XY OU Do you even OU? [RMT]

[TalonRaptor]

Hey everybody! Anyway this is my second RMT and it is for my current OU team. This team has actually fared rather well with battles to my surprise - but i want to climb higher up the ladder so I need help with the team. Just a heads up, I don't really want to use a straight out OU team, and I also like surprising underrated Pokemon. Here is the Team:

At a Glance:

In Depth:

Absol-Mega @ Absolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
- Megahorn
- Play Rough

Absol is the Pokemon I hoped to revolve the team around. He works perfectly as an anti-hazard lead, and can switch in on potential status easily - often catching opponents off guard with magic guard. He also works as a late game cleaner/sweeper with absol's respectable attack stat as a mega. Sucker Punch is reliable priority which hits hard with STAB, fire blast is so absol does not get completely walled by the likes of physical walls and ferrothorn/skarmory. Play rough and mega horn are there for coverage - since play rough and superpower and incompatible.

Lapras @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Freeze-Dry
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Shard

Lapras is one of those Pokemon I use because I want to and nobody else really does use it. To my surprise it fares rather well. Originally it had a DDance/Sub set (which sometimes swept teams) but I later changed it to a special attacker - due to my team being walled by skarmory once chandelure was gone. Hydro Pump is the main STAB - with freeze dry to deal with water types. Thunderbolt is for skarmory and ice shard to finish of really weak foes. Water Absorb is a great ability which allows lapras to switch into a predicted water moves and heal hp - possibly from rocks, dishing out damage in return.

Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Bug Bite

One of the past kings of OU. Scizor. Not much to it really; get a couple of SD up and sweep away with the rest of the moves. As most of you may have done before, he has swept teams with ease. I opted for HP investment because I wanted scizor to survive hits, and bullet punch is already there for priority. He is a reliable switch in and attacker for the team.

Weezing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Clear Smog
- Fire Blast
- Pain Split

Weezing. This Pokemon is so underrated and so amazing. He takes ANY physical hits directed at him like a champ (most of the time). Will O Wisp cripples physical attackers and gets residual damage. Pain Split is a form of recovery and fire blast is there for good damage on ferrothorn and other steel types. Clear Smog is one of the greatest moves - it stops pokemon such as belly drum azumarill and setup sweepers n an instance; or any clefable setting up a cosmic power. On the team, however, he cannot take special hits well - which is why I need help.

Chandelure @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Timid Nature
- Overheat
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball

Chandelure. Bulky special sweeper I guess. It deals massive damage with all of it's moves and has good coverage. It puts press on opponents - and can easily switch in into heatran's fire blast/eruption for example. It easily 2HKOs pokemon such as ZardY and Heatran. An asset to the team.

Staraptor @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- U-turn

Staraptor is one of my favourite Pokemon...choice scarf/reckless make it an impressive revenge killer which can deal crazy damage with any of its STAB moves. Close Combat takes care of steel types and U-turn gives the team momentum. He, along with absol, make for great late game sweepers.

That's it really for my team. Sorry if it was detailed enough - but I guess with practice it will get better. Issues I have seen with my team are that it has trouble against special pokemon such as goodra - and i need help with that please. I am also looking for something to work well with weezing as a defensive core. thank you for the tsking the time to read this, and any help/criticsm would be very much taken on board and appreciated! Just remember - I am wierd and don't want OUness everywhere. Thanks!

Also I need a bit of help with the forums; how can I get that dropdown with the orange box? Thanks!​

 

[TalonRaptor]

Anyone? Please?

 

[Bhunivelze]

Your team looks good. I'm close to the 1600 mark in OU, but i don't think you'll make it farther with this team. The reason is while it's cool using underrated Pokemon, its not going to be easy winning battles at some point. In other words, top OU users have teams that may consists of stall Pokemon that will use residual means to take your team down. Perhaps you should trade Chandelure for Heatran? Some small changes in your team needs to happen, otherwise you might not get higher and at some point might grow frustrated! The main problem with your team is that 4 out of 6 (Absol, Weezing, Lapras, and Scizor) lack speed! While you have some of your bases cleared here! The problem is that without priorities moves, your Pokemon might be completely outclassed by your opponent.

Stall has definitely grown in OU, so it will be very difficult to combat these challenges. Some of your Pokemon also have bulk deficiencies, which will make things much easier for your opponent. A suggestion of Heatran being good is because he has a lot of resistances, good bulk, and decent usage. You need to find a party that suits to the needs of your Pokemon. This is a small example: Staraptor is weak to Electric-types, so Hippowdown would be good cause its immune to electric, or you can use Breloom since it resist electric types. Your goal should be on creating better synergy for you team, and also make your sure that all six support each other in terms of resistances, immunities, etc... This is not the easy part.

From what i've personally seen in OU battles, people use weaker pokemon from other tiers as either lures or gimmicks, but mainly its gimmick to surprise them. But i haven't seen many from what i recall -- mostly being either one or two Pokemon. In the higher rank, OU Pokemon are a must have Pokemon, because it makes sense. What you're doing is taking a metagame approach and squaring Pokemon from NU or UU against OU Pokemon -- that's not always easy and its pretty much being unfair to yourself. I suggest you trade a few Pokemon (not giving a number) you can start with one until you make complete changes (with how many Pokemon) until it makes the team work for you. You need a little more bulk on that team, but most of all you need more Speed. You can also try and finds way to find Pokemon who work in two sets: SpD and SpA. Such as Heatran. Otherwise, your team looks cool. The movesets are good. You can also do /analysis on Pokemon Showdown to find more movesets! Hope this helps.

 

[TalonRaptor]

Your team looks good. I'm close to the 1600 mark in OU, but i don't think you'll make it farther with this team. The reason is while it's cool using underrated Pokemon, its not going to be easy winning battles at some point. In other words, top OU users have teams that may consists of stall Pokemon that will use residual means to take your team down. Perhaps you should trade Chandelure for Heatran? Some small changes in your team needs to happen, otherwise you might not get higher and at some point might grow frustrated! The main problem with your team is that 4 out of 6 (Absol, Weezing, Lapras, and Scizor) lack speed! While you have some of your bases cleared here! The problem is that without priorities moves, your Pokemon might be completely outclassed by your opponent.

Stall has definitely grown in OU, so it will be very difficult to combat these challenges. Some of your Pokemon also have bulk deficiencies, which will make things much easier for your opponent. A suggestion of Heatran being good is because he has a lot of resistances, good bulk, and decent usage. You need to find a party that suits to the needs of your Pokemon. This is a small example: Staraptor is weak to Electric-types, so Hippowdown would be good cause its immune to electric, or you can use Breloom since it resist electric types. Your goal should be on creating better synergy for you team, and also make your sure that all six support each other in terms of resistances, immunities, etc... This is not the easy part.

From what i've personally seen in OU battles, people use weaker pokemon from other tiers as either lures or gimmicks, but mainly its gimmick to surprise them. But i haven't seen many from what i recall -- mostly being either one or two Pokemon. In the higher rank, OU Pokemon are a must have Pokemon, because it makes sense. What you're doing is taking a metagame approach and squaring Pokemon from NU or UU against OU Pokemon -- that's not always easy and its pretty much being unfair to yourself. I suggest you trade a few Pokemon (not giving a number) you can start with one until you make complete changes (with how many Pokemon) until it makes the team work for you. You need a little more bulk on that team, but most of all you need more Speed. You can also try and finds way to find Pokemon who work in two sets: SpD and SpA. Such as Heatran. Otherwise, your team looks cool. The movesets are good. You can also do /analysis on Pokemon Showdown to find more movesets! Hope this helps.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I understand what you are saying and I think you are right - that I do need to use higher tier Pokemon i guess. This team is actually a little old - and since then i have been building teams like you have said - with type synergies and cores - and such. Maybe Heatran could be an option, but I may decide to change the team altogether. Thanks!