Creative / Underrated Sets Thread (Read the thread, NO SHITTY GIMMICKS)

[alexwolf]

Here is a set that isn't exactly creative, just a standard set with a twist:

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock

I really like Hidden Power Ice for two main reasons: Stone Edge's accuracy sucks and can cost you games, and HP Ice hits so many important stuff that Stone Edge can't, namely Garchomp, Landorus-T, Landorus, Gliscor, and Breloom, all of which don't get 2HKOed by any of Landorus-T's usual moves (except for Garchomp which is 2HKOed by EQ). I am using this set alongside with Choice Band Tyranitar, and so i don't need any SpA EVs to OHKOs Dragonite after SR, as Dragonite takes 65% min from HP Ice, a OHKO after SR and 2 rounds of sand damage (one as you bring Landorus-T in and the other one finished off Dragonite after you hit it with HP Ice). Here are some other cool calcs of HP Ice compared to the damage that Stone Edge or EQ (with the on-site spread for the physical attacks) would do on some Pokemon:

Offensive calcs

• 0 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 244-288 (68.15 - 80.44%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
• 64+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 178-211 (49.72 - 58.93%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

• 0 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Salamence: 284-336 (85.8 - 101.51%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
• 64+ Atk Landorus-T Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 276-326 (83.38 - 98.48%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

• 0 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Breloom: 158-188 (60.3 - 71.75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
• 64+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 103-122 (39.31 - 46.56%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock

• 0 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Landorus: 252-300 (78.99 - 94.04%) -- 43.75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock. If Landorus sets up with Rock Polish, which it will most likely do against a Landorus-T that can't usuallt hurt Landorus and will most likelt switch out, it will be left with less than 10%, meaning that it will die if from LO recoil if it wants to get past Landorus-T
• 64+ Atk Landorus-T Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Landorus: 125-148 (39.18 - 46.39%) -- 25.78% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

• 0 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 200 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 252-300 (68.29 - 81.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
• -1 64+ Atk Landorus-T Stone Edge vs. 200 HP / 244 Def Landorus-T: 66-78 (17.88 - 21.13%) -- possible 6HKO after Stealth Rock. It is also worth noting that HP Ice Lando-T will be slower than Stone Edge Lando-T and thus will have the upper hand in U-turn wars

• 0 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Gliscor: 268-316 (75.7 - 89.26%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
• 64+ Atk Landorus-T Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 184+ Def Gliscor: 74-88 (20.9 - 24.85%) -- possible 6HKO after Stealth Rock

And some of those 2HKOes that Stone Edge gets are much shakier than they seem due to the bad accuracy. For example two Stone Edges have a 64% chance of hitting twice, so the chance of Landorus-T 2HKOing Landorus with Stone Edge is smaller than 25.78% after SR. The lack of Stone Edge is not a big issue as the only targets that Thundurus-T can't hit hard without it are bulky Kyurem-B, Gyarados, Rotom-W, and Gengar. Out of those Pokemon, U-turn is almost always a better option to use as they switch in (except against Gengar which gets OHKOed by Stone Edge), and the only situation that Landorus-T would get to hit those Pokemon that otherwise outspeed and OHKO or severly dent Landorus-T. The lowered Attack doesn't make Landorus-T lose any relevant OHKO-2HKO, while the extra Defense comes very handy. Here are some calcs showcasing the usefulness of the extra psysical bulk:

Defensive calcs

• -1 252 Atk Choice Band Garchomp Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T: 153-180 (40.05 - 47.12%) -- 1.95% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
• -1 252 Atk Choice Band Garchomp Outrage vs. 200 HP / 244 Def Landorus-T: 168-198 (45.52 - 53.65%) -- 95.7% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

• +1 252 Atk Garchomp Dragon Claw vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T: 153-180 (40.05 - 47.12%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
• +1 252 Atk Garchomp Dragon Claw vs. 200 HP / 244 Def Landorus-T: 168-198 (45.52 - 53.65%) -- 1.17% chance to 2HKO. The chance becomes much bigger when you take into account the 6.25% damage that Landorus-T will have taken from SR (12.5 - 6.25 = 6.25% where 6.25% is the damage that lefites will have healed as Landorus-T came in and Garchomp used SD)

• +1 252 Atk Rock Gem Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T: 282-333 (73.82 - 87.17%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• +1 252 Atk Rock Gem Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 200 HP / 244 Def Landorus-T: 312-367 (84.55 - 99.45%). Possible OHKO after SR.

• +1 252+ Atk Life Orb Technician Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 200 HP / 244 Def Landorus-T: 179-212 (48.5 - 57.45%) -- 46.09% chance to 2HKO
• +1 252+ Atk Life Orb Technician Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T: 164-192 (42.93 - 50.26%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

With the added defense Landorus-T handles much better many common physical setup sweeprs and takes physical hits better in general, which is always helpful as tanking physical hits is one of Landorus-T's main roles.

Finally, the -Speed nature doesn't bother Landorus-T at all, as the only Pokemon that outspeed it now is 0 Spe Rotom-W, which counters HP Ice Landorus-T anyway, so it's not really an issue.

tl;dr USE HP ICE MAX HP / MAX DEF+ LANDORUS-T PEOPLE!

 

[Morgenstern]

@ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 248 HP / 72 Def / 64 SDef / 124 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Claw
- Substitute
- Roost
- Dragon Dance

A pretty underrated set that i find out great. It just works so well(I have tested it in DragMag and it works great.) Blocks status, gives you free turns to set up and you have a Roost, yeah people might bitch about only having Dragon Claw to attack but with a Magnezone you dont have to worry alot.
Barney <3

 

[blunder]

had tremendous ladder and some tournament success with this set:


Kyurem-Black @ Salac Berry
Trait: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Hone Claws
- Roost
- Dragon Claw

The plan is really simple... Just eliminate steals and find a good pokemon to set up on. Once you get the sub up and a hone claws not much can be done to beat you. 482 attack is already massive so even just a salac berry boost should be enough to sweep with SR + 1 layer. A hone claw is just an added bonus. Two hone claws you can forget about it as you are at least 2hkoing the entire 600 pokemon roster. Roost can be used after the boost has been received or if you are in a specific situation where you are not going for the boost. The ev spread is elementary and probably can be tweaked but the concept stays the same. You want all the speed you can get before the boost and even without heavy defensive investments you are taking weak attacks just fine.... He has very nice typing. I used a team with specs gothitelle and had a great time on the ladder. Defeating skarmory and ferrothorn really opened things up for this thing as most teams don't run more than 1 steel type. Also shed shell has decreased in popularity due to popular battlers and RMTs using lefties or custap berry.

This seems really fucking good, thought I might try Fusion Bolt > Roost. I also wanted to know what kind of partners you are using for this core?

 

[Curtains]

This seems really fucking good, thought I might try Fusion Bolt > Roost. I also wanted to know what kind of partners you are using for this core?

I just noticed i spelled steel wrong. I used this pseudo "drag mag" team:

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Lucario @ Life Orb
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Crunch

Dragonite @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Spd / 56 Def
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Roost

Mamoswine @ Focus Sash
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Endeavor

Gothitelle (F) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Shadow Ball
- Psychic

Haxorus @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Rivalry
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- Dragon Claw

Kyurem-Black @ Salac Berry
Trait: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Hone Claws
- Roost
- Dragon Claw

Gothitelle is really underrated as it can trap many slow pokemon and hit back with the appropriate move. I used it to mainly kill ferrothorn. Jirachi in rain was kind of an issue but once it was gone it made kyruem nearly unstoppable. Kyruem just puts immense pressure on slow teams once the steel types are dead.

 

[dcae]

One of my personal favorite sets to use that I feel is very underused set is the great SubSalac Garchomp.

Garchomp @Salac Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Jolly nature
-Substitute
-Swords Dance
-Outrage
-Earthquake

I understand this set is on the analysis, but it is slashed onto another set and near the bottom of the list. IMO this is a hugely underrated threat. With great speed and amazing STABs, Garchomp has a huge Salac Berry potential. Thanks to those wonderful STABs, Chomp is only walled by Skarmory and Bronzong, while it hits everything else like a monster. It has a resistance to SR which allows it to switch in with impunity, and then once it grabs the Salac boost, it can clean or sweep teams completely. Swords Dance is used for the opportunities, for example against Stall teams, to notch a higher attack and hit like a nuke. This set can tear through a lot of teams seen in BW2 and is IMO one of the most underrated sweepers of the meta.

 

[eriados]

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spd
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Psyshock

Yep, mono-attacking CM Jirachi. Essentially this is a combination of Wish CM and SubCM. This set is pretty neat on a balanced team with a solid defensive core and support to take out key threats. The decision to go with Psyshock as the only move may seem odd, but it is key if you run into an opposing CM user, as it allows you to beat them almost guaranteed. Of course Tyranitar has to be removed, but Spikes support and status can help with that. The EVs I stole from someone else. They make Jirachi surprisingly physically bulky. Early game Jirachi can pass wishes effectively, and is quite useful checking stuff like Lati@s/Celebi/opposing Jirachi. Lategame it is very easy to set up and sweep. Rain support is very nice for this because it means that most Heatran cannot beat Jirachi.

 

[Taylor]

I've been using this Garchomp set on offensive rain for a couple of weeks.

Garchomp @ Dragon Gem
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 6 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance

I think I prefer hitting tankier stuff for over 50% of damage after Swords Dance. It can lead and puncture through teams quite effectively and is worth building around. Focus Sash was usually my item of choice on Garchomp but I have played around with sets. It's no Yache Berry set because obviously it's bulky in its own right and resists Stealth Rock damage, so you can keep it back after setting up Swords Dance.

 

[Cigam]

Gothitelle is really underrated as it can trap many slow pokemon and hit back with the appropriate move. I used it to mainly kill ferrothorn.

I agree, although I prefer the Calm Mind version for its easy setup.

Speaking of, could I get some feedback on my previous set? http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4629335&postcount=193

 

[Unoriginal Name]

I agree, although I prefer the Calm Mind version for its easy setup.

Speaking of, could I get some feedback on my previous set? http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4629335&postcount=193

Oh, man, that one. I've been using it on my team (he's a great partner to SubPunch Breloom, BTW) and he's amazing. A quick TWave, Calm Mind * 6, resting when needed, then Psyshock sweep. It's amazing, and I've never seen it outside of that post. I decided to try it out and, whoop-de-doo, instant MVP. Eliminate all the Darks, set up on a non-TWave immune Special Attacker who can't 3HKO you (Politoed and Ninetales are great candidates) and go all-out. Many a defensive mon believe that Toxic means quick death to this set; Rest, you're done for.

Plus, it's hilarious when Politoeds use Perish Song. Wait until they have one turn until you're both KOed ("Perish next turn" message) and you'll be able to switch but they won't.

It has it's flaws; Dark types can't be touched, and if the Special Attacker is too strong, you won't be able to set up. TWave immunes are a pain. Jirachi and the lesser used Cresselia wall it to death, as Psyshock only has 16 PP and if they have reliable recovery, you will quickly be unable to attack. However, if you eliminate the Darks and checks and set up on a good Pokemon, this thing really shines.

Thanks for the set, it surprises many a rival, and has won me lots of games for sure!

 

[Judicator]

(sorry esteemed user Kinneas, I didn't actually visit your art thread at all, I found this on Google :x BUT I LIKE IT, so I may have to visit it later)

Volcarona @ Leftovers
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 204 Def / 252 HP / 52 Spd
Bold Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Substitute
- Roost

Well, Sub/Quiver is popular, Quiver/Roost is popular and anyone who's fought a Sub/Roost Kyurem/Zapdos/Ho-Oh/Latias/bulky bird can tell you how annoying that can be to take down. So why not combine all three? Volcarona's certainly got the stats for it. Plus Bug Buzz, which is there because nothing's immune to it, but also because I use it on a team with Politoed. You can probably replace it with a Fire move if you want though - it doesn't hurt Heatran, but it's not like Bug Buzz is going to really dent it either before it Roars you out.

Depending on how you predict when you bring this in and set up, you can either force a forfeit from your opponent or end up embarrassing yourself. The more greedy you get, the riskier it is. But essentially, this works how you'd expect it to: come in on something that can't really harm you, then Sub/Quiver and keep going as long as you want, recovering when necessary. All you have to do is avoid Stone Edge (if you're a gambling man, you can chance misses by repeatedly subbing), Water moves (Scalds don't scare you after a Quiver or two though) and status (if you're forced to Roost unsubbed). The best part of this set is Flame Body, which can be abused by Roost stalling against physical attackers until it kicks in. It's good for defending against/permanently crippling basically anything without Stone Edge.

I mentioned prediction; this comes in if you're trying to set up on Chansey/Blissey, which is entirely possible. The reason: you can force a gradual health drop with Flame Body. The problem: you have to be out of Substitute for Seismic Toss to burn them. The other problem: they often have Thunder Wave. So if you're able to stay unsubbed for as many tosses as possible and sub on every Thunder Wave, long enough to get them burned, you're in a very good position indeed.

EVs are pretty simplistic. Max HP for big subs and general bulk, 52 Speed to 'outspeed base 120s after a Quiver Dance' (it sounded good on the site so I nicked it ;_;) and the rest in Defense. To be honest, the spread for the Bulky Quiver Dance set on the site might be better, so give that a spin.

I've used this set for a while now and it's hugely effective under the right circumstances - the wrong circumstances, as I've already emphasised, are me getting too cocky, playing badly and getting statused. Definitely worth using, even if it's just because you want to see people get angry at Flame Body.

 

[Neliel]

This set its not something really creative or anything, its a standard set with an uncommon move that i found VERY usefull.

Mamoswine (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Substitute

So, how many times your opponent played around it with a smart switch into something that resists ice shard and then force you to switch? or how many times you risked a predict on something switching on you and then you had to switch out? mamoswine its a very usefull pokemon right now which forces a lot of switch; lets say you send it against a thundurus-t; they probably will switch out to their keldeo or something to take the ice shard, so why you have to risk doing earthquake when you can sub? against offensive teams, they will probably have to sacrifice a pokemon to break your sub, and its very cool. The choice between adamant and jolly depends on you; if you are weak to offensive heatran and jolly loom, then go with jolly. If you go with jolly its better if you also put superpower to hit air baloon heatran, and to 2ko ferrothorn with eq+superpower, because you may fail the 2ko.
It also has some other uses, like subbing against things that will try to status it like ninetales or jellicent or things that often spam protect, like gliscor.

 

[Cosmic Fury]

Not sure if someone's ever posted this one here, but this set is certainly very effective on its own, needs little team support (outside of weather, which is just icing on the cake), and hits hard, especially if you have good prediction skills.

Cute Stuff (Victini) @ Leftovers/Shell Bell/Flame Plate
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Bolt Strike
- V-create
- Brick Break
- Trick Room

This is my signature Victini set, featuring Trick Room, which is the way this one uses to get around the speed drops that V-Create has.

Bolt Strike and V-Create are where the party's at. Bolt Strike, with 130 power AND a chance at paralyzing the foe, is certainly a worthy
coverage move. Along with Brick Break, these moves have some awesome type coverage. If I get a Trick Room in, chances are that the foe is in for four turns of a living hell...

Which is where Victini's amazing bulk comes in. 252 HP EV's give him 404 HP, and 236 in each defense, which is pretty good all around. He's able to survive a whole slew of neutral attacks (even an Outrage from a Salamence), and even a lot of supereffective attacks (he's survived an EQ from a Gliscor before).

Victini usually ends up somewhere on my sun teams, even if he's usually dead before he's done with causing his mayhem. If he gets a Trick Room set up, about 90% of the time he ends up sweeping like crazy for 4 turns-- or more, if I can predict a second Trick Room really well.

This is a pretty reliable sweeper that you can use in battering down the opponent's team, so that you can send in a cleaner like Scizor or some other powerful priority user to finish the job.

 

[LudwiG]

Not sure if someone's ever posted this one here, but this set is certainly very effective on its own, needs little team support (outside of weather, which is just icing on the cake), and hits hard, especially if you have good prediction skills.

Cute Stuff (Victini) @ Leftovers/Shell Bell/Flame Plate
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Bolt Strike
- V-create
- Brick Break
- Trick Room

This is my signature Victini set, featuring Trick Room, which is the way this one uses to get around the speed drops that V-Create has.

Bolt Strike and V-Create are where the party's at. Bolt Strike, with 130 power AND a chance at paralyzing the foe, is certainly a worthy
coverage move. Along with Brick Break, these moves have some awesome type coverage. If I get a Trick Room in, chances are that the foe is in for four turns of a living hell...

Which is where Victini's amazing bulk comes in. 252 HP EV's give him 404 HP, and 236 in each defense, which is pretty good all around. He's able to survive a whole slew of neutral attacks (even an Outrage from a Salamence), and even a lot of supereffective attacks (he's survived an EQ from a Gliscor before).

Victini usually ends up somewhere on my sun teams, even if he's usually dead before he's done with causing his mayhem. If he gets a Trick Room set up, about 90% of the time he ends up sweeping like crazy for 4 turns-- or more, if I can predict a second Trick Room really well.

This is a pretty reliable sweeper that you can use in battering down the opponent's team, so that you can send in a cleaner like Scizor or some other powerful priority user to finish the job.

Shell bell is inferior to leftovers. Leftovers recover 1/16 of your max hp and shell bell recovers 1/16 of damage dealt. So, unless you do more than 415 damage, shell bell won't recover as much. In addition to this, you won't recover when you set up trick room and switching to resists will not only stall the trick room, but also lower your recovery. I'd recommend only having 401 hp, having a max hp that is congruent to 1 modulo 16 is generally good. It's just above a leftovers number, is not divisible by 4 and (if I remember correctly) also helps against a specific amount of spikes layers. You could try fighting gem as an item due to brick break's low power.

 

[Seth Vilo]

Noooooo LudwiG, 401 IS the Leftovers number. Common mistake though. Leftovers numbers are [X + 1, where X="a number divisible by 16"]. Just so you know for future reference, as well as people on this thread.

 

[LudwiG]

Noooooo LudwiG, 401 IS the Leftovers number. Common mistake though. Leftovers numbers are [X + 1, where X="a number divisible by 16"]. Just so you know for future reference, as well as people on this thread.

The holder recovers 1/16 (6.25%) of their maximum HP at the end of each turn, rounded down.

http://www.smogon.com/bw/items/leftovers

If the hp is divisible by 16, there is no rounding, which makes for optimal healing.

Also, http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41120

Do you have any sources of leftovers numbers bring used differently?

 

[Explorer]

One of my personal favorite sets to use that I feel is very underused set is the great SubSalac Garchomp.

Garchomp @Salac Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Jolly nature
-Substitute
-Swords Dance
-Outrage
-Earthquake

I understand this set is on the analysis, but it is slashed onto another set and near the bottom of the list. IMO this is a hugely underrated threat. With great speed and amazing STABs, Garchomp has a huge Salac Berry potential. Thanks to those wonderful STABs, Chomp is only walled by Skarmory and Bronzong, while it hits everything else like a monster. It has a resistance to SR which allows it to switch in with impunity, and then once it grabs the Salac boost, it can clean or sweep teams completely. Swords Dance is used for the opportunities, for example against Stall teams, to notch a higher attack and hit like a nuke. This set can tear through a lot of teams seen in BW2 and is IMO one of the most underrated sweepers of the meta.

At first glance this screams "terrifying sweeper," that could either clean up a team behind a Substitute or start the game off in a shockingly offensive way.

Also, I tried the set substituting the Salac Berry for a Starf Berry, and I got Garchomp to use a Ferrothorn to set up +2 Atk and +2 Speed:

http://www.pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou13977419

Thanks to rocks, I won the battle. :)

 

[Old Jack]

Skarmory @ Custap Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Spd / 4 Def / 252 Atk
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes / Tailwind
- Drill Peck / Brave Bird
- Taunt

Skarmory is undoubtely the new best HO team lead since the Deoxys-D ban. He succeeds to set up at least two layers of spikes most of the time thank to the prankster berry. Taunt cripples things that come to set up or try to stop Skarmory. Then the stab Drill Peck hits everything that does not resist for good damages, Brave Bird is a stronger attack but the recoil ruins Sturdy.
Alternatively Tailwind can be used to support teammates.
The EV's are maximazed in speed to tie with 70 base speed, the rest goes for a strong attack and defense.The respectable physical bulk lets Skarmory sponge a lot a physical hits.
Skarmory works great with Gengar to spinblock and kill annoying things like Xatu.

EDIT: I figured out that Politoed could Scald + Burn Skarmory to death with low Ivs Sdef so it is better to keep them and take a Jolly nature. :)

 

[dcae]

At first glance this screams "terrifying sweeper," that could either clean up a team behind a Substitute or start the game off in a shockingly offensive way.

Also, I tried the set substituting the Salac Berry for a Starf Berry, and I got Garchomp to use a Ferrothorn to set up +2 Atk and +2 Speed:

http://www.pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou13977419

Thanks to rocks, I won the battle. :)

Glad someone else found that set so useful :) Starf Berry is a bit too random for my taste, but it worked like a charm in that replay.

As I am a fan of Salac Berry, this set might be weird. The set is a RP LiechiTerrakion:

Terrakion @Liechi Berry
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Close Combat
-Stone Edge
-Rock Polish
-Substitute

You may ask what this set has over the much more common SalacSD set. The difference between the two is that this Terrakion does not rely on its berry to sweep. This poke is meant to be played exactly like Landorus I: Switch in the middle of the game to force switches and deal some damage, then late game set up with Sub on a defensive poke, RP up, and proceed to sweep. Absolutely nothing can outspeed and revenge kill it, while Liechi Berry provides an Attack boost if necessary. Otherwise, you can hold on the Substitute to cover priority attackers. This set wrecks offensive teams and beats Landorus I one on one. It is a great partner to Celebi, who lures in Ttar, Baton Passes out to Terrakion, so it gets the Justified boost. Now, you can potentially get to +2 +2 with only one turn of set up! This is a great set, a monster late game, and is extremely fun to use. Definitely I would advise trying it.

 

[Cigam]

Oh, man, that one. I've been using it on my team (he's a great partner to SubPunch Breloom, BTW) and he's amazing. A quick TWave, Calm Mind * 6, resting when needed, then Psyshock sweep. It's amazing, and I've never seen it outside of that post. I decided to try it out and, whoop-de-doo, instant MVP. Eliminate all the Darks, set up on a non-TWave immune Special Attacker who can't 3HKO you (Politoed and Ninetales are great candidates) and go all-out. Many a defensive mon believe that Toxic means quick death to this set; Rest, you're done for.

Plus, it's hilarious when Politoeds use Perish Song. Wait until they have one turn until you're both KOed ("Perish next turn" message) and you'll be able to switch but they won't.

It has it's flaws; Dark types can't be touched, and if the Special Attacker is too strong, you won't be able to set up. TWave immunes are a pain. Jirachi and the lesser used Cresselia wall it to death, as Psyshock only has 16 PP and if they have reliable recovery, you will quickly be unable to attack. However, if you eliminate the Darks and checks and set up on a good Pokemon, this thing really shines.

Thanks for the set, it surprises many a rival, and has won me lots of games for sure!

Glad you enjoyed. I also partner it with Breloom, but I use Techloom with Focus Punch. It's brilliant. Most opponents never see it coming, relying on their status to get them out of the trapping.

Another favorite trick of mine is switching into choice'd moves that drop their respective attack (especially Close Combat). Obviously you need to survive the attack, but it's often trivial set-up and a free kill, not to mention hilarious to watch them Struggle themselves to death. It's the little things that matter.

You can swap Thunderwave for HP:Fighting. You gain the ability to OHKO Dark switch-ins, but are worse against all opponents that don't 2x resist psychic (or worse) and are neutral to fighting. Basically Tyranitar, Hydregion, Jirachi, Metagross, Ferrothorn, Scizor and Ferrothorn are the relevant match-ups that get better for you.

 

[HardCore]

Skarmory @ Custap Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Spd / 4 Def / 252 Atk
Naive Nature
IVs: 0 SDef
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes / Tailwind
- Drill Peck / Brave Bird
- Taunt

Skarmory is undoubtely the new best HO team lead since the Deoxys-D ban. He succeeds to set up at least two layers of spikes most of the time thank to the prankster berry. Taunt cripples things that come to set up or try to stop Skarmory. Then the stab Drill Peck hits everything that does not resist for good damages, Brave Bird is a stronger attack but the recoil ruins Sturdy.
Alternatively Tailwind can be used to support teammates.
The EV's are maximazed in speed to tie with 70 base speed, the rest goes for a strong attack and defense. It is better to lower as much as possible the Special defense to activate Custap Berry more easily when Skarmory takes a weak special move. I prefer keep the respectable physical bulk of Skarmory for the physical side.
Skarmory works great with Gengar to spinblock and kill annoying things like Xatu.

I can attest to this, seeing as how similar it is to Custap Skarmory. However, it and Forretress don't like Starmie all that much, so pairing it up with Weavile and Gengar means you deal with most (if not, all) spinners and you can block Rapid Spin if you must. It works great with weatherless offense in my experience.

Yeah I think Skarm and Forretress operate a bit better than Deoxys D, because the rush to kill them is a bit slower until you know they carry both hazards. Skarmory is pretty much Breloom proof and probably gets out 3 hazards more than Forretress! Forretress spins and explodes on possible threats however, so I'm torn between the two. I think it's a strange metagame though with the fear of Skarmory and Forretress leads. Due to the lack of good spinners and quality spin blockers I'd say that hazards are flat out overpowered.

 

[alexwolf]

Here is my favorite Thundurus-T set:

Thundurus-Therian (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Thunder
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Superpower

Mixed Thundurus-T is an excellent wallbreaker and i don't get why so few people use it. This beast is walled by only two Pokemon in OU, Ferrothorn and Gastrodon, and Ferrothorn is easy to wear down and takes 41.47 - 49.14% from Superpower. U-turn allows Thundurus-T to scout Ground-type switch-ins, and beat three of its most common switch-ins, Latios, Latias, and Celebi. Here are calcs of U-turn against those three:

• 4 Atk Expert Belt Thundurus-T U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Celebi: 254-302 (62.87 - 74.75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• 4 Atk Expert Belt Thundurus-T U-turn vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Latios: 154-182 (50.99 - 60.26%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• 4 Atk Expert Belt Thundurus-T U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Latias: 139-166 (38.18 - 45.6%) -- Always 2HKOes followed by HP Ice with SR up

Not only this, but U-turn build up damage to other common switch-ins to Thundurus-T, such as Mamoswine, Chansey, and SpD Hippowdon. Mamoswine is OHKOed by Superpower after a U-turn with SR up, Chansey is 2HKOed by Superpower after taking a U-turn with SR up, and SpD Hippowdon is 2HKOed by HP Ice after taking a U-turn with SR up. Blissey is easily 2HKOed by Superpower even without SR up. Superpower also always OHKOes 252 HP Tyranitar and has perfect accuracy unlike the god awful Focus Blast, which makes me want to hit my head in the wall every time i have to depend on it. All in all this is a great set that needs more love and solves most of Thundurus-T's problems (low accuracy of Focus Blast, SR + LO build up fast, Volt Switch blocked by Ground-types on choiced sets, Celebi walls most other Thundurus-T sets and the same is true for Chansey and Blissey).

Choice Band Scizor with Pursuit is an excellent partner to this set as it can trap and kill Lati@s and deal with every other Pokemon that would want to switch into Thundurus-T, OHKOing Ferrothorn and getting momentum against Gastrodon.

 

[Lavos]

nice set, alexwolf. i've been using something similar but with grass knot over superpower to nail sdef hippowdon and random stuff like gastrodon, it just fits better on my team because i already have a dugtrio to check ttar. but i'm really a fan of superpower, an ohko on 252 hp tar is not something most pokemon can pull off and nobody expects superpower on what's always been a specially oriented pokemon anyways. this set can singlehandedly take down common sand stall teams that utilize celebi and heatran as their primary specially defensive core, since celebi never sees u-turn coming and heatran is 2hko'd by superpower. all in all this thing's one hell of a set, i'd also recommend terrakion as a partner because it really appreciates the momentum and is often good against the things you'll be u-turning out of.

 

[Betsy601]

Alright, this might get called out but it is NOT a gimmick, it works.

 

[dwarfstar]

http://www.smogon.com/bw/items/leftovers

If the hp is divisible by 16, there is no rounding, which makes for optimal healing.

400 and 401 will give you the same amount of healing, but 401 will allow you to switch into Stealth Rock one more time if necessary, so the spread that gives you 401 is superior.

 

[dcae]

Here is my favorite Thundurus-T set:

Thundurus-Therian (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Thunder
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Superpower

Mixed Thundurus-T is an excellent wallbreaker and i don't get why so few people use it. This beast is walled by only two Pokemon in OU, Ferrothorn and Gastrodon, and Ferrothorn is easy to wear down and takes 41.47 - 49.14% from Superpower. U-turn allows Thundurus-T to scout Ground-type switch-ins, and beat three of its most common switch-ins, Latios, Latias, and Celebi. Here are calcs of U-turn against those three:

• 4 Atk Expert Belt Thundurus-T U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Celebi: 254-302 (62.87 - 74.75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• 4 Atk Expert Belt Thundurus-T U-turn vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Latios: 154-182 (50.99 - 60.26%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• 4 Atk Expert Belt Thundurus-T U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Latias: 139-166 (38.18 - 45.6%) -- Always 2HKOes followed by HP Ice with SR up

Not only this, but U-turn build up damage to other common switch-ins to Thundurus-T, such as Mamoswine, Chansey, and SpD Hippowdon. Mamoswine is OHKOed by Superpower after a U-turn with SR up, Chansey is 2HKOed by Superpower after taking a U-turn with SR up, and SpD Hippowdon is 2HKOed by HP Ice after taking a U-turn with SR up. Blissey is easily 2HKOed by Superpower even without SR up. Superpower also always OHKOes 252 HP Tyranitar and has perfect accuracy unlike the god awful Focus Blast, which makes me want to hit my head in the wall every time i have to depend on it. All in all this is a great set that needs more love and solves most of Thundurus-T's problems (low accuracy of Focus Blast, SR + LO build up fast, Volt Switch blocked by Ground-types on choiced sets, Celebi walls most other Thundurus-T sets and the same is true for Chansey and Blissey).

Choice Band Scizor with Pursuit is an excellent partner to this set as it can trap and kill Lati@s and deal with every other Pokemon that would want to switch into Thundurus-T, OHKOing Ferrothorn and getting momentum against Gastrodon.

I really like this set, took it for a spin for a bit, and it was amazing, Huge surprise factor, and it dealt quite a lot of damage. Great set, very original. More people should use it. I paired it with Expert Belt Keldeo and Choice Scarf Terrakion. Keldeo was nice as it beats the majority of the things Thundurus T switched out of, and Expert Belt was excellent surprise factor. Terrakion cleaned up after checks and counters were weakened. It worked surprisingly well, so I'd also recommend Keldeo as a partner for this set.