FREEZE ALL
(i'm hardknock)
(i'm hardknock)
Hello Smogon. I'd like to share with you all one of my most successful teams, revolving around the core of Sub+Roost Kyurem and Toxic Spikes. When I first saw this core, I instantly fell in love with it. However, I was skeptical if Toxic Spikes were really viable in OU. With all the Steel-types, Levitate Pokemon and most importantly Tentacruel/Amoonguss/Toxicroak, using Toxic Spikes effectively was gunna be a challenge. Fortunately, Kyurem defeats all of the above Poison-types one on one, as well as denting Steels with Earth Power or Ice Beam in the case of Skarmory. The first variation of the team peaked at #21, under the original alt "freeze all".
Team Building Process
I started off with the core of Kyurem and Tentacruel. Tentacuel resists Fighting and Steel, the two types that threaten Kyurem, and it could also set up Toxic Spikes AND spin away Stealth Rock. It was the perfect partner. I noticed however, that they got rocked by Breloom and Terrakion, among other things, so I added Landorus-T to help eliminate these threats, weakening them through Intimidate and in the case of Terrakion, KO'ing it.
I noticed my team had nothing to take on Latios, or any Dragon for that matter. At one point in time, I had Celebi and Jirachi on this team. Jirachi for the Dragons and Celebi to absorb Electric and Water attacks. Then I thought to myself: why not combine them? Ferrothorn was the perfect addition to the team, providing Spikes support, Leech Seed to annoy the opponent, and giving me handy resistances to boosted Hydro Pumps/Thunders/Draco Meteors.
In the first version I made of this team, SubDisable Gengar took this spot. I figured that with Toxic Spikes it would be very annoying to take down. However, his lack of bulk on a team like this meant Gengar didn't often stick around for very long. I switched over to Jellicent but that only made my Thunderus-T weakness bigger. Latias was the perfect fit.
The last Pokemon added to the team, the one we all love and hate, Politoed. It complimented my team perfectly: it cut down Ferrothorn's Fire weakness, it provided Rain Dish recovery for Tentacruel, and gave Kyurem a pseudo-resistance to Fire, meaning that even Heatran couldn't break through its substitutes. Moreover, it helped to eliminate opposing weather inducers, ideal since Kyurem prefers rain over any other weather.
In Depth Analysis:
I started off with the core of Kyurem and Tentacruel. Tentacuel resists Fighting and Steel, the two types that threaten Kyurem, and it could also set up Toxic Spikes AND spin away Stealth Rock. It was the perfect partner. I noticed however, that they got rocked by Breloom and Terrakion, among other things, so I added Landorus-T to help eliminate these threats, weakening them through Intimidate and in the case of Terrakion, KO'ing it.
I noticed my team had nothing to take on Latios, or any Dragon for that matter. At one point in time, I had Celebi and Jirachi on this team. Jirachi for the Dragons and Celebi to absorb Electric and Water attacks. Then I thought to myself: why not combine them? Ferrothorn was the perfect addition to the team, providing Spikes support, Leech Seed to annoy the opponent, and giving me handy resistances to boosted Hydro Pumps/Thunders/Draco Meteors.
In the first version I made of this team, SubDisable Gengar took this spot. I figured that with Toxic Spikes it would be very annoying to take down. However, his lack of bulk on a team like this meant Gengar didn't often stick around for very long. I switched over to Jellicent but that only made my Thunderus-T weakness bigger. Latias was the perfect fit.
The last Pokemon added to the team, the one we all love and hate, Politoed. It complimented my team perfectly: it cut down Ferrothorn's Fire weakness, it provided Rain Dish recovery for Tentacruel, and gave Kyurem a pseudo-resistance to Fire, meaning that even Heatran couldn't break through its substitutes. Moreover, it helped to eliminate opposing weather inducers, ideal since Kyurem prefers rain over any other weather.
In Depth Analysis:
*Changes in red*
Politoed @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SDef / 32 Spd
Calm Nature (+SpD,-Atk)
-Scald
-Toxic
-Psychic
-Perish Song
Politoed is often asked to fulfill one role and one role only: set up rain and maintain it. If I am facing sun or sand teams, I generally try to keep Politoed alive as long as possible, and once the opposing weather inducer has died, Politoed is usually the first one to get sac'd. Originally, this was a Choice Scarf Politoed. I noticed my team lacked speed and thought it would be a good way to revenge kill any Dragonites that set up or get a surprise KO on Gengar or Toxicroak with Psychic. However, I noticed Politoed had no staying power. He was usually the first one to get KO'd in my matches, whether I liked it or not. Using a bulkier spread, Politoed is able to switch in on a wider variety of threats, things like Scarf Tyranitar and random Iron Heads from Jirachi aimed at Kyurem. I'm using Surf > Scald because I don't want random things that should be getting poisoned to get burned instead. Politoed lures in Rotom-W like no other Pokemon, so hitting it on the switch-in with Toxic is always nice, considering Rotom-W is one of the only bulky Water-types that isn't affected by Toxic Spikes. Psychic has remained on the set since it had a scarf, mainly to prevent Toxicroak from setting up on me. The 40 SpA EVs ensure I do at least 96%, meaning it will die from Psychic + SR practically every time. Finally, I noticed my team had absolutely NO way to deal with Baton Pass. I was easily 6-0'd by them. Perish Song solves this issue. It also forces certain Pokemon out, such as Reuniclus, and it allows me to KO any last Pokemon that is attempting to set up (if Politoed is even alive by then). Not much else to say about Politoed, it has one job and it does it well.
Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP/ 212 Def/ 44 Atk
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-U-turn
Landorus-T is such a great Pokemon. It counters practically every physical attacker in OU (unless they are Water/Ice-types) and makes dealing with physical threats a lot easier for the rest of the team. It is my #1 answer to stuff like SD/Choice Band Terrakion/Breloom/Scizor/Garchomp and Dragonite, halving the damage they produce as well as being able to hit most of them for big damage off that 145 base Attack stat. It is one of two Pokemon on my team immune to sand damage, so against sand teams I make sure to keep Lando alive. It sets up the always-necessary Stealth Rocks as well as keeping momentum with U-turn on predicted switches to Rotom-W or other bulky Water-types that Kyurem loves to set up on. Since I only have one Steel-type on this team, dealing with physical Dragons such as Dragonite or Garchomp becomes infinitely easier when I can Intimidate them and let Ferrothorn tank their Outrages. Having an Electric immunity is always a boon to stop Volt-Turn strategies and make sure I always keep the momentum. Having Ferrothorn use Leech Seed as a Fighting-type switches in lets Lando-T switch in, cut the opponent's Attack, and regain HP with Leech Seed. Landorus-T is also my best answer against SubCM Jirachi without Water Pulse, who could otherwise threaten the rest of my team. It has good synergy with the rest of my team since I have at least 3 Water resists and 2 Ice resists. All in all, an integral part of the team.
Tentacruel @ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 248 HP/ 240 Def/ 20 Spe
Bold (+Def, -Atk)
-Scald
-Rapid Spin
-Toxic Spikes
-Protect
Tentacruel, part 1 of my destructive combination. Its main job is to set up the all-important Toxic Spikes, which are key in softening up the opponent's team. If I see that it is a more offensive team (without a Poison-type) I usually set up no more than one layer, since losing 12% of their HP every turn provides more useful than gradually building up poison damage. Against bulkier teams, I aim to eliminate whatever Rapid Spinner they may have (Starmie/Tentacruel/Donphan eliminated by Kyurem, Forretress eliminated by Tentacruel) and of course, KO the opposing Poison-type. More often than not, the task is to KO the spinner, which becomes incredibly easy since Kyurem manhandles all of the above. Once they are gone, Toxic Spikes go up and eventually their team goes down. Simple as that. Aside from spinning away hazards and setting my own, Tentacruel provides a valuable check to Scizor, and a check to Keldeo in case Latias is unable to sponge its attacks in fear of Tyranitar. I went with Protect > Substitute because having a free turn is really useful for Tentacruel imo, it allows me to see what move the choice-locked pokemon is about to use, grants me free recovery, and in some cases, puts Tentacruel out of KO range from the opposing mon. You may be wondering why I chose Scald on Tentacruel when I didn't use it on Politoed, although they are similar Pokemon. This is because Tentacruel always attracts other Tentacruel to soak up my Toxic Spikes, and burning them with Scald negates their Rain Dish recovery and makes it easier for my team to deal with it. It also has the chance to burn Rotom-W on the switch-in, provided Politoed has not poisoned it already.
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 52 HP/ 220 SpA/ 236 Spe
Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
-Substitute
-Ice Beam
-Earth Power
-Roost
Kyurem, part 2 of the destructive combination, the MVP of the team, and the reason the team was created in the first place. Kyurem is such an underrated threat in today's metagame that most teams don't really prepare for it. They brush this guy off, and assume that because their Lati@s outspeeds it, they will be safe, or that because their Scizor or Breloom can KO it with priority, they don't need to worry. Well, those people don't take into account that all it takes for Kyurem to beat them is getting a Substitute up. Kyurem takes advantage of many common Pokemon in today's metagame. For example, practically every bulky Water or Grass-type can be defeated by this guy once they are poisoned. Every single one of these Pokemon also grant Kyurem a free Substitute. That means that if Kyurem is facing a Politoed or Starmie or Tentacruel or Celebi or Rotom-W, Kyurem will get a Substitute up, while they sit there trying to break your Substitute with puny Scalds or Volt Switches. They bring in their specially defensive Jirachi, only to be 3HKO'd (2HKO with some Spikes down). They bring in Scizor, to break your Substitute with Bullet Punch, but here's the thing: Scizor will more often than not be taking Spikes + SR damage, as well as an Earth Power which does ~40%. Then it is forced out by either Tentacruel or Landorus-T, which lures their bulky Water-types back in, only to have the process begin all over again, until Scizor is dead. Once Toxic Spikes are set down, Kyurem even has the power to defeat Blissey/Chansey, not even having its Substitutes broken by Seismic Toss. In the rain it can freely set up on Heatran unless it has Roar. The only things needed for this Pokemon to work to its fullest potential is rapid spin support and entry hazards, which I happen to have. Sometimes I look at the opponent's team and think: "OK, well Kyurem beats 4 out of his 6 Pokemon, let's get to work" or "Kyurem sweeps his entire team once x is weakened and he gets a sub up on y". Do not underestimate this Pokemon.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP/ 68 Def/ 168 SpD
Sassy Nature (+SpD, -Spe)
-Spikes
-Leech Seed
-Gyro Ball
-Thunder Wave
You've probably noticed by now, Ferrothorn is my only Steel-type. It's my only line of defense against Dragonite and Garchomp Outrages as well as Draco Meteors from the likes of Lati@s. Despite this, he does his job well almost every time. Ferrothorn has an important role on this team, providing Spikes to complete my trifecta of hazards as well as healing itself and the team through Leech Seed. I opted with a more specially defensive set as opposed to the standard because I need Ferrothorn to take on rain boosted Hydro Pumps as well as Specs Draco Meteors from Latios. Speaking of Latios, it was a real pain for this team to face before I had Thunder Wave. Now if he tries to set up Calm Mind or thinks about using Recover in the face of Ferro, he gets paralyzed and becomes prey for Kyurem later in the match. Thunder Wave also helps me to slow down things like Gengar or Tentacruel if I catch them on the switch, allowing me to KO Gengar with Latias without risking a speed tie and Landorus-T to hit Tentacruel with an Earthquake before it hits me with Scald. Ferrothorn is very useful to wear down physical attackers with Iron Barbs, such as Scizor using Bullet Punch or Garchomp using Dragon Claw. It provides me with a safer option against Rotom-W, because I generally don't mind getting hit with a Will-o-wisp.
Latias @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Spe/ 6 SpD
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
-Calm Mind
-Dragon Pulse
-Roar
-Recover
I was unsure of what kind of Latias to use for a while. I originally had the LO tank but I found that she often had to switch out because of the SpA drop from Draco Meteor. I tested a couple of different sets and eventually settled on a Calm Mind sweeper, which was the perfect fit. She provides me with insurance against Keldeo/Breloom and even Terrakion in the sand, as well as providing me with a late game sweeper, which I did not have before. She also checks sun teams, and makes sure I never get swept by Venusaur as long as she's alive. The EVs are kinda random, I put 252 into Speed so that Latias at least forces the speed tie, dumped 180 EVs into Special Attack to ensure I do upwards of 75% on average to Terrakion and Keldeo, and dumped the rest into HP. If anyone has a better EV spread let me know... Anyway, Latias usually rears its head into the battlefield in the later stages of the game, when things have been severely weakened or when the Steel-types are gone. Latias is my only way of defeating key threats such as CM Reuniclus, as well as KOing Lati@s or Dragonite once they've been paralyzed. She provides a solid check to Thunderus, who is annoying to face when I don't know the entire set. She also makes sure that Poison-types can't switch in with impunity to absorb my Toxic Spikes. Latias has bailed me out of many situations where she was my last Pokemon remaining, managed to set up a Calm Mind, and swept the opponent's team.
Threat List
Standard OU Offensive Threats
- Choice Band - landorus-t takes any of its moves with intimidate, ferrothorn can switch in on stone edge.
- Choice Scarf - same as above, except politoed can now switch in on it easier.
- Dragon Dance -i've only faced this once, but landorus-t handles it very well.
- Choice Scarf / Specs -kyurem switches into any of its moves with impunity, and proceeds to set up a sub. ferrothorn can use it to set up spikes/leech seed something if it doesn't get tricked.
- Support - latias is usually my go to for the will-o-wisp, possibly tentacruel if i can guarantee rain will be up. kyurem sets up a sub for free and volt switch does not break its substitute. hydro pump gets stalled out of pp if it decides to go 1on1 vs kyurem. ferrothorn takes any volt switch/hpump as well.
- Choice Band - lando-t. tentacruel switches in for free if it is using bullet punch. easiest to handle since it gets worn down due to entry hazards + u-turn.
- Swords Dance - landorus-t. tentacruel can fish for burns with scald and politoed can smack it hard with surf.
- Bulky Swords Dance - lando-t handles this even at +6, same as above basically
- Choice Band - lando-t intimidates it first. this makes it infinitely easier to deal with. if locked into outrage, ferrothorn uses it as set up fodder, t-waves it, or KOs with gyro ball.
- Dragon Dance - again, landorus-t. i usually lure it into using outrage in which i bring in ferrothorn to whittle it down.
- Mixed - make sure sr is up, haven't really seen this but latias and kyurem both outspeed and KO.
- Parashuffler - tentacruel makes sure the hazards are gone. ferrothorn handles it well.
- Rain Abuse - ferrothorn + kyurem
- Choice Specs / Scarf - ferrothorn all the way. latias can switch into hydro pumps if needed.
- 3 Attacks - same as above
- Standard - tentacruel spins away hazards, politoed nerfs fire attacks making kyurem set up a free sub on him. landorus-t outspeeds spD variants and KOs.
- Choice Scarf / Specs- politoed nerfs this 100%, must watch out for the rare hp grass..
- Substitute + Calm Mind / Wish + Calm Mind - thunder/psyshock or flash cannon variants are no problem for lando-t, while thunder/water pulse variants are taken care of by kyurem. wish calm mind with thunder and water pulse gets seeded by ferrothorn and then i bring kyurem in to try to tank its attacks and eventually KO.
- Expert Belt - haven't seen this once but lando-t intimidates and KOs. similar case for kyurem.
- Choice Scarf - lando-t intimidates the iron heads or u-turns. i prefer facing scarf variants since i can wear them down with hazards. no wish = i can hit it hard and it cant recover.
- Life Orb / Expert Belt - ferrothorn takes most of its attacks, can even tank hp fire with rain up.
- Choice Scarf / Specs - protect scouting with tentacruel helps vs this. ferrothorn takes any surf/psyshock/draco meteor. must make sure to keep ferro alive and well to tank repeated dm's.
- Calm Mind - one of the reasons why i switched protect on ferro for t-wave. usually thunder wave and go to kyurem. if it has gotten more than 1 boost it may survive kyurem ice beam and KO back, meaning latias revenge kill.
- Calm Mind - huge threat. cm/shadow ball/psyshock/recover has to be forced out with perish song and if toeds gone i have to go to cm war with latias. cm/psyshock/focus blast/recover = latias. cm + 3 attacks is probably the deadliest. landorus has to smack it as hard as possible and then latias has to try to cm up against it.
- Offensive Trick Room - basically just stall it out until trick room is up. hit it as hard as possible. smart switching required here.
- Choice Scarf / Choice Band - landorus-t all the way. scarf is easier to deal with, since ferrothorn can tank its outrages and whittle its health down with leech seed and iron barbs. band hits like a truck, but i can outspeed and KO with latias if needed.
- Dragon Dance - landorus-t to canccel out its attack boosts. latias comes in to lure the outrage and switch to ferrothorn. from there i just whittle its health down till i can KO it.
- Double Dance - same as above
- Nasty Plot - lol do people even use this? politoed switches in to change the weather and then either latias sets up on it or tentacruel hits it hard with scald. lando can also EQ it.
- Choice Specs - same as above, but easier to handle since it cant switch moves.
- Special Attacker - same as above, except way less powerful
- Bulk Up - annoying to deal with, but lando-t cancels out attack boosts. ferro on the predicted ice punch to rack up iron barb damage. smart switching focused on getting lando-t to negate its boosts.
- Flame Orb + 3 Attacks - same as above, but easier to take down because intimidate + iron barb damage on resisted hit means it dies quicker.
- Nasty Plot Sweeper - havent seen this too often but, kyurem survives even psychic at +2 and KOs back with ice beam.
- Tinkerbell - thunder wave is a nasty surprise, but this set is also uncommon. kyurem takes leaf storms like its nobody's business and sets up a sub on it.
- Choice Specs / Choice Scarf - same as above but locked into move.
- Double Dance - keep terrakion alive at all costs, it takes anything it throws at it and KOs with earthquake
- Choice Scarf / Choice Band - landorus-t is not even 2HKO'd by -1 cb intimidate.
- Substitute + Swords Dance / Salac Berry - again, landorus-t.
- Offensive / Bulky Dragon Dance - take away its atk boosts with intimidate, perish song with toad forces it out. huge threat on paper, fotunately it isnt common.
- Choice Scarf - nothing to be worried about. tentacruel walls it/politoed walls it and lando-t takes away atk.
- Substitute + Disable / Pain Split - annoying to face, tentacruel can scald it to break its subs or make sure it doesnt switch in for free. latias speed ties with it and KOs with psyshock. ferrothorn gyro balls it but it gets disabled.
- Life Orb - ferrothorn handles anything it can throw at it. kyurem must be wary of hpump, but it can pressure stall it.
- Rapid Spin - kyurem laughs at it.
- Choice Specs - taken advantage of by whichever move it is locked into.
- Rock Polish / Swords Dance - latias can take an hp ice and KO it after prior damage. tentacruel can survive earth power at full health and KO back with scald. politoed also survives earth power and can KO. ferrothorn survives focus blast and hits it hard with gyro ball. can be problematic if team is severely weakened.
- Choice Scarf - lando-t laughs at it, except for hp ice.
- Special Attacker - see original rock polish above^
- Mixed Attacker - tentacruel laughs at it. latias with psyshock.
- Nasty Plot / Swords Dance Booster - sameas above, politoeds rain goes a long way in nerfing it.
- Choice Band - same as above.
- Offensive Quiver Dance - big threat. lando in the rain can survive bug buzz/fire blast and KO with stone edge/earthquake.
- Bulky Quiver Dance / Roost -same as above
- Chesto Rest -same
- Substitute - same
- Substitute - must make sure to not let ferrothorn get trapped, as its my only steel. landorus/kyurem can smack it hard with their respective ground type attacks.
- Choice Scarf / Specs - again, must not let ferro get trapped, easier to play around though because if it gets locked into thunderbolt lando/kyurem and even ferro get a free switch in
- Calm Mind - ferrothorn can paralyze it or hit it hard with gyro ball
- Dragon Dance - lando intimidates. when its forced to outrage ferro tanks it.
- Mixed - sr + latias dpulse KOs it. in the rain, cant do enough to ferro with fire blast and gets KO'd by gyro ball in return. can be twaved also and killed by kyurem.
- Defensive - most of my pokemon are special attackers which dont mind being intimidated, not a big threat
- Choice Scarf / Band - scarf can be deadly late game but lando can intimidate it and ferro can tank its hits since it is less powerful.
- Offensive - ferro tanks draco meteor, lures in fire blast for politoed, latias outspeeds and KOs after LO damage.
- Choice Specs / Scarf - same as above but easier to play against when locked into a move.
- Substitute - tough to play against. usually requires me to sac a pokemon.
- Mixed Attacker - latias outspeeds and KO, same as offensive
- Bulk Up - lando-t, ice beam from kyurem KOs
- Sub Seed - lando-t, kyurem blocks seed with sub and KOs with ice beam
- Sub Punch - lando-t walls this to hell and back
- Sword Dance - most problematic, something takes spore (usually ferro), lando-t and latias handle the rest
- Choice Band - lando-t
- Calm Mind - like latios, a huge threat. unlike latios, it has better special bulk meaning kyurem may not always be able to KO it once its paralyzed. ferrothorn can go toe to toe with it using gyro ball or outright paralyze it.
- Offensive Tank - ferrothorn
- Choice Specs / Scarf - ferrothorn walls it, must be wary of trick though
- Swords Dance - lando-t intimidates, politoed KOs with psychic and kyurem can sub and use earth power on it.
- Bulk Up - lando-t murders it, same with kyurem
- Swords Dance - lando-t. politoed can take a hit and hit it with surf.
- Nasty Plot - latias walls it. as well as tentacruel
- Special Growth - make sure the weather is rainy. latias is a good check with psyshock once something has taken sleep powder. kyurem also fears nothing from venusaur and KOs with ice beam.
- Mixed Growth - same as above
- SubSeed - kyurem and latias.
- Stealth Rock - politoed, tentacruel can fish for scalds.
- Choice Scarf / Band - politoed/tentacruel is my best bet, depending on its move, i can play accordingly
- Agility - politoed can hit it hard with surf. ferrothorn can leech seed it while making it take damage from iron barbs. kinda problematic on paper, never seen one though
- All-Out Attacker - landorus-t to intimidate. latias KOs with psyshock.
- Choice Scarf / Band - same as above, its usually seen u-turning, hjk goes to lando or tentacruel.
- Shell Smash - politoed and tentacruel have to hit it hard in the rain.
- Utility - not a problem, see above
- Physical Attacker - annoying to deal with, intimidate helps then switching to politoed on ice move. from there politoed forces it out with surf.
- Focus Sash + Endeavor - haven't seen this but it will require me to have something die. not a good matchup for me
- Rain Abuser - ferrothorn can paralyze it or hit it hard with gyro ball
- Choice Specs - this thing is a nuke. will kill at least one pokemon, but once ferrothorn gets in safely, see above
- Choice Scarf - blizzard/ice shard go to politoed or tentacruel, wood hammer to kyurem/lando-t and ferro
- SubSeed - kyurem outspeeds and sets up sub before it
- Mixed Attacker - kyurem
- Offensive Calm Mind - deadly force to be reckoned with. i can break its sash but since i have no priority it can be annoying to take down. requires me to sac a mon. i hate this guy.
- Focus Sash - same as above but thankfully cant sweep. i hate this guy.
- Choice Band - very strong pokemon, ferrothorn can take an aqua jet as well as politoed, lando-t can intimidate it on double edge or superpower, toxic spikes wear it down though
- Fast Spiker - deo-d teams always lead with it. tentacruel leads. im naturally slower so if he decides to stay in everything will be spun away. if he switches out, no hazards. its a win win.
- Focus Sash - can only trap tentacruel, everything else kills it easily
- Choice Band - same as above
- Dragon Dance - keep ferrothorn alive AT ALL COSTS
- Rain Dance - same as above
- Choice Specs - same as above
- Choice - ferrothorn
- Substitute + 3 Attacks - something is going to have to die, but latias forces it out afterwards
- Substitute + Roost - ironically im very weak to my own kyurem! lol politoed needs to perish song to force it out..
- Choice Band / Scarf - is annoying, but politoed does well against it. lando-t can intimidate it on bolt strike or u-turn
- Physical Attacker - same as above
- Choice Band / Life Orb - keep lando-t alive and you'll be alright. change the weather with politoed and half the team can outspeed it
- Speed Boost - ferrothorn doesn't mind its attacks that much. lando-t can intimidate it and switch out to politoed or tentacruel. not a problem.
- Sword Dance - lando-t takes away its boosts, latias KOs or revenge kills
- Choice Scarf - lando-t once again, latias lures into outrages for ferro to tank
- Standard - lack of physical attackers makes it useless. kyurem destroys it.
- Choice Scarf - ironically, my own lando-t.
- Nasty Plot - latias
- Agility - kyurem/latias
- Choice Scarf - latias/kyurem/ferro can all take volt switch. lack of electric attacks means it wont be able to recover from sr switch-ins.
- Substitute + Calm Mind - must get toxic spikes down asap. politoed can perish song it. latias doesn't care about its boosts and hits it with psyshock.
- Choice Scarf / Specs - latias/tentacruel
- Calm Mind - latias can go into a cm war with it and win.
- Choice Scarf / Specs - whatever it traps will be able to hit it once. ferrothorn hates trick.
- Relic Song Mixed Attacker - kinda rare but definitely a pain to deal with. i've had an instance where relic song put lando-t to sleep first try, then ice punch froze both politoed and ferro on the first try. i ragequit and never saw this pokemon again.
- Calm Mind + 3 Attacks / Substitute - with toxic spikes down it puts a timer on it. never faced it, but probably dangerous.
Standard OU Defensive Threats
- Specially Defensive - must not let latias get trapped, since its usually paired with keldeo. lando-t handles it well and politoed gets a free switch in..
- Standard - kyurem stalls it out of gyro ball pp, 3HKOs with ice beam. rocky helmet versions are a pain in the ass when i have to spin with tentacruel
- Defensive - kyurem gets a sub up on this everytime, must not get hit with toxic. tentacruel also uses it to set up toxic spikes
- Swords Dance - lando-t. kyurem rapes it.
- Substitute + Protect - kyurem also rapes this once behind a sub.
- AcroBat - see above.
- Defensive - see above
- Specially Defensive - lando-t all the way. kyurem 2HKOs it with earth power. politoed and tentacruel.
- Specially Defensive - kyurem hits it with earth power. lando-t also fucks it up
- Physically Defensive Spiker - kyurem rips it to shreds, politoed and tentacruel hit it hard, tenta spins away its hazards
- Specially Defensive Spiker - don't really have a way to hit this hard enough.. fish for scald burn with tenta while spinning away its hazards and take it from there
- Specially Defensive - politoed changes weather and smacks it with surf/ lando-t KOs with earthquake
- Physically Defensive - kyurem manhandles it
- Physically Defensive Spiker - tentacruel spins away its hazards and hits it hard with scald
- Specially Defensive Spiker - same as above, must kill it asap for latias/kyurem to sweep
- RestTalk - havent ran into one of these but poison it and make it take sr damage. hit it as hard as possible with latias/kyurem or leech seed it with ferrothorn.
- Utility Counter - get toxic spikes down quick and kyurem handles the rest. must be wary of WoW.
- Toxic Spikes - tentacruel absorbs the tspikes, kyurem manhandles it with earth power. annoying because i need it gone to set up toxic spikes.
- Substitute + Toxic - kyurem comes in, outspeeds, and sets up sub. from there it uses earth power and forces it out
- Tank - get toxic spikes down quickly and kyurem will lead you to victory.
- Dual Screens - landorus u-turns, basically just try to hit it hard
- Baton Pass - this is why politoed has perish song
- Support - GET TOXIC SPIKES DOWN ASAP. once it is poisoned, kyurem stalls it to death easily.
- Wish Support - toxic spikes and kyurem spell doom for it
- Rest Hydration - hard to take down. try to perish song with politoed or set up on it with latias,
- Tank - hit it hard with surfs and scalds, although it lacks recovery i have a hard time getting rid of it.
- Dual Screens - same as above, just try to kill it asap
- Tank - lando-t u-turns out of it, ferrothorn sets up spikes on it, politoed poisons it and of course if it gets hit with t spikes kyurem stalls it out.
- Curse - get toxic spikes down asap and KO it from there, fears ferrothorn
- Specially Defensive - same
- Physically Defensive - same
- Physical Tank - kyurem really scares this guy. versions w/o whirlwind gets set up on by latias. politoed obviously helps against him.
- Standard - avoid toxic and force it out with kyurem. lando-t makes it fear stone edge.
- Bulky - nothing i can do here, lando-t u-turns out, ferro sets up spikes, politoed perish songs, kyurem uses sub, latias calm minds, tentacruel sets up t spikes.
- Prankster - kyurem has it on lock. ferro can hit it with gyro ball.
- Physically Defensive - kyurem destroys it.
- Prankster - a son of a bitch to deal with. hit it with scald when it spinblocks and hope for a burn. something is going to have to be burned in order to take it down, which is annoying.
- Defensive - toxic spikes and kyurem stalls it out. ferrothorn sets up spikes on it.
- Support - make sure to get tspikes down asap, and kyurem stalls it to death.
- Standard - something takes the spore, kyurem walks all over it
Importable:
Code:
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 54 HP / 220 SAtk / 236 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Roost
Tentacruel @ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spd
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes
- Protect
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Def / 168 SDef
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Thunder Wave
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 76 HP / 180 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Recover
Politoed @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Toxic
- Psychic
- Perish Song
Conclusion:
So that's the team. It has really shown me how effective Kyurem and Toxic Spikes are in this metagame, and it goes to show that BL Pokemon can be deadly on the right team. I wanna give a shout out to yee for being an awesome tutor last round, helping me improve my skills in BW2 overall and moreover, suggesting I use bulky toed which helped the team improve greatly. Also wanna give a shout out to Novaray for testing the team out and helping me improve it and to Venom, for being a bro (same to Novaray). That's about it, I hope you liked the RMT, and thank you if you read the whole thing. Leave a little luvdisc if you enjoyed it!