Introduction:
I have been inactive for about a year, and I have to say, the metagame has shifted drastically toward offense. Late Gen. 4 was seeing the rise of stall, and Gen. 5 has a fairly well-established precedent in hyperoffensive teams. Since you can't stall everything effectively anymore - as there is just too much to account for - balanced or an offense team of your own is the only answer to the current trends. Rather than attempting to wall as much as possible as I have in the past, this team has been created in order to check and counter as much as possible in an offensive style - far from what I am used to, but an interesting new ideology in battling. This team has been used with surprisingly mild success on Pokemon Online.
The Team:
Nature: Naive (+Speed, -Sp. Def.)
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 32 Attack, 224 Sp. Attack, 252 Speed
Thunderbolt
Hidden Power [Ice]
Hammer Arm
U-Turn
With the advent of Team Preview, possessing a designated "lead" for one's team has become somewhat outdated. Nevertheless, a typical match will begin with Thundurus. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power are answers to common weather leads, such as Politoed and Hippowdon respectively. The Attack EVs provide a reliable answer to Blissey and Chansey, 2HKOing both. Thundurus is also a total troll to Latios, possessing one more base stat in Speed than the unfortunate Legendary - which meets its end with an HP [Ice]. U-Turn keeps momentum, and has excellent first-turn synergy with the team. In an offensive metagame, momentum is necessary early on in influencing the rest of the game - as the "surprise effect" of any team is gone, thanks to the aforementioned Team Preview.
Nature: Calm (+ Sp. Attack, - Attack)
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP, 4 Def., 252 Sp. Def.
Taunt
Toxic
Recover
Night Shade/Stealth Rock
Look, I know what you're thinking. "It went from Uber to UU for a reason! It is set-up/Pursuit fodder!" All I have to say is, try it. Maxing out at 304 HP and a ridiculous 460 Sp. Def., Calm Deoxys-D walls nearly every special threat like Latios (including Specs variants), Politoed, Rotom-W, Thundurus, and Starmie. Taunt provides an answer to those who feel comfortable switching in on Deoxys as an easy set-up, while Toxic and Recover, along with Night Shade, have effectively crippled and put a clock on even bulky sweepers that could give my momentum-desiring team trouble. Stealth Rock is being considered if Heatran does not run it, though Deoxys meets problems when it finds itself on the receiving end of a Taunt without Night Shade.
Nature: Timid (+ Speed, - Attack)
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Sp. Attack, 252 Speed
Trick
Surf
Draco Meteor
Hidden Power [Fire]
This Pokemon, in my opinion, belongs back in Ubers. Few Pokemon counter it effectively, and the checks to it are easily drug out. Steels who deem it safe to switch in get crippled with Trick - and obtain a useless pair of sunglasses - while Surf puts the likes of Volcarona, Heatran, and Infernape in their places. Small numbers of Pokes can come in comfortably on an unresisted Specs Draco Meteor. Hidden Power [Fire] has had immense success against ubiquitous Steels, such as Ferrothorn (whom I hate), Jirachi, Bronzong, Scizor, Magnezone, and Excadrill (on the switch).
Nature: Impish (+ Def., - Sp. Attack)
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP, 184 Def., 72 Speed
Swords Dance
Facade
Earthquake
Protect
Though Gliscor can be used interchangeably as an offensive or defensive unit, this set seems to allow him to act as a defensive check to some threats, while still threatening a bulky set-up itself. Gliscor is a more reliable answer to Excadrill, and also scares away Ferrothorn, some Heatran, lead Ninetails, some Magnezone, and walls Physical Lucario. Admittedly, not the most active or necessary member of the team, but manages to check or wall certain physical threats to the team, scaring them out, and returning momentum in my favor.
Nature: Adamant (+ Attack, - Sp. Attack)
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Attack, 252 Speed
Flare Blitz
Close Combat
Mach Punch
U-Turn
CBApe has blown my mind with its success on this team. A set that used to be occupied by Scizor, this Poke does a much more comfortable job at coming in on overconfident walls or as a late-game clean-up, and providing short appearances in the fight for massive damage. Even resisted Pokes should be wary switching in on a STAB, Choice Banded Flare Blitz. Infernape hungers to destroy aforementioned Steel-types like Ferrothorn (whom I really hate) and others, as well as sending home the likes of Tyranitar, Scizor, Excadrill, Metagross with Mach Punch and Flare Blitz, and essentially any weakened Poke who doesn't resist Infernape's STAB Fire and Fighting attacks. And, as always, U-Turn is provided to scout, keep momentum, and rack up damage on the switch against Reuniclus and Starmie. Easily a favorite.
Nature: Timid (+ Speed, - Attack)
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Sp. Attack, 4 Sp. Def., 252 Speed
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Hidden Power [Ice]
Stealth Rock / Roar
The newest addition to the group, Heatran has recently replaced Magnezone, and has meshed with the others fairly comfortably. Heatran likes to act as a check to threats that are "out-there" enough not to be handled immediately by defensive core, Deoxys-D or Gliscor, such as Ferrothorn (whom I really really hate), Chlorophyl Venusaur, a myriad of Steels, a slew of Dragons, Gliscor, and even opposing Heatran (the only reason max Speed is provided). If Stealth Rock is designated to Deoxys, then Heatran will be given Roar, possibly in order to shuffle threats more effectively - though this spread, and ultimately this Pokemon, is up for change the most as of now.
Any thoughts on the team would be appreciated, as it wants to identify opposing offensive threats and deal with them as much as it can in the most effective way possible.
