My OU Team: Call it whatever you want!

[hasbeenkoed]

My OU Team: Call it whatever you want! (It won't talk back :/)​

My first post, first team for rating. It's been reasonably successful in the shoddy metagame, but I want to bring it to the next level, so any and all suggestion will be appreciated!

Basic Team (I can't subtype it.. it seems pretty versatile to me)

At a glance: (I've always wanted to do this!)

Anyways...

Skamory - Wingit
Steel/Flying - Shed Shell - Impish - Keen Eye
HP 252 - Att 64 - Def 176 - Speed 16
Brave Bird - Roost - Stealth Rock - Whirlwind​

Standard lead, with Stealth Rock and Whirlwind to give support, Brave Bird to dish out some anti-fighting, anti-grass damage and Roost just to try and keep healthy. Shed Shell helps to get out of traps, and the Electric weakness allows to bait an Electric move to do a Motor Drive Electivire switch in.There's not much else I can say about Skamory; she's a simple beast, really. Switches into Earthquake (but I prefer Gyarados for that most enviable of jobs

Scizor - Crimson
Bug/Steel - Life Orb - Adamant - Technician
Hp 32 - Att 252 - Spe 224
Brick Break - Bullet Punch - Swords Dance - X-Scissor​

A Revenge Killer mainly, but with a Swords Dance or two, becomes a most formidable sweeper. Nice type coverage, but hardly super-original. I think we all know that Scizor is just a good across the board sweeper: but if you have any ideas please feel free to tell!

Gengar - Mysterio
Ghost/Poison - Life Orb - Timid - Levitate
Def 4 - Spe 252 - SpA 252
Explosion - Focus Blast - Shadow Ball - Thunderbolt​

Special Sweeper of personal choice, thanks to goo Special Attack, Speed and type coverage. Great for taking out Tyranitars with Focus Blast, and isn't that what matters? Also, quite often, the best counter my opponent tries to throw at Gengar is an Electric type, which means another switch in to Motor Drive Pokemon, which is always a good element to have as a sweeper.

Tentacruel - Oozie
Water/Poison - Leftovers - Calm - Liquid Ooze
HP 252 - Def 120 - Spe 136
Rapid Spin - Sludge Bomb - Surf - Toxic Spikes​

Rapid Spinner, gives some Fire coverage with Surf and can beat Breloom with Sludge Bomb. Toxic Spikes provide light support, but as I now Know, they're hardly useful enough to use everytime. I might replace this guy if anyone, but I kind of appreciate his speed. Suggestions anyone?

Gyarados - Torrent
Water/Flying - Life Orb - Rash - Intimidate
Att 252 - Def 4 - Spe 252
Dragon Dance - Waterfall - Ice Fang - Stone Edge​

Gyarados is one mean fish after Dragon Dance and an almighty Physical Sweeper. Waterfall offers STAB damage with flinch bonus, and Ice Fang and Stone Edge take out pretty much any thing else. Except Electrics where I, you guessed it, switch to Electivire. Hardly rocket science, but gets the job done.

Electivire - Livewire
Electric - Life Orb - Mild - Motor Drive
Att 36 - Spe 220 - SpA 252
Cross Chop - Flamethrower - Hidden Power Ice - Thunderbolt​

The heart of the party: Motor Drive and sweep. Basic moveset which provides nice type coverage, with a speed boost it absolutely dominates. But it can still be improved, Choice Band maybe? Perhaps it needs more Water or Flying Pokemon around it? I don't know... but suggestion are welcomed!

END OF THE TEAM​

Please give me some improvement ideas, like better pokemon, items, moves or actually someway to define my team!​

P.S. Sorry it wasn't too complicated, I'm new after all. Oh and a big thanks goes out to Taylor!​

 

[SlottedPig]

Welcome to Smogon!

Anyway, Skarmory seems decent. You want Spikes over Stealth Rock, since Skarmory is the BEST user of the rare Spikes, whereas Stealth Rock can be slapped on half the pokemon in OU. Good moveset / EVs, but remove 4 Defense EVs to put in Speed. This way, your Skarmory outspeeds most other Skarmories and Whirlwinds them out faster.

Scizor, the standard pseudo-sweeper and revenge killer. This is the spread it wants : 252 HP / 76 Atk / 176 SpD / 4 Spe. Pokemon that slow the Scizor sweep are mere setup fodder : Gliscor, Vaporeon, the list goes on. Good moveset, and its easy to get 3 SD's with that spread.

Gengar wants Black Sludge and this moveset: Substitute / Thunderbolt / Shadow Ball / Focus Blast. It lures in Tyranitar with Substitute and kills it, while Substitute also helps you escape Scizor safely. Gengar seems way too important for you to kamikaze with Explosion.

Tentacruel should be replaced by the 'Defensive Duck' Porygon2. This patches up your Gyarados and Salamence weakness, bouncing back Intimidate so they are either -1 or +0 when you switch in, and Porygon2's defenses mean he always lives and can Recover later. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam destroy them.

For Gyarados, I'd recommend this, using your format:

Gyarados - Torrent
Water / Flying - Lum Berry - Adamant - Intimidate
156 HP / 72 Atk / 96 Def / 184 Spe
Waterfall - Bounce / Return - Dragon Dance - Taunt

This Gyarados easily gets 2 Dragon Dances. While it lacks the sheer offensive power of your Gyarados, it gets 2 Dragon Dances much easier and gives you a good Lucario counter. Skarmory and Celebi are the main switch-ins to Gyarados, and you should Dragon Dance as they come in. On Skarmory, Taunt, and on Celebi, Dragon Dance again. The Celebi will probably Thunder Wave, which activates your Lum Berry and nets you a second Dragon Dance. Taunt it's Thunder Wave the next turn, then get another Dragon Dance. With 3 Dragon Dances, you can easily sweep a team.

Bounce is recommended for dual STAB but makes you walled by Vaporeon, as Protecting the turn you Bounce effectively nullifies it.
Return fixes this.

Electivire's missing his EVs, but its nice.

P.S: Mind if I snag this team? :)

EDIT (again): This is my personal spin on Porygon2.
Porygon2 @ Leftovers
Ice Beam
Thunderbolt
Thunder Wave / Tri Attack
Recover
Ability: Trace
Nature: Bold (-Att, +Def)
212 HP, 212 Def, 44 Spe, 40 SpA

There's not too much of a difference, but the Speed EV's allow you to outspeed no-speed Walrein which can be crucial as Porygon2 steals Ice Body. The overall defensiveness is lower, though.

 

[hasbeenkoed]

Thanks ThePowerWithin!
All suggestions taken, I'll do some battle-testing and come back with results, any other ideas whilst I test are appreciated as the team metamorphasises. I might post my UU team later, or at least my Miltank because I think it can step up as a OU stalller. Watch this space!
Also the EVs are up on Electivire, thanks for the heads up!

 

[SlottedPig]

No problem.

Just another small nitpick, your Electivire's EVs should be above his moveset. That's the format of the others :P

Edit: Go Miltank!

 

[hasbeenkoed]

Thanks again, EVs fixed! What do you think: Jolteon in, Electivire out? Just a suggestion I got given, but I still need to do more tests with the current team.

 

[SlottedPig]

Jolteon's high speed, high SpA, and Volt Absorb make it a better sweeper in general. Volt Absorb allows it to heal itself, something Electivire cannot do.

Electivire's higher Attack and better versatility / coverage make it a better wall-breaker (Jolteon has troubles with Blissey, Electivire doesn't have trouble with Skarmory or Gliscor) who can sweep if need be.

EDIT: Jolteon does more damage in a small amount of time, Electivire 2HKOs most walls w/ right attack. Just some more info :)

 

[Red Rain]

ThePowerWithin probably knows more than me, but with Black Sludge on Gengar, it's just there ready to be Tricked and then passed onto another of your team members such as Electivire. However, you do have 4 Poison resists, so you may get away with that.

The team does have great synergy, although you have 3 Pokemon weak to Electric types, so if Electivire (or the Jolteon you are considering) is down, then it could seriously hinder you. Removing Tentacruel for Porygon2 as already mentioned would seriously help. And by giving it T-Wave, you could cripple sweepers who try to stop Gyarados' amazing sweeps.

 

[SlottedPig]

Poison resists still get hit by Black Sludge. Only POISON types heal from it.

Besides, when is anything using Trick on Gengar? Trick is exclusive to Psychic types who won't want to be near Shadow Ball. Exceptions are Metagross, who gets blocked by Substitute, and Normal-type Switcheroos, which get blocked by Substitute as well and fried with Focus Blast.

 

[Red Rain]

Trick is seriously popular due to the Platinum Tutor move, meaning more than just Psychics can get it. And if a Poison type isn't holding Black Sludge, then whatever is holding it is hurt by it, meaning for eg; Electivire would be hindered by it. I was just making a suggestion and it seems you were confused by my post. I was just meaning that if Gengar had it Tricked from him, it could potentially hinder Electivire or Gyarados.

 

[SlottedPig]

Really? Then name an OU Tricker or Switcherooer that can survive 2 Shadow Balls or Focus Blasts (one to switch-in, one to Trick).

 

[Blackhawk11]

While it may not be all that common, a Togekiss could switch in on a Shadow Ball, Trick, and take a neutral Focus Blast. It could even switch in on FB, since the chance of FB hitting twice in a row is 49% (2nCr2*(.7)^0*(.7)^2) But shouldn't we be focusing on the point that Black Sludge is practically useless on a Gengar, due to his pitiful defenses and HP? It's going to be OHKOed by anything powerful that it doesn't resist, so shouldn't it make the most of its amazing Base 130 SAtk and go with Life Orb or Choice Specs? Just my opinion.