Hey folks. On the PS chat the other day, I noticed someone sasy something that I found absolutely true nowadays; every OU team carries one of the following: Breloom, Heatran, Scizor, Politoed, Keldeo, Ninetales, or Tyranitar. Using this as inspiration, and some help from the simulator usage statistics, I created a team designed to counter these top threats and more in the current metagame, and at the same time use the more obscure parts of the tier, and not only OU. I really think this is one of my more creative teams, and I hope that everyone enjoys. Thanks and leave a Luvdisc!
The First Look
The Process
The First Look
The Process
My teams generally start out with offensive presence, and I build from there. The most anti-meta offensive monster in OU that came to my mind was Life Orb Mamoswine.
Next, I wanted to find good pokemon for defensive synergy with Mamo, as its checks are common in the metagame. Amoongus counters many of these checks, such as Starmie, Scizor, Terrakion, Gyarados, etc. Amoongus is also part of my strategy for dealing with Sand and Rain teams, as you will see in the inspection. A good abuser of Spore is always nice as well. Amoongus went on the team.
When building a team based on countering and removing the metagame, the first most prominent obstacle is Rain. Rain offense is extremely potent, and having a way to deal with these threats offensively (unlike Amoongus, who has little offensive presence) is a must-have. Rotom-Wash effectively decimates Rain, stall or offense, and also gives great defensive typing to the team, as well as good scouting well with Volt Switch. Rotom-Wash was the most obvious choice for a teamslot.
Of course, no team can go without a revenge killer. Not only did Terrakion provide this, but also gave another dimension of late game sweeping with Close Combat. As far as being anti-metagame, Terrakion outspeeds and KO's many important threats at +1, such as Volcarona, Salamece, Dragonite, and more. Terrakion fit like a puzzle piece on the team.
Weavile was my first choice for a good psychic-trapper that trapped some of the most used psychic types in OU, such as Lati@s, Starmie, and Reuniclus. Weavile didn't offer any new and exciting coverage, but it got the job done.
I had an answer to Sand and Rain teams, but I lacked a solid Sun counter. I used Choice Specs Hydreigon to fill this gap.
I wasn't liking the fact that Weavile was weak to pretty much everything that Mamo was weak to as well, so I scrapped it in exchange for Honchkrow, who still filled the niche of psychic-trapping, and even did it better with Sucker Punch, while still resisting some of Mamo's checks, such as Scizor and Reuniclus. I really liked the Life Orb set, so that was the set of choice.
As a threat against Sun, Hydreigon was underperforming, as even with its power, Heatran and Volcarona still posed a threat to me. I gave Chandelure a chance, as it could absorb Fire attacks from the both of them, resist Bug Buzz from Volc, and hit Heatran with HP Fighting. I still love it as my counter to sun, UU or not.
...And that's how the team was born!
Next, I wanted to find good pokemon for defensive synergy with Mamo, as its checks are common in the metagame. Amoongus counters many of these checks, such as Starmie, Scizor, Terrakion, Gyarados, etc. Amoongus is also part of my strategy for dealing with Sand and Rain teams, as you will see in the inspection. A good abuser of Spore is always nice as well. Amoongus went on the team.
When building a team based on countering and removing the metagame, the first most prominent obstacle is Rain. Rain offense is extremely potent, and having a way to deal with these threats offensively (unlike Amoongus, who has little offensive presence) is a must-have. Rotom-Wash effectively decimates Rain, stall or offense, and also gives great defensive typing to the team, as well as good scouting well with Volt Switch. Rotom-Wash was the most obvious choice for a teamslot.
Of course, no team can go without a revenge killer. Not only did Terrakion provide this, but also gave another dimension of late game sweeping with Close Combat. As far as being anti-metagame, Terrakion outspeeds and KO's many important threats at +1, such as Volcarona, Salamece, Dragonite, and more. Terrakion fit like a puzzle piece on the team.
Weavile was my first choice for a good psychic-trapper that trapped some of the most used psychic types in OU, such as Lati@s, Starmie, and Reuniclus. Weavile didn't offer any new and exciting coverage, but it got the job done.
I had an answer to Sand and Rain teams, but I lacked a solid Sun counter. I used Choice Specs Hydreigon to fill this gap.
I wasn't liking the fact that Weavile was weak to pretty much everything that Mamo was weak to as well, so I scrapped it in exchange for Honchkrow, who still filled the niche of psychic-trapping, and even did it better with Sucker Punch, while still resisting some of Mamo's checks, such as Scizor and Reuniclus. I really liked the Life Orb set, so that was the set of choice.
As a threat against Sun, Hydreigon was underperforming, as even with its power, Heatran and Volcarona still posed a threat to me. I gave Chandelure a chance, as it could absorb Fire attacks from the both of them, resist Bug Buzz from Volc, and hit Heatran with HP Fighting. I still love it as my counter to sun, UU or not.
...And that's how the team was born!
A Closer Inspection
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Superpower
Mamoswine, the most offensive anti-metagame pokemon ever to exist in OU. Any Dragon-Type threats in OU are destroyed by it. Ninetales and Tyranitar fears its Earthquake, as Politoed does as well (Albeit it is only 2HKOed). Mamoswine is my check to every large frail offensive threat, or ones that are weak to Earthquake. Mamo also happens to beat Sand teams easily, which my team greatly appreciates. The EV's are distributed for Mamoswine to wreak as much havoc as possible, aka max Attack and Speed. Jolly over Adamant for the jump on Adamant Breloom, and slower pokemon in general. Icicle Spear > Icicle Crash for breaking Focus Sashes, Subs (especially on Breloom), MS Dnite, more accuracy, and other reasons. Ice Shard as a form of priority, EQ for STAB. Superpower is my hit against Air Balloon Heatran, who otherwise takes pitiful damage from this set. Same goes for Ferrothorn, Chansey, and other walls who might want to switch in. Mamoswine is a check to almost all offense in OU; Arguably, he is my best team member.
Amoongus @ Black Sludge
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 SDef
Calm Nature
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog
- Stun Spore
Amoongus is an incredible wall, not because of its raw stats, but because of its fantastic defensive typing and great support movepool. A brief list of things that Amoongus counters are Terrakion, Breloom, Politoed, Rotom-Wash, Conkeldurr, and more. The EVs and Nature help Amoongus take both physical and special hits. Spore for obvious reasons; accurate sleep is an incredible support option, especially with the switches that he forces. Giga Drain is not only to become free of being Taunt bait, but also give Amoongus recovery. Clear Smog is to halt SubCM Keldeo, Breloom, SD Terrakion, and DD Dnite all in their tracks. Paralysis support is also very important for Mamoswine especially, as he is not ideally fast. Amoongus's ability to counter many of the metagame's top threats make him a great addition to my team.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 144 SAtk / 56 Def / 56 SDef
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Rotom-W effectively wreaks havoc on Rain teams that blow through Amoongus's defensive approach at taking them on. It can take hits from rain boosted attacks, take one or two Thunders, and fire back with its electric STAB. Rotom also supplies my team with a bulky special hitter that is otherwise absent. The EV spread is great for tanking hits and hitting hard back. Hydro Pump is a great high-powered STAB move for Rotom, as its bulk allows it to afford a miss. Thunderbolt for coverage and ammunition against Rain teams, Volt Switch for scouting, and HP Fire for when Chandelure is dead. If I need a good scout to ease prediction, a tank to sponge a hit, or a powerful special attacker, I always look to Rotom to do the job.
Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake
A pretty standard, yet effective revenge killer that I opted to use for this team was Terrakion. I was soon exposed to the pure power of this set, able to smack anything to the ground not resistant to its STAB, and to provide a check for many Pokemon that this team would otherwise struggle with. Hydreigon, Mamoswine, Lucario, Chansey, and more are all checked by Terrakion, who does so without breaking a sweat. I run Jolly over Adamant so I can get the jump on other scarfers, and Speed tie with scarf Infernape. The set really needs no explanation, so I'll just leave the analysis to your imagination. Terrakion has an alternative niche on my team of killing Tyranitar if Mamo is dead. Terrakion is indisputably an incredibly solid revenge killer that provides a ton of offense for the team.
Honchkrow @ Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Brave Bird
- Roost
This one might be a bit harder to explain. when trying to fully cover all threats in the OU metagame, its difficult to ignore all of the Psychic-Types that litter the tier. As such, a viable Pursuit user is the first thing that comes to mind for a teamslot. Obviously, Tyranitar would fit the bill nicely for this. Also, Weavile comes to mind as a threat to all Psychic-Types (As I mentioned earlier). However, Tyranitar would make my team more focused on the Sand it summons. Also, Ttar risks being 2HKOed by Specs HP Fighting from Lati@s, which is extremely unnatractive. Gengar's Focus Blast is in a similar boat. Also, Ttar lacks an extremely important element for Psychic trapping; Sucker Punch. Honchkrow can do pretty much everything Tyranitar can and more when it comes to dealing with Psychic-Types. It has Sucker Punch, Pursuit, Moxie, and a high powered STAB move in Brave Bird, not to mention a good 10 point boost in Speed from Ttar. These elements all aid in the decision I made for Honchkrow to become an irreplaceable team member as he is now. I use a spread that can outspeed Adamant Breloom, while still maintaining the raw power I use Honchkrow for. Pursuit is there for obvious reasons, mostly why I used it in the first place. Sucker Punch rounds this out, making it extremely difficult for Psychic-Types to stay in. By picking off a weakened Pokemon of some kind with Pursuit, I grab a Moxie boost and begin sweeping. Brave Bird is there for the Pokemon that are slower than Honchkrow, and can therefore preserve Sucker Punch PP, which can be crucial, especially when opponents know the attack is coming. Along with Life Orb comes recoil, so Roost is to heal off that annoying residual damage that can really wear it down. Any Psychic you name, Honchkrow can beat. Lati@s, Alakazam, Reuniclus, Celebi, and more are all highly dangerous to play against Honchkrow because of its deadly combination of Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and Moxie. Honchkrow has never dissapointed me; don't underestimate it just for being UU.
Chandelure @ Choice Specs
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Overheat
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Chandelure is an absolute monster with Choice Specs equipped; indeed, no Pokemon can safely switch in after a Flash Fire boost. While it is 100% Pursuit bait, Chandelure provides a significant boost in offense to the team, and a Fire-Type STAB. Chandelure also proves itself to be anti-Sun, as it can deal with the main threats of sun teams with ease; Heatran, Volcarona, Ninetales, Venusaur, and other Chlorophyll users are pretty much all 2HKOed by the appropriate move. I use an extremely offensive spread, so I need to be careful around fast threats, such as Dugtrio and Gengar. However, Modest Specs will pretty much plow through anything that it wants to, and it has no immediate switch ins. Overheat is more powerful, but Fire Blast can be used for slower threats or weakened teams. Shadow Ball for coverage, and HP Fighting for Hydreigon and Heatran. Chandelure is a huge obstacle for opposing sun teams, and it does its job well on mine. Another UU threat not to be dimissed, Chandelure proves its worth by cracking Sun and Stall teams alike.
Well, thats the team. Thanks for reading all of this, especially Honchkrow's analysis. Leave a Luvdisc and your comments. Thanks!
