The key to victory is synergy (OU RMT)

[Malicious Metang]

The Team
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I made this team about a month ago in hopes of making me more interested in OU, mainly because the teams I used back then weren't doing as well as I would've liked them to be. Basically, bulky offense wasn't working for me, so I gave up hopes of wearing my opponents down and decided to try out full offense, destroying them before they destroyed me. If I was going to sweep, however, I had to make sure I got the best Pokemon together that had synergy and made them work. The first Pokemon that came to mind, as it should come to everyone's mind who is attempting to build a sweeper team, was Lucario. It's impossible to deny how potent it is as a late-game cleaner, as 350 Attack with Swords Dance + priority and a 120 Base Power STAB move can overwhelm even the most defensive of teams in minutes. To support Lucario, I decided the biggest threats to it (Scarf Heatran, Gengar, and Salamence) had to be dealt with. Scarf Heatran can be stopped with resistances, so Gyarados and my own Heatran were obvious choices. Gyarados works well in tandem with Lucario since they share somewhat similar counters (Rotom-h, Celebi, Cresselia). Gengar and Salamence could be handled sheerly by priority, and what better Pokemon to abuse priority with than a Choice Band Scizor? U-turn also allowed me to wear down counters like Zapdos and foe Gyarados with Stealth Rock factored in. It could also tango with Blissey and Pursuit it when need be, meaning I could afford using a Special Sweeper that was walled by Blissey. Looking at my team, I realized I lacked an Electric resist! Jolteon fit the bill perfectly, as with Baton Pass it could scout and make Pursuiting Blissey all the easier. Heatran was delegated to the lead position because frankly, I needed Stealth Rock and Heatran was a wonderful lead. In the last slot, I felt the need to have a Lucario check, so Gengar fit soundly as it resisted Fighting and Ground moves as well as being able to terminate most everything in sight with Blissey out of the way. This team revolves around synergy, as every teammate can work with one another in a way and stomp each other's counters out. I've had an excellent record with this team (47 wins, 3 loses) but have found it to be decreasing in effectivness, so I'm asking you guys to help make it better =)​

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Timid (+ Spe, - Atk)
6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Fire Blast
~Earth Power
~Stealth Rock
~Taunt​

How it Works: On a team where prediction is the recipe for success, Heatran makes for a wonderful lead. Unlike things like Swampert, it's not too defensive and doesn't fold to things like Azelf or Bronzong, and unlike Azelf, it doesn't get a single move plus Explosion. I play Heatran offensively, attacking things like Azelf and even Aerodactly rather than going for the Stealth Rock (they Taunt initially anyway, so it doesn't really matter much). Fire Blast and Earth Power deal with most things I'll find, only resisted by the likes of floating Dragons (if they ever switch Gyarados in, I will gladly Taunt them, as most run Adamant and are slower). Stealth Rock is very beneficial to this team, allowing my sweepers to reach 2HKOs or even OHKOs they would've been unable to have reached without that extra residual damage. Taunt is the most unexpected move on this set, and is part 1 of my "Anti-Blissey" campaign. Basically, I dislike entry hazards on my side of the field, as it really ends up limiting who I can switch-in, so Taunt is wonderful against slower leads, even Swampert. People who use Blissey without Seismic Toss will find it very unpleasant when I end up Taunting them, giving the rest of my team basically, a free switch-in. Heatran's resistances make it an excellent check to things such as Scizor, opposing Heatran, and even Celebi without Thunder Wave.​

Resistances: Fire, Psychic, Grass, Bug, Steel, Ice, Normal, Poison, Ghost, Dark, Dragon, Fly​

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Adamant (+ Atk, - SpA)
248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD (30 Speed IV)
~U-turn
~Bullet Punch
~Superpower
~Pursuit​

How it Works: Scizor works extremely well on every serious OU team, since it's ability to not only U-turn and scout an opponent's team while also dealing massive damage to things that don't resist it, but also revenge kill things like Gengar, Azelf, and even Salamence with some residual damage. Superpower was chosen over Brick Break for the guaranteed OHKO on things like Magnezone, Heatran, and Blissey, three very big threats to my team. Pursuit is the second part of my "Anti-Blissey" campaign, trapping those who try and flee to avoid the Superpower and dealing a good chunk of damage, making it easier for things like Gengar and Jolteon to finish them off with Stealth Rock and two of their moves (Focus Blast and Thunderbolt respectively). Scizor is perhaps the most vital member of this team when it comes to scouting, as U-turn is easily more effective than a dry Baton Pass. While Scizor is very expected, it doesn't take away anything from it's effectiveness, and since Scizor is more often than not able to help cripple stall thanks to keeping momentum and Pursuiting, my other teammates are able to take advantage of the damage Scizor has done even long after it's gone. The EVs are quite simple, though I guess the 30 Speed IV needs explaining. Simply put, I like being able to U-turn second against an enemy Scizor, similarly with using Superpower against them after the -1 Defense drop, OHKOing them while they fail to do the same to me. It's a matter of personal preference really, I enjoy being the one who controls momentum, so U-turning second is pretty much necessary for me.​

Resistances: Psychic, Grass, Bug, Steel, Ice, Normal, Poison, Ghost, Dark, Dragon​

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Timid (+ Spe, - Atk)
42 Atk / 216 SpA / 252 Spe
~Shadow Ball
~Focus Blast
~Taunt / Thunderbolt
~Explosion​

How it Works: Ah Life Orb Gengar, a wonderful wrecking ball that can demolish most less-defensive teams within moments. You see, most teams don't have a definite answer to this guy besides...Scizor, whom the rest of my team handles comfortably. This is a bit of a twist on your normal Life Orb Gengar in a few ways. First off, I run Taunt over Thunderbolt more often than not, to screw up stall members such as Blissey. Most of them run Thunder Wave and Seismic Toss, meaning they're unable to touch me as I freely kill them in a few turns with Focus Blast, or, if the situation is dire, use Explosion without the chance of them using Protect. Explosion is an awesome move to use against stall, as most things that don't resist it are either OHKOed or take a huge amount of damage. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast are really all I need, since they are unresisted when it comes to type coverage and hit plenty of important things for super effective. Gengar also serves as this team's primary Lucario counter, as very few run Bullet Punch. Gengar can also swap in on a load of things thanks to it's three key immunities (Fighting, Ground, Normal), as well as plethora of resistances. The EVs are self-explanatory, and they are another reason why I don't run HP Fire. I find tying with Latias and opposing Gengar more important than having a chance to kill Scizor, as the rest of my team loves setting-up on all variants of Scizor.​

Resistances: Ground, Fighting, Grass, Bug, Normal, Poison​

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Jolly (+ Spe, - SpA)
6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
~Dragon Dance
~Aqua Tail
~Stone Edge
~Ice Fang​

How it Works: Gyarados is one of the most powerful physical sweepers currently in OU, with most of it's counters being either very predictable or ineffective against my team. While Lucario seems to be the main sweeper of this team, Gyarados can still fill in his role if Lucario ever fails. It's quite simple to get a Dragon Dance, as most Scizor are complete set-up bait for it. Aqua Tail was chosen over Waterfall because I run Jolly, something I find necesarry to outpace Jolteon and Timid Scarftran. Jolly Aqua Tail is stronger than an Adamant Waterfall, so in a sense, Jolly Gyarados is a bit superior to Adamant Gyarados, at least for me. Stone Edge is for opposing Gyarados and those nasty Zapdos, as well as hitting things like Vaporeon and Suicune for neutral damage. Ice Fang was chosen because I like being able to hit Breloom and Celebi, the former being able to cause this team a good deal of grief. Gyarados has wonderful synergy with the rest of this team, weakning common counters Lucario and itself have to let Lucario sweep and vice versa, coming in on Scizor that try and plague Gengar, as well as giving Jolteon free switch-in as well as healing. I sometimes let Gyarados come in late-game to sweep, but if the opposing team is Lucario weak, I'll let Gyarados strut it's stuff early on so Lucario has more wiggle room for end-game destruction.​

Resistances: Water, Ground, Fighting, Fire, Bug, Steel,​

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Timid (+ Spe, - Atk)
6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Thunderbolt
~Shadow Ball
~Hidden Power [Grass]
~Baton Pass​

How it Works: Jolteon is insanely powerful, something most people don't account for when they switch things in. I usually Baton Pass early on to give Scizor some more opprotunities to U-turn on things like Blissey or Tyranitar (common switch-ins to Jolteon). Thunderbolt pretty much 2HKOs everything that's not resistant or immune to it, and the things that can take more than two Thunderbolts usually can be worked around by the rest of my team. Shadow Ball can nail Rotom Appliances on the switch as they try to take a Thunderbolt, and also hits Celebi plenty hard while also providing a nice neutral hit on common Electric absorbers such as Electivire as well as foe Jolteon. Hidden Power Grass slams Hippowdon, Swampert, and Rhyperior if they try and take a Thunderbolt. Once again, Baton Pass works well with U-turn, essentially guaranteeing I control the momentum and disallow my opponent from predicting over me. Jolteon works well with Gyarados, taking in Electric attacks aimed at him and also coming in on most of it's counters (Vaporeon, Celebi, Cresselia) as most of them either use Electric attacks or Thunder Wave to handle Gyarados. Lucario may be the main physical sweeper, but this team also works to remove Jolteon's counters, as once they are gone I have free reign with this guy right here.​

Resistances: Electric, Steel, Fly​

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Adamant (+ Atk, - SpA)
6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
~Swords Dance
~Close Combat
~Extremespeed
~Stone Edge​

How it Works: Here he is, the end-game sweeper of this team, and the guy I usually end up having destroy the opposing team. It's easy to see why Lucario is regarded as one of the best sweepers in OU. Insane STAB in Close Combat, the strongest priority availiable, Swords Dance, and excellent typing make it all too easy to stomp opponents to the ground with. I prefer Adamant due to Extremespeed packing a higher punch against things like Choice Scarf Flygon and Infernape, two things commonly used to stop Lucario. Stone Edge is my personal favorite move in the last slot, as Crunch never seems to kill what it's supposed to (Rotom is usually Scarfed or Timid, Celebi and Cress aren't KO'ed, and Gengar is faster). I find defensive Gyarados to be more common than Dusknoir, so Stone Edge helps relieve that threat. Lucario works well with every single member of my team, as Heatran can Taunt Blissey, Cresselia, etc...and let Lucario come in and not fear Thunder Wave. Scizor can Pursuit Gengar, one of the biggest threats to Lucario in general, and Gengar can come in on Earthquake's and Close Combat's directed at Lucario with impunity. Gyarados sets-up on some Infernape, and doesn't fear Bullet Punch. Jolteon absorbs Thunder Waves and basically kills Adamant Gyarados (Jolly ones destroy my whole team though =(). Overall, Lucario is just one of the best physical sweepers in the game, and works extremely well on this team.

Resistances: Grass, Bug, Steel, Ice, Normal, Poison, Ghost, Dark, Dragon, Rock

 

[Syaoran]

That 30 IV on Scizor sounds really stupid to me. I'd rather outspeed Vaporeon and hit it hard with U-turn. Besides, most Scizor run 8 speed EVs so you're better off with 4 (and 31 IV).

It seems you have a bit of a problem with opposing Gliscor, especially the SD set that can net a kill on your Gyara. Jolly Lucario with a similar set to yours can also put you in a bad position, killing every poke bar Gengar (that might not last long enough due to weakness to Scizor's Pursuit).

My suggestion would be trying out Salamence instead of Gyara, most likely the mixed version to help ease your Lucario sweep.

 

[Malicious Metang]

Most Scizor actually run 8 SpD over 8 Speed, meaning if I did run 4 Speed and a 31 Speed IV, I'd outspeed them. Bulky waters are the biggest issue for this team, so I'll consider running that spread. Mixed Salamence actually sounds feasible, and would help with this team's trouble with stall. Do you suggest Old MixMence or New MixMence, since the former does better against stall but the latter is a lot more powerful.

Lucario does sound troublesome, but honestly, it doesn't set-up anywhere bar Scizor locked in Bullet Punch (at times, I'll stay in to Bullet Punch, THEN go to Gengar since it still does a good percentage) and Jolteon locked in Hidden Power Grass (since most of the time Swampert dies against Gengar and co. Thunderbolt is what I'm usually using).

 

[Denzer]

~Aqua Tail

Why risk missing? Go for Waterfall and piss of your opponent with flinch too.

 

[Syaoran]

ooh so that was SpecsJolt. I didn't figure the item pic lol


go with 252 EVs +speed nature salamence (-sp.def probably) with Outrage / DM / EQ / Flamethrower @LO. I don't remember the exact spread for Atk and Sp.Atk (I think it's mostly special).

As for Gengar's 3rd slot, you could try Protect to scout Scizor's move. If you leave Scizor to BP twice on Lucario, I think Shadow Ball will do enough damage to it (even if resisted), not sure tho.

 

[Dark Azelf]

Hi buddy, nice team but this;

| Gyarados | Nature | Jolly | 20.7 |

Might be of some concern and you said yourself that dual screen Azelf + Jolly DD Gyara = death for this team. I still stand by Brick Break being a great utility move on Scizor for dual screen idiots which really screw up any team.

You COULD use Quick Attack on Scizor (most probably > Pursuit, i know, but hey its better than getting swept right?) for Jolly DD Gyara since it does an average of 42% to it which means with Quick Attack + LO recoil + SR + Lucarios ES you should be ok and i mean Gyarados can set up on Scizor locked into something silly and obv Heatran so it is a cause for concern. Another option is Double Hit because you do an average of 74.92% damage and if you give Scizor the ev spread of 58 HP / 200 DEF / 252 ATT (to maximize its def) you take 81% MAX from a Jolly DD LO Waterfall which is never a OHKO even with SR up (granted Waterfall's flinch rate will prolly be annoying but you can intimidate with your own Gyara/Mence before hand too :/). It also does alot to things like offensive Zappy doing similar damage.

I mean the above is not the most practical of things but in theory it can work, i really like the synergy here so i am really not inclined to remove pokes which would otherwise harm the synergy (aka random scarfer or p2 [Ive found out that P2 stands for Pursuit x 2 LOL!] or vappy or something). Put in a Cradily.

Otherwise great team, i like it alot and shall most probably be ripping it off due to my innability to do anything other than be uber at NU lately and finding OU as interesting as a wet shoe :[ lol

Hope this helped, otherwise i cant see that many weaks.

Have an Agility Feraligatr weak with Rock Slide, EQ, Waterfall/Aqua Tail @ LO btw lolol, oh...wait. :x

 

[No you fail]

one of the main threats i can see for your team would be a swampert a good swampert could take down 3/6 of your team with earthquake and put a dent in gyara if not ohko with stone edge and waterfall most likely would ohko gengar

 

[Dark Azelf]

one of the main threats i can see for your team would be a swampert a good swampert could take down 3/6 of your team with earthquake and put a dent in gyara if not ohko with stone edge and waterfall most likely would ohko gengar

Nah, its beaten with prediction, aka Intimidate with Gyara switch Jolteon in on anything bar EQ (weak Ice Beams/Stone Edges are usually best) and either HP Grass or Baton Pass if they switch out to gain the upper hand.

 

[Syaoran]

D_A is right about Gyarados... and I wouldn't count on SR because Gyara could be leading. Maybe you should get a scarf Flygon to help you revenge it and because it's a good team player with U-turn. You could play with Flygon + Gengar, or Flygon + Gyarados, or even Flygon + Salamence.

 

[Sebastien Loeb]

This team is very weak to the coverage Rock + Ground, Rock-Polish Rhyperior creates many problems, also DDMence you don't have Pokémon for revenge-kill it (Scizor is too much easy to be predicting).

 

[Malicious Metang]

This team is very weak to the coverage Rock + Ground, Rock-Polish Rhyperior creates many problems, also DDMence you don't have Pokémon for revenge-kill it (Scizor is too much easy to be predicting).

No No No. Rhyperior only sets-up on Jolteon, whom I ALWAYS scout with Baton Pass and never use Thunderbolt until I see/know my opponent's full team. Rhyperior will likely switch-in and take a Hidden Power Grass. Scizor revenge kills it and Salamence as well. Sorry, they're really "strong" and all, but they aren't going to sweep me anytime soon.

 

[Dark Azelf]

No No No. Rhyperior only sets-up on Jolteon, whom I ALWAYS scout with Baton Pass and never use Thunderbolt until I see/know my opponent's full team. Rhyperior will likely switch-in and take a Hidden Power Grass. Scizor revenge kills it and Salamence as well. Sorry, they're really "strong" and all, but they aren't going to sweep me anytime soon.

That and Jolt is still faster after a RP. @___@

Also Scizor isnt automatically bad because "its too easy to predict" as long as he forces mence to switch and take SR damage or stay in and die makes is less of an issue. It also has to Outrage Garados which = free scizor switch in as thus ;

Go Gyarados
Intimidate
Salamence Used: "darn i have Outrage or im walled"
Mence Used Outrage
Withdraw Gyara, go Scizor
Scizor: "LOL"

 

[Malicious Metang]

Team Retirement

Well, I took the suggestions offered by Dark_Azelf and Syaoran, and I can't believe how well they worked. I decided to stick it out for 20 more battles, essentially giving me 70 battles with this team. I'm retiring this team for now, but I'm still open to ideas on how to fix it, because I may need it sometime or another, and I want to make sure it's as good as it can be, and that there's nothing really holding it back. Anyways, here's the updated version, for your rating pleasure:


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Timid (+ Spe, - Atk)
6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Fire Blast
~Earth Power
~Stealth Rock
~Taunt

Heatran has stayed the same, mainly because very few things can lead like it can, and mainly because it offers a valuable Fire, Steel, etc...resistence that my team needs. I've been contemplating if I should replace this guy, since often he ends up not pulling his weight like he did in v.1 of this team. I've been wondering if something like Metagross, Swampert, or even TrickScarf Jirachi. Need help with this guy.

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Adamant (+ Atk, - SpA)
58 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Def (30 Speed IV)
~U-turn
~Bullet Punch
~Superpower
~Double Hit

Yes, I have changed Scizor's EV spread slightly to help remedy this Gyarados weak. Like Dark_Azelf said, Jolly Gyarados rampages through my team and kills everything with a single turn of set-up. That's why this defensive Scizor was implemented to check it with Double Hit (which was put over Pursuit, since I've found it time after time less and less useful). With 58 HP / 200 Def, Scizor takes a maximum of 81% from a Jolly Dragon Dance Gyarados's Waterfall, never an OHKO even with Stealth Rock, whereas Double Hit will deal an average of 75% to Gyarados, KOing it with Stealth Rock more often than not, and basically sealing its fate if it suffers Life Orb recoil. Yes, my Gyarados counter is Scizor, pretty awesome eh? <3 D_A


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Timid (+ Spe, - Atk)
42 Atk / 216 SpA / 252 Spe
~Shadow Ball
~Focus Blast
~Taunt / Thunderbolt
~Explosion

Definately the weakest link of this team now. While he does offer wonderful resistences, he's been doing terrible lately, and while blowing up Blissey is fun, people have grown wiser to it and just switch-in resistences rather than fall for my Taunt strategy. I've considered an offensive Celebi, or even Calm Mind Latias in this spot. Open for suggestions on a replacement, I'm really excited to see what you guys got.


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Naive (+ Spe, - SpD)
16 Atk / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
~Draco Meteor
~Fire Blast
~Brick Break
~Roost

MixMence! Syaoran's suggestion was probably the best thing to happen to this team. Salamence has been MVP in all 20 of the matches with this test team. It's truly terrifying, and fits so well into this team when it comes to dismantling stall. Roost also makes it a decent check to Swords Dance Lucario, so it helps even more than Gyarados in that sense. I find this spread to be the best, as Brick Break stops Dual Screens, eliminating probably the most troublesome part of this team. <3 Sya


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Timid (+ Spe, - Atk)
6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Thunderbolt
~Shadow Ball
~Hidden Power [Grass]
~Baton Pass

Jolteon is still an awesome special force, acting sort of like a revenge killer and nuclear missle in one. While his synergy with Salamence is no where near as good as with Gyarados, I've found Jolt to be pretty valuable in stopping those awful SubChargeBeam Rotom that plague me time after time. I wanted to replace this guy, but he seems to be proving himself much too much in every match. He's so good at what he does, it's hard to replace him.


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Adamant (+ Atk, - SpA)
6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
~Swords Dance
~Close Combat
~Extremespeed
~Stone Edge

Lucario and Salamence have insane synergy. Salamence stops pretty much everything that stops Lucario except Cresselia (which is easily dealt with), such as Timid Suicune, Celebi, Gliscor, Hippowdon, etc...They both have pretty good resistence synergy, and both of them are probably the top stall-breaking duo in today's metagame. I have considered changing Stone Edge to either Crunch or even Bullet Punch, now that Pursuit is off Scizor. Moveset change? Need suggestions.

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This version of the team had 20 battles, 17 of which were won and 3 of which were lost. All together, this team has a 64 win / 6 loss ratio, which is pretty decent. I still want your guys input, as a third version of the team that gives me 100 battles would be fun to do in my spare time before school.​