ORAS OU DoomStarks (ft. the Puppet & the Ringmaster)

[Central Heating]

DOOMSTARKS ​

What's up guys, this is Central Heating doing what I do best: bringing the heat. Because I'm really bad at building teams myself, I was looking around the ORAS OU Teambuilding Workshop (Link!) and I found this really interesting team by Fleggumfl: a squad based around Mega Banette. I started playing with the team, but it felt like it was lacking something, so I made a few minor adjustments. With this new version of the team, I climbed the ladder with ease, and I currently rest at around 1750 points. Still, I feel that a few improvements could be made to the team, so that's why I'm posting this RMT. Hope you guys enjoy!

TEAM_DEVELOPMENT

This is what the original team looked like. Again, big shoutout to Fleggumfl for coming up with the idea of using Mega Banette, a very underrated threat in the OU metagame. This team had some flaws which I've tried to iron out though.

​

This is the version I started using. It has had a great run so far, despite the changes I made being minor. I do find that the team still struggles with certain threats, which will be revealed below. Now, on to the individual mons.




DETAILED_ANALYSIS

DOOM (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Psychic
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch

• Overview:
  
  A wise man once said: "Scarf Hoopa is the only Hoopa for offense". This team once again proves that saying to be true. On paper, its job is to revenge kill, but due to its gargantuan offensive stats, it also functions as a wallbreaker. This thing easily gets two kills a game.

• In-depth

This is the standard smogon set, with Hyperspace Fury as a great Stab, doing hefty chuncks of damage to neutral pokemon and killing everything with a dark weakness (with the exception of Mega Slowbro). Psychic is here to kill Keldeo, Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur, while also damaging physically defensive pokemon like Garchomp and Landorus-T. Gunk Shot hits fairy's, which otherwise would be a huge threat to this team, and Drain Punch is for Tyranitar, Weavile, Bisharp and even Heatran and Ferrothorn if you lack a better option.

• Alternative options

☆彡A fully special set would be an option to make switching into scald less scary, but Hyperspace fury is just too good of a stab attack to miss out on and Gunk shot is essential as well. Hidden Power Ice can be chosen over Psychic, if you enjoy losing to Keldeo.

Ghostface (Banette) @ Banettite
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond

• overview:
  
  Ah, the star of the show, the phantom of the opera: Mega Banette. A lot of teams are unprepared for this thing, and so it spreads out burns, revenge kills, spinblocks and takes powerful attackers down into the grave every game. It might be a huge gimmick, but I couldn't think of a better Mega for this team.
  _
• in-depth analysis:
  
  I'll just let the calcs speak:

252+ Atk Mega Banette Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 172 Def Clefable: 362-426 (91.8 - 108.1%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Gunk Shot vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Serperior: 360-424 (123.7 - 145.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Gunk Shot vs. 240 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 414-488 (103.2 - 121.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Starmie: 198-234 (75.5 - 89.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Alakazam: 242-288 (96.4 - 114.7%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

Exactly. The speed ev's are there to outspeed even max speed Azumarill after Mega evolving. This thing is still difficult to use, so you need to get a feeling for when to click Will-o, when to Destiny Bond and when to save this thing in order to have a backup check to a threatening sweeper.

• alternative options:
  
  You could run Knock off over Gunk shot for more utility and better coverage, but once again: fairys will become huge threats to this team. Shadow Claw is an option over Sneak, in order to gain more power, but I feel like this thing needs Shadow Sneak in order to Mega safely against weakened Pokemon. Taunt, Thunder wave and Toxic are options over Will-O-Wisp, but weakening physical attackers is a huge benefit.

☆彡

Metal Fingers (Klefki) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SpA / 176 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Magnet Rise
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunder Wave

• overview:

Klefki is probably my favourite pokemon to use on HO teams like this. It checks so many threats and always pulls its weight. This is my switch-in for Serperior, Keldeo, the Lati twins, Weavile, Bisharp, Mega Lopunny, Azumarill, etc. The only job this thing has is to Thunder wave everything for my slower threats, get up spikes and annoy everything in general.

• in-depth analysis:
  
  The 80 SpA ev's are there to ensure that a fully physically invested Sableye can't stay in and recover on you. The rest is dumped into SpDef so that Keldeo cant just click Scald and win. Magnet Rise is there to check scarf Landorus and Earth power Mega Diancie (like that exists...). Spikes and Thunder wave are self explanatory, top-tier moves in this meta.
  _
• alternative options:
  
  Some options to consider are: Flash cannon (I hate Mega Diancie), Foul Play (I hate Set-up sweepers), Toxic (I hate stall).

☆彡

Winston Bisharp (Bisharp) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Knock Off

• overview:
  
  Every smogon user has been swept by a Bisharp at least once in their lives. There's no shame in that, its just a testament to how good this pokemon is. Although Lum berry is considered to be a bad item on Winnie the Bish, it has worked like a charm for me. Thundurus users always go for Thunder Wave first, so you Knock them off and kill them. This is also my answer to Mega Sableye and stall in general. As if that wasn't enough, it completes my hazard-blocking core together with Mega Banette because of Defiant, and it has great synergy with the rest of the team as well. This thing is probably the MVP of the team.
  _
• in-depth analysis:
  
  Come on, you know what Bisharp does. A detailed analysis won't be necessary.
  _
• alternative options:
  
  You shouldn't run any other variant of Bisharp on this team, seriously. Every move is essential, Adamant is required for wallbreaking, Lum is really useful versus stall. The extra power of a Life orb or Black glasses could be nice sometimes, but they really limit Longevity and opportunities to set up.

☆彡

Spirit (Keldeo) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind

• overview:
  
  Here we are, the best pokemon in OU. This thing is S rank for a reason. Every team only has one or two answers to this thing (or none, like this team), and the rest of this team beats those answers with ease. This thing breaks walls, cleans up and wins games. I probably don't need to tell you more about Keldeo, because everyone and their mother knows its power.
  _
• in-depth analysis:
  
  Scald is the best move in the game, it is. Nothing switches in safely, especially not when its power is boosted by a pair of Choice Specs. Usage tips: click this move and win. Hydro Pump is there for even more power, but its shady accuracy always frightens me, so I only click it in case of real emergency's. Secret Sword is another great stab attack, destroying Ferrothorn and Chansey. Icy wind is there so Latias and Latios aren't checks anymore, but beware of opposing Bisharps!
  _
• alternative options:
  
  This thing was originally scarfed, but I really missed the power and the wallbreaking potential of this set, so with Hoopa taking up the role of revenge killer, I switched the items. Hidden Power bug and electric are options to hit bulky pyschic and water types, but the lackluster coverage is unprefered.

☆彡

Sylvester Stallone (Landorus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

• overview:
  
  Here we are, the last pokemon of the team. Like the previous two mons, this is a cookie-cutter set, standard beyond belief. It's here to get up rocks and ensure that I won't get swept by Excadrill, Talonflame and opposing Landorus. The rocky helmet is really useful for weakening opposing physical attackers, since this is still hyper offense and the goal of the team is just to bring down every opposing mons health to zero.
  _
• in-depth analysis:
  
  Earthquake is a great stab move, and despite the lack of investment, still hits really hard. Stone edge is absolutely crucial for killing Charizard and Talonflame. Stealth Rock is another top-tier move and should really be on every team, and U-turn is great to grab momentum against things like Slowbro and opposing Landorus-T's.
  _
• alternative options:
  
  Toxic is an option in order to weaken threats like Mega Bro, Mandibuzz and Bulk up Talonflame (an otherwise huge threat!), but I really don't enjoy losing to Zard's and SD Talonflame's.

Threatlist:

• Water Types: My water resist is Keldeo. Opposing Keldeo's are really hard to deal with, and usually involve sacking Klefki. Mega Bro is a threat due to it's insane bulk, although Hoopa has a chance to 2hko. Azumarill also takes a life everytime it comes in, but it can only really come in on Klefki or a locked Hoopa or Keldeo.
• Charizard Y: Dealing with this also involves sacking a mon turn 1. Unfortunate.
• Mega Venusaur + Mandibuzz (Crystalised): I hate playing this combination. Hoopa is the only thing that damages Mega Venu, and Mandibuzz stops it dead in its tracks. Mandibuzz is already hard to kill on its own as well.
• Mega Manectric: a well played MegaMan tears this team apart. I ususally just sacrifice Lando in order to kill it.

So, that's it guys. I hope you can help me improve this team, and I also hope you try it out for yourselves. I wanna give a shout-out to Fleggumfl one last time, because I basically stole his team (I came up with the nicknames myself tho!). Hope you enjoyed!




IMPORTABLE

Importable

DOOM (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Psychic
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch

Ghostface (Banette) @ Banettite
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond

Metal Fingers (Klefki) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SpA / 176 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Magnet Rise
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunder Wave

Winston Bisharp (Bisharp) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Knock Off

Spirit (Keldeo) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind

Sylvester Stallone (Landorus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

 

[AM]

Your team is really physically oriented and it's a big reason as to why the M-Venu + Mandibuzz combo and just stall in general is annoying for you to face. Gengar + Banette was part of some niche ghost combo that flegg originally worked on, the team you built yours off of, and the big selling point of Gengar was to nurture these defensive cores. Mega Banette offensives all look pretty similar to this and its goal should always be to maintain hazards while keeping an opposing teams hazards off the field. There's a multitude of ways to do this, Scarf Bisharp, Knock Off Thundurus, Offensive Starmie, fast taunters, and some suggestions below.

So with that out of the way I don't feel like you're capitalizing on the concept of this team as well as you think or have this RMT to believe in keeping hazards on the field. Gunk Shot on Mega Banette I believe is a very overrated move when the focus should always be maintaining offensive pressure on these fairy types you speak of. Taunt is what I would consider so that you can stop recovery moves while preventing defog from opposing hazard removers to maintain rocks and spikes.

I would give Sitrus Berry a shot on Klefki for a more appreciated heal on offense and then utilize Heal Block over Magnet Rise so you can pressure stuff like Chansey, Skarmory, Mega Slowbro, insert mons with self recovery, out of their healing option while racking up hazard damage on these.

I use 248 HP / 212 Def / 28 SpD / 20 Spe on my Lando-Ts to cushion Draco Meteor from Latios if you really want to maintain that Defensive Lando-T. I guess Lando-T is a necessity on this team for the threats you mentioned which is fine.

I agree with you in your rate that Lum should be the set used on this team so if anybody suggests otherwise just know I'll disagree with it. You should though consider running some special defense on it minimum of 12 up to 52 for the sake of certain matchups with the Latis and other annoyances to the team like +1 M-Bro. Funny how a team I rated yesterday had a similar issue hahaha.

I don't like Hoopa-U on this team as much as this wise man you speak of told you it's the only Hoopa for offense considering it's one of the biggest culprits of reducing momentum on this team, creating dangerous set up opportunities for threats such as M-Scizor, while questionably the reason as to why your threatlist is as large as it is (accounting for stuff you're not even aware of like stalls with Gliscor on it). Torn-T Life Orb seems like a better fit to break the stuff you mentioned Hoopa-U is breaking for the team. Set I would run is this.

Tornadus Therian

Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Pretty much breaks a ton of annoyances on the team while threatening out the Lando-T and Garchomps instead of putting so much pressure on Keldeo to do so.

Speaking of Keldeo this change to Torn-T increases your weakness to a couple of things on offense like M-Manectric, Weavile, and M-Lopunny. I would run Keldeo with Scarf to remedy this.

Scarf Keldeo

Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Toxic

Toxic gives you the added benefit of hitting Slowbro and some other common switch ins to this set like Alomomola, Rotom-W, Tangrowth, and all the Lati forms, with Mega Latias potentially being a large issue without it.

Optional

Outside of the initial rate a more offensive Lando-T with max Attack and Speed Adamant nature can let you get the jump on Heatran.

Set

Landorus-Therian @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Explosion
- Imprison
- Stealth Rock

I use this set on my own M-Banette build with Explosion, paired with hazard removal though. Imprison prevents things like Tankchomp, Hippowdon, and slower Lando-Ts like the defensive variants with Swords Dance not set up rocks on you in those 1v1 rock for rocks Lando-T v Lando-T showdowns you'll see a lot these days. The offensive SR variant itself is pretty open to interpretation with sets like Normal Gem Explosion, Custap Berry, Lum Berry, Yache BerrySwords Dance, U-Turn, and whatever else Lando-T is capable of for the sake of the team. Normally going offensive makes you lose that defensive synergy which is why this is the optional and for your own understanding and benefit.

Bye.

 

[Central Heating]

Thanks for the suggestions! Although I really don't like scarf Keldeo, I will give it another shot.

As for the Lando set, doesn't that make me extremely weak to Talonflame? Every set gets two kills once Lando is gone so...

 

[AM]

Thanks for the suggestions! Although I really don't like scarf Keldeo, I will give it another shot.

As for the Lando set, doesn't that make me extremely weak to Talonflame? Every set gets two kills once Lando is gone so...

It would make you weaker to Talonflame most certainly which is why it's stated as optional and it would be more wise to just run it as you have now. It's something to consider if you change the dynamics of the team with large mon changes to help check Talonflame, like if you went M-Aerodactyl or M-Manectric. Suggesting that sort of defeats the purpose of the concept of the team though so I think it's silly to change the mega entirely. Defensive Lando-T is fine for the team.