Introduction
I began the building process of this team by selecting an appropriate late-game sweeper. After experimenting with a few choices, I settled on Salamence for a variety of reasons, including the following:
Team Building Process
Swampert (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Protect
---
Summary: Swampert is easily one of the most reliable leads in OU due to its excellent bulk and typing, only possessing one weakness to Grass. I prefer it over frailer leads such as Azelf because it is able to sustain damage and survive to come back later in the game. Few other leads can easily dispatch of Swampert, which makes it highly likely that I will be able to set up Stealth Rock.
Moveset: Stealth Rock is necessary on any team, allowing sweepers (Salamence in my case) to have an easier time KOing enemy switch-ins. Earthquake is necessary for STAB and can even cause some damage to opposing Pokemon, especially ones that are weak to Ground, such as Metagross or Heatran. Ice Beam helps to take care of opposing Dragon types, notably Salamence and Dragonite, and also deals heavy damage to Gliscor. Protect is extremely useful, as it allows me to scout enemy attacks and shield myself from Explosion, a common move on many leads. It also has the added bonus of granting me another turn of Leftovers recovery.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The given EV's ensure Swampert will reach its fullest potential defensively. A Relaxed nature further contributes to its bulk, with a negligible drop in Speed, a stat insignificant on Swampert at any rate. Leftovers provides Swampert with recovery, making it even harder to take it down.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/252 Atk/8 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Pursuit
---
Summary: As the #1 Pokemon in OU, Scizor offers numerous capabilities to any team. Its typing, also possessing only one weakness, gives it numerous opportunities to safely switch in, and either hit back with a powerful U-Turn, revenge kill with a Bullet Punch, or even KO a fleeing Ghost or Psychic type with Pursuit. While Choice Band has the unfortunate side effect of locking a Pokemon into a single move until switching out, Scizor abuses the attack bonus gained extremely well. U-Turn eliminates the locking-in effect, as it switches Scizor out anyway, and its other moves provide excellent usage as well.
Moveset: U-Turn, although used on most other Pokemon solely for scouting, gains STAB and hits off of a Choice Band-boosted 591 Attack when used with Scizor. This means that Scizor is able to scout and significantly weaken opposing teams simultaneously. Bullet Punch is required, gaining both a Technician and a STAB boost, which allows it to reach outstanding damage potential for a priority move; With Bullet Punch, Scizor becomes a threatening revenge killer. Superpower is the set's strongest move, and can OHKO two common Scizor switch-ins, Heatran and Magnezone. Pursuit rounds out the set by providing a method of defeating fleeing opponents weak to Dark-type moves.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The EV's listed are standard, providing Scizor with max Attack and a significant addition to its already good defenses. An Adamant nature ensures the highest Attack possible. Choice Band, as stated before, makes Scizor hit even harder; Scizor is arguably the best Choice Band user in OU.
Vaporeon (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 188 HP/252 Def/68 Spd
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
---
Summary: Vaporeon can fit well onto a wide variety of teams, due to its incredible bulk and ability to pass Wishes. Its job on this team is to counter one of OU's most threatening sweepers, Dragon Dance Gyarados, and to provide a means of healing for the team's other members.
Moveset: Wish is obligatory, providing my team with a means of healing most members otherwise would not have. Protect allows Vaporeon to receive its own Wish, keeping itself healthy for later use. Surf is necessary for STAB, and can do a decent amount of damage to opposing Pokemon. Hidden Power Electric easily takes care of Gyarados, who is unable to defeat Vaporeon even after a Dragon Dance.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The EV's and natures are standard, maximizing Vaporeon's weaker Defense stat. Even with a lower defensive stat, Vaporeon makes up for this problem with an outstanding Base 130 HP. Leftovers gives Vaporeon recovery each turn, which works well alongside Wish.
Latias (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Trick
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf
---
Summary: Latias is key to this team's success; it functions as a lure for Steel-types. Preferably, Scizor will be lured out, but Tyranitar is an extremely common switch in that poses a large threat. I attempt to alleviate this concern by always using Surf first. Scizor is 2HKOd, while most Tyranitar meet the same fate, although Choice Scarfed versions can get in a Pursuit. Scizor will rarely Bullet Punch if Latias is healthy, meaning I am free to outspeed and kill it. Even if Latias is taken out by this attack, however, Magnezone can then switch in to finish Scizor off. I selected the Choice Specs set for its raw power, able to easily create holes in the opponent's team to sweep through.
Moveset: Draco Meteor is one of the most powerful moves in the game, especially when hitting off of STAB, Choice Specs, and Latias' Base 110 Special Attack. Dragon Pulse is a second STAB, useful for damaging opponents without receiving a drop in Special Attack. Surf provides addition coverage and a way to hit Steels. Trick allows me to cripple most enemy switch-ins, and choose an attack at will.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Max Special Attack and Speed to hit as hard as possible while still outspeeding most enemies. A Timid nature brings Latias to 350 Speed, making it faster than most Gengar, as almost all of them run Hidden Power. Choice Specs makes Latias one of the most threatening users of Draco Meteor, increasing its Special Attack to 478. Its other moves remain powerful as well.
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 40 Atk/216 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Explosion
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
---
Summary: Unique for its ability to trap Steels, Magnezone has earned itself a niche in the OU metagame. Its role is to eliminate the one type that can block Salamence from sweeping. Played correctly, Magnezone should open up a clean sweep for its teammate.
Moveset: Thunderbolt gets STAB and hits extremely hard off of Magnezone's Base 130 Special Attack; it is the primary move for eliminating opponents, as Steel types generally have poor Special Defense. Substitute allows Magnezone to dodge status and get an opportunity to throw in one more attack. Hidden Power Grass OHKOs Swampert, who would otherwise switch in safely to Magnezone's attacks. Explosion completes the set by destroying Blissey who attempt to switch in and sponge Special Attacks. This is especially important because Salamence is unable to OHKO Blissey with a boosted Outrage, and will likely receive a sweep-halting Thunder Wave in return.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The 40 Attack EVs provide additional power for Explosion. Max Special Attack makes Magnezone cause huge damage to most of its opponents. The rest of the EVs in Speed allow Magnezone to outpace the standard Scizor. A Naive nature brings up Magnezone's Speed while ensuring that it does not experience an Attack drop, a stat that is needed for Explosion. Leftovers keeps Magnezone healthy by providing recovery each turn.
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Roost
---
Summary: And the final member of the team is none other than its centerpiece and late game sweeper, Salamence. As stated in the analysis, Salamence is extremely dangerous because of its versatility, and "is arguably the most effective sweeper in OU." With opposing Steel-types eliminated, Salamence should be able to sweep easily with a combination of Dragon Dance and Outrage. Anything that can survive an attack will be hurt significantly, allowing other members of the team to clean up the remains, if there exist any.
Moveset: Dragon Dance provides Salamence with a simultaneous boost to its Attack and Speed; with this set, Salamence reaches an Attack of 553 and a Speed stat of 492. Outrage is the dragon's most powerful move, a 120 BP STAB attack that even hits several Steel-types hard. Earthquake provides coverage by damaging grounded Steels such as Metagross. Roost keeps Salamence at good health so that it can stay in for a longer sweep.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Max Attack and Speed for the most damaging set possible while still outspeeding many threats. A Jolly nature increases its Speed to 328, and was chosen over Naive because the usage of Magnezone and Latias eliminates the need to run Fire Blast. Life Orb further increases Salamence's damage output, giving it monstrous Attack taken into account the use of Outrage and a possible Dragon Dance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this team focuses on eliminating obstacles and weakening enemy teams so that Salamence can garner a successful sweep. I'm unsure of how well-built this team is, but I've done my best to make my first RMT an interesting and well-written read. Hopefully there will be many suggestions available, as I'm looking for way to improve this team in any way possible.
Thanks to everyone for your time and patience!
I began the building process of this team by selecting an appropriate late-game sweeper. After experimenting with a few choices, I settled on Salamence for a variety of reasons, including the following:
- It posesses a variety of resistances.
- It has decent bulk and the Intimidate ability.
- It has access to a 120 BP Dragon move in the form of Outrage; Dragon is the most effective offensive typing due to its ability to hit every type except one, Steel, for neutral damage.
Team Building Process
With this in mind, I now had to carefully select useful teammates for Salamence.
First of all, the main obstacles standing in the way of a Salamence sweep would be the aforementioned Steel types. Scizor, in particular, can revenge kill Salamence, OHKOing after Stealth Rock and one round of Life Orb Recoil.
Therefore, Magnezone made a good partner for its unique ability to trap and kill Steels. The MagneMence duo also provides excellent synergy, resisting all 17 types.
Now I required a Pokemon to lure out Scizor and other Steel types, since Salamence will preferably remain hidden until late game.
After some careful consideration, I decided on a Choice Specs Latias. I originally tried Gengar, in a team setup similar to that of the famous Dark Passenger by Scofield. However, Gengar's frailty and the prevalence of Choice Scarf Tyranitars forced me to Focus Blast immediately upon sending it out, or else risk being taken out by a Scarfed Pursuit. Focus Blast's 70% accuracy rate and the fact that I only had one chance to succeed proved unreliable. Latias had considerably more bulk and could withstand a Pursuit, taking a maximum of 58.3% damage from the standard ScarfTar variant. This meant that I could bring her out, use Surf, and if a Tyranitar switched in, 2HKO it while surviving the Pursuit.
I rarely build any team without utilizing a Choice Band Scizor; its typing allows it to switch in often and either scout the enemy team with its powerful STAB U-Turns or revenge kill opposing threats with a STAB Technician Bullet Punch.
At this point, I realized that I needed a way to counter certain threats. In particular, a Dragon Dance Gyarados with Ice Fang could present notable difficulties, as I would be unable to stop it without sustaining significant damage.
One of the best Gyarados counters, Vaporeon, was chosen for its bulk and access to Wish, which would provide great support for my team overall.
With 5 of the team members chosen, all that remained was a lead. I wanted something bulky that could survive for later in the game. It also had to be able to set up Stealth Rock and synergize well with the rest of team. Fulfilling these requirements, Swampert completed the group and served as a counter to another threat that gave me problems, Agility Metagross.
First of all, the main obstacles standing in the way of a Salamence sweep would be the aforementioned Steel types. Scizor, in particular, can revenge kill Salamence, OHKOing after Stealth Rock and one round of Life Orb Recoil.
Therefore, Magnezone made a good partner for its unique ability to trap and kill Steels. The MagneMence duo also provides excellent synergy, resisting all 17 types.
Now I required a Pokemon to lure out Scizor and other Steel types, since Salamence will preferably remain hidden until late game.
After some careful consideration, I decided on a Choice Specs Latias. I originally tried Gengar, in a team setup similar to that of the famous Dark Passenger by Scofield. However, Gengar's frailty and the prevalence of Choice Scarf Tyranitars forced me to Focus Blast immediately upon sending it out, or else risk being taken out by a Scarfed Pursuit. Focus Blast's 70% accuracy rate and the fact that I only had one chance to succeed proved unreliable. Latias had considerably more bulk and could withstand a Pursuit, taking a maximum of 58.3% damage from the standard ScarfTar variant. This meant that I could bring her out, use Surf, and if a Tyranitar switched in, 2HKO it while surviving the Pursuit.
I rarely build any team without utilizing a Choice Band Scizor; its typing allows it to switch in often and either scout the enemy team with its powerful STAB U-Turns or revenge kill opposing threats with a STAB Technician Bullet Punch.
At this point, I realized that I needed a way to counter certain threats. In particular, a Dragon Dance Gyarados with Ice Fang could present notable difficulties, as I would be unable to stop it without sustaining significant damage.
One of the best Gyarados counters, Vaporeon, was chosen for its bulk and access to Wish, which would provide great support for my team overall.
With 5 of the team members chosen, all that remained was a lead. I wanted something bulky that could survive for later in the game. It also had to be able to set up Stealth Rock and synergize well with the rest of team. Fulfilling these requirements, Swampert completed the group and served as a counter to another threat that gave me problems, Agility Metagross.
Team Outrage
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Swampert (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Protect
---
Summary: Swampert is easily one of the most reliable leads in OU due to its excellent bulk and typing, only possessing one weakness to Grass. I prefer it over frailer leads such as Azelf because it is able to sustain damage and survive to come back later in the game. Few other leads can easily dispatch of Swampert, which makes it highly likely that I will be able to set up Stealth Rock.
Moveset: Stealth Rock is necessary on any team, allowing sweepers (Salamence in my case) to have an easier time KOing enemy switch-ins. Earthquake is necessary for STAB and can even cause some damage to opposing Pokemon, especially ones that are weak to Ground, such as Metagross or Heatran. Ice Beam helps to take care of opposing Dragon types, notably Salamence and Dragonite, and also deals heavy damage to Gliscor. Protect is extremely useful, as it allows me to scout enemy attacks and shield myself from Explosion, a common move on many leads. It also has the added bonus of granting me another turn of Leftovers recovery.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The given EV's ensure Swampert will reach its fullest potential defensively. A Relaxed nature further contributes to its bulk, with a negligible drop in Speed, a stat insignificant on Swampert at any rate. Leftovers provides Swampert with recovery, making it even harder to take it down.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/252 Atk/8 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Pursuit
---
Summary: As the #1 Pokemon in OU, Scizor offers numerous capabilities to any team. Its typing, also possessing only one weakness, gives it numerous opportunities to safely switch in, and either hit back with a powerful U-Turn, revenge kill with a Bullet Punch, or even KO a fleeing Ghost or Psychic type with Pursuit. While Choice Band has the unfortunate side effect of locking a Pokemon into a single move until switching out, Scizor abuses the attack bonus gained extremely well. U-Turn eliminates the locking-in effect, as it switches Scizor out anyway, and its other moves provide excellent usage as well.
Moveset: U-Turn, although used on most other Pokemon solely for scouting, gains STAB and hits off of a Choice Band-boosted 591 Attack when used with Scizor. This means that Scizor is able to scout and significantly weaken opposing teams simultaneously. Bullet Punch is required, gaining both a Technician and a STAB boost, which allows it to reach outstanding damage potential for a priority move; With Bullet Punch, Scizor becomes a threatening revenge killer. Superpower is the set's strongest move, and can OHKO two common Scizor switch-ins, Heatran and Magnezone. Pursuit rounds out the set by providing a method of defeating fleeing opponents weak to Dark-type moves.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The EV's listed are standard, providing Scizor with max Attack and a significant addition to its already good defenses. An Adamant nature ensures the highest Attack possible. Choice Band, as stated before, makes Scizor hit even harder; Scizor is arguably the best Choice Band user in OU.
Vaporeon (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 188 HP/252 Def/68 Spd
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]
---
Summary: Vaporeon can fit well onto a wide variety of teams, due to its incredible bulk and ability to pass Wishes. Its job on this team is to counter one of OU's most threatening sweepers, Dragon Dance Gyarados, and to provide a means of healing for the team's other members.
Moveset: Wish is obligatory, providing my team with a means of healing most members otherwise would not have. Protect allows Vaporeon to receive its own Wish, keeping itself healthy for later use. Surf is necessary for STAB, and can do a decent amount of damage to opposing Pokemon. Hidden Power Electric easily takes care of Gyarados, who is unable to defeat Vaporeon even after a Dragon Dance.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The EV's and natures are standard, maximizing Vaporeon's weaker Defense stat. Even with a lower defensive stat, Vaporeon makes up for this problem with an outstanding Base 130 HP. Leftovers gives Vaporeon recovery each turn, which works well alongside Wish.
Latias (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Trick
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf
---
Summary: Latias is key to this team's success; it functions as a lure for Steel-types. Preferably, Scizor will be lured out, but Tyranitar is an extremely common switch in that poses a large threat. I attempt to alleviate this concern by always using Surf first. Scizor is 2HKOd, while most Tyranitar meet the same fate, although Choice Scarfed versions can get in a Pursuit. Scizor will rarely Bullet Punch if Latias is healthy, meaning I am free to outspeed and kill it. Even if Latias is taken out by this attack, however, Magnezone can then switch in to finish Scizor off. I selected the Choice Specs set for its raw power, able to easily create holes in the opponent's team to sweep through.
Moveset: Draco Meteor is one of the most powerful moves in the game, especially when hitting off of STAB, Choice Specs, and Latias' Base 110 Special Attack. Dragon Pulse is a second STAB, useful for damaging opponents without receiving a drop in Special Attack. Surf provides addition coverage and a way to hit Steels. Trick allows me to cripple most enemy switch-ins, and choose an attack at will.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Max Special Attack and Speed to hit as hard as possible while still outspeeding most enemies. A Timid nature brings Latias to 350 Speed, making it faster than most Gengar, as almost all of them run Hidden Power. Choice Specs makes Latias one of the most threatening users of Draco Meteor, increasing its Special Attack to 478. Its other moves remain powerful as well.
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 40 Atk/216 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Explosion
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
---
Summary: Unique for its ability to trap Steels, Magnezone has earned itself a niche in the OU metagame. Its role is to eliminate the one type that can block Salamence from sweeping. Played correctly, Magnezone should open up a clean sweep for its teammate.
Moveset: Thunderbolt gets STAB and hits extremely hard off of Magnezone's Base 130 Special Attack; it is the primary move for eliminating opponents, as Steel types generally have poor Special Defense. Substitute allows Magnezone to dodge status and get an opportunity to throw in one more attack. Hidden Power Grass OHKOs Swampert, who would otherwise switch in safely to Magnezone's attacks. Explosion completes the set by destroying Blissey who attempt to switch in and sponge Special Attacks. This is especially important because Salamence is unable to OHKO Blissey with a boosted Outrage, and will likely receive a sweep-halting Thunder Wave in return.
EVs, Nature, and Item: The 40 Attack EVs provide additional power for Explosion. Max Special Attack makes Magnezone cause huge damage to most of its opponents. The rest of the EVs in Speed allow Magnezone to outpace the standard Scizor. A Naive nature brings up Magnezone's Speed while ensuring that it does not experience an Attack drop, a stat that is needed for Explosion. Leftovers keeps Magnezone healthy by providing recovery each turn.
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Roost
---
Summary: And the final member of the team is none other than its centerpiece and late game sweeper, Salamence. As stated in the analysis, Salamence is extremely dangerous because of its versatility, and "is arguably the most effective sweeper in OU." With opposing Steel-types eliminated, Salamence should be able to sweep easily with a combination of Dragon Dance and Outrage. Anything that can survive an attack will be hurt significantly, allowing other members of the team to clean up the remains, if there exist any.
Moveset: Dragon Dance provides Salamence with a simultaneous boost to its Attack and Speed; with this set, Salamence reaches an Attack of 553 and a Speed stat of 492. Outrage is the dragon's most powerful move, a 120 BP STAB attack that even hits several Steel-types hard. Earthquake provides coverage by damaging grounded Steels such as Metagross. Roost keeps Salamence at good health so that it can stay in for a longer sweep.
EVs, Nature, and Item: Max Attack and Speed for the most damaging set possible while still outspeeding many threats. A Jolly nature increases its Speed to 328, and was chosen over Naive because the usage of Magnezone and Latias eliminates the need to run Fire Blast. Life Orb further increases Salamence's damage output, giving it monstrous Attack taken into account the use of Outrage and a possible Dragon Dance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this team focuses on eliminating obstacles and weakening enemy teams so that Salamence can garner a successful sweep. I'm unsure of how well-built this team is, but I've done my best to make my first RMT an interesting and well-written read. Hopefully there will be many suggestions available, as I'm looking for way to improve this team in any way possible.
Thanks to everyone for your time and patience!
