I know this doesn’t sound like an ideal introduction because it doesn't show the main teambuilding process of this team in specific, but the chronologic influence of it. The main ideia came in parallel with a squad that I've spammed a lot during OLT | ladder | Season 20~21 of stour very similiar to an another squad that Cosine180 used (my variant was composed or Rocks TW Clef | Mega Venusaur | Scarftar | Stallbreaker Gliscor | Air Balloon HP Ice Tran | CM Slowking), which helped me to peak #1 in the ladder during OLT (although i was laddering for fun, not to pick playoffs) and peaked me to peak #1 on the regular ladder a few months ago, and was pretty important to make me reach stour finals twice (although i lucked out during a Season 21 ORAS tour) and clinch playoffs during Season 20, proving to be every effective in ladder | tour games alike.
My variation of this first balanced team focused on the idea of Heatran + bulky-set up sweeper. I didn't want to slap a Venutran core and make the team somewhat overly simple (a common misconception people tend to have, they judge these kind of builds as """semistall""" with some blanket checks to a lot of shit). The two main ideas that I had where Magma Storm Tran + Bulky Ground-type and Mega Venusaur + Pursuit. The former was very effective during OLT, because Heatran has an amazing offensive potential vs Stall teams (people used to run Goth Stall a lot back then) and it helps me to weaken Bulky-waters so Gliscor has an easier time sweeping (my first variant was SD instead of Taunt), and both Rotom-w and Slowbro being removed can be helpful to CM Slowking. Also, I've used Slokwing instead of Slowbro because its special bulk is very important to avoid potential 2HKO from specific threats like Tornadus-Therian, Alakazam and Mega Diancie, it’s pretty anti-metagame as well !_!. I've always liked to play with a strong defensive backbone, but i hate to think of a team based only on defensive synergy. This team has a lot of the same concepts as the team that I previously mentioned, as well as being strongly influenced by standard Bulky Sandstorm teams from BW.
Unlike the previous squad, i really consider this build mine and it's one of my favorite teams. It combines important elements from my favorite playstyle (Balance) with a few tweaks and combinations, so it doesn't sound like a bunch of recycled ideas. Like i said before, the first squad was really influent (and some BW aspects too...), and i kept the idea of having an utility & lure mon + a wallbreaker + a combination of a bulky set-up sweepers. This team focuses in a lot of strategies, but the main goal is usually to sweep with Clefable, one of the best bulky set-up sweepers in ORAS OU (that doesn't mean you should always try to win with Clefable), as Scarf Gengar and Lati are excellent teammates to handle offensive squads with Spikes support, whith Tyranitar being more dedicated to breaking Stall and Balanced defensive cores alike.
To maximize clefables chances of sweeping I put some standard and unorthodox combinations. For example, Clefable is amazing with spikes support because it allows me to weaken Mega Scizor, Excadrill and Mega Metagross in the long run (a similiar strat to BW Reuniclus or Zam + Spikes), and the unorthodox ideas were Scarf Gengar, a pretty specific but valuable set on this team, and Thunder Wave Mega Latias (TWave is a standard nowadays, but whatever). Both Pokémon are very important not because of their sinergy with Clefable and Tyranitar, but because they punish really lot of Clefable switch-ins very often. Paralyzed Bisharp, Skarmory, Heatran, Skarmory, and Metagross are very limited answers to Clefable in the long run, especially with Spikes support. Still, I wanted to keep a more /direct/ approach. The first combo of this team was Specs Gengar + Scarf Tyranitar, but i had a lot of problems. I've used Specs Gengar to Punish Stall builds, but, recently Weavile became a common sight on Stall teams, so Gengar failed to make reliable trades (that was more comfortable vs Sheddy Stall and Goth Stall though, and that would make me even more weak to Talonflame). By changing Specs > Scarf on Gengar and Scarf > Band on Tyranitar I had a good form of speed control and a way to lure some Clefable checks AND give me an important surprise factor against a couple of threats like Manaphy and Volcarona, whereas Tyranitar could punish a paralyzed Rachi, and CB Ttar's sheer power was really appreciated, because it would avoid giving Talonflame a second chance to switch-in (if i manage to win the coinflip), and it's an amazing tool to weaken Heatran via Pursuit, pressure a lot of Stall builds, and circumvent Defog issues with the Latis. The last member of the team was Seismitoad. I know that it is kind of a shitty mon, but it provides important role compression. The former members were Garchomp and Swampert. Although Garchomp was amazing to weaken Bisharp and Scizor, that would make my team insanely weak vs Pursuit + Keldeo common cores and Thundurus too, so I went with Swampert instead, as it gives me a backup check against Zard X without being weak to Electric-types. Again, i had a variety of issues. I didn't want to be that weak against a couple of uprising trends (Double status Rotom-W, or Volturn + wallbreaker since it rapes fat squads), so I've changed it to Seismitoad. Toad isn't an ideal Keldeo or Manaphy answer but the Water-immunity + SR + VS immunity were pretty important, and its job as a backup answer vs Thundurus and Talon is very appreciated. So, the main version of this team was created, helping me during Season 20 (although I didn't use it too much during this season), and it peaked #1 on the ladder as well.
Before going to the explanation and the threat list, i need to say this team is kinda flexible, and you can give a tweak on your EVs for Clef and Skarm (Full Def Clef is a good switch-in vs Mega Medicham and Heracross, and full SpD Skarmory is important vs Mega Garde and Zam, but it makes Weavile and Bisharp 10x more threatening, Shed Shell is an option as well) as it helps you cover specific threats more reliably, and I put the variations that I felt more comfortable with. This is more of a showcase than a r(ate) m(y) t(eam) to be honest, so i won't be open-minded for suggestions unless they look very useful for the team structure.
Clefable @ Leftovers *** Dear Prudence (
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP | 160 Def | 96 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Mind
Moonblast
Flamethrower
Soft-Boiled
Clefable is basically one of best win conditions in the tier (if not the best win condition), and provides me a lot of important roles. It's very good to echo what i said before; The team is centered mainly around Clefable, but Clefable is also a part of the team, not the whole team. There are gonna be plenty of matchups where you're going to play with Clefable as a defensive glue and answer against various forms of status (Scald), as well as a consistent check to threats like Lati@s, Mega Lopunny and Mega Diancie.
I've decided to use Calm Mind + Flamethrower because it synergyzes with my team concept. TWave Mega Latias shares a lot of common targets, like Jirachi, Heatran, Bisharp, and Metagross, and i really need the Flamethrower to grab a quick 2HKO | OHKO after a boost against these threats. There's some threats like Talonflame and Heatran which check Flamethrower Clef reliably, but Tyranitar is pretty good at removing them for Clefable. There are other options like BoltBeam, but Flamethrower Clef is the superior choice here most of the time.
My spread is standard, with a higher jump on SpD to minimize the Scald rolls from Keldeo, assuming a Clefable without Leftovers. Its special bulk avoids the 2HKO com Thundurus’ Thunderbolt, Kyurem-B's Ice Beam, LO Tornadus’ Hurricane. The remaining EVs help Clefable in avoiding a likely 2HKO from Latios' Psyshock and Mega Lopunny's Return. There are a couple of tweaks that you can do to this Clefable, like making it to Full Def, allowing it to check Mega Medicham and Mega Heracross. It's reccomended to put Skarmory Full SpD if you change Clefable's spread.
Latias @ Latiasite *** Michelle (
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP | 32 Def | 12 SpA | 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Thunderbolt
Ice Beam
Roost
Thunder Wave
Mega Lati is extremely useful in this meta, and I really like the weight that Mega Latias pulls vs Offense, especially because of its targets. Latias is extremely reliable at providing Thunder Wave support, because there aren't decent answers at all. Even if the opponent pivots their Ground-type, BoltBeam coverage discourages the switch-in of Pokémon like Gliscor, Landorus-Therian, and Garchomp. Electric-types are walled by Latias (and the rest of the team as well), so it does her job with complete efficiency. Also, Latias itself is a wonderful Pokémon, giving me a very good check to threats such as Keldeo, Tornadus-Therian, Breloom, Mega Charizard Y, Thundurus, and Volcanion.
There are a few variants that I tested with (BoltBeam + HP Fighting, BoltBeam + Reflect Type), but at the end of the day Thunder Wave ended up being the best variant, because Reflect Type doesn't prevent Bisharp from being a menace with SD, and HP Fighting isn't ideal because, while it hits a couple targets (Bisharp and Tyranitar) it fails to debilitate Heatran and Jirachi. BoltBeam is extremely important (at least on this team i would never use Dual STAB). I need Thunderbolt because it hits every target that i want, and i need to maximize my chances of winning vs Manaphy, Belly Drum Azuma, and SubCM Keldeo, whereas Ice Beam allows me to easily punish a lot of Thunder Wave immunities.
I use 12 EVs in Special Attack to maximize Thunderbolt rolls vs Manaphy and Belly Drum Azuma, 2HKOing the former with a 95%~ roll, and taking 60%~ from the later, killing it after some prior residual damage (Rocky Helmet, SR, Spikes). My speed investment outspeeds Base 105 mons (Mega Pinsir), even though opting for full speed or +108 mons is perfectly fine. There are lower benchmarks, like 102 (Garchomp), but you should always keep it higher than Base 100s.
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet *** Drive My Car (
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP | 236 Def | 24 Spe
Impish Nature
Spikes
Iron Head
Roost
Whirlwind
Unlike Latias, Skarmory provides a more direct support, focused on the sinergy and defensive aspect of the team, but that does not mean Skarmory should be taken lightly. In this slot, I wanted to work with Spikes support, and my main options were Ferrothorn, Klefki, and Skarmory. Ferrothorn is more reliable vs Kyu-B and Manaphy, but it (as well as Klefki) would make Excadrill and Scizor turn my life into hell. Skarmory can switch-in and take advantage of Clefable's physical offensive checks like Bisharp, Metagross and Excadrill thanks to Rocky Helmet, and Spikes support is extremely important in the long run (so i'm able to weaken better more dedicated answers to clefable like Amoonguss and Nidoking), and in this team at least, Skarmory is the best source of role compression.
This set is completely standard, and you can run Counter to hit Bisharp and surprise kill Mega Scizor without resorting to Flamethrower Clefable, but it's too situational. If i run Counter, that makes Mega Gardevoir and Mega Diancie even more threatening (although PhysDef Skam is mediocre vs Gard), but the main problem is Clefable, because Lati TWave + Iron Head checks it handily. I need Spikes more than Defog because my team has 4 Spikes immunities, one SR resistance | immunity , and nothing takes 25% from it. Plus, it's Spikes, it invites your opponent to Defog or Spin, and this team has the perfect tools to cover every common Spinner or Defoger. Skarmory hard walls Excadrill, whereas CB Ttar Pursuits Lati@s and Starmie, Gengar spinblocks Tentacruel, etc.
If you run full SpD or a mixed spread, Leftovers or Shed Shell are usually superior to Rocky Helmet because Modest Garde, Zam and Gengar can still do a bunch of damage and you need to avoid the free 2HKO at all costs. I tend to interchange Clefable and Skarmory's spreads (Def on Clef, and SpD on Skarmory), but the original version is safer because Band Tyranitar doesn't revenge kill Bisharp, and Weavile and Bisharp are more common choices at teambuilding than Gengar and Zam.
Tyranitar @ Choice Band *** Revolver (
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 56 HP | 252 Atk | 4 Def | 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
Pursuit
Stone Edge
Crunch
Ice Punch
Choice Band Tyranitar is insanely scary. I've considered a lot of wallbreakers like CB Terrakion and LO Torn-T, but Tyranitar was chosen above everything else because it provides a lot of different roles. Besides breaking defensive cores, i need its access to Pursuit, which removes Lati@s and Starmie making me able to lay Spikes after they Defog, it also helps me remove a lot of Clefable checks like Heatran, Talonflame, Victini, weakened Chansey and paralyzed Jirachi. The extra special bulk on Sand Stream is pretty important (and the Sand itself as well) because it helps me vs the Rain matchup and allows me to play more agressively against Mega Venusaur, something that Scarf and support Ttar can't do. Also, its combination of STABs are damn good; I know that Keldeo and Landorus-Therian are ORAS OU staples, but vs Balance and Stall builds, CB Ttar pulls a massive weight, especially because simultaneous Dark- and Rock-resists in the ORAS metagame are really scarce if you don't slap a Keldeo. Unfortunately using Band Tyranitar means losing a bit of utility (not using Scarf or Chople makes you sistematically weak against Gengar, Zam, and Mega Pinsir), so using well Mega Latias' paralyze support is very important to maximize Tyranitar's offensive potential.
This moveset has a standard combination of Pursuit + strong Dual-STAB + coverage, and Ice Punch is interchangeable with Iron Head, if you want to go for the direct damage (Moonblast doesn't to /that/ much vs Tyranitar). Anyways, the rest of it is essential, because CB Stone Edge 2HKOes Skarmory after rocks (you can fish for the crit too), and Crunch has a good chance of 2HKOing Quagsire, especially because people drop a bit of Def to use Curse Quag on some Stall teams, also Crunch is completely necessary because there are some scenarios that i'm gonna need the immediate damage vs Mew and Mega Slowbro, if my opponent expects a deffensive variant.
My spread isn't completely standard, but it isn't too complicated either. I've calculated its EVs to always survive a +1 EQ from Zard X without rocks, and a +1 Dragon Claw after rocks. My speed benchmark hits a number a bit higher than common slow Base 80~85s, helping me outpace Mega Venusaur, opposing Tyranitar, DDD Altaria, Suicune (you can increase the speed creep here if you want), and Mandibuzz. Full speed is perfectly considerable if you're paranoid about killing Rotom-Wash asap, but Rotom is a deadweight against this team, so it shouldn't be a concern.
Gengar @ Choice Scarf *** You Won't See Me (
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA | 4 SpD | 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Shadow Ball
Sludge Wave
Focus Blast
Trick
Much like Seismitoad, Gengar was assigned to fill some holes, while still helping Mega Latias and Clefable. At this point, i didn't want to rely solely on Skarmory to handle threats like Garchomp, Mega Altaria because there are common strategies including Zone trapping, so i wanted to play with an emmergency button. I know, this isn't DPP and people shouldn't worry that much about speed control at this point, but Gengar fills niches that no other Pokémon can. It gives me a second answer against Fairies (mainly Clefable and Altaria), it spinblocks, gives me a plan B button against threats like Serperior, DD Zard X; and probably the most important, it lures a lot of common checks to Clefable and Latias. There aren't too many solid Ghost-resists in the tier, and this makes iit very easy to abuse Scarf Gengar with Spikes, especially vs Offense, because common targets trying to revenge kill it (Mega Scizor, Scarf Keldeo, Scarfrachi, Heatran) will all get worn down, while almost always 2HKOing Tornadus-Therian with Sludge Wave and giving Weavile less opportunities to Pursuit.
I went with Sludge Wave over Sludge Bomb because of the immediate damage vs Tornadus-Therian after rocks (75%~ and 13%~ rolls after Stealth Rock damage, respectively), and because i want to minimize the Poison chance, especially because the team appreciates Latias' paralyze support. The remaining moveslots are standard offensive coverage, but i need to explain Trick in-depth. If Gengar won't be filling a role of abusing its Ghost-STAB, his goal is to force trades against numerous set-up sweepers, or lure them directly with Trick. This is extremely important because Gengar doesn't have very offensive potential. It isn't going to OHKO Manaphy or Clefable after a couple of Calm Minds, so it needs to force trades to make the remaining members abuse of the choice-locked threat later in the match. If you're facing a Stall team with a Sableye without 100%, they main switch-in is usually Chansey or a Regen mon, so you can try to conceal your moveset and take advantage of that.
You can use Modest Scarf or less speed, but outpacing Scarf Keldeo and +1 Jolly Zard X can be potentially gamebreaking sometimes, and you want to keep the regular Speed tier after using Trick against a bulkier threat.
Seismitoad @ Leftovers *** Revolution 1 (
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP | 240 Def | 20 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Stealth Rock
Scald
Earth Power | Refresh
Toxic
Seismitoad is a mediocre Pokémon overall. It isn't going to tank hits forever nor does it take early advantage of anything, but it's a necessary evil on this slot. An Electric-immunity + SR, and a backup check vs Heatran and Talonflame was needed here to cover the weakness of the team against Volturn cores (Rotom-W + Medicham or Lopunny is really annoying), and Seismitoad is the closest member to fill the majority of flaws that I've had at this point. Gastrodon doesn't learn Stealth Rock (putting Rocks on Tyranitar or Skarmory is counterproductive), and Garchomp and Landorus-Therian would increase my weakness vs HP Ice Thundurus and Manectric and they make me lose my Water-immunity, which is pretty incovenient because it increases my weakness against Slowbro and Choiced Keldeo (especially with Pursuit-support), and matchup issues vs Rain teams as well.
A lot of people like to slap Knock Off, but i need every single moveslot here. Earth Power is usually superior than Earthquake because it doesn't make you rely on a Scald burn on SD Bisharp if you're already burned because of Heatran or Talonflame. Scald fails to 2HKO Talonflame, so Toxic allows me to take the advantage in a eventual Roost, and covers my issues vs (Mega) Slowbro. Refresh is a cool choice as well, allowing Seismitoad to fish for the burn on Mega Sableye more comfortably, although using it without Earth Power hurts quite a bit.
I use full Def here to tank a +2 Knock Off from Adamant Bisharp (assuming it's Lum or BlackGlasses, because Life Orb OHKOes it) and also it gives me more staying power vs Weavile and Mega Scizor.
Usually your main options against Bulky or HO teams are going to be Clefable and Mega Latias (more solid against BO), and Gengar and Mega Latias (more solid against HO). If your opponent has a dedicated lead, just ensure that you can rocks later, and try to force trades with Gengar whenever you can, and conserve Skarmory and Latias for every important set-up sweeper with priority. If you face a standard stall with Sab | Chansey | Skarmory | regen grass | Quagsire | filler, you should try to avoid too much Spikes on your field (it your opponent is running Defog Skarm, it's easier), and use Band Tyranitar to get a kill eventually. You won't be laying rocks anytime soon, but in the mid-game, you can burn the Sableye, keep it at 50~70% range, and pressure your opponent's team with hazards later. This team has a very good matchup vs Bulky | Rain Offense and opposing defensively-inclined Balanced, while Full Stall and HO are neutral matchups. Some specific matchups like the uncommon BirdSpam are annoying matchups to face, though.
I've said that about a million times, but i'm gonna say it again. This team has 4 Spikes immunities, and one resistance | immunity against Stealth Rock, so Spikes are always superior to Defog. On this team's skeleton, four Pokémon have a defensive nature (Clef, Lati, Skarmory, and Toad), and Gengar and Tyranitar complete my offensive core, focusing on breaking or / and revenge killing threats. Watching the team from a perspective off supporting Clefable, i believe that i have the necessary tools to weaken every relevant check. Steel-types (Jirachi, Bisharp, Mega Metagross, Heatran, Mega Scizor, Excadrill, Bisharp) either hate Spikes on the long run, or are paralyzed | tricked by Latias or Gengar, respectively. You have CB Ttar to Pursuit certain Fire-types like Talonflame, Heatran, and Victini. Certain Stallbreakers are handled by statusing (except Gliscor), but you can take the early advantage with Latias or Skarmory. There's remaining some checks like Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss, and Flamethrower capitalizes on these targets, along Excadrill and Mega Scizor. Still, don't think about focusing your gameplan only on sweeping with Clefable and you should do fine against a lot of matchups.
Thanks for reading, and I apologize for the grammar typos (s/o lighthouses for helping me to fix a lot of mistakes). Pce.
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