ORAS OU Ex’s (and Oh’s)

[toshimelonhead]

At a glance:

Hello Smogon, it’s been at least four years since I have posted an RMT. I have grown attached to this team over the course of several months and figured it was time to share it with you guys. The premise of the team is pretty straightforward: take a good offensive core (Lopunny + Gengar), combine it with a good hazard stacking defensive core (Garchomp + Skarmory + Clefable), and then finish the team with Raikou to handle as many remaining weaknesses as possible. I’ve used this team with success in the recent Smogon Tour runs (7-3) and versions of this team helped me get reqs in at least one suspect test. I don’t ladder nearly as much as I used to, so I don’t have an impressive ladder peak to show off from OLT or anything like that.


As for the team name, I’m scaling down my involvement with the site at least for a while in terms of tournament participation. Let’s face it, now that I have graduated from college and adult life tries to take over, I eventually will have better things to do in life other than to push for an SPL or WCOP slot. I still check the site on a daily basis, but the motivation and drive I once had to build great teams and do well on the ladder and in tournaments isn’t there anymore and hasn’t been there for months. I have exactly one good ORAS OU team and this is it, so feel free to rate / hate / comment / leave likes / whatever.

EXGFXOXO (Lopunny) (F) @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
- Frustration
- High Jump Kick

· Lopunny is one of the better megas in this metagame, but she’s not too versatile.

· Good Mega for revenge killing mons in the 351-394 speed range (Latis, Torn-T, Keldeo, Starmie, Gengar, Thundurus although check for TWave here)

· Fake Out is there for a quick KO for mons faster than Lopunny if necessary or delay weather turns

· Frustration does more power than Ice Punch if Ice Punch is only 2x super effective and only used for Lando-T and Chomp. Even then bulky sets don’t OHKO and Lopunny risks recoil damage from Rocky Helmets and Rough Skin.

· High Jump Kick is great STAB move.

· I’m sure there are some other options for moves (Fake Out, Substitute, Quick Attack, Baton Pass, etc.) but I’ve stuck with this set forever because it works.

· Never doubt the internet’s ability to turn anything minor into something fully X-Rated, make sure you guys keep SafeSearch on when Googling for pictures of Mega-Lopunny. This is my favorite though, but under copyright and the owner doesn't want it reposted.

EXROOMMATE (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Ivs: 0 Atk, 29 HP
- Sludge Wave
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp

· Gengar is a good complement to Lopunny as it can OHKO bulky Fairy- and Psychic- types such as Clefable and Latias.

· Sludge Wave, Shadow Ball, Focus Blast all standard moves on offensive Gengar, except everyone hates Focus Blast for obvious reasons.

· Sludge Wave is better to spam for STAB over Shadow Ball / Sludge Bomb and hits Chesnaught (not that it’s ever around anymore).

· Will-O-Wisp is great on offensive Gengar because it avoids mindgames against Bisharp. If Bisharp comes in, at least Gengar burns it, and if it goes for the Sucker Punch and does not have Pursuit, Gengar wins. Same with TTar. Also nice for saving HP if opponent has trouble switching in Gengar and is relying on Life Orb recoil to take it down. Want to sac your Diggersby to lose recoil? How about I burn you instead and switch out to Skarm and keep Gengar healthy for more carnage later.

· If using this team, don’t be dumb and try switching Gengar into Starmie or Excadrill to block a Rapid Spin. It’s not a spin blocker just because it’s a Ghost on a hazards stacking team.

· Yes I have had a number of terrible ex-roommates, I would rather room with Gengar than most of them.

· 29 HP was a detail I found on another LO Gengar RMT.

EXNORMAL (Clefable) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled

· Clefable is one of the win conditions for this team. Everyone’s prepped for it now, but its other role is to absorb status and special attacks.

· Set is a tad dated, but like Flamethrower for Ferrothorn over Fire Blast and Thunder Wave

· Good for switching into Thundurus, Latios, other strong special attackers

· Magic Guard over Unaware is really useful because not running hazard control and rest of team hates status

· EVs are here to survive Psyshock from Latios and Thunderbolts from Thundurus.

· With the introduction of Hoopa, Clefable is not the terror that it once was. It can still take a beating and heal back up if the team needs to withstand strong attacks, though.

· I used to run 22 speed IVs to outspeed Conkeldurr and minimize Ferrothorn Gyro Ball damage. Still worth trying if you are that detail oriented and care about that.

EXUBER (Garchomp) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 76 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Tail

· Bulk Chomp is my hazard setter of choice for hazard stacking teams.

· Rough Skin + Rocky Helmet is as good of a deterrent as I need for hazard control

· Garchomp + Skarm clean up on the physcially defensive side of the spectrum.

· Spread was standard at one point and mentioned as alternative now to have special bulk against Zard-Y if you don’t want to sacrifice Raikou

· Options: Could run Toxic on somewhere but we have Wisp Gengar and Garchomp likes having 4 attacks. Fire Blast nice for Scizor and Ferrothorn which team struggles with otherwise. Endure is also fun on Helmet Chomp and I’ve tried it with other teams.

· EVs outspeed Adamant Bisharp and Jolly TTar, could bump to 263 for Breloom, Jolly Bisharp

· Team is a tad Volc weak. Gengar can handle it without boosts, but otherwise I have to bring in Garchomp to either phaze it out with Dragon Tail or KO it with Earthquake.

EXBOSS (Skarmory) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Spikes
- Iron Head
- Whirlwind

· Skarm’s ORAS sprite makes it look like a helicopter. It was a tossup to nickname it between EXBOSS, EXAIRPLANE, and EXPARENT, and EXBOSS won because EXPARENTS don’t exist in the real world unless you’re morbid and EXAIRPLANE didn’t feel appropriate.

· Second part of hazard stacking core

· Goal is to put up hazards and then stop physical sweepers (SD Scizor, DDancers) from setting up.

· Iron Head there primarily for Clefable. Obvious other options include Counter, Brave Bird, etc. but I’ve stuck with Iron Head and end up praying for flinch hax.

· Speed for speed creeping on other Skarms primarily.

· One alternative I’ve never really tried but could be fun is to switch Skarm for Klefki and then Clefable for something that can handle Goth stall. Or better yet Ban Sableye or Goth and ORAS would almost be perfect.

EXCAPTAIN (Raikou) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Shadow Ball

· Last member added to team, team had troubles with Manaphy, Rotom-Wash, Thundurus, Keldeo / Starmie so Raikou was the obvious choice

· Tried Assault Vest but that’s weaker than naming a fantasy football league “Angelbunni”

· Thunderbolt is fun to spam once Ground-types are gone, otherwise spam Shadow Ball

· Volt Switch for momentum and forcing switches

· 2HKOs Mega Sableye (or at least comes close) which is a nightmare to deal with

· HP Ice for Lando-T, Chompers, etc. etc. Everyone runs at least one of Hippo / Lando / Chompers / Excadrill these days, so HP Ice is mandatory.

· Not a bad lead against certain teams but usually I lead with Lopunny to Mega evolve it

· Shoutout to Zeb who captained US Central. Only “EX”-Captain because WCOP is over.


Final Thoughts

· Sableye is this team’s #1 problem by far, especially Sableye + Clefable resist or Sableye + Quagsire. Goth Stall would be even worse.

· This team is ancient as far as teams go, so if you have ideas to spruce it up a bit that would be great!

· Thanks to everyone who has made my time on Smogon fun. Certainly hope to stick around as my life gets busier in the next few years.

· Other shoutouts: Zebraiken, Finchinator, Oglemi, macle, xtra$hine , Funkasaurus, joshe, AlphaJolt, Trinitrotoluene

Replays are coming eventually!

Importable here:

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EXGFXOXO (Lopunny) (F) @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
- Frustration
- High Jump Kick

EXROOMATE (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp

EXNORMAL (Clefable) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled

EXUBER (Garchomp) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 76 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Tail

EXBOSS (Skarmory) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Spikes
- Iron Head
- Whirlwind

EXCAPTAIN (Raikou) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Shadow Ball

 

[busyguy]

I wonder why nobody rated so far.
First thing that I notice is that your defensive backbone struggles with Mega Gardevoir, Mega Alakazam and Mega Diancie. They just punch huge holes into it if they get to attack.
Using SpD Skamory>Def Skamory would give you the ability to switch into any attacks of these three, if they don't run HP Fire. Leftovers would be more useful on the SpD variant. It still has enough defensive bulk to handle physical attackers. This makes Skamory a Lati switchin too, which allows the change of the Clefable slot.

Losing on physical defense capabilities the next step I suggest is Hippowdon>Garchomp. In contrast to Garchomp it has reliabe recovery and it can beat Talonflame more reliably if it doesn't burn you on the switchin. Hippo can take on Excadrill with a Life Orb too, if it doesn't SD on your switch, but even then you have good chances to come out on top if you are at full HP and Rocks are not up.

I see no switchin to specs Keldeo or TG Manaphy which are very common wallbreakers at the moment. You give your Clefable a role that Latias (Latios can't take HP Ice from Thundi) could fulfil, so I'd go for Latias>Clefable. It can switch in on LO Thudurus HP Ice if Rocks are not up. But you also have a Raikou as a switchin. Latias also beats Rotom which you mentioned in your threatlist, it also checks Keldeo and Manaphy most of the time. Manaphy could carry Ice Beam (+0 does up to 53%) and specs Keldeo could predict the swich with Icy wind, but Latias has only a 30% chance to get 2hkod by that. Of course the standard bulky set works here but with Thunderbolt to hit the Water types and oposing Skamory since you have Defog on your own Skarmory. If you feel like you don't need the bulk, you can go with Latios.

Final thoughts:
The team still struggles with Bisharp a bit so running Keldeo>Raikou is worth a try. With Life Orb and a moveset of Scald/Secret Sword/Taunt/Icy Wind it is a threat to stall and balanced teams.
If Scizors tend to be too problematic, there is the option to run HP Fire on Lati, and If you decide to try Keldeo>Raikou with HP Fire Lati, I'd go for HP Electric>Icy wind on Keldeo to hit bulky waters on the switchin.

Just a personal thing: I am not fan of WillO on Gengar because Bisharp or other strong physical hitters sometimes carry a Lum Berry, but I guess you can get some suprise-burns like on Scizor.

Sets

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
- Defog

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Stone Edge

Keldeo @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Taunt
- Icy Wind

 

[toshimelonhead]

I wonder why nobody rated so far.
First thing that I notice is that your defensive backbone struggles with Mega Gardevoir, Mega Alakazam and Mega Diancie. They just punch huge holes into it if they get to attack.
Using SpD Skamory>Def Skamory would give you the ability to switch into any attacks of these three, if they don't run HP Fire. Leftovers would be more useful on the SpD variant. It still has enough defensive bulk to handle physical attackers. This makes Skamory a Lati switchin too, which allows the change of the Clefable slot.

Losing on physical defense capabilities the next step I suggest is Hippowdon>Garchomp. In contrast to Garchomp it has reliabe recovery and it can beat Talonflame more reliably if it doesn't burn you on the switchin. Hippo can take on Excadrill with a Life Orb too, if it doesn't SD on your switch, but even then you have good chances to come out on top if you are at full HP and Rocks are not up.

I see no switchin to specs Keldeo or TG Manaphy which are very common wallbreakers at the moment. You give your Clefable a role that Latias (Latios can't take HP Ice from Thundi) could fulfil, so I'd go for Latias>Clefable. It can switch in on LO Thudurus HP Ice if Rocks are not up. But you also have a Raikou as a switchin. Latias also beats Rotom which you mentioned in your threatlist, it also checks Keldeo and Manaphy most of the time. Manaphy could carry Ice Beam (+0 does up to 53%) and specs Keldeo could predict the swich with Icy wind, but Latias has only a 30% chance to get 2hkod by that. Of course the standard bulky set works here but with Thunderbolt to hit the Water types and oposing Skamory since you have Defog on your own Skarmory. If you feel like you don't need the bulk, you can go with Latios.

Final thoughts:
The team still struggles with Bisharp a bit so running Keldeo>Raikou is worth a try. With Life Orb and a moveset of Scald/Secret Sword/Taunt/Icy Wind it is a threat to stall and balanced teams.
If Scizors tend to be too problematic, there is the option to run HP Fire on Lati, and If you decide to try Keldeo>Raikou with HP Fire Lati, I'd go for HP Electric>Icy wind on Keldeo to hit bulky waters on the switchin.

Just a personal thing: I am not fan of WillO on Gengar because Bisharp or other strong physical hitters sometimes carry a Lum Berry, but I guess you can get some suprise-burns like on Scizor.

Sets

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
- Defog

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Stone Edge

Keldeo @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Taunt
- Icy Wind

I think you have some legitimate points. I am reluctant to go fully specially defensive on Skarm, but there are some mons that I am glad that I have some physical investment (Weavile, Gyarados, Bisharp in particular). Is there some type of mixed spread?

As for Hippo -> Garchomp, I think this team would lose too much momentum, especially without Whirlwind. Is it a better counter for TFlame and Sharp? Yes. At the same time, I am at risk for someone to set up on me. I can revenge a ton with Lopunny, Gengar, and Raikou. The rest of the supporting cast has to prevent other mons from setting up.

The team has not had a ton of issues with Manaphy or Keldeo. Manaphy doesn't have a lot of chances to set up and hazards + 3 revenge killers means Keldeo might get a kill, but it will have to switch out afterwards, leading to more hazard damage. Latias + Hippo + Keldeo is probably the start of a very good team, I'm just not sure if it works with this team and would require enough changes to have two different versions of one team.

Oh and replays! Yes here is one (hint don't whine about hax and I won't imortalize you into the hall of shame). Will add more as suspect testing continues. I'm under the alt EXESANDOHS.

 

[FlamingVictini]

I think you have some legitimate points. I am reluctant to go fully specially defensive on Skarm, but there are some mons that I am glad that I have some physical investment (Weavile, Gyarados, Bisharp in particular). Is there some type of mixed spread?

Wanted to just say that you can run a spread of 248 HP / 16 + Defense / 244 SDef on skarm. It may be worthwhile to run leftovers on it as well, I don't see rocky helmet being so huge when you're more sdef oriented and you have helmet chomp regardless. A relevant calc:
232 SpA Mega Gardevoir Focus Blast vs. 248 HP / 244 SpD Skarmory: 154-182 (46.2 - 54.6%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Also your team has really poor Specs Keldeo switchins, AV Raikou with perhaps signal beam for hoopa-u might be worth considering. It will also help u better tank hits from Manaphy and Thundurus There's also an alternate version of this team with CM Bro > Gengar but that's more defensive and it seems gengar lop was the starting point so I wouldn't want to change that.

Otherwise team overall is pretty solid there's not much to say. I was thinking you might like black sludge gengar with hex > shadow ball, sludge bomb > sludge wave and taunt > focus blast, paired with T-Wave clefable, but its really up to preference and how you choose to play the team. I don't have much more to add, nice job!