Sally (Nidoqueen) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 100 HP / 252 SAtk / 156 Spd
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
This Pokemon is the star of this team, and will be staying on my team no matter what, as Nidoqueen is my favorite Pokemon and I have found her to be extremely helpful in battle. Flamethrower is perhaps the most important move on this set, as it allows me to take out the common Ferrothorn with absolutely no trouble-whenever I see one on a team, I use Sally as my lead; almost all of the time, they lead with their Ferrothorn, expecting an SR/Toxic Spikes lead, only to have it annihilated by Flamethrower before they can do a single thing. The other moves are there for STAB and coverage; even off of only a 75 Base Special Attack, Life Orb and Sheer Force lend enough power to make even neutral hits create sizable dents in an opponent. The EVs are spread out for a mix of decent bulk and the ability to outspeed uninvested Gliscor and possibly a few other threats, although I do question if the sacrifice in bulk is worth it-that's the main suggestion I need for this set.
Scorpia (Gliscor) (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spd
Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Protect
This set pretty much explains itself; it's classic Gliscor. While I usually try to stay away from using the typical OU Pokemon you see everywhere like this one, this Pokemon has proved itself both too fun and too effective for me to pass up. Notably, I've found it to be one of the extremely numerous Pokemon that makes Talonflame completely useless; Choice Band sets deal only around 30%, and for Swords Dance sets, I just Sub, Protect, Sub so I get another one after getting Brave Bird'd, repeat till I predict a Roost and EQ for the kill. In general, this set does exactly what Gliscor is meant to do-Toxic stall any physical attackers without an Ice move to death.
Toph (Excadrill) (F) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance
My team's answer to the ever-present Stealth Rock, and to the less-present Spikes-notably, the Air Balloon helps avoid damage from the latter upon switching in, and takes only 3% from the former, allowing it to come in and easily spin them away. One of the greatest things about this set is Mold Breaker EQ-ing any Gengar that tries to switch in for a spin block, and with Excadrill's gigantic Attack stat, either of its attacks hit hard indeed. It also provides a possible switch-in to Dragon-type attacks in a pinch, although unfortunately its frailty means that even some resisted attacks will hurt a lot. All in all, a valuable member of the team.
Clawbster (Crawdaunt) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Superpower
UU should be breathing a sigh of relief that Crawdaunt was banned to it, because this guy is an absolute monster, even in OU. A single Knock Off will bring even the sturdiest of walls to its knees, crippling even Pokemon that can safely tank one by removing its item. It also makes a fantastic revenge killer, Adaptability giving its Aqua Jet the same Base Power as Extremespeed, with a large 120 Attack to go off of. The other two moves are just there in case some kind of situation where they're needed crops up; but most of the time, I find myself really only needing Knock Off and Aqua Jet. This is the physical powerhouse of the team, tearing anything that doesn't resist it to shreds, and also provides a helpful switch-in to the Psychic attacks of Pokemon such as Alakazam or Latios aiming to take out Sally with them.
Romana (Celebi) @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- Psychic
- Earth Power
- Nasty Plot
This Pokemon has one huge purpose on my team-it is a perfect counter to the most used Pokemon of OU, Rotom-Wash. Eating up Hydro Pumps and Volt Switches like they were nothing, brushing off Will-O-Wisp burns with Natural Cure, and doing huge damage with Giga Drain, healing itself in the process. With a team as weak to Water as this one, Celebi is essential here for getting rid of the washing machine. Nasty Plot also serves to make it an extremely powerful force; Psychic is the main attacking move, with Giga Drain used when recovery or super-effective damage is needed, and Earth Power surprises Heatran and other Steel-types that try to stop my sweep-all of which do considerable damage even before a Nasty Plot boost. After one boost, Celebi will almost definitely be getting at least one kill, with a combination of good speed and decent Special Attack backed by a Life Orb.
Hobbes (Banette) @ Banettite
Ability: Frisk
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
And finally, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the most underrated, under-appreciated, and unexpectedly lethal Mega Evolution of all time. I have seen several people saying that Banette is a waste of a Mega slot, maybe even the worst of the Megas; after having used one myself, I can say with total confidence that anyone who says that has never tried using it themselves. Prankster not activating on the turn you Mega Evolve is a problem, but one that is easier than people may think to fix-with a STAB priority move and Base 165 Attack, even without investment there are numerous situations where something can be revenge killed on the Mega turn. After that, Mega Banette is almost guaranteed to get a kill due to possessing one of the scariest weapons in the game-Prankster Destiny Bond. People rarely expect it, due to most people never considering it a threat and looking up what they can do, meaning that any Pokemon that have gotten to boost up find themselves dead before they can kill a single other Pokemon than Mega Banette. Prankster Will-O-Wisp and Taunt, as staples of fellow Prankster Sableye, work well here, and perhaps even better on Sableye-Taunt forces something to attack, which means they either kill Banette and get taken out by Destiny Bond, or are forced to switch to avoid that, getting hit by either a Will-O-Wisp or Shadow Sneak depending on what I think will come in. A definite staple of my team.
And there's my team; any notable flaws that need to be fixed, Pokemon that should be replaced with others? Two things to note; as the topic title says, I don't want to use Stealth Rock on my team, and as I mentioned earlier, I want to keep as few extremely high OU Pokemon on the team as possible. I know these are handicaps that will cost me some wins, but I'd rather lose a battle with Pokemon I had fun using than win a battle and feel as if it's empty because I won doing the same thing everyone else does. That said, thanks for ratings in advance.^^
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 100 HP / 252 SAtk / 156 Spd
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
This Pokemon is the star of this team, and will be staying on my team no matter what, as Nidoqueen is my favorite Pokemon and I have found her to be extremely helpful in battle. Flamethrower is perhaps the most important move on this set, as it allows me to take out the common Ferrothorn with absolutely no trouble-whenever I see one on a team, I use Sally as my lead; almost all of the time, they lead with their Ferrothorn, expecting an SR/Toxic Spikes lead, only to have it annihilated by Flamethrower before they can do a single thing. The other moves are there for STAB and coverage; even off of only a 75 Base Special Attack, Life Orb and Sheer Force lend enough power to make even neutral hits create sizable dents in an opponent. The EVs are spread out for a mix of decent bulk and the ability to outspeed uninvested Gliscor and possibly a few other threats, although I do question if the sacrifice in bulk is worth it-that's the main suggestion I need for this set.
Scorpia (Gliscor) (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spd
Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Protect
This set pretty much explains itself; it's classic Gliscor. While I usually try to stay away from using the typical OU Pokemon you see everywhere like this one, this Pokemon has proved itself both too fun and too effective for me to pass up. Notably, I've found it to be one of the extremely numerous Pokemon that makes Talonflame completely useless; Choice Band sets deal only around 30%, and for Swords Dance sets, I just Sub, Protect, Sub so I get another one after getting Brave Bird'd, repeat till I predict a Roost and EQ for the kill. In general, this set does exactly what Gliscor is meant to do-Toxic stall any physical attackers without an Ice move to death.
Toph (Excadrill) (F) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance
My team's answer to the ever-present Stealth Rock, and to the less-present Spikes-notably, the Air Balloon helps avoid damage from the latter upon switching in, and takes only 3% from the former, allowing it to come in and easily spin them away. One of the greatest things about this set is Mold Breaker EQ-ing any Gengar that tries to switch in for a spin block, and with Excadrill's gigantic Attack stat, either of its attacks hit hard indeed. It also provides a possible switch-in to Dragon-type attacks in a pinch, although unfortunately its frailty means that even some resisted attacks will hurt a lot. All in all, a valuable member of the team.
Clawbster (Crawdaunt) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Superpower
UU should be breathing a sigh of relief that Crawdaunt was banned to it, because this guy is an absolute monster, even in OU. A single Knock Off will bring even the sturdiest of walls to its knees, crippling even Pokemon that can safely tank one by removing its item. It also makes a fantastic revenge killer, Adaptability giving its Aqua Jet the same Base Power as Extremespeed, with a large 120 Attack to go off of. The other two moves are just there in case some kind of situation where they're needed crops up; but most of the time, I find myself really only needing Knock Off and Aqua Jet. This is the physical powerhouse of the team, tearing anything that doesn't resist it to shreds, and also provides a helpful switch-in to the Psychic attacks of Pokemon such as Alakazam or Latios aiming to take out Sally with them.
Romana (Celebi) @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- Psychic
- Earth Power
- Nasty Plot
This Pokemon has one huge purpose on my team-it is a perfect counter to the most used Pokemon of OU, Rotom-Wash. Eating up Hydro Pumps and Volt Switches like they were nothing, brushing off Will-O-Wisp burns with Natural Cure, and doing huge damage with Giga Drain, healing itself in the process. With a team as weak to Water as this one, Celebi is essential here for getting rid of the washing machine. Nasty Plot also serves to make it an extremely powerful force; Psychic is the main attacking move, with Giga Drain used when recovery or super-effective damage is needed, and Earth Power surprises Heatran and other Steel-types that try to stop my sweep-all of which do considerable damage even before a Nasty Plot boost. After one boost, Celebi will almost definitely be getting at least one kill, with a combination of good speed and decent Special Attack backed by a Life Orb.
Hobbes (Banette) @ Banettite
Ability: Frisk
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
And finally, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the most underrated, under-appreciated, and unexpectedly lethal Mega Evolution of all time. I have seen several people saying that Banette is a waste of a Mega slot, maybe even the worst of the Megas; after having used one myself, I can say with total confidence that anyone who says that has never tried using it themselves. Prankster not activating on the turn you Mega Evolve is a problem, but one that is easier than people may think to fix-with a STAB priority move and Base 165 Attack, even without investment there are numerous situations where something can be revenge killed on the Mega turn. After that, Mega Banette is almost guaranteed to get a kill due to possessing one of the scariest weapons in the game-Prankster Destiny Bond. People rarely expect it, due to most people never considering it a threat and looking up what they can do, meaning that any Pokemon that have gotten to boost up find themselves dead before they can kill a single other Pokemon than Mega Banette. Prankster Will-O-Wisp and Taunt, as staples of fellow Prankster Sableye, work well here, and perhaps even better on Sableye-Taunt forces something to attack, which means they either kill Banette and get taken out by Destiny Bond, or are forced to switch to avoid that, getting hit by either a Will-O-Wisp or Shadow Sneak depending on what I think will come in. A definite staple of my team.
And there's my team; any notable flaws that need to be fixed, Pokemon that should be replaced with others? Two things to note; as the topic title says, I don't want to use Stealth Rock on my team, and as I mentioned earlier, I want to keep as few extremely high OU Pokemon on the team as possible. I know these are handicaps that will cost me some wins, but I'd rather lose a battle with Pokemon I had fun using than win a battle and feel as if it's empty because I won doing the same thing everyone else does. That said, thanks for ratings in advance.^^
