Hello, for a while now I've wanted to build my own team is SS OU rather than just using the samples or taking other people's teams. After experimenting for a while now I feel like I've made a decent team, and I've been enjoying using it. Still I think it can be better, but without further ado here is the team:
Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Toxic
I started off building my team with good old reliable Landorus-T. Landorus is a very good pokemon, being able to set stealth rock and check a lot of common pokemon in the ou tier. Landorus is a very good electric immunity, stopping my team from losing to Zeraora, Tapu koko, and Regieleki. He is also able to stop setup sweepers like Volcarona and Dragonite without ice punch with toxic. U-turn is very nice as well, letting me pivot out of unfavorable matchups and allowing me to bring in my strong attackers.
Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Flamethrower
I wanted to use a team with Dragapult because I think Dragapult is a very cool pokemon. He's so fast, outspeeding every pokemon in ou not named Zeraora or Regieleki. Using the pivots on my team I can get Dragapult in and start clicking my strong stab moves to K.O. stuff on the other team. Draco meteor is a very strong attack, and it has the potential to ohko or 2hko most of the tier. Shadow ball is my more reliable attack, and also hits fairy types hard. Flamethrower is there to destroy the steel types who resist draco meteor. Dragapult is also great speed control, allowing me to stop pokemon from Kartana from sweeping me. It turns oportunities like this into offensive pressure, letting me deal with these pokemon in a way that threatens the other team back, rather than resorting to more passive options. Outpeeding Weavile is great too, as that pokemon is very good against this team
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Flash Cannon
- Superpower
- Roost
I looked at some of the recommended OU cores and saw that Dragapult and Hydreigon were listed as one of them. I thought it would be cool to use more than one dragon type on my team so I went with that. Dark pulse is very strong coming off of life orb and Hydreigon is very good at taking advantage of more defensive pokemon like Toxapex and the slow-twins, smacking the switch-in for a lot of damage. Coupled with future sight support almost nothing can switch into it. Hydreigon makes use of its resitances as well, being able to abuse choice locked pokemon like Tapu Lele, Dragapult, and Blacephalon on their resisted hits. Flash cannon is for the innevitable fairy type switch-in. I realize superpower is an interesting option, being able to bait Blissey for a 2hko, Although it has been hard for me to get it to work consistently. When it does work it really helps out Dragapult and allows it to do a lot more damage to the other team. It also smacks Tyranitar for an ohko which is nice. Roost is to make sure I don't get worn down too quickly and lets me stick around more against a team who was relying on dancing around me.
Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Def / 124 SpA / 120 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Future Sight
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Scald
I needed a special backbone to the team so I wouldn't lose to special dragon, fairy, and ice type attacks, since all 3 of my pokemon so far are weak to ice and 2 are weak to dragon and fairy. Slowking-G patches that hole up and is an excellent facilitator of my offensive pokemon as well. Being able to come in on toxapex, click future sight, switch to a dragon and clicking stab moves on the other team is a great feeling, and its been working well for me. Sludge bomb scares out the Tapus and Clefable, preventing them from running over my team. Its also great for getting that 30% poison rate. flamethrower hits steels like Scizor hard on the switch, letting the dragons have an easier time. scald is for cocky Landorus and chipping Heatran down when it magma storms. Its also nice to throw around for burns.Slowking-G is a great special tank that lets me beat powerful choice locked pokemon and is a great glue for my team.
Corviknight @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost
With all of the pivoting and switching I was going to be doing, I needed hazard control for the team. Corviknight was the bird to do it. Being able to so freely switch in on Landorus-T and punish it for doing anything is nice. I opted for brave bird because It stops ghost types from coming in for free on body press Corviknight. U-turn is very helpful on this team allowing me to get Hydreigon and Dragapult in freely and fire off hits. Corviknight lets me check many fast and dangerous pokemon like Rillaboom, Weavile, and Kartana, stopping them from running my team over. Rocky helmet can chip them down over the course of a game and really punish pokemon like Weavile and Urshifu-R who go for their multi-hit moves.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Calm Nature
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Aromatherapy
- Knock Off
I noticed the team was still very weak to setup pokemon like Garchomp and Dragonite. Often times Landorus would get overwhelmed and I'd lose because of it. Clefable acts as a stop gap to those mons. It allows me to wall all Dragapult as well as stop ice punch Dragonite and sd Garchomp from winning. It also stops a lot of other miscellaneous pokemon like Cloyster from winning. moonblast is a general purpose attack and is quite hard for teams lacking a steel type to switch into. knock off helps me remove items like leftovers, boots, and choice items, allowing my team to take advantage. I already had a stealth rock user on my team in Landorus so I threw on aromatherapy. I was noticing that I was often getting worn down by status, so aromatherapy lets my Landorus be more confident in trading toxic.
I got this team to the mid 1400s which is where I started having some problems. Here are some problem pokemon for this team I ran into.
Threats list:
Scizor:
Sd Scizor with roost just set up and won against my team, Landorus' earthquake did not 2hko and it set up without resistance and swept. My team has no stop to this pokemon
Blissey:
Too often Hydreigon would fail to bait Blissey. Superpower was not doing enough damage on the first hit to it, meaning it could switch out only to come back in later and heal up. If that happened or Hydreigon died, Blissey would usually just win in the long run. It was also really bad if my life orb got knocked off, as then superpower was doing pitiful damage.
Weavile:
While not as bad as the other two, if it knocked off Corviknight's rocky helmet, there was little I could do to stop it from revenging my dragon types and destroying my defensive core. It 2hkoed both Clefable and Corviknight and the only thing I could do was try and outplay its moves
Conclusion:
I think I did a good job teambuilding this team and I'm having a great time using it. I feel like I've finally made my dream come true with making my own competitive team to use on the ladder. The only problem I have with the team are those specific problem pokemon like Scizor and Blissey. I physically cannot stop SD Scizor with roost + knock off from beating my team. I also am frustrated sometimes about Blissey walling my special attackers, as I feel this team is completely reliant on Hydreigon landing a hail-mary superpower. If Blissey fails to be at a low enough hp, it just heals back up. I want to make my team less weak to Blissey and sd Scizor because it feels impossible for me to beat a competent player who has them.
In conclusion I want to hear your thoughts on the team. Is it good as is? Does it need some retooling? I look forward to reading your suggestions.
Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Toxic
I started off building my team with good old reliable Landorus-T. Landorus is a very good pokemon, being able to set stealth rock and check a lot of common pokemon in the ou tier. Landorus is a very good electric immunity, stopping my team from losing to Zeraora, Tapu koko, and Regieleki. He is also able to stop setup sweepers like Volcarona and Dragonite without ice punch with toxic. U-turn is very nice as well, letting me pivot out of unfavorable matchups and allowing me to bring in my strong attackers.
Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Flamethrower
I wanted to use a team with Dragapult because I think Dragapult is a very cool pokemon. He's so fast, outspeeding every pokemon in ou not named Zeraora or Regieleki. Using the pivots on my team I can get Dragapult in and start clicking my strong stab moves to K.O. stuff on the other team. Draco meteor is a very strong attack, and it has the potential to ohko or 2hko most of the tier. Shadow ball is my more reliable attack, and also hits fairy types hard. Flamethrower is there to destroy the steel types who resist draco meteor. Dragapult is also great speed control, allowing me to stop pokemon from Kartana from sweeping me. It turns oportunities like this into offensive pressure, letting me deal with these pokemon in a way that threatens the other team back, rather than resorting to more passive options. Outpeeding Weavile is great too, as that pokemon is very good against this team
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Flash Cannon
- Superpower
- Roost
I looked at some of the recommended OU cores and saw that Dragapult and Hydreigon were listed as one of them. I thought it would be cool to use more than one dragon type on my team so I went with that. Dark pulse is very strong coming off of life orb and Hydreigon is very good at taking advantage of more defensive pokemon like Toxapex and the slow-twins, smacking the switch-in for a lot of damage. Coupled with future sight support almost nothing can switch into it. Hydreigon makes use of its resitances as well, being able to abuse choice locked pokemon like Tapu Lele, Dragapult, and Blacephalon on their resisted hits. Flash cannon is for the innevitable fairy type switch-in. I realize superpower is an interesting option, being able to bait Blissey for a 2hko, Although it has been hard for me to get it to work consistently. When it does work it really helps out Dragapult and allows it to do a lot more damage to the other team. It also smacks Tyranitar for an ohko which is nice. Roost is to make sure I don't get worn down too quickly and lets me stick around more against a team who was relying on dancing around me.
Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Def / 124 SpA / 120 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Future Sight
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Scald
I needed a special backbone to the team so I wouldn't lose to special dragon, fairy, and ice type attacks, since all 3 of my pokemon so far are weak to ice and 2 are weak to dragon and fairy. Slowking-G patches that hole up and is an excellent facilitator of my offensive pokemon as well. Being able to come in on toxapex, click future sight, switch to a dragon and clicking stab moves on the other team is a great feeling, and its been working well for me. Sludge bomb scares out the Tapus and Clefable, preventing them from running over my team. Its also great for getting that 30% poison rate. flamethrower hits steels like Scizor hard on the switch, letting the dragons have an easier time. scald is for cocky Landorus and chipping Heatran down when it magma storms. Its also nice to throw around for burns.Slowking-G is a great special tank that lets me beat powerful choice locked pokemon and is a great glue for my team.
Corviknight @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost
With all of the pivoting and switching I was going to be doing, I needed hazard control for the team. Corviknight was the bird to do it. Being able to so freely switch in on Landorus-T and punish it for doing anything is nice. I opted for brave bird because It stops ghost types from coming in for free on body press Corviknight. U-turn is very helpful on this team allowing me to get Hydreigon and Dragapult in freely and fire off hits. Corviknight lets me check many fast and dangerous pokemon like Rillaboom, Weavile, and Kartana, stopping them from running my team over. Rocky helmet can chip them down over the course of a game and really punish pokemon like Weavile and Urshifu-R who go for their multi-hit moves.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Calm Nature
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Aromatherapy
- Knock Off
I noticed the team was still very weak to setup pokemon like Garchomp and Dragonite. Often times Landorus would get overwhelmed and I'd lose because of it. Clefable acts as a stop gap to those mons. It allows me to wall all Dragapult as well as stop ice punch Dragonite and sd Garchomp from winning. It also stops a lot of other miscellaneous pokemon like Cloyster from winning. moonblast is a general purpose attack and is quite hard for teams lacking a steel type to switch into. knock off helps me remove items like leftovers, boots, and choice items, allowing my team to take advantage. I already had a stealth rock user on my team in Landorus so I threw on aromatherapy. I was noticing that I was often getting worn down by status, so aromatherapy lets my Landorus be more confident in trading toxic.
I got this team to the mid 1400s which is where I started having some problems. Here are some problem pokemon for this team I ran into.
Threats list:
Scizor:
Sd Scizor with roost just set up and won against my team, Landorus' earthquake did not 2hko and it set up without resistance and swept. My team has no stop to this pokemon
Blissey:
Too often Hydreigon would fail to bait Blissey. Superpower was not doing enough damage on the first hit to it, meaning it could switch out only to come back in later and heal up. If that happened or Hydreigon died, Blissey would usually just win in the long run. It was also really bad if my life orb got knocked off, as then superpower was doing pitiful damage.
Weavile:
While not as bad as the other two, if it knocked off Corviknight's rocky helmet, there was little I could do to stop it from revenging my dragon types and destroying my defensive core. It 2hkoed both Clefable and Corviknight and the only thing I could do was try and outplay its moves
Conclusion:
I think I did a good job teambuilding this team and I'm having a great time using it. I feel like I've finally made my dream come true with making my own competitive team to use on the ladder. The only problem I have with the team are those specific problem pokemon like Scizor and Blissey. I physically cannot stop SD Scizor with roost + knock off from beating my team. I also am frustrated sometimes about Blissey walling my special attackers, as I feel this team is completely reliant on Hydreigon landing a hail-mary superpower. If Blissey fails to be at a low enough hp, it just heals back up. I want to make my team less weak to Blissey and sd Scizor because it feels impossible for me to beat a competent player who has them.
In conclusion I want to hear your thoughts on the team. Is it good as is? Does it need some retooling? I look forward to reading your suggestions.