Gen IV: OU RMT: Suteji Rei (Mixed Bag OU)

[Irohazaka]

Hello all. Iroha here, with one of my original teams that I would like to share with you all.

This is actually the first team I put together, right around the release of Platinum.

Probably NOT going to be using it for a little while (until I figure out a solution to swap a version of it for the Gen 5 stuff) so this will be semi-retired for the time being.

Without further ado, here is Suteji Rei (Stage Zero.)

~Team Building Process~
I first wanted to start off with what I consider to be the best pokemon in the OU metagame;
That is, of course, Scizor. Scizor's role was to be late-game sweeper/general destructor.

(Current Team: Scizor.)

Next, I was looking up stuff that went well with Scizor, and I decided on Swampert as a very viable parter for Scizor. Swampert was designated to be the mixed attacker of the team:

(Current Team: Swampert, Scizor.)

Next, I wanted something to take out stall teams with ease.. The best one I've used was Infernape, so the obvious choice here is Infernape.

(Current team: Infernape, Swampert, Scizor.)

I realized that I had no real defensive Pokemon, just attacking ones. (Swampert is defensive - but not enough on its' own.)
The next Pokemon came to me in a flash; Celebi, one of my favorites.
So, I decided on Celebi as one of the defensive pokemon of my team.

(Current team: Celebi, Infernape, Swampert, Scizor.)

I still thought I needed another defensive pokemon that had some attacking capability, and the first Pokemon that came to my mind were the Rotom formes. Another favorite of mine for a while, UNTIL Gen 5 where they were nerfed.
I decided on Rotom-H, as it took care of most of the other threats that Celebi had a weakness to.

(Current team: Rotom-H, Celebi, Infernape, Swampert, Scizor.)

The final slot, the leadoff, was the hardest decision I had to make. After trying a couple different leads out, I wnet with the one that I thought had to most potential; Azelf.

(Current team: Azelf, Rotom-H, Celebi, Infernape, Swampert, Scizor.)

After some recommendations and my own testing, Celebi was replaced with Suicune.
So far, the change has helped.

(Final Team: Azelf, Rotom-H, Suicune, Infernape, Swampert, Scizor.)

I am actually NOT very happy with Azelf at the moment - while it is very good, I'm not pleased with the way it's been turning out. Open for new lead suggestions.

Here is the (current) team:



The Lead:

Azelf (Astral) @ Focus Sash
Nature: Naive
Ability: Levitate
EV's: 4 Atk / 252 Sp.Atk / 252 Speed
~Taunt
~Flamethrower
~Explosion
~Stealth Rock

My (somewhat) reliable Stealth Rock set-upper and lead.
A lot of people use Azelf for it's unpredictability, and that's the main reason I use it.
Taunt is to prevent slower leads from setting up SR, most notably Metagross/Swampert.
Flamethrower gives me some more fighting capability than Psychic would; I prefer Flamethrower over Fire Blast for the accuracy.

This is probably not my favorite lead at the moment - I now find it to be lacking in some aspects, especially against Aerodactyl. Thinking a Physical Jirachi at the moment.


The Troll

Rotom-H (Idiocity) @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
Ability: Levitate
EV's: 200 HP / 164 Def / 48 Sp.Atk / 96 Speed
~Discharge
~Shadow Ball
~Overheat
~Will-O-Wisp

I use Rotom for two main reasons; 1)It acts as arguably the greatest Rapid Spin blocker in Standard (Gen IV) play; and 2) It gives me a reliable Will-O-Wisp inflicter, which is crucial for stopping Tyranitar, among other things.
The Speed EV's are odd because the higher speed is useful against opposing Rotoms.
I chose Discharge over Thunderbolt because I think the higher paralysis rate is more useful.
Notice the very odd EV's here - unpredicable set. I love it. Works wonders on many things.

The Ice Queen

Suicune (FrostQueen) @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
Ability: Pressure
EV's: 4 HP / 252 Sp.Atk / 252 Speed
~Calm Mind
~Surf
~Ice Beam
~Hidden Power [Electric]

Celebi was replaced by Suicune after some recommendations and some testing.
The CroCune set was suggested, but from my testing the Offensive set works a lot better.
Calm Mind boosts the attacking capabilities of Suicune, and the general move spread can counter Suicune's usual counters. (No guarantee though.)
Suicune provides more synergy with the rest of the team than Celebi did. (Weird...)

Celebi was a very good Pokemon, but Suicune just did SO much better.

Previous Pokemon set is contained below for reference.

Hide

Defender #2

Celebi @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
Ability: Natural Cure
EV's: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Speed
~Reflect
~Grass Knot
~Recover
~Earth Power

Celebi is here as a Gyarados resist.
It also has the ability to raise the total defense of my team, which helps Rotom out a lot.
Recover is for self-healing.
I prefer Grass Knot over Leaf Storm, due to the fact that the drop in Sp.Atk from LS isn't really welcomed on this Celebi set.
Earth Power is a surprise for Heatran, and can do some damage to many of the common threats in the OU metagame.

The P.I.T.A.

Infernape (FireStorm) @ Life Orb
Nature: Naive
Ability: Blaze
EV's: 64 Atk / 252 Sp.Atk / 192 Speed
~Flamethrower
~Grass Knot
~Close Combat
~Hidden Power [Ice]

I swear, this thing exists to beat the living crap out of stall teams.
Blissey becomes fried egg VERY quickly with this thing in. Death to stall is the name of the game here, and it works wonders.
Probably the biggest candidate for MVP of this team.

The Sentinel

Swampert (Sentinel) @ Leftovers
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Torrent
EV's: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Sp.Atk
~Ice Beam
~Surf
~Earthquake
~Protect

Ahh, the one and only Swampert. Always reliable. If it was JUST a bit better in Sp.Atk, we'd be golden for life. As it is, this is the biggest wall I have. Beast of a Pokemon.

Kills a whole host of Scizor counters, making it a very good Scizor counterpart.
A very good scout (did a better job than Celebi actually did as a scout). Better at killing Heatrans than Celebi was (even with the surprise factor of Celebi having Earth Power.)

The Sweeper

Scizor (Iron Fist)@ Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Technician
EV's: 248 HP / 248 Atk / 12 Speed
~U-Turn
~Bullet Punch
~Superpower
~Pursuit

Death's head is the embodiment of Scizor. The best late-game sweeper IMO for the longest time (and still is.)
It can be used earlier, and the need does arise, but not as often as it used to.
Kills and counters a whole host of Pokemon in existence out there in the OU metagame.


So there you have it. My original team. As always, comment, critique, and such.
No idea what the win record is - but I know it's a winning one. Been so long that I've lost count a while ago.
Suggestions are always welcome.



Thanks for reading!

 

[2sly4u]

Hi, Iroh, welcome to Smogon and nice team.

Even with Infernape, you have serious problems with Stall. Four of your six pokemon are grounded, three are vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, and one of your levitators, Azelf, is basically a suicide lead so it won't be around late game. This puts a ton of defensive pressure on Rotom, and your decision to invest in Speed really cuts into his tanking potential. Throw in the fact that he doesn't have any recovery, and you have no chance when you face a well played team with lots of hazards.

Luckily, the solution is easy: replace Swampert with Starmie. Swamert seems out of place on your team, which focuses on spreading status and hitting hard; Swampy is a defensive pokemon, and even with offensive EV investment he'll never hit hard enough for a mixed attacker. Starmie, while unable to go mixed, is one of the best spinners in the game, and is capable of beating many spinblockers one-on-one. Natural Cure gives you a status absorber, and her ability to clear hazards reliably can save you against stall. Here's my recommended set:

Starmie@Leftovers
Timid Nature, 252HP/4SpA/252 Spe
Rapid Spin
Surf
Thunderbolt
Recover/Ice Beam

The set is pretty self-explanatory. Rapid Spin removes hazards, while Surf is STAB and Thunderbolt handles opposing bulky waters. Recover is strongly recommended in the last slot so you can come in and spin multiple times, but Ice Beam rounds out Starmie's coverage wonderfully. If you opt for Ice Beam, moving some EVs from HP into Sp.A is a viable option.

One last thing: even with Swampert on your team, you have serious problems with Jolteon, especially LO versions that carry HP Grass. With it, Jolt can 6-0 your team after SR damage. To fix this, I would consider using a lead Mamoswine:

Mamoswine@Focus Sash
Adamant Nature, 252Att/4Def/252Spe
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Stealth Rock
Ice Shard

Mamoswine is an offensive force, and can tear many opposing leads apart. Earthquake is STAB, and Stone Edge completes the EdgeQuake combo. Stealth Rock gives you hazard support, while Ice Shard gives you priority for picking off opponents. While Mamoswine is also weak to HP Grass like Swampert, he can survive one at full health or come in for free on T-Bolt and threaten with his surprisingly powerful Ice Shard. After SR damage and one round of LO recoil, it's a sure 2HKO.

If you keep Azelf, I would give Azelf Psychic over Taunt. Psychic lets you fare better against Machamp leads; With a reliable Rapid Spinner, opposing leads getting up Rocks is less of an issue.


I hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[B-Zard]

Hey Irohazaka if you want to keep your Azelf lead change it to this:

Azelf @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
Timid/Naive/Hasty Nature, 4 hp, 252 spatt, 252 speed
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Fire Blast
- U-turn/ Explosion

This lead ohko's Machamp leads with Psychic and ohko's Metagross leads with Fire Blast (if is hits and if they don't have Occa Berry), since it has Expert belt. I also use this lead in my third team (will be posting it in a week or two) and it did pretty good. Sometimes I wished I had Focus Sash but with Expert Belt it can get surprising kills for example on Machamp leads, since most of the time they will stay in thinking they can payback + bullet punch for the KO. I run U-turn to scout and preventing being pursuit bait, but Explosion might also work.


You might also want to try out the suggestions 2sly4u suggested since Mamoswine seems a solid choice > Azelf. Swampert just doesn't fit in your team so the Starmie set 2sly4u suggested seems okay to me. Personally I run this set:

Hide

Starmie@ Life Orb
Timid Nature, 252 hp, 4 spatt, 252 speed
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam

This also can get a late game sweep but since you already have Suicune I just think you should go for Recover > Ice Beam. I would change the item on Suicuine: Leftovers > Life Orb so you can survive longer.

Hope I helped you!

 

[sandshrewz]

Hey Irohazaka if you want to keep your Azelf lead change it to this:

Azelf @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
Timid/Naive/Hasty Nature, 4 hp, 252 spatt, 252 speed
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Fire Blast
- U-turn/ Explosion

This lead ohko's Machamp leads with Psychic and ohko's Metagross leads with Fire Blast (if is hits and if they don't have Occa Berry), since it has Expert belt. I also use this lead in my third team (will be posting it in a week or two) and it did pretty good. Sometimes I wished I had Focus Sash but with Expert Belt it can get surprising kills for example on Machamp leads, since most of the time they will stay in thinking they can payback + bullet punch for the KO. I run U-turn to scout and preventing being pursuit bait, but Explosion might also work.

Use 8HP EVs on Azelf. It will always survive meteor mash in case fire blast misses or it has occa berry, which is an inferior option to lum berry in my opinion :)

 

[B-Zard]

Use 8HP EVs on Azelf. It will always survive meteor mash in case fire blast misses or it has occa berry, which is an inferior option to lum berry in my opinion :)

Lol didn't know with 4 hp ev difference it could survive a Meteor Mash, but yeah just go for 8 hp evs then since indeed most Metagross leads don't have Occa Berry.

 

[Irohazaka]

Hi, Iroh, welcome to Smogon and nice team.

Even with Infernape, you have serious problems with Stall. Four of your six pokemon are grounded, three are vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, and one of your levitators, Azelf, is basically a suicide lead so it won't be around late game. This puts a ton of defensive pressure on Rotom, and your decision to invest in Speed really cuts into his tanking potential. Throw in the fact that he doesn't have any recovery, and you have no chance when you face a well played team with lots of hazards.

Luckily, the solution is easy: replace Swampert with Starmie. Swamert seems out of place on your team, which focuses on spreading status and hitting hard; Swampy is a defensive pokemon, and even with offensive EV investment he'll never hit hard enough for a mixed attacker. Starmie, while unable to go mixed, is one of the best spinners in the game, and is capable of beating many spinblockers one-on-one. Natural Cure gives you a status absorber, and her ability to clear hazards reliably can save you against stall. Here's my recommended set:

Starmie@Leftovers
Timid Nature, 252HP/4SpA/252 Spe
Rapid Spin
Surf
Thunderbolt
Recover/Ice Beam

The set is pretty self-explanatory. Rapid Spin removes hazards, while Surf is STAB and Thunderbolt handles opposing bulky waters. Recover is strongly recommended in the last slot so you can come in and spin multiple times, but Ice Beam rounds out Starmie's coverage wonderfully. If you opt for Ice Beam, moving some EVs from HP into Sp.A is a viable option.

One last thing: even with Swampert on your team, you have serious problems with Jolteon, especially LO versions that carry HP Grass. With it, Jolt can 6-0 your team after SR damage. To fix this, I would consider using a lead Mamoswine:

Mamoswine@Focus Sash
Adamant Nature, 252Att/4Def/252Spe
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Stealth Rock
Ice Shard

Mamoswine is an offensive force, and can tear many opposing leads apart. Earthquake is STAB, and Stone Edge completes the EdgeQuake combo. Stealth Rock gives you hazard support, while Ice Shard gives you priority for picking off opponents. While Mamoswine is also weak to HP Grass like Swampert, he can survive one at full health or come in for free on T-Bolt and threaten with his surprisingly powerful Ice Shard. After SR damage and one round of LO recoil, it's a sure 2HKO.

If you keep Azelf, I would give Azelf Psychic over Taunt. Psychic lets you fare better against Machamp leads; With a reliable Rapid Spinner, opposing leads getting up Rocks is less of an issue.


I hope that helps. Good luck!

Definetly going to try these out. Never even considered using Mamoswine as a lead (only saw it once.) Starmie seems like a good fit - I need to try them both out. Might redo the Rotom set - it's an odd one that is supposed to help counter other Rotoms - but Scizor seems to do that well (except against the H form.)