XY OU Ben Gay x McMienshao: An In-Depth Guide to Being lukE n bad by Tokyo Tom & Ben Gay

Tokyo Tom

Somewhere between psychotic and iconic
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus


Peaked #1, OU Ladder - Ben Gay (September)
Peaked #1, Mawilite Suspect Ladder - Ben Gay (August)

INTRODUCTION

Hi, I'm Tokyo Tom. I'm a BW2 OU player from PO, and am part of the IDM clan from PO. The latter generally means I don't have to teambuild at all, and just steal teams from other members. However, I had always wanted to try out Mienshao in XY OU, as it was one of my favorite Pokemon to use in BW2. This team was created shortly before the Mawilite suspect test to abuse Mawile one last time before its ban, but was eventually changed for the suspect test and Charizard-X was added over Mawile. I was playing some fun matches with my friend ben gay when he expressed interest in the team. I gave him the team, and after making some of his own edits, he used the team to peak #1 on the suspect test ladder. Almost a month later this was one of the teams he used to peak #1 on the OU ladder during the 1st cycle of the Smogon Ladder Tournament. As for me, I'm not much of a PS ladder player but this was one of the teams I used to go 44-6 on the current ladder tournament before tilting, which may not be a huge achievement but IT IS TO ME OK. Anyway, due to the team's status as primarily a fun team, it will most likely not see mainstream tournament play, and with the recent decline of Sash leads and increasing usage of Scarf Landorus-T Mienshao is becoming less and less useful. For these reasons, Ben Gay and I have decided to post the team here for you guys to have fun with, or give feedback on. Finally, this is hopefully going to be a retirement post on my part, as I transition into University and hopefully out of being addicted to Pokemon. I'd like to thank everyone that's been there along the ride. Now let's get into the team!

On an unrelated note, I actually did meet up with Ben Gay this summer in California (his real name and the city are redacted due to privacy reasons), and turns out he looks nothing like how he types haha. A few of my PS friends asked me to take a picture when I was there, so this one's for you guys.


I'm on the left, that's Ben on the right at the pool he was guarding at this summer (unrelated, but you still owe me a brew dude haha). I added my own personal touch on the top right...

TEAMBUILDING PROCESS

The team began with Mienshao. A good movepool combined w/ a good ability and stats made it a cool choice and great anti-lead, and it's always been one of my favorite 'Mons in BW2 OU and UU.



Mawile was added because I wanted to abuse its broken-ness, and served as a heavy hitter which could break through a bunch of stuff Mienshao couldn't. Its ability to beat Pokemon like Azumarill for Mienshao, and Mienshao luring in Landorus-T and beating Heatran for Mawile made a cool offensive core.



Latios was added to take on Venusaur which walled the first two 'Mons. It also added Defog to the team, and I used it as a cool Heatran lure by running Earthquake. Mienshao could threaten Tyranitar and Bisharp, allowing me to gain momentum by double switching.



Raikou, besides being one of my favorite Pokemon, allowed me to form a VoltTurn core with Mienshao and threaten defensive Pokemon like Lando-T, Skarmory, and Venusaur --> Lati@s (I was running Extrasensory before, then switched to Shadow Ball when I added Zard-X). Sitting at a great speed tier, it could outpace offensive 'Mons like Keldeo and Thundurus as well. Additionally, it threatened the few bulky waters such as Slowbro and Alomomola that could beat Zard-X, and provided a FlySpam check and a solid switch-in into opposing Electric-types.



I built the rest of the team from there but honestly it was pretty bad, so I'll just skip to the part where I added Zard-X. Like Mawile, Zard-X is one of the heaviest hitters with similar counters (Lando-T and Heatran, etc.), so it fit in well with Latios, Mienshao, and Raikou.



Ferrothorn needed to be added as an obligatory Steel, and provided a solid switch-in to most Lati@s and Azumarill. It also provided my team with Stealth Rocks, which is like pretty key. With Latios to [hopefully] lure Heatran, Ferrothorn could have a field day being a pain in the ass to my opponent.



Landorus-T was added to deal with specific threats, such as opposing Charizard-X. Originally a lefties variant, Lando-T was later scarfed to better deal with misc. stuff like Mega Pinsir, HP Fire Greninja, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Alakazam. Having another U-Turner was also cool to complete my fast VoltTurn core.

THE TEAM IN-DEPTH [guide to zard-y by valentine]

Where applicable, the coloured parts in the descriptions are regarding Ben Gay's edits. Also, thanks to Trinitrotoluene for the RMT format!


Charizard-Mega-X @
|
Tough Claws *** Dark Fantasy

Adamant | [88 HP / 216 Atk / 204 Spe] / [EVs: 120 HP / 208 Atk / 180 Spe]
Flare Blitz / Earthquake
Dragon Dance
Roost

Dragon Claw

Overview
Although Mienshao makes the team unique, Charizard-X is the star of the show. Arguably the most broken Mega remaining in XY OU, Zard-X's amazing dual STABs and raw power are insane. The ability to throw around unboosted Flare Blitzes to soften checks early game is amazing (for example, unboosted Flare Blitz 2HKOs most Azumarill after Rocks and does upwards of around 65% to Scarf Landorus-T). Zard is also initially my main Clefable switch-in, and a Mega Evolved Flare Blitz does around 70%. On the other hand, Ben Gay uses Earthquake > Flare Blitz to lure Heatran for his Latios and Ferrothorn. Dragon Dance makes Zard-X even more threatening, allowing it to clean late game when team support has weakened its counters, or even set up mid game to break walls for the rest of the team. Dragon Claw is reliable STAB, hitting various things for solid damage, like Rotom-W, Keldeo, Terrakion, and more. My EVs are pretty standard, but I run a faster variant to speed creep on Jolly Mamoswine and Dragonite, while also outspeeding dangerous stuff like Mega Heracross. I just went for the jump point in Attack since Zard-X already has a ridiculous damage output, and threw the rest in HP to make setting up easier. I also made a slightly bulkier spread for Ben Gay, which allows Zard-X to creep Jolly Mega Heracross, Adamant Excadrill, Jolly Heatran and base 90s, and OHKO Keldeo and Terrakion with Dragon Claw at +1 with SR damage.



Mienshao @
|
Regenerator *** Devil in a New Dress

Naive / Jolly | [32 HP / 232 Atk / 244 Spe] / [252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe]
[30 Spe] / [29 HP]
High Jump Kick
Fake Out
U-Turn

Hidden Power [Ice] / Poison Jab

Overview
One of my absolute favorite Pokemon to use in BW2 OU, Mienshao returns as one of the better anti-leads in the game. Although its application has declined with the increase of Scarf Landorus-T and decrease of Lead Chomp, Lead Mamo, etc. it still is a great scouting Pokemon. Fake Out allows you to scout the item of your opponent, especially against opposing Landorus-T. STAB High Jump Kick is the crux of the set, which takes advantage of momentum gained by VoltTurn to deal heavy hits and rack up hazard damage. HP Ice is where the set gets interesting, hitting Gliscor and Landorus-T for massive amounts of damage. With these Pokemon weakened, Charizard-X can have a field day with the opponent's team. Even factoring in Intimidate, the combination of Stealth Rock damage, HJK, 1 round of Lefties recovery and HP Ice is enough to KO max HP max Defense Landorus-T most of the time. U-Turn allows Mienshao to maintain momentum while dealing damage, and healing up a bit with Regenerator as well. Finally, Poison Jab is an option over HP Ice to hit Clefable, Azumarill, and other Fairies for lots of damage, allowing Mienshao to single-handedly break the popular Clefable-Heatran core; Zard-X is usually capable of dealing with Fairies. However, Ben Gay uses Poison Jab on his edit due to the lack of Flare Blitz on his Zard-X, therefore giving Mienshao a reliable way to push lots of damage on Fairies (the Poison Chance also comes in handy if you happen to get a Landorus-T on the switch). Luring Landorus also isn't as necessary because Ben Gay's Latios carries Recover, allowing it to Defog more in a match. The EVs give me a Life Orb number in HP, and there is enough Speed to outpace Adamant Hawlucha. The rest of the EVs are thrown into Attack. Since I'm not running max Speed (the only application I've encountered is really against Manectric before they Mega Evolve), I opted for the 30 Speed IV HP Ice spread rather than 30 Atk / 30 Def because it saves me 1 stat point. Just a small thing, but w/e n_n Since he doesn't have to use Hidden Power, Ben Gay just uses max/max with a Jolly Nature, and 29 HP IVs to get a Life Orb number.



Latios @
|
Levitate *** All of the Lights

Hasty / Timid | [252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe] / [32 HP / 224 SpA / 252 Spe]
[29 HP] / [0 Atk]
Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
Earthquake / Recover
Defog

Psyshock

Overview
Any team with a Charizard typically has a Defogger, and Latios is the best when it comes to offense. This is the "standard" Latios with Earthquake, as Latios's usable Attack stat allows it to push massive amounts of damage onto Heatran, one of the premier sources of Stealth Rock in XY OU. At the same time, Earthquake luring Heatran can clear the way for my Charizard-X to sweep later in the game. Earthquake also hits Bisharp and Tyranitar, which is key because I'm especially weak to the former if I let it pick up a Defiant boost. Draco Meteor is the main STAB, being able to OHKO another common user of Stealth Rock, Landorus-T, after SR. Psyshock is the secondary STAB, and allows me to KO annoying Pokemon like Mega Venusaur for Raikou, and Mega Heracross for Ferrothorn. Since it hits Physically, it allows me to do more damage to Assault Vest Pokemon like Conkeldurr, which otherwise is an annoyance to the team. Psychic is a possibility over Psyshock to 2HKO Physically Defensive Clefable, but its application is usually outclassed by Psyshock's. The 29 HP IVs give Latios a Life Orb number at 299 rather than 301, meaning I take 29 recoil damage each turn rather than 30, breaking even if I get 2 hits in during the match.

Uhhhh this is Ben Gay's writeup
As far as offensive defoggers go, what better mon is there than latios? Being able to fend off against keldeo, zard y, and even mega venu is just what this team needs. With the recent bans in aegislash and mega mawile, there really isn't much that can safely switch in, and even the things that can would get smacked by any potential coverage it can carry. We chose latios>ias for this team as we can afford to run dragon pulse on it over draco as this team does not like opposing set up. Psyshock over psychic is necessary as well since with the recent rise in mega gard, being able to 2hko it after rocks would be in our best interest; chansey as well since this team is a tad weak to stall. The last moveslot can be dedicated to either roost or earthquake. If you opt for earthquake, you can try flare blitz on zard since it lures heatran and tyranitar. Roost offers the longevity this team needs against certain playstyles such as semi stall as latios plays a key role in threatening out mons or defogging over the course of the battle.



Raikou @
|
Pressure *** Lost in the World

Timid | 8 Def / 252 SpA / 248 Spe
2 Atk / 30 Def
Thunderbolt
Shadow Ball
Volt Switch

Hidden Power [Ice]

Overview
The Special portion of my VoltTurn core, Raikou is a key member in racking up hazard damage and maintaining momentum throughout the match. Raikou is also the team's Electric type, which is almost a pre-requisite on XY OU teams because they check Flying Spam. However, Raikou has a few advantages over Thundurus, the other Electric type used on offense (besides Mega Manectric) - namely, increased bulk, extra speed, and lack of a Flying typing. These traits allow Raikou to be a more sturdy check to Flyspam, while also checking Thundurus who could potentially end Zard-X's sweep. Finally, Raikou can take on the bulky waters that annoy Charizard-X and Mienshao, such as Slowbro and Alomomola. I found Choice Specs to be the best item for this Raikou, as Assault Vest's damage output was abysmal and Leftovers suggested some kind of CM set, which I wasn't looking for. Thunderbolt and HP Ice form pseudo BoltBeam coverage, and I chose Shadow Ball over Extrasensory for its ability to get a stronger hit on Ferrothorn, Excadrill, and also the increasingly popular Jirachi, among others. Volt Switch allows me to maintain momentum, which is awesome because Mienshao and Landorus-T can beat or threaten many of Raikou's checks and vice versa. For the EVs, I put enough to speed creep on Thundurus, beat Scarf Magnezone, and hopefully creep on Jolly Talonflame that creep on Thund. An added bonus is the ability to outspeed Adamant Aerodactyl before it goes Mega. I didn't maximize speed to get the switch advantage over opposing Raikou, and the things I miss out on speed tying (Starmie, Raikou) are hard-walled by Ferrothorn. Good thing Azelf is rare!



Ferrothorn @
|
Iron Barbs *** Hell of a Life

Relaxed | 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
0 Spe
Gyro Ball
Stealth Rock
Protect

Leech Seed

Overview
No matter how the meta has shifted around it so far, Ferrothorn remains one of the best defensive Pokemon in OU. A solid typing combined with a seemingly perfect stat distribution allow me to use Ferrothorn as an all-around check and switchin to Dragon- and Fairy-types, including stuff like Latios, Azumarill, and Clefable. Gyro Ball is a very powerful STAB move on such a defensive Pokemon, and allows me to smack around stuff that tries to set up too much. Although I had to give up Power Whip for Stealth Rock when I put Scarf on Landorus-T, the team relies on SR to pick up KOs or push damage through double switches/momentum so it was too important to drop. Protect is pretty much a standard on XY Ferrothorn, allowing me to scout Choiced 'Mons and overpredicts, rack up more Leech Seed damage, get more Lefties recovery, or play mind games with opponents with High Jump Kick or set-up moves. Even though 252 HP EVs puts Ferrothorn's at 352 (an even number, which is worse for residuals/hazards), it grants Ferrothorn 22 hit points from Leftovers rather than 351's 21. The extra hazard damage is usually not noticed anyway since Ferrothorn resists Stealth Rock, but the extra HP can be important with Protect. The rest of the EVs are put into both the defenses, with a slight emphasis on Physical Defense because Ferrothorn has so many special resistances already.



Landorus-Therian @
|
Intimidate *** Power

Jolly | 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 Spe
Earthquake
Knock Off
U-Turn

Stone Edge

Overview
Scarf Landorus-T is a very versatile Pokemon capable of checking a variety of threats. Intimidate is a great tool, and even without much investment into bulk Landorus-T is still capable of taking hits and dishing them back from a high base 145 Attack stat. Landorus-T is capable of switching in and pivoting off of many threatening Pokemon to my team, such as opposing Landorus-T and Heracross. With the Scarf, Landorus-T can also revenge Pokemon like Greninja, Mega Alakazam, and Charizard-X, all of which are big threats to the team. Earthquake is the obligatory STAB, combined with Stone Edge to form the unresisted QuakeEdge combo. While Knock Off is more of a utility move, it is also used to revenge kill 'Mons such as Lati@s and Gengar. Finally, the fast U-Turn allows me to retain momentum and completes the VoltTurn core of my team. A Jolly nature was required to outspeed +1 neutral-natured Charizard-X, and I added a little more speed to get the jump and creep on Scarf Excadrill and Adamant Scarf Garchomp, while remaining slower than opposing max/max Scarf Landorus-T to get switch advantage if the situation arises. I threw the rest of the EVs in HP to allow Landorus-T to take hits slightly better.


REPLAYS


SHOUTOUTS & IMPORTABLES
Smogon's 13
col49 my mentor, day one dude, and pretty much a huge reason why I am wherever I am on 'Mons today. thank you for all the support.
Kid Buu SPL standout, fellow asian class of 2014'er, it's always cool talking to you bro. introduced me to all of Dragon's Den.
The DragonKnight one of my best friends on PS, you always have my back and I'm thankful for that. and you have a link to everything!
Jaiho sometimes I get you mixed up with Sherlock Holmes. the greatest detective there was, and a nice and easygoing guy.
CZ. known you for 4 years, still a great guy and always willing to hop in call n' such even if you don't play much anymore.
Nog another guy who always has my back. keep ballin, stay winnin you fraud thanks for all the support.
Zamrock the premier shittalker. you're a hilarious dude and always cool to have in call, or always down to play some fun matches.
ben gay the yung prodigy. probably the highest quality battler in the group, and a great dude.
Riley, but everyone calls him Riles . thanks for being one of my oldest friends from 'Mons. not sure where I'd be without your support for the last half year.
sugarhigh all around great guy, always down for a call, always down for a battle, always down to troll random people. and we hate the exact same users!
Subject 18 the only guy I know who gets flinched by Psychic. you have some hilarious stories and I know I can always complain about hax w/ you. I've known you for the shortest amount of time out of the people in Smogon's 13 but you're always down to talk and you're one of my closes friends on Smogon.
fingerscrossed glad you didn't end up leaving dude, although I always say you're too hipster for 'Mons - that's a compliment. great builder and player, and great guy.
IDM
So many people...I realize a lot of you guys probably don't want to be tagged in this but either way cheers for all the support over the last few months. CTC (I owe pretty much all of this to you bro) PROBLEMS Edgar Blim aim gr8astard -Tsunami- Sinclair Toxzn Marth SOMALIA BKC blunder chimpact CrashinBoomBang dragonuser Lord Elyis SnowCristal! Oh Captain LuckOverSkill MikeDecIsHere Stone_Cold SoulWind BLINGAS ♥ Versace Python Cased High Impulse New Breed Artemisa Steve Angello Navy Mizuhime Dragonflame997 bro fist xtrashine , and especially my good friends Hot N Cold, KratosMana and Stathakis
Haxball *-*
Dragon's Den + OU Room dudes
Other Friends
Valentine Jirachee Pridy Nasira Agito-desu @HAXBALL GOD/WIZARD/CZAR/PROFESSOR/LORD/AllDay ErDay/DAVEY MoxieInfinite Ohmachi Fruitdealer Rupe BRAN8282 syLph
Dark Fantasy (Charizard-Mega-X) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 88 HP / 216 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Dragon Claw

Devil in a New Dress (Mienshao) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 32 HP / 232 Atk / 244 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- High Jump Kick
- Fake Out
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]

All of the Lights (Latios) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Draco Meteor
- Earthquake
- Defog
- Psyshock

Lost in the World (Raikou) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 8 Def / 252 SpA / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch

Hell of a Life (Ferrothorn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Leech Seed

Power (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
Dark Fantasy (Charizard-Mega-X) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 120 HP / 208 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Dragon Claw

Devil in a New Dress (Mienshao) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- High Jump Kick
- Fake Out
- U-turn
- Poison Jab

All of the Lights (Latios) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dragon Pulse
- Recover
- Defog
- Psyshock

Power (Raikou) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 8 Def / 252 SpA / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch

Hell of a Life (Ferrothorn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Leech Seed

Monster (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
 
Last edited:
Your team is weak to Clef, so I too would recommend Dragon Claw over Outrage on ZardX.

Since you like Mienshao so much, I don't want to tell you not to use it... But it doesn't perform too well in OU. Especially the LO version. You simply get outsped and OHKO'd by so many fast, dangerous threats. Regenerator won't even matter because Mienshao is just really frail. If you have to use it, I would recommend Choice Scarf so that it can revenge kill.

Minor thing on Latios: you don't need the 4 EV's in attack. I don't think it changes the % chance of OHKOing Heatran at all.

Raikou is definitely cool, but it is unfortunately outclassed by Thundurs-I as a special electric attacker because the latter has more power and Prankster, and its 111 speed let's it outspeed almost everything Raikou does. HOWEVER, you can still use Raikou, and I would recommend it, but you have to use his advantages over Thundurus. Raikou has better bulk, so he runs a very effective Assault Vest set that can counter non-Defiant boosted Thundurus and many others.

Ferrothorn set looks fine

Lando-T looks fine, but I have some questions/concerns about the EVs. Outspeeding +1 ZardX is good because he has a 94.9% chance to 2HKO you with DragClaw after rocks (at -1). However, getting the jump on Excadrill is not really worth it, I've never seen an Adamant ScarfChomp, and most scarfed Lando-T's run 212 speed Adamant, so you will be faster and you won't get switch advantage. The ZardX insurance could make it worth it, though.
 
i deleted all the non-rates so this thread doesnt look like it was posted in by slobbering retards and so (BAN ME PLEASE)s dont pm me on irc about their post being deleted while others' werent

only post if youre rating the team, you can say "nice work" by liking the op or pming tokyo tom/ben gay
 

Tokyo Tom

Somewhere between psychotic and iconic
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Just want to note that I finally got around to editing in Ben Gay's sets and spreads.

Thanks Chimp and Gannex for the rates! Ben Gay was already using DClaw but I'll put that up there on mine too.

Since you like Mienshao so much, I don't want to tell you not to use it... But it doesn't perform too well in OU. Especially the LO version. You simply get outsped and OHKO'd by so many fast, dangerous threats. Regenerator won't even matter because Mienshao is just really frail. If you have to use it, I would recommend Choice Scarf so that it can revenge kill.
Yhe so pretty much Mienshao actually does perform pretty well in OU as I explained in its paragraph. You're certainly right in a way because its niche has declined, but about the "gets outspeed and OHKO'd by fast dangerous threats" is where team support comes in. Regenerator is mainly there to keep Mienshao healthy after taking Life Orb and potential Iron Barbs damage, and also helps to lessen the consequences of losing 50/50s against Protect 'Mons. I definitely agree that Reckless is a good ability but Regenerator allows Mienshao to stay in the match and not care as much about hazards, and continue to threaten the opponent. The Choice Scarf bit, while cool, typically isn't necessary. Scarfed Landorus-T handles the large majority of setup sweepers, besides Mega Gyarados and Ttar which are typically handled by Ferrothorn (while Fire Punch variants are handled by Landorus).

Minor thing on Latios: you don't need the 4 EV's in attack. I don't think it changes the % chance of OHKOing Heatran at all.
Good catch, edited. Cheers

Raikou is definitely cool, but it is unfortunately outclassed by Thundurs-I as a special electric attacker because the latter has more power and Prankster, and its 111 speed let's it outspeed almost everything Raikou does. HOWEVER, you can still use Raikou, and I would recommend it, but you have to use his advantages over Thundurus. Raikou has better bulk, so he runs a very effective Assault Vest set that can counter non-Defiant boosted Thundurus and many others.
I think I mentioned this in my write-up (both about why I chose Raikou > Thundurus and also why I dislike AV), but yeah with AV especially it just doesn't do enough damage to where I can force bulky waters out with Volt Switch, 2HKO Drill/Mamo (iirc), etc. The extra bulk is cool against misc. stuff like HP Fire Latios I guess, but that's also outsped by my own Latios the team usually is able to scout for that pretty well. Basically I don't find that AV's niche is really needed on the team.

Lando-T looks fine, but I have some questions/concerns about the EVs. Outspeeding +1 ZardX is good because he has a 94.9% chance to 2HKO you with DragClaw after rocks (at -1). However, getting the jump on Excadrill is not really worth it, I've never seen an Adamant ScarfChomp, and most scarfed Lando-T's run 212 speed Adamant, so you will be faster and you won't get switch advantage. The ZardX insurance could make it worth it, though.
Uhh, yeah it is worth it - as you notice the team is weak to Zard-X which is why Lando is there. 212 Speed Adamant may outspeed bulkier variants but with Jolly I am simply able to outspeed all Adamant ones. Getting the jump on Drill and Chomp is simply because I'm running at least 300 speed already, 4 more Speed allows me to outspeed two of the more prevalent users of Scarf (Adamant ScarfChomp is popular amongst tourney players, or at least was a few months ago - still, it's only one more speed from Drill and 4 HP is pretty much useless). I hate misc. Iron Head flinches too!
 
what do you do to other zard X once they get +1?

pretty much a wrap from there especially if they go dclaw flare blitz and outspeed scarf landy
 
The team generally offers opposing Zard-X very little setup opportunity (usually Ferrothorn, or non Volt Switching Raikou after it lands a kill, which is pretty rare early game if I know they have a Zard-X in the back - also they would have already had to Mega Evolve to do so), but if it does happen to get a DD in, Landorus-T can revenge it. The large majority of Zard-X in both the ladder and tournament play are Adamant, which are all outspeed by Scarf Lando; if it is Jolly though Lando can still take a hit and KO back (Lando can take a hit from Adamant Zard-X too). The worst case scenario is if it comes in on Lando's Knock Off, where I'd then have to sack something and then bring Lando back in to revenge it, but again if Zard-X is in the back you'd usually take that into account. I see where you're coming from, but Zard-X is a lot more threatening to the team on paper then in the actual game.
a lot i have seen on the ladder, 1500-1600 have been running jolly just to outspeed scarf lando at +1. also zard Y does a number to this team as well, again it can be revenged though i guess
 

Tokyo Tom

Somewhere between psychotic and iconic
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Just gonna consolidate this into one post -

The team generally offers opposing Zard-X very little setup opportunity (usually Ferrothorn, or non Volt Switching Raikou after it lands a kill, which is pretty rare early game if I know they have a Zard-X in the back - also they would have already had to Mega Evolve to do so), but if it does happen to get a DD in, Landorus-T can revenge it. The large majority of Zard-X in both the ladder and tournament play are Adamant, which are all outspeed by Scarf Lando; if it is Jolly though Lando can still take a hit and KO back. (edit: you're right actually, it does get OHKOed with Rocks) The worst case scenario is if it comes in on Lando's Knock Off, where I'd then have to sack something and then bring Lando back in to revenge it, but again if Zard-X is in the back you'd usually take that into account. I see where you're coming from, but Zard-X is a lot more threatening to the team on paper then in the actual game.

a lot i have seen on the ladder, 1500-1600 have been running jolly just to outspeed scarf lando at +1. also zard Y does a number to this team as well, again it can be revenged though i guess
I think this was mentioned in the writeup, but yeah Latios is a switchin to Zard-Y, and Zard-X is able to switch in on everything but Focus Blast, while Landorus-T, Raikou, and Mienshao are all able to revenge it depending on what HP level it's at (Fake Out + HJK does minimum 77%). DD Zard-Y is more of a problem but typically loses to Zard-X, and also Lando since most Physical Zard-Y use Flare Blitz over Fire Blast.

Anyway my thing with Zard-X in general is if you play the team well you'll typically offer opposing Zard-X very little to no set-up chances, with Lando in the back more as insurance. I'll probably have to sack something for Jolly Zard-X to get another Intimidate off, but it is what it is I guess, unless anyone has any advice on how to tweak the team (I'd probably consider running 52 Def on Lando and 0 HP because that's never OHKOed by Jolly Zard-X after Rocks)
 
Hey, great team. I've been using it for a while and I seem to have trouble with mega scizor, and sticky web any advice?
 
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