Images from Arkeis.
This is a team I’ve been using for a while now. It does well against most teams, as it can check weather based teams fairly well, as well as dealing with the most common threats in the metagame as of right now. While I don’t really have any problems with the team, it has gotten a little old so it will be replaced after I make a new team, but before that I figured I’d post it to see if anyone else has any ideas that might improve it, or just to show it off.
The Team:
In Depth:
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Thorns
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 196 SpD
Nature: Careful (+SpD, -SpA)
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Ferrothorn is easily the best defensive pokemon in gen 5 since it has great mixed defenses and resistances to several of the most common types in the game. Its biggest drawback is its lack of reliable recovery, however. It makes a great switch in to Water types on Rain teams, as well as Dragons due to its resistance and bulk. The specially defensive spread is useful for allowing it to switch in on Latios’ Draco Meteor more easily, as well as other random special attacks. It also allows him to survive random HP Fires from things such as Rotom-W which the physical variants fail to survive without Rain support, plus it can survive Fire Blast from most Tyranitar when at full HP. Power Whip hits very hard even without any investment, plus it destroys most Water or Ground types, which makes it helpful for dealing with Rain and Sand teams. Thunder Wave is preferred over Gyro Ball since many of its common switch ins are screwed by paralysis, plus it gives him the chance to do something against Sun teams, if given the chance, since most of them carry mainly Fire types or have HP Fire on everything. Normally I would run Spikes on Ferro, but since nothing else can set Rocks, I use them instead here. Leech Seed helps his lack of recovery and it lets him stall out many defensive threats.
Despite Ferrothorn being in my first slot, I hardly ever lead with him. He is usually there to fool my opponent into using things such as Heatran and things of that sort since Rotom-W, whom I most commonly lead with, can deal with them fairly well.
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power Fire
- Trick
Rotom-W is one of the greatest threats in the metagame right now. His typing gives him tons of useful resistances and many opportunities to switch in, which when coupled with his great Special Attack and Speed, allows him to be a great Choice user. He also pairs very well with Ferrothorn, and the two of them can do a fairly good job at dealing with Rain teams, as well as some pokes in Sand. The combination of Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump is enough to do a number on common Rain pokes since Thunderbolt hits Waters and Tornadus, while Hydro Pump abuses the Rain boost to easily finish Thundurus as well as beating several things on Sand teams. Hidden Power Fire is mainly for Ferrothorn and Scizor, though it also allows him to hit Grass type switch ins such as Venusaur on Sun teams. Trick is one of the most useful moves on the team since it allows me to cripple threatening walls or sweepers with a little prediction by limiting their move choices.
Rotom also tends to be the poke I most frequently lead with since he usually matches up fairly well against whatever my opponent picks, though I’m not above choosing a different lead based on my opponent’s team since this team doesn’t have a set lead. It usually manages to take something down, or cripple something with Trick fairly early on, though depending on the team I’m facing I might conserve my Scarf so that I can cripple a specific threat, revenge kill a few things, or possibly sweep if I notice a lack of Electric/Water resists after one or two of their pokes go down.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 SpD
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
- Bullet Punch
- U-Turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
CB Scizor is a pretty basic pokemon, but he can do a number of things very well and fits on just about any team. Some of his main uses are revenge killing, scouting switches, countering certain threats, and trapping. The spread I use is a more specially defensive based Scizor, which allows him maintain maximum attack while letting him switch into Reuniclus more easily, as well as being able to soak up Draco Meteors for if Ferrothorn is unable to. Bullet Punch lets him revenge kill weakened pokes, as well as beating some healthy threats if they are fragile or are weak to Steel, and might even sweep a weakened team. U-Turn is a good move to use for predicted switches since it allows me to get the jump on whatever is sent out, plus it can deal massive damage to certain switch ins. Superpower is mainly used for smacking Skarmory if he tries to Roost while he is facing Scizor, though it can also be used to hit Ferrothorn, other Scizor, and various Steel types. Pursuit is useful for dealing with Reuniclus if it tries to escape, as well as Latios if I switch into Draco Meteor.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Claw
ScarfChomp is my primary revenge killer. He can outspeed any Dragon in the game, aside from Scarf Latis or Dragons with more than two Dragon Dances, though usually that isn’t an issue. He also doesn’t need to rely on revenge in order to switch in, since he has useful resistances and an Electric immunity, great natural bulk, and enough power to force many switches even without carrying Swords Dance. Outrage is usually an endgame move to finish off teams when they are weakened, or for finishing off something particularly threatening when I can’t risk Dragon Claw or Earthquake failing to KO. EQ and Dragon Claw provide coverage on all but Skarmory and Bronzong, so with prediction he can be very hard to switch into. Fire Blast 2HKOs most Skarmory and Ferrothorn even with a hindering nature and no investment, though I find myself missing with it every time I predict a switch, which is odd because in most cases I rarely ever miss Fire Blasts in any other situation. I’m considering using Stone Edge which would be helpful since this team can struggle a bit with Volcarona. Dual Chop over Dragon Claw might also be helpful for hitting Gengar and Breloom when they set up Subs, though the cost of accuracy would make it less reliable. All in all though, he is among the best revenge killers around.
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
- Bulk Up
This is a fairly standard Conkeldurr set. Once it sets up Bulk Up, its attack reaches 624, which is enough to destroy many teams with the combination of its attacks. It also becomes extremely difficult for physical attackers to stop it. Drain Punch and Mach Punch are great STAB moves and the recovery from Drain Punch makes him last much longer, and helps with damage if he is Burned / Poisoned for Guts purposes. Mach Punch can let him act as a revenge killer for weakened threats, or be used to KO things such as Excadrill after a Bulk Up. Payback complements his coverage almost perfectly, and allows him to hit some of his most common switch ins for some sort of damage. Also, while the EVs look a bit thoughtless and inferior to the standard 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD, I find that maxing HP lets it beat Gliscor while still providing it with adequate protection from special attacks. Literally every time I’ve used this, it ends up beating Gliscor provided he switches into a Bulk Up, then he just has to spam Payback and he will come out on top against SD Gliscor every time (barring a crit.) Most other forms of Gliscor don’t have the power to break through without SD either, so they end up having to Fling / Toxic me to do damage which only helps me out thanks to Guts. Being able to lure and defeat his “best counter” is definitely worth a little bit of special defense in my eyes. Conkeldurr also does a great job against stall teams since they commonly use status moves or Toxic Spikes which lets him get a Guts boost and destroy them.
Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
- Recover
Reuniclus is my main way of dealing with Fighting types, and is the main special sweeper on my team. His immunity to all forms of residual damage paired with his bulk makes him one of the most difficult things to take down, and gives him several chances to switch in and set up. It also helps him completely destroy almost any type of stall team, as well as being able to put a dent in most other teams as well. Normally Reuniclus would run a Bold nature, though I like the extra boost from Modest since it can make the difference between KOing Tyranitar at times, and it does a little extra to other potential counters. Psyshock is better than Psychic since it allows him to beat anything that tries to Calm Mind alongside him such as Latias, or other Reuniclus. Focus Blast gets decent coverage alongside Psyshock, and it hits common switch ins such as Tyranitar and Scizor reasonably hard, sometimes KOing the former. Calm Mind and Recover make him very annoying, and let him beat most other special attackers he encounters.
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This team has done a pretty good job so far, though it still has a few problems. Sigilyph is usually very annoying to take down if it sets up, and my only real way of stopping it usually involves Rotom Tricking it so it doesn’t wall my entire team. Nasty Plot Celebi also screws this team up. Nearly every time I run into one it manages to take out at least one of my pokes, if not more. If Reuniclus can set up first it won’t be an issue, though if it can safely set up I once again have to Trick it with Rotom to lock it into Giga Drain (which costs me my Rotom unless they get greedy and go for another NP,) so that Scizor can Pursuit it. The combination of Dual Screen Deoxys-S or Espeon and ShellPass Gorebyss or Quiver Dance Venomoth is also pretty annoying to my team, though Rotom can usually Trick the recipient as they pass allowing me to predict around them more easily. If they set up, Volcarona and Dragonite can both be annoying. Past that, most things in OU can be dealt with one way or another.
I might also make an actual threat list later if I have the time.
This is a team I’ve been using for a while now. It does well against most teams, as it can check weather based teams fairly well, as well as dealing with the most common threats in the metagame as of right now. While I don’t really have any problems with the team, it has gotten a little old so it will be replaced after I make a new team, but before that I figured I’d post it to see if anyone else has any ideas that might improve it, or just to show it off.
The Team:
In Depth:
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Thorns
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 196 SpD
Nature: Careful (+SpD, -SpA)
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Ferrothorn is easily the best defensive pokemon in gen 5 since it has great mixed defenses and resistances to several of the most common types in the game. Its biggest drawback is its lack of reliable recovery, however. It makes a great switch in to Water types on Rain teams, as well as Dragons due to its resistance and bulk. The specially defensive spread is useful for allowing it to switch in on Latios’ Draco Meteor more easily, as well as other random special attacks. It also allows him to survive random HP Fires from things such as Rotom-W which the physical variants fail to survive without Rain support, plus it can survive Fire Blast from most Tyranitar when at full HP. Power Whip hits very hard even without any investment, plus it destroys most Water or Ground types, which makes it helpful for dealing with Rain and Sand teams. Thunder Wave is preferred over Gyro Ball since many of its common switch ins are screwed by paralysis, plus it gives him the chance to do something against Sun teams, if given the chance, since most of them carry mainly Fire types or have HP Fire on everything. Normally I would run Spikes on Ferro, but since nothing else can set Rocks, I use them instead here. Leech Seed helps his lack of recovery and it lets him stall out many defensive threats.
Despite Ferrothorn being in my first slot, I hardly ever lead with him. He is usually there to fool my opponent into using things such as Heatran and things of that sort since Rotom-W, whom I most commonly lead with, can deal with them fairly well.
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power Fire
- Trick
Rotom-W is one of the greatest threats in the metagame right now. His typing gives him tons of useful resistances and many opportunities to switch in, which when coupled with his great Special Attack and Speed, allows him to be a great Choice user. He also pairs very well with Ferrothorn, and the two of them can do a fairly good job at dealing with Rain teams, as well as some pokes in Sand. The combination of Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump is enough to do a number on common Rain pokes since Thunderbolt hits Waters and Tornadus, while Hydro Pump abuses the Rain boost to easily finish Thundurus as well as beating several things on Sand teams. Hidden Power Fire is mainly for Ferrothorn and Scizor, though it also allows him to hit Grass type switch ins such as Venusaur on Sun teams. Trick is one of the most useful moves on the team since it allows me to cripple threatening walls or sweepers with a little prediction by limiting their move choices.
Rotom also tends to be the poke I most frequently lead with since he usually matches up fairly well against whatever my opponent picks, though I’m not above choosing a different lead based on my opponent’s team since this team doesn’t have a set lead. It usually manages to take something down, or cripple something with Trick fairly early on, though depending on the team I’m facing I might conserve my Scarf so that I can cripple a specific threat, revenge kill a few things, or possibly sweep if I notice a lack of Electric/Water resists after one or two of their pokes go down.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 SpD
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
- Bullet Punch
- U-Turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
CB Scizor is a pretty basic pokemon, but he can do a number of things very well and fits on just about any team. Some of his main uses are revenge killing, scouting switches, countering certain threats, and trapping. The spread I use is a more specially defensive based Scizor, which allows him maintain maximum attack while letting him switch into Reuniclus more easily, as well as being able to soak up Draco Meteors for if Ferrothorn is unable to. Bullet Punch lets him revenge kill weakened pokes, as well as beating some healthy threats if they are fragile or are weak to Steel, and might even sweep a weakened team. U-Turn is a good move to use for predicted switches since it allows me to get the jump on whatever is sent out, plus it can deal massive damage to certain switch ins. Superpower is mainly used for smacking Skarmory if he tries to Roost while he is facing Scizor, though it can also be used to hit Ferrothorn, other Scizor, and various Steel types. Pursuit is useful for dealing with Reuniclus if it tries to escape, as well as Latios if I switch into Draco Meteor.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Claw
ScarfChomp is my primary revenge killer. He can outspeed any Dragon in the game, aside from Scarf Latis or Dragons with more than two Dragon Dances, though usually that isn’t an issue. He also doesn’t need to rely on revenge in order to switch in, since he has useful resistances and an Electric immunity, great natural bulk, and enough power to force many switches even without carrying Swords Dance. Outrage is usually an endgame move to finish off teams when they are weakened, or for finishing off something particularly threatening when I can’t risk Dragon Claw or Earthquake failing to KO. EQ and Dragon Claw provide coverage on all but Skarmory and Bronzong, so with prediction he can be very hard to switch into. Fire Blast 2HKOs most Skarmory and Ferrothorn even with a hindering nature and no investment, though I find myself missing with it every time I predict a switch, which is odd because in most cases I rarely ever miss Fire Blasts in any other situation. I’m considering using Stone Edge which would be helpful since this team can struggle a bit with Volcarona. Dual Chop over Dragon Claw might also be helpful for hitting Gengar and Breloom when they set up Subs, though the cost of accuracy would make it less reliable. All in all though, he is among the best revenge killers around.
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
- Bulk Up
This is a fairly standard Conkeldurr set. Once it sets up Bulk Up, its attack reaches 624, which is enough to destroy many teams with the combination of its attacks. It also becomes extremely difficult for physical attackers to stop it. Drain Punch and Mach Punch are great STAB moves and the recovery from Drain Punch makes him last much longer, and helps with damage if he is Burned / Poisoned for Guts purposes. Mach Punch can let him act as a revenge killer for weakened threats, or be used to KO things such as Excadrill after a Bulk Up. Payback complements his coverage almost perfectly, and allows him to hit some of his most common switch ins for some sort of damage. Also, while the EVs look a bit thoughtless and inferior to the standard 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD, I find that maxing HP lets it beat Gliscor while still providing it with adequate protection from special attacks. Literally every time I’ve used this, it ends up beating Gliscor provided he switches into a Bulk Up, then he just has to spam Payback and he will come out on top against SD Gliscor every time (barring a crit.) Most other forms of Gliscor don’t have the power to break through without SD either, so they end up having to Fling / Toxic me to do damage which only helps me out thanks to Guts. Being able to lure and defeat his “best counter” is definitely worth a little bit of special defense in my eyes. Conkeldurr also does a great job against stall teams since they commonly use status moves or Toxic Spikes which lets him get a Guts boost and destroy them.
Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
- Recover
Reuniclus is my main way of dealing with Fighting types, and is the main special sweeper on my team. His immunity to all forms of residual damage paired with his bulk makes him one of the most difficult things to take down, and gives him several chances to switch in and set up. It also helps him completely destroy almost any type of stall team, as well as being able to put a dent in most other teams as well. Normally Reuniclus would run a Bold nature, though I like the extra boost from Modest since it can make the difference between KOing Tyranitar at times, and it does a little extra to other potential counters. Psyshock is better than Psychic since it allows him to beat anything that tries to Calm Mind alongside him such as Latias, or other Reuniclus. Focus Blast gets decent coverage alongside Psyshock, and it hits common switch ins such as Tyranitar and Scizor reasonably hard, sometimes KOing the former. Calm Mind and Recover make him very annoying, and let him beat most other special attackers he encounters.
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This team has done a pretty good job so far, though it still has a few problems. Sigilyph is usually very annoying to take down if it sets up, and my only real way of stopping it usually involves Rotom Tricking it so it doesn’t wall my entire team. Nasty Plot Celebi also screws this team up. Nearly every time I run into one it manages to take out at least one of my pokes, if not more. If Reuniclus can set up first it won’t be an issue, though if it can safely set up I once again have to Trick it with Rotom to lock it into Giga Drain (which costs me my Rotom unless they get greedy and go for another NP,) so that Scizor can Pursuit it. The combination of Dual Screen Deoxys-S or Espeon and ShellPass Gorebyss or Quiver Dance Venomoth is also pretty annoying to my team, though Rotom can usually Trick the recipient as they pass allowing me to predict around them more easily. If they set up, Volcarona and Dragonite can both be annoying. Past that, most things in OU can be dealt with one way or another.
I might also make an actual threat list later if I have the time.
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). Anywho, you say your team is usong one main Poke for a lot of countering, being Rotom Tricking the opponent. Sure that can work but I mean other stuff could help too. From what I see just by looking at it, you have a Lead, with one possibly two set-ups, and sweepers. Maybe put in a wall somewhere to balance it out a little more. I also think you should change your lead (Ferrothorn) to a Prankster Whimiscott. It can have a moveset like Taunt/Leech Seed/Toxic/Stun Spore/U-turn/Energy Ball (so you aren't Taunt bait yourself) and something of that nature.
