Introduction:
Team Building Process:
I really don't remember why I picked Mega Pinsir to build a team around, but I'm glad I did. I think it had something to do with me loving Aerilate on Megamence? Idk. So that's what I began with. Mega Pinsir. Yay. Whoohoo. Big Whoop.
So once I'd decided on the Mega, I went around checking all of the Mega Pinsir teams I could find, and saw that they all had something to take down steel types which seemed to be giving Mega Pinsir problems even though it had EQ. Namely Magnezone. I've had experience with Magnezone in the past, and I kinda like using it to trap A-holes like Ferro and Skarmory and kill 'em, and on the upside, Magnezone resists some of Mega Pinsir's many, many weaknesses like Electric, Flying, Ice etc, whereas Mega Pinsir was completely immune to Magnezone's Ground weakness and resisted it's fighting weakness as well, so it made a good partner.
Then I noticed that Mega Pinsir is extremely weak to SR, so I needed a Rapid Spinner / Defogger. I swear, I went through the most trouble selecting this one, and I began with the popular Hippo+Exca Sand Core, giving me a SR setter, and a good rapid spinner. I didn't really like what it brought to the table, so I changed again. I finally found one 'Mon that could do both jobs pretty effectively. Friggin' Forretress! The thing could take physical hits like nobodies business and also brought a slow pivot role as well, so I used that.
I wanted something else that would act as a secondary win condition should Mega Pinsir may not be able to handle it. I chose T-flame because it took advantage of the fact that Rocks wouldn't be on the field thanks to Exca, and because I personally just love T-flame. Besides, T-flame helped handle those pesky Steel types as well, along with the added Flying Spam.
I then wanted something that could take care of opposing T-flames since those were a huge threat to the team. I saw that I also lacked a fairy in the team for Dragon immunities... So I went for something that I've always enjoyed using. Azumarill!
The final slot was a tough decision, mostly 'cause I had no idea what would help the team. So, I just went with Contrary Serperior since I thought it dealt with the threats that the rest of the team couldn't, and because I loved spamming Leaf Storm.
Team complete, I went to test. It did fairly well for a couple of matches and then I came up against this one dude. A Vaporeon walled my entire team after killing my Serperior and Magnezone. Yeah, I was pretty weak to bulky water types. He beat me after Scald burning Pinsir and then killing it next turn. Best thing was that he wasn't the mocking, A-hole type, and actually gave me some good advice. Taking his advice, I went to Showdown's RMT section and posted my team there, after joking around with some of the awesome people there. That helped a lot, lemme tell ya. They gave me a bunch of advice, which I used well.
Firstly, they suggested changing Magnezone for a better Steel destroyer, and suggested Volcarona. I really love Volcarona and have used it for a lot of teams, and I'd just gotten to start loving it again after my friend completely rekt my team with a Scarf version. So, on it went.
Then, they suggested changing Azu to something that could take physical hits better, and changing Forretress since it wasn't that good for OU. Suggestions of Rotom-W, Hippowdon, etc etc came up and I had a few options to chose from. Taking Rotom-W since I have experience using it and love messing with people using it, and also because it checked Bird Spam pretty effectively. Then, for the SR, I took 'Chomp instead of Hippo since I'd already decided against using Hippo, and he worked out fine.
Finally, I needed a defogger/rapid spinner, and they also told me to get rid of Serp since it added to the team's weaknesses, and didn't really help that much. Most of the viable Rapid spinners/ defoggers simply doubled onto the weaknesses the team already had, so I spent quite a while going through a bunch of defoggers and spinners till I finally came upon the cutest critter around. Mew! It brought a lot of utility and bulk to the team, and functioned as a defogger, special wall, anti-lead and item remover all in one.
They suggested Scizor as a good priority user and Fairy killer, and I used him for a while, finding I liked the power he gave with CB and all along with his natural bulk and such.
However, I found that he wasn't really pulling his weight on this team, and changed him for a bunch of different 'Mons and such, cycling through that final slot for a long time without actually really getting any satisfying solutions. Scizor and Gengar have held the position for the longer times in comparison, so I decided I'd post it and check out the suggestions from you guys.
On Mur 's suggestion, I switched Gengar back to CB Scizor, mainly because it helped my matchup's against things like Mega Altaria and Mega Diancie way better while also giving me an awesomely powerful priority move. Being able to Pursuit trap Lati@s is an added bonus as well OuO
So once I'd decided on the Mega, I went around checking all of the Mega Pinsir teams I could find, and saw that they all had something to take down steel types which seemed to be giving Mega Pinsir problems even though it had EQ. Namely Magnezone. I've had experience with Magnezone in the past, and I kinda like using it to trap A-holes like Ferro and Skarmory and kill 'em, and on the upside, Magnezone resists some of Mega Pinsir's many, many weaknesses like Electric, Flying, Ice etc, whereas Mega Pinsir was completely immune to Magnezone's Ground weakness and resisted it's fighting weakness as well, so it made a good partner.
Then I noticed that Mega Pinsir is extremely weak to SR, so I needed a Rapid Spinner / Defogger. I swear, I went through the most trouble selecting this one, and I began with the popular Hippo+Exca Sand Core, giving me a SR setter, and a good rapid spinner. I didn't really like what it brought to the table, so I changed again. I finally found one 'Mon that could do both jobs pretty effectively. Friggin' Forretress! The thing could take physical hits like nobodies business and also brought a slow pivot role as well, so I used that.
I wanted something else that would act as a secondary win condition should Mega Pinsir may not be able to handle it. I chose T-flame because it took advantage of the fact that Rocks wouldn't be on the field thanks to Exca, and because I personally just love T-flame. Besides, T-flame helped handle those pesky Steel types as well, along with the added Flying Spam.
I then wanted something that could take care of opposing T-flames since those were a huge threat to the team. I saw that I also lacked a fairy in the team for Dragon immunities... So I went for something that I've always enjoyed using. Azumarill!
The final slot was a tough decision, mostly 'cause I had no idea what would help the team. So, I just went with Contrary Serperior since I thought it dealt with the threats that the rest of the team couldn't, and because I loved spamming Leaf Storm.
Team complete, I went to test. It did fairly well for a couple of matches and then I came up against this one dude. A Vaporeon walled my entire team after killing my Serperior and Magnezone. Yeah, I was pretty weak to bulky water types. He beat me after Scald burning Pinsir and then killing it next turn. Best thing was that he wasn't the mocking, A-hole type, and actually gave me some good advice. Taking his advice, I went to Showdown's RMT section and posted my team there, after joking around with some of the awesome people there. That helped a lot, lemme tell ya. They gave me a bunch of advice, which I used well.
Firstly, they suggested changing Magnezone for a better Steel destroyer, and suggested Volcarona. I really love Volcarona and have used it for a lot of teams, and I'd just gotten to start loving it again after my friend completely rekt my team with a Scarf version. So, on it went.
Then, they suggested changing Azu to something that could take physical hits better, and changing Forretress since it wasn't that good for OU. Suggestions of Rotom-W, Hippowdon, etc etc came up and I had a few options to chose from. Taking Rotom-W since I have experience using it and love messing with people using it, and also because it checked Bird Spam pretty effectively. Then, for the SR, I took 'Chomp instead of Hippo since I'd already decided against using Hippo, and he worked out fine.
Finally, I needed a defogger/rapid spinner, and they also told me to get rid of Serp since it added to the team's weaknesses, and didn't really help that much. Most of the viable Rapid spinners/ defoggers simply doubled onto the weaknesses the team already had, so I spent quite a while going through a bunch of defoggers and spinners till I finally came upon the cutest critter around. Mew! It brought a lot of utility and bulk to the team, and functioned as a defogger, special wall, anti-lead and item remover all in one.
They suggested Scizor as a good priority user and Fairy killer, and I used him for a while, finding I liked the power he gave with CB and all along with his natural bulk and such.
However, I found that he wasn't really pulling his weight on this team, and changed him for a bunch of different 'Mons and such, cycling through that final slot for a long time without actually really getting any satisfying solutions. Scizor and Gengar have held the position for the longer times in comparison, so I decided I'd post it and check out the suggestions from you guys.
On Mur 's suggestion, I switched Gengar back to CB Scizor, mainly because it helped my matchup's against things like Mega Altaria and Mega Diancie way better while also giving me an awesomely powerful priority move. Being able to Pursuit trap Lati@s is an added bonus as well OuO
Song stuff:
I've been seeing a lot of RMT's with their own theme songs, so I thought why the heck not? Back in Black by AC/DC may not really relate to the team, but I love it anyway!
The Team at a Glance:
In depth Team view:
Bradley (Pinsir-Mega)
EVs : | 252 Atk | 4 SpD | 252 Spe |
Nature : Jolly
Happiness : 0
Item : Pinsirite
Ability : Hyper Cutter -> Aerilate
Moves : | Swords Dance | Frustration |
"BRAD SMASH!!"
The Center of the team, and the angry monster that devours everything. Bradley eats up anything on his path once he's set up, and I really haven't faced anything that doesn't get completely destroyed after a single Swords Dance.
It's difficult to use Bradley since it's hard to get a safe switch into him. Rocks are a huge problem for him, especially once he's mega Evo'd so don't think you'll have a second chance at using him during the game if rocks are up. When to Mega Evolve is also a question, since he gets a bunch of weaknesses after getting the flying typing. However, it's not as if he can't take a hit either, but just try not to bet on him being able to take on something really strong or anything.
Onto the Moves, then. Swords Dance is an excellent boosting move that powers up his high attack stat to something quite godly. Frustration , at 0 Happiness, hits with the same power as Return; but I felt frustration is cooler since it messes with Ditto's who think they can screw around and stuff. An Aerilate boosted Frustration, straight off the bat, hits incredibly hard, and once it gets a swords dance boost, even dedicated Physical Walls crumble to it's awesome power. Steel types are a major sweeping roadblock for Brad, and
Velocity (Volcarona)
EVs : | 252 SpA | 4 SpD | 252 Spe |
Nature : Modest
IVs : 0 Atk
Item : Leftovers
Ability : Flame Body
Moves : | Substitute | Quiver Dance | Fiery Dance | Giga Drain |
"Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another~"
Part 2 of my offensive core, Velocity also doubles as a steel/ice killer to guarantee that Brad gets a green signal to sweep. Oftentimes, I find myself not even needing Brad to win, due to the immense offensive presence of Velocity here. At 2 Quiver Dances, I don't think there's anything but a Heatran that can stand up to her.
Velocity adds to my SR weakness, which is why it is so important to keep the bloody rocks off the field, but once that's done, and if I see a clear path, then this baby sweeps entire teams on her own. She's the second of the bug offensive core, and hits things specially where Brad goes physical.
Explaining the moves, first we have Substitute. On a predicted switch out, Substitute can come in very handy and helps ease prediction a lot, not to mention the very handy blocking of statuses which my team is very much annoyed by. Quiver Dance is a Volcarona staple, providing half the boosting power of shell smash without the negative effects. Already at jaw dropping SpA stats, a single QD powers her to sky high levels, and her better-than-average speed allows her to outspeed most of the tier with that. Fiery Dance is something of a signature move for Volc. I chose it over the more powerful Fire blast, because of two reasons. Firstly, the accuracy and secondly, the awesome chance of powering up your SpA on a successful hit, something I found to have caused a lot of grief on the opponents side. Finally, Giga Drain helps to give me a good coverage between Fire and Water, and also allows me to effectively heal off the damage from Substituting and stuff. Besides, it also completely cleans house on Rock types that Volc is scared of, especially after a QD.
Turner (Scizor)
EVs : | 248 HP | 252 Atk | 4 SpD |
Item : Choice Band
Ability : Technician
Moves : | Bullet Punch | Pursuit | Superpower | U-turn |
Based on Mur 's suggestion, I brought back Scizor to replace Gengar, and it seems to help much more than poor old 'Gar did.
Mega Diancie can suck it, Mega Altaria can suck it, Tyranitar and it's fatter Mega Evolution can suck it, Weavile can suck it, Both Latias and Latios can also suck it and Bisharp can jump in a well for all I care. Scizor drastically reduces the number of weaknesses I have, and brings a plethora of resistances to the figurative table as well. It performs the functions that Gengar was meant to do, and does it a lot better imo. Fairy Slayer, Psychic Killer, Survivor of Draco Nukes, Doubles as a Steel killer, and forms a slow VoltTurn core with good ol' Rotom.
A technician boosted priority Bullet Punch, boosted by STAB and CB, destroys so many things it's hysterically funny. Seriously, it should be a sitcom. Pursuit is also boosted by Technician and CB while effectively killing things that switch out from Scizor, fearing a BP or something. You can throw in Scizor on an expected Draco Meteor from the Lati@s, and then as they flee due to not having gotten much damage on the sturdy Steel type, pursuit trap 'em fro Super effective damage to kill their defogger and guarantee Rocks on the other side of the field. What's that? Blissey? Heatran or Magnezone comin' in? Bisharp comin' to cockblock you? Predict it right and send 'em a gift in the form of Superpower! Completely annihilates them thanks to the CB boost and the already existing base damage output. Finally, U-turn on predicted switches to GTFO and deal some damage while you're at it, and also ensuring a safe switch to either win condition.
Overall cool 'Mon, and replaces Gengar nicely↓
Replaced 'Mon:
Medusa (Gengar)
EVs : | 252 SpA | 4 SpD | 252 Spe |
IVs : 0 Atk
Item : Life Orb
Ability : Levitate
Moves : | Sludge Wave | Shadow Ball | Thunderbolt | Focus Blast |
"Sometimes... People are scarier than Ghosts."
This slot is the one that has been changed up the most, and I'm still not satisfied with it tbh. Most open to change the 'mon on this slot.
Anyway, to the in depth look. Medusa makes men turn to stone from the sheer power and speed it brings to the table. An effective spin blocker, Medusa can also function as such to cockblock the likes of Starmie and Excadrill. At those levels of speeds, Medusa sits in a very good speed tier, and is strong enough to wreck the face of any who come up against it. The resistance to the pesky fairies, and the ability to OHKO most of them is superb as well.
SR isn't a big deal for her, and considering her fraility, it doesn't really matter anyway. Medusa comes in to wreck a lot of stuff, and then die. It's best if you throw her in on predicting an EQ or something since levitate nullifies that problem unless it's a mold breaker. Basically, a hole puncher so I can sweep easier.
The moves are awesome since it just displays how good Gengar is. Extremely versatile, and powerful. She covers a lot of things with the current move set and such. Sludge Wave is a base 95 STAB poison type move which completely annihilates fairies and grass types when combined with its stellar SpA stat and the Life Orb. Anything that doesn't resist it gets 2HKO'd by that, other than special walls of course. Shadow Ball is her other STAB move which hits with a nice base 80 damage increased by the Life Orb. Lati@s and silly psychics get rekt by those. Thunderbolt increases her range of coverage and allows her to screw over flying and water types with a good base 90 damage output boosted by the awesome orb of LifeSuck it Keldeo . Finally, Focus miss Blast deals with pesky steel types that give my team problems Buh bye Magnezone and completely annihilates Chancey's who need to rot in the darkest pits of the distortions world.
Medusa (Gengar)
EVs : | 252 SpA | 4 SpD | 252 Spe |
IVs : 0 Atk
Item : Life Orb
Ability : Levitate
Moves : | Sludge Wave | Shadow Ball | Thunderbolt | Focus Blast |
"Sometimes... People are scarier than Ghosts."
This slot is the one that has been changed up the most, and I'm still not satisfied with it tbh. Most open to change the 'mon on this slot.
Anyway, to the in depth look. Medusa makes men turn to stone from the sheer power and speed it brings to the table. An effective spin blocker, Medusa can also function as such to cockblock the likes of Starmie and Excadrill. At those levels of speeds, Medusa sits in a very good speed tier, and is strong enough to wreck the face of any who come up against it. The resistance to the pesky fairies, and the ability to OHKO most of them is superb as well.
SR isn't a big deal for her, and considering her fraility, it doesn't really matter anyway. Medusa comes in to wreck a lot of stuff, and then die. It's best if you throw her in on predicting an EQ or something since levitate nullifies that problem unless it's a mold breaker. Basically, a hole puncher so I can sweep easier.
The moves are awesome since it just displays how good Gengar is. Extremely versatile, and powerful. She covers a lot of things with the current move set and such. Sludge Wave is a base 95 STAB poison type move which completely annihilates fairies and grass types when combined with its stellar SpA stat and the Life Orb. Anything that doesn't resist it gets 2HKO'd by that, other than special walls of course. Shadow Ball is her other STAB move which hits with a nice base 80 damage increased by the Life Orb. Lati@s and silly psychics get rekt by those. Thunderbolt increases her range of coverage and allows her to screw over flying and water types with a good base 90 damage output boosted by the awesome orb of Life
Rocky (Garchomp)
EVs : | 240 HP | 176 Def | 92 Spe |
Item : Rocky Helmet
Ability : Rough Skin
Moves : | Stealth Rock | Dragon Tail | Fire Blast | Earthquake |
"GRAHRGRAHGGHRAR"
Ahhh, yes! The ever-present Tankchomp. Say Hi to the most used Pokemon in the tier! Garchomp here acts as a Stealth Rock setter, and a punisher for volt turn teams. Lame physical attacks? Send out 'Chomp and watch their health fall with the awesome combo of Rocky Helmet + Rough Skin. If Gengar is dead, this is the best thing to send out against Spinners, as it takes very little damage from Rapid Spin, and deals much, much more with that deadly combo.
Stealth Rock has turned into a mandatory thing in OU, and provides excellent entry hazard support that let's out pick up so many KO's that wouldn't have been possible without it. I'm not going to go in depth into all the advantages of SR since that would take a while, and I'm too lazy. Anyway, the next on the move-list is Dragon Tail that tosses out things that think they can set up on 'Chomp. It also allows him to scroll through the other team, all the while doing both attack and chip damage thanks to the SR. A nifty move which I've loved using. Next comes Fire Blast! So, what happens when a Ferrothorn or a Skarmory come out to play against the shark raptor dragon? You FB their asses. KO's Scizors, Ferro's, Forretresses and the occasional Mawile. I've loved using this move, getting the jump on Skarmory who thinks it can't be EQ'd and Ferro who thinks it doesn't give a crap about EQ. Speaking of EQ, next move is one of the most used moves in OU, used by the most used Pokemon in OU, Earthquake. Don't get me started on how many things this has killed with it's awesome strength and STAB.
Rocky's a good member on the team, but I'm still shaky about this slot since he really doesn't do too much for it no matter how much I try. Maybe I'm just using him wrong?
Mew
EVs : | 252 HP | 4 Atk | 252 SpD |
Item : Leftovers
Ability : Synchronize
Moves : | Defog | Soft-boiled | Taunt | Knock Off |
"Casteliacones are delicious!"
The cutest Pokemon in existence, I present to you: Mew! I swear, this cute thing can eat so many hits and still remain as awesome as ever. This is my special wall and necessary defogger, so I try to keep Mew alive as long as the SR setter on the opponents side still lives. After that, he's just all around awesome at breaking stall and balance with Taunt, Knock off and that epic ability. How do you burn a Mega Sableye, you ask? By sending out Mew on a predicted Wisp, that's how!
Onto the movesets, then! Defog is Mew's main utility, as it clears entry hazards that are a pain in the behind for Brad and Vel. Soft-Boiled ensures that Mew can continue to take hits and wear down the opponent, and another form of recovery besides Lefties. Taunt is baws against slower 'Mons who think they can set up or status on Mew, as well as for biches like Chansey and Blissey who get completely rekt by that. It also let's him perform as an anti-lead, stopping SR from ever happening and such. Heatran is a noteworthy 'Mon who got Rekt by Mew with a baws combo of Taunt, Knock-Off and Soft-Boiled, wearing it down till it had nothing left. And last, but not the least, Knock Off brings more utility to this little critter by allowing it to smack around 'Mons that rely on their items to stay safe, such as AV Metagross, AV Conkeldur and others. It's also a spammable move that removes annoying Lefties from things like Blissey and completely destroys Chancey by removing her Eviolite.
So far, I've loved having Mew on the team, and he's provided a lot for it. If you have suggestions to replace him, I'm all ears, but I'll only do so after careful consideration since he's been so useful.
Wishy (Rotom-Wash)
EVs : | 252 HP | 252 Def | 4 SpA |
Item : Leftovers
Ability : Levitate
Moves : | Will-O-Wisp | Pain Split | Hydro Pump | Volt Switch |
"Wiping out is a vastly underappreciated skill..."
Anybody who's used a Rotom-W before knows how good this thing is. My Rotom I'd defensive for two reason: 1. I already have a specially defensive 'Mon in Mew, and 2. Defensive helps me check the flying spam against Brad and Vel much better. Best time to throw in Wishy Washy here would be on a predicted EQ or something like with Medusa, but you can also throw it out against physical attackers that think they've got this in the bag
Analyzing the movesets, we first have Will-O-Wisp, a brilliant move that oftentimes causes Ragequits once you've burnt their physical sweeper. Apart from giving the opponent a burn condition which saps their health each round, Wisping them cuts their attack in HALF, which is of course completely awesome. Pain Split trolls so many things that it's hilarious. Predicting a move that will bring you down to yellow or red, using Pain Split sends the opponent into a rage frenzy. If you know how to use it, then the Rotom becomes an awesome teammate. My Rotom-W has actually ended games as much as Brad or Vel have, so I'd say it's pretty darn awesome. Hydro Pump hits really hard, and on weaker targets, kills 'em as well. Beautiful move for wrecking the day of opposing ground types, and dealing a chunk of damage if they switch out as well. I'd say Volt Switch is the best part. Rotom-W acts as a slow pivot, and ensures a safe switch in for Brad or Vel depending on the situation, and I think that's pretty darn awesome. It also kills weaker water types as an added bonus.
Conclusion:
I'd love to hear your suggestions and improvements, so please rate my team :3
Replays:
Most of the time, I think Velocity causes all those forfeits : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-289798967
I don't think there's much you can do against a Volcarona at 2 QD's : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-289795778
Starting to see a pattern with these forfeits. Always seems to be when I have Vel out : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288520425
This one was hilarious tbh : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-289837830
Where Brad is awesome-sauce : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-289863362
More Forfeits smh : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-285792328
'Least he didn't forfeit? : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-284600233
Velocity doesn't care about Mono Electric : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-290869664
Lum Vel, Latios>Mew and Scizor's re-entry. Close match, but I felt I missed the Sub QD set a lot. Coulda cleaned house with Vel. Latios didn't really seem that great either : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-290951746
I don't think there's much you can do against a Volcarona at 2 QD's : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-289795778
Starting to see a pattern with these forfeits. Always seems to be when I have Vel out : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-288520425
This one was hilarious tbh : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-289837830
Where Brad is awesome-sauce : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-289863362
More Forfeits smh : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-285792328
'Least he didn't forfeit? : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-284600233
Velocity doesn't care about Mono Electric : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-290869664
Lum Vel, Latios>Mew and Scizor's re-entry. Close match, but I felt I missed the Sub QD set a lot. Coulda cleaned house with Vel. Latios didn't really seem that great either : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-290951746
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