Other A Comprehensive Guide to Different Playstyles

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by firehusky

Approved by Aragorn the King

Introduction

In this guide, I will be talking about the different types of playstyles and Pokemon commonly seen on them. Feel free to use this as a discussion thread to talk about the different playstyles, and if you have a question, ask! If you see something that isn't on here and you think it should be on here, be sure to post it below. This will mainly be separated into offense, balance, stall, and weather playstyles. This guide will try to help newer players more, as older and more experienced players will probably know about playstyles anyways. At the end of each section about each playstyle, there will be a few sample teams for you to test out on the ladder!

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Offense

Offense is one of the most common and effective playstyles. The idea behind it is simple. Stacking Pokemon that have common checks and counters, or can defeat each other's checks and counters results in the counter being worn down, so that another Pokemon can break past it. An example of this is BirdSpam, using Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, and Staraptor, which share common counters to pound away at their common counters, weakening them until one of them can sweep. Offense can usually be categorized into two sections: Hyper Offense and Bulky Offense.

Hyper Offense is a very aggressive playstyle. It focuses on stacking hazards and / or setting up dual screens early on in the game (usually from turn 1) and then pounding away at the opponent's team. With a solidly built team and enough offensive pressure, the opponent will not be able to remove hazards and will be slowly worn down, opening up an opportunity for a sweep. Hyper Offense usually employs suicide leads, Pokemon that aim to get up hazards as fast as possible; these Pokemon are usually fast. Hyper offense is usually a suicide lead and 5 sweepers / wallbreakers that have good offensive synergy with each other.



Azelf is a great suicide lead. It has access to Stealth Rock, and can make full use of Taunt thanks to its stellar base 115 speed, allowing it to outspeed other suicide leads such as Garchomp and Skarmory. It has also has Explosion, putting a huge dent into many Pokemon, as well as stopping rapid spin and defog, and grabbing momentum. Azelf also can run Skill Swap, allowing it to set up hazards against mega sableye. Azelf can also be used as a dual screener.


Aerodactyl is considered a relic from DPP, however, it is still a decent suicide lead. It is very fast, being able to outspeed much more common suicide leads such as Azelf, and being able to set up Stealth Rocks and Taunt them. When at its focus sash, it can also use moves such as double edge to stop defog and rapid spin. Tailwind is another nice move that Aerodactyl learns, often opening up opportunities to sweep.


Skarmory may seem like an odd choice for a suicide lead. However, a closer look reveals that it has access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, Taunt, and Sturdy. Sturdy means that unlike other suicide leads, Skarmory does not need to hold a focus sash. Instead, it can hold a Custap Berry. This almost always guarantees 2 layers of hazards up. It can also run Iron Head to bop Mega Diancie, or Brave Bird to kill itself in sturdy range to prevent hazard removal.


Garchomp is another lead commonly sen on HO teams. It doesn't have access to Taunt; instead it has access to Swords Dance and a much better offensive presence. It is able to get past Mega Sableye by running a Lum Berry combined with Swords Dance, as thanks to its decent bulk, it does not need to run a Focus Sash.


Mamoswine is a very unique suicide lead thanks to its ability, Oblivious. This stops it from being taunted, so it'll almost always guarantee Stealth Rock up. It also has Endeavor to bring a Pokemon down to 1 HP after hitting its Focus Sash, and it can finish that Pokemon off with Ice Shard.


Terrakion is not very common, but it still deserves a mention as a suicide lead thanks to a set consisting of stealth rock / swords dance / stone edge / safeguard which allows it to set up swords dances on mega sableye and avoid burns thanks to safeguard. Against teams lacking sableye, it can also run taunt to stop opposing stealth rock setters from getting up stealth rock.



Bisharp is commonly found on Hyper Offense teams thanks to its ability, Defiant. One of the most common ways of getting rid of hazards is Defog, and when Bisharp switches in on Defog, it obtains a free +2 attack thanks to Defiant. It is also very powerful and has access to priority sucker punch to deal with foes that are faster than it.


Landorus-I is a very powerful special wallbreaker. It has decent base 101 speed, allowing it to outspeed the base 100s, as well as having access to two very good boosting moves: Rock Polish which helps it clean up offensive teams, and Calm Mind which helps it demolish stall teams. Landorus also have very good coverage, making it very unpredictable.


Thundurus is commonly paired up alongside Landorus to form "double genie offense", which aim to power through special walls. Thundurus-I can also use prankster thunder wave to slow down set up sweepers, acting as an emergency button against them, as well as being able to open up opportunities for teammates to set up and sweep.


Mega Lopunny is a great offensive Pokemon. It has priority fake out and unresisted coverage with its STAB attacks. Mega Lopunny is also very fast and unpredictable, being able to run all sorts of moves such as healing wish, heal bell, encore, baton pass, substitute, drain punch, and power up punch.


Mega Diancie is a powerful mixed attacker that is capable of sweeping offensive teams with rock polish and defensive teams with calm mind. However, it is weak to common priority moves such as bullet punch and aqua jet, while also having trouble mega evolving safely, unless it forgoes a moveslot and runs protect.


Keldeo is an amazing pokemon on HO. It can run a specs set to act as a wallbreaker, a scarf set to act as a cleaner and revenge killer, and a SubCM set to destroy defensive teams. This makes keldeo very unpredictable. It can also get past Chansey thanks to secret sword hitting on the physical spectrum.


Life Orb Gengar is very hard to switch in to, as it has amazing coverage (energy ball, focus blast, icy wind) making it hard to wall, while also having many utility moves such as taunt, will o wisp, and substitute. Base 110 speed is also good, as it allows it to speed tie pokemon such as latios, gallade, diancie, and mega metagross.


Mega Metagross is a very bulky attacker that can be seen on HO teams. Thanks to tough claws and a high base attack stat, it hits very hard and has good coverage too, with moves such as hammer arm, grass knot, and thunder punch. Access to priority bullet punch also allows it to revenge kill Pokemon such as RP Mega Diancie.


Azumarill is a bulky and powerful wallbreaker. With its CB set, it can weaken walls so that a teammate can sweep, while also being able to revenge kill weakened threats with aqua jet. Belly Drum sets make for very effective set up sweepers, as they are extremely hard to stop.


Manaphy is another very powerful set up sweeper found on hyper offense. This is thanks to tail glow which boosts its special attack to enormous levels, and its impressive offensive movepool. It's able to singlehandedly defeat unprepared stall teams and can even put in work against balanced teams.

Common Fast (Choice Scarf) Pokemon found on Hyper Offense
Most teams regardless of overall archetype (besides stall teams, and even then some do) appreciate having a fast pokemon (usually holding a choice scarf) that can clean up the remains after the teams wallbreakers and attackers have done their job of punching holes and weakening the opposing team.


See above.


Landorus-T makes for an effective cleaner thanks to its decent speed and solid attack stat. Early on in the match it can pivot in to physical attackers thanks to intimidate and its decent bulk, while later on, it can clean up a weakened team.


Garchomp is already relatively fast with its base speed, and only gets faster holding a choice scarf. It can revenge kill mega charizard x at +1, something that most hyper offense teams have trouble with. Garchomp can also lure in pokemon such as ferrothorn and demolish it with fire blast.


Terrakion is a powerful pokemon with great dual STABs that can revenge kill a handful of pokemon. It's a very effective late game cleaner thanks to its good attack stat and powerful STAB moves. Terrakion can also revenge kill many other set up sweepers, such as mega charizard x and mega gyarados.


Choice scarf tyranitar can pursuit trap troublesome pokemon such as starmie, gengar, and the lati twins, as well as being a decent check to thundurus. Tyranitar can also provide sand support so that a pokemon such as excadrill can also have an opportunity to sweep.


Mega Alakazam is very fast already and has a sky high special attack stat and good coverage. This allows it to be a very effective cleaner even without a choice scarf. Mega Alakazam can also revenge kill weather sweepers such as excadrill and kabutops thanks to trace allowing it to copy their ability. This is especially useful as most offensive teams struggle to deal with weather teams.


Serperior usually does not hold a choice scarf, however it is still pretty fast, outspeeding the plethora of base 110s and everything below. Serperior gets harder and harder to counter each time it acquires a boost from leaf storm. It makes for an effective late game sweeper thanks to its good speed and good power after a few boosts.

I've listed the main Pokemon you'll find on hyper offense, but there are obviously more.


Sample Hyper Offense Team:
Azelf @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt

Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
Happiness: 0 EVs:
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch / Quick Attack
- Fake Out

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off

Thundurus (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot / Thunder Wave

Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Fire Blast
- Crunch

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Body Slam
- U-turn
- Healing Wish

Built by AM


Bulky Offense is similar to Hyper Offense except that it usually doesn't employ suicide leads, and it doesn't run a framework of suicide lead | 5 sweepers. Bulky Offense usually uses pivots and pokemon that can repeatedly remove hazards and continuously set up stealth rock. Pokemon on bulky offense also tend to be more bulky than pokemon found on hyper offense. Most of the time on bulky offense, pokemon's HP, defense, and special defense average out to around 80. Usually it consists of pivots, stealth rock setter, hazard remover, and a win condition.

Common Bulky Offense Pivots


Landorus-T is a common pivot found on bulky offense, thanks to its ability to handle most physical attackers, as well as being able to set up stealth rock. Access to u-turn allows it to gain momentum, while it can also hit decently hard thanks to its solid attack stat.


Rotom-W has a unique defensive typing, leaving it with only one 2x weakness to grass-type attacks. It also has solid defensive stats. Access to will-o-wisp means that it can neuter most physical attackers, while also having volt switch to confer momentum and get out of bad situations. Rotom-W's typing also allows it to check many pokemon such as Talonflame and Mega Swampert.


Both mega scizor and scizor are good pivots to use on bulky offense. They are commonly used to check fairies such as mega altaria and mega diancie. Priority bullet punch allow them to revenge kill weakened threats, while U-turn helps them grab momentum. Mega Scizor also has roost to keep it healthy, making it harder to wear down.


Tornadus-T makes for a fantastic pivot thanks to its ability, regenerator, and access to u-turn. It can pivot into many special attackers such as gengar and landorus-i (lacking rock slide), while also having solid coverage and utility options such as u-turn and knock off. Even though its typing is rather lackluster defensively, it still makes for a very effective pivot.


Raikou and Mega Manectric are very similar. They both share a mono-electric typing, and are commonly seen as cleaners, pivots, and answers to birdspam. AV Raikou can also check gengar, which is very threatening to offensive teams.


Offensive pivot cobalion is one of the best bisharp answers in the game. It can also set up Stealth Rock and gain momentum with volt switch. It makes for an excellent partner to mega latias, as it enjoys dark-types being removed so that it can sweep.


Conkeldurr becomes quite bulky on the special side after equipping an assault vest. It can pivot into many special attackers that lack a super effective coverage move and hit hard wit its solid attack stat. Conkeldurr also has knock off to remove items and can heal itself with drain punch.

Common Bulky Offense SR Setters


See above.


SR + 3 attacks Heatran is a set that has been gaining some popularity recently. It hits decently hard and has solid coverage in earth power to bop opposing Heatran, while also being able to act as a check against ground-types as long as its air balloon hasn't been broken yet.


See hyper offense section.


Clefable can fulfill many roles on a team, and setting up stealth rocks is one of those. It has thunder wave to slow down fast set up sweepers, while also being a check to mega lopunny. Clefable can also act as a wish passer, although it is more commonly seen on balanced teams as offensive teams do not like to lose momentum passing wishes.


Thanks to landorus-I's immense movepool and good power, it can easily come in on something such as heatran, force it out, and in doing so, gain an opportunity to set up stealth rock. SR 3 attacks Landorus-I isn't as common as RP or 4 attacks sets as it doesn't enjoy losing coverage, but it is still a decent SR setter if you cannot fit SR onto one of your other pokemons.


Life Orb Mamoswine is similar to Landorus-I; it can force out pokemon such as landorus-i and heatran, and set up Stealth Rock on the switch. Nothing really enjoys taking hits from mamoswine and it is an effective revenge killer against double genie teams.


Ferrothorn is an excellent defensive poke that is capable of setting up both stealth rock and spikes. It acts as a counter against a multitude of pokemon, such as non superpower azumarill, latios lacking HP fire, raikou, etc. Ferrothorn is usually seen more on more balanced teams, but it still fits decently on bulky offense teams.

Common Bulky Offense Hazard Removers


Latios and Latias are both quite similar. They are both offensive defoggers that can act as switch ins to keldeo. They both have their advantages. Latios has a much better offensive presence, allowing it to weaken stuff more. Latias has access to healing wish, allowing it to give a sweeper another chance at sweeping if it got crippled.


Scizor can also act as a defogger; however, this is not its best set and it isn't using it to its best potential. It is still a decent defogger as it does not lose to bisharp even if it gives it a defog boost. However, most of the time you'll see mega scizor running an SD variant, or scizor running a CB variant.


Starmie is a great offensive and defensive spinner. Offensive sets hit pretty hard with analytic boosted hydro pumps, while also having good coverage moves such as ice beam and thunderbolt. Defensive sets counter keldeo, while also having reliable recovery. One of the best rapid spinners at the moment.


Mega Blastoise is not very common. However, I think it deserves a mention because its actually a very solid rapid spinner, it's just the fact that it's pretty slow and takes up a mega slot. It hits decently hard and has a solid defensive typing.


Excadrill without sand is rarely seen, but it is still decent as it can get past mega sableye thanks to moldbreaker toxic. Choice scarf sets also have some merit as a cleaner although being locked into rapid spin can easily be taken advantage of and is generally pretty sucky.

Common Fast (Choice Scarf) Pokemon found on Bulky Offense


See above.


Talonflame is very fast and also has priority brave bird thanks to gale wings. This makes it an effective revenge killer and lategame cleaner upper after everything has been weakened. After a Swords Dance Talonflame also hits decently hard and can be used as a wallbreaker.


Choice Scarf Jirachi is very bulky and also has many good coverage options such a fire punch, ice punch, and drain punch. It also makes for an effective momentum grabber thanks to its access to u-turn. Another cool thing about jirachi is its access to healing wish, this allows another sweeper to have a chance to sweep again and can be used when jirachi is not useful anymore.


See above.

Win Conditions

I'll be addressing this for all playstyles, this doesn't just apply for bulky offense. A Win Condition is usually a sweeper that is your "plan A" to win. Most of the time you will build around a win condition. I'll just list some possible win conditions you can find on bulky offense without explanations, as they're for the most part rather self explanatory.
(Rock Polish)
(Dragon Dance)
(Swords Dance)
(Calm Mind)
(Dragon Dance)
(Swords Dance)
(Nasty Plot)
(Belly Drum)
(Agility)
(Rock Polish)


Sample Bulky Offense teams:
Dragalge @ Choice Specs
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 200 HP / 240 SpA / 12 SpD / 56 Spe
Modest Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Draco Meteor
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 88 HP / 192 Atk / 4 Def / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt

Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Power Whip

Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD
Bold Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off

Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Rock Polish
- Earth Power
- Psychic
- Focus Blast

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet

Built by Rob.


Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Earthquake
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Thunderbolt

Heracross @ Choice Band
Ability: Guts
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Facade

Landorus @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Sludge Wave
- Rock Polish

Venusaur (Venusaur-Mega) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 22 Spe
Bold Nature
- Synthesis
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Fire Blast
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 100 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split

Built by Rob.



That's about all you need to know about offense! Let's move onto balanced teams!

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Balance

Balance is another very dominant playstyle, and this happens to be the playstyle that I like the most. Generally speaking, balanced teams have a couple of sweepers, backed up by a number of defensive walls and /or tanks. Most balanced teams utilize a entry hazards. The most successful balanced teams often revolve around a certain threat, while the other teammates seek to support and help guarantee a sweep by the said threat. (Kind of like win conditions) So the basic premise of balance is a couple of offensive Pokemon and a couple of defensive Pokemon, and of course, hazard removal and hazard setters.

Common Offensive Pokemon found on Balance


LO Latios is a very powerful wallbreaker that can put large dents into many pokemon, paving a way for a teammate to sweep. Latios also fits under hazard removal, as it is one of the best offensive defoggers out there. Latias is also similar to Latios but it is often used as a more supportive and defensive threat. (healing wish, better keldeo switch in)


Keldeo is a great pokemon on balanced teams. It can run a variety of sets, such as specs to break down walls, scarf to revenge kill, or SubCM to set up on stall teams. Choice Specs has gotten a little bit less common due to Keldeo's speed tier in ORAS compared to XY, but it is still a very powerful wallbreaker that can destroy bulky ground-types.


Choice Specs Sylveon is a very powerful pokemon. Pixilate + STAB boosted hyper voices coming off a usable special attack stat which can be further boosted by calm minds or choice specs are very scary. Sylveon is also a good partner for pokemon such as mega gallade that have trouble with mega sableye.


Look at the hyper offense section.


Mega Altaria can run a multitude of sets effectively. As an offensive Pokemon, mega altaria usually runs a Dragon Dance set or a more specially inclined set with fire blast / earthquake / hyper voice / roost. Its typing is also very solid, leaving it with many resistances. Mega Altaria becomes very scary after just one turn of set up, and is a great set up sweeper.


Magnezone has gotten less popular, however, it still holds a niche as the best steel trapper in OU. Choice Specs sets hit very hard off of its solid special attack stat while choice scarf sets can revenge kill many pokemon, while also gaining momentum with volt switch.


Offensive Starmie usually runs analytic to hit harder on the switch and against faster pokemon. It has solid coverage and a great speed tier as well, allowing it to outspeed the crowded base 100 and 110 speed tier.


Mega Gardevoir is a very scary special wallbreaker that can hit on both ends of the spectrum with psyshock. It is very hard to switch into and is very powerful. It can run will-o-wisp to neuter most of its checks and counters on the switch, such as jirachi, scizor, and mega metagross.


Both Gyarados and Mega Gyarados are very underprepared for and are very powerful set up sweepers. In ORAS, Mega Gyarados finally received crunch, a solid STAB move. With Dragon Dance, it makes for a very good set up sweeper.


Bisharp is another powerful attacker that can run SD to further boost its high attack stat. It has sucker punch to remedy its low speed, allowing it to scare off threats such as latios, while also being able to pursuit trap pokemon such as gengar and starmie.


Talonflame can run a variety of sets, such as SD, CB, Bulk Up, stallbreaker, but for the most part it is usually SD variant so I'm classifying it as an offensive threat. It has gale wings which gives it priority brave bird making it a decent revenge killer, while also being a good late game sweeper. It has a crippling 4x weakness to SR however, so it requires entry hazard removal to function well.

Obviously there are more offensive threats than that, but I've just listed some pretty common ones. Let's move onto defensive threats.

Common Defensive Pokemon on Balance


Clefable is a very "splashable" and common pokemon found on balanced teams. It can act as a decent mixed wall thanks to its usable mixed bulk and solid mono fairy defensive typing. Magic Guard sets can be effective set up sweepers, while Unaware sets can check Pokemon such as Garchomp and Mega Lopunny, while also being able to set up Stealth Rock and provide wish and heal bell support. Clefable is probably one of the most common Pokemons you'll find on balance, and for good reason.


Hippowdon is another great defensive Pokemon. It can check "birds" (Talonflame and Mega Pinsir), as well as being a decent answer to mega charizard x. It can set up Stealth Rock while also having reliable recovery in the form of slack off. Hippowdon can take on many pokemon such as Bisharp and Gengar by running a mixed defensive spread.


Ferrothorn is a very solid defensive Pokemon that can set up stealth rock and spikes to wear down the opponent. While it lacks reliable recovery, it does have leech seed to leech the opponent's health and gain some HP. Very bulky with a solid defensive typing as well.


Defensive Starmie can take on threats such as Keldeo, while also being able to spin away hazards. It can spread burns with scald while also having recover and natural cure which makes it very hard to wear down. Probably the best defensive spinner out there.


I'm grouping rotom-w and landorus-t together as they're commonly found together as a defensive core on balanced teams. They both cover flying-types, landorus-t can set up stealth rocks and both can act as pivots. Together they can form a volt-turn core. Overall, these two pokemon are very solid defensive pivots.


Gliscor is a great physical wall capable of handling mega heracross and non icy wind gengar. SD sets are also amazing stallbreakers, as it can't be statused and has semi reliable recovery in the form of poison heal, and reliable recovery with roost too. It can spread status with toxic or cripple Pokemon with knock off.


Heatran has many resistances and can burn physical attackers with will o wisp or lava plume, while also countering clefable. It can also set up stealth rock and phaze pokemon with roar, stopping set up sweepers from setting up on it. Heatran is one of the few pokemon that 4x resists fairy, making it a good check to pokemon such as mega gardevoir and sylveon.


See stall section.


Mega Scizor can handle many fairy types as well as being able to slowly boost up and sweep a team. It's great physical bulk and typing also allow it to check a myriad of threats, such as azumarill, scizor, and bisharp.


Common Hazard Setters and Hazard Removers on Balance


Most of you should already know the lati twins do already, great offensive defoggers and answers to keldeo.


Empoleon actually is a hazard setter and a hazard remover. You can think of it as a water-type heatran. It can spread burns with scald, while also being pretty bulky. Empoleon suffers from some problems though, it lacks reliable recovery and is pretty slow, meaning it usually has to take a hit before doing something.


Zapdos counters mega pinsir as well as being a defogger that does not lose to bisharp, thanks to heat wave. It has reliable recovery in the form of roost to stay constantly healthy, and is also a decent check to landorus-i lacking rock slide.


Mandibuzz hasn't seen much usage every since aegislash was banned, however, it still has some merits. It can counter landorus-i lacking rock slide just like zapdos, while also being able to defeat gengar.


Excadrill isn't really seen that much on balanced teams as starmie is usually the better rapid spinner, however, it still has a niche of being able to toxic mega sableye and set up stealth rocks against it, thanks to moldbreaker.


Mew can check pokemon such as mega lopunny and mega medicham while also offering defog support. Mew can also spread burns and act as a stallbreaker. It got a little worse with mega sableye but it can still burn it thanks to synchronize. Mew is an ok defogger, in most cases you would prefer lati@s thanks to their offensive presence, but if your team has trouble with mega lopunny you may want to consider mew.

Fast (Choice Scarf) Pokemon found on Balance


See above.


Magnezone and magneton are both steel trappers that usually hold choice scarfs. They can revenge kill faster pokemon such as gyarados and talonflame (only magneton can do this as magnezone fails to outspeed), while also being able to gain momentum with volt switch.


Mega lopunny is naturally fast and has perfect coverage with its STABs alone. It also has priority fake out to gain chip damage and mega evolve safely, as well as to revenge kill some weakened threats. Mega lopunny also has many good utility options such as healing wish, heal bell, encore and baton pass.


Those are pretty much the basic roles on balanced teams, let's take a look at some sample teams, then we're moving onto stall!

Sample Teams:
Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Crunch
- Waterfall

Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 56 Atk / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Mild Nature
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Roost

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonlight
- Heal Bell
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip

Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 20 Def / 16 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Rapid Spin
- Recover

Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 212 SpD / 48 Spe
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Brave Bird

Built by TheEnder


Rated-Ruby (Scizor) @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Swords Dance
- Superpower
- Bug Bite

Falcon....WING! (Talonflame) (M) @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Roost

Eon (Latios) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Defog

Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Grass Knot
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock

Kyurem-Black @ Assault Vest
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 120 HP / 96 Atk / 228 SpD / 64 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Iron Head
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power

Built by AM.



Moving onto stall!

--

Stall

Stall teams are usually composed of defensive pokemon that have good defensive synergy with each other. With the advent of ORAS, many powerful new mega pokemon were introduced and trying to wall all of them constantly is very unrealistic and hard to do. Therefore, running a bulky set-up sweeper on stall teams is now very common. The notion of sweeper here differs a bit from that on offense teams. Rather than setting up once and cleaning up a team, these Pokemon tend to start out and / or become very tanky, attaining multiple boosts and resulting in the opponent having no answer. I'll talk about common pokemon found on stall and then such sweepers found on stall.


Mega Sableye is the face of ORAS OU stall. It has decent mixed bulk, prankster before mega evolving, and magic bounce after mega evolving stopping it from being statused and taunted, something that any other stall pokemon would kill for. It can also use calm mind to patch up its special defense, while also acting as a set up sweeper too. This can be classified as a win condition on stall since it fits in with a defensive core while also being able to defeat opposing teams after certain pokemon are weakened.


Tentacruel can beat heatran and clefable, both of which trouble mega sableye. In case mega sableye wasn't able to keep hazards off the field, tentacruel can spin them away, while also being able to set up toxic spikes and spread burns with scald.


Read section about balance.


Skarmory and Empoleon can both set up hazards and defog them away. Empoleon's problem of not having reliable recovery can be fixed to an extent because stall teams almost always carry wish passers such as chansey, so empoleon does not have to worry about being worn down too much.


Chansey is almost a staple on every stall team. It has a decent defensive typing with only one weakness and one resistance, while also having a massive HP stat which is nice for passing wishes, and eviolite which makes it bulkier than blissey. It can also run heal bell to cure status for the team.


Blissey is similar to chansey except that it can beat threats such as knock off landorus-i, and not caring about knock off that much in general. It also has leftovers to combat residual damage from sand and entry hazards. Blissey also has a usable special attack stat so it can actually beat gengar if running flamethrower or ice beam.


Cresselia is the best landorus-i counter and has very impressive mixed bulk. It doesn't have wish or heal bell and instead has to rely on moonlight which only has 8 PP and can be affected by weather. However, chansey is usually better due to its better defensive typing, and it can provide wish support.


Clumping these three together as they both do their job of checking fairy pokemon such as mega gardevoir and clefable which can give stall teams trouble; jirachi and heatran can also set up stealth rock. Doublade is pretty niche and should only be used if your team has a big weakness to mega heracross. Bronzong can also handle pokemon such as earthquake latios, earth power diancie, and landorus-i.


Slowbro and Mega Slowbro are also fine choices on stall teams and mega slowbro can also fit under the win condition category as it can run calm mind sets which make for effective set up sweepers once pokemon such as thundurus and magnezone are gone. Slowbro is a good answer to pokemon such as mega charizard x and mega medicham.


Read section about balance.


Quagsire provides an electric-type immunity so that the team doesn't get stomped on by volt-turn, as well as being an unaware pokemon so it can check pokemon such as mega charizard x that tries to set up and other set up sweepers. Faces lots of competition from clefable as an unaware user but it still has its niches.


Sylveon and Clefable can defeat opposing stall teams with mega sableye, while also being able to pass wishes and cure the team's status with heal bell. Unaware Clefable can slow down faster pokemon and is a great stop to common set up sweepers, while both can pass wishes and act as clerics.

Mega Venusaur is another common pokemon found on stall. Thanks to its typing, it can handle fairy-types such as mega diancie lacking psyshock, and dragon dance mega altaria. It has reliable recovery with synthesis and is also quite bulky.


Alomomola is another pokemon found on stall teams thanks to its ability to remove items with knock off, spread burns with scald, and pass wishes. What sets alomomola apart from other wish passers such as chansey is that it has regenerator, so it does not need to take turns to heal itself, as it can just pass a wish to a teammate and gain regenerator recovery too.


Bulk Up Talonflame or stallbreaker talonflame can easily destroy stall teams after some threats such as heatran are removed. SD Talonflame isn't seen that much on stall as it fails to beat utility variants of mega sableye that run foul play, whereas bulk up boosts defense so Talonflame doesn't have to worry about foul play.


CM Clefable can act as a win condition too, while also doing its job of being a mixed wall. CM Clefable really takes advantage of mega sableye stall teams as they can easily be demolished after their fairy-type answer goes down.


SD Gliscor can check mega heracross and non icy wind gengar, as well as being able to set up all over mega sableye thanks to toxic orb stopping will o wisp. After a few SDs it can easily steamroll opposing stall teams with Knock Off, Facade, or earthquake.


Defensive Dragon Dance mega altaria fits in well with defensive cores, especially dragon - steel - fairy cores, and when the opportunity arises, it can set up a few dragon dances and sweep. Altaria can also run heal bell to cure its own status and other teammates' status too.


There are definitely more stall pokemon than those, but again, those are just the more common ones and the ones you'll probably see the most often.

Sample teams:
Sableye @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball

Skarmory @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind

Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Seismic Toss
- Aromatherapy
- Soft-Boiled
- Toxic

Bisharp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Def / 228 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Toxic

Dragalge @ Black Sludge
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Built by Rob.


Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Cloud Nine
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Roost
- Heal Bell
- Flamethrower

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 240 HP / 172 SpD / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Sludge Bomb
- Acid Spray
- Rapid Spin

Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Def / 224 Spe
Impish Nature
- Drain Punch
- Spikes
- Wood Hammer
- Leech Seed

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 184 HP / 116 Def / 208 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock

Bronzong @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Def / 204 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rest

Sableye @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Taunt

Built by AM


--

Weather Playstyles

Weather playstyles are teams that are based off of weather (sun, rain, sand). The most common weather playstyle is sand, followed by rain and then sun. Hail is very very uncommon and is rarely seen, so I won't talk about it. For now, you'll need to know what the effects of these weather conditions do, and then I'll list common pokemon found on these playstyles.

Effects of Weather

Fire-type move's Base Power is increased by 50%
Water-type move's Base Power is decreased by 50%
Solar Beam does not require charging
Thunder's accuracy is reduced to 50%
Hurricane's accuracy is reduced to 50%
Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight recover 66% of user's HP
Growth raises Attack and Special Attack by two stages
Pokemon with the Chlorophyll Ability have their Speed doubled
Pokemon with the Dry Skin Ability lose 1/8 HP each turn
Pokemon with the Leaf Guard Ability are protected from status afflictions
Pokemon with the Solar Power Ability have their Special Attack raised but lose 1/8 HP each turn
A Heat Rock can be used to prolong the number of turns Sun is up


Water-type move's Base Power is increased by 50%
Fire-type move's Base Power is decreased by 50%
Solar Beam requires two turns of charge
Thunder's accuracy is increased to 100%
Hurricane's accuracy is increased to 100%
Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight recover 25% of user's HP
Pokémon with the Dry Skin Ability recovers HP every turn
Pokémon with the Hydration Ability are cured from status afflictions whenever it rains
Pokémon with the Rain Dish Ability have 1/16th of their max HP recovered each turn
Pokémon with the Swift Swim Ability have their Speed doubled
A Damp Rock can be used to prolong the number of turns Rain is up


All non-Rock, Ground or Steel type Pokémon are damaged each turn
Rock type Pokémon's Special Defense is increased by 50%
Solar Beam power is reduced
Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight recover 25% of user's HP
Pokémon with the Sand Rush Ability have their Speed doubled
Pokémon with the Sand Force Ability have their Ground, Steel & Rock move strength increased by one stage
A Smooth Rock can be used to prolong the number of turns Sand is up


Rain as a playstyle has already been covered in this guide, so visit the link below for more information since it's very detailed and covers everything important.

http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/rain-in-ou.3532772/

Sun

Most sun teams usually use mega charizard y as their sun setter, as it is a very powerful wallbreaker. Chlorophyll pokemon such as venusaur and victreebell are also options on sun as they get doubled speed allowing them to beat offensive teams as well as powerful coverage moves and STAB attacks. Oftentimes sun is paired up with sand setters such as tyranitar so that sand can "refresh" the sun turns. What I mean by this is if you only have 2 turns of sun left, you might want to consider switching tyranitar and then switching in mega charizard y to get 5 turns of sun. Powerful wallbreakers such as choice band victini are also commonly seen on sun teams as their powerful STAB moves are boosted by sun and can hit extremely hard.


Mega Charizard Y is a staple on sun teams thanks to its ability drought, which auto summons sun. Mega Charizard Y is also a very powerful wallbreaker with only a few counters, namely dragonite, latias, chansey, and goodra. Mega Charizard Y is commonly paired with pursuit support from the likes of bisharp or tyranitar to weaken or trap chansey and latias. Keldeo is also a great partner as it shares common counters with zard y and can destroy chansey.


Choice Specs or Life Orb Heatran hits very hard under the sun, especially after acquiring a flash fire boost. It's not the most common pokemon found on sun teams, but it still is a very powerful wallbreaker that makes good use of sun.


Normal Venusaur is a great pokemon on sun teams thanks to its ability chlorophyll, which doubles its speed under the sun. This makes it a decent sweeper, especially with growth, making it very hard to stop. It can put something out of business with sleep powder, giving it an opportunity to acquire a growth boost, and then start sweeping.


Azelf is a suicide lead that can set up stealth rock and sunny day, and then go out with a bang. In most cases however, sun teams really only need one weather setter and that is mega charizard y, as their are not that many pokemon with chlorophyll compared to swift swimmers.


Victreebel sets itself apart from the other notable chlorophyll user, venusaur, thanks to its much better mixed attacking stats. This allows it to make full use of sun, and it also has priority sucker punch to beat faster threats even after sun is gone.


Choice Band Victini under the sun hits extremely hard with v-create, OHKOing many neutral pokemon and even some resists too. Mainly used as a powerful nuke to take down a troubling pokemon such as chansey so that a teammate such as chlorophyll venusaur can have an easier time sweeping.


Dugtrio was more commonly seen on sun teams during BW, but it is still a decent choice for sun teams. It is notable thanks to its ability arena trap which allows it to trap troublesome pokemon for sun teams, such as politoed, heatran, chansey, and tyranitar.


This may seem random, but tyranitar is also a very common pokemon on sun teams. As I mentioned earlier, sun teams often utilize a tactic to "refresh" sun turns, by changing the weather and then sending in charizard to maximize the turns of sun left. Tyranitar also does well with zard y as it can trap and remove its counters, namely latias and chansey.


Excadrill is commonly paired with tyranitar as it has sand rush, while also being able to spin away hazards for mega charizard y. Often featured on dual weather teams, excadrill can put in lots of work against offensive teams, and break past more defensive ones by running Swords Dance.


Another seemingly random choice on sun teams. Even though keldeo's water attacks are weakened under the sun, it is still a good partner for charizard y as it can destroy chansey and weaken latias.


Latios and Latias defog hazards so that charizard can switch in more freely. Latios can also weaken walls for the sun sweepers to muscle past, while latias takes on a more supportive role, using healing wish to restore health to sweepers, giving them another shot at sweeping.


Definitely more pokemon found on sun teams than that, but again, those are just the more common ones.

Sample Team:
How to ladder (Charizard) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost

scarf lati? (Venusaur) @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 72 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Powder
- Hidden Power [Fire]

zzz "stall" (Tyranitar) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 166 HP / 252 Atk / 90 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- Stone Edge

zzz "offense" (Excadrill) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Slide

needed filler (Mew) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 152 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Will-O-Wisp

eh we out here (Keldeo) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Secret Sword

Built by Ox the Box


Let's move onto sand teams!

Sand

Sand is one of the more dominant and common weather playstyles. Usually it has a sand stream setter, tyranitar or hippowdon, and then a sand sweeper, usually excadrill and sometimes stoutland. The rest of the team is usually support pokemon such as ferrothorn to set up entry hazards so that excadrill has an easier time sweeping.


These are the most common sand setters. You will rarely see manual setters as they lose momentum and sand doesn't have too many abusers. Tyranitar gains a free assault vest thanks to sandstorm boosting its special defense. Both can set up stealth rocks, while tyranitar is more offensively oriented and hippowdon emphasizes longevity. Mega Tyranitar is another sand setter that can also act as a win condition with dragon dance sets.


Excadrill is usually the more common sand rush user as it is more powerful. However, stoutland is still a fine choice as a secondary sand sweeper as it can weaken pokemon such as landorus-t and skarmory for excadrill to sweep.


Mega Garchomp is a very powerful wallbreaker with excellent offensive stats. Under sand, it becomes an excellent wallbreaker thanks to sand force. However, its drop in speed from normal garchomp and use of a mega slot is the reason why it is not so common.


Two very powerful wallbreakers that can sometimes be found on sand teams. Medicham has gotten worse and has become less common due to the rise of mega sableye, but it is still a decent pokemon as it can weaken pokemon such as rotom-w, ferrothorn, skarmory, and landorus-t. Mega Gardevoir is similar to medicham, weakening rotom-w, ferrothorn and skarmory, problematic pokemon for excadrill.

Ferrothorn is another very common pokemon found on sand teams as it does not take damage from sand and can set up stealth rocks to weaken switch ins so that excadrill can eventually muscle past them.


CM Reuniclus is another cool pokemon found on sand teams as it can steamroll stall teams pretty easily and can set up on rotom-w. Thanks to magic guard, it also does not take residual damage from sand.


SubCM Keldeo can also set up on stall teams that excadrill has trouble beating, while also weakening pokemon such as ferrothorn, rotom-w, skarmory and landorus-t. Choice specs variants are excellent wallbreakers weakening walls so that excadrill can sweep, while choice scarf sets work great even outside of sand and can act as an effective cleaner.


Sample Teams:
Tyranitar (M) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 96 HP / 144 Atk / 96 SpD / 172 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock

Altaria (F) @ Altarianite
Ability: Cloud Nine
Happiness: 0
EVs: 104 HP / 152 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Dragon Dance

Excadrill (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin

Kyurem-Black @ Assault Vest
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Mild Nature
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Fusion Bolt
- Earth Power

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Protect

Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Taunt

Built by TheEnder


Pidgeot @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- U-turn

Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot
- Baton Pass
- Recover

Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Def / 164 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Fire Blast
- Stone Edge

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split

Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide

Built by Rob.


--

That's about it for this guide :]
Have a good day and I hope this helped you!​
 
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Awesome thread! Really neat to see sun team stuff, among other things. However....we need a trick room section. And a hail section lol.

Also, can I stop and thank you for acknowledging some of the lesser-used megas? Seriously, mega chomp is my favorite sand mega, hands down. Mega blasty's more solid than people give it credit for, too. Also, this may sound weird, but the manual sun mega houndoom should be included under the sun part. Again, great job so far! :toast:
 

leremyju

Banned deucer.
I'm not sure Mega Manectric would be the best for Bulky Offense, but anyways, I think Conkeldurr should have a mention there because it is one of the faces of Bulky Offense when you think of a hard hitter that is difficult to take down. Additonally, I think something interesting you might mention is a term Zamrock used, the "80/80/80 rule", basically meaning the average of HP, Def, and SDef average 80.

Other people said this but, making seperate posts or hide tags would make it easier to read
 
Also where is Gravity

Nice work! Might I suggest making a (small) section on Volt-Turn teams; while largely bulky-offensive they have their own traits?
 
Wow. This thread must have been an endeavor. Great job.

I have a couple of suggestions. Under stall mons, include Mega Venusaur and Mega Scizor. Maybe mention Alomomola.
 

Trinitrotoluene

young ☆nd foolish
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
two quick thoughts. for your hyper offense section, mention manaphy in the "common hyper offense wallbreakers and sweepers" section. it's insanely good at pressuring slower teams thanks to tail glow + an impressive movepool, which lets manaphy tailor its coverage to match what its team needs.

also, add a "fast (choice scarf) pokemon" section with several common choice scarfers in it as another section for hyper offense, bulky offense, and balance. from what i've seen, most teams (regardless of overall archetype) appreciate having a fast pokemon that can clean up the scraps the sweepers leave behind and revenge kill threats that could otherwise get out of hand.

other than these thoughts, great thread. this looks like a very helpful resource for newer ou players.
 
I think this thread is really good but I would prefer it each section had its own hide tabs. It would make the OP less large than it is now which takes up a huge portion of the page.
Thanks, did this
Awesome thread! Really neat to see sun team stuff, among other things. However....we need a trick room section. And a hail section lol.

Also, can I stop and thank you for acknowledging some of the lesser-used megas? Seriously, mega chomp is my favorite sand mega, hands down. Mega blasty's more solid than people give it credit for, too. Also, this may sound weird, but the manual sun mega houndoom should be included under the sun part. Again, great job so far! :toast:
Thanks :]
Trick Room already has a thread for it, and this thread is mainly for beginners and tbh beginners should start learning OU by playing balance or offense, moving onto trick room after gaining enough metagame knowledge. I'll add mega houndoom, thanks!
I'm not sure Mega Manectric would be the best for Bulky Offense, but anyways, I think Conkeldurr should have a mention there because it is one of the faces of Bulky Offense when you think of a hard hitter that is difficult to take down. Additonally, I think something interesting you might mention is a term Zamrock used, the "80/80/80 rule", basically meaning the average of HP, Def, and SDef average 80.

Other people said this but, making seperate posts or hide tags would make it easier to read
K I'll add that
Also where is Gravity

Nice work! Might I suggest making a (small) section on Volt-Turn teams; while largely bulky-offensive they have their own traits?
Tbh volt turn really isn't a major playstyle, most of the time it just finds its way onto offensive teams to gain momentum.
Wow. This thread must have been an endeavor. Great job.

I have a couple of suggestions. Under stall mons, include Mega Venusaur and Mega Scizor. Maybe mention Alomomola.
I'll mention venu and alomomola
two quick thoughts. for your hyper offense section, mention manaphy in the "common hyper offense wallbreakers and sweepers" section. it's insanely good at pressuring slower teams thanks to tail glow + an impressive movepool, which lets manaphy tailor its coverage to match what its team needs.

also, add a "fast (choice scarf) pokemon" section with several common choice scarfers in it as another section for hyper offense, bulky offense, and balance. from what i've seen, most teams (regardless of overall archetype) appreciate having a fast pokemon that can clean up the scraps the sweepers leave behind and revenge kill threats that could otherwise get out of hand.

other than these thoughts, great thread. this looks like a very helpful resource for newer ou players.
I'll do this, thanks :]
 
Altaria's ev spread on the sand team is incorrect, an ev spread of adamant 104 hp 152 atk 252 speed nets you 2 more speed points and 4 more atk points.

S-sorry I'll stop now, great thread, I would also consider Sash Kion as an Hyper Offense lead, being able to set up sd and resist mega Bleye's foul play, Xtra has it already covered on the post SPL Sets (though it's usually cc>safeguard, safeguard being the innovation)
 
Altaria's ev spread on the sand team is incorrect, an ev spread of adamant 104 hp 152 atk 252 speed nets you 2 more speed points and 4 more atk points.

S-sorry I'll stop now, great thread, I would also consider Sash Kion as an Hyper Offense lead, being able to set up sd and resist mega Bleye's foul play, Xtra has it already covered on the post SPL Sets (though it's usually cc>safeguard, safeguard being the innovation)
Ok I'll change that and add sash terrak
 
My only question is why mention a relic such as bird spam in the offense section without having a write up on pinsir and staraptor lol. I think a triple bunny core of azumarill, diggersby, and lopunny would be more relevant for ORAS

In the HO section I'd also mention priority stacking (a tactic in which 3 or more members of the team have strong priority). Priority is huge in the ORAS meta because it allows you to hit hard, fast, and without being choice locked.
 
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I mentioned birdspam because it's basically the prime example of overwhelming checks and counters, pinsir and staraptor are as you said relics so I didn't mention them. I already have azumarill and lopunny mentioned in that section but I'll add diggersby.
 
232 SpA Mega Gardevoir Focus Blast vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Heatran: 214-252 (55.5 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Gardevoir

Hidden Power Ground 59.898%
Focus Blast 33.856%

Heatran should not be considered an answer to Garde, Bronzong could be a nice replacement, having a nich in taking on earth power Diancie and Earthquake Lati better.

Also Alomomola is not a wincon.
 
I think MVenu and Alomomola should be in the 'common Pokemon on semistall' section, not the 'wincons on semistall' section.

Nice work though, fren. :]

Edit: I forgot to mention that hyper offense runs this framework pretty commonly and that the lead + 5 sweepers framework is more specifically for 'Heavy Offense', which is a subplaystyle of hyper offense.

Framework:
• Lead
• Wallbreaker
• Wallbreaker
• Utility
• Sweeper
• Speed (Revenge Killer)
 
232 SpA Mega Gardevoir Focus Blast vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Heatran: 214-252 (55.5 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Gardevoir

Hidden Power Ground 59.898%
Focus Blast 33.856%

Heatran should not be considered an answer to Garde, Bronzong could be a nice replacement, having a nich in taking on earth power Diancie and Earthquake Lati better.

Also Alomomola is not a wincon.
Heatran is a decent check to mega gardevoir as it can switch in on hyper voice and force it out with flash cannon, you also have to factor in the chance that he can even hit two focus blasts in a row, heatran can also check other fairies such as clefable and sylveon; I'll mention bronzong
Alomomola and mega venu got put in the wrong section lol, I'll fix that
I think MVenu and Alomomola should be in the 'common Pokemon on semistall' section, not the 'wincons on semistall' section.

Nice work though, fren. :]

Edit: I forgot to mention that hyper offense runs this framework pretty commonly and that the lead + 5 sweepers framework is more specifically for 'Heavy Offense', which is a subplaystyle of hyper offense.

Framework:
• Lead
• Wallbreaker
• Wallbreaker
• Utility
• Sweeper
• Speed (Revenge Killer)
thanks :]
tbh both subplaystyles of HO are really similar and from what I've seen heavy offense is generally more common.
 
Under stall:

I'd mention Spdef Gliscor (its used as a stallbreaker on stall as well as a way to deal with Lando-I).

I know it's under wincons for stall (CM Clef) but unaware clef is a staple of stall. Pretty sure its a different set.

I would remove Ferrothorn from the list. While an excellent defensive pokemon, stall has a lot of grass and steel pokes and ferro has low sustain/pivot.
 
Gliscor is already under stall, all the mons in winconditions are also common mons are stall they just go into a more specific category. I'll add clef and not removing ferrothorn.
 
I mean, maybe I've missed something in the last few months, but stall doesn't run a whole lot of SD Gliscor (or sd anything for that matter).
 
I mean, maybe I've missed something in the last few months, but stall doesn't run a whole lot of SD Gliscor (or sd anything for that matter).
I've built a couple of pretty traditional stalls (insofar as ORAS stall is "traditional") with SD Gliscor or bulky SD Scizor. Most stalls can fit a solid boosting win condition because a lot of them (Gliscor, Scizor, Cresselia, Slowbro) have defensive/utility niches that are very valuable regardless.
 

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Stall needs a win con, regardless if it's SD Gliscor, CM M-Sableye, CM Manaphy, etc. It shouldn't be stated that win cons are found only on semi-stall variants cause that's flat out false. The idea of just walling everything constantly in the ORAS metagame is unrealistic these days and it needs to be established that the win cons are needed on this archetype.
 
Stall needs a win con, regardless if it's SD Gliscor, CM M-Sableye, CM Manaphy, etc. It shouldn't be stated that win cons are found only on semi-stall variants cause that's flat out false. The idea of just walling everything constantly in the ORAS metagame is unrealistic these days and it needs to be established that the win cons are needed on this archetype.
changed it a bit.
 
Heatran is a decent check to mega gardevoir as it can switch in on hyper voice and force it out with flash cannon, you also have to factor in the chance that he can even hit two focus blasts in a row, heatran can also check other fairies such as clefable and sylveon; I'll mention bronzong
Alomomola and mega venu got put in the wrong section lol, I'll fix that
even ignoring focus blast 60% run hp ground, but if that's not a good reason I'll drop it. I've also found DD restalk Gyrados to be a great win
 
even ignoring focus blast 60% run hp ground, but if that's not a good reason I'll drop it. I've also found DD restalk Gyrados to be a great win
Ok fine heatran can't counter mgarde, but it can counter other fairies such as sylveon and clefable. I'll add gyarados tomorrow.
 
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