politoed / latias / moltres / ferrothorn / starmie / garchomp
alright, this team was constructed mostly because i thought it’d be really cool to use a moltres on an ou team; it’s been one of my favorite pokemon since i played rby. i’m well aware that it could use a ton of reconstruction, though, since it's a very mediocre team.
i got to ~1380 on po with this team, i think, and ~1850 on ps! with a previous incarnation of this team, which tbh isn’t too impressive, but it’s been a ton of fun to use this team even though i don’t win all or even most of the time. i'm almost as lucky as i am unlucky. by the way, i’m cognizant the team needs a lot of revision, but i’m at a loss for what to do.
notable issues
uh my biggest probably is thundurus-t. following that would be toxicroak, i’d imagine, since only two members of my team can competently deal with it. there are other things than can be annoying (most of my teams have difficulty dealing with alakazam and gengar, and this one is no exception). ferrothorn is often a headache, but i can sometimes pressure it to the point where it tends not to be much of an issue. i’m also very susceptible to scarved dragons!! also the lack of a scarfer is troubling. any suggestions for what i can do to remedy these issues would certainly be appreciated. well, without further ado, here’s the team. i hope you’ll enjoy, and sorry for any inadequate descriptions; i wasn't really sure what to write sometimes.
the team
Politoed (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef | IVs: 0 Atk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Perish Song
- Protect
Politoed is my weather inducer and is generally my lead. I used to run Scarf Politoed in this position, but the lack of bulk was troubling, given that it became imperative for me to keep Ferrothorn alive or I would have absolutely no chance to beat Scarf Salamence, Garchomp, etc. I’m always loath to use Politoed as it doesn’t really do much but sit there, but this is the set that I’ve had the most success with in my experience with BW2 OU. I think this moveset is fairly self-explanatory, with the exception of Perish Song: combined with Latias, Politoed gives me “insurance” against Baton Pass teams; in addition, it’s an easy way for me to pick off last-pokemon set-up sweepers. Protect is mostly for scouting purposes.
I hate Politoed, but there’s no viable substitution I can make without altering the structure of the team entirely.
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd | IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Reflect
- Roar
- Roost
Latias was the last member added to the team, and it’s probably the slot that changes the most. I believe I had an HP Ground Jirachi in this slot in an earlier incarnation of this team, but I wanted a secondary check to Landorus if it ever got the chance to set up a Rock Polish. There are times when it’s hard to get a Rapid Spin off against an opponent, and so if Moltres has taken any prior damage it can’t take an HP Ice after Stealth Rock damage (HP Ice, I believe, does ~40%). Reflect Latias is a goofy thing that I decided to use after realizing that the team was sort of weak to Terrakion. Reflect also provides solid support for the remaining five members of my team, especially when considering that the team isn’t really that bulky. Roar works well in conjunction with entry hazards, especially since the opponent’s primary switchin to Latias will be forced to suffer more entry hazard damage.
I originally used a Thunder Wave variant of this set to catch a cheeky Terrakion player off-guard and cripple Venusaur and Volcarona, but I feel that my glaring weakness to Thundurus-T is far more pressing than those Pokemon. Latias is certainly the slot of the team that I’m most insecure about along with Starmie, but I can’t think of anything better to use. If I were to replace Latias, I think I’d have to replace it with something that can deal with Keldeo competently. If you have any suggestions, though, I would gladly listen to them.
Moltres (?) @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef | IVs: 0 Atk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hurricane
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Agility
Moltres is the team’s centerpiece and one of its two set-up sweepers. It’s also sort of the “glue” of the team, and deals with some of the threats that neither Ferrothorn nor Latias can adequately handle, namely Scizor and Toxicroak, due to its offensive presence and satisfactory bulk. Life Orb Hurricanes off of 125 base Special Attack are so meaty that physically defensive Jellicent take 60-70% from them and Terrakion is OHKOed. Although Fire Blast may seem peculiar, it’s still capable of dispatching Ferrothorn even in the rain and it does a solid amount to Jirachi as well. Agility is arguably the crux of this set: with it, Moltres is brought up to blistering speeds and can usually clean up a weakened opponent’s team if given the chance.
I don’t really have much else to say about Moltres, aside from the fact that it is an extremely dangerous Pokemon when Stealth Rock is off the field. However, even when SR is on the field, it can get a Roost off on something that’s afraid of it (fortunately, I’m not often put in this position). It’s not the greatest Pokemon in the game, but I feel like with the proper support it can certainly become one of the more threatening ones. That being said, despite it being the reason why the team was built in the first place, I could bear replacing it with something else – I’d just need convincing.
Possible changes are U-turn > Agility or HP [Ground] > Roost and Sharp Beak > Life Orb.
Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef | IVs: 0 Spd
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Thank you, based Ferrothorn, for being my buffer against Dragon-types. Anyways, Ferrothorn is one of the most valuable members of my team; it’s notorious for being difficult to kill when my perma-weather has been established, and it provides me with Stealth Rock, one of the best moves in the game. Iron Barbs is an excellent ability as it allows me to chip down my opponent’s physical attackers (or their U-turners) while taking damage. I occasionally use Spikes over Leech Seed on the metal durian as it gives me yet more passive damage, but I’ve never truly liked running more than one hazard on a Pokemon that isn’t a suicide lead. Besides, Leech Seed shenanigans increase Ferro’s longevity.
That being said, Ferrothorn is my only Steel-type, and as a result I have to play very carefully around teams that pack one or more Dragon and/or Magnezone. This usually involves a fair amount of double switching and prediction (really just guesswork) in order to keep Ferrothorn alive. The last thing I want to happen in a match is for this thing to become Magnezone bait.
I’m sorry that I don’t really have much to add – after two years of popularity, this set will probably be self-explanatory to you.
Starmie (?) @ Life Orb
Trait: Analytic
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef | IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam
Analytic Starmie might come across as a surprise – Natural Cure is far and away the most common ability on Starmie, and for good reason. Not being stymied by status is one of Starmie’s defining qualities, and unfortunately Analytic strips Starmie of that capacity. However, with Analytic, the purple starfish suddenly becomes very potent. It’s an excellent hole-puncher with the ability: the extra power boost makes Starmie far more dangerous than it would otherwise be. It's a faustian dilemma sometimes. I added Starmie to my team for obvious reasons: in order to use a proper Moltres team, one almost needs to run either a Magic Bounce user or a Rapid Spinner. However, I think where I take pains with Starmie is when I realize that it’s far better at breaking down my opponent’s team than it is at… well, spinning. Starmie, despite its massive offensive presence and its ability to crush most things on my opponent’s team by pure power alone, has middling bulk and, with a Life Orb, often dies before long. I usually play Starmie aggressively because it becomes almost a necessity to do so. That’s not to say that I’ll recklessly sacrifice it early in the game; in fact, I’m extremely careful about bringing it in due to its intense fragility. But once it’s in, I can just fire off meaty Hydro Pumps and Thunders like it’s nothing. However, do remember that Analytic only works when you move last: moves will still be at their normal power if you are faster (which Starmie often is, admittedly).
As far as other options go, I’ve seriously considered using Tentacruel over Starmie. This rectifies my issues with quite a few Pokemon and provides me with a secondary manner of dealing with Keldeo (uhh, non-SubCM Keldeo, that is). I’d like to know your thoughts on this notion.
Garchomp (M) @ Dragon Gem
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
DP OU gave me a plethora of traumatic memories about this land shark, which was notorious for constantly evading hits; some (read: most) of these played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the match. Garchomp made its return in BW2 OU without Sand Veil, but I think it’s still very threatening. I chose Garchomp in this position because of its ability to deal with Jirachi (and Lucario in a pinch), which can be an utter pain for the remainder of this team to deal with. I had originally used Stealth Rock on Garchomp and Spikes on Ferrothorn, but found that I didn’t feel comfortable with this setup and subsequently eschewed SR in favor of Aqua Tail. Dragon Gem may seem like an eccentric item, but it allows me to bluff Choice Scarf sometimes and Garchomp at +2 has a chance to OHKO Hippowdon — an impressive feat that often means that my rain will stay for the remainder of the match. In addition, Garchomp appreciates not having 10% of its health shaved off every time it attacks when it serves important roles for this team.
Garchomp is my secondary sweeper and absolutely ruins several things that could otherwise plague this team. I need to play somewhat conservatively with Garchomp sometimes, but otherwise I don’t have any complaints. There are instants in which I feel that I could be using something better, but I can’t think of anything that would work better in this slot. It’s a fun Pokemon to use, and I feel that it rounds out the rest of the team. Oh, incidentally, Garchomp’s primary function really isn’t to sweep as much as it is to punch holes in the opponent’s team so that something else can clean up. It’s ultimately not fast enough to pull off a successful sweep most of the time.
Thank you for reading. :)
alright, this team was constructed mostly because i thought it’d be really cool to use a moltres on an ou team; it’s been one of my favorite pokemon since i played rby. i’m well aware that it could use a ton of reconstruction, though, since it's a very mediocre team.
i got to ~1380 on po with this team, i think, and ~1850 on ps! with a previous incarnation of this team, which tbh isn’t too impressive, but it’s been a ton of fun to use this team even though i don’t win all or even most of the time. i'm almost as lucky as i am unlucky. by the way, i’m cognizant the team needs a lot of revision, but i’m at a loss for what to do.
notable issues
uh my biggest probably is thundurus-t. following that would be toxicroak, i’d imagine, since only two members of my team can competently deal with it. there are other things than can be annoying (most of my teams have difficulty dealing with alakazam and gengar, and this one is no exception). ferrothorn is often a headache, but i can sometimes pressure it to the point where it tends not to be much of an issue. i’m also very susceptible to scarved dragons!! also the lack of a scarfer is troubling. any suggestions for what i can do to remedy these issues would certainly be appreciated. well, without further ado, here’s the team. i hope you’ll enjoy, and sorry for any inadequate descriptions; i wasn't really sure what to write sometimes.
the team
Politoed (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef | IVs: 0 Atk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Perish Song
- Protect
Politoed is my weather inducer and is generally my lead. I used to run Scarf Politoed in this position, but the lack of bulk was troubling, given that it became imperative for me to keep Ferrothorn alive or I would have absolutely no chance to beat Scarf Salamence, Garchomp, etc. I’m always loath to use Politoed as it doesn’t really do much but sit there, but this is the set that I’ve had the most success with in my experience with BW2 OU. I think this moveset is fairly self-explanatory, with the exception of Perish Song: combined with Latias, Politoed gives me “insurance” against Baton Pass teams; in addition, it’s an easy way for me to pick off last-pokemon set-up sweepers. Protect is mostly for scouting purposes.
I hate Politoed, but there’s no viable substitution I can make without altering the structure of the team entirely.
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd | IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Reflect
- Roar
- Roost
Latias was the last member added to the team, and it’s probably the slot that changes the most. I believe I had an HP Ground Jirachi in this slot in an earlier incarnation of this team, but I wanted a secondary check to Landorus if it ever got the chance to set up a Rock Polish. There are times when it’s hard to get a Rapid Spin off against an opponent, and so if Moltres has taken any prior damage it can’t take an HP Ice after Stealth Rock damage (HP Ice, I believe, does ~40%). Reflect Latias is a goofy thing that I decided to use after realizing that the team was sort of weak to Terrakion. Reflect also provides solid support for the remaining five members of my team, especially when considering that the team isn’t really that bulky. Roar works well in conjunction with entry hazards, especially since the opponent’s primary switchin to Latias will be forced to suffer more entry hazard damage.
I originally used a Thunder Wave variant of this set to catch a cheeky Terrakion player off-guard and cripple Venusaur and Volcarona, but I feel that my glaring weakness to Thundurus-T is far more pressing than those Pokemon. Latias is certainly the slot of the team that I’m most insecure about along with Starmie, but I can’t think of anything better to use. If I were to replace Latias, I think I’d have to replace it with something that can deal with Keldeo competently. If you have any suggestions, though, I would gladly listen to them.
Moltres (?) @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef | IVs: 0 Atk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hurricane
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Agility
Moltres is the team’s centerpiece and one of its two set-up sweepers. It’s also sort of the “glue” of the team, and deals with some of the threats that neither Ferrothorn nor Latias can adequately handle, namely Scizor and Toxicroak, due to its offensive presence and satisfactory bulk. Life Orb Hurricanes off of 125 base Special Attack are so meaty that physically defensive Jellicent take 60-70% from them and Terrakion is OHKOed. Although Fire Blast may seem peculiar, it’s still capable of dispatching Ferrothorn even in the rain and it does a solid amount to Jirachi as well. Agility is arguably the crux of this set: with it, Moltres is brought up to blistering speeds and can usually clean up a weakened opponent’s team if given the chance.
I don’t really have much else to say about Moltres, aside from the fact that it is an extremely dangerous Pokemon when Stealth Rock is off the field. However, even when SR is on the field, it can get a Roost off on something that’s afraid of it (fortunately, I’m not often put in this position). It’s not the greatest Pokemon in the game, but I feel like with the proper support it can certainly become one of the more threatening ones. That being said, despite it being the reason why the team was built in the first place, I could bear replacing it with something else – I’d just need convincing.
Possible changes are U-turn > Agility or HP [Ground] > Roost and Sharp Beak > Life Orb.
Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef | IVs: 0 Spd
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Thank you, based Ferrothorn, for being my buffer against Dragon-types. Anyways, Ferrothorn is one of the most valuable members of my team; it’s notorious for being difficult to kill when my perma-weather has been established, and it provides me with Stealth Rock, one of the best moves in the game. Iron Barbs is an excellent ability as it allows me to chip down my opponent’s physical attackers (or their U-turners) while taking damage. I occasionally use Spikes over Leech Seed on the metal durian as it gives me yet more passive damage, but I’ve never truly liked running more than one hazard on a Pokemon that isn’t a suicide lead. Besides, Leech Seed shenanigans increase Ferro’s longevity.
That being said, Ferrothorn is my only Steel-type, and as a result I have to play very carefully around teams that pack one or more Dragon and/or Magnezone. This usually involves a fair amount of double switching and prediction (really just guesswork) in order to keep Ferrothorn alive. The last thing I want to happen in a match is for this thing to become Magnezone bait.
I’m sorry that I don’t really have much to add – after two years of popularity, this set will probably be self-explanatory to you.
Starmie (?) @ Life Orb
Trait: Analytic
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef | IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam
Analytic Starmie might come across as a surprise – Natural Cure is far and away the most common ability on Starmie, and for good reason. Not being stymied by status is one of Starmie’s defining qualities, and unfortunately Analytic strips Starmie of that capacity. However, with Analytic, the purple starfish suddenly becomes very potent. It’s an excellent hole-puncher with the ability: the extra power boost makes Starmie far more dangerous than it would otherwise be. It's a faustian dilemma sometimes. I added Starmie to my team for obvious reasons: in order to use a proper Moltres team, one almost needs to run either a Magic Bounce user or a Rapid Spinner. However, I think where I take pains with Starmie is when I realize that it’s far better at breaking down my opponent’s team than it is at… well, spinning. Starmie, despite its massive offensive presence and its ability to crush most things on my opponent’s team by pure power alone, has middling bulk and, with a Life Orb, often dies before long. I usually play Starmie aggressively because it becomes almost a necessity to do so. That’s not to say that I’ll recklessly sacrifice it early in the game; in fact, I’m extremely careful about bringing it in due to its intense fragility. But once it’s in, I can just fire off meaty Hydro Pumps and Thunders like it’s nothing. However, do remember that Analytic only works when you move last: moves will still be at their normal power if you are faster (which Starmie often is, admittedly).
As far as other options go, I’ve seriously considered using Tentacruel over Starmie. This rectifies my issues with quite a few Pokemon and provides me with a secondary manner of dealing with Keldeo (uhh, non-SubCM Keldeo, that is). I’d like to know your thoughts on this notion.
Garchomp (M) @ Dragon Gem
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
DP OU gave me a plethora of traumatic memories about this land shark, which was notorious for constantly evading hits; some (read: most) of these played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the match. Garchomp made its return in BW2 OU without Sand Veil, but I think it’s still very threatening. I chose Garchomp in this position because of its ability to deal with Jirachi (and Lucario in a pinch), which can be an utter pain for the remainder of this team to deal with. I had originally used Stealth Rock on Garchomp and Spikes on Ferrothorn, but found that I didn’t feel comfortable with this setup and subsequently eschewed SR in favor of Aqua Tail. Dragon Gem may seem like an eccentric item, but it allows me to bluff Choice Scarf sometimes and Garchomp at +2 has a chance to OHKO Hippowdon — an impressive feat that often means that my rain will stay for the remainder of the match. In addition, Garchomp appreciates not having 10% of its health shaved off every time it attacks when it serves important roles for this team.
Garchomp is my secondary sweeper and absolutely ruins several things that could otherwise plague this team. I need to play somewhat conservatively with Garchomp sometimes, but otherwise I don’t have any complaints. There are instants in which I feel that I could be using something better, but I can’t think of anything that would work better in this slot. It’s a fun Pokemon to use, and I feel that it rounds out the rest of the team. Oh, incidentally, Garchomp’s primary function really isn’t to sweep as much as it is to punch holes in the opponent’s team so that something else can clean up. It’s ultimately not fast enough to pull off a successful sweep most of the time.
Thank you for reading. :)
