Rough Return

[zerocielX]

It's been awhile since I've posted a team to get rated here, so I will introduce myself: I am zerocielX, and I used to come here quite often during the BW 1 era. But when BW2 came out I moved down to the UU and RU tiers and stopped coming here at all. And now, I am afraid I kind of suck at OU, so I need some help with this team.

Rain is basically the dominant weather in OU, so things tend to turn rather stale at times. So I decided to run Sand for a chance of pace.

Tyranitar [Reptar] @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Stream
Nature: Adamant
180 HP/ 252 Atk/ 76 Spd

Moves
Crunch
Stone Edge
Superpower
Pursuit​

Suggested to me by Plight of Leon, CB Tyranitar is a powerhouse! Why have I never played with set, I have no idea, but I do know that this thing hits very hard. Crunch and Stone-Edge are Reptar's main forms of STAB, one for reliability and the other one for raw power. Superpower deals with things that actually switch in on these two attack, such as Breloom, Terrakion, and Keldeo, which is always nice. And lastly Pursuit allows Tyranitar to trap weakened Pokemon, for a guaranteed kill, and could help me win the weather war in some situations.

Hydreigon [Muppet] @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
Nature: Modest
4 HP/ 252 Sp.Atk/ 252 Spd

Moves
Draco Meteor
Fire Blast
Earth Power Superpower
Roost​

I've always liked Hydreigon, but I've never actually been able to find a spot for him on any of my teams, so I decided "Why not use him on this one?" His damage output with the Life Orb and a Modest nature is impressive, and he gets some bonus points for not being Pursuit weak. Still, he is rather slow, but hits like a truck. Draco Meteor, with the Life Orb boost, is exceedingly powerful, and creates holes in the opponents team so that Scizor and Reuniclus can have an easier time in the late game. Fire Blast destroys everything else that Draco Meteor can't, except for Heatran of course so that's why I'm also running Earth Power. Superpower rounds up the coverage, and can deal a lot better with Specially Defensive Heatran and Blissey, which otherwise wall Hydreigon. And finally, Roost helps Hydreigon live longer to keep destroying things, since Sandstorm and LO recoil can rack up very quickly.

Scizor [Mechanic] @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
Nature: Adamant/Brave
252 HP/ 252 Atk/ 4 Def

Moves
Bullet Punch
U-Turn
Superpower
Pursuit​

Cb Scizor is probably one of my favorite Pokemon in OU right now. He never fails to disappoint in sweeping late game, or just dishing out some serious damage with those U-Turns. Bullet Punch and U-Turn are basically a given on a standard Cb Scizor. U-turn to dish out some serious damage while gaining offensive momentum, and Bullet Punch working as some powerful priority in the late game. Superpower helps Scizor deal with things like Heatran and Magnezone, expecting a Bullet Punch, but otherwise doesn't get much usage. Now for the final slot, I'm having a hard time deciding on what to run. Pursuit is extremely handy in trapping serious threats, like Latios locked in to Draco Meteor, or can get a surprise KO on a weakened Pokemon attempting to flee, but like Superpower, I don't use it as often. Quick Attack, on the other hand, can help Scizor deal with things like Keldeo which resist Bullet Punch, and screw over Scizor. Either moves seems very situational, but I don't know which will help me out more.

Jellicent [Generic] @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
Nature: Calm
252 HP/ 36 Def/ 220 Sp. Def

Moves
Will-o-Wisp
Shadow Ball Taunt
Recover
Surf​

Jellicent over here helps with the glaring fighting weakness my team has, and completely shuts down most Keldeo sets (who is a HUGE threat to my team!) I decided to run with Will-o-Wisp+Surf, rather than Scald+Toxic, because having to rely on the 30% on Scald wasn't really cutting it. And besides, Surf's slightly higher base power could come in handy in taking out something that Scald could have left with a sliver of health. Recover is what makes Jellicent stand out from all the other Bulky water types, since instant recovery is pretty hard to come by (as far as I know, only Jellicent and Starmie get Recover) And lastly, Shadow Ball works as a decent secondary STAB and can help prevent Latias from setting up right on it. Most of the time..... Taunt is surprisingly helpful, not gonna lie

A little side note, I was actually running Shadow Ball+ Ice Beam, rather than Surf because I wanted to be a hipster, but that didn't work out so well....

Amoonguss [zZZz] @ Black Sludge
Trait: Regenerator
Nature: Bold
252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 Sp.Atk

Moves
Spore
Giga Drain
Clear SmogStun Spore
Protect Hidden Power Ice​

Amoonguss works as the secondary Fighting sponge, and a sleep inducer. That's his real purpose, cause doesn't do much besides that. Giga Drain works in conjunction with Regenerator to keep Amoonguss are really high health for the majority of the time. Clear Smog is really useful move, but the fact that it doesn't work through Subs really sucks. So I decided to run Sludge Bomb, as a stronger secondary STAB to work with. And finally, Protect is more of a filler move, I don't know if I should replace it with Hidden Power Ice or something....

CedOmega suggested I try out the Double Spore set, and I gotta say, it works like a charm. Put something to sleep on the first turn, then on the switch, cripple the incoming threat with paralysis. At most, I will be able to cripple two Pokemon, but that really helps out the rest of my team (seeing as I don't have a Scarfed revenged killer. YET!) And lastly, suggested by Plight of Leon, I gave it HP Ice, for some extra coverage, and seeing as I don't have anyone on my team with an Ice-type move, Amoonguss will be the candidate

Reuniclus [Lute] @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
Nature: Quiet
192 HP/ 252 Sp.Atk/ 64 Def

Moves
Trick Room
Psychic
Shadow Ball
Focus Blast​

I've recently fallen in love with this guy. His damage output in incredible, and he is bulky enough to abuse a recoilless LO (unlike Alakazam, who typically run a Focus Sash). With just Rocks set up on the field, all Reuniclus needs is to set up Trick Room, and go on a four-turn Outrage (see what I did there........never mind). Although Psyshock allows Reuniclus to run a pseudo-mixed set, I prefer Psychic's higher base power, and the chance to lower Special Defense is pretty handy at times. Shadow Ball and Focus Miss Blast cover anything and everything that can take Psychic, making sure that nothing is safe from Lute's fury!!!





So that's my team. Please don't be shy in criticizing my team choices, or sets; I am here to improve. Thank you for reading and I look forward to your critiques







Changes
Testing CB Tyranitar > Specially Defensive Tyranitar
Earth Power -> Superpower of Hydreigon
Protect -> HP Ice on Amoonguss
Clear Smog -> Stun Spore on Amoonguss
Shadow Ball -> Taunt on Jellicent
Testing Choice Scarf Landorus-I (with Sand Force; replaced Hydreigon)
Replaced Reuniclus with Hydreigon (Still testing)

 

[tomatohater]

Hi zerocielX,

I have no skill at rating teams, but I have noticed a mistake. On Jellicent you have 252 HP EV's, 36 Def EV's and 252 Sp.D EV's, which is way over 510 EV's.

Sorry that I can't help you in any other way though.

See ya

 

[zerocielX]

Hi zerocielX,

I have no skill at rating teams, but I have noticed a mistake. On Jellicent you have 252 HP EV's, 36 Def EV's and 252 Sp.D EV's, which is way over 510 EV's.

Sorry that I can't help you in any other way though.

See ya

Oh woops. I guess that's what happens when you type this up at 5 AM with no sleep XD

 

[Rapidgator]

Did you consider Expert Belt in Hydreigon, it won't cause recoil damage and the 10% of damage difference isn't a big thing

 

[zerocielX]

Did you consider Expert Belt in Hydreigon, it won't cause recoil damage and the 10% of damage difference isn't a big thing

Except that with the Expert Belt, unless Hydreigon lands a super effective hit, most Pokemon will be able to shrug off its attacks. With the Life Orb, however, Hydreigon can be guaranteed to hit as hard as possible, and since I'm also running Roost, the recoil really isn't much of a problem.

 

[zerocielX]

Ah, bump?

I also made some minor changes, such as making Jellicent a little bit bulkier from the physical side, while aslo replacing Amoonguss with a Specially Defensive Roserade. Changes are still not final though, so I haven't changed the OP yet.

 

[HeyI'mChubby]

Standard. I'm not much of an OU battler myself, but I suggest dropping WoW for Taunt and switching Surf to Scald. I'm also confused on why you have some alternate moves on some Pokemon. For example, you have Pursuit and Quick Attack on Scizor. Do you commonly switch? Or are you looking to whether you want some advice on which move to choose?

 

[Rosez66]

I see electric moves particularly volt switch the thunder being a problem you have amongst but eh, he is no offensive threat, and you also have no scarfer, for this reason I would suggest getting rid of reun, for sand force Landrous with a choice scarf, now you would have the two things that your team could need and before you say in sand sheer force Landrous doesn't outclass it. Lol, anyway sorry about it being so short but I'm in a hurry

 

[CedOmega]

Hello ZerocielX, pretty cool Sand team you've got here. That said, it seems you have a bit too much specially offensive pressure here.

Not to rip off Rosez66's suggestion of Landorus being a good fit for the team, but the standard Naive Landorus-I set of Earthquake, Stone Edge, Hidden Power(Ice) & U-turn and a spread of 252 Attack/ 4 Sp.Attack/ 252 Speed with a Choice Scarf would do wonders for your team. It not only recieves a +1 in Speed from having Choice Scarf, thus granting it the ability to OHKO any form of Volcarona threat, it also is blessed with the boost in attack from power from Sand Force ability. Keep in mind that only its STAB Earthquake and Stone Edge receive the boosts, while Hidden Power(Ice) and U-turn deal the usual damage. Speaking of its benefits, Landorus-I also serves as the team's scout outside of Scizor's U-Turn dependency. Hidden Power(Ice) 2HKOs bulky Gliscor variants, while often OHKO/2HKO'ing opposing Landorus variants which is a decent staple to have for the team.

Spoiler: Scarfed Landorus-I

:645:
Landorus-I @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Force
Naive nature
252 Attack/ 4 Sp.Attack/ 252 Speed
Earthquake, Stone Edge, Hidden Power(Ice) & U-turn

Next, I'd suggest a more effective set of Giga Drain, Clear Smog, Spore & Stun Spore for Amoongus. This teams would seem to struggle against common Scarfers and Speed boosters like the before mentioned Volcarona[without Landorus], Double Dance Landorus-T, and Scizor(though rare) & Jirachi. Stun Spore puts a solid halt on their beneficial speed boost and allows the remainder of the team to KO it.

Spoiler: Amoongus

::
Amoongus @ BlackSludge/Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
Bold nature
Giga Drain, Clear Smog, Spore & Stun Spore

These few changes should help your team immensely, but if it opens up any more holes in its bulild for you, I'll see if I can fix that up as well. Haha. Well, good luck with the team and I wish you luck with your return to OU.

 

[Plight of Leon]

Looking at this team, I'm not sure why you are using that Tyranitar. Rain doesn't really hamper your team all to much, and the specially defensive version can't do much to many common Pokemon on rain, kinda defeating the purpose of having him outlive Rain. I would recommend a Banded Tyranitar. This Tyranitar is much better for the team than the version you have now, since it can do a lot more. It Pursuit traps Pokemon like Starmie, Celebi etc that might give your team problems. Plus, it has amazing offensive presence, and it is still pretty bulky even without special defense investment.

I would recommend Superpower over Earth Power on Hydreigon. If you are using Life Orb, this is the way to go. It hits Heatran very hard, and since most Heatran are specially defensive(or offensive), you won't really miss Earth Power all to much. Plus, it nails the fat pink blobs which wall Hydreigon completely.

Your Scizor is fine. Don't worry about Quick Attack, it really isn't useful. A spread of 248 HP/ 252 Atk/ 8 Sp. Def would be better since it hits a SR number. Also, no Brave, there is no point to using it at all.

Jellicent should be running Taunt over Shadow Ball. Starmie needs LO Thunders to break through Jelli as it is, and Tyranitar easily scares her away. Taunt keeps Pokemon like Ferrothorn or Forretress from setting up on you.

Amoonguss looks good, but make sure to give it HP Ice though. I becomes a fantastic check to Landorus-T with that. Though, you might want to change it to Physically Defensive Ferrothorn if you use Banded Tyranitar since the hazard goes a long way to help. Both are good options though, and if you are confident that you can wear down threats without hazards, go ahead and keep Amoonguss.

On the jelly...I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with that. You don't really need anymore physical force, but he can be a liability against VoltTurn teams. If you are still looking for a powerful nuke, ignore the physical Landorus and go with Sheer Force Landorus. It can boost with Rock Polish to give it enough speed to outrun everything in the tier, and comes with an extremely powerful Earth Power and Focus Blast. Just to give a hint on how powerful it is, it has a stronger Focus Blast than jelly, and its Earth Power also hits harder against neutral opponents.

tl;dr

Spoiler: .

Specially Defensive Tyranitar -> Banded Tyranitar
Earth Power -> Superpower on Hydreigon
Shadow Ball -> Taunt on Jellicent
*possibly* Amoonguss -> Ferrothorn
*possibly* Reuniclus -> Sheer Force Landorus

 

[zerocielX]

Thanks for the suggestion guys. I'm a currently testing out CB Tyranitar, Double Spore Amoonguss with HP Ice, and gave Hydreigon Superpower.
I really want to add Choice Scarf Landorus-I, but I don't know who to boot out, since I don't wanna take out Reuniclus (I like it too much :3)

 

[CedOmega]

Sorry. That was my fault. Haha. I neglected to mention that Landorus fits in over Hydreigon on the team.

 

[zerocielX]

Sorry. That was my fault. Haha. I neglected to mention that Landorus fits in over Hydreigon on the team.

Oh, okay thanks. I'll test the team out with the Landorus now.