It's been a while since I posted a team here, and recently while messing around on Showdown's damage calculations, I noticed that Mega Gyarados is surprisingly tanky with 95/109/130 bulk and a typing that makes it a great surprise tool that can destroy unprepared teams. Running it in battle, it did pretty well on a new account, so I decided to build a team around it.
First, let's talk about the star of the show, the Donphan in the room, per se.
Mega Gyarados joined your team!
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 204 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Crunch
Gyarados is incredibly tanky with the given EV spread.
Case in point:
252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Focus Blast vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega: 204-240 (51.9 - 61%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Magearna Fleur Cannon vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega: 264-312 (67.1 - 79.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega in Electric Terrain: 330-390 (83.9 - 99.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Solar Beam vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega: 190-224 (48.3 - 56.9%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele All-Out Pummeling (190 BP) vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega: 258-304 (65.6 - 77.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Obviously, you would never intentionally keep Gyarados in on any of these Pokemon without a Dragon Dance or two up unless it was an emergency, but the ability to take a hit is very appreciated, especially in a pinch when you need to get a Dragon Dance up. Substitute allows Gyarados to dodge status, and Dragon Dance is obvious. Gyarados's Water/Dark typing, Substitute, and coverage moves allow it to check Toxapex, Ash-Greninja, and other opponents that give its teammates trouble. Crunch and Earthquake along with Mold Breaker allow it to hit Rotom Wash and other Levitate opponents (though Rotom is the most notable). 56 Speed EVs allow Gyarados to outspeed Timid Tapu Lele after a Dragon Dance.
Gyarados's special bulk is astounding, but its physical bulk is less than stellar without investment. This brought my attention to a very overused Pokemon with an underutilized ability.
Zapdos joined your team!
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Defog
A pretty standard Zapdos set, however I chose to run Static over Pressure. Due to the only "fast" Pokemon on this team being Greninja and Victini after a boost, Static helps close the speed gap for some of Zapdos's slower teammates. This came in clutch during several battles, as Zapdos paralyzed a setup sweeper, leading to a solid victory. Gyarados and Zapdos form a very potent defensive core, with Zapdos able to handle physical attacks that Gyarados hates, while also providing Defog support for the whole team. Heat Wave can snag Mega Mawiles and Magearnas who think they can switch in on the Defog, and Roost helps Zapdos stay healthy throughout the whole match.
With a defensive core completed, I needed a way to get Gyarados in safely and consistently. This led me to turn to AV Magearna as a Volt Switch user.
Magearna joined your team!
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 224 SpD / 36 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Iron Head
- Fleur Cannon
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch
Magearna is a pretty standard set. AV makes it unbelievably tanky, 36 Speed EVs outspeeds uninvested Clefable, Iron Head lets it break opposing Calm Mind Magearna, etc. Nothing on this set really screams "innovative", unlike Gyarados. Magearna does, however, act as a secondary Ash-Greninja check if necessary, and Volt Switch is a great way to bring Gyarados in and keeping up momentum. Focus Blast is there to hit Heatran while still maintaining the ability to hit Ferrothorn. Fleur Cannon is mandatory on every Magearna set.
With half the team filled up, I finally realized I needed a hazard setter. With no Intimidator on the team outside of pre-Mega Gyarados, I decided to use the one Pokemon you'll find in overwhelming abundance in OU.
....
Get it?
The Abundance Pokemon?
Oh well.
Landorus joined your team!
Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
Again, a pretty standard set. It can form an Intimidate core with Gyarados if it hasn't Mega Evolved yet, and it's another slow U-turn user to bring Gyarados in safely. I was debating whether to have Defog in place of HP Ice to use Landorus as a secondary Defogger if Zapdos didn't work out, but I deemed that unnecessary since Zapdos is quite bulky anyway and eats up physical attackers with Static and Roost. HP Ice hits Garchomp and the rare Salamence, and Earthquake eats Magearnas and Heatrans for breakfast. Landorus is also my designated mon to take the hit from a Buginium Volcarona.
One thing is common among these 4 - their slow speed. If I wanted to get ahead, I would need fast Pokemon that can wreak havoc in the early and late game. There was a good user of a Z-Move that fit that description - Z-Celebrate Victini.
Victini joined your team!
Victini @ Normalium Z
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Celebrate
- Searing Shot
- Stored Power
- Focus Blast
Z-Celebrate can wreak havoc if you can force a switch and then use it to get a free +1 in all stats. It makes Victini extremely tanky and can outspeed and OHKO Ash-Greninja with a near-80% accuracy Focus Blast or blow away Toxapex with a 120 BP Stored Power. It can score early game KOs or clean up after its checks and counters have been eliminated. Searing Shot can secure burns if used in the early game, which can be useful later down the line. Stored Power hits like a truck and Focus Blast cleans up Pokemon that resist or are immune to Stored Power, barring Mega Sableye, who can't really do anything to Victini outside of a 4HKO Knock Off whereas Victini does 44-52% per Searing Shot, making it mandatory for Sableye to Recover.
Finally, I needed to clean up loose ends. This team shared a crippling weakness to Volcarona, so I decided to add Choice Scarf Greninja.
Greninja joined your team!
Greninja (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 176 Atk / 80 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Rock Slide
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
It may be a pretty innocuous thing to do, but I specifically made my Greninja male for a purpose - All Greninjas with Battle Bond are hardcoded to be male. Making my Greninja male disguises its set more effectively, allowing me to get the drop on Volcarona. I chose Gunk Shot over Spikes in order to hit Tapu Bulu and Clefable more efficiently and to not be locked into Spikes and forced to switch out. 80 Special Attack EVs give Greninja a 100% chance to OHKO Kartana with Ice Beam, and Greninja is my fast U-turn user. Rock Slide OHKOs both Offensive QD and Bulky QD Volcarona and both Ice Beam and Rock Slide put heavy pressure on Flyinium-Z Tornadus-Therian.
Raw text for import/export: https://pokepast.es/4b2f5e824dfbe7aa
Threats:
Mega Medicham: Outside of Landorus's Intimidate and Victini, there isn't much I can do to avoid M-Medi sweeping me, unless Zapdos' Static comes in handy.
Scarf Kartana: Outside of Greninja and Zapdos, Kartana can do massive damage to my team, KOing Gyarados and Landorus with Leaf Blade, and destroying Victini with Knock Off if Victini hasn't used its Z Move yet.
Serperior: If not dealt with quickly, Serp can sweep my team easily.
Replays:
(Note: I just recently swapped Tapu Koko for Greninja, so that's why I have Tapu Koko and not Greninja in a lot of the replays.)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881483108 - Win, Zapdos was the MVP
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881532215 - Win; Victini sweep, don't know why he didn't swap in Slowbro
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881330438 - Win, Zapdos's Static stopped a Mimikyu sweep and won me the game
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881327854 - Win, Gyarados came in clutch and defeated Mega Alakazam 1 on 1, taking a Focus Blast no problem
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881324526 - Win, Magearna's Iron Head allowed it to defeat CM Magearna, then Gyarados soloed Mega Alakazam and Magma Storm Heatran
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881536659 - Win, Victini sweep
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881537912 - Win, a bit of trouble with Mega Venusaur since Victini went down to the unexpected Quagsire but AV Magearna pulled through
(New account on PS using exclusively this team is currently 1352 on the ladder, 66% gxe)
First, let's talk about the star of the show, the Donphan in the room, per se.
Mega Gyarados joined your team!
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 204 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Crunch
Gyarados is incredibly tanky with the given EV spread.
Case in point:
252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Focus Blast vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega: 204-240 (51.9 - 61%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Magearna Fleur Cannon vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega: 264-312 (67.1 - 79.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega in Electric Terrain: 330-390 (83.9 - 99.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Solar Beam vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega: 190-224 (48.3 - 56.9%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele All-Out Pummeling (190 BP) vs. 248 HP / 204+ SpD Gyarados-Mega: 258-304 (65.6 - 77.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Obviously, you would never intentionally keep Gyarados in on any of these Pokemon without a Dragon Dance or two up unless it was an emergency, but the ability to take a hit is very appreciated, especially in a pinch when you need to get a Dragon Dance up. Substitute allows Gyarados to dodge status, and Dragon Dance is obvious. Gyarados's Water/Dark typing, Substitute, and coverage moves allow it to check Toxapex, Ash-Greninja, and other opponents that give its teammates trouble. Crunch and Earthquake along with Mold Breaker allow it to hit Rotom Wash and other Levitate opponents (though Rotom is the most notable). 56 Speed EVs allow Gyarados to outspeed Timid Tapu Lele after a Dragon Dance.
Gyarados's special bulk is astounding, but its physical bulk is less than stellar without investment. This brought my attention to a very overused Pokemon with an underutilized ability.
Zapdos joined your team!
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Defog
A pretty standard Zapdos set, however I chose to run Static over Pressure. Due to the only "fast" Pokemon on this team being Greninja and Victini after a boost, Static helps close the speed gap for some of Zapdos's slower teammates. This came in clutch during several battles, as Zapdos paralyzed a setup sweeper, leading to a solid victory. Gyarados and Zapdos form a very potent defensive core, with Zapdos able to handle physical attacks that Gyarados hates, while also providing Defog support for the whole team. Heat Wave can snag Mega Mawiles and Magearnas who think they can switch in on the Defog, and Roost helps Zapdos stay healthy throughout the whole match.
With a defensive core completed, I needed a way to get Gyarados in safely and consistently. This led me to turn to AV Magearna as a Volt Switch user.
Magearna joined your team!
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 224 SpD / 36 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Iron Head
- Fleur Cannon
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch
Magearna is a pretty standard set. AV makes it unbelievably tanky, 36 Speed EVs outspeeds uninvested Clefable, Iron Head lets it break opposing Calm Mind Magearna, etc. Nothing on this set really screams "innovative", unlike Gyarados. Magearna does, however, act as a secondary Ash-Greninja check if necessary, and Volt Switch is a great way to bring Gyarados in and keeping up momentum. Focus Blast is there to hit Heatran while still maintaining the ability to hit Ferrothorn. Fleur Cannon is mandatory on every Magearna set.
With half the team filled up, I finally realized I needed a hazard setter. With no Intimidator on the team outside of pre-Mega Gyarados, I decided to use the one Pokemon you'll find in overwhelming abundance in OU.
....
Get it?
The Abundance Pokemon?
Oh well.
Landorus joined your team!
Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
Again, a pretty standard set. It can form an Intimidate core with Gyarados if it hasn't Mega Evolved yet, and it's another slow U-turn user to bring Gyarados in safely. I was debating whether to have Defog in place of HP Ice to use Landorus as a secondary Defogger if Zapdos didn't work out, but I deemed that unnecessary since Zapdos is quite bulky anyway and eats up physical attackers with Static and Roost. HP Ice hits Garchomp and the rare Salamence, and Earthquake eats Magearnas and Heatrans for breakfast. Landorus is also my designated mon to take the hit from a Buginium Volcarona.
One thing is common among these 4 - their slow speed. If I wanted to get ahead, I would need fast Pokemon that can wreak havoc in the early and late game. There was a good user of a Z-Move that fit that description - Z-Celebrate Victini.
Victini joined your team!
Victini @ Normalium Z
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Celebrate
- Searing Shot
- Stored Power
- Focus Blast
Z-Celebrate can wreak havoc if you can force a switch and then use it to get a free +1 in all stats. It makes Victini extremely tanky and can outspeed and OHKO Ash-Greninja with a near-80% accuracy Focus Blast or blow away Toxapex with a 120 BP Stored Power. It can score early game KOs or clean up after its checks and counters have been eliminated. Searing Shot can secure burns if used in the early game, which can be useful later down the line. Stored Power hits like a truck and Focus Blast cleans up Pokemon that resist or are immune to Stored Power, barring Mega Sableye, who can't really do anything to Victini outside of a 4HKO Knock Off whereas Victini does 44-52% per Searing Shot, making it mandatory for Sableye to Recover.
Finally, I needed to clean up loose ends. This team shared a crippling weakness to Volcarona, so I decided to add Choice Scarf Greninja.
Greninja joined your team!
Greninja (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 176 Atk / 80 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Rock Slide
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
It may be a pretty innocuous thing to do, but I specifically made my Greninja male for a purpose - All Greninjas with Battle Bond are hardcoded to be male. Making my Greninja male disguises its set more effectively, allowing me to get the drop on Volcarona. I chose Gunk Shot over Spikes in order to hit Tapu Bulu and Clefable more efficiently and to not be locked into Spikes and forced to switch out. 80 Special Attack EVs give Greninja a 100% chance to OHKO Kartana with Ice Beam, and Greninja is my fast U-turn user. Rock Slide OHKOs both Offensive QD and Bulky QD Volcarona and both Ice Beam and Rock Slide put heavy pressure on Flyinium-Z Tornadus-Therian.
Raw text for import/export: https://pokepast.es/4b2f5e824dfbe7aa
Threats:
Mega Medicham: Outside of Landorus's Intimidate and Victini, there isn't much I can do to avoid M-Medi sweeping me, unless Zapdos' Static comes in handy.
Scarf Kartana: Outside of Greninja and Zapdos, Kartana can do massive damage to my team, KOing Gyarados and Landorus with Leaf Blade, and destroying Victini with Knock Off if Victini hasn't used its Z Move yet.
Serperior: If not dealt with quickly, Serp can sweep my team easily.
Replays:
(Note: I just recently swapped Tapu Koko for Greninja, so that's why I have Tapu Koko and not Greninja in a lot of the replays.)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881483108 - Win, Zapdos was the MVP
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881532215 - Win; Victini sweep, don't know why he didn't swap in Slowbro
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881330438 - Win, Zapdos's Static stopped a Mimikyu sweep and won me the game
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881327854 - Win, Gyarados came in clutch and defeated Mega Alakazam 1 on 1, taking a Focus Blast no problem
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881324526 - Win, Magearna's Iron Head allowed it to defeat CM Magearna, then Gyarados soloed Mega Alakazam and Magma Storm Heatran
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881536659 - Win, Victini sweep
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-881537912 - Win, a bit of trouble with Mega Venusaur since Victini went down to the unexpected Quagsire but AV Magearna pulled through
(New account on PS using exclusively this team is currently 1352 on the ladder, 66% gxe)
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