A knight in shining armour
is a knight who has never
had their metal truly tested ...
Beauty is power;
A smile is its sword ...
Team Preview :
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Introduction
Hello GingerNinja here, welcome to my latest OU RMT featuring a balance Gardevoir squad. Having neglected OU in recent months, I wanted to get the most out of the remaining time left in the ORAS metagame before Sun and Moon arrives on our shores with a fresh lineup.
After a long break from the OU meta, I thought I would rebuild around my favourite Pokemon, Gardevoir with Keldeo and Heatran as core partners with their Fighting and Dark typings to get the most out of Gardevoir offensively.
This was a fun team I enjoyed playtesting and battling with, I decided upon the final additions to my squad recently and began testing and experimenting to find the best balance. The team itself has changed only a little over the design process.
Because of the nature and the huge rise of Dugtrio trapping teams ontop of the huge presence of Scolipede Baton pass teams, I opted to go for double Will-O-Wisp for the rise of all the many physical threats in the current meta which has been a worthwhile judgement in a few battles.
Looking to find the best balance for my squad to get the most out of the remaining time within the ORAS OU meta :) I'm not really sure how to improve this squad, still tossing up between finding room for Tangrowth or Weavile in the team.
Open to any suggestions advice.
A huge thankyou to Jase Duken on Smogon and the Pokemon Central facebook community for helping me with earlier team suggestions.
Team Building Process
Gardevoir is the first pokemon and the mega evolution of this line-up. Trace is the preferred ability in that it allows me to potentially copy a useful ability before mega evolution allowing me to take advantage of Rain and Sand and stealing Regenerators and Intimidates before mega evolution and on the turn of mega evolution which is very important in specific matchups.
Possessing that beautiful Psychic Fairy typing makes Gardevoir a nice choice in the dark and fighting infested meta.
Keldeo was added to complete the Psychic + Fighting core and is a fairly self important member in the squad. Keldeo supports Gardevoir by handling Ground-types such as Garchomp and Hippowdon, Steel-types such as Scizor and Ferrothorn, and opposing physical Dark types such as Mega Gyarados and Choice Scarf Tyranitar, which Gardevoir has issues and really shouldn't be directly switching into.
Heatran serves as an invaulable partner to Gardevoir and Keldeo on top of being an extraordinarily versatile and effective Pokemon in the OU tier. With excellent bulk and a nice defensive typing, it can serve as a check to an enormous amount of top-tier threats, such as Latias, Latios, Clefable, Mega Scizor, Talonflame and many more.
Complementing the beautiful Psychic + Fighting + Steel trinity, Heatran excels in trapping many problematic pokemon and can stop many would be threats with access to the combination of Taunt + Toxic + Magma Storm which both Gardevoir and Keldeo greatly appreciate.
Latios was added in the fourth slot for that much needed defog support and that all important dragon coverage. Latios resides in a great Speed tier, allowing it to outspeed and check many threats such as Garchomp and opposing Keldeo. In addition, it has a great Special Attack stat hitting targets hard, making life easier for team mates in general.
I chose Latios over latias simply to hit things harder. Because of the nature of sand in the current meta, as well as the other ground / rock / fire threats, I opted for Surf Latios over Psyshock since Gardevoir already has access to Psyshock, Keldeo having Secret Sword and Heatran carrying Taunt which makes fat special defensive pokemon less of an issue for Latios.
Landorus T was added as my initial pivot for momentum and for a reliable Rocksetter in general. Landorus-T's superb typing gives him immunities to Electric and Ground, two very potent offensive typings, and resistances to Bug, Fighting, and Poison.
Landorus-T's defensive potential is also commendable allowing Gardevoir and friends to safely come in. I originally had Hippowdon in this slot however using Hippowdon felt like a big momentum sucker in general for the team.
Rotom-W was added as my final pokemon in the team, Rotom was a necessity because it is a premier pivot in the OU metagame that is able to switch into a number of common Pokemon, such as Azumarill, Talonflame, Sand Excadrill, Landorus-T and many more, due to its access to Will-O-Wisp and sufficient defences enabling it to pivot into a number of offensive threats.
Rotom offers some nice synergy in giving the team a secondary momentum user which allows any pokemon to safely come in at any point in the game, all of which the rest of the team greatly appreciates.
Gardevoir is the first pokemon and the mega evolution of this line-up. Trace is the preferred ability in that it allows me to potentially copy a useful ability before mega evolution allowing me to take advantage of Rain and Sand and stealing Regenerators and Intimidates before mega evolution and on the turn of mega evolution which is very important in specific matchups.
Possessing that beautiful Psychic Fairy typing makes Gardevoir a nice choice in the dark and fighting infested meta.
Keldeo was added to complete the Psychic + Fighting core and is a fairly self important member in the squad. Keldeo supports Gardevoir by handling Ground-types such as Garchomp and Hippowdon, Steel-types such as Scizor and Ferrothorn, and opposing physical Dark types such as Mega Gyarados and Choice Scarf Tyranitar, which Gardevoir has issues and really shouldn't be directly switching into.
Heatran serves as an invaulable partner to Gardevoir and Keldeo on top of being an extraordinarily versatile and effective Pokemon in the OU tier. With excellent bulk and a nice defensive typing, it can serve as a check to an enormous amount of top-tier threats, such as Latias, Latios, Clefable, Mega Scizor, Talonflame and many more.
Complementing the beautiful Psychic + Fighting + Steel trinity, Heatran excels in trapping many problematic pokemon and can stop many would be threats with access to the combination of Taunt + Toxic + Magma Storm which both Gardevoir and Keldeo greatly appreciate.
Latios was added in the fourth slot for that much needed defog support and that all important dragon coverage. Latios resides in a great Speed tier, allowing it to outspeed and check many threats such as Garchomp and opposing Keldeo. In addition, it has a great Special Attack stat hitting targets hard, making life easier for team mates in general.
I chose Latios over latias simply to hit things harder. Because of the nature of sand in the current meta, as well as the other ground / rock / fire threats, I opted for Surf Latios over Psyshock since Gardevoir already has access to Psyshock, Keldeo having Secret Sword and Heatran carrying Taunt which makes fat special defensive pokemon less of an issue for Latios.
Landorus T was added as my initial pivot for momentum and for a reliable Rocksetter in general. Landorus-T's superb typing gives him immunities to Electric and Ground, two very potent offensive typings, and resistances to Bug, Fighting, and Poison.
Landorus-T's defensive potential is also commendable allowing Gardevoir and friends to safely come in. I originally had Hippowdon in this slot however using Hippowdon felt like a big momentum sucker in general for the team.
Rotom-W was added as my final pokemon in the team, Rotom was a necessity because it is a premier pivot in the OU metagame that is able to switch into a number of common Pokemon, such as Azumarill, Talonflame, Sand Excadrill, Landorus-T and many more, due to its access to Will-O-Wisp and sufficient defences enabling it to pivot into a number of offensive threats.
Rotom offers some nice synergy in giving the team a secondary momentum user which allows any pokemon to safely come in at any point in the game, all of which the rest of the team greatly appreciates.
Team Description
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
- Psyshock
This is the pretty standard wallbreaking Mega Gardevoir set and is also part of the Psychic-Fighting-Steel core with Keldeo and Heatran respectfully. Will-O-Wisp was chosen over Taunt to have a better matchup vs offensive and balance teams in general due to the rise of Mega Scizor and Excadrill, crippling a variety of threats in event of 1v1 match-ups which the rest of the team appreciates on top of dealing with baton pass Scolipede and Dugtrio Trap teams which are on the rise.
The Hp and defensive investment allows Gardevoir to avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Latios's Psyshock which is perfect for Lati twins who may and stay in allowing Gardevoir to pick off threats.
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Secret Sword
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Toxic / Focus Bast
Went with standard Scarf Keldeo to give the team the ability to pressure a variety of pokemon, wiping away Pokémon that don't resist its moves which benefits Gardevoir and Heatran in general removing checks and switch ins. Because of the nature of choice Keldeo, I can bluff specs early in the game which can lead to some advantage in momentum.
Against offensive teams, if Keldeo comes in on something that has difficulty harming it, there are very few things that are able to switch in safely. Latias and Latios are two of the most solid offensive Keldeo checks; however, even crippled by a scald burn or toxic which impacts the support they can give long term.
On top of these positives, Scald is notorious for being able to wear down switch-ins, such as Mega Venusaur and Slowbro, with burn damage, allowing Keldeo to overwhelm them the next time they attempt to switch in, while toxic can wear down a dedicated Keldeo check such as slowbro which puts that pokemon on a timer, all of which the rest of the team really appreciates.
Toxic was a last minute choice for the team and has been something that has done well in dealing with a variety of fat pokemon considering Gyarados and Mega Gyarados's recent usage dropping HP Electric for Toxic was a choice that payed off in the end, it made sense to have something less situational in this slot and still cripples Slowbro which was a win win situation.
Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
I opte to go with Taunt Trap heatran since my Gardevoir opted to carry Will-O-Wisp. Heatran often lures in specially defensive walls and bulky stallbreakers, such as Chansey and Mew, and can trap them with Magma Storm; after doing so, Heatran can beat the foe with the combination of Taunt and Toxic which the team greatly appreciates.
When playing against offensive teams, Magma Storm also deals nice chip damage to common threats to Heatran such as Keldeo and Azumarill, especially when the team has Stealth Rock active.
Once hit by Magma Storm, trapped foes cannot switch out, helping Heatran gain switch initiative, which really helps against offensive teams. Earth Power nails opposing non-Earth Power variants of Heatran, Tentacruel, and Mega Diancie; it is especially effective because opponents often assume that Leftovers Heatran are not running Earth Power, the ground coverage assists slightly in some matchups making it a worthwhile choice.
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Defog
- Surf
Latios was added not only as the prime defogger but also I considered Latios's ample resistances, including ones to common Water-, Fire-, and Electric-type attacks, and nifty Ground-type immunity which give it a plethora of opportunities to switch in; as such its a natural fit on many balanced teams such as my squad due to its ability to check a lot of Pokemon threatening to the playstyle, such as Keldeo and Volcanion.
Surf allows Latios to deal heavy damage to Heatran, Mega Diancie, and Tyranitar, while also being able to deal solid damage to the likes of Hippowdon and Gliscor without being forced to use Draco Meteor which eventually forces Latios to switch out giving me secondary ways to dispose of a variety of threats.
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 26 Spe
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
Landorus is the stealth rocker and the first pivot of the team. Landorus aids the team overall as it punishes opposing volt-turn teams. Things like scarf drill that can defeat Gardevoir and Rotom get hard walled by lando. Landorus with its beautiful ability intimidate helps with physical threats threats like Charizard X, Terrakion, Mega Scizor and more.
Talonflame a past issue for the team is dealt with the combination of Landorus T + Rotom Wash, however it can be played around without Rotom if Lando is kept healthy. Rocks also help tremendously, as they pressure double switches which could overall hurt the team. 26 Speed Ivs allow me to underspeed the common 27 IV speed and faster Landorus giving me momentum advantage with U-turn.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 242 HP / 216 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
Rotom was added in the final slot of the team and forms part of my Volt-Turn core. Landorus-T forms a solid VoltTurn core with Rotom-W that is able to check most physical attackers in OU in tandem with each other. Volt Switch is Rotom-W's Electric STAB move that allows it to regain momentum after pivoting into a threat. Hydro Pump is Rotom-W's secondary STAB that allows it to beat some of the Pokemon it checks, most notably Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Mamoswine, which are immune to Volt Switch. Will-O-Wisp allows Rotom-W to inflict burns on the foe and deter physical attackers.
52 Speed EVs are put into Speed to outrun the combination of Jolly Azumarill and 8 Speed Ev Landorus T so Rotom-W will be able to burn it after a Belly Drum or before Lando can act hitting it with Hydro Pump or simply burning it, Rotom outspeeds 8 Speed Landorus T by 1 point.
Importable Team
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
- Psyshock
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Secret Sword
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Toxic
Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Defog
- Surf
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 26 Spe
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 242 HP / 216 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
Special Thanks
The FIR mentor community
Pokemon Fire Island Ruins
Pokemon Central
The FIR mentor community
Pokemon Fire Island Ruins
Pokemon Central
Threats
Talonflame with both offensive and defensive sets in general give the team and core some issues, this forces alot of work on Landorus and Rotom Wash. Alternatively I can dissuade Talonflame from switching in by keeping stealth rock active, and punishing potential switch ins with Psyshock and coverage moves respectfully.
Choice Scarf Magneton / Choice Scarf Magnezone are great late-game cleaners and a threat to be careful of, 2HKOing a good portion of my team they can punch holes with ease. It can also trap my Heatran weakening it and also stealing early momentum from bad calls or early misprediction.
Talonflame with both offensive and defensive sets in general give the team and core some issues, this forces alot of work on Landorus and Rotom Wash. Alternatively I can dissuade Talonflame from switching in by keeping stealth rock active, and punishing potential switch ins with Psyshock and coverage moves respectfully.
Choice Scarf Magneton / Choice Scarf Magnezone are great late-game cleaners and a threat to be careful of, 2HKOing a good portion of my team they can punch holes with ease. It can also trap my Heatran weakening it and also stealing early momentum from bad calls or early misprediction.
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