Gen 2 First attempt at creating a somewhat viable GEN 2 OU Team

[Pkmn Ranger]

I'm completly new to this so I'll keep it short. I had a couple roules when creating this team.
1. Good balance between defense and offense
2. Good balance between physical and special attacks
3. No legendaries (I know they are good, but using legies is kinda cringe ngl. Like using a gold skin on your ak in cod...), also no Snorlax bc that Pokemon is on every team which I just find lame
4. Have a spinner and spike setter (From what I have seen so far it seems to be virtually essential to a functioning team)
5. Use as few monotypes as possible and don't use a type twice in your team if possible (just for varity sake)
6. Don't have more than 2 Pokemon be weak to the same type and have at least one Pokemon in the team that can cover for said weakness (except for dragon which does not seem to be used much as an attacking type in this format anyway)
With that being said let's have a look at the team (sorry for the missing pics, haven't figured out how this works yet)

Tyranitar @ Mystic Water
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Pursuit
- Fire Blast
- Surf
T-tar serves as a surprise on this team. The goal is to switch in late-game after analysing the memebers of your opponents party. The good bulk let's it switch in relatively easily. Fire Blast roasts Scizor and Forretress also Exeggutor doesn't take to kind to it either. Surf with MW let's you one-shot Rhydon AND Golem alike (a wrong prediction doesn't even hurt here since T-tar outspeeds both) and . Pursuit catches fleeing Gengar and Misdreavus. Rock Slide is the strongest STAB move and therefore an obligation.

Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
- Destiny Bond
This Gengar is supposed to be played in a run and gun sorta fashion. Switch into a Cross Chop of Machamp or a Bodyslam from Snorlax (beware of EQ predictions) and start denting the opponents team with its great coverage of super effective moves. In case you predict wrong and end up trapped you don't have to go to the after life alone if you know what I mean...

Machamp @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Cross Chop
- Body Slam
- Rock Slide
- Curse
Machamp is a strong bulky attacker. Body Slams high para chance makes somewhat up for its middling speed. Curse is its boost move (don't forget about the speed drop) Cross Chop against Lax and Rocks to catch Flying types.

Charizard @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Fire Blast
- Body Slam
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
I like the orange dragon especially its down to earth years. Zard gives a much needed Ground immunity to the team. It's also quite fast and can serve as a late game cleaner. I first intentioned on putting Belly Drum on it, but Smogons rules would not allow for useful combos like BD and Rock Slide. So yeah, Zard hits somewhat hard can burn you, flinch out, para you (although Dragon Breath might be better than Body Slam) and EQ incoming Tyranitars.

Exeggutor @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Giga Drain
- Psychic
- Sleep Powder
- Explosion
Exeggutor is slow, but most other stats are decent at least. Sleep Powder is annoying af, Explosion annihilates unsuspecting Vaporeons which can tank Giga Drain. Psychic for opposing Machamps and Giga Drain for all the Ground and Water types that are not named Vaporeon and Suicune.

Cloyster @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Last but not least Cloyster. The classic GSC spiker. From what I have seen you basicly get to choose between Forretress and Cloyster. I chose the latter for its Water and Ice resistance and its more offensive play style (Forretress only being able to SSE (Spike, Spin, Explode)). Also SSE seems to be an illegal strat anyway so I uppted for Ice Beam instead which is a good coverage move and therefore no wasted slot.

I am curious to find out what you guys think. I don't intend on changing the party members themselves, but some of the items and moves I am not quite happy yet. Maybe you wanna help a new commer out here by giving me some tips :)

 

[Cdijk16]

I'm completly new to this so I'll keep it short. I had a couple roules when creating this team.
1. Good balance between defense and offense
2. Good balance between physical and special attacks
3. No legendaries (I know they are good, but using legies is kinda cringe ngl. Like using a gold skin on your ak in cod...), also no Snorlax bc that Pokemon is on every team which I just find lame
4. Have a spinner and spike setter (From what I have seen so far it seems to be virtually essential to a functioning team)
5. Use as few monotypes as possible and don't use a type twice in your team if possible (just for varity sake)
6. Don't have more than 2 Pokemon be weak to the same type and have at least one Pokemon in the team that can cover for said weakness (except for dragon which does not seem to be used much as an attacking type in this format anyway)
With that being said let's have a look at the team (sorry for the missing pics, haven't figured out how this works yet)

Tyranitar @ Mystic Water
Ability: No Ability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Pursuit
- Fire Blast
- Surf
T-tar serves as a surprise on this team. The goal is to switch in late-game after analysing the memebers of your opponents party. The good bulk let's it switch in relatively easily. Fire Blast roasts Scizor and Forretress also Exeggutor doesn't take to kind to it either. Surf with MW let's you one-shot Rhydon AND Golem alike (a wrong prediction doesn't even hurt here since T-tar outspeeds both) and . Pursuit catches fleeing Gengar and Misdreavus. Rock Slide is the strongest STAB move and therefore an obligation.

Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
- Destiny Bond
This Gengar is supposed to be played in a run and gun sorta fashion. Switch into a Cross Chop of Machamp or a Bodyslam from Snorlax (beware of EQ predictions) and start denting the opponents team with its great coverage of super effective moves. In case you predict wrong and end up trapped you don't have to go to the after life alone if you know what I mean...

Machamp @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Cross Chop
- Body Slam
- Rock Slide
- Curse
Machamp is a strong bulky attacker. Body Slams high para chance makes somewhat up for its middling speed. Curse is its boost move (don't forget about the speed drop) Cross Chop against Lax and Rocks to catch Flying types.

Charizard @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Fire Blast
- Body Slam
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
I like the orange dragon especially its down to earth years. Zard gives a much needed Ground immunity to the team. It's also quite fast and can serve as a late game cleaner. I first intentioned on putting Belly Drum on it, but Smogons rules would not allow for useful combos like BD and Rock Slide. So yeah, Zard hits somewhat hard can burn you, flinch out, para you (although Dragon Breath might be better than Body Slam) and EQ incoming Tyranitars.

Exeggutor @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Giga Drain
- Psychic
- Sleep Powder
- Explosion
Exeggutor is slow, but most other stats are decent at least. Sleep Powder is annoying af, Explosion annihilates unsuspecting Vaporeons which can tank Giga Drain. Psychic for opposing Machamps and Giga Drain for all the Ground and Water types that are not named Vaporeon and Suicune.

Cloyster @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Last but not least Cloyster. The classic GSC spiker. From what I have seen you basicly get to choose between Forretress and Cloyster. I chose the latter for its Water and Ice resistance and its more offensive play style (Forretress only being able to SSE (Spike, Spin, Explode)). Also SSE seems to be an illegal strat anyway so I uppted for Ice Beam instead which is a good coverage move and therefore no wasted slot.

I am curious to find out what you guys think. I don't intend on changing the party members themselves, but some of the items and moves I am not quite happy yet. Maybe you wanna help a new commer out here by giving me some tips :)

1. I think that every serious GSC team should use Snorlax. It's so versatile that virtually every team structure has some good use for it. Not using it is putting yourself at a disadvantage every time. Your team, for example would appreciate Rest Talk Snorlax to help with Jynx and special sweepers in general. I reccomend replacing one of your Offensive mons with it, maybe Gengar or Charizard.
2. This team is fairly weak against Curse Snorlax as your Tyranitar lacks Roar. I reccomend Roar over Surf on Tyranitar. All GSC teams should have one normal resistant pokemon with Roar to beat Snorlax.
3. Rapid Spin isn't mandatory on all teams. I reccomend replacing Spin on Cloyster with Explosion. Your team is fairly offensive, so it appreciates Explosion more. The team is offensive enough to function without Spin.
4. I think that you should put Belly Drum back on Charizard. Zard without Drum has nothing really going for it as it struggles to do anything vs common pokemon like Vapeoreon, Rest Talk Zapdos, Snorlax etc.
5. Run HP Bug on Machamp to hit Exegguttor harder.
6. I reccomend running Rest Talk Zapdos over Charizard. It gives you a much needed status absorber, Vapeoreon check, Exegguttor soft check and alongside Lax makes sure you don't have to worry much about defense.

 

[Pkmn Ranger]

Thanks for your reply man. Very cool to see people committed to an older game mode. I made some changes to the team:

Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Rock Slide
- Fire Blast
- Surf
- Roar
I put Roar on T-tar, so it functions as a Swiss Army Knife kinda Pokemon. I kept Surf though. I checked and the damage of Pursuit is quite disappointing since its a special move. Can't even ohko a switching Gengar. Surf on the other hand is not only unexpected, but also an effective tool against all those rock and ground types in OU. I switched the item to leftovers for more longevity.

Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Psychic
- Ice Punch
- Thunderbolt
- Destiny Bond
This one stays the same. I think this set is not bad.

Machamp @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Cross Chop
- Body Slam
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Curse
Switched Rock Slide for HP Bug. I kept Body Slam instead, since the only pokemon that are hit super effetive by RS anyway are either super bulky like cloyster, faster than Machamp and also a threat to it like Zapdos (possible Drill Peck) and Jynx which will be countered with either Lax or T-tar. Body Slam can cripple all non Rest-Users significantly.

Charizard @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Belly Drum
I decided to ditch Cloyster in favor of Charizard. Classic Belly-Zard, not much to say here. The rest of the team is quite bulky so hopefully this one finds a way to switch safely. Zard is also a better Mon to deal with Skarmory which is a Pokemon that otherwise counters a big chunk of this team.

Exeggutor @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Psychic
- Giga Drain
- Explosion
- Sleep Powder
This one is also still the same.

Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Curse
- Rest
I wanted a Snorlax with access to EQ for opposing Gengars. So this set should do. No Sleep Talk thanks to 4 moveslot-syndrome...

In the end I didn't really change all that much. Lax will certainly be a good addition to the team and I'm glad, that I didn't have to break my rule of no Legies (eventhough Zapdos would have arguably been a better fit). What I love so much about Pokemon as a strategy game is the freedom you have. Let's take chess for example a Bishop will always only be a Bishop it can never do what a Rook can and vice versa. That's not the case with competitive Pokemon. You decide how the pieces function and how they are used which creates a complete new dynamic with each game and each team you create. The only exception to this is Snorlax of course which can do anything at once. Speaking of chess it's fitting calling Snorlax the Queen of GSC OU.

 

[Cdijk16]

Thanks for your reply man. Very cool to see people committed to an older game mode. I made some changes to the team:
View attachment 501621

Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Rock Slide
- Fire Blast
- Surf
- Roar
I put Roar on T-tar, so it functions as a Swiss Army Knife kinda Pokemon. I kept Surf though. I checked and the damage of Pursuit is quite disappointing since its a special move. Can't even ohko a switching Gengar. Surf on the other hand is not only unexpected, but also an effective tool against all those rock and ground types in OU. I switched the item to leftovers for more longevity.

Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Psychic
- Ice Punch
- Thunderbolt
- Destiny Bond
This one stays the same. I think this set is not bad.

Machamp @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
IVs: 26 Atk / 26 Def
- Cross Chop
- Body Slam
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Curse
Switched Rock Slide for HP Bug. I kept Body Slam instead, since the only pokemon that are hit super effetive by RS anyway are either super bulky like cloyster, faster than Machamp and also a threat to it like Zapdos (possible Drill Peck) and Jynx which will be countered with either Lax or T-tar. Body Slam can cripple all non Rest-Users significantly.

Charizard @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Belly Drum
I decided to ditch Cloyster in favor of Charizard. Classic Belly-Zard, not much to say here. The rest of the team is quite bulky so hopefully this one finds a way to switch safely. Zard is also a better Mon to deal with Skarmory which is a Pokemon that otherwise counters a big chunk of this team.

Exeggutor @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Psychic
- Giga Drain
- Explosion
- Sleep Powder
This one is also still the same.

Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Curse
- Rest
I wanted a Snorlax with access to EQ for opposing Gengars. So this set should do. No Sleep Talk thanks to 4 moveslot-syndrome...

In the end I didn't really change all that much. Lax will certainly be a good addition to the team and I'm glad, that I didn't have to break my rule of no Legies (eventhough Zapdos would have arguably been a better fit). What I love so much about Pokemon as a strategy game is the freedom you have. Let's take chess for example a Bishop will always only be a Bishop it can never do what a Rook can and vice versa. That's not the case with competitive Pokemon. You decide how the pieces function and how they are used which creates a complete new dynamic with each game and each team you create. The only exception to this is Snorlax of course which can do anything at once. Speaking of chess it's fitting calling Snorlax the Queen of GSC OU.

1. If you run DrumZard, you should try putting Stun Spore on Exegguttor. Charizard appreciates Paralysis support as it lets it outrun and 0hko faster pokemon like Zapdos and Raikou which would otherwise RK it.
2. I reccomend running a Snorlax set with Earthquake/Double-Edge/Rest/Sleep Talk here. You still don't have a sleep absorber, making you very weak to Jynx.
3. I reccomend keeping RS on Machamp. It makes you able to pressure and trade with Zapdos 1v1, which opens a route for Exegguttor and Gengar.

 

[Pkmn Ranger]

1. If you run DrumZard, you should try putting Stun Spore on Exegguttor. Charizard appreciates Paralysis support as it lets it outrun and 0hko faster pokemon like Zapdos and Raikou which would otherwise RK it.
2. I reccomend running a Snorlax set with Earthquake/Double-Edge/Rest/Sleep Talk here. You still don't have a sleep absorber, making you very weak to Jynx.
3. I reccomend keeping RS on Machamp. It makes you able to pressure and trade with Zapdos 1v1, which opens a route for Exegguttor and Gengar.

Thanks for all the great advice. Stun Spore on Eggi to better support Belly-Zard seems plausible. So does Sleep Talk on Lax, although I am not sure as to how effective it's damage output will be without Curse. RS on Machamp also makes sense since I have not found a standard Zapdos set that actually uses drill peck. I originally intendet for Champ to spread paralysis with Body Slam. There are arguments for both to be made. Body Slam deals some nice damage, hits 100 %, but paralyses only with 30 % chance. SP is less accurate but paralysis is guaranteed and it also effects Gengar and Misdreavus. I think I'll just try around a bit and see what works best. Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my posts.