OU VoltTurn

[Mewderator Y]

Hey Smogon. I'm here with an OU VoltTurn team that's been working quite well for me, and I want a few suggestions on how to improve it. I started the team with a SpD Celebi, a Pokemon that suddenly came to my mind. I then added Forretress for a Defensive presence, as well as providing hazards that damage opponents, quite useful for a team that forces switches. I then added the Rotom-W and Landorus-T dual Scarfed core, a favorite of mine. After noting I had trouble with Steels, I opted for an Infernape, who could rip through them with no trouble. I then added Hydreigon to help me deal with Dragons.

Celebi @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SpD / 24 Spe
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)

- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn

Specially Defensive Celebi acts as a wonderful check to many dangerous Special sweepers nowadays; including Lati@s, Keldeo, Thundurus-T, and Sheer Force Landorus. Also, due to Natural Cure, Celebi can absorb nasty status aimed at the team, healing off the damage with Recover and healing itself by a simple switch or U-turn. EVs insure good Special bulk, and the Speed EVs insure it outspeed maximum Magnezone. Giga Drain is my STAB move, and allows the pixie to recover a little health, as well as not being complete Taunt bait. Recover, when paired up with Giga Drain and Natural Cure, gives intense survivability, and makes Celebi annoying to kill off. Thunder Wave gives the team an overall Speed boost, and allowing my slower Scarfers - Landorus-T and Rotom-W, to come in and out fairly easily. U-turn gives my team momentum, and it allows for my VoltTurn Defensive core.

Forretress (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spe)

- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch

Forretress is arguably the most important part of a VoltTurn team, for many different reasons. It is one of the few Rapid Spinners that has access to Volt Switch / U-turn, and Rapid Spin is an absolute necessity for my side due to the switching of Pokemon back and forth. It also has access to hazards, which are great for racking up residual damage for a team that forces switches. EVs allow for maximum Defensive capabilities. Stealth Rock and Spikes together act as my hazards, Stealth Rock being able to hit all Pokemon, bar Magic Guarders, and Spikes hitting non Levitating / Flying Pokemon. Having both on the field at once greatly reduces the health of Pokemon that attempt to switch out from a threat. Rapid Spin spins away the annoying hazards on my side, which is needed due to me spamming U-turn and Volt Switch. Volt Switch is for scouting, completing VoltTurn, as well as a tool for escaping Magnezone.

Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)

- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ice
- Trick

It's been too long since I used Choiced Rotom-W; before Suspect test had ended, I used SDef Rotom-W all day long. Now that Tornadus-T has finally been banished to Ubers, Choiced Rotom-W returns as a fierce player. Rotom-W acts as my main counter to Dragon Dancing Dragons, outspeeding Dragonite at +1 is always useful. EVs allow my to have the best Special sweeping potential, as well as stopping random Downloaders from nabbing a SpA boost. A Choice Scarf was used to allow me to outspeed a majority of the tier, and can easily become a revenge killer this way. Hydro Pump is STAB, and mauls those Fire types that give my Defensive core problems. Volt Switch is also STAB, deals with the Flying types my Defensive core also has trouble with, and maintains the VoltTurn core. Hidden Power Ice allows me to nail the Dragon Pokemon that my team has trouble with, especially boosting variants, namely Dragonite. Trick is my only way in to cripple boosters, and grants walls extra Speed, while giving Rotom-W a more useful item in th situation, usually.

Landorus-T (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)

- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
- U-turn

Landorus-T works very well with Rotom-W, in terms of VoltTurn and weaknesses. Not only does it provide a great offensive presence with its base 145 Atk stat, it has Intimidate, giving my team more overall bulk, as well as making Forretress a bigger of a pain. Earthquake is my STAB move, hitting insanely hard off a 389 Atk stat, and when it is combined with Stone Edge, it creates the famous EdgeQuake combination, granting me nearly perfect neutral coverage. Superpower allows me to deal with Steels that are resistant or take little damage from STAB Earthquake, such as Ferrothorn. U-turn allows me to maintain momentum and keep this team a pure VoltTurn.

Infernape (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)

- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- ThunderPunch
- U-turn

After seeing that that I had major trouble in dealing with Steel type Pokemon, I added an Infernape, who could reckless smash through them using one of its STAB moves. After many battles running Life Orb, I decided that bluffing a Choice item would be decent, and decided to run Expert Belt over my previous Choice Band. I'm glad to say it has worked well. EVs are quite standard, with 4 SpD EVs to save me from them Downloaders from gaining a SpA boost. Flare Blitz is my main STAB, and is the move I will usually spam after seeing that my opponent has a Steel, bar Heatran. Close Combat, Infernape's other STAB move, nails Heatran, as well as hitting Rock types that resist Close Combat. ThunderPunch, when Iron Fist boosted, allows to beat Pokemon, like Jellicent and Keldeo, much more efficiently, and can nail the Flying Pokemon that switch in on it. U-turn is for momentum, obviously, and keeps my team a VoltTurn.

Hydreigon (F) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)

- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- U-turn

Hydreigon was finally added as a check to Dragon Pokemon, but lately, it hasn't exactly done so well in checking them, due to loads of Scarfers nowadays. This guy also grants me another Ice weakness, which is horrible due to the popularity of Ice in the OU metagame. I was debating on Scarf on this guy, and making my Rotom-W the bulky attacker variant, and this is yet to be tested. Once again, I attempted to bluff another Choice set by the use of Expert Belt. Draco Meteor is my STAB move, and hits the pesky Dragons that my team hates. Fire Blast provides near perfect coverage against all Pokemon, hitting the Steel Pokemon that resist Draco Meteor. Earth Power takes care of Heatran, the only Pokemon to be able to take on the Draco-Fire combination. U-turn allows me to preserve momentum, and keep this team a VoltTurn.​

 

[undisputed]

Hey!

It's a shame this RMT hasn't gotten any attention yet. VoltTurn is almost a relic of the past nowadays even though it was once the BW standard. It's about time someone put together a solid VoltTurn team and add a new dimension to the inevitably stagnant BW2 Metagame. Anyway, one big problem I see with your team is that it doesn't have enough fire power. VoltTurn is basically one big mind game with your opponent, and in order for that mind game to work, you need to threaten your opponent with potentially big moves.

My first suggestion for you is to fit Scizor onto your team. Scizor is a great, and possibly indispensable, VoltTurn member. I think the best Pokemon to replace would be Infernape. Choice Band U-turn does a lot of damage even against Pokemon that resist Bug type, and it forms a great tandem with Rotom-w and Volt-Switch. Scizor lures in Skarmory, Heatran, Tyranitar, Hippowdon, Defensive Steels, and so on, and you'll be racking up damage really quickly with Rotom-w. The biggest asset that Scizor brings for your team is that it's powerful. You can actually threaten KOes instead of mindlessly VoltTurn-ing and being inefficient. Remember, to win the game, you actually have to KO the opposing team, not just threaten a weak Super Effective attack.

Next, I'd like you to consider replacing Hydreigon with Choice Specs Latios. I guarantee there will be opportunities to get Latios in for a free Draco Meteor. You Volt Switch and U-turn while racking up damage, and then you use Latios to finish off the match. Very few Pokemon can take on Latios without full health, and VoltTurn is a great mechanism to achieve that goal. Latios is also a lot faster than Hydreigon, and I think you could really use some Speed on your team since it's a little slow and dependent on getting the VoltTurn prediction correct.

Next, I think you should forget the Scarf on Landorus-t. Landorus-t is a pretty mediocre Scarf user, and I think you would benefit from some breathing room. If you need to make a prediction, you take the risk without a Scarf and be able to correct it next move. However, one wrong prediction can lose all your momentum, and VoltTurn usually loses the game if it doesn't have the momentum. I'd also like to recommend Stealth Rock instead of Superpower. It frees Forretress to focus on Rapid Spinning, and I think Forretress is best used sparingly. I'd use either Gyro Ball or Hidden Power Ice instead of Stealth Rock on Forretress. Try them out; both have their pros and cons.

Good luck!

 

[MCBarrett]

hey MeW, this seems like a pretty solid volt turn team but i think there is still some room for improvement, hopefully i can help.

First of all, you definitely have a problem with opposing dragons as you said, with forretress really being the only mon you have to take any attacks from the likes of latios, garchomp and the rest. Your attempt to solve this was Hydreigon but really this only amplifies the problem since it is without a scarf and is one of the slowest dragons in the tier anyways. I think a Life Orb Mamoswine would help you, here's the set.

Hide

Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Adamant Nature
Trait: Thick Fat
252 att/ 252 spe/ 4 hp
earthquake
ice shard
icicle crash
superpower

Between earthquake and superpower mamoswine can still put a nice dent into steel types. Also, mamoswine's powerful priority will be a great way to revenge kill opposing dragons. Lastly mamoswine pairs really well with choice rotom-w so you already have some good synergy on your team.

I also noticed you have a weakness to sun teams, and while mamoswine does help that somewhat sweepers like venusaur can tank an ice shard from full health and ohko with giga drain. venusaur can also sweep the great majority of the rest of your team. For this reason i would recommend switching celebi to a calm mind latias. Latias has comparable specially defensive abilities to celebi, does very well against sun teams, and gives you something to set up with which is very useful on volt turn teams since you can switch into a good matchup and set up calm minds. Also, you have many other volt turners on your team so i don't think losing one would be a problem. Here is the set

Hide

Latias @ leftovers
Timid nature
252 hp/ 4 def/ 252 spe
recover
dragon pulse
calm mind
substitute/ hp fire/ psyshock

Hopefully these suggestions will help, good luck with the team!

 

[Dr Ciel]

Hello.

This is a very nice Volt-Turn team you have here, I really like the Pokemon you use, great synergy, so I would like to give you some props for using it. Anyways, this is a very well put together team, but there are some flaws I could possibly help ironing out. With that said, let's get onto the rate! Alright, I would like to echo undisputed's suggestion of Choice Band Scizor over Infernape. As previously said, CB U-Turn does a ton of damage even against Pokemon that resists it. Also, Choice Band Scizor forms the infamous Scrotom core, one of the best Volt-Turn cores in the metagame. Next up I would recommend using a Choice Scarf Celebi in place of your current one. Choice Scarf Celebi is an excellent fit to this team, as it keeps the Volt-Turn momentum going, and keeping up the offensive pressure on your opponent. Celebi also has above average speed and some decent bulk to work with. Well, that's all I have to say for now. Like I've said before, Volt-Turn is a very interesting strategy, and I would like to give you props once again for trying it out. Well, despite my short rate, I hope my advice helped you in one way or another. Good luck and best of luck to you in your future endeavors!

Scizor & Celebi

Scizor @ Choice Band Lv. 100 -- Technician

Nature: Adamant - EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SDef

- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch

Celebi @ Choice Scarf Lv. 100 -- Natural Cure

Nature: Naive - EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd

- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Earth Power
- Leaf Storm

~Dr Ciel~ (The doctor is OUT)

 

[Mewderator Y]

Sorry for not replying, guys, was kind of busy with new classes!

Hey!

It's a shame this RMT hasn't gotten any attention yet. VoltTurn is almost a relic of the past nowadays even though it was once the BW standard. It's about time someone put together a solid VoltTurn team and add a new dimension to the inevitably stagnant BW2 Metagame. Anyway, one big problem I see with your team is that it doesn't have enough fire power. VoltTurn is basically one big mind game with your opponent, and in order for that mind game to work, you need to threaten your opponent with potentially big moves.

My first suggestion for you is to fit Scizor onto your team. Scizor is a great, and possibly indispensable, VoltTurn member. I think the best Pokemon to replace would be Infernape. Choice Band U-turn does a lot of damage even against Pokemon that resist Bug type, and it forms a great tandem with Rotom-w and Volt-Switch. Scizor lures in Skarmory, Heatran, Tyranitar, Hippowdon, Defensive Steels, and so on, and you'll be racking up damage really quickly with Rotom-w. The biggest asset that Scizor brings for your team is that it's powerful. You can actually threaten KOes instead of mindlessly VoltTurn-ing and being inefficient. Remember, to win the game, you actually have to KO the opposing team, not just threaten a weak Super Effective attack.

Next, I'd like you to consider replacing Hydreigon with Choice Specs Latios. I guarantee there will be opportunities to get Latios in for a free Draco Meteor. You Volt Switch and U-turn while racking up damage, and then you use Latios to finish off the match. Very few Pokemon can take on Latios without full health, and VoltTurn is a great mechanism to achieve that goal. Latios is also a lot faster than Hydreigon, and I think you could really use some Speed on your team since it's a little slow and dependent on getting the VoltTurn prediction correct.

Next, I think you should forget the Scarf on Landorus-t. Landorus-t is a pretty mediocre Scarf user, and I think you would benefit from some breathing room. If you need to make a prediction, you take the risk without a Scarf and be able to correct it next move. However, one wrong prediction can lose all your momentum, and VoltTurn usually loses the game if it doesn't have the momentum. I'd also like to recommend Stealth Rock instead of Superpower. It frees Forretress to focus on Rapid Spinning, and I think Forretress is best used sparingly. I'd use either Gyro Ball or Hidden Power Ice instead of Stealth Rock on Forretress. Try them out; both have their pros and cons.

Good luck!

Good idea, Specs Latios definitely has a better chance to stand up to opposing Dragons. I will use CB Scizor, as you recommend. I guess I was thinking way too much about coverage, rather than actual power. And maybe I was thinking on just having U-turn and Volt Switch on every member. And I really haven't used HP Ice Forretress at all; can you recommend an EV spread, if possible?

hey MeW, this seems like a pretty solid volt turn team but i think there is still some room for improvement, hopefully i can help.

First of all, you definitely have a problem with opposing dragons as you said, with forretress really being the only mon you have to take any attacks from the likes of latios, garchomp and the rest. Your attempt to solve this was Hydreigon but really this only amplifies the problem since it is without a scarf and is one of the slowest dragons in the tier anyways. I think a Life Orb Mamoswine would help you, here's the set.

Hide

Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Adamant Nature
Trait: Thick Fat
252 att/ 252 spe/ 4 hp
earthquake
ice shard
icicle crash
superpower

Between earthquake and superpower mamoswine can still put a nice dent into steel types. Also, mamoswine's powerful priority will be a great way to revenge kill opposing dragons. Lastly mamoswine pairs really well with choice rotom-w so you already have some good synergy on your team.

I also noticed you have a weakness to sun teams, and while mamoswine does help that somewhat sweepers like venusaur can tank an ice shard from full health and ohko with giga drain. venusaur can also sweep the great majority of the rest of your team. For this reason i would recommend switching celebi to a calm mind latias. Latias has comparable specially defensive abilities to celebi, does very well against sun teams, and gives you something to set up with which is very useful on volt turn teams since you can switch into a good matchup and set up calm minds. Also, you have many other volt turners on your team so i don't think losing one would be a problem. Here is the set

Hide

Latias @ leftovers
Timid nature
252 hp/ 4 def/ 252 spe
recover
dragon pulse
calm mind
substitute/ hp fire/ psyshock

Hopefully these suggestions will help, good luck with the team!

I will try CM Latias and Mamoswine after I test out Scizor and Latios from undisputed. You're right, I do have a bit of trouble with Venusaur and friends. Thanks!

Hello.

This is a very nice Volt-Turn team you have here, I really like the Pokemon you use, great synergy, so I would like to give you some props for using it. Anyways, this is a very well put together team, but there are some flaws I could possibly help ironing out. With that said, let's get onto the rate! Alright, I would like to echo undisputed's suggestion of Choice Band Scizor over Infernape. As previously said, CB U-Turn does a ton of damage even against Pokemon that resists it. Also, Choice Band Scizor forms the infamous Scrotom core, one of the best Volt-Turn cores in the metagame. Next up I would recommend using a Choice Scarf Celebi in place of your current one. Choice Scarf Celebi is an excellent fit to this team, as it keeps the Volt-Turn momentum going, and keeping up the offensive pressure on your opponent. Celebi also has above average speed and some decent bulk to work with. Well, that's all I have to say for now. Like I've said before, Volt-Turn is a very interesting strategy, and I would like to give you props once again for trying it out. Well, despite my short rate, I hope my advice helped you in one way or another. Good luck and best of luck to you in your future endeavors!

Scizor & Celebi

Scizor @ Choice Band Lv. 100 -- Technician

Nature: Adamant - EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SDef

- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch

Celebi @ Choice Scarf Lv. 100 -- Natural Cure

Nature: Naive - EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd

- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Earth Power
- Leaf Storm

~Dr Ciel~ (The doctor is OUT)

Thanks, Dr. Ciel! I am going to use Choice Band Scizor, as undisputed suggested. Interesting idea on Celebi, but I think it might deprive me of necessary bulk on the team, as Forretress is going to be the only one taking hits, which isn't that great of an idea, considering Forretress' frailty on the Special Defense side. Nevertheless, I will try that out after I try out Latias and Mamoswine, as MCBarrett said.