Swan Song
Final ORAS OU team by Adamant Zoroark
2013. X and Y came out. Time flies quick. It feels like it was only yesterday I was waiting outside of GameStop at a midnight release, and now we have new games on the horizon.
It's been a good run. The metagame has had some down points, particularly the Greninja and Hoopa-U metagames, but overall, the Gen VI metagame is a huge improvement over the weather wars of BW. It's been fun, but Sun and Moon will be here to overshadow this metagame within a few months. Today, I post my last RMT for ORAS OU prior to the release of Sun and Moon. Enjoy.
This is what I originally tested out for the final team. The theory was to have a somewhat balanced team, but I somehow botched the team so badly that it was simultaneously awful at both offense and defense. I tried to tweak the team to improve the defensive balance and put on better offensive pressure, but I ended up scrapping the team instead, keeping only Landorus-T and Jirachi.
After scrapping the original team, I decided to stick with what I've always done best - no-nonsense offense. Of course, Landorus-T retained the defensive pivot set I had been using before with only minor tweaks, but Landorus-T has a high enough Attack stat to have passable offense without any investment. Nidoking got in for simply punching holes in everything, Klefki for Spike-stacking and just being a general glue Pokemon, Mega Gyarados as a win-con, and LO EQ Latios as a Defogger and Heatran lure. This team was almost perfect... Almost.
Of course, there was still a major flaw with the team. Using Latios for hazard removal meant removing my own entry hazards too, which was especially painful when I had already set up Stealth Rock and 2+ layers of Spikes. Of course, this calls for only one answer: Starmie. With LO Analytic and only removing the hazards my opponent has set up, I was sure to maintain the switch-punishing nature of the team.
The Crew
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down
Everyone's favorite bulky pivot. Landorus-T gets the Rocks up and punishes contact hits, especially from the likes of Talonflame, Mega Lopunny, and Excadrill - which the Rocky Helmet is especially nice for. In general, Landorus-T ensures that the team has a defensive backbone of some sort while still being able to dish out some hits.
As you can see, this set is relatively standard, with the exception of one unusual move - Smack Down. Smack Down is a fantastic move for luring out Rotom-W and Skarmory, making them vulnerable to Earthquake and forcing them to think twice about switching in. The only major downside to Smack Down is losing the OHKO on Mega Charizard Y on the switch, which both Stone Edge and Rock Slide get if I recall correctly, but luring out two of the biggest and baddest Landorus-T counters is just too good to pass up.also fuck inaccurate moves
Klefki @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Magnet Rise
- Play Rough
Glue. Spike-stacking. Sweeper crippling. Okay, three sentences. That's what the rule is, right IronBullet? Wait, you meant three complete sentences? Dammit.
All joking aside, Klefki is pretty much this team's savior. Without it, switching into Latios or Weavile would be pretty much impossible and sweepers like Mega Charizard X and Mega Gyarados would just be able to click Dragon Dance and basically 6-0 my team. However, Klefki does more than just bail out the team. It also sets up Spikes, allowing the team to punish switches hard.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
Hazard removal is a great thing to have, especially with the SR-weak Gyarados (prior to Mega Evolution.) And what better option for the job than Starmie? Switching into Starmie's Hydro Pump is easy... Well, I mean, if your switch-in can easily take a 110 BP STAB move backed by both Life Orb and Analytic. So, Chansey. And Chansey.
Psychic made the cut for coverage on Starmie mostly for Keldeo, seeing as Psychic would hit Keldeo considerably harder than Thunderbolt. It also comes in handy against Mega Venusaur, who doesn't give any damns about Ice Beam or Hydro Pump. Ice Beam is mandatory for the sake of getting nice, heavy hits on the likes of Dragonite, Garchomp, and the Latis.
Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
Nidoking is here to chew bubble gum and kick ass... And he's all out of bubble gum. Okay, I'm done with the cheesy movie quotes... Maybe. But seriously, sending out Nidoking is basically like saying "Good luck everybody but Chansey!!!" Nidoking is just an absolutely insane non-Mega wallbreaker. To think this thing has a base Special Attack stat of just 85, and to think it hits so damn hard on its off-stat. The poor Speed tier is a drawback, though having Klefki's Thunder Wave helps in that regard.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Heart Stamp
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
Troll master represent. Personally, I have no idea what they were thinking when they gave Jirachi Heart Stamp as an event move, but okay, sure. Now it can flinch Keldeo with a super-effective move. Aside from revenge killing and just being a general all-around pain in everyone's asses, Jirachi also provides more U-turn support, which is a godsend for getting glass cannon Nidoking on the field. However, for me, the real selling point with Jirachi isn't the annoyance, or the revenge killing, or the pivoting - it's Healing Wish. Healing Wish allows Jirachi to revitalize any member who I need for a threat (e.g. Landorus-T for Excadrill) and allow it to continue kicking ass.
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Here we are with the win condition. Honestly, I can't believe it's taken this long for me to use Mega Gyarados. Unaware? You're good. Rotom-W? You get to EQ it anyway. To top it off, they even gave it Crunch. Finally, a usable Dark-type move! You wanna 2HKO Slowbro after SR and 1 layer of Spikes? You get to 2HKO Slowbro after SR and 1 layer of Spikes. Also, always run that Jolly Nature - outspeeding Mega Lopunny after a Dragon Dance is too good to say no to.
Conclusion
It's been a good run in ORAS OU. I'm looking forward to posting teams in this forum again for Sun and Moon.
Threats
Manaphy - lmao, basically the only downside to running Starmie over Latios. This is one place where having Thunderbolt would help, but in general you'll probably be depending heavily on paralyzing it with Klefki, as well as avoiding hastily Mega Evolving Gyarados as becoming weak to Energy Ball before Manaphy is gone is ill-advised.
Thundurus - It's not impossible, but still have to be careful. Nidoking can take one HP Ice and retaliate with Ice Beam, and, failing that, Starmie pressures Thundy into either Thunder Waving or dying. Regardless, Jirachi's Healing Wish is especially helpful here.
Ground-type moves - Landorus-T is pretty heavily pressured into switching into these all the time. Three members of the team are weak to Ground while Landorus-T is the only resist after Gyarados Mega Evolves.
Azumarill - Like Thundurus, beating this is not an impossible feat. It is a bit easier especially with double Intimidate prior to Gyarados Mega Evolving, but you'll be heavily reliant on keeping Gyarados in base forme to handle this. Basically, don't go Mega right away.
Mega Scizor - The good news is, Gyarados resists Bullet Punch and Nidoking can take one unboosted Bullet Punch and retaliate with Flamethrower. The bad news is, Landorus-T faces even more pressure to take hits from this thing once Gyarados Mega Evolves. Seriously, Healing Wish is amazing.
Cool ppl
Final ORAS OU team by Adamant Zoroark
2013. X and Y came out. Time flies quick. It feels like it was only yesterday I was waiting outside of GameStop at a midnight release, and now we have new games on the horizon.
It's been a good run. The metagame has had some down points, particularly the Greninja and Hoopa-U metagames, but overall, the Gen VI metagame is a huge improvement over the weather wars of BW. It's been fun, but Sun and Moon will be here to overshadow this metagame within a few months. Today, I post my last RMT for ORAS OU prior to the release of Sun and Moon. Enjoy.
This is what I originally tested out for the final team. The theory was to have a somewhat balanced team, but I somehow botched the team so badly that it was simultaneously awful at both offense and defense. I tried to tweak the team to improve the defensive balance and put on better offensive pressure, but I ended up scrapping the team instead, keeping only Landorus-T and Jirachi.
After scrapping the original team, I decided to stick with what I've always done best - no-nonsense offense. Of course, Landorus-T retained the defensive pivot set I had been using before with only minor tweaks, but Landorus-T has a high enough Attack stat to have passable offense without any investment. Nidoking got in for simply punching holes in everything, Klefki for Spike-stacking and just being a general glue Pokemon, Mega Gyarados as a win-con, and LO EQ Latios as a Defogger and Heatran lure. This team was almost perfect... Almost.
Of course, there was still a major flaw with the team. Using Latios for hazard removal meant removing my own entry hazards too, which was especially painful when I had already set up Stealth Rock and 2+ layers of Spikes. Of course, this calls for only one answer: Starmie. With LO Analytic and only removing the hazards my opponent has set up, I was sure to maintain the switch-punishing nature of the team.
The Crew
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down
Everyone's favorite bulky pivot. Landorus-T gets the Rocks up and punishes contact hits, especially from the likes of Talonflame, Mega Lopunny, and Excadrill - which the Rocky Helmet is especially nice for. In general, Landorus-T ensures that the team has a defensive backbone of some sort while still being able to dish out some hits.
As you can see, this set is relatively standard, with the exception of one unusual move - Smack Down. Smack Down is a fantastic move for luring out Rotom-W and Skarmory, making them vulnerable to Earthquake and forcing them to think twice about switching in. The only major downside to Smack Down is losing the OHKO on Mega Charizard Y on the switch, which both Stone Edge and Rock Slide get if I recall correctly, but luring out two of the biggest and baddest Landorus-T counters is just too good to pass up.
Klefki @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Magnet Rise
- Play Rough
Glue. Spike-stacking. Sweeper crippling. Okay, three sentences. That's what the rule is, right IronBullet? Wait, you meant three complete sentences? Dammit.
All joking aside, Klefki is pretty much this team's savior. Without it, switching into Latios or Weavile would be pretty much impossible and sweepers like Mega Charizard X and Mega Gyarados would just be able to click Dragon Dance and basically 6-0 my team. However, Klefki does more than just bail out the team. It also sets up Spikes, allowing the team to punish switches hard.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
Hazard removal is a great thing to have, especially with the SR-weak Gyarados (prior to Mega Evolution.) And what better option for the job than Starmie? Switching into Starmie's Hydro Pump is easy... Well, I mean, if your switch-in can easily take a 110 BP STAB move backed by both Life Orb and Analytic. So, Chansey. And Chansey.
Psychic made the cut for coverage on Starmie mostly for Keldeo, seeing as Psychic would hit Keldeo considerably harder than Thunderbolt. It also comes in handy against Mega Venusaur, who doesn't give any damns about Ice Beam or Hydro Pump. Ice Beam is mandatory for the sake of getting nice, heavy hits on the likes of Dragonite, Garchomp, and the Latis.
Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
Nidoking is here to chew bubble gum and kick ass... And he's all out of bubble gum. Okay, I'm done with the cheesy movie quotes... Maybe. But seriously, sending out Nidoking is basically like saying "Good luck everybody but Chansey!!!" Nidoking is just an absolutely insane non-Mega wallbreaker. To think this thing has a base Special Attack stat of just 85, and to think it hits so damn hard on its off-stat. The poor Speed tier is a drawback, though having Klefki's Thunder Wave helps in that regard.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Heart Stamp
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
Troll master represent. Personally, I have no idea what they were thinking when they gave Jirachi Heart Stamp as an event move, but okay, sure. Now it can flinch Keldeo with a super-effective move. Aside from revenge killing and just being a general all-around pain in everyone's asses, Jirachi also provides more U-turn support, which is a godsend for getting glass cannon Nidoking on the field. However, for me, the real selling point with Jirachi isn't the annoyance, or the revenge killing, or the pivoting - it's Healing Wish. Healing Wish allows Jirachi to revitalize any member who I need for a threat (e.g. Landorus-T for Excadrill) and allow it to continue kicking ass.
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Here we are with the win condition. Honestly, I can't believe it's taken this long for me to use Mega Gyarados. Unaware? You're good. Rotom-W? You get to EQ it anyway. To top it off, they even gave it Crunch. Finally, a usable Dark-type move! You wanna 2HKO Slowbro after SR and 1 layer of Spikes? You get to 2HKO Slowbro after SR and 1 layer of Spikes. Also, always run that Jolly Nature - outspeeding Mega Lopunny after a Dragon Dance is too good to say no to.
Conclusion
It's been a good run in ORAS OU. I'm looking forward to posting teams in this forum again for Sun and Moon.
Threats
Manaphy - lmao, basically the only downside to running Starmie over Latios. This is one place where having Thunderbolt would help, but in general you'll probably be depending heavily on paralyzing it with Klefki, as well as avoiding hastily Mega Evolving Gyarados as becoming weak to Energy Ball before Manaphy is gone is ill-advised.
Thundurus - It's not impossible, but still have to be careful. Nidoking can take one HP Ice and retaliate with Ice Beam, and, failing that, Starmie pressures Thundy into either Thunder Waving or dying. Regardless, Jirachi's Healing Wish is especially helpful here.
Ground-type moves - Landorus-T is pretty heavily pressured into switching into these all the time. Three members of the team are weak to Ground while Landorus-T is the only resist after Gyarados Mega Evolves.
Azumarill - Like Thundurus, beating this is not an impossible feat. It is a bit easier especially with double Intimidate prior to Gyarados Mega Evolving, but you'll be heavily reliant on keeping Gyarados in base forme to handle this. Basically, don't go Mega right away.
Mega Scizor - The good news is, Gyarados resists Bullet Punch and Nidoking can take one unboosted Bullet Punch and retaliate with Flamethrower. The bad news is, Landorus-T faces even more pressure to take hits from this thing once Gyarados Mega Evolves. Seriously, Healing Wish is amazing.
Cool ppl
Recreant - I'm some plebe who runs Inner Focus on Lucario. also HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Karxrida - Do you have Discord? We should chill some time.
Rhythms - read above
Flygonial - read above above
Medievil - inactive here, mentor person.
Tressed - Preparing my move to Canada if Trump wins. Besides, All Dressed Ruffles are THE BEST
Snobalt - GP check my RMT? lol jk, I just wanted to say something silly in this section
Karxrida - Do you have Discord? We should chill some time.
Rhythms - read above
Flygonial - read above above
Medievil - inactive here, mentor person.
Tressed - Preparing my move to Canada if Trump wins. Besides, All Dressed Ruffles are THE BEST
Snobalt - GP check my RMT? lol jk, I just wanted to say something silly in this section
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down
Klefki @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Magnet Rise
- Play Rough
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Heart Stamp
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down
Klefki @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Magnet Rise
- Play Rough
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Heart Stamp
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Earthquake
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