SS OU ACE OF PAIN

[ImperialGamer517]

Hello everyone! This is my third RMT, and now I’m dedicated mostly to OU teambuilding. This time, I’ve decided to build around Cinderace. I believe Cinderace is a good Pokemon in OU because of its amazing utility options. With that said, here is the team:

ACE OF PAIN

Teambuilding Process:

I started building my team and chose Cinderace as my first Pokemon. Cinderace doesn’t even have its hidden ability out, but it is still good in the metagame. If Libero would be released, this thing could turn from a B-tier mon to an S-tier mon.

Since Cinderace hates Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types, I decided to add Seismitoad since it checks all three types said above.

Cinderace also gets worn down easily by Toxic from the likes of Seismitoad, Rotom-H, and Toxapex. I decided to pick Clefable to pass Wishes to Cinderace and to act as a status shield thanks to Magic Guard.

For my last three Pokemon, I still lacked checks to Pokemon like Cloyster, Conkeldurr, Mimikyu, Pelipper, and Primarina. I chose Tox for Primarina, Cloyster, and Pelipper. After that, I chose Excadrill for Mimikyu. Finally, I chose Dragapult for a secondary Fish counter and Conk check, since most Clefable don’t run Defense EVs.

In-Depth

Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- U-turn
- Court Change
- Sucker Punch

Here he is . . . THE ACE OF PAIN! Again, Cinderace is a good utility Pokemon. Of course, every Cinderace runs Pyro Ball. U-turn allows Cinderace to pivot out of a mon that would resist Pyro Ball, say Hydreigon. Court Change allows a good matchup against hyper offense teams by gaining Grimmsnarl’s screens. Finally, Sucker Punch for Cinderace to OHKO Dragapult and Gengar.

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Toxic
- Earth Power

Standard Physically Defensive Seismitoad to force out Water-types and physical attackers. I chose Stealth Rock so that opposing Pokemon switching in would be worn down, allowing for Cinderace to break more easily. This is my first Dracovish check, since Dracovish is everywhere now,

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Teleport
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect

Ah, good old Wish + Teleport Clefable. Clefable acts as my team’s second pivot and cleric. It also functions as my special wall and makes for a good matchup against Kyurem, which both Cinderace and Seismitoad hate. Clefable is basically OU’s staple, which you will see everywhere.

Toxtricity @ Choice Specs
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Overdrive
- Sludge Wave
- Volt Switch

Yes, I decided to choose Toxtricity since it can force our Waters if Toad is KOed. Unless it is not running Knock Off, Zeraora wouldn’t be able to get neutral coverage against it. If it is not enough, Toxtricity is my THIRD pivot. I’ve been thinking of trying Sludge Bomb over Sludge Wave, but since Seismitoad is a more reliable Poison spreader, I decided to stick with Sludge Wave for Toxtricity to wallbreak more easily.

Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance

My second utility mon and second hazard remover. Excadrill makes for a good mon in the tier thanks to Mold Breaker basically pretending Levitate Rotom doesn’t exist, or does a free setup Mimikyu. Excadrill serves as my second Toxic immune Pokemon, and it appreciates Cinderace coming in to block Wisp, which can seriously cripple Excadrill.

Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast

Yes, I have been drunk enough to add a FOURTH pivot to annoy my opponent. Even more annoying is the fact that it is a fast pivot. This also serves as my second revenge killer. Dragapult appreciates Seismitoad being able to switch into Zeraora. But seriously, I don’t get why some people no longer run this set of Dragapult.

I hope you enjoyed my team!

 

[Jordy]

Hello, Cinderace is an alright Pokemon that has some merit in this metagame, but I can't help but notice many of the glaring holes that this team has, both in failing to take Cinderace's short comings into account and overall. Rather than going into the changes I'd recommend first, I'd like to start by pointing out three structural issues with this team.

Structural Issues

The one issue that really stands out is the complete lack of a Pokemon immune to Ground. Especially for a Cinderace and Toxtricity team, I'm not sure how this was overlooked. All it really takes is a little bit of chip damage on Seismitoad and Excadrill will just sweep this team; it's realistically not manageable as it can also take advantage of Clefable. This is especially true when you take into account that with the way this team is built, Rotom-H is eventually going to force a Toxic onto Seismitoad, to give you an example of how they could go about forcing chip damage onto Seismitoad.

The lack of a Ghost-resistant Pokemon certainly stands out too; really nothing is stopping Aegislash or Gengar from getting a KO every time it comes in, or stopping Dragapult from just winning long-term. Especially when you take into consideration just how much this team leans on Clefable for durability, which will often open up holes for Aegislash and Gengar to come into play.

Lastly, the complete lack of any way to pressure Zeraora offensively is very concerning. As it stands now you do not have any good way of dealing with Zeraora; it will eventually overwhelm Clefable + Seismitoad, if not immediately. You state that Toxtricity is interesting because it can deal with Zeraora, but considering how easily it is pressured and the fact that it does risk losing its item while switching into Zeraora, leaves it as a very mediocre answer.

Major Changes

Toxtricity → Zeraora

→

Toxtricity in general's a very mediocre wallbreaker; it struggles to find opportunities to switch into play and really only gets those against Clefable, which can just Protect to scout what you do and the player can then answer accordingly. Zeraora's a much better fit on this kind of team, as it actually synergizes really nicely with Cinderace. As you probably know, Zeraora and Cinderace share a lot of checks, such as Hippowdon, Seismitoad, and Rotom-H; this is very notable as teams will often rely on prediction to deal with Zeraora, but it will often leave huge holes while doing so, which can massively free Cinderace up. Ultimately, I don't think missing out on the ability to take advantage of Clefable in a very mediocre way will be missed with the change from Toxtricity to Zeraora; you have solid pivots and Cinderace has the tools needed to pressure Clefable.

Excadrill → Corviknight

→

However potent Excadrill may be in this metagame, it's simply not convenient to fit onto these kinds of teams at this point in time; it leaves you very open to opposing Excadrill. I've explained why it's so threatening earlier. Corviknight is the single best answer to Excadrill and does exactly what you need on this team; it checks Excadrill, Bisharp, can serve as a pivot against Clefable, and provides you with entry hazard removal.

Dragapult → Hydreigon

→

I pointed out that the lack of a Ghost-resistant Pokemon and a way of offensively pressuring Zeraora is really quite concerning. I believe that replacing Dragapult with Choice Scarf Hydreigon's the easiest way to go about patching these issues up; it's a pretty durable Ghost-resist when paired up with Clefable, which is really useful for Pokemon like Aegislash, Dragapult, and Gengar, and it's just strong enough to consistently pressure Zeraora.

Minor Changes

I would definitely like to recommend running Taunt instead of Sucker Punch on Cinderace here, as it's a very useful tool to consistently pressure Clefable.

This is pretty minor, but I always like to recommend running 7 Speed IVs on Clefable to get a slower Teleport than most others, while still outspeeding Hippowdon.


Importable

I hope this was of help!

 

[ImperialGamer517]

Hello, Cinderace is an alright Pokemon that has some merit in this metagame, but I can't help but notice many of the glaring holes that this team has, both in failing to take Cinderace's short comings into account and overall. Rather than going into the changes I'd recommend first, I'd like to start by pointing out three structural issues with this team.

Structural Issues

The one issue that really stands out is the complete lack of a Pokemon immune to Ground. Especially for a Cinderace and Toxtricity team, I'm not sure how this was overlooked. All it really takes is a little bit of chip damage on Seismitoad and Excadrill will just sweep this team; it's realistically not manageable as it can also take advantage of Clefable. This is especially true when you take into account that with the way this team is built, Rotom-H is eventually going to force a Toxic onto Seismitoad, to give you an example of how they could go about forcing chip damage onto Seismitoad.

The lack of a Ghost-resistant Pokemon certainly stands out too; really nothing is stopping Aegislash or Gengar from getting a KO every time it comes in, or stopping Dragapult from just winning long-term. Especially when you take into consideration just how much this team leans on Clefable for durability, which will often open up holes for Aegislash and Gengar to come into play.

Lastly, the complete lack of any way to pressure Zeraora offensively is very concerning. As it stands now you do not have any good way of dealing with Zeraora; it will eventually overwhelm Clefable + Seismitoad, if not immediately. You state that Toxtricity is interesting because it can deal with Zeraora, but considering how easily it is pressured and the fact that it does risk losing its item while switching into Zeraora, leaves it as a very mediocre answer.

Major Changes

Toxtricity → Zeraora

→

Toxtricity in general's a very mediocre wallbreaker; it struggles to find opportunities to switch into play and really only gets those against Clefable, which can just Protect to scout what you do and the player can then answer accordingly. Zeraora's a much better fit on this kind of team, as it actually synergizes really nicely with Cinderace. As you probably know, Zeraora and Cinderace share a lot of checks, such as Hippowdon, Seismitoad, and Rotom-H; this is very notable as teams will often rely on prediction to deal with Zeraora, but it will often leave huge holes while doing so, which can massively free Cinderace up. Ultimately, I don't think missing out on the ability to take advantage of Clefable in a very mediocre way will be missed with the change from Toxtricity to Zeraora; you have solid pivots and Cinderace has the tools needed to pressure Clefable.

Excadrill → Corviknight

→

However potent Excadrill may be in this metagame, it's simply not convenient to fit onto these kinds of teams at this point in time; it leaves you very open to opposing Excadrill. I've explained why it's so threatening earlier. Corviknight is the single best answer to Excadrill and does exactly what you need on this team; it checks Excadrill, Bisharp, can serve as a pivot against Clefable, and provides you with entry hazard removal.

Dragapult → Hydreigon

→

I pointed out that the lack of a Ghost-resistant Pokemon and a way of offensively pressuring Zeraora is really quite concerning. I believe that replacing Dragapult with Choice Scarf Hydreigon's the easiest way to go about patching these issues up; it's a pretty durable Ghost-resist when paired up with Clefable, which is really useful for Pokemon like Aegislash, Dragapult, and Gengar, and it's just strong enough to consistently pressure Zeraora.

Minor Changes

I would definitely like to recommend running Taunt instead of Sucker Punch on Cinderace here, as it's a very useful tool to consistently pressure Clefable.

This is pretty minor, but I always like to recommend running 7 Speed IVs on Clefable to get a slower Teleport than most others, while still outspeeding Hippowdon.


Importable

I hope this was of help!

Thanks!

 

[madnan]

Hello, Cinderace is an alright Pokemon that has some merit in this metagame, but I can't help but notice many of the glaring holes that this team has, both in failing to take Cinderace's short comings into account and overall. Rather than going into the changes I'd recommend first, I'd like to start by pointing out three structural issues with this team.

Structural Issues

The one issue that really stands out is the complete lack of a Pokemon immune to Ground. Especially for a Cinderace and Toxtricity team, I'm not sure how this was overlooked. All it really takes is a little bit of chip damage on Seismitoad and Excadrill will just sweep this team; it's realistically not manageable as it can also take advantage of Clefable. This is especially true when you take into account that with the way this team is built, Rotom-H is eventually going to force a Toxic onto Seismitoad, to give you an example of how they could go about forcing chip damage onto Seismitoad.

The lack of a Ghost-resistant Pokemon certainly stands out too; really nothing is stopping Aegislash or Gengar from getting a KO every time it comes in, or stopping Dragapult from just winning long-term. Especially when you take into consideration just how much this team leans on Clefable for durability, which will often open up holes for Aegislash and Gengar to come into play.

Lastly, the complete lack of any way to pressure Zeraora offensively is very concerning. As it stands now you do not have any good way of dealing with Zeraora; it will eventually overwhelm Clefable + Seismitoad, if not immediately. You state that Toxtricity is interesting because it can deal with Zeraora, but considering how easily it is pressured and the fact that it does risk losing its item while switching into Zeraora, leaves it as a very mediocre answer.

Major Changes

Toxtricity → Zeraora

→

Toxtricity in general's a very mediocre wallbreaker; it struggles to find opportunities to switch into play and really only gets those against Clefable, which can just Protect to scout what you do and the player can then answer accordingly. Zeraora's a much better fit on this kind of team, as it actually synergizes really nicely with Cinderace. As you probably know, Zeraora and Cinderace share a lot of checks, such as Hippowdon, Seismitoad, and Rotom-H; this is very notable as teams will often rely on prediction to deal with Zeraora, but it will often leave huge holes while doing so, which can massively free Cinderace up. Ultimately, I don't think missing out on the ability to take advantage of Clefable in a very mediocre way will be missed with the change from Toxtricity to Zeraora; you have solid pivots and Cinderace has the tools needed to pressure Clefable.

Excadrill → Corviknight

→

However potent Excadrill may be in this metagame, it's simply not convenient to fit onto these kinds of teams at this point in time; it leaves you very open to opposing Excadrill. I've explained why it's so threatening earlier. Corviknight is the single best answer to Excadrill and does exactly what you need on this team; it checks Excadrill, Bisharp, can serve as a pivot against Clefable, and provides you with entry hazard removal.

Dragapult → Hydreigon

→

I pointed out that the lack of a Ghost-resistant Pokemon and a way of offensively pressuring Zeraora is really quite concerning. I believe that replacing Dragapult with Choice Scarf Hydreigon's the easiest way to go about patching these issues up; it's a pretty durable Ghost-resist when paired up with Clefable, which is really useful for Pokemon like Aegislash, Dragapult, and Gengar, and it's just strong enough to consistently pressure Zeraora.

Minor Changes

I would definitely like to recommend running Taunt instead of Sucker Punch on Cinderace here, as it's a very useful tool to consistently pressure Clefable.

This is pretty minor, but I always like to recommend running 7 Speed IVs on Clefable to get a slower Teleport than most others, while still outspeeding Hippowdon.


Importable

I hope this was of help!

very nice team suggestion but why not run choice specs on 'Gon instead of scarf?

 

[ImperialGamer517]

very nice team suggestion but why not run choice specs on 'Gon instead of scarf?

Outspeeds Zeraora and non-Scarf Dragapult