SM OU My Zard-X Team.

[Shroob]

I admit, I've always been a sucker for fanservice when it comes to Pokemon, and Charizard-X is a weakness of mine. I ADORE its design, and screw anyone who hates it because it's just fanservice. I've always wanted to use this bad boy, and this gen, I'll finally get a chance to!

A small note, however: I don't have access to prior Gen move tutors, and by extent, Legendaries like Landorus-T, or good Rapid Spinners like Excadrill.

Let's begin:

The team:

Let's BEGIN!

Nihilego @ Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
EVS: 252 Sp.Atk/252 Speed/4 Def
Timid Nature
~ Stealth Rock
~ Sludge Wave
~ Power Gem
~ HP Ice

Nihilego is my go-to Stealth Rock Setter. With HP Ice, she can scare off other threats like Stealth Rock Landorus or Garchomp and potentially score a K.O. on them. Her other moves are staple coverage moves for it. Sludge Wave over Sludge Bomb due to the extra power, and Power Gem to hit everything else. Focus Sash lets at least my rocks go up before she goes down for the count. EV spread capitalizes on getting rocks up fast, or securing a quick KO against the 'Mons mentioned above. Otherwise, a pretty standard Nihilego lead set.
​

Ferrothorn(M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP/168 Sp.Def/88 Def
Relaxed Nature
~ Spikes/Thunder Wave
~ Leech Seed
~ Power Whip
~ Gyro Ball

Ferrothorn is obnoxious, everyone knows that, but he's really great this gen. Leech Seed coupled with Leftovers makes him heal quite a bit, and he hits surprisingly hard with Power Whip. Due to his abysmal speed, Gyro Ball hits extra hard, and especially scares off a lot of threats like most fairies in the current metagame. Spikes is mostly a filler move, but after Thunder Wave got hit this gen, it's used... However, with Nihilego being my main rock setter, having Thunder Wave may not actually be the worst idea after all, and the chance of Defogging away my Spikes... what do you think? Or, I could just replace him with Celesteela...

Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 Sp.Atk/252 Speed/4 Def
Timid Nature
~ Psychic
~ Moonblast
~ HP Fire
~ Shadow Ball

Tapu Lele comes in and puts a stop to all priority with her broken terrain. Choice Scarf lets her outspeed most threats in the tier and either knock them out instantly with a super powerful Psychic, or severely injure them with another move of hers. Using Shadow Ball over Focus Blast since I hate how Focus Blast misses all of the time, and Shadow Ball scares Metagross, Moonblast scares Dragons, Dark, and Fighting Types away, and HP Fire for everything else that's annoying, like Ferrothorn or Scizor. Max Sp.Atk and Speed because, why else wouldn't you on a Tapu Lele?

Garchomp(M) @ Firium Z
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Speed/ 4 Def
Jolly Nature
~ Earthquake
~ Dragon Claw/Outrage
~ Fire Fang
~ Swords Dance

A wallbreak in his name alone. Garchomp with +2 can kill most things that it stands against, and with a Z-Crystal, it can kill things that would attempt to wall it like Ferrothorn or Skarmory, or even Celesteela. Max Attack and Speed EVs for maximum killing potential, and everything else is there for coverage. Dragon Claw or Outrage is a tricky situation, since while Outrage is very powerful, being locked into the move is very risky this gen, so if used, use with caution. Otherwise, everything else here is what you'd expect a Garchomp to pack.

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP/ 184 Def/ 16 Sp.Def/ 60 Speed
Calm Nature
~ Surf/Scald
~ Moonblast
~ Defog
~ Taunt

Even though I can't run an OU Rapid Spinner, I still have probably the best Defogger in this tier. Fini is the main reason I consider running T-Wave on Thorn instead of Spikes, since Defog gets rid of ALL of my hazards, which would be fine with just Nihilego. Surf or Scald is a tough call which I'm not actually sure what the correct answer is, and I am always looking for ideas. Moonlast is mainly for STAB and coverage, and Taunt to prevent step-up 'mons. The EV spread is made to outspeed Landorus-T and just all around be as survivable as possible without sacrificing speed. Defog goes without mention as to why it's a good move.

Charizard(M) @ Charizardite-X
Ability: Blaze/Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Attack/252 Speed/ 4 HP
Jolly Nature
~ Dragon Dance
~ Dragon Claw
~ Flare Blitz
~ Roost/Earthquake

And he's finally here; the big boy that I decided to build the team around. Zard-X is fanservice in a single Pokemon, and I adore it. With a hefty attacking stat, Zard will put a massive dent into most enemies, and with the moves he gets, it's easy to see why. Dragon Dance lets him boost his already decent Speed and amazing Attack stat, and let his main moves hit even harder. Dragon Claw hits like a truck as long as Misty Terrain isn't up, and Flare Blitz means I don't need to run Alolan-Marowak to deal with Celesteela. Roost is usually used here to heal off the recoil from Blitz, but Earthquake is an amazing move.


​

And there you have it, my team.


I've considered replacing Ferrothorn with Celesteela, thoughts?

 

[bludz]

Hey man cool team. I think the overall structure is nice but there are a few oddities to this build which I think can be addressed. Hopefully none of my suggestions are problematic based on the limitations you noted at the top.

First off, Focus Sash Nihilego is generally used on extremely offensive teams. While you have 2 Scarfers, mons like Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini provide too many opportunities for an opposing Defog and don't have the offensive presence to keep the mindset "don't let them remove my rocks" which is how suicide leads work. The other thing which I touched on is having 2 choice Scarf users. I think this strategy has merits sometimes but considering the lack of Volt Turn on this team, it could also be a big momentum drain.

My first recommendation is to swap your Garchomp and Nihilego's roles: make Garchomp your Stealth Rocker and Nihilego the Scarfer. I think this provides a bit more flexibility as Nihilego revenge kills Scarf Lele better and utilizes Beast Boost alongside a scarf to become more threatening. I also believe Chomp is more potent as an offensive rocker.

I would recommend a Life Orb Garchomp set: what his does is utilize one of your speedier mons as a breaker to wear down checks to your primary win conditions against offense - Charizard and your Scarfers. I think on this team there's merit to both Swords Dance and Mixed sets as they are able to effectively lure and weaken Landorus-T and Tapu Fini. However I would recommend mixed - it is more efficient at luring Lando-T, and can do a better job of luring mons like Skarmory and Celesteela which are annoying. I'll recommend mixed, but I think trying SD may be worth it just in play testing.

Now as I said I'm not really a huge fan of dual Scarf. Speed control is important but I think 2 Scarfers restricts other aspects of the build such as luring, setup, and other types of utility. That's why my next suggestion is to swap your Tapu Lele for Dugtrio.

What Dugtrio does is give you the ability to trap and beat or weaken some big threats foe your other team members. With a sash intact, it's capable of severely weakening opposing Scarf Tapu Lele to the point where you can pressure it with hazards. It can weaken Metagross for Scarf Nihilego or revenge it after a bit or chip damage. It also removes Heatran and opposing Nihilego, as well as hurting Tyranitar - all Pokémon Charizard appreciates removed or weakened. Memento also prevents Dugtrio from being setup fodder for the likes of Landorus-T and can help setup sweeping opportunities or free switches for the other members of the team. Stone Edge KOs Volcarona and Screech helps you beat Chansey.

sets

Garchomp @ Life Orb
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock

Nihilego @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Power Gem
- Sludge Wave
- Hidden Power Ice
- Thunder / Thunderbolt

Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal / Screech
- Stone Edge / Screech
- Memento

Hope this was helpful!

PS I like Ferrothorn because it is a solid Tapu Koko check while using Celesteela opens you up to that much more. Granted Steela is better vs Lele but I think Spikes are good on a team like this and you have ways to beat Lele

 

[Shroob]

Hey man cool team. I think the overall structure is nice but there are a few oddities to this build which I think can be addressed. Hopefully none of my suggestions are problematic based on the limitations you noted at the top.

First off, Focus Sash Nihilego is generally used on extremely offensive teams. While you have 2 Scarfers, mons like Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini provide too many opportunities for an opposing Defog and don't have the offensive presence to keep the mindset "don't let them remove my rocks" which is how suicide leads work. The other thing which I touched on is having 2 choice Scarf users. I think this strategy has merits sometimes but considering the lack of Volt Turn on this team, it could also be a big momentum drain.

My first recommendation is to swap your Garchomp and Nihilego's roles: make Garchomp your Stealth Rocker and Nihilego the Scarfer. I think this provides a bit more flexibility as Nihilego revenge kills Scarf Lele better and utilizes Beast Boost alongside a scarf to become more threatening. I also believe Chomp is more potent as an offensive rocker.

I would recommend a Life Orb Garchomp set: what his does is utilize one of your speedier mons as a breaker to wear down checks to your primary win conditions against offense - Charizard and your Scarfers. I think on this team there's merit to both Swords Dance and Mixed sets as they are able to effectively lure and weaken Landorus-T and Tapu Fini. However I would recommend mixed - it is more efficient at luring Lando-T, and can do a better job of luring mons like Skarmory and Celesteela which are annoying. I'll recommend mixed, but I think trying SD may be worth it just in play testing.

Now as I said I'm not really a huge fan of dual Scarf. Speed control is important but I think 2 Scarfers restricts other aspects of the build such as luring, setup, and other types of utility. That's why my next suggestion is to swap your Tapu Lele for Dugtrio.

What Dugtrio does is give you the ability to trap and beat or weaken some big threats foe your other team members. With a sash intact, it's capable of severely weakening opposing Scarf Tapu Lele to the point where you can pressure it with hazards. It can weaken Metagross for Scarf Nihilego or revenge it after a bit or chip damage. It also removes Heatran and opposing Nihilego, as well as hurting Tyranitar - all Pokémon Charizard appreciates removed or weakened. Memento also prevents Dugtrio from being setup fodder for the likes of Landorus-T and can help setup sweeping opportunities or free switches for the other members of the team. Stone Edge KOs Volcarona and Screech helps you beat Chansey.

sets

Garchomp @ Life Orb
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock

Nihilego @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Power Gem
- Sludge Wave
- Hidden Power Ice
- Thunder / Thunderbolt

Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal / Screech
- Stone Edge / Screech
- Memento

Hope this was helpful!

PS I like Ferrothorn because it is a solid Tapu Koko check while using Celesteela opens you up to that much more. Granted Steela is better vs Lele but I think Spikes are good on a team like this and you have ways to beat Lele

I'd love to give Chomp rocks, but one of the first things I said was that I don't have access to prior gen Move Tutors, so that is completely out of the question. I'm playing On-Cart, and Sun is my only game, so yeah.

And Dugtrio is nearly impossible since I'd have to trade for one(Since Diglett evolved in Alola become Alolan Dugtrio), and good luck the one I get via trade being Jolly or having Memento/Reversal.

I can do 'some' post-bank things like get non-Alola native 'mons, but things like Move Tutors and certain forms are probably out of the question.

 

[bludz]

Ah sorry man. My cart knowledge is limited, so I literally just tried to avoid suggesting old legendaries like Lando-T lol

Well, even if what I suggested can't actually be done, I hope that you could understand my thought process. Tbh I still think you can potentially swap out Lele or maybe change the set, I really don't think you need dual Scarf. As for Ferro vs Steela I think if you made that swap it would require another one somewhere else on the team too; you would be low on water resists and weaker to electrics

 

[Shroob]

Ah sorry man. My cart knowledge is limited, so I literally just tried to avoid suggesting old legendaries like Lando-T lol

Well, even if what I suggested can't actually be done, I hope that you could understand my thought process. Tbh I still think you can potentially swap out Lele or maybe change the set, I really don't think you need dual Scarf. As for Ferro vs Steela I think if you made that swap it would require another one somewhere else on the team too; you would be low on water resists and weaker to electrics

I actually have a large collection of 'comp' viable mons here:

http://i.imgur.com/Db0uNgS.png

All these are ready to go in case of needing a change. A few are outdated, like Fini and Garchomp are the same ones from this team.

 

[bludz]

Why not try the SD Firium Chomp here? While you do become weaker to Volcarona, you have Fini for ZardX and Salamence hardly finds opportunities to set up against your team. You can always try to keep your Nihilego's sash intact against big threats as well. I think your team really lacks a dedicated breaker outside of Zard and Chomp could be that mon.

Also if possible, Nature's Madness > Scald is a possible tech for Fini that you can test. Sucks for Heatran / Alolan Marowak but it's nice for stallbreaking in conjunction with Taunt.

 

[Shroob]

Why not try the SD Firium Chomp here? While you do become weaker to Volcarona, you have Fini for ZardX and Salamence hardly finds opportunities to set up against your team. You can always try to keep your Nihilego's sash intact against big threats as well. I think your team really lacks a dedicated breaker outside of Zard and Chomp could be that mon.

Also if possible, Nature's Madness > Scald is a possible tech for Fini that you can test. Sucks for Heatran / Alolan Marowak but it's nice for stallbreaking in conjunction with Taunt.

Firirium Z or Groundium Z?

 

[bludz]

I'd use Firium Z, lets you weaken Steels for your Tapu Lele and powers up your coverage move. +2 Earthquake is gonna dent a lot of things anyway if they don't resist. But hey, it's your team. Testing things out is the best way to figure out what's optimal

 

[Shroob]

I'd use Firium Z, lets you weaken Steels for your Tapu Lele and powers up your coverage move. +2 Earthquake is gonna dent a lot of things anyway if they don't resist. But hey, it's your team. Testing things out is the best way to figure out what's optimal

Alright, thanks.

Would you swap anything else here with the list I provided?

 

[bludz]

Personally probably not, any changes by making one swap would probably lead to several to be honest since the team makeup itself already makes sense. Might just end up being a new team.

You could consider Shadow Ball or Thunderbolt on Tapu Lele if you aren't in love with Focus Blast, though.

 

[Shroob]

Personally probably not, any changes by making one swap would probably lead to several to be honest since the team makeup itself already makes sense. Might just end up being a new team.

You could consider Shadow Ball or Thunderbolt on Tapu Lele if you aren't in love with Focus Blast, though.

That is definitely something I've played around with, since I really don't care for Focus Miss.