OU OU Introduction to Team Building

[FNH]

Approved by Rage

INTRODUCTION TO TEAMBUILDING FOR GENERATION 5 OU

Special Thanks to xJoelituh, Shoka, We Three Kings , Rage, Typhlito, and FriendOfMrGolem120 for helping create this guide.
and Finchinator and peng for the feedback helping make this guide better
***revised to account for feedback***

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This guide is meant for new players to BW to help teach them the generation and how to build:

***Before you start to create your own teams it is important to have a basic understanding of the meta game. I strongly suggest you look at the sample teams and play a few games to get a basic understanding and feel for the generation before starting to build teams of your own. It is imperative to have basic knowledge of the various Pokemon of the tier and their roles and capabilities.***

Team building in BW OU is quite fun. The generation offers plenty of choices to utilize in a team. But how do you construct a proper team? Well, building the right team is the obvious first crucial step to winning games. Too many times will players be utilizing a team that is just wrong. Pokemon in their team that are just not viable or misused, no noticeable strategy, or they will have glaring weaknesses that null the chance of winning. This guide serves to breakdown of the step by step process of building a proper team, so newer players looking to learn BW OU will understand how to think when crafting a team.

A wide variety of threats exist in the generation and while we would like to cover them all we can’t expect to accomplish this. There are just too many. Players are consistently looking to utilize new threats to break pre existing formulas. For that reason it's imperative that the team meets basic criteria to cover the majority of threats to mitigate damage from new or unplanned threats. Examples of this are:

1. At least two water resistances for Hydro Pump and Scald spams,
2. A steel type (that has some bulk), if not two, to tank Draco Meteors and Outrages’s,
3. A Flying type or the ability Levitate to give immunity to strong STAB Earthquakes,
4. A Volcarona check (Covered more at the end of the guide).
5. Fighting type resistance to prevent fighting type powerhouses such as Keldeo or Terrakion from tearing your team apart.
6. Always have a Pokemon that can set Stealth Rock (you don't want to miss out on the passive damage).
7. Psychic type counter to prevent powerful Psychics like Reuniclus or Alakazam from sweeping.
8. A rapid Spin user OR make sure the team is not overly weak to entry hazards. This helps prevent teams from being stalled out.

Always keep in mind, when building, the defensive and offensive synergy of the team and how will it react when opposed with certain styles or Pokemon. Do you have a plan to counter Pokemon that the team is weak against? How do you react when your opponent brings an unusual yet potent threat? How do you plan to conquer an opposing style of play? All teams need synergy; every Pokemon added to the team should compliment the team, each one supplementing the previous Pokemon. Every Pokemon should have a role in the team; each addition should serve a purpose. It is vital when building to constantly assess what the team has AND what the team lacks. Keep in mind that Smogon contains a library of knowledge and resources. There is Smogon's analysis's of the tier's Pokemon, to the viability rankings that rank the overall usefulness of individual Pokemon to help you build and learn. The goal is to bring a team that has able to deal with most of the tiers threats.

The defensive synergy is highlighted, but what about offensive synergy. When you assess what you have it is also important to bear in mind that the next addition to the team needs to not only compliment the overall cohesion of the team but also the offensive capabilities of team. If the core that you would like to build around is unable to break a wall then the future additions to the team should cover that inability.

For users with ADD who are unwilling to read this: here is the summary "Building Cycle" ***Disclaimer: this is just for the start and foundation for a team*** .

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1. Find your core first, what style you want to pursue. Balance, Offense, or Stall. Rain, Sand, or No weather.​
2. Build your core, the Pokemon(s) and their sets that you want to use to implement this style/strategy.​
3. Assess the shortcomings and weakness of the Core Pokemon(s) chosen.​
4. Add the next teammate who supplement the assessed shortcomings and weaknesses.​
5. Assess the shortcomings and weakness so far. The importance of consistently assessing the team can't be stressed enough.​
6. Add the next teammate who supplement the assessed shortcomings and weaknesses.​
7. Repeat until your team is completed.​
8. Perform a final assessment. It is always beneficial to have a second set of eyes evaluate your team once it is complete. Many players become blind to the shortcoming of their team. If there are none noticeable: get a match and test the team. If there are weaknesses (from either further review or testing): add a Pokemon that will address these weaknesses.​
9. Test, Address, then Assess.​
10. Brag. Once the team is complete, it is important to flaunt your team in front of everyone showing them your ladder peak and all the sweet victories it has earned (trophies as well?). So Brag, Brag, and Brag. Victory RMT's help here as well, because no one posts there for help, but to show off their kick ass creation.​

Pokemon that are OU ranked but new players should generally avoid and why:

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*Pokemon listed here are done so not because they are not viable, but because they are hard to use and/or are generally outclassed by similar Pokemon.*
Infernape: Yes he looks very promising, but his abysmal defenses makes him very out-classed by other fighting type Pokemon. More often than not sand storm damage + Stealth Rock are enough to deal with Infernape.
Donphan: He has had usage on sun teams but his speed and special defense makes him a sub par choice to other ground types and Rapid Spin users.
Conkeldurr: Newer players see that attack stat and think to use him, but many games I see him outclassed and easily removed. It is best to utilize tried and true fighting types such as Breeloom or Keldeo over him.
Cloyster: With how common bulky water types are and all teams lay down Stealth Rock, Cloyster is relegated to very hard to use Pokemon that beginners should avoid.
Lucario: His poor defenses and lack of speed doesn't make up for his movepool. Ground types are often more than able to deal with him with little to no trouble. On top of this, he also lacks the power to deal with other bulky Pokemon and make a significant impact on the game.
Gengar: Lacks the overall bulk to maintain a consistently reliable role in the team. After the sleep ban, the loss of hypnosis further diminished his usefulness. Some sets might work for him but in general he will be outplayed and outclassed with little ease.

About lower tier Pokemon:

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I am not going to say avoiding UU ranked Pokemon, because to be frank some of them are quite viable in the OU meta game, such as (not limited to these three) Tornadus, Meinshao, and Kyurem. Amoongus is a RU ranked Pokemon, despite the fact he seen consistent OU usage for a number of years. Even after the sleep ban he has consistently been a viable option. Also some are just subpar when used in the OU, like Arcanine, Empoleon, and Bisharp. UU Pokemon require more strategy and thought to utilize (bear in mind that some are not viable). There are plenty of viable options in lower tiers, but that doesn't mean all are viable.

A few terms to cover:

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Tank: SpDef oriented or Def oriented Pokemon that is used to “tank” hits, stalling out the opponent.
Walls: these Pokemon are similar to the tank category, but differ in how long they stay in. For example Chansey is wall, but Rotom-W is a tank.
Sweeper: A Pokemon that generally sets up and begins to break the opponent’s team ie “sweep”.
Cleaner/Revenge Killer: Speed and attack oriented Pokemon that can come in without set up and revenge KO opponents or finish out the game with strong attacks. They typically have a choice scarf for their item.
Setter: Generally a dual category Pokemon like a tank (but not relegated to this category), that sets up entry hazards. There is also weather setters which are Pokemon that have one of the four abilities: Sandstream, Drizzle, Drought, or Snow Warning.
STAB: Same Type Attack Bonus, moves that are of the same type of the Pokemon using them receive an additional damage bonus.
Pivot: Refers to Pokemon about to use moves such as U-turn, Volt Switch, or Baton Pass. These moves allow players to change out Pokemon with having to predict if their opponent is swapping out as well.

***For a better understanding of the roles and Pokemon that can be used in each role, check out the compendium for BW***​

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TEAM 1 *SAND BALANCE*

For our first example, let's say I wanted to use a Terrakion. Why? Well, its high attack and speed coupled with Close Combat or Stone Edge spam can deal massive amounts of damage. It is one of the OU's top punchers, capable of tearing through opposing teams. There are a few options for Terrakion. Originally, I was thinking the Choice Band, which is a terrifying set to oppose. However, in the current metagame, protect abusers are everywhere, inhibiting the usefulness and power that a Choice Band brings by allowing opponents to move scout and PP stall Terrakion (its two best moves, Close Combat and Stone Egde, only have 8 PP each). Truth be told, the Choice Band is a great item, but there are other ways to maximize the power for our Terrakion. While protect effectively negates that effectiveness of the Choice Band (or any choice item for that matter) through move scouting then switching to the appropriate counter, there are options that turns protect against opponents.

Terrakion @ Rock Gem
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Substitute​

This Substitute Swords dance set allows us to abuse protect abusers, turning what would have been a wasted turn with the Choice Band into a free Substitute. This set allows for us to catch an opponent move scouting or Toxic Orb activating and use that free turn against them. This set utilizes the free turn our opponent is giving to its fullest advantage. Rock Gem threatens to OHKO Scarf Landorus-Therian and 2HKO the more bulky variants; other common Terrakion walls such as Gliscor will be hard pressed to survive against this Terrakion as well. With this set over the Choice Band set, instead of letting our opponent protect scout us then counter, we always be building momentum of our own and smashing. Now, what we need to do is build a team that will support and create opportunities to bring Terrakion in to smash things. We need a few things for this team. First, Latios needs to be checked, as he can outspeed Terrakion and KO if Terrakion is not behind a Substitute. The best choice for dealing with Latios is Tyranitar, as it can tank hits and trap it with Pursuit. Tyranitar's addition adds another fighting weakness and gives us a second bullet Punch weakness as well, so it would be best to pair Tyranitar with something that can tank a physical fighting hit from say Breloom or Keldeo's signature Secret Sword. Amoonguss is a pretty solid option, considering our first two choices were also weak to water type moves.

Tyranitar @ Chople Berry Ability: Sand Stream EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 236 SpD / 8 Spe Careful Nature - Stealth Rock - Crunch - Earthquake - Pursuit​

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge Ability: Regenerator EVs: 248 HP / 224 Def / 24 SpA / 12 Spe Bold Nature IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def - Stun Spore - Sludge Bomb - Hidden Power [Ice] - Giga Drain​

Tyranitar's spread is to maximize its ability to tank hits, set up Stealth Rocks, and trap. The spread is a standard OU utility Tyranitar. Chople Berry will allow a reasonably healthy Tyranitar to tank a Focus Blast from Alakazam and follow up with a Crunch or Pursuit. We have enough EV's in defense to tanks an Earthquake from Garchomp after Stealth Rock. The SpDef bulk is to tank and trap Psychic types. Amoonguss is physically defensive instead of specially defensive to prevent a Facade Breloom and other offensive variants from breaking apart our team; having that extra bulk also helps prevent us from being Pursuited as well (which could negate the Health recovery from Regenerator), and allows Amoonguss to tank other Physical Hits such as a non Sand Force Excadrill Earthquake. We still have some work to do here though. Our first three choices for this team so far are all weak to entry hazards, so removing them is now a necessity. We also need more added bulk to tank water type hits, helping out Amoonguss. For spinners in the sand, there is really only one choice. Starmie is far better in the rain than in the sand; Tentacruel is really unviable unless there is a rainstorm. Fortress is ok, but not a perfect choice as it doesn't build momentum for the team. It's moreso bait for your opponent to set up on. I won't even consider Donphan because it's garbage. Excadrill is the best option. Ever since its return to the OU, it has established himself as the premier Sandstorm spinner of the tier. With Excadrill's addition, we now have four Pokemon that are weak to water, therefore having a special tank that resists water is now a necessity. Fortunately plenty of options to tank water type hits exist. Latios and Latias can play the part. There are also Gastrodon, Jellicent, and Celebi, but these three really don't build momentum for the team. Gastrodon and Jellicent are walls, inept at building offensive momentum, and Celebi just invites your opponent to set up Entry Hazards on your team. Rotom-Wash, on the other hand, is the best option. It has the typing to tank hits. Most importantly though, it has Volt Switch. In this momentum heavy meta, the ability to pivot is very essential. Not to mention, Terrakion can come in and set up on mons that generally come in to tank the Volt Switch pivot, like Ferrothorn. Its levitate helps the team avoid and Earthquake spam from Pokemon like Garchomp and Landorus-Therian (bar Excadrill with Mold Breaker).

Excadrill @ Leftovers Ability: Sand Force EVs: 252 Atk / 40 Def / 4 SpD / 212 Spe Adamant Nature - Earthquake - Rapid Spin - Iron Head - Protect​

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers Ability: Levitate EVs: 248 HP / 20 Def / 240 SpD Calm Nature IVs: 0 Atk / 14 Spe - Volt Switch - Hydro Pump - Will-O-Wisp - Pain Split​

For our Excadrill set, we have are going to maximize our damage output to punish switch-ins with Sand force + Adamant. Protect lets us move and set scout a Landorus-Therian while passively increasing health through Leftovers recovery. Rotom-Wash is the standard special defense variant. Very simple; maximize bulk, tank a hit, then pivot or Will O Miss Wisp. So far, we have solid defensive synergy but the team as it stands is slow, and very susceptible to Earthquake spam from a Mold Breaker Excadrill. We need an option that can come in on Excadrill, force the swap and then turn that play into an advantage. Playing on the idea of using pivots, It would be nice add another pivot as well, helping build momentum. There are not a lot of Excadrill swaps that can pivot so our option for the last is limited to one choice: Landorus-Therian.

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP / 140 Atk / 60 Def / 236 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Knock Off
- U-turn​

Really, the role he has here is a simple one. The set has a few changes to the status quo. Knock off is for the removal of a Rocky Helmet on Skarmory who could otherwise spin block our Excadrill. Its speed is just enough to outspeed a Scarf Exadrill. The added bulk lets us then tank more hits like a HP Ice from an opposing Landorus-Therian. It has enough power to hit threats such as Jirachi or Tyranitar. U-turn allows it to constantly pivot, building offensive momentum and maximizing opportunities to get Terrakion in.

TEAM 2 *SAND BALANCE*

For the second team example we are going to pursue a balanced style, mixing potent offensive threats with a solid defensive core. It will become a very passive strategy. Now we need to determine our specific plan to win games and the individual Pokemon(s) that will carry out this strategy. (note: for this analysis I have taken a staple team made by Leftiez and Shoka and looked at its building process as if I were its creator to best break down and explain the process). For this team I am interested in using a Magic Guard oriented team. Why? Well the immunity to entry hazards allow for consistent switching in without the worry of a passive break down from residual damage from weather and/or entry hazards. There are essentially two magic guard "abusers" for BW OU: Alakazam and Reuniclus. But what sets? Getting the set correct is key to every team. Reuniclus has two sets that are viable, his 2 attacks / Calm Mind / Recover and his Trick Room / 3 attacks set. Trick room is less consistent than the Calm Mind set, and Calm Mind will suit the style we are pursuing very well due to survivability it offers. Alakazam is very offensively oriented and maintains the primary role of cleaner and revenge killer. There is really only one viable set to Alakazam in this generation, the Focus Sash all-out attack set.

Reuniclus @ Leftovers Ability: Magic Guard EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Calm Mind - Focus Blast - Psyshock - Recover​

Alakazam @ Focus Sash Ability: Magic Guard EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature - Psychic - Focus Blast - Hidden Power [Fire] - Signal Beam​

Both sets are very easy. With Reuniclus, we are going to receive boosts from Calm mind when we set up to dish out strong STAB Psyshock attacks, so maxing the defense and health EV’s will ensure that we can continually boost with Calm Mind. Focus Blast gives Reuniclus a more excellent secondary attack that hits a wide variety of opponents, namely dark types who are immune to Psychic attacks (originally signal beam was given in the example but it fails to accomplish much as a secondary more). He has the bulk and recovery to consistently be brought into play, and recover off any damage taken. Leftovers is chosen over the Life Orb to further longevity of Reuniclus. As for Alakazam his role is very simple; we want to utilize him in the later stages of the game to finish teams off ie. clean. He can also be brought into revenge kill opponents, shifting momentum although we should be careful to not prematurely waste his Focus Sash. So now we need to assess our strategy and team. What walls Reuniclus and Alakzam? Tyrannitar certainly does with his STAB Crunch, and Signal Beam is less effective without any boost from Calm Mind due to his SpDef boost from the Sandstorm, if Tyranitar has the Chople Berry, which most do, then Focus Blast won’t be of much help either. Reuniclus and Alakazam will also struggle against Pokemon such as SpDef Jirachi who can tank their hits with no problem hits and Iron Head KO them. There is also the problem of very physically oriented Pokemon such as Scizor and Landorus using U-turn to wear down our Magic Guard users. So how do we go about beating Jirachi and Tyranitar who both have very different types and address U-turn abusers? Well, there are some options here, we could try to find hard hitting Pokemon that can break them or we can use a more passive strategy of entry hazards. Entry hazards is the safer choice as it will combine good defensive synergy while maximizing Alakazams and Reuniclus’s offensive potential, so we will pursue this. We have two solid options here: Skarmory who is very good at laying down layers of spikes and tanking hits, and Ferrothorn who is in essence BW’s OU wall. Here Ferrothorn is the better choice, not because of his defensive prowess which Skarmory also possesses, but because of his ability Iron Barbs which helps wear down opposing U-turners. On top of this he boasts some of the best SpDef and Def stats in the meta. The rocky helmet on Skarmory is an option but it deprives your wall of passive health regeneration from the leftovers.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Protect​

With spikes in play what we need now is to finish the defensive core. Assessing what we have so far, Ferrothorn is weak to both fighting and fire, both of which are prevalent on many teams and we don’t want to use Reuniclus unnecessarily to tank fighting type hits. Alakzam can not tank any hits with out burning his Focus Sash. I need another wall that can tank fighting and fire hits. Here I could use serval options for our next choice, Latias is decent with resistances to both. Roost also allows her to heal off damage quite easily as well, but would only make us even weaker to opposing Tyranitars. Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Rotom-W have the bulk to tank hits like Keldeo’s Secret Sword and resist fire hits very well. Gastrodon though can be set up on, and Rotom-W really doesn't recover from damage very well. Jellicent, the final choice is the best with a water fighting immunity and a fire resistance, he compliments Ferrothorn very well. What sets Jellicent above the aforementioned choice's the ability to spin block from the Ghost typing. Now we not only have a second wall for the team, but we prevent opponents from removing the entry hazards laid down to remain in the field. These qualities make Jellicent the better fit than previously mentioned choices.

Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 32 Def / 136 SpD / 92 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt​

The set used here is a blend on bulk with the right amount of speed. Taunt allows for Jellicent to not be used by opposing to teams to set up entry hazards of their own or get statused or have an opposing Reuniclus grab some Calm Mind boosts on you. Scald, the STAB move of choice, has that 30% chance to burn increasing the passive wear down on opposing teams. Will O wisp is favored over toxic when the lower chance of a scald burn won't suffice and to give a gradual damage on Pokemon that are water immune such as Gastrodon; it also helps reduce damage from strong physical attackers who would otherwise look to prey on Jellicent's significantly weaker defense stat. All in all, the set fits well, closing previous gaps in our teams capabilities. Now that we have a 2 Pokemon defensive core, let's assess the team so far. There are a few things that we could use, something that has speed of its own and can tank supplemental fighting hits particularly from Breloom (he can prey on both Jellicent and Ferrothorn), we need a designated stealth rock setter and a cleaner to this team. As mentioned earlier we would like a ground immunity as well as ground STAB. We are going to address these needs with two options available: Gliscor or Landorus-Therian. Gliscor is a very good OU tank with an immunity to status moves due to his ability: Poison Heal. But the problem here is he doesn’t quite fit the synergy of the team. What we lack is an offensive prowess that can out-speed opponents, tank hits, and dish out power Earthquake attacks. Landorus does a better job. With Intimidate he is able to easily come into opposing physical attacks, countering threats such as Terrakion and Breloom, while hitting hard with Earthquake. U-turn can pivot on walls, counters, and tanks, putting the team in a more favorable position. The Choice Scarf also gives the secondary role for revenge KO’ing so Alakazam doesn’t waste his Focus Sash prematurely. An added bonus to his addition is that two of Reuniclus and Alakzams counters (Tyranitar and Jirachi) are both weak to his STAB Earthquake!

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]​

The set is very standard and easy to use. Maximize speed and attack. Hidden Power Ice is for opposing Landorus-Therians, Garchomps, Giscors, and Salamences. U-turn is used to pivot on the opposition giving you momentum. He gives our team a much need boost to its overall speed while utilizing U-turn to build momentum. So with 5 out of the 6 Pokemon selected what is left to fill here? Controlling the weather would be nice (they don’t want rain teams abusing Hurricane), and having a Stealth rock setter is also crucial to our strategy. We also look a little bit weak to Volcarona at the moment as well. Unfortunately there are not many options that can do all three. Well to be frank there is only one option available, but fortunately he is amongst the best in the tier: Tyranitar.

Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Atk / 196 SpD
Careful Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock​

His ability Sandstream gives us control of the weather, while giving him a boost to his SpDef. Maximizing his SpDeF is important to ensure that he can tank a Bug Buzz from Volcarona or Draco Meteor + Surf from Latios then KO them. Pursuit lets the team trap opposing Psychic type Pokemon such as Latio(a)s and Rock Slide is a STAB for Volcarona. Stealth rock is an essential here as we don’t want to miss out on the passive damage it gives, especially since this team is trying to abuse the passive damage of entry hazards. Sandstorm is key to not only adding to the passive damage but also preventing rain teams from abusing powerful moves such as Hurricane. Tyranitar is the ultimate utility Pokemon in the game, and his role here is no exception.

The team looks good. In truth it is very very good and was at one point in time a staple of the meta game. Built by Shoka and Leftiez, it was textbook example of the powerful combination of Reuniclus and entry hazards (NOTE: it is a little bit outdated in when compared to the current meta game; I debated whether to include it or not, but figured it wouldn't hurt). All threats that are not hard countered by an individual Pokemon can be soft countered through strategy, such as preventing Volcarona sweeps by entry hazard stacking + spin blocking, or wearing down an opposing Politoad with hazards to win the weather war.

 

[FNH]

TEAM 3 *HYPER OFFENSE*

So let's craft another team, but utilize a different play-style. Say though, that this time I am looking for a more direct strategy, an offensive team that hits hard and breaks opponents quickly. Offensively oriented teams are fun to play and build due to their ability to utilize a large variety of Pokemon and combinations. In general, when using Offensive styles, you are looking to sacrifice bulk for power and speed.

I have my style of play chosen, but I am not to sure of whether I'll utilize a weather setter. This is will determined by what sweeper to build my team around. We need to find that central powerful Pokemon core to create a team. Choosing what to use can often be the most difficult. It always helps to refer to the ROA's resources such as the BW OU Compendium that our friendly neighborhood user Ophion compiled for us. We have a lot of options available. Very interesting choices would be a Tornadus or a Thundurus-Therian along side a Politoad. Dragon types + Magnezone (Drag-Mag) is also a tried and true offensive strategy capable of tearing through opposing teams.

I should remind you that offense carries a different mentality to how its used. While ensuring there is some semblance of defensive integrity to the team is important, the goal is to combine Pokemon in a way that they break the opponent. The previous team we looked at maintained balance and focused on a slow wear down their opponent, but for offense the user is trying to power through their opponent with heavy hitters.

So for this next example, let's use the Drag-Mag Strategy. The goal of this team is use Magnezone's ability, Magnet Pull, to trap opposing steel types, then spam powerful Dragon STAB moves, dismantling the opponent's team. Building a Drag-Mag is fairly simple, for starters you want your primary Dragon type (A sweeper) and Magnezone. The picks here are:

Dragonite @ Yache Berry Ability: Multiscale EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Adamant Nature - Outrage - Earthquake - Extreme Speed - Dragon Dance​

Magnezone @ Chople Berry Ability: Magnet Pull EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe - Thunderbolt - Hidden Power [Fire] - Substitute - Sunny Day​

Our first choice is Dragon Dance Dragonite. His power attack plus his ability, Multiscale, make him an excellent choice for a set up sweeper. Magnezone has a few options such as the Choice Specs set. Here the substitute 3 attacks was chosen with the addition of Sunny Day to help throw off steel types using the rain resistance the stall out Magnezone. So our initial core is created, now assess what the core lacks so far. Few things to keep in mind, we want to put offensive pressure down, meaning the Pokemon we chose should be offensively gifted. Some criteria should also be met here. We are going to want a Designated Stealth rock setter and a fighting type resist (so the team doesn't get torn apart from say, Keldeo). Having a rapid spinner is also essential to prevent Dragonite's Multiscale from being broken prematurely. First we will add a Stealth Rock setter. Heatran is an option, but is rather slow and gives the team two 4x weaknesses to Earthquake. There are other options such as Skarmory's Custap lead set, or a Stealth Rock Excadrill, but none of them gives the coverage that a Shuca berry Jirachi will.

Jirachi @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 248 HP / 60 SpA / 200 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 26 Spe
- Thunder
- Icy Wind
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock ​

The Shuca berry helps tanks an Earthquake letting Jirachi set up Stealth Rock. Thunder and Icy Wind give great move coverage while U-turn allows him to pivot. it is a great fit to the team. Next we should address our fighting weakness (Yes, Dragonite does resist fighting, but we don't want him taking hits unless necessary). Some Offensive fighting resistances include Landorus-Therian. His flying typing plus his ability intimidate allows for his to tank and flighting type hit. But he loses to one of the most common Fighting types in the game, Keldeo. There is a better option here and one that also fits in with the strategy better, Latios. His dragon + Psychis typing allows for Latios to counter most fighting type Pokemon in the tier. This coupled with his excellent speed allows for an easy swap in on Keldeo or Breloom then dish out a powerful STAB of his own.

Latios) (M) @ Dragon Gem
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Calm Mind
- Recover ​

The set used is a bit different from the status quo. A Calm Mind Boost Plus the dragon Gem allows for Latios to punish Tyranitar, a common counter to Latios. Recover allows for Latios to stay in the game longer, healing away damage taken. Assess the team. We still a rapid spin user and a revenge KO'er/cleaner for this team. For a Rapid Spinner, there are offensively gifted options such as Excadrill or Starmie. Excadrill would add more steel to solidify the team, but he lacks overall speed that we want on a Hyper Offense team like this. Starmie on the other hand has great speed and with the ability analytic can dish out absurdly powerful STAB attacks. These combined make him a far better choice than Excadrill.

Starmie @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Trick
- Rapid Spin​

Starmie's set is once again a bit abnormal compared to what is standard. The choice specs though, make a great addition, punishing anything unfortunate enough to swap into a STAB Hydro Pump. Trick is useful for ruining the rhythm of the opponent by forcing one of their designated walls or tanks to be confined to using only one move every swap in, effectively negating their capability to wall. Rapid Spin is extremely useful if opponents are trying to entry hazard stack you, it also helps keep keep Dragonite's Multiscale intact. Starmie's addition is normal, but the abnormal set used here is what makes it so special. Now all we have left is our Revenge Ko'er/Cleaner. There are some options, once again Landorus-Therian is viable, but not perfect. Salamence can snowball through an opponent with his ability Moxie. Both though are not the best fit here. Landorus-Therian lacks overall speed and doesn't get a STAB boost to Outrage, making him subpar. Salamence is weak to Stealth Rock and Sand, making him overall less useful. He also has less bulk than our third option, Garchomp. Garchomp is the best of both worlds. He has access to two of the best STAB'S in the meta (Ground, Dragon) along with an excellent top speed and powerful attack.

Garchomp) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Dual Chop
- Rock Slide / Stealth Rock​

He really only needs three moves here. Outrage is used to plow through opposing teams, finishing off the game. Earthquake has the same function but when your opponent might have say a Heatran left on the field, or when you are unwilling to be locked into an Outrage (and any ground immunities are already removed). Dual chop is used to break through a Focus Sash Alakazam that might still be on the field. The fourth slot can be a variety of moves from Rock Slide/Stone Edge to Stealth Rock (having two setters can often help ensuring you set up rocks). Moves like fire fang can be useful, but their low power relegates them to more of a niche choice.

So assessing the team after completion, the question to ask for a hyper offense build is: does it break? Yes, it does so very well with the combinations of its heavy hitters like Latios and Starmie and the sweeper Dragonite. Magnezone is integral in ensuring that opposing teams don't slow down the momentum of the team and stall it out with bulky steel types. This team made by ZF (shamelessly borrowed as an example) is an excellent portrayal of what a Drag-Mag should look like. It does a great job of bringing some hard hitting Pokemon while covering common problems Drag-Mags face.

TEAM 4 *RAIN BALANCE*

Let us run through one more example here. This time want to utilize another balance team. Utilizing rain to hit boost strong attacks is a very good strategy. Tornadus and Thundurus-Therian are obvious first choice options as both are granted extra accuracy to their strong STAB's Hurricane and Thunder respectively. Thundurus-Therian is my choice for his extremely strong base Special Attack. For the set of choice here, we have a few options. While Thundurus-Therian's movepool is limited, the tools he possesses are simultaneously adequate. I want to keep him versatile, so I won't be using a choiced item for this set.

Thundurus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 104 HP / 156 Def / 36 SpA / 212 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Substitute
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast​

Leftovers is used to gradually restore Thundurus's health keeping him in the game longer. Agility or Nasty Plot sets are possible, but he lacks the bulk to guarantee a set up. This set for Thundurus-Therian allows for us to take a Power Whip from Ferrothorn or a Body Slam from SpDef Jirachi. While Volt switch is useful, but this set is far less prediction heavy. So what can't our Thundurus do? Well we need a strong defensive core to make up for his lack luster defenses. We will also like to have a Spinner, so we don't get spike stacked (When building ALWAYS be wary of how vulnerable your team is to entry hazards). Fortunately we have a solid two Pokemon rain core that can deal with the majority of problems.

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge Ability: Rain Dish EVs: 248 HP / 68 SpD / 192 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Toxic / Substitute / Toxic Spikes / Venoshock - Scald - Protect - Rapid Spin​

Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers Ability: Iron Barbs EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 172 SpD Sassy Nature IVs: 19 Spe - Power Whip - Leech Seed - Spikes - Stealth Rock​

This core is standard to the generation, both Pokemon compliment each other very well. Knock Off is an option over protect. The sets were taken from the Smogon analysis page (yes that page is very healpful). Tentacruel helps wall fighting types such as Keldeo and Breloom, and also prevents Volcarona from tearing the team apart. The spread has been amended from the for greater speed in order to outrun Excadrill, Landorus-T, Modest Thundurus-T, Adamant Kyurem-Black. He plays the vital role of removing entry hazards from the field so Thundurus isn't worn down easily. Ferrothorn sets up our own entry hazards and walls opposing Dragon types. So let's assess what we have. Tentacruel isn't enough to deal with opposing fighting types, and if we use Ferrothorn on his own as our main physical attack wall he too is susceptible to being walled. This team needs another fighting type tanker. we could use a Gliscor as a second physical wall here which is viable. Landorus-Therian is also another great option. I am going to add Landorus-Therian next for offensive prowess and overall utility over Gliscor. We can also add our next Keldeo check as well with him as well. Amoongus is viable here, as is are the Lati twins. I want this team to pack more offensive power though, so Latios will be the next addition with Landorus-Therian.

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf Ability: Intimidate EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe Naive Nature - U-turn - Earthquake - Stone Edge - Hidden Power [Ice]​

Latios) (M) @ Choice Specs Ability: Levitate EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Draco Meteor - Surf - Dragon Pulse/ Recover - Trick​

I wanted the scarf on Landorus-Therian to U-turn opposing Pokemon, putting me in a better position. It also gives me a soft option for Alakazam. While he is a great Physical tank thanks to intimidate, remember he has no health recovery, so use him sparingly. The Life Orb for Latios was viable but with the Choice Specs, not only will he hit harder but I can also trick opposing Steel types attempting to wall my Latios. Dragon Pulse or recover are our third attacking move of choice (Psyshock is only used when you are absolutely in need of Keldeo/Terrakion check). The team so far is solid. All that is left is Politoed. I left him for last because he can be modified to fit gaps very easily as a utility Pokemon.

Politoed @ Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Refresh
- Toxic
- Protect​

His spread is simple. we are maximizing his bulk to keep him in the game as long as possible here. Protect is to help further. He has enough Special Defense to tank a Draco Meteor Hit. Refresh gets rid of any status that might wear him down. Remember he is here to bring the rain, so keeping him in the game is imperative. Scald is always a solid pick over surf because of those ever so common burns. He fits a utility role here for the team with the only real job of bringing the rain.

The team seen above, We Three Kings and I threw together for this example thread. It isn't nor was it meant to be special but is meant to shed light on the creation of rain teams.

CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING IT THIS FAR!

In conclusion, the teams showed were were not done so to highlight how good they were but to break down the mentality and thought that went into crafting them. When you are done making your team, give it a good look over. Think about what will break it or wall it. If you can't think of anything start playing. Test it out and if problems arise address them. Although be careful that when addressing one problem you don't in turn create a new and different problem. No team is perfect, and players must adapt their strategy for games. When your done crafting the team to assess the overall synergy you can refer to the check list mentioned in the introduction that I moved down here as well for convenience.

Check List

1. At least two water resistances for hydro pump and scald spams,
2. A steel type (that has some bulk), if not two, to tank Draco Meteors and Outrages’s,
3. A Flying type or the ability Levitate to give immunity to strong STAB Earthquakes,
4. A Volcarona check.
5. Fighting type resistance to prevent fighting type powerhouses such as Keldeo or Terrakion from tearing your team apart.
6. Always have a Pokemon that can set Stealth Rock (you don't want to miss out on the passive damage).
7. Psychic type counter to prevent Reuniclus or Alakazam from sweeping.
8. A rapid Spin user OR make sure the team is not overly weak to entry hazards. This helps prevent teams from being stalled out.

About Volcarona:

Flaming Death Bug

Volcarona has been debated for a ban for a while. It's easy to see why, as after one Quiver Dance he can tear through a team. His potential leads a variety of players to believe you should bring a hard counter for him in every-team, while other players note his usage stats and take the risk of not preparing for him. His primary threat are to sand teams as Tentacruel in the rain is enough to deal with Volcarona. This prompts for hard checks for sand teams to be utilized (Heatran for example). Some players will just maintain a soft counter to him such as SpDef Tyranitar and forgo any risks. With that said, if you don't plan to hard counter Volcarona, at least have a plan in case you see him.

Yet another recap of what we went over:

1) When building, devise your strategy first, what Pokemon you want to use, is it viable?
2) Assess and address. When you pick your next Pokemon first is the Pokemon viable, is it the best option available? Always always ensure if compliments the rest of the team.
3) When you are finished, review your team. Use the criteria i set forth in this thread to see if meets it. Then Test and address.
4) Always be mindful of match-ups. You could build a team that is actually quite good, but then you come along an opponent and his team make you feel powerless against it. this could be due the matchup. he might have a team that just happens to do very well against what you. Don't get angry and think you made a pile of garbage. Just reassess what you happened and see if you can adjust to put the match up on more even footing.

What I hoped to have accomplished here was to teach new players how to think when they create a team to play. Feedback on how to improve this guide will always be appreciate so long as it is appropriate, so comment or PM me with any feedback you feel is necessary. If you read all of this thread, props to you, thank you!

 

[FNH]

reserved for future additions. Also any appropriate feedback or criticism I will gladly take and correct/modify for.

EDITS: After the some great feedback, the thread is being adjusted to help note how additions to the team help the core/strategy break opposition's defenses. Further elaboration in the analysis will be implemented. Spreads and sets were updated thanks to finch's feedback.

THE FIRST TEAM IS REPLACED! Thanks to good feedback it was 1) a poor analysis and/or 2) a poor example. I replaced it with a new team and a improved and reviewed analysis.

 

[peng]

This is a pretty tidy write-up, I'd just suggest a couple tiny things.

First thing, I feel like a mention of speed control is important in your essential checklist. Almost every team in BW needs / uses at least 1 Pokemon faster than base 120s (to beat Alakazam). Alakazam's counters are far too easy to lure and weaken for you to reliably beat it with defensive counterplay alone, so you generally want to be able to at least revenge kill it from sash. I know many other builders take this a step further, and strive for 2 Pokemon faster than base 108s (to beat Terrak, Keldeo, and by extension Garchomp). There are couple of intricate exceptions (e.g. Sun Cresselia or Rain/Sun Chansey kinda remove the necessity for Alakazam revenge killing, and sand teams with water immunes like Jellicent/Gastrodon don't need 2 Pokemon to revenge kill Specs Keldeo) but for the vast majority of teams, 1 pokemon faster than Alakazam is essential and two faster than Keldeo is very strongly recommended and most of the top builders will find themselves doing this subconsciously.

Second is the order of the teams you've listed - not denying that the first team is good, but listing a team with Celebi first seems misrepresentative of where BW OU is right now. Celebi is one of the biggest teambuilding traps around - a mon that is great on paper due to its fantastic match-ups against half the meta, but is mediocre in practice due to diabolical match-ups against this other half. This team is one of the exceptions when it comes to Celebi teams. I feel like it should probably be listed after standard Reuniclus / Alakazam sand, Thundy-T Rain, and DragMag, maybe as an example of building a team around something underutilised. Also nitpicking - more often than not when I've seen this team used, it ends up being +2 ScarfChomp that does the brunt of the work late-game after Lando-T, often unboosted itself, has forced damage on stuff like Skarm - I feel like this synergy between Smack Down / Grav Lando-T + Scarfed Grounds is important to mention under ScarfChomp.

The second team (double Psychic) probably needs Hidden Power Ice on one of Reun or Alakazam otherwise you're probably not breaking SDef Gliscor. Mentioning Sableye as an important Pokemon to lure with Signal Beam is dated.

For the Rain team, might as well bump Politoed up to be included with Thundurus-T for consistency. Every other team starts with a 2 Pokemon core that you build around, and in this example you already acknowledge its a rain team before officially putting Politoed on. Leaving him last would be fine if you ended up using some tech that was dependent on the 5 previous Pokemon, but as its just standard Politoed the time might as well open with Politoed + Thundurus-T core.

If you were open to adding any more teams on, I'd say the next ones would be Latios Sand balance which is the go-to team at the moment (perhaps could even mention it over Jellicent and make team 2 a triple Psychic, which is pretty trendy), and maybe something like Breloom + Jirachi Rain which is really the only other Rain variant you'll see.

All nitpicks though, this is really nice, good job!

 

[FNH]

This is a pretty tidy write-up, I'd just suggest a couple tiny things.

Hey! first of all appreciate the feedback.

First thing, I feel like a mention of speed control is important in your essential checklist. Almost every team in BW needs / uses at least 1 Pokemon faster than base 120s (to beat Alakazam). Alakazam's counters are far too easy to lure and weaken for you to reliably beat it with defensive counterplay alone, so you generally want to be able to at least revenge kill it from sash

I agree with this assessment, I thought I did a good job mentioned hitting speeds while explaining the teams. Apparently not as well as i thought. I'll make note and look to correct for this. I can add for speed in my criteria list and make greater mention of it in the team walkthroughs.

Second is the order of the teams you've listed - not denying that the first team is good, but listing a team with Celebi first seems misrepresentative of where BW OU is right now.

I didn't have a reason to the order. But if it were to go in relevance with respect to the current state of the team the double psychic magic guard team would be last as it 2+ year old team. Teams were added to highlight the how a new player should think when building, not on how they represent the current meta (if that makes sense). And Hp ice is certainly viable, will change and make mention of that (tbf it wasn't my team and the team is quite old as well).

For the Rain team, might as well bump Politoed up to be included with Thundurus-T for consistency. Every other team starts with a 2 Pokemon core that you build around, and in this example you already acknowledge its a rain team before officially putting Politoed on

Maybe this is something I thought I also explained but maybe didn't do a very good job. I was trying to state that I had every intention to use Politoad in the team, but added him last as to fill in a gap/role that the other 5 were not. His placement in the addition directly reflects how I added him when I built the team. I always knew he would be number 6, but I didn't know what set I was going to use on him, so i waited to see how the rest of the team came together before designating his set.


Thank you for your feed back I'll work on adjustments.

 

[Finchinator]

First and foremost, I appreciate the initiative displayed here and I love when people go out of their way to make BW related resources. I will be presenting my opinion towards some of the things included within your post, but please do not take this a a reason to be discouraged if we happen to disagree at any point as I simply want to improve the quality of the resource for newer players of the metagame to take advantage of. Thanks again for writing this up!

A wide variety of threats exist in the generation and while we would like to cover them all we can’t expect to accomplish this. There are just too many. Players are consistently looking to utilize new threats to break pre existing formulas. For that reason it's imperative that the team meets basic criteria to cover the majority of threats to mitigate damage from new or unplanned threats. Examples of this are:

1. At least two water resistances for Hydro Pump and Scald spams,
2. A steel type (that has some bulk), if not two, to tank Draco Meteors and Outrages’s,
3. A Flying type or the ability Levitate to give immunity to strong STAB Earthquakes,
4. A Volcarona check (Covered more at the end of the guide).
5. Fighting type resistance to prevent fighting type powerhouses such as Keldeo or Terrakion from tearing your team apart.
6. Always have a Pokemon that can set Stealth Rock (you don't want to miss out on the passive damage).
7. Psychic type counter to prevent powerful Psychics like Reuniclus or Alakazam from sweeping.

I agree with all of these, but I would also add a disclaimer that this is just the start and foundation; there are a lot of things that take more than just this to check and that is ok as simplifying the complex task of teambuilding is impossible. I would also add an eighth point to make sure a team either has a spinner or is not completely vulnerable to Spikes (either through having 3+ Spike immune Pokemon or at least some type of Ferrothorn/Skarmory lure).

*Pokemon listed here are done so not because they are not viable, but because they are hard to use and/or are generally outclassed by similar Pokemon.*
Infernape: Yes he looks very promising, but his abysmal defenses makes him very out-classed by other fighting type Pokemon. More often than not sand storm damage + Stealth Rock are enough to deal with Infernape.
Donaphan: He has had usage on sun teams but his speed and special defense makes him a sub par choice to other ground types and Rapid Spin users.
Conkeldur: Newer players see that attack stat and think to use him, but many games I see him outclassed and easily removed. It is best to utilize tried and true fighting types such as Breeloom or Keldeo over him.
Cloyster: With how common bulky water types are and all teams lay down Stealth Rock, Cloyster is relegated to very hard to use Pokemon that beginners should avoid.
Lucario: His poor defense and lack of speed don't make up for his movepool. Ground types are more than often able to deal with him with little to no trouble. He also lacks the power to deal with other bulky Pokemon.

These are all great and I agree a ton with your reasoning, but I would likely include Gengar as it's fringe viability is about on par with these Pokemon.

I am not going to say avoiding UU ranked Pokemon, because to be frank some of them are quite viable in the OU meta game, such as Tornadus, Mew, Meinshao, and Kyurem. Also some are just subpar when used in the OU, like Arcanine, Empoleon, and Bisharp. UU Pokemon require more strategy and thought to utilize (bear in mind that some are not viable). So, I won't say that you should avoid them outright, but before choosing one for your team, check for a better alternative.

I would change this section to "lower tier Pokemon" in general as opposed to just UU Pokemon and then include Amoonguss; a perhaps little-known fact is that Amoonguss ended BW in the RU tier and still currently is RU despite having seen consistent OU usage for a number of years recently. Even after the sleep ban, Amoonguss is still a very viable option. In addition, if you are including things like Mew, which are ok, but not superb in the BW OU metagame, then I would also include Slowbro, Slowking (RU), Milotic (UU), Seismitoad (NU), Bronzong (UU), Tangrowth (RU), and perhaps a few others as they all are roughly in the B to C+ tiers in terms of overall viability and are superior to the Pokemon you list as examples later (Arcanine, Empoleon, and Bisharp). I think this gives a more expanded perspective to newer players who should not always be afraid to dabble with lower tier Pokemon in the OU metagame.

What if we created him with some bulk and Baton passed Sword dance boasts to him. It's a viable strategy. This would allow Landorus-Therian to use Substitute (we have an empty move slot since he is not using Swords Dance himself) alleviating the fear of opposing walls statusing him or taking large amounts of damage for a counter. Celebi is a perfect candidate here for a Baton Pass partner.

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Smack Down
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Swords Dance
- Recover
- Zen Headbutt
- Baton Pass​

Our set for Landorus-Therian is a little bit different, but it works. We can use Smack Down to remove ground type immunities from Skarmory and Rotom-W (two common Landorus-Therian walls) when thy switch in. Generally we would want to use Substitute after Celebi Baton Passes. Behind the Substitute, Landorus gets freedom to attack at will. Celebi as his partner can tank Special hits (say we lose a 50/50 and have to switch out). These two Pokemon display a unique synergy together, a perfect example of a core. So let's assess. Opposing Landorus-Therian's are problematic here. We don't want Celebi to get in a one on one with an Opposing Landorus-Therian and we should be careful not to risk our own on 50/50 (say they predict and HP Ice the Landorus-Therian swap in). Our next choice should be something that can force Landorus-Therian off the field and then pivot, giving our team the advantage. Skarmory is a good counter but doesn't quite build momentum. Ferrothorn is similar, but still not quite right. Rotom-W on the other hand is quite right. Opposing Landorus-Therians are generally walled by Rotom-W and forced out, giving us a free volt turn to pivot into a better position.

To be completely honest, I think this is a very poor start to a team, especially for one that is to be showcased as an example build for a newer player. This core is remarkably inconsistent, which is also the case for just about any Celebi structure in the current metagame, and a far cry from the standard, which we should likely be trying to explain to the newer player before getting into more techs and sub-standard archetypes. Just to elaborate a bit more on why I disagree with this starting point:

• Substitute + Smack Down Landorus-Therian is one of the more inconsistent ways to make use of it as an offensive breaker. It is virtually obsoleted by the Swords Dance + Fighting Gem set, which is able to defeat Skarmory and Rotom-Wash without relying on Smack Down timing and also does not require the support, and Landorus-T seldom utilized that set to begin with as it is oftentimes compressed into more specific roles in teambuilding (i.e: the pivot SR set or the Choice Scarf set, which can both provide a lot more direct defensive value).
• Swords Dance + Baton Pass Celebi is very rarely, if ever, worthwhile. And if it is used, these teams absolutely require the support of Magnezone, which I do not see listed here (even with Smack Down on Landorus-Therian, you are still far too susceptible to setting up Spikes, which is always a fatal flaw of Celebi's, and Whirlwind from Skarmory)
• Celebi tends to also be more effective with the Nasty Plot + Baton Pass variant, creating potent sweeping cores with the likes of Keldeo, Latios, and others. It simply has better synergy and creates more sweeping opportunities on this side of the spectrum. While Celebi is limited, it can at least do this with a certain level of proven viability, even if it is still not considered a reliable strategy.
• Your analysis of synergy is good for a Pokemon-by-Pokemon basis, but I feel it is a bit more impractical when put in the context of a momentum-heavy BW OU game; cores like this tend to crumble when Spikes are set up all over Celebi, which makes things that you mention like opposing Rotom-Wash or Landorus-T that can pivot in routinely a problem.
• Landorus-T, while not slow overall, is relatively slow for a main abuser of this set-up, which tends to not make this core worthwhile either. It will never outright sweep and is oftentimes limited to a single kill, if even, before revenge killed. This kill is also limited by prediction reliance with regards to Smack Down and Hidden Power Ice timing.

I am not going to go through every other individual Pokemon you listed because a lot are good options and proper to the team, but I do want to go over the final product just to prove some more points. Given the six Pokemon you put together, the final product would be here. As this team stands, it is ok, but it tries to mix two different types of synergy that simply do not work. Triple Ground teams are able to break on their own if they make use of an optimal assortment of sets. On the other hand, Celebi pass teams are quite limited, but they really cannot afford to abuse type stacking lure strategies themselves as they tend to focus on a specific abuser or two trying to break things open and need the rest of the Pokemon to cover things defensively. As it stands, this team is going to be a bit too vulnerable to opposing Leftovers Landorus-Therian as it comes in on Excadrill, Garchomp, Tyranitar, and Celebi and is an immediate threat as you already have Rotom-Wash there for Water types, Tornadus, Excadrill, etc. so taking repeated >25% U-turns is hard. Both Leftovers and Scarf variants of Landorus-T can be tricky, which I would argue is also the case for other Celebi structures (i.e: this one from SPL struggles to reliably pivot into Landorus-T as well). On top of this, any Rocky Helmet Skarmory is a complete nightmare to face. While Smack Down can be clutch, you lack Magnezone to complete the core, meaning Skarmory can repeatedly come in on Celebi, set up Spikes, and force a Whirlwind before you ever get a Baton Pass off to Landorus-T and successfully use Smack Down. Even if the opponent misplays initially and does not account for this, most teams have multiple Ground immune and it just takes 1-2 pivots for this progress to be negated as is, which makes your current build too prediction reliant for my liking. As a way to fix this team, I would personally recommend going with the aforementioned Fighting Gem Landorus-T set (here). This lets you pressure Spikers, abuse Swords Dance more directly, and lure opposing Landorus-T and Rotom-W a bit easier. I also feel that this makes the build more direct and less clunky within the midst of very aggressive, proactive BW OU games. I still do not believe it is the most consistent build, but any team around Celebi is going to be compromised in this fashion, so we will take what we can get.

I am not going to do this for every team you go through in part because it would get excessive and in part because some of the others are a bit better off, but there are some things I feel an urgent need to address.

Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Signal Beam
- Psyshock
- Recover

Signal Beam is never worth using on Reuniclus; I understand that on the surface the midground potential of hitting Tyranitar and Latios is appealing, but in practice it is very poor. Even at +2, it oftentimes fails to 2HKO Tyranitar after Stealth Rock. You either go with the conventional Focus Blast + Psyshock variant or you go Thunder + Hidden Power Ice usually (I have used Focus Blast + Hidden Power Ice on a particular team with 3 Psychic types, but that's an outlier). Signal Beam has never been used and is not worthwhile due to poor damage output on the most common target. It also does not 2HKO SDef Jirachi at +6 always, which is not ideal either.

Magnezone @ Chople Berry
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute
- Sunny Day

Air Balloon + Magnet Rise is a lot better than Chople Berry right now and also far more common; this set you list was the norm 3-4+ years ago, but now you see the same spread and nature with Sunny Day + Magnet Rise + Thunderbolt + Hidden Power Fire with Air Balloon. This allows you to still trap Rain Ferrothorn, but also you are able to remove Excadrill (always vs the Scarf set, but also if they do not flinch you it can take care of the other sets as well, especially if paired with Icy Wind Jirachi to make Magnezone quicker, which these HO teams tend to frequent as well).

Thundurus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunder

Nobody really ever uses this set. Not historically and certainly not now. Currently, the most common set would have to be Substitute + Thunder + Hidden Power Ice + either Focus Blast or Nasty Plot with EVs to live Ferrothorn Power Whip and Jirachi Body Slam behind a Substitute. An example would be this. Volt Switch could be cool for some utility, but lacking substitute makes it far more prediction reliant and Volt Switch often wants to take the backseat for more breaking power.

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic
- Scald
- Protect

This is a classic Tentacruel spread that has been around for 5-6+ years probably, but in recent times everyone has shifted to using even faster in order to outrun Excadrill, Landorus-T, Modest Thundurus-T, Adamant Kyurem-Black. Here is an example, but the SDef EVs can easily be shifted into PDef if you feel that is more appropriate on any given team.

Latios) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Trick

Latios should never use Psyshock outside of very specific circumstances on the Choice Scarf variant on teams that are in dire need of something to check Substitute Terrakion/Keldeo without minding potentially being useless against Tyranitar (which almost never comes up). Choice Specs Latios should never do this as it is paired with another fast Pokemon (scarfer/revenge killer) and it much appreciates the other coverage. Latios should always be running Dragon Pulse or Recover over Psyshock here.

This is simply a coverage on the content you included. I could argue to probably include a few more "sample teams" with breakdowns of my own, but I think you have a very nice foundation here that I do not want to tear down. I could perhaps provide some advanced team insight and explanations in the future for now (like I have here), but I do not currently feel a need to. If that is requested, I will in the future.

 

[MANNAT]

Latios should never use Psyshock outside of very specific circumstances on the Choice Scarf variant on teams that are in dire need of something to check Substitute Terrakion/Keldeo without minding potentially being useless against Tyranitar (which almost never comes up).

I generally agree on this but I wanted to point out that orb latios can run psyshock to smack Terrak in sand and ohko stuff like tent amoong without having to worry about the issues that choice locked psychic attacks present.

 

[Finchinator]

I generally agree on this but I wanted to point out that orb latios can run psyshock to smack Terrak in sand and ohko stuff like tent amoong without having to worry about the issues that choice locked psychic attacks present.

Orb Latios is seldom worthwhile and you are really the only person who frequents it. In particular, I was responding to the Latios posted in the context of that team and Specs Latios in general, but Psyshock has a bit more fringe viability on the rare Life Orb set, yes.