XY OU Need some help with new team please :) Peaked 1400

[King Kuro]

Hi guys :] I've just decided to build a new team, and it has currently peaked at 1400. I am struggling to get any further but I really enjoy playing with the team. Any feedback will be very much appreciated!

I will put some questions I want answered in the thread, and in advance I would really like help with EV spread suggestions, as I am prone to just running 252/252/4, as such I wont mention them in my detail because they are so obvious as to why I chose them, but I know they could be better..

TEAM PREVIEW:​

The TEAM in detail:

​

Mega Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear body -> Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Att / 252 Spe / 4 SpDef
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Power-Up Punch
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt​

I started this team built around my favourite offensive core, MEGAgross and Hydreigon. Their type synergy is fantastic and they hit 'mons the other couldn't perfectly (e.g. 'Gross hitting Hydreigon's worst enemies, fairies). The moveset I am running I absolutely love. As 'Gross is such an offensive threat I can bring him in often seeming to revenge kill, and get behind the sub on the switch. Power-up punch is used particularly when the opponent either won't break the sub, or I will outspeed the following turn after they do break it, getting up to +1 (and maybe more). Adamant Power-Up Punch also guarantees the OHKO on an uninvested Bisharp, so even if it breaks the sub with a sucker punch, I will still take it out. Iron Head and Zen Headbutt or both powerful STAB moves, boosted by Tough Claws which hit a vast array of the meta, taking out fairies, fighting types, MVenusaur, etc. And with a few attack boosts from power-up punch, little can take them well.

Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Att
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Superpower​

Hydreigon is Metagross partner in offensive crime. It hits psychic types super-effectively which resist Metagross' entire moveset, as well as other dragons. Its levitate ability provides support for Metagross' ground weakness. I absolutely love using them together.

As for his moveset, I run Draco and Dark Pulse for the necessary STAB moves. Which as previously stated, provide answers for Metagross' counters. Fire Blast is used to hit steel types, such as Scizor and Magnezone. which again wall Metagross. Finally, I opted to go with Superpower which allows me to hit Heatrans, Ttar and Chanseys/Blisseys which like to think they can switch in on Hydreigon, and even Bisharp if I don't feel like risking the Fire Blast miss. He is holding Life Orb to add an extra punch to all attacks, and to allow freedom of move choice which I couldn't get with a Scarf or Specs set.

​

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 Att
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Ice Fang
​

After working out my offensive core, I decided to move on to my defensive. My first choice, as my physically defensive wall was Hippowdon. Hippo synergises quite well with 'Gross and 'Gon, other than the ice weakness. It hits Excadrill, Tyranitar and is also my Talonflame and Lando-T check. It is my teams Stealth Rocker, Slack off provides longevity, especially useful if Lefties ever get knocked off ( which happens alot, lol). Earthquake for obvious STAB. The last move I am having trouble with however. Stone Edge allows me to hit Talonflame, 'Zard, and Volcarona, however Ice Fang allows me to hit Lando and Gliscor (the latter of which gives Hippo alot of trouble with Knock Off + Toxic). I also see Whirlwind/Roar as viable options. EVs are for max Def bulk.

As such, my first major question is what should my last move on Hippo be?

Also, I run Sand Force, as Sandstream does not benefit anyone else on the team, and hinders Hydreigon, as LO+Sand damage really takes its toll quite quickly. It also allows me to capitalise a bit on opposing sand teams.

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 SpDef/ 4 SpAtt
Calm Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
​

Clefable rounds out my defensive core, being the Specially defesnive wall. It share no common weaknesses with Hippo so is a great partner. It has leftovers for recovery, and soft-boiled to increase longevity. T-Wave assists with Speed control, helping Metagross and Hydreigon outspeed opposing threats. Calm Mind allows me to set-up and take Special attacks even better, and respond with a fairly powerful Moonblast (no pun intended).

I am really unsure whether to run Magic Guard or Unaware. Unaware would assist with TG Manaphy and other set up mons, however I really like having soft-boiled for recovery that wish provides a turn too late, or Moonlight may barely provide at all against weather teams.

Major question 2, Magic Guard or Unaware? And which recovery move to partner it?

​

Magnezone @ Expert Belt
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 SpAtt/ 4 SpDef
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [FIRE]​

​

I chose Magnezone next as a secondary way to get rid off those pesky Steel types which hinder Metagross. Magnet Pull + HP Fire, allow me to hit them without them being able to switch out. On top of this, expert belt provides that little bit of extra damage turning a potential 2HKO into an OHKO. Volt Switch allows me to gain a bit of momentum and Thunderbolt + Flash Cannon are 'Zones predominant STAB moves. 'Zone allows me to hit 'mons like Manaphy and Rotom-W super-effectively, which I couldn't before. It also gives me a alternative way to hit fairies, should 'Gross go down.
I am running max HP and Max SpAtt, to allow 'Zone to take some hits and deal alot of damage.

Zone is the main 'mon I am unsure about on the team. His fighting weakness is a major problem in conjunction with Hydreigons, making me rather weak to Keldeo, Breloom and Conk, and his fire weakness hurts too. So I am 100% open for suggestions on mons that could take its place.

​

Question 3, can you suggest a replacement for Mag?

​

Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 SpAtt/ 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
​

Looking bacvk at my team so far, I had a major weakness to Keldeo. So my last 'mon was selecte to counter it. As such, I went with AV Azu which can take hits from Keldeo, and hit back super effectively. It also allows me to hit threats such as Lando-T. Its moveset is standard, aqua jet for priority, waterfall and play rough for STAB and knock off because knock off. Max HP to allow it to take hits, and max Attack to deal damage.

THREATS:

Not going to do this in great detail, but some threats I have noticed so far in laddering include:

• Mega-Zard Y, can just 6-0 if it is running focus blast to hit Hydreigon and I don't hit it with a T-Wave from Clef.
• Physically defensive Lando and Gliscor, after intimidating Azu they can take a hit, and are difficult to take down without Azumarill.
• Keldeo, again Azu is my only answer.
• Electric types, particularly those running HP [Ice] such as Mega-Manectric, Thundurus, etc. to hit Hippo.

Again, any help would be very much appreciated :) Thanks in advance.

​

 

[ez]

hey man the mons are ur team are pretty nichze and i dont really want to change much. But ur evs/sets are kinda weird. For example ur running a physical azumarill but ur using a modest nature with 252 spa. i think u should check out the smogon dex and take sets over there and put them on ur team. But if ur too lazy too ill guess ill tell u wat sets i would run XD. ok for metagross i think ur moveset should be metor mash, zen headbutt, grass knot and hammer arm. metor mash and zen headbutt are ur stab move. grass knot lets u hit things like slowbro and hippo. hammer arm for things like ferrothorn and heatran and other mons u hit super effectively. Hydreigon is fine but i think i would change it to a latios. This gives u a hazard controller and a nice zard y check. heres the set:

latios set

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power Fire
- Defog
Draco Meteor is Latios's strongest move, dealing great damage to Pokemon that don't resist it such as Thundurus and Slowbro. Psyshock allows Latios to threaten special walls such as Chansey and Assault Vest users such as Raikou, Tornadus-T, and Conkeldurr by hitting their weaker Defense stat. Hidden Power Fire deals with some Steel-types such as Scizor and Ferrothorn, but it comes at the cost of lowering Latios's Speed IV by one point, leaving it outsped by base 110s such as Gengar and Latias. Earthquake allows Latios to lure in and OHKO Heatran after Stealth Rock damage and deal decent damage to Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Empoleon switch-ins. Defog provides invaluable support to teammates so that their health is not chipped away by entry hazards. Roost improves Latios's longevity and aids it in checking threats such as Keldeo and Mega Manectric.

On clefable u should run

clefable set

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Flamethrower / knock off / thunder wave
Calm Mind boosts Clefable’s Special Attack and Special Defense stat, making it both powerful and bulky. Moonblast is Clefable's obligatory STAB move and hits extremely hard after just a few Calm Mind boosts. Soft-Boiled gives Clefable much-needed longevity on the field, enabling it to check threats with much more ease. Lastly, Flamethrower deals with the Steel-types that resist Moonblast, such as Scizor and Excadrill. However, Thunder Wave is a great utility move in general that can cripple many of Clefable's checks, including Talonflame, Scizor, and Mega Metagross. Focus Blast can also be considered for its ability to hit Heatran and Chansey, two of the biggest checks to Clefable. Ice Beam is an alternate option to OHKO specially defensive Gliscor after a boost, which would otherwise check Clefable; however, Clefable misses out on Steel-types such as Scizor as a result. But ur twave is fine. Knock off can get rid of things like goth's scarf when they switch in and try to trap u plus getting rid of an item is kewl.

On Hippowdon you should run 112 evs in spd. This allow u to not get 2koed by hp ice coming from a manetric and raikou.

On magenzone i would switch expert belt to choice scarf or choice specs. Specs lets u get rid of ferrothorn right away which is great for ur team cause it kinda stops half ur team. or u can run scarf to outspeed other mons under 360 speed like keldeo, latios, latias, mega metragross etc.

I would change azumarills evs to max attack adamant nature instead of ur spread to hit as hard as possible.

hope i helped vm me if u need furthur assistance.

 

[King Kuro]

Thanks for the advice man! I'll trial everything you suggested out. The modest nature on Azu is just because I copy pasted it for formatting and forgot to change it to Adamant :P

 

[Assaltwaffle]

Good team! I see you are using the Sub/PuP set for Megagross, which is actually more niche and debatably worse than its All-Out Attacker or RP sets. Have you considered trying out either of these? Also, if you wish to stay with this set, I would recommend using a Jolly nature in order to achieve max speed. Without its 350 speed tier it gets outrun by all the offensive threats that would normally get beaten by it.

 

[King Kuro]

I will definitely try them both out! Thanks for the help! :) And Jolly makes alot of sense haha.

 

[Mur]

Hey man cool team! I think I have some suggestions to help you out a little! I agree with oml its too ez on the changes to metagross to 252atk/4spatk/252spe naive with meteor mash/zen headbutt/hammer arm/grass knot. I normally never run adamant gross on non rp sets since it really sucks for gross to be checked by keldeo and that mon is already a threat to your team so having gross to outspeed it gives keldeo one less opportunity to come in. Mash hits a bit harder than iron head and can boost your attack on occasion which is why it is usually run despite the 90% accuracy. Hammer arm is used as coverage to break ferro and skarm after you have become slower than it because of the loss of flying type when it roosts. Grass knot+naive nature allows gross to break through bulky waters such as slowbro, Mbro, and quagsire which forms a nightmare balance breaking core between gross and hydrei.

I would leave clefables moveset but switch the spread to 252hp/184def/72spdef calm nature. Since your team is on the slower side the speed control brought about by t-wave fits on the team pretty well and is generally one of the better 4th move slot options on clefable right now due to the ability to cripple common checks such as heatran, metagross, and talonflame. The spread gives you enough special bulk to avoid the 2hko from lo thundurus's tbolt while having enough def investment to avoid the 2hko from latios's psyshock. A sassy nature with 0 speed ivs can be used so clef can completely set up on ferrothorn as gyro will be doing nothing so if you don't mind the speed loss I recommend trying it out.

I agree with oml its too ez again on the hippo spread being changed to 252hp/144def/112spdef impish and I would run whirlwind in the 4th move slot. Whirlwind will make more sense after I reveal the next change so hold on for a second. Whirlwind allows you to phaze out mons like manaphy and altaria which can really threaten you otherwise but if you really hate spdef talon than stone edge can be used. The spread solves one of the problems you listed in the threat list that being the electric types. The spdef evs allow you to avoid the hp ice 2hko from raikou(not specs but that can be played around), thundy, and manectric. Hippo is actually one of the best counters to electrics in the tier so you shouldn't have to worry about them any longer.

Now I'd recommend switching magnezone to rotom-w and azumarill to latios. I was thinking what could replace mag that can take on physical grounds, add a back up flying check especially for torn-t, and something that could stop scizor since it's pretty threatening without mag. Rotom-w solves all of this perfectly and is the reason for hippo running whirlwind. The only flying type that still annoys the team is spdef talon but rocks and the fact that both hydrei and gross outspeed it should be enough to stop it from being too much of a nuisance. lando-t and sand offense no longer pressure your team as much either since rotom-w stops them both as well as scizor which could be very annoying to deal with otherwise. I would just be careful in letting rotom get overloaded since it has a bunch of mons to check in one slot so just be wary with that. The change to latios gives you a solid answer to keldeo along with a good answer to zard-y which can rail this team if given the opportunity. For this reason roost is run over any lure option so you can have the longevity to check said threats throughout the match. Latios also gives you a defogger which you previously did not have which is pretty important in winning the hazard war that ravages the metagame.

Overall pretty solid team! I hope I helped and I'll leave the changes in the tab below :D

Changes

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm
- Grass Knot

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave

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

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

Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
- Defog

 

[ez]

Hey man cool team! I think I have some suggestions to help you out a little! I agree with oml its too ez on the changes to metagross to 252atk/4spatk/252spe naive with meteor mash/zen headbutt/hammer arm/grass knot. I normally never run adamant gross on non rp sets since it really sucks for gross to be checked by keldeo and that mon is already a threat to your team so having gross to outspeed it gives keldeo one less opportunity to come in. Mash hits a bit harder than iron head and can boost your attack on occasion which is why it is usually run despite the 90% accuracy. Hammer arm is used as coverage to break ferro and skarm after you have become slower than it because of the loss of flying type when it roosts. Grass knot+naive nature allows gross to break through bulky waters such as slowbro, Mbro, and quagsire which forms a nightmare balance breaking core between gross and hydrei.

I would leave clefables moveset but switch the spread to 252hp/184def/72spdef calm nature. Since your team is on the slower side the speed control brought about by t-wave fits on the team pretty well and is generally one of the better 4th move slot options on clefable right now due to the ability to cripple common checks such as heatran, metagross, and talonflame. The spread gives you enough special bulk to avoid the 2hko from lo thundurus's tbolt while having enough def investment to avoid the 2hko from latios's psyshock. A sassy nature with 0 speed ivs can be used so clef can completely set up on ferrothorn as gyro will be doing nothing so if you don't mind the speed loss I recommend trying it out.

I agree with oml its too ez again on the hippo spread being changed to 252hp/144def/112spdef impish and I would run whirlwind in the 4th move slot. Whirlwind will make more sense after I reveal the next change so hold on for a second. Whirlwind allows you to phaze out mons like manaphy and altaria which can really threaten you otherwise but if you really hate spdef talon than stone edge can be used. The spread solves one of the problems you listed in the threat list that being the electric types. The spdef evs allow you to avoid the hp ice 2hko from raikou(not specs but that can be played around), thundy, and manectric. Hippo is actually one of the best counters to electrics in the tier so you shouldn't have to worry about them any longer.

Now I'd recommend switching magnezone to rotom-w and azumarill to latios. I was thinking what could replace mag that can take on physical grounds, add a back up flying check especially for torn-t, and something that could stop scizor since it's pretty threatening without mag. Rotom-w solves all of this perfectly and is the reason for hippo running whirlwind. The only flying type that still annoys the team is spdef talon but rocks and the fact that both hydrei and gross outspeed it should be enough to stop it from being too much of a nuisance. lando-t and sand offense no longer pressure your team as much either since rotom-w stops them both as well as scizor which could be very annoying to deal with otherwise. I would just be careful in letting rotom get overloaded since it has a bunch of mons to check in one slot so just be wary with that. The change to latios gives you a solid answer to keldeo along with a good answer to zard-y which can rail this team if given the opportunity. For this reason roost is run over any lure option so you can have the longevity to check said threats throughout the match. Latios also gives you a defogger which you previously did not have which is pretty important in winning the hazard war that ravages the metagame.

Overall pretty solid team! I hope I helped and I'll leave the changes in the tab below :D

Changes

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm
- Grass Knot

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave

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

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

Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
- Defog

I think mag is needed on his team. It gets rid if if the ferrothorns which wall a lot I members on his team. But most importantly it knocks out scizor which leaves a huge whole for metagross. And why naive nature instead of jolly? . Thx for explaining clef'a spread I forgot to explain the Evs XD

 

[Mur]

I think mag is needed on his team. It gets rid if if the ferrothorns which wall a lot I members on his team. But most importantly it knocks out scizor which leaves a huge whole for metagross. And why naive nature instead of jolly? All his moves are physical moves he has no special ones. Thx for explaining clef'a spread I forgot to explain the Evs XD

Grass knot is not a physical move and some slowbro run investment to avoid the 2hko from gk but need a larger amount to do so if naive/hasty so that's why you usually choose these natures over jolly if you're using grass knot. Ferro is not that annoying when both hydreigon and gross break it and clefable can 100% counter ferro and use it as set up fodder with the other spread I gave which is why I suggested he try it. Scizor is a threat for sure with or without mag or rotom-w so the best way to go about this would probably be running flamethrower>twave on clef. Hp fire on Latios is an option too but it needs roost to stop keldeo and zard-y so flamethrower on clef may be the best option despite losing some speed control.

Also now that I look at it gengar also really tears up this build but there's really no way of fixing this completely so maybe scarf hydreigon could help this matchup out a bit. Metagross is one of the best breakers in the tier so missing a little bit of power shouldn't disrupt the core too much. This also would make up for the speed control lost from clefable dropping twave.

 

[Fire-breather Richard]

1) Use Latias over Hydreigon because it can switch into Keldeo's STABs reliably. Running HP Fire on it allows you to lure Ferrothorn and Scizor, which is pretty huge for your team.

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power Fire
- Roost

2) Try using CB Azumarill over AV Azumarill so that Excadrill doesn't make you cry too much :-)

3) You can also opt to run Bullet Punch on your Metagross to lure Weavile, which is everywhere atm.

4) Mixed Hippo is better to handle Electrics (but watch out for Grass Knot Thundurus / Nasty Plot Thundurus). Also, run Stone Edge because SpD Talonflame is sweeps you otherwise.

5) I prefer MG Fable but that's just me.

Be careful of Mega Metagross and Hoopa-U when you use this team.

 

[King Kuro]

1) Use Latias over Hydreigon because it can switch into Keldeo's STABs reliably. Running HP Fire on it allows you to lure Ferrothorn and Scizor, which is pretty huge for your team.

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power Fire
- Roost

2) Try using CB Azumarill over AV Azumarill so that Excadrill doesn't make you cry too much :-)

3) You can also opt to run Bullet Punch on your Metagross to lure Weavile, which is everywhere atm.

4) Mixed Hippo is better to handle Electrics (but watch out for Grass Knot Thundurus / Nasty Plot Thundurus). Also, run Stone Edge because SpD Talonflame is sweeps you otherwise.

5) I prefer MG Fable but that's just me.

Be careful of Mega Metagross and Hoopa-U when you use this team.

I'm currently trying out the team recommended by Mur with both Lati and Hydreigon which is working well. Mixed Hippo definitely helps and I have been thinking about SE so I'll try that out. :] Thanks for your help.