Hello yet again, everyone.
So, I like playing hyper offense, but what I like even more is packing some nice surprise factor. Whether it is some crazy gimmick stuff or just some good lure, I just like it. It just disorients [is that a word?] people and that gives me an advantage.
I feel like that is the case with focus punch Breloom - you don't see it everyday. Besides, Breloom itself is quite commom, and people do expect it to either be sashed or SD LO. They often don't know what to do when Breloom gets behind a subs. And I can tell you that it is really threatening behind a subs. So, expecting either the revenge mach punch or the common spore, they let me freely behind a subs and sometimes that might just mean GG.
So I went ahead and "built" a team around it.
Anyway, let's move on, shall we?
Here's proof of peak, right above the brazilian infamous killer, Goleiro Bruno.
Ok, now, for the individual analysis [and sorry for the long Breloom description, but I felt such an underrated set needed it]:
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Stone Edge/Earth Power/Roar
- Stealth Rock
I needed rocks and i decided to build a fire-grass-water core. So Heatran naturally came to mind (and Torkoal, but... wasn't really an option). This set I run is quite popular these days, with balloon max speed taunt to prevent other slow mons from hazarding up [is that an expression?], while not straight up dying to some random EQ from Lando-T, Chomper or whatever. SR, of course, and, in the last slot, I'm running Stone Edge for Zards and Talons who think they're smart to come in before rocks. Earth Power is an option to hit other Heatrans, whereas Roar might be a good option to phaze Zards and Talons, though it looks weird in a more offensive set. Magma Storm is to trap and kill some threats, doing nice damage to Lando-T and pretty much killing the rare Unaware Clefs, also working nicely against Chanseys and weakened Sableyes. Just be careful to not stay in on a Starmie switch in just to rocks up, 'cause you lose a lot of momentum - double into Rotom or Torn and you shall be fine.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
To complete my water-grass-fire core, I have Rotom-Wash. Try hardery or not, it goes really well with Heatran. The set is standard, allowing Rotom to outspeed all Azu variants [bar scarf?] and either doing good damage with volt switch or burning it. Hydro is STAB, Pain Split for longevity. I also needed the slow Volt Switch to bring in Breloom safely, activating its toxic orb. Rotom counters Landos, Excadrills, Chompers [with some limitation], Azus, Starmies, Talonflames, M-Pinsirs and, mainly, M-Lopunnys - though Rotom needs to be full health to do so.
Honestly, not much to say, though i did say a lot. Rotom-W is pretty much self-explanatory, just make sure you volt-switch if you see a Zard, cause they will switch in on a possible willo and pretty much destroy you from there.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 96 HP / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
- Knock Off
At this point, I was really weak to Gengar. To solve that problem and to make a sweet volt-turn core, I brought standard AV Tornadus-T, which is also pretty self explanatory. Goes really well with Rotom, Hurricane as its STAB strong move, I can safely switch into Gengar [though a willo would not be appreciated] and Knock it Off, a move that is also really useful to hit Starmie, Chansey and stuff that try to switch in. I chose Heat Wave over Superpower mainly to make Metagross' job easier, getting rid of Ferrothorn, Scizor and doing nice damage to Skarmory. It hits Bisharp well enough and TTar is not a problem to the team. All in all, this is a Rank S threat, and it is really valuable to the team. Fast, great ability, very good pivot.
Thundurus @ Yache Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Next, we have Thundurus-Incarnate. Despite Heatran, the team was still pretty weak to Zard-X and Thundy can easily stop that with a beautiful T-Wave. The team also lacked an Ice move, so, even better. Nasty plot is great to wallbreak stuff, specially Sableye and magic guard Clef, not to mention Klefki and Mandibuzz. Thunderbolt, because duh. Yache Berry is there because the team is pretty weak to Weavile [I assume most players will go ice shard, fearing the t-wave - that's where you eat that and retaliate]. All in all, works really well in this team.
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm/Earthquake
- Bullet Punch
Lastly, I still had a mega slot. I decided to go Metagross here for some extra bulk, for the priority and for the fact that... this thing is so strong. Standard set, once again, it serves as a great wallbreaker and fairy killer. I don't like Meteor Mash + BP, but i really needed the priority, as you can see, and that set is quite popular lately. I guess one can consider Rock Polish or even Hone Claws over BP. Anyways, running 2 STAB moves, Hammer Arm to punch hard Ferrothorn and Skarmory, being able to take down the latter 1 on 1 due to the speed drop granted you hit. EQ is fine, I guess, since I do have Thundurus and enough Ferrothorn counters. I am not sure, I might change it, but I am currently running Hammer Arm.
Conk hits hard everything on the team. Absolutely no mon wants to switch into it, and the fact that it might be AV scares Torn and Thundy. Metagross is the best answer to that (or you might be lucky to knock it off on the switch in with Torn).
Opposing Thundurus, Specs/CM Raikou, Mega Manectric and Double Dance Thundurus-Incarnate are all threats. They cannot be slowed down by t-wave and they can wear down Rotom, by voltswitching, or they can set up. Heatran can check them, but not reliably. Torn can often take a hit, but 1) it can't do much back and 2) with enough volt-switches, Torn goes down. Basically, fast electric mons can be very annoying, with all that switching. Specially CM Raikou - yache berry can only take me so far.
Finally, Keldeo. Of course it depends on the opposing teams and how the game goes, but Scarf + rocks+burn can take down Torn, whereas Specs hits hard everything in the team. Thundy works well against Keldeo, though, so that's a relief.
Overall look
All in all, this teams works like this: if it is slower than Breloom, it is going down. Bring Breloom in safely (that is what the volt-turn core is for) and you are pretty much guarantee to have a nice time against the enemy. Ferrothorn could be and issue, but the rest of the team deals with that. If you get behind a subs, you are in a very good position 95% of the time.
For the other not-so-slow mons, I believed I have adressed above what would be otherwise big threats to the team. The rest of the team is pretty solid against the metagame, and Thundy can slow down the huge-threat Zard X, as well as some other stuff, like Gengar, Serp, Lopunny... [though, yeah, make sure to rocks up and to keep Thundy healthy if you see a Zard - or, if you have Breloom behind a subs, you are not in the worst position].
I might throw in some ground moves, maybe on Heatran, maybe on Metagross, to deal better with fast electric mons.
As a small piece of advice, do not - I repeat, DO NOT - forget about the infiltrator ability. Crobats and Noiverns do exist in the tier and staying in behind a subs against them is quitestupid frustrating. Same goes to hyper voice.
Watch out for specs Sylveon, which predicts the Torn and psyshocks, or shadow balls Metagross.
Also, against Clef, bringing Tornadus on the T-wave might be a good idea, so you can slow-turn safely into Breloom, put Clef to sleep and go from there, behind the safety of your subs.
That said, suggestions are very welcome. If you read the teambuilding process, you are probably aware that I am willing to change anything in the team, but Breloom and its set.
Anyway, be my guest to suggest changes you believe will make this team work better and also try the team out if you also think this Breloom set deserves more credit.
So, I like playing hyper offense, but what I like even more is packing some nice surprise factor. Whether it is some crazy gimmick stuff or just some good lure, I just like it. It just disorients [is that a word?] people and that gives me an advantage.
I feel like that is the case with focus punch Breloom - you don't see it everyday. Besides, Breloom itself is quite commom, and people do expect it to either be sashed or SD LO. They often don't know what to do when Breloom gets behind a subs. And I can tell you that it is really threatening behind a subs. So, expecting either the revenge mach punch or the common spore, they let me freely behind a subs and sometimes that might just mean GG.
So I went ahead and "built" a team around it.
Anyway, let's move on, shall we?
Here's proof of peak, right above the brazilian infamous killer, Goleiro Bruno.
There's quite a story to this team. I wanted to use focus punch Breloom and I found this:
I got this team from this link right here http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/mixed-offensive-ou-team.3543981/
[I took the advice from the comments in the post, cause the original team looked like this:
].
It was a nice team , but got destroyed by Talon and zard, being mew the biggest fodder. I put stone edge on heatran AND mew, but then I thought Clef became a huge threat. I made some changes, brought back rotom-w as a Talon hard counter and also threw lopunny + hazards, which go together well, and I ended up with this:
[I really like lead Scolipede, mainly due to these 2 teams I had success playing with:
http://pokemonshowdownteams.com/ou-team-21-tropical-onesie-mega-sharpedo/
http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/dannys-agiligross-offense-ft-banded-landorus-t-peak-8.3549415/
]
Testing it, I got convinced that I needed a bulkier mega, because my team was being late-game cleaned by scarfed stuff such as Staraptor with easy. I lacked priority bar fake out. Rotom-w, once a little weakened, allowed the team to be swept by a variety of things. It wasn't holding together well. I also felt LO Scolipede was easy to play around, even though I like it a lot. So Lop and Scoli left and now I have this:
I kept the nice grass-water-fire core, Torn and Rotom-W have great synergy, making a good volt-turn core, metagross hits HARD and thundurus is really useful all in all, both by stopping other threats and by wallbreaking. Basically, from the very original team, we have Torn and Breloom [rotom eventually came back].
Hope this wasn't too confusing =]
I got this team from this link right here http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/mixed-offensive-ou-team.3543981/
[I took the advice from the comments in the post, cause the original team looked like this:
It was a nice team , but got destroyed by Talon and zard, being mew the biggest fodder. I put stone edge on heatran AND mew, but then I thought Clef became a huge threat. I made some changes, brought back rotom-w as a Talon hard counter and also threw lopunny + hazards, which go together well, and I ended up with this:
[I really like lead Scolipede, mainly due to these 2 teams I had success playing with:
http://pokemonshowdownteams.com/ou-team-21-tropical-onesie-mega-sharpedo/
http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/dannys-agiligross-offense-ft-banded-landorus-t-peak-8.3549415/
]
Testing it, I got convinced that I needed a bulkier mega, because my team was being late-game cleaned by scarfed stuff such as Staraptor with easy. I lacked priority bar fake out. Rotom-w, once a little weakened, allowed the team to be swept by a variety of things. It wasn't holding together well. I also felt LO Scolipede was easy to play around, even though I like it a lot. So Lop and Scoli left and now I have this:
I kept the nice grass-water-fire core, Torn and Rotom-W have great synergy, making a good volt-turn core, metagross hits HARD and thundurus is really useful all in all, both by stopping other threats and by wallbreaking. Basically, from the very original team, we have Torn and Breloom [rotom eventually came back].
Hope this wasn't too confusing =]
Ok, now, for the individual analysis [and sorry for the long Breloom description, but I felt such an underrated set needed it]:
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Focus Punch
- Substitute
- Seed Bomb
We start of with - you guessed it - Breloom. Honestly, there's so much to say here. This set everyone has probably seen it before. This is the type of set you love to use but hate to face. And yet, I feel like this is so underrated - I mean, so very underrated. It has the potential to turn tables, for real.
First of all, Loom has what is arguably the most annoying move in the entire game: Spore, 100% accurate sleep move, which, combined with the otherwise gimmicky Focus Punch, turns Breloom into a serious offensive threat. If Breloom is behind a Substitute it can be "good game" for the opponent. They get confused and Breloom has the freedom of firing off a 150 Base Power STAB move off a base 130 Attack stat. If that is not power, I do not know what power is. Behind a Substitute, if Sleep Clause is not activated, Breloom gets a free Spore on something else and can continue the chain of Spore, Substitute, and Focus Punch until the opponent has no Pokémon left. With Toxic Orb and Poison Heal, Breloom can continue to make Substitutes throughout the course of the match. Seed Bomb is an alternative STAB to take down azu, ohko diancie and hit lando for a little more damage, basically.
The EV's spread is to get the most heal of toxic.
Max speed, because, honestly, whatever is not faster than Breloom IS going down. Clef, Skarmory, Scizor, you name it. I actually like to think Breloom is my main Clef counter, though I do have Metagross - you put Clef to sleep cause you're faster, subs up and keep punching holes in it [Seed bomb does more].
Of course, this set is notentirely broken because Breloom is slow and frail. Not to mention it does have its counters - Crobat, Gengar, Chesnaugh, Mandibuzz and, if it's not behind a subs, anything faster and a bit strong. Still, it works so very well it amazes me.
I also want to point out that Breloom is a GREAT lead against Diancie. People bring it, mispredict the switch or the spore or whatever, you sub up on the protect and there you have it, you are ready to go. Seed bomb 1hkos Diancie, or you can predict a switch and focus punch [though that is not a guarantee 1hko].
Next.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 28 SpA / 188 SpD / 44 Spe
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge/Toxic/Roar
- Protect/Taunt
- Lava Plume
I needed rocks and i decided to build a fire-grass-water core. So Heatran naturally came to mind (and Torkoal, but... wasn't really an option). The set I am running allows Heatran to outspeed some Venusaurs and most spd Heatrans. Lava Plume and Stealth Rock both go without saying. I run lure Stone Edge to hit hard Talons and Zards who try to switch in or set up on Heatran. Toxic is an option, but, since Heatran main roll in the team is to be a switch in to fast electric types (MManectric, Raikou...), I feel like Toxic would be a waste - the things I would like to toxic will probably run away before I can do so, I might as well just click Lava Plume. Roar is imo the worst option, making, yet again, my team more weak to fast electric types. As the fourth move, Protect is probably the best option, due to Scarf Lando-Ts in general, but Taunt can be useful against Clef/Sylveon or something that packs Wish.
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Focus Punch
- Substitute
- Seed Bomb
First of all, Loom has what is arguably the most annoying move in the entire game: Spore, 100% accurate sleep move, which, combined with the otherwise gimmicky Focus Punch, turns Breloom into a serious offensive threat. If Breloom is behind a Substitute it can be "good game" for the opponent. They get confused and Breloom has the freedom of firing off a 150 Base Power STAB move off a base 130 Attack stat. If that is not power, I do not know what power is. Behind a Substitute, if Sleep Clause is not activated, Breloom gets a free Spore on something else and can continue the chain of Spore, Substitute, and Focus Punch until the opponent has no Pokémon left. With Toxic Orb and Poison Heal, Breloom can continue to make Substitutes throughout the course of the match. Seed Bomb is an alternative STAB to take down azu, ohko diancie and hit lando for a little more damage, basically.
The EV's spread is to get the most heal of toxic.
Max speed, because, honestly, whatever is not faster than Breloom IS going down. Clef, Skarmory, Scizor, you name it. I actually like to think Breloom is my main Clef counter, though I do have Metagross - you put Clef to sleep cause you're faster, subs up and keep punching holes in it [Seed bomb does more].
Of course, this set is not
I also want to point out that Breloom is a GREAT lead against Diancie. People bring it, mispredict the switch or the spore or whatever, you sub up on the protect and there you have it, you are ready to go. Seed bomb 1hkos Diancie, or you can predict a switch and focus punch [though that is not a guarantee 1hko].
Next.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 28 SpA / 188 SpD / 44 Spe
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge/Toxic/Roar
- Protect/Taunt
- Lava Plume
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Stone Edge/Earth Power/Roar
- Stealth Rock
I needed rocks and i decided to build a fire-grass-water core. So Heatran naturally came to mind (and Torkoal, but... wasn't really an option). This set I run is quite popular these days, with balloon max speed taunt to prevent other slow mons from hazarding up [is that an expression?], while not straight up dying to some random EQ from Lando-T, Chomper or whatever. SR, of course, and, in the last slot, I'm running Stone Edge for Zards and Talons who think they're smart to come in before rocks. Earth Power is an option to hit other Heatrans, whereas Roar might be a good option to phaze Zards and Talons, though it looks weird in a more offensive set. Magma Storm is to trap and kill some threats, doing nice damage to Lando-T and pretty much killing the rare Unaware Clefs, also working nicely against Chanseys and weakened Sableyes. Just be careful to not stay in on a Starmie switch in just to rocks up, 'cause you lose a lot of momentum - double into Rotom or Torn and you shall be fine.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
Honestly, not much to say, though i did say a lot. Rotom-W is pretty much self-explanatory, just make sure you volt-switch if you see a Zard, cause they will switch in on a possible willo and pretty much destroy you from there.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 96 HP / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
- Knock Off
Thundurus @ Yache Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm/Earthquake
- Bullet Punch
Conk hits hard everything on the team. Absolutely no mon wants to switch into it, and the fact that it might be AV scares Torn and Thundy. Metagross is the best answer to that (or you might be lucky to knock it off on the switch in with Torn).
Opposing Thundurus, Specs/CM Raikou, Mega Manectric and Double Dance Thundurus-Incarnate are all threats. They cannot be slowed down by t-wave and they can wear down Rotom, by voltswitching, or they can set up. Heatran can check them, but not reliably. Torn can often take a hit, but 1) it can't do much back and 2) with enough volt-switches, Torn goes down. Basically, fast electric mons can be very annoying, with all that switching. Specially CM Raikou - yache berry can only take me so far.
Finally, Keldeo. Of course it depends on the opposing teams and how the game goes, but Scarf + rocks+burn can take down Torn, whereas Specs hits hard everything in the team. Thundy works well against Keldeo, though, so that's a relief.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-315520434
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-315517287
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-315513995
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-315622111 [this guy got lucky and his clef got burnt]
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-315517287
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-315513995
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-315622111 [this guy got lucky and his clef got burnt]
Overall look
All in all, this teams works like this: if it is slower than Breloom, it is going down. Bring Breloom in safely (that is what the volt-turn core is for) and you are pretty much guarantee to have a nice time against the enemy. Ferrothorn could be and issue, but the rest of the team deals with that. If you get behind a subs, you are in a very good position 95% of the time.
For the other not-so-slow mons, I believed I have adressed above what would be otherwise big threats to the team. The rest of the team is pretty solid against the metagame, and Thundy can slow down the huge-threat Zard X, as well as some other stuff, like Gengar, Serp, Lopunny... [though, yeah, make sure to rocks up and to keep Thundy healthy if you see a Zard - or, if you have Breloom behind a subs, you are not in the worst position].
I might throw in some ground moves, maybe on Heatran, maybe on Metagross, to deal better with fast electric mons.
As a small piece of advice, do not - I repeat, DO NOT - forget about the infiltrator ability. Crobats and Noiverns do exist in the tier and staying in behind a subs against them is quite
Watch out for specs Sylveon, which predicts the Torn and psyshocks, or shadow balls Metagross.
Also, against Clef, bringing Tornadus on the T-wave might be a good idea, so you can slow-turn safely into Breloom, put Clef to sleep and go from there, behind the safety of your subs.
That said, suggestions are very welcome. If you read the teambuilding process, you are probably aware that I am willing to change anything in the team, but Breloom and its set.
Anyway, be my guest to suggest changes you believe will make this team work better and also try the team out if you also think this Breloom set deserves more credit.
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm
- Bullet Punch
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 96 HP / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
- Knock Off
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
Thundurus @ Yache Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Focus Punch
- Substitute
- Seed Bomb
Ability: Clear Body
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm
- Bullet Punch
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 96 HP / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
- Knock Off
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 28 SpA / 188 SpD / 44 Spe
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Protect
- Lava Plume
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 28 SpA / 188 SpD / 44 Spe
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Protect
- Lava Plume
Thundurus @ Yache Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Focus Punch
- Substitute
- Seed Bomb
Last edited:
