Hello everyone, (V)Iridescent here. It's been a very long time, almost two months, since I've been able to make some kind of presence on Smogon or PS!, mostly owing to final exams and persistent illness. It's been a week or so since I've come to life, so to speak, and I've had little time to adapt to all the changes that have taken place in my absence. However, since Metagross remains unbanned, I'll take the opportunity to share this team I had made before the suspect test, which is all the more relevant now with the metal monster running rampant again.
Disclaimer: Those who have seen this might find this team familiar. I'll admit that at the end of the day, after experimenting with various elements, new and old, I prefer sticking to and trying to improve on what already works for me. This team is essentially based on the same concept of a Charizard-Y / Tyranitar core that I had come up with in XY, although the mechanics are more than slightly different to deal with new threats. I had managed to ladder with this team about six weeks ago, and I had entered the top 20 before I had to stop:
So without further ado, let us proceed to the team description.
Ability: Drought (Blaze)
Timid Nature
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpAtk / 252 Speed
IVs: 0 Atk
-Fire Blast
-Solar Beam
-Focus Blast
-Roost
The focus of the team is on Mega Chazriard-Y (what a mouthful, let's call him Yardy), with the standard Drought-wallbreaking set. The purpose is simple: raze anything that comes its way. Fire Blast 2HKOs, if not completely annihilates, almost the entire meta while Solar Beam hits water types such as Mega Slowbro and Rotom-W very hard, requiring no charge-up courtesy Drought. Focus Blast is situational, yet extremely useful for putting Heatran and Tyranitar in their place. I prefer to use Roost over Dragon Pulse in the last slot, as Roost is essential to keep Yardy alive if he takes too many knocks, and is especially helpful in allowing him to repeatedly enter the game at any stage.
Maximum special attack and speed investment is ideal to hit hard and fast. The sun boost is so ridiculous that the extra power from a +SpAtk nature isn't worth the speed drop in my opinion.
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
Jolly Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Speed
-Pursuit
-Crunch
-Stone Edge
-Superpower
Sand has always been one of my favourite weather effects, even in past generations. Tyranitar is the sand bastion of this team, providing five turns of boosted special defence, chip damage and a playground for Excadrill. More importantly, Tyranitar can switch in on and OHKO Talonflame and Mega Pinsir with Stone Edge, checkmate Stamie, Gengar and the Lati twins with Pursuit, beat Heatran, Bisharp, Slowbro with Superpower and Crunch, and annihilate opposing Charizard as well. As such, it acts as a good complement to Yardy, eliminating most of the usual threats that might hinder its rampage. Crunch is also a reliable and spammable STAB with few resists and a nice chance to lower defense.
Maximum speed investment with a Choice Scarf allows Tyranitar to hit 365 speed - enough to outspeed positive-natured base 115s like Starmie or Raikou and everything below. The rest is dumped into attack for as much of a power boost as possible.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Bold Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 172 Def / 88 Speed
IVs: 0 Atk
-Hydro Pump
-Volt Switch
-Will-O-Wisp
-Pain Split
Rotom-W has a movepool that is tailored to its functions on the team: Hydro Pump is a reasonably strong Water STAB with which it can check Landorus-T and opposing Sand Rush Excadrill, two top threats, as well as do some damage to annoyances like Heatran and Gliscor. Will-O-Wisp is excellent for threatening the aforementioned threats, neutralizing physically based attackers like Garchomp, Tyranitar, Azumarill or Bisharp, as well as spreading chip damage on any potential switch-ins like Quagsire, Ferrothorn or Chansey. Volt Switch is an equally excellent tool to punish Talonflame and bulky Water types like Slowbro and Azumarill, and is crucial to build momentum and safely allow Excadrill or another teammate to switch in. The last slot is best given to Pain Split, as it can potentially bring Rotom back from the brink against a high-HP opponent like Garchomp or Clefable.
The spread is more or less the conventional physically defensive standard. As per the point noted by Leftiez, running 88 speed EVs instead of the usual 44 enables Rotom-W to outspeed Jolly Swords Dance Crawdaunt and OHKO it with Volt Switch. (after Stealth Rock damage) Though unconventional, Crawdaunt would be a nearly unstoppable threat, since at +2, even Ferrothorn is OHKOed (How I wish Steel continued to resist Dark) and it is better to be prepared for any contingecy. The additional speed also ensures that defensive Landorus-T is outsped and burned or KOed before it can U-turn away, while the loss in defense EVs is largeley insignificant in Rotom's job of checking Talonflame and pivoting between weathers.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball / Thunder Wave
- Power Whip
The team so far was quite vulnerable to Fairy types and, to a lesser extent, Water types, and was also in need of a solid tank and a user of the quintessential Stealth Rock. Ferrothorn fits this bill perfectly - not only is it a consistent setter of Stealth Rock because of its great bulk and ability to beat common entry hazard removers, such as Latios, Latias, and Excadrill, but it is also unmatched in all of OU for the sheer diversity of utility it can provide to a team. It can, at one and the same time, set up hazards, sponge hits from both sides of the spectrum, deal with Azumarill and bulky water types with Power Whip, spam Leech Seed to drain health and sustain itself for an admirably long time, and, most importantly, use Gyro Ball to punish Fairy types such as Gardevoir, Sylveon, Clefable and Mega Altaria without Fire Blast. Gyro Ball also always OHKOs Kyurem-B after Stealth Rock or one round of Life Orb recoil, while it cannot 2HKO back with Ice Beam. Thunder Wave is also an option over Gyro Ball, to cripple the aforementioned threats instead of attempting to deal with them outright.
The spread is aimed at having enough special defense to avoid the 2HKO from Manaphy's +3 Ice Beam and from Specially-based Life Orb Kyurem-B's Ice Beam, while also living a Focus Blast from Mega Gardevoir. A positive defense nature minimizes susceptibility to Mega Gyarados' Crunch, which in this meta is much more threatening than Gardevoir. A negative nature, coupled with Ferrothorn's own pathetic 20 base speed, almost always ensures that Gyro Ball reaches its full base power of 150.
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
Adamant nature
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Attack / 252 Speed
-Earthquake
-Iron Head
-Rock Slide
-Swords Dance
Excadrill takes advantage of Tyranitar's sand to instantly become a dangerous revenge killer or a late-game sweeper. There isn't much to describe about Excadrill's role. Earthquake and Rock Slide usually nail almost every threat to any other teammate, while Iron Head provides for a solid neutral STAB capable of dealing high damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Swords Dance instantly catapults Excadrill's Attack to sky-high levels, guaranteeing the demise of several opponents. After a boost, Life Orb Excadril''s Earthquake is strong enough to OHKO Ferrothorn, as an indication of its power. Excadrill is also a fantastic check to any Fairy type not named Azumarill (which is already covered more than adequately) and thus can also benefit Tyranitar from their partnership. In several cases, establishing a Sand Rush sweep proves to be the easiest win condition of this team. However, Excadrill is usually on a very short leash, as it has at best three to four turns before its precious sand deserts it. (no pun intended)
The spread is fairly straightforward. Maximum attack and speed with an Adamant nature ensures the greatest potential output while still maintaining enough speed to outrun slower opponents like Heatran or defensive Tyranitar, even outside of sand.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
Timid Nature
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Psyshock
- Recover
With the departure of Greninja, Starmie once again saw a chance to shine in OU usage as a fast Water type with the distinction of being a really rapid spinner. (no pun intended) I prefer to use Starmie over a Lati in this slot for three principal reasons. First, Starmie has access to Rapid Spin, which is in most cases superior to Defog as a form of hazard control since it does not eliminate my own hazards as well. Second, Starmie is faster, being able to outrun the majority of the now-prolific base 110 speed tier, particularly Gengar, thereby ensuring a KO and a subsequent spin. Finally, Starmie, unlike the Lati twins, is far less susceptible to common Pursuit trappers such as Bisharp and Tyranitar, as both risk either a nasty burn or an outright 2HKO, making them much more wary of trying to switch in. As an added benefit, Rapid Spin, unlike Defog, does not give Bisharp an avenue to exploit its ability by switching in.
The main issue with Starmie is that a fully offensive spread, while powerful, is ill l suited for this team as it is worn down too quickly by recoil from Life Orb as well as from sand, and thus cannot effectively perform its task of checking Keldeo. A fully defensive spread, however, will be too weak to threaten Tyranitar or Bisharp, defeating the main purpose of using it over a Lati. Besides, even with full HP investment, defensive Starmie is still far too frail to take any knocks. Leftiez has suggested the "middle ground" Starmie set which, after some testing, has proven to be optimal for this team. By utilizing Natural Cure, Leftovers and Recover, Starmie will not suffer passive recoil or sand damage, and can still use Psyshock to reliably check Keldeo of all kinds without too much trouble, and can also stick around long enough to better perform its primary task: clearing hazards. Natural Cure also lets it remove Toxic Spikes without serious consequence. At the same time, retaining Hydro Pump and an EV spread that maximizes special attack and speed prevents redundant investment in bulk while also ensuring that Starmie remains a threat to Tyranitar and Bisharp, both of which are 2HKOed on the switch. (Although Bisharp must be handled more carefully by using Scarfed Tyranitar)
While I am still not fully recovered, I cannot be present online for long periods of time, and therefore have been unable to use this team as often as I would have liked after the end of the Suspect Test. However, over the past few days, my friend bludz and I had gone over this team from scratch, and he has laddered with it and used it in battle against other good players to our satisfaction. Therefore, I feel safe in posting this team up here to provide food for thought and to encourage all players to try it in their battles.
Shoutouts to Omegasization, ArchPhantom, and of course, bludz, as well as everyone in the OU room on PS! whose support has gone into this effort. (Enclosed apology to Omega for hounding him for two days about this thing). Special thanks to Leftiez for taking the time and trouble to help out with such insightful and valid corrections. As always, I am open to criticism, suggestions and experiences. I should be most glad to receive them from all readers and players.
Importable: http://pastebin.com/uvfLuNrC
Disclaimer: Those who have seen this might find this team familiar. I'll admit that at the end of the day, after experimenting with various elements, new and old, I prefer sticking to and trying to improve on what already works for me. This team is essentially based on the same concept of a Charizard-Y / Tyranitar core that I had come up with in XY, although the mechanics are more than slightly different to deal with new threats. I had managed to ladder with this team about six weeks ago, and I had entered the top 20 before I had to stop:
Here is a brief summary of my thoughts when making this team:
I decided to stick to my guns, so Yardy's back!
A return from the past, this core still works beautifully for me. Scarfed Tyranitar puts tons of pressure on birds, the Lati twins, Starmie, and Heatran, while Rotom-W shields both the others from Landorus-T, physical dragons and opposing Tyranitar and also being a great pivot in general.
Excadrill seemed a natural choice for the team, forming the potent Sandrill core with Tyranitar, and threatening to sweep weakened opponents while also performing the essential Rapid Spins to keep Charizard relevant.
The team so far was quite vulnerable to bulky Fairy types and Water types, so Ferrothorn was added for utility. Ferrothorn is also a reliable setter of Stealth Rock because of its great bulk and ability to beat common entry hazard removers.
At this juncture, I had decided that Rapid Spin was a waste of Excadrill's potential, especially considering that it has a limited amount of time in sand. Seeing as the team needed more speed as well as a reliable check to Keldeo, I decided to opt for Starmie.
I decided to stick to my guns, so Yardy's back!
A return from the past, this core still works beautifully for me. Scarfed Tyranitar puts tons of pressure on birds, the Lati twins, Starmie, and Heatran, while Rotom-W shields both the others from Landorus-T, physical dragons and opposing Tyranitar and also being a great pivot in general.
Excadrill seemed a natural choice for the team, forming the potent Sandrill core with Tyranitar, and threatening to sweep weakened opponents while also performing the essential Rapid Spins to keep Charizard relevant.
The team so far was quite vulnerable to bulky Fairy types and Water types, so Ferrothorn was added for utility. Ferrothorn is also a reliable setter of Stealth Rock because of its great bulk and ability to beat common entry hazard removers.
At this juncture, I had decided that Rapid Spin was a waste of Excadrill's potential, especially considering that it has a limited amount of time in sand. Seeing as the team needed more speed as well as a reliable check to Keldeo, I decided to opt for Starmie.
Descriptive Analysis
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought (Blaze)
Timid Nature
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpAtk / 252 Speed
IVs: 0 Atk
-Fire Blast
-Solar Beam
-Focus Blast
-Roost
The focus of the team is on Mega Chazriard-Y (what a mouthful, let's call him Yardy), with the standard Drought-wallbreaking set. The purpose is simple: raze anything that comes its way. Fire Blast 2HKOs, if not completely annihilates, almost the entire meta while Solar Beam hits water types such as Mega Slowbro and Rotom-W very hard, requiring no charge-up courtesy Drought. Focus Blast is situational, yet extremely useful for putting Heatran and Tyranitar in their place. I prefer to use Roost over Dragon Pulse in the last slot, as Roost is essential to keep Yardy alive if he takes too many knocks, and is especially helpful in allowing him to repeatedly enter the game at any stage.
Maximum special attack and speed investment is ideal to hit hard and fast. The sun boost is so ridiculous that the extra power from a +SpAtk nature isn't worth the speed drop in my opinion.
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
Jolly Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Speed
-Pursuit
-Crunch
-Stone Edge
-Superpower
Sand has always been one of my favourite weather effects, even in past generations. Tyranitar is the sand bastion of this team, providing five turns of boosted special defence, chip damage and a playground for Excadrill. More importantly, Tyranitar can switch in on and OHKO Talonflame and Mega Pinsir with Stone Edge, checkmate Stamie, Gengar and the Lati twins with Pursuit, beat Heatran, Bisharp, Slowbro with Superpower and Crunch, and annihilate opposing Charizard as well. As such, it acts as a good complement to Yardy, eliminating most of the usual threats that might hinder its rampage. Crunch is also a reliable and spammable STAB with few resists and a nice chance to lower defense.
Maximum speed investment with a Choice Scarf allows Tyranitar to hit 365 speed - enough to outspeed positive-natured base 115s like Starmie or Raikou and everything below. The rest is dumped into attack for as much of a power boost as possible.
Ability: Levitate
Bold Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 172 Def / 88 Speed
IVs: 0 Atk
-Hydro Pump
-Volt Switch
-Will-O-Wisp
-Pain Split
Rotom-W has a movepool that is tailored to its functions on the team: Hydro Pump is a reasonably strong Water STAB with which it can check Landorus-T and opposing Sand Rush Excadrill, two top threats, as well as do some damage to annoyances like Heatran and Gliscor. Will-O-Wisp is excellent for threatening the aforementioned threats, neutralizing physically based attackers like Garchomp, Tyranitar, Azumarill or Bisharp, as well as spreading chip damage on any potential switch-ins like Quagsire, Ferrothorn or Chansey. Volt Switch is an equally excellent tool to punish Talonflame and bulky Water types like Slowbro and Azumarill, and is crucial to build momentum and safely allow Excadrill or another teammate to switch in. The last slot is best given to Pain Split, as it can potentially bring Rotom back from the brink against a high-HP opponent like Garchomp or Clefable.
The spread is more or less the conventional physically defensive standard. As per the point noted by Leftiez, running 88 speed EVs instead of the usual 44 enables Rotom-W to outspeed Jolly Swords Dance Crawdaunt and OHKO it with Volt Switch. (after Stealth Rock damage) Though unconventional, Crawdaunt would be a nearly unstoppable threat, since at +2, even Ferrothorn is OHKOed (How I wish Steel continued to resist Dark) and it is better to be prepared for any contingecy. The additional speed also ensures that defensive Landorus-T is outsped and burned or KOed before it can U-turn away, while the loss in defense EVs is largeley insignificant in Rotom's job of checking Talonflame and pivoting between weathers.
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball / Thunder Wave
- Power Whip
The team so far was quite vulnerable to Fairy types and, to a lesser extent, Water types, and was also in need of a solid tank and a user of the quintessential Stealth Rock. Ferrothorn fits this bill perfectly - not only is it a consistent setter of Stealth Rock because of its great bulk and ability to beat common entry hazard removers, such as Latios, Latias, and Excadrill, but it is also unmatched in all of OU for the sheer diversity of utility it can provide to a team. It can, at one and the same time, set up hazards, sponge hits from both sides of the spectrum, deal with Azumarill and bulky water types with Power Whip, spam Leech Seed to drain health and sustain itself for an admirably long time, and, most importantly, use Gyro Ball to punish Fairy types such as Gardevoir, Sylveon, Clefable and Mega Altaria without Fire Blast. Gyro Ball also always OHKOs Kyurem-B after Stealth Rock or one round of Life Orb recoil, while it cannot 2HKO back with Ice Beam. Thunder Wave is also an option over Gyro Ball, to cripple the aforementioned threats instead of attempting to deal with them outright.
The spread is aimed at having enough special defense to avoid the 2HKO from Manaphy's +3 Ice Beam and from Specially-based Life Orb Kyurem-B's Ice Beam, while also living a Focus Blast from Mega Gardevoir. A positive defense nature minimizes susceptibility to Mega Gyarados' Crunch, which in this meta is much more threatening than Gardevoir. A negative nature, coupled with Ferrothorn's own pathetic 20 base speed, almost always ensures that Gyro Ball reaches its full base power of 150.
Ability: Sand Rush
Adamant nature
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Attack / 252 Speed
-Earthquake
-Iron Head
-Rock Slide
-Swords Dance
Excadrill takes advantage of Tyranitar's sand to instantly become a dangerous revenge killer or a late-game sweeper. There isn't much to describe about Excadrill's role. Earthquake and Rock Slide usually nail almost every threat to any other teammate, while Iron Head provides for a solid neutral STAB capable of dealing high damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Swords Dance instantly catapults Excadrill's Attack to sky-high levels, guaranteeing the demise of several opponents. After a boost, Life Orb Excadril''s Earthquake is strong enough to OHKO Ferrothorn, as an indication of its power. Excadrill is also a fantastic check to any Fairy type not named Azumarill (which is already covered more than adequately) and thus can also benefit Tyranitar from their partnership. In several cases, establishing a Sand Rush sweep proves to be the easiest win condition of this team. However, Excadrill is usually on a very short leash, as it has at best three to four turns before its precious sand deserts it. (no pun intended)
The spread is fairly straightforward. Maximum attack and speed with an Adamant nature ensures the greatest potential output while still maintaining enough speed to outrun slower opponents like Heatran or defensive Tyranitar, even outside of sand.
Ability: Natural Cure
Timid Nature
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Psyshock
- Recover
With the departure of Greninja, Starmie once again saw a chance to shine in OU usage as a fast Water type with the distinction of being a really rapid spinner. (no pun intended) I prefer to use Starmie over a Lati in this slot for three principal reasons. First, Starmie has access to Rapid Spin, which is in most cases superior to Defog as a form of hazard control since it does not eliminate my own hazards as well. Second, Starmie is faster, being able to outrun the majority of the now-prolific base 110 speed tier, particularly Gengar, thereby ensuring a KO and a subsequent spin. Finally, Starmie, unlike the Lati twins, is far less susceptible to common Pursuit trappers such as Bisharp and Tyranitar, as both risk either a nasty burn or an outright 2HKO, making them much more wary of trying to switch in. As an added benefit, Rapid Spin, unlike Defog, does not give Bisharp an avenue to exploit its ability by switching in.
The main issue with Starmie is that a fully offensive spread, while powerful, is ill l suited for this team as it is worn down too quickly by recoil from Life Orb as well as from sand, and thus cannot effectively perform its task of checking Keldeo. A fully defensive spread, however, will be too weak to threaten Tyranitar or Bisharp, defeating the main purpose of using it over a Lati. Besides, even with full HP investment, defensive Starmie is still far too frail to take any knocks. Leftiez has suggested the "middle ground" Starmie set which, after some testing, has proven to be optimal for this team. By utilizing Natural Cure, Leftovers and Recover, Starmie will not suffer passive recoil or sand damage, and can still use Psyshock to reliably check Keldeo of all kinds without too much trouble, and can also stick around long enough to better perform its primary task: clearing hazards. Natural Cure also lets it remove Toxic Spikes without serious consequence. At the same time, retaining Hydro Pump and an EV spread that maximizes special attack and speed prevents redundant investment in bulk while also ensuring that Starmie remains a threat to Tyranitar and Bisharp, both of which are 2HKOed on the switch. (Although Bisharp must be handled more carefully by using Scarfed Tyranitar)
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At the conclusion of this description, I have compiled a brief list of potential threats as well as potential options for replacement on this team to meet or neutralize those threats:
Threat List
At the conclusion of this description, I have compiled a brief list of potential threats as well as potential options for replacement on this team to meet or neutralize those threats:
Threat List
- Mega Gallade: Mega Gallade is not outsped and OHKOed at full health by anything on my team bar Excadrill in sand. The threat can be prevented rather than cured by applying enough offensive pressure to disallow switching opportunities. Happily, almost everything on this team, if played well, can dissuade Gallade from switching in without being 2HKOed.
- Mega Gyarados: Gyarados itself is not too much of an issue; Mega Gyarados, however, shuts down Rotom-W if it has Earthquake, and cannot be OHKOed by unboosted Excadrill. Ferrothorn is the sole counter to it on this team, and though it can avoid a 2HKO from a +1 Crunch and can in turn 2HKO back with Power Whip, it is essential to keep Ferrothorn healthy and to have Stealth Rocks up if possible.
- Landorus-I: Landorus-I is quite threatening if it manages to get a Rock Polish boost. Rotom can switch in on Earth Power or Knock Off and KO with Hydro Pump, but it cannot switch in on any other move without being 2HKOed. (Sp.Def. Rotom, however, can't be 2HKOed by any move) However, it is difficult for Landorus to switch in on or set up against anything bar Choice-locked Tyranitar, as even Ferrothorn can 2HKO with Gyro Ball.
- Crawdaunt: I have a particular loathing for Crawdaunt, as the thing always seems to sack all my teams, and yet when I try to use it myself it never makes the grade. As pointed out by Leftiez, Jolly Swords Dance Crawdaunt, though unconventional, is a serious theat that can potentially sweep this team in the hands of a good player. However, Rotom-W can outspeed Crawdaunt with the given spread, and be able to revenge kill it with Volt Switch.
While I am still not fully recovered, I cannot be present online for long periods of time, and therefore have been unable to use this team as often as I would have liked after the end of the Suspect Test. However, over the past few days, my friend bludz and I had gone over this team from scratch, and he has laddered with it and used it in battle against other good players to our satisfaction. Therefore, I feel safe in posting this team up here to provide food for thought and to encourage all players to try it in their battles.
Shoutouts to Omegasization, ArchPhantom, and of course, bludz, as well as everyone in the OU room on PS! whose support has gone into this effort. (Enclosed apology to Omega for hounding him for two days about this thing). Special thanks to Leftiez for taking the time and trouble to help out with such insightful and valid corrections. As always, I am open to criticism, suggestions and experiences. I should be most glad to receive them from all readers and players.
Importable: http://pastebin.com/uvfLuNrC
- Viridescent
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