I've been playing Pokemon competitively on Smogon for about a year now, and this is the most successful team I've been able to put together, in any tier. So far, it has gotten me to a CRE of 1400+ and climbing, which is the highest I have been. I think it is interesting that so many OU Pokemon can serve quite well in niche roles even in Ubers, and this team highlights this, with half the team made up of OU Pokemon.
The origins of this team trace back probably six months, and it has evolved pretty much constantly, as I discover new weaknesses that I didn't even know existed, and inconsistencies with my own playing style. As such, my folder of Pokemon teams is littered with obsolete versions of this team (I am somewhat of a pack-rat). As I lay out my team, I will mention changes I have made and why they make the team better.
First, the lead:
(M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/4 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Endeavor
I originally used an utterly un-surprising Deoxys-s lead, but the few times I was able to get a full complement of entry hazards up were not enough to make up for the plethora of anti-leads designed specifically to beat it. After being caught unprepared by this lead, I decided to try it out. The EV's are pretty self explanatory. Even with an Adamant nature, it reaches 259 speed, enough to outspeed most neutral speed Groudon and Kyogre. I think this is an improvement over Deoxys-s because it can actually beat other leads, instead of just setting up rocks. Mamoswine can often do both, with Endeavor and Ice Shard. Ice Shard is also a great move in Ubers to revenge such threats as Garchomp and Rayquaza, as well as many other weakened Dragons.
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The Special Wall:
(F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Def/252 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
This is the standard Ubers WishBliss set. There are very few special attackers it cannot wall, notably full health Choice Specs Kyogre and Darkrai with Focus Blast, but behind screens it can live nearly indefinitely. This set has not changed at all since the inception of the team, but I have considered going to more of a Cleric set to give more support to my sweepers.
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The Dual Screener/Dragon Resist:
@ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/80 Def/176 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Explosion
- Hypnosis
Bronzong is the newest addition to my team. Originally I used a defensive Metagross in the role of Dual Screener, but the Ground weakness really limited its usefulness, since Earthquake from either Groudon or Garchomp was a 2HKO. My team was very weak to a Choice Scarf Garchomp in particular, and Bronzong is the only steel to learn dual screens and resist ground attacks. Bronzong gives up quite a bit of offensive potential and physical bulk compared to Metagross, but the ground immunity and the chance to cripple a sweeper with Hypnosis have been worth the sacrifice so far. Basically, the idea is to come in on an Outrage or other resisted attack, set up screens, put the enemy to sleep, then explode. The EV's are identical to the Dual Screener set recommended for Metagross in OU because the Screener set for Bronzong puts a lot of investment in Attack that I deemed unnecessary because my only attack is Explosion that already does irreparable damage to most enemies.
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The Special Attacker:
(M) @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Thunder
Latios is more often than not the MVP of the match. I originally started with a CM set with Dragon Pulse, Grass Knot, Calm Mind and Recover, but I quickly noticed a lack of coverage, particularly against Steels. So I dropped Calm Mind in favor of HP Fire to cover steels, especially Scizor. The SAtk drop is basically unnoticeable, and the speed drop is not too much of a problem since more often than not I am behind screens. Later, I ditched Recover because I wasn't really able to find times to use it, and Thunder allows him to be an effective attacker in all weather conditions.
---
The Physical Sweeper:
@ Life Orb
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/4 SDef
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Extremespeed
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
Rayquaza is my only set up sweeper, and he does a great job of it once he gets a Swords Dance off. On the original team, Rayquaza had an Adamant nature, but I found that I got more kills just by outspeeding unsuspecting opponents with a faster Rayquaza than by overpowering them with a higher attack stat. Aside from its sweeping role, it also serves as a great revenge killer with a very powerful Extremespeed to finish off weak opponents.
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The Mixed Attacker:
@ Expert Belt
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 120 HP/136 Atk/252 SAtk
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Thunder
- Outrage
With four attacks, Dialga is basically a more defensive, mixed version of Latios. As an added bonus, they cover each others' weaknesses quite well, since Dialga takes Dark, Bug, and Ghost attacks and Latios takes Ground, Fighting, and Fire attacks. Since Dialga is mixed, I don't need to worry as much about the SAtk drop from Draco Meteor. It also means it can beat Blissey. I have played around a bit with the EV's and nature, but eventually decided on this spread to give it maximum bulk and attacking power. However, as with all mixed attackers, it has to sacrifice something. In Dialga's case, it is speed, which means that any Groudon will outspeed and OHKO with Earthquake. However, Groudon can't switch into Dialga because of Draco Meteor or Fire Blast.
---
In review:
Big Threats:
The opponent that is the biggest threat to this team is Darkrai. It outspeeds my entire team and is guaranteed to put something to sleep and get either a Nasty Plot or a sub up. My only option is to let something I (hopefully) don't need take the Dark Void then try to wall it with Blissey.
In the sun, Ho-oh becomes a beast to counter. With its massive Special Defense, it can take Dragon Pulse from Latios and Draco Meteor from Dialga without too much trouble, especially if it has Roost. To make matters worse, in the sun when Ho-oh will most likely be out, I have no reliable super effective move against it. Often my best choice is to try to use Rayquaza to prey on its weaker Defense stat, as well as taking away its boost from the sun. But if Rayquaza gets burned by Sacred Fire there is almost no chance.
Rock Polish Groudon can cause problems for me, and was one of the main reasons for switching Metagross to Bronzong. Bronzong can switch in and start setting up screens or using Hypnosis, as long as Groudon isn't carrying Overheat. However, if Bronzong has already been taken out, either by the enemy or from Exploding on some other threat, Groudon can give me some serious trouble. If this is the case, my best bet is to try to stall it long enough so Life Orb recoil brings it withing KO range of one of my priority moves.
Though somewhat less common than the previous threats, Deoxys-A outspeeds my entire team and can use its superior coverage to hurt me pretty badly. However, if it is not carrying priority, Rayquaza or Mamoswine can both OHKO it with their respective priority attacks, provided they can get in safely.
I am looking forward to any comments or suggestions you have to improve my team, and I hope you have enjoyed my first RMT!
The origins of this team trace back probably six months, and it has evolved pretty much constantly, as I discover new weaknesses that I didn't even know existed, and inconsistencies with my own playing style. As such, my folder of Pokemon teams is littered with obsolete versions of this team (I am somewhat of a pack-rat). As I lay out my team, I will mention changes I have made and why they make the team better.
First, the lead:
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/4 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Endeavor
I originally used an utterly un-surprising Deoxys-s lead, but the few times I was able to get a full complement of entry hazards up were not enough to make up for the plethora of anti-leads designed specifically to beat it. After being caught unprepared by this lead, I decided to try it out. The EV's are pretty self explanatory. Even with an Adamant nature, it reaches 259 speed, enough to outspeed most neutral speed Groudon and Kyogre. I think this is an improvement over Deoxys-s because it can actually beat other leads, instead of just setting up rocks. Mamoswine can often do both, with Endeavor and Ice Shard. Ice Shard is also a great move in Ubers to revenge such threats as Garchomp and Rayquaza, as well as many other weakened Dragons.
---
The Special Wall:
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Def/252 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
This is the standard Ubers WishBliss set. There are very few special attackers it cannot wall, notably full health Choice Specs Kyogre and Darkrai with Focus Blast, but behind screens it can live nearly indefinitely. This set has not changed at all since the inception of the team, but I have considered going to more of a Cleric set to give more support to my sweepers.
---
The Dual Screener/Dragon Resist:
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/80 Def/176 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Explosion
- Hypnosis
Bronzong is the newest addition to my team. Originally I used a defensive Metagross in the role of Dual Screener, but the Ground weakness really limited its usefulness, since Earthquake from either Groudon or Garchomp was a 2HKO. My team was very weak to a Choice Scarf Garchomp in particular, and Bronzong is the only steel to learn dual screens and resist ground attacks. Bronzong gives up quite a bit of offensive potential and physical bulk compared to Metagross, but the ground immunity and the chance to cripple a sweeper with Hypnosis have been worth the sacrifice so far. Basically, the idea is to come in on an Outrage or other resisted attack, set up screens, put the enemy to sleep, then explode. The EV's are identical to the Dual Screener set recommended for Metagross in OU because the Screener set for Bronzong puts a lot of investment in Attack that I deemed unnecessary because my only attack is Explosion that already does irreparable damage to most enemies.
---
The Special Attacker:
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Thunder
Latios is more often than not the MVP of the match. I originally started with a CM set with Dragon Pulse, Grass Knot, Calm Mind and Recover, but I quickly noticed a lack of coverage, particularly against Steels. So I dropped Calm Mind in favor of HP Fire to cover steels, especially Scizor. The SAtk drop is basically unnoticeable, and the speed drop is not too much of a problem since more often than not I am behind screens. Later, I ditched Recover because I wasn't really able to find times to use it, and Thunder allows him to be an effective attacker in all weather conditions.
---
The Physical Sweeper:
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/4 SDef
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Extremespeed
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
Rayquaza is my only set up sweeper, and he does a great job of it once he gets a Swords Dance off. On the original team, Rayquaza had an Adamant nature, but I found that I got more kills just by outspeeding unsuspecting opponents with a faster Rayquaza than by overpowering them with a higher attack stat. Aside from its sweeping role, it also serves as a great revenge killer with a very powerful Extremespeed to finish off weak opponents.
---
The Mixed Attacker:
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 120 HP/136 Atk/252 SAtk
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Thunder
- Outrage
With four attacks, Dialga is basically a more defensive, mixed version of Latios. As an added bonus, they cover each others' weaknesses quite well, since Dialga takes Dark, Bug, and Ghost attacks and Latios takes Ground, Fighting, and Fire attacks. Since Dialga is mixed, I don't need to worry as much about the SAtk drop from Draco Meteor. It also means it can beat Blissey. I have played around a bit with the EV's and nature, but eventually decided on this spread to give it maximum bulk and attacking power. However, as with all mixed attackers, it has to sacrifice something. In Dialga's case, it is speed, which means that any Groudon will outspeed and OHKO with Earthquake. However, Groudon can't switch into Dialga because of Draco Meteor or Fire Blast.
---
In review:
Big Threats:
The opponent that is the biggest threat to this team is Darkrai. It outspeeds my entire team and is guaranteed to put something to sleep and get either a Nasty Plot or a sub up. My only option is to let something I (hopefully) don't need take the Dark Void then try to wall it with Blissey.
In the sun, Ho-oh becomes a beast to counter. With its massive Special Defense, it can take Dragon Pulse from Latios and Draco Meteor from Dialga without too much trouble, especially if it has Roost. To make matters worse, in the sun when Ho-oh will most likely be out, I have no reliable super effective move against it. Often my best choice is to try to use Rayquaza to prey on its weaker Defense stat, as well as taking away its boost from the sun. But if Rayquaza gets burned by Sacred Fire there is almost no chance.
Rock Polish Groudon can cause problems for me, and was one of the main reasons for switching Metagross to Bronzong. Bronzong can switch in and start setting up screens or using Hypnosis, as long as Groudon isn't carrying Overheat. However, if Bronzong has already been taken out, either by the enemy or from Exploding on some other threat, Groudon can give me some serious trouble. If this is the case, my best bet is to try to stall it long enough so Life Orb recoil brings it withing KO range of one of my priority moves.
Though somewhat less common than the previous threats, Deoxys-A outspeeds my entire team and can use its superior coverage to hurt me pretty badly. However, if it is not carrying priority, Rayquaza or Mamoswine can both OHKO it with their respective priority attacks, provided they can get in safely.
I am looking forward to any comments or suggestions you have to improve my team, and I hope you have enjoyed my first RMT!
