Hey guys, I'm one of the old lurkers of the forum trying to make my debut back into the 6th gen battling scene. The new OU is nothing like the old OU, so I've playing RU where there's not as much for me to catch up on. Rate my team please!
Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Swords Dance
- Protect
- Shadow Sneak
- X-Scissor
So first off we got Shedinja, the centerpiece of the team. Obviously then my team is going to try to keep hazards off the field and focus on eliminating threats to Shedinja's safety early game so this guy can come in safely late-game. The set is pretty standard; Shedinja tends to force a lot of switches, so he gets many chances to set up SD, and Protect scouts for unexpected moves that could kill Shedinja. I was considering running Lum over FS to prevent against status, but as you'll see I have Xatu which handles status pretty nicely.
Xatu @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Night Shade
- U-turn
- Trick
- Toxic
Xatu is really gimmicky, requires some prediction, and is a huge part of why this team is so fun to play. Seeing a Shedinja makes people throw out hazards somewhat liberally, and Xatu can come in and bounce them right back and U-Turn out to safety. Beyond U-Turn, I'm somewhat stumped as to what I should run, moves-wise, item-wise, and EV-wise. Currently I'm running a physically bulky set with TrickScarf, and I kind of like the unexpected outspeeding sometimes. Trick I've found to be somewhat good like half the time, but the other half the time they switched a choice sweeper in on Xatu anyway and I feel dumb. I feel like this guy could maybe be switched up a bit; I do want to keep Xatu on the team, but maybe with a different moveset.
Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Encore
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- U-turn
This guy on the other hand is a beast. Encore handles setup sweepers beautifully, and if I catch them on the switch from Ambipom or Xatu, it's real nice. Life Orb Moonblast nets a ton of unexpected kills, and Giga Drain keeps me healthier than one would expect. I'm not a huge fan of the Life Orb U-Turn requiring the minus SpDef nature, but I'm not sure how else I'd do him.
Ambipom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Double Hit
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Low Kick
I like this guy. There's just a ton of synergy between him and Whimsicott U-Turning all over the place. I think I might do Adamant on him just cuz Scarf and Jolly can sometimes be too much speed, but it's nice to get those surprise outspeeds sometimes, especially on Scarf Delphox and the like. Low Kick has not too much utility and I'm considering taking it out for Fire Punch. Double Hit and Return is another tossup, but I think I like Double Hit for breaking through Subs and especially Sashes for a lot of those leads.
Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Earthquake
- U-turn
This guy is a major tank and is just too bulky for RU. He just shrugs off any physical hit and sets up those ever-important rocks. I'm a bit torn on his last moveslot, as the slow U-Turn is sometimes good to get Whimsicott or Shedinja in there safely, but Toxic is also great for stalling out all those pokes that Gligar walls, and Defog might be good for extra insurance Sheddy can live.
Skuntank @ Black Sludge
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 16 HP / 224 Atk / 252 SpD / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Defog
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
- Taunt
This is the Pokemon I'm least enthused about on the team. I must admit, this used to be a UU team with Mienshao over Ambipom and Tentacruel over Skuntank, and while Ambipom sort of fits the role of the disrupting U-Turn lead, Skuntank is not the Poison-type SpDef wall with hazard removal I had hoped for exactly. It just never seems to have that longevity, and the defogging role is so critical on this team that I can't afford to have Skuntank be the weakest link. I considered swapping him out for Golbat, but I don't think I can afford to exacerbate my Ice/Rock weakness on this team. Suggestions on how to fill this spot are welcome, or how to spread Skuntank's EVs to give him a bit more staying power.
Overall, I think this team is super fun, and with Xatu and Skuntank to keep hazards off and Ambipom and Whimsicott to poke holes in the opponent's team early-game, Shedinja can often find opportunities to shine late-game. Plus, there's really nothing like seeing an opponent rage because he just can't freaking hit Shedinja.
Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Swords Dance
- Protect
- Shadow Sneak
- X-Scissor
So first off we got Shedinja, the centerpiece of the team. Obviously then my team is going to try to keep hazards off the field and focus on eliminating threats to Shedinja's safety early game so this guy can come in safely late-game. The set is pretty standard; Shedinja tends to force a lot of switches, so he gets many chances to set up SD, and Protect scouts for unexpected moves that could kill Shedinja. I was considering running Lum over FS to prevent against status, but as you'll see I have Xatu which handles status pretty nicely.
Xatu @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Night Shade
- U-turn
- Trick
- Toxic
Xatu is really gimmicky, requires some prediction, and is a huge part of why this team is so fun to play. Seeing a Shedinja makes people throw out hazards somewhat liberally, and Xatu can come in and bounce them right back and U-Turn out to safety. Beyond U-Turn, I'm somewhat stumped as to what I should run, moves-wise, item-wise, and EV-wise. Currently I'm running a physically bulky set with TrickScarf, and I kind of like the unexpected outspeeding sometimes. Trick I've found to be somewhat good like half the time, but the other half the time they switched a choice sweeper in on Xatu anyway and I feel dumb. I feel like this guy could maybe be switched up a bit; I do want to keep Xatu on the team, but maybe with a different moveset.
Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Encore
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- U-turn
This guy on the other hand is a beast. Encore handles setup sweepers beautifully, and if I catch them on the switch from Ambipom or Xatu, it's real nice. Life Orb Moonblast nets a ton of unexpected kills, and Giga Drain keeps me healthier than one would expect. I'm not a huge fan of the Life Orb U-Turn requiring the minus SpDef nature, but I'm not sure how else I'd do him.
Ambipom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Double Hit
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Low Kick
I like this guy. There's just a ton of synergy between him and Whimsicott U-Turning all over the place. I think I might do Adamant on him just cuz Scarf and Jolly can sometimes be too much speed, but it's nice to get those surprise outspeeds sometimes, especially on Scarf Delphox and the like. Low Kick has not too much utility and I'm considering taking it out for Fire Punch. Double Hit and Return is another tossup, but I think I like Double Hit for breaking through Subs and especially Sashes for a lot of those leads.
Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Earthquake
- U-turn
This guy is a major tank and is just too bulky for RU. He just shrugs off any physical hit and sets up those ever-important rocks. I'm a bit torn on his last moveslot, as the slow U-Turn is sometimes good to get Whimsicott or Shedinja in there safely, but Toxic is also great for stalling out all those pokes that Gligar walls, and Defog might be good for extra insurance Sheddy can live.
Skuntank @ Black Sludge
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 16 HP / 224 Atk / 252 SpD / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Defog
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
- Taunt
This is the Pokemon I'm least enthused about on the team. I must admit, this used to be a UU team with Mienshao over Ambipom and Tentacruel over Skuntank, and while Ambipom sort of fits the role of the disrupting U-Turn lead, Skuntank is not the Poison-type SpDef wall with hazard removal I had hoped for exactly. It just never seems to have that longevity, and the defogging role is so critical on this team that I can't afford to have Skuntank be the weakest link. I considered swapping him out for Golbat, but I don't think I can afford to exacerbate my Ice/Rock weakness on this team. Suggestions on how to fill this spot are welcome, or how to spread Skuntank's EVs to give him a bit more staying power.
Overall, I think this team is super fun, and with Xatu and Skuntank to keep hazards off and Ambipom and Whimsicott to poke holes in the opponent's team early-game, Shedinja can often find opportunities to shine late-game. Plus, there's really nothing like seeing an opponent rage because he just can't freaking hit Shedinja.
