1700s peak - Darkrai/Lokix Balance

[Redfeatherz]

Been having more success than usual with this OU team I made, so wanted to share my experience with it. Would appreciate any suggestions you might make to improve it further, so I can get better at teambuilding.

Offensive Core



Darkrai @ Choice Specs
Ability: Bad Dreams
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Trick
- Hypnosis
- Sludge Bomb

Breaks or cleans pretty consistently with Specs Dark Pulse, thanks to its speed, power and flinch chance. Trick and Hypnosis are useful disruption options that can make things much harder for teams reliant on the support of Clefable, Blissey etc. Sludge Bomb to actually wear down fairies if necessary, particularly Clefable which poses a larger threat to this team without it.

Lokix @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Tinted Lens
Tera Type: Bug
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- First Impression
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch

Like Darkrai, a consistent cleaner and breaker, as thanks to tinted lens, weakened targets cannot simply tera into a defensively advantageous type.
Compliments Darkrai rather well by threatening faster targets (though the magnitude of 4* bug resistances in OU that need to be weakened first can hold it back at times).

Defensive Core



Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spiky Shield
- Body Press
- Spikes
- Giga Drain

Chesnaught seems to get spikes up fairly easily against Great Tusk, as well as deter any spin attempts with spiky shield and a strong hit in.It's at its best where it can keep its leftovers, naturally. However, with Giga Drain and the wealth of other grass-weak physical walls, (Dondozo, Alomomola), it can last even longer and apply a lot of steady pressure.

Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Explosion
- Salt Cure
- Stealth Rock
- Recover

I haven't really used Garganacl, and wanted to try using it as an Explosion hazard-setter, so as not to be too passive. But there are many occassions where it just stays in and spams Salt Cure. Explosion is still a great option to have though, in the face of setup sweepers for a priority move revenge KO from Lokix, but as important as it is to progressing against the opponent otherwise (especially off the back of its tera fairy), there are games when there is negative incentive to do so.



Filler Slots (They're cool and fun, but I'm unconvinced that they are good fits as teammates to the other four)



Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 152 HP / 212 Atk / 44 Def / 100 Spe
Quirky Nature
- Psychic Noise
- Knock Off
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch

I wanted to try Psychic Noise, and something immune to toxic damage. Metagross ticked that box, provided some nice extra utility in Bullet Punch,Knock off and a needed fairy switchin. It's done some cool things, really helps break stall teams apart. Yet it also gets worn down fast, not helped by the fact I'm not settled on what nature/spread it should have. It needs speed to outspeed semi-slow roost/recover users, wants defences for tanking the special hits it needs to, and sort of values both offences for the value of both Psychic Noise and Bullet Punch. The game is often lost to fairies if it takes too much damage too quickly (Scarf Enamorus / Iron Valiant with Booster Speed can call out the switchin and really limit it)


Moltres @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 84 HP / 80 Atk / 180 SpD / 164 Spe
Careful Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Temper Flare
- Roost
- U-turn

I also wanted to try Temper Flare, and Moltres uses it quite well by forcing already statused targets into wisp. It forces many switches, allowing it to uturn into its teammates, and acts as nice insurance for Kingambit and the like with wisp. Temper Flare notably deals consistent physical damage into Volcarona, and bypassing its boosts, it often only weakens the bulkier ones, and doesn't manage to totally wall it on occassion, which puts more pressure on the likes of Garganacl and Lokix to finish it off. Unsure whether Brave Bird might just be better, in spite of the recoil.

Team Import

Darkrai @ Choice Specs
Ability: Bad Dreams
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Trick
- Hypnosis
- Sludge Bomb

Lokix @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Tinted Lens
Tera Type: Bug
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- First Impression
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch

Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spiky Shield
- Body Press
- Spikes
- Giga Drain

Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Explosion
- Salt Cure
- Stealth Rock
- Recover

Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 152 HP / 212 Atk / 44 Def / 100 Spe
Quirky Nature
- Psychic Noise
- Knock Off
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch

Moltres @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 84 HP / 80 Atk / 180 SpD / 164 Spe
Careful Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Temper Flare
- Roost
- U-turn

 

[SirSly720312]

Looking at your team, I see that your using some interesting sets and other pokemon that have low viability in OU. Here's my attempt at making it better in OU.

Big changes:

------>

is highly outclassed by as an user, with more special attack, equal physical bulk and stamina, it fits better with your team.

Archaludon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Stamina
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 124 HP / 136 SpA / 248 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Body Press
- Draco Meteor
- Flash Cannon
- Dark Pulse

---->

As a team you miss on any form of hazard control. is a pretty good physical wall with flame body and will-o-wisp, but is outclassed by talonflame, as it gets defog, allowing you to gave deceptively high bulk and a form of hazard removal.

Talonflame @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Defog
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost

--->

While personally I love as a defensive mon, I think running 2 physically defensive pokemon isn't the best for your team. So I chose to add a strong special wall that can switch out to recover from damage, and force progress with Fsight. This set runs the lowest possible speed so that your never forcing one of your pokemon into damage on the switch. Chilly Reception also doubles as nice weather disruption.

Slowking-Galar @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 240 HP / 16 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Future Sight
- Chilly Reception
- Sludge Bomb
- Thunder Wave

Small changes:

With while running aids with the stealth rock weakness, I feel that your missing out on a lot of KOs. To rectify that we're switching to a dual STAB set. While generally you want to run U-turn, I feel that the only move your really clicking on Lokix is First Impression, and that revenge kills most sweepers.

Lokix @ Choice Band
Ability: Tinted Lens
Tera Type: Bug
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- First Impression
- Sucker Punch
- Leech Life

And finally on we are changing the whole set to be more efficient. I opted for a full Def invested Curse Set because Explosion isn't the best move for to be its best.

Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 240 HP / 56 Atk / 212 Def
Impish Nature
- Curse
- Salt Cure
- Recover
- Earthquake

With all these changes, I find your team runs much smoother, and can really deal and take more damage. Hopefully these are helpful and can help you reach a new peak.
Have a nice day!

 

[Just A Shroom God]

As the resident Lokix Enjoyer™, you have no idea how unbelievably psyched to see someone else actually using Lokix unironically in OU, let alone making an RMT about it... only to hop in and see that SirSly720312 had already made all the changes I was going to suggest. Stop being prompt and thorough with your analyses!!!!!!

Seriously though, all of his changes make sense to me (admittedly only in theory as I haven't time to test this team out), and there's very little to cover. The one thing I would suggest is changing Dark Pulse on Archaludon to Electro Shot, as you still win against the main target, gholdengo, and Electro Shot offers a myraid of benefits such as hard countering rain, threatening bulky waters that it normally can't do anything against, and boosting the damage of draco meteor even if a ground type tries to come in. That being said, it's definitely more of a preference thing, and your team won't fall apart without it. Happy laddering!

 

[SirSly720312]

With while running aids with the stealth rock weakness, I feel that your missing out on a lot of KOs. To rectify that we're switching to a dual STAB set. While generally you want to run U-turn, I feel that the only move your really clicking on Lokix is First Impression, and that revenge kills most sweepers.

Lokix @ Choice Band
Ability: Tinted Lens
Tera Type: Bug
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- First Impression
- Sucker Punch
- Leech Life

Ok so after testing I realized that Leech Life is horrible. It has 10 more base power than U-turn, but is way less helpful, especially against the switchin Lando, Skarm, Corv, etc. So instead of that i would definitely say that on the off chance that you click into the secondary bug slot instead of first impression, it would be better to switch out into a better matchup, like with or . Also Just A Shroom God, lol, and I tested electro shot and its pretty fun. Just a note about dark pulse: flinch may or may not be rigged. I got 3-4 flinches IN A ROW, forcing a switch on the opposing . Really it comes to preference as previously stated.

 

[Just A Shroom God]

Ok so after testing I realized that Leech Life is horrible. It has 10 more base power than U-turn, but is way less helpful, especially against the switchin Lando, Skarm, Corv, etc.

tl;dr drop sucker punch for u-turn and keep leech life it's good actually

Leech life is absolutely not horrible, it's excellent as a stab that doesn't become useless after the first turn and allows lokix to utilize the power of tera bug choice band to break defensive pokemon like Toxapex. Its secondary effect is also useful allowing lokix to mitigate its rocks weakness (as you're generally at least going to get 15% or so back) and utilize its resistances as a bug type to switch in on eqs and close combats more frequently. Not being able to break Skarm or Corv is just a lokix thing unfortunately, and the same argument could be applied to fimp, which is like 80% of lokix's viability. That being said, you also absolutely want u-turn for that sweet sweet unavoidable damage situations, so I'd say the best thing to drop here is Sucker Punch. You're not really hitting anything with it that doesn't fear knock, it's a bad move to be locked into, and you don't get the double stab boost on it from Tera, leaving it really weak.