SM OU RMT: Mega Charizard X Team

[pimpdiggitycong]

Hi so not sure if I'm allowed to post a team here unless I'm skilled so let me know if I should post this somewhere else. I'm very new to all this and so my team probably has a ton of holes and it probably sucks. I looked up the different styles of play, and I think this is a hyper offense team? I decided to try and make my own hyper offense team because it was the first archetype presented in this guide I read.

So I should probably do my thought process on this. I basically chose Garchomp first as my lead because I like Garchomp and it was the coolest lead out of all the ones I saw. Here's the set that I have:

Garchomp @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Swords Dance

I just added a picture because it seems I'm supposed to when I looked at the other threads.

So I thought about all the threats that this pokemon would have and I get walled by fairies and I can't hit the flying type pokemons. So I decided to get Magnezone on my team because it seemed to fit the build out of all the OU pokemon on Smogon. I once again just copied Smogon because I don't know enough to come up with my own unique set:

Magnezone @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 140 HP / 192 SpA / 176 Spe
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Fire
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon

Then I thought about what would wreck Garchomp. And fairies again and ice types and faster dragons right? So I decided to add Azumarill because I loved the Belly Drum set in ORAS when I played super casually and just belly drummed each turn.

Azumarill @ Normalium Z
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off

Then I decide to add Gengar so I can Taunt Defog users and stop Stealth Rock (that's what Smogon says as an ideal partner to Garchomp), but also just as another wallbreaker since Shadow Ball hits everything. Not only that, but with Sludge Wave I can hit all the Grass type pokemons that would normally wall Azumarill.

Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Taunt
- Focus Blast


Then I decide to add my mega and I realized I can't really easily kill Steel pokemon. I wanted to run Mega Charizard Y because it's my favorite pokemon but I figure on a Hyper Offense team, it would be really bad right? Because I usually just sack pokemon, it would be tough for me to be able to switch and defog/rapid spin. Let me know if I'm wrong haha. So I decided to add in Mega Camerupt despite not really liking the pokemon because it fit the bill.

Camerupt @ Cameruptite
Ability: Magma Armor
EVs: 216 HP / 168 SpA / 124 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Ancient Power
- Hidden Power Ice

Finally, I realized I get completely wrecked by ground type moves because Gengar doesn't have Levitate anymore lol. So I decided to get Landorus-T as it also lets me kill Venusaur:

Landorus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Fly
- Smack Down
- Stealth Rock

At this point I realize Landorus-Therian has stealth rocks so I decide to change my Garchomp to have Fire Fang and Life Orb!

Yeah, so sorry if my team makes your eyes bleed. Now that I'm looking at it, my team truly gets demolished by ground types so I don't really know how to address that. But I'm hoping by laying out my thought process and stuff, you guys can help me figure out where I'm being super dumb and lead me to becoming better at team building.

 

[SlavNation]

Why do you have three Z-move Pokes on your team? Also, I'd trade Landorus-T on this team with Weavile for consistent Ground-type coverage.

 

[OrangeGuru]

I definitely agree with the above user that you need to cut down on Z-moves (2 could possibly work - although that is typically more seen in Battle Spot than OU itself - but 3 is way too many considering you can only use one Z-move per game). Also, you have 2 stealth rock users for some reason? I would keep the Lando bc it can help check opposing ground types thanks to Intimidate, but make the Garchomp Choice Scarfed and give Lando Stealth Rocks). If you're looking for HO, then Mega Pinsir is better suited than MegaRupt (if you want MegaRupt, then you absolutely need some TR support like OTR Magearna or something bulkier like Cresselia).

To recap:

• pick one Z-move user (I would recommend Lando, but Chomp can work too for a one time avoidance of locking yourself into Outrage; If you make Lando the Z-move mon, then give Chomp a Choice Scarf with EQ / Stone Edge / Fire Blast / Outrage and teach Lando Stealth Rock. This gives you a revenge killer for setup sweepers like Magearna or Zygarde while keeping rocks on your team. I would pretty much get rid of Azumarill)
• Optimize your Mega poke (you say you want Hyper Offense but then choose MegaRupt, which is hard to utilize on HO. Pick what you want; If HO, then choose Mega Pinsir, but if you want to use MegaRupt, then you need some form of TR to help him "outspeed" things. TR setters could be something like Magearna with Trick Room / Focus Blast / Fleur Cannon / Thunderbolt (or Flash Cannon) or a bulkier poke like Cresselia (which runs Trick Room / Ice Beam / Moonlight / Lunar Dance). Also your title says this features MegaZard X lol)
• Decide your playstyle (this goes along with the last bullet, but basically choosing between HO and TR archetypes drastically changes how the team should look and right now it's hard to tell what direction you want to take this team. HO is all about momentum so it would typically feature a mon like Bisharp or Thundurus to deter the use of defog, whereas TR is a bit of a bulkier style that tries to flip the speed to your advantage. This is mainly why I'm shying away from too many changes because it would start to drastically alter the team without actually knowing your goal; like example Scarf Lando could actually work on HO as a U-turn pivot, but less so on this current team)

It's getting really late for me, so I probably didn't do a super great job or missed something, but if you ever want some pointers about building (like what this HO team could look like) feel free to ask! Hope this helps and good luck

 

[Gross Sweep]

Hey pimpdiggitycong I'm glad to see you're getting involved in OU, as it's definitely a great starting point for competitive mons. I liked the fact you used a few unique mons like M-Camerupt, however, there are a few issues that just stand out including: an inability to handle Stick Webs, Trouble facing off versus Volcarona (as nothing on the team ohko's +1 Volc), and an overabundance of Z Stone users. My rate will look to fix these issues, allowing you to acquire a more solid version of your team - but also to give you an introduction into team building.

Before I get to deep into the specifics of the rate I want to address your team identity, which I agree with OrangeGuru in the fact it's almost unclear or lacking. I know you stated you tried to build in a more Hyper Offensive style, but I feel you made a team that actually lends itself more towards a Bulky Offense/Balanced Style. There's nothing wrong with that, in fact it's usually recommended newer players stay away from Hyper Offensive teams and learn with a more Balanced team as it's usually a more forgiving play style Since 1-2 mistakes can usually be recovered from - unlike Hyper Offense where one mistake can easily cost you the game. So with that, let's jump into the rate.

Major Changes:

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This change of Mew>Azumarill does lean the team more towards bulk, but I feel it's for the better when considering the team. BD Azu is a scary threat, but on this team I feel this slot could have been better used as a support mon - I realize you mentioned a more HO team but you'll see when finished that this simple mon change drastically pulls the team away from any form of HO towards a more Bulky Offensive team, which just doesn't happen with a true HO team. Anyway the move set I'm suggesting is Ice Beam / Will-O-Wisp / Soft-Boiled / Defog with the EV Spread: 252 Hp / 144 Def / 112 Spe Timid nature and the item Leftovers. Ice Beam when combined with bulk and speed of this set allows Mew to help check Landorus-T and Zygarde, Will-O-Wisp helps check Physical threats like the aforementioned ground types along with a few other mons who are problematic like M-Medicham and Tapu Bulu, Soft-Boiled is solid recovery helping with Mew's longevity, and Defog removes hazards which helps the team versus SpikeStack and the previously mentioned threat Sticky Web. Once again I'd like to reiterate that while Mew > Azu doesn't make sense in the fact that they fulfill different roles (accomplish different tasks) for the team, this change will help in overall effectiveness allowing you some breathing room versus some of the biggest threats in the tier as it gives you a solid switch in reducing the need to pull aggressive double switches that often accompany Hyper Offense.

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You mentioned one of the main reasons you had Magnezone was to wall fairies and take on flying types. The change I'd like to make of Magearna>Magnezone keeps up with the main theme of walling fairies. With respect to the Flying types you mentioned Magearna also takes on Tornadus-Therian, it pivots vs Skarmory and Celesteela (Which are Taken on by M-Camerupt and Landorus-T - Even Gengar takes on Skarm, and Celesteela after a little bit of chip damage), and both Magnezone and Magearna lose to M-Pinsir - so this match up vs Flying types isn't taking much of a hit either with this change. On top of that this Change will help the team take on threats like Gengar and Greninja who were large threats to the original team. The Move Set I'm suggesting is Fleur Cannon / Flash Cannon / HP Fire / Volt Switch with the EV Spread: 200 Hp / 56 SpA / 252 SpDef Calm nature and the item Assault Vest. Fleur Cannon and Flash Cannon are strong stabs, HP Fire is to hit steels like Ferrothorn and M-Scizor who try to come in on Magearna, and Volt Switch is to keep up momentum (allowing Magearna to fulfill a similar role to Magnezone as a bulky pivot). Overall I feel this change will be very beneficial to the team as it provides the similar role of a bulky pivot that I feel you were going for with Magnezone, but it also helps the team ease pressure vs several threats.

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The reasoning for Tapu Bulu>Gengar is pretty simple. Both mons fill a similar role as a breaker, however, Tapu Bulu helps more in terms of team synergy as it helps the team better take on Rain, Keldeo, and annoying grounds who can pressure Mew if the game drags on. The Move Set I'm suggesting is Swords Dance / Horn Leech / Superpower / Zen Headbutt with the EV Spread: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def Jolly nature with the item Leftovers. Swords Dance boosts Tapu Bulu's breaking potential, Horn Leech is a great stab + nice little recovery, Superpower is to smack annoying steels like Ferrothorn that may try to come in on Tapu Bulu, and Zen Headbutt is a flexible option since Wood Hammer, Leech Seed, and Stone Edge could fill this slot - but I like Zen since it can smack M-Venusaur who's a little annoying. Overall I feel this change should be very fruitful towards the team being able to apply pressure, while checking a large majority of threats.

Minor Changes:

The initial team had a pair of Stealth Rock users, which is unneeded (one is usually enough), meaning we have the perfect situation to remove the excess of rockers while adding an additional way for the team to deal with Volcarona. Similar to OrangeGuru I'm going to suggest a Choice Scarf set with the Move Set: Stone Edge / Earthquake / Outrage / Fire Blast with the EV Spread 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpA Naive nature. This change will give the team solid speed control and a way to stop Volcarona after a Quiver Dance (which is required of all OU teams at this point). I feel this change is for the better as it helps ease a lot of pressure on the teams defensive backbone as the original version of this team touted Gengar as the fastest member, which is to slow - especially for a team trying to be Hyper Offensive. Now you have a Choice Scarf user who can act as a strong revenge killer allowing you to stop naturally fast mons like Greninja from going on a rampage.

I liked where you were going with an offensive Landorus-T, but I feel a different set could be something to consider. I want to suggest the Move Set Swords Dance / Earthquake / Stone Edge / Stealth Rock with the EV Spread: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpDef Jolly nature with the item Rockium Z. Earthquake is a strong stab that is extremely spammable once ground immunities have been eliminated, Stealth Rock is a great move providing consistent chip pressuring teams, Swords Dance allows Landorus-T to pressure fatter teams, especially stall (you had Swords Dance Garchomp, but with Clefable walling Dragonium Z Garchomp, Skarmory causing issues for both Dragonium and Life Orb, and Groundium Z Dugtrio trapping and eliminating Garchomp after its first KO making it just not a safe bet to rely on vs stall - unlike Landorus-T who can break through Clefable with Z-Stone Edge and has a flying typing allowing it to avoid being trapped making it the preferred breaker), and Stone Edge is a strong move when paired up with Rockium Z allowing Landorus-T to break through a lot of threats like Skarmory and Celesteela after a Swords Dance or two. Basically this change keeps up the pressure of an offensive Landorus-T with Stealth Rock, but it also helps the stall match up. Also I went with Jolly as it out speeds the Mew set that speed creeps Adamant Zygarde (The Mew I'm suggesting you use is one of these), but if you find that Mew to not be an issue to switch around and take on feel free to go back to Adamant Landorus-T for the extra power.

I liked the creativity behind using M-Camerupt in OU, was one of the main reasons I decided to rate this team, so I will admit I was a bit biased in keeping it on the team. While I do want to keep the Camel I do want to mess with the set, so that you can use M-Camerupt to its fullest potential. The Move Set I'm suggesting is Flamethrower / Earth Power / Rest / Sleep Talk with the EV Spread: 248 Hp / 80 Def / 176 SpDef / 4 Spe Modest nature. The EV Spread is designed to let Camerupt help vs threats like Charizard-Y and Volcarona, out speed no investment Ferrothorn (as speed tying with that would suck), the 80 Def was used to maximize bulk, and the Modest Nature allows M-Camerupt to break mons like Mew if Stealth Rock are up. Earth Power and Flamethrower are strong stabs, Rest allows for recovery, and Sleep Talk allows M-Camerupt to not simply sit there while asleep. It's a bit bulkier than your original set, but I do feel this is the best way to utilize Camerupt as a bit of a sponge, and a great electric check safely switching in vs mons like Tapu Koko.

Review of Changes:

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  ->
  
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  ->
  
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  : Swords Dance -> Choice Scarf
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  : Fly-Z Rocks -> SD Rockium
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  : Offensive -> Bulkier variant

Adding an importable (just click on this line)

Anyways that's all I had on the rate. I know a lot of the team was changed in some fashion, but I do have to say it was a good first attempt at building. The team should be more solid now as it transitions from a squad attempting to be Hyper Offense to the Bulkier Offense it truly was meant to be based upon the mons you selected. Before I go any further I'd like to thank/shout out Webcamparrot for helping with this rate, was a huge help. If you have any more questions or concerns about the rate let me know.

 

[pimpdiggitycong]

Wow I didn't realize people commented on this haha. Thanks so much! Yeah I didn't know Z-moves can only be used once lol :P

Also thanks for being so kind in your responses I realize now I made a bunch of dumb decisions :P