Oh You Team

[Blatant 7]

Greetings all,


This team has worked fairly well for me in the OU metagame, though I don’t seem to win quite as much as I would like. That’s where you guys come in. Any and all suggestions on how to improve this team are welcome, and I’m not opposed to changingany of the Pokemon if another Poke would be better suited for their role or would provide better synergy with the rest of the team. So without further ado:

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Blizzard (Froslass) (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Spikes

I usually lead with Froslass, who I've found is a great multi-purpose lead. If the opponent leads with Donphan, Forretress, Heatran, Mamoswine, etc., I use Taunt to prevent the SR. After the Taunt I'm free to either set up Spikes or hit them with Ice Beam. At this point my Focus Sash is usually activated, so I Destiny Bond - oh lord, Destiny Bond. Most opponents I face don't seem to understand the mechanics of DB, and more often than not I'm able to score at least one surprise KO with it. Tyranitar and Hippowdon can be troublesome due to the loss of Focus Sash, but in these cases I can usually DB before they deal damage and score a KO off of Crunch or Fire Blast.

Slasher (Scizor) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 Def / 252 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Bug Bite
- Superpower
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch

This is a fairly standard Scizor; the basic strategy is to SD and then proceed to Bullet Punch the hell out of everything. Superpower is there for Heatran and Tyranitar, and Bug Bite for extra coverage, though it is rarely used except on Celebi. I originally ran Lum Berry instead of Life Orb for burns or sleep, but the extra power from LO is too sweet to give up.

King Boo (Gengar) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Destiny Bond
- Thunderbolt

Standard special attacker Gengar, with Life Orb for extra power. Focus Blast works wonders against Tyranitar and Heatran, Shadow Ball is the obligatory STAB move, and TBolt is there for coverage. Destiny Bond occasionally scores a surprise KO, though I'm considering replacing it with another coverage move. Thoughts on that? Gengar functions fairly well as a revenge killer, too.

Gaiaphage (Haxorus) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 220 Spd / 36 HP
Adamant Nature
- X-Scissor
- Brick Break
- Earthquake
- Outrage

Haxorus is, in my opinion, extremely underrated. Its attacks hit harder than virtually everything that isn’t Uber, and its Speed isn’t terrible. Not great, but not terrible either. That’s where the Choice Scarf comes in, as it lets Haxorus outspeed +1 speed Dragonite, as well as many other non-scarfed Pokemon. There are very few non-steel types that can stand up to a STAB Outrage, and even steel types generally take a fair amount of damage. X-Scissor and Brick Break are for coverage, though they are rarely used. Earthquake is useful against Heatran, Magnezone, and other steel types.

Volcano (Heatran) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Spd / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Protect
- Toxic


Specially defensive Heatran has really surprised me with how useful it is. It easily tanks Draco Meteors, Dragon Pulses, Outrages, and Extremespeeds and either sets up SR or Toxics on the switch. Lava Plume is a good STAB attack, though it is usually used in hopes of a burn on Dragonite or something similar. Protect is great for racking up Toxic damage or for scouting for Ground moves, in which case I usually switch to Gengar.

Sexy (Vaporeon)@ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Protect
- Scald

Physically defensive Vaporeon works well in synergy with Heatran, absorbing water attacks and taking EQs pretty well. Wish support is useful too, though Heatran is usually the only Poke that lives long enough to receive it, barring Vaporeon itself. That’s something that could probably be improved upon. I’ve considered using Jellicent over Vaporeon, but that would make 3 ghosts on my team, which would be fairly detrimental. Heal Bell is useful for clearing burns/paralysis from Scizor and Haxorus, and partially makes up for them not holding a Lum Berry.

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Closing Comments:
I’ve noticed that my team has a lot of trouble with bulky waters such as Rotom W, as well as DD Gyarados. Infernape is also troublesome. Heatran can switch into Fire Blast or Flare Blitz, but then gets wrecked by Close Combat. Starmie, Magic Guard Alakazam and other fast sweepers can take advantage of my team’s relative frailty too. Calm Mind Virizion is also occasionally a problem.

Thanks in advance for any help!!
-Blatant

 

[TheStarRapper]

Hey broski,

This seems to be a fairly simple and effective team, but I do have a suggestion. Right now Dugtrio + Sun destroys your life. After Heatran is down, any Volcarona or Venusaur can proceed to OHKO most of your team after SR. I therefore recommend two items for Heatran, and you pick what you think is better.

Air Balloon: Immunity to ground allows you to come in on Earthquakes and avoid Spikes, and you cannot get trapped by Dugtrio. However, the frequency of U-Turns can prove this item largely irrelevant.

Shed Shell: Cannot be trapped by Dugtrio or (lol Magnezone). Multiple use.

The loss of leftovers will hurt, but you dont really have a choice if you want to stand up to sun. Also you have Vaporean wish support to heal tran up.

GL mate1

 

[PDC]

Hello, you got a pretty cool team here.

First off I suggest trying a slightly different spread on your Scizor. You noted Calm Mind Virzion, Alakazam, and opposing Gengar can occasionally be problematic. That type of Scizor does not like taking any type of damage, so it cannot safely handle any of these threats. I want you to try out a bit different spread of 252 HP / 40 Atk / 172 SDef / 44 Spd @ Leftovers Careful to take full advantage of this. This Scizor can utilize U-Turn and Roost over Bug Bite and Superpower. This spread is much more bulky and can easily take out Gengar, Alakazam, and Virizion. While also acting as a more emergency check to Starmie with a strong U-Turn. I can also suggest trying out a slightly different set on Gengar. Trying out SubSplit Gengar will work amazingly with your team as a stallbreaker. Try out Substitute and Pain Split over Thunderbolt and Destiny Bond.

One thing that can be very helpful and overall more effective as a Hazard setter is Deoxys-D. Trying this out over Frosslass gives you an option to run both Stealth Rock and Spikes at the same time which opens up a slot for Heatran. Deoxys-D gives you also an option to prevent hazards early game, while laying down your own at the same time. Aside from a few select attackers, you will at least get Stealth Rock up, and typically Stealth Rock and Spikes. You can easily lay more than 1 layer which gives you amazing offensive support. With Stealth Rock opened, I suggest trying Roar on Heatran over Stealth Rock with the slot now not needed. Now as you noted, you have a problem with bulky waters. LO Starmie can run right through you, and Tornadus - T gives you a huge problem. To aid in defeating bulky waters, I suggest trying out Specially Defensive Gastrodon over Vaporeon. Not only can he beat Rotom-W, LO Starmie, and SubCM Jirachi handily.

sets

Deoxys - D @ Rocky Helmet | Pressure
252 HP / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Magic Coat

Gastrodon @ Leftovers | Storm Drain
252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic

Good luck!