Harm Not The Pokemon...The Offender Will Grow Immobile In Entirety. OU RMT

[IcyMan28]

At A Glance

The Process​

I had decided from the start that I wanted a somewhat forgotten pokemon, one that people rarely prepared for anymore. Immediately, the perfect pokemon came to mind, one that used to be known for its deadly sweeping ability but has been largely relegated to another role...

Azelf. It's fast, hits hard off the bat, and has a boosting move to increase the damage output. Now, I needed to build a team that could help it sweep with ease. Spiritomb, Houndoom, Heatran, Tyranitar, Blissey, Cresselia, Snorlax, Scizor, Latias, and Jirachi can all cause it problems, so I needed pokemon that could remove those from play. I immediately settled on the metal red mantis that seems to be all the rage these days.

With Scizor, I cover Tyranitar, Blissey, Cresselia, and Latias all in one - and have myself a nice utility pokemon in general. But there were plenty of other holes to fill, and that's just what I did...

..with Celebi. I've used it to great success on my last team, and I figured that it would fit well in here, too, with some slight modification. With the Tinkerbell set, I could lure in and cripple Tyranitar, Scizor, and even ScarfTran. But Blissey is still staring me in the face - Scizor's Pursuit won't kill it on the way out, and there's always the risk of flamethrower. I need something to take it out, as well as Snorlax.

Which is where Heatran comes in. Not only could I use it to lure in and explode on the likes of Blissey, Latias, and Snorlax, but it also lets me fit Stealth Rock into the team, a crucial aspect for an offensively oriented team such as this one. 2 slots left, and I'm feeling like a mixed sweeper / wallbreaker would be ideal.

So Salamence gets the nod over other mixed sweepers for a few reasons. Dragon is an awesome attacking type, and Mence can break walls without needing to set up like Infernape, thanks to its high base power moves. Intimidate is always nice, and having a single Stealth Rock weakness really isn't all that major. So all that's left is the lead position. I already have Stealth Rock elsewhere, so really it could be any pokemon.

So I went with an anti-lead version of the LO sweeper Starmie I used on my last team. It wins against pretty much all leads except for Roserade with that stupid sleep, and even then, I have Natural Cure to deal with that. And quite honestly, its Toxic Spikes don't even scratch this team - Natural Cure, Levitate, and natural resistances nullify their effect. So with that, it's time to get in-depth coverage.

The Lead

Starmie@Life Orb
Timid; 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Ice Beam
Rapid Spin
Grass Knot
Hydro Pump

Starmie makes an excellent anti-lead, taking on 9 of the top 10 leads with flying colors. Focus Sash leads like Infernape and Azelf are KOd by Hydro Pump + Spin. Jirachi and Metagross are 2HKOd by Hydro Pump. Grass Knot decimates Swampert, while Hippowdon is succinctly washed ashore by Hydro Pump. The best part is, Starmie can continue its onslaught later on in the match with its great coverage, speed, and power. A great start for the team.

The Heavy Hitters

Salamence@Life Orb
Naive; 32 Atk / 224 SpA / 252 Spe

Roost
Fire Blast
Brick Break
Draco Meteor

The great dragon rears its head in the face of opposition, threatening to attack from either side of the spectrum. Draco Meteor is the crux of the set, decimating anything that does not resist it or have sky-high special defense. For those things that do meet one of the above two exceptions, Salamence has Fire Blast and Brick Break to see if they are equally as resilient in other areas. Mence punches holes into the opponents team so that Azelf can sweep much more easily later, which is much appreciated. And with Roost, it can restore its health regardless of LO and Stealth Rock.

Scizor@Choice Band
Adamant; 168 HP / 176 Atk / 160 SpD

U-turn
Pursuit
Superpower
Bullet Punch

CB Scizor, with a more specially defensive EV spread. It still retains significant power behind that Bullet Punch thanks to Technician and CB, and its U-turn is as useful as ever. Pursuit allows me to chase fleeing pokemon such as Latias and Celebi, and Superpower is there for Heatran and Magnezone, though I rarely use it.

The Lures

Celebi@Life Orb
Modest; 232 HP / 244 SpA / 32 Spe

Recover
Leaf Storm
Thunder Wave
Hidden Power Fire

TinkerBell finds itself on the team thanks to its ability to lure out and kill Tyranitar and Scizor, two enormous threats to Azelf's survival and ultimate success. Thunder Wave allows me to cripple incoming Salamence and ScarfTran, if I get lucky, which is always a bonus. And of course, Recover allows Celebi to restore any health it may have lost in exchange for Life Orb's power boost.

Heatran@Shuca Berry
Naive; 6 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Explosion
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Stealth Rock

ShucaTran is the second lure, attracting Blissey, Snorlax, and Latias. It also presents an answer to Houndoom and opposing Heatran, thanks to the Shuca Berry. Laying down stealth rock is always a benefit for the team, and is just one of the ways Heatran helps out. It's ability to outspeed neutral base 85s lets it play like ScarfTran in some instances, which can lead to the demise of a Blissey or Lax as it comes in on a well-timed Explosion, clearing the way for Azelf. It has excellent synergy with the rest of the team, thanks to its plethora of resistances.

The Core

Azelf@Expert Belt
Timid; 6 HP / 16 Def / 236 SpA / 252 Spe

Psychic
Nasty Plot
Flamethrower
Hidden Power Ground

Azelf, the ringleader, rounds out the team thanks to its powerful attacks, backed by a blistering speed that is only outdone (naturally) in OU by Jolteon, Weavile, and Aerodactyl. Ideally, by the time Azelf comes out, the rest of the team should have dealt with those things that threaten it or prevent its sweep. The EVs allow it to always survive 252 Atk CB Scizor's Bullet Punch when at full health, factoring in Stealth Rock, which allows Azelf to boost, pick up a KO with Flamethrower, and continue its sweep. HP Ground deals with Heatran, and deals significant damage to Tyranitar that invest minimally in HP and SpD.

Credit for the backsprites and dungeon headshots goes to Serebiiforums, while the individual images are from arkeis.com.

 

[IcyMan28]

Offensive

- Unlike my own Azelf, these are usually leading, meaning that Hydro Pump + Rapid Spin should do the trick. Otherwise, Starmie can force a speed tie, Scizor can Bullet Punch, my own Azelf can speed tie, and Heatran does a pretty good job of walling it.

- Always a hassle, but it can be dealt with. Starmie's Ice Beam, Heatran's Fire Blast...every pokemon on the team has some way of dealing with it, so it has issues even switching in. Celebi is a nice hard counter.

- Can't be countered, but it has issues switching in. It only really comes in on Heatran's Stealth Rock, though.

- Electric attacks are scarce on the team, so it has issues getting that Motor Drive boosts. The large majority of my team can prey on its weak defenses.

- Not letting it set up is key. Celebi can usually take an Ice Beam and Thunder Wave, making it easier to handle for the rest of the team.

- The dragonfly is annoying with U-turn, but Scizor's Bullet Punch does a number on it, and luring it into Outrage is usually not a problem.

- They've gotten smart with their Sub + HP Fire, but Scizor is still a general answer to it. Starmie can outspeed and kill, as can Azelf.

- Gliscor doesn't hit that hard compared to other sweepers. Celebi, Salamence, and Starmie do significant damage to it.

- Celebi can weather an Ice Fang and KO back with Leaf Storm, and Starmie has Grass Knot as well. Mence's Draco Meteor hits powerfully for those that aren't boosted yet, KOing after Stealth Rock.

- Starmie kills it, my own Heatran deals with it, Azelf has HP Ground, etc.

- Takes alot of damage from the many things on my team that are faster. ScarfCross can be played around.

- LeadApe loses to Starmie, and sweeper Ape are revenged by Starmie, Azelf, and even Scizor.

- Scarf Jirachi doesn't do anything to Heatran. Defensive versions also dislike Heatran, and Starmie does alot of damage with Hydro Pump. Mence can hit it hard too.

- Celebi takes anything but Outrage or Draco Meteor and paralyzes it. Luring it into using Outrage lets Heatran boom on it, or Scizor can hit it hard.

- Trapped by Scizor and killed. Heatran booms on it, and Celebi can paralyze. Switching into Mence is risky for it.

- Salamence's Intimidate helps alot. Starmie and Scizor do well after CC defense drops too.

- Azelf's Psychic, Mence's Draco Meteor, and Heatran's Fire Blast are all bad news for it.

- Heatran and Salamence can hurt it pretty badly.

- Celebi's Leaf Storm proves painful, and it can't really take boosted hits from Azelf, or Salamence's Draco Meteor.

- Starmie's Hydro Pump, Azelf's Flamethrower, and Celebi's Leaf Storm all prove dangerous to it, not to mention Scizor's BP.

- Heatran, Salamence, Celebi.

- Bullet Punch.

- Heatran does nicely, as do Starmie and Scizor.

- Starmie, Celebi, and Scizor all have super effective moves to deal with it.

- Can't do too much to Heatran at all unless it has HP Ground. If it has HP Ground, Celebi takes it.

- The appliances are dealt with simply with resists. Scarf versions can be played around, while defensive versions can't take too much of a beating from high powered attacks like Draco Meteor.

- It has difficulty switching in. Scizor revenges it, or it can be lured into Outrage.

- Heatran does well, while Celebi lures and kills it.

- Steels generally take it on. Can't stand up to Mixmence (which also has Intimidate).

- Scizor can trap it, and Celebi can take an Ice Beam to strike back.

- Has trouble finding time to set up. Starmie 2HKOs with GK, Celebi OHKOs with Leaf Storm, etc.

- Starmie can outspeed and kill, while Scizor and Mence use powerful attacks to bring it down.

- Celebi lures and kills it, Starmie deals heavy damage, and Scizor can revenge.

- Scizor and Heatran.

- Scizor and Heatran again.

- Can be an issue, although it doesn't like taking powerful Draco Meteors from Mence or Ice Beams from Starmie. Celebi can take LO Heat Wave and paralyze it.

Defensive

- Scizor's Pursuit, Heatran's Boom, Mixmence's Outrage.

- Heatran's Fire Blasts do alot, as do the more powerful attacks of the team, especially since it lacks recovery.

- Scizor deals alot of damage, as does Heatran. Salamence hits it hard with Fire Blast too.

- MixMence deals significant damage to it, while Scizor can simply U-turn or Pursue it.

- Special attacks make short work of it. Salamence gets the nod with its Ground Immunity, and Celebi has Leaf Storm + Ground resist.

- Can't take Salamence's hits, or Heatran's strong Fire Blasts. Lack or reliable recovery hurts it here.

- Fire attacks or special attacks work wonders here.

- Thick Fat means that Heatran won't work, but Starmie, Salamence, and Celebi still hit it hard, as does Azelf.

- Special attacks.

- Pursuit by Scizor removes it, while Salamence breaks it just like the other walls.

- Celebi and Starmie's Grass attacks work well, as does U-Turn + Draco Meteor.

- Mixmence, Heatran, even Starmie or Celebi.

- Scizor's U-turn does a hefty chunk, and Celebi can always Leaf Storm.

- Celebi and Starmie.

- Salamence's Earthquake is effective, or even Azelf's Psychic.

- Celebi's Leaf Storm.

 

[MrIndigo]

I'm not sure about Expert Belt on Azelf. You don't seem to have that much super-effective coverage on there with Psychic (poison, fighting), Fire (grass, steel, bug), Ground (fire, poison, steel, rock). I would either use Thunderbolt and HP Ice, or more likely, just use Life Orb (or Wise Glasses if you really can't stand the recoil).

 

[WoOoShoOo!!]

Hi..

I just noticed that Crocune somewhat owns your team. Crocune sets up on Starmie with ease. If it gets at least 1 or 2 Calm minds it's pretty much GG. How it goes: Suicune shows up, get's a Calm mind while you switch to your Celebi. Celebi uses Leaf Storm, didn't KO. Suicune rest's the damage taken and get's another Calm Mind with Sleep talk. So, I highly suggest running Taunt over HP[Ground](Azelf). Well those two threats you mentioned(Heatran and Ttar) are easily beaten by Hydro Pump. Therefore you don't really need HP[Ground]. By the way this team really surprised me. No walls but full of sweepers. Also, I agree with MrIndigo about the Wise Glasses. Good Luck!! Hope I helped!

 

[Aeroblacktyl]

well that same suicune takes 299 attack vs 266 defense, 140 power(*2 *1.3), 404 max HP: 73.27% - 86.14% from leafstorm after ONE calm mind. so assuming it came in on stealth rock, if it so much as took an iron head from jirachi, leaf storm ohko's so why are you tripping so badly o_O

 

[IcyMan28]

I'm not sure about Expert Belt on Azelf. You don't seem to have that much super-effective coverage on there with Psychic (poison, fighting), Fire (grass, steel, bug), Ground (fire, poison, steel, rock). I would either use Thunderbolt and HP Ice, or more likely, just use Life Orb (or Wise Glasses if you really can't stand the recoil).

Life Orb recoil means that Azelf will die after attacking Scizor, having it ultimately fulfill its purpose. Wise Glasses provide too weak of a boost, and Expert Belt hits what it needs to just fine, in my opinion. Thanks though!

I just noticed that Crocune somewhat owns your team. Crocune sets up on Starmie with ease. If it gets at least 1 or 2 Calm minds it's pretty much GG. How it goes: Suicune shows up, get's a Calm mind while you switch to your Celebi. Celebi uses Leaf Storm, didn't KO. Suicune rest's the damage taken and get's another Calm Mind with Sleep talk. So, I highly suggest running Taunt over HP[Ground](Azelf). Well those two threats you mentioned(Heatran and Ttar) are easily beaten by Hydro Pump. Therefore you don't really need HP[Ground]. By the way this team really surprised me. No walls but full of sweepers. Also, I agree with MrIndigo about the Wise Glasses. Good Luck!! Hope I helped!

Crocune really isn't doing too much of anything to the team, honestly. It switches in on Starmie and takes 62% min from GK, followed by 42% min after a CM - an easy 2HKO. Scizor will U-turn out, doing about 30%, to something that can deal with it. MixMence's Draco Meteor does 90% min with 2 successive hits, meaning that SR damage completes the 2HKO. Azelf can Plot alongside it, and Celebi has a very real chance of OHKOing even through a Calm Mind, thanks to Stealth Rock. While it can present an issue...it has some issues finding the time to set up. I'll definitely watch out for it though.

 

[supermarth64]

Hello there. It's been a while since I've seen an NP Azelf due to so many Scizor being around. There are a few things that we have to fix though.

First of all, your team has a large weakness to DD Babiri Tyranitar, which can easily set up on a Choiced Pursuit from Scizor. Everything from your team gets hit for SE damage except for Heatran, which can't take a DDed Stone Edge. Scizor can't revenge kill it because of Babiri Berry, reducing Bullet Punch's damage. Also, without Salamence, SD Lucario can also set up on a Pursuit from Scizor and Extremespeed to get past all of your Pokemon. Fortunately, there's one Pokemon that handles both threats: Gliscor. Due to its impressive physical bulk, it can easily take hits from both Tyranitar and Lucario and KO them with Earthquake. It can also set up Stealth Rock for your team and Taunt any opposing Pokemon. Gliscor also handles your LO Charge Beam Jolteon weakness, as many of them carry HP Grass to handle Swampert instead. By replacing Heatran with Gliscor, the main thing you lose is Explosion, but you do gain a check to many threats.

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Jolly | 252 HP / 36 Def / 220 Spe
Earthquake / Taunt / U-turn / Stealth Rock

Earthquake handles all three of the threats mentioned above (even though Crunch can 2HKO Gliscor after SR, it only has a 64% chance of doing so due to Sand Veil). Taunt prevents Pokemon from setting up in front of you, while U-turn lets you scout and switch to another Pokemon that can better handle the threat. Stealth Rock is there also for residual damage.

Also, some minor changes are needed. For Salamence, max Speed is way too important to pass up in today's metagame, as you definitely don't want to risk a speed tie. Go with an EV spread of 32 Atk / 224 SpA / 252 Spe with a Naive nature. Also, I'd recommend using the classic Mixmence set instead. With Roost, Salamence can switch in several times even if there is Stealth Rock up and also heal off any Life Orb damage. The set is Draco Meteor / Fire Blast / Brick Break / Roost.

Life Orb should go over Expert Belt on Azelf because Azelf's defenses are way too frail to survive any possible hits it might take, and Azelf needs all the power it can get to pull off a sweep.

Finally, as a secondary way to handle Lucario, you might want to go with an EV spread of 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe. This outspeeds Adamant Lucario so you can KO it with HP Fire while providing a Life Orb number also. This does reduce Celebi's bulk, so it's an optional change.

Anyway, good luck with your team!

 

[WoOoShoOo!!]

Sorry Bro's

Crocune really isn't doing too much of anything to the team, honestly. It switches in on Starmie and takes 62% min from GK, followed by 42% min after a CM - an easy 2HKO. Scizor will U-turn out, doing about 30%, to something that can deal with it. MixMence's Draco Meteor does 90% min with 2 successive hits, meaning that SR damage completes the 2HKO. Azelf can Plot alongside it, and Celebi has a very real chance of OHKOing even through a Calm Mind, thanks to Stealth Rock. While it can present an issue...it has some issues finding the time to set up. I'll definitely watch out for it though.

If you can predict the switch. But yeah, gotta agree Aeroblacktyl and IcyMan28, My mistake there, sorry. Sometimes I'm outta my mind.

 

[IcyMan28]

Hello there. It's been a while since I've seen an NP Azelf due to so many Scizor being around. There are a few things that we have to fix though.

First of all, your team has a large weakness to DD Babiri Tyranitar, which can easily set up on a Choiced Pursuit from Scizor. Everything from your team gets hit for SE damage except for Heatran, which can't take a DDed Stone Edge. Scizor can't revenge kill it because of Babiri Berry, reducing Bullet Punch's damage. Also, without Salamence, SD Lucario can also set up on a Pursuit from Scizor and Extremespeed to get past all of your Pokemon. Fortunately, there's one Pokemon that handles both threats: Gliscor. Due to its impressive physical bulk, it can easily take hits from both Tyranitar and Lucario and KO them with Earthquake. It can also set up Stealth Rock for your team and Taunt any opposing Pokemon. Gliscor also handles your LO Charge Beam Jolteon weakness, as many of them carry HP Grass to handle Swampert instead. By replacing Heatran with Gliscor, the main thing you lose is Explosion, but you do gain a check to many threats.

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Jolly | 252 HP / 36 Def / 220 Spe
Earthquake / Taunt / U-turn / Stealth Rock

Earthquake handles all three of the threats mentioned above (even though Crunch can 2HKO Gliscor after SR, it only has a 64% chance of doing so due to Sand Veil). Taunt prevents Pokemon from setting up in front of you, while U-turn lets you scout and switch to another Pokemon that can better handle the threat. Stealth Rock is there also for residual damage.

I've used a similar Gliscor before to success, so I know it works...but then I lose one of the pokemon that is essentially required so that I can lure and kill Blissey. I'll wait for a second opinion.

Also, some minor changes are needed. For Salamence, max Speed is way too important to pass up in today's metagame, as you definitely don't want to risk a speed tie. Go with an EV spread of 32 Atk / 224 SpA / 252 Spe with a Naive nature. Also, I'd recommend using the classic Mixmence set instead. With Roost, Salamence can switch in several times even if there is Stealth Rock up and also heal off any Life Orb damage. The set is Draco Meteor / Fire Blast / Brick Break / Roost.

I like this. And helping out with Lucario is a bonus as well.

Life Orb should go over Expert Belt on Azelf because Azelf's defenses are way too frail to survive any possible hits it might take, and Azelf needs all the power it can get to pull off a sweep.

This I'm not too sure about - it nullifies the benefit of those few defense EVs against Scizor's Bullet Punch because the LO recoil kills it in the end...and by the time Azelf gets into play, everything is already weakened and KOd by Azelf...such a dilemma.

Finally, as a secondary way to handle Lucario, you might want to go with an EV spread of 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe. This outspeeds Adamant Lucario so you can KO it with HP Fire while providing a Life Orb number also. This does reduce Celebi's bulk, so it's an optional change.

I'd be trading a Gyarados check for a Lucario check. Usage statistics decide this, so I'll stick to the EVs given. Thanks though - I'll keep it in mind if I find myself having trouble vs. Luke.

Anyway, good luck with your team!

Thanks a lot for the rate! Much appreciated.

If you can predict the switch. But yeah, gotta agree Aeroblacktyl and IcyMan28, My mistake there, sorry. Sometimes I'm outta my mind.

Its understandable. And really, I don't even have to predict the switch because Starmie outspeeds Cune, and is getting in its 62% GK regardless ;)