It's Over 9000!
(Peaked #1 on Pokemon Showdown Public Beta as Trolltech_Inc._2.0)
Ladder peak may be irrelevant, but I'm proud of it nonetheless.
Credit to FUNimation for the image; resize by me [Wario is OSSIM].
What, 9000? There's no way that can be right...
Introductions
════════════════════════════════
One day, I was browsing Smogon's OU Analyses subforum, looking at and playtesting new Pokemon sets. Many, such as Double Dance Haxorus (now on site), Work Up Virizion, and Acrobatics Tornadus, were amazing. Some though were not. I saw one set there that stood out brightly among the others: Blue_Star's Bulk Up Breloom. I was (and still am) a MASSIVE Breloom fan. Its power and surprising bulk (with the aid of Poison Heal) cemented its worth to me ad infinitum. Used to the conventional SubPuncher and SubSeeding sets alongside the Technician sets in Dream World, I naturally wanted to test this set out. It's surpassed the expectations I've set for it and is easily one of my favorite ways to battle with Breloom. Stall can't touch it (for the most part), and the common Volt-Turning core of Scizor and Rotom-W is hard-pressed to deal with it on their own. Hyper offense does beat Breloom on its own, but that's why a team has six members, right?
Having seen it in action, I decided to revolve a team around it. My thoughts can be seen below.
Team Building
════════════════════════════════
Blue_Star's Bulk Up Breloom was the base of this team. Its ability to mold defensive and offensive potential into one Pokemon while simultaneously being annoying is amazing. Its ability to sweep and support a team made it all the more appealing to use.
However, Breloom does have its share of problem Pokemon. Some of those were powerful, rather bulky Psychics, such as Latios, Reuniclus, and especially Celebi. I took notice that Scizor dealt with most, if not all of them rather spectacularly, only having to watch for the off-chance Hidden Power Fire. Since I was using the Choice Banded set, I figured I might as well use Rotom-W to complement the core and add additional pressure to my opponent's team to keep up with the onslaught. Still, Dragons proved themselves a massive thorn in this team's side with their sheer power, which easily overwhelmed Scizor if used in quick succession. So, my only solution to Dragons then was to sac a Pokemon (undesired) and revenge with Scizor, or take up another Steel to help take the blows and hit hard along the way.
Choosing Heatran as my second Steel had to be one of the best decisions I ever made when it came to the build of this team. He helps the team by setting up Stealth Rock and completing an unintentional FWG core. The completion of the unintentional FWG core with Heatran gives the team a deceptive amount of bulk (not too much, but enough to abuse synergy), and gives Rotom-W another option to Volt Switch into so pressure can be maintained.
Despite the presence of Heatran and Rotom-W, I also wanted a more surefire method of striking down Virizion and opposing Breloom. My team also needed a solid Fighting resist. Enter Latios, the former suspect, now solidly integrated into OU. Its speed and power is what first attracted me to it, but as time progressed, it grew from a powerful Dragon that resisted Fighting-type attacks to (dare I say it?) one of the cornerstones of this team. Still, I wanted one more sweeper, one that could complement the rest of the team without sacrificing too much sweeping ability.
Lucario answers all of the requests I've put down for the last slot of the team. It can clean up after Breloom is KOed, exploit ScarfTar and Weavile locked into Pursuit, and act as an emergency revenge killer. I chose to use an unconventional set that helps deal with SOME of its common counters, which can be seen later on in the RMT.
Importable
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Team At A Glance
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The Team in Detail
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Motisma-Lav
Genderless |
| Levitate
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe | 0 Atk
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
~ Volt Switch
~ Hydro Pump
~ Thunderbolt
~ Trick
Oftentimes, if I have nothing better to use against my opponent's team from the get go or I want to wreak havoc early on, I'll lead with Rotom-W. Its speed and power are astonishing to say the least. It's an integral part in this team's FWG and Volt-Turning cores, and needless to say, has pulled me out of several would-be losses with its sheer utility and amazing defensive and offensive typing. Volt Switch is Rotom-W's main STAB move and the one move that will be spammed at the beginning and throughout the battle. Hydro Pump is Rotom-W's most powerful move and is used to hit my opponent hard when called for. Thunderbolt is when I just need a reliable STAB that won't miss or force me out of the field. It also makes SubDD Gyara, normally a problem for these types of teams, much more manageable. The lack of Hidden Power is nothing too concerning, seeing that I have my teammates to pick up the slack. Trick is what makes Rotom-W troublesome for most stall teams to face, seeing that most of their members won't like a Trick to their face, costing them their valuable item. The EVs are standard, and the IVs minimize confusion damage (situational, but useful).
Heatran
Female |
| Flash Fire
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe | 2 Atk / 30 Def
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
~ Fire Blast
~ Earth Power
~ Hidden Power Ice
~ Stealth Rock
Heatran is amazing. It fulfills many responsibilities that I cannot reliably trust any other Pokemon in OU for on this team. It reliably gets Stealth Rock down and acts as a pivot to ease some pressure off the rest of the team. It also acts as a wall-breaker by laying pressure on my opponent's team with its powerful Fire-type attacks. Heatran is another important part of the FWG core that this team employs and is one of my two Dragon resists. It also acts as a lure for Gliscor and Dragonite. Fire Blast is obligatory STAB and Earth Power lets me strike down other Heatran and opposing Fire-types. Hidden Power Ice lets Heatran take on the role of secondary Dragon killer for the team, while Stealth Rock is chip damage that really helps the team. The EVs are standard fare, and the IVs minimize confusion damage. Under the suggestion of whitesocks, I shifted Heatran to a Timid nature. It works better than Modest, that's for sure.
Chapignon
Female |
| Poison Heal
236 HP / 216 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature (+SpD, -SpA)
~ Bulk Up
~ Spore
~ Seed Bomb
~ Drain Punch
When one sees Breloom, one emotion oftentimes comes into effect: rage. Spore is the name of the rage game, and this Breloom can reliably beat one of its most sure-fire counters: Gliscor. It serves as a status absorber after Poison Heal has been activated. Breloom also serves as my rain and sand check, given its bulk and resistances to common STABs seen in those types of teams. Bulk Up only serves to further its purpose on this team, lettimg me set up to hit harder after setting something to sleep. While this variant of Breloom faces competition from Conkeldurr, Scrafty, and Gallade as a Bulk Up abuser, the advantages it has over the three (despite being numerically less defensive) is its wonderful share of resistances, STAB, Poison Heal, and Spore, the move that essentially takes a Pokemon out of action for the entire game by putting it to sleep, lest my opponent lets me set up on it. He also serves as Part 1 of my Fighting core and finishes the FWG core present in this team. Seed Bomb is reliable STAB, and Drain Punch lets me recover even more HP per turn. The EVs were drawn from Blue_Star's analysis, so reading it (linked to in the beginning of this RMT) can and will help to understand why the specified spread was chosen.
Cizayox
Female |
| Technician
248 HP / 56 Atk / 204 SpD
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
~ Bullet Punch
~ U-turn
~ Pursuit
~ Superpower
Part 2 of the Volt-Turning core, and the second Steel-type in my team. I took a page from Iconic's Scizor set seen in Layla and decided to emphasize Special Defense a slight bit, to make switching into Draco Meteors aimed at my other team members easily. This EV spread allows me to reliably trap Specs Latios locked into Draco Meteor, a Psychic STAB, or Surf, and non-Hidden Power Fire Espeon. Despite the reduced power from not investing as many EVs into Attack, Scizor still performs admirably, almost never failing to disappoint. Bullet Punch lets Scizor break apart teams vulnerable to priority and shields me against the terror to face that is CB Terrakion. U-turn lets Scizor perform its roles in the Volt-Turning core while Superpower lets me nail Scizor in the switch-in. The EVs are slightly unusual, and they let Scizor minimize hazard damage while maximizing its HP. Its Attack was slightly invested in while Special Defense was emphasized. I removed the Speed EVs and redistributed them into the Attack and Special Defense stats, which I then went to work redistributing. While the lack of Speed is nothing of concern, the 7 point increase in Attack (504 vs. 511) is always helpful.
Latios
Male |
| Levitate
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe | 0 Atk
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
~ Draco Meteor
~ Surf
~ Psyshock
~ Recover
Latios is the supporting pillar of this team. It can deal with many of the Fighters in OU (and what it can't deal with can be dealt with by the other team members). I typically bring Latios into battle when I need to beat down my opponent with its powerful Dragon-type attacks. I also use it when I want to weaken my opponent's team so that the Volt-Turning core of Rotom-W and Scizor can do their job with a much higher level of efficiency. While the lack of Hidden Power Fire normally is unsettling, that one extra point of Speed (350 vs. 349) is all worthwhile for breaking down opposing non-Scarfed dragons, especially Latios with Hidden Power Fire. However, I don't use Latios to deal with Dragonite, unless Stealth Rock has been laid and it has switched into it at least once. I also tend to use Latios as Pursuit bait so Lucario can set up and start destroying my opponent's team. Draco Meteor (thanks for the suggestion Blue_Star, Rewer) is Latios's main STAB and helps against plenty of OU, given the amount of damage it can do to those that don't resist it (aside from Blissey, Chansey, and Tyranitar). Surf hits hard, and lets Latios use the rain if my opponent uses it too. Surf also lets Latios deter Tyranitar from switching in. Psyshock lets Latios beat down Virizion and Breloom, two threats that can get out of hand if they can set up. The EVs are standard, and the IVs minimize confusion damage. A question I am holding though is whether or not I should be using Psychic over Psyshock to be able to KO Conkeldurr more reliably than if I had used Psyshock.
Lucario
Female |
| Inner Focus
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
~ Swords Dance
~ Close Combat
~ ExtremeSpeed
~ Bullet Punch
Lucario is my late-game sweeper and second part of my team's Fighting core. Using a double priority set normally is unadvisable, because of the lack of initial power and inability to break through Gliscor and Jellicent. Breloom makes short work of both of those walls, making a double priority set more advisable for this team. Normally, faster threats resistant or immune to ExtremeSpeed (Gengar, Terrakion, ScarfTar) are able to revenge KO Lucario with their superior speed and powerful moves. However, Bullet Punch lets Lucario turn the tables on its normal revengers by knocking them out before they can even move. Its that ability to use priority that made Lucario a more appealing choice for this team than Terrakion, despite its inferior power and Speed. Swords Dance lets Lucario ramp its Attack stat up to 700, making its Bullet Punch stronger than Scizor's, enabling it to run through a weakened team in the late-game. Close Combat is Lucario's main STAB, despite the buff to Hi Jump Kick. ExtremeSpeed and Bullet Punch form the basis of the double priority that makes this set so deadly in the first place. The EVs are standard, while the Adamant nature is justified with the use of double priority.
One Last Glance at the Team
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(Peaked #1 on Pokemon Showdown Public Beta as Trolltech_Inc._2.0)
Ladder peak may be irrelevant, but I'm proud of it nonetheless.
Credit to FUNimation for the image; resize by me [Wario is OSSIM].
What, 9000? There's no way that can be right...
Introductions
════════════════════════════════
One day, I was browsing Smogon's OU Analyses subforum, looking at and playtesting new Pokemon sets. Many, such as Double Dance Haxorus (now on site), Work Up Virizion, and Acrobatics Tornadus, were amazing. Some though were not. I saw one set there that stood out brightly among the others: Blue_Star's Bulk Up Breloom. I was (and still am) a MASSIVE Breloom fan. Its power and surprising bulk (with the aid of Poison Heal) cemented its worth to me ad infinitum. Used to the conventional SubPuncher and SubSeeding sets alongside the Technician sets in Dream World, I naturally wanted to test this set out. It's surpassed the expectations I've set for it and is easily one of my favorite ways to battle with Breloom. Stall can't touch it (for the most part), and the common Volt-Turning core of Scizor and Rotom-W is hard-pressed to deal with it on their own. Hyper offense does beat Breloom on its own, but that's why a team has six members, right?
Having seen it in action, I decided to revolve a team around it. My thoughts can be seen below.
Team Building
════════════════════════════════
Blue_Star's Bulk Up Breloom was the base of this team. Its ability to mold defensive and offensive potential into one Pokemon while simultaneously being annoying is amazing. Its ability to sweep and support a team made it all the more appealing to use.
However, Breloom does have its share of problem Pokemon. Some of those were powerful, rather bulky Psychics, such as Latios, Reuniclus, and especially Celebi. I took notice that Scizor dealt with most, if not all of them rather spectacularly, only having to watch for the off-chance Hidden Power Fire. Since I was using the Choice Banded set, I figured I might as well use Rotom-W to complement the core and add additional pressure to my opponent's team to keep up with the onslaught. Still, Dragons proved themselves a massive thorn in this team's side with their sheer power, which easily overwhelmed Scizor if used in quick succession. So, my only solution to Dragons then was to sac a Pokemon (undesired) and revenge with Scizor, or take up another Steel to help take the blows and hit hard along the way.
Choosing Heatran as my second Steel had to be one of the best decisions I ever made when it came to the build of this team. He helps the team by setting up Stealth Rock and completing an unintentional FWG core. The completion of the unintentional FWG core with Heatran gives the team a deceptive amount of bulk (not too much, but enough to abuse synergy), and gives Rotom-W another option to Volt Switch into so pressure can be maintained.
Despite the presence of Heatran and Rotom-W, I also wanted a more surefire method of striking down Virizion and opposing Breloom. My team also needed a solid Fighting resist. Enter Latios, the former suspect, now solidly integrated into OU. Its speed and power is what first attracted me to it, but as time progressed, it grew from a powerful Dragon that resisted Fighting-type attacks to (dare I say it?) one of the cornerstones of this team. Still, I wanted one more sweeper, one that could complement the rest of the team without sacrificing too much sweeping ability.
Lucario answers all of the requests I've put down for the last slot of the team. It can clean up after Breloom is KOed, exploit ScarfTar and Weavile locked into Pursuit, and act as an emergency revenge killer. I chose to use an unconventional set that helps deal with SOME of its common counters, which can be seen later on in the RMT.
Importable
════════════════════════════════
PHP:
Motisma-Lav (Rotom-W) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Heatran (F) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock
Chapignon (Breloom) (F) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 216 SDef / 56 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Spore
- Seed Bomb
- Drain Punch
Cizayox (Scizor) (F) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Atk / 204 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Recover
Lucario (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Bullet PunchTeam At A Glance
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The Team in Detail
════════════════════════════════
Genderless |
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe | 0 Atk
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
~ Volt Switch
~ Hydro Pump
~ Thunderbolt
~ Trick
Oftentimes, if I have nothing better to use against my opponent's team from the get go or I want to wreak havoc early on, I'll lead with Rotom-W. Its speed and power are astonishing to say the least. It's an integral part in this team's FWG and Volt-Turning cores, and needless to say, has pulled me out of several would-be losses with its sheer utility and amazing defensive and offensive typing. Volt Switch is Rotom-W's main STAB move and the one move that will be spammed at the beginning and throughout the battle. Hydro Pump is Rotom-W's most powerful move and is used to hit my opponent hard when called for. Thunderbolt is when I just need a reliable STAB that won't miss or force me out of the field. It also makes SubDD Gyara, normally a problem for these types of teams, much more manageable. The lack of Hidden Power is nothing too concerning, seeing that I have my teammates to pick up the slack. Trick is what makes Rotom-W troublesome for most stall teams to face, seeing that most of their members won't like a Trick to their face, costing them their valuable item. The EVs are standard, and the IVs minimize confusion damage (situational, but useful).
Female |
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe | 2 Atk / 30 Def
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
~ Fire Blast
~ Earth Power
~ Hidden Power Ice
~ Stealth Rock
Heatran is amazing. It fulfills many responsibilities that I cannot reliably trust any other Pokemon in OU for on this team. It reliably gets Stealth Rock down and acts as a pivot to ease some pressure off the rest of the team. It also acts as a wall-breaker by laying pressure on my opponent's team with its powerful Fire-type attacks. Heatran is another important part of the FWG core that this team employs and is one of my two Dragon resists. It also acts as a lure for Gliscor and Dragonite. Fire Blast is obligatory STAB and Earth Power lets me strike down other Heatran and opposing Fire-types. Hidden Power Ice lets Heatran take on the role of secondary Dragon killer for the team, while Stealth Rock is chip damage that really helps the team. The EVs are standard fare, and the IVs minimize confusion damage. Under the suggestion of whitesocks, I shifted Heatran to a Timid nature. It works better than Modest, that's for sure.
Female |
236 HP / 216 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature (+SpD, -SpA)
~ Bulk Up
~ Spore
~ Seed Bomb
~ Drain Punch
When one sees Breloom, one emotion oftentimes comes into effect: rage. Spore is the name of the rage game, and this Breloom can reliably beat one of its most sure-fire counters: Gliscor. It serves as a status absorber after Poison Heal has been activated. Breloom also serves as my rain and sand check, given its bulk and resistances to common STABs seen in those types of teams. Bulk Up only serves to further its purpose on this team, lettimg me set up to hit harder after setting something to sleep. While this variant of Breloom faces competition from Conkeldurr, Scrafty, and Gallade as a Bulk Up abuser, the advantages it has over the three (despite being numerically less defensive) is its wonderful share of resistances, STAB, Poison Heal, and Spore, the move that essentially takes a Pokemon out of action for the entire game by putting it to sleep, lest my opponent lets me set up on it. He also serves as Part 1 of my Fighting core and finishes the FWG core present in this team. Seed Bomb is reliable STAB, and Drain Punch lets me recover even more HP per turn. The EVs were drawn from Blue_Star's analysis, so reading it (linked to in the beginning of this RMT) can and will help to understand why the specified spread was chosen.
Female |
248 HP / 56 Atk / 204 SpD
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
~ Bullet Punch
~ U-turn
~ Pursuit
~ Superpower
Part 2 of the Volt-Turning core, and the second Steel-type in my team. I took a page from Iconic's Scizor set seen in Layla and decided to emphasize Special Defense a slight bit, to make switching into Draco Meteors aimed at my other team members easily. This EV spread allows me to reliably trap Specs Latios locked into Draco Meteor, a Psychic STAB, or Surf, and non-Hidden Power Fire Espeon. Despite the reduced power from not investing as many EVs into Attack, Scizor still performs admirably, almost never failing to disappoint. Bullet Punch lets Scizor break apart teams vulnerable to priority and shields me against the terror to face that is CB Terrakion. U-turn lets Scizor perform its roles in the Volt-Turning core while Superpower lets me nail Scizor in the switch-in. The EVs are slightly unusual, and they let Scizor minimize hazard damage while maximizing its HP. Its Attack was slightly invested in while Special Defense was emphasized. I removed the Speed EVs and redistributed them into the Attack and Special Defense stats, which I then went to work redistributing. While the lack of Speed is nothing of concern, the 7 point increase in Attack (504 vs. 511) is always helpful.
Male |
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe | 0 Atk
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
~ Draco Meteor
~ Surf
~ Psyshock
~ Recover
Latios is the supporting pillar of this team. It can deal with many of the Fighters in OU (and what it can't deal with can be dealt with by the other team members). I typically bring Latios into battle when I need to beat down my opponent with its powerful Dragon-type attacks. I also use it when I want to weaken my opponent's team so that the Volt-Turning core of Rotom-W and Scizor can do their job with a much higher level of efficiency. While the lack of Hidden Power Fire normally is unsettling, that one extra point of Speed (350 vs. 349) is all worthwhile for breaking down opposing non-Scarfed dragons, especially Latios with Hidden Power Fire. However, I don't use Latios to deal with Dragonite, unless Stealth Rock has been laid and it has switched into it at least once. I also tend to use Latios as Pursuit bait so Lucario can set up and start destroying my opponent's team. Draco Meteor (thanks for the suggestion Blue_Star, Rewer) is Latios's main STAB and helps against plenty of OU, given the amount of damage it can do to those that don't resist it (aside from Blissey, Chansey, and Tyranitar). Surf hits hard, and lets Latios use the rain if my opponent uses it too. Surf also lets Latios deter Tyranitar from switching in. Psyshock lets Latios beat down Virizion and Breloom, two threats that can get out of hand if they can set up. The EVs are standard, and the IVs minimize confusion damage. A question I am holding though is whether or not I should be using Psychic over Psyshock to be able to KO Conkeldurr more reliably than if I had used Psyshock.
Female |
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
~ Swords Dance
~ Close Combat
~ ExtremeSpeed
~ Bullet Punch
Lucario is my late-game sweeper and second part of my team's Fighting core. Using a double priority set normally is unadvisable, because of the lack of initial power and inability to break through Gliscor and Jellicent. Breloom makes short work of both of those walls, making a double priority set more advisable for this team. Normally, faster threats resistant or immune to ExtremeSpeed (Gengar, Terrakion, ScarfTar) are able to revenge KO Lucario with their superior speed and powerful moves. However, Bullet Punch lets Lucario turn the tables on its normal revengers by knocking them out before they can even move. Its that ability to use priority that made Lucario a more appealing choice for this team than Terrakion, despite its inferior power and Speed. Swords Dance lets Lucario ramp its Attack stat up to 700, making its Bullet Punch stronger than Scizor's, enabling it to run through a weakened team in the late-game. Close Combat is Lucario's main STAB, despite the buff to Hi Jump Kick. ExtremeSpeed and Bullet Punch form the basis of the double priority that makes this set so deadly in the first place. The EVs are standard, while the Adamant nature is justified with the use of double priority.
One Last Glance at the Team
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