How to RMT - guidelines v2

[Odybld]

How to RMT v2

 

An RMT (Rate-my-Team) is a thread for you to display, analyze and share a quality team of your making with the community while opening it for critisicm, suggestions and improvements. Here are some rules and guidelines for this section of the forums, to define how to create a thread and comment in this particular section. Shoutouts to the previous thread of Neo's RMT Guidelines that has served as the community's manual for years, here is an updated version to help the community as the Pokemon metagame enters the seventh generation with Sun & Moon.

 

General rules

• Post completely built, tested and proven teams. Take time building them, testing them in and getting a bearing that the team works well in decent competition. RMT is not about looking at untested teams, or salvaging lost causes. Asking for help is desired, but make sure that there is something good brewing in the first place.
• Be very descriptive, detailed and encompassing in your analysis.
• Make sure you format it well for the readers.
• Understand that if you post an RMT the team is availiable for everyone to use as they would like.
• Accept constructive criticism and feedback from the community members and look for ways to improve the team. You can ignore non-constructive criticism or disagree with suggestions, but come into it with an open mindset.
• Post RMTs for teams of playable or recently relevant metagames:
  Spoiler

  • • Playable metagames include the current generation, the last generation if lower tiers haven't transitioned to the latest generation already or any older generation metagame that is playable in the Reborn server, Pokemon Showdown or Smogon's competitions.
    • Recently relevant metagames include recent stages of metagames that changed because of new entries or departures to the tier, or Reborn community-related metagames such as the Redemption League. An example of a recently relevant team would be a Mega Sableye ORAS OU team, or a Drifloon ORAS LC meta, since these were lengthy stages with importance to a meta. On the other side, the few weeks of Zygarde-Complete terrorizing SM OU (PokeBank or not) are a very short stage with no real impact or importance to the metagame. 

   

 

Parts of an RMT

• At a Glance: a section visually depicting all team members, much like the team preview, helping the readers have an immediate mental image of the team. Preferably coupled with an initial description of the team, regarding its playstyle and basic functionality, before the main analysis part. Example from Tomas Elliot's "A return to Ubers, with a rant [ORAS Ubers]":
• Spoiler

  AT A GLANCE

   

  

   

  Well this is the one section I could have avoided including: all Ubers teams look more or less the same at a glance nowadays. The one thing that might set this team apart, when compared to the many teams out there that are build around similar concepts, is something you cannot see at a glance: namely, the fact that there are 5 priority moves in this team (Fake Out, Sucker Punch, Extremespeed, and two instances of Shadow Sneak). The reason can be found in that theory of mine I explained in the past: I find that nowadays, setting up is not as advantageous as it used to be, simply because all the brutal wallbreakers there are out there can accomplish what a set-up sweeper can accomplish, but in less turns. However, when you apply this theory to Ubers, you soon find a flaw in it: there are so many things with immense stats in this tier, that scoring OHKOs regularly is MUCH harder than it is in OU. Your brutal wallbreakers will manage to bring most bulky threats in the low yellow or red area, but they won't be able to kill them outright: all the priority moves are therefore used to finish off the opponents once they have been worn down this way.

• Teambuilding Process: an optional section describing your throught process of building the team from start to finish: Example from Sheep's "A long awaited RMT" [ORAS PU]:
• Spoiler

  Teambuilding Process:

  
  You'll have to bear with me on this one because I made the team quite a while ago now. The reason I made the team in the first place was to celebrate the fact that Mawile had dropped to PU by trying it out in it's new home and seeing just how good it would be. In particular I was interested in Sheer Force Life Orb Mawile so that was the first 'mon I put on the team.

  
  From there I added a physically defensive Gourgeist-S because it's a staple wall in PU that can be tacked onto almost any team and do well. Almost any team because there are certainly pokemon that will beat it and if the rest of your core is also weak to those same pokemon you're gonna have a bad time. It's a good place to start building a defensive core though because you know it will work well, and you can then support it with pokemon that check its counters.

  
  It was for that reason that I added Camerupt next. As the only ground type in the tier that isn't weak to ice a specially defensive Camerupt makes a remarkably good check to Rotom-F, which at the time was the primary pokemon that would be threatening Gourgeist (and is still one of its main worries). Camerupt also gave my team hazards, blocks volt switch from the myriad of other electric types in the tier, and has its only two weaknesses covered by Gourgeist.

  
  At this point I decided I needed more wallbreaking power (because my preferred play style is plenty of walls and wall breakers) so I added a banded Stoutland. Banded Stoutland is one of the best, if not the single best wallbreaker in PU, it's bulky, it's reasonably fast, it's incredibly powerful, and it has excellent coverage. I've used it plenty of times in the past and I didn't need any additional reason to use it again, though if you want one I guess the ghost immunity helps Gourgeist.

  
  My lack of a specially defensive pokemon with access to reliable recovery sent me on the search for a proper special wall, but I couldn't find one that fit into the team particularly well. As this was the case I wound up settling for an Assault Vest Ampharos with a weird EV spread, and while it was originally just an experiment it has well and truly outperformed my expectations. A solid defensive typing (weak only to ground, a very uncommon special type in PU, and resists electric, a very common special type in PU), along with very high special bulk lets it switch in on the water types that also carry ice beam at least twice in the match. I've found that in combination with Camerupt while there is no reliable recovery there is enough bulk to last you throughout the match.

  
  With five pokemon on the team it came time to assess which roles I still needed filling, and whether there are any threats that are still left unchecked at present. I found that I didn't have a dedicated revenge killer (as the fastest pokemon on the team was Stoutland), Monferno would tear the entire team apart, I didn't have any hazard removal, and my only priority was sucker punch on Mawile. I then tried to fix as many of these holes as possible by adding a Swanna. At 98 base speed it functions as a reliable revenge killer of almost anything that isn't scarfed, it provides me with a good offensive defog user, and it has the typing, and the speed to not just check, but soft counter Monferno. Swanna is like the ribbon that ties the present together, just making sure all loose ends are tied up.

• In-depth Analysis: the bulk of an RMT, where each member is presented in full detail (item, nature, EV spread, moveset). Describe what each team member does: why was this Pokemon selected, what is its role on the team, how is it to be played, how does it work together with its teammates, what Pokemon does it check and what Pokemon check it, why is it having this spread and set? Example from Kamina's "--First-- (ft Jirachi)" [SM PokeBank OU]:
• Spoiler

  

  Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club

  Ability: Lightning Rod

  EVs: 248 HP / 128 Atk / 112 Def / 20 Spe

  Adamant Nature

  - Flare Blitz

  - Stealth Rock

  - Earthquake

  - Shadow Bone

   

  Alola Marowak is a pretty amazing pokemon this gen. It checks a significant amount of the ultra beast as well as genesect and tapu koko. With the right prediciton, it can fuck up slower teams and get rid of heatran which is one of the few counters to jirachi. It is also my rock setter upper since it usually scares so many pokes away making it easy to get up rocks. S/o to lord bagel for the initial spread. I tweaked it a little to make it 248 hp so that it could switch in five times to rocks and gave it 20 speed to make sure i out-speed all other alola marowak without losing too much bulk. The two losses I had well they were because boomerang missed so I decided to give it eq instead and flare blitz and shadow bone are its best stab moves. http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-485506691 it put in work in that replay!
• Threat list: an optional section listing threats to the team, be it single Pokemon, certain cores or team archetypes. Example from Reignited'Light's Drag Me Down [ORAS OU]:
• Spoiler

  Threats:
  - If Calm Mind, go Bisharp and Swords Dance, then follow with Iron Head spam or fish with burn on Keldeo. Latios might be able to win against it, too. If Utility Knock Off/Foul Play, again, fish for burn with Keldeo's Scald. Bisharp can sorta deal with it, but not vs Foul Play variants. 
  
  +- SkarmChomp balance is probably the most annoying thing for this team. Keldeo should annoy them+hazard spam. Bisharp can then sweep up later. 
  
  - Thunder Wave Thundurus is very annoying. Only Alakazam and Latios really check it. If it's Defiant set, it's a bit easier, although if I get lured, I might lose something in the process. For Defiant Thundurus, Alakazam / Klefki / Bisharp, can check it. 
  
  - No switchins to this thing. Chip its health with Lando-T Rocky Helmet+Hazards. Latios/Bisharp/Alakazam can revenge kill it, too. 
  
  - Hard to switchin against this thing, but if Alakazam is already Mega'd, it beats it. Latios also wins. Bisharp can win if I switch in vs Intimidate. This can be played around. 
  
  - If it's defensive Excadrill, it'll be much more of a challenge to beat, since I can't just drop Draco Meteor's with Latios vs if it was a Choice Scarf variant. Choice Scarf variants are much more easier to break. However if Lando-T is too low or it's dead, the team will have a hard time.
  
  Hax- Missing Focus Blasts/Draco Meteors costed me so much games. Stone Edge misses are also annoying. Luck happens at the most unfortunate times.

• Team Importable. The text to import the team into the Showdown teambuilder and use the team. A must-have of every RMT, for reasons stated above.

 

Rating a team 

a. General improvements

• Have a certain degree of knowledge of the metagame to which the team belongs to adequately aid to it. A team is, in part, defined by its surrounding opposition.
• Understand the team's playstyle and purpose to have a bearing of improving it without compromising its identity and goals.
• Think of ways and changes to help the team execute its strategies and game plans even better, if possible.
• Stay faithful to the team's strategy and make all changes follow this spirit. Suggest strategy changes only if the team is severely flawed.
• If you make major changes, take a look to the new version as a whole to spot if they inadvertedly created other problems.
• Propose small adjustments to the team as is to polish it, like EV spread changes or minor moveset or item changes.
• Explain how the changes work to deal with threats and aid the team's strategy.

 

b. Solving threats

• Concede that in the vast metagames of the 6th and 7th gen, it is impossible to perfectly address all threats. Teams are gonna be weak to certain Pokemon no matter what.
• First and foremost, focus on the team's matchup against the various playstyles of the metagame, making sure that it can face them adequately and doesn't have a horrible matchup with a certain style as a whole.
• Analyze the team's matchup against common strategies and combos, both offensive and defensive.
• Find any single Pokemon that threaten the team greatly.
• Explain how the threats work well against the team.
• Show ways to counterplay these threats, be it certain plays to make in that situation, changes on the team's sets or even members.
• If you make major changes, take a look to the new version as a whole to spot if they inadvertedly created other problems.
• Stay faithful to the team's strategy and make all changes follow this spirit. Suggest strategy changes only if the team is severely flawed.
• Explain how the changes work to deal with threats and aid the team's strategy.

 

RMT resources: 

• Jake White's Nugget Bridge VGC damage calculator (includes SM mechanics and set guesses, make sure to set it to lvl 100 and singles manually)
• Pokemon Showdown standard damage calculator (up to Gen6 sets and mechanics so far)
• PS Archive for animated models (up to SM)
• PS Archive for BW-style sprites (up to SM)
• Bulbapedia Dex by National Dex No. for icons (up to SM, go to a Pokemon's entry if the forme icon you want isn't on the list)
• Pokestadium sprite search (up to gen6, but includes alternatives like Pokesho sprites)

 

Example RMTs:

A selection from the latest and greatest RMT teams posted in Reborn. You can take a look at them, both to see the teams themselves as well as their presentation and analysis. Careful, this is not a team archive, many of the gen6 teams are outdated or belong to previous stages of the meta. They are listed here as examples of good RMTs. Also the formatting in some of them may have suffered due to the November '16 forum update. 

 

Gen7:

PokeBank OU

• Personthing's "Tearing the house down"   (Dec '16)

• Kamina's "--First-- (ft Jirachi)"   (Nov '16)

 

PokeBank Ubers

• ChefBoyFTW's "Ubers team"   (Dec '16)

 

Gen6:

OU

• NickCrash's "Injustice: UU among us" (Oct '16)

• Reignited'Light's "Drag Me Down"  (Jul '16)
• FraRPeto's "Notice me Senpai"  (Feb '16)
• NickCrash's "The Bold and the Beautiful"  (Dec '15)
• FraRPeto's "Thundurus Surprise"  (Nov '15)
• Tomas Elliot's "Pokemon Se7en promotional team!"   (Jun '15)
• Reignited'Light's "Grand Festival time!"  (May '15)

 

Lower Tiers / Other Metas:

• Sheep's "A long awaited RMT" [PU]  (Oct '16)
• Xiri's "Xiri's Squads (Team 1)" [UU]  (Apr '16)
• NickCrash's "Razing Empires" [Monotype] (Mar '16)
• Tomas Elliot's "Featuring Nova" [Mix&Mega] (also best sprites ever)  (Feb '16)
• Tomas Elliot's "A return to Ubers, with a rant" [Ubers]  (Feb '16)

 

Pre-Gen6 - Smogon standard:

• Jelly's "To Pimp A Butterfly" [ADV NU]   (Apr '15)

 

 

Thanks to @Neo for the original threat, @Sheep, @Dark Desire, @Jericho, @Big Kitty Danand @NickCrash for reading and approving it, and all the cool teambuilders featured here and overall in the community!

Edited December 20, 2016 by Odybld