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Actually, if houndoom gets a flash fire boost then it keeps it, even after mega evolving. I believe this is because the flash fire ability just gives the pokemon the flash fire "status", (what you can see next to stat boosts) and it keeps this flash fire status even when it loses the ability. I could be talking out of my ass about how the ability works, but I know for sure that it keeps the boost after mega evolving.
Actually, if houndoom gets a flash fire boost then it keeps it, even after mega evolving. I believe this is because the flash fire ability just gives the pokemon the flash fire "status", (what you can see next to stat boosts) and it keeps this flash fire status even when it loses the ability. I could be talking out of my ass about how the ability works, but I know for sure that it keeps the boost after mega evolving.
Ah, could've sworn I read something to this effect on Smogon a few months back (although I did find it in some sort of data archive), but can't seem to find it anywhere on the site now:
If the wielder loses Flash Fire by an ability-changing effect, the boost to Fire-type moves is lost and is not regained if Flash Fire is restored to the original wielder (until it is targeted by another Fire-type move).
ANYWAAAY I been really diggin Staraptor atm, u-turn nd chip damage is great and all but you gotta take a break n just mindlessly nuke shit every now and then, amirite (I am right)
Anyway fuck birdspam so I decided to make a bulky offense squad around raptor, got ScarfMag for Skarm + Ferro + birspam check to help clear the way for brave birdin... AssVest Azu for ninja n ttar nd because knock off is neato also to deter the latis from spamming draco... Mega Venu for Rotom n opposing Azu (EQ over HP fire cuz I already have mag and fuck heatran), Latias for defog, Hippo w/ sand force for rocks n phasing nd fuck you tyranitar. anyway here's the squad for review:
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 240 HP / 192 Def / 76 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Slack Off
cooked up a nuther bulky offense oriented team... kind of wanted to use scarftran as I feel it's p underrated atm but that's about the only reasoning behind the team. Kinda weak to keld I guess but o well
got sick of watchin people bitch about stall going in the shitter b/c goth n knock off pinsir nd magnezone and shadow tag blahblahblah anyway I don't buy any of that bs so I took it upon myself to make a stall team that gives 0 fucks about all the aforementioned shit that muh ferro n skarm can't handle for shit, basically the most standardass hippo stall core with chansey ofc and phys def venu which I haven't seen in a while... but all that is weak to the wallbreaker megas so stallbreaker talonflame lezzgo:
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 240 HP / 192 Def / 76 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Slack Off
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off
OK, I know you've got a lot of requests to look at, but I've actually got two here. Both are things I've been messing around with, but haven't come up with anything really solid.
I've been thinking a lot about sand offence with both Excadrill and Stoutland. The idea is basically that between two very fast, very strong sand sweepers, you will be able to overwhelm the few checks the opponent is carrying. Stoutland in particular does well versus two threats that Excadrill struggles with, 2HKOing Rotom-W and non-Impish Landorus-T with CB Frustration. (It also outspeeds Scarf Lando in the sand.) It even 2HKOs Skarmory with Wild Charge, although Wild Charge is kind of a crappy move to be locked into. And together, softer counters like Ferrothorn will be worn down over time, opening up a sweep for the other.
I haven't really put anything together with this, although in my head I picture using Hippo rather than Ttar, for a decent Pinsir check and so that the team's core doesn't get swept by Breloom and Conk with Mach Punch.
Excadrill @ Life Orb / Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
OK, this is one I've been messing around with, and I absolutely love it. I've been playing with it mostly because mag spam has soured me on Ferrothorn for a while, so I tried replacing it with Chesnaught. Then I was having some problems with Greninja, so I tried out bulky SDef Gyarados, and totally fell in love.
Basically, the three work beautifully together. Heatran walls most special attackers hard, but runs into trouble with ChardY (who pretty much always carries EQ or at least Focus Blast), Greninja, Landorus and Keldeo. Resttalk Gyara handles all of those without breaking a sweat. Chesnaught handles most physical attackers, but has trouble with a few like Azumarill... who once again Gyarados does a pretty good job of neutering.
Chesnaught and Heatran also work really well together, with Heatran able to provide rocks and switch into Talonflame, who otherwise is a nuisance for Chesnaught. Together they also wall every single Venusaur set to high heaven - Chesnaught completely shuts down any set that doesn't carry HP Fire (and has Spiky Shield to scout for the Hidden Power), and Heatran totally shuts HP Fire versions.
That said, as much as I love this defensive core, I have yet to put together a team using them that I'm happy with. I don't really feel like full stall is all that viable right now, so I've been trying to aim more for balance or semi-stall - but I'd be interested to see your take on this.
(Chesnaught) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Hammer Arm
- Spikes
- Spiky Shield
(Heatran) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SpD / 44 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
The idea behind the core is volt turn, naturally,but with a twist. That twist is Boltbeam Cobalion. Coby is the star of the core because it lures the right things in as well as fixes any (*cough* low kick *cough*) Bisharp problems. The other two complement coby really well.
-In Depth-ish breakdown:
As for Cobalion, idk, I wanted something that could beat Bisharp and Clefable, as well as be able to utilize bolt-beam even if it shouldn't.
Evs are to make coby specially oriented, taking care of the "counter" Landorus-T, with a 2hko and V. Switching on Skarm, Slowbro, etc. Makes a great lure.
Lando covers Coby's weaknesses and makes a nice volt turn partner. Gets up rocks. Checks sand rush exca, etc. EVs are to outspeed all + natured base 70's like jolly loom and u turn on it. Idk, maybe a more defensive Lando may serve this core better.
Mega Mane makes a great team-mate for the previous two because stuff that comes in on Coby and Lando usually gets rekt by Mega Mane, I.e: Slowbro, Skarms, etc. It also deals with Scizor. Standard EVs.
I like the core but it def needs tweaking and a support system. That is where you come in, O based one.
OK, I know you've got a lot of requests to look at, but I've actually got two here. Both are things I've been messing around with, but haven't come up with anything really solid.
I've been thinking a lot about sand offence with both Excadrill and Stoutland. The idea is basically that between two very fast, very strong sand sweepers, you will be able to overwhelm the few checks the opponent is carrying. Stoutland in particular does well versus two threats that Excadrill struggles with, 2HKOing Rotom-W and non-Impish Landorus-T with CB Frustration. (It also outspeeds Scarf Lando in the sand.) It even 2HKOs Skarmory with Wild Charge, although Wild Charge is kind of a crappy move to be locked into. And together, softer counters like Ferrothorn will be worn down over time, opening up a sweep for the other.
I haven't really put anything together with this, although in my head I picture using Hippo rather than Ttar, for a decent Pinsir check and so that the team's core doesn't get swept by Breloom and Conk with Mach Punch.
Excadrill @ Life Orb / Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
OK, this is one I've been messing around with, and I absolutely love it. I've been playing with it mostly because mag spam has soured me on Ferrothorn for a while, so I tried replacing it with Chesnaught. Then I was having some problems with Greninja, so I tried out bulky SDef Gyarados, and totally fell in love.
Basically, the three work beautifully together. Heatran walls most special attackers hard, but runs into trouble with ChardY (who pretty much always carries EQ or at least Focus Blast), Greninja, Landorus and Keldeo. Resttalk Gyara handles all of those without breaking a sweat. Chesnaught handles most physical attackers, but has trouble with a few like Azumarill... who once again Gyarados does a pretty good job of neutering.
Chesnaught and Heatran also work really well together, with Heatran able to provide rocks and switch into Talonflame, who otherwise is a nuisance for Chesnaught. Together they also wall every single Venusaur set to high heaven - Chesnaught completely shuts down any set that doesn't carry HP Fire (and has Spiky Shield to scout for the Hidden Power), and Heatran totally shuts HP Fire versions.
That said, as much as I love this defensive core, I have yet to put together a team using them that I'm happy with. I don't really feel like full stall is all that viable right now, so I've been trying to aim more for balance or semi-stall - but I'd be interested to see your take on this.
(Chesnaught) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Hammer Arm
- Spikes
- Spiky Shield
(Heatran) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SpD / 44 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
it's kinda freakin me out how I've been using literally the exact same FWG core on a stall team atm, like evs and everything, only slightly diff chesnaught set w/ seed bomb > spike shield since you don't really need it if you got proper support and this core really struggles against bulky waters such as suicune/quag without it. I'm not ctc ofc but here's what I've been running if u need some inspiration...
Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Seed Bomb
- Hammer Arm
- Leech Seed
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SpD / 44 Spe
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
Hmm, going a bit more unconventional and innovational, I decided on an anti-sand and to an extent anti-rain pokemon named Poliwrath.
You might be thinking wtf but Poliwrath has potential with water absorb good bulk + circle throw. It can check some really powerful stuff like bisharp and keldeo, which is not even shabby in the ou meta.
So here's the set:
Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
-Scald
-Circle Throw
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
What this set can do is check rain, sand, keldeo, stupid ass baton pass spore smurgle, dd/set up mons (To an extent), shuffle teams, Bisharp, burn shit, etc.
I feel that this mon can work really well defensively with the right team and prove a real nuisance overall.
I would come up with a core for it but too lazy. Heh. Thinking Jirachi for fairies, Raikou for bird spam and thundy. Maybe this can fit on a sand team to check opposing sand and rain etc.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-ou-15024
This is a battle from the WCOP between Dekzeh and WCAR. Around a month ago I decided to watch some battles out of boredom hoping to find something interesting like a set or a core to build a team around. I came across this one and thought that the team Dekzeh used was pretty cool. He was overprepared for stall with what I assume stallbreaker Mew, taunt Terrakion and sub dd mega Gyarados (a good choice in a tournament), while still being prepared for match ups against offense with lo Mamo and Thundurus. I really liked the offensive capabillities of the team along with its ease vs stall and decided at first to us the team for a while, even though the meta had changed dramaticaly, and later to build an offensive team with the core of stallbreaker Mew + Sub DD Mega Gyarados.
Well to be honest I could't find a way to build a team as offensive as this, without having to use some of the same pokemon as the original and even failed to adapt it to the current metagame with all the sand offense,, bird n bunny spam and Fairy-steel-dragon cores. I didn't really wanted to go with a more balanced approach so I abandoned those teams......until i saw today that this thread existed. So i was wondering if you could help me actually make a decent one.
Combined Slowbro and Tangrowth can take care of almost all Physical Sweepers that have given me problems in the past. We all know that Chansey takes care of the Special Sweepers easily, but a partner maybe necessary so that it's not a dead give away switch in (maybe assault vest tentacrual). I do have trouble with set up sweepers at times, due to prediction mostly.
To make this even more difficult, I 'm shooting to make this team from Pokemon who derive from 1st gen.
spex oma rain spam. fuck all that toed u gotta chill shit, we go 0 to 100 nigga real quick. spextoed only toed. volturn to get spexmons in and kill shit. yes the bisharp counter is bisharp go fuckurselvs
next up is melo. this spread outspeeds most shits it needs to and does 47 min to slowbro in regular form. 2kos lant w/o rocks. once u trap some relatively uncommon special walls then its all gucci. taunt aero + lum sharp r usually enuf for mew
Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Focus Blast
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
Bisharp (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Defiant
EVs: 112 HP / 220 Atk / 176 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
Keldeo @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 200 SAtk / 56 HP / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Scald
- Secret Sword
Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 16 SDef / 244 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Lava Plume
- Protect
- Taunt
- Toxic
gar lucha is a cool core. luke is a switchin to sharp for gar, and weakens initial lucha switchins from lant scor to quag skarm etc. gar beats the fat psychics that wall both.
(Azumarill) (F) @ Assault Vest
Trait: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Knock Off
- Play Rough
- Aqua Jet
Landorus (Landorus-T) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 184 HP / 216 Def / 108 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
as for the ches/tran/gyara core iv been usin that since early xy seeing as ches was my go to grass slashed with venu before ferro was popular, i think i had a team similar to rosenfeldius' w mega gyara over gyara and a vestkou over manec or something of that sort. iirc changed tran ches to talon ferro later on.
the niche of growth is its gr8 physical attk and regen. i like this set on venu, so i threw on a boosting move for growth since it can regen w/o synth. vs other fat shit like clef, scor, cress, chans, skarm etc it can hold its own after a setup or two. its special counterpart and regen partner is cm bro ofc. if u wanna go full mexican/brazilian then go ahead n toss twave as coverage move on chans and/or clef. but in that case go fuck urself pendejo puta mierda el maricon jajaja
Slowbro (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Scald
- Slack Off
Tangrowth (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 232 HP / 56 Def / 220 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Power Whip
- Hidden Power [Fire]
uh CTC small nitpick on subcm keld, i run 56 hp evs just so that my subs are never broken my ferro's gyro ball. I think the small hp investment is worth it.
uh CTC small nitpick on subcm keld, i run 56 hp evs just so that my subs are never broken my ferro's gyro ball. I think the small hp investment is worth it.
Yo CTC, really enjoyed using the Doublade team you made for me! If you don't mind, I was wondering if you could make a team that uses Kyurem-B.
Kyurem-Black @ Assault Vest
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 248 HP / 116 SpD / 144 Spe
Gentle Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Earth Power
I've found kyurem-b to be a hard Pokemon to build around, mainly because it requires a large amount of support to mitigate its weaknesses. Assault Vest is a set thats on the rise for its ability to check mons like greninja, Manectric, Venusaur, etc. The given EV spread allows Kyurem-b to avoid being 2HKOed by Greninja's Ice Beam after two SR switch-ins and outspeed Adamant Dragonite and Gyarados, although you could use a different EV spread as I find this one to be sub-optimal. Fusion Bolt and Ice Beam are self explanatory moves, Iron Head hits fairies for super effective damage, and Earth Power is for Heatran.
there are some sub optimal sets out there too. for example BONGMASTER420 sub pup vic isnt that gud after trials cuz idk eh its kinda a situational set on a situational mon. i think id probs go band or some shit or like taunt uturn which i like quite alot
also last but not least newmeta wrath
secondary check to gyara is nice, gr8 for resisting dark for cress as well. also a keld counter unlike venu cuz scald aint shit. also a phazer in place of skarm
Poliwrath (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Scald
- Circle Throw
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
gar lucha is a cool core. luke is a switchin to sharp for gar, and weakens initial lucha switchins from lant scor to quag skarm etc. gar beats the fat psychics that wall both.
(Azumarill) (F) @ Assault Vest
Trait: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Knock Off
- Play Rough
- Aqua Jet
Just a minor suggestion, i run 44 HP 12 Def on Lucha to get a HP divisible by 4 so that you activate unburden/sitrus after 2 subs on lati/keld (or whatever the fuck you're setting up on).
I tested this team out a couple of times and really missed having SR (not sure if you skipped this intentionally or had trouble fitting it in). Swapped out AV Azu for Rocks Clef (gave it CM but flamethrower/fire blast could be cool to hit shit like Bish). It's now a fuck ton weaker to Keld but Clef still handles Lati/Ninja. Keld is threatened by Gar (68-80% w/ sludge), Clef, Manec, Lucha and Scarf Lant (60% min w/ EQ) a fair bit so it's not like Keld is going to keep coming in and out for free especially if you get Manec mega'd early and pivot like a bitch with Lant. Losing a fire resist + water stab is also a bit shit but hey, rocks are rocks.
Also added Life Orb HP IVs to Luc and Gar if anyone cares.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 242 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
Yo CTC, really enjoyed using the Doublade team you made for me! If you don't mind, I was wondering if you could make a team that uses Kyurem-B.
Kyurem-Black @ Assault Vest
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 248 HP / 116 SpD / 144 Spe
Gentle Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Earth Power
I've found kyurem-b to be a hard Pokemon to build around, mainly because it requires a large amount of support to mitigate its weaknesses. Assault Vest is a set thats on the rise for its ability to check mons like greninja, Manectric, Venusaur, etc. The given EV spread allows Kyurem-b to avoid being 2HKOed by Greninja's Ice Beam after two SR switch-ins and outspeed Adamant Dragonite and Gyarados, although you could use a different EV spread as I find this one to be sub-optimal. Fusion Bolt and Ice Beam are self explanatory moves, Iron Head hits fairies for super effective damage, and Earth Power is for Heatran.
With 56 HP / 252 SpD+ you get the same special bulk and 56 EVs left to spare. Also, i don't think you need that much special bulk as anti-SR support is a must with AV Kyu-B and you lose on a lot of important power. Here is the set i use:
Kyurem-Black @ Assault Vest
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 164 Atk / 196 SpD / 148 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Dragon Claw
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
Enough Speed for Jolly Breloom, enough Atk to 2HKO max HP / max Def+ Clefable with Iron Head 75% of the time, and special bulk is still amazing. Also, Dragon Claw lets you win many important 1 v 1 against offense, for example against Mega Alakazam and LO Gengar (which otherwise 2HKOes with Focus Blast, or Shadow Ball + Focus Blast), and also lets you deal with Greninja better (Fusion Bolt can't OHKO even after two LO rounds, which means that Greninja can 3HKO you, even though it will die with you). Dragon Claw is also hitting harder than anything else Pokemon such as Mew, Mega Charizard X, Mega Heracross, Chansey, and opposing Kyu-B, while Earth Power only covers Heatran, Magnezone, and Rotom-W (of which, Heatran and Rotom-W are already 3HKOed). In general though, always use Adamant plus a few Atk EVs on AV Kyurem-B, it's necessary to be able to win a lot of 1 v 1s against offense, 2HKO a lot of bulky Pokemon on balance, such as Clefable, and OHKO offensive Pokemon that you check, such as Manaphy and Mega Gyarados.
Hey CTC. I was wondering if you have any ideas on how to make use of Tentacruel in OU on some sort of balance? I know it lost some of its uses since gen 4 / 5 but it can still pull its weight (I think lol). It has been my favorite poke since gen 1!
It checks or counters Keldeo, Breloom, Azumarill, Clefable, Scizor, Sylveon, and due to Liquid Ooze Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn (kind of), and Conkledurr. It gets Rapid Spin which is really easy to use in OU since pretty much the only ghost in OU atm is Gengar who doesn't really do much to it. Stall sucks kinda right now but is there any way it can work on balance?
Hey CTC. I was wondering if you have any ideas on how to make use of Tentacruel in OU? I know it lost some of its uses since gen 4 / 5 but it can still pull its weight (I think lol). It has been my favorite poke since gen 1!
It checks or counters Keldeo, Breloom, Azumarill, Clefable, Scizor, Sylveon, and due to Liquid Ooze Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn (kind of), and Conkledurr. It gets Rapid Spin which is really easy to use in OU since pretty much the only ghost in OU atm is Gengar who doesn't really do much to it. Stall sucks kinda right now but is there any way it can work?