Hello, this is my RMT for my basic OU Team. Immediately I will say that any aggressive sort of response may as well not be posted, it simply won't make anything better for anyone. I am going to start off by telling you my personal history of competitive battling, then tell you the process of how this has developed. If you aren't interested in those things and simply want to look at the team, then don't open the hide tags. The development of this team is more important, but my competitive battling experience can help you see where I am coming from, and maybe help you give me advice that may suit my usual team-building.
And now, here is the team!
Machamp (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 236 HP / 248 Atk / 12 SDef / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- DynamicPunch
- Payback
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
Lead Machamp. Or I suppose anti-lead, really. I know you can see the other person's entire team now, but this Machamp can handle anything that is thrown at me, except for Lati@s (is Latias banned?), but they usually send that out after I take out their lead. Machamp is really quite good at its job. Machamp can almost always take out their leads that only get in 1 move and at least make a big dent in another Pokemon. I also can use him pretty often to beat up Pokemon such as Ferrothorn if I am trying to keep certain Pokemon untouched for a little bit. The EV spread was the one given on the analysis, but I took 4 EVs from both HP and Attack to put into Speed, so I am faster than other lead Machamps, and other people with Lead Machamps who boosted their speed by one extra point. It can survive almost any one attack. Usually if a Pokemon is powerful enough to almost knock Machamp in one hit, I can usually hit it for almost all of its HP, and use Bullet Punch. The only Lead that tends to make me switch Machamp out is Skarmory. I use DynamicPunch if nothing else if super-effective, and it really packs a punch to Tyranitar and Ferrothorn, and I most commonly use it against other Machamps and Politoed. Payback is really for any Psychic type or Ghost that comes in. Bullet Punch is great for finishing off Pokemon like Azelf or Aerodactyl or whatever if it has only a little bit of health left. Ice Punch is for flying types, specifically Gliscor that were switching in on Machamp sometimes, and neither Pokemon was really accomplishing anything in those cases. There were two things that I was thinking about changing: changing Ice Punch to Thunder Punch; changing Lum Berry to Leftovers (or maybe something else). I probably wouldn't change Lum Berry because it is quite useful against other Machamps (confusion) and anything that tries to burn me.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- ThunderPunch
- U-turn
I know what some of you think: "flinch-hax Jirachi is the stupidest thing ever and shows no skill." Yeah, well, I honestly never rely on flinching the opponent to win. Obviously it is a nice thing to have, but I almost always just use Jirachi as a scout or an unsuspecting revenge killer, so just don't even mention the "cheap flinch-hax". Just as I said "unsuspecting", I think that's why this little shooting star is so great for me. More often than not, people don't switch out when Jirachi has come in to revenge kill or occasionally just kill. The Choice Scarf with max speed gives it a speed stat of 492, able to outspeed all unboosted Pokemon (bar Deoxys-S), it even outspeeds max-speed Ninjask. It even ties max-speed Salamence after a Dragon Dance (I believe the fastest Dragon Dancer, I may be wrong), obviously outspeeds Scarf Heatran or any other Scarf user with speed lower than base 100, Shell Smash Cloyster with a neutral nature, and probably other fast things. So, I am basically saying how great this little guy is at coming in to finish off a somewhat weak Pokemon, and U-Turn is great to attract a ground move and switch to Breloom to set up, or a Fire move to safely get Chandelure in. Something I may want to change is Thunder Punch. It is really only good for Skarmory (who doesn't take a ton of damage from it) and bulky waters which I can hit with Zen Headbutt or more likely switch anyway. Ice Punch could hit Dragons much better or Fire Punch could hit any Grass or Steel types. The entire team was built around Jirachi, I would just like to mention that.
Dragonite (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
This Dragonite was supposed to be the major sweeper who would come in after its counters were gone. However, that only happens in about a fourth of my matches, maybe even less. As mentioned in the development of the team, I originally had Salamence in this spot. This was while I was learning the ins and outs of how I should be using this team, floating around 1000 rating. Once I went on my way up, I was noticing that the only reason that I was winning was that I was facing n00bs and the rest of the team was more than pulling its weight, making up for Salamence. Dragonite has turned out to be much more useful. Leftovers is for the times that there is a sandstorm or if there are entry hazards and I can force a switch, Dragonite will still have full health. If I can force a switch and there are no entry hazards and there is no sandstorm, I can just about always use Dragon Dance twice, and the three other moves can cover many, many things. A lot of times, the first hit dulled by Multiscale deals less than 50%. More than once, I have switched into Rotom-W and the opponent felt Hydro Pump would be good enough and they shouldn't switch, while I use Dragon Dance three times. The overall bulkiness of Dragonite combined with Multiscale makes it a powerful Dragon Dancer, and that is just what it is used as. Unfortunately, I usually don't think to simply take out Dragonite's counters and then sweep, but something works out more often than not. There are no changes I was thinking about, but all recommendations will be considered.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Suicune is the bulky water that I wanted to have on the team. I knew that I wanted this Pokemon to have some offensive capability though. It does alright, but it probably doesn't meet the expectations I had for it the way every other Pokemon on the team has. I basically decided when choosing a bulky water, "I will just use Suicune and see what happens." I quickly looked through the sets and chose basic Calm Mind. Suicune is pretty much what I use to switch into Fire types and (element of surprise) Steel types, especially Steel types that are double weak to Fire. I am always afraid when switching Suicune in to a Fire type, because most Fire types are equipped to deal with Water types. As I said, I use Suicune more often than anything else to switch into Steel types that have a second weakness to Fire. Yep, Hidden Power Fire is a surprise every time. Ferrothorns and Scizors and the occasional Forretress always think I clicked on the wrong Pokemon, and try to set up or predict, while I just use Hidden Power to OHKO them, some Ferrothorns are 2HKO. I didn't do anything to make this Suicune unique, it just seems that no one ever suspect a Fire move. This is the one entire Pokemon I was considering replacing entirely. However, I certainly don't want a totally different Pokemon, something that outclasses Suicune but serves the same purpose. Maybe Vaporeon? If I keep Suicune, maybe I should switch to Hidden Power Electric or Fire since other bulky waters always cause him trouble. After all, I shouldn't need my bulky water to take out Ferrothorns all over the place.
Breloom (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Def / 20 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Substitute
Perhaps the most wonderful thing ever. There are a variety of things that Breloom can switch into. I usually try to draw out a Water or Ground type attack by putting Chandelure in and then revealing Breloom! This is probably the only Pokemon (except maybe Machamp) that if it has 15% or so health and about to be finished off, I can very successfully take it out and bring it back in later and destroy everything. This Breloom is like a combination of a very good defensive Pokemon and a sweeper. If I can get Breloom in against a Pokemon that I know can't do much damage to him, all I have to do is use Spore. I use Spore on whatever Pokemon is there to receive it. This more or less guarantees me a Substitute, and that lets me use Focus Punch. A STAB move with 150 power coming off of any attack is very deadly, especially when I get to use it multiple times with one Substitute. Focus Punch has allowed me to annihilate physical walls, even if they resist Focus Punch. Seed Bomb pretty much is just for STAB coverage. Even though this is one of two viable ways to use Breloom at all, it works spectacularly. I can't think of anything that I would want to change about Breloom, but suggestions will be taken.
Chandelure (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SAtk / 184 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Shadow Ball
Chandelure goes quite well with Breloom. I mentioned in Breloom's description, Chandelure is good at drawing out Water and Ground type attacks, which Breloom can switch into. However, the opposite is also true. Breloom pretty much only has trouble against Pokemon with good Ice and Water type attacks, and the occasional Brave Bird which can be handled by Jirachi. Chandelure can handle most things that none of my other Pokemon can perform well against. Fire Blast is what I use the most and can 1 or 2HKO most things that don't resist it. Just think about it, maxed out base 145 Special Attack with Specs using a STAB 120 power move is (I think) the most powerful move in OU except for maxed attack Band Haxorus's Outrage and maybe something Deoxys-N has. I'm pretty sure that Chandelure can OHKO anything weak to Fire Blast and most things weak to Shadow Ball.
Energy Ball has actually been pretty good, because most of the time I am using it against a Water type that is either very slow or thinks I am going to switch out. Hidden Power Fighting is the perfect complement to Shadow Ball, since there is no Pokemon that resists both moves. I think I will probably make Chandelure Timid instead of Modest, because I don't know whether that extra powerful punch or the extra speed is what is best, I definitely want some advice on that. I just don't know what a Timid nature will let me outspeed that I don't already.
And offensive and defensive threat lists if you want to look through them. Sorry that I couldn't get the sprites in, when I tried to preview the post, it said that there were too many pictures.
For all of the defensive threats, they would probably be handled just the way you think they would based on how I handle the offensive threats. If nothing else, I could probably set up Breloom or Dragonite.
All in all, I use this team fairly conservatively, and it seems to work pretty well. I think the team has good synergy and can come together to handle many threats. My downsides are no entry hazards and Sandstorm occasionally give me problems. I definitely think this team is good as is, but has great potential.
Changes in particular I wanted advice on (obviously if you notice anything else, mention it):
Giving Machamp Thunder Punch instead of Ice Punch.
Using something instead of Lum Berry for Machamp (maybe Leftovers).
Changing Thunder Punch on Jirachi to one of the other elemental Punches.
Swapping Suicune for a better bulky water.
If keeping Suicune, maybe use Hidden Power Electric or Grass.
Making Chandelure Timid.
DON'T COMMENT WITHOUT LOOKING AT OTHER POSTS, THEY MAY INCLUDE UPDATES TO THE TEAM AND YOU WILL LOOK DUMB CRITICIZING WHAT THE TEAM USED TO LOOK LIKE
I started competitive battling a year or two after the introduction of the 4th Gen. Before then, I had played in the 1st and 3rd Gens, making what I thought at the time were competitive teams. My best “competitive” team during that time consisted of Kyogre, Salamence, Lugia, Ho-oh, Mewtwo, and Groudon. It was a dual-weather team, and it worked marvelously in-game. This just gives you an idea of my progression through the Pokemon world. My very first actual competitve team (on Shoddy Battle, 4th Gen), which I don't remember particularly well, wass not very good. I used a lead Aerodactyl, a Dragonite, a Metagross, and 3 other Pokemon I don't remember. This was my first team, and I was still learning the techniques of competitive battle. I realized that the team wasn't working very well, so I spent plenty of time building the next one. On this next team, I used a suicide lead Azelf (Stealth Rock, Taunt, Explosion, Psychic, holding a Focus Sash. I could almost always get up Stealth Rock, and usually take out a Pokemon or two), a Scarf Scizor (I was not a fan of Technician, I felt I could use the Scarf to outspeed most things with moves more powerful than Technician Bullet Punch), Scarf Heatran (not much to be said, other than that this guy could sweep pretty well), Lawn Mower Rotom(meant primarily to stop Swamperts that otherwise ruined my team, but it was actually quite good overall), Curse Swampert(eh, not spectacular, but it helped with coverage quite a bit), and finally, the Steel's nightmare, Magnezone (after using him on this team, he became my favorite Pokemon. He was amazing at his job of taking out Scizors, Jirachis, Metagrosses, Forretresses, etc.). This team actually fared very well for me. I spent plenty of time making the team, and I found that there weren't any major problems that needed to be worked out. I actually never made a change to this team, as I never saw the need.
Now onto the 5th Gen. By now, I was a serious player. However, I didn't do anything Pokemon-related for a while, until early this May. Because of this, I knew very little about the 5th Gen, the new Pokemon, the new abilities, why the hell was Politoed so threatening, why the hell isn't Latios in Ubers, why is A-Deoxys the one in Ubers? So, to gain some knowledge of the 5th Gen, I played through White version (which I had since the day of American release and did nothing with it until mid-May), and I joined CAP ASB, Smogon's Anime-Style Battling league. Since this consists of forum-based battling and is in no way fast-paced, I could take my time doing research between each of my turns. I learned what Pokemon from previous gens were still good (Dragonite is amazing in ASB), and how did they benefit from the changes introduced in the 5th Gen (Dream World mostly), and some of the new competitors (I was looking at 5th Gen Pokemon, and was amazed that a non-legendary had 145 base Special Attack, and another had 147 base attack, and another has 145 base speed, and yes I am talking about Chandelure, Haxorus, and Accelgor). “Alright, I think I can at least try some teams on Pokemon online.” These teams were utter failure. I tried remaking my 4th Gen team, but I was stopped in my tracks when I saw that Rotom-A loses Ghost type. So, I tried playing with the Pokemon I had on that 4th Gen team, and it was miserable. So, I tried some new stuff. I made a somewhat acceptable team, and it was (not the one this RMT is about): lead Aerodactyl (just what you would expect from a lead Aerodactyl), Expert Belt Latios (not too bad, but not good enough for the rest of the team), Toxic Orb Gliscor (I don't know what the hell I was trying to accomplish here, but it didn't really work), Steel-trapping Magnezone (yes, I was trying to keep this guy alive because he was awesome to me in 4th Gen), Choice Band Scizor (I was trying this, because they pissed me off back in 4th Gen and why not try it here?), and Conkeldurr (who I replaced with Virizion, whom I never battled with, but otherwise for Conkeldurr, see Gliscor – except worse). This team was majorly being pulled by Latios, but it just wouldn't work without a complete overhaul, which is why I never bothered to try Virizion. And now, here I am with this new team.
Now onto the 5th Gen. By now, I was a serious player. However, I didn't do anything Pokemon-related for a while, until early this May. Because of this, I knew very little about the 5th Gen, the new Pokemon, the new abilities, why the hell was Politoed so threatening, why the hell isn't Latios in Ubers, why is A-Deoxys the one in Ubers? So, to gain some knowledge of the 5th Gen, I played through White version (which I had since the day of American release and did nothing with it until mid-May), and I joined CAP ASB, Smogon's Anime-Style Battling league. Since this consists of forum-based battling and is in no way fast-paced, I could take my time doing research between each of my turns. I learned what Pokemon from previous gens were still good (Dragonite is amazing in ASB), and how did they benefit from the changes introduced in the 5th Gen (Dream World mostly), and some of the new competitors (I was looking at 5th Gen Pokemon, and was amazed that a non-legendary had 145 base Special Attack, and another had 147 base attack, and another has 145 base speed, and yes I am talking about Chandelure, Haxorus, and Accelgor). “Alright, I think I can at least try some teams on Pokemon online.” These teams were utter failure. I tried remaking my 4th Gen team, but I was stopped in my tracks when I saw that Rotom-A loses Ghost type. So, I tried playing with the Pokemon I had on that 4th Gen team, and it was miserable. So, I tried some new stuff. I made a somewhat acceptable team, and it was (not the one this RMT is about): lead Aerodactyl (just what you would expect from a lead Aerodactyl), Expert Belt Latios (not too bad, but not good enough for the rest of the team), Toxic Orb Gliscor (I don't know what the hell I was trying to accomplish here, but it didn't really work), Steel-trapping Magnezone (yes, I was trying to keep this guy alive because he was awesome to me in 4th Gen), Choice Band Scizor (I was trying this, because they pissed me off back in 4th Gen and why not try it here?), and Conkeldurr (who I replaced with Virizion, whom I never battled with, but otherwise for Conkeldurr, see Gliscor – except worse). This team was majorly being pulled by Latios, but it just wouldn't work without a complete overhaul, which is why I never bothered to try Virizion. And now, here I am with this new team.
I was still a bit hooked on Choice Band/Scarf Scizor, so I tried something similar that I had thought about before – Scarf Hax Jirachi (I don't know the real name of this set). I realized after a looking at a few RMTs, my (very unsuccessful) 5th Gen teams have been lacking good synergy. So, I looked at Jirachi's weaknesses, Fire and Ground. “Hey, Flying Dragons handle those!” Also, from my last team, I saw that a lot of good teams seem to have a Dragon as a sweeper. I thought about all of the different sweeping dragons for a minute,, not just the flying ones. The options I looked at were: Dragonite (no, I failed with him in 4th Gen), Haxorus (I have never been too good with pure brute force, and Haxorus is the epitome of that), Latios (used him on the last team, but I might try him again at some point), Hydreigon (I feel like Latios outclasses him), and finally Salamence (hmm, I never got a chance to use him in the 4th Gen because he was banned when I started competitively, and I always liked him. Why not?). So, Salamence it is. Ok, now I have 2 Pokemon designed for killing, now I could use a bulky Pokemon. Why not a bulky water? Calm Mind Suicune it is! Now Suicune's weaknesses, Grass and Electric. A grass type could handle those, and I still want a staller. (recalling past experiences) “I don't want to use Ferrothorn, I have tried and failed with that earlier this Gen. Wait, Toxic Orb Breloom was a huge pain in my ass in the 4th Gen! That thing was what beat me the most back then! I'll use that!” Now I just want something that I lacked on this team so far... a powerful Special attacker. I have always been amazed by Chandelure's incredible special attack. I must use him! Now I need a lead. (again recalling past pains in my ass) “The four leads I saw the most int 4th Gen were Aerodactyl, Azelf, Infernape, and Machamp. The latter two were always quite annoying. I could use Machamp so that I can take out a Pokemon or tow immediately, and maybe come back later. That is just what I will do.” And that was the base of my team. Machamp, Jirachi, Salamence, Suicune, Breloom, and Chandelure. After 6 battles, I went 5-1. Pretty good! Now, the one thing that eat me was a Shell Smash-Baton Pass Smeargle, which I didn't know how to avoid. But otherwise, my entire team exceeded my expectations. Except, Salamence. It wasn't that it was failing, it simply wasn't able to help very much. Whatever... After reading several RMTs, I saw that Dragonite was a pretty good Dragon Dancer, which is what I was soing with Salamence. The reason I chose Salamence over Dragonite originally was because Dragonite didn't seem that good in 4th Gen, but now it has Multi-Scale, usually allowing me to get in a Dragon Dance or two with over half health. And thus, I swapped Dragonite in and took out Salamence. I think this change was for the best. While Salamence was on the team, I was doing alright, but I needed something better as I worked my way up. After a bunch of battling, I found that other lead Machamps were always either tying my speed or outspeeding me, so I took 4 Evs from HP and Attack each and put them into speed. I also had been using Stone Edge on Machamp before (instead of Ice Punch) and found that Gliscors were a bit too comfortable switching in on Machamp. So, I changed Stone Edge to Ice Punch. Now, a few things on Dragonite were experimental. I used a Lum Berry for him originally, and it was certainly convenient sometimes, but Sandstorm was really ruining Multi-Scale for me. Therefore, I decided to change its item to Leftovers, which proved to be quite useful. I also found myself rarely using Roost, so I changed it to Earthquake. Yay, I have hit a 1200 rating! I haven't really needed Dragonite's Earthquake so far, but I am rather certain I will have better use from it than I had with Roost. After some more play-testing, I think I am ready.
Peaked (so far) with a rating of 1237 in the Pokemon Online server, and I have been hovering around 1200, 1210, obviously some ups and downs.
Peaked (so far) with a rating of 1237 in the Pokemon Online server, and I have been hovering around 1200, 1210, obviously some ups and downs.
Machamp (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 236 HP / 248 Atk / 12 SDef / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- DynamicPunch
- Payback
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
Lead Machamp. Or I suppose anti-lead, really. I know you can see the other person's entire team now, but this Machamp can handle anything that is thrown at me, except for Lati@s (is Latias banned?), but they usually send that out after I take out their lead. Machamp is really quite good at its job. Machamp can almost always take out their leads that only get in 1 move and at least make a big dent in another Pokemon. I also can use him pretty often to beat up Pokemon such as Ferrothorn if I am trying to keep certain Pokemon untouched for a little bit. The EV spread was the one given on the analysis, but I took 4 EVs from both HP and Attack to put into Speed, so I am faster than other lead Machamps, and other people with Lead Machamps who boosted their speed by one extra point. It can survive almost any one attack. Usually if a Pokemon is powerful enough to almost knock Machamp in one hit, I can usually hit it for almost all of its HP, and use Bullet Punch. The only Lead that tends to make me switch Machamp out is Skarmory. I use DynamicPunch if nothing else if super-effective, and it really packs a punch to Tyranitar and Ferrothorn, and I most commonly use it against other Machamps and Politoed. Payback is really for any Psychic type or Ghost that comes in. Bullet Punch is great for finishing off Pokemon like Azelf or Aerodactyl or whatever if it has only a little bit of health left. Ice Punch is for flying types, specifically Gliscor that were switching in on Machamp sometimes, and neither Pokemon was really accomplishing anything in those cases. There were two things that I was thinking about changing: changing Ice Punch to Thunder Punch; changing Lum Berry to Leftovers (or maybe something else). I probably wouldn't change Lum Berry because it is quite useful against other Machamps (confusion) and anything that tries to burn me.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- ThunderPunch
- U-turn
I know what some of you think: "flinch-hax Jirachi is the stupidest thing ever and shows no skill." Yeah, well, I honestly never rely on flinching the opponent to win. Obviously it is a nice thing to have, but I almost always just use Jirachi as a scout or an unsuspecting revenge killer, so just don't even mention the "cheap flinch-hax". Just as I said "unsuspecting", I think that's why this little shooting star is so great for me. More often than not, people don't switch out when Jirachi has come in to revenge kill or occasionally just kill. The Choice Scarf with max speed gives it a speed stat of 492, able to outspeed all unboosted Pokemon (bar Deoxys-S), it even outspeeds max-speed Ninjask. It even ties max-speed Salamence after a Dragon Dance (I believe the fastest Dragon Dancer, I may be wrong), obviously outspeeds Scarf Heatran or any other Scarf user with speed lower than base 100, Shell Smash Cloyster with a neutral nature, and probably other fast things. So, I am basically saying how great this little guy is at coming in to finish off a somewhat weak Pokemon, and U-Turn is great to attract a ground move and switch to Breloom to set up, or a Fire move to safely get Chandelure in. Something I may want to change is Thunder Punch. It is really only good for Skarmory (who doesn't take a ton of damage from it) and bulky waters which I can hit with Zen Headbutt or more likely switch anyway. Ice Punch could hit Dragons much better or Fire Punch could hit any Grass or Steel types. The entire team was built around Jirachi, I would just like to mention that.
Dragonite (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
This Dragonite was supposed to be the major sweeper who would come in after its counters were gone. However, that only happens in about a fourth of my matches, maybe even less. As mentioned in the development of the team, I originally had Salamence in this spot. This was while I was learning the ins and outs of how I should be using this team, floating around 1000 rating. Once I went on my way up, I was noticing that the only reason that I was winning was that I was facing n00bs and the rest of the team was more than pulling its weight, making up for Salamence. Dragonite has turned out to be much more useful. Leftovers is for the times that there is a sandstorm or if there are entry hazards and I can force a switch, Dragonite will still have full health. If I can force a switch and there are no entry hazards and there is no sandstorm, I can just about always use Dragon Dance twice, and the three other moves can cover many, many things. A lot of times, the first hit dulled by Multiscale deals less than 50%. More than once, I have switched into Rotom-W and the opponent felt Hydro Pump would be good enough and they shouldn't switch, while I use Dragon Dance three times. The overall bulkiness of Dragonite combined with Multiscale makes it a powerful Dragon Dancer, and that is just what it is used as. Unfortunately, I usually don't think to simply take out Dragonite's counters and then sweep, but something works out more often than not. There are no changes I was thinking about, but all recommendations will be considered.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Suicune is the bulky water that I wanted to have on the team. I knew that I wanted this Pokemon to have some offensive capability though. It does alright, but it probably doesn't meet the expectations I had for it the way every other Pokemon on the team has. I basically decided when choosing a bulky water, "I will just use Suicune and see what happens." I quickly looked through the sets and chose basic Calm Mind. Suicune is pretty much what I use to switch into Fire types and (element of surprise) Steel types, especially Steel types that are double weak to Fire. I am always afraid when switching Suicune in to a Fire type, because most Fire types are equipped to deal with Water types. As I said, I use Suicune more often than anything else to switch into Steel types that have a second weakness to Fire. Yep, Hidden Power Fire is a surprise every time. Ferrothorns and Scizors and the occasional Forretress always think I clicked on the wrong Pokemon, and try to set up or predict, while I just use Hidden Power to OHKO them, some Ferrothorns are 2HKO. I didn't do anything to make this Suicune unique, it just seems that no one ever suspect a Fire move. This is the one entire Pokemon I was considering replacing entirely. However, I certainly don't want a totally different Pokemon, something that outclasses Suicune but serves the same purpose. Maybe Vaporeon? If I keep Suicune, maybe I should switch to Hidden Power Electric or Fire since other bulky waters always cause him trouble. After all, I shouldn't need my bulky water to take out Ferrothorns all over the place.
Breloom (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Def / 20 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Substitute
Perhaps the most wonderful thing ever. There are a variety of things that Breloom can switch into. I usually try to draw out a Water or Ground type attack by putting Chandelure in and then revealing Breloom! This is probably the only Pokemon (except maybe Machamp) that if it has 15% or so health and about to be finished off, I can very successfully take it out and bring it back in later and destroy everything. This Breloom is like a combination of a very good defensive Pokemon and a sweeper. If I can get Breloom in against a Pokemon that I know can't do much damage to him, all I have to do is use Spore. I use Spore on whatever Pokemon is there to receive it. This more or less guarantees me a Substitute, and that lets me use Focus Punch. A STAB move with 150 power coming off of any attack is very deadly, especially when I get to use it multiple times with one Substitute. Focus Punch has allowed me to annihilate physical walls, even if they resist Focus Punch. Seed Bomb pretty much is just for STAB coverage. Even though this is one of two viable ways to use Breloom at all, it works spectacularly. I can't think of anything that I would want to change about Breloom, but suggestions will be taken.
Chandelure (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SAtk / 184 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Shadow Ball
Chandelure goes quite well with Breloom. I mentioned in Breloom's description, Chandelure is good at drawing out Water and Ground type attacks, which Breloom can switch into. However, the opposite is also true. Breloom pretty much only has trouble against Pokemon with good Ice and Water type attacks, and the occasional Brave Bird which can be handled by Jirachi. Chandelure can handle most things that none of my other Pokemon can perform well against. Fire Blast is what I use the most and can 1 or 2HKO most things that don't resist it. Just think about it, maxed out base 145 Special Attack with Specs using a STAB 120 power move is (I think) the most powerful move in OU except for maxed attack Band Haxorus's Outrage and maybe something Deoxys-N has. I'm pretty sure that Chandelure can OHKO anything weak to Fire Blast and most things weak to Shadow Ball.
Energy Ball has actually been pretty good, because most of the time I am using it against a Water type that is either very slow or thinks I am going to switch out. Hidden Power Fighting is the perfect complement to Shadow Ball, since there is no Pokemon that resists both moves. I think I will probably make Chandelure Timid instead of Modest, because I don't know whether that extra powerful punch or the extra speed is what is best, I definitely want some advice on that. I just don't know what a Timid nature will let me outspeed that I don't already.
And offensive and defensive threat lists if you want to look through them. Sorry that I couldn't get the sprites in, when I tried to preview the post, it said that there were too many pictures.
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Aerodactyl - Aerodactyl certainly doesn't seem like a threat, I think they are only leads anyway. Since it is a lead, Machamp can kill it in two turns with Ice Punch and Bullet Punch, making them choose between Stealth Rock and me having a Machamp with full health.
Archeops - Haven't faced any of these, but Jirachi could probably use Thunder Punch or Suicune could use Surf.
Azelf - I think Azelf are only used as leads, so Machamp can probably handle them just with Payback and Bullet Punch or maybe 2 Paybacks.
Bisharp - Machamp if it is still alive. Otherwise, it depends if I think it is faster than Chandelure. Hidden Power Fighting will destroy it, but Breloom or Suicune is probably safest.
Breloom - I haven't faced them, but I think Chandelure should stop it dead in its tracks. Just as long as Fire Blast doesn't miss, but Shadow Ball would probably be strong enough.
Chandelure - Dragonite could set up on it unless it has Hidden Power Ice, in which case Suicune might be able to take an Energy Ball.
Cobalion - I have not seen any of these, but Breloom or Chandelure could probably handle it. I don't know what it generally uses, but I don't think it is a prominent threat.
Conkeldurr - [IMG]http://veekun.com/dex/media/icons/555-normal.png[/IMG] My best answer is probably Dragonite, although Chandelure could probably make it switch out.
Darmanitan - Once again, I have seen none of these. It would probably use a Fire move, and Chandelure would have switched in to take.
Deoxys-S - I think these are only leads, I am sure Payback + Bullet Punch will beat the hell out of it.
Dragonite - I don't think it could do much to Suicune, that's what I usually put in for a 1 or 2HKO.
Druddigon - Never seen one of these ever except for the Dragon gym leader, if she even had one. I think you could probably look at the above.
Eelektross - I would imagine Dragonite or Breloom could set up on it, I don't see how it is a threat in the slightest.
Electivire - This has actually given me trouble once or twice. If Dragonite can switch into it with full health, that would probably be the best answer to it.
Emboar - Chandelure would probably force it to switch, or just Suicune.
Empoleon - I whatever Pokemon I have out can't handle it, Breloom or Dragonite could most likely survive an Ice Beam.
Espeon - Chandelure probably could take any one attack Espeon could dish.
Escavalier - Only seen it once, Suicune absolutely owned it with Hidden Power Fire.
Excadrill - I'm assuming no one uses it outside of the sand. Yeah, this guy is trouble. If something on my team is already weakened, I will sacrifice it for a free switch to Suicune, otherwise he is a bit of trouble. Breloom might take it down.
Garchomp - b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-banned
Genesect - Never seen one, but Suicune's Hidden Power Fire, Dragonite's Fire Punch or Chandelure's Fire Blast could probably beat it before it could do anything at all.
Gengar - Surprisingly, I think I have only seen this once this generation. I suppose Jirachi's Zen Headbutt would probably take it out instantly, especially if it has taken any damage.
Golurk - Suicune would probably at least force it to switch, or maybe Breloom or Dragonite could set up.
Gyarados - Jirachi with Thunder Punch.
Haxorus - Dragonite will destroy it (if Haxorus comes to Dragonite first), especially if Dragonite has used Dragon Dance at all. If Dragonite isn't already out there, Jirachi will most likely take a hit or two and deal some good damage to it and then Dragonite will finish it off.
Heatran - Suicune can take 1 or 2 Hidden Power Grass and destroy Heatran in the mean time.
Heracross - Jirachi can use Zen Headbutt and probably take it down.
Hydreigon - Haven't seen one, but Suicune would probably take care of it.
Infernape - See Heracross and Heatran.
Jirachi - See Genesect.
Jolteon - All it is ever used for is Volt Switch and when the opponent has no other Pokemon left, not a problem for Breloom or something.
Keldeo - Breloom would love to set up on it, as would Dragonite.
Kingdra - In the rain, this thing is a lot of trouble. I would have to say that if Breloom and Dragonite and Jirachi can't handle it, nothing else can. This is one of the few threats I don't have a reliable answer to.
Krookodile - Suicune, Dragonite, Breloom.
Kyurem - Haven't seen one, I guess Chandelure would be good, but Machamp or anything that has set up will probably beat it.
Landorus - Only seen these occasionally, Suicune works on it, or Jirachi can revenge kill it if that can be done.
Latios - Annoying. It usually comes out right after Machamp kills the lead. If I am at full health, I will use Payback and Jirachi will revenge kill it. If Machamp is weakened, I will switch in Jirachi for the Psyshock, U-Turn to Suicune, that usually works out.
Lilligant - I doubt this is ever a problem to anyony. Breloom, Dragonite, Chandelure.
Lucario - They seem to be rare this gen. Breloom or Dragonite would work most likely, or Chandelure. Or Suicune. Or Machamp if it it still left. Or Jirachi could U-Turn to trick it or revenge kill it.
Machamp - I only see them as opposing leads, and I am usually faster and can take it out with two Dynamic Punches.
Magnezone - Havn't seen them, but I could probably handle it like anything else weak to Fire. If it traps Jirachi then that sucks, but too bad.
Mamoswine - [IMG]http://veekun.com/dex/media/icons/648-step.png[/IMG]Damn Ice Shard. Probably Suicune would kill it.
Meloetta-S - VVV
--------------This goes for both, since I don't know which one is S and which one is V. Never seen it, I guess I would send it Suicune or Jirachi and hope for the best.
Meloetta-V - ^^^
Metagross - Haven't seen them much this gen, I would handle it like all of the other Steel types.
Mienshao - I would probably use Jirachi for Zen Headbutt or switch in Dragonite.
Reuniclus - I guess I would send out Jirachi for a U-Turn and go to Chandelure. Even if it has full investment in HP and Defense/Special Defense, a combination of U-Turn and Shadow Ball will absolutely KO it.
Roserade - Haven't seen it very often, but Dragonite would probably force it out until later.
Salamence - What can't I do to Salamence? Just about any of my Pokemon will give it trouble, especially if I can weaken it and revenge kill with Jirachi (unless it has multiple Dragon Dances).
Sawsbuck - Sunny Day teams aren't hard to beat.
Scizor - See anything else double Fire weak.
Scrafty - He has been annoying in the past, but Breloom can always use Spore and stop it if I do it right.
Seismitoad - Haven't seen them, but I am certain Breloom could own it.
Serperior - Haven't seen them, Dragonite can set up on it.
Shaymin - Unless it means the land form (lol), it is banned.
Sigilyph - Don't know how this is a threat, but I guess Dragonite or Suicune or Chandelure.
Smeargle - I have to assume it is a Shell Smash Passer, which has the potential to be very threatening. I would probably try to take it out with whatever is out ASAP.
Starmie - Haven't seen much of it this gen, but I suppose Jirachi U-Turn could make something good happen.
Terakion - Never any trouble. The only thing on my team that it can counter is Chandelure, but it can't switch into it except for a revenge kill.
Thundurus - Annoying at best. Ok, now Suicune is paralyzed, sarcastic "Oh no!" Breloom is great when it is already poisoned.
Togekiss - Dragonite or Suicune or possibly even Chandelure or Jirachi could handle it.
Tornadus - Threat? Pretty much the same as Togekiss.
Tyranitar - Usually a lead which is owned by Machamp, otherwise I usually send in Jirachi for a 1 or 2HKO, but I can't let Jirachi switch into a Crunch.
Venusaur - Breloom or Dragonite could probably set up.
Victini - Rare, I suppose I would try to draw out a V-Create by sending out Jirachi and U-Turning to Chandelure.
Virizion - I would send in anything but Suicune and progress from there, depending on how the match is going.
Volcarona - Unfortunately, I have no Stealth Rock to own it. However, I bet Suicune or something could deal with it.
Weavile - Haven't seen it this gen, but Suicune would work with its unsuspecting Hidden Power Fighting.
Zoroark - I ahve only seen it once, and I hate it. I don't think very many people other than n00bs use it, maybe I'm wrong. But once I identify it, Breloom would crush it.All in all, I use this team fairly conservatively, and it seems to work pretty well. I think the team has good synergy and can come together to handle many threats. My downsides are no entry hazards and Sandstorm occasionally give me problems. I definitely think this team is good as is, but has great potential.
Changes in particular I wanted advice on (obviously if you notice anything else, mention it):
Giving Machamp Thunder Punch instead of Ice Punch.
Using something instead of Lum Berry for Machamp (maybe Leftovers).
Changing Thunder Punch on Jirachi to one of the other elemental Punches.
Swapping Suicune for a better bulky water.
If keeping Suicune, maybe use Hidden Power Electric or Grass.
Making Chandelure Timid.
DON'T COMMENT WITHOUT LOOKING AT OTHER POSTS, THEY MAY INCLUDE UPDATES TO THE TEAM AND YOU WILL LOOK DUMB CRITICIZING WHAT THE TEAM USED TO LOOK LIKE
