SV OU Physical Spam Screens (Peak #66, 1860 Elo)

[Roller K]

PHYSICAL SPAM SCREENS

========================================================

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Importable Pokepaste
2. Proof of Peak
3. Team Introduction & Building Process
4. Individual Roles of Team Members
5. Bad Matchups & Counterplay
6. Replay Section
7. Closing Thoughts

========================================================

1. Importable of Pokepaste
https://pokepast.es/6d523175e3aff60f

Nickname Version: https://pokepast.es/b08e4f938b0e70a4

========================================================

2. Proof of Peak

Peak Replay

========================================================

3. Team Introduction & Building Process

I have not played SV OU for the better part of a year, and I have my strong opinions on the tier that don't really need to be mentioned in this RMT, but the tiering decisions (or lack thereof) over the past 12-18 months have unfortunately led the metagame to where it is. Over the past couple of weeks, I have not been involved in any tournaments, so some of the time I would normally use to prepare for tournament games was spent laddering to kill time. Any time I tried buiding in the tier over the past year, it would be some cheese that would be entertaining to play but would perform poorly or mediocrely. I felt unmotivated whenever I went near the tier, and my elo reflected that as I would consistently stay in the mid ladder (that is whenever I did ladder, which was a few games a month).

Then I was blessed by this video in my feed by two fellow US West goats.

I had the revelation that, in this garbage tier, you don't need to try to get creative. Just click the right moves and be better. The best teams in current SV OU are HO with the best mons. I started building, and the natural feeling I used to have of assembling strong teams came back to me.



The first team they used in the video had screens Deoxys-Speed as a lead screens set, and being the screens specialist that I am, this appealed to me. I have toyed with screens Deoxys before, and I feel pretty confident in saying it's the best screen setter in the tier currently. With the increased presence of Cinderance and weather (sun and sand), Alolan Ninetales feels less reliable at getting screens up. Deoxys has better utility in general, so I opted to build around it.



I built this team in like 5 minutes so I don't remember the exact building process, but I pretty much instantly added these Pokemon on the team. Kingambit is Kingambit and loves screens support, and both Ceruledge and Ogerpon Wellspring enjoy the extra bulk to get a Swords Dance up. Ogerpon in particular is directly copied from the team in the video, and for good reason. The set is extremely difficult for any team to deal with, and I got the most sweeps with Ogerpon.



Zamazenta is here to help deal with opposing Kingambit and more importantly to Roar out opposing Zamazenta or other set-up sweepers. The fast Roar is the primary reason it's still on the team, as I could not find a better alternative for that necessary support role.



At this point, I noticed all the Pokemon were physical attackers, plus Dragonite is one of the best in the tier, so why not complete the physical core and have a fun time. I made optimizations to the sets throughout testing, but I was happy with these 6.

========================================================

4. Individual Roles of Team Members


Deoxys-Speed @ Light Clay
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Light Screen
- Reflect​

As I mentioned earlier, I believe Deoxys is the best screen setter in the tier currently. I think Taunt is mandatory on the set, as it prevents Cinderace from using Court Change and Corviknight/Weezing from using Defog, not to mention denying most hazard setters. Taunt in junction with the amazing speed is what sets Deoxys ahead of Alolan Ninetales in the current meta. With the rise in usage of Cinderace and weather, it is much more difficult for Alolan Ninetales to get Aurora Veil up, and even if you make the right call and Snowscape on the incoming weather user, you still take a huge chunk from Ninetales' Overheat or Tyranitar's Stone Edge / Knock Off. Long-term, you are more likely than not to lose the weather war and not keep screens up, leaving you vulnerable. In my opinion, Stealth Rock is better than Psycho Boost or other attacks for its uncomparable role compression. You're already the fastest Taunt user on the field, and usually Deoxys goes down early- or mid-game, so why not just pressure the opponent with Stealth Rock? It works well when paired with Ceruledge because if Reflect is up and they spin on your Ceruledge switch-in, most times you get to Swords Dance for free. If they want to Headlong Rush or Earthquake with their Tusk/Treads, you live and they give you the speed boost. Sometimes, sacking Ceruledge is worth it to keep Stealth Rock up and chip down the opponent for the rest of the teammates. This team has the tools to deal with opposing Zamazenta, so Psycho Boost is not mandatory here. Overall, Deoxys works really well here to get up screens and keep them up.

Kingambit @ Leftovers
Ability: Supreme Overlord
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Kowtow Cleave
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance​

Kingambit is Kingambit. Tera Ghost is a solid typing all around to help 1v1 Zamazenta in the late game and perform better against certain threats like Dragonite. Leftovers helps with beating Zamazenta while also increasing your chances of winning Sucker Punch mind games in the end since they can't let you heal up too freely. The HP hits 400 so you maximize Leftovers healing while getting the jump on zero- or low-speed base 50 Pokemon. The priority and bulk help support the team well.

Ceruledge @ Life Orb
Ability: Weak Armor
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Bitter Blade
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance​

Life Orb Ceruledge is a new development to my understanding, and it is a game changer. The recoil from Life Orb doesn't matter if it lets you freely spam Bitter Blade and heal it all back up, so you basically get a free 1.3x boost. You're able to pick things off with Shadow Sneak or kill things with Bitter Blade and Close Combat that you otherwise wouldn't be able to, and I often find that extremely valuable in most games. Ceruledge used to always run Focus Sash because of its poor bulk and defensive typing, so it greatly benefits from screens support. Ceruledge and Ogerpon create a disgusting draining core where they heal all the damage off that you deal to them, making it difficult to take them down if they get the opportunity to heal back up. While Poltergeist is the more popular option as its third attacking move, I found time and time again that Close Combat was better. While the team does not have Knock Off, Poltergeist can still be an inconsistent move with its 90% accuracy and the presence of Booster Energy users. In my experience, people also expect Poltergeist more, so Close Combat can catch them off guard. With screens, changing the typing to Fighting actually has merit defensively, as Ceruledge is less susceptible to being revenge killed even with the defense drop from Weak Armor. In some end games, you can rip through teams with Tera Fighting Close Combat or safely beat Kingambit. Life Orb Ceruledge is very difficult to deal with and works on a variety of offense teams, so I see the merit for it being in OU.

Ogerpon-Wellspring @ Wellspring Mask
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ivy Cudgel
- Horn Leech
- Play Rough
- Swords Dance​

With this set in particular, I am convinced that Ogerpon Wellspring is the best screens abuser currently. If Ogerpon is +2 with both screens up and tera available, there is very little reliable counterplay. Ivy Cudgel with the tera boost is awful to switch into, and the high crit rate makes even the sturdiest of checks flimsy. The special defense boost alongside screens means revenging Ogerpon is horrible. You can try to chip down Ogerpon, but Horn Leech does so much damage and heals Ogerpon back up with ease that the progress you make is often mitigated. Even if you have a bulky Dragon like Kyurem or Raging Bolt to eat its STABs, +2 Play Rough destroys them. This set is monstrous, and I was super impressed with how few teams could handle this set behind screens.

Zamazenta @ Leftovers
Ability: Dauntless Shield
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Heavy Slam
- Roar​

While the sets of the first 4 Pokemon never changed throughout testing, Zamazenta took a lot of brainpower to refine. After much thought, I settled on this set. Originally, I was using a standard ID Press Zamazenta with Roar, which thrives on Screens and is very difficult to take down. I noticed after playing many games that I did not get a sweep with it once, and I knew something was wrong. There were many games where Roar saved me from threats like opposing Zamazenta and Dragonite, but the rest of the moves felt pretty deadweight. My mind originally went to replacing Zamazenta with a different phazer, but nothing could fulfill the role of fast phazing better since Zamazenta is the fastest Pokemon with access to Roar/Whirlwind/Haze, and winning the speed tie or outpacing opposing ID Zamazenta was crucial in some games. So I stuck with Zamazenta, and I heard mention of offensive Zamazenta with Roar which caught my interest. I tried it out, and Zamazenta felt a lot less deadweight on the team. It's still not the star by any means, but the bluff of Leftovers and Roar can catch opponents off guard when you smack them with a Close Combat or vice versa when you use CC and then they set up as you Roar. Leftovers always does something for you and helps with the bluff, but the item can definitely be changed. Similarly, I think Heavy Slam and Tera Steel is the best combo for the third move slot, but another coverage move could be nice. Another idea I came up with but never tested is max HP max Speed Light Clay with dual screens, Roar, and Body Press/Metal Burst. I think Metal Burst is a fun gimmick that could be looked into since it returns 1.5x damage from any attack, but my set above is more consistent, and screens without Taunt is dangerous with all the Cinderace on the ladder.

Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Spinner
- Dragon Dance
- Encore​

While adding Dragonite to the team is far from revolutionary, I really like its Ground immunity, natural bulk, and access to Encore. My original set was Tera Blast Fairy over Ice Spinner, but I noticed I would rarely click tera with Dragonite, and being walled by Flying types and Air Balloon Gholdengo felt pretty terrible. I changed the set to Ground/Ice coverage, still keeping Encore on the set for its amazing utility. There is never an end to viable Dragonite sets, and this is no exception. This set has existed for a while, but it's never been as popular as other Dragonite variants, which is perfect for catching people off guard. When people see Ground/Ice coverage, they expect Extreme Speed, which Dragonite doesn't need on this team since Kingambit and Ceruledge provide enough priority, so Encore is very effective. Tera Ground Earthquake also hits harder on neutral targets than Tera Blast Fairy/Ghost/etc. while still being useful without use of tera. Ground usually is hard to set up with since it does not change your defensive profile, but with screens you can set up more easily. It is also super good to avoid paralysis and Thunderclap if needed. I had a lot of fun with this set once I started using it, and it helped my team out a lot. While writing this, I also came to the revelation that Tera Ice could be viable since you flip your Ice weakness and boost the power of Ice Spinner, though Tera Ground Earthquake is stronger and has more use cases while having fewer weaknesses.

========================================================

5. Bad Matchups & Counterplay

Support Dragapult ​

Honestly, Dragapult never felt like that much of an issue when laddering, but since it has access to Will-O-Wisp and Infiltrator, I feel like it should at least be addressed. Being able to ignore screens and halve the damage of most of the team is not ideal, but there's outs. Depending on the game, if Kingambit is mediocre, then you can play it safe and let it get burned. If Kingambit is useful or if you feel confident in calling out the opponent's plays, you can aggressively switch in Ceruledge on wisp turns and threaten Shadow Sneak. As I said earlier, just click the right buttons and you're good.

Toxic Spikes ​

If the opponent gets up Toxic Spikes, you are in a rough position. There is no grounded Poison-type on the team to absorb Toxic Spikes, so once they are up, they will stay and hit four of the team members. Often in these games, you aim to win with one of Kingambit or Dragonite. Try to not proc Toxic Debris until you have a Pokemon set up already and can apply big pressure to gain the early advantage so poison can't wear you down fast enough.

Sticky Web ​

Sticky Web teams can be pretty challenging since you don't have removal or boots. Do your best to deny webs from getting up until you've made some progress against the team, and when webs are inevitably about to go up, exploit the turn by bringing in a webs-weak Pokemon and setting up on the web setter.

Hisuian Samurott ​

You'll notice a trend with hazard setters being a bit problematic with zero removal. Samurott in particular is difficult because it leads well into Deoxys and keeps its Spikes up. Most of the time you want to lead Ogerpon so you can Horn Leech the Ceaseless Edge damage; rarely is the Samurott Focus Sash, and the build composition will often show whether it is or not on preview. Sometimes if you're confident in an early sweep, you can lead Deoxys and screen up, but definitely be careful.

Dondozo ​

Unfortunately, it is near impossible to win against Curse Dondozo. You have outs with Roar, Encore, and Ogerpon, but a well-played Dondozo will go the distance and make you sad. In turn, this makes the stall matchup very difficult too, but stall has a low presence on ladder so it's not a huge concern. If stall or Dondozo usage rises, it is definitely reasonable to change the Ceruledge set to Tera Ghost Poltergeist which has the capacity to take down Dondozo if played well.

========================================================

6. Replay Section

Here are some replays to highlight key benefits of the sets:

Tera Fighting Ceruledge Beats Semistall
Tera Ogerpon Using Specs Darkrai as Set-Up Fodder
Roar Offensive Zamazenta Handles Opposing Screens
Tera Ground Dragonite Wins Against Glimmora and Samurott
Kingambit Doing Kingambit Things
Deoxys + Ceruledge Keep the Rocks Up

========================================================

7. Closing Thoughts

Like I said earlier, the first edition of this team took me 5 minutes to build. It's really that simple. Use the cheapest strategies with the cheapest Pokemon and profit. The tweaks to the Zamazenta and Dragonite sets helped, but I'm confident I could have hit the same peak without the changes. This team easily has the potential to break 1900s or possibly even 2000s if someone is motivated to do so. If you think for more than 5 seconds per turn in the early game, you're playing wrong. Lead Deoxys. Set up screens. Set up rocks if you can, or prevent the opponent from setting up their hazards/screens. Send in your sweeper. Click the setup button. Proceed to trade positively or sweep. Repeat until you farm infinite elo.

I would love to hear your opinion of the team, what you like about the team, how it can be improved, and your thoughts on the RMT in general.
Thank you for reading, and good luck with using this team!​

 

[Estradiol5mg]

Beautiful team dozo is scary but with this many threats you should be fine

 

[perplexful]

you have made the most SVOU team of all time. hall of fame material my guy you’ve done it you have made the poster boy team
weak to dondozo
hates hazards and webs
true cheese
kinggambit
dnite (it’s just missing extreme speed)
ogerpon
zamazenta
dies to willowisp
bimonthly new cheese trend
really it’s just missing a few things
beautiful.
jokes aside this is a very cool team that i’m surprised made it far without coming into atleast 3 dondozo in a row lmao, ceruledge is nuclear here and covers everyone pretty well. encore dragonite is nice tech when the opponent expects you to spam dd and then extreme speed given the nature of the rest of the team, though i do notice if misplayed it can allow smth like air ballon dengo to freely set up especially if ceru is knocked already. But i like it a lot