Time to Blast Off!
Introduction
Introduction
Hey everyone! With the end of the Aegislash suspect and a return to the normal OU world, I decided to try my hand at OU again, and built a new team. While Mega Metagross, Landorus and others continue to rule the roost over OU, I wanted to built around an underrated threat, so I decided to build around Mega-Blastoise. Typically under the radar due to the opportunity cost of using the mega slot, Mega Blastoise is a great spinner that hits hard and can check a multitude of threats in the current meta, and so I thus present to you my team below :)
In-Depth
Blastoise @ Blastoisenite
Ability: Rain Dish --> Mega Launcher
Nature: Modest
EVs: 236 HP | 252 SpA | 20 Spe
Moves: Rapid Spin | Water Pulse| Aura Sphere | Dark Pulse
The Star of the Team, Mega Blastoise! Mega Blastoise interested me as a criminally underrated threat in the current meta, as 79/120/115 bulk is absolutely great for a spinner, and with Mega Launcher + 135 Base Special Attack, it can easily plough its way through slower, balanced builds. The EVs, standard from the analysis on-site, combine bulk with 20 Spe to outspeed base 80s, and 252 SpA with a Modest Nature lets it hit 405 SpA, enough to hit like a truck and send my opponent blasting off, while also providing enough support for the team(especially since Dark Pulse helps it beat spinblockers, a key trait that separates Blastoise from Starmie and Excadrill)
Talonflame @
Ability: Gale Wings
Nature: Careful
EVs: 248 HP | 228 SpD | 32 Spe
Moves: Acrobatics | Bulk Up | Roost | Will-O-Wisp
I did start with Mega-Blastoise as the center of the team, but I soon realized that M-Blastoise was best suited as a supporter, so what could I use it to support? Courtesy of a cool core on the ORAS OU Good Cores Thread(as an aside, a great thread :) ), SpD BU Talonflame served as a key partner. Talonflame appreciates the spinning support from M-Blastoise, as SR is Talon's worst enemy given the 4x weakness, and this allows it to check a lot of threats while pulling its weight in the team. In turn, it shields M-Blastoise from Grass-type attacks from nasty Grass types like Serperior, which is gaining momentum currently. Unfortunately, I have no clue what exactly the EVs do, although they've worked well atm; however, I chose this set over SD Talonflame and other sets primarily due to the lack of weakness to Knock Off, as well as the fact that a Bulk Up set generally suits my style of playing better.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
Nature: Calm
EVs: 252 HP | 160 Def | 80 SpD | 16 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moves: Stealth Rock | Giga Drain| Recover | Thunder Wave
A key problem I saw with the team after the addition of Talonflame was the double weakness to the electric-type, and with Raikou popular atm, I stumbled upon a separate partner for Blastoise and decided to add it to the team - Celebi! Celebi acts as a key glue on the team, countering most variants of Keldeo, checking Specs Raikou and acting as a one-time switch to many threats, while also laying SR for the team and, crucially, bringing T-Wave on board, which allows it to cripple many threats for Blastoise to clean up later in the game.
Bisharp @ Dread Plate
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Spe
Moves: Swords Dance | Knock Off | Sucker Punch | Iron Head
Having an SR setter of your own is always a plus, and using a Spinner alongside it has the distinct advantage over Defog of keeping the pressure of hazards on your opponent - but, to do this successfully, I needed a way of blocking Defog, so I recruited Bisharp for the team. SD Bisharp serves as a quicker booster than Talonflame that can sweep through a team if left unchecked, and allows me to deter Defog users, while also using Knock Off to cripple switch-ins and weaken my opponent's team for Talon to sweep later. The EVs are pretty standard, but the key choice here was Dread Plate over LO, which helps durability for Bisharp without losing too much power.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Nature: Calm
EVs: 252 HP | 172 Def | 84 SpD
Moves: Calm Mind | Soft-Boiled | Moonblast | Flamethrower
At this point, I was wondering who else could fit on the team, and when in doubt, I usually add a Clefable into the mix. Clefable, brought from the depths of RU to the realm of OU with the Fairy-buff, truly shines in the current ORAS OU Meta, and it helps the team greatly. CM Clefable offers a dangerous win-con in case I need to sac Bisharp or Talonflame early-game to deal with a sweeper, while also offering key resists and a switch-in to threats like Latios(although preferably not too often). Not the most thought-out choice, and thus a member I am welcome to changing, but one that works well for now.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk | 4 SpD | 252 Spe
Moves: Earthquake | Dragon Claw | Stone Edge | Outrage
Usually, I try to include a Dragon/Fairy/Steel synergy on my team in order to handle key threats in the meta, so I was on the look out for a Dragon-type to round off the team; I also noticed that the team had problems with blazingly fast threats like Mega-Manectric, so I decided to include Scarf Garchomp as the final member for the team. Garchomp performs the key function of revenge-killer with a Scarf attached, but can also be used as an emergency sacrifice to bring down a sweeper with Rough Skin damage, and can also clean-up a team late game with EQ or Outrage.
This team is achieving moderate success on the ladder(around 1400), but I hope to improve this team much further, so thanks a lot for reading this RMT and please do take the time to leave your valuable feedback :)
Importable
Talonflame (M)Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 228 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Acrobatics
- Bulk Up
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 236 HP / 252 SpA / 20 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Water Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 80 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
Bisharp @ Dread Plate
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Flamethrower
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Claw
Credits for Images Used in the RMT
(a) http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11112/111126230/3583329-6577284260-tumbl.gif
(b) PlDH for the fantastic array of sprites
