SM OU Mega-Zam Terrain TR (New Peak 1932, #30)

[Adapt or Die]

Introduction:
Playing through various hyper offense playstyles such as web, veil, rain etc. I noticed a consistent problem with my teams. A well built Trick Room team always beat them because Trick Room flips the game on its head. So I set out trying to make a "not obvious" Trick Room team, and came back to one of my all time favorite mons Mega-Alakazam. After a long and tortured teambuilding process I finally got a nice team that managed to break into the top 50 on the ladder. This team dominates on short days, while crumbling before anything that can stand up to its numerous dangerous mons. I started running into this team a few too many times and will no longer be playing it unless someone comes up with a cool innovation. Without further ado, Mega-Zam Terrain TR enjoy.

Proof of Peak

Importable

Alakazam @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind

Tapu Lele @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Moonblast

Magearna @ Fairium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Fleur Cannon
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt

Landorus-Therian @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion

Mimikyu @ Life Orb
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Play Rough
- Trick Room

Stakataka @ Air Balloon
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 14 Def / 0 Spe
- Stone Edge
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Trick Room

The Team:

Alakazam @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind

Mega-Zam is here because Trick Room has a pitiful turn count and no way to extend it. As such Zam is the non-TR sweeper, as well as doubling as a breaker. In Psychic terrain Zam hits hard enough to ohko much of the meta-game. Add in Calm Mind for extra power and Zam can break through tricky cores that my Trick Room sweepers just can't handle as well as go toe to toe with reuniclus (who doesn't have a dedicated answer on this team).

Tapu Lele @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Moonblast

Tapu Lele brings the psychic terrain which is essential for negating priority moves. Especially important is neutralizing medicham/lopunny's fake out which otherwise is often used to stall Trick Room turns. Hidden power fire is there to handle Mega-scizor who otherwise is a challenge to break. Terrain Extender lets psychic terrain cover the full Trick Room count as well as giving Zam plenty of turns to work with to sweep. Otherwise lele is a weaker version of the other special sweepers on this team and functions as a good first pass to weaken checks. Lele is also the best mon to sack in a pinch.

Magearna @ Fairium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Fleur Cannon
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
The first trick room sweeper on this team this is pretty standard TR Mage. Min speed, Fleur-Focus coverage and then additional coverage. Mage can take hits from most of the meta-game at full to set up TR. After setting TR spamming Twinkle Tackle + Fleur Cannon to get the most koes is usually optimal over trying to preserve Soul Heart special attack boost.

Landorus-Therian @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion

Set Rocks. Go Boom. In like 70% of battles this is Lando's job. Rocks breaks focus sash/sturdy to prevent from the sweepers from getting revenged killed/having to waste a turn. In some matchup it pays to hold off exploding for a little while, especially if there's something dangerous lando breaks or checks. I've gone back and forward on Lando's speed tier as more speed really helps in some matchups, but also less speed helps under TR and more bulk surprises some people who think they have a ko.

Mimikyu @ Life Orb
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Play Rough
- Trick Room

Mimikyu is a bit of a jack of all trades master of none. Disguise lets is set up TR in situations where Mage and Staka can't and with swords dance and life orb it can do a passable job of sweeping on its own. Usually advisable to set swords dance before TR as this gives maximum number of sweeping turns. Mimikyu is needed to check some very fast dangerous mons like scarf serperior and hawlucha that outspeed and ko Zam.

Stakataka @ Air Balloon
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 14 Def / 0 Spe
- Stone Edge
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Trick Room

Stakataka is the second main trick room sweeper. It's Ived to beast boost attack on a ko instead of defense. Although very bulky defensive typing is awful so only setup on things that can't hit it 4x. Air balloon helps with this a bit as it gives it temporary immunity to ground moves and lets it set TR on weakened lando and excadrill. Gyro Ball hits most of the meta-game a lot harder than earthquake or stone edge, so it's the primary spam move.

Threat list:

Stall: Most stall teams can be beaten if you can nuke the right things. Zam in psychic terrain can usually get a ko if played right and lando can sometimes win the mind games with mega-sab. General strategy is find anyway to get Chansey into mage's kill range as it can feast on stall teams once the blob is dead. That said well built stall teams played intelligently are a struggle for this team.

Tapus: This team is much more deadly in Psychic Terrain than outside of it and other tapus take that away. Fortunately mage uses all the tapus for setup fodder, while zam annihilates tapu koko.

Defensive steel types: Celesteela, Ferrothorn, Heatran, Skarmory, AV Mage, and Mega-Scizor all slow down or halt the sweepers on this team. Strategy is generally to overwhelm them with wave after wave getting some early damage with tapu lele and proceeding from there.

RNG: 3 mons run focus blast, 1 mon runs stone edge, and 1 runs play rough. Play this team long enough and misses will happen. Manageable as long as it doesn't get out of control like this battle: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-836035918


Play Advice:
Lead with lando-t or Lele to set rocks or terrain to start. Identify roadblocks to sweep as well as setup opportunities. Weaken the roadblocks with a careful order of sweepers so that the last one you choose succeeds. Remember you only get 4 Trick Room turns so don't try to win with your "last sweeper" until there are only 4 mons left.

Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-836150222
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-836137325
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-836133817
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-836118888
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-836113132

Pokeaim match commentary at 15:30 -shameless limelighting

More replays can be found by searching Adapt Or Die or Adapt Or Die Alt

 

[Adapt or Die]

Bumped, since I'm now done playing the team. Enjoy, and let me know what modifications you make.

 

[MetaNite]

Really cool team! I think you are using the best Magearna set, perfect combo of moves to lure Ferro and Heatran which are otherwise annoying. I think the easiest mon to try switching out would be Stakataka or Mimikyu and I would try switching out one or the other for a more powerful wall-breaker. Both get walled more easily by Steel-types, Scizor and Celesteela especially (without Rockium for sure).

Some to try are Choice Band Crawdaunt. Might seem counterintuitive to have a priority user but the majority of the time you’ll be using Crabhammer or Knock Off. It’s powerful enough to kill Ferro, Skarmory, as well as defensive Ground types. Water typing is also useful against Heatran, and it can take a neutral or resisted hit with max HP. Will also help immensely against stall.

You can also AV Celesteela:

Celesteela @ Assault Vest
Nature: Brave
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Spe
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- filler

Hear me out with this one. This guy gives you a permanent Ground immunity and the ability to nail Ferro, Scizor, and Skarmory. Assault Vest allows you to tank Magma Storms and Tbolts and you still get Beast Boosted with each kill, making Heavy Slam a weapon to be reckoned with. The last move is for your team needs, with endless options: HP Ice, Stone Edge, Giga Drain.

Lastly I would try using Taunt > Focus Blast on Tapu Lele. This will give you some insurance that Chansey can’t heal itself to outlast Psychic terrain and will hopefully make stall a little easier to deal with. You can also try a Modest nature to make Psyshocks hit much harder.

Also I’d love to play you some time and swap TR ideas. Feel free to PM me!

 

[rainofhatred]

will no longer be playing it unless someone comes up with a cool innovation

so ur basically showing off a team u dont want to use anymore, whats the purpose of the rate-mt then lul?

but if i had to give any legit suggestions id say trying hp fire on magearna can help with ferrothorn and scizor for zam and stakataka but taunt on lele from metanite also seems very legit

 

[Adapt or Die]

Really cool team! I think you are using the best Magearna set, perfect combo of moves to lure Ferro and Heatran which are otherwise annoying. I think the easiest mon to try switching out would be Stakataka or Mimikyu and I would try switching out one or the other for a more powerful wall-breaker. Both get walled more easily by Steel-types, Scizor and Celesteela especially (without Rockium for sure).

Some to try are Choice Band Crawdaunt. Might seem counterintuitive to have a priority user but the majority of the time you’ll be using Crabhammer or Knock Off. It’s powerful enough to kill Ferro, Skarmory, as well as defensive Ground types. Water typing is also useful against Heatran, and it can take a neutral or resisted hit with max HP. Will also help immensely against stall.

You can also AV Celesteela:

Celesteela @ Assault Vest
Nature: Brave
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Spe
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- filler

Hear me out with this one. This guy gives you a permanent Ground immunity and the ability to nail Ferro, Scizor, and Skarmory. Assault Vest allows you to tank Magma Storms and Tbolts and you still get Beast Boosted with each kill, making Heavy Slam a weapon to be reckoned with. The last move is for your team needs, with endless options: HP Ice, Stone Edge, Giga Drain.

Lastly I would try using Taunt > Focus Blast on Tapu Lele. This will give you some insurance that Chansey can’t heal itself to outlast Psychic terrain and will hopefully make stall a little easier to deal with. You can also try a Modest nature to make Psyshocks hit much harder.

Also I’d love to play you some time and swap TR ideas. Feel free to PM me!

I'll give AV celesteela an experimental try as it adds a lot of defensive utility over staka. Losing a TR setter hurts, but staka often needs mimi to set room for it anyways.

Taunt on lele is cool, with the only downside being versus tran. Thanks for the rate.

so ur basically showing off a team u dont want to use anymore, whats the purpose of the rate-mt then lul?

but if i had to give any legit suggestions id say trying hp fire on magearna can help with ferrothorn and scizor for zam and stakataka but taunt on lele from metanite also seems very legit

I had this up for a week man with no comments and started running into my own team quite a bit before I decided to stop laddering with it. I like metanite's suggestions and will give them a try.