SM OU Check it out my team feat Gallade Mega and Tapu Lele

[Moonlight Bear]

Hello I'm new in this community, I've played pokémon competitively since 2011, I knew smogon on 2012 also pokémon Showdown Simulator. I stopped playing the last year so I came back to OU a week ago. I can see the meta have changed a lot since the last year. So I want your help to build my team. I'd like to read your thoughs and advices.

In the past year I got 2 times on OU showdown ladder in top 20 with a gxe over 74% but right now I feel kinda outdated... The base of my team are Gallade and Tapu Lele, defensively I use bulky Lando and Celesteela, and I've tried to look for a balance adding Greninja and Nihilego. I'm right now 1433 on ladder with 67.1 gxe, so I guess something isn't working at all. This a replay of my last battle, so ypu can figure out my playstyle https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-845863597

I'm gonna try to describe the roles of my pokémon on my team, but I'm not sure how to do it actually. Greetings to everybody

Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Psycho Cut
- Shadow Sneak
- Swords Dance

My physical sweeper with a boosted move as Sdance, I think Gallade is very versatile poke, with only some counters with this set. Mega Sableye is kind a problem but I have snother things to defeat it. I prefer Psycho cut over Zen Headbutt, the accuracy is very important to me in a decesive match. I try to clean the opposing team and then I go for Gallade often, depends of my opponent starter.

Tapu Lele @ Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Energy Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]

My special sweeper/ stall breaker and one of my favorite pokemon of this gen. I think Tapu Lele is the best fairy right now with her amazing ability, I prefer life orb because the extra power spike. Psyshock over Psychic cause 2 0hko Chansey and 0hko many pokes, energy ball as a niche move and hidden power fire to go against ferro scizor, magnezone and skarmory.

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog

My defogger, it is bulky with max speed, it is kind of supportive lando over offensive one, that's why I choosed knock off and u turn to play a little bit with my opponent mind. it is a core with my Celesteela and Nihilego to avoid electric and Ground moves, it is very versatile and I think match pretty well on my team.

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Protect

My bulky pivot offensive, I like a lot Celesteela, it resistances helps a lot against many pokemon from OU, I use this set to counter grass poke like kartana and tapu bulu, also other steel pokes, excepting Heatran ofc. I was thinking to add it earthquake but I'm not sure if a mixed Celeestela could work. I don't like at all leech seed defesnive set, so I got for this one.

Nihilego @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Gem
- Sludge Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

My speed special sweeper, it works pretty well against charizard x/ y, volcarona, zapdos, any tapu, I run hp ice to make it more viable against ground mons like Lando, Gliscor and Garchomp and thunderbolt as niche move. Nihilego have helped me a lot of time against speed boosted pokémon, its only problems are steel pokémon ofc.

Greninja (M) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Protean
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Spikes

I think it is my revenge killer, I think it lacks a little beat of power, so I'm thinking to change it for specs greninja, but I'm not sure at all, I think this set with spykes works pretty well to negate predictables electrics moves against him. it resist ghost and steel and ofc it's immune to psychic, sadly has a really poor defenses, but I think helps to the composition of my team.

 

[DrPumpkinz]

First, never have a shiny Greninja. It immediately gives away that you're Protean.

Second, I'm not really sure what purpose Energy Ball on Lele serves. I'd replace it with either Thunderbolt (for Celesteela), Focus Blast (for Heatran) or Psychic (for specially defensive foes).

Third, I have no idea what's going on with that Celesteela. Unless you have a reason to run some weird combination of the standard defensive set and a special attacking variant, I suggest changing it to one or the other, preferably the defensive variant.

Defensive (Celesteela) @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Def / 232 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower

Special Attacker (Celesteela) @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Autotomize
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ground]

 

[Moonlight Bear]

First, never have a shiny Greninja. It immediately gives away that you're Protean.]

LOL I never thought about this fact, thanks haha. Anyways I could try defensive Celesteela, actually I used this set first, but it lack a lot, also offensive one will not work on my team. Do you think my Celesteela set is the problem?

 

[NotInMyChristianServer]

Hello! Although I personally prefer MMedi over Megallade, I find the team interesting. However, there's some problems, mostly with your mons' sets, which stops the team from reaching it's peak performance. Here is the importable (Click the sprites)

Let' see whats changes I made:​

(Minor Changes)

Knock Off > Shadow Sneak & Zen Headbutt > Psycho Cut. The main idea of your offensive core is having Megallade spamming it's psychic STAB under Psychic Terrain, which negate any priority attack used on grounded targets, making having Shadow Sneak seems kinda silly. Knock Off does better at hitting opposing psychics thanks to it's superior BP, and not being negated by terrain. Removing items such as Choice Scarf from Landorus-T and Eviolite from Chansey is a big plus. Also, Zen Headbutt trades accurasy for extra power and the chance of flinching, very useful against troublesome foes such as MMedi, Tapu Bulu, Clefable and Tapu Fini.

Psychium/Fightinium Z > Life Orb & Focus Blast > Energy Ball. A Z-Crystal really helps Lele at muscle trough it's usual checks, like Heatran, Celesteela, Magearna and Ferrothorn in case of emergency, or just nuke away foes that Megallade might have problems facing, like Rotom-W (if it burns on the switch), Unaware users, and Tornadus-T.

Bulkier EV spread. I recommend to use a more defensive approach for Lando here, since you need this thing to tank hits as best as possible. With a 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe with either a Impish or Jolly nature would work fine (Impish for better bulk, Jolly for outspeeding Hoopa-U and retailate back with U-Turn). Also, Hidden Power Ice can be used instead of Knock Off, for extra damage on 4X weak mons like Garchomp, opposing Landorus-T, and Gliscor. Giving the lack of a Hazard Setter on your team, I also recommend using Lando as your Rock setter.

Same as above. You need Steela to be bulky, and dropping the SpA investment actually doesn't change many matchups, since you're going to use Heavy Slam to dent Psychics like Megazam and opposing Lele. With a 248 HP / 28 Def / 232 SpD with a Sassy nature you will have better results. Also, Leech Seed will help you inmensely at keeping Steela healthy during a match.

(Major Changes)

<-----

. Nihilego doesn't really fit the team, since Gren already acts as a fast Special Attacker. Rotom-W is a nice defogger thanks to it's excelent matchup against a pletora of Hazard setters like M-Diancie, Garchomp, M-Tyranitar, Landorus-T, and most importantly, Heatran. As a bonus, it has access to Volt Switch, pretty useful for bringing your attackers safely.

<-----

. Your team already has plenty of ways to stop Toxapex and Bulky Grasses from being a problem, so using the more powerful and fast Greninja over Protean Gren is in my opinion an step on the right direction. The Specs set does a good job at what it does, with little to none competition. Also Post-Transform Water Shuriken is nice at the endgame, once the terrain is gone.

I hope this would help you, and in case you have any problem, reply this and let me know any issue you have with my suggestion.