Double Intimidate, featuring Luxray!

[XahhFink6]

Edit: Added Sprites to each entry and the full team here

Hi all, it's been a long time since I've been on the forums as I really fell out of the battling scene since shoddybattle ended, but I've been finally getting into Gen 5 and have finally found a team that has been getting success. After a number of tweaks that I've found through testing, I bring you:

DOUBLE INTIMIDATE

(...okay its not a great team name)

Featuring:

Landourus @ lifeorb Sand Force
-Jolly (+Spe -SpA) 252 Atk 252 Spe 4 HP

Swords Dance
Earth Quake
Stone Edge
U-Turn/HP Ice

• Now, I don't actually use this pokemon as my lead, but since he is the most important member of my team I decided to put him first. The main strat of this team will include making it possible for this MONSTER pokemon to sweep with a swords dance (or just against a handful of weakened mons)
• The U-Turn is controversial, I've tried HP ice but I find that if I have to bring him before he's ready to sweep it is to scare out a pokemon and then get out again, which U-turn i great at. The HP ice doesn't seem to counter the things I want him fighting early. Other than that this build is pretty straightforward

Salamence @ Yache Berry - Intimidate
Naughty (+Atk, -SpD) - 252 Atk 252 Spe 4 SpA
Dragon Dance
Earthquake
Dragon Claw
Earthquake
Fire Blast

• This mence forms 1/2 of my intimidating combo, but his main purpose on this team is to draw out and kill (or at least cripple) any potential counters to Landourus. The Yache helps me get rid of anyone that is holding a hidden power or ice shard that might stop Landorus later.
• I'm still debating going back to Outrage over dragon claw, but I like the ability to switch out, especially because this is not my primary sweeper.

Tyranitar @ Choice Band - Sand Stream
Adamant (+Atk, -SpA) 252 Atk, 100 Spe, 156 Hp

Crunch
Superpower
Pursuit
Stone Edge

• The other obvious member for a team with Landourus - Tyranitar. Sets up sand which will assist my sweep later, and also helps to get rid of enemy weather effects which can ruin my mood.
• I use a choice band set because of the number of switches I can make through U-turn/Volt switch users, CBTar's pursuit also lets me lock in and take out a number of powerful fast sweepers such as Lati@s.

Luxray @Leftovers - Intimidate
Bold (-Atk, +Def) 252 Hp, 252 Def, 4 SpA
Volt Switch
Hidden Power (Fire)
Thunder Wave
Toxic

• This is where the team gets more fun :) So what is luxray doing poking his head into OU you ask? Well, as it happens Luxray is only of the only pokemon so blessed as to have a swapping move (uturn/volt switch) as well as intimidate. This lets him come in frequently and disrupt potential physical threats, shutting them down with T-wave or toxic.
• Given the option, thunder wave is usually the better option because it ensures that thunderous can deal with them later if needed.
• Hp Fire ends up stronger than Fire Fang against most targets worth using it on, dealing enough to shut down several steels that are rampant in OU.
• The power of this set is that luxray is surprisingly bulky and that few opponents know what moveset to expect from him. Because of this he scares out many waters by threatening STAB electric moves, and is able to spread quite a bit of disruption in Twave and toxic before he safely volt switches back into the ranks. As an example of his tankiness, I have had him come in on a gyrados that managed to get 2 dragon dances, he survived an earthquake even after stealth rocks and was able to get a t-wave in.

Celebi @Leftovers - Natural Cure
Calm (+SpD -Atk) 252 Hp, 32 Spe, 140 SpA, 84 SpD
Leaf Storm
U-Turn
Stealth Rocks
Recover

• It may seem like this little tinkerbell is trying to do everything, but the fact is that she does. She serves as the role of special wall with recover and high defenses, but can still remove grass-weak threats with a STAB leaf storm.
• Because my team switches frequently, the minus from Leafstorm is not a hinderance to me, especially with the ability to U-Turn out. U-turn not only helps me scout, but also is able to pop ballons and break some weaker substitutes (breloom for example)
• Because of her bulkiness, I can usually find a time to get a set of rocks up from Celebi, even when she is not my lead pokemon.

Heatran @ Choice Scarf Flash Fire
Timid (+Spe, -Atk) 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Flamethrower
Earth Power
Flash Cannon
Overheat/HP Ice

• Classic scarftran serves as an important typing synergy and a potent revenge-killer, especially as fewer people predict the scarf in this generation.
• I am currently testing using HP Ice over overheat, as the SpA loss from overheat makes it very rarely useful over flamethrower.
• Flash cannon is there ONLY so that I can use heatran as a counter for Terrakion. He otherwise caused me quite a bit of trouble by outspeeding my entire team - if Luxray was already out of play I really had no counter

For overall strategy, my team has little "dead-weight" meaning that every pokemon is providing a constant threat that the opponent must try to switch or predict to deal with, and the scarf tran and Tyranitar punish mistakes VERY hard. The end goal is to leave the enemy team too weakened to deal with a hard-hitting Landourus in sand.


I'm very open to criticism and threats analysis as I am still somewhat new to gen 5 (but not the competetive scene) so any comments on improvements or mistakes would be greatly appreciated.


Thank you in advance,


-Xahhfink6

 

[XahhFink6]

Added Sprites,

In recent play I realized that I might be able to many of the things my celebi is doing with a Blissey or chansey, and would then be able to give some wishes to get Luxray and Landourus in more often. That is what I will be looking at next, still would like comments of course

 

[Professor Science]

Cool team, XahhFink6. Veeery interesting use of Luxray.
Unfortunately, Luxray is fairly slow. Now although this gives you momentum with Volt Switch (if you are slower than the opponent), it also means that it's going to get hit more. Not such a problem usually, but when it's supposed to be coming in all the time and having a defensive role on your team, this is pretty unfavourable. So, I'd suggest giving Luxray a Choice Scarf. This will allow it to have many more opportunities to Intimidate opponents and quickly Volt Switch away, which seems to be it's main job. Unfortunately, this will mean you will lose out on Toxic and Thunderwave (unless you want to run a really weird set).

The 1st set

Luxray @ Choice Scarf
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid
-Volt Switch
-Thunderbolt / Discharge (for parahax)
-Hidden Power [Ice] / [Fire]
-Signal Beam / whatever (Luxray doesn't have many other options)

You could also try a set based on it's higher Attack stat, but Volt Switch will suffer. Just do what works best for you.

Since Luxray is now your Scarfer, Heatran's set becomes somewhat redundant. So, we can change it a little. Give it an Air Balloon, and it becomes an excellent counter to almost anything with Earthquake. Most notably, it becomes a perfect counter to all opposing Heatran. It can also run Stealth Rock, and believe me, it sets it up easily- Heatran makes lots of switches. Why would I suggest this? I'll explain in a moment.

The 2nd set

Heatran @ Air Balloon
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power [Ice]
-Stealth Rock

So why give Heatran Stealth Rock when Celebi already has it? Because I propose that you change the Celebi set. Now unfortunately, since you have made Luxray a Scarf variant, it will probably not be able to spread status any more. This is something that Celebi excels at. Giving it Thunder Wave or Toxic over Stealth Rock would be very valuable, and I'd guess that it is much better at spreading status than Luxray was.

The 3rd set

Celebi @ Leftovers
252 HP / 140 SpA / 84 SpD / 32 Spe
Calm
-Leaf Storm
-Thunder Wave / Toxic
-U-Turn
-Recover

Good luck with this team, I really like it!

 

[Stew0The0Jew]

Staraptor also gets intimidate and a switching move(U-turn) and is powerful in its own right. I would say drop Tyranitar and replace it with Staraptor

Staraptor@ Choice Scarf
Intimidate
Adamant
252atk/4def/252spe
-Close Combat
-Return
-Brave Bird
-U-Turn

with all the switching and entry hazards, you dont want residual damage to wrack up, and sand defeats that purpose. Landourus also works fine without sand, although it does help. Then with two intimidaters you can change Salamence to Moxie, although he always appreciates the extra bulk.

 

[Triangles]

This isn't a rate, but your Mence apparently knows Earthquake twice.

 

[Legend Leader]

Staraptor also gets intimidate and a switching move(U-turn) and is powerful in its own right. I would say drop Tyranitar and replace it with Staraptor

Staraptor@ Choice Scarf
Intimidate
Adamant
252atk/4def/252spe
-Close Combat
-Return
-Brave Bird
-U-Turn

with all the switching and entry hazards, you dont want residual damage to wrack up, and sand defeats that purpose. Landourus also works fine without sand, although it does help. Then with two intimidaters you can change Salamence to Moxie, although he always appreciates the extra bulk.

Better yet, give it a Choice Band and make it Jolly. Brave Bird EVERYTHING. Brave Bird does 60%+ to pretty much everything. Gliscor takes a hefty 80% on the switch, Tyranitar takes a whopping 62% with Hazards, Rotom-W takes a minimum of 52% (not counting Rocks), Ferrothorn takes 60% on a bad day, and these are notably Defensive Pokemon. Imagine what you could do to others.

 

[Darkstomp]

You should change the nature of your Salamence to an Adamant or Jolly nature. Why would you want a Naughty nature which lowers speed?

 

[Oh My Biscuits]

You should change the nature of your Salamence to an Adamant or Jolly nature. Why would you want a Naughty nature which lowers speed?

Naughty doesn't lower speed; it lowers special defense. It's Naughty because it uses Fire Blast and it doesn't want to lose any power on it.