SM OU New to SM OU, and teambuilding in general

[Azelff]

Alakazam @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Recover
- Shadow Ball

Desc: I really like Alakazam and his sweeping/wallbreaking nature. I want to focus this team around him the most I guess, since he seems like a powerful mega. Idk how he fares against mons in this meta since he is kind of frail, but I really want to make use of him. I'm willing to change him out for another mega/mon if necessary, but out of all of them I would like to keep him the most!! He is super fast and hard hitting, which makes him such a fun mon to play with. High risk high reward, which is super fun.

Tapu Lele @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Focus Blast

Desc: Smogon said Lele is a good teammate for MAlakazam, so that's why I have it. It helps with dark types for MZam and it provides psychic terrain so MZam has boosted Psychic and is safe from priority. Taunt is so nothing sets up against me and sweeps me. It helps break Mzam become a sweeper with psychic terrain. It has really good coverage just like Mzam, and its z move can bust through anything that doesn't resist it. I really love leles power mixed with natural defense. Another mon I'd prefer to keep but I want a good team so I'm willing to sacrifice.

Magnezone @ Air Balloon
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 8 HP / 4 Def / 244 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch

Desc: Magnezone is to trap steel types that can potentially wall the rest of my team. I run air balloon since I really hate EQ with a passion. I don't really know if Electrium Z is a better option or not, especially since I gave lele the z move. Idk if there's any mon that can replace him either. He magnet pulls mons that I can't handle well like skarmory or ferro and can ohko them if possible (besides sturdy skarm). Idk if scarf would be better either, since sometimes it costs me the game if I don't outspeed and magnezone is my last mon.

Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability: Pickpocket
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Pursuit

Desc: I have weavile because mzam can struggle with other pyschic types, especially bulkier ones. It's also there to smack up any ghost types that might threaten it. I also like the utility of knock off, and it hits extra hard on weavile, and it's fast so it rarely fails. Pursuit is also to trap annoying mons weak to it. Ice Shard is so helpful with opposing scarfed lando-t's, as they wreck havoc on me (no matter what team it is, he poos on me). I appreciate the ability to at least chunk one if I can't kill it. They are really annoying.

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 Atk / 68 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Defog

Desc: Landorus is so I can kind of have two pivots, and for defog. It's also a strong lead and hits hard af, and is one of my main physical attackers. This is the smogon set, so I don't really know how good it is. I can't tell if this is a good member for my team or not. He is a good wallbreaker for bulky mons. Stab EQ at base 145 attack is really good and helps me with walls. I don't really know what else I struggle with besides walls and things faster than me. Scarf really helps with fast mons tho, and mzams speed is also useful with scarf lando-t.

Conkeldurr @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Facade

Desc: I really couldn't think of any mon for the last slot, so this is what I thought of. He's a hard hitter but I don't really know what else he can do. He is a good suicide lead to punch holes in the other team though, that's for sure. He really puts in work on physical walls that can be otherwise deadly for my team. He isn't scarfed like lando, so it gives him some wiggle room, rather than being a pivot that has a quad weakness. However, Idk what I could put here instead of him. I'm sure there are better mons, but idk what one would be.

 

[TPP]

Welcome to Smogon! I'm locking your RMT for the time being as the forum rules require that you provide at least 3 lines of descriptions on desktop for each Pokemon to explain their roles. Please read the rules carefully and take a look at Team Showcase to see the level of detail we require. PM me with updated descriptions and I'll be happy to unlock this.

Edit: Unlocked!

 

[StepC]

Yo I think the concept of using a psychic spam is brave enough, given its relative fragility.
Btw I will try to improve as much as possible.


I woul see the possible weaknesses.

• Char Y: can cause huge damage to the team since you have no fire resistance.
  Considering that you can only rely on S edge of Lando, it is not the best you can aspire to.
• Char X: once he dances can damage the entire team and in many cases close the game.
• Magearna: it can wallarti without conditions of cause, Magnezone magnet pull in those conditions can damage it very little.

Possible changes can be:

• Lele
  The reason why I prefer Specs so is the fact that I can violently hit av magearna, steela and special defenders who wall Zam like Chansey and Gatsrodon. Obviously thanks to the second Psyshock stabbed.

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Tapu Lele @ Choice Specs
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]

• Magnezone
  The tool is not the best, you need momentum if you play a PSpam, having said that I would give the Scarf to protect you better also against M-Pinsir and switch vs CharY (also trap band or SD Kartana).

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Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

• Lando-T
  Without a shadow of a doubt I agree with your choice of giving the scarf, plus considerable play it Defensive. To be more solid vs Char X and Mega Mawile. Leftovers is the recommended choice but you could also entrust the Figy Berry to recover hp.

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Landorus-Therian @ Figy Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 228 HP / 112 Def / 114 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

The substitutions that I believe are necessary.

• Pex>Conkeldurr
  It is not playable in the current gen 7 metagame!
  In addition to relying on a cover against Char Y, it allows you to be safer vs Specs Ninja. I prefer it with Toxic Spikes as it generates more pressure on the poison types and on the possible defoggers.
  Payapa Berry helps vs Bulky Volcarona with Psychium z.

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Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 224 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Recover
- Haze

• Torn > Weavile
  You already have excellent offensive power with the Zam + Lele core, you don't need Weavile as a stallbreaker. I would use an additional pivot that offers an excellent synergy with Toxapex. Knock off is to remove the lefties from Heatran n Zap.U-turn is to give you momentum and the Z-Crystal is for a hit without risking the miss in every confession in which the game sets. (since possible steel types like steela are trapped by Magnezone).

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Tornadus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog

Therefore the new weaknesses that will arise are:

• Others M-Kazam: due to the fact that he renounces scarflando, m-alakazam can be a problem since the free switch is really poor.
• Rain team: not having Swampert's solid checks you should get back into position with Alakazam to be able to coin the same ability.
• Offenvise teams based on TR.

Conclusions

The team turns out to be really simple to use so that you can make the most of the offensive power of the Lele + M-Zam core.
The pivots are fundamental given the absence of a scarfer that guarantees speed controll.

The Team

https://pokepast.es/462d129dff06e2d2

 

[TheTapDancer]

1. I would strongly advise running Psyshock on at least one of your psychic attackers if you're not packing Hawlucha on psyspam. Also you've got a bit of a misconception with Taunt Lele - it's not bulky enough to Taunt in the face of sweepers, as as soon as you reveal you're not choiced there's a good likelihood they attack you. That, and several are just faster than you. Taunt is there to stop pokemon like Toxapex or Chansey from using healing moves, or getting up hazards.

2. I'm a big fan of Conkeldurr in current OU, as Facade/Fight is so hard to switch into and people aren't preparing for this kind of clicking-buttons power since the Zygarde ban. However, I'm not really sure what those EVs are to outspeed?

3. Magnezone is obviously handy for dispatching some threats, but this set is going to struggle. Celesteela can actually beat these kinds of Magnezone with leech seed, protect and flamethrower, and you're not much better against Magearna without any raw power. I advise either Choice Specs or Electrium Z-Substitute and change Lele to Specs. I don't think you need scarf with a scarf landorus, but there's no mons in OU running surprise ground coverage or trapping+ground coverage, so Air Balloon is basically pointless, especially as you won't beat Landorus or Garchomp in time even with it.

4. I like HP Ice on Landorus. You might feel that that's not necessary with Weavile, but I'd also advise using Bisharp if you want a strong pursuit user, due to its ability to mess arouund with Offence using sucker punch, and its ability to learn Stealth Rock, which most people don't expect and this team could seriously use.

That said, even with these changes you're going to struggle a lot against Rain, Hawlucha and Screens. You could check Hawlucha by moving your landorus to a bulky scarf set with Explosion, but for Rain you'd need dedicated checks that can't really fit well, like Tapu Bulu or Tapu Fini. As it is, your plan would have to be using Conkeldurr to eat a hit and weaken a key sweeper, and using Bisharp to revenge clean, making sure to keep Tapu Lele off the field as the psychic terrain could screw you over.

If you want a Psyspam team that has a bit more defensive utility or means to beat these teams, here's a couple of my builds.

https://pokepast.es/4d6fe4f434a2c5b5 - Alakazam/Lele/Tyranitar
https://pokepast.es/01f3252af364c4cc - Latios/Lele/Defensive Core