Intro: This is my first attempt at a legit OU team, and it has done an okay job, if I may say so myself. I peaked in the mid 1200's, before I started getting whipped by other teams. My main focus while building this team was to have some threatening pokemon that would dent the other team and also some threatening but bulky pokemon that could take hits, and sweep if given the chance. Now onto the team building process...
Team Bulding:
A Closer Look:
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SDef / 32 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Stealth Rock
- Wish
Although it is a well rounded pokemon, Jirachi has never really stood out to me. Big mistake on my part. As soon as I started using her, I fell in love. Jirachi is great at what she does: taking special attacks and crippling the opponent. Her EV spread (courtesy of Smogon) allows her to take a hit and body slam back, which often paralyzes the opponent. Depending on the situation, I can set up rocks, pass a wish, or stay in and Iron head the opponent for the KO. I often switch to her when I see a strong special move coming. Because getting stealth rocks up isn't Jirachi's sole purpose, there are some matches where I never get a chance to set them up, which does hurt sometimes.
Thor (Conkeldurr) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SDef
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
Ahh, Conkeldurr. Ever since you came out, I've admired you and your cute nose. Conkeldurr is a super bulky powerhouse, who doesn't even need speed. He takes physical hits surprisingly well; I actually use him sort of as a physical wall. His bulk allows him to take hits, and after a single bulk up his drain punches easily allow him to continually replenish himself. Mach punch lets me revenge kill or finish off a fast pokemon when it's not worth drain punching. Payback allows me to hit ghosts and psychics, but I don't use it that often. There's not much to change about him; Conkeldurr has indefinitely earned a place on my team.
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 176 HP / 128 Atk / 204 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Bounce
- Stone Edge
I'll admit, I've never seen Gyarados as a threatening pokemon. The only time when it has maybe annoyed me is when they use dragon tail. Nevertheless, I decided to try one out. I went for a bulky-offensive Gyara, so I can take a hit and still have a chance to D-dance. I must say I'm quite pleased with Gyarados, although the weakness to stealth rocks shortens his life span considerably at times. I'm also not in love with his attacks. 120 power for waterfall, and 127.5 for bounce. They aren't all that powerful, so I need to dragon dance at least once, preferably twice, before I can really make an impact. But despite these flaws Gyarados pulls through at times and makes a difference. His ability to come in on Earthquakes and dragon dance after scaring away a ground/rock type pokemon is useful.
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psychic
- Recover
Latios is definitely a pokemon to consider when making a team, in my humble opinion. His high attack and speed make him a considerable threat, although most steel types pretty much stop him in his tracks. Draco meteor is a pretty good move, although I rarely use it. The special attack drop makes it a risky move to use, as I'm pretty much a sitting duck. On the other hand, surf and psychic are great. With life orb they can dent the opponent's pokemon and let me easily finish off any stragglers. Recover lets me regain HP, and also gives me something to do when I'm uncertain what the opponent will send in next.
Virizion @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Virizion seemed like a cool pokemon to me when it came out, and not only that but it seemed quite useful. Enemy virizions have been a real pain in the butt in dream world at times. The monstrous special defense really attracted me, and a calm mind set takes his great special defense to unbelievable levels, while allowing him to raise his special attack at the same time. Giga drain lets me take on bulky waters like they're nothing, and also gives me a way to deal with ground pokemon. Focus blast is for steels and tyranitars, and almost always one hit KO's any steel type after a calm mind. Hidden power ice lets me mess with dragons and other grass pokemon. Overall virizion has been a great pokemon to have around, although sometimes I don't get a chance to use him in matches and is just a dead weight.
Heatran (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SpAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
I hate the idea of using heatran as a defensive pokemon; it would be an unbelievable waste of it's massive special attack. That being said, it's crappy speed is a letdown, luckily, giving him a choice scarf lets him outspeed the majority of other pokemon. He functions as a pretty good revenge killer with a scarf on. His high special attack makes him an instant threat to anything without special defense investment. Fire blast is the main move. No overheat or flamethrower here. I didn't think it would be worth it, tried it, and found it to be useless. The special attack drop is in no way worth it. Dragon pulse is a neutral move I use when I'm unsure what the opponent will switch into, and it also lets me hit dragon types hard. Hidden power ice is a bit redundant with dragon pulse, but the ability to hit Gliscor and Landorus make it worth it. (it's not like heatran has any other good moves worth using) Earth power is there to hit rock types or anything that resists the other three moves.
Conclusion:I think this is overall a pretty decent team, but I really need help to take it to the next level. I'm confident that with some changes I can break the barrier to the 1300's. Thanks for reading my RMT, if you're still reading right now, you're cool. Please leave a comment with any thoughts you've had, anything at all.
