Introduction: After taking a break from competitive OU since December, I have returned to discover many new toys to play around with in gen 5. Generation 5 has been quite a wild experience for me so far. Sazandora, Doryuuza, Roobushin, all extremely powerful Pokemon with insane attacks. While debate is flowing on what will become uber and what will not, I took the initiative to decide for myself, and create a team that can destroy all popular threats, and run through every team that I have to face. My original plan was to toxic stall, and use Pendraah to sweep via Venom Shocker, although that plan died in flames once I realized that Pendraah is nothing compared to what I have come up with.
I then immediately tested out Jandoora. Jandoora has an intriguing move pool, and can phaze, paralyze, subseed…I thought that he had it all. Well, I ruled him out after about 5 games. It took me 2 days to get a good grasp on the gen 5 OU metagame. It seemed to favor sandstorm, and especially stall with all the Pokemon being ____/steel. Many people quickly started abusing the Nattorei/Burunguru combination, which I personally feel is quite lacking, not even comparable to the frightening Skarm Bliss combination that had been released in gen 3, and continued to dominate in gen 4.
Eventually, I went back to what I have always felt most comfortable with. Bulky offense. When used in the right hands, bulky offense becomes a terrifying experience for the opponent, having to break through the likes of Machamp, Hippowdon, and Urugamosa (Ulgamoth). I could beat stall, I had been doing it ever since original Gen 4, when Weavile was basically Scizor. Surprisingly, leads are almost extinct. No more suicide Stealth Rockers, well, there are very few, and they are extremely unsuccessful.
My goals for this team were pretty simple. Knock out 6 Pokemon without the opponent even realizing what’s happening, until it’s too late. Machamp as a lead allows me to deny suicide leads, defeat the common Tyranitar lead, and especially force switches. It also invites Erufuun, and Shandera to come in and attempt to defeat me. Erufuun stands no chance, Shandera attacks with psychic, or attempts to set up Calm mind, and is met with a swift Payback for a knockout. Hippowdon toxic stalls everything, sets up Stealth Rocks (mainly to render Ulgamoth useless) and deals damage via Earthquake.
Ulgamoth is an awesome new Pokemon, and one of my favorites from the new generation. Great sweeper, and puts a dent in everything, especially after a Butterfly Dance. Jarooda is my absolute favorite Pokemon. Perversity is BROKEN, and I love sweeping teams with +6 Leaf Storm. The best is when a flying type comes in and eats a boosted HP Rock. Best feeling ever. Doryuuza is the Garchomp of Gen 5, and can sweep teams alone if given the chance. Last but not least, Sazandora is my stall breaker. I come in on something I threaten, U-Turn out, and Blissey just took SR, U-Turn, and when it switches again, more SR. This sets it up for a knockout later on.
Generation 5 is no doubt my favorite generation for competitive. It takes A LOT of team building and testing, skill, and prediction to conquer. Ditto, Jarooda, Doryuuza, Roobushin, etc are all incredible threats and need to be dealt with accordingly, or you will lose. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I present;
Darkartisan's Dream World;
Machamp @ Lum berry
Adamant Nature
240 Hp/248 Atk/16 SpD/4 Spe
-Dynamic Punch
-Payback
-Bullet Punch
-Ice Punch
Machamp is the best lead in gen 5. Nothing can ditto the danger of Machamp, and nothing will ever be able to (besides Ditto of course, but Dynamic Punch‘s confusion is cured by Lum Berry, so I beat it). No Guard STAB Dynamic Punch coming off a monstrous attack stat deals incredible damage to everything not typed ghost, and anything ghost gets Paybacked, which will destroy most offensive ghosts, such as Shandera and Gengar. The EV’s are pretty standard, but work extremely well. I originally had Bulk Up for the switch, but Bullet Punch works so much better, even if I decide to save Machamp so that he can sweep late game.
The reason why I use Machamp over anything else in the lead position is because it pretty much forces the switch, unless they wanna challenge a huge attack stat along with great longevity and confusion. If they switch to a ghost, Payback. If they don’t, more confusion. Ice Punch hits Hippowdon, Latios, Dragonite, and Sazandora,the latter 4 very hard. Bullet Punch really isn’t as useful as it has been, but it is necessary for sashers. Machamp isn’t a suicide lead, but he is just an offensive slaughterhouse, taking down 2-3 Pokemon before going down.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Impish Nature
252 Hp/152 Def/104 SpD
-Slack Off
-Earthquake
-Toxic
-Stealth Rock
Hippowdon has always been difficult to take out, but with new threats in gen 5, Hippowdon gets so much better than he was in gen 4, almost twice as good. The second that Hippowdon comes into play, Stealth Rocks will be layed, and whatever damage Hippowdon has taken will be easily recovered off via Slack Off. Toxic absolutely breaks stall, Burunguru hates status. Opposing Hippowdon hate it as well, and Earthquake hits surprisingly hard coming from a wall.
The reason I chose physically defensive Hippowdon is because of Roobushin. Many people use him as a special wall, but with Roobushin in the game now, you need something to sponge physical attacks or you’ll be swept easily. Hippowdon takes something like 40% from unboosted Drain Punch, and Toxic along with Slack Off beat it. The main reason why I chose Hippo over the rest is simple. Doryuuza loves him as a partner, and Hippo can take a lot of damage while dealing it all back through Toxic and Earthquake. Hippowdon sets the team up because it deals small damage throughout the game, defeats weather, and counters a bunch of things my team would have trouble with.
Jarooda @ Leftovers
Timid Nature
28 Hp/60 Def/168 SpA/252 Spe
-Leaf Storm
-Hidden Power Rock
-Taunt
-Dragon Tail
Before any stats or anything was announced, I saw Jarooda and knew that it would be a star. Originally, I had Jarooda as a paraseeder with Dragon Tail, but since Dragon Tail has negative priority, it didn’t work out too well, and I had assumed that it was terrible, that is, until I discovered Perversity. Perversity flips all stat changes around, so if Jarooda was to use Leaf Storm, it would receive a +2 SpA boost, instead of a -2 SpA drop. Incredible. Leaf Storm has STAB and hits really hard. Hidden Power Rock deals with specific threats, such as Urugamosa (Ulgamoth), Zapdos, and various other things.
Taunt beats stall and Erufuun, Burungusu, etc. Dragon Tail is my little move that no one else seems to run. I use it to beat phazers, and hit dragons right on the switch. The move is pretty weak, and difficult to use, but I love it. Forces the opponent to switch (and when they switch back, they’ll take SR damage), bring in a new target (who takes Dragon Tail damage, usually boosted), and then when they bring in the original target again, it takes more Stealth Rock damage. Jarooda’s the best.
Sazandora @ Choice Scarf
Timid Nature
252 SpA/252 Spe/6 Hp
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Surf
-U Turn
Sazandora is one of the most interesting Pokemon that gen 5 has blessed us with. It is a very tacticle Pokemon, and can be very difficult to use. If you abuse Sazandora correctly, it is a very scary thing for your opponent. The reason I have Sazandora over Salamence/ Dragonite/ Garchomp is pretty simple. Sazandora is a better Scarf user due to U Turn. You may ask, well then, why didn’t you use Flygon? Well, Flygon has a huge ice weakness, is incredibly frail, and is really predictable. Sazandora is not. U Turn allows me to hurt Chansey/ Blissey decently and finish it off with Doryuuza or some other sweeper. If the Blissey/ stupid wall retreats, then I get a free Swords Dance boost. All about abusing the switch. Also, if it retreats, it should have taken around 40% health, once it switches in again, This puts it in great range to be KO’d. Sazandora is also one of those Pokemon that will always deal big damage. I can always just come in, use Draco Meteor, deal damage, and switch out just as easily as anything else. Very useful revenge killer, and scout.
Doryuuza @ Chople Berry
Jolly Nature
252 Atk/252 Spe/6 Hp
-Swords Dance
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-X Scissor
Doryuuza is the Garchomp of gen 5. In the sand, Doryuuza reaches over 600 speed, receives a SpD boost, it doesn’t get any better than that! We thought Garchomp was broken! Doryuuza is usually my last Pokemon to be sent out, and he gets the job done. Weakened Roobushin expect another item over Chople, and they get surprised when they can’t one shot it, and are KO’d right back. X Scissor is an over specific way to deal with random threats, such as Sazandora. Jolly Nature allows me to outspeed opposing Doryuuza and KO them with Earthquake. If they happen to be on a Balloon, it’s a pain, but I always find a way to pop it before switching my Doryuuza in and finishing the job. There really isn’t too much more to say, this mole is serious.
Urugamosa (Ulgamoth) @ Life Orb
Timid Nature
252 SpA/252 Spe/6 Hp
-Butterfly Dance
-Flame Dance
-Hidden Power Rock
-Bug Buzz
Butterfly Dance has changed Pokemon that would be decent, into killing machines. Urugamosa comes in on something it threatens. Then when they switch, it picks up a speed boost, special attack boost, and special defense boost, all in one move! From there, Urugamosa takes out the entire team. It’s seriously that much of a threat, that if it comes into play when Stealth Rocks are absent, it will take down 2-3 Pokemon. Flame Dance picks off anything weakened and has a 50% chance of boosting Urugamosa’s special attack by one stage, which is again, incredible. Life Orb is definitely a move that can be replaced by Leftovers, or even Choice Specs, but I prefer Life Orb for its versatility and offensive nature. Hidden Power Rock hits Heatran for nifty damage, roughly 48-56%. Bug Buzz ruins anything that takes it neutrally. If you’re weak to bug, and you switch in on Urugamosa, it’s suicide.
Overall, the goal of the team is to knockout 6 Pokemon as fast as possible, in any means necessary. Machamp goes hammertime and just starts to dominate the board. I normally don't even switch him out. For those questioning Urugamosa, he's only a tech to stop walls that can stop my team otherwise, and he makes a great lure for Heatran as well. This team is bulky offense, with a lot of speed. It's very fragile and needs to be played correctly to work. You don't want to reveal your cards too early, which is exactly why I don't bother with Rapid Spin on Doryuuza.
| Rate | Hate | Steal |
I then immediately tested out Jandoora. Jandoora has an intriguing move pool, and can phaze, paralyze, subseed…I thought that he had it all. Well, I ruled him out after about 5 games. It took me 2 days to get a good grasp on the gen 5 OU metagame. It seemed to favor sandstorm, and especially stall with all the Pokemon being ____/steel. Many people quickly started abusing the Nattorei/Burunguru combination, which I personally feel is quite lacking, not even comparable to the frightening Skarm Bliss combination that had been released in gen 3, and continued to dominate in gen 4.
Eventually, I went back to what I have always felt most comfortable with. Bulky offense. When used in the right hands, bulky offense becomes a terrifying experience for the opponent, having to break through the likes of Machamp, Hippowdon, and Urugamosa (Ulgamoth). I could beat stall, I had been doing it ever since original Gen 4, when Weavile was basically Scizor. Surprisingly, leads are almost extinct. No more suicide Stealth Rockers, well, there are very few, and they are extremely unsuccessful.
My goals for this team were pretty simple. Knock out 6 Pokemon without the opponent even realizing what’s happening, until it’s too late. Machamp as a lead allows me to deny suicide leads, defeat the common Tyranitar lead, and especially force switches. It also invites Erufuun, and Shandera to come in and attempt to defeat me. Erufuun stands no chance, Shandera attacks with psychic, or attempts to set up Calm mind, and is met with a swift Payback for a knockout. Hippowdon toxic stalls everything, sets up Stealth Rocks (mainly to render Ulgamoth useless) and deals damage via Earthquake.
Ulgamoth is an awesome new Pokemon, and one of my favorites from the new generation. Great sweeper, and puts a dent in everything, especially after a Butterfly Dance. Jarooda is my absolute favorite Pokemon. Perversity is BROKEN, and I love sweeping teams with +6 Leaf Storm. The best is when a flying type comes in and eats a boosted HP Rock. Best feeling ever. Doryuuza is the Garchomp of Gen 5, and can sweep teams alone if given the chance. Last but not least, Sazandora is my stall breaker. I come in on something I threaten, U-Turn out, and Blissey just took SR, U-Turn, and when it switches again, more SR. This sets it up for a knockout later on.
Generation 5 is no doubt my favorite generation for competitive. It takes A LOT of team building and testing, skill, and prediction to conquer. Ditto, Jarooda, Doryuuza, Roobushin, etc are all incredible threats and need to be dealt with accordingly, or you will lose. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I present;
Darkartisan's Dream World;
Machamp @ Lum berry
Adamant Nature
240 Hp/248 Atk/16 SpD/4 Spe
-Dynamic Punch
-Payback
-Bullet Punch
-Ice Punch
Machamp is the best lead in gen 5. Nothing can ditto the danger of Machamp, and nothing will ever be able to (besides Ditto of course, but Dynamic Punch‘s confusion is cured by Lum Berry, so I beat it). No Guard STAB Dynamic Punch coming off a monstrous attack stat deals incredible damage to everything not typed ghost, and anything ghost gets Paybacked, which will destroy most offensive ghosts, such as Shandera and Gengar. The EV’s are pretty standard, but work extremely well. I originally had Bulk Up for the switch, but Bullet Punch works so much better, even if I decide to save Machamp so that he can sweep late game.
The reason why I use Machamp over anything else in the lead position is because it pretty much forces the switch, unless they wanna challenge a huge attack stat along with great longevity and confusion. If they switch to a ghost, Payback. If they don’t, more confusion. Ice Punch hits Hippowdon, Latios, Dragonite, and Sazandora,the latter 4 very hard. Bullet Punch really isn’t as useful as it has been, but it is necessary for sashers. Machamp isn’t a suicide lead, but he is just an offensive slaughterhouse, taking down 2-3 Pokemon before going down.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Impish Nature
252 Hp/152 Def/104 SpD
-Slack Off
-Earthquake
-Toxic
-Stealth Rock
Hippowdon has always been difficult to take out, but with new threats in gen 5, Hippowdon gets so much better than he was in gen 4, almost twice as good. The second that Hippowdon comes into play, Stealth Rocks will be layed, and whatever damage Hippowdon has taken will be easily recovered off via Slack Off. Toxic absolutely breaks stall, Burunguru hates status. Opposing Hippowdon hate it as well, and Earthquake hits surprisingly hard coming from a wall.
The reason I chose physically defensive Hippowdon is because of Roobushin. Many people use him as a special wall, but with Roobushin in the game now, you need something to sponge physical attacks or you’ll be swept easily. Hippowdon takes something like 40% from unboosted Drain Punch, and Toxic along with Slack Off beat it. The main reason why I chose Hippo over the rest is simple. Doryuuza loves him as a partner, and Hippo can take a lot of damage while dealing it all back through Toxic and Earthquake. Hippowdon sets the team up because it deals small damage throughout the game, defeats weather, and counters a bunch of things my team would have trouble with.
Jarooda @ Leftovers
Timid Nature
28 Hp/60 Def/168 SpA/252 Spe
-Leaf Storm
-Hidden Power Rock
-Taunt
-Dragon Tail
Before any stats or anything was announced, I saw Jarooda and knew that it would be a star. Originally, I had Jarooda as a paraseeder with Dragon Tail, but since Dragon Tail has negative priority, it didn’t work out too well, and I had assumed that it was terrible, that is, until I discovered Perversity. Perversity flips all stat changes around, so if Jarooda was to use Leaf Storm, it would receive a +2 SpA boost, instead of a -2 SpA drop. Incredible. Leaf Storm has STAB and hits really hard. Hidden Power Rock deals with specific threats, such as Urugamosa (Ulgamoth), Zapdos, and various other things.
Taunt beats stall and Erufuun, Burungusu, etc. Dragon Tail is my little move that no one else seems to run. I use it to beat phazers, and hit dragons right on the switch. The move is pretty weak, and difficult to use, but I love it. Forces the opponent to switch (and when they switch back, they’ll take SR damage), bring in a new target (who takes Dragon Tail damage, usually boosted), and then when they bring in the original target again, it takes more Stealth Rock damage. Jarooda’s the best.
Sazandora @ Choice Scarf
Timid Nature
252 SpA/252 Spe/6 Hp
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Surf
-U Turn
Sazandora is one of the most interesting Pokemon that gen 5 has blessed us with. It is a very tacticle Pokemon, and can be very difficult to use. If you abuse Sazandora correctly, it is a very scary thing for your opponent. The reason I have Sazandora over Salamence/ Dragonite/ Garchomp is pretty simple. Sazandora is a better Scarf user due to U Turn. You may ask, well then, why didn’t you use Flygon? Well, Flygon has a huge ice weakness, is incredibly frail, and is really predictable. Sazandora is not. U Turn allows me to hurt Chansey/ Blissey decently and finish it off with Doryuuza or some other sweeper. If the Blissey/ stupid wall retreats, then I get a free Swords Dance boost. All about abusing the switch. Also, if it retreats, it should have taken around 40% health, once it switches in again, This puts it in great range to be KO’d. Sazandora is also one of those Pokemon that will always deal big damage. I can always just come in, use Draco Meteor, deal damage, and switch out just as easily as anything else. Very useful revenge killer, and scout.
Doryuuza @ Chople Berry
Jolly Nature
252 Atk/252 Spe/6 Hp
-Swords Dance
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-X Scissor
Doryuuza is the Garchomp of gen 5. In the sand, Doryuuza reaches over 600 speed, receives a SpD boost, it doesn’t get any better than that! We thought Garchomp was broken! Doryuuza is usually my last Pokemon to be sent out, and he gets the job done. Weakened Roobushin expect another item over Chople, and they get surprised when they can’t one shot it, and are KO’d right back. X Scissor is an over specific way to deal with random threats, such as Sazandora. Jolly Nature allows me to outspeed opposing Doryuuza and KO them with Earthquake. If they happen to be on a Balloon, it’s a pain, but I always find a way to pop it before switching my Doryuuza in and finishing the job. There really isn’t too much more to say, this mole is serious.
Urugamosa (Ulgamoth) @ Life Orb
Timid Nature
252 SpA/252 Spe/6 Hp
-Butterfly Dance
-Flame Dance
-Hidden Power Rock
-Bug Buzz
Butterfly Dance has changed Pokemon that would be decent, into killing machines. Urugamosa comes in on something it threatens. Then when they switch, it picks up a speed boost, special attack boost, and special defense boost, all in one move! From there, Urugamosa takes out the entire team. It’s seriously that much of a threat, that if it comes into play when Stealth Rocks are absent, it will take down 2-3 Pokemon. Flame Dance picks off anything weakened and has a 50% chance of boosting Urugamosa’s special attack by one stage, which is again, incredible. Life Orb is definitely a move that can be replaced by Leftovers, or even Choice Specs, but I prefer Life Orb for its versatility and offensive nature. Hidden Power Rock hits Heatran for nifty damage, roughly 48-56%. Bug Buzz ruins anything that takes it neutrally. If you’re weak to bug, and you switch in on Urugamosa, it’s suicide.
Overall, the goal of the team is to knockout 6 Pokemon as fast as possible, in any means necessary. Machamp goes hammertime and just starts to dominate the board. I normally don't even switch him out. For those questioning Urugamosa, he's only a tech to stop walls that can stop my team otherwise, and he makes a great lure for Heatran as well. This team is bulky offense, with a lot of speed. It's very fragile and needs to be played correctly to work. You don't want to reveal your cards too early, which is exactly why I don't bother with Rapid Spin on Doryuuza.
| Rate | Hate | Steal |
