Hello Smogon users! I am bringing to you an innovative (or what I think) team built around the new Gengar set. Ever since the italians showed this thing in the world cup I fell in love with it. It finally gives new life to my favorite pokemon that seemingly only had one job before in destroying chansey, and just stall in general. With this set it allows it to not only check chansey, but also sweep late game due to the other team being crippled by status. Anyway here is a closer look at the team.
Team building process:
So after dabbling aound with the unaware variant for a while I noticed that, while it didn't win games like the CM set it was able to check threats that this one just couldn't. It's pretty hilarious watching someone set up just to realize that they just wasted all of their turns on nothing. Being unaware and totally defensive it is able to spread para to annoying mons and most notably lure metagross in to getting a nice yellow surprise. Kyurem-B used to be a problem as well but now I don't even worry about it because this thin is able to come in and eat any hit for breakfast. The wish support is also nice for Landorus and other things that cannot heal themselves.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
So that's it for my team! All rates are appreciated and I'll do my best to keep the OP updated as I test the suggestions.
Threat list:
- If I don't have charizard it can be pretty hard to break down
- I don't have a safe switch in to it other than charizard, and that cant touch it.
- Statusing it doesn't help, and if it carries poison jab clef can't deal with it
- I have to hope i can para hax it and clefable can beat it
- Sand can be hard to beat if rotom gets worn down too much
Importable:
Team building process:
I started off with hex gengar because I felt it could be a true threat in the OU metagame.
I then realized that gengar works best on volt-turn teams, so I added the Rotom/Lando.jpg
Then I wanted something that could have offensive presence while still being able to spread status and take on steels so I added a Bulky char-X
Then I wanted a spinner over a defog user because Rocks are crucial to gengar being really effective so I added an AV Excadrill
I needed a status absorber and something that would be able be a secondary win condition so I added Clefable.
I then realized that gengar works best on volt-turn teams, so I added the Rotom/Lando.jpg
Then I wanted something that could have offensive presence while still being able to spread status and take on steels so I added a Bulky char-X
Then I wanted a spinner over a defog user because Rocks are crucial to gengar being really effective so I added an AV Excadrill
I needed a status absorber and something that would be able be a secondary win condition so I added Clefable.
In Depth:
Gengar:
This is what the team is built to set up for. While the set looks totally mediocre at first, it's definitely not. While it requires support in order to work, once the opposing pokemon is statused it gets hit by a 130 BP STAB move from one of the games best special attackers. Sludgewave is there to stop clefable along with other annoying grass types. It still retains it's ability to break stall, while also being able to sweep due to pokemon that have already been neutered. S Overall this set is amazing and still quite unexpected. While it has the ability to sweep it also has utility in the fact that it can will-o-wisp offensive teams due to it's speed. Overall a great pokemon with yet another great set.
Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Sludge Wave
Landorus-T:
My go to for rock setting and tanking physical attacks. Does this thing really need an introduction? The new face of OU finds its way into almost every team and for good reason. I chose to run a much more offensive version because I'm not a big fan of the standard 240 Def impish version because it doesn't really take advantage of it's amazing attack stat. I also but speed into it because Bisharp is really annoying to my team if I don't have this to check it. I put Knock off over stone edge because I have two other flying checks, and with the attack investment it is able to actually do significant damage.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Atk / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Rotom-W:
The more defensive half of the Volt turn core. It is my primary check to all flying spam and also serves as a great status spreader of Will-o-wisp. It also checks the omnipresent scar landorus-T that seems to run riot in OU. This thing is seriously seems to check half the meta game and then some. This thing is a godsend to balanced teams because of it's ability to do everything really. Honestly Rotom ends up being the MVP of almost every team I put it on due to it's sheer utility. Even dedicated checks can sometimes have a hard time beating because of how good it actually is.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Charizard:
I was looking for something that could fix the weaknesses of the volt turn core while also being able to take care of steels, so I stumbled upon the bulky version of Char-X. It isn;t really seen much due to the SD/DD variants being so dominant, but it shouldn't be ignored due to it's huge attack coupled with tough claws. Will-o-wisp also checks the common switch ins such as landorus T and other scarfed physical attackers. This thing has honestly out performed my expectations and I'm excited to use it on future teams.
Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 148 SpD / 112 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
Excadrill:
Finally seeing a drill not in the sand? woah. This thing actually boasts impressive Hp, and I'd much rather cut my finger off than use the scarf set,so putting and Assault vest seemed like a good idea, and holy **** shit this thing is amazing. It is honestly the best hazard removal mon that i've ever used due to it's new found bulk along with it's amazing attack stat. This thing actually checks the lati's and also is able to straight up switch in on heatran. It also serves as a tertiary check to flying moves which can come in quite handy. it also is able to check rotom-W due to mold breaker. and it's speed investment is to outspeed adamant base 70s and fast hetrans. I chose adamant in order to preserve power while still being able to tank some hits.
So I finally bit the bullet and decided to go with scarf drill. While the AV variant was good, my team needed something that could revenge kill as well as be able to go for a late game sweep. Don't get me wrong, I hate this piece of shit because I get locked into spin or earthquake half the time, not to mention that it get's outsped by nearly every other scarfer. but, a lot of that is mitigated by the fact that clefable can just come in for free on the turn that they decide to set up. Overall this thing is marginal at best, but there isn't a whole lot i can do to fix it because it fits it's niche as spinner and late game cleaner.
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Gengar:
This is what the team is built to set up for. While the set looks totally mediocre at first, it's definitely not. While it requires support in order to work, once the opposing pokemon is statused it gets hit by a 130 BP STAB move from one of the games best special attackers. Sludgewave is there to stop clefable along with other annoying grass types. It still retains it's ability to break stall, while also being able to sweep due to pokemon that have already been neutered. S Overall this set is amazing and still quite unexpected. While it has the ability to sweep it also has utility in the fact that it can will-o-wisp offensive teams due to it's speed. Overall a great pokemon with yet another great set.
Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Sludge Wave
Landorus-T:
My go to for rock setting and tanking physical attacks. Does this thing really need an introduction? The new face of OU finds its way into almost every team and for good reason. I chose to run a much more offensive version because I'm not a big fan of the standard 240 Def impish version because it doesn't really take advantage of it's amazing attack stat. I also but speed into it because Bisharp is really annoying to my team if I don't have this to check it. I put Knock off over stone edge because I have two other flying checks, and with the attack investment it is able to actually do significant damage.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Atk / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Rotom-W:
The more defensive half of the Volt turn core. It is my primary check to all flying spam and also serves as a great status spreader of Will-o-wisp. It also checks the omnipresent scar landorus-T that seems to run riot in OU. This thing is seriously seems to check half the meta game and then some. This thing is a godsend to balanced teams because of it's ability to do everything really. Honestly Rotom ends up being the MVP of almost every team I put it on due to it's sheer utility. Even dedicated checks can sometimes have a hard time beating because of how good it actually is.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Charizard:
I was looking for something that could fix the weaknesses of the volt turn core while also being able to take care of steels, so I stumbled upon the bulky version of Char-X. It isn;t really seen much due to the SD/DD variants being so dominant, but it shouldn't be ignored due to it's huge attack coupled with tough claws. Will-o-wisp also checks the common switch ins such as landorus T and other scarfed physical attackers. This thing has honestly out performed my expectations and I'm excited to use it on future teams.
Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 148 SpD / 112 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
Excadrill:
So I finally bit the bullet and decided to go with scarf drill. While the AV variant was good, my team needed something that could revenge kill as well as be able to go for a late game sweep. Don't get me wrong, I hate this piece of shit because I get locked into spin or earthquake half the time, not to mention that it get's outsped by nearly every other scarfer. but, a lot of that is mitigated by the fact that clefable can just come in for free on the turn that they decide to set up. Overall this thing is marginal at best, but there isn't a whole lot i can do to fix it because it fits it's niche as spinner and late game cleaner.
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Clefable:
I wanted something that could absorb status while also being able to set up and serve as a wins condition so here is the oh so common Magic Guard CM clefable. I've come to love this thing through this games meta due to it's impressive bulk and it's ability to basically set up on anything that cant 2HKO it. I chose T-Wave because it is able to cripple faster pokemon so they wont be a threat later on, because in the end my team doesn't have a scarf user. (which I may end up biting the bullet on drill with). This honestly gets just as many sweeps as gengar due to it's great versatility and bulk.
So after dabbling aound with the unaware variant for a while I noticed that, while it didn't win games like the CM set it was able to check threats that this one just couldn't. It's pretty hilarious watching someone set up just to realize that they just wasted all of their turns on nothing. Being unaware and totally defensive it is able to spread para to annoying mons and most notably lure metagross in to getting a nice yellow surprise. Kyurem-B used to be a problem as well but now I don't even worry about it because this thin is able to come in and eat any hit for breakfast. The wish support is also nice for Landorus and other things that cannot heal themselves.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
So that's it for my team! All rates are appreciated and I'll do my best to keep the OP updated as I test the suggestions.
Threat list:
Importable:
Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Sludge Wave
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Atk / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 148 SpD / 112 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Sludge Wave
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Atk / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 148 SpD / 112 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
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