Introduction: Yes, I'm back for another RMT. Hope you enjoyed the break. My next RMT, which will also be OU, will include Gliscor + Metagross + Gyarados Baton Pass team. Don't worry too much about that team, since it won't be posted for about a week or two. I got bored today, so I decided to create a new team, one that plays mostly off of ParaHax. Also, Jirachi started dropping in usage, which is something I cannot allow. So, I decided to do something about it, like those guys that got Magikarp usage to a higher point.
How was this team created: Well, boredom for one. I was getting bored with my Baton Pass team, and to be honest, Baton Pass was starting to piss me off. Everything was so reliant on Gliscor (Gligar in UU) that if they went down, there went the entire team. Also, after sweeping the hundredth person with +2 Attack and Speed Metagross/Gyarados/Hitmonlee/Arcanine (or +4 Attack and Speed Bibarel), it got extremely boring. At most, I would have to adjust tactics slightly due to an unexpected switch, or an unlucky encounter with a Critical Hit. Other than that, it was the same thing over and over.
Send out Azelf/Kabutops. Set up Stealth Rock. Attack until either Azelf/Kabutops or my opponent's Lead is KO'd (or, in Kabutops case, Rapid Spin when necessary). Switch to Cresselia/Uxie, then set up Dual Screens (with Uxie, I'll usually cripple the opponent with Thunder Wave first, then set up). Switch to (or U-turn to) Gliscor/Gligar. Use Rock Polish, then Swords Dance. Taunt if I believe it's necessary to stop Status or a Trick/Substitute. Baton Pass to Metagross/Bibarel (the two Pokemon that usually end up destroying entire teams), and go crazy. For Bibarel, the only thing that actually took a +4 Waterfall and survived was a Miltank, and to be honest, Miltank can't do much to Bibarel beyond praying for a Body Slam Paralyze. For Metagross, the only thing it couldn't OHKO was Skarmory (which was remedied if it was weakened), 252/252 Rotom-H with no prior damage, and Swampert. Other than that, all destroyed by Zen Headbutt/Meteor Mash/Earthquake/ThunderPunch. And with +4 Attack...let's not even get into that.
I decided that I needed a new team to keep me entertained, so I went on Smogon and started looking up OU. I listened to the Smogon University Podcast, read The Smog, observed OU RMTs, and made notes on OU Analysis'. After about an hour or two, I had a new team. Hope you enjoy it.
Send out Azelf/Kabutops. Set up Stealth Rock. Attack until either Azelf/Kabutops or my opponent's Lead is KO'd (or, in Kabutops case, Rapid Spin when necessary). Switch to Cresselia/Uxie, then set up Dual Screens (with Uxie, I'll usually cripple the opponent with Thunder Wave first, then set up). Switch to (or U-turn to) Gliscor/Gligar. Use Rock Polish, then Swords Dance. Taunt if I believe it's necessary to stop Status or a Trick/Substitute. Baton Pass to Metagross/Bibarel (the two Pokemon that usually end up destroying entire teams), and go crazy. For Bibarel, the only thing that actually took a +4 Waterfall and survived was a Miltank, and to be honest, Miltank can't do much to Bibarel beyond praying for a Body Slam Paralyze. For Metagross, the only thing it couldn't OHKO was Skarmory (which was remedied if it was weakened), 252/252 Rotom-H with no prior damage, and Swampert. Other than that, all destroyed by Zen Headbutt/Meteor Mash/Earthquake/ThunderPunch. And with +4 Attack...let's not even get into that.
I decided that I needed a new team to keep me entertained, so I went on Smogon and started looking up OU. I listened to the Smogon University Podcast, read The Smog, observed OU RMTs, and made notes on OU Analysis'. After about an hour or two, I had a new team. Hope you enjoy it.
Team Overview
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Type Chart
Currently Testing
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Comp (Metagross) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 236 HP | 252 Atk | 20 Spd
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
Why This Set: Well, this set is one of the most common sets for a Metagross Lead, bar the 'No Stealth Rock' lead (one of the most potent Leads in the game, in my opinion). This set does what it needs to do, nothing more. I needed Stealth Rock, because my opponent constantly switching Pokemon without hassle was starting to piss me off, so Stealth Rock was in. Meteor Mash + Bullet Punch take care of more than a few leads, so in those two went as well. Explosion is for one last big attack, and can possibly take out a switch-in.
Against the Top Twelve Leads of OU
Lucifer (Gyarados) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 64 HP | 252 Atk | 192 Spd
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Thunder Wave
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Bounce
Why This Pokemon: Does anyone ever need a reason to use Gyarados? Gyarados is practically the undeclared king over OU. Gyarados can be anything that you need it to be. Need a ResTalker? Introduce yourself to Gyarados. Need a Dragon Dance sweeper? Yeah, Gyarados. Hell, you can even try for a Mixed Sweeper if you want.
Why This Set: Thunder Wave on Gyarados is complete madness. Your opponent just sent out that Latias to counter your Gyarados? Yeah, fuck you, Thunder Wave. Enjoy your Paralyze status now. Skarmory, your walling just got crippled. ResTalk Rotom-A and Suicune aren't critically damaged by Thunder Wave, but eventually they'll be forced to Rest due to getting the crap beaten out of them by a sweeper.
I ripped the EVs straight from another set that was suggested to me by someone on Smogon. Water + Ground hits nearly everything for neutral damage. Dragon Dance is a staple for any Gyarados set but a rare few, so there goes the final move-slot.
Gyarados provides another needed resistance to some Fire-types, and Ground-types, both of which Jirachi are weak to (and Scizor is taking x4 Super Effective damage from Fire-type). Gyarados' Intimidate is always helpful, and Gyarados helps to counter Scizor, which could easily kill Tyranitar with Bullet Punch.
I changed Earthquake to Bounce, because Earthquake was terrible with Waterfall (another tip I got from Plus). Bounce allows me to beat Breloom that try to go for the Spore right off the bat, avoides Explosion/Selfdestruct, Thunder Wave/Will-o-Wisp/Spore (or Sleep Powder), and it's just much better for taking out Pokemon like Salamence and other Dragon-types.
ARMageddon (Latias) @ Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP | 252 SAtk | 4 Spd
Nature: Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- DynamicPunch
- Payback
- Ice Punch
Why This Set: This set completely abuses Paralyze status. Machamp's speed is completely pathetic, unless you max out Speed and toss on a Choice Scarf. But even then, it's still below average. What better way to abuse, not only Substitute, but the fact that my opponent can only move at 1/2 speed?
DynamicPunch is the move of choice, hitting everything for decent damage (obviously not Rotom-A), and giving them the nice present of Confusion. Payback hits annoying Ghost and Psychic-types for massive damage, with Ice Punch rounding out the set rather nicely.
Bianca (Latias) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP | 252 SAtk | 252 Spd
Nature: Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Thunderbolt
- Surf
- Hidden Power (Fire)
Why This Set: Well, surprise factor, for one. You don't really see Expert Belt Latias that much anymore, more people focusing on Choice items or Life Orb/Leftovers. Hidden Power (Fire) helps to take out pesky Steel-types (that's code for 'This helps me kill Scizor'), and annoying Grass-types. Thunderbolt hammers out Bulky Water-types, and gives me great coverage with Dragon Pulse and Surf. Speaking of which, Dragon Pulse smacks everything but Steel-types for heavy damage. The only exception would be Heatran, and that little problem is done away with by Surf.
Bang Bang (Celebi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP | 80 SAtk | 176 Spd
Nature: Timid (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Psychic/Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power (Fire)/Leaf Storm
+0 Leaf Storm vs. +0 Suicune (252 HP/252 Def): 71.8% - 85.1%
-2 Leaf Storm vs. +1 Suicune (252 HP/252 Def): 24.3% - 28.7%
It's a 2HKO, as long as I get just over 74% on the first Leaf Storm. Machamp is also taken care of with this set, provided I run Psychic (with Leaf Storm over Hidden Power (Fire).
+0 DynamicPunch vs +0 Celebi (252 HP/0 Def): 22.3% - 26.2%
+0 Payback vs +0 Celebi (252 HP/0 Def): 59.4% - 70.3%
Luckily enough for me, Celebi can outspeed and constantly set up Substitutes in his face, as Leech Seed drains him out. Of course, that's working under the assumption that I don't have Psychic.
Why This Set: I needed something to counter ResTalk Suicune badly. I mean, that thing can set-up on nearly my entire team. With a few Calm Minds, Air Slash is doing pitiful damage to Suicune, Tyranitar would be 2HKO'd by +1 Suicune, Jirachi can do anything to it (provided it's still alive), Scizor takes over 50% from +1 Surf (and takes a max of 47% at +0). Gyarados would be my best bet, but if they happen to carry Hidden Power (Electric), then there goes my last ditch effort.
SubSeed Celebi has better defensive stats than Breloom, access to SubSeed, can function as a Status Absorber (not as well as Breloom, but it still can do it), and can 2HKO ResTalker Suicune much easier.
Leaf Storm would be my main attack for dealing with Bulky Water-types, with Psychic taking down other Grass-types. I may use Hidden Power (Fire), but I really don't see much point in it. Celebi out-speeds all Scizor (bar the gimmicky Choice Scarf set), sets up a Substitute, and absorbs the damage from U-turn. Why a Scizor would be in on a Celebi is beyond me, but I've seen stranger things happen.
Lucky Star (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 164 HP | 168 Atk | 176 Spd
Nature: Jolly (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Thunder Wave
- Body Slam
- Fire Punch
Why This Pokemon: Well, Jirachi is one of the best Pokemon that OU has to offer. Jirachi is just so damn versatile that you have to make a split decision on what set its running. It could be using a Choice Scarf, or it could be holding Leftovers. One wrong move, and you're crippled by Paralyze status, or a Choice Scarf. Jirachi has been known to cause idiots to cry, screaming 'I don't battle Jirachi noobs!!11!', not realizing that, if their team is so weak to Jirachi that you have to RAGEQUIT every time you see one, your team sucks.
Why This Set: This set runs off Paralyze status, causing RAGE by every person that gets their Pokemon Flinch-ed to death. I'm actually debating on whether or not I should change this set to a normal Anti-Lead Jirachi.
Its EVs are set to maximize Attack, HP, and Speed. Dumping all the HP EVs into Attack (up to 252 of course) doesn't help with OHKOs.
I'm trying out Body Slam for complete Paralyze coverage. So far, I haven't actually used Body Slam all that much. Iron Head is for constant RAGE action, with Fire Punch telling Magnezone and Scizor to GTFO.
Starlight (Togekiss) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 160 HP | 252 Def | 96 SAtk
Nature: Modest (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Thunder Wave
- Air Slash
- Roost
I'm thinking of trying out Body Slam over Thunder Wave, since it would really help with some of these Leads, and maybe Aura Sphere over Roost. Tyranitar's Crunch isn't a OHKO, but I'd still die to Sandstorm pretty quickly, so that isn't much help. Body Slam would help against things like Gliscor and Mamoswine (and Swampert, who's a real prick). Ice Shard from Mamoswine gets a max damage output of 39.9%, Gliscor's U-turn is doing less than 10%, and Swampert Leads are doing a maximum of 35.9%. I think, if I ran Body Slam, I could defeat those Leads one-on-one.
Why This Set: It's just so damn effective. Thunder Wave (or Body Slam) takes care of Togekiss' obvious Speed problems, with Air Slash providing the feared 'ParaHax' combination. Roost is so Togekiss can come back in later game and go for a quick sweep, with Fire Blast taking down any Steel-types that get in my way, and provides decent coverage with Air Slash, only being trumped by Heatran (who's Paralyzed regardless).
The Defense EVs ensures that Physical Leads don't get an easy kill off of Togekiss, and I've gotta say, it looks like it works well when combined with the given HP EVs.
Team Overview
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Currently Testing
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Currently Testing
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Punch-Out (Scizor) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Brick Break
- Bug Bite
- Bullet Punch
Why This Set: What's more of a prick than a Scizor with a Choice Band? A Scizor with a Swords Dance. And, considering that most Magnezone come in on Jirachi, they're usually gone by the time Scizor hits the stage and, if they're not, they're usually crippled already. To be honest, I've never used Swords Dance Scizor in the past, but its worked quite well so far. Brick Break takes out Steel-types that ruin the party, with Bug Bite attacking the weak point for massive damage. Bullet Punch is a staple on any Scizor set, and Scizor's Speed is still pretty pathetic, even with 252 Spd EVs.
Motherfucker (Breloom) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP | 248 Def | 24 SDef
Nature: Impish (+Def, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Spore
- Leech Seed
- Focus Punch
Why This Moveset: Causes complete RAGE by those using Sandstorm teams, and even Hail teams if I play my cards correctly. Spore is the obvious crux of the whole set. After a Spore, I go straight for the Substitute, and then set-up Leech Seed from behind the protection of the small Poke Doll Substitute. Focus Punch is there so I can still do some damage, without having to rely horribly on Leech Seed. Celebi can give this set problems, negating Leech Seed with its typing, Spore with Natural Cure, and Focus Punch not doing much damage at all. Should Celebi use Psychic on Breloom though, I can trap it with Tyranitar. The one thing I prefer doing is turning Celebi's Natural Cure against it. Put it to Sleep with Spore, then, as its switching (or if it chooses to wait it out), go to Togekiss.
Jirach Part 2 (Togekiss) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP | 4 Def | 252 SDef
Nature: Calm (+SDef, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
- Roost
Why This Set: Here's an interesting scenario for you to think about. You just killed your opponent's Jirachi after they Hax'd their way through at least two of your Pokemon, leaving the third crippled. Hey, at least you're out of the woods now, right? Wait...what the hell is that?! Togekiss!? FUCK!?
Togekiss, with the current EVs, functions well as a Special Wall too, which is helpful. Air Slash and Aura Sphere have great compatibility with each other, and Roost is great insta-recovery. I'm trying out Thunder Wave over Body Slam, since Body Slam never seems to come through for me when I most need it, and I'm not seeing as many Ground-types as I first expected (nor Jolteon/Electivire).
Monstrosity (Tyranitar) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 160 HP | 252 Atk | 96 Spd
Nature Adamant (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
Why This Set: Choice Band Tyranitar completely wrecks unprepared teams. Pursuit and Crunch trap Pokemon that think they can get a Super Effective attack against one of my other Pokemon.
EVs are standard for Choice Band Tyranitar, so I won't bother to explain them.
