Wow how did I go so long without even noticing this thread existed
I did most of it with five sets, primarily this unorthodox Deoxys-D one:
Deoxys-Defense @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 120 SpD / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Recover
- Counter
- Mirror Coat
Although some might say Deoxys's HP is too low for Countercoat, this is surprisingly not the truth. With 252 HP EV's, it reaches 304 HP, much more than half of most of the metagame. Taunt is another great move to set it apart from other Counter/Mirror coat users, and the Speed EV's and nature let it outpace Smeargle by 1 point and taunt it before it can use Spore (barring a Quick Claw activation) as well as many other threats that would ruin the Countercoat strategy with status or setup moves. 120 Special Defense EV's let it always survive a Blast Burn from Modest Mega Charizard Y and use Mirror coat. Counter and Mirror Coat are obvious, and recover lets it continue to Counter/Mirror coat against opponents with massive HP stats such as Chansey.
Faster opponents with Taunt or a setup move have their way against this Deoxys (Whimsicott comes to mind) as well as physical Ghost types (Aegislash, Banette) and special Dark types (Greninja). However, in general it is easy to use and will net you a lot of wins.
There were also other good sets to use depending on expected opponents
Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 220 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
Mawile is the #1 thing that keeps dragon-types from running rampant in the meta like they did last gen. It also has impressive physical bulk, allowing it to take neutral hits like a champ and even some super effective ones; then it hits back with Iron Head (or Play Rough) off effectively base 260 attack. Iron Head is the main attacking move for its reliablility and decent power, and Play Rough is a good secondary STAB to threaten Dragon types and some Pokémon that resist Iron Head. Sucker Punch hits steel types for neutral damage (although most of those will ruin Mawile anyway), but more importantly allows it to finish off targets that have been brought into KO range by a STAB move, such as WP Dragonite or Aegislash. Swords dance takes the last slot to take down Chansey and sometimes Aggron.
The inability to beat the very common Charizard (both megas) is Mawile's greatest downfall, as it is OHKO'ed by any Fire-type STAB from zard-y and Flare Blitz from zard-x. There are many other things that can beat it with enough luck/prediction (Aggron, Arcanine) but it is still one of the best Pokémon in 1v1.
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature
- Counter
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
- Soft-Boiled
With the given set, Chansey is able to defeat most opponents that lack a boosting move; simply use Counter against physical attackers and stall out special attackers with a combination of Toxic, Seismic Toss, and Softboiled. All non super-effective physical hits (and most super effective ones) fail to OHKO Chansey and it guarantees and OHKO in return with Counter. However, Choice Band fighting-types as well as Mega Lucario can OHKO Chansey, preventing it from using Counter. Anything with Taunt and a recovery move does the job as well. Chansey is a simple Pokémon, but that doesn't mean it's easy to beat it (unless your name is
Bean)
Kyurem-Black @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naughty Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SDef
- Fusion Bolt
- Earth Power
- Outrage
- Ice Beam
Scarf Kyurem-B is the one of the only Pokémon that can beat both Mega Charizards at the same time (Beating Mega Aggron is a big plus as well). Anything lacking good physical defenses is smashed my Outrage, Fusion Bolt lets it hit things immune/resistant to Outrage while still using its famed Attack stat. Ice Beam is, surprisingly, mainly to hope for a freeze vs things you can't beat otherwise such as Chansey and Deoxys-D. Earth Power will 2HKO Mawile and OHKO with a crit which is useful as you can't harm Mawile otherwise (Kyurem-B will still usually lose to Mawile) and hits Aegislash for the most damage of any of the moves.
Mawile is the chief counter to this Kyurem-B, taking all of its moves at least once and OHKOing with Iron Head. Chansey does the same thing well, KOing with counter if it decides to use Outrage and only losing to an unlucky Ice Beam freeze. Aegislash can also take Kyurem-B's attacks and KO with Iron Head or Flash Cannon.
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Overheat/Blast Burn
- Substitute/Focus Blast/Earthquake
- Dragon Pulse
- Solar Beam
This Charizard is the main thing that restricts teambuilding because only a handful of things can beat it. This is thanks to its incredible combination of Drought, massive special attack, and high-powered Fire-type STAB. Overheat is the main STAB because it does an amazing amount of damage in a burst and can still be used afterward to do good damage. However, Blast Burn gives the edge in power for a recharge turn, and still with OHKO almost everything, but is still the lesser option. Substitute gives it an easier time against users of status, while Focus Blast and Earthquake allow it to defeat Heatran (lacking Ancientpower). Solarbeam is for Rock and Water types that would ruin Charizard's day, and Dragon Pulse allows it to damage Charizard X.
It should be noted that it no circumstance should you ever use Air Slash on Charizard, as it gives no coverage and deprives you of a valuable coverage move. It's not even worth it for the flinch chance.
This Charizard mainly loses against Chansey, who takes all of its attacks, and Scarf Kyurem-B who outspeeds and OHKO'es with Outrage. Dragonite it an excellent counter as well, as it can take Dragon Pulse and KO with Outrage. Usually, faster Pokémon with a very strong or super effective move can beat Charizard.
That was a wall of text Hope this helped, and see you on the ladder!
