Hi everyone! Welcome to my second RMT of the generation. Using the team from my previous RMT, I was able to hit a new peak using a team I completely built myself, but not my best all-time peak. So, with World Cup usage statistics out, I decided to try to build a new, strong team that I could ladder with and hopefully reach a new peak with. This team managed to help me not only peak, but break 1900's for the first time ever (before swiftly getting blasted back to the 1800's lol).
Please let me know how I can improve, or if you take the team for a spin yourself and enjoy it, please let me know!
Table of Contents:
1. Proof of Peak
2. Teambuilding Process
3. The Pokémon
4. Threat List
5. Considered Changes
6. Conclusion
7. Importable
1. Proof of Peak
With this team I peaked at 1905 ELO as shown below.
2. Teambuilding Process
General:
I started this process by going through the World Cup of Pokemon usage statistics. I won't call out every percentage I looked at, but will list a few I looked at to illustrate my teambuilding process. I was looking for Pokemon that were seeing high usage, good win rates, and had great stats and abilities. By great stats and abilities, I'm ideally looking for Pokemon that maximize their effective BST (for example, Specs Pult is cool, and I understand very well why it's good, but the fact that it does not utilize it's 120 base Attack stat just rubs me the wrong way), and have abilities that give the most bang for their buck.

Ting-Lu looked strong in the tournament, and he basically defines an entire archetype in OU. Hazard stacking is very viable in the current meta, and I'm honestly a pretty big Ting-Lu propagandist. This guy perfectly fits what I'm looking for-- with a high effective BST (only squandering its 55 SpAtk stat which is quite minimal), and a very useful ability, Ting-Lu will be a valuable asset. Thus, I put my favorite deer on the team, gave him lots of things to throw to the enemy's side, and continued on my way.

If you're running Ting-Lu hazard stack, this guy is almost always a given. Unsurprisingly, these two paired together had a pretty good win rate in the WCOP tournament. Gholdengo has an invaluable ability, incredible stats, and very spammable STAB moves, so he is an easy addition to the team.

This next guy was a bit of a surprise for me. Prior to this, I hadn't liked using Rotom-Wash much, as relying on Leftovers + Protect for recovery seemed kinda silly. BUT, this thing had very high usage in the tournament overall, and an INCREDIBLY high win rate when paired with Gholdengo. I mean, it makes sense, right? With Ting-Lu and Rotom-Wash, Gholdengo has all of its weaknesses covered, and Rotom-Wash can heavily pressure all of the common hazard removers. I decided to roll with the funny little washing machine, and was happily surprised by his performance.

You knew it was coming. The OU staple, with a whopping 83% usage in the WCOP, Great Tusk is primarily here to force progress via Knock Off and spin away hazards. We're utilizing the Bulk Up variant so that we have a sturdy physical tank who can also snowball if not checked properly.

At this point, I want something that adds some offensive presence and makes sure I never lose to stall. I opted for Choice Band Baxcalibur who blows everything up with Glaive Rush, can do 30+% with resisted Icicle Crashes, and adds some useful priority to the team.
At this point, I had accidentally built a core of 5 that was used 9 times in the tournament and saw a win rate of about 78%. Oops!

I will not lose to Walking Wake.
I will not lose to Walking Wake.
I will not lose to Walking Wake.
.
.
.
Haha funny Trick goes brrrrrr.
3. The Pokemon

The Investors (Gholdengo) @ Covert Cloak
Ability: Good as Gold
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 160 HP / 48 Def / 64 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Make It Rain
- Nasty Plot
- Recover
is our premier setup sweeper and ensures that hazards stay up. The set is pretty standard, utilizing Covert Cloak to ignore Salt Cure and
's Nuzzle. Shadow Ball and Make It Rain are strong spammable STAB moves that are very difficult to wall. Nasty Plot allows Gholdengo to spam Make It Rain more freely and setup on switches. Recover allows
to come in on the things it checks, such as
and
, and heal as they switch out. Alternatively, you can leverage these types of positions to click a STAB move on the obvious switch, punishing whatever comes in heavily.
The given EV spread allows
to live a Pyro Ball from the standard bulky
while outspeeding 252+
,
, and
. The rest is poured into SpAtk. Since Shadow Ball and Make It Rain are strong enough coming off of
's 133 base SpAtk stat, we don't miss the SpAtk investment that much. Tera Flying can be used to setup on
if desired, but is moreso to completely wall
and
who carry Earthquake.

King Lui (Ting-Lu) @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Heavy Slam
- Whirlwind
is the hazard setter and special wall for the team. Ting-Lu's desire in life is to setup every hazard it can, and it does so with great ease. Stealth Rock is mainly for
,
, and non-
, while Spikes gets invaluable chip on
,
,
, etc. It's also worth noting that three layers of Spikes + Stealth Rock outdamages Regenerator, allowing
to indirectly destroy stall. Heavy Slam is used to allow
to punish
and
switch-ins, particularly if it greedily Close Combats, eats a defense drop, and dies in one hit. Whirlwind saves us in the face of dangerous sweepers.
The given EV spread maximizes special bulk for maximum wallage. Tera Poison allows Ting-Lu to turn the tables in the face of
,
,
, and Tera Grass/Fairy
. In many cases, I would turn
into a Poison-type in the face of a super effective attack to allow him to setup max hazards, a strategy that proved to be very effective. This Tera also functions as a "break glass in case of Toxic Spikes emergency" button, which furthers Ting-Lu's ability to stop stall.

Kinda Chill Doe... (Baxcalibur) @ Choice Band
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Glaive Rush
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
serves primarily as a wallbreaker, and occasionally as a cleaner and revenge killer. Baxcalibur's main job is to invalidate stall and force heavy damage on physical walls. Glaive Rush is only really resisted by physically defensive
and
, blowing up everything else. Even
is 2HKO'd by this move, meaning it cannot safely switch in to check
. In general, it is just a good move to click if the opponent lacks a Fairy type, or if the Fairy is cleared. Icicle Crash is a powerful STAB that can muscle through
,
,
, and
, OHKO'ing most versions of the latter two and often getting flinch-lucky on the prior two. Ice Shard can revenge kill or clean end games, and can also pressure non-ESpeed
,
,
, and
. Earthquake is used to catch
and
on switch-in.
The EV spread is pretty self-explanatory-- hit hard and fast. I chose an Adamant nature over Jolly for raw power, particularly versus physically defensive
,
,
, and
. Tera Dragon was selected to power up Glaive Rush, but I don't honestly recall clicking it during my laddering session. Tera Fairy or Steel could probably be better used to ensure
gets his hits off in a pinch.

Nose Collector (Great Tusk) @ Leftovers
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 244 HP / 52 Def / 160 SpD / 52 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Bulk Up
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
is the hazard controller and secondary physical wall of the team, and occasionally functions as a sweeper if not checked properly. Bulk Up + Rapid Spin is discount Victory Dance for
, allowing him to control hazards (and
Leech Seed) while becoming a prominent threat. Earthquake is the STAB move of choice to avoid contact with
users and not drop defenses. Knock Off is a very important move for forcing progress on
and
users. However, since
is also running Knock Off, Body Press or Ice Spinner could be considered.
The given EV spread allows
to avoid a 2HKO from
's Shadow Ball after
recovery. In general, the SpDef allows
to live many hits that the opponent would not expect, and the lack of Defense investment can be patched up with Bulk Up. Tera Fire was selected to improve the matchup against
and
, and gives
the chance to OHKO
that tries to get a burn off.

Sp'n'gain (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
- Will-O-Wisp
is an effective slow pivot, status spreader, and primary physical wall.
+ Protect gives
the chance to scout Choice items while healing up. Volt Switch is incredibly important for momentum, allowing
to bring in
,
, and
to pressure the opponent. It also threatens great damage into
,
, and
. Hydro Pump tears up
and
, as well as being strong enough to break Utility
's Substitute. Will-o-Wisp was selected to increase chip damage for the team, negate
recovery, punish the likes of
,
, and
, and indirectly improve the bulk of our offensive pieces. Thunder Wave is, of course, worth consideration, but since we have
, the speed control feels unnecessary.
The given EV spread allows
to outspeed 252+
and Will-o-Wisp it. Given that
and
can check
fairly effectively, it is worth considering dropping
to 12 Spe so that it still outspeeds non-invested
and is a bit more bulky, but this is a judgement call. Tera Poison was selected to completely wall offensive
and
, but Tera Steel could also be used if you can handle these threats properly.

Sama Samurai (Iron Valiant) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Moonblast
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Trick
was added to give the team some much needed speed. With a blazing Speed stat, Moonblast can revenge kill many sweeping threats such as
,
, and
, and can also grab cheeky OHKOs on unsuspecting
and non-
. Iron Valiant also has good synergy with the hazard stacking core since
and
will often try to switch into Moonblast, opening themselves up to getting their
removed.
The given EV spread maximizes speed and power, allowing
to be a powerful revenge killer. Tera Fairy was chosen just to allow for easy Moonblast clicking in the endgame, but I don't recall ever using it. It could be worth changing to Tera Steel since this would give
an immunity or resistance to all of its weaknesses. Tera Dark or Tera Fighting could also be viable.
4. Threat List

Part of the difficulty with this threat is the ambiguity of its set. Typically
is a relatively safe switch-in, but if this is running Swords Dance + Knock Off then this becomes challenging. I typically have sac'd something, Tera'd
, and just Heavy Slammed to get rid of this guy. Changing our own
and
to Tera Steel and Tera Steel/Fairy, respectively, and may be a viable alternative to deal with this. Regardless, if you see
, try to save your Tera to stop its sweep.

As mentioned above, Toxic Spikes are something of a nuisance to our team since we lack a grounded Poison-type. This is particularly true regarding
; since the rise of
, Toxic Spikes has become a relatively uncommon move, making it hard to read on team preview. If you suspect that
is running Toxic Spikes, then it's probably worth getting
in and Tera'd as soon as possible. I have even led
into
, Tera'd first turn, negated their Toxic, and got all my hazards up and won as a result.
is similarly a threat in its ability to setup Toxic Spikes, but its typically much easier to deal with. If you suspect lead
, lead
and Hydro Pump twice for the kill. You do have to play the 50/50 of whether or not they will just Energy Ball you twice or if they'll set up Stealth Rock first, but you could Tera
first turn to account for this (and assuming that this is a good Tera into the rest of the opposing team).
If Toxic Spikes go up before
has a chance to Tera and clear them, try to switch between
and
until you can get
in to spin. If the Toxic Spiker is still alive at that point, you can choose between getting
in to Tera, or continuing to bring
in to spin.

The most difficult part of the rain matchup is probably the pressure it puts on
. Our favorite fat deer has trouble setting up his hazards when he's watching his life flash before his eyes in the face of
. Plus,
is pretty much a dead slot in this matchup, and we don't have Tera Water to help with this.
The most important member for this matchup is definitely
. He can keep momentum up and force heavy damage on everyone on the team (except
). Most importantly, he can live
's Tera Water Wave Crash with relative ease and can OHKO all variants of
in rain. Try to play aggressively and make reads to keep the pressure on the opponent. For example, rain players will typically lead
or
. If they lead
, expect a switch to
or
. Hydro Pumping either is a good option since one is an OHKO, and the other allows us to Volt Switch after into
.
5. Replays
Disclaimer: I'm still relatively new so there are definitely some missed wins and/or misplays in these battles. Sorry if these are not the highest quality battles, but I hope they still give a good overview of the team!
spin da bloc (1879) vs. harden steps (1789)

spin da bloc (1854) vs. knexhawk2 (1943)

spin da bloc (1819) vs. KING ATILLART (1899)

spin da bloc (1760) vs. Noobula (1639)

spin da bloc (1744) vs. Srn (1832)

6. Conclusion
There's not too much to say about this team-- hazard stack is strong, and the offensive pieces on this team make good use of the hazards. I wish I could post something a little less standard, but standard is standard for a reason, right? The team could use a few tweaks here and there, perhaps a change of Tera Type or two and a few small move adjustments, but overall the team is very viable on high ladder!
I look forward to reading everyone's input regarding some of the changes I mentioned. See y'all in the next one!
7. Importable
Bax 'n Stacks (Classic)
Bax 'n Stacks (Spicy)
Please let me know how I can improve, or if you take the team for a spin yourself and enjoy it, please let me know!
Table of Contents:
1. Proof of Peak
2. Teambuilding Process
3. The Pokémon
4. Threat List
5. Considered Changes
6. Conclusion
7. Importable
1. Proof of Peak
With this team I peaked at 1905 ELO as shown below.
2. Teambuilding Process
General:
I started this process by going through the World Cup of Pokemon usage statistics. I won't call out every percentage I looked at, but will list a few I looked at to illustrate my teambuilding process. I was looking for Pokemon that were seeing high usage, good win rates, and had great stats and abilities. By great stats and abilities, I'm ideally looking for Pokemon that maximize their effective BST (for example, Specs Pult is cool, and I understand very well why it's good, but the fact that it does not utilize it's 120 base Attack stat just rubs me the wrong way), and have abilities that give the most bang for their buck.

Ting-Lu looked strong in the tournament, and he basically defines an entire archetype in OU. Hazard stacking is very viable in the current meta, and I'm honestly a pretty big Ting-Lu propagandist. This guy perfectly fits what I'm looking for-- with a high effective BST (only squandering its 55 SpAtk stat which is quite minimal), and a very useful ability, Ting-Lu will be a valuable asset. Thus, I put my favorite deer on the team, gave him lots of things to throw to the enemy's side, and continued on my way.


If you're running Ting-Lu hazard stack, this guy is almost always a given. Unsurprisingly, these two paired together had a pretty good win rate in the WCOP tournament. Gholdengo has an invaluable ability, incredible stats, and very spammable STAB moves, so he is an easy addition to the team.



This next guy was a bit of a surprise for me. Prior to this, I hadn't liked using Rotom-Wash much, as relying on Leftovers + Protect for recovery seemed kinda silly. BUT, this thing had very high usage in the tournament overall, and an INCREDIBLY high win rate when paired with Gholdengo. I mean, it makes sense, right? With Ting-Lu and Rotom-Wash, Gholdengo has all of its weaknesses covered, and Rotom-Wash can heavily pressure all of the common hazard removers. I decided to roll with the funny little washing machine, and was happily surprised by his performance.




You knew it was coming. The OU staple, with a whopping 83% usage in the WCOP, Great Tusk is primarily here to force progress via Knock Off and spin away hazards. We're utilizing the Bulk Up variant so that we have a sturdy physical tank who can also snowball if not checked properly.





At this point, I want something that adds some offensive presence and makes sure I never lose to stall. I opted for Choice Band Baxcalibur who blows everything up with Glaive Rush, can do 30+% with resisted Icicle Crashes, and adds some useful priority to the team.
At this point, I had accidentally built a core of 5 that was used 9 times in the tournament and saw a win rate of about 78%. Oops!






I will not lose to Walking Wake.
I will not lose to Walking Wake.
I will not lose to Walking Wake.
.
.
.
Haha funny Trick goes brrrrrr.
3. The Pokemon

The Investors (Gholdengo) @ Covert Cloak
Ability: Good as Gold
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 160 HP / 48 Def / 64 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Make It Rain
- Nasty Plot
- Recover





The given EV spread allows










King Lui (Ting-Lu) @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Heavy Slam
- Whirlwind












The given EV spread maximizes special bulk for maximum wallage. Tera Poison allows Ting-Lu to turn the tables in the face of






Kinda Chill Doe... (Baxcalibur) @ Choice Band
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Glaive Rush
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
















The EV spread is pretty self-explanatory-- hit hard and fast. I chose an Adamant nature over Jolly for raw power, particularly versus physically defensive






Nose Collector (Great Tusk) @ Leftovers
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 244 HP / 52 Def / 160 SpD / 52 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Bulk Up
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin







The given EV spread allows










Sp'n'gain (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
- Will-O-Wisp



















The given EV spread allows










Sama Samurai (Iron Valiant) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Moonblast
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Trick










The given EV spread maximizes speed and power, allowing


4. Threat List

Part of the difficulty with this threat is the ambiguity of its set. Typically







As mentioned above, Toxic Spikes are something of a nuisance to our team since we lack a grounded Poison-type. This is particularly true regarding











If Toxic Spikes go up before












The most difficult part of the rain matchup is probably the pressure it puts on




The most important member for this matchup is definitely











5. Replays
Disclaimer: I'm still relatively new so there are definitely some missed wins and/or misplays in these battles. Sorry if these are not the highest quality battles, but I hope they still give a good overview of the team!
spin da bloc (1879) vs. harden steps (1789)






spin da bloc (1854) vs. knexhawk2 (1943)






spin da bloc (1819) vs. KING ATILLART (1899)






spin da bloc (1760) vs. Noobula (1639)






spin da bloc (1744) vs. Srn (1832)






6. Conclusion
There's not too much to say about this team-- hazard stack is strong, and the offensive pieces on this team make good use of the hazards. I wish I could post something a little less standard, but standard is standard for a reason, right? The team could use a few tweaks here and there, perhaps a change of Tera Type or two and a few small move adjustments, but overall the team is very viable on high ladder!
I look forward to reading everyone's input regarding some of the changes I mentioned. See y'all in the next one!
7. Importable
Bax 'n Stacks (Classic)
Bax 'n Stacks (Spicy)
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