One month later after the previous post, with USUM totally finishing and me not participating in any tournament of that Tier in this forum, I think its time I share my 3 favourite creations of the Generation:
https://pokepast.es/2cf1868b1fd0390c
This is my first good SM Team, made all the way back to November of 2016. I have been updating it since then to adapt it to all the Metagame trends, especially in the first SM Months, when Megas were being released one after another.
The team features an unique style in Sun Room. Anyone that speaks often with me (not many people, admitedly) knows that I hate the one typical Trick Room team from ladder (the one with Cresselia and Uxie) and consider it terrible, because it loses to almost everything. In my opinion, Trick Room setters have to have sinergy and be durable instead of being an HO type of team. So, explosions, lunar dances and Mementos are not my way to go. Therefore, when I knew that a Mon that I already used in BW OU (Exeggutor) got an Alola form while maintaining Harvest, I knew I had to do a team with it. Even with an Alola form, Exeggutor has tons of weaknesses but he is strong and bulky on the phisical side. Harvest + Sitrus Berry lets him live longer and when there is Sun, the ability activates every turn. Sun also boosts Flamethrower, his only non-Stab Move. People that don,t play NU/PU can sometimes be surprised by the Flmathrower, since they don,t even know what Exeggutor does. Back in 2016/17, Exeggutor was a good check for Outrage-less Zygardes and Kartana (which didn,t have Knock Off until USUM), made Dugtrio a liability and won 1vs1 against any HP Ice-less Aegislash when there was no TR. Along with Marowak, Exeggutor is the only Mon in this team that never changed his set, this one is the optimal for OU.
If Egg (and other 2 Mons) puts TR, Zard helps with the Sun part. Unlike Exeggutor, Charizard had been changing his set constantly. Fire Blast, Solar Beam and Focus Blast are must moves on him, so they have always been there. The last moves had been varying from Roost (which I generally don,t like on Zard-Y), HP Electric (for Pelipper, Mantine and Gyarados), HP Ice (Zygarde and Chomp), Dragon Pulse (for every dragon, especially Zard-X, which is a huge threat due to the Sun) and Ancient Power (to win the mirror match-up, Zard-X and all the dumb people in early USUM that thought that Talonflame was still good). Finally, during the OLT of this year I decided to put Defog. Charizard is a good Defogger, since he scares Ferro, Gliscor, Clefable, Hippo and even some Heatran sets. Not only the Moves changed, the nature and the EV Spread did. Originally it was a Quiet Zard, yet without Min EVs to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt and 0 Speed Rotom-W outside of TR. Since then, I have been increasing the Speed to outspeed diferent thread, and finally settled it to Max Speed Timid, in order to have a fast Mon outside of TR.
Victini in Sun is a monster. But its much more than that, since he has an amazing 100/100/100 bulk for an offensive Mon. In TR, that Bulk is partially invested with the HP EVs. TR, Bolt Strike and V-Create need no explanation, except for the part that the STAB Moves makes Victini faster in TR every time he uses it. Brick Break has 2 Main targets, Heatran and Tyranitar. However, it also has one important use in breaking Screeens and Aurora Veil. Victini easily switches into Ninetales and Screens Koko. The 8 last EVs of Victini originally have been invested in PDef, until Genesect got banned, when they changed to SDef (for Download Porygons). The item its also not the original one, which was Flame Plate to murder even more foes. When Mega-Mawile was released, I had to put a Colbur Berry to make a good check.
Magearna is usually the Z Move user in TR teams. I, however, decided to make it a pivot too, with Volt Switch. Not always the good play is to use TR right of the bat, sometimes its better to pivot into a diferent Mon to gain advantage. Fleur Cannon need no explanation and the other Move is the one that has been changing between Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball (this was the way to go in Aegi Meta against Sub-Toxic variants), and finally Focus Blast. Shuca Berry lets Magearna either put TR against things like Lando, or straight-up kill things like Garchomp. It was even more useful when Landorus-I was still around.
Mandibuzz is one of my favourite and most underrated Defoguers. She tanks everything from both sides and annoys opponents with Foul Play or Knock Off (her original last Move). In Aegislash, Landorus-I and Mega Metagross Meta, Mandibuzz was really amazing as a reliable check to all of them. When I made the team, she had Foul Play and Knock Off, without a Z Move. Later, Mawile and Heracross were released and I tried Brave Bird for the latter, and Heat Wave + Firium-Z for the former. Heracross turned out to be an uncommon threat and Mawile not nearly as threating as I feared, unlike Heatran, which after the Dugtrio Ban seemed to be everywhere. To solve that problem and the even more (for the team) dangerous Diancie, I decided to use Bone Rush + Groundium Z to lure them and do huge damage.
Marowak is a Sun abusser, Rocker and Electric inmunity all in one. Was also a good Pheromosa check. Had the same set from the beginning.
Some Replays of this team:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pokespain-gen7pokebankou-3223 < December of 2016. You don,t know this opponent, and he is not very known, but back in 2016, it was the guy who I had to defeat in a prestigious Spanish Regional Tournament. This was far from the last battle of that Tournament, but my team (Catalonia + Basque Country, ruled by the mighty Misicloud) finally ended up taking the trophy. As for the battle, well, Victini killed almost all the enemy team.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-620095454 < July of 2017, with most Megas already being in the game. The tour was less importat, but the oponnent was stronger. I needed some luck with Zard to not lose patetically, but after that the team showed its full strength.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-956342881-84iuztagem9nxd8d4fp4cx04iki9idspw < A much more recent Replay, August of 2019, Oficial Ladder Tour. Even in a bad match-up like this one, with an unfortunate flinch to Magearna, the Sun Room still manages to Win battles in this Meta, in this case thanks to the star Mon, Exeggutor.
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threa...n-2019-sm-ou-discussion.3650456/#post-8193040 < Already posted about this team here, no need to do it again. It is one of my Top 3 favourite teams.
Time to put the last and my most favourite one out of the 3.
https://pokepast.es/e9fed8b9f4809512
Yes, this works, I swear. You don,t need more than 1 OU Pokemon to succeed in OU, especially on ladder, where this team was the one I used the most in the entire Generation. People that has seen it or faced me with this team can aknowledge that it can win against almost any opponent if well played.
I always liked Hail. Back in DPP and BW the weather was permanent and it was way easier to build this kind of teams, but even from XY to nowadays the style is more than viable. I have been building Hail teams every once in a while, but this one is special, since the inspiration were real life events. It was simple: I went to Lithuania to work this last January, and saw it all covered in snow when I arrived. This was the very first team I have built in that country and my proudest creation of SM OU.
Even with 4 turns of damage (yes, they are only 4, not 5), that passive damage combined with hazards and Status ends up wearing out many kinds of teams. And thats really the Main strategy of this team, to wear the opponents out. Of course, defensive teams need ofensive power too, and who better than the Mega and Hail provider known as Abomasnow for that? Apart from making snow, he is the Wallbreaker of the team, the revenge killer (when opponents are in Ice Shard range) and a good check of dangerous threats like entire Rain teams, Gliscor and Mega Gyarados. His 3 STAB Moves need no explanation, however the coverage one changes from battle to battle, depending on what I think the opponent will bring: Earthquake hits Fire and Steel types like Heatran, Magearna and Jirachi, also being the move that damages Toxapex the most; HP Fire hits Scizor, which otherwise is full counter, its also the move that damages Ferro (which is 3-4hit KOd anyway) and Mega Mawile the most; Focus Punch is mainly to acelerate the battle against Stall teams, it does respectable 60% to Chansey, which sometimes is the only check to Abomasnow; Rock Slide is solely for Volcarona, which otherwise is one of the biggest threats for the team. I ripped the EV Spread from someone on this forum in the XY era (pre-ORAS). It turned out to be a very good spread, since Standart Mega Diancie never OHKOs Abomasnow from full, something that many opponent don,t expect at all.
Primarina has a godly typing. It diferentiates from Fini by being able to use Rest and from defensive Azumarill by her much higher offensive power. Compared with Fini, its a little frailer but a little stronger too and the disadvantage is compensated by the ability to use Rest. Primarina absorbs Status and spreads Burns, while checking well every OU Ground, Heatran, Ass Ninja, Mega Gyarados and Weavile among other things. This mon is truly really good in OU.
Defensive Drill is my only OU Mon here. Ironically, its also the weakest link in this team, since he only can cure himself with Leftovers. Like Primarina, he has a godly defensive typing that lets him humillate Koko and check Focus Blast-less Magearna, Psychics, Clefable, EP-less Diancie, etc. His special bulk is good, since he resists every single Move from offensive non-LO/Specs/Firum Heatran from full. He is inmune to both Poison and Thunder Wave, letting him to be a good Status absorber too. Drill is one of the Hazard Removers of this team and he can put Rocks too, even against Mega Sableye teams, which lets me aply offensive pressure in those match-ups. Drill needs to be played very carefully, but his roles are esential for the team.
About Rotom-H I already wrote in the previous team, I have nothing to add to that.
Reuniclus is one of the Win Conditions here, especially against other bulky teams. His Main role, however, is to absorb Status and check Mega Medicham, a dangerous foe. As Mega Sableye is not inmune to Hail and has a full counter in Primarina, I don,t fear being walled by him, therefore using Focus Blast as a coverage to destroy Tyranitar and Bisharp.
Finally, Mandibuzz, another Mon that already appeared here. Main Kartana check and Defoguer, she is inmune to Hail and the only Mon that can afford Toxic in this team.
Hope you have enjoyed the post. I originally planned to write some honourable mentions, but the post took way more time than expected. Can,t wait to start building for SS and see if Hail, Sun, Stall and Trick Room teams are viable there.