My First Competative (OU) Team! Don't be too harsh...

[jab2033]

My first ever competative team. I'm gonna start competative battling on Shoddy Battle. It's an OU team, BTW.

Zapdos @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Gentle nature (+SDef, -Def)
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Thunderbolt

Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 24 Atk/232 Spd/254 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Flamethrower
- Close Combat
- Grass Knot
- Nasty Plot

Swampert (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 240 HP/212 Def/58 SAtk
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Ice Beam
- Earthquake
- Surf

Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 80 Atk/176 Spd/254 SAtk
Rash nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Draco Meteor
- Earthquake
- Flamethrower
- Roost

Mesprit @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 68 HP/190 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt

Snorlax (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 82 HP/40 Atk/136 Def/252 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Body Slam
- Crunch
- Curse
- Rest

This is my very first time doing this, so don't be too harsh on me. Any helpful tips I should know for competative battling?

 

[NickofTime]

put fire punch on snorlax to deal with skarmory
i recommend making swampert your lead
i don't know why you have a mesprit for OU i guess its unique but its not going to be useful
you might find yourself having trouble keeping up with stat raisers as nothing on your team, save snorlax, uses stat increasing moves, also your teams lead is weak to ninjask so yeah
Ninjask does this, substitute then its ability raises its speed and then it baton passes and if it can get a free sub it sets up a swords dance
azelf does what mesprit does, but better with access to nasty plot

 

[Livewire]

Your team is pretty good offensively: mix mence, mixed infernape and zapdos can hit extremely hard if given the opportunity. :) ive seen sweeps from those three many a time.

the only big problem i see is your team lacks defense. most of them are pretty frail, and even snorlax and swampert wont last long if they keep geting nailed with boosted neutral attacks and ones with STAB.


Stealth Rock and/or a good rock type pokemon/move can really waste your team, particularly your offensesive pokemom. as much as i like the originality with mesprit, competitive battling isnt about originality (Unfortunatly) :(. A good forretress can come in and act as a wall, saving your offenensive team members, while setting up helpful entry hazards. plus its got base 140 defense, so you can switch it in on most physical attacks, save flare blitz

this is smogon's defensive set for forretress:

Forretress @ leftovers/shed shell
Impish/relaxed
252 HP, 112 attack, 144 defense
spikes/SR/toxic spikes
gyro ball
rapid spin
explosion/earthquake

a defensive wall gliscor set could also be used, but you'd loose rapid spinning abilities

 

[jab2033]

Stealth Rock and/or a good rock type pokemon/move can really waste your team, particularly your offensesive pokemom. as much as i like the originality with mesprit, competitive battling isnt about originality (Unfortunatly) :(. A good forretress can come in and act as a wall, saving your offenensive team members, while setting up helpful entry hazards. plus its got base 140 defense, so you can switch it in on most physical attacks, save flare blitz

this is smogon's defensive set for forretress:

Forretress @ leftovers/shed shell
Impish/relaxed
252 HP, 112 attack, 144 defense
spikes/SR/toxic spikes
gyro ball
rapid spin
explosion/earthquake

a defensive wall gliscor set could also be used, but you'd loose rapid spinning abilities

So I should replace Mesprit for something like Forretress? What other spikes/SR/toxic spikes pokemon are there?

@ Nickof Time: Infernape and Mesprit also have Stat-increasers. Nasty Plot and Calm Mind respectively. As far as Fire Punch, I have Infernape and Flamethrower on Salamence to deal with Skarmory.

I included Mesprit as a boltbeam-ing special sweeper, but Zap, Sala, and Ape can probably do enough sweeping. I'm probably gonna replace Mesprit with Fortress.

 

[Tyrant626]

Other spikers/SR/TSpikers include:

~Tentacruel-toxic spikes
~Skarmory-spikes
~Aerodactyl-stealth rock
~Gliscor-stealth rock
~Bronzong-stealth rock

Based on your team without mesprit, I'd recommend levitate bronzong to cover your 3 rock weaknesses. Also, you may want to replace Zapdos with a Baton Pass Beam-Jolteon. He can hit pretty hard, and pass on it's gained special attack to infernape (Infernape's defenses are to unreliable to spend a turn using stat boosts.)

Maybe-

Jolteon @Life Orb

Timid-252 Sp. Atk/252 spe/4 Def

~Charge Beam
~Thunderbolt
~Shadow Ball
~Baton Pass

Simple set up; use charge beam to hit hard and most likely gain some Sp. Atk, fight until your opponent switches in a counter, then pass to Infernape(which is probably able to counter his counter.)

Other than that, your team is pretty well built.

 

[.Gamer]

put fire punch on snorlax to deal with skarmory

Because Zapdos, HP Electric Pert, Infernape, Salamence and Mespirit with TBolt don't already give Skarmory enough trouble. Not to mention unSTAB Fire Punch hits Skarmory like a girl.

Anyway, I like your team, but you have a big Mence weakness. Gargantuan.

The lack of Steel-types or Scarfers/Ice Sharders leaves it relatively open to 6-0 your whole team, not to mention the lack of Stealth Rock to wear it down. Pert can't really switch in as EQ will 2HKO it. I would suggest changing to the standard mixpert though, as Salamence will fail to 2HKO and you can KO back with Ice Beam, albeit at a large cost of your own HP. The set for that is:

Swampert @ Leftovers | 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def | Relaxed Nature
Ice Beam | Stealth Rock | Earthquake | Surf / Protect / Roar

ice beam is necessary as you will need it to OHKO Mence and other Dragons. The choice of Protect/Roar/Surf is your call on what you want it to do, I would suggest using Protect to save yourself from exploding pokes.

I'm also not sold on Mespirit. Its a pretty average pokemon and there are much better choices. Honestly, Cresselia is better than it and thats how you know its bad. :x If you are looking for a good CMer I suggest WishCM Jirachi. I have used it myself and its beast.

Jirachi @ Leftovers | 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe | Bold Nature
Calm Mind | Wish | Thunderbolt | Psychich or Flash Cannon

After a few CM's it take negligable damage even from SE hits. Which makes wish all that much better. Thunderbolt in and of itself has great coverage, Psychic or Calm Mind is your choice of which bad STAB attack do you want? Flash Cannon hits Tyranitar and Weavile for SE damage (the only 2 common Dark-Types) but Psychic has really good Neutral coverage. Its basically a toss up.

Infernape kinda wants Hidden Power Ice too so that Mence can't set up on it. I would put that over Nasty Plot.

Salamence with a Rash Nature is ew, it wants Naive, and 252 Speed. Any Mence that doesnt hit 328 Speed is ew. Go with the new MixMence set which is just:

Salamence @ Life Orb | 16 Atk / 240 SpA / 252 Spe | Naive Nature
Draco Meteor | Fire Blast | Earthquake | Outrage

Reaches 328 Spe, which allows you to speed tie with other base 100s, notably LO/CB Flygon. Good coverage etc.

Last thing, Zapdos wants a Timid or Modest Nature to outspeed stuff or hit harder, respectively. Not Gentle.

Anyway, hope my changes helped and good luck. :toast: