ORAS OU Please help me build a viable Gen 1-only team

[Principle of Uncertainty]

So a few days ago a guy on Showdown helped me build a Gen 1 team. It looks the following, and is build around Zard-X as the sweeper (Starmie as the rapis-spinner to clean its way).

Alakazam @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Alakazam is the revenge killer. I use it to cover poison types and chose Psyshock over Psychic to maximize damage output for physically defensive foes. What I do not like about it is that Focus Blast only hits 7 out of 10 times, which very often leads to situations where the focus blast decides if I win or lose the battle. Therefore I have been thinking about using X-Accuracy in stead of Life Orb, but I am not sure if it is a viable option, and if I should go for Focus Sash in stead.


Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled

Clefairy is the Stealth Rock setter, and I choose it as the lead when I think Stealth Rock will be important for the match. I thought Thunder Wave would be important to cripple Lopunny (as elsewise it outspeeds everything in my team), and also I thought it could be a good combo with the Hex Gengar. Maybe Moonlight could be handy instead of Soft-Boiled, specifically to be able to wall out Sun Charizard-Y.


Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hex
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sludge Wave

Gengar: Basically it is in my team because it is one of my all time favourites. I ain't going to build a Gen 1 team without it. I choose it as a lead if I think an annoying stage hazard setter without Prankster might be chosen as the enemy lead, or also to cripple physical attackers like Azumarill. I chose Hex because I think it is a good combo with Clefable's Thunder Wave and Zapdos' Static ability.


Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Roost

My team is built as such, that Charizard-X can clean up the remains of the enemy team. I try to switch it in on weakened enemies such that then I can use a free roost (if stealth rocks are active), or a Dragon Dance. I also switch it in when I am awaiting a Will-o-wisp from a Pokémon that Charizard-X outspeeds.


Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam

Starmie is crucial in the team as stage hazard remover. I try to hold on to it for as long as possible in order to clean the way for Charizard-X. I am not sure currently if Thunderbolt is the better option than Psychic, but it works quite well to switch in on Water Types and then punishing them hard. But due to its frailty this often backfyres, because Starmie dies from this switch-in+punishing, which then means that Stealth Rocks stay in.

Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 68 SpA / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave

Zaptos is physically defensive + Static + Rocky Helmet. So this is the Pokémon that tries to punish contact-making moves (very specifically from Pokémon like Lopunny, Landorus and Scizor. Works very well, and is one of my most effective team members as far as my experience goes. It pretty much counters Scizor, Ferrothorn, which can be very annoying without an adequate counter. Again, Ice coverage because this is - in my opinion - one of the best attack types in the current meta.

Now with this team I have succeeded in climbing up to 1350 once, but not farther. Now maybe I'm just a bad player - this is very well possible - but maybe some of you also see obvious flaws in the team that I do not see currently.

I would very much appreciate any help in improving this team. The goal would be to reach 1500 on the ladder.

Thx :D

 

[Principle of Uncertainty]

Anyone?

 

[Fireflame]

I do think that the idea of a gen 1 team is cool, but there are two issues here. First off, unless you're bringing in Pokemon from UU or something, you're limited to two stealth rock setters: Chansey and Clefable. Furthermore, there are only 4 physical attackers that are gen 1, and three of which are megas, (Charizard-X, M-Heracross, M-Gyarados, Dragonite) so you're left with two max. But I'll try to give a rate - the changes will be in bold.

For Alakazam, Psychic > Psyshock. This is because Alakazam actually does more damage with Psychic in the long run. Although considering the fact that your team only has 1 physical attacker, Psychock might be worthwhile.

For Clefable and Gengar, please put 0 Atk IVs to take minimum damage from Foul Play.

I would recommend Earthquake > Roost on Charizard since your team only has 1 electric resist and no ground types. Right now Mega-Manectric completely mows through this team, and having Earthquake means that you can reliably counter Mega-Manectric and others with Earthquake. Earthquake also gives you necessary coverage to kill Heatran, who would otherwise stop your sweep since he is immune to Flare Blitz and resists Dragon Claw.

Considering the fact that you have two special wallbreakers in Alakazam and Gengar, Starmie would work better with the Defensive set. This gives your team a bit of extra bulk, and Alakazam and Gengar hit much harder than Starmie does anyway. A spread of 244 HP / 8 Def / 4 SpA / 252 Spe with a Timid nature, Leftovers, and Natural Cure is the optimal set. The given EVs look super strange, but let me explain. Defensive Starmie needs max speed to be able to function properly. 244 HP and 8 Def EVs maximizes Starmie's bulk and it avoids the OHKO from max attack adamant life orb Excadrill's Earthquake. The 4 SpA guarantees the OHKO on hex Gengar with Psyshock. The set will be included at the end.

Calcs

252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Earthquake vs. 244 HP / 8 Def Starmie: 273-321 (84.7 - 99.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

4 SpA Starmie Psyshock vs. 8 HP / 0 Def Gengar: 264-312 (100.3 - 118.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

For Zapdos, the only reason you run 68 SpA EVs is to guarantee the OHKO on Mega-Pinsir with Thunderbolt. You're not using Thunderbolt, so those EVs are useless. You could put the 68 SpA EVs into Def for more bulk.
Alternatively, you could change Zapdos' set to the Specially Defensive set since your team is lacking special bulk.

Your team is super weak to Dark types and Ghost types. Half of your team is weak to Dark types and you only have one resist, and half of your team is weak to Ghost types and you have no resist. This is just something you should consider, not necessarily a change. You could opt to swap Charizard X for Dragonite as your sweeper, and swap out Gengar/Alakazam for Mega-Heracross as your physical wallbreaker since you have no physical wallbreaker. Dragonite + Mega-Heracross gives your team a way to handle dark types while having two physical attackers instead of one, but then you're adding two fairy weaknesses. Mega-Gyarados gives your team a slower sweeper with the ability to handle Dark and Ghost types, but then gives your team a fairy and bug weakness (specifically U-Turn) as well as another electric weakness.

But that's the end of my rate. Personally, I don't think you should go through with this gen 1 team. You can only have 2 physical attackers max, and having a combination of Mega-Charizard X, Dragonite, and Mega-Gyarados is bad since you don't want two sweepers. And any combination of Mega-Heracross plus one of those three solves certain weaknesses but then creates much more. Hopefully my changes helped and good luck with this team!

Sets

Alakazam @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Psyshock/Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled

Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sludge Wave

Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake

Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 244 HP / 8 Def / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Psyshock

Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Def / 180 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Roost
- Hidden Power Ice
- Heat Wave

 

[Principle of Uncertainty]

Hi there, sorry for the late response. I have implemented the changes for Zapdos, and Starmie, and will also test the Earthquake instead of Roost thing. I just thought Roost would be quite handy sometime when you don't want to put up back some health before switching out, when Stealth Rocks are active.

I'm gonna test out your improvements, but Heracross is no 1st gen mon, just saying. xD