The Lamp that Could

Hello fellow scholars of the Smogon University. I'm sure everyone has noticed the increase of usage of the ever-so-frustrating Hyper Offensive play-style, while countless amounts of teams have been shared, displayed, and improved upon to fit this similar theme. When BW2 came out, pretty much every "Deoxys-D team" (as it is now called) had a simple formula: Deoxys-D + Gengar + Genesect + Sweepers. Although I did derive inspiration from this, the team itself was never meant to be labeled as "Deoxys-D Hyper Offense." I simply wanted to build a team around a monster of a Pokemon (set) that has not yet been seen--SubSalac Terrakion. Yes, the title may be a bit misleading since it supposedly focuses on Chandelure; however, the MVP and basis of the team is the above Terrakion set.


^ Read that. Anyway, after crafting my Terrakion, I needed to decide on partners. The biggest threat to SubSalac Terrakion is of course the bourgeois use of priority moves. The two most common (being Bullet Punch and Mach Punch) straight OHKO Terrakion from Scizor and Techniloom respectively. Mamoswine's Ice Shard can stop my sweep cold as they kill Terrakion after it receives its Salac boost. I decided a good partner to Terrakion would be one that checks/counters common priority-holding Pokemon. Reminiscing in my days of Dream World, the idea of Chandelure came into my head. It resists Bullet Punch and Ice Shard while holds immunities to Extremespeed and Mach Punch. I absolutely loved this Pokemon after testing it so it easily found a place next to Terrakion. As an added bonus, Chandelure can act as an offensive spinblocker, leaving me with no choice but to add Deoxys-D. And thus, with my favorite offensive core in history paired with an amazing hazard-setter with the added bonus of a spinblocker, I started to complete the team:




The final result was amazing--it was fun to use and did its job well. I played a ton of ladders with it on alts to continue testing until the EVs and sets matched my preferences.

Obviously, I could have laddered more, but I started testing new teams and what-not. Anyway, I suppose I should get to the juicy part--the sets.



Terrakion @ Salac Berry
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge

• Description/Item: This set is, simply put, monstrous. It can come in on anything that almost OHKOs it and set up a Swords Dance and pretty much sweep an entire unprepared team. It can also set up a Substitute if you predict a switch; that's where the real magic happens. If the opposing Pokemon is faster, just click Substitute until you get down into Salac Berry range (25% or less, of course). This gives you a Sub intact at 25% while you're now faster than the opposing Pokemon (unless it's a Scarf Latios--always scout for that first). You have 2 choices here: Swords Dance or kill. If your opponent has no priority, you can freely Swords Dance and either massacre their whole team or blow gigantic holes in it. However, if they have a Scizor or Breloom, which die after Rocks + 3 layers of Spikes, keep the sub intact and finish off the Pokemon you set up on. That way, they're pressured to take a Close Combat, which is still insanely powerful without a Swords Dance boost. Another benefit of the Salac Berry is that it hides your item early game, meaning you can find an opportunity later to set up when they think you're choiced. There are actually a few moves that I know from experience that put Terrakion in Salac range: LO Tornadus-T's Hurricane, Defensive TTar's Superpower at -1 (Sub once, Swords Dance while you take a Superpower), Jellicent Scald after a Sub (Sub once, Swords Dance as it Scalds), Scarf Thundurus-T's Thunder. This means you can switch a full HP Terrakion into both Thundurus-T and Tornadus-T to activate Salac. From there, you can either predict a switch and Swords Dance or simply revenge kill. With Thunder Wave support from Deoxys-D, it can set up 4 Substitutes in hope of full paralyzation, giving Terrakion a free boost. All in all, this guy pretty much wins games with relative ease. I have no idea why nobody has thought of it/hasn't suggested it on an analysis.
• IVs/EVs/Nature: Pretty standard. EVs maximize offensive potential while Jolly allows it to outspeed very common Scarfers when it's at +1 (like Thundurus-T and Genesect). 4 EVs are in Sp. Def so Genesect gets an Attack boost (meaning I can actually set up on it).
• Moveset/Ability: Dual STAB + Swords Dance is self-explanatory. Substitute helps me dodge status, but more importantly, gives me a safe way to activate Salac Berry. I find myself with free Subs all the time anyway.

Chandelure (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]

• Description/Item: The lamp itself makes an appearance. Chandelure is heavily underrated in the OU tier. It's just so damn powerful. I do run a Modest nature on a Choice Scarfer, which may seem odd, but it has its benefits. For one, it can speed tie with Adamant Dragonite after a Dragon Dance, which is obviously helpful. However, the main reason I run modest is so that Chandelure acts as a pseudo-sweeper. Once checks and counters are removed, it can come in and clean up with its crazy 427 Special Attack stat. Fire Blast is insanely powerful (even more-so in Sun) and pretty much 2HKOs if not OHKOs everything (even frail resists). However, the main main main main reason is to have the ability to outspeed Starmie. Giving Chandelure a Scarf is a god-send to this Pokemon as it is now able to OHKO almost every single spinner in the game. The only thing it has problems with is Tentacruel, which is why I supplied Psychic. Chandelure is just so powerful and also for some reason has relatively high defense stats. Like I said in the intro, it pairs near perfectly with Terrakion, forming in my opinion one of the most deadly offensive cores in the game.
• IVs/EVs/Nature: The IVs give it HP Ice without losing a speed point, maintaining 70 base power, and reducing confusion damage. The EVs, of course, maximize offensive potential. 4 Sp. Def EVs are added to give Genesect an Attack boost. Modest was chosen over Timid for power and pseudo-sweeper potential. It also 2HKOs many common switch-ins like Rotom-W. Timid nature would allow you to outspeed Jolteon and Aerodactyl as well as speed tie with Jolly +1 Dragonite, but those are insignificant to my team (and somewhat uncommon).
• Moveset/Ability: Shadow Ball and Fire Blast are added as obligatory STABs that pretty much demolish everything in their path that isn't named Tyranitar or Heatran. HP Ice manages to take out Dragonite, Gliscor, as well as Landorus (which can be extremely threatening if it gets a Rock Polish) while Psychic is my go-to move when trying to spinblock Tentacruel. Energy Ball simply isn't worth it to me, since Psychic also hits the many Fighting types in the tier for Super Effective damage. It does about 90% to Conkeldurr, so with prior weakening (from Genesect U-turn for example) is going to go down. It also hits Terrakion before it can dream about setting up a Rock Polish or Swords Dance. I usually just click Shadow Ball, though. It's reliable and powerful. The ability is there to almost 100% wall Genesect. If my opponent has their own Scarfed Genesect, I'm forced to switch out. If they Flamethrower, Chandelure gets a massive boost, while if they U-turn, I can shrug it off easily due to the 4x resist. I suppose Flame Body could be used especially against TTars or Scizors. It would make them think twice about attacking. There's nothing better than saying "yeah, fuck you" after you get Pursuit trapped by burning a Choice Banded Tyranitar.

Deoxys-D @ Mental Herb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt

• Description/Item: Deoxys-D is generally one of those Pokemon where you really don't have to explain much since it dies so early. HOWEVER, this set deserves an explanation because Deoxys-D is so much more than that. Deoxys is one of the most efficient hazard-setters in this game. It's fast, bulky, and has access to the two damage-dealing forms of hazards. It also serves as my sweep-stopper if I keep it healthy. Thunder Wave is a treat to this team. It supports Terrakion, Dragonite, Jirachi, Genesect, and sometimes Chandelure. Terrakion and Dragonite can set up on paralyzed Pokes while Jirachi can paraflinch big threats. Genesect is able to outspeed normally faster Pokes, especially Genesect that switches into Deo-D's T-Wave. Mental Herb may seem like a weird choice, but it is the reason I even use this alien. Basically, since Deoxys is becoming so popular, many people are starting to use fast or priority taunt to stop Deoxys cold. However, with a Mental Herb, I'm able to break through their Taunt and continue on with my hazardous bliss. When you're against a fast taunter that isn't Mew, go for Thunder Wave. This way, you crippled one of their Pokes as well as grant yourself the ability to outspeed. Then, the next turn, you can Taunt before them and render their Deoxys-D counter useless. If they have priority Taunt, however, just go straight for the Taunt to set up Rocks the next turn.
• IVs/EVs/Nature: The EVs maximize both bulk and speed so that I can get my hazards up quickly without being OHKOd by something. Most Genesect don't run Bug Buzz as they do carry U-turn as their STAB, so I chose to run 4 Def EVs. This way, their U-turns are far less powerful and fail to even 2HKO. The speed Deoxys-D reaches when fully invested is 306, enough to outspeed Adamant Lucario and Modest Rock Polish Landorus to Taunt before they set up. I can also speed tie with other Deoxys-D leads, which is crucial when playing HO vs HO.
• Moveset/Ability: As explained in Description/Item section, the moveset is there to counter Deoxys-D counters. Stealth Rock and Spikes are quite apparently my hazards while Taunt and Thunder Wave make sure Deoxys-D is quite actually the opposite of set-up bait. It's able to paralyze incoming Genesects in those situations where you know it's coming in. Against fast taunt leads, always start by going for T-Wave turn 1. Then you may proceed to Taunt and set up as many hazards as your heart desires.

Latios (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Hidden Power [Fire]

• Decription/Item: Replacing my previous team member, Scarf Jirachi, is this monster of a speed demon. Jirachi did provide nice offensive coverage because of Iron Head while completing a U-turn combination with Genesect, but it definitely added up many weaknesses. A few major ones were Heatran, Tentacruel, Thundurus-T (non Sp. Defensive Jirachi doesn't appreciate a Scarf Thunder), and Gyarados. Latios is able to do massive damage to all the specified threat, OHKOing 0 HP Gyarados 50% of the time after Stealth Rock (probably the biggest boosting threat to my team). It removed a Fire weakness and added a resistance, along with both Fighting and Electric resistances. It's able to outspeed pretty much every common Scarfer in the game (Genesect, Landorus, Terrakion, Keldeo, Thundurus-T), while nabbing some surprise kills (especially on Genesect). It also demolishes an EXTREMELY potent threat to this team--Scarf Keldeo. It OHKOs after Rocks :]. Meanwhile, it's able to periodically switch into Water attacks (removes reliance on Dragonite) and more importantly, Heatran. The change to Latios was extremely beneficial to the team as a whole. It also switches into Tentacruel and threatens it out with a Psyshock. It also adds a 3rd check to Techniloom (you know you can't have too many!). Overall, just a fantastic Pokemon.
  
• EVs/IVs/Nature: Pretty standard offensive EV spread. Max/max to outspeed things (like Genesect, Terrakion, Thundurus-T, Landorus, etc) and kill them of course. IVs give HP Fire full power while reducing confusion damage. It's somewhat sad that HP Fire can never have 31 Speed IVs, but it still outspeeds Scarf base 108s, so it's all good.
• Moveset/Ability: This is the moveset that I've definitely settled on. Draco Meteor is obvious as an extremely powerful STAB. It really is as powerful as it sounds, even without Life Orb or Specs. Psyshock is useful against Tentacruel, Breloom, Keldeo, and Terrakion. Psyshock > Psychic because of CM Keldeo or Terrakion in Sand (and I suppose Chansey). HP Fire is great against Genesect and replaces Jirachi's Fire Punch. It also hits Ferrothorns (among other Steels like Magnezone and Forretress) that think they can switch into a Draco Meteor. Surf is very useful against Heatran (which isn't much of a problem anymore! :]) and Landorus.

Genesect @ Expert Belt
Trait: Download
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Giga Drain
- U-turn
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam

• Description/Item: Expert Belt Genesect's success comes in the fact that it's just so rare. If people aren't using Scarf, they're using Rock Polish + Life Orb. Generally, only Choiced variants carry U-turn, so I try to exploit that fact early game. Once I'm sure my opponent believes I'm Choiced in some way (mainly Scarf), I lure in a threat and attempt to kill it. For example, let's consider a scenario where I have Genesect out and my opponent a Scizor. I pretend to be Choiced by going for the Ice Beam, predicting the Dragonite switch. They predict the U-turn and U-turn themselves into, say, Gastrodon. Obviously, I could kill it with Giga Drain, but it doesn't pose much of a threat to my team, so I switch out. Now, my opponent believes I'm Scarfed. Later in the game, we have Genesect vs Dragonite. He predicts my Ice Beam and switches to Scizor. This is where I can reveal that I am not in fact Choiced by killing it with Flamethrower. Bam. Big threat gone. One less headache for the success of Terrakion. If I definitely need to expose my item early game, Genesect then functions as a pseudo-sweeper, hitting many things super effectively, killing many after hazards. I love this set to no end. Genesect is so versatile it's crazy. It's also so simple: come in on something, click the super effective move, watch your opponent lose 3 Pokemon in a row.
• IVs/EVs/Nature: Huzzah, finally a set that doesn't go max/max. I run 252 Sp. Atk because I want my coverage moves to be as strong as possible to eliminate as many Pokemon as possible. 16 Atk allows me to OHKO 252 HP Latias after Rocks 93.75% of the time, which is reliable enough. I did take the Atk EVs out of Speed, but they were somewhat unneeded since the only thing that outspeeds me from my Speed to Max speed is Timid Hydreigon. I'm not the one to speed tie with other Genesect anyway. Besides, I have Chandelure and Terrakion to deal with it. 252 Speed EVs allow me to outspeed Timid Hydreigon as well as speed tie with opposing non-Scarf Genesect, which I generally stray away from, but it can change a game in itself. I do miss the slight extra power from U-turn on Pokes like TTar and Reuniclus, but I did play a Timid Hydreigon once and was glad I had the speed. I do run Hasty over Naive so that I can take Latios' Draco Meteors and Latias' Dragon Pulses a bit better. It also gives opposing Genesect an Attack boost, prompting them to U-turn rather than Flamethrower.
• Moveset/Ability: Genesect's moveset has taken many turns in its life, from Flash Cannon to Bug Buzz to Thunderbolt to I-don't-know-what. However, after many battles, this is the one that I found and believe suits the team best. The first move, though, has had much debate and I'm still shaky on the decision of Giga Drain. However, Giga Drain does everything Thunderbolt does (except hit Tentacruel and Gyarados), while hitting Terrakion and Gastrodon and increasing longevity. Let's face it: Terrakion in sand is a pretty good switch into most Genesect. It barely takes anything from Tbolt or Ice Beam while resisting both Flamethrower and U-turn. That's when I'm able to hit it on the switch with Giga Drain and sometimes heal back to a pretty healthy range. I'm definite with my decision of Ice Beam/Flamethrower/U-turn, but there are benefits to every other coverage move. Desperate help is needed in this area.

Considered Changes:
Giga Drain → Thunderbolt/Bug Buzz
-Thunderbolt can hit 2 big threats to my team excruciatingly hard--Tentacruel and Gyarados. It also hits every other water type not named Gastrodon, Quagsire, or Lanturn.
-Bug Buzz, when supplied with a +1 Sp. Atk boost hits everything insanely hard and has the ability to OHKO Deoxys-D. It hits everything that Flamethrower and Ice Beam cannot (except Heatran).
-Giga Drain hits even the water types known to be able to wall Genesect, like Lanturn and Gastrodon. It also hits Terrakion insanely hard, increases Genesect's switching presence, and serves as a good method of killing Thick Fat Mamoswine.
Opinions?

Dragonite (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Superpower
- Outrage
- ExtremeSpeed

• Description/Item: Doesn't he look friendly? What a friendly dragon. Sometimes. In the other half of his bi-polar life he enjoys pastimes such as smashing opposing teams, revenge killing sweepers with ExtremeSpeed, dancing like a dragon in your presence, and absorbing status. Dragonite is, in my opinion, one of the most threatening sweepers in this game. When Multiscale is intact, he's almost guaranteed a free boost, blowing massive holes in teams. He generally acts as an early-mid game sweeper to weaken physical walls like Hippowdown so Terrakion can come in later to wreak havoc. I generally try to keep Multiscale active since it gives a free boost, so I don't switch into Flamethrowers or Scalds, even if they do like 0.29843%. I do have a Lum Berry so I can set up on the likes of Politoed, Chansey, Tentacruel, the other half of basic rainstall, and of course, Thunder Wave Ferrothorn. There are times when I'd appreciate Leftovers, but I find that the benefits of Lum Berry are too precious.
• Moveset/Ability: I am using the LumDDNite set because it's the most effective for this team. Outrage for everything that isn't Steel, Fire Punch for Steels Superpower is for Steels (especially Heatran, which used to be a massive headache to this team. It also hits Ferrothorn and Skarmory harder in Rain, which is where they are most commonly found. I cannot OHKO Scizor or Genesect on the switch anymore, but the benefits are much more appreciated), and ExtremeSpeed for annoying priority users like Mamoswine (as well as revenge killing). Pretty self-explanatory if you ask me. However, Heatran does pose a big threat to this team because once Terrakion is gone, I can't kill it. I've been considering Earthquake over Fire Punch for this reason. Then, however, I wouldn't be able to hit most importantly Skarmory. After a Fire Punch, even in rain, Terrakion can OHKO Skarmory at +2. Like I said, Dragonite supports Terrakion. I also use Fire Punch right off the bat if I see Scizor or Genesect, since we all know how much they love switching in. The ability is pretty self-explanatory.
• IVs/EVs/Nature: Max/max. 0 HP EVs for a Rocks number. I do run Adamant over Jolly because the extra power is appreciated, although it would be nice to outspeed Jolteon at +1 or Timid Heatran without a boost. They're too uncommon to invest for, though.

Considered Changes:
Fire Punch → Earthquake
-Earthquake hits Heatran, a big threat to this team. It's also uncommon on Dragonite so it can earn some surprise kills. Not to mention that it OHKOs Terrakion after 1 layer of Spikes without having to lock into Outrage. Aqua Tail is also an option since it hits Skarmory in Rain and Heatran.
-With Fire Punch, I can hit Genesect/Scizor switches as well as the annoying Ferrothorn and Skarmory. It's a hard decision.
Opinions?

Being the favorite BW2 team I made, I couldn't help but share it with you all. It's so much fun to use and utilizes rarely-seen sets like SubSalac Terrakion or Scarf Chandelure. I'd like help to improve the team (or even make it more fun!) so that it can deal with just about any team out there. A general theme I followed when making this team is the idea of hidden items. Not a single Pokemon on my team has Leftovers or Life Orb, keeping your opponent on their toes. When they can't predict the set, they're forced to play extremely carefully. Terrakion can be bluff the Scarf set (band is a bit harder); Dragonite the Banded set (if it predicts a Genesect/Scizor switch and OHKOs); Chandelure the Specs set (it might as well be Specs since it's so powerful); Genesect the Scarf set; and Jirachi a support set (iron head at max HP). When you hide your Scarfers, especially when you have 2, you're guaranteed a few surprise kills or sweeps. Anyway, thank you all in advance for reading and suggesting ideas as they would be much appreciated. If you want to try it, good luck! Also remember, Terrakion is amazing don't fodder it.


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