Inspired by the heavy offense thread in the general forum this team turned me into a 1400+ CRE from a rather meh high 1200s. It utilized a lot of similar typed highly offense pokes to crush people's hopes of beating it. Now lets take a look at what actually makes up the team...
So now that you have gazed upon its magnificence lets take a look at how each one works
Azelf @ light clay
timid
252 hp
252 sp
4 def
light screen
reflect
stealth rock
taunt
Starting off is the most common lead in ou, Azelf. Dual screeners tend to be a little less common, which usually works in my favor. When a metagross or some such pops out the normal expectation seems to be take out azelf with something like MM+BP. That does not work at all against a dual screener, if the lead is an offensive threat I first use a screen to protect myself, which varies based on what I am facing(ie reflect for metagross, light screen for infernape). With the screen up I can then taunt, set up rocks, finish my screens, and sometimes save my azelf for later. Slower non threatening leads like bronzong get taunted.
Where this lead fails is pretty obvious: fast taunters. Crobat, aerodactyl and taunt matches with azelf force me to switch out. Nothing can be done about that though. Trick scarfers are rare, but even then I can still set up at least 1 screen so they are not totally crippling.
Empoleon @ life orb
modest
252 sp attack
232 sp
24 hp
hydro pump
ice beam
grass knot
agility
When I put empoleon on the team I did not really know what to expect. All I knew was it had pretty good special attack, and could take a hit or two. I certainly did not expect a monster capable of 2HKOing almost the entire ou metagame. After playing many games with this empoleon I have concluded that only 5 things can really stop it:
blissey
some vaporeons
tentacruel
scarf flygon
hydro pump misses(booo)
The damage this thing puts out is obscene. Even 'bulky' pokes like rotom and zapdos that should threaten the penguin get smashed for clean OHKOs after stealth rock damage. Things that resist hydro pump, like celebi or suicine, are 2hko'd by grass knot and ice beam. With screens up a latias thunderbolt only does ~30%, while ice beam hits her for 70%.
If I get a clean lead off with screens up I always try to bring in empoleon, agility, and hurt things. A lot of games end there unless they have one of the few pokes that can wall it or I get an untimely hydro pump miss.
Empoleon's fighting and ground weaknesses are covered by gyrados, who happily switches in, and the electric by swampert and celebi. A lot of times empoleon does not get a chance to be saved though, since a hydro pump miss is usually the difference between KOing scizor, or getting hit by superpower and fainting. His sacrifice is usually worth it, since I'm the one with an 80% chance to faint the other poke.
Gyrados @ leftovers
adamant
156 hp
108 attack
100 def
144 speed
dragon dance
waterfall
taunt
stone edge
Next up in the water line-up is gyrados. Gyrados comes in to save empoleon from ground attacks. The set is pretty standard, and gyrados is a pretty simple poke to play. It comes in easily on ground attacks, or resisted attacks thanks to intimidate, then sets up with dragon dance.
Waterfall is the standard stab attack. Stone edge is the frustratingly inaccurate second move but I don't know what else offers better coverage. Being able to beat switch in gyrados is handy(if I don't miss). Taunt is to help against stallers.
The quadruple electric resist is covered by swampert, and celebi, leaving gryados with an often safe escape from things like rotom.
swampert @ leftovers
relaxed
252 hp
252 def
4 attack
earthquake
surf
ice beam
roar
Third in the line of water pokemon is swampert. Swampert helps the team by intercepting all deadly electric attacks aimed at gyrados and empoleon.
Surf and earthquake are the STAB moves. Ice beam makes swampert a fine counter to several electric carrying attackers such as latias and zapdos, and defensive swampert is probably the best salamence counter I have used.
I try to direct tricks his way, since the others are useless without the ability to set up, which swampert requires none of. His grass weakness is offset by the other three water types, who are all neutral to it, and celebi.
kingra @ lum berry
adamant
180 hp
252 attack
76 speed
swift swim
rain dance
substitute
waterfall
outrage
Thanks to kingra's excellent typing it has the option of intercepting SE attacks aimed at the other waters, but it can also take status with the lum berry and substitute. If a known status is in kingra can switch in thanks to lum berry, then substitute to block additional status, and set up a rain dance.
Originally I included rain dance over dragon dance because it ups all my water attackers power so I figured "hey empoleon or gyrados in the raid would do a lot of damage!", but without a damp rock the duration does not really last long enough to set up an agility/DD and start attacking after kingra is finished attacking. I keep it over dragon dance because the speed boost is higher, and it ups waterfall's damage by a considerable amount. A dragon tends to bring out the steel types, which waterfall hits for neutral damage so I tend to use it a lot more than outrage unless an opposing dragon type is out.
Empoleon resists dragon attacks aimed at kingra, but empoleon is usually the first poke out and the first to faint. If kingra cannot outspeed the opposing dragon it tends to gets sacrificed.
celebi @ leftovers
modest
252 sp attack
252 speed
4 hp
psychic
earth power
hidden power: fire
thunder wave
The odd man out is celebi. Grass and water go really well together, and celebi can take pretty much whatever attacks get thrown at the 4 water pokes. It does this while still being a strong offensive threat by being able to thunder wave switch ins(ground types generally do not wish to switch in), and excellent coverage.
Originally celebi was using leaf storm, but it let too many things completely wall it. Overall the attack is not very useful because the attack drop forces you to switch, and way too many things resist grass with numerous quadruple resists. By replacing it with hp: fire the number of 'safe' switch ins celebi can counter is rather comical. There have been quite a few games where I have ko'd a scizor with hidden power, only to turn around and ko a heatran with earth power. Thunder wave and psychic give celebi the ability to take on a large portion of the metagame and still come out on top. I frequently see things like metagross, salamence, and gyrados switch in only to get paralyzed and 2hko by psychic.
Celebi has an awful lot of weaknesses, but gyrados can take a lot of them, and this set up specifically counters many of them with the principle of 'the best defense is a good offense'. Tyranitar can still be an issue, earth power is not a clean 2hko.
general issues, threats, questions coming in the next post
So now that you have gazed upon its magnificence lets take a look at how each one works
Azelf @ light clay
timid
252 hp
252 sp
4 def
light screen
reflect
stealth rock
taunt
Starting off is the most common lead in ou, Azelf. Dual screeners tend to be a little less common, which usually works in my favor. When a metagross or some such pops out the normal expectation seems to be take out azelf with something like MM+BP. That does not work at all against a dual screener, if the lead is an offensive threat I first use a screen to protect myself, which varies based on what I am facing(ie reflect for metagross, light screen for infernape). With the screen up I can then taunt, set up rocks, finish my screens, and sometimes save my azelf for later. Slower non threatening leads like bronzong get taunted.
Where this lead fails is pretty obvious: fast taunters. Crobat, aerodactyl and taunt matches with azelf force me to switch out. Nothing can be done about that though. Trick scarfers are rare, but even then I can still set up at least 1 screen so they are not totally crippling.
Empoleon @ life orb
modest
252 sp attack
232 sp
24 hp
hydro pump
ice beam
grass knot
agility
When I put empoleon on the team I did not really know what to expect. All I knew was it had pretty good special attack, and could take a hit or two. I certainly did not expect a monster capable of 2HKOing almost the entire ou metagame. After playing many games with this empoleon I have concluded that only 5 things can really stop it:
blissey
some vaporeons
tentacruel
scarf flygon
hydro pump misses(booo)
The damage this thing puts out is obscene. Even 'bulky' pokes like rotom and zapdos that should threaten the penguin get smashed for clean OHKOs after stealth rock damage. Things that resist hydro pump, like celebi or suicine, are 2hko'd by grass knot and ice beam. With screens up a latias thunderbolt only does ~30%, while ice beam hits her for 70%.
If I get a clean lead off with screens up I always try to bring in empoleon, agility, and hurt things. A lot of games end there unless they have one of the few pokes that can wall it or I get an untimely hydro pump miss.
Empoleon's fighting and ground weaknesses are covered by gyrados, who happily switches in, and the electric by swampert and celebi. A lot of times empoleon does not get a chance to be saved though, since a hydro pump miss is usually the difference between KOing scizor, or getting hit by superpower and fainting. His sacrifice is usually worth it, since I'm the one with an 80% chance to faint the other poke.
Gyrados @ leftovers
adamant
156 hp
108 attack
100 def
144 speed
dragon dance
waterfall
taunt
stone edge
Next up in the water line-up is gyrados. Gyrados comes in to save empoleon from ground attacks. The set is pretty standard, and gyrados is a pretty simple poke to play. It comes in easily on ground attacks, or resisted attacks thanks to intimidate, then sets up with dragon dance.
Waterfall is the standard stab attack. Stone edge is the frustratingly inaccurate second move but I don't know what else offers better coverage. Being able to beat switch in gyrados is handy(if I don't miss). Taunt is to help against stallers.
The quadruple electric resist is covered by swampert, and celebi, leaving gryados with an often safe escape from things like rotom.
swampert @ leftovers
relaxed
252 hp
252 def
4 attack
earthquake
surf
ice beam
roar
Third in the line of water pokemon is swampert. Swampert helps the team by intercepting all deadly electric attacks aimed at gyrados and empoleon.
Surf and earthquake are the STAB moves. Ice beam makes swampert a fine counter to several electric carrying attackers such as latias and zapdos, and defensive swampert is probably the best salamence counter I have used.
I try to direct tricks his way, since the others are useless without the ability to set up, which swampert requires none of. His grass weakness is offset by the other three water types, who are all neutral to it, and celebi.
kingra @ lum berry
adamant
180 hp
252 attack
76 speed
swift swim
rain dance
substitute
waterfall
outrage
Thanks to kingra's excellent typing it has the option of intercepting SE attacks aimed at the other waters, but it can also take status with the lum berry and substitute. If a known status is in kingra can switch in thanks to lum berry, then substitute to block additional status, and set up a rain dance.
Originally I included rain dance over dragon dance because it ups all my water attackers power so I figured "hey empoleon or gyrados in the raid would do a lot of damage!", but without a damp rock the duration does not really last long enough to set up an agility/DD and start attacking after kingra is finished attacking. I keep it over dragon dance because the speed boost is higher, and it ups waterfall's damage by a considerable amount. A dragon tends to bring out the steel types, which waterfall hits for neutral damage so I tend to use it a lot more than outrage unless an opposing dragon type is out.
Empoleon resists dragon attacks aimed at kingra, but empoleon is usually the first poke out and the first to faint. If kingra cannot outspeed the opposing dragon it tends to gets sacrificed.
celebi @ leftovers
modest
252 sp attack
252 speed
4 hp
psychic
earth power
hidden power: fire
thunder wave
The odd man out is celebi. Grass and water go really well together, and celebi can take pretty much whatever attacks get thrown at the 4 water pokes. It does this while still being a strong offensive threat by being able to thunder wave switch ins(ground types generally do not wish to switch in), and excellent coverage.
Originally celebi was using leaf storm, but it let too many things completely wall it. Overall the attack is not very useful because the attack drop forces you to switch, and way too many things resist grass with numerous quadruple resists. By replacing it with hp: fire the number of 'safe' switch ins celebi can counter is rather comical. There have been quite a few games where I have ko'd a scizor with hidden power, only to turn around and ko a heatran with earth power. Thunder wave and psychic give celebi the ability to take on a large portion of the metagame and still come out on top. I frequently see things like metagross, salamence, and gyrados switch in only to get paralyzed and 2hko by psychic.
Celebi has an awful lot of weaknesses, but gyrados can take a lot of them, and this set up specifically counters many of them with the principle of 'the best defense is a good offense'. Tyranitar can still be an issue, earth power is not a clean 2hko.
general issues, threats, questions coming in the next post
