So, here I am, building my very first OU team post PokeBank. I have been a VGC player (whereas not a really good one) for a while, but due to some friends insisting upon me building up an OU team to battle against them, and it seems I did it quite ok, since I'm doing better than ever with the team in OU ladder (1300 for me is awesome, as I never ever got over 1200 before)
So, onto the team:
Taranis (Manectric) (M) @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SAtk / 204 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Well, the first thing I knew was that I wanted to have Manectric as my mega. With that said, I just got the one I've been using for a while for VGC, and just changed Protect for Thunderbolt. Sometimes I just can't get that KO with Volt Switch, despite it being really necessary to gain momentum and to escape from Perish Trappers all around. Flamethrower is there to avoid being stalled out by Grass types. The original move there was Overheat, but despite it being really strong, two F-throwers cause more damage, and I still can use Taranis without worrying that he would be weaker. HP Ice is obligatory there, since I want to hit dragons. The EV spread is enough for me to outspeed Garchomp after Mega Evolving, and also to get a little bulkier. After the Intimidate, he can survive many E-quakes he wouldn't with 4 HP.
Cernnunos (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 46 Def / 212 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
Second thing I knew I wanted to put in the team was Landorus-T. I had used one in my OU Sand Gravity team last year with success. The EV Spread it for maximum attack power and also to outspeed Mega Manectric, his fastest non-scarfed threat. As I can OHKO Manectric, unless they run some crazy set with more than 148 HP (and even then, I have a pretty good chance to do it), I decided to move everything else to DEF, as I can safely survive a Life Orb Icicle Crash from Mamoswine and U-Turn after it, or just go for plain E-quake, in case it has less than 56% of life. Superpower is to hit through normal Pokémon, specially Chansey and Blissey, and Knock off is to do wonderful things to Eviolite users everywhere, as well as Lum Berries and other annoying things, such as Leftovers and stuff. Rock Slide is for Rock power, as I don`t like to run anything with less accuracy than it. Another reason for Landorus-T is that it has great synergy with Manectric, and I can play with U-Turn if I want, hitting Dark and Psychic Pokémon pretty strongly. And with this speed, I can even U-Turn kill Greninja If I get a nice roll.
Athena (Aegislash) (F) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
Landorus-T attracts Ice-type attacks. So I need a steel Pokémon to counter it. Aegislash can switch in safely in front of most Landorus-T threats. Despite having a different name, Athena was the first Pokémon I fully trained in my Pokémon Y, because it's awesome. I know that the set with King's Shield is a little easy to predict against, but my idea is to first show the King's Shield is there, and then to play with that idea, Swords Dancing or attacking when they think I'll try to protect. Another surprise is Weakness Policy. I saw someone using it in a VGC battle and loved the idea. Aegis is one of the few Pokémon that can take a hit and still survive with enough energy to keep fighting. And if I can predict things correctly, I can Shield into a Fire Punch or Fire Fang, reduce the foe's Pokémon attack and survive even better. And as most Knock Off users will try to target Aegis to to the generally used Leftovers, I can get a nice +4 attack boost. I chose Iron Head instead of Sacred Sword because I've missed a Steel attack many more times than a Fighting attack, and I honestly don't know how to use her without it. +4 Iron Head followed by priority Shadow Sneak can KO almost anything. And if I can predict a switch and set off another Swords, there aren't many things that can deal with +6 Aegis attacking around.
Blodeuwedd (Sylveon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 92 SAtk / 166 Def
Calm Nature
- Protect
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Heal Bell
The first Pokémon I tried at this spot was Umbreon. With almost the same spread and moves, but with Foul Play instead of Hyper Voice. But then I found out the high number of Outrages in OU and the fact that OU Sylveon can have a REALLY STRONG Hyper Voice, and that was enough for me to set the deal (summing up the fact that I once promised to use Sylveon in my first competitive team, since it's a new evolution of my favorite Pokémon. Besides that, she's the generic Cleric, with Wish + Heal Bell to solve the team's problems. I generally can profit using Wish with full life and having a weak Pokémon on the back, because people generally think I'm going to switch out and adjust accordingly. If that's the case, I generally attack, because they'll generally try to set up. The spread is to have maximum Wish capability, a real good defense and also to be able to 2HKO Gliscor, even after 2 turns of healing, among other things that a 4 SAtk spread cannot obtain.
Hermes (Latios) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Shadow Ball
This was a friend's suggestion, and it seems to work pretty well. Specs Latios can hit really hard, and even things that resist his attacks but are not that bulky (such as Cloyster against Surf) suffer. I originally ran Energy Ball to hit water and ground types really strong, but I changed to Surf due to having two Steel Pokémon, so I need extra coverage against fire type. Moreover, without Surf, Latios is completely stalled out by Heatran. The last spot is still open. I run Shadow Ball to get Gardevoirs, Gengars, and other Psychic and Ghost Pokémon that could give me troubles. I've also tried HP Fire, mainly to hit Scizor, Mega Pinsir and Heracross, among other pesky bugs, but I'm not sure about what move I'm going to miss more. Draco Meteor is to hit other dragons and I prefer Psyshock to deal with Venusaur, Amoonguss and Pokémon such as Blissey, that are able to sponge all other moves. Small Edit here: I'm thinking about putting Energy Ball back, to deal with Rotom-W, but I'm not sure if I should take Shadow Ball out.
Poseidon (Empoleon) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 SDef
Bold Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
- Toxic
- Defog
Ok, this is really unusual, right? I mean, who runs Empoleon nowadays? Well, I do for some reasons. FIrst of all, I'd rather have another Pokémon weak to ground types, since I have two that are immune to them than to have another weak to Ice type. I tried to Pokémon here before, Zapdos and Mandibuzz, but the weakness to Ice really bottered me, since the only Pokémon I can safely switch in front of any Ice attack is Aegislash, and in a team with Latios and Landorus-T, I need one more Ice resist. Besides that, both Zapdos and Mandibuzz are not that effective as Defoggers, since they're weak to Stealth Rocks. Moreover, I like to have a water-type Pokémon in the team, and all these things made me choose Empoleon. He is immune to Toxic (which also makes it great against Bouncers and Synchronizers) and Toxic Spikes, suffers just a little damage from SR, can Defog safely because he has lots of nice resists and can hit hard with Hydro Pump even without investment. Besides that, Torrent makes the attack stronger, so if he gets hit and barely survives, even Pokémon that resist will get a nice chunk of damage. Leftovers + Protect + Toxic is kind of a well known combination for bulky water-type Pokémon, with the difference that I can't be in the middle of it. 4 x resist agains Ice is pretty nice as well, as it synergize really well with my other Pokémon. His weakness to E-quake is not that much of a problem, since I can use Protect to lock a potentially choiced foe and then safely switch out and put some of my immune Pokémon for free, now free of SR and other pesky hazards, as well as free to attack without screens. The spread is to maximize his effectiveness as a sort of a tank, since his SAtk doesn't need that much of an investment, due to his role in the team.
That's my team. Bear in mind that I haven't played OU seriously for a long while, and decided to choose some Pokémon that I'm familiar with, as well as some Pokémon to fill specific roles. I did 29 battles with the team, with a record of 20-9, so I know it's not bad. I don't watch Band-Aid solutions, as in "take this Pokémon out, put that", I'd like some constructive criticism, as I have an OU tourney to fight this Saturday, and any help to do better than I ever did is welcome.
Thanks a lot for your attention.
So, onto the team:
Taranis (Manectric) (M) @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SAtk / 204 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Well, the first thing I knew was that I wanted to have Manectric as my mega. With that said, I just got the one I've been using for a while for VGC, and just changed Protect for Thunderbolt. Sometimes I just can't get that KO with Volt Switch, despite it being really necessary to gain momentum and to escape from Perish Trappers all around. Flamethrower is there to avoid being stalled out by Grass types. The original move there was Overheat, but despite it being really strong, two F-throwers cause more damage, and I still can use Taranis without worrying that he would be weaker. HP Ice is obligatory there, since I want to hit dragons. The EV spread is enough for me to outspeed Garchomp after Mega Evolving, and also to get a little bulkier. After the Intimidate, he can survive many E-quakes he wouldn't with 4 HP.
Cernnunos (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 46 Def / 212 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
Second thing I knew I wanted to put in the team was Landorus-T. I had used one in my OU Sand Gravity team last year with success. The EV Spread it for maximum attack power and also to outspeed Mega Manectric, his fastest non-scarfed threat. As I can OHKO Manectric, unless they run some crazy set with more than 148 HP (and even then, I have a pretty good chance to do it), I decided to move everything else to DEF, as I can safely survive a Life Orb Icicle Crash from Mamoswine and U-Turn after it, or just go for plain E-quake, in case it has less than 56% of life. Superpower is to hit through normal Pokémon, specially Chansey and Blissey, and Knock off is to do wonderful things to Eviolite users everywhere, as well as Lum Berries and other annoying things, such as Leftovers and stuff. Rock Slide is for Rock power, as I don`t like to run anything with less accuracy than it. Another reason for Landorus-T is that it has great synergy with Manectric, and I can play with U-Turn if I want, hitting Dark and Psychic Pokémon pretty strongly. And with this speed, I can even U-Turn kill Greninja If I get a nice roll.
Athena (Aegislash) (F) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
Landorus-T attracts Ice-type attacks. So I need a steel Pokémon to counter it. Aegislash can switch in safely in front of most Landorus-T threats. Despite having a different name, Athena was the first Pokémon I fully trained in my Pokémon Y, because it's awesome. I know that the set with King's Shield is a little easy to predict against, but my idea is to first show the King's Shield is there, and then to play with that idea, Swords Dancing or attacking when they think I'll try to protect. Another surprise is Weakness Policy. I saw someone using it in a VGC battle and loved the idea. Aegis is one of the few Pokémon that can take a hit and still survive with enough energy to keep fighting. And if I can predict things correctly, I can Shield into a Fire Punch or Fire Fang, reduce the foe's Pokémon attack and survive even better. And as most Knock Off users will try to target Aegis to to the generally used Leftovers, I can get a nice +4 attack boost. I chose Iron Head instead of Sacred Sword because I've missed a Steel attack many more times than a Fighting attack, and I honestly don't know how to use her without it. +4 Iron Head followed by priority Shadow Sneak can KO almost anything. And if I can predict a switch and set off another Swords, there aren't many things that can deal with +6 Aegis attacking around.
Blodeuwedd (Sylveon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 92 SAtk / 166 Def
Calm Nature
- Protect
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Heal Bell
The first Pokémon I tried at this spot was Umbreon. With almost the same spread and moves, but with Foul Play instead of Hyper Voice. But then I found out the high number of Outrages in OU and the fact that OU Sylveon can have a REALLY STRONG Hyper Voice, and that was enough for me to set the deal (summing up the fact that I once promised to use Sylveon in my first competitive team, since it's a new evolution of my favorite Pokémon. Besides that, she's the generic Cleric, with Wish + Heal Bell to solve the team's problems. I generally can profit using Wish with full life and having a weak Pokémon on the back, because people generally think I'm going to switch out and adjust accordingly. If that's the case, I generally attack, because they'll generally try to set up. The spread is to have maximum Wish capability, a real good defense and also to be able to 2HKO Gliscor, even after 2 turns of healing, among other things that a 4 SAtk spread cannot obtain.
Hermes (Latios) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Shadow Ball
This was a friend's suggestion, and it seems to work pretty well. Specs Latios can hit really hard, and even things that resist his attacks but are not that bulky (such as Cloyster against Surf) suffer. I originally ran Energy Ball to hit water and ground types really strong, but I changed to Surf due to having two Steel Pokémon, so I need extra coverage against fire type. Moreover, without Surf, Latios is completely stalled out by Heatran. The last spot is still open. I run Shadow Ball to get Gardevoirs, Gengars, and other Psychic and Ghost Pokémon that could give me troubles. I've also tried HP Fire, mainly to hit Scizor, Mega Pinsir and Heracross, among other pesky bugs, but I'm not sure about what move I'm going to miss more. Draco Meteor is to hit other dragons and I prefer Psyshock to deal with Venusaur, Amoonguss and Pokémon such as Blissey, that are able to sponge all other moves. Small Edit here: I'm thinking about putting Energy Ball back, to deal with Rotom-W, but I'm not sure if I should take Shadow Ball out.
Poseidon (Empoleon) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 SDef
Bold Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
- Toxic
- Defog
Ok, this is really unusual, right? I mean, who runs Empoleon nowadays? Well, I do for some reasons. FIrst of all, I'd rather have another Pokémon weak to ground types, since I have two that are immune to them than to have another weak to Ice type. I tried to Pokémon here before, Zapdos and Mandibuzz, but the weakness to Ice really bottered me, since the only Pokémon I can safely switch in front of any Ice attack is Aegislash, and in a team with Latios and Landorus-T, I need one more Ice resist. Besides that, both Zapdos and Mandibuzz are not that effective as Defoggers, since they're weak to Stealth Rocks. Moreover, I like to have a water-type Pokémon in the team, and all these things made me choose Empoleon. He is immune to Toxic (which also makes it great against Bouncers and Synchronizers) and Toxic Spikes, suffers just a little damage from SR, can Defog safely because he has lots of nice resists and can hit hard with Hydro Pump even without investment. Besides that, Torrent makes the attack stronger, so if he gets hit and barely survives, even Pokémon that resist will get a nice chunk of damage. Leftovers + Protect + Toxic is kind of a well known combination for bulky water-type Pokémon, with the difference that I can't be in the middle of it. 4 x resist agains Ice is pretty nice as well, as it synergize really well with my other Pokémon. His weakness to E-quake is not that much of a problem, since I can use Protect to lock a potentially choiced foe and then safely switch out and put some of my immune Pokémon for free, now free of SR and other pesky hazards, as well as free to attack without screens. The spread is to maximize his effectiveness as a sort of a tank, since his SAtk doesn't need that much of an investment, due to his role in the team.
That's my team. Bear in mind that I haven't played OU seriously for a long while, and decided to choose some Pokémon that I'm familiar with, as well as some Pokémon to fill specific roles. I did 29 battles with the team, with a record of 20-9, so I know it's not bad. I don't watch Band-Aid solutions, as in "take this Pokémon out, put that", I'd like some constructive criticism, as I have an OU tourney to fight this Saturday, and any help to do better than I ever did is welcome.
Thanks a lot for your attention.
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