The Return of Afro Bull

[TwinkyFist]

INTRODUCTION
I typically enjoy making teams based around something you don't see everyday (although they usually end up being horrible) and recently I found a new love in Bouffalant. You almost never see him on serious teams but I've been determined to give him the support he needs to really make him shine in OU. I've actually had some pretty surprising success with this team, let me know what you think.

TEAM BUILDING PROCESS

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Obviously I wanted to use the Afro Bull, and his biggest weakness is his speed. Trick Room is a great way to remedy this problem, but I didn't want to make a full Trick Room team. Reuniclus is one of the best users of Trick Room out there and resists Bouffalants Fighting weakness, so he was an easy choice.

Many Bouffalants moves involve recoil damage, so I felt a Wish Passer would be a great idea. Vaporeon has always been a pain for my teams in the past, so I decided to give her a try.

I also wanted a reliable way to take out Scizor and other steel types that threatened my team, and you can't get better than Magnezone.

The team also wanted entry hazards with spin support, Forretress can easily handle this while serving as a defensive wall for my team.

Finally I wanted a speedy powerful revenge killer that could clean up late game, Terrakion filled the slot perfectly.

Vaporeon sounded good on paper, but her strategy just didn't fit my playstyle and she ended up just being dead weight more often than not. I decided to try out Slowbro with his new Regenerator ability as a reliable bulky water and a way to take out Gliscor.

Slowbro was doing alright but his damage output always left something to be desired. I end up using Starmie on almost all of my teams so I wanted to avoid her, but I eventually cracked and she is now one of the strongest members of the team.

After some extensive testing and some advise from Jimbon, I realized that while Starmie was a powerful force on my team, she also held a little redundancy alongside the rest of the team. A switch to Rotom-W gave me a better check to rain, along with some of the top threats in the metagame.

IN DEPTH

Bouffalant (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sap Sipper
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Head Charge
- Earthquake
- Wild Charge
- Superpower

The star of my team, Bouffalant is equipped with a Choice Band maximizing his already high damage output. Sap Sipper allows him to switch in on the likes of Amoongus, Ferrothorn, Venusaur, Breloom, Abomasnow, Celebi, and anything else using a grass move with some simple prediction for a free attack boost. Head Charge is his main STAB doing silly amounts of damage that very few Pokemon (barring Steel and Ghost types) can switch into. While the recoil of it and Wild Charge are unfavorable, they both allow him to punch huge holes in the opposing team. Earthquake and Superpower are there for type coverage but hit many threats for super effective damage. The EV's I honestly got from his analysis in the forums and I haven't gotten around to changing them. I'm not quite sure what the 124 Speed EV's allow him to outspeed but I will probably change it to just 252 HP unless one of you has a better idea.

Reuniclus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Psyshock
Very standard set for Reuniclus. Trick Room allows him to outspeed most everything for 5 turns and Shadow Ball/Focus Blast give him perfect coverage. STAB Psyshock allows him to take out Blissey along with some other Special Walls and Magic Guard saves him from the residual damage of Sandstorm, Hail, burns, poison, etc. If he is KO'd while Trick Room is up, I will almost always switch to Bouffalant who will usually make as many OHKO's as there are turns left in Trick Room, a pretty nasty surprise. Moving on...

Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SDef / 8 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Thunder Wave
- Rest
It was originally recommended to me to use Will-O-Wisp over Thunder Wave, but after some testing paralysis benefited my team much more and allows Rotom to cripple some of its most common counters like Lati@s and Virizion. Rotom-W is my best check to rain teams, as he can sponge boosted water attacks and fire back a Volt Switch to keep momentum going for the team. This has great synergy with Forretress as both my special wall and physical wall can switch with ease. ChestoRest also allows Rotom reliable recovery, although it only works once.​

Magnezone @ Air Balloon
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 36 HP / 252 SAtk / 220 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Magnezone traps the Steel types that might otherwise give this team problems. Air Balloon rids him of his Ground weakness allowing him more opportunities to switch in. I chose Thunder over Thunderbolt because of the prominence of rain in the metagame, but it causes him to struggle against sun teams. Even so, with 130 base SAtk, he is not easy to switch into. He also has great synergy with Reuniclus, who tends to lure out Scizor.

Forretress 2.0 (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ice
I chose Stealth Rock over Spikes because it does more damage to bigger threats to my team, while also being easier to set up. Forretress is my physical wall, and a damn good one at that. His biggest niche in my team however is being able to check Dragons such as Salamence and Dragonite. Hidden Power Ice 2HKOs both of them while they are almost totally walled by Forretress (Minus a Dragonites Fire Punch). He also reliably counters Gliscor and can dent anything weak to Ice. Volt Switch ensures free switch ins for the rest of my team alongside 0 Speed IVs.

Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Sacred Sword
Terrakion is simply a monster. Outspeeding most of the metagame with his Choice Scarf, Terrakion is one of the hardest Mons to switch into. Close Combat and Stone Edge provide incredible STAB coverage while X-Scissor takes down Psychic types that threaten him. Sacred Sword is there mainly as filler, but could be useful in certain situations. He makes an incredible revenge killer and I will usually save him for the end of the match when he can overwhelm the opposing team.​

THREATLIST

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I will redo the threatlist later

IMPORTABLE

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Forretress (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 32 SAtk / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SDef / 8 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Thunder Wave
- Rest

Bouffalant (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sap Sipper
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Head Charge
- Earthquake
- Wild Charge
- Superpower

Reuniclus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Psyshock

Magnezone @ Air Balloon
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 36 HP / 252 SAtk / 220 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon

Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake

FORMER MEMBERS

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Starmie @ Expert Belt
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Signal Beam/Psychic
Starmie was a great member of the team, but as stated earlier, her niche was a little redundant. Rotom-W supports the teams needs much more efficiently, but don't fret Starmie, you will be missed.

Forretress (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
- Counter
Yes Forretress is still on my team, but he now has a much different strategy so I felt his previous niche deserves a spot here. His surprise counter got me out of many situations, but sadly it had to go. Forretress 2.0 serves a much better niche in the team as a reliable Dragon check.​

Well that's about it, I consider it to be one of my better teams, but it could use a little work so let me know your opinions. Happy rating!

 

[CedOmega]

Hey TwinkyFist, nice team. I respect that you've built a team around Pokemon that aren't used more often(When, in my opinion, they should be). Having said that, I do have a few suggestions. First is Magnezone: Leftovers>AirBalloon to be able to live longer & set up multiple Substitutes. Second is Starmie: Psyshock or Recover>Psychic, LifeOrb or Leftovers>ExpertBelt for better efficiency in battle. Third is Terrakion: EQ>SacredSword for better coverage seeing as how SacredSword is there as filler.

Lastly is Forrtress: SR>Counter to take on threats not hurt by Spikes. I hope this helped & Good luck w/ the team. :)

 

[Ames]

I also enjoy the idea behind this team and love the combination of Reuniclus, Bouffalant and Terrakion.

The only thing that stands out as an issue is modest Magnezone; as far as I am aware, Timid is infinitely superior for the SubCharge set because it allows you to outspeed Scizor (not to mention other mons who might otherwise have a chance to break your sub once you have killed the steel type you were using to set up on).

 

[TwinkyFist]

Hey TwinkyFist, nice team. I respect that you've built a team around Pokemon that aren't used more often(When, in my opinion, they should be). Having said that, I do have a few suggestions. First is Magnezone: Leftovers>AirBalloon to be able to live longer & set up multiple Substitutes. Second is Starmie: Psyshock or Recover>Psychic, LifeOrb or Leftovers>ExpertBelt for better efficiency in battle. Third is Terrakion: EQ>SacredSword for better coverage seeing as how SacredSword is there as filler.

I've been thinking about testing out most of these, now I'm probably going to try them out. Thanks for the input!

Lastly is Forrtress: SR>Counter to take on threats not hurt by Spikes. I hope this helped & Good luck w/ the team. :)

Honestly I'm not sure I can give up counter, as it has saved my ass in so many battles against boosting sweepers. However, I might try Stealth Rock over Spikes, as that is easier to set up and will really help with my teams gaping weakness to Volcanroa.

I also enjoy the idea behind this team and love the combination of Reuniclus, Bouffalant and Terrakion.

The only thing that stands out as an issue is modest Magnezone; as far as I am aware, Timid is infinitely superior for the SubCharge set because it allows you to outspeed Scizor (not to mention other mons who might otherwise have a chance to break your sub once you have killed the steel type you were using to set up on).

To my memory I haven't had a problem with Magnezone being outsped, but maybe I've just been lucky. I'll try out Timid, thanks for the rate!

 

[Jimbon]

Hi there,

Interesting team, Bouffalant is definitely something that can work with the right support and it's nice to see someone doing it well. Given that this team is built around supporting Bouffalant, it would be a good idea to pair it with mons that help out it's main weaknesses. I do see a little redundancy with Starmie and Forretress on your team, as Starmie is not utilizing Rapid Spin. If you are using Starmie as an offensive check to Rain, there are much better options, as Starmie's main niche in OU is an offensive spinner and does not support the best offensive stats and leaves you open to mons such as Tornadus-T. As for your team in general, I do see a little weakness to Dragon Dance users, mainly Dragonite and Salamence. Scarf Salamence also looks a little problematic to play, as your Starmie fails to outspeed and you need a free switch in to Terrakion to revenge it. To help with this, I recommend you change your Forretress's EV spread to 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SAtk and your moveset to Volt Switch, Hidden Power [Ice], Rapid Spin and Spikes. This gives you a much more reliable check to Dragons, as Forretress can only Counter it. If you mispredict, then your opponent knows you have Counter and can easily use Forretress as setup fodder. With this moveset, you are able to 2HKO many Dragons such as Dragonite and Salamence, deterring them from setting up. Additionally, you also beat Gliscor who often carries Taunt to shut down Forretress. You may also want to change Forretress's nature to Relaxed, as this gives Forretress the least speed possible. This is important as you can pretty much guarantee a slower Volt Switch than your opponent, giving you a free switch into one of your more frail Pokemon such as Terrakion or Bouffalant who do not sport the same bulk Forretress does.

As I mentioned earlier, I also think that Starmie is not really doing a whole lot for your team. Offensively, Reuniclus hits a lot harder, while also utilizing Trick Room to support Bouffalant. If you go with the Forretress change, you also gain an extra check for Dragons, reducing the need for Starmie. For these reasons, I think you could try a Specially Defensive Rotom-W over your current Starmie. I think Specially Defensive Rotom does a whole lot more for your team. As your Starmie is not carrying Rapid Spin, it really has no merit over Rotom, except for the speed, which really isn't important when part of your team is using Trick Room and you have Scarfers that outspeed Starmie. Rotom gives you a great check against Rain, arguably one of the most threatening team archetypes in the current metagame. Rotom-W can sponge Rain boosted hits, while also helping you to check Keldeo, Thundurus-T and Tornadus-T. Rotom-W also has Volt Switch, giving you even more momentum in combination with Forretress to grant easy free switches for your frail sweepers. It's also good for incoming Ferrothorns who hope to wall Rotom-W, who are Volt Switch'd on as you send out Magnezone and trap Ferrothorn, letting Bouffalant sweep easier. Rotom's bulk is superior to Starmie's, while also retaining good offensive stats, making it a great addition for your team.

Finally, it's a small change, but I think you could try Rock Slide > Sacred Sword on Terrakion. Rock Slide gives you a more accurate STAB move for times when you don't want to miss Stone Edge. This is very important for dealing with Volcarona, who currently sweeps you at +1 if Terrakion is down.

Interesting team, good luck!

Specially Defensive Rotom-W

Rotom-W @ Leftovers / Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SDef / 8 Spe
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split / Rest

 

[Explorer]

There are a few changes I would suggest:

1. Give Reuniclus 0 Speed IVs so it is not outspend by other Reuniclus under Trick Room. You may wish to move some Speed EVs to HP on Bouffalant as well.
2. Psychic > Signal Beam on Starmie because Ice Beam already covers Grass-types and Psychic is a reliable method of KOing non-Scarfed Terakkion.
3. Move 4 SpD EVs to Speed on Forretress to outspend other Forretress, or even give it 8 Speed EVs if you wish.

Honestly, I like Bouffalant a lot as well, and it's great to see you using it so well in OU!

 

[TwinkyFist]

Interesting team....

Thanks a lot for the advice, I tried out Rotom-W and the only thing I'd have to say is that I found on this team that Thunder Wave is more beneficial than Will-O-Wisp, outside of that he fills a much better role in my team than Starmie did. The new Forretress set also is a much better way to check Dragons. Updated the OP with the changes.

There are a few changes I would suggest:

1. Give Reuniclus 0 Speed IVs so it is not outspend by other Reuniclus under Trick Room. You may wish to move some Speed EVs to HP on Bouffalant as well.
2. Psychic > Signal Beam on Starmie because Ice Beam already covers Grass-types and Psychic is a reliable method of KOing non-Scarfed Terakkion.
3. Move 4 SpD EVs to Speed on Forretress to outspend other Forretress, or even give it 8 Speed EVs if you wish.

Honestly, I like Bouffalant a lot as well, and it's great to see you using it so well in OU!

1. I probably should have mentioned in the OP that Reuniclus already has 0 speed IVs, good catch though!
2. Psychic probably was much better than Signal Beam, but Starmie has since been cut from the team
3. Not a bad idea, on the off chance that an opposing Forretress would Volt Switch to a Ghost type to block a Rapid Spin or something like that. Circumstantial, but I may as well. Thanks for the rate :)