Project ORAS OU Underdog v3

SketchUp

Don't let your memes be dreams
Approved by Bludz
Art by Analytic
Old thread here
In this thread you can talk about any pokemon you think does not get enough attention. You can talk about cool sets, cores, strategies, and much more about any pokemon, as long as they are not listed on the viability rankings. You can consider this as the Metagame Discussion for unranked pokemon, but do not forget to stick to the rules:

Rules:
  • This thread is for ORAS OU only, discussion not related to OU will be deleted.
  • You can still talk about pokemon that are in the viability rankings to make a comparison, but your post should mainly be about pokemon that are not in the viability rankings.
  • Make sure you have experience with the pokemon you post about. You don't have to post replays all the time, but still make sure your post isn't just theorymonning. I am aware that with a discussion focussed on unranked pokemon, theorymonning will be more common, so any measures against it will also be more common.
  • Stick to the general rules of the forum, especially rule 8 on Posting guidelines.
Feel free to use any posting template you want, but as a guidance you can answer the following questions if you start a new discussion (of course discussions aren't limited to these questions):
  • What are the best sets for this pokemon in OU and why?
  • What types of teams does it fit on?
  • What pokemon does it compete with for a spot on teams?
  • What partners work well with it?
To give you an idea of pokemon you can talk about, these were the pokemon that were recently removed from the viability rankings: Mega Banette, Heracross, Mega Absol, Forretress, Froslass, Nidoqueen, Shaymin, Chandelure, Emboar, Gourgeist-XL, Honchkrow, Krookodile, Meloetta, Mienshao, Pangoro, Shuckle, Umbreon, Venusaur, Xatu.

Have fun posting!
 
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Ok I might as well talk Zoroark which I been facing several times on the middle-high ladder and has been giving my stall teams a lot of trouble. One great thing about this mon is its ability to lure in threats to your team and kill you with the appropriate coverage move. I'm not just talking about the more standard flamethrower for ferro or sludge bomb for fairies, but things like hp ice to OHKO my 252, 252+,0 Gliscor, sucker punch for fast psychic types or even trick to ruin my mixed wall. There have been several times Zoro has been able to either bop or seriously damage me enough for my defensive core to crumble under the weight of other harder hitting wall breakers or sweepers. Yes you know Zero is on your opponent's team, but as long as they provide hazard support it's not hard to have you fooled. I can't think of any more effective lurer in OU and its ability to be tailor built to deal with your weak spots makes it IMO the best unranked mon in OU.

Another thing I would like to contribute is my knowledge of how to best use Umbreon in OU, which I've been using from XY to ORAS almost continuously and at all times it's never failed to pull its weight. If you go to the Smogon Analysis section for Umbreon you will only find one article for UU which is a full special wall (which I can understand as that's where his best stats are). However I've realised for OU running a max physical spread is the only way of giving Umbreon a clear niche over other clerics and wish passers. If you run the full special route then you will almost always be outclassed by Clef and Chansey who offer far better typing + abilities and special bulk respectively. However currently there are no physical wall clerics in OU, Alomomola comes closest but it can't heal status and its offensive pressure is significantly worse than Umbreon. 95/110 defensives that are fully invested is far from poor and unlike many walls its fantastic natural 130 sdef makes it solid on both ends of the spectrum, such as:

252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Umbreon: 220-261 (55.8 - 66.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
224 SpA Mega Diancie Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Umbreon: 288-338 (73 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

The biggest benefit for going full physical however is the ability to make the most of foul play. At the moment Quagsire is commonly seen as the only thing to reliably stop physical setup sweepers due to clef not having the bulk (not that quag is very bulky really). Umbreon offers better physical and special bulk as well as the ability to threaten your sweeper with foul play, which allows it to deal with things such as Excadrill and Zard-X and not get overwhelmed as easily. It can also role compress as a cleric as well as physical check and it's even possible to run a physical and special cleric together which is very effective against full stall teams where running out of heal bells first can often cost you the match. I would also like to argue that outside of Clef Umbreon is the most offensive cleric in OU simply due to foul play's ability to sometimes single handleability break teams.

Here are some of my replays showing Umbreon's effectiveness when using the max physical defense spread.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-341033986 Probably the best showcasing of Umbreon's effectiveness.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-283919459 High ladder match where Umbreon has no fear of Bisharp (unlike all other clerics) and can take on Mega Scizor
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-267870574 got some lucky crits but even so after Manaphy was removed Umbreon walled this team.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-263080610 Umbreon generally will not die :-P
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-227245623 Low ladder but Umbreon's ability to 6-0 this sand team by itself shows its offensive pressure.

As a final note Inner Focus does not suck! You will see in some of those replays where Umbreon being flinched (by iron head mostly) sometimes nearly costs me the match (and I have lost quite a few matches in the past due to Umbreon getting flinched when Exa/Bisharp was at +2!) . Running Inner focus lets me counter Jirachi as well as taking on Exa and Bisharp more reliably. If you're running something like mew or want to give your opponent a specific status (such as clef's wonderful yellow magic) then his hidden ability is well worth considering.
 

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
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Its great to see this thread brought back with a new format! Its probably my favorite project :)

With regards to Zoroark, I've used it myself on a handful of teams and its best used on offense. The set that I used was Sucker Punch+Night Daze (Dark Pulse is bad)+Sludge Bomb+Flamethrower/Focus Blast with LO (I can't remember the EV spread and I'm posting this from a different device please don't kill me), and imho all other Zoroark sets barring maybe variants with KOff>Night Daze suck ass due to either missing out on wallbreaking power (Choice Scarf--seriously stop using this set you low/mid ladder scrubs the set does jack sh*t and doesn't capitalise on Zoro's niche), missing out on priority (Choice Specs) or missing out on the ability to lure out Fairy-types (SD and CB). With this, you can pair it up with things like Mega Medicham which appreciate fat Psychic-types being lured and eliminated and you can watch them crumble to Night Daze on the switch-in, while having Sucker Punch also allows Zoroark to not be complete dead weight against faster teams by giving it priority to counteract its low bulk/middling speed, and it also helps it clean up late-game when it is no longer taking advantage of Illusion to lure and weaken stuff if it needs to. Something which is pretty notable is that Night Dazing the switch-in has a 38% chance (after consideration of the move's accuracy) of lowering its target's accuracy by one stage, which can come in clutch at times by forcing a switch to net another free hit on their Dark-type switch-in with Sludge Bomb for a chance to poison or net a SE hit if they go into their fairy or by potentially providing a free hit with Night Daze or Sludge Bomb (depending on what you decide to use as dictated by how healthy the lured 'mon is) as the target misses their attack. Pairing it with something like BoltBeam or BP+elemental punch Medicham is particularly notable for a few reasons; due to these sets not carrying Zen Headbutt, Zoroark is able to lure out both fat Psychic-types and Clefable betweend Night Daze and Sludge Bomb. Other good teammates include things which appreciate having Scizor, Ferrothorn, Skarmory etc. lured. Alternatively, by carrying Focus Blast you can continue to lure stuff that struggles v.s. Ferrothorn to a lesser extent while also being able to lure out and KO Heatran and Tyranitar for Pokemon like Lati@s, Serperior, Talonflame etc. Illusion is a really good ability, so if you want to give Zoroark a shot keep this all in mind.

I could spend hours trumpetting on about how fun E-ranks are (insert obligatory Stunfisk, Mega Steelix and Xatu shoutouts here) but I'll spare you so that I have other stuff to talk about later on and so that you don't have to spend hours reading my walls of text xD
 

SketchUp

Don't let your memes be dreams
MMedicham + Zoroark is kinda like Zoroark + MMetagross. I used that core a few times in early ORAS and in theory it is amazing to be able to lure in stuff like Slowbro, Scizor, Skarmory etc., but it requires a lot of support because of a difference with residual damage from rocks and sand. You can't just take a Zoroark team and expect great results with it, because it's such a tricky pokemon to use, not only with the difference in residual damage, but also due to the fact that you don't get many opportunities to switch in because of its frailty and because once you take a hit, you have revealed you're Zoroark.
Besides Metagross + Zoroark, the only other Zoroark core I've build around was Specs Zoroark + Azumarill. Big pro is that you take the same amount of damage from rocks and sand. The core worked pretty well before because offensive checks to Azumarill were pretty uncommon and checks like Ferrothorn, MZor, MVenu and Slowbro were everywhere. I think the core is worth trying again, especially since Zoroark got Sludge Bomb now to OHKO Tangrowth and because defensive checks like Rotom-W, Tangrowth, Amoonguss and Quagsire are more common than offensive checks like Thundurus, Gengar, Serperior and Mega Meta.
However, I think Zoroark gets more love than it deserves. It's a lot trickier to use than most pokemon and it's pretty low reward, unless if the opponent only has one or maybe two defensive checks to a threat.
 
oooh really glad to see this thread being revived with a new format n_n


i was playing around with haxorus quite a bit on a dragmag build not too long ago, but i kinda stopped after i took a break from playing during exams. anyways, haxorus faces a lot of competition from other ddancers in the tier like zard-x, mega altaria, dragonite, etc.. the thing pretty much all of these have over haxorus is some defensive utility / being able to switch into things... hax can't really switch into much due to the rather neutral pure dragon typing, poor defenses, and lack of an ability to help here (compared to dragonite having multiscale). with these issues at hand, haxorus basically provides zero role compression, meaning that building around it makes you susceptible to being easily overwhelmed unless you have like haxorus + 5 offensive glue mons :x. regardless, haxorus is capable of really sweeping teams with proper support thanks to awesome coverage with dclaw / outrage | eq | poison jab.

Haxorus @ Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab

Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Body Slam
- Heal Bell
- Roost

Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch

Keldeo-Resolute @ Coba Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Heart Stamp
- U-turn
- Healing Wish

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 200 Def / 64 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
i built this team a little while ago, and i haven't really used it since the week i built it, so i don't really remember what it's weak to and stuff. it's not really that great of a team because in the current meta, you really need pokemon that can provide nice role compression for a build. if i built a dragmag build with a more reliable dragon from the start (chomp, zygarde, dragonite, w.e), i'd probably be able to better handle that role compression. anyways, this team is still pretty fun to use. haxorus really appreciates magnezone because it can take down steels like mega scizor, skarmory, and ferrothorn. mega alt also takes advantage of the magnezone (making this dragmag), and it provides some role compression + heal bell! keld and jirachi provide general offensive role compression; jirachi specifically provides healing wish which is really nice for hax and mega altaria ofc. i had to run physically defensive gliscor here instead of landorus-t because sd chomp and a bunch of other stuff were really threatening to the build. i explained the choice of gliscor on this build here (and i also posted this team there too... heh).

overall haxorus is a pretty fun mon to play around with, but it sorta needs magnezone support to function properly. sadly, once you both haxorus and magnezone on the same team, the other 4 slots get taken up by glue mons to cover all the stuff you need to check in general pretty much. haxorus is the only mon i've played around with recently (as in: within the last month) that's suitable for this thread, but i've been wanting to try out shaymin since it has seed flare, healing wish, and some cool coverage moves (air slash, earth power, dazzling gleam, etc.). however, i'm not really sure what set i'd run on it :x.
 

bludz

a waffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap
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Have any of you guys used Lanturn? I hate trying to come up with Thundurus checks. It can realistically stomp out most of them either with a Mixed set or Nasty Plot, and its best checks don't prevent other electrics from using Volt Switch
 
Have any of you guys used Lanturn? I hate trying to come up with Thundurus checks. It can realistically stomp out most of them either with a Mixed set or Nasty Plot, and its best checks don't prevent other electrics from using Volt Switch
I got you fam!!!!


Fish (Lanturn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 168 HP / 236 Def / 104 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave / Toxic

I get a wild hair on occasion and whip out this little baby. It's quite fun to use, and the EV spread hits a Leftovers numbers and makes it bulkier than 216 Def Rotom-W by a smidgeon physically, but a LOT bulkier specially. Having a cleric on the team is amazing, as well as spreading some yellow/purple and red status magic about the opponent. It's also a decent pivot with Volt Switches of your own. The loss of a Ground-type immunity compared to Rotom-W is a big loss, but if you're after a specific-to-Thundurus counter, Lanturn is your fish. It's INCREDIBLY weak though; uninvested base 76 SpA paired with moves on the weaker side doesn't do you well for chip damage. It's a pivot and burn-fisher with Scald, not an offensive threat like Rotom-W. Even if you hit something super-effectively, it will probably survive. But it's REALLY fun to use!!

Calcs are vs. LO Latios for the "mixed" damage.

Special:
  • 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 168 HP / 104 SpD Lanturn: 305-360 (70.4 - 83.1%)
  • 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W: 261-308 (86.1 - 101.6%); 15.7 - 18.5% difference
Physical:
  • 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 168 HP / 236+ Def Lanturn: 173-204 (39.9 - 47.1%)
  • 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 248 HP / 216+ Def Rotom-W: 118-140 (39.9 - 47.5%); sliiiiiightly blukier


EDIT: Oh yeah, and if you were randomly curious about Grass Knot Thundy...
  • 252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Grass Knot (40 BP) vs. 168 HP / 104 SpD Lanturn: 122-146 (28.1 - 33.7%)
...Worry no more lol.
 
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MANNAT

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Since the doublade shit storm in the VR thread has been going on, I'm just gonna quote my post from the metagame discussion thread for doublade (i plan to make a more in-depth post after finals about the mon, but this is kinda a basic overview). The main set for most stall teams is going to be rest pursuit, but if you have other checks to the mons that doublade checks and kinda just need insurance just in case they get out of hand (and lack a win condition), then you can run SD if need be. This post is just to try and get the ball rolling about doublade and encourage discussion about it more than anything else.

One mon that I've been using on stall lately that I've liked lately is doublade. The ability to check all of Certain Zam sets, Terrakion (giant-ass threat to stall if banded), Mega Diancie, Clefable, Mega Pinsir, Mega Heracross, Mega Medicham, and Mega Gardevoir in the same slot is invaluable for stall since they all can be huge threats to standard stall teams and its ability to be a wincon for stall with sd is really nice overall. Obviously doublade's lack of reliable recovery kinda sucks ass, but checking so many mons in one slot is so nice. Additionally, it doesn't drop to dragmag builds like non-shed shell skarm does since it's a ghost type and can switch out along with it having really good offensive coverage in between its STABs and sacred sword. Also, if you find yourself relying on doublade to check every single one of these threats in one slot, then you can also run a restalk gyro set that can check all of these mons decently well at the cost of offensive presence and forcing you to run a wincon in another slot. When i build with doublade, i generally try to have a couple of backup checks to all of these mons just in case I see like Banded Terrak+Mega Medicham on the same team or something like that so that doublade doesn't have so much pressure on it to check both mons in the same slot, but that's just my personal preference when using this thing. Overall, doublade is an interesting option for stall teams that can be used to patch up weaknesses to common stallbreakers, but has some issues such as relying on restalk if it wants recovery as well as being weak to common offensive types such as fire and ground.
 
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Haxorus: That Nigga with the Blades on His Face
Overview


Ah, yes, Haxorus, an interesting case of a Pokemon. Its high attack, access to Dragon Dance and Swords Dance, two excellent boosting options, a useful ability in Mold Breaker, and a decent movepool with a few viable options, all paint Haxorus as a fearsome wallbreaker. Although Haxorus does have access to Dragon Dance, I find Swords Dance to be the superior option in most instances to break through stall and bulkier teams much easier, and Swords Dance + Mold Breaker separates Haxorus from its heavy competition, which includes Mega Charizard X, Garchomp, Dragonite, and Mega Altaria. Swords Dance + Mold Breaker allows Haxorus to easily punish Unaware users like Quagsire and Clefable and Mega Sableye's Magic Bounce, allowing Haxorus to deal maximum damage with its boosted attacks and use Taunt, respectively, against these targets, shutting down these pathways to stop Haxorus from demolishing their team.
What moves does/can it use?

Haxorus @ Lum Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Outrage / Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Taunt / Poison Jab

This set is pretty straight forward. Basically get of things that can wall / revenge kill Haxorus, like Skarmory and Mega Diancie, respectively, and go to town. Since I recommended using Swords Dance, that's what this set utilizes over Dragon Dance, even though Dragon Dance is still usable (a bit outclassed though). Your choice of Dragon STAB depends on the item choice and your boldness as a player. Outrage + Lum Berry is a nice combo, as Lum Berry snaps you out of confusion and aids in setting up on status users, like Quagsire. If you are a pussy prefer the reliability of Dragon Claw, then Life Orb is the recommended item to make for the pretty big loss in power. Earthquake is there to provide coverage for Steel-types, like Jirachi, and Heatran, although Superpower is also usable to smash Skarmory and Air Balloon users. The move choice in the final slot are both solid but accomplish different goals. Taunt allows Haxorus to set up vs. status users, phazers, and set up sweepers, allowing Haxorus to become an even better stallbreaker. Poison Jab allows Haxorus to have super effective coverage against Fairies, like Clefable and Togekiss, and provide a heavier against Tangrowth without locking yourself into Outrage. Another viable move is Substitute, which protect Haxorus from revenge killing and status. Lum Berry protects Haxorus from status, while Life Orb grants a huge power boost. Roseli, Yache, and Haban Berries help Haxorus survive attacks from Fairies, Ice types, and Dragon types, respecively. Leftovers can be used with Substitute to provide a source from recovery, a useful function while setting up and taking chip damage from Substitute and hazards. A Jolly nature is usable to outspeed Naive Kyurem, but its mediocre speed tier makes this less useful.

What are some good teammates?

Magnezone and Magneton are wonderful teammates for Haxorus, getting rid of Skarmory for the beast, creating a DragMag core. Keldeo checks Ice types, like Weavile, and appreciates the elimination and weakening of Grass, Water, and Fairy types. LandoT provides a slow U-Turn, Stealth Rock, and spreads Intimidates, allowing Haxorus to set up easier. Other Dragon types, like Mega Altaria and Dragonite, combine with Haxorus to create a DragMag team, weakening each other's checks to overwhelm the opponent's team.

What are Haxorus's faults?

Its poor bulk allows the opponent to KO Haxorus without too much effort. Its awkward base 97 speed falls short of the crowded base 100 speed tier, leaving it outsped by Mega Gardevoir, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Medicham. Ice types, like Weavile and Mamoswine, can revenge kill Hax with their powerful Ice Shards. Fairies, like Mega Diancie and Togekiss, its poor bulk. They must be wary of Earthquake and Poison Jab, however. Revenge killers can stop a Haxorus sweep early due to Haxorus's frailty and awkward 97 speed tier. Even with Taunt and Lum Berry, status is still a major thorn in Haxorus's side, as they reduce its offensive potential.

Wrap-Up

While Haxorus does have some crippling flaws, Haxorus's positive qualities allow it to become a legitimate threat to slower, bulkier teams and makes you look like you want to have fun unlike like the tryhards spamming Specs Keldeo and TWave Clefable on the ladder, and actually try it out before you say it's ass.
 
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Hi all. First, just wanted to say that this thread is an amazing idea. As someone that was incredibly inactive until recently due to uni, this thread is something I used to want and am now glad to see is a reality.

Completely agree with The Manifold Curiosity regarding Umbreon being best suited to a physical EV spread. I used Umbreon a ton in the early XY meta and it was ridiculous. People switched Genesect into it only to lose half their health, and then Umbreon would just eat a u-turn and wish up in response to the counter. It used to cause a lot of mindgames with mons such as DD Zard X and Excadrill, who would attempt to predict the wish and boost only to be slammed by foul play. Punishing a mon for boosting with a wall of all things is a brilliant feeling.

Unfortunately dark typing is not great for a physical wall, so you need a solid physically bulky answer to fighting types paired with this thing (used to use defensive Lando-T as it sorted this issue and was a fantastic wish recipient). It's still passive as hell vs. specially offensive mons (with the exception of some psychic types with decent offensive stats such as Latios), but it was certainly slept on and retains viability even in the current meta as an underrated mixed wall, although it's certainly very niche.
 

in the hills

spreading confusion
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Gogoat: The true GOAT
Gogoat is a really underrated mon atm. He has reliable bulk that helps him switch in and possibly set up on mons like Slowbro, Rotom-W and Ferrothorn. Also as a Grass Type setup sweeper, Quagsire will be a useless answer to it. Here's the set I've been using:

Gogoat @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 72 HP / 236 SpD / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Horn Leech
- Milk Drink
- Earthquake/Rock Slide

This set is great. I chose Horn Leech over Leaf Blade for added longevity. Milk Drink is a reliable recovery move. Earthquake to hit Heatran and Electrics super effectively and to beat Ferrothorn. Rock Slide can be used for mons like Talonflame, but generally Earthquake is better coverage. As for the EV spread, I chose the HP EVs to survive 4 Seismic Tosses without Leftovers recovery, 200+ Speed to outspeed Banded Ttar and the rest in SpDef to have better bulk while setting up.

What make some good partners for Gogoat?
diancie-mega.gif
rotom-wash.gif
heatran.gif
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tyranitar.gif
tornadus-therian.gif

Magnezone is a good partner for for Gogoat because it traps Skarmory and checks Clefable, two of Gogoat's biggest defensive threats. Diancie and Gogoat together are also good because they cover each other well, just as Tyranitar, Heatran and Rotom-W do with Gogoat. Tornadus-T has access to U-Turn to get good opportunities for Gogoat to set up and beats some of Gogoats hardest checks.

What are some threats to Gogoat?

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Skarmory

Skarmory is a great check to Gogoat as it resists Horn Leech for x1/4, is immune to Earthquake and takes Rock Slides like there's nothing. It can also phase it with Whirlwind.

tornadus-therian.gif

Tornadus-T
Tornadus-T is a great partner for Gogoat, but it's also a major threat to it. It can't take Rock Slides well, but it takes Horn Leech for days and hits back hard with Hurricane.

Talonflame_XY.gif

Talonflame
Pretty much the same case as Tornadus-T, except it can also set up on Gogoat with its offensive set or WoW it with defensive.

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Tangrowth
Ah yes Tang, the great wall of evil. This thing is crazy bulky and it's typing pretty much shuts Gogoat down. Tangrowth can't do too much back however without Toxic or Sludge Bomb.

Amoonguss_XY.gif

Amoonguss
Amoonguss is great at what it does; phasing mons with Clear Smog, and there's no exception for Gogoat

Clefable_XY.gif

Unaware Clefable
Unaware Clef walls Gogoat really hard, just as it does with other setup sweepers that can't hit it super effective.

Gogoat is a great setup sweeper that needs more recognition in OU. It has multiple opportunities to setup on teams, and pairs well with some great Mons that help cover his threats well.
 

Attachments

HailFall

my cancer is sun and my leo is moon
Honchkrow
What are the best sets for this pokemon in OU and why?
Honchkrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Icy Wind
- Superpower / Heat Wave

This set takes full advantage of Honchkrow's niches. Brave Bird is Honchkrow's most powerful move and it really is ridiculously strong, notably 2HKOing Mega Sableye and almost anything else that doesn't resist flying after rocks. Sucker Punch is Honchkrow's second STAB move and it lets it threaten faster threats. Icy Wind is used in the next slot to enable Honchkrow to 2HKO several common bird checks such as defensive Landorus-T and Garchomp without taking damage from Rocky Helmet or Rough Skin while also having the potential to slow offensive mons at or below 115 speed below Honchkrow's speed on the switch. Superpower is the final move for this set, and it allows Honchkrow to defeat pokemon such as Heatran and Tyranitar. Heat Wave is another option that allows Honchkrow to 2HKO Skarmory, and also defeat Ferrothorn without taking Iron Barbs damage. You can run Pursuit to trap Latis that predict a sucker punch and try to switch, but Honchkrow is hard pressed to come up with the free slot for it. Steel Wing is another option to hit Mega Diancie, but it is suboptimal for the same reasons as pursuit, as well as the fact that it literally only hits Diancie. Return is an option to 2HKO Rotom-W at +1, but has little use outside that. Life Orb is Honchkrow's chosen item that maximizes its power while maintaining maximum flexibility. Moxie is the chosen ability to rack up attack boosts and have a snowball effect where Honchkrow becomes progressively harder to stop with each KO it gets. A Naive nature is used to outspeed Celebi, standard defensive Garchomp, Volcanion, Bisharp, and other base 70s.

What types of teams does it fit on?
Honchkrow tends to work best on birdspam thanks to its ability to lure commmon bird checks like Garchomp, Tyranitar, and Landorus-T. Its a very offensive pokemon, so it works best on offensive builds in general.

What pokemon does it compete with for a spot on teams?
On birdspam Honchkrow's largest competition is with Staraptor. Staraptor provides more raw power, along with the ability to muscle past pokemon like Rotom-W far more easily. Honchkrow's niche is fairly unique so theres not many other mons it competes with.

What partners work well with it?
Talonflame is a big one, completing a birdspam core and working to clean up after Honchkrow has nuked the opposing team. Latias is a good partner which checks Keldeo which is a massive thorn in Honchkrow's side, Defogs hazards away to minimize the damage Honchkrow takes each time it comes in, and provides Healing Wish support which Honchkrow absolutely loves. Scarf Jirachi is another good teammate that checks Mega Diancie, while also generating momentum to bring Honchkrow in safely with U-Turn, and also providing Healing Wish. Finally Mega Scizor is a good partner because it can beat weavile as well as provide an even better slow U-Turn for Honchkrow to come in with.
 
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roserade is D rank in VR, and it doesn't have a smogdex set, so i assume it's okay to talk about it here :3c. also:

[17:19] @Albacore: wait is roserade ranked
[17:19] @Albacore: im pretty sure we dropped that
hehehe. with that out of the way, i wanna talk about this super shitty pokemon!

Roserade @ Leftovers / Black Sludge
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 240 HP / 100 Def / 168 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes / Toxic Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis / Rest

the only niche roserade has over comparable (not ferrothorn) grass types is access to spikes / tspikes, and tspikes aren't really as great as normal spikes (especially atm) due to the amount of pokemon immune to them & popular poison types that can remove them by switching in such as amoonguss and nidoking. roserade faces quite a bit of competition as a bulkier grass in OU in pokemon like mega venusuar, amoonguss, and tangrowth. amoonguss has clear smog, meaning it does a better job against clefable, and both tangrowth and amoonguss have regenerator and superior bulk.

i'm not really sure how roserade would be used offensive / what the actual best sets for roserade are, so i'd really like to hear that stuff! i'm not trying to act like i know what i'm talking about with this pokemon; this is just the set i used in building and testing (1 game lol) with it. with that out of the way, let me explain this set:

100 def allows roserade to avoid the 2hko from specs keldeo's secret sword after rocks. spikes / tspikes are the only reason you should be using roserade in the first place. giga / sludge bomb are STAB & nice coverage. synthesis lets you actually check keldeo and stuff without getting worn down easily. rest allows roserade to be more of a pivot than a wall; you click rest & then switch out to wake up, whereas with synthesis, you stay in and heal 50% (more wall-like).

Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Extreme Speed
- Stone Edge
- Bulldoze

Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch

Keldeo-Resolute @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 240 HP / 236 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Healing Wish

Roserade @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 240 HP / 100 Def / 168 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
- U-turn
here's the team i used to play around with roserade. i put this together pretty quickly, and i only tested it once, so it isn't really amazing or anything lol. anyways, i was building some voltturn with CB entei, and i really wanted to incorporate spikes without the team becoming too passive (with skarmory or something). roserade seemed nice because i needed a keld check and rotom-w switch-in, so i threw it on here. i won't go into an overly complex explanation of this team / the building process so... lando-t & mane are speedy pivots to whittle stuff down & bring entei in, keld is glue + a set-up wincon so i'm not relying on entei as the main wincon, and jirachi is a slow pivot to bring entei in while providing SR. pretty much everything except entei / roserade provide glue for the team against common threats :p

again, i'd really like to hear what roserade sets other people are using since i wasn't really sure what to use when building with this one n_n.
 

HailFall

my cancer is sun and my leo is moon
Roserade @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 72 HP / 244 SpA / 192 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sludge Bomb / Sleep Powder
- Spikes / Toxic Spikes

This is what I've seen used on offensive spiker variants of roserade. Kind of guessing on the evs, went for enough speed to outspeed positive natured base 70s like volcanion, max spatk, rest in hp. Ended up taking 8 EVs out of spatk to hit a LO number in HP. Giga is main stab thats deceptively powerful, ohkoing rotom-w and dealing good damage on neutral hits. Technician hp fire is really strong, 2hkoing stuff like amoonguss despite not being STAB. Sludge bomb gives coverage on birds and clef, but sleep powder is something ive seen too to cripple switchins like latios. Spikes and tspikes are obvious in what they do. Just looking at its movepool some other interesting options seem to be extrasensory to hit stuff like venu, hp ground to lure heatran, and leaf storm for a more powerful but less consistent STAB move.

edit: whoops original spread didnt account for hp fire speed drop, fixed

edit2 @ below: oh yeah in the previous edition of this thread i made a spread for mega abomasnow if anyone is interested; this is just c/p'd from the original thread

Abomasnow-Mega @ Abomasite
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 192 HP / 124 Atk / 136 SpA / 56 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Blizzard
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake
- Substitute / Ice Shard

The attack is enough to 2hko clef with wood hammer, outspeed paralyzed mega zam and every other mon slower than it paralyzed, ohko torn-t with blizzard after rocks, and the rest is dumped in HP to maximize bulk and make it so you can take more recoil dmg. You can also use a spread of 36 HP / 124 Atk / 192 Def / 100 SpA / 56 Spe if you want to set up sub on psyshock slowbro but you can no longer ohko torn-t after rocks with blizzard.

on another note i dont really think sd mega abomasnow is good. it almost never actually gets an opportunity to set up and even on something like trick room you have better ways to be spending turns
 
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the man himself :]
i liked mega-abomasnow concept so i tried it out. a couple time ago a team w/ mega-abo took me to 1600-1700ish ladder w alt, but some players made top 10 (even #1).

the first thing we notice is the worst dual-type in this game :[ being weak to a lot of common attacks in this meta. its also very slow, and the speed drops when mega-evolve.
keep in mind that is very very very very niche because its weak to common attacks and, in general, there are better ice or grass options around.

but it have good movepool options, with hammer arm, earthquake and hp fire standing as coverage options, and utility in swords dance, substitute and leech seed. also good bulk, so it cant be really touched by neutral/resisted moves. for example, scarf lando-t earthquake does 26-31% to this set. its also great for water (be careful with burn) and electric attacks. paired with snow warning, its a good switchin because it also helps crippling stuff.

in this very grounded meta it can really really shine abusing ice stab attacks and providing hail for other abusers aswell. unfortunatelly, thats just one side of the coin. decrease of electric mons usage and increase of spikes make the guys job a lot harder :[
so that depends a lot on how will you use it! :]

What are the best sets for this pokemon in OU and why?


Heart of Winter (Abomasnow-Mega) @ Abomasite
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 128 HP / 130 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Ice Shard
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Earthquake

that's the one i've been using.
the EV ensures the best bulk and offensive output possible. 128 HP makes it always tank specs keldeo from full and 252 SpA allows it to OHKOit back. YES
the moves are somewhat standard. ice shard for priority, blizzard to abuse hail, giga drain dent (and kill any variant bar AV) azumarill and rotom-wash, and earthquake is chosen coverage move for heatran and jirachi. HP fire is specially good for scizor and ferrothorn. (tip: blizzard does 43-51%).

other viables options are physical with SD.
in more defensive oriented teams (and if you dont want to spend a mega slot with it), sub-leech regular aboma works too.

What types of teams does it fit on?
bulky offense, i guess, because of the nature of mega-aboma and the reasons up there. of course, it requires a lot of suport.
hail stall could actually work too, but i dont know how exactly.
trick room is also great because of its low speed and good mixed attack stats.

What partners work well with it?
there are those who can abuse hail...
offensive starmie is wonderful, running blizzard and rapid spin.
kyurem [!!!] and kyurem-black are two powerhouses and will never miss the stab.

... and who can cover its weaknesses.
hazard control is a must. lati@s and starmie are the best options.
steel types are a pain. excadrill, jirachi, scizor, heatran and magnezone will easily roll over aboma. magnezone, heatran and landorus-t pressure them.
flying types. heatran and landorus-t helps dealing with talonflame and tornadus, the most common.
rock, fire and fight. keldeo, heatran and landorus-t again helps. jirachi could work too, but i havent tested it yet.
the less common poison too. talonflame could help easing pressure from mega-venu.

things that are particularly a pain and havent been discussed yet:
mega-pinsir
chansey
gengar
zard y and x
excadrill
tyranitar
heatran
breloom
lopunny
skarmory
medicham
mega-metagross

sample team
http://pastebin.com/AMjJA3Z3






:]
 
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Amane Misa

Bring Them Home Now!
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I have seen this Pokémon used as a revenge killer on two teams so I thought for myself "let's analyse it a bit for fun".

Slaking has a devastating base attack- 160 and it is very tanky (150/100/65). It also has quite a big movepool and an average speed.

Sets:


Slaking @ Choice Band
Ability: Truant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Giga Impact / Double-Edge / Return
- Retaliate / Double-Edge
- Play Rough / Sucker Punch
- Fire Punch / Play Rough

Choice Band is the item you really wanna use. I guess you can go with Life Orb or Silk Scarf but Choice Band is just really powerful and Slaking is more like a hit-and-run Pokémon. Choice Scarf can be used but take into account that its Double-Edge only 3HKOs Slowbro, Hippowdon and Landorus-T from full. It sometimes 2HKO TankChomp but too much recoil so meh.

EVs are pretty self-explained. Adamant nature is preffered because you wanna get as much power as possible. It surpasses even an Adamant Mega Medicham's attack stat with a Choice Band.

If Giga Impact is used, use it with caution because you will not be able to switch the next turn. Retaliate is a very interesting option and I personally really love it. After a Pokémon in your party is fainted, Retaliate becomes a 140 BP STAB move with no drawbacks. I don't really like Sucker Punch but it helps against Lati@s and faster Pokémon in general. Fire Punch catches Ferrothorn and Scizor on the switch-in. It also revenge kills Mega Scizor if it tries to SD up, assuming Slaking is healthy enough. Play Rough is a very nice Mega Sableye lure that OHKOs the regular Utility set after a bit of prior damage.

Another set made by Martin. could be found here: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/oras-ou-underdog-v3.3573536/#post-6932066. This is a Choice Scarf set.

Partners:
  • : As stated before (in my team's description) Excadrill and Slaking both weaken each other's switch-ins (Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Slowbro and what not).
  • ,
    : Both form a cool Normal Spam core with Slaking, weakening same switch-ins.
  • /
    : Steel types could be taken down with Fire Punch but they have to make Slaking think twice before firing off a STAB move.
  • Pursuit: Lati@s can scare Slaking out with a Draco Meteor. Ghost Pokémon such as Gengar can switch-in on a predicted Normal move. Pursuit removes Lati@s and Ghost Pokémon from the battle (hopefully).
  • : Because of Truant, set-up Pokémon can abuse Slaking's loaf and set-up on its face. A Prankster Encore is appreciated to lock the set-up Pokémon into their set-up move (thanks Martin.).
Checks and Counters:
  • : Mega Aggron deserves a special mention. Slaking's best move to hit it with is Fire Punch, and that's most of the time a 4HKO. Low Kick can be use if you are real enough.
  • : If not running Double-Edge (which is a 2HKO but Truant is a thing), Heatran resists the moves in the set I provided, though thanks to Slaking's huge movepool, Heatrans can be sniped with an Earthquake or a Fighting move.
  • : If not running Play Rough, the average utility Mega Sableye can switch into Slaking's attacks if the Sableye is above 46% and if rocks aren't up.
  • ,
    ,
    : Bulky steel types can wall Slaking if Fire Punch is missing.
Sample Teams:

Slaking fits really well on Bulky Offensive teams and can work on Balance:


The Beauty and The Beast (a homemade Slaking sand balance made by yours truly)
That's pretty much a sand balance skeleton with Slaking lol. Slaking has nice synergy with Excadrill by weakening each other's counters and what not. I wanted Play Rough Slaking so this team could deal with Stall a lot better. A Brazilian Tyranitar because my team is kinda slow-ish. Gardevoir is a powerful wallbreaker that works really well on Sand teams because it breaks balance. Rocky Helmet Tangrowth counters Landorus, Mega Swampert, Mega Lopunny, Bisharp and what not. Slowking because I wanted two kings in the team helps a lot with Keldeo and special attackers in general. It can either spam T-wave with Tyranitar or Calm Mind and win games.


Slaking (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Truant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge / Return
- Retaliate
- Play Rough
- Fire Punch

Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 180 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Thunder Wave

Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin

Gardevoir-Mega (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp

Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Calm Mind / Thunder Wave
- Slack Off

Tangrowth @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 244 HP / 216 Def / 48 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Fire]



Ktutverde's Normal Spam (stole it from an RMT)

Djungelbuch (Slaking) @ Choice Band
Ability: Truant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Giga Impact
- Fire Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Retaliate

Polic (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt

Sewl (Azumarill) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off

Mrraw! (Landorus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Kepi (Lopunny) @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch

Soulocéan (Dragalge) @ Draco Plate
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 228 HP / 252 SpA / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast
- Toxic Spikes


AM's Team (stole it from the teambuilding workshop)


Didn't really find an in-depth analysis so I will just link AM's original post: http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...d-post-414-pag-17.3570296/page-7#post-6818848

Gardevoir-Mega (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Hyper Voice
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt

Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Atk / 100 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Bullet Punch

Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Secret Sword
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Focus Blast

Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Taunt

Landorus-Therian @ Custap Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock

Slaking (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Truant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Fire Punch


Fun Calcs:
252+ Atk Choice Band Slaking Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Hippowdon: 262-310 (62.3 - 73.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Slaking Double-Edge vs. 248 HP / 228+ Def Landorus-T: 198-234 (51.9 - 61.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Slaking Giga Impact vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Mega Slowbro: 223-264 (56.5 - 67%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Slaking Double-Edge vs. 240 HP / 176+ Def Garchomp: 300-354 (71.9 - 84.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Slaking Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 180-212 (53.8 - 63.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252+ Atk Choice Band Slaking Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 112 Def Mega Sableye: 284-336 (93.4 - 110.5%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO

+2 44 Atk Technician Mega Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Slaking: 190-225 (43 - 51%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO
 
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Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
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As much as I hate to say it, I've fucked around with Slaking in the past with this set as opposed to Choice Band:

Slaking @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Truant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Retaliate
- Giga Impact
- Earthquake / Fire Punch / Brick Break / Night Slash / Pursuit
- Earthquake / Fire Punch / Brick Break / Night Slash / Pursuit

My thought process when using Slaking was "I'm using it to revenge kill stuff anyway, and I'm never keeping it in for more than one turn either, so I might as well use Scarf Retalliate." Retalliate provides a 140 BP revenge killing move off of it's base 160 attack stat which, while not boosted by nature/item, is still nothing to be scoffed at. For reference, Retalliate does over 50% to Chansey, which is testament to how destructive this thing is as a revenge killer (even though you aren't realistically using this thing to take on Chansey). I have chosen Giga Impact in the second slot because the only time you will ever use any STAB other than Retalliate is in a last-mon situation when the fact that Giga Impact forces you to stay on the field no longer matters. EQ nails Heatran, Fire Punch nails Ferro/Scizor and is it's most powerful move vs. Skarmory, Brick Break nails Tyranitar while still hitting Ferrothorn super effectively and Pursuit/Night Slash nails Gengar--allowing you to revenge kill it--while Pursuit also traps Lati@s who try to switch out of you. The moveset will be tailored to the needs of the team, and as such these are all valid options.

Ultimately what makes Slaking so mediocre is how easy Truant is to abuse, so one of it's best partners is Whimsicott for it's ability to Encore stuff that tries to set up on Slaking's Truant turn. You have to tailor the entire team to take best advantage of whatever Slaking set you opt to run without it's Truant turns being too disruptive, so just keep that in mind when building with this.
 

Amane Misa

Bring Them Home Now!
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As much as I hate to say it, I've fucked around with Slaking in the past with this set as opposed to Choice Band:

Slaking @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Truant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Retaliate
- Giga Impact
- Earthquake / Fire Punch / Brick Break / Night Slash / Pursuit
- Earthquake / Fire Punch / Brick Break / Night Slash / Pursuit

My thought process when using Slaking was "I'm using it to revenge kill stuff anyway, and I'm never keeping it in for more than one turn either, so I might as well use Scarf Retalliate." Retalliate provides a 140 BP revenge killing move off of it's base 160 attack stat which, while not boosted by nature/item, is still nothing to be scoffed at. For reference, Retalliate does over 50% to Chansey, which is testament to how destructive this thing is as a revenge killer (even though you aren't realistically using this thing to take on Chansey). I have chosen Giga Impact in the second slot because the only time you will ever use any STAB other than Retalliate is in a last-mon situation when the fact that Giga Impact forces you to stay on the field no longer matters. EQ nails Heatran, Fire Punch nails Ferro/Scizor and is it's most powerful move vs. Skarmory, Brick Break nails Tyranitar while still hitting Ferrothorn super effectively and Pursuit/Night Slash nails Gengar--allowing you to revenge kill it--while Pursuit also traps Lati@s who try to switch out of you. The moveset will be tailored to the needs of the team, and as such these are all valid options.

Ultimately what makes Slaking so mediocre is how easy Truant is to abuse, so one of it's best partners is Whimsicott for it's ability to Encore stuff that tries to set up on Slaking's Truant turn. You have to tailor the entire team to take best advantage of whatever Slaking set you opt to run without it's Truant turns being too disruptive, so just keep that in mind when building with this.
I thought it'd be a good idea to link to your post on the sets list in my post. I also added Whimsicott on the partners list. Completely forgot about it back when I wrote my post. I guess that's why I shouldn't write big posts at 3AM hehe. I mentioned your name on both Whimsicott's description as a partner and on the link with a thanks, just so people won't miss it because that's a very cool set and a very good partner. I hope that's fine ^^.
 
Mega-Banette: The Ghost of Hoenn Past
Overview:

In my opinion, Mega Banette is one of the coolest yet creepiest Mega Evolutions added to the game. I mean, just read its Emerald Pokedex entry:

"An abandoned plush doll became this Pokémon. They are said to live in garbage dumps and wander about in search of the children that threw them away."

Banette almost sounds like my ex! She was trashy so I dumped her, and now she just looks around for me, follows me, and stares angrily at me...

All jokes aside, Mega Banette has a good niche in OU, with a very good base attack stat of 165 and a fantastic utility ability in the form of Prankster. In fact, it's Attack stat is on par with Mega Gallade's! Mega Banette's other stats are a little lackluster, but it definitely has it's uses. With a great support movepool with moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Disable, Cotton Guard, Magic Coat, and Toxic, Mega Banette is a great Prankster abuser. One of, if not the best, moves Banette gets that completely allows it to abuse Prankster is
Destiny Bond. Almost nothing is as good as being able to do your job as a utility Pokemon and then take out an opponents Pokemon with a priority OHKO. Lets look at some Banette sets that work well in OU.

Anti-Lead

Banette-Mega @ Banettite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Magic Coat
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw
- Destiny Bond / Will-O-Wisp

As an Anti-Lead Pokemon, Banette can use and abuse Prankster Magic Coat to both bounce back Hazards and Status', almost completely walling popular leads such as Klefki and Skarmory, who almost always set up Hazards. Why run a hazard setter when you can just bounce back the opponents? Shadow Sneak and Shadow Claw are used to dish out damage to lead Pokemon and you can run either Destiny Bond to KO an opponent when they KO you (and with Magic Coat you will almost never be afflicted by Toxic or Burn) or Will-O-Wisp to burn certain set-up Pokemon like Azumarill or just strong attackers in general, like Landorus-T (who usually leads with SR) and Excadrill.

The EV spread is used to give Banette the maximum amount of longevity while also dishing out the most damage to other Pokemon. With the current EV spread, Banette has an 88.9% chance to 2HKO Klefki with Shadow Claw and is a guaranteed 2HKO on the rarer Scolipede Spikes lead!

This set works best on balance teams without a form of Hazard Control or Hazard Setting.

Let's Play, Shall We...

Banette-Mega @ Banettite
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Atk / 44 Def
Adamant Nature
- Destiny Bond
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Claw / Shadow Sneak / Knock Off
- Taunt

This Mega Banette set is probably the one you will see most often, if you ever see Mega Banette in OU at all. Using Prankster to Taunt opposing Pokemon from setting up all over you, and then using Will-O-Wisp to burn strong physical attackers that plague the metagame currently, Mega Banette is one annoying Pokemon to face. Shadow Claw is run on the set to deal at least some damage to opposing Pokemon. Shadow Sneak can also be run for a weaker but priority attack. Knock Off can be useful to, well, knock off, an opposing Pokemon's item. Just when you're opponent thinks Banette is going down...Bam! Prankster Destiny Bond for the KO!


The EV spread is a little strange, but 248 HP is to give it Max HP, 44 Def allows it to live an unburned Soft Sand Lando-T Earthquake, and the rest of the EVs are dumped into Attack to deal as much damage as possible.

This set works best on balance teams who don't need a strong Mega Evolution to do damage or anything else for that matter.


Partners:
: Mega Banette and Sylveon work wonderfully together, with Sylveon resisting the Dark type attacks that Banette struggles to handle and being able to WishPass it back up to full health and Banette being able to burn the physical attackers that Sylveon can struggle to handle.
: Volcarona and Mega Banette are similar to Sylveon and Banette, but with a few differences. Mega Banette can either Taunt or Magic Coat, preventing the Hazards that wear down Volcarona easily from being set up, while Volcarona resists Dark type attacks, and can handle Bisharp. Volcarona also appreciates Banette either using Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp allowing it to set up easier.
: Chansey and Mega Banette form a very strong defensive core. Chansey eats up Special hits for Mega Banette, and in return, Mega Banette can eat up the fighting type moves that Chansey is weak too. If using a Cotton Guard set, Mega Banette can also eat Knock Offs for Chansey.

Checks and Counters:
: Bisharp can easily OHKO Banette with Knock Off or Sucker Punch and is immune to the Burn from Will-O-Wisp if it has a Lum Berry.
: Mega Lopunny hits Banette with Fake Out for up to 31% and can hit it with both High Jump Kick and Return due to Scrappy while Banette cannot touch it with Ghost moves. Lopunny does not appreciate the burn from Will-O-Wisp however.


Fitting Mega Banette on Your Team:
Mega Banette usually works best on Balance Teams, as it is too slow to work on a Hyper Offense team but too frail to work on Bulky Offense or Stall. Besides competing for a prime Mega Evolution slot, Banette can also be outclassed by other Prankster users. Klefki can set up hazards and paralyze opponents, Thundurus-I can be a Prankster set-up sweeper, and Tornadus-I is arguably a better Prankster Taunt user than Banette. If you have the option of a different Mega over Mega Banette (as long as it isn't Mega Audino), use the other Mega. Banette is very fun to use and has a good niche, but it fails to perform against strongly built teams. If you are looking for some fun to have and to mess around with some people, go for Mega Banette. Its is by far the most fun Mega Evolution to use in the metagame.

Example Team with Mega Banette:
This is a team of my own design, using strong offensive and defensive Pokemon to allow Mega Banette to fit on the team as a utility Pokemon:

Banette-Mega @ Banettite
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Destiny Bond
- Taunt
- Shadow Claw
- Will-O-Wisp

Keldeo-Resolute @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Secret Sword
- Scald
- Icy Wind

Tangrowth @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Leech Seed
- Giga Drain
- Toxic

Heatran @ Assault Vest
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Magma Storm
- Flash Cannon
- Dark Pulse

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Stone Edge

Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Protect

The best way to utilize this team would be to lead off Mega Banette, and counter your opponent's lead. Landorus T is a popular lead nowadays, and Mega Banette completely shuts it down, with both Will-O-Wisp and Taunt. Keldeo is most likely going to be your win-condition, unless Scarf Lando is more useful. Dark Pulse AV Heatran can demolish the Lati twins, and most special attackers not named Keldeo, but thats why you have both Sylveon and Tangrowth. Sylveon is a great Cleric, being able to rid the team of status and pass wishes to your Pokemon, allowing you to be more reckless with them.
You can just copy and paste the team into Showdown if you'd like to give it a try. Its super fun, I promise you :)


Final Comments:
Overall, Mega Banette is by no means a great Mega Evolution. A great attack stat and ability do not cover for lackluster stats in general. Although it has a great utility movepool, it does not have the defensive stats to be all that useful. However, if you'd like to have a fun game where you can mess around with your opponent, and see one of the worst Megas destroy a strong Pokemon like Charizard X or Excadrill in the sand, Mega Banette is your go to guy (or girl).
Hope you enjoy possibly using Mega Banette in the future!
 
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Martin

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I'm going to be talking about something which I used and talked about in around November which has found it's way onto a handful of my teams recently.


Stunfisk @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD OR 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
Bold / Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Pain Split / Yawn / Earth Power
- Discharge
- Toxic / Yawn

Stunfisk is one of my absolute favorite Pokémon from a casual standpoint. It is an interesting 'mon to say the least, and given current trends combined with it's good role compression ability it is just kinda nice in general atm.

What Stunfisk does is that it has a really nice matchup versus the now-omnipresent birdspam. And by pressure I mean really pressure. Between it's typing, bulk, helmet and static it can give both Talonflame and Mega Pinsir--which Zapdos fails to do consistently given that xtra actively encourages the use of Stone Edge on Pinsir to deal with it--a huge headache. Taking the aforementioned xtra birdspam, I'm going to present a handful of calcs to show how well it takes it on:
Spread 1:
252+ Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Stunfisk: 110-129 (26 - 30.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252+ Atk Mega Pinsir Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Stunfisk: 132-156 (31.2 - 36.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Stunfisk: 94-111 (22.2 - 26.3%) -- 93% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock
Flare Blitz has a good shot at 2HKOing after SR, but this can be abused by teammates.

Spread 2:
252+ Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 252 HP / 192 Def Stunfisk: 127-150 (30 - 35.5%) -- 31.7% chance to 3HKO
252+ Atk Mega Pinsir Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 192 Def Stunfisk: 153-181 (36.2 - 42.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 192 Def Stunfisk: 110-130 (26 - 30.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
In addition to any recoil that Talonflame takes naturally, it racks up helmet recoil and has a 30% chance to paralyze it with static. The same goes for pinsir, minus the natural recoil. Given that both Talonflame and Pinsir really hate paralysis, this is a really nice thing to have occur.

Next up, given it's access to Stealth Rock in addition to it's nice ability to use birdspam for lots of setup opportunities, Stunfisk is just nice for role compression on offensive teams. Similarly to Rocky Helmet Garchomp, it uses it's really good passive utility to not be a complete momentum sap when it's on the field. Specifically, you need to look at Discharge, Static, Rocky Helmet and either Pain Split or Yawn. Discharge's high paralysis rate make it even more proficient at spreading paralysis around the opposing team while also providing it with a reasonably powerful attacking option in a similar vain to Lava Plume on Heatran or Scald on bulky waters. This makes it hard for electric resists such as Latios to come in on and abuse it due to them risking being crippled by paralysis. Helmet and Static, as mentioned before, pressure contact hugely, and combined with it's typing and reasonably high bulk it is just nice utility for offense in general. Pain Split provides it longevity, which is why I personally think it is the best option for that slot on those grounds alone. It also allows it to help wear down counters such as Lando-T between it and Toxic, reducing their ability to check certain things later on in the match. Yawn, on the other hand, allows it to PHaze stuff like Latios that try to come in as you SR to guarantee that you get it up if they Defog in addition to being able to make Lando-T choose between switching/U-turning and staying awake or staying in, KOing Stunfisk/EQing whatever comes out and falling asleep for whatever comes out to take advantage of.

The first EV spread (with bold) is there to give it as good a matchup vs. birdspam as possible, allowing it to check it a little more consistently throughout the match, but the second (with calm) is there to maximise overall bulk (according to this tool), which helps with Electric-types to make you a big defensive answer to VoltTurn and it happens to hit a jump point in SpD which is nice. The latter spread is only recommended alongside Earth Power because it allows you to better counter Mega Manectric, which you can't immediately threaten without said move. It also allows you to avoid the 2HKO from LO Thundurus' HP Ice, allowing you to do shit in front of it without worrying about being 2HKOed (meaning you can SR or Toxic before clicking Pain Split).

The role compression that I was talking about is it beating birds, pressuring contact users and laying SR. It fits nicely on offensive teams for it's passive utility and role compression, and it isn't as easily overwhelmed by birds as Lando is, which is a really nice perk on the whole.

Stunfisk isn't flawless. It kinda has Clefable syndrome with regards to its stats being average all around, and it definitely has a minor case of 4MSS if you opt to run Earth Power+the mixed spread on it. It has difficulty doing much to Lando other than using Toxic/Yawn on the switch, and it is complete Latios bait beyond it's 30% paralysis rate on Discharge. Regardless though, you shouldn't sleep on it as it is definitely something which enjoys elements the current metagame.
 
I'd like to bring up one of my favorite Pokemon who can cover quite a few different roles depending on what you need for your team, Celebi.



Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
- Recover
- Baton Pass
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot

Or:

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
- Recover
- Baton Pass
- Seed Bomb
- Swords Dance

Or:

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 84 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Baton Pass/Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock/Healing Wish/Perish Song

Or:

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Earth Power

While not unseen in OU It is extremely uncommon. The baton passing core can be a multitude of ways, baton pass can be used to gain momentum the same way that U-Turn or Volt-Switch would while at the same time avoiding Pursuit trappers from Pokes like TTar and Bisharp. Celebi also has enough bulk to set up a SD/Nasty plot In
The face of a Banded TTars pursuit and baton pass the boost away to a pokewho benefits from it or a poke who benefits from a dark type attack like Terrakion with Justified.

A Calc:
252+ Atk Choice Band Tyranitar Pursuit vs. 252 HP / 148+ Def Celebi: 174-206 (43 - 50.9%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO after sandstorm damage and Leftovers recovery

The non baton pass set is also a premier check to Keldeo, resisting both of Keldeo's stabs and completely walls if He's not carrying Icy Wind/HP Bug, it and paralyzed it with Thunder wave or sets up rocks.

Another Calc:
252+ Atk Choice Band Tyranitar Pursuit vs. 252 HP / 148+ Def Celebi: 174-206 (43 - 50.9%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO after sandstorm damage and Leftovers recovery

Celebi also has a deep move pool with a variety of supporting options like Thunder wave, Perish Song, Baton Pass, stealth Rocks, Recover, and quite a few more.

Support and baton pass Celebi is a great defensive check quite a few pokes including Slowbro, Keldeo, Manaphy, Mega Lopunny, Azumarill, Rotom-W, and Mega-Diancie.

Fantastic teammates for Celebi are Pokemon who appreciate boosts like Keldeo. And also pokes who enjoy the added momentum and free switch in. Terrakion is especially good good because he can pick up a free boost from Justified.

Other great teammates include Fire types who appreciate Celebi's ability to wall water, Rock, and ground types like Heatran, Zard-Y, and Talonflame.

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Earth Power

If you don't want to use Celebi as a defensive or supporting role Offensive Celebi is a fantastic wall breaker and setup sweeper. Once Celebi's checks and counters are gone he doesn't find it difficult to set up due to his good bulk, decent defensive typing, and reliable recovery.

Celebi fits on balanced teams, but unfortunately for his usage stats faces competition from Serperior as an offensive threat, and Tangrowth/Amoonguss/Venusaur as a defensive Pokemon. Celebi also struggles with similar problems as Venusaur like 4MSS but with an added 4X weakness to the ever presence of U-Turn.
As a baton passer Celebi faces competition from Nasty Plot Togekiss who's typing gives him two immunities compared to Celebi's numerous weaknesses.

Celebi isn't perfect, and has its fair share of weaknesses, but I believe that his good traits outweigh his cons, and on the right team Celebi could do a phenomenal job either supporting his team or wallbreaking the opponents.
 

MANNAT

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Swampert: My Muddy Buddy

What are the best sets for this Pokemon on OU and why?
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed/Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Scald/Waterfall
- Roar/Toxic/Stone Edge

This is pretty much the only viable Swampert set that you can run, with Swampert really only having a certain role. Off the top of my head, Swampert is the only mon that I can think of that realiably deals with Weavile+MMane that fits onto offensive teams, which is an absolute boon in this tier. Obviously it can only come in to check Weavile a few times, but as long as you keep rocks up+have priority to revenge kill a weakened Weavile, then you're usually fine. Also, pert helps a lot vs birdspam because it can stop scarf drill from owning you, it can check talon, taking only 48% from a max roll CB bb, and it can tank a return from Mega Pinsir if need be. On top of all of that, Pert is an incredibly solid Zardx check that can really help out teams that don't want to rely on landot or random scarfers to check it. The set's pretty self-explanatory with rocks being rocks and letting you run thinks like sd 3 attacks chomp and scarf landot that are really good rn. EQ is important for reliably checking mane and zardx while having a solid damage output. Scald is cool because it spreads around burns that can change the tide of games. The last slot is a filler, and it hardly gets used, but toxic is nice for beating mons that are annoying to deal with like mlatias and mbro, roar is cool for setup sweepers that you may have trouble with, and edge just helps you vs birds if you're weak to them. Lastly, you're running max defense because manec does dong shit to you with all of its moves, and that's really the only mon that you're checking aside from the special side.

What types of teams does it fit on?
Obviously Pert isn't the best mon and only fits on certain teams, but it's still a really cool option that can take on a lot of common threats to offense. Its best fit is probably on bulky offensive teams that really want a solid check to the aformentioned threats. Swampert can also fit onto balance builds that really struggles with Weavile/Zardx, but there are often better options on those teams or spots you can switch out to deal with those threats better. Additionally, Swampert does well on hyper offensive builds that get owned by Mane from team preview, since it allows you to have a solid check to the thing while not getting owned by other anti-offense mons like Weavile. Below, I have provided a solid offensive team that showcases Swampert on a team that really appreciates its services while not really being outclassed by Seismitoad or Quagsire.
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Bullet Punch
- Grass Knot

Weavile (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Swords Dance

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Roost
- Defog

Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower/Knock Off

Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Scald
- Toxic
The team's basically a MMeta Offense with Swampert as the rocker for a team that otherwise gets donked by Zardx and MMane while relying on BP Metagross as its Weavile check. MMeta is there as a central breaker vs bulky offense. SD Weav is really nice to stunt on teams that rely on shit like tran as their Weavile check and can really help you win a game late or at least turn a game in your favor very quickly. Scarf Zone deals with ferro, sciz, and skarm, all of which are really annoying for the central core to deal with, and it can check certain offensive threats like Bisharp and opposing MMeta if need be as long as they're weakened. Latios adds a keld switch in while removing hazards for Weavile, which is important, and it adds a solid switch in to pivots like rotomw that can potentially annoy the primary core of the team along with being a nuker vs offense. Lastly, Azumarill was added on to add a secondary keld check, be a solid mon to threaten sand, and offer a backup check for Weavile as well as Zardx just in case I faced some sort of Weavile+Zardx team that would be too much for Swampert to handle by itself. At this point, the team's a bit weak to BD Azu, but the weakness is manageable as long as you pressure Azu and get it into range of being revenged by Latios. Also, I just realized that this is Ramp's mmeta offense with pert over Chomp ;-;

What Pokemon does it compete with for a spot on teams?
Swampert's main competitors for teamslots are Quagsire and Seismitoad, and while both are better than Pert on most teams, Swampert is actually better on select teams. Many of you guys might say that Seismitoad is better on every team, but its lower bulk really comes into play stronger attackers like CB talon, causing it to become a so-so check to them, whereas Swampert is a lot better vs them. Also, Seismitoad doesn't get access to roar, so it can't offer an emergency check to certain sweepers if need be. On top of that, Swampert offers much better offensive presence with EQ coming off of 110 attack as opposed to eq from seis coming off of a significantly lower 95 attack. Quagsire once again seems to be a bit better than Swampert, and it is most of the time, but Swampert has a few key advantages over Quagsire. First of all, Swampert's superior bulk really helps it tank hits from stronger attackers that don't boost like Band Talon, LO Weavile, and Mega Metagross. Additionally, Swampert has access to Stealth Rock, giving it a niche over Quagsire by being able to check all of said threats while offering some role compression by adding a stealth rocker to the team. Perhaps most importantly, Swampert's base attack is a whopping 25 points above Quagsire's, giving it significantly more offensive presence and means that mons that switch into quagsire are a lot more hesitant to switch into Swampert, just because of its higher attack. Obviously Quagsire and more importantly Seismitoad are better than Swampert on a lot of teams, but if you appreciate the extra punch that Swampert packs along with its slightly superior bulk, then you should consider adding it to your team as long as you have mons that Quag and Seis check covered.

What Partners work Well with it?

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Recover
- Hidden Power Fire/Thunderbolt/Calm Mind/Defog

Latios is an excellent partner to Swampert because it pairs it with a blue versatile mon that can tank hits from the grasses that trouble it while being able to lure in certain annoying mons with its insane access to coverage moves, finish off a hazard core with defog, or just be an absolutely terrifying win condition with Calm mind, being able to break through arguably its two best checks in Clef and Chansey with relative ease.


Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Toxic

Heatran is an amazing partner to Swampert and forms a really nice defensive core, being able to check/counter every OU-viable grass type reliably bar Breloom, who actually loses 1v1 because it can't OHKO tran with ice punch. Not only that, but Tran is freed up a moveslot since Pert has rocks, allowing it to run its best set in the stallbreaker set, being able to dismantle common fat builds like sabletalon and weavile stall as long as you don't play like an idiot.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-436650132 - Last couple turns really show where Swampert's extra bulk pays off
 
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Glad to see this thread being opened again !

For this one, i'd like to show one of my favorites Grass-types around : Shaymin !


(look at her it's so cute dayum)

Shaymin @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe // 64 HP / 252 SpA / 192 Spe (When using HP Rock or Fire)
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpD / 30 Spe (depends on HP used)
- Seed Flare
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Rock] / [Fire] / [Ice] / Psychic
- Rest / Synthesis

With his pure Grass typing and access to Natural Cure, Shaymin is one of the hardest counters to the #2 most used pivot in the metagame : Rotom-Wash.
Compared to Celebi, he actually cannot get Pursuit Trapped which is very important since Rotom-W is often paired with a Pursuit Trapper such as Weavile or Ttar.
But what makes Shaymin so special is mostly his access to Seed Flare, his signature move, which is pretty powerful (STAB 120 BP) while having that nasty 40% chance to drop enemy SpD by 2 levels ! That allows Shaymin to hard stop CM sweepers such as Clef from trying to setup their boosts at the risk of getting KOed themselves, thus making any special setup impossible against Shaymin (if you're lucky enough ofc)
The only problem with this is that Seed Flare only has 8 PP, thus making it easy to PP Stall for a stallish team.
Life Orb seems like an odd choice for a pokemon that is supposed to check things like Rotom or Keldeo so she would want to be as healthy as possible, but the extra damage is very beneficial, securing important OHKOs such as full speed Tran with Earth Power or ZardX after rocks. Plus, Shaymin can regain some health back using Rest + Natural Cure or even Synthesis (but i don't really like the latter since you can face sandstorm teams and Synthesis is pretty much useless against those)

One of the best things that Shaymin also has up to her sleeve is her plethora of coverage moves such as Earth Power, Psychic and Dazzling Gleam most notably, with the addition of possible Hidden Power thus making switching into Shaymin a pain in this ass.
MScizor or Ferrothorn ? got my HP Fire. Amoonguss or MVenu ? got my Psychic. Heatran or ZardX ? got my Earth Power. Talon or ZardY ? got my HP Rock. Dragons ? got my HP Ice.

(Edit : Forgot to mention that 192 Speed EVs with a Timid Nature allows Shaymin to outspeed Adamant MPinsir which is commonly seen in BirdSpam that recently gained a lot of popularity, since with HP Fire or Rock you cannot speed tie Manaphy, Timid Zard-Y and stuff anymore)

Here's some calcs to see the effectiveness of those coverage on commonly used pokemon in OU :

Earth Power :

252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Heatran: 411-484 (106.7 - 125.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard X: 244-289 (82.1 - 97.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Metagross: 198-234 (65.7 - 77.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Jirachi: 213-252 (62.4 - 73.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Bisharp: 286-338 (105.5 - 124.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Earth Power vs. 76 HP / 0 SpD Volcanion: 234-276 (73.3 - 86.5%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

Psychic :

252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Psychic vs. 252 HP / 120+ SpD Amoonguss: 205-242 (47.4 - 56%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Heracross: 205-242 (68.1 - 80.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Psychic vs. 232 HP / 4 SpD Mega Venusaur: 182-216 (50.6 - 60.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Hidden Power :

252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Talonflame: 260-307 (72.4 - 85.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mega Charizard Y: 255-302 (85.8 - 101.6%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 72 HP / 0 SpD Volcarona: 276-328 (83.8 - 99.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Pinsir: 312-369 (115.1 - 136.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock or Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus: 172-203 (57.5 - 67.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock or Ice vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Zapdos: 156-185 (40.7 - 48.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Ferrothorn: 218-260 (61.9 - 73.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 200 SpD Mega Scizor: 234-281 (68.2 - 81.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Skarmory: 190-226 (56.8 - 67.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Fire or Ice vs. 252 HP / 48 SpD Tangrowth: 226-268 (55.9 - 66.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 133-156 (44.4 - 52.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 328-390 (78 - 92.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 8 SpD Landorus-T: 343-406 (89.7 - 106.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Ice vs. 244 HP / 200+ SpD Gliscor: 265-312 (75.2 - 88.6%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Altaria: 138-164 (47.4 - 56.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock



What partners works well with it ?



Tyranitar is a great partner to Shaymin, since they can take care of each other weaknesses. While Ttar can trap Latis and that kind of thing, Shaymin can counter Rotom and checking Keldeo which are probably among the best answers to Ttar.
Band Ttar can also deal some huge damage to the likes of Chansey with Pursuit, letting Shaymin sweep even through Stall since it can destroy Quag for Ttar in return.




Rotom-Wash performs really well with Shaymin, since Rotom can switch in the vast majority of those pesky Ice and Fire attacks that Shaymin hates, while bringing momentum to safely bring Shaymin in the battle.



Charizard-Mega-X has a really great synergy with Shaymin, since you have ZardX which is able to scare off many threats that Shaymin brings such as Amoonguss, Ferrothorn or Jirachi, while Shaymin can actually destroy things like Defensive Lando-T, Heatran (thus letting ZardX taking Roost), or even Tyranitar, paving the way for ZardX sweep.



What pokemon does it compete with for a spot on teams?


Even if Shaymin has a lot of upsides, there are some pokemon that can do some things better than her.
The most common example would be Tangrowth, sharing the same typing as Shaymin, but having a LOT more bulk than Shaymin, allowing him to sponge U-turns which Shaymin isn't actually able to do.
Tangrowth also has a coveted ability in Regenerator, which allows him to counter Rotom-W even better than Shaymin, while regenerating health way easier than Shaymin which is forced to lose a turn and lose momentum to do so with Rest.

However, Tangrowth doesn't have the speed nor the insane offensive presence that Shaymin can bring.
There's not much other pokemon that could be used in Shaymin's place honestly, since Amoonguss is more suited in bulkier teams while Serperior is a completely different pokemon that has less coverage for better speed and offensive pressure thanks to Contrary + Leaf Storm (moreover since the SubLeech hype)

Hope that a Shaymin hype train will come off this post ! (that will not happen but well it's good to have dreams i guess)
 
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Dlanyer

Elle est crème comme Nivea, facile comme niveau 1.
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Have any of you guys used Lanturn? I hate trying to come up with Thundurus checks. It can realistically stomp out most of them either with a Mixed set or Nasty Plot, and its best checks don't prevent other electrics from using Volt Switch
The thing is pretty interesting, being able to 1v1 Elec mons like MManec, thundy, rotom, and almost any BoltBeam user bar KyuB. It can also be used as a flying check thanks to his bulk and typing (except Mega-pinsir). He can also gives you team a slow momentum and a cleric due to its low speed tier and an access to Heal bell. He can also spread paralysis or burn with TWave/Scald. The main differences between him and rotomW are Levitate and Pain Split as Lanturn lacks a good way to recover himself.


252 Atk Sharp Beak Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 40 HP / 152 Def Lanturn: 106-126 (26.4 - 31.4%) -- 15.4% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
160 SpA Tornadus-T Hurricane vs. 40 HP / 208+ SpD Lanturn: 66-78 (16.4 - 19.4%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Sharp Beak Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-W: 59-69 (19.4 - 22.7%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
160 SpA Tornadus-T Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W: 70-83 (23.1 - 27.3%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery

Seth Vilo Gives other explanations about it n_n
 
The Mighty Marowak





Marowak @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head/Battle Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bonemerang
- Fire Punch
- Double-Edge/Knock Off/Stone Edge

Marowak I found very interesting thanks to its item Thick Club which doubles his attack stat and with adamant its regular attack is 284 doubling it gives Marowak 568 atk stat which is huge, the one thing that won me over if rocks are up and it sets up sword dance it manages to destroy most stall teams only fearing quagsire burns, abr stall (due to weavile being a thing) and shit like fully defence hp alomomola, marowak can take on nearly any pokemon and taking down stall with only sr support with a few exceptions is pretty good if you ask me, now the main reason why marowak is held back due to its awful 45 speed but enough to outspeed uninvested skarmory however due to unique typing and got decent physical defences with 60/110/80 while mehh special defence but good enough to live one or two hits, m

Sword Dance is needed to OHKO threats like skarmory and physical defensive tangrowth with rocks on the field, bonemerang too hit twice which can hit subs, break rare odd sashes and more chance for crit, fire punch for skarm, tangrowth and ferrothorn now last option I prefer double edge to hit flying types with no recoil and lando-t better, knock off to guarantee one shot slowbro with sword dance up and no rocks while also knocks off enemy's item while stone edge hits zapdos without sword dance + with rocks set up but double edge is best last option, I recommend Adamant over Jolly since jolly only gives 207 speed tier and you will be using marowak to wall break anyway and you will miss out on key kills.
Good Teammates For Marowak



I really think Clefable is a Mandatory Partner for Marowak since it gives out rocks and manages to beat mega sableye without calm mind also setting up thunder wave to slow down threats for marowak to finish off, keldeo is a good partner since it counters weavile nicely for marowak while azumarill also counters weavile pretty well while also giving out priority helps beat calm mind mega sableye if clefable has to face while azumarill also appreciates marowak help for dealing with bulky grass types like ferro and amoonguss

Marowak's Weaknesses :pirate:

and Marowak's Speed

The main thing that holds Marowak back like I mention earlier before its marowak's dreadful speed and heck not even jolly can't outspeed a none invested rotom-w and faces competition with pokemon like crawdaunt which at least can outspeed a landorus-t and a rotom-w, hard hitting special attackers like latios give it trouble so try and switch on it when its either weaken or para'd and finally strong super effective attackers like gyarados and weavile hurt marowak

What for me makes marowak different its amazing attack power and being ground helps marowak being different and gives it some extra cute uses like being immune to electric which helps beat zapdos and none nasty plot thundurus while also having some decent defences and having thick club gives out no recoil and no locked moves in so that's an extra cool niche that marowak has.

Here are some calcs for marowak awesomeness
+2 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 294-348 (88 - 104.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 318-376 (78.7 - 93%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Bonemerang (2 hits) vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 686-810 (106.8 - 126.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

+1 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Double-Edge vs. 72 HP / 0 Def Landorus-T: 339-399 (100.5 - 118.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Soft Sand Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Marowak: 214-253 (81.9 - 96.9%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Bonemerang (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Slowbro: 356-420 (90.3 - 106.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Double-Edge vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Thundurus: 276-325 (92.3 - 108.6%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Marowak: 200-237 (76.6 - 90.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Edit: Forgot diggersby existed which has more attack power than marowak :pirate: but marowak is cooler, has more defence and not being weak to fighting is something over diggersby and still manages to get the kills it wants anyways
 
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