ORAS OU Voltturn Double Intimidate Core

[GerardSama]

Introduction​

General strat:

Get rocks out asap and reapply post Defog/RS to punish every switch that this team forces. The Voltturn core with 2 extremely fast Pokemon allows for constant momentum as long as played/predicting properly. Coupled with 2 Intimidates on the Voltturn basically all physical threats are severely crippled throughout the game to an extent where they grant you tons of free switches thus allowing for more momentum and rocks damage.
Threats like m Lopunny, m Medicham, Weavile, ..., can easily be checked by this Scizor set and especially the Fake Outs allow for free Rocky Helmet damage. As Rocky Helmet+BP+1-2x rocks damage threatens death, Scizor often forces switches in the early/midgame which you can follow up with either Knock Off to cripple the incoming answer or U-Turn to force another switch.
Whenever Manectric forces a switch, Flamethrower is generally a good idea as it sets up the KO with HP Ice on common ground types. All the acquired momentum should be abused to get free subs, or just one, in the midgame with Gengar.
It 2HKOs a huge chunk of the current meta game and if you get to Volt Switch/U-Turn into it, it forces switches frequently. Pokes that tend to go for status impairments like Chansey, or Venusaur's Leech Seed etc also grant a free sub. Black Sludge guarantees Gengar will stay around for the late stages of the game which presents a severe threat to the enemy team if it does not have an answer. Black Sludge also weakens any trick users, though going for a prediction on that is in no way a safe and reliable play. With a Sub up it can 1v1 a huge amount of Pokemon and the Chance for SpD drops on both Shadow Ball and Focus Blast coupled with a Poison Chance on Sludge Bomb makes it almost unwallable in the long run. It goes without saying that Taunt Gengar has better chances at stallbreaking, though I prefer Substitute alot more in this momentum heavy team.
As there is no setup sweeper in this team, which can be seen as a weakness, rocks, rocky helmet, status afflictions and just overall residual damage coupled with 2HKOing switch ins or picking Pokemon offguard with e.g. HP Ice is the major win condition. Identifying enemy threats, preparing answers for the later stage of the game while realizing what Pokemon your enemy cannot answer is another huge part of it, obviously, though that holds true for almost any team.
Scarfed Landorus-T, Manectric and Gengar on their own already preserve a huge threat, so knowing how to prepare a lategame sweep with them by taking out their answers makes it a whole lot simpler to begin with.

Teambuilding Process​

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**I wanted to build a team around m-Manectric because I really like its coverage and I feel it is very underrated considering its high speed, the access to volt switch&intimidate etc.**

I like to play Voltturn teams and I figured in this very contact+physical heavy meta, another Intimidate would be very beneficial. Also, with having m-Manectric I already had a very fast SpAtk mon that could sweep lategames on its own, so I coupled it with a scarfed physical attacker to get higher chances at sweeping after removing certain checks.

Picking the landorus-t made me very vulnerable to Water and Ice moves, so Azumarill covers both of them. Also it grants access to priority in Aqua Jet and can cripple switch ins with Knock-Off. I also needed a Fairy Stab and something to switch into Dragon moves.

By now i had 2 Atk and 1SpAtk mon on my team, while also only having one Ground immunity. Additionally, I needed some fast Poison move wielder to take care of all the Fairies in this meta. I decided to go for a Substitute set, as the amount of switches my team forces grant alot of opportunities for my Gengar to get off a free sub. It is not a lategame sweeper, but a very good wallbreaker and can cause severe damage to teams in the midgame.

I had no stealth rocker yet and nothing to take status conditions (Spore especially). Also, a Psychic Stab can always come in handy and Celebi with this ev investment takes SpAtks very well. Even some super effective ones. Also, my team functioned in a way where I sacrifice HP (alot of switches, staying in for 2HKOs etc) to gain a lead. Celebi's Healing Wish has proven time and time again to reenable one of my win conditions that got crippled or dropped to low HP. Celebi has its job done once it got off Rocks, maybe 1-2 Toxics and the opposing team has nothing that i want to have Psychic against.

I like to build innovative sets and i needed something to stop the onslaught of Weaviles, m-Lopunnys and m-Medichams i had to face time and time again. Scizor has insanely high physical bulk, coupled with Stab Technician priority and a decently high base Atk. The rocky helmet is never expected and heavily punishes all the u-turns, fake outs etc that are in this meta. Roost allows it to stay in and stall many physical threats, even after having switched into attacks multiple times. Often I find myself Voltswitching or U-turning into Scizor for a good matchup. most of the time this is answered by a switchout, so I can then either cripple the incoming Mon with Knock Off, or go for U-Turn to get switch initiative.

Pokemon Choices&Comments​

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flamethrower
​

Very hard hitting special attacker which gains alot of momentum through Volt Switch and Intimidate, thus granting it alot of utility aswell. Its excellent coverage coupled with the insanely high speed allows for 2HKOs on a ton of switch ins post rocks and maybe some rocky helmet damage etc. Lightning Rod sometimes catches people offguard in the early game, immediately demanding an answer as otherwise Manectric will leave deep holes in the enemy line up very early. Overall just a very solid Pokemon that majorly defines this teams playstyle.

Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Substitute
- Focus Blast
​

One of the hardest hitting Poison attack wielders in the game, which is a blessing in the current Fairy heavy meta. It has good enough coverage to 2HKO almost all non-special-walls on the switch in post rocks etc. Its subpar speed compared to some other very common threats is a weakness, though it easily can and has to be avoided through forcing switch ins on other Pokemon and following that up with a free Sub to then even contest the faster threats. Black Sludge allows for presence up until the late stages of the game, thus demanding an answer throughout the entire match.

Pikachu (Azumarill) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Knock Off
- Play Rough
​

Checks a ton of common threats like Keldeo, Weavile, ..., and hits like a truck. Its typing compliments Celebi's thus forming a very solid specially defensive lineup that can even switch in into many physical threats post 1-2 Intimidates with ease. Knock Off cripples switch ins and Aqua Jet stops setup sweepers. If its Assault Vest gets knocked off that heavily affects its bulkyness thus nullifying a big part of its role in this team, so that happening should be avoided as much as possible. Always gets its job done and chunks alot of HP while knocking off important items before it goes down.

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
​

Forms the Voltturn core with double Intimidate coupled with m Manectric. Scarf lets it outspeed pretty much anything and even some of the slower Scarf wielders. It catches people offguard frequently with SE moves when the Scarf is yet to be revealed. After that it still presents a huge threat to many teams. Once the enemy's Ground immunites/resistances are gone a simple EQ spam threatens a ton of things, which makes letting it survive until the late game a very common strategy. Scarf Knock Off 2HKOs quite a few offensive threats atm - especially with rocks etc - thus confronting your opponent with the choice of either giving up his Pokemon or losing another item while letting his switch in take pretty signifant damage.

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Toxic
- Healing Wish
​

While it heavily suffers from the threat of U-Turners and things like Weavile, it will always get rocks up early in the game due to the amount of switch initative granted by its team. Its very high special bulk lets it wall alot of common special attackers, while Toxic makes it even more punishing for them to switch in. Natural Cure allows it to take status conditions and if Psychic is not needed to take care of certain Pokemon at some point, you can easily go for a Healing Wish after rocks and maybe 1-2 Toxics. It will have done its job by then and rejuvenates one of your win conditions, which on its own often enough already grants a win. If you get off a good Healing Wish on the enemy's Defogger that's even more beneficial, as it will make Defog miss. Just like U-Turn and Volt Switch it grants switch initiative in some way, thus complimenting the general plan of the team. Identifying slower Pokemon to get off free Healing Wishes is a very effective and safe way of utilizing this Celebi set. I find myself getting off Toxics on Rotom-W and following it up with Healing Wish in a ton of cases e.g. In my opinion a very underrated support and special wall. While it does get threatened by afore mentioned moves/pokes, its team got it covered on that one. And besides that is is very hard to answer.

Scizor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
- Knock Off
​

This used to be a Latios, though I found it to be not as strong in the metagame anymore, as the Pursuit users that arose mainly due to Hoopa U still have not left the field and the meta is insanely Steel/Fairy heavy. Holding Life Orb with Draco, Psyshock, EQ, Defog/Roost it still could not OHKO Heatrans/Metagross/... reliably and never seemed to get enough work done. Instead, I wanted something that punishes this very physical Atk-/U-Turn-/contact-heavy metagame. Scizor is insanely bulky on the physical side, especially with 2 Intimidates on its team. Its great typing makes Fire moves the only real threat to it, which 1) are no real problem atm and 2) are easily covered by its team (mostly Azumarill). Weaviles, m Lopunnys, m Medichams and other very common physical Attackers are threatened by BP+rocky Helmet+1-2x rocks which forces immediate switch outs. HJK can also be tanked post Fake Out and is punished by BP. If really needed, Celebi can Healing Wish Scizor or you can get a free Roost off at some point to get back your HP. Yes, HJK still does hit decently hard, but it means the death of the attacker in almost all cases, because he will have taken significant residual damage over the course of just a couple of switches, Fake Outs etc. The switch outs it forces allow for free Knock Off on enemy threats or U-Turns if the momentum is prefered. Technician and STAB boosted BP coupled with Zors high base Atk makes it a very viable lategame sweeping option, as the enemy team will be widdled down alot at that point and most Pokemon will be in 1HKO range, 2HKO at most. It seems like a weird set, it maybe is not god tier, but I found it to be working extremely well in my team vs the current OU meta.

Conclusion​

The main weakness I found this team to have is the lack of a hard hitting physical Fighting STAB, though with this very Knock Off heavy lineup the likes of Chansey will always lose their Eviolite at some point which allows for Gengar to come in, get a free Sub and spam Sludge Wave/Focus Blast for residual poison damage and SpDef drops. My physical threats also hit a non-Eviolite Chansey decently hard, so I have not yet found myself getting walled by Chansey to an extent where I could not stop it, thus losing the game. Still, I might consider teaching either Azumarill, Landorus or Scizor Superpower. The common ice weakness on Celebi and Landorus is something you have to be aware of all the time, which also puts more weight on Azumarill. Though generally speaking, my team has some way or another of properly dealing with currently common Ice move wielders. The lack of a real setup sweeper puts more stress on properly piloting this team. Getting proper predictions/setting up beneficial situations a couple of turns ahead really makes the difference between winning or losing. At times when I was on tilt/not focused etc. I performed rather bad, but when i was in "the zone", I experienced a drastic increase in this team's performance. At times, I peeked at around 1800 elo with this team, which I think is not that bad.
Other than the afore mentioned ones, I could not yet identify real problems with the team. The general strategy can be pulled off against almost anything and the team rewards momentum utilization and just very few decent predictions can lead to a chain of KOs in the mid or lategame.

As of now I do not have saved any replays of this team, as I did not see myself ever browsing these forums, so I apologize for the lack of footage.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!

Showdown Import

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flamethrower

Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Substitute
- Focus Blast

Pikachu (Azumarill) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Knock Off
- Play Rough

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Toxic
- Healing Wish

Scizor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
- Knock Off

 

[Kurukaito]

Wesh, nice team pretty cool to see! At the first look I see Mega sableye, Mega charizard Y, Victini and Volcarona are problems. On your team, I see a Talonflame easy on celebi to check them, and for the Flying priority ! Spe Def Talon is best imo :)

Talonflame's set

Talonflame
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Acrobatics
- Roost
- Bulk Up
- Will-O-Wisp

Acrobatics and Roost obv, to hit and recovery. Will o Wisp for Landorus T and Laggron who come on to take an attack. I think Bulk Up is better than Taunt on your team, to not be walled by Mega Sableye, and to set up and sweep in late game :)

After that, you don't have anything to remove hazards with Talon so I think defog on Scizor can be cool, cause you need him to check KB, and have the bullet punch to RK. I prefer this set on your team:

Scizor's set

Scizor @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Def / 200 SpD
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn

Classic set to balance defenses.
I hope this help you, I don't think I make my best, but your team was pretty hard to rate !