ORAS OU Team Dire Radiance -- A Bulky Offense Zygarde Team

[CharlieTheHitchhiker]

Team Dire Radiance: A Zygarde-Based Bulky Offense Team​

I understand what you might be thinking. Zygarde? Why not a dragon type that isn't a total gimmick? I thought that too, originally, but Zygarde has always been a pokemon that's really interested me. From the interesting design to the colors, I've always wanted to try it out-- yet it just kind of seemed just "meh".
After a while, I decided to test it out. I didn't play OU much, so what's the harm? After getting a little lot of help from the competitive tutoring chatroom, it was finished: A team made to support Zygarde into sweeping the enemy team. Thus far, this has been one of my favourite teams yet!

Teambuilding Process

As stated, I built my team around Zygarde's coil set, an insanely tanky build that, if played right, can easily destroy anything bar a hyper voice from a gardevoir.
Rotom and Jirachi were my defensive cores-- rotom being for physical and jirachi, evidently, being special. Since I wanted to make sure Rotom had dual status, I needed a cleric-- thus giving jirachi his role.
Infernape was there as my lead and to deal with some potentially hazardous pokemon to Zygarde-- namely, skarmory, who happened to be my next member to deal with fairy types and set up spikes, which pair very well with dragon tail.
Finally, we have Mega-Latias, my special sweeper. Although I initially didn't care for having another dragon type, C.T. urged me that the special bulk fit my team well, and that it could deal with many things that the rest of my team couldn't.

Venomancer (Zygarde) @ Leftovers

"No necromancer shall raise what the venomancer puts down."
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 200 HP / 252 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Coil
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
Tanky, strong, and gimmicky are all words that can be used to describe Zygarde. Not only can he clean up after most threats have been killed, but he can set up on many common leads-- Ferrothorn can't do a thing to stop him, Skarmory will likely to to whirlwind but just get rejected and dragon tailed out. Generally, I do try to get a minor sweep going on early by inflicting status on an attacker and getting a substitute/coil, which a single layer of tends to be enough to deal with most pokemon. His biggest threat is Gardevoir, as not only does she do amazing damage to him but a Mega one with Hyper Voice plainly doesn't care about substitute. Still, I find he hits the bulky offense theme to a "T"... Which just happens to stand for...

Morphling (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers

"You only miss the water when the well runs dry."
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 248 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Thunder Wave
Not too much a standard set-- Instead of going for pain split, I went for dual statuses! With some support from Jirachi, these two make a powerful voltturn core capable of tanking most attacks. The dual statuses allow either Jirachi or Zygarde to come in and either finish them off with hax or with a few boosts of coil. The lack of regen is also provided by Jirachi, who can come in with hefty wishes to provide reliable support. The other minor change is that I pulled one IV from defense to put into speed. While not a huge change, it does help deal with Rotoms using the same set as the gradual neutral damage can wear them down quickly.

Meepo (Jirachi) @ Leftovers

"All these fancy knights and scary monsters. Pff! What do they got that I ain't got? Nothing, that's what."
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Wish
- U-turn
- Body Slam
The second part of my voltturn core, Jirachi brings heals, hax, and headaches for the enemy. With a steady supply of pre-paralyzed pokemon coming from Rotom, Jirachi is able to easily knock out quite a few threats (fairy types in particular) and return the favor with hefty wish heals. My only problem is his typing isn't too good, so I Might replace him or Skarmory with something that works better to deal with threats.

Huskar (Infernape) @ Leftovers

"Those who are given more in life must not cling to it but risk it all in every moment."
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 124 SpD / 48 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Overheat
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Low Kick
Somewhat of a suicide lead. While I'll generally start with Zygarde if I see a ferrothorn, Infernape generally starts the game up with sneaky pebbles, then striking with a powerful, STAB move. Here's a couple matchups against common leads:
0- SpA Infernape Overheat vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Skarmory: 348-410 (104.1 - 122.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Infernape Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 254-302 (65.8 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0- SpA Infernape Overheat vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Ferrothorn: 400-472 (113.6 - 134%) -- guaranteed OHKO (Even though I'd usually prefer to set up with Zygarde, if they have something that can force me out of something like a Cloyster/Gardevoir/Mamoswine I'll go infernape)
While not too amazing apart from that, he can stall out or force a switch to many dangerous pokemon, such as a (Mega) Scizor with a swords dance up, or face being defeated.
0- SpA Infernape Overheat vs. 248 HP / 200 SpD Mega Scizor: 432-508 (125.9 - 148.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
While not always useful, Infernape saves me against many threats, and is always ready to take a hit so that a more fragile pokemon doesn't have to.
The nature might not be the best, I'm not too sure. It's capable of one-shotting everything it needs to with overheat anyways.

Phoenix (Skarmory) @ Leftovers

"SCREE! PKAWW! BOOM. SWARK! CHIRP!"
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
Skarmory fills the role of my mixed wall, shuffler, and spikes setter. If I can get everything set up, it means that they'll lose a whopping third of their health, a maximum of 75% of their health. Considering I have two pokemon with phazing moves, it's a pretty great thing. Still, Skarmory suffers from 4 moveslot syndrome, as while every move here is essential, I really would enjoy a defog. I'd consider Add that to the fact it's another pokemon with the steel weaknesses, and I'm not too sure.

Puck (Latias) @ Latiasite

"A thousand years of youth have fallen behind, and still I fill the time with games."
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Roost
- Psychic
A bit of a wild card, Mega-Latias was sort of a last thought. She deals with any physical walls that spook Zygarde or that have phazing, which Zygarde can't set up against. Instead of the typical set, I opted to maximize coverage with Boltbeam + Psychic. With roost, Latias allows for a tanky, deadly sweeper who can stop a lot of threats from my team, especially dragon types.
However, I'm considering swapping for Support Altaria, as satus can really mess up my team. And has done it more than a few times-- One time a scald from a resttalk Keldeo stopped my sweep, while it's never fun to have Jirachi or Infernape burned/paralyzed, respectively.

Feel free to suggest any switches. The only one I'm against is switching Zygarde.
Thanks, and have a great day!

Ready-To-Paste Version

Venomancer (Zygarde) @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 200 HP / 252 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Coil
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail

Techies (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Thunder Wave

Meepo (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Wish
- U-turn
- Body Slam

Huskar (Infernape) @ Leftovers
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 124 SpD / 48 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Overheat
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Low Kick

Phoenix (Skarmory) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind

Puck (Latias) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Roost
- Psychic

 

[BreloomMyHomie]

Hey man, really cool team here, but I have a few suggestions. Mega Charizard X is a pretty big threat to the team, as your only way to deal with it after a Dragon Dance is with Rotom-W paralyzing it, which isn't very reliable. Kyurem-B is also a huge threat due to not only the lack of switch-ins to its coverage, but the lack of checks. Your only checks to Kyurem-B are Infernape, and a healthy Jirachi. In addition, it's going to be hard for Jirachi to constantly be healthy because it doesn't have Protect next to Wish, which guarantees you gain HP.

My first suggestion will be Clefable>Infernape. While defensive Infernape does have its niche as a great Weavile check, it just exacerbates the Kyurem-B weakness. Clefable is rarely 2HKOed by Kyurem-B's Ice Beam nor Weavile's Icicle Crash. Like Infernape, Clefable is also a very good Mega Sableye counter. In addition, Zygarde could use more paralysis support to make it easier for it to sweep. With Fire Blast, you can lure in Scizor's and Excadrills and do a significant amount of damage.

My second suggestion will be Hippowdon>Jirachi. Specially Defensive Skarmory beats the Fairies Jirachi beats such as Mega Gardevoir and Mega Diancie. In addition, with the Clefable change, you become more susceptible to Swords Dance Bisharp and you lose a Stealth Rocker. Hippowdon is not only a Stealth Rocker, but a Pokemon that can beat both Bisharp and Mega Charizard X 1v1.

My third suggestion will be to replace Ice Beam with Defog on Latias. With Psychic to hit Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss and Thunderbolt to hit Manaphy for super effective damage, I feel like Ice Beam is the most expendable move, as Rotom-W is capable of beating Gliscor and Landorus-T 1v1.

Lastly, I still think you should have Pain Split over Thunder-Wave on Rotom-W. As you can tell from the changes, bulky SD Mega Scizor becomes a huge conundrum to the team and Pain Split allows Rotom-W to not only switch-in Mega Scizor multiple times, but Tornadus-T as well. I also suggest you take out the Speed EVs from Rotom-W, as well as 1 Speed IV. Underspeeding opposing Rotom-W allows you to gain momentum.

New Team

Venomancer (Zygarde) @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 200 HP / 252 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Coil
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail

Techies (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split

Phoenix (Skarmory) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Thunder Wave
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock

Latias @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Defog

 

[CharlieTheHitchhiker]

Thanks! I really like the changes you suggested, although I gave Hippowdon Sand Stream since 4 of my pokemon are unaffected by it.
So far it's going pretty well! I'll update it once I test it out more.