GangTarZoneMieGrossGon

[klinic]

A team I made when experimenting with some synergy between members. Starmie makes a phenomenal lead, it can deal with a large portion of the popular leads in the OU metagame, and the vast majority that it can’t deal with are taken care of with Metagross.

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
---

.....
Why this Pokemon?:
Starmie started off on this team because it and Gengar share many common counters. Wait, what? Uh huh. If I can scout the enemy for these counters and weaken them or, at the very least, know when they’re coming it usually makes it a lot safer to use either Gengar or Starmie (again) and eases predicting when I need to substitute or when I can safely get one up without penalty. It’s risky, but even without this, Starmie makes a fantastic lead when combined with Metagross.
.....
EVs & Nature:
252 Speed and a Timid nature allows Starmie to outspeed many common leads. Most of the ones that aren’t out sped are easily dealt with, either by Starmie or Metagross.
252 Special Attack give Starmie the brute strength to secure many 1 or 2HKOs that give me the momentum I need to win at the start of the battle.
4 HP give it a tiny (and I mean tiny) bit of extra bulk. There wasn’t really anywhere else that I could helpfully put this. So here it is.

.....
Considered Changes
Sometimes I wish I had Recover to help with lifeorb recoil that can end Starmies reign of terror all too soon. But taking out an Azelf that’s hung in with its Sash and simultaneously removing its rocks just feels damn good. Overall I’m pretty happy with this set as Starmie does its job great.

.....
Vs. Other Leads: Fwahaha.

Azelf gets Hydro Pumped down to its Sash right off of the bat. Assuming Hydro Pump hits and that it used SR on the first go I can take that last 1 HP out with Rapid Spin simultaneously removing Azelf and any sort of prolonged threat it could pose.

Aerodactyl can be annoying. Potentially I could tear through it with Hydro Pump, but rockslide can pummel me if it makes me flinch and leave Aerodactyl no worse for wear. Switch to Metagross to take the potential Rock Slide and 2HKO with Meteor Mash + Bullet Punch. Metagross survives anything Aerodactyl throws at it anyway, so it’s a safe move barring the odd critical hit.

Swampert is 2HKOed by Hydro Pump. It can either cause minor damage or set up SR for me to spin away once I’ve KOed it.
Metagross is dealt with in pretty much the same way. It can’t KO me without a critical hit and SR can just be spun away later.

Jirachi is slightly more worrying in case of U-Turn, so Metagross can come in to soak up whatever Jirachi might have sent at Starmie with ease and can then either set up rocks or EQ it to death.

Infernape usually has a focus sash so Hydro Pump and then Rapid Spin to get rid of the leftover HP and any hazards.

Machamp uses payback. Switch to Metagross to soak up Payback and 2HKO with Meteor Mash + Bullet Punch.

Roserade pummels Starmie with Leaf Storm, so Metagross takes the hit and KOes with Meteor Mash +Bullet Punch.

Tyranitar. Balls. Crunch or Pursuit ruins my day if I stay in to Hydro Pump which can either miss or be offset by the sandstorm. Switching out to Metagross is risky in case of pursuit, but there’s more of a chance of Starmie surviving then if it stays in, so switch out and use Meteor Mash.

Starmie beats Gliscor. Ice Beam OHKOs. Hydro Pump damages Gliscor badly AND many potential switch ins. Depends on what mood I’m in I guess.
Heatran gets flattened by Hydro Pump.

Dragonite fears Ice Beam and will run away in terror. So Thunderbolt or Hydro Pump might be better options to hit switch-ins.


---

Metagross @ Lum Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP/240 Atk/16 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
- Meteor Mash
- Stealth Rock
---

.....
Why this Pokemon?:
Absurdly good lead coverage with Starmie, that’s why. Skarmory can come in on most of Metagross's attacks with ease, so Magnezone takes care of that problem, melting away the metal bird with ease. Rotom forms are taken care of by Tyranitar and Gliscor and other bulky grounds are taken care of by Gengar.

.....
EVs & Nature:
Pretty standard stuff
Adamant to increase attack, 252 HP for bulk, 240 Atk to shed some of the opponents bulk and 16 Spe to mess up the enemy before it can do it back. Well, some enemies. The majority will still outspeed it.

.....
The moveset I’m pretty happy with for the most part. Not really a lot I think needs to be changed.
---

Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
---

.....
Why this Pokemon?:
Aaaah... Substitute/Pain Split Gengar, how I adore thee! This was original inspiration for this team as I was RNGing for a Gengar at the time. Eventually I’d like to graduate this team from Shoddy to Wifi, so if there’s anything I need to change for that Metagame let me know. Anyway, substitute offsets Gengars abysmal defences by stopping him from being OHKOed while Painsplit lets him recover his HP rapidly while facing off against Bulky Foes(what’s that Blissey? You still think you can counter Gengar? =D) Shadow Ball and Focus Blast give Gengar flawless type coverage, although Focus Blast could do with hitting a lot more often.

.....
EVs & Nature:
Simple again, Timid and 252 Spd to attack first, 252 SAtk to hit hard when I do so.

.....
Considered Changes
None at the moment, adore this set and the Wifi version is already trained and ready.

Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 160 HP/252 Atk/96 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Aqua Tail
---

.....
Why this Pokemon?:
Gengars most feared counter actually works quite well with him. Sandstorms residual damage actually helps Gengar pull off some extraordinary Painsplits and gives blissey trouble. Crunch and Stone Edge are powerful STAB attacks that can wreck through unprepared teams and Pursuit is basically a Death Sentence to those that need to switch out from Tyranitar.

.....
EVs & Nature:
Adamant and 252 Atk make Tyranitar hit damn hard. 96 Spd means Ttar outpaces the standard Skarmory, allowing Tyranitar to kick its ass with Stone Edge without being slowed down by Roost making Stone Edge NVE. After maximizing Attack, the remaining EVs are placed into HP for maximum bulk.
.....
Considered Changes
Adore this set and the Wifi version is already trained and ready, but a Jolly DDance variant has been suggested, and I can see where it's coming from. Only I DON'T have an ingame one of those.

Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP/84 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Thunder Wave
- Substitute
---

.....
Why this Pokemon?:
Awesome coverage with both Gengar and Tyranitar. They all cover a lot of each other’s major counters and just decimate teams when used right (which admittedly isn’t all of the time, I’m still getting used to the OU metagame) Magnet Pull traps unwitting steam types and Thunderbolt puts them down. Hidden Power Grass takes out a baffled Swampert counter and Thunderwave cripples sweepers relying on speed.

.....
EVs & Nature:
172 HP/84 Spd/252 SAtk
Er, I don’t really know the exact reason. These are just the EVs recommended to me.
.....
Considered Changes
Something to shoot Scizor in the head when it USES SUPERPOWER OUT OF NOWHERE. >_> Not such a reliable counter suddenly. Works amazing against Choice variants though. Considering changing to a Zapdos as Shed Shell really does ruin any chance Magnezone once had. Problem being that my ingame mostly flawless Zapdos is timid, not bold.

Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/4 SDef
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- U-turn
- ThunderPunch
---

.....
Why this Pokemon?:
Pretty cool revenge killer. I toyed with Jirachi for a while, but another steel type just wasn’t working, so Flygon came in to fill the void. Pretty basic Chocie Scarfer. U-turn scouts fabulously while EE, Outrage and Stone Edge let me finish off any opponents that KOed one of its teammates.

.....
EVs & Nature:
Adamant and 252 Atk let it hit hard when it needs to, 252 Spd aids the speed given to it by choice scarf and 4 Sdef in really just the leftovers. Usually it’s an ice move used against Mr. Gon, which Kos no matter what.
252 Atk/252 Spd/4 SDef.....
Considered Changes
Changed from Adamant to Jolly, and Stone Edge was changed to Thunderpunch, thanks Smogon.

Thanks for reading and rating.

 

[MetaNite]

Hi. I don't see very much to change as this is a solid team, but Gyarados looks troublesome. After a Dragon Dance, most of your Pokemon are OHKOed if it has Earthquake while Metagross can't do anything back and if Starmie is weakened just a bit from Life Orb it too will be taken out. Furthermore, Stone Edge is an unreliable way to revenge kill Gyarados. I suggest you use Thunder Punch instead on Flygon. Something interesting you can try is Iron Ball + Trick on Metagross instead of Lum Berry and Bullet Punch. You can thus cripple Rotom-A and Skarmory switch ins, making them slow and weak to Earthquake for Flygon to clean up. Just a warning: Starmie can 2HKO all your Pokemon so make sure when you bring in a Magnezone or Tyranitar to revenge kill, they are at very good health. Good luck.

 

[klinic]

Hi. I don't see very much to change as this is a solid team, but Gyarados looks troublesome. After a Dragon Dance, most of your Pokemon are OHKOed if it has Earthquake while Metagross can't do anything back and if Starmie is weakened just a bit from Life Orb it too will be taken out. Furthermore, Stone Edge is an unreliable way to revenge kill Gyarados. I suggest you use Thunder Punch instead on Flygon. Something interesting you can try is Iron Ball + Trick on Metagross instead of Lum Berry and Bullet Punch. You can thus cripple Rotom-A and Skarmory switch ins, making them slow and weak to Earthquake for Flygon to clean up. Just a warning: Starmie can 2HKO all your Pokemon so make sure when you bring in a Magnezone or Tyranitar to revenge kill, they are at very good health. Good luck.

Thunder Punch could be extraordinarily helpful in revenging Gyrados. However, Lum Berry is a requirement for dealing with many leads that other wise give me trouble while Bullet Punch is a fail-safe way of dealing with Sashes.

Thanks for your advice and kind words.

 

[macle]

This is a great team but I notice how you really don't have any sweeping type Pokemon. Gengar can do some but there's no pokemon that breaks through the opponent's team once you weak it. That's why I suggest trying out DD ttar instead of your CB one. Magnezone provides great help to it.

 

[Philip7086]

What are you aiming for with that extra power on Scarf Flygon that makes you want to run Adamant over Jolly? At the moment, anything with Agility sweeps through your whole team and can easily set up on Tyranitar or Flygon. I'd suggest changing Flygon to Jolly to at least be able to stop Adamant Agiligross or Modest Sub Petaya Empoleon, but that really isn't solving the whole problem. To be honest, I feel like you just picked two listed synergy cores in the Smog and threw them together, and then slapped on Scarf Flygon to be a "catch-all" for offensive Pokemon, but that really is not a good strategy. I think the worst part about doing something like that is the fact that when you identify big weaknesses (in this case, Agility sweepers and stall pretty much wreck this team) it is really hard to change the team around, because it screws with the synergy, and you're trapped. I guess the best suggestion I can give you would be to change Tyranitar to Expert Belt in order to hopefully bluff and prevent certain Pokemon from setting up, and also just play Flygon very carefully, because you would easily get set up on by another Pokemon if you're locked onto the wrong move. Another option would be to change Flygon to a defensive phaser who can also give stall trouble, but the only one that comes to mind for me is Calm Mind Roar Suicune, who would leave you pretty open to Specs Jolteon or other powerful Electric types.

 

[Faladran]

I'm not a big fan of Magnezone on the team for a couple of reasons. I know you're using a lot of Smog Magazine synergy cores, but the usage of Shed Shell and the fact that Hidden Power Grass is very standard on Magnezone takes some of its effectiveness away.

Since Starmie is likely to eliminate Stealth Rock, a Physically Defensive Zapdos might be worth trying in Magnezone's place:

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Grass
- Heat Wave
- Roost

I picked this set in particular because it checks a lot of the threats that Magnezone does, has similar but slightly better coverage, and has access to recovery in the form of Roost. It also is quite a good check to Agiligross, who as Phil stated, can sweep through your team with some residual damage.

Also, Stone Edge on Flygon is primarily used to hit opposing Gyarados and Zapdos. Since Tyranitar deals well with Zapdos, you could try using Thunderpunch instead for more accurate and powerful revenge-killing on Gyarados.

Good luck with your team!

 

[TyranitarHero]

Very solid team. Not much to change but I suggest you try out dragon dance Tyranitar
Tyranitar@Life Orb
Nature:Jolly
Moves:
-Dragon Dance
-Crunch
-Aqua Tail
-Stone Edge
Life orb because you have magnezone to take out scizor which is the only reason you would need Babiri Berry. Jolly to outspeed azelf/Starmie and aqua tail to damage bulky ground types like gliscor who give this set trouble. DD T-tar IMO is the best pokemon in the game.


you dont have a true sweeper Gengar but he has only 2 moves although perfect neutral coverage is nice.

 

[Zacchaeus]

Very solid team. Not much to change but I suggest you try out dragon dance Tyranitar
Tyranitar@Life Orb
Nature:Jolly
Moves:
-Dragon Dance
-Crunch
-Aqua Tail
-Stone Edge
Life orb because you have magnezone to take out scizor which is the only reason you would need Babiri Berry. Jolly to outspeed azelf/Starmie and aqua tail to damage bulky ground types like gliscor who give this set trouble. DD T-tar IMO is the best pokemon in the game.


you dont have a true sweeper Gengar but he has only 2 moves although perfect neutral coverage is nice.

Dragon Dance Tyranitar is great, but I would suggest that you consider other moves in the place of Aqua Tail should you decide to use this set. Earthquake fits very nicely and hits Metagross and Heatran hard. Low Kick is a very underrated option, and destroys any enemy Tyranitar that come your way.

 

[klinic]

Problem is I already have my flawless Adamant Tyranitar. >.> Any way I could make an adamant nature work?

Aaand my practically flawless Zapdos (UT) is Timid.

These won't be a problem for the shoddy battle equivalent of this team, but when it comes to putting the Wi-Fi version into effect.

In good news, Flygon is now Jolly and also running Thunder Punch now to great effect.