A few months ago, I got back into competitive OU play. That time I had played prior to that, Kyurem-B had recently been deemed OU friendly, and Genesect was sent to Ubers. With Keldeo legal, and several storm-genies banned/unbanned, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into.
This team has seen a lot of changes, but is focused on one thing: keeping a very high amount of moment, even above Volt-turning teams. The idea started when I was looking up OU analyses for neat Pokemon to use, and I realized Celebi gets both Nasty Plot and Baton Pass. This opened up the idea for several neat ideas, including passing a +2 SAtk to a trapper Heatran set (because we all know Celebi x Heatran is canon...). Originally, this team had Hydreigon and Rotom-W, but I must have reset my history or something because the team got deleted and I had to redo it. However, that allowed for some crucial changes.
So, let me introduce you to the team!
(therian!)
Celebi @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 36 Spd / 252 HP / 220 SDef
Timid Nature
- Baton Pass
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
+ Celebi is the core of this team. Nasty Plot and Baton Pass offer a lot of initial momentum, as well as late game. Heatran and Latios often receive passes (+2 Draco Meteor means you can fire one off one extra time and still do tons of damage) in response to common Celebi switch-ins like Tyranitar or Scizor. These are the standard bulky-baton pass EVs. I take Earth Power over Substitute because the common pass-recipients don't necessarily need a subsitute, and it also provides good coverage against Scizor, Heatran, Forretress, and others.
- Life Orb has been proving to hurt me more than it helps, especially since I have no EV investment in offense. I'm really considering Leftovers. Also, with only two attacking moves, Celebi is very prone to dragons and Balloon users (Heatran).
Heatran @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 6 HP
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Earth Power
- Magma Storm
+ I can't use any other Heatran set. Subsitute-Toxic Heatran is the only set for me. Heatran loves to lure in bulky waters or blobs, where he can Substitute on the switch, Toxic them as they break the subsitute or set up, and then, in the case of the pink blobs, trap them with Magma Storm. Clearing special walls like this really allows Celebi and Latios to clear up even more late game, and provides Heatran with a very effective way of dealing with his counters. He won't necessarily beat them 1v1, but he can definitely cripple them. I run full speed because a lot of people don't expect Heatran to run a lot of speed (I don't know why).
- Like Celebi, two coverage moves leaves me very vulnerable to Balloon Heatran and dragons.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/oucurrent-47278982
This is a recent battle I had (1600 bracket; I'm trying to climb back up from when I was 2k) that showcases the power of this set and how it really works in tandem with Celebi.
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Knock Off
+ Standard Tentacruel with Knock Off for momentum. It's fun to cripple switch-ins by depriving them of Leftovers or Choice items, and I'm surprised its not used more often. This team is a little weak to Toxic Spikes, and is very SR weak, so a spinner is a necessity. I use Tentacruel because it fills in a nice FWG core with Celebi and Heatran, provides a reliable Ice resist, and allows for Toxic Spikes to help wear down special walls.
- I feel like I could use another spinner (Starmie?) over Tentacruel because Toxic Spikes with Toxic on Heatran feels redundant. Unlike Starmie, Tentacruel has a hard time dealing with sun teams (Donphan), but does well against rain.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
+ Standard Choice Band Scizor; you can't NOT have it on a team that requires lots of forward energy. Scizor is my mid/late game answer to Terrakion and dragons along with Latios. He also traps opposing Celebi (who wall my own), kills Tyranitar (who shuts down half this team), and checks Lati@s. I'm not a huge fan of using very common Pokemon, but Scizor offers too much for me to pass him up.
- Other than removing threats, Scizor doesn't offer much synergy with Celebi and Heatran since he can't do anything with a +2 SAtk. He's more of a "utility-offensive pivot" if you will.
Latios (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 6 HP
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf
- Trick
+ Scarf Terrakion is ridiculously common nowadays. What Scarfer is faster? Latios. I think Latios is the best scarf-user in the game due to its 110 speed, STAB Draco Meteor, and ability to Trick away its Scarf in a pinch. Unlike most, if not all physical Scarfers, Latios actually benefits from being passed +2 SAtk, making him an extremely deadly late game cleaner.
- Latios and Celebi make this team rather weak to Tyranitar and Scizor, which makes me rely a little too heavily on the last and final Pokemon...
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 244 HP / 172 Def / 92 Spd
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
+ This thing is a staple on nearly every single one of my teams. It has ridiculous Attack, bulk, gets U-Turn AND it gets Stealth +Rock. It is the glue that holds this team together. I run 4 extra Speed in order to prevent ties with opposing HP-Ice Landorus, winning me the trade. Stealth Rock wouldn't fit onto any other member, so Landorus was naturally the best choice to use it. This is my answer to most physical threats.
- I rely a little too much on Landorus for checking/countering Tyranitar, Scizor, Terrakion and others. Perhaps I need more bulk.
Overall team pros/cons
+ With 2 U-turns, Baton Pass and Trick, this team forces a lot of switches. The Stealth Rock damage adds up quickly, and the large amounts of poison adds even more. It is very easy to finish off a toxiced,-12% HP pokemon.
- Toxic and Toxic spikes are redundant. I may have to replace Tentacruel.
+ This team functions well in rain because Tentacruel can sponge water hits (it also walls Keldeo) and Celebi threatens most water types. In fact the only real weather this team might have trouble with is sun, which is the rarest of the three main ones in OU.
- Strong physical attackers really hurt this team if Tentacruel is down (no Rapid Spin) and Landorus is weakened.
So that's what I got. I really appreciate any suggestions or comments you have, and I will be watching this thread carefully. Help me make the best team I can in Gen V before it ends in 2 months!
This team has seen a lot of changes, but is focused on one thing: keeping a very high amount of moment, even above Volt-turning teams. The idea started when I was looking up OU analyses for neat Pokemon to use, and I realized Celebi gets both Nasty Plot and Baton Pass. This opened up the idea for several neat ideas, including passing a +2 SAtk to a trapper Heatran set (because we all know Celebi x Heatran is canon...). Originally, this team had Hydreigon and Rotom-W, but I must have reset my history or something because the team got deleted and I had to redo it. However, that allowed for some crucial changes.
So, let me introduce you to the team!
Celebi @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 36 Spd / 252 HP / 220 SDef
Timid Nature
- Baton Pass
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
+ Celebi is the core of this team. Nasty Plot and Baton Pass offer a lot of initial momentum, as well as late game. Heatran and Latios often receive passes (+2 Draco Meteor means you can fire one off one extra time and still do tons of damage) in response to common Celebi switch-ins like Tyranitar or Scizor. These are the standard bulky-baton pass EVs. I take Earth Power over Substitute because the common pass-recipients don't necessarily need a subsitute, and it also provides good coverage against Scizor, Heatran, Forretress, and others.
- Life Orb has been proving to hurt me more than it helps, especially since I have no EV investment in offense. I'm really considering Leftovers. Also, with only two attacking moves, Celebi is very prone to dragons and Balloon users (Heatran).
Heatran @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 6 HP
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Earth Power
- Magma Storm
+ I can't use any other Heatran set. Subsitute-Toxic Heatran is the only set for me. Heatran loves to lure in bulky waters or blobs, where he can Substitute on the switch, Toxic them as they break the subsitute or set up, and then, in the case of the pink blobs, trap them with Magma Storm. Clearing special walls like this really allows Celebi and Latios to clear up even more late game, and provides Heatran with a very effective way of dealing with his counters. He won't necessarily beat them 1v1, but he can definitely cripple them. I run full speed because a lot of people don't expect Heatran to run a lot of speed (I don't know why).
- Like Celebi, two coverage moves leaves me very vulnerable to Balloon Heatran and dragons.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/oucurrent-47278982
This is a recent battle I had (1600 bracket; I'm trying to climb back up from when I was 2k) that showcases the power of this set and how it really works in tandem with Celebi.
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Knock Off
+ Standard Tentacruel with Knock Off for momentum. It's fun to cripple switch-ins by depriving them of Leftovers or Choice items, and I'm surprised its not used more often. This team is a little weak to Toxic Spikes, and is very SR weak, so a spinner is a necessity. I use Tentacruel because it fills in a nice FWG core with Celebi and Heatran, provides a reliable Ice resist, and allows for Toxic Spikes to help wear down special walls.
- I feel like I could use another spinner (Starmie?) over Tentacruel because Toxic Spikes with Toxic on Heatran feels redundant. Unlike Starmie, Tentacruel has a hard time dealing with sun teams (Donphan), but does well against rain.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
+ Standard Choice Band Scizor; you can't NOT have it on a team that requires lots of forward energy. Scizor is my mid/late game answer to Terrakion and dragons along with Latios. He also traps opposing Celebi (who wall my own), kills Tyranitar (who shuts down half this team), and checks Lati@s. I'm not a huge fan of using very common Pokemon, but Scizor offers too much for me to pass him up.
- Other than removing threats, Scizor doesn't offer much synergy with Celebi and Heatran since he can't do anything with a +2 SAtk. He's more of a "utility-offensive pivot" if you will.
Latios (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 6 HP
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf
- Trick
+ Scarf Terrakion is ridiculously common nowadays. What Scarfer is faster? Latios. I think Latios is the best scarf-user in the game due to its 110 speed, STAB Draco Meteor, and ability to Trick away its Scarf in a pinch. Unlike most, if not all physical Scarfers, Latios actually benefits from being passed +2 SAtk, making him an extremely deadly late game cleaner.
- Latios and Celebi make this team rather weak to Tyranitar and Scizor, which makes me rely a little too heavily on the last and final Pokemon...
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 244 HP / 172 Def / 92 Spd
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
+ This thing is a staple on nearly every single one of my teams. It has ridiculous Attack, bulk, gets U-Turn AND it gets Stealth +Rock. It is the glue that holds this team together. I run 4 extra Speed in order to prevent ties with opposing HP-Ice Landorus, winning me the trade. Stealth Rock wouldn't fit onto any other member, so Landorus was naturally the best choice to use it. This is my answer to most physical threats.
- I rely a little too much on Landorus for checking/countering Tyranitar, Scizor, Terrakion and others. Perhaps I need more bulk.
Overall team pros/cons
+ With 2 U-turns, Baton Pass and Trick, this team forces a lot of switches. The Stealth Rock damage adds up quickly, and the large amounts of poison adds even more. It is very easy to finish off a toxiced,-12% HP pokemon.
- Toxic and Toxic spikes are redundant. I may have to replace Tentacruel.
+ This team functions well in rain because Tentacruel can sponge water hits (it also walls Keldeo) and Celebi threatens most water types. In fact the only real weather this team might have trouble with is sun, which is the rarest of the three main ones in OU.
- Strong physical attackers really hurt this team if Tentacruel is down (no Rapid Spin) and Landorus is weakened.
So that's what I got. I really appreciate any suggestions or comments you have, and I will be watching this thread carefully. Help me make the best team I can in Gen V before it ends in 2 months!
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