Intro
After getting frustrated that my Bug Mono does better in OU than any "real" team, I've tried several ideas that were theoretically better than just running a mono, but had the advantages of me knowing what to do with my pokes. First idea I had was to run 4 bugs plus 2 "wildcards" (non-bugs). Ttar and Lando were natural choices here, mostly because they help eliminate several things that bugs struggle to touch (specifically Heatran and Talonflame). This team was OK, but failed to do anything to physical walls if my Volcy died prematurely. Another idea I had was just pairing Volcarona and Scizor with completely random OUish pokemon until I got something workable. This idea sounds more terrible than it is, but still isn't great.
Best idea I had so far, was to find the best way to support my bugs, with a playstyle that feels most natural to me (balanced/BO). They need counters to the things they struggle to deal with on their own and a spinner or defogger (if I don't want to use Scizor as a defogger, since he's better doing other things, but is among the only competent defoggers anyway).
Because I love what April Fools has done with my bugs, I've used the April Fools sprites in my RMT.
The Team:
Old version:
Volcarona @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SAtk / 16 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
The star of the show, and my favorite bug. Once its counters are removed, or if the opponent plays carelessly in general, their entire team dies. Even unboosted, its special bulk is above average (105 base), but Quiver Dance makes it close to impossible to kill on the special side after a few boosts. I've seen times where the opponent manages to paralyze it, but still can't kill it because none of their special attackers can do more than ~15% to a boosted Volcy. This set maximizes bulk for increased survivability, maximizes power so that everything dies, and the 16 speed will allow it to outspeed neutral base 70 unboosted (notable = some Bisharp or Breloom), and anything base 114 positive nature or slower after one boost (base 110's being most common "fast" tier, 108 next most common; and scarves aren't all that common anymore so outspeeding more than this after only one boost isn't as relevant as it was in Gen 5).
Or, the classic course of action I keep seeing mid ladder players do: 1. Switch their Fire/bug weak pokemon with no coverage move (1 Quiver dance here). 2. Switch in Physically defensive Rotom W with leftovers. (why do people keep doing this? IDK, but I Quiver dance again because this Rotom W fails to do anything to a Volcy with 2 boosts) 3. Hydro Pump missed, so I can Quiver Dance if I'm feeling greedy. Or if it hit, fails to do anything significant to me anyway. 4. Giga Drain to OHKO Rotom, heal back everything that he did to me, and then proceed to sweep the rest of the team... ;) Careless play like this leads to tons of free setups/sweeps.
Because Volcy is a squishy bug, he has a crippling fear of rocks. 4x Rock weakness kinda sucks, and requires spin/defog support on the team. While his special bulk is great, his physical bulk leaves something to be desired. Most rock moves are physical, and will OHKO, even from burned users. Bug/Fire typing is pretty good outside of the rock weakness, with 6 resistances and several neutralities that along with its natural bulk can allow it to support another Pokemon.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn
Volcy's best friend, the other big red bug. What Volcy lacks in physical defense, Scizor more than makes up for. Because I have no other good megas on the team (Ttar needs Smooth Rock, nothing else has a mega), using Scizorite is worth it. This raises his physical defense to match Skarm's (uninvested), with a similar typing and therefore similar set of resistances. Unlike Skarm, Scizor has a 150 base attack and a priority move that kills several common threats (fairies and rock types, for example), and Uturn to allow it to escape its counters. EV's make best use of this attack stat, while boosting HP for added bulk. Knock off allows Scizor to surprise/wear down several things on the switch, in addition to eliminating Eviolites, Assault Vests, and items that other Pokemon use to trick; which assist the rest of the team in sweeping. Roost increases his survivability, making him hard to kill without use of a fire move.
While it's not as squishy (and therefore neutral to rock), Scizor absolutely hates Sun and Fire based moves. His special defense isn't horrible, but not amazing either. Volcy and Scizor cover each other as well as 2 Pokemon who share a type possibly can, but now need support to cover what neither can handle.
**EDIT** Scizor now running Defog so I don't have to worry about finding something competent with this move.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 HP / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Obligatory Fire/flying type check/counter. Ttar works wonderfully to cover a majority of my bugs' weaknesses. Most importantly, fire and flying. Both of my bugs cover most of his weaknesses as well. Steel, Bug, Fairy, Grass are resisted by both bugs. Fighting is resisted by Volcy, and both bugs are neutral to Ground with above average bulk as well. Having Ttar also gives me a rock setter (not always completely necessary, but having the option there is really nice), a sand setter (removes opposing weathers and can support other team members), and a Pursuit trapper (removing a bug counter/other pain in the ass permanently? Yes please.)
Update - Since no longer using Excadrill, no more need for 8 turns of sand. Also trying out Superpower, for slightly better coverage.
Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SAtk / 8 Atk
Quiet Nature
- King's Shield
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Sacred Sword
I love Aegis, not 100% sure if it suits the team though. Was a suggestion someone gave me. This set is mostly standard, except for Flash Cannon to hit fairies and Mandibuzz (both of which often trigger WP). And since special Aegis's Shadow Sneak hits for crap damage anyway, would rather have a way to eliminate things that otherwise wall it.
Latios (M) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Earthquake
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
Can't stand standard Latios because it's just pursuit bait. Its typing is needed for checking Keldeo and Charizard Y. This set makes a fantastic/trolly lure for Pursuit trappers, which are often scarfed. Thunder Wave cripples Pursuit trappers. Colbur Berry is to survive scarfed Ttar's Crunch to allow it to cripple it. (many people go for Crunch right away, assuming that I'd think I was trapped and staying in) This set especially works after using Draco to kill something. Most people assume a Latios that doesn't heal/take damage (from leftovers/life orb) is choice locked.
<-- another fantastic AF sprite!
Kyurem-Black @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spd
Naughty Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Claw
- Fusion Bolt
- Ice Beam
I know what you're saying (again) - weird ev's/set. This set takes advantage of Kyurem's much higher atk stat. Uninvested Ice beam kills any physical wall weak to ice anyway. Fusion bolt/Ice Beam are fantastic coverage, and Dragon Claw is his main attack on this set. EV's max out his atk stat (to kill everything), and outspeed every wall in addition to the Lando set that speed creeps Jolly Bisharp. Sub is to avoid status/allow more opportunity for killing things.
**Edit** EV's changed to outspeed any Smeargle
~~~
Issues
1. The main issue I've come across, and have really no way to deal with, is random/stupid shit I have no way to predict. Not necessarily bad ideas, but things that easily turn what would have been a free setup opportunity/opponent forced out/free kill into a premature death on my side and often the rest of the team dying/struggling to do anything as a result. A good example is Head Smash on Aegislash. Standard Aegislash is setup bait for Volcy, but Head Smash instantly kills it. Random hidden powers, random scarves, trick on random things, etc. fall under a similar category.
2. Similar to #1, but not exactly = if I guess which Charizard they have wrong, it usually results in something dead. I'm getting better at telling, and right around 70% of the time, but I still see teams that appear "random" (Charizard Y with no pursuit trapper/sun theme, X on the same team as Ttar, people using neither mega for idk what reason, etc.).
3. Keldeo. I know I need to change something to be able to deal with this thing with more than just risky/lucky plays (such as hoping it's choice specs + locked into Secret Sword so Volcy can Quiver Dance on it after a death, hoping to catch it on a switch, etc.) It is important that whatever is changed that can deal with it can actually do something to a pursuit trapper or is neutral to dark, because Charizard Y/Keldeo/Pursuit trapper is a VERY common team theme on mid/high ladder. For example, Jellicent can be acceptable (since it can burn a pursuiter on the switch, making it completely worthless vs. the rest of the team) along with Dragonite (most don't run an ice move anymore making this a viable choice to check); but things like Latios will still make me weak to this team theme.
4. Conkeldurr - Standard set can be knocked off by Scizor and then handled by a special attacker. If he's running Fire Punch, Stone Edge, or most other non-standard moves, the team has no way to handle it at all.
**EDIT** Not sure why it posted everything x2, but has been fixed. Team was also updated to reflect changes I made.
After getting frustrated that my Bug Mono does better in OU than any "real" team, I've tried several ideas that were theoretically better than just running a mono, but had the advantages of me knowing what to do with my pokes. First idea I had was to run 4 bugs plus 2 "wildcards" (non-bugs). Ttar and Lando were natural choices here, mostly because they help eliminate several things that bugs struggle to touch (specifically Heatran and Talonflame). This team was OK, but failed to do anything to physical walls if my Volcy died prematurely. Another idea I had was just pairing Volcarona and Scizor with completely random OUish pokemon until I got something workable. This idea sounds more terrible than it is, but still isn't great.
Best idea I had so far, was to find the best way to support my bugs, with a playstyle that feels most natural to me (balanced/BO). They need counters to the things they struggle to deal with on their own and a spinner or defogger (if I don't want to use Scizor as a defogger, since he's better doing other things, but is among the only competent defoggers anyway).
Because I love what April Fools has done with my bugs, I've used the April Fools sprites in my RMT.
The Team:
Old version:
Updated:
Volcarona @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SAtk / 16 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
The star of the show, and my favorite bug. Once its counters are removed, or if the opponent plays carelessly in general, their entire team dies. Even unboosted, its special bulk is above average (105 base), but Quiver Dance makes it close to impossible to kill on the special side after a few boosts. I've seen times where the opponent manages to paralyze it, but still can't kill it because none of their special attackers can do more than ~15% to a boosted Volcy. This set maximizes bulk for increased survivability, maximizes power so that everything dies, and the 16 speed will allow it to outspeed neutral base 70 unboosted (notable = some Bisharp or Breloom), and anything base 114 positive nature or slower after one boost (base 110's being most common "fast" tier, 108 next most common; and scarves aren't all that common anymore so outspeeding more than this after only one boost isn't as relevant as it was in Gen 5).
Or, the classic course of action I keep seeing mid ladder players do: 1. Switch their Fire/bug weak pokemon with no coverage move (1 Quiver dance here). 2. Switch in Physically defensive Rotom W with leftovers. (why do people keep doing this? IDK, but I Quiver dance again because this Rotom W fails to do anything to a Volcy with 2 boosts) 3. Hydro Pump missed, so I can Quiver Dance if I'm feeling greedy. Or if it hit, fails to do anything significant to me anyway. 4. Giga Drain to OHKO Rotom, heal back everything that he did to me, and then proceed to sweep the rest of the team... ;) Careless play like this leads to tons of free setups/sweeps.
Because Volcy is a squishy bug, he has a crippling fear of rocks. 4x Rock weakness kinda sucks, and requires spin/defog support on the team. While his special bulk is great, his physical bulk leaves something to be desired. Most rock moves are physical, and will OHKO, even from burned users. Bug/Fire typing is pretty good outside of the rock weakness, with 6 resistances and several neutralities that along with its natural bulk can allow it to support another Pokemon.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Volcy's best friend, the other big red bug. What Volcy lacks in physical defense, Scizor more than makes up for. Because I have no other good megas on the team (Ttar needs Smooth Rock, nothing else has a mega), using Scizorite is worth it. This raises his physical defense to match Skarm's (uninvested), with a similar typing and therefore similar set of resistances. Unlike Skarm, Scizor has a 150 base attack and a priority move that kills several common threats (fairies and rock types, for example), and Uturn to allow it to escape its counters. EV's make best use of this attack stat, while boosting HP for added bulk. Knock off allows Scizor to surprise/wear down several things on the switch, in addition to eliminating Eviolites, Assault Vests, and items that other Pokemon use to trick; which assist the rest of the team in sweeping. Roost increases his survivability, making him hard to kill without use of a fire move.
While it's not as squishy (and therefore neutral to rock), Scizor absolutely hates Sun and Fire based moves. His special defense isn't horrible, but not amazing either. Volcy and Scizor cover each other as well as 2 Pokemon who share a type possibly can, but now need support to cover what neither can handle.
Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 HP / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Obligatory Fire/flying type check/counter. Ttar works wonderfully to cover a majority of my bugs' weaknesses. Most importantly, fire and flying. Both of my bugs cover most of his weaknesses as well. Steel, Bug, Fairy, Grass are resisted by both bugs. Fighting is resisted by Volcy, and both bugs are neutral to Ground with above average bulk as well. Having Ttar also gives me a rock setter (not always completely necessary, but having the option there is really nice), a sand setter (removes opposing weathers and can support other team members), and a Pursuit trapper (removing a bug counter/other pain in the ass permanently? Yes please.)
Smooth Rock increases its sand duration. Everything on my team is immune to sand damage or has leftovers so isn't worn by it. Excadrill directly benefits from extra sand turns, so it's worth it to help him.
Excadrill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
Obligatory hazard removal. I find standard (mold breaker) Excadrill VERY difficult to use on a team, because he fails to outspeed anything that's remotely a threat outside of Trick Room viable Pokemon without using a scarf. Since I need him to spin (Rapid Spin on a scarfer is the definition of setup bait) and I'm already using Ttar, who provides sand, Sand Rush will allow Excadrill to outspeed every relevant scarfer in the game, allowing him to double as a revenge killer and to force out (and therefore spin on) FAR more things.
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 Def / 248 HP / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
- Haze
- Scald
- Toxic
- Recover
Ahhh, the face of "I don't give a shit," which gives a clue to his purpose on any team. Since Belly Drum Azu can steamroll this team so far, along with Charizard X, something that can remove their boosts is quite useful. This has the added side effect of turning a majority of baton pass teams into free win material.
Goodra @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SAtk / 248 HP / 8 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Pulse
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
This was kinda tossed on the team, since I ran out of other ideas for switching into Charizard Y and other special fire types that for whatever reason, Ttar can't switch into. Also not sure what to run on the set, but so far this works well. Rest/Sleep Talk increases its survivability considerably and allows it to status absorb, Dragon Pulse is its main attack, and Thunderbolt hits most Fairies and Steel types neutrally or better. Sap Sipper gives it an immunity. Gooey would give Bisharp a +2 and make him really difficult to deal with, and Hydration is unlikely to find a use on a sand team; so Sap Sipper is the winning ability.
Volcarona @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SAtk / 16 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
The star of the show, and my favorite bug. Once its counters are removed, or if the opponent plays carelessly in general, their entire team dies. Even unboosted, its special bulk is above average (105 base), but Quiver Dance makes it close to impossible to kill on the special side after a few boosts. I've seen times where the opponent manages to paralyze it, but still can't kill it because none of their special attackers can do more than ~15% to a boosted Volcy. This set maximizes bulk for increased survivability, maximizes power so that everything dies, and the 16 speed will allow it to outspeed neutral base 70 unboosted (notable = some Bisharp or Breloom), and anything base 114 positive nature or slower after one boost (base 110's being most common "fast" tier, 108 next most common; and scarves aren't all that common anymore so outspeeding more than this after only one boost isn't as relevant as it was in Gen 5).
Or, the classic course of action I keep seeing mid ladder players do: 1. Switch their Fire/bug weak pokemon with no coverage move (1 Quiver dance here). 2. Switch in Physically defensive Rotom W with leftovers. (why do people keep doing this? IDK, but I Quiver dance again because this Rotom W fails to do anything to a Volcy with 2 boosts) 3. Hydro Pump missed, so I can Quiver Dance if I'm feeling greedy. Or if it hit, fails to do anything significant to me anyway. 4. Giga Drain to OHKO Rotom, heal back everything that he did to me, and then proceed to sweep the rest of the team... ;) Careless play like this leads to tons of free setups/sweeps.
Because Volcy is a squishy bug, he has a crippling fear of rocks. 4x Rock weakness kinda sucks, and requires spin/defog support on the team. While his special bulk is great, his physical bulk leaves something to be desired. Most rock moves are physical, and will OHKO, even from burned users. Bug/Fire typing is pretty good outside of the rock weakness, with 6 resistances and several neutralities that along with its natural bulk can allow it to support another Pokemon.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn
Volcy's best friend, the other big red bug. What Volcy lacks in physical defense, Scizor more than makes up for. Because I have no other good megas on the team (Ttar needs Smooth Rock, nothing else has a mega), using Scizorite is worth it. This raises his physical defense to match Skarm's (uninvested), with a similar typing and therefore similar set of resistances. Unlike Skarm, Scizor has a 150 base attack and a priority move that kills several common threats (fairies and rock types, for example), and Uturn to allow it to escape its counters. EV's make best use of this attack stat, while boosting HP for added bulk. Knock off allows Scizor to surprise/wear down several things on the switch, in addition to eliminating Eviolites, Assault Vests, and items that other Pokemon use to trick; which assist the rest of the team in sweeping. Roost increases his survivability, making him hard to kill without use of a fire move.
While it's not as squishy (and therefore neutral to rock), Scizor absolutely hates Sun and Fire based moves. His special defense isn't horrible, but not amazing either. Volcy and Scizor cover each other as well as 2 Pokemon who share a type possibly can, but now need support to cover what neither can handle.
**EDIT** Scizor now running Defog so I don't have to worry about finding something competent with this move.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 HP / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Obligatory Fire/flying type check/counter. Ttar works wonderfully to cover a majority of my bugs' weaknesses. Most importantly, fire and flying. Both of my bugs cover most of his weaknesses as well. Steel, Bug, Fairy, Grass are resisted by both bugs. Fighting is resisted by Volcy, and both bugs are neutral to Ground with above average bulk as well. Having Ttar also gives me a rock setter (not always completely necessary, but having the option there is really nice), a sand setter (removes opposing weathers and can support other team members), and a Pursuit trapper (removing a bug counter/other pain in the ass permanently? Yes please.)
Update - Since no longer using Excadrill, no more need for 8 turns of sand. Also trying out Superpower, for slightly better coverage.
Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SAtk / 8 Atk
Quiet Nature
- King's Shield
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Sacred Sword
I love Aegis, not 100% sure if it suits the team though. Was a suggestion someone gave me. This set is mostly standard, except for Flash Cannon to hit fairies and Mandibuzz (both of which often trigger WP). And since special Aegis's Shadow Sneak hits for crap damage anyway, would rather have a way to eliminate things that otherwise wall it.
Latios (M) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Earthquake
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
Can't stand standard Latios because it's just pursuit bait. Its typing is needed for checking Keldeo and Charizard Y. This set makes a fantastic/trolly lure for Pursuit trappers, which are often scarfed. Thunder Wave cripples Pursuit trappers. Colbur Berry is to survive scarfed Ttar's Crunch to allow it to cripple it. (many people go for Crunch right away, assuming that I'd think I was trapped and staying in) This set especially works after using Draco to kill something. Most people assume a Latios that doesn't heal/take damage (from leftovers/life orb) is choice locked.
Kyurem-Black @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spd
Naughty Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Claw
- Fusion Bolt
- Ice Beam
I know what you're saying (again) - weird ev's/set. This set takes advantage of Kyurem's much higher atk stat. Uninvested Ice beam kills any physical wall weak to ice anyway. Fusion bolt/Ice Beam are fantastic coverage, and Dragon Claw is his main attack on this set. EV's max out his atk stat (to kill everything), and outspeed every wall in addition to the Lando set that speed creeps Jolly Bisharp. Sub is to avoid status/allow more opportunity for killing things.
**Edit** EV's changed to outspeed any Smeargle
~~~
Issues
1. The main issue I've come across, and have really no way to deal with, is random/stupid shit I have no way to predict. Not necessarily bad ideas, but things that easily turn what would have been a free setup opportunity/opponent forced out/free kill into a premature death on my side and often the rest of the team dying/struggling to do anything as a result. A good example is Head Smash on Aegislash. Standard Aegislash is setup bait for Volcy, but Head Smash instantly kills it. Random hidden powers, random scarves, trick on random things, etc. fall under a similar category.
2. Similar to #1, but not exactly = if I guess which Charizard they have wrong, it usually results in something dead. I'm getting better at telling, and right around 70% of the time, but I still see teams that appear "random" (Charizard Y with no pursuit trapper/sun theme, X on the same team as Ttar, people using neither mega for idk what reason, etc.).
3. Keldeo. I know I need to change something to be able to deal with this thing with more than just risky/lucky plays (such as hoping it's choice specs + locked into Secret Sword so Volcy can Quiver Dance on it after a death, hoping to catch it on a switch, etc.) It is important that whatever is changed that can deal with it can actually do something to a pursuit trapper or is neutral to dark, because Charizard Y/Keldeo/Pursuit trapper is a VERY common team theme on mid/high ladder. For example, Jellicent can be acceptable (since it can burn a pursuiter on the switch, making it completely worthless vs. the rest of the team) along with Dragonite (most don't run an ice move anymore making this a viable choice to check); but things like Latios will still make me weak to this team theme.
4. Conkeldurr - Standard set can be knocked off by Scizor and then handled by a special attacker. If he's running Fire Punch, Stone Edge, or most other non-standard moves, the team has no way to handle it at all.
**EDIT** Not sure why it posted everything x2, but has been fixed. Team was also updated to reflect changes I made.
Last edited:
