Other OU Teambuilding

[Subject 18]

Some changes need to be made with the sets already posted. Might be too late though since some have already been added.

Se7en Lions
For Manaphy, the primary item should be Leftovers not Wacan Berry. Wacan Berry is nice but it's more situational since you won't always run into Thundurus-I and the passive recovery is preferable in most cases. I would slash Psychic with Energy Ball to allow you to beat Mega Venusaur since Energy Ball is primarily for Rotom-W and Gastrodon. Gastrodon isn't common at all and Rotom-W won't stop Manaphy since they are usually defensive and will die to a +3 Psychic with some prior damage. Lastly, mention Blissey and Chansey as counters.

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Sergeant Spooky
Make sure you follow the EV key. The order should be HP / Atk / Def / SpA / SpD / Spe.

On Medicham, make Fire Punch the first slash. Baton Pass is a cool idea but it needs the coverage options more than being an offensive pivot.

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tackle
Move the 4 EVs to Def or SpD to give you an odd HP number and make the nature Adamant.

The moveset should be Dragon Dance | Dragon Claw / Outrage | Extreme Speed | Fire Punch / Earthquake. Extreme Speed is a must for Dragonite to pick off weakened Pokemon and faster threats that are able to OHKO it like scarf Latios and offensive Deoxys-Speed.

Also mention Lum Berry as an option to keep you healthy from Confusion, if you use Outrage, and other status ailments.

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Edit: To U-Turn Out
Can you explain the Speed EVs on Landorus-T?

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Also reserving Offensive Deo-S and Belly Drum Azumarill. I'll have those up later today.

 

[ThinkNice]

What to use:

Bulky Scizor:

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252HP/252Atk/4SpD
Adamant Nature
- U-Turn
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit / Knock Off
- Superpower

Role: Pivot, Bulky Attacker

What it does: Good 'ol Scizor, one of the most used Pokémon in generation 5 and for good reason. What makes Scizor so good is his ability to gain momentum with the strongest U-Turn out there (bar Choice Band Genesect with an attack boost), while also providing utility with a STAB Technician boosted priority in the form of Bullet Punch. The loss of his resistances to Ghost and Dark sure have hurt him, but it just means it has a little less opportunities to switch in. A handy resist to Fairy sure comes in handy as it now can switch in on the likes of Clefable or Togekiss and force them out with BP. While he can't switch in as easy anymore his base 100 Defense still helps him to switch in against Tyranitar and threaten it with your STAB moves. It also makes an excellent Pursuit-trapper against the Lati-twins (especially if you come in on a Draco Meteor). The very common MegaVenusaur also struggles against this mighty Bug Warrior as Scizor resists both of Venu\s STAB moves and can retaliate with a powerful U-Turn.

Good teammates: If you are using Scizor as Pursuit trapper, anything that benefits from having Lati@s removed from the field is a great teammate. Keldeo can be an example as it resists the fire moves Scizor hates and also doesn't give a damn about Will-o -Wisp, while Scizor can handly take grass moves. Rotom-W is probably one of the best teammates for Scizor as they have almost perfect synergy and provide you an immediate solid VoltTurn core. Stuff like Heatran or Gastrodon/Quagsire cover Scizor's weaknesses very well

What counters it: If there is one thing a Scizor user always has to be aware of then it is: HP FIRE. HP Fire on Venusaur or Lati@s can ruin Scizor's whole day. Fairies like Clefable and Togekiss can also be running Flamethrower to catch Scizor on the switch. Heatran can take every move barring Superpower and Aegislash can just abuse King Shield and hit hard with Shadow Ball. Skarmory and Rotom-W are things that can reliably take every move Scizor wants to go for. As far as offensive switches go Landorus-T poops on most Scizor and Gyarados is also an excellent switch in with Intimidate. Magnezone with HP Fire can revenge kill or switch, just be wary of Superpower and U-Turn.

Any additional info: Always, always scout for fire moves if you want to switch in. It's not a bad idea to invest in speed on Scizor as it is in a speed tier where many bulkier Pokémon compete in (Rotom-W, Heatran, Venusaur, Tyranitar), but this heavily depends on what your team needs. As of now CB Scizor is kind of overshadowed by the likes of Scarf Genesect, but let that not hold you back as Scizor still has the niches of more power, stronger priority and the ability to Pursuit Trap.

 

[trc]

STOP SUGGESTING LIKE 5 CATEGORIES FOR ONE SET!!!

Also, I'll have this updated soon. I don't know when, but it'll be soon.

Everyone who Subject18 mentioned, follow what you've been told, as it's all correct.

And don't go reserve crazy.

That is all.

 

[Jaroda]

What to Use:

Rotom-H @ Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 Spa / 252 Spd
Timid / Modest
- Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Will-o-Wisp / Thunder Wave
- Trick / Hidden Power Ice

Role: Pivot

What It Does: Rotom-H is like no other. It's defensive typing and ability gives it a whopping 8 resistances and an immunity as well as immunity to paralysis and burn status. Rotom-H seemingly has something for everything. It can cripple attackers with burn, Volt Switch to an appropriate counter, outright kill with STAB Overheat, or cripple walls and defensive threats with Trick. Scarf is handy if you need to get a surprise revenge kill on something and Specs lets you really rack up damage. Tricking Choice Specs to a physical attacker before burning it is the ultimate middle finger. Rotom-H is a terrific pivot with enough tools to almost guarantee a favorable match up against many things and outright walls pokemon like Talonflame and Genesect.

Good Teammates: The one thing that hampers its ability to pivot more than anything is a Stealth Rock weakness. As such you will be wanting a spinner to keep rocks away. Rotom-H resists Forretress' only weakness and it can spin, set up other hazards and use Volt Switch as well to keep the momentum. Likewise Excadrill can spin and threaten Rotom-H's prolific rival in Rotom-W and threaten with Mold Breaker Earthquake. Rotom-H is generally good for warding status abusers that threaten your other physical sweepers.

What Counters It: Again, it's brother Rotom-W is a thorn in Heat's side, having the type advantage and STAB Hydro Pump. AV Conkeldurr benefits from Guts boosted Drain Punch if you burn him, and you won't have the juice to kill him with your STAB attacks, you you'd have to use Trick and take his Vest. Tyranitar also has huge SpD in the sand and even if you burn him STAB Stone Edge will still hurt a non-bulky Rotom-H. Goodra and Latias likewise have mammoth special defense and resist both STABs while being special attackers so the don't care for burn and aren't exactly crippled by Specs or Scarf either per say.

Any Additional Info: Bulky iterations with Leftovers and Pain Split are certainly viable, it's just that it's hard to make use of his Fire STAB long term unlike Rotom-W. Double status with WoW and Thunder Wave are also totally workable, or even Toxic to wear down special walls. Heat has many good EV combinations.

 

[Prinz]

What to use:

Mega Heracross:

Heracross (M) @ Heracronite
Trait: Guts
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast

Role: Wall Breaker, Physical Sweeper

What it does: It just destroy everything in front of him, with a stellar base attack of 185 and its good coverage moves even the fattest physical wall like Hippowdon, Slowbro etc. get easily destroyed. Skarmory has actually the bulk to take two hit but with a bit of residual damage it gets 2HKO'd by Close Combat as well.


Good teammates: Deoxys-D is one of the best teammate of Heracross because it really likes having Spikes support. Aegislash is another great partner because it usually beats Psychic / Fairy types which can be a problem for Heracross, that can also protect Aegislash from Ground-type mon. Something like HP Ice Terrakion (just to make an example) that lures and weakens Gliscor and Landorus-T is really helpful if you want to run M Heracross because it actually struggles at Gliscor and Landorus-T, mainly at the first one which have a reliable way to recover its HP with Poison Heal + Protect and which can Toxic-stall Heracross out. Another great teammate is Garchomp, especially the SD one, which really appreciates the job of Heracross on destroying Physical walls (and Chomp can also lures and weaken Gliscor and Landorus-T with a boosted Aqua Tail). Sticky Web / Trick Room users and mon like Thundurus that can give it solid paralyis support are great teammate too because Heracross is quite slow.

What counters it: Gliscor is probably the best mon at countering it, while Landorus-T is good too. I wouldnt call Skarmory a counter because it takes a ton from Close Combat and Sword Dance is an option too (even if I dont suggest it because losing a coverage move is huge).

Any additional info: You can run Sword Dance if you want but yeah as I already said before losing a coverage move is pretty bad. You can also run an Adamant nature but M Heracross is already p slow so yeah I dont suggest it either. Sticky Web, paralyis support and Trick Room are the ways to solve it.

 

[aVocado]

I haven't seen many "what NOT to use" sets so I'll post this:

Greninja @ Life Orb / Focus Sash / Choice Band / Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Water Shuriken
- Night Slash
- Rock Slide / U-turn / Power-up Punch

Role: Physical Sweeper

What It Does: Greninja is a Pokemon that either comes in early in the game and try to gain momentum, or later in the game to clear up the opponent's team thanks to its speed and mediocre power. Water Shuriken is a priority move that's mostly only there for Talonflame, and it shouldn't really be used for anything else unless a Pokemon is seriously weakened to the point that 2 hits of Water Shuriken will kill it off.

Good Teammates: Greninja often fits in offensive teams that like to gain and keep momentum, therefore, good teammates include Genesect who's most famous for gaining momentum in an instance, and can weaken Pokemon for LO/Band Greninja to clean up late-game, and vice versa, Greninja can weaken things for Genesect to clean up. Pokemon who like Talonflame dead also make good teammates, such as Conkeldurr, Latios, and Volcarona, who can be a very deadly sweeper.

What Counters It: Skarmory takes absolutely nothing from this Greninja and can set-up Stealth Rock or pHaze it away. (mega) Venusaur also takes everything this throws, and kill it off or force it away. Rotom-W also takes absolutely nothing from any of its attacks and can Volt Switch in it's face.

Any Additional Info:

 

[Jaroda]

What to use:

Mega Heracross:

Heracross (M) @ Heracronite
Trait: Guts
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Earthquake
- Bullet Seed

Role: Wall Breaker, Physical Sweeper

What it does: It just destroy everything in front of him, with a stellar base attack of 185 and its good coverage moves even the fattest physical wall like Hippowdon, Slowbro etc. get easily destroyed. Skarmory has actually the bulk to take two hit but with a bit of residual damage it gets 2HKO'd by Close Combat as well.


Good teammates: Deoxys-D is one of the best teammate of Heracross because it really likes having Spikes support. Aegislash is another great partner because it usually beats Psychic / Fairy types which can be a problem for Heracross, that can also protect Aegislash from Ground-type mon. Something like HP Ice Terrakion (just to make an example) that lures and weakens Gliscor and Landorus-T is really helpful if you want to run M Heracross because it actually struggles at Gliscor and Landorus-T, mainly at the first one which have a reliable way to recover its HP with Poison Heal + Protect and which can Toxic-stall Heracross out. Another great teammate is Garchomp, especially the SD one, which really appreciates the job of Heracross on destroying Physical walls (and Chomp can also lures and weaken Gliscor and Landorus-T with a boosted Aqua Tail). Sticky Web / Trick Room users and mon like Thundurus that can give it solid paralyis support are great teammate too because Heracross is quite slow.

What counters it: Gliscor is probably the best mon at countering it, while Landorus-T is good too. I wouldnt call Skarmory a counter because it takes a ton from Close Combat and Sword Dance is an option too (even if I dont suggest it because losing a coverage move is huge).

Any additional info: You can run Sword Dance if you want but yeah as I already said before losing a coverage move is pretty bad. You can also run an Adamant nature but M Heracross is already p slow so yeah I dont suggest it either. Sticky Web, paralyis support and Trick Room are the ways to solve it.

Megacross absolutely needs Rock Blast otherwise you're walled to hell by Flying types. Bullet Seed has virtually no merit, and Jolly is a bad nature, he absolutely wants Adamant and max attack at the least.

 

[JSND]

Alakazam @ Alakazamnite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp.A / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Shadow Ball


Role: Special Sweeper

What it does: Mega Alakazam is a glass cannon special sweeper. With its massive 175 SP.A and 150 Speed, it can afford to run Modest Nature to hit even harder than Alakazam with Life Orb, while also having a speed advantage to outspeed some faster pokemon such as Greninja, making it a good cleaner. Furthermore, Trace, while situational is able to steal your opponent's ability. Most notably:

- Protean from Greninja
- Magic Guard from Clefable
- Levitate from Rotom-W
- Adaptability from NP Mega Lucario
- Intimidate from Gyarados and Landorus-I

Good Teammates: Mega Alakazam's most notable weakness is its lack of defense, and resistances, so a pokemon who can provide safe switch in with Volt Switch and U-Turn such as Scizor, Rotom-W, and Genesect is a good choice.

What Counters It: Mega Alakazam have no real counter in a sense that nothing is able to take 2 hits from its coverage move and survive. The best way to deal with it is either by using Choice Scarf user and strong Priority attacks. Scizor can switch in on Psyshock and retaliates with Bullet Punch. Aegislash can switch in on everything except for Shadow Ball, and retaliates with Shadow Sneak or OHKO with Shadow Ball.

Additional Info: Use Modest Nature. Timid Mega Alakazam did not outspeed any notable pokemon aside from some slow choice scarf user with Timid, and Timid Mega Alakazam is barely stronger than Life Orb Alakazam.

 

[A wild Spycrab appeared]

Nice analysis. However, I'd like to point out that with Technician, Bug Bite is stronger then X-scissor. Also, why the Jolly nature? Is that a typo? Jolly is +Speed and -SpAtk.

Oh yes, very true. I forgot that pokebank's release allows the use of Bug Bite. I'll edit it.

Tbh, a physically defensive spread is generally better, as Scizor has a better typing for this. Also, you don't want Jolly nature, a defense boosting nature is superior.

Did I put in Jolly? My bad, I forgot to change that when copying the format. A physically defensive set would definitely capitalize on his phyisical bulk, but it already is fairly high without investment. Most physical attackers without a fire-type move cannot 2HKO Scizor. Also, it has an immunity to poison and resistances to fairy, psychic, ice, and dragon. I think his typing is just as great for taking special hits.

 

[zeriloa]

What to Use:

Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Def/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt/Volt Switch
- Thunder Wave
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power Ice/Hidden Power Flying

Role: Special Sweeper, (Offensive) Support

What it Does: Thunder Wave + 3 attacks Thundurus is one of the best offensive checks to a lot of threatening Pokemon in this metagame, including Manaphy, Mega-Pinsir, and Keldeo. Thanks to its priority Thunder Wave, Thundurus can put a stop to the sweep of any pokemon not immune to paralysis, and possibly get away safely due to full paralysis. This is not to say that Thundurus's only job is to sacrifice itself for paralysis, as if its priority T-Wave isn't needed, it can still fire off powerful, Life Orb boosted attacks using its impressive 125 base special attack, 111 speed, and good coverage. Thundurus's frailty and weakness to Stealth Rock are definitely large issues for it, but it should be strongly considered by any team wanting insurance against being swept and a strong special attacker.

Good Teammates: This Thundurus fits very well onto hyper offensive teams, and loves hazard support, which makes the Deoxys formes ideal teammates to the genie. It also appreciates the removal of Stealth Rock, making Excadrill an excellent partner, as he can spin rocks away and take advantage of the paralysis spread by Thundy. Mega-Pinsir forms a formidable offensive core with Thundurus, threatening special walls such as Chansey, while Thundurus can defeat Pinsir's main counters, Rotom-W and Skarmory.

What Counters It: Specially bulky pokemon that don't mind paralysis are generally the best answers to Thundurus. These include Blissey, Chansey, and specially defensive Hippowdon. Mega-Venusaur and AV Conkeldurr also do well against it unless it is carrying Hidden Power Flying. Choice Scarf users aiming to revenge kill Thundurus must be wary of being paralyzed, although Scarfers immune to paralysis such as Garchomp or Landorus-T can reliably take care of it. Choice Banded Genesect can kill it with ExtremeSpeed after a small amount of prior damage, though it can't switch in.

Any Additional Info: Be careful when switching Thundurus in, as it despises taking any kind of non-resisted attack. Taunt is an option in the last slot, likewise, Leftovers can be used over Life Orb for greater longevity, though the loss in power is very noticeable.

First try, hope i did this right.

 

[SmashBrosBrawl]

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock / Rock Slide / Toxic
- Whirlwind

Role: Mixed Wall

What It Does: Hippowdon is one of the best walls in the tier due to its combination of huge bulk, reliable recovery, phazing and access to Sand Stream. Its the only pokemon capable of switching into both Mega Charizard X and Y (the latter assuming it has already mega evolved first) and can also wall several other popular threats such as Aegislash, most variants of Thundurus, Gengar, Tyranitar and bulky Volcarona. It's bulk also allows it to avoid the ohko from many powerful attacks like +2 Mega Lucario's Aura Sphere and Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor and retalite accordingly. The moves are self-explanatory and are pretty much the same ever since Gen 4 but there's still a decision that must be made for the third slot. If one already has a Stealth Rock setter on their team then Rock Slide and Toxic become decent options to consider. Rock Slide eliminate the likes of Talonflame and Volcarona quickly without resorting to phazing while Toxic cripples common switch-ins such as Rotom-W and Latias.

Good Teammates: Ferrothorn is a great partner for Hippowdon due to resisting water and grass moves while sponging ice moves with ease which allows it to reliably handle most of Hippowdon's counters. Ferrothorn also can setup Spikes to compliment Stealth Rock and appreciates the sandstorm to wear down its own counters while being immune to it. Excadrill, Garchomp and Landorus appreciate the sandstorm to activate their abilities and decimate the opposition. Sweepers that hate facing Thundurus's priority Thunder Wave and Aegislash's insane bulk are good partners as well, such as latios, keldeo and lucario.

What Counters It: Rotom-W can handle Hippowdon easily due to its ground immunity and access to Hydro Pump. If Hippowdon attempts to stall it out with Slack Off, Rotom can burn it with Will-O-Wisp. Gliscor can stall Hippowdon out with Toxic or use a combination of Taunt and Defog to completely shut it down. Xatu can bounce back Stealth Rock and Whirlwind and can setup screens in its face but must be careful of Rock Slide. Keldeo can easily KO Hippowdon with its powerful water moves. Ferrothorn doesn't care about anything Hippowdon does and can use it as setup fodder for hazards, while threatening it with Power Whip and Leech Seed. Skarmory can defog away Stealth Rock and is immune to Earthquake but it can't KO Hippowdon. Most grass types can deal with Hippowdon easily. Venusaur, Breloom, Amoonguss and Tangrowth are the most notable examples. Landorus can easily beat it with its mighty Earth Power while being immune to Earthquake. In general, pokemon that aren't hit very hard by Hippowdon's main attacks and can threaten it with powerful water, grass and ice moves are good checks for it.

 

[rachet67]

What to use:

Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA/ 4 SpD/ 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Icy Wind

Role: Wall Breaker

What it Does: Keldeo smashes through unprepared teams with stab hydro pump coming from 129 base SpA. Additionally it can punch huge holes through many specially defensive walls, such as Chansey and Blissey with secret sword, which gives it pseudo mixed stab coverage. Most of its hard counters, such as Latias, Celebi, and Jellicent are nowhere near as common this generation. Azumarill, one of the new counters to Keldeo still takes a lot of damage from hydro pump on the switch in, and with no recovery, it is often overwhelmed later on in the match. Additionally, its 108 base speed means it can do a lot more than just break walls, and can sweep late game once faster pokemon such as Thundurus and Lucario-mega have been eliminated. Keldeo has enough bulk, even uninvested, that it can take a few neutral hits. Icy wind helps take down dragons such as dragonite.

Good Teammates:
Band-Tyranitar is one of the best teammates for Keldeo as it can take out many of Keldeo's counters and checks with pursuit. This includes, Celebi, Talonflame, Latias, Latios, and Jellicent. Tyranitar can switch into anything that Talonflame can dish out (bar U-turn) and guarantee a OHKO with pursuit (assuming one turn of sandstorm damage).
252+ Atk Choice Band Tyranitar Crunch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Talonflame: 292-345 (97.9 - 115.7%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
Keldeo minds the sandstorm drawback to using Tyranitar even less than last generation as it now only lasts 5 turns.

Politoed is a decent teammate which allows hydro pump to hit even harder, though its hard to abuse the rain when it only last 5-8 turns and with the popularity of Tyranitar and Charzard-Y.

Celebi and Mega-Venusaur are decent teammates as they can switch into Thundurus-I and force the switch. Celebi has the advantage of being able to heal any paralysis when it switches out and access to leftovers. However, Mega Venusar can switch into Azumarill, something Celebi can't do. I don't mention dedicated special walls, such as Chansey as they lose momentum too easily, and keldeo is generally on offensive teams that can't afford to give up too much.

Finally, Keldeo, like all other wall breakers appreciates stealth rock support.

What Counters It: Keldeo's old counters such as Celebi, Latias, and Jellicent hard wall it just as much as last gen, though they're much rarer in OU now (especially Jellicent, the best counter for Keldeo). Gen 6 also introduced some new counters such as Azumarill and Mega-Venesaur. Mega-Venesaur can reliably switch into anything keldeo can dish out and must be taken out by team mates. Azumarill can switch into a few hydro pumps and force the switch, but it gets worn down after a few times of this, and eventually keldeo can break through. Sylveon also doesn't take too much from even hydro pump and can OHKO with hyper voice.

Talonflame, Thundurus-I, Greninja, and most other faster pokemon that can hit it super effectively are good checks to Keldeo.

Any Additional Info: Modest is also an option on Specs Keldeo as it allows it to hit even harder. However, it should only be used when keldeo is not meant to sweep later in the game, and when you have other solid answers to pokemon 95 Speed and faster.

 

[Terminate421]

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpDef
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Icy-Wind/Ice Beam/Grass Knot/Knock Off
- Protect / Stealth Rock / Defog
- Yawn

What It Does: Special Defensive Empoleon is a highly underrated pokemon, capable of absorbing hits (even unresisted ones) and force plenty of switches. The key here to Empoleon is how you want it to serve the team, it can set Pebbles and force switches. Icy Wind can help assist him with slowing any switch-ins while Scald handles the STAB (plus the burn chance helps). He can assist on or off rain-teams as well as be a "shield" for dragons, resisting Dragon, Fairy, and Ice moves.

Good Teammates: As effective as a special wall as Empoleon is, he isn't the greatest on recovery. Wish Support is a blessing for him, teaming him up with Sylveon isn't bad either considering she can take Close Combats that threaten him. Mega-Garchomp can enjoy taking whatever is meant for Empoleon and hit back harder.

What Counters It: Empoleon hates Close Combat (like Blissey and Chansey) so the best thing to do is hit him with that. Earthquake hurts, and while Electric attacks will not hit as hard due to the high special defense, they will wear him down. Just watch out for obvious switches into ground types that can man-handle your electric types. Physical moves in general do not do him justice.

Any Additional Info: Empoleon is a fantastic and underrated Special Wall, capable of setting hazards and even removing them while also absorbing hits for his Teammates.

Thats one down.

 

[TooMuchSugar]

What to Use:

Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Def/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power Ice

Role: Special Sweeper, (Offensive) Support

What it Does: Thunder Wave + 3 attacks Thundurus is one of the best offensive checks to a lot of threatening Pokemon in this metagame, including Manaphy, Mega-Pinsir, and Keldeo. Thanks to its priority Thunder Wave, Thundurus can put a stop to the sweep of any pokemon not immune to paralysis, and possibly get away safely due to full paralysis. This is not to say that Thundurus's only job is to sacrifice itself for paralysis, as if its priority T-Wave isn't needed, it can still fire off powerful, Life Orb boosted attacks using its impressive 125 base special attack, 111 speed, and good coverage. Thundurus's frailty and weakness to Stealth Rock are definitely large issues for it, but it should be strongly considered by any team wanting insurance against being swept and a strong special attacker.

Good Teammates: This Thundurus fits very well onto hyper offensive teams, and also loves hazard support, which makes the Deoxys formes ideal teammates to the genie. It also appreciates the removal of Stealth Rock, making Excadrill an excellent partner, as he can also take advantage of the paralysis spread by Thundy. Mega-Pinsir forms a formidable offensive core with Thundurus, threatening special walls such as Chansey, AV Conkeldurr, and Mega-Venusaur, while Thundurus can defeat Pinsir's main counters, Rotom-W and Skarmory.

What Counters It: Specially bulky pokemon that don't mind paralysis are generally the best answers to Thundurus. These include Blissey, Chansey, and Assault Vest Conkeldurr, who actually benefits from paralysis. Mega-Venusaur also hard walls it unless it is carrying the rare Hidden Power Flying, though it is annoyed by paralysis. Choice Scarf users aiming to revenge kill Thundurus must be wary of being paralyzed, although Scarfers immune to paralysis such as Garchomp or Landorus-T can reliably take care of it.

Any Additional Info: Be careful when switching Thundurus in, as it despises taking any kind of non-resisted attack. Taunt and the aforementioned Hidden Power Flying are options over Hidden Power Ice, likewise, Leftovers can be used over Life Orb for greater longevity, though the loss in power is very noticeable.

First try, hope i did this right.

You could maybe slash Volt Switch somewhere, otherwise great.

I don't know who posted it, but that Mega Charizard X set definitely needs Dragon Claw slashed with Outrage and Earthquake slashed with Roost.

Staraptor @ Choice Band
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly / Adamant Nature
-Brave Bird
-Close Combat
-Double Edge / Quick Attack
-U-Turn

Role: Wallbreaker

What it Does: CB Staraptor is a very simple pokemon to use: Bring it in on something it threatens, forcing your opponent to switch to their Flying resist (usually Heatran / Rotom-W / Tyranitar). You could try to predict the switch and use the appropriate move, but most of the time you'll be safe just spamming Brave Bird. The idea is that after taking on Staraptor once or twice, your opponent will have nothing left that can block the Talonflame or Mega-Pinsir that you have waiting in the wings. There is nothing in OU that can take two CB Reckless Brave Birds and still counter your second Flying type.

Good Teammates: Obviously Talonflame or Mega-Pinsir is the most important teammate for Staraptor, as without them there is almost no reason to use it. Staraptor and his Flying friends also require Stealth Rock removal to not die too quickly. A Defogger is probably the best option here because you really do need those rocks gone ASAP. Stealth rocks on the opponent's side are nice as always to help wear down the stuff Staraptor is bashing that much faster. Staraptor also appreciates a U-Turn partner that can threaten at least some of the stuff that will switch into him, in case you decide to click U-Turn instead of Brave Bird for whatever reason.

What Counters it: It's hard to really counter Staraptor, because if you switch your wall into it it's already done its job. The best you can do is to get Stealth Rocks up and keep them there by putting enough pressure on your opponent that they can't defog. This will at least ensure that Staraptor kills itself as soon as possible. You could also switch in Chansey, who survives a Brave Bird but passes tons of recoil damage back to Staraptor.

Any Additional Info: Staraptor will kill itself very quickly, so it's important to conserve its health by making sure you only use Brave Bird when it's really necessary. It is also very easy to check and force out Staraptor with offensive pressure, as it's relatively slow and very frail.

 

[Subject 18]

Deoxys-Speed @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 16 Atk / 252 SAtk / 240 Spd
Naive Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Superpower
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]


Role: Revenge Killer, Late Game Cleaner

What It Does: With the large movepool and outstanding speed allows it to be the best revenge killer in the game. With the EV spread you can outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp to OHKO with an Ice Beam. Psycho Boost is your main move of choice to nuke any switch in that doesn't resist it. Superpower will OHKO Tyranitar and Lucario with a little prior damage. Hidden Power Fire is a good way to take out Genesect, and 2HKO Aegislash on the switch. Because of it's high speed Deoxys-Speed can revenge kill Dragon Dance user like Dragonite and Mega Charizard X after one Dragon Dance. Dragonite needs to have Multiscale broken for this to be achievable and Zard X takes 91.9 - 108.7% from a Psycho Boost which is a 50% OHKO rate from full health.

Good Teammates: This particular set doesn't really need much support. However it fits really well on offensive teams with teammates like Rotom-W to switch in to Talonflame. VoltTurn users like Genesect and Rotom-W will allow for Deoxys-Speed to come in safely and either get an easy kill or heavily dent something. Excadrill is a good teammate for its spinning capabilities to keep Sticky Web off the field prevent Deoxys's speed from being dropped.

What Counters It: Thundurus-I is a nuisance to this set as Thunder Wave will completely cripple you and take away your speed. Choice Band Talonflame will OHKO you with a priority Brave Bird before you have a chance to attack.

Any Additional Info:

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Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Belly Drum


Role: Physical Sweeper, Late Game Cleaner

What It Does: Belly Drum makes Azumarill into a terrifying late game sweeper. With access to Aqua Jet to help mitigate its poor speed it was quickly clean up weakened teams. Once the opposing teams water resist has been weaken or killed, Azumarill can set up a Belly Drum and destroy a team before you're opponent can do much to stop you. The EV spread allows you to outpace uninvested base 70s and Relaxed Nature Mega Venusaur.

Good Teammates: Pokemon that attract choiced locked Ice, Water, Dark, Dragon, or Fighting moves will allow Azumarill to come in and be able to set up a Belly Drum. Examples of these Pokemon are Dragonite, Landorus, Thundurus. Being able to clear out Mega Venusaur, Quagsire, or Unaware Clefable is greatly appreciated to help Azumarill sweep. Latios,

What Counters It: Mega Venusaur and Unaware Quagsire are all good counters for it. Mega Venusaur resists both of Azumarill's STAB moves and can Giga Drain back any health lost. Quagsire has Unaware which renders the Belly Drum boost useless. Quagsire can either Toxic it and stall Recover stall until Azumarill dies.

Any Additional Info: An alternative spread of 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe with a Jolly Nature is an option to outspeed 0 Spe Rotom-W but this isn't ideal anymore as most are running enough speed to outpace Jolly Azumarill.


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Jaroda
Make sure to use spaces in the set so its easily importable to Pokemon Showdown! or Pokemon Online.
It's Will-o-Wisp, remove the spaces. Volt Switch is the move you are referring to, not Volt Change.

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zeriloa
Slash Hidden Power Flying with Hidden Power Ice to 2HKO Mega Venusaur and hit AV Conkeldurr really hard and keep it from switching in to Thundurus. It has enough merit to be considered on the main set.

Mention Choice Banded Genesect in what counters it. Even though Genesect can't really switch in to an attack it can easily revenge kill it with an Extreme Speed which kill Thundurus after one Stealth Rock switch in or two attacks after Life orb recoil.

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rachet67
Mention the option of HP Flying probably over Surf since Mega Venusaur is really common and being completely walled by it hurts. Add Pokemon that can switch in to Thundurus-I when it comes in to revenge kill Keldeo.

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Terminate421

I think the best moveset for Empoleon is Scald / Defog / Stealth Rock / Toxic or Roar in the last slot. Yawn isn't really that great an option since it just forcing a switch but never putting anything to sleep. Using Toxic or Roar for the like of Manaphy are more worthwhile if you ask me.

Mention Landorus-T and Hippowdon as good teammates as they can switch into what the other fears.

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Edit:
SmashBrosBrawl
Mention Toxic as an option to hitting Rotom-W on the switch and get some residual damage on common switch ins.

 

[rachet67]

rachet67
Mention the option of HP Flying probably over Surf since Mega Venusaur is really common and being completely walled by it hurts. Add Pokemon that can switch in to Thundurus-I when it comes in to revenge kill Keldeo.

Honestly was thinking about slashing hp flying, but is it really worth it to give up its only reliable and strong water stab for something that can only 3HKO a pokemon used on 8.7% of OU teams? Missing with hydro pump sucks and even with HP flying its still walled by Mega-Venusaur almost all of the time. Personally, I don't think its worth lowering its effectiveness trying to get past something it still can't get past and won't run into 9/10 times.

252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hidden Power Flying vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Mega Venusaur: 124-148 (34 - 40.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

I'll add the bit on thundurus.

 

[zeriloa]

Thanks for the input Subject 18 and TooMuchSugar, made your suggested changes

 

[Always!]

What to use:

Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter/Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
- Return/Frustration
- Swords Dance

Role: (Primary) Late-game Physical Sweeper, (Secondary) Wall-breaker

What It Does:

What it does

Mega Pinsir is a bug/flying cutemon with big pointy horns. That being said, he's great at acting as a late-game cleaner and obliterating a weakened team with his monstrous base 155 attack and fast 105 speed. His ability, Aerilate, grants him STAB on normal type moves and provides a 30% increase in damage (it's sort of like having a Life Orb without recoil when using a normal move). Anyway, Mega Pinsir can typically be viewed as a win condition after a swords dance boost as long his checks and few counters are dealt with (see below). Seriously, this little bug can two shot fully defensive gliscor and slowbro (two premiere physical OU walls) after a Swords Dance, and nothing that isn't named Skarmory/Rotom/Zapdos can switch in on it. That being said, Mega Pinsir does require conservative playing and hefty team support. He has a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock and he's weak to the common moves of electricity, fire, ice, rock, and flying. Needless to say, Rapid Spin or Defog support (or both for insurance) is a requirement. However, Pinsir won't let you down if you can put a large dent in the other team.

Quick Attack is for Priority and gains STAB + 30% Aerilate Bonus giving the move a base power similar to Extremespeed. Generally speaking, unboosted Quick Attack can usually take out a mon that's under 30% health.

Return is Pinsir primary attack which boasts a whopping base power of 200 after the bonuses are applied. If you don't want ditto stealing your Swords Dance boosts and revenge killing you, go with Frustration because most Showdown users run max happiness. So Ditto will be using a very weak move.

Earthquake is there for amazing Ground/Flying coverage. Everything that resists flying is hit super-effectively by ground moves and vice versa.

Swords Dance is obviously the boosting move that allows you to sweep.

Good Teammates: Pinsir needs rapid spin support and likes having a hazard setter to place entry hazards stacked on the opponent's field (however, having a speedy defog user like Latios as well acts as an insurance policy in a bad situation). But keep in mind, you want your team to be defensively diverse as possible to force more switches and have resistances on incoming. So in other words, choose the spinner (Excadrill/Tentacruel/Starmie/Forretress/Donphan) that keeps your team from sharing too many common weaknesses. Also, you need a special attacker that can deal with Skarmory. Rotom-W or H are excellent choices. Also, Pinsir doesn't mind having walls broken and checks weakened before he sweeps so Choice Band Azumarill is an option.

What Counters It: Only three things in the OU meta can counter a healthy Mega Pinsir and that's Skarmory, Zapdos, and Rotom who can switch in on any move and stall/cripple/KO pinsir. In addition, Stealth Rock on your side of the field is a death sentence. However, be wary of Pinsir's checks. Landorus-T with intimidate is a hassle and he can OHKO Pinsir with stone edge or make him less of a threat. Also, on a free switch in after an opponent's mon faints, there's a plethora of fast special attackers that can come in and OHKO Pinsir with a Special Move. His Spec.Def is only 65.

Finally, Talonflame destroys Pinsir. The bug will die unless he switches out.

Any Additional Info:

Just as a side note, MPinsir's SpD is actually 90, and you could mention Feint as a way of beating Talonflame, as +2 Feint will KO Talonflame, after rocks, and if its Healthy Talonflame vs Healthy MPinsir, +2 Feint + Recoil damage finishes off the bird.

 

[Sucker Lunch]

Just as a side note, MPinsir's SpD is actually 90, and you could mention Feint as a way of beating Talonflame, as +2 Feint will KO Talonflame, after rocks, and if its Healthy Talonflame vs Healthy MPinsir, +2 Feint + Recoil damage finishes off the bird.

That is true lol. I forgot about feint because it's only real niche is getting damage on talonflame. I'll add that in though.

 

[aVocado]

What NOT to use:

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb / Ice Beam

Role: Hazard Remover, Mixed Wall

What It Does: Tentacruel has been known over the generations as the premier Toxic Spikes user in OU, and for good reason. It usually always sets up two layers of toxic spikes, and is able to spin away opponent's hazards in the process, while being able to take on most spinblockers, such as Trevenant, Aegislash, and Gengar. It has good STABs in Water/Poison and has access to Ice Beam which gives it further coverage, and Scald is very good for spreading burns. Unfortunately for Tentacruel, 6th gen didn't serve it good. There are now better options for removing hazards, most notably Defog and the availability of better Rapid Spinners. The much better distribution of Defog made it so much easier to remove hazards that Toxic Spikes and Spikes are now completely irrelevant, and that seriously hurt Tentacruel, basically making it useless since it's two main roles were removing hazards and setting up Toxic Spikes.

Good Teammates: Pokemon that like to stall with the opponent's being heavily poisoned - Gliscor first comes to mind. Blissey and Chansey are also pretty good teammates, as they can stall out Pokemon with Protect + Wish/Softboiled. Heatran is another good teammate as it likes facing toxiced opponents. pHazers like Skarmory can quickly spread toxic through the opponent's burn, and Mandibuzz does the same. Strong and fast sweepers, such as Talonflame and Choice Band or Scarf Terrakion, can easily come in when everything's worn out of toxic damage and clean up.

What Counters It: Blissey/Chansey take on everything Tentacruel throws in their way and retaliate with Seismic Toss, which will eventually wear Tentacruel out after a few hits since it has no recovery outside of Black Sludge. Jellicent can block it's Rapid Spin while giving 0 shits about Scald, Sludge Bomb or Ice Beam, while it can burn with Will-o-Wisp and stall it out with burn damage and Recover. Rotom-W doesn't care much about either Scald or Sludge Bomb and can hit with Volt Switch. Excadrill can keep it in check with a strong Earthquake, but must be wary of Scald burning it.

Any Additional Info:

 

[Seiterman]

I've only seen two "What not to use," posts (Molk's Donphan and Arikado's Physical Greninja,) and I feel that both could go a bit more in-detail as to why they shouldn't be used. Maybe add a section in the write-ups for that? Why Not To Use This or something like that.

For example, Molk's Donphan write-up (which is very well-written,) talks a lot about Donphan being outclassed and receiving heavy competition for its roles, but doesn't really touch on why other choices are better. One could cite Donphan's unimpressive defensive typing, lack of recovery and poor special bulk, for example.

Edit: Three now with the Tentacruel set above this post, but my point stands. =P

 

[TROP]

I think including "good partners" for mons that should not be used is a terrible idea. The "should not be used" entries should be educating new users on why they are not a good options and how other options are superior for the exact role that "should not be used"mon should is able to do.

 

[aVocado]

I've only seen two "What not to use," posts (Molk's Donphan and Arikado's Physical Greninja,) and I feel that both could go a bit more in-detail as to why they shouldn't be used. Maybe add a section in the write-ups for that? Why Not To Use This or something like that.

For example, Molk's Donphan write-up (which is very well-written,) talks a lot about Donphan being outclassed and receiving heavy competition for its roles, but doesn't really touch on why other choices are better. One could cite Donphan's unimpressive defensive typing, lack of recovery and poor special bulk, for example.

Edit: Three now with the Tentacruel set above this post, but my point stands. =P

That's a pretty cool idea, I didn't mention obvious reasons to not use physical Greninja. But on Tentacruel, I did, in the "What It Does" part. :p

I guess people could go more in-depth about why not to use a Pokemon in that part.

 

[Sucker Lunch]

When it comes to OU spinners, I think everyone should mention that even if X is "better" than Y, you need to find a spinner that brings type balance to your team. For example, if you run Heatran and Mega Tyranitar (since you like them a lot) and choose excadrill as a spinner since he's the "best", your team is 50% weak to ground, fighting, and water. That's huge. To achieve balance you would need to have at least 2 other mons resistant to ground, fighting, and water. But even then, Keldeo wrecks half your team.

However, if you run Heatran, Tyranitar, and Starmie your team gains a water and fighting resist to balance Heat and Tar's weaknesses. Starmie isn't the best spinner, but if you want something better...then it would be smart to either chuck Heatran or TTar to neutralize the weakness.

 

[TooMuchSugar]

When it comes to OU spinners, I think everyone should mention that even if X is "better" than Y, you need to find a spinner that brings type balance to your team. For example, if you run Heatran and Mega Tyranitar (since you like them a lot) and choose excadrill as a spinner since he's the "best", your team is 50% weak to ground, fighting, and water. That's huge. To achieve balance you would need to have at least 2 other mons resistant to ground, fighting, and water. But even then, Keldeo wrecks half your team.

However, if you run Heatran, Tyranitar, and Starmie your team gains a water and fighting resist to balance Heat and Tar's weaknesses. Starmie isn't the best spinner, but if you want something better than it would be smart to either chuck Heatran or TTar to neutralize the weakness.

Outclassed is one thing, terrible is another. The idea is that things under "what not to use" will absolutely NEVER improve your team. Anyway, Starmie's pretty great so that's not really a fair example.