SS OU "Sucker Punch" team - sitting in mid-1500's

I call this a "sucker punch" team because it's all about catching your opponent off-guard and knocking out some of their 'mons early. I've made some changes to the team, so most members are different in some way from the beginning of my run, but I'm interested to hear your feedback on this team!


Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam

I often lead with Nidoking. He's tough to switch into, and is great for knocking out some threats like Lando, Tapu Fini or Clefable. It might be better to run Flamethrower over TB, since he usually doesn't hurt Slowking too much, anyway. He's a little fragile, but hits really hard, so I've enjoyed him at this spot. I was running Oblivious Mamoswine as my lead before, but I found that he was being outrun too often and not dealing enough damage.


Heatran @ Assault Vest
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 32 HP / 140 SpA / 128 SpD / 208 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Eruption
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Dark Pulse

My alternate lead. The EVs are to outrun non-offensive Lando sets, while still dealing enough damage to be dangerous. He was Spec'd before, which was great, but when I subbed out AV Latios for a priority-user, I wanted more flexibility. He handles a lot of other pokemon really well and is generally one of the central pieces of my team.

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike

Scarfed Kart is great speed control. Generally, there's not a lot to say here. Beats out other scarfers like Tapu Lele, and is great for steamrolling late in matches. I usually save it until most of the other player's mons are either damaged or statused, but it's also a good revenge killer (or just for a mid-match knock off).

Zapdos @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 220 Def / 40 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Defog

Zapdos here is mostly just for defogging for salamence and fishing for paralysis. Especially with 3 fighting weaknesses on my team, I needed something to switch into close combats or Lando EQs, so definitely get a lot of use out of Zapdos. The damage output isn't amazing, but heat wave does get some KOs against Ferro or weakened Landos.

Salamence @ Focus Sash
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dual Wingbeat
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang

Salamence teams with Kart and Lycanroc to take care of the other team's setup sweepers, particularly against moves like Quiver/Dragon Dance. I had Kommo-O here with a similar set, but Moxie adds a lot of pressure for other teams to get rid of him ASAP. He's generally good for at least one KO, if not several.

Lycanroc-Dusk @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Accelerock
- Drill Run
- Sucker Punch

Weavile held this spot for a while, but I switched to Lycanrock for a little more damage and to take care of Volcarona when Heatran isn't around. I don't have much to say here, since it's the newest addition to the team. I had Scizor here for a long time, but I felt that Bullet Punch wasn't as useful as ice shard. With Sucker Punch and Accelerock, I've been able to deal some damage in a couple different situations (I.E. pult, gengar, volcarona, weavile).
 
Hey dontpokeman, welcome to the RMT section. I’m here to give you some feedback on your team and suggest some changes.

This team has some great ideas and a decent structure, even if I think that some choices, and in particular some set choices, are not optimal or a bit weird. I will mainly try to suggest set modifications to make them more efficient. For instance, it’s a bit sad to not being able to pressure much Corviknight or Buzzwole with Lycanroc-Dusk when it can do this and greatly help your Choice Scarf Kartana. I also think that Weavile is a bit of an issue for this team (even though you have revenge killers, and that overall, you want to have a bulky Water type able to deal with Weavile and easing a bit the rain/Urshifu matchup.


Major Changes

:salamence: -> :tapu fini:: Focus Sash is often a bad item except on some leads and some very specific Pokemon. If you were to use Salamence, Heavy-Duty Boots would be a best item choice, but I even think you should replace Salamence here. With Moxie it can be a cool Pokemon in an HO squad to make holes or clean a weakened team, but in a more balanced team you don’t really need this kind of sweeper, as you will struggle to make use of the holes it creates. I think you could replace this Pokemon by a more defensive setup sweeper that will bring way more utility to the team while still being able to pressure some opposing builds. I’m thinking of Calm Mind Tapu Fini here, because this team is in need of a bulky Water type to help dealing with Heatran, Urshifu-R (as Salamence won’t take a lot of hits from those), Weavile and helping against Garchomp. Tapu Fini can also help a bit against Specs Dragapult (avoiding the 2HKO and being able to force it out), and this Pokemon is a huge threat for the team. Here is the classic Calm Mind set:

tapufini.gif

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Taunt
- Draining Kiss
- Scald


Minor Changes

:heatran:: I’m not convinced by Assault Vest Heatran. Leftovers recovery is way too much valuable and help to survive longer against some Special threats like Dragapult. Not running an Assault Vest will also allow you to use Stealth Rock on Heatran and thus to have a Rocker in this team. Lastly, I don’t think that the Speed investments are particularly useful, and you could run a fully Specially defensive Heatran to compensate the loss of the Assault Vest. Outspeeding defensive Lando-T is not that much important because you can only stay in when they are in range of Magma Storm, and as they run 252 HP / 252 SpD, you will most of time have to switch-out anyway. Here is the set I would use:

heatran.gif

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock


:lycanroc-dusk:: Lycanroc-Dusk is a rather niche pick in OU, but I think that this Pokemon can have an interesting niche. You thought about Weavile here, and this Pokemon would also work fine in the team. Volcarona shouldn’t be an issue at all when you have a Specially defensive Heatran (who is like the best possible counter), you just need to keep Heatran healthy when there’s a Volcarona. I think you can stick with Lycanroc, as this Pokemon can threaten walls that Weavile struggles to beat (like some Steel types). However, you absolutely need to have Close Combat in your mosevet. I don’t think you need Sucker Punch when you already have Accelerock as a priority move (you’ll just need some previous chip damage against things like Dragapult, but then +2 Accelerock can finish them off), and Close Combat is super valuable to beat things like Ferrothorn, Melmetal, Corviknight (without Body Press, but even if it has it, will end up super low letting Kartana clean way more easily) … I would also try Psychic Fangs over Drill Run just because it’s a little bit more reliable and powerful, and it may help dealing with Buzzwole (and with Close Combat you already beat Heatran). Lastly, you don’t really need to run Boots on this Pokemon, as you won’t come in often on the field, and rather have a Life Orb to boost your damage output and pressure even more defensive answers. Here is the set I would use:

lycanroc-dusk.gif

Lycanroc-Dusk @ Life Orb
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Accelerock
- Psychic Fangs / Drill Run
- Close Combat


:zapdos:: I think that defensive Zapdos is fine here, and this set can work. Discharge is interesting to fish for para and slow down things for Lycanroc and Nidoking. However, as I added Tapu Fini and as Nidoking loves to be brought in by pivoting, Volt Switch is another option to consider. It’s also nice to bring Lycanroc in front of Spe Def walls who want to come in, as it will give you an opportunity to get a free Swords Dance. Hurricane could also be an option to consider over Heat Wave to punish Lando-T a bit harder, but having Heat Wave is safer against things like Kartana.

zapdos.gif

Zapdos @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 220 Def / 40 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch / Discharge
- Heat Wave / Hurricane
- Roost
- Defog


:nidoking:: I indeed think that Flamethrower is a superior choice over Thunderbolt. The latter mainly targets Slowking who is not common in OU anymore, while Flamethrower beats Ferrothorn and can often be a nice midground. Also, you rather have a Modest nature, as it helps making it even harder to switch-into and the extra Speed doesn’t improve its Speed tier much anyway.

nidoking.gif

Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam


That’s all for the suggestions, here is the team with these modifications, feel free to try it out:

Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike

Zapdos @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 220 Def / 40 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Defog

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Taunt
- Draining Kiss
- Scald

Lycanroc-Dusk @ Life Orb
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Accelerock
- Psychic Fangs
- Close Combat

With this team you should be particularly careful around some threats like Dragapult and Blacephalon, because even if you have a solid revenge killer in Kartana, Heatran and Tapu Fini can get overwhelmed pretty quickly and you don’t have a dedicate Ghost resistance. Zeraora can also be threatening, especially when equipped with a Choice Band, because your main answer is Nidoking who really hate taking a Knock Off (Zapdos can't take 2 Choice Band Plasma Fist), and you need to play carefully around it.
Also, don’t hesitate to use Lycanroc to weaken the opposing Corviknight or Buzzwole (they both take almost 90% on +2 Close Combat or Psychic Fang) so that Kartana can clean in the end.

Hope this was helpful, have a nice day!
 
Thanks for the suggestions!

It does make the team a lot more passive, though, which makes it hard to break through some opposing lineups. I swapped rocks for toxic on heatran, which helped a bit against SlowTwins/Blissey, but Tapu Fini doesn't feel like a good fit so far. Your analysis and thought process was spot-on, but I think a different mon might fit in that spot better.
 
Thanks for the suggestions!

It does make the team a lot more passive, though, which makes it hard to break through some opposing lineups. I swapped rocks for toxic on heatran, which helped a bit against SlowTwins/Blissey, but Tapu Fini doesn't feel like a good fit so far. Your analysis and thought process was spot-on, but I think a different mon might fit in that spot better.

Glad you tried the team. It's true that replacing Salamence by Tapu Fini makes the team a bit more defensive, but I think it's needed for this kind of balance team, and with both Nidoking and Lycanroc-Dusk you should be fine on the offensive side. If you don't like Tapu Fini or don't think it's putting enough work, there's other options you can try, but keep in mind that you want to have something for Urshifu-R and Weavile in this slot. Slowbro is a Pokemon you can try for instance, but with a Colbur Berry + Body Press set to deal with Weavile. Dragapult and Heatran matchups are a bit harder with Slowbro over Tapu Fini imo, but Slowbro brings Future Sight to help Lycanroc/Kartana breaking and can help letting Nidoking coming in safely with Teleport.

Also, feel free to add replays (here or send them to me in pm) so that I can see who are the Pokemon giving you trouble with the team and give suggestions on how I would have played if I have some.

Have a nice day!
 
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