Speed Control
Alright so I've been looking into an offensive team that likes to make safe strong hits by ensuring I outspeed the right opponents.
Here it is:
Kyogre @ Lum Berry
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk 29 Spe IV
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Surf
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
This form of Kyogre makes a fantastic lead most of the time. I've lowered the Speed IVs to the point where I should be able to be slower than any Groudon, so if the two lead at the same time, the rain will take priority. Lum Berry is the best item as it lets me take on the Darkrai leads. I'd very much doubt the Scarf leads would want to Trick a Choice item to an already likely Choiced Kyogre, since the Kyogre will just attack, so they go for the Dark Void. Thunder Wave screws Darkrai. This lead is great at taking the momentum to your side as Thunder Wave eases prediction and severely cripple the opponent. Surf is a deadly attack even without Specs, While Ice Beam and Thunder are used for coverage.
Palkia @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Spacial Rend
- Thunder
- Fire Blast
This is the main sweeper. After some paralysis support, Palkia cleans teams with ease. Surf is my main attack. I'm using Spacial Rend here as Draco Meteor would just shorten a sweep and force itself out. The power of Draco Meteor isn't that necessary as Surf outdoes it in power and accuracy factoring rain, and all Dragon-weak opponents are OHKOd anyway. Thunder is mainly for Lugia and enemy Kyogre. Fire Blast is here since Palkia is versatile, and should the Sun be up by enemy Groudon, I have a back up move, which does a huge number to Groudon, killing it most of the time with previous damage. Fire Blast would also be my strongest attack against Ferrothorn even in the rain.
Tornadus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Hurricane
- Tailwind
- Grass Knot
- Hammer Arm
This is my favorite member of the team. Tailwind does wonders controlling the speed of the game. If I'm up against a Skymin, they'll try to beat me with Air Slash flinches, but I'll use priority Tailwind before that, and maybe start a mini sweep. Flying has surprisingly decent coverage in Ubers. Hurricane does a number to the likes of Mewtwo and Palkia, killing them with some hazard support. The confusion rate is pretty nice too. Grass Knot makes Tornadus the primary anti-Groudon of the team, so if Groudon comes in making my Kyogre or Dialga very sad, I'll switch in on the Earthquake, and blast them off with Grass Knot. All versions of Groudon without bulky EVs are OHKO'd 100%, while the ones with Max HP still have a chance to go down, with hazards guaranteeing that. Grass Knot is also super effective against enemy Kyogre, and Rock Arceus which is getting popular all of a sudden. Hammer Arm is primarily for Blissey/Chansey, 2HKOing them (Chansey with prior damage or hazard support). What makes this set great in Uber is that should a Pokemon like Mewtwo or ScarfKrom come in for revenge, I can use Tailwind before the attack, and essentially set up Palkia or Gengar for a three-turn sweep.
Dialga @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Pulse
- Aura Sphere
I needed entry hazards, especially Stealth Rock for easier kills and checking Ho-oh. I choose Dialga, since it can take in resisted Electric attacks with ease, as well as Water moves. The Steel typing mixed with Dragon is just wonderful with the great amount of resists it has. Dialga also has the near flawless stats to take attacks, and respond back hard. I'm using a primarily Special Defensive spread to take Draco Meteors more easily, doing about 50% from most opponents, so they'll be in a bad position after their Special Attack drops, and I use Thunder Wave to cripple the opposing Pokemon or the switch-in. 4 Speed EVs will let me outspeed any uninvested base 90 Speed Pokemon. Stealth Rock is rather easy to get up with Dialga, since most people expect it to launch a Draco Meteor, so the people who bring their frail Magic Bounce Pokemon to Ubers won't even think of coming in, and the fact that nothing except Groudon can OHKO it. Dialga is another user of Thunder Wave, helping control the speed for Palkia and Gengar to sweep, and easing prediction. Dragon Pulse is still a strong attack although unboosted and uninvested. It will still OHKO Dragons with ease. Aura Sphere is my coverage move here to attack Normal Arceus and Ferrothorn.
Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Leech Seed
- Protect
With a great set of resistances and defenses, Ferrothorn makes a great buffer against overwhelmingly powerful attackers that may outspeed my sweepers. It also holds Thunder Wave for crippling the sweepers incapable of killing it quickly, or the switch-in. Paralysis also makes Leech Seed stalling much easier. Leech Seed is the reason why Ferrothorn always comes out on top against nearly everything, including Kyogre, Palkia, Zekrom, Giratina-o, Mewtwo that lack Fire moves, Dialga, etc. Ferrothorn is my main switch-in to Lugia, as it does not mind Paralysis as much, and is immune to Toxic, while in turn Ferrothorn paralyzes it, and Leech Seeds for recovery and to ruin its Multiscale. Protect is here to scout moves, but mainly to guarantee two turns of Leech Seed sapping and Leftovers. Since the team can often force switches, I have Spikes here, which is really easy to get out when you have paralysis support and active recovery. Most of the time I alter between Protect and Spikes. Spikes lets me deal more easily with Stall teams which like to switch around a lot, and to help Gengar and Palkia get easier kills, and nerfing the power of Water Spout on Kyogre.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Icy Wind
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Thunder
I needed a Ghost to block Rapid Spin, so I only had four choices for viable Pokemon. There is Giratina-A, who is a primarily defensive Ghost. There is Giratina-O that offers more offensive stats. Gengar, another offensive Pokemon, and Ghost Arceus. I wanted an extra coverage sweeper, so Giratina-A was out of the question. Looking at Base speeds. I'm not too impressed with Giratina-O, since that can leave me open to faster Dragons. Gengar has a neat base 110 speed, and a great movepool. Ghost Arceus is faster, has a better movepool, and is much much bulkier. When I see movesets I'd use, I see that Gengar could be better factoring Tailwing/Paralysis support, since Gengar can hold a Life Orb, and hit much harder right off the bat.
Gengar is a great Pokemon in Ubers seeing how it is immune to Arceus' Extremespeed, and while strike him with Focus Blast (assuming it was paralyzed beforehand.) Gengar can use Icy Wind to OHKO SD Rayquaza, and should the opponent switch out, their switch-in has its speed dropped, possibly making it vulnerable to a kill. Thunder is my strongest and most accurate move in the rain against Forretress, barring HP Fire. It also weakens Kyogre considerably. Shadow Ball OHKOs most of the Psychics in Ubers, while Lugia is 2HKOd with Rocks.
I've peaked at #9 on Smogon's Uber ladder with 1305 points with this team.
Would anyone have suggestions for improving and covering weaknesses?
Alright so I've been looking into an offensive team that likes to make safe strong hits by ensuring I outspeed the right opponents.
Here it is:
Kyogre @ Lum Berry
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk 29 Spe IV
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Surf
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
This form of Kyogre makes a fantastic lead most of the time. I've lowered the Speed IVs to the point where I should be able to be slower than any Groudon, so if the two lead at the same time, the rain will take priority. Lum Berry is the best item as it lets me take on the Darkrai leads. I'd very much doubt the Scarf leads would want to Trick a Choice item to an already likely Choiced Kyogre, since the Kyogre will just attack, so they go for the Dark Void. Thunder Wave screws Darkrai. This lead is great at taking the momentum to your side as Thunder Wave eases prediction and severely cripple the opponent. Surf is a deadly attack even without Specs, While Ice Beam and Thunder are used for coverage.
Palkia @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Spacial Rend
- Thunder
- Fire Blast
This is the main sweeper. After some paralysis support, Palkia cleans teams with ease. Surf is my main attack. I'm using Spacial Rend here as Draco Meteor would just shorten a sweep and force itself out. The power of Draco Meteor isn't that necessary as Surf outdoes it in power and accuracy factoring rain, and all Dragon-weak opponents are OHKOd anyway. Thunder is mainly for Lugia and enemy Kyogre. Fire Blast is here since Palkia is versatile, and should the Sun be up by enemy Groudon, I have a back up move, which does a huge number to Groudon, killing it most of the time with previous damage. Fire Blast would also be my strongest attack against Ferrothorn even in the rain.
Tornadus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Hurricane
- Tailwind
- Grass Knot
- Hammer Arm
This is my favorite member of the team. Tailwind does wonders controlling the speed of the game. If I'm up against a Skymin, they'll try to beat me with Air Slash flinches, but I'll use priority Tailwind before that, and maybe start a mini sweep. Flying has surprisingly decent coverage in Ubers. Hurricane does a number to the likes of Mewtwo and Palkia, killing them with some hazard support. The confusion rate is pretty nice too. Grass Knot makes Tornadus the primary anti-Groudon of the team, so if Groudon comes in making my Kyogre or Dialga very sad, I'll switch in on the Earthquake, and blast them off with Grass Knot. All versions of Groudon without bulky EVs are OHKO'd 100%, while the ones with Max HP still have a chance to go down, with hazards guaranteeing that. Grass Knot is also super effective against enemy Kyogre, and Rock Arceus which is getting popular all of a sudden. Hammer Arm is primarily for Blissey/Chansey, 2HKOing them (Chansey with prior damage or hazard support). What makes this set great in Uber is that should a Pokemon like Mewtwo or ScarfKrom come in for revenge, I can use Tailwind before the attack, and essentially set up Palkia or Gengar for a three-turn sweep.
Dialga @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Pulse
- Aura Sphere
I needed entry hazards, especially Stealth Rock for easier kills and checking Ho-oh. I choose Dialga, since it can take in resisted Electric attacks with ease, as well as Water moves. The Steel typing mixed with Dragon is just wonderful with the great amount of resists it has. Dialga also has the near flawless stats to take attacks, and respond back hard. I'm using a primarily Special Defensive spread to take Draco Meteors more easily, doing about 50% from most opponents, so they'll be in a bad position after their Special Attack drops, and I use Thunder Wave to cripple the opposing Pokemon or the switch-in. 4 Speed EVs will let me outspeed any uninvested base 90 Speed Pokemon. Stealth Rock is rather easy to get up with Dialga, since most people expect it to launch a Draco Meteor, so the people who bring their frail Magic Bounce Pokemon to Ubers won't even think of coming in, and the fact that nothing except Groudon can OHKO it. Dialga is another user of Thunder Wave, helping control the speed for Palkia and Gengar to sweep, and easing prediction. Dragon Pulse is still a strong attack although unboosted and uninvested. It will still OHKO Dragons with ease. Aura Sphere is my coverage move here to attack Normal Arceus and Ferrothorn.
Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Leech Seed
- Protect
With a great set of resistances and defenses, Ferrothorn makes a great buffer against overwhelmingly powerful attackers that may outspeed my sweepers. It also holds Thunder Wave for crippling the sweepers incapable of killing it quickly, or the switch-in. Paralysis also makes Leech Seed stalling much easier. Leech Seed is the reason why Ferrothorn always comes out on top against nearly everything, including Kyogre, Palkia, Zekrom, Giratina-o, Mewtwo that lack Fire moves, Dialga, etc. Ferrothorn is my main switch-in to Lugia, as it does not mind Paralysis as much, and is immune to Toxic, while in turn Ferrothorn paralyzes it, and Leech Seeds for recovery and to ruin its Multiscale. Protect is here to scout moves, but mainly to guarantee two turns of Leech Seed sapping and Leftovers. Since the team can often force switches, I have Spikes here, which is really easy to get out when you have paralysis support and active recovery. Most of the time I alter between Protect and Spikes. Spikes lets me deal more easily with Stall teams which like to switch around a lot, and to help Gengar and Palkia get easier kills, and nerfing the power of Water Spout on Kyogre.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Icy Wind
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Thunder
I needed a Ghost to block Rapid Spin, so I only had four choices for viable Pokemon. There is Giratina-A, who is a primarily defensive Ghost. There is Giratina-O that offers more offensive stats. Gengar, another offensive Pokemon, and Ghost Arceus. I wanted an extra coverage sweeper, so Giratina-A was out of the question. Looking at Base speeds. I'm not too impressed with Giratina-O, since that can leave me open to faster Dragons. Gengar has a neat base 110 speed, and a great movepool. Ghost Arceus is faster, has a better movepool, and is much much bulkier. When I see movesets I'd use, I see that Gengar could be better factoring Tailwing/Paralysis support, since Gengar can hold a Life Orb, and hit much harder right off the bat.
Gengar is a great Pokemon in Ubers seeing how it is immune to Arceus' Extremespeed, and while strike him with Focus Blast (assuming it was paralyzed beforehand.) Gengar can use Icy Wind to OHKO SD Rayquaza, and should the opponent switch out, their switch-in has its speed dropped, possibly making it vulnerable to a kill. Thunder is my strongest and most accurate move in the rain against Forretress, barring HP Fire. It also weakens Kyogre considerably. Shadow Ball OHKOs most of the Psychics in Ubers, while Lugia is 2HKOd with Rocks.
I've peaked at #9 on Smogon's Uber ladder with 1305 points with this team.
Would anyone have suggestions for improving and covering weaknesses?
