Project USM OU Teambuilding Competition V2 - Round 19: Stakataka (Voting)

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Eclipse

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Team 10 by Exploudit and Team 13 by Roseybear both win, congrats! I'll finally update the Hall of Fame tomorrow. Now that Ultra Sun and Moon is here, it's time for the first and most interesting mon to build around:

Round 17:
Blacephalon has made a great impact on the meta with its great wallbreaking capabilities. With both Scarf sets terrorizing offense and Specs decimating balance builds, non-Tyranitar builds have an extraordinarily difficult time dealing with it. This round will end on Saturday, good luck!
 

DKM

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So, I started off with a core of CM ghostium z Blacephalon and Sub SD bulu (who has Zen headbutt for Venu btw). Next I needed a defogger, so I added Mega Scizor. Even with Heatran and opposing Blacephalon running around, I still think Scizor is a solid Defog mon. Next I wanted a way to set up my own rocks to assist sweeps, and also a ground immunity. So I added the best mon in the game, Lando-T. Next I wanted a solid fire switch-in, along with a Naganadel counter, So I chose AV Tyranitar who is a really good mon in the current meta. Lastly I needed a scarfer, so i added Naganadel who I think is a decent revenge-killer who can also sweep late game.



Blacephalon @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind

Tapu Bulu @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Horn Leech
- Zen Headbutt

Tyranitar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 24 Atk / 236 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Ice Beam
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Defog
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Roost

Naganadel @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- U-turn

 

Chokepic

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Are you fed up of missing your rotom wash hydro pumps? this is your ideal set ;)

Pastebin: https://pastebin.com/VUENmCmj

The first partner I thought for pairing with blace was rotom-w, because it resist ground (except kyurem's earth power and excadrill eq)and it removes hazards however I did 2 bad teams with it and then I tried to paired it with heracross because it removes you tran, ,chansey without tricking it, etc.

I added ttar because of the ghost resist, and as a naga check.

Then I can put the rotom-w that I was thinking first. It was the defog user, but then I put a really "strange" set.

The other 2 sloths were easy to fill. I needed a grass type, a steel type, a ground type and a rock setter. There were 2 options, ferro + lando or excadrill + other grass, I choose the lando + ferro because Im not a fun of exca (although the team had a ttar I prefer lando).

The waterium rotom can kill mawile-mega, stakataka, and mimikyu if rocks are up (because of this 3 is why I choose waterium-z rotom) if you are lucky and if it is full hp and you protect it from fake out, medi too, and if it is a bit damaged, lopu. Also koko but I think you will never get a opportunity to attack it with z-hydro pump.

On heracross I choose eq over sd for killing naga.

Hp ground blacephalon for hitting tran and because you cant give it hp fight


Relevant calcs:

252 SpA Naganadel Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Heracross-Mega: 226-268 (74.8 - 88.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

12 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 40 HP / 0 SpD Mawile-Mega: 220-259 (87.6 - 103.1%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252+ Atk Huge Power Mawile-Mega Sucker Punch vs. 248 HP / 188+ Def Rotom-Wash: 209-246 (68.9 - 81.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

12 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mimikyu: 201-237 (80 - 94.4%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 248 HP / 188+ Def Rotom-Wash: 235-278 (77.5 - 91.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

12 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Stakataka: 248-294 (76 - 90.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

12 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Stakataka: 416-492 (127.6 - 150.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO




Probably I will add replays.
 
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Somewhat similar to the team above, but here ya go.



https://pokepast.es/fdf43aea384c8277

Basically Choice Specs Blacephalon is busted as hell. The only switchins it has are the Special Defense Heatran and AV Tar which are both conveniently wrecked by Mega Lopunny. The combo of Blace and Lop handle balance and offense well enough so I decided to build a core that can take the rest of the metagame. AV Tar is kind of mandatory on this team since its my best way of dealing with opposing Blacephalons and Nagas (CB Tar, which is so much better of a set, gets beat by +2 Drake). Lando and Ferro are my hazard stacking combo, making sure that I get certain OHKO's on Blace and Lop. Rotom Wash was added as the final member for it's newfound Defog ability, which is really cool. It also can get Blace in for free with Volt Switch off of typical switchins like Ferrothorn, which is mad clutch.

Trick can be run over Mind Blown to ease the matchup against Stall, but I've found Mind Blown more useful in punishing pokemon that try to come in easy.
 
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Some offense i threw together around specs blacephalon. Simple dual fire stab and ghost stab with trick to cripple stuff like chansey/pex against stall. Paired it with mons that can take down its checks like Av Tar and heatran or wear them down quite easily. Nasty plot dragonium naganadel pairs well with blacephalon since they share common checks and z-draco can severely dent those checks, letting blacephalon break teams easier.

http://pokepast.es/d0eb12608e517bd6
 

Pretty straight-forward Volt-Turn offense featuring Specs Blacephalon. In my opinion, it's Blacephalon's best set since it has very few safe switch-ins. Shadow Ball and Flamethrower are reliable STABs. Mind Blown is used for when the extra damage would secure a KO, such as against defensive Landorus-T. Trick helps improve the stall match-up.

I decided to pair Blacephalon with Lopunny since it does a good job of pressuring Tyranitar and offensive teams. With Blacephalon + Kartana already pressuring bulkier teams, I decided to go with dual priority to further improve Lopunny's match up against offensive teams. The combination of Fake Out + Quick Attack allows Lopunny to revenge kill threats without as much prior damage.

Most of the team is vulnerable to hazards so Kartana was added as a Defogger and secondary wallbreaker. I went with Grassium Z to blow away Toxapex and defensive Landorus-T. This makes it easier for Blacephalon and Lopunny to spam their STABs. Landorus-T and Magearna were added for an easy-bake Volt-Turn core. The two together provide a decent defensive backbone and provide switch-ins opportunities for the offensive core. Finally, Scarf Greninja is the team's main revenge killer, taking care of Nagandel, Volcarona, and Mega Swampert.
 

Finchinator

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OU Leader
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This team is a relatively standard build with Scarf Blacephalon and Mega Latios, a core that Gary outlines here. It is made predominantly for post-Naganadel metagame, which is why it differs in structure from the team posted above by Bribery (his has Scarf Greninja and Specs Blacephalon whereas mine is the opposite), that is otherwise quite similar. You can still manage Naganadel temporarily, but it is not going to work well if the opponent executes well in all likelihood. Regardless of that, I think that this team is solid and will function quite well, especially after the likely impending ban. Just to go through the sets and synergy:
  • Blacephalon is the standard Choice Scarf set, but it has Explosion over what could be Will-O-Wisp, Knock Off, or a second Fire move. This lets you assure an OHKO on Volcarona, which you will likely need to revenge kill when facing. In addition, it can function as a nice emergency exit button later on in games when Blacephalon is no longer needed, but it is hard to safely pivot in to Kartana or pre-Ash Greninja while leaving the opponents Pokemon alive.
  • Mega-Latios is there in order to serve as a Tyranitar lure, but also do all of the things Latios generally does. It is a nice special attacker with a practical defensive presence that hits hard and fast. Earthquake on this thing compliments the Blacephalon very well and the additional bulk the mega evolution grants it also makes up for how fragile Blacephalon is sometimes, too.
  • Landorus-Therian is filling the generic Stealth Rock role on this team, but there is a bit more to this set. I have been using this variant of Landorus-T on some teams ever since the middle of Snake and I like it a lot because of the Knock support that it gives in the Celesteela match-up, making it infinitely easier to kill or chip to support Mega Latios and Kartana. It also takes pressure off of Blacephalon as it currently has to lock in to Fire Blast to make progress/force out Celesteela currently, which can potentially lead to getting outpredicted and trapped, giving Heatran a Flash Fire boost, or even letting Toxapex come in to wreck havoc in an ungodly fashion. On top of this, I have added Speed to this Landorus-T in order to outrun Adamant Zygarde, which the team otherwise is vulnerable to defensively, and Heatran, which is especially nice considering it gives another form of support for Blacephalon in case Mega Latios is not enough. I feel U-turn is not necessary here as the team lacks Pursuit and can function on hard-switches. The SAtk is to 2HKO opposing Leftovers Landorus-T with Hidden Power Ice and the SDef is for surviving Mega Manectric HP Ice from full. Before you ask: Yes, all of my Landorus-T spreads are this complex.
  • Next member is standard AV Magearna, which is nice to check things like Tapu Lele, Latios, and even Greninja in the early game (although I do feel this team might be a tad more Greninja vulnerable than I would like it to be and that might be because of the core of Blacephalon + Mega Latios being Greninja food). I am running less speed IVs than normal not only to assure that I underspeed opposing Magearna, but also to outslow Chansey, giving me a clean Volt Switch to whatever I choose. I have ran this spread for a while and I find it to be quite effective in the fat match-up. Additionally, I go with Iron Head to help me with opposing CM + SG Magearna, that otherwise can make quick work of my team.
  • Specs Ash Greninja is a very standard set and a pretty easy addition to the team, giving me a soft, temporary check to opposing Blacephalon, some priority to help on the revenge killing front, and even Spikes, which can be very helpful in the balance or fat match-ups.
  • Finally, SD Kartana with Defog is the last member and sort of a glue Pokemon for this team. It helps a lot against bulkier teams, but it also provides arguably necessary Defog support and a hard hitter to nuke things like Clefable, Landorus-T, etc. I wanted to use Grassium as a 'kill button' in a sense, but also because I knew that my team played in to Knocking Celesteela with Landorus-T, so I was aiming to chip it into range for +2 Sacred earlier on regardless, making one of the biggest Z-Sacred Sword targets taken care of in the team's gameplan (assuming it is executed properly). You could likely use Z-Sacred Sword if you wanted to in order to have a safety net in this sort of match-up, but generally I prefer the nuke on this sort of team with a STAB Z-Leaf Blade, so I went in this direction. A potential OO would be making this Z-Sacred Sword with Knock Off > Swords Dance and then making Landorus-T Protect with Leftovers over Knock Off with Rocky Helmet to give more longevity against things like Zygarde, but I like this variant much better against bulkier teams, so keep that in mind.
 

Wildcat Formation

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First off, Blacephalon has to be shiny, no question. Since Chandelure had some success at a point with Choice Specs at a point in SM OU, it only makes sense to try out Choice Specs on what essentially is a better Chandelure. I have Overheat over Fire Blast three reasons: Overheat is more accurate, the Special Attack drop isn't too detrimental to what should be a hit-and-run Pokemon, and Overheat guarantees the OHKO on defensive Lando-T:

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Overheat vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Landorus-Therian: 415-489 (108.6 - 128%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Landorus-Therian: 351-414 (91.8 - 108.3%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

A Specs Blacephalon team screams Volt-Turn in order to give Blacephalon multiple opportunities to safely enter the battlefield. It would also be ideal to have Pokemon that can lure and weaken Tyranitar, Blacephalon's most common counter. This is why Blacephalon is paired with Fightinium-Z Torn-T who attempts to lure T-tars with Z-Superpower. The attack EVs secure the OHKO on that weird 248 HP / 68 Def M-Tyranitar set. Rotom-W was added as a Defogger and a way to bait Grass types in for Blacephalon to take advantage. Ferrothorn is the rocker and main Ash-Gren check. AV Tyranitar attempts to slow down the wrath of Naganadel and checks Volcarona and opposing Blacephalon. Scarf Lando-T adds another Volt-Turner and acts as a backup Defogger for Blacephalon while patching up a few weaknesses with its typing/ability.

Looking at it again, the team is Zygarde weak so if you want to fix that you can run Defensive Defog Lando-T + Scarf Gren over Scarf Lando-T + Rotom-W. It's probably better that way but I was testing out Defog Rotom-W, oh well. Also Tyranitar could run Band or a Pursuit M-Tyranitar set if (when) Naganadel gets banned.
 


At first I didn't know what to think of any of the UB's. My opinion of Naga is definite (don't think it should be banned) but I thought I would pair it with the topic of Round 17 to see how it would go, and my God, it's amazing.

I've always had this idea where I like splitting my teams in to two parts. An offensive core and support core. Most of the time it's an equal 3v3, but depending on the existence of certain versatile Pokemon (example being Lando T), the numbers vary. Specs Blace is so so so good. It's got a good speed tier and hits like an absolute truck. Any fat team gets absolutely demolished by it. The idea of this offensive core was having Blace poke holes through teams so Naga/Bisharp/Venusaur can clean up in mid-late game. Given the prevalence of people using Sticky Webs with it being more widespread this gen, Bisharp was a no brainer. It makes a living off of sometimes being a complete win con because of Defiant and hits like a truck in the right circumstances. Bisharp does well against offensive threats like Scarf Lele/Koko that threaten Naga and completely deters opposing Blace from switching in because of Knock Off/Sucker Punch (which is killing 11 times out of 10). Naga also serves as a good lure to get Bisharp in against Fairies that otherwise would wall it (Magearna not running a Z move which take a good chunk from Knock Off).

The defensive core is an old fashioned FWG core. Heatrean covers up Naga 100 percent of the time in this team. I haven't had any problems with it so far. Max SpD means Heatran takes DD plus Draco and it needs a third Draco to KO which, by that time, Heatran will have either KO'd or on this set, Roar out. Stealth Rock Roar cycling makes Naga a non-threat for this team. If I have already exhausted my opponent's Z move, Mega Vena does pretty good against Naga as well (but this isn't ideal). Venusaur patches up the fighting weakness of Heatran and Rotom sponges the Ground via levitate. The flying from Venu is covered by both of the other support mon and psychic is completely covered by Heatran.

Naganadel @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Nasty Plot
- Sludge Wave

Bisharp @ Dread Plate
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head

Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
- Roar

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 156 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Mind Blown
- Flamethrower

Rotom-Wash @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Defog
- Will-O-Wisp


/QUOTE]
 

Snou

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Built this one and since its a cool team and I'm not going to make any rate my team becos I'm lazy, I just wanted to share it. The main idea was building around sub Blacephalon with CM and stabs. Due to Naganadel spam (ban it pls) av Tyranitar is basically everywhere, so the sub might help you to avoid the pursuit and let CB Zygarde enter safely and pressurize a lot, especially now that Tangrowth's usage is basically 0. Then I added bronzong with a peculiar set: infact it's not levitate, it's Heatproof so you can easily switch in on Naganadel and heavily counter it. I lacked of a ground resist, so I added bulu with a AV set in order to switch in on both Zyg and Ash Ninja + electric mons. It also helps forcing opposing scizors to recover and creating easy momentum chances for the poor clown. Latios is there as a revenge killer for Volcarona and helps with speed control and last, but not least, Mega Scizor with pursuit taking care of latwins and lele and with a defensive spread so you can use it as a punny switchin or even diancie. It also forces toxapex, heatran and ceelsteela to come in allowing zyg to easily enter the field and get some kill.

Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Outrage
- Iron Tail

Blacephalon @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Heatproof
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic

Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Horn Leech
- Nature's Madness
- Superpower
- Wood Hammer

Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Trick

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 132 Def / 136 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Roost


:]
 
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Eclipse

Like a chimp with a machine gun
is a Contributor Alumnus
Time to vote:

Team 1


So, I started off with a core of CM ghostium z Blacephalon and Sub SD bulu (who has Zen headbutt for Venu btw). Next I needed a defogger, so I added Mega Scizor. Even with Heatran and opposing Blacephalon running around, I still think Scizor is a solid Defog mon. Next I wanted a way to set up my own rocks to assist sweeps, and also a ground immunity. So I added the best mon in the game, Lando-T. Next I wanted a solid fire switch-in, along with a Naganadel counter, So I chose AV Tyranitar who is a really good mon in the current meta. Lastly I needed a scarfer, so i added Naganadel who I think is a decent revenge-killer who can also sweep late game.



Blacephalon @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind

Tapu Bulu @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Horn Leech
- Zen Headbutt

Tyranitar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 24 Atk / 236 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Ice Beam
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Defog
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Roost

Naganadel @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- U-turn

Team 2


The first partner I thought for pairing with blace was rotom-w, because it resist ground (except kyurem's earth power and excadrill eq)and it removes hazards however I did 2 bad teams with it and then I tried to paired it with heracross because it removes you tran, ,chansey without tricking it, etc.

I added ttar because of the ghost resist, and as a naga check.

Then I can put the rotom-w that I was thinking first. It was the defog user, but then I put a really "strange" set.

The other 2 sloths were easy to fill. I needed a grass type, a steel type, a ground type and a rock setter. There were 2 options, ferro + lando or excadrill + other grass, I choose the lando + ferro because Im not a fun of exca (although the team had a ttar I prefer lando).

The waterium rotom can kill mawile-mega, stakataka, and mimikyu if rocks are up (because of this 3 is why I choose waterium-z rotom) if you are lucky and if it is full hp and you protect it from fake out, medi too, and if it is a bit damaged, lopu. Also koko but I think you will never get a opportunity to attack it with z-hydro pump.

On heracross I choose eq over sd for killing naga.

Hp ground blacephalon for hitting tran and because you cant give it hp fight


Relevant calcs:

252 SpA Naganadel Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Heracross-Mega: 226-268 (74.8 - 88.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

12 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 40 HP / 0 SpD Mawile-Mega: 220-259 (87.6 - 103.1%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252+ Atk Huge Power Mawile-Mega Sucker Punch vs. 248 HP / 188+ Def Rotom-Wash: 209-246 (68.9 - 81.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

12 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mimikyu: 201-237 (80 - 94.4%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 248 HP / 188+ Def Rotom-Wash: 235-278 (77.5 - 91.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

12 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Stakataka: 248-294 (76 - 90.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

12 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Stakataka: 416-492 (127.6 - 150.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO


Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Trick

Heracross @ Heracronite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake

Tyranitar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 232 HP / 24 Atk / 252 SpD
Brave Nature
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Ice Beam

Rotom-Wash @ Waterium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Defog
- Pain Split

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Explosion


Team 3


Blacephalon @ Choice Specs Ability: Beast Boost EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Fire Blast - Shadow Ball - Mind Blown - Flamethrower

Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite Ability: Scrappy EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - High Jump Kick - Fake Out - Power-Up Punch - Return

Rotom-Wash @ Aguav Berry Ability: Levitate EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Volt Switch - Hydro Pump - Defog - Will-O-Wisp

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers Ability: Iron Barbs EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD Careful Nature - Spikes - Leech Seed - Power Whip - Knock Off

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers Ability: Intimidate EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 24 SpD / 16 Spe Impish Nature - Stealth Rock - Earthquake - Hidden Power [Ice] - Protect

Tyranitar @ Assault Vest Ability: Sand Stream EVs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe Adamant Nature - Stone Edge - Crunch - Pursuit - Earthquake

Basically Choice Specs Blacephalon is busted as hell. The only switchins it has are the Special Defense Heatran and AV Tar which are both conveniently wrecked by Mega Lopunny. The combo of Blace and Lop handle balance and offense well enough so I decided to build a core that can take the rest of the metagame. AV Tar is kind of mandatory on this team since its my best way of dealing with opposing Blacephalons and Nagas (CB Tar, which is so much better of a set, gets beat by +2 Drake). Lando and Ferro are my hazard stacking combo, making sure that I get certain OHKO's on Blace and Lop. Rotom Wash was added as the final member for it's newfound Defog ability, which is really cool. It also can get Blace in for free with Volt Switch off of typical switchins like Ferrothorn, which is mad clutch.

Trick can be run over Mind Blown to ease the matchup against Stall, but I've found Mind Blown more useful in punishing pokemon that try to come in easy.


Team 4


Some offense i threw together around specs blacephalon. Simple dual fire stab and ghost stab with trick to cripple stuff like chansey/pex against stall. Paired it with mons that can take down its checks like Av Tar and heatran or wear them down quite easily. Nasty plot dragonium naganadel pairs well with blacephalon since they share common checks and z-draco can severely dent those checks, letting blacephalon break teams easier.

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Flamethrower
- Trick

Naganadel @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Fire Blast
- Nasty Plot

Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Spikes

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 24 SpD / 32 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Defog

Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Aerilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Close Combat
- Quick Attack


Team 5
Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Mind Blown
- Trick

Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- High Jump Kick
- Fake Out
- Quick Attack

Kartana @ Grassium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 240 Atk / 16 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Defog

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 124 Def / 136 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Def / 232 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Fleur Cannon
- Iron Head
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch

Greninja @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 56 Atk / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Rock Slide
- Grass Knot


Pretty straight-forward Volt-Turn offense featuring Specs Blacephalon. In my opinion, it's Blacephalon's best set since it has very few safe switch-ins. Shadow Ball and Flamethrower are reliable STABs. Mind Blown is used for when the extra damage would secure a KO, such as against defensive Landorus-T. Trick helps improve the stall match-up.

I decided to pair Blacephalon with Lopunny since it does a good job of pressuring Tyranitar and offensive teams. With Blacephalon + Kartana already pressuring bulkier teams, I decided to go with dual priority to further improve Lopunny's match up against offensive teams. The combination of Fake Out + Quick Attack allows Lopunny to revenge kill threats without as much prior damage.

Most of the team is vulnerable to hazards so Kartana was added as a Defogger and secondary wallbreaker. I went with Grassium Z to blow away Toxapex and defensive Landorus-T. This makes it easier for Blacephalon and Lopunny to spam their STABs. Landorus-T and Magearna were added for an easy-bake Volt-Turn core. The two together provide a decent defensive backbone and provide switch-ins opportunities for the offensive core. Finally, Scarf Greninja is the team's main revenge killer, taking care of Nagandel, Volcarona, and Mega Swampert.


Team 6


Blacephalon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Explosion
- Trick

Latios-Mega @ Latiosite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Earthquake
- Roost

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Def / 24 SpA / 8 SpD / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 16 Spe
- Fleur Cannon
- Iron Head
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch

Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Spikes
- Water Shuriken

Kartana @ Grassium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Defog

This team is a relatively standard build with Scarf Blacephalon and Mega Latios, a core that Gary outlines here. It is made predominantly for post-Naganadel metagame, which is why it differs in structure from the team posted above by Bribery (his has Scarf Greninja and Specs Blacephalon whereas mine is the opposite), that is otherwise quite similar. You can still manage Naganadel temporarily, but it is not going to work well if the opponent executes well in all likelihood. Regardless of that, I think that this team is solid and will function quite well, especially after the likely impending ban. Just to go through the sets and synergy:
  • Blacephalon is the standard Choice Scarf set, but it has Explosion over what could be Will-O-Wisp, Knock Off, or a second Fire move. This lets you assure an OHKO on Volcarona, which you will likely need to revenge kill when facing. In addition, it can function as a nice emergency exit button later on in games when Blacephalon is no longer needed, but it is hard to safely pivot in to Kartana or pre-Ash Greninja while leaving the opponents Pokemon alive.
  • Mega-Latios is there in order to serve as a Tyranitar lure, but also do all of the things Latios generally does. It is a nice special attacker with a practical defensive presence that hits hard and fast. Earthquake on this thing compliments the Blacephalon very well and the additional bulk the mega evolution grants it also makes up for how fragile Blacephalon is sometimes, too.
  • Landorus-Therian is filling the generic Stealth Rock role on this team, but there is a bit more to this set. I have been using this variant of Landorus-T on some teams ever since the middle of Snake and I like it a lot because of the Knock support that it gives in the Celesteela match-up, making it infinitely easier to kill or chip to support Mega Latios and Kartana. It also takes pressure off of Blacephalon as it currently has to lock in to Fire Blast to make progress/force out Celesteela currently, which can potentially lead to getting outpredicted and trapped, giving Heatran a Flash Fire boost, or even letting Toxapex come in to wreck havoc in an ungodly fashion. On top of this, I have added Speed to this Landorus-T in order to outrun Adamant Zygarde, which the team otherwise is vulnerable to defensively, and Heatran, which is especially nice considering it gives another form of support for Blacephalon in case Mega Latios is not enough. I feel U-turn is not necessary here as the team lacks Pursuit and can function on hard-switches. The SAtk is to 2HKO opposing Leftovers Landorus-T with Hidden Power Ice and the SDef is for surviving Mega Manectric HP Ice from full. Before you ask: Yes, all of my Landorus-T spreads are this complex.
  • Next member is standard AV Magearna, which is nice to check things like Tapu Lele, Latios, and even Greninja in the early game (although I do feel this team might be a tad more Greninja vulnerable than I would like it to be and that might be because of the core of Blacephalon + Mega Latios being Greninja food). I am running less speed IVs than normal not only to assure that I underspeed opposing Magearna, but also to outslow Chansey, giving me a clean Volt Switch to whatever I choose. I have ran this spread for a while and I find it to be quite effective in the fat match-up. Additionally, I go with Iron Head to help me with opposing CM + SG Magearna, that otherwise can make quick work of my team.
  • Specs Ash Greninja is a very standard set and a pretty easy addition to the team, giving me a soft, temporary check to opposing Blacephalon, some priority to help on the revenge killing front, and even Spikes, which can be very helpful in the balance or fat match-ups.
  • Finally, SD Kartana with Defog is the last member and sort of a glue Pokemon for this team. It helps a lot against bulkier teams, but it also provides arguably necessary Defog support and a hard hitter to nuke things like Clefable, Landorus-T, etc. I wanted to use Grassium as a 'kill button' in a sense, but also because I knew that my team played in to Knocking Celesteela with Landorus-T, so I was aiming to chip it into range for +2 Sacred earlier on regardless, making one of the biggest Z-Sacred Sword targets taken care of in the team's gameplan (assuming it is executed properly). You could likely use Z-Sacred Sword if you wanted to in order to have a safety net in this sort of match-up, but generally I prefer the nuke on this sort of team with a STAB Z-Leaf Blade, so I went in this direction. A potential OO would be making this Z-Sacred Sword with Knock Off > Swords Dance and then making Landorus-T Protect with Leftovers over Knock Off with Rocky Helmet to give more longevity against things like Zygarde, but I like this variant much better against bulkier teams, so keep that in mind.


Team 7

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Overheat
- Trick
- Shadow Ball

Tornadus-Therian @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 88 Atk / 168 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- U-turn

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Pain Split
- Defog
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Defog
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Power Whip
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed

Tyranitar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Atk / 200 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Pursuit
- Ice Beam
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

First off, Blacephalon has to be shiny, no question. Since Chandelure had some success at a point with Choice Specs at a point in SM OU, it only makes sense to try out Choice Specs on what essentially is a better Chandelure. I have Overheat over Fire Blast three reasons: Overheat is more accurate, the Special Attack drop isn't too detrimental to what should be a hit-and-run Pokemon, and Overheat guarantees the OHKO on defensive Lando-T:

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Overheat vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Landorus-Therian: 415-489 (108.6 - 128%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Landorus-Therian: 351-414 (91.8 - 108.3%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

A Specs Blacephalon team screams Volt-Turn in order to give Blacephalon multiple opportunities to safely enter the battlefield. It would also be ideal to have Pokemon that can lure and weaken Tyranitar, Blacephalon's most common counter. This is why Blacephalon is paired with Fightinium-Z Torn-T who attempts to lure T-tars with Z-Superpower. The attack EVs secure the OHKO on that weird 248 HP / 68 Def M-Tyranitar set. Rotom-W was added as a Defogger and a way to bait Grass types in for Blacephalon to take advantage. Ferrothorn is the rocker and main Ash-Gren check. AV Tyranitar attempts to slow down the wrath of Naganadel and checks Volcarona and opposing Blacephalon. Scarf Lando-T adds another Volt-Turner and acts as a backup Defogger for Blacephalon while patching up a few weaknesses with its typing/ability.

Looking at it again, the team is Zygarde weak so if you want to fix that you can run Defensive Defog Lando-T + Scarf Gren over Scarf Lando-T + Rotom-W. It's probably better that way but I was testing out Defog Rotom-W, oh well. Also Tyranitar could run Band or a Pursuit M-Tyranitar set if (when) Naganadel gets banned.


Team 8

At first I didn't know what to think of any of the UB's. My opinion of Naga is definite (don't think it should be banned) but I thought I would pair it with the topic of Round 17 to see how it would go, and my God, it's amazing.

I've always had this idea where I like splitting my teams in to two parts. An offensive core and support core. Most of the time it's an equal 3v3, but depending on the existence of certain versatile Pokemon (example being Lando T), the numbers vary. Specs Blace is so so so good. It's got a good speed tier and hits like an absolute truck. Any fat team gets absolutely demolished by it. The idea of this offensive core was having Blace poke holes through teams so Naga/Bisharp/Venusaur can clean up in mid-late game. Given the prevalence of people using Sticky Webs with it being more widespread this gen, Bisharp was a no brainer. It makes a living off of sometimes being a complete win con because of Defiant and hits like a truck in the right circumstances. Bisharp does well against offensive threats like Scarf Lele/Koko that threaten Naga and completely deters opposing Blace from switching in because of Knock Off/Sucker Punch (which is killing 11 times out of 10). Naga also serves as a good lure to get Bisharp in against Fairies that otherwise would wall it (Magearna not running a Z move which take a good chunk from Knock Off).

The defensive core is an old fashioned FWG core. Heatrean covers up Naga 100 percent of the time in this team. I haven't had any problems with it so far. Max SpD means Heatran takes DD plus Draco and it needs a third Draco to KO which, by that time, Heatran will have either KO'd or on this set, Roar out. Stealth Rock Roar cycling makes Naga a non-threat for this team. If I have already exhausted my opponent's Z move, Mega Vena does pretty good against Naga as well (but this isn't ideal). Venusaur patches up the fighting weakness of Heatran and Rotom sponges the Ground via levitate. The flying from Venu is covered by both of the other support mon and psychic is completely covered by Heatran.


Naganadel @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Nasty Plot
- Sludge Wave

Bisharp @ Dread Plate
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head

Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Lava Plume
- Roar

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 156 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Mind Blown
- Flamethrower

Rotom-Wash @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Defog
- Will-O-Wisp

Team 9

Built this one and since its a cool team and I'm not going to make any rate my team becos I'm lazy, I just wanted to share it. The main idea was building around sub Blacephalon with CM and stabs. Due to Naganadel spam (ban it pls) av Tyranitar is basically everywhere, so the sub might help you to avoid the pursuit and let CB Zygarde enter safely and pressurize a lot, especially now that Tangrowth's usage is basically 0. Then I added bronzong with a peculiar set: infact it's not levitate, it's Heatproof so you can easily switch in on Naganadel and heavily counter it. I lacked of a ground resist, so I added bulu with a AV set in order to switch in on both Zyg and Ash Ninja + electric mons. It also helps forcing opposing scizors to recover and creating easy momentum chances for the poor clown. Latios is there as a revenge killer for Volcarona and helps with speed control and last, but not least, Mega Scizor with pursuit taking care of latwins and lele and with a defensive spread so you can use it as a punny switchin or even diancie. It also forces toxapex, heatran and ceelsteela to come in allowing zyg to easily enter the field and get some kill.

Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Outrage
- Iron Tail

Blacephalon @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Heatproof
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic

Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Horn Leech
- Nature's Madness
- Superpower
- Wood Hammer

Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Trick

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 132 Def / 136 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Roost
 

zbr

less than 99% acc = never hit
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
heatproof zong is literally so fire, it's own heatproof can't protect himself.

team 9 let's get it.
 
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