SM OU A Team of Problematic Faves

Hey guys! So with Gen 7 finally wrapping up (certainly a bittersweet moment for me), I wanted to build a team of some of my favorite Pokemon (just in general, not necessarily the most competitively viable) as kind of a send off. I narrowed my list down to about a top 20 list of Pokemon, tried to hone it down to the most viable possible team of 6 I could figure out and have play-tested this team ABOUT 200 times with extremely mixed results. I do fine at the lower levels of the ladder (it tears through gimmick teams and inexperienced users) but the instant I go up against more experienced players, I tend to struggle. Granted, that's partly to be expected when I've so thoroughly limited my pool of options but I wanted to post the team and see if you guys could help me out with polishing some of the rough edges of this (or suggest some possible switch outs). Maybe some of you will find joy in making the pieces of this puzzle fit? Either way, here we go:

The Team

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So the team is obviously not the worst in terms of competitive viability, as all can hold their own reasonably well in OU. The basis of the team was set up around Houndoom, as it's my all time favorite Pokemon, so that was the starting point. I added Empoleon and Venusaur to set up a Fire/Water/Grass core (while Houndoom is weak defensively, predicting fire attacks on switches has been relatively easy so with Flash Fire as the ability, it can check fire attacks damage free). Heracross was added as a physical wall breaker, to clear things out that are specially bulky, while Umberon was added as an additional defensive pivot. Finally I rounded out the team with Garchomp, as I felt I needed another sledgehammer to help clear the way for late game Houndoom sweeps. While this team was built from a pool of my faves, Houndoom is the only Poke I'm fully committed to leaving no matter what. Other Pokemon that were considered, that could be swapped in and still keep the team's spirit alive:

Lapras, Dragonite, Charizard, Feraligatr, Swampert, any Eeveelution (aside from Sylveon, the eyes creep me out), Ninetails, Golduck, Aerodactyl, Sandslash, Alakazam, Infernape, Kabutops, Politoed, Carracosta, Sceptile, Tyrantrum

Now, for a deeper dive on each individual member:

Garchomp:

Garchomp typically functions as my lead as he forces a ton of switches off the bat, and allows me to either set up stealth rocks or use swords dance (depending on what I think is coming), both jobs help late game Houndoom. Past that, he functions well as a wallbreaker/semi-bulky offensive threat. I know the typical Garchomp runs Rockium-Z with Stone Edge as a nuke, but I opted for EQ to A.) make use of ground STAB and B.) allow Garchomp to hold a lum berry and function, for at least one turn, as a status sponge (also has the added benefit of clearing up outrage confusion). Rough skin helps to supply chip damage, which isn't huge but has helped before.

Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spe/252 Atk/4 Def
Jolly Nature

-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Swords Dance
-Stealth Rock

I'm going to be honest, Chomp is the member of this team I'm least attached to. I initially had a multiscale Dragonite in it's place, but had better success with a rock setter/faster attacker. Chomp just feels like an uninspired choice that doesn't have much synergy with the rest of the team.

Umbreon:

Umbreon, much like Garchomp, was a late addition that I'm not overly sold on. I noticed upon initially playtesting that if Venusaur or Empoleon went down, my team had no good defensive options. Furthermore, Houndoom gets worn down so easily from chip damage that adding wish support was an added bonus. In comes Umbreon. The set is pretty standard, Umbreon is specially defensive, toxic helps wear down walls, protect allows for leftovers recovery and additional toxic counters to build up, wish keeps everyone happy, and foul play gives Umbreon SOME semblance of offensive presence. It's funny, because as Umbreon has fallen down the tiers, it seems like fewer and fewer teams are prepared for it as a special wall, and it's been surprisingly effective as a wall. That being said, sharing a dark type with Houndoom has proved to be problematic, especially from fairies (which also nuke Chomp).

Umbreon @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP/252 SpD/4 Def
Calm Nature

-Toxic
-Foul Play
-Wish
-Protect

Venusaur:

Ah yes, my weird Venusaur. I've had more than a few people assume I'm sneakily running a sun team (despite no drought user on this team) purely because they see Houndoom and Venusaur together. That being said, this is not a special sweeping Venusaur. I actually primarily use it as a physical wall, a role it has done pretty well in. It's one of my few Pokemon that can handle fairies and with sludge bomb, can actually hit them fairly hard. Leech seed was added for passive recovery, Synthesis for more desperate recovery. Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain take advantage of Venusaur's stab. Venusaur has awesome defensive synergy with Empoleon so the EV spread was created to essentially be the inverse of Empoleon's. The only downside is that Ferrothorn frequently puts me into stale mate situations. Have opted for HP fire over Giga Drain in the past, specifically to mitigate this (especially since Synthesis and Leech Seed leave me with so many recovery options already). Overgrow/Chlorophyll remains a toss up for me. Overgrow is a very "meh" choice but does help Giga Drain out in a pinch. I don't run sun so Chlorophyll feels like a wasted slot.

Venusaur @ Black Sludge
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP/76 SpD/180 Def
Bold Nature

-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb
-Synthesis
-Leech Seed

Empoleon:

Empoleon, the other half of my defensive core. I've really enjoyed using this guy, as his typing and usage can cover so many bases for me. In fact, I think my biggest issue is that I might be asking Empoleon to do too much and when it goes down in battle, I struggle to cover those roles. I spam Scald like crazy. It hits hard and burns plenty on switches. Toxic is here to help Empoleon with things that would otherwise resist scald. Defog keeps the field clear (as Houndoom really can't afford much chip damage) and roar keeps things from setting up on us. All-in-all, I've got Empoleon functioning as a specially defensive pivot, a spinner, and a phaser. I might need to take some off it's plate, but I really and truly love using this Pokemon.

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/180 SpD/76 Def
Calm Nature

-Scald
-Toxic
-Roar
-Defog

Heracross:

A wall breaker, pure and simple. Has the added benefit of being surprisingly bulky AND readily absorbs status moves. Guts/flame orb combo to boost already impressive attack stats. Swords dance to further boost that attack to terrifying levels. Close Combat for STAB, facade for neutral coverage (that happens to hit hard after the burn sets in). I originally ran megahorn on it, but opted for Knock Off instead. I noticed this team really struggles against scarves, and that has helped slow some fast pokes down. In nearly every win I've had with this team, Heracross has taken out at least one wall. It's pretty indispensable for something like Houndoom.

Heracross @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Spe/252 Atk/4 Def
Jolly Nature

-Close Combat
-Swords Dance
-Knock Off
-Facade

Houndoom:

Finally, my team MVP and the beloved core of everything: Houndoom. Flash Fire ability has given it a surprising switch in option, that I didn't totally anticipate. Houndoom usually stays on my bench otherwise, until I see an opening mid-late game, and then I let it wreak havoc. Currently has Houndoomite to take what it was already good at and make it better, but I'm not overly attached to the idea that it HAS to be M-Houndoom (if putting a mega stone on something else makes this team more viable, then I'm happy to make that switch). Nasty plot is on here to allow this thing to further set up, Fire Blast and Dark Pulse to cover STAB. I put Sludge Bomb in the 4th move slot, because as I've mentioned previously, fairies give this team fits. It's a pretty straight forward M-Houndoom set as is.

Houndoom @ Houndoomite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spe/252 SpA/4 Def
Timid Nature

-Nasty Plot
-Fire Blast
-Dark Pulse
-Sludge Bomb

And that's the team! In all honesty, base Houndoom is the only thing I consider truly untouchable. I'm open to swapping most of these things, but would prefer to keep this team as intact as possible, and if we must switch out, preferably with something from the list above. In an ideal world, I'm just swapping out some moves/natures/abilities to cover what I've already built.

Weaknesses I've already noticed are obviously fairies, weather teams (although sun actually benefits M-Houndoom), and getting around scarves.

That being said, I understand that Pokemon isn't an equitable game and you can't ALWAYS get what you want so I'm open to any and all suggestions! Thanks guys!
 
Generally, Venusaur is only used on sun teams or used as a Mega (I would know it's my fave pokemon) and while I'll give you credit to try and be creative Venusaur as a phys wall w/out mega in OU kinda just.... topples.
 
Ok so let me just say I’m not a pro so don’t take my word for it k? I’m also rather sleepy so I’m not going to explain a lot.

1. Sun
Sun is not very common nowadays but it is situationally useful. This also gives the star of the team, Houndoom, a chance to shine.

Major change:

:garchomp: —> :ninetales: / :Charizard-Mega-y:
I may afraid I’ll have to get rid of fan favourite Garchomp. Ninetales is preferred because it doesn’t take up the mega slot, but Charizard could be used.

Sets:

Ninetales @ Firium Z
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Hidden Power Ice

Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam / Defog
- Roost

Minor change:

:Venusaur:
Changing Venusaur to make it better in sun is simply a change to Chlorophyll:

Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Growth
- Sludge Bomb
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power Fire

If running Charizard:

Minor change:

:houndoom-Mega: —> :houndoom:
To prevent 2 megas on one team, you’ll have to change houndoom to a non-mega set:

Houndoom @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Taunt

2. Rain
Rain is rather common as of writing, due to the prevalence of Pelliper and a brilliant sweeper in Mega Swampert. So the changes are:

Major change:

:Garchomp: —> :Politoed:

Sorry have to get rid of Garchomp. Again. Politoed sets rain for the team so that your Swift Swimmers can sweep. Set is here:

Politoed @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 220 HP / 148 Def / 84 SpA / 52 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Encore
- Protect

Generally Pelliper would have been better but it’s favourite only so...

Major change:

:venusaur: —> :kabutops:

Kabutops acts as a Swift Swimmer that can deal a lot of damage if played right. However, it’s really not that great. But this is a favourites team and all the Pokemon are bad so...

Kabutops @ Rockium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Liquidation
- Superpower / Aqua Jet

Major change:

:heracross: —> :Golduck:

Another Swift Swimmer.

Golduck @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Hydro Pump / Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power Grass

Major change:

:houndoom-Mega: —> :swampert-Mega:

The face of rain that is thankfully on your favourites list. I suspect Swampert would be the MVP most of the time.

Swampert @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stealth Rock / Superpower

In summary:
So both changes would make the team slightly better. Weather is an interesting tactic but unfortunately most of the Pokemon in these teams are not actually very good in OU. Ah well, it was a try. You could always stick to the old team if you wanted. (And yes, if you were wondering, this is not an actual rate ;)
 

DYA

not a weeb
is a Community Contributor
Ok I will be honest, this team doesn't make any sense. And I wanted to make this a Sun team because I wanted. If you want to play Mega Houndoom use Mono Dark in monotype

First changes:

:Houndoom:-> :charizard:

Mega Charizard Y is a the best Sun Setter in OU by far, it gives the team a powerful wallbreaker and a defogger.

:empoleon: -> :chansey:

Chansey is our SpD general wall, it gives the team a nice Wish support too.

:umbreon: -> :torkoal:

A second hazard removal and sun setter will help the team to have the sun more time in the field, it also provides Rocks.

:heracross: -> :lilligant:

This thing is surprisingly good, with Normalium Z you kill mons that resist your moves like Zapdos. Only mons that resist these combo of attacks are Skarmory and Celesteela. HP Ground to hit heatran ( BUlky variants resist a non boosted hp ground, x1.5 always kill)

Minor changes:

:Garchomp:

I'll change Garchomp set to a defensive one to help the team checking some mons like Landorus T, you run Toxic to hit mons that would not take too much damage from your other attacks.

:venusaur:

Wtf was this set LOL, k so the best sun sweeper is venusaur so you need to run it like that.

Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Solar Beam
- Roost
- Fire Blast

Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss

Torkoal @ Leftovers
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Will-O-Wisp

Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Roar
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Toxic

Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sludge Bomb

Lilligant (F) @ Normalium Z
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Giga Drain
- Giga Impact
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Quiver Dance
 
Ok I will be honest, this team doesn't make any sense. And I wanted to make this a Sun team because I wanted. If you want to play Mega Houndoom use Mono Dark in monotype

First changes:

:Houndoom:-> :charizard:

Mega Charizard Y is a the best Sun Setter in OU by far, it gives the team a powerful wallbreaker and a defogger.

:empoleon: -> :chansey:

Chansey is our SpD general wall, it gives the team a nice Wish support too.

:umbreon: -> :torkoal:

A second hazard removal and sun setter will help the team to have the sun more time in the field, it also provides Rocks.

:heracross: -> :lilligant:

This thing is surprisingly good, with Normalium Z you kill mons that resist your moves like Zapdos. Only mons that resist these combo of attacks are Skarmory and Celesteela. HP Ground to hit heatran ( BUlky variants resist a non boosted hp ground, x1.5 always kill)

Minor changes:

:Garchomp:

I'll change Garchomp set to a defensive one to help the team checking some mons like Landorus T, you run Toxic to hit mons that would not take too much damage from your other attacks.

:venusaur:

Wtf was this set LOL, k so the best sun sweeper is venusaur so you need to run it like that.

Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Solar Beam
- Roost
- Fire Blast

Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss

Torkoal @ Leftovers
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Will-O-Wisp

Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Roar
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Toxic

Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sludge Bomb

Lilligant (F) @ Normalium Z
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Giga Drain
- Giga Impact
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Quiver Dance
In order to successfully turn his team into a sun team(which isn't the focus of the team anyways) you generally want Torkoal as the sun setter.
Chansey does not belong on Sun.
Basic structure of sun is Torkoal/Venusaur/Xard
 

DYA

not a weeb
is a Community Contributor
In order to successfully turn his team into a sun team(which isn't the focus of the team anyways) you generally want Torkoal as the sun setter.
Chansey does not belong on Sun.
Basic structure of sun is Torkoal/Venusaur/Xard
?????????? And there is obviously the Zard/Torkoal/Venu core, wtf are you saying, Chansey is good in the team as a wish support that helps recovering life to teammates like Torkoal or Garchomp
 

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