Introduction:
I've been casually doing random battles on showdown, but wanted to get into competitive more seriously. So, I decided to make an OU team. I wanted to make a team based around Volcanion and Zapdos, as they both seemed fun to use. I love the electric/flying type, and Volcanion has a unique typing of fire/water.
Teambuilding:
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/721.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/145.png
As I said, I wanted to make the team centred around Volcanion and Zapdos. Mostly, the cover each others weaknesses. Volcanion resists Ice. Zapdos is immune to Ground and neutral to Electric. Volcanion is a good special attacker, alongside moves such as Flamethrower and Steam Eruption. It also has decent speed (it seems to be more than people think) and a fair amount of Defense. Zapdos also has the bulk, along with Roost for recovery, and the good Special Attack. It's also faster than Volcanion. However, both of them have a weakness to Rock. It's not as bad with Volcanion, due to Steam Eruption, but it still threatens it.
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/212-m.png
Introduce Mega Scizor with it's Technician boosted Bullet Punch. Priority Steel STAB helps Volcanion and Zapdos as it can deal with Tyranitar and Fairy types (this will help out later). Also, due to its slow speed, Scizor can get off slow U-turns, which can bring in Volcanion and Zapdos without taking damage. Volcanion also helps with Scizor's Fire weakness, as it 4x resists it and has Steam Eruption.
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/445.png
Next up, Garchomp. Also helps with Scizor's weakness, and can set up Stealth Rock. That's mainly what it's used for. It also hits hard and fast, and can set up Swords Dance. Good Electric counter for Volcanion as it's immune.
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/778.png
I love my Ghosts. I need a Ghost. Mimikyu is actually really good. It completes the Dragon/Fairy/Steel core and goes really well with Scizor. The slow U-turns allow Mimikyu to come in and not lose its Disguise. It can set up Swords Dance under Disguise and can sweep. It also gets access to Shadow Sneak priority.
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/497.png
Last Pokemon is Serperior. I needed a 6th team member, so i just picked Serperior. It helped the team a lot. Glare for paralysis can allow others to outspeed, mainly Zapdos and Volcanion. And then Contrary Leaf Storm allows for Serperior to sweep. On its own, Serperior can take out a few opposing Pokemon.
Closer Look
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/volcanion.gif
Volcanion @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
Hidden Power [Ice]
One of the Pokemon I wanted to centre the team around. It's main role is a Special Sweeper. It comes in and hits hard. Its Physical Defense is good, but its Special Defense is more lacking. I originally gave it Choice Specs, but taking about 25% from a Flamethrower from Mega Charizard Y when it's 4x resisted made me switch to Assault Vest. Steam Eruption and Flamethrower are strong STAB moves for it. Earth Power helps against it's Rock and Electric Weakness. And Hidden Power [Ice] because Ice is a useful type to have, considering the sheer amount of Landorus-T you come across. Originally, it had Sludge Bomb, but the Hidden Power [Ice] was more useful to it.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/zapdos.gif
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
The other Pokemon I wanted to centre the team around. It's bulkier than Volcanion and has Roost and Leftovers recovery. Again, it's a special attacker, but it's a more of a Wall than Volcanion. Discharge and Static allow it to potentially paralyse the opponent, giving it more time to recover. Discharge is good STAB and has a higher paralysis chance than Thunderbolt. Roost gives it reliable recovery. Heat Wave allows it to deal with the common Steel types, mainly breaking through Ferrothorn. And Hidden Power [Ice] to deal with common Ground and Dragon type. It can be useful if they think that you'll switch as the rest of the moves aren't good against Ground and Dragon types.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/scizor-mega.gif
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 244 SpD
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
-Knock Off
Scizor is a Pokemon that's more focused on Defense and compliments Zapdos and Volcanion. It can deal with Rock, Ice and Fairy types with priority Bullet Punch. It's low Speed allow it to get off slow U-turns, which gets others in unharmed. This really helps Mimikyu as it keeps its Disguise up. Roost gives it reliable recovery so it can get more U-turns off. And Knock Off is good because it gets rid off the opponent's item. If it's a Life Orb, Choice Band or Choice Specs, than it can live more hits from the opponent.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/garchomp.gif
Garchomp @ Rockium Z
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Garchomp's main role is to set up Stealth Rocks. It's also a good counter to Heatran, Magnezone and Mega Charizard X with STAB Earthquake. Stone Edge is a strong Rock move, being able to deal with Pelipper, Tornadus and Zapdos. Swords Dance allows it to set up and deal much more damage. It is a sweeping set and can sweep, but it's main role is still setting up Stealth Rocks. I gave it Rockium Z over Groundium Z because the Ground Z-move could be predictable. They can then switch into a Flying type, making the Z-move pointless.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/mimikyu.gif
Mimikyu @ Life Orb
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Play Rough
- Shadow Claw
Like I said, I wanted a Ghost type on the team, and the options were Blacephalon or Mimikyu. Considering I already had a Fire type, I went for Mimikyu. It's role is a Physical Sweeper. Its Disguise Ability allows it to set up Swords Dance for free, and it can get in without losing it thanks to Scizor's slow U-turns. Play Rough and Shadow Claw are good STAB moves for it, and the Shadow Sneak priority allows it to easily take out a weakened opponent or get some final damage off before it faints if the opponent out speeds. This also completed the Dragon/Fairy/Steel core.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/serperior.gif
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute
- Glare
Serperior's role is a Special Sweeper, and it compliments the team surprisingly well. It finishes the Fire/Water/Grass core alongside Volcanion, covering its weakness to Ground and Rock with Leaf Storm, and then resisting Electric. On its own, it can handle a lot of opponents. It can get in with Scizor's slow U-turns, Glare the opponent to paralyse them, and then snowball with Contrary Leaf Storm. It's high Speed allows it to easily get the Glare off, allowing it to get more Leaf Storms off. Substitute gives it more staying power, and leftovers allows it to recover behind the Substitute, so it can set more up. Hidden Power [Fire] helps it deal with the Steel types that Leaf Storm struggles with. Despite having only 60 base power, it deals a huge amount of damage after the Leaf Storm boosts.
Threats and Issues
As I've used this team, there have been some Pokemon that I've struggled against. There was the aforementioned Mega Charizard Y that I've tried to rectify with Assault Vest, giving Volcanion more Special Defense. I've also found that Mimikyu can be a problem is Scizor is out because the only other counter is my own Mimikyu, which is not as good of a counter as Scizor. But probably the biggest issue is Stealth Rocks. The two pokemon that can deal with them through Defog, Volcanion and Zapdos, take the most damage from them. It seems counter-productive to use them as a counter to it. With Volcanion, it also means losing the Special Defense boost from Assault Vest.
I've been casually doing random battles on showdown, but wanted to get into competitive more seriously. So, I decided to make an OU team. I wanted to make a team based around Volcanion and Zapdos, as they both seemed fun to use. I love the electric/flying type, and Volcanion has a unique typing of fire/water.
Teambuilding:
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/721.png https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/145.png
As I said, I wanted to make the team centred around Volcanion and Zapdos. Mostly, the cover each others weaknesses. Volcanion resists Ice. Zapdos is immune to Ground and neutral to Electric. Volcanion is a good special attacker, alongside moves such as Flamethrower and Steam Eruption. It also has decent speed (it seems to be more than people think) and a fair amount of Defense. Zapdos also has the bulk, along with Roost for recovery, and the good Special Attack. It's also faster than Volcanion. However, both of them have a weakness to Rock. It's not as bad with Volcanion, due to Steam Eruption, but it still threatens it.
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/212-m.png
Introduce Mega Scizor with it's Technician boosted Bullet Punch. Priority Steel STAB helps Volcanion and Zapdos as it can deal with Tyranitar and Fairy types (this will help out later). Also, due to its slow speed, Scizor can get off slow U-turns, which can bring in Volcanion and Zapdos without taking damage. Volcanion also helps with Scizor's Fire weakness, as it 4x resists it and has Steam Eruption.
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/445.png
Next up, Garchomp. Also helps with Scizor's weakness, and can set up Stealth Rock. That's mainly what it's used for. It also hits hard and fast, and can set up Swords Dance. Good Electric counter for Volcanion as it's immune.
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/778.png
I love my Ghosts. I need a Ghost. Mimikyu is actually really good. It completes the Dragon/Fairy/Steel core and goes really well with Scizor. The slow U-turns allow Mimikyu to come in and not lose its Disguise. It can set up Swords Dance under Disguise and can sweep. It also gets access to Shadow Sneak priority.
https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/icon/497.png
Last Pokemon is Serperior. I needed a 6th team member, so i just picked Serperior. It helped the team a lot. Glare for paralysis can allow others to outspeed, mainly Zapdos and Volcanion. And then Contrary Leaf Storm allows for Serperior to sweep. On its own, Serperior can take out a few opposing Pokemon.
Closer Look
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/volcanion.gif
Volcanion @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
Hidden Power [Ice]
One of the Pokemon I wanted to centre the team around. It's main role is a Special Sweeper. It comes in and hits hard. Its Physical Defense is good, but its Special Defense is more lacking. I originally gave it Choice Specs, but taking about 25% from a Flamethrower from Mega Charizard Y when it's 4x resisted made me switch to Assault Vest. Steam Eruption and Flamethrower are strong STAB moves for it. Earth Power helps against it's Rock and Electric Weakness. And Hidden Power [Ice] because Ice is a useful type to have, considering the sheer amount of Landorus-T you come across. Originally, it had Sludge Bomb, but the Hidden Power [Ice] was more useful to it.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/zapdos.gif
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
The other Pokemon I wanted to centre the team around. It's bulkier than Volcanion and has Roost and Leftovers recovery. Again, it's a special attacker, but it's a more of a Wall than Volcanion. Discharge and Static allow it to potentially paralyse the opponent, giving it more time to recover. Discharge is good STAB and has a higher paralysis chance than Thunderbolt. Roost gives it reliable recovery. Heat Wave allows it to deal with the common Steel types, mainly breaking through Ferrothorn. And Hidden Power [Ice] to deal with common Ground and Dragon type. It can be useful if they think that you'll switch as the rest of the moves aren't good against Ground and Dragon types.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/scizor-mega.gif
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 244 SpD
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
-Knock Off
Scizor is a Pokemon that's more focused on Defense and compliments Zapdos and Volcanion. It can deal with Rock, Ice and Fairy types with priority Bullet Punch. It's low Speed allow it to get off slow U-turns, which gets others in unharmed. This really helps Mimikyu as it keeps its Disguise up. Roost gives it reliable recovery so it can get more U-turns off. And Knock Off is good because it gets rid off the opponent's item. If it's a Life Orb, Choice Band or Choice Specs, than it can live more hits from the opponent.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/garchomp.gif
Garchomp @ Rockium Z
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Garchomp's main role is to set up Stealth Rocks. It's also a good counter to Heatran, Magnezone and Mega Charizard X with STAB Earthquake. Stone Edge is a strong Rock move, being able to deal with Pelipper, Tornadus and Zapdos. Swords Dance allows it to set up and deal much more damage. It is a sweeping set and can sweep, but it's main role is still setting up Stealth Rocks. I gave it Rockium Z over Groundium Z because the Ground Z-move could be predictable. They can then switch into a Flying type, making the Z-move pointless.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/mimikyu.gif
Mimikyu @ Life Orb
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Play Rough
- Shadow Claw
Like I said, I wanted a Ghost type on the team, and the options were Blacephalon or Mimikyu. Considering I already had a Fire type, I went for Mimikyu. It's role is a Physical Sweeper. Its Disguise Ability allows it to set up Swords Dance for free, and it can get in without losing it thanks to Scizor's slow U-turns. Play Rough and Shadow Claw are good STAB moves for it, and the Shadow Sneak priority allows it to easily take out a weakened opponent or get some final damage off before it faints if the opponent out speeds. This also completed the Dragon/Fairy/Steel core.
https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/serperior.gif
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute
- Glare
Serperior's role is a Special Sweeper, and it compliments the team surprisingly well. It finishes the Fire/Water/Grass core alongside Volcanion, covering its weakness to Ground and Rock with Leaf Storm, and then resisting Electric. On its own, it can handle a lot of opponents. It can get in with Scizor's slow U-turns, Glare the opponent to paralyse them, and then snowball with Contrary Leaf Storm. It's high Speed allows it to easily get the Glare off, allowing it to get more Leaf Storms off. Substitute gives it more staying power, and leftovers allows it to recover behind the Substitute, so it can set more up. Hidden Power [Fire] helps it deal with the Steel types that Leaf Storm struggles with. Despite having only 60 base power, it deals a huge amount of damage after the Leaf Storm boosts.
Threats and Issues
As I've used this team, there have been some Pokemon that I've struggled against. There was the aforementioned Mega Charizard Y that I've tried to rectify with Assault Vest, giving Volcanion more Special Defense. I've also found that Mimikyu can be a problem is Scizor is out because the only other counter is my own Mimikyu, which is not as good of a counter as Scizor. But probably the biggest issue is Stealth Rocks. The two pokemon that can deal with them through Defog, Volcanion and Zapdos, take the most damage from them. It seems counter-productive to use them as a counter to it. With Volcanion, it also means losing the Special Defense boost from Assault Vest.
