XY OU *~{D.M.F.P}~* // Drag Mag Offense

DMFP+Display+Re.png

// Art by Scyfrost //
~ forever promoting shameless plugs ~
Introduction:

Like I promised on my previous RMT, I'll be making a detailed RMT of the Aegislash Suspect Ladder Mega Pinsir team variant if Aegislash gets the boot. After the voting phase, Aegislash was voted out of OU with a close 62% majority, and thus, I'm proud to present D.M.F.P, a DragMag offense team featuring Mega Pinsir (totally did not see this coming).
Untitled.png
Like many others, I was laddering for Reqs to qualify for voting. In the process I was using the Heatran Balanced team that I showcased on my last RMT. As expected, the laddering process was tough, as many experienced players were on the ladder as well. After many battles, I slowly realised that Heatran was performing underwhelmingly, as I have a more reliable switch-in to the Lati twins in Clefable (Surf / EQ Latios handles Tran). Especially with Aegislash absent on the ladder, Heatran's primary job of absorbing Shadow Balls from Aegi was void. Many players were also experimenting with Close Combat Mega Pinsir, so Fly-Spam was more dominant than ever on the suspect ladder. It was around this time that I realised that I need to replace Heatran for a more reliable answer to Fly-Spam; something that checks Fly-Spam reliably while also fulfilling the basic roles that Heatran once fulfilled, something that also handles Fairy types... Choice Scarf Magnezone! And so I replaced Heatran with Scarfed Zone, and this team had proven itself to be extremely good ever since.

I wanted to share this team with everyone as it performed really well for me, and so I posted the import of this team on my previous RMT as an "Aegi Suspect Team Variant". Since then, many others have had success with variants of this team as well, and it had made its appearance in many suspect matches. You can check out some videos of people successfully using the team here:
Shofu used this team (he had Latias instead) here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=unM9y7CRmLs&list=UUbr6TI0Mujw2iFAQE4R8yrQ

Similarly, ThunderBlunder also had a lot of success with it on PO (where Aegi was not banned):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y36l20anwss&list=UU-tIwhZwjGMTCEBUVuAG5fA

TheKingKarp also tried out this team after viewing the RMT.
He actually replied to this thread below, feel free to look at his opinions on the team!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmuPfROu5m4
I did end up getting Reqs (I voted Ban for those wondering), a
nd now, I'm here to give a detailed explanation of the team. Let's begin!




~ The Team At A Glance ~
pinsir-mega.gif
latios.gif
keldeo-resolute.gif
clefable.gif
landorus-therian.gif
magnezone.gif

Explanation:

The basis of this team is to simply "break for one another", with Magnezone being the most crucial link. Magnezone takes care of Skarmory (on par with Zapdos as Mega Pinsir's best counter in my opinion) and physically defensive Ferrothorn, 2 big hindrance to Mega Pinsir. Especially if Skarmory is your opponent's only answer to Mega Pinsir, don't be surprised if you manage to sweep with Pinsir on Turn 3; PinsirZone is simply disgusting. At the same time, Zone traps other steel types like Scizor and a weakened Excadrill, allowing Latios to freely spam Draco (good 'ol DragMag), while also allowing Clefable to possibly pull of a late-game sweep. DragMag had also become slightly better than before since Magnezone also handles Fairy types, which happens to be immune to Dragon. So either ways, you can spam powerful Dracos on the special side or spam powerful Return on the physical after Zone had done its job, pretty awesome huh? With Heatran replaced, Clefable is now the team's new Stealth Rocker, replacing Flamethrower for rocks. Its basically the usual physically defensive CM set, but with rocks, so it is now mono-attacking with Moonblast. Its EV Spread is also slightly tweaked to allow it to better handle Greninja and Thundurus(2 big threats for the team). Flamethrower is definitely great, but Zone traps steel types like Ferro anyway, so it is really not needed atm (redundant). The team's offensive synergy doesn't only revolve around Zone; its other members work together really well too. Like I mentioned on my last RMT, Pinsir and Latios handles Mega Venusaur for Keldeo, whereas Clefable handles the Lati twins. Keldeo in turn helps to take care of physical walls like Landorus-T, which might be really annoying for Mega Pinsir. This is the sole reason why this team had been so successful on the suspect ladder; it has near perfect offensive synergy. So without further ado, let's dive into the individual members.



~ The Members ~

pinsir-mega.gif
Mega Pinsir
pinsir-mega.gif


Pinsir (M) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Mold Breaker / Moxie
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake / Close Combat
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Swords Dance

Even with an x4 weakness to rocks, this guy still proves to be one of the best mega pokemon to date. I doubt I need to futher explain my love for Mega Pinsir, but not many pokemon OHKOs Mega Venusaur, just sayin'. People had been asking me questions like "With Aegi gone, how much more broken do you think Mega Pinsir would be?" Well to be honest, Mega Pinsir is somewhat still the same as before. Aegislash is already gone from OU, so imma hide the explanation below. Skip that part if you wish.
Aegislash does not stop Mega Pinsir whatsoever, since a +2 EQ OHKOs. It could come in on a Return, but wouldn't appreciate an EQ after. Coming in on a Return would also mean popping a potential Balloon, making Aegi that more prone to Pinsir's Earthquake. At the same time, Shadow Ball does not OHKO Mega Pinsir, making Aegislash a somewhat unreliable answer to Mega Pinsir.

Calc: +2 EQ from Jolly Mega Pinsir vs Standard Aegislash
+2 252 Atk Mega Pinsir Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 350-412 (108 - 127.1%) -- Guaranteed OHKO
Frustration is used over Return for opposing Dittos. Dittos on Showdown are defaulted to 255 happiness, meaning that if a Ditto copies your Pinsir, its Frustration will literally do 1 damage. Earthquake is still superior to Close Combat in my opinion (at least on this team) even with Aegislash gone. I've been experimenting with both CC and EQ for quite a while now. Close Combat is used mostly to hit Rotom-W and Skarmory neutrally, but since Skarm is already handled by Magnezone, I find it kinda redundant. As for Rotom-W, a Mold Breaker super effective Earthquake before mega evolving hits significantly harder than a Close Combat after mega evolving, and you can force a switch out (since Mold Breaker EQ potentially 2HKOs), mega evolve, and hit something hard with Frustration. With Rotom-W weakened by your Mold Breaker EQ beforehand, you put it in range of a +2 Frustration. Earthquake is also really important to hit Mega Mawile super effectively, and also important for OHKOing Heatran at neutral. Hitting Mega Mawile super effectively might not seem like a big deal, but it is. Mega Mawile is a huge threat to this team. Nothing on the team safely switches into a Play Rough, and those that could (like Magnezone), will get put in range of Sucker Punch. Even Landorus-T will take a huge chunk from Mawile's Play Rough after Intimidate (read up on the "Threats List" section below for further details). Because of this, killing Mawile is definitely key in any battles with this team. Earthquake can sometimes nail KOs on Mega Mawile which Close Combat can't, which makes EQ that much more crucial in my opinion. Should both your Mega Mawile checks go down (that being Landorus-Therian and Keldeo, also note that a check isn't a counter), your final option will be Mega Pinsir. Mega Pinsir can take a Sucker Punch and revenge kill Mega Mawile with EQ after some prior damage, so at the end of the day, I think that Earthquake is still way more superior to Close Combat for Mega Pinsir (on this team). Ferrothorn is another pokemon that CC is used for, but Magnezone traps that anyway, so once again, I'd still prefer using Earthquake. Even with all these perks of EQ, you might still want to use Close Combat (which is not a bad option). You can too, by using Moxie CC. Hyper Cutter can also be used as well, as it can prevent Intimidates from lowing your Attack (from the likes of Landorus-T and stuff like Regular Mawile / Gyara), which will end up in your opponent taking way more damage than he had anticipated. Either ways, Mega Pinsir is still really threatening. Mega Pinsir fulfills primarily as the physical wallbreaker for the team early game, and a sweeper late game. It is also the team's answer to bulky grass and fighting mons, as it could very easily OHKO stuff like Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur, while also handling stuff like AV Conkeldurr really well. Late game, Pinsir will usually be sweeping through a dented team; the offensive prowess of Mega Pinsir is simply astounding. Sometimes, you don't even need an SD to win you a game. A stock Frustration is so powerful by itself, that will sometimes be all you need to rampage through a team. Also with Magnezone around, this said "late game" will come sooner than you'd expect (once again, PinsirZone is just so good). When that happens, feel free to click Frustration and watch something drop.



latios.gif
Latios
latios.gif


Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 184 SpA / 40 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Defog

Say hello to the "Drag" of DragMag. I mean, the LatiosZone core has been extremely deadly since Gen 5, and it is undoubtedly still a big threat. Latios is the team's answer to Keldeo, and with Recover, he can constantly switch into the horse without the fear of being worn down. With his crucial Dragon/Psychic typing, Latios is also the team's Fire and Water resist (Keldeo also), so it could easily come in on Scalds and fire off powerful Dracos. Latios is chosen over Latias for several reasons. The main one is the sheer power difference; a Draco from Latios is simply so powerful, things will drop even without a Choice Specs. To fully utilise Magnezone, I opt for the more powerful option in Latios, as I find Latias a little too weak for my liking. Even after Magnezone handles opposing steel types, Latias' Draco doesn't nail OHKOs that Latios' Draco otherwise would, and this always cost me a lot of troubles especially if the opposing mon has a recovery move to outstall my -2 Latias. Another extremely important reason why Latios is used over Latias is Mega Gardevoir. Similarly to Greninja, Mega Voir has little to no switch-ins (SpDef Scizor is basically the only good counter, but even that falls to a potential Will-O-Wisp) after Aegislash got banned, making it extremely threatening to the team (Magnezone is the only mon that could take 2 Hyper Voices, but gets completely destroyed by Focus Blast). Latios can come in handy in this situation. Latios is so amazingly powerful that it's resisted Life Orb Psyshock 2HKOs Mega Gardevoir after Stealth Rock, something that Latias fails to do, making Latios a much more superior option. Latias however does have the much coveted Healing Wish, which can greatly aid Mega Pinsir in recovering its HP after its been worn down (especially by rocks), so it is a great alternative for consideration. However, with both Life Orb + lack of recovery (Roost is subbed for Healing Wish), you can only switch into Keldeo for that many times, and so I normally find Latias perform underwhelmingly. Latios on the other hand can swap Healing Wish for Recover or Roost, which will prolong his survivability. At the same time, his Draco Meteor massacres anything that doesn't resist it, which dents teams severely after Magnezone traps the opponent's steel types, potentially opening up a passageway for Mega Pinsir. Because of his better offensive prowess, Latios also takes on Mega Venusaur a lot better than Latias, being able to get off bigger hits. In a case where Pinsir goes down, Latios will be the only answer to Mega Venusaur, thus making Latios a more superior option once again (since he handles Mega Venu better than Latias). Aside being the team's answer to Keldeo, Latios also provides the invaluable Defog support for Mega Pinsir. Inevitably, a hazards remover is fundamental for any Mega Pinsir team, so Latios fulfills that role. Watch out for Pursuit trappers like Tyranitar and Bisharp though; try to make a double into Keldeo if your opponent has one. Charizard Y is also a really common pokemon in OU, and Latios deals with it as well. Once again, most Char Y teams do pack a pursuit trapper of some kind, so do be careful. On the topic of Zard Y, you might now be wondering about the EV Spread (credits to CraftyInsight) you're seeing above. This EV spread is to fully maximise both Latios' amazing offensive capabilities and natural bulk, so it could still hit extremely hard while still taking hits from mons that he should. 40 SpDef and 32 Hp investment is for Latios to better handle Charizard Y, as it has a significantly higher chance of surviving 2 Fire Blasts from Zard Y under the sun with that EV Spread. Also, 32 Hp makes for a Life Orb number, thus fully utilising the said item. This also helps Latios handle regular Landorus, allowing him to take its Hp Ices and Sludge Waves better than before. At the cost of a slight SpAtk loss, Latios has now become a way more reliable answer to Zard Y and Landorus-I, so that is definitely a worthy investment. With 184 SpAtk EVs, Latios ultimately still does what it needs to do; hitting stuff extremely hard with its dual STAB combination. Next, Rotom-W is an extremely big nuisance to Mega Pinsir, especially after you've mega evolved. Latios, being resistant to both of the washing machine's STAB moves, easily switches into Rotom-W and threatens it with a Life Orb Draco Meteor. Once again, with the SpDef investment, all of Rotom-W's moves will only be a slight tickle to Latios, making him an extremely reliable answer to one of Mega Pinsir's best switch-ins (Rotom-W). Lastly, Latios is the special wallbreaker of the team alongside Keldeo. With Psyshock, Latios hits on the physical end as well, making the switch-ins to him very little. Once again, once Magnezone handles the Steel and Fairy types, Latios will usually pull through late game.



keldeo-resolute.gif
Keldeo
keldeo-resolute.gif


Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Keldeo is the secondary special powerhouse for the team (alongside Latios), and is also the team's extremely reliable answer to Heatran. Since the team is packing both a Mega Pinsir and Clefable, I find having a reliable answer to Heatran very important (Balloon Heatran basically walls Pinsir while Clefable can't really touch Tran at all). Tbh even without a Mega Pinsir / Clefable on the squad, having a reliable switch-in to Heatran is very important too, since not many pokemon enjoy switching into a Lava Plume with the possibility of a burn. Because of this said burn chance, the situation will normally result in something on the team getting a nasty status due to the lack of a Heatran answer. Thus, a Heatran switch-in is required. This switch-in has to be able to take a Lava Plume well, as well as having the ability to hit Heatran back hard, while not minding a burn at the same time. Keldeo, being a special attacker and resisting Lava Plume, easily switches into Heatran without the fear of it being crippled. Specs Secret Sword OHKOs Heatran as well, making Keldeo the go-to mon against Heatrans, thus fulfilling the role of a Heatran counter for the team. Keldeo is also on the team for many other reasons, one of which is the great synergy it possesses with its fellow team mates. Keldeo + Mega Pinsir works wonders together; Keldeo handles physical walls like Gliscor / Landorus-T / Quagsire / Hippowdon with ease, whereas Mega Pinsir takes care of bulky grass mons like Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss for Keldeo. With Clefable, the entire offensive core becomes extremely solid, as Clefable takes care of the Lati twins for both Keldeo and MPinsir. If you think that offensive synergy is the only thing Keldeo provides, you're extremely wrong. This pony gets access to Secret Sword, making it a very potent wallbreaker. SkarmBliss core? Say hello to Keldeo. ClefTran core? Tell me more about how well Clefable takes a specs Hydro Pump. Keldeo's offensive prowess is through the roof with a choice specs equipped, making it the team's extremely reliable special wallbreaker at the same time. Now back to the topic of synergy. Latios is an extremely reliable Defogger... Unless you're faced with a pursuit trapper. Seeing as how Mega Pinsir is x4 weak to rocks, Defogging is very crucial. Because of this, opposing Bisharps can easily abuse this and get a free +2 on your Defog. So, a reliable counter to Bisharp is necessary. Keldeo, being resistant to both of Bisharp's STABs and also its deadly priority Sucker Punch, handles a +2 Bisharp, thus fulfilling this very crucial role of a Bisharp check. Tyranitar is also another very common pursuit trapper in the current meta, which Keldeo also handle with ease. Oh and not to mention that Scarf Tar is quite a good check to Mega Pinsir, which makes having a reliable switch-in to Tyranitar very important. Keldeo, being able to readily switch into TTar, fulfills this very role (and thus making it an invaluable asset to the team). Being resistant to Sucker Punch also makes Specs Keldeo a check to Mega Mawile (note that a check isn't a counter), as it could take a +2 Sucker Punch and OHKO back with a specs Hydro Pump. Mega Mawile is an extremely big threat to the team, since nothing really appreciates a Play Rough (Landorus-T takes a ton even after Intimidate, while Magnezone will be put in range of Sucker Punch, read up on the "Threats List" section below to know more). Keldeo (alongside Landorus-T) is thus really important to prevent Mawile from sweeping through the team. Keldeo's typing is also really crucial. Being resistant to ice, it is the team's answer to ice attacks; it could hit Ice mons back with a super effective Secret Sword after taking the ice move. Mega Medicham (also a huge threat to the team. Actually screw that, a huge threat to every team) is also readily checked by Keldeo. To deal with Mega Medi, normally, you could go out into Landorus-T to absorb a High Jump Kick, then U-Turn out. Should your opponent decide to stay in, you could easily switch into Keldeo on the expected Ice Punch and kill it with a specs Scald, since the prior U-Turn damage should be able to put Mega Medi into specs Scald range. On the topic of Scald, Scald is used as a secondary reliable 100% accurate STAB move, since Scald can sometimes nail KOs without the need of an inaccurate Hydro Pump. The last slot on Keldeo is extremely crucial as well. Hidden Power Flying, the more popular option, isn't needed on this team, since both Latios and Mega Pinsir handles Mega Venusaur. A +6 Azumarill, however, can be extremely problematic. Hidden Power Electric covers this hole, as a specs Hp Electric + Pinsir's Quick Attack (or Latios' Psyshock) kills an Azumarill, preventing it from possibly sweeping through your team. Now that wouldn't mean everything's safe though, since you'd have to choose one of 3 of those said mons to sack. But that should be more than enough insurance to prevent an opposing Azumarill sweep. Hp Electric can also nail surprise knock outs on an opposing Gyarados that might wanna use Keldeo as setup fodder by not mega evolving, so that is why it is chosen over Hp Grass if you're wondering. On an ending note, never underestimate this docile looking pony. Its role on the team is pretty much unmatched by anything else in the tier, making Keldeo one of the most crucial members on the squad.



clefable.gif
Clefable
clefable.gif


Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 236 HP / 180 Def / 92 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Soft-Boiled

With Heatran replaced, Clefable is now the team's new hazard setter. Calm Mind is replaced with Stealth Rock, and the previous physically defensive Clefable was swapped for a more specially defensive variant to better handle Greninja, Starmie and Thundurus (also Kyurem-Black). The EV Spread above (credits to SupLilNuggets and TheEnder!) allows Clefable to take 2 Hydro Pumps from Greninja, 2 Thunderbolts from Thundurus, as well as 2 Psyshocks from Latios (so it is still a good answer to the Lati twins). At the same time, with the Defense investment, Clefable can still handle Mega Gyarados pretty well. At +2, Mega Gyara only has a 18.8% chance to OHKO with Waterfall, whereas once again, you can live 2 Life Orb Psyshocks from Latios with the spread, making the above EV spread the optimal EV Spread for Clefable. A SpDef Clefable would also mean a better answer to opposing Kyurem Blacks, since a Life Orb Ice Beam from the aforementioned Kyurem 2HKOs Clefable guaranteed even after Leftovers before (when it was PhyDef). Even though steels like Ferrothorn / Skarmory / Scizor is already handled by Magnezone, I still like running Fire Blast on the set. Getting off huge hits on Excadrills on switch in can be extremely crucial, and weakening Ferrothorn is also key since a Scarf Hp Fire from Zone fails to OHKO. Fire Blast is ran over Flamethrower for good reasons too. A lot of people EV their Scizors to specifically live Flamethrowers from Clefable, so with Fire Blast, you can OHKO Scizor after taking one Bullet Punch if need be. Fire Blast is also quite crucial to hit those said steel types should Magnezone go down, and preventing Ferrothorn from potentially setting up rocks is key also. Therefore, I kept Fire Blast and replaced Calm Mind instead. With a SpDef variant, CM will be way less effective with the loss of physical bulk, so even though the CM set is so threatening (and the best set in my opinion), I had to sadly forgo CM for Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock on Clefable is not even a bad option to be extremely honest; Clefable easily switches into stuff like the Lati Twins, Conkeldurr, Kyurem-B, Gliscor and threaten them out. This frees up a perfect opportunity for Clefable to get up hazards. And because Clefable gets up hazards so reliably, Defogging away your own hazards isn't even an issue; Clefable can easily get them up again later on. Clefable's ability as a bulky tank is literally unmatched in my opinion, as there are only so little pokemon that puts a stop to Clefable. Notable threats include Steel types (which Magnezone traps), and Mega Venusaur (which Mega Pinsir and Latios handles). With those said mons out of the way, Clefable will literally sit on the field and wall the living daylight out of everything. It can also do work on its own (even without the CM set) with an insanely good Fire/Fairy move coverage, so Clefable is undoubtedly very important to the team. Clefable is also the status sponge of the team with its ability Magic Guard, and it could easily come in on random Scalds and Lava Plumes with the SpDef investment above. Clefable is also the go-to pokemon against an opposing Conkeldurr, since Conk cannot touch Clefable at all, giving Clefable a free chance to get up Stealth Rock. Like I mentioned before, with so much opportunities for Clefable to get up rocks, you can Defog away your own hazards at will without worrying much, since Clef is a very reliable hazard setter. Clefable also fulfills a really crucial role on the team - a Lati Twins check. With Heatran gone, Clefable is the only mon that can safely come in on the Lati Twins. Since most Lati@s carries Defog, Clefable once again proves itself to be an extremely reliable hazard setter as the Lati Twins will get forced out by Clef, giving Clef an opportunity to set up rocks. Because of this, Clefable can come in on a Defog by the Lati Twins and set them right up again, isn't this awesome? Oh and one more thing. Because Pursuit trappers are so common, Clefable will be the secondary Rotom-W check should Latios get Pursuit trapped. Even though like I previously mentioned, you could easily pull off a double switch into Keldeo predicting Bish / TTar, but in a situation where you can't and Latios dies, Clefable will be your secondary answer to Keldeo. It will not mind a Will-O-Wisp at all with Magic Guard, and with Softboiled as a reliable recovery move, it could beat Rotom-W 1v1. In short, Clefable fulfills the role of a hazards setter, bulky tank, late-game sweeper, status sponge and the Lati@s check of the team. Pink, cute and threatening; the very definition of Gen VI Clefable.



landorus-therian.gif
Landorus-Therian
landorus-therian.gif


Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Superpower / Knock Off
- Rock Slide

Whenever I build teams, I always make it a point to carry an electric immunity on the squad, and Landorus-Therian fulfills this very role. An electric immunity is very important, as it prevents your opponent from freely going for Volt Switch and gaining momentum. Choice Scarf Landorus-Therian is in my opinion, the best choice scarfer at the moment in OU (also my personal favorite!), and that is why I have him on literally every single one of my OU teams. Coupled with its electric immunity, Landorus can easily come in on a Thundurus' TWave, and threaten it with a scarf Rock Slide. Charizard X is currently one of the biggest threats in OU. However with Landorus being a Jolly nature, it outpaces Adamant Charizard X after one Dragon Dance with a Choice Scarf equipped (thus allowing it to revenge with EQ), making it the team's check to Charizard X. It also carries Intimidate, so even if the opposing Char X is Jolly and outspeeds you, they cannot kill you with a Jolly neutral Flare Blitz. However, Will-O-Wisp Zard X variants are more problematic, since Landorus-T will get heavily crippled by a burn. When facing a Charizard, always look at the opponent's team structure, and determine whether its Zard X or Y, and if its a stall-like team, be prepared to face Wisp Zard X. For Wisp / Roost / EQ / Dragon Claw variants, Clefable can use them as set up fodder. As for Wisp / Roost / EQ / Flare Blitz variants, Latios becomes a solid check. These are a few ways to deal with Zard X. As you already know, Magnezone is also choice scarfed on this team. With dual scarfers, you can easily use this to your advantage as this provides a surprise factor for your opponent. If you revealed scarf on Zone, and your opponent does not anticipate a secondary scarfer, Scarf Lando can usually pull of surprise kills on the Lati Twins with U-Turn (after prior damage) and Greninja with U-Turn / Earthquake / Superpower, getting rid of 2 very problematic pokemon. Since I've replaced Heatran, mega Mawile is now a really big threat. Landorus-T can act as a check to Mawile with Intimidate and Earthquake, but do note that it cannot really take a Play Rough well. Thats fine though, since you've Magnezone to take a Play Rough, and can then pull a hard switch into Landorus anticipating Sucker Punch. You also have another solid check to Mawile in specs Keldeo, so Mawile will not be sweeping any time soon. If you're wondering why I've Rock Slide on this instead of Stone Edge, the answer is pretty obvious - god damn misses. Rock Slide OHKOs Mega Pinsir, Volcorona, Talonflame and Thundurus (after rocks) anyway, so the extra power from Stone Edge is not needed. You can also get lucky with a few Rock Slide flinches, so thats always a plus (you're extremely fast with a scarf equipped so you could try scarf flinching), but of course that isn't very reliable. Lastly, there is one particular Steel type that Magnezone has troubles with... Excadrill. Landorus-T handles Excadrill pretty well, and can take care of it for Clefable. If its choice scarfed (hence a check to Mega Pinsir), Magnezone can easily come in on a choiced Rock Slide / Iron Head, and kill it. Superpower (credits to Unbirthday) might sound weird, but it is used for several reasons. Primarily, it is used for Mega Tyranitar. Even though Scarfed Lando outspeeds Mega TTar after a Dragon Dance, it cannot OHKO with Earthquake, which gives TTar a chance to set up a secondary DD. If Keldeo and Clefable were slightly weakened beforehand, Mega TTar would probably sweep through the team at this point, unless you manage to play smart with Intimidate. Superpower however allows Lando to OHKO Mega Tyranitar, while at the same time, hitting Air Balloon Excadrill. Like mentioned before, Excadrill is a steel type that Zone cannot handle, and this team doesn't appreciate Sand Rush Excadrill at all. With Superpower, you can still hit Excadrill on a balloon, and this will often surprise your opponent (SPower isn't common), giving you yet another surprise kill to aid Clefable and MPinsir. Alternatively, Knock Off can be used to hit the Lati Twins harder and also Gengar, but Superpower is still generally better. Overall, Landorus-Therian + Intimidate provides the much needed support for the team, dealing with many physical threats that you might have troubles facing. Being Choice Scarfed also makes it the team's revenge killer, and it forms a great volturn combo with Magnezone.



magnezone.gif
Magnezone
magnezone.gif


Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Magnezone is arguably one of the best pokemon to partner with Mega Pinsir due to one simple aid it provides - the ability to trap Skarmory. Skarmory is hands down Mega Pinsir's best counter (on par with Zapdos), with the ability to take even a +6 Return and having the ability to retaliate with either Counter, Brave Bird, or Whirlwind. That being said, since Aegislash is banned now, Skarmory do have to watch out for a +4 Close Combat from the likes of opposing Mega Pinsirs, since Close Combat has slowly risen to popularity. Other than that, it is still a huge threat (and complete stop) to Mega Pinsir. Trapping and eliminating Skarmory from your opponent's team opens up a huge passageway for MPinsir to run through the opposing team; especially if Skarmory is your opponent's only answer to MPinsir. Like I mentioned before, with Aegislash gone, Heatran isn't needed anymore. I needed a more reliable check to Fly-Spam for a replacement, while still having the essential roles that Heatran once fulfilled. That's when I came across Scarfed Magnezone (I talked about Scarf Zone on my last RMT under the "Honorable Mentions" section). Scarfed Zone was the missing puzzle piece with its x4 resisistance to Flying. It can easily come in on a banded Talonflame's Brave Bird or even a Mega Pinsir's Return, and immediately check both with a Choice Scarf Thunderbolt. In my opinion, Scarf Zone is extremely underrated. Many run specs due to the sheer power, so the Scarf set is usually overlooked. Yeah you lose out on attacking powers and you can no longer OHKO Ferrothorn, but checking Fly-Spam is definitely more important imo, considering how dominant it is atm. Without Scarf Zone on the squad, I could easily see myself getting swept by an opposing Mega Pinsir, making Magnezone's role on the squad very crucial. Back to the topic. Heatran was the team's answer to OHKO-ing Ferrothorn and Skarmory, but with Magnezone as a replacement, it essentially fulfills the same role (dealing with Steels, Fairies, etc). Magnezone arguably even fulfills the role as a Steel type check more reliably than Heatran, since it readily traps Steels, eliminating them for its fellow team mates. I've already said this before, but I'll say this again. Magnezone is the most crucial member on the team, as this team functions mostly around Magnezone. The offensive synergy of the team is largely contributed by Magnezone; Latios Clefable and Mega Pinsir will not be as threatening without it's Magnet Pull support. Magnezone also forms an excellent volt turn core with Scarf Landorus, and once again, since this team has dual scarfers, the surprise factor will always come in handy. If you revealed Scarfed Landorus a while back, your opponent might not anticipate a Scarfed Zone, and might stay in with mons like Talonflame / Pinsir, only to have them die off to a choice scarf Thunderbolt. Mamoswine is also another pokemon that Magnezone readily checks with a Choice Scarf. Being resistant to Ice Shard, Magnezone checks Mamo really well with Flash Cannon. Once again, if you play your dual scarfers (and its surprise factor) well, you can pull off yet another surprise kill on Mamoswine (a big threat to the team). Magnezone also has the ability to get rid of one good check to Mega Pinsir, in Choice Scarf Excadrill. Scarf Excadrill, being resistant to Quick Attack and carrying the x4 Super Effective Rock Slide, checks Mega Pinsir very well. With Magnezone around, you can easily switch Zone into a choiced Rock Slide or Iron Head (if your opponent revealed scarf earlier on that is), and get rid of an obstacle for Mega Pinsir. Of course, that is barring the fact that you get Rock Slide / Iron Head flinched to death ;] Sadly, Magnezone is extremely slow, so it can't even outspeed stuff like max speed Greninja and Starmie. Because of this, Landorus-T is basically needed to be the secondary faster choice scarfer. There is one solution to this actually. Although this is quite gimmicky, a Scarfed Magneton can be used instead since Magneton is faster than Magnezone. This will allow you to outspeed Greninja, Starmie and a non max speed Gyarados at +1 speed. The loss of bulk and offense can be quite significant however, so I'd still recommend using Magnezone. Once again, Magnezone is the most important member on this team, so use it well to your advantage!


~ Threats List ~
658.png
Greninja

Unless you've the pink blobs or Sylveon on deck, Greninja will always be a problem with its excellent speed, coverage, and the ability Protean; even Ferrothorns aren't safe from a potential Hp Fire. A healthy Clefable is the way to deal with Greninja on this team, and also scarf Landorus-T makes for a good check. With the above EV Spread, Clefable can take 2 Hydro Pumps from Greninja with the above spread, making Clef a good answer to Greninja. MPinsir at +2 OHKOs Greninja guaranteed after one Life Orb hit, and you can simply Swords Dance w/o mega evolving (to take a neutral Ice Beam and force LO recoil) and kill with Quick Attack after. Do note that Clefable after a CM basically walls Greninja. Even though you've answers to Greninja, you don't really have a reliable switch-in (should Clefable get weakened), so it is still a threat to watch out for. Remember to always keep Clef healthy by utilizing Softboiled.

663.png
Jolly SD Talonflame

Adamant Talonflames can easily be handled by Scarf Magnezone, since it can outspeed Talon and knock it out with a Scarf TBolt. Jolly Talonflame however, is another story. Jolly Talonflame actually outspeeds Magnezone, no longer making it a good check. The banded set is still manageable, since it cannot switch up moves while locked into BB making Zone a solid answer. If its SD however, it could be problematic, even though it is extremely uncommon. Being able to switch up moves, it could easily Flare Blitz zone after it switches into a Brave Bird. Being SD will also make it a huge issue for the team. Landorus-T + intimidate makes for a good check with Rock Slide, whereas Clefable could take any one hit from Jolly Talon even at +2. If all else fails, recoil stalling it will be your last option. Just make sure to get up rocks asap.


127-m.png
Opposing Mega Pinsir

Three Pokemon on this team deals with Pinsir; Scarf Magnezone, Scarf Landorus and Latios, with Magnezone being the most reliable one. With an x4 resistance to Flying, Zone can easily come in on a Return and immediately check Pinsir with a Scarf TBolt. Alternatively, Latios can take a +2 Quick Attack and OHKO back with a Life Orb Draco, while Landorus-T makes for an excellent check with Rock Slide + Intimidate.

184.png
BellyJet Azumarill

Keldeo's HP Electric + MPinsir's Quick Attack (or Latios' Psyshock) takes care of a +6 Azumarill. However that'd mean that you'd have to choose one of the 3 to sack. Losing one mon from your offensive core can be really annoying, so BellyJet Azumarill is one big threat to this team. Even though Magnezone is naturally bulky on the physical side, it cannot take a +6 Aqua Jet, so do watch out for this bunny.

642.png
Mixed / Physical Thundurus

Knock Off on a mixed or physical Thundurus can easily break through the team. Latios will not appreciate a Knock Off whereas Scarf Lando and Zone would potentially have their Scarf knocked off. Once again, Clefable is a the answer to Thundurus, since it can take 2 TBolts from Thundy with the EV spread, but getting its Lefties knocked off can be annoying. Scarf Lando can also threaten with Rock Slide whereas Scarf Zone can hit it with a STAB Thunderbolt, but be careful not to switch those into a Knock Off. Even though you have good checks and Clefable, this is still a huge threat, so don't underestimate it.

645.png
Knock Off Landorus

Knock Off on Landorus, similarly to Thundurus, can be a huge threat. Normally, Latios walls Landorus, resisting Earth Power / Psychic / Focus Blast, making Latios a good answer. Sludge Wave and Hidden Power Ice (although uncommon nowadays) 2HKOs, but Latios comes in and immediately forces Landorus to switch out, so you can Roost off the damage anyway. Knock Off however can heavily dent Latios on switch-in, removing its Life Orb (making it less powerful). Because of this, you only have checks in Keldeo, Latios and Mega Pinsir after mega evolving, not counters. Mega Pinsir can come in on an expected Knock Off or Earth Power, but it will not appreciate a Psychic if you predict wrongly. Clefable also gets 2HKOed by EP and Sludge Wave. Be sure to keep Latios healthy to deal with Landorus, and also keep Keldeo alive as a secondary check.
(Huge shoutouts to user JMach for this!)

282-m.png
Mega Gardevoir

Mega Gardevoir has slowly risen through the ranks, slowly becoming one of the most threatening pokemon even since Aegislash got banned. Magnezone is the team's answer to Gardevoir, since it could take a Hyper Voice and retaliate with a Flash Cannon. However, it gets completely annihilated by a Focus Blast. Because of Mega Voir's excellent SpAtk stat and coverage, most teams do not have safe switches into Mega Voir. That is expected though, so we need to deal with Mega Voir with checks. Mega Pinsir, Landorus-T, Magnezone, Keldeo (after prior damage) checks Mega Gardevoir well. Also, Latios baits in Gardevoir a lot of the times. Latios is just so strong that his Psyshock actually 2HKOs after rocks, so that might net you an early kill on Gardevoir.

303-m.png
Mega Mawile

Mega Mawile is also a huge threat to the team, since nothing appreciates taking a Play Rough. Landorus after Intimidate still takes a ton from it, while Play Rough puts Magnezone in range of a Sucker Punch. You've good checks to Mawile in Keldeo (once again, a check is not a counter), since a +2 Sucker Punch fails to kill you whereas you can OHKO back with a specs Hydro Pump. Landorus-T with its Intimidate and Earthquake also makes a good check. Lastly, Mega Pinsir can take a Sucker Punch and hit it with a Super Effective Earthquake (another reason why I chose EQ over CC). Still, nothing switches into a Play Rough, so this thing is undoubtedly a hindrance to the team.


473.png
Life Orb Mamowsine

Even though LO Mamoswine is not as common as back in 5th Gen, it can really take a toll on this team with it's deadly dual STAB combination. If you recklessly play around Mamoswine, this single pokemon could easily cost you the game. There are a few ways to deal with Mamo on this team. Keldeo makes for an excellent check, resisting Ice Shard and has the ability to OHKO back with Hydro, Scald or Secret Sword, making it the team's most reliable answer to Mamo. Magnezone is the other option, as it also checks Mamoswine. The thing about Magnezone is its surprise factor. If you revealed Scarf Lando earlier on, your opponent might not expect Scarf Zone and stay in, which will result in him losing his Mamo to a Flash Cannon.

149.png
Weakness Policy Dragonite

Clefable is the answer to Dragonite, but Weakness Policy can easily turn DNite into a big problem. Surprisingly, Clefable is just so bulky that even a +3 EQ from an Adamant Max Attack DNite fails to OHKO, so you're basically guaranteed 2 Moonblast hits. However if Clefable gets weakened, your only other option is to play Intimidate games with Landorus-T to beat DNite.
+3 252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 236 HP / 180 Def Clefable: 317-374 (81.2 - 95.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
308-m.png
Mega Medicham

My name is no Switch-Ins! And yeap. Basically, there are no reliable switch-ins in OU to Mega Medicham atm. Clefable and Landorus-T are the only 2 answers to Mega Medi on the team, but Clefable will still take a ton from Zen Headbutt / Psycho Cut and Landorus-T gets straight up OHKOed by an Ice Punch. You can play around Medi by switching into Landorus on a High Jump Kick, and U-Turning out into Keldeo to take the Ice Punch. After the U-Turn damage, Specs Scald should be able to pick off Medicham. Be weary of Mega Medicham, it is undoubtedly a huge threat.
~ Importable ~
OG Mega Mence (Pinsir) (M) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Quick Attack

G6 (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 184 SpA / 40 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Defog

Clef. (Clefable) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 236 HP / 180 Def / 92 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Moonblast
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled

Horse (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Zone'd (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Cat (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Rock Slide


// Variants //
I made some variants of the team with a similar core (all featuring the LandoZone volturn combo). If you're tired of Mega Pinsir, you could try out some of these teams for more variety. The imports of those said teams are below, have fun battling!

Mega Gardevoir
Gardevoir (M) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Taunt
- Focus Blast

G6 (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 184 SpA / 40 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Defog

Bisharp (M) @ Dread Plate
Ability: Defiant
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock

Horse (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Zone'd (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Cat (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Rock Slide
Mega Medicham
Medicham-Mega (M) @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
- Psycho Cut

G6 (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 184 SpA / 40 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Defog

Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball

Horse (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Icy Wind

Zone'd (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Cat (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Rock Slide



conclusion.gif

And there it is, the RMT of the team that I (and many others) used while laddering for the Aegislash suspect test. I find teambuilding to be a very important aspect in competitive battling, and so I've always loved to share good teams with everyone. Now that we're having a permanent metagame free of Aegislash, this team will hopefully perform better as the meta evolves, and (once again) the love of Mega Pinsir will be shared with everyone! Feel free to use the team and bring up flaws that I might have missed out, and we shall learn from one another. Also, check out those 3 videos that I mentioned above, those people are fantastic content creators! (Especially blunder, very very underrated). Credits section is down below, and I'll be adding more people to the list along the way. Cheers and hf battling! -Scyfrost

EDIT: After this RMT got popular things have started to get complicated. I'm just gonna say a few things that I mentioned in the nominations post. Please do not use the word "plagiarism" inappropriately. I posted an in-depth guide quite a while back with an almost exact same team, only with Heatran instead of Magnezone, like I explained in the OP.

While both gr8astard and fingerscrossed may or may not have came up with similar teams, I definitely did not plagiarise. My slot to slot in-depth team building process was clearly explained in the guide I posted, and I even provided an export of the Zone team in the post as well.

The Zone team was made and posted shortly after the Aegi ban. I could not have "copied" it before then, since the team without Heatran was completely Aegi-weak during the pre ban meta, and hence not viable. It'd only make sense that this team was made after Aegi got the boot.

Lastly, I really do not wish to argue further and have this result in a conflict or something. I posted the RMT for the sole purpose of presenting a good team, not for the credits. I'm glad that the RMT had acheieved its purpose seeing as how it has gotten quite popular, so I'm really satisfied. I do not mind who gets the credits, or what happens to the RMT from now on. As long as the community benefited from the OP in a way my efforts have not been wasted.

That is all I have to say, thank you.


~ Additional Notes ~
  • Latias with the moveset Draco Meteor / Psyshock / Defog / Healing Wish can be used instead of Latios, since Healing Wish support is invaluable. However, do note that the power difference is really significant and the lack of recovery will limit the amount of switch-ins to Keldeo. Also, Latios' Psyshock 2HKOs Mega Gardevoir (a big threat to the team) after Steath Rock, whereas Latias fails to do so. So because of this and also to fully utilise Magnezone, Latios is still recommended.
~ Credits and Shoutouts ~
 
Last edited:
Hey, this is a pretty well thought-out concept and you handle every threat to at least some degree, so I only have a small suggestion to make. While you state that Knock Off on Landorus gets surprise kills on the Lati twins, I think that they're really not too problematic as between Clefable, Magnezone, your own Latios and not to mention U-turn/Quick Attack damage from Pinsir, they really don't have too much of a place against your team. Gengar would be more of a reason to run it, but again, it can't really come in on anything and has problems actually landing fatal damage on anything except for Clefable. For that reason, I suggest switching out Knock Off for Superpower. Mega Gyarados doesn't really get much time to set up against this team barring Magnezone locked into a wrong move, but Mega Tyranitar can come in on Latios and begin Dragon Dancing up, which can be lethal to your whole team should Clefable and Keldeo be only slightly weakened. Pinsir obviously can't hope to ward off Mega Tyranitar, and Landorus without Superpower possibly grants Tyranitar a second Dragon Dance as it is unable to OHKO with Earthquake, thus allowing Tyranitar to outspeed you and possibly sweep the remainder of your team. Superpower just outright OHKOs it while also OHKOing Excadrill floating on an Air Balloon. Sand Rush Excadrill is pretty dangerous to your team, as Landorus is your only real answer, and Superpower means you don't have to sacrifice something (or Landorus' health) to break the Air Balloon before KOing it. You also OHKO Mamoswine without its Focus Sash intact should you, for some reason, have no other options left against it. While Knock Off is certainly a nice move to have, I think Superpower is a better option for your team all things considered. I also think that Landorus doesn't need more than 303 speed as the fastest relevant thing to outspeed is Choice Scarf Excadrill, and every little bit of extra bulk is appreciated for the aforementioned Excadrill as well as any other physical threat really. It also means you don't speed tie with other max speed Landorus-T and get the momentum advantage should both of you U-turn. Everything else looks optimal, so like I said, there's really not much else to say.

aiFem.gif

Landorus-T @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Rock Slide
 
Hiya Scy Got a few concerns to raise about your team, grats on the superb teambuilding aid too ;]

RE: Mixed Thundurus without Thunderwave...hmm so yeah, this is basically how i beat your team (becoming quite popular on the ladder, with a few changes to some poke e.g lati@s/CM Keldeo) I realised as soon as you put this team up a while back that this mon beats both sand and balanced variants provided you suicide rocks with ttar and cans stall out the sand, but thats not the team i'm here to rate:

Thundurus_XY.gif

Thundurus (M) @ Life Orb / Expert Belt
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Knock Off

Okay ok, i know, you can LO stall him out, or revenge with Lando-T or just get rocks up, but undoubtedly this set that i use to break Skarm/Bliss/Chansey cores puts in huge work against your team in the hands of a clever player.

RE: Calcs,
  • 180 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Keldeo: 385-455 (119.1 - 140.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
  • 76 Atk Life Orb Thundurus Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Latios: 265-312 (87.7 - 103.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock or LO recoil
  • 180 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Pinsir: 385-455 (142 - 167.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
  • 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Thundurus: 165-195 (55 - 65%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Too Late for that bc this is a win condition against Pinsir, oh you say you have Magnezone to take BoltBeam/T waves?
  • 76 Atk Life Orb Thundurus Superpower vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Magnezone: 242-286 (70.3 - 83.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO Most likely i'll knock off predicting this to come in, rather than revealing SuperPower right off the bat, unless magnezone has take some chip damage already
  • 180 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 236 HP / 40 SpD Clefable: 185-218 (47.4 - 55.8%) -- 22.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Imo this is not good enough, even if its a free switch with no prior damage taken because softboiling is an option but it is more than likely that a steel type is ran on almost all good teams)
  • 180 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 380-452 (118.7 - 141.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO (Almost forgot this one)
RE: Other Thundurus sets: With the majority carrying Twave and no status healer (sponge is accounted for as clefable), it can easily put an end to Pinsirs sweep if Zone is gone. I did even switch up this to be a wholey Physical Agility Defiant set with ThunderPunch + Knock off and HP Ice evs enough to OHKO non AV/Sdef Gliscors and Lando-T's and that set demolishes the team with the +2 from a latios defog (correctly predicted of course). But it's not a common set, I hope to change that though ;] So you needn't worry about a Thundy sweep out of the blue.

RE: Keldeo, a simple change would rectify your woes, well...sort of. Scarf Keldeo over Specs allows you to Psyche out your opponent as you revenge kill Thundy with Hydro Pump and it would act as another revenge killer a faster one that too than Magnezone, but still gotta watch out for the Knock Off + ParaHax Twave Last Resort...But most will go for the kill. So because of all this I recommend you add this to the Threats List and figure out a better way than you currently have for dealing with this. (That being Clefable).

Just my initial thoughts, if I find any more things that need mentioning or something that would help with the whole Frail Special Sweeper (Greninja etc) without losing a few mons to determine their sets then i'll add it onto this. But for now, Good Luck ;]

EDIT: I just realised that scarf keldeo would make that 3 scarfers, which in itself is a problem with none of them learning trick...maybe Specs Zone instead? Hmm this is a pickle.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scy
Hey, this is a pretty well thought-out concept and you handle every threat to at least some degree, so I only have a small suggestion to make. While you state that Knock Off on Landorus gets surprise kills on the Lati twins, I think that they're really not too problematic as between Clefable, Magnezone, your own Latios and not to mention U-turn/Quick Attack damage from Pinsir, they really don't have too much of a place against your team. Gengar would be more of a reason to run it, but again, it can't really come in on anything and has problems actually landing fatal damage on anything except for Clefable. For that reason, I suggest switching out Knock Off for Superpower. Mega Gyarados doesn't really get much time to set up against this team barring Magnezone locked into a wrong move, but Mega Tyranitar can come in on Latios and begin Dragon Dancing up, which can be lethal to your whole team should Clefable and Keldeo be only slightly weakened. Pinsir obviously can't hope to ward off Mega Tyranitar, and Landorus without Superpower possibly grants Tyranitar a second Dragon Dance as it is unable to OHKO with Earthquake, thus allowing Tyranitar to outspeed you and possibly sweep the remainder of your team. Superpower just outright OHKOs it while also OHKOing Excadrill floating on an Air Balloon. Sand Rush Excadrill is pretty dangerous to your team, as Landorus is your only real answer, and Superpower means you don't have to sacrifice something (or Landorus' health) to break the Air Balloon before KOing it. You also OHKO Mamoswine without its Focus Sash intact should you, for some reason, have no other options left against it. While Knock Off is certainly a nice move to have, I think Superpower is a better option for your team all things considered. I also think that Landorus doesn't need more than 303 speed as the fastest relevant thing to outspeed is Choice Scarf Excadrill, and every little bit of extra bulk is appreciated for the aforementioned Excadrill as well as any other physical threat really. It also means you don't speed tie with other max speed Landorus-T and get the momentum advantage should both of you U-turn. Everything else looks optimal, so like I said, there's really not much else to say.

aiFem.gif

Landorus-T @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Rock Slide

Thank you so much for the feedback! You're right, I literally have nothing much for Air Balloon SR Excadrill under Sand. I also did not realise how big a threat Mega TTar was to the team, thank you for the insight. Super Power is definitely better than Knock Off for the team, and I've decided to take in the suggestion. The RMT is edited and I've included you in the Credits section. Once again, thank you for the comment!
 
Hiya Scy Got a few concerns to raise about your team, grats on the superb teambuilding aid too ;]

RE: Mixed Thundurus without Thunderwave...hmm so yeah, this is basically how i beat your team (becoming quite popular on the ladder, with a few changes to some poke e.g lati@s/CM Keldeo) I realised as soon as you put this team up a while back that this mon beats both sand and balanced variants provided you suicide rocks with ttar and cans stall out the sand, but thats not the team i'm here to rate:

Thundurus_XY.gif

Thundurus (M) @ Life Orb / Expert Belt
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Knock Off

Okay ok, i know, you can LO stall him out, or revenge with Lando-T or just get rocks up, but undoubtedly this set that i use to break Skarm/Bliss/Chansey cores puts in huge work against your team in the hands of a clever player.

RE: Calcs,
  • 180 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Keldeo: 385-455 (119.1 - 140.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
  • 76 Atk Life Orb Thundurus Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Latios: 265-312 (87.7 - 103.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock or LO recoil
  • 180 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Pinsir: 385-455 (142 - 167.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
  • 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Thundurus: 165-195 (55 - 65%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Too Late for that bc this is a win condition against Pinsir, oh you say you have Magnezone to take BoltBeam/T waves?
  • 76 Atk Life Orb Thundurus Superpower vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Magnezone: 242-286 (70.3 - 83.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO Most likely i'll knock off predicting this to come in, rather than revealing SuperPower right off the bat, unless magnezone has take some chip damage already
  • 180 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 236 HP / 40 SpD Clefable: 185-218 (47.4 - 55.8%) -- 22.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Imo this is not good enough, even if its a free switch with no prior damage taken because softboiling is an option but it is more than likely that a steel type is ran on almost all good teams)
  • 180 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 380-452 (118.7 - 141.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO (Almost forgot this one)
RE: Other Thundurus sets: With the majority carrying Twave and no status healer (sponge is accounted for as clefable), it can easily put an end to Pinsirs sweep if Zone is gone. I did even switch up this to be a wholey Physical Agility Defiant set with ThunderPunch + Knock off and HP Ice evs enough to OHKO non AV/Sdef Gliscors and Lando-T's and that set demolishes the team with the +2 from a latios defog (correctly predicted of course). But it's not a common set, I hope to change that though ;] So you needn't worry about a Thundy sweep out of the blue.

RE: Keldeo, a simple change would rectify your woes, well...sort of. Scarf Keldeo over Specs allows you to Psyche out your opponent as you revenge kill Thundy with Hydro Pump and it would act as another revenge killer a faster one that too than Magnezone, but still gotta watch out for the Knock Off + ParaHax Twave Last Resort...But most will go for the kill. So because of all this I recommend you add this to the Threats List and figure out a better way than you currently have for dealing with this. (That being Clefable).

Just my initial thoughts, if I find any more things that need mentioning or something that would help with the whole Frail Special Sweeper (Greninja etc) without losing a few mons to determine their sets then i'll add it onto this. But for now, Good Luck ;]

EDIT: I just realised that scarf keldeo would make that 3 scarfers, which in itself is a problem with none of them learning trick...maybe Specs Zone instead? Hmm this is a pickle.

Firstly, thank you for the feedback! (Also really glad you liked the teambuilding aid!)

Welp you're right. Knock Off Thundy is in fact, a big threat. However looking at your suggestions, I don't think those would work x.x

Firstly, Scarf Zone is needed, and is very crucial. If I replace it for specs I'd lose my fly-spam check (without Scarf, Zone no longer checks Pinsir and Talon).

Scarf Keldeo faces the exact same problem Landorus and Zone faces like you mentioned - it'd potentially get its scarf knocked off. Landorus-T is a better scarf check imo if thats the case, so I think there is no need for Scarf Keldy.

Mixed Thundurus, like Greninja, has very little switch-ins (due to excellent coverage), and thus many teams will have no switch-ins for both Greninja and Mixed Thundy. Both has only very specific counters (Greninja: Bliss, Chans, Sylveon. Mixed Thundy: Sylveon, Mega Venusaur).

AV Conk, Scarf Landorus, Scarf Garchomp, *Inserts More Scarfers Here* are great checks to Thundurus. Like you brought up, Knock Off is a valid argument. Conk can get its AV knocked off and thus be prone to TBolt, whereas the scarfers can get their scarf knocked off, no longer making them reliable answers.
However, those are situational. If you, for example, switch Landorus-T into a TBolt, you check Thundurus. If your opponent predicts that and uses Hp Ice / Knock Off, you'd not be in a good position. It all boils down to how you play at the end of the day.

Clefable after one CM also handles Thundy really well. You mentioned steel types, but those are trapped by Magnezone, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Basically if you play well with the team, you can easily play around Thundurus (especially having 2 scarfers, you won't lose out too much with one of your scarfers losing its item since you've a backup).

Unless you're running Sylveon, Mega Venusaur or very specific counters (Colbur Berry Latios imo tbh js :]] ), every team would not have a safe switch-in to mixed Thundurus (similarly to Greninja). Because of that, it is unwise to overprepare. For example, if I swap Clefable for Sylveon, I'd lose a Stealth Rocker. The team would also face troubles with Mega Gyarados since Sylveon isn't as physically bulky as Clefable. So, I'd lose more than I gain if I over prepare for specific mons.

I'd like to thank you however for the insight! Knock Off Thundurus has been added to the Threats List and I've included you in the Credits section. But I still think it'd be better to leave the team as it is :]

P.S. Agility Defiant Thundy sounds freakin awesome, might give that a spin ;)
 
Might be worth considering Landorus-I as a threat. He's always hard to switch in on at the best of times but you don't necessarily have a reliable switch in to him. Keldeo won't appreciate an EP by any means and if it manages to get a CM off you could find yourself in a position where sacking's your only option.

Kind of the same ballpark as Mixed Thundy though. It's pretty much impossible to adapt your team to such a versatile threat without opening some serious holes in the rest of your team.

I absolutely love this team though and think, on paper at least, it's amazingly well structured. I may well give it a go! DragMag was always a blast (Aegi or no) and yours has obviously earned its fair share of praise.

Good job!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scy
Perditions of the highest order said:
Firstly, thank you for the feedback! (Also really glad you liked the teambuilding aid!)

Welp you're right. Knock Off Thundy is in fact, a big threat. However looking at your suggestions, I don't think those would work x.x

Firstly, Scarf Zone is needed, and is very crucial. If I replace it for specs I'd lose my fly-spam check (without Scarf, Zone no longer checks Pinsir and Talon).

Scarf Keldeo faces the exact same problem Landorus and Zone faces like you mentioned - it'd potentially get its scarf knocked off. Landorus-T is a better scarf check imo if thats the case, so I think there is no need for Scarf Keldy.

Mixed Thundurus, like Greninja, has very little switch-ins (due to excellent coverage), and thus many teams will have no switch-ins for both Greninja and Mixed Thundy. Both has only very specific counters (Greninja: Bliss, Chans, Sylveon. Mixed Thundy: Sylveon, Mega Venusaur).

AV Conk, Scarf Landorus, Scarf Garchomp, *Inserts More Scarfers Here* are great checks to Thundurus. Like you brought up, Knock Off is a valid argument. Conk can get its AV knocked off and thus be prone to TBolt, whereas the scarfers can get their scarf knocked off, no longer making them reliable answers.
However, those are situational. If you, for example, switch Landorus-T into a TBolt, you check Thundurus. If your opponent predicts that and uses Hp Ice / Knock Off, you'd not be in a good position. It all boils down to how you play at the end of the day.

Clefable after one CM also handles Thundy really well. You mentioned steel types, but those are trapped by Magnezone, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Basically if you play well with the team, you can easily play around Thundurus (especially having 2 scarfers, you won't lose out too much with one of your scarfers losing its item since you've a backup).

Unless you're running Sylveon, Mega Venusaur or very specific counters (Colbur Berry Latios imo tbh js :]] ), every team would not have a safe switch-in to mixed Thundurus (similarly to Greninja). Because of that, it is unwise to overprepare. For example, if I swap Clefable for Sylveon, I'd lose a Stealth Rocker. The team would also face troubles with Mega Gyarados since Sylveon isn't as physically bulky as Clefable. So, I'd lose more than I gain if I over prepare for specific mons.

I'd like to thank you however for the insight! Knock Off Thundurus has been added to the Threats List and I've included you in the Credits section. But I still think it'd be better to leave the team as it is :]

P.S. Agility Defiant Thundy sounds freakin awesome, might give that a spin ;)

Hmm...like you say you have to play around it to work out its set and most noticeably will take some damage from it, like other frail sweepers, quick note: Defiant + Lando-T switch in = Thunderbolt or Bust. Yeah, Clefable at the moment seems like your most reliable counter, but...there is another poke that also walls Thundy, without having to lose you Rocks/Reliable recovery on one pokemon/over preparing because if bring this to your team then you get Regenerator, the second best grass type after Mega Venu and 100% accurate sleep. You could...at the cost of coverage put rocks on Lando-T and leave superpower on but take off earthquake...which is totally not ideal but i figure this guy is worth a mention, even though he might sacrifice some synergy and does lose out on the whole, break to break theme if you switch out one of your special attackers.

amoonguss.gif

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 32 Def / 236 SpD
Calm Nature
- Clear Smog
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Foul Play

Give him a try, you never know, he could end up to be just as annoying as mega venu and deals with Belly Jet Azu with Smog too and all set up sweepers to some extent. Still because you have built this team very well it is difficult to see who you would take out/test this guy for, so i'll leave that decision up to you. Nevertheless the option still stands if you require more annoying pokes/status that Pinsir can use as set up fodder.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scy
Hey there, amazing team you have here, Joey always makes good cores ;) Anyways, I have some suggestions to make you patch up some weaknesses your team has atm;

Two of the biggest threats to your team are Greninja and Mixed Thundurus, as they basically get a kill once they come in, GreenMonkey pointed out. A solution to this problem would be to change Clefable's set to a more mixed defensive spread of 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD with a Calm Nature, which makes ot able to survive two of Latios' Psyshock, Greninja's Hydro Pump and Thundurus' Thunderbolt most of the time. With this change though, I suggest running Flamethrower > Calm Mind, as Calm Mind isn't as effective with less Def investment, and letting Ferrothorn rock for free, having to make the obvious switch to Magnezone every time isn't very beneficial.


Clefable @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Moonblast
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled
Unbirthday also had a really solid suggestion (like always :toast:), making Lando-T a lot better rkiller to threats that otherwise do well against your team. It's definetly a change for the better using Superpower > Knock Off on Landorus. Lastly, I would always run bulky Latias > Latios when running Defog + Recover / Roost on the same set, as hard checking CharY and Keldeo, as well as Landorus-I is very beneficial for the team.

aiFem.gif

Landorus-T @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Rock Slide

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Defog
Thats all I had tbh, really solid team, gl :mad:
 
Might be worth considering Landorus-I as a threat. He's always hard to switch in on at the best of times but you don't necessarily have a reliable switch in to him. Keldeo won't appreciate an EP by any means and if it manages to get a CM off you could find yourself in a position where sacking's your only option.

Kind of the same ballpark as Mixed Thundy though. It's pretty much impossible to adapt your team to such a versatile threat without opening some serious holes in the rest of your team.

I absolutely love this team though and think, on paper at least, it's amazingly well structured. I may well give it a go! DragMag was always a blast (Aegi or no) and yours has obviously earned its fair share of praise.

Good job!
Thank you so much for the feedback and compliment! Latios is the answer to Landorus-I (resisting EP, Psychic, Focus Blast). Sludge Wave can deal some damage, but once Latios is in, it easily threatens Lando out and it can roost off the damage. But Knock Off variants are definitely problematic. Will add you to the Credits section and add Lando-I to the Threats List. Thank you once again :]

Hmm...like you say you have to play around it to work out its set and most noticeably will take some damage from it, like other frail sweepers, quick note: Defiant + Lando-T switch in = Thunderbolt or Bust. Yeah, Clefable at the moment seems like your most reliable counter, but...there is another poke that also walls Thundy, without having to lose you Rocks/Reliable recovery on one pokemon/over preparing because if bring this to your team then you get Regenerator, the second best grass type after Mega Venu and 100% accurate sleep. You could...at the cost of coverage put rocks on Lando-T and leave superpower on but take off earthquake...which is totally not ideal but i figure this guy is worth a mention, even though he might sacrifice some synergy and does lose out on the whole, break to break theme if you switch out one of your special attackers.

amoonguss.gif

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 32 Def / 236 SpD
Calm Nature
- Clear Smog
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Foul Play

Give him a try, you never know, he could end up to be just as annoying as mega venu and deals with Belly Jet Azu with Smog too and all set up sweepers to some extent. Still because you have built this team very well it is difficult to see who you would take out/test this guy for, so i'll leave that decision up to you. Nevertheless the option still stands if you require more annoying pokes/status that Pinsir can use as set up fodder.

Yeah, I can definitely see Clefable being replaced for Amoonguss. I don't wanna touch the rest though, since they pretty much provides the offensive synergy that this team needs. However losing a DNite answer can hurt (also Kyurem-B). Greninja would also be more problematic if Clef goes. Amoonguss is definitely a great suggestion, I'll have him in mind when building future teams (Good Keldeo answer also). For now, I do still find Clef more important atm (Greninja, Kyurem, Dragons)

Once again thank you for the response! :]


Hey there, amazing team you have here, Joey always makes good cores ;) Anyways, I have some suggestions to make you patch up some weaknesses your team has atm;

Two of the biggest threats to your team are Greninja and Mixed Thundurus, as they basically get a kill once they come in, GreenMonkey pointed out. A solution to this problem would be to change Clefable's set to a more mixed defensive spread of 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD with a Calm Nature, which makes ot able to survive two of Latios' Psyshock, Greninja's Hydro Pump and Thundurus' Thunderbolt most of the time. With this change though, I suggest running Flamethrower > Calm Mind, as Calm Mind isn't as effective with less Def investment, and letting Ferrothorn rock for free, having to make the obvious switch to Magnezone every time isn't very beneficial.


Clefable @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Moonblast
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled
Unbirthday also had a really solid suggestion (like always :toast:), making Lando-T a lot better rkiller to threats that otherwise do well against your team. It's definetly a change for the better using Superpower > Knock Off on Landorus. Lastly, I would always run bulky Latias > Latios when running Defog + Recover / Roost on the same set, as hard checking CharY and Keldeo, as well as Landorus-I is very beneficial for the team.

aiFem.gif

Landorus-T @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Rock Slide

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Defog
Thats all I had tbh, really solid team, gl :mad:

Hey TheEnder, thank you for the response! (Also Joey?)

Firstly, I'm really liking the idea of the Clefable set. Surviving 2 Hydros from Greninja can greatly benefit the team, and so I'm taking in this suggestion (and putting you under the credits section as well!). Clefable with this EV spread solves 2 of my main issues, so thank you so much for the suggestion! About Flamethrower, I think will still be sticking to CM. Even though CM without full def investment isn't as effective, it is still threatening. Clef sets up on mons like Greninja / Thundurus / Conk anyways (with either EV spread), and once again (like I mentioned in the RMT), I find Flamethrower really redundant with Zone around. CM Clef has a lot of potential to pull of late-game sweeps after Latios / Pinsir breaks the appropriate mons for Clef, so I don't wanna forgo this valuable asset. But I'll still be implementing this new EV Spread you suggested!

Next, I've already edited the Landorus set (a while ago) in the RMT. Thank you Unbirthday once again for the awesome suggestion!
Here is a replay of it working if you're interested (I'm using a variant of this team with Mega Voir): http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-149585426
ZoneVoir is as good as ZoneSir imotbhjs :]

About Latias. Latias is definitely great with its additional bulk, but the power difference is significantly lower. Magnezone is there to remove steels so Latios can spam Dracos. Latias, however, always perform underwhelmingly for me, since Draco doesn't nail KOs that Latios's Draco otherwise would. If the opponent has a recovery move, they can easily outstall my -2 Latias, so nailing KOs are really curical.

About Landorus, Latios (like I mentioned to JMach above), can come in on Lando-I, force it out, and roost off the damage anyway, so I still find Latios superior. Most importantly, I came to the realisation that Mega Gardevoir is a huge threat to the team. Latios's Psyshock 2HKOs Mega Gardevoir after Rocks, which Latias cannot. This alone makes Latios a superior option in my opinion :]

I wanna thank you again for the Clefable set, will implement it soon! (Credits to you, of course)
 
Thank you so much for the feedback and compliment! Latios is the answer to Landorus-I (resisting EP, Psychic, Focus Blast). Sludge Wave can deal some damage, but once Latios is in, it easily threatens Lando out and it can roost off the damage. But Knock Off variants are definitely problematic. Will add you to the Credits section and add Lando-I to the Threats List. Thank you once again :]


252 SpA Life Orb Landorus Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 146-172 (48.3 - 56.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Sludge Wave vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 148-175 (49 - 57.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Just something to be wary of. HP Ice and Sludge wave are actually very viable. Like I said though, it's never easy to prepare for!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Scy
252 SpA Life Orb Landorus Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 146-172 (48.3 - 56.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Sludge Wave vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 148-175 (49 - 57.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Just something to be wary of. HP Ice and Sludge wave are actually very common. Like I said though, it's never easy to prepare for!
Thank you for the insight! I've edited the RMT and added it to the Threats List.

I've also changed Clefable's EV Spread (it differs slightly from TheEnder's one, but the general idea is still the same)

Credits Section has been updated as well.

Thank you once again!
 
Thank you for the insight! I've edited the RMT and added it to the Threats List.

I've also changed Clefable's EV Spread (it differs slightly from TheEnder's one, but the general idea is still the same)

Credits Section has been updated as well.

Thank you once again!
No problem - last nitpick though!

252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 236 HP / 72+ SpD Clefable: 208-247 (53.3 - 63.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Latios should be enough tbh. It may force some mindgames once they know you've got Roost though. You'll also be having to keep it very, very healthy. Lando is too powerful :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scy
No problem - last nitpick though!

252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Earth Power vs. 236 HP / 72+ SpD Clefable: 208-247 (53.3 - 63.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Latios should be enough tbh. It may force some mindgames once they know you've got Roost though. You'll also be having to keep it very, very healthy. Lando is too powerful :p
Ahh right. Clefable still takes a ton huh. I'll change the description a little (Clefable only walls Landorus after one CM, instead of Clefable is a reliable answer).

Thanks man, you helped out alot! :]


EDIT: After experimenting, Clefable is still way better with the physical spread (I explained why above, read up on Clefable on the RMT to know more). Therefore, I decided to change it back to physically defensive. I did provide a secondary option for readers though, and the credits section still credits to TheEnder for the SpDef variant, so dont worry about it. Cheers! :]
 
Last edited:
I used this team on showdown yesterday I really like it.
You said scarf magnezone is to check flying spam but a Tlonflame outspeed and killed me with flare blitz yesterday
I think it was jolly max speed so that was a problem.
 
hei, great team but change the 4 evs in hp of latios in in sdef and gives 29 ivs in hp for minimize the damage of life orb.
 
Hey this is a really gay solid RMT! ;) I have seen this team too much on the ladder, including variants of it with the same Drag/Mag/Fairy + venu check core (and scarf lando was mostly there as well), and they had all been really solid. So firstly, I wanna congratulate you for the solid team, this is personally one of the best RMTs I've seen thus far, good job!

There is really not much for me to say honestly, as like I said, this team is dang solid. I'd like to suggest slight changes to Latios' ev spread however. Even though you have recover and can constantly switch into charY, I still think that it is necessary to change latios's EVs a little to allow it to handle charY better. This is the spread:
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 192 SpA / 64 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Defog
With this EV spread, you have a much higher chance of surviving 2 fire blasts from charY under the sun, and this also allow you to take on landorus-I better (someone mentioned before me that reg lando was a huge threat) You don't really lose out on too much spatk, and latios can still perform its job as a hard special hitter with the spread provided.

Jolly SD talonflame can also be huge for the team, since it outspeeds scarf magnezone, like dokkerich mentioned. But those are really rare, and there is really no more room on the team for another talon check. So I'd say adding it to the threats list would be more than sufficient.

Again, this is a really solid RMT. It definitely deserves a lot more credit as I can see you had clearly put in a lot of efforts into making it, so I will be spreading this around.

Gratz again, and hope I helped!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scy
I used this team on showdown yesterday I really like it.
You said scarf magnezone is to check flying spam but a Tlonflame outspeed and killed me with flare blitz yesterday
I think it was jolly max speed so that was a problem.
Thank you for the insight. I've added Jolly SD Talonflame to the Threats List and have included you in the credits section!

hei, great team but change the 4 evs in hp of latios in in sdef and gives 29 ivs in hp for minimize the damage of life orb.
As long as a mon doesn't have a HP number that is divisible by 10 (Eg 300, 280, 320, 400, Etc), they could survive 10 LO hits (meaning getting off 11 hits), so it doesn't matter whether Latios has 299 Hp or 301 Hp. Either ways, he'd still be surviving 10 LO hits.

Anyway I'd still like to thank you for the compliment and response!

Hey this is a really gay solid RMT! ;) I have seen this team too much on the ladder, including variants of it with the same Drag/Mag/Fairy + venu check core (and scarf lando was mostly there as well), and they had all been really solid. So firstly, I wanna congratulate you for the solid team, this is personally one of the best RMTs I've seen thus far, good job!

There is really not much for me to say honestly, as like I said, this team is dang solid. I'd like to suggest slight changes to Latios' ev spread however. Even though you have recover and can constantly switch into charY, I still think that it is necessary to change latios's EVs a little to allow it to handle charY better. This is the spread:
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 192 SpA / 64 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Defog
With this EV spread, you have a much higher chance of surviving 2 fire blasts from charY under the sun, and this also allow you to take on landorus-I better (someone mentioned before me that reg lando was a huge threat) You don't really lose out on too much spatk, and latios can still perform its job as a hard special hitter with the spread provided.

Jolly SD talonflame can also be huge for the team, since it outspeeds scarf magnezone, like dokkerich mentioned. But those are really rare, and there is really no more room on the team for another talon check. So I'd say adding it to the threats list would be more than sufficient.

Again, this is a really solid RMT. It definitely deserves a lot more credit as I can see you had clearly put in a lot of efforts into making it, so I will be spreading this around.

Gratz again, and hope I helped!
Thank you so much for the rate Crafty! I'd like to thank you firstly for the compliment, I'm really glad my efforts paid off!

Okay so I've been messing around with the Latios EV Spread you mentioned, and I'm really liking it. The additional bulk allows Latios to better take on a lot of mons, and him being my Fire and Water reisist also, can now take those said moves way better. Therefore, I've decided to take in the suggestion and implement the EV spread! Thank you for the suggestion once again, I've included you under the credits section :]

Jolly SD Talonflame has been added to the Threats List, don't worry about it. I've given credits to Dokkerich as well :]

Thank you everyone for your rates once again, I really appreciate them!
 
Hiya Scy, came across this really good Latios EV Spread, which is even better than the one I previously suggested.

Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 184 SpA / 40 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
- Defog

I am not the one who came up with the spread, someone on PS showed this to me today. Can't really rmb who it is though ;_; Anyway, 32 Hp = 309 Hp = Life Orb number, and 40 into SpDef to take on Char Y. This spread actually has a higher chance of surviving 2 Fire Blast from CharY under sun, so its better :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scy
Hey man! Awesome team! I've tested it out and I really liked it, I even uploaded a PO Live with it to YouTube! :]
(my youtube should be in my signature but here it is also https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC67FnhXDkH_Xs8uHd9dCIXQ)
check it out if you like^

You are a much better player than me so I don't know if my rate will be any help to you.
Just a couple things I ran was Latias with healing wish, and I read that I can run that as an alternative to Latios, I really liked having the Healing Wish support!
Second I ran fully specially defensive Clefable, with Stealth Rocks, Flamethrower, Moonblast, and Soft-Boiled, this really helped me with Greninja which is very threatening!
I also was testing Earth Plate Landorus over Scarf, I don't know which one is more useful but I am leaning towards scarf because Magnezone is still slower than Greninja.

Other than that great team! I really enjoy using it and it got me out of tilt! I will put your RMT link and your youtube link in the description of my video if you want!
:]
 
Hey man! Awesome team! I've tested it out and I really liked it, I even uploaded a PO Live with it to YouTube! :]
(my youtube should be in my signature but here it is also https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC67FnhXDkH_Xs8uHd9dCIXQ)
check it out if you like^

You are a much better player than me so I don't know if my rate will be any help to you.
Just a couple things I ran was Latias with healing wish, and I read that I can run that as an alternative to Latios, I really liked having the Healing Wish support!
Second I ran fully specially defensive Clefable, with Stealth Rocks, Flamethrower, Moonblast, and Soft-Boiled, this really helped me with Greninja which is very threatening!
I also was testing Earth Plate Landorus over Scarf, I don't know which one is more useful but I am leaning towards scarf because Magnezone is still slower than Greninja.

Other than that great team! I really enjoy using it and it got me out of tilt! I will put your RMT link and your youtube link in the description of my video if you want!
:]
Thank you so much for using the team TheKingKarp! I really appreciate it :] Yeah Latias is a great alternative for HWish support, and SpDef Clefable is good for Greninja also (thanks TheEnder for the spread!). Its really up to personal preference haha, glad that you enjoy using it.

As for Lando though, Scarf is definitely better. It allows you to take on Zard X at +1 (Adamant), which would otherwise be a big issue for the team.

Thank you once again for the rate, will definitely watch the PO Live! :]
 
hey I saw Pokaim joey using the team today on one of his videos. I knew that team looked familiar xD

Anyway I agree with TheKingKarp and TheEnder. Even though you said def Clefable allows you to better handle Mega Hera, Mega Gyara, etc, I find spdef Clefable better in general for Greninja and Thundurus. Starmie is also rising to popularity

I suggest the following EV spread, it is the optimal EV spread imo
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 236 HP / 180 Def / 92 SpD
Calm Nature
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled

This EV spread allows you to take 2 hydros from Greninja and tbolt from thundurus after leftovers

252 SpA Life Orb Greninja Hydro Pump vs. 236 HP / 92+ SpD Clefable: 179-212 (45.8 - 54.3%) -- 5.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 236 HP / 92+ SpD Clefable: 168-199 (43 - 51%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers


It also allow you to take 2 Psyshocks from Life Orb Latios most of the time

252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 236 HP / 180 Def Clefable: 177-211 (45.3 - 54.1%) -- 3.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

It also gives you a pretty good chance from getting OHKOed by a +2 Adamant Mega Gyara

+2 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Mega Gyarados Waterfall vs. 236 HP / 180 Def Clefable: 339-400 (86.9 - 102.5%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO

I feel that this change would be better on clefable overall. Also you could probably add pokeaim to the list of youtubers too :]]

PS I forgot. Fire Blast to hit ferro scizor and drill harder than flamethrower. You could use flamethrower too if u want to :]
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Scy
hey I saw Pokaim joey using the team today on one of his videos. I knew that team looked familiar xD

Anyway I agree with TheKingKarp and TheEnder. Even though you said def Clefable allows you to better handle Mega Hera, Mega Gyara, etc, I find spdef Clefable better in general for Greninja and Thundurus. Starmie is also rising to popularity

I suggest the following EV spread, it is the optimal EV spread imo
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 236 HP / 180 Def / 92 SpD
Calm Nature
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled

This EV spread allows you to take 2 hydros from Greninja and tbolt from thundurus after leftovers

252 SpA Life Orb Greninja Hydro Pump vs. 236 HP / 92+ SpD Clefable: 179-212 (45.8 - 54.3%) -- 5.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 236 HP / 92+ SpD Clefable: 168-199 (43 - 51%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers


It also allow you to take 2 Psyshocks from Life Orb Latios most of the time

252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 236 HP / 180 Def Clefable: 177-211 (45.3 - 54.1%) -- 3.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

It also gives you a pretty good chance from getting OHKOed by a +2 Adamant Mega Gyara

+2 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Mega Gyarados Waterfall vs. 236 HP / 180 Def Clefable: 339-400 (86.9 - 102.5%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO

I feel that this change would be better on clefable overall. Also you could probably add pokeaim to the list of youtubers too :]]

PS I forgot. Fire Blast to hit ferro scizor and drill harder than flamethrower. You could use flamethrower too if u want to :]

Thank you so much for the response and rate! I've made changes to the RMT.

Yeah handling Greninja and Thundurus does outclass handling mega Gyarados and Hera. The EV spread you provided was very good as well! I have decided to implement the changes :] Fire Blast was added as well. Thank you for the set!

I've also added Pokeaim and TheKingKarb to the list of youtubers at the start.

Once again, thank you all for the rates, they really help!
 
I just wanted to say I didn't take this team from you lol. gr8astard made this before the world cup of pokemon with latias > latios. So i've had it for about 3 to 4 months. I used it to get reqs during the aegislash ban and apparently afterwards you made it? as for blunder and shofu, they were also passed the team from me...

Anyway, as for a rate I would suggest replacing Latios with Latias. Latias is a much more reliable Keldeo switch-in plus it provides Healing Wish support for your own Keldeo, Mega Pinsir, and Landorus who are all easily worn down by Bisharp and opposing Sand teams. Healing Wish gives you a nice second chance and also allows you to play with those afformentioned pokemon more recklessly as you can heal them all back to full.
latias.gif

Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
 
Last edited:
I think this niggas fuckin up,,,,, saw a cool team on the ladder used by joey/blunder, remade it w tios>tias and tried to pull a fast one by giving reverse shoutouts "yea shoutout joey n blunder 4 using my team!"
nice,,,, the only reason to use latios is if u have 3 attacks, so its pretty obv that this niggas jus pullin the old "oh but wev only got 5 mons in common must be a coincidence" trick. i would tell u to suck my ass and make ur own shit but im gonna be civilized and request that u dispel this fabricated bullshitery
 
I just wanted to say I didn't take this team from you lol. gr8astard made this before the world cup of pokemon with latias > latios. So i've had it for about 3 to 4 months. I used it to get reqs during the aegislash ban and apparently afterwards you made it? as for blunder and shofu, they were also passed the team from me...

Anyway, as for a rate I would suggest replacing Latios with Latias. Latias is a much more reliable Keldeo switch-in plus it provides Healing Wish support for your own Keldeo, Mega Pinsir, and Landorus who are all easily worn down by Bisharp and opposing Sand teams. Healing Wish gives you a nice second chance and also allows you to play with those afformentioned pokemon more recklessly as you can heal them all back to full.
latias.gif

Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
I think this niggas fuckin up,,,,, saw a cool team on the ladder used by joey/blunder, remade it w tios>tias and tried to pull a fast one by giving reverse shoutouts "yea shoutout joey n blunder 4 using my team!"
nice,,,, the only reason to use latios is if u have 3 attacks, so its pretty obv that this niggas jus pullin the old "oh but wev only got 5 mons in common must be a coincidence" trick. i would tell u to suck my ass and make ur own shit but im gonna be civilized and request that u dispel this fabricated bullshitery

In reply to the both of you. Prior to making this I did an in-depth guide with the exact 6 Pokemon, with Heatran instead of Magnezone (Latias was even there as well). Also I had absolutely no idea that you had a similar team to mine, and there was no way I could know too since both Shofu and blunder posted their videos after I posted my guide.

Anyway, I could type walls of text here but I really do not wish to argue further. The fact that I took the extra effort to write both this and the long guide is for everyone to benefit from them and hopefully learn something. I always stress this but as a community we should grow and learn together, not fight or argue. Hence, I do not wish for this minor issue to result in a conflict.

Once again like I said, the purpose of this RMT is for the community to benefit from. So, the creator of this team really shouldn't matter. I could PM the OP to Hugo, delete it, and have him post it instead (so it'd be under his name) if you really want me to. As long as people are still learning something from this, the days I spent making it will not go to waste, and that's all I ask for.

Joey Thanks for the rate! I explained why I prefer Latios > Latias in the thread :] Yeah Latias could have its niche too, since HWish support is invaluable, so its really up to personal preference at the end of the day.

So that is all I have to say. Once again, I do not wish to start anything, and is willing to give up ownership of the team. Just don't let this spark a conflict ty.
 
Back
Top