Haven't built an OU team in a hot minute since I mostly steal RobJr's stuff or use stall. Wanted to post this here and get some advice as the team moves into the parts of the ladder where its imperfections will actually be punished.
Magearna @ Fairium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 72 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Ice Beam
- Fleur Cannon
- Shift Gear
Wanted to build around this set as I haven't seen HP Ground used as coverage before. Amazing late game cleaner as it can remove Heatran (after minor chip) without losing its Z slot or relying on Focus Blast. Fairium Z is great at claiming the first kill Mag needs to snowball, but also provides a means of killing certain mons it shouldn't be able to touch after it gets the first boost, for example killing sp def mega scizor from as much as 65%. Without thunderbolt/focus blast certain pokemon such as Toxapex and Ferrothorn were the primary targets for Magearna's teammates.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 60 SpA / 192 SpD / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Toxic
- Taunt
Heatran pairs perfectly with Magearna on this team as it can trap and remove some of the best defensive checks Mag faces, such as Toxapex and Chansey. It also switches in well to some of the things Magearna needs chipped to sweep, like Ferrothorn and Sciz lacking Superpower. Having multiple steel types on this team minimizes the number of occasions you have to risk Magearna which is important as it is generally the main win condition. 60 EVs and a Modest nature allows Heatran to 2hko mega Sableye with rocks into trapping damage, which I find to be an important enough calc to lose the usual speed for, as the team doesn't carry anything else specifically for stall.
Greninja @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
Scarf Protean Gren provides some immediate speed control to the team and is generally a solid lure since people are forced to play around the potential for Ash Gren early game. Gunk Shot is excellent for catching koko in the rock paper scissors lead matchup of koko lando gren. U-turn generally does enough to let Gren check opposing Ash gren, which the team does struggle to switch into. Hydro lets it check +1 Xard after rocks, although bulkier sets can roost stall. This is the best pokemon on the team for actually pinning down opposing Lando without fearing their scarf, and is thus usually the best lead.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 56 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Scarf rocks Landorus eww. The logic behind this move is that in general Lando will click its move and switch anyway, and since I have Celesteela to pivot into opposing Lando so well, I don't leave myself that vulnerable by locking it into a status move. Being scarf helps the team vs Xard and Koko, and provides an alternative means of cleaning up late game. Outside of that the coverage chosen here lacks the ability to hit Torn-T but Heatran and Steela pivot fairly well into that.
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 132 Def / 128 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Flamethrower
Broken mon. Having a scarf Lando as the rocks setter basically made this a mandatory pick so opposing Lando don't just Eq my team. Switches into Ferrothorn and Scizor very well and pressures them both. If it's healthy this gives me a decent switch to almost any one threat, such as non Ash formed Gren, Torn-t and Tapu bulu. Cele can be slightly passive vs Koko Lucha teams, as well as letting Pelipper in for free on rain, but in general the team performs well vs Kokolucha and leech/protect isn't too bad at slowing down rain.
Latias-Mega (F) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Defog
This team needed a fat Water/Electric resist and some removal, and Mega Latias does both jobs pretty well. Gives the team a safer middle ground on non specs Koko, and is bulky and powerful enough to stop Hawlucha setting up and winning. Vs Rain it forces Kingdra/Gren into unfavorable decisions, because if they don't lock into a water move Magearna gains the turn to setup, which can be deadly vs rain. Also a good switch for Mega Pert, which is crucial since it outspeeds +2 Mag in the rain. It's definitely arguable that this pokemon could be switched for something like Tangrowth, so opinions on that would be appreciated.
Big Threats
Both Mega and non mega Gyara threaten the team immensely and can set up on multiple pokemon. Latias can check non mega after baiting the Z while lando and Gren can both do good damage to Mega and outspeed +1.
Ash Gren is tricky as the two water resists have to be very careful switching in. In certain scenarios Latias can be safely sacked however once Magearna wins at +2 +1 Gren can't afford to kill with Dark Pulse. Early game Celesteela sometimes has to be a makeshift switch, or Gren itself can take 1 hit and U-turn.
Xard can be annoying if it's a bulkier set, and just by being in the game it forces Lando to never take any damage which can be an inconvenience. Can usually deal with it through a combination of recoil + Lando or Gren however.
Haven't actually played a Gallade yet but it's likely that a bulk up set would be extremely difficult to deal with outside of taking huge risks with Magearna.
Current Record
Any and all feedback is appreciated as the team is definitely a work in progress :)
Magearna @ Fairium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 72 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Ice Beam
- Fleur Cannon
- Shift Gear
Wanted to build around this set as I haven't seen HP Ground used as coverage before. Amazing late game cleaner as it can remove Heatran (after minor chip) without losing its Z slot or relying on Focus Blast. Fairium Z is great at claiming the first kill Mag needs to snowball, but also provides a means of killing certain mons it shouldn't be able to touch after it gets the first boost, for example killing sp def mega scizor from as much as 65%. Without thunderbolt/focus blast certain pokemon such as Toxapex and Ferrothorn were the primary targets for Magearna's teammates.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 60 SpA / 192 SpD / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Toxic
- Taunt
Heatran pairs perfectly with Magearna on this team as it can trap and remove some of the best defensive checks Mag faces, such as Toxapex and Chansey. It also switches in well to some of the things Magearna needs chipped to sweep, like Ferrothorn and Sciz lacking Superpower. Having multiple steel types on this team minimizes the number of occasions you have to risk Magearna which is important as it is generally the main win condition. 60 EVs and a Modest nature allows Heatran to 2hko mega Sableye with rocks into trapping damage, which I find to be an important enough calc to lose the usual speed for, as the team doesn't carry anything else specifically for stall.
Greninja @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
Scarf Protean Gren provides some immediate speed control to the team and is generally a solid lure since people are forced to play around the potential for Ash Gren early game. Gunk Shot is excellent for catching koko in the rock paper scissors lead matchup of koko lando gren. U-turn generally does enough to let Gren check opposing Ash gren, which the team does struggle to switch into. Hydro lets it check +1 Xard after rocks, although bulkier sets can roost stall. This is the best pokemon on the team for actually pinning down opposing Lando without fearing their scarf, and is thus usually the best lead.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 56 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Scarf rocks Landorus eww. The logic behind this move is that in general Lando will click its move and switch anyway, and since I have Celesteela to pivot into opposing Lando so well, I don't leave myself that vulnerable by locking it into a status move. Being scarf helps the team vs Xard and Koko, and provides an alternative means of cleaning up late game. Outside of that the coverage chosen here lacks the ability to hit Torn-T but Heatran and Steela pivot fairly well into that.
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 132 Def / 128 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Flamethrower
Broken mon. Having a scarf Lando as the rocks setter basically made this a mandatory pick so opposing Lando don't just Eq my team. Switches into Ferrothorn and Scizor very well and pressures them both. If it's healthy this gives me a decent switch to almost any one threat, such as non Ash formed Gren, Torn-t and Tapu bulu. Cele can be slightly passive vs Koko Lucha teams, as well as letting Pelipper in for free on rain, but in general the team performs well vs Kokolucha and leech/protect isn't too bad at slowing down rain.
Latias-Mega (F) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Defog
This team needed a fat Water/Electric resist and some removal, and Mega Latias does both jobs pretty well. Gives the team a safer middle ground on non specs Koko, and is bulky and powerful enough to stop Hawlucha setting up and winning. Vs Rain it forces Kingdra/Gren into unfavorable decisions, because if they don't lock into a water move Magearna gains the turn to setup, which can be deadly vs rain. Also a good switch for Mega Pert, which is crucial since it outspeeds +2 Mag in the rain. It's definitely arguable that this pokemon could be switched for something like Tangrowth, so opinions on that would be appreciated.
Both Mega and non mega Gyara threaten the team immensely and can set up on multiple pokemon. Latias can check non mega after baiting the Z while lando and Gren can both do good damage to Mega and outspeed +1.
Ash Gren is tricky as the two water resists have to be very careful switching in. In certain scenarios Latias can be safely sacked however once Magearna wins at +2 +1 Gren can't afford to kill with Dark Pulse. Early game Celesteela sometimes has to be a makeshift switch, or Gren itself can take 1 hit and U-turn.
Xard can be annoying if it's a bulkier set, and just by being in the game it forces Lando to never take any damage which can be an inconvenience. Can usually deal with it through a combination of recoil + Lando or Gren however.
Haven't actually played a Gallade yet but it's likely that a bulk up set would be extremely difficult to deal with outside of taking huge risks with Magearna.
Current Record
Any and all feedback is appreciated as the team is definitely a work in progress :)
