So, I've recently started playing on Pokemon Showdown!, getting to learn more about the competitive game. And a couple hours ago, I finished a team that's been working pretty well for me. It's only lost once so far, though that's probably just dumb luck. It's pretty simple, not much meta-strategy or set-ups. Almost every move is for coverage, except for Skarmory's set, since I'm pretty much running five glass cannons, I figured it'd be good to have a defensive hazard setter. Without further ado, here's the team.
Alakazam (M) @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Dazzling Gleam
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Signal Beam
General Outline
Well, Mega Alakazam out-speeds almost everything, and deals pretty decent damage too, 2HKOing a lot of what I've come up against. One of his biggest counters is Talonflame, Gale Wings enables him to hit a little to hard for comfort before I get an attack in, and Alakazam can do, at best, neutral damage to it if it gets the chance, in fact, Talonflame is probably the biggest problem for this entire team, but a combination of stealth rock and Mamoswine (if it doesn't get OHKOed) has helped me out so far, since I've seen Talonflame usually running Life Orb, with Brave Bird. There's not much to Alakazam though, one STAB that I can also just use to target high Sp. Def. pokemon and three cover moves that are decent, although Signal Beam hasn't helped me much and I'm thinking of switching it out for Shock Wave or Energy Ball.
Noivern (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Dragon Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Air Slash
General Outline
Noivern was actually the inspiration for the idea of this team. I wanted a team that could out-speed nearly everything without having to use a +Speed nature. With the Choice Specs set, I decided to go with Dragon Pulse instead of Draco Meteor, because the Sp. Atk. loss would force me to keep switching her out after one or two attacks, even if she's at a type advantage. Boomburst isn't the best, being Normal, but it's just fun to use, and Dark Pulse helps me deal with Gengar, which always keeps me from switching into Alakazam.
Mamoswine (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
General Outline
Not as fast as the other Pokemon on the team, I originally has Serperior in this slot. But I had no ground coverage which, in OU, is ridiculously dangerous. I've swept teams with just this guy. He deals with Heatran, Lucario, Aggron, pretty much anything Steel Type, and he's even taken hits from Talonflame and then been able to deal heavy damage with Rock Slide. I usually open with either Mamoswine or Skarmory, to set up hazards or in Mamoswine's case, just get rid of a few checks to some of my other Pokemon.
Chandelure (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flame Body
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Shadow Ball
- Clear Smog
General Outline
Chandelure has saved me time and time again. Choice Scarf Fire Blasts are a gift from Arceus at this point. And surprisingly, he doesn't go down that easily except to Dark STAB, and probably Water, but I haven't left him in on any Water Types. Many of the main threats from those types though can be checked or countered by Keldeo. I'm thinking about removing Clear Smog from him however. It's been extremely useful against Quiver Dance and Calm Mind, but being locked into it is definitely a pain, and has done more harm than good a couple times
Skarmory (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 236 SpD / 24 Spe
Careful Nature
- Roost
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
General Outline
My hazard setter. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about her. She has too many counters that I have to switch him out of, even with the extra Sp. Def. boost I gave him. She still can't take a Thunder from anybody, and Fire Moves completely wreck her. The hazards have been a tremendous help, but besides that I haven't gotten much utility out of her, not to mention it can all just be Rapid-Spinned away while they pick at her health. I just don't know if switching her to a Tentacruel or Forretress would really do me any better, so she's here for now.
Keldeo @ Assault Vest
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sacred Sword
- Poison Jab
- X-Scissor
- Aqua Tail
General Outline
Keldeo was the last addition to my team, but on this team, the ability to stop most Water, Fire, and Dark Pokemon in their tracks and deal a good amount of damage back all the same was a necessity. Those three types are only lightly covered, if at all, by anything else on the team. The Assault Vest affords Keldeo the survivability to switch into those types as well, under almost any circumstances, though once again, Talonflame is the hitch in this plan, as Brave Bird deals too much damage to even suggest switching in with Keldeo, even for the sake of Water STAB. X-Scissor is pretty much useless, unless I can predict a Grass Type switching in, but I like to keep it simple, without any set-up sweepers, so I forwent the usual Swords Dance in the set.
The Strategy
Predict what my opponent will send in first and provide cover for it. Once I've dealt with any major threats to Skarmory, I'll start placing hazards, and then, since the entire team is built for just coverage and speed, I don't really have to worry about a consistent strategy past then. Just try to predict switches and play to the best of my abilities.
Anything Else
Though I'm not new to battle theorizing and most all the mechanics of Pokemon, I am new to the competitive meta-game. This teams worked well for me so far, but it's possible I just haven't come across common OU threats that could easily throw a wedge in my plans, that's what I don't list many counters or checks, I'm not really sure exactly what I should be worried about watching out for, or what sets people commonly run, that sort of thing. I know there's also a damage calculator on this site that probably could have helped me be more descriptive but I just signed up and don't know where it is. And I think that's about it for this RMT. I can't wait to hear what you think.
Alakazam (M) @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Dazzling Gleam
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Signal Beam
General Outline
Well, Mega Alakazam out-speeds almost everything, and deals pretty decent damage too, 2HKOing a lot of what I've come up against. One of his biggest counters is Talonflame, Gale Wings enables him to hit a little to hard for comfort before I get an attack in, and Alakazam can do, at best, neutral damage to it if it gets the chance, in fact, Talonflame is probably the biggest problem for this entire team, but a combination of stealth rock and Mamoswine (if it doesn't get OHKOed) has helped me out so far, since I've seen Talonflame usually running Life Orb, with Brave Bird. There's not much to Alakazam though, one STAB that I can also just use to target high Sp. Def. pokemon and three cover moves that are decent, although Signal Beam hasn't helped me much and I'm thinking of switching it out for Shock Wave or Energy Ball.
Noivern (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Dragon Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Air Slash
General Outline
Noivern was actually the inspiration for the idea of this team. I wanted a team that could out-speed nearly everything without having to use a +Speed nature. With the Choice Specs set, I decided to go with Dragon Pulse instead of Draco Meteor, because the Sp. Atk. loss would force me to keep switching her out after one or two attacks, even if she's at a type advantage. Boomburst isn't the best, being Normal, but it's just fun to use, and Dark Pulse helps me deal with Gengar, which always keeps me from switching into Alakazam.
Mamoswine (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
General Outline
Not as fast as the other Pokemon on the team, I originally has Serperior in this slot. But I had no ground coverage which, in OU, is ridiculously dangerous. I've swept teams with just this guy. He deals with Heatran, Lucario, Aggron, pretty much anything Steel Type, and he's even taken hits from Talonflame and then been able to deal heavy damage with Rock Slide. I usually open with either Mamoswine or Skarmory, to set up hazards or in Mamoswine's case, just get rid of a few checks to some of my other Pokemon.
Chandelure (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flame Body
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Shadow Ball
- Clear Smog
General Outline
Chandelure has saved me time and time again. Choice Scarf Fire Blasts are a gift from Arceus at this point. And surprisingly, he doesn't go down that easily except to Dark STAB, and probably Water, but I haven't left him in on any Water Types. Many of the main threats from those types though can be checked or countered by Keldeo. I'm thinking about removing Clear Smog from him however. It's been extremely useful against Quiver Dance and Calm Mind, but being locked into it is definitely a pain, and has done more harm than good a couple times
Skarmory (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 236 SpD / 24 Spe
Careful Nature
- Roost
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
General Outline
My hazard setter. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about her. She has too many counters that I have to switch him out of, even with the extra Sp. Def. boost I gave him. She still can't take a Thunder from anybody, and Fire Moves completely wreck her. The hazards have been a tremendous help, but besides that I haven't gotten much utility out of her, not to mention it can all just be Rapid-Spinned away while they pick at her health. I just don't know if switching her to a Tentacruel or Forretress would really do me any better, so she's here for now.
Keldeo @ Assault Vest
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sacred Sword
- Poison Jab
- X-Scissor
- Aqua Tail
General Outline
Keldeo was the last addition to my team, but on this team, the ability to stop most Water, Fire, and Dark Pokemon in their tracks and deal a good amount of damage back all the same was a necessity. Those three types are only lightly covered, if at all, by anything else on the team. The Assault Vest affords Keldeo the survivability to switch into those types as well, under almost any circumstances, though once again, Talonflame is the hitch in this plan, as Brave Bird deals too much damage to even suggest switching in with Keldeo, even for the sake of Water STAB. X-Scissor is pretty much useless, unless I can predict a Grass Type switching in, but I like to keep it simple, without any set-up sweepers, so I forwent the usual Swords Dance in the set.
The Strategy
Predict what my opponent will send in first and provide cover for it. Once I've dealt with any major threats to Skarmory, I'll start placing hazards, and then, since the entire team is built for just coverage and speed, I don't really have to worry about a consistent strategy past then. Just try to predict switches and play to the best of my abilities.
Anything Else
Though I'm not new to battle theorizing and most all the mechanics of Pokemon, I am new to the competitive meta-game. This teams worked well for me so far, but it's possible I just haven't come across common OU threats that could easily throw a wedge in my plans, that's what I don't list many counters or checks, I'm not really sure exactly what I should be worried about watching out for, or what sets people commonly run, that sort of thing. I know there's also a damage calculator on this site that probably could have helped me be more descriptive but I just signed up and don't know where it is. And I think that's about it for this RMT. I can't wait to hear what you think.
