Hey guys, this would be my... second... RMT. Both of which were weather-free teams! Man I hate weather so bad.
This team in particular is mostly just fun, non-super-meta Pokes; I want an OU team centered around the hyper-offensive pairing of Weavile and Mienshao, and this has been my first attempt.
Really silly name that has no meaning to anything at all
rv 1.
M b M
Mienshao
Mienshao @ Life Orb
~ Regenerator
252 Atk 252 Spd 4 SAtk
Naive Nature (+ Spd, - SDef)
- Fake Out
- U-Turn
- High Jump Kick
- Hidden Power Ice
Mienshao is a great Pokemon all around; it's got great power in HJK, awesome mobility in U-Turn, great survivability in Regenerator, versatility in Hidden Power, and a good, reliable way to accomplish something vaguely helpful with Fake Out. So far I've been a little unimpressed with Mienshao's Fake Out damage - I really expected a little bit more, but often the Life Orb recoil done to Mienshao outweighs the damage it actually does to the opponent. I may end up switching to Grass Knot even though I really haven't seen need for it so far.
Mienshao is almost always the lead - leading off with some easy Fake Out damage, a favorable U-Turn, or against some enemies just going straight for the HJK. I want him to be the main star of the team, so while I welcome ideas on changing his moveset or strategy, I don't want him removed if at all possible. ^ ^"
Weavile
Weavile @ Choice Band
~ Pressure
252 Atk 216 Spd 40 HP
Jolly Nature (+ Spd, - SAtk)
- Ice Shard
- Pursuit
- Low Kick
- Ice Punch
Weavile does two things well: it traps things with Pursuit, and it revenges dragons with Ice Shard. There is no Pokemon in the game that can do either of those things better than Weavile can. Mienshao hates Ghost-types, so if I can bait them out with the threat of HJK - Weavile is happy to jump into play and send them to their final rest. My only disappointment so far is against Dragonite - with multiscale active, Ice Punch does 94-110%, and with multiscale avoided (such as with Fake Out?) Ice Shard always OHKOs, but +1 Dragonite with Multiscale active will beat Weavile. There's also the matter of Extremespeed to consider. Other than that, she does her job with ease and grace. This is the sidekick to Mienshao. Again, if you have ideas and good reasons to mod her moveset, then suggest away - but I want to keep her. It's part of the challenge of making the team. ^ ^
Cobalion
Cobalion @ Leftovers
~ Justified
252 HP 224 Def 32 Spd
Impish Nature ( + Def, - SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Hidden Power Ice
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
I'm... not 100% sure what I was thinking when I put Cobalion on this team, to be honest. He's fit well enough that I'm sure I had a good reason for it, but he's had enough problems that I have a feeling he doesn't really belong. Cobalion is a great physical wall except for its very irritating weaknesses to Fighting and Ground, and its lack of recovery options. I've really enjoyed his speedy taunts and his great ability to spread paralysis, though! He's done that very well, and so far, that's the reason I'm still keeping him.
The analysis for OU says Impish is an OK nature for Cobalion, but I'm really thinking I should switch to +Def -SDef, because HP Ice has been disappointing, doing only ~63% to Gliscor, which means it can protect stall and turn it into a 3HKO. He's a good answer to DD Dragonite, which Weavile struggles with if you'll recall - TWaving to cripple it, allowing Weavile the opportunity to use Ice Punch, or just outright beating it with HP Ice.
Jirachi
Jirachi @ Leftovers
~ Serene Grace
252 HP 224 Def 32 Spd
Careful Nature ( + SDef, - SAtk)
- Iron Head
- U-Turn
- Fire Punch
- Wish
Where Cobalion absorbs Outrages and similar moves comfortably, Jirachi absorbs Draco Meteors. Jirachi doesn't carry TWave because I rather like having it on Cobalion instead, so I gave her U-Turn to help more reliably pass some wishes around - not that it matters, since she's still pretty quick at base 100 speed. So that was kind of a meh idea, and if I take out Cobalion, then this Jirachi can revert to the standard Specially Defensive variant.
I've also considered replacing Latias (below) with SubCM or Superachi. They'd be fun things to try, especially if I do - with great reluctance - convert this into some kind of wonky Rain team. See below, I guess...
Latias
Latias @ Leftovers
~ Levitate
252 HP 4 SAtk 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power Fire
As I was looking over this team, I noticed that I had two dedicated attackers without a real game-cleaning capability - Weavile is a very specialized assassin, and Mienshao is ruined by ghosts and other Fighting-resists. I needed something capable of cleaning up teams... something that can boost. Well, that's Latias. CM Latias is really just a great Pokemon, and I've come to adore her quite a bit. Unfortunately, with all of the Steel-types around and me without a good way of beating them, I feel a need to run HP Fire - leaving me open to Toxic, and worst of all, still getting walled out by Heatran (+2 Dragon Pulse does like 24%). Specially Defensive Heatran with Toxic is poor Latias' worst nightmare.
Salamence
Salamence @ Choice Scarf
~ Moxie
252 Atk 4 SAtk 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+ Spd, - SDef)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Claw
I put Salamence on here literally just because I had no idea what else to put on. I'd been hearing from all of my friends about MoxieMence, this unstoppable beast that can pick up a Moxie boost and proceed to clean out a team entirely with progressively stronger and stronger Outrages. So I made one.
Dear lord. This thing is a complete monster. I have wrecked teams with it. Like, switched it in to revenge something, and proceeded to take out 3 Pokemon unopposed with Outrage. It's a little redundant type-wise next to Latias, and shares her hatred of Steel-types (in particular Balloon Heatran, or any Heatran when locked into Outrage); they're both great team members though, so it's hard for me to determine which one I like better, and which one I don't need.
Threat List:
Public Enemy #1: Heatran.
I. Hate. This thing. Mienshao scares it away with HJK and Weavile slaughters 252/0 Heatran with Low Kick, but it switches comfortably into Salamence's Outrage, cripples Latias with Toxic, and eliminates Cobalion and Jirachi with its Fire-type STAB of choice. It combines my difficulties with Steel-types and my weakness to Fire moves into one obnoxious sludge.
Scizor
My only real counter is Latias. Many players think I'm going to be threatened by Scizor's presence and will try to trap with Pursuit, but I know better - +1 HP Fire OHKOs easily. But Bullet Punch dismantles Salamence, Weavile, and Mienshao, and Jirachi's Fire Punch is only a 2HKO - leaving Scizor free to U-Turn or Superpower for ridiculous damage. This is not a good Pokemon to be weak to...
Physically Bulky Pokemon
(etc)
All of the Pokemon above are neutral or better to HJK, which is the strongest move on the team. Skarmory and Forretress resist Dragon Pulse; Skarmory and Hippowdon can phaze away Latias, and Cofragrigus can Haze. In short, even though my primary sweeper is Specially-based, I'm severely weak on the Special side due to lack of coverage.
Non-Rain Weather
The weather users fall swiftly to Mienshao leads, both being OHKO'd by HJK. But:
- Sun compounds my Fire weakness, and also gives Chlorophyll sweepers a boost in speed that allows them to beat Mienshao, Weavile, and Salamence - which is a serious problem.
- Sandstorm weakens all of my attackers drastically.
Given the circumstances, I am very reluctantly considering adding Politoed - mostly to combat Sun and to help alleviate the Fire weakness.
Hazards
Weavile is vulnerable to all hazards and weak to Stealth Rock. She needs to be able to switch in on Ghost-types and Psychic-types, then switch back out, in order to do her job. If I can fit a good spinner on there, that would really help me out.
Closing Thoughts
My goal as a Pokemon player is not to be the very best like no one ever was; it's mostly just to test the limits of the OU format and to try and play things people don't expect, but in a way that works well. That's why I'm so stuck into the Weavile/Mienshao dynamic - I like how it gives Weavile a very clear purpose, and I wish I'd had some more foresight into her weaknesses and knew how to focus on her strengths a little more.
So, even though these spreads are mostly C+P'd from the University, if you can help me see some alternative options for established Pokemon - or just some alternative Pokemon - I would really love to try them out!
Thanks for reading. Good day sirs! (...and ma'ams!)
This team in particular is mostly just fun, non-super-meta Pokes; I want an OU team centered around the hyper-offensive pairing of Weavile and Mienshao, and this has been my first attempt.
Really silly name that has no meaning to anything at all
rv 1.
M b M
Mienshao
Mienshao @ Life Orb
~ Regenerator
252 Atk 252 Spd 4 SAtk
Naive Nature (+ Spd, - SDef)
- Fake Out
- U-Turn
- High Jump Kick
- Hidden Power Ice
Mienshao is a great Pokemon all around; it's got great power in HJK, awesome mobility in U-Turn, great survivability in Regenerator, versatility in Hidden Power, and a good, reliable way to accomplish something vaguely helpful with Fake Out. So far I've been a little unimpressed with Mienshao's Fake Out damage - I really expected a little bit more, but often the Life Orb recoil done to Mienshao outweighs the damage it actually does to the opponent. I may end up switching to Grass Knot even though I really haven't seen need for it so far.
Mienshao is almost always the lead - leading off with some easy Fake Out damage, a favorable U-Turn, or against some enemies just going straight for the HJK. I want him to be the main star of the team, so while I welcome ideas on changing his moveset or strategy, I don't want him removed if at all possible. ^ ^"
Weavile
Weavile @ Choice Band
~ Pressure
252 Atk 216 Spd 40 HP
Jolly Nature (+ Spd, - SAtk)
- Ice Shard
- Pursuit
- Low Kick
- Ice Punch
Weavile does two things well: it traps things with Pursuit, and it revenges dragons with Ice Shard. There is no Pokemon in the game that can do either of those things better than Weavile can. Mienshao hates Ghost-types, so if I can bait them out with the threat of HJK - Weavile is happy to jump into play and send them to their final rest. My only disappointment so far is against Dragonite - with multiscale active, Ice Punch does 94-110%, and with multiscale avoided (such as with Fake Out?) Ice Shard always OHKOs, but +1 Dragonite with Multiscale active will beat Weavile. There's also the matter of Extremespeed to consider. Other than that, she does her job with ease and grace. This is the sidekick to Mienshao. Again, if you have ideas and good reasons to mod her moveset, then suggest away - but I want to keep her. It's part of the challenge of making the team. ^ ^
Cobalion
Cobalion @ Leftovers
~ Justified
252 HP 224 Def 32 Spd
Impish Nature ( + Def, - SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Hidden Power Ice
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
I'm... not 100% sure what I was thinking when I put Cobalion on this team, to be honest. He's fit well enough that I'm sure I had a good reason for it, but he's had enough problems that I have a feeling he doesn't really belong. Cobalion is a great physical wall except for its very irritating weaknesses to Fighting and Ground, and its lack of recovery options. I've really enjoyed his speedy taunts and his great ability to spread paralysis, though! He's done that very well, and so far, that's the reason I'm still keeping him.
The analysis for OU says Impish is an OK nature for Cobalion, but I'm really thinking I should switch to +Def -SDef, because HP Ice has been disappointing, doing only ~63% to Gliscor, which means it can protect stall and turn it into a 3HKO. He's a good answer to DD Dragonite, which Weavile struggles with if you'll recall - TWaving to cripple it, allowing Weavile the opportunity to use Ice Punch, or just outright beating it with HP Ice.
Jirachi
Jirachi @ Leftovers
~ Serene Grace
252 HP 224 Def 32 Spd
Careful Nature ( + SDef, - SAtk)
- Iron Head
- U-Turn
- Fire Punch
- Wish
Where Cobalion absorbs Outrages and similar moves comfortably, Jirachi absorbs Draco Meteors. Jirachi doesn't carry TWave because I rather like having it on Cobalion instead, so I gave her U-Turn to help more reliably pass some wishes around - not that it matters, since she's still pretty quick at base 100 speed. So that was kind of a meh idea, and if I take out Cobalion, then this Jirachi can revert to the standard Specially Defensive variant.
I've also considered replacing Latias (below) with SubCM or Superachi. They'd be fun things to try, especially if I do - with great reluctance - convert this into some kind of wonky Rain team. See below, I guess...
Latias
Latias @ Leftovers
~ Levitate
252 HP 4 SAtk 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power Fire
As I was looking over this team, I noticed that I had two dedicated attackers without a real game-cleaning capability - Weavile is a very specialized assassin, and Mienshao is ruined by ghosts and other Fighting-resists. I needed something capable of cleaning up teams... something that can boost. Well, that's Latias. CM Latias is really just a great Pokemon, and I've come to adore her quite a bit. Unfortunately, with all of the Steel-types around and me without a good way of beating them, I feel a need to run HP Fire - leaving me open to Toxic, and worst of all, still getting walled out by Heatran (+2 Dragon Pulse does like 24%). Specially Defensive Heatran with Toxic is poor Latias' worst nightmare.
Salamence
Salamence @ Choice Scarf
~ Moxie
252 Atk 4 SAtk 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+ Spd, - SDef)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Claw
I put Salamence on here literally just because I had no idea what else to put on. I'd been hearing from all of my friends about MoxieMence, this unstoppable beast that can pick up a Moxie boost and proceed to clean out a team entirely with progressively stronger and stronger Outrages. So I made one.
Dear lord. This thing is a complete monster. I have wrecked teams with it. Like, switched it in to revenge something, and proceeded to take out 3 Pokemon unopposed with Outrage. It's a little redundant type-wise next to Latias, and shares her hatred of Steel-types (in particular Balloon Heatran, or any Heatran when locked into Outrage); they're both great team members though, so it's hard for me to determine which one I like better, and which one I don't need.
Threat List:
Public Enemy #1: Heatran.
I. Hate. This thing. Mienshao scares it away with HJK and Weavile slaughters 252/0 Heatran with Low Kick, but it switches comfortably into Salamence's Outrage, cripples Latias with Toxic, and eliminates Cobalion and Jirachi with its Fire-type STAB of choice. It combines my difficulties with Steel-types and my weakness to Fire moves into one obnoxious sludge.
Scizor
My only real counter is Latias. Many players think I'm going to be threatened by Scizor's presence and will try to trap with Pursuit, but I know better - +1 HP Fire OHKOs easily. But Bullet Punch dismantles Salamence, Weavile, and Mienshao, and Jirachi's Fire Punch is only a 2HKO - leaving Scizor free to U-Turn or Superpower for ridiculous damage. This is not a good Pokemon to be weak to...
Physically Bulky Pokemon
All of the Pokemon above are neutral or better to HJK, which is the strongest move on the team. Skarmory and Forretress resist Dragon Pulse; Skarmory and Hippowdon can phaze away Latias, and Cofragrigus can Haze. In short, even though my primary sweeper is Specially-based, I'm severely weak on the Special side due to lack of coverage.
Non-Rain Weather
The weather users fall swiftly to Mienshao leads, both being OHKO'd by HJK. But:
- Sun compounds my Fire weakness, and also gives Chlorophyll sweepers a boost in speed that allows them to beat Mienshao, Weavile, and Salamence - which is a serious problem.
- Sandstorm weakens all of my attackers drastically.
Given the circumstances, I am very reluctantly considering adding Politoed - mostly to combat Sun and to help alleviate the Fire weakness.
Hazards
Weavile is vulnerable to all hazards and weak to Stealth Rock. She needs to be able to switch in on Ghost-types and Psychic-types, then switch back out, in order to do her job. If I can fit a good spinner on there, that would really help me out.
Closing Thoughts
My goal as a Pokemon player is not to be the very best like no one ever was; it's mostly just to test the limits of the OU format and to try and play things people don't expect, but in a way that works well. That's why I'm so stuck into the Weavile/Mienshao dynamic - I like how it gives Weavile a very clear purpose, and I wish I'd had some more foresight into her weaknesses and knew how to focus on her strengths a little more.
So, even though these spreads are mostly C+P'd from the University, if you can help me see some alternative options for established Pokemon - or just some alternative Pokemon - I would really love to try them out!
Thanks for reading. Good day sirs! (...and ma'ams!)
