Note to Mods: I contacted Legacy Raider about locking my last RMT (which is dead anyways), so please don't lock this one.
And they don't pay me to make interesting titles. No one pays me, dammit!
So anyways, after an interlude with rain, I decided to get back to some pure and simple aggro. But what's different is that with this team, there are no designated sweepers, just pokemon that are fairly capable of breaking through a stall, as you will see below. My team plays on resistances and lures, as any well-made offensive team does, and devises both elementary and sophisticated tactics to check the threats of OU. This team will need updating for the new metagame after the entering Suspects are decided, so I may post another version of it again after a month or two.
It may seem that my team is fairly developed already, but feel free to change anything so as long as the synergy is not too disrupted as a result. Any suggestions are better than nothing! What I was hoping for was a way to work in an Electric attack absorber while still checking the threats here.
At a glance... (Pictures coming soon)
It's not your typical offense team, but all the sets are fairly standard.
Alakazam (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 24 HP/252 Spd/234 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Encore
- Psychic
- Signal Beam
---
This Alakazam is really a forgotten anti-lead. The purpose is to set up a Substitute, lock opposing leads into support moves, and get in (preferably) Heatran, who can set up Rocks and cause trouble. But the wonder of this lead is that whenever I am facing a poor matchup (such as Jirachi), I can simply go to Heatran and turn the tables, getting up SR and maybe even luring or crippling an enemy Gyarados. The strength of this Alakazam is in the team, not in itself, as you will see in my leads list below.
Also, Encore really is an underrated support move. My specially-oriented team of elemental attackers really disdains a Calm Mind Latias. But with Encore, I can lock said Latias into Calm Mind, thus allowing a free switch-in for whoever I choose (probably Machamp with its Payback). It's not limited to that, either. If a BulkyGyara (and most of them are bulky nowadays) sets up a Dragon Dance, and I'm feeling a bit drunk, I might try to Encore the Dragon Dance (I outspeed standard +1 BulkyGyara) and set up a Substitute, firing off attacks after that. If a Blissey enters and uses Softboiled, it's going to be leaving the field fairly soon, thus giving Alakazam a bit of anti-stall utility as well.
Alakazam also attracts Scizor like Megan Fox attracts horny teenage males, but hopefully by then I have a Substitute up. I use Psychic the first turn. If they Bullet Punch, I go to Heatran or Zapdos (later in the game). If U-turn, I stay in.
I won't bore you with any more details on how Alakazam works, so let's get to the leads list:
Azelf: I don't know why this thing is still number one, but Alakazam outspeeds it and 2HKOes with Signal Beam. Maybe I can Encore Stealth Rock along the way.
Metagross: Bullet Punch does around 56%, so I can set up a Substitute anyways, Encore, and go to Heatran for Stealth Rock. If they MM first, straight to Heatran it is, because that means no Earthquake.
Jirachi: Straight to Heatran. Some support sets have TWave, but my 'tran variant really doesn't mind paralysis like some do. Iron Head, the expected move, does lol damage against Heatran.
Aerodactyl: shit. Machamp and scarf Starmie maybe, or I can use Psychic against the Stealth Rock and bluff a Sash. Haven't seen too many, though.
Swampert: Encore the Rocks, or Zapdos on the Earthquake and bluff HP Grass.
Infernape: Substitute on the Fake Out (remember Inner Focus), Psychic to win.
Ninjask: Sub, Encore
Smeargle: Sub on the Spore, Encore if necessary, Psychic to 2HKO. Goes down like Clinton on Lewinsky.
Roserade: same as Smeargle.
Hippowdon: Sub to scout, Encore Stealth Rock, Gengar on the Earthquake. I despise Sand Stream, though.
Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP/16 SAtk/240 SDef
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Will-o-wisp
- Flamethrower
- Explosion
---
This is a Support Heatran set that I modified for greater wallbreaking utility. It serves as a partner to Alakazam, handily dealing with the leads that mean trouble for me. This set is a great switch-in to the Rotom formes when I'm worried about Shadow Ball from a scarfer hitting my Gengar. Will-o-Wisp is a nasty surprise for enemy Gyarados or Tyranitar who think they can get some free setup time (though I never risk staying in on a Tyranitar) on me, because when dealing with most players, it's fairly obvious that they rely on Gyarados to check Heatran. Flamethrower is there because the point of this set is to lure in stuff and deal with it, not necessarily to nuke threats. Explosion exists for Blissey and Latias (who is often lured in by this set), though I will extensively scout my opponent out with Machamp before I bother using it, just to make sure I don't hit a Swampert instead. Finally, in terms of typing, Heatran has solid synergy with Gengar and Starmie, alongside whom he forms a great offensive core.
Heatran is also one of my Scizor checks, but really, dealing with Scizor is a matter of incorporating anti-Scizor mechanics into your team strategy and your battling mindset. For example, double-switching to beat a U-turn spam becomes a necessity as a result of this.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 Atk/252 Spd/216 SAtk
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Energy Ball
- Explosion
---
Old standards never die. I may use HP Fire over Energy Ball, but I haven't seen too much of a reason for it so far, as Scizor isn't extremely problematic. I have enough Electric attacks here already, and I need Energy Ball to cover a Swampert and Hippowdon weakness. This dude is my main Lucario check, although I despise relying on Focus Blast's shaky accuracy. Again, Explosion is there for Blissey, just in case I get a bit randy with Heatran. Just as there are no specialized sweepers on this team, there are no specialized wallbreakers. Every teammate is capable of doing damage the requisite task he is called on to do, and all of them pose a threat to a stall.
Gengar and Heatran together work almost as well as Celetran, and both can easily take Scizor's U-turns, which is huge when facing the circle jerk of Scizor + Dragons that constitutes OU. It's really funny when I throw Gengar to Scizor's attack, because so many teams rely on Scizor to defeat Gengar, and the metal bug is now forced to exit the field. Also, both Gengar and Heatran together can handle Rotom formes fairly easily, which is big since they have risen in usage dramatically as of late.
The given EVs are to OHKO Blissey with Explosion, while maintaining a top speed to force Latias to engage in a speed tie if necessary
Starmie @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
---
My team doesn't give too many opportunities to Salamence and Gyarados to set up, so one might wonder why I'm using a scarfed Starmie. The reason is that if Will-O-Wisp from Heatran misses Salamence or Gyarados, the game might be over if not for Starmie. Also, the high speed helps in dealing with threats like Rain Dance teams, who are always threat to pure offense teams. Finally, a scarfer is nice to have around when I have to deal with stuff like ScarfGon and ScarfGar, who are easily dealt with by Starmie after Stealth Rock. If the enemy is using a Scarf or Specs Latias, Starmie is what comes in after a death to pose an immediate threat to it with Ice Beam, though I unfortunately don't kill it. The same goes for Scarftran (but I do kill the walking volcano), who is a serious annoyance to my team without Surf from this guy to take it down.
All in all, insurance is always nice to have around just in case the enemy has devised a strategy to get a setup going for the likes of Salamence or Gyarados by using Encore or Taunt or Screens or Baton Pass or whatever. As Scar from the Lion King used to say, "Be Prepared!" And Trick is quite annoying for Blissey to have to deal with, which gives me an even easier time of breaking past it. I mean, saying that ScarfBliss is a threat to a team is akin to saying that Michael Vick has high moral character.
Machamp (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/6 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dynamicpunch
- Payback
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
---
Trust me, I disdain using a physical tank on an elemental team, but some things have to be done. Even more of a threat than Blissey is Tyranitar, who can unfortunately actually attack rather than just throw around piddling Flamethrowers or whatever. Machamp is an excellent counter to almost all Tyranitar sets, only fearing Aqua Tail and Earthquake from the Choice Bander (and then, Gengar and Zapdos love Earthquake). Dynamicpunch is useful for shuffling around the foe and posing an immediate threat to Blissey (Machamp is my initial switch-in to the blob to make sure I don't get TWaved, which would suck).
Having another status absorber is huge for this team, and with Zapdos and Alakazam around, it pretty much ensures that Breloom (who can enter on Starmie's Surf) won't be harming me too much.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP/204 Spd/56 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Baton Pass
---
This guy is a real blast to use against people. Most offensive teams cannot handle Zapdos behind a Sub, firing off Thunderbolts from an obscene special attack. Zapdos enters in on Scizors locked into Bullet Punch (among other things, of course) and proceeds to wreck havoc on all teams that do not have an absorber for Electric attacks. And even if they do, I can just Baton Pass away to whatever I want. Gengar in particular really loves the free switch-in. Substitute and Roost open up possibilities for PP Stalls, which are even more sadistically fun. Finally, Zapdos is my answer to Suicune, who is destroyed by a CH Thunderbolt (which at the start deals around 68% anyways).
Maybe an Agility Zapdos would work well here too.
Threat List:
This team doesn't deal in terms of hard counters, but rather in terms of checks and stuff, for the most part.
Scizor: Heatran, Zapdos, Guesswork (what some people call prediction)
Salamence: Starmie (revenge), block setup in general
Heatran: Starmie, Heatran, Guesswork
Gyarados: Starmie (revenge), block setup in general
Rotom: Heatran
Latias: Alakazam (encore CM), Heatran (enter on choice attacker)
Tyranitar: Machamp
Metagross: Zapdos
Lucario: Gengar
Infernape: Starmie, Gengar
Jirachi: Heatran, Zapdos
Gengar: Alakazam, Starmie (revenge on both)
Swampert: Generally blasting stuff
Blissey: Machamp, Heatran, Gengar, Starmie, Alakazam (Explosion, Encore, Trick)
Azelf: Alakazam
Starmie: Guesswork
Gliscor: Starmie
Vaporeon: Zapdos
Magnezone: Heatran
Zapdos: Starmie (revenge), Alakazam (encore), Guesswork
Machamp: Alakazam, Zapdos (PP Stall)
Kingdra: Generally blasting stuff
Breloom: Machamp takes sleep, Starmie (revenge), Alakazam (revenge)
Skarmory: Zapdos, Heatran, Starmie
Bronzong: Alakazam (beats lead), Heatran, Zapdos
Celebi: Heatran
Flygon: Starmie, Guesswork
Suicune: Zapdos
Jolteon: Shit
Empoleon: Starmie (outspeeds +2), Zapdos
Forretress: Heatran
Electivire: Guesswork (aka, don't spam Electric attacks)
Togekiss: Zapdos
Weavile: SD Weavile can potentially sweep, but Heatran and Machamp have a chance
Aerodactyl: Machamp, maybe?
Snorlax: Machamp
Dusknoir: Heatran
Smeargle: Alakazam beats leads
NoobjasK: Alakazam (Encore)
And they don't pay me to make interesting titles. No one pays me, dammit!
So anyways, after an interlude with rain, I decided to get back to some pure and simple aggro. But what's different is that with this team, there are no designated sweepers, just pokemon that are fairly capable of breaking through a stall, as you will see below. My team plays on resistances and lures, as any well-made offensive team does, and devises both elementary and sophisticated tactics to check the threats of OU. This team will need updating for the new metagame after the entering Suspects are decided, so I may post another version of it again after a month or two.
It may seem that my team is fairly developed already, but feel free to change anything so as long as the synergy is not too disrupted as a result. Any suggestions are better than nothing! What I was hoping for was a way to work in an Electric attack absorber while still checking the threats here.
At a glance... (Pictures coming soon)
It's not your typical offense team, but all the sets are fairly standard.
Alakazam (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 24 HP/252 Spd/234 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Encore
- Psychic
- Signal Beam
---
This Alakazam is really a forgotten anti-lead. The purpose is to set up a Substitute, lock opposing leads into support moves, and get in (preferably) Heatran, who can set up Rocks and cause trouble. But the wonder of this lead is that whenever I am facing a poor matchup (such as Jirachi), I can simply go to Heatran and turn the tables, getting up SR and maybe even luring or crippling an enemy Gyarados. The strength of this Alakazam is in the team, not in itself, as you will see in my leads list below.
Also, Encore really is an underrated support move. My specially-oriented team of elemental attackers really disdains a Calm Mind Latias. But with Encore, I can lock said Latias into Calm Mind, thus allowing a free switch-in for whoever I choose (probably Machamp with its Payback). It's not limited to that, either. If a BulkyGyara (and most of them are bulky nowadays) sets up a Dragon Dance, and I'm feeling a bit drunk, I might try to Encore the Dragon Dance (I outspeed standard +1 BulkyGyara) and set up a Substitute, firing off attacks after that. If a Blissey enters and uses Softboiled, it's going to be leaving the field fairly soon, thus giving Alakazam a bit of anti-stall utility as well.
Alakazam also attracts Scizor like Megan Fox attracts horny teenage males, but hopefully by then I have a Substitute up. I use Psychic the first turn. If they Bullet Punch, I go to Heatran or Zapdos (later in the game). If U-turn, I stay in.
I won't bore you with any more details on how Alakazam works, so let's get to the leads list:
Azelf: I don't know why this thing is still number one, but Alakazam outspeeds it and 2HKOes with Signal Beam. Maybe I can Encore Stealth Rock along the way.
Metagross: Bullet Punch does around 56%, so I can set up a Substitute anyways, Encore, and go to Heatran for Stealth Rock. If they MM first, straight to Heatran it is, because that means no Earthquake.
Jirachi: Straight to Heatran. Some support sets have TWave, but my 'tran variant really doesn't mind paralysis like some do. Iron Head, the expected move, does lol damage against Heatran.
Aerodactyl: shit. Machamp and scarf Starmie maybe, or I can use Psychic against the Stealth Rock and bluff a Sash. Haven't seen too many, though.
Swampert: Encore the Rocks, or Zapdos on the Earthquake and bluff HP Grass.
Infernape: Substitute on the Fake Out (remember Inner Focus), Psychic to win.
Ninjask: Sub, Encore
Smeargle: Sub on the Spore, Encore if necessary, Psychic to 2HKO. Goes down like Clinton on Lewinsky.
Roserade: same as Smeargle.
Hippowdon: Sub to scout, Encore Stealth Rock, Gengar on the Earthquake. I despise Sand Stream, though.
Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP/16 SAtk/240 SDef
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Will-o-wisp
- Flamethrower
- Explosion
---
This is a Support Heatran set that I modified for greater wallbreaking utility. It serves as a partner to Alakazam, handily dealing with the leads that mean trouble for me. This set is a great switch-in to the Rotom formes when I'm worried about Shadow Ball from a scarfer hitting my Gengar. Will-o-Wisp is a nasty surprise for enemy Gyarados or Tyranitar who think they can get some free setup time (though I never risk staying in on a Tyranitar) on me, because when dealing with most players, it's fairly obvious that they rely on Gyarados to check Heatran. Flamethrower is there because the point of this set is to lure in stuff and deal with it, not necessarily to nuke threats. Explosion exists for Blissey and Latias (who is often lured in by this set), though I will extensively scout my opponent out with Machamp before I bother using it, just to make sure I don't hit a Swampert instead. Finally, in terms of typing, Heatran has solid synergy with Gengar and Starmie, alongside whom he forms a great offensive core.
Heatran is also one of my Scizor checks, but really, dealing with Scizor is a matter of incorporating anti-Scizor mechanics into your team strategy and your battling mindset. For example, double-switching to beat a U-turn spam becomes a necessity as a result of this.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 Atk/252 Spd/216 SAtk
Hasty nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Energy Ball
- Explosion
---
Old standards never die. I may use HP Fire over Energy Ball, but I haven't seen too much of a reason for it so far, as Scizor isn't extremely problematic. I have enough Electric attacks here already, and I need Energy Ball to cover a Swampert and Hippowdon weakness. This dude is my main Lucario check, although I despise relying on Focus Blast's shaky accuracy. Again, Explosion is there for Blissey, just in case I get a bit randy with Heatran. Just as there are no specialized sweepers on this team, there are no specialized wallbreakers. Every teammate is capable of doing damage the requisite task he is called on to do, and all of them pose a threat to a stall.
Gengar and Heatran together work almost as well as Celetran, and both can easily take Scizor's U-turns, which is huge when facing the circle jerk of Scizor + Dragons that constitutes OU. It's really funny when I throw Gengar to Scizor's attack, because so many teams rely on Scizor to defeat Gengar, and the metal bug is now forced to exit the field. Also, both Gengar and Heatran together can handle Rotom formes fairly easily, which is big since they have risen in usage dramatically as of late.
The given EVs are to OHKO Blissey with Explosion, while maintaining a top speed to force Latias to engage in a speed tie if necessary
Starmie @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
---
My team doesn't give too many opportunities to Salamence and Gyarados to set up, so one might wonder why I'm using a scarfed Starmie. The reason is that if Will-O-Wisp from Heatran misses Salamence or Gyarados, the game might be over if not for Starmie. Also, the high speed helps in dealing with threats like Rain Dance teams, who are always threat to pure offense teams. Finally, a scarfer is nice to have around when I have to deal with stuff like ScarfGon and ScarfGar, who are easily dealt with by Starmie after Stealth Rock. If the enemy is using a Scarf or Specs Latias, Starmie is what comes in after a death to pose an immediate threat to it with Ice Beam, though I unfortunately don't kill it. The same goes for Scarftran (but I do kill the walking volcano), who is a serious annoyance to my team without Surf from this guy to take it down.
All in all, insurance is always nice to have around just in case the enemy has devised a strategy to get a setup going for the likes of Salamence or Gyarados by using Encore or Taunt or Screens or Baton Pass or whatever. As Scar from the Lion King used to say, "Be Prepared!" And Trick is quite annoying for Blissey to have to deal with, which gives me an even easier time of breaking past it. I mean, saying that ScarfBliss is a threat to a team is akin to saying that Michael Vick has high moral character.
Machamp (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/6 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dynamicpunch
- Payback
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
---
Trust me, I disdain using a physical tank on an elemental team, but some things have to be done. Even more of a threat than Blissey is Tyranitar, who can unfortunately actually attack rather than just throw around piddling Flamethrowers or whatever. Machamp is an excellent counter to almost all Tyranitar sets, only fearing Aqua Tail and Earthquake from the Choice Bander (and then, Gengar and Zapdos love Earthquake). Dynamicpunch is useful for shuffling around the foe and posing an immediate threat to Blissey (Machamp is my initial switch-in to the blob to make sure I don't get TWaved, which would suck).
Having another status absorber is huge for this team, and with Zapdos and Alakazam around, it pretty much ensures that Breloom (who can enter on Starmie's Surf) won't be harming me too much.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP/204 Spd/56 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Baton Pass
---
This guy is a real blast to use against people. Most offensive teams cannot handle Zapdos behind a Sub, firing off Thunderbolts from an obscene special attack. Zapdos enters in on Scizors locked into Bullet Punch (among other things, of course) and proceeds to wreck havoc on all teams that do not have an absorber for Electric attacks. And even if they do, I can just Baton Pass away to whatever I want. Gengar in particular really loves the free switch-in. Substitute and Roost open up possibilities for PP Stalls, which are even more sadistically fun. Finally, Zapdos is my answer to Suicune, who is destroyed by a CH Thunderbolt (which at the start deals around 68% anyways).
Maybe an Agility Zapdos would work well here too.
Threat List:
This team doesn't deal in terms of hard counters, but rather in terms of checks and stuff, for the most part.
Scizor: Heatran, Zapdos, Guesswork (what some people call prediction)
Salamence: Starmie (revenge), block setup in general
Heatran: Starmie, Heatran, Guesswork
Gyarados: Starmie (revenge), block setup in general
Rotom: Heatran
Latias: Alakazam (encore CM), Heatran (enter on choice attacker)
Tyranitar: Machamp
Metagross: Zapdos
Lucario: Gengar
Infernape: Starmie, Gengar
Jirachi: Heatran, Zapdos
Gengar: Alakazam, Starmie (revenge on both)
Swampert: Generally blasting stuff
Blissey: Machamp, Heatran, Gengar, Starmie, Alakazam (Explosion, Encore, Trick)
Azelf: Alakazam
Starmie: Guesswork
Gliscor: Starmie
Vaporeon: Zapdos
Magnezone: Heatran
Zapdos: Starmie (revenge), Alakazam (encore), Guesswork
Machamp: Alakazam, Zapdos (PP Stall)
Kingdra: Generally blasting stuff
Breloom: Machamp takes sleep, Starmie (revenge), Alakazam (revenge)
Skarmory: Zapdos, Heatran, Starmie
Bronzong: Alakazam (beats lead), Heatran, Zapdos
Celebi: Heatran
Flygon: Starmie, Guesswork
Suicune: Zapdos
Jolteon: Shit
Empoleon: Starmie (outspeeds +2), Zapdos
Forretress: Heatran
Electivire: Guesswork (aka, don't spam Electric attacks)
Togekiss: Zapdos
Weavile: SD Weavile can potentially sweep, but Heatran and Machamp have a chance
Aerodactyl: Machamp, maybe?
Snorlax: Machamp
Dusknoir: Heatran
Smeargle: Alakazam beats leads
NoobjasK: Alakazam (Encore)
