Opening levity - Do you think Godzilla would kill as many people if his name was easier for Japanese folks to pronounce? "Tell the Prime Minister Godzilla is coming" "God-Zeera? Who's that?"
Introduction
This would be my first RMT in I'd guess 4-5 years? I'm more or less an on again off again player. I consider myself to be a better battler than I am a teambuilder so I've been throwing some stuff together recently to try and improve on that front. I consider this team to be bulky offense, but it could be considered more offensive oriented balance. It would be helpful if you point out anything I may have missed in building this team, or anywhere it could improve. I have laddered with this team to learn its strengths and weaknesses and make some improvements, but I still have not peaked yet. The team on the account I've used only it on is 36-8 1638 currently, not the best record but I can say with some certainty that 5 of those losses are wins bar late game freezes and/or crits (which are part of the game). The other 3 I'm going to pull the ThunderBlunder and say were because the opponent was bad. It's still climbing fairly consistently, haven't had more than 1 loss in a 3-4 game span since the early 1400s. The reason I haven't finished laddering with it is because when I ladder for more than a half hour-hour at a time I get Pokemon-Rage, haha.
Teambuilding
I was watching a movie and a thought occurred, "Mega Pinsir is busted" and decided I wanted to build around it.
I decided that Pinsir would have a good opportunity to shine with Magnezone trapping some of its main answers and Tar pursuing a few of the faster special attackers and putting real pressure on Zapdos.
I knew at this point I needed a good reliable defogger and went to Ole Reliable Zapdos which has been one of my favorite mons in this gen.
At this point I questioned what I had for Koko, Zygarde and Greninja and realized it wasn't much (By the way my vote is to ban Battle Bond, that mon stays busted) which is where AV Growth comes in.
I do love Zapdos, but I had to wonder which major mons it answers that Magnezone doesn't. So I opted for Skarmory to help me deal with Physical sweepers.
My final concerns were dealing with Heatran and chipping teams down for Pinsir, Zygarde fit the bill.
Pokemon and Sets
There's nothing too special about this set, it's standard Pinsir. I went with Close Combat over Earthquake just because it helps me deal with stall better by hitting Skarmory and Chansey harder, it also helps with Celesteela, Mega Gyarados, Kyu-B, etc. If I'm not mistaken on my math 82.6% of Pokemon in the OU tier in their most common set are either OHKOd by this Pinsir set, 2hkod by another move into quick attack, or are slower and 2hkod by it. Pinsir is a very difficult Pokemon to switch into, especially late game. I named this killer beetle after a beatle killer.
Magnezone is primarily here to trap Skarmory and Celesteela, two mons that Pinsir can't break through. It does also help to trap Ferrothorn, Scizor, etc. but those aren't its prime objective. I gave it one more speed than 0 Speed Mega Scizor, then gave it another 4 EVs to out-speed other Mags doing the same. I considered giving it more but ultimately decided its bulk was important. One of the main reasons I went with Assault Vest is it allows me to trap other magnezones for Skarmory. It also helps deal with things like Protean Gren, Tapu Lele/other psychics better. I went with discharge over thunderbolt because on a bulkier variant I find the utility of the para chance helps more than the 10 extra damage.
Tyranitar's primary function is as a pursuit trapper to get rid of or weaken certain fast mons such as Latios, Blacephelon, etc. that get in the way of Pinsir cleaning. Band Tyranitar of course helps against stall (which I refuse to have any weakness to) with almost no Pokemon being able to take both crunch and stone edge well. I went with Superpower just to have a good option to hit the mons that would come in to take a crunch or edge. Stone miss is the least accurate move on this team, but you must risk it for the biscuit. I went with only 4 speed and a lot of bulk simply to give it the opportunity to pursue as many mons as possible throughout the battle, the 4 speed is of course for other slow tars if it comes down to it. Named after the performers of "Enter Sandman"
Tangrowth is here because without Tangrowth, Tapu Fini, or Chansey battle bond Greninja is coming for that booty. I went with the AV Variant to help with that, Koko, essentially fast offensive Pokemon of all sorts. I usually prefer HP Fire but Magnezone gave me the liberty to run HP Ice. Earthquake is there of course for Heatran. One thing unusual about this set is leaf storm over giga drain, giga is of course more common but leaf storm helps me put faster mons such as Lopunny, Kingdra, etc. in range of the two priority moves this team has. It also helps with Mega Gyarados which can be a real problem. The SpA drop isn't overly negative as two of its moves are physical and the Pokemon that HP Ice is meant for can't really take a leaf storm into HP ice well regardless. One other thing that may stand out is the 9 speed IVs this mon has, those are to out-slow Crawdaunt and Magearna in trick room which makes dealing with TR easier. It's named Gaye after the singer of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and also because it's a little fruity.
Of course a team with Pinsir needs reliable hazard control, and that's where Skarmory comes in. 4 speed to avoid whirlwind ties. It's no attack because this mon is my primary answer to physical set-up sweepers and whirlwind is a must, and SR is essentially a must-have for teams today. I had spikes over SR on low ladder because they'll let you sit there and get them all up until around the 1400s where I went to SR. I'm lefties because this mon needs every bit of recovery it can get when it faces teams with multiple set-up sweepers, I considered shed shell but have been pretty good at catching mags with my mag before Skarmory gets trapped (yet to happen). It's named after the Godzilla monster it reminds me of.
Adamant Banded Zygarde was added to pack a strong priority, take chunks out of balance, and break stall. All of OU's best thousand arrows switch ins hate taking toxic. It also helps me put pressure on defensive Zapdos which can be annoying. I went with 252 speed because I needed to creep heatran regardless and the rest was worth it to outspeed Buzzwole, 284s, and tie other adamant Zys. I went with toxic over iron tail for the Tangrowths and Slowbros of the world.
Descriptions aren't overly long but I can further explain if you have any questions.
Threats
As this team is offensive there are quite a few threats, some of the bigger ones are below
Charizard X - This is the biggest issue. Need to attack it when it comes to make DDing get it in range of priority.
KyuB - Another big threat, fortunately one that's slower than Pinsir and OHKOd by it after rocks. Tar can soft check.
Tapu Lele / Fast Psychics - Magnezone helps and Ttar can sort of trap, I always try to knock off Lele to make sure it's slower than Pinsir which OHKOs.
Azumarill - It can't really set up freely on anything except maybe a locked in Ttar, but if you get cute and let it drum it's an issue.
Keldeo - Always a threat, reliant on Tangrowth and quick attack beating it.
Protean Greninja - Often Ttar can pursuit trap it, Magnezone usually can check it, priority.
Charizard Y - If Focus Miss lands it's a pain. Zygarde, Ttar check. Pinsir hits hard. Rocks are huge vs it.
Mega Diance - Very annoying, Tangrowth is the best answer.
Gyarados/Mega Gyarados - Skarm is good vs the Z Bounce set, Tangrowth is usually the answer to taunt Mega.
Hoopa U - This mon still has no switch ins.
Infernape - If you find one in OU it can be an issue, if it locks into a fire move Tar can pursue, a fighting move and Pinsir comes in.
Adamant Life Orb Mamoswine - Always a monster.
Mega Medicham - Mega Medicham does what it does vs offense, usually trades KO for KO. Not much takes its hits but it can't really hard switch in on anything.
Terrakion - Rare to see but a real threat if banded. Zygarde and Growth check it.
Tornadus-T - A concern if it has fighting and fire coverage, Zygarde, Tar, Mag check.
BandTar - This mon stays having no switch ins each gen.
Volcanion - Rare, no counters but fairly easily checked.
Charizard X - This is the biggest issue. Need to attack it when it comes to make DDing get it in range of priority.
KyuB - Another big threat, fortunately one that's slower than Pinsir and OHKOd by it after rocks. Tar can soft check.
Tapu Lele / Fast Psychics - Magnezone helps and Ttar can sort of trap, I always try to knock off Lele to make sure it's slower than Pinsir which OHKOs.
Azumarill - It can't really set up freely on anything except maybe a locked in Ttar, but if you get cute and let it drum it's an issue.
Keldeo - Always a threat, reliant on Tangrowth and quick attack beating it.
Protean Greninja - Often Ttar can pursuit trap it, Magnezone usually can check it, priority.
Charizard Y - If Focus Miss lands it's a pain. Zygarde, Ttar check. Pinsir hits hard. Rocks are huge vs it.
Mega Diance - Very annoying, Tangrowth is the best answer.
Gyarados/Mega Gyarados - Skarm is good vs the Z Bounce set, Tangrowth is usually the answer to taunt Mega.
Hoopa U - This mon still has no switch ins.
Infernape - If you find one in OU it can be an issue, if it locks into a fire move Tar can pursue, a fighting move and Pinsir comes in.
Adamant Life Orb Mamoswine - Always a monster.
Mega Medicham - Mega Medicham does what it does vs offense, usually trades KO for KO. Not much takes its hits but it can't really hard switch in on anything.
Terrakion - Rare to see but a real threat if banded. Zygarde and Growth check it.
Tornadus-T - A concern if it has fighting and fire coverage, Zygarde, Tar, Mag check.
BandTar - This mon stays having no switch ins each gen.
Volcanion - Rare, no counters but fairly easily checked.
Battle example
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-693338974
This isn't necessarily the best example of how the team functions, but it's somewhat fun to watch and shows the defensive capability the team does have.
Team Export
Ghidorah (Skarmory) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Defog
Metallica (Tyranitar) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
You Complete Me (Zygarde) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic
Gaye (Tangrowth) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 9 Spe
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Leaf Storm
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Mag-nage a trois (Magnezone) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 128 HP / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
MD Chapman (Pinsir-Mega) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Close Combat
- Quick Attack
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Defog
Metallica (Tyranitar) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
You Complete Me (Zygarde) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic
Gaye (Tangrowth) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 9 Spe
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Leaf Storm
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Mag-nage a trois (Magnezone) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 128 HP / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
MD Chapman (Pinsir-Mega) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Close Combat
- Quick Attack
