ORAS OU Bolt Strikes! A Mega Manectric Team (Peaked #42)

[fuzzy]

Introduction:

Hello,

today i'm presenting you a Mega Manectric team that i've been using the past months. I feel pretty comfortable playing with it, achieving a Top 50 spot with an Elo of 1915 and a 83.3% GXE on the Pokémon Showdown! Ladder (Proof of peak: http://imgur.com/zMGm4Jd). After putting a lot of thought into it, I figured its the right time to show it off. Its also my first RMT after 10 years on the forum. Any help is appreciated and I invite you to use the team for yourself, if you like!

Here's an explanation of how the Team Building Process went:

Team Building Process

I started with Mega Manectric, since its my favorite Mega. It has a good matchup against offensive teams with its insane 135 Base Speed, but struggles against more defensive inclined ones.

Thats why I wanted to pair it with Keldeo, since with a Choice Specs attached, it pressures defensive teams. Especially those with Chansey and Quagsire, which Manectric can not touch at all.

I went with Choice Scarf Jirachi next as a Pivot and a solid switch-in for the Lati twins and Fairy Types and to complement Mega Manectrics Volt Switch with its own U-turn.

However, after some testing I switched Jirachi for Assault Vest Metagross, because it can actually remove those checks or counters to both Keldeo and Manectric with Pursuit.

The next slot was Landorus-T. He gives me an offensive Pivot for things like Excadrill, opposing Landorus-T or Mega Lopunny and provides Stealth Rock for the team.

I then added Feraligatr, because I wanted a Set-up Sweeper and something to pressure Stall. It also looked cool to me and double Water is a potent offensive strategy.

However, Feraligatr couldn't do much to Keldeo, a Pokémon I was already weak to. Thats why I chose Manaphy instead to threaten defensive teams and act as a real Stall Breaker.

The last slot went to Choice Scarf Latios, because I lacked the ability to revenge kill really fast stuff and certain Set-up Sweepers. Latios also brings some key resistances to the table.

The latest version of the team runs Latias instead of Latios, since she provides more bulk as well as Healing Wish support, which allows me play Mega Manectric more recklessly.

Please note that I already tried different Pokémon with only Mega Manectric and Landorus-T being constantly on the team. At one point or another I used Azumarill, Breloom, Tornadus-T, Weavile, Volcarona, Scizor and Terrakion. However, this is the combination of six I like the most.

Now, lets finally have a closer look on each member of the team!


Team Members:

Manectric-Mega (F) @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flamethrower

Comments: I like Mega Manectric in this Meta, because its very good against offensive teams and its Electric Typing makes it effective against Water and Flying Types, both popular in OU. Mega Manectric isn't the strongest Pokémon, but Volt Switching out and dealing damage in the process is still a good strategy. If i'm able to remove Walls like Hippowdon and Chansey or Choice Scarf users like Landorus-T, it may even be able to clean late game.

Moveset: Thunderbolt and Volt Switch are STAB moves with Volt Switch being there to gain momentum. HP [Ice] is necessary to target Ground Types such as Landorus-T, Garchomp and Gliscor. It also hits Dragonite hard. Overheat is used for Grass and Steel Types like Amoonguss, Serperior, Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor. Mega Manectrics moveset is actually very one-dimensional.

Evs / Nature / Ability: I use a Timid nature with maximum Evs in Speed, because being faster than Weavile and Garchomp before Mega Evolving is important. 252 Evs in Special Attack are used to deal as much damage as possible. The remaining 4 Evs are put into Defense. Lightning Rod is the ability of choice, because it discourages the opponent from going for Electric moves all to freely if I stay in regular form.

Other options: Flamethrower, because it doesn't lower Special Attack and is more accurate than Overheat, though I usually prefer the ability to OHKO Excadrill, Serperior (both guaranteed) and Mega Metagross (sometimes).

Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Comments: Mega Manectric pairs well with strong Water Types, because they threaten the Walls and bulky Pokémon that stop it (Tyranitar, Heatran, Mega Charizard-X, Hippowdon, Chansey etc.). Choice Specs Keldeo in particular deals with those. It also acts as an important check to Bisharp and Weavile, the first which takes advantage from Mega Manectrics Intimidate and the later which outspeeds Manectric before being Mega Evolved. All in all, Keldeo is a great Special Attacker and fits the team quite well.

Moveset: Hydro Pump is there for its huge damage output, e.g. OHKOing Mega Charizard-X. Scald is very spammable and comes with a 30% chance to inflict a Burn. Secret Sword deals with Dark and Steel Types and nearly kills Chansey. HP [Electric] is used over Icy Wind, Focus Blast or HP [Bug], because it hits Water Types such as Gyarados, Slowbro and Starmie for good damage. I find that important, because Manectric doesn't like switching into their attacks.

Evs / Nature: I run the standard spread with 252 Evs in Special Attack/Speed and a Timid nature to outspeed as much as possible. The last 4 Evs are put into Special Defense.

Other options: Toxic is an interesting option, because it screws Bulky Waters like Slowbro, Slowking and Alomomola as well as Mega Latias, an otherwise big threat to the team.

Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Atk / 96 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Hammer Arm
- Pursuit
- Bullet Punch

Comments: Assault Vest Metagross forms a nice core with Mega Manectric and Keldeo, because it traps the Lati twins, Jirachi, Celebi (if doesn't have Baton Pass) and Starmie (offensive variants). Furthermore, its a good switch-in to Fairy and Electric Types such as Mega Altaria, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Diancie, Raikou and opposing Mega Manectric. Its main job, however, is to trap Latias and Latios.

Moveset: Meteor Mash is its strongest STAB move and hits Fairy Types and Kyurem-B hard. Ice Punch is the coverage move of choice, because it makes it easier to deal with threats such as Serperior and Thundurus-I. I already explained Pursuit and Bullet Punch is there to pick off faster threats, e.g. Weavile, Gengar, Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Mega Aerodactyl.

Evs / Nature / Ability: They may look like much, but its the standard spread. With the HP and Special Defense investment Metagross can live two Mega Alakazam Shadow Balls even after Stealth Rock damage. 8 Speed Evs outspeed standard Belly Drum Azumarill by one point and the rest is pumped into its Attack stat to deal a good amount of damage. Clear Body is chosen, because it prevents the Attack drop from Intimidate users like Landorus-T.

Other options: Hammer Arm or Earthquake over Ice Punch are options to deal with certain Steel Types such as Ferrothorn (Hammer Arm), Heatran, Magnezone and Mega Metagross (Earthquake).

Landorus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 120 HP / 48 Atk / 40 Def / 124 SpA / 176 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Grass Knot
- Stealth Rock

Comments: Landorus-T is my Stealth Rock setter and soft check to common Physical Attackers like Excadrill, Mega Lopunny and Choice Scarf Landorus-T. I'm using an offensive Life Orb set, because it effectively breaks common Fire/Water/Grass cores and really keeps pressuring the opponent. The double Intimidate core with Mega Manectric still gives the team room to maneuver around Physical Attackers.

Moveset: I got this set from Reymedy after I saw him using it against Soulwind (see: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-ou-189492). STAB Earthquake is strong even without much attack investment thanks to Life Orb and pressures Mega Sableye and Clefable. HP [Ice] has good coverage alongside EQ and is great to hit Landorus-T, Gliscor and Tangrowth. Grass Knot on the other hand deals with fat Water Types like Suicune, Slowbro and Mega Gyarados as well as Hippowdon. Stealth Rock discourages the opponent from switching around too much.

Evs / Nature: 48 Attack Evs coupled with Life Orb ensure the 2HKO on standard Mega Sableye and Calm Clefable most of the time. 124 Evs in Special Attack are used to OHKO Scarf Landorus-T with HP [Ice] and most likely 2HKO Slowbro with Grass Knot even after Leftovers recovery. The Speed hits 288, enough to outspeed Jolly (Mega) Gyarados. The remaining Evs are split into HP, 120 Evs hit a Magic Life Orb Number, and Defense to take on Excadrill and stuff a bit better. Here are some calcs:

Calcs

48 Atk Life Orb Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 112 Def Mega Sableye: 152-179 (50 - 58.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

48 Atk Life Orb Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 172 Def Clefable: 208-247 (52.7 - 62.6%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

124 SpA Life Orb Landorus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 322-380 (100.9 - 119.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

124 SpA Life Orb Landorus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 244 HP / 48 SpD Tangrowth: 211-250 (52.4 - 62.1%) -- 98.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

124 SpA Life Orb Landorus-T Grass Knot (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Slowbro: 205-244 (52 - 61.9%) -- 97.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Iron Head vs. 120 HP / 40 Def Landorus-T: 302-356 (86.5 - 102%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO

Other options: Rocky Helmet with Stone Edge and Swords Dance is an alternative set. A spread of 40 HP / 248 Attack / 220 Speed and a Jolly nature gives Landorus-T a good mix of speed, power and defensive utility.

Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 240 HP / 104 Def / 64 SpA / 4 SpD / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psychic
- Tail Glow
- Protect

Comments: Manaphy fits the team well, because it further pressures defensive cores and still checks selected threats, such as Talonflame, at least once by virtue of its great Water Typing and nice 100/100 defenses. With those it can even take some Super Effective hits, e.g. Serperiors Leaf Storm and non Life Orb Thundurus-Is Thunderbolt. Thanks to a godly boosting move in Tail Glow, it becomes really strong after just one round of set-up. Leftovers were an easy choice to keep Manaphy healthy.

Moveset: STAB Scald is used because of its chance to burn and Psychic is optimal coverage alongside it, because it hits Amoonguss and Keldeo Super Effective as well as most other things for neutral damage. Tail Glow makes Manaphy threatening and enables it to tear apart defensive cores. Protect is a tactic I very much enjoy, because it lets me scout choiced moves and High Jump Kicks, waste another round of Sand/Rain/Trick Room or simply regain some health back through Leftovers.

Evs / Nature: I made this spread with some specific things in mind. 96 Speed Evs with a Timid nature are used to outspeed Jolly Diggersby and Base 80s with a positive Speed nature (Gardevoir and Medicham before Mega Evolution). With 64 Evs in Special Attack, Manaphy can 2HKO Calm Clefable at +3 nearly 100% of the time and 2HKO Keldeo with Psychic after Stealth Rocks without the boost. 240 HP Evs hit the highest Magic Leftovers Number possible. With 104 Defense Evs Manaphy avoids the 2HKO from Choice Banded Weaviles Knock Off as well as Mega Lopunnys Return after Stealth Rock damage. Finally, I run 4 Evs in Special Defense to take two Shadow Balls from Life Orb Gengar with SR on my side, thanks to Protect. You can see some calcs below.

Calcs

+3 64 SpA Manaphy Scald vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Clefable: 208-246 (52.7 - 62.4%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

64 SpA Manaphy Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Keldeo: 152-180 (47 - 55.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 240 HP / 104 Def Manaphy: 202-238 (50.3 - 59.3%)
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Knock Off vs. 240 HP / 104 Def Manaphy: 135-160 (33.6 - 39.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 Atk Mega Lopunny Return vs. 240 HP / 104 Def Manaphy: 156-184 (38.9 - 45.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 240 HP / 4 SpD Manaphy: 169-200 (42.1 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Secret Sword vs. 240 HP / 104 Def Manaphy: 186-220 (46.3 - 54.8%) -- 10.2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Other options: Rain Dance or HP [Fire] over Protect, if you feel like the immunity to status or the ability to completely destroy Ferrothorn is more beneficial. Running Surf over Scald and at least 76 Special Attack Evs allows Manaphy to 2HKO Chansey at +6 with Rain up.

Latias @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Healing Wish
- Trick

Comments: Latias is on the team mainly because of her solid Dragon/Psychic Typing and because she gives me more speed control. With a Choice Scarf equipped, she is able to revenge kill Mega Charizard-X at +1 and Adamant Dragonite at +2 Speed after Multiscale is broken. She also acts as an important check to Keldeo, Volcanion, Mega Charizard-Y and Breloom, which are all dangerous threats to face. Without Latias I would lose to a lot of things, so her spot on the team is well deserved.

Moveset: Draco Meteor and Psyshock are my STAB moves of choice, because they target the aforementioned threats. Psyshock also hits Assault Vest Tornadus-T, Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur for the (nearly) guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rocks. Trick can cripple Walls such as Chansey, Clefable, Ferrothorn, Mew and Slowbro. Healing Wish is used to bring another team member back to life, e.g. Mega Manectric after some switch-ins into Scald, Keldeo or even Metagross, since its really good against certain teams.

Evs / Nature: The Evs are standard. Max Speed, because outspeeding Choice Scarf Keldeo and Terrakion is important. 72 HP Evs avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Thundurus-Is HP [Ice] and 184 Evs in Special Attack help to boost the power of Draco Meteor and Psyshock.

Other options: Psychic instead of Psyshock is a possibility, but I figured that Psyshock is better to pick off Volcarona at around 50%.


Conclusion:

The team evolved quite a bit from pure offense to the use of more bulky team members, although its still an offensive squad. The most notable change I made was in order to pressure Stall more effectively, because thats the matchup Mega Manectric struggles the most with.

That being said, the RMT comes to an end. I'm looking forward to all of your advices, as long as they are reasonable. There surely are options I haven't considered yet and I would like to hear them. You can find a Threat List, some Replays and the Importable for the team below.

I hope you enjoyed reading this RMT! Thank you.

Have a nice day


Threat List:

Threat List (alphabetical order)

Orange = Big threat

Mega Altaria - The defensive variants are problematic, because they wall Manectric and Keldeo. I also can't Trick them. Landorus-T thankfully puts a lot of pressure on it and Metagross can take even a +1 Earthquake from offensive Mega Altaria.

Azumarill - I have no switch-ins for this thing and almost all of its sets (Choice Band, Belly Drum, Assault Vest) are annoying to face. Mega Manectric checks the CB set and Keldeo can revenge kill Belly Drum Azumarill with HP [Electric].

Bisharp - A big problem because of its Defiant Ability, which effectively gives it a +1 Attack boost whenever I switch in my Intimidate users. I have to play Keldeo very carefully if my opponent happens to have one.

Mega Charizard-X - It walls Mega Manectric and because Landorus-T is offensive, I can’t switch into this monster. Latias can revenge kill at +1 Speed though and Keldeo threatens it if it hasn't set-up.

Excadrill - Again, offensive Landorus-T is not a good counter to Physical Attackers like Excadrill. Manaphy can take a hit and Mega Manectric kills it with Overheat if Sand isn’t active.

Gengar - Gengar is a problem, because I don't have a single Ghost resist/immunity. That means it pretty much gets a kill everytime its in. Mega Manectric and Latias both outspeed it, however, and Manaphy can take a hit.

(Mega) Gyarados - Those two are tricky to play against. Keldeo can take on Mega Gyarados if its healthy, while Mega Manectric takes a hit from both after Intimidate and beats them with STAB Electric moves.

Mega Latias - Mega Latias walls Manectric, Keldeo, Manaphy and Landorus-T. She also doesn’t take too much from a Metagross Pursuit and recovers off any hit if I don’t get an Attack raise. Thankfully Mega Latias is kinda rare nowadays.

Mega Medicham - Its pressured by Mega Manectric and Keldeo, but Fake Out and High Jump Kick are still really annoying and may overpower me if it stays around long enough. Protecting on a HJK with Manaphy is a neat strategy and may surprise the opponent.

Mega Metagross - Same thing as above. The longer it stays around, the more damage it can cause. My team doesn’t have many options to recover from strong hits. Landorus-T actually outspeeds before the Mega Evolution and can kill it with EQ.

Rain Teams - Their fast and powerful Attackers are a problem for every offensive team without any form of weather control. One thing to note is that Choice Scarf Latias still outspeeds max Speed Mega Swampert in Rain as well as Adamant Kabutops.

Serperior - This thing is a huge threat and can annoy my team with its Substitute Leech Seed set. It also nets a free boost to its Special Attack against Manaphy, Keldeo and Landorus-T if he is weakened enough thanks to Leaf Storm. Mega Manectric and Metagross can threaten it.

Mega Slowbro - One of the worst Pokémon to face for this team, because it can set-up multiple Calm Minds against everything bar Mega Manectric. Pressuring it with Keldeos HP [Electric] and Landorus-Ts Grass Knot on the switch-in is key to keep it in check.

Spikes - Spikes can be a problem, because I don’t run Defog on Latias. Ferrothorn in particular is annoying, because it can also freely use Leech Seed. However, if its burned or tricked, it becomes much easier to deal with. The same applies to Skarmory.

Thundurus-I - I'm mentioning him, because he immediately threatens Keldeo, Manaphy and Landorus-T, although he is not swichting into them directly. Getting up Stealth Rock and Mega Evolving with Manectric early on helps keeping him in check. Latias can take two Life Orb HP [Ice].

Tyranitar & Amoonguss - These two together are annoying to face. Amoonguss puts something to sleep and blocks Keldeo completely. Tyranitar traps Latias and Mega Manectric with Pursuit. Pressuring those kind of teams with Volt Switch and Manaphy is the key to victory.

Replays:

Replays

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-431081205 vs. Balance
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-431105709 vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-431112113 vs. Balance
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-438220862 vs. Stall
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-438839795 vs. Stall
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-471087365 vs. Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-471091414 vs. Sand Bulky Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-473969138 vs. Sand Bulky Offense
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-473973375 vs. Heavy Offense

Importable:

Importable

Manectric-Mega (F) @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flamethrower

Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Atk / 96 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Hammer Arm
- Pursuit
- Bullet Punch

Landorus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 120 HP / 48 Atk / 40 Def / 124 SpA / 176 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Grass Knot
- Stealth Rock

Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 240 HP / 104 Def / 64 SpA / 4 SpD / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psychic
- Tail Glow
- Protect

Latias @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Healing Wish
- Trick

 

[Gregui]

What a great team! But why dont you try to change this manaphy to celebi?

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice] / [fire]
- Healing Wish

It could help you in situations that you're having some trouble, like you explained on your treathlist.

 

[fuzzy]

What a great team! But why dont you try to change this manaphy to celebi?

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice] / [fire]
- Healing Wish

It could help you in situations that you're having some trouble, like you explained on your treathlist.

Thank you for your rate Gregui! I like the Celebi set a lot: Nasty Plot Celebi indeed threatens defensive teams and is still bulky enough to take hits. Plus Healing Wish would really benefit the other members.

However, Grass isn't a good offensive Type and even with the coverage, Celebi gets walled completely by some common Pokémon: HP [Fire] --> Heatran, Latios, Talonflame; HP [Ice]: Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, Mega Metagross. Tornadus-T walls both variants anyway. Thats why i like STAB Water moves so much, especially when they come with a 30% Burn chance, because of their great neutral coverage!

Adding Celebi would also mean adding a third Psychic Type which i'm hesitant to do, because Bisharp, Weavile and Tyranitar are already threats. I'm still going to test Celebi, maybe with a Colbur Berry, because luring in these Dark Types and removing them could be a cool move. Again, thank you for your help!

Have a nice day

 

[fuzzy]

Gregui, sorry for the late reply man!

So i tried your Celebi set instead of Manaphy. And to be honest, the change didn't really help the team... While Celebi' Typing wasn't as bad as I supected (its good against those Sand and Rain teams), it just felt pretty medicore overall in the OU environment. There are so many Pokémon that do the Set-up Sweeper thing better than Celebi. Plus I didn't use Healing Wish too often. I guess one can still try a Nasty Plot set with Baton Pass or a second coverage move besides Grass STAB and HP [Fire/Ice] (e.g. Psychic, Earth Power), but i'm afraid it won't help Celebi all that much.

Again, thank you for your rate. I'm acutually gona try Energy Ball on Manaphy because of it! I'm out =]

Have a nice day

 

[fuzzy]

Hello,

i'm bumping this, because I updated a few sets in the OP. If somebody still wants to leave a rate before Sun & Moon arrives (or even after), I welcome him/her to do so! Many thanks in advance.

Team changes

--> Now runs Ice Punch over Earthquake to target Grass and Flying Types more effectively.

--> Landorus-T now runs a fancy Life Orb set with HP [Ice] and Grass Knot to break through common Fire/Water/Grass cores.

--> I altered Manaphys Ev spread to perform some specific needs for the team. It also runs Protect now in its final moveslot.

-->

Latias is now on the team, because she offers more bulk than her cousin. I also never couldn't decide what move to run on Latios besides STAB and Trick, so I figured that instead Latias' Healing Wish was a great tool to abuse.

Have a nice day