XY OU M Gardevoir is DEVASTATING (pls rate)

[Crzyzyko]

Hey guys, I'm new to Smogon and a frequent battler on PS. I want you guys to check out this team I made that is pretty good for mildly competetive laddering. (I'm around mid 1400s, so I'm ok I guess) Anyways, I've been using this team to rank up, and it's worked pretty well so far.

Mega Gardevoir
Death (Gardevoir) (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast/Thunderbolt
- Substitute

Gardevoir. My God. This thing.. this thing is just devastating.. AND I LOVE IT. I chose M Gardevoir as my base mon because it trucks half the tier. Hyper Voice itself does most the work. Psyshock has a 93.2% chance of 3HKO on a support Chansey that has 252 Def investment, which makes Gardevoir a reliable check after Rocks. Gardevoir handles other stuff like Scarf/ LO Lati, and Bisharps. Substitute is a good choice, because it forces switch ins to break the sub, and you get off free damage. Focus Blast decimates Support Tar, but if you prefer Thunderbolt over that to hit Azus, it works as well (thought you don't need it based on the rest of the team)

Thundurus-T
Zeus (Thundurus-Therian) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 30 HP /30 Atk /30 Def / 30 Sp. Atk /30 Sp. Def
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Focus Blast
YO ZEUS IS IN THE BUILDING. THE GOD OF THE GODS HIMSELF. Looking at my Mega Gardevoir, some common checks would be Mega Venusaur, Skarmory, and Talonflame. Therefore, Thunudurus-T was my choice. Running Nasty Plot boosts Thundurus's already high Base 145 Sp. Atk and having that STAB Thunderbolt really helps. The HP Flying IV spread is disgusting, as everything except Speed is 30, but that's the only way to OHKO Mega Venusaur after a Nasty Plot. Thundurus also takes minimal damage from steel type moves and it's Volt Absorb allows it to absorb and recover HP when hit with an Electric move.

Heatran
Heatah Fajita(M) @ Power Herb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power

Eyy the four legged fire steel volcano thing idek anymore.. I decided to go with Heatran as my third mon because it resists the steel weakness that Gardevoir has and the Ice weakness Thundurus has. However, I decided not to run Sp. Def Tran because I have no reliable check to Rotom-W yet. Power Herb Solarbeam almost decimates both kinds of Defensive Rotom-W's, and a Fire Blast is enough to finish it off. Flash Cannon checks other Fairy types and Earth Power is my key to defeating other Heatrans.

Azumarill
Azu (Azumarill) (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Superpower/Knock Off

Azumarill, Azumarill, Azumarill. One of my favorite little... idk, watermelon? Egg? What is this thing? Anyways, looking at my team so far, I didn't have a reliable check to Defensive Lando-T. That's why I needed CB Azumarill on my team. At -1, CB Azumarill tears a huge hole in Defensive Lando, doing up to 76.9% damage. Aqua Jet is the only priority so far on this team, which makes Azumarill a good revenge killer. Play Rough is needed to check Dragon Types, such as DDance Dragonites and Garchomps. Superpower is good for 2HKO Ferrothorns, but Knock Off gets rid of items, so that's up to you.

Latios
Latios (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Trick
- Defog

Latios my man. This thing should be a staple for any team. Scarf Lati was needed over LO Lati in this case, because it outspeeds Gengar and nothing so far wants to deal with Gar, unless I catch it on a switch in with Gardevoir. Draco and Psyshock is always there, and Defog gets rid of hazards on my side. Trick allows me to scarf other mons, and it's especially handy versus a Prankster Sableye.

Rotom-W
Laundromat (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split

Last but not least, I needed the asshole himself. I chose Rotom-W over stuff like Sableye because it's a more reliable wall. Not the best.. but it's something. Sp. Def Rotom-W works best, because Will-O burns Physical Attackers and allows Rotom to eat up those Dragon Claws. Hydro Pump 2HKOs defensive Skarms and 3HKOs Tyranitar. Volt Switch gives me momentum, and Pain Split is my form of reliable recovery.

OVERVIEW​

This team operates around weakening the opponent with Hyper Voice and Fire Blast, then having Azu come in and Aqua Jet or Thundurus to sweep. It works relatively well, but if you haven't noticed, there are five special attackers and Azumarill's my only physical attackers. That makes Chansey a threat, but Thundurus hard checks it after one Nasty Plot. Solarbeam blows a hole through other Azumarills and Rotom-Ws, so they're not a problem.

THREATS​

Some threats include Mega Char X, as it can't be burned, and once it starts setting up, it's hard to beat. A good way is to try to have Gardevoir in when Char's in, Sub on the first DD, and Hyper Voice to weaken it for Azu. Another threat is Weavile, as it outspeeds everything and has a chance to live a Draco. Charizard Y also blasts away some of the team. Other minor threats that are easily checked are Keldeo, Talonflame, and Tornadus-T.

REPLAYS​

Sorry these are not the best, I don't rank that high.

These show off both strengths and weaknesses​

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-244274444
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou244271412
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-244280064

 

[Crzyzyko]

idk why format's off for the last part. srry

 

[Crzyzyko]

Thanks for the reply! I see where your coming from with the set suggestions, as they are common. I'll try them out

 

[Perennial]

one problem here is the lack of Stealth Rock. the consistent chip damage rocks provide is very helpful and the various hard hitters you have on your team would appreciate its presence. additionally, pokémon like mega Metagross and Bisharp are very threatening to this team, an understandable weakness with the many psychics and fairies present here and the opportunities they offer those two pokémon to come in and wreak havoc. one change you can consider to help with these issues is Hippowdon over Azumarill, who I believe is expendable. while you do miss out on the high power she provided, her presence is a little redundant on your team in terms of the pokémon she covers. Azumarill provided a check to things like Charizard-X and Keldeo, which Hippowdon and Latios, respectively, cover well.

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Hippowdon @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind

this gives you an SRer and good answer to things you struggled with, like mega Metagross, Bisharp and mega Lopunny. Leftovers is a standard choice on hippo. however, Rocky Helmet is an interesting alternative because the little residual damage it shaves off pokémon like Metagross upon contact makes it easier to wear them down to a range where they won't enjoy coming in on Gardevoir's attacks. other benefits of Hippowdon include an answer to Charizard-X, which you state is troublesome, and a reliable answer to electrics like mega Manectric.

moving on, while Scarf Latios can net some surprise kills here and there, your team really suffers from her lack of recovery. in my opinion your team would become more efficient if you were to change the Latios you're running to a standard Life Orb attacker with recovery. this way you will have a more reliable way to fend off some threats you mention are a pain to face, such as Charizard-Y and Keldeo, while obtaining more offensive power as a plus.

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Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog / Calm Mind
- Roost

Calm Mind can be used over Defog here if you would like Latios to break Chansey better, who you mention can be annoying in your descriptions. +1 Psyshock also means you can break through common switch ins like Clefable more easily.

by removing Latios' Scarf you lose a revenge killer. as such, you may consider changing your Heatran to a Scarfer. by doing so you retain a revenge killer and pokémon to threaten out and/or kill faster threats such as Gengar without being Pursuit weak like Latios.

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Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Overheat
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge

final suggestions, consider using Taunt over Sub on Gardevoir. the reason for this is to help you break stall better, a playstyle your team currently struggles with. also, Azumarill can be rather bothersome for your team so consider a more physically defensive variant of Rotom-W. this will not only give you a more reliable switch in to Azumarill, but also a sturdier answer to Talonflame and Excadrill. 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe with a Bold nature works fine.