Project [Old] OU Matchmaking

[Deleted User [433215]]

Ferrothorn: Both have good defensive synergy with Slowbro taking on the fighting and fire types Ferrothorn wants nothing to do with like Medicham, Hawlucha, Heatran (with no toxic or z grass), protean Greninjas without DPulse or grass knot, and even walls Mega Latios lacking draco (which is a rare move on Latios) really well as many of them do HP fire now which Ferrothorn can’t handle. Ferrothorn, on the other hand, fucks with Ash Greninja, Tapu Koko, and non HP fire protean Greninja. It can also set spikes to help Slowbro with it’s lack of damage output as it’s pretty weak for a tank.

 

[Adapt or Die]

Amoongus, Tang, Bulu, Ferro people seem to think bulky grasses make the best partners for megabro. This is reasonable and I don't disagree but in the interest of offering up something different.

Greninja @ groundium z
EVs: 4 def 252 atk 252 speed naive
spikes
dig
gunk shot
ice beam

Lures and koes mage, lures and koes bulu which should be self explanatory. Lures and koes pex with its nasty tspikes that ruin megabro. Spikes support is always nice and motivates your opponent to defog to keep their own hazards off the field. Lastly ice beam just lets ninja do ninja things like hit zap and lando-t to win the hazard war. Can also soft-check ash gren. If your interest is winning games with mega-bro this guy provides a lot of support.

 

[PikaAbuser]

Thundurus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Sludge Wave

Thunderus-T is very good at scaring out Mega Slowbro's checks such as Tapu Koko and Bulu. U-turn let's it keep momentum by going right back into Mega Slowbro. It's also a great Turn 1 play against popular openers such as Lando-T and Greninja, giving you lots options that put your opponent at its mercy. Mega Slowbro can come back in to take most attacks that would knock Thundurus-T out.

 

[curiosity]

Superstition - Stevie Wonder​

Thank you everyone for another fantastic week of submissions! I'd just like to quickly remind everyone to quickly read over the rules, specifically the requirement of sets. Reason why I'm asking for sets to be included is because it makes the evaluation a lot easier, as a general evaluation is rather difficult considering the amount of different variables you have to consider. While yes, I can do it, but it does take up a lot more time than it already does. Thank you for your cooperation. Now with that being said, here's this week's evaluation:


I'll admit that Amoonguss is something that I've neglected throughout past months, but it's honestly a nice partner for Slowbro. I don't really have too much to add because I don't have too much experience with this core, but I generally don't like this core's susceptibility to really common breakers, namely Toxic Firium Heatran, Kartana and Mawile, which absolutely shreds this core, but that can easily be remedied by another mon so it's not too big of a deal. Another issue I have is that it's quite passive in comparison to many of its other partners, meaning you're not going to gain as much momentum in comparison to other partners, which kinda sucks in the matchup versus offence and even balance, where it's honestly a free opportunity for stuff like Garchomp, Alakazam, Lati@s and Charizard to come in, although I understand that the poison chance does exist, but that can be exploited easily, especially by Alakazam. I also don't like the fact that this core is generally less splashable than other cores, which makes it a lot harder to utilise in the long run considering that the majority of the time you're going to want to be using something like Tangrowth or Tapu Bulu in its place, but other than that, it's a cool core!


I'll admit that I'm really biased here since Tapu Bulu is the mon I most frequently pair with Slowbro, but that's honestly because I think it's the best partner for Slowbro in general. One thing that you didn't mention that I feel is somewhat important is that you're able to neuter other common threats to Tapu Bulu, mainly Kyub and Pinsir, which is incredibly useful for Bulu's survivability in general. On the topic of survivability, Grassy Terrain is a fantastic asset for Slowbro to have, considering that it provides it with passive recovery, which only makes breaking Slowbro harder than it already is (by negating entry hazard + ig burn damage) and combined with Regen pre-mega, just makes this an absolute pain to deal with, which is something that I absolutely adore about this core. I also love the fact that Tapu Bulu is incredibly splashable in comparison to practically everything else here, which is another reason as to why I think it's the best overall partner for Slowbro. Additionally, I think that Swords Dance is generally a much more useful when paired with Slowbro, unless it's used to help aid the Mawile matchup, which is fairly understandable considering that it's immensely threatening versus this core, especially if it's running Thunder Punch, but overall, I think Swords Dance is much more useful 7 times out of 10. I also don't really like this core's vulnerability to Tornadus, Kartana and Heatran, which can be incredibly detrimental, but again, can be resolved through the use of another teammate. But issues aside, this is a fantastic core.


Helmet Torn is also another fantastic partner for Slowbro, considering how splashable these two mons are together. There's honestly not a whole lot to say about this core, but I also love how this core is "proactive" in the sense that it's rarely losing momentum whilst also not being passive, which is a problem that other cores tend to face. Not too much to add if I were to be honest, but I do really like to run Heat Wave or Focus when running these mons together, as it has the capabilities to deal with two problematic threats to this core, being Mawile and Heatran respectively. Overall, another really fantastic core!


While I believe that Bulu is the better Grass-type partner for Slowbro, I still consider Tangrowth to be a fantastic partner for Slowbro. Similarly to Bulu, I really love Tangrowth's ability to really pressure Alakazam and Serperior, I find this core to be somewhat less effective in the matchup versus Ash Greninja, considering how heavily pressured Tangrowth is versus that mon, especially after several layers of spikes or even toxic spikes, which this core is incredibly vulnerable to, to the point where Ash Greninja just clicks Dark Pulse twice and freely gets a pick. While Bulu also faces these problems, it has the ability to remedy the spikes issue through the use of Protect, while also not having to worry about Greninja and Alakazam as much. With that being said, Tangrowth does have the ability to more reliably deal with Kartana and Magearna more reliably, whilst also providing invaluable Knock Off support, which is really nice for Slowbro's survivability. Overall, great core.

Also, this is just more a general comment regarding the set, but I personally don't think you should be running 28 defence evs when paired alongside Slowbro (ir in general for that matter) considering that Zygarde is already well handled between the two mons and that Dragonium Zygarde is horrible in the current meta. It also makes the Gren mu worse because you're cutting into the spdef evs which absolutely sucks because you become even more shakier versus both Ash Gren and zammer.


This is a core on paper that is fantastic, but in practice, I really don't like. Similarly to Tangrowth, I feel like it doesn't do a fantastic job at covering many of Slowbro's weaknesses, considering how easily this thing is worn down. While yes, it does provide Slowbro with invaluable spikes support, I personally feel like it does a mediocre job at remedying many of Slowbro's weaknesses: It can barely take on the tier's Grass-types, considering that literally every single one of them sans Venusaur has the capabilities to beat it either directly or indirectly in the case of Tangrowth (Knock + preventing Leech Seed recovery), frequently loses to both Ash Greninja and Hydreigon, whilst also losing to Alakazam, adding an additional weakness to Shadow Ball or Signal Beam Reuniclus, Knock Off Mawile and Heatran, I personally don't think that it's worth the trade off for providing Spikes support for Slowbro, even if it is incredibly effective alongside Slowbro.

On the topic of Spikes, Greninja serves as a great partner for Slowbro. Like many other submissions on this list, I find it to be a decently splashable core (although I probably wouldn't use this set in particular or even just protean in many cases), especially with spikes, which again, is incredibly effective alongside Slowbro. That alone is what makes Greninja fantastic, so good work.

I'm not going to sugarcoat this when I say that Thundurus as a partner just doesn't make sense. Sure, you do lure in and beat several of its checks but the thing is that you're rarely going to be using Thundurus to begin with and even then you're primarily going to be using Thundurus on Hyper Offence, which certainly isn't going to be running Slowbro. I'm not going to expand on this further, but I thank you participating and hope you stick around.

I'll be posting another post since I've exhausted myself so expect an update later with the next pokemon, but thanks for the turnout everyone!

e:

Station to Station - David Bowie
​

This week's subject is Ash Greninja! There's honestly not much to say about Greninja that isn't already common knowledge; It's undoubtedly one of the tier's quintessential breakers, possessing many incredibly coveted qualities which are practically exclusive to it. I'm specifically referring to the combination of the fantastic matchup versus both offensive and bulkier playstyles it possesses, whilst also possessing the ability to break past the majority of its checks easily. I apologise for the relative brevity of this post, but Ash Gren's roles are incredibly straightforwards and I don't have much to add that wouldn't be classified as filler.

Deadline is Friday the 30th. Happy Posting!

 

[Jordy]

Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 236 HP / 8 Def / 148 SpD / 116 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance / Protect / Coil
- Toxic / Glare

Zygarde and Ash-Greninja form a formidable core together. Zygarde tends to lure in Tapu Bulu and Tangrowth, 2 of the most common answers to Ash-Greninja and can cripple them with Toxic, which puts a lot of pressure on them when they attempt to be checking Zygarde and Ash-Greninja at the same time. Zygarde can also kinda sort of take advantage of Toxapex. Glare could also be used to go for para flinch things with Ash-Greninja, but I find the consistency that Toxic provides a lot better.

 

[Marigold]

Reserving Mega Mawile

set

Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off

Some things never change for years, especially this core. Not only do Mawile and Greninja get free turns against each other's checks to either swords dance or spike up respectively, but they also mutually pressure some key threats (notably Toxapex, Ferrothorn, Mega Venusaur, Magearna). Mawile is able to Knock Off crucial items such as assault vests, eviolites, and recovery items to ease a transformation for Greninja... while Greninja can return the favour by laying down spikes to pressure Mawile switch-ins further and ease breaking them.

This duo completes a powerful fairy/dark offensive core (an unresisted combo except for opposing fairy/steel types), and a pseudo-"dark spam" core. Ash Greninja and Mega Mawile can handle a wide variety of matchups already on their own, but together they can even overcome poor ones.

 

[Egor]

Medicham-Mega @ Medichamite
Ability: Telepathy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Zen Headbutt

M-Medi pressures walls like Tang, Bulu, and Pex, which can stop Ash-Gren. Ash-Gren in return beats fat Psychics like Mew and Reuni, as well as deals with faster threats.

 

[Astra]

Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- High Jump Kick
- Power-Up Punch / Ice Punch

For the special defensive walls that Ash Greninja can't break through such as Ferrothorn and Chansey, Mega Lopunny is able to take care of it. Both also compliment each other with their respective way of chip damage; Ash Greninja's Spikes help Mega Lopunny get the KO, while Mega Lopunny's STAB-boosted Fake Out (and sometimes the rare Quick Attack) means for guaranteed chip damage for Ash Greninja to clean up via Water Shuriken. Their offensive coverage, along with their general speediness and priority, make for them to become a really nice offensive core for Balance and Hyper Offense.

Mega Lopunny vs Check and Counters to Ash Greninja

(Stealth Rock is omitted from these calcs as it's meant to showcase the synergy of Spikes and Mega Lopunny. Of course, these outcomes would be better with Stealth Rock up.)

252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 92 Def Ferrothorn: 324-384 (92 - 109%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 92 Def Ferrothorn: 324-384 (92 - 109%) -- guaranteed OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes and Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 244 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 582-686 (82.9 - 97.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 244 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 582-686 (82.9 - 97.7%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 244 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 582-686 (82.9 - 97.7%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after 2 layers of Spikes

252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Return vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Toxapex: 118-141 (38.9 - 46.5%) -- 90.2% chance to 2HKO after 3 layers of Spikes and Black Sludge recovery

252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 28 Def Tangrowth: 178-210 (44 - 51.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after 1 layer of Spikes

252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Return vs. 248 HP / 88 Def Venusaur-Mega: 135-159 (37.1 - 43.8%) -- 98.4% chance to 2HKO after 3 layers of Spikes

252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Return vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Gastrodon: 234-276 (55 - 64.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Gastrodon: 297-351 (69.8 - 82.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Gastrodon: 297-351 (69.8 - 82.5%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after 3 layers of Spikes and Leftovers recovery

 

[Random Passerby]

Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Explosion

The common way to play against Ash-Greninja is to throw Pokemon like Toxapex, AV Bulu, Gastrodon, AV Mage, or Chansey. Coincidentally, Mega Diancie can't damage most of these Pokemon as well, meaning your opponent might think it is safe to use the above Pokemon in against Diancie. Diamond Storm + Explosion will 2HKO all of the Pokemon above except AV Mage, who will be taking a lot of residual damage with Spikes up. Mega Diancie itself also provides Stealth Rock to aid in the hazards game.

 

[MFJK]

Heatran @ Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 16 HP / 216 SpA / 28 SpD / 248 Spe
Modest Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock

Heatran shares a great synergy with Ash-Greninja as it checks annoying Grass- and Fairy- types for it. Also, it forms a really solid hazard stack core with it, pretty easy to slap on generic bo builds. Overall a pretty solid core.

 

[Failure999]

I'm horrible at team building and pairing, but I am gonna give this a go. Reserving Mega Charizard X.
OK, here we go.....

Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz / Flame Charge
- Dragon Claw / Outrage
- Swords Dance / Dragon Dance
- Thunder Punch

These two mons work well together as an offensive core, courtesy of their STABs pairing well offensively. Charizard can switch in and deal with bulky grasses and SpD walls such as AV Tangrowth, Ferrothorn, Tapu Bulu, and Chansey that Greninja struggles to break through without something like Ice Beam or HP Fire. Meanwhile, Greninja can help scare out or eliminate threats to Charizard-X such as Landorus-Thedian, Hippowdon and Heatran (because this set lacks Earthquake). Greninja can also support Charizard switching in to what it can set up on with U-Turn.

The only Pokemon that can check both with its typing that is prominent in OU is Tapu Fini, which can be easily chipped due to a lack of recovery and is OHKOed by a +2 Thunder Punch. SpD-invested Toxapex also faces the same threat from Thunder Punch. Another annoying one to deal with is Chansey, which Charizard can easily trade a 1-for-1 at worst to knock it out with Flare Blitz or a boosted Outrage. In terms of speed and priority, Specs Ash-Gren's Water Shuriken should cover for faster mons (though they should be kept an eye out for).

Calcs against Ash-Greninja's checks

252 Atk Tough Claws Charizard-Mega-X Flare Blitz vs. 248 HP / 212+ Def Tangrowth: 324-384 (80.3 - 95.2%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
(Though if you are going against this physically defensive set, typically you can just Dark Pulse this Mon into oblivion, due to no special defense investment and lack of Assault Vest most of the time. Also, all AV sets are cleanly OHKOed)

+2 252 Atk Tough Claws Charizard-Mega-X Thunder Punch vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Tapu Fini: 376-444 (109.6 - 129.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Tough Claws Charizard-Mega-X Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Tapu Bulu: 366-432 (106.3 - 125.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Tough Claws Charizard-Mega-X Flare Blitz vs. 244 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 675-795 (96.1 - 113.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock (Will deal a lot of recoil, but if you don't want that, Outrage achieves this as well, while Dragon Claw can still deal a lot)

+2 252 Atk Tough Claws Charizard-Mega-X Thunder Punch vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Toxapex: 294-348 (97 - 114.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery.

Last but not least, while I posed this set, I actually thought of Mega Scizor for the pairing first, but I prefer that someone else writes up on that as I already posted this write-up (would love it if anyone does it).

 

[curiosity]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to thank everyone for participating in this project for the past several months, it's been a real pleasure to been able to host this for as long as I could. I sincerely apologise for making everyone wait for so long, but I've ultimately come to the decision to drop this thread. With a seriously busy school year coming up, I really can't afford to run this anymore without making each week last a month. Fortunately, Lyd has decided to pick this up. I'm sorry for the incredible inactivity, but hopefully Lyd will keep the project far more active than I will. Once again, thank you everyone for participating and best of luck to Lyd!