Hey everybody,
I've been lurking on smogon for nearly half a decade, but this is my first post, so that's pretty fun. Anyway, I need help with my team. I finally have an OU team that shows promise (its highest position on the ladder so far is 1584, which by my standards is fantastic) but it definitely has some kinks that need to be worked out.
Here's a preview:
Import:
I hate to disappoint, but the pirate theme is nickname-only. So yeah. This team originated when my buddy (who just got into competitive Pokemon) heard that Clefable was good this gen, and he wanted me to help him build a team around it. The Clefable, while still part of the team, didn't become part of the core, but because it was the first Pokemon, I'll list it first.
---
The Wench (Clefable) (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
Flamethrower kicks ass. My team has an abundance of Ferrothorn checks already (everybody but Mamoswine and Hippowdon threatens it in some way), but situationally, Clefable ends up in that position the most. Scoring an OHKO on a Mega Scizor as it switches in is a very, very sweet feeling. Being able to check Steel-types means that Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Aegislash are all afraid to switch in, which allows Clefable to maintain momentum with ease. However, this set is totally walled by Heatran (it's worth noting that this Clefable beat a defensive Heatran in a PP stall, but that may have been situational).
Unfortunately, Clefable is much more likely to lose to Talonflame with this set, but I usually have SR up by the time Talonflame switches in. After taking 50% from SR and then additional damage from Brave Bird (and possibly Life Orb) recoil, Talonflame becomes easy to pick off, falling victim to Zapdos and Gyarados with ease, both of whom check it. In late game, when Talonflame usually comes out, Gyarados's ability to stall with Intimidate becomes really important.
---
Next, my buddy (henceforth referred to as George) wanted a bulky water. I looked at the available options and decided to go for Gyarados. This is my favorite Pokemon on the team and I'm really not looking to have it edited unless someone points out a pretty serious problem.
The Plank (Gyarados) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Tail
- Substitute
- Waterfall
Switch in on a special hit, take it like a champ, set up a sub, Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, rinse, repeat. Gyarados can take a serious beating from anything barring Electric and Rock, but is very weak to SR and electric types tend to force it out if it's not behind a sub. Still, this thing has surprising longevity when played correctly, and spreading paralysis in the early game allows other Pokemon to sweep in the late game. This guy causes serious problems for teams lacking Aromatherapy or Heal Bell.
---
Next, I told George about FWG cores, so we decided to move forward with that idea, going with Charizard (Megazard Y) and Technician Breloom. Though Breloom quickly got the axe, Charizard stuck around, and has been the team's main sweeper ever since.
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Bootstrap Bill (Charizard) (M) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
- Roost
Good ol' Bootstrap hits like a truck. Flamethrower is more reliable than Fire Blast and can be spammed. Solar Beam cleanly OHKOs Rotom-W and most other water types, but is usually afraid to switch in, especially if rocks are up. Solar Beam and Flamethrower have great coverage, and Focus Blast rounds out the attacking moves, hitting fire-types neutrally and getting super effective coverage on normal-types, dark-types, and Heatran. Roost is handy when forcing switches and predicting Sucker Punches as it increases Charizard's longevity by a turn or two.
Stealth Rock is a serious problem for not only Charizard but my team in general. His speed also leaves quite a bit to be desired, but overall, I've found Charizard-Y to be very helpful late-game.
---
Breloom initially took this slot, but when it became apparent that this team is super weak to boltbeam coverage (especially from speedsters like Tornadus), we needed a check to such Pokemon. Ground/Ice typing, along with Thick Fat, made Mamoswine the perfect Pokemon for the job.
First Mate (Mamoswine) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Stone Edge
Life Orb Mamoswine packs serious heat. Initially, this guy had a Choice Band, but Unbirthday suggested a Life Orb and I haven't looked back since. The decrease in power isn't super notable; the only real issue is the HP loss from each attack. And the tradeoff is too sweet to ignore: after predicting a switch-in, Mamo cripples it with the proper attack move, and then finishes the job with Ice Shard.
Icicle Crash does good damage to most of the meta, so I find myself using that attack a lot. Rock/Ice coverage is redundant on paper, but in practice, Stone Edge is usually a safe option to use when predicting a switch, and thus needs to stay on the set.
When Mamoswine shows up, common offensive electric types (I'm looking at you, Thundurus and Mega Manectric) are forced out immediately. Incidentally, Thick Fat effectively leaves Mamoswine without a fire weakness and with an ice resistance, which makes him perfect for checking Mega Manectric. Mamoswine and Charizard also have great offensive synergy.
---
Unbirthday suggested a few changes, the two biggest of which were switching Forretress for Zapdos and Gliscor for Hippowdon. Both have been changed, and the team is functioning much better now. Let's take a look at Zapdos first:
Polly (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 68 SpA / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
Zapdos is a bulky Defogger with key electric coverage. Unfortunately, Defog means that any SR I set up will be removed, but the team synergy makes the tradeoff alright. Its special attack is high enough that it can have a bit of an offensive presence, and electric+fire is decent coverage. Heat Wave also hits pretty hard in the sun if I need to switch Charizard into Zapdos (this is very situational, but I had it happen twice in roughly eight battles since I made the change). I debated between Thunderbolt or Discharge for a while, but ultimately went with Discharge because the paralysis chance is very nice. This set mostly belongs to Unbirthday, so I'm indebted to her :)
---
Ironically, the last Pokemon I added is the Pokemon I usually lead off with. Like Zapdos, this Hippowdon is courtesy of Unbirthday.
Old Ironsides (Hippowdon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
Initially, I had a Gliscor here that had no attacks. It set up SR, used Toxic, and stalled. I've found that Hippowdon can stall Sandstorm damage if it needs to, and can also take hits from both physical and special attackers. Having only one type, it has no pesky 4x weaknesses, and can easily switch in on things that threaten Gyarados. In general, Hippowdon and Gyarados make a great defensive core, with Heatran sponging up attacks from both of Gyarados's weaknesses and Gyarados taking water-type attacks. Gyarados's special bulk also allows him to switch into most grass-type and ice-type attacks, which is super handy. Generally, Hippowdon sets up rocks, phazes through the opponent's team, and is a general nuisance until it goes down.
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So there you have it! I haven't been keeping an active threat list, but this team is very weak to water-types in general and also has trouble dealing with Chansey. C&C is more than welcome!
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BENCHED:
Initially, I stuck two other gimmicky Pokemon on the team from a past OU team onto this one to keep the team from being too frail. The first of these is Gliscor.
Stowaway Pete (Gliscor) (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
Here's a Gliscor with no attack moves. Though walled by all Poison and Steel types (as well as Taunters), it functions very well in the right environment as it simply doesn't die. This little guy has outstalled a Tyranitar that carried Ice Punch before and won 1v1.
Of course, Ice Beam from pretty much everything OHKOs. I like this Gliscor a lot, but I'm not sure how right he is for this team. After setting up SR, he doesn't have much to do besides spread Toxic, but I've found that I prefer spreading paralysis with Gyarados. Toxiced Pokemon can't be paralyzed, and paralyzed Pokemon can't be Toxiced. Basically, this means Gyarados and Gliscor kinda step on each others' feet.
---
And then there's Assault Vest Forretress.
Cannonball (Forretress) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
- Payback
This might be kinda stupid, but whatever. I'm pretty sure I want Leftovers (or even Choice Band) over Assault Vest, as Forretress doesn't survive special attacks anyway. Forretress is basically here to be a spinner (Gyarados and Charizard really can't afford to have rocks up), but hits Spinblockers on the switch hard with Payback. Volt Switch provides the opportunity for a slow switch and Gyro Ball is for powerful STAB.
---
I've been lurking on smogon for nearly half a decade, but this is my first post, so that's pretty fun. Anyway, I need help with my team. I finally have an OU team that shows promise (its highest position on the ladder so far is 1584, which by my standards is fantastic) but it definitely has some kinks that need to be worked out.
Here's a preview:
Import:
The Wench (Clefable) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
First Mate (Mamoswine) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Stone Edge
Bootstrap Bill (Charizard) (M) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
- Roost
Old Ironsides (Hippowdon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
The Plank (Gyarados) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Tail
- Substitute
- Waterfall
Polly (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 68 SpA / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 20 Spe
- Roost
- Defog
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
Ability: Magic Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
First Mate (Mamoswine) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Stone Edge
Bootstrap Bill (Charizard) (M) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
- Roost
Old Ironsides (Hippowdon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
The Plank (Gyarados) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Tail
- Substitute
- Waterfall
Polly (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 68 SpA / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 20 Spe
- Roost
- Defog
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
I hate to disappoint, but the pirate theme is nickname-only. So yeah. This team originated when my buddy (who just got into competitive Pokemon) heard that Clefable was good this gen, and he wanted me to help him build a team around it. The Clefable, while still part of the team, didn't become part of the core, but because it was the first Pokemon, I'll list it first.
---
The Wench (Clefable) (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
Flamethrower kicks ass. My team has an abundance of Ferrothorn checks already (everybody but Mamoswine and Hippowdon threatens it in some way), but situationally, Clefable ends up in that position the most. Scoring an OHKO on a Mega Scizor as it switches in is a very, very sweet feeling. Being able to check Steel-types means that Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Aegislash are all afraid to switch in, which allows Clefable to maintain momentum with ease. However, this set is totally walled by Heatran (it's worth noting that this Clefable beat a defensive Heatran in a PP stall, but that may have been situational).
Unfortunately, Clefable is much more likely to lose to Talonflame with this set, but I usually have SR up by the time Talonflame switches in. After taking 50% from SR and then additional damage from Brave Bird (and possibly Life Orb) recoil, Talonflame becomes easy to pick off, falling victim to Zapdos and Gyarados with ease, both of whom check it. In late game, when Talonflame usually comes out, Gyarados's ability to stall with Intimidate becomes really important.
---
Next, my buddy (henceforth referred to as George) wanted a bulky water. I looked at the available options and decided to go for Gyarados. This is my favorite Pokemon on the team and I'm really not looking to have it edited unless someone points out a pretty serious problem.
The Plank (Gyarados) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Tail
- Substitute
- Waterfall
Switch in on a special hit, take it like a champ, set up a sub, Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, rinse, repeat. Gyarados can take a serious beating from anything barring Electric and Rock, but is very weak to SR and electric types tend to force it out if it's not behind a sub. Still, this thing has surprising longevity when played correctly, and spreading paralysis in the early game allows other Pokemon to sweep in the late game. This guy causes serious problems for teams lacking Aromatherapy or Heal Bell.
---
Next, I told George about FWG cores, so we decided to move forward with that idea, going with Charizard (Megazard Y) and Technician Breloom. Though Breloom quickly got the axe, Charizard stuck around, and has been the team's main sweeper ever since.
Bootstrap Bill (Charizard) (M) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
- Roost
Good ol' Bootstrap hits like a truck. Flamethrower is more reliable than Fire Blast and can be spammed. Solar Beam cleanly OHKOs Rotom-W and most other water types, but is usually afraid to switch in, especially if rocks are up. Solar Beam and Flamethrower have great coverage, and Focus Blast rounds out the attacking moves, hitting fire-types neutrally and getting super effective coverage on normal-types, dark-types, and Heatran. Roost is handy when forcing switches and predicting Sucker Punches as it increases Charizard's longevity by a turn or two.
Stealth Rock is a serious problem for not only Charizard but my team in general. His speed also leaves quite a bit to be desired, but overall, I've found Charizard-Y to be very helpful late-game.
---
Breloom initially took this slot, but when it became apparent that this team is super weak to boltbeam coverage (especially from speedsters like Tornadus), we needed a check to such Pokemon. Ground/Ice typing, along with Thick Fat, made Mamoswine the perfect Pokemon for the job.
First Mate (Mamoswine) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Stone Edge
Life Orb Mamoswine packs serious heat. Initially, this guy had a Choice Band, but Unbirthday suggested a Life Orb and I haven't looked back since. The decrease in power isn't super notable; the only real issue is the HP loss from each attack. And the tradeoff is too sweet to ignore: after predicting a switch-in, Mamo cripples it with the proper attack move, and then finishes the job with Ice Shard.
Icicle Crash does good damage to most of the meta, so I find myself using that attack a lot. Rock/Ice coverage is redundant on paper, but in practice, Stone Edge is usually a safe option to use when predicting a switch, and thus needs to stay on the set.
When Mamoswine shows up, common offensive electric types (I'm looking at you, Thundurus and Mega Manectric) are forced out immediately. Incidentally, Thick Fat effectively leaves Mamoswine without a fire weakness and with an ice resistance, which makes him perfect for checking Mega Manectric. Mamoswine and Charizard also have great offensive synergy.
---
Unbirthday suggested a few changes, the two biggest of which were switching Forretress for Zapdos and Gliscor for Hippowdon. Both have been changed, and the team is functioning much better now. Let's take a look at Zapdos first:
Polly (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 68 SpA / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
Zapdos is a bulky Defogger with key electric coverage. Unfortunately, Defog means that any SR I set up will be removed, but the team synergy makes the tradeoff alright. Its special attack is high enough that it can have a bit of an offensive presence, and electric+fire is decent coverage. Heat Wave also hits pretty hard in the sun if I need to switch Charizard into Zapdos (this is very situational, but I had it happen twice in roughly eight battles since I made the change). I debated between Thunderbolt or Discharge for a while, but ultimately went with Discharge because the paralysis chance is very nice. This set mostly belongs to Unbirthday, so I'm indebted to her :)
---
Ironically, the last Pokemon I added is the Pokemon I usually lead off with. Like Zapdos, this Hippowdon is courtesy of Unbirthday.
Old Ironsides (Hippowdon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
Initially, I had a Gliscor here that had no attacks. It set up SR, used Toxic, and stalled. I've found that Hippowdon can stall Sandstorm damage if it needs to, and can also take hits from both physical and special attackers. Having only one type, it has no pesky 4x weaknesses, and can easily switch in on things that threaten Gyarados. In general, Hippowdon and Gyarados make a great defensive core, with Heatran sponging up attacks from both of Gyarados's weaknesses and Gyarados taking water-type attacks. Gyarados's special bulk also allows him to switch into most grass-type and ice-type attacks, which is super handy. Generally, Hippowdon sets up rocks, phazes through the opponent's team, and is a general nuisance until it goes down.
-----
So there you have it! I haven't been keeping an active threat list, but this team is very weak to water-types in general and also has trouble dealing with Chansey. C&C is more than welcome!
-----
BENCHED:
Initially, I stuck two other gimmicky Pokemon on the team from a past OU team onto this one to keep the team from being too frail. The first of these is Gliscor.
Stowaway Pete (Gliscor) (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
Here's a Gliscor with no attack moves. Though walled by all Poison and Steel types (as well as Taunters), it functions very well in the right environment as it simply doesn't die. This little guy has outstalled a Tyranitar that carried Ice Punch before and won 1v1.
Of course, Ice Beam from pretty much everything OHKOs. I like this Gliscor a lot, but I'm not sure how right he is for this team. After setting up SR, he doesn't have much to do besides spread Toxic, but I've found that I prefer spreading paralysis with Gyarados. Toxiced Pokemon can't be paralyzed, and paralyzed Pokemon can't be Toxiced. Basically, this means Gyarados and Gliscor kinda step on each others' feet.
---
And then there's Assault Vest Forretress.
Cannonball (Forretress) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
- Payback
This might be kinda stupid, but whatever. I'm pretty sure I want Leftovers (or even Choice Band) over Assault Vest, as Forretress doesn't survive special attacks anyway. Forretress is basically here to be a spinner (Gyarados and Charizard really can't afford to have rocks up), but hits Spinblockers on the switch hard with Payback. Volt Switch provides the opportunity for a slow switch and Gyro Ball is for powerful STAB.
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