OU RMT - I'm Bringin' Sexy Back!

[theRZA]

Introduction:
So, I got back into Shoddy recently, and I’ve scrapped all my old teams. I was surprised to see some of the changes on Shoddy, and was happy to work around them. Usually when I make a team I make one poke and revolve around it sweeping/getting set up etc. I’ve decided I want a core of 3 different pokes, so I’m going with the famous FWG core. I’ve done quite a bit of testing, and the team I have now has shown me a rather winning record. It’s an offensive minded team, as that’s my favorite playstyle.


Team Building Process:


So, first thing’s first I need my core. I’ve been seeing a lot of Celetran + Suicune cores, so I wanted to steer away from that. Heatran has always been one of my favorites since Diamond, so I decided he’s still in. I’ve never been a fan of Celebi, so I started looking at some other grass pokes. Breloom was the first thing that came to mind, and so far I haven’t changed it. With so many waters to choose from, I did quite a bit of testing. I finally decided I liked Starmie the best, and it fits in the offensive mindedness of the team, so I had my core.

So, I’ve got some pretty solid members in my core, but I decided I wanted some additional bulk in the team. I decided I needed a ghost, so Gengar was the first option. I usually make it a point to have an electric type on every team I make, so I decided to combine electric and ghost in the form of Rotom-H.

Next, I decided I needed a sweeper. I wanted to use Dragonite, but he didn’t just pull his weight. Then it crossed my mind… I’ve got a chance to use the famous TTar/Rotom-A combo. I tried out DDTar, and so far I’ve not regretted it at all.

In typical “me” fashion, I pick my lead last to decided what my team needs most. This is an offensive team, so SR is a must here. I’m in the process of testing some different leads, and so far I like Azelf the most.

The Team at a Closer Look:

Azelf @ Focus Sash
Ability: LevitateEVs: 252 Spa/252 Spe/4 HP
Nature: Naïve (+Spe – Spd
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Explosion
- Psychic

Say what you want about “beating me,” but as long as I get SR up I win in my mind. That’s exactly what Zelf’s job is: set up rocks, then explode, cause damage, or prevent my opponent from doing the same. The team functions well with Azelf, so I decided that any frail lead will work well here. So far Azelf has done the job extremely well and I have 0 complaints. The only thing that I have problems with is Machamp, and I still manage to get SR up anyways. My problem is, I have trouble dealing with him after the lead battle. I could use some advice here.

Possible changes: Trick Gross/Jirachi, bulkier EV spread (testing now)

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spa/252 Spe/4 Def
Nature: Naïve (+ Spe, - Spd)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Explosion
- Substitute

Subtran has always been my favorite set, so it was the first thing I tried. So far, it hasn’t disappointed me. His job is to switch in and scare something off, sub on the switch, and deal with it accordingly. Primarily, he’s one of my answers to steel types such as Zone, Skarm, Forretress, and especially Scizor. Blissey doesn’t bug this set much due to my other teammates and the fact that I can just go boom. Heatran also serves a very important purpose other than scaring off some steels; he’s a good answer to Rotom-A. Rotom-A tends to be problematic for this team after Tran is gone (yes, even with DDTar… WoW sucks).

Possible Changes: As much as I love the sub set, I’ve beginning to consider the LO set more and more. It would allow Tran to hit harder and keep the offensive synergy flowing.

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Spa/252 Spe/4 Sp
Nature: Timid (+ Spe, - Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Recover

Starmie is just incredible for a plethora of reasons. It’s base 115 speed coupled with a 180 power water type move checks a ton of crap in OU. I’ve had matches where I eliminate my opponents Starmie counters such as Celebi, Blissey, and Rotom-A, and then my opponent ragequits or gets swept my Starmie. Starmie’s main job is to shut down threats such as Infernape and Heatran, who can both be a tiny bit problematic. I try to save Starmie for late-game if I can, as he serves as an effective clean up sweeper.

Possible Changes: If I change it, it’s gotta be a water type. Offensive CM Suicune hasn’t been tested yet, so I can’t really say much. If it’s suggested that I try it, I will.

Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 Atk/244 Spe/12 HP
Nature: Adamant (+ Atk, - Spa)
- Spore
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb

Yes… the standard spore puncher set. Tons of people run this set, and I’m one of them. I did try the SD set though, but it just didn’t come with the reliability that this set does. With the removal of Salamence from OU, bulky pokemon just get that much bulkier without the big guy to be able to OHKO them so easily. Given that, I consider Breloom to be my anti-bulky guy He’s got a very important job of putting something threatening to sleep and hopefully being able to FP it. Breloom also serves as another answer to the ever prevalent steel types that exist in OU, and hits them all very hard. Even if my opponent is smart and switches out the sleeping poke, I can still sub and FP whatever comes in. Gyarados is a common switch in to this set, but lucky Starmie and Rotom-H can deal with him quite well.
Possible changes: I suppose I could give Celebi a whirl as much as that would just pain me to do. The moveset has proven itself over and over again but I’m still willing to run something different.

Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spa/252 Spe/4 Def
Nature: Timid
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Overheat
- Trick

The first part of my dynamic duo who has proven to be quite the useful poke. He also happens to make one hell of a partner to both Heatran and Starmie. So, where to start with this guy… let’s start with why I chose Timid. I wanted as much speed as possible so he could revenge + 1 Gyara’s. Trick allows him to deal with bulkier threats like Pert and the ever annoying Blissey. As you may have been noticing, Luke can threaten a few of my teammates but is completely shut down by Rotom-H. He also prevents me with a check to non scarfed Gengar, Starmie, and other frail sweepers.

Possible changes: Originally, I wanted him for the bulk but he’s been quite the effective scarfer. I considered swapping his job with Heatran’s and making Tran the scarfer instead. Either way, I keep my Luke and Gyara check so I’m completely open to that.

Tyranitar @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Sandstream
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
Nature: Jolly
- Dragon Dance
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Fire Punch

Part 2 of the dynamic duo who has surprised me with how well he’s done. Oh and in case you're wondering, he's the "sexy" referred to in the team's name, as DDTar used to be insanely popular. You may be thinking “no life orb and Jolly? You’re out of your mind.” I thought I was too, but it’s proven to be quite effective. I would enjoy using LO, but Scizor is too damn common and I don’t have Zone on this team to ensure that Scizor dies before TTar comes out. I thought the lack of LO would be weak, but Tyranitar still hits incredibly high attack after 1 DD, and the extra speed has proven to be quite useful in outspeeding Starmie and other 115s. Tyranitar is in no way used early, as he works best when everything is frail and weaker. The offensive combination of him and Rotom-A checks a ton of the current metagame with relative ease. Another thing DDTar has going for him is that he’s not Scarftar, meaning he’s got the surprise factor. The majority of the time, when someone wants a DDer on their team, they’ll go to Dragonite and Gyarados (like I did) which means that not many teams are prepared for DDTar.

Conclusion:
So there you have it people. This has been by far one of the most successful teams that I made so I want the chance to make it better. As always, I’m open to constructive criticism and changes despite my usual stubborn nature. I’ve heard that the FWG core isn’t as successful in OU outside of Celetran + Suicune, but I made an attempt at proving it wrong. So enjoy, rate, criticize, rip apart, do whatever!

 

[Faladran]

Hi, I'd just like to make a couple of quick suggestions.

Machamp leads are running rampant everywhere these days, so it's pretty important to have a way to deal with them. Try switching to Colbur Azelf on your lead:

Azelf @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 140 Atk / 144 SpD / 216 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Explosion
- U-turn

You can now survive a Payback + Bullet Punch, meaning you can safely set up Stealth Rock against enemy Machamp and live to kill them off with Explosion.

Life Orb Heatran is a good idea, and I've noticed that you've considered it as well. This set would be ideal for you team:

Heatran @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spa/252 Spe/4 Def
Nature: Timid
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Hidden Power Grass

With this set, Heatran hits incredibly hard off its attacks with a Life Orb equipped, and even Blissey has trouble walling it due to the use of Taunt. With Blissey Taunted, you can even send in Tyranitar for a free setup, knowing you won't get Thunder Waved on the switch.

Hidden Power Grass is mostly filler on your team, but it gives you a way to hit water types and KO Swampert that switch in, although Swampert is a free switch in for Breloom as well.

Good luck with your team!

 

[theRZA]

Hi, I'd just like to make a couple of quick suggestions.

Machamp leads are running rampant everywhere these days, so it's pretty important to have a way to deal with them. Try switching to Colbur Azelf on your lead:

Azelf @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 140 Atk / 144 SpD / 216 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Explosion
- U-turn

You can now survive a Payback + Bullet Punch, meaning you can safely set up Stealth Rock against enemy Machamp and live to kill them off with Explosion.

Life Orb Heatran is a good idea, and I've noticed that you've considered it as well. This set would be ideal for you team:

Heatran @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spa/252 Spe/4 Def
Nature: Timid
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Hidden Power Grass

With this set, Heatran hits incredibly hard off its attacks with a Life Orb equipped, and even Blissey has trouble walling it due to the use of Taunt. With Blissey Taunted, you can even send in Tyranitar for a free setup, knowing you won't get Thunder Waved on the switch.

Hidden Power Grass is mostly filler on your team, but it gives you a way to hit water types and KO Swampert that switch in, although Swampert is a free switch in for Breloom as well.

Good luck with your team!

That's the kind of Zelf I was definitely interested in testing. I've never seen a LOTran with taunt, but it seems like a very solid idea. I'm gonna gives these a try right now, thanks a million for the suggestions!

 

[Adm. Empoleon]

Ever considered SubAgiliPetaya Empoleon? I can tell you from experience that this guy... well, it's not a Starmie, but it gets the job done quite nicely. Also has great synregy with Rotom.

Or if you want something better that him, but has fewer resistances, I'd take the bulky DD if I were you.

 

[Faladran]

That's the kind of Zelf I was definitely interested in testing. I've never seen a LOTran with taunt, but it seems like a very solid idea. I'm gonna gives these a try right now, thanks a million for the suggestions!

Both sets are definitely worth trying. I personally feel that Taunt is one of the best moves possible for LOTran, and I always make sure to use it on my teams. I've also spoken with a couple of very outstanding battlers (Phillip7086, Setsuna) and both agree that this is probably the best LOTran set.

The main advantage of Taunt over Explosion is that you can defeat Blissey without sacrificing Heatran. Taunt completely shuts down Blissey, and you can save Heatran for later use.

 

[theRZA]

I gave your suggestions a whirl, and so far I'm 6-0 with them. I actually got to test it on a Blissey, and I taunted as he tried to Twave. Heatran royally screwed the rest of his team and he was helpless. I'll always remember this LO Tran set, it's fantastic!

I fortunately got to beat a lead Machamp as well. He had no idea what was coming!

I've used Agility SubPetaya Empoleon on previous teams (before it was popular really) and I always loved it. I think I'll give it a whirl. I'm starting to see the offensive synergy it has here.

 

[theRZA]

No more suggestions?

 

[jc104]

First of all, I would like to second Colbur Azelf; in my opinion it is simply a superior set apart from anything else. Also, Machamp can pretty much OHKO every member of your team, so the improved performance against him would definitely be appreciated. Finally, U-turn is always useful, particularly to this variety of team. I would suggest the use of an even bulkier spread though; the special defense investment seems a little odd when the attack EVs are doing fairly little, so I tend to just max HP, use 216 spe and throw the rest into attack.

This team has some serious problems with DD Dragonite. It will find opportunities to set up on Breloom, Rotom, and Heatran or Azelf should you not be prepared to Explode. After a Dragon Dance, he outruns your entire team, bar Rotom who can muster about 50% with Thunderbolt. Every other member of your team can be swiftly KOed by EQ or Dragon Claw. Without making too many changes, this is difficult to deal with. HP Ice and Will-o-wisp (over Trick) can be used on Rotom to help deal with non-bulky and non-lum versions respectively, though this is not a reliable solution. You cannot afford to use Scarf Flygon, who would actually suit your team rather well, over Rotom, because it would open up an equally bad Lucario weakness. Nonetheless, being Pursuit-weak, Rotom-H is not the most solid Luke check either so making some changes might not be the worst thing. For instance, you could change your Rotom to an offensive set, such as Specs or LO Rotom-W that outruns Adamant Lucario (or try Gengar), and then run scarf Flygon elsewhere on your team (maybe over Starmie to reduce the Bug/Ghost/Dark weakness).

Edit- just noticed the refusal to replace Starmie with anything but a water-type. A bulky version of Cune with Ice Beam and HP Electric can act as a good check to Dragonite and Gyarados.

Good luck.

 

[theRZA]

First of all, I would like to second Colbur Azelf; in my opinion it is simply a superior set apart from anything else. Also, Machamp can pretty much OHKO every member of your team, so the improved performance against him would definitely be appreciated. Finally, U-turn is always useful, particularly to this variety of team. I would suggest the use of an even bulkier spread though; the special defense investment seems a little odd when the attack EVs are doing fairly little, so I tend to just max HP, use 216 spe and throw the rest into attack.

This team has some serious problems with DD Dragonite. It will find opportunities to set up on Breloom, Rotom, and Heatran or Azelf should you not be prepared to Explode. After a Dragon Dance, he outruns your entire team, bar Rotom who can muster about 50% with Thunderbolt. Every other member of your team can be swiftly KOed by EQ or Dragon Claw. Without making too many changes, this is difficult to deal with. HP Ice and Will-o-wisp (over Trick) can be used on Rotom to help deal with non-bulky and non-lum versions respectively, though this is not a reliable solution. You cannot afford to use Scarf Flygon, who would actually suit your team rather well, over Rotom, because it would open up an equally bad Lucario weakness. Nonetheless, being Pursuit-weak, Rotom-H is not the most solid Luke check either so making some changes might not be the worst thing. For instance, you could change your Rotom to an offensive set, such as Specs or LO Rotom-W that outruns Adamant Lucario (or try Gengar), and then run scarf Flygon elsewhere on your team (maybe over Starmie to reduce the Bug/Ghost/Dark weakness).

Edit- just noticed the refusal to replace Starmie with anything but a water-type. A bulky version of Cune with Ice Beam and HP Electric can act as a good check to Dragonite and Gyarados.

Good luck.

I very much appreciate the suggestions, and I think i'm going to give Cune a try.

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Bold (+ Def - Atk)
EVs: 252 Def/252 HP/4 Spe
- Calm Mind
- HP Electric
- Surf
- Ice Beam

Would this Suicune set be beneficial to me, or would I be better off with an offensive spread of 252 Spa/252 Spe and Timid? I guess I'll just try both out.

I'm up for giving Gengar a try over Rotom-H, but I still need a revenge killer which I'd rather not use Gengar for. I've fallen in love with that LO Tran set, so I'd like to keep it as is if possible.

Edit: I've been running a Suicune with the same moveset but 252 spa/252 spe and a Sub/Split Gar coupled with Scarftran, and so far it's doing okay.

Edit: I went back to all of the original pokes but switched Scarf Rotom for Scarf Gengar with the following spread:

Gengar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Spa/252 Spe/4 Def
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- HP Ice
- Focus Blast

Shadow ball is there for stab, while the other 3 moves are for specific checks that are quite self explanitory. Thunderbolt will OHKO bulky DD Gyara, HP Ice will OHKO DDnite after SR, and Focus Blast is there for Luke. I've got 3 other pokes on this team who are all capable of handling Blissey (that Heatran works like a damn charm) so the loss of Trick isn't huge. It's also nice to have a dedicated revenge killer. I think this is my best option, because I can cover all of the issues that you mentioned while still retaining my ghost/levitater and my fwg core.

 

[theRZA]

Any more comments?