Team Preview
Introduction
This team is based largely off of my late XY Clefable team, which became obsolete once ORAS came out. Afterwards, I tried a lot of different teams like M-Altaria Balance, M-Mtagross SemiStall, and M-Slowbro Stall, but I didn't really enjoy the way they played. After trying out different tiers (CC1v1 and RU), I noticed that an OU No Mega ladder had been put up, and I was curious as to what a mega-less metagame would look like since I had only really started playing pokemon seriously at the start of XY. And I will not lie, the No Mega ladder has been the most enjoyable ladder thus far. This team has topped the No Mega ladder, and I'd appreciate feedback on how to make it better.
Proof of Ladder
This team is based largely off of my late XY Clefable team, which became obsolete once ORAS came out. Afterwards, I tried a lot of different teams like M-Altaria Balance, M-Mtagross SemiStall, and M-Slowbro Stall, but I didn't really enjoy the way they played. After trying out different tiers (CC1v1 and RU), I noticed that an OU No Mega ladder had been put up, and I was curious as to what a mega-less metagame would look like since I had only really started playing pokemon seriously at the start of XY. And I will not lie, the No Mega ladder has been the most enjoyable ladder thus far. This team has topped the No Mega ladder, and I'd appreciate feedback on how to make it better.
Proof of Ladder
I still really hate the fuchsia(?) color of that last accounts name. However I did manage to get into the top 10 with all 3 accounts, before the reset.
Team Building Process
Team Analysis
Everything Breaks (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Nature: Calm
EVs: 248 HP | 160 Def | 96 SpD | 4 Spe
Moves: Moonblast | Flamethrower* | Soft-Boiled | Calm Mind
Clefable is the most important member of the team, and is my primary win condition. Moonblast and Flamethrower lets me hit most things not named Heatran neutrally, and pretty hard after one or two CMs. Soft-Boiled lets Clefable stay healthy, and Calm Mind is for setup. I have Flamethrower starred because I've been switching that slot between several moves (Stored Power, Thunderbolt, Psyshock), but Flamethrower has been the most consistent option. I use Magic Guard to get burned by weaker Scalds early on to prevent paralysis, and I'll usually go for Flamethrower a lot early game if my opponent's best fairy check is Bisharp, Ferrothorn, or Scizor.
Shell-Don (Chesnaught) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
Nature: Impish
EVs: 244 HP | 120 Def | 148 Spe
Moves: Drain Punch | Wood Hammer | Leech Seed | Spiky Shield
Chesnaught is here to destroy BD Azumarill and Bisharp, as well as hassle Landorus-T. The speed EVs let Chesnaught hit 200 speed which allows it to outspeed Adamant Azumarill as well as Heatran (who you 2HKO after SR and a bi of damage). The Defense EVs get an extra point, maximizing physical bulk. Drain Punch lets Chesnaught recover health and beat non-Toxic Ferrothorn 1v1 (also Bisharp). Wood Hammer is mostly here for Azumarill, who is KO-ed most of the time after a round of Stealth Rock (or Spiky Shield). It can help with Suicune, but Scald's
0 Atk Chesnaught Drain Punch vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 164-194 (42.5 - 50.3%) -- 39.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Chesnaught Wood Hammer vs. 240 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 330-390 (82.2 - 97.2%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Magic Conch (Slowbro) @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
Nature: Bold
EVs: 248 HP | 236 Def | 24 SpD
Moves: Scald | Psyshock | Slack Off | Ice Beam or Thunder Wave
Slowbro is a blessing to me, and helps deal with Talonflame and Keldeo. The EVs make Keldeo's Specs Hydro Pump a 3HKO after Stealth Rocks. Scald is STAB with a
Cool Nickname (Heatran) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Calm
EVs: 248 HP | 72 Def | 184 SpD
Moves: Lava Plume | Toxic | Protect | Stealth Rock
I swear I had thought up the most clever nickname, but then my teams got cleared and I forgot what I had called Heatran. Heatran is a pokemon I initially hated but grew to love over time. The Defense EVs allow Heatran to survive a Low Kick from LO Weavile after Stealth Rocks damage. Lava Plume is another move I use solely for burn Hax, and Toxic complements that nicely by wearing down bulky waters like Rotom-W and Slowking who take pitiable damage from Lava Plume. Protect lets me get a free turn of leftovers/damage/scouting, and overall is a very handy move. Stealth Rock is mandatory hazards. The thought that something may be running Earthquake is enough to get me to use Protect, but then I noticed something about a lot of EQ Latios. They don't just not go for EQ on the first turn, they almost always go for Psyshock first, to avoid the -2 Sp Attack drop, and then go for EQ on the second move. That isn't to say its the only way of going about dealing with Heatran, but unless they do something outlandish (Screens+Memento) I'd advise Protect then immediately switching out to Skarmory or Clefable.
CAW CAW (Skarmory) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Calm
EVs: 248 HP | 124 Def | 136 SpD
Moves: Spikes or Iron Head | Whirlwind | Roost | Defog
Skarmory is my mandatory bird. I opted for a specially defensive spread because I figured I had enough natural physical defenses and could discourage physical attackers with Rocky Helmet, and still needed a good answer to EQ Latios. The Special Defense EVs allow me to take maximum 75% from two consecutive LO Draco Meteors, giving time to roost off after switching in, and dumping the rest in defenses. Spikes is more consistent option seeing as Iron Head is relatively weak and lacks much use outside of beating Weavile and Haxing Fairys (however it demolishes Weavile). Roost is to keep Skarmory alive, and defog gets rid of hazards. It may seem counterproductive to have Defog and Spikestacking, but both Gliscor and Skarmory are resistant to SR, Clefable doesn't take hazard damage, and Slowbro has regenerator which means I'm not really reliant on Defog unless I'm up against full hazard offensive teams. Skarmory is fairly resilient and isn't weak to SR, so spamming Roost isn't really necessary unless you're fishing for Rocky Helmet damage. Whirlwind lets me consistently deal with setup sweepers like DD Dragonite, SD Garchomp, all of whom gave me a lot of trouble with Zapdos. It is also a good way to rack up extra burn/toxic/hazard damage.
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 136+ SpD Skarmory: 211-250 (63.3 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Batman (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Nature: Careful
EVs: 244 HP | 8 Def | 200 SpD | 56 Spe
Moves: Earthquake | Knock Off | Roost | Swords Dance
Gliscor is meant to set up on everything Clefable cannot (Chansey and Heatran) and appreciates Clefable's ability to take on what it struggles against (Skarmory and Mandibuzz). Earthquake is STAB, and Knock Off lets me get rid of items on opposing teams. Roost is useful both in that it heals Gliscor, and also lets me bait slower pokemon like Slowbro into revealing if they run Ice Beam over Psyshock (ie: can I set up on them or not because Scald is a 3HKO). Which leads to Swords Dance; while Gliscor may not be able to threaten as much as Clefable, it becomes an immediate threat against slower teams after one turn of setup, and can outright sweep a lot of different balanced/stall builds. Gliscor has been an excellent replacement for Garchomp (who was absolute trash), and has probably won me as many games as Clefable has.
0 SpA Slowbro Scald vs. 244 HP / 200+ SpD Gliscor: 158-188 (44.8 - 53.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Poison Heal
Replays+Commentary
I figure I could write up little tidbits on how I use the pokemon, and but watching the replays saves me a lot of writing and this has already gotten pretty long to begin with so here are selected replays of the team in different matchups with brief commentary.
Chesnaught+Heatran in early stages of the team
VS M-Lop HO (Loss to Ice Punch freeze)
Gliscor makes a Comeback
VS HO
VS Balance
Hazards win the Game
VS Gothitelle Stall
VS Balance #2
VS Gothitelle Offense
VS Stall
VS M-Metagross Offense
Chesnaught+Heatran: This battle showcases two things: My early frustrations with Garchomp, since most battles ended up with it just dying off, as well as how irritating Leech Seed spam could potentially be. My opponent should have gone for Knock Off on Heatran earlier, it probably would've won him/her the game.
VS M-Lop HO: I accidentally went for a battle in regular OU. The most terrifying part of this game was trying to identify Landorus's set (and incorrectly at that). I did not anticipate it being Rock Polish, which led me to sack Slowbro early on. With regards to Chesnaught freezing, I shouldn't have let it stay in on Gyarados's Bounce, but it was pretty early in the morning and if Gyarados had gotten to +3 or +4, Chesnaught wouldn't have been able to stomach the waterfalls anyways.
Gliscor makes a Comeback: I had played his team once the day before, so I had the advantage of knowing every set he ran, except for HP Grass on Keldeo (later found it he also ran Focus Blast on Keldeo). This one came down to me knowing his Mew couldn't touch Gliscor which allowed me to set up and (through some nice damage rolls) finish off his team. Conkeldurr poisoning Clefable also came in handy to prevent me from being frozen by Jirachi.
VS HO: This was my last battle with Iron Head Skarmory, and didn't really have much of a 'game plan' other than "Don't lose". My opponent did mess up letting me get rid of hazards within a few turns, and the battle was a bit hax-y, but nonetheless it is a good representation of how this team can take advantage of choice-locked offensive pokemon, as well as soak up hits. Was bummed out Flexxen called me a noob, but then I watched some replays and not going to lie he seems like a bad sport.
VS Balance: Bisharp getting burned did deliver the finishing blow, but at that point he had little to no chance of winning (SubSD Garchomp would have struggled against Skarmory, Keldeo couldn't break Slowbro even with burns thanks to losing its item, nothing else he could take on Gliscor). My goal at the beginning was to kill Rotom-W as quickly as possible so Gliscor could have a field day with his team.
Hazards win the Game: This was not a battle I foresaw winning, since I didn't realize that Chesnaught outsped his Heatran until that last turn (I didn't think he was going to protect, I was going for a sac). However, once hazards were laid down, he couldn't switch around which played a huge role in beating Serperior and Dragonite since my opponent couldn't switch them out or else he would have been left with death fodder, and incur even more hazard damage.
VS Gothitelle Stall: I had played this team 3 times the day before this battle (I've been playing the same 5 guys for the past few weeks now), so my plan for a Gliscor sweep was: (1) Skarmory dead and (2) Rotom-W being out of pp for Hydro Pump. In a similar way, I needed (1) Gothitelle dead and (2) Heatran's leftovers removed if I were to sweep with Clefable. So, for roughly an hour and a half(not to mention at 1am) I sat there and played as aggressively as I could in order to wear Skarmory down to the point where I could kill it (turn 50), along with his Cleric and Gothitelle. After that, the battle became much more one-sided and more or less was won at turn 70 when Heatran lost its leftovers (although continued on for another 70 turns when Heatran died).
VS Balance 2: He and I had just battled maybe 10 minutes prior to this one (seriously I've played the same people a lot), and so we each knew the others' set. My goal in this one was to SR and Spikes on the field asap in order wear down Kyurem-B, which worked out in the end since he lacked hazard control. Ice Beam got more freezes than Scald did burns, which was kind of disappointing but made this game more "pure" in that respect (none of the freezes ended up being "that" game changing).
VS Gothitelle 2: Before I start this commentary, let me just say I'm 110% in favor of a Shadow Tag/Trapping Ability ban (moreso Shadow Tag because I actively avoid choosing pokemon who Magnezone can trap, so I don't feel its effects as much). I ended up winning this battle because he had no good switchins to Chesnaught other than Gothitelle, who was asleep and in Wood Hammer KO range. This is probably one of the few times I have won with one of my walls "offensive capabilities", and wasn't a battle I anticipated winning once Gothitelle got to +6.
VS Stall: Worst first turn ever. My opponent at the time was #2 on the ladder, and his lack of hazard control/status removal is what lost him the game. There was some hax (his Skarmory getting burned and my skarmory getting paralyzed) but otherwise a pretty clean and stressful game. I would rely a lot on forcing switches this game, as well as forcing my opponent to lose PP with Calm Mind/Slack Off/switch stalling. If he had had Defog, this game would've been lost.
VS M-Metagross Offense: Sometimes I accidentally go for a battle in regular OU. And sometimes I play for crap in the beginning. These all happened early on in this game. I couldn't even get SR up for pete's sake. I ended up winning because he had little to nothing for Chesnaught except for LO Serperior and it died.
VS M-Lop HO: I accidentally went for a battle in regular OU. The most terrifying part of this game was trying to identify Landorus's set (and incorrectly at that). I did not anticipate it being Rock Polish, which led me to sack Slowbro early on. With regards to Chesnaught freezing, I shouldn't have let it stay in on Gyarados's Bounce, but it was pretty early in the morning and if Gyarados had gotten to +3 or +4, Chesnaught wouldn't have been able to stomach the waterfalls anyways.
Gliscor makes a Comeback: I had played his team once the day before, so I had the advantage of knowing every set he ran, except for HP Grass on Keldeo (later found it he also ran Focus Blast on Keldeo). This one came down to me knowing his Mew couldn't touch Gliscor which allowed me to set up and (through some nice damage rolls) finish off his team. Conkeldurr poisoning Clefable also came in handy to prevent me from being frozen by Jirachi.
VS HO: This was my last battle with Iron Head Skarmory, and didn't really have much of a 'game plan' other than "Don't lose". My opponent did mess up letting me get rid of hazards within a few turns, and the battle was a bit hax-y, but nonetheless it is a good representation of how this team can take advantage of choice-locked offensive pokemon, as well as soak up hits. Was bummed out Flexxen called me a noob, but then I watched some replays and not going to lie he seems like a bad sport.
VS Balance: Bisharp getting burned did deliver the finishing blow, but at that point he had little to no chance of winning (SubSD Garchomp would have struggled against Skarmory, Keldeo couldn't break Slowbro even with burns thanks to losing its item, nothing else he could take on Gliscor). My goal at the beginning was to kill Rotom-W as quickly as possible so Gliscor could have a field day with his team.
Hazards win the Game: This was not a battle I foresaw winning, since I didn't realize that Chesnaught outsped his Heatran until that last turn (I didn't think he was going to protect, I was going for a sac). However, once hazards were laid down, he couldn't switch around which played a huge role in beating Serperior and Dragonite since my opponent couldn't switch them out or else he would have been left with death fodder, and incur even more hazard damage.
VS Gothitelle Stall: I had played this team 3 times the day before this battle (I've been playing the same 5 guys for the past few weeks now), so my plan for a Gliscor sweep was: (1) Skarmory dead and (2) Rotom-W being out of pp for Hydro Pump. In a similar way, I needed (1) Gothitelle dead and (2) Heatran's leftovers removed if I were to sweep with Clefable. So, for roughly an hour and a half(not to mention at 1am) I sat there and played as aggressively as I could in order to wear Skarmory down to the point where I could kill it (turn 50), along with his Cleric and Gothitelle. After that, the battle became much more one-sided and more or less was won at turn 70 when Heatran lost its leftovers (although continued on for another 70 turns when Heatran died).
VS Balance 2: He and I had just battled maybe 10 minutes prior to this one (seriously I've played the same people a lot), and so we each knew the others' set. My goal in this one was to SR and Spikes on the field asap in order wear down Kyurem-B, which worked out in the end since he lacked hazard control. Ice Beam got more freezes than Scald did burns, which was kind of disappointing but made this game more "pure" in that respect (none of the freezes ended up being "that" game changing).
VS Gothitelle 2: Before I start this commentary, let me just say I'm 110% in favor of a Shadow Tag/Trapping Ability ban (moreso Shadow Tag because I actively avoid choosing pokemon who Magnezone can trap, so I don't feel its effects as much). I ended up winning this battle because he had no good switchins to Chesnaught other than Gothitelle, who was asleep and in Wood Hammer KO range. This is probably one of the few times I have won with one of my walls "offensive capabilities", and wasn't a battle I anticipated winning once Gothitelle got to +6.
VS Stall: Worst first turn ever. My opponent at the time was #2 on the ladder, and his lack of hazard control/status removal is what lost him the game. There was some hax (his Skarmory getting burned and my skarmory getting paralyzed) but otherwise a pretty clean and stressful game. I would rely a lot on forcing switches this game, as well as forcing my opponent to lose PP with Calm Mind/Slack Off/switch stalling. If he had had Defog, this game would've been lost.
VS M-Metagross Offense: Sometimes I accidentally go for a battle in regular OU. And sometimes I play for crap in the beginning. These all happened early on in this game. I couldn't even get SR up for pete's sake. I ended up winning because he had little to nothing for Chesnaught except for LO Serperior and it died.
Importable:
Everything Breaks (Clefable) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
- Calm Mind
Shell-Don (Chesnaught) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 240 HP / 120 Def / 148 Spe
Impish Nature
- Drain Punch
- Wood Hammer
- Leech Seed
- Spiky Shield
Magic Conch (Slowbro) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off
- Ice Beam
CAW CAW (Skarmory) (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 128 Def / 132 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Roost
- Defog
- Whirlwind
Cool Nickname (Heatran) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
Batman (Gliscor) (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 8 Def / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Roost
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
- Calm Mind
Shell-Don (Chesnaught) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 240 HP / 120 Def / 148 Spe
Impish Nature
- Drain Punch
- Wood Hammer
- Leech Seed
- Spiky Shield
Magic Conch (Slowbro) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off
- Ice Beam
CAW CAW (Skarmory) (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 128 Def / 132 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Roost
- Defog
- Whirlwind
Cool Nickname (Heatran) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
Batman (Gliscor) (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 8 Def / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Roost
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
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