Hi guys, Cobalt here. With a new generation of Pokemon upon us, it would only be a matter of time before I made a competitive OU team to use on showdown. This team stems heavily from what I have available in my boxes on the switch, and is based on two Pokemon I immediately grew attached to. My first iteration of the team was terrible and I won't go into what atrocities I tried there, but this is a quick rundown of the present state of my team and why I chose the Pokemon I did. I will appreciate any and all feedback I get and take it into consideration when building my team!
First, the sprites:
Now the importable:
And now the in-depth:
Barraskewda (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Psychic Fangs
The first Pokemon to go on the team is the torpedo fish Barraskewda. I saw this thing in the wild and I had to put it in somewhere. Barraskewda is already a fast Pokemon, especially after rain, so all natures, EVs, and items went to improving the power of its moves. While the flinch chance from Waterfall is nice, I chose to go for Liquidation instead just for the extra 5 Power; the defense drop is also pretty good in case the fish faints for another Pokemon to come in and have an easier time picking up the revenge KO. Close Combat, Poison Jab, and Psychic Fangs are all there for coverage against pretty much anything in the tier; Psychic Fangs is especially nice for setting Psychic Terrain if this Pokemon Dynamaxes, preventing strong priority KO's from the opposing Pokemon.
Dragapult (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Darts
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Fire Blast
I am an aerospace engineering major irl, so anything fighter jet-based is a go for me. That's why Dragapult was the second mandatory member of my team. The ability and nature are exactly what I caught in-game, and since I saw a viable set for it with these, I decided to use that to save some BP in-game. Additionally, a mostly special attacker adds some coverage to the rest of the team, which is mostly physical attackers. Dragon Darts are essentially a 100 Power, 100% accurate STAB move that can break through Substitute (provided Infiltrator is somehow removed by a non-fairy type) and Focus Sash, and Shadow Ball is a strong special STAB move. Thunderbolt and Fire Blast help take out opposing Gyarados and Ferrothorn, and Life Orb gives moves power to make up for the lack of an Atk or SpAtk-boosting nature.
Ferrothorn (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
Ferrothorn is the perfect choice of a third Pokemon for my team: it sets hazards, annoys contact-based attackers, and provides good type coverage to round out the core made so far. This set has been featured in all teams I made in one way or another (perhaps with Spikes instead of Stealth Rock in some iterations), and I really enjoy the effectiveness of the set. Since I run Rocky Helmet, Leech Seed is almost essential to give Ferrothorn its much-needed recovery. Power Whip and Gyro Ball are strong STAB moves that capitalize on its low speed, and this EV spread I have found to work very well defensively. I used to run 88/168 Def/SpDef, but with there being a lot of physical attackers this time around I decided to invest a bit more in Defense.
Corviknight-Gmax @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Taunt
- Roost
- Defog
Corviknight is here to clear hazards and Taunt the opponent. I needed some way to clear hazards, but after looking through the viable Pokemon for that role I could not find a better candidate for the role than this rook. I treated this Pokemon as essentially a Mandibuzz 2.0, with Body Press swapped out for Foul Play. One more thing to note: while not usually relevant, the Corviknight I caught in-game can Gigantamax, which means if I choose to run Brave Bird instead it can function as an offensive Defogger instead.
Toxtricity (M) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overdrive
- Boomburst
- Sludge Wave
- Shift Gear
These last two Pokemon are here for coverage and more offensive power. First up: Toxtricity. I really like its Shift Gear set and coverage through its STABs, so I went for a Shift Gear set. Since he is sound-based, I opted to use Throat Spray to really let it pop off once it starts to deal damage. Overdrive and Boomburst are strong sound-based moves, which get even stronger with its ability. Sludge Wave is there purely for Fairy and Grass coverage. This set does struggle against Ferrothorn, but my other Pokemon have ways to deal with it so that is not a huge concern for me atm.
Darmanitan-Galar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
The final addition to the team, and one that I found way more enjoyable than I thought, is Galarian Darmanitan. In my first iteration of this Pokemon, I tried to run Heavy Duty Boots with Zen Mode for the surprise factor of the unconventional, but I found that I could not get Belly Drum off as well as I wanted to. For that reason, I went with the traditional Scarf Gorilla Tactics build. U-turn lets this Pokemon be an effective lead when I am not sure how to start the battle, being able to switch out if I don't like the initial matchup. The other three moves provide great coverage against things none of my other Pokemon can really deal with well by adding 3 new types to my offensive movepool list (if we ignore Dragapult's Fire Blast for a moment).
Closing thoughts:
And that's pretty much my team. It's definitely not perfect, but I think this is a pretty good start that has won me a few games on the ladder. There might be some stuff I missed, but this is all the description I could come up with at 5:00 AM. As always, thank you for watching, like comment and subscribe, and smash that notification bell. :)
First, the sprites:
Now the importable:
Barraskewda (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Psychic Fangs
Dragapult (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Darts
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Fire Blast
Ferrothorn (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
Corviknight-Gmax @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Taunt
- Roost
- Defog
Toxtricity (M) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overdrive
- Boomburst
- Sludge Wave
- Shift Gear
Darmanitan-Galar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Psychic Fangs
Dragapult (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Darts
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Fire Blast
Ferrothorn (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
Corviknight-Gmax @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Taunt
- Roost
- Defog
Toxtricity (M) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overdrive
- Boomburst
- Sludge Wave
- Shift Gear
Darmanitan-Galar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
And now the in-depth:
Barraskewda (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Psychic Fangs
The first Pokemon to go on the team is the torpedo fish Barraskewda. I saw this thing in the wild and I had to put it in somewhere. Barraskewda is already a fast Pokemon, especially after rain, so all natures, EVs, and items went to improving the power of its moves. While the flinch chance from Waterfall is nice, I chose to go for Liquidation instead just for the extra 5 Power; the defense drop is also pretty good in case the fish faints for another Pokemon to come in and have an easier time picking up the revenge KO. Close Combat, Poison Jab, and Psychic Fangs are all there for coverage against pretty much anything in the tier; Psychic Fangs is especially nice for setting Psychic Terrain if this Pokemon Dynamaxes, preventing strong priority KO's from the opposing Pokemon.
Dragapult (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Darts
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Fire Blast
I am an aerospace engineering major irl, so anything fighter jet-based is a go for me. That's why Dragapult was the second mandatory member of my team. The ability and nature are exactly what I caught in-game, and since I saw a viable set for it with these, I decided to use that to save some BP in-game. Additionally, a mostly special attacker adds some coverage to the rest of the team, which is mostly physical attackers. Dragon Darts are essentially a 100 Power, 100% accurate STAB move that can break through Substitute (provided Infiltrator is somehow removed by a non-fairy type) and Focus Sash, and Shadow Ball is a strong special STAB move. Thunderbolt and Fire Blast help take out opposing Gyarados and Ferrothorn, and Life Orb gives moves power to make up for the lack of an Atk or SpAtk-boosting nature.
Ferrothorn (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
Ferrothorn is the perfect choice of a third Pokemon for my team: it sets hazards, annoys contact-based attackers, and provides good type coverage to round out the core made so far. This set has been featured in all teams I made in one way or another (perhaps with Spikes instead of Stealth Rock in some iterations), and I really enjoy the effectiveness of the set. Since I run Rocky Helmet, Leech Seed is almost essential to give Ferrothorn its much-needed recovery. Power Whip and Gyro Ball are strong STAB moves that capitalize on its low speed, and this EV spread I have found to work very well defensively. I used to run 88/168 Def/SpDef, but with there being a lot of physical attackers this time around I decided to invest a bit more in Defense.
Corviknight-Gmax @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Taunt
- Roost
- Defog
Corviknight is here to clear hazards and Taunt the opponent. I needed some way to clear hazards, but after looking through the viable Pokemon for that role I could not find a better candidate for the role than this rook. I treated this Pokemon as essentially a Mandibuzz 2.0, with Body Press swapped out for Foul Play. One more thing to note: while not usually relevant, the Corviknight I caught in-game can Gigantamax, which means if I choose to run Brave Bird instead it can function as an offensive Defogger instead.
Toxtricity (M) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overdrive
- Boomburst
- Sludge Wave
- Shift Gear
These last two Pokemon are here for coverage and more offensive power. First up: Toxtricity. I really like its Shift Gear set and coverage through its STABs, so I went for a Shift Gear set. Since he is sound-based, I opted to use Throat Spray to really let it pop off once it starts to deal damage. Overdrive and Boomburst are strong sound-based moves, which get even stronger with its ability. Sludge Wave is there purely for Fairy and Grass coverage. This set does struggle against Ferrothorn, but my other Pokemon have ways to deal with it so that is not a huge concern for me atm.
Darmanitan-Galar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
The final addition to the team, and one that I found way more enjoyable than I thought, is Galarian Darmanitan. In my first iteration of this Pokemon, I tried to run Heavy Duty Boots with Zen Mode for the surprise factor of the unconventional, but I found that I could not get Belly Drum off as well as I wanted to. For that reason, I went with the traditional Scarf Gorilla Tactics build. U-turn lets this Pokemon be an effective lead when I am not sure how to start the battle, being able to switch out if I don't like the initial matchup. The other three moves provide great coverage against things none of my other Pokemon can really deal with well by adding 3 new types to my offensive movepool list (if we ignore Dragapult's Fire Blast for a moment).
Closing thoughts:
And that's pretty much my team. It's definitely not perfect, but I think this is a pretty good start that has won me a few games on the ladder. There might be some stuff I missed, but this is all the description I could come up with at 5:00 AM. As always, thank you for watching, like comment and subscribe, and smash that notification bell. :)
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