Making the sun shine [OU]

[Pirika]

Intro

This is my attempt to make a sunny day team that works in OU. I've been testing this team on Shoddy Battle with some good results. The main idea is to set-up Sunny Day and proceed sweeping with a Chlorophyll user or a fire-type Pokemon.

The Team

Changes in bold

Lead

Azelf @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpAtk/252 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Fire Blast
-Explosion

Suicide Lead. His main purpose is to set-up Stealth Rock and try to kill something with Explosion. Fire Blast cover steel-types and Psychic is for STAB.

Sunny Day users

Rotom-h @ Heat Rock
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/170 Def/88 Spd
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Sunny Day
- Overheat
-Thunderbolt
-Thunder Wave

1st Sunny Day user and rapid spin blocker. 90% of the time, after putting Stealth Rocks on the field, Azelf will explode on something, so I won't have a second chance to use this again if my opponent use Rapid Spin. Rotom-h is an excellent spin blocker for this team, Starmie won´t cause much damage to him once Sunny Day is set as water attacks have their powers halved under the sun and he can OHKO her with Thunderbolt. I use Thunder Wave over Will-O-Wisp because Rotom-H tends to lure Heatrans, and activating Heatran´s Flash Fire under the sun isn't really nice for this team, also paralysis support helps Infernape a lot against fast sweepers. The only problem is Tyranitar, he destroys Rotom with Pursuit and change the weather to sandstorm.

Heatran @ Shucca Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP/56 SpAtk/204 SDef
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Sunny Day
- Flamethrower
-Earth Power
-Explosion

2nd Sunny Day user. Heatran is obligatory for sunny day teams. He absorb boosted fire attacks from my opponent's pokes and is a good special wall. With the sun and Flash Fire activated, Flamethrower will cause a lot of damage. He works in Synergy with Rotom-h and Tangrowth, covering all weakness of Rotom and Tangrowth and luring Earthquakes making switch-ins safer for Tangrowth. Shucca Berry helps against an ocasional Earth Power from an opponent Heatran. After his job is done I just explode him and hope to kill something.

Sweepers

Tangrowth @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 200 Atk /230 Spd/ 80 SAtk
Naive nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Power Whip
- Hidden Power (Fire)
-Earthquake
-Sleep Powder

This is my main sweeper, Tangrowth is the best user of Chlorophyll. With Naive nature I outspeed Choice-Scarfed Heatran and OHKO with Earthquake. Tyranitar, Abomasnow and Hippowdon are OHKO by Tangrowth Power Whip or HP Fire (in case of Abomasnow), so even if I lose the Chlorophyll boost my opponent will lose an auto-weather pokemon. Sleep Powder put to sleep anything that Tangrowth cannot kill. His good defense allows him to sweep without worrying much with priority moves.

Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 250 SAtk /252 Spd/ 8 Atk
Naive nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Close Combat
- Hidden Power (Ice)
-Fire Blast
-Grass Knot

My secondary sweeper. Infernape is a beast under the sun, with Blaze and Sunny Day activated, Infernape OHKO Max HP Cresselia with Fire Blast. HP Ice is for Salamence, Grass Knot is for water-types. Close Combat deals with Blissey, Snorlax and non-scarfed Heatran.


Support

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/250 Def/ 8 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power (Ground)
-Reflect
-Roar

Using a water-type on sunny-day based teams may look a bit controversial, but Suicune is the only way I found to counter some big threats: Salamence, Flygon, Latias, Infernape and Heatran. Infernape and Heatran have their attacks boosted by Sunny Day, so I must be able to stop these things. I decided to not use Surf because Sunny Day halves the damage of all water attacks, instead I use HP Ground to be able to KO Infernape and Heatran, also it can KO electric types like Jolteon or Magnezone in the switch. Ice Beam is for Salamence, Flygon and Latias. Reflect provide some team support, and Roar is for Calm Minders.

I was testing Scarf Flygon to replace Suicune, but it doesn't work really well. Without Suicune my team loses a physical wall and good support moves. Choice Scarf limits my options and being locked on Outrage isn't very nice. Maybe something sturdy with priority moves to deal with Gengar and Infernape could be a nice option to replace Suicune. Hitmontop can use use Fake-Out, Sucker Punch and Mach Punch, also with Intimidate he can be quite good walling some physical sweepers.

Problems

-Gengar: Gengar outspeeds and kill most of my team with super-effectives attacks, Heatran walls some Gengars, but can't stand agaisnt sets with Focus Blast. Tangrowth can beat him, but only with the sun shinning.


This warstory shows my team in action
http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53110
Thanks to KnigthoftheWind

Please rate it. =)

 

[mc2094]

You say suicune handles latias but ice beam isn't going to be doing much without any EVs in SAtk. I also notice that you don't have a revemge killer on the team which I believe is very important. For that I recomend replacing cune with scarfgon.

Flygon@ Choice Scarf
Adamant
EVs: 84 HP/ 252 Atk/ 172 Spd
-Outrage
-EQuake
-U-Turn
-Fire Punch/Fire Blast/ Draco Meteor

The Speed EVs allow you to outrun timid Heatran while the rest of the EVs are put into HP for extra bulk. If you want to use one of the special based moves then you can transfer some EVs into SAtk but I advise you don't since you will be taking damage quite often due to U-turn and sunmny day should allow fire punch to hit hard enough.

I understand why your running shed shell but dugtrio isn't very common and can only hope to revenge kill you at best. If you give him shuca berry he may be able to survive trio's EQuake but more importantly survive other poke's EQuakes. You could also give it leftovers since your using it to absorb damage and a little recovery never hurts. Hope I helped.

 

[Pirika]

I was testing Flygon replacing suicune but Salamence destroys my entire team after a DD, Flygon could not outspeed and kill. Also, Suicune provides good support with reflect and roar.

I liked the idea of using Shucca Berry on Heatran, it helps a lot to counter other Heatrans. =)

 

[LuistheNinja]

Well just some things to be noticed...Suicune doesnt really need HP Ground since Heatran should be able to deal with other Heatrans, with enough predition that is...What suicune DOES need is HP Electric so he can take other water types, most notably Gyarados.

About Tangrowth, it is great during the sun but under my opinion and my experience I find exeggcutor alot better during the sun:

Exeggcutor @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
Nature: Naive
EVs: 4 Atk/252 SpAtk/252 Spd
Moveset:
- SolarBeam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psychic
- Wood Hammer/Explotion
Mixed set, not as offensive on the Physical side as Tangrowth is so Bliseey is somewhat of a problem, once you are done you can either explote right in her face or damage her with Wood Hammer. In the meantime SolarBeam will be doing some damage to stuff that resist it, it does around 40% damage to the standard MixMence even with the x4 resistance, along with the other moves it provides a good coverage.

 

[Darkvirus]

I was testing Flygon replacing suicune but Salamence destroys my entire team after a DD, Flygon could not outspeed and kill.

if you run max speed on flygon i have found you can outspeed menace after a DD and revenge with outrage(can even OHKO menace after an intimidate with outrage as for some reason people switch it in to you from time to time)

 

[Pirika]

I find Tangrowth better than Exeggcutor to this team because Tangrowth can handle auto-weather pokemons like Tyranitar. Also Earthquake is a great move agaisnt fire-types like Heatran.

 

[pharaohcalvin]

I agree with replacing suicune with flygon as everythng you said it counters flygon takes care of better.

 

[Pirika]

humm... I will test a max speed max atk scarfed Flygon. I will post the results here later.

Thanks =)

 

[sora13]

Infernape is going to give a lot of trouble as it deals super effective damage and outspeeds 4/6 of your pokes. The only only that can reliably counter it is your lead which means that it will probably have fainted by the time Infernape comes out to battle in late-game. FLygon is a really good choice for this reason alone.

 

[Pirika]

I tested Flygon but doesn't work really well as I lost a bulky wall. =/

I realized also that Gengar has been more dangerous to my team than Infernape, he outspeeds and deals tons of damage to my entire team (without the sun).

 

[Pirika]

Bump.