Other Lower Tier Threats

[ShootingStarmie]

Approved by Subject 18

Lower Tier Threats​

​

Despite not being OU Pokemon, many threats such as Diggersby, Kabutops, and Tornadus-T can thrive in the OU metagame. These Pokemon can fill valuable niches that no OU Pokemon can, and can also catch players who don't prepare for them off guard. The goal of this thread is to discuss the impact that lower tier Pokemon can have in the OU environment. What unique role do they fill, and what makes them so effective in OU? This thread is meant to help uncover hidden gems from some of the lower tiers, and help broaden the constraints that many players put on themselves when building teams. This thread can also be used to maybe inspire you to use something that isn't standard.

Whenever a new Pokemon is posted for discussion, the post must at least include these two pieces of information:
a. What role or niche does this Pokemon fill?
b. What makes this Pokemon effective in the current OU metagame?
You may also post a certain effective set that you think this Pokemon can run, and analyse what makes that set effective.

Talking about your experiences and perhaps providing replays could be beneficial for this thread. If you have any of these, please share for others to see your nomination in action.

A Pokemon that is completely outclassed by another in the same role should not be discussed. Same goes for Pokemon whose role is not valuable, or ones who are too weak to be competitive in the OU tier. After it has been discussed, any Pokemon that people decide fills a valuable role in the tier will be edited into the OP.

As a last note -- what I'm looking for in posted sets:

[sprite]
Pokemon @ Item
Trait: Ability
EVs: EV Spread
[X] Nature
- Move 1
- Move 2
- Move 3
- Move 4

[A short description of how the set works -- around a paragraph is good enough]

Notable Lower Tier Threats:

Hide

Absol Mega - Mixed Attacker

Aerodactyl Mega - Physical Attacker
Aggron Mega - Tank
Alakazam Mega - Special Attacker

Alomomola - Physical Wall
Ampharos Mega - Late game sweeper
Blastoise Mega - Offensive Rapid Spinner
Chandelure - Revenge Killer

Chesnaught - Physical Wall
Cloyster - Physical Sweeper

Crawdaunt - Physical Attacker
Diggersby - Wall Breaker
Entei - Physical Attacker
Gothitelle - Trapper
Gourgeist-S - Physical Wall
Heracross Mega - Bulky Attacker / Stall Breaker

Hippowdon - Physical Wall
Hydreigon - Special Attacker / Wall Breaker
Kabutops - Rain Sweeper
Kingdra - Rain Sweeper
Krookodile - Bulky SR support
Lucario - Physical Sweeper
Magnezone - Trapper
Manaphy - Bulky Sweeper
Manaphy - Special Sweeper

Meloetta - Bulky Attacker
Mew - Stall Breaker
Raikou - Special Sweeper
Raikou - Bulky Pivot
Rhyperior - Bulky SR setter
Rotom-H - Pivot
Shuckle - Lead
Slowbro - Physical Wall

Staraptor - Physical Attacker

Suicune - Bulky Sweeper
Tornadus-T - Rain Pivot / Support
Umbreon - Wish Support / Cleric
Victini - Wall Breaker
Weavile - Pursuit Trapper
Wobbuffet - Trapper

 

[ShootingStarmie]

Here is an example post in which you can follow if you like (doesn't have to be exact)

Diggersby @ Focus Sash
Trait: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack

I originally saw this set when it was posted by Jukain in VR. I'm not sure who came up with it, but he gave credit to BKC so whatever I guess. Anyway, onto the set. Diggersby is an incredible Pokemon when facing bulkier and slower teams due to it's insane attacking power. However, it's generally not as good when facing more offensively based teams, do to it's low bulk and slow speed. However, with a Focus Sash intact, Diggersby is almost guaranteed a KO on nearly any team, and can also check any set up sweeper, while also still acting as a great stall breaker.

So, Swords Dance is used to boost Diggersby's attack to incredible levels, allowing it to 2HKO just about every Pokemon in the game after SR (and OHKO most of them). Return is STAB and has a solid base power, and in general gets okay coverage on most of the metagame. Earthquake is also STAB and has great coverage for Steel types that resist Return, mainly Scizor, Aegislash, and Mega Mawlie. Finally, Quick Attack is used to pick off weakened Pokemon, and allows Diggersby to possibly sweep late game (although Diggserby is generally best as a wall breaker). EVs are used for maximum power and Speed.

 

[Clone]

Obvious, but:

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SDef
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off/Toxic

Welcome to one of the best walls in OU. This guy can run many different spreads, but I personally like this one the best. This set allows Hippo to completely counter The Crumbler Aegi set with the given SpDef investment. Add on his high natural physical bulk, and above average attack stat, Hippowdon is a prominent threat in the OU environment. Stealth Rock is the best move in the game, and Hippo can reliably set it up. Earthquake is STAB, while Slack Off provides valuable recovery on top of Leftovers. The last slot is a toss up. Whirlwind allows you to phaze set up sweepers, while Toxic helps wear things down along with Sand Stream, which is also a great boon for Hippo. This allows a prominent sweeper, Excadrill, to have the fastest speed in the tier while under sand, and he can sweep a large majority of the meta.

With insane bulk, Team support in Stealth Rock and Sand Stream, and a cool design, Hippowdon is definitely something to watch out for in OU.

 

[Rainman Legends]

Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dragon Pulse
- Scald
- Hidden Power [Electric]

One of the best Sweepers on a rain team. Kingdra can pack one hell of a whallop with a Specs Hydro Pump in the rain. Sand Setters hate switching in on Hydro Pump as even without rain, Specs Hydro Pump hits like a truck. Dragon Pulse allows Kingdra a secondary STAB and can hit Mega Venasaur for decent damage. Scald is there for early game situations and many of Kingdra's checks, notably Azumaril and Mega Mawile, hate getting burned. Hidden Power Electric hits bulky waters immune to Water type attacks such as Vaporeon and Jellicent. These 2 are so rare though that HP electric is rarely used. Water/Dragon is a great typing, leaving only 2 weaknesses, although it is rather lacking in the resistance department. Overall, it only has a use on rain teams, but it fulfills a great role of a special sweeper.

 

[rdjacobian]

Ninja'ing Jukain so excuse me if the post is bad, I'll clean it up later :d

Specially defensive(252/252+)/Mixed Defenses Amoonguss(enough phys bulk to take a +6 play rough from ada azu) regenerator

spore/clear smog/giga drain/foul play

The specially defensive set handles mons like keldeo, special thundy, iron headless aegis. The mixed wall set handles stuff that's problematic for a lot of balanced sand teams like azu/loom. Clear smog is to sorta pseudo phaze, spore is 100% acc sleep which is gr8, giga drain is obvious stab, foul play is there so shit like zard-x and pinsir can't set up in your face. The mon is mostly seen on stall/balance since it's a bulky tank with arguably one of the best abilities in the game. It's not something you'll see on most offensive teams, since it doesn't really maintain momentum. It performs well in the meta since keld, thundy, azu, aegis, and loom are everywhere. It also checks a lot of threats on rain teams.

 

[Jukain]

fuk u stole my post shootingstarmie ~_~

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Def / 28 SAtk / 196 SDef
Calm Nature
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Foul Play
- Clear Smog

Amoonguss, an RU Pokemon fsr, is a top-tier stall Pokemon that's been used on an enormous of recent good stall teams. It is basically the Mega Venu replacement because Venu Stall sucks, except with a few perks. First, it's difficult to wear down with Regenerator. It is an excellent Keldeo counter, not 2HKOed by even Specs HP Flying and much less hurt by a burn than Megasaur, and solid Thundurus check. With Foul Play it becomes a stellar Aegislash counter, and Clear Smog lets it deal with the likes of Crocune, Rain Dance CM Manaphy, and CMFable, enormous thorns in the side of stall (particularly the latter). It is a solid Breloom counter and able to put a threat to sleep consistently with Spore. It also helps check the likes of rain threats, especially Specs Kingdra. All in all an important cog in the function of today's stall teams.

The EVs I have give enough Defense to always avoid the 2HKO from CB Azumarill Play Rough after Stealth Rock and enough SAtk break +2 CM Keldeo Subs (just to be safeguarded against that, a couple people run it on the ladder so I figured it was worth the minimal investment, rest SDef to tank Keld/Thundy like Amoon needs to.

fuk tst my post has different relevant content :]

 

[Chou Toshio]

Heracross @ Heracrosinite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 ATK / 4 DEF
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile / Rock Blast
- Bullet Seed
- Swords Dance

While it's decidedly unpopular as a choice for the heavily sought mega slot, Mega Heracross has completely unique offensive and defensive characteristics that make it an undeniably interesting choice. First is its unique defensive type that gives it resistances to Ground, Fighting, Dark, Bug, and Grass-- while also being neutral to Rock and Steel. This makes it an easy switch in to many physical attackers-- especially with the mega forme's enhanced 80 / 115 physical bulk. It makes a really good switch in to threats such as Tyranitar, Scizor, Conkeldurr, and Bisharp. While they were originally flawless counters to Heracross in gens past, Pokemon like Gliscor and Lando-T are actually SET UP BATE for SD Hera if they lack Taunt or one of their awkward flying attacks.

The next interesting thing about Hera is its match-up against stall. Heracross is one of the very few physically offensive attackers that cannot be handled well by the combination of Skarmory + Quagsire, as a +2 Close Combat does tremendous damage to the first, and Bullet Seed absolutely destroys the later.

+2 252+ Atk Mega Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Skarmory: 322-381 (96.4 - 114%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Unaware Quagsire: 640-760 (162.4 - 192.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Other standard physical walls of the meta:
+2 252+ Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 510-600 (121.4 - 142.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Mega Heracross Pin Missile (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Venusaur: 375-440 (103 - 120.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(Rock Blast is still a clean 2HKO at 68.6 - 81%)
+1 252+ Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T: 225-270 (58.9 - 70.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Suicune: 510-610 (126.2 - 150.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Mega Heracross Pin Missile (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Chesnaught: 375-440 (98.6 - 115.7%) -- approx. 93.8% chance to OHKO
(Close Combat 92.6 - 109.2%)

The only Pokemon from stall that can really handle it are Unaware Clefable and Aegislash, and then neither of them can OHKO or outrun Hera while:
252+ Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 175-210 (44.4 - 53.2%) -- approx. 93.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ Atk Mega Heracross Bullet Seed (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 140-165 (43.2 - 50.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

So both need to be at full health to take it on at all.

So while Hera's not exactly a great sweeper, it is one of the most problematic Pokemon for standard stall cores, AND it has a terrific typing to make it a pivot against many physical threats.

 

[RainCakes]

Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge

Almost always on rain teams, Kabutops is incredibly scary to face. Waterfall gets boosted from the rain and STAB from Kabutops, has an acceptable power and with Kabutops massive attack stat, this move can 2HKO the entire meta, excluding Grass- and Water- Types. Aqua Jet is a Water-Type equivalent of Quick Attack, but gets seen in a different light than its Normal-Type counterpart. Like Waterfall, this move gets boosted by rain and STAB and it also gets +1 priority, so it almost always goes first since Kabutops has an insane amount of speed after the boost from rain and Swift Swim. Stone Edge is an amazing move that at least 2HKOs all that resist Waterfall and Aqua Jet (Excluding Ferrothorn and Chesnaught) making up for its terribad accuracy. Swords Dance is there to make Waterfall, Aqua Jet and Stone Edge 1HKO certain threats such as Amoongus and to make Waterfall and Aqua Jet stronger so there is no need to rely on Stone Edge too much.

Overall, Kabutops is a monster and can sometimes pull off unstoppable sweeps under rain. And always remember that Kabutops will always be better than Lord Helix.

 

[I AM THE JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAM]

Ability: Blaze
EVs: 212 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def / 40 Spe
Impish Nature
Close Combat | Flare Blitz | Slack Off | Will-o-Wisp

ah yung based Nog, you have created the most infuriating infernape set of all time. so basically, this set can use willowisp to cockblock most physical attackers n shit. CC and FB allow it to check shit and slack off lets it continue to make opposing players go apeshit. speed lets it outspeed mega gyara pre DD, and HP is odd. filler goes into attack so ape can make players go apeshit.

 

[Always!]

Rather obvious one, and still holds a valuable niche in my opinion:

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf/Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Fire/Ground
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt

A familiar face, most popular with dragmag, this pokemon has the invaluable niche of trapping steels thanks to its Ability in Magnet Pull, and having the ability to beat most Fairies. Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Scizor (if caught before using U-turn) and the like are trapped and eradicated, like rats to an exterminator. Volt Switch is a great move to catch momentum, and a break if the match-up goes awry, and it has Stab as an extra little bonus. Pokemon like Ferrothorn still laugh at its somewhat pathetic Stabs, so Magnezone will have to rely on a Hidden Power to defeat them. Hidden Power Ground lets you fuck up Heatran, who is probably fucking up your glorious gameplan. However, Hidden Power Fire allows you to absolutely defeat Ferrothorn and Scizor, so pick your poison. Standard Stabs are standard, with Flash Cannon allowing you to take out any Fairies, and Thunderbolt will do work against most other pokemon.

If dragmag gets you aroused, or you need the one-stop shop Steel Trapper, then Magnezone should be your go-to pokemon. One reason why this pokemon has a pretty alright time in OU is the abundance of Steel-types who think they own the joint, and Fairies that think that they're cool shit. Magnezone puts the two types back in their place.

 

[Sergeant Spooky]

Crawdaunt @ Choice Band / Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
- Crunch / Superpower / Aerial Ace

Crawdaunt is slow and frail, but it somewhat makes up for that in an ability-boosted priority move and wicked power; with Adaptability, Crawdaunt has access to a 195 BP move in Knock Off, and a 200 BP move in Crabhammer. Its STABs alone are resisted by only a small handful of commonly seen pokemon, mainly Keldeo, Azumarill, Chesnaught, and Breloom. Knock Off is an especially spammable move, as even on a resist it does quite a lot of damage and removes items. Aqua Jet also allows it to revenge kill some things weak to water, like Landorus.

Crawdaunt is especially ridiculous in Rain, where it is beyond powerful. A choice band set can one-shot Skarmory. It 2HKOes any water resist that isn't Chesnaught. It has a small chance of OHKOing Keldeo from full health, and Azumarill after Stealth Rock. It's the most powerful, unboosted thing you can ever use, aside from Darmanitan in Sun (who is not that great a pokemon) or Victini in Sun (rain>sun.) Its Rain boosted Aqua Jets also give it some efficacy against offensive teams, as they're able to put the hurt on some frailer threats (50% chance to OHKO Thundurus) or heavily dent bulkier stuff (~65% to Garchomp.)

Of course, Crawdaunt isn't only limited to Rain teams: it's a pretty ferocious wallbreaker without it, able to 2HKO nearly any wall.

 

[Rosen]

(LET'S PRETEND I'M NOT ON MOBILE AND THERE'S ACTUALLY A PICTURE HERE)

Entei @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Atk / 116 Def / 56 SDef
-Sacred Fire
-Bulldoze
-Stone Edge/Iron Head
-Extreme Speed

Thanks to Sacred Fire, Entei skyrocketed (gently) in viability. With a 50% chance to burn, there are few physical attackers who can safely switch in, and Sacred Fire is one of those moves that you can spam to your hearts content until everything is burnt or KOd. Thanks to Entei's naturally good bulk, only augmented by an Assault Vest, it can tank a large amount of non SE hits befote fainting (usually to SR anyway). Also, since Sacred Fire is a non-contact move, Entei naturally counters all Aegislash variants, something that is not easy to come by. It packs nice priority in E-Speed, and while it wishes it had Earthquake, the ground coverage is mainly for Heatran, and in that regard, Bulldoze does just fine. Stone Edge is good for dealing with Zard-Y and Talonflame, while Iron Head is better for Tyranitar, especially after a burn.

 

[Valmanway]

Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Slack Off
- Toxic

Slowbro may face competition from other physical walls, such as Skarmory, Gliscor, and Hippowdon, but Slowbro has unique traits that allow him to stand tall in battle. First, his defensive typing, while leaving him with unfortunate weaknesses to Dark- and Ghost-type moves, as well as a weakness to Volt/Turn, it does provide highly appreciated resistances to Fighting-, Water-, Steel-, Ice-, and Fire-type moves, and when combined with 95 / 110 / 80 defenses, he can tank hits from the likes of Excadrill, Garchomp, Mega Gyarados, Keldeo, Talonflame, Dragonite, Terrakion, and Mamoswine, and he can potentially burn those that can 2HKO him with Scald either on the switch or when they try to set up, such as Bisharp, Mega Mawile, Mega Pinsir, Mega Tyranitar, and Diggersby. But Slowbro wouldn't be as good as he his without the use of Regenerator, which can reward you for switching out of a disadvantageous matchup, so if you couldn't burn a threat on the switch, or if you know you can't take another hit, regenerator's there to make things better. So with the combination of Slack Off and Regenerator, you can get 83% of your health back, creating some pretty good matchup later on in a battle.

Simply put, Slowbro has some pretty good longevity in a battle, and can check/counter some very dangerous foes if given the chance.

 

[ShootingStarmie]

Just, just to make it clear, please add pictures in your posts, and make sure you meet the requirements for your post to be included. Good grammar and presentation are also needed, thank you.

n_n

 

[Jobes]

Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpDef
Impish Nature
- Hammer Arm
- Leech Seed
- Spiky Shield / Synthesis
- Earthquake / Spikes / Wood Hammer

Chesnaught boasts a surprisingly absurd amount of Physical Bulk. This, along with a useful defensive typing, lands Chesnaught a spot as one of the better physical walls used in OU, despite falling into the UU tier. Chesnaught's typing is one of the few that gives a resistance to the EdgeQuake combination. He also boasts resistance to other prevalent attacking types in OU such as Dark (Knock Off, anyone?), Water, and Electric. To add the Chesnaught's walling ability is his unique ability. Bulletproof grants Chesnaught full immunity to common moves such as Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Aura Sphere and Focus Blast. Most notably, this allows Chesnaught to hard check one of the most common threats in the OU tier, Aegislash. Leech Seed provides semi-reliable recovery, especially when used in tandem with Chesnaught's signaure Spiky Shield. Synthesis can be used if extra recovery is desired.

In short, Chesnaught's bulk, useful defensive typing, and ability to wall some potent OU threats makes for a solid niche for our new Grass starter.

 

[Disorient]

Meloetta @ Assault Vest
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 136 HP / 252 SAtk / 8 SDef / 112 Spd
Modest Nature
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball / Thunderbolt
- Hyper Voice / Hidden Power [Ice]

Meloetta is great in that it's an offensive pokemon that can come in on really strong special attackers such as LandorusI, Thundurus, Aegislash, Lati@s, Greninja, CharY, etc. (3HKO'd by LandyI Earth Power, low chance of being 2HKO'd by CharY Fire Blast in Sun) It has decent natural physical bulk as well (100Hp/90Def,128SpecialA&D). It can OHKO or 2HKO most pokemon, including all of the above. Psyshock nails Venusaur, Amoonguss, Keldeo, & other things while letting you hit things on the physical side. Focus Blast hits Ferro, TTar, Bisharp, & other mons that resist your other moves. Shadow Ball hits Aegis & Lati@s while coming with a decent 40% SpDef drop rate due to Serene Grace while Tbolt hits Azu/SkarmMandi & comes with 20% Para. Hyper Voice is secondary stab, lets you bypass subs, & is stronger than Psyshock, while HP Ice lets you kill Dragons, OHKO both Landorus, and OHKO Gliscor. EVs outspeed Min Spe LandyT, Jolly TTar, Adamant Bisharp, Adamant Loom, Max Spe Aegis, etc, give you a Rocks number, and as much SpAtk as possible. Credit to whoever came up with the spread.

You could also run a mixed set with Relic Song, Drain Punch if AV, CC if not/etc, or a SubCM set with EVs to not have your sub broken by 4atk Aegis/etc.

 

[Always!]

Here we go, one more!

Staraptor @ Choice Band/Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

- Double Edge
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- U-turn

Staraptor is still perfectly viable when you realize it hits so ridiculously hard and has the moves to capitalize on its Ability Reckless. With it, Staraptor becomes one of the most fearsome Wallbreakers in the game. Double Edge + Reckless is your normal Stab, and while it will kill you faster than a Deoxys-S holding a Choice Scarf, it will severely dent or outright KO the opposing Pokemon, and that's without the Band. With a Band, it will do such ridiculous amounts of damage that you could probably 2HKO almost any resist not named Skarmory. Brave Bird provides the excellent Flying Stab, sadly, with more recoil as the trade off. It's essentially in the same boat as Double Edge. Close Combat is what differentiates itself from every other Bird, as it allows Staraptor to power through the likes of Tyranitar, Ferrothorn (without killing yourself), and almost every Steel Type. U-Turn provides momentum, and as long as you can keep rocks off the field, Staraptor will be doing a number at RKing or Wallbreaking, and also being able to Scout.

DoubleBird is a combo that utilizes Staraptor+Talonflame, which aims on wearing each others checks down and then ending the game with a Flying Spam (or as some call it; Brave Bird for dayz). Staraptor beats out most common Physical Walls, like Gliscor, Hippowdon, and also destroys Rotom-W. The sheer force this thing has is unreal, and as long as SR is off the field, Staraptor will most probably attack around 2-4 times. However, you can rest assured that the opponent will be down 1-2 pokemon when Staraptor faints.

252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 213-252 (50.7 - 60%) Can't switch in.

252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 184+ Def Gliscor: 216-255 (61 - 72%) Toxic Orb ain't saving you today, buddy.

252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Double-Edge vs. 248 HP / 216+ Def Rotom-Wash: 235-277 (77.5 - 91.4%) Rotom-W is a pivot, and after soaking up one SR, or a smidgeon of prior damage, can be brought down very easily.

Band is preferable for power, but Scarf can be used for RKing purposes as well.

 

[Colonial]

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bolt Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Calm Mind


Good ol' Crocune. Suicune was a beast way back when in gen 4, but then fell hard in Gen V due to the new sleep mechanics, which rendered it's best set unusable. However, now the old sleep mechanics (guaranteed 2 turns of sleep from rest) are back, giving Suicune's most infamous set another lease on life. Most of you probably already know what this set does, but I'll go over it anyway. Crocune's goal is to use it's great defenses to boost with CM, use Scald, and Rest/Sleep Talk when healing or status removal is needed. As such, Crocune can best be described as a boosting sweeper. Situations Suicune cannot break with Scald can also be handled with Pressure Stalling- with this ability, Suicune can eventually break even the pink blobs.

Suicune works well in OU currently. It checks a ton of stuff- Talonflame, Bisharp, Gliscor, Greninja, Heatran, most physical scarfers, and overall fulfills most of the jobs bulky waters have always done. It's ability to completely heal itself of both damage and status allows it to set up on many of OU's less offensive pokemon, which rely on speed or status to hurt the enemy. Scald is very useful in today's physical meta and can help it with it's unboosted physical defense. No other pokemon can boast it's niche, and Suicune is perfectly suited for it. Ability, stats, movepool, everything fits together to make Crocune work. With some Calm Mind boosts, only the strongest of physical attackers can break it, and many of those fear Scald. Obviously, it has it's problems- Suicune hates Leech Seed and Taunt with the power of a thousand burning suns, can take a long while to get to a respectable power level, and it's 100/115 bulk is, while good, rather breakable for the tier's most powerful physical attackers. This is particularly true for those that can boost, such as Dragonite. It needs smart play to prevent it from being setup bait for things that don't mind Scald burns. It can be dead weight against offensive teams, which are not going to give it the time it needs to boost, and can still be screwed over by defensive teams with Leech Seed or Taunt. This particular set is the only one it has that can stand on it's own feet in OU without being overshadowed, making it predictable. Suicune is a pokemon that can work on it's own but will only truly shine if a team is built with it in mind, with specific answers to it's checks and counters.

To recap: Suicune is a unique pokemon that's very effective at what it does- nothing else fills it's niche. It can act as a check to much of OU with it's great defenses and RestTalk. To be most effective it needs team support, but can function without it. Both sides of the team-building spectrum can screw it over in some way, so it will best function as an opportunistic or late-game sweeper- either setting up on physical attackers/things it counters, or once Leech seeders/Taunters are gone.


I welcome any suggested changes/corrections! I want this post to be as helpful and accurate as possible- these threads are to help those who are new to battling/looking for a new strategy, and I hate the thought of potentially misleading them.

 

[LOStreamer]

Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Life Orb / Damp Rock
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Naive Nature
- Hurricane / Air Slash
- Focus Blast / Superpower
- Rain Dance / Knock Off
- U-turn

This thing is a great pivot in any rain team, what makes Torno-T amazing compared to other pivots is it's amazing ability that's practically made for pivots: Regenerator. Regenerator effectively mitigates LO and SR damage, this couples with its amazing 100 / 110 / 121 attacking stats and respectable 79 / 80 / 90 bulk turns him into a dangerous pivot or a great offensive rain-setter. Hurricane is the STAB move of choice since Torno-T is often put into rain teams, but air slash is decent, focus blast and superpower hits common flying resists hard namely Tyranitar and Heatran, rain dance is paired with damp rock and knock off with Life Orb, knock off let's it screw over aegis and Chansey switch ins and grants Fighting/Dark coverage (f*** you fairy) u-turn provides good momentum and allows you to switch into Kabutops or Kingdra to do their magic after setting up the rain. Torno-T is fairly difficult to revenge kill since it can just switch out thanks to regenerator and come back later good as new.

Tornodus-T could be used out side of rain teams as well and heat wave is a good option to consider as it can surprise scizor and beat aegislash.

 

[Sergeant Spooky]

Aggron @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Low Kick / Superpower
- Stone Edge / Rock Slide
- Earthquake / Heavy Slam / Iron Head
- Thunder Wave / Stealth Rock

(This set, as opposed to the one in the analysis, maximizes Attack to net some KOs and hit switch-ins harder. It really doesn't need Def investment, and SDef investment really only helps against a handful of things it can't switch into and has no business staying in on.)

Mega Aggron has ridiculous amounts of physical bulk. Not only does it have 70/230 physical bulk, but it also has filter which reduces SE damage from 2x to 1.75x, which helps alleviate its mono-steel typing and its weakness to extremely common moves. Mega Aggron has gotten flak for not having recovery and having a pretty poor typing before mega evolving, but what it can do is check nearly every single physical attacker in the tier (and flat out counter many: so long as it's mega evolved.) Mega Aggron is nearly impossible to OHKO with physical moves, even with STAB, super effective moves. It also has a respectable attack stat and a great offensive movepool, allowing it to OHKO a number of targets with an appropriate SE move. It's even better with Wish support, and there is honestly not a single pokemon easier to pass wishes to, due to how little damage it takes from nearly any physical attack.

I may be overselling it a bit, but the amount of stuff it just -stops- is pretty cool.

Wall of Calcs

+1 252 Atk Mega Tyranitar Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 139-165 (40.4 - 47.9%)
+4 252 Atk Mega Tyranitar Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 277-327 (80.5 - 95%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Tyranitar: 428-504 (125.1 - 147.3%)

+1 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Mega Gyarados Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Aggron: 194-230 (56.3 - 66.8%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Gyarados: 282-334 (84.9 - 100.6%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 208-247 (60.4 - 71.8%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Low Kick (120 BP) vs. -1 0 HP / 0 Def Terrakion: 498-586 (154.1 - 181.4%)
^HEAVY SLAM DOES LESS TAKE NOTE, also you lose to boosting LO sets.

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Aggron: 173-204 (50.2 - 59.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Low Kick (80 BP) vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Bisharp: 408-480 (146.2 - 172%)

252 Atk Choice Band Staraptor Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 133-157 (38.6 - 45.6%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Staraptor: 340-400 (108.9 - 128.2%)

+2 252 Atk Mega Pinsir Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 178-210 (51.7 - 61%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Pinsir: 432-512 (158.8 - 188.2%)

252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 168-199 (48.8 - 57.8%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Talonflame: 672-792 (225.5 - 265.7%)

252+ Atk Mega Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 202-238 (58.7 - 69.1%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. -1 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Heracross: 303-357 (83.2 - 98%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
^obv. lose to SD set

252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 172-205 (50 - 59.5%)
252+ Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Aggron: 229-273 (66.5 - 79.3%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Excadrill: 384-452 (106 - 124.8%)
^Mold Breaker lets it bypass filter and do more damage, but Mega Aggron can check unboosted Sand Rush pretty well. Air Balloon a shit, but it can be circumvented by using Superpower instead of Low Kick.

252 Atk Pure Power Mega Medicham High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 253-298 (73.5 - 86.6%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Medicham: 261-307 (100 - 117.6%)
^Mega Medicham's HJK is the most powerful move (barring choice and weather boosts) in the game and Mega Aggron takes it for SE damage, but he still counts as a check because lol.

252+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Fire Fang vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 96-114 (27.9 - 33.1%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Earthquake vs. 132 HP / 0 Def Mega Mawile: 210-248 (76.6 - 90.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
^Can win with some prior damage; a bit of a toss up if it's boosted and no damage but it's not coming out of it unscathed. You lose to subpunch.

252+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Focus Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 220-261 (63.9 - 75.8%)

+2 252+ Atk Mega Scizor Superpower vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 229-270 (66.5 - 78.4%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Fire Punch vs. -1 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Scizor: 428-504 (124.4 - 146.5%)

252 Atk Sand Force Mega Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron in Sand: 186-220 (54 - 63.9%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Avalanche vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Garchomp: 540-636 (150.8 - 177.6%)

+1 252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 132-156 (38.3 - 45.3%)
252+ Atk Mega Aggron Avalanche vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 316-374 (97.5 - 115.4%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

Avalanche can be used if your team is particularly weak to Garchomp and Dragonite, or something. Mega Aggron 2HKOs Chomp with Heavy Slam anyway, and Stone Edge can OHKO DNite after rocks. Mega Scizor walls you if you don't have Fire Punch, but if doesn't have Superpower AND Swords Dance (I'm not actually sure if that's a thing) it can't actually do anything to you.

+1 252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aggron: 256-303 (74.4 - 88%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
+1 252+ Atk Mega Charizard X Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aggron: 428-508 (124.4 - 147.6%)
+1 252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 307-364 (89.2 - 105.8%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+1 252+ Atk Mega Charizard X Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Filter Mega Aggron: 129-153 (37.5 - 44.4%)
^This is a really horrible matchup for Aggron, but with some prediction luck you can troll it and get a clutch T-Wave off. But do keep in mind base-form Aggron has Sturdy, which, so long as it's at full health, allows it to check stuff it really has no business doing so.

 

[Inflikted]

Gothitelle @ Choice Specs
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Energy Ball / Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground
- Trick

Gothitelle has a notable niche in the OU metagame as a solid and versatile trapper. STAB Psychic destroys Mega Venusaur with a bit of prior damage, while Psyshock is weaker in general but more useful against special walls. Thunderbolt hits Skarmory and Mandibuzz, but also water-types such as Azumarill and Slowbro. The 3rd slot is up to preference. Energy Ball hits Hippowdon and defensive Rotom W (denting it before it can Volt Switch out) while Hidden Power Fire beats Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor. Hidden Power Ground's only target is Heatran, so it's generally less useful, but a moveset of Psychic / Thunderbolt / HP ground / Trick allows Goth to almost single-handedly dismantle the common Venusaur-Heatran-Quagsire and Skarmory-Chansey stall cores.

Many of the most prominent sweepers in OU appreciate Gothitelle's support, and Gothitelle is incredibly efficient at doing its job. Notable examples include Dragonite, Charizard X, Mega Scizor, Mega Gyarados and NP Thundurus, that can easily run through teams after their counters are crippled or removed.

 

[Tressed]

(this picture's kinda huge, sorry)


Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake / Fire Fang
- Aerial Ace

Aerodactyl makes for a very solid choice as a revenge killer and late game cleaner. It's massive base 150 speed, even with an Adamant nature, lets it outrun base 130s after mega-evolving, which allows it to force out an enormous chunk of the meta (Mega Manectric is pretty much the only thing that runs enough Speed to beat it to the punch). It's base 135 Attack doesn't seem too impressive, but an Adamant nature and Tough Claws boosting the power of it's contact moves means that it can run over quite a few things.

Kind of a simple mon to explain, really. Max Speed / Max Attack Adamant outruns everything relevant while maximizing power. Stone Edge is primary STAB. Ice Fang provides coverage on stuff like Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Garchomp. Earthquake is your best shot against Aegislash and generally hits harder than Fire Fang, but the latter allows you to deal with Ferrothorn and weakened Skarmory. Aerial Ace provides some coverage on stuff like Venusaur or Keldeo, though you could run Stealth Rock, Roost, or Taunt here if you wanted to.

Once you break past physical walls and eliminate a few offensive threats (Thundurus, Scizor), Aerodactyl can easily clean up the remnants of a team.

 

[michaeloche]

Machamp @ Choice Band
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature
-Dynamic Punch
-Stone Edge
-Knock Off
-Bullet Punch/Thunder Punch/Ice Punch/Poison Jab

Machamp lost some of its luster in BW with the introduction of Conkeldurr, and has since dropped to UU. However, it still has the powerful combination of Dynamic Punch and No Guard, allowing for both a powerful hit and guaranteed confusion. In addition, you don't have to worry about Stone Edge missing, so you can dish out that hit as needed. Knock Off gives Machamp utility by removing the opponent's item and providing respectable coverage. The last slot is a toss-up, depending on team need. The EV spread allows for Machamp to outrun uninvested base 60's like Clefable and Aegislash.

 

[Jacks0n]

Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
-Sacred Fire
-Bulldoze
-Extreme Speed
-HP grass

Entei is actually extremely underrated. The reason this thing is so good is Sacred fire. Fire is a great physically offensive type nailing physical walls such as skarm and ferro. But the reason sacred fire is so good is because of the 50% burn chance. Bulky waters such as quagsire and azumarill have to take a huge risk switching in because they are both crippled by a burn. This is the same with bulkier grounds such as hippo and lando t because both are severly crippled with a burn. The only safe switch in to Entei is Baloon heatran. And with a couple of good plays Entei can eventually take out tran with a bulldoze, leaving it to massacre all switch-ins. Entei also has access to extreme speed which lets it do huge work against offence late game once threats are weakened. HP grass also 2ohko's quagsire which is really nice. All in all Entei is actually great, having no switch ins bar baloon tran, which can be played around.

 

[Entei The Swift]

Sharpedo @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Spatk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Modest
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Protect
- Destiny Bond

This thing is sooo good in OU imo. Gliscors expecting to wall waterfall, Aegislashs thinking it can take a crunch in defense form, physically bulky pokemon just melting. (Latis, excadrill, garchomp, ferrothorn, hippodown etc). This set takes alot of things by surprise. I personally think this set isnt as great in any other tier. Hydro pump and dark pulse for stab, protect for scouting and free boosts, and destiny bond for those core threats for your team. Obviously the only thing this shark can't do is take alot of priority.



On my phone right now. Will add damage calcs if anyone really wants me to.