Gen 7 USUM Mega Alakazam HO

[Dr_Vesuvius]

I've been using minor variations upon this team ever since SM was the current gen. I don't really play singles regularly very often these days. Sometimes I manage to get up to the 1500s on the ladder, but I then quite quickly get knocked back down - I'm usually between 1350-1450.

The core of the team is around Mega Alakazam, and then Unburden Hawlucha. Scarf Serperior gives me a third sweeper. Magnezone is there to remove certain Steel types, especially Ferrothorn and some Kartana, while also providing the defensive utility of a Steel type and being able to hit most Flying types. Finally, Fini and Lando are support Pokemon who provide defensive utility and help whittle down opposing Mons before the sweepers can go to town.

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 84 SpA / 92 SpD / 68 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Defog

For a long time I used Psychium Z Tapu Lele instead, which blocked priority and boosted Alakazam's Psychics, but Fini's greater bulk and better type synergy had more value to the team. Surf hits Fire and Ground types, Moonblast for Dragon and Fighting types. Defog is obviously to remove opposing hazards. Taunt frankly doesn't feel that useful as I rarely actually get the chance to use it before the damage is done - I'm leaning more towards Haze to help counter e.g. DDancers and Ultra Beasts. Don't remember what the EVs do - I think I stole appropriated them from an old sample team.

Alakazam-Mega @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Focus Blast

I'll be real - I think Mega Ala is the best Pokemon in the tier. It's incredibly fast and has huge Special Attack. Before Mega Evolving, it's immune to passive damage thanks to Magic Guard, so it doesn't care about Hazards. I usually try to save it for the endgame, where it can easily end up counter-sweeping. The exception is against weather teams, where I like to use it as a revenge killer - Trace Chlorophyll or Photosynthesis and you're unfathomably fast. Psychic is the main STAB, Shadow Ball is a safer option if the opponent has a Dark type switch-in available that also helps to hit the likes of Tapu Lele, Energy Ball for Water/Ground/Rock types (especially Mega Swampert), and Focus Blast for Dark and Steel types, especially Tyranitar (though Energy Ball is a safer option if they're down to ~50%).

Recover is probably more standard than Energy Ball, but realistically Ala is too fragile for Recover to be worthwhile.

Serperior @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Toxic

Contrary Leaf Storm go brr. Very few things can take a +4 Leaf Storm.

The other options are not especially relevant. Unboosted Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power don't do enough, even super effectively, to really threaten anything. I did use HP Ice for Lando/Glisgor/Garchomp, but Leaf Storm is a better option. There might be some value in it for Salamence and Dragonite. HP Fire doesn't really threaten Ferrothorn or Celesteela but has some value for Scarf Kartana. HP Ground might be useful for baiting Heatran. Toxic is useful for hitting things like Zapdos and Tornadus, although it does then require you to switch.

The first iteration of this team (with Lele) used Ash-Gren, but switching to Fini meant I needed another Electric resist.

Hawlucha @ Misty Seed
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- High Jump Kick
- Swords Dance
- Roost

You know what this does, the Suryakumar Yadav of SM OU. Get it in shortly after Fini and hit Acrobatics or HJK. Swords Dance is mostly used in front of Lando and mons that commonly run Protect. Acrobatics is the safer STAB option, HJK helps secure some crucial KOs. Roost is usually safe and can help against Electric types. Mostly I like to keep this in once Unburden has been activated, but even without Unburden Hawlucha is strong and fast.

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 132 HP / 4 Atk / 116 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock

Utility mon, my default lead. Bulky to help with Hidden Power Ice and general survivability. Lacks a way to hit most non-grounded Pokemon for decent damage, so there might be a case for dropping the U-turn pivot for Rock Slide, and maybe even Rockium Z.

Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 244 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch

Primarily for trapping Ferrothorn, but also helps against Fairies, Celesteela, Skarmory, some other Steel types, rain teams, Toxic/Poison attacks, and does a nice side hustle in baiting Lando and hitting it with Flash Cannon for 60% plus. Rarely actually hit Volt Switch because of the ubiquity of Ground types, but the only real alternative is Signal Beam.

Big threats:
- priority - oops Alakazam took a Greninja Water Shruiken or a Mega Pinsir Quick Attack and fainted.
- set-up - don't really have a good answer to Mega Zard X D-Dance, for example. As soon as something is faster than my sweepers then it's probably too late.

 

[Vengeance417]

I think for Scarf Serperior, instead of Toxic and Dragon Pulse, try Glare and Knock Off. Having a very fast Glare can serve as an emergency answer to fast sweepers like +1 Zard X that you'll definitely not be able to kill with +0 Dragon Pulse. Knock Off can also be nice to remove Leftovers, AVs, Eviolite from Chansey, etc, letting Serperior clean better later. HP Fire is still nice for Scarf Kart and weakened Ferrothorn + Mega Scizor, though, so I'd keep that.

 

[Dr_Vesuvius]

I'll give that a go. Thank you.
If Serperior has Knock Off then it removes some of the pressure on Lando's moveset, so I'll also think about making changes there.

 

[Cdijk16]

1. I reccomend changing the Serperior set to this. Knock Off weakens a lot of steel type switchins to Serp like Heatran, Celesteela and AV Magearana, which Mega Alakazam appreciates.
Serperior @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Glare
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power Fire
2. Run this EV spread on Hawlucha. It lets you live an univested Clefable Moonblast.
Hawlucha @ Electric Seed
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 36 SpD / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Roost
3. Unless you have specific benchmarks in mind, this EV spread may be better on Lando-T: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
4. Your team is really weak to opposing Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele. Magnezone is your only psychic resist and it's too frail to check either of those pokemon well. Considering fittng a bulkier steel type like Magearna or maybe even running Assault Vest on Magnezone.

 

[Dr_Vesuvius]

1. I reccomend changing the Serperior set to this. Knock Off weakens a lot of steel type switchins to Serp like Heatran, Celesteela and AV Magearana, which Mega Alakazam appreciates.
Serperior @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Glare
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power Fire

Thanks. I've made those changes. Still feels quite limited, rarely have cause to click Knock Off but it is at least more useful than Dragon Pulse.

2. Run this EV spread on Hawlucha. It lets you live an univested Clefable Moonblast.
Hawlucha @ Electric Seed
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 36 SpD / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Roost

I'm very reluctant to drop Hawlucha's Speed that much! But looking at the Speed tiers, the main threats I would lose out to are +2 Zard X and +2 Mew, as well as +2 Mence and Volc. Maybe the bulk is worth it?

3. Unless you have specific benchmarks in mind, this EV spread may be better on Lando-T: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe

Looking at the damage calcs, I think I was calcing to live Specs Koko HP Ice, which is something I value. My spread is the most efficient way of achieving that - doing it with max HP investment would require an extra 16 EVs. That said, I do think maximising HP is probably going to lead to surviving more hits, so I'm going to make an adjustment. Personally I like Lando to be slow so I can get off the slower u-turn in the mirror, and I also like wavy lines because of the VGC player in me.

4. Your team is really weak to opposing Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele. Magnezone is your only psychic resist and it's too frail to check either of those pokemon well. Considering fittng a bulkier steel type like Magearna or maybe even running Assault Vest on Magnezone.

I'm not getting rid of Zone, that would leave me too easily walled by Ferro, Celesteela, and Skarmory, and more vulnerable to Mega Scizor and Kartana (although I accept that Magearna's bulk would help in the Scizor/Kartana match up). I also need the power that Specs bring.
My solution to opposing Zam and Lele is to simply outrun them. I'm not going to check them with bulk, so it's up to Hawlucha, Serperior, and my own Zam to outspeed and revenge kill.

Now you've mentioned it, I am tempted to build a new team using AV Magearna... just don't think it would suit my playstyle (which in this context means "I am not good enough").

 

[Cdijk16]

Thanks. I've made those changes. Still feels quite limited, rarely have cause to click Knock Off but it is at least more useful than Dragon Pulse.

I'm very reluctant to drop Hawlucha's Speed that much! But looking at the Speed tiers, the main threats I would lose out to are +2 Zard X and +2 Mew, as well as +2 Mence and Volc. Maybe the bulk is worth it?

Looking at the damage calcs, I think I was calcing to live Specs Koko HP Ice, which is something I value. My spread is the most efficient way of achieving that - doing it with max HP investment would require an extra 16 EVs. That said, I do think maximising HP is probably going to lead to surviving more hits, so I'm going to make an adjustment. Personally I like Lando to be slow so I can get off the slower u-turn in the mirror, and I also like wavy lines because of the VGC player in me.

I'm not getting rid of Zone, that would leave me too easily walled by Ferro, Celesteela, and Skarmory, and more vulnerable to Mega Scizor and Kartana (although I accept that Magearna's bulk would help in the Scizor/Kartana match up). I also need the power that Specs bring.
My solution to opposing Zam and Lele is to simply outrun them. I'm not going to check them with bulk, so it's up to Hawlucha, Serperior, and my own Zam to outspeed and revenge kill.

Now you've mentioned it, I am tempted to build a new team using AV Magearna... just don't think it would suit my playstyle (which in this context means "I am not good enough").

1. I think that if you want to keep the current 6, I'd suggest running Assault Vest on Magnezone. I never suggested getting rid of Zone in the first place, it's too important here offensively. What I suggested was replacing a different pokemon with a reasonably bulky steel type OR running Assault Vest on Zone. Not being able to switch into Zam is pretty bad since it will get a KO or heavy damage everytime it comes in.
2. If you want a slow Lando-T, you can run max Defense with a Relaxed nature. That makes sure you get a slow U-Turn off most of the time.
3. I think the bulk on Lucha is worth it here.

 

[Dr_Vesuvius]

Thanks. I misunderstood your point about Magearna. Not sure who I'd drop - would probably have to be Serp. But it might make most sense to just rebuild the team entirely without the TapuLucha core.

 

[Kustavan]

Change some moves on some mons and add a mega alakazam/tapu lele answer to your own team like av magearna.