~Introduction~
I made this team to counter todays metagame, and use the pokemon I think is responsible for being the best attacker in the tier, Machamp. I have used every set on site of Machamp and I created my own set with my knowledge of Machamp. So without further ado, here is my team.
I had heard about this set called Anti-Lead Gallade around a month ago, and boy did I fall in love. I tweaked the set to work for my team, and he definitely opens up strong for my team. Using this set I can usually expect to be up 6-5, or maybe even 6-4 depending on how well I predict and my opponent's lack of knowledge about this set.
Since I had my lead position down, I decided to add Machamp due to he is the reason I made this team. I had tried Choice Band, Scarf and using him as a Lead, but nothing compared to Substitute + 3 attacks. Once Machamp is behind a sub, he blocks status, and eases prediction. I tweaked this set and added my own piece of it.
Now I knew I needed a Revenge Killer. I thought about ScarfGon, Choice Banded Scizor, ScarfTar, ScarfTran, but nothing worked better than the most underrated Scarfer's, Roserade. With the ability Natural Cure, he acts as a status absorber as well. He can also fire off Speedy Sleep Powders so I knew he was a good addition to this team.
Well I had heard all of this hype about Porygon2 and his niche in the OU tier. I tested him out, and boy did he impress me. His ability to tank hits from both sides of the spectrum, and access to instant recovery is something to boast about.
I knew right away that I had a pretty frail team up until this point. Once that thought set in, I knew CroCune was perfect for this team. Once all of his counters are removed ( yeah, I'm looking at you Vaporeon), He can tank hits on both sides of the spectrum and setup.
My team was hitting mostly from the special spectrum outside of Machamp, and Gallade in the Lead position. Immediately, I knew that I needed a bulky Pokemon that can hit on the physical spectrum. I thought about BulkyDos, but I used one of my favorite pokemon instead, BandPert. If you have never used him before, prepare to be amazed.
In Depth
Gallade @ Expert Belt
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 248 HP/252Atk/12Spe
Adamant nature ( + Atk, - SAtk)
-Zen Headbutt
-Shadow Sneak
-Ice Punch
-Earthquake
Gallade is the definition of Anti-Lead to today's metagame. With the ability to OHKO Machamp, and score 2HKO's on Azelf, Aerodactyl, Infernape, Heatran, Jirachi, Metagross, and Hippodown you will realize how much of a threat he is in the lead position. Zen Headbutt is to STAB and to score KO's on Machamp with perfect accuracy thanks to No Guard, and Infernape ( Earthquake does just as well though). Shadow Sneak is for priority which is obvious on an Anti-Lead. It also scores important 2HKO's on Azelf, Gengar and the occasional Alakazam lead. Ice Punch is for those pesky Dragon types running around the tier, as well as Grass and Ground types. Earthquake hits so many of the common leads Super Effectively it was obvious on this set.
Here is the Lead Matchup for Gallade against the Top 10 leads. Green means easy to handle, Orange means moderate prediction is required, and Red means switch out or lose the Lead matchup.
Machamp @ Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 128 HP/252 Atk/128 Spe
Adamant nature (+ Atk, - SAtk)
-Dynamic Punch
-Payback
-Substitute
-Encore
This moveset tears wholes through teams, and helps my team out a lot. Dynamic Punch is for obvious STAB, as well as 100 Base Power and 100% chance of confusion. Payback is there to ghosts extremely hard. (Yeah that includes you Rotom). Substitute is there to ease predictions, as well as getting an Encore off for a switch to one of my teammates. I use this by coming in on something Machamp scares away. Sub up, and fire off the appropriate move to the incoming pokemon. If I am not sure what they are going to do, I Encore, then switch to a Pokemon that takes the Encored move well.
Porygon2 @ Leftovers
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP/216 Def/40 SAtk
Bold nature (+ Def, - Atk)
-Recover
-Thunder Wave
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
Can someone please tell me why he is NU? With the ability Trace he can come in on Gyarados, Dragonite, Heatran, Vaporeon, and those are just some of them. My team really appreciates the paralysis, due to them being slow heavy hitters. For example, a Gyarados comes in, on my switch he DD's, I bring in P2 and he Traces Intimidate, causing Gyarados to be +0 Atk and +1 Spe, his Waterfall doesn't K.O me and I can Thunderbolt him. With Heatran, I can come in on a predicted Fire move and get a free switch and then paralyze Heatran. The same thing with Heatran happens with Vaporeon, and no pokemon really enjoys paralysis.
Roserade @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Spe/252 SAtk/4HP
Timid Nature (+Spe, - Atk)
-Sleep Powder
-Leaf Storm
-HP Ice
-Shadow Ball
Again I don't understand why people don't use Scarf Roserade. She has access to a 75% accuracy Sleep Move, as well as Leaf Storm which hits things that resist it for half of their HP. Hidden Power Ice is there to counter those pesky Dragons, as well as Zapdos, and Gliscor. Shadow Ball is there to switch in on Gengar and outspeeds him for the KO, unless he is Scarfed as well. With the ability of Natural Cure, she can absorb status as well as take status and switch out and be healed. All in all, she serves as a wonderful check to the pokemon I need her to, and she doesn't disappoint.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/6 Spe
Nature: Bold (+Def, - Atk)
-Calm Mind
-Surf
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
Everyone knows about CroCune, and how much of a pain it is to teams lacking a Vaporeon, or who failed to take it down quickly. I find many situations for him to switch in due to his bulk. I use him as a status absorber, a physical wall, a special tank, you name it. This pokemon never seems to fail me, and once its counters are eliminated, he is in free reign to sweep. I have seen that most people have been running offensive variants lately, but good ol' CroCune will always find a place on my team.
Swampert @ Choice Band
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 172 HP/252 Atk/84 Spe
Adamant nature (+Atk, - SAtk)
-Waterfall
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Ice Punch
BandPert hits like a ton of bricks. Waterfall STABd coming off a 525 Attack Stat hits ridiculously hard. If it is Torrent boosted, it hits 50% harder. Earthquake is STABd as well and hits hard. Stone Edge is there for coverage on Gyarados and to combine to make the infamous EdgeQuake. Ice Punch is there to cover the Dragons that lurk, as well as Zapdos, Gliscor and Hippodown. I really think Swampert is a weak link and I am looking for suggestions.
So that is my team, I am really looking to switch Swampert, which is why I posted this. Once that happens, I will revamp this whole set-up and add defensive combinations and type synergy. Thank you in advance for rating my team.
