Hey guys, first post I'm doing here on Smogon, and I wanted to share a team that brought me success on the OU No Mega ladder; a team I peaked number one with. The team is balanced and has a few offensive threats that can break down bulkier and even stall teams, while having defensive mons to take hits if need be. Let's go over the team:
Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 180 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Fire Blast
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Tyranitar is on my team to provide Stealth Rocks and get sand up for Excadrill to potentially sweep or guarantee a spin. I went with the bulky spread provided on smogon and smooth rock so that sand lasts longer if I need it for Exca, and the bulk lets me take hits better from threats like Lati twins, Talonflame, and more. Fire Blast is mainly to hit Ferrothorn and Skarmory better when they think they can setup hazards safely. Pursuit hits Lati twins and anything else switching out switch as T-flame, and stone edge provides a strong STAB coverage.
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
Excadrill is my rapid spinner on this team to get rid of hazards, as well as a potential sweeper with sand up. I went with the Life Orb and Sand Rush set in conjuction with Ttar. Standard set here; Iron Head and Earthquake provide strong STAB and Rock slide is for when you can't use iron head or earthquake effectively. Excadrill is by no means bulky, so plan wisely with Tyranitar's sand so that you can get rocks out of the way for Tornadus and Kyurem to take hits better.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
Tornadus-Therian is the third pokemon on my team, with Assault Vest over Life Orb to take special hits and pivot. I went with max speed max special attack on him, which is standard on AV now, because the speed helps outspeed base 120 and under and forces speed ties with other max speed Torn-Ts. Knock Off is a strong and accurate move that performs even better in this meta since no Mega-Scizor or the like to sponge the hit. U-turn helps pivot if the matchup favors me and keeps momentum up, Hurricane is a strong special STAB and Heat Wave provides coverage for steel types, namely Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Skarmory.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 13 Spe
- Thunder Wave
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
- Moonblast
Clefable is a very valuable fairy type on the team because it helps beat fast threats like Weavile if healthy, so keeping this at a good amount of HP is very important. I went with max HP and max defense over the 172 defense 84 SpD variant because the SpD in that set is there for megas like Manectric and Diancie and dodging 2HKOs on Kyurem-B (according to Smogon's set details), and I felt that without those megas and with such a weakness to Weavile otherwise, the defense helps me take strong hits better. Thunder-Wave cripples pokemon after you take a hit or on the switch, while Calm Mind, Moonblast, and Soft-Boiled provide an annoying sweeper in Clefable with recovery and setup. 13 Speed IVs lets it take less than 45% from Ferrothorn's gyro ball, so that it can setup and kill ferrothorn if weakened and still get up to full with softboiled, while still outspeeding mons faster than ferro but not faster than Clefable if need be.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Rotom-Wash does very well in the OU meta, as it burns strong attackers, Volt Switches for momentum, has Hydro Pump STAB coverage, and Pain Splits for recovery. In OU No Mega it's job is just as invaluable, as this is another defensive wall and pivot on my team. The team is offensively based, and without good recovery, Rotom has a lot of strain on this team, so try to leave the strain from Talonflames and Weaviles to Tyranitar and Clefable, respectively. I went with max HP, and Defense to take hits from the pokemon mentioned above. The 44 Speed lets me outspeed jolly max speed Azumarill, so that i can burn/volt switch after a belly drum without dying to play rough.
Kyurem-Black @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 SpA / 224 Spe
Naive Nature
- Outrage
- Ice Beam
- Dragon Claw
- Fusion Bolt
Kyurem-Black is a very dangerous pokemon in this tier, with very few answers and switch-ins. Kyurem-Black's choice scarf set, with a speed of 465 after scarf and scary offensive stats, can sweep balanced/hyper offense teams. Outrage and Dragon Claw are strong dragon coverages, with the latter not locking yourself in for potential Clefable switch-ins after a kill. Ice Beam is another strong Stab but on the special side, and can OHKO mons that think they outspeed and u-turn or scout, such as scarf Landorus-Therian, another big offensive threat in the tier, and Gliscor. Fusion Bolt is a strong physical attack that provides coverage for steel and fairy types when you cant use Outrage or Dragon Claw. Kyurem-B has brought me a lot of success in sweeping up teams damaged from the other five mons, all of which can cripple or damage very effectively.
Threats to the team:
Bisharp is a very, very scary threat to this team. Luckily, he doesn't Swords Dance on many mons on the team, but I don't have keldeo or any other switch-in that reliably stops it. I didn't have too much of a problem with Bisharp, probably because not all the teams had bisharp on them or because I went through several changes in the team, but be aware that you're weak to him if you use this exact copy of the team. Keldeo can be a replacement in exchange for one of the pokemon if you're having trouble with him, as it can replace kyurem-black.
Azumarill, on the same token as Bisharp, tears my team apart. Band is the scariest set for me to deal with, as I'm speed creeping the jolly belly drum variant with Rotom, but for band I have no switch ins and Rotom-Wash takes at least 60% from play rough. Unlike bisharp, however, Kyurem-Black revenge kills and you dont fear sucker punch doing a lot to it as banded or even belly drummed aqua jet doesnt kill Kyurem at 50% HP. To revenge kill Azumarill or weaken on the switches, keep Kyurem healthy by making spinning a priority with exca if rocks are up
Calcs pertaining to Azumarill, for accuracy reasons on my explanations:
Azumarill:
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 248 HP / 212+ Def Rotom-W: 190-225 (62.7 - 74.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyurem-B: 159-187 (40.6 - 47.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Final Notes:
The team, as I said before, went through a few changes as I encountered less of the threats above but faced more (for what reason the majority of people, at least in my experience, don't abuse Bisharp and Azumarill, I don't know. They're really strong in the tier). Tyranitar used to be choice band and it hit really hard but i found myself lacking defensive answers besides Rotom-Wash to a lot of threats on balanced teams. I switched for smooth rock, which is worse against stall, and I also had sub-three attacks kyurem, which also beat stall better than the scarf variant. With band Tar, Clefable was my rocker, but I switched to accommodate for my sacrifice against stall matchups, by making Clefable Calm Mind. This way, with aggressive/good plays, I have good matchups against a lot of teams and all types that are common high up in the ladder, or even lower, and I had fun doing it.
Proof of peaking: http://imgur.com/Zh9vCwq
Importable: http://pastebin.com/vbYLKvgw
Shoutouts:
Galom, a chill dude I built two other OU No Mega teams with, which also encountered success. Maybe I'll post them later, too.
Tect, a really good friend of mine on PS. Helped me with a lot of stuff, also really chill guy.
FredMercury, fun guy I ladder with. Helped me revise this post, and was watching me as I hit #1.
Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 180 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Fire Blast
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Tyranitar is on my team to provide Stealth Rocks and get sand up for Excadrill to potentially sweep or guarantee a spin. I went with the bulky spread provided on smogon and smooth rock so that sand lasts longer if I need it for Exca, and the bulk lets me take hits better from threats like Lati twins, Talonflame, and more. Fire Blast is mainly to hit Ferrothorn and Skarmory better when they think they can setup hazards safely. Pursuit hits Lati twins and anything else switching out switch as T-flame, and stone edge provides a strong STAB coverage.
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
Excadrill is my rapid spinner on this team to get rid of hazards, as well as a potential sweeper with sand up. I went with the Life Orb and Sand Rush set in conjuction with Ttar. Standard set here; Iron Head and Earthquake provide strong STAB and Rock slide is for when you can't use iron head or earthquake effectively. Excadrill is by no means bulky, so plan wisely with Tyranitar's sand so that you can get rocks out of the way for Tornadus and Kyurem to take hits better.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
Tornadus-Therian is the third pokemon on my team, with Assault Vest over Life Orb to take special hits and pivot. I went with max speed max special attack on him, which is standard on AV now, because the speed helps outspeed base 120 and under and forces speed ties with other max speed Torn-Ts. Knock Off is a strong and accurate move that performs even better in this meta since no Mega-Scizor or the like to sponge the hit. U-turn helps pivot if the matchup favors me and keeps momentum up, Hurricane is a strong special STAB and Heat Wave provides coverage for steel types, namely Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Skarmory.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 13 Spe
- Thunder Wave
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
- Moonblast
Clefable is a very valuable fairy type on the team because it helps beat fast threats like Weavile if healthy, so keeping this at a good amount of HP is very important. I went with max HP and max defense over the 172 defense 84 SpD variant because the SpD in that set is there for megas like Manectric and Diancie and dodging 2HKOs on Kyurem-B (according to Smogon's set details), and I felt that without those megas and with such a weakness to Weavile otherwise, the defense helps me take strong hits better. Thunder-Wave cripples pokemon after you take a hit or on the switch, while Calm Mind, Moonblast, and Soft-Boiled provide an annoying sweeper in Clefable with recovery and setup. 13 Speed IVs lets it take less than 45% from Ferrothorn's gyro ball, so that it can setup and kill ferrothorn if weakened and still get up to full with softboiled, while still outspeeding mons faster than ferro but not faster than Clefable if need be.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Rotom-Wash does very well in the OU meta, as it burns strong attackers, Volt Switches for momentum, has Hydro Pump STAB coverage, and Pain Splits for recovery. In OU No Mega it's job is just as invaluable, as this is another defensive wall and pivot on my team. The team is offensively based, and without good recovery, Rotom has a lot of strain on this team, so try to leave the strain from Talonflames and Weaviles to Tyranitar and Clefable, respectively. I went with max HP, and Defense to take hits from the pokemon mentioned above. The 44 Speed lets me outspeed jolly max speed Azumarill, so that i can burn/volt switch after a belly drum without dying to play rough.
Kyurem-Black @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 SpA / 224 Spe
Naive Nature
- Outrage
- Ice Beam
- Dragon Claw
- Fusion Bolt
Kyurem-Black is a very dangerous pokemon in this tier, with very few answers and switch-ins. Kyurem-Black's choice scarf set, with a speed of 465 after scarf and scary offensive stats, can sweep balanced/hyper offense teams. Outrage and Dragon Claw are strong dragon coverages, with the latter not locking yourself in for potential Clefable switch-ins after a kill. Ice Beam is another strong Stab but on the special side, and can OHKO mons that think they outspeed and u-turn or scout, such as scarf Landorus-Therian, another big offensive threat in the tier, and Gliscor. Fusion Bolt is a strong physical attack that provides coverage for steel and fairy types when you cant use Outrage or Dragon Claw. Kyurem-B has brought me a lot of success in sweeping up teams damaged from the other five mons, all of which can cripple or damage very effectively.
Threats to the team:
Bisharp is a very, very scary threat to this team. Luckily, he doesn't Swords Dance on many mons on the team, but I don't have keldeo or any other switch-in that reliably stops it. I didn't have too much of a problem with Bisharp, probably because not all the teams had bisharp on them or because I went through several changes in the team, but be aware that you're weak to him if you use this exact copy of the team. Keldeo can be a replacement in exchange for one of the pokemon if you're having trouble with him, as it can replace kyurem-black.
Azumarill, on the same token as Bisharp, tears my team apart. Band is the scariest set for me to deal with, as I'm speed creeping the jolly belly drum variant with Rotom, but for band I have no switch ins and Rotom-Wash takes at least 60% from play rough. Unlike bisharp, however, Kyurem-Black revenge kills and you dont fear sucker punch doing a lot to it as banded or even belly drummed aqua jet doesnt kill Kyurem at 50% HP. To revenge kill Azumarill or weaken on the switches, keep Kyurem healthy by making spinning a priority with exca if rocks are up
Calcs pertaining to Azumarill, for accuracy reasons on my explanations:
Azumarill:
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 248 HP / 212+ Def Rotom-W: 190-225 (62.7 - 74.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyurem-B: 159-187 (40.6 - 47.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Final Notes:
The team, as I said before, went through a few changes as I encountered less of the threats above but faced more (for what reason the majority of people, at least in my experience, don't abuse Bisharp and Azumarill, I don't know. They're really strong in the tier). Tyranitar used to be choice band and it hit really hard but i found myself lacking defensive answers besides Rotom-Wash to a lot of threats on balanced teams. I switched for smooth rock, which is worse against stall, and I also had sub-three attacks kyurem, which also beat stall better than the scarf variant. With band Tar, Clefable was my rocker, but I switched to accommodate for my sacrifice against stall matchups, by making Clefable Calm Mind. This way, with aggressive/good plays, I have good matchups against a lot of teams and all types that are common high up in the ladder, or even lower, and I had fun doing it.
Proof of peaking: http://imgur.com/Zh9vCwq
Importable: http://pastebin.com/vbYLKvgw
Shoutouts:
Galom, a chill dude I built two other OU No Mega teams with, which also encountered success. Maybe I'll post them later, too.
Tect, a really good friend of mine on PS. Helped me with a lot of stuff, also really chill guy.
FredMercury, fun guy I ladder with. Helped me revise this post, and was watching me as I hit #1.
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