XY OU Mega Altaria Team, RMT

[SwiggitySeth]

Hi guys! This is my first RMT. I've been using this team for awhile now, and it has been doing fairly well, although I would appreciate some help improving it, as I've been stuck on the same spot on the ladder for quite some time now. So, let's get started.

Gengar (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sludge Bomb Sludge Wave
- Shadow Ball
- Clear Smog Focus Blast
- Destiny Bond

I chose Gengar because I realized how much trouble my team had with wall breaking, specifically walls that set up. With Clear Smog, Gengar is able to clear out all their precious boosts, while still hitting them pretty hard. It gets Levitate, so I can switch to it when Victini looks like it's about to get hit with an Earthquake, which happens quite often. It hits just about anything that doesn't resist it pretty hard with STAB Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb. I like this particular build because the sash-destiny bond combination allows me to take down a defensive threat that would normally be hard for my team to knock out.

Edits: I replaced Sludge Bomb for the extra 5 power, and Clear Smog with Focus Blast so I have some coverage against dark types I was unable to hit hard before.

Tentacruel (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Protect Knock Off

I chose Tentacruel because of his access to Toxic Spikes as well as Rapid Spin. I have considered using Latias in replacement, but that would add another Psychic-type to my team, also I wouldn't have a hazard setter, which would be a problem. I also enjoy the burn chance from a STAB Scald, which definitely increases Tentacruel's longevity.

Edits: I replaced Protect with Knock Off because it really is a lot better of a choice, since I don't have another Pokemon running it anyway, and it's just a really useful move anyway.

Altaria-Mega (F) @ Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw Roost
- Return
- Earthquake

A dragon type that's immune to dragon? Yes please! A Return from this thing hits hard, especially after a Dragon Dance. I have considered replacing Dragon Claw for Outrage, but I feel like the extra power isn't really necessary after a Dragon Dance, let me know if you think otherwise. It's last move slot is definitely up for negotiation, but I have it set as Earthquake. I've been thinking about changing it to Steel Tail or Steel Wing to deal with fairy and ice types I would normally have no super effective coverage against with Altaria. I have it as Adamant, although I have considered changing it to Jolly to make up for its mediocre speed.

Edits: Replaced Dragon Claw with Roost, to make enemy revenge killings on it much more difficult, like Albacore said.

Heatran @ Air Balloon
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon Ancient Power
- Taunt

I chose this lovely thing because it pairs with Mega Altaria quite well. It resists/is immune to all its weaknesses as well as has super effective coverage against them. Flash Cannon for Fairy and Ice, as well as Magma Storm for Ice and Steel, and Earth Power for Poison and Steel. Taunt is used to prevent recovery and status moves from stopping Heatran. I chose an air balloon as its item because that seems to work the best for me.

Edits: I replaced Flash Cannon with Ancient Power, because like Albacore said, Flash Cannon wasn't doing much for me anyway. I chose it over Stone Edge because I have terrible luck with moves like Stone Edge and Thunder that have 70% accuracy, even with Victini's 10% boost.

Victini @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bolt Strike
- V-create
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn

The main reason I have kept Victini around on every single team I've tested is because of its access to V-Create, and its unique and useful ability. Victory Star (almost always) ensures that I will hit with every single attack, giving moves with a 90% accuracy a 10% boost to 99% accuracy. This pokemon is probably the most expendable on my team, however, because most of the moves I'm running on the team do have 100% accuracy, with the exception of Magma Storm on Heatran, Toxic on Cresselia, and Bolt Strike, V-Create, and Zen Headbutt on Victini. This thing has great coverage, and I use the choice scarf to boost its decent but not superb speed. V-Create almost always will OHKO a pokemon not invested in any bulk, as long as they don't resist it. If there were a Pokemon you would recommend I replace, make this one at the top of your list.

Cresselia @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 40 Def / 220 SpD
Calm Nature
- Moonlight
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Toxic

I chose Cresselia because of it's all around great bulk, and because I needed a Pokemon that could take lots of special attacks. It gets Moonlight for reliable recovery, as well as leftovers which helps as well of course. I chose Psychic and Ice Beam for coverage, and Toxic to wear down pokes I'm having trouble taking out with just my attacks.

Thanks for your help, Albacore. I'll apply these changes immediately and see how it works out.

 

[Albacore]

I'm just going to comment on the sets you're using since they could use a little bit of work, and then I'll probably give you suggestions for team members fin order to fix your weaknesses in a later rate. It's easier for me to give you a detailed rate once I know for sure what sets you're going to use, and it'll also be easier for you to follow since I won't have to dump a ton of interdependant suggestions on you. Once you've decided which of these suggestions you want to follow, you can post on the thread and I can make another, less superficial and obvious rate.

Okay so first of all, Clear Smog is pretty much useless on Gengar. You mention that you use it to prevent defensive boosting, but the only relevant defensive boosters are Clefable (which Gengar beats anyway), Suicune (which walls Gengar anyway), Reuniclus (which just Psyshocks Gengar), and Mega Slowbro (which also often runs Psyshock and can hit you with it). So hitting them with Shadow Ball / Sludge Bomb is usually the better course of action. And against offensive boosters, they outspeed you after a boost so you have to perfectly predict when they're going to set up for it to even work. A much better move would be Taunt. Taunt does just as good a job at preventing set up if not better, since, although it doesn't reset stats, it does prevent them from setting up on following turns. It also has a ton of other uses such as preventing recovery, hazard setting, defogging, status, phazing, and forces Pokemon to attack you so that you can DBond them next turn. It also lets you beat Chansey, which otherwise PP stalls you to death. However, you already have a Taunter, so this doesn't seem necessary. I would personally run Focus Blast, to prevent you from being food for Dark types like Bisharp and TTar and Steel types like Ferrothron and Heatran. If you do make one of these changes, I would laso run Sludge Bomb over Sludge Bomb so that you cna actually hit Chesnaught (the extra damage in nice too)

Secondly, Protect isn't really bad on Tentacruel, but there are a few better options. Usually I would recommend Acid Spray for Clefable, but you already have Clefable covered multiple times on your team, so that really isn't a concern. I would however, run Knock Off, it's fantastic utility which lets you more easily beat Gengar (huge threat to your team) and cripple the Latis as well as other psychic types. You don't even need any attack investement and can keep the Bold nature (which you forgot to give it btw), it's mainly used for the great secondary effect. Also, run Liquid Ooze over Clear Body, Clear Body is useless and Liquid Ooze lets you troll Ferrothorn but forcing it to take damage from Leech Seed.

Never, ever run Dragon Claw on Altaria. It simply hits nothing bar I guess Talonflame who has priority and revenges you anyway. Pixialte Return and Earthquake covers pretty much everything bar some Steel-types which obviously Dragon Claw does jack squat against. Instead run Roost. Roost is super important for Altaria, it lets it set up without getting yourself too weak to sweep since you can just recover health after setting up, instead of staying at a low amount of health and getting itself revenge killed. It also lets Altaria put in more work over the course of the battle since it's not put on a timer or worn down by Stealth Rocks and stuff.

Finally, although your Heatran set is perfectly fine, on this team I wouldn't run Flash Cannon. It really only hits Clefable (which, as I said, you aren't weak to) and Altaria (which I guess can be a problem but which you have the means to check). However, you are weak to Talonflame, a much more common threat, and though Heatran is supposed to check it, it can't really touch it, and +2 Brave Bird actually 2HKOs it, and OHKOs everything else on your team bar Cresselia, who is completely hopeless against Taunt variants and therefore not an answer to it either. Also, Brave Bird's priority means Gengar can't DBond it before it gets hi, so Talonflame can just spend the next turn roosting and then attack you when you decide to stop spamming DBond. So yeah, Talonflame is a huge threat to your team, which is why I would run Stone Edge or Ancientpower on Heatran to check it. Alternatively, you can run Stealth Rock on it, since you kinda want a Stealth Rock setter to put, Toxic Spikes aren't really enough to pressure most teams given how many Flying-types and levitators there are in OU.

sets

Gengar (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Shadow Ball
- Taunt / Focus Blast
- Destiny Bond

Tentacruel (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Knock Off

Altaria-Mega (F) @ Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Return
- Earthquake

Heatran @ Air Balloon
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge / Ancientpower / Stealth Rock
- Taunt