So after no real success with my last team I was hanging around on the Competitive Tutoring chat on Showdown. I love that place! It's always fun to go to and it's always good helping someone out and learning stuff yourself. I've not been laddering with this team because I'm taking a break from laddering, I just can't be assed, so instead I've been trying it out with some guys on there and to see how it goes and generally improve my playing. Anyway, this is a dual-core team inspired by my hatred for Landorus-T. I noticed there was a positive correlation between well-received RMTs and RMTs named after songs, so I decided to name this team after Numa Numa because I fucking can. Enjoy.
I found with this team that it had the same problem as the first team I ever posted in this forum (if you want to dig that fossil up): It gets boned by EQ users. Namely Volt-Turn cores with Lando-T and Rotom W. Neither of my answers to Lando can do a thing with Rotom there, I can't HP Ice it since I end up baiting out the Rotom over the Lando, and I can't switch Celebi in to it since it will just Volt Switch out and I'd be forced out by the Lando U-Turn threat again, which is pretty terrible, Celebi does get worn down after a while of that, and while either of those fucks are there I could not send out Diancie, I've found a few games where I just have to save her till the end to be picked off after having done nothing but wait patiently for her time to shine which never came. Long story short, I replaced Chomp with Lando. Lando gave me the U-Turn switch initiative I wanted but wasn't willing to sacrifice Knock Off support for on Scizor. He still held my EQ support, he had a nifty solution to Rotoms on occasion to take the pressure off Celebi, he had Rocks, and I wasn't using Garchomp very well. His SD suicide Outrage spam could be helpful at times, but with many teams having Fairies and Levitaters and Flying types I could never really maintain it for very long before something else like Latios or Azu switched in and wasted him. Lando brought a good bit with him to help.
There were two issues with the team now: It gets shut down by a Rotom-W that gets a safe switch in, and it was no longer dual-core and the structure was lost. I decided to cheat with the dual core element and turn it from a F/W/G + F/D/S core team to a F/W/G + F-D/S (+ Lando) core. I brought back my girl the Mighty Puff, and she's been very happy. The Water weakness was no longer so severe and it balanced out my physical and specially offensive power. The prowess of Nasty Pass support has not been wasted by this change at all, I never actually found myself passing to Diancie before since she only came out late-game when any threats or walls that she would ever possibly need the support for were gone, the Nasty Passes always went to my Scarfers to help them pick things off.
YAY!
Doge (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Have fear, Keldeo is here. Through thorough analysis I discovered that no Mega Fairy team could really afford not to have one of these. It clears so many threats and picks off a good chunk of the problems I had before, namely Bisharp, Lando I and Kyurem. I know I'll get ragged on for running two Scarfers but two Choice users is really not unviable or even uncommon, and I have Nasty Pass support, a +2 Scarfed Keldeo definitely gives me the shivers; it seems more pointless running Specs or Expert Belt when I have the means to pass off an extra boost and do some pretty hefty damage without a boost too. Yeah, dual Scarf, it had to happen. Standard moveset, Hydro Pump for heavy-hitting STAB, Secret Sword because I'm sick of Bisharp's shit, Icy Wind for Landos, Lati@s and Garchomp, and HP Electric for the bulky Waters Celebi can't handle as well.
Furnace (Heatran) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Ancient Power
Good God, I cannot commend this thing enough! He's so good it's not even funny. Pretty standard as far as Heatrans go, barring HP Ice which I don't think is all that common. Fire Blast is very powerful STAB, Flash Cannon is Fairy-removal STAB, HP Ice neuters Landos and Garchomps and the like on the switch, I was running Earth Power for other Heatrans, but now that I have Keldeo I already had a good answer to them, so instead I have Ancient Power to patch up the birdspam weakness Keldeo brought with her. If anyone questions the effectiveness of HP Ice Heatran, I can vouch that it is very good. Heatran by nature is Landorus bait, a Lando sees a Heatran on the field and it just becomes mesmerised. This thing is like one of those pies from an old cartoon that's left in a window and the smell turns into beckoning fingers that make the main character float off their feet and drift towards it in a daze. That's pretty much the effect Heatran has on Lando, so when the switch is obvious, you kill the fucker with HP Ice. Works like a charm from my experience. I still have HP Ice because it is the most reliable way to neuter Lando; Keldeo can handle them too, but what person stays in on a Keldeo with Lando unless they're 110% certain it's Specs or Expert Belt? They can just switch out and hold it over my head the whole game. No, HP Ice > Earth Power.
Salad (Celebi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Baton Pass
- Nast Plot
- Recover
She was a team cleric, but not anymore. I ran clericless in the days with Diancie and thank God I changed this team up before running into my first stall team because status spam is unpleasant. Nasty Plot was a good answer to Mega Slowbro with this set, with the EV spread taking one +2 Ice Beam and two +1 Ice beams from Mega Slowbro and being able to put a lot of pressure on it with setting up offences at a faster rate; with that, I had no other answer for Slowbro so running her as a cleric would mean GG on sight of one of those goofy pricks. Pretty simple moveset overall, Giga Drain as an attack, Baton Pass for passing Nasties and escaping Pursuit, and Recover to not die.
Arts n Craft (Scizor) (M) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 68 Atk / 162 Def
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Defog
Back to the core No2. This is Scizor and he Defogs shit. I was running some weird set with him before but his spread underwent a lot of changes. Initially he had a bulky SD EV spread in order to come to a good mid-ground between offence and defence since I already had a defensive pair. When Rotom fled the scene though, I was out of a physically defensive mon, Scizor was the prime candidate to run as my new physical tank, I made him Impish but the EVs stuck. Finally, it took a while, but we got there; standard defensive Scizor, no need to pull random EV spreads out of my ass, he's a fully physical tank and that's all she wrote. ...Ok, maybe not, now he has 68 Atk EVs to get the OHKO on non-HP invested Mega Diancie after Rocks, can't be too standard now can I? Again, standard moveset, I can often bluff the Band to force switches and get free Defogs off easily. Shed Shell because Magnezone is a thing. I did run U-Turn over Knock Off to form a Volt-Turn core with Rotom, but I removed it after Rotom left to add in some Knock Off support for Chanseys and Choice users and whatnot; it was the right decision, Knock Off support is fantastic and I am not dropping it. That's pretty much it for him.
Mighty Puff (Altaria) (F) @ Altarianite
Ability: Cloud Nine
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 64 HP / 192 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heal Bell
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Return
Mega Altaria has returned from her residence in the Old Members drop bar and makes a triumphant come-back indeed. Being my late-game sweeper and cleric as well as 2/3 of my F/D/S core in herself if you suspend logic for a while, she does well. It was a toss-up between Gardevoir or Alt who should return but I settled on Alt for her superior bulk and typing. I'm going with a more standard set this time rather than the Impish 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD set I ran before, this is the more favoured bulky(ish) DD set. Why am I not running EQ for Heatran? Heal Bell is very helpful, that's why. I really cannot run an Altaria without Heal Bell because it benefits the whole team in situations that would otherwise cripple me. EQ would be ridiculously helpful though and I regret not being able to run it, but 4 mss's best cure is to get your thumb out of your ass and pick four moves. Heal Bell. The rest are beyond standard and self-explanatory. I'm also very happy to finally run a Mega that didn't have to squat in the back and do nothing till very late game. Alt is very handy throughout the whole match as a cleric before she DDs all over the place.
Mr Washee (Rotom-Wash) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Rest
Rotom was great, and I never thought I'd replace him. He's the best defensive pivot in the game and walled Birdspam like nothing, so I replaced him for a second Scarfer that can't take a Brave Bird? It was only when re-building the team that I realised just how viable this switch-up was, Rotom is great, but Keldeo was much better suited.
Lady Death (Gardevoir) (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
Gardevoir was an option to deal with stall depending on where you are on the ladder, I'm not laddering myself but I have heard high ladder is loaded with stall so Gardevoir could be a better option. Ideally though, you wouldn't rest the fate of a game on a coin-toss about preparing for an offensive or defensive team, it had to be solved within the limits of six Pokemon and no more.
Painkiller (Garchomp) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
My lead Garchomp replaced with the more popular S Ranker, Lando. I was short of, and desperately needed, a pivot and an EQ immunity. Lando offered both. Garchomp was also quite hit-and-miss in his capabilities to suicide depending on the opponent's team, if they still had both an EQ and an Outrage immunity on their team then it's safe to say only one mon at most will be biting the dust (unless they're low ladder and sac their team off to Outrage instead of sending out Azumaril...). He was good, very good, but Lando gave the team something more that was very much appreciated after Rotom's leave.
Mona Lisa (Diancie-Mega) @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rock Polish
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
Diancie was my other Mega of choice. I ran Altaria, then Diancie/Gardevoir, then just Diancie and went back to Altaria... Diancie is a superb Mega and I cannot commend her enough, she plays fantastically and puts if fine work when played well. Sadly, in order to accommodate Lando who was very much needed I needed to remove one of my other two Water weaknesses, and Heatran was never going anywhere, it was a no-brainer. So ultimately she didn't work out as a permanent resident of this team (or maybe she'll be back in a future edit, who knows), but I really hope to use her again and highly advise that you guys give her a go too. Mega Diancie best waifu.
I can deal with this thing fine unless it's packing EQ or HP Ground. Heatran can handle it ok, but he needs at least a +2 boost to guarantee an OHKO after Rocks. With that comes the possibility of Celebi getting crited with a Sludge Bomb, missing my Fire Blast, getting low-rolled when Rocks aren't up, etc...
This team has nothing for Gengar. Gengar is probably the biggest troll against this whole team since I really can't do much to it. If it's not Scarfed then I could send in Heatran or Keldeo, but if it's Sub Disable then he can just watch me struggle myself to death. They're mean buggers and you have to play careful when they're around. Scarf Trick has to be the worst, but I'll get there later.
I've only just realised how annoying this thing is. It's really bloody annoying to wear down and it can have me squirming through a game. Best bet is probably getting a Nasty Pass up to Altaria or Heatran, which one is a 50/50 on how sure I am that it'll go for Knock Off or Will-O, and even then Altaria is pretty shaky with the Will-O + Taunt threat.
Scizor is something I've discovered that can do much more to me than I can to it. Banded Scizor, Mega Scizor, any offensive variant mainly has a lot of support to make my team quite unhappy. I have means to deal with it, but a well-played Scizor can pressure my team the whole game, especially when paired with a Rotom for Volt-Turn.
+
Mag on its own is fine. Lando, Chomp, etc on their own is fine. Together requires caution. I remember first time I tried this team I was facing a very reputable player and I was doing damn well (I'm convinced I would have won if I didn't misplay this stupidly). I had Heatran on the field and of course I had to go ahead and think myself very clever and HP Ice the in-coming Garchomp. Completely forgetting the Mag left on his team... It was an uphill battle from there. So yeah, as tempting as it may be to HP Ice a threat on the switch, it's not always the best option. Play safe, kids.
Trick
I fucking hate this! Trickers completely ruin the flow of the entire battle and it's so annoying having to play around them with the threat constantly on you. Nasty Passes are much more difficult, and Trick Rotom-W especially sucks because the only things I can send in to foil the Trick are things I'm weak to. Trick Rotom-W basically means no more Nasty Pass.
Trick Room
This doesn't piss me off as much because it's freaking Trick Room, it's not exactly on every team on the way and it requires a lot more preparation than it's really worth. Still, that does mean you're in for more abuse than a BDSM porn star if you come across a Trick Room team, with two Scarfers and an DDancer it's not a fun time.
So, if you were ever to come across the bane of this team besides a standard Trick Room team, it would look something like this:
While it's not nearly the instant lose button the last threat team was, you need to pro-play the shit out of my team to scrape by this. I can guarantee you that a battle with a similar spread as this would be the least fun you've had for a while.
I wanted to build a team with something to absolutely fuck Lando-T. That thing is, if I recall, the most used pestilence of the whole OU tier, so not preparing for it is basically suicide.
I had three things in mind: Scarf Kyurem Black, Scarf Heatran, and Banded T-Tar. Kyurem obviously has STAB Ice Beam as well as generally superb coverage. Heatran and T-Tar look like Lando bait but my old Banded T-Tar from X/Y ran a spread that could tank an EQ from Excadrill, Chomp, Lando, etc, and allow him to OHKO them in return (even at -1 atk, Ice Punch is a guaranteed OHKO on Scarfed Lando), and Heatran is guaranteed Lando-bait, allowing him to OHKO obvious switches with HP Ice.
I came to the conclusion of Scarfed Heatran and haven't looked back. Heatran is great in the meta and Scarfed is a pretty damn potent set even outside of neutering Landos. I chose him over Kyurem because Kyurem lacked any sense of subtlety, who's going to leave a Lando in when I send out a Kyurem? Not Scarfed at all... And I chose him over T-Tar because I really found him easier to build a team around
I do typically like basing my teams around my Mega, and my Mega is usually my set-up sweeper. So I thought through what Heatran could work well with and came to Altaria. Heatran is both the Fairy guardian and slayer, so it was only natural that I'd pin him with a Fairy of his own. I chose Altaria because I've been frequently trying to shoe-horn her onto my old teams as a replacement where it hasn't worked well, so starting a new team could be more effective.
Who didn't see this one coming? Rotom-W is pretty much a staple for all or most of my teams. He's a great pair with Heatran given how they eat eachothers' weaknesses (aside from Fighting, which Altaria takes like a pro). Rotom is also a good check for Lando and a fantastic physical wall in general, defensive pivot, anti-birdspam machine. Just a must-have.
I was two thirds done with my Fire/Water/Grass core, so I needed the last addition. I chose Celebi because it's not Ferrothorn, pretty much. She takes Fighting hits pretty well and shuts down Breloom leads which make me want to tie my nutsack to a brick and throw it out a window. I hate Breloom. So much. She's also a good cleric, it's pretty much GG if Heatran gets paralysed.
So looking at my team, I needed a Rock Setter, and a Defogger, both ideally offensive since I already had my defensive pair down. Taking things back to a time before time when it was only Altaria and Heatran I was thinking of going with a F/D/S core with Heatran and Altaria and another Dragon or Fairy before I ran to Rotom like I usually do. Still, I kept the idea in mind and thought back to an old team I used in X/Y and thought of the perfect pair for the second core. This started with Garchomp to be my lead.
The second was Scizor. He had the means to complete my second core, give me Defog support, and provide me with the priority this team majorly needed. He functions as part of a decent Volt-Turn core with Rotom too that ties the whole team together. This team is just cores galore.
Trying it out, Mega Altaria was way too passive. I could just never use her effectively, she seemed to require too much setting up to be potent, at which point anything could happen, an unfortunate crit, some hax, whatever, she was just not quite doing it. So I looked for another Fairy and found Mega Diancie. All she needed was one RP and then people were on their knees. Quick and simple set-up. Nice.
You thought this long, boring section was done? You thought wrong. This team could not handle stall. My usual answer to stall is wedge Thundurus somewhere however you can, but that wouldn't work here. Thundy, I love you, but this is one situation where you just don't have enough synergy with this group. I didn't know who to replace, so I opted to not replace anyone, technically. Instead, depending on where you are on ladder, you could switch between the set-up sweepage of Diancie, or the Taunting wall-breaking monstrosity of Gardevoir. If you're not ladering like me then just stick with Diancie and pray your opponent doesn't have a Chansey, I guess.
Yay!
I came to the conclusion of Scarfed Heatran and haven't looked back. Heatran is great in the meta and Scarfed is a pretty damn potent set even outside of neutering Landos. I chose him over Kyurem because Kyurem lacked any sense of subtlety, who's going to leave a Lando in when I send out a Kyurem? Not Scarfed at all... And I chose him over T-Tar because I really found him easier to build a team around
I do typically like basing my teams around my Mega, and my Mega is usually my set-up sweeper. So I thought through what Heatran could work well with and came to Altaria. Heatran is both the Fairy guardian and slayer, so it was only natural that I'd pin him with a Fairy of his own. I chose Altaria because I've been frequently trying to shoe-horn her onto my old teams as a replacement where it hasn't worked well, so starting a new team could be more effective.
Who didn't see this one coming? Rotom-W is pretty much a staple for all or most of my teams. He's a great pair with Heatran given how they eat eachothers' weaknesses (aside from Fighting, which Altaria takes like a pro). Rotom is also a good check for Lando and a fantastic physical wall in general, defensive pivot, anti-birdspam machine. Just a must-have.
I was two thirds done with my Fire/Water/Grass core, so I needed the last addition. I chose Celebi because it's not Ferrothorn, pretty much. She takes Fighting hits pretty well and shuts down Breloom leads which make me want to tie my nutsack to a brick and throw it out a window. I hate Breloom. So much. She's also a good cleric, it's pretty much GG if Heatran gets paralysed.
So looking at my team, I needed a Rock Setter, and a Defogger, both ideally offensive since I already had my defensive pair down. Taking things back to a time before time when it was only Altaria and Heatran I was thinking of going with a F/D/S core with Heatran and Altaria and another Dragon or Fairy before I ran to Rotom like I usually do. Still, I kept the idea in mind and thought back to an old team I used in X/Y and thought of the perfect pair for the second core. This started with Garchomp to be my lead.
The second was Scizor. He had the means to complete my second core, give me Defog support, and provide me with the priority this team majorly needed. He functions as part of a decent Volt-Turn core with Rotom too that ties the whole team together. This team is just cores galore.
Trying it out, Mega Altaria was way too passive. I could just never use her effectively, she seemed to require too much setting up to be potent, at which point anything could happen, an unfortunate crit, some hax, whatever, she was just not quite doing it. So I looked for another Fairy and found Mega Diancie. All she needed was one RP and then people were on their knees. Quick and simple set-up. Nice.
You thought this long, boring section was done? You thought wrong. This team could not handle stall. My usual answer to stall is wedge Thundurus somewhere however you can, but that wouldn't work here. Thundy, I love you, but this is one situation where you just don't have enough synergy with this group. I didn't know who to replace, so I opted to not replace anyone, technically. Instead, depending on where you are on ladder, you could switch between the set-up sweepage of Diancie, or the Taunting wall-breaking monstrosity of Gardevoir. If you're not ladering like me then just stick with Diancie and pray your opponent doesn't have a Chansey, I guess.
Yay!
So after trying various combinations with different mons, primarily replacing Celebi for a Bisharp check like Chesnaught or Breloom or another supportive mon like Whimsicott, nothing was really making a vast improvement. Anyway, yesterday (or technically the day before since it's gone 2am because I spent three fucking hours editing this since my browser decided the perfect time to crash was just before posting while I was proof-reading) I was working on building a different team with another member, and while it wasn't very fruitful it got me in the team-building mood. I wanted to work with Mega Diancie so I looked to Mertyville's Mega Latias & the Dark Checks and worked along that similar principal to create Mega Diancie & the Steel Checks. The conclusion was... Almost exactly the same team. BUT! It did solve a lot of my problems by adding a change I hadn't seriously considered before.
Boom! Mega Diancie! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. None of this two Megas crap, I'm going all-out with the new Fairy chick on the block. Just my Mega Diancie, the diamond in the rough. Nothing more, nothing less.
So on the topic of Steel Checks, Keldeo is pretty much one of the best things Diancie can ever be paired with. She handles Heatran, Bisharp, Landorus T and I, Kyurem, lots of threats Mega Diancie doesn't really like the company of. It's a big chunk of problems out of the way. Also, Scarfed Keldeo is pretty much the bane of many a Hyper Offence team, or team in general, you'd definitely rather have one with you than against you.
Heatran could get rid of those other threats Keldeo couldn't as effectively, shit like Ferrothorn, Scizor, Fairies as well as dealt with the Birdspam Keldeo hated without forcing Diancie out too early. Keldeo and Heatran just blitz through threats Mega Diancie doesn't like with more efficiency than the Germans.
Celebi is back to complete the F/W/G core again. I considered Whimsi for the Taunt and Memento support I wanted, but Nasty Pass is so much better... It lets Keldeo and Heatran punch much harder holes as well as give Diancie an offensive buff when cleaning up. Aside from that, Celebi picks up where Heatran and Keldeo left off and helps clear the field of bulky Waters like Mega Slowbro and Rotom-W.
You know what comes next. I needed a lead, F/D/S core, looking back to old team, Garchomp OP. And that's exactly how it happened. Garchomp is a great fit with completing my second core, as well as adding EQ support for more Steel killing and for Tentacruel who Celebi couldn't really work with.
I needed a Steel type Defogger with priority. Scizor is a Steel type Defogger with priority. Therefore, I needed Scizor. Alright, I didn't need a Defogger per se, but Sticky Web is GG and I'd rather keep Chomp's Sash for Greninja. I considered other combinations for my last two mons like Latios and Ferro, but that just brought me a bigger Mega Beedrill and Mega Sableye weakness as well as throwing off my physical and special offensive balance I get with this combination.
YAY!
Boom! Mega Diancie! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. None of this two Megas crap, I'm going all-out with the new Fairy chick on the block. Just my Mega Diancie, the diamond in the rough. Nothing more, nothing less.
So on the topic of Steel Checks, Keldeo is pretty much one of the best things Diancie can ever be paired with. She handles Heatran, Bisharp, Landorus T and I, Kyurem, lots of threats Mega Diancie doesn't really like the company of. It's a big chunk of problems out of the way. Also, Scarfed Keldeo is pretty much the bane of many a Hyper Offence team, or team in general, you'd definitely rather have one with you than against you.
Heatran could get rid of those other threats Keldeo couldn't as effectively, shit like Ferrothorn, Scizor, Fairies as well as dealt with the Birdspam Keldeo hated without forcing Diancie out too early. Keldeo and Heatran just blitz through threats Mega Diancie doesn't like with more efficiency than the Germans.
Celebi is back to complete the F/W/G core again. I considered Whimsi for the Taunt and Memento support I wanted, but Nasty Pass is so much better... It lets Keldeo and Heatran punch much harder holes as well as give Diancie an offensive buff when cleaning up. Aside from that, Celebi picks up where Heatran and Keldeo left off and helps clear the field of bulky Waters like Mega Slowbro and Rotom-W.
You know what comes next. I needed a lead, F/D/S core, looking back to old team, Garchomp OP. And that's exactly how it happened. Garchomp is a great fit with completing my second core, as well as adding EQ support for more Steel killing and for Tentacruel who Celebi couldn't really work with.
I needed a Steel type Defogger with priority. Scizor is a Steel type Defogger with priority. Therefore, I needed Scizor. Alright, I didn't need a Defogger per se, but Sticky Web is GG and I'd rather keep Chomp's Sash for Greninja. I considered other combinations for my last two mons like Latios and Ferro, but that just brought me a bigger Mega Beedrill and Mega Sableye weakness as well as throwing off my physical and special offensive balance I get with this combination.
YAY!
I found with this team that it had the same problem as the first team I ever posted in this forum (if you want to dig that fossil up): It gets boned by EQ users. Namely Volt-Turn cores with Lando-T and Rotom W. Neither of my answers to Lando can do a thing with Rotom there, I can't HP Ice it since I end up baiting out the Rotom over the Lando, and I can't switch Celebi in to it since it will just Volt Switch out and I'd be forced out by the Lando U-Turn threat again, which is pretty terrible, Celebi does get worn down after a while of that, and while either of those fucks are there I could not send out Diancie, I've found a few games where I just have to save her till the end to be picked off after having done nothing but wait patiently for her time to shine which never came. Long story short, I replaced Chomp with Lando. Lando gave me the U-Turn switch initiative I wanted but wasn't willing to sacrifice Knock Off support for on Scizor. He still held my EQ support, he had a nifty solution to Rotoms on occasion to take the pressure off Celebi, he had Rocks, and I wasn't using Garchomp very well. His SD suicide Outrage spam could be helpful at times, but with many teams having Fairies and Levitaters and Flying types I could never really maintain it for very long before something else like Latios or Azu switched in and wasted him. Lando brought a good bit with him to help.
There were two issues with the team now: It gets shut down by a Rotom-W that gets a safe switch in, and it was no longer dual-core and the structure was lost. I decided to cheat with the dual core element and turn it from a F/W/G + F/D/S core team to a F/W/G + F-D/S (+ Lando) core. I brought back my girl the Mighty Puff, and she's been very happy. The Water weakness was no longer so severe and it balanced out my physical and specially offensive power. The prowess of Nasty Pass support has not been wasted by this change at all, I never actually found myself passing to Diancie before since she only came out late-game when any threats or walls that she would ever possibly need the support for were gone, the Nasty Passes always went to my Scarfers to help them pick things off.
YAY!
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down
- Stealth Rock
Landorus T, the most used pestilence of the OU tier. I'm not a hipster, but this thing is so common that if I ever bloody saw one again I thought I might hold Gamefreak up and knife-point till they scrapped him. Honestly though, I've not seen him around much, and he provided this team with too much extra support to pass up. Long long ago in the humble beginnings of this team, there was a Rotom who was immune to EQs and had Volt Switch to give me initiative. Those days were long lost in my battle for dominance over Bisharp, but now I was getting boned by Sand Rush Excas and Volt-Turn cores of Lando and Rotom. A Lando of my own helped a lot. He's an offensive lead set, and I mean to keep him as such with how helpful defensive Scizor is and how well this thing performs. EQ is reliable STAB, no team should not have EQ, ever. U-Turn gives me much better switch initiative than Celebi's BP since I don't really send her out for that, I send her out to handle Waters and when I think she can set up. Smack Down catches Rotoms on the switch and lets me get the KO on them with EQ next turn. It is very handy and I'm liking it a lot, much more helpful than Stone Edge honestly with how well it stops certain counters from being counters anymore. Rocks are Rocks, you already know. The EV spread is standard enough, odd HP, max attack Adamant for damage, the remaining 8 go to speed to let me get the creep on standard 44 speed Rotom W ensuring I get the KO next turn with EQ instead of getting Burned or Hydroed first.
20% Cooler (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Choice ScarfAbility: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Have fear, Keldeo is here. Through thorough analysis I discovered that no Mega Fairy team could really afford not to have one of these. It clears so many threats and picks off a good chunk of the problems I had before, namely Bisharp, Lando I and Kyurem. I know I'll get ragged on for running two Scarfers but two Choice users is really not unviable or even uncommon, and I have Nasty Pass support, a +2 Scarfed Keldeo definitely gives me the shivers; it seems more pointless running Specs or Expert Belt when I have the means to pass off an extra boost and do some pretty hefty damage without a boost too. Yeah, dual Scarf, it had to happen. Standard moveset, Hydro Pump for heavy-hitting STAB, Secret Sword because I'm sick of Bisharp's shit, Icy Wind for Landos, Lati@s and Garchomp, and HP Electric for the bulky Waters Celebi can't handle as well.
Furnace (Heatran) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Ancient Power
Good God, I cannot commend this thing enough! He's so good it's not even funny. Pretty standard as far as Heatrans go, barring HP Ice which I don't think is all that common. Fire Blast is very powerful STAB, Flash Cannon is Fairy-removal STAB, HP Ice neuters Landos and Garchomps and the like on the switch, I was running Earth Power for other Heatrans, but now that I have Keldeo I already had a good answer to them, so instead I have Ancient Power to patch up the birdspam weakness Keldeo brought with her. If anyone questions the effectiveness of HP Ice Heatran, I can vouch that it is very good. Heatran by nature is Landorus bait, a Lando sees a Heatran on the field and it just becomes mesmerised. This thing is like one of those pies from an old cartoon that's left in a window and the smell turns into beckoning fingers that make the main character float off their feet and drift towards it in a daze. That's pretty much the effect Heatran has on Lando, so when the switch is obvious, you kill the fucker with HP Ice. Works like a charm from my experience. I still have HP Ice because it is the most reliable way to neuter Lando; Keldeo can handle them too, but what person stays in on a Keldeo with Lando unless they're 110% certain it's Specs or Expert Belt? They can just switch out and hold it over my head the whole game. No, HP Ice > Earth Power.
Salad (Celebi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Baton Pass
- Nast Plot
- Recover
She was a team cleric, but not anymore. I ran clericless in the days with Diancie and thank God I changed this team up before running into my first stall team because status spam is unpleasant. Nasty Plot was a good answer to Mega Slowbro with this set, with the EV spread taking one +2 Ice Beam and two +1 Ice beams from Mega Slowbro and being able to put a lot of pressure on it with setting up offences at a faster rate; with that, I had no other answer for Slowbro so running her as a cleric would mean GG on sight of one of those goofy pricks. Pretty simple moveset overall, Giga Drain as an attack, Baton Pass for passing Nasties and escaping Pursuit, and Recover to not die.
Arts n Craft (Scizor) (M) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 68 Atk / 162 Def
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Defog
Back to the core No2. This is Scizor and he Defogs shit. I was running some weird set with him before but his spread underwent a lot of changes. Initially he had a bulky SD EV spread in order to come to a good mid-ground between offence and defence since I already had a defensive pair. When Rotom fled the scene though, I was out of a physically defensive mon, Scizor was the prime candidate to run as my new physical tank, I made him Impish but the EVs stuck. Finally, it took a while, but we got there; standard defensive Scizor, no need to pull random EV spreads out of my ass, he's a fully physical tank and that's all she wrote. ...Ok, maybe not, now he has 68 Atk EVs to get the OHKO on non-HP invested Mega Diancie after Rocks, can't be too standard now can I? Again, standard moveset, I can often bluff the Band to force switches and get free Defogs off easily. Shed Shell because Magnezone is a thing. I did run U-Turn over Knock Off to form a Volt-Turn core with Rotom, but I removed it after Rotom left to add in some Knock Off support for Chanseys and Choice users and whatnot; it was the right decision, Knock Off support is fantastic and I am not dropping it. That's pretty much it for him.
Ability: Cloud Nine
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 64 HP / 192 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heal Bell
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Return
Mega Altaria has returned from her residence in the Old Members drop bar and makes a triumphant come-back indeed. Being my late-game sweeper and cleric as well as 2/3 of my F/D/S core in herself if you suspend logic for a while, she does well. It was a toss-up between Gardevoir or Alt who should return but I settled on Alt for her superior bulk and typing. I'm going with a more standard set this time rather than the Impish 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD set I ran before, this is the more favoured bulky(ish) DD set. Why am I not running EQ for Heatran? Heal Bell is very helpful, that's why. I really cannot run an Altaria without Heal Bell because it benefits the whole team in situations that would otherwise cripple me. EQ would be ridiculously helpful though and I regret not being able to run it, but 4 mss's best cure is to get your thumb out of your ass and pick four moves. Heal Bell. The rest are beyond standard and self-explanatory. I'm also very happy to finally run a Mega that didn't have to squat in the back and do nothing till very late game. Alt is very handy throughout the whole match as a cleric before she DDs all over the place.
Mr Washee (Rotom-Wash) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Rest
Rotom was great, and I never thought I'd replace him. He's the best defensive pivot in the game and walled Birdspam like nothing, so I replaced him for a second Scarfer that can't take a Brave Bird? It was only when re-building the team that I realised just how viable this switch-up was, Rotom is great, but Keldeo was much better suited.
Lady Death (Gardevoir) (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
Gardevoir was an option to deal with stall depending on where you are on the ladder, I'm not laddering myself but I have heard high ladder is loaded with stall so Gardevoir could be a better option. Ideally though, you wouldn't rest the fate of a game on a coin-toss about preparing for an offensive or defensive team, it had to be solved within the limits of six Pokemon and no more.
Painkiller (Garchomp) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
My lead Garchomp replaced with the more popular S Ranker, Lando. I was short of, and desperately needed, a pivot and an EQ immunity. Lando offered both. Garchomp was also quite hit-and-miss in his capabilities to suicide depending on the opponent's team, if they still had both an EQ and an Outrage immunity on their team then it's safe to say only one mon at most will be biting the dust (unless they're low ladder and sac their team off to Outrage instead of sending out Azumaril...). He was good, very good, but Lando gave the team something more that was very much appreciated after Rotom's leave.
Mona Lisa (Diancie-Mega) @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rock Polish
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
Diancie was my other Mega of choice. I ran Altaria, then Diancie/Gardevoir, then just Diancie and went back to Altaria... Diancie is a superb Mega and I cannot commend her enough, she plays fantastically and puts if fine work when played well. Sadly, in order to accommodate Lando who was very much needed I needed to remove one of my other two Water weaknesses, and Heatran was never going anywhere, it was a no-brainer. So ultimately she didn't work out as a permanent resident of this team (or maybe she'll be back in a future edit, who knows), but I really hope to use her again and highly advise that you guys give her a go too. Mega Diancie best waifu.
Thanks to Alkov and Albacore for your suggestions, and to any future recommendations.
Thanks to HydrADE for that team-building collab, even if it was less than fruitful in the end. I really hope we can work one something else soon, ideally something successful. Cheers, mate. :]
Thanks to mertyville because I might as well go all-out with the tagging. Your Mega Latias team was damn good and it really helped me with the structure of this bunch. I hope it turned out as well as yours.
Thanks to the Competitive Tutoring room on PS! It's always good fun going there and I learn a lot. If you need any help, drop by and we'd be happy. Special thanks to AM for accepting my battles even though they're wastes of time and you just sweep me with your weird shit every time. XD Still, I'd like to think I've at least improved a little from our sessions. Just a bit. Maybe. I'll beat you someday, damnit!
Thanks to Sparkl3y because you tagged me in your RMT so I guess I owe you. :P
Thanks to Der Twist for being the single most supreme being in the universe.
Thanks to HydrADE for that team-building collab, even if it was less than fruitful in the end. I really hope we can work one something else soon, ideally something successful. Cheers, mate. :]
Thanks to mertyville because I might as well go all-out with the tagging. Your Mega Latias team was damn good and it really helped me with the structure of this bunch. I hope it turned out as well as yours.
Thanks to the Competitive Tutoring room on PS! It's always good fun going there and I learn a lot. If you need any help, drop by and we'd be happy. Special thanks to AM for accepting my battles even though they're wastes of time and you just sweep me with your weird shit every time. XD Still, I'd like to think I've at least improved a little from our sessions. Just a bit. Maybe. I'll beat you someday, damnit!
Thanks to Sparkl3y because you tagged me in your RMT so I guess I owe you. :P
Thanks to Der Twist for being the single most supreme being in the universe.
I can deal with this thing fine unless it's packing EQ or HP Ground. Heatran can handle it ok, but he needs at least a +2 boost to guarantee an OHKO after Rocks. With that comes the possibility of Celebi getting crited with a Sludge Bomb, missing my Fire Blast, getting low-rolled when Rocks aren't up, etc...
This team has nothing for Gengar. Gengar is probably the biggest troll against this whole team since I really can't do much to it. If it's not Scarfed then I could send in Heatran or Keldeo, but if it's Sub Disable then he can just watch me struggle myself to death. They're mean buggers and you have to play careful when they're around. Scarf Trick has to be the worst, but I'll get there later.
I've only just realised how annoying this thing is. It's really bloody annoying to wear down and it can have me squirming through a game. Best bet is probably getting a Nasty Pass up to Altaria or Heatran, which one is a 50/50 on how sure I am that it'll go for Knock Off or Will-O, and even then Altaria is pretty shaky with the Will-O + Taunt threat.
Scizor is something I've discovered that can do much more to me than I can to it. Banded Scizor, Mega Scizor, any offensive variant mainly has a lot of support to make my team quite unhappy. I have means to deal with it, but a well-played Scizor can pressure my team the whole game, especially when paired with a Rotom for Volt-Turn.
Mag on its own is fine. Lando, Chomp, etc on their own is fine. Together requires caution. I remember first time I tried this team I was facing a very reputable player and I was doing damn well (I'm convinced I would have won if I didn't misplay this stupidly). I had Heatran on the field and of course I had to go ahead and think myself very clever and HP Ice the in-coming Garchomp. Completely forgetting the Mag left on his team... It was an uphill battle from there. So yeah, as tempting as it may be to HP Ice a threat on the switch, it's not always the best option. Play safe, kids.
Trick
I fucking hate this! Trickers completely ruin the flow of the entire battle and it's so annoying having to play around them with the threat constantly on you. Nasty Passes are much more difficult, and Trick Rotom-W especially sucks because the only things I can send in to foil the Trick are things I'm weak to. Trick Rotom-W basically means no more Nasty Pass.
Trick Room
This doesn't piss me off as much because it's freaking Trick Room, it's not exactly on every team on the way and it requires a lot more preparation than it's really worth. Still, that does mean you're in for more abuse than a BDSM porn star if you come across a Trick Room team, with two Scarfers and an DDancer it's not a fun time.
So, if you were ever to come across the bane of this team besides a standard Trick Room team, it would look something like this:
While it's not nearly the instant lose button the last threat team was, you need to pro-play the shit out of my team to scrape by this. I can guarantee you that a battle with a similar spread as this would be the least fun you've had for a while.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-196976727
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-198444871
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-199478496
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-199522670
-------------------------------------
Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Cloud Nine
EVs: 64 HP / 192 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heal Bell
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Return
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Ancient Power
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Baton Pass
- Nasty Plot
- Recover
Scizor @ Shed Shell
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 68 Atk / 162 Def
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Defog
- Roost
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down
- Stealth Rock
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-198444871
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-199478496
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-199522670
-------------------------------------
Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Cloud Nine
EVs: 64 HP / 192 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heal Bell
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Return
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Ancient Power
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Baton Pass
- Nasty Plot
- Recover
Scizor @ Shed Shell
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 68 Atk / 162 Def
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Defog
- Roost
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down
- Stealth Rock
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