Gen 5 Gen 5 OU - First Team, Need Help

[BKmP]

Hello ! I'm a beginner in Gen 5 OU and this is my first team. ( third version of my first team ) :

**Scizor @ Expert Belt**
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Air Slash
- Night Slash
- Bug Buzz

Scizor is used as a mixed-type attacker with options.
Bullet Punch provides priority, but the other moves are mainly for type variety.
Like that, he can hit more weaknesses, and with the Expert Belt, it does 1.2x or 1.5x damage.
Expert Belt helps deal more damage on super effective hits.

---

**Dragonite @ Leftovers**
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Blizzard
- Aqua Tail
- Earthquake

Dragonite is another mixed-type attacker.
Extreme Speed gives me a fast finisher, while the other moves hit many types.
Blizzard is mostly there for Flying and Dragon targets.
Multiscale helps him survive longer and do more chip before going down, and also helps finish with Extreme Speed.

---

**Blissey @ Leftovers**
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Flamethrower
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Ball

Blissey is my special wall and team healer with Wish support.
Flamethrower helps against Steel-types, especially Ferrothorn or Forretress.
Drain Punch is there mostly to surprise Tyranitar and get chip recovery.
Shadow Ball is experimental but helps against Ghost-types like Gengar.
I use it when one of my Pokémon is low: I switch, use Wish, tank the damage,
switch again and heal my Pokémon. Or if I can hit a weakness, I attack.
Before, I was just trying to let it survive and convince the opponent to forfeit.

---

**Landorus-Therian @ Focus Sash**
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 132 Atk / 124 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Focus Blast
- Extrasensory
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Fire]

I don't have much to say about this one.
Just picked it for the stats and having multiple moves.

---

**Skarmory @ Leftovers**
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 136 Atk / 96 Def / 112 SpD / 164 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock

Skarmory is my lead and main.
I use Spikes and Stealth Rock to wear down the enemy team over time.
Whirlwind forces switches, which helps take advantage of entry hazard damage.
If it goes down, the rest of my team is there to clean up.
I just spam it until my Pokémon die or I win.
Then the others, like Dragonite with Extreme Speed, can finish.
When they switch back, they take damage, and I use speed or switch again.

---

**Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers**
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Hex
- Dark Pulse
- Volt Switch

Rotom-W was recommended to me and I often see it in Gen 5 teams.
I chose it for its great typing, resistances, and Ground immunity.
It helps me pivot with Volt Switch and can deal with physical threats.
The moveset is still experimental, and I’m open to suggestions.


My strategy was to lead with Skarmory to set up Spikes, then use Whirlwind to force switches and rack up damage.
If Skarmory goes down, the rest of the team takes over to finish off the weakened enemies.
Blissey is here to cover several common special threats and mainly uses Wish to heal my low HP Pokémon.

 

[TheDuckChris]

Unlocked and ready for a rate!

 

[Tbolt]

This team is... weird to say the least. While a strategy revolving around getting both layers of hazards with lead Skarmory is viable, these teams are super offensive and many of the Pokemon you've chosen either don't fit on that kind of strategy (Blissey most notably) or have poor sets that don't help them accomplish their tasks (Dragonite, Landorus-T, Scizor). As of now, you struggle against too many threats in the metagame to have any kind of sustained success (not least of which being Keldeo, Reuniclus, and Trick variants of Choice item Latios).

Ok, you want to lead Skarmory so your team can get instant Stealth Rock and Spikes for the entire game. Here is a sample team (https://pokepast.es/ffd7acac6d991dcb) that benefits from this gameplan, and to boot, it even includes Scizor. This team has a lot more of an offensive lean compared to what your team currently has. Here, it has Custap Berry on Skarmory to ensure that it will either get the second layer of hazards guaranteed or KO itself with Brave Bird to prevent the opponent from using Rapid Spin to remove its hazards. Jellicent is used both to check Keldeo and to prevent Rapid Spin from going off, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar is to pivot into a non-Water move from Starmie and trap it. The rest of the Pokemon are threats that benefit from all the entry hazards: Swords Dance Scizor blasts holes into teams, mixed Jirachi catches otherwise safe answers like Politoed off-guard with its coverage, and Choice Scarf Garchomp is the cleaner of choice because it handles Volcarona and Alakazam. I suggest that if you want to have more success while having the same gamplan as your first team (lead Skarmory and barf up hazards), then you should use this team.

 

[BKmP]

This team is... weird to say the least. While a strategy revolving around getting both layers of hazards with lead Skarmory is viable, these teams are super offensive and many of the Pokemon you've chosen either don't fit on that kind of strategy (Blissey most notably) or have poor sets that don't help them accomplish their tasks (Dragonite, Landorus-T, Scizor). As of now, you struggle against too many threats in the metagame to have any kind of sustained success (not least of which being Keldeo, Reuniclus, and Trick variants of Choice item Latios).

Ok, you want to lead Skarmory so your team can get instant Stealth Rock and Spikes for the entire game. Here is a sample team (https://pokepast.es/ffd7acac6d991dcb) that benefits from this gameplan, and to boot, it even includes Scizor. This team has a lot more of an offensive lean compared to what your team currently has. Here, it has Custap Berry on Skarmory to ensure that it will either get the second layer of hazards guaranteed or KO itself with Brave Bird to prevent the opponent from using Rapid Spin to remove its hazards. Jellicent is used both to check Keldeo and to prevent Rapid Spin from going off, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar is to pivot into a non-Water move from Starmie and trap it. The rest of the Pokemon are threats that benefit from all the entry hazards: Swords Dance Scizor blasts holes into teams, mixed Jirachi catches otherwise safe answers like Politoed off-guard with its coverage, and Choice Scarf Garchomp is the cleaner of choice because it handles Volcarona and Alakazam. I suggest that if you want to have more success while having the same gamplan as your first team (lead Skarmory and barf up hazards), then you should use this team.

Hello, sorry for the late reply and thank you for your feedback.

This was one of the first teams I built, so I was testing a lot of things without really knowing the metagame. I knew some choices were questionable, but I wanted to try type combinations that seemed interesting to me.

I’ll take a look at the team you shared, it will probably help me understand how to build around Skarmory in a more effective way.
Thanks again for taking the time to explain things clearly.

 

[McFleury]

Hello ! I'm a beginner in Gen 5 OU and this is my first team. ( third version of my first team ) :

**Scizor @ Expert Belt**
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Air Slash
- Night Slash
- Bug Buzz

Scizor is used as a mixed-type attacker with options.
Bullet Punch provides priority, but the other moves are mainly for type variety.
Like that, he can hit more weaknesses, and with the Expert Belt, it does 1.2x or 1.5x damage.
Expert Belt helps deal more damage on super effective hits.

---

**Dragonite @ Leftovers**
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Blizzard
- Aqua Tail
- Earthquake

Dragonite is another mixed-type attacker.
Extreme Speed gives me a fast finisher, while the other moves hit many types.
Blizzard is mostly there for Flying and Dragon targets.
Multiscale helps him survive longer and do more chip before going down, and also helps finish with Extreme Speed.

---

**Blissey @ Leftovers**
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Flamethrower
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Ball

Blissey is my special wall and team healer with Wish support.
Flamethrower helps against Steel-types, especially Ferrothorn or Forretress.
Drain Punch is there mostly to surprise Tyranitar and get chip recovery.
Shadow Ball is experimental but helps against Ghost-types like Gengar.
I use it when one of my Pokémon is low: I switch, use Wish, tank the damage,
switch again and heal my Pokémon. Or if I can hit a weakness, I attack.
Before, I was just trying to let it survive and convince the opponent to forfeit.

---

**Landorus-Therian @ Focus Sash**
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 132 Atk / 124 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Focus Blast
- Extrasensory
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Fire]

I don't have much to say about this one.
Just picked it for the stats and having multiple moves.

---

**Skarmory @ Leftovers**
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 136 Atk / 96 Def / 112 SpD / 164 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock

Skarmory is my lead and main.
I use Spikes and Stealth Rock to wear down the enemy team over time.
Whirlwind forces switches, which helps take advantage of entry hazard damage.
If it goes down, the rest of my team is there to clean up.
I just spam it until my Pokémon die or I win.
Then the others, like Dragonite with Extreme Speed, can finish.
When they switch back, they take damage, and I use speed or switch again.

---

**Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers**
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Hex
- Dark Pulse
- Volt Switch

Rotom-W was recommended to me and I often see it in Gen 5 teams.
I chose it for its great typing, resistances, and Ground immunity.
It helps me pivot with Volt Switch and can deal with physical threats.
The moveset is still experimental, and I’m open to suggestions.


My strategy was to lead with Skarmory to set up Spikes, then use Whirlwind to force switches and rack up damage.
If Skarmory goes down, the rest of the team takes over to finish off the weakened enemies.
Blissey is here to cover several common special threats and mainly uses Wish to heal my low HP Pokémon.

Thanks for sharing your team :] just looking at some of the basics, with the pokemon you picked here, you might want to consider really leaning into their individual strengths. There aren't that many pokemon that make for good mixed attackers (use both physical and special attacking type moves), so with your Scizor, Dragonite, and Landorus-T, maybe stick with just physical attacking moves and run natures that are -sp.attack since that stat will be obsolete, so maybe Jolly or even Adamant.

Blissey is a pokemon that works best either as a cleric or support, so having 3 attacking moves on it won't be necessary. Blissey's physical attacking stat is very, very poor, so it's probably best not to run moves like Drain Punch since it won't really be doing anything. I would check out Blissey's B/W page on Smogon to see what some go-to sets are :] I'm willing to bet you'll see stuff like Seismic Toss (which deals a fixed 100 hp each time) and likely some support moves; Wish, Softboiled, Toxic, Heal Bell, Thunder Wave, etc.

Lastly, if you want to get creative with move sets, keep an eye out for redundancy. Rotom having both Hex and Dark Pulse are a good example of this since Hex (ghost type) and Dark Pulse (dark type) hit the same types super effectively (psychic and ghost), so there's no point of having both. Here's a pretty classic Gen 5 Rotom-Wash set I grabbed off Smogon just now:

Rotom-Wash @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Trick
- Hidden Power Ice

Volt Switch allows pivoting in and out, Hydro Pump is strong STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), HP Ice makes for good coverage, and Trick is good to give a more defensive pokemon switching in a choice scarf (locks them into one move) which is nice since defensive pokemon like to stay in and switch up moves a lot of the time.

Thanks again for sharing, I might try and spice up this team when I'm back from vacation :]

 

[BKmP]

Thanks for sharing your team :] just looking at some of the basics, with the pokemon you picked here, you might want to consider really leaning into their individual strengths. There aren't that many pokemon that make for good mixed attackers (use both physical and special attacking type moves), so with your Scizor, Dragonite, and Landorus-T, maybe stick with just physical attacking moves and run natures that are -sp.attack since that stat will be obsolete, so maybe Jolly or even Adamant.

Blissey is a pokemon that works best either as a cleric or support, so having 3 attacking moves on it won't be necessary. Blissey's physical attacking stat is very, very poor, so it's probably best not to run moves like Drain Punch since it won't really be doing anything. I would check out Blissey's B/W page on Smogon to see what some go-to sets are :] I'm willing to bet you'll see stuff like Seismic Toss (which deals a fixed 100 hp each time) and likely some support moves; Wish, Softboiled, Toxic, Heal Bell, Thunder Wave, etc.

Lastly, if you want to get creative with move sets, keep an eye out for redundancy. Rotom having both Hex and Dark Pulse are a good example of this since Hex (ghost type) and Dark Pulse (dark type) hit the same types super effectively (psychic and ghost), so there's no point of having both. Here's a pretty classic Gen 5 Rotom-Wash set I grabbed off Smogon just now:

Rotom-Wash @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Trick
- Hidden Power Ice

Volt Switch allows pivoting in and out, Hydro Pump is strong STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), HP Ice makes for good coverage, and Trick is good to give a more defensive pokemon switching in a choice scarf (locks them into one move) which is nice since defensive pokemon like to stay in and switch up moves a lot of the time.

Thanks again for sharing, I might try and spice up this team when I'm back from vacation :]

Hello,
Thanks for your message. I changed my team after tbolt’s answer, and I have to say it’s definitely better now. Some things are easier to play during battles, and replacing a few Pokémon with ones from the team tbolt shared (thanks again!) helped a lot.


Some people also told me to change the movepools of some Pokémon like Scizor and Skarmory, which i don't know if that help.


That said, I still feel like the team isn’t very strong — just better than before. I understand why certain Pokémon and moves are so common, and I’ve been practicing some games with this version.


I’ll keep improving it step by step as I learn.


Here’s the current version of the team:

---

Scizor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- X-Scissor

Dragonite @ Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Draco Meteor
- Iron Head
- Earthquake

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 156 Atk / 144 Def / 208 SpD
Jolly Nature
- Tailwind
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Brave Bird

Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 140 Atk / 184 SpA / 184 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Dragon Claw

---

I’m not going to write a full explanation for every Pokémon, but here’s the basic game plan:
I usually lead with Skarmory.

• If the opposing lead is a Fire-type, I switch.
• If not, I go for Tailwind, then Spikes, then Stealth Rock.

After that, I start switching and attacking based on type advantages. If I can and I need to, I try to set up with Scizor.
If one of my important Pokémon is about to faint, I usually go to Blissey, use Light Screen, and heal with Wish. But sometimes, I don’t switch and just risk it all. ( edit : i change the team i aldray write it in the message but the strategy change a bit )


That's pretty much it for now!