Other OU Teambuilding

[Explorer]

Role: Hazard Remover/Support/Special Wall
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 SpA/252 SpD
Nature: Calm
IVs: 0 Atk
-Draco Meteor
-Defog
-Roost
-Energy Ball/Tailwind/Roar/Hidden Power Rock/Hidden Power Fire

How it works: I know there is a similar-appearing set already, but this one functions differently. Special Defense is maxed out to repeatedly absorb special hits. Draco Meteor still hits hard with minimal investment, and works fine since Latias switches in and out a lot. Defog removes worrisome hazards for the team and makes it easier to sweep with SR-weak Pokemon. Roost lets Latias wall more effectively as it can take more hits. The last slot has lots of options. I highlighted a few:

I. Energy Ball- hits Rotom-W fairly hard without a SpA drop, letting it beat Rotom-W easily 1v1.
II. Tailwind- useful if Latias is about to die so a Kyurem-B, Mega Pinsir, etc. can sweep.
III. Roar- removes stat boosts and racks up hazard damage
IV. Hidden Power Rock- Useful since Latias walls Mega Charizard (outside of Dragon Pulse/Fire Blast crit). This way Latias can actually do some damage to Charizard and stay in afterwards. It is also useful for hitting Volcarona.
V. Hidden Power Fire- hits Skarmory, Scizor, and Ferrothorn hard as they try to switch into Dragon-type moves.

Good teammates: Good teammates can be divided into a few categories:

I. Defensive Pokemon that synergize well with Latias:
Latias hates Fairy types and Ice-types. Mega Aggron is a fantastic partner for Latias since they cover each other's weaknesses very well and has unprecedented physically defensive capabilities. Similarly, Skarmory and Ferrothorn are good partners.
II. Offensive Pokemon that dislike Stealth Rock:
This includes many sweepers, such as Dragonite, Charizard (both forms, especially Y), Salamence, Thundurus, and so forth. Charizard-Y has good offensive synergy with Latias.
III. Mega-Venusaur is also helpful since it hits Fairy-types hard with Sludge Bomb, and can do a number on Ferrothorn with HP Fire should you not use it on Latias.

Checks and counters: Latios, Greninja, Gengar, and Genesect can revenge-kill it without much trouble as long as a little bit of prior damage is already applied. Heatran can switch into this set repeatedly and wear it down, especially if it has Toxic. Bisharp can destroy Latias if it comes in safely, i.e. on a move besides HP Fire or Draco Meteor at full power. It can even switch in on a predicted Defog and net a Defiant boost, then trap Latias and run through the rest of the team at +2. Without HP Fire, Ferrothorn also completely walls Latias, setting up hazards all over it.

 

[Jaroda]

What NOT to use:

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb / Ice Beam

Role: Hazard Remover, Mixed Wall

What It Does: Tentacruel has been known over the generations as the premier Toxic Spikes user in OU, and for good reason. It usually always sets up two layers of toxic spikes, and is able to spin away opponent's hazards in the process, while being able to take on most spinblockers, such as Trevenant, Aegislash, and Gengar. It has good STABs in Water/Poison and has access to Ice Beam which gives it further coverage, and Scald is very good for spreading burns. Unfortunately for Tentacruel, 6th gen didn't serve it good. There are now better options for removing hazards, most notably Defog and the availability of better Rapid Spinners. The much better distribution of Defog made it so much easier to remove hazards that Toxic Spikes and Spikes are now completely irrelevant, and that seriously hurt Tentacruel, basically making it useless since it's two main roles were removing hazards and setting up Toxic Spikes.

Good Teammates: Pokemon that like to stall with the opponent's being heavily poisoned - Gliscor first comes to mind. Blissey and Chansey are also pretty good teammates, as they can stall out Pokemon with Protect + Wish/Softboiled. Heatran is another good teammate as it likes facing toxiced opponents. pHazers like Skarmory can quickly spread toxic through the opponent's burn, and Mandibuzz does the same. Strong and fast sweepers, such as Talonflame and Choice Band or Scarf Terrakion, can easily come in when everything's worn out of toxic damage and clean up.

What Counters It: Blissey/Chansey take on everything Tentacruel throws in their way and retaliate with Seismic Toss, which will eventually wear Tentacruel out after a few hits since it has no recovery outside of Black Sludge. Jellicent can block it's Rapid Spin while giving 0 shits about Scald, Sludge Bomb or Ice Beam, while it can burn with Will-o-Wisp and stall it out with burn damage and Recover. Rotom-W doesn't care much about either Scald or Sludge Bomb and can hit with Volt Switch. Excadrill can keep it in check with a strong Earthquake, but must be wary of Scald burning it.

Any Additional Info:

To be fair this post is misleading since it is Toxic Spikes that are now terrible, not Tentacruel. Rapid Spin is always a viable option for a team that has its own hazards or uses dual screens, and frankly Tentacruel has a great defensive typing for this meta and with Liquid Ooze be serious trouble for some notable pokes that your team may have trouble with like Azumarill, Conkeldurr, Mega Venusaur, Breloom, Clefable, etc. Between Scald, Knock Off, Toxic and Rapid Spin he has plenty of tools to be a good support pokemon. Like was said when looked in a vacuum certain pokemon can look utterly outclassed, but something like Tentacruel can have the right combination of moves, stats and typing to be exactly what your team needs.

 

[TaBuu]

Role: Hazard Remover/Support/Special Wall
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 SpA/252 SpD
Nature: Calm
IVs: 0 Atk
-Draco Meteor
-Defog
-Roost
-Energy Ball/Tailwind/Roar/Hidden Power Rock/Hidden Power Fire

How it works: I know there is a similar-appearing set already, but this one functions differently. Special Defense is maxed out to repeatedly absorb special hits. Draco Meteor still hits hard with minimal investment, and works fine since Latias switches in and out a lot. Defog removes worrisome hazards for the team and makes it easier to sweep with SR-weak Pokemon. Roost lets Latias wall more effectively as it can take more hits. The last slot has lots of options. I highlighted a few:

I. Energy Ball- hits Rotom-W fairly hard without a SpA drop, letting it beat Rotom-W easily 1v1.
II. Tailwind- useful if Latias is about to die so a Kyurem-B, Mega Pinsir, etc. can sweep.
III. Roar- removes stat boosts and racks up hazard damage
IV. Hidden Power Rock- Useful since Latias walls Mega Charizard (outside of Dragon Pulse/Fire Blast crit). This way Latias can actually do some damage to Charizard and stay in afterwards. It is also useful for hitting Volcarona.
V. Hidden Power Fire- hits Skarmory, Scizor, and Ferrothorn hard as they try to switch into Dragon-type moves.

Good teammates: Good teammates can be divided into a few categories:

I. Defensive Pokemon that synergize well with Latias:
Latias hates Fairy types and Ice-types. Mega Aggron is a fantastic partner for Latias since they cover each other's weaknesses very well and has unprecedented physically defensive capabilities. Similarly, Skarmory and Ferrothorn are good partners.
II. Offensive Pokemon that dislike Stealth Rock:
This includes many sweepers, such as Dragonite, Charizard (both forms, especially Y), Salamence, Thundurus, and so forth. Charizard-Y has good offensive synergy with Latias.
III. Mega-Venusaur is also helpful since it hits Fairy-types hard with Sludge Bomb, and can do a number on Ferrothorn with HP Fire should you not use it on Latias.

Checks and counters: Latios, Greninja, Gengar, and Genesect can revenge-kill it without much trouble as long as a little bit of prior damage is already applied. Heatran can switch into this set repeatedly and wear it down, especially if it has Toxic. Bisharp can destroy Latias if it comes in safely, i.e. on a move besides HP Fire or Draco Meteor at full power. It can even switch in on a predicted Defog and net a Defiant boost, then trap Latias and run through the rest of the team at +2. Without HP Fire, Ferrothorn also completely walls Latias, setting up hazards all over it.

-------------------
Questioning the overall usefulness of Energy Ball on a Latias. Rotom Wash generally has no business staying in on a Latias as it fails to do any significant damage. Energy Ball is a pretty weak move and to make matters worse Grass type moves don't offer much in terms of offensive coverage. Tailwind and Hidden Power Fire find much more merit on a Defog Latias, in my opinion.
-------------------

[Choice Band Terrakion]
Terrakion @ Choice Band
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack / X-Scissor

Role: Wallbreaker

What It Does: Terrakion has arguably one of the best dual STAB coverages in the ou metagame. With a high base 129 Attack stat, Choice Band turns Terrakion into an absolute monster, capable of denting almost any defensive Pokemon that fails to resist its moves. Close Combat and Stone Edge are its two STAB moves and the two moves are usually more than enough to deal with whatever silly Pokemon is sitting in front of it.
With the introduction of Aegislash, Earthquake becomes mandatory so that the oversized kitchen knife doesn't impede Terrakion's wallbreaking. Quick Attack is an absolute godsend allowing Terrakion to snipe that last 20% off of Scarf Latios. The last move is honestly up for grabs. Feel free to go wild with the last slot. Just don't use Focus Blast though. Please. It happens too frequently.

Good Teammates: Obviously since Banded Terrakion is a wallbreaker, offensive sweepers such as Lucario and Mega Scizor greatly appreciate the holes the Banded Terrakion tends to leave behind.
To make Choice Banded Terrakion's life a bit easier, it helps to carry teammates that can deal with Pokemon that can stomach Terrakion's hits such as Gliscor, Landorus-T and Aegislash. Mamoswine stands out as a phenomenal partner hitting all three for super-effective damage.

What Counters It: Aegislash is an amazing check being immune to Close Combat and Quick Attack while heavily resisting Stone Edge and X-Scissor. It remains a check because a Banded Earthquake will certainly make the sword crumble. Defensive Celebi, Gliscor and Landorus-T are all great answers for Banded Terrakion.

Any Additional Info: Banded Terrakion is best played early to mid-game. Try to bait out the defensive Pokemon that wall your main sweeper so that Banded Terrakion can come out and slap them around a bit. Also due to the immense pressure Banded Terrakion can generate, hazard support can really help in some situations.
-------------------

[Choice Scarf Keldeo]
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Icy Wind / Hidden Power Electric

Role: Late-game Cleaner, Revenge Killer

What It Does: It cleans up weakened teams in a matter of turns while looking stupidly cute.
While the transition to Gen VI was a rough ride for the little pony, Scarfed Keldeo is still an amazing cleaner thanks to its base 108 Speed, powerful cleaning moves in Hydro Pump/Surf and resistances to some common priority moves (Bullet Punch, Aqua Jet and Ice Shard. F*ck off Talonflame).
It has a pretty decent enough coverage where it can pick off certain threats. Hydro Pump and Surf are usually Keldeo's main cleaning tool of choice due to the STAB + Base Power factor. Secret Sword allows Keldeo to bypass Specially Defensive Pokemon such as Blissey. Icy Wind KOs Garchomp and weakened Dragonite with ease.

Good Teammates: Keldeo loves entry hazard support from the likes of Deoxys-Defense and Deoxys-Speed.
Pokemon that can safely bring in Keldeo through U-Turn or Volt Switch also stand as great teammates. Scizor in particular comes to mind ; Scizor draws in Fire Type moves and with a well-timed U Turn, Keldeo can come in, tank the Fire move and threaten the opposing Pokemon. Thundurus and Rotom Wash can help break down bulky water types that resist Keldeo's Hydro Pump and Surf. Finally Politoed is yet another great teammate. Drizzle support is priceless and amps up Keldeo's offensive capabilities by another level.

What Counters It: Mega Venusaur, Jellicent, Celebi, Tentacruel,Slowbro and Slowking are some examples of Keldeo counters. They can practically shrug off any of Scarfed Keldeo's moves and proceed to damage it or force Keldeo out. Gyarados and Trevenant can tank certain moves ; however, they must be careful not to switch in on HP Electric and Icy Wind, respectively.

Any Additional Info: Keldeo works pretty at almost any stage of the game (early, mid, late). Keep in mind that more often than not, Scarfed Keldeo will be your win condition. Because of that make sure Keldeo doesn't get too weak by late-game where things like Choice Banded Bullet Punch from Scizor will KO it.

 

[BlackyXD]

Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Flare Blitz

Role: sweeper, late game sweeper, revenge killer.

What it does: Talonflame since its gen VI inception has been a very popular sweeper. Its main selling point is it ability gale wings. This ablity give +1 priortiy to flying moves, most nobly brave bird. With 120 BP brave bird hits hard even when resisted. Its very useful late game when with it speed and priority it can KO most weakened pokemon. But early game it can be just as deadly early game with brave bird and flare blitz dealing huge amounts of damage. It counter almost naything without a flying or fire resist and can is a very reliable check to ageislash since it can out speed it and shadow does pitiful damage unless ageislash has a swords dance under it belt.

Good Teammates: Good teammates for Talon flame and things that can take rock/water/electric attack and KO back. Most notably Rotom-wash.But it also works well with things that can break walls and put things into brave bird KO range for Talonflame to clean up with priority. Like Staraptor.but finally one of the most important teammates for talonflame is something that can relaibly defog or rapidspin. Like exadrill/skarmory or the Latis's.

What counters it: Talonflames biggest counter is Stealth rocks. With his fire/flying typing it makes talonflame 4 times weak to stealth rocksa and from just switching in with rocks up he loses half of his Max HP. One of talonsflames biggest counter is rotom-wash. He take a brave bird and a flare blitz and KO back with hydro pump or out and deal a ton of damge with volt switch. Another powerful counter are almost all rock types and pokemon that can take a brave bird and OKO back with a stone edge or other powerful rock/water/electric move. Talonflmae is extremely frail and even resisted move can deal a good chunk of his HP. So it is best to be careful switching into talonflame unless you know he is going to switch out or you get a free switch in.

 

[Jin White]

WHAT NOT TO USE:

Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave
- Swagger
- Foul Play

Role: Support

What It Does: It makes you a dick.

Oh, seriously, you want to know what it does? It abuses its ability, Prankster, to use support moves with increased priority. Then, it abuses the RNG to hax the living shit out of everything it faces, not by any clever strategy, but by rolling dice. It paralyzes whatever it can and hopes for the 25% chance of full para. It gets up (priority) substitutes until the para sticks. It uses Swagger to add confusion to the list of annoyances, so that now the opponent has to hope to avoid a 50% chance of hitting itself on top of the paralysis. Foul Play is the icing on the feces-covered cake, punishing the paralyzed, confused opponent for all the attack boosts gained via Swagger.

Good Teammates: One could pretend that Swagkey is used to support a sweeper by eliminating certain foes, but that's utter bullshit. It's a standalone abomination. It's as likely to be paired with a whole team of prankster foul players as it is to be paired with Mega Lucario for maximum below-the-belt hits.

What Counters It: (Priority) Taunt, baby, or prayers to baby Jesus.

Also: Electric-types and Ground-types that can't be paralyzed and pokémon that don't mind taking a Foul Play or two have greatly increased odds of breaking the key chain. Taunt/Sub Thundurus-I, Gliscor, and Seismic Toss Blissey/Chansey are all examples of pokes generally unfazed by Thunder Wave + Swagger + Foul Play.

Any Additional Info: Seriously, don't use this.

While it's effective some of the time (and infuriating all of the time), it does not reliably accomplish anything. The moveset is based on luck, and there are going to be times when the opponent's Earthquake does, in fact, hit, and you're left facing a +2 Garchomp that just snapped itself out of confusion. Good job - you deserved it.

Klefki has better options to abuse. Prankster is an excellent ability, and Klefki has the right movepool to take advantage of it - consistently. There are better ways to support a team, whether it be through priority screens, priority Spikes, or priority Thunder Wave (or any combination of the three). Klefki has brilliant defensive typing, and it can put it to good use with its Prankster-boosted support movepool.

 

[SmashBrosBrawl]

WHAT NOT TO USE:

Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave
- Swagger
- Foul Play

Role: Support

What It Does: It makes you a dick.

Oh, seriously, you want to know what it does? It abuses its ability, Prankster, to use support moves with increased priority. Then, it abuses the RNG to hax the living shit out of everything it faces, not by any clever strategy, but by rolling dice. It paralyzes whatever it can and hopes for the 25% chance of full para. It hides behind (priority) substitutes until the para sticks. It uses Swagger to add confusion to the list of annoyances, so that now the opponent has to hope to avoid a 50% chance of hitting itself on top of the paralysis. Foul Play is the icing on the feces-covered cake, punishing the paralyzed, confused opponent for all the attack boosts gained via Swagger.

Good Teammates: One could pretend that Swagkey is used to support a sweeper by eliminating certain foes, but that's utter bullshit. It's a standalone abomination that is the antithesis of a team player. It's as likely to be paired with a whole team of prankster foul players as it is to be paired with Mega Lucario for maximum below-the-belt hits.

What Counters It: (Priority) Taunt, baby, or prayers to baby Jesus.

Any Additional Info: Seriously, don't use this.

There's nothing bad about swag klefki. It's certainly not very consistent but when it works the game is pretty much over and the odds are on the klefki user side, not on the opponent. Its not a 50/50 at all. Its incredibly uncompetitive and matchup based, yes, but the fact is, it works. Idiots can beat good players by abusing this strategy. You honestly sound like youre just salty about it, but thats not a reason to say the set is bad.

 

[Jin White]

There's nothing bad about swag klefki. It's certainly not very consistent but when it works the game is pretty much over and the odds are on the klefki user side, not on the opponent. Its not a 50/50 at all. Its incredibly uncompetitive and matchup based, yes, but the fact is, it works. Idiots can beat good players by abusing this strategy. You honestly sound like youre just salty about it, but thats not a reason to say the set is bad.

It's largely comic relief, but I've added some additional notes on what gets past it and the fact that you're potentially giving your opponent a free Swords Dance with nothing to gain from it.

 

[perplexingpool]

USE

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Role: Special Sweeper, Tank (i'm not sure tbh)

What It Does: The legendary Crocune. This is an ancient set, but is nonetheless very effective. Thanks to Suicune's great bulk and defensive typing, it can easily set up multiple Calm Mind boosts, then sweep. Rest lets you recover lost HP, as well as healing you from status that would otherwise cripple you and severely hinder a sweep. Sleep Talk allows you to continue attacking and accumulate boosts while asleep. Suicune is nigh impossible to stop once it sets up. It can even beat Pokemon that resist Scald, by burning them, or even PP stalling them with the help of Pressure.

Good Teammates: Suicune is best paired with Pokemon that can give it set-up opportunities, like Voltturners. Suicune really appreciates Toxic Spikes support, to allow it to get through Pokemon like Chansey, Gastrodon, and Jellicent, which it can't break with Scald, due to either ridiculous special bulk, or immunity to Water moves.

What Counters It: The best way to stop Suicune is through Taunting it, or Tricking it a Choice item. Thundurus is a very good answer to Suicune, as it can Taunt it, and threaten it with super effective Thunderbolts. Suicune will also fall to powerful physical attackers with super effective moves, like Kyu-B and Breloom. Chansey, Blissey, or any Pokemon with a water immunity will wall Suicune completely. Keldeo resists Scald and can hit Suicune on its unboosted defense with Secret Sword. Mega Venusaur can wall it, but Giga Drain and Synthesis can both be PP stalled. Calm Mind Lati@s and Calm Mind Slowbro can boost up alongside Suicune and take it out with a Psyshock. Suicune is also quite prone to being critted.

Any Additional Info: Suicune may seem unbreakable at first, but it isn't. Don't try to set up too early in the game, or you risk losing Suicune, or giving free turns to something like Toxicroak or Chansey. Make sure Suicune's checks and counters are out of the way before attempting to sweep.

 

[Fourth Inversion]

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt/Discharge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat/Flamethrower

Role: Pivot

What It Does: While Manectric is completely outclassed by other Electric Pokemon in OU, Mega-Manectric gains a significant boost to speed, special attack and a very strong ability. The EVs are obvious, as Mega-Manectric needs to run a positive Speed nature to outspeed Greninja and Noivern, both of which it can OHKO. Running 252+ Speed lets it outspeed Manaphy before it Mega-Evolves, and allows Mega-Manectric to outspeed slower Dragon Dancers at +1, and at worst, speed tie with other Mega-Manectrics. Mega-Manectric has mediocre bulk even with investment, but good special attack, so the logical choice is to maximise that. Unfortunately, Mega-Manectric has an awful special movepool, and no useful boosting moves outside of the mediocre Charge Beam, which makes it very predictable. Volt Switch is mandatory to make the most out of Intimidate, and will be the most common move used, while Thunderbolt and Discharge offer 100% accurate STAB. This leaves two slots, and Hidden Power Ice is a good choice for the third slot, as it gives a pseudo Bolt/Beam combination. Although it is only 60 base power, a 252 Special Attack Mega-Manectric can use the move to outspeed and severely damage powerful pokemon in OU that have a 4x Ice weakness (note that while standard Landorus is always OHKO'd, Multiscale Dragonite will always survive, uninvested Garchomp will almost always survive, and depending on the EV spread used, Gliscor and Landorus-T may survive). Aside from Hidden Power, Mega-Manectric's only viable special moves are Electric and Fire type, so it makes sense to pick a fire coverage move in the 4th slot, with the choice being between Flamethrower and Overheat. On the rare opportunities that you'll use a Fire move over Volt-Switching, Overheat gives a very good chance of OHKOing a 252HP Excadrill, but Flamethrower is 100% accurate, and doesn't drop special attack. Other options such as Magnet Rise are unreliable gimmicks.

Good Teammates: Mega-Manectric is a pivot on a team, and it can support a variety of Pokemon, so the following list are only suggestions. A Choice Scarf Keldeo can deal with most ground types with very powerful Water STAB. Pokemon that benefit from facing an intimidated opponent are good choices, including set-up sweepers such as Double Dance Landorus-T. Fellow U-Turn and Volt Switch users also make good teammates. Landorus-T is a very effective partner, as it can also offer intimidate support, can support the team with Stealth Rock, and has powerful EdgeQuake coverage. Choice Banded Scizor is another option for a U-Turn partner, as it offers a slow, and very powerful U-turn that can allow Mega-Manectric to come in and threaten out the opposing Pokemon. A Defog (or Rapid Spin) user is necessary to allow Mega-Manectric to constantly switch in and out of battle.

What Counters It: Mega-Manectric has few direct counters, as it can Volt Switch out of unfavourable encounters into teammates that can handle them. Bulky ground types that are not 4x weak to Ice are good options, notably Hippowdon or Gastrodon. Mega-Manectric cannot switch in on Bisharp, as it will trigger Defiant, allowing it to be OHKOed by a +1 Sucker Punch. Choice Scarf users can revenge kill Mega-Manectric with a Ground move. Powerful offensive threats with good Special Defense can checkmate Mega-Manectric, by forcing it to stayed in and risk being OHKOed, or allowing a teammate to take severe damage if the right coverage move is selected. Keeping any entry hazard on the field will limit the number of times Mega-Manectric can switch in, and once its teammates are weakened to the point where Mega-Manectric can't safely Volt Switch out, it's relatively easy to take down.

Any Additional Info: Mega-Manectric should generally be Mega-Evolved as soon as it comes in, for the added speed and power. The only reason not to Mega-Evolve immediately is if you're willing to switching in on a potential Electric attack for the Special Attack boost. It is frail, and should ideally be brought in on a slow Volt Switch or U-Turn, or switched in after one of your Pokemon has fainted. Although it can revenge kill some weakened pokemon, the main reason for using Mega-Manectric over a more offensive Mega-Evolution is to provide momentum for teammates with a fast Volt Switch and Intimidate.

 

[Prinz]

Megacross absolutely needs Rock Blast otherwise you're walled to hell by Flying types. Bullet Seed has virtually no merit, and Jolly is a bad nature, he absolutely wants Adamant and max attack at the least.

Yer copypasted the set from an old random team and I didnt check it. Its fixed now, thank you!

 

[perplexingpool]

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt/Discharge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat/Flamethrower

Role: Pivot

What It Does: While Manectric is completely outclassed by other Electric Pokemon in OU, Mega-Manectric gains a significant boost to speed, special attack and a very strong ability. The EVs are obvious, as Mega-Manectric needs to be Timid with 252 Speed EVs to outspeed Greninja and Noivern, both of which it can OHKO. Mega-Manectric has mediocre bulk even with investment, but good special attack, so the logical choice is to maximise that. Unfortunately, Mega-Manectric has an awful special movepool, and no useful boosting moves outside of the mediocre Charge Beam, which makes it very predictable. Volt Switch is mandatory to make the most out of Intimidate, and will be the most common move used, while Thunderbolt and Discharge offer 100% accurate STAB. This leaves two slots, and Hidden Power Ice is a good choice for the third slot, as it gives a pseudo Bolt/Beam combination. Although it is only 60 base power, a 252 Special Attack Mega-Manectric can use the move to outspeed and severely damage powerful pokemon in OU that have a 4x Ice weakness (note that while standard Landorus is always OHKO'd, Multiscale Dragonite will always survive, uninvested Garchomp will almost always survive, and depending on the EV spread used, Gliscor and Landorus-T may survive). Aside from Hidden Power, Mega-Manectric's only viable special moves are Electric and Fire type, so it makes sense to pick a fire coverage move in the 4th slot, with the choice being between Flamethrower and Overheat. On the rare opportunities that you'll use a Fire move over Volt-Switching, Overheat gives a very good chance of OHKOing a 252HP Excadrill, but Flamethrower is 100% accurate, and doesn't drop special attack. Other options such as Magnet Rise are unreliable gimmicks.

Good Teammates: Mega-Manectric is a pivot on a team, and it can support a variety of Pokemon, so the following list are only suggestions. A Choice Scarf Keldeo can deal with most ground types with very powerful Water STAB. Pokemon that benefit from facing an intimidated opponent are good choices, including set-up sweepers such as Double Dance Landorus-T. Fellow U-Turn and Volt Switch users also make good teammates - Choice Banded Scizor for example offers a slow, and very powerful U-turn that can allow Mega-Manectric to come in and threaten out the opposing Pokemon. A Defog (or Rapid Spin) user is necessary to allow Mega-Manectric to constantly switch in and out of battle.

What Counters It: Mega-Manectric has few direct counters, as it can Volt Switch out of unfavourable encounters into teammates that can handle them. Bulky ground types that are not 4x weak to Ice are good options, notably Hippowdon or Gastrodon. Mega-Manectric cannot switch in on Bisharp, as it will trigger Defiant, allowing it to be OHKOed by a +1 Sucker Punch. Choice Scarf users can revenge kill Mega-Manectric with a Ground move. Powerful offensive threats with good Special Defense can checkmate Mega-Manectric, by forcing it to stayed in and risk being OHKOed, or allowing a teammate to take severe damage if the right coverage move is selected. Keeping any entry hazard on the field will limit the number of times Mega-Manectric can switch in, and once its teammates are weakened to the point where Mega-Manectric can't safely Volt Switch out, it's relatively easy to take down.

Any Additional Info: Mega-Manectric should be mega-evolved as soon as it comes in, for the added speed boost. It is frail, and should ideally be brought in on a slow Volt Switch or U-Turn, or switched in after one of your Pokemon has fainted. Although it can revenge kill some weakened pokemon, the main reason for using Mega-Manectric over a more offensive Mega-Evolution is to provide momentum for teammates with a fast Volt Switch and Intimidate.

A few nitpicks:

MegaManec doesn't need 252 Timid speed to outspeed Noivern and Greninja, it only needs 160 EVs with Timid. Running 160 speed lets you invest more in bulk. Max speed does let you outspeed max speed Manaphy on the turn you mega evolve, which is pretty important.

Landorus-Therian is the absolute best partner for Mega-Manectric, forming an excellent Voltturning intimidate core. The two are able to beat most of eachothers counters easily, and I think Lando-T should get more of a mention in the teammates section.

Mega Evolving manec immediately is not always the best option, as it can take advantage of Lightningrod. I.e, you can bring Manectric in on Skarmory, don't megavolve and Volt Switch out on their switch, then switch manec in later on a Rotom-W's Volt Switch to get the SpA boost from Lightningrod.

 

[Molk]

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spd
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split

Role: Pivot, Support, Physical Wall, Clothes Washer

What It Does: Rotom-W is without a doubt one of the best pivots in the X/Y OU metagame, It's capable of checking and countering all kinds of common Pokemon such as Talonflame, Landorus-T, Mega Pinsir, Heatran, Mandibuzz, (non mega) Gyarados, Togekiss, and Azumarill to an extent, all while giving its team tons of momentum simply by using the move Volt Switch (while either hitting most things that could possibly block Volt Switch hard with it's other STAB move, Hydro Pump, or simply burning them!). It can fit on a very very wide variety of OU teams with little issue, being an effective pivot for everything from offense to balance, making it by far one of the most commonly seen Pokemon in the tier. Outside of simply spamming Volt Switch, Rotom-W is an excellent user of the move Will-O-Wisp, and can use all the switches it causes and switch in opportunities to spread the status around the opposing team.

Good Teammates: As Rotom-W struggles with various Grass- and Dragon-types such as Mega Venusuar and Lati@s teammates that can handle these Pokemon are always great. Talonflame and Mega Pinsir are excellent ways to put pressure on Mega Venusaur and other Grass-types, using Rotom-W's Volt Switch as a way to get in for free as long as Stealth Rock isn't set up, and immediately forcing them out with the threat of a Brave Bird or Aerialate return, respectively. Lati@s and Kyurem-Black are great ways to take advantage of Mega Venusaur too, not really caring about anything that Mega Venusaur has to throw at them bar a Sleep Powder, and KOing it with Psychock and Teravolt Ice Beam, respectively. As for Lati@s, Aegislash can come in pretty much for free on any Lati and watch something crumble with a well placed Shadow Ball, Mega Mawile is completely immune to Draco Meteor and resists Psyshock and can either use the Eon Pokemon as set up fodder or do serious damage to an opponent with Play Rough, in return, Rotom-W can take Fire- and Ground-type moves that both of these Pokemon despise. As for what Pokemon/teams appreciate Rotom-W's support, pretty much any team that has issues with common Pokemon that Rotom-W can check such as Mega Pinsir or Talonflame will appreciate a Rotom-W, and pretty much any frail offensive Pokemon will appreciate Rotom-W's Volt Switch to attain free switchins and start wreaking havoc on the opposing team.

What Counters It: As mentioned above, bulky Grass- and special Dragon-types are annoyances for Rotom-W, they don't directly block Volt Switch (pretty much everything that can gets crippled by one of its other common moves ;_;), but they don't take too much from either that or its Hydro Pump, while usually not suffering too much from burn cutting their Attack stat. Mega Venusaur is a great example of a common bulky Grass-type, taking any offensive move of Rotom-W's with ease, although Burn's residual damage means it will have to use Synthesis more often. Latias and Latios are also good checks to Rotom-W, once again resisting both STAB moves, not really caring much about Wisp compared to most other Pokemon, and forcing it out with a Draco Meteor. Kyurem-B is another Dragon-type that can pressure Rotom-W a fair bit, only really caring about Will-O-Wisp and using it as a free Substitute, meanwhile KOing Rotom-W with a Teravolt Earth Power. Outside of these Pokemon, Clefable and Sylveon don't resist either Volt Switch or Hydro Pump, but their special bulk is good enough so that they don't care about either STAB anyway. Clefable doesn't take any damage from Will-O-Wisp and Sylveon can heal off the burn with Heal Bell, respectively. Assault Vest Conkeldurr is more than bulky enough to take any move from Rotom-W and actually benefits from being burned thanks to its guts ability, powering up its Drain Punch and Knock Off significantly. As for an absolute counter that blocks Volts Switch and all, Gastrodon is pretty much the closest you're going to get, as it's completely immune to both offensive moves and can simply recover off burn damage, but the sea slug isn't a very common Pokemon at all, and there are usually better options than it on an OU team.

Any Additional Info: Be wary of Rotom-W getting worn down too fast from repeated switchins. Since Rotom-W checks to many Pokemon in one teamslot, it often ends up being kind of a meatshield, and taking these repeated hits and possibly rounds of Stealth Rock damage with only Pain Split, Leftovers, or a one time use Chestorest for recovery means the opponent will eventually break through washer if you're not careful!

It's like 5 in the morning so sorry if i messed something up really badly lol

 

[Fourth Inversion]

A few nitpicks:

MegaManec doesn't need 252 Timid speed to outspeed Noivern and Greninja, it only needs 160 EVs with Timid. Running 160 speed lets you invest more in bulk. Max speed does let you outspeed max speed Manaphy on the turn you mega evolve, which is pretty important.

Landorus-Therian is the absolute best partner for Mega-Manectric, forming an excellent Voltturning intimidate core. The two are able to beat most of eachothers counters easily, and I think Lando-T should get more of a mention in the teammates section.

Mega Evolving manec immediately is not always the best option, as it can take advantage of Lightningrod. I.e, you can bring Manectric in on Skarmory, don't megavolve and Volt Switch out on their switch, then switch manec in later on a Rotom-W's Volt Switch to get the SpA boost from Lightningrod.

Thanks for the EV suggestions. I've now had a look at the OU Manectric Analyses, and Max Speed with a positive nature also lets you potentially outspeed some of the slower +1 Dragon Dancers. Max speed EVs also stop Aerodactyl from Mega-Evolving on you, and I see just enough Mega-Manectrics to want to speed tie with them. I also think that Mega-Manectric will lose health in the early to mid game from entry hazards, so the bulk is probably a bit less important. I'll go back and update that, as well as adding more of a mention of Landorus-T.

I disagree with your example of holding off on Mega-Evolving, as the Rotom-W player will know it has Lightningrod, and so they can potentially Hydro Pump on the predicted switch, and then Hydro Pump again if it stays in to Mega-Evolve which, if both hit will likely 2HKO (guaranteed after rocks). Mega-Manectric will also be a better matchup against the other five pokemon on the opponent's team than Manectric, so I think even with a potential Volt Switch user on the opponent's team, it's generally safer to Mega-Evolve. That said, if the opponent has Thundurus-I, it might be possible to stay in normal form to guard against Thunder Wave spam...

 

[Grey Knight]

to guard against Thunder Wave spam...

electric types are immune to thunder wave this gen , so its protected from thunder wave even without lighting horn

 

[perplexingpool]

electric types are immune to thunder wave this gen , so its protected from thunder wave even without lighting horn

The point is that you can get a Special Attack boost off Thunder Wave if you don't mega evolve.

 

[Grey Knight]

The point is that you can get a Special Attack boost off Thunder Wave if you don't mega evolve.

he said guard , that's all ,


so this is a set that i just came up with , this guy is much better than i originally expected , his just so fast that makes the inability to wear a scarf almost unnoticeable , notably it out-speeds natural base 85 speed mons at +1 like kingdra after a dd and adamant scarf heracross.


Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef <-- 4 sdef evs so it can control dowload boosts
Timid Nature

- Volt Switch <-- everyone loves momentum

- Hidden Power [Grass/Ice] <-- its almost useless unless you can predict with it , since most of the staff it hits can 1hko back (scarf flygon ,swampert , rhyperior ....)
alternatively thunder wave ,substitute or even thunder could be used .

- Overheat <-- it outdamages hidden power even when it hits for SE damage , the s.attack drop isn't that bad since manetric is more like a hit and run pokemon


- Thunderbolt <-- the main stab , not bad but not anything special either



Manetric compared to jolteon , a pokemon that shares similar roles and characteristics .

 

[SunDriedRainbow]

WHAT NOT TO USE:

Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave
- Swagger
- Foul Play

Role: Support

What It Does: It makes you a dick.

Oh, seriously, you want to know what it does? It abuses its ability, Prankster, to use support moves with increased priority. Then, it abuses the RNG to hax the living shit out of everything it faces, not by any clever strategy, but by rolling dice. It paralyzes whatever it can and hopes for the 25% chance of full para. It gets up (priority) substitutes until the para sticks. It uses Swagger to add confusion to the list of annoyances, so that now the opponent has to hope to avoid a 50% chance of hitting itself on top of the paralysis. Foul Play is the icing on the feces-covered cake, punishing the paralyzed, confused opponent for all the attack boosts gained via Swagger.

Good Teammates: One could pretend that Swagkey is used to support a sweeper by eliminating certain foes, but that's utter bullshit. It's a standalone abomination. It's as likely to be paired with a whole team of prankster foul players as it is to be paired with Mega Lucario for maximum below-the-belt hits.

What Counters It: (Priority) Taunt, baby, or prayers to baby Jesus.

Also: Electric-types and Ground-types that can't be paralyzed and pokémon that don't mind taking a Foul Play or two have greatly increased odds of breaking the key chain. Taunt/Sub Thundurus-I, Gliscor, and Seismic Toss Blissey/Chansey are all examples of pokes generally unfazed by Thunder Wave + Swagger + Foul Play.

Any Additional Info: Seriously, don't use this.

While it's effective some of the time (and infuriating all of the time), it does not reliably accomplish anything. The moveset is based on luck, and there are going to be times when the opponent's Earthquake does, in fact, hit, and you're left facing a +2 Garchomp that just snapped itself out of confusion. Good job - you deserved it.

Klefki has better options to abuse. Prankster is an excellent ability, and Klefki has the right movepool to take advantage of it - consistently. There are better ways to support a team, whether it be through priority screens, priority Spikes, or priority Thunder Wave (or any combination of the three). Klefki has brilliant defensive typing, and it can put it to good use with its Prankster-boosted support movepool.

What counters it: Espeon, Mega-Absol, full stop. Espeon won't take crap from Foul Play, and Mega-Absol resists it. Magic Bounce won't stop Substitute, but thunder wave, swagger, spikes, all suddenly on the wrong side.

 

[Pyritie]

What counters it: Espeon, Mega-Absol, full stop. Espeon won't take crap from Foul Play, and Mega-Absol resists it. Magic Bounce won't stop Substitute, but thunder wave, swagger, spikes, all suddenly on the wrong side.

0 Atk Klefki Foul Play vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Espeon: 106-126 (38.9 - 46.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Klefki Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Absol: 87-103 (32.1 - 38%) -- 94.6% chance to 3HKO

And both m-absol and espeon are doing less damage back with their own moves (unless m-absol is running fire blast)

 

[aVocado]

What NOT to use:

Thundurus @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Substitute
- Swagger
- Thunderbolt

Role: Support

What It Does: Priority thunder wave is what it does, and it's one of the major reasons that make Thundurus a great Pokemon to use. However, this set in particular is a pretty terrible set to have on Thundurus because it doesn't really take into account Thundurus's sweeping potential, instead it completely relies on luck and chance with Parafusion (T-wave and Swagger) with Thunderbolt as a strong STAB, which is another issue, because having a mono-electric attacking Thundurus means it's completely and utterly walled by Ground-types.

Good Teammates: Unaware Quagsire makes for the best teammate because it can serve as an emergency button in case something goes wrong and the opponent is left with a +2-+6 attack Pokemon. Unaware Quagsire doesn't mind the boosts and can take them on thanks to solid defensive stats and Recover. Unaware Clefairy also does the same thing, with softboiled. Other Prankster Parafusion abusers also make good teammates and are usually used with this specific Thundurus set, such as Sableye, Klefki, and Liepard.

What Counters It: Any Ground-type in existence. Hippowdon, Excadrill, and especially Life Orb Landorus. Because it doesn't really mind confusion although it can hurt it, and it can hammer down Thundurus with Sheer Force-boosted, Life Orb Psychic or Sludge Wave. Blissey and Chansey wall it to all eternity and can take him down with Seismic Toss.

Any Additional Info:

TRC. I hope you update this :p

 

[aVocado]

USE:

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

Role: Revenge Killer, Late-game cleaner

What It Does: Talonflame has successfully dethroned Scizor as the premier priority user of OU. Priority base 120 STAB move is just that ridiculously good. That, and -excellent- speed that allows it to outrun most Pokemon who aren't hit with Brave Bird and Flare Blitz them. Fire + Flying is a pretty good STAB combination in OU, only resisted by a few Pokemon in the tier, namely Tyranitar, who takes a load from U-turn, Heatran and Rotom-W. It's able to successfully revenge-kill every single sweeper and sometimes even OHKOing them, like Latios and Greninja. It's often considered the "emergency button" of most teams, if you're in trouble, literally just click Brave Bird. As stated before, Tyranitar takes a lot from U-turn (42% minimum, if it's 252 HP ttar), and it's a great move to gain momentum and that's why it should have a permanent slot in this set. The 4th move however, is filler. Roost can give you longevity, and there can be many opportunities to use it, like on a predicted switch. Tailwind is pretty cool to use as a departing gift, before Talonflame dies, as it can support your team a bit. Lastly, Will-o-Wisp is used to cripple Tyranitar switch-ins among other Pokemon, like Garchomp, Rhyperior, Hippowdon and Mandibuzz.

What Counters It: The beauty of Talonflame is that it can beat some of its most common counters easily by repeated Brave Birds. Rotom-W has limited switch-ins against it because Brave Bird is a clean 4HKO, even on physically defensive variants. Same goes to Heatran, who, unlike Rotom-W, can't really touch Talonflame in return except if it has AncientPower, which is a rare sight. Both of them lack reliable recovery and that's what I meant when I said Talonflame can beat some of its counters. Other than those, Hippowdon can take on anything and has Slack Off to shrug off the damage, and the same applies to Slowbro. Rhyperior also fears nothing Talonflame has, but it suffers the same problem as Rotom-W and Heatran; it has no reliable recovery and can easily be worn out. Stealth Rock take out a whopping 50% off Talonflame's health, so keeping it keeps the threatening eagle in check.

Any Additional Info: Talonflame can be brought in at any time in the game, be it early-game (as a lead), mid-game or late-game, and it'll always reliably do its job. Don't overestimate its power though, always make sure opponent's sweepers have just a little bit prior damage before going Brave Bird-happy. for that reason stealth rock really helps Talonflame, and of course, so does Rapid Spin. Those two reasons make Excadrill a solid teammate as it also resists two of Talonflame's weaknesses -Electric and Rock- and can provide Spinning and Rocks support.

 

[Usatoday]

USE:

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

Role: Revenge-killer, Late-game cleaner
What It Does: Talonflame has successfully dethroned Scizor as the premier priority user of OU. Priority base 120 STAB move is just that ridiculously good. That, and -excellent- speed that allows it to outrun most Pokemon who aren't hit with Brave Bird and Flare Blitz them. Fire + Flying is a pretty good STAB combination in OU, only resisted by a few Pokemon in the tier, namely Tyranitar, who takes a load from U-turn, Heatran and Rotom-W. It's able to successfully revenge-kill every single sweeper and sometimes even OHKOing them, like Latios and Greninja. It's often considered the "emergency button" of most teams, if you're in trouble, literally just click Brave Bird. As stated before, Tyranitar takes a lot from U-turn (42% minimum, if it's 252 HP ttar), and it's a great move to gain momentum and that's why it should have a permanent slot in this set. The 4th move however, is filler. Roost can give you longevity, and there can be many opportunities to use it, like on a predicted switch. Tailwind is pretty cool to use as a departing gift, before Talonflame dies, as it can support your team a bit. Lastly, Will-o-Wisp is used to cripple Tyranitar switch-ins among other Pokemon, like Garchomp, Rhyperior, Hippowdon and Mandibuzz.

What Counters It: The beauty of Talonflame is that it can beat some its counters easily by repeated Brave Birds. Rotom-W has limited switch-ins against it because a Brave Bird is a clean 4HKO, even on physically defensive variants. Same goes to Heatran, who, unlike Rotom-W, can't really touch Talonflame in return except if it has AncientPower, which is a rare sight. Both of them lack reliable recovery and that's what I meant when I said Talonflame can beat some of its counters. Other than those, Hippowdon can take on anything and has Slack Off to shrug off the damage, and the same applies to Slowbro.
Any Additional Info: Talonflame can be brought in at any time in the game, be it early-game (as a lead), mid-game or late-game, and it'll always reliably do its job. Don't overestimate its power though, always make sure opponent's sweepers have just a little bit prior damage before going Brave Bird-happy. for that reason stealth rock really helps Talonflame, and of course, so does Rapid Spin. Those two reasons make Excadrill a solid teammate as it also resists two of Talonflame's weaknesses -Electric and Rock- and can provide Spinning and Rocks support.

I would potentially slash sleep talk on this set in the last slot to help with lead breloom although rare its still quite annoying.

 

[Robqq]

Use:

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature or Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump/ Surf
- U-turn/ Hidden Power Fire/ Extrasensory
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse

Role: Late Game Cleaner or Special Sweeper

What it does: Greninja is an effective mid – late game cleaner because of its protean boosted stab attacks. While a 103 base spa stat isn’t jaw dropping; every attacking move is boosted 1.5x (thanks to protean), coupled with a 1.3x life orb boost and backed by a blistering 377 max speed, so a spot at the top of OU in terms of special attacking prowess is well deserved. To sum it up, Greninja punches holes in the other team and given the right support it can be a very effective late game cleaner.

Good Teammates: Powerful physical attackers like Conkeldurr, Mega Charizard X, Bisharp, and etc. They can eliminate top tier special defensive threats like Mega Venusaur, Clefable, Chansey and Blissey, effectively clearing the way for a Greninja sweep. Without a premier physical pokemon at its side Greninja would be walled by the aforementioned pokemon. Greninja also needs a spinner or a defogger, it hates to take damage from hazards and LO which could be dangerous. The damage taken could drop Greninja’s health so low it can be revenged by priority users. Latias or Latios would be great teammates because of their access to defog.

What Counters it: Chansey and Blissey are Greninja’s greatest counters, as they can outright wall it, cripple it with t-wave or seismic toss it into submission. Other notable checks/counters are Mega-Venusaur, although it’s hit hard by ice beam it OHKO’s Greninja with giga drain bringing its health back up. Azumarill is also a problem because it resist every move on this set and can OHKO with play rough or superpower.

Any Additional Info: Remember that Greninja is best used mid-late game after a few of it's checks/counters are KO'd. While it can function well early it's better suited for cleaning because of its paper thin (72/67/71) defenses and lack of priority. Greninja also benefits from entry hazard support in order to secure a late game sweep or crucial OHKO’s and 2HKO’s.

 

[aVocado]

Robqq don't use U-turn with Life Orb. Sacrificing 10% of your HP to hit a pathetically weak U-turn isn't really good, even if the price is keeping momentum. Use Extrasensory or something.

 

[Robqq]

You're right, I added Hidden Power Fire and Extrasensory over U-turn. Thanks n_n

 

[TooMuchSugar]

Use:

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power Fire/ Extrasensory/ U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse

Role: Late Game Cleaner or Special Sweeper

What it does: Greninja is an effective mid – late game cleaner because of its protean boosted stab attacks. While a 103 base spa stat isn’t jaw dropping; every attacking move is boosted 1.5x (thanks to protean), coupled with a 1.3x life orb boost and backed by a blistering 377 max speed, a spot at the top of OU in terms of special attacking prowess is well deserved. To sum it up, Greninja punches holes in the other team and given the right support it can be a very effective late game cleaner.

Good Teammates: Powerful physical attackers like Conkeldurr, Mega Charizard X, Bisharp, and etc. They can eliminate top tier special defensive threats like Mega Venusaur, Clefable, Chansey and Blissey, effectively clearing the way for a Greninja sweep. Without a premier physical pokemon at its side Greninja would be walled by the aforementioned pokemon. Greninja also needs a spinner or a defogger, it hates to take damage from hazards and LO which could be dangerous. The damage taken could drop Greninja’s health so low it can be revenged by priority users. Latias or Latios would be great teammates because of their access to defog.

What Counters it: Chansey and Blissey are Greninja’s greatest counters, as they can outright wall it, cripple it with t-wave or seismic toss it into submission. Other notable checks/counters are Mega-Venusaur, although it’s hit hard by ice beam it OHKO’s Greninja with giga drain bringing its health back up. Azumarill is also a problem because it resist every move on this set and can OHKO with play rough or superpower.

Any Additional Info: Greninja benefits from entry hazard support in order to secure a late game sweep or crucial OHKO’s and 2HKO’s.

You could slash Expert Belt, as Greninja should mostly be hitting stuff for super effective damage. This also makes it easier for him to use U-Turn without being worn down.

I know there's considerable debate about which is best for Greninja out of Hydro Pump, Surf, and Scald, so the other two are probably worth a mention at least.