Introduction
Hello Smogon! I've been making teams non-stop the last few months in search of a team that I enjoy using and overall, works well. X-Factor has successfully accomplished these two feats for me. Out of all of my teams, it's my favorite to use, and is overall one of the best built teams I've made as of yet. I simply love Sweeper Support Offense, and it is generally all I use. Of course, this type of team must use elements of Bulky Offense, which X-Factor uses well. Lures and momentum, as you probably know, are two key factors to using Bulky Offense, which my team uses. I made this team because I was inspired to make an Agiligross based team after I was swept late game by one. If you haven't yet realized it's an Agiligross team, then I feel sorry for you. Agiligross is one of the best late game sweepers I have seen in my entire competitive battling career. He has an amazing Attack Stat of base 134, a great number of useful resistances, especially the most common priority move in the game, Bullet Punch, access to an amazing movepool, and he has such a great Ability, Clear Body. All of these factors call for excellent sweeping potential.
Team Building
As you know, this team is centered around Metagross, so I chose him. Since the release of Heart Gold and Soul Silver, I've always wanted to try out Lead Dragonite and I've never had the opportunity to do so. I looked at Dragonite's and Metagross' synergy together, and I realized that they cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. This was my opportunity to use him.
Next, I needed to check potential Gyarados, Salamence, and Lucario sweeps, so I chose both Latias and Rotom-h to do this effectively. They both open opportunities for Metagross to come in on Tyranitar's or Scizor's Choiced Pursuit. Not to mention, together, they take out all of OU's biggest threats and sweepers, except for Tyranitar, which is covered by Metagross.
After that, I realized that Tyranitar, if set up can cause havoc for my team. Tyranitar being such a great threat shall not go unwatched, therefore, the obvious CB Scizor came to mind. With the addition of Scizor, I also get a secondary Salamence check. His synergy allows my team to take more Ice and Bug attacks aimed at Latias and Dragonite.
Looking at my team, I noticed one major flaw: No Entry Hazards. After contemplating how I would implement them, I came to this conclusion. I said, "What the hell, I'll just add Tyranitar because I need at least some sort of Residual Damage, and I don't think that I can fit Stealth Rock anywhere. Tyranitar not only allowed for some sort of Residual Damage, but also fit the bill for killing Scarf Rotom-h and Heatran, two major threats to this team. Tyranitar's synergy made this team work great together.
Hello Smogon! I've been making teams non-stop the last few months in search of a team that I enjoy using and overall, works well. X-Factor has successfully accomplished these two feats for me. Out of all of my teams, it's my favorite to use, and is overall one of the best built teams I've made as of yet. I simply love Sweeper Support Offense, and it is generally all I use. Of course, this type of team must use elements of Bulky Offense, which X-Factor uses well. Lures and momentum, as you probably know, are two key factors to using Bulky Offense, which my team uses. I made this team because I was inspired to make an Agiligross based team after I was swept late game by one. If you haven't yet realized it's an Agiligross team, then I feel sorry for you. Agiligross is one of the best late game sweepers I have seen in my entire competitive battling career. He has an amazing Attack Stat of base 134, a great number of useful resistances, especially the most common priority move in the game, Bullet Punch, access to an amazing movepool, and he has such a great Ability, Clear Body. All of these factors call for excellent sweeping potential.
Team Building
As you know, this team is centered around Metagross, so I chose him. Since the release of Heart Gold and Soul Silver, I've always wanted to try out Lead Dragonite and I've never had the opportunity to do so. I looked at Dragonite's and Metagross' synergy together, and I realized that they cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. This was my opportunity to use him.
Next, I needed to check potential Gyarados, Salamence, and Lucario sweeps, so I chose both Latias and Rotom-h to do this effectively. They both open opportunities for Metagross to come in on Tyranitar's or Scizor's Choiced Pursuit. Not to mention, together, they take out all of OU's biggest threats and sweepers, except for Tyranitar, which is covered by Metagross.
After that, I realized that Tyranitar, if set up can cause havoc for my team. Tyranitar being such a great threat shall not go unwatched, therefore, the obvious CB Scizor came to mind. With the addition of Scizor, I also get a secondary Salamence check. His synergy allows my team to take more Ice and Bug attacks aimed at Latias and Dragonite.
Looking at my team, I noticed one major flaw: No Entry Hazards. After contemplating how I would implement them, I came to this conclusion. I said, "What the hell, I'll just add Tyranitar because I need at least some sort of Residual Damage, and I don't think that I can fit Stealth Rock anywhere. Tyranitar not only allowed for some sort of Residual Damage, but also fit the bill for killing Scarf Rotom-h and Heatran, two major threats to this team. Tyranitar's synergy made this team work great together.
Type Chart
Dragon/Flying | Dragon/Psychic | Electric/Ghost | Bug/Steel | Rock/Dark | Steel/Psychic
iLead ----- iCute ----- iHeat ----- iCut ----- iStrong ----- iSweep
A Closer Look
Dragon/Flying | Dragon/Psychic | Electric/Ghost | Bug/Steel | Rock/Dark | Steel/Psychic
iLead ----- iCute ----- iHeat ----- iCut ----- iStrong ----- iSweep
A Closer Look
Dragonite
- Life Orb
- Quite Nature (+SAtk, -Spe)
- Ability: Inner Focus
- Evs: 252SAtk, 252Atk, 4Spe
- Moveset:
- - Draco Meteor- This move is Dragonite's primary STAB Attack that hits for massive damage when a Life Orb is attached. This allows for the extermination of lead Infernape, Azelf, and Gliscor, while putting a huge dent in Aerodactyl.
- - Fire Blast- Fire Blast is an excellent move on Lead Dragonite because it allows for him to defeat opponents such as Metagross, Roserade, Bronzong, and Forretress.
- - Superpower- I use this move after I use Draco Meteor on anything that takes neutral or Super Effective damage from it, as it does a heck of a lot. Superpower allows for easy extermination of Heatran, Tyranitar and other Pokemon that resist Dragon and Fire.
- - Extremespeed- This is the move that binds everything together for Lead Dragonite. After one of his other three moves breakes a potential Focus Sash, Extremespeed takes care of the remains before Dragonite gets to be taken down. Extremespeed is great for later game where I can easily revenge faster, frail, and/or weakened Pokemon.
- Why this Pokemon?
I chose Dragonite as my lead because he is simply amazing. He was part of my beginning duo, and has proved his worth ever since. I was put into complete and udder awe after Heart Gold and Soul Silver movesets revealed Dragonite got Extemespeed. It's such an excellent move, and with a vast number of priority users running around, Extemespeed made all the difference. His synergy with my main sweeper, Metagross is fantastic, in that they cover each-other's weaknesses perfectly. Dragonite has provided me with early KO's that eventually made all the difference later game. Getting quick KO's and not worrying about setting up Entry Hazards is what attracted me to this overall beast that we know as Dragonite. Max Attack, Special Attack, and Life Orb is enough to 2HKO every lead in existence with a combination of any two of the aforementioned moves. - Why not these Pokemon?
- - Azelf: The reason I didn't pick Azelf as a lead was for one major reason: His synergy sucked with this team. The addition of him would ruin my entire team due to 3 Pokemon weak to Dark, and would allow for an easier time for Heatran to wreak havoc. At the cost of an Entry Hazard, Stealth Rock, I get more power, and a quick advantage on my opponent. Dragonite is bulkier and has a far greater offensive movepool than Azelf's, not to mention the great offensive STAB to pull it off.
- - Gliscor: The problem was Gliscor was a different problem than Azelf's. It wasn't the synergy that was a turn-off, it was the use later game. The only real thing that Gliscor does late game is help to stop a Lucario sweep, and that task becomes near impossible if he was damage previously. I just didn't find that useful. He can break stall, but for this task I have Tyraniboah, one of the best Stall Breakers around. Gliscor's damage output was basically nothing compared to that of Dragonite's. Dragonite not only fit the synergy aspect of a lead, but also the damage output, and for these reasons, he's my lead.
- Lead Comparison:
- Metagross: I use Fire blast, as it may OHKO if they carry a Lum berry and if it's running Occa Berry as the item, I just go for another Fire Blast.
- Roserade: Extremespeed twice for a 2HKO because they'll have a Focus Sash anyway. If I fall asleep, oh well.
- Hippowdon: Draco Meteortwice. Overall, it's a terrible lead in today's metagame, and is even more terrible against Lead Dragonite.
- Machamp Draco Meteor does a heck load of damage so I use that first. Then, I use it again as it will finish it off. If I feel like he's going to use Ice Punch, I switch out accordingly.
- Jirachi I just use Fire Blast followed by Extremespeed, as Lead Jirachi can't do much in return and will die to that combo.
- Aerodactyl: They usually set up Rocks first, so Draco Meteor will do a hell of a lot of damage, enough to break the sash. Extremespeed after a Draco Meter will kill it.
- Ninjask: Extemespeed twice, because on average, Ninjask won't be able to set up a sub and pass it on. It does 70-83%.
- Azelf: Draco Meteor followed by an Extemespeed kills it, as they either set up Rocks or just swap the hell out of there.
- Infernape: Draco Meteor after they set up rocks and then an Extremespeed if it is sashed.
- Swampert: Since Ice Beam won't kill, if I remember correctly, I just go for Draco Meteor twice, as it is a 2HKO. Usually, I try to just prevent Stealth Rocks.
Latias
- Choice Specs
- Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
- Ability: Levitate
- Evs: 252SAtk, 252Spe, 4Def
- Moveset:
- - Draco Meteor- This move is Latias' most powerful move. It is also one of the best STAB Attacks that causes Salamence, Flygon, Infernape, and Dragonite to bite the dust. This move completely annihilates Gliscor, while at the same time OHKOing Infernape and Gengar. It's a powerful move that puts Latias to fame. Even Scizor and Tyranitar that come in on Draco Meteor will fall victim to this after significant prior damage.
- - Thunderbolt- Thunderbolt allows for the ability to revenge Gyarados, and threaten Skarmory if my opponent is stupid enough to stay in.
- - Surf- This is a great move for the speedy Infernape, Tyranitar switch-ins and Gliscor on occasion, but most of the time I just use Draco Meteor depending on what my opponent's remaining and revealed team is at that point.
- - Trick- This move is my favorite move on this set. It definitely serves its purpose of crippling Blissey, Skarmory, Celebi, and other bulkier walls. Blissey, Latias' prime switch-in will never, ever appreciate a Choice item. For this specific reason, I love Trick.
- Why this Pokemon?
I needed a Pokemon that could revenge top threats in OU, maintain Offensive and Defensive synergy, and be the best counter to MixApe. I also wanted a Pokemon that was able to lure Tyranitar into using Pursuit to get Metagross an opening to sweep, since I need momentum to gain a Speed boost. I also needed something to puncture huge holes in my opponent's team, which is why I changed ScarfTias to SpecsTias, thanks to Snorlaxe. I now realize that a sweep with Metagross is at least 2 times easier now that I have a wall breaker. Only one Pokemon fit the bill; Latias. Latias' pure power, and 525 speed after the Choice Scarf boost is only outsped by Pokemon with 111 base speed or higher. Those that actually use a Choice Scarf with a base 110 and above Speed (Starmie) are easily defeated by Latias. Latias is quite simply a beast. In my own opinion, she's beastly enough to be Uber again, although without every team relying on Latias, OU will be a mess once again. Not only does Latias quickly dispose of Infernape and Salamence, but she also gets rid of Heatran, Swampert and Rotom-A. The latter two being a key check to Agiligross. Latias can also effectively deal with Skarmory, a decent check to Metagross due to Whirlwind. She, in my own views is this team's MVP, as she eliminates my team's biggest threats. - Why not this Pokemon?
- - Flygon: Flygon came to mind when I needed something to better kill Infernape and Salamence, but when I looked at my team, I realized that his addition would give me somewhat of a bigger Ice and Gyarados issue. I needed somebody that could easily revenge Infernape, Starmie, Gyarados, Salamence, and other top tier threats in the OU metagame. Flygon gave me some, but not all. Flygon also gave me a rather hard time with stall. Latias' Trick can effectively cripple Blissey and Skarmory, although I would never want to waste my Trick on the Skarmory. Latias for these reasons was by far the best choice.
Rotom-h
- Choice Scarf
- Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
- Ablity: Levitate
- Evs: 252SAtk, 252Spe, 4Def
- Moveset:
- - Thunderbolt- This is my primary STAB attack that is used for the revenging on DD Gyarados, Starmie, Suicune, and Vaporeon. It can also be used to catch Heatran and Scizor on the switch predicting Overheat or Shadowball, respectively.
- - Shadowball- Another STAB move used primarily for Latias and other speedy ghosts including other Rotoms and Gengar. Cresselia, although rarely seen can be 2HKO'd by this move, as well.
- - Overheat- Mostly for Scizor and Forretress. I use this move with caution because today's metagame is overflowing with Heatran. The first time I send this out against Scizor, I almost always use Thunderbolt in scout for one of those devious Fire Devils.
- - Trick- Again, this move is one of my favorites. It easily cripples Blissey and makes my team that much closer to a win.
- Why This Pokemon?
Rotom was picked in tandem with Latias because when they are combined, they nail almost every sweeper in the game for Super Effective damage, and have the speed to kill them, too. I needed something to lure out a Tyranitar or Scizor and lock them into Pursuit. This opens up a prime spot for Metagross to come in after a kill and attempt to sweep my opponent's entire team, after I've defeated Metagross' checks, of course. I saw that Latias was being relied on a little too much, so the first thing that came into my mind was Rotom. Stall means nothing to this team anymore because with two Trick users and an amazing Stall breaker in Tyranitar, Stall doesn't get too far. Another great and viable reason for using Rotom-h was for the checking of Scizor. Scizor can mean a bit of problems for my Agiligross attempt at sweeping due to Scizor's STAB Choice Banded U-Turn doing over half health to him. Rotom's massive speed and power give Scizor absolutely no breathing room, and basically call for roasted mantis. Rotom's overall synergy also helped this team achieve a great number of resistances. Earthquake aimed at Metagross could also possibly ruin his sweep, so that's another reason I decided to implement him. - Why not these Pokemon?
- /
- Rotom-c / Rotom-w: These two Rotom Formes made some impact when thinking of what checks I needed to cover. Neither gave me a sure-fire answer for Scizor, a rather large threat to my team at that point. I felt that his presence was far greater than Swampert or Heatran. Heatran and swampert are both easily taken care of by the rest of my team. Don't get me wrong, both of these Formes are great, but I felt that Rotom-h was better suited for this more offensively based team. Another thing that turned me off about these Formes was the single word; Lucario. Lucario could run right through my team if it weren't for Rotom-h. He outspeeds and OHKO's with a massive Overheat, something that those two simply cannot do. Lucario and Scizor are way too common to pass up the opportunity to check them, which is why Rotom-h is my choice over the other two choices.
- - Gengar: This decision was terribly hard for me to make, but I finally went with Rotom-h. I went with him because he has a better chance of killing Lucario and Scizor than the Substitute + Hidden Power Gengar set does. The reason I say this is because I won't be guaranteed to always have a Sub up when Gengar is present. This will allow for an easy opportunity to revenge kill Gengar. Although Gengar does kill Lucario, Scizor (sometimes), and Tyranitar (sometimes), I went with Rotom because of his ability to have a definite way of beating all of those aforementioned Pokemon except for Tyranitar.
Scizor
- Choice Band
- Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Ablity: Technician
- Evs: 176Atk, 160Hp, 168SDef, 4Spe
- Moveset:
- - Bullet Punch- This move is excellent for dealing with this team's number one problem: Tyranitar, and more importantly, Scarf Tyranitar. Bullet Punch completely annihilates him with STAB, Technician, and Choice Band boost. This move is also for the revenging of Mence, Latias, and other various Pokemon.
- - U-Turn- This move is my favorite out of ever single move in the game, for the simple reason of scouting. If my opponent feels like saving his Pokemon fearing a Bullet Punch and I know this, I'll go for U-Turn that will do a shit ton to anything that's not named Skarmory or Heatran. The instant type advantage I get from this ordeal is great for clearing the path towards a Metagross sweep late game.
- - Superpower- This move is great for killing of Snorlax, Blissey, Tyranitar, and various other Normal-types my opponent may use. I use this move with caution, making sure my opponent has no Ghost-type or something to easily take Superpower. Quick Attack could be used over this, but quite frankly, I don't really have a Gyarados, Infernape, or Jolteon weakness.
- - Pursuit- This is an amazing situational move for the removal of Latias and Rotom, the latter being a reliable counter to my overall goal, a Metagross sweep.
- Why This Pokemon?
Scizor was picked for a variety of reasons. His defensive synergy being one of them. I needed a reliably bulky Pokemon to defeat the Dark and Ghost-types that plagued my team. Snorlaxe gave me a more defensive set to better take repeated Shadow Balls and Draco Meteors coming from Scarf Rotom and Latias, respectively. He is bulky enough to take virtually anything Gengar, Rotom-A, and Latias can throw at him, while being strong enough to trap them with Pursuit and Bullet Punch, should they stay in. Another reason for the addition of the oh-so-common CB Scizor was his ability to check Standard DD Mence, a very common OU threat nowadays. There is a reason this guy is so overused; he can check so many threats to teams with his Bullet Punch, which is boosted by STAB and Technician. With the rise of Scarf Tyranitar, CB Scizor is needed to take Tyranitar's STAB Dark-type moves and successfully scout out a switch or quickly kill Tyranitar off with a Bullet Punch. Since Scarf Tyranitar's Crunch won't do more than about 25% to Scizor, I almost always U-turn on it, hitting many Pokemon for good damage that like to come in on Bullet Punch (Jirachi, Suicune, and Vaporeon.) The reasons for using Choice Band Scizor go on and on, but for my team, they basically end there. - Why not this Pokemon?
- - Infernape: With Infernape's ability to check Tyranitar with Mach Punch and access to U-turn, the best scouting move in the game, I had reason to consider him. The reason Infernape was inferior to Scizor in this team was his Ground-weakness, not able to check Salamence, and his overall frail nature. His Ground-Weakness could not go unchecked. Earthquake is far too common to ignore. This would throw off my entire Bulky Offense team. Salamence, as I've said many times throughout this RMT, is extremely common, and since I rely on Latias for many things, such as checking Gyarados, Salamence and bulky waters, I needed a secondary check to Mence. With Life Orb recoil, Sandstorm, and Entry Hazards, Infernape doesn't last too long; about 2 switch-ins, at most. All of these reasons are why I don't use Infernape on this specific team.
Tyranitar
- Leftovers
- Nature: Quiet (+SAtk, -Spe)
- Ability: Sand Stream
- Ev's: 252Hp, 52Atk, 176SAtk, 28Spe
- Moveset:
- - Substitute- This move is one of the best in the metagame as it allows protection from normal checks, while I get to attack accordingly from being stationed safely behind it. Tyranitar's whole set revolves around this move being used properly, and it is.
- - Focus Punch- Wow. I didn't expect Focus Punch to be this useful for me, but it has. Blissey is no longer a problem, and Stall itself is history. Heatran, Magnezone, and opposing Tyranitar expecting to wall this set get a rude awakening from it.
- - Ice Beam- Tyranitar basically has a sign on its forehead which reads, "Gliscor, wall here." Gliscor is a huge pain in the ass for Metagross, and I needed a good lure for him to get out of the way. If I used a known check to Gliscor, my opponent could always just swap out of there. So... I had to go about defeating him the old fashion way, luring. Ice beam not only serves as a Gliscor lure, but it can also defeat Salamence and Zapdos, only in a pinch, of course.
- - Dark Pulse- Without this move, I wouldn't have been able to sweep about 50% of the time. I catch Rotom-A off guard, and quite frankly, I don't really care about being burned as long as I can lure Rotom to use Will-O-Wisp. Dark Pulse, as I hope you know, is a Special move, and since most Rotom rely on burning Tyranitar and rendering it useless as its primary way of dealing with it, I needed Dark Pulse. Metagross' prime check, Rotom-A no longer poses a problem.
- Why This Pokemon?
Why not Tyranitar? He fit perfectly in every way, shape, and form. Defensively speaking, I needed a way of taking out threats which ruined my team at that point. Namely, Heatran and Rotom-A. These Pokemon not only put me in check, but they also play a huge role in shutting down an Agiligross sweep. Since my prime goal is to kill these Pokemon for the remainder of the match, Tyranitar seemed all the more necessary. Synergy wise, he provides my team with an extra Fire-resist, something invaluable to Metagross. Offensively speaking, he had only one set viable to this team, TyraniBoah. Focus Punch clears Magnezone, Heatran, and in some cases, Skarmory from the field. Yet another plus for Metagross. When behind a sub, Focus Punch will be guaranteed a hit on something, and hopefully, it's against one of the aforementioned Pokemon. Ice Beam is a gimme. Gliscor is a pain in the ass for Metagross, and I needed a lure for him in my Bulky Offense team. Gliscor, here, now stands no chance against Tyranitar. The once world renown check for Tyranitar, Gliscor, is now defeated by the very same Pokemon he was invented to check. Ironic, I know. Dark Pulse was also thought of carefully. I absolutely needed a way of dealing with Rotom-A. Another lure move could work, I thought to myself, and boy, did it pay off. Most Rotoms that stay in against Tyranitar usually burn him through the use of Will-O-Wisp. In this case, I want to be burned so I can get a free kill on Rotom. Tyranitar is the glue to my team for many reasons, and for that, I congratulate him for being such a clutch Pokemon late game. - Why not this Pokemon?
- - Infernape: Once again, Infernape came to mind with combating stall and threats that Metagross doesn't particularly like. Pokemon such as Rotom-A, Gliscor, Heatran, and Skarmory are all defeated by either of the two MixApe sets. Like I've previously stated, Infernape's overall synergy with this team is pretty crappy. Through Sand, Life Orb, and Entry Hazard damage, there's no way in hell he'd be alive long enough to check all of the aforementioned threats. He simply just isn't bulky enough to do what I'd need him to be able to do. Tyranitar, on the other hand, is extremely bulky and powerful. He can come in on almost all resisted attacks, something Infernape can't do probably more than once, and set up a Substitute and proceed to catch unsuspecting Gliscor, Rotom, and Heatran off guard. These are the main reasons among many as to why Infernape didn't fill a position on my team.
Metagross
- Life Orb
- Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Ability: Clear Body
- Ev's: 112Hp, 252Atk, 12Def, 132Spe
- Moveset:
- - Agility- Agility is an amazing set up move. Doubling Speed can really provide some nice late-game sweeping potential, especially combined with a massive Attack stat. The main move of the set, and without, this Metagross wouldn't be called AGILIgross.
- - Meteor Mash- This is Metagross' main sweeping move that hits Mence and other Pokemon hard resist, or are neutral to Metagross' other coverage moves. Once in a while, I may be able to get the Attack raise from this, giving me a grand total of +1 Attack and +2 Speed, which could indefinitely destroy a team.
- - Earthquake- Earthquake is my main coverage move, hitting Ground, Poison (lol), and Electric-types for Super Effective damage, while Meteor mash, in tandem with Thunderpunch, hits mostly every Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Heatran, Infernape, and other Pokemon easily fall victim to this Life Orb boosted move.
- - Zen Headbutt- This move was suggested by many people, and quite frankly, I agree. Although I do miss the OHKO on Gyarados that Thunderpunch gave me, it's not game changing or sweep ending to replace Thunderpunch. Zen Headbutt still hits the Waters hard, but now can further deal with Rotom-A, if by somehow it still live through Tyranitar and Latias.
- Why This Pokemon?
I chose to build my team around Metagross for a bunch of reasons. Metagross has proved to be a solid and terrifying late-game sweeper throughout personal use and observations. He can sweep through an entire team by himself, but of course, the correct team support helps him manage a sweep easier. Clear body allows for the removal of cheap Intimidate spamming to lower Metagross' Attack, and prevent a sweep. Metagross also comes in on a lot of Pokemon, namely Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Choice Band Scizor, Choice Scarf/Specs Latias and other generic Choiced Pokemon. Metagross also boasts a bunch of very useful resistances, 9 in all. These resistances, coupled with decent defenses and HP allow for the set-up of a late-game and successful sweep. In today's metagame, not much can stop a sweep. Skarmory, Rotom-A, Swampert, and Gliscor are the 4 Pokemon that come in mind when thinking of successful checks to Agiligross. Thankfully, the other 5 Members are meant to eliminate these aforementioned Pokemon, while also keeping myself safe from my opponent's potential sweep. I can honestly say that this team has provided me more than enough support for Metagross.
