Hey all, so I have only ever played competitively on showdown once before and not very seriously. I have, however, always taken a keen interest in reading the example sets of loads of pokemon over the years without ever really having the time to dedicate to building a proper team. This is my first go of it and I decided to dedicate it around Altaria - a pokemon I fell in love with while playing the fangame Insurgence.
The thing either never dies or just seems to kill everything around it. For this team I went with the kill everything version! The premise of the team is to remove it's checks and counters for it to sweep everything in existence. I have, being pretty new, stupidly gotten it burnt by not switching out of rotom-w's will-o-wisp or switching into scald after it has already mega-evolved (I know, dumb right?). Even when it is burnt, after a boost it still deceives a lot of players who think they can then switch in freely to it only to have their best pokemon down to half their health or worse!
I'll get on with the team:
CandyFloss (Altaria)@ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Att/ 252 Spe/ 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Return
- Earthquake
- Roost
I wanted an offensive team and this is my favourite mega. I am always somehow still shocked at how hard it hits (not because of its stats, just how it looks!). After one boost it destroys teams. Earthquake hits a lot of its checks hard after a boost and I used Roost over Fire Blast for longevity (and because of my team's ability to eliminate steel counters). I look to get mega evolved early if my team needs another dragon or fighting check, if not I wait for as long as possible until an opportunity presents itself. I try to get rocks off the field and remove its main checks as best I can, then let him go wild.
GoodnightVienna (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 SpD
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Fire
- Flash Cannon
This thing is here for almost one purpose only - to say goodnight to Ferrothorn/Forretress/Skarmory/Scizor. If the opponent uses them early game and doesn't double switch then it is game over. I will often not immediately switch-in, just to scout if they are trying to force me to bring Zone in. I considered using Magneton and would appreciate thoughts on that - but the extra bulk allows Zone to use Volt-Switch momentum after taking a hit and lets it take on water and flying types better.
ItBurns! (Heatran) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Ancient Power
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
This is a quirky offensive Heatran set that has undergone much tinkering! Heatran is arguably the most versatile mon in OU and figuring out which set was right for me has taken time. For now I have settled on this. The main premise of this set is deception, power and rocks. Why Magma Storm and Toxic on a non-stall set? Well it is usually my lead, and it destroys megs sableye which stays in with the thought rocks will be going up. Magma storm (provided it hits) keeps it in and is a guaranteed 2HKO. If I am against leads which switch out then Rocks go up. Toxic has been really useful against walls switching in thinking it is a purely offensive heatran. Air balloon is used to get rocks up against leading Landorus-T. And finally Ancient Power is used over all other coverage moves as my team struggles against Talonflame which often switches in thinking this set cannot harm it. I have found that Heatran is the pokemon I sacrifice or is KOd the most, but as long as it has rocks up and has put a dent in opposing teams I am OK with that.
PinkFury (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP/ 172 Def/ 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Softboiled
- Thunder Wave
The standard CM set. I was just shocked at how powerful the pink fairy is. It plays so many roles on my team and is ultimately the MVP. It is the status absorber of the team once altaria has mega evolved and this is invaluable against stall. It is a win-condition when physical attackers are no longer a threat (and can switch in on a lot of different threats, threaten with T-wave and recover). It spreads paralysis on the switch which helps my team immensely. And it checks so many Special attackers from Hoopa, Guardevoir and Alakazam to all Electric Threats and obviously Dragons. It is so rarely KOd that it can T-wave the threat and softboiled stall or switch out.
PowerBunny (Azumarill) @Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 248 HP/252 Att/ 8 Speed
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
My team needed priority and water so this seemed too good to be true. I went with the assault vest set for the ability to check threats like gengar and heatran which can trouble clefable. It also serves as a decent Bisharp check due to it's good bulk. Switch ins are hit hard with knock off. It is also very good for hitting Excadrill hard. It is a good answer to dragons if M-Alt is down.
IFloat! (Latios) Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA/ 252 Speed/ 4 Att
Timid Nature
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Earthquake/Roost
Latios or Latias was a tough choice but ultimately I felt the more offensive brother suited my team better. Draco Meteor hits like a truck, Psyshock really helps my team against Mega Venasaur, fighting and poison types which could threaten the team without Heatran or Magnezone. Defog does take my rocks off the field but is used to get M-Alt onto the field as healthy as possible. Earthquake is used to take down threats like Heatran or hitting Bisharp/M-Metagross hard in a pinch to get it within range of an Aqua Jet KO. I am considering Roost for extra longevity but feel I may miss the much needed ground coverage.
Previous team members:
Keldeo - I tried it as a wallbreaker and a revenge killer and it only recently fell to the side to be replaced by azumarill. It was very powerful but ultimately I decided I needed some priority on the team and couldn't find room anywhere else.
Latias - Replaced by her brother. She is better suited to a less offense oriented team and Latios' extra power was noticeable. I did use her to pass a healing wish to M-Alt if I had mispredicted or used too early.
Celebi - Used the baton pass set. It was great against fighters and water types but left my team with too many ice-weaknesses and the baton pass is harder and harder to pull off when playing experiences battlers. Replaced by Clefable who has been infinitely more valuable.
Landorus-T - I used the scarf set to use U-turn and gain momentum or to revenge kill. It was very effective but again left me with a crippling ice weakness. Replaced by magnezone as a revenge killer and although it doesn't have the effectiveness in this role that Landy had, it's ability to remove steels from the equation has proven more valuable.
Threats - I am still working my way through these but the main thorn in my side has been Mega Metagross. I don't have an obvious defensive wall or tank so I have relied on predicting a t-wave onto it or hitting it with an unexpected EQ from Latios/M-Alt when it is at +1. I almost always have to sacrifice at least one or two pokemon to deal with it.
Other threats - Offensive Talonflame - if Heatran is down and it has a boost, my team struggles. It outprioritises Azumarill and outspeeds Magnezone. I was considering magneton just to deal with this threat.
Rotom-W - this thing can be a pain. I often switch into a lead rotom-w with Magnezone to absorb the trick and volt switch out (if no ground type) to my counter. I have, stupidly, switched into a will-o-wisp a few times. Clefable can easily outlast it but it's volt switch to a ground type is hard for the fairy to deal with. It is usually a question of wearing down the rest of the team until i take it out.
Staraptor - similarly to offensive TFlame, I often have to sacrifice pokemon to get rid of this (especially if it is a lead). Although it is never alive long with its recoil (and easily revenged killed by Azu), it can be a pain.
Any other threats please point them out to me! I think my main issue is a lack of defensive cover against the most powerful attackers in OU, especially birdspam and Mega Gross. I have managed to handle stall teams well so far even without taunt, but I am always looking to put that in somewhere! A lot of my pokemon are typed similarly (I have two steels, two dragons, three fairies) but they do have great syngergy together. I'd really like to hear some thoughts on how I could improve it!
Cheers guys
The thing either never dies or just seems to kill everything around it. For this team I went with the kill everything version! The premise of the team is to remove it's checks and counters for it to sweep everything in existence. I have, being pretty new, stupidly gotten it burnt by not switching out of rotom-w's will-o-wisp or switching into scald after it has already mega-evolved (I know, dumb right?). Even when it is burnt, after a boost it still deceives a lot of players who think they can then switch in freely to it only to have their best pokemon down to half their health or worse!
I'll get on with the team:
CandyFloss (Altaria)@ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Att/ 252 Spe/ 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Return
- Earthquake
- Roost
I wanted an offensive team and this is my favourite mega. I am always somehow still shocked at how hard it hits (not because of its stats, just how it looks!). After one boost it destroys teams. Earthquake hits a lot of its checks hard after a boost and I used Roost over Fire Blast for longevity (and because of my team's ability to eliminate steel counters). I look to get mega evolved early if my team needs another dragon or fighting check, if not I wait for as long as possible until an opportunity presents itself. I try to get rocks off the field and remove its main checks as best I can, then let him go wild.
GoodnightVienna (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 SpD
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Fire
- Flash Cannon
This thing is here for almost one purpose only - to say goodnight to Ferrothorn/Forretress/Skarmory/Scizor. If the opponent uses them early game and doesn't double switch then it is game over. I will often not immediately switch-in, just to scout if they are trying to force me to bring Zone in. I considered using Magneton and would appreciate thoughts on that - but the extra bulk allows Zone to use Volt-Switch momentum after taking a hit and lets it take on water and flying types better.
ItBurns! (Heatran) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Ancient Power
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
This is a quirky offensive Heatran set that has undergone much tinkering! Heatran is arguably the most versatile mon in OU and figuring out which set was right for me has taken time. For now I have settled on this. The main premise of this set is deception, power and rocks. Why Magma Storm and Toxic on a non-stall set? Well it is usually my lead, and it destroys megs sableye which stays in with the thought rocks will be going up. Magma storm (provided it hits) keeps it in and is a guaranteed 2HKO. If I am against leads which switch out then Rocks go up. Toxic has been really useful against walls switching in thinking it is a purely offensive heatran. Air balloon is used to get rocks up against leading Landorus-T. And finally Ancient Power is used over all other coverage moves as my team struggles against Talonflame which often switches in thinking this set cannot harm it. I have found that Heatran is the pokemon I sacrifice or is KOd the most, but as long as it has rocks up and has put a dent in opposing teams I am OK with that.
PinkFury (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP/ 172 Def/ 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Softboiled
- Thunder Wave
The standard CM set. I was just shocked at how powerful the pink fairy is. It plays so many roles on my team and is ultimately the MVP. It is the status absorber of the team once altaria has mega evolved and this is invaluable against stall. It is a win-condition when physical attackers are no longer a threat (and can switch in on a lot of different threats, threaten with T-wave and recover). It spreads paralysis on the switch which helps my team immensely. And it checks so many Special attackers from Hoopa, Guardevoir and Alakazam to all Electric Threats and obviously Dragons. It is so rarely KOd that it can T-wave the threat and softboiled stall or switch out.
PowerBunny (Azumarill) @Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 248 HP/252 Att/ 8 Speed
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
My team needed priority and water so this seemed too good to be true. I went with the assault vest set for the ability to check threats like gengar and heatran which can trouble clefable. It also serves as a decent Bisharp check due to it's good bulk. Switch ins are hit hard with knock off. It is also very good for hitting Excadrill hard. It is a good answer to dragons if M-Alt is down.
IFloat! (Latios) Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA/ 252 Speed/ 4 Att
Timid Nature
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Earthquake/Roost
Latios or Latias was a tough choice but ultimately I felt the more offensive brother suited my team better. Draco Meteor hits like a truck, Psyshock really helps my team against Mega Venasaur, fighting and poison types which could threaten the team without Heatran or Magnezone. Defog does take my rocks off the field but is used to get M-Alt onto the field as healthy as possible. Earthquake is used to take down threats like Heatran or hitting Bisharp/M-Metagross hard in a pinch to get it within range of an Aqua Jet KO. I am considering Roost for extra longevity but feel I may miss the much needed ground coverage.
Previous team members:
Keldeo - I tried it as a wallbreaker and a revenge killer and it only recently fell to the side to be replaced by azumarill. It was very powerful but ultimately I decided I needed some priority on the team and couldn't find room anywhere else.
Latias - Replaced by her brother. She is better suited to a less offense oriented team and Latios' extra power was noticeable. I did use her to pass a healing wish to M-Alt if I had mispredicted or used too early.
Celebi - Used the baton pass set. It was great against fighters and water types but left my team with too many ice-weaknesses and the baton pass is harder and harder to pull off when playing experiences battlers. Replaced by Clefable who has been infinitely more valuable.
Landorus-T - I used the scarf set to use U-turn and gain momentum or to revenge kill. It was very effective but again left me with a crippling ice weakness. Replaced by magnezone as a revenge killer and although it doesn't have the effectiveness in this role that Landy had, it's ability to remove steels from the equation has proven more valuable.
Threats - I am still working my way through these but the main thorn in my side has been Mega Metagross. I don't have an obvious defensive wall or tank so I have relied on predicting a t-wave onto it or hitting it with an unexpected EQ from Latios/M-Alt when it is at +1. I almost always have to sacrifice at least one or two pokemon to deal with it.
Other threats - Offensive Talonflame - if Heatran is down and it has a boost, my team struggles. It outprioritises Azumarill and outspeeds Magnezone. I was considering magneton just to deal with this threat.
Rotom-W - this thing can be a pain. I often switch into a lead rotom-w with Magnezone to absorb the trick and volt switch out (if no ground type) to my counter. I have, stupidly, switched into a will-o-wisp a few times. Clefable can easily outlast it but it's volt switch to a ground type is hard for the fairy to deal with. It is usually a question of wearing down the rest of the team until i take it out.
Staraptor - similarly to offensive TFlame, I often have to sacrifice pokemon to get rid of this (especially if it is a lead). Although it is never alive long with its recoil (and easily revenged killed by Azu), it can be a pain.
Any other threats please point them out to me! I think my main issue is a lack of defensive cover against the most powerful attackers in OU, especially birdspam and Mega Gross. I have managed to handle stall teams well so far even without taunt, but I am always looking to put that in somewhere! A lot of my pokemon are typed similarly (I have two steels, two dragons, three fairies) but they do have great syngergy together. I'd really like to hear some thoughts on how I could improve it!
Cheers guys
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