Other Lower Tier Threats (ORAS Edition)

[Tressed]

imo Bullet Seed deserves a slash on the last slot, it hits bulkier Water-types like Alomomola, Quagsire, and makes great use of skill link.

+2 252 Atk Mega Heracross Pin Missile (5 hits) vs. 232 HP / 252+ Def Alomomola: 450-530 (85 - 100.1%) -- approx. 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Mega Heracross Pin Missile (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Unaware Quagsire: 215-260 (54.5 - 65.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Mega Heracross Pin Missile (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Suicune: 350-420 (86.6 - 103.9%) -- approx. 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Mega Heracross Rock Blast (5 hits) vs. 240 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 430-510 (107.2 - 127.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

There's no need for Bullet Seed. Swords Dance, STABs, and Rock Blast are all you need in order to blow through all the relevant defensive Water types in OU.

EDIT AT BELOW: Obviously you don't try doing this 1v1, SD or hit them on a predicted switch in.

 

[firehusky]

Mega Heracross risks getting burned by Alomomola, Quagsire, and Suicune, so it's actually kind of risky trying to set up on them.

 

[pika pal]

252 Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 232 HP / 252+ Def Alomomola: 300-360 (56.7 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 580-700 (147.2 - 177.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Suicune: 240-290 (59.4 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 240 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 440-520 (109.7 - 129.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

The only targets Heracross nets an OHKO are Azumarill and Quagsire. The former is 2HKO'd by Rock Blast (or Rock Blast + Pin Missle) anyway though. Since Heracross OHKO's most of them at +2 anyway (or 2HKO's with a sub to eat a hit), he's usually in a good match-up with them. He's not coming in on them regardless since he need 2 turns to beat the Scald users (one to SD and one to attack, or 2 Bullet Seeds), and if they're switching in on him, he's already got a SD or a Sub up, so he doesn't need SE coverage to urgently OHKO.

Where this boils down to is that SD or Sub will let Heracross fare better against the rest of the metagame compared to Bullet Seed easing his match up with bulky Waters.
+2 252 Atk Mega Heracross Pin Missile (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Hippowdon: 380-450 (90.4 - 107.1%) -- approx. 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Mega Heracross Pin Missile (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Hippowdon: 195-230 (46.4 - 54.7%) -- approx. 63.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Hippowdon: 260-310 (61.9 - 73.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

+2 252 Atk Mega Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 291-343 (87.1 - 102.6%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

The sub also goes farther in these match ups, since two of the 3 Scald threats can't break a Sub with it, meaning Heracross still gets to block a hit with it after KOing them (assuming he Subs on their switch in as the set should)
0 SpA Quagsire Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Heracross: 58-70 (19.2 - 23.2%) -- possible 5HKO
0 SpA Alomomola Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Heracross: 42-49 (13.9 - 16.2%) -- possible 7HKO


I feel like the difference here is in the expected scenario. Heracross isn't using them as set-up fodder by coming in himself (though since the Sub survives some it's not impossible): since the bulky waters were meant to stop him, they're the ones coming into him, meaning Heracross has the free turn, not them.

 

[Guidorealmsmc]

Recreant I'm doing mega medicham someone already did goodra when I checked.

Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 16 HP / 240 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Toxic

Role:Wallbreaker

Here's the pokemon with the 2nd highest base attack in the game(Rip mega mawile) mega medicham. While it might look as it has base 100 attack it actually has 249 courtesy to pure power. Sure mega gallade might have the same typing but that's literally all they have in common. Medichamite makes medicham the monster that is it's mega while 16 hp evs avoids the kill from pinsir's quick attack while the rest are put into speed and attack. High jump kick is so powerful it can 2hko hippowdon without a swords dance boost or a super effective hit! Yeah hippowdon,one of the best physical walls in the game can't stomach a high jump kick. Zen headbutt hurts poison types and most fighting resists rather hard. Ice punch is used because the huge amount of things in OU weak to it especially the disgusting amount of lando-t's. Toxic may sound weird but it's for breaking things like slowbro,cresselia,among other bulky psychic's you can't break with the above moves because medicham can't learn knock off god damn it. While it may have lost a lot of luster the amount of bulky offense teams popping up gives it prey so give it a try! Pair it with sylveon to shred sableye though.

 

[DarkNostalgia]

I'll rewrite Mega Alakazam, my last one was pretty shit. Also will do LO Zam.

 

[DarkNostalgia]

Double post ftw.

Alakazam @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Encore / Substitute / Taunt / Hidden Power [Fire]

Role: Special Sweeper, Stallbreaker

Equipped with a Life Orb, Alakazam is a terrifying special sweeper and stallbreaker. A blisteringly-fast speed tier of 120 lets it outspeed many Pokemon such as Mega Metagross, Mega Gallade, Keldeo and Starmie, as well as solid 135 Special Attack to top it all up. Magic Guard prevents it to be worn down by continual switches into entry hazards and the like. However, it does have extremely frail defenses, therefore making it extremely vulnerable to various means of priority such as Bullet Punch, Sucker Punch and Talonflame's Brave Bird, not to mention Psychic is a terrible typing both offensively and defensively.
Psychic is the main STAB move here, and is chosen over Psyshock for the increased damage output as well as the ability to hit physically defensive foes such as bulky Garchomp and Landorus-Therian much harder. Focus Blast deals with Dark- and Steel-types that Psychic misses out on, such as Tyranitar and Bisharp. Shadow Ball provides great all-around coverage with Psychic and Focus Blast and hits bulky Psychic- and Ghost- types that the aforementioned two moves cannot deal with. Hidden Power Ice is the main candidate for the last slot, boasting the ability to OHKO both Landorus forms, Specially Defensive Gliscor, as well as Garchomp and Multiscale-broken Dragonite. Encore has a secondary slash, and shuts down defensive cores such as Alomomola + Heatran effectively by locking them into only one move.
Other options include: Substitute, which allows Alakazam to evade Sucker Punch, status and scout the opponent's moves, Taunt, which denies opposition's use of recovery and status, and Hidden Power Fire, which OHKOs Ferrothorn and Scizor on the switch.

Alakazam @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Encore / Substitute

Role: Special Sweeper, Late-game Cleaner, Revenge Killer

Thanks to a unique ability in Trace, sky-high Speed and Special Attack stat, Mega Alakazam finds a great niche in today's metagame. Trace copies the opponent's ability, allowing it to revenge kill weather sweepers such as Excadrill, screw over Prankster users such as Thundurus and Klefki, or potentially obtain great abilities such as Adaptability.
Psychic is Mega Alakazam's obligatory STAB, and is chosen to hit physically defensive foes such as Landorus-Therian and Mega Venusaur harder as well as the increased amount of BP; however Psyshock is an option to deal with Specially Defensive foes such as Chansey or Blissey. Focus Blast provides good coverage with Psychic and deals with Dark- and Steel-types that resist Psychic. Shadow Ball hits other Psychic-types, which Psychic and Focus Blast fail to hit, such as Celebi and Jirachi. The last slot is really team dependent. Encore provides great utility by shuting down Pokemon such as Bisharp and Ferrothorn by locking them into only move; meanwhile, Substitute evades status and Sucker Punch and allows Mega Alakazam to scout.
Dazzling Gleam is also an option to prevent Mega Alakazam from being hopelessly walled by Mega Sableye as well as dealing decent damage to Dark- and Dragon-types such as Latios and Tyranitar. Taunt shuts down defensive Pokemon such as Chansey, Alomomola and Slowbro by denying their recovery and preventing them from inflicting status on Mega Alakazam. Hidden Power Fire is also an option over the former two, allowing Mega Alakazam to reliably 2HKO Scizor and Ferrothorn on the switch, as well as having more accuracy than Focus Blast to deal with Steel-types. Calm Mind allows Mega Alakazam to potentially sweep, especially against balance or stall builds; however due to its lackluster defenses Mega Alakazam does not find many opportunities to set up.

 

[Guidorealmsmc]

Here's diggersby and this time it's not a wallbreaking set :O

Diggersby @ Life orb/Silk scarf/Lum berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly/Adamant Nature
- Agility
- Return
- Earthquake
-Knock Off/Fire punch/Swords Dance

Role : set up sweeper

Contrary to what it's base stats suggest diggersby is a very powerful threat in OU and is something while not common should still be taoken account for because of it's ability huge power. Normal/Ground is also quite the potent offensive typing boasting few resists and immunities. Courtesy of it's ground typing prankster thunder wave cannot stop it's sweep short. This set is one of diggersby's many sets but the one I'm talking about here is agility. Simply put it diggersby even without an SD under it's belt is still very strong(It's stronger then groudon!) but it's speed is what needs patched. Agility takes the first slot patching up it's speed making it outrun the entire meta game while the next to moves are dedicated to stab moves. The last move is really dependent on what you're team needs. Knock off is preferred to weaken checks and prevent gengar switch ins but, and fire punch f for the first and ferrothorn and scizor for the second. This set destroys offense if they dare let it set up and it still has enough power to lay some hurt on balance but doesn't perform quite as well against stall as SD. SD could be used in the last slot for more flexibility but it's harder to pull off without screens though the flexibility it provides makes it a potent option.

 

[p2]

Has Emboar not been done either?

Emboar @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 36 SpA / 220 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Sucker Punch
- Head Smash / Wild Charge / Grass Knot

Role: Wallbreaker

Emboar recently got access to it's Hidden Ability, Reckless, which has carved itself a small niche in OU. Reckless boosts Emboars damage output to ridiculous levels and is nearly impossible to switch in on.
Flare Blitz and Superpower are the obligatory STABs, with Sucker Punch for hitting faster threats like Latis, Gengar or Starmie with the last coverage move being pretty much anything. Head Smash is insanely powerful, but has massive recoil damage, Wild Charge lets Emboar hit pokemon like Azumarill and Grass Knot allows it to hit Slowbro.
The only thing is, because it relies on high recoil moves and Life Orb, it kills itself fairly quickly, especially if it attacks Rough Skin / Iron Barbs or Rocky Helmet users.

 

[Guidorealmsmc]

Recreant you forgot diggersby mega aggron and emboar + darknostalgia redid alakazam and it's mega. Also remove serperior because it's now OU and remove hippowdon because there's no damn way it's not staying in uu with the next tier shift. Reserving klefki .

 

[firehusky]

Lol no don't remove Hippowdon, it's UU currently and even if it moves up with the next tier shift (and you won't even know for sure that it'll move up) she could just remove it then. If it does move up then just remove it when it moves up, because you don't know for sure that it'll move up and right now it's in UU.

 

[Guidorealmsmc]

Here's boo boo keys.

Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm/Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Magnet Rise/toxic
- Foul Play/play rough

Role: spikes support

Klefki does face competition from skarmory and ferrothorn as a spikes setter but prankster and a fairy/steel typing set itself apart. Spikes quickly rack up damage on grounded Pokemon, and Klefki finds many opportunities to set them up due to its great defensive typing. Thunder Wave cripples offensive Pokemon and halts setup sweepers such as Mega Pinsir and Mega Gyarados. Magnet Rise allows Klefki to avoid Ground-type attacks from Pokemon such as Mamoswine, Excadrill, and the Landorus formes. Toxic is an alternate choice to hit Ground- and Electric-types, which are immune to Thunder Wave, such as Hippowdon, Thundurus, and Raikou. Play Rough ensures that Klefki is not completely shut down by Taunt, and it has good neutral coverage overall. Foul Play hits Steel-types such as Mega Scizor, Jirachi, Excadrill, and non-Mega Gyarados. The ev spread takes advantage of klefki's specially based resistances and let's it check mega gardevoir among other key threats. While klefki has a lot of pro's it also has it's share of flaws. It lacks offensive presence which makes it easy to take advantage of. Also unlile other prankster users it lacks taunt.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Hello, I apologize for bumping this thread. However, there is a Pokemon I would like to present here.

Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 244 Atk / 12 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Freeze-Dry

Role: Physical Attacker

While Mamoswine may have recently fallen to UU, it is still a very efective threat in OU. It continues to be a brutal offensive Pokemon with its amazing STAB combination, particularly with its signature priority Ice Shard. With this, Mamoswine serves as a great tool to revenge kill the prominent Landorus, Thundurus, Garchomp, and many other Ice weak Pokemon, to which Mamoswine still does with a charm. Its STAB Earthquake will pummel through slower defensive Pokemon and hits very hard, overall making Mamoswine a very good Pokemon in this metagame. With its immunity to Electric-type moves and Earthquake, it can block Volt Switch and stomp on Raikou and Mega Manectric as well. Icicle Crash provides a stronger Ice STAB, and Freeze-Dry helps in catching the odd Rotom-W on the switch-in. This makes Mamoswine a strong revenge killer against some of OU's top threats and a general pain in the ass to switch into. While the prominence of Mega Metagross and Mega Diancie really sucks, Mamoswine is still a good and effective Pokemon in OU, and to be frank is underrated.

 

[Guidorealmsmc]

Alakazam is now OU so remove it. Also doing cloyster:

Cloyster @ Life Orb
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Hydro Pump

Role: Late Game Cleaner

Cloyster is a really underrated threat in the meta often turned down due to it's bad stigma from players setting up turn 1 with it. However it is meant to clean late game when it's checks and counters are weakened. Also ice stab is amazing. Shell smash is cloyster's niche doubling it's offensive stats to scary levels while halving it's defenses but even at -1 defense most priority won't do the trick bar technician brelooms mach punch which needs rocks or life orb to kill. Icicle spear is your main stab hitting very hard after a boost. Rock blast hits most ice resists hard bar steel types(some steels are neutral to ice like skarmory or ferrothorn) which the last move hits. Hydro pump is a secondary stab to hit steel types and physically defensive stuff harder. Stuff that pairs well with cloyster is dual screens klefki who sets up screens and spikes and memento support from azelf and whimsicott Also helps.

 

[DarkNostalgia]

Mixed Kingdra is mine.

Kingdra @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 28 Atk / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Rash Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Outrage
- Waterfall

At first glance, one may neglect Kingdra's Attack stat, in favour of its Special Attack due to its access to better special moves such as Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor. However, a mixed spread is perfectly viable, and is one of Kingdra's best sets. It allows Kingdra to surprise specially defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and Assault Vest Tornadus-T, and are great moves to use after Draco Meteor Special Attack drops. In the rain, Kingdra boasts immense Speed and a lot of power to its Water-type STABs as well, making it a great wallbreaker capable of punching holes in the opposition's team both early- and mid-game. The moveset is really standard, with dual STABs because Kingdra really doesn't have many other choices to offer and because Water and Dragon is a really solid combo. The Speed EVs outpace Scarf Latios in the rain, maximum Special Attack for more power, and the rest is dumped into Attack for more physical firepower.

 

[DarkNostalgia]

Sorry for double post. I'm returning with stallbreaker Mega Pidgeot.

Pidgeot @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Tangled Feet
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: NaN Atk
- Work Up
- Hurricane
- Roost
- Refresh

Role: Special Sweeper, Stallbreaker

Mega Pidgeot is most commonly seen as an all-out attacker. However, with Work Up, Pidgeot makes for a great stallbreaker and setup sweeper, capable of breaking past some of its most common checks and counters, such as Chansey and Heatran, while whittling down switch-ins such as Rotom-W, Raikou, and Tyranitar with boosted Hurricanes. Because of a combination of Roost and Refresh, Mega Pidgeot is able to setup with ease with Work Up on bulky Pokemon such as Slowbro and Chansey, without fear of chip damage and status. Hurricane is the main STAB for Mega Pidgeot, with a nifty 30% chance to confuse allowing it to cripple checks such as Raikou momentarily. However, because Work Up raises Attack, one must be wary of Foul Play, especially on Mega Sableye.

 

[Sanger Zonvolt]

Cleric Standard Audino.

Audino @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
Careful Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
- Knock Off

Role: WishPasser that never dies. Ever.

As the only 'mon with Regenerator that can pass Wishes, it can pass recovery to its teammates and recover itself simultaneously. Although its bulk might seem subpar, it can take some hits with investment.

Technically Alomomola also has Regenerator, has better defensive typing, more HP and has Scald. I really don't see why you'd use this over Alomomola.

 

[North Gate]

Cleric Standard Audino.

Audino @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
Careful Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
- Knock Off

Role: WishPasser that never dies. Ever.

As the only 'mon with Regenerator that can pass Wishes, it can pass recovery to its teammates and recover itself simultaneously. Although its bulk might seem subpar, it can take some hits with investment.

I don't really see a reason to use this over Chansey or Clefable or some better Wish user. It has the unique combo of Regenerator and Wish (rip alo) but it's bulk is sub par to Chansey and it would be used on Stall teams, where Chansey would be better. Hell, I would probably use Alomomola or Blissey over it. It's not even ranked on the VR, nor is it's Mega form. That's pretty sad to be honest. Less of a Knock Off weakness is alright, but Blissey and Alomomola do this job much better without (as much) of a weakness to Knock Off.

 

[Celticpride]

Noivern @ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Focus Blast / Flamethrower
- Hurricane
- Roost / Taunt

Role: Special Sweeper

Noivern's primary effectiveness is thanks to its great speed tier (123 base) and decent enough coverage. Access to strong STAB moves and appropriate coverage to hit Steels somewhat makes up for Noivern's less than desirable Special Attack. Roost can be used to recover some health, although lower bulk can limit the opportunities to use Roost. Taunt is another good option, to potentially cut off recovery among other uses. U-Turn is a possibility to gain momentum. Specs+Switcheroo is another rather niche set that can cripple some such as Chansey. Super Fang can help punch holes in bulkier walls. Noivern is not without its downfalls, and it is often overshadowed by other mons that have overall better skillsets and bulk such as Latios and Tornadus-T. A stealth rock weakness can also limit Noivern's lifespan even more than its already low bulk suggests.

 

[DarkNostalgia]

Gallade needs more love. #bansableyeandslowbro #makegalladeviable #setokaiba

Sorry if this is kinda biased, I love Gallade ._.

Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Close Combat
- Knock Off

Role: Physical (setup) sweeper, Wallbreaker

Armed with a new Mega Evolution which boasts fantastic Attack and Speed, Mega Gallade is here to claim your souls, because not only is it cool as hell, it's viable too (to an extent I guess)! Its Speed sits at a good 110 Base, allowing it to outspeed Pokemon such as Manaphy, Keldeo, and Garchomp, and it also has Swords Dance to further its Attack stat, making it a terrifying sweeper and wallbreaker. It also has great coverage in the combination of Close Combat + Zen Headbutt + Knock Off, which makes it quite hard to wall after a boost. Moreover, Gallade performs nicely against balance, the most common playstyle, because many teams are unprepared for it, and the raw power it brings is great. However, Gallade is befallen by the prevalence of checks, such as bulky Garchomp, Talonflame, Slowbro, Sableye, and Clefable, which are extremely common. It is also quite frail physically, meaning it can be picked off by faster threats or priority such as Weavile and Scizor. The competition for a Mega slot is also extremely fierce, and by using Mega Gallade means other objectively better Mega Evolutions such as Scizor, Metagross, and Altaria cannot be used.

 

[Guidorealmsmc]

Gonna do SD scolipede

Scolipede @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
IVs: 29
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Poison Jab
- Aqua Tail/Earthquake

Role: Late Game Cleaner

While scolipede is most often seen passing boosts this set let's scolipede use those boosts to clean late game. Scolipede can set up on stuff that expect protect or choice locked fighting that can't threaten it much. Due to speed boost it can be hard to stop it they lack prankster t wave m,strong af priority or skarmory but that is why magnezone exists. The spread is a max attack max speed spread and 29 hp ivs gets a life orb number. Swords dance boosts scolipede's attack to prepare for a sweep while megahorn poison jab and aqua tail gives the best coverage overall. Earthquake hits toxicroak and some steels harder but aqua tail hits more important stuff like talonflame and landorus.