ORAS OU Lightning and Thunder-HO (Peak 1674)

Hey Smogon, I got the inspiration for this team after seeing the ladder being flooded by balance teams that I figured could be beaten with enough pressure. The team itself has been reasonably successful, and is super fun to play with. It's built around the idea of just overpowering the opponent en route to a victory.


TD21 is my alt


Background: I usually play stall, so I wanted to try out some HO and get some quick wins. My goal was to build a team that could win by just killing everything with sheer strength and power, which team reflects pretty accurately.


I didn't have a specific core in mind to build around, but I did want to include a cool mon I had seen around: SD LO Garchomp. Most Chomps are usually the Tank variant, even on HO, but I always felt Tankchomp is super passive and can't do any damage without being hit. SD LO Chomp is insanely powerful and just crushes most things at +2. Most people also aren't anticipating/ready for SD LO Chomp, so it has a healthy surprise factor. (It also has stealth rock).


I also wanted a secondary breaker alongside Garchomp, so I decided to go with Azu. Belly Drum Azu is still an underrated threat IMO, since it can devastate so many of it checks that come into revenge it or just plow through unprepared teams. BD Azu also adds some nice priority to my team in the form of Aqua Jet, and has good defensive synergy with Garchomp.


With two solid breakers, I wanted a pokemon with great priority and late-game cleaning potential. Offensive Talonflame came to mind, and with its ability to attack boost and its naturally high speed, it can ravage teams after its checks and counters have been weakened/eliminated. Talonflame is also a good revenge killer and deals with the steels that Azu hates.



I figured it wouldn't hurt to add another breaker, and a mon like Kyurem-B with insanely good natural bulk allows it to function as a pivot of sorts. It's fantastic mixed stats and terrific coverage means it can beat a lot of bulky mons. This is also my BD Azu check, which the team was pretty weak to so far.


I still needed a mega and something that could beat opposing offense (even though Talonflame does a fine job with that). Mega Lopunny seemed like a good fit, since it is faster than most of the unboosted metagame and can function as both a breaker (with PuP) and a cleaner. Mega Lopunny can also eliminate some of Talon's biggest checks, like Tyranitar and Heatran, forming a good offensive core.

At this point, I still needed three things: Hazard control (mandatory for Kyurem-B and Talonflame), a true scarfer to revenge kill, and healing wish support. Scarf Latias fit the bill, and although defog + scarf seems awful on paper, it actually was not that bad in practice. Scarf Latias is also good for revenge-killing +1 Zard X's (always useful) and just having a terrific surprise factor in general, since no one expects it.



The Team


Item:

Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
  • Stealth Rock
  • Swords Dance
  • Outrage
  • Earthquake
Garchomp is both my rock setter and my early game wallbreaker. Not many expect SD LO Chomp or even offensive Chomp in general, so they stay in with things like Mega Garde turn 1 and get KOed. Chomp carries rocks because rocks are good, and SD is a boosting move that allows it to reach insane damage output levels. However, it doesn't always need to get a big boost in order to damage. Life Orb + 359 Atk gets the job done a lot of the time. Garchomp's biggest role is to punch through things early game, like Rotom-W or defensive Landorus-T to make Talonflame's job later on easier. The EVs are simple, just maximizing attack and speed to do as much damage as possible. Even though Dragon + Ground coverage leaves it completely walled by things like Magnet Rise Klefki and Togekiss, this thing is supremely underrated, and definitely needs more usage. Garchomp proves its worth most of the time.
(Power: +2 252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Outrage vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-W: 351-413 (115.8 - 136.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO)




Item:

Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 248 Atk / 168 Spe
Nature: Adamant
  • Belly Drum
  • Aqua Jet
  • Play Rough
  • Knock Off
Azumarill is my secondary breaker and can sometimes serve as a cleaner late-game. The belly drum set is used here to maximize its power and retain the ability to switch moves. Sitrus berry is pretty standard, allowing it to Belly Drum more easily. The EVs are tailored such that Azumarill has an even HP, activating sitrus berry, while retaining enough speed to outspeed uninvested base 70s like Skarmory. Aqua Jet is for priority, Play Rough is for a strong STAB, and Knock Off is for getting rid of items and extra coverage (at +6 it is incredibly strong). I rarely use play rough here though since its accuracy is 10% and Knock off will kill most things anyway.




Item:

Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
  • Swords Dance
  • Brave Bird
  • Flare Blitz
  • Roost
Talonflame is incredibly useful on HO since it has arguably the best priority move in the game with Gale Wings Brave Bird, priority recovery, a strong boosting move in Swords Dance, and naturally high speed (great speed tier). At +2 Talonflame can wreck most things with its power and speed. Sharp beak is the item of choice to boost the power of Brave Bird without taking additional recoil, since Brave Bird is the most clicked move on this set. Flare Blitz is a nice secondary STAB for those pesky steels, and Roost is for some recovery which helps in setting up. The EVs again are pretty standard, with max attack and speed to do as much damage and outspeed most unboosted things. Talonflame is often the late game cleaner on this team since once it's checks (Heatran, Garchomp, Defensive Lando-T, Rotom-W are most common) have been weakened by the other members, it's usually an easy win.




Item:

Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
Nature: Mild

  • Fusion Bolt
  • Ice Beam
  • Earth Power
  • Iron Head
Kyurem-B is my balance-breaker/destroyer. It has incredible coverage, hitting basically everything for super-effective or at least neutral damage. The EVs are such that it can outspeed invested base 80s like Hoopa-U, maximize its lower base SpA stat, and do as much physical damage as possible with the amount left over. Dragon coverage was foregone because it wasn't really necessary for hitting anything super-effectively/neutrally. I originally had roost over Iron Head in slot 4, but I found the team was really weak to Clefable, so I decided to go with Iron Head instead. Teravolt is a nice ability to have since it allows Kyurem-B to break Rotom-W easier with Earth Power. This thing can also act as a pivot/tank sometimes with great natural bulk, taking on things like LO Thundurus and +6 Azumarill Aqua Jets. Kyurem is usually used with a lot of prediction, since opponents often have no switch-in for this monster and will try to double out frequently. When in doubt though, a STAB Ice Beam is your best friend.




Item:

Ability (pre-Mega): Limber
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
  • Power-Up Punch
  • Fake Out
  • Return
  • High Jump Kick
Lopunny is the mega of the team, and provides a mon that can steamroll through offense. Mega-Lopunny has gotten a lot better as the meta has become more offensive, and it often times just wins the game for me. Limber is a great pre-Mega ability as a Twave absorber and Scrappy allows me to actually beat Mega-Sableye. With Power-Up Punch, Mega-Lopunny becomes a fearsome wallbreaker as well as a sweeper. +1 HJK hits insanely hard and Return is there to provide another STAB neutral coverage. You can often times Power-Up Punch on the switch and deal good damage to things like Defensive Lando-T or Hippowdon, which can otherwise be annoying. Lopunny can also finish off weakened teams. EVs are pretty standard for max speed and attack, and Jolly is to hit that sweet base 135 speed tier.




Item:

Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Nature: Timid
  • Draco Meteor
  • Psyshock
  • Healing Wish
  • Defog
Scarf Latias with defog is probably the strangest member of this team, but it does its job well. While scarf with defog might sound horrible, I needed some form of hazard control with Talonflame and Kyurem-B and Starmie would just stack another electric weakness. Defog is really only used in emergency situations or before bringing in Talonflame late game, and played right, the team should make it very difficult to let the opponent get Stealth Rocks up. Latias also provides Healing wish, which is great to have on an HO team since it gives Azumarill another chance to BD or another sweeper a chance to go again. Scarf allows me to Healing wish quickly if necessary. Latias also gives me an important revenge killer, since the fastest common scarfer is Keldeo, and Latias outspeeds that. The biggest thing here is surprise factor: absolutely no one expects scarf Latias so I can usually get a surprise kill that helps the team a lot. This thing also revenges +1 Dragonites and Zard-Xs that otherwise run free. The EVs are for Max speed and Draco Meteor power, and 0 Atk IVs are there to minimize foul play/confusion damage since Latias doesn't really need any attack.


Threatlist:

Gothitelle stall: As a seasoned user of Goth stall, I know firsthand that this team struggles with the Gothitelle + M-Sableye core. Kyurem-B is my best bet to dismantle this, but if Gothitelle tricks it a scarf or Lopunny gets burned then it is usually very hard, if not impossible to win.

Shedinja Stall: Shedinja stall is really hard to break with this team again. Kyurem-B can win if the team is weakened, but that's usually really hard to do.

Trick Room: This team pretty much autoloses to trick room. Azumarill and Talonflame can be OK but everything else just loses usually. Thankfully, almost no one uses it.

Mega-Aerodactyl: Mega Aerodactyl is really annoying to face, especially when it's coupled with sand because that means it can take Latias' dracos and still outspeed everything. Draco + aqua jet + brave bird + fake out usually means I can handle it, but I lose a lot in the process doing so.

Mega-Alakazam: Mega-Alakazam is annoying for the same reasons as Mega-Aero, but is usually easier to deal with because it's frailer and can be dealt with by revenging with Talon.

Sand + Excadrill: SD LO Excadrill runs through this team if either Talon/Azumarill are gone, since I usually need both of their priorities to beat it.

Mega-Diancie: Mega-Diancie is actually a serious problem since it beats Talon, Azumarill can't OHKO with Aqua Jet, and Latias can't do much either. Again, it can be taken out, but it usually costs a lot in the process.


Conclusion:
This team is really fun to play with since it's so powerful. A ton of battles are won in 10 turns or less, and it can win pretty consistently. There is a lot of sacrificing and constant attacking throughout the battle. It does require some good prediction to play with, as with any HO, but is less prediction-reliant other HO teams since it depends so much on raw power to break through to victory.

Garchomp @ Life Orb
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 248 Atk / 168 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off

Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Swords Dance
- Roost

Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
Mild Nature
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Fusion Bolt
- Iron Head

Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Fake Out
- Power-Up Punch

Latias @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish


Replays:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-269923905 beating AM
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-267011128 beating Tesung
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-263759515 vs some Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-262802891 vs Balance

Thanks for reading, and please leave a rate!
 

BreloomMyHomie

Golden State Warriors Bandwagon Fan
Hey man, nice team you have there. I have some changes that may make the team better. Mega Metagross is a huge pain just because nothing will appreciate a Meteor Mash or Zen Headbutt. Metagross will always get 2-3 kills when your opponent brings it out against a pokemon like Latias or Kyurem B. One thing I suggest is Skarmory>Garchomp. Skarmory is a pokemon that can deal with switch into Mega Metagross, get up some hazards, and whirlwind it out if you're scared of it getting some Meteor Mash Atk boosts. It also can switch into LO Drill, Mega Aero(With Iron Head), and Diancie, pokemon on your threat list. Another thing I was thinking was changing Latias into the Life Orb standard set to live +2 Thundurus I's HP ice, but your description is very convincing because you need something to reliably check Zard X. Hope I helped and GL with the team!

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Iron Head
 
Hi there,

Really like to play around with your team. It's pretty good as is, but I made some changes to it while testing.
I changed Flare-blitz > Overheat on Talonflame because it hits most steel types harder and you don't suffer from recoil or rocky helmet/iron barbs.

0- SpA Talonflame Overheat vs. 248 HP / 200 SpD Scizor: 376-448 (109.6 - 130.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0- SpA Talonflame Overheat vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Ferrothorn: 304-360 (86.3 - 102.2%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
0- SpA Talonflame Overheat vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Bisharp: 264-312 (97.4 - 115.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

I also changed the item on Latias from Choice scarf > Life orb because I like to switch up my moves and don't turn into set-up fodder. (e.g clefable,manaphy)

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish

Talonflame @ Sky Plate
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Overheat
- Swords Dance
- Roost
 
BRELOOM MY HOMIE said:
Hey man, nice team you have there. I have some changes that may make the team better. Mega Metagross is a huge pain just because nothing will appreciate a Meteor Mash or Zen Headbutt. Metagross will always get 2-3 kills when your opponent brings it out against a pokemon like Latias or Kyurem B. One thing I suggest is Skarmory>Garchomp. Skarmory is a pokemon that can deal with switch into Mega Metagross, get up some hazards, and whirlwind it out if you're scared of it getting some Meteor Mash Atk boosts. It also can switch into LO Drill, Mega Aero(With Iron Head), and Diancie, pokemon on your threat list. Another thing I was thinking was changing Latias into the Life Orb standard set to live +2 Thundurus I's HP ice, but your description is very convincing because you need something to reliably check Zard X. Hope I helped and GL with the team!

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Iron Head
Thanks for the rate, I tried Skarmory over Garchomp and it helped check all of those threats. Only thing I'm worried about here is that Skarmory is a little passive

Hi there,

Really like to play around with your team. It's pretty good as is, but I made some changes to it while testing.
I changed Flare-blitz > Overheat on Talonflame because it hits most steel types harder and you don't suffer from recoil or rocky helmet/iron barbs.

0- SpA Talonflame Overheat vs. 248 HP / 200 SpD Scizor: 376-448 (109.6 - 130.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0- SpA Talonflame Overheat vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Ferrothorn: 304-360 (86.3 - 102.2%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
0- SpA Talonflame Overheat vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Bisharp: 264-312 (97.4 - 115.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

I also changed the item on Latias from Choice scarf > Life orb because I like to switch up my moves and don't turn into set-up fodder. (e.g clefable,manaphy)

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish

Talonflame @ Sky Plate
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Overheat
- Swords Dance
- Roost
Not sure if I agree with Overheat on Talonflame, since flare blitz also hits electrics and other things much harder, but you make a good point about setup fodder. If i change latias to life orb then i lose out on a scarfer to revenge kill things, which is my biggest concern.
 

busyguy

formerly mil
is a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
I finally found the time to rate.
It looks like a fun team that's why I put it on my to-rate list :)

The first thing I notice is the Talonflame weakness. You really have nothing for it. With just one SD the Sharp Beak variant Ohkos Garchomp and everything else. You added Mega Lopunny later in the teambuilding process and you say, that you already have Talonflame for offense.
Also Sableye/Stall causes problems to your whole team, aswell as Sand and Rain teams.
I recommend running Rock Polish Diancie > Lopunny.
  • deals with all kinds of Talonflames after mega
  • switches into Sableye when megad almost for free
  • deterres Status and Hazards
  • if you are able to get the RP after weakining key Pokemon, you have good chances against weather and offensive teams
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 36 HP / 32 Atk / 252 SpA / 188 Spe
Rash Nature
- Rock Polish
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power


Also I'd go with CB Azu>BD Azu, just because of the immediate power it has, to force the opponent to let something die very early. For Belly drum, you need one full turn. CB also enables you to sweep with Aqua Jet late game better.
 
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