Hello everyone and welcome to my first RMT. As the title indicates, Z-Gyarados is the main star of this team with the rest of the cast playing a supportive role. The overall strategy is to wear down my opponent's pokemon and get crucial chip damage on everything before sweeping with Gyarados.
So without further ado, let's go over all individual team members in more detail!
Team
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 68 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Leech Seed
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Synthesis
The first pokemon, and the mega of the team, is Venusaur-Mega. This pokemon alone answers so many threats, completely walling Magearna, Kartana, Greninja, all Tapus except Lele and Koko with Brave Bird, and the list goes on. With Sludge Bomb and Hidden Power [Fire] it actually threatens a lot of pokemon it switches in on. Crucially, they prevent other Grass pokemon from completely walling me. I often just click Leech Seed for the free 12.5% damage; even if they predict correctly and bring in a Grass pokemon they can't take advantage of me.
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 72 Def / 188 SpD
Calm Nature
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Focus Blast
Magearna is my main special tank, so I opted for an Assault Vest set. It nicely covers Venusaur's only weaknesses in Flying and Psychic, so the two form a nice defensive core. After coming in I can either choose to pivot right back out with Volt Switch or deal some decent damage with one of my other attacks. Since this Magearna set is quite slow, Volt Switch eases prediction and allows me to scout before potentially sending out Gyarados to start sweeping. I opted for Flash Cannon over Iron Head for the increased damage. Given its Speed, it's unlikely Magearna is going to flinch a lot of opponents and getting more chip damage off is more important to my team in the long run.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
Heatran nicely complements both Venusaur and Magearna by switching in on predicted Fire moves. Even though Venusaur isn't actually weak to them thanks to Thick Fat, many opponents still choose to target it with Fire moves. With max Speed I outspeed many defensive threats so I can Taunt them first. As such, Heatran makes a nice (anti-)lead as well, being able to shut down opposing leads or setting up Stealth Rock of its own.
I opted for Magma Storm over Lava Plume for the increased damage. The additional 12.5% damage is often crucial, and preventing my opponent from switching for a turn makes it easier to get in Gyarados. Finally, I value Air Balloon over more conventional items like Leftovers or Rocky Helmet, because it allows me to completely wall opposing Heatran. The rest of my team doesn't necessarily like switching into it, except for Gyarados, but if possible I'd prefer to keep it healthy until it starts sweeping.
Gyarados @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Bounce
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
The main sweeper on my team. The set itself is pretty standard and fits in with the rest of the team nicely in terms of coverage. Dragon Dance the first turn, get a kill with Supersonic Skystrike and proceed to sweep with +2 Atk and +1 Speed. Even after Flyinium Z has been used up, Bounce is still a great move since at that point there's usually only about 2-3 pokemon left on my opponent's team. This makes it less of a problem to spend a turn charging up, as it's harder for my opponent to effectively take advantage of me. Finally, Gyarados also helps me switch into Earthquakes or Earth Power after Landorus-T has already died, as my team can be quite weak to it otherwise.
Landorus-Therian @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- U-turn
I opted for a somewhat defensive spread with Landorus-T since I don't actually need him to get a lot of kills. His main job on the team is to be an Intimidate pivot, a Defogger (crucial with Gyarados on the team) and ease prediction with U-turn. Being slower than opposing Landorus-T and some other pokemon is actually a blessing in that regard. Landorus-T and Magearna together make quite the nice U-Turn/Volt Switch duo. Earthquake gives me some offensive pressure and still deals a nice chunk of damage to chip away at my opponent. Once the opposing Stealth Rocker has died and Landorus-T has served his purpose, Explosion can usually get rid of one last threat before I send in Gyarados for the final sweep.
With this EV spread, Yache Berry allows Landorus-T to switch into Medicham-Mega's HJK and take an Ice Punch afterwards even after factoring in Stealth Rock damage) This is not ideal, but in a pinch this allows me to get an OHKO with Explosion afterwards. Medicham-Mega is a huge threat to this team otherwise, and this is sadly my best answer. Vaporeon and Magearna are 2HKO'd by HJK so they can't switch in, and Venusaur gets killed by Zen Headbutt (though it has a chance to survive HJK + Zen Headbutt when at full health).
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Scald
Last but not least: Vaporeon, probably my favorite pokemon on the team! I feel that everyone underestimates this pokemon. It's surprisingly bulky and provides incredible support to the team in terms of Wish and Toxic. Both Magearna and Landorus-T are important pivots in my team and Wish makes up for their lack of inherent recovery. Given Vaporeon's high base HP, a Wish usually heals upwards of 75% when used on one of my other pokemon. Combined with Protect, it's also a reliable form of recovery for Vaporeon itself. Protect also allows it to get additional Leftovers recovery and extend Toxic damage. And finally, Scald allows it to immediately threaten back any physical pokemon it switches in on.
Threats
I went over the OU viability ranking thread and noted for many high-ranked pokemon how my team deals with it. Below is a brief overview:
Venusaur checks: Greninja, Magearna, Ferrothorn, Kartana, Mawile-Mega, Garchomp, Magnezone, Rotom-Wash, Tapu Bulu, Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko (without Brave Bird), Tangrowth, Serperior, Lopunny,
Heatran checks: Heatran, Volcarona (Air Balloon protects it from Hidden Power [Ground] for a turn), Ferrothorn, Volcarona,
Magearna checks: Alakazam-Mega, Hawlucha (it lives +2 HJK and OHKOs with Fleur Cannon), Tapu Koko (special-based), Kyurem-B (minus Earth Power),
Vaporeon checks: Tyranitar, Excadrill, Swampert, Scizor, Weavile
As mentioned earlier, Medicham-Mega and Gallade-Mega remain huge problems. I mostly have to awkwardly play around them and hope to get a successful Explosion off. Other threats are Flying, Psychic or Fire-type sweepers with wide coverage such as Charizard-Mega (both X and Y), Lati@s, Victini, etc. I also don't have specific counters to things like Tornadus, Landorus-T and Toxapex, but they don't pose a huge threat to my team either in my experience. Toxapex and Landorus-T are both killed by Gyarados after some chip damage and setup. Vaporeon can usually deal with Tornadus okay, but doesn't like getting Leftovers knocked off.
Closing remarks
So yeah, that's my team! I'm hoping to get some feedback on maybe some moves I overlooked that would help my coverage, or tips on how to play around/deal with the aforementioned threats. Thanks for reading!
So without further ado, let's go over all individual team members in more detail!
Team
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 68 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Leech Seed
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Synthesis
The first pokemon, and the mega of the team, is Venusaur-Mega. This pokemon alone answers so many threats, completely walling Magearna, Kartana, Greninja, all Tapus except Lele and Koko with Brave Bird, and the list goes on. With Sludge Bomb and Hidden Power [Fire] it actually threatens a lot of pokemon it switches in on. Crucially, they prevent other Grass pokemon from completely walling me. I often just click Leech Seed for the free 12.5% damage; even if they predict correctly and bring in a Grass pokemon they can't take advantage of me.
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 72 Def / 188 SpD
Calm Nature
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Focus Blast
Magearna is my main special tank, so I opted for an Assault Vest set. It nicely covers Venusaur's only weaknesses in Flying and Psychic, so the two form a nice defensive core. After coming in I can either choose to pivot right back out with Volt Switch or deal some decent damage with one of my other attacks. Since this Magearna set is quite slow, Volt Switch eases prediction and allows me to scout before potentially sending out Gyarados to start sweeping. I opted for Flash Cannon over Iron Head for the increased damage. Given its Speed, it's unlikely Magearna is going to flinch a lot of opponents and getting more chip damage off is more important to my team in the long run.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
Heatran nicely complements both Venusaur and Magearna by switching in on predicted Fire moves. Even though Venusaur isn't actually weak to them thanks to Thick Fat, many opponents still choose to target it with Fire moves. With max Speed I outspeed many defensive threats so I can Taunt them first. As such, Heatran makes a nice (anti-)lead as well, being able to shut down opposing leads or setting up Stealth Rock of its own.
I opted for Magma Storm over Lava Plume for the increased damage. The additional 12.5% damage is often crucial, and preventing my opponent from switching for a turn makes it easier to get in Gyarados. Finally, I value Air Balloon over more conventional items like Leftovers or Rocky Helmet, because it allows me to completely wall opposing Heatran. The rest of my team doesn't necessarily like switching into it, except for Gyarados, but if possible I'd prefer to keep it healthy until it starts sweeping.
Gyarados @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Bounce
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
The main sweeper on my team. The set itself is pretty standard and fits in with the rest of the team nicely in terms of coverage. Dragon Dance the first turn, get a kill with Supersonic Skystrike and proceed to sweep with +2 Atk and +1 Speed. Even after Flyinium Z has been used up, Bounce is still a great move since at that point there's usually only about 2-3 pokemon left on my opponent's team. This makes it less of a problem to spend a turn charging up, as it's harder for my opponent to effectively take advantage of me. Finally, Gyarados also helps me switch into Earthquakes or Earth Power after Landorus-T has already died, as my team can be quite weak to it otherwise.
Landorus-Therian @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- U-turn
I opted for a somewhat defensive spread with Landorus-T since I don't actually need him to get a lot of kills. His main job on the team is to be an Intimidate pivot, a Defogger (crucial with Gyarados on the team) and ease prediction with U-turn. Being slower than opposing Landorus-T and some other pokemon is actually a blessing in that regard. Landorus-T and Magearna together make quite the nice U-Turn/Volt Switch duo. Earthquake gives me some offensive pressure and still deals a nice chunk of damage to chip away at my opponent. Once the opposing Stealth Rocker has died and Landorus-T has served his purpose, Explosion can usually get rid of one last threat before I send in Gyarados for the final sweep.
With this EV spread, Yache Berry allows Landorus-T to switch into Medicham-Mega's HJK and take an Ice Punch afterwards even after factoring in Stealth Rock damage) This is not ideal, but in a pinch this allows me to get an OHKO with Explosion afterwards. Medicham-Mega is a huge threat to this team otherwise, and this is sadly my best answer. Vaporeon and Magearna are 2HKO'd by HJK so they can't switch in, and Venusaur gets killed by Zen Headbutt (though it has a chance to survive HJK + Zen Headbutt when at full health).
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Scald
Last but not least: Vaporeon, probably my favorite pokemon on the team! I feel that everyone underestimates this pokemon. It's surprisingly bulky and provides incredible support to the team in terms of Wish and Toxic. Both Magearna and Landorus-T are important pivots in my team and Wish makes up for their lack of inherent recovery. Given Vaporeon's high base HP, a Wish usually heals upwards of 75% when used on one of my other pokemon. Combined with Protect, it's also a reliable form of recovery for Vaporeon itself. Protect also allows it to get additional Leftovers recovery and extend Toxic damage. And finally, Scald allows it to immediately threaten back any physical pokemon it switches in on.
Threats
I went over the OU viability ranking thread and noted for many high-ranked pokemon how my team deals with it. Below is a brief overview:
Venusaur checks: Greninja, Magearna, Ferrothorn, Kartana, Mawile-Mega, Garchomp, Magnezone, Rotom-Wash, Tapu Bulu, Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko (without Brave Bird), Tangrowth, Serperior, Lopunny,
Heatran checks: Heatran, Volcarona (Air Balloon protects it from Hidden Power [Ground] for a turn), Ferrothorn, Volcarona,
Magearna checks: Alakazam-Mega, Hawlucha (it lives +2 HJK and OHKOs with Fleur Cannon), Tapu Koko (special-based), Kyurem-B (minus Earth Power),
Vaporeon checks: Tyranitar, Excadrill, Swampert, Scizor, Weavile
As mentioned earlier, Medicham-Mega and Gallade-Mega remain huge problems. I mostly have to awkwardly play around them and hope to get a successful Explosion off. Other threats are Flying, Psychic or Fire-type sweepers with wide coverage such as Charizard-Mega (both X and Y), Lati@s, Victini, etc. I also don't have specific counters to things like Tornadus, Landorus-T and Toxapex, but they don't pose a huge threat to my team either in my experience. Toxapex and Landorus-T are both killed by Gyarados after some chip damage and setup. Vaporeon can usually deal with Tornadus okay, but doesn't like getting Leftovers knocked off.
Closing remarks
So yeah, that's my team! I'm hoping to get some feedback on maybe some moves I overlooked that would help my coverage, or tips on how to play around/deal with the aforementioned threats. Thanks for reading!
