Hello! Even though I mainly play lower tiers of most generations, I decided that I wanted to make an ADV OU team around a starter that I found pretty interesting.
The team started with the edition of Venusaur, which has some interesting traits that made me consider its inclusion, such as the combination of Sleep Powder + Leech Seed and coverage for multiple threats. I decided to use its offensive set so I could bait Skarmory leads with HP Fire. This is when I realized I needed counterplay against the all-mighty Salamence to make Venusaur work.
I wanted to use a viable Pokemon that can stand up to Salamence, and as such, I felt that Suicune was an obvious choice. Sub CM Suicune can set up and OHKO many Salamence variants with its powerful Ice Beam, which felt like a good reason to use it as a teammate. Next, I had to take care of another threat to my team, Celebi.
Aerodactyl with HP Bug can 2HKO all variants of Celebi, as well as OHKO-ing sets with less physical bulk, something that HP Flying is not able to do. Aerodactyl is also generally a really strong Pokemon. 105 Attack is nothing to sneeze about, and being one of the fastest Pokemon in the game helps with that. This is when I realized I needed some sort of defensive backbone, and because of this, I decided to go with a classic.
I realized that Venusaur pairs up quite well with SkarmBliss. It being able to put things that can threaten SkarmBliss out of commission by putting them to sleep is a very neat quality to have. As I was looking over my team, I was initially going to add Breloom. This is when I realized - there is no Rock resist! And because of this, Breloom was removed for...
Hariyama! I think Knock Off is a really interesting attribute to be able to wield. Removing an opponent's Leftovers, Berry, or whatever they may be holding can be game-breaking. Also, it can fulfill the Rock-resist role, as well as being able to pose somewhat of a threat.
https://pokepast.es/dae040268f07682b
The Team... IN DETAIL!
Venusaur @ Leftovers
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 80 SpA / 56 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Sleep Powder
- Razor Leaf
- Hidden Power [Fire]
The main usage point in Venusaur is its access to Sleep Powder and Leech Seed, and as such, is what I have chosen to abuse here. Sleep Powder can be a large role in stopping opposing SkarmBliss cores, as it can cripple Blissey through sleep. Sleep Powder can also be used on possibly threatening Pokemon such as Celebi. Leech Seed is for more recovery and chip damage on opposing team members. Razor Leaf is a generally solid STAB option that should usually be used on a specially offensive Venusaur set. HP Fire is to surprise Skarmory with a solid 3HKO, as well as to 3HKO things such as Celebi.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 72 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Substitute
- Ice Beam
Suicune is one of the best Pokemon in the tier and can benefit my team greatly, as it provides a counter to Salamence. I decided to go for the Substitute set, as it can use its common counters as a chance to set up. With Max HP, Blissey is unable to break Suicune's Substitute with Seismic Toss, which can be incredibly valuable in that scenario. Substitute is also able to block opposing Celebi's Toxic or Leech Seed, which is also quite valuable. Calm Mind is a driving point of the set, as Substitute gives Suicune great capabilities of setting up against much of the tier. Ice Beam is a staple on Suicune because it can stand up to many Pokemon with it, mainly Salamence for this team. Finally, Surf is there as a basic STAB option that can do big damage to some threats.
Aerodactyl @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Rock Slide
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Bug]
Aerodactyl is here as a strong Pokemon Venusaur is capable of enabling. It can pose a strong threat to many teams, but this set stands out, as it uses Hidden Power Bug over Hidden Power Flying. This is because one of the main goals of this Pokemon is to hit Celebi very hard. It can 2HKO all variants with HP Bug, even OHKO-ing offensive variants or Specially Defensive variants. Even though this means removing Flying STAB, I would say the trade is somewhat worth it. The rest of the moves are decently standard for this set. Rock Slide is for a strong STAB option, Double Edge to abuse Rock Head, and Earthquake as an all-around great move that gives Aerodactyl nice coverage.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Drill Peck
- Toxic
Skarmory is one-half of the iconic SkarmBliss cores that started to appear this generation, and as such, should be included on a SkarmBliss team! Skarmory's ability to set Spikes so well is a great stand-out point, as it is definitely the best at this role. Whirlwind is to force Pokemon that can pose a serious threat out, as well as obtain some valuable Spikes chip. Drill Peck is for coverage against Fighting-types that otherwise beat this team. Finally, Toxic is to inflict more chip on important threats.
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 44 HP / 252 Def / 212 SpA
Bold Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Ice Beam
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
Blissey is the other half of the iconic core, and is a valuable asset to this team. Soft-Boiled is a necessity on Blissey, as it gives it reliable recovery, which is an extremely good trait in ADV OU. Ice Beam can OHKO Salamence, and Salamence is unable to OHKO back with Brick Break. Seismic Toss is for reliable damage on many Pokemon, which can force many of them into tricky situations. Thunder Wave is for crippling powerful threats that could otherwise beat out the team.
Hariyama @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 96 Atk / 192 Def / 192 SpD / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Cross Chop
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Knock Off
- Rock Slide
Finally, Hariyama is here as the valuable Leftover-removing Rock resist. I chose Hariyama due to its solid bulk and ability to remove items with Knock Off, which I will get into detail about now. Knock Off is a solid albeit weak option, having only a measly 20 base power. However, the trade-off is great, as you can remove an opponent's item, which can win games sometimes. Cross Chop is Hariyama's best STAB option, Rock Slide is for additional coverage, and HP Ghost is to threaten Ghosts.
This is my first RMT, so please take some sloppiness with a grain of salt. Hope this team looks promising, and I'll watch for responses :)
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or go to Hariyama. Use Sableye w/ bold nature (EDIT - Maybe +SDEF to just wall better at +1), probably, and to CM / Recover midgame too against weaker mixed attackers and physical attacker, and as a stop to Breloom as well. But I think I see it as a threat when not phazable anymore (last mon win-condition) and when able to shrug any final attempts to status it w/ Rest.