Introduction:
Like the other 95% of my teams, playing offensively is the idea of this team. Every Pokemon was chosen for a certain reason, and I tried to make sure that the biggest threats in OU were covered. This team started out as an idea, and eventually became the best team I have ever made and used. It was made for the king of the hill tournament at TU (found here http://teamuber.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5503)and has not failed me the entire tournament. Enough ranting, and on to the team.
At A Glance:
In Depth:
Like the other 95% of my teams, playing offensively is the idea of this team. Every Pokemon was chosen for a certain reason, and I tried to make sure that the biggest threats in OU were covered. This team started out as an idea, and eventually became the best team I have ever made and used. It was made for the king of the hill tournament at TU (found here http://teamuber.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5503)and has not failed me the entire tournament. Enough ranting, and on to the team.
At A Glance:
In Depth:
Jirachi@ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 6 HP
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Trick
- U-turn
Jirachi. Although I was pretty unsure of which lead to use, I knew I wanted something relatively fast and something that could be use to me in the later stages of the game. Jirachi was just that; it set up those glorious rocks as well as packing enough Speed to be able to revenge kill a wide range of threats.
Iron Head combined with Serene Grace used on a slower Pokemon is ridiculously funny to watch; Hippowdon, Swampert, and even Skarmory have a chance to be flinch haxed to death (as a matter of fact, my Jirachi has actually beaten all three using only Iron Head). The 252 Atk EVs allow me to 2HKO Tyranitar 100% of the time, doing between 59.65% - 70.18%. The analysis says that using 176 Spe EVs is enough, but I just don't see what the HP investment is for. 252 Speed EVs allow me to outrun a +2 Tyranitar, as well as a +1 Gyarados, not to mention the fact that the heavy EV investment allows me to maximize my chances of flinching the opponent to death via Iron Head.
Trick is one of the most important moves on Jirachi, allowing me to beat a plethora of Pokemon I normally couldn't. Suicune just got a Calm Mind and is getting greedy? Trick away. Gyarados attempting to get more DD's as you can only hope to Iron Head? Trick does the job. Hippowdon coming in to absorb any attack you may throw at it? Once again, Trick fucks it over. Trick also gives me the added benefit of scouting the opponents team. If my opponent suspects Trick and sends out a Scarfed Pokemon of their own, I now have seen 2 Pokemon most likely (the lead and the Scarfed Pokemon), while they have only seen one. Realizing if my opponent has a Scarf Rotom-H or a Scarf Latias allows me to play accordingly, keeping Lucario or my own Latias safe until the aforementioned threats have been dealt with.
Finally, U-turn. U-turn is such a handy move, allowing me to switch out of any lead that I don't like and act accordingly. It lets me scout for whatever Pokemon may come to absorb my attacks, as well as allow me to pivot between my own Pokemon to give me the advantage.
Latias@ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 6 HP/ 252 SpA/ 252 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
Latias is what many players call the "glue" of the team. It just keeps certain Pokemon from ripping me apart, such as Infernape, Rotom, SubTran, and Salamence.
Draco Meteor rips apart anything that doesn't resist it (unless it misses, which it happens to do at the worst times) even managing to do 27.34% - 32.41% to the standard WishBliss, which is pretty damn impressive. I usually never unleash my Draco Meteor early game since it leaves Latias as Pursuit bait for Scizor/ Tyranitar. Most teams don't carry more than one Pursuiter, meaning that once Scizor or Tyranitar have been eliminated, Latias will have a field day with the opposing team. Surf is the move of choice when I am unsure of my opponents team, dealing fair damage to both Scizor and Tyranitar. With a Life Orb, my Latias has an 83.83% chance to 2HKO Scizor if I catch it on the switch. Surf is also my answer to any stray Infernape, Heatran, or Gliscor.
Roost is a must on any Latias imo, since it allows me to regain the health lost by Life Orb recoil as well as survive my opponents onslaughts. Roost allows me to beat a number of Pokemon one-on-one. I like to use Latias as a sort of sponge for the many attacking types she resists, including Electric-, Water-, Grass-, and Fighting-types, not to mention the very important immunity to Ground-type attacks. Lucario and Latias have almost perfect synergy together, meaning that choiced Dragon attacks that defeat Latias can pave the way for a Lucario sweep. Thunderbolt allows me to deal consistent damage to both Vaporeon and Suicune, as well as easily KO'ing both Gyarados and Skarmory.
Starmie@ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
Nature: Timid
EVs: 6 HP/ 252 SpA/ 252 Spe
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Recover
Starmie is one of the most important members on the team, handling anything that Latias cannot and keeping the offensive momentum going. Being faster than Latias allows Starmie to easily 2HKO or possibly KO'ing if it has taken prior damage. STAB LO Surf means that Scizor will never be able to switch in without taking a shitload of damage. Being able to outspeed a large portion of the OU metagame is extremely beneficial, and it becomes extremely important with the coverage my moves provide. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt form the infamous BoltBeam combination that grants godlike coverage in OU. Opponents thinking that I use Rapid Spin will be greatly dissapointed when either Salamence or Gyarados gets KO'd. The added ability to either paralyze or freeze my opponents is absolutely great, making the sweeps for my Pokemon that much easier. Recover is an all around great move, allowing Starmie to be able to recover health at will, meaning that Starmie will be difficult to take down.
Tyranitar@ Babiri Berry
Ability: Sandstream
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 6 HP/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
One of the best and most fearsome Pokemon in the game finds itself on this team. The number of Pokemon that Tyranitar can KO is exceedingly high, and Tyranitar takes great advantage of it. Dragon Dance is the crux of this set, allowing Tyranitar to increase his already sky high attack stat to godly levels. The increase in Speed is what attracted me to utilize Dragon Dance, and since then, I have never looked back. I used a Jolly nature to be able to outspeed Infernape, Starmie, and Latias, all Pokemon who can make quick work Tyranitar. I usually wait until Infernape is dead before bringing Tyranitar out, since none of my moves can outright KO it after a Dragon Dance. Latias and Starmie both have good synergy with Tyranitar, meaning that Infernape is dead before I send this out more times than not. Rotom-H, one of the biggest threats to Lucario if it is Scarfed, is easily removed by Crunch. Even if it manages to burn me via Will-o-wisp, I will still be able to KO it, meaning Lucario will have a much easier time setting up.
Stone Edge was chosen simply for coverage, as it allows me to KO both Salamence and Gyarados, even after being Intimidated( if i'm at +1). Finally, Fire Punch is a nice little surprise for opposing Scizors attempting to easily KO me with Bullet Punch. The Babiri Berry allows me to survive one Bullet Punch from the standard 252 CB Scizor and KO back with a swift Fire Punch.
Salamence@ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Naive
EVs: 24 Atk/ 232 SpA/ 252 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Outrage
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
Salamence has easily netted the most kills on the team. The moves he packs give coverage on every type to hit for at least neutral damage. When opponents see Earthquake or Fire Blast, they may expect the typical DD Mence, only to be hit by a fierce Draco Meteor. Speaking of Draco Meteor, having dual Dragons with equal Special Attack stats using the fearsome move is something any team can benefit from, and mine is no different. Switching out to Latias after the Special Defense drop to unleash another powerful Draco Meteor leaves huge holes in the opponents team.
Although many would believe the Sandstorm damage + Life Orb recoil + Stealth Rock damage would take its toll on Mence, it usually doesn't have any effect on my playstyle. I play relatively safely as to when I plan on bringing out Salamence, using the knowledge of the opponents team to decide when he could inflict the most damage. Once Salamence is out, my style of play goes from conservative to reckless; and Salamence does not leave the field until it is dead or it becomes set up fodder. I usually alternate between Fire Blast and Flamethrower, as the accuracy is a little off putting. Earthquake is the most used move in the game for a reason: it is just that good.
Lucario@ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 Def/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extremespeed
- Crunch
The absolute star of the team. Once everything is said and done, Lucario comes onto the field and proceeds to win. The amount of late game sweeps this monster has gotten is surprisingly high. Lucario has amazing resistances, meaning that getting a +2 can be a very easy task.
After a Swords Dance, there isn't much that can stand up to its Extremespeed, let alone its Close Combat. Infernape, Jolteon, and other frail sweepers are decimated quite easily by Extremespeed, and any Steel or Rock-type that resists it will be taken care of by Close Combat. Lucario's priority attacks is something that any team can use to its advantage, allowing me to pick off weakened Pokemon even without a Swords Dance. I use Jolly instead of Adamant because I like being able to outspeed certain versions of Zapdos as well as Jolly Mamo. Quite frankly, the power isn't missed and I do not feel as I have missed any significant KO's.
Crunch allows me to manhandle Celebi, Cresselia, and the Rotom formes without taking a single hit (I outspeed them all unless they are scarfed). Apart from that, it doesn't see much use, but only because Extremspeed and Close Combat get the job done alone. The main counters to Lucario are handled and defeated by the rest of my team, such as Gliscor, Rotom-H, and Psychic-types.
Threat List
I'm not going to include a huge threat list boring you with the Pokemon I can counter, so i'll list the most troublesome Pokemon for this team.
Suicune- A well played Crocune can basically destroy my entire team. My only real chance of killing it is either getting 2 consecutive Close Combats while it is asleep, or a critical hit with Thunderbolt or something. If Jirachi is still alive I can Trick it.
LOJolt- LO Jolt, although somewhat uncommon, will have its way with this team. If Tyranitar is down then all I can hope for is for Life Orb recoil and Sandstorm damage to take its toll until I can kill it with ES.
AgiliGross- Absolutely deadly. A moveset of Meteor Mash/ Earthquake/ ThunderPunch/ Explosion absolutely destroys me. Fortunately, it doesn't have much room to set up.
LO Starmie- If my own Starmie loses the Speed tie, then i'm in trouble, as it can KO 5/6ths of my Pokemon. If Jirachi still has its Scarf then I can U-turn for some heavy damage.
