Blood, Guts and Glory
Introduction
This team got its name for its great physicality and also what it has accomplished. This is a team that I feel like has reached its full potential under my capabilities so I wanted to share it with everyone to see how it can improve. On the Showdown ladder I've gone 57 – 4 over two accounts and have won a few small tournaments since this team was first made. Right now it is sitting at 1750 on the main alt. Then they changed the ladder, so I thought it would be an appropriate time to post this. This team is by no means innovative and the sets aren’t very creative, but when I put everything together it just clicked unlike any team I’ve made in the past. It fits my playstyle very well being able to switch often and still maintain momentum even when I’m not using U-Turn. Misplays are very easy to overcome just because of the sheer power and bulk of the team. It’s what I would like to call a toolbox team: use what you need to when you need to. I’m not going to go into a detailed teambuilding process because it would be extremely long and I don’t remember half of the changes anyway. Im just like most people, tired of this meta and wanted to go against it, so i chose to build a more bulky offensive team. I remember wanting to build around Trick Room Reuniclus in order to combat all of the offensive teams running around. So in essence it was kinda meant to be an Anti-Meta team. With that in mind, THIS IS NOT A FULL TRICK ROOM TEAM. Tyranitar and Keldeo compliment Reuniclus very well while aslo giving the team answers to opposing weather. Also it wasn’t intended to be a Sandstorm team either. But since it does have Sand, I sort of followed Franky’s old formula of 2 water resists + 2 special defensive checks + 2 Sand abusers, minus the sand abusers. It still works. The team works in a way where it uses you’re opponents strategy against them. I don’t want to spoil anymore here, so on to the team!
The Team
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 154 HP / 104 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Like I said, this is nothing special. A pretty standard CB Tyranitar. Tyranitar along with Keldeo form a great offensive core that few things can stop. But not only does Tar take care of the majority of Keldeo’s checks and counters, he also handles a lot of Reuniclus’ checks as well. Setting up Sand can ruin Rain sweepers and Suns teams are pretty weak to Tyranitar already. As I said, this team was not meant to be a Sand team, but sand is so beneficial in a Rain dominated meta. Although sand isn’t necessary for this team to win, it can thrive in it. Not to mention he is able to take advantage of Trick Room if need be because of his horrible speed. He was just a perfect fit for the team.
The Lati@s can check Keldeo if it is locked into the wrong move or Reuniclus if it isn’t set up, and Tyranitar just happens to be their worst enemy. Being able to come in and stomach Draco Meteors and even some Surfs while being able to retaliate with Crunch or trap them with Pursuit. As well as Jellicent and Celebi. Gosh this things special bulk is ridiculous. It is also my answer to strong special attackers in general. Superpower hits Blissey and Chansey hard who can be problematic for this team; I just have to be wary of Toxic’s, especially in weather wars. Stone Edge is for STAB, when it hits. The EV spread is pretty simple, max attack for max damage, enough speed to out speed base 70’s with no investments such as Politoed. This makes it a great scout if my opponent and I lead with our weather starters. If Sand goes up then it is most likely a defensive variant and Rain goes up I can assume it’s a more offensive variant. Along with that, I didn’t want to run too many speed EV’s because he is still a potent sweeper if he has to come in while Trick Room is up.
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Ice]
This god damn little pony has caused me so much trouble since everyone finally realized its worth and the whole Tornadus–T ban. This is the second part of my offensive core and also creates the whole Tyranitar – Keldeo core. Not to mention it is a nice water resist. This thing makes Rain teams cringe if they don’t have a hard counter. Under Sand it’s not bad, being able to pick up a few more kills because of the residual damage, but against Rain it can rip through the whole team. In regards to the center point of this team, he can take a decent chunk of Jirachi’s health and even revenge Volcarona at +1. Both of which can stop Reuniclus dead in its tracks. Volcarona otherwise could be a real danger to the whole team if it gets a chance to set up. Did I mention that it also stops Scizor in it's tracks? Something else that could potentially be a problem.
A simple Choice Scarf set. Timid nature to maximize revenge killing capabilities. Hydro Pump for a powerful STAB. Against some Rain teams, if I notice this thing can do severe damage to the opposing team I may let Rain stay up because Hydro Pump becomes a nuke coming off a 129 base special attack plus STAB and Rain. Secret Sword is the next STAB of choice, also a great wall-breaking tool against the big pink blobs. Surf is there for when missing Hydro Pump isn’t an option, usually late game and cleaning things up. I decided to go with Hidden Power Ice of Electric or Ghost because dragons can be problematic for this team which only has one steel type and it also allows Keldeo to revenge dragons since switching in isn’t very safe usually. And Ghost would get pretty redundant coverage with Tyranitar.
Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 252 SAtk / 64 Def
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Psychic/Psyshock
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 252 SAtk / 64 Def
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Psychic/Psyshock
And now the star of the team. This thing is seriously underrated right now. Everyone wants to battle fast offensive teams with, you got it, fast offensive teams. Not that I’m complaining. Trick Room makes this thing is a monster versus Rain, Sun, and Deoxys offense. Rain teams rely on the speed of Tornadus–T, Keldeo, Starmie, and other scarfers too, while Sun is shut down because their chlorophyll sweeper, revenge killer, and normally Rock Polish Landorus or something of the like become lilabilities. Hyper Offense can be throw up, as there are plenty of speed boosting mons to beat other offensive teams, but they're also attack boosting sweepers. Regardless they’re normally faster than half my team anyway, making Trick Room even more important. Against stall this thing is big because it doesn't take damage from hazards and status thanks to Magic Guard. In a way it makes the whole team function better. But like Sand, it isn’t a necessity.
The moves are nothing special. Shadow Ball and Focus Miss have perfect neutral coverage together. Psychic is the STAB of choice simply because it has more power than Psyschock. Although sometimes I find myself wishing I ran Psyshock so it isn’t walled as easily by pink blobs. But, the extra power helps break walls down too. A negative speed nature and 0 speed IV’s are to make the most out of Trick Room, nearly guaranteeing I’ll be slower. A positive special attack and Life Orb for the most damage output. I wish I could tell you why the bulk is divided the way it is, but it’s simply just the onsite spread and it works. I’ve tanked things such as Garchomp Outrages when I expected to lose and then pulled a victory out of my ass. MVP right here.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 200 HP / 244 Def / 64 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- U-turn
At first Landorus–T seemed to be the oddball out of the new Therian forms. I always thought it was cool though and I never got a chance to try it until now. Sheesh, am I glad I tried it. This thing is a defensive behemoth. With Tyranitar there is an automatic fear of fighting types and this guy covers that up with no problem. Conkeldurr, Terrakion, some Toxicroaks, and Lucario become non-existent threats. Not to mention Choice Band Scizor becomes a joke after it is Intimidated. This guy deserves a lot more credit than he gets.
The EV’s give it enough bulk to take on the omnipresent dragons that love to spam Outrage as well as tank Terrakion Stone Edges and retaliate. EdgeQuake is still a great combo being able to hit a lot of mons for super effective. U-Turn helps keep momentum on my side especially on predicted switches. And Stealth Rock is just a staple on every team because it opens up more KO's and destroys Dragonite, Volcarona, etc. It is very important on this team because between Sand and all the switches this team forces, the damage racks rup quickly. I decided to have Landorus-T set up rocks because he has so many opportunities with all the switches he forces. These moves along with attack investments and Adamant nature allow him to maintain an offensive presence. Although he isn’t the slowest thing in the world, he isn’t the fastest, being out sped by many common things such Jirachi and Thundurus-T. So Trick Room can be very beneficial if he comes in after Reuniclus goes down and then can proceed to sweep.
Dragonite @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 88 SDef / 124 Spd / 44 Def
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Roost
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 88 SDef / 124 Spd / 44 Def
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Roost
Yay more basic sets. This is an oldy, but still a favorite of mine. SubRoost Dragonite isn’t as popular anymore and I’m not sure exactly why. This guy is the glue of the team. He is able to check Calm Mind Keldeo who is definitely problematic for this team. Also he can check just about every variant of Volcarona if it doesn’t carry Hidden Power Rock. This is also my main defensive answer to Rain teams because it resists Rain boosted water moves being spammed and his special bulk plus Multiscale can be troublesome for my opponent. Same holds true versus sun teams, Sun boosted moves become nothing and chlorophyll sweepers can’t touch him half the time. On another note, a couple time I've had to use him under Trick Room, in which case you just take advantage of it and don't set up DD. You just subroost it out and you also force you're opponent to burn their PP.
Substitute and Roost are the crux of the set (hence the sets name), it allows me to reach plus +1 with Dragon Dance and then stall out any dangerous moves such as Hurricane, Stine Edge and Hydro Pump. The speed EV’s allow me to outspeed Tornadus-T at +1, which puts me into a great speed tier, even if he’s gone now. Max HP for the biggest possible Subs. The Special Defensive EV’s are to live two Hurricanes if I remember correctly. (I guess that can be changed now). Then the rest goes into defense. And finally there’s Dragon Claw so I’m not Taunt bait and also not locked into Outrage since this set was chosen for its defensive prowess. But the thing is, it isn’t just a defensive set. This is my second set up sweeper for teams that either let it set up or when Reuniclus falls through. Also, this is my main answer to stall teams as he is my only boosting sweeper and sub blocks incoming statuses. Once this thing is set up it’s pretty much GG’s.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 208 HP / 48 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Quick Attack
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 208 HP / 48 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Quick Attack
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
And finally the king of OU, Scizor. This guy is a beast with a Choice Band. He essentially becomes another revenge killer as well as a scout. He really earned his spot on this team when I saw that Mamoswine, Weavile and offensive Abomasnow could tear apart my defenses. Scizor solves all those problems fearing none of the above,offesnsively or defensively. He also coves a lot of the same threats and Landorus-T does, but just checks them offensively. This is needed because Landorus doesn’t have recovery outside of Leftovers so he can be worn down pretty easily. So if Landorus can afford to take a hit, Scizor is usually the go to guy because of his typying and bulk. He then attempts to pick up a kill.
The EV’s are a bit odd. Max attack for max damage as usual. 208 HP had to do with Hail and Stealth Rock numbers. While 48 speed allows to out speed base 70’s with no investments. It makes U-Turning a lot simpler. U-Turn I think is the move I use the most. Between him and Landorus-T, getting Dragonite or Reuniclus in and set up becomes so much easier. Bullet Punch is for picking off weakened things and other priority users. It also gives him a chance to pull off a late game sweep. Quick Attack is chosen over Pursuit because Tyranitar already fulfills the role of Pursuit trapper. Quick Attack makes hitting water and electric types a lot easier such as Rotom-W. Superpower is there for the predicted switch into Heatran. This guy rightfully deserves to be at the top of OU, I'm not sure if it should consistently be number one though. But it earns a spot on most of my teams.
Conclusion
Well that’s the team. (I'm sure I left something out). Looking back, no matter how much I want to say the team is perfect, it’s not. Strong electric types are extremely annoying and require very smart playing. Rotom-W, Jolteon, Zapdos, and Thundurus-T can all do their fair share of damage. Also Stall teams aren’t very fun to face since I lack a quick boosting attacker. To be more specific Bronzong and Skarmory wall just about everything on this team minus Keldeo. With three choiced mons there is a lot of switching and it also gives the opponent a lot of chances to set up which makes heavy offense and stall even harder to deal with. But there are ways to play around it and with this team I don't believe a spinner is necessary. Regardless, I love this team and just how many different win conditions it has and how it doesn't rely on Trick Room or weather. This team can go for those hundred turn matches if played correctly or end a game in ten turns if everything goes according to plan. That’s all folks. Thanks for reading. All suggestions are welcome.
Importable
Importable
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 200 HP / 64 Atk / 244 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- U-turn
Dragonite @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 80 SDef / 132 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Roost
Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spd / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Quick Attack
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 200 HP / 64 Atk / 244 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- U-turn
Dragonite @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 80 SDef / 132 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Roost
Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spd / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Quick Attack
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower