Other OU Teambuilding

[LightningLuxray]

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock/Will-O-Wisp

Role: Bulky Attacker

What it does: Offensive Heatran is a great Pokemon. Using its great Fire/Steel typing and good 106 defensive stats, Heatran doesn't have trouble coming in on a lot of big threats, such as Talonflame, Volcarona, and Scizor. Heatran's 135 Special Attack is nothing to mess around with, as STAB Fire Blast can damage a lot of offensive teams. Air Balloon further assists Heatran when switching in, as it can come in on Pokemon such as Excadrill and Heatran and threaten them out with Fire Blast and Earth Power. Fire Blast is it's main STAB, while Earth Power is used to hit Fire- and Rock-type Pokemon. Stone Edge does the most damage to Pokemon such as Charizard-Y and Volcarona, making it the preferred option over Ancient Power. Finally, due to Heatran's great bulk, it can easily set up Stealth Rock. Will-O-Wisp can be used, however, to get a burn on slower Pokemon, such as Azumaril and Mawile

Good Teamates: Pokemon who resist Water- and Ground-type attacks, such as Latios, Latias, Rotom-W, and Celebi, all make good partners for Heatran. Mega Venusaur forms the famous VenuTran combination, which is an excellent combination of Pokemon who cover each other's weaknesses quite well. Heatran also appreciates Fairy-type Pokemon, such as Clefable and Togekiss, who can absorb Fighting-type attacks for it. Heatran can also remove Steel-type Pokemon for Fairies, making them even better partners. Finally, Pokemon that dislike Steel-types, such as Skarmory, make great partners. Examples include Mega Tyranitar, Mega Gardevoir, and Scizor.

What Checks/Counters It: Powerful Fighting- and Water-type Pokemon, such as Conkeldurr, Terrakion, Infernape, Keldeo, Manaphy, Greninja, and (Mega) Gyarados all deal with Heatran quite well. Once his Air Balloon has been removed, Ground-type Pokemon can all easily threaten Heatran out quite well. Some prime examples include Garchomp, Excadrill, Landorus, and Mamoswine. Chansey and Blissey can wall Heatran all day, while Specially Defensive Mega Venusaur can absorb almost blow thanks to Thick Fat. Bulky Dragon-types such as Latias and Goodra can all tank hits from it quite well. Finally, powerful priority from the likes of Choice Band Azumaril and Technitian Breloom can KO Heatran after some prior damage.

Additional Info: Leftovers can be used for more longevity. Life Orb can be used for more power, but it usually isn't worth the recoil. Hidden Power Ice can also be used to nail Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp.

This is my first one of these, so hopefully it doesn't suck ;_;

 

[TooMuchSugar]

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock/Will-O-Wisp

Role: Bulky Attacker

What it does: Offensive Heatran is a great Pokemon. Using its great Fire/Steel typing and good 106 defensive stats, Heatran doesn't have trouble coming in on a lot of big threats, such as Talonflame, Volcarona, and Scizor. Heatran's 135 Special Attack is nothing to mess around with, as STAB Fire Blast can damage a lot of offensive teams. Air Balloon further assists Heatran when switching in, as it can come in on Pokemon such as Excadrill and threaten it out with it's STAB attack. Fire Blast is it's main STAB, while Earth Power is used to hit Fire- and Rock-type Pokemon. Stone Edge does the most damage to Pokemon such as Charizard-Y and Volcarona, making it the preferred option over Ancient Power. Finally, due to Heatran's great bulk, it can easily set up Stealth Rock. Will-O-Wisp can be used, however, to get a burn on slower Pokemon, such as Azumaril and Mawile

Good Teamates: Pokemon who resist Water- and Ground-type attacks, such as Latios, Latias, Rotom-W, and Celebi, all make good partners for Heatran. Heatran also appreciates Fairy-type Pokemon, such as Clefable and Togekiss, who can absorb Fighting-type attacks for it. Heatran can also remove Steel-type Pokemon for Fairies, making them even better partners. Finally, Pokemon that dislike Steel-types, such as Skarmory, make great partners. Examples include Mega Tyranitar, Mega Gardevoir, and Scizor.

What Checks/Counters It: Powerful Fighting- and Water-type Pokemon, such as Conkeldurr, Terrakion, Infernape, Keldeo, Manaphy, Greninja, and (Mega) Gyarados all deal with Heatran quite well. Once his Air Balloon has been removed, Ground-type Pokemon can all easily threaten Heatran out quite well. Some prime examples include Garchomp, Excadrill, Landorus, and Mamoswine. Chansey and Blissey can wall Heatran all day, while Specially Defensive Mega Venusaur can absorb almost blow thanks to Thick Fat. Bulky Dragon-types such as Latias and Goodra can all tank hits from it quite well. Finally, powerful priority from the likes of Choice Band Azumaril and Technitian Breloom can KO Heatran after some prior damage.

Additional Info: Leftovers can be used for more longevity. Choice Specs turns Heatran into a wallbreaker, while Choice Scarf turns him into a surprise revenge killer. Hidden Power Ice can also be used to nail Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp.

This is my first one of these, so hopefully it doesn't suck ;_;

This looks fine, I've just got some minor suggestions:
-Lava Plume is an option over Fire Blast because of increased accuracy and burn chance.
-Under "good teammates" definitely mention Mega Venusaur, VenuTran is a great combination.
-Specs and Scarf Heatran are entirely different sets, don't bother talking about them here.
-You could slash AncientPower with Stone Edge, since it's a decent option if you want to kill Talonflame more reliably. If you do want to go mixed with stone edge, then timid probably isn't the best nature, as it lowers attack - probably Naive or Hasty would be best.

 

[LightningLuxray]

This looks fine, I've just got some minor suggestions:
-Lava Plume is an option over Fire Blast because of increased accuracy and burn chance.
-Under "good teammates" definitely mention Mega Venusaur, VenuTran is a great combination.
-Specs and Scarf Heatran are entirely different sets, don't bother talking about them here.
-You could slash AncientPower with Stone Edge, since it's a decent option if you want to kill Talonflame more reliably. If you do want to go mixed with stone edge, then timid probably isn't the best nature, as it lowers attack - probably Naive or Hasty would be best.

Yeah, I'll definitely make the changes! However, Timid is still the best nature for Heatran, as seen here:

0- Atk Heatran Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard Y: 292-344 (97.9 - 115.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
0- Atk Heatran Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Talonflame: 316-372 (106 - 124.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0- Atk Heatran Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 340-400 (108.9 - 128.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Stone Edge still OHKO's all these Pokemon, and you won't have to sacrifice bulk in order to use it.

Also, Ancient Power isn't getting a mention because of this

252 SpA Heatran Ancient Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Volcarona: 252-300 (80.7 - 96.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Heatran Ancient Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard Y: 236-280 (79.1 - 93.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Those OHKO's are just too important to give up :(

However, the rest of your changes have been noted, I'll add them right now :)

 

[Fourth Inversion]

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock/Will-O-Wisp

It might be worth clarifying that when using Air Balloon as the item over Leftovers, Heatran isn't a Talonflame etc. switchin, but is instead a one-time check to certain pokemon, and shouldn't be unnecessarily switched in on any attack other than a predicted Ground move. It might also be worth adding that with the Air Balloon intact, this set is also an excellent way of removing most opposing Heatrans (Sp.D can't touch it, and it stops Choiced sets from using Earth Power).

 

[LightningLuxray]

It might be worth clarifying that when using Air Balloon as the item over Leftovers, Heatran isn't a Talonflame etc. switchin, but is instead a one-time check to certain pokemon, and shouldn't be unnecessarily switched in on any attack other than a predicted Ground move. It might also be worth adding that with the Air Balloon intact, this set is also an excellent way of removing most opposing Heatrans (Sp.D can't touch it, and it stops Choiced sets from using Earth Power).

Heatran is still an excellent switch into Talonflame, even with Air Balloon. You just have to make sure you're willing to sacrifice the Air Balloon.

I did make mention of Air Balloon Heatran walling Heatran, though :)

 

[Aaron's Aron]

I finished the Rotom-Wash write up on page 9 and it is ready to be put in the original post. If life throws one more thing at me to stop me from being on Smogon though... -_-

 

[trc]

Doing this right now. I'd really appreciate a better different Mega Zard X (Tank) write up though =/ sorry

 

[AA-j]

Doing this right now. I'd really appreciate a better different Mega Zard X (Tank) write up though =/ sorry

what .-. sry

 

[trc]

what .-. sry

It isn't a problem with the content necessarily, its just that the entire thing is difficult to read and it isn't concise and organized and well, clear. If you want you could collaborate with another writer while providing your content to create a great write-up together?

 

[AA-j]

It isn't a problem with the content necessarily, its just that the entire thing is difficult to read and it isn't concise and organized and well, clear. If you want you could collaborate with another writer while providing your content to create a great write-up together?

Oh I can fix that

 

[NotBruceWayne]

Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Fire Blast / Thunderbolt

Role: Wallbreaker

What it does: Keeps defensive teams guessing and breaks them with his supreme coverage. Nidoking was blessed with an excellent ability in Sheer Force and a deep movepool to boot. Deals with top pokes with ease, denting them and 2HKOing at worst. 2HKOs Aegislash-Shield, Mega Venusaur, Mega Aggron and other prominent walls. Moveset is pretty standard with STAB Earth Power and Sludge Wave for Steels and Fairies with the last 2 slots up to preference. I personally prefer Ice Beam and Fire Blast. Ice Beam allows me to nail Gliscor, Hippowdon and all genie formes for SE damage. Fire Blast is for Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Thunderbolt is also a good choice as it allows you to hit Suicune, Mega Zard Y and Mega and non Mega Gyarados. It also gives you that sweet BoltBeam coverage. Other options include Shadow Ball for Ghosts and Psychics, Focus Miss Blast for Tyranitar, Chansey / Blissey and a Physical set with Megahorn, EQ and Sucker Punch.

Good Teamates: Hazard support is greatly appreciated. It turns potential 2HKOs to OHKOs. SR and Sticky Web are two excellent hazards to have, the former able to hit most if not all pokes while the latter alleviates Nidoking's average speed but has terrible distribution among viable OU pokemon. Spikes / Toxic Spikes aren't that bad either. Setup sweepers like Mega Pinsir and offensive Mega Zard X are also great team mates as they love their checks and counters weakened or removed. Someone who can deal with bulky Water types is also good. Zard Y can be used to deal with bulky Waters with Solarbeam. Pokes that can eliminate the blobs like Scizor and Conkeldurr are excellent partners as well

What Checks/Counters It: Like any other special attacker, the blobs are Nidoking's bane. They can absorb ANY attack from King and heal off the damage as Focus Blast only friggin' 3HKOs even after SR. Speed issues also plague Nidoking. Base 85 speed isn't exactly bad, but it isn't the best for an offensive Pokemon. Fast Water types like Greninja and Rotom-W (who has base 86 Speed btw) can outspeed and OHKO Nidoking. Azumarill also gets a mention because of Aqua Jet.

Additional Info: Nidoqueen is a slightly bulkier, slower version of Nidoking who could be used in Bulky Offensive teams. Both also resist SR and absorb Toxic Spikes.

 

[Imitatia]

Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper / Gooey
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt / Earthquake
- Dragon Tail

Role: Tank

What it does: Take hits, hit hard back. With an Assault Vest, Goodra's already massive Special Defense is pumped to even higher levels. This allows Goodra to take on many special attackers, and at the same time dealing huge damage with STAB Draco Meteor. Goodra can utilize two of its great abilities to good effect. Gooey slows down most physical attackers, but Sap Sipper is the preffered choice since Goodra doesn't like taking physical hits too often. Sap Sipper allows Goodra to switch into Spore, Sleep Powder and other Grass type and power up Dragon Tail. 248 HP lessens Stealth Rock damage while 252 SpA EVs lets Goodra hit as hard as possible. Quiet Nature pumps up Special Attack more while not lowering Dragon Tail's damage. Draco Meteor is going to be Goodra's main move due to STAB and because it heavily nukes many Pokemon. Fire Blast roasts Steel types that resist Draco Meteor and Grass types like Ferrothorn and Breloom which Goodra can switch into w/ Sap Sipper. T-Bolt gives great coverage against Water types while EQ os an option over it to hit Heatran hard. Dragon Tail allows Goodra to phaze and deal some damage.

Good Teamates: Hazards are very welcome because of Goodra's phazing ability in Dragon Tail. Physical walls and pivots are a good choice because of Goodra's low Defense. Landorus-T, while also weak to Ice, can do both of those. Rotom-W is another good partner, since its sole Grass weakness is shrugged off by Goodra and in return Rotom takes on Ice type moves and burn physical attackers.

Pokemon that can deal with Fairies make a good partner for Goodra. Scizor takes on Ice and Fairy types, while Heatran has good synergy with Goodra and forms a good Specially Defensive duo.

Hazard Removers too make a good partner since Goodra will be switching often, especially due to Draco Meteor. Excadrill takes on Fairy types, sets up Stealth Rocks, spins them away, and has good Physical Defense, making him an excellent partner.

Wish support is greatly appreciated due to Goodra's lack of reliable recovery.

What Checks/Counters it: Physical attackers that can survive its onslaught and deal huge damage back are excellent counters. Conkeldurr isn't harmed by any of Goodra's moves and can hit it back hard with Ice Punch or strong Fighting type moves. Faster pokemon that can deal huge SE damage make good checks. Examples include Garchomp, Dragonite, Salamence, Mega Charizard X, etc. Strong Specially Defensive walls like Chansey and Mega Venusaur hinders Goodra, since all itcan do is phaze. Fairy types in general are specially defensive behemoths that can wither it down with SE STAB. Hazards, status, and residual damage hurt Goodra lot due to lack of reliable recovery.

Additional Info: You can use an alternate spread of 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD, no worries at all. Sassy nature can be used over Quiet, but that would lessen Goodra's Special Attacks. When using Goodra, make sure to not over-rely on it because Goodra can get worn down easily.

 

[BurningFury101]

USE

Deoxys-Speed @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 236 Spd / 252 SAtk / 20 Atk (240 Spd / 252 SAtk / 16 Atk if running HP [Fire])
Naive/Hasty Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower
- Knock Off/HP [Fire]/Fire Punch

Role: Late-Game Cleaner

What it does: With nearly perfect coverage and speed that's over kill, it can outspeed many things such as ScarfChomp, and +1 Base 100's such as Charizard X. Psycho Boost, even though first on the list, is the strongest but should be reserved only for things you are not sure you can kill with other moves (The -2 drop hurts). Ice Beam is your coverage, although hitting just about everything weaker, it helps kill Landorus(T), Garchomp, or about anything that is 4x weak to it. Superpower OHKO's Mega TTar (With 4 HP EVs) with Stealth Rock down, and also takes a chunk of health away from walls such as Blissey. The last slot is your choice - Knock Off is usually the best option for really just smacking items off.There is also HP [Fire] which helps hit Aegislash and Ferrothorn, but if you want to hit on both sides reliably you can choose Fire Punch (There's only a 0.7% difference).

Good Teammates: Anything that can do major damage helps Deoxys-S greatly. Even with SAtk investments, Deoxys-S does not hit very hard due to only getting a 1.3x boost with Life Orb. Usually any Pokemon that can bring a Pokemon's Health below 50% helps it immensely. Entry hazards also help a lot to break Sashes, Sturdy, or maybe even pressure a switch, and make Deoxys' cleaning even easier. Pokemon that can also help clear out status make Deoxys put a big smile on it's face, even without a mouth, as almost every status cripples him.

What counters it: Anything faster then it. Deoxys is outsped by 105 Scarfed mons, meaning Keldeo, Lati twins, and many others work very effectively to counter Deoxys. Pokemon that can survive a hit on switch or have a decent amount of health left can usually live a hit and smash it with a powerful move. As said above, if you can, just about any status cripples Deoxys and he wants to avoid it. Lastly, anything with Sucker Punch or a powerful priority basically makes it's life A LOT harder.

Any additional info: Deoxys can work as an effective lead - this is due to many people bringing in their anti-lead counter (say, Espeon) until they realize that it's gone due to it having a surprise factor. You might want to use it while you can, too, as everyone is beginning to realize that Deoxys-S is now usually an attacker. I also cannot stress this enough - Always bring it in when everything is weakened. Trust me on this one, it's incredible speed allows it to be one of the only late-game cleaners that can switch up moves.


Do not use

Tyrantrum @ Life Orb
Ability: Rock Head Strong Jaw
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake/Elemental Fangs

Role: Physical Sweeper

What it does: Tyrantrum is one of the two Pokemon with Rock Head and Head Smash making it hit ridiculously hard. The goal is simple, the same as almost any Dragon Dance Sweeper. Try to get as many as Dragon Dances up as you can, and begin the rampage! Head Smash paired with Rock Head is arguably the best move in the game, with stab it hits an insane 225 Base Power. Sadly, Tyrantrum doesn't seem to get Rock Head as of now so it has to go with Stone Edge. It's best Dragon coverage move is Dragon Claw. Earthquake is the final move to hit steel types mainly. You can choose any other elemental fang if you wish, though, but Earthquake is generally the best option.

Good Teammates: Anything that lets Tyrantrum set up easily helps. Due to having rather bad typing being weak to many forms of priority/moves, and having a below decent amount of SDef, Tyrantrum definitely likes going with things helping it setup. Other good teammates are tanks that can help it sponge special attacks, or just attacks in general. Tyrantrum also likes the sandstorm as it increases it's special defence greatly.

What Counters it: Any super-effective special attack will destroy Tyrantrum's hopes and dreams. Like many other sweepers, it does not enjoy Thunder Wave (Thundurus), and Will-O-Wisp. Being weak to 6 types that are quite common this generation, it's hard for Tyrantrum to ever get a safe Dragon Dance up. The best counter is just what I said above, any super-effective move on the special side makes it fall on it's knees.

Any additional Info: I haven't had much time to test it out myself, but the reason it isn't very good is due to it's mediocre speed and horrible Special Defence, it's pretty much outclassed by other DDance sweepers as it's only real edge over them is having a super powered Head Smash with no recoil. But, on the other side it also can use Sandstorm very well, usually getting at least one DDance up. As of now, it isn't good due to Rock Head not being released, but once it is it might be pretty viable.

Edit:

Doing this right now. I'd really appreciate a better different Mega Zard X (Tank) write up though =/ sorry

This is the "Pokeaim Tank Zard set" if this isn't what you used, if it isn't then there's also the other one from the Charizard discussion on the OU page here. Here are both sets:

Pokeaim Tank Zard X

Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze (Tough Claws)
EVs: 248 HP / 32 Atk / 188 SDef / 40 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost


Charizard Smogon Forums

Charizard @ CharizarditeX
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Speed / 136 HP / 120 Atk
Jolly Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw

If you want I can explain both sets, just put a message here and I'll be glad to help.

Edit 2: Edited Rock Head Tyrantrum as I forgot it wasn't realeased (Thanks Sergeant Sppoky) and gave one more example of what Deoxys-S could outspeed with the EV Spread. (Thank you DC-Shadow)

 

[Sergeant Spooky]

Rock Head Tyrantrum is not released, so no it's not that viable. If it got rock head I think it'd actually be pretty good, but alas it's another victim of "lol let's give something a good HA and then not release it."

 

[DC-Shadow_Blaze]

USE

Deoxys-Speed @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 236 Spd / 252 SAtk / 20 Atk
Naive/Hasty Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower
- Knock Off/HP [Fire]/Fire Punch
Role: Late-Game Cleaner
What it does: With nearly perfect coverage and speed that's over kill, it can outspeed many things such as ScarfChomp with this very set (Which I did not make, by the way). Psycho Boost, even though first on the list, is the strongest but should be reserved only for things you are not sure you can kill with other moves (The -2 drop hurts). Ice Beam is your coverage, although hitting just about everything weaker, it helps kill Landorus(T), Garchomp, or about anything that is 4x weak to it. Superpower OHKO's Mega TTar (With 4 HP EVs) with Stealth Rock down, and also takes a chunk of health away from walls such as Blissey. The last slot is your choice - Knock Off is usually the best option for really just smacking items off.There is also HP [Fire] which helps hit Aegislash and Ferrothorn, but if you want to hit on both sides reliably you can choose Fire Punch (There's only a 0.7% difference).
Good Teammates: Anything that can do major damage helps Deoxys-S greatly. Even with SAtk investments, Deoxys-S does not hit very hard due to only getting a 1.3x boost with Life Orb. Usually any Pokemon that can bring a Pokemon's Health below 50% helps it immensely. Entry hazards also help a lot to break Sashes, Sturdy, or maybe even pressure a switch, and make Deoxys' cleaning even easier. Pokemon that can also help clear out status make Deoxys put a big smile on it's face, even without a mouth, as almost every status cripples him.
What counters it: Anything faster then it. Deoxys is outsped by 105 Scarfed mons, meaning Landorus, Keldeo, Lati twins, and many others work very effectively to counter Deoxys. Pokemon that can survive a hit on switch or have a decent amount of health left can usually live a hit and smash it with a powerful move. As said above, if you can, just about any status cripples Deoxys and he wants to avoid it. Lastly, anything with Sucker Punch or a powerful priority basically makes it's life A LOT harder.
Any additional info: Deoxys can work as an effective lead - this is due to many people bringing in their anti-lead counter (say, Espeon) until they realize that it's gone due to it having a surprise factor. You might want to use it while you can, too, as everyone is beginning to realize that Deoxys-S is now usually an attacker. I also cannot stress this enough - Always bring it in when everything is weakened. Trust me on this one, it's incredible speed allows it to be one of the only late-game cleaners that can switch up moves.


Do not use OR use?

Tyrantrum @ Life Orb
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Head Smash
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake/Elemental Fangs

Role: Physical Sweeper

What it does: Tyrantrum is one of the two Pokemon with Rock Head and Head Smash making it hit ridiculously hard. The goal is simple, the same as almost any Dragon Dance Sweeper. Try to get as many as Dragon Dances up as you can, and begin the rampage! Head Smash paired with Rock Head is arguably the best move in the game, with stab it hits an insane 225 Base Power. Sadly, Tyrantrum doesn't seem to get Outrage so it's best Dragon coverage move is Dragon Claw. Earthquake is the final move to hit steel types mainly. You can choose any other elemental fang if you wish, though, but Earthquake is generally the best option.

Good Teammates: Anything that lets Tyrantrum set up easily helps. Due to having rather bad typing being weak to many forms of priority/moves, and having a below decent amount of SDef, Tyrantrum definitely likes going with things helping it setup. Other good teammates are tanks that can help it sponge special attacks, or just attacks in general. Tyrantrum also likes the sandstorm as it increases it's special defence greatly.

What Counters it: Any super-effective special attack will destroy Tyrantrum's hopes and dreams. Like many other sweepers, it does not enjoy Thunder Wave (Thundurus), and Will-O-Wisp. Being weak to 6 types that are quite common this generation, it's hard for Tyrantrum to ever get a safe Dragon Dance up. The best counter is just what I said above, any super-effective move on the special side makes it fall on it's knees.

Any additional Info: I haven't had much time to test it out myself, but the reason it isn't very good is due to it's mediocre speed and horrible Special Defence, it's pretty much outclassed by other DDance sweepers as it's only real edge over them is having a super powered Head Smash with no recoil. But, on the other side it also can use Sandstorm very well, usually getting at least one DDance up.

Side Note: I don't know if it's good or not, so I'll let you decide, this is a HARD one. (I'm pretty sure it should be in don't use though)

You might want to elaborate slightly on the significance of the speed investment; even if you list the prime +1 base 100 threat that Deo can Revenge Kill: Mega Charizard X

Hey, I'm pretty psyched for Rock Head Tyrantrum too, but until it's released, I think we've created a new category; that of "Cannot Use".

 

[BurningFury101]

Rock Head Tyrantrum is not released, so no it's not that viable. If it got rock head I think it'd actually be pretty good, but alas it's another victim of "lol let's give something a good HA and then not release it."

Thanks, forgot that it wasn't released (My memory is probably just a bit better then a goldfishes). Edited the post and added two Charizard X Tank sets.

You might want to elaborate slightly on the significance of the speed investment; even if you list the prime +1 base 100 threat that Deo can Revenge Kill: Mega Charizard X

Hey, I'm pretty psyched for Rock Head Tyrantrum too, but until it's released, I think we've created a new category; that of "Cannot Use".

I only added that it can also outrun Charizard X at +1, I can't really think of much else as usually everything else is priority or just outruns it with Scarf, thanks for the info though! Edited it in.

 

[Fourth Inversion]

Do Not Use (since this section is looking a bit lonely)

Slurpuff @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 176 Spd / 4 HP / 76 SAtk or 252 Atk / 176 Spd / 76 HP / 4 Def
Naughty or Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Play Rough
- Return
- Flamethrower or Yawn

Role: Physical Sweeper

What it does: Slurpuff has access to a unique combination of an ability, move and item that have perfect synergy together, namely Unburden, Belly Drum and Sitrus Berry. Unfortunately, it (currently) lacks the physical movepool to justify using such a risky strategy, and in addition, has below par stats across the board, that make it fairly useless if it's unable to use Belly Drum. (Alternatively, Slurpuff has a great special movepool, with access to Calm Mind and Draining Kiss for recovery but is outclassed by Calm Mind users like Unaware Clefable)

The moveset is chosen out of necessity. Belly Drum is the key to Slurpuff's success, giving it an attack stat of 1136 at +6 and Play Rough is physical STAB... at which point you discover that Slurpuff's only other physical moves are normal type and Thief, which is useless, as it steals an item, and loses the unburden boost. Return is chosen in the 3rd slot to hit Poison and Fire types, while also having 100% accuracy. Since Thief is out, a special or utility move is needed in the last slot, with Flamethrower being the best option to hit Ferrothorn, Forretress and Skarmory, although standard Ferrothorn will never be OHKOed by Flamethrower. Alternatively, Yawn can be used to help open the door for another sweeper if a pokemon stays in to remove Slurpuff.

4 HPs give an even number of HP, so that Belly Drum will cause the Sitrus Berry to be eaten, activating Unburden. The speed EVs can be varied, but 176 lets you just outspeed Timid Scarfed Rotom forms and Modest Scarfed Hydreigon after activating Unburden. The remaining EVs can be placed in Special Attack, or HP, depending on the fourth move, with 76 HP EVs being used on the Yawn set to get an even HP number. A Naughty nature is used on the Flamethrower set, to not weaken Slurpuff's defenses against physical priority. Alternatively, a Naive or Jolly nature with near max speed can be used to outspeed Deoxys-S and Adamant Kabutops under rain.

Good Teammates: Mega-Charizard Y with Earthquake can remove any Steel type pokemon from the game, making it much easier for Slurpuff to sweep. A good check to Talonflame is necessary too, with viable options including Hippowdon, Heatran, Rotom-W or Rotom-H. Dual Screens support from a pokemon like Klefki can help Slurpuff set up, and survive priority attacks that could revenge kill it.

What Checks/Counters it: Scizor is an obvious check, as after Belly Drum + Unburden, Bullet Punch from any slightly offensive variant will OHKO (given that Slurpuff will at best be at 75% health), as will Brave Bird from most Talonflame sets. Extremely bulky physical walls can survive one Play Rough at +6, such as Max HP/Def+ Hippowdon and hit back. Steel types are a safer check, although +6 Play Rough can still OHKO frailer pokemon like Excadrill. The safest way to counter Slurpuff is if possible, to not give it a free switch in, and to be able to hit as hard as possible on the turn where it might use Belly Drum. Alternatively, phasing on the predicted Belly Drum is also a good option, as Unburden can only be activated once. Unaware pokemon ignore Slurpuff's +6 attack and can Toxic or set up on it.

Additional Info: When including a setup sweeper on a team, it's worth considering that if the opponent's team is unlikely to allow setup opportunities, will the pokemon end up being dead weight? In Slurpuff's case, without Belly Drum, it hits like a wet blanket off an unboosted attack of 284, with terrible coverage to boot. If Slurpuff receives some additional physical coverage in the future, this set may become more viable. Although Slurpuff can outspeed and OHKO a great number of pokemon after a Belly Drum, most teams are likely to have at least one good check to it, making it too risky to run in OU over a safer set-up sweeper.

 

[I AM THE JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAM]

What to use

Thundurus (M) @ Power Herb/Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP or 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Jolly Nature/Hasty Nature
- Wild Charge
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Fly/Hidden Power Ice
Role: Physical Sweeper

What it does: Punishes defog. It is different from bisharp by being MUCH faster and getting by skarm and mandi better. It can also get around its number one counter, Mega Venusaur, with Power Herb Fly. Hidden Power Ice is slashed because it allows it to get by the crowd of things 4x weak to ice. Knock off destroys the Lati@s, the go-to defoggers on offensive teams. It has the uncanny ability to utterly demolish unprepared offensive teams, as its base speed is a troll 111, allowing it to outspeed gengar, the lati@s, the muskedeers, pinsir, mega charizard, excadrill, garchomp, adamant talonflame, gyarados(it gets the defiant boost, too!), and lando-i. It isn't only good against offense! The only counter normally found on stall is quag, and while it does counter it pretty well, its only 1 pokemon, so you only need 1 teammate. It is a huge threat to any team that uses defog as hazard removal, period. So why isn't this thing banned yet? Its really frail. Ice shard from any mamo kills it, and after a bit of weakening, other priority kills it too. Don't let these flaws discourage you! It is as good, if not better, than bisharp at keeping defog at bay, due to the threat it poses. Every team using defog should have thundurus covered as it runs through teams that aren't.

Good teammates: Deoxys-Defense is the best hazard setter there is, so it's a natural teammate. Pokémon with grass attacks are also great teammates for it, as they can get rid of its 2 counters, rotom-w and quagsire. Breloom comes to mind, but Megasaur is better if you can fit it onto your team. A spinner is a big asset to it, as it doesn't have to lose 25% of its health coming in. With wild charge recoil and life orb recoil, residual damage stacks up rather quickly. A special attacker like latios or greninja are great teammates as they can break through quaggy and rotom-w easily. Grass knot greninja is a great teammate in particular, as this pokemon enjoys grass coverage. Last but not least, spinblockers are good teammates as they can block the other way of removing hazards.

What counters it: Rotom-w, and quagsire are the first two counters to come to mind. They can take its attacks and retaliate with a crippling burn. Other than that, all you have are checks. Greninja is the number one check to it, as it outspeeds and KOes with ice beam. Mamoswine comes in second, as it kills it with an ice shard. Scarfers like Garchomp, Terrakion, and Excadrill can all outspeed and KO with a rock move. Another major check is stealth rock. It loses 25% of its hp just by coming in, and with wild charge recoil, that adds up quickly. Other than that, good luck beating it.

Any additional info: Grass coverage can take over any slot, but it generally isn't worth it.

 

[Delibird is Amazing]

Additional Info: Nidoqueen is a slightly bulkier, slower version of Nidoking who could be used in Bulky Offensive teams. Both are also neutral to SR and absorb Toxic Spikes.

they resist stealth rock. poison is not weak to rock

 

[NotBruceWayne]

they resist stealth rock. poison is not weak to rock

Oh crap lol. Thanks for the heads up! I'll edit it now

 

[Always!]

Barbaracle @ White Herb
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 144 HP/252 Atk/112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- Razor Shell
- Cross Chop/Earthquake

Roles: Physical Sweeper, Lategame Sweeper

What it does: Barbaracle seems like a joke, but in battle, it can rip unsuspecting opponents to shreds. Barbaracle boasts arguably the greatest set-up move of all time, Shell Smash, which doubles Speed, Attack, and Special Attack at the cost of -1 to Defence and Special Defence. With Barbaracle's nice bulk, it can set-up while taking a hit, but then any priority ruins it. However, the use of a White Herb alleviates the drop, meaning Barbaracle can keep his bulk to stomach stray priority attacks, thus easing the sweep. Stone Edge is stab, and despite not getting the Tough Claws boost, it still packs a Punch at +2. Razor Shell is an amazing Stab, with a Critical Hit Ratio, and a Defence drop chance, and a Tough Claws boost, which means it's amazing for taking out things like Landorus-I, weakened, Hippowdons, and bulkier pokemon like Garchomp. Cross Chop defeats most other pokemon, like Bisharp and Tyranitar, and Ferrothorn, who walls this set otherwise, but with the downside of having poor accuracy in exchange for a Tough Claws boost and a higher Criticalhit Ratio. Earthquake is a decent alternative if missing isn't your fancy, and it takes things like Heatran out reliably.

Good Teammates: Wallbreakers like Kyurem-B or Mega Medicham that can severely weaken Barbaracle's opponents that can survive its onslaught at +2 are vital. Also, Dual Screen support is extremely useful, as it makes setting up much easier. A good partner for this is Espeon, who also has the ability to bounce back statuses that can cause Barbaracle lose it's power or speed after a Shell Smash. Finally, one thing that Barbaracle needs is the perfect turn to set-up, and slow- Volt-Turners like Scizor or Rotom-W can provide that. Grass types like Roserade, Ferrothorn or Chesnaught partner fantastically with Barbaracle, covering Barbaracles Grass and Electric weaknesses. In addition, Barbaracle takes out any Bug, Flying, or Fire pokemon that they have trouble with.

What counters it: Barbaracle has fantastic coverage, but it needs a Shell Smash to really be a threat, so if one puts enough pressure, Barbaracle may not be able to get it off and then becomes useless. Also, many pokemon can survive Barbaracle's +2 attacks if not Super Effective, but IF ANY prior damage happens to befall them, they lose they're ability to survive Barbaracle's attacks. Examples are Conkeldurr and , who can take a hit, but any prior damage means they are toast. Scarfers are a great way to deal with it, as with a +2 Adamant natured Barbaracle with 112 Spped Evs, it only reaches 400 base speed, meaning that most scarfers can revenge kill it. Things like Ferrothorn (Without Cross Chop) or Aegislash (Without EQ) have the natural defences to wall Barbaracle, but if carrying the correct coverage move, Barbaracle is going to make mince meat out of them. Strong Priority also works, like CB Azu's Aqua jet or Conk's Mach Punch, but Barbaracle needs to be under ~%60 for those to KO without the SS Defence drop.

Additional Info: Customize the Evs as you see fit, as Barbaracle can be faster in order to outspeed certain scarfers if it needs to. Also, you could put on Sniper as the ability, and swap Barbaracle's item to be a Scope Lens, and put try to sneak Focus Energy in the set. While risky, makes it that it will be getting Crits left and right, and hurt way harder than normal, though this is reliant on luck if Focus Energy is not used.

 

[NotBruceWayne]

No post for this guy yet? This thread is very helpful. Keep it alive pls

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Will-o-Wisp / Tailwind

Role: Late-game Cleaner, Revenge Killer

What It Does: Has the strongest priority in the game thanks to its ability, Gale Wings (all Flying type moves gain +1 priority). Has 2 high powered STABs in Flare Blitz and priority Brave Bird. Talonflame also has access to U-turn to gain switch advantage. Roost is also viable on non-choiced sets and gains priority thanks to Gale Wings. Talonflame can also be a boosting sweeper with Bulk Up and Swords Dance. Has very high base Speed (126) and it can outspeed a lot of stuff without fully investing in Speed meaning it can invest in a little bulk as well. The above EV spread allows it to outspeed Jolly Mega Pinsir. The last moveslot is really up to preference. Though both are odd on Choice users, Will-o-Wisp burns common switch-ins Tyranitar and Rotom-W while Tailwind aids other sweepers in cleaning up.

Good Teammates: Mega Pinsir and Staraptor form the infamous dual bird core with Talonflame as they can muscle past each others checks. The 4x Stealth Rock weakness bothers Talonflame a lot because of all the switching in and out he does. Thus, Hazard support is mandatory. Excadrill also deserves a mention as it can spin away Stealth Rock and KO Rotom-W.

What Counters It: Keeping Stealth Rocks in play shuts down Talonflame. Other than loosing half of its health every switch in, it also relies on recoil moves which further shorten its lifespan. Rotom-W, Rotom-H, Heatran and Rock Types like Tyranitar and Rhyperior can switch in safely on any of Talonflame's moves.

Any Additional Info: EVs could be customized to speed creep other Talonflame. Again, Hazard removal is mandatory. A gimmicky set with Natural Gift allows it to grab surprise KOs on Heatran or Tyranitar.

 

[BurningFury101]

No post for this guy yet? This thread is very helpful. Keep it alive pls

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Will-o-Wisp / Tailwind

Role: Late-game Cleaner, Revenge Killer

What It Does: Has the strongest priority in the game thanks to its ability, Gale Wings (all Flying type moves gain +1 priority). Has 2 high powered STABs in Flare Blitz and priority Brave Bird. Talonflame also has access to U-turn to gain switch advantage. Roost is also viable on non-choiced sets and gains priority thanks to Gale Wings. Talonflame can also be a boosting sweeper with Bulk Up and Swords Dance. Has very high base Speed (126) and it can outspeed a lot of stuff without fully investing in Speed meaning it can invest in a little bulk as well. The above EV spread allows it to outspeed Jolly Mega Pinsir. The last moveslot is really up to preference. Though both are odd on Choice users, Will-o-Wisp burns common switch-ins Tyranitar and Rotom-W while Tailwind aids other sweepers in cleaning up.

Good Teammates: Mega Pinsir and Staraptor form the infamous dual bird core with Talonflame as they can muscle past each others checks. The 4x Stealth Rock weakness bothers Talonflame a lot because of all the switching in and out he does. Thus, Hazard support is mandatory. Excadrill also deserves a mention as it can spin away Stealth Rock and KO Rotom-W.

What Counters It: Keeping Stealth Rocks in play shuts down Talonflame. Other than loosing half of its health every switch in, it also relies on recoil moves which further shorten its lifespan. Rotom-W, Rotom-H, Heatran and Rock Types like Tyranitar and Rhyperior can switch in safely on any of Talonflame's moves.

Any Additional Info: EVs could be customized to speed creep other Talonflame. Again, Hazard removal is mandatory. A gimmicky set with Natural Gift allows it to grab surprise KOs on Heatran or Tyranitar.

It's already on both Late-Game Cleaner, and Revenge Killer XD

 

[NotBruceWayne]

It's already on both Late-Game Cleaner, and Revenge Killer XD

LOL sorry bout that

 

[Vengeance417]

How can we have a "Tank" section and not have the shining example of said War Machine?

"The M1A2 Abrams Tank"
Blastoise w/ Blastoisinite
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpA
Nature: Modest
Ability: Mega Launcher
- Rapid Spin
- Scald/Water Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere/Dragon Pulse/Ice Beam

Role: Offensive Tank

What it does: Mega Blastoise is the shining example of an offensive tank. Hell, it has the artillery on its back and its arms to fully replicate the war machine. Its ability, Mega Launcher, boosts Aura and Pulse moves such as Water Pulse and Aura Sphere by 50%. It also has stellar defenses, with 79/120/115, which means that it can take hits fairly easily, while dishing a great deal of damage back.

Mega Blastoise's Water Pulse is almost as strong as its Hydro Pump thanks to Mega Launcher, has more PP and accuracy and has a confusion chance. Scald is also an amazing option, with the chance to burn targets. Its access to Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse and Aura Sphere gives it amazing coverage against a wide variety of threats in the metagame, and to top it all off, it can use rapid spin to clear hazards!

Mega Launcher-boosted Dark Pulse is a gift from Arceus for a spinner like Mega Blastoise, since it now has a powerful tool to destroy common spin blockers like Aegislash and Gengar. Aura Sphere destroys Tyranitar and Bisharp, both of which are 4x weak to Fighting. Dragon Pulse might not provide as much coverage as Ice Beam, but it can do serious damage to mono-Dragons or Dragons with a typing that makes it not 4x weak to Ice, like Haxorus, Mega Charizard X (as demonstrated in the gif) and Goodra (it still won't do much damage since it's a Specially Defensive tank, but Dragon Pulse will do more damage than Ice Beam).

Good teammates: Offensive Mega Blastoise appreciates clerics that can pass Wishes and give Heal Bell/Aromatherapy support, such as Sylveon, Umbreon, Vaporeon and Florges, since it doesn't have reliable recovery while in its mega form and does not like Toxic residual damage. He'll also like teammates that can deal with Azumarill, such as various Grass and Electric types like defensive Rotom-W, Roserade and Breloom, since none of Mega Blastoise's moves do decent damage against it.

What Counters it: As said earlier, Azumarill completely walls Mega Blastoise with its Water/Fairy typing, as Water, Dark, Ice, Fighting and Dragon type moves will either do little damage or will do literally nothing (Dragon). Another counter to Mega Blastoise that don't carry Ice Beam is Bulletproof Chesnaught, since its immune to all of its Aura and Pulse moves and can hit Blastoise back with SE grass type damage. Pokemon with Storm Drain or Water Absorb also gives Blastoise trouble, such as Quagsire, Cradily, Gastrodon and Vaporeon, so have someone to deal with them too.