Yin & Yang
A Balanced OU Team
You may remember a while back I posted a thread called "Dancing on the Tightrope". That was my first ever RMT and the first step I took into the world of competitive Pokemon battling. The members of that first team were used with varying degrees of success, with a number of flaws preventing them from achieving any real success. So, over the course of a number of tests and battles, the members of that team were replaced, one by one, until I had a group of Pokemon who handled themselves well in battle. The team members are all completely different (bar one), but the premise of this team is practically untouched: A balanced approach to battling with equal weighting of offense and defense. Without further ado, let's meet the team:
A Balanced OU Team
You may remember a while back I posted a thread called "Dancing on the Tightrope". That was my first ever RMT and the first step I took into the world of competitive Pokemon battling. The members of that first team were used with varying degrees of success, with a number of flaws preventing them from achieving any real success. So, over the course of a number of tests and battles, the members of that team were replaced, one by one, until I had a group of Pokemon who handled themselves well in battle. The team members are all completely different (bar one), but the premise of this team is practically untouched: A balanced approach to battling with equal weighting of offense and defense. Without further ado, let's meet the team:
Greninja* @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- U Turn
The last man standing from the original line-up, Greninja has proved its worth on this team time and time again. Fast and very powerful, Greninja's ability provides it with STAB on all its moves, which combined with the 30% boost in power from its Life Orb makes the frog-ninja Pokemon perfectly capable of OHKOing a large variety of opponents. Hydro Pump is its most powerful option, providing solid coverage against the fire, rock and ground types that can potentially ruin key players on this team, whilst Ice Beam absolutely wrecks dragon and grass types. Dark pulse is an excellent option to remove the Psychic and Ghost types that might threaten the rest of the team (nailing non-Focus Sash Gengar is always a joy!) and U-Turn works excellently with Greninja's speed to provide a damage-dealing escape clause and maintain some momentum.
Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
Almost always guaranteed to get off at least one Dragon Dance, Dragonite is my set-up sweeper who works best late-game. Multiscale lets Dragonite take nearly any hit whilst at full health in order to get to + 1 Attack and Speed with Dragon Dance, which works excellently with the Lum Berry to stave off any nasty status that might cripple it as it dances. Outrage is the STAB of choice, providing insane levels of power at +1, and if the Lum Berry hasn't been consumed (which isn't a rare occurrence by any means) then the aftermath of confusion is nullified. Obviously, being locked into a Dragon type move is a gamble, particularly with Steel and Fairy types running around. To remedy this, the team has a number of counters to Fairy types, along with a number of means to deal with Steel-type Pokemon. Dragonite itself packs Fire Punch and Earthquake for coverage, hitting a myriad of opponents hard.
Excadrill @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 176 HP / 60 Atk / 252 SpD / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Bulky Excadrill returns, and man does this fella put in some serious work. If brought in safely, Excadrill can survive any hit and strike back with a powerful STAB Earthquake or Rock Slide to put a serious dent in its attacker. After a Swords Dance, it has even taken down some of the scariest threats in the game, from defensive behemoths like Cresslia (2HKO) to Mewtwo (OHKO). I seem to always underestimate this little guy, and time and time again he surprises me with just how much work he puts in. An excellent sponge for Thunder Wave and Toxic, Excadrill finds a lot of opportunities to switch in and reign destruction of the enemy. Rapid Spin is self explanatory.
Sableye @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Taunt
- Foul Play
If I've set it once, I've said it a hundred times: do not, under any circumstance, underestimate this crafty son of a bitch! This shifty little Pokemon makes me feel dirty whenever he secures me a victory, but it does so in the best way possible. Sableye neuters physical threats with unmatched prowess, and it takes pride in doing so. Prankster burn, recovery and Taunt shenanigans make Sableye one annoying little git and very difficult to get rid of outside of special attacks. It shuts down physical Aegislash for starters, and Foul Play? Let me give you an example of how good Foul Play is on this set:
In a Random Battle Spot match, I made a horrible misplay with Greninja and lost it to a Dragonite with two Dragon Dances and a Weakness Policy boost under its belt. It was a stupid error on my part and I thought it had cost me the game. But lo, in comes Sableye, who proceeds to burn the beefed-up dragon immediately, then straight-up OHKO's with Foul Play, allowing me to claw back a very narrow victory. And this isn't even a one off: Sableye performs time and time again, and probably stole the title of MVP from Greninja a long time ago. I told you he was a sneaky bastard.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power (Ice)
Replacing Sylveon as my special wall is Heatran, who eats up so many different types of attack with its resistances it's unreal. Able to set up Stealth Rocks for the team, Heatran only really fears Fighting types (which are checked by Sableye), Ground types (which it can hit hard with Hidden Power Ice itself) and Water typers (which Venusaur, Greninja and Dragonite laugh at). After a Flash Fire boost, Lava Plume hits hard and the 30% burn chance is a lovely little bonus. The newest addition to the team, I'm still getting used to Heatran and working out how it works best, but already it is proving a solid team member.
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll/Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Sleep Powder
The new Mega on the team is also a good Mixed wall. With Thick Fat, M-Venusaur doesn't fear much at all. It can sponge most attacks, then hit back with a vitality-stealing Giga Drain or a potentially poison-inducing Sludge Bomb. If counter-attacking isn't to our fancy, Venusaur can simply put the enemy to sleep and switch to an appropriate counter or recover off half its health with Synthesis. Essentially, Venusaur is a strong defensive presence on the team that nicely compliments the pure-defense and pure-special defense of Sableye and Heatran, provides some nice anti-Fairy coverage and forms part of a F/W/G core with Heatran and Greninja.
I thank you in advance for your critiques of the team. Please be constructive and try to remember that I'm still very new to the competitive battling scene!
