I decided to try out Mega Houndoom Offense since Houndoom is a very unprepared for threat that got better in ORAS. While it did not get any direct boosts, a couple of Metagame changes occurred that benefit it, mainly the decrease in Azumarill usage due to Greninja being able to beat it (and then getting banned), the rise in Celebi and Jirachi usage and the huge usage of Mega Metagross, Mega Sableye, and Mega Slowbro. However, it did gain two big checks in Mega Diancie and Mega Altaria, but those can be dealt with by teammates.
*Team Building*
I started off with Forretress+Houndoom, as I intended to make a Hyper Offense team. M-Houndoom appreciates hazard support in order to weaken Azumarill, M-Altaria and M-Diancie. M-Houndoom, in turn, makes Sableye a complete liability, giving M-Houndoom free Nasty Plots. M-Sableye is the only Magic Bouncer Forretress cannot beat.
I decided to add Azumarill next, as it lured in pokemon that M-Houndoom could set up on, such as Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, Slowbro and M-Venusaur. It can revenge kill M-Diancie, Landorus-I, and Excadrill with Aqua Jet, which is useful for every team. Most importantly, it provided an answer for Keldeo, one of the best Offensive checks to M-Houndoom.
Bisharp was added next to punish Defog, provide more priority, and pressure stall. It weakens Keldeo for M-Houndoom, gets rid of pesky Leftovers and Choice Scarf, and, in general, softens up teams nicely for M-Houndoom. It also provides me with a way to immediately threaten Fairy-types.
I added Choice Scarf Keldeo afterwards to act as a revenge killer. Similarly to Azumarill, it baits in things that M-Houndoom can set up on, with the added bonus of weakening Azumarill. It also provides a secondary check to Bisharp, in case M-Houndoom is too weak to take it on.
Landorus-I was the final mon added, acting as a special wallbreaker and stall killer. Basically, once M-Houndoom gets rid of Chansey (will get into later), Landorus-I has a field day against stall, with the only other "common" answers to it on stall being Cresselia and Mandibuzz, which get destroyed by Houndoom (and Bisharp) too. Landorus-I also helps take on Balance, weakening Rotom-W for other members of the team, and, in general, breaking down stall.
*In-Depth Moveset Analysis*
Forretress Skarmory
Skarmory @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 244 Atk / 12 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: NaN HP / NaN SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Iron Head
I decided to use Custap Lead Forretress as my lead. Sturdy+Custap gives Forretress the ability to get two attacks off, usually either two hazards, or a hazard+Explosion. Gyro Ball allows it to beat M-Diancie, preventing it from Magic Bouncing hazards back. Together with the attack EVs, and negative speed nature, Gyro Ball can break a Sub+Calm Mind Keldeo's Substitute, preventing it from setting up on me properly. Explosion is used for three reasons; 1. To kill Forretress while also getting some damage off on something, allowing me to bring in another, more threatening mon, 2. Block Rapid Spin/Defog thanks to Custap Berry allowing me to go first, and 3. Allowing me to come in late game and kamikaze a sweeper. I run 0 IVs in Hp, Defense, and Special Defense to knock myself into Custap range quicker, and 0 Speed IVs to power up Gyro Ball. 56 HP EVs are used to survive a Fake Out+High Jump Kick from Adamant Mega Lopunny 100% of the time.
252+ Atk Mega Lopunny Fake Out vs. 0 HP / 8 Def Forretress: 30-36 (11.5 - 13.8%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252+ Atk Mega Lopunny High Jump Kick vs. 0 HP / 8 Def Forretress: 199-235 (76.5 - 90.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
vs
252+ Atk Mega Lopunny Fake Out vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Forretress: 31-37 (11.3 - 13.5%) -- possible 8HKO
252+ Atk Mega Lopunny High Jump Kick vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Forretress: 201-237 (73.3 - 86.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
I decided to change Forretress to Custap Lead Skarmory due to HeiDoe suggestion. Lead Skarmory is basically a better Lead Forretress, and the only thing it really misses is Explosion.
Houndoom
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Taunt OR Sludge Bomb
M-Houndoom, the star of the show. I decided to use M-Houndoom over something like M-Diancie due to one important thing; Its speed allows it to check a couple of important mons. Due to its often overlooked base 115 speed and excellent Offensive typing, M-Houndoom can check the following threats to Offense: M-Metagross, Latios, Latias, Bisharp, and many more. It also makes M-Sableye a COMPLETE liability, as it can do absolutely nothing to M-Houndoom, and can even accidentally give it a Flash Fire boost. With Nasty Plot+Taunt, Houndoom can beat Chansey by Nasty Plotting on the switch, Taunting the status move, and either setting up more or proceeding to Fire Blast/Dark Pulse the living Hell out of it. Stall teams tend to crumble pretty fast once Chansey is gone. It can also beat non-Earth Power Heatran through the same method. If running Sludge Bomb instead of Taunt, it loses the ability to make Stall cry to handle Balance/Bulky Offense a bit better. Sludge Bomb allows it to beat Azumarill and M-Altaria, two of its hardest counters, as well as potentially poisoning M-Diancie, Tyranitar or Keldeo on the switch. Destiny Bond is another option in the last slot, allowing it to take down any of its counters, but at the cost of its life.
Azumarill
Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Knock Off
In XY, Azumarill used to be a staple on Offensive teams due to its ability to check Greninja and other offensive mons. But then, ORAS came, blessing Greninja with Gunk Shot, completely flipping the matchup on its head. Azumarill is still a very good mon on Offense, being able to 1v1 a lot of opposing mons on Offense, and any that it can't it leave a dent in. Azumarill is primarily used to check Landorus-I, M-Diancie, and Excadrill in sand, while also providing Knock Off support. Assault Vest, though generally considered the worst of its common sets, is able to beat Thundurus 1 on 1, which is very valuable for this team.
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 240 HP / 16 SpD Assault Vest Azumarill: 291-346 (72.5 - 86.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
The spread I am using has been standard for a while now, maximizing special bulk without detracting from the physical bulk, and keeping Azumarill's power. Aqua Jet is used to pick off water weak, weakened, and extremely frail mons, while Waterfall and Play Rough serve as strong dual stabs. Knock Off is used to get rid of the passive recovery of Leftovers and Black Sludge, allowing pokemon without recovery to get worn down very quickly.
Bisharp
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Bisharp is always a great pokemon to add to offense. Bisharp was mainly added for Defiant, which allows it to punish Defoggers attempting to get rid of the hazards set up by Forretress. However, it often does more than just punished Defog. Bisharp can weaken Keldeo for M-Houndoom, allowing M-Houndoom to clean more efficiently. Bisharp also aids in beating stall, usually after Houndoom has knocked out Chansey and weakened another mon (usually Clefable or SpeDef Gliscor). Bisharp provides an extremely powerful priority move, STAB Knock Off to weaken walls, and Iron Head to threaten Fairies. I decided to run Jolly in order to get the jump on things that only run enough speed for Max Speed Adamant Bisharp, such as certain variants or Mew and Gliscor. Life Orb is used over something like Black Glasses in order to compensate for the power loss from Jolly, and to boost Iron Head's power.
Keldeo
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
At this point, I really needed a revenge killer. Choice Scarf Keldeo fits the role well, as it serves as a secondary check to M-Gyarados, a much needed check to M-Lopunny and M-Manetric, and can prevent Altaria from getting speed boosts properly with Icy Wind. The set itself is pretty standard, outside of having both Icy Wind and Hidden Power Electric instead of Scald+a coverage move. I chose to run both of them because I needed something to revenge kill Dragonite, M-Altaria, M-Sceptile, normal Gyarados, and something to do meaningful damage to BellyJet Azumarill. Scarf Keldeo usually has to chose which one of these it wants to revenge kill.
Landorus
Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive/Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- This Slot is needs to be filled. I've tried out Rock Polish, Knock Off, and some coverage moves, all of which work well. I'm not sure which one works the best though.
Landorus adds a much needed wallbreaker to this team. Most slower teams completely crumble to Landorus-I, as not much can take its hits, other than Chansey/Blissey, Cresselia, and SpeDef Mandibuzz. Luckily, all three of those get set up on/smashed by M-Houndoom and Bisharp. The moveset is pretty standard, Earth Power and Focus Blast are both LO/Sheer Force boosted, Hidden Power Ice makes Gliscor that think they can take on Landorus cry, and the final slot is basically filler. Rock Polish lets it clean more efficiently against offense, Calm Mind beats down slower teams even more, Knock Off is always useful for removing Leftovers/Eviolites, and certain coverage moves, like Sludge Wave, Psychic, and Rock Slide, have uses on certain targets. I usually run a speed boosting nature even on Rock Polish to outspeed +Speed base 100s, such as some variants of M-Charizard-X.
Threatlist
Azumarill: Azumarill counters Houndoom and Keldeo, and I don't have a very good switchin to it. Luckily, its very easy to wear down.
Mega Altaria: DD M-Alt can set up on quite a bit and resists all the priority on this team, so usual I'll try to bring Keldeo in, slow it down, and then kill it with something else.
Fast Electrics: M-Manectric, Raikou, and Thundurus-I are all big threats to this team, as they outspeed everything on my team and have perfect neutral coverage. Thundurus-I is the worst to face, as it can paralyze Keldeo. M-Manectric is also annoying, but is very frail, and can give Bisharp a boost. Raikou is arguably the easiest the face, as Specs gives me setup opportunities, and Assault Vest/Leftovers is weaker and can be worn down.
Talonflame: Most offensive teams are pretty weak to Talonflame, and mine is no exception. Priority Brave Bird+Flare Blitz hits my entire team hard, and StallBreaker Talonflame also is troublesome to face.
Mega Pinsir: Same thing as Talonflame, but if its unboosted, I can revenge kill it with M-Houndoom.
Importable
Skarmory @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 244 Atk / 12 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: NaN HP / NaN SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Iron Head
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Taunt
Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Knock Off
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rock Polish
*Team Building*
I started off with Forretress+Houndoom, as I intended to make a Hyper Offense team. M-Houndoom appreciates hazard support in order to weaken Azumarill, M-Altaria and M-Diancie. M-Houndoom, in turn, makes Sableye a complete liability, giving M-Houndoom free Nasty Plots. M-Sableye is the only Magic Bouncer Forretress cannot beat.
I decided to add Azumarill next, as it lured in pokemon that M-Houndoom could set up on, such as Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, Slowbro and M-Venusaur. It can revenge kill M-Diancie, Landorus-I, and Excadrill with Aqua Jet, which is useful for every team. Most importantly, it provided an answer for Keldeo, one of the best Offensive checks to M-Houndoom.
Bisharp was added next to punish Defog, provide more priority, and pressure stall. It weakens Keldeo for M-Houndoom, gets rid of pesky Leftovers and Choice Scarf, and, in general, softens up teams nicely for M-Houndoom. It also provides me with a way to immediately threaten Fairy-types.
I added Choice Scarf Keldeo afterwards to act as a revenge killer. Similarly to Azumarill, it baits in things that M-Houndoom can set up on, with the added bonus of weakening Azumarill. It also provides a secondary check to Bisharp, in case M-Houndoom is too weak to take it on.
Landorus-I was the final mon added, acting as a special wallbreaker and stall killer. Basically, once M-Houndoom gets rid of Chansey (will get into later), Landorus-I has a field day against stall, with the only other "common" answers to it on stall being Cresselia and Mandibuzz, which get destroyed by Houndoom (and Bisharp) too. Landorus-I also helps take on Balance, weakening Rotom-W for other members of the team, and, in general, breaking down stall.
*In-Depth Moveset Analysis*
Skarmory @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 244 Atk / 12 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: NaN HP / NaN SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Iron Head
I decided to use Custap Lead Forretress as my lead. Sturdy+Custap gives Forretress the ability to get two attacks off, usually either two hazards, or a hazard+Explosion. Gyro Ball allows it to beat M-Diancie, preventing it from Magic Bouncing hazards back. Together with the attack EVs, and negative speed nature, Gyro Ball can break a Sub+Calm Mind Keldeo's Substitute, preventing it from setting up on me properly. Explosion is used for three reasons; 1. To kill Forretress while also getting some damage off on something, allowing me to bring in another, more threatening mon, 2. Block Rapid Spin/Defog thanks to Custap Berry allowing me to go first, and 3. Allowing me to come in late game and kamikaze a sweeper. I run 0 IVs in Hp, Defense, and Special Defense to knock myself into Custap range quicker, and 0 Speed IVs to power up Gyro Ball. 56 HP EVs are used to survive a Fake Out+High Jump Kick from Adamant Mega Lopunny 100% of the time.
252+ Atk Mega Lopunny Fake Out vs. 0 HP / 8 Def Forretress: 30-36 (11.5 - 13.8%) -- possibly the worst move ever
252+ Atk Mega Lopunny High Jump Kick vs. 0 HP / 8 Def Forretress: 199-235 (76.5 - 90.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
vs
252+ Atk Mega Lopunny Fake Out vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Forretress: 31-37 (11.3 - 13.5%) -- possible 8HKO
252+ Atk Mega Lopunny High Jump Kick vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Forretress: 201-237 (73.3 - 86.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
I decided to change Forretress to Custap Lead Skarmory due to HeiDoe suggestion. Lead Skarmory is basically a better Lead Forretress, and the only thing it really misses is Explosion.
Houndoom
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Taunt OR Sludge Bomb
M-Houndoom, the star of the show. I decided to use M-Houndoom over something like M-Diancie due to one important thing; Its speed allows it to check a couple of important mons. Due to its often overlooked base 115 speed and excellent Offensive typing, M-Houndoom can check the following threats to Offense: M-Metagross, Latios, Latias, Bisharp, and many more. It also makes M-Sableye a COMPLETE liability, as it can do absolutely nothing to M-Houndoom, and can even accidentally give it a Flash Fire boost. With Nasty Plot+Taunt, Houndoom can beat Chansey by Nasty Plotting on the switch, Taunting the status move, and either setting up more or proceeding to Fire Blast/Dark Pulse the living Hell out of it. Stall teams tend to crumble pretty fast once Chansey is gone. It can also beat non-Earth Power Heatran through the same method. If running Sludge Bomb instead of Taunt, it loses the ability to make Stall cry to handle Balance/Bulky Offense a bit better. Sludge Bomb allows it to beat Azumarill and M-Altaria, two of its hardest counters, as well as potentially poisoning M-Diancie, Tyranitar or Keldeo on the switch. Destiny Bond is another option in the last slot, allowing it to take down any of its counters, but at the cost of its life.
Azumarill
Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Knock Off
In XY, Azumarill used to be a staple on Offensive teams due to its ability to check Greninja and other offensive mons. But then, ORAS came, blessing Greninja with Gunk Shot, completely flipping the matchup on its head. Azumarill is still a very good mon on Offense, being able to 1v1 a lot of opposing mons on Offense, and any that it can't it leave a dent in. Azumarill is primarily used to check Landorus-I, M-Diancie, and Excadrill in sand, while also providing Knock Off support. Assault Vest, though generally considered the worst of its common sets, is able to beat Thundurus 1 on 1, which is very valuable for this team.
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 240 HP / 16 SpD Assault Vest Azumarill: 291-346 (72.5 - 86.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
The spread I am using has been standard for a while now, maximizing special bulk without detracting from the physical bulk, and keeping Azumarill's power. Aqua Jet is used to pick off water weak, weakened, and extremely frail mons, while Waterfall and Play Rough serve as strong dual stabs. Knock Off is used to get rid of the passive recovery of Leftovers and Black Sludge, allowing pokemon without recovery to get worn down very quickly.
Bisharp
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Bisharp is always a great pokemon to add to offense. Bisharp was mainly added for Defiant, which allows it to punish Defoggers attempting to get rid of the hazards set up by Forretress. However, it often does more than just punished Defog. Bisharp can weaken Keldeo for M-Houndoom, allowing M-Houndoom to clean more efficiently. Bisharp also aids in beating stall, usually after Houndoom has knocked out Chansey and weakened another mon (usually Clefable or SpeDef Gliscor). Bisharp provides an extremely powerful priority move, STAB Knock Off to weaken walls, and Iron Head to threaten Fairies. I decided to run Jolly in order to get the jump on things that only run enough speed for Max Speed Adamant Bisharp, such as certain variants or Mew and Gliscor. Life Orb is used over something like Black Glasses in order to compensate for the power loss from Jolly, and to boost Iron Head's power.
Keldeo
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
At this point, I really needed a revenge killer. Choice Scarf Keldeo fits the role well, as it serves as a secondary check to M-Gyarados, a much needed check to M-Lopunny and M-Manetric, and can prevent Altaria from getting speed boosts properly with Icy Wind. The set itself is pretty standard, outside of having both Icy Wind and Hidden Power Electric instead of Scald+a coverage move. I chose to run both of them because I needed something to revenge kill Dragonite, M-Altaria, M-Sceptile, normal Gyarados, and something to do meaningful damage to BellyJet Azumarill. Scarf Keldeo usually has to chose which one of these it wants to revenge kill.
Landorus
Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive/Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- This Slot is needs to be filled. I've tried out Rock Polish, Knock Off, and some coverage moves, all of which work well. I'm not sure which one works the best though.
Landorus adds a much needed wallbreaker to this team. Most slower teams completely crumble to Landorus-I, as not much can take its hits, other than Chansey/Blissey, Cresselia, and SpeDef Mandibuzz. Luckily, all three of those get set up on/smashed by M-Houndoom and Bisharp. The moveset is pretty standard, Earth Power and Focus Blast are both LO/Sheer Force boosted, Hidden Power Ice makes Gliscor that think they can take on Landorus cry, and the final slot is basically filler. Rock Polish lets it clean more efficiently against offense, Calm Mind beats down slower teams even more, Knock Off is always useful for removing Leftovers/Eviolites, and certain coverage moves, like Sludge Wave, Psychic, and Rock Slide, have uses on certain targets. I usually run a speed boosting nature even on Rock Polish to outspeed +Speed base 100s, such as some variants of M-Charizard-X.
Threatlist
Azumarill: Azumarill counters Houndoom and Keldeo, and I don't have a very good switchin to it. Luckily, its very easy to wear down.
Mega Altaria: DD M-Alt can set up on quite a bit and resists all the priority on this team, so usual I'll try to bring Keldeo in, slow it down, and then kill it with something else.
Fast Electrics: M-Manectric, Raikou, and Thundurus-I are all big threats to this team, as they outspeed everything on my team and have perfect neutral coverage. Thundurus-I is the worst to face, as it can paralyze Keldeo. M-Manectric is also annoying, but is very frail, and can give Bisharp a boost. Raikou is arguably the easiest the face, as Specs gives me setup opportunities, and Assault Vest/Leftovers is weaker and can be worn down.
Talonflame: Most offensive teams are pretty weak to Talonflame, and mine is no exception. Priority Brave Bird+Flare Blitz hits my entire team hard, and StallBreaker Talonflame also is troublesome to face.
Mega Pinsir: Same thing as Talonflame, but if its unboosted, I can revenge kill it with M-Houndoom.
Importable
Skarmory @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 244 Atk / 12 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: NaN HP / NaN SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Iron Head
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Taunt
Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Knock Off
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rock Polish
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