SM OU ⌠The sun is a deadly laser⌡ Leafeon + MHoundoom Sun

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I started out wanting to build around Mega Houndoom. This mon can single-handedly shred balance and stall teams under the right circumstances, so naturally a team built around it should seek to set up these circumstances.
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The first thing I needed was a sun-setter, and Gen7 brought life to sun teams in the shape of Torkoal: not only can it set up Drought, it can also sling up Rocks or spin them away.
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Landorus-T was an excellent next pick for its ability to check the physical setup sweepers which may abuse the passive nature of Torkoal, but it can also much more reliably come in and defog away hazards without having to worry about taking too much damage upon switching in. It also provided a much-needed ground resist.
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Leafeon is a pretty awful pokémon, but it has one awesome niche: it is the greatest Heatran/Toxapex lure I've seen in quite some time. Houndoom really likes these pokémon gone so it can spam Fire Blast, so Leafeon became quite an important team member.
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Now, as much as I've been praising Houndoom it also has plenty of flaws: for one, it dies very quickly. Especially considering its ability Solar Power from which it takes 1/16th of its HP every turn. So, to give it some extra time alive I decided to slap on a Cresselia. It's also an excellent Zygarde/Lando counter.
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And finally, I needed some more speed control since Leafeon is walled by 1/2 of the OU tier and I decided to go for Scarf Gren. It helps out the team by taking care of Volcarona, which becomes quite scary under the sun. It's also able to take out Koko, a mon which would otherwise clean up the team with ease.



The Cataclysm (Houndoom-Mega) (M) @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Solar Beam
- Nasty Plot

This Houndoom set capitalizes on Houndoom's excellent coverage and its ability to set up on Celesteela, as well as some other more passive mons in the tier. Fire Blast hits ridiculously hard and at +2 just shreds through mons which would otherwise resist it. If Houndoom does get to set up it can even break SpD Pex:

+2 252 SpA Houndoom-Mega Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Toxapex: 154-183 (50.6 - 60.1%) -- 85.9% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
+2 252 SpA Houndoom-Mega Solar Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Toxapex: 155-183 (50.9 - 60.1%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery​

I recommend you refrain from mega-evolving unless you deem the time absolutely right, for not mega-ing gives you a valuable fire-immunity, as well as saving you from the Solar Power chip.

The Elder (Torkoal) (M) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Will-O-Wisp
- Earthquake

Torkoal's synergy with Houndoom is pretty obvious: it sets up the sun for it, and provides Rocks. I opted for Wisp > Spin on this set to wisp on Lando's since nobody ever expects you to stay in, and weakening Landorus is always a good thing. Earthquake is a niche move which allows Torkoal to hit Heatran for decent damage, whereas Lava Plume allows it to deal with more physically defensive pokémon.

The Bastion (Landorus-Therian) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Defog
- Protect

I needed a durable defogger, and Landorus was the right mon for the job. It's an excellent check to many physical threats, and it also provides a much-needed ground resist for the two fire types on the team. Protect allows Landorus to scout out moves from choice-locked threats but it also gives you that little extra lefties recovery.

The Blessing (Leafeon) (F) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Chlorophyll
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Dig

Alright, here it is: the single greatest Heatran/Pex/Magearna lure. Z-Dig, at +2, OHKOs all three of them. Unfortunately this is effectively the full extent of Leafeon's niche, although it should be noted that it performs this role quite excellently. Leaf Blade can be clicked on most water types which Leafeon can force out, to be followed up with that Tectonic Rage to take care of those pesky Houndoom walls. This set, however, is hopelessly walled by Celesteela so if you expect that to come in, doubling hard into Houndoom usually gets you a kill. Nobody expects this move, keep that in mind.

The Salvation (Cresselia) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonlight
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Lunar Dance

Cresselia, although passive, is a stellar pivot and definitely quintessential to the succes of this team. Moonlight is boosted by Drought to heal 66.7% of Cresselia's health, allowing it to stall strong fire moves like Blacephalon's Fire Blast until the sun runs out. Ice Beam grants it the coverage to take out Zygarde, Chomp and Landorus, and Toxic provides it with a way to beat mons it cannot hit with Ice Beam. Lunar Dance is an awesome move for the late-game when the things that Cress should check are dead/weakened, to give Houndoom another shot.

The Hunter (Greninja) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Gunk Shot

An amazing late-game cleaner which also capitalizes on Leafeon's prime targets. If steel-type threats are removed, gren can often sweep with Rock Slide or Ice Beam respectively. It can also scout out opposing threats or items and U-turn out into Cresselia, which can usually take the hit.



As with any team, there are some threats to be on the lookout for:

Strong fire types:
Pokemon such as Blacephalon, Victini and ZardX also abuse the sun's glorious rays. Granted, Torkoal and Cresselia can check most of them but they're both chipped rather easily and when they do get weakened you're screwed.
Hazards:
Considering the team's two grounded fire types, entry hazards are a very big deal. Therefore it's important to keep Lando healthy so you can defog them away mid-game to prepare for a Houndoom sweep or so you can pivot around freely again. Running Rapid Spin on Torkoal is an option if you feel truly pestered by hazards but usually Lando manages.
Tyranitar:
Tyranitar is to be handled with the utmost caution since it can ruin your weather but also beat Cresselia 1v1. It can be played around but should still be handled cautiously.



Importable version here!

Thanks a bunch for reading through!​
 
I have used in the past Mega Doom in a sun team, with both Cresselia and Torkoal. I think Cress can be a wonderful backup sun- inducer, since Torkoal is easily pressured generally, so that Mega Doom can continue to abuse its unholy Solar Power, and Leafeon to have its Chlorophyll boost. You can change Toxic to Sunny Day and Leftovers to Heat Rock, so you can do something against Tyranitar, and win some weather wars, and help the rest of the team. Dunno about Leafeon, but I guess it would be cool to try it, I'll borrow this team. :) (Love the title reference xD)
Edit: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-688669701 How Sunny Day Cresselia can help Leafeon in the late-game. Also Sunny Day has helped Mega Houndoom before to kill Mega Diancie with Solar Beam, but I didn't record that game.
 
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