Stainless Steel: An OR/AS OU RMT
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Introduction:------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey guys I am back with my second RMT and this is a team I had a lot of both fun and success with! I knew that I wanted to build around Mega Metagross and Bisharp because they are two of my favorite Pokemon but more importantly, there are few (and by few I mean like two things) Pokemon in the meta that can reliably handle the combination of these two. This is actually the only team I laddered despite many people advising me to create a second team. I really loved using this team but I think the combination of most people above 1600 Elo having seen this team and know its sets and the fact that the School Year is starting soon means I am done with this team and taking an extended hiatus from Showdown. Because of this, I have decided to share my favorite team with you guys!
Ok, so like I said I began my team with Bisharp and Mega Metagross, this core is incredible and is really capable of ripping holes in teams that aren't prepared for both of them. Mega Metagross absolutely dismantles Balance Teams and Bisharp can easily destroy unprepared stall teams as well as every type of offensive team (Keldeo has to go!) after a swords dance.
Like a true scrub, I took my original core to the type chart and Ground, Fire and Fighting were the two immediate issues. Enter Choice Band Dragonite as counter to all three. CB Dragonite functions as a fantastic Wall Breaker and Late Game Sweeper/Safety Net as little to nothing can take an outrage from it. Its main role however is the use of Extreme Speed which I can say has saved my ass more times than one and it really prevents my opponent from sweeping late game.
So, like every good team in OU I needed rocks so I went to what is in my opinion the most reliable rock setter in the game. Clefable's ability to set up rocks and paralyze one or two things again is unparalleled and it really makes the job of my sweepers easier. Additionally, Clefable is a great switch in to many threats the other three can't safely switch into.
At this point I felt like my team was missing momentum and strong special attackers to deal with threats like Skarmory, Hippowdon and Slowbro so I added Tornadus-Therian and Choice Specs Keldeo. Life Orb Tornadus-Therian added a great Special Attacker (it 2hkos everything not named chansey) and Choice Specs Keldeo lessened Dragonite's role as the sole wall breaker.
I actually used the version above for awhile but in the end relying on Tornandus' incredibly low accuracy was starting to really hurt me and locking Keldeo into moves was causing problems. So I switched Tornadus-Therian for a Life Orb Hydreigon providing me with a great way of dealing with the physical walls I mentioned above however that made an already slightly Keldeo-weak team even weaker so I switched out my old Keldeo for Life Orb Analytic Starmie to easily deal with both my Keldeo and lack of hazard removal problems. This is the final version of the team and I was extremely pleased with how it turned out!
The Team In Detail:
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
Bisharp is my Win Condition in most games and, oddly given how offensive this team is, my only set up sweeper. The EVs are extremely standard, I opted for Jolly over Adamant when Wally the Bully pointed out all the benefits to me and I never looked back. Defiant is also a fantastic ability through its ability to scare away defoggers, boost your attack on the infamous Landorus-T + Mega Manectric core (as well as every other intimidator) and absolutely abuse sticky web. Swords Dance boosts Bisharp's already large attack to massive levels, Sucker Punch is totally necessary because without it Bisharp would be a sitting duck for anything faster than Base 70 Speed (aka everything). Knock Off and Iron Head are the hard hitting STAB Moves Bisharp has and Knock Off's utility in removing items is very helpful while Iron Head absolutely smashes Fairys. I have dabbled with both Psycho Cut and Low Kick as 4th moves over Iron Head but they always seems to let me down as Iron Head's sheer power and utility in removing Fairys far outclass the niche uses of Psycho Cut (KO Keldeo on switch) or Low Kick (Bisharp/TTar). Honestly though I would have to say Bisharp is the MVP of the team and in most games will nab at least two kills while also scaring defoggers enough to keep my rocks on the field. Bisharp also functions as one of two ways to remove Fairys (so I can outrage spam haha) as well as one way to remove Slowbro to ease up Mega Metagross' job. The offensive synergy it has with Metagross is amazing as well as the vast Majority of things that check Metagross with Ice Punch, are absolutely mauled by Bisharp. It is actually incredible how easy it is to sweep entire teams with Bisharp as any stall team that doesn't bring Quagsire as its unaware user or any offensive team without a fighting type (basically Keldeo lol) will easily fall prey to Bisharp's power. If used correctly, Bisharp is in my opinion the most dangerous Pokemon in OU (with the possible exception of Charizard X) and I vow to use Bisharp on any future offensive teams.Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body -->Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Hammer Arm
Mega Metagross is a fantastic Pokemon and incredibly useful to the team. It's bulk coupled with sheer power is almost unmatched in the OU tier and when grouped with his good speed tier (ties with Lati@s, Gengar, Mega Gallade and others). This incredible utility is augmented by its great movepool allowing it to hit most pokemon super effectively while only a few resist all four moves (I'm looking at you Slowbro). The EVs are standard and Clear Body is chosen as his pre-mega ability to prevent the lowering of stats through intimidate, sticky web and basically everything. Tough Claws is amazing essentially giving Mega Metagross a final attack of 517. Jolly is obviously to maintain his good speed tier. Meteor Mash is a hard hitting STAB move which, when coupled with Tough Claws results in an effective 180 Base Power, Zen Headbutt is the only viable Psychic STAB move he has and Ice Punch is chosen over Bullet Punch to hit the super common switchins like FatChomp and Landorus-Therian. Hammer Arm is used over Earthquake for its ability to hit all Normal types and OHKO even bulky Tyranitar and the Speed Drop allows it to actually beat Skarmory (after two speed drops Hammer Arm hits after roost resulting in super effective damage). Mega Metagross should be carefully played and functions as a last resort counter to many mons (at full health it can eat hits form: Talonflame, non-Life Orb Excadrill, Weavile, Tornadus-Therian, Lati@s, Bisharp, Keldeo, Many forms of Landorus-Therian and so on). Mega Metagross' only problem is his lackluster speed prior to Mega Evolution which is why it is necessary to Mega Evolove Metagross early in the match. Mega Metagross does its best work against Balance Teams and can sometimes really hamper them with its ability to take out fat mons like: Venusaur, Heatran, Tyranitar, Conkeldurr, and literally any Fairy Type (except Azumarill, which needs to switch into rocks twice). To conclude Mega Metagross is a fantastic Wall Breaker and if used correctly can absolutely horrify teams with its ability to sponge hits and respond with an incredibly powerful attack.Ability: Clear Body -->Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Hammer Arm
Dragonite @ Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
After using this team for a while, Choice Band Dragonite has become one of my favorite Pokemon to use. It is a fantastic Revenge Killer, Wall Breaker, Late Game Sweeper and depending on my opponent's team it can fill a myriad of roles for my team. Its primary use is as a Wall Breaker, essentially OHKOing anything that doesn't resist Outrage. However, in addition to being a Wall Breaker, there are many games where I find myself setting up a Late Game Sweep with Extreme Speed. The EVs, like all on this team, are incredibly standard, Adamant is chosen to hit as hard as possible and Multiscale is the obvious choice for Ability as it allows Dragonite to become one of the bulkiest Pokemon in OU when at full health. Outrage is the STAB move and like I alluded to earlier there is very little that can stomach a neutral Outrage. Fire Punch is a coverage move for Ferrothorn, Scizor and Skarmory. Earthquake can deal with Heatran and hits a lot neutrally such as Azumarill. Extreme Speed is in my opinion the main selling point of Dragonite. It's +2 Priority lets Dragonite beat a bunch of threats as well as absolutely dismantling Offensive Teams. Dragonite is the sole member of the team that is incredibly useful against any kind of team. Bisharp fails to do too much against Balance, Metagross is relatively ineffective against many kinds of Stall, Clefable is dead weight against Gothitelle Stall Teams (although I can always double and force Gothitelle out with one of my dark types) Hydreigon gets hit pretty hard by Offense, and Starmie can become useless against Stall. Dragonite absolutely mauls Stall, crushes Balance with Outrage and Offensive Teams generally don't have an answer to Dragonite's Extreme Speed. I know I have already said the Bisharp is the MVP of the team and I still believe that to be true but Dragonite's versatility and sheer power are invaluable to the team.Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
Clefable is my Stealth Rock user and general wall. I almost always will use it as a defensive pivot and is a fantastic partner for my Dragons and Steels providing a reliable answer to many common threats. The EVs are standard form Smogon and it is all explained here: "Maximum HP investment gives Clefable as much as bulk as possible, and the given Special Defense investment in tandem with a Calm nature allows Clefable to avoid the 2HKO from Mild Life Orb Kyurem-B's Ice Beam, Thundurus's Thunderbolt, Mega Diancie's Moonblast, and Mega Manectric's Thunderbolt. 172 Defense EVs allow Clefable to avoid the 2HKO from Jolly Mega Lopunny's Return, Latios's Psyshock, and Jolly Mega Gyarados's Waterfall as well as the OHKO from Choice Band Scizor's Bullet Punch." I opted for Magic Guard over Unaware as my team really does not struggle against set up sweepers due to the abundance of priority and Clefable's ability to eat burns is incredibly important on a team with three strong Physical Attackers. Stealth Rock is necessary on every OU Team as its consistent damage throughout the battle and the ability to turn 2HKO's into OHKO's, Moonblast is Clefable's STAB move and very useful for breaking down faster threats (Diancie, Mega Manectric, Thundurus etc). Clefable's ability to Paralyze many things faster than my sweepers with Thunder Wave is invaluable to the team and Soft Boiled is necessary to maintain Clefable's longevity. Honestly after using Clefable for a while, it totally makes sense that this thing is S-Tier as it completely counters so many of the metagame's top threats.Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- U-turn
It is appalling that this beast is in UU. Draco Meteor and Dark Pulse together are resisted by 5 Pokemon in OU (7 if you count BL) and Metagross carries a Move that is super effective agains all but two of those mons (Azumarill and Klefki) neither of whom take less than ~60% from a Meteor Mash. The sheer power and coverage of this thing is absolutely insane and its ability to deal with Physical Walls is immensely important for this team. The trick to using this set is really really simple. If they have a resist for both of your STAB Moves, U-Turn, if they don't, kill something. Levitate is obviously the only available ability however it proves extremely useful when I need a ground immunity and Dragonite's Multiscale is still in tact and important. I ran the simple EVs with a Timid Nature because of Hydreigon's mediocre speed and to outspeed a Charizard before it Mega Evolves. Not only does this thing hit like a truck and have incredible coverage, it is bulky as hell. In at least 1 every 5 games I will end up using Hydreigon to just sponge a hit and respond with a kill just to eliminate one threat. Draco Meteor and Dark Pulse are obligatory STAB moves that hit insanely hard when backed by Life Orb and Hydreigon's hefty Special Attack stat, while Flamethrower is for Ferrothorn and Scizor. U-Turn is incredibly helpful, especially against stall, as I can get an easy switch in to keep momentum. Hydreigon, like Metagross, does the most damage to Balance and Stall Teams. I legitimately believe that the switch to Hydreigon was the best thing for this team and I will certainly use it on future teams.Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- U-turn
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Starmie was added originally as a Rapid Spinner + Keldeo Counter but it has proved to be so much more. Analytic boosted attacks make Starmie a terrifying offensive presence (Math Time: 299x1.3x1.3=505.31 aka Starmie's Special Attack Stat on switches). Starmie also functions as a great second-secondary Win Condition if Bisharp dies early or Dragonite's Extreme Speed won't be enough, because it has the ability to sweep teams if its checks are removed. There are so many games when, in part due to Starmie's Speed and in part due to Analytic, where every time Starmie gets in, something dies. The EVs are standard and Timid nature is used to make the best use of the 115 Speed Tier. Hydro Pump is used over Scald/Surf for its sheer power (It does about 50 to Rotom-Wash on switches), and Psyshock is used to be able to hit Special Walls and Calm Mind users. I have switched Ice Beam for Thunderbolt and decided Ice Beam is the better option due to its ability to hit Thundurus-I for ~80 damage (enough to KO after rocks) as well as the ability to OHKO FatChomp which has been incredibly common lately. Rapid Spin is used for obvious reasons and Dragonite becomes an incredibly scary when its Multiscale is kept in tact. Due to Dragonite being a Choice Band set however, I often have to gauge if its Multiscale is actually important enough to maintain (basically if there is a Pokemon that outspeeds Dragonite that I can nuke) because, like I said earlier Starmie has excellent utility as a Sweeper as well. Starmie functions as check to Gengar as well as a check to so many offensive threats that outspeed the rest of my team and has proved to be an invaluable member to the team!Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Focus Blast
- U-turn
Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
Sand Rush Excadrill is the single biggest threat to this team. If he is the life orb variant he can OHKO every member of my team, but Hydreigon, after rocks and outspeeds all of them (obviously.) He resists Extreme Speed and takes about 70% from a Bisharp sucker punch so he has to be weakened before I can take it down. The key to beating it is to kill Tyranitar/Hippowdon quickly and force Excadrill to have a max of 4-5 turns of sand.
Breloom outspeeds or speed ties with the majority of my team (everyone but Starmie and Hydreigon) and has the ability to OHKO Hydreigon and Starmie if the right prediction is made (prediction only necessary for Bullet Seed.) Furthermore, Breloom can easily nullify one member of my team with Spore and makes sweeping with Bisharp incredibly difficult due to Mach Punch and its resistance to Sucker Punch.
Azumarill is only on this list because I have no way to outright OHKO it which really can't be said for too many pokemon. Honestly if I could one shot this it wouldn't be a problem but because it takes two or three hits I usually have to take big damage.
Talonflame became much less of a threat after the Hydreigon-Starmie changes but nonetheless it almost always goes at least 1-1. If I have rocks up it is easy (Dragonite Extreme Speed is an easy kill after rocks) but if I let this beast get into play without rocks it can really dent my team.
Similar to Talonflame I need rocks up to deal with these two. Both of the charizards cause me big problems because for different reasons. If Charizard X sets up and Dragonite's multiscale is broken/Charizard is above ~60% health then it can proceed to sweep. Charizard Y is far easier to deal with but it is almost guaranteed to get a kill or two.
I have no switch ins to Mega Beedrill as I have only two Bug resists, one of which has a Multiscale I would like to keep in tact and the other is weak to poison. I can deal with it pretty easily because of my priority moves but if played right, Mega Beedrill can easily leave a mark on the game.
Choice Scarf Landorus-Therian is not REALLY a problem but it forces me to keep one of my Earthquake immunities + one of my steels until it is dead or it will poke large holes in my team, I really debated adding this as a threat because it really doesn't scare me in Team Preview like the others on this list but I added it nonetheless.
I wasn't going to write any because quite frankly I couldn't think of anyone who really helped me with the team and I realized Wally The Bully was incredibly helpful. He prompted the change from Bullet Punch-Ice Punch on Mega Metagross, gave me his thoughts on Tornadus-Therian and I just really wanted to say thanks to him cause he is super chill.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-253999472 - Loss vs. Balance
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-251524868 - Loss vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-251675979 - Win vs. Sand
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-251660964 - Win vs. Balance
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-254764979 - Win vs. Stall
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-254784026 - Win vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-255415218 - Win vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-255521817 - Win vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-256993343 - Win vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-257302120 - Win vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-251524868 - Loss vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-251675979 - Win vs. Sand
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-251660964 - Win vs. Balance
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-254764979 - Win vs. Stall
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-254784026 - Win vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-255415218 - Win vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-255521817 - Win vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-256993343 - Win vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-257302120 - Win vs. Offense
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
Dragonite @ Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Hammer Arm
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- U-turn
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
Dragonite @ Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Hammer Arm
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- U-turn
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Conclusion:
All in all this team has been incredibly fun to use and I went way farther on the ladder than ever before (previous peak was like 1600 or something like that). On the topic of the peak by the way, I made it to 1850 with this team about 10 or so times but for the vast majority of my time using this team I was between 1775-1825. I also understand that this is not, by any measure of the word, the best team ever as it is weak to a ton of very common threats and thus I will gladly take any advice into consideration as I am still quite knew to Pokemon. Thanks for any rates!
Thanks for reading the whole thing!
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