Building Process:
The team began as a KokoLucha offense, a dominant playstyle back in SM OU and an offensive core that I believed would be extremely strong for the metagame at the time.
Decided to slap a suicide lead Lando on the team, I found it more effective than Excadrill purely for the immediate offensive pressure that Landorus is able to provide.
One of the premier HO sweepers in the tier was Magearna, complete no brainer for this team.
Took a little inspiration from ORAS with this pick, behind screens Azu can Belly Drum up and priority sweep through several unprepared teams.
The star of the team, realised how Heatran weak the team is and saw the value in Dragonite, whose access to Heavy Duty Boots this gen makes it a fantastic late game cleaner.
In-depth analysis:
Tapu Koko @ Light Clay
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- U-turn
- Wild Charge/Taunt
Staple for any screens team, excellent speed tier along with access to U-turn makes Tapu Koko a must, especially with the idea of the team being a KokoLucha core. Moves are for the most part self-explanatory, however I do have one slash on the move set. Wild Charge allows you to hit common defoggers and generally just ensures that your Koko has some form of offensive presence in the game, however running a bulkier set with Taunt is also a viable option. I prefer Wild Charge because of the offensive presence, the surprise factor (most people expect Taunt final move), and also the recoil, which can come in handy in certain scenarios where you need to get a mon in safely.
Hawlucha @ Electric Seed
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Acrobatics
Part 2 of my offensive core, Unburden Lucha will always remain a potent threat no matter what the metagame is. Speed is to outspeed Jolly Excadrill in Sand and the extra bulk is extremely appreciated for setting up Swords Dances on mons like Clefable and Tapu Fini behind screens. At the time, Lucha was usually seen in partnership with Rillaboom, without screens support, meaning that bulky fairies were able to come in and knock it out after eating a hit. Screens makes them set up fodder. The stand out move on this set is Stone Edge, which is what I ran at the time for a couple of reasons. Moltres usage was fairly high, as was Zapdos, so being able to hit those mons for big damage was a huge boon for the team. Additionally, it synergised EXTREMELY well with Dragonite, which I will elaborate on later.
Calcs
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Explosion
Sash lead with a bit of spice. SD allows you to start pressuring your opponent from the get-go while Explosion can nab some surprise kills, while also providing you with momentum after an early boom. Pretty easy to understand, won't prattle on.
Magearna @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shift Gear
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Draining Kiss
The hyper offense staple. Magearna was mad busted and this wasn't even its best set which is just a testament to how nutty it was. This is the standard set that was used on screens offense earlier in the gen which really abused its access to Stored Power, and Draining Kiss healing 3/4th of damage dealt makes this thing a monster. Eats hits surprisingly well and could always pull a game out of its ass.
Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
I think it's easy to forget just how potent this mon is. While Rillaboom in the tier is a massive detriment, its ability to punch through bulky balance builds really compliments the other breakers on the team, while also doubling up as a potential late game cleaner with Aqua Jet after the other sweepers have done their piece. Underrated threat for sure. +6 Knock being able to OHKO Toxapex after rocks is one of the most blessed rolls in OU.
Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Dual Wingbeat
The bossman himself. Dragonite's access to decent Flying STAB this gen was alluring to me, and I had already experimented with bulkier sets on stall for mons such as Kartana and Heatran, both of which can be problematic to this team. Cue this set, which with Multiscale and behind screens can tank almost any hit easily, set up and clean up late game. Absolutely adore this thing and was really really potent before the set became popular and people started to come more prepared. Adamant gives you this beautiful roll - +1 252+ Atk Dragonite Dual Wingbeat (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 194-230 (49.2 - 58.3%), however if you were going to use Dragonite now I would definitely run Jolly to outspeed Dragapult.
Calcs
Threat List:
- Since this team was originally built for this meta I figured it was worth mentioning, absolutely horrible matchup and your best bet is to try and finesse some sort of sweep before it decimates you
- Phasers are an absolute nightmare for this team, Whirlwind Hippowdon is basically an unwinnable matchup unless your opponent throws and allows you to hit a +2 Earthquake into it. Whirlwind Skarmory is equally as bad.
- Opposing Magearna could be hugely problematic as Specs sets still hit like a truck, while set up sets could also get going pretty easily as well
- CM Unaware Clef is an L, can't do anything about it but thats the nature of HO really
IMPORTABLE:
Import
Closing Thoughts:
All in all, I'm extremely proud of this team and what it was able to accomplish during its time. It was very easy to pilot (see below) and had some cool techs on it. If I were to use something similar now, I would definitely run Taunt on both the Koko and the Lucha, as well as Jolly on Dragonite as mentioned above.
All the dudes who got reqs with it
This in addition to it being made a sample team really cemented its place in the tier, and was great motivation for me to continue to build. It also made me realise that when people win/do well with your teams...that shit feels good, even if you're not the one piloting. Nowadays people are really secretive about their builds which is unfortunate, albeit justified, so it gives me even more respect for dudes who pass out their builds to whoever asks for it.
The team began as a KokoLucha offense, a dominant playstyle back in SM OU and an offensive core that I believed would be extremely strong for the metagame at the time.
Decided to slap a suicide lead Lando on the team, I found it more effective than Excadrill purely for the immediate offensive pressure that Landorus is able to provide.
One of the premier HO sweepers in the tier was Magearna, complete no brainer for this team.
Took a little inspiration from ORAS with this pick, behind screens Azu can Belly Drum up and priority sweep through several unprepared teams.
The star of the team, realised how Heatran weak the team is and saw the value in Dragonite, whose access to Heavy Duty Boots this gen makes it a fantastic late game cleaner.
In-depth analysis:
Tapu Koko @ Light Clay Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- U-turn
- Wild Charge/Taunt
Staple for any screens team, excellent speed tier along with access to U-turn makes Tapu Koko a must, especially with the idea of the team being a KokoLucha core. Moves are for the most part self-explanatory, however I do have one slash on the move set. Wild Charge allows you to hit common defoggers and generally just ensures that your Koko has some form of offensive presence in the game, however running a bulkier set with Taunt is also a viable option. I prefer Wild Charge because of the offensive presence, the surprise factor (most people expect Taunt final move), and also the recoil, which can come in handy in certain scenarios where you need to get a mon in safely.
Hawlucha @ Electric Seed Ability: Unburden
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Acrobatics
Part 2 of my offensive core, Unburden Lucha will always remain a potent threat no matter what the metagame is. Speed is to outspeed Jolly Excadrill in Sand and the extra bulk is extremely appreciated for setting up Swords Dances on mons like Clefable and Tapu Fini behind screens. At the time, Lucha was usually seen in partnership with Rillaboom, without screens support, meaning that bulky fairies were able to come in and knock it out after eating a hit. Screens makes them set up fodder. The stand out move on this set is Stone Edge, which is what I ran at the time for a couple of reasons. Moltres usage was fairly high, as was Zapdos, so being able to hit those mons for big damage was a huge boon for the team. Additionally, it synergised EXTREMELY well with Dragonite, which I will elaborate on later.
Calcs
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Focus Sash Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Explosion
Sash lead with a bit of spice. SD allows you to start pressuring your opponent from the get-go while Explosion can nab some surprise kills, while also providing you with momentum after an early boom. Pretty easy to understand, won't prattle on.
Magearna @ Weakness Policy Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shift Gear
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Draining Kiss
The hyper offense staple. Magearna was mad busted and this wasn't even its best set which is just a testament to how nutty it was. This is the standard set that was used on screens offense earlier in the gen which really abused its access to Stored Power, and Draining Kiss healing 3/4th of damage dealt makes this thing a monster. Eats hits surprisingly well and could always pull a game out of its ass.
Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
I think it's easy to forget just how potent this mon is. While Rillaboom in the tier is a massive detriment, its ability to punch through bulky balance builds really compliments the other breakers on the team, while also doubling up as a potential late game cleaner with Aqua Jet after the other sweepers have done their piece. Underrated threat for sure. +6 Knock being able to OHKO Toxapex after rocks is one of the most blessed rolls in OU.
Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Dual Wingbeat
The bossman himself. Dragonite's access to decent Flying STAB this gen was alluring to me, and I had already experimented with bulkier sets on stall for mons such as Kartana and Heatran, both of which can be problematic to this team. Cue this set, which with Multiscale and behind screens can tank almost any hit easily, set up and clean up late game. Absolutely adore this thing and was really really potent before the set became popular and people started to come more prepared. Adamant gives you this beautiful roll - +1 252+ Atk Dragonite Dual Wingbeat (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 194-230 (49.2 - 58.3%), however if you were going to use Dragonite now I would definitely run Jolly to outspeed Dragapult.
Calcs
Threat List:
- Since this team was originally built for this meta I figured it was worth mentioning, absolutely horrible matchup and your best bet is to try and finesse some sort of sweep before it decimates you - Phasers are an absolute nightmare for this team, Whirlwind Hippowdon is basically an unwinnable matchup unless your opponent throws and allows you to hit a +2 Earthquake into it. Whirlwind Skarmory is equally as bad. - Opposing Magearna could be hugely problematic as Specs sets still hit like a truck, while set up sets could also get going pretty easily as well - CM Unaware Clef is an L, can't do anything about it but thats the nature of HO reallyIMPORTABLE:
Import
Closing Thoughts:
All in all, I'm extremely proud of this team and what it was able to accomplish during its time. It was very easy to pilot (see below) and had some cool techs on it. If I were to use something similar now, I would definitely run Taunt on both the Koko and the Lucha, as well as Jolly on Dragonite as mentioned above.
All the dudes who got reqs with it
This in addition to it being made a sample team really cemented its place in the tier, and was great motivation for me to continue to build. It also made me realise that when people win/do well with your teams...that shit feels good, even if you're not the one piloting. Nowadays people are really secretive about their builds which is unfortunate, albeit justified, so it gives me even more respect for dudes who pass out their builds to whoever asks for it.
