XY OU Char-X Centered Team

[Cydrake]

Hello everyone. This is my first RMT that I've ever done. I have started Competitive a year ago and just recently created this team. I am hoping to have some suggestions to improve it. It has brought me to 1450 and then had 50-50 wins at that point. It is a team based around Charizard-X. I thought I would try covering its weaknesses, while still having strong Pokemon to cover in case Charizard-X faints. So here is the team

Deoxys-Speed @ Focus Sash

Ability: Pressure

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spd

Hasty Nature

- Taunt

- Stealth Rock

- Superpower

- Psycho Boost


This is my lead. I picked Deoxys-S because because of his great speed. Sash is for hazards being guaranteed to be set up. Taunt is to block out other hazard setters. Stealth rock is the hazard to get rid of sashes. Superpower and Psycho boost are two powerful moves used to weaken the pokemon for my next pokemon, Superpower for specially defensive pokemon while Psycho Boost is for Defensive pokemon.

Charizard @ Charizardite X

Ability: Tough Claws

Shiny: Yes

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd

Jolly Nature

- Flare Blitz

- Dragon Claw

- Roost

- Dragon Dance


The Team is based around this set up sweeper. He has always been a pokemon that I have loved ever since it came out. I chose Charizard X over Charizard Y for the change in type and for a good physical attacker. Flare Blitz and Dragon Claw as STAB moves. I have Roost for Recovering. Dragon Dance is to boost power.

Hawlucha @ Power Herb

Ability: Unburden

Shiny: Yes

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd

Adamant Nature

- Sky Attack

- Acrobatics

- High Jump Kick

- Swords Dance

Hawlucha is another one of my sweepers. He leads with either Sky Attack or Swords Dance. He then takes care of many of the opposing threats by having double attack and double speed due to unburden. Acrobatics is STAB and doubles power after using Sky Attack and High Jump KIck is very powerful being STAB and Boosted.

Starmie @ Leftovers

Ability: Natural Cure

Shiny: Yes

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd

Timid Nature

- Rapid Spin

- Surf

- Psyshock

- Recover


This is my spinner for the team. He has Natural Cure to deal with paralysis. Rapid Spin is to deal with hazards, specifically stealth rock which cripples Charizard greatly. Surf and Psyshock are STAB. Surf also deals with Ground and Rock threats to Charizard. Recover is to heal. Starmie also can take water hits when switching from Landorus and Charizard.

Aegislash @ Leftovers

Ability: Stance Change

Shiny: Yes

EVs: 248 HP / 8 SAtk / 252 SDef

Calm Nature

- Toxic

- Substitute

- King's Shield

- Shadow Ball


Aegislash is my bulky staller of my team. His goal is to sub then toxic while blocking physical attackers with king's shield. Shadow Ball packs a punch when he is needed to attack while also being STAB. Toxic is to kill the opposing tank while Substitute takes the damage. Talonflame gets blocked by King's Shield and is the only really pokemon able to stop it.

Landorus @ Life Orb

Ability: Sheer Force

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd

Timid Nature

- Earth Power

- Focus Blast

- Sludge Wave

- Rock Polish


This is my special sweeper for my team. I have the typical Life Orb/Sheer Force combo. Earth Power is for STAB. Focus Blast and Sludge Wave is for Coverage. Rock Polish is to out speed many of the pokemon that threaten Landorus. He is also blocks out Ground threats that endanger Charizard with Hawlucha.

 

[Sidnv]

Hi. Here's a few suggestions that you're free to ignore if you like. I'm tired so I haven't organized them in the best manner possible and I will try and clean it up tomorrow.

For Deoxys-S, since you're using him as a dedicated lead, the speed investment isn't entirely necessary. You would be better suited going with a more bulky EV spread. The analysis here has more details.

Similarly, for the Charizard set, a bulkier EV spread might be more useful, as it will allow it to set up more easily. The analysis here has details.

Starmie isn't really a great hazard remover anymore. Aegislash, a very common spinblocker and pokemon, completely walls it. Mold Breaker Excadrill might be more useful as a Spinner since it can at least threaten Aegislash with Earthquake (if Baloon is down). If you want a water switch in and water attack, Life Orb Latios with Defog support and Surf (although I think Thunderbolt would be pretty useful on your team as well) is a better choice, as it provides great offensive presence and gives an important check to Landorus-I, who otherwise hurts most of your team pretty hard.

Your team is also pretty Talonflame and Mega Pinsir weak. Thunderbolt on Latios will help with the latter and you could also potentially go with Zapdos as your defogger, who also can deal with Defiant Bisharp pretty well. You might want to replace Hawlucha with something that checks Talonflame while still providing offensive presence, like Thundurus-I or Landorus-T.

 

[Cydrake]

Thx for the great help. With that advice, I replaced starmie, deoxys-s, and hawlucha with Latios Zapdos and Rotom-Wash. With these edits I now have brought myself to 1550 on the ladder. Talonflame is walled by Rotom while latios is now the scarf revenger. Zapdos is now my defogger.I will be changing OP soon.

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Defog
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave

Latios (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock

Rotom-Wash @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest

 

[Sidnv]

Rotom is a good choice. Volt Switch is really great at providing momentum and Will-O-Wisp is great. Something to think about would be figuring out a way to make a Volt/Turn combination by adding in a pokemon that can use U-Turn. I don't immediately see how to do this without making your team unbalanced though.

Is there a particular reason you're going with Latios for a scarf pokemon? The coverage it gives seems pretty redundant alongside Rotom and Zapdos, with really the Psychic stab being the only thing you really need (because of Mega Venasaur). Also, if you stick with Latios, you might as well go with Draco Meteor since scarfers are often hit and run and you will really appreciate the added power. Similarly, because you don't really need the Electric coverage given you have Zapdos and Rotom-W, you could go with Grass Knot or Energy Ball instead of Thunderbolt order to OHKO Quagsire and Hippowdon, which are common checks to Charizard.

You also don't necessarily need Latios to check Landorus-I because your Rotom has a good chance of OHKOing Landorus with Hydro Pump, while only being rarely 2HKOd by Focus Blast (provided Steal Rock is not up on your side.)

Scarf Kyurem-B might be a better choice, as it can run Outrage/Ice Beam/Fusion Bolt/Dragon Claw, giving you a great Ice attack which you don't have on your team and which is still useful against Mega Venusaur because Teravolt bypasses Thick Fat. Ice Beam will also be useful to bypass some common Charizard X switch-ins such as Gliscor or Hippowdon.

On the other hand, your team has a serious lack of priority moves. Breloom could provide a fix for this. Technician Mach Punch is really good (hard counter to Bisharp), and Spore often gives you free chances to set up. Additionally, Bullet Seed helps deal with Quagsire and 2HKO's Hippodown. With Breloom, your team would be a little Mega Venasaur weak, but you could compensate for that by using Psychic instead of Focus Blast on Landorus, since Breloom gives you fighting STAB.

I think the most important point I want to make, however, is this: your team is built around Zard-X so you should ensure that you have a way to deal with Zard-X counters. Quagsire, Hippowdon, Slowbro, Heatran all wall your Charizard set, and you don't really have good ways to deal with the first two. Landorus deals with Heatran pretty well and you have numerous ways to deal with Slowbro. One pokemon that can deal with all four (and with Venusaur) is Choice Specs Gothitelle with Psychic, Thunderbolt, Energy Ball, Trick since it can trap these counters and KO them.

 

[Cydrake]

I picked Latios to run scarf because I needed a pokemon to outspeed the opposing sweepers. It is also my late game sweeper. The main reason why I use Dragon Pulse is because sometimes Latios is the last pokemon I have and I can't have Special Attack reduction. I will put energy ball though. It makes sense to put it on. It is also my counter to Keldeo's and other scarf revengers who threaten my team. Latios also works well with taking down other Charizard X's that have one D Dance on already. Mega Venusaur is a huge problem for my team however. I changed Landorus to have Psychic instead of Sludge Wave which seems to work out better. But I still only do 60-70% to Mega Venusaur. Do you have any Ideas for that?

 

[Sidnv]

Venusaur I guess isn't the biggest problem because Charizard, even without setting up, 2HKO's it with Flare Blitz, and thus Venusaur isn't a counter. Additionally, 60-70% damage from Landorus isn't bad because it means Venu can't switch into a Landorus that's trying to sweep. I think you just play smartly around it because your team isn't particularly weak to it. Choice Specs Gothitelle demolishes defensive versions of Mega Venusaur but your team finds it hard to accommodate it.

Edit: Wait, I just realized, since you got rid of Deoxys, you have no Stealth Rock user on your team. It's really something you should use but I'm not sure where to fit it into your team. Landorus seems like the only sensible user but you can't remove coverage on him.

 

[Cydrake]

I got Rid of DEoxys because it seemed a waste. Why put out stealth rocks when I will probably defog all hazards away and have one spot missing. That is truly the only reason why. Conkeldurr seems to also be a big problem. Going to start putting new pokes in OP

 

[Sidnv]

Ok. That's reasonable. Your team looks pretty good now. I'm more or less out of ideas so I'll shut up and let other people chip in.

 

[Cydrake]

Thx for all the help Sidnv