Summer is in full swing, and was one of the inspirations for my Sun team. I wanted to redefine Sun Heavy Offense, kind of a niche playstyle that has been pretty static since Genesect was banned (bless his heart). I’ve had a lot of fun with this team, but also a lot of hardship. It’s a high-risk, high-reward squad that leaves my heartbeat a-flutter during every match. But it’s one of my most successful teams so far, putting me at 1940 (and higher!) as of now.
For those of you who don’t know, the team is based on the Disciples of Jesus. The way I see it, all these pokes work best in the Sun, just like the Disciples followed the Son of God. I wanted them to all be male, but Lilligant can only be female…so…….
Team Building
I actually started giving SunFense a serious consideration with a Choice Band Jirachi/Nasty Plot Ninetales core. Between the two of them, they could handle all the other weather inducers and put me at an immediate advantage. Plus, neither set is really orthodox.
I added UtiLigant soon after. So many amazing qualities, good speed (great speed with Chlorophyll), great support movepool, and great special attack made her a better fit for the team than any silly Venusaur.
Garchomp seems to show up on all my teams lately, usually as a Stealth Rock setter. But he’s a great offensive pivot, and provides my team with some much-needed balance.
Initially, I had Physical Scarf Infernape, a beast under sun and a U-Turn menace, and HP Fire Alakazam. All told, my team was pretty fast and incredibly offensive.
The team was okay, but a few things bothered me. Alakazam having HP Fire meant it was just slow enough to be revenged by other Alakazam. Plus, I didn’t have any Ground immunities, meaning that I had to sac one of my guys if I want to bring in anyone against Hippowdown or Landorus-T. I decided to make a huge adjustment. I liked the type synergy of the team, so I exchanged Infernape for Physical Scarf Azelf and Alakazam for Specs Heatran.
Now Jirachi seemed redundant, and I wanted a way to check Rain and hazard setters. I added Tornadus-I, another signature member of my Heavy Offense teams. With Taunt and Tailwind, he could really alter the course of a battle.
After a few battles, I began to realize that Tornadus-I was dead weight in most of my matches. It was tough to let go, but I wanted to keep the same offensive presence without the hassle. I went with Hydreigon. It has a surprisingly robust support movepool and excellent offensive stats. So this is the most recent iteration of the team.
Team In-Depth
Judas Iscariot (Hydreigon) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Mild Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Superpower
- Taunt
Judas was originally the name I gave Tornadus (betraying the Sun for Rain), but when I changed him to Hydreiogn, the name stuck, sooo….Hydreigon is usually my lead if I think my opponent will lead off with a weather starter or Skarmory or something. It devastates teams. There are no safe switch-ins, as everything in OU takes at least 50% damage from one of its move. As my regular lead, it’s normally the first to die. With Heavy Offense, the key is having calculated sacs and leaving wall-breakers in when an opponent predicts a switch. Hydreigon is perfect for the role.
Moveset & EVs: I’ve tailored Hydreigon to hit hard and die quickly. Draco Meteor is a nuclear weapon, as is Fire Blast under Sun. Superpower does wonderful damage to Tyrnaitar and Heatran (people still try to switch this guy into Hydreigon, smh), as well as the Blobs. Taunt, the pièce de résistance, is crucial for shutting down stall, hazard setters, and set-up sweepers.
Simon Peter (Ninetales) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Drought
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Simon Peter, Jesus’ right hand man. Likewise, Ninetales is the lifeblood of any Sun team, and SP is no exception. You’re looking at the set and probably wondering why I’ve chosen such a weak Pokémon as my only set-up sweeper. This is literally the most offensive iteration of Ninetales that I can image, and it catches so many people off guard that I don’t mind giving up longevity if it means that I can quickly eliminate every other weather setter.
Moveset & EVs: Ninetales forces a ton of switches, so setting up a Nasty Plot is a breeze. After that, Fire Blast or one of its coverage moves does the rest. +2 Energy ball can actually OHKO some forms of Politoed, as well as damage Rotom-W and other Water types. In the Sun, a +2 Fire Blast from LO-Boost 546 Special Attack can do insane damage. HP Fighting is there to ruin Tyranitar and Heatran. Underestimate at your own peril!
Doubting Thomas (Garchomp) @ Life Orb
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
LOSRChomp is one of the most reliable SR setters in the game, bar Terrakion. Though that is his primary goal, he also makes a great offensive pivot, coming in on one of his restiances or immunities and, with his decent bulk, tanking a surpring number of moves, even super-effective ones.
Moveset & EVs: Doubting Thomas is pretty standard, with Outrage and Earthquake for reliable, incredible damage. Fire Blast is potent under Sun, easily getting rid of Ferrothorn and denting Celebi, two common switch-ins. Even with minimal investment, it does just enough damage to make it worth it.
Mary Magdalene (Lilligant) @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 20 Def / 252 SAtk / 236 Spd
Timid Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Healing Wish
Kind of annoying that Lilligant can only be female…it’s not so bad though. Lilligant is by far the riskiest member of my team. I chose her because of her good Speed and Special Attack, which are reliable and surprising. Her support movepool is a blessing, and it’s what separates her from every other Chlorophyll user out there (bar Jumpluff). She has made me pull my eyelashes out in frustration over crucial misses, but when she’s on, she’s a real weapon.
Moveset & EVs: I took a page from an old Sun team you may have heard of from the BW1 era (a lot of the backbone of this team is based on that same core, actually) and brought back Lilligant’s great utility as a Chlorphyll user. Leaf Storm does tremendous damage, and HP Ice gets rid of dragons and some other random Pokémon. The on-site set suggested HP Rock for Volcarona or HP Fire for etc., but I feel like I boosting dragons pose a pretty big threat to my team. Sleep Powder is the ultimate rage-inducing move, either changing the game for you or making you regret ever playing the game. 75% accuracy is a killer, but if it hits, you can pretty much guarantee that Pokémon is out of the game for good. Finally, Healing Wish is a livesaver if I can use it correctly. Oftentimes, I’ll sac Mary to bring back Ninetales (if I’ve won the weather war) or Garchomp (great all-around hole buster), and my opponents are usually always shocked. As for the EVs, I’m not quite sure why I have them the way they are. I like that I outspeed all Venusaur and many boosted sweepers, but with Landorus banned, there’s probably a more efficient way to balance out Lilligant’s power, speed, and passable bulk. Very open to suggestions here.
James (Azelf) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- U-turn
James is part 1 of my Choice core. When I look for a Scarfer, I look for a Pokémon with good coverage, high unboosted power, and good speed. Azelf has all of that and more. I like that it almost seems unnecessary to have Azelf @ scarf. That way, when I switch it in to standard Venusaur (who runs on Timid w/ 180 EVs), I can guarantee the KO with my incredible speed. It’s too delicious to pass up. Plus, it resists Fighting moves and is immune to Ground moves, so it makes a great partner to both Hydreigon and Heatran.
Moveset & EVs: Though I was tempted to go Mixed with Azelf, I kept it simple and tried to maximize coverage and offensive potential. Zen Headbutt is a reliable STAB move with a flinch chance that has saved my ass on several occasions. Fire Punch is great for catching Scizors and Ferrothorns off-guard, and get’s a nice boost from the Sun. Ice Punch is great for boosted dragons, and U-Turn pulls the whole thing together. No Trick, though. Between coverage and U-Turn, I found that Azelf was much more useful with a Scarf than without one.
John (Heatran) (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Dragon Pulse
- Flamethrower
I am always weary of using Heatran on a Sun team. It compounds my Ground weakness, makes me more tentative when I see Dugtrio, and is rather slow comparatively. But what it lacks in versatility, it makes up for in power. Nothing is safe from a Sun-boosted, STAB-boosted, Choice Specs-boosted (and sometimes Flash Fire-boosted) Fire Blast. This thing decimates villages, 2HKOs the Blobs, OHKO Terrakion and Keldeo (in Sun), and is guaranteed to take out a Pokémon if it can come in safely. He’s my prime switch in to Lati@s and a good check for Dragonite locked into Outrage. Just like John, reliably influential.
Moveset & EVs: I kept this moveset simple as well. Fire Blast because why not? Overheat would force me to switch, and the power difference is hardly missed. Earth Power is a must on Heatran, and Dragon Pulse is great for dragons and neutral damage. Though I rarely use Flamethrower, I like knowing that I can.
Threat List
Volcarona: If your team isn’t somewhat threatened by Volcarona, you either have all Balloon Heatrans or Arcanines or something. I can’t let this thing get to +2/+2/+2. Thankfully, everyone on my team (save Hydreigon) can reliably keep it from setting up.
Alakazam: If Sash is in tact and/or Lilligant and Azelf are down, it’s pretty much GG. I have to be aggressive with this thing and make sure I can break its sash, even if that means a tactical sac.
Dragonite, Salamence: As long as I can break Multiscale, Dragonite is a piece of cake. When I see him, Garchomp has to get out early and set up SR. With Salamence, I pray that it’s Scarfed (easy pickings for Lilligant and Azelf). If it isn’t and it gets to +2, sad times for me.
Keldeo: In Sun, Azelf makes a wonderful switch in to any of its moves. In Rain, however, things can get awkward. Azelf is my most reliable check, but nothing likes switching into possibly boosted Water moves.
Mamoswine: with 3 Ice weaknesses and a slow Heatran, it’s difficult for me to switch something into Mamoswine. Ninetales becomes my most reliable check, followed by Azelf. But I have to play smart if I see it. (Maybe EV Lilligant to survive LO Ice Shard after SR?)
REPLAYS (From past and present incarnations of the team):
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-39766938
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-40138540
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-40187640
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-41255977
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-41625614
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-41921225
Closing Statements
It’s been a real pleasure using this team, and I hope to make it better. As the BW era comes to a close, I encourage everyone to think outside of the box. This is our last opportunity to squeeze creativity out of the BW game before XY is released. Thanks for reading and thanks for the rates!
