Virizion's Rampage -
An OU RMT
An OU RMT
Hello there, Smogon! My name is TJ, more commonly known as the IbanezObsession on YouTube and Pokemon Online. I've always been known as an inconsistent battler as far as tiers go; one week I'll feel like playing NU, and the next I'll feel like Ubers. However, that all changed when I realized the importance of the Overused tier, and now I've been playing it for quite a while without a break.
It's the most competitive as well as most played, so I decided to give it a chance (I never really was an OU battler). I could never make really great teams for OU and that caused me to want to play different tiers, but now I have a team that I can finally be proud of, featuring a Pokémon with unmistakable class: Virizion. It also features a style of battling that I never used to really play until recently, which is bulky offense.
Virizion is constantly compared to the likes of Terrakion for having a lower attack stat and lack of the great Rock/Fighting dual STAB. However, its typing is important for this team. Grass/Fighting allows me to deal with bulky Waters like Gastrodon that would otherwise give this team problems. While less used and constantly talked down upon compared to Terrakion, Virizion is still one of the greatest Pokémon in the tier, and for that reason, I have decided to base this team around it to show how great it really is.
It's the most competitive as well as most played, so I decided to give it a chance (I never really was an OU battler). I could never make really great teams for OU and that caused me to want to play different tiers, but now I have a team that I can finally be proud of, featuring a Pokémon with unmistakable class: Virizion. It also features a style of battling that I never used to really play until recently, which is bulky offense.
Virizion is constantly compared to the likes of Terrakion for having a lower attack stat and lack of the great Rock/Fighting dual STAB. However, its typing is important for this team. Grass/Fighting allows me to deal with bulky Waters like Gastrodon that would otherwise give this team problems. While less used and constantly talked down upon compared to Terrakion, Virizion is still one of the greatest Pokémon in the tier, and for that reason, I have decided to base this team around it to show how great it really is.
A Quick Look at the Team
I love this team, but if there's one thing I can say about it that I don't really like, it's that it has a Fire / Water / Grass core. Some of you might find that a bit weird, but I just always felt like I had better originality than to run one of the most commonly used typing cores, but this team really makes it worthwhile. Oh well. Anyways, on to the teambuilding process!
I started out the team with one of the best attacking cores in OU: Rotom-W and Scizor (a.k.a. Volt-Turn). It allows me to scout the opponent's switch-ins, gain switch initiative, and keep the offensive momentum I need to keep the battle in my favor. If I can keep the momentum on my opponent for most of the game, I can usually pull off a victory. Volt-Turn of course is also one of the most abused tricks up an OU player's sleeve because of the typing coverage and again, the ability to keep offensive momentum on your opponent.
At this point, I knew I would have to add a Pokémon that the rest of this team would be based around, so I chose one that not a lot of people have used: Virizion. Virizion is a great Pokémon in general that for some reason gets constantly overlooked. I was originally considering a Nasty Plot Celebi in this place, but with Virizon's high base Special Defense of 129 and ability to stop Volt-Turn, I just couldn't pass up the offer to add it to the team.
I needed a Stealth Rocker as well as another special attacker, so I settled on Heatran. This 4 Pokémon core was looking really great, and this is where I realized that this team could really turn out to be a great one. Again, Fire / Water / Grass cores are something I don't typically like to use, but Rotom-W / Virizion / Heatran is a core that I've never really seen anyone use, so I suppose it provides pretty decent originality.
After looking at my team, I realized switching into Terrakion would be a hard thing to do, so I placed Reuniclus on the team to help cover up that problem.
The final Pokémon I needed on my team was a scarfer that could clean up late-game and take out faster threats that the rest of my team had trouble with. The answer to that was Landorus.
The Sets Broken Down
Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 116 HP / 240 SAtk / 12 SDef / 140 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
While it may be one of the least used as well as least discovered Rotom-W sets, ChestoRest has become my favorite Rotom-W set, and for one big reason: it's easy to fake the Choice item. I can go for Volt Switch on something like a Heatran as the opponent protects, and then next turn, Tran gets OHKO'd by a STAB Hydro Pump as the opponent expected me to be Choiced into Volt Switch. Another advantage of Chesto Berry is it allows me to heal off any entry hazard or status damage that I've taken throughout the battle. Will-O-Wisp allows me to burn Ferrothorn and other Pokémon that wall Rotom-W on the switch.
Landorus (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
The standard Choice Scarf Landorus set. STAB Earthquake hits Poison, Fire, Electric, Steel, and Rock types hard. Stone Edge takes care of the Flying types that avoid Earthquake, as well as Bug and Ice-types. Hidden Power Ice allows me to OHKO Physically Defensive Gliscor and OHKO Dragonite if Multiscale isn't up. It's a move that I also use if I know I can get a KO on a Flying type with it and don't want to miss a Stone Edge and lose Landorus. U-Turn allows me to keep offensive momentum on the opponent as well as scout the opponent's best switch-in to Landorus.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
There's a good reason why this Pokémon rose to #1 on the OU Usage Statistics: it's a huge threat. The ability to put Terrakion in its place, get a hunk of damage out of any Pokémon that doesn't resist U-turn, shut down Tyranitar and others with Superpower, and Pursuit-trap a Draco Meteor-locked Latios make Scizor the best candidate for the #1 spot. It works really well with Rotom-W to break down the opponent's team fast, as well as keep pressure on the opponent and make sure one team member is eliminated when the Volt-turn shenanigans conclude.
Heatran (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
In my opinion, one of the best Stealth Rockers out there. Heatran's decent speed and high Special Attack allow me to set up rocks quickly, and then do some major damage to the opponent's team if possible. Air Balloon on Tran allows me to avoid the nasty Ground-type moves that plague OU and pretty much ensure that I can get up rocks safely. Fire Blast teaches any Pokémon weak to Fire a lesson they won't soon forget, and Earth Power gives other Heatran without a Balloon a run for their money (as well as their life). Since most DD Dragonite carry Dragon Dance / Fire Punch / Extremespeed / Outrage, Hidden Power Ice makes Heatran a great counter to D-Nite and prevents it from sweeping my team.
Reuniclus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Recover
A great set-up sweeper and fighting resist was exactly what this team needed, and I found Reuniclus to be my best bet. Taking only 40% from a Choice Scarf Terrakion's X-Scissor (that is the most common set; CB Terrakion's X-Scissor does about 60%) with this spread, Reuniclus is sure to give any team problems if they don't have something to phaze it out with. Reuniclus laughs in the face of status and can continue to troll special attackers by setting up Calm Minds and recovering off the damage. Psychic / Focus Blast duo hits all types neutrally except for other Psychic types (I needed Psychic over Shadow Ball because Conkeldurr can also be a problem if it sets up, and that's exactly why I would recommend running 29 Speed IVs with this set in order to outslow minimum Speed Conkeldurr so you only take 50 damage from Payback).
Virizion @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Leaf Blade
- Stone Edge
Here we have it: the star of the team. The cream of the crop. The best of the bunch. The MVP. Virizion. It's simply a magnificent Pokémon that I've said numerous times is overlooked because Terrakion is also in OU. Virizion's Grass / Fighting typing helps put a stop to Volt-turn and covers a large amount of the OU metagame. Leaf Blade easily OHKO's Gastrodon, a Pokémon known well in OU as one of the better walls because of its ability. Virizion, Scizor, and Rotom-W work really well together to break the opponent's team down. If I have Rotom-W out and feel the opponent is going to switch into Gastro, I'll double switch out to Virizion here and start pressuring the opponent into making a move that they might not want to make, and put me in a really great position to win the match. Swords Dance also makes Virizion dangerous because of its high speed and coverage with Leaf Blade, Close Combat, and Stone Edge. I'll make sure that anyone who faces Virizion never forgets the true power of it.
Final Words
All in all, I can say that this is by far my most successful OU team to date. I'm usually too busy to ladder on Pokémon Online, but I'm sure this team would do great on the ladder if I had the time to do so. If anyone out there wants to test out this team, the export for it is below, and be sure to give me feedback on this team on how I can improve it. Thanks to all who have read this RMT, and I hope to see you guys soon!
I love this team, but if there's one thing I can say about it that I don't really like, it's that it has a Fire / Water / Grass core. Some of you might find that a bit weird, but I just always felt like I had better originality than to run one of the most commonly used typing cores, but this team really makes it worthwhile. Oh well. Anyways, on to the teambuilding process!
I started out the team with one of the best attacking cores in OU: Rotom-W and Scizor (a.k.a. Volt-Turn). It allows me to scout the opponent's switch-ins, gain switch initiative, and keep the offensive momentum I need to keep the battle in my favor. If I can keep the momentum on my opponent for most of the game, I can usually pull off a victory. Volt-Turn of course is also one of the most abused tricks up an OU player's sleeve because of the typing coverage and again, the ability to keep offensive momentum on your opponent.
At this point, I knew I would have to add a Pokémon that the rest of this team would be based around, so I chose one that not a lot of people have used: Virizion. Virizion is a great Pokémon in general that for some reason gets constantly overlooked. I was originally considering a Nasty Plot Celebi in this place, but with Virizon's high base Special Defense of 129 and ability to stop Volt-Turn, I just couldn't pass up the offer to add it to the team.
I needed a Stealth Rocker as well as another special attacker, so I settled on Heatran. This 4 Pokémon core was looking really great, and this is where I realized that this team could really turn out to be a great one. Again, Fire / Water / Grass cores are something I don't typically like to use, but Rotom-W / Virizion / Heatran is a core that I've never really seen anyone use, so I suppose it provides pretty decent originality.
After looking at my team, I realized switching into Terrakion would be a hard thing to do, so I placed Reuniclus on the team to help cover up that problem.
The final Pokémon I needed on my team was a scarfer that could clean up late-game and take out faster threats that the rest of my team had trouble with. The answer to that was Landorus.
The Sets Broken Down
Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 116 HP / 240 SAtk / 12 SDef / 140 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
While it may be one of the least used as well as least discovered Rotom-W sets, ChestoRest has become my favorite Rotom-W set, and for one big reason: it's easy to fake the Choice item. I can go for Volt Switch on something like a Heatran as the opponent protects, and then next turn, Tran gets OHKO'd by a STAB Hydro Pump as the opponent expected me to be Choiced into Volt Switch. Another advantage of Chesto Berry is it allows me to heal off any entry hazard or status damage that I've taken throughout the battle. Will-O-Wisp allows me to burn Ferrothorn and other Pokémon that wall Rotom-W on the switch.
Landorus (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
The standard Choice Scarf Landorus set. STAB Earthquake hits Poison, Fire, Electric, Steel, and Rock types hard. Stone Edge takes care of the Flying types that avoid Earthquake, as well as Bug and Ice-types. Hidden Power Ice allows me to OHKO Physically Defensive Gliscor and OHKO Dragonite if Multiscale isn't up. It's a move that I also use if I know I can get a KO on a Flying type with it and don't want to miss a Stone Edge and lose Landorus. U-Turn allows me to keep offensive momentum on the opponent as well as scout the opponent's best switch-in to Landorus.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
There's a good reason why this Pokémon rose to #1 on the OU Usage Statistics: it's a huge threat. The ability to put Terrakion in its place, get a hunk of damage out of any Pokémon that doesn't resist U-turn, shut down Tyranitar and others with Superpower, and Pursuit-trap a Draco Meteor-locked Latios make Scizor the best candidate for the #1 spot. It works really well with Rotom-W to break down the opponent's team fast, as well as keep pressure on the opponent and make sure one team member is eliminated when the Volt-turn shenanigans conclude.
Heatran (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
In my opinion, one of the best Stealth Rockers out there. Heatran's decent speed and high Special Attack allow me to set up rocks quickly, and then do some major damage to the opponent's team if possible. Air Balloon on Tran allows me to avoid the nasty Ground-type moves that plague OU and pretty much ensure that I can get up rocks safely. Fire Blast teaches any Pokémon weak to Fire a lesson they won't soon forget, and Earth Power gives other Heatran without a Balloon a run for their money (as well as their life). Since most DD Dragonite carry Dragon Dance / Fire Punch / Extremespeed / Outrage, Hidden Power Ice makes Heatran a great counter to D-Nite and prevents it from sweeping my team.
Reuniclus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Recover
A great set-up sweeper and fighting resist was exactly what this team needed, and I found Reuniclus to be my best bet. Taking only 40% from a Choice Scarf Terrakion's X-Scissor (that is the most common set; CB Terrakion's X-Scissor does about 60%) with this spread, Reuniclus is sure to give any team problems if they don't have something to phaze it out with. Reuniclus laughs in the face of status and can continue to troll special attackers by setting up Calm Minds and recovering off the damage. Psychic / Focus Blast duo hits all types neutrally except for other Psychic types (I needed Psychic over Shadow Ball because Conkeldurr can also be a problem if it sets up, and that's exactly why I would recommend running 29 Speed IVs with this set in order to outslow minimum Speed Conkeldurr so you only take 50 damage from Payback).
Virizion @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Leaf Blade
- Stone Edge
Here we have it: the star of the team. The cream of the crop. The best of the bunch. The MVP. Virizion. It's simply a magnificent Pokémon that I've said numerous times is overlooked because Terrakion is also in OU. Virizion's Grass / Fighting typing helps put a stop to Volt-turn and covers a large amount of the OU metagame. Leaf Blade easily OHKO's Gastrodon, a Pokémon known well in OU as one of the better walls because of its ability. Virizion, Scizor, and Rotom-W work really well together to break the opponent's team down. If I have Rotom-W out and feel the opponent is going to switch into Gastro, I'll double switch out to Virizion here and start pressuring the opponent into making a move that they might not want to make, and put me in a really great position to win the match. Swords Dance also makes Virizion dangerous because of its high speed and coverage with Leaf Blade, Close Combat, and Stone Edge. I'll make sure that anyone who faces Virizion never forgets the true power of it.
Final Words
All in all, I can say that this is by far my most successful OU team to date. I'm usually too busy to ladder on Pokémon Online, but I'm sure this team would do great on the ladder if I had the time to do so. If anyone out there wants to test out this team, the export for it is below, and be sure to give me feedback on this team on how I can improve it. Thanks to all who have read this RMT, and I hope to see you guys soon!
Export
Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 116 HP / 240 SAtk / 12 SDef / 140 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
Landorus (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
Heatran (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Virizion @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Leaf Blade
- Stone Edge
Reuniclus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Recover
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 116 HP / 240 SAtk / 12 SDef / 140 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
Landorus (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
Heatran (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Virizion @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Leaf Blade
- Stone Edge
Reuniclus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Recover
