Pokebank OU; Recommendations Appreciated!

[Tide]

I am in the process of my 12th draft of this Pokebank OU team - and I think that it'd be practical to seek out help this time around to ensure that the best results come out from a community of competitive intellectuals. The primary goal of this thread is to get opinions on a pokemon to fulfill the sixth slot and its desired niche - because I find that the other pokemon in my team work very well together in the already implemented strategic foundation. However, valid suggestions of other team modifications will definitely be considered by them. I appreciate all of your input!

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Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 156 HP / 100 Atk / 252 Spd
Nature: Jolly
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower

Purpose: Landorus-Therian is used as a Stealth Rock lead that can come in later in the match to deal brutal damage and take hits with its Intimidate ability and HP investment.​

Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Nature: Calm
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Recover
- Discharge
- Ice Beam

Purpose: Porygon2 is a very useful wall on the specially defensive side. (Even though it can completely engulf some physical attacks as well with the Eviolite boost.) It can copy useful abilities with Trace, easily take hits, deal decent damage with Electric/Ice coverage, and Recover. It's very difficult take down, and it always leaves a dent. The Attack IVs are removed to take less damage from pokemon that utilize Foul Play, like Klefki and even Malamar.

Medicham (F) @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Nature: Jolly
- Bullet Punch
- Drain Punch
- Psycho Cut
- Thunder Punch

Purpose: A whopping 598 attack stat (which includes Pure Power boost) easily makes up for Mega-Medicham's frail qualities. With a decent speed boost upon Mega Evolution, Medicham is a huge threat to a lot of pokemon, and it has access to priority Bullet Punch if necessary.​

Aegislash (M) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 124 Atk / 4 Def / 128 SAtk
Nature: Rash Quiet (Thanks PlatinumDude!)
- King's Shield
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Ball

Purpose: I decided to run a mixed Aegislash to help patch up the offensive balance of my team. With the other special attackers being more defensive-based pokemon, I needed a way to benefit that offensive side while not leaving physical attacking to dry. That being said, I figured this set would be a practical compromise. King's Shield can be used to hinder physical attackers, Shadow Sneak is for priority, Sacred Sword is to deal massive damage from the physical spectrum, and Shadow Ball is to deal massive damage from the special spectrum.

Slowbro (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Nature: Bold
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off
- Scald
- Psychic

Purpose: The capabilities of Slowbro for this team's composition were brought to my attention by Jin of the Gale. I am very thankful he suggested Slowbro to this team, and I am also feeling rather stupid for not thinking of it beforehand. Slowbro can swallow the hits from Talonflame and Azumarill, can paralyze threats, burn attackers with Scald, and recover reliably with Slack Off. Like Porygon2, it also has extracted Attack IVs to prevent any additional unnecessary Foul Play damage.

??? (???) @ ???
Ability: ???
EVs: ???
Nature: ???
- ???
- ???
- ???
- ???

Purpose: What I'm specifically looking for is a quick and hard-hitting special attacker that is positively effective in type coverage. I am 99.9% sure this pokemon will be holding Choice Specs or a Choice Scarf.
​

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Here's a graphic organizing device that shows the cumulative type coverage my team is composed of. Please note that I'm not basing my team's quality on this, I just find it a nice portrayal of type-resistance distribution in a way that is easy to look at.

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I have a few ideas as to what pokemon I want to put in this slot, but I want to run the ideas by all of you in the Battle Center to get your opinions, as well as to see if there are better alternatives that I am not considering. I'll put my pre-thought up ideas in multiple spoilers to not murder your eyes with additional formatting.

First Potential Option:

Spoiler:

Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Nature: Timid
IVs: 0 Atk
- Bug Buzz
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower

Second Potential Option:

Spoiler:

Galvantula (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Nature: Modest
- Thunder
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Rock]

Third Potential Option:

Spoiler:

Hydreigon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Nature: Timid
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Surf Flash Cannon (Thanks No Chance Without Zekrom!)

Fourth Potential Option:

Spoiler:

Greninja (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Nature: Timid
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Extrasensory

Fifth Potential Option:

Spoiler:

Magmortar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: ---
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Nature: Modest
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Psychic

(As of: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?p=8002759#post8002759)

Again, these are just a few options I initially have in mind. If you have better ideas to suggest, whether it be relevant to specifically the empty sixth slot, or the team as a whole; PLEASE say them. Constructive criticism and comments on the other aspects of my team would also be appreciated. Thank you for reading and I hope to see your assistance.

 

[trainer swil]

In my opinion, Genesect or Hydreigion would be better than Galvantula.
Galvantula just doesn't pack enough power for mine. It also is less bulky than genesect and Hydregion. What does it bring that Genesect and Hydregion don't do better, a little coverage?

 

[Nah]

Hydreigon, Genesect, and Galvantula are all good options. Not so much Greninja. A Choice item kinda kills the usefulness of Protean a bit; Protean isn't just about giving STAB to all of Greninja's moves. And like you said, its not doing anything extra special for your team.

I don't thik there's anything really wrong with the rest of your team. It looks good to me.

One other thing you might wanna consider for the 6th slot is Volcarona. Your team lacks any sort of Fire attack, and Fire is a useful attack type. It can also give you a Bug attack like Genesect and Galvantula do.

-Volcarona w/Life Orb
Nature: Modest/Timid
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 Sp.Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Defense
0 Attack IVs
Moves: Quiver Dance, Bug Buzz, Giga Drain, Flamethrower/Fiery Dance/Fire Blast

Simple but deadly. Giga Drain is fantastic on it too.

 

[Tide]

The problem I have with Volcarona is that it is absolutely destroyed by rocks. Life Orb only adds to the lessening damage. Even if I were to Roost, I risk getting hit even more - which is likely in many cases. That also doesn't factor in the potential necessity of a Quiver Dance.

I also see Volcarona as more of a sweeper for these reasons. Considering I have the special sweeper occupied by Aegislash (although it does hit physically as well), Volcarona doesn't seem necessary. Now, if the issue is the lack of Fire type moves - Hydreigon and Genesect can both fix that problem.

 

[Nah]

Oh, I thought you were looking for a special sweeper. Or was it a sweeper that doesn't require set up? Giga Drain is there so Volcarona can heal off Stealth Rock damage and deal with water types (particulary Water/Ground ones).

But I see your point. Volcarona doesn't work so well when you don't have a spinner/defogger and you want it to switch in and out often.

So between the other 3 potential candidates...I'm kinda leaning more towards Genesect and Hydreigon than Galvantula, since they hit harder and have basically the same coverage. Genesect looks fine as is, but perhaps Specs would be better on Hydreigon? And does it need Surf? I was thinking that Flash Cannon would be better. besides Mega Medicham's Bullet Punch, you don't have much to hit Fairies with. And Hydreigon really doesn't like them Fairies, so you'll wanna be abble to deal with them if you use Hydreigon.

 

[PlatinumDude]

I'd rather use High Jump Kick than Drain Punch on Mega Medicham. Sure, the recoil when it misses stings, but the raw power is welcome and opting for Drain Punch makes Medicham lose out on a lot of power.

I'd use a Quiet nature on Aegislash just to maintain its good defenses in Shield Forme. A Rash nature should only be used on the mixed Autotomize set, since that variant's only way of returning to Shield Forme is switching out.

Have you considered Greninja? It's fast and gets STAB on virtually every attack thanks to Protean:
-Hydro Pump/Surf
-Ice Beam/Dark Pulse
-U-turn/Dark Pulse
-Hidden Power (Fire)/Grass Knot
Nature: Hasty/Naive/Timid
EVs: 4 Atk/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Expert Belt
Ability: Protean

or
-Spikes/Toxic Spikes
-Hydro Pump/Surf
-Dark Pulse/Ice Beam/Extrasensory
-U-turn/Taunt/Hidden Power (Fire)
Nature: Hasty/Naive/Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Focus Sash

And to build on to Zekrom's suggestion of Hydreigon, here's a potential set:
-Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse
-Flash Cannon
-Roost/Fire Blast/Focus Blast
Nature: Modest
EVs: 4 HP/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb

or
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Superpower
-Earthquake/Earth Power/Roost/Dark Pulse
Nature: Rash/Mild
EVs: 4 Atk/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Expert Belt

 

[Tide]

Oh, I thought you were looking for a special sweeper. Or was it a sweeper that doesn't require set up?

That isn't necessarily what I'm looking for. As said in the initial post, I'm seeking more a fast and hard-hitting special attacker - that, by some definition, COULD qualify as a sweeper. I just want a pokemon to come in, kill something, and get out if necessary. Like Scarf Chandelure, Greninja, etc.

[...] but perhaps Specs would be better on Hydreigon?

I really need the speed. Hydreigon already has massive special attacking power, but base 97 speed won't cut it.

And does it need Surf? I was thinking that Flash Cannon would be better. besides Mega Medicham's Bullet Punch, you don't have much to hit Fairies with. And Hydreigon really doesn't like them Fairies, so you'll wanna be abble to deal with them if you use Hydreigon.

That's an excellent point. I'll make the changes immediately. Great call - thank you. ^__^

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I'd rather use High Jump Kick than Drain Punch on Mega Medicham. Sure, the recoil when it misses stings, but the raw power is welcome and opting for Drain Punch makes Medicham lose out on a lot of power.

I disagree. I think the risk of a frail pokemon taking massive recoil when it has 598 attack to utilize, making Drain Punch just as effective - is impractical. Especially when you're someone like me who suffers from Hax Magnet Syndrome. There's never been a time where Drain Punch hasn't done the trick.

I'd use a Quiet nature on Aegislash just to maintain its good defenses in Shield Forme. A Rash nature should only be used on the mixed Autotomize set, since that variant's only way of returning to Shield Forme is switching out.

Good call! That's a good point; I'll make the edit immediately. Thank you. c:

Have you considered Greninja? It's fast and gets STAB on virtually every attack thanks to Protean:
-Hydro Pump/Surf
-Ice Beam/Dark Pulse
-U-turn/Dark Pulse
-Hidden Power (Fire)/Grass Knot
Nature: Hasty/Naive/Timid
EVs: 4 Atk/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Expert Belt
Ability: Protean

or
-Spikes/Toxic Spikes
-Hydro Pump/Surf
-Dark Pulse/Ice Beam/Extrasensory
-U-turn/Taunt/Hidden Power (Fire)
Nature: Hasty/Naive/Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Focus Sash

As shown in the first post, I have considered Greninja. However, among my four potential options, I find it to be the least beneficial to my team because it really doesn't further my coverage that much - which is essentially what I need this empty slot to do. In addition, I despise the Spikes set because I personally find it ineffective. Regardless, Spikes is not what I am seeking out of my sixth slot.

And to build on to Zekrom's suggestion of Hydreigon, here's a potential set:
-Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse
-Flash Cannon
-Roost/Fire Blast/Focus Blast
Nature: Modest
EVs: 4 HP/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb

or
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Superpower
-Earthquake/Earth Power/Roost/Dark Pulse
Nature: Rash/Mild
EVs: 4 Atk/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Expert Belt

Right now, I find the best Hydreigon moveset to have is Scarf Hydreigon with Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Flamethrower, and Flash Cannon. I want it to be particularly fast and deal massive damage at the same time. Halving Special Attack after one Draco Meteor is just really not comforting to me.

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As of now, it seems that Hydreigon is the best choice for my sixth slot. However, I want to leave this open for a discussion to ensure the best possible results. Continuing recommendations and input is appreciated. Thanks to all of you who have helped thus far. I really am greatful. ^__^

 

[Nah]

For the sake of discussion, I'm gonna throw this out there: Noivern.

It's kinda like Hydreigon, but with its Speed and Special Attack stats swapped. It's less weak to Fairy, but more weak to Ice (and SR). It also gets Infilitrator, which is useful against those possibly irritating Subs and the occasional dual screener.

-Noivern w/Choice Specs
Nature: Timid
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Sp.Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Sp.Defense
Moves: Dragon Pulse, Flamethrower/Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, Boomburst (or something, IDK)

Now, I'm not saying that this is most certainly the best idea, but I thought I'd bring it up, keep the discussion going. Team rate/help threads seem to die pretty fast.

 

[PlatinumDude]

For the sake of discussion, I'm gonna throw this out there: Noivern.

It's kinda like Hydreigon, but with its Speed and Special Attack stats swapped. It's less weak to Fairy, but more weak to Ice (and SR). It also gets Infilitrator, which is useful against those possibly irritating Subs and the occasional dual screener.

-Noivern w/Choice Specs
Nature: Timid
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Sp.Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Sp.Defense
Moves: Dragon Pulse, Flamethrower/Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, Boomburst (or something, IDK)

Now, I'm not saying that this is most certainly the best idea, but I thought I'd bring it up, keep the discussion going. Team rate/help threads seem to die pretty fast.

Here are better Noivern sets to put out there. Dark Pulse and Boomburst don't provide additional helpful coverage:
-Draco Meteor
-Flamethrower
-Focus Blast
-Switcheroo/U-turn/Hurricane
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Choice Specs
Ability: Frisk/Infiltrator

or
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Focus Blast
-U-turn/Roost/Dragon Pulse
Nature: Naive/Timid
EVs: 4 Atk/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Frisk/Infiltrator

Take note that Noivern isn't that strong, but its teammates can help it sweep mid/late-game.

 

[Tide]

Noivern is an interesting choice. The only problem is, as No Chance Without Zekrom brought up earlier, I have nothing to take on Fairy types. Noivern doesn't have access to Flash Cannon, Sludge Bomb, or anything of the sort.

In addition, if you were to make the case that Noivern and Hydreigon have inverted Special Attack and Speed - that's not quite 100% true.

Noivern has less Special Attack than Hydreigon does Speed.
Noivern has less Speed than Hydreigon does Special Attack.

So, if anything - it's a downgrade.

 

[Nah]

Alright, so we scrap the Noivern idea then. Anybody got any other ideas, or should Tide roll with Hydreigon?

 

[Tide]

What I've also noticed, however, is that Clefable gives me a HUGE problem. (As in, I sometimes forfeit on the spot when I see it) A Flash Cannon tickles a Clefable. What is your opinion on swapping Sacred Sword on Aegislash to Iron Head instead?

 

[Nah]

Lando and Porygon 2 can't handle it? I thought they would be able to. And what about Mega Medicham's Bullet Punch (I know you can't switch it in on a Clefable, but you could use that to revenge kill it, right?).

But the Iron Head vs Sacred sword thing is often a problem for Aegislash. It would like both to maximize coverage (especially since each move leaves you vulnerable to some things), but it usually can't use both.

So give Iron Head a try and see if it helps you out a lot or if you miss Sacred Sword more.

 

[Tide]

Lando can do significant damage, but Porygon can only take the hits and not dish them.
Mega Medicham's Bullet Punch tickles a Clefable

252 Atk Pure Power Mega Medicham Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 128-152 (32.4 - 38.5%) -- 3.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Pure Power Mega Medicham Bullet Punch vs. +1 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 86-102 (21.8 - 25.8%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery

'Hits can easily be taken by a Clefable and Soft-boiled on.

 

[Nah]

Jeez, Clefable's bulkier than I remember.

When I mentioned Porygon2, I was thinking it could Toxic stall it out.

Also:
252+ Atk Aegislash-Blade Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 282-332 (71.5 - 84.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Aegislash-Blade Shadow Sneak vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 70-84 (17.7 - 21.3%)

Between Iron Head and Shadow Sneak, Aegislash MIGHT be able to take down Clefable. But its not a surefire thing, and Fire Blast (which Celfable probably carries) will hurt Aegislash.

 

[Tide]

My Aegislash has Weakness Policy, so I might be able to take a Fire Blast...maybe.
Clefable has Magic Guard; Toxic stalling is impossible.

 

[Nah]

My Aegislash has Weakness Policy, so I might be able to take a Fire Blast...maybe.
Clefable has Magic Guard; Toxic stalling is impossible.

Ah, right, it has Magic Guard. Clefable's not a Pokemon I've ever used or encountered much. Shield Form Aegislash can take a couple of Fire Blasts:

4 SpA Clefable Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Aegislash-Shield: 108-128 (33.3 - 39.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

And with Weakness Policy, Iron Head is an easy OHKO. So Aegislash can take care of your Clefable problem. Without Sacred Sword, Dark types may or may not give you a bit of a hard time.

 

[Tide]

Well, Landorus and Medicham both carry hard-hitting Fight moves - so that really shouldn't be much of an issue.

Another issue I've noticed is Mandibuzz. Medicham can do significant damage - but other than that, I have nothing to handle it with.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Well, Landorus and Medicham both carry hard-hitting Fight moves - so that really shouldn't be much of an issue.

Another issue I've noticed is Mandibuzz. Medicham can do significant damage - but other than that, I have nothing to handle it with.

Strong special attackers like Thundurus, Wash Rotom and Magnezone, as well as Fairy Pokemon, threaten Mandibuzz. Mandibuzz is also shut down by Taunt, so try to squeeze in the move with one of your team members.

 

[Nah]

Ya can't deal with everything. You may just to have Mega Medicham deal with any Mandibuzzes you run into. But Mandibuzz can be annoying.

While we did sorta make Hydreigon the last slot on your team, Genesect deals with Mandibuzz better:

+1 252 SpA Genesect Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mandibuzz: 290-342 (68.3 - 80.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

4 Atk Mandibuzz Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Genesect: 139-165 (49.1 - 58.3%) -- 97.7% chance to 2HKO

Not really a counter, but its still works if Mega Medicham isn't around.

However, Porygon2 can stall it out with Toxic, since Mandibuzz isn't immune to Toxic, and its attacks do little to Pory. Just hope that it doesn't get Taunted or something first.