Bronzong

In the last slot, you can opt to use Reflect or Light Screen if you feel that your team could use the support. Lum Berry is also a decent option over Leftovers if you are leading with Bronzong; this lets it deal with sleep leads such as Roserade and Smeargle. Similarly, lead Trick users will also cause Bronzong a lot of grief; it can therefore elect to run Protect to avoid getting Tricked a Choice Scarf.

As Bronzong lacks a reliable instant recovery move, it finds Wish support from the likes of Vaporeon and Blissey useful; the HP recovery allows Bronzong to better take repeated U-turns from Scizor, and stay alive for longer in general Another large problem for Bronzong is that it is setup bait for a multitude of Pokemon, particularly Forretress, Gyarados, Skarmory, defensive Rotom-A, and bulky Kingdra. Gyarados and Kingdra resist Gyro Ball and take little to no damage from Earthquake, while Skarmory and Forretress will take the opportunity to set up Spikes with ease. Therefore, Heatran makes a great partner to deal with Rotom-A and the aforementioned Steel-types; Fire Blast will put a large dent into anything that doesn't resist it. Celebi can deal with Kingdra thanks to its high Defense and Grass Knot, and can also Thunder Wave non-Substitute variants. Although it is unable to switch directly into Rotom-A or Kingdra, Dragonite can also be a helpful asset for any team running Bronzong, as it is capable of ripping through both walls and offensive Pokemon that can give Bronzong trouble.

The listed spreads allow Bronzong to effectively take hits from both physical and special attacks while being able to deal heavy damage to common switch-ins. In addition to powering up Explosion, the Attack EVs give Bronzong a chance to OHKO 4/0 Heatran and Magnezone with Earthquake even without Stealth Rock, which is especially useful as Bronzong can take on their attacks with Light Screen up.

Unlike the previous set, this set requires little support from its teammates. Instead, this Bronzong aims to help other sweepers set up. Generally, any Pokemon with a good amount of initial bulk will appreciate the added protection Reflect and Light Screen provide. Kingdra gets a special mention as he is only weak to Dragon-type attacks, and also has a 4x resistance to the Fire-type attacks Bronzong attracts. Under the protection of Reflect and Light Screen, and along with Substitute, Kingdra should have no difficulty getting two—and possibly more—Dragon Dance boosts.

The EVs for this set are simple. 252 HP EVs maximize Bronzong's poor base HP; with its large number of resistances and only one weakness, it becomes a bulky sweeper. 252 Attack EVs power up its attacks and make sweeping possible in the first place. The final 4 EVs are placed in Special Defense as Fire attacks, its only weakness, are mostly special, as opposed to physical. Minimum Speed IVs and a Speed-hindering nature give Gyro Ball its fullest potential and allow Bronzong to move before as many Pokemon as possible during Trick Room.

The item choice is extremely important on this set, because it greatly influences the power of Bronzong's Gyro Ball. With Macho Brace, Bronzong hits 31 Speed, and can thus hit any Pokemon with 185 Speed or higher with a 150 Base Power Gyro Ball. Macho Brace provides a stronger boost than Life Orb does against opponents with about 288 Speed, at which point Life Orb Bronzong begins to hit harder than its Macho Brace counterpart. Life Orb Bronzong reaches full power at 377 Speed, at the cost of 10% HP per hit. Furthermore, Life Orb powers up Earthquake and Explosion as well. All in all, however, Macho Brace is the recommended choice because there are many slow Pokemon in OU that can easily take a Life Orb Gyro Ball, but not a Macho Brace one. For example, Life Orb Gyro Ball only does 31.5% - 37.1% to standard WishBliss as it has only 58 Base Power. Macho Brace Gyro Ball, on the other hand, packs 118 Base Power—just over double that of Life Orb—and does 49.3% - 58.1% damage to said Blissey. Tyranitar, who is one of the main Pokemon Bronzong can counter, also survives Life Orb Gyro Ball most of the time, while all variants but Babiri Berry ones are OHKOed by Macho Brace Gyro Ball after Stealth Rock. In addition, it's much easier for Macho Brace Bronzong to come in and sweep again if it makes a mistake, as Life Orb damage will otherwise quickly take its toll.

It is important that you do not pair this Bronzong with many paralysis-spreaders, as Gyro Ball is useless against paralyzed opponents. Moreover, Bronzong's teammates do not need to run 0 Speed EVs and IVs with a hindering nature unless Bronzong is on a dedicated Trick Room team—in which case the supporting Trick Room set would be a better choice. While your other Pokemon should be able to take decent advantage of Trick Room, they should not be dedicated Trick Room sweepers because this Bronzong cannot repeatedly set up the field effect. Unlike the supporting Trick Room set, which is an early-game supporter, this Bronzong is itself a late-game sweeper.

As for support that Bronzong does want, Stealth Rock is almost required as the residual damage helps Bronzong's Gyro Ball secure several KOs. Tyranitar and Heatran are good partners for setting up Stealth Rock because not only do they resist Bronzong's only weakness, they also work well under Trick Room if the situation requires it. Additionally, both of them can take out Rotom-A, who is a big pain for Bronzong as Rotom-A can burn it or Trick it a Choice Scarf, which will take away momentum. Tyranitar is also helpful against defensive Zapdos, who will cause Bronzong some PP issues with Pressure and Roost, while Heatran can take out Scizor and Forretress, who pose large problems for Bronzong due to their resistance to Steel and neutrality to Earthquake.

Swampert is a big pain as well, because it takes little damage from Gyro Ball; Bronzong must therefore use Explosion or switch. Skarmory too shrugs off Bronzong's attacks, and is an even bigger threat due to its ability to stack Spikes. Hence, Choice Specs Kingdra is a recommended teammate. Due to his considerable bulk and unique palette of resistances, it can easily KO Swampert with Draco Meteor and perform a late-game sweep under Trick Room if needed. As most opponents would switch Skarmory in expecting a physical Dragon Dance variant, Kingdra also does a great job of luring out Skarmory and hitting it extremely hard with Surf or KOing with Hydro Pump. Gliscor, while 2HKOed by Gyro Ball most of the time, is also a large pain for Bronzong if Trick Room is not yet up, as it can Taunt to prevent Trick Room and Roost off any damage it takes. Kingdra once again works well to defeat Gliscor, but Vaporeon fares nicely too, and also gives Bronzong another chance to set up a Trick Room sweep with Wish.

Stealth Rock is viable if you cannot find space for it elsewhere on your team, as it discourages switching to stall out Trick Room turns; Earthquake can also be used to hit Infernape and Heatran.

Generally, you'll want two or three users of the move on a dedicated Trick Room team, though; one user is not enough. Type-wise, both Slowking and Slowbro make good partners to Bronzong, as both take Fire-type attacks aimed at Bronzong, who, in return, takes Grass-type attacks aimed at them. Other viable Trick Room users that pair well with Bronzong include Porygon2 and Dusknoir. Porygon2 can take on Magnezone well and also counters Gyarados, non-mixed Dragonite, and Heatran with little difficulty. Dusknoir is great at spreading status through Will-O-Wisp and Confuse Ray, and has ThunderPunch to hit Gyarados. Gardevoir is another interesting option that has access to Wish, which can help keep both Bronzong and your sweepers healthy.

Pokemon that can take advantage of Trick Room are also needed. In the physical department, Machamp, Metagross, Rhyperior, Scizor, Snorlax, Swampert, and Tyranitar are the best options, as their high Attack, good bulk, and low Speed make them effective in Trick Room conditions. For special sweeper partners, Empoleon, Heatran, Magnezone, and Vaporeon are solid options. On truly dedicated Trick Room teams, mixed sweepers such as Dragonite, Octillery, and Tyranitar can be useful additions to break common defensive cores such as SkarmBliss, as well as stall. Many of the aforementioned Pokemon also resist Fire, and can thus take advantage of Bronzong's tendency to lure Fire-type attacks.

The EVs give Bronzong more physical bulk, as the rain will allow it to survive most Fire-type special attacks. 152 Attack EVs give a boost to Explosion, and specifically allow it to always OHKO 252/0 Snorlax, who is otherwise a huge problem for Rain Dance teams. Gyro Ball and Hidden Power Ice should not be considered here as this Bronzong is neither an attacker nor a supporter that should last a long time. The sole purpose of this Bronzong is to come in sometime in the early- to mid-game (note that it is not an effective lead), set up Stealth Rock, use Rain Dance, possibly set up Reflect or shut down a foe with Hypnosis, and then use Explosion to leave six turns of rain for sweepers to take advantage of.

As this Bronzong should only be used on a dedicated Rain Dance team, you should pair it with sweepers that benefit from active rain, such as Kingdra, Ludicolo, Kabutops, and Omastar. A Rain Dance team will also require at least two to three other Rain Dance setters outside of Bronzong; good users of the move include Swampert and Scizor. Zapdos works well with Bronzong type-wise, as Bronzong covers Zapdos's weaknesses to Rock and Ice.

If you opt for Choice Band, you might want to maximize Bronzong's Attack to make it a more offensive threat. Alternatively, you can also consider the item Lagging Tail, which forces the holder to always move last. It functions similarly to Macho Brace, but is an inferior option as it will not boost the power of Gyro Ball. Iron Ball is an interesting option; if it is Tricked onto a Pokemon with a Ground-type immunity, said Pokemon will be vulnerable to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Ground-type attacks. However, it does come at the cost of nullifying Bronzong's own Levitate.

This Bronzong set tends to work well on its own, and requires little support from its teammates, as its objective is basically to cripple a Pokemon with either Macho Brace or Choice Band and then attack with either Gyro Ball or Explosion. However, this set does well with Pokemon that benefit from the holes Bronzong can potentially create in an opposing team. If using Macho Brace, a slow sweeper, such as Life Orb Heatran, will work wonders for your team, as it will outspeed Pokemon hindered by Macho Brace. In addition, Heatran is immune to the Fire-type attacks aimed at Bronzong. If using Choice Band, a sturdy setup sweeper, such as Dragon Dance Dragonite, will work best, as it can set up with ease on Pokemon Choice-locked into ineffective moves.

Defensively, Bronzong will have trouble taking Fire-type attacks from the likes of Heatran and Infernape. Most Water-types can counter them due to high Special Defense and STAB Surf. Vaporeon gets a special mention for its access to Wish, which allows it to not only recover its own health, but replenish Bronzong's as well. Vaporeon can also counter Gyarados, which causes Bronzong problems.