Acidity - an [OU] RMT

[acid_paradox]

Acidity
team at a glance:

Okay well, this is my first RMT article. I mostly just lurk without really posting anything, so don't expect this to be anything fantastic. Anyways, I tried to balance this team with a bunch of basic roles played by the OU metagame - Lead, Support, Physical Sweeper, Special Sweeper, Wall Breaker, Revenge Killer, Wall. I've tested this out on the Shoddy OU ladder and have won a fair few matches with it, though there are major weaknesses I need to address, which is mainly the reason why I posted this here. Anyways, you're probably not reading this, so I'll let's get to the actual team, shall we?

Team in-depth:
The Lead:

Jolly Ambipom @ Life Orb (Intrepid)
252 Atk
252 Spe
4 HP
Fake Out
U-Turn
Shadow Claw
Brick Break/Taunt

Most people overlook Ambipom as a viable lead in OU standard, but he is actually very useful, and can pick away at opposing threats later in the game. Most people know Ambipom's moveset when they see it come out as a lead, which is a downside, but plays some wonderful mind tricks on other players. Most people who have ghost types and anticipate the Fake Out will switch accordingly, making Fake Out useless. However, unlike the moveset posted on the smogon strategy dex, I'm using Shadow Claw, which on LO Jolly Ambipom can always OHKO non-Scarfed Gengars, and leaves a decent dent in Dusknoir. If the other player doesn't switch out, I get a free turn of damage, and on the next turn I can switch into Uxie via U-Turn. I haven't decided if I want to use Taunt over Brick Break, because it's nice to stop things from setting up on me, but I lose type coverage, so I don't really know.

SR Support:

Relaxed Uxie @ Leftovers (Cadbury)
252 HP
252 Def
4 SpD
Stealth Rock
Yawn
U-Turn
Grass Knot/Thunderbolt/Thunder Wave

Uxie is usually overlooked as a support feature in most OU teams, as there are other prime choices to quickly set up Stealth Rock. However, with the moveset chosen, Uxie can force a lot of switches, and stop a lot of foes from setting up properly. Once SR is set up, the Yawn + U-Turn combo leaves an opponent one of two choices: stay in, suffer sleep, and I switch to a suitable counter, or switch, take SR damage, and allow me to switch to a suitable counter. Uxie can also switch into things like Metagross, Scizor, or Lucario and survive a few hits while using the Yawn/U-Turn combo again to force a switch. For the last slot, I'm not sure what to do. T-Bolt would be nice to have as a suprise Gyarados counter, but T-Waving DDancers is also a very alluring proposition. Grass Knot would be for bulky waters which I don't really have anything to counter.


Physical Sweeper:

Jolly Metagross @ Choice Band (Humphrey)
252 HP
236 Atk
12 Def
8 Spe
Earthquake
Meteor Mash
Ice Punch
Explosion

Metagross was my prime choice to use as a physical sweeper because he is bulky enough to take a hit, while still packing the physical power to screw over opposing threats. Metagross can take out most things in one hit, but those that don't get killed in one hit usually take a decent chunk of damage and force a switch. I chose Ice Punch over other choices because it's nice to pew pew Dragon types who's STABs are not very effective against him. Explosion is usually a last resort type thing, but it does come in handy.

Special Sweeper/Revenge Killer:

Modest Latias @ Choice Scarf (Godfrey)
252 Spe
236 SpA
4 HP
Draco Meteor
Thunderbolt
Surf
Trick

The reason Latias is scarfed is because she can act not only as (quite possibly) the fastest non-buffed sweeper in the OU metagame, but can also Trick it onto opposing walls and act as a revenge killer at the same time. Draco Meteor always OHKO's non-defensive dragon types, while Thunderbolt can OHKO Gyarados, and Surf will usually OHKO most ground and (or) rock types. I'm thinking of replacing Draco Meteor with Dragon Pulse because Draco Meteor's accuracy has been failing me lately, and causing critical missed causing me to lose.

The Wall Breaker:

Naive Honchkrow @ Expert Belt (Reginald)
252 Spe
236 SpA
4 Atk
Superpower
Heat Wave
Dark Pulse
Nasty Plot

The main reason I chose Honchkrow as a Wall Breaker was because he has a high enough Special Attack stat to OHKO Metagross with a non-boosted Heat Wave, while still maintaining a high enough attack without any EV's to OHKO or 2HKO Blissey (with SR damage). He can also take down Szicor if you predict the switch appropriately and he doesn't Bullet Punch you, and can leave relatively big chunks in Celebi, Umbreon, and other threats. He can also OHKO Tyranitar without trouble via Superpower.

The Wall:

Calm Spritomb @ Leftovers (Buckminster)
252 HP
96 Def
160 SpD
Sleep Talk
Rest
Shadow Ball
Hidden Power Fighting/Will-o-wisp

Spiritomb makes not only an excellent anti Rapid Spinner, but he can switch safely into sleep inducing moves like Sleep Powder and Hypnosis. Spiritomb's Sleep Talk/Rest combo has served me well, and can take out chunks of the enemy's team if not taken care of quickly. He can also switch into common leads if I correclty predict an Explosion, getting away safely. I'm not sure if I should run WoW over HP Fighting, because the type coverage is nice, but the chance of crippling the likes of Scizor, Lucario, and Salamence is also hard to pass up.

I'm tired so I will write up a threat list tomorrow...maybe. Bash away.​

 

[acid_paradox]

Threat List

Black text pokemon are not threats and can be easily dealt with.
Blue text pokemon are minor threats.
Red text pokemon are major threats.

Defensive Threat List:
Blissey: Really not much of a threat. After SR damage has kicked in, Honchkrow always OHKO's or 2HKO's Blissey. If not, Metagross or even Ambipom can usually take it down.

Bronzong: A minor inconvenience. When this thing is playing defensively, it can get quite annoying to KO. But I can usually phaze it out or kill it with Spiritomb. If all else fails, Honchkrow can Heat Wave or Dark Pulse it to death. If they're playing SR support I'll usually just switch into Spiritomb if I think it will explode on me.

Celebi: Again, a minor inconvenience, but nothing I can't handle. Spiritomb usually will take care of it, or U-Turn from Ambipom can usually OHKO or 2HKO it. Ice Punch from Metagross will always OHKO it.

Claydol: Claydol can lay down Spikes and be an effective Rapid Spinner at the same time, so it's difficult to get rid of it without losing Stealth Rock support in the process. Most of the time I'll just switch in Spiritomb and Shadow Ball his ass until he either dies for switches out to something else.

Cresselia: Cresselia is a huge annoyance, what with it's good movepool/base stats and all. This thing will usually take a while to take down, but I have been able to eventually get rid of it with Fake Out + multiple Shadow Claws from Ambipom, or continuous Shadow Balls from Spiritomb.

Dusknoir: Rather like a bad version of Spiritomb. It's not really a big threat. I can usually just switch in Spiritomb or Ambipom who can use their corresponding moves to kill it.Forretress: Not a threat at all. Always gets OHKO'd with Heat Wave from Honchkrow and and be 2HKO'd with Earthquake from Metagross.

Hippowdon: This thing can get really annoying if I don't take it seriously. What with Sand Stream, Stealth Rock, and considerable defenses, it can leave a considerable chunk in my team with residual damage over time. I can almost always take it down via Surf from Latias, and can switch into something else if it survives the Surf (unlikely).

Latias: Defensive CM sets on Latias can be a nuisance, especially if I let them set up too much. If I don't force a switch or kill it quickly, it can do some decent damage my team. Latias can usually OHKO with Draco Meteor even after one Calm Mind. If it survives, I can always switch into something else like Spiritomb or Metagross and hit it with corresponding moves.

Milotic: Can be annoying, but can also be dealt with by whittling down its HP with Spiritomb or Uxie. A minor threat, though.

Miltank: Although Miltank is rather bulky and has strong defenses, usually it can be OHKO'd or 2HKO'd by Superpower from Honchkrow. Ambipom can also leave huge dents in it with Brick Break.

Rotom: Nothing that can't be dealt with. Although it's a good spin blocker and have an extensive movepool and good typing, it will usually get killed by Shadow Claw from Ambipom or multiple Shadow Balls from Spiritomb.

Skarmory: Latias can easily T-Bolt Skarmory and OHKO it. If not, Heat Wave from Honchkrow usually will do the trick.

Snorlax: When this thing is set as Curselax it rips my team apart. Even after two Curses it gets really annoying to take down, and can easily absorb Yawn from Uxie while still surviving. I don't really have much to take this monster down.

Spiritomb: Opposing Spiritombs can be a bit of a nuisance, but can also be taken care of with my own Spiritomb if they are not playing Rest Talk sets. Metagross can also take care of it with a few Meteor Mashes or Ice Punches.

Starmie: A minor threat, easily taken care of with Spiritomb to block their Rapid Spins, then leave a big dent in them with STAB super effective Shadow Ball.

Suicune: This thing can be really really annoying to my team, especially if Uxie is dead and it sets up CM too much. I don't really have a way of killing it with anything, so it's almost a big a threat as Curselax.

Tentacruel: Easily taken care of by most of my team; Uxie and Psychic and keep setting up SR even if it gets Spun away, Metagross can usually OHKO or 2HKO with EQ, Latias and T-Bolt, Spiritomb can block his Rapid Spin and stall out while dealing damage, etc, etc.

Umbreon: Can get annoying if it Curses up too much, although I can usually phaze it out with Uxie or leave big chunks in it with Metagross or Honchkrow. HP Fighting from Spiritomb can also help a bit.

Uxie: Relatively easy to deal with; just switch into Spiritomb and Shadow Ball it. Honchkrow also hits with a STAB super effective from Dark Pulse, and Metagross can deal quite a bit of damage with MMash or Ice Punch.

Vaporeon: Similar problems as Umbreon, though its moveset it very predictable so it doesn't take long to take down.

Zapdos: Easily taken care of by Spiritomb, Metagross, and Latias.

Offensive Threat List:
I'll write it up later.