Deception and Destruction
Heya! My name is Its Ditto (MeepBard on PS!) and I wanted to try my hand out at making my first-ever Gen 3 team! I would really appreciate some critiques to make this team better as this is my first team for the tier, of course. Without further ado, let's begin!
Originally, I had Metagross in the lead role, but after playing a few games, i've realized that Swampert is a much better choice. It has a great matchup vs. Tyranitar, it baits out Skarmory for Magneton to feast upon, and it's overall a great wall.
Next thing was a Pokemon that could work with Swampert and manage to OHKO a prime defensive threat in Skarmory. Being able to trap and have a 75% chance at KOing the metal bird, Magneton fits all the requirements I needed.
I needed a great sweeper. Clearly, the only choice is Salamence. Being able to tear apart teams with 135/110 offenses, Salamence truly is a force to be reckoned with.
Now that i've got my main go-to sweeper, I needed a fast late-game sweeper to clean up the remainder of the opponent's team. Aerodactyl fits this role perfectly, with a great 105 base Attack and a blazing fast 130 base Speed.
Snorlax is a great special wall. It has great offensive prowess, can bolster it's defense using Curse, and overall can take some special hits that the rest of my team struggles with.
I wanted a Pokemon that has good defenses and can dish out equally good damage. The first thing that came to mind was Metagross. With an amazing base 135 Attack stat, a base 130 Defense stat and a respectable 90 base Special Defense, Metagross is the definition of a powerhouse.
THE TEAM
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
Swampert is a very bulky Pokémon and a reliable check to Tyranitar, Salamence and Metagross, among other things. Earthquake can deal a lot of damage to stuff like Jirachi and Metagross. Ice Beam is required to get the OHKO on Salamence. Hydro Pump allows Swampert to deal 50% to standard Skarmory and to deal good damage on Gengar. Protect lets Swampert scout for status and scout for HP Grass on T-Tar, Metagross and Magneton.
Magneton @ Salac Berry
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
-
- Endure
- Screech
EndSalac Magneton is a great set. It turns the tables on Dugtrio and can revenge kill some Dragon Dance users such as Tyranitar using Endure, all while still maintaining the ability that made the standard set great - trapping and removing Skarmory. The way that it counters Dugtrio is as follows: Dugtrio traps Magneton, Magneton uses Endure to not get decimated by EQ. Salac Berry activates, and with the given EV spread, allows Magneton to outspeed Dugtrio and get the OHKO with HP Grass. Thunderbolt is a great STAB move, hitting most things really hard. Hidden Power Fire allows Magneton to take care of Forretress, and even though the loss of HP Grass means that Magneton can no longer counter Dugtrio, most Dugtrios will switch after the Salac boost anyways. Endure guarantees that Magneton will survive any attack the opponent throws at it, allowing Salac Berry to activate. Screech allows Magneton to soften up an opponent so that a teammate can clean up, allowing me to regain momentum. Most of my mons are physical as well, meaning that almost all of my team members can clean up after the Screech.
Salamence @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 24 Atk / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Fire Blast
- Brick Break
- Dragon Claw
MixMence allows Salamence to get a wider arrange of coverage. It has high unpredictability factor as most assume the Dragon Dance set. Due to this, it works magnificently. Hidden Power Grass is great for luring fiends like Swampert and OHKOing. Fire Blast removes most Steel-types. Brick Break allows Salamence to defeat Blissey. Without it, he would be left absolutely walled by it. Dragon Claw is a highly reliable spammable STAB move.
Salamence @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Simply put, Salamence is a force to be reckoned with. After only one Dragon Dance, he can outspeed almost all, if not all, threats in the ADV OU metagame and hit extremely hard in return using his wide array of moves at his disposal. Hidden Power Flying is Salamence's best physical STAB, and therefore it is his go-to move for a strong attack. Earthquake is nice for pounding the Steel and Rock-types in the metagame that resist HP Flying as well as being a nice move overall, and Rock Slide destroys opposing Flying-types - especially opposing Salamence.
Aerodactyl @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Aerodactyl is used as a late-game sweeper once Magneton and Salamence have done their jobs. He is a speedy fast threat that can destroy the remainder of your opponent's team. Rock Slide is a great STAB move that can defeat opposing Flying-types such as Salamence. Double-Edge is a really strong 120 base power Normal-type move that Aerodactyl gets no recoil from due to the effects of Rock Head. Earthquake is, as stated before, nice for getting rid of pesky Steel and Rock types. Finally, Hidden Power Flying is a more reliable STAB due to Rock Slide's shaky 90% accuracy and it can deal with Grass and Fighting-types (especially Breloom and Heracross).
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 144 HP / 68 Atk / 132 Def / 164 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Curse
- Selfdestruct
- Earthquake
- Shadow Ball
Snorlax is a prime threat in ADV OU. Being able to sponge powerful special hits that the rest of my team cannot bear to take, along with being a really great offensive threat, Snorlax can destroy a team, under the right circumstances. Curse was made for Snorlax, having high HP and Special Defense, fairly nice Attack, low Defense, and dreadful Speed, Snorlax can boost his already great stats and doesn't really mind the Speed drop. Selfdestruct is a last resort move, and if Snorlax has gotten a few boosts before hand, can pretty much OHKO any mon in the metagame. Earthquake allows Snorlax to beat Metagross, as he is left pretty much helpless against it without it. Finally, Shadow Ball makes sure that Snorlax can't get walled by Gengar, allowing him to defeat it easily.
Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 184 Atk / 136 SpA / 188 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
- Explosion
- Giga Drain
Gengar is an immediate speedy fast threat that can sweep an opponents team and then when it's time is up, finish off with a bang. Thunderbolt and Ice Punch form the famous BoltBeam combo, allowing it to effectively get a super effective/neutral hit on every Pokemon in the ADV OU metagame except for Lanturn and Magneton. Explosion is a last resort move, and it works wonders on something as fast as Gengar. However, when using Gengar (and Metagross), it should be used wisely as to not waste a valuable Pokemon on something that another mon' of yours could've cleaned up. Giga Drain is important to nail the threat known as Swampert, who is immune to Thunderbolt and takes very little damage from Ice Punch.
Metagross @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 184 HP / 180 Atk / 16 SpA / 128 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
-
- Explosion
Metagross is a top tier Pokemon in ADV OU, and for good reason. He's reasonably bulky, and he can deal quite a lot of damage. Meteor Mash is a great STAB move that has a nifty bonus in snatching a potential Attack boost. Earthquake is an all around great move and is your best move against Jirachi or opposing Metagross. Hidden Power Grass allows Metagross to deal some hefty damage against Swampert. Explosion is an extremely powerful move (it deals more than 75% damage to most defensive Skarmory) and with a well timed boom I can easily KO their wall, or severely weaken it to the point where a teammate can clean up.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
Magneton @ Salac Berry
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Endure
- Screech
Salamence @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 24 Atk / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Fire Blast
- Brick Break
- Dragon Claw
Aerodactyl @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 144 HP / 68 Atk / 132 Def / 164 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Curse
- Selfdestruct
- Earthquake
- Shadow Ball
Metagross @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 184 HP / 180 Atk / 16 SpA / 128 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Explosion
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
Magneton @ Salac Berry
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Endure
- Screech
Salamence @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 24 Atk / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Fire Blast
- Brick Break
- Dragon Claw
Aerodactyl @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 144 HP / 68 Atk / 132 Def / 164 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Curse
- Selfdestruct
- Earthquake
- Shadow Ball
Metagross @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 184 HP / 180 Atk / 16 SpA / 128 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Explosion
LEGEND:
Green = Somewhat of a threat
Yellow = Moderate threat
Red = Major threat
Bulky Water-types (such as Milotic and Suicune) are problematic as they can shut down my Aerodactyl and Salamence with Ice Beam, and they are bulky enough to withstand a few hits. Suicune especially is a problem as it can sweep my team if it gets a couple of Calm Minds up.
Green = Somewhat of a threat
Yellow = Moderate threat
Red = Major threat
I hope you guys can give me some fair criticism about this team. I really hope you guys enjoyed it!
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