SM OU is one of the most interesting metagames of all time, and my favorite generation of OU by a good mile. There are quite a lot of Pokemon that are viable, and the huge variety that the teambuilder offers makes playing really exciting; you never know for sure what you're gonna face, and even if you know what a given Pokemon does, Z-Moves add an impredictability factor that I absolutely love.
Talking about things that I love, Camerupt-Mega is one of my favorite Pokemon of all time. I'm a huge fan of its design, colors, inspirations, and most importantly, the competitive niche it fills. With a unique typing that grants multiple very interesting traits, such as its immunity to both Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave, and an impressive stat spread with a dizzying 145 Special Attack boosted even further by its Sheer Force ability, Camel has a lot to offer and is, to this day, the Pokemon I've had the most fun with in the builder.
Camerupt has always been an interesting Pokemon as it used to be, for a few generations, the only Electric-immune Pokemon with access to Will-O-Wisp. It carried a small niche with a few OU appearances, in ADV & DPP. In Gen 6, with the release of the Cameruptite, Camerupt-Mega was able to punch holes in teams in lower tiers, becoming a key element of the ORAS RU metagame.
This all brings us to SM, where Camerupt was able to fill a niche in OU in the early stages of Sun & Moon. Thanks to its excellent defensive typing and impressive movepool, it was able to switch into and completely stuff Tapu Koko and more importantly, Magearna. Lavacarpet was even able to utilize very unique sets, pairing well with 3 out of 4 Tapus, and running Nature Power for unexpected additional coverage.
While these specific traits and advantages got less valuable as time went on, Camerupt still holds a solid, one-of-a-kind place in the USM OU metagame, making it one of the better "fun" options.
Now that my "budget False Swipe Gaming" rant is done, let me introduce you to one of my absolute favorite teams of all time: my Camerupt Sun Semi-Trick Room.
Trick Room has never been a playstyle that I liked. Out of all the "cheese options," it was definitely one I didn't really enjoy loading or playing against. Full TR teams face huge consistency issues and sometimes wish they ran 8 Pokemon or even more.
Semi-Trick Room, on the other hand, is in my opinion a more interesting approach to these gimmick teams. The main difference is that you don't necessarily need setup to make progress, because of how the team is built.
Sun is an interesting weather in SM OU. It doesn't have the defining metagame presence of Rain, or the versatility of Sand, but boosted Fire-type moves flying around in the tier are quite effective at bruteforcing resists like Toxapex or Latias. While Sun teams usually carry the far superior Mega-Charizard-Y, Torkoal still offers loads of utility, with access to burn in Will-O-Wisp, hazards control with Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin, and even underutilized options like Yawn or Body Slam.
good karma (Torkoal) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Will-O-Wisp / Yawn / Rest
- Lava Plume
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin / Stealth Rock
Torkoal has a lot of different options at its disposal as a weather setter. It has access to a lot of annoying moves, like Will-O-Wisp to spread burns or Yawn to force switches, as well as hazards control with Rapid Spin or Stealth Rock.
Its moveset can be edited to whatever you like best on Torkoal. While my prefered moveset consists of Earthquake to put Heatran in range of Victini's and Kartana's attacks, Will-O-Wisp and Rapid Spin (with Rocks on Landorus), you can easily fit in Yawn, Toxic, hell, even Clear Smog for stuff like CM Clefable and Reuniclus. Rest is another decent option for longevity since Torkoal is usually not gonna stay in for too long, but with Misty Terrain from Fini preventing sleep, it can be a bit tricky to use. It also makes Koal quite passive, so be careful about that.
Torkoal can be a one-time switch to Mawile thanks to its great physical bulk and can repeatedly switch into Kartana if hazards are off the field. The SpD investment allows Torkoal to eat 2 Moonblasts from Specs Lele, which can be a bit tricky to switch into for this team.
Heat Rock is the prefered item for maximum Sun turns for Victini, Camerupt and Kartana to abuse, but Leftovers is another option if you feel like you need the longevity over more weather turns.
golden feather (Camerupt-Mega) @ Cameruptite
Ability: Solid Rock / Sheer Force post-Mega
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 1 Spe
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Nature Power
- Flamethrower
Camerupt-Mega (round of applause) is the next member of the team. Thanks to its great bulk and typing, Camel can easily switch into more passive Pokemon, like Celesteela, Clefable and Ferrothorn, and stuffs Electric-types like Koko and Zapdos. It's also one of, if not THE, best switch-ins to Magearna, especially bulkier sets that literally can't touch Camerupt for serious damage.
Sheer Force-boosted Fire-type moves in Sun have insane damage output and will pretty much delete any non-resistant Pokemon not named Chansey (although Chansey gets 3HKOd by Fire Blast in Sun).
Nature Power turning into Moonblast in Misty Terrain is our non-STAB move of choice to delete Garchomp while also hitting common switch-ins like Latias, Latios and Specially Defensive Kommo-o. It can also be used as a decent midground even when unboosted.
Hidden Power [Ice] used to be on this set to smack Garchomp outside of terrain, but I felt like it wasn't that necessary with Kartana in the back. Rocks was another idea that I had in mind, but with Camerupt's damage output, it felt like a bit of a waste when clicking Fire Move in Sun does so much progress either way.
Finally, Toxic is an okay option over Nature Power or Flamethrower to hit Latias without having to rely on Terrain support from Tapu Fini.
Min Speed is used to outspeed a lot of Pokemon in Trick Room, but alternate spreads such as 72 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 52 SpD / 128 Spe with a Modest Nature allows Camerupt to outspeed Toxapex while eating a Psychic from +1 Mega-Alakazam.
no more running (Victini) @ Flame Plate
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 7 Spe
- V-create
- Bolt Strike
- U-turn
- Trick Room
This might be one of my favorite sets of all the bullshit I came up with in 4 years of building teams in SM OU.
Trick Room Victini is, obviously, our Trick Room user on the team, but also our Psychic-types switch-in to some extent.
Its spread might be a bit odd, but Brave Nature alongside 7 Speed IVs allow Victini to hit 190 Speed, thus outspeeding Pokemon like Mawile-Mega, Scizor-Mega at neutral, and Sassy Tangrowth, Sassy Magearna, and Relaxed Pelipper at -1. Such such low Speed obviously makes Victini naturally slower than common SM mons like Specially Defensive Heatran, uninvested Kommo-o and Magnezone, Victini can thus either outspeed those in Trick Room, or having a slow U-turn to bring in Camerupt or Torkoal.
Flame Plate is our item of choice, as it gives Victini insane damage output, even outside of Sun. V-Create cleanly 3HKOs Pokemon like max HP Kommo-o or Latias-Mega and puts Toxapex in range of Bolt Strike. Defensive Rotom-Wash gets 2HKOd in Sun, while offensive Rotom can be straight up OHKOd.
Games will often end with Victini clicking V-Create a couple of times in Trick Room, effectively boosting its own Speed with each hit.
black moonrise (Tapu Fini) @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 232 HP / 176 Def / 100 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Whirlpool / Defog
- Moonblast
- Nature's Madness
Whirlpool Fini is a common sight on Sun teams in this tier. Its ability to weakening Tyranitar for our Fire-types, and trap and entirely remove Toxapex and Chansey, is very important. Its set is quite easy to understand: Whirlpool traps, Taunt prevents recovery attempts, Nature's Madness weakens the opponent and Moonblast is our STAB move to hit the likes of Greninja and Garchomp.
Speaking of Garchomp, this EV spread allows Fini to eat a +2 Continental Crush from Garchomp after Rocks and Leftovers recovery, while creeping on Careful Gliscor, slow Rotom and Choice Band Bulu.
Fini is also the dedicated Greninja switch in on the team; it will often be tasked with eating multiple hits, so be careful about its health.
Defog is another option on Fini for more hazard control, but I didn't feel like it was necessary and thought getting rid of annoying special sponges for Camerupt was much more useful for the team.
sever the skyline (Landorus-Therian) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock / Defog
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Fire]
Oh look it's bulky Landorus-T, the most splashable mon in the entire metagame!
Impish Landorus-Therian felt like the perfect addition to this team, giving us a nice physical sponge, a Rocks setter, a defensive pivot, and another way of dealing with Garchomp and Kartana.
Hidden Power [Ice] vs Hidden Power [Fire] is a matter of personal preference here; while it might seem weird to carry HP Fire on a team with 3 other Fire-type Pokemon, one of them which is already the dedicated Kartana switch-in, there will be multiple occasions where Landorus still has to switch into Kart, and having something to OHKO can be a good option.
HP Ice is obviously there for opposing Landorus and Garchomp, as Ground-type mons can be a bit difficult to deal with for this team.
If you're running Rocks on Torkoal, Defog is a good option over it on this set, as Lando is quite a reliable Defog user on this squad.
mirror magic (Kartana) @ Grassium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 44 HP / 136 Atk / 128 SpD / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Defog
- Synthesis
Last but certainly not least, Kartana also felt like a perfect addition here. Defog Kart is a common set on Sun teams as it both gets a nice recovery option in Sun-boosted Synthesis and acts as a decent check to Garchomp and Gliscor.
Its spread is quite interesting. 200 Speed with a Jolly nature allows Kartana to hit 334 and outspeed Garchomp, while 136 Atk OHKOs it with Bloom Doom. It also cleanly OHKOs Alakazam-Mega, while having a 50% chance of KOing Lele after Rocks. The HP and SpD investment allows Kartana to maximize its special bulk, allowing it to eat an Ice Beam from Protean Greninja, Hidden Power [Fighting] from Latias-Mega, and even Shadow Ball from Mega-Alakazam.
Knock Off is pretty much mandatory on this set, removing items from Landorus, Heatran, Kommo-o, and even Toxapex, while being a decent way to force Latias to Roost.
While bulky Defog Kart fills a useful niche and has great longevity with Synthesis in Sun, I've always been curious about what else this set could hold. Feel free to suggest different moves and spreads here!
Threatlist
The usual suspects destroying every other team in this metagame are back with a vengeance.
Yeaaaaah this team doesn't do too well vs Rain; Kart is a one time switch into Swampert at best and struggles a lot with Tornadus, while Pelipper freely switches into Torkoal and Camerupt when the latter is not clicking Nature Power, removing Sun and U-turning into Swampert or even worse, Manaphy.
Water-type Pokemon don't need a lot of setup to punch holes in this team, and Rain is quite possibly the worst match-up for this team.
Did you know that Calm Toxapex easily eats a Modest Sheer Force-boosted Earth Power coming out of 145 SpA?
Yea, Camerupt cannot OHKO 252+ SpD Toxapex, allowing Pex to safely setup Toxic Spikes and help the other annoying balance mon, Latias, become even harder to deal with. Without Pursuit support from Weavile (which could be an option over Victini tbh, but removing the whole TR part isn't what I'm going for here), you have to go out of your way to pressure Latias and prevent it from simply Roosting all over the place. With Rocks up and max turns of Misty Terrain, you can catch Latias off guard and beat it before Roost outstalls Terrain; Victini's V-Create in Sun does a lot of damage as well, but you'll probably run out of V-Creates or Sun turns before doing significant progress. It's not undoable, but muscling past Latias is definitely not an easy task.
Those two aren't impossible to deal with, but Lele getting a free turn usually means something goes night-night, and it will more often than not mean that the game is over. Alakazam is similarly irritating, especially in Psychic Terrain, but eh everything hits super hard on the team so maybe they won't be able to switch in?
Psyspam is usually a sack war that you need to play pretty much perfectly via aggressive plays, and you've got to prevent Rocks from going up as you likely won't get a chance to Defog without losing a Pokemon. The best advice I can give vs these teams is to set up a Trick Room & Sun early and take 2 mons with Victini, potentially more, and play it smart to sack less useful team members when needed.
>> Importable <<
Have fun with the team, it obviously isn't the most consistent squad around but it's still a very fun playstyle and allows for some fire-ass plays :]
Have fun with the team, it obviously isn't the most consistent squad around but it's still a very fun playstyle and allows for some fire-ass plays :]
- v1 
- v2 
- Gen 8 Natdex versionAs you probably understood, this is my 1000th post on Smogon.
When I first joined in 1st year of engineering school, I definitely wasn't expecting PS and Smogon to be such an important part of my gaming life for the years to come. I started playing more and more after an exchange semester abroad, joined the French rooms, then the Randbats room, then every other room I got active in.
I'm not gonna make individual shoutouts for everyone, mainly because I want this RMT to go up asap and that I've got a lot to do because of finals, but I would like to thank:
- Le staff Franais + Arcade et toute la zone du serv OFCS, ça a été hyper cool de staff avec vous tous et jsuis super content de vous avoir rencontrés (parfois irl mdrr). Je sais pas si je vais rester dans le coin très longtemps pcq jvais être super occupé pendant mon stage et tout mais merci pour tous les souvenirs et jvous souhaite tout le meilleur pour la suite.
Gros bisous à tout tdt aussi, mais je compte pas disparaître pour de bon non plus ptdrr.
- Rands Staff, RBTT 3 Hoopas, RBTT 4 Gapdos, RBTT 5 Deoxys and RBTT 6 Koraidons, as well as the CCC teams I've been on.
Rands has always been my metagame of choice when I was bored in class and I'm very grateful I got to be part of the bigger thing, making art and shit for the community and yea I'm just really glad I got to meet you all too!!
- People from other rooms I've had the pleasure to staff in, mainly Pokemon Games, OverUsed, THP, NatDex & RoA. It's always been a blast (except moderating OU chat, that shit is vile) and I'm very grateful for all the memories <3
- GStaff members (except Kennedy), y'all are doing some insane work and should definitely get more recognition, special shoutouts to PS Admins working their asses off.
- 2022 Team UK, we had an unfortunate run and I'm still sorry for timing out my first game but I've had a blast with y'all, was so fun and I hope we can run it back someday depending on eligibilities n all
- Every single user I've been on a team with, I don't think I've had any negative interaction with any teammate (besides Ryuji,
Sorry for typos and incorrect grammar, cool user sharp_claw reviewed the entire RMT but not the shoutouts part looool
Cya around!
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