This team is the result of my best analysis of the metagame and a shitload of boredom over a span of a few weeks. I've been working on this for quite some time and it's lost very, very few matches since the early stages of testing. There are some unorthodox choices on this team that really catch people by surprise and I win a lot of matches because of them so if something looks silly, you're more than welcome to throw it up in my face and I'll be happy to defend my choices as best I can. I'm pretty confident that this is the best team that I've ever made, however, and I can't wait to start playing seriously on the ladder with this. So on to the team.
In-Depth:
Azelf @ Expert Belt Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
Azelf is a very underrated Pokemon in B/W due to so many different, ridiculously powerful Pokemon existing in the metagame, but Azelf's movepool and stat distribution make it an incredibly versatile and real threat to most teams that don't run horrible shit like Blissey. Able to set up Rocks and then effectively sweep an entire team of six 'mons due to it's huge speed and attacking stats, Azelf is a Pokemon in it's own tier right now because it can really do a lot of things that nothing else can do. And yes, I do realize that Alakazam is a much more sturdy alternative to this guy, but it can't set up Rocks and it doesn't have Levitate, which makes this my main Gliscor and Landorus check/counter. This little guy can also survive a Scarf'd Stone Edge from Terrakion and fire back a super-effective Psychic. Azelf has really caught me by surprise.
Jirachi, Magnezone, Dragonite, Gyarados. This is largely dependant on if the opponent's Pokemon is physically or specially-oriented, but regardless I have it handled.
I'm probably going to stay in and fire off a Psychic, because it's probably Gengar, but if it's a Jellicent or something silly like that, Jirachi and Magnezone have it covered methinks, considering neither of them really mind the burn/Toxic.
Dragonite, as I've said previously, is the most dominant physically-destructive motherfucker in B/W. This monster defines bulky offense, hyper offense, stall, semistall and what the hell ever else you can come up with. I think it's funny that Salamence used to be Uber, Dragonite sucked, and now look at how the tables have turned because Dragonite was awarded an ABILITY. A lowly ability made Dragonite the beast that it is today. That and it's PERFECT movepool. Lol. Dragonite is both the meta and the anti-meta. I really enjoy taking Draco Meteors at full health, shrugging them off with Multiscale, and Dancing my way to victory. Yes, I said Draco Meteors. This doesn't mean that you switch into Specs Latios, it means you play smart, run calcs, and know when to win with this bastard and don't waste him on an overzealous play, because I can assure you that timing with 'Nite is everything. But playing this guy right leads to victory 99% of the time.
Well, that's the team. Thanks for looking. I'm going to reserve the first post in the thread for a threat list to give you guys better insight on how I deal with specific things, but for now life calls and I gotta get my ass off the computer. Please do whatever you can to help my team within reason and justify your suggestions with sound logic. I'm looking forward to finishing this team with the minds of Smogon.
Team-Building Process:
I started building this team on the foundation of Magnezone + Haxorus because they compliment each other very nicely. Everyone knows that Magnezone gels with Dragons extremely well, eliminating those pesky Steel-types so that your big guys can come in and knock holes in the opponent's team. Well, that holds true even moreso with Haxorus because not only does it knock holes in the opponent's team, it completely DESTROYS the opponent's team if threats like Scizor and Ferrothorn are disposed of early enough.
Next, I knew that I was going to need a decent lead to set up Rocks and check opposing weather teams and what does that better than Tyranitar? And at this point I knew I was going to need a Fighting resist, and Gyarados just seemed to be the perfect choice, doubling as my bulky Water and another hard Scizor counter if death befalls Magnezone.
I knew I wanted Wish, but I knew that I didn't want Blissey and I knew that I didn't want Vaporeon because I already had too many Pokemon that just got straight raped by Fighting-types and I already had a bulky Water. That left Jirachi, and I've never looked back. It's fucking incredible with the right support and has ended up becoming a staple member of the team.
With 4 Ice resists, I felt very comfortable putting another Dragon on my team, and with the huge lack of special-attackers, Latios seemed like the perfect fit. It's Specs set is one of the most devastating things I've ever witnessed in Pokemon, even with the power creep in B/W, it's pretty amazing that something so simple as spamming Draco Meteors can wreak so much havoc on unprepared teams.
After testing that version of the team extensively and moving around EVs and movesets for like a week, I came up with this and I haven't regretted a thing. My team was hating the Sandstorm, seeing as it really detracted from Haxorus' and Gyarados' bulkiness, so 'Tar was reluctantly replaced, and with that I wasn't comfortable running Latios anymore and traded up for Dragonite, which has paid off tenfold considering it's by far the top physical threat in today's metagame. (Fuck Scizor.)
In-Depth:
Azelf @ Expert Belt Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock - Stealth Rock is the most important entry hazard conceivable right now due to a number of threats that it completely disables like Dragonite and ANY Pokemon with Focus Sash or Flying/Fire typing. It cripples Choice-users and Volt-Turn teams to an extent, and is an absolute must on any competitive team.
- Flamethrower - I chose to utilize Flamethrower on this set because people LOVE to switch in Scizor on Azelf and BP/Pursuit/U-Turn away, all of which Azelf survives (Without a Focus Sash!) and OHKOs. This also hits overconfident Ferrothorns, Forretresses, Skarmories and Hail teams, among other things. This is a pretty self-explanatory and well justified choice in my opinion.
- Hidden Power [Ice] - HP Ice is here to cover my glaring weakness to other Dragons that get cocky and switch in on my Rocks/Flamethrowers and think that they're going to get a free turn to set up. This is mainly aimed at Dragonite, but Azelf outspeeds both Latis, Salamence and Haxorus and does a huge amount of damage to them with HP Ice, so this move really isn't for one specific threat. I'm also offered a huge range of coverage with this + Psychic + Flamethrower.
- Psychic - Azelf's Psychic is retardedly powerful. Think of this as Latios' Draco Meteor, but it doesn't hit quite as hard. My reasoning for using this over Psyshock is that I'm going to be using Azelf as a hard counter for things such as Bulk Up Breloom and Conkledurr and Psyshock is much less effective against those 'mons after a few defense boosts; I'd like to get the OHKO.
Synergy:
Gyarados, Dragonite, Magnezone. Depending on what the opponent's Pokemon is I may just stay in and fire off a Flamethrower.
Gyarados, Dragonite, Magnezone. Depending on what the opponent's Pokemon is I may just stay in and fire off a Flamethrower.
Jirachi, Magnezone, Dragonite, Gyarados. This is largely dependant on if the opponent's Pokemon is physically or specially-oriented, but regardless I have it handled.
I'm probably going to stay in and fire off a Psychic, because it's probably Gengar, but if it's a Jellicent or something silly like that, Jirachi and Magnezone have it covered methinks, considering neither of them really mind the burn/Toxic.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SDef / 40 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
Jirachi has crippled more teams than I can count due to it's unparallelled bulk and attacking capabilities. Think Stallbreaker Mew that actually poses a threat and doesn't just sit around Will-O-Wisping. Not to mention Jirachi can pass Wishes to the rest of my team and increase my overall longevity in the battle infinitesimally. Jirachi can take just about anything thrown at it as well, and swing back with a crippling Body Slam or the ever-so-annoying Wishpass-into-a-counter (Or set-up sweeper) play. I'm under the impression that Jirachi is better now than it has ever been due to the new B/W threats that it can just destroy. Slowly.
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SDef / 40 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Body Slam - I chose to use Body Slam over Thunder Wave on this Flinchrachi set because it's just got versatility on it's side. I know that I can spam Body Slam on a switch and probably Paralyze something that's not Jellicent or X Ghost-Type and then... it's useless.
- Iron Head - This is part 2 of the Paraflinch combo that makes Jirachi so god damned annoying. Iron Head is here for STAB and to make sure that your Pokemon CANT DO ANYTHING. I've had more people ragequit just because they switched into a stray Body Slam, got Para'd and got flinch hax'd 90-trillion times in a row.
- Protect - Protect seems like an inferior option to Thunder/Ice/Fire Punch here, but my justification for it is that Jirachi is my very first line of defense against Rain teams and Protect gives Jirachi some necessary recovery time in-between spamming Body Slams and Wishes to stay alive. It also helps me scout Heatrans/Scizors etc. to see if it's safe to switch X teammate in and begin setting up.
- Wish - Wish is the primary reason I chose to run Jirachi. It's just an incredible move that can contribute a lot to any particular Pokemon that can use it and any team said Pokemon is included in. My reasoning behind Wish is that it makes Jirachi never die, and on top of that it helps my other guys without reliable recovery have a very hard time dying as well considering the fact that they're already bulky without a free 200 HP.
Synergy:
Gyarados, Dragonite and Haxorus have this on lock and really, really like to set up on Fire Pokemon.
Azelf and Gyarados are both very hard counters to Gliscor primarily, and most ground-types in general seeing as they can switch in and OHKO unscathed. If I can make a read on an in-coming Earthquake, I more than likely go to Gyarados first to check the movset because it's a little bulkier than Azelf. Ground-types without a hard-hitting Ice-Type move are also set-up fodder for Dragonite.
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
Nearly every successful team I've ever made has had Magnezone on it in some form or another. This Pokemon is just awesome and really exploits a team's and players' weaknesses ALL the time. There is at least 1 match in every 5 where I have someone say "fucking Magnezone" in the chat and leave the game. That's because Magnezone's reliability and power are pretty much unrivaled and it's resistances are so sick right now. Yes, it actually has some shitty defensive typing, but the fact that it can absolutely destroy pretty much anything your opponent's going to switch in handily makes this a really, really solid Pokemon and a nightmare to deal with. As much as I like this set, however, I am considering testing the Dual-Screen set. Anyone know if it's even worth a shot?
Gyarados, Dragonite and Haxorus have this on lock and really, really like to set up on Fire Pokemon.
Azelf and Gyarados are both very hard counters to Gliscor primarily, and most ground-types in general seeing as they can switch in and OHKO unscathed. If I can make a read on an in-coming Earthquake, I more than likely go to Gyarados first to check the movset because it's a little bulkier than Azelf. Ground-types without a hard-hitting Ice-Type move are also set-up fodder for Dragonite.
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute - The very first think you may have noticed is that this isn't a ScarfZone set. This means several things, firstly that it's got a lot more staying power than conventional 'Zones. Secondly, I get to run Substitute and set up on Steels that can't hurt me. >:] Substitute is here to bolster damage taken, to psuedo-scout, and to prevent nasty statuses. Pretty self-explanatory.
- Charge Beam - Charge Beam is here because when Magnezone switches in on a Steel that it knows can't hurt it like Scizor stuck on BP or Ferrothorn, it really wants to sit behind a Sub and gain +6 SAtk. This, again is pretty self-explanatory.
- Thunderbolt - Thunderbolt is redundant, but Magnezone needs this obligatory STAB move to destroy Steels and other random 'mons after statting up. The chance to paralyze has also been pretty significant in some battles, and I'm actually considering changing this to Discharge to contribute more to the theme of "Steels paralyze and kill random shit, Dragons kill everything else."
- Hidden Power [Ice] - This is where it gets fucking weird, but also professional as hell. A lot of you are going to look at this and call me a retarded retard, but that's okay, because this is what makes this moveset shine. Gliscor and Landorus are running rampant everywhere, yes? Dragons is the most commonly spammed offensive typing in OU currently, yes? Ground Pokemon in general like Dugtrio and Donphan love to switch into Magnezone and think that they've locked down a free kill, yes? Okay, well this rather odd choice absolutely wrecks the metagame's shit, especially behind a Sub. I don't need HP Fire because a +1 or +2 Thunderbolt is going to rape Scizor's asshole regardless of type, and a +6 Hidden Power [Ice] is going to one-shot Ferrothorn WHILE I maintain my Substitute, AND I get to counter all of those threats as well. Yes, Forretress may set up Spikes/Toxic Spikes, but the cool thing is that I don't really give any shits whatsoever.
Synergy:
Azelf loves to come in on Fighting guys if they pop Magnezone's Sub, but pretty much every other Pokemon on this team besides Haxorus can do work against most Fighting-types.
Dragonite is usually my main go-to guy here, because usually the only Fire-type Pokemon switching in on 'Zone is SDef Heatran, which is set up fodder for Dragonite. Sometimes I'll go into Gyara for guys like Infernape and scout Thunderpunches to see if it's safe to DD.
Azelf, Dragonite and Gyarados like to come in on Grounds. See Jirachi's synergy section. If Gliscor is in and I have a Sub up I will Sub first to scout Protect, and if it Quakes, next turn I get the OHKO with HP Ice. As you can probably tell, I don't like Gliscor and, to a lesser extent, Landorus.
Dragonite (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 92 SDef / 164 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
Azelf loves to come in on Fighting guys if they pop Magnezone's Sub, but pretty much every other Pokemon on this team besides Haxorus can do work against most Fighting-types.
Dragonite is usually my main go-to guy here, because usually the only Fire-type Pokemon switching in on 'Zone is SDef Heatran, which is set up fodder for Dragonite. Sometimes I'll go into Gyara for guys like Infernape and scout Thunderpunches to see if it's safe to DD.
Azelf, Dragonite and Gyarados like to come in on Grounds. See Jirachi's synergy section. If Gliscor is in and I have a Sub up I will Sub first to scout Protect, and if it Quakes, next turn I get the OHKO with HP Ice. As you can probably tell, I don't like Gliscor and, to a lesser extent, Landorus.
Dragonite (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 92 SDef / 164 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Substitute - Being a standard SubNite set, I have to run Substitute. XP Sub is probably the best defensive move in the game, as it protects your Pokemon from so many different things. Dragonite hates status, and while you can't always prevent it from becoming Poisoned/Burnt/Paralyzed/Seeded, you sure can try. And my god, if this thing gets a sub off on something that can't break it, it IS going to kill something.
- Dragon Dance - Probably the most self-explanatory move on the entire set, I chose Dragon Dance over something more utilitarian like Fire Punch because behind a Sub, Dragonite can beat pretty much every threat to it and my team after one Dragon Dance, and after two I pretty much guarantee a win.
- Dragon Claw - Dragon Claw over Outrage because it's STILL going to hit like a truck, and I don't want this Dragonite to be confused at any point in the match due to it's ridiculous staying power thanks to Multiscale and Roost.
- Roost - Roost becomes even MORE incredible when you take into account the fact that Dragonite can abuse the shit out of this move + Multiscale and Substitute, making it pretty much unkillable after a Dragon Dance. Pretty self-explanatory as well, makes Dragonite never die and fucking destroy everything else.
Synergy:
Jirachi and Magnezone, primarily Jirachi, like to come in on Dragon-type attacks and cripple half of the opponent's team while healing or stat-upping respectively. Specs Latios Draco Meteor doesn't do a god damn thing to Jirachi.
Jirachi comes in on anything Ice-type and scares it off, as does Magnezone. Gyarados can comfortably come in on physical Ice-type guys and set up. Dragonite can even stay in if Multiscale is in-tact and kill X Ice-wielding threat after a Dance if it's not carrying Shard.
Haxorus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 196 HP / 252 Atk / 60 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
Ahh, this is my bulky Haxorus. Let me introduce you to the widowmaker. My inspiration for the team, this was originally a Choice Band set, and while Haxorus is undoubtedly the best user of Choice Band in the game, I believe that this Sub/DD set is a LOT more effective due to it's versatility in high pressure situations. A lot of moves that 2-hit the CB version fail to beat this guy and that means I get DDs. Hell, with the EVs I've placed in HP, Ferrothorn becomes perfectly acceptable set up fodder because it can't break my fatass Subs. Try to view this guy as Dragonite #2, but a lot, LOT more dangerous if you let me take advantage of your team early on in the match. Total MVP of the team right here.
Synergy:
See Dragonite.
See Dragonite.
Gyarados (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
Okay, Gyarados has been consistently good as balls in every generation, and I'm going to be completely honest with you, that's why Gyarados is on this team. Pretty much every god damn RMT I've seen in the last month or two has had Gyarados on it, the good ones anyway. Not to mention pretty much every competitive team that I've ever used has had some form of Gyarados. Gyarados is just that fucking good. This Gyarados was originally intended to be a physical wall to be used in conjunction with Jirachi, but after testing I discovered that Wish + Lorb Gyarados rapes every team's mother, so I just HAD to use this set. After a Dragon Dance, pretty much everything except Rotom-W and Ferrothorn is dead, and that's where 'Zone and Jirachi come in, passing Wishes and trapping dumb-looking plants all day. This guy's synergy with the team is just astounding, even if I'm willing to let this guy die FIRST to get a revenge kill.
Synergy:
Jirachi, Dragonite, Haxorus. They all cover this guy's butt in case of high voltage. Once again, this is where Jirachi shines, coming in on a weak Electric attack that doesn't do shit, Wishing on the switch, and then healing the Pokemon that comes in to counter the counter.
Certain threats get Waterfall'd to death. Others get to deal with Jirachi and MAYBE Magnezone depending on what it is. Tyranitar, in particular, gets raped by ol' Gyara, and that's the only Rock-type bar-Terrakion that you're going to see in OU anyways.
Jirachi and Magnezone, primarily Jirachi, like to come in on Dragon-type attacks and cripple half of the opponent's team while healing or stat-upping respectively. Specs Latios Draco Meteor doesn't do a god damn thing to Jirachi.
Jirachi comes in on anything Ice-type and scares it off, as does Magnezone. Gyarados can comfortably come in on physical Ice-type guys and set up. Dragonite can even stay in if Multiscale is in-tact and kill X Ice-wielding threat after a Dance if it's not carrying Shard.
Haxorus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 196 HP / 252 Atk / 60 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Substitute - I bet you're all going "huh?" right about now. This is where Taunt should be! Well Substitute does a lot of things that Taunt doesn't do, like letting me set up on the two most commonly used walls in B/W, Ferrothorn and Jellicent, neither of which can break Haxorus' Subs unless they're running dumbshit movesets, in which case I switch to Magnezone and set up. -_- This blocks status, just like Taunt, and as long as Haxorus is behind a sub, it's safe from Scizors and random.mons coming in and revenging it.
- Dragon Dance - See Dragonite. Stat-up and sweep.
- Earthquake - Earthquake is here to kill Steels and...Rotom? Dragon Claw kills Rotom. Earthquake is here to kill Steels. Lol. And act as a filler. Because if Haxorus had a reliable recovery move it would be Uber.
- Dragon Claw - Same reasoning as Dragonite really, except this hits 9x harder due to Haxorus having more retard strength than that kid from The Ringer. Dragon Claw on Haxorus is the equivalent to Outrage on everything else, so I don't feel too bad about the loss in power, although Outrage does get some OHKOs and 2HKOs that Dragon Claw sometimes can't manage.
See Dragonite.
See Dragonite.
Gyarados (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance - This seems to be a recurring trend on this team. Once again, Dragon Dance is any incredible move that lets me take advantage of shitty players and win really, really fast. Gyarados' versatility and physical prowess both Offensively and Defensively make him a surefire abuser of said move.
- Earthquake - I believe that Earthquake is an uncommon choice on Gyarados, and for good reason really. This is pretty much a filler move that lets me beat Ferrothorn after a DD or two, and that's it. I guess it hits stuff that wall my other two attacks pretty hard as well. Any valid suggestions on what to use over this will be gladly accepted. And no, I'm not using fucking Stone Edge, I HATE that attack.
- Ice Fang - Ice Fang is here to hit the Dragons that LOVE to wall standard Gyarados. This is mostly for the surprise factor, but you'd be pretty taken aback at how many times this move has clinched me a victory because my opponent wasn't expecting DD + 3 attacks.
- Waterfall - Waterfall is my herp-derpy STAB attack that kills everything in one hit. This is a straight-forward attack that I shouldn't have to explain. The % chance to flinch is really nice too, because it just compounds the synergy that this big fish has with Jirachi and Magnezone.
Jirachi, Dragonite, Haxorus. They all cover this guy's butt in case of high voltage. Once again, this is where Jirachi shines, coming in on a weak Electric attack that doesn't do shit, Wishing on the switch, and then healing the Pokemon that comes in to counter the counter.
Certain threats get Waterfall'd to death. Others get to deal with Jirachi and MAYBE Magnezone depending on what it is. Tyranitar, in particular, gets raped by ol' Gyara, and that's the only Rock-type bar-Terrakion that you're going to see in OU anyways.
Well, that's the team. Thanks for looking. I'm going to reserve the first post in the thread for a threat list to give you guys better insight on how I deal with specific things, but for now life calls and I gotta get my ass off the computer. Please do whatever you can to help my team within reason and justify your suggestions with sound logic. I'm looking forward to finishing this team with the minds of Smogon.
