Team Building For OU

[ShootingStarmie]

Scizor (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Swords Dance
- Super Power
- Bug Bite

Role: Physical Sweeper

What It Does: Offensive SD Scizor is absolutely fantastic in this metagame. It is able to set up rather easily, especially while forcing switches due to an expected Choice Band. Whether you intend to blow holes in the opposing team or even clean sweep, with only small amounts of support Scizor can get the job done. Bullet Punch offers an incredibly strong priority move that is capable of 1hkoing almost anything faster than scizor that doesn't resist (and is still doing around 50% to bulky resists such as keldeo). The other two moves decimate any pokemon with the misfortune of being slower than scizor. Bug Bite is a clean 2hko on Hippowdon. Superpower can 2hko Skarm after rocks. Due to the absurd power level combined with such a strong priority move, it is very difficult to stop scizor.

Good Teammates: Scizor greatly appreciates the presence of other offensive mons, including those that share similar counters, so as to maintain offensive pressure and wear down the sturdier pokes on the opposing team. Even dugtrio support is welcome to weaken things like keldeo to the point of breaking, or eliminate heatran.

What Counters It: As mentioned, keldeo is one of the largest problems, though it can only come in after a kill. Scizor can't do much to it unless it is sufficiently weakened and keldeo can ko in return. Heatran with sufficient speed investment spells doom for Scizor, though Tran is easily disposed of if they are a defensive variant. Scarf Magnezone also have an easy win against Scizor.

While they do play different roles, I diffently would say this set is outclassed by SD Acrobatics Scizor. SD Acrobatics Scizor is sweeping the same Pokemon, bluffs the banded set, and beats Jellicent, Volcacrona (thinking you're banded), and Tentacruel. Bug Bite isn't hitting anything harder other than Hippowdon and Psychic types, which shouldn't be too big of a deal. I would definitely mention the benefits of Jolly > Adamant, but just to make it brief. Jolly out speeds SpDef Heatran, most Jellicent, and most Tentacruel.

I think your list of team mates is pretty short to be honest, and isn't very informative. Gothitelle is a much better partner than Dugtrio, as Gothitelle can trap most physical walls like Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Gliscor, which can all be troublesome for SD Scizor. Obviously Rotom-W is the best partner, as it beats Gyarados, Skarmory, Gliscor, and Hippowdon, while Scizor beats special walls that switch into Rotom-W, like Chansey, Celebi, and Amoonguss.

Your list of counters is also pretty small. Hippowdon, Skarmory, offensive Heatran, Jellicent, Tentacruel, and Gyarados are all solid checks / counters, but you can go more into detail if you wish.

 

[yee]

Agreeing with SS on the Goth > Dug deal. There is a bit of an unwritten rule on trapping support: use Magnezone for physical sweepers and Dugtrio for special sweepers. Or that's how it was before Goth at least, because Mag is only gonna trap steels that are getting in physical attackers way besides SpD Rachi which is the only overlap. Skarm / Forry / Ferro removed is mostly a dragon thing but it's also quietly an everything physical thing. Dugtrio is always on those Rain / Sun teams partially to create stupid matchup games but also to remove almost 100% of the Tornadus counters or that one big non-EQ Venusaur counter unless it's Scarf.

Goth falls right into the rule because Dug just fails against Hippo / Glisc / Lando / Gyara / Skarm etc. while Goth does good things.

 

[Jukain]

I really just want to mention one thing: when you mention partners, you can't just say "Rotom-W for Heatran/Gyarados, you're perfect against them" because in an actual battle that will never happen. Your opponent will switch out and eventually kill Rotom-W usually because it isn't just checking those things, or at least weaken it to a point where it can't do its job anymore. You need lures and sometimes trappers to kill troublesome Pokemon.

 

[vyomov]

While I'm gathering replays for the Meloetta submission, this is my submission for special sweeper(also happens to be my submission in the don't use this use that thread :)):

Lilligant@Life Orb
EVs: 60 Def/252 SpA/196 Spe
Ability: Chlorophyll
Modest Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- HP Ice

In the current metagame, Lilligant is a surprisingly good sweeper on Sun teams that can easily beat out teams not prepared for it.
Just like Volcarona, Lilligant got Quiver Dance but Lilligant also got Sleep Powder, giving it easy set-up opportunities as the opponent switches out. The boosts to special defense as well as the useful resist to water-type attacks help it boost to high levels using Quiver Dance before sweeping.

Giga Drain and HP Ice give very good coverage against a lot of mons Sun teams have problems dealing with.

Good Teammates: Ninetales offers the crucial sun support needed for Lilligant to outspeed the opposition and put them to sleep quickly before setting up and boosting. Heatran also can take most of the attacks Lilligant doesn't like taking and use them to boost up, while Lilligant reciprocates the favor by dealing with pesky ground-types and sleeping them quickly.

What Counters it: Sweepers running Lum Berry. Sleep Powder + Quiver Dance is Lilligant's niche so Lum Berry sweepers can negate the sleep powder and KO with the right move. Also, Espeon can really turn the tables on Lilligant, so watch out for it in Team Preview. In general, anything with a SE attack and good speed can beat it when not in Sun. In Sun, it's far more difficult to counter, but anything that can take a boosted attack can come in after Sleep Clause is activated and beat it then.

 

[ShootingStarmie]

(Role Special Sweeper)

Thundurus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 104 Spd / 252 SAtk / 152 HP
Modest Nature
- Agility
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]

This set is so good against stall and balanced teams. Thundurus-T finds so many opportunities to set up in this metagame. Scarf Keldeo locked into Secret Sword, Scarf Terrakion locked into Close Combat, Banded Scizor, Breloom, etc. Agility is used to beat most offensive teams, since Thundurus-T does quite well vs. priority, as it resists Bullet Punch, and Mach Punch. Nasty Plot is used to demolish stall teams, as the only thing that can safely switch into this thing on a stall team is like Chansey. Thunderbolt is STAB and hits very very hard at +2. You can go for Thunder if you're running a Rain team, but Thunderbolt is more consistant when facing opposing weather teams like Sun and Sand. HP Ice offers the best coverage, and the infamous Bolt Beam coverage is only resisted by a few Pokemon in OU. The EVs I think are what make this set so good. 152 HP allows Thundurus-T to set up on a lot of threats without dying to a Bullet / Mach Punch. Leftovers also really makes setting up a lot easier, as LO won't deteriorate it's impressive bulk. Modest Nature for maximum power output. The Speed EVs are used to outpace Adamant Breloom before the boost, while out pacing Modest Venusaur at +2. The rest of the EVs are placed into HP and SpAtk.

Good team mates: Politoed allows Thundurus-T to use Thunder over Thunderbolt, allowing it to break through to sturdiest of walls. Politoed also lures in Electric type attacks for Thundurus-T to switch into, allowing it to regain 25% of it's health that it could have possibly lost due to Stealth Rocks. Keldeo forms a great partnership, as they share similar checks (Latias, Amoounguss, Celebi). Since they're both so powerful in their own respective ways, they can easily weaken each others counters for the other to sweep. Keldeo also checks Mamoswine nicely, which could easily stop Thundurus-T's sweep. Something to counter the Lati twins could help Thundurus-T out a ton, as they are major blocks to this set. I suggest something like Choice Banded Scizor, as it can eliminate them with Pursuit while also providing a nice check to Mamoswine, as well as allowing you to use Politoed without having to resort to Tyranitar for Pursuit trapping.

What counters Thundurus-T: The Lati twins are great checks to Thundurus-T, as they out speed and can put a huge dent in Thundurus-T before Thundurus-T get a chance to attack. Even if Thundurus-T uses Agility, it's only hitting them with an un-boosted HP Ice, which doesn't hit too hard. Gastrodon is a great check to Thundurus-T, as it is immune to Electric type attacks and takes HP ice very well, even at +2. Gastrodon can hit back decently with Scald, or Toxic Thundurus-T. Chansey or Blissey does moderatlely well against this set, but +6 Thunder's will break through eventually (although it has to use two turns setting up, meaning it has to take potential SR damage, and two Seismic Tosses). Mamoswine and Weavile are great revenge killers, as they can OHKO Thundurus-T with Ice Shard after SR. Dragonite is also a decent revenge killer, as Banded Extreme Speed is doing a lot.

Additional comments: I think Thundurus-T is pretty awesome in this metagame, as it beats so many rain teams pretty easily. Thundurus-T is versatile, and can get past most of it's usual counters with the correct move. Great Pokemon, great set.

 

[Scotti]

Role: Physical Sweeper

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Trait: Moxie / Intimidate
EVs: 88 HP / 248 Atk / 4 Def / 168 Spd
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- Bounce
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Substitute / Taunt

What it does: The job of this set is to first setup with either Substitute or Dragon Dance, and then pretty much sweep the opponent. However if you use Sub first you normally use Dragon Dance second unless you opponent pokemon posses Roar. You can also run Taunt which keeps you from getting Roar and Status, but people prefer Substitute most of the time, so they have an easier time sweeping. Some people use Intimidate over Moxie, because it allows you to setup easier on physical attacking pokemon. Though most people prefer Moxie because after a Dragon Dance boost it is almost impossible to stop thanks to Moxies attacks boost. You can run a Adamant nature over Jolly though the drop in speed might be a little too much since you speed tie with base 60s. Then you have Bounce and Waterfall your two main attacking which provides you with really good coverage.

Good Teammates: Most good teammates for Gyarados mainly do one thing and that is resist or immune to electric. Thats why Gyarados like to have Jolteon, Raikou, Gastrodon, Garchomp, Ferrothorn, Gliscor, Landorus-T, they also don't just have to resist electric teammates the resist rock are good to like, Terrakion, Jirachi, Magnezone, Lucario, etc... Those are alot of good Teammates for Gyarados as you can see as they synegies well with Gyarados. Whoever there is another group of teammates and those are the ones that can beat Gyarados biggest counter Rotom-W, They can also resist electric, so i may be repeating some on the list. They are Ferrothorn (but you have to watch out for trick and Will-O-Wisp), Rotom-C since it resist both of Rotom-W STAb and can hit it for SE (however you have to watch for Hidden Power Ice), Celebi, Chansey, Blissey, Latias.

What counter Gyarados: The best counter in general to Gyarados is Rotom-W hands down since it resist both of Gyarados STAb, and it can either resist or immune to the most common moves on Gyarados. Skarmory is also a good counter though a +2 Waterfall has a small chance to KO Skarmory, and in Rain it can KO Skarmory at +1. Kyurem-B is also a good counter if it has Sub, since, it can eat a Waterfall and he can sub when Gyarados uses bounce though it could take some predicting. However Gyarados has alot of checks, anything with scarf and a Electric move easily beats Gyarados after a Dragon Dance Boost. Examples: Jolteon, Raikou, Thundurus-T, Hp Electric Keldeo after Stealth Rock, ok Hp Electric almost anything with ok special attack after Stealth Rock can KO Gyarados. You can also hit it with Rock attacks also though it is easier to KO with electric attacks since some Gyarados carry Intimidate and most rock moves are physical moves.

Additional Information: Gyarados has gotten alot better in the current metagame, mostly with Rain everywhere he can easily boost those Waterfalls. Another about Gyarados is that you can also run a Wacan Berry if you're scared of Electric attacks because that one berry can save you from being KOed. Gyarados can also run Ice Fang, Double-Edge, Earthquake, or even Outrage over Bounce though Bounce provides Gyarados with better coverage anyway. Gyarados is a very underrated pokemon in todays metagame and i challenge you all to try it out.

 

[PDC]

(Wall Breaker / Special Sweeper)
Reuniclus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Def / 20 SDef
Bold Nature
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
- Recover

Reuniclus has faded into the Shadows as of late. It just seems that its almost "useless" and overall just a piece of weak and slow trash, but that is far from the truth. Reuniclus is one of the best stall breakers in the metagame at the moment, and it definitely is a very interesting option. As stall has seemed to care less and less about Reuniclus as the metagame adapted too it, it basically faded into obscurity and overall the low ends of the OU usage stats, just barely hanging on. But Reuniclus has returned and is back in the running for a great Wallbreaker, it shaped the metagame once by destroying stall teams once and it has come back to do that again. Reuniclus is extremely threatening and is returning in popularity (at least in tournaments) and it definitely is rather effective in the current metagame.

Teammates: Reuniclus does very good when paired with fighting types like Terrakion, which definitely takes advantage of the common sight of Tyranitar and overall great synergy. Lucario also does great feeding off of Pursuits and gaining an Attack boost. Reuniclus does very well in a team which would appreciate a bulky stall breaker and something that can ultimately secure games. Something that beats Scizor or Jirachi is also very appreciated, so Keldeo is a great Pokemon to partner with Reuniclus as it can check both very well. Personally I like Reuniclus on a Sand team paired with Tyranitar and Keldeo as they all work together very well. Reuniclus definitely puts on additional pressure against Stall teams, and all of its best teammates definitely do very well if a more bulky team is weakened and broken up first. A very good teammate is definitely Tyranitar as well. It can Pursuit Disable Gengar, Latios, and Latios who may attempt to Draco Meteor or Trick it to stop its sweep.

Reuniclus has trouble breaking through Perish Song Celebi, Lati@s if its not set up already, Scizor, Jirachi, and Tyranitar especially if Focus Blast misses. Reuniclus luckily does have quite a lot of options when it comes to countering and beat its counters. An Expert Belt Keldeo does amazing against virtually all of them, especially if it carries HP Bug.

 

[Scotti]

Role Physical Wall:

Skarmory @ Leftovers / Shed Shell
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spd
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Brave Bird / Taunt
- Roost
- Whirlwind

What it does: The job of this set is to wall all physical attackers and keep them from breaking through your team. Spikes is so the opponent can't switch in to Skarmory as many time as they want. It also makes a great combo with Whirlwind because it allows you to make your opponent constantly take damage from entry hazards. You can run either Brave Bird or Taunt, if you run Brave Bird you have away to attack your opponent, and if you use Taunt you can keep your opponent from using status moves and such. Roost is your only reliable way to heal though you have to watch out against ground pokemon because if they are slower and predict the Roost it can defeat Skarmory. Whirlwind is how you stop your opponent from sweeping your team. Ok you can either run Shed Shell or Leftovers. If you run Shed Shell Magnezone and Gothitelle can't trap you making it easier for Skarmory to do its job. If you run Leftovers you can live from more attacks though Magnezone and Gothitelle are going to give you a run for your money.

Good Teammates: One of Skarmory best teammates was the pink blob Blissey. In DPP there was this great core called SkarmBliss which was extremely good until Infernape came lol, though even with Infernape and all those new threats it can still be a really good core. Hippowdon also has good synergy with Skarmory since it is immune to electric moves and it can use Stealth Rock and Sandstorm really making it easier to defeat your opponent. Garchomp is also a pokemon that work well with Skarmory since it has access to Stealth Rock and it resist the 2 types that can hit Skarmory for SE. Gastrodon is another good teammates for the same matters as Garchomp though it doesn't have Stealth Rock it has access to Storm Drain which is a great ability to have against all the Rain Team running around, it also has reliable recovery making it harder to defeat. Almost any dragon type provides good synergy with Skarmory since they resist both of Skarmory's weaknesses.

What counters Skarmory: The best way to defeat Skarmory is it hit Skarmory on his special side thanks to his mediocre special defense stat. Though there are more ways than just hitting on the special side fire types such as Darmantian, Victini, Heatran, Volcarona, and Infernape can all defeat Skarmory though Infernape and Volcarona have to be careful because if Skarmory still has Sturdy intact they're going to get owned by Brave Bird. Electric can also dispatch of Skarmory they are, Raikou, Zapdos, Jolteon, Thundurus-T, all the Rotom forms, Magnezone, and more. Finally if Skarmory lacks Shed Shell it can be trap and defeated by Gothitelle, Magnezone, and Wobbufett.

Additional Information: Skarmory also has other moves that are useful such as Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar, Tailwind, Sunny Day, and even Swagger. Though some of those moves aren't that useful they can still come in handy. Thanks to his great typing he does a great job walling physical dragons who likes to sweep. Skarmory is a really great physical wall, and it gets the job done most of the time.

 

[Stone Alchemist]

I guess I'll give this a shot. Since there seems to be a lack of what not to use, I'll start on that.

Not A WallBreaker:

Charizard @ Life Orb / Choice Specs
Trait: Solar Power
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power Grass
- Focus Blast / Roost / Dragon Pulse

Admittedly, Charizard's fire attacks are quite powerful when boosted by Sun, Solar Power, and Life Orb / Choice Specs. However, Charizard has many flaws that make it unviable in the OU metagame. First most is an ubitious SR weakness, stripping away 50% of Charizard's health whenever it switches in. Combine this with Solar Power and Life Orb recoil about, and the fact that Charizard has an easily outsped speed tier of 100, and you'll find that Charizard can only live about 3 turns. Rain and Sand also pamper the metagame, negating the 2.25x boost Sun gives Charizard's fire attacks. You'll consider yourself lucky if your Charizard can nab more than 1 kill a game. Air Slash and Hidden Power Grass have low base powers, and have trouble hurting even things weak to them. Why would you use Charizard over Volcorona or even Moltres? Volcarona has actually useful Bug STAB, and has a terrific boosting most in Quiver Dance. Though it's power may be lower than Charizard's initially, it outclasses Charizard with just one turn of setup. Moltres has Hurricane to hurt Rain teams, while Charizard has to rely on the weak Hidden Power Grass. If you really want a sun wallbreaker, use Volcarona or Heatran, both of who have higher special attack stats and a great boosting move and SR neutrality respectively.

Good Teammates: I would end this post right here, but the template requires I put part in. If you REALLY want to support Charizard, you'll obviously need sun support from Ninetales to get Solar Power going and to boost Fire moves to boost Charizard's power tremendously. Rapid spin support is the second best thing for Charizard, or else it'll find itself dying the first 2 switchins in the game. Donphan is a great candidate as such, resisting Rock attacks often thrown at Charizard from Terrakion or Tyranitar. What tends to wall this set are Tyranitar, Heatran, Dragons (without Dragon Pulse) and bulky Waters. Mamoswine is a great partner that can deal with the first 3, while Venusaur and other grass types can deal with bulky Waters (and are quite common due to having Chlorophyll to abuse sun). Trappers such as Dugtrio and Gothitelle can take care of other weather inducers, because Charizard tends to fall flat on its face without the sun overhead.

What counters Charizard: Most teams can counter Charizard without even being aware of it. The first step to countering it is setting up SR, stripping away 50% of its health whenever it switches in. After that, Charizard becomes much less of a threat. Tyranitar is perhaps the best one, taking away the Sun Charizard loves and eating up Charizards STABs and HP Grass, while retaliating with Stone Edge. It does have to be careful of Focus Blast, however. Bulky waters are also quite good counters to Charizard, resisting Fire Blast and taking little from HP Grass. Jellicent, Tentacruel, and Politoed fit on this list. Dragon types, as long as they don't come in on Dragon Pulse, can take any of Charizards main attacks and retaliate with a powerful Draco Meteor / Outrage. Heatran can take anything but Focus Blast, and retaliate with a strong Fire Blast of its own. And, if you can't counter Charizard (which you most likely can), you can always check it with a billion faster Pokemon like Terrakion, Keldeo, Jolteon, Thundurus-T, Latios, or Starmie!

 

[Dr Ciel]

Well, if nobody else has done this, I might as well.

Espeon @ Light Clay
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Baton Pass / Hidden Power Fire

After being left in the depths of UU back in DPP, outclassed by the likes of both Azelf & even Alakazam, this little pink kitten was granted a new chance, by way of Dream World by getting the amazing ability of Magic Bounce, which bounces back all hazards, Taunt & all status inflicting moves. While it's Defenses may be mediocre ( 65 / 65 / 95 ), Dual Screens help mitigate that a bit as well as supporting the team behind her, as this set should mostly be used on offensive teams.

Good Teammates: Good teammates for this girl are not too hard to find. Fast & frail sweepers such as the likes of Haxorus & Salamence extremely enjoy the support that this kittein brings, as they can easily setup behind the screens & sweep really easily afterwards. One Pokémon that really enjoys Espeons support is Volcarona, as it appreciates Stealth Rock not being on the field so it can use Quiver Dance & start wreaking havoc on the opposing team.

What Counters It: Espeon has two main counters & their names are Tyranitar & Scizor. Tyranitar can easily come in on any move & easily OHKO with a huge STAB Crunch or nail it with a Pursuit as it tries to switch out. Meanwhile, Scizor can OHKO it with a STAB U-Turn, or once again OHKO with Pursuit if it would dare to switch out (The metal bug must watch out for HP Fire, however). Another excellent switch in is Volcarona, as it can tank any one of her attacks, then OHKO with Bug Buzz, or simply setup Quiver Dances to wreak havoc.

 

[Prinz]

Role: Special Sweeper

Heatran (F) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Flame Charge
- Fire Blast
- SolarBeam
- Hidden Power [Ice]

flame charge heatran is really underrated right now but it's a really powerful lategame sweeper in the right hands. heatran has a ton of useful resistances and flame charge is the ideal move to take advantage of that, especially with the good coverage which heatran has.

Good Teammates: this heatran only needs ninetales to work well, which with its ability boost fire blast's fire power and allows to use solar beam without wait 1 turn. gothitelle and dugtrio are good teammates as well, since they trap kill the other weather summoners which can give some problem to ninetales and so to heatran.

What Counters It: this heatran hasn't lot of counters frankly, politoed can switch into it thought, and choice scarf users like terrakion and keldeo can revenge-kill it, opposing heatran are a problem too since they can totally block this set but just use a dugtrio and you are ready to go.

 

[SmashBrosBrawl]

Role: Physical Sweeper
Dragonite @ Lum Berry Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake /Fire Punch
- Roost /Earthquake /Fire Punch
This is hands down the best dragon dancer in OU. Come in against something that you scare away such as a choice locked mon or a weak supporter and setup dragon dance. If the switch in cant force you out simply setup again and start sweeping. Multiscale ensures that even powerful super effective attacks will fail to ohko dnite and outrage is a strong stab move that will destroy anything that doesnt resist it. In the final slots you can either run both earthquake and fire punch to beat all steels or run only one of them and roost to restore health and activate multiscale again.

Good teammates: Rapid spin users are necessary to prevent stealth rock from breaking dnite multiscale. Donphan and forretress stand out as they can setup rocks of their own to weaken nite checks. Magnezone is an excellent teammate as it can easily remove steels and has perfect defensive synergy with dragonite.

What counters it: Hippowon is the best choice to deal with dragonite. It can stomach a boosted outrage and retaliate with ice fang while recovering its health with slack off or can simply phaze it away and setup rocks to ensure it wont come back for free. Cloyster can take anything and ko it throgh multiscale with icicle spear. Baloon Heatran walls dnite and 2hko it with hp ice. Scarf kyurem black and scarf haxorus can revenge kill a boosted dnite through multiscale thanks to their abilities. If multiscale has been broken by any damage then several other choice scarfers such as garchomp, salamence and terrakion can revenge kill it. Likewise ice shard users such as mamoswine are capable of bypass dnite speed and ko it. If dragonite lacks fire punch, skarmory and bronzong will wall it while lacking earthquake means that jirachi in rain and heatran will do so too.

 

[Explorer]

Here is an option for a Wallbreaker/Lure.

Tyranitar (M) @ Fire Gem
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 240 HP/252 Atk/16 SpA
Nature: Brave/Lonely
-Stone Edge
-Pursuit
-Fire Blast
-Crunch/Stealth Rock

MixTar is a deadly wallbreaker, especially under Trick Room. Its excellent coverage and high attacking stats, along with solid bulk, are to be feared. Stone Edge is the primary STAB move with a high base power and the ability to hit many common OU Pokemon hard, such as Ninetales, Dragonite, Volcarona, and so forth. Pursuit lets Tyranitar maintain the role from the CB set of trapping Lati twins, Alakazam, and Gengar, and these Pokemon will likely be KOed in the attempt to flee. Crunch serves as a reliable secondary STAB and hits most of the tier for neutral damage, including all of the other weather starters, and really almost anything weak to Stone Edge. Crunch can be used when Stone Edge's extra power is unnecessary and you can't afford a miss--Crunch has perfect accuracy. If by chance you don't need Crunch, Stealth Rock is a good alternative since it is important for virtually any team and Tyranitar sets it up pretty reliably.

Fire Blast is where it gets interesting. Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Breloom, Forretress, and Scizor, five of the most common Pokemon in OU, are all common switch-ins to Tyranitar, and they are all weak to Fire Blast. Some variants of some sets may be able to live a standard Fire Blast, so the Fire Gem gives the extra oomph needed to completely burn these threats (aside from Sturdy, but by this point you likely already have hazards up, making that a non-factor). Destroying these threats can let a partner such as Garchomp or Landorus-T sweep much easier.

EVs: Tyranitar gets a Stealth Rock number with 240 HP (401 to be exact). Since Tyranitar is mostly attacking with physical moves, max attack and a +Atk nature are given to bolster Tyranitar's power. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Attack to pump up Fire Blast. A Brave nature is used so Tyranitar's defenses aren't lowered, but you can use Lonely if you wish. Run 0 Speed IVs if this set is being used under Trick Room.

Good Teammates: Tyranitar gets rid of two main groups of Pokemon: frail Ghost and Psychic-types, and Ferrothorn/Skarmory/Breloom/Forretress/Scizor. Therefore Pokemon that appreciate the absence of these are appreciated. For the first group, these Pokemon tend to give Fighting-types trouble. Keldeo, Terrakion, Breloom, Lucario, and Conkeldurr thus all work as solid partners to bring the beatdown once Tyranitar has done a number to the opposing team. Conkeldurr is particularly useful if you are running Trick Room, while Terrakion gets a SpD boost from the sandstorm Tyranitar brings. Generally the second group troubles physical sweepers, such as Landorus-T, Terrakion, Scizor, physical Lucario, and Mamoswine. Having these opponents removed can let SD Lucario or the like plow through the rest of the team.

This set also works really well with Trick Room, so a TrickSand strategy is a good option. Bronzong baits Fire-type moves for Tyranitar to come in on and can set up Stealth Rock and Trick Room. Jellicent can absorb water-type moves from Politoed and friends aimed at Tyranitar. Even Chandelure can use Tyranitar as Fighting bait to attract CS Terrakion, come in, and then start firing off attacks from a base 145 Special Attack.

Counters: Fighting-types run all over Tyranitar, namely Breloom and Terrakion. Something to deal with these Pokemon is very helpful. Gengar does well if it can safely switch-in due to its access to Psychic, and it outspeeds Terrakion. If Scizor doesn't fall asleep from Spore it can hit both of these Pokemon with CB Bullet Punch. Offensive Heatran can destroy Breloom, but don't bother brining it into Terrakion. Physically defensive Bronzong can handle non-CB Terrakion well with Gyro Ball.

 

[Arcticblast]

On Tyranitar:
1) SR numbers are one less than a number divisible by four - 401 will do more damage to you, not less.
2) Why Fire Gem? If you really need Fire Blast, Expert Belt would probably be better so your physical attacks still have some power behind then against certain targets.

 

[Magcargo]

Role: Physical Sweeper

Bisharp (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Defiant
EVs: 76 Spd / 252 Atk / 180 HP
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick
- Swords Dance
- Night Slash / Iron Head / Taunt

What It Does: Bisharp is a very good alternate to Scizor or Lucario as a Swords Dance sweeper. It has a similar role to both Scizor and Lucario, but unlike the two, it has the ability Defiant, which turns the Attack drops from Intimidate into Attack boost, preventing Pokemon such as Gyarados and Landorus-t from checking it. Unfortunately, the unreliability of Sucker Punch prevents Bisharp from sweeping teams as well as the other two.

Good teammates: Custap Berry Skarmory is one of the best partners for this set, as it can set up several layers of entry hazards, allowing Bisharp to sweep teams with much greater ease. Other Swords dance sweepers such as Scizor and Lucario also good partners, as Bisharp can become a great "backup plan" if either Scizor or Lucario fails to sweep the opponents team. The Lati twins are great partners as well, as they resist all of Bisharp's weaknesses while also eliminating Ground- and Fighting-types with Surf and psyshock respectively. Generally speaking, Pokemon that can lure an KO Ground- and Fighting-types, like Thundurus-T, are great partners.

What counters it: Skarmory is Bisharp's best counter, as it takes little damage from a +2 Low Kick and can phaze out Bisharp, earasing its boost. It must watch out for taunt, however. Toxicroak is a great counter, as it can tank a +2 Sucker Punch and OHKO Bisharp with Drain Punch. Breloom is another good counter, as it can out prioritize Sucker Punch with Mach Punch. Lucario, Terrakion and Virizion can outspeed and OHKO with Close Combat and actually benefit from Sucker Punch, as it raises their Attack by one stage thanks to their ability, justified. Generally, any pokemon that can outspeed Bisharp, resists Sucker Punch and carries a Super Effective move can be considered a check to Bisharp.

 

[Shurtugal]

Why so much speed? I'd think 195 (not evs; the speed tier) would be minimal for Jelli, so what do those accomplish?

 

[Magcargo]

Why so much speed? I'd think 195 (not evs; the speed tier) would be minimal for Jelli, so what do those accomplish?

The Speed EVs allows you to outspeed max speed Adamant Scizor, but I decided to change the Speed Evs to your recommendation, since Bisharp can't do much to Scizor anyways.

 

[SmashBrosBrawl]

Skarmory is 2hkoed by a +2 low kick and cant hurt bisharp back. How is that supposed to be the best counter?

 

[Subject 18]

@SmashBrosBrawl I've found that using Adamant on my DDnite set is much better than having Jolly. The only thing that Jolly helps out with is outspeeding a few things at +1 like Scarf Politoed or Timid Jolteon but neither of which are that common. Also I would mention Extreme Speed in the set having priority which is really nice and being able to take things out like Latios at +2 without resorting having to resort to Outrage.

I'll be updating the OP in a few minutes.

Edit: @Explorer I'm going to side with Arcticblast. Why have Fire Gem you could using Expert Belt instead for more consistency for the purpose of that set.

Edit 2: @Shurtugal That Alakazam has already been posted by Sturdynips and has been added to the Revenge Killer section.

Lastly, can we also try to fill up the "what not to use" portion?

 

[SmashBrosBrawl]

Subject 18 the main purpose of jolly is actually to outspeed scarf terrakion and scarf latios after two boosts to ensure that no scarfer can revenge kill you therefore eliminating the need for extremespeed. However if you can provide me some important kos adamant can achieve ill definitely slash it on the set.

 

[Prinz]

What to use

Role: Support

Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 16 Atk / 240 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Draco Meteor
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Earthquake
- Memento

i already posted this in the gimmick set's thread several days ago and i think it deserves a mention here as well since this latios is one of most underrated supporter for sun teams which at the same time works really well.

Good Teammates: ninetales of course and mons which can take advantage of his job (volcarona and venusaur for example) are the best teammates for this latios. in general this latios helps sun a lot, since it can remove heatran with earthquake (sun teams' biggest problem i guess) and tyranitar too, without using dugtrio. it can also make the setup a lot easier to things like venusaur as i already said.

What Counters It: normally, the best counters of latios are jirachi, tyranitar and heatran but earthquake hits both really hard (and hidden power fire hits hard jirachi too, especially if the sun is up) so they aren't even check for this set i guess. however, though, mons like chansey and blissey are still good counters for this set and mamoswine, weavile, choice scarf salamence and choice scarf jirachi and scizor are still good revenge-killer

nothing else to say, i guess. definitely an another, good way to support sun teams

 

[SmashBrosBrawl]

Shouldnt hasty be used instead? Latios defense is already pretty bad while its sp def is impressive and should not be put to waste.

 

[Scotti]

Role Special Wall:

Jellicent @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 168 SDef / 88 Spd
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Will-O-Wisp / Toxic
- Shadow Ball / Ice Beam
- Recover

What it does: Well the point of this set is to wall special sweepers who try to harm your team. It also does a good job at eating water moves thanks to Water Absorb, which helps against all rain teams one way or another. Scald is a great move that gives you a 30% to burn your opponent, and hopefully your opponent will switch there physical pokemon onto Scald and if your lucky unlike me your might atleast burn your opponent. Ok it may seem redundant to have both Will-O-Wisp and Scald however Will-O-Wisp make sure you burn your opponent making Choice Band TTar useless thanks to the speed EVs which make you faster and can burn your opponent. However, if it seems redundant you can also run Toxic over Will-O-Wisp which allows you to stall out most special threats. Shadow Ball is the next move and its just a good move to just hit anything that resist Scald. Also its not just a filler move thanks to Jelly STAb and you might actually fine using it can help. You could also run Ice Beam even though it doesn't give you STAb you can still hit dragon types which is never really a bad thing. Recover allows you to stall out your opponent with Will-O-Wisp or Toxic, or it can be used just to keep your health up against strong special attacking pokes.

Good Teammates: Ferrothorn is a good Teammate since it patches up Jellicent grass, electric, dark, and ghost weakness while Jellicent patches up Ferrothorns fighting and fire weakness. Also with that core you resist everything in the metagame besides flying and ground. Other good teammates for Jellicent are Celebi or Roserade and Heatran who make a FWG (Fire Water Grass) core, and with that core they resist everything but Rock. In the end you really just need a Grass type to be a good teammate with Jelly since grass types resist electric and grass which Jellicent really needs. Jellicent also like to be paired with steel types such as Skarmory and Forretress because Jellicent resist fire which is super effective to steel types and some steel types are weak to fighting in wish Jellicent is immune to. Another this about steel types is that most of them are physcially and thanks to Jellicent good special defense they synergy well in taking Special and Physical hits.

What counters it: The best way to counter jelly is with Grass and Electric pokemon. Celebi, Shaymin, or Roserade can easily switch into Jellicent even if it uses Ice Beam, and force it out or take it out thanks to their typing and mostly their special ability Natural Cure which makes status goes way if they switch. Toxic Orb Breloom is also another good way to be jelly since it can't be burned thanks to the Toxic Orb however if you run Technician Breloom you can still come in however you have to be careful of Scald burns and Ice Beams. Special Attaking Virizion is another good counter however it has to be careful of burns even though burned doesn't half special attacks it still does damage and can be harmful to Virizion. Rotom-W is another good way to defeat Jellicent because it has electric attacks and it resist scald, though it has to watch out for random Giga Drain if it is not a special defensive Rotom-W. Jolteon, Zapdos, Raikou, and Thundurus-T can come in on Jellicent though has to watch for Toxic and Burns because that can wear them down fast, and can easily defeat Jellicent with there Electric STAB. Choice Band Tyranitar can pursuit Jellicent, but thanks to this EV spread Jellicent can outspeed burn Tyranitar however Crunch would still hurt it alot though it would have to switch the next turn. Ferrothorn can hit you hit Jellicent with Power Whip though it has to watch for Scald. Latias can also do well against Jellicent, but a Toxic and Burn can wear Latias down though if Jellicent burns Latias you can still defeat Jellicent. Finally Sun teams makes Jellicents life horrible thanks to it weakening its water STAB and Venusaur and Volcarona can setup on it and sweep.

Additional Information: Jellicent can also use Giga Drain to hit water types for SE, it also has Confuse Way which is annoying, Magic Coat which can come in handy against Hazards Setters and Spore users, It can also use Night Shade over Shadow Ball to always break Calm Mind Latias Subs, It also has Rain Dance which can be a surprise for sun teams, Taunt can be used to stop your opponent from setting up and with a combination against Nightshade you can beat Calm Mind Latias, You can use Surf of Scald if you want a little extra power and find Scald and Will-O-Wisp together redundant, and Finally it can use Trick Room which you can use over Will-O-Wisp or Toxic, if you're using a Trick Room Team. Jellicent is an amazing Special Defensive Wall with a pretty good amount of options, if your looking for a Special Defensive Wall (or even a spinblocker even if this is not the right set its still a ghost type) Jellicent is the pokemon you should use.

 

[Stone Alchemist]

I'm going to add one of the most underrated Pokemon to utilize on Sand Teams now.

Revenge Killer:

Stoutland @ Choice Band
Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Return
- Crunch / Pursuit
- Superpower
- Wild Charge / Ice Fang

Stoutland is one of the best Pokemon to use on Sand Teams nowadays with the banning of both Landorus and Excadrill. Sand Rush makes Stoutland incredibly fast, with an Adamant Nature only being outsped by Choice Scarfers with base 108 speed and up. You can also opt for a Jolly Nature to outspeed up to a Choice Scarf Tornadus-T, making Stoutland nearly impossible to be outsped with. Choice Band turns Stoutland's 100 Base Attack to monstrous levels to abuse at a very quick speed. In fact, Stoutland used to be the only Choice Banded Pokemon I would use because it was also very fast in sand. Stoutland also has very decent bulk (much to people's surprise) with 85 / 90 / 90 defenses, enabling it to switch into SR a few times and take about 2 hits. The only downfalls in using Stoutland is that it's very dependant on Sand being up to function, and sometimes just can't damage a Pokemon enough to KO it. Its STAB is mediocre, being resisted or immune by many OU Pokemon. Despite this, Stoutland has a movepool to support this, in Crunch, Superpower, and Wild Charge. All in all, Stoutland may need some support, but is amazing in sand teams if you use it right.

Good Teammates: Either Tyranitar or Hippowdon to summon sand is a must for Stoutland, for without them, it is just a slow Pokemon that hits slightly hard. Hippowdon is generally better for Stoutland because it is the more sturdy weather inducer, and can set up SR more easily which helps Stoutland nab more KOs. Stoutland is usually countered by Pokemon who it can't hit hard enough, most of those being Steel types with a secondary type to resist fighting and to an extent, Ghost types. For this reason, Heatran is also a very good partner to Stoutland, not taking Sand damage and dealing with Jirachi, Scizor, Forretress, and Skarmory. Heatran also deals with Sabelye and Cofagrigus, who can't do much to him, while he can retaliate with a powerful Fire Blast. To deal with fighting types, a Psychic type like Celebi is also very helpful for Stoutland.

What Counters Stoutland: Nothing. Just kidding, but there's very few Pokemon who can check Stoutland due to having sky high speed in the Sand. Instead, using Pokemon who Stoutland just can't hit hard enough is usually better. Pokemon on this list are Jirachi, Scizor, Forretress, Skarmory, Bronzong, and Metagross. Sableye and Cofagrigus are also good counters, not taking much from Crunch and crippling Stoutland with Will-O-Wisp. Fighting types can check Breloom with moves like Mach Punch (which won't KO a healthy Stoutland BTW). Since Stoutland will usually be running an Adamant Nature, things like Choice Scarf Terrakion, Keldeo, or Latios can possibly check it, however, they run the risk by a Jolly Stoutland.

 

[Prinz]

Shouldnt hasty be used instead? Latios defense is already pretty bad while its sp def is impressive and should not be put to waste.

I don't know, I personally prefer Naive nature because it allows to get less damages from Bullet Punch's Scizor mainly (and other physical moves too of course), but Hasty can be used as well I guess.