Diamond Demons
ORAS OU Team by Adamant Zoroark
So since Shadow Tag got banned (THANK FUCKING GOD, GOOD RIDDANCE) I decided to make a serious effort to get back into OU after playing VGC for so long and then deciding to take a VGC hiatus after the VGC 2016 rules were announced.
This team started as an experimentation team using Lucario and Flygon - two Pokemon which were OU titans in Gen IV but have since fallen from favor due to the power creep. This is also where I came up with the name "Diamond Demons." However, after minimal testing, I concluded that Flygon was too garbage to be salvageable and scrapped it for Tank Chomp. This team has seen several changes, but for this RMT I have since decided to retain the name "Diamond Demons" as by sheer coincidence, 5/6 of the Pokemon on the team were introduced in DPP, with the sole exception of Gengar. (also for once I managed to make a team that's basically Talonflame-proof)
Now let's get into it!
The Offensive
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Crunch / Bullet Punch
Lucario has considerably fallen from grace - although it got a gift in the form of a Mega Evolution, it was quickly (and rightfully) deemed to be too powerful for OU. Don't be fooled, though; Lucario is still very much viable in OU and can certainly still sweep you. Plus, thanks to Extreme Speed's +2 priority, this thing is pretty much immune to Talonflame and Thundurus, which really helps to set it apart from other physical sweepers. While I would have gone with Justified without a second thought in Gen V, I went with Inner Focus for this team for the sake of preventing Mega Lopunny from flinching with Fake Out. Lucario can't take Dark-type attacks that well anymore anyway.
Lucario's moveset really needs next to no explanation, but what is up for debate is the last slot. I am running Crunch because after testing, I determined that Lucario needed to be able to hit Pokemon like Mew and Slowbro super effectively as they were otherwise a nuisance. Between Gengar and Rotom-W, I have Gliscor and Landorus-T covered sufficiently, rendering Ice Punch pointless, and Iron Tail is unnecessary as Gengar takes care of Clefable. However, I started with Bullet Punch for the sake of circumventing Mega Diancie, Terrakion, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and I could certainly switch back if I determine them to be enough of a headache (answering Diancie in particular is difficult since nothing switches into it)
Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sludge Wave
Holy shit, I thought Hex Gengar was just a stupid gimmick, but then I actually tried it. I was scared of Gliscor once?! What?!
No, really though: This set is a fucking beast. While Hex requires the opponent to be afflicted with status to be able to do damage, Gengar can easily spread status on its own with Will-O-Wisp (plus I have Rotom-W to be able to further spread it.) Gengar pretty much Gliscor-proofs my team, making it way easier for Lucario to function. Plus, it also baits Dark-type moves so that Lucario can set up. For the most part, I use Taunt to help with stallbreaking and to block incoming Defogs, while Sludge Wave handles Clefable (who is otherwise a headache)
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
"Ha, Lopunny will never stand a chance in OU." - us in Gen IV. Oh boy, aren't we having a laugh at ourselves...
Mega Lopunny got on here initially for the sake of Sableye-proofing this team and remains largely for that reason (Heatran handles most Sableye sets pretty well, including regular Sableye sets, but not Calm Mind sets, so Lopunny takes care of those.) Having perfect STAB coverage thanks to Scrappy is neato, and Fake Out is really awesome for getting chip damage off on things. The one move that I'm not so sure of is Ice Punch. I saw no need for Power-Up Punch so decided to use Ice Punch for Landorus-T (Rotom-W can handle it but sometimes I'll play mind games regarding whether or not I have it if I really want the damn thing gone) but I don't seem to use it much.
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge
I was looking for a good Scarfer for this team to use for revenge killing. I used several different ones during testing - Latios, Latias, Keldeo, and Jirachi. However, I noticed that I had some kind of problem with each: Latios and Latias were vulnerable to Pursuit, none of them could revenge Volcarona worth a damn, and Jirachi made me totally worthless against Mega Charizard X. All of them made me particularly vulnerable to non-Mega Sableye. Solution: Choice Scarf Heatran. Heatran is basically a hard counter to Sableye (excluding CM sets,) can actually revenge kill Volcarona (primary reason Stone Edge is being used and not Ancient Power), resists Char-X's stabs (watch out for Earthquake though), and isn't Pursuit weak.
There was only one thing I didn't like about Scarftran: Fire Blast. I know, Fire Blast helps to increase damage output, but the 85% accuracy. I'm not going to rely on an inaccurate move when I have an alternative - I always run Scald over Hydro Pump when available, for example, and I'm not about to make an exception when a miss could cost me the game.
The Defensive
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
I've never hidden my contempt for this stupid fucking thing. This thing is the #1 source of me losing games regardless of if it's me using it or my opponent using it - Hydro Pump always misses when I need it to hit and always hits when they need it to hit. However... I really don't know what's better for this team, or a lot of my teams, which is why it always manages to end up on 90% of all teams I make regardless of how much I hate it. But to be fair, pivoting with Volt Switch is nice... I just FUCKING HATE HYDRO PUMP!
So, you may have figured out by now that Rotom-W is my primary way of handling Landorus-T by being able to switch in on basically anything and threaten it with Hydro Pump. It also spreads burn to increase Gengar's effectiveness while I also run a slightly more specially-defensive spread to be able to better take hits from Electrics like Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Thundurus, which I don't really have anything to switch in on.
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
Shit, Fairy-types did fuckall to stop this thing from dominating. Regardless, Garchomp is here to set up Stealth Rock and punish contact attacks. Thought Lopunny was free to Fake Out whatever it wanted? Well, have fun losing ~30% of your health. Did you really think Terrakion could safely go for Close Combat? Think again. Tank Chomp is just a really good way to whittle down threatening physical attackers who would otherwise steamroll this team.
SR/Dragon Tail/Earthquake's functions are so obvious that explaining them would be pointless, but what I don't know about is Fire Blast. I put it there out of habit for the sake of hitting things like Scizor and Ferrothorn, but think maybe Toxic would help to spread status for Gengar.
Conclusion
Lucario seemed rather easy to dismiss after its Mega Stone was banned, but it's still a very effective sweeper even when your opponents will do anything to prevent it from setting up. Flygon, on the other hand.... Don't. Albacore I don't know what you were getting at when you said you'd rather use Flygon as a Defogger than Salamence
Threats
Hoopa-U: It isn't taking physical hits well at all so Lopunny effortlessly checks it, but the problem here is that nothing can reliably switch in. Manageable, but still an annoyance.
Thundurus: Lucario's Extreme Speed outprioritizes Prankster Thunder Wave (plus Mega Lopunny can wear it down with Fake Out and Rotom-W can sorta take hits), so this thing can also be checked but it's still annoying as hell, especially when it paralyzes fucking everything.
Fighting-types: Garchomp has no problem punishing physical attacks thanks to Rough Skin + Rocky Helmet, but having three weaknesses and one frail resist means you can't autopilot against these.
Excadrill: This depends entirely on whether or not it has Mold Breaker. If it does, nothing on my team resists Earthquake and four members are weak to it. It's not difficult to check but virtually impossible to switch into.
Mega Charizard X: Heatran is really a partial solution to this. It wins with no effort at all if Megazard X does not carry Earthquake, but if Megazard X does carry Earthquake... Well, maybe you can beat it with Lopunny Fake Out + sack Garchomp + Extreme Speed or Fake Out but otherwise, just hit X.
Shout-outs
Recreant: Uhh... I use shitty Pokemon like Zoroark in OU. Also, you're fun to chat with on your wall and Skype.
Snobalt: baby come back
Stratos: That post in my signature is still the god damn best. You are awesome. I don't even care what you think about me, you're just awesome.
Tressed: Can you mail me some of those All Dressed Ruffles chips they sell in Canada? I had some recently and they were fucking delicious. Why do you bastards get all the tasty chips?
New World Order: Inactive, but when I first got started, this guy's rates helped me get started
PK Gaming: #1 inspiration. Seeing as I used Zoroark all the time when I first started, PK Gaming inspired me to use what I wanted and make it work, regardless of what other people said.
Karxrida: I eat Bisharps for breakfast. jk you're cool bro
Rhythms: I should really talk to you more, you're cool
Medievil: She's a friend I chat with on Skype and Discord who's inactive here, but she helped me improve and put up with my nooby shit when I first started.
Okay. I give up on the hide tags. They keep splitting.
Importable
ORAS OU Team by Adamant Zoroark
So since Shadow Tag got banned (THANK FUCKING GOD, GOOD RIDDANCE) I decided to make a serious effort to get back into OU after playing VGC for so long and then deciding to take a VGC hiatus after the VGC 2016 rules were announced.
This team started as an experimentation team using Lucario and Flygon - two Pokemon which were OU titans in Gen IV but have since fallen from favor due to the power creep. This is also where I came up with the name "Diamond Demons." However, after minimal testing, I concluded that Flygon was too garbage to be salvageable and scrapped it for Tank Chomp. This team has seen several changes, but for this RMT I have since decided to retain the name "Diamond Demons" as by sheer coincidence, 5/6 of the Pokemon on the team were introduced in DPP, with the sole exception of Gengar. (also for once I managed to make a team that's basically Talonflame-proof)
Now let's get into it!
The Offensive
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Crunch / Bullet Punch
Lucario has considerably fallen from grace - although it got a gift in the form of a Mega Evolution, it was quickly (and rightfully) deemed to be too powerful for OU. Don't be fooled, though; Lucario is still very much viable in OU and can certainly still sweep you. Plus, thanks to Extreme Speed's +2 priority, this thing is pretty much immune to Talonflame and Thundurus, which really helps to set it apart from other physical sweepers. While I would have gone with Justified without a second thought in Gen V, I went with Inner Focus for this team for the sake of preventing Mega Lopunny from flinching with Fake Out. Lucario can't take Dark-type attacks that well anymore anyway.
Lucario's moveset really needs next to no explanation, but what is up for debate is the last slot. I am running Crunch because after testing, I determined that Lucario needed to be able to hit Pokemon like Mew and Slowbro super effectively as they were otherwise a nuisance. Between Gengar and Rotom-W, I have Gliscor and Landorus-T covered sufficiently, rendering Ice Punch pointless, and Iron Tail is unnecessary as Gengar takes care of Clefable. However, I started with Bullet Punch for the sake of circumventing Mega Diancie, Terrakion, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and I could certainly switch back if I determine them to be enough of a headache (answering Diancie in particular is difficult since nothing switches into it)
Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sludge Wave
Holy shit, I thought Hex Gengar was just a stupid gimmick, but then I actually tried it. I was scared of Gliscor once?! What?!
No, really though: This set is a fucking beast. While Hex requires the opponent to be afflicted with status to be able to do damage, Gengar can easily spread status on its own with Will-O-Wisp (plus I have Rotom-W to be able to further spread it.) Gengar pretty much Gliscor-proofs my team, making it way easier for Lucario to function. Plus, it also baits Dark-type moves so that Lucario can set up. For the most part, I use Taunt to help with stallbreaking and to block incoming Defogs, while Sludge Wave handles Clefable (who is otherwise a headache)
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
"Ha, Lopunny will never stand a chance in OU." - us in Gen IV. Oh boy, aren't we having a laugh at ourselves...
Mega Lopunny got on here initially for the sake of Sableye-proofing this team and remains largely for that reason (Heatran handles most Sableye sets pretty well, including regular Sableye sets, but not Calm Mind sets, so Lopunny takes care of those.) Having perfect STAB coverage thanks to Scrappy is neato, and Fake Out is really awesome for getting chip damage off on things. The one move that I'm not so sure of is Ice Punch. I saw no need for Power-Up Punch so decided to use Ice Punch for Landorus-T (Rotom-W can handle it but sometimes I'll play mind games regarding whether or not I have it if I really want the damn thing gone) but I don't seem to use it much.
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge
I was looking for a good Scarfer for this team to use for revenge killing. I used several different ones during testing - Latios, Latias, Keldeo, and Jirachi. However, I noticed that I had some kind of problem with each: Latios and Latias were vulnerable to Pursuit, none of them could revenge Volcarona worth a damn, and Jirachi made me totally worthless against Mega Charizard X. All of them made me particularly vulnerable to non-Mega Sableye. Solution: Choice Scarf Heatran. Heatran is basically a hard counter to Sableye (excluding CM sets,) can actually revenge kill Volcarona (primary reason Stone Edge is being used and not Ancient Power), resists Char-X's stabs (watch out for Earthquake though), and isn't Pursuit weak.
There was only one thing I didn't like about Scarftran: Fire Blast. I know, Fire Blast helps to increase damage output, but the 85% accuracy. I'm not going to rely on an inaccurate move when I have an alternative - I always run Scald over Hydro Pump when available, for example, and I'm not about to make an exception when a miss could cost me the game.
The Defensive
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
I've never hidden my contempt for this stupid fucking thing. This thing is the #1 source of me losing games regardless of if it's me using it or my opponent using it - Hydro Pump always misses when I need it to hit and always hits when they need it to hit. However... I really don't know what's better for this team, or a lot of my teams, which is why it always manages to end up on 90% of all teams I make regardless of how much I hate it. But to be fair, pivoting with Volt Switch is nice... I just FUCKING HATE HYDRO PUMP!
So, you may have figured out by now that Rotom-W is my primary way of handling Landorus-T by being able to switch in on basically anything and threaten it with Hydro Pump. It also spreads burn to increase Gengar's effectiveness while I also run a slightly more specially-defensive spread to be able to better take hits from Electrics like Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Thundurus, which I don't really have anything to switch in on.
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
Shit, Fairy-types did fuckall to stop this thing from dominating. Regardless, Garchomp is here to set up Stealth Rock and punish contact attacks. Thought Lopunny was free to Fake Out whatever it wanted? Well, have fun losing ~30% of your health. Did you really think Terrakion could safely go for Close Combat? Think again. Tank Chomp is just a really good way to whittle down threatening physical attackers who would otherwise steamroll this team.
SR/Dragon Tail/Earthquake's functions are so obvious that explaining them would be pointless, but what I don't know about is Fire Blast. I put it there out of habit for the sake of hitting things like Scizor and Ferrothorn, but think maybe Toxic would help to spread status for Gengar.
Conclusion
Lucario seemed rather easy to dismiss after its Mega Stone was banned, but it's still a very effective sweeper even when your opponents will do anything to prevent it from setting up. Flygon, on the other hand.... Don't. Albacore I don't know what you were getting at when you said you'd rather use Flygon as a Defogger than Salamence
Threats
Hoopa-U: It isn't taking physical hits well at all so Lopunny effortlessly checks it, but the problem here is that nothing can reliably switch in. Manageable, but still an annoyance.
Thundurus: Lucario's Extreme Speed outprioritizes Prankster Thunder Wave (plus Mega Lopunny can wear it down with Fake Out and Rotom-W can sorta take hits), so this thing can also be checked but it's still annoying as hell, especially when it paralyzes fucking everything.
Fighting-types: Garchomp has no problem punishing physical attacks thanks to Rough Skin + Rocky Helmet, but having three weaknesses and one frail resist means you can't autopilot against these.
Excadrill: This depends entirely on whether or not it has Mold Breaker. If it does, nothing on my team resists Earthquake and four members are weak to it. It's not difficult to check but virtually impossible to switch into.
Mega Charizard X: Heatran is really a partial solution to this. It wins with no effort at all if Megazard X does not carry Earthquake, but if Megazard X does carry Earthquake... Well, maybe you can beat it with Lopunny Fake Out + sack Garchomp + Extreme Speed or Fake Out but otherwise, just hit X.
Shout-outs
Recreant: Uhh... I use shitty Pokemon like Zoroark in OU. Also, you're fun to chat with on your wall and Skype.
Snobalt: baby come back
Stratos: That post in my signature is still the god damn best. You are awesome. I don't even care what you think about me, you're just awesome.
Tressed: Can you mail me some of those All Dressed Ruffles chips they sell in Canada? I had some recently and they were fucking delicious. Why do you bastards get all the tasty chips?
New World Order: Inactive, but when I first got started, this guy's rates helped me get started
PK Gaming: #1 inspiration. Seeing as I used Zoroark all the time when I first started, PK Gaming inspired me to use what I wanted and make it work, regardless of what other people said.
Karxrida: I eat Bisharps for breakfast. jk you're cool bro
Rhythms: I should really talk to you more, you're cool
Medievil: She's a friend I chat with on Skype and Discord who's inactive here, but she helped me improve and put up with my nooby shit when I first started.
Okay. I give up on the hide tags. They keep splitting.
Importable
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Crunch
Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sludge Wave
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Crunch
Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sludge Wave
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
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