SM OU Trying to Balance

I don't usually post my teams, but I've decided to try and be a more active member to try and improve my skills as a trainer. (I want to be the very best, like no one ever waaas~ ♪) I usually dabble more in the Monotype department but as a Fairy enthusiast, Magearna's banning has devastated me and my team... So I thought I'd try something new for a while, so here I am in OU.

This is my first OU team for Gen7 so please keep this in mind if there are any glaring errors.

Let's get started!



So, having majored in Fairy monotypes, I've fallen in love with a few of these pixies. Tapu Bulu is one of them because oh my god it hits so hard, it's such a beautiful creature. ♥ I decided that if I was going to make an OU, I wanted to center it around Bulu and his amazing physical power.

Tapu Bulu @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Zen Headbutt
- Horn Leech
- Megahorn

He's Choice-Banded to maximize his physical potential and given max Atk EVs, as well as HP so he can handle the recoil from Wood Hammer. Speaking of, WH is his move of choice because it hits pretty much everything - even mons that resist it - for 2HKO. Horn Leech is a pretty powerful alternative and, along with Grassy Surge, helps Bulu recover from a lot. Megahorn and ZHeadbutt are there for coverage. I considered Stone Edge but it's honestly not fast enough to hurt those fire types and I figured it might be redundant considering I have a Rock mon on my team.


Now, one really nice thing about Grassy Surge is that it halves the damage caused by Earthquake. Knowing this I thought to myself, "I'd love to have a mon that helps cover Bulu's weaknesses but has a weakness to ground, so they could help each other that way." Of course, my fairy-infested mind thought of the perfect contender...



Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt

It's the standard Assault Vest set, with the nearly unresisted BoltBeam and dual-STAB in Flash/Fleur Cannon. She doesn't usually stay in for too long so she doesn't mind the Sp.Atk drop from using Fleur Cannon, and can often use two in a row (and still OHKO) if someone throws in a dark type thinking I'll switch.
She works pretty well with Bulu because she has an immunity to the poison moves that wreck Bulu-baby and takes Steel neutrally, thus saving the Tapu from his fairy weaknesses. It also tanks Ice Beam pretty easily, so she's usually a pretty reliable switch.



However, they both share a sad weakness to Fire. Thus, I need someone who resists Fire and can hurt them in return.



Garchomp-Mega @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA
Brave Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Swords Dance
-Flamethrower

Garchomp is helpful because it eats those fire attacks without a sweat. Rough Skin hurts foes when it switches in, and then it can try Swords Dancing when the opponent is forced to switch. The only problem is that it's often not fast enough to use that boost if something switches in that can hurt it, which - with a 4x weakness to Ice - is often.
Earthquake is there for Ground STAB, of course. Now, this could possibly be a problem considering Bulu's Grassy Surge neutralizes Earthquake regardless of which side uses it, but it's actually easier to manage than I would have thought. The Surge isn't usually active when I switch to Chomper, but if it is, I can just stall it by Swords Dancing or using Dragon Claw.

Finally, I noticed I had a lack of fire moves on my team, so I've tagged Flamethrower onto Chomp to help with coverage. It's good for surprising Ice or Grass types switching in, and Garchomp's special attack is decent enough to be able to use it, but it makes choosing a nature a little difficult. Right now I have it set as Brave (+Atk, -Spd) so it can use both offensive stats, but the lack of speed really hurts it. I'm considering trading Flamethrower for Fire Fang.

Also, I've given it max HP, but I find Garchomp still wears out earlier than I'd like. I'm thinking of maybe investing it in Speed instead so it won't have to try and tank so much, but I'm still unsure.



One thing I've really wanted to try is laying down some Toxic Spikes. I like how crippling and fun those Spikes can be, and because my team is somewhat weak to fire, I figured having a water type probably wouldn't hurt.



Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SpA / 40 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic Spikes
- Recover
- Scald
- Haze

Toxapex is a great opener for my team because it can usually tank whatever tries to hit it and throw on at least one layer of spikes before switching (with Regenerator recovering any damage it took). It has max HP and a lot of SpAtk to try and make Scald at least decent - and the burn chance doesn't hurt. Haze is helping for slowing down DragonDancers or Moxie-benifitters, and Recover is to stall for more poison damage and keep it alive.
Also, along with Magearna, I now have two mons immune to Toxic, which is much appreciated.



Because I wasn't able to fit Stone Edge comfortably onto my Garchomp, I wanted a Rock-type, feeling like I'd be able to handle the common weaknesses with my other mons pretty easily (Tox for water, Bulu for Grass/Fighting, Mage for, like, everything?).



Terrakion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Poison Jab

He looks pretty good on paper. He comes in, puts up some Stealth Rocks, gives us some very-needed Fighting/Rock STAB, and tries to survive. I had Swords Dance but I find this guy somewhat easy to scare out, and I realized I had trouble against Fairies with Fire Blast (*cough*Clefable*cough*). Therefore, I've chosen Poison Jab over Swords Dance.
He's very fast, which is great, but I often wish he could do more. I'm considering trading him for Tyranitar; Ty's Sand Stream would raise its own Sp.Def while also making Garchomp's Earthquake much stronger. Also, three of my six mons would be immune to sandstorm damage, and the other three don't mind it too much. On the other hand, however, Tyranitar is much slower, so I'm not sure which would be more helpful.
That being said, I'm open to suggestion.


So, I was pretty ready to make my team, and then I realized I still needed one more.



Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sludge Bomb

Once again, I find myself unsure.
Tangrowth works well with Toxapex because the latter resist Fire, Poison, Bug and Ice - all of which hurt Tangrowth. I like being able to switch back and forth between them to abuse Regenerator and annoy opponents.
It has an Assault Vest to boost its okay special defenses, but this means it can only use offensive moves. Thus, we have Giga Drain to give STAB and recovery, HP Fire to help with coverage, and Sludge Bomb to scare Fairy types or other Tangrowth. Knock Off is really useful to get rid of everyone's items. I've invested full HP and SpA to give Giga Drain the biggest boost it can get and ensure that to make the most of its ability.

However, it gives us another weakness to Fire and Ice. For that reason, I'm very hesitant; I really like Tangrowth, but I'm not sure how well it works for my team. I'm thinking of replacing it with a healer; I've thought of replacing it with Togekiss, but I don't want three fairies on one team. If anyone can think of a wall that's also able to play a healer role, I'm really open to suggestion.


So! This team has worked pretty well so far, but I know it can use a lot of improvement. I'm really excited to hear all of your suggestions and to really become a part of the OU league.

Thanks in advance!​
 
Nice team, I really like the color scheme of it. But I believe that some EVs just won't work here. Starters : Toxapex doesn't really need SpA EVs. For your team, you'll need a physical sponge, and that's what toxapex can do. Moving some EVs around for this set, very standard in OU


Toxapex @ Shed Shell / Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes / Toxic

Seeing how you have Tapu Bulu Grassy Terrain, Shed Shell might not be needed. So Black Sludge might be more beneficial to you.

Also your Tangrowth doesn't need SpA EVs, it'll act as the special sponge. You can try this basic spread.


Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power Ice
- Earthquake / Sludge Bomb

I don't believe in the use of HP Fire since it lets Zygarde set up on Tangrowth.


For Tapu Bulu and Mega Garchomp the should run 252 Spe and a Jolly nature. 252 Spe lets you outspeed Zard Y (Pre Mega Garchomp only) which can be an issue to your team if Terrakion is down.


Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 200 HP / 56 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power Fire / Ice Beam
- Volt Switch

The EVs allow you to take three Choice Specs Shadowball from a Gengar with Rock Damage. And better tank special moves. You can opt Ice Beam over HP Fire for the Bolt-Beam combo.


Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
- Toxic / Earthquake

or

Terrakion @ Rockium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Stealth Rock / Rock Polish.

Lastly Terrakion could use one of three sets imo. Either Scarf to be the revenge killer, dual dance Z move or SD with rocks. Toxic over Earthquake can let you put bulky mons on timers, chipping them away little by little each turn for the choice Scarf set.

Last thing I notice is you have no way of removing hazards from the field, I'm not sure what you can replace for a hazard remover. Hope these changes help with your team.​
 
Last edited:

Leo

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MPL Champion
I don't usually post my teams, but I've decided to try and be a more active member to try and improve my skills as a trainer. (I want to be the very best, like no one ever waaas~ ♪) I usually dabble more in the Monotype department but as a Fairy enthusiast, Magearna's banning has devastated me and my team... So I thought I'd try something new for a while, so here I am in OU.

This is my first OU team for Gen7 so please keep this in mind if there are any glaring errors.

Let's get started!



So, having majored in Fairy monotypes, I've fallen in love with a few of these pixies. Tapu Bulu is one of them because oh my god it hits so hard, it's such a beautiful creature. ♥ I decided that if I was going to make an OU, I wanted to center it around Bulu and his amazing physical power.

Tapu Bulu @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Zen Headbutt
- Horn Leech
- Megahorn

He's Choice-Banded to maximize his physical potential and given max Atk EVs, as well as HP so he can handle the recoil from Wood Hammer. Speaking of, WH is his move of choice because it hits pretty much everything - even mons that resist it - for 2HKO. Horn Leech is a pretty powerful alternative and, along with Grassy Surge, helps Bulu recover from a lot. Megahorn and ZHeadbutt are there for coverage. I considered Stone Edge but it's honestly not fast enough to hurt those fire types and I figured it might be redundant considering I have a Rock mon on my team.


Now, one really nice thing about Grassy Surge is that it halves the damage caused by Earthquake. Knowing this I thought to myself, "I'd love to have a mon that helps cover Bulu's weaknesses but has a weakness to ground, so they could help each other that way." Of course, my fairy-infested mind thought of the perfect contender...



Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt

It's the standard Assault Vest set, with the nearly unresisted BoltBeam and dual-STAB in Flash/Fleur Cannon. She doesn't usually stay in for too long so she doesn't mind the Sp.Atk drop from using Fleur Cannon, and can often use two in a row (and still OHKO) if someone throws in a dark type thinking I'll switch.
She works pretty well with Bulu because she has an immunity to the poison moves that wreck Bulu-baby and takes Steel neutrally, thus saving the Tapu from his fairy weaknesses. It also tanks Ice Beam pretty easily, so she's usually a pretty reliable switch.



However, they both share a sad weakness to Fire. Thus, I need someone who resists Fire and can hurt them in return.



Garchomp-Mega @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA
Brave Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Swords Dance
-Flamethrower

Garchomp is helpful because it eats those fire attacks without a sweat. Rough Skin hurts foes when it switches in, and then it can try Swords Dancing when the opponent is forced to switch. The only problem is that it's often not fast enough to use that boost if something switches in that can hurt it, which - with a 4x weakness to Ice - is often.
Earthquake is there for Ground STAB, of course. Now, this could possibly be a problem considering Bulu's Grassy Surge neutralizes Earthquake regardless of which side uses it, but it's actually easier to manage than I would have thought. The Surge isn't usually active when I switch to Chomper, but if it is, I can just stall it by Swords Dancing or using Dragon Claw.

Finally, I noticed I had a lack of fire moves on my team, so I've tagged Flamethrower onto Chomp to help with coverage. It's good for surprising Ice or Grass types switching in, and Garchomp's special attack is decent enough to be able to use it, but it makes choosing a nature a little difficult. Right now I have it set as Brave (+Atk, -Spd) so it can use both offensive stats, but the lack of speed really hurts it. I'm considering trading Flamethrower for Fire Fang.

Also, I've given it max HP, but I find Garchomp still wears out earlier than I'd like. I'm thinking of maybe investing it in Speed instead so it won't have to try and tank so much, but I'm still unsure.



One thing I've really wanted to try is laying down some Toxic Spikes. I like how crippling and fun those Spikes can be, and because my team is somewhat weak to fire, I figured having a water type probably wouldn't hurt.



Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SpA / 40 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic Spikes
- Recover
- Scald
- Haze

Toxapex is a great opener for my team because it can usually tank whatever tries to hit it and throw on at least one layer of spikes before switching (with Regenerator recovering any damage it took). It has max HP and a lot of SpAtk to try and make Scald at least decent - and the burn chance doesn't hurt. Haze is helping for slowing down DragonDancers or Moxie-benifitters, and Recover is to stall for more poison damage and keep it alive.
Also, along with Magearna, I now have two mons immune to Toxic, which is much appreciated.



Because I wasn't able to fit Stone Edge comfortably onto my Garchomp, I wanted a Rock-type, feeling like I'd be able to handle the common weaknesses with my other mons pretty easily (Tox for water, Bulu for Grass/Fighting, Mage for, like, everything?).



Terrakion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Poison Jab

He looks pretty good on paper. He comes in, puts up some Stealth Rocks, gives us some very-needed Fighting/Rock STAB, and tries to survive. I had Swords Dance but I find this guy somewhat easy to scare out, and I realized I had trouble against Fairies with Fire Blast (*cough*Clefable*cough*). Therefore, I've chosen Poison Jab over Swords Dance.
He's very fast, which is great, but I often wish he could do more. I'm considering trading him for Tyranitar; Ty's Sand Stream would raise its own Sp.Def while also making Garchomp's Earthquake much stronger. Also, three of my six mons would be immune to sandstorm damage, and the other three don't mind it too much. On the other hand, however, Tyranitar is much slower, so I'm not sure which would be more helpful.
That being said, I'm open to suggestion.


So, I was pretty ready to make my team, and then I realized I still needed one more.



Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sludge Bomb

Once again, I find myself unsure.
Tangrowth works well with Toxapex because the latter resist Fire, Poison, Bug and Ice - all of which hurt Tangrowth. I like being able to switch back and forth between them to abuse Regenerator and annoy opponents.
It has an Assault Vest to boost its okay special defenses, but this means it can only use offensive moves. Thus, we have Giga Drain to give STAB and recovery, HP Fire to help with coverage, and Sludge Bomb to scare Fairy types or other Tangrowth. Knock Off is really useful to get rid of everyone's items. I've invested full HP and SpA to give Giga Drain the biggest boost it can get and ensure that to make the most of its ability.

However, it gives us another weakness to Fire and Ice. For that reason, I'm very hesitant; I really like Tangrowth, but I'm not sure how well it works for my team. I'm thinking of replacing it with a healer; I've thought of replacing it with Togekiss, but I don't want three fairies on one team. If anyone can think of a wall that's also able to play a healer role, I'm really open to suggestion.


So! This team has worked pretty well so far, but I know it can use a lot of improvement. I'm really excited to hear all of your suggestions and to really become a part of the OU league.

Thanks in advance!​
Hey, this isn't really a rate but rather a piece of advice you'll probably find useful. Try to avoid using the "suggested spread" option on the PS! Teambuilder because most of the spreads you get are just unviable. Instead you can either ask in the OU Room or check the on-site analyses, which provide the best and most updated spreads (at least most of the time)
 
Hey, you got a nice team there! Welcome to Smogon competetive OU and good luck on the ladder! One small change I have to make. As VoidPl mentioned, his Garchomp spread helps you combat fire types like Zardy etc. But since you aren't running ScarfChomp, I suggest you use a stealth rock set, to further threaten them out and deter their switch-ins. It's also great cuz Garchomp forces out a lot of pokemon, so you will have many opportunities to get SR on the field. This is the recommended spread.

Garchomp @ Life Orb / Dragonium Z
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Outrage

 
First, keep in my mind that I'm not a pro rater and most of what I will say is my opinion.
I'm not a fan of mega chomp particularly because of that speed drop. His just-above-average speed which threatened many pokemon becomes a below average speed making it easier for him to be revenge killed, even with that special bulk. I would keep the moves though (fire fang over flamethrower) and having a different item on him would mean that you have a mega evolution slot on your team. I suggest mega venu over tangrowth (many sets for you to pick so I won't specify any of them) because, even lacking regenerator, he has synthesis as a reliable recovery and thick fat makes it neutral instead of weak against fire and ice. Being immune to toxic is just a plus of its poison typing.
 

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