Infernape Uncaged - OU Team V2

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Jukain

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This is a repost of my team “Going Ape”. I decided to do this for three reasons. One, my title sucked (This one isn’t good either, I know). Secondly, I made a few big changes. Last and most importantly though, is that Latias and Salamence are gone. From the moment Latias was allowed into OU, it sent Infernape running back to its cage, where it could do very little in terms of sweeping, or even staying alive for that matter. The ban of Latias (not so much Salamence; I just didn’t want to leave him out) leaves Infernape (almost) free to sweep, hence the new name of the post.



At a Glance

Here is how I made the team.

I wanted a fast lead that can set up Stealth Rock and dish out a lot of damage. I settled on Infernape:

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Next, I needed an anti-spinner. Rotom seemed nice because of its ground resist and its ability to take out Gyarados and Swampert:

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Next I wanted a revenge killer and my own spinner. I had always wanted to use Scizor on a team, and Starmie had nice synergy with it and Infernape.

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I wanted to choose a sweeper, but I couldn’t, so I chose a Dual Screener to help my sweeper set up. Uxie fit the bill nicely:

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After looking at sweepers again, I saw Heatran, which had nice synergy with the team, but was slow and didn’t have any boosting moves. I also wanted to have a U-Turn Chain, but I didn’t want Flygon, because it also didn’t have boosting moves. Then an idea hit me. I made Heatran my lead, and Infernape my Sweeper.

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So I play-tested for a while and it worked. At first I thought Uxie really made the team by allowing Starmie and Infernape to switch in. However, after playing higher ranked players on the ladder, I quickly found out that whenever I pulled off dual screens one of three things happened. My opponent had a Pokémon out that was not worth using memento on, he/she had set up in the meantime, or he/she had a Pokemon out that Infernape simply didn’t match up with. My screens eventually ran out, Infernape took heavy damage on the switch, and I found out that this just was not working in my favor. So, after a great recommendation from Fuzznip (first post), I switched Uxie to Jirachi, who is an all around solid Pokémon. So, my revised team at a glance is:

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Under the Microscope



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Heatran @ Shuca Berry
Flash Fire
6 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Naïve Nature (+Spe, -SpD)
~Stealth Rock
~Explosion
~Earth Power
~Fire Blast

Heatran is an all-around solid lead. It is able to set up Stealth Rock very easily and usually lives until late game when it can dish out a lot of damage and explode, which is always nice. Because of its Dark and Ghost resistances, it works well with Rotom, and his resistance to Poison has been more helpful than I first anticipated. It also compliments Scizor well with Flash Fire.

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Rotom–C @ Life Orb
Levitate
252 SpA/6 SpD/252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
~Will-o-Wisp
~Shadow Ball
~Thunderbolt
~Leaf Storm

Rotom is my anti-spinner, but it is also a team player. Because of its resistances to fighting and ground, and its ability to take out Swampert and Gyarados, it works really well with Heatran and Infernape. Shadow Ball comes in handy from time to time and Will-o-Wisp makes physical attackers think twice before switching in. I find myself switching to Rotom a lot because of its useful resistances. I changed Rotom from the standard Defensive set to an all offensive set and I really like the increase in power. The only problem I have is whether to change the nature to Modest or Timid.

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Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Serene Grace
6 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
~Fire Punch
~Ice Punch
~ThunderPunch
~Iron Head

Jirachi is a great addition to this team. It does a simple job but it does it extremely well. It can revenge kill Lucario, Gyarados, and sometimes even Dragonite. Every game it gets one or two KO’s. Infernape and Starmie can cover Heatran while Rotom covers Swampert and other Rotom-A. Suicune, who is lured out by Jirachi, is also handled by Rotom. As of now, I can’t think of anything else to say about Jirachi.

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Infernape @ Life Orb
Blaze
6 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
~Nasty Plot
~Vacuum Wave
~Focus Blast
~Fire Blast

Another major change I made was changing this set from being physical to being special because I wanted a more powerful Fire type move than Fire Punch and don’t like recoil damage. Infernape is my main sweeper on this team. All I usually do is Nasty Plot on the switch and then attack with the best move. I personally hate Focus blast’s horrible accuracy, and find that close Combat does not pack enough power on specially based sets. Therefore, I attached a wide lens as a compromise and run two Base 120 power moves. After a Nasty Plot, Focus Blast can KO Vaporeon, Suicune, two common counters to Infernape only if they have taken previous damage (The loss of Life Orb hurts in that case), and the now 93% accurate Fire Blast takes care of everything that doesn’t resist it. Vacuum Wave is there for Heatran, Lucario, and Tyranitar, who all threaten to stop my sweep.

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Scizor @ Choice Band
Technician
252 HP/252 Atk/8 Def
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
~Bullet Punch
~Pursuit
~Superpower
~U-Turn

There honestly isn’t anything special about this Scizor. Bullet Punch is a great STAB move that I use for damage. Pursuit is mainly for Starmie who can stop Infernape in its tracks. Superpower is there for the Blissey that somehow avoided Heatran’s explosion, and U-Turn is there to have another STAB move as well as to scout. As you can see, I ditched my U-Turn chain, as it was overall a bad idea and did not fit with my playing style at all. The only special thing I did was max out HP and put the rest of the EVs into Defense, so that Scizor gains an edge on faster Scizor who use Superpower on it. All in all, this is an average Choice Band Scizor.

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Starmie @ Life Orb
Natural Cure
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
6 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
~Rapid Spin
~Thunderbolt
~Ice Beam
~Hydro Pump

Starmie is my icing on the cake, and I simply love this thing. It has excellent synergy with the rest of my team and can be a legitimate threat on its own. Starmie can absorb status, spin, and recover off damage. Secondly, it is my Dragon Counter. I needed a way to counter Flygon, and Dragonite who can sweep my team if I make a bad prediction. Because I have Thunderbolt on Rotom, I chose Ice Beam over Thunderbolt on Starmie, and boy am I happy I did that. Ice Beam has won me the game via freeze hax so many times. Since I got rid of my dual screener though, I have to play a prediction game in order to get Starmie into the game, but I found out that Starmie is fairly easy to switch in, so I am not worried there. When I’m feeling particularly lucky, I bluff Thunderbolt on Starmie and it gives me a great advantage against Gyarados. However, I have been considering switching Recover to Thunderbolt and giving Starmie a Life Orb instead of Leftovers. I had a 6/252/252 spread on Starmie from the beginning, so it isn’t the bulkiest, but it is able to use recover effectively. This is where opinions would be nice.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to rate my team. Any comments are appreciated as long as they are constructive.

Edits in Red, although I didn't change the descriptions yet.
 
Starmie is my icing on the cake, and I simply love this thing. It has excellent synergy with the rest of my team and can be a legitimate threat on its own. Starmie can absorb status, spin, and recover off damage. Secondly, it is my Dragon Counter. I needed a way to counter Flygon, and Dragonite who can sweep my team if I make a bad prediction.
- Not really, most Flygon had Choice Scarf which will outspeed Starmie and U-Turn will deals about 55.9% - 66.7% or Outrage could KO if Starmie under 85%

- Gyarados after 1 Dragon Dance, Earthquake + Bounce + Stone Edge OHKO Starmie, Waterfall OHKO Rotom. So your team will be dead if Gyarados have 1 Dragon Dance.

- If Scizor down, Blissey will wall your team. After Nasty Plot Infernape just deals about 60-70% of Blissey, Protect + Wish will make Focus Blast out off PP.

So i suggest TrickScarf in Starmie, which can OHKO Flygon, Gyarados and ruined Blissey
 
Hey Jukain interesting team you have yourself, I have a few suggestions that may help your team out!

The only glaring weakness to your team is Life Orb Starmie. Starmie in general can be a nuisance but LO-Mie tops it off. Being able to switch safely into Infernape, Starmie, and Heatran considering you don't Explode. You only have one water resist and that is your own Starmie. With your current move set you don't have anything to do in return while the opponents Starmie can finish you off. If you do chose to run Thunderbolt over Recover the victor would be decided by a speed tie anyway. Starmie is able to KO Scizor with Hydro Pump after Stealth Rocks. Same goes for Rotom-C, Starmie is able to KO Rotom if Stealth Rocks are in play considering it gets 5% over minimum damage. Life Orb Starmie does 83.4% - 98.3% to your current Rotom. The only way you can possibly revenge kill Starmie is by Iron Head flinching it with Jirachi. This isn't always a safe nor secure way of revenge killing Starmie. Considering if they have Recover or don't even get flinched you would recieve (61.9% - 73.3%) damage. On a side note you wrote Fire Punch twice on Jirachi's move set, instead I would suggest you use Thunderbolt and I will explain why later.

This team also has trouble playing against cores like Tyranitar+Magnezone+Gengar. While Tyranitar can lure in Bullet Punch from Scizor or scarf Iron Head from Jirachi they can switch into Magnezone easily setting up a Subsisute then being able to Thunder-Wave and Thunderbolt spam. Thus leaving you to bring in Infernape and Vaccum Wave to break the substitute while Thunderbolt will chop away at your health. Then allowing them to bring in Substitute Gengar to take the obvious Fighting attack since being immune. Now leaving you to either bring in Scizor to
Bullet Punch/Pursuit or Jirachi to Iron Head. Which will start this cycle again letting Magnezone yet again to take advantage of this situatuion. This core easily wears down your team with literally no effort just constant abuse of both steel pokemon Scizor and Jirachi being Choiced.

With this said I would suggest you use Pain Split Rotom-W instead of the current Cut form you are using. This prevents spD drops from Leaf Storm and instead you use Hydro Pump. The current set you ran was completely walled by Magnezone while this set lets you hit Mangezone with Hydro Pump. With the additional move Pain Split you recieve instant recovery which can be very usefull to you especially at low health providing you more longetivity.

Rotom - W @ Life Orb | Levitate
Timid | 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Thunderbolt | Shadow Ball | Hydro Pump | Pain Split

As for the Scarf Jirachi set you currently use. I would suggest you use Thunderbolt and Trick over Fire Punch. Thunderbolt instead of Thunderpunch because it provides much more stability and power than Thunderpunch against pokemon like Skarmory, Starmie, Gyarados, etc. In this situation Naive nature would be needed instead of Jolly. Even with the lower special defense this still allows you to hit hard with Thunderbolt. Trick can also helps you deal with boosted sweepers that are in the phaze of setting up. Also prevents walls such as Blissey to continue walling special sweepers on your team.

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf | Serene Grace
Naive | 252 Atk / 4 SpAtk / 252 Speed
Iron head | Trick | Ice Punch | Thunderbolt

You should also be careful about using Wide Lens on Infernape instead of Life Orb. In fact it doesn't KO Vaporeon with Focus Blast you do 77.9% - 92%. While having Life Orb you sure do KO Vaporeon doing 101.3% - 119.4%. If I were you I would make the switch over to Life Orb even though Focus Blast has poor accuracy. Same scenario goes for Suicune, holding wide lens wont KO will holding Life Orb will.
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Good Luck :toast:
 
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Serene Grace
6 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
~Fire Punch
~Ice Punch
~Fire Punch ?
~Iron Head

I think you mean thunder punch or trick, probably thunder punch.

Pretty solid team there though I just wanted to point out that. =)
 
It looks good, but one potential problem I see is that a sunny beamer with decent speed and HP Ground can take out our entire team. For example, this basic sunny beamer Rapidash that I use:

Rapidash @ Life Orb
Rash, Max Spe/ split Atk and SAtk

Flare Blitz
Solar Beam
HP Ground
Hypnosis

Starmie could outspeed and KO with Surf, but if Starmie is down, ur team has a serious problem on thier hands. you would have to sacrifice at least one poke to stop such a pokemon. Fortunately, SD teams in OU are uncommon, so my insight might be useless for you. In that case, let it be food for thought.
 
In fact it doesn't KO Vaporeon with Focus Blast you do 77.9% - 92%. While having Life Orb you sure do KO Vaporeon doing 101.3% - 119.4%. If I were you I would make the switch over to Life Orb even though Focus Blast has poor accuracy. Same scenario goes for Suicune, holding wide lens wont KO will holding Life Orb will.

I did switch over to Life Orb. I wasn't worried about Starmie and Suicune, but once I realized I lost the KO on Blissey, I switched over to Life Orb immediately. In fact I had mentioned that Vaporeon and Suicune were conditional KOs.

After a Nasty Plot, Focus Blast can KO Vaporeon, Suicune, two common counters to Infernape only if they have taken previous damage (The loss of Life Orb hurts in that case)

Also, without Leaf Storm on Rotom, Swampert would do really mean and evil things to my team.

I did take your suggestion and switch Recover to Thunderbolt on Starmie and giving it Life Orb. This gives me both Rotom and Starmie to deal with Suicune and Starmie. I mention those two specifically because they are damaged more by Thunderbolt than by a Thunderpunch from Jirachi. Therefore, I feel safe not giving it Thunderbolt.

Gyarados after 1 Dragon Dance, Earthquake + Bounce + Stone Edge OHKO Starmie, Waterfall OHKO Rotom. So your team will be dead if Gyarados have 1 Dragon Dance.

Jirachi can come in for the revenge kill with Thunderpunch.


Starmie is my icing on the cake, and I simply love this thing. It has excellent synergy with the rest of my team and can be a legitimate threat on its own. Starmie can absorb status, spin, and recover off damage. Secondly, it is my Dragon Counter. I needed a way to counter Flygon, and Dragonite who can sweep my team if I make a bad prediction.

- Not really, most Flygon had Choice Scarf which will outspeed Starmie and U-Turn will deals about 55.9% - 66.7% or Outrage could KO if Starmie under 85%

You're right there. I guess counter isn't the right word.

It looks good, but one potential problem I see is that a sunny beamer with decent speed and HP Ground can take out our entire team.

As you said: food for thought.
 
It looks good, but one potential problem I see is that a sunny beamer with decent speed and HP Ground can take out our entire team. For example, this basic sunny beamer Rapidash that I use:

Rapidash @ Life Orb
Rash, Max Spe/ split Atk and SAtk

Flare Blitz
Solar Beam
HP Ground
Hypnosis

Starmie could outspeed and KO with Surf, but if Starmie is down, ur team has a serious problem on thier hands. you would have to sacrifice at least one poke to stop such a pokemon. Fortunately, SD teams in OU are uncommon, so my insight might be useless for you. In that case, let it be food for thought.

I can say one word to describe this rate: lol

This team doesn't do a good enough job of knocking out Starmie and maybe Jolteon before Infernape is deployed. I would say that best way to do either would be to replace Rotom- Who I feel isn't doing ANYTHING for this team- with a Scarfed Tyranitar.

Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Jolly
252 Attack/252 Speed/4 Defense

~Stone Edge
~Crunch
~Pursuit
~Superpower

Even after SR this will survive a LO surf, no problem (Though you'll cut its life short by a LOT). I recommend highly that you try to play and lure Electric/Ice Attacks. Something like your Starmie :naughty: Don't worry about Sand Stream; Infernape is relatively frail, and if you deploy Infernape in the endgame with Starmies and Jolteons weakened/killed you won't have to worry about killing yourself.
 
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