Ok so I've finally built an OU team I feel is worth sharing. Any by 'sharing' I mean 'please help me make it suck less'. I had modest success with it on PO while the server was down but smogon has reminded me why I play there. So without further ado:
Team Building
I picked my lead first, on impulse, and based on an old idea. I love Mienshao and really wanted a lead no-one would know how to react to.
Next came my physical attacker. Having had my ass handed to me by Chomp over and over, I obviously had to go with him in an act of petty revenge. I threw a scarf on him and he has been a game winner, I just need to learn discipline with him.
Obviously if I'm using Chomp then to get the best out of him I need a sand summoner. I flirted with the idea of Tyranitar but I knew I needed a physical wall and honestly in that role I rank Hippowdon up there with Skarm (who I also considered).
Also need a special sweeper. Volcarona fits the bill. With my choiced attacker in place I also wanted a set up sweeper and in my opinion Volcarona is now the best special set up sweeper in the game.
Obviously if I'm using Volcarona I need a spinner. I've never really been a fan of Starmie befor but it synergises really well with the rest of my team and the recovery is really appreciated. And I love having a 'bulky' water around.
Finally I needed a special wall. So the obvious choice was Kecleon. Shut up.
In depth excuses
Mienshao@Focus Sash
Jolly
Regenerator
252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 Hp
-Fake Out
-Taunt
-U-Turn
-Drain Punch
SO this is my lead Mienshao set, which I came up with when B/W was released in Japan and proved to be awesomely effective. It's a little slower than some leads, but quicker than most, and is a brutally efficient scout. He's especially at home destroying hazards and set up leads like Bronzong, errothorn and Forretress. Fake out, taunt, and then either drain punch if it will cause decent damage, or u-turn if it won't. Regenerator and drain punch let him come back in for another go later and focus sash lets me make sure I get at least one hit in (though it's ruined by sand). All in all I really love this set, though it is entirely one dimensional and should only really be used to lead/revenge kill slow threats.
Garchomp@Choice Scarf
Naughty
Sand Veil
252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 SpA
-Outrage
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Fire Blast
Do I even need to bother? We all know what this does, and we all know it'll probably be banned by the time I finish writing this. Come in, smash something, and either keep smashing or bail. Fire blast is for Skarm, Weakened Ferrothorn, Forretress and many other fire-weak walls. Dragon claw gives me versatility in my dragon STAB, and not using STAB earthquake would be insane. Outrage, however, is the thing that wins me games. One my opponent is down to his last 3 pokes, if I have a healthy chomp then nine times out of ten it's game over.
Hippowdon@Leftovers
Impish
Sand Stream
252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
-Stealth Rock
-Slack Off
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
Say hello to my physical wall. Obviously able to take physical hits like a champ, this guy is here to drop rocks and provide sand for chomp to mess around in, which is the main reason for his inclusion over skarmory. Rocks is for want of a better rockdropper. Slacking off is obvious recovery. EQ is a great stab to have and has actually let me sweep a couple of times on weakened teams, and Ice fang is for dragons and to win stall fights with Gliscor.
Volcarona@Life Orb
Timid
Flame Body
252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
-Quiver Dance
-Bug Buzz
-Flame Dance
-Psychic
The moment I saw it I knew I had to build a team with it in, and here is that team. This thing rips holes in teams and allows Chomp to climb through and finish them off. Quiver dance is disgustingly powerful and after one boost Volc is causing trouble. However, a lot of the time I don't have time, and for that reason Flame dance lets me boost instead of, or as well as, quiver dance. Bug Buzz is a great stab to have and runs Tyranitar among others, while psychic makes conkledurr and tentacruel regret switching in.
Starmie@Leftovers
Timid
Natural Cure
252 HP/ 252 Spe/ 4 Def
-Rapid Spin
-Recover
-Scald
-Thunderbolt
Starmie is the only spinner who really fit the team, but it's been really useful actually. He's not the wall I was hoping he might be, but he does his most important job, spinning, brilliantly, and scald provides status (with luck) while T-bolt gives great coverage. I'm in two minds as to whether to fiddle the evs. Speed lets him get a recover in before the hit almost all the time, while def would make him a slightly better wall on that side of things. HP gives him some walling ability but I could sacrifice that for SpA and just have him be another special attacker who also spins. I like the bulk for a spinner though.
Kecleon@Leftovers
Careful
Colour Change
252 HP/ 252 SpD/ 4 Def
-Recover
-Toxic
-Shadow Sneak
-Mirror Coat.
This is the pokemon I am most confused about. One the one side it is an awesome special wall. Its ability works like a poor man's Torment and toxic has great synergy with that, as well as letting me predict the next attack with ease. On the other hand the last two move slots have caused me such grief and I'm still not sure about them, as he keeps being either set up bait or taken out too easily. Currently Stealth Rocks, Fire Punch, Knock Off, Body Slam, Thunder Wave, Return, Protect, Substitute and Skill Swap are all in contention. Mirror coat and shadow sneak have individually proven useful, but I'm not sure about their synergy. I like shadow sneak over mirror coat to be honest though. I know Kecleon can be an awesome special wall, I just need to find a way to make his move set meet his potential.
In Conclusion
This team is proving to be pretty hit or miss to be honest. Kecleon may turn out to be dead weight but honestly I believe in his potential so much that I desperately want him to work. I also know that Chomp may well be banned soon, but I have a Scizor that can pretty much just take his exact spot, or I can clone the move set and use salamence or flygon. So, tell me what you think, and give me some ideas for how to improve. Thanks in advance guys!
Team Building
I picked my lead first, on impulse, and based on an old idea. I love Mienshao and really wanted a lead no-one would know how to react to.
Next came my physical attacker. Having had my ass handed to me by Chomp over and over, I obviously had to go with him in an act of petty revenge. I threw a scarf on him and he has been a game winner, I just need to learn discipline with him.
Obviously if I'm using Chomp then to get the best out of him I need a sand summoner. I flirted with the idea of Tyranitar but I knew I needed a physical wall and honestly in that role I rank Hippowdon up there with Skarm (who I also considered).
Also need a special sweeper. Volcarona fits the bill. With my choiced attacker in place I also wanted a set up sweeper and in my opinion Volcarona is now the best special set up sweeper in the game.
Obviously if I'm using Volcarona I need a spinner. I've never really been a fan of Starmie befor but it synergises really well with the rest of my team and the recovery is really appreciated. And I love having a 'bulky' water around.
Finally I needed a special wall. So the obvious choice was Kecleon. Shut up.
In depth excuses
Mienshao@Focus Sash
Jolly
Regenerator
252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 Hp
-Fake Out
-Taunt
-U-Turn
-Drain Punch
SO this is my lead Mienshao set, which I came up with when B/W was released in Japan and proved to be awesomely effective. It's a little slower than some leads, but quicker than most, and is a brutally efficient scout. He's especially at home destroying hazards and set up leads like Bronzong, errothorn and Forretress. Fake out, taunt, and then either drain punch if it will cause decent damage, or u-turn if it won't. Regenerator and drain punch let him come back in for another go later and focus sash lets me make sure I get at least one hit in (though it's ruined by sand). All in all I really love this set, though it is entirely one dimensional and should only really be used to lead/revenge kill slow threats.
Garchomp@Choice Scarf
Naughty
Sand Veil
252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 SpA
-Outrage
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Fire Blast
Do I even need to bother? We all know what this does, and we all know it'll probably be banned by the time I finish writing this. Come in, smash something, and either keep smashing or bail. Fire blast is for Skarm, Weakened Ferrothorn, Forretress and many other fire-weak walls. Dragon claw gives me versatility in my dragon STAB, and not using STAB earthquake would be insane. Outrage, however, is the thing that wins me games. One my opponent is down to his last 3 pokes, if I have a healthy chomp then nine times out of ten it's game over.
Hippowdon@Leftovers
Impish
Sand Stream
252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
-Stealth Rock
-Slack Off
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
Say hello to my physical wall. Obviously able to take physical hits like a champ, this guy is here to drop rocks and provide sand for chomp to mess around in, which is the main reason for his inclusion over skarmory. Rocks is for want of a better rockdropper. Slacking off is obvious recovery. EQ is a great stab to have and has actually let me sweep a couple of times on weakened teams, and Ice fang is for dragons and to win stall fights with Gliscor.
Volcarona@Life Orb
Timid
Flame Body
252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
-Quiver Dance
-Bug Buzz
-Flame Dance
-Psychic
The moment I saw it I knew I had to build a team with it in, and here is that team. This thing rips holes in teams and allows Chomp to climb through and finish them off. Quiver dance is disgustingly powerful and after one boost Volc is causing trouble. However, a lot of the time I don't have time, and for that reason Flame dance lets me boost instead of, or as well as, quiver dance. Bug Buzz is a great stab to have and runs Tyranitar among others, while psychic makes conkledurr and tentacruel regret switching in.
Starmie@Leftovers
Timid
Natural Cure
252 HP/ 252 Spe/ 4 Def
-Rapid Spin
-Recover
-Scald
-Thunderbolt
Starmie is the only spinner who really fit the team, but it's been really useful actually. He's not the wall I was hoping he might be, but he does his most important job, spinning, brilliantly, and scald provides status (with luck) while T-bolt gives great coverage. I'm in two minds as to whether to fiddle the evs. Speed lets him get a recover in before the hit almost all the time, while def would make him a slightly better wall on that side of things. HP gives him some walling ability but I could sacrifice that for SpA and just have him be another special attacker who also spins. I like the bulk for a spinner though.
Kecleon@Leftovers
Careful
Colour Change
252 HP/ 252 SpD/ 4 Def
-Recover
-Toxic
-Shadow Sneak
-Mirror Coat.
This is the pokemon I am most confused about. One the one side it is an awesome special wall. Its ability works like a poor man's Torment and toxic has great synergy with that, as well as letting me predict the next attack with ease. On the other hand the last two move slots have caused me such grief and I'm still not sure about them, as he keeps being either set up bait or taken out too easily. Currently Stealth Rocks, Fire Punch, Knock Off, Body Slam, Thunder Wave, Return, Protect, Substitute and Skill Swap are all in contention. Mirror coat and shadow sneak have individually proven useful, but I'm not sure about their synergy. I like shadow sneak over mirror coat to be honest though. I know Kecleon can be an awesome special wall, I just need to find a way to make his move set meet his potential.
In Conclusion
This team is proving to be pretty hit or miss to be honest. Kecleon may turn out to be dead weight but honestly I believe in his potential so much that I desperately want him to work. I also know that Chomp may well be banned soon, but I have a Scizor that can pretty much just take his exact spot, or I can clone the move set and use salamence or flygon. So, tell me what you think, and give me some ideas for how to improve. Thanks in advance guys!
