XY OU BALANCE-ing Act (Peaked 1780)

[Clone]

rip title skills

Hello Smogon. I'm back with my third RMT here, this time with a more balanced squad. I've used this team quite extensively on both the ladder and in tours, netting me wins whenever I don't choke, and performing quite well against most team archetypes. This team has peaked at like 1770 on the ladder (didn't screen and tilt got to me ;-;) during the first two weeks of OLT, and has won me a few matches in Smogon Tour. All in all, this team has served me well, but it can always improve, right?

So in my endeavors to qualify for OLT, I peaked at 1780 before tilting and getting haxxed. Gotta love the ladder and how ELO works.

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Background:

So this team came to be a few weeks after the Mawile ban, as I had taken a short break from playing and didn't have any teams that fared well against the new meta. During this time Mew, Ferrothorn, and Slowbro were rampant in the bulky offense / balance infested Metagame along with the three wallbreaker megas. With that came the surge of the new PinsirMag core, which was something that I really wanted to try out. Despite this core being found on mainly HO teams, I found that it fit right into the balanced build I had going.

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Team building process:

Hide

I started off with a bulky Lando T, as he checked many prominent threats well while setting up rocks. He also handled Birdspam, Terrakion, and Char X, some really popular threats at the time.

Next I added Latias and Azumarill, as they have excellent type synergy and allow me to handle threats such as Greninja and Keldeo really well, while also giving me checks to Genie spam and hazard support.

I then realized that A steel / fairy / dragon core would fit right in with this team, and I chose Ferrothorn due to his persistency in spreading leech seed and paralysis everywhere, while not dying to anything.

I soon realized that Lando was trying to do too many things at once, and replaced rocks with HP Flying, as Heracross was a problem once Latias went down and Ferrothorns T Wave didn't do much in hindsight.

I then realized that I had no real way of getting past opposing steels like Skarm, Scizor, or Ferrothorn, so I added Magnezone to trap them. Due to the lack of a good strong hitter I added mega Pinsir as he paired really well with the rest of the squad, especially Magnezone.

After a few weeks, mega Manectric and scarfed Lando T teams became really popular, and I had no real way of stopping Manectric from Volt Switching, so I gave Lando a scarf so I could outspeed Manectric and take care of him. Since I had Pinsir, Heracross wasn't too much of an issue. And with that I have the current build of the team. (Idk if that part even made any sense =/)

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 88 HP / 208 Atk / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- U-turn

Lando T was the first member, but also the last i the way that I ended up scarfing him. Since the change to scarf, I've been able to handle VoltTurn teams much better while still checking many of the same threats as before. Intimidate is such a great ability because it neuters physical attackers and almost guarantees free momentum via U-Turn because very few things can function with a lowered attack. I chose Rock Slide over Stone Edge because it still kills the birds and doesn't miss nearly as much as Stone Miss. Superpower to kill DD Mega TTar and Gyara. EVs out slow opposing scarf Landos giving me the switch initiative.

I have since changed the set to a spread recommended by MuhFugginMoose, which allows me to hit everything I need to. However, a spread of 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe was used for a while, and if you decide to use this team, then this spread takes on DD Char X much better.

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Defog

I've always preferred Latias over Latios as a Defogger because her much higher bulk allows her to handle the threats she's supposed to much better than her brother. Most attacks she switches into are 3HKOes at best, and with Roost, she's able to stay alive throughout the match. I opted not to go for Healing Wish, as the only member of the team who really benefits from it is Mega Pinsir, and Latias is better off checking threats and removing hazards than sacrificing herself. HP EVs hit a Life Orb number while giving her bulk. SpAtk EVs OHKO Lando I with Draco after rocks 100% of the time. HP Fighting was added over. Psyshock as suggested by alexwolf to allow me to lure Bisharp better. It definitely patches up a weakness I had.

Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall

Azumarill is my main Greninja switch in if I haven't yet scouted for HP Fire. She's also a secondary check to Keldeo, while also handling the Latis very well. She has excellent type synergy with Latias and maintains great offensive presence with Play Rough and dual water STABs. Knock Off was chosen to have a guaranteed hit against the Latis (misses are a bitch) while hitting Gengar and removing items in general. Assault Vest allows her to beat things like Thundy and Manectric 1v1, which this team really needed before I gave Lando a Scarf. She gets worn down easily, but she's still an important member of the team.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Gyro Ball

Ferrothorn was added because he checks Azumarill, non fire blast TTar, Excadrill, and Kyurem-B. His excellent defensive typing leaves him weak to only two types, which are easily handled by the other member of the team. He's a consistent Stealth Rock setter (much better than Lando imo) and simply doesn't die. The recent rise in Magnezone and random HP Fires have hurt his viability a bit, but aggressive double switches and Protect help scout for them. EVs avoid the 3HKO from Greninjas Ice Beam and Gyro Ball allows Ferro to beat Kyubes and non HP Fire Latis. IVs maximize its power.

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 16 HP / 252 SAtk / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon

Magnezone has gotten really popular, and it's not hard to see why. He traps steels, handles fairies, and handles BirdSpam, all while not being deadweight against anything because of Volt Switch. Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Scizor all were problems with what I had, so Magnezone became a crucial member of the team as he punches holes through defensive teams relying on steels to wall things. He also tanks Brave birds and Quick Attacks like a champ, which allows me to switch into Birdspam on predicted plays. Volt Switch gives me free momentum against most teams, as things like Lando (T), Gliscor, and Hippowdon aren't very big problems to the rest of the team. It's also very satisfying 2HKOing Lando on the switch with Flash Cannon. HP and speed EVs give him bulk while out speeding Thundy, as he misses out on base 115s and there's nothing significant in that speed range.

Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Quick Attack
- Swords Dance
- Substitute / Close Combat

Pinsir is and always has been a beast. He dismantles any non resists with Aerialate Return, and Quick Attack picks off weakened targets who try to get cheeky and outspeed him. He handles Mega Venu, Amoonguss, Conkeldurr, and basically anything slower than him. I've recently been using Substitute over Close Combat, as I had made a different team with the SubFlail set (it's not a gimmick I swear to god .-.) and realized that Substitute fares really well against offensive teams when he's given a free switch, due to the number of switches he forces. When I'm not using it, Close Combat is used to hit TTar, Heatran, and Rotom hard. Everything else is standard.

Threatlist:

Scarfed Lando-T: gets a free U-Turn on most of my mons and annoys everything with Intimidate

Mega Manectric: See above, tho is handled a bit better.

Mew: Burns shit while not dying. Have to play around with switches to beat him

Rotom-W: Latias is really my best answer to him, but in general he and his burns are really annoying.

Importable

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 88 HP / 208 Atk / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- U-turn

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Protect

Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Knock Off

Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Defog
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 16 HP / 252 SpA / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch

Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat

 

[ZCorps]

Looking like a standard, but solid OU Team for the meta. Your team handles everything in the tier pretty well, so I don't think changing any Pokemon would be wise. If anything, I would recommend changing Landorus-T's EVs to 252 Speed, as it can beat opposing Landorus-T with Knock Off, ridding of its Choice Scarf late game if they're 1v1.

 

[Of Moose & Men]

Looking like a standard, but solid OU Team for the meta. Your team handles everything in the tier pretty well, so I don't think changing any Pokemon would be wise. If anything, I would recommend changing Landorus-T's EVs to 252 Speed, as it can beat opposing Landorus-T with Knock Off, ridding of its Choice Scarf late game if they're 1v1.

I've always seen out slowing other Scarf Landos as a benefit actually. Since there really isn't anything they can do to you outside of knock off which does, jack all.

I will however suggest a EV spread I usually use for Scarf Lando that allows it to hit everything it needs to, outslow other scarf mons that would otherwise not threaten it (other lando T, Jolly Excadrill, etc.)


Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 88 HP / 208 Atk / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- U-turn

The EVs allow it to take to live a bisharp at +1 sucker punch 87% of the time (if and only if it ever gets to that) and OHKO in return. Outspeed mMane by 1 and OHKO after intimidate as well as do more damage with superpower than Jolly 252 Atk to DD mGyara, and outspeed and OHKO next turn unless it's Jolly for whatever reason.

 

[ZCorps]

I've always seen out slowing other Scarf Landos as a benefit actually. Since there really isn't anything they can do to you outside of knock off which does, jack all.

I will however suggest a EV spread I usually use for Scarf Lando that allows it to hit everything it needs to, outslow other scarf mons that would otherwise not threaten it (other lando T, Jolly Excadrill, etc.)


Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 88 HP / 208 Atk / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- U-turn

The EVs allow it to take to live a bisharp at +1 sucker punch 87% of the time (if and only if it ever gets to that) and OHKO in return. Outspeed mMane by 1 and OHKO after intimidate as well as do more damage with superpower than Jolly 252 Atk to DD mGyara, and outspeed and OHKO next turn unless it's Jolly for whatever reason.

I guess the slow U-Turn against opposing Landorus-T is nice, but I disagree with running 212 Speed. With an adamant nature, it doesn't really gain much. You really need that Jolly Nature on the off chance that there is an Adamant Mega-Zard X with a Dragon Dance up. I agree with the HP EVs as you have a chance to survive a +1 Life Orb Sucker Punch from Bisharp and OHKOing it with EQ.

Landorus-T

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 76 HP / 208 Atk / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Superpower

 

[sunny004]

What about Mega Zard Y?

I have no idea about the speed but from the looks of typing he can destroy 4/6 of your team. (5/6 if it knows a dragon move)
I'm guessing the scarfed landorus could deal w/ it but if it's locked into something else and it comes in I'm not sure if it will fare well.

 

[Clone]

MuhFugginMoose thanks for the rate dude =]

I'll look into that Lando spread. You're right that I like to under speed opposing Lando Ts for the switch initiative. I usually don't have very many problems with DD Zard X so adamant migh be a good choice. I'll definitely try it out.

sunny004 Zard Y has never really been a big issue. Latias handles him very well, as he needs Dragon Pulse to break through her. If he does have it it's usually not an issue because he's giving up recovery, allowing me to wear him down. It's also worth mentioning that the only two members that lose to him 1v1 are Pinsir pre evo and Ferrothorn, as AV Azu can tank a Solarbeam and hit back with a Waterfall, putting him in KO range for Latias. Mag is also scarfed, and has a good chance to OHKO after a bit of prior damage. Appreciate the input ^_^

 

[sunny004]

MuhFugginMoose thanks for the rate dude =]

I'll look into that Lando spread. You're right that I like to under speed opposing Lando Ts for the switch initiative. I usually don't have very many problems with DD Zard X so adamant migh be a good choice. I'll definitely try it out.

sunny004 Zard Y has never really been a big issue. Latias handles him very well, as he needs Dragon Pulse to break through her. If he does have it it's usually not an issue because he's giving up recovery, allowing me to wear him down. It's also worth mentioning that the only two members that lose to him 1v1 are Pinsir pre evo and Ferrothorn, as AV Azu can tank a Solarbeam and hit back with a Waterfall, putting him in KO range for Latias. Mag is also scarfed, and has a good chance to OHKO after a bit of prior damage. Appreciate the input ^_^

No problem.
Also I looked at your threat list. To deal with dem Scarfed Landoruses, would a Mamoswine be viable? It has priority 4x super effective ice shard...
Edit: You could also slap an ice-type move on latias if you didn't want to replace your team.

 

[naturalstupidity]

hey clone :] This is a pretty nice and standard team you have here. It covers top metagame threats well, and I like the idea of using pinsmag on balance. It's a solid team, and there's not much I can see to improve it.

However, I've noticed a slight weakness to sand offense and Mega Gardevoir. You seem to mostly rely on Lando to switch into Excadrill, and since it's not defensive it will be easily worn down, taking ~40% from Life Orbed Iron Heads. Mega Gardevoir meanwhile forces in Ferrothorn/Magnezone, but both of those get popped by a well-timed Focus Blast. So, I'd recommend Bronzong -> Ferrothorn. Bronzong is the best Mega Gardevoir+sand offense counter out there, and it also helps with your Scarfed Lando issues while cold-walling Diggersby which nobody on your team wants to switch into. It does open up a somewhat annoying Bisharp weakness, though, so if you choose to go with this you could consider running HP Fighting on Latias to lure Bisharp in and handily defeat it. I can definitely see why you'd want to keep Ferothorn, however, so it's your choice in the end.

Bronzong

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
IVs: 0 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic

 

[Clone]

Changed Lando Ts spread to the one MuhFugginMoose suggestion after testing. It fits in perfectly, thanks dude =]

hey clone :] This is a pretty nice and standard team you have here. It covers top metagame threats well, and I like the idea of using pinsmag on balance. It's a solid team, and there's not much I can see to improve it.

However, I've noticed a slight weakness to sand offense and Mega Gardevoir. You seem to mostly rely on Lando to switch into Excadrill, and since it's not defensive it will be easily worn down, taking ~40% from Life Orbed Iron Heads. Mega Gardevoir meanwhile forces in Ferrothorn/Magnezone, but both of those get popped by a well-timed Focus Blast. So, I'd recommend Bronzong -> Ferrothorn. Bronzong is the best Mega Gardevoir+sand offense counter out there, and it also helps with your Scarfed Lando issues while cold-walling Diggersby which nobody on your team wants to switch into. It does open up a somewhat annoying Bisharp weakness, though, so if you choose to go with this you could consider running HP Fighting on Latias to lure Bisharp in and handily defeat it. I can definitely see why you'd want to keep Ferothorn, however, so it's your choice in the end.

Bronzong

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
IVs: 0 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic

Hi fren =] I never really noticed my problem with Sand, but in hindsight I see how well it's worked against me. My only qualm is that Bronzong is complete set up bait for many things, and is beaten by mega Gyara. Ferro beats both and deters set up with leech seed, while also handling Knock Off Azu much better. Will give it a go tho =]

 

[aim]

Hey -Clone- cool team! This team is actually already very solid so nice job! I only have one small sugestion that I feel would benefit the team. While I understand your reasoning for your particular Landorus-T spread, I feel that with that particular spread, Mega Charizard X can clean sweep through your team. It gets a free Dragon Dance vs Ferrothorn and Magnezone and with your current spread you don't outspeed standard Adamant Zard. I'd suggest switching the Landorus-T from Adamant to Jolly, that way you can better revenge kill that monster. The spread also allows you to outspeed Choice Scarf Excadrill, which is something to note. I'd also suggest running Knock Off over

Landorus-T

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Honestly, that is all I have. This team is already pretty solid. Mew is definitely an issue, but with Substitute on Mega Pinsir, I feel that, that is dealt with. With recovery on Latias, though Rotom-W is annoying, it is also dealt with. Anyway, cool team! Hope I helped :]

 

[Clone]

Hey -Clone- cool team! This team is actually already very solid so nice job! I only have one small sugestion that I feel would benefit the team. While I understand your reasoning for your particular Landorus-T spread, I feel that with that particular spread, Mega Charizard X can clean sweep through your team. It gets a free Dragon Dance vs Ferrothorn and Magnezone and with your current spread you don't outspeed standard Adamant Zard. I'd suggest switching the Landorus-T from Adamant to Jolly, that way you can better revenge kill that monster. The spread also allows you to outspeed Choice Scarf Excadrill, which is something to note. I'd also suggest running Knock Off over

Landorus-T

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Honestly, that is all I have. This team is already pretty solid. Mew is definitely an issue, but with Substitute on Mega Pinsir, I feel that, that is dealt with. With recovery on Latias, though Rotom-W is annoying, it is also dealt with. Anyway, cool team! Hope I helped :]

Really appreciate the rate bro. thanks =]

I originally had Lando T as Jolly, and changed to Adamant and tested it. Zard X has been a bit more of an issue, tho not by much. Ill definitely change it back should Zard X become more of an issue.

Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to do this. love ur vids btw =]

 

[alexwolf]

Cool team Clone! Some troubling Pokemon are Jolly DD Mega Charizard X, though you can wear it down with Ferrothorn, check it with Azumarill if it's healthy enough, and pick it off with Mega Pinsir if it's weakened enough. Also, you struggle to get past Shed Shell Skarmory, as all of Latias, Mega Pinsir, Landorus-t, and Ferrothorn are walled by it. A minor change to help fix this is to replace Superpower with Knock Off on Landorus-T, to lure Skarmory and remove its Shed Shell. Earthquake is good enough to revenge kill Mega Tyranitar, and you already have another check to it in Ferrothorn, and a revenge killer for weakened ones in Azumarill, and same goes for Mega Gyarados, which is checked by both Azumarill and Ferrothorn and is not a big concern. Knock Off also OHKOes Gengar, a somewhat threatening Pokemon for your team to face.

Then, i suggest Hidden Power Fighting > Psyshock on Latias, otherwise it's just Pursuit bait for Bisharp and Tyranitar, meaning that you lose your Defog user and check to many Pokemon without even being able to put up a fight. Mega Venusaur becomes a bigger concern as most of your team loses one on one, but Mega Pinsir and Volt-turning between Landorus-T and Magnezone can remedy this to an extend.

Bronzong over Ferrothorn is another decent idea as the Imposter already described, but leaves you a bit more Bisharp weak, so if you go with Bronzong definitely use HP Fighting on Latias and Close Combat on Mega Pinsir. And, if you go with Bronzong you can also try Scarf Tyranitar > Scarf Landorus-T, for insurance against Bisharp and Gengar, as well as a way to shut down Mega Venusaur's recovery. A fast Crunch helps against Mew too. Oh Tyranitar also covers Jolly SD Talonflame, a huge threat to your team, as it's able to set up on Ferrothorn and proceed to sweep your whole team, provided that Landorus-T is a bit weakened.

Good luck, hope i helped!

 

[Enki]

Hi Clone, nice team! It's pretty solid, but I have some little tips that could improve it.

I think you could put Magneton>Magnezone. It outspeeds Greninja and OHKOs it. This change alleviates the pression on AV Azuma which has to deal with many other threats. The loss of SpAtk with Magneton is irrelevant because it doesn't miss any OHKO/2HKO that Magnezone did.

Knock Off>Superpower on Lando-T is a better choice imho. You don't have any problem against Ttar and EQ itself does an huge damage. Knock Off instead is useful vs stall, i.e removing Leftovers recovery / Eviolite / AVest / Choice Scarf.

Hide

Magneton @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Anyway be smart when you're facing Mew, burn spam is a tad annoying.

Good luck.

 

[ohgeedubs]

So I played against this team today, and won pretty comfortably with a spdef Heatran with Stealth Rock + Protect (Not standard, but I was testing out this team by wheezer) (I think Clone misplayed their Ferrothorn though).

Needless to say, Heatran basically came in for free on three members (Mag, Ferro, Lati), set up rocks, while nothing really wanted to switch in on it. Protect helped me a lot to deal with scarf Landorus-T, but I think even without that, it was pretty easy to play around.

Basically the team might depend too much on Lati for defogging, when Heatran can come in so often. If I had a better check for Mega Pinsir, it would've been even easier.

I'd definitely second that HP Fighting or even EQ > Psyshock on Lati to take care of what alexwolf mentioned as well as Heatran (to an extent).

Anyway, cool team.

 

[Clone]

Sorry for these late af responses

alexwolf i took your suggestion on Latias and decided to change to HP Fighting. Really helped against Bisharp. Also tested Knock off. I like being able to hit Gengar, but dealing with Balloon mons like tran and Exca are kinda annoying. I'll have to test it out more. Wasn't a huge fan of Bronzong, but I only did a few battles with him. Thanks for the suggestions bro =]

Enki Tested Magneton. He was definitely helpful. I'll have to do some more testing before its final, but having Magneton as a permanent member is looking promising. Thanks =]

ohgeedubs the main reason why I lost is because I made no attempts to predict the Lando after you protected. I had multiple chances to do so, but tiredness and tilt were present and I wasn't thinking straight. Usually I don't have very many problems with tran simply because two members beat him one v one, while Pinsir kills with CC once tran is around 70% or so, which isn't an issue due to tran having only leftovers as recovery. I did give Latias HP fighting tho.

I'll update the OP Accordingly. Permanent changes so far is HP fighting on Latias. Magneton May end up replacing Magnezone. Thanks for the rates guys =]