OU Thrashing Threats (Balanced)

[Viviphy]

A pretty generic OU team, I suppose. Still in the works, been testing pretty well thus far on PS! Here is the team at a glance:

I started the team with MegaZardY in mind for the main offensive force, and with Charizard comes the need of the ability to remove Stealth Rocks. So, next I figured I would cast some worthy team mates that fit the roll; Defog Latios and Donphan. Latios is not only great for Defog, but it also resists a few of ZardY's weaknesses, which could be crucial for switches. It also gives the team more offensive presence. Donphan is a good defensive Pokemon but in testing I would like to find an alternative to him as he usually doesn't accomplish much outside of getting rocks up and potentially spinning if Latios can't safely get in for Defog. The next defensive member is Blissey, who I chose to tank special attacks, spread paralysis and cure the team of status. The last two members are the physical side of the of the offense; Bisharp and Conkeldurr. I think they offer great offensive options, both having priority and they hit hard.

Conkeldurr @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Atk / 48 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Mach Punch
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch

This guy is just awesome. Having access to Knock Off and Ice Punch after bank released made this guy an instant favorite of mine in the meta. Priority in the form of Mach Punch makes him /so/ much more scary. His coverage is brilliant and he hits like a truck. I opted for Assault Vest for the item so he can tank special hits given that he is so bulky, and can usually survive super effective hits as a result. Guts for the ability to soak up and take advantage of status, especially burns that may otherwise hinder him. All in all, a great offensive pokemon.

Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance (was trying Pursuit, too)

Another offensive monster sporting Knock Off; but this time with STAB. The EV spread was something recommended to me to outspeed 44 spe EV Rotoms and Jolly Azumarill. Defiant allows him to laugh off intimidate or other stat drops, and Life Orb gives an extra POW behind each of his hits. Sucker Punch is devastating STAB priority that can really psych the opponent out, which can let you capitalize on the last move which is Swords Dance. This guy can win games for the team on his own if used correctly.

->

Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
- Dragon Pulse (more than likely going to change to Air Slash)

The motive behind this team's creation; MegaZardY. I love Charizard, I always have. And so, it would be a shame if I didn't use its new forms in this generations meta game. Fortunately for me, MegaZard is an absolute beast. Both MegaZard X and Y are complete threats and the ability to make the opponent think about what one it is can be an additional advantage (although sort of obvious to someone familiar with the meta). I opted for Timid Nature over Modest for the nice 100 base speed tier, which isn't that great but still not laughable. The moves were in the air for a while but I decided to go for coverage. I didn't know if I wanted to use Dragon Pulse, Earthquake (with Naive nature [for Heatran mostly]) or Roost to heal up. This may still change but I'm not sure yet.

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf
- Defog

Probably my favorite Legendary in OU. This thing hits so hard. I usually prefer to have a Choice item on this guy, but having the option to Defog is crucial for this team. The other moves are just for coverage, pretty standard. Life Orb to hit particularly hard. 0 Attack IVs to take less damage from opposing Foul Play attacks. Latios is a great partner for MegaZardY and together they bring the pain.

Donphan @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 240 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake

He is here as defensive utility. Takes hits, potentially revenge kills, spins away hazards and sets up rocks. Earthquake for STAB damage. Not much to say here really. Went with Impish instead of Adamant to better take hits. The EV spread is actually random, and I haven't run any calcs. I do know that Ice Shard with this spread with 2HKO Salamence and Dragonite after SR damage. Leftovers for recovery and Sturdy to help insure its utility can be available.

Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aromatherapy
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss

While Chansey is great, I don't see why so many people have been using her over Blissey. LEftovers offers additional recovery and with Knock Off becoming more popular, Chansey becomes more vulnerable with Eviolite getting removed. Standard build for Blissey, really. Cleric and Special Wall, a great asset to any team, really.


Will update for Threats List**

 

[Dododoggy]

• On Conkeldurr run these EVs instead. 252 atk / 4 def / 248 sp. def /4 spe. This allows you to outspeed other Conkeldurrs and have a lot better special bulk with the Assault vest.

• Bisharp since you are utilizing in a bit of HP maybe run Blackglasses. This makes his two dark STAB moves get a 20% boost and when you attack your not getting 10% of your health taken away. This allows Bisharp to still hit hard but stay alive easier.

• On Charizard run Air Slash over Dragon Pulse. Its a good alternative since the only thing Dragon Pulse hits hard are dragons.

Other than that, good team!

 

[Viviphy]

Thanks for the suggestions.
For Conkeldurr, I was considering adding some SpDef EVs but the HP allows it to still be able to sustain physical attacks better, too. Maybe a split instead of having no HP investment?
And Black Glasses on Bisharp seems like a viable substitute but is it really worth 10% less damage and no boost on Iron Head?
I think Air Slash might be better than Dragon Pulse and will probably make this change :)

 

[Viviphy]

Bumping this now, I am going to use it irl tonight so I'd like last minute suggestions before i finish it on my game.

 

[Rafael J. Feliciano]

Hey Viviphy, nice team you have here. Since you have Latios with Defog, having Donphan seems pointless. If anything I would change Blissey from Bold Nature and 252 Def to Calm and 252 SpD and use the following as my Physical Wall:

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
EV: 244 HP / 248 Def / 16 Spe
Ability: Poison Heal
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
- Earthquake

This guy walls Physical attackers hard and retaliates with Toxic to put them on a clock. Stealth Rock here for a much needed entry hazard and EQ is basic STAB move of choice. Protect just buys healing and accumulates damage.

If you wanted to take it a step further I would replace Blissey entirely for:

Sylveon @ Leftovers
EV: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 SpA
Ability: Pixilate
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
- Hyper Voice

She compliments Gliscor very well, while simultaneously granting Wish passes; still a cleric with Heal Bell, and Hyper Voice get a boost thanks to Pixilate whil simultaneously hitting mons behind a Substitute like Kyurem-B and Gliscor. Wish passing seems important since the LO recoil will wither Latios down fast and if you do let Conk get burn or poisoned, those will add up as well. (Uncle Voice) ONE MORE THING! You should be using Heal Bell only when one of your sweepers is paralyzed. Conk doesn't mind poison or burn as long as you can Wish pass to him for recovery. Latios is the same seeing as burn doesn't affect his SpA and you want Gliscor to remain poisoned so that he can heal himself.

Aside from that, try one (or both) of these changes out and let me know what you think.

 

[Viviphy]

I tested briefly with your suggestions. I always loved Gliscor as a Pokemon and could get behind using him instead of Donphan, but having reliable Spinning when Latios doesn't get a good opportunity is nice. I wasn't a fan of Sylveon but in theory she definitely works. Wish passing potential is always a nice bonus for sure.

Also, for an update, I brought the team as it is listed above to the local tournament I attend weekly and ended up 4-0 taking first with it. Some notes:

Mega Mawile is a threat. I encountered it once and was scared it would set up a Swords Dance, but it went straight for the Play Rough. Nothing can safely switch into it besides Donphan who still takes ~50% from it. So, if it were to get a SD off and used well, it could certainly do a number on my team.

The Lati-twins seemed like they could be a huge threat but I played against both of them and as long as I kept Bisharp healthy it wasn't a problem at all.

Mamoswine is also a threat. With Icicle Crash, Ice Shard, Earthquake and its other coverage moves it is scary to face. A healthy MegaZardY can take it on but doesn't enjoy the damage it could potentially sustain. Conkeldurr also doesn't like the damage but Drain Punch + Mach Punch can take it out granted no flinches happen.

Azumarill is a threat if Charizard is down; but if it is choiced I can work around it easier.

Other than those things giving me hassle, the team has been performing very well.

Edit: encountered another huge threat. While uncommon, Mega Gyarados with Dragon Dance, Crunch, Earthquake and Waterfall shits all over my team. If I allow it to set up it's pretty much game over. The only thing that has a chance to withstand it is Conkeldurr; so if he is fainted or not at full health, I'm in trouble. And after two Dragon Dance the only way he is surviving Waterfall at full HP is if the Sun is up, so there's that.