Project [Old] OU Matchmaking

[MFJK]

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Knock Off / Thunder Wave

Ferrothorn makes for a fantastic partner to Tornadus-T on Balance, offering defensive synergy with it and being able to check things like Tapu Koko and some steel-types like Magearna (to an extent) which are annoying for Tornadus to deal with. Also, it offers hazard support which greatly helps Tornadus to apply pressure on opposing teams with its strong flying stab and knock off, and even more if it's paired with another hazard setter. Ferrothorn also has Knock Off / T Wave + Leech Seed to cripple opposing mons like Celesteela.

 

[Mellow]

Zygarde @

Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Outrage
- Iron Tail / Toxic

Zygarde pairs pretty well with Tornadus as it alleviates Zygardes hazards weakness by Defogging and can bring it in via U-Turn when they bring in mons like Toxapex and Celesteela and just start ripping through their team.

 

[Meliodafu7]

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind / Toxic

Albeit uncommon choice, Hippowdon makes a solid partner for Tornadus-T on bulkier builds. It checks/Counter most Tapu Koko sets, provides a solid switch in for Tyranitar, and checks some faster threats that Tornadus-T may struggle against, like M-Loppuny, and is a very sturdy and reliable rock setter that can set up Rocks multiple times through a Match. In return, Tornadus-T provides key defog support against Toxic Spikes that Hippo hates, checks Kartana and M-Medicham, threats that Hippowdon can't check, and gives great speed control and momentum for Hippowdon to set up rocks or spread status.

 

[Flame from Heaven]

Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 80 SpD / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
Tyranitar is an amazing partner for Tornadus. Tornadus-T forces the opponent to switch into Tapu Koko, Zapdos, Toxapex, Heatran, and other similar Pokemon. What most of Tornadus’ switchins have in common is that Tyranitar has a field day against them. Tornadus-T can also check two of Tyranitar’s most common offensive checks: Landorus-T and Kartana. In return, Tyranitar can break stall for Tornadus-T, a matchup where Tornadus struggles.

 

[Ramses]

Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire
- Roost

the majority of nominations thus far have been mostly defensively oriented, so why not drop an offensive partner? what kyurem does for tornadus is apply heavy pressure to general switch-ins to it, which is mostly delegated towards mons' that can tank unboosted hits from it with relative ease such as clefable, toxapex, celesteela, etc. additionally, kyurem works as a functional soft switch-in to tapu koko lacking dazzling gleam and zapdos (both of which kyurem beats), while benefiting massively from defog support. overall, kyurem feeds off of what tornadus can bait in and enjoys the utility in defog it can bring.

 

[curiosity]

Thank you for another amazing cycle! Apologies for delaying this, I've been trying to juggle a few things at once and i've ultimately decided that this is the most important, though yu should stay tuned for As I previously stated last time, I wish to improve the quality of these cycle starter posts, so in saying that, here's this week's mon!

click me!
Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Knock Off / Fire Fang
- Sucker Punch​

Mawile is certainly an interesting choice in the current meta, being able to devour most modern balance builds thanks to a reasonable attack stat that's only amplified by huge power and its amazing stab and access to interesting utility options whilst also still possessing an interesting matchup against offensive builds thanks to its noteworthy bulk and access to relatively strong priority. You may have already noticed by now, but this spread is noticeably bulkier than the usual variant of Mawile, and this is because of my opinion that bulkier spreads are much more useful in this meta. First and foremost, the ability to sponge hits from the likes of an unboosted Gliscor, Tapu Lele, Tornadus, Tyranitar and Scizor is especially important to me, as you will often be forced to take some damage in order to eliminate these listed mons, and being able to break multiple mons is considerably more important than being able to outspeed certain mons. Speaking of outspeeding, outspeeding Alolan Marowak and Skarmory is not necessary, as not only are both irrelevant, but the former still must fear a sucker punch and the latter cannot do anything to you in return, barring the obvious counter. Anyways, I hope this was a decent quality post and I once again must apologise for the delay. The deadline will be on Wednesday the 30th. Happy Posting!

oh, and I've also made an archive so enjoy that as well!

 

[Flame from Heaven]

Rotom Wash

Rotom-Wash @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog
Rotom Wash ones a number of things for Mawile. For one, it lures a lot of Pokemon like Tapu Bulu, Chansey, Latios, and Gastrodon for Mawile to take advantage of. Rotom can also switch into Pokemon that give Mawile trouble like Landorus-T and Heatran.

 

[Mellow]

Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs / Waterium Z
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Spikes

Greninja provides free setup opportunities for Mega Mawile as the majority of Greninja switchins are Grass types which Mawile tends to be able to setup for free on or knock them off to reduce their longevity or just generally cripple them. Gren also lays Spikes down for Mawile which weakens a plethora of mons in range of it's attack and generally makes breaking / sweeping with it a lot easier.

 

[Felixx]

Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 4 Def / 108 SpD / 152 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Facade
- Roost

Gliscor is able to switch into mons that can threaten out M-Mawle such as Heatran, Landorus, Banded Zygarde, and Defog Zapdos. Here I chose an SD Facade set, it's able to aid M-Mawile in dismantling both stall and balance builds effectively as long as you play well with both of them. The speed lets it outspeed Banded Zygarde, but this can be cut down to 112 speed investment if you want more bulk, Gliscor lives two Thousand Arrows from full anyways.

252+ Atk Choice Band Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 244 HP / 4 Def Gliscor: 166-196 (47.1 - 55.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Poison Heal
(Yes the 4 Def actually matters here lol)

 

[curiosity]

Thank you for another cool cycle! Apologies for the relative inactivity, i've been typing out word mountains for me to post at a later date. Anyways, your posts should be archived soon!

click me!

see if I hide the set, it looks aesthetically pleasing, right?

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power Ice
- U-turn

​

This cycle's selected mon is Landorus! Defensive landorus has been a staple of the OU tier ever since its inception in BW2, where it has continuously ran dominant throughout the generations. This week, there has been no alteration to the set - simply because the standard set is a perfect representation of how it functions. Landorus is undoubtedly a fantastic option in the meta - fitting on nearly every team archetype currently viable, it offers an invaluable niche in the form of a ground immunity that offers fantastic defensive utility that also isn't passive (explained in the most simple way possible). Anyways, cores are due in by Wednesyday the 7th.

 

[Jordy]

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 224 SpD / 36 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Fleur Cannon
- Iron Head
- Hidden Power Fire / Energy Ball / Ice Beam
- Volt Switch

Magearna and Landorus-T hold outstanding synergy together as they form a very potent VoltTurn core while also helping each other out thanks to their typing and bulk. Landorus-T can switch in on certain Fire- and Ground-types such as Charizard X, Landorus-T, and Zygarde, which Magearna tends to struggle against. In return, Magearna can check a plethora of Special Attackers like Ash-Greninja and Tapu Lele, which can easily overwhelm Landorus-T. It can also switch in on Ice-type attacks from the likes of Weavile, and other Pokemon like Greninja, which can easily overwhelm Landorus-T.

on another note

 

[Mellow]

Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic / Toxic Spikes

The two gayest pokemon in the tier actually pair pretty well together - Toxapex can handle most Special Attackers such as Gren, Keldeo, Tornadus, Magearna etc, while Landorus handles Physical Attackers such as Kartana, Zygarde, Excadrill etc. They can also form a hazard stacking core if you opt to use Toxic Spikes on Toxapex.

 

[Flame from Heaven]

Z Move Heatran

Heatran (F) @ Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Toxic
- Taunt
Heatran benefits from Landorus-T quite a bit. Landorus-T can lure Grass-types for Heatran to obliterate. Landorus-T can also switch into Ground-types that can revenge kill Heatran. In return, Heatran breaks stall, a matchup defensive Lando is near useless, and can trap defoggers for Landorus-T such as Zapdos and Latios.

 

[Felixx]

You could literally pair Landorus with any other mon in the tier and it would work in some way, shape, or form.

Mawile-Mega (F) @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Knock Off / Thunder Punch
- Sucker Punch

M-Mawile enjoys Stealth Rock support from Lando, which lets its boosted Sucker Punch clean offensive teams much more easily, while dealing with opposing Lando and Zygarde, and also giving it free switch-ins with a slow U-turn, while Lando likes Mawile's ability to plow through defensive cores it can't break.

 

[Altervisi]

Staraptor @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
- Close Combat

Stealth Rocks support is needed with most Scarf cleaners like Staraptor. Its frailty means it very much appreciates Landorus-T slow U-Turn, Lando can hit a number of Rock/Steel types that resist Staraptors dual STAB (Magearna, Heatran, Tyranitar) with Earthquake. Landorus can also beat and check offensive Landorus-T with HP Ice and Intimidate. It also of course packs an Electric immunity.

 

[Martin]

Tapu Koko @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost / Defog / Grass Knot

You could also use Specs or whatever but that also involves using choiced Koko which is like… eeeeeeh expressly not bad but I fucking hate choiced Koko so yeah :middle_finger:

Tapu Koko forms a nice VoltTurn core with Lando-T; generally speaking the best ones are [fast mon that forces something out --> slow/bulky turner] and that is what this core is; in particular Lando-T appreciates Tapu Koko's tendency to force out things like fat waters and fast waters/ices and whatnot, and with Shuca Berry it's also able to catch opposing Lando-T out so Lando also appreciates that too. In return Lando does a nice job of covering shit like Scarf Kartana that can give Koko a massive headache if it isn't careful. There are probably other things going for this core, but yeah I don't need to explain to you that this core is tried and true lol.

 

[curiosity]

cycle 7


i'll update the op once Martin finishes up his post

• you guys have a 4 days to post your submissions •

 

[lydian]

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Recover
- Toxic
- Earthquake

By virtue of its solid typing and great special bulk, Gastrodon forms a wonderful core with Clefable by taking on several Special Attackes that threaten Clefable. Namely Heatran, Tapu Koko, Magearna, Ash-Greninja and several other Pokémon. In return, Clefable is a great setter of Stealth Rock and acts as a great physically defensive pivot to make up for Gastrodon’s low stats on the physically defensive end. Of course, this is by no means a perfect core because the likes of Kartana, Bloom Doom Heatran and Swords Dance Tapu Bulu can be big threats, but their association is nonetheless a great foundation to several effective balance archetypes in the current metagame.

 

[Flame from Heaven]

Ferrothorn

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
Ferrothorn can wall Pokemon Clefable has difficulty dealing with such as Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele. It can also use Knock Off to cripple Heatran. In return, Clefable can use Wish to keep Ferrothorn healthy and can use Stealth Rock to form a hazard core with Ferrothorn.

 

[Jordy]

Big torn

 

[asa]

Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes

Similarly to Gastrodon (which I was going to originally post, btw ;-;), Toxapex is capable of taking on many threatening attackers that can overwhelm Clefable, such as Greninja, Ash-Greninja, Volcarona lacking Psychic, and Mega Scizor, and in return, Clefable can check stronger physical attackers that pose a threat to Toxapex like Mega Medicham. Clefable + Toxapex also complete a hazard setting core, with the Toxic Spikes that Toxapex sets assisting Clefable in setting up on and stalling out certain opposing bulky Pokemon. Pokemon like Kartana can pose a threat to the core, though other teammates can alleviate this.

 

[mushamu]

Heatran @ Firium Z / Groundium Z / Grassium Z
Grassium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Earth Power
- Toxic / Solar Beam

Because it isn't holding Leftovers, Z Move Heatran variants lack recovery and longevity throughout a battle without support. Wish Clefable solves that, being able to heal Heatran with Wish after it has taken prior damage from trapping and wearing down things like Toxapex and Chansey. Clefable is also able to take on Pokemon like Mega Lopunny and Hawlucha that Heatran can't risk taking a Fighting-type attack from. Heatran, in return, helps with Steel-type Pokemon like Mega Scizor, Celesteela, Mega Mawile which Clefable doesn't enjoy taking attacks from.

 

[curiosity]

​

just wanted to use this post to announce the recent changes that I have made to the thread, including the new submission archive!
The archive features every submission (including incomplete submissions) or post in this thread, allowing for past reservations to be edited. On top of that, i've added a section called curi's pick of the week, where I show which of my submissions was my favourite (this will be touched on in the upcoming megapost™) for no reason whatsoever.

As well as that, i've decided to abolish this rule (see below) for the next few cycles, as i've noticed more and more 'mons that hold interesting niches, but are not ranked on the viability rankings. Just do bear in mind that meme posts are strictly™ prohibited™ unless given approval. This rule will apply to this cycle, so i'm very excited to say at the least.

Your submission must be listed on the OU Viability rankings, unless permission is given by myself. Your submission must include a description as to why your nomination is the best parter for the listed pokemon.

Anyways, I really love the participation, so keep it up! If you guys have any suggestions for a 'mon, you can either drop a message on my wall or VM me. As always, happy posting!

​

 

[curiosity]

Thank you everyone for another great cycle! I'm proud to announce that roman's style of posting was only temporary, so don't fear.

All Along The Watchtower - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

set

Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
- Pursuit

​

This cycle, we'll be talking a look at Weavile! Weavile has recently seen a surge in usage, and it's not hard to see why. With the increased prominence of mons such as mega lati@s, zygarde, gliscor, tornadus and bulu, combined the prevalence of bulkier builds - that have also shifted away from using 'mons such as celesteela and tyranitar, weavile thrives in this meta, as one of the tier's best wallbreakers and cleaners. However, it still faces some difficulty breaking past its checks - many of which are the tier's most prominent 'mons, including Clefable, Scizor, Tapu Koko and Greninja, though the latter is undeniably easy to circumvent if played properly. <Concluding statement goes here> Deadline is on Friday the 15th.

Happy Posting!

 

[Felixx]

Tapu Bulu @ Leftovers / Fightinium Z
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 224 HP / 216 SpD / 68 Spe
Careful Nature
- Swords Dance
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Synthesis

This is that wavy SD SpDef Bulu that people have pulled up with; basically Weavile weakens Steels like Heatran and Magearna for Bulu and vice versa, while also Pursuit trapping Torn and Zapdos, paving the way for Bulu, combine that with Magnezone support for M-Sciz and you're all set to start breaking down entire teams using this duo.