Hey guys! I kinda made most of this team in my head in the shower, but that doesn't mean its any less fun to make or play with.
I wanted to build around the dual threat of Scarf Kartana and Ash-Greninja, two of the biggest threats in the tier imo, especially because they function as dual breakers and cleaners. This gives you many options for what endgame path you wanna take. I also wanted the team to work to pressure Toxapex, probably the best wall in the tier. Despite not having Volt-Turn on it, I think the team plays pretty good. Without further ado:
The Team: https://pokepast.es/1d4c15b81aad3a45
Teambuilding Process:
Greninja-Ash (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Spikes
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike
- Knock Off
As I mentioned at the beginning, I wanted to build around these two. These are the two standard Scarf Kart and Ash-Greninja sets, nothing really unusual about it.
Early game with Greninja you Spike to wear down the switch ins and late game you get the Hydro Pumps and Dark Pulses off for the evolution into Ash-Greninja then you Water Shuriken through the rest of the team. It's very simple, it breaks for itself over the course of the game.
Kartana however, is so disgustingly strong that even with a Scarf set, it beats most of everything save a few mons- Tornadus-T, Zapdos, Mega Scizor, Celesteela, the Mega Latis and the rare Skarmory among them. Specifically for Kartana is why I added the next member of the team. It also really appreciates spikes support from Greninja in achieving those OHKOs and 2HKOs on the grounded bulky staples of the tier (like Toxapex).
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
A +2 Continental Crush absolutely nukes all those of Kartana checks as well as setting up rocks for the team. Rocks also hit all of those Kartana checks at least neutrally and hits Torn-T the by far most common mon of it's checks super-effectively. Landorus-T is just a really good pokemon in SM ( j like in all gens lmao) and this set is pretty standard, so there's not really too much more to explain here either. Landorus-T also scares out Toxapex with the threat of an Earthquake, keeping up the theme of this team.
Heatran @ Power Herb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Solar Beam
It may seem weird to have a Heatran, a mon that usually invites in Toxapex, on an anti-Toxapex team, but this is a trapper set, designed to trap and eliminate Toxapex, and other bulky waters such as Tapu-Fini and Rotom-Wash with Earth Power and Solar Beam respectively. Usually a Heatran like this would carry Grassium Z, but seeing as the team's Z move was already used up, that's not an option. This isn't an issue though, by replacing Grassium Z with a Power Herb, Heatran has a one time nuke Solar Beam that can OHKO Rotom-W and heavily chunk (59.4 - 69.9% ) Tapu-Fini, Greninja's best non Toxapex, non grass type counter, putting it in range of two hydro pumps/dark pulses from Greninja. With this Heatran you want to force the bulky water to switch into you so you can trap it with Magma Storm then assault it with the correct move, so try to bring it in on things it scares out like bulky grasses. Without Leftovers, Heatran is really easy to wear down, so be careful. Heatran also completes the Fire-Water-Grass core on this team.
-----To the Teambuilder-----
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
Hidden Power: Ice
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost
WHAT?? AN ELECTRIC TYPE WITHOUT AN ICE MOVE??? I know, I know, it seems blasphemous, but hear me out; Zapdos fills a key defensive cornerstone on this team. It provides the team with Defog, pressures all of those Kartana checks, and pressures Toxapex. But why Zapdos, you might be saying? Why not Rotom-W, which is a great pivot in its own right, but Zapdos also crucially functions as a counter to all non Swords Dance Kartana sets, something that a lot of teams in the current meta really struggle to do, which is why Kartana is such a menace. Kartana, despite having nearly nonexistent special bulk, can eat a Discharge, so Heat Wave is really needed on this team. Heat Wave also slams Ferrothorn, another roadblock to Greninja's evolution. Defog is needed as it is the only hazard removal on this team. Roost is obviously needed or else Zapdos will fail to continue to check/counter threats like Kartana and Hawlucha throughout the course of a game, especially because of its Stealth Rock weakness. Unfortunately, this doesn't really leave room for Hidden Power Ice, however the ground types that switch in to Zapdos (Garchomp and Landorus-T) are scared out by other mons on the team like Greninja, Kartana and Landorus-T on a double switch. It leaves for some pretty wonky coverage, I know, but this kinda forces you to play more offensively, something you have to do manually with this team, because it lacks Volt-Turn.
Alternatively, you could use Volt Switch over Discharge to keep up momentum, but there's a few issues with that.
1 it doesn't do anything to the ground types switching in, which discharge doesn't do either, but at least you have a 30% chance to Paralyze everything else.
2 it doesn't do much to Toxapex, so it can just recover it off. This means you get to bring in Medicham or Landorus-T in for free though.
Medicham-Mega @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Zen Headbutt
For the last slot, I really wasn't sure how to finish off the team. I wanted something to help break, while keeping up the anti-Toxapex theme, as well as something that can add pressure onto the Mega Latis, one of the other counters to Kartana that the rest of the team doesn't explicitly cover and Landorus-T and Zapdos can't pressure outside of status. Mega Medicham does this, while also pressuring all the Kartana checks. Mega Medicham has no true counters and it goes a long way to have a mon like this on a team like this, making the best use of the switches you get, because of no Volt-Turn. Mega Medicham also pressures Assault Vest Tangrowth, a major roadblock to both Greninja and Kartana. It also greatly benefits from Spikes support from Greninja.
Honestly, this slot is the most expendable even after the addition of Mega Medicham, I still wasn't sure if it was the right choice for this team.
Weaknesses:
As you can see this team has very little defensive backbone, so something like Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, Scarf Lele and many other strong fast threats will tear through this team, however as the player you should play offensive enough to not let them in and you should be able to revenge kill them will Scarf Kartana.
Please let me know what y'all think of this team and how I can improve it.
Thanks,
Theleedler17
I wanted to build around the dual threat of Scarf Kartana and Ash-Greninja, two of the biggest threats in the tier imo, especially because they function as dual breakers and cleaners. This gives you many options for what endgame path you wanna take. I also wanted the team to work to pressure Toxapex, probably the best wall in the tier. Despite not having Volt-Turn on it, I think the team plays pretty good. Without further ado:
The Team: https://pokepast.es/1d4c15b81aad3a45
Teambuilding Process:
Greninja-Ash (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Spikes
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike
- Knock Off
As I mentioned at the beginning, I wanted to build around these two. These are the two standard Scarf Kart and Ash-Greninja sets, nothing really unusual about it.
Early game with Greninja you Spike to wear down the switch ins and late game you get the Hydro Pumps and Dark Pulses off for the evolution into Ash-Greninja then you Water Shuriken through the rest of the team. It's very simple, it breaks for itself over the course of the game.
Kartana however, is so disgustingly strong that even with a Scarf set, it beats most of everything save a few mons- Tornadus-T, Zapdos, Mega Scizor, Celesteela, the Mega Latis and the rare Skarmory among them. Specifically for Kartana is why I added the next member of the team. It also really appreciates spikes support from Greninja in achieving those OHKOs and 2HKOs on the grounded bulky staples of the tier (like Toxapex).
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
A +2 Continental Crush absolutely nukes all those of Kartana checks as well as setting up rocks for the team. Rocks also hit all of those Kartana checks at least neutrally and hits Torn-T the by far most common mon of it's checks super-effectively. Landorus-T is just a really good pokemon in SM ( j like in all gens lmao) and this set is pretty standard, so there's not really too much more to explain here either. Landorus-T also scares out Toxapex with the threat of an Earthquake, keeping up the theme of this team.
Heatran @ Power Herb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Solar Beam
It may seem weird to have a Heatran, a mon that usually invites in Toxapex, on an anti-Toxapex team, but this is a trapper set, designed to trap and eliminate Toxapex, and other bulky waters such as Tapu-Fini and Rotom-Wash with Earth Power and Solar Beam respectively. Usually a Heatran like this would carry Grassium Z, but seeing as the team's Z move was already used up, that's not an option. This isn't an issue though, by replacing Grassium Z with a Power Herb, Heatran has a one time nuke Solar Beam that can OHKO Rotom-W and heavily chunk (59.4 - 69.9% ) Tapu-Fini, Greninja's best non Toxapex, non grass type counter, putting it in range of two hydro pumps/dark pulses from Greninja. With this Heatran you want to force the bulky water to switch into you so you can trap it with Magma Storm then assault it with the correct move, so try to bring it in on things it scares out like bulky grasses. Without Leftovers, Heatran is really easy to wear down, so be careful. Heatran also completes the Fire-Water-Grass core on this team.
-----To the Teambuilder-----
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
Hidden Power: Ice
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost
WHAT?? AN ELECTRIC TYPE WITHOUT AN ICE MOVE??? I know, I know, it seems blasphemous, but hear me out; Zapdos fills a key defensive cornerstone on this team. It provides the team with Defog, pressures all of those Kartana checks, and pressures Toxapex. But why Zapdos, you might be saying? Why not Rotom-W, which is a great pivot in its own right, but Zapdos also crucially functions as a counter to all non Swords Dance Kartana sets, something that a lot of teams in the current meta really struggle to do, which is why Kartana is such a menace. Kartana, despite having nearly nonexistent special bulk, can eat a Discharge, so Heat Wave is really needed on this team. Heat Wave also slams Ferrothorn, another roadblock to Greninja's evolution. Defog is needed as it is the only hazard removal on this team. Roost is obviously needed or else Zapdos will fail to continue to check/counter threats like Kartana and Hawlucha throughout the course of a game, especially because of its Stealth Rock weakness. Unfortunately, this doesn't really leave room for Hidden Power Ice, however the ground types that switch in to Zapdos (Garchomp and Landorus-T) are scared out by other mons on the team like Greninja, Kartana and Landorus-T on a double switch. It leaves for some pretty wonky coverage, I know, but this kinda forces you to play more offensively, something you have to do manually with this team, because it lacks Volt-Turn.
Alternatively, you could use Volt Switch over Discharge to keep up momentum, but there's a few issues with that.
1 it doesn't do anything to the ground types switching in, which discharge doesn't do either, but at least you have a 30% chance to Paralyze everything else.
2 it doesn't do much to Toxapex, so it can just recover it off. This means you get to bring in Medicham or Landorus-T in for free though.
Medicham-Mega @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Zen Headbutt
For the last slot, I really wasn't sure how to finish off the team. I wanted something to help break, while keeping up the anti-Toxapex theme, as well as something that can add pressure onto the Mega Latis, one of the other counters to Kartana that the rest of the team doesn't explicitly cover and Landorus-T and Zapdos can't pressure outside of status. Mega Medicham does this, while also pressuring all the Kartana checks. Mega Medicham has no true counters and it goes a long way to have a mon like this on a team like this, making the best use of the switches you get, because of no Volt-Turn. Mega Medicham also pressures Assault Vest Tangrowth, a major roadblock to both Greninja and Kartana. It also greatly benefits from Spikes support from Greninja.
Honestly, this slot is the most expendable even after the addition of Mega Medicham, I still wasn't sure if it was the right choice for this team.
Weaknesses:
As you can see this team has very little defensive backbone, so something like Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, Scarf Lele and many other strong fast threats will tear through this team, however as the player you should play offensive enough to not let them in and you should be able to revenge kill them will Scarf Kartana.
Please let me know what y'all think of this team and how I can improve it.
Thanks,
Theleedler17
and 
are both huge threats in the OU metagame pressuring a lot of balance teams and giving you an edge against offensive teams with speed and priority. Moreover, offensive heatran with solar beam is a really good idea here, allowing you to eliminate bulky steel types and grass types such as 
and surprise bulky waters like 
and 
in order to open a path for 
is an absolute monster against you. You will just let it become 
solar beam is a really good idea, without grassium Z it will not OHKO 
is not the best answer to 
and 
, these two mon are faster than 
->
->removing 
: use it as your 
and 
. Finally, the grassy terrain will boost your Z solar beam damage destroying 
and 
and 
, something that the scarf wasn't able to do in a short time. In terrain you are sure to 2HKO 
. I'm not too fond of