ORAS OU My first competitive team!

[The J0ker]

Team 1.0

Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpAtk / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Rapid Spin

I decided to anchor my team around Blastoise, my favorite Pokemon, and began researching its battling capabilities in detail. Blastoise's mono-typing and high defenses is supplemented with 252 IVs in HP, allowing him to tank almost anything. His Mega form receives a massive boost in Special Attack, and with his defensive capabilities covered naturally I formed his movepool around offense. Scald is my main attacking move, chosen over Water Pulse due to a high 30% chance of inflicting a burn. Dark Pulse is my secondary option, also hitting with a whopping 120 base attack due to Mega Launcher. It has a 20% chance of causing my opponent to flinch, so I found it to be a great option for a secondary attack if Scald is resisted. Ice Beam exists mainly to counter Dragons (and Landorus). Finally, Rapid Spin was selected to clear field hazards for my less bulky Pokemon.

Raichu @ Focus Sash
Ability: Static
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Grass Knot
- Nuzzle
- Nasty Plot

Raichu is a speedy Pokemon, one of the fastest out there, and his above average special attack allows him to hit Water and Flying types hard. However, his Electric typing can deceive, and I equipped him with a Focus Sash to endure hits from Ground types and counter hard with Grass Knot. Grass Knot does damage based on weight, and most ground types are quite bulky, so the move does extreme damage. In addition to the bread-and-butter Thunderbolt, my Raichu carries Nuzzle. Nuzzle is essentially Thunder Wave that does a bit of damage. Paralyzing speedy foes like Talonflame or Loppuny has proven useful time and time again. Finally, the Focus Sash also enables me to use Nasty Plot at least once, allowing my Raichu to take many foes down if he gets going.

Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aerial Ace
- Bug Bite
- Brick Break
- Swords Dance

Yeah yeah, I know what most of you are thinking, but hear me out. Holding the Eviolite, Scyther's base stats jump up to a whooping 580. With a solid 120 in each defense and a serviceable 70 HP base stat, Scyther can a hit from practically any move that isn't rock-type. With blazing speed and a hard-hitting offense, Scyther can deal out intense damage and endure several hits. Aerial Ace and Bug Bite are his go-to attacking moves, hitting between them Psychics, Dark-types, Grass-types, Fighting-types and Bug-types super-effectively. These mediocre moves get boosted to 90 with Technician, and to 135 with STAB. Brick Break admittedly is a move I am reconsidering switching out with Thief. Swords Dance allows him to double his attack if I believe he can tank a hit.

Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpDef/ 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock

Steelix is my tank of choice, an extremely bulky Pokemon with unbeaten defense. His average HP is boosted with EV training, as his special defense, which is further upgraded with his nature. In addition, his ability prevents a OHKO in the off chance someone lands a fire-type or water-type move powerful enough to knock him out. His held leftovers allow my Steelix to heal what damage he takes. He is not just a sponge for hits, however. Offensively, I bred him with Heavy Slam, a great Steel move that does more damage the heavier he is in comparison to the target. Chances are, he's going to deal 120 base damage with his immense 880 pound weight. Earthquake is another great option, always dealing 100 base damage in case the target is quite heavy as well (unless it's flying, of course). Toxic will whittle down opposing walls, and Stealth Rock is - well, you know what that's for.

Gallade @ Mind Plate
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Psycho Cut
- Bulk Up
- Destiny Bond

Admittedly, I've had the most trouble getting my Gallade to work. I intend for him to be another hard-hitting Physical attacker alongside my Scyther. His speed boosted with EVs is usually enough to out-speed his foes, allowing him to pummel his opponents with his unmatched 125 attack base stat, boosted as well with EVs and his nature. Unsure of what item to give him, I've decided to give him the Mind Plate to boost Psycho Cut's damage output. Close Combat will annihilate any Rock, Steel or Dark types. Bulk Up is there to provide a defensive boost, since his defense is quite low. Destiny Bond is an option of last resort, allowing him to take down a foe if he cannot do it otherwise.

Hydreigon @ White Herb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Roost

The ferocious Hydreigon rounds out my team, balancing attackers and special attackers at three apiece. He's a bit beefier than Gallade or Raichu, but his offense is more important than his defense. The White Herb, assuming his stats haven't been lowered by an opponent already, allows him to use the devastating Draco Meteor once without decreasing his Special Attack. Dark Pulse is a great STAB move, while Flamethrower hits several other types super-effectively for coverage. Roost allows him to heal himself if he has taken substantial damage.

Team 2.0

Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpAtk / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Water Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Rapid Spin

Gengar @ Wise Glasses
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Dazzling Gleam
- Energy Ball
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb

Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aerial Ace
- Bug Bite
- U-Turn
- Swords Dance

Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpDef/ 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Gallade @ Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Psycho Cut
- Swords Dance
- Destiny Bond

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Roost

Team 3.0

BlitzBreaker (Blastoise) (M) @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Water Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Rapid Spin

Jessica (Gengar) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dazzling Gleam
- Energy Ball
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb

Stryker (Scyther) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bug Bite
- Aerial Ace
- U-turn
- Swords Dance

Draiman (Steelix) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Grayson (Gallade) @ Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Psycho Cut
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off

Osbourne (Hydreigon) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon

 

[MaChew94]

Hi there! I've given your team a quick look over and can recommend a few changes;

Blastoise - this set is pretty decent tbh, you can try to run hydro over scald for damage, but his base Spatk is pretty huge - just watch out for those tyranitar leads; he can probably tank the hit, but won't be good for anything after (though if he sets up SR, you waste a turn and a free switch in rapid spinning it).

Raichu - As much as I love Raichu, he's outclassed by most of the electric poke'mon roaming OU. And with 110 base speed and 90 base SPatk, he isn't "one of the fastest" and doesn't possess the greatest spatk I've ever seen. Jolteon can outspeed and outdamage him, with slightly higher defences, but he loses that grass knot for grounds. Manectric is another option; he has slightly higher speed than Raichu and higher sp.atk, and has access to flamethrower, which is great for ferrothorn/amoongus/klelfki stalls. Another option is an amphoros, though he's fairly lackluster without his mega. So, if you're set on using an electric type, there are better ones; this link will take you to the list of OU poke'mon: http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/tags/ou

Another option would be to scrap Steelix and Raichu (ill explain why steelix in a sec) and run a magezone. This has the benefit of trapping other steel types with magnet pull (like even mega scizor) and uses Hidden Power fire to wreck said steel types. So just look over your electric options; once you have one in mind, toy with sets or ask me for a recommendation :)

Steelix - Right. There's nothing wrong with using Steelix (he's a decent poke, and you have a good set) but the problem is he's the 3rd poke'mon on your team weak to Talonflame. I ran some stats on a damage calculator and he OHKO's the scyther, gallade and steelix. If you want me to post those stats then I will, I didn't test the hydreigon but with no defence EV's he's likely to get melted too. I propose changing the Steelix to a Tyranitar, who still has access to Stealth rock, but carries a rock STAB to take down that T-flame, and really harms it's damage.

Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream (tbh, this doesn't benefit the rest of your team but it does boost his sp.def by 50% from Gen6 onwards, and with a base 110 defence, he can take so many hits).
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rock slide/Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
- Crunch

That's a tanky set, to replace your Steelix. It has enough damage for OHKO T-flame and Charizard who otherwise destroy half your team, and has enough bulk to set up that all important Stealth Rock too. Works great as a lead if you had no lead poke'mon in mind.

Gallade - I was going to suggest a new poke instead of Gallade, but realised that you'd lose complete fighting type coverage then (and would be weak to fighting types if you had a T-tar on your team - 4x weakness to fighting). I think the fighting type control is quite nice to have, so decide if you really need it. If you're unsure about the item, a simple life orb would help, giving you 1.3x damage at the cost of 10% of your max health a turn, but with this kind of speedy poke you're only gonna get a few kills out of it - getting 2 or 3 kills and then dying is a great statistic for this kind of sweeper, so don't worry about frailty.

Hydreigon - Why the white herb? Are you so worried about stat drops that you'd sacrifice a choice specs for it? the specs would raise the draco meteor and flamethrower into ridiculous territory, scoring OHKO's even with neutral damage.

The rest are ok at first glance, I might put it into showdown later and trial it, but it just needs slightly tidying up. I think it would be worth you reading through the OU tier list (see link above) and reading the OU threat list to see how many of the common threats you can 'check' (beat) with this team. It's pretty well thought out, but it could just do with a bit more research into threats and recommended pokes.

If you haven't already, head on over to www.pokemonshowdown.com, a battle simulator where you can enter your team and battle against other teams; this teaches you about threats and how your team works together.

Good luck!

 

[The J0ker]

Blastoise - this set is pretty decent tbh, you can try to run hydro over scald for damage, but his base Spatk is pretty huge - just watch out for those tyranitar leads; he can probably tank the hit, but won't be good for anything after (though if he sets up SR, you waste a turn and a free switch in rapid spinning it).

I dunno which one you're referring to, but I tried Hydro Cannon before. The waste of a turn really wasn't worth it. Hydro Pump, I dunno, the lack of accuracy and chance of a burn doesn't seem like a good trade off. With Tyranitar, if I don't win the battle with Blastoise for some odd reason, Gallade would put the fear of Arceus into it.

Raichu -

As much as I love Raichu, he's outclassed by most of the electric poke'mon roaming OU. And with 110 base speed and 90 base SPatk, he isn't "one of the fastest" and doesn't possess the greatest spatk I've ever seen. Jolteon can outspeed and outdamage him, with slightly higher defences, but he loses that grass knot for grounds.

Hmm. I don't want to replace any Pokemon unless absolutely necessary (I like to make teams around my favorite Pokemon), but Jolteon does sound like a really good option. The only problem is that lack of Grass Knot. I can't tell you how many times it's saved my ass when an electric type would almost always be forced to switch.

Tell you what, I'll run my team with a Jolteon instead of Raichu in Showdown and get back to you on this.

Steelix - Right. There's nothing wrong with using Steelix (he's a decent poke, and you have a good set) but the problem is he's the 3rd poke'mon on your team weak to Talonflame. I ran some stats on a damage calculator and he OHKO's the scyther, gallade and steelix. If you want me to post those stats then I will, I didn't test the hydreigon but with no defence EV's he's likely to get melted too. I propose changing the Steelix to a Tyranitar, who still has access to Stealth rock, but carries a rock STAB to take down that T-flame, and really harms it's damage.That's a tanky set, to replace your Steelix. It has enough damage for OHKO T-flame and Charizard who otherwise destroy half your team, and has enough bulk to set up that all important Stealth Rock too. Works great as a lead if you had no lead poke'mon in mind.

That Sand Stream though! It doesn't sound like a good idea to throw up a sandstorm when the rest of my Pokemon aren't immune to it. And when it comes to popular weaknesses, Tyranitar is going to get wrecked by Bisharp alongside my Hydreigon.

Anyways, you do raise a good point with Talonflame. That stupid bird is by far my biggest weakness. Instead of radically altering my team for one Pokemon, though, I'm thinking of putting Stone Edge on Steelix. I don't particularly want to lose Toxic, but I'll give that up to deal with freaking omnipresent Talonflame. Steelix's defense is so insanely high he's been able to tank Flare Blitz's from the bird (and Sturdy's there just in case).

Gallade - I was going to suggest a new poke instead of Gallade, but realised that you'd lose complete fighting type coverage then (and would be weak to fighting types if you had a T-tar on your team - 4x weakness to fighting). I think the fighting type control is quite nice to have, so decide if you really need it. If you're unsure about the item, a simple life orb would help, giving you 1.3x damage at the cost of 10% of your max health a turn, but with this kind of speedy poke you're only gonna get a few kills out of it - getting 2 or 3 kills and then dying is a great statistic for this kind of sweeper, so don't worry about frailty.

Ooooooh, that's a good idea, actually! I used to run a 252/128/128 Atk/HP/Spe split with my Gallade before I realized he really needed a speed boost. With him being rather frail now, the Life Orb is really not a bad idea, especially with the trouble I'm having with his offensive capabilities. I like that, thanks.

Hydreigon

- Why the white herb? Are you so worried about stat drops that you'd sacrifice a choice specs for it? the specs would raise the draco meteor and flamethrower into ridiculous territory, scoring OHKO's even with neutral damage.

I like to play my Hydreigon with versatility. Locking him into one move is going to force me to waste a turn switching out when I could normally deal with a threat (being locked into Dark Pulse when Ferrothorn is sent out, when normally a Flamethrower would KO it).

The rest are ok at first glance, I might put it into showdown later and trial it, but it just needs slightly tidying up. I think it would be worth you reading through the OU tier list (see link above) and reading the OU threat list to see how many of the common threats you can 'check' (beat) with this team. It's pretty well thought out, but it could just do with a bit more research into threats and recommended pokes.

Good luck!

Thanks, but besides for the aforementioned Talonflame (hate that thing!), I think my biggest problem is my own team. Some of my Pokemon, like Scyther and Blastoise, are pretty much finished, but my Gallade and my Steelix still have some holes that need to be patched. Now that you've made me think about it, I think Stone Edge on my Steelix is pretty much a necessity. If you've got any more move replacements or item ideas, I'd really like to hear those, that's my biggest issue right now.

Oh, and one last thought. Instead of replacing Brick Break with Thief, do you think I should replace it with U-Turn instead? Which move do you think would work with my Scyther better?

 

[Stardust Dragon]

First off, I would recommend Water Pulse on Blastoise. You say Scald because pf the burn chance, but not only is Water Pulse more powerful, it has a chance to confuse. Once they are confused, they will most likely switch, allowing you to predict it, or get another powerful hit. Next, Raikou outclasses Raichu in pretty much every way. There is a reason its legendary. Its base stats are 90/85/75/115/100/115 compared to Raichus 60/90/55/90/80/110 base stats. Raikou is faster, stronger, and bulkier. He's also electric type just like Raichu. I opted for a Choice Specs Raikou. Then I went straight down to Gallade. Gallade didn't seem like anything on this team, so I replaced. The Mew set I use is an Anti-lead, allowing you to shut down other leads. If played correctly, you can beat Bisharp, and other Pursuit trappers. Mew also sets up Stealth Rocks, giving Steelix room to put on a new move. I actually replaced Steelix for Gliscor though, due to Poison Heal, higher Speed, and higher Special Defense. I also changed Hydreigon to Life Orb. These are just a bunch of tips, if you used all of them it would totally change your team, but hopefully you will use at least some.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-228002346

Final Team :v4:

Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Water Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Rapid Spin

Raikou @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Aura Sphere
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Extrasensory

Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aerial Ace
- Bug Bite
- Brick Break
- Swords Dance

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 248 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Knock Off
- Substitute

Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 72 SpD / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock

Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Roost

Hide

 

[Reverb]

Hi, your team is competitively unviable. Since you're a new player, I suggest you stick to Pokemon tiered OU (4/6 of your Pokemon have no place in OU, and Blastoise and Hydreigon are niche Pokemon at best). Here's a link to the cores thread: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/oras-good-cores-check-post-714.3524713/. Approved cores are validated to be potent in OU, so you can't go wrong by building around them. Also, check out the Team Showcase forum for some great teams: http://www.smogon.com/forums/forums/team-showcase.314/.

Finally, I suggest you consider signing up for a tutor. That can be done during the next round here: http://www.smogon.com/forums/forums/battling-101.42/.

 

[The J0ker]

Don't listen to Reverb, he's just a bully and jealous of innovative new builds that he's too narrow minded to conceive. Follow your dreams OP!

Hey, the results speak for themselves. I'm no expert, but I win about 60% of my matches. Not bad for a scrub team :)

First off, I would recommend Water Pulse on Blastoise. You say Scald because pf the burn chance, but not only is Water Pulse more powerful, it has a chance to confuse. Once they are confused, they will most likely switch, allowing you to predict it, or get another powerful hit.

Hmm. Not a bad idea, actually. I suppose a burn isn't going to force a switch like a confusion would. I'll try it out!

Next, Raikou outclasses Raichu in pretty much every way. There is a reason its legendary. Its base stats are 90/85/75/115/100/115 compared to Raichus 60/90/55/90/80/110 base stats. Raikou is faster, stronger, and bulkier. He's also electric type just like Raichu.

Actually, I just had a good idea. I have a Gengar on the sidelines, who would function also like a special sweeper. I ran my team with her added through the team builder, and like this one no type is effective against more than two of my mons. Here, let me fetch my Gengar's build...

Gengar @ Wise Glasses
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Hypnosis
- Dream Eater
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb

With my Blastoise and my Hydreigon's Dark Pulse, and my Scyther's Bug Bite, there's not much reason to carry Shadow Ball, so I might replace that with Thunderbolt...

I also changed Hydreigon to Life Orb. These are just a bunch of tips, if you used all of them it would totally change your team, but hopefully you will use at least some.

Already running the Orb on Gallade. I am open to switching from the White Herb if you guys give me a really good idea, though.

 

[MaChew94]

Well, The T-tar's other ability is unnerve which makes them too nervous to eat berries. This is great for shutting down lum berry outrage Dragonites, among others, but you do lose that sand. True, your pokes get hurt by it, but it only lasts 5 turns, more than likely hurts theirs too, and you won't switch T-tar out for a few turns because of it's base stats unless you can see a lead on their team that would wreck your t-tar, plus the sp. def boost helps greatly in some situations. Sure, it gets shut down by Bisharp and a few others, but it's a little more reliable than Steelix I think, and also helps shut T-flame down. I ran some calcs:

4 Atk Steelix Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Talonflame: 248-296 (83.5 - 99.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. the Rock slide from Steelix does good damage, true.
252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix: 254-302 (71.7 - 85.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO However, T-flame outspeeds, doesn't proc sturdy, and will reliably 2HKO your steelix (flare blirz is 100% accuracy).

On the other hand, a T-tar rock slide: 0 Atk Tyranitar Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Talonflame: 544-648 (183.1 - 218.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO. With 0 Atk EV's, and full investment into defence, it reliably OHKO's the T-flame while taking a meager (252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Tyranitar: 87-102 (21.5 - 25.2%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO) 1/5 of it's health as damage, rather than around 4/5. A T-flame will stay locked into steelix because it knows it can outspeed and kill it.

You mentioned me changing the moves on Steelix; It's pretty decent as it is, but I'd really urge you to try T-tar instead. Unnerve (the second ability) removes the sand, but keeps a higher damage Earthquake, STAB crunch and rock slide, shuts down fire/flying threats, and can still set up stealth rocks, with similar defences, and a T-tar actually survives, killing an enemy T-flame in one turn.

Raichu - Well the thing is with Jolteon (and with raikou as the other fella suggested) is that it outclasses Raichu in every way, and you can always pack Hidden Power grass which does more damage anyway (60 base power as opposed to the weight calculation. I mean, true, rock and grounds are heavy, but it probably equates to similar power levels between Grass knot and HP grass, and you get a better poke out of it.

I can tell you've really thought this team out, and some of your ideas (the eviolite scyther is really inspired and interesting), but you fall short of some of the OU threats. Talonflame is so persistent in OU and ubers I actually have the same set on both my own Ou and Uber teams, and have a finished lv100 Gale wings on my copy of ORAS (it's a beast). I'd say really rifle through the threat list and tick some off, it won't take long to do. If you're worried about the fighting weakness of T-tar (i was when I trialed it) know that your Steelix still has a x2 weakness to fighting, and your suped up life orb gallade will decimate an enemy Bisharp. Honestly, T-flame and charizard are seen a lot more than bisharp, breloom and conkeldurr, and it's so useful having a dedicated poke to take out a certain threat, as prevalent in OU as it is.

Hydreigon - To be honest, I'm with you on versatility, but the sheer damage you get out of speccing it is stupid. It's the reason I've choice banded my T-flame rather than using a life orb. If all else fails, and you really want that versatility (though if you're locked in, all you have to do is switch to a tank or someone who resists the enemy move and switch back) then go with a life orb. Stat changes are not so common in OU, and you want all the damage you can get out of your Hydreigon. The only thing is, a salamence, Noivern and Charizard X outspeed Hydriegon if they're speed EV trained too, so watch out for this. An enemy salamence can OHKO your Hydreigon before it can set up, and choice scarfing it does two things; firstly, it allows you to outspeed many of it's counters and sweep, and also scouts out enemy items (if an enemy salamence outspeeds your choice scarfed Hydr, you know it's scarfed too.

I know what you mean about being locked into one move, but it's really not as bad as you think; I'd go with choice specs if you want damage, or choice scarf if you want to keep it healthy against enemy dragons; if the enemies are unscarfed, this becomes the fastest dragon with a scarf, so bear that in mind.

I'm with you, though; I love poke'mon, and want to make teams that involve my favorites. To an extent, these teams work, but they do seem to fall short at their counters. I was loathe to change my team around from when I first posted it, but the changes have made it really really successful. Just try switching your team around; I can't tell you what to do, this is only a rate and just my suggestions, and I can tell you've put a lot of though into this, but I'd really recommend adding that T-flame check. You'll notice it.

The only other thing i can recommend is to load it into showdown and experiment. I look forward to hearing about your team! :)

Pro tip: you can paste URL's to replays of your showdown games, to show off your wins etc.

EDIT: If you're gonna add Gengar, you can run energy ball on it; this removes the need for grass knot on Raichu, lets you pick a dedicated OU electric sweeper and still gives you grass coverage.

Another option would be to remove your gallade, add a T-flame of your own (to deal with fighting types and enemy steels) and add focus blast to Gengar. Sure, it's 70% accuracy, but with those two pokes you'll cover a lot and also your team will jump up in power rating and synergy.

 

[Updated Kanto]

Sup yo, nice team you have there.
I've tested it on the ladder and have a couple of tips!

Raichu- yes its very speedy but i'd recommend running pikachu because it gets access to light ball which is basically making you get DOUBLE the damage on anything, its like a +2 in special attack and reg attack. It also allows Extreme Speed to be used since its attack will get a huge boost giving you priority, something that you lack and is very important.

Steelix- You have three options here so you won't be as tflame weak. either give it stone edge and make it physically defensive or run eviolite onix so tflame can't hit you with se STAB and last but not least change it to something bulky that can handle tflame and get up rocks like lando-t

Gallade- ok so here, all I recommend is making Gallade Swords Dance instead of Bulk Up and giving it shadow sneak instead of dbond in a last minute effort to kill something faster than you.

Hydreigon- Change it from flamethrower to focus blast to be able to hit heatran and run wide lens because nobody likes to miss

This is all I recommend and i'll make sure to test your team on the ladder :)

 

[The J0ker]

Alright, so I've considered everything written here and made adjustments to my team accordingly. I'm gonna try it on Showdown later and see how it goes.

Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpAtk / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Water Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Rapid Spin

Gengar @ Wise Glasses
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hypnosis
- Dream Eater
- Energy Ball
- Sludge Bomb

Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aerial Ace
- Bug Bite
- U-Turn
- Swords Dance

Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpDef/ 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Gallade @ Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Psycho Cut
- Swords Dance
- Destiny Bond

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Roost

I'll play around with this team and post the results :)

 

[MaChew94]

Yeah, that's the best thing to do. The team's looking a bit more thought out, now. However, be aware that only two of your poke'mon are actually OU. As a rule of thumb you can run anything on your team as long as it works and there's synergy, but the poke's may get outclassed at certain stages.

Toy around with the team though; just remember to try out different things. If at all your steelix fails, for example, know that on this very thread there's a serviceable Tyranitar build, and so on.

Best of luck with your battles.

 

[The J0ker]

Played five matches just now, won four. Surprisingly, I didn't run into a single Talonflame, so I can't comment on that now. What I did notice was a lack of firepower for my Gengar. Previously, she could OHKO a lot of Psychics and Ghosts (looking at you Aegislash), but without Shadow Ball I can't do that. Didn't think I'd miss it that badly. I'm thinking of possibly getting rid of Hypnosis and Dream Eater and replacing them with Shadow Ball and either Thunderbolt or Will-O-Wisp.

 

[MaChew94]

Aegislash is Uber, so no worries there. As for your Gengar set, I was a little skeptical. My set is as follows:

Gengar @ Life orb
Ability: Levitate
EV's: 252 Spe/ 252 Spa/ 4 Hp
Nature: Timid

- Sludge Bomb (for fairies)
- Dazzling gleam (a fairy move - that your team lacks - that can be used unexpectedly on a dark type that switches in or on a dragon type, and do serious damage). I ran the calcs for this the other day, and it 2HKO's every dragon in OU, even a Sp. Def Garchomp. It did 92% health to a salemence. I mean, you're probably dead the turn after you use it, but you'll outspeed it, hit it, and can then revenge kill it.
- Energy Ball
- Shadow Ball.

You want Gengar to hit as hard as you can (and believe me, it's hard - I can OHKO my friend's HP invested Gardevoir with one sludge bomb). You can remove the Dazzling Gleam for T-bolt if you needed it.

As for the T-flame, just play more games, you'll see it! you could go 20 matches without seeing it; that doesn't mean it's not used, and doesn't mean it's not a threat :p

 

[The J0ker]

Aegislash is Uber, so no worries there.

I'm playing on wi-fi as well.

 

[MaChew94]

Ah. Well, that brings a whole host of problems, not least the fact that some people over wi-fi won't know of or adhere to the smogon tier listings, and you can expect there to be legendaries. Regardless, shadow ball should be taken on your Gengar every time, no question.

FYI, I've just drafted a new OU team (just finishing the last poke) and will be making a post on here quite soon about it :) (shameless plugging :P)

 

[The J0ker]

Dazzling Gleam sounds nice, I'll take a look at it.

 

[Stardust Dragon]

Oh okay, update your thread so we can see all the changes you made and give better suggestions.

 

[The J0ker]

Er, is there a way to spoiler text here?

 

[IridiumBastiodon]

[ hide ] or [ hide=Something you want to write ] followed by [ /hide ] to close it.

Like this:

Hide

hello

example

hey

 

[The J0ker]

Okay, fixed.

 

[MaChew94]

New team looks much tidier, will be interesting to see how it does now :)

 

[The J0ker]

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-228122089

Here was an interesting close battle. A few mistakes on both sides, but it's was a great battle nonetheless.

Spoiler alert: I won.

 

[MaChew94]

Was a good battle indeed; now you know not to use psycho cut on a skarmory :p but when your scyther took out that blissey! :P Also, I may have to look into a blastoise, it dealt with those threats really well!

 

[The J0ker]

Was a good battle indeed; now you know not to use psycho cut on a skarmory :p but when your scyther took out that blissey! :P Also, I may have to look into a blastoise, it dealt with those threats really well!

Yeah, I was just hoping Grayson had enough muscle to just knock it out...

Scyther is EXTREMELY overlooked, if you ask me. If you let him set up a few Swords Dances, he'll clean shop. He's got a totally different style of play than his older cousin Scizor, but he's still a great mon in his own right. Dunno why they've got him in the NU tier.

Blastoise is another one that has me scratching my head. I don't see him as often as Charizard or Serperior, sure, but I see him fairly often and he's got a damn good mega.

 

[Ryfi110]

I would like to first state my appreciation towards teams like this. Even if it is not making it to #1 on the ladder, it is effective, and its composed of mostly underrated threats. After the changes you made, I have a few more changes to make, but most are just changing a move or two around.

Gengar- Wise-Glasses is pretty horrible. A 10% boost is nice and all, but the power is kind of depressing compared to Life Orb's 30%. I know you cannot have multiple of the same items on Wifi, so you can either remove Gallade's Life Orb, or give Gengar a set of specs, or a scarf, depending on which you give to Hydregion.
Gallade- Since Gengar should hold the orb, Gallade may appreciate a Fist Plate. Since it will die fairly quickly because its frail, its job should go out and spam +2 Close Combats. The defensive debuffs dont matter. In this way, you now have a 20% boosted Close Combat, which would vaporize anything not heavily resistant to it. As another option, keep the orb on Gallade, and give gengar a pair of specs or a stylish scarf.

I am going to suggest something entirely optional, but I feel it really updates your team to higher levels.

Change Steelix entirely to Tyranitar. Pursuit trapping is always fun, because switching in on Latios is hard to ask of Blastoise. This would allow you to get rid of something you have no real counter to, especially if it carries surf/tbolt. (though a tbolt variant loses to Steelix I think) whereas a surf variant will destroy Steelix. Yes, Blastoise can check, but that is not too stable, especially since it can be forced to spin allowing a free switch, or take an attack while spinning

You were right about one thing: Steelix's steel typing can be nice. Steel + Dragon can be a nice combination, giving you a resistance for most attacks. While this next idea is not as bulky as your former steel type, but you can swap Gallade with a more viable Lucario. This allows you to gain an Extremespeed user, one that can be paired with swords dance. It can also spam Close Combats, and generally has a similar role, but can also take out weakened pokemon.

The reason for your aversion towards these changes is certainly because gathering these pokemon on ORAS is difficult. I agree. I can provide you with much of what you would need, I have most OU viable pokemon, all shiny with 5/6 IVs. Most EV trained. They are clones, but they function as legit, as there is no difference aside from an emotional aspect. I do not know how important that is to you.

Anyway, let me conclude with a
I will not bore you with a 10th tyranitar set in this thread, but I will give you one for Lucario.

Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (Jolly has a niche too.)
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Crunch


Just a note: If you have already bonded with this team to the point of 'mon changes being unthinkable, then consider giving Hydregion a scarf. This allows it to outspeed and OHKO Latios/Latias without breaking a sweat, giving you a second, secure check to Lati@s.

I think, anyway. I do not have access to /calc at the moment, but it seems like a safe assumption.

 

[Jimmy L]

Hi, your team is competitively unviable. Since you're a new player, I suggest you stick to Pokemon tiered OU (4/6 of your Pokemon have no place in OU, and Blastoise and Hydreigon are niche Pokemon at best). Here's a link to the cores thread: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/oras-good-cores-check-post-714.3524713/. Approved cores are validated to be potent in OU, so you can't go wrong by building around them. Also, check out the Team Showcase forum for some great teams: http://www.smogon.com/forums/forums/team-showcase.314/.

Finally, I suggest you consider signing up for a tutor. That can be done during the next round here: http://www.smogon.com/forums/forums/battling-101.42/.

As harsh as it sounds, I have to echo this.

Alright, so I've considered everything written here and made adjustments to my team accordingly. I'm gonna try it on Showdown later and see how it goes.

Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpAtk / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Water Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Rapid Spin
Very much a niche mon. I feel like Starmie totally outclasses it as a spinner and the opportunity cost of running Mega-Blastoise when you could run a proper OU mega is too large for this to work. That said, your set is fine, it has good coverage. As a minor thing, I'd put those speed EV's into Def. Blastoise isn't outspeeding anything. Starmie also can tank status for your team.

Gengar @ Wise Glasses
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hypnosis
- Dream Eater
- Energy Ball
- Sludge Bomb
Hypnosis/Dream Eater has absolutely no place in OU sorry. Hypnosis misses too much and dream eater is a total waste of a move slot considering hypnosis is the only sleep move in your entire team and it misses a lot. Try running another coverage move such as focus blast instead of dream eater and you can run various other things instead of hypnosis like disable/substitute/dazzling gleam dependent on what you want/need. Item wise, wise glasses aren't viable. You get a bigger boost from a LO.

Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aerial Ace
- Bug Bite
- U-Turn
- Swords Dance
Pointless. Outclasses by everything. Just use Scizor instead. Even after the eviolite boost, it dies to everything. It won't ever get a SD boost up and if it does, it'll be killed quickly.

Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpDef/ 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
So many many tanks in OU that do the same job and counter Talonflame far, far better. Tyranitar/Hippodon (both can set up rocks), Rotom-W/Heatran/Garchomp/Bulky Lando-T. There's just no need to run Steelix. it's just bad.

Gallade @ Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Psycho Cut
- Swords Dance
- Destiny Bond
I'd get rid of this and run a physical mega instead such as Altaria/Metacross purely because Gallade is bad in OU.

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Roost
It's not bad per se, but it's killed by fairies which run amok around OU. Also it's speed is pretty poor for OU. I like Hydreigon a lot but it's just not great in OU. I'd give it a scarf rather than Specs.

I'll play around with this team and post the results :)

These are my suggested changes.

Mega-Blastoise -> Starmie
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Scald
- Ice Beam

Gengar -> Raikou
Raikou @ Assault vest
Ability: pressure
Evs: 252 Spe / 42 SpD / 214 SpA
Timid Nature
- volt switch
- thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power ice

Gallade -> Mega Metagross
Metagross @ Metagrossite
ability: tough claws
EVs: 252 atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Grass Knot
- Ice punch/EQ/hammer arm (depending on coverage you think is most important)


Keep Scyther if you want and slap a scarf on Hydreigon instead of Specs. I know you want to use your favourites so I'd keep Steelix as well.

EDIT: @ the above poster - Lucario is bad. It just doesn't possess the combination of speed and power it needs.