SM OU Every breath you take (Peaked #7)

DKM

Are you feeling nervous? Are you having fun?
is a Social Media Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
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Introduction

Hey, I'm showcasing a team I built around one of my favourite and, in my opinion, one of the most effective Megas in the current meta: Mega Charizard X. I typically prefer using balance and semi-stall teams, but that clearly isn't the best option with this Pokemon, so I took a more offensive approach than I usually would. Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X + Tapu Fini is a simple and effective core which has been used multiple times now and is probably the best way to use this Pokemon outside of full hyper offense. In practice this team had alot of success and I got to top 10 on the ladder pretty easily. The team has an atleast reasonable matchup against all common archetypes, I have an out to win almost all matchups. At the end of the RMT I'll list some similar teams, as this certainly isn't the only one with this style.


Teambuilding Process

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I started with the core of Mega Charizard X + Tapu Fini. Alot of players rely on status + hazards + recoil along with priority moves to deal with Mega Charizard X. Tapu Fini summons Misty Terrain to block status, which makes it easier to set up against Pokemon like Toxapex and Clefable. Tapu Fini is also provides necessary Defog support, being one of the best forms of hazard in the tier.

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Next I added Ash-Greninja who forms a powerful offensive core with Mega Charizard X while also giving the team a better speed tier as well as a decently powerful priority move in Water Shuriken. Ash-Greninja is a self-sufficient win condition, wearing down its checks with powerful attacks or with Spikes. I usually rely on it in games where Mega Charizard X can't win.

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As this is an offensive team I couldn't throw on a simple defensive core, so I added Assault Vest Magearna + Tornadus-T to act as pivots that can easily keep up momentum. Magearna takes on a bunch of special attackers like Mega Alakazam, Greninja and Tornadus-T to name a few. Tornadus-T is a more offensive set, but it can still switch into Grass-types such as Kartana and defensive Tapu Bulu. Thanks to Regenerator it can switch into defensive Pokemon like Toxapex, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn then proceed to use Knock Off or remove their hazards. Double Defog makes it easier to provide Mega Charizard X with setup opportunities.

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The team still lacks Stealth Rock, I also wanted an electric immunity. I was considering adding Garchomp, but the team is very weak to Mega Mawile so I added Gliscor instead, it's not a great answer but it can switch into non Ice Punch variants. Gliscor also provides another check to Heatran which is useful since my Tapu Fini doesn't have Scald. Spreading Toxic is also useful, especially against bulky Grass-types that prevent Ash-Greninja from making progress.



A closer look

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Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
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Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake

- Roost

Mega Charizard X can break through bulkier teams, or potentialy sweep thanks to Dragon Dance. It's typing and reasonable bulk also allow it to act as a check to Pokemon like Kartana, Tapu Bulu, Tapu Koko, Mega Scizor, and Volcarona if needed. Flare Blitz is absurdly powerful at +1, hitting even resistances like Rotom-W and Mega Latias for decent damage. Earthquake is used instead of a Dragon STAB as it hits Pokemon like Heatran, Toxapex, Tyranitar, and Mega Diancie for super effective damage. It's also important for wearing down other Fire resists like Garchomp and Tapu Fini, or hitting Steel-types like Magearna and Magnezone without taking Flare Blitz recoil. Roost is necessary, especially in longer games to provide more set up opportunities and to stay healthy enough to check previously mentioned Pokemon.

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Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
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Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 48 SpD / 196 Spe Calm Nature
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
- Taunt

- Defog

Tapu Fini provides valuable support with Misty Terrain and Defog. It's amazing typing and good bulk let it keep hazards off while switching into Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Heatran, and opposing Mega Charizard X. Nature's Madness is used to wear down Pokemon like Toxapex, Celesteela, Ferrothorn, and Chansey. When Combined with Taunt, Tapu Fini is extremely annoying for balance and alot of stall teams to deal with. Moonblast is used to hit Dark-types such as Greninja, Tyranitar, and Hydreigon; Fighting-types in Mega Medicham and Mega Heracross, as well as Dragon-types like Garchomp and Kyurem. Taunt is an amazing move to stop recovery from defensive Pokemon that get worn down by Nature's Madness. It also prevents Pokemon like Heatran, Gliscor, and Toxapex from spamming hazards as Tapu Fini uses Defog. The EV spread allows Tapu Fini to take a hit from +2 Hawlucha which is crucial against hyper offense teams, it also has two more speed points than Modest Heatran to outpace it and creep other Pokemon at this mark. The rest is in SpDef with a Calm Nature to better take on Ash-Greninja and Heatran as well as other special attackers like Mega Alakazam and Volcarona in a pinch.


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Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
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Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Surf
- Dark Pulse
- Spikes

- Water Shuriken

Ash-Greninja is the second part of the offensive core, it adds alot of speed and power to the team which helps against opposing offense/hyper offense. Surf is the prefered Water STAB for its reliability and higher PP than Hydro Pump. Spikes is obviously amazing, it allows Ash-Greninja to wear down its own checks and win games on its own. Water Shuriken is an amazing priority move that's fairly strong thanks to Choice Specs, it can revenge-kill speed boosting setup sweepers like Volcarona, Mega Charizard X, and Shift Gear Magearna when they're weakened as well as other faster Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Tapu Koko, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T or Kartana. This is extremely important as the team lacks a Choice Scarf user.

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Magearna @ Assault Vest
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Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 15 Spe
- Fleur Cannon
- Iron Head
- Volt Switch

- Hidden Power [Fire]

Magearna is a blanket check to a ton of special attackers including, but not limited to Mega Alakazam, Tapu Lele, both forms of Greninja, Tapu Koko, Tornadus-T, and opposing Magearna. Fleur Cannon is the main attack to hit most of these Pokemon, it's fairly strong and prevents Magearna from being relatively weak. Iron Head is used instead of Flash Cannon for Calm Mind users like Tapu Lele, Clefable, and opposing Magearna, all of which are otherwise huge threats to the team. Volt Switch is amazing for gaining momentum, which is important for an offensive team and the main reason to use this set instead of a Shift Gear or Calm Mind set. Hidden Power Fire is used in the last slot to OHKO Kartana before it gets out of hand, it also deals decent damage to Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor. Some players choose to have speed EVs for Clefable to beat it more reliably, although you can still outstall Soft Boiled PP and beat it anyway. Instead I chose to run only 15 Speed IVs to get a slower Volt Switch against Chansey and Celesteela as well as opposing Assault Vest Magearna.


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Tornadus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
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Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 88 HP / 160 SpA / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog


Tornadus-T further improves the team's speed tier while providing a secondary Defog user and another way to gain momentum. It also acts as a check to Grass-types like Tapu Bulu and Kartana as well as Fighting-types like Mega Medicham. Supersonic Skystrike is a powerful nuke against Pokemon like Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and Clefable that could otherwise attempt to keep up hazards. Knock Off is an amazing move that can remove items such as Leftovers from the aforementioned Pokemon, Assault Vest from Magearna, and many others. Knock Off + Supersonic Skystrike is especially good at weakening or removing these Pokemon, giving Ash-Greninja a much easier time. The HP and SpD EVs allow Tornadus-T to live an Ice Beam from Protean Greninja at full, meaning it can potentially remove it.

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Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
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Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 52 Def / 100 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Toxic

- Roost

Gliscor provides the team with Stealth Rock and is arguable one of best at doing it due to its exceptional bulk and typing which lets it set up hazards against Pokemon that aren't extremely powerful or using a super effective attack. Gliscor is also a decent check to Pokemon like Heatran, Mega Mawile, and Tyranitar despite that fact it can get overwhelmed or OHKOed by a coverage move. Toxic puts Defog users like Tornadus-T, Zapdos, and Rotom-W on a timer. It also cripples other Pokemon that don't care about Earthquake such as Landorus-T, Tapu Bulu, Tangrowth, and Mega Latias. Poison Heal restores HP slowly without needing to waste a turn, while Roost + Poison Heal restores a large amount of HP at once. The EVs in speed allow Gliscor to outspeed Heatran, the HP and Def let it switch into Mega Mawile, the rest are in SpDef for switching into Heatran and taking an unboosted Hidden Power Ice from Tapu Koko.



Threatlist

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Mega Alakazam

Mega Alakazam outspeeds the whole team and can put on alot of pressure if given the chances. Assault Vest Magearna can switch in a few times but is constantly getting worn down. Mega Alakazam + Tapu Lele is especially threatening as Magearna will get overwhelmed quickly and Psychic terrain blocks Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken. These teams are often weak to Mega Charizard X, so playing aggresively on key turns is necessary.

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Fighting-types

Powerful Fighting-types such as Mega Medicham, Mega Heracross, and Mega Gallade will usually get a couple of KOs. It's usually a case of going into either Tapu Fini or Tornadus-T, but they're far from reliable switch-ins. Ash-Greninja will always be able to revenge-kill, but once again some aggresive plays are needed.

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Electric-types

Electric-types like Tapu Koko, Rotom-W, and Zapdos can all annoy the team to an extent. Tapu Koko outspeeds the whole team and can wear down Assault Vest Magearna while annoying the team in general with multiple Volt Switch/U-turns. Rotom-W lives any attack from any team member and can keep Volt Switching around, using Knock Off with Tornadus-T is recommended. Zapdos is less annoying as Mega Charizard X, Magearna, and even Gliscor switch into it, but Volt Switch variants can still keep the upper hand for most of the game.

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Kartana/Grass-spam core

As Tornadus-T is running an offensive set, Kartana can overwhelm it and Mega Charizard X with a Z-Crystal or Choice Band, even Choice Scarf variants have the potential to clean late-game. Mega Charizard X is often forced to be a defensive pivot in these matchups, so keeping hazards off is crucial.

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Calm Mind sweepers

Calm Mind setup sweepers like Mega Latias, Clefable, and Reuniclus are hard to stop if they get more than one boost. In the case of the two Psychic-types, pressuring them with Ash-Greninja immediately is often the best option, but this isn't always enough. In the case of Calm Mind Clefable and Magearna, my own Assault Vest Magearna can beat them by spamming Iron Head.

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Hyper offense

Certain hyper offense teams, such as ones with Kartana + Mega Pinsir or lead Tapu Koko + setup spam are often overwhelming. Focus Sash leads Excadrill and Landorus-T can always keep up hazards, making the matchup even harder. Greninja should be brought in to try and get a KO and transform as early as possible, weakening their water resist can leave room for a late-game Water Shuriken sweep.

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Stall

Between Tornadus-T, Tapu Fini, and Mega Charizard X, most stall teams are relatively easy to handle. Variants with Pokemon like Zapdos, Tangrowth, and Hippowdon or Unaware Quagsire can prove harder to break when played well. Mega Sableye stalls can always keep hazards off when not misplayed, making the matchup much less favourable.


Similar teams
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: This team was used by Blunderr for SPL. It opts for a more offensive Stealth Rock setter in Landorus-T. Instead of a bulky variant, Shift Gear Magearna is used for late-game sweeping. Choice Scarf Jirachi compliments this style of team nicely, as it can switch into Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele while providing speed and momentum. It also has Healing Wish to support both sweepers in Mega Charizard X and Magearna.

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: This team was used by Tamahome in SPL. It has a very offensive nature with Swords Dance Landorus-T and Excadrill who is also the hazard remover. Whirlpool Tapu Fini is an interesting pick as most would excpect a Defog set. It can trap and remove multiple defensive Pokemon that are annoying to Greninja, Excadrill, and Mega Charizard X. Nihilego as a Stealth Rock setter is a unique choice that has interesting offensive and defensive qualities.




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Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Roost

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 48 SpD / 196 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Defog

Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Surf
- Dark Pulse
- Spikes
- Water Shuriken

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 15 Spe
- Fleur Cannon
- Iron Head
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Tornadus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 88 HP / 160 SpA / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 52 Def / 100 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Roost


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Last edited:
hello, DKM

I really like this RMT and I'm so happy it got showcased, congratulations. The foundation of Tapu Fini and Mega Charizard X is quite solid and you did an excellent job with it, but i would still like to present my own twist to your team, which I feel has a bit of room for improvement still.

Major Changes
  • Tornadus-T > Zapdos
    • Code:
      Zapdos @ Leftovers 
      Ability: Static 
      EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD 
      Bold Nature 
      IVs: 0 Atk 
      - Discharge 
      - Heat Wave 
      - Roost 
      - Defog
      • Maximizes physical bulk.
    • First and foremost, Ferrothorn is one of the most notable hazard setters in the tier, so having both your Defoggers lose to it, especially on a Mega Charizard X team, isn't quite ideal I feel, especially if it is Stealth Rock Ferrothorn. Zapdos also helps with Kartana, giving you a sturdier Steel-resistant Pokémon, as well as Choice Band Tapu Bulu, which could prove to be a nuisance otherwise. I don't really like Zapdos as the sole Defogger, but with Tapu Fini alongside it, I think they actually make an excellent Defog core. On a separate note, I acknowledge removing Tornadus-T makes it a lot harder to deal with Mega Medicham, but if you can switch into a Fake Out you can just Paralysis fish with Static and likely beat it, and Tapu Fini helps this matchup considerably too.
  • Magearna > Jirachi
    • Code:
      Jirachi @ Choice Scarf 
      Ability: Serene Grace 
      Shiny: Yes 
      EVs: 176 HP / 80 Atk / 252 Spe 
      Jolly Nature 
      - Iron Head 
      - Ice Punch 
      - U-turn 
      - Healing Wish
      • Enough special bulk to avoid a 2HKO from Mega Alakazam's Focus Blast at full.
      • The remainder of EVs pooled into Speed and Attack.
    • Jirachi helps with the Speed issues. The original team already lacked a Choice Scarf user which honestly is rarely ideal on this type of team, but now that Tornadus-T was removed something fast was needed even more. Scarf Jirachi perfectly fills this role while also helping in other very important regards. Healing Wish is incredible for Mega Charizard X and Tapu Fini as both are quite prone to passive damage and thus appreciate the utility. Ice Punch is also really nice as a way to lure Landorus-T and Garchomp to help with Mega Charizard X. Sure, this gives up some of the bulk of Assault Vest Magearna, but I believe the added utility and Speed more than make up for it, especially for the type of team Mega Charizard X performs the best, I feel.
  • Gliscor > Landorus-T
    • Code:
      Landorus-Therian @ Rockium Z 
      Ability: Intimidate 
      EVs: 224 HP / 112 Atk / 28 Def / 144 Spe 
      Adamant Nature 
      - Earthquake 
      - Stone Edge 
      - Stealth Rock 
      - Swords Dance
      • Enough HP to minimize Stealth Rock damage.
      • Enough Attack to OHKO Rotom-W with +2 Continental Crush
      • Enough Speed for Modest Heatran
      • The remainder of EVs pooled into Defense.
    • Now that you have a Healing Wish Jirachi, Tapu Fini can take up the slot of a Heatran check with more ease, and replacing Tornadus-T and Magearna also makes it a lot harder for Heatran to switch in, so I believe this change is fine. With Rockium Z, Landorus-T can lure Rotom-W for Mega Charizard X and also help a bit with the stall matchup as it is an outstanding Stealth Rock user. This more defensive approach helps with Mega Mawile which is still quite a threat.
Minor Changes
  • Nature's Madness —> Scald
    • Code:
      Tapu Fini @ Leftovers 
      Ability: Misty Surge 
      EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 12 SpA / 40 SpD / 192 Spe 
      Calm Nature 
      IVs: 0 Atk 
      - Scald 
      - Moonblast 
      - Taunt 
      - Defog
      • Special Attack benchmark helps with specially defensive Heatran.
    • Like I alluded to earlier, now Tapu Fini needs Scald to pressure Heatran, missing out on Nature's Madness isn't ideal but it's necessary to make room for Scald.
So these are my suggestions for your team! This might deviate a bit too much from the original, but I still think it keeps the same premise but still covers many of the stuff you had on your threatlist. Tapu Koko is still a bit of a nuisance, especially with Assault Vest Magerna replaced, but it's still outplayable.


Code:
Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X 
Ability: Blaze 
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe 
Jolly Nature 
- Dragon Dance 
- Flare Blitz 
- Earthquake 
- Roost 

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers 
Ability: Misty Surge 
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 12 SpA / 40 SpD / 192 Spe 
Calm Nature 
IVs: 0 Atk 
- Scald 
- Moonblast 
- Taunt 
- Defog 

Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs 
Ability: Battle Bond 
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe 
Timid Nature 
- Surf 
- Dark Pulse 
- Spikes 
- Water Shuriken 

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf 
Ability: Serene Grace 
Shiny: Yes 
EVs: 180 HP / 76 Atk / 252 Spe 
Jolly Nature 
- Iron Head 
- Ice Punch 
- U-turn 
- Healing Wish 

Zapdos @ Leftovers 
Ability: Static 
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD 
Bold Nature 
IVs: 0 Atk 
- Discharge 
- Heat Wave 
- Roost 
- Defog 

Landorus-Therian @ Rockium Z 
Ability: Intimidate 
EVs: 224 HP / 112 Atk / 28 Def / 144 Spe 
Adamant Nature 
- Earthquake 
- Stone Edge 
- Stealth Rock 
- Swords Dance
 
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AV Magearna with Iron Head should at least spare the 36 EVs to outspeed CM Clefable, one of the things it easily checks. Not much else to say about the team otherwise. It’s as solid as can be.
 
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DKM

Are you feeling nervous? Are you having fun?
is a Social Media Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
AV Magearna with Iron Head should at least spare the 36 EVs to outspeed CM Clefable, one of the things it easily checks. Not much else to say about the team otherwise. It’s as solid as can be.
Thanks for the input, although I already explained my reasoning behind the Magearna spread
Some players choose to have speed EVs for Clefable to beat it more reliably, although you can still outstall Soft Boiled PP and beat it anyway. Instead I chose to run only 15 Speed IVs to get a slower Volt Switch against Chansey and Celesteela as well as opposing Assault Vest Magearna.
 

WinstonRed

I COULD BE BANNED!
i know this is an old team, but I was wondering about the Magearna spread - When I try to validate the 15 Speed IVs it tells me HP Fire is illegal with those IVs, "even with bottle cap hyper training"

Am I missing something here? Because I don't think the rules for these were changed between the RMT and the end of Gen7
 
i know this is an old team, but I was wondering about the Magearna spread - When I try to validate the 15 Speed IVs it tells me HP Fire is illegal with those IVs, "even with bottle cap hyper training"

Am I missing something here? Because I don't think the rules for these were changed between the RMT and the end of Gen7
There's no rule change, 15 in speed is an impossible combination, bottle caps can only push your ivs at 31, ignoring the hidden power change, but if the iv isn't at 31, cartridge-wise, it means it didn't have bottle training on that stat, so it just uses the standard HP "formula", the OP probably had 14 speed in order to slowturn after the other Magearna, and changed in the text to 15 to have a better mirror match idk
Well, if you're inclined to use the team, you can lower the speed iv some more, in order to have chansey and cele outspeed you, or just give it some speed for cmfable, your call.
 

WinstonRed

I COULD BE BANNED!
There's no rule change, 15 in speed is an impossible combination, bottle caps can only push your ivs at 31, ignoring the hidden power change, but if the iv isn't at 31, cartridge-wise, it means it didn't have bottle training on that stat, so it just uses the standard HP "formula", the OP probably had 14 speed in order to slowturn after the other Magearna, and changed in the text to 15 to have a better mirror match idk
Well, if you're inclined to use the team, you can lower the speed iv some more, in order to have chansey and cele outspeed you, or just give it some speed for cmfable, your call.
thanks for the reply to such an old thread :P but yeah, I've been running it with 14 Speed IVs so far to circumvent the issue. I was just curious if I overlooked something and the problem is on my side
 

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