The Fourth Musketdeer

With the official release of Keldeo, I was eager to try out the musketdeer since I thought it'd be fun. I decided I would build a team around Keldeo and use one main sweeper. This is a new way I decided to approach battling, instead of having many sweepers with hazard support. After going through many versions of a Keldeo team, I ended up with this latest version.

The Fourth Musketdeer:

At a Glance



Closer Look


Keldeo (Keldeo-R) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
-Hydro Pump -Secret Sword
-Substitute -Calm Mind

This is the main sweeper from my team. Its EVs are standard sweeper EVs so it hits as hard as it can as fast as it can.I opted not to give it Hidden Power Ghost or Hidden Power Grass in favor of Substitute. While this leaves Keldeo essentially helpless against Jellicent, I have the rest of my team to do that for Keldeo. Substitute helps block against statuses from Ferrothorns and the like who think they can use Leech Seed, T-Wave, etc. against Keldeo to cripple it. With a Timid Nature, Keldeo outspeeds many of these status users. Its STABs of choice are Hydro Pump and Secret Sword. Hydro Pump under the rain, receiving a double-STAB since Keldeo is part water, decimates many Pokemon that don't resist it. Secret Sword enables Keldeo to take down the likes of Blissey and Chansey. These STABs hit a wide array of foes, barring a handful Dragon types, Jellicent, and Starmie. The rest of my team focuses on taking out these threats and enabling Keldeo to sweep.


Politoed (F) @ Eject Button
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
-Scald -Ice Beam
-Toxic -Perish Song

I actually forgot why I put Politoed on my team. Oh yes, it's for adding a 1.5 multiplier to Keldeo's Water STAB, Hydro Pump (along with the other perks of Rain). Politoed has a pretty standard defensive moveset. Except for its item. I have taken a liking to using the Eject Button on Politoed, since it pretty much sets up the weather and another Pokemon to take its place. I usually lure a Fire attack or Ice attack and then switch to Politoed to take the hit, thus simultaneously changing the weather and switching out to a favorable matchup against the opponent's current Pokemon. However, there have been multiple times when I switch in Politoed and my opponent's attack misses or they choose to boost instead, leaving the Eject Button unused and leaving Politoed in. This has led to unfavorable matchups, but it doesn't occur often. So, Scald for Burn chance, Ice Beam to hit Dragons and the like, Toxic to hinder a wall's performance, and Perish Song to wait out a boosting sweeper.


Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
-U-turn -Bullet Punch
-Pursuit -Superpower

This is a pretty standard Scizor set. It U-Turns to give an opportunity for a safe switch-in to things and do damage at the same time. Bullet Punch hits hard on anything that doesn't resist it, especially after Technician and CB boosts, most notably enabling Scizor to revenge the Therians if they've taken prior damage. Pursuit is to trap Gengar, Starmie, and the like who try to get away, and the boost from Technician helps to do as much damage as possible. The Special Defense EVs help aid Scizor survive if such Pokemon choose to stay in. Superpower is there if I predict a Magnezone or Heatran switch, but I usually just U-Turn out if that's the case.


Mamoswine (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
-Earthquake -Ice Shard
-Stealth Rock -Icicle Crash

Mamoswine, with physical sweeper EVs, does well to get rid of the threat that the Therians pose to my team, especially Tornadus-T and Thundurus-T. Ice Shard, boosted by Expert Belt, does enough damage to KO either Therian after Stealth Rock damage. Icicle Crash is a secondary Ice move that I use against Skarmory in hopes of flinching it to death. Skarmory, I've seen, is a common switch-in to Mamoswine. Earthquake is another STAB move that Mamoswine has in its arsenal, allowing it to KO Pokemon that are weak to it, gaining extra damage from its Expert Belt. Stealth Rock is there if I predict a switch and goes wonders if a Volcarona is on the other team. The moth pretty much destroys my team now that it can gain Giga Drain from B2/W2 move tutors. Enemy Rotom-W poses a problem, though, as I'll explain in the threatlist.


Dragonite (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
-Roost -Draco Meteor
-Thunder -Hurricane

This is an offensively oriented rain-abusing Dragonite. It works wonders on Jellicent that lack Ice Beam, using Thunder to KO them, albeit while being Burned or Poisoned. With Hurricane, it can outspeed and OHKO Breloom, which is a big threat to my team, whether it packs Technician or Poison Heal. Hurricane also helps me get rid of Volcarona with Giga Drain, as Dragonite resists Fiery Dance, Bug Buzz, and Giga Drain. These two moves are certain to hit in the rain, and their secondary effects have a 30% chance of occurring. Draco Meteor is there to hit Dragons if Dragonite is able to tank a hit. Roost allows for instant recovery, along with its temporary loss of its Flying typing.


Rotom-W @ Choice Specs
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
-Volt Switch -Thunder
-Hydro Pump -Hidden Power [Ice]

Rotom-W, along with Scizor, gives me a Volt-Turn duo that I can use to pick up momentum. They resist the only type that's super effective against the other one, and allow me to get safe switch-ins for my other Pokemon, as they are relatively slow. I decided to make Rotom-W bulkier so it has a chance to Volt Switch out of there. Thunder is a definite hit under Rain, and Rain boosts Rotom's Hydro Pump to dangerous levels. Hidden Power Ice is there to hit Dragons for super-effective damage and the extra punch that Choice Specs gives to it. Gastrodon would be a problem for Rotom, but I haven't seen much of it while testing my team.

Threat List
Venusaur
If the weather war is won by Sun, I pretty much have no hope for defeating Venusaur, except by sacrificing my Scizor to put it in a KO range for Mamoswine's Ice Shard. If rain is still up, Dragonite can take it on with a STAB Hurricane.

Jellicent
Although it can be taken out with Dragonite or Rotom-W and Toxiced by Politoed, Jellicent poses a problem for Keldeo.

Celebi
Celebi resists both of Keldeo's STABs and has the bulk to shrug a Rain-boosted Hydro Pump. It can be checked with Dragonite if it lacks HP Ice, or it could be revenged by Mamoswine. It could be KOed with a U-Turn from Scizor if Scizor's above 73% health in the Rain.

and
Tornadus-T and Thundurus-T
These two are capable of outspeeding Keldeo and OHKOing with their STAB moves of Hurricane and Thunder(bolt). I can OHKO them in return if I predict that my opponent will switch to them by getting up a Substitute on Keldeo. I can also revenge-kill them with an Expert-Belt boosted Ice Shard from Mamoswine, if they've gone through some Stealth Rock damage.

Jolteon
Jolteon possesses the ability to outspeed all of my team and fire off Thunder(bolt)s or Hidden Power Ice; the only Pokemon on my team that can resist it is Mamoswine. Once Mamoswine goes down, I've pretty much lost against a Jolteon.

Toxicroak
Toxicroak resists both of Keldeo's STAB moves, and if it somehow sets up enough Bulk Up boosts, it becomes a powerhouse that can easily KO the rest of my team with Drain Punch or Sucker Punch. Dragonite can easily take it out if Toxicroak hasn't boosted a lot.

Rotom-W
A full-health Rotom-W spells trouble for my team, as it can take out all of my Pokemon with the appropriate move. However, if it is at around half of its health, then Keldeo can dispatch it with a Secret Sword.

Staraptor
A Scarfed, Reckless-boosted Brave Bird plows through a good part of my team, with possibly a healthy Dragonite's Thunder able to stop the carnage. Mamoswine and Scizor also have their priority moves to deal with the raptor.

Volcarona
If Volcarona boosts even once, it outspeeds Keldeo and it can restore its health and KO the musketdeer with a Giga Drain. It also has super-effective moves to put the rest of my team out of commission. Both Scizor and Mamoswine's STAB moves are resisted by the moth. If Dragonite has enough HP, it can tank a hit and deal considerable damage with a STAB Hurricane.


Thanks for taking the time to look at my team! I now leave you with a...

Last Glance


 
That's a nice team you have there IndianaJones. To be honest, when a team that relies on weather loses the weather war, they more often than not will lose? With that said there isn't much you can do about venusaur? I would suggest running a spinner on your team since you have two guys weak to rock and four hit by spikes which is very problematic if you switch around alot. The pokemon I have in mind is tentacruel since he benefits from rain wiith rain dish and also provides a check to volcarona and tornadus and toxicroak (though he wont be doing anything to the latter w/o a super effective move). Imo it should go over rotom.

Staraptor is also a rare sight in OU, but regardless you do have adequate ways to deal with it. I'm also curious about the evs you placed on scizor. Most people max out its bulk by investing in hp and stuffing the rest into defense which would give you the staraptor check you're looking for. Good luck with your team!
 
That's a nice team you have there IndianaJones. To be honest, when a team that relies on weather loses the weather war, they more often than not will lose? With that said there isn't much you can do about venusaur? I would suggest running a spinner on your team since you have two guys weak to rock and four hit by spikes which is very problematic if you switch around alot. The pokemon I have in mind is tentacruel since he benefits from rain wiith rain dish and also provides a check to volcarona and tornadus and toxicroak (though he wont be doing anything to the latter w/o a super effective move). Imo it should go over rotom.

Staraptor is also a rare sight in OU, but regardless you do have adequate ways to deal with it. I'm also curious about the evs you placed on scizor. Most people max out its bulk by investing in hp and stuffing the rest into defense which would give you the staraptor check you're looking for. Good luck with your team!
I could try that. Thanks for the rate!
 

Asek

Banned deucer.
Hey,
Your team looks pretty good, but it doesn't seem to fare well against stall teams and it also looks like it has trouble winning the weather war against sun teams. 1 of your biggest weaknesses in Gastrodon is an easy fix, switch Thunder for HP [GRASS] on Rotom-W. You may miss the extra power of thunder, but HP [GRASS] seems like a given seeing how your team all hate Gastrodon right now. Now to help you beat stall and also make winning the weather war easier I suggest you switch your current Dragonite set for a MixMence Salamence wallbreaker. Salamence gets a pseudo STAB Hydro Pump in the rain and it hits incredibly hard once it gets a moxie boost under its belt, added to this is that he handily disposed of Ninetales with his powerful attacks and he also makes you a bit less reliant on rain.
GL with the team, Salamence set below
Salamence @ Life Orb
Nature: Naive (+Spe -SpA)
Trait: Moxie
EV's: 100Atk/ 176SpA/ 232Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Outrage
- Brick Break
- Hydro Pump
 
Hey,
Your team looks pretty good, but it doesn't seem to fare well against stall teams and it also looks like it has trouble winning the weather war against sun teams. 1 of your biggest weaknesses in Gastrodon is an easy fix, switch Thunder for HP [GRASS] on Rotom-W. You may miss the extra power of thunder, but HP [GRASS] seems like a given seeing how your team all hate Gastrodon right now. Now to help you beat stall and also make winning the weather war easier I suggest you switch your current Dragonite set for a MixMence Salamence wallbreaker. Salamence gets a pseudo STAB Hydro Pump in the rain and it hits incredibly hard once it gets a moxie boost under its belt, added to this is that he handily disposed of Ninetales with his powerful attacks and he also makes you a bit less reliant on rain.
GL with the team, Salamence set below
Salamence @ Life Orb
Nature: Naive (+Spe -SpA)
Trait: Moxie
EV's: 100Atk/ 176SpA/ 232Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Outrage
- Brick Break
- Hydro Pump
Thanks for the rate! The only thing I'd quibble with is that I already have Hidden Power on Rotom, so I could change the type from Ice to Grass and keep Thunder. And I'll try out that Salamence set.
 

Jirachee

phoenix reborn
is a Forum Moderatoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnus
Hi

That's a cool team, however, some common threats give it trouble. Most Rotom-W can be VERY annoying to this team because Mamoswine, your only Electric resist (or immunity in your case), is OHKOed by Hydro Pump so it can really use Volt Switch over and over, weakening your team a lot. This opens you to more powerful sweepers who will then clean your team easily and since you have no Spinner, you'll play with a weak team most of the time. Rain Calm Mind Jirachi could be a big issue too because whenever it gets a Sub it can then get multiple boosts and it's very difficult for your team to deal with it, as most of it easily loses in 1v1 to either Water Pulse or Thunder. This Jirachi version really got a boost in popularity with BW2 and I see it quite often. Since they have the same kind of coverage you can cover both with one change, which would be swapping Dragonite for Specially Defensive Celebi. Celebi annihilates Rotom-W in 1v1 and it can even take Will-O-Wisp thanks to Natural Cure. While it can't do really a lot to Jirachi, it can use Perish Song while tanking its attacks to phaze it out, and if it's a last pokemon situation it lets you win in 3 turns, which is quite convenient. Dragonite's defensive coverage is a bit redundant will Celebi's so I think that this change is the one that leaves you open to the less threats.

About your Gastrodon problem, if you take my suggestion, you won't have this problem anymore as Celebi is one of the best Gastrodon switch-ins so it allows you to keep HP Ice on Rotom-W which is always cool since Latios tends to switch into it often, allowing you to hit it hard with a bit of prediction.

If you're worried about Rain Volcarona, you should definetly try out a different Politoed set. If you swap it to a Specially Defensive set with Leftovers, you can tank 2 boosted max SpA Hurricanes or Bug Buzz and strike it back with a powerful boosted Surf for the 2HKO. While it's kind of a shaky check, it's always better that what your team is trying to do to it at the moment. Besides, I don't think your current Politoed set is accomplishing a lot and now it can really support your team with something else than Drizzle.

Here are the sets you should use:
@ Leftovers
Natural Cure
Calm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
-Giga Drain
-Perish Song
-Recover
-Earth Power

@ Leftovers
Drizzle
Calm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
-Surf
-Protect
-Toxic
-Perish Song


Good luck!
 
Hi

That's a cool team, however, some common threats give it trouble. Most Rotom-W can be VERY annoying to this team because Mamoswine, your only Electric resist (or immunity in your case), is OHKOed by Hydro Pump so it can really use Volt Switch over and over, weakening your team a lot. This opens you to more powerful sweepers who will then clean your team easily and since you have no Spinner, you'll play with a weak team most of the time. Rain Calm Mind Jirachi could be a big issue too because whenever it gets a Sub it can then get multiple boosts and it's very difficult for your team to deal with it, as most of it easily loses in 1v1 to either Water Pulse or Thunder. This Jirachi version really got a boost in popularity with BW2 and I see it quite often. Since they have the same kind of coverage you can cover both with one change, which would be swapping Dragonite for Specially Defensive Celebi. Celebi annihilates Rotom-W in 1v1 and it can even take Will-O-Wisp thanks to Natural Cure. While it can't do really a lot to Jirachi, it can use Perish Song while tanking its attacks to phaze it out, and if it's a last pokemon situation it lets you win in 3 turns, which is quite convenient. Dragonite's defensive coverage is a bit redundant will Celebi's so I think that this change is the one that leaves you open to the less threats.

About your Gastrodon problem, if you take my suggestion, you won't have this problem anymore as Celebi is one of the best Gastrodon switch-ins so it allows you to keep HP Ice on Rotom-W which is always cool since Latios tends to switch into it often, allowing you to hit it hard with a bit of prediction.

If you're worried about Rain Volcarona, you should definetly try out a different Politoed set. If you swap it to a Specially Defensive set with Leftovers, you can tank 2 boosted max SpA Hurricanes or Bug Buzz and strike it back with a powerful boosted Surf for the 2HKO. While it's kind of a shaky check, it's always better that what your team is trying to do to it at the moment. Besides, I don't think your current Politoed set is accomplishing a lot and now it can really support your team with something else than Drizzle.

Here are the sets you should use:
@ Leftovers
Natural Cure
Calm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
-Giga Drain
-Perish Song
-Recover
-Earth Power

@ Leftovers
Drizzle
Calm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
-Surf
-Protect
-Toxic
-Perish Song


Good luck!
Thanks for the rate! I've been trying out the Celebi, and it seems to be working well. As for the Politoed, I prefer it with the Eject Button since it also allows me to switch from certain unfavorable matchups with minimal damage done.
 
thats a really nice team IndianaJones. If you're worried about celebi,i would use hp bug instead of substitute on keldeo to dispose of celebi and it also has the added bonus of getting rid of starmie, which can be problematic with its flawless coverage. Or you could use hp dark which counters starmie, jellicent and celebi in one, but without the added bonus of hitting celebi on its 4x weakness.
 
thats a really nice team IndianaJones. If you're worried about celebi,i would use hp bug instead of substitute on keldeo to dispose of celebi and it also has the added bonus of getting rid of starmie, which can be problematic with its flawless coverage. Or you could use hp dark which counters starmie, jellicent and celebi in one, but without the added bonus of hitting celebi on its 4x weakness.
Thanks for the rate, but I'm pretty sure Starmie outspeeds Keldeo if it runs Timid, and I rather enjoy the free hits that Substitute has enabled me to get.
 

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