The Team:
Proof of Peak:
Introduction:
Hi guys, I haven’t done an RMT in years, but I’ve been on Smogon here and there since the end of BW and have come back because the coronavirus quarantine closed my college a few weeks ago. I’ve always enjoyed attemptingto troll decent players with Farfetch’d teams to build around unviable less used/underrated pokemon opposed to the same standard stuff I often see on the ladder, which is what partially inspired this team. Additionally, I dislike long battles so I really have fun playing hyper offense. Also, it’s worth mentioning that this is the highest I’ve ever gotten on the OU ladder in any gen, so that was cool too.
I am by no means a bad player, but am far from extremely skilled. If I can get higher with this team than the other teams I’ve built/stolen, then it must be at least somewhat good. However, be prepared to lose games lower on the ladder or to bad people because you messed up a prediction or two. I like this team because if I play well I feel like I can win any match up, but at the same time I often feel that I must predict slightly better than my opponent and if we play about evenly I’ll lose, but I suppose that’s the nature of many hyper offense teams. I suspect my GXE is relatively low due to this and the fact that I was in the 1400s and had already played hundreds of games on the account before using this team.
Team Building Process:
When the usage stats from March (see picture) were posted last week, I noticed that Mega Charizard X would tear through many of the most used pokemon after just one dragon dance (as well as use many of them as setup fodder). Additionally, while attempting to ladder for the Dugtrio suspect test, I occasionally lost very low ladder games or got super thrown off because I had no idea what to expect from my opponent’s random NU ‘mons even though their sets were generslly suboptimal to better OU ‘mons. This inspired me to brainstorm anti-meta sets for base Charizard that could be similar to Mega Charizard X and catch my opponents off guard. The goal was to accept that while Charizard is generally a suboptimal choice, I could still find a useful set that, while (maybe) being mostly outclassed by better OU ‘mons, gave me a useful surprise factor that could significantly catch opponents off guard and thus was still a decent set besides the surprise factor alone.
I realized that the base form of Charizard is way too weak to utilize dragon dance, but has access to Belly Drum and Blaze, which boosts it’s Fire moves at low health. After setting up, Charizard can OHKO almost the entire tier between two strong STABs in Blaze-boosted Fire Punch and Acrobatics. Additionally, it could set up on WishTele Clefable, which is all over the ladder, as well as force common steel types which are all over the place too (Corvi, Bish, Exca, Ferro, Aegi) to switch out as it set up. Thus, I created a subsalac set (similar to Kommo-o) which I thought could be successful because it was anti-meta and a surprise factor, as well as being pretty powerful and fast enough.
Since I couldn’t run Heavy-Duty-Boots on Charizard, I needed to focus on hazard control. However, at the same time, I also wanted to prioritize keeping hazards down on my opponent to break random sashes and help Charizard get the OHKO on the few things it couldn’t (Rotom Heat + Wash and Tyranitar). Because I had a powerful set up sweeper and wanted to emphasize my focus on winning the hazard war, I decided to try Charizard on a hyper offense build. The dedication to winning the hazard war and constant offense to discourage opponents from setting up Stealth Rock (and thus giving a hyper offense team a free turn to set up) made Hyper Offense appeal to me as a play style Belly Drum Charizard could fit well on. DeoSharp was super fun and effective at the beginning of XY, so it was my go-to thought. In place of Deoxys I threw on Mew (quick Taunt to prevent hazards as well as Stealth Rock and Spikes), Air Balloon SD Aegislash (to spin block Exca) and standard SD Bisharp (to punish/discourage Defog). Aegislash and Bisharp share many of the same checks (Seismitoad, Mandibuzz, Ferrothorn, Corviknight, Excadrill, Hippowdon, Rotom-H, Rotom-W, Hydriegon, Toxapex etc.) and many of these pokemon also like to switch into Charizard as it sets up and choose to stay in thinking they can takea Fire Punch or Acrobatics whatever the fuck they think Charizard is going to do next. Therefore, even if Charizard fails to sweep after setting up (due to priority or residual damage), it still helps to clear the way for Bisharp and Aegislash.
I still had no way of removing hazards at this point and knew that was important when running Charizard. However, I couldn’t really run Defog when I was stacking my own hazards and didn’t want to add a third Steel type in Excadrill. I decided to look at Xatu because I knew it had Magic Bounce and could keep momentum for my hyper offense in U-turn. Magic Bounce would prevent/discourage hazards from my opponents, help Mew beat faster lead Taunters such as Grimmsnarl, Terrakion, and opposing Mew, and could also function as a switch in when people try to burn or t-wave my sweepers. Upon further inspection, I realized Xatu had access to Teleport, which brings in my sweepers freely, and dual screens, which gives it something to do with any free turns it gets and also aids my sweepers in more easily setting up.
In the first version of the team, I added Scarf Vish because this team lacked immediate speed and immediate power and it was the first thing that came to mind. However, Zeraora outsped everything and I had no real switch-ins so I replaced it with Scarf Hydreigon. Hydreigon could be a one time emergency switch in to Zeroara and Dracovish as well as a few other random things with its useful resistances, was reasonably fast and powerful, and crucially lured in the super common Clefable to U-turn on it to something else. I cannot emphasize enough how badly this team eats up on most Clefable sets and its overwhelming presence in the current metagame certainly contributed greatly to my success with this team.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, this team is fun to use and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. However, if you aren’t familiar with the team or don’t think out a strategy during battles, you might often find yourself losing to bad opponents which can be frustrating. Finally, BD Charizard can be a potent sweeper, but there is a reason no one uses that set and why Charizard is low tier, so don’t expect it to sweep every game or even close to that.
My big takeaways from using this team are this:
I am currently attempting to improve this team/BD Charizard concept by building around Torkoal, BD Charizard, and Venusaur. The idea is that the opponent will assume I’m using Solar Power Charizard, which will make it easier for Charizard to set up than it is on this team currently. Additionally, Toxapex and Hydreigon would generally be good switch-ins for Solar Power Charizard, but my BD Charizard will lure them in and take them out, which especially benefits Venusaur because it hatboth of them, especially Toxapex. Any team building suggestions for this team ora troll Farfetch’d team my proposed core of BD Charizard, Torkoal, and Venusaur are more than welcome.
Replays:
**OPEN TO FEEDBACK/SUGGESTIONS**
Proof of Peak:
Introduction:
Hi guys, I haven’t done an RMT in years, but I’ve been on Smogon here and there since the end of BW and have come back because the coronavirus quarantine closed my college a few weeks ago. I’ve always enjoyed attempting
I am by no means a bad player, but am far from extremely skilled. If I can get higher with this team than the other teams I’ve built/stolen, then it must be at least somewhat good. However, be prepared to lose games lower on the ladder or to bad people because you messed up a prediction or two. I like this team because if I play well I feel like I can win any match up, but at the same time I often feel that I must predict slightly better than my opponent and if we play about evenly I’ll lose, but I suppose that’s the nature of many hyper offense teams. I suspect my GXE is relatively low due to this and the fact that I was in the 1400s and had already played hundreds of games on the account before using this team.
Team Building Process:
When the usage stats from March (see picture) were posted last week, I noticed that Mega Charizard X would tear through many of the most used pokemon after just one dragon dance (as well as use many of them as setup fodder). Additionally, while attempting to ladder for the Dugtrio suspect test, I occasionally lost very low ladder games or got super thrown off because I had no idea what to expect from my opponent’s random NU ‘mons even though their sets were generslly suboptimal to better OU ‘mons. This inspired me to brainstorm anti-meta sets for base Charizard that could be similar to Mega Charizard X and catch my opponents off guard. The goal was to accept that while Charizard is generally a suboptimal choice, I could still find a useful set that, while (maybe) being mostly outclassed by better OU ‘mons, gave me a useful surprise factor that could significantly catch opponents off guard and thus was still a decent set besides the surprise factor alone.
I realized that the base form of Charizard is way too weak to utilize dragon dance, but has access to Belly Drum and Blaze, which boosts it’s Fire moves at low health. After setting up, Charizard can OHKO almost the entire tier between two strong STABs in Blaze-boosted Fire Punch and Acrobatics. Additionally, it could set up on WishTele Clefable, which is all over the ladder, as well as force common steel types which are all over the place too (Corvi, Bish, Exca, Ferro, Aegi) to switch out as it set up. Thus, I created a subsalac set (similar to Kommo-o) which I thought could be successful because it was anti-meta and a surprise factor, as well as being pretty powerful and fast enough.
Since I couldn’t run Heavy-Duty-Boots on Charizard, I needed to focus on hazard control. However, at the same time, I also wanted to prioritize keeping hazards down on my opponent to break random sashes and help Charizard get the OHKO on the few things it couldn’t (Rotom Heat + Wash and Tyranitar). Because I had a powerful set up sweeper and wanted to emphasize my focus on winning the hazard war, I decided to try Charizard on a hyper offense build. The dedication to winning the hazard war and constant offense to discourage opponents from setting up Stealth Rock (and thus giving a hyper offense team a free turn to set up) made Hyper Offense appeal to me as a play style Belly Drum Charizard could fit well on. DeoSharp was super fun and effective at the beginning of XY, so it was my go-to thought. In place of Deoxys I threw on Mew (quick Taunt to prevent hazards as well as Stealth Rock and Spikes), Air Balloon SD Aegislash (to spin block Exca) and standard SD Bisharp (to punish/discourage Defog). Aegislash and Bisharp share many of the same checks (Seismitoad, Mandibuzz, Ferrothorn, Corviknight, Excadrill, Hippowdon, Rotom-H, Rotom-W, Hydriegon, Toxapex etc.) and many of these pokemon also like to switch into Charizard as it sets up and choose to stay in thinking they can take
I still had no way of removing hazards at this point and knew that was important when running Charizard. However, I couldn’t really run Defog when I was stacking my own hazards and didn’t want to add a third Steel type in Excadrill. I decided to look at Xatu because I knew it had Magic Bounce and could keep momentum for my hyper offense in U-turn. Magic Bounce would prevent/discourage hazards from my opponents, help Mew beat faster lead Taunters such as Grimmsnarl, Terrakion, and opposing Mew, and could also function as a switch in when people try to burn or t-wave my sweepers. Upon further inspection, I realized Xatu had access to Teleport, which brings in my sweepers freely, and dual screens, which gives it something to do with any free turns it gets and also aids my sweepers in more easily setting up.
In the first version of the team, I added Scarf Vish because this team lacked immediate speed and immediate power and it was the first thing that came to mind. However, Zeraora outsped everything and I had no real switch-ins so I replaced it with Scarf Hydreigon. Hydreigon could be a one time emergency switch in to Zeroara and Dracovish as well as a few other random things with its useful resistances, was reasonably fast and powerful, and crucially lured in the super common Clefable to U-turn on it to something else. I cannot emphasize enough how badly this team eats up on most Clefable sets and its overwhelming presence in the current metagame certainly contributed greatly to my success with this team.
In Depth Look:
Charizard @ Salac Berry
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Fire Punch / Blaze Kick
- Acrobatics / Earthquake
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
The star of the show. OHKOing Toxapex after it switches in as you Belly Drum may be the happiest you’ve ever felt playing pokemon.God I hate that thing. I explained why I chose Charizard and many of its pros in the team building section, so I won’t touch on that here. Also, there really aren’t any other moves you should be considering over the four I’ve chosen, so I’ll just go into detail about the EV spread and advice on how to play Charizard.
EDIT: See Post #5 in comments for Earthquake explanation
EDIT: See Post #9 in comments for Blaze Kick explanation
I took out an IV for HP in order to hit an HP divisible by four, 296, which allows Charizard to activate its Salac Berry after a Belly Drum and Substitute. Importantly, it can also survive a full duration of sandstorm/hail with 1HP. Even numbered HP is definitely a must, but if I went back to 31 IVs and moved the 4 Def to HP I could hit 298. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if I could still activate the Salac Berry after BD and Sub as well as survive sand/hail so I’ve just left it as is.
The choice of EV spread and Adamant vs. Jolly is up to personal preference. I’ve outlined the major differences below and in the Calcs. Personally, I’ve been using Jolly 252 spe and 252 atk; however, outspeeding Scarf Hydreigon is really the only notable pro of Jolly and having a significantly higher chance to OHKO certain ‘mons (‘mons that will definitely want to switch into you too, believe me) with Adamant is probably worth it now that I finally look at all the calcs at once. Even better, an Adamant nature and spread of 28 HP, 220+ atk, 72 def, and 188 spe (back to 31 HP IVs fyi) allows you to just outspeed Zeraora after Salac Berry, guarantee taking a guts boosted Mach Punch from Conk after setting up, remain at an HP divisible by 4, and still hit a bit harder than Jolly Charizard. I haven’t used this spread yet, but personally beliebe it is the best moving forward (I created it by finding that 100 def EVs were needed to stomach the Mach Punch every time, but split some of those 100 EVs between HP and def to make bigger Substitutes). Also, if there is anything significant I miss by investing 188 spe opposed to 252 spe for Adamant-natured Charizard, let me know, because I couldn’t think of anything significant and dumped it all into attack after outspeeding Zeraora. Finally, a spread with a Jolly nature, 240 spe, 72 def, 28 hp, and 168 atk allows you to outspeed Scarf Hydreigon and always live a Conk Mach Punch from 25%, but you lose a little bit of power. If you have any other suggestions or advice for EV spread on Charizard I would greatly appreciate feedback.
Notable threats that 252 spe Jolly allows you to outspeed that 252 spe Adamant doesn’t after Salac Berry: Scarf Excadrill, Scarf Hydreigon, and Modest Swift Swim Mantine
Mew @ Focus Sash / Red Card
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Explosion
My suicide lead of choice because it has a somewhat fast taunt, both stealth rock and spikes, and explosion to prevent rapid spin and defog (while also do decent damage and break sashes). I don’t care about hitting hard with explosion so I invested in HP over Attack to have a better chance of getting up another layer of spikes. If anyone has a more optimized EV spread lmk. Also, I’ve been running Focus Sash over Red Cardbecause I’m a pussy to avoid certain mind games (Shadow Ball/U-turn mind games with lead Dragapults, taunting Bisharps that look to be suspicious Stealth Rock setters, taunting Aegi’s that may SD or sub, etc.). However, I don’t actually specifically remember any instance where my Focus Sash was ever actually activated (if so maybe once) and Red Card is probably generally more useful (lets you beat lead Exca that are smart enough to spin before you set up SR). In general, I think Mental Herb might actually be the best item on suicide lead Mew, but I have Xatu to Magic Bounce/scare off faster taunters so it isn’t as useful for me.
My best advice with Mew is to not be afraid to switch it out and use it again later if their lead Hydreigon seems locked into Dark Pulse or if their Conk is obviously going for a Mach Punch. Also, don’t be lazy and check team preview for Cinderace before mindlessly stacking hazards, I’ve done that far too many times. And don’t forget to Taunt all slower Stealth Rockers Turn 1 because SR basically makes Charizard useless; again I’ve fucked up many games by forgetting to Taunt something dumb like Ferrothorn or Kommo-O immediately.
Aegislash @ Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
I’ve found myself using Aegislash on almost every team recently becauseit’s lowkey broken it has many good sets and just checks a lot of things. Aegislash’s main role on this team is to spin block, which is why I have the Air Ballon for Excadrill. It’s second roll is to set up and sweep; generally I find myself using it as a late game sweeper/cleaner (in the event Charizard doesn’t sweep) and Bisharp as the wallbreaker, however, sometimes it’s the other way around between the two of them. Finally, Aegislash does check a lot of things on top of everything else it does which makes it very useful for hyper offense in my opinion. Also, if I had to guess, I’d imagine I often use it as the late game cleaner because I’ve spent the game keeping it healthy to beat something like my opponents Zeroara in an emergency or Hawlucha. Anyway, the moveset is pretty self-explanatory.
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
This set is pretty standard and I explained Bisharp’s purpose in the team building section. All I have to add is that Sucker Punch is incredibly useful for this team and something I often depend on to check threats since this team is relatively slow. I often find myself using Bisharp early game to set up and start hammering walls. However, KOing chipped faster threats with Sucker Punch is incredibly useful late game and is something Aegislash can’t really do before boosting, which Bisharp can. So depending on the match up, it may be best to save Bisharp for later in the game.Also my opposing Bisharp check
Xatu @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Teleport
- Thunder Wave / Psychic
Definitely a ‘mon I seriously underrated before using this team. Thanks to Magic Bounce, I often bring it in on defensive mons and have time to set up screens. Teleport is great on this team for bringing in Aegislash, Bisharp, and Charizard for free. Initally I ran a more defensive spread, but max speed to set up screens before taking a hit is the right call. For the final slot, I chose Thunder Wave to support the team overall since this team is relatively slow. T-wave also makes Xatu less likely to be setup fodder, however, it would appreciate Psychic when crap like Togekiss subs on it, or to help better deal with Conk, so that is an option if you want. No need to run Heat Wave here tho because luring Ferrothorn/steel types isn’t really super important when they get broken thru instead (Although if Heat Wave can break the same Subs as Psychic, it would be a better option than Psychic to also help Aegi + Bish with steels, probably inferior tho because of Conk). Additionally, Xatu is often death fodder late game for this team. Anyway, in the team building section I covered how Xatu is great for role compression in Magic Bounce, screens, and as a pivot all in one (Magic Bounce also really fucks w opponents heads sometimes), but just wanted to emphasize that again here. This ‘mon is better than you think. Also don’t forget that Court Change switches screens to your opponent, just wanted to throw that out here.
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
Hydreigon is the glue for this team and the last member. It’s speed with Scarf, ability to pivot, and useful resists are good for checking annoying mons like Aegi, Zeroara, Vish, etc. that this team otherwise lacks many switch-ins for. Unfortunately, my primary method of dealing w faster threats like Zeroara is often outspeeding them with Hydreigon; this is a problem if they pick up on the fact it’s scarfed and I need to rely on priority/chip damage to take them down instead, which is definitely a problem with this team. Thunder Wave is in the last slot to give this slow team more T-wave support; additionally, I would rather U-turn on many things like Clefable to allow others to set up opposed to hitting it with coversge like Flash Cannon, which is another reason why I chose Thunder Wave here.
The other fun thing Hydreigon adds is a third move for this team that has a 20% chance to flinch in Dark Pulse (Bisharp and Aegislash both have Iron Head). Due to this, don’t be surprised when you find yourself getting a decent amount of flinches when you play this team because it’s mathematically probable. However, it’s even more probable that you’re opponent will be complaining about hax
Charizard @ Salac Berry
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Fire Punch / Blaze Kick
- Acrobatics / Earthquake
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
The star of the show. OHKOing Toxapex after it switches in as you Belly Drum may be the happiest you’ve ever felt playing pokemon.
EDIT: See Post #5 in comments for Earthquake explanation
EDIT: See Post #9 in comments for Blaze Kick explanation
I took out an IV for HP in order to hit an HP divisible by four, 296, which allows Charizard to activate its Salac Berry after a Belly Drum and Substitute. Importantly, it can also survive a full duration of sandstorm/hail with 1HP. Even numbered HP is definitely a must, but if I went back to 31 IVs and moved the 4 Def to HP I could hit 298. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if I could still activate the Salac Berry after BD and Sub as well as survive sand/hail so I’ve just left it as is.
The choice of EV spread and Adamant vs. Jolly is up to personal preference. I’ve outlined the major differences below and in the Calcs. Personally, I’ve been using Jolly 252 spe and 252 atk; however, outspeeding Scarf Hydreigon is really the only notable pro of Jolly and having a significantly higher chance to OHKO certain ‘mons (‘mons that will definitely want to switch into you too, believe me) with Adamant is probably worth it now that I finally look at all the calcs at once. Even better, an Adamant nature and spread of 28 HP, 220+ atk, 72 def, and 188 spe (back to 31 HP IVs fyi) allows you to just outspeed Zeraora after Salac Berry, guarantee taking a guts boosted Mach Punch from Conk after setting up, remain at an HP divisible by 4, and still hit a bit harder than Jolly Charizard. I haven’t used this spread yet, but personally beliebe it is the best moving forward (I created it by finding that 100 def EVs were needed to stomach the Mach Punch every time, but split some of those 100 EVs between HP and def to make bigger Substitutes). Also, if there is anything significant I miss by investing 188 spe opposed to 252 spe for Adamant-natured Charizard, let me know, because I couldn’t think of anything significant and dumped it all into attack after outspeeding Zeraora. Finally, a spread with a Jolly nature, 240 spe, 72 def, 28 hp, and 168 atk allows you to outspeed Scarf Hydreigon and always live a Conk Mach Punch from 25%, but you lose a little bit of power. If you have any other suggestions or advice for EV spread on Charizard I would greatly appreciate feedback.
Notable threats that 252 spe Jolly allows you to outspeed that 252 spe Adamant doesn’t after Salac Berry: Scarf Excadrill, Scarf Hydreigon, and Modest Swift Swim Mantine
Jolly:
+6 252 Atk Charizard Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Seismitoad: 462-544 (111.5 - 131.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+6 252 Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 258-303 (85.1 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
+6 252 Atk Charizard Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 285-336 (93.7 - 110.5%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Black Sludge recovery
+6 252 Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 351-414 (83.5 - 98.5%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+6 252 Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 252-297 (73.9 - 87%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Adamant:
+6 252+ Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 283-333 (93.3 - 109.9%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
+6 252+ Atk Charizard Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 313-369 (102.9 - 121.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+6 252+ Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 384-453 (91.4 - 107.8%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+6 252+ Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 276-325 (80.9 - 95.3%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Note: Fire Punch is slightly more powerful than Acrobatics on neutral targets due to Blaze
Defense at 25% of HP:
296 HP: 252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Charizard: 69-82 (23.3 - 27.7%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
304 HP: 252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Mach Punch vs. 28 HP / 72 Def Charizard: 63-75 (20.7 - 24.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+6 252 Atk Charizard Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Seismitoad: 462-544 (111.5 - 131.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+6 252 Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 258-303 (85.1 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
+6 252 Atk Charizard Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 285-336 (93.7 - 110.5%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Black Sludge recovery
+6 252 Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 351-414 (83.5 - 98.5%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+6 252 Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 252-297 (73.9 - 87%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Adamant:
+6 252+ Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 283-333 (93.3 - 109.9%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
+6 252+ Atk Charizard Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 313-369 (102.9 - 121.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+6 252+ Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 384-453 (91.4 - 107.8%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+6 252+ Atk Blaze Charizard Fire Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 276-325 (80.9 - 95.3%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Note: Fire Punch is slightly more powerful than Acrobatics on neutral targets due to Blaze
Defense at 25% of HP:
296 HP: 252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Charizard: 69-82 (23.3 - 27.7%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
304 HP: 252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Mach Punch vs. 28 HP / 72 Def Charizard: 63-75 (20.7 - 24.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
If the opponent is going to get SR on you due to Court Change or Mold Breaker Exca, just switch Charizard as they set it up cuz it’s pretty useless if it takes SR damage
Don’t forget that Infiltrator Dragapult, Overdrive/Boomburst Toxtricity, andfucking Hyper Voice Heliolisk go thru Sub
Since you’re not running Charizard on a Sun team, a smart opponent will likely think you’re running a more defensive Wisp/Roost/Flamethrower/Defog Heavy-Duty-Boots Charizard set. Keep that in mind and use that to your advantage.
Often times being aggressive early/mid game to lure a threat for Bish/Aegi and then get revenged by priority is more useful than saving Charizard to the end and never using him til it’s too late. With this in mind, if you don’t/shouldn’t follow that advice, at the end of the game you may have to unfortunately accept that Charizard’s best use is death fodder in some scenarios; since this is a hyper offense team death fodder comes into play a lot and someone’s gotta take one for the team
The best and most consistent way to set up is generally on Clefable, because even if you fail to scare them out it can’t do much to you without thunderbolt. It’s your lucky day if they happen to be running Thunder Wave cuz Sub gives you another free turn if they try to hit you with it, but most I’ve seen recently are Wish/Tele. Ferrothorn also generally won’t be able to break your sub like Clefable, but other ‘mons like Brave Bird Corvi, Rock Slide Exca, and Bisharp need to be threatened out for Charizard to successfully set up.
Don’t forget that Infiltrator Dragapult, Overdrive/Boomburst Toxtricity, and
Since you’re not running Charizard on a Sun team, a smart opponent will likely think you’re running a more defensive Wisp/Roost/Flamethrower/Defog Heavy-Duty-Boots Charizard set. Keep that in mind and use that to your advantage.
Often times being aggressive early/mid game to lure a threat for Bish/Aegi and then get revenged by priority is more useful than saving Charizard to the end and never using him til it’s too late. With this in mind, if you don’t/shouldn’t follow that advice, at the end of the game you may have to unfortunately accept that Charizard’s best use is death fodder in some scenarios; since this is a hyper offense team death fodder comes into play a lot and someone’s gotta take one for the team
The best and most consistent way to set up is generally on Clefable, because even if you fail to scare them out it can’t do much to you without thunderbolt. It’s your lucky day if they happen to be running Thunder Wave cuz Sub gives you another free turn if they try to hit you with it, but most I’ve seen recently are Wish/Tele. Ferrothorn also generally won’t be able to break your sub like Clefable, but other ‘mons like Brave Bird Corvi, Rock Slide Exca, and Bisharp need to be threatened out for Charizard to successfully set up.
Mew @ Focus Sash / Red Card
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Explosion
My suicide lead of choice because it has a somewhat fast taunt, both stealth rock and spikes, and explosion to prevent rapid spin and defog (while also do decent damage and break sashes). I don’t care about hitting hard with explosion so I invested in HP over Attack to have a better chance of getting up another layer of spikes. If anyone has a more optimized EV spread lmk. Also, I’ve been running Focus Sash over Red Card
My best advice with Mew is to not be afraid to switch it out and use it again later if their lead Hydreigon seems locked into Dark Pulse or if their Conk is obviously going for a Mach Punch. Also, don’t be lazy and check team preview for Cinderace before mindlessly stacking hazards, I’ve done that far too many times. And don’t forget to Taunt all slower Stealth Rockers Turn 1 because SR basically makes Charizard useless; again I’ve fucked up many games by forgetting to Taunt something dumb like Ferrothorn or Kommo-O immediately.
Aegislash @ Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
I’ve found myself using Aegislash on almost every team recently because
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
This set is pretty standard and I explained Bisharp’s purpose in the team building section. All I have to add is that Sucker Punch is incredibly useful for this team and something I often depend on to check threats since this team is relatively slow. I often find myself using Bisharp early game to set up and start hammering walls. However, KOing chipped faster threats with Sucker Punch is incredibly useful late game and is something Aegislash can’t really do before boosting, which Bisharp can. So depending on the match up, it may be best to save Bisharp for later in the game.
Xatu @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Teleport
- Thunder Wave / Psychic
Definitely a ‘mon I seriously underrated before using this team. Thanks to Magic Bounce, I often bring it in on defensive mons and have time to set up screens. Teleport is great on this team for bringing in Aegislash, Bisharp, and Charizard for free. Initally I ran a more defensive spread, but max speed to set up screens before taking a hit is the right call. For the final slot, I chose Thunder Wave to support the team overall since this team is relatively slow. T-wave also makes Xatu less likely to be setup fodder, however, it would appreciate Psychic when crap like Togekiss subs on it, or to help better deal with Conk, so that is an option if you want. No need to run Heat Wave here tho because luring Ferrothorn/steel types isn’t really super important when they get broken thru instead (Although if Heat Wave can break the same Subs as Psychic, it would be a better option than Psychic to also help Aegi + Bish with steels, probably inferior tho because of Conk). Additionally, Xatu is often death fodder late game for this team. Anyway, in the team building section I covered how Xatu is great for role compression in Magic Bounce, screens, and as a pivot all in one (Magic Bounce also really fucks w opponents heads sometimes), but just wanted to emphasize that again here. This ‘mon is better than you think. Also don’t forget that Court Change switches screens to your opponent, just wanted to throw that out here.
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
Hydreigon is the glue for this team and the last member. It’s speed with Scarf, ability to pivot, and useful resists are good for checking annoying mons like Aegi, Zeroara, Vish, etc. that this team otherwise lacks many switch-ins for. Unfortunately, my primary method of dealing w faster threats like Zeroara is often outspeeding them with Hydreigon; this is a problem if they pick up on the fact it’s scarfed and I need to rely on priority/chip damage to take them down instead, which is definitely a problem with this team. Thunder Wave is in the last slot to give this slow team more T-wave support; additionally, I would rather U-turn on many things like Clefable to allow others to set up opposed to hitting it with coversge like Flash Cannon, which is another reason why I chose Thunder Wave here.
The other fun thing Hydreigon adds is a third move for this team that has a 20% chance to flinch in Dark Pulse (Bisharp and Aegislash both have Iron Head). Due to this, don’t be surprised when you find yourself getting a decent amount of flinches when you play this team because it’s mathematically probable. However, it’s even more probable that you’re opponent will be complaining about hax
Conclusion:
In conclusion, this team is fun to use and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. However, if you aren’t familiar with the team or don’t think out a strategy during battles, you might often find yourself losing to bad opponents which can be frustrating. Finally, BD Charizard can be a potent sweeper, but there is a reason no one uses that set and why Charizard is low tier, so don’t expect it to sweep every game or even close to that.
My big takeaways from using this team are this:
- Charizard has a niche in OU, but it’s still not that good
- The DeoSharp strategy is pretty dirty, especially because Aegi and Bish have good offensive synergy since they share the same checks
- Xatu forms a good core with DeoSharp and is better than you think, but the reason it’s good is because of the role compression it provides, not because it is an amazing dual screener or pivot
I am currently attempting to improve this team/BD Charizard concept by building around Torkoal, BD Charizard, and Venusaur. The idea is that the opponent will assume I’m using Solar Power Charizard, which will make it easier for Charizard to set up than it is on this team currently. Additionally, Toxapex and Hydreigon would generally be good switch-ins for Solar Power Charizard, but my BD Charizard will lure them in and take them out, which especially benefits Venusaur because it hatboth of them, especially Toxapex. Any team building suggestions for this team or
Also, not sure where this belongs, so I’m putting it here. I think Charizard might have other semi-viable/super niche sets other than this Belly Drum set I’ve been using here. I’ve used it as a Solar Power wallbreaker with Heavy-Duty-Boots for sun teams and had some success (specs or scarf seem tempting on paper, but require more hazard support and sun teams already require a lot of support, this is a big flaw in my proposed core above. Side note: I believe the reason non Heavy-Duty-Boots Charizard works on my current team in this RMT is because Hyper Offense teams already benefit from being dedicated to both setting and stopping hazards, so adding Charizard doesn’t necessarily force Hyper Offense teams to accomate it’s SR weakness since they were already doing that anyway. A big part of this is because Hyper Offense teams are ideally so overwhelmingly that their opponent cannot afford to waste a turn setting up rocks). This HDB Solar Power set competes with Darmanitan as a sun wallbreaker, but can be better because it beats Seismitoad (who many people are using over Pex due to Vish) without having to resort to predicting the toad switch in and going for U-turn to bring something else in, doesn’t die to recoil, has recovery, and most importantly can role compress with Defog. My set was flamethrower, solar beam, roost, defog, with a timid nature max speed and sp atk. The idea was to run Rapid Spin on Torkoal in conjunction with Defog on Charizard to ensure hazard removal between the two of them, while neither had a more primary role of removing Hazards, which is what something like Mandibuzz would have (Torkoal’s primary role was sun and rocks, Charizard’s was to wallbreak). This left more room to team build by essentially compressing Mandibuzz and Darmanitan into one on sun teams.
Have heard about a specially defensive wisp, flamethrower, roost, defog, HDB set too, similar to Moltres from another gen, but have never tried nor seen it myself.
Have heard about a specially defensive wisp, flamethrower, roost, defog, HDB set too, similar to Moltres from another gen, but have never tried nor seen it myself.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1089987544
Mid 1500s. Charizard sets up on Clefable thanks to Hydreigon and sweeps late game.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090037825
High 1500s. Charizard 6-0s super standard bulky team.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090423760
Low 1600s. Charizard cleans up.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090430241
(Probably low-mid 1600s) Charizard 6-0 almost immediately
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090594376
Low 1600s. Once Clefable is brought in, Charizard 6-0 standard fat team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090621214
High 1600s. Intense battle, no Charizard highlights.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1091215734
Low 1700s. Charizard removes Rotom-H for Aegislash.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1091532595
Low 1700s. Bisharp’s Sucker Punch comes in handy.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1091703234
Team peaks at 1741. Charizard sweeps last 5 early game.
Mid 1500s. Charizard sets up on Clefable thanks to Hydreigon and sweeps late game.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090037825
High 1500s. Charizard 6-0s super standard bulky team.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090423760
Low 1600s. Charizard cleans up.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090430241
(Probably low-mid 1600s) Charizard 6-0 almost immediately
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090594376
Low 1600s. Once Clefable is brought in, Charizard 6-0 standard fat team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1090621214
High 1600s. Intense battle, no Charizard highlights.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1091215734
Low 1700s. Charizard removes Rotom-H for Aegislash.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1091532595
Low 1700s. Bisharp’s Sucker Punch comes in handy.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1091703234
Team peaks at 1741. Charizard sweeps last 5 early game.
Charizard @ Salac Berry
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Fire Punch
- Acrobatics
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
Mew @ Focus Sash
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Explosion
Xatu @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Teleport
- Thunder Wave
Aegislash @ Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Fire Punch
- Acrobatics
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
Mew @ Focus Sash
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Explosion
Xatu @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Teleport
- Thunder Wave
Aegislash @ Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
**OPEN TO FEEDBACK/SUGGESTIONS**
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