SM OU Death's Blossoms (Hydreigon Bulky Offense)

[Le Val]

Hey there RMT

Today I will be presenting you with a team that I built during OLT and found it to be pretty solid overall vs much of the ladder.

I was away for the majority of OLT (probably for the best) but when I got back and checked the OLT thread in the OU forum, I was really excited to see one of my favorite Pokemon, Hydreigon on the list of notable teams. I immediately went to the teambuilder to make a team with it. Based on past experience, I decided to go for a Bulky Offense build, since Hydreigon can be used as a way to both deal damage and cover Pokemon that are hard to switch into. I opted against Balance because although it is very good right now, it is hard to fit a Pokemon like Hydreigon onto fat teams

Also just as a side note, I do acknowledge that this team does look a bit like the team ABR used to qualify

The first thing I did, of course was add Hydreigon. I originally had Choice Specs as its item because I had seen from past matches and experience that if played correctly, it can tear holes in teams, greatly weakening Pokemon like Clefable, Magearna, Tapu Bulu, and Heatran among others. But after a bit of thought I realized that Hydreigon is actually very functional in the current Metagame. Its typing and natural bulk allows it to check many potent metagame threats such as Ash-Greninja, Heatran, and Serperior, which are generally problematic for most teams that do not have dedicated counters. But in order to do this it needs the aid of Roost. So I had to come up with a different item which allowed Hydreigon to switch into things and Roost off damage while not becoming setup fodder. Also ideally an item that help keep its damage output at a high level. Life Orb came to mind, but Darkinium Z was the ultimate decision since it nukes things like Heatran and Gliscor.

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Next up I added Rotom-Wash, which was another Pokemon that has been getting a lot of attention lately for being able to Volt Switch, Defog, and check main wincons like Gyarados and Mega-Swampert as well as other popular Pokemon like Tornadus-Therian. Rotom-Wash is a great pick for Bulky Offense because it can very easily gain momentum with Volt Switch since most ground types that stop Volt Switch are scared off by Hydro Pump, which also in tandem with its ground immunity allows it to effectively counter Landorus-Therian as a whole. It is also fast enough to outpace many slow wallbreakers like Mega-Mawile and burn them, making games a lot easier in general.

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The third Pokemon that I selected was Tangrowth because it can constantly switch into Pokemon like Kartana, Tapu Koko and especially Zygarde. It is a very good partner for Rotom-Wash typing-wise and its unique coverage allows for great role compression. It relies on Rotom and Hydreigon a lot to compensate for its weaknesses like Heatran and Mega-Pinsir, while acting as a solid emergency check for a lot of sweepers that don’t naturally beat it. Regenerator is a great ability to have on Bulky Offense because every time Tangrowth is forced out, it will regain HP so that it can pivot again and again for its teammates.

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I wanted another offensive presence on the team and one thing that I like to think about early on is how I can beat stall teams. Also I needed a soft check for things like Hawlucha and Kyurem-Black, so Mega Mawile made a lot of sense to fill this role. It also helps prevent passive setup sweepers from winning like Reuniclus and Clefable. Mawile can switch into other passive Pokemon like Chansey and get free turns to deal out large chunks of damage. Mawile fits especially nice into this build because the three before mentioned Pokemon cover/counter a majority of Mawile’s main answers like Heatran, Garchomp/Zygarde, and Landorus-Therian. Overall, Mega-Mawile is a really nice pick for this kind of team because it is literally the definition of "Bulky Offense”. Its solid defensive typing and stats let it revenge kill many threats like Hawlucha and its superior Attack stat turns it into a lethal enemy for almost any team.

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Up next I wanted more speed to round out the team, as well as a solid revenge killer. Landorus-Therian has always been borderline mandatory on Bulky Offense teams throughout Sun & Moon and adding it was pretty much inevitable. Landorus-Therian’s attributes really don’t need much explaining at all. It is extremely solid both offensively and defensively, and its coverage + U-Turn makes it an MVP in almost every match. The fact that I already had Defog on Rotom-Wash meant that I had another slot to work with, which I filled with Stone Edge because it gives me a more stable way of removing Mega-Pinsir, and Mega-Charizard Y as well as hitting Kyurem-Black.

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Lastly I needed another steel type and Stealth Rocks since I wanted to have room for Swords Dance on Mawile. Also I was seeing some big holes in the team and saw that I needed a Mega-Scizor counter as well, plus a way to effectively remove Chansey and Toxapex for Hydreigon, the latter also for Mawile since it lacked Thunder Punch or Knock Off. Heatran seemed like the most obvious option and its added offensive presence makes the team that much more threatening. Heatran alongside almost any wallbreaker is a deadly combination and Mega-Mawile is by no means an exception. Magma Storms chips down Pokemon like Zygarde over time so that Mawile can finish them off with Sucker Punch, and weaknesses like Tapu Fini and Gliscor are compensated for by the rest of the team quite well. Heatran becomes the team’s primary Fairy answer, taking on Pokemon like Shift Gear Magearna and opposing Mega-Mawiles. It is also another added fire resist and can catch opposing Heatrans in 50/50 situations or well predicted Earth Powers, which makes Mawile’s presence a lot more threatening. Heatran’s outstanding role compression and defensive typing make it a great fit for the team.

Hydreigon @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse​

Hydreigon is very solid right now in my opinion despite the abundance of fairies, and Darkinium Z is currently its best set. A lot of people have been running Flash Cannon + Earth Power, but I decided to use Draco Meteor and Fire Blast to be able to hit things like Zygarde and Kommo-o as well as Ferrothorn and Scizor. Roost as stated above is to let it beat Heatran, Ash Greninja, and just have overall better sustainability. I am running Modest Nature to get the most out of its powerful moveset. Timid is also an option and is my recommendation if Kyurem-Black in particular becomes enough of a problem.

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog

This is just a standard PhysDef Rotom-Wash with no speed investment. Its the team’s Defog user and can pivot into Mawile via Volt Switch. Not much explaining past that.

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Sassy Nature / Calm Nature*
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Earthquake / Focus Blast* / Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Tangrowth is also pretty standard. Its EVs are to help with AoP Kartana after rocks. Strong grass types like Kartana and SD Tapu Bulu are a large nuisance for the team to switch into, so to help with those you can either choose to run Focus Blast to OHKO Kartana or Sludge Bomb for Tapu Bulu, although this means you should also change the nature to Calm. Tangrowth is the main check to Tapu Koko and Zygarde, and also can Knock Pokemon that rely on Leftovers recovery like Heatran and Celesteela.

Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Fire Fang / Thunder Punch

Mega-Mawile is the strongest Pokemon on the team. It is the main way of defeating stall in tandem with Heatran, but you can run Thunder Punch over Fire Fang to catch Moltres which is growing in popularity pretty rapidly. The EVs let it hard check Hawlucha: It survives (after Intimidate) +1 High Jump Kick after Stealth Rocks.

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

Standard Scarf Landorus-Therian. It helps lure out opposing Landorus for Mawile and can quickly kill Toxapex and Heatran. Double Intimidate is really nice for keeping Pokemon like Garchomp and +1 boosters in check. Landorus also completes a VoltTurn core with Rotom-Wash.

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt

Standard Heatran. It is the team’s Stealth Rock setter and stallbreaker alongside Mawile. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
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I will add threats / replays soon!

I'm just going to keep this part short and sweet. Thanks for reading! If you do decide to try out the team then I hope that you enjoy it :)

Importable

Hydreigon @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt

Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Fire Fang

 

[Charmflash]

Hey there, I have recently built two teams that utilize most of the concepts you've gone for with this team so I'm pretty impressed of the final product you've come up with, good job. I believe the 6 pokemon you've chosen can be kept as-is but I'd like to give you some advice fine-tuning the ev spreads and moves.

1. Change the EV spread from 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe to 48 HP / 208 SpA / 252 Spe. This will allow you to tank two Choice Specs Greninja Hydro Pumps after Stealth Rock from full 100% of the time. This is especially important as Hydreigon is immune to Spikes and will therefore always be able to switch into Ash-Greninja (unevolved) given it is at full and the Ash-Greninja does not have Ice Beam. The power drop is manageable, and the extra HP is useful for other scenarios as well since Hydreigon does make use of its defensive typing to switch into attacks.

2. Change Fire Blast to Flamethrower. The extra PP and accuracy outvalue the bonus power Fire Blast provides, as Hydreigon can break balanced builds really well, but does not want to get its fire move stalled against a Celesteela or Ferrothorn team, nor does it want to miss out on a crucial chunk of damage.

3. Consider changing Draco Meteor to either Taunt or even Earth Power. This isnt necessary and just my personal preference, but Draco Meteor forces Hydreigon to switch out and has less value without a damage-boosting item or z-move. Taunt helps you even further to deal with balanced and even stall teams while Earth Power turns you into a fantastic Heatran answer.

1. Consider changing the EV spread from 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD to 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe. This would allow you to outspeed things such as Belly Drum Azumarill, defensive Landorus-Therian without Spe investment and defensive variants of Heatran.

1. Don't slash a Calm nature. There is virtually no downside to Sassy Tangrowth, and even if you aren't using EQ (which is fair enough, Focus Blast seems like a good alternative here), boosting the Knock Off damage is a decent enough perk.

1. Change the EV spread from 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe to 176 HP / 164 Atk / 4 Def / 164 Spe. The idea of sacrificing Atk EV's is something I first saw on ABR's OLT team, yet it makes a great deal of sense. Mega-Mawile is powerful enough to break pretty much anything even without full investment into Atk and it needs Spe investment for bulkier teams as well as bulk investment for offensive teams. The added bulk allows it to check threats such as Mega-Pinsir, Hoopa-Unbound, Tapu Lele and Hawlucha (it tanks a +1 HJK 94% of the time after Stealth Rock) and the speed gives Mega-Mawile the upper hand against Chansey, Clefable and uninvested Skarmory.

2. Use Thunder Punch or at least Knock Off on any SD set with Sucker Punch, as these two moves allow you to hit Toxapex and Heatran as well as other problems like Skarmory and Celesteela etc. in one single move. Fire Fang, while great for hitting Mega-Scizor and Ferrothorn (two pokemon you can get past via SD + any attack) for crazy damage, gets you walled by common threats and should only really get used on a 4Atk set (which is pretty mediocre rn, due to how good SD + Sucker Punch is in the current meta).

1. Change Hidden Power Ice to Explosion. Paired with Atk investment Explosion is a great revenge killing tool you can use against a plethora of threats. It allows Landorus to go out with a boom after pivoting in a bunch of times and even block Defog, if deemed necessary. Hidden Power Ice has limited use on an offensive, scarfed Landorus-Therian, especially if paired with Hidden Power Ice Tangrowth.

1. If you picked Taunt over Draco Meteor for Hydreigon, consider changing this to the specially defensive variant. This would allow you to switch better into threats like Magearna, Tapu Lele and Volcarona (a huge problem for your team), even when carrying Hidden Power Ground, as you tank the boosted attack and are able to Toxic in return. The new set would use this EV spread: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe, as well as Lava Plume, Toxic, Protect and Stealth Rock as moves.

Overall, I think you built a really competitive and cool team and would like to thank you for sharing it with us, gl :)

 

[patlop2307]

Hey AnnaKartanna! So for this team I've been impressed with the building of yours. It's a pretty well made team that doesn't need any major changes, maybe a few tweaks. I think Jaina did a great job giving you suggestions to work with (s/o's btw), but I have some too. I will be taking his changes into consideration and give either some additonal aspects as to why a certain set should or shouldn't be run. Please keep in mind that this rate is obviously opinonated and you don't have to agree with everything that is being pointed out here. So without further ado, let's get started!

Overview:​

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I like this team a lot. It kind of seems like an ABR team, as you already pointed out, just with mixed with a current meta-trend that is Hydreigon, which isn't to be taken as a bad thing at all as the team is really solid. I like the Volt-Turn on the team being able to give you important momentum a lot of the times. Obviously the sets and spreads have some room for improvement and Jaina already pointed out and explained most of them. However, I can also see a shift of the removers being helpful, especially for Rotom-Wash since it can use that slot for Pain Split and be more annoying because of it. Other than that, there's nothing to criticise here. I think -again- you did a very good job this time, props to you!​

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What is your team weak to?​

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: As Jaina already pointed out, this thing can be a pain for you. You essentially have to pray that it doesn't run Hidden Power [Ground] or otherwise it'll at the very least harm your team heavily. If it doesn't, however, you have a chance to win with Heatran, as long as it's not chipped too badly. Bulky Volcarona can actually be dealt with Landorus-Therian as it is going to outspeed it, sadly that set is barely common and doesn't deserve too much recognition. So all in all, you have a pretty bad match-up against it.​

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: Another pretty bad match-up here. If it gets in on either Landorus-Therian or Tangrowth you can consider the game being over as Rotom-Wash dies after rocks 68.8% of the time and considering how easy it is to get rocks up against it (Ferrothorn, Suicide Lead Landorus-Therian, etc.) it's most likely going to sweep unless you play really well with your regular Mawile. What might impede putting you in a non-dangerous position against Hawlucha is its partner Tapu Koko. If it runs the Dual-Screens set, you basically can't beat it. If it runs Choice Specs it can constantly gain momentum until it finds that moment where you switch into Tangrowth, thus giving Hawlucha a free Swords Dance.​

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How can you improve the team?​

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Minor Changes:​

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Flash Cannon > Draco Meteor, Earth Power > Fire Blast: I would suggest you run the set that has been used by Kory for one main reason: You don't hit anything important. With Earth Power for example you have a move that hits Heatran which could pose as a threat to the team whereas with Flash Cannon you hit the likes of Tapu Bulu, Tapu Lele, and Clefable. Everything that does not get hit with the

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coverage gets covered by the team mates like Dragonite or Bisharp. I can't say much about the spread suggestion of Jaina as I haven't played with it myself, but I guess he has a fair point there, although taking 2 Hydro Pumps with Hydreigon isn't necessary because of the Tangrowth, which walls it.​

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Pain Split > Defog, Spread Change: In my personal opinion Rotom-Wash shines more if it has Pain Split because that makes it more sustainable and a nuisance as a result of that. However, Defog covers up that slot and so it is basically stripped from it's full potential. For that I have made Landorus-Therian the remover, which I am going to go over next up. I do have to agree with Jaina on the spread change and would recommend you would use the spread as well.​

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Defog > Stone Edge: Since we removed the Defog on Rotom-Wash, we need a new one. I think Landorus-Therian fits the role fairly well as it is your speed control on the team and can get U-Turns and Defogs off quickly. What also needs to be added is the removal of the move Stone Edge: I didn't necessarily see the point of keeping it to be honest. You could aruge that Charizard-Y would be a reason for it, but that kind of gets covered by Heatran anyway. Either way, Charizard-Y alone isn't common nough to justify the use of the set. Since I am going a different route than Jaina here, I would also suggest you to run the standard "Bulky Scarf" spread.​

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Knock Off > Fire Fang: In my opinion Fire Fang just seems way too redundant of a move to have here and is kind of a waste of a moveslot. As Jaina already pointed out, Thunder Punch or Knock Off would be much more useful options here, since you simply hit more Pokémon with these sets. Of we look at the main 2 Pokémon Fire Fang is intended for -Mega-Scizor and Ferrothorn- those get covered by Heatran and maybe Rotom-Wash (in the context of Mega-Scizor). About this spread change I can't say much either but I personally would say that the Hawlucha calc doesn't matter since you're ususally forced to take some pre-chip, but I could see making it bulkier for sure, so I would stick to Jaina's suggested spread.​

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Sp Def Lava Plume > Magma-Trapper: I would agree on Jaina's set suggestions here, but the reasoning I have is a bit different. The reason why I chose this set as well was because apart from checking the likes of Magearna, Tapu Lele, and Volcarona, the Protect on the set gives it somewhat of a check to Hawlucha, granted you get the 50/50 right. Obviously you still won't have the best match-up, but you at least have a chance of beating it.​

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Conclusion:​

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All in all it wasn't too hard of a rate to make and a lot of the points were already made, so good job. I have tested this team once already against xray and it worked surprisingly well, although the threats basically stay the same (Hawlucha, Volcarona, maybe Charizard-Y). So if you have any questions or criticism concerning this rate, just feel free to tell me. With that being said I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors and have fun with the team!​

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[Wolowix]

Hi can i replace Landorus? If yes which Pokemon should i use?

 

[Le Val]

Thanks so much for the suggestions guys! I will definitely try them out <3