Because banners are overrated and I love this theme
Sup guys, Clone here. I was recently knocked out of OST after making it to the top 16, so I thought I would share my favorite team that I used during the tournament. The team went 3-0 in the tour (replays below. unfortunately one of them wasn't saved because we played on main and not SmogTours), and has done well on both the ladder and random OU room tours. It is an offensive team based around the offensive core of Mega Gardevoir and Nasty Plot Thundurus. It also features a few cool elements such as double scarf and Lum Azu, all of which can surprise opponents if played right. I will say that this team was built before Volcanion was released, so I am not 100% sure of how effective it still is. Regardless, I don't really have much more to say, so let's get into the teambuilding process.
Teambuilding Process
I started off with the core of NP Thundy and Mega Garde.
I wanted something that could handle Weavile and Bisharp, while also pressuring fat grounds for Thundy. I chose Keldeo and decided to go with a Choice Scarf set since the team was looking pretty slow so far.
I then wanted something that could stop electrics while also preventing Excadrill from mauling me. Landorus was a good fit because it did those things while also giving me Stealth Rocks. Having U-turn also didn't hurt any.
I had no reliable Fairy switch-in, so I went with good ole Scarf Rachi. It gave the team Healing Wish support, speed, pivoting ability, and the ever important hax factor thanks to Serene Grace.
I realized that the team hated Keldeo in every sense of the word so far, and I did not want to lose to standard Keldeo + Pursuit cores. So I decided to change things up a bit and go with Lum Azu, which is great for not caring about burns or clefs trying to get cheeky with T Wave.
The Team In-Depth
Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
Mega Gardevoir is honestly one of my favorite megas to use. It is insanely strong, has a decent speed tier, excellent typing and movepool, and dismantles slower fat builds. Mega Gardevoir is one of those mons that has a lot of good things going for it, and that is something I really enjoy taking advantage of. On this team, Mega Gardevoir is one of the two main wallbreakers that is capable of dismantling most common defensive cores. This leaves only a few good switch ins, such as Jirachi, (Mega) Metagross, Mega Scizor, and Skarmory. However, Will-o-Wisp is used to take advantage of these and effectively cripple or severely hinder their performance in the rest of the match. The rest of the moves are incredibly standard; they cover a good majority of the metagame and have great neutral coverage. A Timid nature is used because losing out to mons in the 90-100 Speed tier really sucks nowadays and I do not require the extra power of Modest. The EV spread is pretty standard, with the defense and HP EVs designed to live a certain hit that I cannot quite recall at the moment (it lives 2 Lati Psyshocks + something else).
Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
Thundurus is another favorite of mine. Like Gardevoir, it is very good at dismantling a lot of fat cores, especially when it is a Nasty Plot variant. It also has an excellent Speed tier that is very useful against offensive teams, and opponents also have to be wary of Prankster Thunder Wave, even if I do not carry it on this team. Thundurus's main role on this team is to break down fat Waters that hinder the performance of its teammates. Furthermore, it does a good job of weakening offensive teams, as very few mons on offensive squads like taking a LO Thunderbolt or super effective coverage move. Against defensive teams, it can use a Nasty Plot on an obvious switch and nuke the incoming Grass or Ground type with a +2 HP Ice (or Focus Blast if the Grass is a Ferro). The set is pretty straightforward; a Timid nature with Max speed and SpAtk EVs let it hit hard and fast, while the moveset gives it good coverage and power, while a Life Orb further improves its damage output. An alternate option is to run HP Fly over Ice since Venu can be a bit annoying, but it's not 100% necessary.
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Keldeo finds its way onto a lot of my offensive teams. It has an excellent offensive typing, access to the ubiquitous Scald, and has a good Speed tier and power to boot. Keldeo is my main Dark resist, capable of switching into threatening mons like Bisharp and Weavile, while also giving TTar issues. It is also my main revenge killer, capable of outspeeding things like Mega Diancie, Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Lopunny, weakened Mega Alakazam, and a plethora of other fastmons threatened by Water or fighting attacks. Keldeo also gives me a Fighting STAB to work with, which is crucial because having to rely on a Focus Blast as the only way to kill Ferrothorn can be obscenely frustrating should RNGeezuz not be in your favor.
The set I use is a pretty straightforward Choice Scarf set. Standard moves and EVs, with the only exception being HP Electric. HP Electric lets Keldeo revenge kill Gyarados that want to avoid 50-50s with Mega Evolving (or just normal DD Dos's), while also enabling me to 2HKO Starmie on the switch. It also can catch a Slowbro switch in off guard, forcing it to Slack Off while I switch to Thundurus or Gardevoir to apply more pressure to the other team. I've experimented with a RestTalk set over Choice Scarf, and while it is nice for more reliably taking on Dark types, losing out on the crucial Speed that Choice Scarf has cost me in a few scenarios.
Landorus-Therian @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 176 HP / 136 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
My teams are usually mauled by Excadrill, so I've learned to start using Landorus again instead of Garchomp as my Rocks setter. Lando is so good right now because Intimidate + Ground immunity + a very threatening Ground STAB backed by a good attack stat can be difficult to handle if not dealt with properly. Landorus is my Stealth Rock setter on the team and also cushions blows from certain physical attackers that would otherwise plow through this team. This set also aims to lure in and kill Electric types because fuck Raikou and Mega Mane. Those two can be a bitch to deal with because Volt Switching constantly is extremely effective if hazards aren't up. Removing those two while also taking on random HP Ice Torn Ts and Thundys helps this tremendously, and having an emergency stop to Weavile if I played awfully with my Azu and Keldeo is not unwelcome. The set I use is pretty straightforward, with the moves being standard on most Lando T variants. The only thing that really stands out is the EV spread, which is used to creep base 70s, have HP to tank hits, and enough attack to not be passive af.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
- Heart Stamp
Jirachi so so annoying to face, yet so satisfying to use. King of hax, Jirachi sealed its spot on this team for its combination of typing, stats, movepool, and hax abilities. It's my main Fairy resist, and it is capable of taking on non T Wave Clefables (lol do those even exist anymore????????), non Wisp Gardevoirs, revenge killing Mega Diancie, while also switching into Lati Dracos and other resisted hits. Jirachi also helps with speed control, as it is capable of outspeeding a majority of the unboosted metagame. This goes well with U-Turn, which enables me to gain momentum on mons that Rachi checks, as well as just getting in one of my two wallbreakers safely. Healing Wish is also really useful because it allows me to play a little more aggressively in the beginning of a match since I know that if I play it well enough I can give a mon a second life. This is crucial in certain matchups as Gardevoir or Thundurus may end up taking a lot of damage in the beginning of a match while killing certain mons, and giving them a second life may be the difference between a win or a loss. Heart Stamp is here because flinch hax and Psychic coverage helps against mons that resist Steel such as Water and Fire-types. Everything else on the set is standard for Choice Scarf Rachi.
Azumarill @ Lum Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off
For the last mon I wanted something that would hold the team together. As it stood, Keldeo was a huge pain in the ass to my team as I has nothing to reliably take a Choice Specs boosted attack. This left a few options for me to use. Of those options, only two were not beaten by a combination of Keldeo + Pursuit. This left either Torn T or Azumarill. I ultimately went with the latter because Azumarill gave me a better buffer against sand teams while also handling other stuff better. Furthermore, Azumarill is already a massive pain for most teams so using it seemed like a very good choice. I went with a Lum Berry set because losing your Keldeo check to a Scald burn is honestly the worst thing ever and having the buffer against other things like weak Thundys trying to T Wave or Brelooms Sporing on a predicted switch can be invaluable, especially in the latter's case as no one expects Azu to stay in on a Breloom. The set I am running has enough Speed for Skarmory + other things and the rest of the EVs go into attack and HP. I'm running the basic 4 attacks Azumarill usually carries; I forewent Superpower in favor of Knock Off because I like the utility more, but having an extra buffer against Ferrothorn is never unwelcome so it's not a terrible change to make.
Closing Thoughts
This team is honestly one of my favorites to use. It served me well in various battles ranging from OST matches to tests with friends, and everything in between. While it is by no means the best team ever made, it is pretty solid and is a good bulky offense team and worked well in the pre-Volcanion metagame. I may update it later on so it still works, but that is another project for another day. Untill then, we'll see what happens.
Replays:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-ou-148414 OST r6
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-ou-144029 OST r4
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-ou-134697 random match vs Finch
Shoutouts
What is an RMT without shoutouts? Instead of mass tagging people, I would much rather just name general groups so I don't forget anyone.
First off, I wanna thank everyone who supported me during my OST run. Were it not for you guys, I would not have made it nealry as far, as I would not have been as motivated to do well. I also want to extend this thanks to everyone who either built with me, gave me teams, or team tested. Without your help, I would not have been nearly as prepared for my matches as I was, nor would I have made it as far.
Shoutouts to the OU Teambuilding Workshop crew for being a chill group of people who are easy to talk to and have fun with.
Also, a big thanks to all my PS friends in the various rooms I frequent. Y'all are one of the main reasons why I'm still even here.
Finally, I'd like to thank everyone else I've had positive interactions with during my time on Smogon. You guys, as well as everyone else mentioned above, have made my time here an enjoyable one.
First off, I wanna thank everyone who supported me during my OST run. Were it not for you guys, I would not have made it nealry as far, as I would not have been as motivated to do well. I also want to extend this thanks to everyone who either built with me, gave me teams, or team tested. Without your help, I would not have been nearly as prepared for my matches as I was, nor would I have made it as far.
Shoutouts to the OU Teambuilding Workshop crew for being a chill group of people who are easy to talk to and have fun with.
Also, a big thanks to all my PS friends in the various rooms I frequent. Y'all are one of the main reasons why I'm still even here.
Finally, I'd like to thank everyone else I've had positive interactions with during my time on Smogon. You guys, as well as everyone else mentioned above, have made my time here an enjoyable one.
Thanks for reading. Have a nice day =]
Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Landorus-Therian @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 176 HP / 136 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
- Heart Stamp
Azumarill @ Lum Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off
Ability: Trace
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Landorus-Therian @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 176 HP / 136 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
- Heart Stamp
Azumarill @ Lum Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off
Last edited:
