't think I should have to explain why it's awesome, so just use it yourself and find out :<

My EV spread is fairly straightforward, giving Latias enough Speed to outpace Garchomp and the other folk trying to do the same by a couple points, with the rest tossed to bulk so I can use it to pivot better. Second most simple spread here, so yhe.

Changes I've Been Considering: Honestly, the only slot I would tinker with is that holding Roar. I've been thinking about using Refresh, which would basically allow her to better handle stall (and basically 6-0 those ever-common Rain semi-stall teams once I've done enough damage to Ferrothorn), and would making switch into random Thunders and Scalds much less vexing. HP Fire is somewhat meh for me, as I have no huge incentive to hit Steel-types (Scizor isn't popular yet, though it may be soon), so I'd rather avoid that.

Name Reference: They both red dragons, herp a la derp. It's the shiny new toy behind the register at the toy store, the secret stash of candy under your brother's bed, just a little something that makes good great. Though at first she may appear a tad underwhelming, if you invest a little of your time in her you'll realize how useful she really is (just don't argue that Nasir's better :<).


[Only admins are allowed to see this image]
Ho-Oh @ Leftovers***Tibarn
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Atk / 20 Def / 184 SDef / 20 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Recover
- Whirlwind

Why Ho-Oh? Well because Sand teams are inherently weak to Arceus-Fight Club, for one .-. Fight Club can set up on so many integral members of my team, outspeeds everything bar Excadrill, and can easily shake off an EQ and KO w/Judgement. I would think that alone justifies Ho-Oh. However, it certainly goes beyond this, as Ho-Oh is generally my team's special sponge. I realize that Tyranitar exists, and yes he can take special attacks very cleanly, but he's my weather initiator, I don't want to rely on him to be taking those hits, I'll lose to Rain and Sun every time D: That said, Ho-Oh is an amazing tank, shaking off Draco Meteors and (lol) Fire Blasts like it's his job, while still being able to hit hard. Better yet, it got Regenerator, making his longevity just that much better. Sacred Fire is also a blessing to my team, allowing me to both hit Steel-types hard (obviously) and spread burns around without much concentrated effort on doing so, racking up further residual damage and catching the hapless Zekrom switch-in with his pants down.

The given EV spread is tailored to suit my team's need. Once again I toss 20 EVs to Speed because I've found it to be the ideal amount to input. 36 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature allow Ho-Oh to hit hard, allowing him to 2HKO 4 HP neutral Arceus types almost every time (99.61%) w/Brave Bird after SR+Sand damage), 2HKO 252 HP Kyogre after SR, and other such things. Finally, the investment in bulk maximizes his ability to take special attacks, with 20 EVs in Defense guaranteeing he is never OHKOed by a +2 Silk Scarf Adamant Arceus (well, my team doesn't really need that, but it doens't hurt to be cautious~).

Changes I've been considering: Once again, the main slot for debate here would be the final one, if anything. Earthquake looks good on paper, hitting Zekrom and Heatran for good damage, but the former is already getting bullied around by either Sacred Fire or WW, and the latter just isn't particularly common enough to warrant EQ's use :/

Name Reference: Well, am I supposed to name him after Janaff or something? Of course not, king of the birds and all that, he deserves nothing less. Soaring through the skies and decking everything in sight, the only thing he has to worry about are airborne projectiles


[Only admins are allowed to see this image]
Excadrill (F) @ Air Balloon***Volke
Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance
- Rapid Spin

Why Excadrill? Why Tyranitar? Why a Sand team? There wouldn't be any reason to even run Sand in Ubers if I wasn't abusing with either (or both) Excadrill or Garchomp .-. But really now, Excadrill basically filled this spot perfectly. A strong, fast, late-game sweeper with spinning capabilities and Steel typing? Honestly, it was simply too perfect for my team at hand. Once I've built up enough residual damage on this and that by shuffling stuff around, sweeping with Excadrill is a breeze. Plus, people don't even know how to handle it. "Hey, look, and Excadrill! What's it going to do? Oh well, I'll jut throw ScarfOgre at it, it'll probably just SD or something". Then I get to shave off upwards of 55% with an EQ on the switch, and am that much closer to winning the weather war. From revenge-killing to spinning to sweeping, Excadrill can do it all.

The EV spread is basically the most simple of all my pokes', a straight 252/4/252. Honestly, there isn't really much need to invest any further in bulk, and speed tying with the rare opposing Excadrill and beating Smeargle doesn't hurt at all.

Changes I've Been Considering: Shadow Claw> Rock Slide has always been an option there, hitting Giratina-O for good damage while still maintaing a strong attack for Lugia. This would make Excadrill a better spinner, though it really hurts his revenge-killing abilities, making stuff like Rayquaza, Ho-Oh and so on all more difficult to beat.

Name Reference: Remember that innocent, little Level 7 Thief you hire just for the sake of breaking a few people out of jail? He wasn't dealing much damage, he wasn't taking hits well, all he was was a fast character who could pick locks. Surprise, surprise when that little Thief becomes a deadly Assassin, so fast and deadly that no other could lay a finger on him on his terms. Perfect fit if you ask me.

Reserved for threatlist

hey, i didn't help much with the team ;-;
don't give me the slightest bit of credit
(btw, just noticed the fairy tail avy, you're pro)

Don't care, you count as inspiration .-.

edit: also thank ya, I was gonna edit in that "I didn't choose the thug life, it chose me" thing into the pic, but then i had second thoughts, cuz too mainstream. You understand.