Resource SS OU Sample Teams (Crown Tundra)

[Finchinator]

Hosted by ausma and the OU moderation team | updated for September 2022​

With the metagame giving us so many Pokemon and strategies to explore, we decided to share some sample teams for everyone to try out in the early stages of the metagame. To get the importable of the team, simply click on the mini-sprites!

Most Beginner Friendly

Life Orb Crawdaunt and Seismitoad + Zapdos Rain by sugarhigh

Cloyster + Dragon Dance Dragapult Veil Hyper Offense by bbeeaa

Trick Sticky Barb Clefable + Victini Hazard stack by Gefährlicher Random

Choice Scarf FSight Tapu Lele + Heatran Bulky Offense based on a team by Empo

Tapu Koko + Black Glasses Bisharp Hazard stack by Pinkacross

Protective Pads Urshifu + Choice Scarf Tapu Lele Sand by Empo

More Advanced

Rillaboom + Blaziken Bulky Offense by xray (More details in the RMT thread)

Calm Mind Tapu Fini + Ballon Heatran Hail by Storm Zone

Assault Vest Tornadus + Choice Band Urshifu Bulky Offense by Baloor

Choice Band Tyranitar + Specially defensive Mew Sand by Storm Zone

Galarian Slowking + Assault Vest Gastrodon Stall by Ox the Fox

 

[Finchinator]

Sample Teams Change Log

Initial DLC2 Teams - Oct 29, 2020

Gravity Landorus Sticky Webs Offense by Finchinator:

Band Melmetal + Coil Zygarde Balance by TPP:

Regidrago Trick Room Offense by sugarhigh:

Nasty Plot Spectrier Balance by Jordy:

DD Kyurem-B Regieleki Screens Offense by Ox the Fox:

Sand Rush Dracozolt Sand Balance by Ruft:

First DLC2 Update

Swords Dance Garchomp + Specs Magnezone Balance by Finchinator:

Choice Band Urshifu + Choice Specs Magearna VoltTurn by Ruft:

Nasty Plot Spectrier + Swords Dance Kartana Sand Balance by Finchinator:

Choice Band Pheromosa + Future Sight Slowbro Sand Balance by Jordy:

Nasty Plot Tornadus-Therian + Choice Band Barraskewda Rain Offense by Finchinator:

Pivot Cinderace + Future Sight Slowbro Balance by TPP:

Spectrier ban

Weakness Policy Magearna + Nasty Plot Spectrier Hyper Offense by Ausma:

Magearna & Cinderace ban

Unburden Hawlucha + Screens Tapu Koko Hyper Offense by IPF:
Pivot Cinderace + Future Sight Slowbro Balance by TPP:
Choice Specs Magearna + Pivot Cinderace Bulky Offense by Finchinator:

Swords Dance Garchomp + Calm Mind Clefable Balance by Finchinator:

Spring 2021

Power Herb Heatran + Choice Band Rillaboom Bulky Offense by beatiful and BluBirD252:
Choice Band Kartana + Body Press Magnezone Bulky Offense by Ox the Fox:
Belly Drum Azumarill + Dragon Dance Dragonite Hyper Offense by Zneon:
Swords Dance Landorus-Therian + Pivot Zeraora Balance by Jordy:
Life Orb Hydreigon + Choice Specs Dragapult Balance by Finchinator:
Nasty Plot Tornadus-Therian + Swift Swim Seismitoad Rain Offense by Ausma:

Summer 2021

Choice Specs Kyurem + Choice Specs Dragapult Bulky Offense by talah:
Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid + Swords Dance Weavile Bulky Offense by Ox the Fox:
Sand Rush Dracozolt + Sand Rush Excadrill Sand Balance by Fusion Flare:
Swift Swim Barraskewda + Offensive Zapdos Rain Offense by talah:
Swords Dance Scizor + Nasty Plot Hydreigon Bulky Offense by Tysonslayer:
Choice Band Weavile + Protect Toxic Melmetal Bulky Offense by Katy:
Choice Band Bisharp + Calm Mind Clefable Balance by Zneon:
Calm Mind Tapu Fini + Iron Defense Magnezone Balance by Abhisdn417:

Kyurem ban

Substitute Arctozolt Hail Offense by Dragon Claw:
Choice Specs Kyurem Balance by Finchinator:

Fall 2021

Swords Dance Weavile Bulky Offense by Ox the Fox:
Protective Pads Urshifu-Rapid Bulky Offense by ausma:
Victini Choice Specs Tapu Lele Psyspam by devin:

January 2022

Melmetal + Protective Pads Urshifu Offense by Clone:

Seismitoad + Galarian Moltres Rain by ironwater & Storm Zone:

breakdown

This rain team follows a classic structure. Pelipper is the rain setter of choice thanks to U-turn and its great defensive utility, while Barraskewda is the best Swift Swim user with its blasting Speed and powerful pivot option in Flip Turn. Ferrothorn is a staple in rain teams and help dealing with Electric types like Tapu Koko and Grass types like Rillaboom. It is also a very good answer to Tapu Fini, coming in after a Barraskewda Flip Turn to either threaten it with Power Whip or set some layers of Spikes. Offensive Zapdos can use its two powerful STABs with a perfect accuracy when rain is up, helping breaking through physical walls and bulky Water types like Toxapex and Slowbro who don't fear Barraskewda's moves. Despite being fully offensive, Zapdos still has an alright defensive utility, giving a secondary check to Grass type moves like Kartana's ones. Seismitoad is another great Swift Swim user who brings a useful Electric immunity and is able to threaten walls like Toxapex. Lastly, Galarian Moltres helps checking the threatening Dragapult, while being able to spam its fully accurate Hurricane under rain. Taunt and Nasty Plot makes it a deadly weapon against more defensive teams.

Most of the time you want to lead with Pelipper to set the Rain early in the game. Barraskewda is your main Speed Control tool and can weaken any team without Toxapex or Slowbro by spamming Flip Turn until everything is in range of its Liquidation. When one of these Barraskewda answer is in the opposing team, you can use its Flip Turn to bring either Zapdos or Seismitoad and force progress. You can also try setting Ferrothorn's Spikes and Seismitoad's Stealth Rock to prevent these Pokemon from recovering too much health with Regenerator.

Dual Dance Bisharp + Scarf Blacephalon Veil Offense by BIHI:

breakdown

This team based on Aurora Veil is pretty straightforward: you want to set your Aurora Veil early in the game and then setup your different win conditions quickly to either sweep or open a path for the following sweeper. Alolan Ninetales is the best Aurora Veil setter in the tier and can use support options like Hypnosis and Encore to give a free switch-in to one of your breakers. The Volcarona + Tapu Fini core is extremely threatening for most bulky offense. They can use both the screens and Substitute to get free setup turns against a lot of common answers. One of these two Pokemon will often have a very strong matchup against the opposing team, and you will thus have to let it setup in the best conditions. Having a defensive Landorus-T seems weird in this kind of offensive team, but it brings a lot of stability to the team and can force some defensive Pokemon to come on the field to safely bring a setup sweeper. Bisharp is here for its resistances and because it is a superb screen abuser with both Swords dance and Defiant. This team features an uncommon Bisharp set with Rock Polish, giving it a cleaner role, as it can boost both its Attack and its Speed to finish of a weakened team. Lastly, Blacephalon is here to bring some immediate Speed control option to the team, being able to revenge kill a lot of opposing setup sweepers. It can also be a great cleaner with Beast Boost late game if its main answers have been worn down enough.

Galarian Zapdos Healing Wish Balance by talah:

breakdown

This team is built around a deadly offensive core composed of Zeraora and Galarian Zapdos. Zeraora is a fast Electric-type who can beat most non Ground type Pokemon in the tier thanks to Bulk Up and its coverage options, making it highly effective at cleaning. The main Zeraora's check in the tier being Landorus-T makes Galarian Zapdos an insane partner, as it can take advantage of Zeraora luring in Landorus-T to come and get a Defiant boost allowing it to nuke something. Equipped with a Choice Band it can break through most walls in the tier, helping Zeraora who struggles against bulkier foes, including Ground-types that it struggles against. The defensive core is also a well known one. Toxapex and Tornadus-T form a very efficient Regenerator core able to deal with plenty of common metagame threats, while Landorus-T brings an Electric immunity while checking annoying Pokemon like Heatran. Jirachi rounds off this team by bringing a Tapu Lele answer and a key support option with Healing Wish. Indeed, Galarian Zapdos is very susceptible to chip damage and love to be brought back to full health late game to finish off the opposing defensive core. Zeraora can also appreciate being brought back to full health after a first setup attempt to clean late game.

Choice Spam Bulky Offense by Storm Zone:

breakdown

A Bulky Offense team based around a deadly duo of threats in Choice Specs Zapdos and Choice Band Weavile. Zapdos' main STAB in Hurricane is extremely hard to switch into and can deter Ground types to come in, giving it more leverage to use Volt Switch in some situations. Weavile can help Zapdos by pressuring most Special walls, especially as it can be brought in by Zapdos' Volt Switch against Special walls like Galarian Slowking. Urshifu completes this offensive core forming a great Voltturn duo with Zapdos. It also loves to see Weavile clicking Poison Jab to weaken one of its main check in Tapu Fini. Physically defensive Ferrothorn and Specially defensive Landorus-T gives a solid defensive basis to the team while bringing some hazards control. Defog on Landorus-T is particularly important as you can remove Rocks set by other Landorus-T or Heatran to prevent chip damage on Weavile and Zapdos. Lastly, bulky Volcarona helps to check threats who can quickly overwhelm the Ferro + Lando core like Kartana and takes advantage of Special walls who can check Zapdos like Blissey with a Safeguard set.

Magnezone + Misty Seed Hawlucha Offense by Ox the Fox:

breakdown

This team capitalises on Magnezone's trapping ability to make breakers like Tapu Lele and Kartana even more threatening. Magnezone's main target are Ferrothorn and Corviknight, being able to trap and beat the former with Iron Defense + Body Press, while severely crippling the latter with Tunderbolt. Its Rocky Helmet can further cripple Corviknight clicking U-turn while weakening some physical breakers. Removing Ferrothorn and Corviknight means that Tapu Lele can freely use its STAB moves to claim kills, while enabling a late game Kartana clean against teams that rely too much on Corviknight to check it. Tapu Fini is another Pokemon who loves to see Magnezone remove Ferrothorn and who can check threats like Urshifu-R, Weavile and Dragapult and revenge kill them with a Choice Scarf set. Landorus-T acts as a glue here, being able to set Rock and to pivot into Tapu Lele or even Magnezone on a Corviknight coming in to Defog. Lastly, Hawlucha is an incredibly powerful late game cleaner who takes advantage of the holes creates by Tapu Lele and Kartana.

March 2022

Substitute Arctozolt + Choice Specs Volcanion Hail by Ox the Fox:

Eruption Heatran + Swords Dance Weavile Bulky Offense by Finchinator:

Meteor Beam Nihilego + Choice Band Zapdos-Galar Offense by Gefährlicher Random:

Offensive Zapdos + Swords Dance Garchomp Bulky Offense by Sirwings:

Future Sight Slowking + Rocky Helmet Buzzwole Bulky Offense by Finchinator:

Pivot Tapu Koko + Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid Bulky Offense by Finchinator:

Iron Defense Magnezone + Protect Toxic Melmetal Bulky Offense by Ruft:

 

[Finchinator]

The OP is now updated with new sample teams for the current metagame. The old sample teams are logged in the second post. Enjoy!

 

[Finchinator]

The OP is now updated with new sample teams for the current metagame, all of which are usable in the Official Smogon Tournament! The old sample teams are logged in the second post. Enjoy!

 

[Finchinator]

The OP is now updated with new sample teams for the current metagame, all of which you may use now! The old sample teams are logged in the second post. Enjoy!

For more on the beatiful / blubird Bulky Offense team, check out Smogon's tweet about it here. This was the featured team of the week for SS OU this month.

 

[Finchinator]

I have updated all of the teams in the OP and archived the prior sample team additions in the second post.

A special thanks to all of the OU contributors who went out of their way to make this update possible; their thankless work continues to help make our subforum a better place! Enjoy.

 

[Finchinator]

I have updated all of the teams in the OP to teams for the current metagame. In addition, I have archived the prior sample teams.

A special thanks to Ox the Fox and the OU moderation team for making this possible. It is likely that Zneon and my fellow OU moderators will be keeping-up with this project moving forward, particularly with the new releases coming around.

 

[ausma]

Hello everyone; I'm going to be taking over operations for Finchinator. Thank you a bunch for all of your work with this project over the past few years!!

Anyway, for transparency's sake, I wanted to let everyone know that we intend to be updating this very soon to accommodate for SCL changes. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to let us know. Hopefully we can get this handled shortly after the Kyurem suspect!

 

[ausma]

these will be updated over the next couple days for OST!

 

[ausma]

Most of everything has been updated for January 2022; since OST's first round was just published, we really wanted to get something out there for players to get started with so they're not left without anything up-to-date to use for the tournament. We may be adding and changing a couple teams over the course of the next few days in order to round off our selection and better represent particular recent threats.

You may have noticed that, with some of the newly added teams, there are short breakdowns to accompany them, which will help newer players better understand how the team operates and elaborate on their more nuanced synergies. I'd like to give a major shoutout to our OU contributors (especially ironwater for collecting numerous of these teams and writing up the breakdowns) for all the help provided!

 

[Finchinator]

the date has been upped.

(updated the OP)

join the third charity bowl 12pm GMT-5 March 5th!!!

 

[ironwater]

We updated the sample team thread with more up to date teams! A special thanks to the PS room staff and in particular to suwa who worked on gathering these teams as well as writting/having descriptions (that you can find them in the pokepaste links). Thanks as well to all the players who shared their teams.