Well it's been a good while since I've posted (been on break from the competitive scene but never really "went away," but I decided to come back and test a new style of play for me). That said, my new testing choice is none other than arguably one of the scariest late-game sweepers in existence: Mega Beedrill. I started trying to figure out what kind of team makes Beedrill work and it was pretty obvious that I needed a good balance of safe switching and offensive momentum-gainers. I tested around and here's the most promising and winning-est team (I'm still looking for advice which will be asked in questions after I explain my build):
Drone (Beedrill-Mega) (M) @ Beedrillite
Ability: Adaptability
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Protect
- Poison Jab
- Drill Run
The star of the show: Mega Beedrill. I decided not to mess with the standard set since it works quite well as is. U-turn and Poison Jab together with the ability boost is a strong STAB combo. The Protect for scouting out Scarf users and priority moves/ safe mega evolution is quite helpful, then Drill Run picks up coverage against threats like Heatran and Magnezone that would otherwise wall the STAB duo.
Officer (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
Scarf Magnezone was an immediately good choice for this team. It's not the fastest in the meta game, but it traps and controls many threats (such as Scizor and Bisharp) that would prove impossible for Beedrill to handle. The Scarf variant has also helped push against otherwise dangerous base 100-105 speedsters like Mega Pinsir. Overall, Magnezone has done very well in an offensive core with Beedrill.
Colby (Conkeldurr) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Punch
- Mach Punch
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
Conkeldurr was a later pick. Originally, his position was held by a Focus Sash Garchomp, but there was a coverage lacking therein. I kept running into issues with the standard 4x weak to ice monsters like Landorus-Therian and Gliscor, so I decided to add an Ice Punch to the team. Conkeldurr also picked up some much needed Fighting-type and priority coverage STAB and a safe way to switch in on Rotom-W's infamous Will-o-Wisp. Knock Off rounds off the set nicely, as Conkeldurr often forces uncomfortable switches given his immense power and bulk.
Shuriken (Starmie) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
Starmie is generally the best answer to anything that doesn't like Ice-types, but I decided to go with the defensive build to ensure I have a Rapid Spinner to keep Beedrill healthy throughout the game state. The Scald + physical bulk puts a lot of pressure on enemy physical sweepers that aren't prepared for this type of Starmie. Generally, I try to keep this guy alive for as long as possible (unlike most Starmies which are built to revenge kill and take sacrifices). It acts quite well as a safety net against popular Beedrill counters.
Anna (Sylveon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
Sylveon has proven time and again to be the best Cleric for this team. Protecting against the big dragons is a huge benefit when concerning Beedrill (who hates nothing more than running into a Tankchomp or Dragonite). Heal Bell + Wish keeps the team alive for much longer than necessary (generally, keeping Conkeldurr healthy with Wish and saving Beedrill from burns). Nothing more or less than exactly what the team needs.
Toxicity (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Toxic
- Earthquake
Gliscor was the last addition to this team. I needed a huge physical buffer that could easily switch in on priority moves like Bullet Punch that would otherwise straight KO Beedrill. Gliscor filled that role along with getting some much needed EQ coverage, Stealth Rock setter, and a Toxic staller. Overall, I'd like an opinion on this set (there are many different people arguing so many different ideas with this Pokemon and I'd like to see more so I have all sorts to test).
Overall, this team wins most of the games. I've had problems with 2 Pokemon in particular that I'd like some advice on without changing too much of the team:
Problem #1 Rotom-W
I haven't got any Grass-type coverage on this team and my easiest out to Rotom-W at the moment is to sneak in a Toxic on it from Gliscor (that's some risky business). Just any ideas to help make the haunted washing machine easier to deal with would be greatly appreciated.
Problem #2 Serperior
Serperior is quite a common threat in the OU lately and my team has had it's share of issues dealing with it. While Sylveon's Spc Def is through the roof, after a Leaf Storm it still struggles to handle it properly. I know what you're thinking: Beedrill does the job. Well it does, but there are inherent risks to sending Beedrill in (specifically, when dealing with it's HP-Fire prediction). I almost always end up having to sac one teammate to get the safe switch in against Serperior and then it's not a guarantee counter if they have an early game Beedrill counter alive. Any advice to dealing with this threat better is all I'm looking for.
Thanks guys! Let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations or see anything I don't!
Drone (Beedrill-Mega) (M) @ Beedrillite
Ability: Adaptability
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Protect
- Poison Jab
- Drill Run
The star of the show: Mega Beedrill. I decided not to mess with the standard set since it works quite well as is. U-turn and Poison Jab together with the ability boost is a strong STAB combo. The Protect for scouting out Scarf users and priority moves/ safe mega evolution is quite helpful, then Drill Run picks up coverage against threats like Heatran and Magnezone that would otherwise wall the STAB duo.
Officer (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
Scarf Magnezone was an immediately good choice for this team. It's not the fastest in the meta game, but it traps and controls many threats (such as Scizor and Bisharp) that would prove impossible for Beedrill to handle. The Scarf variant has also helped push against otherwise dangerous base 100-105 speedsters like Mega Pinsir. Overall, Magnezone has done very well in an offensive core with Beedrill.
Colby (Conkeldurr) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Punch
- Mach Punch
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
Conkeldurr was a later pick. Originally, his position was held by a Focus Sash Garchomp, but there was a coverage lacking therein. I kept running into issues with the standard 4x weak to ice monsters like Landorus-Therian and Gliscor, so I decided to add an Ice Punch to the team. Conkeldurr also picked up some much needed Fighting-type and priority coverage STAB and a safe way to switch in on Rotom-W's infamous Will-o-Wisp. Knock Off rounds off the set nicely, as Conkeldurr often forces uncomfortable switches given his immense power and bulk.
Shuriken (Starmie) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
Starmie is generally the best answer to anything that doesn't like Ice-types, but I decided to go with the defensive build to ensure I have a Rapid Spinner to keep Beedrill healthy throughout the game state. The Scald + physical bulk puts a lot of pressure on enemy physical sweepers that aren't prepared for this type of Starmie. Generally, I try to keep this guy alive for as long as possible (unlike most Starmies which are built to revenge kill and take sacrifices). It acts quite well as a safety net against popular Beedrill counters.
Anna (Sylveon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
Sylveon has proven time and again to be the best Cleric for this team. Protecting against the big dragons is a huge benefit when concerning Beedrill (who hates nothing more than running into a Tankchomp or Dragonite). Heal Bell + Wish keeps the team alive for much longer than necessary (generally, keeping Conkeldurr healthy with Wish and saving Beedrill from burns). Nothing more or less than exactly what the team needs.
Toxicity (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Toxic
- Earthquake
Gliscor was the last addition to this team. I needed a huge physical buffer that could easily switch in on priority moves like Bullet Punch that would otherwise straight KO Beedrill. Gliscor filled that role along with getting some much needed EQ coverage, Stealth Rock setter, and a Toxic staller. Overall, I'd like an opinion on this set (there are many different people arguing so many different ideas with this Pokemon and I'd like to see more so I have all sorts to test).
Overall, this team wins most of the games. I've had problems with 2 Pokemon in particular that I'd like some advice on without changing too much of the team:
Problem #1 Rotom-W
I haven't got any Grass-type coverage on this team and my easiest out to Rotom-W at the moment is to sneak in a Toxic on it from Gliscor (that's some risky business). Just any ideas to help make the haunted washing machine easier to deal with would be greatly appreciated.
Problem #2 Serperior
Serperior is quite a common threat in the OU lately and my team has had it's share of issues dealing with it. While Sylveon's Spc Def is through the roof, after a Leaf Storm it still struggles to handle it properly. I know what you're thinking: Beedrill does the job. Well it does, but there are inherent risks to sending Beedrill in (specifically, when dealing with it's HP-Fire prediction). I almost always end up having to sac one teammate to get the safe switch in against Serperior and then it's not a guarantee counter if they have an early game Beedrill counter alive. Any advice to dealing with this threat better is all I'm looking for.
Thanks guys! Let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations or see anything I don't!
