XY OU Zygarde is Bad (Peaked 1800+)

[emilyyyy]

This team was based around Zygarde (who actually isn't that bad) and went 38-4 on the OU ladder in the hands of the masterful am pretty bad (Chwag). We sort of built the team together, but I’m much better at team building and writing than I am at playing so Chwaggy did the laddering. Overall it’s a pretty decent team I think, but Zygarde needs to be played very carefully so he doesn’t die before being able to set up.

Proof of Peak

Best W/L. Didn't get a screenshot of the highest ELO but oh well. Only about 40 matches were played with this team so it probably could've gotten a higher ELO.

Teambuilding process:

I wanted to build a team based off of Zygarde, a pretty decent 'mon who can hold his own in OU. The set I chose was SubCoil and the rest of the team was built around it. Heatran was chosen next because Zyggy’s main threats are fairies, particularly screaming ones (Mega Gardevoir, Sylveon). This Heatran started out as a scarf set but a supporter with Rocks works much better on this team because it allows Zyggy to rack up damage with Dragon Tails. Next, something was needed to deal with Greninja who easily OHKOs both Heatran and Zyggy. I love using AV Azumarill for this role because it can freely switch into Greninja and dish out substantial damage on the switch-outs. I then added a Greninja of my own to clean up once everything was weakened by Zyggy. The rest of the team sort of just came together and works pretty well I think.

In depth:

Zyggy @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 200 HP / 252 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Coil
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail

The main member of this team. SubCoil is a pretty decent set that, if played properly, can be a nightmare. The moves are pretty self-explanatory; Dragon Tail is great on Zyggy because Coil boosts its accuracy. It also allows you to outspeed Skarmory’s Whirlwind and Heatran’s Roar to shuffle them out before they can phaze you. EVs allow Zyggy to make 101 HP substitutes to take two Seismic Tosses and take a Rotom-W Hydro Pump about half the time without breaking the Sub. The rest of the EVs go into speed, which allows you to outspend Bisharp and non-Jolly Breloom. Between Dragon Tail and Mew support, Zyggy never has to worry about getting set-up on as he tries to boost. Also, he is 100% walled by Togekiss so don’t even try setting up if the opponent has one on their team.

ayy lmao @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD / 32 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Superpower/Knock Off
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough

AV Azumarill gives this team some much-needed special bulk. It can freely switch into Greninja and many fairies that threaten Zyggy. The EVs focus on bulk rather than speed. We used Superpower most of the time because Ferrothorn is annoying, but Knock Off works as well. EV spread is relatively standard for an AV azu spread, and the 32 speed EVs are just there to creep other really slow Azumarills.

Krakatoa @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Lava Plume
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic

Heatran was sorely needed on this team to try to stop Mega Gardevoir's momentum and act as a switch-in to Earthquake, Will-o-Wisp, and the fire moves that Scizor attracts. A fast Taunt is a lifesaver in a lot of situations, and Rocks are crucial for allowing more damage on Dragon Tail phazing with Zygarde. Max speed Heatran can catch a lot of people off-guard and stagnate momentum with things like Breloom and evolved Mega Heracross.

Ronin @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Extrasensory
- Spikes/Dark Pulse

Pretty standard Greninja set. I like Spikes because it allows you to hang out for a while on the most brain-dead Greninja switch-in ever: Chansey. Protean ground typing allows you to stack Spikes while avoiding Thunder Waves, and Spikes also let Zygarde deal more damage when phazing with Dragon Tail. Dark Pulse could be used here if there’s a lack of coverage. Greninja acts as a cleaner to finish off the opponent’s team after Zyggy has done his job.

Chwaggy @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 108 SpD / 148 Spe
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Taunt

Stallbreaker Mew is an absolute beast, named after Chwag. The EVs are pretty standard and allow you to outspeed non-scarf Tyranitars as well as Bisharps, Brelooms, and most Landorus-Therians. Between Taunt, Knock Off, and WoW many common support/stall Pokemon are completely shut down which allows Zyggy a clean switch in to start setting up. Mew is definitely one of the most important members of this team.

Stark @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Roost

I don’t really understand why people don’t run max defense Mega Scizor more often. Its stats are ridiculous: better physical bulk than Skarmory with an objectively better typing in addition to a base 90 priority move and Swords Dance. After a certain point in time, most teams have no legitimate way of stopping M-Scizor, as most priority is physical. Movepool is pretty standard. Knock Off is spammable as ever in Gen 6. Barring fire types, Scizor essentially has the ability to reliably recover and set up SDs against any physical attacker in the meta.

Threats:

M-Gardevoir
Heracross (no switch-ins, but who really does)
Talonflame if Heatran is dead
M-Charizard-X
CM Knock Off Landorus (yeah that's really common)

More to be added later.

Replays:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-146964465
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-146990210 (A really ugly one)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-147085275
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-147268097
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-146906352
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-147221824 (Low ladder)


Calcs:

4 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 200 HP / 252+ SpD Zygarde: 93-109 (22.8 - 26.7%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Starmie Ice Beam vs. 200 HP / 252+ SpD Zygarde: 322-380 (79.1 - 93.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Just to show how bulky max SpDef Zygarde is.)
252+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 248+ Def Mega Scizor: 111-132 (32.2-38.3%) -- 96.9% chance to 3HKO (M-Scizor is obscenely bulky.)
252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 248+ Def Mega Scizor: 91-108 (26.4-31.3%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

More to be added later.


Thanks: Chwag and the rest of /cpg/ for being nerds.

Importable

ayy lmao (Azumarill) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD / 32 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Superpower
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough

Zyggy (Zygarde) @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 200 HP / 252 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Coil
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail

Krakatoa (Heatran) (M) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic

Ronin (Greninja) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Extrasensory
- Spikes

Chwaggy (Mew) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 108 SpD / 148 Spe
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Taunt

Stark (Scizor) (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Roost

 

[TheEnder]

Hey there emilyyyy, pretty cool team you have here :) Theres not really a lot I would suggest changing, but I got some comments;

First off, you have no way of clearing hazards, which can cost you a lot of games as this team is more balanced than offensive. I know the team is built around Zygrade as well, but I would suggest putting Bulky Defog Latias > Zygarde. This gives you a second switchin to Keldeo as well as hazard control, and a way to play mindgames with Landorus and Thundurus.

Latias

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock / Hidden Power [Fire]

Secondly, I would run Will-O-Wisp > Toxic and Fire Blast > Lava Plume on Heatran, for a way of handling Mawile and Bisharp, as well as more stallbreaking power.

Heatran

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Will-O-Wisp

Lastly, I would run Hidden Power [Fire] / Hidden Power [Grass] > Dark Pulse on Greninja, as Aegislash, Dark Pulses only target, is probably getting banned; I'd rather lure in and hit Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor or Azumarill and Rotom-W on the swith :)

Greninja

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Fire] / Hidden Power [Grass]

Hope I helped :D

 

[henry]

Now that Aegi is kill this team is even better. Will try to find time to ladder and see if I can do better than 38-4 in around 40 games.

 

[Unbirthday]

If you don't mind replacing Zygarde (which I assume you do, as this is a team around it), then TheEnder's suggestion of Latias is pretty solid. While Keldeo can be annoying Azumarill, Greninja and Mew should be able to weather its assaults until it is sufficiently weakened by Toxic or hazards. Latias would be nice for Thundurus and Landorus however, so it'd definitely be great to have around. I believe Heatran should keep Toxic as Charizard X is an absolute pain otherwise, being able to set up against it for free while threatening everything on the team. Mawile and Bisharp would be nice to have extra coverage against but Heatran and Zygarde, potentially in combination with Scizor, should be able to defeat them without too much trouble. Charizard X on the other hand is a massive pain for this team and leaving it unchecked when literally nothing else can even somewhat take it on (Azumarill just gets smashed) probably isn't in your best interest. Furthermore, Spikes seems like the best option on Greninja. While it's normally a pretty difficult move to utilize effectively on Greninja, this team is a great showcasing of a team where it actually works as most Defoggers are not only threatened by Greninja but also by the rest of your team so, if played smart, keeping hazards up shouldn't be too difficult. As for a suggestion of myself, I would consider moving 40 EVs from Mew's Speed into Special Defense. You don't really need the extra speed as the only Pokemon past that point is Mega Heracross who is handled just fine by your Heatran and Greninja and has a pretty difficult time coming in. Mew also gets destroyed if it's in on the turn Heracross Mega Evolves, so the extra speed doesn't really help. This spread allows you to still outspeed Breloom while never being 2HKO'd by Timid Landorus' Life Orb Earth Power, allowing you to switch into it early game before you're able to get the momentum in your favor or a sweep going. This suggestion is especially helpful if you decide to keep Zygarde, although I agree that Latias would be very healthy for the rest of the team in that slot. I was also going to mention replacing Air Balloon on Heatran with Leftovers to help with your Talonflame weakness somewhat, but I realize that you'll have a much harder time against early Mega Pinsir without it, who can be really dangerous before Stealth Rocks are up. While the Balloon will be gone near the end of the game, Pinsir should be sufficiently weakened at that point already, allowing you to pick it off with Scizor. Leftovers still looks like a solid option so I'd at least consider it, though.

Summary

(If you decide to replace Zygarde)

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Defog
- Roost
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock / Hidden Power [Fire]

Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 148 SpD / 108 Spe
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Taunt
​

​

 

[emilyyyy]

TheEnder: Thanks for the rate, I appreciate it! Latios would probably fit this team better, but just for the sake of using Zygarde I'm going to keep it for now. My justification for not having hazard removal on my team is because between two fast Taunters I can usually keep hazards from getting out of hand; in addition, having my own Rocks and Spikes puts pressure on the opposing team to use Defog which clears hazards from my side as well. Finally, although my team is weak to Spikes, they aren't as common as Stealth Rocks which none of my Pokemon take too much damage from.

Unbirthday: Thanks so much for the in-depth rate! I do like the suggestion of Latios and I know it would probably be a bit better for this team than Zygarde; however, I'm going to keep the snake dragon for now just because I like it and it is, after all, a Zygarde team. I like your suggestion for Mew's EVs and I think I'm going to make that change, the SpD addition will definitely help. I also think I'll keep Balloon on Heatran for now, as you mentioned he helps a lot against M-Pinsir and other strong Earthquake users.

Again, thanks you two for taking the time to look over this team and leave your suggestions! :)

 

[I_am_A_Garchomp]

My friend battled this team the other day. He ended up beating it, and it was against one of you guys.

 

[truedrew]

Hey bud nice tem srry for the quick rate will give in depth later but i forsee a keldeo + bisharp core giving you major trouble with rocks support as azu can switch in only that many number of times and specs hpump does a number on most of your members

 

[Ruffles]

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-147207117

My (and Garchomp's) Zygarde team > Your Zygarde team.

lol jk but I really recommend WoW > Something on Heatran, and since your running WoW, Fire Blast > Lava PLum

Also for Scizor, running a boosting nature on your biggest stat is the most efficient. 248 HP / 252+ Def is taking it too far IMO Adamant and 16 EVs minimum to hit a jump point. 248 HP / 16+ Atk / 232 Def / 8 Spe is a better but I would still recommend removing some Def for Atk/SpD.

Finally running 148 SpD / 108 Spe is prolly better on Mew (like Unbirthday said)