Hello fellow Smoggers (lol). First off I'd like to say that although I'm new to battle simulators like this one (and competitive battling in general), I'm definitely not new to Pokemon and its mechanics. So far I've managed to reach the ~1520 elo range on this account with the team that I am about to post. Even though this team is doing OK, its not doing GREAT; which is why I'm asking for all your guys' opinions on what should change and what I can improve on :D! So without further ado, here is my current OU Singles team:
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
- Soft-Boiled
Chansey likes to soak up potential status conditions that would otherwise threaten the pokes that do damage on your team, so a free status heal whilst switching out is HUGE: it allows Chansey to get other things done while not necessarily worrying about a status condition it might currently possess. In my opinion, 252 HP EVs with another 252 EVs in Def makes Chansey able to withstand even the mighty forces of Garchomp's outrage and Talonflame's brave bird (unboosted of course). The 4 speed is just to out-speed other Chanseys I guess, mostly it's filler. Bold nature is for giving that Def stat a little more umph. In all honesty doe, Chansey with eviolite and these EVs makes it an absolute tank.
This pokemon is essentially what keeps me in the game against things such as Clefable, Zapdos, Mandibuzz, Vaporeon, etc.- you could call it my stall breaker. Eviolite essentially makes for a better Blissey- that is, if you can avoid potential knock off threats such as M-Mawile, Bisharp, Thundurus, Landorus... well you get the idea. Seismic Toss is a move I always use on Chansey because of how all around useful it is. It works wonders on almost every common pokemon in the OU meta except for Aegislash (grr) and the more tanky 'mons out there (such as another Chansey, Blissey, Umbreon, etc. Toxic is a must in order to whittle down a CM spamming Clefable (with unburden) or pretty much any other great staller like Zapdos. Due to Chansey fulfilling the role of being both the stall-breaker and support on my team, it only seems right to give it Heal Bell- maybe my most favorite move in the game. Did a Rotom-W will-o-wisp your physical sweeper? Did greninja use hax to freeze you with that accursed ice beam? All you gotta do is make the switch and BOOM you're back in the game ;). The last move in this set is Soft-Boiled because, well, it giveZ dah HP. Yeah... I know that's not going to pass as a viable reasoning LOL... but all joking aside, Chansey is going to be taking multiple hits as it uses S-Toss and Heal Bell so it needs all the HP regen it can get.
tldr; my stall-breaker, support, and special wall
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tail Glow
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball
Ah, the main man (girl...?) of my team: special sweeper Manaphy! Hydration, although not my cup of tea per-se, is a nifty little ability that allows it to use rain induced by the enemy team to its advantage- after all, having a powerful sweeper that's immune to status is just godly. The EV spread is just your average distribution for a special sweeper, with 1 possible exception: I used to use Modest nature on Manaphy for that extra damage, but it was getting outrun by 302 and 303 speeds that are common in OU. After switching to timid nature, I find it much easier to sweep once i get set up.
I currently use leftovers on Manaphy due to its already decent natural bulkiness (base 100 stats across the board). Leftovers essentially allows it to take some battle damage while attempting to set up, then regen as you annihilate everything in your path. Tail glow is the key for opening the gates: with 1 tail glow, consider your special attack doubled. Surf provides important coverage for Talonflame and Heatron, and also provides decent STAB against steels like Bisharp and Aegislash (Blade forme) even without boosts. Ice Beam is the key move here: Gliscor, Garchomp, Dragnoite, the latis, etc. can kiss their sweeping attemps good-bye with a single tail glow and an ice beam to the face (garchomp and gliscor don't even require a single tail glow of course, but you get the idea). Energy ball is great for hitting annoying water types like Keldeo, Azumarill, and Rotom-W. All in all, this learnset on Manaphy gives it GREAT coverage and a chance to 0-6 the enemy team if you play it right.
tldr; special sweeper
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Roost
This little (or quite recently rather large) bird is the main scout on my team (and can also revenge kill very well- no explanation needed there). Gale wings is just OP- with brave bird, it's just godly. My team is somewhat lacking in priority moves, and this great ability all but makes up for it. The EV spread may look weird, but I have a reasoning behind it: 60 spd EVs allows it to reach the golden 303 speed rank... and yeah, that's really all it needs. Sure more speed is great for out-running the latis and such but you really shouldn't be 1v1ing a lati anyhow. 252 attack is self explanatory, and the 192 HP serves as extra bulk that talon desperately needs. The other great thing about talon is that it has no need to even consider going anything other than adamant nature with its extremely high base speed- yeah, its great.
I prefer sharp beak over flying gem on talon due to the constant bird spamming I sometimes tend to do- it gives a respectable permanent boost for as long as you're alive. Brave Bird is death... death to Venasuar, death to Pinsir, death to Keldeo, death to the 'pede, death to conk... well you get the idea. Flare Blitz is very helpful in dealing with the Ferrothorn and Mamoswine leads that appear frequently in the starting position. Excadrill, Scizor, and Mawile also bow down to the might of the flare blitz. U-turn is my main scouting move- it also can hit hard depending on the pokemon the enemy first sent out. I use roost ONLY when I know I can with very little consequence/risk... it also helps with the plethora of stealth rock hazards that are commonplace in OU.
tldr; scout, physical sweeper
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
Ohhhh boy, yeah you read that correctly, choice scarf heracross! I have received many mixed opinions as to if this bug is truly helping or only hurting my team- I'll leave it up to you to decide :D Moxie works great with scarf hera as since you're locked into only 1 move, youll want all the bonus attack you can get. The EV spread is a typical scarfer set, and the Adamant nature works with the scarf as well.
As for its item, well... YOU GUESSED IT! Choice scarf allows it to out-speed many pokemon it normally couldn't, even with a jolly nature. It also turns this deadly bug into a scary revenge killer. Close Combat is easily the best fighting move in the game, who cares that your defenses are lowered when you're steamrolling through the enemy team amiright!? But in all seriousness this move has decent coverage in and of itself, and ensures that nuisances such as (but not limited to) Chansey, Mawile, Bisharp, and Tyranitar will never see the light of day. Megahorn is another great STAB move with decent accuracy for its power- it allows Hera to 1HKO any psychic poke that it is super-effective against. Not bad. Stone Edge is great for flying types such as Thundurus and Togekiss (I usually don't use Hera against Togekiss however for obvious reason.) Pursuit basically destroys Gengar, deo-s and deo-d, and any frail psychic type that already has some damage under its belt. Great for ensuring that revenge kill.)
tldr; scarfer, physical sweeper
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Heat Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
- Roost
This pokemon has won me many, many games. In my opinion this is one of -if not the best- stallers in the OU metagame. Pressure is a great ability on Zapdos; paired with Substitute and Roost, the enemy pokemon's PP will drain faster than you can say "AegiIsBroken" (hehe). As for Zap's EVs, I prefer more HP over more speed since it IS meant to stall, and more HP synergizes better with roost. 252 SpA allows it to do respectable damage while being slippery to take out. 4 speed just 'cause.
The HP gain from leftovers essentially adds up to a free substitute, which could more or less win the game. Heat Wave deals with unsuspecting steel types such as Mawile, Excadrill and Scizor. Thunderbolt hits HARD... it's a solid move versus anything except Chansey/Blissey and ground types. I'm going to pair substitute with roost because they go hand in hand together- roost subbing with Zap has done wonders for me. Both moves allow you to essentially whittle down your opponent's PP to the point where that Chansey starts to spam Soft-boiled even more than usual. All in all, sub roost makes Zap a very scary 'mon to encounter.
tldr; stallmon
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
- Iron Head
In my opinion every team needs a way to remove those stupid stealth rocks, and Excadrill is the guy for my job. Mold Breaker is better for my specific team comp than Sand Rush due to the fact that I lack a way to reliably whip up a sandstorm ;). Jolly nature, paired with 252 speed EVs, gives it a respectable 302 speed- not bad in OU by any means.
Air Balloon allows Excadrill to switch into many ground types (or just anything with EQ) that would typically 1HKO it. This basically allows me a free spin to rid my side of the battle of those awful stones (unless, of course, Aegi/Gengar) -BUT- speaking of those 2, if I can predict their attempt to block my rapid spin, I can instead use EQ to try and get the jump on them. Brick Break is mainly for Tyranitar and Bisharp, but also helps with Chansey and Blissey as well. Iron Head is an awesome STAB move that is godly against anything slow that doesn't resist it. Without this poke, it's safe to say that Talon would have no place on my team.
tldr; rapid spinner
SOOO yeah if you actually read through all of that then you might as well give the rookie a protip or 2 while you're still browsing the thread ;) My team is pretty solid in my opinion, but it is by NO MEANS amazing due to 2 major letdowns: I have yet to add stealth rock or knock off to the team's moveset. I would much rather prefer knock off, but I'm not sure how I should implement it. Once again any feedback would be AWESOME and I hope you all enjoyed my team :D
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
- Soft-Boiled
Chansey likes to soak up potential status conditions that would otherwise threaten the pokes that do damage on your team, so a free status heal whilst switching out is HUGE: it allows Chansey to get other things done while not necessarily worrying about a status condition it might currently possess. In my opinion, 252 HP EVs with another 252 EVs in Def makes Chansey able to withstand even the mighty forces of Garchomp's outrage and Talonflame's brave bird (unboosted of course). The 4 speed is just to out-speed other Chanseys I guess, mostly it's filler. Bold nature is for giving that Def stat a little more umph. In all honesty doe, Chansey with eviolite and these EVs makes it an absolute tank.
This pokemon is essentially what keeps me in the game against things such as Clefable, Zapdos, Mandibuzz, Vaporeon, etc.- you could call it my stall breaker. Eviolite essentially makes for a better Blissey- that is, if you can avoid potential knock off threats such as M-Mawile, Bisharp, Thundurus, Landorus... well you get the idea. Seismic Toss is a move I always use on Chansey because of how all around useful it is. It works wonders on almost every common pokemon in the OU meta except for Aegislash (grr) and the more tanky 'mons out there (such as another Chansey, Blissey, Umbreon, etc. Toxic is a must in order to whittle down a CM spamming Clefable (with unburden) or pretty much any other great staller like Zapdos. Due to Chansey fulfilling the role of being both the stall-breaker and support on my team, it only seems right to give it Heal Bell- maybe my most favorite move in the game. Did a Rotom-W will-o-wisp your physical sweeper? Did greninja use hax to freeze you with that accursed ice beam? All you gotta do is make the switch and BOOM you're back in the game ;). The last move in this set is Soft-Boiled because, well, it giveZ dah HP. Yeah... I know that's not going to pass as a viable reasoning LOL... but all joking aside, Chansey is going to be taking multiple hits as it uses S-Toss and Heal Bell so it needs all the HP regen it can get.
tldr; my stall-breaker, support, and special wall
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tail Glow
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball
Ah, the main man (girl...?) of my team: special sweeper Manaphy! Hydration, although not my cup of tea per-se, is a nifty little ability that allows it to use rain induced by the enemy team to its advantage- after all, having a powerful sweeper that's immune to status is just godly. The EV spread is just your average distribution for a special sweeper, with 1 possible exception: I used to use Modest nature on Manaphy for that extra damage, but it was getting outrun by 302 and 303 speeds that are common in OU. After switching to timid nature, I find it much easier to sweep once i get set up.
I currently use leftovers on Manaphy due to its already decent natural bulkiness (base 100 stats across the board). Leftovers essentially allows it to take some battle damage while attempting to set up, then regen as you annihilate everything in your path. Tail glow is the key for opening the gates: with 1 tail glow, consider your special attack doubled. Surf provides important coverage for Talonflame and Heatron, and also provides decent STAB against steels like Bisharp and Aegislash (Blade forme) even without boosts. Ice Beam is the key move here: Gliscor, Garchomp, Dragnoite, the latis, etc. can kiss their sweeping attemps good-bye with a single tail glow and an ice beam to the face (garchomp and gliscor don't even require a single tail glow of course, but you get the idea). Energy ball is great for hitting annoying water types like Keldeo, Azumarill, and Rotom-W. All in all, this learnset on Manaphy gives it GREAT coverage and a chance to 0-6 the enemy team if you play it right.
tldr; special sweeper
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Roost
This little (or quite recently rather large) bird is the main scout on my team (and can also revenge kill very well- no explanation needed there). Gale wings is just OP- with brave bird, it's just godly. My team is somewhat lacking in priority moves, and this great ability all but makes up for it. The EV spread may look weird, but I have a reasoning behind it: 60 spd EVs allows it to reach the golden 303 speed rank... and yeah, that's really all it needs. Sure more speed is great for out-running the latis and such but you really shouldn't be 1v1ing a lati anyhow. 252 attack is self explanatory, and the 192 HP serves as extra bulk that talon desperately needs. The other great thing about talon is that it has no need to even consider going anything other than adamant nature with its extremely high base speed- yeah, its great.
I prefer sharp beak over flying gem on talon due to the constant bird spamming I sometimes tend to do- it gives a respectable permanent boost for as long as you're alive. Brave Bird is death... death to Venasuar, death to Pinsir, death to Keldeo, death to the 'pede, death to conk... well you get the idea. Flare Blitz is very helpful in dealing with the Ferrothorn and Mamoswine leads that appear frequently in the starting position. Excadrill, Scizor, and Mawile also bow down to the might of the flare blitz. U-turn is my main scouting move- it also can hit hard depending on the pokemon the enemy first sent out. I use roost ONLY when I know I can with very little consequence/risk... it also helps with the plethora of stealth rock hazards that are commonplace in OU.
tldr; scout, physical sweeper
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
Ohhhh boy, yeah you read that correctly, choice scarf heracross! I have received many mixed opinions as to if this bug is truly helping or only hurting my team- I'll leave it up to you to decide :D Moxie works great with scarf hera as since you're locked into only 1 move, youll want all the bonus attack you can get. The EV spread is a typical scarfer set, and the Adamant nature works with the scarf as well.
As for its item, well... YOU GUESSED IT! Choice scarf allows it to out-speed many pokemon it normally couldn't, even with a jolly nature. It also turns this deadly bug into a scary revenge killer. Close Combat is easily the best fighting move in the game, who cares that your defenses are lowered when you're steamrolling through the enemy team amiright!? But in all seriousness this move has decent coverage in and of itself, and ensures that nuisances such as (but not limited to) Chansey, Mawile, Bisharp, and Tyranitar will never see the light of day. Megahorn is another great STAB move with decent accuracy for its power- it allows Hera to 1HKO any psychic poke that it is super-effective against. Not bad. Stone Edge is great for flying types such as Thundurus and Togekiss (I usually don't use Hera against Togekiss however for obvious reason.) Pursuit basically destroys Gengar, deo-s and deo-d, and any frail psychic type that already has some damage under its belt. Great for ensuring that revenge kill.)
tldr; scarfer, physical sweeper
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Heat Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
- Roost
This pokemon has won me many, many games. In my opinion this is one of -if not the best- stallers in the OU metagame. Pressure is a great ability on Zapdos; paired with Substitute and Roost, the enemy pokemon's PP will drain faster than you can say "AegiIsBroken" (hehe). As for Zap's EVs, I prefer more HP over more speed since it IS meant to stall, and more HP synergizes better with roost. 252 SpA allows it to do respectable damage while being slippery to take out. 4 speed just 'cause.
The HP gain from leftovers essentially adds up to a free substitute, which could more or less win the game. Heat Wave deals with unsuspecting steel types such as Mawile, Excadrill and Scizor. Thunderbolt hits HARD... it's a solid move versus anything except Chansey/Blissey and ground types. I'm going to pair substitute with roost because they go hand in hand together- roost subbing with Zap has done wonders for me. Both moves allow you to essentially whittle down your opponent's PP to the point where that Chansey starts to spam Soft-boiled even more than usual. All in all, sub roost makes Zap a very scary 'mon to encounter.
tldr; stallmon
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
- Iron Head
In my opinion every team needs a way to remove those stupid stealth rocks, and Excadrill is the guy for my job. Mold Breaker is better for my specific team comp than Sand Rush due to the fact that I lack a way to reliably whip up a sandstorm ;). Jolly nature, paired with 252 speed EVs, gives it a respectable 302 speed- not bad in OU by any means.
Air Balloon allows Excadrill to switch into many ground types (or just anything with EQ) that would typically 1HKO it. This basically allows me a free spin to rid my side of the battle of those awful stones (unless, of course, Aegi/Gengar) -BUT- speaking of those 2, if I can predict their attempt to block my rapid spin, I can instead use EQ to try and get the jump on them. Brick Break is mainly for Tyranitar and Bisharp, but also helps with Chansey and Blissey as well. Iron Head is an awesome STAB move that is godly against anything slow that doesn't resist it. Without this poke, it's safe to say that Talon would have no place on my team.
tldr; rapid spinner
SOOO yeah if you actually read through all of that then you might as well give the rookie a protip or 2 while you're still browsing the thread ;) My team is pretty solid in my opinion, but it is by NO MEANS amazing due to 2 major letdowns: I have yet to add stealth rock or knock off to the team's moveset. I would much rather prefer knock off, but I'm not sure how I should implement it. Once again any feedback would be AWESOME and I hope you all enjoyed my team :D
