Why post a whole core when there's pokemon that solo's?
I spent some time looking through the dex trying to find a
single pokemon that hits a few bullet points:
- 2hkos phys defensive sableye and isn't too hurt by burn
- hits shedinja somehow
- is not trapped by dugtrio and is also not ohko'd by stone edge or eq
- beats talonflame and isn't too hurt by burn
- beats togekiss, preferably 1hko but 2hko is acceptable
- beats seismitoad and isn't too hurt by scald burn or knock off
I added a few more qualifers in order to make sure that something
too gimmicky didn't show up on the radar:
- Is useful against other OU threats and hopefully at least has enough speed to beat base 80s, preferably at least 100s
- Has recovery. This point can be very important in order to not get worn down by status, hazards, and taking glancing hits
- Unfortunately that only leaves you with 3 attacking moves. Is that really enough?
So besides hidden power [rock] clefable here's what I found...
Zapdos @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature / Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Roost
Due to its speed tier Zapdos may seem like a dissapointing recover + 3 attacks pokemon. Surely something like kyurem, hydreigon, charizard, etc fullfill this role better? Hitting hard and recovering later. Well perhaps, and perhaps not. You have to be the judge. Offensive zapdos was used in an OU room tour recently and helped the guy win. It really can be quite useful: revenge killing charizard-y and manaphy, hitting steels with fire, and having quite a strong stab. On the other hand it is exploitable by many dragons and spdef walls, who can use it as set up fodder or a chance to cleric.
Nevertheless, it in fact solos the entire team and here are the calcs and notes:
SABLEYE
252 SpA Life Orb Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Mega Sableye: (54.4 - 64.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 144+ SpD Mega Sableye: (48.1 - 57%) -- 90.2% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Mega Sableye: (45.8 - 54.4%) -- 52.3% chance to 2HKO
0 Atk Mega Sableye Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Zapdos: (29.9 - 35.5%) -- 23% chance to 3HKO
The decision between modest and timid has important implications whether you run into a phys or spdef leaning sableye.
The team in question has phys def sableye, so, timid is sufficient to 2hko. Spdef sableye is another beast altogether.
The fight obviously gets hairy and Zapdos will probably be low afterwards from foul play and LO recoil, but zapdos DOES win.
TOGEKISS
252 SpA Life Orb Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Togekiss: (88.4 - 104.5%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
Drops like a rock and can't even paralyze Zapdos if you run into a different variant.
Modest 252 Zapdos also outspeeds Timid 252 Togekiss (and all other +nature base 80s)
DUGTRIO
252 SpA Life Orb Zapdos Hidden Power Grass vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Dugtrio: (134.3 - 159.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Dugtrio Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Zapdos: (56 - 66.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Zapdos can either switch out, spam roost, or kill it if the sash was broken. Stone edge will not ohko you unless you were worn down by something earlier.
TALONFLAME
252 SpA Life Orb Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Talonflame: (94.1 - 111.4%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Zapdos: (19.3 - 22.7%) -- possible 5HKO
Zapdos is the clear winner.
Of note, 252 speed neutral nature Zapdos outspeed these spdef talonflames, even if they have significant speed creep. Talon needs at least 48 speed EVs to taunt zapdos but spdef variants usually only have 8 or 16. You can roost freely if in need of HP. Also, if they try to burn you on turn 1, you'll actually just ohko them without getting statused.
SEISMITOAD
252+ SpA Life Orb Zapdos Hidden Power Grass vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Seismitoad: (76.7 - 90.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Unfortunately even modest doesn't quite OHKO this so zapdos has to take a hit. However, if you are modest, then even if you get your life orb knocked off you can still 2HKO the sableye.
SHEDINJA
2hko'd by heat wave
So there you have it. What does zapdos have over something similar like Grass Knot Thundurus? One word: recovery.
Zapdos can sweep through the entire team on turn 1 except for the pesky dugtrio that can kill you with Stone Edge at the right time. You do have to find a time to roost. But recovering in that way is not something that any other electrics can boast.
The great thing about this Zapdos is the teammates don't matter. It completely counter teams wonder trio and your other 5 teammates really don't need to do anything except perhaps provide a breather against sableye or dugtrio. They should instead be focused on dealing with the rest of the metagame because Zapdos, while a useable UU mon, isn't the greatest electric to be using, and needs a solid team around it.
But is offensive Zapdos actually USELESS against common OU threats? No, it isn't deadweight.
It has very useful ground immunity, flying resist, and decent speed. It will get some sort of hits off even against offense, and while not as useful as thundurus in that scenario, thundurus in turn is not as useful against sableye stall. It isn't weak. It can check common threats such as pinsir, scizor, manaphy, talonflame, keldeo locked in certain moves, and many steels and ground types. Surely it has a niche on some teams.
