This is the first team I made for the new DLC, and especially with Alowak being so destructive, I thought it would be a good Idea to run a team with it!
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 112 HP/ 252 Atk / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Flare Blitz
- Poltergeist
- Earthquake
Alowak getting poltergeist is a huge boon, and might have singlehandedly made it a better wallbreaker. He is the main physical wallbreaker of the team, hitting extremely hard and often landing OHKO's. I chose rock head for the ability to use flare blitz, making sure it still has an impressive damage output instead of fire punch. Because he forces switches, Stealth Rock is amazing on Alowak, and tittles down the opposing team bit by bit. I use Flare Blitz for the raw power, being extremely hard for most Pokemon in the tier to switch in on. Poltergeist gives Alowak a really powerful ghost type move to rely on, and has great neutral coverage with flare blitz, often hitting the targets that resist flare blitz. I use Earthquake over Bonemarang purely because of the accuracy, I would rather a move hit 100% of the time than 90%, and I use it to take down the annoying Toxapex's of the tier. All in all, I have a lot of hope Alowak will be a great wallbreaker this gen.
Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA/ 4 Spd/ 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- U-Turn
- Hex
SpecsHex Dragapult is taking off, and I thought a good partner of Alowak. could definitely be Dragapult, with their combined ghost typing they can wear down their mutual checks, such as Mandibuzz, over the course of a game. Shadow Ball is a reliable ghost type move that can force switches and get 2HKO's on many non specially defensive Pokemon, such as Togekiss switch in. Draco Meteor has some immediate power, boosted by the specs and the modest nature, it is capable of OHKOing several offensive threats, such as Cinderace or Rotom-H. It also does some very decent damage to Mandibuzz. U-Turn synergies well with the rest of the team, being able to bring other Pokemon in on a predicted switch in. It is especially good for the Alowak core, as it can safely bring in Alowak. Hex deals monstrous amounts of damage with Specs as well as a status effect, a seemingly harmless toxic on a Clefable can lead to a 2HKO by Dragapult with Hex. It is a well rounded mon that can forces switches, punch holes in the enemy team, and supports the rest of the team by pivoting.
Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 Hp/ 8 Def/ 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shift Gear
- Calm Mind
- Draining Kiss
- Stored Power
Magearna is extremely splash able on many teams with many sets, and this team is no exception. Taking advantage of Magearna's great stats and move pool make it a formidable cleaner. I use Shift Gear over Agility because the attack boost also boosts the strength of Stored Power, counting as three boosts where as Agility would only count as two. Calm Mind boosts the Special Attack and Defense of Magearna, making it even harder to kill from the special side of things, not to mention being able to hit other mons much harder. Draining Kiss is not the most powerful STAB, but it makes use of the healing effect very well, meaning Magearna can keep itself alive. It also checks dark types such as Urshifu Base and Mandibuzz who are immune to Stored Power. Speaking of the Devil, give enough boosts to Stored Power, add on Soul-Heart, and at some point it becomes hopeless to even try to wall it out. Its power for causing forfeits is certainly interesting. Magearna being the ver splash able mon means that it functions as a very effective sweeper on this team, once it gets a good opportunity to set up
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Hp/ 4 Def/ 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Wish
- Thunder Wave
Cle may not be the queen of OU anymore, but it still carves a nice niche on my team, being a very useful support mon. Moonblast ensures that Clef can pack a punch, albeit a weak one. It is still capable of treating out dark and dragon types who face against it, such as Dragapult, Kommo-o, and Mandibuzz. Soft-boiled is a useful healing move that only takes one turn and has very decent pp. Wish allows Clef to act as a cleric to the rest of the team, healing up the offensive mons who take chip damage or in Alowak's case especially Stealth Rock damage. Thunder Wave spreads useful status which A. has the chance to paralyze foes B. Slows them down too and C. allows Dragapult to use Hex and break holes in the opposing team, especially from Pokemon who could usually take a few hits such as Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and other Clef. Its a great utility mon that makes sense to shoehorn in with some role compression.
Tangrowth @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Hp/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Ahh, Tangrowth. This mess of vines and leaves caused me so much rage in Gen 6 and 7, and here it is once again. Giga Drain does decent damage, and the secondary healing effect is very helpful, as usually Tangrowth can only heal when switching out thanks to Regenerator. Knock Off may seem redundant with Poltergeist on Alowak, but I often use it to knock items off of steel type checks such as Corviknight and Magearna, as well as bulky Pokemon such as Toxapex which Alowak could not 2HKO with poltergeist anyways. Earthquake deals decent damage to potential steel type switch ins such as Magearna or Magnezone. Toxic serves a similar purpose as Thunder Wave on Clef, it cleanly spreads status to many mons and can help wear them down, as well as allow Dragapult's Hex to reach high power levels. Tangrowth serves as the main defensive wall, and can help check Water types in the tier who might threaten Alowak, such as Rapid Strike Urshifu and Azumarill, as well checking many other physical attackers such as Urshifu Base and Physical Dragapult.
Mandibuzz @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 Hp/ 160 SpD/ 96 Spe
Careful Nature
- Foul Play
- U-Turn
- Roost
- Defog
Last but definitely not least, is the new premier defogger of OU. Mandibuzz has nice defense stats to boot to, and has useful resists against other dark types and the ever prevalent ghost types. Foul Play does decent damage against physical attackers such as Cinderace, Physical Dragapult and other Alowaks. It is also it's main STAB move on the set. U-Turn allows Mandibuzz to bring in other members of the team safely, especially coming from its lower speed stat. Roost allows Mandibuzz to keep in tip top condition, allowing it to check the mons it does continuously over the match. Defog gets all items off of the field, which is especially important for Alowak, who hates stealth rock knocking it down by 25% of its HP. Mandibuzz and Clef together shut out many powerful special attackers such as Special Attacking Dragapult, Alakazam, and Specs Aegislash.
That was my team! I look forward to hearing any comments on it!
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 112 HP/ 252 Atk / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Flare Blitz
- Poltergeist
- Earthquake
Alowak getting poltergeist is a huge boon, and might have singlehandedly made it a better wallbreaker. He is the main physical wallbreaker of the team, hitting extremely hard and often landing OHKO's. I chose rock head for the ability to use flare blitz, making sure it still has an impressive damage output instead of fire punch. Because he forces switches, Stealth Rock is amazing on Alowak, and tittles down the opposing team bit by bit. I use Flare Blitz for the raw power, being extremely hard for most Pokemon in the tier to switch in on. Poltergeist gives Alowak a really powerful ghost type move to rely on, and has great neutral coverage with flare blitz, often hitting the targets that resist flare blitz. I use Earthquake over Bonemarang purely because of the accuracy, I would rather a move hit 100% of the time than 90%, and I use it to take down the annoying Toxapex's of the tier. All in all, I have a lot of hope Alowak will be a great wallbreaker this gen.
Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA/ 4 Spd/ 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- U-Turn
- Hex
SpecsHex Dragapult is taking off, and I thought a good partner of Alowak. could definitely be Dragapult, with their combined ghost typing they can wear down their mutual checks, such as Mandibuzz, over the course of a game. Shadow Ball is a reliable ghost type move that can force switches and get 2HKO's on many non specially defensive Pokemon, such as Togekiss switch in. Draco Meteor has some immediate power, boosted by the specs and the modest nature, it is capable of OHKOing several offensive threats, such as Cinderace or Rotom-H. It also does some very decent damage to Mandibuzz. U-Turn synergies well with the rest of the team, being able to bring other Pokemon in on a predicted switch in. It is especially good for the Alowak core, as it can safely bring in Alowak. Hex deals monstrous amounts of damage with Specs as well as a status effect, a seemingly harmless toxic on a Clefable can lead to a 2HKO by Dragapult with Hex. It is a well rounded mon that can forces switches, punch holes in the enemy team, and supports the rest of the team by pivoting.
Magearna @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 Hp/ 8 Def/ 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shift Gear
- Calm Mind
- Draining Kiss
- Stored Power
Magearna is extremely splash able on many teams with many sets, and this team is no exception. Taking advantage of Magearna's great stats and move pool make it a formidable cleaner. I use Shift Gear over Agility because the attack boost also boosts the strength of Stored Power, counting as three boosts where as Agility would only count as two. Calm Mind boosts the Special Attack and Defense of Magearna, making it even harder to kill from the special side of things, not to mention being able to hit other mons much harder. Draining Kiss is not the most powerful STAB, but it makes use of the healing effect very well, meaning Magearna can keep itself alive. It also checks dark types such as Urshifu Base and Mandibuzz who are immune to Stored Power. Speaking of the Devil, give enough boosts to Stored Power, add on Soul-Heart, and at some point it becomes hopeless to even try to wall it out. Its power for causing forfeits is certainly interesting. Magearna being the ver splash able mon means that it functions as a very effective sweeper on this team, once it gets a good opportunity to set up
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Hp/ 4 Def/ 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Wish
- Thunder Wave
Cle may not be the queen of OU anymore, but it still carves a nice niche on my team, being a very useful support mon. Moonblast ensures that Clef can pack a punch, albeit a weak one. It is still capable of treating out dark and dragon types who face against it, such as Dragapult, Kommo-o, and Mandibuzz. Soft-boiled is a useful healing move that only takes one turn and has very decent pp. Wish allows Clef to act as a cleric to the rest of the team, healing up the offensive mons who take chip damage or in Alowak's case especially Stealth Rock damage. Thunder Wave spreads useful status which A. has the chance to paralyze foes B. Slows them down too and C. allows Dragapult to use Hex and break holes in the opposing team, especially from Pokemon who could usually take a few hits such as Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and other Clef. Its a great utility mon that makes sense to shoehorn in with some role compression.
Tangrowth @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Hp/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Ahh, Tangrowth. This mess of vines and leaves caused me so much rage in Gen 6 and 7, and here it is once again. Giga Drain does decent damage, and the secondary healing effect is very helpful, as usually Tangrowth can only heal when switching out thanks to Regenerator. Knock Off may seem redundant with Poltergeist on Alowak, but I often use it to knock items off of steel type checks such as Corviknight and Magearna, as well as bulky Pokemon such as Toxapex which Alowak could not 2HKO with poltergeist anyways. Earthquake deals decent damage to potential steel type switch ins such as Magearna or Magnezone. Toxic serves a similar purpose as Thunder Wave on Clef, it cleanly spreads status to many mons and can help wear them down, as well as allow Dragapult's Hex to reach high power levels. Tangrowth serves as the main defensive wall, and can help check Water types in the tier who might threaten Alowak, such as Rapid Strike Urshifu and Azumarill, as well checking many other physical attackers such as Urshifu Base and Physical Dragapult.
Mandibuzz @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 Hp/ 160 SpD/ 96 Spe
Careful Nature
- Foul Play
- U-Turn
- Roost
- Defog
Last but definitely not least, is the new premier defogger of OU. Mandibuzz has nice defense stats to boot to, and has useful resists against other dark types and the ever prevalent ghost types. Foul Play does decent damage against physical attackers such as Cinderace, Physical Dragapult and other Alowaks. It is also it's main STAB move on the set. U-Turn allows Mandibuzz to bring in other members of the team safely, especially coming from its lower speed stat. Roost allows Mandibuzz to keep in tip top condition, allowing it to check the mons it does continuously over the match. Defog gets all items off of the field, which is especially important for Alowak, who hates stealth rock knocking it down by 25% of its HP. Mandibuzz and Clef together shut out many powerful special attackers such as Special Attacking Dragapult, Alakazam, and Specs Aegislash.
That was my team! I look forward to hearing any comments on it!