Hello everyone! With some adjustments over my time playing SM OU, I've managed to make a team which has gotten me up to the 1500+ range on the ladder, so I wanted to share it and see what you guys think.
Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
So I wanted to build a team around my favourite physical sweeper, Mega Charizard X. Gen VII has brought many new threats (?) to bolster its viability, such as Tapu Koko, Alolan Muk, Tapu Bulu, Buzzwole and Celesteela. It remains one of the best Dragon Dancers in the tier thanks to its awesome Fire / Dragon typing, amazing coverage and Tough Claws to really put a dent in anything that isn't ready for it.
Pretty standard set here with Fire Punch and Dragon Claw for obligatory STAB and Earthquake to hit Heatran, Tyranitar, Alolan Muk and Tapu Koko. A Jolly nature outspeeds scarfed Tapu Lele and the attack boost from an Adamant nature is compensated by Tough Claws anyway.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute
Now for the signature Special attacker. Serperior is a fantastic Special sweeper that is incredibly fun to use - there is nothing more satisfying than switching into a Tapu Fini that uses Defog only to net an Evasion boost. Fun ensues when Substitute is used as it switches out or misses a Moonblast or Nature's Madness.
Leaf Storm is not only powerful in its own right but boosts Serperior's Special Attack by two stages each time it is used thanks to Contrary which makes it ridiculously powerful. Dragon Pulse hits the Lati twins, Zard-X and is a good neutral damaging move to finish off weakened opponents. Hidden Power Fire roasts Scizor and Ferrothorn and gives Serperior a way to fight back against Magearna, Celesteela and Skarmory if it manages to get a +2 with Leaf Storm as they switch in. Substitute combined with Leftovers and somewhat decent bulk gives Serperior excellent longevity.
Kyurem-Black @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Earth Power
Scarf Kyu-B is an excellent countermeasure against Lando-T, Gyarados at +1, Mega Venusaur and Mimikyu. Fusion Bolt OHKOes standard Gyarados and hits its Mega relatively hard. Ice Beam stops Lando cold and bypasses Mega Venusaur's Thick Fat thanks to Teravolt. Iron Head hits Fairies and bypasses Mimikyu's Disguise, putting a huge dent into it if not OHKOing it. Earth Power hits Tapu Koko, Heatran, Tyranitar and Steel / Fire types in general, as well as bypassing Rotom-W's Levitate which is extremely useful.
A Naive nature ensures Kyurem-B hits as hard as possible without sacrificing speed. The special attacks it often gets hit by usually end up 2HKOing or OHKOing it (Tapu's Dazzling Gleam / Moonblast, Lele's Psychic, Dragon type moves etc) so it is relatively safe to use.
Swampert @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Damp
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
Base form Swampert might seem like a bit of an odd choice for an OU team, but right now there are 27 usable Pokemon that have access to both Stealth Rock and Roar for the purpose of phasing out setup sweepers, Scolipede and other Substitute users. With the exception of Camerupt and Swampert, the standard Pheromosa has a super effective move for ALL of those Pokemon (Fighting STAB, Bug STAB, Ice Beam). Neither Camerupt or Swampert have that much bulk to begin with, and their Mega Stones are unreleased. If we swap Roar for Whirlwind, then there are a whooping 4 usable mons of those moves... and all 4 of them, except Skarmory, is hit by a super effective move. WHY ISN'T PHEROMOSA BANNED YET? Of course, swapping Swampert for Skarmory would then cause Tapu Koko to be a bigger issue than it needs to be, so that's pretty much out of the question.
But alas, Swampert is still a good defensive mon in its own right. Scald can 2HKO / burn Lando-T or burn (Mega) Gyarados as it tries to set up. Earthquake is obligatory STAB, Roar phases out physical sweepers, Scolipede and other Substitute users.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Magma Storm
- Iron Head
- Toxic
- Taunt
This variant of Heatran is designed to annoy stallfags and wreak havoc on passive playstyles in general. Magma Storm is a powerful STAB move which traps things like Chansey, Clefable, Porygon-2, Smeargle and Umbreon while essentially OHKOing Skarmory thanks to the resulting chip damage. Iron Head hits Calm Mind Clefable and Chansey on their weaker Defence stats and has the added 30% to flinch, something which can really come in handy when breaking down stallers. The Toxic + Taunt combo, when used in tandem with Magma Storm and Iron Head, completely ruins stallers and effectively removes them from play.
Not sure what to do with the investment / nature here. Heatran isn't intended to be used to hit things hard as such, but slowly kill them over time with chip damage and flinches. It needs to be able to outlast what it is sent in to take care of as well as outspeeding them.
Starmie @ Electrium Z
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Scald
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
Starmie is a great offensive hazard controller that can also absorb status with Natural Cure and hit an assortment of threats with viable coverage moves. Psychic hits Toxapex, Breloom and Keldo with super-effective STAB. Scald is Scald, particularly useful against Mega Metagross lacking Thunder Punch. Thunderbolt / Gigavolt Havoc hits Mandibuzz, Skarmory, Gyarados and various Water / Flying monsters. Rapid Spin is for hazard control, supporting Charizard-X in its efforts while eliminating the need to use Defog and Stealth Rock on the same team.
Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
So I wanted to build a team around my favourite physical sweeper, Mega Charizard X. Gen VII has brought many new threats (?) to bolster its viability, such as Tapu Koko, Alolan Muk, Tapu Bulu, Buzzwole and Celesteela. It remains one of the best Dragon Dancers in the tier thanks to its awesome Fire / Dragon typing, amazing coverage and Tough Claws to really put a dent in anything that isn't ready for it.
Pretty standard set here with Fire Punch and Dragon Claw for obligatory STAB and Earthquake to hit Heatran, Tyranitar, Alolan Muk and Tapu Koko. A Jolly nature outspeeds scarfed Tapu Lele and the attack boost from an Adamant nature is compensated by Tough Claws anyway.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute
Now for the signature Special attacker. Serperior is a fantastic Special sweeper that is incredibly fun to use - there is nothing more satisfying than switching into a Tapu Fini that uses Defog only to net an Evasion boost. Fun ensues when Substitute is used as it switches out or misses a Moonblast or Nature's Madness.
Leaf Storm is not only powerful in its own right but boosts Serperior's Special Attack by two stages each time it is used thanks to Contrary which makes it ridiculously powerful. Dragon Pulse hits the Lati twins, Zard-X and is a good neutral damaging move to finish off weakened opponents. Hidden Power Fire roasts Scizor and Ferrothorn and gives Serperior a way to fight back against Magearna, Celesteela and Skarmory if it manages to get a +2 with Leaf Storm as they switch in. Substitute combined with Leftovers and somewhat decent bulk gives Serperior excellent longevity.
Kyurem-Black @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Earth Power
Scarf Kyu-B is an excellent countermeasure against Lando-T, Gyarados at +1, Mega Venusaur and Mimikyu. Fusion Bolt OHKOes standard Gyarados and hits its Mega relatively hard. Ice Beam stops Lando cold and bypasses Mega Venusaur's Thick Fat thanks to Teravolt. Iron Head hits Fairies and bypasses Mimikyu's Disguise, putting a huge dent into it if not OHKOing it. Earth Power hits Tapu Koko, Heatran, Tyranitar and Steel / Fire types in general, as well as bypassing Rotom-W's Levitate which is extremely useful.
A Naive nature ensures Kyurem-B hits as hard as possible without sacrificing speed. The special attacks it often gets hit by usually end up 2HKOing or OHKOing it (Tapu's Dazzling Gleam / Moonblast, Lele's Psychic, Dragon type moves etc) so it is relatively safe to use.
Swampert @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Damp
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
Base form Swampert might seem like a bit of an odd choice for an OU team, but right now there are 27 usable Pokemon that have access to both Stealth Rock and Roar for the purpose of phasing out setup sweepers, Scolipede and other Substitute users. With the exception of Camerupt and Swampert, the standard Pheromosa has a super effective move for ALL of those Pokemon (Fighting STAB, Bug STAB, Ice Beam). Neither Camerupt or Swampert have that much bulk to begin with, and their Mega Stones are unreleased. If we swap Roar for Whirlwind, then there are a whooping 4 usable mons of those moves... and all 4 of them, except Skarmory, is hit by a super effective move. WHY ISN'T PHEROMOSA BANNED YET? Of course, swapping Swampert for Skarmory would then cause Tapu Koko to be a bigger issue than it needs to be, so that's pretty much out of the question.
But alas, Swampert is still a good defensive mon in its own right. Scald can 2HKO / burn Lando-T or burn (Mega) Gyarados as it tries to set up. Earthquake is obligatory STAB, Roar phases out physical sweepers, Scolipede and other Substitute users.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Magma Storm
- Iron Head
- Toxic
- Taunt
This variant of Heatran is designed to annoy stallfags and wreak havoc on passive playstyles in general. Magma Storm is a powerful STAB move which traps things like Chansey, Clefable, Porygon-2, Smeargle and Umbreon while essentially OHKOing Skarmory thanks to the resulting chip damage. Iron Head hits Calm Mind Clefable and Chansey on their weaker Defence stats and has the added 30% to flinch, something which can really come in handy when breaking down stallers. The Toxic + Taunt combo, when used in tandem with Magma Storm and Iron Head, completely ruins stallers and effectively removes them from play.
Not sure what to do with the investment / nature here. Heatran isn't intended to be used to hit things hard as such, but slowly kill them over time with chip damage and flinches. It needs to be able to outlast what it is sent in to take care of as well as outspeeding them.
Starmie @ Electrium Z
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Scald
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
Starmie is a great offensive hazard controller that can also absorb status with Natural Cure and hit an assortment of threats with viable coverage moves. Psychic hits Toxapex, Breloom and Keldo with super-effective STAB. Scald is Scald, particularly useful against Mega Metagross lacking Thunder Punch. Thunderbolt / Gigavolt Havoc hits Mandibuzz, Skarmory, Gyarados and various Water / Flying monsters. Rapid Spin is for hazard control, supporting Charizard-X in its efforts while eliminating the need to use Defog and Stealth Rock on the same team.
