The F/W/G mentality is disgusting. It is lazy teambuilding. It is very predictable. It also doesn't accomplish anything extra any other core can't. This team proves that teambuilding CAN be done without a Heatran, Shaymin, and a Suicune. Why go with the flow, when you actually can beat the flow?
Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
Starmie is an excellent anti lead in the current metagame, beating most leads while having utility later in the game... and for spinning away Stealth Rock from other leads which helps Dragonite stay alive. It can 2HKO most bulky leads, and the leads that Starmie has trouble with (Machamp, Roserade, etc) all get handled by Metagross while laying down Stealth Rock in the process. Starmie itself is a very hard pokemon to counter, as Starmie has excellent coverage with your STAB and bolt/beam. It can 2HKO many bulky pokemon that would switch in hoping to take another one of your attacks. Some leads actually switch out against Starmie, so I usually predict the switch-in and get a free kill. It hits so extremely hard. All of its common switch-ins like Kingdra, Roserade, and Vaporeon all get manhandled by the rest of the team. Hydro Pump is excellent, albeit risky STAB. Rapid Spin is excellent utility against every team, especially stall. Ice Beam hits grasses, lead Dragonite and Gliscor while providing Bolt/Beam coverage with Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt is mainly for bulky waters of course. While it may seem somewhat lackluster without Recover... one of the main selling points to using Starmie, but remember Starmie is the lead; its not meant to last VERY long. Vs lead Hippo, I usually double switch to CB Tyranitar immediatly to trap the common Blissey partnered with it. Once Blissey is gone, LO Starmie handles most of stall nicely. Hey, it also just so happens to be an Infernape check! Starmie was always a top tier pokemon, and I honestly don't see that changing in gen 5. No fancy EV spread here, just offense.
Metagross @ Lum Berry
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Atk / 24 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Bullet Punch
- Meteor Mash
- Explosion
Metagross is one of the best Stealth Rockers in the game, and for good reason. It has excellent bulk to set it up reliably, resistences/raw attack to force a switch and use it, and the fact that it is never dead weight. Metagross is always useful, taking Draco Meteors, Outrages, Stone Edges, etc while hitting hard back with an excellent STAB in Meteor Mash. Heck, Meteor Mash can even raise your attack. It has actually saved me a few times. Usually Roserade leads will Leaf Storm Starmie in fear of Natural Cure, so Metagross makes a solid switch in and procedes to beat Roserade. It also beats Machamp leads as they will Payback Starmie, which means Metagross gets a free switch in. Metagross wins because of Lum Berry, since you can outspeed Machamp for the 2HKO without any fear of Dynamic Punch hax. Bullet Punch gives you limited, but useful revenge killing capabilities and a way to deal with leads more effectively. It is good for Gengar, Infernape, Breloom, and weakened Dragonite especially. Meteor Mash + BP should OHKO Infernape in Sand. Same with Dragonite. Explosion lets you break walls, with support from Tyranitar to remove ghosts. Metagross is a check to most things in OU which lack a fire move. Skarmory/Forry who would spike on it gets checked by Tyranitar, Starmie, Dragonite, and Rotom W. I can always explode on Skarmory to do around 50% to the SpDef versions. I usually explode on Scizor too because Scizor can be annoying if I give it too much time against my team. EV's give you the maximum defensive potential overall while retaining your offensive prowess, in addition to outrunning Adamant Rhyperior, 20 Spe Breloom, and other lead Metagross.
Dragonite (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 56 Atk / 196 SAtk / 4 Spd
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Roost
- Superpower
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
I have been using Mix Nite on many of my teams recently, and I have been loving it. Mix Nite simply has his way with stall like no other, while having the bulk to Roost and hold his own against slower offensive teams. I run 2 steel types, so why not run Dragonite? They cover each others weaknesses very well, have very similar counters, and do a great job at breaking them down over time. I considered Extreme Speed, but without an attack boosting nature or alot of attack EV's I don't feel it is worth it. I need all the special attack I can get to spam powerful Draco Meteors with little consequence, and I need the bulk to switch into Scizor's U-Turns and to take a +2 Lucario CC after SR. Fire Blast scorches pretty much everything which resists Draco Meteor hold Heatran/Blissey/Snorlax which Superpower covers. Superpower also hits Tyranitar hard. Roost allows me to last for a long time with all the bulk the Dragonite has especially with a spinner. I need to keep him healthy for Shaymin, fighter, and CB Sciz. The attack EV's OHKO Calm Blissey after SR. Dragonite is actually a solid Shaymin check as well, assuming they lack HP Ice, and takes on Skarm for Bronzong to sweep. The best thing about Mixed Dragonite is no matter what the team matchup is, he can actually level the playing field. No matter what kind of team you are running, chances are you are going to have trouble switching into Mixed Dragonite. If I predict correctly, it can break an important member of their core, making my life much easier.
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 168 HP / 248 Atk / 92 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Aqua Tail
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
I honestly have no clue why this Tyranitar set barely sees any play. It is better now than ever due to the suprise factor, and the fact that it is a great Heatran counter hold Torment Tran. In a matter of fact, I was weak to Heatran before I added Tyranitar. Sandstream is very useful on this team, as it helps me wear down Life Orb users while not hurting me nearly as much since I spin Stealth Rock away turn one. Tyranitar is an excellent Rotom check, which helps Bronzong sweep much more easily. This guy checks Zapdos, which this team sorely needed. I use CB Tyranitar early game and just spam Stone Edge most of the time. I like doing that to lure and deal with Scizor and Skarmory effectively. CB Tyranitar can reliable Pursuit any kind of Rotom, in particular the defensive kind since it still can come out on top if it gets burned. CB Tyranitar is a clutch mon because he gets suprise kills, he has few true counters, he takes very little prediction, and has great bulk. Crunch is reliable STAB, while Stone Edge is your STAB which 2HKOs the walls like Skarmory and Forretress. Pursuit gives you a trapping option, which is helpful regardless of the team. Extra helpful for this team though because if you remove Rotom, Metagross and Bronzong become a real battering crew. Aqua Tail can hit Gliscor for a OHKO with SR support, and can 2HKO Hippowodon switch ins. It also gets neutral coverage on pokemon like Machamp. Crunch 2HKO's Metagross and CM Wish Jirachi won't beat this, so losing EQ isn't a big deal at all. It is slow enough to abuse Trick Room if Bronzong is forced to Explode a turn or so early. Choice Band Tyranitar hits so hard, its almost unreal. Speed EVs outrun 16Spe Skarmory.
Bronzong @ Macho Brace
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Trick Room
Two words for this guy. Simply incredible. This is one of the best late game cleaners I have ever used. It resists most priority, scarfers can't stop it, it hits extremely hard with a base 150 power Gyro Ball which can 2HKO Gliscor, and has bulk that make other common sweepers eat their heart out. It serves a similar function to Metagross, a good Tar/Metagross/Dragon check, and a good buffer. While most Breloom and Heatran counter Bronzong, this Bronzong set actually turns them into lunch meat after you Trick Room. This guy makes offense cry. I admit this set is lackluster against stall, but hey you can still explode on something like Hippo once Rotom is out of the way. Mix Nite is here for stall. Gyro Ball is almost always at 150 base power, which makes it very spammable. Earthquake everything which resists your balls, and Explosion makes a fool out of Suicune etc. It can 2HKO Scarf Rotom W with Rocks. Defensive Rotom H gets covered by Tyranitar, Dragonite, Starmie, and my own Rotom. Vs some teams I just set up Trick Room with Bronzong, then spam CB Stone Edges with Tyranitar. I really like this set, and enjoy the suprise factor. Try it out sometime, with Pursuit weak pokemon. It will help Bronzong get a free turn to set up more easily.
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 6 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
When I wanted a team glue for this team, I wanted one which resisted priority. Although Scarfed Flygon is a fantastic scarf user, he makes me more Skarmory weak and is weak to priority. The resisting priority part was important because I was a bit weak to Scizor and Lucario, and I most certainly did not want to be clean sweeped by a good offensive player packing those. I also did not want ES Dragonite's with Dragon Claw to ruin my day. I did not want to use Scarf Jirachi alongside Metagross and Bronzong in fear of redundant coverage. I did not want to use Scarf Heatran because I would have a brutal ground weakness. Scarfed Rotom was the choice on this team, as it has the best type synergy overall, and it is an excellent check to Suicune which can get pretty troublesome. We all know what Rotom does, and Scarfed Rotom is no different. It checks nearly every sweeper in the OU metagame with its great speed, resistences, and coverage. Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball is great STAB, and I chose to use Hydro Pump to hit Heatran and Tyranitar. Those can be annoying for Rotom W. Trick helps with Blissey, SpDef Heatran, Snorlax, and boosting sweepers. I wanted to add some speed to my team, since only Starmie is quick. Pretty simple at the end of the day. You may call it Pursuit weak, but that means Bronzong gets a free turn to set-up. My team also doesn't give my opponent many set-up opportunities since everything hits remarkably hard. So if Rotom-w gets Pursuited, I can most definitly fight my way back into the match and not let problem pokemon be too troublesome. It can also spinblock my Stealth Rock in a pinch. It is suprisingly bulky.
Rotom-w, CB Tar, Mix Nite, Metagross all lure Bronzong's counters and hit them with great force.
[spoil]This team has consistently been good for me, others like Zephyr, BKC, Nails, thatsjustpeachy, Heist, lunar and Skynet. It hit number 1 on Smogon's DPP OU PO ladder, and made at least semi finals at several different DPP OU Smogon tours in the hands of myself and other players.
I made the finals of a 128 man DPP OU tour with it, only losing to unfortunate hax. It is probably the best team I ever made overall, and it was more than a pleasure building it with Victoria.
Lunar, Thatsjustpeachy, and Heist won a smogon tour with this recently, so cheers![/spoil]
Starmie @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
Starmie is an excellent anti lead in the current metagame, beating most leads while having utility later in the game... and for spinning away Stealth Rock from other leads which helps Dragonite stay alive. It can 2HKO most bulky leads, and the leads that Starmie has trouble with (Machamp, Roserade, etc) all get handled by Metagross while laying down Stealth Rock in the process. Starmie itself is a very hard pokemon to counter, as Starmie has excellent coverage with your STAB and bolt/beam. It can 2HKO many bulky pokemon that would switch in hoping to take another one of your attacks. Some leads actually switch out against Starmie, so I usually predict the switch-in and get a free kill. It hits so extremely hard. All of its common switch-ins like Kingdra, Roserade, and Vaporeon all get manhandled by the rest of the team. Hydro Pump is excellent, albeit risky STAB. Rapid Spin is excellent utility against every team, especially stall. Ice Beam hits grasses, lead Dragonite and Gliscor while providing Bolt/Beam coverage with Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt is mainly for bulky waters of course. While it may seem somewhat lackluster without Recover... one of the main selling points to using Starmie, but remember Starmie is the lead; its not meant to last VERY long. Vs lead Hippo, I usually double switch to CB Tyranitar immediatly to trap the common Blissey partnered with it. Once Blissey is gone, LO Starmie handles most of stall nicely. Hey, it also just so happens to be an Infernape check! Starmie was always a top tier pokemon, and I honestly don't see that changing in gen 5. No fancy EV spread here, just offense.
Metagross @ Lum Berry
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Atk / 24 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Bullet Punch
- Meteor Mash
- Explosion
Metagross is one of the best Stealth Rockers in the game, and for good reason. It has excellent bulk to set it up reliably, resistences/raw attack to force a switch and use it, and the fact that it is never dead weight. Metagross is always useful, taking Draco Meteors, Outrages, Stone Edges, etc while hitting hard back with an excellent STAB in Meteor Mash. Heck, Meteor Mash can even raise your attack. It has actually saved me a few times. Usually Roserade leads will Leaf Storm Starmie in fear of Natural Cure, so Metagross makes a solid switch in and procedes to beat Roserade. It also beats Machamp leads as they will Payback Starmie, which means Metagross gets a free switch in. Metagross wins because of Lum Berry, since you can outspeed Machamp for the 2HKO without any fear of Dynamic Punch hax. Bullet Punch gives you limited, but useful revenge killing capabilities and a way to deal with leads more effectively. It is good for Gengar, Infernape, Breloom, and weakened Dragonite especially. Meteor Mash + BP should OHKO Infernape in Sand. Same with Dragonite. Explosion lets you break walls, with support from Tyranitar to remove ghosts. Metagross is a check to most things in OU which lack a fire move. Skarmory/Forry who would spike on it gets checked by Tyranitar, Starmie, Dragonite, and Rotom W. I can always explode on Skarmory to do around 50% to the SpDef versions. I usually explode on Scizor too because Scizor can be annoying if I give it too much time against my team. EV's give you the maximum defensive potential overall while retaining your offensive prowess, in addition to outrunning Adamant Rhyperior, 20 Spe Breloom, and other lead Metagross.
Dragonite (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 56 Atk / 196 SAtk / 4 Spd
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Roost
- Superpower
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
I have been using Mix Nite on many of my teams recently, and I have been loving it. Mix Nite simply has his way with stall like no other, while having the bulk to Roost and hold his own against slower offensive teams. I run 2 steel types, so why not run Dragonite? They cover each others weaknesses very well, have very similar counters, and do a great job at breaking them down over time. I considered Extreme Speed, but without an attack boosting nature or alot of attack EV's I don't feel it is worth it. I need all the special attack I can get to spam powerful Draco Meteors with little consequence, and I need the bulk to switch into Scizor's U-Turns and to take a +2 Lucario CC after SR. Fire Blast scorches pretty much everything which resists Draco Meteor hold Heatran/Blissey/Snorlax which Superpower covers. Superpower also hits Tyranitar hard. Roost allows me to last for a long time with all the bulk the Dragonite has especially with a spinner. I need to keep him healthy for Shaymin, fighter, and CB Sciz. The attack EV's OHKO Calm Blissey after SR. Dragonite is actually a solid Shaymin check as well, assuming they lack HP Ice, and takes on Skarm for Bronzong to sweep. The best thing about Mixed Dragonite is no matter what the team matchup is, he can actually level the playing field. No matter what kind of team you are running, chances are you are going to have trouble switching into Mixed Dragonite. If I predict correctly, it can break an important member of their core, making my life much easier.
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 168 HP / 248 Atk / 92 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Aqua Tail
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
I honestly have no clue why this Tyranitar set barely sees any play. It is better now than ever due to the suprise factor, and the fact that it is a great Heatran counter hold Torment Tran. In a matter of fact, I was weak to Heatran before I added Tyranitar. Sandstream is very useful on this team, as it helps me wear down Life Orb users while not hurting me nearly as much since I spin Stealth Rock away turn one. Tyranitar is an excellent Rotom check, which helps Bronzong sweep much more easily. This guy checks Zapdos, which this team sorely needed. I use CB Tyranitar early game and just spam Stone Edge most of the time. I like doing that to lure and deal with Scizor and Skarmory effectively. CB Tyranitar can reliable Pursuit any kind of Rotom, in particular the defensive kind since it still can come out on top if it gets burned. CB Tyranitar is a clutch mon because he gets suprise kills, he has few true counters, he takes very little prediction, and has great bulk. Crunch is reliable STAB, while Stone Edge is your STAB which 2HKOs the walls like Skarmory and Forretress. Pursuit gives you a trapping option, which is helpful regardless of the team. Extra helpful for this team though because if you remove Rotom, Metagross and Bronzong become a real battering crew. Aqua Tail can hit Gliscor for a OHKO with SR support, and can 2HKO Hippowodon switch ins. It also gets neutral coverage on pokemon like Machamp. Crunch 2HKO's Metagross and CM Wish Jirachi won't beat this, so losing EQ isn't a big deal at all. It is slow enough to abuse Trick Room if Bronzong is forced to Explode a turn or so early. Choice Band Tyranitar hits so hard, its almost unreal. Speed EVs outrun 16Spe Skarmory.
Bronzong @ Macho Brace
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Trick Room
Two words for this guy. Simply incredible. This is one of the best late game cleaners I have ever used. It resists most priority, scarfers can't stop it, it hits extremely hard with a base 150 power Gyro Ball which can 2HKO Gliscor, and has bulk that make other common sweepers eat their heart out. It serves a similar function to Metagross, a good Tar/Metagross/Dragon check, and a good buffer. While most Breloom and Heatran counter Bronzong, this Bronzong set actually turns them into lunch meat after you Trick Room. This guy makes offense cry. I admit this set is lackluster against stall, but hey you can still explode on something like Hippo once Rotom is out of the way. Mix Nite is here for stall. Gyro Ball is almost always at 150 base power, which makes it very spammable. Earthquake everything which resists your balls, and Explosion makes a fool out of Suicune etc. It can 2HKO Scarf Rotom W with Rocks. Defensive Rotom H gets covered by Tyranitar, Dragonite, Starmie, and my own Rotom. Vs some teams I just set up Trick Room with Bronzong, then spam CB Stone Edges with Tyranitar. I really like this set, and enjoy the suprise factor. Try it out sometime, with Pursuit weak pokemon. It will help Bronzong get a free turn to set up more easily.
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 6 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
When I wanted a team glue for this team, I wanted one which resisted priority. Although Scarfed Flygon is a fantastic scarf user, he makes me more Skarmory weak and is weak to priority. The resisting priority part was important because I was a bit weak to Scizor and Lucario, and I most certainly did not want to be clean sweeped by a good offensive player packing those. I also did not want ES Dragonite's with Dragon Claw to ruin my day. I did not want to use Scarf Jirachi alongside Metagross and Bronzong in fear of redundant coverage. I did not want to use Scarf Heatran because I would have a brutal ground weakness. Scarfed Rotom was the choice on this team, as it has the best type synergy overall, and it is an excellent check to Suicune which can get pretty troublesome. We all know what Rotom does, and Scarfed Rotom is no different. It checks nearly every sweeper in the OU metagame with its great speed, resistences, and coverage. Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball is great STAB, and I chose to use Hydro Pump to hit Heatran and Tyranitar. Those can be annoying for Rotom W. Trick helps with Blissey, SpDef Heatran, Snorlax, and boosting sweepers. I wanted to add some speed to my team, since only Starmie is quick. Pretty simple at the end of the day. You may call it Pursuit weak, but that means Bronzong gets a free turn to set-up. My team also doesn't give my opponent many set-up opportunities since everything hits remarkably hard. So if Rotom-w gets Pursuited, I can most definitly fight my way back into the match and not let problem pokemon be too troublesome. It can also spinblock my Stealth Rock in a pinch. It is suprisingly bulky.
Rotom-w, CB Tar, Mix Nite, Metagross all lure Bronzong's counters and hit them with great force.
[spoil]This team has consistently been good for me, others like Zephyr, BKC, Nails, thatsjustpeachy, Heist, lunar and Skynet. It hit number 1 on Smogon's DPP OU PO ladder, and made at least semi finals at several different DPP OU Smogon tours in the hands of myself and other players.
I made the finals of a 128 man DPP OU tour with it, only losing to unfortunate hax. It is probably the best team I ever made overall, and it was more than a pleasure building it with Victoria.
Lunar, Thatsjustpeachy, and Heist won a smogon tour with this recently, so cheers![/spoil]
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