Before I begin, I'd like to note that I did this from my phone and thus pardon me if this seems a little bare w/o the sprites and such.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I named this team Pencilcase because well, I figure pencil cases have everything you need for school, um usually, and since this is my first attempt at a serious OU team, I'm learning, as well as trying to pack an answer for most threats.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 244 HP / 44 Atk / 116 Def / 100 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Swords Dance
The basic bulky SD Scizor that's been running around lately. I chose Scizor thanks to it having a ton of resistances and only one, albeit 4x, weakness to fire so it can function as a bulky pivot to take hits. I didn't use U-Turn because it also functions as a late game sweeper after the opposing team has been sufficiently weakened or nothing remains that can face it. The EVs were taken from daftmau5's set for similar purposes, mainly to soak up hits from Landorus-T and Aegislash while hopefully forcing switches and setting up/knocking off leftovers and such.
Moves are pretty much the standard on bulky Scizor, with roost to give it more leeway to get an SD off if it's taken too much damage. Bullet Punch is mandatory on Scizor, allowing it to pick off weakened Pokemon and hit Tyranitar for SE damage, since switching Breloom into it usually makes it's Sash unusable so I tend to hold it back. Knock Off is just great in general, allowing it to make whatever switches into it less threatening.
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Extrasensory
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
Greninja is my attempt at an answer to Mega Venusaur, because I'm really afraid of it for some reason and need a Pokemon to specifically deal with it. I previously had a CB Talonflame to deal with it, but it's really frail and doesn't force as many switches. Also I hated the lack of choice(such irony) to switch moves and didn't want to use a SD set. I also really needed a Pokemon with water type coverage to hit Rotom-H, which is otherwise a problem for the rest of my team with it's Levitate and very powerful overheat on the Choice Specs variant. Plus Greninja has wider coverage overall.
Set is pretty basic, with Grass Knot over HP Grass to hopefully hit the uncommon CroCune and Vaporeon because I occasionally need to hold back Breloom for a larger threat.
Extrasensory is there because I really need something to hit M-Venusaur with. It also deals with fighting types such as Keldeo that may not expect it.
Ice beam is pretty common on Greninja, allowing it to hit Dragons for SE damage. Only thing is that this set is walled pretty hard by Aegislash, as the strongest thing Greninja has to hit it is a STAB Hydro Pump, while SubToxic variants can easily take it out. I figure that not packing Dark Pulse is worth it though, as most of the other Pokemon on the team can handle Aegislash pretty well otherwise.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spd
Bold Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost
Ah the physically defensive Zapdos. I've grown to really love this Pokemon. It checks most variants of Talonflame as well as hard counters Mega-Pinsir, and basically takes down Azumarill with impunity, with +6 Aqua Jet being a 2HKO after leftovers recovery. To top that off it also functions as a pretty good check to Aegislash, all variants of Scizor and Gyarados. 16 Spd EVs are to outrun Bisharp
Thunderbolt packs a punch coming off of 125 base SpA, landing an OHKO on Talonflame, M-Pinsir and a shaky OHKO on Azumarill after Belly Drum, guaranteed after Stealth Rock damage. It also checks M-Gyarados, making it hard to try and switch in.
Heat Wave is so useful to hit Bisharp with, making it think twice about switching in on predicted Defogs as it can only rely on Sucker Punch, which Zapdos can Pressure-stall out. It also checks Scizor, and other Pokemon with a weakness to fire, including Aegislash.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
Heatran is my special wall of sorts, as well as Stealth Rocks setter, with it's spread designed to sponge ice attacks for the multiple Pokemon on the team weak to it, as well as switch in on a predicted fire move aimed at Scizor to gain the SpA boost. Also while Air Balloon is still up it can switch into earth moves and fish for a burn with the 30% burn chance from Lava Plume.
Set is also again pretty standard, with Lava Plume to spread burns and make physical attacks not hurt as much. It also deals with the steel-types it cannot stall out with Toxic + Protect.
Stealth Rock is pretty explanatory, as many Pokemon on the team tend to force switches.
Protect is for scouting moves like Superpower on Scizor and Landorus-T and to determine if it's safe to set rocks, typically. It also forms a pretty good stall core with Toxic. I was contemplating Roar over Toxic, but decided to go with Toxic because I can revenge kill most setup sweepers with Breloom/Scizor/Garchomp.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Fire Fang
This Garchomp is the baddest, meanest revenge killer around. Switch it in after a KO and force switches due to Scarf letting it outspeed plenty of Pokemon. It's natural bulk means it can also come in to sponge a hit and force switches on Pokemon are not named Mamoswine/Weavile. Thankfully both of them aren't as common in the meta right now.
EQ + Outrage are pretty common on Scarfchomp as STAB to sweep in the late game, although being locked into Outrage isn't the best idea ever due to Fairies running around. EQ also deals with threats like Mega Mawile and Heatran without balloon up.
Stone Edge is to deal with anything named Charizard, as well as flyspam in general, although Stone Miss is real.
Fire Fang is again, for Ferrothorn and Scizor. I was thinking of replacing it for Dragon Claw though, as I already have Heatran and Heat Wave on Zapdos for coverage against steels and Grass/Bugs, but more coverage never hurts? Also Jolly is due to me being too lazy to breed a Naive one in my Y, and I don't really want to have to deal with Fire Miss when I already have Stone Miss.
Breloom @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Tomb
Finally, Breloom. This Breloom set is so useful for checking setup sweepers, as none of them bar the occasional awkward SD Breloom like sleeping after dancing. Spore + Focus Sash is also so useful for allowing Scizor to setup later on, as well as allow Breloom to take on stronger Pokemon it couldn't beat otherwise.
This set however does struggle with entry hazards as well as Tyranitar because of sandstorm, which leads me to hold it back until the storm is over, unless I absolutely have no choice or the opposing team completely counters Breloom anyway.
Spore is always useful for Breloom, when used with Focus Sash stopping all setup sweepers in their tracks.
Mach Punch is how it beats Tyranitar with STAB plus Tyranitar's 4x fighting weakness ensuring that it goes down, but switching into it usually guarantees that it's crippled for the rest of the game, as it is much weaker without the sash. It is also useful priority for dealing with Greninja after a few Life Orb ticks and to take out Mega Mawile while dodging Sucker Punch.
Bullet Seed is STAB and does a great job at destroying Rotom-W, Azumarill and other waters with the technician boost. 2 hits always is upsetting though. But RNG is life.
Rock Tomb is useful for coverage, hitting most flyspam as well as Dragonite after Multiscale is taken out. It also destroys Char-Y that think they can take out Breloom otherwise.
Threats to this team that I've run into are mostly uncommon threats from what I've seen, due to my shitty rating on ladder. I ran into a Machamp lead and I had no idea how to deal with confusion on whatever I switched into it. I also ran into a Sap Sipper physical Goodra that decimated me after an attack boost from a Spore aimed at Gastrodon.
Mega Tyranitar is also an issue Breloom may not be able to handle, although Heatran can try to burn it and stall it out. Superpower variants(if they exist) I can see being a problem though.
Also, Mamoswine and Weavile are enormous threats as half of my team falls to ice and Breloom can only do so much.
I'm rated around the 1200s on ladder, although it looks good theoretically, and I really believe it deserves a way higher place on the ladder. However, I play like ass. Thus I'd really appreciate any suggestions for improvement to the team and what I could do to work around threats and stuff.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I named this team Pencilcase because well, I figure pencil cases have everything you need for school, um usually, and since this is my first attempt at a serious OU team, I'm learning, as well as trying to pack an answer for most threats.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 244 HP / 44 Atk / 116 Def / 100 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Swords Dance
The basic bulky SD Scizor that's been running around lately. I chose Scizor thanks to it having a ton of resistances and only one, albeit 4x, weakness to fire so it can function as a bulky pivot to take hits. I didn't use U-Turn because it also functions as a late game sweeper after the opposing team has been sufficiently weakened or nothing remains that can face it. The EVs were taken from daftmau5's set for similar purposes, mainly to soak up hits from Landorus-T and Aegislash while hopefully forcing switches and setting up/knocking off leftovers and such.
Moves are pretty much the standard on bulky Scizor, with roost to give it more leeway to get an SD off if it's taken too much damage. Bullet Punch is mandatory on Scizor, allowing it to pick off weakened Pokemon and hit Tyranitar for SE damage, since switching Breloom into it usually makes it's Sash unusable so I tend to hold it back. Knock Off is just great in general, allowing it to make whatever switches into it less threatening.
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Extrasensory
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
Greninja is my attempt at an answer to Mega Venusaur, because I'm really afraid of it for some reason and need a Pokemon to specifically deal with it. I previously had a CB Talonflame to deal with it, but it's really frail and doesn't force as many switches. Also I hated the lack of choice(such irony) to switch moves and didn't want to use a SD set. I also really needed a Pokemon with water type coverage to hit Rotom-H, which is otherwise a problem for the rest of my team with it's Levitate and very powerful overheat on the Choice Specs variant. Plus Greninja has wider coverage overall.
Set is pretty basic, with Grass Knot over HP Grass to hopefully hit the uncommon CroCune and Vaporeon because I occasionally need to hold back Breloom for a larger threat.
Extrasensory is there because I really need something to hit M-Venusaur with. It also deals with fighting types such as Keldeo that may not expect it.
Ice beam is pretty common on Greninja, allowing it to hit Dragons for SE damage. Only thing is that this set is walled pretty hard by Aegislash, as the strongest thing Greninja has to hit it is a STAB Hydro Pump, while SubToxic variants can easily take it out. I figure that not packing Dark Pulse is worth it though, as most of the other Pokemon on the team can handle Aegislash pretty well otherwise.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spd
Bold Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost
Ah the physically defensive Zapdos. I've grown to really love this Pokemon. It checks most variants of Talonflame as well as hard counters Mega-Pinsir, and basically takes down Azumarill with impunity, with +6 Aqua Jet being a 2HKO after leftovers recovery. To top that off it also functions as a pretty good check to Aegislash, all variants of Scizor and Gyarados. 16 Spd EVs are to outrun Bisharp
Thunderbolt packs a punch coming off of 125 base SpA, landing an OHKO on Talonflame, M-Pinsir and a shaky OHKO on Azumarill after Belly Drum, guaranteed after Stealth Rock damage. It also checks M-Gyarados, making it hard to try and switch in.
Heat Wave is so useful to hit Bisharp with, making it think twice about switching in on predicted Defogs as it can only rely on Sucker Punch, which Zapdos can Pressure-stall out. It also checks Scizor, and other Pokemon with a weakness to fire, including Aegislash.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
Heatran is my special wall of sorts, as well as Stealth Rocks setter, with it's spread designed to sponge ice attacks for the multiple Pokemon on the team weak to it, as well as switch in on a predicted fire move aimed at Scizor to gain the SpA boost. Also while Air Balloon is still up it can switch into earth moves and fish for a burn with the 30% burn chance from Lava Plume.
Set is also again pretty standard, with Lava Plume to spread burns and make physical attacks not hurt as much. It also deals with the steel-types it cannot stall out with Toxic + Protect.
Stealth Rock is pretty explanatory, as many Pokemon on the team tend to force switches.
Protect is for scouting moves like Superpower on Scizor and Landorus-T and to determine if it's safe to set rocks, typically. It also forms a pretty good stall core with Toxic. I was contemplating Roar over Toxic, but decided to go with Toxic because I can revenge kill most setup sweepers with Breloom/Scizor/Garchomp.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Fire Fang
This Garchomp is the baddest, meanest revenge killer around. Switch it in after a KO and force switches due to Scarf letting it outspeed plenty of Pokemon. It's natural bulk means it can also come in to sponge a hit and force switches on Pokemon are not named Mamoswine/Weavile. Thankfully both of them aren't as common in the meta right now.
EQ + Outrage are pretty common on Scarfchomp as STAB to sweep in the late game, although being locked into Outrage isn't the best idea ever due to Fairies running around. EQ also deals with threats like Mega Mawile and Heatran without balloon up.
Stone Edge is to deal with anything named Charizard, as well as flyspam in general, although Stone Miss is real.
Fire Fang is again, for Ferrothorn and Scizor. I was thinking of replacing it for Dragon Claw though, as I already have Heatran and Heat Wave on Zapdos for coverage against steels and Grass/Bugs, but more coverage never hurts? Also Jolly is due to me being too lazy to breed a Naive one in my Y, and I don't really want to have to deal with Fire Miss when I already have Stone Miss.
Breloom @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Tomb
Finally, Breloom. This Breloom set is so useful for checking setup sweepers, as none of them bar the occasional awkward SD Breloom like sleeping after dancing. Spore + Focus Sash is also so useful for allowing Scizor to setup later on, as well as allow Breloom to take on stronger Pokemon it couldn't beat otherwise.
This set however does struggle with entry hazards as well as Tyranitar because of sandstorm, which leads me to hold it back until the storm is over, unless I absolutely have no choice or the opposing team completely counters Breloom anyway.
Spore is always useful for Breloom, when used with Focus Sash stopping all setup sweepers in their tracks.
Mach Punch is how it beats Tyranitar with STAB plus Tyranitar's 4x fighting weakness ensuring that it goes down, but switching into it usually guarantees that it's crippled for the rest of the game, as it is much weaker without the sash. It is also useful priority for dealing with Greninja after a few Life Orb ticks and to take out Mega Mawile while dodging Sucker Punch.
Bullet Seed is STAB and does a great job at destroying Rotom-W, Azumarill and other waters with the technician boost. 2 hits always is upsetting though. But RNG is life.
Rock Tomb is useful for coverage, hitting most flyspam as well as Dragonite after Multiscale is taken out. It also destroys Char-Y that think they can take out Breloom otherwise.
Threats to this team that I've run into are mostly uncommon threats from what I've seen, due to my shitty rating on ladder. I ran into a Machamp lead and I had no idea how to deal with confusion on whatever I switched into it. I also ran into a Sap Sipper physical Goodra that decimated me after an attack boost from a Spore aimed at Gastrodon.
Mega Tyranitar is also an issue Breloom may not be able to handle, although Heatran can try to burn it and stall it out. Superpower variants(if they exist) I can see being a problem though.
Also, Mamoswine and Weavile are enormous threats as half of my team falls to ice and Breloom can only do so much.
I'm rated around the 1200s on ladder, although it looks good theoretically, and I really believe it deserves a way higher place on the ladder. However, I play like ass. Thus I'd really appreciate any suggestions for improvement to the team and what I could do to work around threats and stuff.
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