SS OU GAPDOS BULKY OFFENSE 1848 ELO #42 ON SS OU LADDER.

Im back with another RMT, this time it's a bulky offense team, with Galarian Zapdos. Galarian Zapdos is a potent breaker in the OU tier, due to it's solid attack stat, amazing offensive typing, defiant, and decent speed tier, out speeding Urshifu, Hydregion, and Tapu Lele.
:ss/Zapdos-Galar: :ss/Skarmory: :ss/Slowking-Galar: :ss/Hippowdon: :ss/Weavile: :ss/Regieleki:

Proof of ELO.
Here is an image of me being #42 on the SS OU Ladder.
Screenshot (349).png

TEAMBUILDING PROCESS:
:Skarmory:
I decided on Skarmory as the first mon, as it sets spikes, has great physical bulk, and checks some annoying pokemon for Gapdos, like :Weavile: . Gapdos loves the spikes, as it makes its checks like :Toxapex: and :Tapu Fini: take damage from spikes, while being forced to take damage from Brave Bird or Thunderous Kick, wearing them down easily.

:Slowking-Galar:
Slowking Galar or Glowking for short, is a great partner for Gapdos and Skarmory. It helps Skarmory make up for it's lack of Special Bulk, and Future Sight paired with Gapdos can be very scary. It helps with pokemon like :Tapu Fini: , :Tapu Koko: and :Clefable: . I run Scald as the 4th move to help chunk :Landorus-Therian:, while still being able to do damage to :Heatran: .

:Hippowdon:
To finish off the defensive core, Hippowdon fits this roll well, being able to check :Heatran:, :Dragapult:, :Blacephalon: etc. It sets rocks for the team, and I chose it over :Landorus-Therian: as I felt instant recovery was very important to deal with some pokemon the other two couldn't handle.

:Weavile:
Weavile and Gapdos go hand and hand, dealing with each others checks. Weavile doesn't enjoy :Urshifu-Rapid-Strike:, :Buzzwole: etc. Gapdos beats Weaviles checks. And Gapdos dosen't enjoy :Zapdos:, or :Slowbro:, Weavile deals with them (Although must watch out for Colbur Body Press). Weavile provides Knock Off for the team, and is very scary to switch into when paired with Future Sight.

:Regieleki:
The final slot goes to Regieleki. Regieleki has good synergy with Gapdos, luring in Landorus, so Gapdos can get the defiant boost. Gapdos can deal with most of Regieleki's counters, and it can be a very potent sweeper when its checks are gone. I run timid on it as I am not trying to get outrun by Scarf :Kartana: and :Blacephalon:. Regieleki still remains powerful without Modest Nature as Transister helps boosts it's attack. It also packs Rapid Spin, being the hazard removal for the team.

:ss/Zapdos-Galar:
Zapdos-Galar @ Choice Band
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Thunderous Kick
- U-turn
I use the Choice Band set, as the team already has enough speed with Regieleki and Weavile.


:ss/Skarmory:
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Body Press
- Spikes
- Roost
- Iron Defense
I run Iron Defense as it's last move slot, as Skarm can be pretty scary offensively when left unchecked, and it pairs well with Future Sight. I run the 12 speed evs to outspeed :Magnezone: running a bit of extra speed to outspeed 0 speed Skarm.


:ss/Slowking-Galar:
Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Def / 104 SpA / 140 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Future Sight
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Scald
I run more SpDef as the team already has more firepower, and needs more special bulk. I run the standard set. Future Sight to support Gapdos Weavile etc, Sludge Bomb as reliable stab, with the 30% poison chance. Flamethrower to nuke :Ferrothorn: and :Scizor:, while chipping :Bisharp: nicely. Scald can threaten burn on :Garchomp: and :Landorus-Therian:. Lastly, the 12 Defense evs so you can gurantee to live :Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: Surging Strikes at 100.


:ss/Hippowdon:
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Slack Off
Solid Tank on both sides, being able to soft check :Volcarona: and check :Bisharp: Toxic allows it to chip down opposing walls, slack off for instant recovery. It's a very generic Hippo set.


:ss/Weavile:
Weavile @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Triple Axel
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
- Swords Dance
Basic SD set. This pokemon is amazing, especially with good teamates. Is very threatning with FS, and provides Knock Off for the team. I don't have to go into to much detail to explain what Weavile does.


:ss/Regieleki:
Regieleki @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Transistor
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Swift
- Rapid Spin
Great Sweeper when Paired with Weavile and Gapdos. Weavile and it's Ice typing do very well against ground types like :Landorus-Therian: :Garchomp: and :Hippowdon:. I run swift over AP as I like being able to do more damage to low hp Garchomp. Gapdos get's the defiant boost from intimidate, letting it pick up a kill. I run Rapid Spin as it's final move as the team dosen't have hazard control.

Threats:

:ss/Urshifu-Rapid-Strike:
Very difficult to switch into in the long hall. Skarmory is your best switch in but it still takes over 50 from banded Surging Strikes. Rocky Helmet can chip it down, and if it close combats, then Glowking is your switch.

:ss/Barraskewda: :ss/Pelipper:
Rain is probably the most difficult matchup. We don't have a water resist on this team, and Barraskewda can spam Liquidation and win. Hippowdon is your one saving grace to change the weather, then Skarmory can eat it's hits. Definetly the most difficult matchup and one you will likely lose if the opponent plays it correctly.

:ss/Nidoking:
Basically every team I make is weak to Nidoking lmao. The team dosen't have a clear switch in, and Glowking can get 2 hit Kod depending on roles. Thankfully you have Weavile and Gapdos, making this matchup not unwinnable.

:ss/Heatran:
This team lacks a fire resist, and Specs Heatran can be a problem. Magma Storms can be problematic too, but you can check them with Hippowdon so those aren't the biggest problem.

:ss/Victini:
One of the Hardest matchups, almost as bad as rain. Choice Band is the most problematic set, as V Create nukes everything. Hippowdon can soft check it at times, but its generally not an easy matchup. Keeping Weavile alive is your best bet at winning.

:ss/Dragapult: :ss/Blacephalon:
These matchups aren't to problematic, as you have Hippo and Weavile, however the scarist thing is the drop. If Hippo gets SpDef dropped, then Shadow Ball can sweep you, and you have to switch in with Weavile. If the opponent gets lucky, then these matchups are scary, otherwise, it's not that bad.

Here is the pokepaste for importable: https://pokepast.es/8d585f12c8d5c872

Hope you enjoy using the team. Happy New Year!
 
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Yo, really cool team. I think it's pretty well constructed, and wouldn't personally make any major changes, but I do have a few ideas in mind that could hopefully be interesting and help out a bit

Minor Changes

:regieleki:

I would pesronally swap Thunderbolt out for Electro Ball here. It has very notable synergy with Rapid Spin, as a speed boost significantly increases Eleki's damage output with Electro Ball up to 150 base power, and could potentially give you another out against rain teams if you're able to chip their ground down. Also, I generally prefer Ancient Power over Swift, as it gives Regieleki the chance to boost all its stats, and it hits Shedinja as well, which is particularly annoying for shed stalls that rely on shed to stop volt switch.

Other Thoughts

Again, more of a preferential thing, but it might be worth trying Drill Peck over Thunderous Kick on Galarian Zapdos. I generally favor it, since getting to make midgrounds around Toxapex/Slowbro teams with Drill Peck can sometimes be useful to avoid taking too much chip, while also doing a bit more damage to each immediately. There's nothing wrong with Thunderous Kick either, but figured it was worth a mention if you havent tried it yet. I'd also give the Hippowdon a spread of 252 HP, 8 Atk and 248 Spdef, as this guarantees the OHKO on Excadrill from full, while really not making you worse off in damage rolls against the things Hippowdon wants to come in on.

Hopefully these ideas are useful. Will probably give this team a try later
 
I tried this team and got clapped by zapdos, nidoking, and dragapult lmao
Nidoking is problematic. Dragapult shouldn't be to difficult, unless it's DD. Zapdos getting knocked off is fine, or Triple Axel works, as dies or loses its boots. Allowing for stealth Rock chip.
 
Nidoking is problematic. Dragapult shouldn't be to difficult, unless it's DD. Zapdos getting knocked off is fine, or Triple Axel works, as dies or loses its boots. Allowing for stealth Rock chip.
yah out of everything nidoking was extremely hard to do anything to lol, I kept getting para by static zapdos
 

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