Featured RMT: XTRA CHIRP$
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Introduction
PEOPLE OF SMOGON. I PRESENT TO YOU ONE OF MY MOST SIMPLE, YET EFFECTIVE HO TEAMS I CREATED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE 6TH GEN.
Abstract
Team building has always been my passion for this game. In fact I used to build about 10 teams minimum a day. With all this intense team building, this lead to a heavy surplus of untested potential teams. This is the reason why I created the Hella Ho's thread. Instead of having myself to test my own teams, I invited the whole overused community to test out my inventions. I would say the famous saying, "throw it against a wall and see what sticks" would summarize the whole team archive. I'll admit most of the teams there flat suck, but there are a couple of hidden gems in there. One of them being this team. This team single-handedly revolutionized the metagame before the first week of OLT could even finish. I would have never thought to use this team for OLT, until I saw user Empo , one of my strongest advocates for this team, breaking 1900 elo 6 hours after the sign up for OLT was posted. It was until then I knew I had to try out this team. Couple hours fast-forward and I went 40-0 with this team after starting from 5-1. This massive jump gave awareness to other OLT players, and they insisted on using the team. It was until then that nearly the only way out of the ladder was to either a) use my bird spam team, or b) start building against it.
Behind the Wings
- Azelf @ Focus Sash
- Ability: Levitate
- EVs: 128 HP / 128 Def / 252 Spe
- Jolly Nature
- - Stealth Rock
- - Taunt
- - Skill Swap
- - Explosion
Why? Why would I pick Azelf out of all the other stealth rockers in the game? The reason I picked Azelf over something like Garchomp was because of it's speed tier. Azelf is an effective stealth rocker for a fast paced team because it prevents defog which offers the most offensive pressure against slow teams. Had I picked Garchomp, then Pokemon such as Latios would have had an easier time to remove my rocks. Also the momentum that this mon provides is pretty insane especially for a hard hitting team such as this one. Skill Swap is needed when you predict the Sableye / Diancie switch-in and humiliate them by setting your rocks.
The EV's listed above allow me to live Jolly Lopunny's Fake Out + Return 100% of the time. This is also why Adamant Lopunny is starting to see more popularity in the meta now.
- 252 Atk Mega Lopunny Fake Out vs. 128 HP / 128 Def Azelf: 76-91 (23.5 - 28.1%)
- 252 Atk Mega Lopunny Return vs. 128 HP / 128 Def Azelf: 195-231 (60.3 - 71.5%)
- (28.1% + 71.5% = 99.6%)
- Pinsir @ Pinsirite
- Ability: Hyper Cutter
- EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Adamant Nature
- - Swords Dance
- - Frustration
- - Close Combat
- - Quick Attack / Stone Edge
Why? If someone asked me what my favorite mega was, well lo and behold. Especially after Aegislash was removed from the metagame, Pinsir became stronger than it ever was. Many people don't really prepare for this pokemon. Well, didn't prepare for it, until I had to show everyone the dangers of this guy. Zapdos is on everyteam sure, but this doesn't stop him from breaking holes for other mons. The way I play this guy is simply like a martyr. It's only job is to break holes whether it's for Dragonite (trading with skarm/quagsire) or Talonflame (trading with rotom-w/zapdos). Hyper Cutter does not allow Lando-T to switch in, and if it did, then expect Dragonite to start dancing. Feint was finally put after I found out how many times I could have beat ABR stall was because I didn't have feint vs Weavile. Honestly, Quick Attack compensates for more than Feint, This is my opinion, you can use Feint if you truly believe you need it. Also abuse the fact that it doesn't make contact, and outpaces Talonflame's brave bird.
- Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
- Ability: Mold Breaker
- EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Adamant Nature
- - Earthquake
- - Iron Head
- - Rock Slide
- - Rapid Spin
Why? Excadrill perfectly fits in this team for many reasons. The main reason though, is that it learns rapid spin. However, the it is sort of as the back bone of the team, checking threatening electrics such as Thundurus and Manectric, and outspeeding them. Also nice to have a Lati switch in. Now, why did I pick Adamant over Jolly. The damage difference may seem small to some people, but with enough games one would justify that Adamant is the best nature on this set for THIS team for two reasons. Excadrill in itself has the potential to sweep a team alone if you play your cards right, and with that you need the extra power boost that you can get to ensure those kills. Another reason is, with the sheer amount of priority in this team, it is unnecessary to try and use this to check Mega-Alakazam, as you have other mons to get through it. Adamant nature throws off alot of mons such as suicune and mega-scizor which are already a pain for this team.
- Talonflame @ Choice Band
- Ability: Gale Wings
- EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Adamant Nature
- - Brave Bird
- - Flare Blitz
- - Steel Wing
- - U-turn
Why? Talonflame completes the whole "bird spam" thing all together, but what really makes it shine in this team is the amount of power it will always guarantee. Also, hands down Talonflame is the best revenge killer any HO team could ask for. I picked steel wing for my last move because people started predicting skill swap on my Azelf lead vs Diancie, so to scare it off and or kill it, Steel Wing is neccessary. Adamant nature is very much needed as it lands the KO's on important mons, such as Latios with U-turn preventing defog, 1HKOs Starmies preventing spin, 2hkos Quagsire and Excadrill with Brave Bird. and more importantly, provides enough damage for the other sweepers in this team. I often find myself trading Talonflame for Landorus-T which is huge for me since when Landorus-T is gone it's usually Excadrill bringing it home with the 'quake.
- Manaphy @ Leftovers
- Ability: Hydration
- EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Modest Nature
- - Tail Glow
- - Surf
- - Ice Beam
- - Energy Ball
Why? It took me up until this OLT to figure out what set I want to run on Manaphy. To my conclusions this is the best set and should not be altered. Manaphy is the Pokemon that brings this team together. This set allows it to 2HKO Chansey with Surf at +6, which should not be a problem to most Chanseys since they run no status nowadays, thus why Rain Dance is not needed. Energy Ball ties the team down together, by helping against Rotom-W, Suicune, Mega-Slowbro, and Curse Gastrodon- the biggest threats that come to mind when playing with this team. Max speed is for other Manaphy, speed ties with Adamant Medicham, and also outspeeds Modest Hydreigon.
- Dragonite @ Weakness Policy
- Ability: Multiscale
- EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Adamant Nature
- - Dragon Dance
- - Dragon Claw
- - Earthquake
- - Extreme Speed
Why? The forgotten threat of Gen 5 makes an appearance to the famous bird spam. Dragonite holds the team together, whether it's stretching out the holes that his bird brothers created, or having the ability to have great synergy with the team. Dragonite does it all. After testing with items throughout the journey. It is to my conclusion that Weakness Policy is not a suggested item, but rather, it is RECOMMENDED. Landorus will try to stone-edge you. Clefable will try to Moonblast you. Do not take the humiliation. use it to your advantage. This thing will save your ass so many times and has the potential to turn around a 6-1 to his own advantage. Here is a replay revealing why it is necessary to have this item. This battle was also the first time this team had exposure, back in OST 9 vs KratosMana for game 2. After that game, I completely forgot about this team and dumped it into my team archive, where it was finally recovered thanks to Empo and others who had great success with it.
Conclusion
There you have it. The famous bird spam team that revolutionized the meta within a week. I'd like to point out the issue of match-ups as I got a lot of people questioning how I did so well with this team due to the common misconception of how this team has bad "match up" vs everything. I'd like to say that skill is the biggest key to this team. You wont go 40-0 with this team alone. In fact this team can outplay any match up it wanted to granted you are playing better than your opponent. I won match ups when I was fighting Scarf Tyranitar / Rotom-W / and Skarmory all in one team. As long as you have a game plan, this team will give you the best output. My suggestion is to prioritize a sweeper and use the rest of your team to poke holes to allow the sweeper to have it's breathing space it needs to take down a team. Like I said, even Excadrill can be your win-con sometimes. Do not count out any Pokemon to sweep. (except for Azelf of course)
- *Although this team is finalized, I will gladly accept all suggestions and criticisms towards the team. If you feel the need that something could be changed, let me hear your opinions.
- ** Good Luck vs this new Zapdos-infested metagame. It was fun while it lasted. My suggestion is to try out random sets, maybe find a way to add Stone Edge on Pinsir to further mess with the meta.
- *** Finally an Alternate proposal to this team to beat more stall influenced teams is to drop Energy Ball on Manaphy, and add Rain Dance, and since Energy Ball gets dropped from Manaphy then Dragonite needs Lum Berry and Outrage to help deal with bulky waters better.
Importable
Azelf @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 128 HP / 128 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Skill Swap
- Explosion
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Close Combat
- Quick Attack
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Steel Wing
- U-turn
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball
Dragonite @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
Introduction
Hi everyone! Our latest featured RMT is going to break down a popular team on the OLT (Official Ladder Tournament) ladder right now: xtra chirps by xtrashine. We are going to discuss and talk about each Pokémon of the team and their impact on the metagame and on the ladder. We decided to feature this team because of the impact that this team had on the ladder in the last few months. This team achieved a high and quick peak for many ladder players, not to mention the fact that many tournament players qualified for OLT playoffs using this team. The team is pretty easy to use, powerful, and able to win games quickly, contrasting to other teams and playstyles, which can have slower, more drawn-out games. The main goal of this team is to weaken shared checks of the team's sweepers, such as Talonflame weakening Landorus-T for Mega Pinsir to sweep. Additionally, the team is able to respond to common threats to hyper offense teams, thanks to the Choice Scarf users and priority. The craziest part about this team is how it came from the XY era and is now one of the most-used teams in ORAS OU ladder, being used in OLT2 by Beatiful and OLT3 by Xtrashine and Empo. With this being said, let's introduce the team!
The Team
Azelf
First in the team is Azelf. Azelf is one of the fastest Pokémon, being able to set up Stealth Rock as well as use Explosion to kickstart the team's momentum for other teammates. Azelf is fast enough to Taunt most Defog users, keeping hazards on the field. It is also fast enough to avoid Taunt from non-Prankster Pokémon. This Azelf set is picked over Garchomp as a Stealth Rock lead because of its Speed and ability to set up Stealth Rock against most of the tier. This set is a bulky set chosen to be able to set up against Mega Lopunny, which is a common anti-lead due to its high Speed, high Attack, and the combination of Fake Out + Return, which would allow it to beat a normal Azelf spread. However, with this spread, Azelf survives Fake Out + Return 100% of time and as a result is able to set up Stealth Rock. Skill Swap is a useful move in OU due to the prominence of Magic Bounce users such as Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye. Keep in mind that because Magic Bounce is used after Mega Evolution, it's pretty much a 50/50 scenario whether to use Skill Swap to gain Magic Bounce or use Stealth Rock as the opponent chooses not to Mega Evolve.
Mega Pinsir
The second Pokémon in the team is Mega Pinsir, which has a clear role as a wallbreaker, even if Flying-type checks are still present. With the power and coverage to clean games after a Swords Dance boost, Mega Pinsir is one of the best Mega Evolutions that can fit in this team. Even with the rise of many and more Flying-type checks in OU, such as Tyranitar, Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, and Zapdos, Mega Pinsir can still do its work by breaking defensive cores or trading with the opponent to allow teammates to clean the game. Thanks to Hyper Cutter, Mega Pinsir is able to Swords Dance or even attack against Intimidate Pokémon, which is useful to deal with Landorus-T. The priority move is chosen for its power; the other option was Feint, which has a priority of +2, which is higher than every other priority move bar Extreme Speed. This comes in handy against Weavile's Ice Shard and Talonflame's Brave Bird, which would otherwise stop Mega Pinsir's sweep. A Jolly nature ensures Mega Pisnir outspeeds some important Pokémon such as Manaphy, but with an Adamant nature Feint becomes a better choice, as Feint with an Adamant nature deals roughly equal damage to Quick Attack with a Jolly nature. Close Combat is such a great move to have on Mega Pinsir, taking down Pokémon that resist Flying such as Tyranitar and Heatran and also hitting Rotom-W neutrally.
Excadrill
With the second Pokémon being one that needs hazard control, the third Pokémon has to provide hazard removal. Excadrill is one of the most-used Pokémon in hyper offense because of its Speed with a Choice Scarf and ability to remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin. It also provides a valuable resistance to Electric. Choice Scarf Excadrill is a prime choice in a team like this, where hazard control is so important and where it can outspeed all non-boosted Pokémon in OU, as well as being able to revenge kill some boosted threats. Having a spinner for the team that isn't Electric weak and adds a key Fairy resistance is also important. It is able to revenge kill many threats to the team such as Mega Manectric, Thundurus, and Mega Diancie. Adamant is chosen because of the damage output against threats such as Mega Scizor and Suicune. Adamant Excadrill loses against certain Pokémon such as Mega Alakazam, which can be problematic, but these are generally covered by other teammates.
Talonflame
Talonflame is the fourth Pokémon, completing the "bird spam" core with Mega Pinsir. Choice Band Talonflame is the breaker that this hyper offense team needs, and it is able to break through many defensive cores as well as being a strong revenge killer. An Adamant nature is used over Jolly because of the damage output against Pokémon such as Latios and Landorus-T. Removing these Pokémon means that Excadrill is a potential wincon. Brave Bird OHKOes Starmie and also scores important 2HKOs against Quagsire and Excadrill. With Mega Pinsir and Talonflame sharing the same checks, both can wear each other's checks down to potentially sweep later on. U-turn is such a great move on Talonflame that gains momentum, since Talonflame usually draws in Pokémon that resist Flying. Doing some decent chip damage with U-turn helps Talonflame break through its checks later with Brave Bird. Flare Blitz acts as secondary STAB move and catches some defensive Pokémon such as Skarmory; damage on Skarmory can help Dragonite and Mega Pinsir sweep later. Steel Wing is the other coverage move that allows Talonflame to OHKO Mega Diancie, again helping pave the way for Mega Pinsir and Dragonite to sweep. An Adamant nature has some negative aspects, such as having Talonflame be outsped by Weavile's Ice Shard, but that means Talonflame can wallbreak better.
Manaphy
Manaphy's Tail Glow allows it to easily punch through defensive cores. After boosting it has close to no switch-ins. This set allows Manaphy to 2HKO even Chansey at +6, helping to break stall teams. Being such a great wallbreaker, it helps the team against key walls such as Hippowdon. Tail Glow + 3 attacks allows Manaphy to deal with threats such as Mega Slowbro, Gastrodon, Rotom-W, and Suicune that would resist its Water STAB move. Surf is chosen over Scald because it adds a little more power, but it loses out on key burns. Also, Manaphy is the only Pokémon on the team that resists Ice, which means it's the only one on the team that can deal with Weavile.
Dragonite
Dragonite is the last Pokémon of the team, a Pokémon that has never seen much usage in ORAS OU but works on some hyper offense teams. It has an important role as a late-game sweeper and wincon, as well as adding valuable priority in Extreme Speed. With the Weakness Policy + Multiscale combo, the game has the potential to spiral out of the opponent's control quickly, and Dragonite can end games if it gets rolling. This set is sometimes adjusted to use a Lum Berry over Weakness Policy, because of the fact that status moves are sometimes more annoying for Dragonite than damage. Outrage is an option over Dragon Claw for more powerful STAB move. Extreme Speed + Earthquake offers coverage for the few threats Dragonite's STAB moves can't hit neutrally.
Threats
With such a solid build, you can't really find a threat that sweeps this team, but there are a few threats that can be pretty annoying for it. First of all, as mentioned, Magic Bounce users are pretty annoying stopping the team's strategy from the beginning. Electric-types such as Mega Manectric can annoy the birdspam core and at the same time reduce their sweeping potential. Thundurus, aided by priority Thunder Wave, can effectively threaten most of the team, even being able to pick off Excadrill with Focus Blast. Zapdos is another big threat because of its bulk and ability to check most of the team. Skarmory is such an annoying Pokémon, since it checks much of the team and never stays in against Talonflame, so it can be hard to wear down. Adamant Mega Lopunny can be threatening because it stops the strategy of setting up Stealth Rock from the beginning, so it's up to the player to check out the Fake Out damage on Azelf and make a guess at its nature. Choice Band Weavile, with Ice Shard, is able to threaten most of the team outside of Manaphy. Stall teams are hard to play against too, because of the presence of Unaware Clefable to check Dragonite and ignore boosts and pass Wishes to the proper check of the Pokémon it's facing.
Conclusion
XTRA CHIRP$ is the best team to represent the current ladder, being one of the most-used teams and having a big success in qualifying many OLT players. This team aims to get wins pretty quickly because of its birdspam strategy weakening complementary checks and pressing many teams because of its construction. Hopefully, this RMT was a fun and enjoyable read for you all!
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