I made this team the other day, centered around Mega Scizor.
Team Building Process:
As my team is centered around Mega Scizor, I know that I need to cover various threats, including fire-types and Pokemon that commonly carry fire coverage (Lati twins, cleftable, etc.), will-o-wisp/scald, and heavy offensive pressure. I first tackled with Scizor's fire weakness with Heatran. In this case, I decided to run an offensive Heatran with full investment into special attack and speed to immediately apply offensive pressure to opponents.
However, this core thus far is extremely weak to the likes of Keldeo, Rotom-Wash, Manaphy and other scald users. As such, I needed a Pokemon that could sponge scalds status. It was a tough choice between Celebi and AV Tornadus-T; however, I chose the latter because Celebi is too passive to properly fit on this team (it will lose momentum). Furthermore, the momentum generated from Tornadus' U-Turn allows Scizor to get in safely. Therefore, for my third slot, I chose to run assault vest Tornadus-Therian to counter Keldeo, Slowbro and other scald spammers.
This offensive core synergies well: Tornadus can swap into earthquakes aimed at Heatran, Heatran can swap into fire type attacks aimed at Scizor, and Tornadus can sponge special attacks (scald) aimed at both. However, while this core is pretty solid, it can get worn down by entry hazards. As such, I decided to add healing wish Latias with defog: This allows it to not only remove hazards, but provide means to fully revive a crippled member of the core if needed. It also provides a secondary check to Keldeo and provides a chance against Manaphy.
Next, I needed a solid answer to Electric types like Zaptos and Thunderous, as they not only hit Scizor and Heatran hard, but often carry HP Ice for Latias and fry Tornadus with STAB electric coverage. Moreover, my opponents can gain momentum through volt switch easily. Therefore, I needed a quick answer to these threats -- life-orb Weavile. Weavile can pursuit trap Thunderous and other bulky Psychics (Slowbro), as well as OHKO Zaptos with Icicle Crash after stealth rocks damage.
For my last slot, I wasn't completely sure what was needed. A hazard setter along with a check to Talonflame would be nice, which made me decide to put tank Garchomp in this last spot. It checks Talonflame and is generally useful for wearing down opponents.
Sets and Strategy:
1. Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite.
Ability: Technician.
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 SpD.
Impish Nature.
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
- U-turn
In my view, investment in Scizor's speed and attack is not needed, as upon mega evolution, it gains access to fantastic bulk. Swords Dance helps to mitigate the "lack" of attack in this set anyways, so attack investment is not needed. The given EV spread allows it to successfully check threats such as the Lati twins, Weavile, Mega Gardevoir, and defensive Landerous-T without taking significant damage. U-Turn is used to gain momentum on the switched Scizor forces, with Roost being mandatory to improve Scizor's staying power. Bullet Punch is there because who the hell runs Scizor/Mega Scizor without bullet punch?
2. Heatran @ Air Balloon.
Ability: Flash Fire.
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP. IVs: 0 attack.
Modest Nature.
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Heatran is a very good partner for Scizor, as it sponges the will-o-wisps and fire-type attacks that roast it. Given how common defensive landerous-t/garchomp is, maximum speed allows it to outpace the aforementioned threats and OHKO with HP Ice. This can net a surprising amount of KOs on unsuspecting victims. I chose Flamethrower over Fire Blast because I hate using moves with <90% accuracy, and the difference between 90 and 110 power is really not worth the chance to miss in my opinion. Flash cannon nails fairies such as Cleftable, Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir harder, and earth power is mainly for disposing of opposing Heatran. 0 attack IVs are there to minimize foul play damage.
3. Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest. Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD.
Hasty Nature
- Air Slash
- Superpower
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
I really like this art...
Tornadus-T makes a great check to Keldeo, Garchomp, and earthquake scarf-locked Landerous-Ts. It is especially useful to crush Keldeo, an extremely common and dangerous threat to this team. The given EV spread allows it to take even a specs Hydro Pump and KO Keldeo with an Air Slash. Thereafter, it can switch out and heal itself with regenerator. Speaking of Air Slash, 70% accuracy sucks and will screw you over all the time (well...30% of the time, but you know what I mean). In my view, the flinch chance+higher accuracy of air slash is worth using over the stronger hurricane, as it is much less likely to miss. Superpower nails Bisharp, Tyranitar and Heatran on hard the switch in, even without attack investment; U-Turn is used to gain momentum; and Heat Wave nails Skarmory, Ferrathorn and opposing Scizor.
Latias @ Life Orb. Ability: Levitate.
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Speed.
IVs: 0 attack.
Timid Nature.
- Draco Meteor
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock
- Defog
Latias serves the role of smashing targets with STAB Draco Meteor, punishing fairy switch ins with Psyshock, removing hazards with Defog, and finally, sacrificing itself in order to bring a crippled teammate back into the fight. HP Fire, in this case, is really not needed, as Heatran deals with Bisharp, Ferrathorn and Scizor. A timid nature is essential for outpacing Keldeo and speed trying with Gengar, as well as outpacing base 100 speed Pokemon commonly known to run a positive speed nature speed , such as Manaphy and Victini. Furthermore, it increases the chance for it to get off a clutch healing wish when most needed. Investment into special attack is used to allows Psyshock and Draco Meteor to hit as hard as possible, the latter of which being able to secure many OHKOs on frail Pokemon, such as Weavile on the Psyshock predicted switch.
5. Weavile @ Life Orb. Ability: Pressure.
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Speed.
Jolly Nature.
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
Weavile, being one of the best revenge killers and late-game cleaners in OU, fills the role of killing Zaptos and Thunderous, as well as dealing with the ever-common Lati twins, Gengar and Celebi. A Jolly nature is essential for outpacing Timid Gengar and Thunderous. Ice Shard, as priority, is a decent choice to revenge kill weakened scarf Landerous, as well as circumnavigate weakened priority users, such as Bisharp, Scizor, Azumarill and "bulky" Talonflame (without speed investment). A life orb is great for increasing the KO potential of Weavile's moves, allowing it to KO most neutral targets at <50% HP and putting Pokemon such as Zaptos in range of an OHKO from Icicle Crash. I chose to run pursuit over Low Kick, because Tyranitar and Bisharp are easily handled by other Pokemon on my team (Scizor and Heatran), and Pursuit provides nice utility in terms of trapping. Knock off is there because who the hell runs Weavile without Knock off (night slash Weavile hype! -_-)? And Icicle Crash is used over Ice Punch because in my view, Weavile needs to hit as hard as possible, even if it costs a little accuracy.
6. Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet.
Ability: Rough Skin.
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 76 SpD.
Impish Nature.
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
- Toxic
One of the most common OU Pokemon makes its appearance on this team. The ability to lay hazards, as well as phaze with dragon tail, makes Garchomp fill the role of wearing down opponents in order to allows Weavile and Scizor sweep/clean more easily. Even without investment, STAB earthquake hits hard, and is useful on any team. This is further helped by Stealth Rocks and the combination of Rough Skin+Rocky Helmet. This makes a particularly good check to Talonflame, as it nearly KOs it with SR+Rocky Helmet+Brave Bird recoil+Rough Skin. Toxic is very useful to cripple walls such as Slowbro and Zaptos that like to switch in on Garchomp, and is superior to that of Fire Blast, as Heatran already handles Skarmory and other steel types.
Biggest Threats:
Cries in a corner...
If this POS gets a Tail Glow up, it can be GG really quickly. Its ability to spam Scald, as well as carrying Ice Beam for Tornadus, means that I don't really have a solid check to it. The best way I can deal with this thing is to slam it with a Draco Meteor, and finish it off with my Weavile. Still though, this thing is scary.
Die in a fire...
If Scizor is gone, then this thing can just set up Calm Mind and ruin my day...
Team Building Process:
As my team is centered around Mega Scizor, I know that I need to cover various threats, including fire-types and Pokemon that commonly carry fire coverage (Lati twins, cleftable, etc.), will-o-wisp/scald, and heavy offensive pressure. I first tackled with Scizor's fire weakness with Heatran. In this case, I decided to run an offensive Heatran with full investment into special attack and speed to immediately apply offensive pressure to opponents.
However, this core thus far is extremely weak to the likes of Keldeo, Rotom-Wash, Manaphy and other scald users. As such, I needed a Pokemon that could sponge scalds status. It was a tough choice between Celebi and AV Tornadus-T; however, I chose the latter because Celebi is too passive to properly fit on this team (it will lose momentum). Furthermore, the momentum generated from Tornadus' U-Turn allows Scizor to get in safely. Therefore, for my third slot, I chose to run assault vest Tornadus-Therian to counter Keldeo, Slowbro and other scald spammers.
This offensive core synergies well: Tornadus can swap into earthquakes aimed at Heatran, Heatran can swap into fire type attacks aimed at Scizor, and Tornadus can sponge special attacks (scald) aimed at both. However, while this core is pretty solid, it can get worn down by entry hazards. As such, I decided to add healing wish Latias with defog: This allows it to not only remove hazards, but provide means to fully revive a crippled member of the core if needed. It also provides a secondary check to Keldeo and provides a chance against Manaphy.
Next, I needed a solid answer to Electric types like Zaptos and Thunderous, as they not only hit Scizor and Heatran hard, but often carry HP Ice for Latias and fry Tornadus with STAB electric coverage. Moreover, my opponents can gain momentum through volt switch easily. Therefore, I needed a quick answer to these threats -- life-orb Weavile. Weavile can pursuit trap Thunderous and other bulky Psychics (Slowbro), as well as OHKO Zaptos with Icicle Crash after stealth rocks damage.
For my last slot, I wasn't completely sure what was needed. A hazard setter along with a check to Talonflame would be nice, which made me decide to put tank Garchomp in this last spot. It checks Talonflame and is generally useful for wearing down opponents.
Sets and Strategy:
1. Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite.
Ability: Technician.
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 SpD.
Impish Nature.
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
- U-turn
In my view, investment in Scizor's speed and attack is not needed, as upon mega evolution, it gains access to fantastic bulk. Swords Dance helps to mitigate the "lack" of attack in this set anyways, so attack investment is not needed. The given EV spread allows it to successfully check threats such as the Lati twins, Weavile, Mega Gardevoir, and defensive Landerous-T without taking significant damage. U-Turn is used to gain momentum on the switched Scizor forces, with Roost being mandatory to improve Scizor's staying power. Bullet Punch is there because who the hell runs Scizor/Mega Scizor without bullet punch?
2. Heatran @ Air Balloon.
Ability: Flash Fire.
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP. IVs: 0 attack.
Modest Nature.
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Heatran is a very good partner for Scizor, as it sponges the will-o-wisps and fire-type attacks that roast it. Given how common defensive landerous-t/garchomp is, maximum speed allows it to outpace the aforementioned threats and OHKO with HP Ice. This can net a surprising amount of KOs on unsuspecting victims. I chose Flamethrower over Fire Blast because I hate using moves with <90% accuracy, and the difference between 90 and 110 power is really not worth the chance to miss in my opinion. Flash cannon nails fairies such as Cleftable, Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir harder, and earth power is mainly for disposing of opposing Heatran. 0 attack IVs are there to minimize foul play damage.
3. Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest. Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD.
Hasty Nature
- Air Slash
- Superpower
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
I really like this art...
Tornadus-T makes a great check to Keldeo, Garchomp, and earthquake scarf-locked Landerous-Ts. It is especially useful to crush Keldeo, an extremely common and dangerous threat to this team. The given EV spread allows it to take even a specs Hydro Pump and KO Keldeo with an Air Slash. Thereafter, it can switch out and heal itself with regenerator. Speaking of Air Slash, 70% accuracy sucks and will screw you over all the time (well...30% of the time, but you know what I mean). In my view, the flinch chance+higher accuracy of air slash is worth using over the stronger hurricane, as it is much less likely to miss. Superpower nails Bisharp, Tyranitar and Heatran on hard the switch in, even without attack investment; U-Turn is used to gain momentum; and Heat Wave nails Skarmory, Ferrathorn and opposing Scizor.
Latias @ Life Orb. Ability: Levitate.
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Speed.
IVs: 0 attack.
Timid Nature.
- Draco Meteor
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock
- Defog
Latias serves the role of smashing targets with STAB Draco Meteor, punishing fairy switch ins with Psyshock, removing hazards with Defog, and finally, sacrificing itself in order to bring a crippled teammate back into the fight. HP Fire, in this case, is really not needed, as Heatran deals with Bisharp, Ferrathorn and Scizor. A timid nature is essential for outpacing Keldeo and speed trying with Gengar, as well as outpacing base 100 speed Pokemon commonly known to run a positive speed nature speed , such as Manaphy and Victini. Furthermore, it increases the chance for it to get off a clutch healing wish when most needed. Investment into special attack is used to allows Psyshock and Draco Meteor to hit as hard as possible, the latter of which being able to secure many OHKOs on frail Pokemon, such as Weavile on the Psyshock predicted switch.
5. Weavile @ Life Orb. Ability: Pressure.
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Speed.
Jolly Nature.
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
Weavile, being one of the best revenge killers and late-game cleaners in OU, fills the role of killing Zaptos and Thunderous, as well as dealing with the ever-common Lati twins, Gengar and Celebi. A Jolly nature is essential for outpacing Timid Gengar and Thunderous. Ice Shard, as priority, is a decent choice to revenge kill weakened scarf Landerous, as well as circumnavigate weakened priority users, such as Bisharp, Scizor, Azumarill and "bulky" Talonflame (without speed investment). A life orb is great for increasing the KO potential of Weavile's moves, allowing it to KO most neutral targets at <50% HP and putting Pokemon such as Zaptos in range of an OHKO from Icicle Crash. I chose to run pursuit over Low Kick, because Tyranitar and Bisharp are easily handled by other Pokemon on my team (Scizor and Heatran), and Pursuit provides nice utility in terms of trapping. Knock off is there because who the hell runs Weavile without Knock off (night slash Weavile hype! -_-)? And Icicle Crash is used over Ice Punch because in my view, Weavile needs to hit as hard as possible, even if it costs a little accuracy.
6. Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet.
Ability: Rough Skin.
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 76 SpD.
Impish Nature.
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
- Toxic
One of the most common OU Pokemon makes its appearance on this team. The ability to lay hazards, as well as phaze with dragon tail, makes Garchomp fill the role of wearing down opponents in order to allows Weavile and Scizor sweep/clean more easily. Even without investment, STAB earthquake hits hard, and is useful on any team. This is further helped by Stealth Rocks and the combination of Rough Skin+Rocky Helmet. This makes a particularly good check to Talonflame, as it nearly KOs it with SR+Rocky Helmet+Brave Bird recoil+Rough Skin. Toxic is very useful to cripple walls such as Slowbro and Zaptos that like to switch in on Garchomp, and is superior to that of Fire Blast, as Heatran already handles Skarmory and other steel types.
Biggest Threats:
Cries in a corner...
If this POS gets a Tail Glow up, it can be GG really quickly. Its ability to spam Scald, as well as carrying Ice Beam for Tornadus, means that I don't really have a solid check to it. The best way I can deal with this thing is to slam it with a Draco Meteor, and finish it off with my Weavile. Still though, this thing is scary.
Die in a fire...
If Scizor is gone, then this thing can just set up Calm Mind and ruin my day...
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