Art by Kolohe
Thank you everyone who helped collect, edit, and finalize teams and write and edit descriptions - this was a group effort and I could not have done it with everyone else!
Thank you everyone who helped collect, edit, and finalize teams and write and edit descriptions - this was a group effort and I could not have done it with everyone else!
Welcome to the RBY OU Sample Teams thread. This thread showcases popular playstyles and archetypes to help beginner- to intermediate-level players become acclimated to the tier or simply to help anyone in need of a solid team to play. Teams are grouped by primary sleeper, and the starred teams are most encouraged for beginners to try.
The Sample Teams will be reviewed and updated (if necessary) after every SPL and RBY Invitational to account for metagame shifts. If you want to see anything changed, please message me on Discord at tinkatink or contact an RBY Forum Moderator.
RBY OU has been around for a long time, and with only 13 OU Pokemon, it is often challenging to pinpoint who built teams first. If you would like to see anyone get credit for something they created, again, please send me a message on Discord at tinkatink or contact an RBY Forum Moderator.
Exeggutor 
Psychic + Blizzard Starmie covers the Alakazam and Gengar lead matchups. Ice Beam + Thunderbolt Chansey helps against Starmie while Double Edge Exeggutor beats down Jynx. With Exeggutor as the only Sleeper, the team might have to take passive lines in the early game until Exeggutor can find a clean turn to switch in, such as a Chansey Softboiled or Snorlax Reflect or Rest. Hyper Beam Snorlax is the team's most robust progress maker, with the three Psychics covering Gengar and Counter Chansey. Alakazam is the most neutral Pokemon to have in the back, with no impossible matchups against anything.
Blizzard + Thunderbolt Starmie covers opposing Starmie lead while not getting Exeggutor or even Chansey in for free. Ice Beam + Thunderbolt Chansey is mandatory for Jynx, as Exeggutor is running Mega Drain instead of Double Edge or Hyper Beam for more longevity to check Rhydon. Similar to Starmie / Exeggutor / Alakazam, getting Exeggutor in cleanly can be tricky and forces a passive early game. Earthquake Snorlax makes progress without worrying about Counter Chansey or Gengar and helps check Rhydon. Ice Beam is also an option for the Snorlax mirror and Rhydon, while Ice Beam + Thunderbolt Chansey and Zapdos covers Water-types.
Starmie is a fake lead that does not want to stay in; Turn 1 should always be a switch to Exeggutor or Chansey, except against Jynx, which needs to be Thunder Wave'd in hopes of breaking it. If the team can't, Exeggutor should explode on it, and Sing Chansey should sleep something else. Exeggutor / Starmie / Rhydon is a more accurate representation of the team, as Exeggutor is the designed sleep sack because the team lacks speed control and crumbles into Cloyster without Starmie. Hyper Beam Snorlax + Tail Whip Rhydon has incredible breaking power into anything. Ice Beam Snorlax + Rock Slide Rhydon is another option, but it can struggle against Starmie due to Chansey not running Thunderbolt.
Flexibility is the name of this team. Alakazam + Exeggutor + Sing Chansey gives plenty of different early game lines into any lead, with the sleep sack depending on the matchup. Sing + Seismic Toss Chansey breaks through Jynx and gets Sleep on something else while not being walled by Water-types or Alakazam. Alakazam + Stun Spore Exeggutor allows the latter to switch in on Turn 1 against Gengar, punish it with paralysis, and aim to KO it and sleep something else. Earthquake Snorlax makes reliable progress and patches Seismic Toss Chansey's Rhydon weakness. Sing + Ice Beam Chansey with Hyper Beam Snorlax is another viable option for the team, and Selfdestruct Snorlax works as an emergency button.
Alakazam + Mega Drain Exeggutor allows for flexible early game lines, including clicking Thunder Wave on Starmie or Alakazam lead if the opponent decides to stay. If it's Starmie, Mega Drain Exeggutor can break it down and Sleep something else. If it's Alakazam or Jynx, they become set-up bait for Slowbro while keeping Sleep for something more important later in the game. Seismic Toss + Reflect Chansey sits on everything and forces Snorlax to rest, giving Slowbro free turns to set up, with the Rhydon weakness covered by Exeggutor. Snorlax has plenty of options for its moveset; Earthquake makes reliable progress, Hyper Beam helps against Starmie and Cloyster, Selfdestruct as an emergency button, and even Amnesia + Selfdestruct to lure Starmie.
Gengar 
Gengar helps the Starmie + Alakazam core with its biggest weakness, Hyper Beam Snorlax, becoming important for the mid- and late-game if the opponent drops Earthquake on Snorlax or Tauros, even while asleep. Alakazam covers Gengar and Counter Chansey, freeing Snorlax to be Hyper Beam or even Selfdestruct as an emergency button against Tauros or Zapdos.
Gengar is a strong lead option for Zapdos teams, as the most popular Rhydon team in the last few years has been Jynx + Starmie + Rhydon, letting the team play a Pokemon up, barring early game misfortune. Sing + Ice Beam Chansey provides a secondary option for Sleep and doesn't give free turns to Rhydon. Earthquake Snorlax makes reliable progress against Chansey and, again, doesn't give free turns to Rhydon. While Earthquake Snorlax can't reliably break Cloyster or other Reflect Snorlax, it does force rest, giving Zapdos free entry. Surf Starmie OHKOes Rhydon and helps against Alakazam. Gengar also helps pivoting against Tauros, as it can switch in on Body Slam and out to Zapdos on Earthquake.
Gengar + Exeggutor + Starmie is a flexible team with various sets and early game lines. Exeggutor can run either Stun Spore or Mega Drain since Jynx is covered by Gengar and can even drop Sleep for Stun Spore + Mega Drain if paired with Sing + Ice Beam or Seismic Toss Chansey. Snorlax can be Earthquake for reliable progress against Counter Chansey, Gengar, and Tail Whip Rhydon, or Hyper Beam or Selfdestruct for stronger breaking power since Psychic Gengar + Exeggutor can remove Gengar early on. Thunderbolt Gengar, Mega Drain Exeggutor, and Ice Beam + Thunderbolt Chansey allow for interesting early game lines, such as paralyzing opposing lead Starmie and Sleeping something else. One of Gengar or Exeggutor can also use Explosion to clear the other to get Sleep.
This team rocks double Sleep and quadruple Explosion / Selfdestruct. Psychic Gengar weakens other Gengars and explodes on Jynx, paving the way for Exeggutor to sleep something else. Stun Spore Exeggutor provides paralysis support and takes some pressure off Chansey, the Pokemon holding the team together. If something happens to it early, the team can crumble. Seismic Toss + Reflect helps spread paralysis, force Rests, avoid Explosion, and chipping Starmie and Alakazam, so 4 Attacks Snorlax can find entry points. Ice Beam + Thunderbolt improves the Starmie matchup in exchange for a worse Alakazam matchup and physical weakness. 4 Attacks Snorlax must be played with care and hopes to avoid paralysis, although Reflect or 3 Attacks + Rest are also options. Thunderbolt Tauros makes reliable progress against Cloyster, which the team can struggle against.
Gengar + Cloyster + Alakazam trades power for control compared to Gengar + Exeggutor + Cloyster. In exchange for Exeggutor's early game flexibility, Ground-type resistance, and Explosion, Alakazam provides Speed Control, safety, and mid-to-late game flexibility. Alakazam can either be a late-game cleaner or mid-game glue if something happens to Chansey. Gengar + Cloyster has excellent defensive synergy, taking care of most combinations of Tauros + Snorlax, allowing Snorlax to focus on offensive pressure and shine. It can be standard Reflect with Hyper Beam or Selfdestruct, or a Physical version (4 Attacks, 3 Attacks + Counter, or 3 Attacks + Rest).
Jynx 
Starmie + Alakazam structures are very flexible, allowing the game to be played in many different ways and acting as both offensive and defensive pieces. Counter on Chansey patches the team's Body Slam weakness when using Jynx as the lead instead of Gengar. Hyper Beam Snorlax is the team's best progress maker, while Selfdestrust is an option as an emergency button against Tauros or Zapdos. It should not be used as an early game tool, such as exploding on Chansey, since the team tends to crumble defensively and can't make reliable progress offensively without Snorlax.
Jynx gets the quick Sleep, Chansey and Starmie spread paralysis, and Earthquake Snorlax can start pressuring immediately without worrying about Counter while patching the Rhydon weakness. Zapdos finds free turns on Snorlax and Cloyster Resting and Starmie healing and has excellent offensive synergy with Tauros. Both can break for the other to sweep while Starmie and Chansey hold everything together.
Jynx is the easiest way to run Ice Beam + Thunderbolt Chansey and back Starmie, two ideal partners for Rhydon that spread paralysis and keep opposing Starmie, Exeggutor, and Cloyster in check. Snorlax is Hyper Beam for maximum breaking power, but it can also Ice Beam with Rock Slide Rhydon or even Earthquake for safety against Counter. Starmie can run Blizzard + Psychic to improve the Exeggutor matchup, as Mega Drain variants give the team a hard time, but then it can be taken advantage of by opposing Thunderbolt Starmie.
Jynx allows Cloyster + Alakazam to run Ice Beam + Thunderbolt Chansey, not allowing Starmie to sit on the team and forcing the opponent to use Snorlax-weak Pokemon like Chansey or Alakazam to check Chansey instead, giving Hyper Beam Snorlax opportunities to shine. Thanks to Cloyster's defensive value, Snorlax can also run a Physical version (4 Attacks, 3 Attacks + Counter, or 3 Attacks + Rest). Zapdos is a huge threat; be cautious with resting Cloyster and Snorlax.
Sing Chansey 
Starmie + Cloyster + Jolteon is a defensive structure that used to be quite popular but has fallen off hard lately. Blizzard + Psychic lead Starmie and Sing Chansey allows for a comfortable early-game into anything bar Jynx. Earthquake Snorlax ensures safe progress, and Cloyster and Jolteon act as defensive shields from physical attackers and Zapdos. If anything happens to Chansey or Cloyster, the team tends to crumble, as Psychic-types become deadly and resting with Jolteon becomes very susceptible to Tauros. Thunderbolt Tauros doesn't let Cloyster comfortably Rest and can lead to the team crumbling, Psychic Spam puts a lot of pressure on Chansey, and Rhydon takes advantage of free turns on Jolteon.
Compared to Jolteon on Starmie + Cloyster compositions, Alakazam patches the Psychic weaknesses and doesn't give Rhydon free entry in exchange for the Zapdos weakness. Hyper Beam Snorlax has great synergy with Cloyster and Alakazam, while Starmie, Alakazam, and Earthquake Tauros cover Gengar. Be cautious about resting Cloyster, as giving free turns to Zapdos and Thunderbolt Tauros can quickly backfire. The team can also struggle to make progress against Starmie due to the lack of Electric-type moves.
Lead Alakazam makes it hard for single Sleeper Exeggutor teams to successfully land Sleep and is especially great when Exeggutor is rushed. Paralyzing and chipping Exeggutor allows Sing Chansey to sleep something else, making Starmie's and Rhydon's lives much easier. Ice Beam Snorlax ensures the team doesn't get stuck against opposing Snorlax, and allows Rhydon to run Rock Slide over Tail Whip for Exeggutor and Cloyster, although getting back Starmie can become an issue. Running Hyper Beam Snorlax with Tail Whip Rhydon is an alternative that helps against Starmie.
