They say the best form of defense is offense. My team relies on mixed offense to pound opponents into submission while retaining enough bulk to give hyper-offensive teams a tough time as long as I predict correctly.
Wall, healer and cleric:
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Heal bell
- Toxic
- Seismic Ross
Role:
Dedicated special wall capable of taking some physical hits as well. Chansey has been around for a while now and there’s no doubt about it’s reliability as a wall, cleric and healer. More often than not, Chansey finds itself walling and crippling powerful special attackers namely volcarona, Charizard-Mega-Y and Greninja that would otherwise obliterate my team.
Description:
Maximum defense and HP EVs with a bold nature coupled with eviolite, complement Chansey’s sky high Special Defense perfectly. Natural cure helps Chansey get rid of status ailments when it switches out.
I run wish instead of soft boiled because it benefits the entire team although it does take away some of Chansey’s longevity. Heal bell helps rid my team of status conditions. Toxic is for crippling walls and forcing switches. Seismic toss prevents Chansey from becoming taunt bait and setup fodder for Pokemon that aren’t affected by toxic.
Stall-breaker:
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth rock
- Calm mind
- Moonblast
- Soft boiled
Role:
Clefable is an effective stall breaker thanks to magic guard, reliable recovery and access to calm mind. It’s fairy typing allows it to function as a safe switch in to the ever popular dragon types and it functions as a reliable stealth rock user, which helps in netting vital KOs and shifting the momentum.
Description:
Max Defense and HP EVs with a bold nature allow Clefable to tank physical hits while boosting with calm mind makes it more durable on the special side. Leftovers provide recovery every turn. Magic guard is a great ability that grants immunity to passive damage and forces stall teams to rethink their strategy more often than not.
Stealth rock is vital for breaking sashes and accumulating passive damage while helping my team turn many 2HKOs into OHKOs. Soft boiled is a reliable recovery move that is crucial to increase Clefable’s longevity. Calm mind helps Clefable become more durable on the special side and allows it to break past walls. Moonblast is the STAB move of choice for dealing consistent damage.
Supporting bulky attacker:
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Discharge
- Hidden Power ice
- Defog
- Roost
Role:
Zapdos fills many roles on my team. It can wall certain threats like Kartana, Tapu Bulu and Mega Pinsir. It provides defog support to my team which is highly appreciated. It functions as a PP staller thanks to respectable speed, pressure and roost against unboosted threats. It also serves as a deterrent to opposing sweepers relying on speed thanks to the high paralysis chance of discharge.
Description:
EV spread with a bold nature gives it the physical bulk it needs to counter offensive steel and fighting types, which is very important for this set's functionality. The speed EVs allow Zapdos to outspeed adamant Bisharp and Timid Magnezone, which can pose a problem for Zapdos if they outspeed it. Leftovers increases the longevity of Zapdos while pressure is the ability of choice for PP stalling.
Discharge is a fantastic STAB move for dealing consistent damage with the added benefit of having a 30% paralysis chance. Hidden power ice allows Zapdos to threaten Garchomp, Landorus-T and Gliscor. It also catches ground types predicting an electric type move on the switch for respectable damage. Defog clears hazards from the field which benefits the team. Roost helps Zapdos recover lost health. It also helps Zapdos PP stall slower rock types like Tyranitar and electric types like magnezone due to the added effect of losing the flying type for the turn that it is used.
Tank:
Tapu Bulu @ Leftovers
Ability: Grassy surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Def
Careful Nature
- Swords dance
- Horn leech
- Superpower
- Synthesis
Role:
Tapu Bulu is an effective tank thanks to respectable bulk and attack which is further boosted by swords dance. Thanks to it’s typing, it finds plenty of opportunities to switch in with the plethora of ground and dragon types in OU.
Description:
EVs with careful nature maximise special bulk as it allows Tapu Bulu more opportunities to switch in and tank effectively. Leftovers increase longevity while its ability grassy surge provides added recovery, 50% higher damage output when it is uses a grass type move and reduces the power of Earthquake rendering the many ground types of OU less effective.
Horn leech is the STAB move of choice as it deals damage and provides recovery. Synthesis is for increasing longevity while Superpower lets it hit steel types, particularly Heatran, for super effective damage. Swords dance makes Tapu Bulu more threatening allowing it to break through defensive teams.
Special attacker:
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Solar beam
- Focus blast
- Roost
Role:
All out special attacker with excellent coverage and the ability to last longer with roost. Respectable speed and potent special attack stats make Charizard-Mega-Y a very difficult Pokemon to handle. It functions as an offensive pivot coming in on the ever popular steel type moves aimed at my fairies and dealing massive damage thanks to sun boosted fire type attacks. It also helps me against teams that take advantage of other weather conditions.
Description:
EVs with a timid nature maximise speed and special attack. Flamethrower is a reliable STAB move that I prefer to use over fire blast as misses can prove costly many times. Solar beam hits water types hard while focus blast deals massive damage to tyranitar and gives Charizard a move to trouble Heatran. Roost increases longevity and reduces damage from electric and rock type moves. Drought powers up fire type moves, reduces damage taken from water type moves and turns solar beam into a one turn move. It also disrupts opposing weather based strategies.
Physical attacker/Late game cleaner:
Zygarde @ Choice band
Ability: Aura break
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Thousand arrows
- Extreme speed
- Iron tail
- Superpower
Role:
Zygarde has two roles to play on my team. It functions as an early game offensive pivot and punches holes in the defensive cores of the opposition. Towards the end, it functions as a late game cleaner picking off weakened foes.
Description:
EVs with an adamant nature maximise attack and speed. Thousand arrows is the STAB move of choice that makes Zygarde extremely difficult to wall as it hits flying types and grounds them. Iron tail allows Zygarde to hit Tapu Bulu hard while Superpower hits Chansey and Ferrothorn harder than Thousand arrows netting crucial 2HKOs on both. Extreme speed is an excellent revenge killing move and beats other priority users. It’s useful for cleaning up late game against faster teams.
I’m currently 15-4 in SM OU (username: Sarvar 3.0). Speedy physically offensive Pokemon like Medicham-Mega and Lopunny-Mega tend to trouble my team a lot especially because of strong STAB moves and ice punch which many of my Pokemon are weak to. I nearly got swept once by DD Tyranitar-Mega but that was more of me not playing well. Celesteela troubles me if the opponent finds a way around Char-Y.
One of my losses came against an all ghost team which I had trouble dealing with because I wasn’t familiar with many of the Pokemon on that team and was caught off guard by anchor shot.
Trick room teams, especially those with Marowak-Alola, trouble my team as well. Char-Y’s drought makes it worse for me because flare blitz gets boosted.
Even though I have Chansey, Volcarona poses a problem as it usually ends up beating Chansey and a few more Pokemon before I finally revenge kill with extreme speed. Drought once again becomes a problem here.
I’ve considered bringing in a dedicated physical wall like Skarmory or tangrowth but don’t see it synergising well with the rest of my team. I’ve also considered using assault vest Gigalith to check volcarona but Chansey offers so much more. Please review my team and share your opinions.
Wall, healer and cleric:
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Heal bell
- Toxic
- Seismic Ross
Role:
Dedicated special wall capable of taking some physical hits as well. Chansey has been around for a while now and there’s no doubt about it’s reliability as a wall, cleric and healer. More often than not, Chansey finds itself walling and crippling powerful special attackers namely volcarona, Charizard-Mega-Y and Greninja that would otherwise obliterate my team.
Description:
Maximum defense and HP EVs with a bold nature coupled with eviolite, complement Chansey’s sky high Special Defense perfectly. Natural cure helps Chansey get rid of status ailments when it switches out.
I run wish instead of soft boiled because it benefits the entire team although it does take away some of Chansey’s longevity. Heal bell helps rid my team of status conditions. Toxic is for crippling walls and forcing switches. Seismic toss prevents Chansey from becoming taunt bait and setup fodder for Pokemon that aren’t affected by toxic.
Stall-breaker:
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth rock
- Calm mind
- Moonblast
- Soft boiled
Role:
Clefable is an effective stall breaker thanks to magic guard, reliable recovery and access to calm mind. It’s fairy typing allows it to function as a safe switch in to the ever popular dragon types and it functions as a reliable stealth rock user, which helps in netting vital KOs and shifting the momentum.
Description:
Max Defense and HP EVs with a bold nature allow Clefable to tank physical hits while boosting with calm mind makes it more durable on the special side. Leftovers provide recovery every turn. Magic guard is a great ability that grants immunity to passive damage and forces stall teams to rethink their strategy more often than not.
Stealth rock is vital for breaking sashes and accumulating passive damage while helping my team turn many 2HKOs into OHKOs. Soft boiled is a reliable recovery move that is crucial to increase Clefable’s longevity. Calm mind helps Clefable become more durable on the special side and allows it to break past walls. Moonblast is the STAB move of choice for dealing consistent damage.
Supporting bulky attacker:
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Discharge
- Hidden Power ice
- Defog
- Roost
Role:
Zapdos fills many roles on my team. It can wall certain threats like Kartana, Tapu Bulu and Mega Pinsir. It provides defog support to my team which is highly appreciated. It functions as a PP staller thanks to respectable speed, pressure and roost against unboosted threats. It also serves as a deterrent to opposing sweepers relying on speed thanks to the high paralysis chance of discharge.
Description:
EV spread with a bold nature gives it the physical bulk it needs to counter offensive steel and fighting types, which is very important for this set's functionality. The speed EVs allow Zapdos to outspeed adamant Bisharp and Timid Magnezone, which can pose a problem for Zapdos if they outspeed it. Leftovers increases the longevity of Zapdos while pressure is the ability of choice for PP stalling.
Discharge is a fantastic STAB move for dealing consistent damage with the added benefit of having a 30% paralysis chance. Hidden power ice allows Zapdos to threaten Garchomp, Landorus-T and Gliscor. It also catches ground types predicting an electric type move on the switch for respectable damage. Defog clears hazards from the field which benefits the team. Roost helps Zapdos recover lost health. It also helps Zapdos PP stall slower rock types like Tyranitar and electric types like magnezone due to the added effect of losing the flying type for the turn that it is used.
Tank:
Tapu Bulu @ Leftovers
Ability: Grassy surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Def
Careful Nature
- Swords dance
- Horn leech
- Superpower
- Synthesis
Role:
Tapu Bulu is an effective tank thanks to respectable bulk and attack which is further boosted by swords dance. Thanks to it’s typing, it finds plenty of opportunities to switch in with the plethora of ground and dragon types in OU.
Description:
EVs with careful nature maximise special bulk as it allows Tapu Bulu more opportunities to switch in and tank effectively. Leftovers increase longevity while its ability grassy surge provides added recovery, 50% higher damage output when it is uses a grass type move and reduces the power of Earthquake rendering the many ground types of OU less effective.
Horn leech is the STAB move of choice as it deals damage and provides recovery. Synthesis is for increasing longevity while Superpower lets it hit steel types, particularly Heatran, for super effective damage. Swords dance makes Tapu Bulu more threatening allowing it to break through defensive teams.
Special attacker:
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Solar beam
- Focus blast
- Roost
Role:
All out special attacker with excellent coverage and the ability to last longer with roost. Respectable speed and potent special attack stats make Charizard-Mega-Y a very difficult Pokemon to handle. It functions as an offensive pivot coming in on the ever popular steel type moves aimed at my fairies and dealing massive damage thanks to sun boosted fire type attacks. It also helps me against teams that take advantage of other weather conditions.
Description:
EVs with a timid nature maximise speed and special attack. Flamethrower is a reliable STAB move that I prefer to use over fire blast as misses can prove costly many times. Solar beam hits water types hard while focus blast deals massive damage to tyranitar and gives Charizard a move to trouble Heatran. Roost increases longevity and reduces damage from electric and rock type moves. Drought powers up fire type moves, reduces damage taken from water type moves and turns solar beam into a one turn move. It also disrupts opposing weather based strategies.
Physical attacker/Late game cleaner:
Zygarde @ Choice band
Ability: Aura break
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Thousand arrows
- Extreme speed
- Iron tail
- Superpower
Role:
Zygarde has two roles to play on my team. It functions as an early game offensive pivot and punches holes in the defensive cores of the opposition. Towards the end, it functions as a late game cleaner picking off weakened foes.
Description:
EVs with an adamant nature maximise attack and speed. Thousand arrows is the STAB move of choice that makes Zygarde extremely difficult to wall as it hits flying types and grounds them. Iron tail allows Zygarde to hit Tapu Bulu hard while Superpower hits Chansey and Ferrothorn harder than Thousand arrows netting crucial 2HKOs on both. Extreme speed is an excellent revenge killing move and beats other priority users. It’s useful for cleaning up late game against faster teams.
I’m currently 15-4 in SM OU (username: Sarvar 3.0). Speedy physically offensive Pokemon like Medicham-Mega and Lopunny-Mega tend to trouble my team a lot especially because of strong STAB moves and ice punch which many of my Pokemon are weak to. I nearly got swept once by DD Tyranitar-Mega but that was more of me not playing well. Celesteela troubles me if the opponent finds a way around Char-Y.
One of my losses came against an all ghost team which I had trouble dealing with because I wasn’t familiar with many of the Pokemon on that team and was caught off guard by anchor shot.
Trick room teams, especially those with Marowak-Alola, trouble my team as well. Char-Y’s drought makes it worse for me because flare blitz gets boosted.
Even though I have Chansey, Volcarona poses a problem as it usually ends up beating Chansey and a few more Pokemon before I finally revenge kill with extreme speed. Drought once again becomes a problem here.
I’ve considered bringing in a dedicated physical wall like Skarmory or tangrowth but don’t see it synergising well with the rest of my team. I’ve also considered using assault vest Gigalith to check volcarona but Chansey offers so much more. Please review my team and share your opinions.
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