Huge thanks to MiniArchitect on Smogon for the awesome banner =]
Hello Serebii. My name is Clone. Although I'm not extremely active here anymore, many of you probably know who I am by now, as my claim to fame is running the OU Player of the Week project in the OU Subforum on Smogon, while on here I'm known for being a part of the prestigious Submerged Embassy Guild. Aside from that, I join tournaments in the Tournaments Subforum, where my success is pretty inconsistent =[. I have decided to make it an RMT of my favorite ORAS team. The team, which I have titled "Brains and Brawn" is a Hyper Offense team based around the Metagross-Keldeo core that I absolutely adore (I even like to claim that I created it since I was the first to post about it hehe bwoi). I normally don't play hyper offense, but this team was created back when Greninja was still legal in OU. Since he gave most of my balance teams problems, I decided to move out of my comfort zone and create a hyper offense team to better handle Greninja, as well as the rest of the Metagame.
I used this team quite extensively, as I tested it against friends, used in in Serebii War matches (yes I came from Serebii; sue me), and achieved suspect reqs during the Greninja Suspect period. This is my favorite and most successful ORAS team to date, and I have no intentions of retiring it any time soon. You're probably bored of reading this long-*** intro by now, so I'll move onto the teambuilding process.
Teambuilding Process
I started off with my favorite offensive core of Metagross + Keldeo. I made Keldeo a Choice Scarfed variant to better take on offense while simultaneously checking the threats it needed to, mainly Lando T, Bisharp, and Greninja, while also handling Gyarados as I chose HP Electric as its coverage move.
I needed a hazard setter, and I wanted one that was capable of punching holes early game, while also beating Mega Sableye 1v1. Two mons fit the bill, being Lando I and SD Lum Berry Garchomp. I chose Garchomp simply because it has Rough Skin, which gets chip damage against physical attackers, while also not being weak to Aqua Jet and having better overall resistances. So far I have not been disappointed.
Raikou. I've fallen in love with this mon. He's so good right now it's not even funny. He checks a bunch of ****, including burdz, any bulky water (bar Quag. **** Quag and every other stall mon out there.), Gengar, Thundurus, and (Mega) Scizor. I'm using the AV set to better be able to do this, as I find Choice Specs to be a set that wouldn’t really fit this team. I mainly use Raikou as a pivot and late game cleaner thanks to his great speed tier.
Gengar, Clefable's evil shadow (if you don't know this myth look it up cuz it's pretty ****in cool). Gengar is a huge threat to balance teams right now, and seeing as how balance had a decent match up against me so far, it was a no brainer to pick Gengar. Aside from balance, Hyper Offense has literally zero switch ins to the 3 Attacks LO set bar TTar and Bisharp, which are incredibly obvious and can be played around accordingly. Speaking of Bisharp…
Bisharp was chosen because he's a great mon right now, and because he has Defiant. As this is a Hyper Offense team, I forewent removing hazards myself, and I wanted to prevent opposing teams from doing the same. Bisharp was the optimal choice, as it checks the main Defoggers in OU (Lati@s), and still puts in work when they aren’t present. I've been alternating between the fast AV set and Black Glasses SD, although I feel more comfortable with AV as it gives me a better safety net against the Fairies I often switch into.
Since I have nothing else to say, time to see the team more in-depth:
The Team
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hammer Arm
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Zen Headbutt
What better way to start the team off than to start with the star of the team? Metagross is one of my favorite mons, and him getting a Mega Evolution only solidified his place in my personal ranking of favorite mons. Regardless, Metagross's effectiveness in the current meta is amazing, as he sports great power, speed, and bulk to make for a formidable tank that threatens any playstyle. Metagross is one of the main wallbreakers on the team (alongside Gengar and Garchomp), and doubles as a crucial Fairy check that every team needs, as well as checking the Latis and Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion. The set I chose to run is the standard all-out attacker set, as I had no need for an agility set and a bulky set would actually hurt the team as it would lose out on crucial speed ties as well as be slower than Keldeo, a pretty big threat to my team. Since Speed ties are the bane of my existence, as well as Mega Diancie and Scarf mons, I chose Bullet Punch over Grass Knot / Ice Punch. If you're gonna rate this team please do not suggest to replace it, because Bullet Punch is so clutch its not even funny. Aside from revenge killing faster things that have been weakened, Bullet Punch also allows me to avoid Speed ties from Latios at 40%, Gengar at 50%, and Mega Gallade at half if it has already used Close Combat. Avoiding speed ties and potential Meteor Misses has won me too many games to count, and is definitely one of the most important moves on the set. Every other move is standard, and I chose Hammer Arm over Earthquake because **** Ferrothorn. EVs are standard.
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Part two of the KeldeoGross core I innovated. Keldeo is simply amazing, and it's not hard to see why. He has great dual STABs in Water / Fighting, and the single, most spammable move in the game, Scald. As for his role on the team, I use him as a general safety net against offense, as I chose to run the Choice Scarf variant over Specs. Most notably, this set takes on Scarfed Lando T, Scarfed Excadrill, and +1 DDers such as Zard X and Mega Gyara very well, which is invaluable to my team as they would otherwise plow through it. Additionally, Keldeo is my Bisharp check, as that thing is a huge threat in the meta and having a check to it (especially when running Mega Metagross) is necessary to not get destroyed by it. Additionally, Keldeo lures in stuff like the Lati twins, Slowbro, and Amoonguss, which allow me to get in my heavy hitters through smart double switching, which can really pressure my opponents. I still need to get better at this, but there's no better feeling than doubling to Gengar on a Slowbro switch in and getting a free kill. As for the set itself, it's just a standard Scarf set with HP Electric as its coverage move to take on Gyarados a bit better. I honestly never use it so switching to HP Ice might be a good option, but idk.
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Dragon Claw
Ahh, Garchomp, another one of my favorite mons. He's lost a lot of glory since his initial DPP days, but he's still a great mon. His bulky, typing, speed, and offensive presence are what makes him the best Stealth Rock lead in the game. I needed rocks to score the usual 1/2HKOes, and I needed a setter that maintained offensive presence, while also threatening hazard removers. I had two options to choose from: Garchomp and Lando I. I used both, and by far Garchomp has been the better choice 100% of the time. Its typing gives it a much needed Fire resist, while also sporting a neutrality to Rotom's Hydro Pump, which otherwise threatened Lando I too much for my liking. Anyways, Garchomp was chosen, and I chose the Lum SD set for immediate offensive presence, as it can set up on bulky waters and not give a **** about Scald, while also beating Mega Sableye 1v1 thanks to absorbing Will o on the first turn. Additionally, should Garchomp live past the first 4 turns of the match, it acts as a check to **** like Heatran, Magnezone, and TTar. It also takes on annoying things like Ferro, as a +2 earthquake weakens it to the point where it can't wall half my team anymore, Leech Seed or not. Lastly, Garchomp makes for a great sac late game, as Rough Skin can get off that crucial damage needed for a teammate to revenge kill certain physical attackers, such as Metagross, Lando-T (as it spams U-Turn against my team 99% of the time), and Talonflame.
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
Raikou is a mon that is really underrated and really underappreciated. During late XY, Mega Manectric was everywhere, as it had advantages over Raikou such as intimidate, better speed, and a better Special Attack. However, things changed in ORAS, as the competition for a Mega slot hurt Mega Mane's viability quite a bit, causing it to plummet in usage. However, Raikou has stepped up to take its place on many a team, including mine. Raikou's role on the team is to act as a safety net against Talonflame, as well as checking the likes of Gengar, Keldeo, Thundurus, and the Lati twins reliably. I chose an Assault Vest for this reason, as Specs was too prediction reliant for my team and the added Special Bulk along with the ability to switch moves was needed. Additionally, Raikou is my only "true" form of gaining momentum, as it's the only mon on my team with a switching move. It's useful for gaining momentum against slower teams once their Ground-type is gone, as well as gaining chip damage. The set itself is the standard AV set, with enough speed to outrun Thundurus. Shadow Ball is the coverage move of choice to hit the likes of Gengar, Latios, and most importantly, Mega Metagross.
Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Taunt
- Focus Blast
Gengar is another underrated threat in the meta atm. He hits insanely hard with his STABs, has good speed, and gets perfect three move coverage, which leaves the last slot open for a support move. Gengar is used on my team to break down opposing defensive cores to pave way for a sweep with either Bisharp or Metagross, depending on the opponent's team. Balance teams were annoying at the time that I added Gengar, so having a mon that takes on these common fat cores is too good to pass up. Shadow Ball is the main move I spam, as it hits everything bar Dark-types hard, and has a nice SpDef drop chance. Sludge Wave hits fairies and Chesnaught hard, because that mon is annoying and being walled by it when you would otherwise OHKO it is ****ing retarded. Who gives a **** about poisoning with Sludge Bomb when you hit harder and get past something that otherwise walls you? I have Taunt in the third slot because **** stall and I have nothing better to put there. Sub could be nice but Gengar is really hit and run and despite his frailty, I really dont like him being worn down to the point where he can only get off a few attack. Focus Miss goes in the last slot because **** TTar, Heatran, and Ferrothorn. **** hax too. IVs hit a LO number.
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
What is Hyper Offense without Bisharp? No seriously, why would you run HO without this guy? Defiant helps keep rocks up, and Bisharp itself is a huge threat. Jolly SD is really good right now, as it sets up on a lot of **** and outspeeds otherwise would be checks like Heatran, Adamant Mamoswine, and Dragonite, to name a few. I had been switching between SD and AV for the longest time, but I finally settled on SD because it ****s up offense better and having a wincon that just BS's its way through offense after a boost was really appealing to me. Aside from being a wincon, Bisharp acts as one of my Lati checks as it deters Defog and scares them out with Sucker Punch to give me a free SD. Additionally, it takes on Mega Metagross after a little prior damage or a boost, and it's one of my main switch ins to Clefable as he forces her out and can get a potential free Defiant boost from the SpAtk drop from Moonblast. Bisharp is usually my main wincon because offense, and even some balance, have few ways to deal with this outside of Keldeo, for which I have Gross, Raikou, and even Gengar and my own Keldeo for. Once that thing is dead all I need is a free turn and 9 times out of 10 its gg from there. I have Glasses over LO because I hate having my sweep ended prematurely from dying to my own LO recoil.
Conclusion
Overall, this team has been very successful for me. It was the team I used to achieve voting reqs during the Greninja Suspect Test, and netted me a pretty decent 50-24 record during my time on the ladder (I did change Garchomp to Lando at one point to try it out, and ended up losing like 12 matches out of 18). It has also fared well in OU Room tours, as it and another one of my teams got me first place. However, this team is not perfect, as it does have its fair share of weaknesses. Ground types give my team problems, as my only immunity is Gengar, which forces me to play a lot more aggressively when facing something like a Scarf Lando-T. Additionally, stall is a ***** to face, and this team almost auto loses against it unless I make plays all game. This is a ***** to do and honestly not worth the effort most of the time so I usually just forfeit because **** stall and **** the people who wanna waste other people's time. Lastly, Rain Offense poses a big problem to my team, as I'm forced to sack things when the opposing player is competent. It's not an impossible matchup, but it forces me to play way more aggressively than I'm comfortable playing.
Importable
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hammer Arm
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Zen Headbutt
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Dragon Claw
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Taunt
- Focus Blast
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hammer Arm
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Zen Headbutt
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Dragon Claw
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Taunt
- Focus Blast
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
Last edited:
