Introduction
Hey guys, here is a team I used in the SS OU metagame prior to the recent bans with a great deal of success. In particular, I used it in WCOP vs SoulWind and a lot on the ladder afterwards. I wanted to showcase it so there is some lasting memory of the early post-DLC metagame as I played a lot of the tier and had a great deal of fun along the way. I was hoping to post this a little sooner, but I was contemplating using the team in OPL tiebreak, which was still the old metagame. It made use of Magearna and Cinderace; both of these Pokemon have been banned within the last week (former via suspect vote and latter via council ban) and I believe this team does a great job showcasing the problematic aspects of both Pokemon. This team has been used in the WCOP, regularly on the ladder, and because of this it was made a sample team recently. Overall, I think this team is a good example of a consistent balance build during this stage of the metagame.
Teambuilding Process
I was initially preparing for a WCOP game against SoulWind and I was struggling to pinpoint a single focus. I knew he was most likely to use something more balanced, so I figured that one of the best options at forcing progress would have to be a Choice Specs Magearna. I was debating other strong breakers and focal points, but none of them were as sound both offensively and defensively. Choice Specs Magearna was hands-down the best Pokemon in the tier and be it with spamming Volt Switch to gain momentum and chip, hitting strong STABs for massive damage, or crippling otherwise troublesome walls with Trick, I find it to be a pretty foolproof pick.
Another Pokemon I really wanted to use was Toxapex. It is able to help positioning in more drawn out games better than just about anything due to Regenerator, the ability to spread status, and the ability to displace items if you are using Knock Off. Given the type of team I expected to face, having all of this compressed into one slot made a lot of sense to me. In addition, Toxapex is able to check a lot of common Pokemon and this goes a long way for me personally. Finally, Knock Off Toxapex is actually very awkward to switch in to, which is one of the most underrated aspects of it and arguably makes it banworthy. It forces in things like opposing Toxapex, Clefable, Slowbro, etc. and these Pokemon can all be abused by other members of my team, especially including the aforementioned Magearna.
At this point, I wanted to pair something with Magearna to make sure the team was not passive and I could take advantage of match-ups that were more complicated than just Fleur Cannon goes brrrr. The idea is that Magearna's Fleur Cannon baits in Regenerator Poison types Toxapex and Amoonguss, so something that takes advantage of them coming in on a Volt Switch would be a good idea. Cinderace can kill Toxapex with Zen headbutt after the prior damage from Volt Switch and Amoonguss is Cinderace fodder itself. Other options like Rotom-Heat, Hydreigon, Alakazam, and even Gengar crossed my mind, too, but Cinderace struck me as the best option overall.
I now had my offensive core formed, but I wanted to be solid defensively as well. I had three Pokemon weak to Ground and a vulnerability to some particular offensive threats, too. In addition, I had three resistances to the Fairy type, so I knew I would not have to worry about that with my next member either. Given this and the fact that I needed a Defogger and appreciated a check to Dragapult, my next team member was Specially Defensive Mandibuzz. At this point in time, Mandibuzz was used a lot more than Corviknight due to its convenient typing against moves like Wicked Blow and Hex as well as not being weak to Cinderace's Pyro Ball like fellow Defog user Corviknight.
At this point, I knew I was lacking a solid check to Excadrill and an Electric immunity. These two things were both covered by Hippowdon, which also granted me a Stealth Rock setter. It was a pretty foolproof addition to the team; Hippowdon being added also meant that I did not need to run a faster Mandibuzz to cover Bisharp. Finally, Zeraora, Cinderace, and Terrakion were also kept in check by Hippowdon, which was great considering my teams current lack of speed control and vulnerability to these Pokemon.
Finally, my last addition was Dragapult. I wanted something to drum up momentum for Cinderace and Magearna while also providing speed control. Dragapult does both of these things while soft-checking Volcarona and being immune to Close Combat, which was important as Choice Band Urshifu was the most common set at the time. Thunder Wave was also a great addition to the team as it slowed down opposing Pokemon so that my offensive core could beat down softened opposing threats.
The Team
Hippowdon @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Toxic
Hippowdon served the role of being a physically defensive tank, Stealth Rock setter, and Electric immunity on this team. It was great against threatening physical attackers like Zeraora and Cinderace, making it so that some timely predictions would not be enough for them to break through the team. Stealth Rock being combined with Toxic also meant that Mandibuzz is incapable of keeping rocks off for a long time against Hippowdon, which is very helpful to this team. Finally, the EV spread is to maximize physical bulk and the moves are relatively standard -- Stealth Rock to punish opposing switches, Earthquake to deal out consistent STAB damage, Slack Off for recovery purposes, and Toxic to cripple various switch-ins like Mandibuzz, Slowbro, Tangrowth, and Togekiss.
Mandibuzz (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 40 Def / 220 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 29 Spe
- Foul Play
- Roost
- U-turn
- Defog
Mandibuzz was next up and compliments Hippowdon quite nicely; these two form the defensive core with Mandibuzz being a special wall, Defogger, pivot, and check to various prominent offensive presences. This spread in particular allows for you to live a +2 Life Orb Dazzling Gleam from Alakazam, still tank 2 Pyro Ball from Cinderace, and counter non-Thunderbolt Choice Specs Dragapult. Foul Play is here to give a secondary Excadrill countermeasure and pressure opposing Cinderace, Zeraora, and Rillaboom, which this team desperately needs Mandibuzz for. Roost is for recover, U-turn is to allow for comfortable pivoting to Cinderace and Magearna, and Defog is for removing opposing entry hazards.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Knock Off
- Recover
- Haze
Toxapex serves as a great defensive sponge that can check a number of offensive options and also force status or item displacement. Without a doubt, Toxapex is one of the best Pokemon in SS OU. Regenerator and Recover give it a lot of longevity, Scald and Knock off allow for it to force incremental progress, and Haze deters opposing set-up well. This spread is physically defensive in order to help against Cinderace, scout what move Choice Band Rillaboom is locking into, scout what move Choice Band Urshifu is locking into, and checking Dragon Dance Dragapult on hyper offense, when Hippowdon is needed as healthy as possible for other Pokemon. I have run a more specially bulky spread to stomach a Life Orb Psychic from Alakazam always, but now that I am the specially defensive Mandibuzz, I find that a lot less necessary. Overall, Toxapex is the glue holding this team together and it did a great job defensively.
Magearna @ Choice Specs
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Trick
- Volt Switch
Magearna was the offensive centerpiece of this team. Choice Specs Magearna is able to force progress better than anything else. It is the main reason why I voted to ban Magearna and honestly I think it is hard not to use Magearna in this role on many teams. Choice Specs Magearna was able to take advantage of Pokemon like Mandibuzz and Slowbro all while posing a massive threat. Trick for Blissey, Chansey, and the rare Jirachi or Specially Defensive Ferrothorn. Volt Switch for Toxapex and general pivoting. Fleur Cannon and Flash Cannon provided STAB nukes and solid enough coverage given the sheer strength of both to deter frail resists from pivoting in. Choice Specs Magearna dominated virtually every game I used it in and I love this Pokemon.
big C (Cinderace) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Libero
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pyro Ball
- Gunk Shot
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn
big C is a fucking monster on the physically offensive side of things. Cinderace had no counters besides Rocky Helmet Hippowdon and the occasional Rhyperior. These four moves allowed for it to dismantle everything. Pyro Ball for true STAB and hitting Steel types like Excadrill and Corviknight, Gunk Shot for Clefable and getting off a Poison against Mandibuzz or Slowbro while doing around 40%, Zen Headbutt for Toxapex and Fighting types not named Urshifu, and U-turn for chipping down normal checks into 2HKO range, which is very easy to pull off as games play out. Adamant was my choice here as opposing Cinderace did not strike me as overly problematic with Hippowdon and Thunder Wave Dragapult, but you can just as easily use Jolly in theory. Boots for survivability. Overall, Cinderace was a menace and it was even more broken than Magearna in my eyes.
Dragapult @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Hex
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
Dragapult was a great offensive pivot and form of speed control to round the team out. Thunder Wave over Will-O-Wisp in order to slow down Cinderace. I was not as worried about burning Pokemon like Excadrill and Urshifu thanks to the offensive pressure of my team and Hippowdon being there as a premier physical wall, but you can go dual status without Draco Meteor if you do not mind being hard walled by Dark types and reliant more on status. Regardless of this, Draco was there for those things -- reliable, strong attack that hits Dark types like Physically Defensive Mandibuzz and Urshifu. U-turn for pivoting purposes and it honestly is what I click the most. The item was interesting: Heavy Duty Boots is the best item on Dragapult and in general, but with Toxapex for Toxic Spikes I found it a tad less necessary here than some other builds. Moreover, with Sand being set by Hippowdon, Leftovers seemed to help negate that while also helping deter other hazard damage partially, so I decided it was an appropriate middleground. Spell Tag is a luxury that I simply could not afford here, so I stuck with Leftovers ultimately.
Closing Thoughts
I know this is a bit late as the tier shifted a bit over a week ago, banning two crucial members of this team, but I wanted to showcase this metagame as it was represented in the WCOP and various other recent tournaments. I wanted to get this up a bit earlier, but I almost used this team in an OPL tiebreak game, which was in the old metagame, and I got carried away with a vicious cycle of winning into tilting during OLT so...oops Thanks to everyone for reading this and I hope you all enjoy. I'm well aware that this team is not usable in the current metagame, but Sample Teams will be updated next week if you would like new teams and I wanted to showcase a metagame that is going to be forgotten very soon as new things develop. I had a lot of fun playing in June and July, so thanks for the memories.
Shoutouts
Hey guys, here is a team I used in the SS OU metagame prior to the recent bans with a great deal of success. In particular, I used it in WCOP vs SoulWind and a lot on the ladder afterwards. I wanted to showcase it so there is some lasting memory of the early post-DLC metagame as I played a lot of the tier and had a great deal of fun along the way. I was hoping to post this a little sooner, but I was contemplating using the team in OPL tiebreak, which was still the old metagame. It made use of Magearna and Cinderace; both of these Pokemon have been banned within the last week (former via suspect vote and latter via council ban) and I believe this team does a great job showcasing the problematic aspects of both Pokemon. This team has been used in the WCOP, regularly on the ladder, and because of this it was made a sample team recently. Overall, I think this team is a good example of a consistent balance build during this stage of the metagame.
Teambuilding Process
I was initially preparing for a WCOP game against SoulWind and I was struggling to pinpoint a single focus. I knew he was most likely to use something more balanced, so I figured that one of the best options at forcing progress would have to be a Choice Specs Magearna. I was debating other strong breakers and focal points, but none of them were as sound both offensively and defensively. Choice Specs Magearna was hands-down the best Pokemon in the tier and be it with spamming Volt Switch to gain momentum and chip, hitting strong STABs for massive damage, or crippling otherwise troublesome walls with Trick, I find it to be a pretty foolproof pick.
Another Pokemon I really wanted to use was Toxapex. It is able to help positioning in more drawn out games better than just about anything due to Regenerator, the ability to spread status, and the ability to displace items if you are using Knock Off. Given the type of team I expected to face, having all of this compressed into one slot made a lot of sense to me. In addition, Toxapex is able to check a lot of common Pokemon and this goes a long way for me personally. Finally, Knock Off Toxapex is actually very awkward to switch in to, which is one of the most underrated aspects of it and arguably makes it banworthy. It forces in things like opposing Toxapex, Clefable, Slowbro, etc. and these Pokemon can all be abused by other members of my team, especially including the aforementioned Magearna.
At this point, I wanted to pair something with Magearna to make sure the team was not passive and I could take advantage of match-ups that were more complicated than just Fleur Cannon goes brrrr. The idea is that Magearna's Fleur Cannon baits in Regenerator Poison types Toxapex and Amoonguss, so something that takes advantage of them coming in on a Volt Switch would be a good idea. Cinderace can kill Toxapex with Zen headbutt after the prior damage from Volt Switch and Amoonguss is Cinderace fodder itself. Other options like Rotom-Heat, Hydreigon, Alakazam, and even Gengar crossed my mind, too, but Cinderace struck me as the best option overall.
I now had my offensive core formed, but I wanted to be solid defensively as well. I had three Pokemon weak to Ground and a vulnerability to some particular offensive threats, too. In addition, I had three resistances to the Fairy type, so I knew I would not have to worry about that with my next member either. Given this and the fact that I needed a Defogger and appreciated a check to Dragapult, my next team member was Specially Defensive Mandibuzz. At this point in time, Mandibuzz was used a lot more than Corviknight due to its convenient typing against moves like Wicked Blow and Hex as well as not being weak to Cinderace's Pyro Ball like fellow Defog user Corviknight.
At this point, I knew I was lacking a solid check to Excadrill and an Electric immunity. These two things were both covered by Hippowdon, which also granted me a Stealth Rock setter. It was a pretty foolproof addition to the team; Hippowdon being added also meant that I did not need to run a faster Mandibuzz to cover Bisharp. Finally, Zeraora, Cinderace, and Terrakion were also kept in check by Hippowdon, which was great considering my teams current lack of speed control and vulnerability to these Pokemon.
Finally, my last addition was Dragapult. I wanted something to drum up momentum for Cinderace and Magearna while also providing speed control. Dragapult does both of these things while soft-checking Volcarona and being immune to Close Combat, which was important as Choice Band Urshifu was the most common set at the time. Thunder Wave was also a great addition to the team as it slowed down opposing Pokemon so that my offensive core could beat down softened opposing threats.
The Team
Hippowdon @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Toxic
Hippowdon served the role of being a physically defensive tank, Stealth Rock setter, and Electric immunity on this team. It was great against threatening physical attackers like Zeraora and Cinderace, making it so that some timely predictions would not be enough for them to break through the team. Stealth Rock being combined with Toxic also meant that Mandibuzz is incapable of keeping rocks off for a long time against Hippowdon, which is very helpful to this team. Finally, the EV spread is to maximize physical bulk and the moves are relatively standard -- Stealth Rock to punish opposing switches, Earthquake to deal out consistent STAB damage, Slack Off for recovery purposes, and Toxic to cripple various switch-ins like Mandibuzz, Slowbro, Tangrowth, and Togekiss.
Mandibuzz (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 40 Def / 220 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 29 Spe
- Foul Play
- Roost
- U-turn
- Defog
Mandibuzz was next up and compliments Hippowdon quite nicely; these two form the defensive core with Mandibuzz being a special wall, Defogger, pivot, and check to various prominent offensive presences. This spread in particular allows for you to live a +2 Life Orb Dazzling Gleam from Alakazam, still tank 2 Pyro Ball from Cinderace, and counter non-Thunderbolt Choice Specs Dragapult. Foul Play is here to give a secondary Excadrill countermeasure and pressure opposing Cinderace, Zeraora, and Rillaboom, which this team desperately needs Mandibuzz for. Roost is for recover, U-turn is to allow for comfortable pivoting to Cinderace and Magearna, and Defog is for removing opposing entry hazards.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Knock Off
- Recover
- Haze
Toxapex serves as a great defensive sponge that can check a number of offensive options and also force status or item displacement. Without a doubt, Toxapex is one of the best Pokemon in SS OU. Regenerator and Recover give it a lot of longevity, Scald and Knock off allow for it to force incremental progress, and Haze deters opposing set-up well. This spread is physically defensive in order to help against Cinderace, scout what move Choice Band Rillaboom is locking into, scout what move Choice Band Urshifu is locking into, and checking Dragon Dance Dragapult on hyper offense, when Hippowdon is needed as healthy as possible for other Pokemon. I have run a more specially bulky spread to stomach a Life Orb Psychic from Alakazam always, but now that I am the specially defensive Mandibuzz, I find that a lot less necessary. Overall, Toxapex is the glue holding this team together and it did a great job defensively.
Magearna @ Choice Specs
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Trick
- Volt Switch
Magearna was the offensive centerpiece of this team. Choice Specs Magearna is able to force progress better than anything else. It is the main reason why I voted to ban Magearna and honestly I think it is hard not to use Magearna in this role on many teams. Choice Specs Magearna was able to take advantage of Pokemon like Mandibuzz and Slowbro all while posing a massive threat. Trick for Blissey, Chansey, and the rare Jirachi or Specially Defensive Ferrothorn. Volt Switch for Toxapex and general pivoting. Fleur Cannon and Flash Cannon provided STAB nukes and solid enough coverage given the sheer strength of both to deter frail resists from pivoting in. Choice Specs Magearna dominated virtually every game I used it in and I love this Pokemon.
big C (Cinderace) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Libero
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pyro Ball
- Gunk Shot
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn
big C is a fucking monster on the physically offensive side of things. Cinderace had no counters besides Rocky Helmet Hippowdon and the occasional Rhyperior. These four moves allowed for it to dismantle everything. Pyro Ball for true STAB and hitting Steel types like Excadrill and Corviknight, Gunk Shot for Clefable and getting off a Poison against Mandibuzz or Slowbro while doing around 40%, Zen Headbutt for Toxapex and Fighting types not named Urshifu, and U-turn for chipping down normal checks into 2HKO range, which is very easy to pull off as games play out. Adamant was my choice here as opposing Cinderace did not strike me as overly problematic with Hippowdon and Thunder Wave Dragapult, but you can just as easily use Jolly in theory. Boots for survivability. Overall, Cinderace was a menace and it was even more broken than Magearna in my eyes.
Dragapult @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Hex
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
Dragapult was a great offensive pivot and form of speed control to round the team out. Thunder Wave over Will-O-Wisp in order to slow down Cinderace. I was not as worried about burning Pokemon like Excadrill and Urshifu thanks to the offensive pressure of my team and Hippowdon being there as a premier physical wall, but you can go dual status without Draco Meteor if you do not mind being hard walled by Dark types and reliant more on status. Regardless of this, Draco was there for those things -- reliable, strong attack that hits Dark types like Physically Defensive Mandibuzz and Urshifu. U-turn for pivoting purposes and it honestly is what I click the most. The item was interesting: Heavy Duty Boots is the best item on Dragapult and in general, but with Toxapex for Toxic Spikes I found it a tad less necessary here than some other builds. Moreover, with Sand being set by Hippowdon, Leftovers seemed to help negate that while also helping deter other hazard damage partially, so I decided it was an appropriate middleground. Spell Tag is a luxury that I simply could not afford here, so I stuck with Leftovers ultimately.
Closing Thoughts
I know this is a bit late as the tier shifted a bit over a week ago, banning two crucial members of this team, but I wanted to showcase this metagame as it was represented in the WCOP and various other recent tournaments. I wanted to get this up a bit earlier, but I almost used this team in an OPL tiebreak game, which was in the old metagame, and I got carried away with a vicious cycle of winning into tilting during OLT so...oops Thanks to everyone for reading this and I hope you all enjoy. I'm well aware that this team is not usable in the current metagame, but Sample Teams will be updated next week if you would like new teams and I wanted to showcase a metagame that is going to be forgotten very soon as new things develop. I had a lot of fun playing in June and July, so thanks for the memories.
Shoutouts
Shoutouts to nobody because this is an RMT, not the end of some big tournament or event 
Yes, I am throwing shade at you for tagging me in your epic x000 post RMTs, gg.
Yes, I am throwing shade at you for tagging me in your epic x000 post RMTs, gg.
