The Imposter
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With the recent banning of Aegislash and Mawilite, the Fairy type in general has gotten a lot better. So, I decided to just slap three really strong fairies on a team, add some generic support, and see how it would work. The result is an insanely fun team that has the ability to win in some really clutch situations. It’s more of a fun team than anything, but it actually isn’t half bad so I decided to share it. Here’s how to play it: click Hyper Voice whenever possible to win, and if they have a bunch of steel types then cuss at them a bunch and ragequit. Pretty simple. Now, onto the team.
AT A GLANCE
A CLOSER LOOK
Gardevoir (F) @
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- MIGHTY SCREAM
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
Mega Gardevoir has risen from the depths and become a top threat in the XY OU metagame. Defensive teams crumble under the power of her MIGHTY SCREAM, and offensive teams can still give her free switches. A large part of how this team is played is bringing Gardevoir or Sylveon in safely and generally punching through their one or two Fairy resists. After that, there’s no stopping the sheer power of these offensive juggernauts. Mega Gardevoir is important because her STAB Psyshocks break through popular Poison types and special walls like Amoonguss and Chansey, and her Focus Blast is a semi-reliable way of crippling Steel types. Will-O-Wisp also cripples the physical attackers that like to take advantage of her, turning her god-awful physical bulk into something resembling tolerable. The EVs allow her to live two Life Orb Latios Psyshocks every time as long as Rocks are not down.
Sylveon (F) @
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- MIGHTY SCREAM
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Baton Pass
Specs Sylveon may seem unusual to some, but in reality she is a terrifying threat that catches many opponents off guard. Like Gardevoir, her main weapon is the MIGHTY SCREAM, though with her Choice Specs equipped her sheer power makes Gardevoir green with envy. Her Psyshock isn’t as strong as Gardevoir’s thanks to a lack of STAB, but it gets the job done and Sylveon has like no movepool at all lmao. Hidden Power Fire makes this a great lure for Ferrothorn and Scizor, and it will hit both on the switch for an OHKO after some prior damage. Baton Pass is filler, but I guess it makes a momentum core with Lando-T… kinda…. Considering swapping it for Shadow Ball to hit the Jirachis and Doublades that are starting to show up now. The EVs allow her to outspeed minimum speed Tyranitar, accounting for the IV drop from HP Fire.
Azumarill (M) @
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
My first team in months that hasn’t used AV Azumarilll… is using BD Azumarill. I apparently have a problem with needing Azumarill on every single team I make. But seriously, Azumarill is possibly the best Pokemon in OU right now (Thundurus and him can both hold the #1 spot depending on how offensive the meta is). Azumarill is most commonly used as a pivot and/or wallbreaker now, but in this team he’s used as a late-game sweeper with Belly Drum. Azu cleans up after Gardevoir and Sylveon have done their thing, as most teams either rely on a Thunderbolt Lati@s or a Ferrothorn to check BD Azu now, from my experience. Those are easily dismantled by my fairies, so frequently teams will be left unable to handle Azumarill when the time comes for him to take the stage. He works just fine without using Belly Drum, too, which is frequently the case if my opponent has multiple things that could easily end a sweep. If that does happen, Azumarill just adds to the fairy spam, bringing many teams to their knees quickly. The priority is also greatly appreciated as this team is pretty slow. The EVs let him outspeed minimum Speed Mega Scizor and Aqua Jet it before it can Bullet Punch.
Magnezone @
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
As suggested by MMS, Scarf Heatran has been replaced by Scarf Magnezone, and I am loving the change. It helps so much against the Waters my team is weak to, and creates deadly mindgames that discourage Steel types from staying in too long against my fairies. Magnet Pull also allows it to trap those Steels if they predict wrong, thus allowing the MIGHTY SCREAMS to go on unabated. It is a far better check to Mega Pinsir and Talonflame than Heatran was, as it now has a STAB super effective attack to handle it. It also creates a true Volt-Turn core with Lando-T, safely bringing in the fairies. Jolly SD Talonflame is now very annoying, however, so I'm considering running Magneton over this for the extra speed. For now, though, Magnezone's been serving me very well.
Landorus-Therian (M) @
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 184 HP / 220 Def / 104 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
This thing works his way onto almost every single team I make, and this one is no exception. He’s arguably the most reliable setter of Stealth Rock in the tier, which tends to force in a Lati twin to Defog away the hazards. That gives Gardevoir a free switch to throw around her MIGHTY SCREAMS. Beyond that, he’s also my only true sand offense check, so it’s important to keep him healthy if your opponent is using that. Him and Magnezone constitute my defense against bird spam, too. He also stops Charizard X in its tracks, and gives most physical attackers a hard time. Even uninvested, his Attack is excellent, and his physical bulk combined with Intimidate is just superb. With the way I play, he’s almost never my lead, as people see it in Team Preview and counter-lead it all the time. Typically, I try to lead with Latias or Gardevoir to put pressure on the opponent’s team by turn 1. The EVs allow him to outspeed Jolly max speed Tyranitar pre-Mega whil optimizing physical bulk.
Latias (F) @
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Defog
- Healing Wish
The team’s white mage, for lack of a better term, Latias does a lot of things for the team. Obviously, she’s the team’s Defogger, but she does so much more than that. With Thunderbolt, she’s my only solid answer to post-Drum Azumarill, but with the offensive presence this team creates it’s typically difficult for opposing Azumarill to Belly Drum anyway. Her Draco Meteors add to the constant pressure forced on the opponent’s Steel types, and inflict a ton of damage in general. The real kicker here, however, is Healing Wish. Tactical use of it allows you to fully restore a crippled Gardevoir or Sylveon to full destructive capacity, meaning that you can break even further for a sweep. Hazard control isn’t as important for this team as it would be for some, but having Defog is always a good thing in case you’re facing a Sticky Web team or something like that. I originally had Hidden Power Fire over Thunderbolt, but Azumarill was a huge threat so I changed it. EVs give a Life Orb number and allow Latias to always OHKO standard Landorus after Stealth Rock.
will edit in fully later once I’m not so lazy; until then, suicune, azumarill, rain offense, mega medicham, the based gunk shot infernape, and entrainment durant + sub/cm/protect gothitelle
FAIRY (Gardevoir) (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
FAIRY (Sylveon) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Baton Pass
FAIRY (Azumarill) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
NOT A FAIRY (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
NOT A FAIRY (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 184 HP / 220 Def / 104 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
NOT A FAIRY (Latias) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
FAIRY (Sylveon) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Baton Pass
FAIRY (Azumarill) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
NOT A FAIRY (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
NOT A FAIRY (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 184 HP / 220 Def / 104 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
NOT A FAIRY (Latias) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Conclusion:
Fairy spam is definitely a fun playstyle to use. It isn’t as good as its brother flying spam, but it needs a lot less support to function and is certainly viable. The metagame is becoming more and more prepared to handle it, with new threats like Jirachi and Bronzong rising in popularity, but it’s still a fun style if you hate games that last more than 20 turns.
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