Disclaimer: I recently posted this in the Doubles OU forum by mistake, and realized that it belonged here. I am not spamming, double posting, or anything like that. It was an honest mistake.
Hi! I've done a lot of tinkering with this team over the last five-six months, reasonably pleased with my success so far but there are always things that can be improved upon. The idea behind this team was originally just to make a fun weather team, but I started doing better with it than either of my UU singles teams, so here we are.
Darude (Tyranitar) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Punch
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Darude's item has undergone a few changes. I ran him with scarf for quite a while, but being unable to change moves was becoming a liability in my opinion, so I switched him to life orb. Needless to say, damaging my own weather setter was less than ideal, so that eventually got the boot too. While this set does concede kill power, his special bulk in the sand is generally quite effective. Aside from the requisite STAB moves, the two elemental punches arose from constantly being plagued by Ferrothorn (Fire) and Garchomp/Landorus (Ice). Sand Stream should be a no-brainer, since this is a SAND team :P
Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 200 Atk / 56 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Iron Head
- Sky Drop
- Toxic
As odd as it may look at first glance, fast support has been a huge boon to this team. As for EVs, 200 Atk still gets me the OHKO on Breloom and mega Sceptile with Sky Drop, which also serves to remove bulkier pokes for a turn. 56 Sp Def, plus the boost from sand, puts Aero-M at 360, which is nothing to sneeze at for a fast poke. Obviously 252 Spe to outspeed everything that doesn't carry prankster or priority. Iron Head catches Diancie, Gardevoir and opposing Clefable, and Taunt keeps Ferrothorn from laying entry hazards/Leech Seed, as well as neutering opposing setup.
Rhydon (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 236 HP / 176 Atk / 96 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Drill Run
- Megahorn
- Hammer Arm
- Rock Slide
One of my two defensive pivots, Lightningrod allows Rhydon to eat t-waves, which would otherwise cripple Aerodactyl and the rest of the team. Rhydon isn't about to win any Speed contests on its own, and a Brave nature actually helps it take advantage of an opposing Trick Room team and synergizes with Hammer Arm in that regard. With the boosts from sand and Eviolite, Rhydon's defenses are 410/414/337, which lets it tank both physical and special hits, provided I watch for the deadly Water and Grass types. I chose Drill Run over Earthquake to avoid hitting Tyranitar and Metagross with a super-effective physical move, since both have a special bias, and to to somewhat get around Wide Guard users. Megahorn is there for Psychics in general, but Hoopa-U and Cresselia in particular. Hammer Arm usually nets me a 2HKO on Mega Kangaskhan and Smeargle, not to mention putting a respectable dent in Chansey/Blissey/Mega Aggron.
Scizor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bug Bite
- Bullet Punch
- Quick Attack
- Quick Guard
This slot was originally filled by Donphan, but I had entirely too many Grass and Water weaknesses and also wanted to broaden my STAB type coverage. Steel typing keeps the Sand immunity. While the 4x Fire weakness is obviously something to be aware of, half of my team resists Fire, and a 4x Grass resistance is nice to throw against Serperior. All three attacking moves benefit from Technician, and generally forgo the need to invest in Spe. Quick Guard was chosen to cushion switch-ins of teammates, but I am quite open to suggestions. Rocky Helmet punishes any physical attacker, particularly Mega Kahn.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Aromatherapy
- Moonblast
- Healing Wish
Not trying to reinvent the wheel with this set, just a general utility/cleric. Magic Guard eats Burn/Tox/Sand damage. Leftys because? I still go back and forth between Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam. I tried running Wish where Heling Wish currently is, but either Clefable or Wish's intended recipient would die too often before I could make it work.
Cradily @ Lum Berry
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 228 HP / 72+ Def / 8 SpA / 200 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Gastro Acid
- Confuse Ray
- Earth Power
My second defensive pivot, Cradily is one of the areas I'd like the most advice on. Chosen EVs yield 370/272/450 defenses in the sand. 8 in Sp Atk gets him to 200 before a boost. 0 Spe IVs is for the same reason as Rhydon above. He's already slow as molasses, and with that plus a Relaxed nature, he's able to better utilize an opponent's Trick Room. With three other Rocks on the team, a Water immunity in the form of Storm Drain feels pretty vital. Lum Berry was chosen because for SOME reason, Sableye and Klefki always try to status him. Giga Drain is there as psuedo-recovery, STAB, and to take advantage of the Sp Atk boosts from Storm Drain. Nullifying an opponent's Prankster or Chlorophyll with Gastro Acid is always fun. Confuse Ray is there to stall/force switches. Finally, we come to Earth Power, which I admit feels tacked on for some reason. It benefits from Storm Drain which is nice, and hurts Heatran/Victini, but has anybody got another idea? Maybe Sandstorm or Hidden Power?
Overall, I really enjoy playing this team. Each member is very useful and benefits the team as a whole, IMO. There are a few shaky spots on individual sets which I have stated above, and would be very grateful in receiving the input of other users, plus holes you may spot that I haven't.
Hi! I've done a lot of tinkering with this team over the last five-six months, reasonably pleased with my success so far but there are always things that can be improved upon. The idea behind this team was originally just to make a fun weather team, but I started doing better with it than either of my UU singles teams, so here we are.
Darude (Tyranitar) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Punch
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Darude's item has undergone a few changes. I ran him with scarf for quite a while, but being unable to change moves was becoming a liability in my opinion, so I switched him to life orb. Needless to say, damaging my own weather setter was less than ideal, so that eventually got the boot too. While this set does concede kill power, his special bulk in the sand is generally quite effective. Aside from the requisite STAB moves, the two elemental punches arose from constantly being plagued by Ferrothorn (Fire) and Garchomp/Landorus (Ice). Sand Stream should be a no-brainer, since this is a SAND team :P
Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 200 Atk / 56 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Iron Head
- Sky Drop
- Toxic
As odd as it may look at first glance, fast support has been a huge boon to this team. As for EVs, 200 Atk still gets me the OHKO on Breloom and mega Sceptile with Sky Drop, which also serves to remove bulkier pokes for a turn. 56 Sp Def, plus the boost from sand, puts Aero-M at 360, which is nothing to sneeze at for a fast poke. Obviously 252 Spe to outspeed everything that doesn't carry prankster or priority. Iron Head catches Diancie, Gardevoir and opposing Clefable, and Taunt keeps Ferrothorn from laying entry hazards/Leech Seed, as well as neutering opposing setup.
Rhydon (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 236 HP / 176 Atk / 96 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Drill Run
- Megahorn
- Hammer Arm
- Rock Slide
One of my two defensive pivots, Lightningrod allows Rhydon to eat t-waves, which would otherwise cripple Aerodactyl and the rest of the team. Rhydon isn't about to win any Speed contests on its own, and a Brave nature actually helps it take advantage of an opposing Trick Room team and synergizes with Hammer Arm in that regard. With the boosts from sand and Eviolite, Rhydon's defenses are 410/414/337, which lets it tank both physical and special hits, provided I watch for the deadly Water and Grass types. I chose Drill Run over Earthquake to avoid hitting Tyranitar and Metagross with a super-effective physical move, since both have a special bias, and to to somewhat get around Wide Guard users. Megahorn is there for Psychics in general, but Hoopa-U and Cresselia in particular. Hammer Arm usually nets me a 2HKO on Mega Kangaskhan and Smeargle, not to mention putting a respectable dent in Chansey/Blissey/Mega Aggron.
Scizor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bug Bite
- Bullet Punch
- Quick Attack
- Quick Guard
This slot was originally filled by Donphan, but I had entirely too many Grass and Water weaknesses and also wanted to broaden my STAB type coverage. Steel typing keeps the Sand immunity. While the 4x Fire weakness is obviously something to be aware of, half of my team resists Fire, and a 4x Grass resistance is nice to throw against Serperior. All three attacking moves benefit from Technician, and generally forgo the need to invest in Spe. Quick Guard was chosen to cushion switch-ins of teammates, but I am quite open to suggestions. Rocky Helmet punishes any physical attacker, particularly Mega Kahn.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Aromatherapy
- Moonblast
- Healing Wish
Not trying to reinvent the wheel with this set, just a general utility/cleric. Magic Guard eats Burn/Tox/Sand damage. Leftys because? I still go back and forth between Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam. I tried running Wish where Heling Wish currently is, but either Clefable or Wish's intended recipient would die too often before I could make it work.
Cradily @ Lum Berry
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 228 HP / 72+ Def / 8 SpA / 200 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Gastro Acid
- Confuse Ray
- Earth Power
My second defensive pivot, Cradily is one of the areas I'd like the most advice on. Chosen EVs yield 370/272/450 defenses in the sand. 8 in Sp Atk gets him to 200 before a boost. 0 Spe IVs is for the same reason as Rhydon above. He's already slow as molasses, and with that plus a Relaxed nature, he's able to better utilize an opponent's Trick Room. With three other Rocks on the team, a Water immunity in the form of Storm Drain feels pretty vital. Lum Berry was chosen because for SOME reason, Sableye and Klefki always try to status him. Giga Drain is there as psuedo-recovery, STAB, and to take advantage of the Sp Atk boosts from Storm Drain. Nullifying an opponent's Prankster or Chlorophyll with Gastro Acid is always fun. Confuse Ray is there to stall/force switches. Finally, we come to Earth Power, which I admit feels tacked on for some reason. It benefits from Storm Drain which is nice, and hurts Heatran/Victini, but has anybody got another idea? Maybe Sandstorm or Hidden Power?
Overall, I really enjoy playing this team. Each member is very useful and benefits the team as a whole, IMO. There are a few shaky spots on individual sets which I have stated above, and would be very grateful in receiving the input of other users, plus holes you may spot that I haven't.
