At First Glance
The Story Behind the Team
The Story Behind the Team
Every day on Shoddy it's LO Scizor this, and Scarfgon that, and Scarftar whichever and when. Sure, they're good, but it's all just textbook know how. What we need is a little more spice in our movepools. That is exactly why I've made this team, which is based around one concept. Attract. Attract, you say? That move is useless! But oh-ho-ho I say back. Attract may be a little gimmicky, but i've seen it assure the win many times before, considering almost everyone doesn't bother to change their gender off of male. Of coarse, considering non-gender and legendarys are always a factor, Attract it not always an option, but that hardly hinders this team! Well I'm sure this concept has been done before, but I decided to put a stab at it anyways.
Changes from the original team have been colored Brown-ish
Gyarados
Gender: Male
@Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Impish
EVs: 156HP/72 Attack/96 Defence/184 Speed
-Taunt
-Dragon Dance
-Waterfall
-Stone Edge
Gyarados, something you might not expect so much as a lead. Thunder Wave use to be in place of Taunt, but after some testing of the move, I've found that it is a superior tactic most of the time. Thunder Wave will be missed, but that's okay, because Taunts are very useful. Leads who like to pull off Stealth Rock which are slower than Gyarados will be disgruntled by the fact that Taunt is present, and since that's the purpose of most leads, they switch to a different pokemon and try to counter. Gyarados also laughs at sleeper leads. lol. Can you say free Dragon Dance? Anyways, Taunt is also very useful late game against stalling pokemon, making them flop around helplessly with their usually pitiful offenses and force a switch. More Dragon Dances! With a little more work on EVs, Gyarados not only takes less damage from physical attacks, but deals more damage as well! All this while still being nice and fast at what he does. Explosion from Azelf? Not a problem. Bullet Punch from Metagross getting you down? Not with Gyarados here! An Impish nature assists this by increases his Defence(Along with Intimidate), while lowering his easily forgettable Special Attack, as to keep him nice and bulky. Waterfall is his best move, which gets STAB, good neutral coverage, and a chance to get some flinches in there. Stone Edge provides good coverage with Waterfall, and hits many top threats in OU like Salamence and other Gyarados right out of the park. When it hits.
Against the top 10 leads of March, 2010
1. Azelf: Considering Azelf is faster than Gyarados, Taunt and Stealth Rock are used without fear. This means it's time to Waterfall it up. Just one Waterfall deals over 50% damage, and when you're dealing with Azelf, we all know what that means. Whoop! Switching to Gengar easily soaks up the Explosion and snags in a free kill.
2. Swampert: Thankfully, Gyarados is faster than this guy. Taunt means that neither Stealth Rock nor Roar can be used, which means it's time to get a free Dragon Dance or two. Fantastic!
3. Metagross: Again, Gyarados takes the lead and taunts to prevent Stealth Rock from forming. At this point, Metagross leads start to panic and flail around helplessly for some reason, making their Explosion trigger very happy. Switching to Gengar soaks this up as well, and if it's a Thunderpunch instead or something, then...oh well. Gengar understands, I'm sure.
4. Aerodactyl: There's no stopping this thing, unfortunately. Waterfall is the best bet, dealing 99% damage(stupid Focus Sash). Gyarados has to bite the bullet and take the chance of getting hit by Stone Edge or Rock Slide, but he's a trooper and will get the kill
5. Jirachi: Well, lead Jirachi almost always Tricks a Choice Scarf to the opponent, and Gyarados is no exception. This means that Waterfall is in action, and taking the 80/0 physical defence right from the strategy dex, Waterfall deals 30%-36% damage. Not too good, but I'd rather take a choice scarf on Gyarados than any other member of the team. 3HKO isn't too bad for a disadvantageous situation, though.
6. Infernape: Well, as a lead, Infernape always pulls off a Fake Out on Gyarados. This deals pretty minimal damage, and the next turn is spent setting up Dragon Dances. Infernape isn't stupid enough to stay in, so that's a free Dragon Dance. Also nifty.
7. Roserade: This is where Lum Berry really shines. Roserade tries to Sleep Seed Gyarados, in which the berry kicks in right when I'm using Taunt. This leaves Roserade useless, and gives a free turn of Dragon Dance as they switch out. Whoo!
8. Tyranitar: You know, I've never actually fought a lead Tyranitar. I would assume that it fills a more anti-lead role, and includes Stone Edge, as well as Earthquake, Pursuit, and some other move. With that in mind, an auto Gliscor switch would be most preferable. Gliscor takes 36%-43% damage from a cookie cutter Tyranitar lead on the switch, which Leftovers takes care of pretty well. With Sand Veil in effect, Stone Edge has a 60% accuracy, giving plenty of time to set up Stealth Rocks and hit back with STAB super effective Earthquake. Not too shabby. Ice Fang would probably ruin this strategy, though, if it carries it.
9. Ninjask: First thing any Ninjask tries to do is either Protect or Substitute. Protect is more likely, so Dragon Dance is the best option first up. After that, either Substitute or Swords Dance will be coming up, and that means it's Taunt time! After a Taunt, Ninjask's set up has been completely destroyed, and that means it'll force a switch. Two free Dragon Dances? Yes, please!
10. Gliscor: What any Gliscor tries to do as a lead is either use Taunt or Stealth Rocks. Hopefully, it's the former, as Waterfall has the best use here from being slower than Gliscor. Waterfall 2HKOs max HP Gliscor, so some good damage is guaranteed against it.
Against other top leads:
- Machamp:Since most anti-lead Machamps don't carry Thunderpunch, Gyarados is pretty safe to stay in. Waterfall 2HKOs any Machamp that doesn't have Defence EVs invested after a Dragon Dance, and Gyarados resists Dynamic Punch on top of Intimidate and Lum Berry. Overall, Machamp is not a problem.
Gengar
Gender: Male
@Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 Special Attack
-Hypnosis
-Confuse Ray
-Focus Blast
-Shadow Ball
How many of you feel annoyed at this set just by looking at it? Well, Gengar's the name, and status' is his game. Leftovers gives Gengar some survivability, taking any chance he gets(Which is a lot of chances, mind you) to heal off any damage that has been done, as well as nullify those annoying Sandstorms and Hails. The EV spread is made to give an absolute max of speed, which is a must for this set, and an almost equal attention to Special Attack, to fire off quick and powerful attacks whenever needed. Timid nature increases that Speed stat to a nice 350, outrunning the likes of those such as Modest Gengar, non-scarf Rotom, Celebi, and many other threats. Hypnosis and Confuse Ray can shut down or force switch almost any pokemon out there. I especially like setting a pokemon to sleep and use Confuse Ray afterwords, putting them in a "Damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, throwing a monkey wrench in any plans to either switch or tough it out. Energy Ball had its uses, but Focus Blast just takes the cake. Packing a massive 120 base power off of a great Special Attack means that no steel pokemon stands a chance against this monster. Unless it misses. Which might as well be about 50% of the time. Shadow Ball seals it up by quickly dispatching of Ghost types, and provides a powerful STAB move.
Jolteon
Gender: Female
@Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 Special Attack
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Thunder Wave
-Attract
Jolteon is an awesome special powerhouse. With Life Orb attached, its power is boosted to an even larger amount, pulling off the possibility of sweeping any team that is either weakened or isn't ready. Volt Absorb lets it switch in on any Electric attack, at which Gyarados is unmatched, opening up the offense for Jolteon(as well as a chance to provide some healing). Timid nature makes sure that its speed is the best it can be, as to outrun some other speedy foes who may want to take a shot at KOing the fragile Jolteon. Thunderbolt provides a powerful STAB, and Shadow Ball gets OHKOs on any ghost pokemon(Except maybe Dusknoir). Ever wonder where that Thunder Wave went from poor Gyarados? Well, Jolteon here thought it was too good to pass up, and gave up Hidden Power to bolster this useful status move! Thunder Wave works great with this team, making any user of Attract that moch more hax-worthy. I'm sure even Gyarados is proud. Attract can give a new breath of life to any situation that may seem unfavorable. Granted, it's not a very reliable solution, but it can work miracles. (Note: Use of Thunder Wave along with Attract will increase chances of miracles. No joke.)
Gliscor
Gender: Female
@Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Jolly
EVs:252 HP/252 Speed/4 Defence
-Stealth Rock
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Attract
Gliscor makes excellent use of its hearty defences and reasonable attack with this set. Leftovers lets it heal off damage every turn, which works great when used with Attract, providing that sweet 50% chance of immobilization. The ability Sand Veil also helps against sandstorm teams, as the extra evasion is greatly appreciated. EVs allow for both tanking and quick attacks, and a Jolly nature helps keep that speed to fire off Attracts and such whenever it pleases. Just before I was about to backhand Gliscor like a red-headed stepchild for not doing as good as the rest of the team, Stealth Rock was suggested. With this, Gliscor finally found a useful purpose in life other than stalling, at least until Stealth Rock gets nerfed somehow. No more worries from choiced Flying, Ice, Bug, or Fire types for me! Roost had found a good place in this set, but with only one attacking move, Gliscor still didn't cut the deal. With Stone Edge, Gliscor is able to hit Flying types that resist Earthquake for super effective damage, and doesn't make Gliscor an easy target to those who had completely avoided it before. Earthquake is also commonplace on Gliscor, combining excellant coverage, STAB, base attack power and Attack into one powerful package of seismic fury. This, though, leaves a gaping weakness in Gliscor to anything with the Flying type or levitate ability, where he has a real trouble dealing with. But that, of coarse, is where the other team members come in and say hi.
Salamence
Gender: Female
@Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP/ 180 Defence/ 78 Special Defence
-Attract
-Dragon Dance
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake (Again!)
Move over Specsmence and Mixmence, because we've got another Salamence set around. I call it the Sexymence set. First off, I must say that this is probably the best user of Attract that will ever grace the Standard metagame. As you can see, I've built this Salamence to be very tankish, as to be able to set up very easily on pretty much anything not carrying ice type moves. Leftovers let it heal off any damage it takes through Attract(as well as from Stealth Rock), which adds up to a pretty reliable healing source outside of Sandstorm and Hail. With a super beefy Defence spread on EVs, Salamence can come in and laugh at any physical attacker that's not up to par, all the while using his nifty Dragon resistances to take care of the most common special attacks out there (Such as Flamethrower and Surf and whatnot). Speaking of which, Intimidate also helps defensively, as well as a Careful nature to help increase that Special Defence and round off its overall defences. The strategy to this set is simple, but extremely deadly. Salamence comes in and uses Attract on the opponent, who usually just goes "wtf?" and decides to tough it out. Wrong answer. This lets Salamence use Dragon Dance almost as much times as he wants, as Attract will give an occasional free turn for it. Such a bulky build lets Salamence take several hits before deciding to go on the offensive and start sweeping like a mo' fo'. Even if the opponent decides to switch, one Dragon Dance still packs quite the punch as most of you know. Dragon Claw is preferred over Outrage, as the ability to use Attract or switch to Earthquake, is paramount in this set. STAB Dragon Claw is nothing to be disappointed in however, and will still OHKO anything with enough Dragon Dances. Testing on the former Earthquake has proven even more successful than the replacement of Fire Fang. Why, you say? Well, I must not have done good enough, of coarse. Everyone makes mistakes. Anyways, with its excellent coverage, especially against Steel types that resist Dragon Claw, Earthquake is here to stay and dominate.
Heatran (Newcomer!)
Gender: Female
@Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 242 Special Attack/252 Speed/ 4 HP
-Attract
-Substitute
-Lava Plume
-Earth Power
Empoleon will surely be missed, but if anyone could fill his place it would have to be Heatran. With reasonable defences, outstanding Special Attack, and being the only legendary with a gender, Heatran makes great use of the team's theme of Attract. The EVs are pretty straight forward, focusing on speed and damage to help maximize its effectiveness. When combined with substitute, Heatran can set up on a multitude of Pokemon, hiding behind its precious little doll while Attracting from safety. This also gives many opportunities for free moves, which is greatly appreciated to keep the Attracts and Substitutes strong. Lava Plume lets Heatran hit with a powerful STAB attack, punishing any Pokemon that doesn't resist it (Except Blissey), as well as providing a 30% chance to burn. With Attract and Substitute up, this gives plenty of chances to ruin the day of many Pokemon, especially ones who rely on physical attacks, as the burn damage adds up at an extremely fast rate. Earth Power gets great coverage in OU, hitting every Pokemon, when combined with Lava Plume, for non-resisted damage (Except for Salamence, Dragonite, and Gyarados, who are easily dealt with by other members of the team). The best thing though, at a non-competitive view, is seeing that ugly mug use its charm to hinder the opponent. Priceless.
Previous Team Members:
Empoleon
Gender: Male
@Liechi Berry
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/252 Attack/ 4 Defence
-Swords Dance
-Substitute
-Aqua Jet
-Attract
Empoleon is commonly perceived as one who abuses special attacks, and maybe agility behind a substitute as well. With closer look, however, we see that Empoleon's often forgotten Attack stat isn't actually too bad, and has access to a STAB priority move to boot. Well that's exactly what this set works on. Empoleon's typing gives it superb resistances(Unfortunately, not to Ground) which lets Empoleon get a good chance at setting up. With access to Swords Dance, Empoleon makes use of an Adamant nature and offensively based EVs to maximize the power of Aqua Jet, which becomes almost scary in the damage potential it carries. Liechi Berry makes sure that if there isn't a +6 attack stat already, that there's going to be a little more kick to Aqua Jet than normal. Substitute lets Empoleon be not afraid of those annoying (pseudo)status inducers, as well as getting several Swords Dances up against the right pokemon. The chance of a free attack if the Substitute doesn't break makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The last slot doesn't really serve a large purpose at all in this set, so Attract fits very well to set up against the likes of Blissey, who can deal almost no damage and can take Thunder Waves pretty easily with a priority move. As you've probably noticed already, this set suffers in the likes of hail, which finish off any chance at using Endure in its tracks. Priority moves will also finish off this set with no problem as well. That doesn't stop Empoleon from being an excellent late game sweeper, however, and will crush any team that isn't prepared for Aqua Jet's shocking might.
The Method Behind My Madness
I've gotten so tired of standard sets, that I almost find that it's my obligation to play out of the ordinary, which is why I created this team (As you already know). But what you probably did not know (Because I haven't told you yet), is that this team wasn't always based around Attract. Originally, the this team was just some commonly used Pokemon that had different movepools from the norm. Salamence was the first to feature Attract, and after I saw how effective it was, spread it out to the majority of my team. Now, here's where it all started.
I wanted a lead that was out of the ordinary, yet very effective. My original candidate was Mamoswine, but he did not prove to be of much use outside of his standard moves, so my attention turned to Gyarados. As a major powerhouse in OU, Gyarados seemed like the perfect unorthodox lead to provide both support and physical strength.
My attention then set upon another pokemon; Gengar. Most people use Gengar as a special sweeper and Spin blocker, but I looked beyond that, and spotted his amazing use as a support/sweeper mix. Access to great Speed, Hypnosis, and Confuse Ray was all I needed to give him a slot as an effective member of the team. Also, Gengar is wonderful at soaking up Explosions which constantly bombard my lead, Gyarados.
Gyarados is bound to attract a great deal of Electric attacks, so i needed someone who could soak them up with ease, as well as provide useful offensive and status support. The best pokemon for the job were Jolteon or Electivire. I chose Jolteon for her superior Speed and versatility, and because Electivire is only really useful after Motor Drive is activated (Sorry, Electivire ):).
Gliscor wasn't always a part of the team, but she eventually muscled her way in after proving to be an effective Attract user and boasting the stats to do the job. Stealth Rocks are also a great addition to the team, and no one can doubt the power of STAB Earthquakes and Electric/Ground immunities.
Salamence had always been a great addition to the team, making the best use of Attract and setting up easily for the kill. In fact, the entire team was based around her effectiveness. Being the bulkiest physical wall for any Dragon type in OU on the switch in, the possibility for Salamence to come in and get his Dragon Dances up was extremely evident. She still proves to be the main physical powerhouse of the team.
Looking the the last niche in my team, my eyes skimmed across Empoleon. Well, you can pretty much expect him to be running SubPetaya or something similar, even though he has a good Attack stat. With that in mind, I decided to take advantage of Aqua Jet's priority and STAB to hand-craft a physical based Empoleon which could rip through teams apart late game.
After some time, Empoleon proved to be a sort of weak link in the team, being very in-versatile with only one way of attacking the opponent. With the suggestion of Heatran, my lip curved in a smile to see how much she proved to be an asset to the team. Setting up on a plentiful amount of pokemon and soaking up Fire type attacks, as well as being an immediate threat has made Heatran the choice for this team in place of Empoleon.
I wanted a lead that was out of the ordinary, yet very effective. My original candidate was Mamoswine, but he did not prove to be of much use outside of his standard moves, so my attention turned to Gyarados. As a major powerhouse in OU, Gyarados seemed like the perfect unorthodox lead to provide both support and physical strength.
My attention then set upon another pokemon; Gengar. Most people use Gengar as a special sweeper and Spin blocker, but I looked beyond that, and spotted his amazing use as a support/sweeper mix. Access to great Speed, Hypnosis, and Confuse Ray was all I needed to give him a slot as an effective member of the team. Also, Gengar is wonderful at soaking up Explosions which constantly bombard my lead, Gyarados.
Gyarados is bound to attract a great deal of Electric attacks, so i needed someone who could soak them up with ease, as well as provide useful offensive and status support. The best pokemon for the job were Jolteon or Electivire. I chose Jolteon for her superior Speed and versatility, and because Electivire is only really useful after Motor Drive is activated (Sorry, Electivire ):).
Gliscor wasn't always a part of the team, but she eventually muscled her way in after proving to be an effective Attract user and boasting the stats to do the job. Stealth Rocks are also a great addition to the team, and no one can doubt the power of STAB Earthquakes and Electric/Ground immunities.
Salamence had always been a great addition to the team, making the best use of Attract and setting up easily for the kill. In fact, the entire team was based around her effectiveness. Being the bulkiest physical wall for any Dragon type in OU on the switch in, the possibility for Salamence to come in and get his Dragon Dances up was extremely evident. She still proves to be the main physical powerhouse of the team.
Looking the the last niche in my team, my eyes skimmed across Empoleon. Well, you can pretty much expect him to be running SubPetaya or something similar, even though he has a good Attack stat. With that in mind, I decided to take advantage of Aqua Jet's priority and STAB to hand-craft a physical based Empoleon which could rip through teams apart late game.
After some time, Empoleon proved to be a sort of weak link in the team, being very in-versatile with only one way of attacking the opponent. With the suggestion of Heatran, my lip curved in a smile to see how much she proved to be an asset to the team. Setting up on a plentiful amount of pokemon and soaking up Fire type attacks, as well as being an immediate threat has made Heatran the choice for this team in place of Empoleon.
Weakness/Resistance Chart
Changes from the original team have been colored Brown-ish
Gyarados
Gender: Male
@Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Impish
EVs: 156HP/72 Attack/96 Defence/184 Speed
-Taunt
-Dragon Dance
-Waterfall
-Stone Edge
Gyarados, something you might not expect so much as a lead. Thunder Wave use to be in place of Taunt, but after some testing of the move, I've found that it is a superior tactic most of the time. Thunder Wave will be missed, but that's okay, because Taunts are very useful. Leads who like to pull off Stealth Rock which are slower than Gyarados will be disgruntled by the fact that Taunt is present, and since that's the purpose of most leads, they switch to a different pokemon and try to counter. Gyarados also laughs at sleeper leads. lol. Can you say free Dragon Dance? Anyways, Taunt is also very useful late game against stalling pokemon, making them flop around helplessly with their usually pitiful offenses and force a switch. More Dragon Dances! With a little more work on EVs, Gyarados not only takes less damage from physical attacks, but deals more damage as well! All this while still being nice and fast at what he does. Explosion from Azelf? Not a problem. Bullet Punch from Metagross getting you down? Not with Gyarados here! An Impish nature assists this by increases his Defence(Along with Intimidate), while lowering his easily forgettable Special Attack, as to keep him nice and bulky. Waterfall is his best move, which gets STAB, good neutral coverage, and a chance to get some flinches in there. Stone Edge provides good coverage with Waterfall, and hits many top threats in OU like Salamence and other Gyarados right out of the park. When it hits.
Against the top 10 leads of March, 2010
1. Azelf: Considering Azelf is faster than Gyarados, Taunt and Stealth Rock are used without fear. This means it's time to Waterfall it up. Just one Waterfall deals over 50% damage, and when you're dealing with Azelf, we all know what that means. Whoop! Switching to Gengar easily soaks up the Explosion and snags in a free kill.
2. Swampert: Thankfully, Gyarados is faster than this guy. Taunt means that neither Stealth Rock nor Roar can be used, which means it's time to get a free Dragon Dance or two. Fantastic!
3. Metagross: Again, Gyarados takes the lead and taunts to prevent Stealth Rock from forming. At this point, Metagross leads start to panic and flail around helplessly for some reason, making their Explosion trigger very happy. Switching to Gengar soaks this up as well, and if it's a Thunderpunch instead or something, then...oh well. Gengar understands, I'm sure.
4. Aerodactyl: There's no stopping this thing, unfortunately. Waterfall is the best bet, dealing 99% damage(stupid Focus Sash). Gyarados has to bite the bullet and take the chance of getting hit by Stone Edge or Rock Slide, but he's a trooper and will get the kill
5. Jirachi: Well, lead Jirachi almost always Tricks a Choice Scarf to the opponent, and Gyarados is no exception. This means that Waterfall is in action, and taking the 80/0 physical defence right from the strategy dex, Waterfall deals 30%-36% damage. Not too good, but I'd rather take a choice scarf on Gyarados than any other member of the team. 3HKO isn't too bad for a disadvantageous situation, though.
6. Infernape: Well, as a lead, Infernape always pulls off a Fake Out on Gyarados. This deals pretty minimal damage, and the next turn is spent setting up Dragon Dances. Infernape isn't stupid enough to stay in, so that's a free Dragon Dance. Also nifty.
7. Roserade: This is where Lum Berry really shines. Roserade tries to Sleep Seed Gyarados, in which the berry kicks in right when I'm using Taunt. This leaves Roserade useless, and gives a free turn of Dragon Dance as they switch out. Whoo!
8. Tyranitar: You know, I've never actually fought a lead Tyranitar. I would assume that it fills a more anti-lead role, and includes Stone Edge, as well as Earthquake, Pursuit, and some other move. With that in mind, an auto Gliscor switch would be most preferable. Gliscor takes 36%-43% damage from a cookie cutter Tyranitar lead on the switch, which Leftovers takes care of pretty well. With Sand Veil in effect, Stone Edge has a 60% accuracy, giving plenty of time to set up Stealth Rocks and hit back with STAB super effective Earthquake. Not too shabby. Ice Fang would probably ruin this strategy, though, if it carries it.
9. Ninjask: First thing any Ninjask tries to do is either Protect or Substitute. Protect is more likely, so Dragon Dance is the best option first up. After that, either Substitute or Swords Dance will be coming up, and that means it's Taunt time! After a Taunt, Ninjask's set up has been completely destroyed, and that means it'll force a switch. Two free Dragon Dances? Yes, please!
10. Gliscor: What any Gliscor tries to do as a lead is either use Taunt or Stealth Rocks. Hopefully, it's the former, as Waterfall has the best use here from being slower than Gliscor. Waterfall 2HKOs max HP Gliscor, so some good damage is guaranteed against it.
Against other top leads:
- Machamp:Since most anti-lead Machamps don't carry Thunderpunch, Gyarados is pretty safe to stay in. Waterfall 2HKOs any Machamp that doesn't have Defence EVs invested after a Dragon Dance, and Gyarados resists Dynamic Punch on top of Intimidate and Lum Berry. Overall, Machamp is not a problem.
Gengar
Gender: Male
@Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 Special Attack
-Hypnosis
-Confuse Ray
-Focus Blast
-Shadow Ball
How many of you feel annoyed at this set just by looking at it? Well, Gengar's the name, and status' is his game. Leftovers gives Gengar some survivability, taking any chance he gets(Which is a lot of chances, mind you) to heal off any damage that has been done, as well as nullify those annoying Sandstorms and Hails. The EV spread is made to give an absolute max of speed, which is a must for this set, and an almost equal attention to Special Attack, to fire off quick and powerful attacks whenever needed. Timid nature increases that Speed stat to a nice 350, outrunning the likes of those such as Modest Gengar, non-scarf Rotom, Celebi, and many other threats. Hypnosis and Confuse Ray can shut down or force switch almost any pokemon out there. I especially like setting a pokemon to sleep and use Confuse Ray afterwords, putting them in a "Damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, throwing a monkey wrench in any plans to either switch or tough it out. Energy Ball had its uses, but Focus Blast just takes the cake. Packing a massive 120 base power off of a great Special Attack means that no steel pokemon stands a chance against this monster. Unless it misses. Which might as well be about 50% of the time. Shadow Ball seals it up by quickly dispatching of Ghost types, and provides a powerful STAB move.
Jolteon
Gender: Female
@Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 Special Attack
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Thunder Wave
-Attract
Jolteon is an awesome special powerhouse. With Life Orb attached, its power is boosted to an even larger amount, pulling off the possibility of sweeping any team that is either weakened or isn't ready. Volt Absorb lets it switch in on any Electric attack, at which Gyarados is unmatched, opening up the offense for Jolteon(as well as a chance to provide some healing). Timid nature makes sure that its speed is the best it can be, as to outrun some other speedy foes who may want to take a shot at KOing the fragile Jolteon. Thunderbolt provides a powerful STAB, and Shadow Ball gets OHKOs on any ghost pokemon(Except maybe Dusknoir). Ever wonder where that Thunder Wave went from poor Gyarados? Well, Jolteon here thought it was too good to pass up, and gave up Hidden Power to bolster this useful status move! Thunder Wave works great with this team, making any user of Attract that moch more hax-worthy. I'm sure even Gyarados is proud. Attract can give a new breath of life to any situation that may seem unfavorable. Granted, it's not a very reliable solution, but it can work miracles. (Note: Use of Thunder Wave along with Attract will increase chances of miracles. No joke.)
Gliscor
Gender: Female
@Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Jolly
EVs:252 HP/252 Speed/4 Defence
-Stealth Rock
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Attract
Gliscor makes excellent use of its hearty defences and reasonable attack with this set. Leftovers lets it heal off damage every turn, which works great when used with Attract, providing that sweet 50% chance of immobilization. The ability Sand Veil also helps against sandstorm teams, as the extra evasion is greatly appreciated. EVs allow for both tanking and quick attacks, and a Jolly nature helps keep that speed to fire off Attracts and such whenever it pleases. Just before I was about to backhand Gliscor like a red-headed stepchild for not doing as good as the rest of the team, Stealth Rock was suggested. With this, Gliscor finally found a useful purpose in life other than stalling, at least until Stealth Rock gets nerfed somehow. No more worries from choiced Flying, Ice, Bug, or Fire types for me! Roost had found a good place in this set, but with only one attacking move, Gliscor still didn't cut the deal. With Stone Edge, Gliscor is able to hit Flying types that resist Earthquake for super effective damage, and doesn't make Gliscor an easy target to those who had completely avoided it before. Earthquake is also commonplace on Gliscor, combining excellant coverage, STAB, base attack power and Attack into one powerful package of seismic fury. This, though, leaves a gaping weakness in Gliscor to anything with the Flying type or levitate ability, where he has a real trouble dealing with. But that, of coarse, is where the other team members come in and say hi.
Salamence
Gender: Female
@Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP/ 180 Defence/ 78 Special Defence
-Attract
-Dragon Dance
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake (Again!)
Move over Specsmence and Mixmence, because we've got another Salamence set around. I call it the Sexymence set. First off, I must say that this is probably the best user of Attract that will ever grace the Standard metagame. As you can see, I've built this Salamence to be very tankish, as to be able to set up very easily on pretty much anything not carrying ice type moves. Leftovers let it heal off any damage it takes through Attract(as well as from Stealth Rock), which adds up to a pretty reliable healing source outside of Sandstorm and Hail. With a super beefy Defence spread on EVs, Salamence can come in and laugh at any physical attacker that's not up to par, all the while using his nifty Dragon resistances to take care of the most common special attacks out there (Such as Flamethrower and Surf and whatnot). Speaking of which, Intimidate also helps defensively, as well as a Careful nature to help increase that Special Defence and round off its overall defences. The strategy to this set is simple, but extremely deadly. Salamence comes in and uses Attract on the opponent, who usually just goes "wtf?" and decides to tough it out. Wrong answer. This lets Salamence use Dragon Dance almost as much times as he wants, as Attract will give an occasional free turn for it. Such a bulky build lets Salamence take several hits before deciding to go on the offensive and start sweeping like a mo' fo'. Even if the opponent decides to switch, one Dragon Dance still packs quite the punch as most of you know. Dragon Claw is preferred over Outrage, as the ability to use Attract or switch to Earthquake, is paramount in this set. STAB Dragon Claw is nothing to be disappointed in however, and will still OHKO anything with enough Dragon Dances. Testing on the former Earthquake has proven even more successful than the replacement of Fire Fang. Why, you say? Well, I must not have done good enough, of coarse. Everyone makes mistakes. Anyways, with its excellent coverage, especially against Steel types that resist Dragon Claw, Earthquake is here to stay and dominate.
Heatran (Newcomer!)
Gender: Female
@Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 242 Special Attack/252 Speed/ 4 HP
-Attract
-Substitute
-Lava Plume
-Earth Power
Empoleon will surely be missed, but if anyone could fill his place it would have to be Heatran. With reasonable defences, outstanding Special Attack, and being the only legendary with a gender, Heatran makes great use of the team's theme of Attract. The EVs are pretty straight forward, focusing on speed and damage to help maximize its effectiveness. When combined with substitute, Heatran can set up on a multitude of Pokemon, hiding behind its precious little doll while Attracting from safety. This also gives many opportunities for free moves, which is greatly appreciated to keep the Attracts and Substitutes strong. Lava Plume lets Heatran hit with a powerful STAB attack, punishing any Pokemon that doesn't resist it (Except Blissey), as well as providing a 30% chance to burn. With Attract and Substitute up, this gives plenty of chances to ruin the day of many Pokemon, especially ones who rely on physical attacks, as the burn damage adds up at an extremely fast rate. Earth Power gets great coverage in OU, hitting every Pokemon, when combined with Lava Plume, for non-resisted damage (Except for Salamence, Dragonite, and Gyarados, who are easily dealt with by other members of the team). The best thing though, at a non-competitive view, is seeing that ugly mug use its charm to hinder the opponent. Priceless.
Previous Team Members:
Empoleon
Gender: Male
@Liechi Berry
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/252 Attack/ 4 Defence
-Swords Dance
-Substitute
-Aqua Jet
-Attract
Empoleon is commonly perceived as one who abuses special attacks, and maybe agility behind a substitute as well. With closer look, however, we see that Empoleon's often forgotten Attack stat isn't actually too bad, and has access to a STAB priority move to boot. Well that's exactly what this set works on. Empoleon's typing gives it superb resistances(Unfortunately, not to Ground) which lets Empoleon get a good chance at setting up. With access to Swords Dance, Empoleon makes use of an Adamant nature and offensively based EVs to maximize the power of Aqua Jet, which becomes almost scary in the damage potential it carries. Liechi Berry makes sure that if there isn't a +6 attack stat already, that there's going to be a little more kick to Aqua Jet than normal. Substitute lets Empoleon be not afraid of those annoying (pseudo)status inducers, as well as getting several Swords Dances up against the right pokemon. The chance of a free attack if the Substitute doesn't break makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The last slot doesn't really serve a large purpose at all in this set, so Attract fits very well to set up against the likes of Blissey, who can deal almost no damage and can take Thunder Waves pretty easily with a priority move. As you've probably noticed already, this set suffers in the likes of hail, which finish off any chance at using Endure in its tracks. Priority moves will also finish off this set with no problem as well. That doesn't stop Empoleon from being an excellent late game sweeper, however, and will crush any team that isn't prepared for Aqua Jet's shocking might.
Conclusion
Many people would scoff at the idea of Attract as a competitive play style, but you'd be amazed at what it can accomplish. After a paralyze or sleep has been used on an opponent, setting up a death sweep just becomes all the easier with Attract on board. Of coarse, that doesn't mean that this team will be any more than a gimmick team any time soon. Luck is not reliable enough to be main place, and therefor makes some loses almost imminent. It is, however, both extremely fun and effective. I've enjoyed using this team very much, and is one of my favorites. I hope I've at least opened someone's eyes to the provocative power that Attract holds. And remember, I love compliments, criticism, and suggestions!
Hopefully I've succeeded at spreading a little love today.
Hopefully I've succeeded at spreading a little love today.
