Intro
The importance of unpredictability and mind games in Pokemon is often thrown aside. "Just use the strongest, most used Pokemon, Team A, Group 1 through 6." This team prey's on most battler's who think this way. They think more of their own team, to the detriment of the team they face here. The sets involved are relatively unique, and now that I'm posting this RMT, they will be out there for people to (probably not) prepare for. That's not to say I don't have troubles. If I don't predict right, I am in a hole through which it can be tough to work out of. This team is more dependent on other battlers than I'd like. Strong, well put together weather teams are a problem, as are stall teams. Upon reaching 1412 (peak) on PO, most of my wins came from people not knowing what the hell was going on. Many battlers who focus solely on their own teams and strategies, or the "commonly accepted" move sets almost always lose to this team. I don't expect any of you to accept this team, or even to understand it. That won't stop me from sharing with you, though.
Team
Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability - Pressure
Nature - Jolly
EV's - 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- Beat Up
- Night Slash
- Low Kick
- Ice Shard
Weavile is my lead almost all the time. He kills almost all weather inducers on the first turn, and if not, then the second. Anything that switches in to a Beat Up, even steels, take around 40% damage. Beat Up gets weaker as the match wears on, but I accept that for gaining a 102 BP STAB Choice Banded EV invested move that hits six times each with a chance to crit, for the beginning of the match. Ice Shard for priority, Night Slash as a backup dark move for later in the match, and Low Kick should be pretty self explanatory, as it is for coverage/Tyranitar.
Slaking @ Leftovers
Ability - Truant
Nature - Adamant
EV's - 4 Hp/ 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- Return
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Low Kick
Slaking is often overlooked because of his ability. The idea for him here is to switch in either once an enemy has Mummy, or once an enemy has Mummy and Cofagrigus dies, then he comes in. Pursuit is to ensure that even if the enemy switches to a more defensive option, I hit before the switch, thus making my ability Mummy. At that point, some people go "wait, oh crap" and others simply have to sacrifice a Pokemon or two to try and take out Slakin with priority or wear him down through Life Orb and damage weather etc. If I need him before I'm able to give him Mummy, then I use him mostly as hit and run. His moves are for power and coverage. I was thinking of Sucker Punch and less speed EV's over Low Kick, but have found that the speed is important, as is the coverage Low Kick provides me. Sometimes, Slaking is a liability. Other times, he's the MVP. It all depends on the team I'm facing.
Vaporeon @ Choice Specs
Ability - Water Absorb
Nature - Modest
EV's - 252 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Shadow Ball
- Signal Beam
Vaporeon is another of my Pokemon where people almost always expect a defensive/cleric variant. They know those usually carry one attacking move; ice beam or scald, but they don't expect this coverage (until they know it's choice'd), or this power. I retain bulk with my EV spread. This set aims to KO quite a few Pokemon, and it does so less through the great special attack of Vaporeon, and more through people not expecting a choice specs set. Great member of the team.
Cofagrigus @ Leftovers
Ability - Mummy
Nature - Bold
EV's - 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 SpD
- Rest
- Shadow Ball
- Will-o-Wisp
- Haze
Cofagrigus pulls his weight. Whether it's crippling boosters with Haze, crippling physical attackers with Will-o-Wisp, dealing some respectable damage with STAB Shadow Ball, or Resting off a status + damage, he's a great member of the team, and helps to check certain threats that would otherwise sweep. His ability is also great, and really synergizes not just with Slaking, but in gaining advantage over Pokemon who would normally own it, such as Scizor. A burned Scizor who loses his Technician is not a happy Scizor.
Durant @ Life Orb
Ability - Hustle
Nature - Jolly
EV's - 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Speed
- Hone Claws
- X-Scissor
- Stone Edge
- Thunder Fang
Durant is another Pokemon that is underrated and forgotten by many. I wager that after a match, they won't forget again what this little steel bug can do. After one Hone Claws, almost all of his moves are accurate. If the opponent allows me two Hone Claws, then anything that is hit at least neutrally will be dead. Hustle is the ability that makes it all happen. Stone Edge (not a crit) can KO an offensive Dragonite with Multiscale after just one Hone Claws. Obviously, with Life orb, and the damage taken (sometimes not, as opponents switch), Durant has a short shelf life with his sweep. I usually get 3-4 Pokemon deaths a match with him, though, depending on the opponents counters.
Togekiss @ Choice Scarf
Ability - Serene Grace
Nature - Timid
EV's - 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
- Tri Attack
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Togekiss is an oft overlooked Pokemon, mostly in favor of Jirachi. While Jirachi is indeed worthy of its infamy, Togekiss can also do some great things. Not many people expect a choice scarf set from it. Less people expect it to be invested so heavily in attacking, at least not before a nasty plot has gone out. This is yet another great set for catching people off guard. Air Slash is the primary move, and Flying moves in general are great in OU. The flinch chance can make or break what this Pokemon can do, though. Tri Attack is another primary STAB move to use, and it comes with a boosted burn/frozen/paralyze chance. If people aren't prepared for this set, I can easily kill 2, 3, 4 Pokemon with it (depending on Serene Grace Hax), and then the person either forfeits or scratches their head as they send in something, I switch to an equally unorthodox set, and go from there.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment or suggest stuff. I feel a bit bad that this is out there now, because there will be less surprise with my team. More people will be ready for, say, Durant. But, oh well, people will adjust and adapt, or stay the same. My hope is for the latter, so that I can keep on winning and surprising.
The importance of unpredictability and mind games in Pokemon is often thrown aside. "Just use the strongest, most used Pokemon, Team A, Group 1 through 6." This team prey's on most battler's who think this way. They think more of their own team, to the detriment of the team they face here. The sets involved are relatively unique, and now that I'm posting this RMT, they will be out there for people to (probably not) prepare for. That's not to say I don't have troubles. If I don't predict right, I am in a hole through which it can be tough to work out of. This team is more dependent on other battlers than I'd like. Strong, well put together weather teams are a problem, as are stall teams. Upon reaching 1412 (peak) on PO, most of my wins came from people not knowing what the hell was going on. Many battlers who focus solely on their own teams and strategies, or the "commonly accepted" move sets almost always lose to this team. I don't expect any of you to accept this team, or even to understand it. That won't stop me from sharing with you, though.
Team
Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability - Pressure
Nature - Jolly
EV's - 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- Beat Up
- Night Slash
- Low Kick
- Ice Shard
Weavile is my lead almost all the time. He kills almost all weather inducers on the first turn, and if not, then the second. Anything that switches in to a Beat Up, even steels, take around 40% damage. Beat Up gets weaker as the match wears on, but I accept that for gaining a 102 BP STAB Choice Banded EV invested move that hits six times each with a chance to crit, for the beginning of the match. Ice Shard for priority, Night Slash as a backup dark move for later in the match, and Low Kick should be pretty self explanatory, as it is for coverage/Tyranitar.
Slaking @ Leftovers
Ability - Truant
Nature - Adamant
EV's - 4 Hp/ 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- Return
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Low Kick
Slaking is often overlooked because of his ability. The idea for him here is to switch in either once an enemy has Mummy, or once an enemy has Mummy and Cofagrigus dies, then he comes in. Pursuit is to ensure that even if the enemy switches to a more defensive option, I hit before the switch, thus making my ability Mummy. At that point, some people go "wait, oh crap" and others simply have to sacrifice a Pokemon or two to try and take out Slakin with priority or wear him down through Life Orb and damage weather etc. If I need him before I'm able to give him Mummy, then I use him mostly as hit and run. His moves are for power and coverage. I was thinking of Sucker Punch and less speed EV's over Low Kick, but have found that the speed is important, as is the coverage Low Kick provides me. Sometimes, Slaking is a liability. Other times, he's the MVP. It all depends on the team I'm facing.
Vaporeon @ Choice Specs
Ability - Water Absorb
Nature - Modest
EV's - 252 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Shadow Ball
- Signal Beam
Vaporeon is another of my Pokemon where people almost always expect a defensive/cleric variant. They know those usually carry one attacking move; ice beam or scald, but they don't expect this coverage (until they know it's choice'd), or this power. I retain bulk with my EV spread. This set aims to KO quite a few Pokemon, and it does so less through the great special attack of Vaporeon, and more through people not expecting a choice specs set. Great member of the team.
Cofagrigus @ Leftovers
Ability - Mummy
Nature - Bold
EV's - 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 SpD
- Rest
- Shadow Ball
- Will-o-Wisp
- Haze
Cofagrigus pulls his weight. Whether it's crippling boosters with Haze, crippling physical attackers with Will-o-Wisp, dealing some respectable damage with STAB Shadow Ball, or Resting off a status + damage, he's a great member of the team, and helps to check certain threats that would otherwise sweep. His ability is also great, and really synergizes not just with Slaking, but in gaining advantage over Pokemon who would normally own it, such as Scizor. A burned Scizor who loses his Technician is not a happy Scizor.
Durant @ Life Orb
Ability - Hustle
Nature - Jolly
EV's - 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Speed
- Hone Claws
- X-Scissor
- Stone Edge
- Thunder Fang
Durant is another Pokemon that is underrated and forgotten by many. I wager that after a match, they won't forget again what this little steel bug can do. After one Hone Claws, almost all of his moves are accurate. If the opponent allows me two Hone Claws, then anything that is hit at least neutrally will be dead. Hustle is the ability that makes it all happen. Stone Edge (not a crit) can KO an offensive Dragonite with Multiscale after just one Hone Claws. Obviously, with Life orb, and the damage taken (sometimes not, as opponents switch), Durant has a short shelf life with his sweep. I usually get 3-4 Pokemon deaths a match with him, though, depending on the opponents counters.
Togekiss @ Choice Scarf
Ability - Serene Grace
Nature - Timid
EV's - 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
- Tri Attack
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Togekiss is an oft overlooked Pokemon, mostly in favor of Jirachi. While Jirachi is indeed worthy of its infamy, Togekiss can also do some great things. Not many people expect a choice scarf set from it. Less people expect it to be invested so heavily in attacking, at least not before a nasty plot has gone out. This is yet another great set for catching people off guard. Air Slash is the primary move, and Flying moves in general are great in OU. The flinch chance can make or break what this Pokemon can do, though. Tri Attack is another primary STAB move to use, and it comes with a boosted burn/frozen/paralyze chance. If people aren't prepared for this set, I can easily kill 2, 3, 4 Pokemon with it (depending on Serene Grace Hax), and then the person either forfeits or scratches their head as they send in something, I switch to an equally unorthodox set, and go from there.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment or suggest stuff. I feel a bit bad that this is out there now, because there will be less surprise with my team. More people will be ready for, say, Durant. But, oh well, people will adjust and adapt, or stay the same. My hope is for the latter, so that I can keep on winning and surprising.
