Introduction
Sun is pretty obsolete this generation, as it was last generation due to the introduction of Primals on top of the Drought nerf. Reshiram is just as obsolete, as it's always been directly linked to that viability; without the sun, Reshiram is effectively an inferior Kyurem-W. So why am I doing this? To prove that it can still be done (and because Reshiram is one of my favorite Pokemon). This also happens to be the most successful team I've ever made from scratch (I got to Top 500 with it, take it as you will).
Teambuilding Process
Reshiram is why I'm making this team, so I may as well start with it. It needs a lot of support to be at its best, and that support often also needs additional support.
Drought users are inviable in Ubers, aside from maybe Groudon in some situations; I've actually tried to use Groudon in the past but, mainly due to the Drought nerf in XY and the complete momentum loss that can occur if the sun is replaced while Groudon is in play, the weather support it gives is inferior to what I could get from running Sunny Day and a Heat Rock on a different Pokemon. After some research, I found that Ho-Oh was the best candidate for this, as it [1] benefits from the sun, [2] has good synergy with Reshiram, and [3] can set up Sunny Day multiple times throughout a match due to great bulk coupled with Regenerator and reliable recovery in Recover and Roost.
Primal Groudon sets Stealth Rock, which is extremely useful in that it makes it easier for Reshiram to sweep later. In addition, it checks Primal Kyogre as well as other Primal Groudon, and it is always nice to have another offensive check to Xerneas. On top of all of that, it can KO opposing Rock-types with Precipice Blades.
If Primal Kyogre switches into Primal Groudon, I'd have to sack something important. In order to remedy this, I added Arceus-Dragon as a bulky pivot. It is used over Arceus-Water because otherwise my team would be vulnerable to Electric. It also alleviates my core's Stealth Rock weakness as it learns Defog.
As I have neither a Dark resist nor a Ghost resist yet, I can get two birds with one stone by adding Yveltal. It also has a good matchup against stall and can check Primal Groudon, which is always useful. Its high damage output also helps Reshiram break through the opposing team later.
As my team still had a glaring weakness to Extreme Killer Arceus, Xerneas, and Toxic users, Arii Stella pointed out Celesteela could solve all of these problems.
The Team
Reshiram @ [item=choice scarf, sm]Choice Scarf[/item]
Ability: [ability=Turboblaze, sm]Turboblaze[/ability]
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- [move=draco meteor, sm]Draco Meteor[/move]
- [move=blue flare, sm]Blue Flare[/move]
- [move=fusion flare, sm]Fusion Flare[/move]
- [move=rock slide, sm]Rock Slide[/move]
Reshiram is my sun abuser, revenge killer, and Mega Lucario check. Choice Scarf allows Reshiram to outspeed everything up to postive-natured Mega Mewtwo Y, which is important because Reshiram is much less threatening when it is easily outsped by much of the meta. Blue Flare OHKOs essentially everything in the sun given that [1] it doesn't miss, [2] the opposing Pokemon doesn't resist it (in this case Blue Flare is almost always a 2HKO), and [3] Stealth Rock is up (especially in the case of Arceus). When revenge killing, Reshiram should be using Fusion Flare when possible and Draco Meteor only when Fusion Flare won't do the job, as Draco Meteor tends to invite setup sweepers such as Xerneas and Primal Groudon eager to take advantage of that free turn gained by forcing Reshiram out. In not using Blue Flare, its PP is conserved, which is necessary given that Reshiram often consumes much of that PP when sweeping; of course, this isn't important if most of the opponent's team resists Fire or if Ho-Oh has fainted; in that case feel free to use Blue Flare to get as much use out of it as possible. Rock Slide is used as Reshiram's only coverage move, and it is used over Stone Edge because Rock Slide is more accurate and the damage decrease is not important, as Ho-Oh is still OHKOed after Stealth Rock or some chip.
Ho-Oh @ [item=heat rock, sm]Heat Rock[/item]
Ability: [ability=regenerator, sm]Regenerator[/ability]
EVs: 16 HP / 240 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- [move=sunny day, sm]Sunny Day[/move]
- [move=sacred fire, sm]Sacred Fire[/move]
- [move=brave bird, sm]Brave Bird[/move]
- [move=recover, sm]Recover[/move] / [move=roost, sm]Roost[/move]
While this is a weird set, Reshiram absolutely needs sun support, and as much of it as possible. Sacred Fire hits devastatingly hard in the sun, so Brave Bird is there simply for the coverage it provides when coupled with Sacred Fire and because it has so much more PP. Recover, or Roost, allows Ho-Oh to set up Sunny Day throughout the match, as the sun constantly gets interrupted by stuff like Desolate Land and Primordial Sea. Running a Heat Rock allows Reshiram to consistently get plenty of turns under sun to sweep even if Ho-Oh doesn't immediately switch out after using Sunny Day. 16 HP EVs enable Ho-Oh to get as much use out of Regenerator as possible without noticeably compromising its offensive presence. Maximum Speed investment makes Ho-Oh a much more reliable sun setter than it would be otherwise, as now it can revenge kill something like Primal Kyogre and use Sunny Day before the new foe even has a chance to attack in many situations, allowing Ho-Oh to immediately benefit from Thunder's accuracy reduction and the loss of its Water weakness; this can also make it a decent suicide sun setter if needed.
Groudon-Primal @ [item=red orb, sm]Red Orb[/item]
Ability: [ability=desolate land, sm]Desolate Land[/ability]
EVs: 152 HP / 236 Atk / 44 SpD / 76 Spe
Adamant Nature
- [move=stealth rock, sm]Stealth Rock[/move]
- [move=precipice blades, sm]Precipice Blades[/move]
- [move=roar, sm]Roar[/move]
- [move=smack down, sm]Smack Down[/move]
As usual, Primal Groudon does a bunch of things ranging from setting Stealth Rock to checking Primal Kyogre and Xerneas. Smack Down is used over Stone Edge because I find that being able to hit everything with Precipice Blades is extremely useful, especially against Giratina-O, Mega Salamence, Celesteela, and Lugia. It also still gets the OHKO on Ho-Oh albeit after Stealth Rock. Roar is used instead of Dragon Tail so Primal Groudon can phase Xerneas.
Arceus-Dragon @ [item=dragonium Z, sm]Dragonium Z[/item]
Ability: [ability=Multitype, sm]Multitype[/ability]
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- [move=Spacial Rend , sm]Spacial Rend[/move]
- [move=toxic, sm]Toxic[/move]
- [move=defog, sm]Defog[/move]
- [move=recover, sm]Recover[/move]
Arceus-Dragon is useful as a bulky pivot against Primal Kyogre while also checking Zygarde-C, Rayquaza, and Mega Salamence with Devestating Drake or Spacial Rend. With Defog, it can remove the plagues called 'entry hazards' from my side of the field, allowing me to use Ho-Oh and Reshiram without them being crippled as soon as they switch in. It can also Toxic stall threats such as Primal Groudon.
Yveltal @ [item=life orb, sm]Life Orb[/item]
Ability: [ability=dark aura, sm]Dark Aura[/ability]
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- [move=dark pulse, sm]Dark Pulse[/move]
- [move=oblivion wing, sm]Oblivion Wing[/move]
- [move=sucker punch, sm]Sucker Punch[/move]
- [move=taunt, sm]Taunt[/move]
My anti-lead and early-game damage dealer. Yveltal can keep opposing leads that are not faster than it from doing much of anything, much less setting hazards that I really don't want to be there. Dark Pulse has incredible damage output when boosted by Dark Aura, so that is the move I click the most. Oblivion Wing restores Yveltal's HP while still doing good damage, allowing me to use Yveltal aggressively. Sucker Punch is good against weakened threats and Deoxys-A, and makes Yveltal much harder to revenge kill even if it is paralyzed.
Celesteela @ [item=leftovers, sm]Leftovers[/item]
Ability: [ability=beast boost, sm]Beast Boost[/ability]
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- [move=leech seed, sm]Leech Seed[/move]
- [move=toxic, sm]Toxic[/move]
- [move=heavy slam, sm]Heavy Slam[/move]
- [move=protect, sm]Protect[/move]
Celesteela is my insurance against physical attackers, especially Extreme Killer Arceus, Swords Dance Arceus formes, Primal Groudon lacking a Fire STAB move, and Mega Salamence. It can also be used as an emergency switch-in to Xerneas, though it probably won't be useful as anything other than death fodder for the rest of the match. Leech Seed provides passive recovery at the expense of the foe's health, and combined with Toxic this wears down enemies really quickly. Protect allows Celesteela to scout for dangerous moves while stalling for time where Leech Seed and Toxic weaken the foe and give Celesteela valuable HP.
Threatlist
The main things that keep me from playing aggressively with my core. As long as the opponent has any of these left on their team they will just cancel my pathetic attempts to change the weather. On the bright side, I can use Sunny Day to lure them into battle where I can hopefully remove them for good and then go on the offensive.
The most important members of my team, being Reshiram and Ho-Oh, are weak to Stealth Rock, so if Arceus-Dragon is removed while Stealth Rock is still up on my side, I'm in a bad spot.
Aside from Celesteela, my team in general does not like going second, as it is not built to withstand many powerful attacks. Paralysis in particular hurts a lot, since if Ho-Oh gets paralyzed my team tends to lose momentum, while if Reshiram gets it, it becomes almost completely useless.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed making this and would love to hear any feedback that could possibly make this team better.
Importable
Reshiram @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Turboblaze
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Blue Flare
- Fusion Flare
- Rock Slide
Ho-Oh @ Heat Rock
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 16 HP / 240 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sunny Day
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Recover
Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 152 HP / 236 Atk / 44 SpD / 76 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Precipice Blades
- Roar
- Smack Down
Arceus-Dragon @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spacial Rend
- Toxic
- Defog
- Recover
Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- Sucker Punch
- Taunt
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Toxic
- Heavy Slam
- Protect
Ability: Turboblaze
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Blue Flare
- Fusion Flare
- Rock Slide
Ho-Oh @ Heat Rock
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 16 HP / 240 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sunny Day
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Recover
Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 152 HP / 236 Atk / 44 SpD / 76 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Precipice Blades
- Roar
- Smack Down
Arceus-Dragon @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spacial Rend
- Toxic
- Defog
- Recover
Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- Sucker Punch
- Taunt
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Toxic
- Heavy Slam
- Protect
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