A horizon is where the land and the sky meet, which I feel is a fitting name for the team, because it takes advantage of the fact that no single type resists both Ground and Flying.
This team plays very offensively, putting immediate pressure on the opponent from turn 1 by starting with what is arguably the best lead in the game. From that point onwards, I have multiple options. If the opponent uses Defog, I can punish them by switching in Kyurem-B, whilst Talonflame and Staraptor let me put large amounts of pressure on the opposing pokemon who have flying resists. This is further backed up by Excadrill, who helps out by spinning, and is the Ground type member of the team. Finally, Tyranitar is the last pokemon on my team, who I can finish off weakened teams with using Dragon Dance.
Deoxys-Speed @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Spd/ 4 HP / 252 Atk
Jolly Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Spikes
-Taunt
-Fire Punch
Unsurprisingly, this is the pokemon I lead most often with, and you can see why. This is guaranteed to get up Stealth Rock, and can then build up even more entry hazards with Spikes. Taunt is to give me the edge against opposing hazard leads, and Fire Punch is solely for killing Genesect. Overall, this has proven to a powerful lead for a team focussed so much on offence. If Genesect is banned in the next suspect test, and this guy isn't, then I can replace Fire Punch with Superpower to kill Tyranitar, the most commonly used pursuit trapper.
Talonflame Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Spd/ 4 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
-Brave Bird
-Flare Blitz
-U-turn
-Tailwind
For this team, the best revenge killer in the tier seemed like a good pokemon to use, even if it does require rapid spin support. Brave Bird is generally what I am spamming because of the priority, but Flare Blitz lets me hit Steel types, and U-turn lets me keep offensive momentum if I suspect a switch. Tailwind is there as the fourth moveslot, which is quite difficult to fill effectively when using Band Talonflame. I suppose if Talonflame is no longer useful to me, then it would be a great move to use to retain offensive momentum, although honestly Talonflame has never been both alive and no longer needed.
Staraptor @ Choice Band
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Spd/ 4 Def / 252 Atk
Jolly Nature
-Brave Bird
-Close Combat
-U-turn
-Double Edge
My other flying type, and it is very powerful. Generally, this will be finishing off what Talonflame couldn't, or going on its own wrecking mission. Currently, I am not running Quick Attack because my team can now deal with Mega Gyrados with a DD up, but do let me know if you think I would benefit from another priority. The idea of Dual birds is to put massive pressure on the opponent's flying resists by using two very hard-hitting flying type pokemon who can u-turn out when they switch in a counter. This is a good reason to run Staraptor over Mega Pinsir, which I did previously, because it can retain momentum against common switch-ins with u-turn, while hitting things like Rotom-W very hard with neutral Double-Edge. Close Combat is there so it can kill Tyranitar
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Spd/ 4 HP / 252 Atk
Jolly Nature
-Rapid Spin
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Swords Dance
My rapid spinner, a must have for this team due to me running Staraptor, Talonflame, and Kyurem-B. This kills Rotom-W outright, an otherwise threatening pokemon to this team, and its Ground typing forms a strong combination with my two flying types. Rock Slide is a good coverage move, and forms a more accurate version of the EdgeQuake combo. Air Balloon is used to make its job of rapid spinning easier. Another option to consider is Iron Head, but I think I am fine on Steel type moves for now. Not only does it support my birds by rapid spinning, but as I mentioned previously, no one type can resist both Flying and Ground, so this provides powerful offensive with STAB Earthquake. Anyway, sadly there are certain pokemon that have dual types, and thus can resist both Flying and Ground, so on to my next pick...
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Earthquake
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
Thanks to GarytheGengar for this set. Generally, this can take out common defog users, whilst luring in Heatran, then killing it with Earthquake. It is specially bulky, and has the water resist, something my team sorely needs. It uses powerful special attacks, which help me in taking out things like Skarmory. Psyshock is there so that I can deal with Conkeldurr, which nothing in my team really wants to be switching into. This is also fast, and obviously speed and hitting hard make it a very good candidate for a Hyper Offence team.
Tyranitar @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sandstream
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 HP / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
-Dragon Dance
-Crunch
-Earthquake
-Ice Punch
So far, my team has been vulnerable to Talonflame, and has had to use the sixth pokemon slot to counter it. This time, that pattern is repeated, but with a twist. Now, my Talonflame counter can set up a DD when it forces it out, and cause massive damage to the rest of the opponent's team. I felt a needed a set-up sweeper, the fact that it is so bulky, and thus can take common priority attacks is a huge bonus. I generally intend to use to take out weakened teams, but it can also be used to weaken teams in its own right. Thanks to GarytheGengar's suggestions, I am now using Ice Punch to hit Landorus-T.
Now, the only foreseeable consequence of all these changes is that my team can be defogged easily, and might be vulnerable to burn. However, I can switch in pokemon that can threaten common defoggers and rapid spinners, and regain momentum that way. For burns, the most common will-o-wisp user is Rotom-W, which I can switch Kyurem-B into, and force out with Earth Power. I can do the same with defensive Heatran variants.
Anyway, do let know what you think of the updates, and whether I need to cram more priority on this team or not. The only other option I am considering right now is running Scarf Heatran over Mega Tyranitar, but considering the number of pokemon running around in OU that are commonly used and can stop it dead, I am not sure this is the best idea.
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