Hi, I am Garden Wind and I'm sitting at 1669 on the ladder, which is my current peak and the peak for this team.
I've always liked hyperoffense as a playstyle for laddering, since I found it too hard to check every major threat in Ubers with a balanced or a stall team. I used to use a Sticky Web team that peaked me above 1700+, but it was really a gimmick and it had too much counterplay; Magic Coat users and lead Scolipede would consistently screw me over. I've made this team in an attempt to have an answer to everything, but there are still someone rough spots. It's worked pretty well, but I know it's not going to work forever.
With that being said, here is the team.
Individual pokemon:
Deoxys-Speed @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Magic Coat
- Spikes
Pretty standard lead. Stealth Rock + Spikes exist because, for some reason, a lot of people let me set up freely. Also the extra spike is necessary for RP Groudon to net some KOs with Earthquake. Taunt really isn't optional. Magic Coat allows me to deal with Shuckle leads, as it's usually unexpected; even if they do expect it and use Rock Tomb, we'll have a few 50/50s with Taunt/Magic Coat and if I get a free Taunt off, I win the lead matchup. It's also good against opposing Deoxys-S.
Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 168 HP / 24 Def / 252 SpA / 64 Spe
Modest Nature
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
It's SubGeoXern. EV spread is weird, but basically I outspeed Scarf Garchomp at +2. 24 Defense to equalize defense and special defense so Genesect gets a Special attack boost. The rest into HP to make Xerneas super bulky. It actually have an ~80% chance to live +2 Silk Scarf Adamant Arceus-Normal's Extreme Speed after SR. M Lucario's Bullet Punch only does about half. Sub is very versatile; Xerneas can beat Blissey/Chansey, it can set up on the MKang who is switching out to Fake Out spam, and it can frequently get a free sub against Special attackers.
Thunderbolt over Thunder to hit Ho-oh with perfect accuracy and kill it after stealth rock. It does leave me unable to kill specially defensive Kyogre, though.
Darkrai @ Life Orb
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Void
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Taunt
Darkrai is pretty standard on hyperoffense teams, so this shouldn't require much explanation. Sludge Bomb obviously hits fairy-types, and Taunt critically prevents Defog / Geomancy / Recover, etc. Also, it gives me a 60% chance to win vs. an opposing Darkrai lacking Taunt (since they have to rely on an 80% Dark Void).
Darkrai also gives me an answer (if I predict correctly) to lead Scolipede, which would otherwise make Deoxys-S's life hell.
Groudon @ Life Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Double Dance Groudon, a set that no one expects. Also a mandatory groundmon so that Zekrom and Klefki don't destroy the team, and Kyogre cannot trivially choice-lock itself into Thunder. Groudon's Earthquake is guaranteed KOs against Kyogre and Palkia with SR + 1 spike. This is also an emergency measure against Arceus-Normal, as it can live +2 ES and retalitate with 50-65% damage, depending on Arceus's HP investment.
Groudon rarely sweeps, since it's not all that bulky, suffers from LO recoil, and has a number of pokemon that it can't KO. However, I frequently use Groudon to weaken Arceus checks like Landorus-T.
Palkia @ Lustrous Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Spacial Rend
- Thunder Wave
I placed Palkia as a Kyogre check, pretty self explanatory. It's only pokemon on the team that can be safely defogged on. Pretty standard set; Thunder specifically to kill Kyogre, though other moves might work as well. TWave is here so Palkia doesn't grant Xerneas free setup.
Arceus @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Shadow Force
- Earthquake
I realize that the set seems like a relic of Gen 5. Still, I think I need to outspeed Rayquaza. I put 4 extra EVs after that for anyone using 168 speed.
So why Adamant Silk Scarf? Simply because it provides maximum power, which is important; seeing as this is a hyperoffense team, sometimes I slip up and let opposing Xerneas or Arceus-Normal get to +2. Lum Berry/Jolly versions are really bad at ending those sweeps. Even for sweeping, I simply haven't found Lum Berry to be necessary, and losing a 20% boost to ES means that at +2 I lose a lot of KOs, such as Kyogre/Palkia without SR, geoXern and Zekrom after SR + spike.
Major Threats to the Team:
Deoxys-A: By far the most dangerous threat. 2 ES takes down Deo-S, and I have no good way of killing it without taking massive damage.
Fake Out Mega Kangaskhan: I don't have anything that can take Fake Outs comfortably.
Darkrai: Since none of the pokemon on my team outspeed Darkrai, it can basically force RNG battles with my Darkrai. I've tried fitting Mewtwo on my team, but I don't know what can be replaced.
Mega Lucario: Not very common, but it can end both Arceus's and Xerneas's (if Xerneas is weakened) sweeps.
Mega Scizor: Similar to Mega Lucario, but much bulkier, meaning it's harder to play around.
Mewtwo: on the same vein as Darkrai, since my fastest pokemon is Darkrai, Mewtwo is guaranteed to do a lot of damage.
Shaymin-S: flinch hax for days is a real possibility
So you see, there are a lot of threats that this team isn't very well prepared for. Every pokemon seems essential to me, though, so I'm not quite sure what I should replace. Any suggestions on what I should do?
I've always liked hyperoffense as a playstyle for laddering, since I found it too hard to check every major threat in Ubers with a balanced or a stall team. I used to use a Sticky Web team that peaked me above 1700+, but it was really a gimmick and it had too much counterplay; Magic Coat users and lead Scolipede would consistently screw me over. I've made this team in an attempt to have an answer to everything, but there are still someone rough spots. It's worked pretty well, but I know it's not going to work forever.
With that being said, here is the team.
Individual pokemon:
Deoxys-Speed @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Magic Coat
- Spikes
Pretty standard lead. Stealth Rock + Spikes exist because, for some reason, a lot of people let me set up freely. Also the extra spike is necessary for RP Groudon to net some KOs with Earthquake. Taunt really isn't optional. Magic Coat allows me to deal with Shuckle leads, as it's usually unexpected; even if they do expect it and use Rock Tomb, we'll have a few 50/50s with Taunt/Magic Coat and if I get a free Taunt off, I win the lead matchup. It's also good against opposing Deoxys-S.
Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 168 HP / 24 Def / 252 SpA / 64 Spe
Modest Nature
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
It's SubGeoXern. EV spread is weird, but basically I outspeed Scarf Garchomp at +2. 24 Defense to equalize defense and special defense so Genesect gets a Special attack boost. The rest into HP to make Xerneas super bulky. It actually have an ~80% chance to live +2 Silk Scarf Adamant Arceus-Normal's Extreme Speed after SR. M Lucario's Bullet Punch only does about half. Sub is very versatile; Xerneas can beat Blissey/Chansey, it can set up on the MKang who is switching out to Fake Out spam, and it can frequently get a free sub against Special attackers.
Thunderbolt over Thunder to hit Ho-oh with perfect accuracy and kill it after stealth rock. It does leave me unable to kill specially defensive Kyogre, though.
Darkrai @ Life Orb
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Void
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Taunt
Darkrai is pretty standard on hyperoffense teams, so this shouldn't require much explanation. Sludge Bomb obviously hits fairy-types, and Taunt critically prevents Defog / Geomancy / Recover, etc. Also, it gives me a 60% chance to win vs. an opposing Darkrai lacking Taunt (since they have to rely on an 80% Dark Void).
Darkrai also gives me an answer (if I predict correctly) to lead Scolipede, which would otherwise make Deoxys-S's life hell.
Groudon @ Life Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Double Dance Groudon, a set that no one expects. Also a mandatory groundmon so that Zekrom and Klefki don't destroy the team, and Kyogre cannot trivially choice-lock itself into Thunder. Groudon's Earthquake is guaranteed KOs against Kyogre and Palkia with SR + 1 spike. This is also an emergency measure against Arceus-Normal, as it can live +2 ES and retalitate with 50-65% damage, depending on Arceus's HP investment.
Groudon rarely sweeps, since it's not all that bulky, suffers from LO recoil, and has a number of pokemon that it can't KO. However, I frequently use Groudon to weaken Arceus checks like Landorus-T.
Palkia @ Lustrous Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Spacial Rend
- Thunder Wave
I placed Palkia as a Kyogre check, pretty self explanatory. It's only pokemon on the team that can be safely defogged on. Pretty standard set; Thunder specifically to kill Kyogre, though other moves might work as well. TWave is here so Palkia doesn't grant Xerneas free setup.
Arceus @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- ExtremeSpeed
- Shadow Force
- Earthquake
I realize that the set seems like a relic of Gen 5. Still, I think I need to outspeed Rayquaza. I put 4 extra EVs after that for anyone using 168 speed.
So why Adamant Silk Scarf? Simply because it provides maximum power, which is important; seeing as this is a hyperoffense team, sometimes I slip up and let opposing Xerneas or Arceus-Normal get to +2. Lum Berry/Jolly versions are really bad at ending those sweeps. Even for sweeping, I simply haven't found Lum Berry to be necessary, and losing a 20% boost to ES means that at +2 I lose a lot of KOs, such as Kyogre/Palkia without SR, geoXern and Zekrom after SR + spike.
Major Threats to the Team:
Deoxys-A: By far the most dangerous threat. 2 ES takes down Deo-S, and I have no good way of killing it without taking massive damage.
Fake Out Mega Kangaskhan: I don't have anything that can take Fake Outs comfortably.
Darkrai: Since none of the pokemon on my team outspeed Darkrai, it can basically force RNG battles with my Darkrai. I've tried fitting Mewtwo on my team, but I don't know what can be replaced.
Mega Lucario: Not very common, but it can end both Arceus's and Xerneas's (if Xerneas is weakened) sweeps.
Mega Scizor: Similar to Mega Lucario, but much bulkier, meaning it's harder to play around.
Mewtwo: on the same vein as Darkrai, since my fastest pokemon is Darkrai, Mewtwo is guaranteed to do a lot of damage.
Shaymin-S: flinch hax for days is a real possibility
So you see, there are a lot of threats that this team isn't very well prepared for. Every pokemon seems essential to me, though, so I'm not quite sure what I should replace. Any suggestions on what I should do?
