Lower Tier Threats

[mbh]

I couldn't disagree more to be honest. Tangrowth is fantastic in countering Garchomp, Terrakion, and Dragonite. I can't think of any grass type (or Pokemon for that matter) that can claim this. Regenerator also sets it apart from most Grass types, apart from Amoonguss, which is more of a special wall.

Saying Breloom is a top notch wall breaker or that Venusaur is a way better sun sweeper doesn't mean anything. Tangrowth isn't trying to fill these roles. It's like saying Snorlax hits much harder than Blissey therefore it's better.

Dont forget things like Feligatr or DoubleDance-Lando-T, both gaining popularity as they are able to pressure the usual types of Stall, but both usually struggle when facing Tangrowth. The only problem w/ Tangrowth seems to fit it onto a team well enough, as it has kinda an awkward typing for a physical Wall and the Grasstype sadly brings some annoying Weaks.

However I have got another Pokémon to consider:

Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Trait: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Whirlwind
- Punishment
- Roost

Despite dropping to NU recently, Mandibuzz has a small OU-Niche which sadly just got smaller after the Lando-I Ban. It has an awesome special bulk and solid overall bulk and its typing allows it to deal with things like Alakazam, Latias and Latios, Reun, Trikep, BP-Celebi. It even is an ok-switchin to Venu and Volca. It solves problems Stall usually has, the downsides however are that sometimes it doesnt do anything and it is nearly useless when facing oppenent Stall, so you need really good hazard control (Scarftar + Forry + Jelli worked ok but not perfectly). As a bonus, the ability allows it to be used in Sand Stall without taking Sand Dmg.

 

[Arcticblast]

Out of curiosity, what exactly do the special attack EVs on that Tornadus do? I can't seem to find any major difference between that and 0 SpA.

 

[X5Dragon]

@Arcticblast I think he made it to guarantee a OHKO on Bulky SD Scizor (252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 SpD).

 

[Matt Tuck]

Honchkrow @ Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Brave Bird
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Its not the bulkiest, its not the fastest, its not the most versatile and its very predictable. But those flaws do not matter when you have moxie, a powerful stab priority and hard hitting moves coming off a respectable attack stat. Honchkrow is a monster late game for cleaning or mid game as a mean wallbreaker. This thing is a great answer to Stall and some offense because nobody expects to see this in OU. Sucker Punch and Brave Bird are 2 hard hitting STAB and sucker punch allows Honchkrow to mitigate its speed problems. For those mons who think they can switch out predicting sucker punch get hit with a pursuit whereas Superpower hits those steels extremely hard. Moxie just adds to Honchkrow's power meaning you cant afford to send a death fodder in on Honchkrow. I've hit #1 on the ladder with a team using Honchkrow so i can vouch for its viability in OU.

 

[Trainer Au]

Honchkrow @ Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Brave Bird
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Its not the bulkiest, its not the fastest, its not the most versatile and its very predictable. But those flaws do not matter when you have moxie, a powerful stab priority and hard hitting moves coming off a respectable attack stat. Honchkrow is a monster late game for cleaning or mid game as a mean wallbreaker. This thing is a great answer to Stall and some offense because nobody expects to see this in OU. Sucker Punch and Brave Bird are 2 hard hitting STAB and sucker punch allows Honchkrow to mitigate its speed problems. For those mons who think they can switch out predicting sucker punch get hit with a pursuit whereas Superpower hits those steels extremely hard. Moxie just adds to Honchkrow's power meaning you cant afford to send a death fodder in on Honchkrow. I've hit #1 on the ladder with a team using Honchkrow so i can vouch for its viability in OU.

I love honchkrow, what kind of partners would u reccomend?

 

[99_Problems]

Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Spa / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- HP Ice / Grass Knot / Toxic

Mienshao is one of my favorite Choice Scarf users, as he makes an excellent revenge killer and lategame cleaner. While at first glance he may seem inferior to other scarfed fighting-types such as the ever-popular Terrakion and Keldeo, Mienshao has a few important things going for it. Its still formidable speed tier allows it outspeed the entire unboosted metagame, as well as several notable threats like Timid Volcarona after a Quiver Dance, Dragonite and Salamence after a Dragon Dance boost, and popular scarfers such as Thundurus-T and Landorus-T. U-turn is one of Mienshao's bigger selling points and its main niche in OU, allowing it keep offensive momentum and apply pressure while providing healing from Regenerator. Hi Jump Kick is absurdly powerful, and even without the boost from Reckless, it's stronger than unboosted Terrakion's Close Combat. Stone Edge supplements HJK's coverage excellently, and although it doesn't receive STAB like Terrakion, is more than capable of taking down Volcarona, Thundy-T, Dragonite, and Salamence. HP Ice is easily the best option for the last slot, allowing it to hit Gliscor and Landorus-t, while providing a more reliable source of damage against the aforementioned flying dragons. However, Grass Knot lets it do some meaningful damage against Jellicent. Toxic is another, somewhat unconventional option that allows it to cripple predicted switches like Jellicent and Politoed attempting to force a HJK miss with Protect. It should only be used if the extra coverage in this slot is unnecessary. Do note that running Toxic in this slot allows you to run a Jolly nature, for whatever it's worth.

While Reckless powers up Hi Jump Kick even more and allows it to turn a couple of 3HKOs into possible 2HKOs, Regenerator is the preferred ability. It allows Mienshao to switch in as much as it wants regardless of hazards, and lets it heal off damage from weaker neutral attacks and random residual damage from sandstorm and toxic, as well as the occasional HJK miss. Even though Mienshao's bulk is almost nonexistent, it can survive the most common priority moves seen in OU, notably Life Orb Breloom's Mach Punch, Life Orb Mamoswine's Ice Shard, and +1 Dragonite's Extremespeed, while occasionally letting it live a Bullet Punch from a banded Scizor. It fits well into teams needing a fast, powerful scarf user that can maintain momentum with U-turn, most notably VoltTurn teams or offensive sand teams that allow it to abuse its raw power and longevity. Give Mienshao a try next time you're in need of a scarf user with these properties.

 

[Matt Tuck]

I love honchkrow, what kind of partners would u reccomend?

Since Honchcrow is meant to be a wallbreaker/late game cleaner and not exactly a sweeper all it really needs is rapid spin support for longevity. Just slap it on an offensive core which is hard to break through and give it rapid spin support. I used defensive Starmie on my team as it deal with most of Honchcrow's[And my offensive core's] checks barring Rotom-W [Make sure you have an ground type] and a few others which is where other 4 members on your team come into play though they don't have to be defensive.

 

[asterat]

Blastoise @ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Roar
- Toxic
- Rapid Spin

If you need a spinner for your sun team and you don't want donphan this is your best bet. It doesn't get other hazards like tentacruel and forretress, but tentacruel doesn't even use toxic spikes most of the time. This guy also doesn't care about any keldeos because he can phaze them. Tentacruel can't. He can take hits from ground types. Tentacruel can't. He doesn't die to psychics. Tentacruel's poison typing isn't even that useful because of running venusaur anyways. Blastoise has excellent physical bulk and somewhat hard to exploit weaknesses. Roar is the deal breaker in the end though.

 

[Cancerous Maximus]

@wesley8631 I've tried this set out a while ago and it works really well, but I'd prefer King's Rock rather than Life Orb. You can bluff a choice item and every move has around 40% chance to flinch your opponent, which is great, specially paired with its high speed.

It sacrifices needed power as a cleaner

 

[G-Von]

Durant@Life Orb
Trait: Hustle
EV's: 252 Attack/252 Speed/4 Def
Jolly Nature
-Hone Claws
-Stone Edge
-Superpower
-Iron Head/X-scissor

Behold the almighty (Kevin) Durant! This has been one of my favorite pokemon to use since 5th gen opened up thanks to trolling the shit out of Terrakion and its base 108 speed. With a Jolly Nature and max speed, Durant outspeeds all of the 4 musketeers and hits them all hard. Thanks to Hustle, it also has one of the highest base attack stats of all pokemon including Ubers. That power comes with a price because it receives a 20% accuracy drop for that 50% power boost. However, Hone Claws fixes this and then some while also giving it a power boost. Stone Edge and Superpower provide a bunch of powerful coverage that is only resisted by Toxicroak in OU. There's sadly only enough room for one STAB move for this set and I would choose Iron Head>X-scissor. Iron Head gives out the most damage to a lot of mons that do not take much from either one of its coverage moves. Things that get hit hard by X-scissor are already getting hit hard by its coverage moves or are pretty irrelevant in OU. Another option for Durant is Thunder Fang to hit bulky water types harder than Stone Edge but the lack of general power makes it undesirable.

 

[Hot N Cold]

Froslass (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Cursed Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Icy Wind


The rol of Froslass is setupp Spikes on offensive teams and spinbloker at the same time, dedicated suicide lead. Taunt prevent any move no offensive from your opponent preventing hazards, setupp dangerous mons such Volcarona or Gyarados also paired with Destiny Bond is very cool since you opponent is forced to attack with an offensive move and you can use Destiny Bond to die both or just predicting the switch and using Spikes. Last move is Icy Wind that is useful against fast stuff to down their speed like Venusaur in Sun or Scarf Keldeo. I'm running max HP Frosslas with Focus Sash because helps me against multiple hits like Bullet Seed Breloom or just avoid the 2hko from some more defensive mons. I dont care pretty much about the SpA since Icy Wind is just weak, no LO, no Blizzard.. the rol is setupp Spikes and if you need kill something just with Destiny Bond.

 

[Bologo]

Froslass (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Cursed Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Icy Wind


The rol of Froslass is setupp Spikes on offensive teams and spinbloker at the same time, dedicated suicide lead. Taunt prevent any move no offensive from your opponent preventing hazards, setupp dangerous mons such Volcarona or Gyarados also paired with Destiny Bond is very cool since you opponent is forced to attack with an offensive move and you can use Destiny Bond to die both or just predicting the switch and using Spikes. Last move is Icy Wind that is useful against fast stuff to down their speed like Venusaur in Sun or Scarf Keldeo. I'm running max HP Frosslas with Focus Sash because helps me against multiple hits like Bullet Seed Breloom or just avoid the 2hko from some more defensive mons. I dont care pretty much about the SpA since Icy Wind is just weak, no LO, no Blizzard.. the rol is setupp Spikes and if you need kill something just with Destiny Bond.

I love Froslass, but I'd like to suggest a better EV spread. When I was using Froslass, instead of using max HP, I always used 68 HP / 188 Def / 252 Spe Timid. This allows you, at the very least, to take a Crunch from 4 Atk Tyranitar (ie. the SpDef one) and survive 100% of the time. Just for reference:

4 Atk Tyranitar Crunch vs. 68 HP / 188 Def Froslass: 236-278 (79.19 - 93.28%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after weather

So you can actually survive a Crunch, even taking Sandstorm damage into account. With max HP, you have almost no chance of surviving Crunch after Sandstorm. I really didn't miss the extra ability to take special attacks from the max HP.

 

[Hot N Cold]

Can work too, I dont think that Frosslas have something to do against Tyranitar anyways Another sets like CB, Scarf or Mixed are popular than SpD on this meta and beat him easier, so maximize the overall bulk to tank better some special mons such Politoed bulky is just effective in any scenario.

 

[vyomov]

Cobalion@Expert Belt
EVs: 28 Atk/252 Spd/224 SpA
Ability: Justified
Naive Nature
- Volt Switch
- Stealth Rock
- Close Combat
- Hidden Power Ice

Cobalion is an excellent mon in the current meta, sporting an amazing defense and decent attacking stats.
The coverage is excellent and fast Volt Switches allow you to retain momentum.

 

[ShootingStarmie]

Cobalion@Expert Belt
EVs: 28 Atk/252 Spd/224 SpA
Ability: Justified
Naive Nature
- Volt Switch
- Stealth Rock
- Close Combat
- Hidden Power Ice

Cobalion is an excellent mon in the current meta, sporting an amazing defense and decent attacking stats.
The coverage is excellent and fast Volt Switches allow you to retain momentum.

Could you please elaborate? I won't be adding this to the OP until you go more into detail.

 

[Prinz]

Slowking (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast
- Surf

the king of ru works in ou too. this set is a decent keldeo counter while it makes an offensive presence as well, which is not bad of course. originally, i was running nasty plot instead of fire blast but scizor and ferrothorn were really annoying (mainly the second one) so i decided to run fire blast and it works better than nasty plot, at least in ou. however, you should use this set in a defensive teams with spikes i guess which really help slowking to sweep opposing teams in late game. not the best mon in ou for sure but it's still really interesting since it allows defensive teams to counter pretty well keldeo (everyone knows that it's the best mon right now) and to have a nice late game sweeper at the same time with a good offensive presence too. you may try it somewhere

 

[dadoux]

I already posted those Cobalion / Slowking set iirc

 

[Prinz]

well, i check the thread and you're right. i wrote just some more info then.

posting another set

Virizion @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Calm Mind

despite is lower tier status, calm mind virizion is available even in the ou tier. its SAtk isn't the best around but Calm Mind helps to boost it and the really good SDef is always useful, especially when it has to switch into Water-type attacks ike Politoed's. Giga Drain hits mainly bulky Water-types such as Gastrodon, Jellicent, Keldeo and Politoed while Focus Blast allows to hit Steel-types in general for a good damage. Then, HP Ice hits mainly Dragon-types like Dragonite and Salamence which resist to both Giga Drain and Focus Blast and Landorus-T and Gliscor as well. Recently, I found out that this Virizion is really good with Alakazam because it lures Alakazam's mainly counters / checks like Jirachi and Scizor so you may try them together. Finally, I should add that this mon is really good to break stall cores like Ferrothorn + Jellicent + Gliscor and that you can use Life Orb as item too, but personally I really hate the recoil and I think that Leftovers is a better choice overall for this Virizion. That's all I guess, thanks for reading

 

[Explorer]

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Nature: Relaxed
IVs: 0 Spe
-Stealth Rock
-Trick Room
-Iron Head
-Earthquake

This is one of my favorite Trick Room setters and an underrated Terrakion check. Bronzong can serve as a lead and a physical wall for a Trick Room team, setting up Stealth Rock very reliably (it is hard to OHKO Bronzong outside of sun). Iron Head is used over Gyro Ball as under Trick Room Bronzong will usually go first and thus the 30% flinch rate is helpful, along with many more PP. Earthquake is the final move to hit Fire-types and Steel-types that Bronzong lures in, mainly Ninetales, Magnezone, and Heatran. Bronzong can remove/dent these Pokemon with good prediction to let a teammate sweep, perhaps another Steel-type or a Grass-type. It can also take a hit or two from Scizor and set up Trick Room in front of it or spam Earthquake.

I have used this set with good success on TrickSand. Has anybody else used this, and on what teams?

 

[Meru]

I guess if anybody is going to do Roserade it would be me...

Roserade @ Black Sludge
Trait: Natural Cure
Nature: Calm (+SpD, -Atk)
EVs: 252 HP | 48 Def | 16 SpD | 192 Spd
Moves: Sleep Powder | Toxic Spikes | Giga Drain | Hidden Power Fire

Meet one of the best early game pokemon to grace the OU tier. With a speed and typing just high enough to outspeed Politoed, Breloom, and Tyranitar, Roserade ensures you have control over the match from the get-go. Sleep Powder straight up incapacitates a foe and Toxic Spikes is really nasty for hitting a lot of common top tier threats. *cough* Keldeo *cough* Alongside the immediate control she secures once she steps into the battlefield on a slower opponent, Roserade makes sure to keep that control with coverage that prevents her from being set up bait for nasty defensive threats like Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress, who by the way is not the only spinner she threatens, as Donphan, Starmie, and even rain-less Tentacruel do not want to switch into her. I've only found her to have three glaring weaknesses. The first is no recovery (Rest sucks even with Natural Cure) although this isn't a huge problem as she's meant to set the tone for the match. The second weakness is a common Grass-type weakness, which is her poor performance against Sun teams, although sometimes just having something to fodder against Sun to eat a banded V-create or something can change the tide. The third, and most crippling weakness, is how poorly she fares against Dragons. Altogether, she has been the key glue for my team, although I've only seen maybe two other people make successful teams utilizing her strengths.

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

i posted a set. yay(?)

Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash | Pressure
Naive | 100 Atk / 156 SpA / 252 Spe
• Stealth Rock
• Stone Edge
• Fire Blast
• Earthquake / Taunt

Aerodactyl may seem like a questionable choice as a lead, especially since Terrakion and Garchomp can run extremely effective lead sets that can lay SR and attack, but Aerodactyl still has its niche as the most reliable SR setter in OU, thanks to its blazing base Speed of 130, which allows it to outpace every relevant Taunter outside of Prankster abusers, and an expansive movepool which allows it to 2HKO every Magic Bouncer. Starmie and Forretress cannot spin against Aerodactyl without risking a 2HKO from Stone Edge and Fire Blast respectively. As for the last moveslot, either Earthquake or Taunt can see use depending on what you want to torment more. Offensive teams don't like the extra coverage Earthquake brings, while slower, more stall-based teams don't exactly enjoy Taunt, stopping them from setting themselves up.

What makes Aerodactyl effective though is the surprise factor it brings, as well as the freedom it brings to team building. Since Aerodactyl is extremely uncommon, many teams simply don't prepare for it, often allowing Aerodactyl to execute its plan without a hitch (aside from maybe falling down to one HP). Also, since most players on the ladder assume Aerodactyl has Taunt, they'll just attack directly instead of setting up their own hazards. As for the freedom it brings to team building, its fragility doesn't require that a team stock up on defensive synergy for it, allowing the rest of the team to function more efficiently. Aerodactyl's role as a lead also allows the user to employ more offensive sets for Terrakion and Garchomp, increasing the threat level of the team. Aerodactyl's high speed also allows it to secure momentum for the rest of its team, making it hard for the opponent to keep up.

 

[Subject 18]

Okay, I'm a bit late to this thread but since this hasn't been done I guess I'll post it.

Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Guts / Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Sleep Talk / Night Slash

Heracross very nice but does posses some nice qualities like Moxie and Guts. Moxie with Scarf allows it to be a solid late game cleaner once other faster are cleared and Heracross can get a Moxie boost or two to finish out the game. Scarf is almost to make up for its significant lack or speed. The set it standard with Dual STABs in Megahorn and Close Combat. While Stone Edge lets you hit Landorus-T and Gliscor neutrally and kill of Flying Types. The last slot is up to you, using Sleep Talk gives you Sleep fodder against Breloom but on the other hand Night Slash can be used for Jellicent who can pretty walled Heracross and threaten to burn it if you dont have Guts. If you do chose Sleep Talk Guts should be considered as the ability as you can get the Guts boosts and break down walls. Heracross's effectiveness relies mainly on its ability to clean up late game when anything that can tank a Close Combat has been weakened enough it is very well capable of sweeping with a Moxie boost under its belt. While it does have a Scarf to make its speed passable, paralysis support is very welcome for him to be able shine.

 

[Hot N Cold]

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Nature: Relaxed
IVs: 0 Spe
-Stealth Rock
-Trick Room
-Iron Head
-Earthquake

This is one of my favorite Trick Room setters and an underrated Terrakion check. Bronzong can serve as a lead and a physical wall for a Trick Room team, setting up Stealth Rock very reliably (it is hard to OHKO Bronzong outside of sun). Iron Head is used over Gyro Ball as under Trick Room Bronzong will usually go first and thus the 30% flinch rate is helpful, along with many more PP. Earthquake is the final move to hit Fire-types and Steel-types that Bronzong lures in, mainly Ninetales, Magnezone, and Heatran. Bronzong can remove/dent these Pokemon with good prediction to let a teammate sweep, perhaps another Steel-type or a Grass-type. It can also take a hit or two from Scizor and set up Trick Room in front of it or spam Earthquake.

I have used this set with good success on TrickSand. Has anybody else used this, and on what teams?

Try Macho Brace over Leftovers and Gyro Ball over Iron Head.

With the low of Explosion on this gen I think that OTR Bronzong is less effective than in DPP.

 

[Prinz]

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Nature: Relaxed
IVs: 0 Spe
-Stealth Rock
-Trick Room
-Iron Head
-Earthquake

This is one of my favorite Trick Room setters and an underrated Terrakion check. Bronzong can serve as a lead and a physical wall for a Trick Room team, setting up Stealth Rock very reliably (it is hard to OHKO Bronzong outside of sun). Iron Head is used over Gyro Ball as under Trick Room Bronzong will usually go first and thus the 30% flinch rate is helpful, along with many more PP. Earthquake is the final move to hit Fire-types and Steel-types that Bronzong lures in, mainly Ninetales, Magnezone, and Heatran. Bronzong can remove/dent these Pokemon with good prediction to let a teammate sweep, perhaps another Steel-type or a Grass-type. It can also take a hit or two from Scizor and set up Trick Room in front of it or spam Earthquake.

I have used this set with good success on TrickSand. Has anybody else used this, and on what teams?

If you plan to use this set on a Trick Room team imo you should use it with Gyro Ball instead of Iron Head (and with 0 IVs in Speed to make it stronger) because it's just better and with Explosion instead of Earthquake using a Normal Gem as item. You should use a more offensive EV spread as well I guess, using Bronzong with 252 EVs on Atk. I found out that Explosion is a really useful move for Bronzong in a Trick Room since it allows you to damage hard an opposing mon (be careful to not use explosion on a ghost / steel type obv) and to switch in without any risk one of your Trick Room sweeper too. You may try it with my changes and see how it works :p

 

[Hot N Cold]

Azelf @ Focus Sash
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Taunt
- Fire Blast
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock

Similar to Aerodactyl, slower but prevents spinning with a more offensive pressure. Taunt and Stealth Rock are mandatory to prevent hazards / setupp and any team needs Stealth Rock, Explosion is the stronger attack that is useful against some spinners such Tentacruel or Starmie while Fire Blast helps against Forrestres and another steels types such Scizor or Jirachi, this lead is dedicated to HO teams like suicide lead to guarantee Stealth Rock and prevents hazards that are annoying against stuff like Dragonite or Kyurem-B.