A couple of weeks ago, ToF started a new #pokemon challenge: Dual Weather. I hadn't participated in one of these in a while, and because it was OU for once, I decided to go for it. I hadn't played OU in about a month, instead choosing to play RU. So, I had to figure out how to make this team, which became increasingly difficult since I hadn't used weather in about half a year. I made about three teams, one of which was just a joke sun team with a level 25 Endeavor Politoed for lolz. After trying out hail and rain, I realized it was a solid combination, but I just couldn't get very high. I realized that the problem was that the team simply didn't fit my playstyle, which is all-out offense. I decided to scrap all my teams and start from scratch, and this is where the origins of this team began. It finished with a rating of 1532, enough to win me the #pokemon challenge. It peaked #2 with a rating as high of 1560 at one point, however. Regardless, without further ado, I present the power of -TheWorld-.
Teambuilding Process:
Alright, so to fit my playstyle, I knew I needed a suicide lead to get up as many hazards as possible. Since Deoxys-S is uber, I decided to use something just as good: Deoxys-D.
Alright, now I needed to decide on my weather Pokemon. DD Tyranitar was an absolute beast for me when I was using it, and I figured that it could do some serious damage with entry hazards, as well as act as a solid tank that could take whatever hits I needed it to.
So now, I was left with a choice between Abomasnow and Politoed. I knew that Ninetales wouldn't work because it is an awful Pokemon in general an sun can't function at all with sand. I decided to use Abomasnow after Dittocrow recommended it to me, and also since the Expert Belt set is very good at getting surprise kills and forcing switches, which is important with hazards. Abomasnow would also provide me with priority.
And now, I was left with the difficult task of selecting my other 3 team members. I wanted at least 1 Pokemon that could make use of sand, as I figured that I would have it up more often than hail. I settled on Sand Veil Acrobatics Gliscor because it can deal massive damage and be a major threat, as well as give me a life-line that could provide me with a 20% chance to stay in the game if it came down to it.
I figured that I needed a scarfer of some kind, but I wanted one that didn't have to switch out a lot. I wanted something that could clean up late-game while outspeeding a large part of the metagame. Something with U-Turn or Volt Switch isn't what I was looking for, especially since I lacked a rapid spinner and wasn't planning on getting one. I decided on MoxieMence, as even though it's weak to Stealth Rock, it can decimate things with Outrage once Steel-types have beem removed; its main selling point was Moxie as it forced people to be punished for sending in death fodder.
Now, I looked at my team and figured that I needed a very solid lure that could take out threats such as Gliscor and Skarmory, which make the lives of Gliscor and Salamence much easier. I also realized I had no Steel-type, which meant that CB Scizor could annihilate my team with Bullet Punch, as my Gliscor was offensive. Just then, it hit me: Mixrachi. I decided to use the set that I had created a couple of monts back for my dual dragon rmt, as it could successfuly lure in Skarmory and Gliscor and knock them out in a flash. It was the perfect lure, especially since it could annihilate Scizor with Fire Punch.
And so, my team was complete.
Alright, now I needed to decide on my weather Pokemon. DD Tyranitar was an absolute beast for me when I was using it, and I figured that it could do some serious damage with entry hazards, as well as act as a solid tank that could take whatever hits I needed it to.
So now, I was left with a choice between Abomasnow and Politoed. I knew that Ninetales wouldn't work because it is an awful Pokemon in general an sun can't function at all with sand. I decided to use Abomasnow after Dittocrow recommended it to me, and also since the Expert Belt set is very good at getting surprise kills and forcing switches, which is important with hazards. Abomasnow would also provide me with priority.
And now, I was left with the difficult task of selecting my other 3 team members. I wanted at least 1 Pokemon that could make use of sand, as I figured that I would have it up more often than hail. I settled on Sand Veil Acrobatics Gliscor because it can deal massive damage and be a major threat, as well as give me a life-line that could provide me with a 20% chance to stay in the game if it came down to it.
I figured that I needed a scarfer of some kind, but I wanted one that didn't have to switch out a lot. I wanted something that could clean up late-game while outspeeding a large part of the metagame. Something with U-Turn or Volt Switch isn't what I was looking for, especially since I lacked a rapid spinner and wasn't planning on getting one. I decided on MoxieMence, as even though it's weak to Stealth Rock, it can decimate things with Outrage once Steel-types have beem removed; its main selling point was Moxie as it forced people to be punished for sending in death fodder.
Now, I looked at my team and figured that I needed a very solid lure that could take out threats such as Gliscor and Skarmory, which make the lives of Gliscor and Salamence much easier. I also realized I had no Steel-type, which meant that CB Scizor could annihilate my team with Bullet Punch, as my Gliscor was offensive. Just then, it hit me: Mixrachi. I decided to use the set that I had created a couple of monts back for my dual dragon rmt, as it could successfuly lure in Skarmory and Gliscor and knock them out in a flash. It was the perfect lure, especially since it could annihilate Scizor with Fire Punch.
And so, my team was complete.
Cold Mic (Abomasnow) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 Atk / 104 SAtk / 152 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Wood Hammer
- Hidden Power [Fire]
The first part of my Dual Weather core. This thing is amazing. It's massive coverage alongside Expert Belt and solid Attack stat means it can deal a very large amount of damage to a wide variety of threats. The first thing that you may notice about this set is that I lack the signature move of Abomasnow and hail teams: Blizzard. I used to have it on the set, but I replaced it with Earthquake. Blizzard wasn't realy necessary for my team as much as Earthquake was, as Earthquake lets Abomasnow nab a solid 2HKO on Jirachi and knock out Heatran. The Speed EVs let Abomasnow outrun many threats; it's the standard spread for the mixed attacker set. However, I added some more EVs into Speed in order to outrun 8 Speed Heatran, which is what most people use. The beauty of this set is that it decimates common switch-ins, nabbing Scizor with Hidden Power Fire and the aforementioned Heatran with Earthquake. Ice Shard is my only form of priority on this team, and it works wonders, being able to decimate Pokemon such as Landorus and Dragonite. Wood Hammer is Abomasnow's main STAB move, and wreaks havoc on the opposition. It is ridiculously strong, and can OHKO Tyranitar.
The Boss (Tyranitar) (F) @ Babiri Berry
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Dance
The second half of my dual weather core. Originally I had CB Tar on this team, but I replaced it with an even more underrated set. DD Tar is amazing, and can rip holes in the opponent's team quite easily. It's extremely easy to set up as well. Babiri Berry is the perfect item, allowing Tyranitar to sponge a Bullet Punch from Scizor and deal a massive amount of damage to it with Stone Edge. It also helps Tyranitar set up on Pokemon such as Jirachi and Magnezone. You may have noticed that this Tyranitar lacks Crunch, but it really doesn't need it. STAB Stone Edge hits extremely hard after a Dragon Dance, demolishing a large portion of the tier. Earthquake provides almost perfect coverage alongside Stone Edge, and can destroy the likes of Heatran and opposing Tyranitar. Ice Punch rounds off the set, granting me a way to OHKO Gliscor after +1 and a more reliable hit against Dragon-types. The great thing about this Tyranitar is that, unlike most sweepers, it can take hits, and priority is almost no problem. With Babiri Berry, only Mach Punch is a real problem for Tyranitar, and the only Pokemon in OU that runs that is Conkeldurr, who is demolished by my Gliscor.
Uber (Deoxys-D) @ Fire Gem
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psycho Boost
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
My own creation and the beast. This thing does its job almost all of the time; the only time it doesn't is when it gets haxed. Stealth Rock and Spikes in tandem with max Speed works wonders, plaguing my opponent for the entire game. The Speed EVs let me outrun a large part of the metagame, which is extremely useful, especially since it can take hits easily. Even without HP investment, tanking hits is no problem for this monster. Max Special Attack lets Deoxys-D hit as hard as possible, allowing it to wreak much more havoc than you'd expect. My first surprise on this set is Hidden Power Fire with a Fire Gem, OHKOing Scizor and knocking Forretress to Sturdy. My second surprise is Psycho Boost, a very underrated move on Deoxys-Defense. A 140 Base Power STAB move should never be underestimated, letting Deoxys-S net OHKOs on several things, including Breloom, Conkeldurr, and most importantly, deal upwards of 75% to Tentacruel. Knocking out spinners is crucial since I lack a spin-blocker, and this set accomplishes that very well. Forretress and Tentacruel stand no chance, and Donphan can be taken out by two HP Fires and a Psycho Boost (they'll spin first turn, then SR / EQ, and then stay in seeing all I can do is HP Fire, allowing me to take them out). A crucial part of my team.
Clutchscor (Gliscor) (M) @ Flying Gem
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Substitute
- Agility
- Earthquake
Hax Machine Version 1. Sand Veil frustrates so many people, it's not even funny (ok it is, but yeah ;) ). It gives me a shot to win games that I would have no chance of winning otherwise, and even without Sand Veil, it can work wonders. Acrobatics hits ridiculously hard after STAB and Flying Gem, and Earthquake hits everything else for solid damage. Substitute is an amazing way to maximize Sand Veil's full potential, and works wonders, especially against Rotom-W. However, I diverged from the standard set by running Agility over Swords Dance. I ran SD before, but switched it because the main problem with Acrobatics Gliscor is that it is still relatively slow compared to the rest of the metagame. With entry hazards and the power of Acrobatics, a +2 boost in Attack isn't usually necessary anyway, especially with Sand Veil on my side. Agility lets Gliscor outrun the whole metagame, and can let me sweep more frequently than you would think.
The End (Salamence) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Claw
One of the greatest late-game sweepers in existence. With Moxie and a base 120 STAB move that is only resisted by a handful of pokes, Salamence can tear through teams like no tomorrow, especially with entry hazards. Base 100 Speed also means it can outrun almost all of the metagame with a Choice Scarf equipped, making it even more deadly. Earthquake provides amazing coverage alongside Outrage, and allows Salamence to destroy any Steel-types that come in and try to take an Outrage. Dragon Claw is an option over Outrage early in the game when it's dangerous staying in, or when I don't need to risk Outrage's confusion hax. Fire Blast rounds out the set by allowing Salamence to demolish any stray Skarmorys that try to wall it. The Stealth Rock weakness doesn't prove to be too much of a problem since I don't need Salamence to switch in very many times a game anyway, especially with the entry hazard support Deoxys-D provides, as well as the excellent luring job that my Jirachi does.
MVP (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 36 Atk / 252 SAtk / 220 Spd
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Thunderbolt
THE MVP. This thing is just amazing, and I have won countless games just with this little guy. I first created this set a couple of months ago, and only updated its EV spread a little bit in order to outrun Adamant Acrobatics Gliscor. This thing is the best lure I have ever seen, and arguably the best one in history. With astouding coverage in tandem with the amazing hax powers of Iron Head, this thing can be a real pain to stop. Iron Head is a very crucial move, allowing Jirachi to hit special walls hard and, more importantly, weaken Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Jellicent into KO range of my other moves. Hidden Power Ice lets me slaughter Gliscor, and also lets me annihilate any DD Dragonites that try to set up on me. Fire Punch serves a crucial role in allowing Jirachi to destroy Scizor, who otherwise can be a major problem for my team. Thunderbolt annihilates Skarmory, and also has great neutral coverage. I figured that Special Attack investment would be superior to Attack investment, as this thing is essentially my main special attacker.
Threatlist:
Expert Belt Landorus: This thing is just annoying. I can usually force it to around 80% HP or so with Stealth Rock and hail, which means that Salamence can kill it. If it's at 87% or above, and my Abomasnow is dead, it's game.
SD Gliscor: With 216 Speed and a Jolly nature, this thing sweeps me so easily.
Starmie: The only spinner that can beat my Deoxys-D. This makes this thing a real pain to face, but Starmie itself isn't too big of a problem.
Choice Scarf Jirachi: This thing is just a pain, and I have to rely on entry hazards to beat it.
Smashpass: I lose, gg.
Baton Pass: See above.
SD Gliscor: With 216 Speed and a Jolly nature, this thing sweeps me so easily.
Starmie: The only spinner that can beat my Deoxys-D. This makes this thing a real pain to face, but Starmie itself isn't too big of a problem.
Choice Scarf Jirachi: This thing is just a pain, and I have to rely on entry hazards to beat it.
Smashpass: I lose, gg.
Baton Pass: See above.
Importable:
Gliscor (M) @ Flying Gem
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Substitute
- Agility
- Earthquake
Tyranitar (F) @ Babiri Berry
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Dance
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 36 Atk / 252 SAtk / 220 Spd
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Fire Punch
- Thunderbolt
- Iron Head
Abomasnow (F) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 Atk / 112 SAtk / 144 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Wood Hammer
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Deoxys-D @ Fire Gem
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psycho Boost
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
Salamence (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Claw
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Substitute
- Agility
- Earthquake
Tyranitar (F) @ Babiri Berry
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Dance
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 36 Atk / 252 SAtk / 220 Spd
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Fire Punch
- Thunderbolt
- Iron Head
Abomasnow (F) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 Atk / 112 SAtk / 144 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Wood Hammer
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Deoxys-D @ Fire Gem
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psycho Boost
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
Salamence (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Claw
