ORAS Ubers ★

[Inspirited]

One of Bowie's best works that he released to us 2 days before he died. I am not saying I am gonna disappear from Smogon, but my activity is taking a dive due to both IRL things I want to get to get done and me just wanting to do other things with my free time than be on PS. I already told some friends of mine here that an RMT was coming soon and I would rather do it now than later just so I don't make a liar out of myself if I do completely lose interest. I might find interest again in making this RMT, who knows. Anyways, these teams are using 2 rather unique Pokemon on some relatively standardized team compositions and they are definitely some of the best teams I have built / co-built in 2016. I never did anything really impressive with them as I am mentally inconsistent when it comes to tour play and I tried laddering but didn't have the willpower to continue passed 1550ish. They are good enough to beat several players I respect greatly fairly consistently though; we don't save replays so you will have to take my word for it.

​

★ (Kyurem-Black) @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 40 HP / 212 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Blizzard
- Toxic
- Roost

I wanted redemption for the old Kyurem-B team I made in very early ORAS that got lead swept clean by Arceus-Rock. That is how the decision to use Kyurem-B as a Pokemon came about at least as the spread and moveset didn't come until after all 6 team members were chosen. When building with it all I had to keep in mind is that its niche is having Fusion Bolt as well as reasonably powerful Ice-type STAB moves with base 95 Spe (which is why it is max investment Hasty here).

Fusion Bolt needs no explanation other than it hits Kyogre and Ho-Oh REALLY hard even with no Atk invested; all with the perk of not lower its attacking stats in the process. Blizzard is a necessary evil and is why I considered running Kyurem-W. Ice Beam only tickles Groudon is the problem and doesn't secure KOes that Blizzard does, even with rolls vs accuracy factored in. Unfortunately, wins against some balance match ups with this team are greatly affected by how many Blizzards or Toxics Kyurem can hit. Speaking of Toxic, I figured Kyurem really only needs 3 slots to do its job so why not have a move that is more accurate than Blizzard that makes Gengar's Hex much more threatening. Unfortunately, Kyurem does not get a status that hits Steel-types unless it's on a 30% secondary effect, but Toxic has proven to be more than enough in many cases. Because CB Ho-Oh is on the team, I figured hitting Steel-types should be left to the bird and making Kyurem more durable vs stall through Roost was a better idea.

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Atk / 232 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic
- Skill Swap

In choosing my 6 team members I figured the best way to make a Kyurem-B team that wasn't incredibly weak to Arceus-Rock was to use Bronzong as it also compresses your Steel-type with a secondary Ground immunity, Salamence check, and Ekiller check.

With the 6 Pokemon chosen, I figured it would be best to have Stealth Rock on this thing and give Groudon a more offensive roll in order to have more ways to win with this team. Gyro Ball is needed if you want to be doing any sort of damage whatsoever outside of Toxic. Powering up Gengar's Hex with Toxic gives the move more application other than it is a move that is required on Bronzong for the most part. Skill Swap makes it so Gengar completely walls 90% of Mega Salamence and Mega Gengar walls the Mega Salamence without Earthquake and can guarantee a KO back due to Shadow Tag. You can also mess with Mega Sableye if you you want. I am sure there are other situational applications to the move, but I do believe it is the right move on Bronzong on this team in particular.​

Ho-Oh @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 208 HP / 164 Atk / 84 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Earthquake
- Sleep Talk

At this point I needed to commit to a teamstyle and one that could punish Steel-types. Ho-Oh balance is definitely one of the best styles for Bronzong in particular so I figured I would give it a go and see where it took me. Where do you start with Ho-Oh balance? The bird of course!

With all 6 members on the table, I figured the best way of handling Darkrai with a Sleep Talk Ho-Oh and Focus Blast Gengar. Sleep Talk tends to work best with Choice Band and Choice Band Ho-Oh's damage output without much recoil is what I needed on the team due to its importance in scaring off Steel-types and Xerneas. Sacred Fire scaring Steel-types and powering up Gengar's Hex 50% of the time is a real boon so I wanted to use the move as much as possible instead of having to Roost off Life Orb recoil every now and then. When everything Ho-Oh can status has been statused, Brave Bird is the new source of absolutely ridiculous damage. This has been what Ho-Oh has done for a long while now so I don't need to go into more detail beyond some Ho-Oh balance basics.

Arceus @ Splash Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Judgment
- Recover
- Defog

Since I was on the Ho-Oh balance route, a support Arceus was necessary. Dragon didn't fit due to it letting in Steel-types far more freely than Water and its inability to do immediate damage to Xerneas whos checks on this team can all be worn away pretty easy. I also needed to hit Ho-Oh harder than neutral Judgment so why not use the super effective Judgment of Arceus-Water.

The only moves to talk about here are Judgment and Toxic as Recover and Defog have very clear applications on Ho-Oh balance with removing hazards and keeping your check to Ho-Oh strong through its Brave Bird onslaught. Recover also allows Toxic to become useful to Arceus-Water as well as Gengar. Judgment was decided upon because of what Bronzong and Gengar do to Mega Salamence and my dire need of something to hit Ho-Oh and do decent damage to Steel-types. Toxic and Recover are generally enough to deal with Groudon along side Bronzong so I figured the extra damage Ice Beam provides against it wouldn't be missed.​

Groudon @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 164 Atk / 40 SpD / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Precipice Blades
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

A must on Ho-Oh balance, Groudon was a very clear choice when I decided to use the Ho-Oh balance path. The only real question that I had when putting it on the team was what set was I using? Everything else was decided by the Ho-Oh balance commitment.

In order to punish Steel-types as hard as possible and have a secondary way of winning, I decided to leave setting Stealth Rock to Bronzong and instead use this monster. Swords Dance and Rock Polish were decided on so Groudon would have flexibility to break down teams alongside Kyurem in order for Gengar to win, or to win on its own should Gengar not be a winning option. Due to a slight Rayquaza and Ho-Oh (all teams are slightly weak to this bird), Stone Edge was chosen over Fire Punch although the reliability was very tempting. One thing I have learned throughout ORAS is that Swords Dance Rock Polish Groudon is a monster when used by your opponent and a gamble when used by you. If at all possible, try winning with Gengar first, but know Groudon has good odds of winning also should that plan be quashed.

Gengar @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Focus Blast
- Protect

Because one of the flexible slots on the team was compressing the bulky Steel-type and secondary Ground immunity, I decided Mega Gengar with Hex would be the best way to make use of the status the two passive Pokemon on the team provide while also checking E-Killer and secondary checking Darkrai. I knew 3 out of the 6 mons at least would have status moves (now 4) so I figured this would be the best Ho-Oh balance partner to have.

Hex, Protect, and Focus Blast are the two needed moves here. Hex gives the team a solid way of dealing damage without accuracy issues assuming the status moves, used prior, hit and makes Gengar something very threatening late game while Protect allows it to mega evolve and gain its much needed Speed. Focus Blast is a move I hate but its very necessary here as it gives you the option to check Darkrai and E-Killer without sacrificing Gengar. Will-O-Wisp is a move I know helps vs Stall in a very large way, but I am very tempted to change it to Destiny Bond as Pursuit users seem to have fallen off the planet's face due to this Gengar set's existence. Destiny Bond would give me a better shot vs Shadow Claw E-Killer who kinda ruins this team if Focus Blast misses.​

Threats

Shadow Claw E-Killer
DD Rayquaza with a Fire move
Hexgar + Klefki (always threatening)
Darkrai (always threatening)

import

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 164 Atk / 40 SpD / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Precipice Blades
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

Ho-Oh @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 208 HP / 164 Atk / 84 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Earthquake
- Sleep Talk

Arceus-Water @ Splash Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Judgment
- Recover
- Defog

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Focus Blast
- Protect

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Atk / 232 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic
- Skill Swap

★ (Kyurem-Black) @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 40 HP / 212 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Blizzard
- Toxic
- Roost

 

[Inspirited]

This next team is a Zekrom hyper offense that I have had a ton of fun with personally. User Contact and I built this for Lord Outrage in his winter seasonal set vs Kebabe. Outrage says that if there was a game 3 in that set, it would have been used. I find the team to be tons of fun personally and I hope it is the same experience for you should you decide to use it.

Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 120 SpA / 140 Spe
Timid Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Protect
- Stealth Rock

This, along with Zekrom, was of the first Pokemon to come to mind when thinking of what to bring vs Kebabe. Along with Zekrom, they form one of the better offensive Ho-Oh checking duos the metagame has which is something we take advantage of when thinking of the rest of the team.

Like the last team, I wanted to keep Stealth Rock away from Groudon since we only really had one way of winning through E-Killer once all 6 team members were on the board. Because of this, Diancie wants to Mega Evolve safely to gain its Speed so we figured Protect was very mandatory. The STAB moves are also very mandatory on Diancie simply due to Salamence, Mega Sableye, Ho-Oh, and Darkrai all being reasonably threatening (as they are to any team). Salamence is a Pokemon we couldn't have set up anywhere on this team since there are no true stops to all of its sets here.

★ (Zekrom) @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Tailwind
- Draco Meteor
- Bolt Strike
- Roost

This is the mon that Contact wanted to use so we went with it. Punished Ho-Oh and Arceus-Water among other things and its Bolt Strike is just straight powerful so I went with it and the team actually turned out far better than I was initially expecting.

To be fair, Zekrom really only needs its two STAB moves and a Life Orb to do damage. Life Orb Naughty Bolt Strike is extremely powerful and Draco Meteor definitely does the job vs Ground-types. We decided on Tailwind in order to put Zekrom ahead of Xerneas Speed-wise and also give the team a buff should its decision to Bolt Strike or Draco Meteor be unclear. We decided Roost was pretty necessary also in order to keep Zekrom around vs stall which would otherwise KO it pretty quickly through recoil and other residual damage methods. You can also get Tailwind up vs most Salamence which is very nice.​

Groudon (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 168 Atk / 40 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Stone Edge
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance

We knew that the usage of both Zekrom and Diancie would lead to us using offense as any team with Diancie and Zekrom as Ho-Oh checks needs to end a game quickly or it will get run over by Ho-Oh balance in the long run. This means the rest of the team will be Groudon + E-Killer + Spikes user + Ground immunity.

Groudon is offensive for a couple reasons: we needed a secondary way to win and we already have another potential Stealth Rock user in Diancie. We are using Stone Edge purely for Mence here. Swords Dance allows flexibility in either breaking Mence for E-killer or just breaking down defensive mons that Zekrom couldn't safely.

Arceus @ Life Orb
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Since the team can't really take a hit from Xerneas outside of Groudon, E-killer + prior damage is needed to check it here. It gave us a solid way of winning also which is something I will never complain about.

Jolly Life Orb was chosen over anything else because of opposing Diancie. We needed to hit Mence hard as it has its way with the team otherwise so Stone Edge was a no question move. Earthquake was so we could actually check Diancie the way we wanted to and the other two moves are for winning. Ekiller is hardly ever a thoughtful pick, but it is a powerful pick due to its simplicity.​

Deoxys (Deoxys-Attack) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Spikes
- Low Kick
- Extreme Speed

We wanted our Spikes user to have offensive presence to both break and stop E-Killer from setting up and winning or giving a Groudon a very realistic chance of winning right from the get go. This is the only thing that seemed to fit well and it provided an extra Extreme Speed in case Ekiller + damage didn't stop a last mon Xerneas sweep.

Low Kick ensure that we can use our Psycho Boost on Groudon and not be E-killer set up fodder and is really the only tech move that needs addressing. This does allow Sableye to wall Deoxys of course, but it kinda did that anyways we do have a Sableye answer in Diancie anyways. Spikes make Draco Meteor's switch ins suffer a lot more than they would normally. That is Deoxys's roll.

Giratina (Giratina-Origin) @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 232 Atk / 252 Def / 24 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Force
- Shadow Sneak
- Dragon Tail
- Thunder Wave

When deciding what Ground immunity we wanted we were left with only one real choice due to out Mega Slot being filled with Diancie. Giratina-O is one monster of a blanket and it covered a ton of win potential that we may see in offense vs offense match ups. This was a fairly obvious pick when Diancie, Ekiller, Groudon, and Zekrom were decided upon.

We decided to use the physical set with Thunder Wave to make Xerneas and Ho-Oh suffer as much as possible. Dragon Tail is further assisted by Deoxys's Spikes which is very nice and Shadow Force actually has some synergy with Thunder Wave which is kind of interesting and made for some funny Xerneas encounters. We didn't choose Defog because Defog on offense is a flawed concept just due to it forcing offense to give up momentum; that was my thoughts at least. We also thought having Shadow Sneak would be over all beneficial since we can't rely on Deoxys to stay around long enough to E-Speed things.​

Threats:
Mega Salamence; especially with Earthquake
Rayquaza
HP Steel Darkrai
E-Killer
Spikes, but only if you let them get up

import

Diancie (Diancie-Mega) @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 120 SpA / 140 Spe
Timid Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Protect
- Stealth Rock

★ (Zekrom) @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Tailwind
- Draco Meteor
- Bolt Strike
- Roost

Groudon (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 168 Atk / 40 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Stone Edge
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance

Arceus @ Life Orb
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Deoxys (Deoxys-Attack) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Spikes
- Low Kick
- Extreme Speed

Giratina (Giratina-Origin) @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 232 Atk / 252 Def / 24 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Force
- Shadow Sneak
- Dragon Tail
- Thunder Wave