Hey guys, this is my last RMT I'm going to make for the 4th generation of Pokemon. TBH 4th gen was THE best generation yet. Disagree if you will but this is my opinion, and I hope 5th gen can top that. This team is about Lucario, arguably THE best late-game cleaner.
The general concept of this team was to set-up as many layers of entry hazards as possible excluding Toxic Spikes, screen with something, use something as destructive as possible to weaken the opponents defensive core, then sweep with Lucario.
I will likely be keeping this team through 5th gen though I will definitely upgrade it with 5th gen pokes. I already have some ideas ;)
Team at a Glance:
Team Building Process:
So I obviously needed a Lucario at first.
Because my concept was to have as many entry hazards as possible, I obviously needed Spikes and Stealth Rock. Since Spikes is arguably harder to set-up, I choose to lead with that. For future reference, I HATE leading with slower leads. And the only best fast Spiker lead is Froslass, who, admittedly is BL, though it functions excellently on this team.
So now I needed a Stealth Rock user, so I choose Bronzong because of its great amount of resistances, courtesy of its Steel typing.
So now I needed an excellent Dual Screener. You may argue that this is unnecessary with Swords Dance Lucario, but generally I feel a lot safer behind screens, and it gives my frail sweepers some much needed bulk. I choose Rotom-W for two things: one, for its ability to block Rapid Spin as well as set-up screens, and two, for its ability to deal with Heatran, the king of OU.
Now I needed two reliable revenge killers. The first one that jumped to mind was Infernape. Then I also thought about Choice Scarf Tyranitar. So that was two revenge killers (also Scarfers) on my team.
After testing this A LOT, I realized that I had absolutely NO reliable switch-in to Thunder Wave, which completely crippled my team. After some MORE testing, I found Swampert to be effective, and put it in place of Bronzong.
After even more testing, I found that two Scarfers, even with this kind of defensive support (it isn't a lot, I know, but it’s a lot for me, because I love running hyper offense teams, though I wanted a change this time) was rather overwhelming, and so I made Infernape a physically based mixed wallbreaker, which helped Lucario A LOT in sweeping. Then I found Tyranitar to be underwhelming as a revenge killer, so I replaced it with Choice Scarf Starmie.
Under the Microscope:
Froslass @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Ice Beam
---
Role: This is my lead. Its sole purpose in life is to aid Lucario in sweeping by getting up as many layers of Spikes as possible. It also has a useful Ghost typing, which blocks spin. However, because of the suicidal nature of Froslass, the score is usually 6-5 or 5-5.
Moveset: Spikes is pretty self-explanatory, and with 3 layers of it, Lucario already has a much easier time sweeping. Taunt stops slow leads like Swampert or Skarmory from setting-up on me, though I don't really mind most of the time since my Pokemon aren't really weak to entry hazards. Destiny Bond can possibly net me a free kill, and it usually does. Ice Beam is more or less just a filler move, and it gives me a useful STAB option. Ice Beam over Shadow Ball because of the higher base power and better type coverage.
EVs, Nature and Item: 252 Speed EVs with Timid nature are mandatory, and it allows me to reach 350 Speed. 252 Special Attack EVs simply to power up Ice Beam, but it is also just a filler. Focus Sash allows me to always survive at least one hit, which is needed for something as frail as Froslass.
Possible changes: None right now, unless you can think of an even faster Spiker which can be utilized effectively in OU.
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Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
---
Role: Originally I had Bronzong in this position. Because of that, paralysis crippled my team. When I say crippled, I mean if paralysis happens to strike any one of my important sweepers, I would have a great chance of losing. I obviously noticed that, and so I put Swampert, which countered an endless amount of dangerous Pokemon and gave me a reliable switch in to Thunder Wave. This is also an excellent phazer. This is also my Stealth Rock user, as it supports Lucario in the same way as Froslass, but with a much more defensive notion. Swampert also has a extremely useful position as the only Torment Heatran counter, which I used to find incredibly annoying when I still used Bronzong.
Moveset: The moveset itself is pretty standard. Stealth Rock is pretty much a necessity for this team, as it concentrates on getting as many entry hazards up as possible. Roar phases excellently and it helps me deal with a great amount of threats, namely set-up sweepers. The only difference between this and the Smogon set is the last two attacking move choices. Earthquake and Waterfall are my Swampert’s obligatory stab moves. It lists Ice Beam instead, but now that Salamence is Ubers, Ice Beam is more or less only used on Pokemon with a 4x weakness to Ice (Celebi , Shaymin and Roserade are too bulky), namely Dragonite and Flygon. Dragonite is way too bulky to take much from Ice Beam with no investment, and Adamant Choice Scarf Flygon is adequately handled by my own revenge killer, Starmie. Because of this, I chose Earthquake and Waterfall as its obligatory STAB moves.
EVs, Nature and Item: Almost completely standard. The EVs are the same as the ones listed on the official Smogon analysis. The item choice is obvious for a tank like Swampert. I used Impish instead of Relaxed because I don’t mind the lower Special Attack since I do not utilize any special moves.
Possible Changes: None, I’m very happy with Swampert.
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Rotom-w @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 100 SpD / 56 Spe
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Discharge
- Shadow Ball
---
Role: This serves as my screener. It may seem unnecessary, but as I said earlier, I feel a lot safer behind screens. Besides, I like seeing my opponent’s Pokemon doing pathetic damage against my supposedly “frail” sweepers. This also serves as my spin-blocker, and it is a great one. Whenever I see a potential Rapid Spin coming up, I go straight to Rotom-w, and it is bulky enough to survive any attack that the spinner may dish out.
Moveset: Pretty standard as well. Reflect and Light Screen are there for obvious reasons, and they support Lucario and Infernape very well. Discharge is used over Thunderbolt because of the 30% paralysis chance, and I don’t really mind the power drop. Shadow Ball is there for a reliable secondary STAB move.
EVs, Nature and Item: Also completely standard and are all taken off of the official Smogon analysis. Light Clay is there to make my screens incredibly annoying due to their ridiculous longevity.
Possible Changes: I was thinking about replacing Shadow Ball with Hydro Pump so I can have a secondary Torment Heatran counter alongside Swampert. Also, I may change this with Rotom-h or Rotom-c instead, since Rotom-c can maim Pokemon like opposing Vaporeon or Hippowdon but more importantly opposing Swampert, and Rotom-h can maul Pokemon like Skarmory or Forretress.
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Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 64 SpA / 192 Spe
Naïve Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Overheat
---
Role: This is my mixed sweeper, Infernape. It is a physically based one, as opposed to the more popular specially based one. Its role is simple. Wreak as much havoc until it dies. By then, their team will have been significantly weakened, which allows Lucario to sweep. Almost no combination of walls can defeat this Infernape, unless they have ridiculously lucky and/or skilled prediction.
Moveset: Close Combat and Overheat are Infernape’s STAB moves. Overheat hits incredibly hard, even with this Infernape’s small EV investment on special attack. Close Combat demolishes things like Blissey and Tyranitar. Stone Edge is for more coverage, and it hits stuff like Gyarados and Dragonite for super effective damage. U-turn scouts excellently.
EVs, Nature and Item: 252 Speed EVs combined with a Naïve nature allow me to outspeed all positively natured base 100’s, most notably non-Choice Scarf Celebi and Jirachi. U-turn maims Celebi and Overheat mauls Jirachi. Life Orb is an obvious item choice, as it increases the damage output significantly.
Possible Changes: None at all right now. Honestly, ever since the departure of Salamence, there haven’t been any completely reliable mixed sweepers. Dragonite, Electivire and Mamoswine are both too slow, and have mediocre special attack stats. Infernape is extremely frail. I may change this set to the specially based one.
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Starmie @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
---
Role: Meet my revenge killer, Choice Scarf Starmie. It revenge kills a good portion of the metagame, like Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Dragonite and Gyarados at +1 speed, Celebi, Jirachi, etc. STAB Surfs coming off 328 base special attack hurt. That’s all I have to say.
Moveset: Surf is Starmie’s obvious STAB move. It maims Tyranitar badly along with a whole collection of other stuff. Ice Beam hits Dragons like Dragonite or Flygon for super effective damage, as well as things like Celebi. Thunderbolt is primarily for Gyarados, which Surf and Ice Beam fail to do much damage to. Trick destroys common walls that would have walled Starmie, such as Snorlax or Blissey.
EVs, Nature and Item: The EVs for Starmie are obvious. The nature is Modest over Timid because the extra power is very welcome. However, I lose my ability to revenge kill Choice Scarf Flygon.
Possible Changes: Perhaps replace this with a different revenge killer like Choice Scarf Jirachi or Flygon?
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Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extremespeed
- Crunch
---
Role Swords Dance Lucario is the best late-game cleaner in the history of Pokemon. Swords Dance Scizor lacks the raw power of STAB Close Combat, Calm Mind Suicune and Life Orb Starmie lack a priority move. Dragon Dance Gyarados, Dragonite and Tyranitar all have 4x super effective weaknesses and are all very slow, even after a Dragon Dance. Agility Metagross lacks the coverage of Lucario. STAB Close Combats coming off 700 attack severely maims just about everthing which does’t resist it. At late-game, if you let this get +2, prepare to say “gg”.
Moveset: Swords Dance is there for obvious reasons. At +2, Lucario’s attack reaches astronomical levels, 700 to be exact. With 700 attack, Lucario 180 base power Close Combat (STAB boost factored in) demolishes even the most physically bulky walls. Crunch maims things like Dusknoir and Rotom-a, as well as bulky Psychics like Uxie. Extremespeed picks fast things off, like Choice Scarf Flygon who would’ve revenge killed me.
EVs, Nature and Item: These are all very self-explanatory. 252 attack and speed EVs with an Adamant nature maximize Lucario’s physical sweeping potential. Life Orb boosts Lucario’s already high damage output to ridiculous levels.
Possible Changes: Lolwut?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Final Glance:
End Notes:
This is probably my favorite team that I ever made. I accept all constructive criticism. Go ahead. As long as it is constructive and you state reasons.
Thanks!
The general concept of this team was to set-up as many layers of entry hazards as possible excluding Toxic Spikes, screen with something, use something as destructive as possible to weaken the opponents defensive core, then sweep with Lucario.
I will likely be keeping this team through 5th gen though I will definitely upgrade it with 5th gen pokes. I already have some ideas ;)
Team at a Glance:
Team Building Process:
So I obviously needed a Lucario at first.
Because my concept was to have as many entry hazards as possible, I obviously needed Spikes and Stealth Rock. Since Spikes is arguably harder to set-up, I choose to lead with that. For future reference, I HATE leading with slower leads. And the only best fast Spiker lead is Froslass, who, admittedly is BL, though it functions excellently on this team.
So now I needed a Stealth Rock user, so I choose Bronzong because of its great amount of resistances, courtesy of its Steel typing.
So now I needed an excellent Dual Screener. You may argue that this is unnecessary with Swords Dance Lucario, but generally I feel a lot safer behind screens, and it gives my frail sweepers some much needed bulk. I choose Rotom-W for two things: one, for its ability to block Rapid Spin as well as set-up screens, and two, for its ability to deal with Heatran, the king of OU.
Now I needed two reliable revenge killers. The first one that jumped to mind was Infernape. Then I also thought about Choice Scarf Tyranitar. So that was two revenge killers (also Scarfers) on my team.
After testing this A LOT, I realized that I had absolutely NO reliable switch-in to Thunder Wave, which completely crippled my team. After some MORE testing, I found Swampert to be effective, and put it in place of Bronzong.
After even more testing, I found that two Scarfers, even with this kind of defensive support (it isn't a lot, I know, but it’s a lot for me, because I love running hyper offense teams, though I wanted a change this time) was rather overwhelming, and so I made Infernape a physically based mixed wallbreaker, which helped Lucario A LOT in sweeping. Then I found Tyranitar to be underwhelming as a revenge killer, so I replaced it with Choice Scarf Starmie.
Under the Microscope:
Froslass @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Ice Beam
---
Role: This is my lead. Its sole purpose in life is to aid Lucario in sweeping by getting up as many layers of Spikes as possible. It also has a useful Ghost typing, which blocks spin. However, because of the suicidal nature of Froslass, the score is usually 6-5 or 5-5.
Moveset: Spikes is pretty self-explanatory, and with 3 layers of it, Lucario already has a much easier time sweeping. Taunt stops slow leads like Swampert or Skarmory from setting-up on me, though I don't really mind most of the time since my Pokemon aren't really weak to entry hazards. Destiny Bond can possibly net me a free kill, and it usually does. Ice Beam is more or less just a filler move, and it gives me a useful STAB option. Ice Beam over Shadow Ball because of the higher base power and better type coverage.
EVs, Nature and Item: 252 Speed EVs with Timid nature are mandatory, and it allows me to reach 350 Speed. 252 Special Attack EVs simply to power up Ice Beam, but it is also just a filler. Focus Sash allows me to always survive at least one hit, which is needed for something as frail as Froslass.
Possible changes: None right now, unless you can think of an even faster Spiker which can be utilized effectively in OU.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
---
Role: Originally I had Bronzong in this position. Because of that, paralysis crippled my team. When I say crippled, I mean if paralysis happens to strike any one of my important sweepers, I would have a great chance of losing. I obviously noticed that, and so I put Swampert, which countered an endless amount of dangerous Pokemon and gave me a reliable switch in to Thunder Wave. This is also an excellent phazer. This is also my Stealth Rock user, as it supports Lucario in the same way as Froslass, but with a much more defensive notion. Swampert also has a extremely useful position as the only Torment Heatran counter, which I used to find incredibly annoying when I still used Bronzong.
Moveset: The moveset itself is pretty standard. Stealth Rock is pretty much a necessity for this team, as it concentrates on getting as many entry hazards up as possible. Roar phases excellently and it helps me deal with a great amount of threats, namely set-up sweepers. The only difference between this and the Smogon set is the last two attacking move choices. Earthquake and Waterfall are my Swampert’s obligatory stab moves. It lists Ice Beam instead, but now that Salamence is Ubers, Ice Beam is more or less only used on Pokemon with a 4x weakness to Ice (Celebi , Shaymin and Roserade are too bulky), namely Dragonite and Flygon. Dragonite is way too bulky to take much from Ice Beam with no investment, and Adamant Choice Scarf Flygon is adequately handled by my own revenge killer, Starmie. Because of this, I chose Earthquake and Waterfall as its obligatory STAB moves.
EVs, Nature and Item: Almost completely standard. The EVs are the same as the ones listed on the official Smogon analysis. The item choice is obvious for a tank like Swampert. I used Impish instead of Relaxed because I don’t mind the lower Special Attack since I do not utilize any special moves.
Possible Changes: None, I’m very happy with Swampert.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rotom-w @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 100 SpD / 56 Spe
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Discharge
- Shadow Ball
---
Role: This serves as my screener. It may seem unnecessary, but as I said earlier, I feel a lot safer behind screens. Besides, I like seeing my opponent’s Pokemon doing pathetic damage against my supposedly “frail” sweepers. This also serves as my spin-blocker, and it is a great one. Whenever I see a potential Rapid Spin coming up, I go straight to Rotom-w, and it is bulky enough to survive any attack that the spinner may dish out.
Moveset: Pretty standard as well. Reflect and Light Screen are there for obvious reasons, and they support Lucario and Infernape very well. Discharge is used over Thunderbolt because of the 30% paralysis chance, and I don’t really mind the power drop. Shadow Ball is there for a reliable secondary STAB move.
EVs, Nature and Item: Also completely standard and are all taken off of the official Smogon analysis. Light Clay is there to make my screens incredibly annoying due to their ridiculous longevity.
Possible Changes: I was thinking about replacing Shadow Ball with Hydro Pump so I can have a secondary Torment Heatran counter alongside Swampert. Also, I may change this with Rotom-h or Rotom-c instead, since Rotom-c can maim Pokemon like opposing Vaporeon or Hippowdon but more importantly opposing Swampert, and Rotom-h can maul Pokemon like Skarmory or Forretress.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 64 SpA / 192 Spe
Naïve Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Overheat
---
Role: This is my mixed sweeper, Infernape. It is a physically based one, as opposed to the more popular specially based one. Its role is simple. Wreak as much havoc until it dies. By then, their team will have been significantly weakened, which allows Lucario to sweep. Almost no combination of walls can defeat this Infernape, unless they have ridiculously lucky and/or skilled prediction.
Moveset: Close Combat and Overheat are Infernape’s STAB moves. Overheat hits incredibly hard, even with this Infernape’s small EV investment on special attack. Close Combat demolishes things like Blissey and Tyranitar. Stone Edge is for more coverage, and it hits stuff like Gyarados and Dragonite for super effective damage. U-turn scouts excellently.
EVs, Nature and Item: 252 Speed EVs combined with a Naïve nature allow me to outspeed all positively natured base 100’s, most notably non-Choice Scarf Celebi and Jirachi. U-turn maims Celebi and Overheat mauls Jirachi. Life Orb is an obvious item choice, as it increases the damage output significantly.
Possible Changes: None at all right now. Honestly, ever since the departure of Salamence, there haven’t been any completely reliable mixed sweepers. Dragonite, Electivire and Mamoswine are both too slow, and have mediocre special attack stats. Infernape is extremely frail. I may change this set to the specially based one.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starmie @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
---
Role: Meet my revenge killer, Choice Scarf Starmie. It revenge kills a good portion of the metagame, like Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Dragonite and Gyarados at +1 speed, Celebi, Jirachi, etc. STAB Surfs coming off 328 base special attack hurt. That’s all I have to say.
Moveset: Surf is Starmie’s obvious STAB move. It maims Tyranitar badly along with a whole collection of other stuff. Ice Beam hits Dragons like Dragonite or Flygon for super effective damage, as well as things like Celebi. Thunderbolt is primarily for Gyarados, which Surf and Ice Beam fail to do much damage to. Trick destroys common walls that would have walled Starmie, such as Snorlax or Blissey.
EVs, Nature and Item: The EVs for Starmie are obvious. The nature is Modest over Timid because the extra power is very welcome. However, I lose my ability to revenge kill Choice Scarf Flygon.
Possible Changes: Perhaps replace this with a different revenge killer like Choice Scarf Jirachi or Flygon?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extremespeed
- Crunch
---
Role Swords Dance Lucario is the best late-game cleaner in the history of Pokemon. Swords Dance Scizor lacks the raw power of STAB Close Combat, Calm Mind Suicune and Life Orb Starmie lack a priority move. Dragon Dance Gyarados, Dragonite and Tyranitar all have 4x super effective weaknesses and are all very slow, even after a Dragon Dance. Agility Metagross lacks the coverage of Lucario. STAB Close Combats coming off 700 attack severely maims just about everthing which does’t resist it. At late-game, if you let this get +2, prepare to say “gg”.
Moveset: Swords Dance is there for obvious reasons. At +2, Lucario’s attack reaches astronomical levels, 700 to be exact. With 700 attack, Lucario 180 base power Close Combat (STAB boost factored in) demolishes even the most physically bulky walls. Crunch maims things like Dusknoir and Rotom-a, as well as bulky Psychics like Uxie. Extremespeed picks fast things off, like Choice Scarf Flygon who would’ve revenge killed me.
EVs, Nature and Item: These are all very self-explanatory. 252 attack and speed EVs with an Adamant nature maximize Lucario’s physical sweeping potential. Life Orb boosts Lucario’s already high damage output to ridiculous levels.
Possible Changes: Lolwut?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Final Glance:
End Notes:
This is probably my favorite team that I ever made. I accept all constructive criticism. Go ahead. As long as it is constructive and you state reasons.
Thanks!