So, after waiting for the greninja ban to come into effect, I've finally managed to put together a team in ORAS. Up until now, I've been playing at a fairly low rate, but I'm already beginning to notice some pretty serious flaws that are holding the team back, and I'd like some input on how to work around it.
I've tried to put together a balanced team that sits closer towards the defensive side, but on one hand, while this team actually has a pretty decent time dealing with the two mega-gods of OU, Metagross and Sableye, its reliance on mono-attacking pokemon (4!) has really put me into a corner at times, and can make it all too easy to lose control of a match's momentum. I feel this severe lack of offensive versatility causes a lot of pressure to actually finish anything to be thrown upon Gyarados, who just can't keep up with everything I need him to do when the shit hits his portion of the fan.
On a whole, I feel that this team is caught in a bit of a liminal phase between balance and stall where it has a bit of trouble getting things done either way. I feel poor offensive versatility to pressure opponents and move in for the win, while also being open to giving my opponents opportunities for plenty of free offensive momentum due to a general lack of threat. I feel that, at times, I can get out-stalled and out-muscled because of this. Especially since I lack hazard remove, what with having my team spread somewhat thin as it is.
Heatbro (Heatran) (M) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 192 SpD / 68 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
Pretty straightforward for a defensive heatran. Sets hazards, pisses off fairies. Air balloon is taken over leftovers to help make getting early game hazards out easier. While everybody and their dog gears up to deal with Heatran, they do it for good reason. His combination of typing and utility bring a lot to the table, allowing him to spread a lot of toxic and hazard damage around like it was nobody's business. His lack of recovery does make him more disposable than I'd like him to be, especially since once worn down, his absence can leave a fairly big hole in my defenses, allowing talonflame and most fairies to do quite a number on me.
Cabbage Head (Chesnaught) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Spiky Shield
- Leech Seed
- Drain Punch
I've come to take quite a liking to Chesnaught lately. While his combination of weaknesses are very easily exploitable, his combination of raw physical durability and annoyance factor through spiky shield and leech seed can end up forcing a lot of switches, and the negatives of his typing is offset quite a bit by how well it meshes with that of Heatran and Suicune. While he lacks in offensive prowess, his myriad of protection and healing tools keep him incredibly resilient, and his resistance to rocks means he's happy to switch in and out all the time.
Drain punch is taken over synthesis to avoid becoming complete taunt bait (that said, it's not like it'll actually do much), and to deal with Ferrothorn and Bisharp, who can otherwise be troublesome for this team.
Deals with Keldeo variants without Icy Wind quite cleanly, and can make solid work out of M-/Gyarados (excluding sub normal Gyarados, who laughs at drain punch) and M-Lopunny, and does solid work against most physical attackers in the tier that don't hit it super-effectively. And for those that do, spiky shield still allows a bit of scouting. Being immune to spore/powder moves certainly helps, although chesnaught tends to lose against the users that carry poison coverage.
Cune Ass Boss (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Good old CroCune has been a favourite of mine since gen 3, and he's exceptional as ever here as he was anywhere else, and completes a solid defensive FWG core with Heatran and Chesnaught.
Pretty straightforward, really. Once he's out in good shape, he's certainly difficult to deal with. Eats M-Sableye alive, and thanks to scald, can even give non-grass knot variants of M-Metagross a run for their money. After one CM, most special sweepers without super-effective coverage have difficulty putting a meaningful dent in this thing, and even some with super effective coverage don't have the easiest time. And while Sleep Talk ends up disappointing me more times than it should (his persistence in attempting to rest while resting is something to be admired, at the very least), once in the zone, CroCune can take as much time as it needs to get going.
That said, it feels a little harder to get the guy in in ORAS than it was in XY, and harder to keep him in as well. Whether it be new offensive and defensive threats, or just a more prepared meta overall, it's something I've certainly noticed. I've considered replacing him with M-Slowbro, especially since critical hits are the bane of my existence, but I'm very weary of that dark/ghost/bug(to a lesser extent) weakness. Additionally, one should never underestimate the application of pressure.
Moon Prism Power (Clefable) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell
- Calm Mind
- Moonlight
I love clefable, and I love unaware. Heal bell keeps nasty burns from Landorus and Gyarados and wakes Suicune the hell up, and unaware/calm mind allows it to easily come in on many setup sweepers and nullify their gains. Taking heal bell does have its costs, however, since it's easier than ever for steel types to switch in on Clefable once they find out that it doesn't have flamethrower. This, of course, leaves Clefable with one hell of a case of 4MSS.
LandorusCalrissian (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
The obligatory Lando-T, his mere presence adds so much utility, with Intimidate alone helping to get so many pokemon in safely, and U-turn makes it even better. Knock off adds further utility, as well as threatening Lati@s. Stone miss (sometimes) deals with the birdies, charizard, and other fiery delights. EQ is pretty obvious.
Being choice locked can be annoying at times, however, and can lead to some unsavoury switches. Running a build that isn't choice locked is somewhat tempting, but doing so removes my only serviceable answer to both Charizard mega forms.
Love Train (Gyarados) @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
Gyarados... poor guy. I love him, I really do, but sometimes, I feel too much is put on his shoulders at times. Intimidate pre-mega allows him to shuffle with Lando-T for some nice offensive neutering, which helps immensely against a lot of wallbreakers, even if it is janky as all hell. Taunt throws a wrench in the works of many stall pokemon, although half the time I'd kill for some EQ coverage, especially whenever Rotom rears its ugly little face.
Waterfall and crunch are great and all, but I feel that he just lacks in a lot of power, which is damning considering all the weight he has to pull as a late game cleaner, due to my generally weak offensive presence. And as much as I like Gyarados, I feel that he's probably the most wholly replaceable pokemon on this team.
Threat List:
Azumarill - All that raw power can leave a hefty dent in just about everything on this team. Determining the set makes it easier to deal with, but still requires a solid amount of work to play around.
Charizard (both forms) - Landorus-T is the only real defense I have against this guy and his split personalities, although coming in on Y is especially dangerous, and typically involves sacrificing at least one pokemon to get the job done. Not to mention jolly versions of Charizard X, which can cause an especially large amount of trouble.
Landorus-I - Plenty of raw power and solid moveset makes it easier than I'd like for him to muscle through this team. Suicune can deal with him with some careful play, but has difficulty switching in on its own.
Rotom-W - It's Rotom. The combination of burn, water, and electric coverage can be difficult to handle for this team, and actually wearing down this ugly little fucker is a pain in the ass.
Kyurem-B - Scarf sets have the potential to run me pretty ragged. Beatable, but requires some solid, consistent pressure.
I've tried to put together a balanced team that sits closer towards the defensive side, but on one hand, while this team actually has a pretty decent time dealing with the two mega-gods of OU, Metagross and Sableye, its reliance on mono-attacking pokemon (4!) has really put me into a corner at times, and can make it all too easy to lose control of a match's momentum. I feel this severe lack of offensive versatility causes a lot of pressure to actually finish anything to be thrown upon Gyarados, who just can't keep up with everything I need him to do when the shit hits his portion of the fan.
On a whole, I feel that this team is caught in a bit of a liminal phase between balance and stall where it has a bit of trouble getting things done either way. I feel poor offensive versatility to pressure opponents and move in for the win, while also being open to giving my opponents opportunities for plenty of free offensive momentum due to a general lack of threat. I feel that, at times, I can get out-stalled and out-muscled because of this. Especially since I lack hazard remove, what with having my team spread somewhat thin as it is.
Heatbro (Heatran) (M) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 192 SpD / 68 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
Pretty straightforward for a defensive heatran. Sets hazards, pisses off fairies. Air balloon is taken over leftovers to help make getting early game hazards out easier. While everybody and their dog gears up to deal with Heatran, they do it for good reason. His combination of typing and utility bring a lot to the table, allowing him to spread a lot of toxic and hazard damage around like it was nobody's business. His lack of recovery does make him more disposable than I'd like him to be, especially since once worn down, his absence can leave a fairly big hole in my defenses, allowing talonflame and most fairies to do quite a number on me.
Cabbage Head (Chesnaught) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Spiky Shield
- Leech Seed
- Drain Punch
I've come to take quite a liking to Chesnaught lately. While his combination of weaknesses are very easily exploitable, his combination of raw physical durability and annoyance factor through spiky shield and leech seed can end up forcing a lot of switches, and the negatives of his typing is offset quite a bit by how well it meshes with that of Heatran and Suicune. While he lacks in offensive prowess, his myriad of protection and healing tools keep him incredibly resilient, and his resistance to rocks means he's happy to switch in and out all the time.
Drain punch is taken over synthesis to avoid becoming complete taunt bait (that said, it's not like it'll actually do much), and to deal with Ferrothorn and Bisharp, who can otherwise be troublesome for this team.
Deals with Keldeo variants without Icy Wind quite cleanly, and can make solid work out of M-/Gyarados (excluding sub normal Gyarados, who laughs at drain punch) and M-Lopunny, and does solid work against most physical attackers in the tier that don't hit it super-effectively. And for those that do, spiky shield still allows a bit of scouting. Being immune to spore/powder moves certainly helps, although chesnaught tends to lose against the users that carry poison coverage.
Cune Ass Boss (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Good old CroCune has been a favourite of mine since gen 3, and he's exceptional as ever here as he was anywhere else, and completes a solid defensive FWG core with Heatran and Chesnaught.
Pretty straightforward, really. Once he's out in good shape, he's certainly difficult to deal with. Eats M-Sableye alive, and thanks to scald, can even give non-grass knot variants of M-Metagross a run for their money. After one CM, most special sweepers without super-effective coverage have difficulty putting a meaningful dent in this thing, and even some with super effective coverage don't have the easiest time. And while Sleep Talk ends up disappointing me more times than it should (his persistence in attempting to rest while resting is something to be admired, at the very least), once in the zone, CroCune can take as much time as it needs to get going.
That said, it feels a little harder to get the guy in in ORAS than it was in XY, and harder to keep him in as well. Whether it be new offensive and defensive threats, or just a more prepared meta overall, it's something I've certainly noticed. I've considered replacing him with M-Slowbro, especially since critical hits are the bane of my existence, but I'm very weary of that dark/ghost/bug(to a lesser extent) weakness. Additionally, one should never underestimate the application of pressure.
Moon Prism Power (Clefable) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell
- Calm Mind
- Moonlight
I love clefable, and I love unaware. Heal bell keeps nasty burns from Landorus and Gyarados and wakes Suicune the hell up, and unaware/calm mind allows it to easily come in on many setup sweepers and nullify their gains. Taking heal bell does have its costs, however, since it's easier than ever for steel types to switch in on Clefable once they find out that it doesn't have flamethrower. This, of course, leaves Clefable with one hell of a case of 4MSS.
LandorusCalrissian (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
The obligatory Lando-T, his mere presence adds so much utility, with Intimidate alone helping to get so many pokemon in safely, and U-turn makes it even better. Knock off adds further utility, as well as threatening Lati@s. Stone miss (sometimes) deals with the birdies, charizard, and other fiery delights. EQ is pretty obvious.
Being choice locked can be annoying at times, however, and can lead to some unsavoury switches. Running a build that isn't choice locked is somewhat tempting, but doing so removes my only serviceable answer to both Charizard mega forms.
Love Train (Gyarados) @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
Gyarados... poor guy. I love him, I really do, but sometimes, I feel too much is put on his shoulders at times. Intimidate pre-mega allows him to shuffle with Lando-T for some nice offensive neutering, which helps immensely against a lot of wallbreakers, even if it is janky as all hell. Taunt throws a wrench in the works of many stall pokemon, although half the time I'd kill for some EQ coverage, especially whenever Rotom rears its ugly little face.
Waterfall and crunch are great and all, but I feel that he just lacks in a lot of power, which is damning considering all the weight he has to pull as a late game cleaner, due to my generally weak offensive presence. And as much as I like Gyarados, I feel that he's probably the most wholly replaceable pokemon on this team.
Threat List:
Azumarill - All that raw power can leave a hefty dent in just about everything on this team. Determining the set makes it easier to deal with, but still requires a solid amount of work to play around.
Charizard (both forms) - Landorus-T is the only real defense I have against this guy and his split personalities, although coming in on Y is especially dangerous, and typically involves sacrificing at least one pokemon to get the job done. Not to mention jolly versions of Charizard X, which can cause an especially large amount of trouble.
Landorus-I - Plenty of raw power and solid moveset makes it easier than I'd like for him to muscle through this team. Suicune can deal with him with some careful play, but has difficulty switching in on its own.
Rotom-W - It's Rotom. The combination of burn, water, and electric coverage can be difficult to handle for this team, and actually wearing down this ugly little fucker is a pain in the ass.
Kyurem-B - Scarf sets have the potential to run me pretty ragged. Beatable, but requires some solid, consistent pressure.
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