OU DPP OU creative and underrated sets

[Jeong]

Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball / CM
- Weather Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Grass / Ice.

kou is one of my favorite pokemon. This set is a bit innovative unlike its other versions. WBall allows me to carry HP Ice/Grass in combination depending on the weather or the team. In Sand WB it can go well vs Zapdos or Nite but I prefer hail team it is more useful for my taste Ice WB + HP Grass for pert, quagsire or Gastrodon. SBall is good coverage and option for Latias and Rotom although CM provides more power.

Tyranitar @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Taunt

DD + Taunt ttar is not expected much and is something that can come as a surprise. It usually works well against stall (Rotom, fable, Latias) and with enough support it can be dangerous. Lum Berry gives me freedom to use DD without fear + Taunt and thus use again if necessary.

 

[george182]

Jirachi @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Doom Desire
- Trick
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt

Doom desire is a 120 BP special, steel type move that deals typeless damage two turns after it has been used.

It is absolutely garbage. But it has a place as an okay stallbreaker as you can stack doom desire alongside another strong attack to KO anything. For example you use doom desire while they switch to a Jirachi counter like Swampert. You then switch to Latias while they do swampert things. You then get to use choice specs dracco meteor on the same turn as specs doom desire which will KO things like clefable.
I'm not going to show any calcs because doom desire is very weird. It calculates using the special defence of the pokemon the turn it was used. Just click doom desire and hope that you understand more about it than your opponent.
Trick is a necessity because once the gig is up a choice locked doom desire is quite easy to exploit.
The other two moves depend on your team.

It can also be used on a mixed attack set, but I had most success with Specs.

It can miss.

Aerodactyl @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Roost

It's a LO Aerodactyl that doesn't have to roost all the time. It's only a small change but it has a huge impact. Aerodactyl has more special defence than bronzong in the sand. It can revenge kill alot of threats, it can sweep in it's own right and it isn't useless against stall. I know you want to give it a try now.

 

[Jeong]

Heatran @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 228 Spe ?
Quiet Nature
- Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power Grass

I tried this set a while ago and liked it. It is true that it needs more support, but at least there is no risk of failing like with Overheat. A shame about nature, since you lose a lot of speed. I have put 228 to beat neutral ttar, but I doubt anyone will use it like that. The closest would be DD ttar, but Jolly is better. This is where teammates come in. Anything that is twave spam to benefit and bring out the full potential of Heatran, the better. Clefable - Blissey, BSlam rachi, twave Starmie, Discharge Zapdos, twave Latias or defensive nite Twave?

Gengar @ Custap Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 180 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
- Explosion / Destiny Bond

Well, admitting that this may be a bit of a stretch. This set is mainly designed to enter LO Hydro Starmie and surprise with SBall. Additionally, it also works as a Spin Block. Anyway, thanks to Custap Berry, since you don't expect much in Gengar, you can also surprise as a last service with both Explosion and DBond. I have put it as another option, since both are good. You can apply the Gengar 'utility' set, which holds up well to Starm's Hydro (not LO). WoW over Taunt for things like rachi or Metagross. Teammates like Roserade, trick iron ball gross - meta, DD Ttar, Gyara are good options.

 

[AngryPidgeon]

Pretty good at smacking defense & offense alike after you paralyze half their team. Solid rock lets your sub take iron heads & gyro balls without breaking.

I run a lot of Rhyperior on DPP ladder, more than anyone else Ive seen. IMO you need Ice Punch for coverage against Flygon, Gliscor and Breloom. Rhyperior handily wins against Flygon and Gliscor if you run Ice Punch and easily survives their Earthquakes. Without Ice Punch, those match ups are rather questionable. Breloom is more of a dicey matchup but people will frequently switch it into Rhyperior if they have it and Ice Punch is the most punishing answer for Breloom.

I recommend the following Rhyperior set for DPP OU:

Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability : Solid Rock
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
- Ice Punch / Fire Punch

You want 132 HP so your substitutes can't be broken by Seismic Toss. Rhyperior switches into Clefable fairly well, including variants running Ice Beam. Of course you want sand support for Rhyperior and it benefits hugely from Trick Room as well if you run TR at all.

Ice Punch covers Gliscor and Flygon. Fire Punch punishes Bronzong who otherwise wall Rhyperior with no problem. Both of these punches are fine against Breloom. This set can endure one Seed Bomb from Breloom if they are built with the "standard" defensive substitute build and if Breloom has taken chip damage from something, could threaten to KO it. Fire Punch also guarantees a winning matchup against Scizor, Forretress, and should win against Magnet Rise Magnezone which some people may switch in to Rhyperior.

Its worth noting that Stone Edge is the same power as Fire Punch into Skarmory except 100% chance to hit and has burn chance. Ice Punch is the same for Latias except freeze chance. I think Ice Punch on average is better than Fire Punch and the 10% freeze chance allows you to develop a substitute.

This set presumes you are running sand support, but you aren't running Rhyperior without sand are you?

 

[AngryPidgeon]

Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 136 HP / 208 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Focus Punch


Update: I been running around with sub pass rhyperior & I really like focus punch on it. Just as good into Skarm as SD & you enjoy mauling loom,flygon,zong,etc who think they’re safe into you.

I told you on showdown, but I tried something similar except crunch instead of edge. The reasoning for that being that things like Gengar, Rotom, and Latias are somewhat common switch-ins when they think EQ is coming. Cant hit Gyara without edge which is bad. Rhyperior has so many viable sets though its crazy.

 

[johnnyg2]

I told you on showdown, but I tried something similar except crunch instead of edge. The reasoning for that being that things like Gengar, Rotom, and Latias are somewhat common switch-ins when they think EQ is coming. Cant hit Gyara without edge which is bad. Rhyperior has so many viable sets though its crazy.

I recently wrote a lot about sub rhyperior here: https://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/pokemon/rhyperior/ou/.

In short, I would never recommend crunch on rhyperior. I think arguments can be made about dropping edge, but certainly not for crunch. The targets you mention are only hit slightly harder than stone edge, while you miss out very importantly on Gyarados and zapdos.

I think dropping ice punch feels almost criminal, as not being able to hit gliscor at all sucks, while ice punch’s coverage is generally fantastic w edgequake for Latias, Flygon, breloom, accurate move for Dragonite etc. I also don’t think focus punch is a very good idea, as it hits as hard as neutral edgequake and the moveslot is highly valuable. It could be nice to remove prediction from trying to break Skarmory though.

 

[AngryPidgeon]

I recently wrote a lot about sub rhyperior here: https://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/pokemon/rhyperior/ou/.

Nice, just read it. I see you favor the same substitute set I do with Ice Punch. I also agree CB is a monster, but I typically do EQ/Edge and 2 coverage moves instead, when I run CB.

Sub punch is certainly not the best build, I'd say sub/eq/edge/icepunch and CB are the most viable sets for sure.

Im not sure why you think its so crucial to outspeed clef. I guess Clef could knock off unless you sub first, but frequently Clef won't stick around to risk letting you develop a Sub/SD. With spdef investment instead, in sandstorm, Gengar can't even 2HKO with a 120 BP move. Granted the water/grass weakness is frequently going to OHKO but even then, not always:

252 SpA Gengar Focus Blast vs. 132 HP / 128 SpD Solid Rock Rhyperior in Sand: 174-205 (43 - 50.7%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Infernape Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 132 HP / 128 SpD Solid Rock Rhyperior in Sand: 356-421 (88.1 - 104.2%) -- 25% chance to OHKO

 

[johnnyg2]

Nice, just read it. I see you favor the same substitute set I do with Ice Punch. I also agree CB is a monster, but I typically do EQ/Edge and 2 coverage moves instead, when I run CB.

Sub punch is certainly not the best build, I'd say sub/eq/edge/icepunch and CB are the most viable sets for sure.

Im not sure why you think its so crucial to outspeed clef. I guess Clef could knock off unless you sub first, but frequently Clef won't stick around to risk letting you develop a Sub/SD. With spdef investment instead, in sandstorm, Gengar can't even 2HKO with a 120 BP move. Granted the water/grass weakness is frequently going to OHKO but even then, not always:

252 SpA Gengar Focus Blast vs. 132 HP / 128 SpD Solid Rock Rhyperior in Sand: 174-205 (43 - 50.7%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Infernape Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 132 HP / 128 SpD Solid Rock Rhyperior in Sand: 356-421 (88.1 - 104.2%) -- 25% chance to OHKO

It’s more the overall speed tier as outspeeding pert, Empoleon, some Machamp, hippo is a big one etc is very nice. For clef specifically, that’s your main entry point against stall. You want to be able to pressure clef without getting encored into sub as you set up.

I’m very aware that a little bit of spdef can avoid some 2hko/ohkos, but i personally don’t think it’s worth it. Your goal w rhyperior is to be an attacker that can use its physical bulk and solid rock to check dd mons. You’re not trying to check Gengar (which can just burn you instead), you only can live gk infernape in an emergency if you’re at full health. In my opinion, that extra speed will go a long way instead of spdef.

 

[grayblood]

Some fun sets for laddering.

Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Counter
- Stealth Rock
- Payback

Anti physical lead, you dont really need attack investment and can go defense and hp. payback/counter already do enough damage without investment. t-wave for set up leads and rocks for the fact rocks are very good.

Lives a +1 Waterfall and with chople can live any unboosted fighting type attack, could probably be calc'd out to have more spdf but im too small brain for that shit

I unironically think this is one of the best things I ever crafted, Almost nothing can 1 hit this tyranitar with the only worry really being Aerodactyl can be troublesome, But payback into another payback is probably the best option for that (assuming you're playing around taunt. you could also t-wave turn 1 to see if they taunt you)


Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Surf

Honestly, the spread could use work but I think fast flash starmie isn't "good" but it is quite funny to see moves miss. We all saw the whole thing with Froslass recently and what started off with a meme with porygon 2 trying to pp stall like with what gen 1 porygon did turned into a legitimately solid starmie set. No longer do you have to worry about the 100% accurate pursuit switch in.

You can also flash then just switch on whatever bastard mon they bring in and have a solid chance that they just miss next turn, allowing for another flash or for you to twitch in. If they bring in a pesky ghost type then imagine switching to your t-tar without having to worrying about any chip, even better imagine a gengar with a even less accurate focus blast.

I don't think this set will break metas; however it is VERY funny and you should try it out on your friends and ladder victims. (Shoutouts to Excal who is also a flash starmie connoisseur)

 

[AngryPidgeon]

Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Wish
- Roar
- Heal Bell

I've been running a lot of Vaporeon on the DPP ladder and this mon does consistently well. Vaporeon is a massive special wall which shrugs off HP:Grass and Grass Knot from even strong special attackers like Empoleon. This set answers a huge number of special attackers except STAB grass users (uncommon) and electric users, but that is what Vaporeon's teammates are for. Speaking of teammates, Spikes support is important and notably Vaporeon covers common answer to Skarm: Heatran. I also personally recommend the standard Rest-talk Rotom with this Vaporeon set because Heal Bell cures the sleep, and they provide a strong phys/spec defensive core. The idea is for Vaporeon to come in on special hitters like Heatran, Suicune, Empoleon, Latias, or Gengar. From there, this set provides a diverse way for Vaporeon to develop chip damage or support the team.

You may notice that protect is missing from this set. Common wisdom dictates that you run protect with wish to guarantee the heal. That is certainly an option, and trust me people love to explode their Heatrans into this set so protect is definitely viable. But this set is more aggressive. Wish threatens to crush special attackers under Vaporeon's massive bulk. Roar threatens possible answers like Zapdos who won't like taking hazard damage just to be phased. Heal Bell threatens to erase tempo generated by opposing stall teams.

 

[Oatmon]

Note: This was the beta design for Togekiss
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Thunder Wave
- Substitute
- Baton Pass

Baton pass is unbanned, and some people are realising that it works in the lead slot. Here, the opponent usually wants to set rocks giving you an opportunity, and if they don't it's often not a lot lost. Toge is an interesting take on this sort of strategy, because in a plastic way, when it stops working, it only stops working with some probability instead of stopping to work all at once (para/flinch).

Due to it's high special attack, you have the option to try and KO all the taunt leads not named aerodactyl, and flinch the slow leads like pert. A lot of opponents will swap out their slow lead if they see you too, and this can give you a substitute chance. There also exists a fully offensive toge lead with fire blast and some other coverage moves, which a few players respect creating some set variety in the lead slot.

Machamp @ Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 48 SpD / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Dynamic Punch
- Payback
- Cross Chop

Machamp is an excellent baton pass receiver, although this set can be run independently of toge. The idea behind cross chop is that it can't safey be pp stalled. Many players have a game plan that involves pp stalling machamps dpunch if push comes to shove, (i.e. when other options are no longer available). However this cannot be done if machamp has twice the pp, and risks a critical hit every second turn or so with cross chops high critical hit ratio. Cross chop is a move that should only be run when you can spare the coverage on machamp, and can compensate for the lack of it somewhere else. For this reason, I recommend changing out the non fighting moves to different ones to suit your team.

Try pp stalling while dodging confusion and critical hits, while the other player doesn't have to think that much. This is the glory of cross chop machamp.

Relevant replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2042709086-6arc0x2i0179f93rrcxns8hqbr3ovvjpw

 

[Lady Bug]

Gallade (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Shadow Sneak
- Ice Punch
- Night Slash

Gallade is in my top 3 favorite Pokemon, so I decided to make a quick team with it and thought it fits best as a lead. It did so much better than expected and Lum Berry is actually one of the best items right now since everyone is running sleep/paralysis. It does great against most leads except for Metagross and CB Azelf... and a specs HP Flying Zapdos that caught me off guard. They OHKO it so you're better off switching out against these or you can just CC Metagross/Shadow Sneak Azelf for damage. It has not been only a lead for me, a lot of the time I switch it out and it does work mid/late game.

Managed to hit 1511 pretty easily with the team. Here it is if anybody is interesting in using it: https://pokepast.es/37cb71a280250ad7

I was also thinking of Choice Scarf Gallade, but I got too lazy to make another team. Not as a lead, but it can probably work there.

Gallade (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Trick/Thunder Punch/Leaf Blade
- Ice Punch
- Night Slash

Something along these lines. Hypnosis is also an option if you're a mad man.

 

[AngryPidgeon]

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 172 HP / 84 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot

Empoleon is one of my favorite leads, but I tend to dislike sacrificial leads with sash. So instead of running a glass cannon Empoleon lead, I run a more "bulky offense" variant which sets Rocks but also wields a big array of coverage options. The typical Empoleon leads are ruined by this set, Ive never once had an opponent win the mirror match with a standard sash Empoleon lead. Azelf is 2HKO by Surf. Aerodactyl beats this but still has to correctly predict Taunt or EQ or just take the loss and set its own Rocks. Starmie, even with Thunderbolt, is outmatched by Empoleon's special bulk. Empoleon walls Latias very well and threatens to Ice Beam it back. A stacking CM Latias can get the better of this set, but even still Empoleon can crit or freeze and win that anyways.

The main issue with Empoleon is its fighting and ground weaknesses so usual suspects like Rotom/Gengar are good partners. I also really love Trick Room Bronzong with this set because Zong covers Empoleon's ground weakness and can set a TR for Empoleon to come back in on. This works very well if Empoleon was put into Torrent range beforehand.


EDIT
I couldnt resist providing this sample game with the Empoleon set.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2055925866

 

[Oatmon]

I’m making a team dump here of everything I used in Galaxy league from week 1 through to 6. These 10 teams are my own creation, and I have employed a variety of creative and underrated sets.

The teams went 5-0 throughout the tournament, in best of three matches. From a singles perspective, they went 10-1 (I lost my first single, but then never again).

Week 1

Week 1
In week 1, I put my money where my mouth was, and brought cross chop machamp. It won the week. The coverage option is tailored to my team. SE is a nice bonus though because it also has a high crit chance, so all my attacks either have a 1/8 chance to crit, or they cause confusion, which is nasty for the opponent.

Machamp @ Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Dynamic Punch
- Stone Edge
- Cross Chop

I also brought sub pass cele in the lead slot, where it had an early opportunity to BP. This lead used trick to provide further opportunities for sub passing, and for other plays by the rest of the team. In my week 1 game with it, I got off a sub pass which avoided a ttars pursuit that connected with machamp instead, leaving the substitute intact. Leech seed was originally twave, and can be swapped out if needed. A recover set can also be used without trick.

Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Leech Seed

In the last game, I also brought eruption heatran. The unique part here is that it has 200 speed EVs in case a scarf rotom tricks it a choice scarf, which allows it to outspeed the rotom.

Heatran (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 36 HP / 236 SpA / 36 SpD / 200 Spe
Quiet Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Dragon Pulse

This team also included a 4 attacks bronzong. Most people run a support move in the last slot, and this can be unexpected, but perfect glue for a team. The lum berry on bronzong is for looms trying to spore you, which you can explode on if you wish.

4 attacks
Bronzong @ Lum Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Atk / 52 Def
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Payback
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Explosion

Snorlax is another creative set on this team. The idea of the whole team is to trade pokemon with the opponent while maintaining a +1 advantage from an early eruption KO. Snorlax happens to trade with nearly everything in the tier, so it is a perfect fit. The amount of lum berries on the team make it very para resistant as well.

I can’t take credit for the snorlax set though. It was originally used in SPL 2023; I am unsure who built the team with it.

Snorlax @ Lum Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 160 HP / 180 Atk / 96 Def / 72 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Crunch
- Self-Destruct

Scarf suicune is my own creation. It outspeeds the relevant DDers, KOs them back, and can tank hits from them including crit extreme speeds and the like. Its downside is that it's very weak into stall. This is compensated for by the rest of the team. (see replay where I face a stall).

Suicune @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 40 HP / 236 SpA / 232 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 3 Atk / 30 Def / 30 Spe
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Hydro Pump

Team pastes and replays

Cross chop:
- Team: https://pokepast.es/7b10f4e8953df716
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2087304269-e2vfe9hl5vra1zslsn5hwie125mdtaopw
Snorlax:
- Team: https://pokepast.es/c3d09201be0442d1
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2087308652-jp1od3ex98r9c47llb77stief6oj86cpw

Week 2

Week 2
In week 2, I brought two unique swampert sets. Fling light ball, and scarf swampert. The first set is something I came up with a few years ago, and has since spread to several tournaments including SPL. The second is a creation by DriDri who won the last SPL. I took inspiration here, and tried it myself to some success (on a different team). Even once scarf has been revealed, surprisingly, scarf pert is still threatening. I think I saw this set on the low ladder about half a year before it saw tournament usage. So whoever kjbeghjasdv was, you may be the original creator.

Note that fling swampert works better as a physical set, since waterfall gets its flinch chance on a paralysed opponent. However, the special set works too in my experience, and it’s what I brought that week.

Swampert @ Light Ball
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fling
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power

Swampert @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch

Team pastes and replays

Fling pert:
- Team: https://pokepast.es/e47fcebb7aca48c0
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2092682566-wv0znmdvekf9e2mdc585dqfk98bqoqnpw
Scarf pert:
- Team: https://pokepast.es/709f882edf9f62eb
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2092691659-f1tncwh6punglt8a56r17kju33j2g44pw

Week 3

Week 3
In week 3, I brought mono attacking machamp. Inspired by SPL, and wanting to try a variation on my own mon fighting RT cross chop set, I went to try bulk up rest talk machamp. It plays a little bit different to cross chop because you are attacking less, but the increase in defence provides good compensation from the reduced damage output per turn. The team I ran it on had pursuit meta to trap enemy gar or scarf rotom that might wall it. The special defence EVs are for zapdos iirc, these are optional.

Machamp @ Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 188 SpD / 64 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dynamic Punch
- Bulk Up
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Metagross @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Atk / 20 Def / 104 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Meteor Mash
- Explosion

Team pastes and replays

Ball stall (nothing special):
- Team: https://pokepast.es/a5799c032fd3a6d0
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2102972342-03vogizvnfgpnubxzb94d81f2ezf66hpw
Mono machamp:
- Team: https://pokepast.es/f0a16c6ab9286dba
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2102977755-qwdaf0n98j8u6xkh99z1tti4yxdc8i9pw

Week 4

Week 4
There is no week four since I was away due to covid. (Bonus)

Week 5

Week 5
In week 5 I brought shuckle. I credit this team to Innisfree2, who brought it to some ladder games, and I straight up stole it. I didn’t know the EVs so I just went for standard stuff, and it worked fine. The idea here is to setup spikes and stall for half or three quarters of the match, and then win with shuckle. Hopefully by this time you have stalled out the opponents' phasers.

Note that shuckle has such high base defences, that some critical hits which bypass the boosts may not KO it from full. Your opponent could need two of them in a row if you manage your HP correctly. Also remember that the chance of two happening is reduced when your evasion is increased. So this can be a very crit proof mon if you position it well.

Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Acupressure
- Rest
- Rollout
- Sleep Talk

I also brought zap cannon on forretress. This is a very hard set to pilot so it’s not recommended for beginners, but if you bear in mind that only half your zap cannons will hit and never rely on just one hitting, then it can be a good move to use. Just remember to plan well in advance before you click it, in case the opponent can capitalise eventually on the miss.

Forretress @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 Def
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Zap Cannon
- Earthquake

In the second team I brought head smash, seed bomb donphan, double edge gyarados, and metronome jirachi. The first two are sets already in use by the community, but not documented anywhere permanent. The last is my own creation.

Donphan @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Atk / 56 Def / 12 SpD / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- Seed Bomb

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 88 HP / 208 Atk / 8 Def / 8 SpD / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Thunder Wave
- Double-Edge
- Dragon Dance

Jirachi @ Metronome
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 232 HP / 128 Atk / 148 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Cosmic Power
- Rest
- Snore

The idea behind jirachi is that you boost up with cosmic, but then you need healing since there are no leftovers, so you use rest. Snore is preferable over ST because you know what it will do, and on a fast rachi is has the chance to skip the sleep turn by flinching the opponent.

Metronome slowly increases the power of consecutive iron heads. It can be compared to iron plate or metal coat; however, I believe that that linearly increasing damage is more desirable, because opponents will calculate the power of the first hit only to be surprised, or think they are getting unlucky with the later hits. In practice I think this works better. Also, the ceiling is higher if it comes to that.

Team pastes and replays

Shuckle:
- Team: https://pokepast.es/1422f0cec2d7bdda
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2107425420-wvfokn4240nrii99f3hp21ipjprs8g2pw
Metronome:
- Team: https://pokepast.es/1fe4e651cfc8bcaf
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2107434345-f4im2zcnkq2dh7uq3l6zwsq8jx599o1pw

Week 6

Week 6
In week 6 I brought yawn protect swampert. The original idea was to include psych up jirachi, but eventually I settled on double rocks as it had more consistent matchups into everything.

Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Protect
- Yawn

I also brought cosmic power clefable. Most cosmic power clefable on the ladder have knock, encore, or twave sets. However, mine fills the roll of calm mind clef while also providing a defensive buff. Spikes assist with the lower power here. For whatever reason, this set seems to do better into stall than CM clef does. It may be that it can withstand more of stalls soft hits than CM, and so it has a better chance of surviving long enough to stall encore pp. I’ve only noticed this though the results, so it may be a few different contributing factors.

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 148 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Cosmic Power
- Charge Beam
- Ice Beam
- Soft-Boiled

Team pastes and replays

Yawn pert:
- Team: https://pokepast.es/b60d81073bae6076
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2113063591-5k8dreki462corzs8o1nq6h43u6mz1tpw
Zap mie stuff, nothing special:
- Team: https://pokepast.es/74c15cfc2d06698a
- Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2113070476-k5dgpyy0wy840zffexs6u461cnioekupw

I hope you enjoyed the sets displayed in the drop-down boxes :) We didn’t win the whole tour but came very close in the semi-finals. It was a learning experience for me.

 

[Hubriz]

Thank you for sharing and congrats on doing so well!

One thing I noticed that Quiet Nature and so much speed investment on your Eruption Tran seems a bit odd.

Heatran (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 36 HP / 236 SpA / 36 SpD / 200 Spe
Quiet Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Dragon Pulse

I don't know if there's been a mistake in natures overall and you wanted to use timid/modest, as there's no TR on this team so there seems to be no reason to slow yourself down on purpose.
But even if there's something I'm missing, going modest with 104 EVs lets you reach the same number and frees up 96 EVs for more Bulk/Damage.

Edit, so me making a fool of myself is not the only content of this post:
-Have you found the heightened Crit chance of Cross Chop to actually make a difference often enough that you wouldn't rather click DPunch or A Coverage Move on your W1 Champ Set?
-Are you trying to get Acupressure banned in DPP as well, after it lately got banned in BW?
-Metronome Jirachi is a cool idea and I've been wishing time and time again Metronome was in it's buffed state in DPP already. I did not try it out myself, but the fact that Metronome needs 3 consecutive uses of a Move to reach the power level of Iron Plate/Metal Coat and a total of 6 turns to reach the same "damage per turn" seems like a tough task. I can see it help you break through defensive stuff, although you might end up being knocked off against that anyway, which would make the immediate power of Plate/Coat more desirable.

 

[A Welcome Guest]

Thank you for sharing and congrats on doing so well!

One thing I noticed that Quiet Nature and so much speed investment on your Eruption Tran seems a bit odd.



I don't know if there's been a mistake in natures overall and you wanted to use timid/modest, as there's no TR on this team so there seems to be no reason to slow yourself down on purpose.
But even if there's something I'm missing, going modest with 104 EVs lets you reach the same number and frees up 96 EVs for more Bulk/Damage.

Heatran is locked into Quiet Nature if it is using Eruption.

 

[Hubriz]

Heatran is locked into Quiet Nature if it is using Eruption.

Thank you, I forgot about that. That makes a lot of sense. Haven't dealt with Eruption Tran outside of TR for a while :)

 

[robertshortgrass]

Venusaur

Venusaur @ Black Sludge
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 248 HP / 24 SpA / 180 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]/Ice
- Knock Off/Leech Seed
- Roar/Sleep Powder
This Venusaur set works well on fire- water- grass cores and is excellent at supporting the team. It answers Breloom well, and the special defense investment lets it handle Starmie with ease. I put knock off and roar because it fit best on my team, forming a double knock off core with Donphan to better enable scarf Lucario. Roar helped against substitute users, but the standard set is great as well.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2126562929

Donphan

Donphan @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD or 248 HP/ 96 Att/ 148 Def/ 16 Spdf(the spread is a variation of one I got from Oatmon's Post)
Relaxed/Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock/Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Knock Off/Endeavor/Roar
Custap berry allows Donphan to get one last move off, allowing you to get a vital spin or earthquake. It can be used to check DD Tar when weak, hit a Jirachi that has flinched you down, and endeavor lets you bring anything low for something to revenge.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2122327363
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2209751039-nbsfuow81bmoubq9qvxwzm8zz4kdgy4pw

Metagross

Metagross @ Life Orb
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 40 SpD / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Agility
Life orb lets Metagross hit hard. Zen headbutt helps against Rotom, Zapdos, and Gyara, as well as Machamp and Loom. Adamant life orb Zen headbutt has a 56.3% to ko Gyara after rocks, always 2 hit ko Rotom, and a 94.2% chance to 2 hit ko bold Zapdos with ice punch.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2139160922?p2

Togekiss

Togekiss @ Lum Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 8 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 240 Spe
Timid/Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Fire Blast
- Aura Sphere
- Nasty Plot
Nasty Plot Togekiss is powerful and works well as an early or mid game breaker, as or a late game sweeper. Modest is something to consider if you don’t need the speed on your team. A timid nature with 240 evs hits 281, outpacing neutral natured base 90s and defensive Latias. Eight hp and eight special defense evs give you a 64.1% chance to not be 2 hit ko'd by timid Supercune’s unboosted ice beam. Lum is nice for body slam/thunder wave Jirachi and spore from Breloom.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2140797501
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2140767282?p2

Porygon-Z

Porygon-Z @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest/Timid Nature
IVs: 3 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Ground]/Grass
- Trick/Dark Pulse/Tri Attack/Thunder Wave
This set has been really fun to use on the ladder. Modest lets Porygon hit hard and download can boost Porygon’s power to extreme heights. The moveset is also very customizable and will vary depending on your team.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2122320703
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2131221794

Azelf

Azelf @ Lum Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 188 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpD / 56 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt
- Explosion

This is bulky Azelf without stealth rocks. Dropping rocks allows you to do so much damage to the opposing team. Lum is nice for Roserade and Breloom leads, or switching into Machamp’s dynamic punch later in the game. The speed investment allows you to outrun timid/jolly base 90s, the hp and are defense to always live Payback into bullet punch from Machamp, and the rest is to better take Roserade’s leaf storm. You also always live jolly Tyranitar’s unboosted crunch + sand.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2140666373

 

[badabing]

great post i was stalking you

edit: oatmons post too lol

 

[Jeong]

Gliscor @ Light Ball
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 204 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Wing Attack
- Earthquake
- Fling
- Roost
Well, I've already seen this in pert, for example... so, it's not a great innovation. It occurred to me the other day to use it in Gliscor. I put it SpD with 56 EVs in speed to beat loom and fit better special damage. I'm not sure how effective it can be, but you can surprise several free changes like Bronzong, Gengar, Swampert, Skarm. I guess it can fit well in a team based on Twave or BSlam rachi. Paraspam, basically. No doubt that Taunt is superior, but well... I felt like sharing this.

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Cosmic Power
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
Similar to the set with Charge Beam + IB but this version seems superior to me, as it is not as complicated to use. I think it's a better idea to use it physical defensive because you fit better CB Scizor (+1 CC) in Superpower, DD Ttar, DD Gyara (not Taunt). True that it also needs a lot of support, especially in teams based on TSpikes with Nidoqueen, as they cover well. Honestly, I tried it a while ago and was unaware that it was so wincon in most games. The remaining 12 EVs in SpD to withstand 3 hydro of offensive Starmie.

 

[YouMeAndRNG]

I ran a variant of the above Clefable except with Trick + Flame Orb in place of thunder wave. Breloom can be pretty problematic if it gets to sleep you, but flame orb protects your status and lets you stop incoming set-up sweepers w/o taunt (dragonite, lucario, scissor, Gyara). Trick is also nice if you get specs/scarf/band tricked on it lets you trick it away and continue the cosmic power devastation. Breloom is still a bit of a guessing game if its sub-punch or superpower, which dictates whether you hit soft-boiled or seismic toss.

 

[robertshortgrass]

Snorlax

Snorlax @ Custap Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Self-Destruct
Snorlax is a favorite of mine which is why I wanted to use it. The strategy dex says Snorlax’s lack of longevity is its biggest flaw, and that it can be used as a one time pivot on offensive teams. Those lines lead to the creation of this set. Custap takes advantage of Lax’s lack of longevity, allowing it to actually put in work. Its special bulk lets it act as a special wall, and thick fat helps you do that better. Double-Edge was chosen over Body Slam and Return because it helps put you in range of Custap(I ran it alongside Roserade to validate using Thick Fat over Immunity). Earthquake is for the steels, most notably Heatran, and Crunch for the ghosts. The special defense evs lets you switch into life orb Gengar’s Focus Blast with rocks up and gives you good odds of the berry activating on the next turn(max special defense makes Lax too bulky). I put the rest into defense instead of hp because I didn’t want to mess with and redo the Gengar calc.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2155992819
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2203950206-tg30a4yxmo0akdvg6jcg8p7lrrpabn1pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2203328290-2yfqdryoui39foz24bp3yy5t6wkaq9vpw?p2

Mesprit

Mesprit @ Lum Berry/Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 208 HP / 108 Def / 24 SpD / 96 Spe
Bold Nature
- Psychic
- Stealth Rock/U-turn
- Thunder Wave
- Copycat
I’ve wanted to use copycat Mesprit ever since I saw Rezzo’s scarf iteration of the pixie. I tried that set when I first got into competitive mons but it was not easy for a beginner to get the hang of. After about a year and a half of playing competitively(mainly DPP OU), I’ve figured out how to properly utilize this move. This set is similar to lead Uxie except it has copycat, is slower, and slightly less bulky. Nevertheless, Mesprit takes hits like a champ, and is able to enter the field many times in a game(as is shown in some of the replays). I’ve been using this Mesprit on a team as a lead, but as Pideous and Afterburn have shown, it works great as a utility counter to physical attackers outside of the lead slot. Copycat allows you to do some pretty amazing things, and makes using Mesprit over the other pixies worth it. U-turn can be used instead of stealth rocks since Mesprit can have trouble getting them up in some scenarios. You can go 96 Spe to outrun lead Empo, 56 for Machamp, or 0 speed and maximize your bulk.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2208115938
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2208331259 (This was our second time playing one another in like 5 minutes on the ladder, so that’s why it looks like we know each other’s plays).
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2208780524-a4qm7pzmkw7s97la5vazuous4rvkz1xpw (This replay also showcases Azumarill)

Azumarill

Azumarill @ Leftovers
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 160 HP / 248 Atk / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Return/Ice punch
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower/Knock off
In my short time of playing DPP, I think I’ve seen Azu used once on the high ladder, which is crazy. I’m not trying to say it is an OU caliber mon, but it has a niche and isn’t used enough. It has a great ability, typing, and movepool, allowing it to operate at this level in DPP. 100 speed evs hits 161, outspeeding Clef and Pert. You 2HKO careful Clef w/Waterfall and 3HKO bold Blis. Because I ran this set on a team that needed help against those two mons, I went w/Superpower to improve my matchup against them. The choice between Return and Ice punch is based on your team’s needs. Knock off is knock off.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2209014075-bidswfxc94l9oewo5ikzhv7mtqupmh8pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2208790847-vgjsgl9zqfb283657l8sxhuinnkx7kgpw?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2209007050

 

[mackie]

Heatran @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Overheat
- Flamethrower / Earth Power
- Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power Grass
- Rest

I've been running Rest on my lead Specs Heatran in combination with a Heal Bell user (in my case Celebi, who also offers para support for Heatran) and it has been working pretty well. Basically once Heatran gets damaged enough he can come in and Rest on a predicted switch to restore health. Then my Celebi can wake him up immediately with Heal Bell. Also Rest allows him to stall out and beat some Pokemon (for example a Jirachi I faced that had a moveset of Substitute + Iron Head + Body Slam + Fire Punch was unable to breakthrough this Heatran, without Rest he would've easily beat me as he would just paraflinch me down and drain my Overheat PP with his Subs). I'm assuming Rest would also work on Scarf Heatrans as well.

Just keep him away from Ground/Water/Fighting attacks and he should be able to blast powerful attacks off over the course of the match.

 

[mackie]

Sorry for the double post but another idea came to mind:

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Waterfall
- Aqua Tail

It's the standard RestTalk Gyarados except its running Aqua Tail over Roar. Roar is the better choice most of the time, however this is a set that prioritizes damage over phazing. I just thought of this because sometimes when I'm Sleep Talking I prefer to select Waterfall over Roar. With this moveset the Sleep Talk has double the chance to select the attacking move (and won't Roar out the opposing Pokemon accidentally).

This set would be weaker against opposing DD Gyarados and DD Dragonite, but more effective against Lucario, Infernape, Metagross, Donphan etc.

So perhaps this Gyarados in combination with a solid physical wall like Skarmory or Hippowdown (or even Cresselia) would work. Or a revenge killer like Scarf Rotom or Scarf Jirachi.

I'm leaning more towards the Scarfs because I think this Gyarados would fit better on a more offensively geared team who still wants an answer to Fighting/Steel types but not focused too much on phazing. You could also probably throw some ATK EVs on it as well and take some away from its defenses. Like a good benchmark to hit would be to break Breloom's Subs (just to be able to drain Sub PP).

Also Dragon Dance may work as well.

 

[robertshortgrass]

Hello all. I recently saw Jeong's post on the metagame discussion thread about the tier being boring and teams being repetitive. After reading the post, I felt compelled to share some of the sets that I've been using lately to show that this tier is the opposite of that. Hopefully this can help get the creative juices flowing and improve people's enjoyment of the metagame.

Sets

Mamoswine @ Never-Melt Ice
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off/Stone Edge/Superpower/Toxic/Stealth Rocks
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2130642626?p2
This set isn’t my own invention, but I think it is really underrated and I wanted to highlight it.

Snorlax @ Lum Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 16 HP / 244 Atk / 248 Def
Adamant Nature
- Body Slam
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Self-Destruct
This is meant to be used in the lead slot. EVs let you always live Machamp’s DP and give you an 81% chance to live jolly Loom’s Superpower. If all else fails, you click boom.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2242630380?p2

Mesprit @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Healing Wish
This is exactly like the Uxie trick-scarf set, but with HWish.

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/16 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
Max HP for 101 HP subs. 16 speed to be faster than defensive Rotom and something else but I can’t remember what at the moment. You can put the rest in defense or special attack depending on what you are feeling. Sub is to block Twave and Knock Off from Clef and to Pressure stall your opponent. If running 240 Spa w/Modest, you 2HKO Clef at +2. I like to round out the set with Surf and Rest alongside Heal Bell support.

Metagross @ Expert Belt
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 248 SpA / 12 Spe
Mild Nature
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Grass Knot
- Earthquake/Explosion/Stealth Rocks/Hammer Arm
Being mixed gives you the ability to beat Skarm, Scizor, Pert, and pressure a whole lot more than what a physical set would be able to. 12 Speed hits 178, tying CB Tar and Sub Machamp. Shout out to Sakito and JohnnyG2 for writing about this set in their analysis of Metagross.

Infernape @ Leftovers/Lum Berry
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 240 Atk / 76 SpA / 192 Spe
Naive Nature
- Close Combat
- Overheat
- U-turn/Grass Knot
- Mach Punch/HP Ice
This is a physically based mix Ape, which I really like when not running e-belt. Without a boosting item, CC is too weak for my taste which is why I run this. Leftovers are used to prolong Ape’s time on the field. I use Lum if I lead it. 76 Spa w/ Overheat always OHKOs max HP Gross, and I like it over Fire Blast because it is more accurate.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2232863536?p2

Tyranitar
Ability: Sand Stream
- Pursuit
- Roar
I think I first heard about Roar-Pursuit Tar from BKC who was talking about it in GSC. This is a fun set to run because you can really mess with your opponent. The moveset, item, and evs are flexible, but I tend to make these Tar’s really bulky with a resist berry.

Thanks for reading.
P.S. I also think Aromatherapy Roserade and all versions of Zapdos are underrated.