Thought process
After having success with my Ice Monotype, I decided to use one of the more viable types for a Monotype team: Steel. It has a good mix of offense and defense, and plenty of viable Pokemon to choose from. I started with Ferrothorn and Heatran, as they form the defensive backbone of the team. Ferrothorn soaks up the Water type moves Heatran doesn't like, plus being able to tank a Ground move or two decently. In return, Heatran's Flash Fire is a huge boon to Ferrothorn (and the rest of the team), as it allows Heatran to absorb Fire moves intended for more flammable members of the team.
Next I figured I would need a Ground type immunity, as both Ferrothorn and Heatran can't take more than a few Ground moves. Out of the three Steel/Flying types available, I opted for Corviknight, who allows me to keep momentum with a slow U-turn and lets me dish out more Steel STAB.
There's still a glaring weakness here, though: Fighting moves. What better way to deal with those than with Aegislash, a Pokemon that's part Ghost with amazing attacking prowess? Aegislash (along with Corviknight) aid in making the main defensive core even stronger, and harder to break without a few predictions.
Next came Bisharp, who brings a lot to the table. It may be frail, but it has incredibly power with a Life Orb and Adamant, plus Sucker Punch gives my team some greatly-needed priority. It also pairs well with Aegislash, as the two of them together put the pressure on Psychic and Ghost teams.
For the final member of the team, I eventually chose Magnezone. Magnet Pull is excellent against other Steel teams, and gives me a way to off Skarmory, Celesteela, and opposing Corviknights (provided they don't have Body Press). I also had a conspicuous lack of special attackers, so Magnezone helped that become a little less pronounced.
The team
Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Atk / 84 Def / 148 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Iron Head
The Rocky Helmet and Iron Barbs really hurt physical attackers, notably Darmanitan-G, Garchomp, Bisharp, and Malamar (and similarly helpful against other Pokemon, if to an ever-so-slightly lesser extent), meaning they can't stay in for long against Ferrothorn. That plus Leech Seed can wear an opponent down fast if they don't have a healing move, and not many physical attackers do. The EVs give it fairly even bulk, with a bit of an edge specially. It's helpful for tanking Electric moves, like Galvantula's Thunder and Regieleki's Volt Switch (though it can't withstand full Electric teams very well). Knock Off is helpful utility, able to severely mess with defensive behemoths like Toxapex, Amoonguss (bonus: Ferrothorn can't be Spored or posioned), and Slowbro. Stealth Rock can help put pressure on pivot-heavy teams, and Iron Head is STAB. I don't have any Grass STAB because it's generally a lot less helpful than Knock Off.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
- Protect
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Toxic
I opted for Leftovers instead of Air Balloon, as they provide more of an advantage against foes without Ground moves (and even ones that do occasionally). Flash Fire makes it the one reliable counter to Fire type moves on my team. The bulk makes it very specially defensive, ensuring Earth Powers from a few specific Pokemon are 2HKOs. Toxic and Protect have saved me from losing some matches. Lava Plume is STAB with an excellent chance of burning, which can severely cripple Pokemon like Landorus if I'm lucky enough. Earth Power nails non-Balloon Heatrans and packs a punch against other Ground-weak opponents, making it one of my few assets against Fire and Electric teams.
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
Life Orb Adamant Bisharp murders, and it murders with no hesitation. Knock Off is ridiculously strong STAB, and the same goes for Iron Head. Swords Dance, while I've rarely used it, only helps to make Bisharp even more ridiculous. Sucker Punch is STAB priority that makes it easy to revenge kill when an opponent is already chipped down. Defiant lets it laugh at Intimidate leads and Sticky Web teams, gaining +2 in Attack and destroying worlds immediately afterwards. It is a bit frail though, meaning if I predict wrong, it pretty much always goes down in one super effective (or strong neutral) move.
Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Toxic
Modest Choice Specs Thunderbolt puts a hole in even Pokemon that resist it. Volt Switch allows it to pivot in and out, and Flash Cannon is STAB. Toxic Choice Specs is a bit questionable, but it was in the Smogon set. I'm thinking of replacing it, but I wouldn't know with what. Magnet Pull lets it trap other Steel types, most notably Skarmory, Celesteela, and Corviknight, and do away with them. The trouble with Magnezone is that it's a bit slow (and on the frailer side too), so it dies to every Ground move in existence.
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Mirror Armor
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Roost
Leftovers and Roost give Corviknight some excellent staying power, and I frequently use it to stall out an opponent after Heatran inflicts it with Toxic. Bulk Up + Iron Head can do quite a bit of damage, and U-turn lets me preserve momentum. Mirror Armor is for the Intimidate leads and Mystical Fire users, so I can lower their attacking stats instead. It's been much more helpful than Pressure, at any rate.
Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak
- Close Combat
I usually Swords Dance if I don't think I can live an attack in Blade Forme. Sometimes it works out, and can give me +4 in Attack (from Weakness Policy) right off the start. If it doesn't, I'm either OHKOed or I have +2 in Attack. Shadow Claw is brutal STAB, Shadow Sneak allows me to pick off weakened opponents, and Close Combat deals with pesky Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, Bisharp, and Indeedee, the last of which is greatly annoying with Psychic Terrain.
Defensive Calcs
252 SpA Zapdos Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 148+ SpD Ferrothorn: 288-340 (81.8 - 96.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Dragapult Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 148+ SpD Ferrothorn: 284-336 (80.6 - 95.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 148+ SpD Ferrothorn: 276-326 (78.4 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 216+ SpD Heatran: 280-330 (72.5 - 85.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Heatran Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 216+ SpD Heatran: 232-276 (60.1 - 71.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Zeraora Plasma Fists vs. +1 252 HP / 0 Def Corviknight: 284-336 (71 - 84%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Zapdos Discharge vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Corviknight: 204-242 (51 - 60.5%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
All those are notable concerns, but if I play it right, they don't usually pose too much of a threat.
Concerns / Things of note
- Should I replace Magnezone's Toxic with something else? If so, what?
- Is Corviknight an inferior choice to Celesteela or Skarmory? Should I use one of those instead, and why?
- Malamar is a real problem for me. If it manages to build up Superpower boosts, it snowballs very quickly, to the point where Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch can't take it out. It's even worse if it has Psychic Terrain support, so what should I do?
- I don't have any means of hazard removal. My team laughs at Toxic Spikes, Spikes aren't too common, most team members resist Stealth Rock, and most team members are slow enough that Sticky Web isn't an issue (plus Defiant Bisharp says hello). I don't think I need a Defogger, but am I wrong?
- A Fire team is an automatic death sentence for me. I can't win against them, so I've given up trying to prepare for them. Most Fire type teams use Ground moves as well, meaning my one Fire immunity is saying goodbye. Even if they didn't, Cinderace just about always has High Jump Kick. My efforts are better expended in dealing with types I can actually beat.
Here's the importable team
Thanks in advance, and sorry for the massive post lol
