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Single Rates - READ THE FIRST POST

Playful Latios

@Soul Dew
Life Orb is a common on for Electivire because it gives it more power. Because it doesn't have the best defenses in the world anyway, the HP recoil doesn't bother it. I would use Wild Charge over Thunder Punch because it is slightly more powerful.

Another option you could do is give it Choice Scarf and then replace Thunder Wave with Earthquake to make it a revenge killer.
 

ChaosBlizzard

Crit Happens.
^^ Definitely go for EQ over Twave, regardless of your item. Electivire isn't bulky enough to lay status. Also, while those are both good suggestions for an item, a third option to consider would be the Expert Belt, which is viable on him due to his huge coverage. I like the idea of a scarf Electivire however.

* * *

282-m.png

Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Nature: Timid
Ability: Trace / Pixilate
EVs: See explanation
-Wish
-Calm Mind
-Hyper Voice
-Shadow Ball

This is for UU, not OU. Gardevoir has long been my favorite Pokemon, and I've always wanted to make her work in higher tiers. After a lot of trying, I've finally convinced myself that Gardevoir just wasn't meant to be a sweeper; she just lacks enough speed and power, and while she could previously fix one with a choice item, it left her wanting for the other. However, between receiving a Mega and gaining defensively awesome Fairy-typing, I think she finally has the tools to make it in at least UU (although I'm still very skeptical that she'll work in OU). As a bulky Calm Mind user, I think she will excel.

Calm Mind has been the only really successful way of running her anything but support in the past. It boosts both her offensive and defensive capabilities, so as long as she can avoid physical hits, she has a lot of staying power. Combined with Wish, she could be very difficult to take down. Hyper Voice (as a Fairy-type move due to Pixilate) and Shadow Ball give her perfect neutral coverage, and fairly unresisted coverage at that. Psychic is redundant with Fairy offensively, and Thunderbolt or Focus Blast don't hit very much harder than she can with Fairy/Ghost. Furthermore, I know this is consideration outside of the set as a standalone thing, but the team she would be fitting onto already has a physical wall, can handle her weaknesses, and would benefit greatly from a Wish passer; it would however benefit from something that can tank special hits easily, like a CM Gardevoir could.

The one thing I'm really stuck on is the EVs. In-game, I have a shiny, flawless, Timid one, so Timid is the nature I have to go with. I'm guessing I want to max her Speed, or at least get close enough to outspeed a benchmark. Base 100 Speed in her Mega form is nothing to scoff at, especially in UU, so I imagine just maxing it is probably the way to go instead of trying to be cute with it though. After that, obviously the rest gets dumped in Special Attack or HP. I'm thinking I probably want to put it in HP, both to make her bulkier (her primary role, afterall; remember, not a sweeper) and to allow her to pass bigger Wishes to her teammates. However, everything I'm reading about how to use Mega Gardevoir maxes Special Attack first and figures out everything else later. I think I'm pretty solid on everything about this set but the EVs; any suggestions here would be appreciated.
 

Aeon™

Rock Ultimate
^^ Definitely go for EQ over Twave, regardless of your item. Electivire isn't bulky enough to lay status. Also, while those are both good suggestions for an item, a third option to consider would be the Expert Belt, which is viable on him due to his huge coverage. I like the idea of a scarf Electivire however.

* * *

282-m.png

Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Nature: Timid
Ability: Trace / Pixilate
EVs: See explanation
-Wish
-Calm Mind
-Hyper Voice
-Shadow Ball

This is for UU, not OU. Gardevoir has long been my favorite Pokemon, and I've always wanted to make her work in higher tiers. After a lot of trying, I've finally convinced myself that Gardevoir just wasn't meant to be a sweeper; she just lacks enough speed and power, and while she could previously fix one with a choice item, it left her wanting for the other. However, between receiving a Mega and gaining defensively awesome Fairy-typing, I think she finally has the tools to make it in at least UU (although I'm still very skeptical that she'll work in OU). As a bulky Calm Mind user, I think she will excel.

Calm Mind has been the only really successful way of running her anything but support in the past. It boosts both her offensive and defensive capabilities, so as long as she can avoid physical hits, she has a lot of staying power. Combined with Wish, she could be very difficult to take down. Hyper Voice (as a Fairy-type move due to Pixilate) and Shadow Ball give her perfect neutral coverage, and fairly unresisted coverage at that. Psychic is redundant with Fairy offensively, and Thunderbolt or Focus Blast don't hit very much harder than she can with Fairy/Ghost. Furthermore, I know this is consideration outside of the set as a standalone thing, but the team she would be fitting onto already has a physical wall, can handle her weaknesses, and would benefit greatly from a Wish passer; it would however benefit from something that can tank special hits easily, like a CM Gardevoir could.

The one thing I'm really stuck on is the EVs. In-game, I have a shiny, flawless, Timid one, so Timid is the nature I have to go with. I'm guessing I want to max her Speed, or at least get close enough to outspeed a benchmark. Base 100 Speed in her Mega form is nothing to scoff at, especially in UU, so I imagine just maxing it is probably the way to go instead of trying to be cute with it though. After that, obviously the rest gets dumped in Special Attack or HP. I'm thinking I probably want to put it in HP, both to make her bulkier (her primary role, afterall; remember, not a sweeper) and to allow her to pass bigger Wishes to her teammates. However, everything I'm reading about how to use Mega Gardevoir maxes Special Attack first and figures out everything else later. I think I'm pretty solid on everything about this set but the EVs; any suggestions here would be appreciated.

Personally I would dump them all into Special Attack, but one thing you can do is split the evs. Put some amount in Special Attack and then some into HP. Keep in mind what KOs you need to net with Gardevoir, and then put enough into Special Attack to get the OHKOs and 2HKOs you need. The other thing recommend is if you're using Gardevoir as a wish passer is make the HP an odd number, that way you take less from hazards.
 

vochelli

New Member
When searching for Greninja I didn't find any other posts about it, so here I go:

Greninja-Focus Sash
Ability:Torrent
EVs: 252 Att, 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Waterfall
- Water Shuriken
- Night Slash
- Power-up Punch

It seems weird and counter-intuitive to the standard protean Greninja but bear with me. I send out Greninja first turn and use power-up punch, and I then get hit and (most likely) drop down to low or 1HP. At this point, my water attacks will be boosted from Torrent activating, from power-up punch, and from stab, leading to a 2.5 times damage increase for water moves. If the opponent doesn't resist water attacks, I think they would then go down to a waterfall (I don't quite understand the damage calculator, so I can't figure it out mathematically). I would then continue to sweep. If they think they can get me with a priority Talonflame, I can be saved by using water shuriken and having the Jolly nature, since Greninja will be faster than Talonflame if it is adamant (which I get the impression most people may use); to an Aqua jet Azumarill I of course would be screwed. Is this a conceivable moveset for sweeping? Its biggest advantage would be that the opponent would be expecting a protean Greninja, and they would respond to it like that. If it works, I can forsee fainting 1.5 pokemon on average.
 

McDanger

Well-Known Member
ya except you would have to lead with that and its not that good. Even at + 1 Greninja won't be really killing much even with its speed due to the amount of priorities in the game, forcing it to lean on water shuriken most of the time, which is unreliable as far as damage.

cant get torrent to work on the calc so i used a LO as its a close match
+1 252 Atk Life Orb Greninja Water Shuriken (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 87-105 (33.3 - 40.2%)
+1 252 Atk Life Orb Greninja Water Shuriken (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Lucario: 129-156 (45.9 - 55.5%)
+1 252 Atk Life Orb Greninja Water Shuriken (3 hits) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard Y in Sun: 141-171 (47.3 - 57.3%)
+1 252 Atk Life Orb Greninja Water Shuriken (3 hits) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard X: 108-132 (36.2 - 44.2%)
252 Atk Life Orb Greninja Water Shuriken (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Landorus-T: 171-210 (44.7 - 54.9%)

overall the set is inferior to Greninja's standard set as at best it 2hkoes common OU threats while the just KO back
 

Hatmaster15

Dunsparce Defender
Hey guys, this is one of the first kinda competitive pokemon I've been working on, see what you think :L

Dusknoir@ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Evs: 252 HP/252 Def/ 4 SpDef
Nature: Relaxed (+Def, -Speed)
-Shadow Sneak
-Protect
-Toxic
-Infestation

I picked Dusknoir to be a physically defensive pokemon on my otherwise defensively weak team, so I decided to make him a kind of toxicstaller/wall type thing? I also however noticed he gets infestation, so my plan is: Toxic first (always useful) and then use Infestation. If they switch, then that pokemon gets trapped in for me to either toxic or switch in on and if they don't infestation will trap and damage them along with the buildup of toxic damage - kind of like a damaging mean look. My plan then is to stall them out with protect, using shadow sneak to get a bit of extra damage off when protect becomes too likely to fail. Thanks to his great defenses, I'm hoping that while they take infestation damage I can protect and gain back some HP. I also want to keep shadow sneak both so that he has at least one attacking move (I never really like having all support move pokemon) and he can be a kind of pseudo revenge killer, as long as he switches into something on low health since the priority bypasses his sluggish speed. Anyone think this is a good idea or a bit too gimmicky? :L
 

ChaosBlizzard

Crit Happens.
I don't necessarily think the idea itself is too gimmicky, but Dusknoir isn't the right Pokemon to pull it off. Not having any kind of real recovery besides the very slow recovery Leftovers gives you is going to make toxic stalling nigh impossible. Furthermore, since you're going an almost entirely defensive route with the set, there's no reason to use Dusknoir over Eviolite Dusclops. It will take hits much better. Dusknoir is the more offensive version of Dusclops, but you don't seem to want it to be an offensive set.
 

kirant

Member
Dusclops, as ChaosBlizzard mentions, is likely the better choice. But if you go that route, Night Shade is probably a smart idea since Dusclop's offence is pretty bad.

I might go Will-O-Wisp over Toxic for the damage mitigation effects. Great way to damage Physical Sweepers if you can't actually beat them.

I would also consider using Rest over Protect. I am pretty sure Rest and Infestation don't counteract each other and Resting to take off damage is probably good since Dusclops is typically in the 3-4HKO region. It also has the added bonus of watching your opponent cry when they realize they're burning through PP too fast. Their precious Fire Blasts don't mean much when you only get 4 shots and Dusclops Rests right after waking up, huh? :p

(Mean Look might actually work over Infestation then if you're just looking for a trapping move since it never ends)
 

Onyx Tanuki

Ma! There's a weird 'nuki in the yahd!
Another thing to keep in mind is that Ghost types can escape from trapping moves, so you're not going to want to use Dusclops against a Ghost type. It's also pretty badly walled against either Steel and Poison or Fire types, depending on whether you go Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, and Rapid Spin ends Infestation as well.

Personally, for this type of set, I'd rather use something like Shuckle:

Shuckle @ Binding Band/Leftovers
Sturdy/Contrary
Bold/Relaxed/Impish/Calm/Sassy/Careful
252 HP, 252 Def/SpDef, 4 Def/SpDef
- Rest
- Infestation/Wrap
- Toxic/Knock Off/Sandstorm
- Encore

Infestation/Wrap locks the foe down while providing residual damage, Toxic and Sandstorm give you a second source of residual damage (potentially ensuring a KO by the end of the Infestation), Knock Off keeps the enemy from recovering via items (and to waste time while Shuckle's HP is full), Encore locks the foe into a move so it can't kill Shuckle or use a recovery move. The set requires hella prediction skills though, as there's a chance you'll just trap the foe into a super-effective attack move, requiring you to switch Shuckle out for something else. Binding Band causes Infestation to deal more damage, while Leftovers keeps Shuckle around longer; I'd personally go with BB if you go with Knock Off or Lefties if you go Toxic. As for abilities, Sturdy is probably the better one, but Contrary can work too if you lock your foe into a debuffing move or an attack with a debuff chance.

Like the Dusclops set, though, this set is pretty badly walled by Steel and Poison types if you go with Toxic, or Steel, Ground, and Rock types if you go Sandstorm. It can be escaped from by Ghosts, and is rather ineffective against more offensive pokemon that can muscle through Shuckle without setting up or using status. Paralysis and confusion are both pretty bad for this set, although Shuckle isn't particularly bothered by Toxic or Burn because of Rest. Substitutes ruin this set too, since I don't believe you can easily kill a Sub with Infestation or Knock Off, and you obviously can't status through it. And thanks to Shuckle's horrid HP, level-damage moves like Seismic Toss can usually 3HKO at worst. You can probably try and balance your defenses through careful use of EVs, or just pile them all on one side or another. If running sand, though, piling them onto Def is probably preferable since the sand will be boosting Shuckle's SpDef. The good thing about this set is that its nature is highly flexible, since Att, SpAtt, and Speed are equally useless on Shuckle. This set could actually do well on a Trick Room team as well, especially if you go Relaxed or Sassy and shoot for a 0 Speed IV, but personally I'd prefer any of the other four natures in case you come across an opposing Shuckle.

A great idea might be to pair this with a Vaporeon or some other high-HP Sub-Passer.
 
I need to use a Talonflame for my new team. Does anyone have any suggestions for the EV spread? Id prefer for him to hav HP investment while still being fast enough to outspeed any notable threats. Thanks.
 

Onyx Tanuki

Ma! There's a weird 'nuki in the yahd!
Scyther @ Eviolite/Focus Sash
Technician
Jolly
252/4 HP, 4/252 Att, 252 Speed
- Swords Dance/Agility
- Aerial Ace
- Bug Bite
- Knock Off/Baton Pass

I wanted to try a different approach than what we're used to with this guy, which is why I'm considering a bulky Eviolite user, but I'm also not dumb enough to think that'll necessarily work well, so I'm not going to be so gung-ho in favor of BulkScyther that I'll turn a blind eye to a more offensive spread. Still it could be a surprise to have him switch in safely on another offensive pokemon. Anyway, his main strengths are his high Speed and his Technician ability, the latter of which can be abused beautifully by both of his STABs. He can set up with SD or Agility, using either the bulk provided by Eviolite or the Endure effect from Focus Sash to survive the foe's first hit, then either pass the boost to something more suited to sweep or use his STABs to sweep up for himself; both of them double in power thanks to STAB and Technician. Knock Off is a possibility beyond Baton Pass, giving Scyther additional coverage and utility.
 

PKMaster2

Catching them all.
So... This is a VERY odd pokemon moveset, I know.

Numel.
Item: Eviolite
Ability: Simple
Moveset:
Yawn
Protect
Stockpile
(Insert Special Attack Here)
EV's: 252 Sp.Atk 252 Sp.Def 6 Def
Now, since Numel is a very underused Pokemon (to my seeing) Many people wont see this coming. Now, I understand this needs lot's of work, but pretend this is in Beta version.
So! Yawn will be first. And, as you probably guessed, Protect will go after. It is rare for anyone to have Feint, so I shouldn't worry about that. Then, when he is asleep, I use Stockpile to max my Defenses (Simple Ability FTW!) When he is awake, i would use a Status move like Will-O-Wisp, or use a Sp.Atk move with the risk of moves that arent very effective. So I would love help on this Pokemon, cause I think it has LOTS of Potential.
 

KillerDraco

Well-Known Member
So I would love help on this Pokemon, cause I think it has LOTS of Potential.

I think you overestimate its potential. Knock Off screws Eviolite, and Knock Off has become a lot more common since its buff. It's still terribly weak to water, so much so that even with Eviolite at +6 it can still be 2HKO'd by all common water types (Greninja, Gyarados, Rotom-W, Mega Blastoise, Keldeo, etc.). And it goes without saying that prior to boosting it gets 1HKO'ed by all common Ground and Water attacks. Plus, no reliable recovery means it's easily worn down by Toxic, and very susceptible to phasing. It doesn't really threaten anything either with base 65 Special Attack.

If you're looking for Sleep inducers, there are a lot of better options who aren't so easily screwed or gimmicky.
 
So... This is a VERY odd pokemon moveset, I know.

Numel.
Item: Eviolite
Ability: Simple
Moveset:
Yawn
Protect
Stockpile
(Insert Special Attack Here)
EV's: 252 Sp.Atk 252 Sp.Def 6 Def
Now, since Numel is a very underused Pokemon (to my seeing) Many people wont see this coming. Now, I understand this needs lot's of work, but pretend this is in Beta version.
So! Yawn will be first. And, as you probably guessed, Protect will go after. It is rare for anyone to have Feint, so I shouldn't worry about that. Then, when he is asleep, I use Stockpile to max my Defenses (Simple Ability FTW!) When he is awake, i would use a Status move like Will-O-Wisp, or use a Sp.Atk move with the risk of moves that arent very effective. So I would love help on this Pokemon, cause I think it has LOTS of Potential.

Very creative, but there are a significant number of flaws.

1. They switch out of Yawn into something that can kill you as you do your Protect, and now you're left with a useless Numel against something that's gonna smash you into bits.
2. Phazing wrecks this, because the whole point is to set up on something weak.
3. Unaware Pokémon exist, and they go right through your Sturdy.
4. Any damage that you take will quickly accumulate, because you have no method of recovery.
5. What damage is this exactly going to do?

The only potential you'll ever get out of this is with Rest-Sleep Talk-Curse-physical move. I mean, they might time out from gawking at the fact that you're using Numel in OU, but in most battles this seems like it would fall flat on its face.
 
This is more for "fun" Wifi battles than anything else, but I'd like to know if Braviary could have any usage in OU as a set up sweeper type thing

IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/31

Braviary @ Leftovers
Defiant
Jolly Nature
252 HP 252 SpDef 4 Spe
-Substitute
-Roost
-Bulk Up
-Brave Bird

So after using this guy a bit in NU last gen, I really came to love the Sub Bulk Up set. Basically, come in on something that can't hurt him, and use Substitute. Then, use a combo of Roost, Bulk Up, and Substitute to stay alive. Once you get enough boosts, Brave Bird the hell out of everything.

Thoughts?
 
This is more for "fun" Wifi battles than anything else, but I'd like to know if Braviary could have any usage in OU as a set up sweeper type thing

IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/31

Braviary @ Leftovers
Defiant
Jolly Nature
252 HP 252 SpDef 4 Spe
-Substitute
-Roost
-Bulk Up
-Brave Bird

So after using this guy a bit in NU last gen, I really came to love the Sub Bulk Up set. Basically, come in on something that can't hurt him, and use Substitute. Then, use a combo of Roost, Bulk Up, and Substitute to stay alive. Once you get enough boosts, Brave Bird the hell out of everything.

Thoughts?

why are you running jolly and four speed evs lol

Anyway, this could potentially work if Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Aegislash, Heatran, all of the other Steel, Rock, and Electric types around, and phazers are removed. It would take a lot of team support, but it actually seems slightly feasible, despite my earlier sarcasm.
 
why are you running jolly and four speed evs lol

Anyway, this could potentially work if Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Aegislash, Heatran, all of the other Steel, Rock, and Electric types around, and phazers are removed. It would take a lot of team support, but it actually seems slightly feasible, despite my earlier sarcasm.

So basically that's a no...
 

KillerDraco

Well-Known Member
So basically that's a no...

More or less. It's not especially fast, and having one attack does leave it vulnerable to everything that resists it. Plus, although Bulk Up patches up its physical bulk, it's still very susceptible on the Special Side, and it'll pretty much never survive a Thunderbolt or Ice Beam. Pretty much makes Rotom-W a reliable answer, as it resists Brave Bird, outspeeds, and fries it with Thunderbolt or Volt Switch.
 
More or less. It's not especially fast, and having one attack does leave it vulnerable to everything that resists it. Plus, although Bulk Up patches up its physical bulk, it's still very susceptible on the Special Side, and it'll pretty much never survive a Thunderbolt or Ice Beam. Pretty much makes Rotom-W a reliable answer, as it resists Brave Bird, outspeeds, and fries it with Thunderbolt or Volt Switch.

It makes sense, given that he's NU for the most part. I know a better set that doesnt worry too much about Rock or Steel types, thanks to Super Power.

Ill just keep him for the "fun" battles then.
 

PKMaster2

Catching them all.
Okay... I definitely see the flaws of Numel. It's kinda crappy.
So! I was thinking of using one of my favorite Pokemon shinnies
260.png
Swampert
Item: Life Orb/Leftovers (Again, not a good item picker.)
Ability: Torrent
EV's
252 Atk. 252 Sp.Def 6 Def

Mirror Coat/Counter
Whirlpool
Earthquake/Stone Edge
Protect/Avalanche
First off, no pokemon is perfect, because if I make a dumb mistake and get hit with a Leaf Blade/Petal Blizzard, I'm screwed. But I think this is the best starter. Balanced Stats (except with 60 Spd.) Very customizable, and has 1 weakness and that Electric resistance. Now, I would use Counter/ Mirror Coat to counter any Grass type attack (or whatever type attack.) since many Grass moves are Special and i have a EV boost on Sp.Def, Mirror Coat should take out any Grass Pokemon. Whirlpool is to prevent switching. The only problem is its Accuracy could screw me over. Earthquake or Stone Edge is there to put on damage to other Types. Then Protect to predict moves. Or I could use a filler Physical attack to take out Grass Types, like Avalanche.
So, it would be good if I got feedback on this, good or bad.
P.S, I know what OU (Over-Used) and UU (Under Used) means, I just don't know if Swampert is OU or UU.
 
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