Hey everyone, my tag is Array, but "Blu Yeti" is the account I used with this team. I hadn't played Competitive Pokémon in 5 years, and decided to get back into it within the last month or so. Being that it had been so long, I was afraid I'd be out of touch with the game and that I'd have fallen behind. Coming into a new generation is intimidating especially with all the new threats, moves. abilities, strategies and mechanics. With time and many games under my belt, I was able to get a grasp of the Gen 8 OU tier and succeed enough to surpass my expectations. I tried to build teams in the beginning, but felt my teams weren't prepared for the meta enough and I wasn't aware of what to prep for. Now I feel well aware, and am confident in my abilities to build teams and play well.
This here is a team I built myself that's quite offensive and very fun. It's not perfect by any means (no team is) but it has brought me great success. Playing aggressively with it is incredibly rewarding and it is able to handle all the premier playstyles in the current meta. With it I was able to skyrocket up the ladder with this account quite quickly and peak at 1726 ... SO FAR. To mark this achievement coming back into the game, I wanted to do this team justice and give it a proper RMT. Whether you read it all or just grab the importable, I want to just say thanks for checking out this team and hope you have a good day.
2. Proof Of Peak
3. Team + Descriptions
Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Sludge Wave
Item: Life Orb and Sheer Force are paired together to negate the health loss of Life Orb while giving a 70% power boost.
Moveset: Nidoking has a fairly versatile move set and can run many options. I picked Earth Power and Sludge Wave due to them being his strongest viable STAB moves, as well as being able to obliterate nearly all the Steel and Fairy types that FILL the tier. Earth Power is also useful for hitting things like Toxapex, Volcanion, Slowking-G, Zeraora and Tyranitar. Sludge Wave is your strongest neutral hitting attack. Remember this whenever you're needing to cover a lot of options on a switch where Earth Power or Ice Beam wouldn't be a better choice. Ice Beam is mainly for Landorus-T and Zapdos, but it's good for hitting Dragonite, Tornadus-T, Zapdos-G, Mandibuzz and Garchomp as well. Stealth Rock was chosen due to us needing a Stealth Rocker, and Nidoking is consistent at setting up rocks vs Pokémon that get scared as it comes in. Blissey/Chansey, Specially Defensive Ferrothorn, Celesteela and Corviknight are the only things that can tank hits from this set pretty well.
EVs and Nature: Usually I like to run with +Speed natures when building, but the SHEER FORCE of Modest Nidoking is too much to pass up. Modest nature while also maxing out Speed allows it to outrun all the important Pokémon it needs to outpace such as Defensive Landorus-T, Timid Volcanion, and all versions of Tapu Fini that aren't Choice Scarf.
Notable Calcs:
252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 56+ SpD Clefable: 406-478 (103 - 121.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Sludge Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: 328-386 (96.1 - 113.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 304-359 (100 - 118%) -- guaranteed OHKO252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 40+ SpD Tapu Fini: 307-361 (89.2 - 104.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Fini: 346-408 (100.5 - 118.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Tapu Fini @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Taunt
- Surf / Scald
- Draining Kiss
Item: Iapapa Berry is the item of choice. I've ran Leftovers CM Draining Kiss in the past but never felt the leftovers did enough for me long term, especially when I use this Pokemon to sponge hits as well. In order to increase its longevity and have a form of "instant recovery", I felt Iapapa Berry gives Fini more chances to switch in and still be healthy enough to be a potential sweeper later in the game as well. I've never missed having Leftovers. Iapapa Berry is also great when it hasn't been used yet and you're beginning to start a CM Sweep, because once they wear you down enough the Iapapa Berry activates + Draining Kiss heals and they have a whole other mountain to climb. One extra benefit is that it allows you to bluff Choice Scarf early game vs naturally slower Pokémon.
Moveset: Calm Mind is used to allow Tapu Fini to be a potential set up sweeper. Calm Mind Fini can decimate unprepared teams very easily. Taunt is amazing vs other set up Pokémon or anyone that wants to Haze or hit you with Toxic/Taunt while you set up yourself. It turns Pokémon like Blissey, Toxapex and Clefable who like to use status moves often into setup fodder. It notably stops Teleport users like Blissey and Slowbro/King as well. Surf is preferred over Scald because usually Misty Terrain is up which prevents Scald burns. I also want to focus on having more damage output and Surf does that. Scald can be ran to hit Rillaboom switch ins and potentially burn them. Draining Kiss is the crux of the set because although Moonblast is stronger, Draining Kiss allows for longevity and is truly why the Calm Mind set is dangerous. Being able to tank attacks after Calm Mind boosts and heal back up more and more HP as you boost up is very threatening.
EVs and Nature: The EV's are relatively standard. 144 Speed is used to out-speed other Calm Mind Fini and Taunt them first. Max HP is to improve it's bulk, and the rest goes in defense paired with a Bold nature to boost its defense even further. This is important to be able to switch into the threats mentioned prior and still take on physical attacks well as you Calm Mind boost.
Notable Calcs (Iapapa Berry not accounted for):
252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 112+ Def Tapu Fini: 107-126 (31.1 - 36.6%) -- 71.7% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Fini: 130-154 (37.7 - 44.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Weavile Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 112+ Def Tapu Fini: 114-135 (33.1 - 39.2%) -- approx. 100% chance to 3HKO
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- U-turn / Brave Bird
- Defog
- Roost
Role/Tips: Corviknight is the Steel type of the team and is a ground immunity for its teammates. The Grass core of Rillaboom + Kartana is extremely threatening and this Pokémon is very good at taking that on. It's a Landorus-T switch in as well and is probably the most reliable Defogger in the entire tier. Pressure is nice to have vs stall and vs Pokémon who can't break Corv but continue to try. Common Dragonite sets can't beat this set either, and it gives me a decent alternative answer to Bisharp and Weavile. Hippowdon also cannot touch Corviknight and loses the Stealth Rock vs Defog war.
Item: Leftovers as the item of choice is pretty obvious. Corviknight tanks hits and Leftovers allows it to continuously recover health back. Not having to rely on Heavy Duty Boots like Tornadus-T or Zapdos is super beneficial to this Pokémon.
Moveset: The move set is fairly basic. Body Press is to take on opposing Steel Types as well as Blissey, Tyranitar and Weavile. Body Press will 1HKO both Bisharp and Weavile. U-Turn is great for keeping momentum and switching back out into the bigger threats on the team that can take advantage of the switch initiative. Brave Bird can be used alternatively if you're finding Hawlucha and Zapdos-G too threatening. It's also a stronger attack option vs Rillaboom. Defog is for hazard removal as well as an answer for screens. Roost is to recover 50% of your HP and increase longevity.
EVs and Nature: The standard Corviknight. The EV spread allows Corviknight to avoid the 2HKO from Choice Specs Tapu Lele Psychic even after hazards, as well as the 2HKO from Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball from full HP.
Notable Calcs:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 88 SpD Corviknight in Psychic Terrain: 162-192 (40.5 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 88 SpD Corviknight: 169-201 (42.2 - 50.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 168+ Def Corviknight in Grassy Terrain: 76-90 (19 - 22.5%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
168+ Def Corviknight Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Bisharp: 308-364 (113.6 - 134.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Victini @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- V-create
- Bolt Strike
- U-turn
- Glaciate
Role/Tips: The other half to Nidoking. Victini's role is to aid Nidoking in being a massive wall breaker by hitting the Pokémon that take on our Nidoking the best. Those Pokémon are Blissey/Chansey, SpDef Ferrothorn, Celesteela and Corviknight. Having a super strong breaker on the Physical side in Victini paired with the Specially offensive demon that is Nidoking, while always having an attack option vs every switch in is very potent. Victini also acts as a decent Pivot, being another switch in vs Pokémon like Tapu Lele. It resists common variants and can out-speed + 1HKO it back. It also acts as a good answer for Clefable and even Volcarona. If you see Volcarona on the opposing team definitely keep this around, as Tapu Fini is not as solid of an answer as you may think (especially vs Giga Drain variants).
Item: Heavy Duty Boots is used to bypass hazard damage, most notably Stealth Rock as it would do 25% to it each time it switched in. This allows Victini to have more longevity in the game without urgently having to remove hazards.
Moveset: V-create is an INSANELY strong Fire Type move and 1HKO's or 2HKO's a large portion of the OU tier. Bolt Strike is used to hit bulky water types that switch in such as Toxapex, Tapu Fini and Slowbro/Slowking. It's a great option vs Heatran on the switch as well and can potentially paralyze it. U-turn is to scout and get switch initiative. Glaciate is used to catch common switch ins such as Landorus-T, Garchomp and Dragonite who threaten the team. I've ran Will-O-Wisp in the past but definitely prefer Glaciate's ability to also hit Dragapult which switches into the other attacks quite easily. I then lower its speed so I can threaten it and any potential switches ins with a huge attack. Also since I'm running Tapu-Fini, sometimes the terrain and Will-O-Wisp conflict with one another. I tested Power-Up Punch at one point but felt it was better to just use a different attack 99% of the time.
EVs and Nature: The EV's are simple as it's just max attack and max speed with a positive speed nature. This is used in order to out-speed or speed tie Pokemon at base 100 speed or below. 4 Special Attack EVs + Jolly Nature may seem counter-intuitive, but Glaciate hits the common switch ins hard enough to where it's ok to run a minus Special Attack nature and not have its defenses suffer in return.
Notable Calcs:
252 Atk Victini V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 444-523 (62.1 - 73.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Victini V-create vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 312-367 (111 - 130.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Victini V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 216-255 (54.8 - 64.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Victini Bolt Strike vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 126-150 (41.4 - 49.3%) -- 84.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike
Role/Tips: Kartana is the teams late game cleaner and revenge killer. You want to keep Kartana relatively healthy and save it for the late game to clean up weakened Pokémon and sweep. It's also used as speed control as we lack a Pokémon faster than base 100 without it. It has the highest attack stat in the tier and is a menace. I also like its ability to pressure Ferrothorn and Corviknight which can be hard opponents for Nidoking to KO. If your opponent is running Alolan Ninetales (both HO screens and Hail setter), definitely lead with this to instantly apply pressure to it. Keep it around as well vs Hail as it out-speeds Arctozolt even in hail, and can be KO'd by Sacred Sword after a little bit of chip damage.
Item: Choice Scarf is fairly self explanatory, but it's used to allow it to out-speed most non boosted Pokémon in the tier and gain a lot of momentum with Beast Boost.
Moveset: Knock Off is used to hit things that resist Kartana's other attacks and removes the opponent's items when they're hit by it. The biggest thing that's helpful by having Knock Off is it knocks out Dragapult in 1 hit. Leaf Blade and Smart Strike are STAB moves that are extremely strong alongside a Beast Boost. Sacred Sword is used so we aren't walled by Steel types.
EVs and Nature: Jolly Nature is used to maximize Kartana's speed while also still being a strong attacker. Max Speed and Attack EVs are used for the same reasons.
Notable Calcs:
252 Atk Kartana Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dragapult: 342-404 (107.8 - 127.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Kartana Sacred Sword vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Arctozolt: 276-326 (85.9 - 101.5%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dual Wingbeat
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
Role/Tips: Dragonite's role is to be the glue of the team and usually be a mid-late game setup sweeper. It also acts as a second ground immunity for both Nidoking and Victini. Dragonite is able to capitalize on the weakening/removal of Fairy and Steel types from Nidoking and Victini. Dragonite also acts as another switch/answer to Urshifu, Rillaboom, Volcarona, Zapdos-G, Heatran, Hawlucha that lack Stone Edge, Zeraora and Barraskewda. If you see any of these Pokemon on the opposing team, definitely keep Dragonite healthy and prepared to clean up.
Item: Heavy Duty Boots is used to bypass hazard damage, most notably Stealth Rock as it would do 25% to it each time it switched in. This allows Dragonite to have more longevity in the game without urgently having to remove hazards.
Moveset: Dragon Dance is used to increase Dragonite's attack and speed and become a strong sweeper. Dual Wingbeat is a strong physical STAB that isn't Fly. Having a multi-hit attack is nice as well in case the opponent is behind a substitute. Earthquake is for coverage to hit Rock types, Heatran (without balloon), Toxapex, and most Steel types for the most damage. The other Steel types are hit by Fire Punch. I originally had Roost, but felt that I always wished I had Fire Punch in situations, and never clicked Roost enough for it to matter. The ability to surprise Ferrothorns, Corviknights, Celesteela and Scizor with Fire Punch is HUGELY rewarding for Nidoking and for continuing Dragonite's sweeps. It's also an option to help finish off Zapdos while not having to worry about Static activating twice from a Dual Wingbeat.
EVs and Nature: Max attack and speed EVs are used to maximize its sweeping capabilities. Jolly nature is preferred over Adamant as it allows Dragonite to out-speed Dragapult after 1 speed boost, and out-speed Regieleki after 2.
Notable Calcs:
252 Atk Dragonite Dual Wingbeat (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hawlucha: 340-408 (114.4 - 137.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252 Atk Dragonite Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 300-356 (85.2 - 101.1%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
+1 252 Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko: 384-452 (136.6 - 160.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252 Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 180-212 (59.2 - 69.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 12 Def Slowking-Galar: 396-468 (100.5 - 118.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
4. Teambuilding Process
I was really interested in building with Nidoking due to the insane power and coverage it has to take on the OU metagame.
I realized the immense threat of the ever so common Rillaboom and Kartana, so I added a Corviknight. It also rounds out the type synergy by being immune to Poison moves for Fini and Psychic/Ground moves for Nidoking. Having a consistent Defogger is also appreciated.
I thought about Pokémon Nidoking struggled to deal with (with the move set we were choosing to use) and knew that we needed a Pokemon on the Physical side that could deal with all of its threats. Victini was an absolutely perfect fit. It not only dealt with everything Nidoking struggled to take on, but was an extra "switch in" for Tapu Lele as well.
I noticed the team was slow, so I needed some speed control that could help ease fighting Dragapult. I also wanted something that was able to abuse the lack of Steel types late game thanks to Nidoking and Victini beating them. Choice Scarf Kartana was perfect as it gave the team a late game sweeper, a revenge killer and speed control. Kartana also pressures a lot of steel types like Corviknight and Ferrothorn, which will be unable to deal with Nidoking if weakened too much.
Dragonite was the final Pokemon as I needed a Pokemon that appreciated the Fairies being eliminated by Nidoking. Dragonite works as an overall glue defensively and offensively for the team. Having another Rillaboom, Urshifu, Volcarona and Hawlucha answer is always helpful. Dragonite is also really important for taking on Zapdos-G as the team can be cleaned up by it easily if chipped enough.
THIS TEAM IS AN OFFENSE TEAM SO DON'T BE AFRAID TO BE AGGRESSIVE! PLAYING PASSIVE ISN'T AS BENEFICIAL!
This team doesn't have an amazing answer for Blacephalon. Priority number 1 would be to keep Stealth Rock up. Priority number 2 would be to keep Tapu Fini healthy. Tapu Fini's Iapapa Berry comes in handy vs this Pokémon as it allows us to tank more hits and Calm Mind/Surf it back depending on what's optimal in that situation. Once it's gone your only answer is to tank with Multiscale Dragonite and counter sweep, or revenge kill with Kartana and play the sack war.
Rotom-W may not be a primary force in the OU meta as it's mainly found in the UU tier, however Rotom can cause a lot of damage to the team. We have nothing that resists its dual STAB except Kartana which has appropriately PAPER THIN special defense and is susceptible to Will-O-Wisp out of Misty Terrain. Dragonite may seem like a good answer defensively but is susceptible to Will-O-Wisp and has nothing to hit it back. Your best bet is to make aggressive switches expecting it to come in and threaten with Kartana, or try to catch it on the switch with Pokemon like Nidoking and Victini, as both Pokemon can 2HKO it.
Zapdos-G has the ability to be very scary if Dragonite and Tapu Fini aren't healthy. Choice Band does a ton of damage to Tapu Fini (60.4% - 71.5%) so it isn't a good switch in, but can be useful as an answer to Zapdos when you lose a Pokémon. Your best plan of action is to get Stealth Rock up to limit switch ins, and then use Dragonite/Kartana to pressure it when it has been weakened. Knocking off the Choice Band with Kartana would also be a good advantage if it switches into it, but do not trade Kartana to Knock off Zapdos.
Team Importable: https://pokepast.es/85a7099344a3d215
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! HOPING TO HAVE MORE GREAT TEAMS COME YOUR WAY SOON
SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO PINKACROSS AND STORM ZONE FOR THE INSPIRATION FOR THE RMT LAYOUT BECAUSE IT'S TRULY INCREDIBLE
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