ORAS OU Reuniclus + Char-X Balance (Peak 1670)

[Indigo Plateau]

I've broken 1700, but didn't get a picture so my current rating will do. For some reason the picture won't attach, I'll hopefully find a way soon.
I've been lurking around the forums for a while, but never posted an RMT. I like making teams, especially offense/balance, and this time I wanted to make one revolving around the underrated threat, Reuniclus. I did test ladder this team a bit, and I enjoyed how it played, but I feel like there might still be some necessary changes. Without further ado, here it is:
Overview of Team:

--

Reuniclus
Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Recover

Standard smogon set, I wanted to use Reuniclus for its amazing ability to beat stall. Heatran and Ferro, both extremely common, lose to it 1v1 due to magic guard (bar taunt), and it also deals with Chansey. This bulky set lets it take hits and set up on things such as sand rush Drill (without life orb), Mega Diancie, and so on. It survives moonblast on the switch and the one after, which lets it recover and then proceed to set up. It struggles immensely with Mega Sableye and SpDef Skarm to an extent, however, which are extremely common, hence my second pick.

Mega Charizard-X
Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 92 HP / 212 Atk / 164 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Flare Blitz
- Roost
Not only does Char-X deal well with Sableye (prevents WoW, can set up if knock off set), but it's an incredible sweeper, especially with the current meta. The EV's provide Charizard with some bulk, as well as allowing it to outspeed Scarf Lando-T at +1. Since I'm lacking EQ, and things such as Hippo, Lando-T, and Heatran still bother my team, I decided to choose Keldeo as my third.

Keldeo
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- HP Electric
You can't really go wrong with Specs Keldeo. It hits like a nuke, and it helps muscle past the previously mentioned mons that pose a problem for Char-X. The goal of my offensive core is to weaken each other's checks in order to clean up late game. Keldeo also appreciates bulky Char-X being able to eliminate its checks such as Celebi, Mega Venusaur (to an extent), and so on. I'm heavily debating switching Keldeo for Manaphy, as Manaphy also hits hard at +3 as well as being able to threaten Quagsire with energy ball, which is a problem for both of my first mons, as well as tank hits better from Torn-T and Latios at -2, both of which threaten my team if it's weakened. HP Electric helps deal with Azu, as it is a major threat to my team. If it doesn't provide good results, I can always change it back to Icy Wind to catch the Latis/Torn-T on the switch-in, and the speed drop is always beneficial.

Ferrothorn
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
I needed a reliable hazard setter which can beat ground types, such as Lando-T, Drill, Hippo, and Quagsire, that threaten my Char-X. I also like Ferrothorn because it's just a great tank in general and can sponge hits from a lot of faster mons than mine, including the Lati twins, Weavile (at least one and ohko with gyro ball), and it can also deal with Mega Altaria, which is troublesome for Char-X and Keldeo. The EV spread is the standard one.

Latios
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
- Defog
This is where I hit a bump. I needed a defogger, or a way to get rid of hazards, but I didn't want a defensive mon for it. I don't like Starmie, as I feel its only role is to rapid spin, and the other only choice I like is drill. I didn't think that drill + hippo/tar would fit my team well though. Latios helps me beat opposing Keldeo, Mega Venusaur, Conk, and Chomp. Nothing appreciates a Draco, and I don't feel like HP Fire is a necessity for Ferro/Scizor, so I decided to instead run Roost over Earthquake for the longetivity it provides, and EQ is only limited to Heatran with Draco doing like 70% to Bisharp (resist? where?).

Clefable
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD (252 HP / 116 Def / 140 SpD, Relaxed)
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
At this point I noticed that I was kinda weak to Thundurus (then again, who isn't) and needed to control fast electric types. I like that Clef has good synergy with Ferrothorn, covering each others checks/counters pretty well. It also gives me more help against Lati and is here for Mega Sableye in case Char-X goes down. CM + Magic Guard can beat a lot of walls that trouble my team, and after testing and recommendations, I chose T-Wave > Flamethrower because I can already set up on things like Ferrothorn, and it helps open up opportunities for my other mons to outspeed. The EV spread is also standard, letting it survive Lati's psyshock, Loppuny'a return, as well as Raikou and so on. *However, I am currently working on tweaking them, so until they are definitive, I'll leave the standard spread and current one next to it in parenthesis; the current spread allows me to almost always survive the 2ohko from Ferro's Gyro Ball, as well as Thundy's TBolt, Kyurem-B's Ice Beam, and Lopunny's Fake Out + Return).

Threat list:
Thundurus
Azumarill
Charizard-Y
Quagsire
Obviously more, but most are in the descriptions above.

Battles (got them today lol):
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-257176436
Basically, Reuniclus.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-257302562
Misplayed my Char-X, but I knew Keldeo could sweep later if I weakened his mons
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-257318516
Perfect example of how the team is supposed to flow, besides almost losing to Mega Slowbro, lol
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-257352639
Of course my Clef gets haxed Turn 60+.. would've won too, sigh


I feel like I'm comfortable with the team, but I kinda threw on Latios and Clef because they seemed to fit. I'm more than open to suggestions, as unlike other standard teams, this one doesn't revolve around Scizor/Azu/Thundy/Chomp, lol.

 

[Tricking]

Hi DownAbove,

this is a cool balanced, but it has a few flaws: Reuniclus is a Pokemon which needs a lot of support in order to perform well. The first kind of support is para support, so it's almost mandatory replacing Flamethrower with Thunder Wave on Clefable, plus you don't need Flamethrower to hit Ferrothorn and +2 Scizor KOes you as well, so you have to switch out regardless. Furthermore with my Clefable spread, you should be able to use Ferrothorn as a setup fodder if you don't paralyze it; plus you need speed control against Manaphy and fast threats, so this is an obvious choice.


Then, I know that latwins can be threatening, but Azumarill is a major threat to your team, so you should replace Icy Wind with Hidden Power Electric on Keldeo, as this allows you not to be 6-0ed by Belly Drum Azumarill and not to risk a OHKO every time CB Azumarill is switched in. You can also hit Starmie super effectively with this move.

Finally, I don't get why you bother to avoid 2HKO by Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump considering that you can easily PPstall it with Roost and Rotom is also Reuniclus and Clefable setup fodder, so you should change Charizard's EV spread in order to outspeed Scarf Landorus-T which seems to be more threatening to your team and more relevant nowadays than Rotom-Wash.

Charizard and Clefable

Charizard (M) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 112 HP / 212 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Dragon Claw
- Flare Blitz

Clefable (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled

Hope I helped, good luck with your team :)

 

[Alkov]

Hey there DownAbove, really solid looking team you have there :] I've got a few suggestions to help improve this team

1. As mentioned by Tricking, I'll definitely recommend running Thunder Wave on Clefable, not only does it help assist Reuniclus by providing more opportunities to set up, it also provides a form of speed control against opposing teams. Especially since your team have a bulky Charizard-X to deal with opposing Steel types, Flamethrower isn't really that necessary while Thunder Wave can benefit your team as a whole in the long run.
   
   
2. Instead of running Earthquake on Latios just to hit Heatran, you may want to consider Roost so as to provide your team with a consistent Defog user while also providing your team with a Keldeo switch-in since you're using Clefable right now which can actually be 2HKO'ed by a Choice Specs Keldeo. Dropping Earthquake on Latios doesn't have any drawback for your team that much if you have a Keldeo, Charizard-X and Clefable with Thunder Wave.
   
   calcs

   252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Clefable: 244-288 (61.9 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
   
   
   
3. Do be careful of things like Nasty Plot Thundurus, Life Orb Tornadus-T and any form of Volt-Turn spammers since your team lack means of stopping it and it can just easily wither your team.

Hope it helps :]

 

[Indigo Plateau]

Hi DownAbove,

this is a cool balanced, but it has a few flaws: Reuniclus is a Pokemon which needs a lot of support in order to perform well. The first kind of support is para support, so it's almost mandatory replacing Flamethrower with Thunder Wave on Clefable, plus you don't need Flamethrower to hit Ferrothorn and +2 Scizor KOes you as well, so you have to switch out regardless. Furthermore with my Clefable spread, you should be able to use Ferrothorn as a setup fodder if you don't paralyze it; plus you need speed control against Manaphy and fast threats, so this is an obvious choice.


Then, I know that latwins can be threatening, but Azumarill is a major threat to your team, so you should replace Icy Wind with Hidden Power Electric on Keldeo, as this allows you not to be 6-0ed by Belly Drum Azumarill and not to risk a OHKO every time CB Azumarill is switched in. You can also hit Starmie super effectively with this move.

Finally, I don't get why you bother to avoid 2HKO by Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump considering that you can easily PPstall it with Roost and Rotom is also Reuniclus and Clefable setup fodder, so you should change Charizard's EV spread in order to outspeed Scarf Landorus-T which seems to be more threatening to your team and more relevant nowadays than Rotom-Wash.

Charizard and Clefable

Charizard (M) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 112 HP / 212 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Dragon Claw
- Flare Blitz

Clefable (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled

Hope I helped, good luck with your team :)

Hey Tricking, thanks for the suggestions! :)
Like I said in my post, I was debating whether to use T-Wave or Flamethrower, as Flamethrower had come in handy. For your mentioned reasons though, and after playing a while with the team, I took your advice and changed this. I also tried your EV spread and I did like that Ferro never 2ohko'd with Gyro Ball, but I seemed to have trouble taking on Thundy's and Kyurem B's attacks, both of which plow through my team.. so I'm trying 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 SpDef with a Relaxed nature to avoid the 2ohko from Gyro Ball, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt almost all of the time. Thoughts? Charizard has also been changed, since I realized I could take Rotom-W with other mons. EDIT: I missed the Keldeo comment, I'll change it and play around with HP Electric.

Hey there DownAbove, really solid looking team you have there :] I've got a few suggestions to help improve this team

1. As mentioned by Tricking, I'll definitely recommend running Thunder Wave on Clefable, not only does it help assist Reuniclus by providing more opportunities to set up, it also provides a form of speed control against opposing teams. Especially since your team have a bulky Charizard-X to deal with opposing Steel types, Flamethrower isn't really that necessary while Thunder Wave can benefit your team as a whole in the long run.
   
   
2. Instead of running Earthquake on Latios just to hit Heatran, you may want to consider Roost so as to provide your team with a consistent Defog user while also providing your team with a Keldeo switch-in since you're using Clefable right now which can actually be 2HKO'ed by a Choice Specs Keldeo. Dropping Earthquake on Latios doesn't have any drawback for your team that much if you have a Keldeo, Charizard-X and Clefable with Thunder Wave.
   
   calcs

   252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Clefable: 244-288 (61.9 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
   
   
   
3. Do be careful of things like Nasty Plot Thundurus, Life Orb Tornadus-T and any form of Volt-Turn spammers since your team lack means of stopping it and it can just easily wither your team.

Hope it helps :]

Hey Alkov, thanks for your suggestions! :)
I did indeed put T-Wave on Clef, so thanks for that. I also did test running Roost on Latios. I do like the improved longevity it provides, and although Heatran is still a problem, I have realized that EQ is very restrictive (35% to Tar is garbage), so I'll stick to Roost for now. Never really liked EQ on Latios, and I guess this just solidified the point. Moreover, those threats you mentioned are troublesome, especially the momentum gained from Volt-Turn. I couldn't really fit in a ground type to counter it though, as I didn't like the synergy with my team. And I feel like with the current meta, Thundurus is always a threat, haha, but yes I definitely have to play cautiously around it. Again, thanks!

 

[Indigo Plateau]

Bump

 

[Zeko]

It is Good team but should put a ground type :)

 

[bludz]

Hi there, interesting team.

First of all to address your issue with Clefable tanking Gyro Balls, you don't need to change up your spread so drastically. All you need is to give your Clefable 22 Speed IVs with a Sassy Nature. This will always avoid a 2HKO from Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball with leftovers recovery. You lose some speed but Thunder Wave kind of mitigates that anyway.

After analyzing your team a bit, I find you to be extremely weak to opposing Serperiors and also Mega Charizard X. Serp Leaf Storms against Keldeo and then basically sweeps. Clefable has a 30% chance to be OHKO'd against a +2 LO Serperior so you can't even reliably Thunder Wave it. Charizard does a similar thing, setting up a Dragon Dance on Ferrothorn and proceeds to essentially sweep. You are also lacking a true Talonflame check, which is looking like a massive threat.

I understand that you built the team with Reuniclus in mind, but I think it is the most expendable member at this point. Clefable does a very similar thing with a better typing already. I would recommend replacing it with Calm Mind Slowbro to have a similar effect and still check Zard X and Talonflame, but this doesn't help you with Serperior whatsoever.

My suggestion is to replace Reuniclus with Specially Defensive Heatran. This helps with Serperior, Charizard X without EQ (which either lacks Dragon Claw or Roost), and Talonflame. You can also put Stealth Rock on Heatran: this frees you to use Spikes on Ferrothorn (which I personally see as a better Spike setter than Stealth Rocker due to the number of free turns it gets over the course of a game). Since Reuniclus was your check to other Calm Mind sweepers such as opposing Clefable, Suicune and so on, it is probably best to run Roar on Heatran (to phase out Zard X also), with Stone Edge for Talonflame. Roar also lets you take advantage of the hazard stacking aspect.

sets

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 22 Spe
- Thunder Wave
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Spikes
- Leech Seed

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Stone Edge

I understand if you didn't want someone to suggest replacing Reuniclus, but it was the best solution I saw. Either way I think the IV tweaks on Clefable should be helpful to you, and you've gotten a lot of good advice already.

 

[Indigo Plateau]

Hi there, interesting team.

First of all to address your issue with Clefable tanking Gyro Balls, you don't need to change up your spread so drastically. All you need is to give your Clefable 22 Speed IVs with a Sassy Nature. This will always avoid a 2HKO from Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball with leftovers recovery. You lose some speed but Thunder Wave kind of mitigates that anyway.

After analyzing your team a bit, I find you to be extremely weak to opposing Serperiors and also Mega Charizard X. Serp Leaf Storms against Keldeo and then basically sweeps. Clefable has a 30% chance to be OHKO'd against a +2 LO Serperior so you can't even reliably Thunder Wave it. Charizard does a similar thing, setting up a Dragon Dance on Ferrothorn and proceeds to essentially sweep. You are also lacking a true Talonflame check, which is looking like a massive threat.

I understand that you built the team with Reuniclus in mind, but I think it is the most expendable member at this point. Clefable does a very similar thing with a better typing already. I would recommend replacing it with Calm Mind Slowbro to have a similar effect and still check Zard X and Talonflame, but this doesn't help you with Serperior whatsoever.

My suggestion is to replace Reuniclus with Specially Defensive Heatran. This helps with Serperior, Charizard X without EQ (which either lacks Dragon Claw or Roost), and Talonflame. You can also put Stealth Rock on Heatran: this frees you to use Spikes on Ferrothorn (which I personally see as a better Spike setter than Stealth Rocker due to the number of free turns it gets over the course of a game). Since Reuniclus was your check to other Calm Mind sweepers such as opposing Clefable, Suicune and so on, it is probably best to run Roar on Heatran (to phase out Zard X also), with Stone Edge for Talonflame. Roar also lets you take advantage of the hazard stacking aspect.

sets

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 22 Spe
- Thunder Wave
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Spikes
- Leech Seed

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Stone Edge

I understand if you didn't want someone to suggest replacing Reuniclus, but it was the best solution I saw. Either way I think the IV tweaks on Clefable should be helpful to you, and you've gotten a lot of good advice already.

Hey bludz, thanks for the suggestions. I changed the Clefable IV spread to fix the problem with Ferro. Also, I haven't found Talonflame to be much a struggle for some reason and haven't encountered Serperiors, luckily. I'll leave Reuniclus in there but whenever it gets out of hand I'll put Heatran in :)