SS OU Setup HO with Lead Skarm 777

[Lyo]

Lead Skarmory hyper offense team!

Smug Gary gives his approval. Hit top 500 with just a couple of games and had a blast playing. Most battles end within 20 turns so you either win quickly or you lose quickly. Play offensively, looking to nab knockouts with wasting a move and look for max value with every switch in.

Introducing the Bang Bros:

Skarmory @ Salac Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Brave Bird

Almost always lead this mon and setup rocks/spikes depending on the enemy team (rock weaks, grounded pokemon, etc.). Salac helps you get up extra hazards versus faster mons. Taunt in conjunction with Dragapult to spin-block is effective in preventing hazard removal. In a good deal of lead matchups, it may be worth it to Brave Bird when at 1 HP instead of taunting to get damage or also prevent hazard removal. When vs teams with rocks Excadrill, better to lead something else.

Cinderace @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Libero
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pyro Ball
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn

Speed control, outspeeding all non-scarfed mons in the OU tier. Very good for picking off low HP enemy members. Helps a lot vs setup pokemon who may have a +1 speed boost such as Volcarona. Jolly nature is also viable, but with most setup pokemon being under Adamant Cinderace's speed it is not necessary. Zen for Toxapex/Kommo-o.

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Belly Drum

Main breaker of the team. Against bulkier teams, rely on Azumarill to get some starting kills on the enemy walls for the other members to get rolling. After a Bellydrum, this pokemon should OHKO anything without Unaware. Good water resist vs Rain teams which are pretty popular atm. Do not waste your switch ins since HP is very important for using Bellydrum.

Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- U-turn

Spinblocker. Forces a lot of switches, and they usually end up going into Clefable. U-turn to predict switches and pivot out into the proper setup pokemon. Dragapult by itself is risky to bring out early since you will be choice-locked. Opt to play this mon to gain momentum with U-turn early game, and play it more as a sweeper later on when the enemy team is weakened.

Hawlucha @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Acrobatics
- Substitute
- Swords Dance

Azumarill counter-part. Handles grass types pokemon which would wall Azu like Rillaboom. Use Substitute to guarantee Unburden going off so you get the speed boost, or anticipate receiving a hit and going for Swords Dance. With +2 Attack, will sweep most teams with Aegislash.

Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic
- Quiver Dance

Sweeper. Very standard set with Fire Blast and Bug Buzz. Psychic to cover Toxapex, and Marowak. Can setup on popular walls like Clefable, Ferrothorn, Corviknight. Never setup with this into a Chansey and it's useless into Rain, so just sac it. Always look for lategame sweeps with this pokemon.


Paste link: https://pokepast.es/87ae5f3be7d41ea9

 

[Drahe]

Hi :)
Look nice, I like this old skarmory leader ^^

Some questions, that can make improves :

Dragapult :
Clear body for sticky webs : Hawlucha do it ?
Infiltrator → u don't fear sub ?

Skarmory :

can he back in HO ?​

Since 8g and Custap Berry being delated ...
Why not Weak Armor + Sash & hp speed+ repart ?

May you want set-up hazards later if faster taunter, Magic Bounce, Court-Change, cloyster or choice-tricker (especially spec tricker, your opponent need scarf vs you). Even you can do damage instead of setting hazards but, why do not have another sweeper so ...
HP invest + weak-armor let you do later even if sash broken.

give +2 speed (524) instead of +1 (393) ; but only work with physical moves. Almost leaders are physicals ...
So rock-tomb or rapid-spin doesn't make you slower ... You can switch to avoid a spin, and back ...
Specials that bother u : final-gambit (but u Draga) and volt-s', to switch on faster hazard remover.

As you dosn't need to get less than 25% HP to speed up, you can invest in HP ev (HP fire gone too).
You can suicide better with Steel-Beam (needed if HP invest) but less damages than Brave Bird.


Last question : are spikes better than rocks actually ? Who are those mons you especially hit with rocks that you don't with spikes, and do you really need to rock on them ?
Replace rocks by Endure ? proc weak armor at low hp



Sure I need more advices than you ^^ that's why those questions :)
I'll try your team, I was just thinking about skarmory's issues

 

[Lyo]

Hey Drahe :)

Infiltrator on Dragapult is definitely viable.

I find skarm is better than other leads in the current meta. With so many rock-weak pokemon running heavy duty boots, spikes becomes more valuable of a hazard (ex. vs steel which resist rocks). I haven't tried Weak Armor skarm, but I could see it being fine as well if you want to test it out. Either way, as long as you can can set up hazards and keep them up for the first few turns it's fine.

Endure would make sense for the bulkier set which you suggested, thought I feel like it would be unecessary. Rocks are still good into matchups vs flying types without boots such as Pelipper.