WHITTLE
Hey guys, Delibirdite here. (Mega stones didn't exist when I made this account and MrJeff was taken on twitch so please, call me Deli)
I'm new to this whole RMT spiel. I'm not a new player, having started competitively in DPP era, but also I'm not particularly accomplished; My highest achievement is 14th on OU ladder back in 2012 (Pre-Genesect ban).
Anyway, I'm just looking for some feedback on this team. It's probably my most successful one this generation but I just can't seem to push the 1600 mark, which I've been informed is "fairly average".
Teambuilding process
This team was never intended to be as bulky as it is, but hey sometimes that happens I guess.
This team was never intended to be as bulky as it is, but hey sometimes that happens I guess.
So I started with Kyurem-B. It's good at handling mons that I hate such as Rotom-W and Mega Venusaur. Really didn't put much thought into it other than that really.
Next I tried to patch up Kyurem's weakness to steel, fairy and dragon with the addition of Heatran. It happens to resist all those types, among others, and carries the ever useful stealth rock. Kyurem also resists water which is useful for Heatran.
Next up was Zapdos. Zapdos was brought in to remedy the weakness to Fighting and Ground that the team currently suffered as well as provide that sweet sweet defog support.
At this point I noticed my big old weakness to rock, specifically the stealthy kind. Starmie was added for the spin support, as well as provide scald for the "100%" burns.
Next up was Mega Scizor. It provided momentum in the form of u-turn, priority in the form of bullet punch and it was accidentally made into my win condition when I gave it the dance of the swords.
So, other than Starmie, the team was pretty slow. I specifically wanted a scarf mon that had uturn. I decided on Landorus-T as the scarf set isn't as expected as its bulky set.
So I tested the team for ~30 games on an alt and got rekt multiple times by Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham. I also noticed that I wasn't really using Kyurem too much unless it was as fodder basically. Here's my weirdest addition; Whimsicott. It replaced Kyurem and it carries its own weight easily.
I'll talk more about it later.
Next I tried to patch up Kyurem's weakness to steel, fairy and dragon with the addition of Heatran. It happens to resist all those types, among others, and carries the ever useful stealth rock. Kyurem also resists water which is useful for Heatran.
Next up was Zapdos. Zapdos was brought in to remedy the weakness to Fighting and Ground that the team currently suffered as well as provide that sweet sweet defog support.
At this point I noticed my big old weakness to rock, specifically the stealthy kind. Starmie was added for the spin support, as well as provide scald for the "100%" burns.
Next up was Mega Scizor. It provided momentum in the form of u-turn, priority in the form of bullet punch and it was accidentally made into my win condition when I gave it the dance of the swords.
So, other than Starmie, the team was pretty slow. I specifically wanted a scarf mon that had uturn. I decided on Landorus-T as the scarf set isn't as expected as its bulky set.
So I tested the team for ~30 games on an alt and got rekt multiple times by Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham. I also noticed that I wasn't really using Kyurem too much unless it was as fodder basically. Here's my weirdest addition; Whimsicott. It replaced Kyurem and it carries its own weight easily.
I'll talk more about it later.
Detailed Analyses
Heatran @ Leftovers | Flash Fire
Calm | 252 HP / 176 SpD / 80 Spe
• Lava Plume
• Stealth Rock
• Toxic
• Taunt
overview:
Heatran is an extremely solid mon, providing me with a nice set of resistances, stealth rock, and taunt for opposing stall.
description:
This set punishes the greedy, the bulky, and the slow. Does the enemy Mega Slowbro think it's safe to switch in and calm its mind? Does the enemy Talonflame think it can start to Bulk UP? Stall really doesn't seem to enjoy this set as Taunt prevents recovery or hazard moves and Toxic punishes those without reliable recovery or the greedy that predict me to switch. It'll be extremely rare to find a stall-mon faster than Heatran so it's usually safe to do its thing.
Stealth Rock and Lava Plume are pretty self-explanatory. I need SR for sashes, sturdy, and whittling. Lava Plume is easily the best attacking move for Heatran because of STAB and near 100% burn chance for extra whittles.
ev's:
80 EV's in Spe lets it hit 210, which is 1 point faster than Rotom-W with 4 Spe EV's. I realise most Rotoms want to be slow for the Volt Switch but getting off the Toxic is super useful for chip damage.
I could give it 40 more Spe EV's to outspeed neutral nature max Spe Magnezone but the bulk I've got makes it not so much a threat.
The remaining EV's have been thrown into HP and SpDef to better survive a variety of special attackers such as the Latis, Clefable, Serperior, Etc
Zapdos @ Leftovers | Pressure
Calm | 248 HP / 64 Def / 180 SpD / 16 Spe
• Thunderbolt
• Roost
• Defog
• Heat Wave
overview:
Zapdos went back to OU for a reason, right? Might as well use it :D
It often finds an opportunity to remove hazards as its bulk allows it to easily live many hits especially with the extra health from Roost.
description:
Thunderbolt is STAB and powerful. It gives Zapdos some offensive presence, especially against bird-mons which is useful because Talonflame, Pinsir and even Staraptor can be extremely threatening.
Heat Wave is specifically for Ferrothorn, but can also be useful for Scizor, Forretress and Excadrill.
Roost is for that nice HP recovery and Defog is the reason I'm using this mon.
ev's:
16 Spe EV's is to hit 240, which is even with positive nature max Spe base 60's.
64 Def EV's allows Zapdos to never be 2HKO'd by Pinsir's Return after Stealth Rock.
The rest has been thrown in SpDef and HP to better survive a beating from Tornadus.
I could run 4 SpAtk and Volt Switch to always OHKO Pinsir after rocks BUT that means sacrificing power and bulk for momentum and I'm not so sure I want that
Starmie @ Leftovers | Natural Cure
Timid | 252 HP / 36 Def / 4 SpA / 216 Spe
• Scald
• Rapid Spin
• Recover
• Psyshock
overview:
Starmie was brought in as my second way of dealing with hazards. It provides a tonne of support in the form of Scald and its near 100% burn chance as well as the aforementioned spin support. I tried a more offensive set to but I found that whittling down my opponent was better suited and as a result I drafted the more defensive set.
description:
Even on the offensive set you should run Scald. Its burn chance is worth so much more than the extra power on Surf. The line gets a bit blurrier when you talk about Hydro Pumps pros and cons (power and accuracy) compared to Scalds. However, this is a defensive team so ignore everything I just said and go for burn chance >=] the chip damage is extremely useful for whittling.
Rapid Spin alleviates the pressure on Zapdos by giving me a second hazard remover. It's especially for mons that Zapdos has trouble dealing with such as fast Taunters and bulky Rock types.
Recover is so that Starmie can survive more.
Ghost types ruin Rapid Spin for Starmie so Psyshock is used to beat Gengar which is literally half of the Ghosts in OU, the other being Sableye.
ev's:
216 Spe EV's means that all non-scarf base 110's are slower than Starmie. (cough Gengar cough)
4 SpAtk makes it so that Psyshock is guaranteed to OHKO Gengar.
The rest is thrown into HP and Def for more survivability against mons such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Medicham, Mega Metagross and non-Uturn Landorus-T.
I could throw the Def EV's in Spe to guarantee Starmie outspeeds Magnezone by 1 point but, as I said before, it isn't so much a threat.
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite | Light Metal
Impish | 248 HP / 16 Def / 200 SpD / 44 Spe
• U-turn
• Roost
• Bullet Punch
• Swords Dance
overview:
I always had trouble using Scizor. That was until I learnt that it's fine to have set up AND momentum.
This is typically my late-game sweeper. I never intended for that but, more often than not, this Scizor manages to get a Swords Dance or two on a heavily weakened team and proceed to sweep with Bullet Punch.
For the purposes of this team, Scizor is my win condition.
description:
So the set is pretty straightforward. I personally love having momentum so U-turn is a must on Scizor. It gives me a solid STAB move and the momentum gives me a cheap way of getting advantage over the enemy. Bullet Punch is actually my only priority on this team. It's perfect late-game for finishing up KO's, as this team tends to whittle down the opponent slowly.
Roost gives Scizor nice survivability. I honestly feel like any non-choice set should always carry Roost. It makes setting up a lot less of a gamble and mitigates the sneaky pebble and/or spike damage that it might suffer.
Finally, Swords Dance (used in tandem with Bullet Punch) is what this set is all about. It gives Scizor a scary 2-stage attack raise, perfect to crush the dreams of my enemies.
ev's:
The Def and HP EV's make Scizor unable to be 2HKO'd by positive nature max Atk Landorus-T's Earthquake. This makes Landorus the perfect mon for Scizor to set up on.
The SpDef EV's mean Diancie can never OHKO with HP Fire and the remaining EV's are thrown into Spe to creep past stall teams.
Landorus-T @ Choice Scarf | Intimidate
Jolly | 252 Atk / 20 Def / 236 Spe
• Earthquake
• Stone Edge
• U-turn
• Knock Off
overview:
This is my scarf-mon. Most people don't expect scarf Landorus, for whatever reason, so it's pretty nice to catch a Lati or a Manectric with a speedy U-turn or Earthquake.
description:
There isn't really much to talk about when it comes to scarfers. This one, believe it or not, is fast. It's usually my lead because I can click the brain-dead U-turn in most scenarios and get a much more favourable match-up. U-turn is lovely for the momentum and the slow whittle it provides.
Earthquake is the must-have move because it comes with high power, STAB and 100% accuracy.
Stone Edge is specifically here for Charizard-Y and Talonflame as well as providing extremely nice coverage with Earthquake.
The last move is another Gengar check. Now that I think about it, I really don't like Gengar. Lots of Gengars try to be cheeky and switch in on Earthquake, or stay in and expect Stealth Rocks. Knock off is to catch them out because it OHKO's even 252/0 Gengars (if that's even a thing).
ev's:
236 EV's in Spe gives Landorus a lot to work with. It outspeeds every scarf Excadrill, +1 neutral nature max Spe Garchomp AND +1 neutral nature max Spe Charizard.
252 EV's in Atk is literally just to hit as hard as possible. No thought behind it. Hit hard and hit fast.
The rest is thrown in Def to make Intimidate that tiny bit more useful.
Whimsicott @ Leftovers | Prankster
Bold | 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
• Moonblast
• U-turn
• Encore
• Giga Drain
overview:
Whimsicott was brought in as a replacement to a less-than-useful Kyurem-B. I wanted a mon that could deal with most of the things that Kyurem could, but also provide a tiny bit more on the defensive side.
I didn't immediately think of Whimsicott but I knew I wanted a Grass type because Rotom-W is a pain. After careful consideration, Whimsicott was chosen because it was Grass AND resisted Dark, which up until now I had no resist for.
Whimsicott helps me with so many things. Mega Fighting types were particularly problematic before it's induction. It provides a nice Fire-Water-Grass core with Heatran and Starmie. It gives me another way of dealing with greedy set-up sweepers with prankster Encore. The list goes on.
description:
So even though Whimsicott has access to other support moves, Encore was the choice. As stated before, set-up sweepers are a pain so encore punishes their greed.
Moonblast is an extremely powerful STAB attack that deals with Fighting and Dark types. Even with near 0 investment this move hits hard. If something has been locked into an unfavourable move then Moonblast and Giga Drain are useful to whittle the opponent regardless of whether they switch.
Giga Drain is specifically for Rotom-W. I mean, yeah, it's a nice STAB move but I'm interested in healing up the damage I took when Rotom Volt Switches out.
Finally, U-turn is for the delicious nectar known as momentum. A lot of players switch out after seeing Whimsicott (rightly so) and so U-turn helps me gain more advantage.
I could get Leech Seed to whittle or Stun Spore to slow the enemy down, but I'm not sure what to replace, or even if I need them as much as the current moves.
ev's:
Not much thought here. I needed more physical bulk and more reliable ways to deal with EdgeQuakers, Azumarills, Fighting types, Gyarados, Etc. 252 into both HP and Def to maximise bulk and 4 in SpAtk to give Whimsicott a cute little bonus to Moonblast and Giga Drain.
BEFORE ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING.
Manaphy.
Manaphy is extremely destructive to this team. I can sometimes play around it but more often that not, it will find a Tail Glow, or a Calm Mind, and it will sweep.
- Switching in Whimsicott is too unreliable in case it Ice Beams.
- Heatrans Toxic gets countered by Rain Dance
- Zapdos' Thunderbolt doesn't hurt after a few CM's
- Scizor gets burned by Scald
- Landorus can't damage it enough before losing to Scald / Ice Beam
- Starmies burn gets remedied by Rain Dance and Psyshock doesn't hurt
I honestly can't think of any other threats more destructive than Manaphy to this team. Suicune maybe, but that's far less common in OU.
Importable
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Encore
- Giga Drain
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 176 SpD / 80 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Def / 180 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Defog
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 200 SpD / 44 Spe
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Psyshock
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Encore
- Giga Drain
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 176 SpD / 80 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Def / 180 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Defog
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 200 SpD / 44 Spe
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Psyshock
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
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