Salutations, fellow Pokemon fans! I'm here with my first decent competitive team, as in not my favorites, but actual OU 'Mons. I've used them in a few battles already, and they seem to fare well, with a 4:3 win/loss ratio out of the ~30 battles played (I know that isn't a lot, but time is an issue).
AT A GLANCE:
Team Building Process:
I started with a mixed attacker, which I love. It needed to have breakneck speeds and a massive variety of type coverage. With one of its types being Fighting, among the best offensive types in the game, being an amazing all-around wall-breaker, and being on fire, Infernape immediately joined team (insert clever title here).
Since Infernape is so frail, I needed something immensely bulky to help fill in the cracks. Among the list of top walls in OU: Blissey. Over 700 HP and a gigantic Sp. Def, with team healing options and free 100 damage (Remember, this thing has no attacking stats), Blissey was my next choice.
But, alas! I still have no physical defenders, nor Stealth Rock support, nor a Spinner! Rocks would annihilate the Nape. Since it'd have only one or two attacking moves, it should be some sort of offensive type --- Ground --- and when you still technically have a space open, why not a little priority? It's needed somewhere. And that is the story behind Donphan.
This is the Cleaner. Here for one reason, and only one. With the Nape and Donphan, there's a huge Water Weakness so far. With it as one of its types, now, it can better resist such an attack. It also has STAB as one of the two types that are SE against Water. With it being pretty hefty itself, it can stand up to a few hits. Oh, I forgot! Cleaner is a Rotom-Wash.
These two can be done in a single step. My team had a mixed attacker, a special wall, a physically bulky SR/Spinner, and Rotom-W. I needed some one-spectrum Attackers. I also could use a Dragon to combat all the other Dragons, and a Psychic-Type to deal with rival Blisseys and the like. Haxorus' Dragon Dance set seemed to fit, and Alakazam, being wicked fast, with wicked high Sp. Atk and a vast pool of moves, was the missing piece.
Alakazam wasn't doing very well. Another user had recommended Gengar, and by God, does it work!
And with that, team (insert clever name here) is done!
IN-DEPTH:
@ Life Orb
Hasty, Blaze
-Overheat
-Close Combat
-Stone EdgeU-Turn
-HP Ice
EV's: 252 Atk, 4 S. Atk, 252 Speed
This is Furious Geroge, my mixed attacking primate. Overheat is a great STAB move, and since you'll be going in and out anyway, it's great for guerilla warfare. Close Combat is another superb option, especially since your Defense drops won't matter anyway, what with Nape's frailty.Stone Edge is added for coverage, and makes a monkey out of Gyarados and the like. U-Turn is for when stat un-boosts are too meddlesome, or a switch too risky. HP Ice is a bit more unusual, but just as effective. Oh, you switched in a Salamence? Enjoy being OHKO'd! True story. It drove that guy bananas. You may see I haven't used Iron Fist. That's because there are no punching moves, unless CC counts.
@ Leftovers
Calm, Natural Cure
-Wish
-Aromatherapy / Heal Bell
-Seismic Toss
-Toxic Thunder Wave
EV's: 252 HP, 4 Speed, 252 Sp. Def
Meet Benedict, my special wall and supporter. Wish is a bit slower of a recovery, but it can be used for anyone else. HB/Aroma removes any and all status effects from any and all of my team, which scrambles the opponent's mind, and is great for dealing with Toxic Spikes and Jellicent. Seismic Toss is Blissey's only decent attack, guaranteeing 100 damage on anything not Ghost. (Which, in OU, is only Jellicent and Gengar , by the way.)Toxic is more indirect, but can be like a poacher after a while. Thunder wave slows the enemies down; can be useful for me. The four speed EV's help to win speed ties between others, so the battle will be over, easy.
@ Leftovers
Impish, Sturdy
-Earthquake
-Ice Shard
-Stealth Rock
-Rapid Spin
EV's: 252 HP, 4 Atk, 252 Def
This is Babar, my bulky Spinning Rocker and my priority user. Stealth Rock is a quick way to put up an entry hazard, which can really put some pressure on the opposite team. Rapid Spin is a quick way to remove hazards I get hurt by, and Donphan's got a pretty thick skin for those kinda things. Ice Shard is a priority move as valuable as ivory, since it hits all types for some sort of damage. Earthquake is normally awesome, but with STAB, it's like getting hit with a 9-ton fist at 30 mph.At this point, my puns are getting really obvious, so I'll stop. According to Smogon, this would be the Defensive Rapid Spinner set, but with Ice Shard instead. I find the value of priority much higher than Toxic or Knock Off.
@ Life Orb
Modest, Levitate
-Substitute
-Pain Split
-Thunderbolt / Shadow Ball
-Hydro Pump / Shadow Ball
EV's: 252 Speed, 236S. Atk, 20 Sp. Def
Here is The Cleaner, my rain blocking, SubSplit Rotom-W. With low HP, SubSplit is easy to pull off. With Volt Switch everywhere, an example being TrickSpecs Rotom formes, one can usually put up a doll turn 1. According to Smogon: “Substitute and Pain Split form an effective combo that can put dents into opponents while safely restoring Rotom-W's health. The EVs and a Modest nature are designed to give Rotom-W the most power and Speed while giving its Substitute a good chance of surviving Gastrodon's rain-boosted Scald. Hydro Pump provides Rotom-W with a powerful STAB; in a similar vein, Thunderbolt is chosen to provide power while still remaining reliable.” Shadow Ball is a former stab that helps with my Ghost weakness.
@ Focus Sash
Timid, Levitate
-Substitute
-HP Fire
-Focus Blast
-Shadow Ball
EV's: 252 S. Atk, 252 Speed, 4 HP
This is GenGULP!, my special sweeper. Substitute puts a doll in front of your face which likes protecting you. Always good for wicked fast Mons. Focus Blast and Shadow Ball have incredible coverage, and the latter is STAB. HP Fire is for the occasional Scizor or Ferro (two Pokes that could wreak havoc after Ape is gone) and defeats them like crazy. According to Smogon: "Due to the popularity of the previous two sets, Hidden Power Fire is sometimes neglected as a possible third move that can unexpectedly smash Scizor and Ferrothorn for the OHKO. Hidden Power Fire also hits Skarmory, Bronzong, and Jirachi for super effective damage, possibly 2HKOing Jirachi with Spikes on the field. Since Focus Blast's inability to hit consistently is such a letdown, Hidden Power Fire makes a great option over Thunderbolt for hitting Steel-types. "
@ Lum Berry
Adamant, Mold Breaker
-Dragon Dance
-Earthquake
-Outrage
-Taunt
EV's: 36 HP, 252 Atk, 220 Speed
Meet Hax 'R' Us Kid, my main physical sweeper. His 97 Base speed is nothing to sneeze at, but just barely outsped. This, unlike most base 100's, can be remedied with Dragon Dance. The extra Attack boost is nice, too. Outrage is a STAB move that can get reckless, what with the no switching thing. Earthquake Is added for coverage, and taking care of Steels. Taunt is to assure that you can at least get a DD up, because it will stop other taunters, nix Base >97s and Prankster users. The EV spread maximizes power, but not sacrificing speed or survivability.
THREAT LIST: (how it's helped)
Ghosts (Gengar/Rotom's Shadow Ball)
Weather in general (Rain- Rotom, Sun- Ape)
Scizor/Ferro after Ape is gone (Gengar's HP Fire kinda helps)
Skarmory/Bulky Steels
Scarf Latios
SubEncore Whimsicott
Dragonite after Ape is gone
[to be edited as a threat comes along]
Constructive criticism will be welcomed with open arms. Sprites aren't mine. New changes in red, formers crossed out. Go to town... and thank you!
Team Building Process:
I started with a mixed attacker, which I love. It needed to have breakneck speeds and a massive variety of type coverage. With one of its types being Fighting, among the best offensive types in the game, being an amazing all-around wall-breaker, and being on fire, Infernape immediately joined team (insert clever title here).
Since Infernape is so frail, I needed something immensely bulky to help fill in the cracks. Among the list of top walls in OU: Blissey. Over 700 HP and a gigantic Sp. Def, with team healing options and free 100 damage (Remember, this thing has no attacking stats), Blissey was my next choice.
But, alas! I still have no physical defenders, nor Stealth Rock support, nor a Spinner! Rocks would annihilate the Nape. Since it'd have only one or two attacking moves, it should be some sort of offensive type --- Ground --- and when you still technically have a space open, why not a little priority? It's needed somewhere. And that is the story behind Donphan.
This is the Cleaner. Here for one reason, and only one. With the Nape and Donphan, there's a huge Water Weakness so far. With it as one of its types, now, it can better resist such an attack. It also has STAB as one of the two types that are SE against Water. With it being pretty hefty itself, it can stand up to a few hits. Oh, I forgot! Cleaner is a Rotom-Wash.
These two can be done in a single step. My team had a mixed attacker, a special wall, a physically bulky SR/Spinner, and Rotom-W. I needed some one-spectrum Attackers. I also could use a Dragon to combat all the other Dragons, and a Psychic-Type to deal with rival Blisseys and the like. Haxorus' Dragon Dance set seemed to fit, and Alakazam, being wicked fast, with wicked high Sp. Atk and a vast pool of moves, was the missing piece.
Alakazam wasn't doing very well. Another user had recommended Gengar, and by God, does it work!
And with that, team (insert clever name here) is done!
IN-DEPTH:
Hasty, Blaze
-Overheat
-Close Combat
-
-HP Ice
EV's: 252 Atk, 4 S. Atk, 252 Speed
This is Furious Geroge, my mixed attacking primate. Overheat is a great STAB move, and since you'll be going in and out anyway, it's great for guerilla warfare. Close Combat is another superb option, especially since your Defense drops won't matter anyway, what with Nape's frailty.
Calm, Natural Cure
-Wish
-Aromatherapy / Heal Bell
-Seismic Toss
-
EV's: 252 HP, 4 Speed, 252 Sp. Def
Meet Benedict, my special wall and supporter. Wish is a bit slower of a recovery, but it can be used for anyone else. HB/Aroma removes any and all status effects from any and all of my team, which scrambles the opponent's mind, and is great for dealing with Toxic Spikes and Jellicent. Seismic Toss is Blissey's only decent attack, guaranteeing 100 damage on anything not Ghost. (Which, in OU, is only Jellicent and Gengar , by the way.)
Impish, Sturdy
-Earthquake
-Ice Shard
-Stealth Rock
-Rapid Spin
EV's: 252 HP, 4 Atk, 252 Def
This is Babar, my bulky Spinning Rocker and my priority user. Stealth Rock is a quick way to put up an entry hazard, which can really put some pressure on the opposite team. Rapid Spin is a quick way to remove hazards I get hurt by, and Donphan's got a pretty thick skin for those kinda things. Ice Shard is a priority move as valuable as ivory, since it hits all types for some sort of damage. Earthquake is normally awesome, but with STAB, it's like getting hit with a 9-ton fist at 30 mph.
Modest, Levitate
-Substitute
-Pain Split
-Thunderbolt / Shadow Ball
-Hydro Pump / Shadow Ball
EV's: 252 Speed, 236S. Atk, 20 Sp. Def
Here is The Cleaner, my rain blocking, SubSplit Rotom-W. With low HP, SubSplit is easy to pull off. With Volt Switch everywhere, an example being TrickSpecs Rotom formes, one can usually put up a doll turn 1. According to Smogon: “Substitute and Pain Split form an effective combo that can put dents into opponents while safely restoring Rotom-W's health. The EVs and a Modest nature are designed to give Rotom-W the most power and Speed while giving its Substitute a good chance of surviving Gastrodon's rain-boosted Scald. Hydro Pump provides Rotom-W with a powerful STAB; in a similar vein, Thunderbolt is chosen to provide power while still remaining reliable.” Shadow Ball is a former stab that helps with my Ghost weakness.
Timid, Levitate
-Substitute
-HP Fire
-Focus Blast
-Shadow Ball
EV's: 252 S. Atk, 252 Speed, 4 HP
This is GenGULP!, my special sweeper. Substitute puts a doll in front of your face which likes protecting you. Always good for wicked fast Mons. Focus Blast and Shadow Ball have incredible coverage, and the latter is STAB. HP Fire is for the occasional Scizor or Ferro (two Pokes that could wreak havoc after Ape is gone) and defeats them like crazy. According to Smogon: "Due to the popularity of the previous two sets, Hidden Power Fire is sometimes neglected as a possible third move that can unexpectedly smash Scizor and Ferrothorn for the OHKO. Hidden Power Fire also hits Skarmory, Bronzong, and Jirachi for super effective damage, possibly 2HKOing Jirachi with Spikes on the field. Since Focus Blast's inability to hit consistently is such a letdown, Hidden Power Fire makes a great option over Thunderbolt for hitting Steel-types. "
Adamant, Mold Breaker
-Dragon Dance
-Earthquake
-Outrage
-Taunt
EV's: 36 HP, 252 Atk, 220 Speed
Meet Hax 'R' Us Kid, my main physical sweeper. His 97 Base speed is nothing to sneeze at, but just barely outsped. This, unlike most base 100's, can be remedied with Dragon Dance. The extra Attack boost is nice, too. Outrage is a STAB move that can get reckless, what with the no switching thing. Earthquake Is added for coverage, and taking care of Steels. Taunt is to assure that you can at least get a DD up, because it will stop other taunters, nix Base >97s and Prankster users. The EV spread maximizes power, but not sacrificing speed or survivability.
LAST LOOK:
THREAT LIST: (how it's helped)
Ghosts (Gengar/Rotom's Shadow Ball)
Weather in general (Rain- Rotom, Sun- Ape)
Scizor/Ferro after Ape is gone (Gengar's HP Fire kinda helps)
Skarmory/Bulky Steels
Scarf Latios
SubEncore Whimsicott
Dragonite after Ape is gone
[to be edited as a threat comes along]
Constructive criticism will be welcomed with open arms. Sprites aren't mine. New changes in red, formers crossed out. Go to town... and thank you!
