I decided to get back into Pokemon since I couldn't stand playing ORAS. As such, I made a fairly cookie-cutter team (mostly highly viable Pokemon that are everywhere) - I've been having a lot of fun playing it. The general idea for the team is to weaken top threats to the point that Kartana can sweep them, and because it's so underrated, people often don't see that it's my win condition until too late. If this team manages to clear Skarmory, Scizor, Metagross, Magearna and Heatran early in the game, a Leaf Blade/Smart Strike sweep can become all but impossible.
No sprites because lazy, pls forgive me.
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Nature's Madness
Tapu Fini is here for support. Nature's madness helps me wear down Metagross, M-Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Toxapex. Scald and Moonblast provide coverage and don't leave me too vulnerable to Heatran or Water types that can stall Scald. With its respectable bulk, resistance to status, speed, hazard control and coverage, it manages to force out Zygarde, Landorus, Garchomp and other ground types who can be problematic for my grounded team. In particular, its speed is surprising to a lot of people and lets it get the first move against every slow-ish physical wall (and Heatran), which matters a lot for Kartana later in the game. I suspect the slower defensive sets are more common, but am not really sure.
It's also worth noting that I often find myself more-or-less sacking Fini to weaken something that proves a problem for Kartana.
Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
Landorus is amazing in this gen, as it was in others, for forces predictions and covering weaknesses the rest of my team leaves open. With Lele/Muk/Metagross providing the special bulk on my team, Landorus manages to stop rampaging Scarf Pheromosa, bait Metagross Ice Punches and Koku HP Ice. Intimidate is obviously useful for preventing boosters like Buzzswole from getting too carried away and its coverage moves do their job. It also synergizes well with Muk, who takes on many special attackers handily and hates strong physical attacks. Overall, a pretty cookie-cutter mon that does what it does well.
Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 HP / 104 Atk / 152 SpD
Brave Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Fire Blast
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
Muk is pretty iffy, but as one of my favorite Gen 1 mons, I have a soft spot for it. Assault Vest and the given EV's maximize its special bulk, and the attack EV's and nature let it dish out decent damage to would-be threats like Volcarona. It helps check other pokemon like Lati@s, Magearna, Greninja (except Hydro Pump hurts), Lele, and anything that relies too heavily on Poison damage to cause problems (not that my team particularly needs it). In particular, stopping Toxapex from getting Toxic Spikes up is pretty handy, especially because Misty Terrain prevents Scald status and gives me a chance to knock its item off. Oh, and of course, Fire Blast is there to hurt steel types who are otherwise quite annoying for my team. Poison Touch/Poison Jab is really nice to stop Ground types and force ambient damage that Kartana can take advantage of later. Shadow Sneak is amazing for getting that last laugh + Poison before something nukes me, and nullifies some of the pain of having a < 10%, Burned muk on my team if someone runs Rotom-W or Alolan Marowak.
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Sword
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Psycho Cut
A dreadfully underrated mon, Kartana's pure speed and power makes it the key to my team's success. While everything else is pretty slow, this thing is unmatched outside of Scarf Pheromosa and Beast Boost lets it cut (sorry, pun) through weakened teams easily with careful play. The general strategy when using this set is to use Lele, Metagross, Landorus and Muk to status and weaken the enemy's team to > 50% before even sending it in. As soon as a weakness is evident, strike and hope that the enemy doesn't see the Scarf coming. I also really enjoy the fact that +1 Atk Kartana beats Metagross handily as long as it doesn't have a relatively niche move like HP Fire or Hammer Arm to challenge me.
It's also worth noting that Kartana's defense is respectable enough to survive a couple hits from M-Metagross, Landorus, or Dragon Types who otherwise prove to be quite a problem for the rest of my team. Running an Adamant nature might seem odd, but at 475 speed (with Scarf) it's fast enough to beat most pokemon after a DD, check ultrafast sweepers, and beat non-scarfed Pheromosa. Kartana's abysmal special defense is made up for by the 4 defensively respectable members of my team.
This all hints at a trend I've noticed in the OU metagame: teams rely heavily on Steel types for defense against Kartana so once they are cleared it's usually pretty easy to spam Smart Strike or Leaf Blade and get through.
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Punch
- Meteor Mash
- Thunder Punch
- Earthquake
Another amazing pokemon, M-Metagross provides me with a ton of firepower against threats like Tapu Lele, Landorus/Chomp/Zygarde, bulky Water types and anything Fairy typed. With maximum HP EV's, Metagross survives Earthquakes from Lando, HP Fires from Lele, and Scalds etc. from Fini quite easily, letting Metagross take on the poweful tank role it usually doesn't play. Thunder Punch in particular is a great move for covering Toxapex and Tapu Fini without the predictability of MM/ZH. The speed trickery also forces switches from players expecting a faster Metagross and is still enough to cover some mid-speed pokemon. In particular, I like this set because its bulk and attack power hurts opposing Metagross and can sometimes force careful players at lower health to swap out. Like I said, Steel types are Kartana's biggest threat, so I'm paranoid about them.
Tapu Lele @ Leftovers
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psyshock
- Calm Mind
Calm is a pretty random nature for Tapu Lele, but it's been effective enough for me to keep it this way. In particular, it manages Tapu Koko and Greninja well enough without being a dedicated wall and with HP Fire it provides a trap for M-Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Metagross. In fact, because it stops Scizor from using Bullet Punch, it's usually the first thing I send in against it. Many players know that Lele carries fire, so they'll switch run, giving me a chance to set up. Psyshock is there to beat other Calm Minders, Toxapex, and other bulky pokemon. Moonblast is spammable and can put lots of pokemon in range for a Kartana sweep.
No sprites because lazy, pls forgive me.
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Nature's Madness
Tapu Fini is here for support. Nature's madness helps me wear down Metagross, M-Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Toxapex. Scald and Moonblast provide coverage and don't leave me too vulnerable to Heatran or Water types that can stall Scald. With its respectable bulk, resistance to status, speed, hazard control and coverage, it manages to force out Zygarde, Landorus, Garchomp and other ground types who can be problematic for my grounded team. In particular, its speed is surprising to a lot of people and lets it get the first move against every slow-ish physical wall (and Heatran), which matters a lot for Kartana later in the game. I suspect the slower defensive sets are more common, but am not really sure.
It's also worth noting that I often find myself more-or-less sacking Fini to weaken something that proves a problem for Kartana.
Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
Landorus is amazing in this gen, as it was in others, for forces predictions and covering weaknesses the rest of my team leaves open. With Lele/Muk/Metagross providing the special bulk on my team, Landorus manages to stop rampaging Scarf Pheromosa, bait Metagross Ice Punches and Koku HP Ice. Intimidate is obviously useful for preventing boosters like Buzzswole from getting too carried away and its coverage moves do their job. It also synergizes well with Muk, who takes on many special attackers handily and hates strong physical attacks. Overall, a pretty cookie-cutter mon that does what it does well.
Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 HP / 104 Atk / 152 SpD
Brave Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Fire Blast
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
Muk is pretty iffy, but as one of my favorite Gen 1 mons, I have a soft spot for it. Assault Vest and the given EV's maximize its special bulk, and the attack EV's and nature let it dish out decent damage to would-be threats like Volcarona. It helps check other pokemon like Lati@s, Magearna, Greninja (except Hydro Pump hurts), Lele, and anything that relies too heavily on Poison damage to cause problems (not that my team particularly needs it). In particular, stopping Toxapex from getting Toxic Spikes up is pretty handy, especially because Misty Terrain prevents Scald status and gives me a chance to knock its item off. Oh, and of course, Fire Blast is there to hurt steel types who are otherwise quite annoying for my team. Poison Touch/Poison Jab is really nice to stop Ground types and force ambient damage that Kartana can take advantage of later. Shadow Sneak is amazing for getting that last laugh + Poison before something nukes me, and nullifies some of the pain of having a < 10%, Burned muk on my team if someone runs Rotom-W or Alolan Marowak.
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Sword
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Psycho Cut
A dreadfully underrated mon, Kartana's pure speed and power makes it the key to my team's success. While everything else is pretty slow, this thing is unmatched outside of Scarf Pheromosa and Beast Boost lets it cut (sorry, pun) through weakened teams easily with careful play. The general strategy when using this set is to use Lele, Metagross, Landorus and Muk to status and weaken the enemy's team to > 50% before even sending it in. As soon as a weakness is evident, strike and hope that the enemy doesn't see the Scarf coming. I also really enjoy the fact that +1 Atk Kartana beats Metagross handily as long as it doesn't have a relatively niche move like HP Fire or Hammer Arm to challenge me.
It's also worth noting that Kartana's defense is respectable enough to survive a couple hits from M-Metagross, Landorus, or Dragon Types who otherwise prove to be quite a problem for the rest of my team. Running an Adamant nature might seem odd, but at 475 speed (with Scarf) it's fast enough to beat most pokemon after a DD, check ultrafast sweepers, and beat non-scarfed Pheromosa. Kartana's abysmal special defense is made up for by the 4 defensively respectable members of my team.
This all hints at a trend I've noticed in the OU metagame: teams rely heavily on Steel types for defense against Kartana so once they are cleared it's usually pretty easy to spam Smart Strike or Leaf Blade and get through.
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Punch
- Meteor Mash
- Thunder Punch
- Earthquake
Another amazing pokemon, M-Metagross provides me with a ton of firepower against threats like Tapu Lele, Landorus/Chomp/Zygarde, bulky Water types and anything Fairy typed. With maximum HP EV's, Metagross survives Earthquakes from Lando, HP Fires from Lele, and Scalds etc. from Fini quite easily, letting Metagross take on the poweful tank role it usually doesn't play. Thunder Punch in particular is a great move for covering Toxapex and Tapu Fini without the predictability of MM/ZH. The speed trickery also forces switches from players expecting a faster Metagross and is still enough to cover some mid-speed pokemon. In particular, I like this set because its bulk and attack power hurts opposing Metagross and can sometimes force careful players at lower health to swap out. Like I said, Steel types are Kartana's biggest threat, so I'm paranoid about them.
Tapu Lele @ Leftovers
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psyshock
- Calm Mind
Calm is a pretty random nature for Tapu Lele, but it's been effective enough for me to keep it this way. In particular, it manages Tapu Koko and Greninja well enough without being a dedicated wall and with HP Fire it provides a trap for M-Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Metagross. In fact, because it stops Scizor from using Bullet Punch, it's usually the first thing I send in against it. Many players know that Lele carries fire, so they'll switch run, giving me a chance to set up. Psyshock is there to beat other Calm Minders, Toxapex, and other bulky pokemon. Moonblast is spammable and can put lots of pokemon in range for a Kartana sweep.
