Divine Retribution
Every 10 years, a great man. Who pays the bill?
So I got sick of my terrible ladder rating, poor overall performance outside of Monotype, and general suckiness, and I decided to do something about it. I created this, team Jack Da Ripper (named in honour of a friend. No, he's not Jack the ripper, that was just his username.). I decided to use Hyper Offence, since I can't play stall effectively, weather offense teams are too gimmicky for my tastes, and the other options I considered (Gravity and Trick Room amongst them) were too ineffective and easily countered. Also since I've used Heatran in literally every team I've made so far, I decided to NOT use Heatran for once. You'll notice I have no defensive core, which might seem like a problem, but if even one of my Pokemon gets set up it can literally sweep entire teams.
Deoxys-D @ Leftovers
Pressure - Timid
252 HP, 252 Speed, 4 Def
-Stealth Rocks
-Spikes
-Thunder Wave
-Taunt
Overview
Deoxys-D is a pretty standard hazards lead. He gets access to rocks, spikes, taunt, recovery, status moves, and large bulk, so I chose him over Forretress in the end.
Strategy
Taunt if the opponent has out an opposing hazards setter or set-up sweeper, Thunder Wave if it doesn't appreciate Paralysis, then throw down some rocks and spikes. I don't have Recover because I don't overly care if he survives beyond hazards. EVs are standard, with the extra EVs in Defence to stop Genesect from getting a boost to his U-Turn. I know generally giving Genesect a Sp. Atk boost isn't a good thing, but he still can't OHKO and I can shut him down with Thunder Wave. Leftovers give him some extra longevity.
F.A.Q.
None really.
Other options
I don't forsee the need to replace Deoxys.
Cloyster @ White Herb
Skill Link - Jolly
252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 Defence
-Shell Smash
-Razor Shell
-Icicle Spear
-Rock Blast
Overview
Cloyster is an interesting case of a Pokemon. Incredible Defence, but poor defensive typing, little offensive presence, and no recovery. He made a good Spikes user in 2nd Gen, but even 3rd Gen brough us some much better Spikes users. In 5th Gen, he got his saving grace; Shell Smash. Shell Smash turns this harmless clam into a fearsome monster, capable of demolishing entire teams. With a usefull toy in Skill Link, not even Substitute or Focus Sash save its enemies from being completely demolished.
Strategy
Set up a Shell Smash, kick ***. That's really all there is to it. Base 180 Defence makes him REALLY hard to take down with a physical attack, even a super-effective one. Icicle Spear is his primary weapon, being his only completely reliable attack, and hitting anything that doesn't resist it hard. Rock Blast is an alternative that hits Fire and Scizor/Genesect harder than Icicle Spear. Razor Shell is a second STAB that slaughters Heatran. EVs are standard, dump everything into Speed and Attack.
F.A.Q.
Why White Herb > Focus Sash?
Because I find he gets plenty of opportunities to set up on weak physical Attackers, and White Herb makes him that much harder to revengekill, as he takes pittance from most priority moves.
Other options
Once again, I see no reason to replace him.
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Magnet Pull - Modest
252 Sp. Atk, 144 HP, 112 Speed
-Substitute
-Charge Beam
-Hidden Power (Fire)
-Thunderbolt
Overview
Anyone who's played PMD2 knows that Magnezone has the exciting job of hunting down and incarcerating criminals (although whether or not he does a good job at it is debatable). In competitive Pokemon, he has a similar job; hunt down and trap Steel Pokemon.
Strategy
I went with a bulky SubCharge set, because it fits the hyper offense strategy best. Substitute blocks Ferrothorn's Leech Seed and other pesky status moves. After that, spam Charge Beam to accumulate Sp. Atk boosts, and blast away with his coverage moves. His EVS give him 231 Speed, which outpaces most Scizor. Hidden Power OHKO's Scizor, as well as things like Ferrothorn and Genesect who are locked into Ice Beam or Thunderbolt.
F.A.Q.
None.
Other Options
Genesect @ Focus Sash
Download - Modest
252 Sp. Atk, 252 Speed, 4 Sp. Def
-Rock Polish
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
-Hidden Power (Ground)
Overview
So, as amazing as Reuniclus was, Genesect is more amazing. There's a reason he's on like 1/4th of all teams in OU; he's ****ing awesome. However, my Genesect serves a specific purpose; lure and destroy Heatran.
Strategy
Switch this in on Gliscor or Skarmory, and set up as they switch to Heatran to soak up a Thunderbolt or an Ice Beam. If I feel a Heatran switch is absolutely coming, I might just fire Hidden Power right off the bat. At +0, Hidden Power nails an OHKO on 0/4 and 4/0 Heatran, and a 2HKO on 252/252 Heatran, which is where the Focus Sash comes into play. At +1, Heatran can kiss his *** goodbye, as Hidden Power has a very high chance to OHKO 252/252 Heatran. Heatran aside, he still makes an amazing sweeper. BeamBolt gets very good coverage and checks a lot of common Pokemon like Skarmory, Gliscor, Landorus, Politoed, Vaporeon, and Tornadus. This also makes him my biggest weapon against Rain teams.
F.A.Q.
None really.
Other options
I'm in the process of tailoring his moveset. I might change it depending on what threats I want to check with it.
Landorus-T @ Yache Berry
Intimidate - Jolly
252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 HP
-Rock Polish
-Swords Dance
-Rock Slide
-Earthquake
Overview
Landorus-T is an offensive monster with great defensive typing. Much bulkier than Haxorus, he finds it far easier to set up a Rock Polish and Swords Dance. He also gets similar synergy, so he fits in perfectly as Haxorus's repalcement.
Strategy
Set up a Rock Polish, and, if I think it's necessary, a Swords Dance. After that, power through anything not named Skarmory. I believe even Skarmory is 2HKO'd by +2 Rock Slide after Stealth Rocks damage. Earthquake rounds out the coverage, hitting incoming Steel types for super-effective damage. While he lacks Mold Breaker, intimidate is still a great ability that lets him set up that much easier. Yache Berry lets him take a random Ice Beam or Ice Hidden Power, and lets him beat Hippowdon. EVs obviously give him lots of speed and lots of power.
F.A.Q.
None.
Other options
Adamant > Jolly, maybe. Also considering dropping Swords Dance in favor of a coverage move, maybe something to break through Skarmory.
Chandelure @ Choice Scarf
Flash Fire - Timid
252 Speed, 252 Sp. Atk, 4 HP
-Fire Blast
-Energy Ball
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power (Ice)
Overview
In my opinion, this thing is the best revengekiller in OU barring Ditto. It's amazing. Chandelure is really your quintessential Scarf user with an unmatched base Sp. Atk and a mediocre Speed. He's unique amongst most other Scarf users in the fact that he can block Rapid Spin and OHKO most spinners.
Strategy
There's two seperate strategies behind Chandelure. Firstly, he spinblocks. On a predicted Rapid Spin, I switch to Chandelure to soak it up, and then KO the spinner. Starmie dies to Shadow Ball. Forretress and Donphan are roasted by Fire Blast, which hits them amazingly hard. Claydol takes insane damage from Shadow Ball, and I don't think it can OHKO in return without significant Sp. Atk investment. The other strategy is your typical revengekiller strategy; send him in to finish off just about everything. The only problems are Blastoise and Tentacruel. Fire Blast is an amazing STAB that KOs all Steel and Grass types known to man, and roasts the annoying Skarmory. Shadow Ball for Gengar and his ghost buddies. Hidden Power (Ice) scores a clean OHKO on Landy, Gliscor, Salamence, Garchomp, and Dragonite after Multiscale is broken.
F.A.Q.
Why Hidden Power (Ice) over Hidden Power (Fighting)?
Seriously, what does Hidden Power (Fighting) even hit? Heatran, that's it. Heatran's not particularly threatening to my team (Not to mention Hidden Power (Fighting) doesn't OHKO, and Heatran OHKOs with Earth Power), while Hidden Power (Ice) hits a lot.
Other options
None really.
Top threats
;212; Scizor - This thing annoys me, as if it carries Superpower I don't really have a hard counter for it. I must rely on prediction to beat it, or scare it off with Chandelure.
;186; Politoed -Gah... I hate this thing, especially the defensive ones. My team doesn't have trouble with rain in general, but I don't really have anyone who can take a Hydro Pump. Normally I sacrifice Chandelure to weaken it to the point where Reuniclus can KO it, or try and paralyze it with Deoxys and beat it with Magnezone
;248; Tyranitar - Not as annoying as the others, really. Believe it or not, but I find my best answer to this is, strangely, Reuniclus. Even Banded Crunch doesn't quite OHKO, but Focus Blast OHKO's all Tyranitar. Generally, this thing is only a problem because of it's unpredictability. Earlier, I decided to revengekill one with Haxorus, and took an Ice Beam. Certainly didn't see that coming.
;479;Rotom-W - Has a move for about all my Pokemon. Volt Switch hurts Cloyster, Magnezone is brought down by Hydro Pump, Haxorus dies to Hidden Power (Ice). Reuniclus can beat it but certainly doesn't appreciate being Tricked a Choice Scarf. If it's weakened, I can revengekill with Chandelure. I need to cripple it with Deoxys-D, or kill it with Haxorus if it doesn't carry Hidden Power (Ice). Alternatively, I can switch Haxorus in on a predicted Trick, since he can actually use the Choice Scarf against Rotom-W.
So, thanks. I put a lot more time and effort into this team, and I got much, much better results. I've recovered all the rating I lost making annoying gimmick teams, and I'm still climbing from there. I'd appreciate feedback, recommendations, etc. Thanks for reading!
So, when I create teams normally I choose two Pokemon that get good synergy together. First, I chose my favourite Shell Smash (ab)user, Cloyster.
So, now I sat down and looked at Cloyster's counters. There isn't much he can't simply blast through, but things like Ferrothorn and Skarmory come to mind. In fact, almost all of his counters are Steel types, so, naturally, I looked to Magnezone.
These two form their own offensive core. Now, I'd like a lead. I initially chose Forretress, due to his ability to both lay hazards and spin.
Now I think I want someone to deal with Lati@s. Well, let's take a look. Scizor? Nope, dies to HP Fire. Metagross? Still dies to HP Fire. Oh, what's this? Reuniclus? While not a conventional counter, he can survive a non-critical hit Draco Meteor, set up Trick Room, and then KO with Shadow Ball. Plus, he kills so much else, it's not even funny. His true counters come up short, so he's the perfect addition to my team.
So, what do I want now? These four alone can beat entire teams by themselves... So how about some extra muscle? I've used double Dancer Haxorus before to amazing results, so in he goes.
So, let's take a look at what I've got... A decent hazards lead, an amazing offensive core, Reuniclus, who doesn't need any support at all to sweep, and Haxorus, who's a bit of an interesting case. If he finds the opportunity to set up, put your head between your legs and kiss your *** goodbye. He's sort of frail though, and extremely vulnerable to status... Reuniclus makes a great status absorber, as Poison and Burns don't bother him at all, and he doesn't mind Paralysis, but Sleep annoys him. So, I stuck in a Starmie as a secondary status absorber.
Now, my team was ready for testing. Immediately, one thing became apparent; Starmie wasn't pulling her weight. So, she unfortunately got the boot for an amazing revengekiller I've been looking for an excuse to add forever; Chandelure. While normally outclassed by Heatran, Chandelure fits this team perfectly. He spinblocks and KOs most spinners (Tentacruel and Blastoise cause problems with their massive bulk), he's a greate revengekiller, and he's generally awesome. Who doesn't like the ghostly chandelier?
As suggested by my kind clanmate Magicmonkey, Deoxys-D outclasses Forretress as a hazards setter, and also makes up for my lack of a spinner with Taunt. He's also great at crippling key threats and easing a sweep for the rest of my Pokemon.
Alas, my team has nearly reached its ultimate form... Now, it only hungers for the feedback of other experienced battlers so it can continue to improve... Thus, this thread.
Landorus-T does Haxorus's job, but better, and adds Ground and Electric immunities.
Genesect fills so many holes in my team, it's awesome.
So, now I sat down and looked at Cloyster's counters. There isn't much he can't simply blast through, but things like Ferrothorn and Skarmory come to mind. In fact, almost all of his counters are Steel types, so, naturally, I looked to Magnezone.
These two form their own offensive core. Now, I'd like a lead. I initially chose Forretress, due to his ability to both lay hazards and spin.
Now I think I want someone to deal with Lati@s. Well, let's take a look. Scizor? Nope, dies to HP Fire. Metagross? Still dies to HP Fire. Oh, what's this? Reuniclus? While not a conventional counter, he can survive a non-critical hit Draco Meteor, set up Trick Room, and then KO with Shadow Ball. Plus, he kills so much else, it's not even funny. His true counters come up short, so he's the perfect addition to my team.
So, what do I want now? These four alone can beat entire teams by themselves... So how about some extra muscle? I've used double Dancer Haxorus before to amazing results, so in he goes.
So, let's take a look at what I've got... A decent hazards lead, an amazing offensive core, Reuniclus, who doesn't need any support at all to sweep, and Haxorus, who's a bit of an interesting case. If he finds the opportunity to set up, put your head between your legs and kiss your *** goodbye. He's sort of frail though, and extremely vulnerable to status... Reuniclus makes a great status absorber, as Poison and Burns don't bother him at all, and he doesn't mind Paralysis, but Sleep annoys him. So, I stuck in a Starmie as a secondary status absorber.
Now, my team was ready for testing. Immediately, one thing became apparent; Starmie wasn't pulling her weight. So, she unfortunately got the boot for an amazing revengekiller I've been looking for an excuse to add forever; Chandelure. While normally outclassed by Heatran, Chandelure fits this team perfectly. He spinblocks and KOs most spinners (Tentacruel and Blastoise cause problems with their massive bulk), he's a greate revengekiller, and he's generally awesome. Who doesn't like the ghostly chandelier?
As suggested by my kind clanmate Magicmonkey, Deoxys-D outclasses Forretress as a hazards setter, and also makes up for my lack of a spinner with Taunt. He's also great at crippling key threats and easing a sweep for the rest of my Pokemon.
Alas, my team has nearly reached its ultimate form... Now, it only hungers for the feedback of other experienced battlers so it can continue to improve... Thus, this thread.
Landorus-T does Haxorus's job, but better, and adds Ground and Electric immunities.
Genesect fills so many holes in my team, it's awesome.
Deoxys-D @ Leftovers
Pressure - Timid
252 HP, 252 Speed, 4 Def
-Stealth Rocks
-Spikes
-Thunder Wave
-Taunt
Overview
Deoxys-D is a pretty standard hazards lead. He gets access to rocks, spikes, taunt, recovery, status moves, and large bulk, so I chose him over Forretress in the end.
Strategy
Taunt if the opponent has out an opposing hazards setter or set-up sweeper, Thunder Wave if it doesn't appreciate Paralysis, then throw down some rocks and spikes. I don't have Recover because I don't overly care if he survives beyond hazards. EVs are standard, with the extra EVs in Defence to stop Genesect from getting a boost to his U-Turn. I know generally giving Genesect a Sp. Atk boost isn't a good thing, but he still can't OHKO and I can shut him down with Thunder Wave. Leftovers give him some extra longevity.
F.A.Q.
None really.
Other options
I don't forsee the need to replace Deoxys.
Cloyster @ White Herb
Skill Link - Jolly
252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 Defence
-Shell Smash
-Razor Shell
-Icicle Spear
-Rock Blast
Overview
Cloyster is an interesting case of a Pokemon. Incredible Defence, but poor defensive typing, little offensive presence, and no recovery. He made a good Spikes user in 2nd Gen, but even 3rd Gen brough us some much better Spikes users. In 5th Gen, he got his saving grace; Shell Smash. Shell Smash turns this harmless clam into a fearsome monster, capable of demolishing entire teams. With a usefull toy in Skill Link, not even Substitute or Focus Sash save its enemies from being completely demolished.
Strategy
Set up a Shell Smash, kick ***. That's really all there is to it. Base 180 Defence makes him REALLY hard to take down with a physical attack, even a super-effective one. Icicle Spear is his primary weapon, being his only completely reliable attack, and hitting anything that doesn't resist it hard. Rock Blast is an alternative that hits Fire and Scizor/Genesect harder than Icicle Spear. Razor Shell is a second STAB that slaughters Heatran. EVs are standard, dump everything into Speed and Attack.
F.A.Q.
Why White Herb > Focus Sash?
Because I find he gets plenty of opportunities to set up on weak physical Attackers, and White Herb makes him that much harder to revengekill, as he takes pittance from most priority moves.
Other options
Once again, I see no reason to replace him.
Magnezone @ Leftovers
Magnet Pull - Modest
252 Sp. Atk, 144 HP, 112 Speed
-Substitute
-Charge Beam
-Hidden Power (Fire)
-Thunderbolt
Overview
Anyone who's played PMD2 knows that Magnezone has the exciting job of hunting down and incarcerating criminals (although whether or not he does a good job at it is debatable). In competitive Pokemon, he has a similar job; hunt down and trap Steel Pokemon.
Strategy
I went with a bulky SubCharge set, because it fits the hyper offense strategy best. Substitute blocks Ferrothorn's Leech Seed and other pesky status moves. After that, spam Charge Beam to accumulate Sp. Atk boosts, and blast away with his coverage moves. His EVS give him 231 Speed, which outpaces most Scizor. Hidden Power OHKO's Scizor, as well as things like Ferrothorn and Genesect who are locked into Ice Beam or Thunderbolt.
F.A.Q.
None.
Other Options
Genesect @ Focus Sash
Download - Modest
252 Sp. Atk, 252 Speed, 4 Sp. Def
-Rock Polish
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
-Hidden Power (Ground)
Overview
So, as amazing as Reuniclus was, Genesect is more amazing. There's a reason he's on like 1/4th of all teams in OU; he's ****ing awesome. However, my Genesect serves a specific purpose; lure and destroy Heatran.
Strategy
Switch this in on Gliscor or Skarmory, and set up as they switch to Heatran to soak up a Thunderbolt or an Ice Beam. If I feel a Heatran switch is absolutely coming, I might just fire Hidden Power right off the bat. At +0, Hidden Power nails an OHKO on 0/4 and 4/0 Heatran, and a 2HKO on 252/252 Heatran, which is where the Focus Sash comes into play. At +1, Heatran can kiss his *** goodbye, as Hidden Power has a very high chance to OHKO 252/252 Heatran. Heatran aside, he still makes an amazing sweeper. BeamBolt gets very good coverage and checks a lot of common Pokemon like Skarmory, Gliscor, Landorus, Politoed, Vaporeon, and Tornadus. This also makes him my biggest weapon against Rain teams.
F.A.Q.
None really.
Other options
I'm in the process of tailoring his moveset. I might change it depending on what threats I want to check with it.
Landorus-T @ Yache Berry
Intimidate - Jolly
252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 HP
-Rock Polish
-Swords Dance
-Rock Slide
-Earthquake
Overview
Landorus-T is an offensive monster with great defensive typing. Much bulkier than Haxorus, he finds it far easier to set up a Rock Polish and Swords Dance. He also gets similar synergy, so he fits in perfectly as Haxorus's repalcement.
Strategy
Set up a Rock Polish, and, if I think it's necessary, a Swords Dance. After that, power through anything not named Skarmory. I believe even Skarmory is 2HKO'd by +2 Rock Slide after Stealth Rocks damage. Earthquake rounds out the coverage, hitting incoming Steel types for super-effective damage. While he lacks Mold Breaker, intimidate is still a great ability that lets him set up that much easier. Yache Berry lets him take a random Ice Beam or Ice Hidden Power, and lets him beat Hippowdon. EVs obviously give him lots of speed and lots of power.
F.A.Q.
None.
Other options
Adamant > Jolly, maybe. Also considering dropping Swords Dance in favor of a coverage move, maybe something to break through Skarmory.
Chandelure @ Choice Scarf
Flash Fire - Timid
252 Speed, 252 Sp. Atk, 4 HP
-Fire Blast
-Energy Ball
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power (Ice)
Overview
In my opinion, this thing is the best revengekiller in OU barring Ditto. It's amazing. Chandelure is really your quintessential Scarf user with an unmatched base Sp. Atk and a mediocre Speed. He's unique amongst most other Scarf users in the fact that he can block Rapid Spin and OHKO most spinners.
Strategy
There's two seperate strategies behind Chandelure. Firstly, he spinblocks. On a predicted Rapid Spin, I switch to Chandelure to soak it up, and then KO the spinner. Starmie dies to Shadow Ball. Forretress and Donphan are roasted by Fire Blast, which hits them amazingly hard. Claydol takes insane damage from Shadow Ball, and I don't think it can OHKO in return without significant Sp. Atk investment. The other strategy is your typical revengekiller strategy; send him in to finish off just about everything. The only problems are Blastoise and Tentacruel. Fire Blast is an amazing STAB that KOs all Steel and Grass types known to man, and roasts the annoying Skarmory. Shadow Ball for Gengar and his ghost buddies. Hidden Power (Ice) scores a clean OHKO on Landy, Gliscor, Salamence, Garchomp, and Dragonite after Multiscale is broken.
F.A.Q.
Why Hidden Power (Ice) over Hidden Power (Fighting)?
Seriously, what does Hidden Power (Fighting) even hit? Heatran, that's it. Heatran's not particularly threatening to my team (Not to mention Hidden Power (Fighting) doesn't OHKO, and Heatran OHKOs with Earth Power), while Hidden Power (Ice) hits a lot.
Other options
None really.
Top threats
;212; Scizor - This thing annoys me, as if it carries Superpower I don't really have a hard counter for it. I must rely on prediction to beat it, or scare it off with Chandelure.
;186; Politoed -Gah... I hate this thing, especially the defensive ones. My team doesn't have trouble with rain in general, but I don't really have anyone who can take a Hydro Pump. Normally I sacrifice Chandelure to weaken it to the point where Reuniclus can KO it, or try and paralyze it with Deoxys and beat it with Magnezone
;248; Tyranitar - Not as annoying as the others, really. Believe it or not, but I find my best answer to this is, strangely, Reuniclus. Even Banded Crunch doesn't quite OHKO, but Focus Blast OHKO's all Tyranitar. Generally, this thing is only a problem because of it's unpredictability. Earlier, I decided to revengekill one with Haxorus, and took an Ice Beam. Certainly didn't see that coming.
;479;Rotom-W - Has a move for about all my Pokemon. Volt Switch hurts Cloyster, Magnezone is brought down by Hydro Pump, Haxorus dies to Hidden Power (Ice). Reuniclus can beat it but certainly doesn't appreciate being Tricked a Choice Scarf. If it's weakened, I can revengekill with Chandelure. I need to cripple it with Deoxys-D, or kill it with Haxorus if it doesn't carry Hidden Power (Ice). Alternatively, I can switch Haxorus in on a predicted Trick, since he can actually use the Choice Scarf against Rotom-W.
So, thanks. I put a lot more time and effort into this team, and I got much, much better results. I've recovered all the rating I lost making annoying gimmick teams, and I'm still climbing from there. I'd appreciate feedback, recommendations, etc. Thanks for reading!
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