Project The Dark Horse Project! ( ORAS Round 2 Edition )

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Miridy

♩_♩
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Approved by Aragorn the King
Previous thread: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/the-dark-horse-project-oras-edition.3525728/
Welcome to another round of the Dark Horse Project!

Stolen from like 4-ish different OPs


Credit to ToxicPhox for the art.

Introduction:

Welcome back to the Dark Horse Project! This will be the second round for ORAS, hopefully we'll get some interesting results from this project and understand better a let's say, forgotten part of the Metagame, and well, of course; having fun!


The Mission:

For those who weren't around for the last installment, the Dark Horse Project is an experiment per-se, in which players are encouraged and rewarded for playing OU with dark-horse Pokemon - Pokemon that have the ability to to shine in OU, but don't get used because players either have no reason to use them, or don't want to in lieu of more conventional Pokemon. This project aims to increase diversity in the OU metagame, by encouraging the use of good pokemon that are not commonly used. This project also encourages discussion on how Dark Horse Pokemon can be used in the OU metagame, as well as the sharing and distribution of teams that are successful and use unconventional Pokemon, as such, feel free to post here after your registration your success with the 'mon(s) you choose, or even if you are looking for some advice.

Rules:

This project aims to recognize and reward users who put in the effort to create a competitively successful team with non-conventional Pokemon. Anyone with a Smogon account has a chance of entering the Hall of Fame for this project. Here are the rules for this project.

  • Each team must use, at the very least, TWO Dark Horse Pokemon, though multiple are encouraged. A Dark Horse Pokemon is any pokemon that falls below 3% usage on the previous month's 1825 OU stats. All the other members of your team can be any Pokemon you wish, so long as they do not fall into the uber tier.
  • You must use a NEW Pokemon Showdown! account, and not one with previous laddering points. The team you use can shift, but the Dark Horse Pokemon must remain constant on the account.
  • Switching Dark Horse Pokemon is acceptable, but you must restart with a new account if you do, as well as posting in this thread informing the leaders of the project.
  • Put all changes in your original registration form, as well as sending the leaders of the project a VM or PM. If you do not, then I cannot promise a swift update (as soon as I'm online) to your official registration.
  • Do not start laddering until your registration is complete in this thread..

Registration:

Registration is not limited to a certain time period only. As long as this project is running, you may register. There will be a post in this thread later to keep track of all participants run by Miridy, so don't worry about your registration getting lost in the sea of discussion.

Fill out this form to register:

Pokemon Showdown! Username:
Prior Hall of Fame Standing:
Current Dark Horse Pokemon:
Explanation of Dark Horse(s)

Remember - the Pokemon Showdown! Username should be something that has no ranking on the OU ladder, so all your points will have been affected by your Dark Horse team, and only your Dark Horse team! Currently the HoF standing should be empty, but when you've entered the Hall of Fame, feel free to update your post with your standing!

Finally, add some insight to why you chose your dark horse in your registration post! Great starting points are discussing why you chose your dark horse(s), what kind of teams they're in, and whether they're the star of the show or the supporters. Explain why your dark horse is the best choice for your team, not just slapped on for the project, this is a competition, but before all else a research, let's not skew it just for entering an Hall of Fame. You don't have to wait to get into the Hall of Fame to share your dark horse, you can do so in your registration post.

Discussion:

While this project gives you a chance to prove your team building and laddering skills, the real point of this thread is to discuss under-rated pokemon, and their niches' in OU. Share your struggles and successes, and discuss your Dark Horse's niche in the OU metagame. This is a place not only to show off warstories/replays/rankings you are proud of, but to also help others achieve their goals! This isn't a competition or a tournament, it's a community project. Here's a basic Do/Do Not listing for those who are wonder what is encouraged, and what is frowned on:

  • Do post and share sets for your Dark Horse Pokemon, as well as teammates.
  • Do discuss threats to your Dark Horse, or your team as a whole.
  • Do ask questions (and by extension, answer other's) regarding the current OU metagame and teambuilding.
  • Do ask about a quick rate for your team, however do keep in mind that a rate does not mean building a team from scratch.

  • Do not post insignificant updates - while it's great you broke your previous record or something similar, it does not encourage discussion. Posts should be thought through and unique.
  • Do not ask people to make teams for you. You may ask for thoughts regarding teammates, and individual sets, but do not ask for people to build a team around your Dark Horse Pokemon for you (refer to Quick Rates above).



Hall of Fame

Now here comes the competitive part. Once you've reached a ranking above 1650 Elo on Smogon's competitive OU ladder with your Dark Horse Pokemon, you may enter the Hall of Fame! Once you are eligible, please fill out this registration form, edit it into your original registration post, and also PM the form to me titled Dark Horse HoF:


Pokemon Showdown! Username:
Dark Horse Pokemon:
Screenshot of 1650+ Elo on OU ladder:
Dark Horse Complete Set:
Description of team as a whole.

Even more so than the regular Registration Form, you are highly encouraged to post thoughts, notable replays, warstories, sets and other related information so others can learn from your success! Once you've filled out the form, you'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Now, the final catch to this project is: only 1 of each Dark Horse Pokemon is allowed into the Hall of Fame each month. For example, only the challenger who laddered highest with Lucario will be accepted this month; Lucario challengers with lower ladder ratings cannot enter the Hall of Fame until they pass the highest rating for Lucario. The hall of fame will be updated at the end of the month.

Here are the 1825 (no more 1760) usage statistics for June. These will be updated every month.

http://www.smogon.com/stats/2015-06/ou-1825.txt

Remember, dark horses must have less than 3% usage. You should also be aware that using a pokemon with a usage very close to 3% is risky, as it may not remain under 3% for the next months usage statistics. If you achieve hall of fame, and the usage goes above 3% after the fact, it will still count.[/quote]
Registration is not limited to a certain time period only. As long as this project is running, you may register. There will be a post in this thread later to keep track of all participants run by Miridy, so don't worry about your registration getting lost in the sea of discussion.
 
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Miridy

♩_♩
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus

Credit for the image goes to Aluriiya.

The Very Best: Top 5

Empty



Gold Class: 1850 Elo

Empty



Silver Class: 1760 Elo:

Empty




Bronze Class: 1650 Elo:

looiiyut ( Reuniclus & Toxicroak )
Fire-breather Richard ( Lucario & Mega-Absol )

looiiyut (Reuniclus & Toxicroak)
BoxedOccaBerrys (Torterra & Gastrodon)
666lumberjack (Scolipede & Tyrantrum)
Team Pokepals ( Torterra & Pidgeot )
AD impish john ( Mega Banette & Durant )
YUNG GOAT ( Mega Abomasnow & Victini )
scald ( Hydreigon & Cobalion )
Fire-breather Richard ( Mega Absol & Lucario )
Toon Linked ( Entei & Hydreigon )
Sun Wukong ( Mega Alakazam & Terrakion
RainAndSnow ( Feraligatr & Victini )
n0000000b ( Crawdaunt & Hawlucha )

Since the previous thread only had a single user on the Bronze Class and nobody else I decided to reset the entire Hall of Fame I'm sorry Hogg
 
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looiiyut

GIOVANE AUTISMOTTA
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Pokemon Showdown! Username: bisaorba
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: no
Screenshot of 1650+ Elo on OU ladder:

Replay of the peak http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-250759675
1500 http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-250496229
1400 http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou-250171615

Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Reuniclus 0.86%, Toxicroak 0.56%
Explanation of Dark Horse(s): On paper, Reuniclus might seem somewhat mediocre, as it has a relatively poor defensve typing, is hopelessly walled by one of the most common and threatening Pokemon in the tier in Calm Mind Mega Sableye, and is easily taken advantage of by some of the most threatening Pokemon in OU, including Bisharp, Weavile, Mega Gyarados, Gengar, Mega Scizor. However is a strong stalbreaker, it has a good ability and it can setup on pokemon such as chansey, defensive mega venu, spedef heatran or ferro for example.
Toxicrock caught off guard a lot of team. It's a check for fairy, it helps me against bisharp, ttar and sucker punch is a good priority move.

Dark Horse complete set:
Toxicroak (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Punch/Sword Dance

Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 48 SpD / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Recover

Team
Toxicroak (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Punch

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave

Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 48 SpD / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Recover

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 68 SpA / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Discharge

Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Cloud Nine
EVs: 248 HP / 68 SpD / 192 Spe
Careful Nature
- Return
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Heal Bell

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Rock Slide
- Knock Off

Description of Team: First of all, I don't like my team. Reuniclus is not so good in ou imo cause the rising of weavile and all strong dark. toxicroack is a powerful mons but too frail.
I paired this two dark horse with mega altaria that it helps me against mega sableye. The set is a bulky set with heal bell. I Added zapdos as check for mega scizor and hazard controll. Ferrothorn with thunder wave because my team is slow. Then I needed a revenge killer and a check to both Mega Zard and scarf lando-t was my last choice.
 
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Pokemon Showdown! Username: teamsnickers
Prior Hall of Fame Standing:no
Current Dark Horse Pokemon:Mega Aggron
Explanation of Dark Horse(s) Mega Aggron is a severely underrated mon with filter and a insane amount of bulk mega aggron is taking the metagame by storm (like fabio is rn) its main niche is a resttalk ironhead/heavy slam/ dtail set that works wonders on spike stacking teams... Since Mega Aggron is considered set up bait dragon tail is great for crippling your opponents team with the hazards up, Mega aggron is VERY antimeta right now and beats threats such as clefable and mega alt
252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 16+ Def Aggron: 154-183 (44.7 - 53.1%) -- 28.9% chance to 2HKO
0 Atk Aggron Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 72 HP / 0 Def Latias: 153-181 (47.9 - 56.7%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO
(laddering on different alt)
 

Sebberball

formerly BoXeD
PS Current Name: BoxedOccaBerrys, Alt: BoxedDHBerrys
Prev Hall Of Fame Standing: No unless you mean ingame :P
Dark Horse Pokemon: Torterra, Gastrodon
These two are so underrated and have GREAT synergy, i believe you know that Torterra weak it all the thing Gastro resists, (I.E Ice, Bug, Fire) and Torterra Resists the thing gastro is weak to, Grass. Individually they both have strength, with torterra having limitless sets, like Choice Band, Rock Polish, Double Dance, Bulky Rocks, Tank... and Gastro is mainly a defensive wall, but if it matters, im gonna be using Rock Polish Torterra if it matters, and gastro ill get smogdex for. Torterra deals with most pokemon, as long as he was a rock polish up, if not, he has to hope he is faster, since if he isnt, one ice type attack is a death sentence for Torterra, unless you predict and switch. Gastrodon can basically set up toxics among other things, along with using scald and earth power to cover Rock, ground and fire types, with earth power helping torterra in the sense that it removes fire types, if anything these two will EXCEL in OU. But most people forgot about gastro's storm drain, storm drain helps with keldeo, non-HP Grass Thundy-I, non-grass knot MMeta, and Non-HP Grass Manetric, mostly anything that doesnt have something grass on it, and its physical, but it doesnt have bad special def either
(insert Pastebin link with the pokemon team i want...)
 
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PS Current Name: BoxedOccaBerrys, Alt: BoxedDHBerrys
Prev Hall Of Fame Standing: No unless you mean ingame :P
Dark Horse Pokemon: Torterra, Gastrodon
These two are so underrated and have GREAT synergy, i believe you know that Torterra weak it all the thing Gastro resists, (I.E Ice, Bug, Fire) and Torterra Resists the thing gastro is weak to, Grass. Individually they both have strength, with torterra having limitless sets, like Choice Band, Rock Polish, Double Dance, Bulky Rocks, Tank... and Gastro is mainly a defensive wall, but if it matters, im gonna be using Rock Polish Torterra if it matters, and gastro ill get smogdex for. Torterra deals with most pokemon, as long as he was a rock polish up, if not, he has to hope he is faster, since if he isnt, one ice type attack is a death sentence for Torterra, unless you predict and switch. Gastrodon can basically set up toxics among other things, along with using scald and earth power to cover Rock, ground and fire types, with earth power helping torterra in the sense that it removes fire types, if anything these two will EXCEL in OU. But most people forgot about gastro's storm drain, storm drain helps with keldeo, non-HP Grass Thundy-I, non-grass knot MMeta, and Non-HP Grass Manetric, mostly anything that doesnt have something grass on it, and its physical, but it doesnt have bad special def either
(insert Pastebin link with the pokemon team i want...)
Um, just wanted to say that Gastrodon doesn't resist Torterra's Flying Weakness, and Torterra is neutral to Grass, not resistant. You'll have some issues with Tornadus-T, Mega Venusaur and Talonflame, but by all means, show what they can do.
 
PS Name: RabbleRouser
Prev HoF: Nil
Dark Horse Pokemon: Scolipede / probably Tyrantrum
SD + Speed Boost is always a very potent combo for cleaners, but combined with a strong u-turn user and something to exploit and/or trap bug resists Scolipede should be able to devour weakened teams.
 
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TPP

is a Tournament Directoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
Head TD
PS Current Name: BoxedOccaBerrys, Alt: BoxedDHBerrys
Prev Hall Of Fame Standing: No unless you mean ingame :P
Dark Horse Pokemon: Torterra, Gastrodon
These two are so underrated and have GREAT synergy, i believe you know that Torterra weak it all the thing Gastro resists, (I.E Ice, Bug, Fire) and Torterra Resists the thing gastro is weak to, Grass. Individually they both have strength, with torterra having limitless sets, like Choice Band, Rock Polish, Double Dance, Bulky Rocks, Tank... and Gastro is mainly a defensive wall, but if it matters, im gonna be using Rock Polish Torterra if it matters, and gastro ill get smogdex for. Torterra deals with most pokemon, as long as he was a rock polish up, if not, he has to hope he is faster, since if he isnt, one ice type attack is a death sentence for Torterra, unless you predict and switch. Gastrodon can basically set up toxics among other things, along with using scald and earth power to cover Rock, ground and fire types, with earth power helping torterra in the sense that it removes fire types, if anything these two will EXCEL in OU. But most people forgot about gastro's storm drain, storm drain helps with keldeo, non-HP Grass Thundy-I, non-grass knot MMeta, and Non-HP Grass Manetric, mostly anything that doesnt have something grass on it, and its physical, but it doesnt have bad special def either
(insert Pastebin link with the pokemon team i want...)
Bruh you stole my Torterra -_-

Also, how do we check the Mega mons usage? If I also wanna use Torterra + another mon, even though he already has Torterra, can I do that?
 
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AD impish john

Consumed by Darkness...
Pokemon Showdown! Username: AD impish john, Alt: Under Construction
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: no
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Mega Banette and Durant
Explanation of Dark Horse(s): Under Construction
 
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TPP

is a Tournament Directoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
Head TD
Pokemon Showdown! Username: Team Pokepals Alt: oml it's Torterra
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Torterra | 0.02193% and Pidgeot | 0.40548%
Explanation of Dark Horse(s): I've been playing around with Torterra, and with the set I'm using, Mega Pidgeot is able to defeat anything that can check/wall Torterra besides Zapdos and Thundurus. Torterra can also help Pidgeot by dealing with sand offense, steel types like Heatran, and rock types like Diancie. Mega Pidgeot's speed tier is really good, and spamming Hurricane without missing is really useful, and pretty fun.

I got the usage stats from the link you posted, so idk if the Mega Pidgeot one is accurate.
 
I'm very interested in this project and I would like to try it, but I have a question: could Mega Latios be considered a Dark Horse? Because even if Mega Latios is rarely used, Latios has a quite high usage.
 

Miridy

♩_♩
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
About the megas, they are a different kind of specimen, if we look at the usages:
http://www.smogon.com/stats/2015-06/mega/ou-1825.txt
We can already find some very cool megas such as Zard Y, Mega Slowbro, Mega Latias etc they aren't truly dark horse, though; their usage would be much more high if we could use them without using up our mega slot (even for stuff like Mega Latios which is a Latios without life orb recoil, a bit less power and more bulk helping it using cm), I'd group the mega 'mon as part of the item, while this might be troublesome for some megas (such as Mega Garchomp for example) it keeps things in order, so let's say:
You want to use Mega Pinsir, that is allowed, since Pinsir itself has very low usage
You want to use Mega Charizard Y, that is not allowed, while the mega stone usage does not reach 3%, 'zard is still a very common pokemon and the reason why 'Zard Y itself does not reach the 3% usage is due to a limitation for the mega slot.
 
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TPP

is a Tournament Directoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
Head TD
Just curious, but technically speaking, couldn't someone just make an alt, not necessarily use their dark horses until they get to 1600, and then use it for the last few games? I won't try it, but I'm wondering how it'll be managed if people could just do that. You could maybe ask for a replay at certain checkpoints like 1400, 1500 and 1600?
 

Miridy

♩_♩
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Just curious, but technically speaking, couldn't someone just make an alt, not necessarily use their dark horses until they get to 1600, and then use it for the last few games? I won't try it, but I'm wondering how it'll be managed if people could just do that. You could maybe ask for a replay at certain checkpoints like 1400, 1500 and 1600?
I think that this kind of " situations " pretty much concerns on the " ethical " fairness of each player who wants to join the project. As the main goal of these kind of threads is research and improve our battler's experience exactly by using "non-conventional" stuff I think that if you join this project and then play with "normal" stuff just to reach the HoF is, pardon the language, plain stupid. Furthermore, as the registration of the nickname is required by the rules, players also need to explain their dark horse(s), their experience with it in this round, and most importantly replays on the ladder where they show the strenght of each dark horse(s).
 

jpw234

Catastrophic Event Specialist
If we have been laddering just before this started, can we use that alt? I just yesterday topped at a high score using a team featuring Mega-Heracross and it would kinda suck to start an entirely fresh alt
 

Miridy

♩_♩
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
If we have been laddering just before this started, can we use that alt? I just yesterday topped at a high score using a team featuring Mega-Heracross and it would kinda suck to start an entirely fresh alt
I'm sorry, if you could do so, than anyone else could, and then it would bring quite some chaos to the project, that aside Mega Heracross alone isn't enough, you need at least two dark horses
 
Pokemon Showdown! Username: Yung Goat Alt: D0gg0
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: none
Dark Horse Pokemon: Mega Abomasnow (0.44458%) + Victini (2.2915%)
Explanation: Mega Abomasnow and Victini both have fantastic wall breaking ability and really balance teams due to their high BP moves. These 2 fit together relatively well because of their good defensive synergy and both being wall breakers means that they can toss teams and allow fellow team mates to clean up. I'll probs chuck a band on victini and use a standard abomasnow set.

I finished the team and laddered to about 1300 and now im gonna make some changes because rn i got keldeo gliscor clefable and empoleon and they all feel really ish apart from keld so i might just change the entire team with new sets. also abomasnow isnt that bad and can toss most teams salads since he got decent coverage on his stabs and can do really well if you can predict when using him
 
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Just a note up front: These are the usage stats of June 2014, not 2015. (or later idk, anyway greninja is #4 so it's safe to say they're not up to date).

I'll edit in my team here later, still building.
 

Miridy

♩_♩
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Just a note up front: These are the usage stats of June 2014, not 2015. (or later idk, anyway greninja is #4 so it's safe to say they're not up to date).

I'll edit in my team here later, still building.
damn i just messed up lol, I'll adjust asap and thank you for letting me notice that
 

jay

I’m thinking bout changing the culture
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Pokemon Showdown! Username: scalding alt: scald wins again
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: none
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Hydreigon+Cobalion
Explanation of Dark Horse(s) Hydreigon is an excellent wall breaker but it struggles with fairies, cobalion is excellent when it comes to beating fairies since its bulky and its stab is super effective, the two should make for a nice balanced core.
 
Pokemon Showdown! Username: hair helmet
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: no
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Mega Absol and Lucario
Explanation of Dark Horse(s): A metagame infested with Weavile and Fairies is very favourable to Lucario as this means there are less bulky Psychic type-Pokemon which counter it. This allows it to use Bullet Punch more freely to pick off Weavile, Mega Alakazam and Mega Altaria without worrying about running Crunch. Mega Absol forms a nice offensive core with Lucario because it is able to pick off Lati@s, Psychics and Keldeo, all of whom can be troublesome for Lucario. It's 4th move also allows it to remove their shared checks; Ice Beam OHKOes BulkyChomp and Landorus-T, Fire Blast lures Mega Scizor and Skarmory while Swords Dance allows it to break past Mega Sableye and defensive walls. Mega Absol separates itself from Weavile thanks to Magic Bounce, Sucker Punch and ability to surprise its counters with a Special coverage move.



EDIT: This is the team as it is now
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Bullet Punch

Absol @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Fire Blast

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power Fire / Calm Mind (depends on mood)
- Recover

Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off

Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Sludge Wave
- Thunder Wave

Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 76 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake


The team is now hovering in the 1650 - 1670 range.

This is an offensive team, obviously. The Offensive core of Absol + Lucario is supported by the standard suicide lead Azelf. Thundurus lures Hippowdon and Fairy-types which are annoying for Mega Absol and Lucario. Calm Mind Latios is an underrated threat which destroys most switch-ins not named Tyranitar. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.


EDIT: The ladder is chock full of Hoopa-Unbound atm. Changing Lucario's Nature to Jolly because fuck positive nature Max Speed base 80s like Hoopa. (and you OHKO them with Close Combat as they think you are Adamant - :-) (what I did anyway)). Also, changing Azumarill to Choice Band because the team gets wrecked by Excadrill otherwise (and CB hits Mega Lop / Mega Man harder - screw those fast Megas). Mega Sableye stall murders this team obviously but with Hoopa-Unbound around, those are not common.

EDIT 2: Thanks to some suggestions from Froggyboy and Human Mystery Box. Finally achieved 1650+. Gonna stop now because tomorrow is Monday and Uni life resumes after the few days break (because of Aidiladha (it's a Muslim festival, a big thing in my country)). Miridy , where do we post our thoughts concerning the Dark Horse we use?

EDIT 3:
These are my final thoughts on the Dark Horses.

Well, I explained on how I planned to use the DHs earlier in the post and the team played through 2 different metas (pre-Hoopa-U and post-Hoopa-U).

As I explained earlier in the thread, I chose Lucario and Absol-M because Fighting + Dark have good offensive synergy. They also benefit from having their checks and counters being less viable in the metagame and both carry priority moves to clean up.

Lucario, while not as amazing as it was in DPP, is still a very threatening Pokemon once the opposing team have been weakened or if it managed to grab a Swords Dance. In both metagames, the rise of Weavile (and later Hoopa-U's introduction) means bulky Psychics are less common and Hoopa's presence causing the metagame to shift towards Offense is very beneficial to Lucario. The former because it no longer needs to carry Crunch as much and the latter allows it to pick off frail threats with Extreme Speed much earlier than when fighting bulky teams. Jolly should be the preferred nature over Adamant imo because Lucario can then outspeed and OHKO them with STAB Close Combat rather than risk being KO-ed in return. Furthermore, Mega Scizor's popularity (and Mega Metagross's drop) as the No.1 Steel Mega helps Lucario as it can simply Swords Dance and OHKO Mega Scizor with Close Combat (rather than being forced out by Extreme Speed). From experience, Lucario almost always pulls its weight in battle and can clean up Offense in this metagame. I would give it a B rank although the viability list gives it B-.

Mega Absol faces a lot of trouble. While it has an amazing 115 Spe, the 75 Spe pre-Evo is it's biggest downfall. While 150 Atk looks amazing on paper, Mega Absol isn't that strong without a boost and often finds itself either too weak or too slow to power through the opponent (especially when they have Dark-resists ready to check Bisharp / Weavile / Hoopa). Its frailty also means you really fear switching it in and often, it feels like playing 5 vs 6 because Absol absolutely cannot switch in to even bounce back status moves as most attacks will 2HKO it (except Mega Sableye). The fourth moveslot, which I described as free, is nice to solve some of it's problems but Mega Absol really needs to run all 6 if possible. Without Ice Beam, FatChomp, Hippo and Lando-T walls it, Fire Blast allows it to get past the popular Mega Scizor and roast Ferrothorn while Swords Dance provides much needed power. However, it can only run 1 of those so it is really mediocre (except at murdering Mega Scizor with FB) and often fails to impress in battles.

However, it has been a fun experience battling so thanks to everyone and of course Miridy for starting this project.
 

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