ORAS OU First RMT: Zard-Y Lure Balance (Peaked 1731)

[Career Ended]

What's up, its ya boy Career Ended here bringing you my first RMT. This is one of my teams that was a favorite of mine before the ladder reset. My cookies were cleared soon after that and I haven't rebuilt it until now. Its a fun team that revolves around Zard smashing through every pokemon ever then Raikou, Torn and Clef cleaning up the pieces, while checking threats with starmie and hippo as a defensive backbone. Thats about it so lets get into the Building Process!

Building Process

I started out with Omegasization's Dual Lizard core of which the link is here: (http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/oras-good-cores-check-post-714.3524713/page-41#post-6243574) I started with this core partly because i love using Zard-Y and partly because I wanted to annoy Omegasization. I won't describe what the core does because I feel he described it elegantly enough in his post.

I added Bulky Starmie because using Zard without hazard support is literally dumb as hell. It acts as a spinner and speed control as well of a scald absorber. I felt using the bulky set would promote the longevity of it and keep rocks off the field more often.

I added Ferrothorn because Offensive waters were super common then and I felt like a switchin to dragons would be a good choice. Fairies were also a problem until this guy joined the squad. I later felt as though ferrothorn made the team incredibly week to Hp Fire Latios and later replaced it. I added life orb Gengar as a stallbreaker and another fighting resist. It also revenged killed MMedicham which was popular at the time of this team's Success.

This is the finalized version of the team. I switched out heliolisk for raikou as Heliolisk simply wasn't pulling its wake. I Added Clefable as a wincon and a way to beat Latios better. It makes the team more weak to water types but Most of them are handled by sun + clef or just by raikou and starmie. Tornadus is very effective vs stall when it carries taunt knock off. Hurricane + sun is annoying but isn't too harsh. This version of the team has seen the most success in my opinion.

In depth look at the Team

sharpteeth y (Charizard-Mega-Y) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost

The star of the team, Charizard-Mega-Y is a phenomenal wallbreaker and has been since its introduction in x/y. Its ability to threaten Rain teams and break holes in balance while also having enough to bulk to claim a mon on offense is incredible. After Chansey has been removed from stall, there is nothing left stopping this thing. This spread is used to maximize damage output while also Retaining enough speed to outspeed neutral base 95's like Kyurem-B, zygarde and sharpedo(who knows maybe they dont have protect). It also outspeeds minimum speed talonflame if they don't roost for whatever reason.

hector has no neck (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunder Wave
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled

A truly balanced pokemon, Clefable has 3 goals on this team. To spread paralysis, check latios and act as a wincon. It also acts as a pseudo check for water type pokemon if the sun is up. Standard Ev spread used to avoid the 2hko from life orb thundurus.

hippo ith fat (Hippowdon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off

Hippo acts as a physical wall and helps weaken opposing threats by setting up rocks and whirlwinding. A Titanic defensive stat lets it take on a great majority of the physical spectrum and helps as an electric check in case the opponent has a manaphy or raikou has been weakened.

cbb lost sanity (Raikou) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Raikou is perhaps the best electric check in the game as of right now, and its certainly the most effective counter to manaphy. Volt switch gains momentum and such which allows my to bring in my zard-y or my tornadus and fire off a big hit. I'm running Extrasensory over Shadow ball as mega venusaur is annoying to this team, as it 100 counters 4/6 mons without it.

qwazz r u salt (Starmie) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Recover
- Thunder Wave

Starmie is my hazard remover and my scald absorber. It does its job great and also helps clefable spread para. Most pokemon that switch in to clefable are mons that do not switch in to starmie, which really maximizes my paralysis ability. I run 252 Speed so I have a better chance of getting off my spin vs opposing starmie, serperior and raikou. I feel the extra bulk doesn't help me very much anyway.

Taunt WCAR (Tornadus-Therian) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Knock Off
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave

This pokemon is my second wallbreaker and main answer to stall. It puts in serious work to stall teams lacking blissey and is my fastest mon. It acts as my revenge killer to lati@s, Garchomps, venusaurs, and is just a great addition that really just glues the team together. I run Timid over Hasty or Naive as i find i don't need the extra damage on knock off and i only really use knock off vs bulkier teams and on lati@s which take a chunk anyway.

Threatlist:

+

+ Bulky Electric Type
If Chansey carries rocks i'll have to play extremely well to beat this core

,

+ Consistent Rock Setter
Water Type Dragon dancers are very dangerous though sun + Clefable/Raikou beat them fairly easily.

Life orb SD
Fairly Annoying if its sd. Hippo can whirlwind and Starmie can scald and take a +2 QA and zard y ohkos it with fblast

Specs
Don't have any switchins to a specs draco. Hippo handles the sdef variant fairly well as it tanks a draco and outspeeds

Timid
Nothing gets ohkod by hyper voice but nothing can ohko it back. (Modest gets beaten by Zard y, but hyper voice is a roll on torn and starmie.

Replays:
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-263298102 Vs Ox the Fox who was using Zard X balance with a togekiss.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-259609168 Vs WCAR who was using Zard Y offense. THIS IS ALSO THE HIGHEST RATED REPLAY I HAVE OF PEAK UNFORT NO PIC :(
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-261078874 Vs Ladder Dude using MMeta offense

Couldn't find more replays but i might get new ones to help showcase.


Anyway this is a fun team that I love to use and I think it beats a good portion of the meta. It is a team i am fairly comfortable with and I feel i can share it to others. Thanks for reading and rating (though I'm Retiring this team so don't really need any rates :)) Feel free to give this a rate if you want the badge or if you really just like this team :)

S/o
Always! for being there "ghosting" me for alot of the time of my using this team
StarZabRighT for being that one dude
scald for also being that one dude
littlelucario for literally never beating this team
qwazz for being salty
Akiruu for helping the initial testing

Nicknames

i beat sharpteeth on the ladder using this team and he made very questionable play. unfortunately never saved the replay but always and co were in call at the time.
beat a dude named hector and clef led swept his whole team and he kept saying "i wish i had a neck"
hippo is self explanatory
CBB and i had a convo around cycle one and he was going on about how OLT laddering is brainkiller and is the reason people go insane (see PDC and stathakis)
qwazz is salty
Made a play with torn in the wcar replay and Akiruu yelled so loud "taunt WCAR" it had to be the name

Importable

sharpteeth y (Charizard-Mega-Y) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost

hector has no neck (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunder Wave
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled

hippo ith fat (Hippowdon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off

cbb lost sanity (Raikou) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]

qwazz r u salt (Starmie) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Recover
- Thunder Wave

Taunt WCAR (Tornadus-Therian) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Knock Off
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave

Thanks
-CE

 

[Thatwackycruton]

You'll have to do some Clever playing sometimes to avoid having to fire off hurricanes in the sun or sand, but it's not that big of a deal. Other than that, poison jab weavile can't sweep your team, but it can certainly apply a lot of pressure. But mostly, Kyurem-B is going pressure your team a lot. Nothing can really switch in outside of a Clefable that takes about 50%. I wouldn't make any changes. Just if you see it, be careful. Anyway, good team!

 

[yuruuu]

Hello [:

I took a look at your threat list, and you could consider Choice Specs Keldeo over Torn-T. Specs Keldeo puts in a lot of work against stall, as it is pretty hard to switch into, and just a bit more chip damage will put Mega Garde in OHKO range of Hydro Pump. This also helps you take on EQ + Ice Fang + Crunch Mega Gyarados a lot better. Just a thought. Keldeo can also revenge Kyurem-B, etc. Keldeo also gets Taunt, if you want to use that to break stall instead. It'll make you weaker to Gothitelle though, so it might not be the best change, with those teams being as popular as they are rn.

 

[Sun]

252/172/84 calm on clef is better vs psyschock latios it get 3hko with this spread ,good team :)

 

[Kibblecat]

You note Chansey (or, specifically, well built Chansey stall cores) as one of the best ways to beat your team, but initially say that once Chansey is removed, Zard-Y puts in the work he's meant to. Given that the team seems built around letting Zard-Y successfully wallbreak, Chansey seems a pretty big hole to leave as it's basically the only fully reliable switch-in to Zard-Y while she remains healthy. How exactly are you playing around or beating Chansey? Although I understand it's probably hard to put in an answer to her without opening other holes in this team, I don't think anyone's ever going to say that Chansey's something that's really hard to prepare for.

My gut instinct is that you could try to work in Superpower and the relevant Atk investment on Tornadus (in which case Naive does become the thing) to threaten her. In fact I'd say you'd be pretty well off lifting the set straight from the Smogon analysis. This shouldn't open any other holes in your team; removing Chansey to break with ZardY being the main goal, I don't see Heat Wave as particularly necessary coverage. Taunt is also an option over Knock Off as per the analysis for breaking stall generally but if Chansey takes a Knock Off it becomes a lot easier to deal with in the long run.

set -

Tornadus-therian Life Orb
76 Atk / 216 SpA / 216 Spe
Naive nature
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Hurricane
- Knock Off

 

[Tio Chico]

Hi.
Since its Starmie has Thunder Wave, you could try Knock Off in Clefable. Removes Leftovers of Heatran, Klefki and other annoying. Also, removes Choice Scarf of Gothitelle in switch. And other assorted items like Eviolite of Chansey, as surprise factor.
Nice team, I hope be helped.

 

[p2]

hi nice team. I feel that Choice Band Tyranitar suits this team better than Tornadus-T, as it helps a lot with breaking Stall teams and leaves Zard Y free to break everything because it just does so much damage to Chansey that it's very pressed to recover. This also doubles up as a Lati answer that prevents them from switching out, just watch out and not let Tyranitar get too weak otherwise it can't switch into 2 Dracos easily. It's a decent enough Electric check if it gets in since it Pursuits through Volt Switch and Electrics have no other option to hit TTar. I also think you should run Defensive Lando-T > Hippowdon. This gives you a solid check to SD Excadrill under sand, you've got Zard Y, but relying on it as your Sand answer is insanely risky. It also helps with Intimidating the likes of Mega Lopunny so Clefable doesn't get completely overwhelmed.

sets

Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower / Fire Punch
- Pursuit

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Changes in short:

CB Tyranitar >

Tornadus-T

Defensive Lando-T >

Hippowdon
That's all I got and I hope I could help!

 

[qwazz]

You should add a couple things to your threat list: Spdef taunt wisp talon charizard y and rox ferro with a solid charizard counter. I would replace torn tbh, as sun with hurricane is not very good, but i don't know what to change it to

 

[Sun]

You should add a couple things to your threat list: Spdef taunt wisp talon charizard y and rox ferro with a solid charizard counter. I would replace torn tbh, as sun with hurricane is not very good, but i don't know what to change it to

Togekiss I think is good over tornadus t, with NP and heal bell can beat chansey (it is very hard to beat for this team) and is a fantastic stallbreaker