Hello everyone, I'm yuudachi0811, a Pokémon battle enthusiast from China. This is my first RMT post, and I thought it would be fitting to build the team around my favorite Pokémon, Charizard. Using the username "yashio rui," I climbed to a rating of 1409 on the ladder with this team. If you've been playing ranked recently, you might have seen me around.
Actually, I originally wanted to reach a higher rating before posting this RMT, but grinding in this tier is just too painful—it's nearly impossible to find matches, the points gained are pitifully low.
Team Building Process
Actually, this isn’t a brand-new team—I settled on several core members a long time ago and have been tweaking their sets ever since, eventually refining it into its current version.
https://pokepast.es/970a66cd907112ac
As we all know, Charizard is a classic "belly drum" sweeper. Among the four main Belly Drum users (Charizard, Quagsire, Snorlax, and Clefable), it's the fastest but also the most fragile. This means Charizard usually relies on teammates to create setup opportunities and to control opposing fast threats that could outspeed and KO it.
What sets Charizard apart is its naturally high Speed stat. If you successfully set up Belly Drum and manage its HP carefully, the only Pokémon that can reliably outspeed and threaten it are Raikou, Starmie, Alakazam, and Gengar. Against Zapdos, it becomes a speed tie.
Moreover, thanks to its solid Special Attack and a STAB Fire Blast, Charizard can handle Steel-types like Skarmory—a matchup that other Belly Drum sweepers often struggle with. This self-sufficiency against traditional counters gives it a unique edge.
So when teambuilding, our first priority is to handle the opponent's electric legends (Raikou/Zapdos), Starmie, Alakazam and Gengar, while also trying to create opportunities for Charizard to enter the battle - this was the core idea behind my team construction.
Then comes the individual team member analysis.
Exeggutor @ Miracle Berry
Ability: No Ability
IVs: 6 HP / 28 Atk / 24 Def
- Sleep Powder
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psychic
- Explosion
Aside from Charizard and Snorlax, the first slot I locked in was Exeggutor. Although Exeggutor lacks speed compared to other control Pokémon, it provides the crucial Explosion—a necessary tool for accelerating the game tempo.
Most opponents tend to switch in Raikou or Zapdos against Exeggutor, expecting to absorb a Sleep Powder. In standard matches, since Exeggutor usually aims to Explode on key targets (like Snorlax), Sleep Talk electric legends often gain an early advantage in the matchup. However, my strategy flips this logic—eliminating electric threats is our top priority, allowing me to frequently Explode directly on the opposing electric legend.
For its other two moves, I chose Psychic and Hidden Power Fire, covering the following common lead scenarios:
The first scenario: opposing control leads like Nidoking, Jynx, or Exeggutor. To deal with this, I carry Miracle Berry to gain an advantage (assuming the move hits). Since our team doesn't have Sleep Talk, we can't afford to get put to sleep, so we can directly trade Sleep Powder with the opponent.
Putting aside misses, there are two particularly troublesome situations. The first is Thief Nidoking, which can steal the Miracle Berry and consume it to cure sleep. Fortunately, most Nidoking don't want to take a Psychic hit, and Exeggutor's item generally isn't a primary theft target for Nidoking, so it's rare for Nidoking to click Thief against Exeggutor. If it does steal your Miracle Berry and takes a Psychic hit, then the Nidoking will be left without recovery and missing either Thunderbolt or Ice Beam. After it uses Lovely Kiss, we can confidently switch in Cloyster to counter it and bait out the electric legend. Essentially, it comes down to a 50/50 prediction between Psychic and Sleep Powder.
However, Jynx is different. Substitute is a standard set for Jynx, which blocks both Sleep Powder and Explosion, and Jynx can 2HKO Exeggutor. This is one reason I carry Hidden Power Fire - it breaks Jynx's Substitute, forcing the opponent into a prediction battle. While this is still a difficult matchup for us, it at least creates some opportunities. Additionally, clicking HP Fire on the first turn is generally correct, just as Jynx will usually click Substitute first turn.
The second scenario involves Electric legends. As mentioned earlier, in blind pick situations, Electric legends typically consider themselves favored against Exeggutor, so you can directly click Explosion for a one-for-one trade.
Next is Snorlax. Like Electric legends, Snorlax generally won't switch out from Exeggutor unless it lacks Sleep Talk or has a better sleep absorber. However, unlike Electric legends, Snorlax usually won't be OHKOed by Explosion and requires a prior Psychic STAB hit. If the opponent is experienced, they might switch to an Explosion counter to absorb the hit, which requires more careful consideration.
Common Explosion counters in the metagame include:
Ghost types like Gengar and Misdreavus (immune to Normal)
Steel/Rock types like Skarmory, Steelix, Golem, and Tyranitar (resist Explosion)
This is the second reason for carrying Hidden Power Fire. When Exeggutor is at low health, opponents often switch in Steel types to block Explosion. HP Fire gives us a prediction opportunity - it effectively handles Steelix and Forretress, allowing us to preserve Exeggutor while dealing heavy damage. Gengar, Misdreavus and Golem can be weakened with Psychic STAB, while Tyranitar must either be put to sleep or handled by teammates.
The remaining scenarios involve spikes and unconventional leads. In most cases, we maintain the advantage—simply assess the situation and choose between Psychic, Hidden Power Fire, or Sleep Powder as appropriate.
Here are some reference data, though in this tier everyone runs max EVs anyway. I'm including this purely for easier reading.
Exeggutor Psychic vs. Nidoking: 275-324 (75.3 - 88.7%) -- 2KO
Nidoking Ice Beam vs. Exeggutor: 161-190 (40.9 - 48.3%) -- 3KO
Exeggutor Hidden Power Fire vs. Jynx: 124-146 (37.2 - 43.8%) -- 3koJynx Ice Beam vs. Exeggutor: 296-348 (75.3 - 88.5%) -- 2ko
Exeggutor Hidden Power Fire vs. Forretress: 326-384 (92.3 - 108.7%) -- 53.8% 1ko
Exeggutor Hidden Power Fire vs. Skarmory: 149-176 (44.7 - 52.8%) -- 3ko after Leftovers
Skarmory Drill Peck vs. Exeggutor: 173-204 (46.8 - 55.2%) -- 14.1% 2ko after Leftovers
Exeggutor Hidden Power Fire vs. Steelix: 154-182 (43.6 - 51.5%) -- 3ko after Leftovers
Steelix Earthquake vs. Exeggutor: 56-66 (15.1 - 17.8%) -- 9ko 在 Leftovers
Exeggutor Psychic vs. Gengar: 275-324 (85.1 - 100.3%) -- 2.6% 2ko
Gengar Ice Punch vs. Exeggutor: 170-200 (46 - 54.2%) -- 3.8% 2ko after Leftovers
Exeggutor Explosion vs. Zapdos: 385-453 (100.5 - 118.2%) -- 1ko
Exeggutor Explosion vs. Raikou: 410-482 (107 - 125.8%) -- 1ko
Exeggutor Explosion vs. Snorlax: 454-534 (86.8 - 102.1%) -- 15.4% 1ko
Cloyster @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
IVs: 14 HP / 28 Atk
- Spikes
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Explosion
The second Pokémon I decided on was Cloyster. Charizard's power level means that even after a Belly Drum, some Pokémon like Snorlax and Suicune can't be OHKOed. In these cases, Spikes are still necessary to chip down the opponent's HP. Spikes also make mispredictions against Explosion more punishing.
Hidden Power Electric and Toxic each have their uses:
Toxic forces Curse Snorlax to Rest, making it easier for Steelix to phaze it out later. It can also pressure Raikou/Zapdos into using Sleep to clear status.
However, poison interferes with our speed control strategy and leaves us vulnerable to Substitute Starmie and Substitute Tentacruel (even with HP Electric, breaking Tentacruel's Sub isn't guaranteed).
In this regard, HP Electric functions similarly to Exeggutor's HP Fire—it at least gives us a chance to predict and punish Substitutes.
Another important note: under Light Screen, Cloyster gets better opportunities to use Explosion. Below are some relevant calcs:
Cloyster Hidden Power Electric vs. Cloyster: 144-170 (47.5 - 56.1%) -- 28% 2ko after Leftovers
Cloyster Hidden Power Electric vs. Starmie: 102-120 (31.5 - 37.1%) -- 4ko after Leftovers
Cloyster Hidden Power Electric vs. Tentacruel: 81-96 (22.3 - 26.4%) -- 5ko after Leftovers
Zapdos Thunder vs. Cloyster[Light Screen] : 241-284 (83.9 - 98.9%) -- 2ko
Raikou Thunder vs. Cloyster[Light Screen] : 226-266 (78.7 - 92.6%) -- 2ko
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
IVs: 26 Def
- Thunder Wave
- Light Screen
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
The next member chosen was Zapdos. Electric legends usually won't stay in against Raikou, but they often remain in against Zapdos, making it easier for our Thunder Wave to hit its target - the same applies to Gengar.
There isn't a huge difference between Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Water. However, since I don't particularly need HP Water to deal with Steelix or Golem, I opted for HP Ice instead, which helps weaken Pokémon like Exeggutor.
For the supporting move, I chose Light Screen. It's an incredibly useful supporting skill for Charizard - behind the screen, a Belly Drum-boosted Charizard can even tank STAB attacks from Electric legends and Starmie, with only Gengar's Explosion posing a real threat. Additionally, Steelix and Cloyster can often get off additional Explosions behind the screen, though this scenario is admittedly too idealistic and should only be treated as a Plan B.
Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Curse
- Explosion
- Earthquake
- Roar
For the final team member, I chose Steelix. I absolutely needed a Snorlax counter - otherwise, a Snorlax with two Curse boosts would sweep my entire team. While Skarmory could also fulfill this role, Steelix has the added benefit of Explosion, giving me an out against threats like Zapdos.
I did experiment with Body Slam for hax potential, but ultimately found Explosion to be more reliable - especially when facing Steel-types, where Body Slam would be completely useless.
Additionally, Steelix serves as the team's sole Explosion resist. When facing multiple Explosion users, try to position it to trade favorably against multiple opponents.
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Double-Edge
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Self-Destruct
Finally, let's talk about Snorlax and Charizard. Starting with Snorlax - since our team lacks substantial recovery options, I wanted to speed up the game tempo while ensuring Snorlax could handle diverse situations. That's why this Snorlax runs a four-attack moveset.Fire Blast + Earthquake goes without saying - they expand coverage, and opponents rarely expect a Snorlax with both Fire and Ground coverage. For the Normal-type STAB, I initially tried Body Slam for the paralysis chance, but it proved unreliable:
Most Snorlax matchups (Steelix/Skarmory/Forretress/Gengar) either don't care about paralysis or are hard to hit in the first place.
The damage gap between Body Slam and Double-Edge is simply too significant.
The final slot went to Self-Destruct, which often catches opposing CurseLax off guard. You could replace it with Sleep Talk or Lovely Kiss to free up Exeggutor's Hypnosis slot (allowing it to run Stun Spore instead).
Charizard @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Belly Drum
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Finally, we have our star player - Charizard. While it often serves as the team's Belly Drum sweeper, Charizard remains an exceptional Fire-type special attacker even without setting up.
Once the opponent's Snorlax is weakened and no special walls remain, Fire Blast can wreak havoc—especially in the mid-game, where it freely chips down threats like Steelix and Skarmory. Here are some damage calculations for reference:
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Cloyster: 217-256 (71.6 - 84.4%) -- 2ko
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Skarmory: 347-408 (104.2 - 122.5%) -- 1ko
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Steelix: 359-422 (101.6 - 119.5%) -- 1ko
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Raikou: 138-163 (36 - 42.5%) -- 96.4% 3ko after Leftovers
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Zapdos: 148-175 (38.6 - 45.6%) -- 3ko after Leftovers
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Snorlax: 130-153 (24.8 - 29.2%) -- 5ko after Leftovers
As we can see, Charizard's offensive power is decent. It can also perform pivot roles, such as switching into Heracross or Steelix (which usually don't carry Rock Slide), and it can force opposing Explosion users without KO potential to self-destruct, allowing Steelix to absorb the damage.
If Charizard were truly perfect, it would have replaced Snorlax by now. The fact that it hasn't proves it still has flaws - the biggest issue being its damage output. Belly Drum doesn't boost its Fire-type attacks, and Charizard lacks high-power Flying-type moves besides Hidden Power. This means Charizard must rely on Rock Slide and Earthquake as its main offensive options, unable to OHKO Pokémon like Snorlax, Marowak, Machamp, Cloyster, or Suicune. This is exactly why we need Spikes support to help chip down their HP, as mentioned earlier. Some common damage calculations are as follows:
+6 Charizard Rock Slide vs. Cloyster: 236-278 (77.8 - 91.7%) -- 2KO
+6 Charizard Earthquake vs. Snorlax: 313-368 (59.8 - 70.3%) -- 2KO
+6 Charizard Earthquake vs. Marowak: 226-266 (69.9 - 82.3%) -- 2KO
+6 Charizard Earthquake vs. Machamp: 279-328 (72.8 - 85.6%) -- 2KO
As we can see, unless it's a super-effective hit, it's quite difficult to KO them. Fortunately, we don't need to chip them down too much,just remember to check the damage calculator frequently.
Now, let's talk about opportunities to set up Belly Drum. The most ideal scenario is against a sleeping Pokémon without Sleep Talk, after proper setup. The next best option is against Pokémon that lack KO potential, such as Raikou behind a Light Screen. Additionally, since Charizard has decent bulk, you can safely set up against:
Nidoking without Thunder,sleep talk Snorlax without Curse (if it's already weakened)
Finding setup opportunities is generally easier than executing the prior chip damage. Moreover, due to GSC's unique mechanics, if Charizard is below 50% HP, Belly Drum can function like Swords Dance, sometimes still achieving meaningful damage output. Below are some relevant damage calculations for Belly Drum scenarios.
Snorlax Double-Edge vs. Charizard: 163-192 (45.4 - 53.4%) -- 36.6% 2ko
Zapdos Thunder vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 170-200 (47.3 - 55.7%) -- 79% 2ko
Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 134-158 (37.3 - 44%) -- 3ko
Raikou Thunder vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 159-188 (44.2 - 52.3%) -- 17.9% 2ko
Raikou Thunderbolt vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 127-150 (35.3 - 41.7%) -- 3ko
Starmie Surf vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 117-138 (32.5 - 38.4%) -- 98.9% 3ko
Game Plan
Plan A: Apply status conditions while chipping down the opponent's HP, then clean up with Charizard or Snorlax (Curse Steelix can also sweep in some cases).
Plan B: Force the game into 1v1 scenarios—e.g., our full-health Snorlax vs. their weakened team. Here, Charizard acts as a chip damage tool, mainly used against double Electric teams when status opportunities are scarce.
Difficult Matchup Combinations:
The first challenging scenario is the aforementioned double Electric combo. However, teams running dual Electric-types generally have poor Explosion resistance, especially when paired with Starmie. Neither Starmie nor non-SleepTalk Raikou can reliably take on Snorlax one-on-one. In this case, you can attempt to eliminate one Electric-type with Explosion, then use Zapdos to check the remaining one, or alternatively, implement Plan B as a fallback strategy.
The second challenging scenario is against speed control teams. Since we lack status removal capabilities, if the opponent paralyzes too many of our Pokémon, we become highly vulnerable to being swept by Marowak or Machamp. Our only recourse is to prevent Cloyster and Zapdos from getting paralyzed whenever possible, while simultaneously chipping the opponent's HP into Charizard's Fire Blast KO range.
The third challenging matchup is against teams featuring Alakazam. Since we lack a Pokémon resistant to both Psychic and Fire-type moves, we're forced to rely on Snorlax to tank hits. Our best approaches are either attempting to paralyze Alakazam or eliminate it with Explosion. However, skilled opponents typically won't give us these opportunities, making this an exceptionally difficult battle.
I don't have recent replays saved, but I found some battle reports from previous domestic Chinese tournaments and some international competitions. The team configurations have undergone minor adjustments since then, but they're still worth reviewing.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/china-gen2ou-245410
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/china-gen2ou-245637?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/china-gen2ou-335586
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-661057?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-663680?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-720718
Final Notes:
Thank you all for reading. My English isn't particularly strong—most of the content was translated with DeepSeek's help, so I apologize for any grammatical errors.
If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them. As I mentioned, this team is still a work in progress, and with collective brainstorming, it might just undergo another evolution.
Once again, thank you for your time and attention.
Actually, I originally wanted to reach a higher rating before posting this RMT, but grinding in this tier is just too painful—it's nearly impossible to find matches, the points gained are pitifully low.
Team Building Process
Actually, this isn’t a brand-new team—I settled on several core members a long time ago and have been tweaking their sets ever since, eventually refining it into its current version.
https://pokepast.es/970a66cd907112ac
As we all know, Charizard is a classic "belly drum" sweeper. Among the four main Belly Drum users (Charizard, Quagsire, Snorlax, and Clefable), it's the fastest but also the most fragile. This means Charizard usually relies on teammates to create setup opportunities and to control opposing fast threats that could outspeed and KO it.
What sets Charizard apart is its naturally high Speed stat. If you successfully set up Belly Drum and manage its HP carefully, the only Pokémon that can reliably outspeed and threaten it are Raikou, Starmie, Alakazam, and Gengar. Against Zapdos, it becomes a speed tie.
Moreover, thanks to its solid Special Attack and a STAB Fire Blast, Charizard can handle Steel-types like Skarmory—a matchup that other Belly Drum sweepers often struggle with. This self-sufficiency against traditional counters gives it a unique edge.
So when teambuilding, our first priority is to handle the opponent's electric legends (Raikou/Zapdos), Starmie, Alakazam and Gengar, while also trying to create opportunities for Charizard to enter the battle - this was the core idea behind my team construction.
Then comes the individual team member analysis.
Exeggutor @ Miracle Berry
Ability: No Ability
IVs: 6 HP / 28 Atk / 24 Def
- Sleep Powder
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psychic
- Explosion
Aside from Charizard and Snorlax, the first slot I locked in was Exeggutor. Although Exeggutor lacks speed compared to other control Pokémon, it provides the crucial Explosion—a necessary tool for accelerating the game tempo.
Most opponents tend to switch in Raikou or Zapdos against Exeggutor, expecting to absorb a Sleep Powder. In standard matches, since Exeggutor usually aims to Explode on key targets (like Snorlax), Sleep Talk electric legends often gain an early advantage in the matchup. However, my strategy flips this logic—eliminating electric threats is our top priority, allowing me to frequently Explode directly on the opposing electric legend.
For its other two moves, I chose Psychic and Hidden Power Fire, covering the following common lead scenarios:
The first scenario: opposing control leads like Nidoking, Jynx, or Exeggutor. To deal with this, I carry Miracle Berry to gain an advantage (assuming the move hits). Since our team doesn't have Sleep Talk, we can't afford to get put to sleep, so we can directly trade Sleep Powder with the opponent.
Putting aside misses, there are two particularly troublesome situations. The first is Thief Nidoking, which can steal the Miracle Berry and consume it to cure sleep. Fortunately, most Nidoking don't want to take a Psychic hit, and Exeggutor's item generally isn't a primary theft target for Nidoking, so it's rare for Nidoking to click Thief against Exeggutor. If it does steal your Miracle Berry and takes a Psychic hit, then the Nidoking will be left without recovery and missing either Thunderbolt or Ice Beam. After it uses Lovely Kiss, we can confidently switch in Cloyster to counter it and bait out the electric legend. Essentially, it comes down to a 50/50 prediction between Psychic and Sleep Powder.
However, Jynx is different. Substitute is a standard set for Jynx, which blocks both Sleep Powder and Explosion, and Jynx can 2HKO Exeggutor. This is one reason I carry Hidden Power Fire - it breaks Jynx's Substitute, forcing the opponent into a prediction battle. While this is still a difficult matchup for us, it at least creates some opportunities. Additionally, clicking HP Fire on the first turn is generally correct, just as Jynx will usually click Substitute first turn.
The second scenario involves Electric legends. As mentioned earlier, in blind pick situations, Electric legends typically consider themselves favored against Exeggutor, so you can directly click Explosion for a one-for-one trade.
Next is Snorlax. Like Electric legends, Snorlax generally won't switch out from Exeggutor unless it lacks Sleep Talk or has a better sleep absorber. However, unlike Electric legends, Snorlax usually won't be OHKOed by Explosion and requires a prior Psychic STAB hit. If the opponent is experienced, they might switch to an Explosion counter to absorb the hit, which requires more careful consideration.
Common Explosion counters in the metagame include:
Ghost types like Gengar and Misdreavus (immune to Normal)
Steel/Rock types like Skarmory, Steelix, Golem, and Tyranitar (resist Explosion)
This is the second reason for carrying Hidden Power Fire. When Exeggutor is at low health, opponents often switch in Steel types to block Explosion. HP Fire gives us a prediction opportunity - it effectively handles Steelix and Forretress, allowing us to preserve Exeggutor while dealing heavy damage. Gengar, Misdreavus and Golem can be weakened with Psychic STAB, while Tyranitar must either be put to sleep or handled by teammates.
The remaining scenarios involve spikes and unconventional leads. In most cases, we maintain the advantage—simply assess the situation and choose between Psychic, Hidden Power Fire, or Sleep Powder as appropriate.
Here are some reference data, though in this tier everyone runs max EVs anyway. I'm including this purely for easier reading.
Exeggutor Psychic vs. Nidoking: 275-324 (75.3 - 88.7%) -- 2KO
Nidoking Ice Beam vs. Exeggutor: 161-190 (40.9 - 48.3%) -- 3KO
Exeggutor Hidden Power Fire vs. Jynx: 124-146 (37.2 - 43.8%) -- 3koJynx Ice Beam vs. Exeggutor: 296-348 (75.3 - 88.5%) -- 2ko
Exeggutor Hidden Power Fire vs. Forretress: 326-384 (92.3 - 108.7%) -- 53.8% 1ko
Exeggutor Hidden Power Fire vs. Skarmory: 149-176 (44.7 - 52.8%) -- 3ko after Leftovers
Skarmory Drill Peck vs. Exeggutor: 173-204 (46.8 - 55.2%) -- 14.1% 2ko after Leftovers
Exeggutor Hidden Power Fire vs. Steelix: 154-182 (43.6 - 51.5%) -- 3ko after Leftovers
Steelix Earthquake vs. Exeggutor: 56-66 (15.1 - 17.8%) -- 9ko 在 Leftovers
Exeggutor Psychic vs. Gengar: 275-324 (85.1 - 100.3%) -- 2.6% 2ko
Gengar Ice Punch vs. Exeggutor: 170-200 (46 - 54.2%) -- 3.8% 2ko after Leftovers
Exeggutor Explosion vs. Zapdos: 385-453 (100.5 - 118.2%) -- 1ko
Exeggutor Explosion vs. Raikou: 410-482 (107 - 125.8%) -- 1ko
Exeggutor Explosion vs. Snorlax: 454-534 (86.8 - 102.1%) -- 15.4% 1ko
Cloyster @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
IVs: 14 HP / 28 Atk
- Spikes
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Explosion
The second Pokémon I decided on was Cloyster. Charizard's power level means that even after a Belly Drum, some Pokémon like Snorlax and Suicune can't be OHKOed. In these cases, Spikes are still necessary to chip down the opponent's HP. Spikes also make mispredictions against Explosion more punishing.
Hidden Power Electric and Toxic each have their uses:
Toxic forces Curse Snorlax to Rest, making it easier for Steelix to phaze it out later. It can also pressure Raikou/Zapdos into using Sleep to clear status.
However, poison interferes with our speed control strategy and leaves us vulnerable to Substitute Starmie and Substitute Tentacruel (even with HP Electric, breaking Tentacruel's Sub isn't guaranteed).
In this regard, HP Electric functions similarly to Exeggutor's HP Fire—it at least gives us a chance to predict and punish Substitutes.
Another important note: under Light Screen, Cloyster gets better opportunities to use Explosion. Below are some relevant calcs:
Cloyster Hidden Power Electric vs. Cloyster: 144-170 (47.5 - 56.1%) -- 28% 2ko after Leftovers
Cloyster Hidden Power Electric vs. Starmie: 102-120 (31.5 - 37.1%) -- 4ko after Leftovers
Cloyster Hidden Power Electric vs. Tentacruel: 81-96 (22.3 - 26.4%) -- 5ko after Leftovers
Zapdos Thunder vs. Cloyster[Light Screen] : 241-284 (83.9 - 98.9%) -- 2ko
Raikou Thunder vs. Cloyster[Light Screen] : 226-266 (78.7 - 92.6%) -- 2ko
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
IVs: 26 Def
- Thunder Wave
- Light Screen
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
The next member chosen was Zapdos. Electric legends usually won't stay in against Raikou, but they often remain in against Zapdos, making it easier for our Thunder Wave to hit its target - the same applies to Gengar.
There isn't a huge difference between Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Water. However, since I don't particularly need HP Water to deal with Steelix or Golem, I opted for HP Ice instead, which helps weaken Pokémon like Exeggutor.
For the supporting move, I chose Light Screen. It's an incredibly useful supporting skill for Charizard - behind the screen, a Belly Drum-boosted Charizard can even tank STAB attacks from Electric legends and Starmie, with only Gengar's Explosion posing a real threat. Additionally, Steelix and Cloyster can often get off additional Explosions behind the screen, though this scenario is admittedly too idealistic and should only be treated as a Plan B.
Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Curse
- Explosion
- Earthquake
- Roar
For the final team member, I chose Steelix. I absolutely needed a Snorlax counter - otherwise, a Snorlax with two Curse boosts would sweep my entire team. While Skarmory could also fulfill this role, Steelix has the added benefit of Explosion, giving me an out against threats like Zapdos.
I did experiment with Body Slam for hax potential, but ultimately found Explosion to be more reliable - especially when facing Steel-types, where Body Slam would be completely useless.
Additionally, Steelix serves as the team's sole Explosion resist. When facing multiple Explosion users, try to position it to trade favorably against multiple opponents.
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Double-Edge
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Self-Destruct
Finally, let's talk about Snorlax and Charizard. Starting with Snorlax - since our team lacks substantial recovery options, I wanted to speed up the game tempo while ensuring Snorlax could handle diverse situations. That's why this Snorlax runs a four-attack moveset.Fire Blast + Earthquake goes without saying - they expand coverage, and opponents rarely expect a Snorlax with both Fire and Ground coverage. For the Normal-type STAB, I initially tried Body Slam for the paralysis chance, but it proved unreliable:
Most Snorlax matchups (Steelix/Skarmory/Forretress/Gengar) either don't care about paralysis or are hard to hit in the first place.
The damage gap between Body Slam and Double-Edge is simply too significant.
The final slot went to Self-Destruct, which often catches opposing CurseLax off guard. You could replace it with Sleep Talk or Lovely Kiss to free up Exeggutor's Hypnosis slot (allowing it to run Stun Spore instead).
Charizard @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Belly Drum
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Finally, we have our star player - Charizard. While it often serves as the team's Belly Drum sweeper, Charizard remains an exceptional Fire-type special attacker even without setting up.
Once the opponent's Snorlax is weakened and no special walls remain, Fire Blast can wreak havoc—especially in the mid-game, where it freely chips down threats like Steelix and Skarmory. Here are some damage calculations for reference:
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Cloyster: 217-256 (71.6 - 84.4%) -- 2ko
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Skarmory: 347-408 (104.2 - 122.5%) -- 1ko
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Steelix: 359-422 (101.6 - 119.5%) -- 1ko
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Raikou: 138-163 (36 - 42.5%) -- 96.4% 3ko after Leftovers
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Zapdos: 148-175 (38.6 - 45.6%) -- 3ko after Leftovers
Charizard Fire Blast vs. Snorlax: 130-153 (24.8 - 29.2%) -- 5ko after Leftovers
As we can see, Charizard's offensive power is decent. It can also perform pivot roles, such as switching into Heracross or Steelix (which usually don't carry Rock Slide), and it can force opposing Explosion users without KO potential to self-destruct, allowing Steelix to absorb the damage.
If Charizard were truly perfect, it would have replaced Snorlax by now. The fact that it hasn't proves it still has flaws - the biggest issue being its damage output. Belly Drum doesn't boost its Fire-type attacks, and Charizard lacks high-power Flying-type moves besides Hidden Power. This means Charizard must rely on Rock Slide and Earthquake as its main offensive options, unable to OHKO Pokémon like Snorlax, Marowak, Machamp, Cloyster, or Suicune. This is exactly why we need Spikes support to help chip down their HP, as mentioned earlier. Some common damage calculations are as follows:
+6 Charizard Rock Slide vs. Cloyster: 236-278 (77.8 - 91.7%) -- 2KO
+6 Charizard Earthquake vs. Snorlax: 313-368 (59.8 - 70.3%) -- 2KO
+6 Charizard Earthquake vs. Marowak: 226-266 (69.9 - 82.3%) -- 2KO
+6 Charizard Earthquake vs. Machamp: 279-328 (72.8 - 85.6%) -- 2KO
As we can see, unless it's a super-effective hit, it's quite difficult to KO them. Fortunately, we don't need to chip them down too much,just remember to check the damage calculator frequently.
Now, let's talk about opportunities to set up Belly Drum. The most ideal scenario is against a sleeping Pokémon without Sleep Talk, after proper setup. The next best option is against Pokémon that lack KO potential, such as Raikou behind a Light Screen. Additionally, since Charizard has decent bulk, you can safely set up against:
Nidoking without Thunder,sleep talk Snorlax without Curse (if it's already weakened)
Finding setup opportunities is generally easier than executing the prior chip damage. Moreover, due to GSC's unique mechanics, if Charizard is below 50% HP, Belly Drum can function like Swords Dance, sometimes still achieving meaningful damage output. Below are some relevant damage calculations for Belly Drum scenarios.
Snorlax Double-Edge vs. Charizard: 163-192 (45.4 - 53.4%) -- 36.6% 2ko
Zapdos Thunder vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 170-200 (47.3 - 55.7%) -- 79% 2ko
Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 134-158 (37.3 - 44%) -- 3ko
Raikou Thunder vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 159-188 (44.2 - 52.3%) -- 17.9% 2ko
Raikou Thunderbolt vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 127-150 (35.3 - 41.7%) -- 3ko
Starmie Surf vs. Charizard[Light Screen] : 117-138 (32.5 - 38.4%) -- 98.9% 3ko
Game Plan
Plan A: Apply status conditions while chipping down the opponent's HP, then clean up with Charizard or Snorlax (Curse Steelix can also sweep in some cases).
Plan B: Force the game into 1v1 scenarios—e.g., our full-health Snorlax vs. their weakened team. Here, Charizard acts as a chip damage tool, mainly used against double Electric teams when status opportunities are scarce.
Difficult Matchup Combinations:
The first challenging scenario is the aforementioned double Electric combo. However, teams running dual Electric-types generally have poor Explosion resistance, especially when paired with Starmie. Neither Starmie nor non-SleepTalk Raikou can reliably take on Snorlax one-on-one. In this case, you can attempt to eliminate one Electric-type with Explosion, then use Zapdos to check the remaining one, or alternatively, implement Plan B as a fallback strategy.
The second challenging scenario is against speed control teams. Since we lack status removal capabilities, if the opponent paralyzes too many of our Pokémon, we become highly vulnerable to being swept by Marowak or Machamp. Our only recourse is to prevent Cloyster and Zapdos from getting paralyzed whenever possible, while simultaneously chipping the opponent's HP into Charizard's Fire Blast KO range.
The third challenging matchup is against teams featuring Alakazam. Since we lack a Pokémon resistant to both Psychic and Fire-type moves, we're forced to rely on Snorlax to tank hits. Our best approaches are either attempting to paralyze Alakazam or eliminate it with Explosion. However, skilled opponents typically won't give us these opportunities, making this an exceptionally difficult battle.
I don't have recent replays saved, but I found some battle reports from previous domestic Chinese tournaments and some international competitions. The team configurations have undergone minor adjustments since then, but they're still worth reviewing.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/china-gen2ou-245410
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/china-gen2ou-245637?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/china-gen2ou-335586
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-661057?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-663680?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-720718
Final Notes:
Thank you all for reading. My English isn't particularly strong—most of the content was translated with DeepSeek's help, so I apologize for any grammatical errors.
If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them. As I mentioned, this team is still a work in progress, and with collective brainstorming, it might just undergo another evolution.
Once again, thank you for your time and attention.
