XOBC: Love in Black and White (peaked 3rd)

[Cyrrona]

Hello, Smogon! It’s been a while since I put anything up here, largely because I spent most of my semester without shoddy access. Thankfully, though, the summer has reunited me with the simulator and allowed me to flex my laddering muscles once again. I was talking with Kir, a good friend of mine, soon after I returned about some combinations that might be particularly effective in the current metagame. One thing that crossed my mind was the tried and true “SalaZone” pairing. It seemed to have fallen into disuse for a while, but with the recent surge of Leftovers Skarmory and the discovery of a potent, seldom-seen Salamence set, I thought it was time to bring it back. The two of us bounced ideas off of each other until we arrived at the team you see below.

The resulting team carried me to 3rd place on the ladder, with a CRE of 1623 and a rating of 1761-1855. (Technically, the ladder peak was 4th, but the person occupying the #1 spot during my run was obviously hacking [2570 CRE lol come on], so it was a 3rd place peak with him removed from the picture.) The team (and my alt) is titled “XOBC” for two reasons. First, it references the Valentine’s Day album of a favorite singer of mine, Brandi Carlile. If you break it down a bit further, though, you can separate the letters into “XO,” which represents love, and “BC,” which represents the past. (It's kind of a stretch, but I'm an English major--it's our job to squeeze some meaning out of random stuff like this!) “Love for the past” is sort of an overarching theme here, as I use some dated (but still effective) strategies. SalaZone has been around forever, my Salamence set could have been run in D/P, and the team contains Latias, whose presence in standard is now a thing of the past as well. (I’ll miss you!) Since one of the key players has been removed from OU (and because I don’t feel like trying to overtake Earthworm on leaderboard), I’m probably retiring this team. However, in case I ever decide to use it again, I’d love some suggestions for Latias replacements and other general tips you guys might have for me! Let me hear your thoughts. :)

That being said, I present…

^V^ XOBC ^V^​

Love in black and white​

This is how the story went
I met someone by accident
He blew me away
He blew me away​

Uxie @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/60 Def/152 Spd/44 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Trick
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Psychic

As those lyrics from Brandi Carlile's “Hiding My Heart” explain, I really came across Uxie without meaning to. Once I tried it out, however, I was astonished at how consistently it was able to start the battle off in my favor. Uxie is an unconventional choice for a lead in OU, but it’s proven to be worth its weight in gold. Though some of the surprise value wore off after matty posted Long Shot Hero, it still rarely fails to get the jobs I’ve assigned it done and put the ball in my court from the get-go. Uxie’s most readily apparent goal is setting up Stealth Rock, and it’s very reliable in that regard. In addition to laying rocks, however, Uxie does something else for the team—it forcibly Choice-locks the opposing lead. This allows me to control the game from very early on. Arguably more importantly, this trickery often nets Salamence and Magnezone setup room. Lead Metagross suddenly find themselves Magnezone bait, while other formerly dangerous things like Shuca Heatran and Roserade (depending on the HP) can no longer prevent Salamence setup like they’ve been designed to do and instead give me free Dragon Dances. Another interesting thing to note: because my Steels and Dragons have perfectly complementary typing, I can always take advantage of a Choiced user with one or the other. Uxie’s Trick allows me to instantly steal momentum away from the opponent and provide my team with a Choiced pokemon to exploit, so it’s a very important part of my team.

Once Uxie has tricked its Scarf away and set up rocks, I can play it as a pivot with U-turn or use it as death fodder by tossing it into Choiced/difficult to weather attacks (to scout) and predicted Explosions. Psychic was chosen as the fourth move because it allows me (with the help of the Bold nature and those 44 SAtk EVs) to pretty much always break the subs of 252 HP Rotom-A and gives me a way to deal some damage to things if the need arises. It stops Gengar from setting up Substitutes as well, and can deal some respectable damage to Machamp, Infernape and Breloom if the situation calls for it. Uxie nearly always starts the battle off on the right foot, and that kind of consistency is a sure sign of a solid lead.

I’m not going to list out how I play the top 10 leads here because I kind of do that in my Threat List already—check that out if you want the lead matchup details. In short, I use Trick on turn one against almost every lead. The only time I don’t is against Jirachi (who I often assume is holding a Scarf itself) and against someone I feel is good that might expect me to Trick and bring in a ScarfTar or something in response (this one is based purely on intuition).

Bright lights like white lightning
Who shot me down?
Who will cut me down?
I’m frozen in my bed ‘til the day comes around​

Magnezone @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 40 Atk/216 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Explosion

As the lines here illustrate, Magnezone’s job is to systematically remove things that stand in the way of my teammates by freezing them in their tracks and shooting them down with that “white lightning” of his. Magnezone is perhaps the most important pokemon on the team in terms of removing specific things for a Salamence sweep. It traps the majority of opposing Steel types and removes them from play completely, allowing my Dragons free reign during the later stages of battle. One of my biggest targets is Skarmory, who walls my Salamence set entirely. Thankfully, the fact that Leftovers has become an increasingly popular option on Skarmory these days makes trapping easier. If the Skarmory I’m facing is holding Shed Shell, I can do one of two things to remove it from battle. First, I can attempt to lure it in through my Latias bluff and hit it with Thunderbolt. The second option involves Uxie. If I discover a Skarmory is running Shed Shell and the Latias plan isn’t doable/doesn’t feel like the right course of action, I can Trick whatever item Uxie got from the opposing lead onto the Skarmory to ensure it can’t escape Magnezone’s clutches. Obviously, Skarmory will set up many layers of Spikes against me if I’m forced to use this strategy, but so few pokemon are able to stop my Salamence once the wear and tear of battle has taken its toll on the opposing team, I believe getting this huge roadblock out of the way is well worth it.

Magnezone’s usefulness doesn’t end there, however. With HP Grass, it is capable of luring out and KOing Swampert, another of my Salamence’s counters. Finally, Explosion allows me to lure in and remove opposing Blissey when facing stall, which allows my Suicune to wreak some havoc on their suddenly vulnerable lineup. The move is also a nice insurance policy against anything else I don’t want around.

After using this set for a while, I also think people have been undervaluing Magnezone as a pokemon. His impressive palette of resistances allows him to set up on a number of things in OU, and few pokemon can switch into this Magnezone behind a Substitute with impunity. Magnezone traps and lures out a myriad of problem pokemon for my team, directly facilitating a number of potential sweeps, and allows me to set up on a handful of leads Uxie Choice-locks early on. Consequently, he’s pretty irreplaceable.

I’m like the rain in a downpour
I wash away what you long for
And I wave goodbye with the sun in my eyes
I wish I could be there tonight​

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Just like the rain depicted in the song, Suicune will often catch a team by surprise and swiftly rack up damage on intended targets. As the song also suggests, Suicune occasionally has to make some sacrifices to get the damage I need (once I’ve got a feel for their team and can safely assume I don’t need it to counter a Gyarados or something like that, of course). Suicune was chosen primarily for its typing, its ability to maintain the offensive tempo the team sets and the fact that it can hard counter Gyarados. Its natural bulk allows it to function as a buffer against a number of threats that might endanger my team if a primary check has been weakened. It remains a solid check to Heatran and a backup switch-in to Infernape, and it can lure in and heavily damage Rotom-A/Latias, something my Jirachi/my team in general greatly appreciates. Suicune also gives me another potential win condition, and can pose a serious threat to stall teams that rely on Blissey to check it after Magnezone removes her from the picture. Suicune has proven to be a reliable addition to the team, rounding out the type chart nicely, patching up some specific weaknesses and luring out and damaging key pokemon for the rest of my lineup to take advantage of.

I’m running the speedy version of 3 Attack Suicune because I think outpacing Rotom-A, Adamant Lucario, Breloom and Mamoswine is more valuable in this context than some extra defense would be, but I’m open to change if someone puts forth a convincing argument. Again, Suicune was a nice way to both fill some of the holes I spotted after plugging the other members in and damage things like Rotom-A/bulky waters/other Steel resists for my Jirachi to abuse.

I don't hang around that place no more
I'm tired of wearing circles in the floor
And I don't carry myself very well
But I've gotten so much braver
Can you tell?​

Latias (F) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Surf
- Thunderbolt

Latias may have taken leave of OU, but she fought valiantly like the character in the song during her time on my team. I was skeptical of this set when I first began using the team, but those doubts have disappeared completely after clocking in some matches with it. Latias in general was chosen to stack alongside Salamence, abusing the fact that my team removes opposing Steel types by tossing her powerful Draco Meteor around and further softening things for my finisher. However, I eventually decided on running this Expert Belt set instead of something like Specs for a couple of other reasons. First, as you may have noticed, there isn’t much outside of Salamence itself that convinces a Scizor to Bullet Punch. They will from time to time in order to revenge some weakened things, but typically, they’ll be U-turning, and that’s something my team doesn’t appreciate being hit with. I needed to ensure Scizor’s removal here, and Bait Latias essentially guarantees it.

This set allows me to weaken a number of other key pokemon for the rest of my team as well. By bluffing a Choice item, I’m able to get a strong hit in on unsuspecting opponents. Bulky Water types like Suicune that may have once stood in the way of my Salamence are hammered by Thunderbolt after they come in on what they presume is a Choice-locked Surf. If Uxie is unable to Trick it whatever item it currently has, Latias is capable of severely crippling Special Defense Skarmory as well through this Choice bluff. This Expert Belt set also ensures few threats can set up on me, which keeps me from being put on the defensive more than I’d like. I typically try and avoid using Draco Meteor unless I know I stand to gain a lot from it, simply because it’s more difficult to punish switch-ins that assume I’m Choiced when I’m left with -2 SAtk. Latias fits nicely into the lineup typing-wise and provides my team with a great deal of support by drawing out and damaging Salamence checks and keeping the tide of battle in my favor, and as such, she’s really a key player here.

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true... I was made for you​

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- U-turn

I’ve always considered Jirachi one of the best revenge killers in OU, and its performance here only reinforced that belief. It covers exactly what I need it to, and its typing is perfect for a lineup like this--some might even say it was a revenge killer made for this team, as the lyrics suggest! This is my primary check against Salamence, a number of Latias, Lucario, Tyranitar, SD Scizor, Gengar, and a great deal more. Fire Punch allows me much needed insurance against Lucario and Scizor, while Ice Punch allows me to get a clean OHKO on Salamence/Dragonite without forcing me to risk an Iron Head flinch. It also gives me a more powerful weapon against Latias. U-turn is vital to this set’s success—smart usage of the move allows me to consistently force my opponents out and put whatever I switch to in an advantageous position. It’d certainly be nice to run Trick here to mess up things like the odd CurseLax, but I really don’t think I can afford to lose any of the current moves. Jirachi has fantastic typing alongside my two dragons, but its contribution to the team runs deeper than that.

In terms of synergy outside of patching assorted weak spots, Scarf Jirachi benefits greatly from the lures found on the team—almost as much as Salamence does. With Magnezone killing Swampert and most Steels (and occasionally taking a large chunk out of Heatrans forced to come in and break my Subs), Suicune luring out and beating up Rotom-A, and Latias tripping up other Steels and bulky Waters that assume I’m choiced, many of the opponent’s own Steel resistances are often worn down by late-game. This frequently allows Jirachi to clean up with Iron Head before Salamence even makes an appearance. He’s an all-purpose revenge killer that commonly poses an offensive threat late-game as well, and he seems like an ideal choice for a teammate here.

If you only knew my mind
was full of razors
To cut you like a word if only sung
But this is my song​

Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Roost

As the lyric above says, this is really Salamence’s song—the team is centered primarily around him. (I think the stanza above does a pretty good job of capturing the dangerous nature of the pokemon as well!) The Salamence set is a bit unconventional, but it’s proven extremely effective—it retains much of the infamous power Dragon Dance sets are known for while simultaneously providing me with greater flexibility when attacking and more setup opportunities. Roost allows me to set up on a greater variety of pokemon, and the surprise value it carries often nets me two Dances. For example, against a Scarf Rotom-A locked into Thunderbolt, the opponent will likely Thunderbolt me again, hoping to get a solid hit in against one of the most dangerous sweepers in OU and knock me down far enough to play resistances until LO recoil finishes me. I DD against their Thunderbolt and survive the hit. Next turn, they’ll likely sacrifice their Rotom-A to force me into Outrage. I’ll Roost on their (now resisted) Thunderbolt, and they’ll panic. Then I’ll net a second DD as they switch out, knowing the current Scarfer is setup fodder. This tactic has brought me a great many sweeps during my time on the ladder. Dragon Claw punishes players who rely on locking Salamence into Outrage to bring him down, and allows me to use Roost to its fullest potential. Some have suggested running an Outrage/Lum Berry combination here, but I personally prefer the versatility offered by Dragon Claw and the ability to hit things with my Dragon STAB early-game before I try and mount a sweep. This set is walled by Skarmory and Bronzong, but the former is dealt with by Salamence’s teammates and the latter will typically explode early on or just end up too battered to stop me.

The EVs aren’t anything fancy—252 Speed with Jolly is a must, though, as speed tying with those Scarf Jirachi/Flygons is invaluable. Salamence is really the star of the show in most of my games, and he’s turned a number of matches around entirely. I haven’t been this satisfied with a finisher in a long time.

^V^ ^V^​

That’s my RMT—thanks for reading! It was certainly a fun team to play with, so I hope you guys enjoyed seeing the thought processes that went into its creation here. I’ll probably be retiring this team for a while, but I’d still love to hear any suggestions you guys might have! Tips for using it in the DPPt metagame down the road (maybe as part of a tourney), ideas for Latias replacements, or just general comments and quick fixes—it’s all welcome! (A special thanks to Kir for collaborating with me on this project and Buzz/Firesong for the sprite recolorings!)

 

[Cyrrona]

^V^ Threat List ^V^​

Abomasnow: Trick with Uxie—Suicune, Salamence and Magnezone should be able to use it as setup fodder now once I scout the move with Uxie. It should get worn down kind of fast with SR and damage accumulated from switching into attacks, and things like Jirachi can just kill it outright.

Aerodactyl: Uxie outspeeds this, so I Trick turn one while they Taunt. Then I can steal the momentum with U-turn as they’re forced out and set up SR a few turns later. The newly Scarfed Aerodactyl will often give a couple of my pokemon some setup room depending on the attack it selects, and will often give someone a free turn completely by setting up SR the next time it comes out. These don’t present much of a problem to Salamence late-game because I don’t reveal him very early if I can help it and nobody ever feels the need to hang onto their Scarfed lead Aerodactyl.

Azelf: Trick first, SR if they didn’t Taunt me, U-turn if they did. This is a pretty easy lead to handle. I can usually bait them into using Explosion with another one of my pokemon and switch Uxie in on that.

Blissey: Magnezone lures out most Blissey and KOs with Explosion, allowing my special attackers to unhinge most stall teams. If that fails, Blissey is difficult to take down, and I have to rely on Jirachi and Salamence.

Breloom: I can usually let Uxie take the Spore (or something else if I deem that a better move), and Latias and Salamence can both tank a hit and force it out. Suicune can trip some Breloom players up with Ice Beam as well.

Bronzong: I will try to trap this with Magnezone and see if I can make it explode. If it carries Earthquake, that’s kind of lame, but I just change my plan up and start chipping it down with Suicune and trying to use Uxie to sponge predicted Explosions. Latias can also surprise it and knock off a chunk of health with the Expert Belt bluff.

Celebi: The dual U-turns of Uxie and Jirachi help me wear down Celebi pretty effectively. I can let Uxie take paralysis, which lets me U-turn to Jirachi without fear of Celebi paralyzing that as well. Latias can also get some good damage in with a surprise Meteor or HP Fire, and Magnezone can explode if I really have no other options.

Dragonite: Jirachi can revenge pretty much all of these, Suicune is an additional check, and Salamence and Latias can shut down mixed sets once they come into battle.

Flygon: This has the potential to be irritating, since I don’t run HP Ice on my Magnezone. At least my Jirachi and my +1 Salamence speed tie with it. Also, if I can manage to Outrage lock it, Jirachi can pick it off. Some games I’ve exploded on these with Magnezone, but usually I’ll try my luck with something else before I resort to that.

Forretress: Trap with Magnezone. If it carries Earthquake, then I’ll wear it down with Suicune or Latias instead. They typically don’t last forever.

Gengar: Jirachi is my primary switch-in, and can revenge them all pretty consistently with Iron Head. Taking repeated Shadow Balls obviously sucks, though. At least all of my pokemon can prevent it from getting a Substitute up. Salamence can actually set up on the standard Gengar sets if it needs to.

Gliscor: Suicune, Latias, Salamence, Jirachi can trip some switch-ins up with Ice Punch.

Gyarados: Suicune is my primary counter. Latias is able to kill a number of them that presume I’m locked onto Surf or something as well.

Heatran: I really enjoy Choice-locking these leads with Uxie. Obviously Scarf Heatran isn’t a bad pokemon, but I would much rather play against that than something that can weather a hit from every member of my team (provided it is at full health) and retaliate with Explosion or something. They end up as free switches for Latias, Salamence and Suicune. I’ve gotten pretty good at calling the Explosions, so I send Uxie in to take those. Suicune, Latias and Salamence can all usually force out non-lead Heatrans without sustaining too much damage in the process.

Heracross: Play around the Scarf sets. Jirachi, Latias, Salamence, etc. all outrun the SD sets.

Hippowdon: This is fun to Trick with Uxie. Suicune, Magnezone and Latias all do heavy damage with their SE attacks.

Infernape: Latias, Suicune and Uxie are my go-to pokemon here. Jirachi can revenge weakened Infernapes as well.

Jirachi: Scarfed sets are eliminated by Magnezone (and possibly +1 Salamence) and set up on by Suicune if Magnezone is dead or something. The Wish + CM sets are forced out by Salamence. That irritating “HaxRachi” set with Substitute/Fire Punch/Iron Head/Thunder Wave is obnoxious to play against, but Magnezone can usually deal heavy damage to it before dying himself. I can also get Salamence in on a Fire Punch targeted at Magnezone to finish the job and spare Magnezone’s life.

Jolteon: This has the potential to be frustrating. I usually throw Uxie into its attacks if I don’t think anything else can weather a hit. Magnezone resists the Electric/Ghost combo it frequently sports and can deal some kind of damage with Hidden Power, and if I remember correctly, Salamence can survive a hit from the LO set if it’s in good health and set up on that. Scarf Jirachi can also take a hit if necessary and try to flinch it.

Kingdra: Suicune can wear it down while it tries to set up, Jirachi and Magnezone can finish the job. Often dies trying to set up on my seemingly Choice-locked Latias.

Latias: This is another thing I’d often toss Uxie into, since nobody enjoys taking Specs Draco Meteors. Jirachi can often switch in and wear it down with U-turn (or Ice Punch or Iron Head), Suicune can lure some out and severely injure them with +1 Ice Beam, and Magnezone can explode on them if the situation calls for that.

Lucario: Jirachi and Salamence prevent this from doing too much damage. Suicune outpaces Adamant builds as well.

Machamp: Absolutely love Tricking this with Uxie—Machamp isn’t anywhere near as dangerous when he can’t change moves. Leads are dealt with in that manner, and I’ll usually go back to Uxie for non-leads as well, hoping to get a Psychic in. Latias can deal heavy damage with Meteor if something dies (I don’t like switching her in directly if I can help it), and Jirachi can try to flinch if necessary too.

Magnezone: Most don’t handle Latias well. Suicune will also lure a great many out and deal significant damage with +1 Surf. Salamence can even set up on Scarfed variants when I decide I’m ready to mount a sweep.

Mamoswine: Tricking these leads is incredibly useful, as it really limits what Mamoswine can do to my team. I’ll either be getting some free turns with my Dragons or some free turns with my Steels/Suicune, depending on what move it makes. Also, pretty much everything I have can hit it for tons of damage. Suicune also outruns.

Metagross: Trick the leads to make them Magnezone bait. Agiligross is difficult to stop—depending on its item/moveset, Suicune and Jirachi can both usually survive a hit and knock off some health.

Rotom-A: Suicune will lure out and damage most of these if I play things right and keep the tide of the match in my favor. If one comes in at an inopportune time, however, I’ll try and get as much damage on it as possible with Uxie’s Psychic before letting that die and coming in with something else to finish it off. Magnezone’s Substitute actually usually withstands 2 attacks from RestTalk Rotom, and because I’m applying the offensive pressure in that matchup and continually forcing him to Rest, I usually come out on top against those. Scarf Rotom is worn down easily and set up on by Salamence.

Salamence: Salamence is always dangerous. Thankfully, though, it has few opportunities to set up, and it is revenge-killed pretty consistently by Jirachi.

Scizor: Magnezone and Latias ensure this thing is removed before Salamence comes out.

Skarmory: Magnezone kills Leftovers builds instantly. Shed Shell sets must have their item Tricked off by Uxie first. Latias can also surprise some Special Defense sets that try to get some free Spikes in on my Surfs. Shed Shell builds will usually get a lot of Spikes up against me, but I can nearly always remove them from battle, and with the Salamence finisher I have, that’s what’s important at the end of the day.

Snorlax: CurseLax is a huge pain. Thankfully it isn’t very common. Someone suggested I consider Trick on Jirachi to stop it, and that’s probably a decent idea, but I don’t think this is seen enough to warrant dropping any of my other (all very useful) moves. Other Snorlax sets are kind of just played around and gradually worn down. As always, Uxie can take predicted Selfdestructs.

Starmie: Nobody likes playing against LO Starmie. Jirachi can chip away at this with U-turn and Magnezone can sneak in on something that isn’t Hydro Pump and force it out. Latias will also survive a hit from near full health if I need it to. Defensive sets are used as free switches and setup fodder for like half of my team.

Suicune: Latias is my usual answer to Suicune. Sometimes Suicune will even try to set up on Latias, which will pretty much render them useless as they’re outsped and hit with Thunderbolt. Crocune is set up on by Salamence. Magnezone is another decent check, and my own Suicune can sometimes stop opposing ones depending on their set.

Swampert: Magnezone consistently lures this out and KOs it with HP Grass. Latias, Suicune and Uxie can all chip away at it as well.

Togekiss: Latias, Magnezone? I have only played one of these ever, and it was near the bottom of the ladder.

Tyranitar: Jirachi revenges DD sets, Jirachi/Magnezone/Suicune can often force out/set up on Scarfers. Salamence can also set up on ScarfTar (that isn’t using Stone Edge obviously) late-game—I’ve actually had a number of sweeps materialize this way. Leads are Tricked and crippled by Uxie. Every now and then I’d find someone crazy that led with ScarfTar or something like that, but thankfully, those people weren’t very common.

Zapdos: This can actually be kind of problematic depending on what moves it has. Latias can deal some damage, and Salamence can set up on those that lack HP Ice/Thunder Wave, but I don’t really like facing it. Ideally, Suicune will lure this out and hammer it with +1 Ice Beam. I might consider exploding with Magnezone too. Thankfully, they weren’t very common when I used this team. I’m sure that’ll change with Latias banned, though.

 

[Kir]

Nice RMT, Blecko! It was a good read. As for the team, you know I prefer Hydro Pump on Suicune to 2HKO Rotom-a, but that's just personal preference. Having enjoyed great leaderboard success with this team myself, I don't have a lot to suggest/add. Good job, bud!

 

[Dusk252]

latias banned =(

If you had read, you'd have realized that he said that and even asked for suggestions for a replacement in case he ever wanted to play with this team again.

Anyway, nice team, I like it. I'm not experienced in team rating so I can't say much more. I usually only find flaws on the teams when I come across them in battle. You seem to have lots of stuff covered though as I have read your threat list and I like the way you'll play around them. I also loved the concept of the team but I'm not really fond of DC/Roost Salamence. In my favourite team, I have a DD mence and sometimes I just can't find the time to set up but it's on those moments that I'm saved by that still awesome unboosted Outrage. So I love it.

 

[cmurph]

what about lum berry on mence? it would help you set up on defensive rotom-a, scarf rotom-a (tbolt paralysis), blissey, and twave spammers like celebi

 

[Abutorn]

Hey El Blecko,

Congrats on reaching 3rd on the OU ladder without counting that glitched account, Going to make this a little quick. On Jirachi you might want to try out Trick rather then U-Turn since U-Turn is used for phazing and it isn't something you really need on Jirachi, it's usually used for Revenge killing and that's it. And from what I see CurseLax really does set up on your team pretty bad so tricking that or anything you have a major problem with would really you help you out dearly.

Also a good idea as listed above is Lum berry on Salamence could help you rather then life orb since you don't really need to be focusing on power rather then being statused or confused, plus that Salamence set cannot go on a full sweep.

Good luck with the team in the future looks really nice.

 

[Cyrrona]

Lum Berry on Salamence is a neat idea--one of my other friends actually suggested that as well. I'm a little concerned about the loss of power, but there might not even be any specific KOs I'd be missing, idk. Like you guys said, it'd also help increase setup opportunities and stop random status hax (which I've of course been screwed by before lol), so I'll be sure to test that out against some friends.

I really enjoy having U-turn on Jirachi since it's such a fantastic tempo move, but I do see the merit of Trick and I agree that it'd patch up the CurseLax issues I've got. I'll definitely consider that as well.

Thanks for all the rates and good suggestions so far, guys! Keep 'em coming! (I'm going out of town for a bit, but I'll try and respond as soon as I've got a minute!)

 

[tobi10]

Hello there El Blecko! It´s such a shame that such a great team and RMT haven´t got the attention it needs. The excellent presentation, synergy and game plan is really cool, and the RMT section has been missing one of your kind for a while.
I know that a rate of mine won´t be that useful because there is no replacement for Latias. I will only suggest a bulkier spread for Salamence, probably more HP instead of Attack.

Nice team and good job on the leaderboard!!

 

[uvwxyz9]

Thats a really good team, to bad for latias :/, I think starmie would make a good replacement but then again your a better battler than me so you probably already know that or have a better option. but anyway good team hope i helped

 

[Firesong]

Hello Blecko (:

I don't have much to say because as I'm sure you know (despite probably not admitting it lol) this is a fantastic team, as shown by it's success on the ladder and all that good stuff.

However, I don't really get why you're running 216 Spe on Magnezone. You outrun uhhh Jolly Ursaring with that iirc. So I'd like to suggest a spread of Rash, 252 SAtk/176 Spe/80 HP. This will allow you to outrun ResTalk Gyara (who has become popular on stall teams to deal with that Taunt + Toxic Gliscor everyone uses) and everything slower. It also gives you a little extra bulk which I think would come in handy since Magnezone is so integral to your strategy.

Latias is tricky to think of a replacement for but I think DDTar@Babiri Berry is worth a shot. I'm not sure how this would affect your synergy because I'm too lazy to work anything out but as Scizor lures go, it's definitely one of the best. It also does a good job at weakening bulky waters too because most people tend to use them as a secondary check to DDtar (except Swampert who is more of a primary check.)

But uh yeah just mainly wanted to congratulate you on such a great team!
Hope I helped c:

 

[Cyrrona]

Alright--back from vacation, so I can respond to some things now. First of all, thanks to everyone for the kind words! With regards to Magnezone's EV spread, I think I'll stick with my current one--it lets me outrun max Speed Adamant SD Scizor (who are admittedly uncommon, but...) and a number of Taunt Skarmory. I'll definitely keep it in mind if I ever want a little more bulk/power, however. I appreciate the suggestion.

Finding a Latias replacement is tricky. Starmie and Babiri Tyranitar are both interesting proposals, though, and could probably do an adequate job of filling her shoes. I'll miss the Dragon STAB and the Ground immunity + useful resistances dearly, and I feel I'd become a little too vulnerable to Infernape if I opted to run Tyranitar, but I know I'm probably not going to find a perfect replacement here. With that in mind, I'll probably test the pair and see how they perform. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[DiS]

Hey Man. Very solid team and congrats on the ladder achievement, but I have a couple of suggestions. First off, your team looks pretty Lucario weak if Salamence goes down, or if Jirachi gets trapped or whatever. It can only set up on Uxie, but if it does, you are in some trouble. Next, I notice your team doesn't like taking U-turns from Scizor at all. Sure, Magnezone traps him, but he needs to be locked it first. One thing that comes to mind to add to the bulk of the team and to reliably take on those threats easier is to run a Bulky Salamence over your current set. Your team does a fantastic job at removing his counters, with Magnezone trapping Skarmory, Suicune weakening Rotom, and Magnezone luring in Swampert and other Grounds as well. Bulky Salamence provides a better sweeper imo with the ability to set up on like Scizor locked into Bullet Punch, but doesn't provide the raw power. However, it works a lot better for this team since it's basically centered around Salamence.

I definitely agree Tyranitar is an amazing option, but the SS isn't pleasent if he decides to not take my suggestion, Life Orb hurts a lot with SS and SR. Starmie can spin and all that shit but it doesn't really lure in Scizor since Starmie just destroys Scizor with Hydro Pump and any good player will know that.

For my last suggesion, Scizor might be a great addition to the team to help weaken shit even further with its powerful u-turn and cleaning up abilities. Just some thoughts, so good luck! =]

 

[Cyrrona]

Heya DiS—got your VM. Lucario has the potential to be problematic late game, but I feel pretty secure against most of those since I’ve got two hard counters in Jirachi and Salamence (who has recovery) and a secondary check to Adamant builds in Suicune. Like you said, it also doesn’t have a ton of opportunities to set up. I touched upon the Scizor U-turns thing briefly in the OP, too--they can certainly do a number on my team if he works his way in on Uxie or Jirachi locked into the wrong move. I'll usually sack Uxie in these cases to prevent any serious damage to the rest of the team and keep the momentum in my favor. The two pokemon dedicated to removing him from play here thankfully help me work around this most of the time as well.

As for Salamence, while a bulky spread would probably provide me a little more insurance against some of those threats, I think the power drop would be difficult to stomach. I’m also not sure it’d be worth making the change to set up on CB Scizor and whatnot considering I have multiple traps in place to ensure he’s removed from play by late-game. I appreciate the suggestion, though, and I’ll definitely add it to my list of things to experiment around with. Thanks for the rate!

 

[GaRgAnt]

I think everybody else covered the issues with the team well enough already.

However, as a Latias replacement, wouldn't Rotom-A be a good substitute? You get Levitate, you get two wonderful STAB attacks in Shadow Ball and Discharge/Thunderbolt, and with Machamp running rampant in this metagame a fighting immunity is awesome. A bulky Rotom with just 88 speed EVs can still easily burn any Machamp first before Payback strikes, and then you can switch to other members to take advantage of Machamp's weakened physical prowess. Or remain in and attack, counting on the burn to accelerate matters.

Just my two cents...