So yeah, this is my first 5th gen OU RMT (First OU RMT for both gens, actually, if you don't count my crappy first Sunny Day RMT). So after playing for a while, I decided that I ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT use Sandstorm and Doryuuzu (The bastard) and want ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with it. At the same time when people were hyping to Sand to no end (although this isn't without reason), everyone was saying how horrible Hail and ESPECIALLY KYUREMU was. I was Outraged (pun intended). Yes, Kyuremu has its flaws, but come on, something with 660 BST and no crippling ability like Slow Start or Truant is pretty hard to make crap, ESPECIALLY when it has Dragon-STAB. No matter, I set out to show everyone how wrong they were by dismissing Hail and Kyuremu. I remembered when I dissed WhiteQueen and his UU Blizzspam team, but ended up finding it ingenious in the end (I changed my mind, happy??). I decided to try it out in 5th gen OU, and it turned out to be a blast, much more than I would have if I ran bog standard Doryuuzu or rain teams, I'm sure. This team got to #5 on the Beta Server ladder IIRC, and after that I had to study for exams, so I stopped laddering with it.
Abomasnow (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Blizzard
- Grass Knot / Energy Ball
- Focus Blast / Wood Hammer / Ice Shard
- Hidden Power [Fire]
So here we are, we start off with Abomasnow, the only evolved Pokemon who can start Hail. Since you can edit your teams at the start of every battle, this isn't always my lead anyway. If you want to underestimate Abomasnow be my guest, you can watch it kill things. This set is slightly different than the typical "I'M STALLING" Abomasnow. My team is Hail Offense, not stall, and what better way is there to show this by starting with an offensive lead?? Blizzard with full EV investment and a Modest nature actually hits pretty damn hard. Grass Knot hits most Water-types that think they can switch into Blizzard, but I'm perfectly willing to use Energy Ball if Manaphy decides to be annoying. The rest of the moves give Abomasnow additional coverage. Hidden Power Fire severely wounds Nattorei, Forretress and catches those damn Scizors thinking they can switch in for free. Since I originally had a Specs Abomasnow, I had Focus Blast in the last spot, but since I changed back to Leftovers, I'm perfectly willing to change it into Wood Hammer or Ice Shard so Abomasnow can be a bit more useful, either in dealing with Calm Mind Manaphy or have priority, which is always nice to have, especially with all the Dragons running around. 252 HP EVs are used so Abomasnow is still bulky enough to take hits and repeatedly come in and out.
Changes being considered: Change to a Quiet nature, 20 Spe IVs with a spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA using Ice Shard or Wood Hammer, so Abomasnow is set up the Hail even against Hippowdon while still being quite offensive.
Deoxys-S @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
- Psychic
So, now that you know that this team is Hail offense, and you see Deoxys-S, it's got to be a Spiker, right?? But wait, why isn't this in the lead spot?? Well of course, this Deoxys-S is not a entry hazard abuser, but possibly one of the best OU late-game cleaners ever. Not only that, he's an excellent revenge killer in the early and mid-game. Max Speed Deoxys-S reaches 504 Speed, comfortably outspeeding Choice Scarf Garchomp and anything below, including the very dangerous DD Mence. If you're only EVing Kingdra or any other weather-abusing speed demons to 250 to outspeed ScarfChomp, you'll eat a hefty hit from this thing (Lesson: Use at least 253 Speed, ha!!). With fantastic Speed, usable Special Attack and fantastic coverage, Deoxys-S pretty much checks 80%+ of the metagame and sweeps at the same time. Ice Beam takes out those annoying Dragons. If you're wondering why I'm using Ice Beam on a Blizzspam team, the answer is very simple: Deoxys-S can't learn Blizzard, which is a real shame. Thunderbolt rounds out the BoltBeam combo, whose coverage has dropped slightly with the change to 5th gen, but is still great nonetheless. Superpower 2HKOs Blissey and OHKOs Tyranitar. I really didn't care about what to put in the last spot, first I tried Recover, then HP Fire, but went to Psychic because a) It gets STAB and Deoxys-S generally doesn't have time to recover. Yes, HP Fire is good for dealing with Scizor, but I really don't need it and the imperfect IV can get if I'm going up against other Deoxys-S's. Don't tell about Psycho Shock, Deoxys-S has Superpower to deal with Blissey while Psycho Shock can't, and also Psycho Shock can't OHKO Roobushin while Psychic can.
Changes considered: None, really. I'm very happy with Deoxys-S.
Kyuremu @ Choice Specs
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Blizzard
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
Well, this is the star of the show. Now, I've heard all hype about this thing at the start when it first came out, and that was misplaced. Then I heard how everyone saying this thing would go to UU or BL because it was so "outclassed". What utter bullshit. "Oh my God it's Stealth Rock weak, it's Bullet Punch weak, it's Mach Punch weak, it has a shitty movepool". Any other complaints?? Kyuremu is so powerful that none of that matters. Stealth Rock weak?? Tell that to Ho-oh, Rayquaza and Salamence. Bullet Punch weak?? Since when does Bullet Punch weak make a Pokemon bad?? Say hi to Tyranitar (Kyu can also take a CB Scizor Bullet Punch at full-health if he needs to). Mach Punch weak?? Say hi to pretty much every good sweeper that came out in 5th gen, including the annoying runt Doryuuzu. Crappy movepool?? Kyuremu doesn't need a good movepool since he can just spam one attack and hurt pretty much everything anyway (Draco Meteor/Blizzard). Here are some damage calculations:
Choice Specs Blizzard vs:
252/0 Scizor: 51.45% - 60.47% (Switching in once ONLY)
252/0 Metagross: 44.23% - 51.92% (~71% chance to 2HKO with SR and Hail)
4/0 Jirachi: 42.98% - 50.58%
252/252+ Nattorei: 53.98% - 63.92% (Easy 2HKO)
4/252 Blissey: 28.68% - 34.05%
So yeah, that was Specs Blizzard again Steel-types, Pokemon that RESIST it. None of those were overly frail either, and Kyuremu still does a truckload to them. Imagine switching something else into it. With Specs, Kyuremu hits like a nuke, while differentiating itself from Latios and Sazandora by having a secondary 120 Base Power STAB attack that has no drawbacks at all (So long as I keep Hail up, and this is not hard), better bulk and in Latios' case, no Pursuit-weak. Blizzard is the main spam attack in the Hail, while Dragon Pulse is the one outside of Hail. Draco Meteor is used when I really want to hurt things, but if it is Hailing, I normally spam Blizzard anyway. Focus Blast hits Steel-types, although I pretty much never use that abomination of a move. So yeah, underestimate Kyuremu with your ignorance and you will regret it.
Changes considered: Replace Dragon Pulse or Focus Blast with Outrage to hit Blissey with, otherwise meh. Maybe changing the nature to Modest, but I like outspeeding Jolly Lucario and others.
Roobushin (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
This thing is awesome. At first I wanted to try and stay clear of Roobushin because like Dory, everyone and their dog is using it. However, it is such a crucial member of the team I have no choice not to use Roobushin. It is a valuable check to rampant Doryuuzus if Abomasnow is down. This is pretty much standard Roobushin, max HP for bulk, max Attack so Roobushin hits really hard. Bulk Up raises Roobushin's Attack and Defense and makes it nigh-unkillable physically, while Drain Punch lets it tank for a looooong time. Mach Punch picks off Fighting weak Pokemon like the broken-ass Doryuuzu, as well as stuff like Darkrai. Payback is Roobushin's best choice against Ghost- and Psychic-types, and does very well against them. Guts is the nature used because Encourage sucks on Roobushin and Iron Fist isn't available yet (I think). Even if it was, I'd still use Guts, teaches those Burungeru to burn me, ha!!
Changes considered: Stone Edge, but such is 4MSS, otherwise, I'm happy with Roo
Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
With Blizzard spammers, there will naturally be a Stealth Rock weak team, right?? Well, Starmie comes in to try and fix that. It is still a fantastic offensive spinner, and since I'm not using Sand or rain, Kabutops and Doryuuzu are out of the question. Starmie gives a Fire-resist, although with its fragileness, it isn't that good of a Fire-resist, but good enough. Ghost-types trying to block spin are still facing a hard hit from one of its moves, and when the opposing Ghost is removed, Starmie can spin hazards away without much problem. When used on a Hail team, Starmie is actually a lot more dangerous than it appears. This is because it now has a stronger Ice move, and Blizzard is strong enough to OHKO Latias after Stealth Rock and Hail damage, which is actually quite impressive considering Latias' special bulk. Hydro Pump/Blizzard/Thunder give fantastic coverage, making Starmie extremely difficult to switch into. If it's Hailing, I usually spam Blizzard anyway, catching Grass-types or Dragons that don't mind switching into Hydro Pump and dying.
Changes considered: Replacing Blizzard or Thunderbolt with Recover, but huge difference is huge and I'm unlikely to make this change.
Heatran (M) @ Balloon / Shuca Berry
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Dragon Pulse
- Stealth Rock
Heatran is a fantastic Pokemon to carry on a Hail team due to the fact that he absorbs Fire attacks. He's really quite self-explanatory, you've all seen him being used in 4th gen. Fire Blast for huge damage, Earth Power eats opposing non-Balloon Heatran, Dragon Pulse takes out Dragons. Stealth Rock is still necessary in this metagame, whatever you've been hearing. Firstly, it allows me to deal with Urugamosu about 5x easier, and secondly, spamming Blizzard becomes so much easier when your opponent is whittled by that slight 12.5% (Or more, or less) every turn, it helps so much. Since Heatran is the only Pokemon left that can set up Stealth Rock, he does a great job into setting it up. Erufuun wouldn't dare to Taunt Heatran, neither would any other Mischievous Heart Pokemon, and Espeon is switching into Deoxys-S more than it does to Heatran (Not that it matters, Magic Mirror no exist at the moment, IIRC). I'm using Balloon on Heatran to escape EQ, but am considering on going back to Shuca Berry because of how frequently Heatran needs to switch into things only to have his Balloon popped.
Changes considered: Yeah, Shuca Berry. Not sure what to do here. I hate getting Balloon popped so easily, but Shuca Berry doesn't save Heatran from strong EQs, and it also allows Heatran to take Spikes damage.
Major threats:
Urugamosu: I hate this thing. Just better hope I get SR up early and damage it enough so it doesn't set up. Considering HP Rock on Heatran just to hurt this thing.
Doryuuzu: What team ISN'T Doryuuzu a threat to?? Basically, all I do is try and keep Hail up and Roobushin in good health.
May think of more, but these two stick out especially in my head.
Abomasnow (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Blizzard
- Grass Knot / Energy Ball
- Focus Blast / Wood Hammer / Ice Shard
- Hidden Power [Fire]
So here we are, we start off with Abomasnow, the only evolved Pokemon who can start Hail. Since you can edit your teams at the start of every battle, this isn't always my lead anyway. If you want to underestimate Abomasnow be my guest, you can watch it kill things. This set is slightly different than the typical "I'M STALLING" Abomasnow. My team is Hail Offense, not stall, and what better way is there to show this by starting with an offensive lead?? Blizzard with full EV investment and a Modest nature actually hits pretty damn hard. Grass Knot hits most Water-types that think they can switch into Blizzard, but I'm perfectly willing to use Energy Ball if Manaphy decides to be annoying. The rest of the moves give Abomasnow additional coverage. Hidden Power Fire severely wounds Nattorei, Forretress and catches those damn Scizors thinking they can switch in for free. Since I originally had a Specs Abomasnow, I had Focus Blast in the last spot, but since I changed back to Leftovers, I'm perfectly willing to change it into Wood Hammer or Ice Shard so Abomasnow can be a bit more useful, either in dealing with Calm Mind Manaphy or have priority, which is always nice to have, especially with all the Dragons running around. 252 HP EVs are used so Abomasnow is still bulky enough to take hits and repeatedly come in and out.
Changes being considered: Change to a Quiet nature, 20 Spe IVs with a spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA using Ice Shard or Wood Hammer, so Abomasnow is set up the Hail even against Hippowdon while still being quite offensive.
Deoxys-S @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
- Psychic
So, now that you know that this team is Hail offense, and you see Deoxys-S, it's got to be a Spiker, right?? But wait, why isn't this in the lead spot?? Well of course, this Deoxys-S is not a entry hazard abuser, but possibly one of the best OU late-game cleaners ever. Not only that, he's an excellent revenge killer in the early and mid-game. Max Speed Deoxys-S reaches 504 Speed, comfortably outspeeding Choice Scarf Garchomp and anything below, including the very dangerous DD Mence. If you're only EVing Kingdra or any other weather-abusing speed demons to 250 to outspeed ScarfChomp, you'll eat a hefty hit from this thing (Lesson: Use at least 253 Speed, ha!!). With fantastic Speed, usable Special Attack and fantastic coverage, Deoxys-S pretty much checks 80%+ of the metagame and sweeps at the same time. Ice Beam takes out those annoying Dragons. If you're wondering why I'm using Ice Beam on a Blizzspam team, the answer is very simple: Deoxys-S can't learn Blizzard, which is a real shame. Thunderbolt rounds out the BoltBeam combo, whose coverage has dropped slightly with the change to 5th gen, but is still great nonetheless. Superpower 2HKOs Blissey and OHKOs Tyranitar. I really didn't care about what to put in the last spot, first I tried Recover, then HP Fire, but went to Psychic because a) It gets STAB and Deoxys-S generally doesn't have time to recover. Yes, HP Fire is good for dealing with Scizor, but I really don't need it and the imperfect IV can get if I'm going up against other Deoxys-S's. Don't tell about Psycho Shock, Deoxys-S has Superpower to deal with Blissey while Psycho Shock can't, and also Psycho Shock can't OHKO Roobushin while Psychic can.
Changes considered: None, really. I'm very happy with Deoxys-S.
Kyuremu @ Choice Specs
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Blizzard
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
Well, this is the star of the show. Now, I've heard all hype about this thing at the start when it first came out, and that was misplaced. Then I heard how everyone saying this thing would go to UU or BL because it was so "outclassed". What utter bullshit. "Oh my God it's Stealth Rock weak, it's Bullet Punch weak, it's Mach Punch weak, it has a shitty movepool". Any other complaints?? Kyuremu is so powerful that none of that matters. Stealth Rock weak?? Tell that to Ho-oh, Rayquaza and Salamence. Bullet Punch weak?? Since when does Bullet Punch weak make a Pokemon bad?? Say hi to Tyranitar (Kyu can also take a CB Scizor Bullet Punch at full-health if he needs to). Mach Punch weak?? Say hi to pretty much every good sweeper that came out in 5th gen, including the annoying runt Doryuuzu. Crappy movepool?? Kyuremu doesn't need a good movepool since he can just spam one attack and hurt pretty much everything anyway (Draco Meteor/Blizzard). Here are some damage calculations:
Choice Specs Blizzard vs:
252/0 Scizor: 51.45% - 60.47% (Switching in once ONLY)
252/0 Metagross: 44.23% - 51.92% (~71% chance to 2HKO with SR and Hail)
4/0 Jirachi: 42.98% - 50.58%
252/252+ Nattorei: 53.98% - 63.92% (Easy 2HKO)
4/252 Blissey: 28.68% - 34.05%
So yeah, that was Specs Blizzard again Steel-types, Pokemon that RESIST it. None of those were overly frail either, and Kyuremu still does a truckload to them. Imagine switching something else into it. With Specs, Kyuremu hits like a nuke, while differentiating itself from Latios and Sazandora by having a secondary 120 Base Power STAB attack that has no drawbacks at all (So long as I keep Hail up, and this is not hard), better bulk and in Latios' case, no Pursuit-weak. Blizzard is the main spam attack in the Hail, while Dragon Pulse is the one outside of Hail. Draco Meteor is used when I really want to hurt things, but if it is Hailing, I normally spam Blizzard anyway. Focus Blast hits Steel-types, although I pretty much never use that abomination of a move. So yeah, underestimate Kyuremu with your ignorance and you will regret it.
Changes considered: Replace Dragon Pulse or Focus Blast with Outrage to hit Blissey with, otherwise meh. Maybe changing the nature to Modest, but I like outspeeding Jolly Lucario and others.
Roobushin (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
This thing is awesome. At first I wanted to try and stay clear of Roobushin because like Dory, everyone and their dog is using it. However, it is such a crucial member of the team I have no choice not to use Roobushin. It is a valuable check to rampant Doryuuzus if Abomasnow is down. This is pretty much standard Roobushin, max HP for bulk, max Attack so Roobushin hits really hard. Bulk Up raises Roobushin's Attack and Defense and makes it nigh-unkillable physically, while Drain Punch lets it tank for a looooong time. Mach Punch picks off Fighting weak Pokemon like the broken-ass Doryuuzu, as well as stuff like Darkrai. Payback is Roobushin's best choice against Ghost- and Psychic-types, and does very well against them. Guts is the nature used because Encourage sucks on Roobushin and Iron Fist isn't available yet (I think). Even if it was, I'd still use Guts, teaches those Burungeru to burn me, ha!!
Changes considered: Stone Edge, but such is 4MSS, otherwise, I'm happy with Roo
Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
With Blizzard spammers, there will naturally be a Stealth Rock weak team, right?? Well, Starmie comes in to try and fix that. It is still a fantastic offensive spinner, and since I'm not using Sand or rain, Kabutops and Doryuuzu are out of the question. Starmie gives a Fire-resist, although with its fragileness, it isn't that good of a Fire-resist, but good enough. Ghost-types trying to block spin are still facing a hard hit from one of its moves, and when the opposing Ghost is removed, Starmie can spin hazards away without much problem. When used on a Hail team, Starmie is actually a lot more dangerous than it appears. This is because it now has a stronger Ice move, and Blizzard is strong enough to OHKO Latias after Stealth Rock and Hail damage, which is actually quite impressive considering Latias' special bulk. Hydro Pump/Blizzard/Thunder give fantastic coverage, making Starmie extremely difficult to switch into. If it's Hailing, I usually spam Blizzard anyway, catching Grass-types or Dragons that don't mind switching into Hydro Pump and dying.
Changes considered: Replacing Blizzard or Thunderbolt with Recover, but huge difference is huge and I'm unlikely to make this change.
Heatran (M) @ Balloon / Shuca Berry
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Dragon Pulse
- Stealth Rock
Heatran is a fantastic Pokemon to carry on a Hail team due to the fact that he absorbs Fire attacks. He's really quite self-explanatory, you've all seen him being used in 4th gen. Fire Blast for huge damage, Earth Power eats opposing non-Balloon Heatran, Dragon Pulse takes out Dragons. Stealth Rock is still necessary in this metagame, whatever you've been hearing. Firstly, it allows me to deal with Urugamosu about 5x easier, and secondly, spamming Blizzard becomes so much easier when your opponent is whittled by that slight 12.5% (Or more, or less) every turn, it helps so much. Since Heatran is the only Pokemon left that can set up Stealth Rock, he does a great job into setting it up. Erufuun wouldn't dare to Taunt Heatran, neither would any other Mischievous Heart Pokemon, and Espeon is switching into Deoxys-S more than it does to Heatran (Not that it matters, Magic Mirror no exist at the moment, IIRC). I'm using Balloon on Heatran to escape EQ, but am considering on going back to Shuca Berry because of how frequently Heatran needs to switch into things only to have his Balloon popped.
Changes considered: Yeah, Shuca Berry. Not sure what to do here. I hate getting Balloon popped so easily, but Shuca Berry doesn't save Heatran from strong EQs, and it also allows Heatran to take Spikes damage.
Major threats:
Urugamosu: I hate this thing. Just better hope I get SR up early and damage it enough so it doesn't set up. Considering HP Rock on Heatran just to hurt this thing.
Doryuuzu: What team ISN'T Doryuuzu a threat to?? Basically, all I do is try and keep Hail up and Roobushin in good health.
May think of more, but these two stick out especially in my head.
