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approved by llamas
Credit to Prem for the OP which I have stolen a lot of from the LC thread (in turn i have stolen the OP from llamas)
Silvershadow234 is a cutie
Because RU is unpopular it can be a pretty hard metagame to get into. Because of how new the meta game is it can be hard for someone to jump right in and make a team that deals with all of the threats.
So to help people get into Rarelyused this is going to be like a repository of decent/good RU teams made by people who actually do play this game on a consistent basis. Some of the teams are better than others, and all of them will probably need some kind of work for it to be the best team it can be, but these teams are available for anyone to use if they are struggling making a team. I know we have the RMT section for this, but honestly most RMTs are just for showing off this is for actually helping people, lol. (Also I will be weeding out teams that I don't think are quite up to snuff).
If you are going to post a team, please give a small description of the team like what it does, and what its weak too. This does not have to be RMT quality, just enough to give the user an idea of how to use your team, and what to watch out for when playing with it. This is mostly because I don't want to write them when I'm not going to test the team, just make sure it looks good on theorymon, lol. PLEASE POST A PASTEBIN OTHERWISE MY LIFE IS MORE DIFFICULT.
Also, in LC this thread also got a ton of attention after bans, because people were dumping their "retired teams". I will not include your team if you post a team with banned Pokemon (e.g. Tornadus/Zoroark), this thread is to help new people enter the meta, not enlarge your e-cock, thats what the RMT section is for. Thanks.
Catacombs (Steelix) @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 216 HP / 252 Atk / 40 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Roar
- Earthquake
I built this team a few hours before ago but it honestly looks solid and I am really enjoying using it at the moment. I started with the idea of using Tyrantrum as a wallbreaker for Pokemon such as Drapion as they both lure in Rhyperior in pretty much like nothing else and can weaken it for each other. Then i added Swords Dance Virizion as an additional measure against Rock-types and Bulky Water-types as well as something that enjoys Doublade being weakened as well as Qwilfish because (Toxic) Spikes are so good it is retarded and it checks/sets up on Fighting-types as well as Alomomola and more. At last i decided to put Cresselia and Steelix to give the team a defensive backbone of sort, a Stealth Rock setter, Paralysis spreader (pretty awesome with dino n_n), Lunar Dance user, whatever you want, and they just fit so I am happy with the result (IT ALSO CRUSHED THE GLORIOUSLY STRONG RU LADDER IM LIKE 15-0 GET AT ME). It is a bit weak to a well played Mega Steelix though, so be careful.
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by KingT:
Durant @ Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Crunch
- Superpower
I built this team becuase while ladder i kept seeing Galbia's team and other teams such as my own which show a lot of weakness to Durant. I built this team starting off with an offensive core of Durant + Meloetta which completely decimates slow teams. Meloetta is there to break down teams along with Life orb Clawitzer. If the team is weakened enough you can clean up with scarf Rotom or Durant. Durant can set up defensive things on things like Cresselia without T-wave or Hidden Power Fire which is becoming much more common , Bronzong , amoonguss if you already sleep foddered something , and Aromatisse. Offensive pokemon it can set up on are things that it either scares out or mons like Glalie, Drapion, Cobalion, and Virizion. Rhyperior is my rock setter of choice, I wanted t be different and not use the upcoming Cresselia + Mega Steelix Core. Cresselia is the suport mon that can slow down threats with thunder wave and heal a pokemon up with Lunar dance. This team is probably moderately weak to hazards
Side notes :
Durant can run Lum berry to avoid ailments if necessary.
Cresselia can run the sub Calm mind set if you dislike stall and want to straight up win vs. Stall
by KingT again:
Time for the Second Team
Hitmonlee (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Mach Punch
- Rapid Spin
Medicham @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch
- Baton Pass
Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 104 HP / 152 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Heal Bell
- Volt Switch
- Toxic
Escavalier @ Choice Band
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 216 HP / 16 Atk / 252 Def / 24 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Roar
This team is a little more bulky than the others i have posted. I made this according to how the meta is with all the fighting types. i wanted to build a team where Medicham would shine. I build sort of a bulky offense team with a "Volt-Baton-Turn" core you could say. Medicham is a mon that doesn't need an attack boosting item to do outstanding damage to an opponents team. I decide to give him the teammate Escavalier and hand it a choice band to straight decimate whatever crosses it's path. It can do a lot of damage and weaken to the counters to medicham which are bulky psychics if they switch out with pursuit. I but Lanturn on the team as a cleric with a special niche as a volt switcher too. It can take off potential ailments on the pokemon of our team. Rhyperior is the standard rocker with a Physically Defensive spread. Hitmonlee probably the best spinner in the tier and also a good wall breaker. Meloetta is my bulky psychic that can take special hits amazingly well because of Assault vest. It has enough speed to outspeed Pangoro and creeped less that 44 speed Drapion. It still hits hard without specs.
Side Notes : you can go Assault vest on Escavalier and put either specs or the cm set on meloetta
Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 196 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SpD / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Cobalion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 160 HP / 96 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Substitute
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 164 HP / 92 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Giga Drain
- Encore
Made this team on the day i discovered gligar was going UU(we miss you :[) The first thing that came to my mind was how golbat would rise in usage because of that, despite it not being very good, so i decided to build around Substitute SD Cobalion.
Basicaly i have standard SD Abomasnow + healing wish mola, team's obligatory bird/fire type check is rhyperior, decided on skuntank as a defoger since it pretty much cockblocks any and all calm mind sweep attempts and also because golbat is bad, lastly i decided on whimsicott as it gives me something to outspeed and ohko durant as well a fighting type check.
You can run max speed max spatk timid whimsicott with life orb and the same moveset if you feel like it.
I wanted to post a team here since it seemed like it would be helpful as there aren't many updated teams. This is a team I used and was able to get to #1 on the ladder with, winning most of the games I played with it. It may be slightly odd but I found it to be surprisingly reliable and generally easy to use. The team is basically bulky-ish offense with an offensive trick room Reuniclus and spikes Mega Glalie. Rhyperior is the reliable rock setter and offensive check to flying and fire types. AV Escavlier gives an answer to psychic types and other special attacks aimed at Rhyperior. Doublade is a set up sweeper that synergizes nicely and benefits from trick room. Mega Glalie wallbreaks for the team and is an offensive spikes setter, and scarf Emboar serves as a very nice late game cleaner. That is the short and sweet version, it is a simple team. Be sure to play smart if you are facing a Slowking though as it is a big threat.
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by Arikado:
Cobalion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
Hitmonlee (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
This team uses a simple core and a sash lead Qwilfish to work. The core is Cobalion + Glalie. Glalie lures Doublade like moths to a flame and has Super Fang to half its health, and when hazards are in the field, Doublade will be taking a lot of residual damage, allowing Cobalion to easily set up an SD and then sweep later on. Additionally, Cobalion is the Stealth Rock setter of the team, so usually you would set that up early on and then switch it out to sweep later. Choice Specs Meloetta is there to wallbreak, and SubCM Cress as an additional set up sweeper that can handle stall and balance/bulky offense as long as STAB Knock Off users are dead. Scarf Hitmonlee was added for two reasons: the first is obviously for Rapid Spin seeing as hazards are extremely good right now in the meta and I had no way of clearing them, and the second is to act as a very strong revenge killer for the team. Qwilfish, as I said in the 1st sentence, is a Sash Lead, and usually you would get up a layer or two (depending on the opponent's team) of toxic spikes, and as many spikes as you can, Taunting possible Defoggers/Omastar/opposing Qwilfish in the process, and going boom when you need to, or when facing spinners like Hitmonlee.
Scarf Moltres is a bit problematic though as the only thing that can take it on is Specs Meloetta, but that thing will get banned ;o also it's too weak to break Cresselia on its own and it has to come in when SR isn't on the field so yeah.
The team is also pretty weak to SD Fletchinder, so make sure not to let that set up on Cobalion or Cresselia, and lay down Rocks asap.
Druddigon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Aqua Tail / Gunk Shot
- Dragon Tail
This team was originally built around the idea of a stall that relies on Hazard stacking to beat opposing teams. So basically I started with Qwilfish, a really nice and reliable Spikes user atm, that litterally everybody plays right now. Mega-Steelix was added to the core since it forms a fairly good synergy with Qwilfish, set Stealth Rocks and easily forces many Spikes damages on the opponent thanks to Roar. Then I decided to add SpDef Aromatisse as a support to the initial build and the team in general as well as helping it managing some troublesome special attackers (mainly Clawitzer). To fill in the hazard stack work, I was looking for a core that could pressure hazard removers as much as possible, which prompted me to use the great core Toxic Spikes Drapion + Gourgeist XL which is increasingly viable now with Moltres and Pangoro out of the tier, although Gourgeist has now access to Synthesis with tutor moves unlike in XY so yeah it’s even better as a spinblocker. Finally, Druddigon joined my team using its Assault Vest set, a pretty nice one that used to be my favourite in XY RU as it lets it taking hits from all the special wallbreakers Aromatisse can have trouble facing, such as NP Houndoom, CM Delphox, Mega-Camerupt, Eelektross, Rotom-Mow and even Meloetta thanks to its nice typing and good natural bulk.
However, some slashes has been added after doing a couple of battles on ladder, first one is Toxic over Roar on Steelix seeing that how much annoying both defensive Mantine and Pelipper are for my team. Second one might be Gunk Shot over Aqua Tail on Druddigon because yeah, I’m not quite sure that relying on Megalix as an only way to handle fairy walls is a good idea, although it prevents them from healing back teammates' Spikes damages.
This team really benefits from the latest bans, especially Feraligatr's one that used to eat this team alive after one SD/DD, but it still might have troubles against faster hazard stacking teams that use the Accelgor + Cobalion core, and really really hates facing mixed Mega-Abomasnow, but anyway I think it's a good team that I hope you guys will enjoy using!
Spiritomb @ Black Glasses
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
I built this bulky offense team as soon as I knew Adaptability Dragalge was legal, and I feel like it's still usable to this day. It was built before Mega Houndoom was introduced however, but even then I feel like this team can handle it quite easily. The core idea behind this team is using Dragalge and Lopunny together, with Dragalge wallbreaking with its ridiculously strong Draco Meteor, all the while switching into Pokemon like Alomomola and Aromatisse practically for free. After all that is done, Mega Lopunny can have an easier time sweeping, and against more defensive teams I would often use Healing Wish to bring Dragalge to full health, and continue wallbreaking. Fletchinder is used as a fail-safe option against Mega Sceptile and Lopunny while also being a nifty revenge killer in general, and a good backup sweeper if given the chance against things like Assault Vest Escavalier, which Dragalge lures. Rhyperior is used as a Mega Pidgeot check seeing as this team struggles against it, while also providing Stealth Rock. Golbat was used primarily for wallign DD Mega Altaria, but now thats UU and it can be replaced by Gligar but I don't think it's optimal as it would stack weaknesses with other members of the team. Defog is important as I have Fletchinder and I don't want my Dragalge taking any hazard damage so it can keep switching into specific Pokemon. Spiritomb is used as a glue mon with its useful Ghost-typing, STAB Sucker Punch, and Pursuit as well as Will-O-Wisp. It's also a check to stuff like Doublade with its Foul Play, and a counter to Meloetta. Spiritomb can give free switches to Houndoom however, so play carefully with that.
In the end, the core idea behind the team is using Dragalge and Mega Lopunny in tandem, with the former wallbreaking, and the latter sweeping and having access to healing wish support if needed.
The speed EVs on Golbat allow it to outspeed max speed modest Exploud.
BROKEN (Druddigon) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Tail
Much like Arikado, I built this team with Dragalge in mind. However, instead of taking a bulkier approach to the entire team, I took a bulkier approach to Dragalge while adding much more speed around it. After throwing on my Cobalgor hazard stacking core, I went ahead and looked for a couple of Pokemon that could take advantage of the walls Dragalge can break down so easily, and this led me to Mega Pidgeot and Meloetta. Mega Pidgeot is the ideal late-game cleaner since it can switch moves and has great coverage between Hurricane and Heat Wave. However, Meloetta fills in as a secondary win-con and can often finish off teams once its free to use one of its STAB moves without resistance. It also serves as the team's soft check to many special attackers in the tier since it can outspeed and often times take a single hit from them. Druddigon is the team's final member as just another hard hitting attacker that puts pressure on Steel- and Fairy-types. I decided to use Iron Tail for this Druddigon so I could do some serious damage to opposing Rock-type Pokemon, especially Rhyperior, as they are often the only defensive Pokemon capable of standing up to Mega Pidgeot's assaults and KOing back immediately.
While this is more of a hyper offense team, it does have switch-ins for most attackers. Just be warned that these switch-ins, apart from Cobalion, are usually one-time use only. As previously stated, Choice Scarf Meloetta can take virtually any unboosted special attack and KO in return if the need arises. One of the lone exceptions is Dragalge. Cobalion can take a single switch-in and hopefully allow you to regain offensive momentum to keep Dragalge from easily coming in again. If it comes in a 2nd time, your only choice is to sacrifice the least useful team member at the time. Dragalge and Cobalion can actually be a pretty neat pivot core mid-game as Cobalion is able to handle Bronzong quite easily and also can tank 2 Drill Runs from AV Escavalier if it remains in good health. Meanwhile, Dragalge can pivot into Fighting- and Fire-type moves aimed at Cobalion. Be warned though. Dragalge will usually only be able to take 1-2 Fighting-type moves per match. Ground-type moves are a serious pain for this team. Thankfully, Rhyperior is the only common user of these moves and Druddigon happens to have the bulk to stomach a couple from the defensive variants (and one from the CB variant) and retaliate with Iron Tail (or Outrage if you don't feel like risking the accuracy) for serious damage. As the team has a grounded Poison-type and some bulk to fall back on, it can outlast stall teams and (kind of) play around Trick Room. If you see a Trick Room team that lacks Aromatisse, save Cobalion at all costs as its Taunt can really screw with these teams.
You didn't really think this team would just go away, did you? For those of you wondering why all but 2 of these exact sets were in an RMT of mine, that is because I brought back Balance Claws for ORAS complete with a couple of updates. As the team was originally designed around Clawitzer, I decided to leave it on instead of replacing it with Dragalge (though I might make a future version of this team with Drag on it) and it still works pretty well. Virizion got replaced with SD Mega Sceptile, which is a fantastic teammate for Clawitzer as Mega Sceptile is literally the best switch-in ever for virtually everything that gives Clawitzer issues (read: fast Electrics and Grasses. They can say hi to my sweet immunity / 4x resist) As Mega Sceptile is immune to all forms of paralysis aside from Body Slam (nothing uses this in RU) and Glare (why would you switch-in on Druddigon to start with?) among other reasons, I also replaced Registeel with Bronzong. Bronzong brings a complete Ground immunity as well as a solid check to Dragalge. Combine this with the presence of Aromatisse, and Dragalge will find it very difficult to bring down Bronzong. Like with the XY version of this team, Choice Scarf Meloetta gives the team some much needed Speed to outpace slower Scarf users and a way to revenge kill Doublade. Do note that Mega Sceptile can outspeed base 80 Scarfers once it Mega Evolves while completely walling Rotom-C, another common Scarfer which can wear down Meloetta. Speaking of Bronzong and Doublade, one of them will wall Mega Sceptile, no matter what move you run in the last slot. I choose to run Earthquake as Bronzong has less offensive presence and I can more easily take advantage of it with Clawitzer or Aromatisse, depending on the current state of the rest of the team. However, considering Doublade isn't quite as common as it was in XY, you could choose to run Drain Punch. This would give Mega Sceptile a way to restore HP as it sweeps, but do note that you will have to be extra careful with Meloetta if you happen to run into a team with Doublade while using Drain Punch over Earthquake. Since I haven't really talked about it yet, Druddigon is the team's primary answer to dangerous Pokemon such as Houndoom, Moltres, and Exploud (the latter wears Drudd down quickly. Show the switch once so it won't be so trigger happy with Fire Blast on Zong) thanks to the added bulk in Assault Vest. It's best used as a surprise revenge killer and special tank, so be sure not to reveal Sucker Punch until you absolutely have to. Doing this has won me quite a few games.
As this team lacks a Poison-type and has just one "hovering" Pokemon (which also happens to be the team's only Steel-type) be very careful around Toxic Spikes users, as they can be a real thorn in the side of this team. On the subject of Poison-types, Drapion is a major threat to this team. It outspeeds everything but Mega Sceptile and Meloetta (the latter of which it beats anyway) while having STAB Poison Jab to keep Aromatisse at bay. Fully offensive variants in particular can cause some serious issues, but Taunt + SD can be handled by Aromatisse most of the time as these variants tend to lack Poison Jab. If one comes in on Aromatisse or Bronzong, (Aromatisse especially, as that's usually a sign that it has Poison Jab) your best bet is to simply attack and force it to take you out, thus allowing either Mega Sceptile or Meloetta to come in safely and revenge kill it. If you suspect it to be Taunt + SD or more defensive, Mega Sceptile is a safe play since they will usually only throw out Knock Off or Taunt at first, both of which Mega Sceptile can play around.
I posted this team on IRC and Pokemon Showdown and it got a good reception, so I figure I may as well post it here.
Bronzong @ Mental Herb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Explosion
Pangoro @ Life Orb
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Knock Off
- Hammer Arm
- Ice Punch
- Parting Shot
Camerupt @ Cameruptite
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 1 Spe
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Ancient Power
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Slowking @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Scald
- Fire Blast
- Psychic
Escavalier @ Assault Vest
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Drill Run
- Iron Head
This is a basic Trick Room team featuring a couple of Pokemon that received buffs in ORAS, namely Camerupt and Pangoro. These two Pokemon, along with Bronzong, form a powerful balanced core can prove quite tricky for opposing teams to beat, due to the fantastic synergy between them. Bronzing has a habit of drawing powerful Ghost and Dark-types in, which Pangoro can dispose of with Knock Off and Hammer Arm, respectively. Pangoro has trouble breaking through opposing Fairy-types, whereas Camerupt can tank any Fairy STAB and retaliate back with a powerful Fire Blast. Camerupt itself is walled by bulky Water-types; due to said Water-types often having a secondary Psychic or Ghost-typing, Pangoro can threaten them out with its powerful Knock Off. Bronzong is really the glue that holds this core together, as Trick Room greatly helps Camerupt and Pangoro to do their jobs, whilst its Physical tankiness allows it to take stray hits from faster threats.
Moving on, Slowking provides a much-needed Water resist to the team, whilst also being able to set up Trick Room. Despite not being able to hold an Assault Vest, it is still fairly bulky on the Special side and is the team's best switch-in to Moltres. Escavalier is the final Trick Room abuser and all-around powerhouse. Its typing and ability allow it to switch in safely into Amoonguss (Overcoat makes it immune to Spore), who is a threat to most Trick Room teams, because of its low Speed. Escavalier is also the team's best option against Omastar leads, which, although not as common as they once were, can still be deadly if played well.
Last of all, Choice Scarf Braviary works as a late-game cleaner and check to faster Pokemon, like Hitmonlee, if Trick Room is not up. With a Jolly nature, it outpaces Adamant Mega Lopunny, which can be crucial in the late-game if Bronzong is down. Braviary also fares well against Mega Houndoom, who can easily clean up if Slowking has been weakened.
The biggest threats to this team are 'slow' Pokemon such as Cofagrigus and opposing Slowking, as these Pokemon can use Trick Room to their advantage. Faster attackers such as Sharpedo and Pidgeot can also be problematic, however if Trick Room is up, they are generally not too difficult to handle.
I've built this when mega houndoom was banned since i prefer running bulkier/slower teams and dog just completely destroys those.
First i wanted to run dragalge and i knew i was going for a more bulky approach so i also needed switch ins for the new fast threats that came in ORAS since i would most likely not be able to revenge kill all of them, so first i went with bronzong, i feel as if bronzong is a great tool for bulkier teams now seeing as how it can get rocks up and switch into a lot of powerful wallbreakers(dragalge,meloetta,abomasnow,exploud, etc) you usually want to run earthquake on it but i run hidden power fire since doublade is a huuuge threat to this team and it usually switches into aromatisse(wish as he switches in then go into bronzong) usually people like to setup on bronzong and hp fire always ohkoes after rocks.
Next on my team is the aforementioned aromatisse, i wanted to run wish support with bronzong because it can be easily overwhelmed switching into a lot of ridiculously strong attacks too often, and i figured a dragon/steel/fairy core would be nice for a slower team, the set is standard: Bold makes you able to check mega sharpedo,lopunny,hitmonlee, i've added a little bit of special bulk so i can switch into lo clawitzer a bit better, aromatherapy and wish to support the teammembers and thats about it.
Next is dragalge, since it gets adaptability draco meteors i instantly wanted to run a choice specs set, it has amazing special deffense and a good enough typing to make it switch into stuff like rotom-mow and drop a super powerful hit on something. Draco meteor, Sludge wave(you can run sludge bomb for extra poison chance), hp fire(ohkoes escavalier) and focus blast(hits registeel for more dmg than hp fire) and enough speed for base 50s with a bit of extra creep.
Now i wanted a win condition, and something that had good offensive synergy with dragalge, so i went with calm meloetta, basicly the plan is to pound steel types with dragalge, weakening them throughout the match so you can attempt a meloetta sweep later, evs are for seting up on gligar(eq never breakes the sub) max sp so you seismic toss also doesn't break your subs, some speed for golbat and a modest nature for some extra power. Hyper voice and shadow ball are the attacking moves of choice, shadow ball hits opposing psychic types and doublade while hyper voice is just as strong as psychic and dark types aren't immune to it.
Now i was in need of defog support and a bit weak to opposing calm mind sweepers, so i got skuntank which is a complete counter to almost all of them and a check to meloetta, punishment power raises for evey boost your opponent has(40 for each calm mind) while the opponent usually can't hit you for much damage.
Now i was looking a bit weak to fletchinder and moltres, i would usually run lanturn on that slot but i was waay too weak to dugtrio as it was, so i went with eelktross as it would help me check clawitzer, fletchinder and scarf moltres(life orb moltres is not as common anymore but its a bit harder to switch into) while also having amazing coverage and volt switch, i really wanted to run lanturn on that slot but this with dugtrio were really pressuring me.
That's it, sorry for the huge wall of text or the ocasional bad english ;-;
This is a pretty offensive balanced team based around a pretty nice voltturn (u-shot?) core of pangoro, pidgeot and meloetta. Pidgeot is pretty phenomenal right now and probably my favourite mega to use. Its fantastic against offensive and does decently against defensive teams but struggles to wallbreak, especially against rhyperior, bronzong and registeel. CB goro is kinda the opposite in that it's not very useful against offence but is really difficult to properly wall; notably it shits on doublade and spiritomb which are big threats to meloetta. Meloetta is there as a check to some of the big offensive threats in oras, mainly lopunny. I have a defensive core of Rhyperior and Aromtisse. Rhyperior is another mon that helps against pigeon checks in that it can hit registeel and opposing rhyperiors for good damage. Aromatisse is one of the top physically defensive mons at the moment, being able to consistently switch into bunny, act as a cleric and keep the rest of the team healthy. Shiftry is a really nice offensive defogger that provides the team with priority, it also ohkos rhyperior with leaf storm.
Gonna bump this thread with a request: now that Serperior, Mega Pidgeot and Dragalgae are banned, it'd be nice to have a team that'd work well in this new meta since I'd like to try this tier out. I'm well aware that things will take time to stabilise and there are other suspects on the horizon (aka Panda), but from an amateur's point of view, this seems like a good time to start.
If bribes are required, I can see myself working on a banner for this thread too. Either way, it's a pity that this thread is so inactive, as this and the Viability thread is a such a great asset for new users to get a feel for the tier.
Catacombs (Steelix) @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 216 HP / 252 Atk / 40 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Roar
- Earthquake
I built this team a few hours before ago but it honestly looks solid and I am really enjoying using it at the moment. I started with the idea of using Tyrantrum as a wallbreaker for Pokemon such as Drapion as they both lure in Rhyperior in pretty much like nothing else and can weaken it for each other. Then i added Swords Dance Virizion as an additional measure against Rock-types and Bulky Water-types as well as something that enjoys Doublade being weakened as well as Qwilfish because (Toxic) Spikes are so good it is retarded and it checks/sets up on Fighting-types as well as Alomomola and more. At last i decided to put Cresselia and Steelix to give the team a defensive backbone of sort, a Stealth Rock setter, Paralysis spreader (pretty awesome with dino n_n), Lunar Dance user, whatever you want, and they just fit so I am happy with the result (IT ALSO CRUSHED THE GLORIOUSLY STRONG RU LADDER IM LIKE 15-0 GET AT ME). It is a bit weak to a well played Mega Steelix though, so be careful.
I wanted to post a team here since it seemed like it would be helpful as there aren't many updated teams. This is a team I used and was able to get to #1 on the ladder with, winning most of the games I played with it. It may be slightly odd but I found it to be surprisingly reliable and generally easy to use. The team is basically bulky-ish offense with an offensive trick room Reuniclus and spikes Mega Glalie. Rhyperior is the reliable rock setter and offensive check to flying and fire types. AV Escavlier gives an answer to psychic types and other special attacks aimed at Rhyperior. Doublade is a set up sweeper that synergizes nicely and benefits from trick room. Mega Glalie wallbreaks for the team and is an offensive spikes setter, and scarf Emboar serves as a very nice late game cleaner. That is the short and sweet version, it is a simple team. Be sure to play smart if you are facing a Slowking though as it is a big threat.
EDIT: OTR Slowking works pretty well over Reuniclus if you want!!
Also, this team was made for Dragalge-Pidgeot but can still hold up with solid play.
Steelix @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpD / 16 Spe
Careful Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
Just Dropping a team I made around the lord zangoose. It looks like it can do a lot of damage with enough support. The team has tangrowth to deal with cobalion, doublade, rhyperior, steelix, and other things weak to tangrowth's coverage that beat zangoose or can weaken it a lot. Himonlee is the only spinner is saw that fit on the team well, It hits hard and takes care of bulky rock types too and can check get hazards off the field. Meloetta is my set up sweeper of choice. I like it because it can beat cresselia 1v1 if it's not carryng Psyshock . Cresselia is my pivot that can deal with a lot of threats by t-wave for zangoose to clean up. Steelix is the stealth rocker i chose a it can switch into specs exploud's Boomburst. I think this team was well put together and it does well.
Mons to be careful of consist of : LO moltres if Cresselia gets heavily weakened. cm slowking with psyshock. Not sure what else hurts this team but i'll update it once i find more!
HF with the teams !!
Durant with LO and Hone claws slaughters this team
Lum Berry Swords Dance Drapion could be a problem
Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 196 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SpD / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Cobalion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 160 HP / 96 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Substitute
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 164 HP / 92 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Giga Drain
- Encore
Made this team on the day i discovered gligar was going UU(we miss you :[) The first thing that came to my mind was how golbat would rise in usage because of that, despite it not being very good, so i decided to build around Substitute SD Cobalion.
Basicaly i have standard SD Abomasnow + healing wish mola, team's obligatory bird/fire type check is rhyperior, decided on skuntank as a defoger since it pretty much cockblocks any and all calm mind sweep attempts and also because golbat is bad, lastly i decided on whimsicott as it gives me something to outspeed and ohko durant as well a fighting type check.
You can run max speed max spatk timid whimsicott with life orb and the same moveset if you feel like it.
I built this team becuase while ladder i kept seeing Galbia's team and other teams such as my own which show a lot of weakness to Durant. I built this team starting off with an offensive core of Durant + Meloetta which completely decimates slow teams. Meloetta is there to break down teams along with Life orb Clawitzer. If the team is weakened enough you can clean up with scarf Rotom or Durant. Durant can set up defensive things on things like Cresselia without T-wave or Hidden Power Fire which is becoming much more common , Bronzong , amoonguss if you already sleep foddered something , and Aromatisse. Offensive pokemon it can set up on are things that it either scares out or mons like Glalie, Drapion, Cobalion, and Virizion. Rhyperior is my rock setter of choice, I wanted t be different and not use the upcoming Cresselia + Mega Steelix Core. Cresselia is the suport mon that can slow down threats with thunder wave and heal a pokemon up with Lunar dance. This team is probably moderately weak to hazards
Side notes :
Durant can run Lum berry to avoid ailments if necessary.
Cresselia can run the sub Calm mind set if you dislike stall and want to straight up win vs. Stall
OUTDATED
Time for the Second Team
Hitmonlee (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Mach Punch
- Rapid Spin
Medicham @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch
- Baton Pass
Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 104 HP / 152 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Heal Bell
- Volt Switch
- Toxic
Escavalier @ Choice Band
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 216 HP / 16 Atk / 252 Def / 24 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Roar
This team is a little more bulky than the others i have posted. I made this according to how the meta is with all the fighting types. i wanted to build a team where Medicham would shine. I build sort of a bulky offense team with a "Volt-Baton-Turn" core you could say. Medicham is a mon that doesn't need an attack boosting item to do outstanding damage to an opponents team. I decide to give him the teammate Escavalier and hand it a choice band to straight decimate whatever crosses it's path. It can do a lot of damage and weaken to the counters to medicham which are bulky psychics if they switch out with pursuit. I but Lanturn on the team as a cleric with a special niche as a volt switcher too. It can take off potential ailments on the pokemon of our team. Rhyperior is the standard rocker with a Physically Defensive spread. Hitmonlee probably the best spinner in the tier and also a good wall breaker. Meloetta is my bulky psychic that can take special hits amazingly well because of Assault vest. It has enough speed to outspeed Pangoro and creeped less that 44 speed Drapion. It still hits hard without specs.
Side Notes : you can go Assault vest on Escavalier and put either specs or the cm set on meloetta
Hitmonlee (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
This team uses a simple core and a sash lead Qwilfish to work. The core is Cobalion + Glalie. Glalie lures Doublade like moths to a flame and has Super Fang to half its health, and when hazards are in the field, Doublade will be taking a lot of residual damage, allowing Cobalion to easily set up an SD and then sweep later on. Additionally, Cobalion is the Stealth Rock setter of the team, so usually you would set that up early on and then switch it out to sweep later. Choice Specs Meloetta is there to wallbreak, and SubCM Cress as an additional set up sweeper that can handle stall and balance/bulky offense as long as STAB Knock Off users are dead. Scarf Hitmonlee was added for two reasons: the first is obviously for Rapid Spin seeing as hazards are extremely good right now in the meta and I had no way of clearing them, and the second is to act as a very strong revenge killer for the team. Qwilfish, as I said in the 1st sentence, is a Sash Lead, and usually you would get up a layer or two (depending on the opponent's team) of toxic spikes, and as many spikes as you can, Taunting possible Defoggers/Omastar/opposing Qwilfish in the process, and going boom when you need to, or when facing spinners like Hitmonlee.
Scarf Moltres is a bit problematic though as the only thing that can take it on is Specs Meloetta, but that thing will get banned ;o also it's too weak to break Cresselia on its own and it has to come in when SR isn't on the field so yeah.
The team is also pretty weak to SD Fletchinder, so make sure not to let that set up on Cobalion or Cresselia, and lay down Rocks asap. It's also reeeally weak to Mega Steelix so definitely watch out for that. The best way to deal with it is to weaken it with any member of the team and then take it out with one of boosted Close Combat, HJK, or Explosion from Glalie.
The primary core of this team to combine the amazing spike-stacking ability of Accelgor with the ease of rocks that Cobalion gives. Accelgor is an amazing lead, counter-leading all sorts of things - Final Gambit can KO standard support Cobalion with full hp, for example. U-turn lets Accelgor maintain momentum in situations where it's not a particular good idea to try to set up spikes or Final Gambit - such as rival Accelgor - , and has been mostly more useful than Bug Buzz would have been. From there, LO Reckless Lee can punch holes in an enemy team, especially with hazards, and can spin to help Fletch get in easier; Fletch is an amazing revenge killer than can force switches with the threat of Acrobatics while also burning a lot of it's switch ins. Heliolisk is just a generally good mon that fills the holes left by other stuff. Finally, Meloetta can take advantage of a lot of common mons who might otherwise try to take advantage of this team while also being fairly threatening to bulky offense even without investment; the given spread outspeeds Bandboar and maximizes physical bulk from there. A major part of the team is that Accelgor/Cobalion/Heliolisk can all get Lee/Meloetta/Fletch in pretty easily, and can make the opponent have to switch again, racking up hazards damage.
The major idea is to use counterleading, followed by offensive pressure, to keep hazards off the field while stacking them yourself; the team can handle almost every common hazards lead fairly well.
The team is definitely very weak to Rhyperior, Steelix, and Cobalion, all of whom can force all but Heliolisk out, especially if they have roar, and can struggle with DD/scarf tyrantrum and scarf Emboar. Nothing can reliably switch into these, and while they can be revenged afterwards, they can often poke a devastating hole in the team.
EDIT: I completely changed the evs on the Meloetta set to be more offensive. Meloetta struggles to take neutral STAB attacks anyway, so I felt that making her as strong as possible without giving up the special bulk she relies so heavily on was important, and the set has served me about equally as well. I'll update it if I find a new, major problem with the ev spread.
This team is based upon the obvious Feraligatr. With a jolly nature it outspeeds jolteon at +1. Life orb is to hit harder while it doesn't get damage from it because of sheer force. Whimsicott is so i have an answer to other ferilagtrs that may want to set up. It has taunt to stop hazards and u-turn to support the 2 wall breakers. We have exploud to break down cores to help gatr finish or the other way around if necessary. The standards stealth rock Rhyperior. Eviolite mag to be a wonderful pivot. Cresselia to beat stall with mola and such a lot easier.
Gatr can set up on a lot of the meta. It seems like a pretty cool team at a glimpse. The problem with the team is there is no hazard removal and have to rely on whimsicott.
We seem to be weak to sub sd cobalion if whimsicott is gone or they outplay us and we can't encore them into substitute or Swords Dance.
another one could be specs meloetta which 2hko's everything but rhyperior and magneton. An innovative set like the one Pearl had used in his SPL
match against FAJI (Wepwn).
An exceptionally badass banner was done by brightobject for this project, I updated the OP with it. Take a look and thank him for the incredible work by liking my posts n_n
Hitmonlee (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Double-Edge
- Rapid Spin
Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Shadow Ball
So this was built with two things in mind: a DD gatr sweep or an SD Cobalion sweep, so naturally I started with both of them. I moved on to think of hazard setters and of course I thought no other than Qwilfish. It's fucking amazing right now because of it being able to set up both spikes and t.spikes while having taunt and explosion. I used physically defensive rocky helmet drudd to check a lot of things with its decent bulk and the fact that rocky helmet + rough skin will hurt a lot, and it's a pretty good stealth rock setter thanks to its decent bulk. I used Fire Punch to poke doublade and Steelix a bit, and Glare + Dragon Tail for parashuffling. Last two Pokemon that were added were Scarf Hitmonlee and LO Whimsicott. The former is a pretty damn good scarfer imo that can also clutch spin, while Whimsicott is used as a sweeper thanks to its speed and decent power with LO, as well as a check to a lot of randomg things like Virizion, Heliolisk, etc. I used Shadow Ball as a lure to Doublade to smack it for Cobalion to have an easier time.
The way this team functions is that multiple Pokemon it lure the same Pokemon; Whimsicott and Hitmonlee both lure Doublade and the former has shadow ball while the latter has knock off, and they can make Cobalion have a much easier time. Steelix is dealt with by spikes + druddigon's fire punch (which does like ~24% to non-phys defensive) who can also phaze it out if its the curse variant, while not letting it spam heavy slam so freely. all this also allows Feraligatr to have an easier time sweeping.
Druddigon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Aqua Tail / Gunk Shot
- Dragon Tail
This team was originally built around the idea of a stall that relies on Hazard stacking to beat opposing teams. So basically I started with Qwilfish, a really nice and reliable Spikes user atm, that litterally everybody plays right now. Mega-Steelix was added to the core since it forms a fairly good synergy with Qwilfish, set Stealth Rocks and easily forces many Spikes damages on the opponent thanks to Roar. Then I decided to add SpDef Aromatisse as a support to the initial build and the team in general as well as helping it managing some troublesome special attackers (mainly Clawitzer). To fill in the hazard stack work, I was looking for a core that could pressure hazard removers as much as possible, which prompted me to use the great core Toxic Spikes Drapion + Gourgeist XL which is increasingly viable now with Moltres and Pangoro out of the tier, although Gourgeist has now access to Synthesis with tutor moves unlike in XY so yeah it’s even better as a spinblocker. Finally, Druddigon joined my team using its Assault Vest set, a pretty nice one that used to be my favourite in XY RU as it lets it taking hits from all the special wallbreakers Aromatisse can have trouble facing, such as NP Houndoom, CM Delphox, Mega-Camerupt, Eelektross, Rotom-Mow and even Meloetta thanks to its nice typing and good natural bulk.
However, some slashes has been added after doing a couple of battles on ladder, first one is Toxic over Roar on Steelix seeing that how much annoying both defensive Mantine and Pelipper are for my team. Second one might be Gunk Shot over Aqua Tail on Druddigon because yeah, I’m not quite sure that relying on Megalix as an only way to handle fairy walls is a good idea, although it prevents them from healing back teammates' Spikes damages.
This team really benefits from the latest bans, especially Feraligatr's one that used to eat this team alive after one SD/DD, but it still might have troubles against faster hazard stacking teams that use the Accelgor + Cobalion core, and really really hates facing mixed Mega-Abomasnow, but anyway I think it's a good team that I hope you guys will enjoy using!
i'm reviving this b.c i want my tree back, oml, so thirsty..
also, i like building, n don't wanna post some kind of archive, b.c i'm not worth that much haha
Durant @ Choice Band
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- X-Scissor
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Crunch
Mesprit @ Lum Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 3 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Ground]
This is an edit on the team I brought v.Pearl during SPL, developed around the offensive battery of SD Mega Abomasnow, CB Durant, and Choice Scarf Tyrantrum, which is rather efficient in establishing win conditions for one another, despite poor defensive synergy. HW Mesprit was chosen for its ability to compress a secondary Doublade lure, Ground immunity, and SR user in one slot, with HW being generally a phenomenal luxury to Abomasnow, who wants to play into bulky Waters far too much for me to play entirely without accounting for it getting crippled by status. Qwilfish just sort of 'happened', as it were, since it covers quite a few significant defensive functions for the team (fight resist, ant check, Tspike absorber, etc.) without entirely burning momentum, which I valued here. That said, Spikes aren't by any stretch 'bad' here, so I consider it passable. Though initially occupied by a 'Lee, I have said myself that I consider the Pokemon to be falling out of favour, and I took to Tauros here, who RK's Doublade / Durant handily, maintains the Steel-overload mentality, and generally helps end-game offense. This team does somewhat struggle to break in fat Psychics, and might at times force the player to make more aggressive plays, such as boosting into them w/Aboma, but it isn't something that can't be worked around.
Cobalion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 56 HP / 184 Atk / 16 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Substitute
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
Initially developed solely as a means to sate my curiosity over certain points, this team really developed into a bit of a favourite of mine, and the concept of it is simplicity itself; multiple set-ups sweepers backed by dual Healing Wish supporters. No longer do you have to fear playing a Pokemon into potential burns or what have you, b.c you now have the leniency to make aggressive pushes up to three times with your booster as to set up some kind of win condition. Generally, this process would come to favour the more defensive match-up, but given the more bulkiness and self-sufficiency of these Pokemon, it becomes possible to regulate the one-for-one trades in your favour most times, even going on the establish a win condition in OTR King. Whimsicott is stretched far too thin to efficiently combat all the threats presented here, and the team retains neat little synergies beyond that (like Shuca Drap baiting Duggy as to better allow it or Cobalion to end-game balance). Tons of fun to play, also, which I really do value in teams (that and color scheme, I'd like very much to avoid building ugly squads if I can avoid it).
Mantine @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 180 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 3 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Hydro Pump
- Air Slash
- Scald
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Built around OTR Reuniclus, which I really wanted to build around; good cleaner v.offense, moderately low support needed, etc etc. I liked its interactions w/Specs Growth, which can pop off Reuniclus' counters, or otherwise weaken / sleep them with the appropriate prediction, so I built off that. Spikes support, again, just 'sort of happened', given the team was slow to the point that I'd like TSpikes absorption, a means to accrue chip on Escavalier, etc., but it never hurts I s'pose. Features some neat sets like fast Doublade and Specs Mantine (s.o Cased) that I wouldn't consider justifiable on all builds, but work decently in this particular one.
I guess you could call this my 'take' on Sticky Webs, since it's a rather formulaic build really. For that reason, you will find this team very similar to the one Llamas recently RMT'ed, as it follows along a rather similar framework. This particular build focuses a bit more on diversifying its defensive match-up, incorporating SubPass Durant (a means to avoid bringing staples of the match-up, such as Exploud and Meloetta) in on Scalds nearly as often, as well as utilizing a boosting Meloetta. Durant also provides a Pokemon faster than Houndoom w.o webs up, which I prefer to have as a matter of personal preference. In forgoing a Ghost-type, I instead choose to adopt a more conservative SR setter in Seismitoad, which helps regulate momentum a bit, allowing for the possibility to stop Volt Switch. This build will, unfortunately, force you to prioritize webs against opposing Durant offense, since you forgo a strong check here, but it is rare these builds can afford hazard control nowadays.
