EDIT 11/29*
I've been a lurker for the past few months after getting into competitive Pokemon battling and I wanted to get some input on my ORAS team. Before I go into the team, I want to go over some general things that i like to have on a team before I build it. I like to have it split into 3 physical attackers and 3 special attackers. I like to have at least 1 physical wall and 1 special wall. I also like to have at least 2 priority move users. And then finally, having a stealth rocks setter and a defogger/spinner is mandatory. Now let's go into the team:
Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Close Combat
- Psycho Cut
- Shadow Sneak
- Swords Dance
Despite the fact that Gallade's non-mega ability is better than his mega ability, Mega Gallade is essentially a much better Medicham. It is at the crucial 110 speed tier which is the new standard thanks to the speed creep of ORAS, leaving those who are slower quite vulnerable. Not only that, Gallade can Swords Dance making it a very scary sweeper rather than just a 1 turn wallbreaker like Medicham. Now let's go into the moveset. [1] Close Combat is your bread and butter fighting move. It's power is just too much to pass up for Drain Punch, which I feel is a move suited for more bulky pokemon who can abuse it anyway. Next we have [2] Psycho Cut, and this one is debatable. Although Zen Headbutt hits for 10 more BP, it's also 10% less accurate, and that's something that I favor over power. Also Psycho Cut has the niche of critting more often, but really this just come down to a preference of accuracy over power. Next we have the most debatable move, the notorious 3rd slot move, [3] Shadow Sneak. Now many people would run Knock Off or Ice Punch for this slot, but I feel having priority allows Gallade to stay in the field much longer and keep its momentum. It also allows Gallade to keep sweeping if it brings an opponent low enough after hitting them with a Close Combat on a forced switch out. This can also be crucial in finishing off the new fast but frail sweepers, Sceptile and Beedrill. Finally we have [4] Swords Dance. And I have Swords Dance because it's Swords Dance. Gallade's only concession to Medicham is that it does not start out with well over 600 Atk when it is sent out. But of course 1 Swords Dance easily pushes Gallade past that, boasting over 800 Atk.
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Iron Head
Next we have Bisharp. You've seen it hundreds of times; Psychic/Fighting with Dark/Steel. It's an overused type combo (how fitting for this tier), but I'll be damned if it isn't one of the best out there. Bisharp is one of my favorite pokemon, and it isn't just the looks or the typing, it's this nasty little moveset along with his broken ability, Defiant. Now let's take a look at the moveset. First we have [1] Sucker Punch for obvious reasons. Bisharp's not too fast and so it's mandatory that he have priority. Bisharp can greatly abuse this on the frailer fast sweepers like Greninja (assuming it's not dark at the time). Next we have [2] Knock Off, which is another obvious choice because it hits like a truck and removes a held item. Need I give any more explanation? Now the third moveslot is my personal favorite to run with Sucker Punch and that's [3] Pursuit. So Bisharp can often scare out pokemon and Pursuit allows it to nuke them; I'm looking at you Lati@s. Now the reason why I love Sucker Punch and Pursuit is that it makes Bisharp completely unpredictable. Let me illustrate: If you try to attack me, I'll Sucker Punch you. If you try to run away, I'll trap you. And if you try to set up on me, I'll Knock Off, and then Sucker Punch when you try to hit me. Now lastly we have [4] Iron Head, because it's STAB, and there are fairies.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Rounding off the core, we have Rotom-Wash. Rotom serves as my team's physical wall and my bird-spam check. Rotom-W also has great synergy with Clefable who doesn't appreciate Steel attacks, which Rotom quad-resists. The EV spread is pretty standard, with the 44 Speed EVs to outspeed Max Speed Azumarill. Now let's go into the moveset very briefly. We have [1] Volt Switch for momentum and Electric STAB and then [2] Hydro Pump for hard-hitting Water STAB. Then we have [3] Will-O-Wisp to stop physical sweepers dead in their tracks. Finally we have [4] Pain Split for Rotom's source of recovery.
Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
- Calm Mind
My replacement for Greninja, thanks to the advice of Questro. The EV spread is for maximum physical bulk allowing Clefable to safely set up Calm Minds, after which Clefable will have great special bulk as well. Life Orb is for an extra 30% damage boost at no cost thanks to Magic Guard. Clefable serves the role as my set-up special sweeper and fighting-type check, but most importantly, it serves as my Mega Sableye counter. The great thing about Clefable is not only does it counter Mega Sableye, it can actually set-up on it. Thanks to Magic Guard, Sabeleye can't stall out Clefable with Will-O-Wisp. Another small niche that Clefable fills is my Bug-resistor which I have 1 weakness to and no other resistances to. For example I can easily switch in Clefable on Scarf Terrakion who might otherwise threaten my Latios with X-Scissor. The moveset is pretty standard; [1] Moonblast for maximum STAB, [2] Flamethrower to hit Steel types, [3] Soft-Boiled for recover, and [4] Calm Mind for setting up a sweep. So far Clefable has been a great success, and I'm happy I tried swapped him in. So thanks again, Questro.
Ferrothorn @ Shed Shell
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
Here we have my Stealth Rocks setter and my special wall, Ferrothorn. The EV spread is for decent physical bulk for eating Earthquakes, and the rest are in Special Defense for good special bulk. Ferrothorn is equipped with a Shed Shell so that way I don't have to sacrifice it every time someone uses Magnezone, which is an increasingly common threat in OU these days. I also chose Ferrothorn as my special wall so that i could deal with Fairy attacks which utterly wreck parts of my team. Let's dive right into the moveset. We have [1] Stealth Rock because every team needs Stealth Rock. Next we have [2] Gyro Ball, which for reasons explained earlier, can really do a number on some pokemon that would like to set up on Ferrothorn. Then we have [3] Power Whip for pure power and Grass STAB. Lastly we have [4] Leech Seed for extra recovery and residual damage on the opponent.
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Earthquake
- Defog
Last but not least we have my defogger and assistant special attacker, Latios. I chose Latios because I needed a fast defogger and Latios is the fastest out there in OU (viably speaking). Additonally, Latios deals with Fighting attacks alongside Gallade, which utterly cripple Bisharp and Greninja. Now let's go over the moveset. First we have [1] Draco Meteor for hard-hitting Dragon STAB. Next we have [2] Psyshock for Psychic STAB, and a way for Latios to hit Special Walls hard. Now the third move I know I'm going to get a ton of flack for, but hear me out. I chose Earthquake so that Latios has a way to deal with Heatran which loves to switch in on Latios and put rocks back up after a Defog. But then they never expect an Earthquake to come and destroy them. Additionally, it allows Latios to still retaliate even after being at -2 SpA from Draco Meteor. Earthquake is a really niche move, but you'd be surprised how often people innocently switch in specially defensive Heatran on my Latios only to then nerd rage in the chat window seconds later. Earthquake is great for luring in Heatran also because it gets Heatran out of the way for Clefable to sweep. Lastly we have [4] Defog, to get rid of rocks and the like.
I hope that I was informative enough on my thinking for each of these pokemon, and I want to assure you all that I am very open to criticism as well as pokemon switch suggestions and move swap suggestions. I started out in the 1100s on PS, but I'm now 1348 after making some suggested changes.
I've been a lurker for the past few months after getting into competitive Pokemon battling and I wanted to get some input on my ORAS team. Before I go into the team, I want to go over some general things that i like to have on a team before I build it. I like to have it split into 3 physical attackers and 3 special attackers. I like to have at least 1 physical wall and 1 special wall. I also like to have at least 2 priority move users. And then finally, having a stealth rocks setter and a defogger/spinner is mandatory. Now let's go into the team:
Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Close Combat
- Psycho Cut
- Shadow Sneak
- Swords Dance
Despite the fact that Gallade's non-mega ability is better than his mega ability, Mega Gallade is essentially a much better Medicham. It is at the crucial 110 speed tier which is the new standard thanks to the speed creep of ORAS, leaving those who are slower quite vulnerable. Not only that, Gallade can Swords Dance making it a very scary sweeper rather than just a 1 turn wallbreaker like Medicham. Now let's go into the moveset. [1] Close Combat is your bread and butter fighting move. It's power is just too much to pass up for Drain Punch, which I feel is a move suited for more bulky pokemon who can abuse it anyway. Next we have [2] Psycho Cut, and this one is debatable. Although Zen Headbutt hits for 10 more BP, it's also 10% less accurate, and that's something that I favor over power. Also Psycho Cut has the niche of critting more often, but really this just come down to a preference of accuracy over power. Next we have the most debatable move, the notorious 3rd slot move, [3] Shadow Sneak. Now many people would run Knock Off or Ice Punch for this slot, but I feel having priority allows Gallade to stay in the field much longer and keep its momentum. It also allows Gallade to keep sweeping if it brings an opponent low enough after hitting them with a Close Combat on a forced switch out. This can also be crucial in finishing off the new fast but frail sweepers, Sceptile and Beedrill. Finally we have [4] Swords Dance. And I have Swords Dance because it's Swords Dance. Gallade's only concession to Medicham is that it does not start out with well over 600 Atk when it is sent out. But of course 1 Swords Dance easily pushes Gallade past that, boasting over 800 Atk.
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Iron Head
Next we have Bisharp. You've seen it hundreds of times; Psychic/Fighting with Dark/Steel. It's an overused type combo (how fitting for this tier), but I'll be damned if it isn't one of the best out there. Bisharp is one of my favorite pokemon, and it isn't just the looks or the typing, it's this nasty little moveset along with his broken ability, Defiant. Now let's take a look at the moveset. First we have [1] Sucker Punch for obvious reasons. Bisharp's not too fast and so it's mandatory that he have priority. Bisharp can greatly abuse this on the frailer fast sweepers like Greninja (assuming it's not dark at the time). Next we have [2] Knock Off, which is another obvious choice because it hits like a truck and removes a held item. Need I give any more explanation? Now the third moveslot is my personal favorite to run with Sucker Punch and that's [3] Pursuit. So Bisharp can often scare out pokemon and Pursuit allows it to nuke them; I'm looking at you Lati@s. Now the reason why I love Sucker Punch and Pursuit is that it makes Bisharp completely unpredictable. Let me illustrate: If you try to attack me, I'll Sucker Punch you. If you try to run away, I'll trap you. And if you try to set up on me, I'll Knock Off, and then Sucker Punch when you try to hit me. Now lastly we have [4] Iron Head, because it's STAB, and there are fairies.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Rounding off the core, we have Rotom-Wash. Rotom serves as my team's physical wall and my bird-spam check. Rotom-W also has great synergy with Clefable who doesn't appreciate Steel attacks, which Rotom quad-resists. The EV spread is pretty standard, with the 44 Speed EVs to outspeed Max Speed Azumarill. Now let's go into the moveset very briefly. We have [1] Volt Switch for momentum and Electric STAB and then [2] Hydro Pump for hard-hitting Water STAB. Then we have [3] Will-O-Wisp to stop physical sweepers dead in their tracks. Finally we have [4] Pain Split for Rotom's source of recovery.
Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
- Calm Mind
My replacement for Greninja, thanks to the advice of Questro. The EV spread is for maximum physical bulk allowing Clefable to safely set up Calm Minds, after which Clefable will have great special bulk as well. Life Orb is for an extra 30% damage boost at no cost thanks to Magic Guard. Clefable serves the role as my set-up special sweeper and fighting-type check, but most importantly, it serves as my Mega Sableye counter. The great thing about Clefable is not only does it counter Mega Sableye, it can actually set-up on it. Thanks to Magic Guard, Sabeleye can't stall out Clefable with Will-O-Wisp. Another small niche that Clefable fills is my Bug-resistor which I have 1 weakness to and no other resistances to. For example I can easily switch in Clefable on Scarf Terrakion who might otherwise threaten my Latios with X-Scissor. The moveset is pretty standard; [1] Moonblast for maximum STAB, [2] Flamethrower to hit Steel types, [3] Soft-Boiled for recover, and [4] Calm Mind for setting up a sweep. So far Clefable has been a great success, and I'm happy I tried swapped him in. So thanks again, Questro.
Ferrothorn @ Shed Shell
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
Here we have my Stealth Rocks setter and my special wall, Ferrothorn. The EV spread is for decent physical bulk for eating Earthquakes, and the rest are in Special Defense for good special bulk. Ferrothorn is equipped with a Shed Shell so that way I don't have to sacrifice it every time someone uses Magnezone, which is an increasingly common threat in OU these days. I also chose Ferrothorn as my special wall so that i could deal with Fairy attacks which utterly wreck parts of my team. Let's dive right into the moveset. We have [1] Stealth Rock because every team needs Stealth Rock. Next we have [2] Gyro Ball, which for reasons explained earlier, can really do a number on some pokemon that would like to set up on Ferrothorn. Then we have [3] Power Whip for pure power and Grass STAB. Lastly we have [4] Leech Seed for extra recovery and residual damage on the opponent.
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Earthquake
- Defog
Last but not least we have my defogger and assistant special attacker, Latios. I chose Latios because I needed a fast defogger and Latios is the fastest out there in OU (viably speaking). Additonally, Latios deals with Fighting attacks alongside Gallade, which utterly cripple Bisharp and Greninja. Now let's go over the moveset. First we have [1] Draco Meteor for hard-hitting Dragon STAB. Next we have [2] Psyshock for Psychic STAB, and a way for Latios to hit Special Walls hard. Now the third move I know I'm going to get a ton of flack for, but hear me out. I chose Earthquake so that Latios has a way to deal with Heatran which loves to switch in on Latios and put rocks back up after a Defog. But then they never expect an Earthquake to come and destroy them. Additionally, it allows Latios to still retaliate even after being at -2 SpA from Draco Meteor. Earthquake is a really niche move, but you'd be surprised how often people innocently switch in specially defensive Heatran on my Latios only to then nerd rage in the chat window seconds later. Earthquake is great for luring in Heatran also because it gets Heatran out of the way for Clefable to sweep. Lastly we have [4] Defog, to get rid of rocks and the like.
I hope that I was informative enough on my thinking for each of these pokemon, and I want to assure you all that I am very open to criticism as well as pokemon switch suggestions and move swap suggestions. I started out in the 1100s on PS, but I'm now 1348 after making some suggested changes.
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