Project OU Weekly Research | v2 hosted by Terrakion. coming soon!

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Starmei

You thought you could challenge me?
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
e: whoops i cant read got date wrong shoutouts jellicent will post on 28/29th
 
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Subjugator

Banned deucer.
Yeah I wanna get Voiced in at least one room before I get surgery, and plus, I've been researching Jellicent lately anyway so I'll take Jellicent.

Let's Do This.
 
day late... sorry! i honestly just forgot :x


thanks everyone that signed up! you guys have between now and monday (5/2) night EST to write up your posts about whichever pokemon you took (volcanion lol). as a reminder:
If you take a test subject, it is expected that you'll post. Your posts don't need to be super lengthy & detailed, but they shouldn't be super short and simple. I'm not gonna put some arbitrary regulation on how many sentences you should have, but you should have at least a small paragraph.
and as a reminder to those unsure of what to post:
Things you can post include (but are not limited to):
  • strategies used
  • how you went about building with this Pokemon
  • general strengths / weaknesses you noticed about the Pokemon
  • if the meta is in favor of the Pokemon or not
  • sets you used with the Pokemon
remember: you aren't limited to these guidelines; they're just here to help in case you aren't sure what to post. if you'd prefer to focus on 1 specific aspect of the pokemon you selected rather than a broad overview, that's totally okay! if you're still lost, try checking out this post by Infernal.

if you didn't sign up but you'd like to post, feel free to do so, but just don't post if you haven't used the pokemon in awhile / at all. also, if you signed up, but you cannot find the time to post, don't worry about it! just please don't do it regularly :x

have fun !!!
 
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Starmei

You thought you could challenge me?
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus

Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 52 SpD / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
- Hex
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt

Heracross @ Heracronite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Atk / 76 Def / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Swords Dance

Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Earth Power

Landorus-Therian @ Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 56 HP / 220 Atk / 232 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Rock Polish

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Defog


I've used this team a few times now and it seems to be quite solid (not asking for a teamrate it was a fairly quick build). I decided to build with Jellicent a few weeks back because I thought it had more potential than some were giving it credit for and I think I was right.

Jellicent was surprisingly solid, it's able to easily body things things like Keldeo, its bulk + ability to burn lets it nicely check a bunch of threatening physical attackers like MMetagross and with the addition of Volcanion to OU it can nicely dong on that too (immune to Steam Eruption, Fire Blast does -5 and Specs HP Grass doesn't even 2hko unless rocks are up)

I was primarily building around Jelli + MHera, Hera is able to take on most Dark types very well due to its bulk + typing and doesn't really have many solid switchins so can be very punishing for the opp if its given a free switchin/you make a double predicting smth like Ttar. In turn, Jellicent is able to take on things like Heatran (faster than bulky MHera), Keldeo, Clef (watch out for twave tho shoutouts fast taunt) and spread burns. With its fairly decent bulk + hex + taunt it can also somewhat take on some Psychics, Garde, Torn-T and more that are fairly annoying for MHera too.

Regarding the spread, you could choose to invest more in speed to outspeed things like MScizor, faster Azu variants, SpD Heatran, etc. The SpD evs I used are invested to live 2 HP Elecs from Specs Keldeo after SR + Lefties. This is just the spread I chose but it's by no means the 'best'. Another option for the set itself is Colbur Berry > Leftovers, essentially this allows you to take on things like Bisharp/TTar/Weavile better so you can burn them and helps in a sense that you no longer have to fear Pursuit as much either. I went for Hex > Scald because you're already spreading burns and I wanted to hit things like Volcanion better. Not to mention it's better vs most Waters & mons like Lati, Rotom, etc.

 

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus

Not gonna lie, female Jellicent doesn't look very ugly with this artwork like its sprite/model
Jellicent is one of my absolute favorite Pokémon just because of how it keeps surprising me more every time I use it. Between its spectacular bulk, stellar typing and access to Water Absorb, it has been surprisingly consistent.

Jellicent's role in the metagame:
First and foremost, Jellicent is a counter to two Pokémon: Volcanion and Keldeo. In addition to this, its good type synergy with Ferrothorn allows it to very easily fit onto more defensively inclined spikes stacking teams as both a spinblocker and a bulky Water-type. It is a good catch-all for special Water-types in general, and it is a heavily underrated Pokémon who literally feeds on a lot of the current metagame trends

Viable sets in the current metagame:
Jellicent @ Colbur Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 172 SpD / 88 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex / Scald
- Toxic
- Will-O-Wisp / Taunt
- Recover

When using Colbur Berry, use left-hand slashes. When using Leftovers, use right-hand slashes. Outpaces analysis Choice Band Azumarill, although speed creeping is recommended to avoid opposing creep from leaving you one-shotted by Play Rough in a 1v1 situation.
Jellicent @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 148 Def / 112 SpD OR 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Hex
- Recover

First spread takes Volcanion's super effective Hidden Power from full health. Second avoids the 2HKO after Stealth Rock at the cost of a lot of physical bulk.
Jellicent @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 112 SpD / 44 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp / Toxic
- Scald / Hex
- Recover

EVs outpace uninvested Alomomola to Taunt them before they can use Wish or Toxic.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 144 Def / 28 SpD / 88 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald / Hex
- Recover
- Toxic
- Taunt / Will-O-Wisp

EVs outpace analysis Azumarill, although speed creeping is recommended to stop KOff Azu from bodying you.
Good Teammates:
In general, Jellicent fits on balanced and semistall archetypes, so bog-standard 'mons for said playstyles like Ferrothorn, Chansey, Heatran, Talonflame, Dugtrio, MVenu, Amoonguss etc. all pair really nicely with it. Ferrothorn in particular has spectacular synergy with Jellicent for a number of reasons. First and foremost, their typing synergises very well in general: Ferrothorn sponges Electric- and Grass-type attacks for Jellicent whereas Jellicent sponges Fire- and Fighting-type attacks for Ferrothorn, allowing them to cover each others type weaknesses incredibly well. Ferrothorn can also lay down spikes that Jellicent can spinblock, meaning that the core fits nicely really nicely onto balanced spikes stacking teams and is able to make a lot of teams look like they have been ripped straight out of BW2. Pokémon which appreciate the Water Absorb support like Heatran, Lando-T, Hippowdon and the like all fit really well onto Jellicent teams, and Pokémon which are able to consistently counter electrics like the aforementioned Hippowdon, Mamoswine and--straight from the depths of E-rank--the based god Stunfisk pair well with it, as do YacheChomp and Yache Lando for their ability to lure and take a HP Ice in order to OHKO back with Earthquake. In addition to Ferrothorn, Jellicent generally pairs really well with Grass-types for its ability to counter Volcanion, who gives them a complete headache, and similarly it pairs well with Pokémon which struggle with Keldeo like Bisharp, Weavile and Heatran. Pursuit Bisharp in particular pairs really nicely with the Jellicent+Ferrothorn core to act as Defog discouragement. Pokémon which are able to trap Tyranitar and Bisharp work well alongside Colbur variants for its ability to trap and KO Bisharp and Tyranitar with Reversal after Jellicent escapes their Pursuit, and it also acts as a good way to speed up the elimination process if Jellicent carries Wisp to cheese Pursuit users.

Conclusion:
Jellicent is a heavily underrated Pokémon in the ORAS OU metagame. Between its stellar typing and stat spread, it is desceptively splashable and is a very good catch-all for a lot of Pokémon. The ever-increasing viability of balance and semistall is also a point in its favor, as is the omnipresence of Keldeo and Volcanion. If you've not used it yet, make a point of doing so :)
 
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Subjugator

Banned deucer.

Jellicent is a cool and underrated bulky water type that was used a lot last generation, that has become infamous with the suicide of banned user Somalia. Unfortunately with all the new Pokemon such as Rotom-Wash, Megas, and Subjugator being added into the equation, Jellicent struggles to find a use in OU. It isn't bad. Just not as good.

Role:
First and foremost, Jellicent is a counter to two Pokémon: Volcanion and Keldeo. In addition to this, its good type synergy with Ferrothorn allows it to very easily fit onto more defensively inclined spikes stacking teams as both a spinblocker and a bulky Water-type. It is a good catch-all for special Water-types in general, and it is a heavily underrated Pokémon who literally feeds on a lot of the current metagame trends.



Gamer Boy stole everything worthwhile I had to say.

Pros:
- Killed Somalia
- Good Defensive Capabilities
- Great and unique typing that allows it to go at VERY hihg speeds
- Offensive Movepool isn't bad at all
- Great movepool in general
- Spreads burns like me when I banged your mother last Saturday night

Cons:
- Outclassed by Rotom-Wash and other defensive Water types who have a more clear cut niche in this metagame, like Quagsire, Gyarados, Subjugator, Empoleon, Whiscash, Poliwrath, Lapras and others lel
- Stats aren't very good, to be honest. It's defense stat is especially lacking.
- While the trends are god for it, darkspam is more popular than ever.
- Lack of power, which is a shame, considering how decent it's offensive movepool is.

Conclusion:
Jellicent is a heavily underrated Pokémon in the ORAS OU metagame. Between its stellar typing and stat spread, it is desceptively splashable and is a very good catch-all for a lot of Pokémon. The ever-increasing viability of balance and semistall is also a point in its favor, as is the omnipresence of Keldeo and Volcanion. If you've not used it yet, make a point of doing so :)

So, Gamer Boy stole everything worthwhile I had to say again.

Anyways like other underused Pokemon, Jellicent is a pretty underrated defensive option that can be a cool alternative to your everyday OU Pokemon if you need a little spice in your life! The rise of new team styles like Balance, Semi-Stall, and Bulky Offense are a good thing for it, and again I cannot stress enough how good the metagame trends are for it, besides Darkspam...

Sorry for not writing more about sets, I am beginning to receive treatment for my illnes, and thus, I will not be able to log on as much anymore due to restrictions at the hospital. So I won't be able to make as much in-depth posts for a while. Have a Merry Christmas.


 
closing this round

the posts being added to archive are this post on jellicent by Starmei, and this post on mega garchomp by Camilas. sadly, there haven't been any metagross posts yet, but if anybody feels like posting, i'll add the one that i see fit to the archive !

remember: the archived posts are simply the posts that best summarize the pokemon for future reference. not every post needs to summarize the pokemon; some people may just want to center their posts around one aspect, and that's totally okay. you don't need to follow the guidelines perfectly to post here; they're just there to guide you a bit if you're unsure of what to post.

~​

week #16

gengar | mega swampert | goodra
from now on, i'm going to try and give some explanation about each slate; sometimes it'll be actual relevant information, and other times it'll be just cause i think that pokemon is cute hehe :3c.

anyways, i chose gengar because there's been talk about it potentially dropping to A- in VR, and it's seemingly fallen off compared to before. with torn-t (av set) being super popular & the prominence of pursuit, gengar has a lot of issues to face. also, gengar has a bunch of neat sets to play around with. mega swampert was simply chosen because of rain seeing a bit less use recently; swampert is one of the more questionable pokemon on rain builds (compared to kingdra, for example) because of how it takes up a mega slot and all... is that worth it on rain teams in the current meta? finally, there's been a bit of posting on goodra in the metagame discussion thread & VR thread. with volcanion being released, bulky dragons in general prove to be solid checks. goodra happens to have a nice amount of bulk, neutral dragon typing, a great movepool, and a solid SpA.

REMEMBER: you simply pick 1 one of these 3 (or 2 / 3 of them if you want :p) and post here saying which one you're taking. also, you can use any set you want!

the discussion period will start on 5/5 (at night in EST); those of you who want to participate have between now and then to play around with these pokemon.

enjoy n_n
 
ugh I keep saying I'll write and then forget / get busy, but this time I swear on my life i'll have time to write for goobaby because I've been using it recently

edit: welp I lied again, really have to stop doing this. I gotta write it up before I sign up next time haha
 

Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 84 SpD / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Pursuit

One of the biggest things about choosing a Pursuit trapper is taking a look at what its teammates need gone, analyzing which ones you're most likely to see, and picking a trapper that fits based on that. With that in mind, I find Metagross to be a little lackluster in the current meta, at least compared to where it was before.
  • Mega Latias's popularity is kind of a pain for Metagross. Unlike standard Latias, Mega Latias isn't even 2HKOed by Meteor Mash, and takes only a little over 50% from Pursuit. Even though Metagross is still a decent switch in, it can't force Mega Latias into the same kind of 50/50 scenario that other Pursuit trappers are able to, which leaves the Latias user under much less pressure. Reflect Type Latias is a total nightmare as well.
  • Heavier usage of Amoonguss is annoying, given that Amoonguss doesn't really care about Pursuit much thanks to Regenerator. Metagross can kind of check it, but really can't do anything in the long run and will eventually get worn down.
  • Volcanion's presence is a bad thing for Metagross. A high powered Steam Eruption is sending people running for bulky water types like Slowbro/king, Gastrodon, and even stuff like Jellicent. These mons are all very solid water type checks, which puts Metagross in an awkward spot given that both Keldeo and Volcanion typically would love Pursuit support from it, but Metagross fails to really deal with any of these. Of course Volcanion itself also destroys Metagross so the new toy hype doesn't help things either.
  • Sand is really popular and spoilers! Metagross really doesn't fare too well against the core sand mons cough excadrill cough.
With those things in mind, I'm less of a fan of pairing Metagross with mons like Volcanion and Keldeo right now. Defensive cores right now just don't get pulled apart by Pursuit from something like Metagross, and you're much better off running a more aggressive Pursuiter like Tyranitar or Weavile to support those two imo. I still find that Metagross can work with Breloom and Mega Charizard Y, given the right team. Breloom + Metagross in particular make for the better defensive core, with Metagross being able to check fairies and flying mons for Breloom, while Breloom checks ground and water types, as well as Excadrill, and together the two of them can pull cores apart via Pursuit and Spore. Zard Y has less defensive synergy but a hell of a lot more raw power backing it, and it tends to deal with

Mind you, this post focused mostly on Pursuit trapping, which is only a part of Metagross. Its niches as a fairy check and a Torn-T switch in are still as relevant as ever. However, in general I find Metagross to be a little less helpful in some matches, especially if you happen to be relying on its trapping abilities.

On another note, if you haven't tried out Choice Specs or Life Orb Jellicent yet, I really recommend it. It's not good but it's pretty damn hilarious to nuke people with surprise Hydro Pumps and Shadow Balls.
 
godra i find that it's hard to do pokemon and school so i am sorry if i don't do it. i hope this thread is active in the summer n_n

edit: i might do gengar since it is my favorite alongside alakazam
 

Infernal

Banned deucer.

Metagross only really has one viable set, and that's AV. With an AV equipped and backed by nice typing and bulk, Metagross is now able to switch into several offensive threats more reliably than its mega forme. Among these include mostly offensive fairies and psychics, such as Mega Gardevoir, Mega Diancie, Clefable, Mega Zam, and Latios. Although it's easy to think other steels like Mega Sciz can accomplish much of the same, Metagross holds an advantage in lacking a 4x fire weakness. Because of this, it's much less susceptible to being fried by a HP Fire or Flamethrower carried by these threats. Jumping off this point, this also allows Metagross to check other Pokemon like Mega Venu and Serp more reliably, further differentiating itself in this regard.

Currently in ORAS, Pursuit is around every corner. The ability to trap and eliminate something from the game is invaluable and in very high demand. With the added special bulk AV provides Metagross with, it's able to perform the trapper role decently against Pokemon like Latios and Mega Zam. This further differentiates Metagross from other offensive Steel-type checks to these Pokemon, like Jirachi. With the ability to serve as a Pursuit trapper and check a variety of popular special threats as mentioned earlier, Metagross' ability to compress many roles into one can be quite appealing for teams finding themselves strapped to cover the Pokemon discussed so far.

Regardless of its pros, Metagross still has issues. Even though it's able to serve as a Pursuit trapper, the competition faced by other Pokemon also capable of performing this role, such as Tar and Weavile, is immense. Both of these guys are much more versatile and offensively threatening than Metagross. They also pack way more of a punch behind their Pursuit, allowing them to more effectively trap and pressure Pokemon like Mega Latias, Slowbro, Slowking, and so on. Because of Metagross' lack of power, it can't threaten these defensive Pokemon in the same way as them. As such, justifying using Metagross as your trapper alongside Pokemon commonly paired with Pursuit, like Keldeo, becomes difficult when stronger and better options to eliminate those Pokemon are available.

Aside from struggling to trap more defensive Pokemon as opposed to frailer offensive ones, Metagross also has a hard time with some popular trends. Sand has been popular for months, and Exca isn't something Metagross likes coming across. Defensive grasses like Tangrowth have also risen in popularity and wall Metagross with ease. AV Metagross doesn't normally run Ice Punch either, and because of this, bulky Ground-types like Lando-T also pose issues. Bulky waters are also everywhere, and aside from ones mentioned already (Slowking and Slowbro), Metagross is threatened by the ever popular Rotom-W, the newly released Volcanion, and even things gaining more attention like Jelli. This all ties into Metagross' lack of firepower compared to other trappers, demonstrating its struggle versus teams make using of these bulkier options.

Overall, Metagross has its uses. Its ability to check fairies, function as a trapper, and handle offensive threats like Latios and Mega Alakazam can definitely be useful, especially for more offensive builds known to struggle with these threats. These builds appreciate Metagross' role compression to help the backbone of the team deal with otherwise troublesome offensive threats. These teams can also make up for Metagross' lack of power with other team slots to pressure the bulkier Pokemon it can't trap well. Even though Metagross faces competition from other trappers and steels in OU, it's still able to use its strengths to support Pokemon like Keldeo, Loom, and Zard-Y, making it a decent choice for teams in need of the role compression it brings to the table.
 
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MANNAT

Follow me on twitch!
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Just gonna drop my team that I made around Jelli and talk about a few things (sorry this is late ;-;)

How I build around Jelli

Jellicent @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Toxic

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind/Crunch
- Slack Off

Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave

Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 100 SpD / 160 Spe
Careful Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flare Blitz
- Roost
- Dragon Claw
The basic idea here was to make a hazard stacking team centered around spdef jellicent used as a spin blocker and a check to a ton of balance threats like keld, volc, tornt, etc. First of all, skarm was initially added as a spiker because it was a good fairy check and generally paired up with jelli well, being able to check a ton of shit and being able to phase out mons. Hippo was added as a fat rock setter that helped patch up jelli's weakness to elecs and helped be a secondary check to dark types like bisharp that put a ton of pressure on jelli among being a really cool mon on balance in general. Also, hippo made it so that I could fit a good spinner into the team in sand exca who is broken can be deadly with sand up and is a really solid revenge killer and sweeper for the team. Clef was added on after to provide a fat wincon that can synnergize with the rest of the team well and spread the yellow color around for everyone to abuse. Zardx was actually a suggestion from what's his last because I was stuck on the last member and it is a really solid last since it can check serp, spread burns around for the team, etc. Overall, this team isn't half bad and works pretty decently from my experience bar vs certain shit like gengar (hence why crunch is slashed on hippo).

Jelli's Place in Meta
The recent addition of volcanion and keld being as common as always really help out jelli and the recent resurgence of fatter builds actually helps out jellicent since it struggles against playstyles like volturn and shit that flood HO-type squads. However, the increased usage of dark types lately does hurt jelli a little bit and forces it to run colbur berry to properly beat volc/keldeo properly.
 

Sun

Who cares if one more light goes out? Well I do...
is a Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnus


Gengar is a powerful Wallbreaker, with large movepool and good coverage, solid check of the common Clefable, Mega Altaria, has a speed in the standard (it is not very fast in this metagame thanks to Lopunny mega, mega Manectric); This powerful pokemon is also a great Stallbreaker, learning Taunt, fails to address Balance and stall teams very easily, is usually checked by Bisharp, Chople and Scarf Tyranitar, Weavile, mega Lopunny, check all these are present in offense, in fact Gengar is comfortable with Keldeo in a team, this helps to cope gengar I pokeomon the darkness above, If you build on gengar you should always keep in mind to control these threats, so as to make its more safe and dangerous revenue.

The most common set of gengar is: Life orb attacker, this set is Presumably the most difficult to deal with, many teams do not have revenue of gengar, this is an advantage for those who use it, the more moves are used Shadow Ball, one of the moves more good in this game, does an excellent neautral damage to almost all other types, and also takes an increase since it is the stab, Sludge wave, is really an incredible move, swallow all do without problems, Taunt, excellent move against stall teams, and as a defensive pokemon Chansey, preventing them from caring, latest move is Focus Blast, also known as Focus Miss, because it is usual to miss the mark, very useful against Bisharp, Tyranitar, Heatran and Ferrothorn, without this gengar move would have trouble dealing with these latter two.


Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail
- Aerial Ace
- Fire Fang

Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Taunt
- Focus Blast

Kyurem-Black @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 SpA / 224 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Outrage
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Iron Head

Azelf @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 160 Atk / 96 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- Fire Blast
- Taunt

Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Secret Sword
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Icy Wind

Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast

This is a simple Hyper Offense built around Gengar + Aero-mega, I put Scarf Keldeo and scarf Kyurem to better deal with mega lopunny, latios, mega Manectric, that bother to the starting core, in gengar change does away with the fairies and aero away with mega venu that bother Kyurem and Keldeo respectively, finally I chose Thundurus, which in addition to giving more speed control with Thunderwave, helps me cope better talon and mega Pinsir, if mega Aero is weakened.

Finally I think this metagame is not good for gengar, is too broad of offense that would make him unable to act, but still remains an excellent solution to address balance / stall teams.

Goodnight everyone ^^.
 
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Natan

...
is a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus

Goodra
Goodra is UU, but is really useful in OU due to some exclusive points.
  • Goodra have a really good Special Defense, being able to take even things as a uninvested supereffective Clefable's Moonblast STAB.
  • Goodra have interessting HP, Special Attack / Attack and Speed.
  • Its HP allows it to take some damage, but a not so good Defense base turn it into a worse defensive pokémon.
  • Thanks to its base attacks, it can run a Band / Specs (in OU, principally this one).
  • Its speed tier allows it to outspeed many threats in meta without a good speed (like Heatran, Clefable, Defensive Landorus-T and TankChomp).
  • Its ability Sap Sipper allows it to switch in Leech Seed (Celebi, Ferrothorn) and counter Serperior.
  • Its Specs set is a little hard to check due to its awesome coverage.
But otherwise, a few bad things turn Goodra into a not so good pokémon
  • Weavile is able to OHKO with Icicle Crash and Lati@s with Draco Meteor are able to Revenge Kill it, Talonflame can 2HKO and need a prior damage with Brave Bird.
  • Its speed doesn't allows it to outspeed many top threats like Charizard-Mega-X, Keldeo, Weavile, Tornadus-T.
  • If runs Choice, its choice lock may give a free turn.
  • It lacks Reliable Recovery.
Goodra can be really useful, it can go with many Water-types like Slowbro and Azumarill, receiving moves Grass and Electric as well as then receiving Ice (and in the 2nd case, with a Dragon immunity). A Weavile check and a Dragon type check (Lati@s, Charizard-Mega-X, Kyu-B) are required, like Azumarill, Clefable and Quagsire (Zard X check). Pursuit Trap to trap many revenge killers (principally Lati@s) like Ttar, Bisharp and Jirachi are really useful. Rotom-Wash is another awesome option, due to its good Defense and ability to check Ice types like KyuB or Weavile (despite it don't like to lose its item, can check if needed) and the Goodra's SpD and ability to check/counter Grass types (Serperior, Venusaur-Mega) and check some Electric types, but sometimes it can be 3HKO by Hidden Power [Ice]. Defensive Landorus-T or Hippowdon also seems useful due to its ability to handle many Physical attackers as well as Goodra can check Grass and Water type many times, but a Ice type check is required. Wish passer like SpD Jirachi, Alomomola and Clefable can be useful due to lack of reliable recovery, Scizor-Mega is good with an awesome Defense, ability to counter Fairy types lacking Fire Blast (or revenge kill if they run this move), and Goodra can check Special Fire-types like Charizard Mega Y and Heatran.

Goodra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Focus Blast / Muddy Water / Thunderbolt

Draco Meteor is its main STAB, Fire Blast allows it to defeat many steel threats, Sludge Wave / Bomb (with awesome damage and awesome poisoning change, respectively) are good to hit Fairy Azumarill, Clefable and hit Grass types more safely. Focus Blast is awesome to hit Tyranitar and Heatran, and is good to against Steel SPAM, Muddy Water is a less recommended move, but it's a more accurate option to hit Heatran and deal an acceptible damage in Tyranitar, Thunderbolt is a good option to hit Water types and more realibly hit Skarmory, but Focus Blast is a more recommended option.
Some calcs:
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Clefable: 238-280 (60.4 - 71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Muddy Water vs. 248 HP / 180 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 146-174 (36.2 - 43.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Focus Blast vs. 248 HP / 180 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 392-464 (97.2 - 115.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Muddy Water vs. 252 HP / 188+ SpD Heatran: 192-226 (49.7 - 58.5%) -- 68.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 188+ SpD Heatran: 254-300 (65.8 - 77.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Focus Blast vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Chansey: 180-212 (28 - 33%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

Goodra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- Sludge Wave

Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Knock Off

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 232 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Synthesis

Victini @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- V-create
- Bolt Strike
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Defog
- Roost
- Whirlwind

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Replays:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-368950996
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-368694109
 
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HailFall

my cancer is sun and my leo is moon
Other ppl seem to be posting so I guess I'll do it now too :x sorry if it's too early or something
Goodra



Strengths and Weaknesses

Goodra is an interesting pokemon in OU with many distinct niches that help it function as an effective special tank with decent power and good coverage. Its unique attributes in sky high base Special Defense and pure Dragon typing allow it to effectively check top threats like Serperior, Volcanion, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Manectric, and many other powerful special attackers. It also effectively lures Skarmory, Clefable, Heatran, and several other pokemon that may try to come in on Draco Meteor. That being said, Goodra is not without its flaws. Its poor physical bulk leaves it easily revenge killed by physical attackers like Mega Lopunny, Garchomp, and Weavile. In addition many specially defensive pokemon found on stall or defensive balance teams like Chansey can easily eat up any hit from Goodra without an issue. These problems aside, Goodra is still a very good pokemon to use in OU, and worth giving a try if you get the chance.

Set Used
Goodra @ Choice Specs / Expert Belt
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast / Thunderbolt
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast

This set takes advantage of Goodra's good movepool, allowing it to be very difficult to switch into for most teams. Draco Meteor is spammable stab with good power that can break down most pokemon that don't resist it. Fire Blast targets Ferrothorn, specially defensive Skarmory, Klefki, and other Steel-types that resist Draco Meteor. Thunderbolt is another option that better breaks down bulky water types like Calm Mind Slowbro as well as hitting specially defensive Skarmory for good damage, 2HKOing it. Sludge Wave is the next coverage move, 2HKOing or OHKOing most of the Fairy-types that are immune to Draco Meteor. Focus Blast hits Heatran, Tyranitar, and also hits Chansey the hardest of any other move on Goodra, potentially being able to finish chansey off after a good amount of prior damage. Choice Specs is the preferred item to maximize Goodra's attacking power. Expert belt is also an option that eases prediction and can also surprise players who think Goodra is choice-locked. Sap Sipper is the best choice of an ability, as it allows Goodra to effectively counter Serperior and prevent it from getting a Contrary boost. It also allows Goodra to absorb Spore/Sleep Powder and Stun Spore from pokemon like Tangrowth and Amoonguss. The EV spread allows Goodra to outspeed base 70s like Bisharp, but if thats not necessary, you can run another EV spread of 152 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 100 Spe with a Modest Nature to maximize power and bulk, while still outspeeding Jolly Azumarill and standard defensive Landorus-Therian.


Building Around Goodra

Goodra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast

Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Protect

Volcanion @ Mystic Water
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA
- Steam Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Sludge Bomb

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Heart Stamp
- U-turn
- Healing Wish

Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpD
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Bug]


I built around Goodra here first by pairing it with Mega Diancie. They share similar switchins (steels in general), and together they do a good job of breaking down each other's checks and counters with their coverage moves. Goodra also switches into many Diancie checks like Serperior. I saw that Mega Scizor kinda dunks on both of my team members, and I also wanted a switchin to Play Rough from Azumarill so I added Volcanion. Next I wanted a blanket check to a ton of physical attackers like Mega Lopunny and Earthquake Mega Charizard X, and also needed a Stealth Rocks user so I added Rocky Helmet Lando-T. Then I put Jirachi to check Mega Altaria and opposing Mega Diancie as my team was pretty weak to them at this point, as well as to provide healing wish support to the rest of my team. Finally i added keld to fix glaring weakness to offensive darks as well as to give me a way of handling chansey which kinda walled the team at this point.

Partners and Cores

  • +

    Goodra and defensive Landorus-Therian have good defensive synergy, with Goodra blanket checking most special attackers in the tier, and Lando checking most physical attackers. Some notable threats to these two are Keldeo, Lati@s, Kyurem-Black, and Weavile.
  • +

    Goodra and Mega Diancie also work pretty well. I explained why in the part where I explained my Goodra team, so read there to see more.
  • +

    A semistall core with Goodra and Alomomola. I found it when building for the core building competition thread. Again I already explained the synergy so feel free to look here for a more detailed explanation, but essentially Goodra soaks up special electric/grass type moves that bug Momo while having good offensive presence, and Momo takes on many physical attackers for Goodra and can also pass it wishes.
  • +

    Goodra and Pursuit Mega Scizor is another excellent core. Scizor can come in on powerful Dragon-, Ice-, and Fairy-type attacks that threaten Goodra, and pursuit their users when they try to switch out getting at least chip damage. On the other hand, Goodra can switch into pokemon like Volcanion, Heatran, and Rotom-Wash which threaten Scizor.
  • +

    Finally, Goodra and Mega Slowbro work well together. Goodra hard stops the powerful special attackers that break Mega Slowbro like Serperior and Specs Raikou, while Mega Slowbro is stupidly bulky on the physical side and can set up on many of Goodra's checks like Mega Lopunny, LO Kyurem-B, and non-Swords Dance Weavile.
Using Goodra
In battle, Goodra finds many opportunities to come in due to the way it acts as a blanket check. However its important that you dont overestimate Goodra's bulk, as it gets worn down somewhat quickly with careless play, and it's not specially bulky enough to tank stupidly powerful hits like Latios' Draco Meteor. Once Goodra is in, it should either spam Draco Meteor, or use a coverage move on a predicted switch. If you are using the Expert Belt set, it's not a bad idea to bluff specs and trick your opponent. Playing Goodra aggressively can work out surprisingly well, putting the opponent in tight spots often. However, if your opponent has a pokemon that Goodra needs to be able check, you should play more conservatively, keeping in mind chip damage from Stealth Rock, as well as the fact that specs Goodra does not get Leftovers recovery.

Verdict

While it might not seem that way, Goodra is a force to be reckoned with in OU, completely shutting down a large portion of special attackers. The rise in Volcanion usage has only been a good thing for it, and the Choice Specs Goodra set which is now getting a lot of attention is proving to be suprisingly effective. As a result, I would say that the metagame is in Goodra's favor as of late.
 
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