SM OU Teambuilding Competition Round 12: Alakazam (Building Phase)

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Pretty sure its so nobody gets destroyed by Pheromosa and gross but yeah pretty unfortunate that there is 18 very similar teams. Probably going to need a more diverse core for the next round to avoid this issue. I will admit this was a very restricting core.
 
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Phantom Me

Banned deucer.

Magearna @ Steelium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Aura Sphere
- Thunderbolt
- Shift Gear

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Band
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Zen Headbutt

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 24 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

Pheromosa @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Poison Jab

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 16 SpD / 52 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Defog

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Thunder Punch


Classic Shift gear Magearna and Choice Band Hoopa-U was added to form the core. Defensive Landorus-T was added for Stealth Rock support. It can also apply pressure to the opposing team and give Magearna more chance to setup. Rocky helmet helps against U-turn users and forms a solid defensive backbone. Pheromosa forms a VoltTurn core with Landorus-T and they together take advantage of Toxapex, Mantine and Alolan Marowak. Tapu Fini was added for hazard removal and a water resist. Metagross was finally added as a mega and functions as a good wallbreaker
 
So the standard teambuilding skeleton for this partiuclar core is :

Mag Hoopa Core + Lando + Fini + Defensive / Offensive Glue (depending on what type of Lando you chose to use) + Filler.

Looking like such a stale competition round to me man D: By the way, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the teams are bad in anyway. I'm just saying that it's honestly quite boring to see the same skeleton being overused.
Completely agree, but won't this be a problem for several cores? "Core A + Core B+ Lando + Finni+ Defensive / Offensive Glue (depending on what type of Lando you chose to use) + Filler" seems like an usual OU team to me.
 

zbr

less than 99% acc = never hit
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Completely agree, but won't this be a problem for several cores? "Core A + Core B+ Lando + Finni+ Defensive / Offensive Glue (depending on what type of Lando you chose to use) + Filler" seems like an usual OU team to me.
That's how the metagame has been since post BW eras. For teams to not just auto-lose to powerful monsters like Pheromosa , Megagross and Tapu Lele (Now with Mewnium Z, Mew is actually a pretty cool threat too), teams often resort to either slapping on monsters that define the metagame as it is or slap on defensive glues (that have multiple and various role compressions) that are defined by the metagame. This is just something we have to accept and we have to try and be creative in our own way. There will definitely come a time where we take a more in depth look at some of the metagame defining threats that forces the streamlining of teams into such skeletons but until then, lets enjoy what we have and try to fit our own style into the skeletons.
 
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Alright building phaze is now over. In a seperate post ill post all of the teams. When voting feel free to explain breifly why you voted for a team or why you didnt (not manditory just helpful for the builder). Please dont submit more teams. when voting Say the name of the team in bold like this: Team 2
 
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Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Band
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Fire Punch
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch

Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Sludge Wave
- U-turn

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

Tapu Koko @ Zap Plate
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Taunt

Nihilego @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Gem
- Sludge Wave
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]


So I was in the mood to build with Banded Hoopa (imo the better Hoopa set in the current meta) and AV Magearna, and came up with this pile of trash. Standard Band Hoopa with Fire Punch to lure in opposing AV Magearnas and just serve as my wallbreaker. Next up is AV Magearna helping check the broken mons like Lele and is my designated water resist cuz who needs those. Next up is LO Torn-T, with Sludge Wave for Fini and primarily to lure in Koko since this team has issues dealing with it. Next is defensive Lando, the STANDARD. And we have Tapu Koko with Taunt to help anti-lead against Azelf HO's and also helps against the likes of Ferrothorn. Finally Scarf Nihilego cause fuck Volcarona, that thing's busted as hell. Team's pretty bad, but it has Scarf Nihilego the king, so that's all that matters.



Triple Steel Trick Room

Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Fleur Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Trick Room

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Band
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Hyperspace Fury
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Zen Headbutt

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Flare Blitz
- Shadow Bone
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Celesteela @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Air Slash
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast

Bronzong @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Explosion

Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Dragon Pulse


This is a team I literally just threw together in 5 minutes. It's not the best thing I've made, but most certainly not the worst. The first thing I thought of when I heard Magearna + Hoopa-U was trick room, so that's exactly what I made. This team will obviously look similar to other teams due to the obvious similarities trick room teams will have. I added 2 trick room setters and a rare addition to trick room: Mega Blastoise. I got the idea of it from KanyeWestVevo on Showdown. I have nothing more to say right now as I had limited time to write this, but I'll add more in the future. Enjoy!
EDIT: Turns out I forgot to add EVs and I to fix some EVs. Should be good now!



AV Magearna + Specs Hoopa-U

=== [gen7pokebankou] AV Magearna + Specs Hoopa-U ===

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Def / 164 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nature's Madness
- Surf
- Taunt
- Defog

Marowak-Alola @ Leftovers
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 248 HP / 76 Atk / 12 Def / 152 SpD / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Bone
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch

Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Taunt

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 136 SpA / 16 SpD / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Trick



so i was coming up with the core when you know what hit me? a fini and lando. then i decided to build around those four. m-gyarados seemed like a good mega because it can give me better options vs heatran. i can also lure heatran with eq marowak. And the last member was scarf lando-t because of hazard control and having another ground resist is nice for this team.



Magearna with AV is broken so had to run that set, 48 SpD allows it to check Lele and Greninja easier. 30 Spe IV is so I can always get the slow turn off or use ice beam to kill the lando.

Landorus-T with rockinium allows me to fake rocks and get swords dance off for free many times. People dont expect rocks rachi much anymore, or at least as much as they used to. Still runs U-turn and speedcreeps zone/spdef rachi and other things meant to speed creep zone.

Tapu Fini is on the team because its the best defogger and rapid spin isnt always going to go off. Running standard set with scald over moonblast because stall isnt an issue with this team and scald allows it to handle skarmory/bulu(lookin at you abr) better.

Hoopa with scarf is for dealing with faster mons and is good to have trick to screw over some playstyles.

Gyarados is the main win con of the team. Set that sub up and go to to town. Also fills the double intimidate core and has great synergy with rachi

Jirachi is on the team as the rocker but on preview many assume its scarf. Healing wish gives gyarados or hoopa a round 2 at taking down the opposing team. Speed just creeps specs zone.

Overall the strategy should be to break anything that walls gyarados and sweep


Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 208 SpA / 48 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 144 HP / 252 Atk / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Defog
- Haze
- Scald

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Trick

Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Dragon Dance

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 240 HP / 232 SpD / 36 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
- Iron Head



Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash Cannon
- Fleur Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Alomomola @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 216 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Knock Off
- Rock Slide
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Counter
- Whirlwind
- Roost

Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Iron Head



Scarf Hoopa U revenges certain annoying stuff like Lando, Buzzwole, Bulu, Celesteela etc.

AV Magearna checks Lele and Hoopa-U combined with Wish support, and is a generally a very strong special pivot, also able to check Ash Gren as a secondary measure.

Alomomola provides Wish support to Av Magearna and is a very strong catch-all check to threats such as Alolan Marowak, Pheromosa and Metagross.

Tangrowth completes the dual regen core, counters Tapu Fini, most Greninja, Tapu Koko etc. Rock Slide lures Zard-Y and Volcarona, while HP Ice hits Landorus / Zygarde in particular.

Skarmory provides Spikes and a physical wall for threats such as Landorus, Scizor, Pinsir, Skarmory, Garchomp. Counter + Leftovers + Whirlwind answers most forms of Z-Move Landorus in particular.

Excadrill provides role compression for hazards, checks annoying stuff like Magearna, BB Koko, as well as Rapid Spin to preserve spikes and the ability to pressure switches with Rocks.

Weaknesses: Volcarona has no switchins, Celesteela is annoying to defeat, Sub Buzzwole is difficult to revenge, Coil + Toxic Zygarde beats Tangrowth and the rest of the team.

Replays:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519108791 Beating Articuno with the prototype of the team

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519110525 Getting haxed by Scraggy

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519117520 Beating PokeSoda in a close game



Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Aura Sphere

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Gunk Shot

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 16 SpD / 52 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Haze
- Surf
- Nature's Madness
- Defog

Tapu Koko @ Life Orb
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
Impish Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Atk / 16 Def / 200 SpD
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn


Okay so the basis of the team that I have created is a mixture of the fast volt of Tapu Koko and the slow U Turns/Volt Turn of Mega Scizor, Magearna and defensive Lando-T into my heavy hitter, the showcase of this team, Choice Scarf Physical Hoopa- U. Tapu Fini was added to chunk with Nature's Madness to make sweeping easier and to remove Hazards to prevent excess damage taken from the volt turn combo.


So initially we have the Assault Vest Magearna, the max HP and SpA EV's are designed to allow me to switch into special attacks and respond with heavy chunking blows to better prepare a sweep with my Hoopa. Dual stabs are self explanatory, volt switch is run to escape zone and provide a pivot into my Hoopa, and finally aura sphere is to hit Ferrothorn which is an issue for my team, I chose to run sphere over HP fire for the additional utility hitting Heatran.

Hoopa-U is running a physical scarfed set, Jolly natured allowing it to outspeed Ash-Greninja after it has transformed. Hyperspace Fury is his main stab giving a 2HKO on any mon that doesn't resist it. Zen Headbutt is mainly for the many Mega Venu's running around which this team is quite weak to. Ice Punch provides the damage to catch the Lando and chomp switches and Gunk shot is on the set for the KO on all 4 Tapus bar physically defensive Fini which is a 2HKO

Landorus-T is running a standard Stealth Rock rocky helmet fully physically defensive set, i chose not to run any Speed EV's as i wanted the slowest U turn to safely bring in my Hoopa. Hidden Power Ice is run to hit opposing Landos.

Tapu Fini is running Max HP EV's for bulk with 52 speed to out speed defensive Landorus-T the rest are dumped into def and speicla def to maximise bulk and allow for safe defogs. I'm running Haze to disable set up sweepers and Nature's Madness over moonblast to chunk mons on the switch in to facilitate my Hoopa's ability to sweep.

Tapu Koko is running a basic life orb set with max Speed and SpA. Volt allows me to make fast switches to bring in my Hoopa and Hidden Power Ice is to hit ground types on the switch. Blows away Skarm, Celesteela, Tapu Fini and many other mons that Hoopa may have a hard time breaking.

Mega Scizor is running a bulky swords dance set and is my secondary win con, not only does it provide a great pivot with its mixed defensive EV's, but it can Swords Dance and Roost up pretty easily once it's checks have been broken by Hoopa and proceed to bullet punch sweep.


The team in action http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519137783
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519163519




Double specs u turn goons

The core of course is mandatory, but it is also a very solid one. Hoopa absolutely tears through teams when it gets in. Magearna functions to get it in via a slow volt switch so it may wreak havoc among offence and bulkier builds alike. Outside of that they do have some nice defensive synergy like magearna being a u turn and dark resist, but the main utility is offensive by nature.
+


Landorus almost needs no explanation but i will do it for the sake of completion. This mon is really valuable to this core due to its typing and hazards. Defensively it offers another u turn switchin for hoopa, and a ground immunity for magearna. On top of all of this utility for the core it offers yet another slow u turn for hoopa to take advantage of.
+

Offensively ash greninja forms a potent dark spam core with hoopa. It helps this very slow team with its speed problems a bit, plus offering priority to help with fast offensive threats like scarfers and setup mons such as double dance landorus or sd buzzwole. If you notice a trend this also commonly runs u turn.
+

The team was extremely weak to ice punch mega metagross, i didn't have a mega slot filled for scizor fits nicely. Scizor completes the u turn chainm but also helps to take pressure off of magearna to check literally every threat such as lele and co. Gives the team a nice wincon to clean up after everything is torn apart by hoopa and greninja, and is a soft check to pheromosa.
+

Scarf garchomp is pretty neat on this build as it offers alot of defensive and offensive synergy at the same time. Its my main fire resist as well as my revenge killer. This mon's speed tier is amazing atm for beating common scarfers and offensive mons outside of scarf phero. It fixed the speed issue my team has as well.

The main goal of this team is to create opportunities to break walls through the use of momentum grabbing moves and keep up pressure; Most of the team has u turn or volt switch for this reason. Hoopa and greninja are the main offensive threats on this team, they form a potent darkspam core that aims to overload common checks to one another to break them down enough to eventually plow through. Greninja has a very standard set, but hoopa is running hp fire and thunderbolt as lures to fini, celesteela, and ferro in particular for one of greninja or scizor. Magearna is our obligatory special tank dealing with greninja, tapu lele, koko and fini. It is also a soft check for pheromosa and metagross if need be. Landorus is running hp ice as pinsir isnt too much of an issue thanks to garchomp. It helps deal with zygarde and salamence mainly so they dont run over your team for free. It also has the added benefit of chunking opposing landorus, but thats not really important using this team. Scizor is really nice atm being one of the only truely solid metagross checks. Outside of that scizor takes pressure off of magearna so its not stretched too thin trying to check every psychic. Scizor is the main wincon as its checks atm mainly consist of: hp fire specs lele, heatran, tapu fini, ferrothorn, celesteela, landorus and charizards in which most all of these threats are dealt with to some capacity on the team. Also provides of course a slow u turn for hoopa to take advantage of. Garchomp is very anti meta scarfer atm and its really not used enough. It outspeeds and kills alot of major threats including metagross, tapu koko, non scarf pheromosa and is an emergency check to pinsirs and charizards.

The team is a bit pheromosa weak having no dedicated check, rather a couple soft defensive checks and more than a few ways to revenge or out prioritze it. Keep magearna or scizor healthy if it is a scarf variant as they can tank a hit and revenge it if its about to sweep you.

Also the team is kinda charizard y weak with garchomp being your only real counter which is less than ideal. If you happen to lose momentum and have to tank a hit, garchomp tanks all the hits barely and greninja and hoopa should stomach one fire blast to kill it.
252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Hoopa-Unbound: 252-297 (83.7 - 98.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO just barely with no rocks up not your best option. 252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Greninja-Ash: 207-245 (72.6 - 85.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO again not ideal at all but you do what you have to do. Outside of having to tank a hit offensively you have plenty to take it on which isnt all that bad.

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet / Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Aura Sphere
- Volt Switch

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- U-turn

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 116 Def / 128 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Roost

Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab
- Stone Edge


Just to note I didn't make this post long winded and in depth because i think it would net me bonus points, rather i enjoy sharing my thoughts and explaining for anyone who would like to use this team. It's free to steal, enjoy :]

Some replays i just got of the team
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519140182 played like garbage in the start but its just a visual showcase.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519144565 outside of the weird quick attack tapu koko pretty solid game showing how hoopa can really threaten offence too



Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Ice Punch
- Thunderpunch
- Bullet Punch

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt

Magearna @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash Cannon
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Shift Gear

Landorus-Therian @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock

Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Fire Blast

Tapu Koko @ Zap Plate
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Taunt
Set up rocks with Lando-T, dent slow mons like Ferro with SD + Quake, etc. Everyone is using really slow defoggers like Tapu Fini and Zapdos so it's easy to set up rocks, put a dent or maintain momentum with Explosion, then go to work. A lot of these sets barring Tapu Koko, Shift Gear Mag (coverage moves are optional), and Scarf Chomp are interchangeable but I went with this for the time being. Ferro and M-Sciz can be annoying hence if you plan on using it change w/e. Click X against rain, set up asap with Magearna against teams with Scarf Keld. Once the Normal Gem glitch is fixed Normal Gem Explosion will be an option as well for Lando-T.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519104002 - Me being lucky and bad with Outrage rolls. Good replay to showcase how a set up Zard-X can be dangerous if given the opportunity. Fortunately my opp was running an awkward set.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519112775 - Turn 4 is a good display of how team should be used, setting up rocks denting Zapdos, then getting to work.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519114558 - Turn 7 again another showcase, with Tapu Koko not letting him breathe after rocks are down.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519116279 - Oh word?



Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Pain Split
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Aura Sphere
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Band
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- Hyperspace Fury

Volcarona @ Firium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 40 HP / 248 SpA / 220 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
- Quiver Dance

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 60 SpD / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Defog
- Moonblast
- Hydro Pump

This was built around trying to support a Volcarona sweep with Magearna luring in Steel types that Volcarona sets up on. Tapu Fini helps check Marowak-Alola which Hoopa-U and Magea




Magearna + Hoopa-Unbound


Buzzwole @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 196 HP / 188 Atk / 12 SpD / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Leech Life
- Earthquake

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 24 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- U-turn

Magearna-Original @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Aura Sphere

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 16 SpD / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Defog
- Taunt


Buzzwole helps vs Mamoswine and Ferrothorn which can cause problems to our team.
The Special Defense investment on Landorus-T is to avoid the OHKO from Life Orb Latios's Draco Meteor and the 2HKO from Life Orb Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam from full health and the 16 Speed EVs are for Tyranitar (Adamant), Jolly Azumarill and Magnezone. For Hoopa-Unbound I use Choice Specs instead of a Choice Band or Choice Scarf set so i can deal vs stall teams


Additional informantion: A Choice Band can be used on Buzzwole if you feel that you need more power.
Buzzwole @ Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 144 HP / 252 Atk / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Superpower
- Leech Life
- Ice Punch
- Poison Jab / Earthquake


Some calculations of Buzzwole:
252+ Atk Choice Band Buzzwole Superpower vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Ferrothorn: 456-536 (129.5 - 152.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Buzzwole Ice Punch vs. 248 HP / 244+ Def Landorus-Therian: 292-348 (76.6 - 91.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Buzzwole Poison Jab vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Tapu Fini: 198-234 (57.7 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Tapu Fini Moonblast vs. 144 HP / 0 SpD Buzzwole: 326-386 (83.3 - 98.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Buzzwole Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Tapu Fini: 124-146 (36.1 - 42.5%) -- 94.9% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Buzzwole Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 202-238 (66.6 - 78.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


The team is still in progress so changes could be made.




Z-Snatch Hoopa-U + Sludge Wave Landorus-Therian

Hoopa-Unbound @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Snatch
- Psyshock
- Dark Pulse
- Focus Blast

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Atk / 68 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fire Punch
- Shadow Bone
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Sludge Wave

Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Quick Attack
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 68 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Scald
- Taunt
- Defog


My team is centered around Z-Snatch Hoopa-Unbound. Due to its extremely high special attack stat and perfect coverage it is an unbelievable sweeper/cleaner in the meta game. Dark Pulse, Psyshock, Focus Blast are enough to allow this mon to hit everything incredibly hard. I added AV Magearna when it was still mandatory in this competition but after using it I've realized that its great natural bulk and amazing typing make it a fantastic wall when you invest in its hp. I chose to run hidden power fire as my last move as it hits M-Scizor which can be problematic for Hoopa. My team can handle Heatran well so I don't believe I need to run Focus Blast in order to hit that. Unfortunately for HoopaU, Scarf Pheramosa can out speed it even at plus 2 so I decided to add Alolan Marowak to handle this threat. I decided to use Rocks/STABS/EQ as it gives me strong coverage and hazards. This also gave me a rocker and a Tapu Koko counter. This pokemon can also kill Mega Scizor and commonly finds itself in a situation where it can hit Tapu Fini, both of which can live a hit from Hoopa. At this point I found that my team was slow and very weak to ground types. I chose to add Scarf Landorus-Therian as my next as it helped me solve both these problems. I added EQ as strong STAB and U-Turn to help me keep momentum. I next chose to add HP Ice on this set as I would be using to check things such as opposing Lando, Garchomp, and Zygarde. It is also nice for hitting things like Dragonite and Salamence. I next chose to add Sludge Wave as it lures Tapu Bulu which is another obstacle for Hoopa as well as a common ground resist in the tier. I next chose to add M Pinsir. This is still extremely strong and a great partner for Hoopa as it weakens things such as Celesteela and Magearna with Close Combat. It is also very useful to revenge kill things such as Pheromosa and Volcarona with quick attack which are very threatening right now. This also acts as another ground resist for my team. For my last slot I chose Tapu Fini as it served as a water resist and a defogger for AWak and Landorus. I put scald on this set to burn other Tapus and mons that don't touch the ground. Overall this team is very effective and fun while having some innovation. Thanks for reading!


http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519109584 This is me playing esteemed OU Room Driver FMG (lol) and his HoopaU+Magearna team.



Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Psychic
- Gunk Shot
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Flash Cannon
- Fleur Cannon

Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Atk / 44 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Coil
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Atk / 48 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock

Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Giga Drain

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Nature's Madness


Magearna has solid bulk and Hoopa hits hard but neither handles physical attackers, especially ground types so Zygarde is there to add physical bulk and act as a win con often times. Lando-T is there to intimidate and set stealth rocks. In terms of a mega, I thought about what complimented these 4 pokemon and Mega Venusaur fit perfectly. Tapu Fini provides great defog support while also absorbing status moves and nature's madness eases prediction early-mid game. As a balance team, it's been pretty successful, Kyurem-B is probably the biggest issue but even then it can be played around with good prediction.


Scarf Hoopa is max speed max attack so that Hyperspace Fury hits as hard as possible, this move's ability to bypass sub and protect is often overlooked but extremely useful. Psychic hits hard from the special side, HP ice catches Lando-T and Zygarde, Gunk Shot hits fairies who resist Hyperspace Fury hard. Magearna has dual stab with volt switch to pivot and pain split to help beat things like chansey. Sub coil Zygarde is one of my favorite sets, it has plenty of opportunites to setup sub, from there you can coil or spam thousand arrows, espeed really catches faster pokes off guard and after a coil or two picks off a lot of faster mons. Lando-T obviously has rocks and rocky helmet is to help whittle down physical attackers such as Mega Metagross, U-turn is a great pivot move, Knock-Off has great utility, and Earthquake is obligatory stab. The speed on Lando-T is to scout for whether opposing Lando-T is offensive and outrun Fini who try to speed creep and sub coil Zygarde. Mega Venu has spd investment to help against Greninja, HP fire nails Scizor and Ferrothorn, then dual stabs and Synthesis for recovery. Tapu Fini is the hazard clearer so Defog is a must, then Nature's Madness is great on forced switches and then dual stab rounds out the coverage.



Standard.com ft. Hoopa-U VoltTurn

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt

Magearna-Original @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Hammer Arm
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch

Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Outrage
- Fire Blast

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 16 SpD / 68 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Nature's Madness


Started off with the core of AV Magearna+ Specs Hoopa-U and decided that more VoltTurn support would help because Hoopa is pretty slow compared to some top-tier threats in the current meta so I added Defensive Landorus-T with HP-Ice because it helps weaken opposing Lando's and stop double dance sets. Next I figured I needed a Wallbreaker that could aid Hoopa in breaking down defensive cores so I added Elemental Punches Metagross, which is quite rare atm but I appreciate its ability to weaken Celesteela for Hoopa or just pick it off after some prior damage. It also weakens some mons that could take a hit from Hoopa and retaliate with a strong hit such as Magearna Landorus-T and Tapu Fini, which are really common on Offense rn. I was lacking some speed control and after experimenting with different Scarfers lately I've found Scarf Chomp to be one of the most effective rkillers and I usually find myself slapping it on many teams. Finally added Nature's Madness Taunt Fini to help with Stall and hazard stacking cores because Hoopa and Metagross hate being worn down by spikes. Soz for long af text rip

I've been testing this team a bit and I never happen to get any good games so I'm gonna post 2 of the more decent ones I saved, might post some more later :D
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519706301 against Metagross+Ash-Gren Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519519749 against ZyGod BO, This game was kinda haxy iirc. Just remembered I played like trash early game D: exposed
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pokebankou-519947689 5-0 against shed stall

Edit: Apologies if the team looks very similar to other teams posted above, I didn't mean to steal other's versions



Hoopa-Unbound @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Psychic
- Hyperspace Fury
- Fire Punch
- Gunk Shot

AnchoR (Magearna) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch

Doge (Landorus-Therian) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

Grenigga (Greninja-Ash) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Water Shuriken
- Dark Pulse
- Hydro Pump
- U-turn

Taurus (Tapu Bulu) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt

Cybertron (Metagross-Mega) @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Hammer Arm


Stole some ideas here and there. Hoopa set makes stall bend over and Magearna gives momentum for Hoopa-U via Volt Switch. Hoopa set 2HKOs like almost the entire meta besides stuff like T-tar, Mega Gyara, Alolan Muk etc. Added Lando-T so duggy can't switch in via rocks and added Rockium Z becuz at +2 continental crush has like a 56.3% chance to OHKO tapu fini making sure it can remove rocks and to check Zard X. Added Ash Greninja for a fast mon + water resist. Also provides a check to Landos and Pheromosa with shurikens. Added Scarf Bulu to b8 Zard Y + check Tapu Koko and Greninja. Bulu also provides grassy terrain which is nice. Just threw Mega Meta as another steel resist and to check Kartana with Hammer Arm.

Weaknesses: Volcarona (click x if no rocks), Zards



Fairy Momentium

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Psyshock

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch

Tapu Koko @ Expert Belt
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Dazzling Gleam
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Stone Edge

Salamence @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fly

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 12 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Nature's Madness
- Surf
- Taunt


I Started with a Hoopa-U Specs, a great wallbreaker, a demon in oras, i put psyshock for specials walls how chansey (cancer -_-) and more, but also u can switch Psyshock by Thunderbolt for Tapu fini, also i put Magearna AV for gain momentium with volt switch and have devastating move type fairy (Fleur Cannon), so for gain more momentium I put Tapu Koko, a Great Pivot and have Great Speed, U can switch Dazzling gleam by U-Turn, so i needed a ground type and entry hazzard, so i choose landorus, landorus is a great physical wall and also electric inmunity, now, i have a sweeper, SALAMENCE FLYINIUM Z IS THE BEST, with dragon dance and power z flying is a monster also with outrage and eq, okay my last pokemon is tapu fini, i have a little weakness with greninja and pheromosa scarf, tapu fini is a nice water bulky and nice remove hazzard and a great stallbreaker :]




Scarf Hoopa + Volcarona + Mega Aerodactyl Offense

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Psychic
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Aura Sphere
- Volt Switch

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 16 SpD / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Defog

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 28 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn

Volcarona @ Firium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ground]

Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake


I went through a couple of stages building a successful Hoopa-Unbound + Magearna team from different teammates such as Salamence, Zard X and Scarf Gengar while trying out different sets currently on this team such as Specs Hoopa-U, I found Scarf Hoopa to work the best as it handles faster offensive teams quite well especially when they are paired up with Ash Greninja and Tapu Koko while developing the Hoopa-U + Magearna core I noticed most builds really struggle against Mega Metagross and Hoopa-Unbound makes a nice check to it dealing 89%-105% damage so making Metagross tad weakened helps it getting KOed.

I chosen Assault Vest set for Magearna as being able to tank more hits from Pokemon such as Specs Tapu Lele, Opposing Magearna and Latios, slow volt-turns also really helps this team giving Hoopa-U and its teammates more switch in opportunity allowing to either grab a KO or a set up move like Quiver Dance from Volca, Stealth Rock from Landorus or a Defog from Fini to support its teammates especially Volcarona and Aerodactyl.

Tapu Fini is a very good choice for this team as it makes teammates with Magearna as they both cover each other weaknesses Tapu Fini covers and resists Fire, Water and Fighting type moves while Magearna covers and resists Grass, Poison and Psychic type moves, It also benefits Hoopa-Unbound as while holds choice scarf to handle Offensive teams and Checks Mega Metagross, Tapu Fini fills the role as a Stall Breaker with Nature Madness + Taunt while also applying the role of being a useful defogger for its teammates Volcarona and Mega Aerodactyl, It also supports the team with Misty Terrain disabling status moves and other on-going terrains like psychic which is the icing on the cake.

Landorus-T is a excellent choice for the Hoopa-U and Magearna core as it can help provide Stealth Rock, Ground and Electric type immunity and providing slow U-turns for Hoopa-Unbound, I chosen the bulky set with Rocky Helmet so Landorus-T can chip psychical attackers who make contact and help most importantly vs Mega Metagross so Hoopa-Unbound can finish it off later.

I found the 5th and 6th slots to trickiest to pick from as I wanted a very good set up sweeper, it originally was Fly Z Salamence but I noticed I could not handle Steel types like Celesteela well enough so I wanted a fire type sweeper due to and it came down to Zard X and Volcarona while Zard X is a great pokemon Volcarona would benefit this team a lot more due to it can handle physical defensive Pokemon like opposing Landorus-T and gets a good grass coverage move Giga Drain to handle water types like opposing Tapu Fini and weakened Keldeo which are the main reasons why I selected Volcarona on my team.

Finally I chosen Mega Aerodactyl due to its excellent speed to outspeed many threats like Tapu Koko and Tornadus-T so it adds more speed control to the team, pressures Fighting, Bug, Flying and Fire type with Stone Edge and Aerial Ace while the coverage moves I chosen are Earthquake to hit pokemon such as Nihilego and Magnezone while Ice Fang to hit Gliscor and Garchomp.



Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Dark Pulse
- Trick

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Fleur Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 240 HP / 212 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Coil
- Thousand Arrows
- Toxic
- Substitute

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Stone Edge

Heatran @ Grassium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Solar Beam
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Taunt
- Surf
- Moonblast


Firstly, I dedicated my wallbreaking slot to Hoopa-U equipped with Specs to hit mons that are physically defensive, as they usually think it's Physical Hoopa-U set upon switching in. If Hoopa-U has opportunities to switch in, it can weaken opposing mons for Landorus to pick them off. Magearna is the standard AV pivot set against the likes of Ashninja, Protean Greninja that don't carry HP Fire and Tapu Fini. From here, Charizard-Y seemed to be a major threat to these two, so I decided to add in subcoil Zygarde, which can be a reliable check to it unless it runs Dragon Pulse. It also can check Volcarona and potentially setup alongside it. I used to run Extremespeed, but replaced it with Toxic to allow me to wear down fat mons such as AV Tangrowth. I put Heatran in as my Stealth Rock setter, along with Grassium Z to beat Tapu Finis, which is a very popular defogger nowadays. Lastly, I needed a scarfer, preferably a mon with a ground resist/immunity and is relatively fast. Landorus-T was added running HP Ice against other potential Landos that can switch in.



Offensive Lando + Scarf Hoopa BO

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Fire Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch / Zen Headbutt

Landorus-Therian @ Rockium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Nature's Madness
- Taunt
- Defog

Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive / Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Bullet Punch

Tangrowth @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Knock Off
- Sleep Powder


It took me more time to make a solid Hoopa + Magearna team than I thought it would. I did have different sets and mons before making a successfully team, such as shift gear magearna, alolan marowak, garchomp, band hoopa, and more. First I started with Magearna + Hoopa obviously. I wanted to use a different magearna set besides av but the more I improved and tested the team, av magearna just fit the best. I then added Lando-t for a solid ground resist and rocks. It's rocks offensive lando-t so it can help me with stall and just fat teams in general. The team didn't have a solid answer to ash greninja nor charizard-x, so I added defog tapu fini. Not only did it gave me a solid counter to Ash-Greninja. Charizard-x, and a decent counter to Pheromosa. it also gave me defog which is always nice to have. As the team looked pretty weak to mons like Mega Pinsir, Mega Venuasaur, Amoonguss, Toxapex, I ended up adding Mega Metagross. Metagross is easily one of the best megas in the current meta game. I know the Metagross set is very strange and hp fire isn't that standard. I needed hp fire Metagross due to how weak the team was to Mega Scizor. ABR is the one who created this GODLY set. Hp fire metagross catches a lot of people off guard and it's a nice lure. You can run jolly nature on metagross, it does 2 hit ko non spdef mega scizor after rocks. I just prefer naive because it 2 hit kos spdef Mega-Scizor easily after rocks. Bullet Punch is very helpful, it revenge kills a lot of weaken mons like tapu koko, pheromosa, weavile. It also helps me rkill sweepers like Salamence, Lando-t, Pinsir, and even Charizard-x. You can add Ice Punch over hp fire if you aren't scared of Mega-Scizor or just dont like the hp fire set. Ice punch helps a lot vs lando-t and zapdos. I don't recommend getting rid of Bullet Punch. The team was very weak to tapu bulu, mega metagross, and basically some physical attackers. So I put Physdef Tangrowth onto the team. It fits very nice as it gives me a solid answer to most physical attackers. Now I finally made it scarf hoopa as the team was super slow. Scarf Hoopa seem to catch some people off guard at times, which surprised me. Most of the sets on all of the pokemon are pretty self explanatory, so I won't go through that. I did a lot of testing with this team and got a pretty good score with it. Went like 28-7. I only faced stall about 4 times and won three out of four times. As long as you play smart with hoopa + Lando-t, you should be okay with stall. I'm going to be honest, I personally don't like Hoopa-u in the current meta, It just doesn't seem as good as it used to be in oras. It still is very solid just you have to predict right a lot of times due to mons like Magearna, Tapu fini, Tapu bulu, etc every where in the current meta.



Tapu koko is pretty scary to the team because it can easily volt-turn around especially because it's offensive Lando-t. I usually 2 hit ko it with bp Mega Metagross or kill it with scarf hoopa or Magearna. I usually like to lead with scarf hoopa vs a koko b/c most people lead with koko and sometimes your opponent doesn't see scarf hoopa coming.


DD Lando-t and DD Salamence are so dangerous vs my team. After one SD/RP or DD, they both can be very scary. I somehow end up weakening them so Metagross can rkill them with BP. I still haven't lost to dd landot or mence yet, even through how weak the team is to them. Just don't let them get a free set up.


Zapdos isn't really that threatening, it's just very annoying to face off with. With pretty decent speed and reliable recovery, it can be a pain in the ass to deal with. I usually pressure it with lando and hoopa. Luckily for me, I have only faced it like 2-3 times so far, not that popular.



Magearna @ Steelium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Aura Sphere
- Thunderbolt
- Shift Gear

Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Band
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Zen Headbutt

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 24 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

Pheromosa @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Poison Jab

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 16 SpD / 52 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Defog

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Thunder Punch


Classic Shift gear Magearna and Choice Band Hoopa-U was added to form the core. Defensive Landorus-T was added for Stealth Rock support. It can also apply pressure to the opposing team and give Magearna more chance to setup. Rocky helmet helps against U-turn users and forms a solid defensive backbone. Pheromosa forms a VoltTurn core with Landorus-T and they together take advantage of Toxapex, Mantine and Alolan Marowak. Tapu Fini was added for hazard removal and a water resist. Metagross was finally added as a mega and functions as a good wallbreaker



You have until January 31st to vote!
 

AM

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Ill be voting for FMG and his squad. Not to sound like a hater but abr did not invent hp fire mgross, it was referenced way back during oras metagross suspect by multiple people. I will edit this post later in more detail but wanted to have a placeholder.

Edit: I'm voting for Team 19 by FMG because it looks more fundamentally sound in terms of having a bit of everything to check the relevant playstyles and threats in the tier. While it may not be perfect as pointed out in the analysis of his threat lists (missing Heatran as well btw) it's a decentish build to provide a picture of your standard bulky offense at this point in time and I'll give him credit for playing it cool this time in a thread where the focus should be practically > creativity first when it comes to teambuilding competition.

While some teams generally had a pretty decent foundation mon wise, some of the sets feel like the execution went wrong in terms of an overall goal or win condition. Then on the other hand you would see teams that downright lose to something, and not even if it's well played just outright lose. I won't mention any of them, hell a more thorough analysis I might find something besides rain to on mine, but a couple are really hard to justify any sort of usage even for general laddering purposes. If there is a single notion your team auto loses to stall, it's objectively bad to me.

In relation to the points made from zbr about this competition being bland or w/e the terminology was, this core was largely constraining to a point where the mons in question did not have any genuine qualities to identify themselves as a "core". The term is sometimes used very loosely, as is most definitions, and thrown in the air for conversation sake but I felt like I could've replaced both mons with something more useful to make my team more efficient. Unfortunately that wasn't the case with a combination of mons that complicate the ground and spike weakness in a tier where both are prevalent. You can't blame people for sticking to the basic foundations used especially when the last 4 mons you can pick need to make up for the lack of resources the current core provides, which was a shitload. I had to choose what I want to better matchup against with my team as such certain choices made, at least for me.

Then again, when you host this thread and are providing the core you can always just accept it, take whatever L people are trying to throw at you, and create weird cores to limit the submission pool. Normally submission count is low with lackluster cores, but with a new meta everyone likes to throw stuff in so this is a bit out of the ordinary in terms of 20 teams for one round. I respect creativity but again, not at the cost of practicality.

Final note, replays help a lot. If there's no replays I can only theorize how the team functions, which will sway my choice even more. With replays I don't need a long description as the replays will be able to speak for themselves and show if it works in the manner you built or have described. Nothing fancy, nothing extremely garbage, but nothing fancy necessary.
 
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Team 8

I used many of the teams and this team is the only one where I feel like I didn't lose because of bad matchup or bad team composition. The most notable loses being because of hax. It was also one of the few with some variety.

I also agree with AM that posting replays will generally make the team more appealing to use, and will grant a bigger chance of it actually being used and possibly voted for.
 
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Colonel M

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Team 7, but really want to say that I love the flavor from Team 8 with sets like SD + Explosion Landorus-T and Team 20 should be given a ton of props in spite of it joining rather late in the team building process because it checks a ton of the nastiest stuff in the meta right now.

Also would like to second AM's opinion about Replays being very important because they show the team in its execution as well as the strategy you have in mind.
 
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Eclipse

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Team 20 is what I'm voting for, despite looking irritatingly weak to Koko, I love the offensive pressure that this team looks to put on the opponent, so looks solid to me
 
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