Typhlosion and Friends
I've been using this team on Shoddy for a while now and it's been working fairly well in UU and even in OU. One of my OU opponents suggested I post it, so here it is.
The strategy is about as simple as the name: Set up some sun, soften/eliminate things that Typhlosion might not be able to OHKO, and then bring it in to sweep with a seriously overpowered Eruption.
---
Jumpluff (F) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Sleep Powder
- Sunny Day
- U-turn
- Protect
Nothing too surprising here. Sleep Powder buys some time to set up Sunny Day and U-turn out so the fun can begin. Protect hasn't been extremely useful, but it is nice for stopping Fake Out leads. I may replace Protect with Encore or Leech Seed and see how that works. Overall, it may be predictable, but it has worked incredibly well.
---
Typhlosion (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 144 Atk/112 Spd/252 SAtk
Mild nature (+SAtk, -Def)
- Earthquake
- Eruption
- Overheat
- Reversal
The sweeper. Eruption and Earthquake are self-explanatory. Overheat and Reversal give Typlosion some late-game tricks. If Typhlosion has taken too much damage for Eruption and if Stealth Rocks/Spikes are in play, I can switch in/out to chip away at the rest of its HP, setting up either one or two final Blaze + possibly Sun boosted Overheats, or play Scarf+Reversal to take care of some special walls. It's not easy to set up, but the payoff is huge when it works.
---
Tropius (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Leaf Blade
- Swords Dance
- Aerial Ace
Somewhat of a physical sweeper. The sun gives it a much needed Speed boost and it can typically get in a Swords Dance. The main idea is to take out Water types that might stop Typhlosion's sweep. This works pretty well in UU but if I make an OU spinoff of this team, I would probably need someone that hits harder and doesn't share Jumpluff's weaknesses.
---
Golduck (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Cloud Nine
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Psychic
- Hypnosis
I'm not sure what to call Golduck. Its set looks somewhat like a Special Sweeper, but I've mainly used it as a revenge killer (mainly on opposing Fire types). Cloud Nine means Golduck's Surf isn't hampered by the sun, making it an ideal Water type for a Sunny Day team. Psychic is on there instead of say Ice Beam to deal with opposing Waters and surprise some Poison/Fighting types.
---
Shiftry (F) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 6 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Rash nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Explosion
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Dark Pulse
The second Sunny Day user. Unlike Jumpluff though, it can put the sun to good use in an attempt to get some KOs with Solarbeam and Dark Pulse. Chlorophyll+Explosion is a great way to get rid of some very annoying threats (waves at Moltres and some OU walls).
---
Camerupt (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 228 HP/72 Atk/208 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- Lava Plume
Camerupt's main job is to set up Stealth Rocks to help Typhlosion score some extra KOs and to penalize all the switch ins Typhlosion (or Shiftry's threat of Explosion) can force. It's also helpful for drawing out opposing Water types early on and either taking them out with Explosion, or at the very least, exposing them before I attempt to sweep. Lava Plume provides the occasional burn support, which helps my team's overall lack of bulk.
---
So there it is.
On paper (er screen?) it seems to rely heavily on Typhlosion, but in practice, I've found that Typhlosion can sometimes even sit out an entire match.
Is it perfect? Of course not. Is it fun to use? You bet.
All comments/improvements/critiques/etc are welcome. Any recommendations for how to spin a OU team off of this would also be helpful.
First real post here. Be nice if I've broken any posting rules (I read them but haven't memorized them or anything heh). Thanks.
