ORAS OU Serpents in Paradise

[Yousername]

Serpents in Paradise

I wanted to make a team around SubSeed Serperior as many people don't expect it and it allows for winning matchups that Serperior typically couldn't win. I figured Charizard would be a great partner to get rid of Bisharp, Ferrothorn, and grass types in general. With Charizard on the team, I need a form of hazard removal. I decided on Latias as she has natural bulk and can absorb some special hits that my team wouldn't appreciate while also firing off strong hits. My team as of now does not have a way of dealing with a boosted Calm Mind Clefable so I went with something very unconventional yet effective: Azumarill. With Choice Band and Iron Tail, it can kill Clefable guaranteed if it hits. Next I decided to use a Clefable of my own to fill a support role. Lastly, my team needed a way to lay down rocks as well as a pivot so I went with the one and only Landorus-T who can counter Talonflame and other physical threats. Now, here is a closer look at the sets:

Eternal (Serperior) @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Substitute
- Leech Seed

The combination of Substitute and Leech Seed can often be a game-changer if used correctly. It has the capability to beat Life Orb Latios 1v1 which is pretty surprising. The 56 HP EVs allow Serperior's substitute to survive a Volt Switch from Rotom-W while max speed is used to outspeed as much as possible and get the subseed rolling. What Serperior has over other subseeders is that it can turn into a deadly sweeper almost instantly thanks to Life Orb and Contrary. Wasting a turn trying to Taunt Serperior usually isn't a good idea. Finally, I chose Hidden Power Ground over Hidden Power Fire to lure and set up on Heatran, which Charizard would not be able to deal with well.

Nemesis (Charizard) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 104 HP / 220 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Roost

Charizard serves a win condition in the late game. The HP EVs allow it to survive two Hydro Pumps from Rotom-W while the speed EVs allow it to outspeed Choice Scarf Landorus-T and finish it off from half health. Flare Blitz provides immense power at the cost of some health, which is why I opted for Roost in the last slot. Dragon Claw provides great neutral coverage which is even boosted by Tough Claws and serves as a way to kill Rotom-W.

Elysium (Latias) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Defog
- Psyshock
- Healing Wish

I've been switching back and forth between Latios and Latias unsure of who would be best, but I am sticking with Latias for now due to her added bulk and Healing Wish support. She tends to outspeed other dragons and finish them off with Draco Meteor. In fact, nothing really wants to stay in on a Draco Meteor besides steels and fairies. Psyshock is to deal with Mega Venusaur and also to serve as an option when I don't want to risk lowering my special attack. Defog is a necessity to pave the way for Charizard while Healing Wish allows me to play aggressively with my other mons and also acts as a pivot.

Polaris (Azumarill) @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Iron Tail

This Azumarill set is great. Nobody expects Iron Tail and I don't see a reason not to use it. It has low accuracy, but people still use moves with even lower accuracy than it. The primary goal of Iron Tail is kill eliminate Clefable in one hit from full health, and it does just that. Play Rough is a powerful STAB option while Aqua Jet provides my team with a well-needed strong priority move. Knock Off is great in the last slot to remove Choice Scarf and allow Serperior to set up subseed on mons it normally couldn't. The EVs allow Azumarill to outspeed standard Clefable and opposing Azumarill while the rest of the EVs go into power then bulk.

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

Clefable is one of the most prominent mons in the meta right now as it can be a sweeper or a supporter. The EV set allows Clefable to withstand a number of attacks from various different threats. Thunder Wave is a critical move providing consistent speed control and allowing Serperior more opportunities to set up. Moonblast threatens dragons while Fire Blast threatens steels who think they can wall Clefable. Finally, Softboiled allows Clefable to stay healthy and last longer throughout the game. I initially had it as a Calm Mind Sweeper over Thunder Wave but I'm not sure which would be better.

Episode (Landorus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn

Landorus-T is one of those pokemon that can be put on any team and it will just make the team better. I needed a way to throw on Stealth Rocks, wall out physical attackers, and a way to pivot into other mons for momentum. Lando-T fits it perfectly. The Special Defense EVs allow Landorus-T to survive Hidden Power Ice from Mega Manectric at full health. The rest of the EVs are put into bulk and speed to tank physical hits. Rocky Helmet is there to punish physical attackers and u-turners. Stone Edge allows Landorus to beat both Talonflame and Mega Pinsir which are otherwise huge threats to the team.

That's the team. Let me know what changes should be made. Latias and Clefable are the only mons I'm not 100% sure on but they've been doing their job. As I mentioned, I want to keep Serperior as a subseed set and I want to keep Iron Tail on Azumarill. Here is a replay showcasing the power of both: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-412389175

Importable: http://pastebin.com/HRCsMezH​

 

[Millionsunz]

Hey Yousername! That is quite a good team you have there, wonderfully put together. I can't say I've ever seen or used a Sub-Seed Serperior, but the idea is interesting. On Pokemon that your team may struggle with right now is Mega-Gardevoir. M-Gardevoir's Pixilated Hyper Voices ignore Substitutes and can absolutely blow back Charizard, Latias, and even do up to 87% to Landorus and up to 90% to Serperior.

Another Pokemon you may struggle to face is Gengar. Gengar hits Serperior, Azumarill, and Latias with super-effective hits that will wear them down easily. Sludge Wave OHKOs Serperior and Azumarill, while Shadow Ball has a 50% chance to OHKO Latias from full health.

To combat these threats a little better, I would recommend changing out Azumarill for Heatran. Not only does Heatran wall most Fairy types, and hit back hard with Flash Cannon, it can do large amounts of damage to Gengar with Dark Pulse. Check out the set below. Don't be afraid to ask anymore questions!

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash Cannon
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Dark Pulse

Adding Heatran does add a large Ground weakness to your team, but with the two immunities in Latias and Landorus, you will be completely fine. Latias and Serperior also handle it's water weakness very well. Have fun battling!

 

[Yousername]

Hey Yousername! That is quite a good team you have there, wonderfully put together. I can't say I've ever seen or used a Sub-Seed Serperior, but the idea is interesting. On Pokemon that your team may struggle with right now is Mega-Gardevoir. M-Gardevoir's Pixilated Hyper Voices ignore Substitutes and can absolutely blow back Charizard, Latias, and even do up to 87% to Landorus and up to 90% to Serperior.

Another Pokemon you may struggle to face is Gengar. Gengar hits Serperior, Azumarill, and Latias with super-effective hits that will wear them down easily. Sludge Wave OHKOs Serperior and Azumarill, while Shadow Ball has a 50% chance to OHKO Latias from full health.

To combat these threats a little better, I would recommend changing out Azumarill for Heatran. Not only does Heatran wall most Fairy types, and hit back hard with Flash Cannon, it can do large amounts of damage to Gengar with Dark Pulse. Check out the set below. Don't be afraid to ask anymore questions!

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash Cannon
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Dark Pulse

Adding Heatran does add a large Ground weakness to your team, but with the two immunities in Latias and Landorus, you will be completely fine. Latias and Serperior also handle it's water weakness very well. Have fun battling!

Thanks for the detailed rate. I would love to add Heatran to the team. Though, would it be better to replace Clefable instead of Azumarill? I do like the priority and I'd like the team to be more offensive. Or would replacing Clefable be adding another big hole that I'm not seeing?

 

[Millionsunz]

Thanks for the detailed rate. I would love to add Heatran to the team. Though, would it be better to replace Clefable instead of Azumarill? I do like the priority and I'd like the team to be more offensive. Or would replacing Clefable be adding another big hole that I'm not seeing?

Heatran can also replace Clefable. Clefable doesn't appear to be an integral member of your team, so go right ahead and drop it for Heatran and keep Azumarill if you wish :)

 

[Rampecker]

Hi! I really like the idea of your team and it looks good, your team has some weaknesses that can easily be fixed so im going to do just that.

First, Fairy types are annoying for your team, offensive Fairy types like M-Diancie and M-Gardevoir weaken your team a lot everytime they get a free switch-in and defensive Fairy types like Clefable can sweep your team late game since you rely on Charizard and Azumarill to weaken it. You lack a Flying Resist, Landorus is your main way to check some offensive Flying types which isn't always a good idea since it doesn't resist flying and birdspam teams can pressure it.

Scarf Jirachi >

Clefable: Clefable was only checking Latios for your team since you already have a check to Weavile being Azumarill. With Jirachi on this slot you now have a reliable switch-in to Fairy types, a Flying resist and you keep a Lati switch-in. With a Choice Scarf set you still have speed control and it adds another pivot. Iron Head, U-Turn and Healing Wish are standard moves on this set, as the last move I went with Ice Punch to weaken Landorus for Charizard and it does more damage to some Flying types like M-Pinsir and Tornadus-T if you don't want to risk the flinch chance.

Latios >

Latias: The main purpose of Latias on offensive teams is Healing Wish support but now that you have Jirachi with it you don't really need Latias. Latios is a more offensive mon to your team and it still checks Keldeo, Volcanion and some Electric types like Rotom-W and M-Manectric. Draco Meteor, Psyshock and Defog are standard so I don't think I need to explain them, I went with Surf as the last move to hit Tyranitar and to weaken Heatran for Serperior and Charizard. You can also consider Psychic > Psyshock to hit M-Venu, Amoonguss, Bold Clefable and Bulky M-Hera for more damage since your team already deals with Chansey.

Psychic over Psyshock Calcs

M-Venusaur:
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 232 HP / 0 Def Mega Venusaur: 283-338 (78.8 - 94.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psychic vs. 232 HP / 4 SpD Mega Venusaur: 328-385 (91.3 - 107.2%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

Amoonguss:
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 196+ Def Amoonguss: 328-385 (75.9 - 89.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psychic vs. 252 HP / 60 SpD Amoonguss: 429-507 (99.3 - 117.3%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO

Bold Clefable:
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 216+ Def Clefable: 156-185 (39.5 - 46.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psychic vs. 252 HP / 40 SpD Clefable: 200-238 (50.7 - 60.4%) -- 89.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Bulky M-Heracross
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 216 HP / 0 Def Mega Heracross: 304-359 (85.6 - 101.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psychic vs. 216 HP / 0 SpD Mega Heracross: 369-437 (103.9 - 123%) -- guaranteed OHKO

HP Fire > HP Ground: You already have ways to deal with Heatran on your team and the main purpose of SubSeed is to stall it out with Leech Seed and Substitutes so HP Ground is kinda useless. Hidden Power Fire let's you hit more stuff like Ferrothorn and M-Scizor without always relying on Charizard and being walled by those mons is not a good thing.

That's it for my rate. Bisharp can be annoying but it doesn't get a free Swords Dance on anything in your team so that's a good thing. I hope you like the changes, have fun!

Sets

Eternal (Serperior) @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute
- Leech Seed

Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock / Psychic
- Defog

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Ice Punch
- Healing Wish

 

[Anime_Fan]

✧✧✧Hi, Anime_Fan here✧✧✧

Great job on creating the team! I love the Mega Charizard-X and Serperior core you've got going on, it look quite intimidating. That said, after a closer look at the team, I've spotted a few difficulties that the team may have trouble overcoming in battle. Oh? Is that Iron Tail I see on a Azumarill? LOL, that's certainly avant garde, however I recommend sticking to the standard set. I mean, it's great you're thinking outside the box. So please don't get upset when I say, you'll need some more practice and experience, before you can go off and create your very own superb move-sets (which I'm sure you can). But for now, it's probably best to stick to the basics.

The reason I wouldn't recommend running Iron Tail on Azumarill, is mainly because it's inefficient i.e. 1) it's unreliable, and 2) it's very situational. So in short, forgoing a powerful STAB, for a luck-based move isn't worth it in the long run.

Oh and here's the irony, your team isn't Clefable (lol). You have Charizard-X's immense "fire power" to fall back on and score a 2HKO on any Clefable! Your CB Azumarill is also capable of scoring a 2HKO on Clefable as well. Btw, I've done some research on the members of your team, so I should be able to give you the advice as best I can :)

So again, great job on the team and for trying to be innovative. I can respect that ':3
With everything said, here are some pointers regarding the team:

• It will have trouble breaking through stall.
• The team is easily overwhelmed by offensive pressure i.e. from opposing Serperior, Bisharp and Gengar etc.

Here are some ideas that I thought you might like:

[Replace Landorus-T]
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Stone Edge

I recommend replacing Landorus-T with Hippowdon. The reason for that is Hippowdon works similarly to Landorus-T i.e. they're both ground-type Pokemon, and both can check bird spam. Hippowdon may not have the momentum that Landorus-T provides, but it's superior bulk and less weakness to HP Ice makes Hippowdon a great alternative. Another reason to use him over Landorus-T, is that Hippowdon has access to Slack Off. This makes it a more reliable check/counter than Landorus-T. And that's not all, unlike Landorus-T, Hippowdon has the ability to check Bisharp (one of the biggest checks to your team).

Clefable (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Stored Power

By the way, I like you, I admire your attempt for trying to be creative. I respect that. So here's my super, secret Stall-Breaker Clefable set that took almost 2 weeks-worth of research to create (yup, I don't have a life lol).

Anyway, here's the run down of the set:
The 252 HP and 176 Def makes Stall Breaker Clefable a superior counter to Weavile, Latios, and Latias the the standard CM Clefable set on Smogon. A bold nature further enhances its ability to counter many physical attacks, such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Gyarados. Now, here's where it gets interesting. With Calm Mind, Clefable can boost its Sp.Atk and Sp.D, pair that up with its physical def, and stall teams will find Clefable difficult to stop. The Life Orb and Sp.Atk investment allows Clefable to easily KO Chansey at +5! Magic Guard is used to protect Clefable from nature like status, like burns and poisons. The attack move on this set is made up of Moonblast and Stored Power. Moon Blast is used because it provides STAB, and it stops Stall-Breaker Clefable from being walled by bulky dark types, such as Mega Sableye. Stored Power acts as our nuke for ploughing through defensive/stall teams.

Note: Unware can't stop this set from sweeping. Yup, that's right, Clefable can continue to set up, and KO every Unaware user in the game. The reason this works is that Unaware ignores "stat changes". It doesn't ignore the "changes to the BP" of an attack move.

Here are some cals to demonstrate its power:

Hide

80 SpA Life Orb Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Unaware Quagsire: 356-420 (90.3 - 106.5%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
+6 80 SpA Life Orb Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Chansey: 515-606 (80.2 - 94.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO+6 80 SpA Life Orb Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 188+ SpD Heatran: 367-432 (95 - 111.9%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO+6 80 SpA Life Orb Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Blissey: 645-759 (98.9 - 116.4%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO+6 80 SpA Life Orb Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Skarmory: 454-534 (135.9 - 159.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO+6 80 SpA Life Orb Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 359-422 (96.7 - 113.7%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO+6 80 SpA Life Orb Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 236 HP / 76+ SpD Eviolite Porygon: 9894-11641 (38053.8 - 44773%) -- guaranteed OHKO+6 80 SpA Life Orb Clefable Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 220+ SpD Cresselia: 339-399 (76.5 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery+6 80 SpA Life Orb Clefable Stored Power (260 BP) vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Ferrothorn: 383-451 (108.8 - 128.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

[Replace Azumarill]
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 96 HP / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- U-turn
- Knock Off

Tornadus-T forms a great core with Hippowdon. It checks grass types and Gengar, so it will be helpful in countering your Serperior and Gengar weakness. It also has access to U-Turn, so it can provide the momentum that Hippowdon doesn't have. I added Heat Wave because Super Power wasn't very important i.e. you have Clefable to handle Chansey, Hippowdon to handle steel and rock types, and 2 dragons to handle electric types.

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost / Surf
- Defog

I recommend replacing Latias for Latios. Because as the team stands, it's a little too bulky at the moment. Latios can help provide immense pressure on opposing teams by spamming Draco Meteor. Latias can be kept, however Latios has so much power that it will benefit your team more than Latias. With Roost Latios has no problem checking electrics and Mega Charizard Y. Since your Latias set isn't running Roost, she'll get worn down eventually. So yeah, Latios brings power to the table, and is a consistent check many Pokemon. Oh and by the way, Surf is also an option for nailing the checks and counters that wall Latios e.g. Heatran, Tyranitar, and opposing Hippowdon.

With these changes in mind, I hope your team performs well in battle. Best of luck! :)