OU Neck Punches and Laser Beams!

[KatamariLovesSpock]

This is copied from my thread on Pokémon.Marriland, so if you recognize this team don't bash me because It is mine.

Due Process

I started thinking about making a new team and I wanted a lead that could hit many of the common leads in today's metagame and still retain some usefulness if it manages to survive the initial assault. The first Pokémon that came to mind was Swampert and although Swampert is a great choice and isn't easily addressed by many leads I wanted something with a little more punch... Machamp answered my calls beautifully, with a sky high attack and decent defensive capabilities this body building Pokémon was a match made in heaven.

After I decided on a lead I needed a Pokémon that could adress some of my leads issues, one not being able to lay his own SR and, two having a slight problem with those pesky steel types. Heatran seemed like the only viable option with his ability to scare away basically all steel types and lay down some Stealth Rock's, unless Metagross decides to stay in on a whim and use EQ the odds are in my favor, but the set is a little more difficult on my part Shuca, or Choice Scarf... That is the question.

Now that I definitely have SR I need a Pokémon that can draw out fire attacks for use later in the game assuming that Heatran was successful in his Stealth Rocking shenanigans. The obvious choice is Scizor and that is one choice that I'm definitely not going to pass up. Scizor is the OU of OU after all.

In need of a sweeper I decided on Salamence due to great synergies with Heatran. Also assuming that Heatran has dealt with Salamence's main threat of Scizor there isn't much that can stop Salamence once it has gotten out one or two Dragon Dances. Plus, with the possible omission of Salamence to übers I may as well use him whist I can.

Many of the Pokémon on my team appreciate entry hazards being gone so choosing a Rapid-Spinner with great defensive synergies is key, Starmie fills the roll switching in well from Scizor and potentially Salamence. Starmie can potentially lay down some hurt if it has to as well though, which is a nice option for sure.

Although I dislike using Rotom, It is arguably the best Rapid-Spin blocker in all of the land, which my Pokémon more than appreciate. Scizor, and Salamence both take advantage of the presence of Stealth Rock's very effectively.

Machamp @ Lum Berry
Ability: No Guard
240 HP/ 248 Atk/ 16 SpD/ 4 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-DynamicPunch
-Bullet Punch
-Payback
-Stone Edge

Machamp is a physical beast and this set is able to take on almost every common lead in OU. These EV's guarantee that Azelf will never OHKO with Psychic. Also Lum Berry makes sure that Machamp can deal with the likes of Roserade though the lack of Ice Punch makes that somewhat difficult, sadly. The only leads that this set may potentially have trouble with are steels such as Jirachi, Metagross, and Skarmory all of which can easily KO Machamp without second thought. Metagross can 2HKO with Meteor Mash, Skarmory can intimidate with Brave Bird, and Jirachi can Flinch'Hax, which is personally annoying. Thankfully all of which are dealt with by Heatran or Rotom-H. Gyarados may also try to set up on this Pokémon but Stone Edge makes sure that wont happen.

Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
4 HP/ 252 SpA/ 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
-Stealth Rock
-Fire Blast
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power (Ice)

Due to Machamp's inability to address most steel leads Heatran is a great option. Though the Choice Scarf is a little risky most steels will be too scared to stay in and find out what item he's holding, though the wayward Metagross can be a problem if he decides to stay in and test his luck with an Earthquake. I'm not honestly sure if I can figure a proper EV investment that would allow me to live through atleast one Earthquake at the sacrafice of some attack power, though I would rather not do that, the problem may just all be in my head as most will be scared. Otherwise Machamp and Heatran have fairly good defensive synergies as Heatran can soak up the attacks that plague Machamp, though Machamp falls short on doing the same at times.

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
248 HP/ 252 Atk/ 8 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Bullet Punch
-Superpower
-Pursuit
-U-turn

Though I previously had a Choice Scarf Scizor I have been convinced that the more standard Choice Band set is better as I have no true check's for Salamence. As far as synergies go It works similarly with Heatran, whom catches fire on the switch and goes in for the KO. Choice Band has also proven a reliable set to me and I have noticed the lack of power behind Choice Scarf, so CB Scizor is welcomed with open arms.

Salamence @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
232 Atk/ 24 SpA/ 252 Spe
Nature: Naive
-Dragon Dance
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Fire Blast

Salamence manages to draw out some steels that Heatran loves to kill which is definitely helpful, but he's also a devastating sweeper once those pesky steel type's are out of the picture, and with Heatran's SR support Salamence can commence a sweep like a dream. Fire Blast is in to keep Steels from revenge killing Salamence during his sweep. Outrage tears though everything that doesn't resist it after a DD, though I hate being locked into a move so I may swap out Outrage for Dragon Claw so I'm not trapped into a move and get revenge-killed. Otherwise Heatran and Salamence cover eachother's backs quite well.

Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
136 HP / 156 Def / 216 Spe
Nature: Timid
-Rapid Spin
-Surf
-Thunderbolt
-Recover

Though my Pokémon like having Stealth Rock's of their own they dislike the opponents. So to address that and keep synergies I chose Starmie, a fairly bulky water whom can absorb some attacks, lay down some hurt, as well as spin away those pesky rocks/spikes/toxic spikes that plague my Pokémon so. Scizor and Starmie pair well as they both switch into eachother's weaknesses fairly well. With Recover this Pokémon is more than likely staying in for the long-haul and your entry-hazards are long gone.

Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Nature: Bold
-Trick
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Overheat

With a Rapid-Spinner now I need a Spin-Blocker and no other Pokémon fits the bill like Rotom-H, while it can block those pesky Starmie and Forretress it can also take them down with a respective Thunderbolt or Overheat. Trick can prevent stall from the likes of Suicune which has plagued this team from the beginning. With a new line of defense Rotom-H and the rest of my team have a little more of a chance against the likes of stalls.

Rotom-H has changed from the standard Defensive set to Choice Scarf to help cope with the likes of Suicune. Salamence has been revised to Fire Blast and Naive to make sure It isn't as easily revenge killed, though he may become Classic MixMence depending on how well this Salamence works for me with Scizor gone as a wall breaker. Scizor has reverted back to Choice Band from his previous Choice Scarf set.

 

[Nosferalto]

While I can vouch for Choice Scarf Scizor's effectiveness, it simply doesn't fit this team. Don't get me wrong here, Scarf Scizor is an excellent set but not for this team for numerous reasons I'll state later. With that being said what I would reccomend is the standard Choice Band set. Dragon Dance Salamence is going to decimate your team if you do encounter one, being able to set-up on with ease and proceed to single handedly take down your whole team - CB Scizor can take it down after SR damage and one turn of Life Orb recoil so this is definitely the main reason why I would advocate the CB set. You're just sacrificing power in my eyes by using Scarf Scizor since you already have some form of Speedy revenge killer with Scarf Heatran which already covers SD Lucario, the only thing the Scarf set can beat and not the CB set. Just go for Bullet Punch over Iron Head with an EV Spread of 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe @ Choice Band.

While you certainly have most offensive threats covered if you do go with a CB Scizor, perhaps another big problem I see with your team is the lack of a reliable way to get around a well built Stall oriented team. Rapid Spin is going to help a lot on Starmie but you need some sort of hard hitter in order to get past Stall. What I'm going to reccomend is go for a Classic MixMence instead of your current one. Go for Draco Meteor | Brick Break | Roost | Fire Blast with Life Orb and an EV Spread of 80 Atk / 252 SpAtk / 176 Spe. This particular set is aimed to use Salamence's monstrous attacking stats break apart Stall teams.

Anyway, I still remember your previous team and I noticed a big improvement so good job.

 

[Huntofthelion]

Hi.

On your lead Machamp, I would suggest going with Ice Punch over Stone Edge. The only coverage you're really losing is on Gyarados, who is handled by other members of your team and will still find it hard to set up on you due to confusion from DynamicPunch. Ice Punch will let you hit Dragon-types harder as well as hit Gliscor, a very common Machamp switch-in, much harder. Since most Macahmps don't carry Ice Punch, you should be able to catch a few surprise KO's.

Next, I'd consider changing Heatran up. Having SR on a Choice Item user that lacks trick guarantees you're going to give your opponent a free turn at some point in the match, which is something you want to try and avoid as much as possible. For that reason I'd suggest changing Choice Scarf for a Shuca Berry. This lets you bluff a Choice Item, as well as take random Earthquakes (MixMence) and KO in return. More importantly, it prevents you from giving your opponent a free turn when you set up SR, making it less likely that they'll be able to set up on you.

I don't really like Scarf Scizor on this team, and I think Choice Band Scizor would fit much better. Choice Band lets you actually revenge-kill Salamence after a Dragon Dance, as well as hit much harder with U-turns and your other moves. Change Iron Head to Bullet Punch, and your spread to 248 HP, 252 Atk, 8 Spe should you make this change.

The Salamence set and spread you're using doesn't seem conducive to using roost. You don't really have the bulk to roost while you set up, and if you get a free turn it would probably be a better idea to fire off an attack or attempt to set up. For that reason, I would change Roost to Fire Blast, your nature from Jolly to Naive and your spread to 232 Atk / 24 SpA / 252 Spe. This will let you KO the Steel-types that attempt to wall / revenge-kill you, making it that much harder your your sweep to be stopped.

Since you're without a Choice Scarf user, I would suggest changing Rotom to the Choice Scarf Set. This helps you against multiple threats, such as Gyarados and Lucario. You would probably have to give up Will-o-wisp for Trick, but if you play carefully you can avoid Pursuit users and avoid the need for burning them.

Rotom-a @ Choice Scarf
Timid; 52 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Thunderbolt / Shadow Ball / Overheat / Trick

Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball are there for STAB and coverage, while Overheat allows you to always KO Lucario as well as revenge Scizor and Metagross. Trick helps you beat stall as well as prevent CroCune and CurseLax from really hurting you. The HP EVs are to provide a little bulk to ease damage from switch-ins.

Hope I gave you some things to think about, Good Luck!