ORAS OU Keldeo Offense

[Bobjenkins440]

Hello! I tend to spend most of my team in ubers and monotype, but I've recently decided to start playing more OU. I wanted to build a team around Sub-CM Keldeo, as it's a really powerful mon.

Team Building Process
1) I started with sub-CM Keldeo because it has many opportunities to set up, and its excellent speed
2) I needed a way of killing Latios and Latias, so I chose Pursuit Bisharp
3) Keldeo struggles with Mega-Venusaur, so I added SD Talonflame to take care of it
4) Keldeo struggles with flying types, especially Talonflame, so I added Mega Manectric
5) I needed an SR setter, and I picked physically defensive Landorus-T
6) Talonflame needs hazard removal support, and being able to counter hazard stacking is always nice, so I added Latios as a defogger

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn

I chose Landorus-T as my SR setter mainly because of its all round good stats, it's decently bulky, reasonably fast, and hits fairly hard even with no investment due to its base 145 attack. It's physical bulk allows it to counter both Excadrill and Talonflame, even at +2. Stealth Rock is there to deal chip damage and to break sashes. (Obviously) Earthquake is a powerful STAB attack for doing general damage. Rock slide is to hit flying types. I chose it over Stone Edge due to the increased accuracy, and it still achieves the main purpose of OHKOing Talonflame. U-Turn is to grab momentum and allow me to use Landorus as a scout. The Rocky Helmet is to deal chip damage against physical attackers.

Manectric-Mega Manectite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power Ice
- Volt Switch

Manectric was originally added to kill flying types, but its excellent speed tier and SpA means it is deadly against offensive teams. Manectric's extremely fast Volt Switch allows it to grab momentum by switching out of unfavourable matchups. Thunderbolt is its primary STAB attack. Flamethrower is to hit steel types and grass types. HP Ice hits dragons, Gliscor and Landorus-T.

Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Swords Dance
- Roost

Talonflame is here mostly to take out M-Venusaur and other bulky grass types. It also functions as a powerful wallbreaker/revenge killer/ back up win-con due to the combination of Gale Wings and Swords Dance. It prefers SR to be removed, but it can play with it on the field, as Gale Wings priority means it won't be taking many attacks. Brave Bird is Talonflame's main STAB attack, gaining +1 priority with Gale Wings. Flare Blitz is there to hit Steel Types. Swords Dance boosts Talonflame's attack to crazy levels, and Roost is to heal off recoil damage and SR damage. I went for Sharp Beak over Life Orb because I didn't fancy the recoil on top of Brave Bird/Flare Blitz.

Keldeo @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Serious Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Substitute
- Calm Mind

The star of the show, Keldeo is an incredibly powerful sweeper against Balance and Stall, and is also good against offense if it finds an opportunity to set up. Scald is its main attack, and the burn chance means that nothing wants to switch in to it. Secret Sword is a secondary STAB to hit steel types, specially bulky pokemon like Blissey, and to win CM wars. Substitute protects from status and from one hit from a faster mon. Calm Mind boosts Keldeo's SpA whilst also making it more specially bulky. I can normally sweep after just one boost once Keldeos counters are gone. Leftovers are for passive recovery. I normally try to bring Keldeo in on a free switch, as it's not particularly bulky. I'll oreserve it for late game sweeping, and aim to remove its most games, unless it's needed to check something.

Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
- Swords Dance

Bisharp is here to take out the Lati twins, and Psychic types in general. Sucker Punch is its powerful main STAB and also allows Bisharp to revenge kill. Iron Head is to hit Fairies on a predicted switch. Pursuit allows me to trap Psychic and Ghost Types. Swords Dance turns Bisharp into a powerful wallbreaker. I went for Black Glasses in order to be able to bluff a choice set, and because I don't like taking LO recoil. I went for bulkier EVs + Adamant since Bisharp's speed is terrible anyway, and Sucker Punch mostly curcumvents that.

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Defog

Latios is my hazard remover, but it's also a very powerful special attacker whose excellent speed, and massively powerful Draco Meteor allows it to check a myriad of threats. Draco Meteor is to nuke opposing mons, and there is very little that wants to take one outside of fairy types, making Latios very difficult to switch in into. Psyshock hits specially defensive mons, and Recover allows Latios to stay alive for longer, and remove hazards multiple times.

 

[Moonclawz]

Hi Bobjenkins440,

This is a pretty standardish Keldeo offense team. I have a few suggestions to hopefully help make your team better.

First off, your team is fairly weak to Latios. Latios can switch into Keldeo easily and also can switch in Earthquake/SR from Lando-T and then proceed to fire off a Draco Meteor. Since the only Pokemon that can tank a Draco Meteor is Bisharp, if Latios hits Bisharp with Surf or HP Fire, then you're forced into a "50-50" between Pursuit and Sucker Punch and Bisharp fails to check Latios anymore.

In addition, your team lacks as good way to break stall, especially Zapdos stall which has recently gained popularity. Although Talonflame can beat most Pokemon commonly found on stall, it loses to Unaware Quagsire. Keldeo will usually lose to Amoonguss while the rest of your Pokemon don't do enough damage to break most defensive cores. Zapdos is especially difficult to take down since it can usually beat all of the Pokemon on your team 1-vs-1 with the right coverage move. (Talonflame and Keldeo are KOd by Discharge, Lando-T by HP Ice, Bisharp by Heat Wave, Mega Manectric and Latios are outstalled.)

Your team is also a bit weak to fast attackers like Mega Lopunny with Ice Punch, Mega Alakazam, and Diancie. Although Talonflame revenges the first two, none of your Pokemon can really switch into the three Pokemon above since they all can get 2HKO'd. Mega Alakazam and Mega Lopunny also both outspeed your entire team, (except speed-tying Mega Manectric in Lopunny's case), making it hard for you to revenge those Pokemon. Mega-Diance on the other hand resists both priority moves on your team, make it hard to revenge too.

To help you with these weaknesses, I first would recommend changing Talonflame to the SDef set, with Roost, Will-o-wisp, Brave Bird, and Taunt/Bulk Up. Changing Talonflame's set to a more defensive one allows you to use it as a shaky Latios check, since now Talonflame can beat Latios if it switches in on Draco Meteor (without rocks up). The extra bulk also helps you against Mega-Alakazam, since Psychic fails to 2KHO with Leftovers. Taunt + Will-o-wisp also gives you more tools to help break stall, since now you can burn common Talonflame switch-ins such as Zapdos and Quagsire and Taunt them to prevent them from recovering. Bulk Up is another option over Taunt that allows you to keep Talonflame as a stat-boosting win condition.

I also would suggest changing Bisharp to a Choice Band Tyranitar with Pursuit, Crunch, Stone Edge, and Superpower. With its greater bulk, Tyranitar switches into Latios more easily, making it a better Latios check than Bisharp. With a Choice Band increasing its power, Ttar can also pressure stall and other bulky teams more. For example, using a Choice Band also allows you to better Pursuit Amoonguss to allow Keldeo to beat Weavile stall. Finally, Ttar checks Zapdos with Stone Edge and can even wear down Zapdos with Pursuit, allowing you to better handle the electric bird. Dugtrio-based stall teams are still a problem though :/

In addition, I would try Choice Scarf Latias with Draco Meteor, Psyshock, Defog, and Healing Wish/Surf/Trick over LO Latios. With a Choice Scarf, Latios outspeeds all unboosted megas, allowing it to revenge Mega-Lopunny, weakened (Mega) Alakazam and weakened Diancie. Draco Meteor and Psyshock are STAB moves, Right now Lando-T is overburdened by being the physically-bulky pivot, so Healing Wish is also a great option since it allows you to recover Lando-T's health. Healing Wish also allows you to heal Keldeo in case it gets burned against Heatran. (Right now, Keldeo is looks like your main Heatran switch-in.) Surf is another option that helps against Heatran and Diancie, while Trick gives you another option against stallish teams. However, if you find don't use Healing Wish, I would recommend using Latios over Latias because of Latios's greater power.

Finally, you should change Keldeo's nature from Serious to Timid. The extra speed is crucial for outspeeding max base 100s, outspeeding offensive Garchomp, as well as speed-tying other Keldeo.

Although this still leaves some weaknesses, hopefully these changes give you more counterplay to help you beat opposing teams!

Sets

Hide

Latias @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish

Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Bulk Up
- Will-O-Wisp

Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Pursuit

 

[Bobjenkins440]

Thanks for the rate!

I'll try out your changes, and see how they work. I did notice a weakness to quagsire, just wasn't sure how to fix it.

The serious nature on keldeo is a mistake btw, showdown reset it for some reason.