OU DPP OU creative and underrated sets

[afterburn]

Hi there!

First of all, sry for the delay! I've been super busy with some IRL stuff recently. The archive is finally updated, thanks again for all your contributions! (the DPP interview will come back soon too). I also wanted to add a set I especially love to play:

Abomasnow @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Wood Hammer
- Ice Shard​

For a long time, I've always seen Abomasnow as a cool defensive Pokemon, a nice water resist with Leech Seed with decent defensive stats. However, SD Abomasnow is probably one of my favorite Pokemon atm. Paired with Magnezone to deal with Skarmory / Jirachi / Bronzong / Scizor / the other Magnezone (and the steels in general), Abomasnow can be a real threat, especially if you're not prepared for it. Thanks to your natural bulk and typing, you can set a SD on Clefable, Swampert, Milotic, Suicune, Starmie, and you're no that easy to rk. You can put some EVs in speed, but I prefer 252 HP / 252 Atk since I think SD Abo is better in some paralysis based builds with bslam jirachi and twave magnezone. Thunder Wave Latias is an awesome partner too. SD Abomasnow is especially cool vs some fat / stall teams if you trap the steels and the eventual Rotom.

Here is a game I played with Marshall.Law with SD Abo! Tbh I builded the team super quickly some hours ago and I played it poorly, but it can gives you a good idea of the potential of SD Abo!

Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!

Apologies for double post but I've been using this a lot too after seeing this post a while back. Shreds the common Rose/Tran/Cune/Lati/Rotom-A archetype if you can keep t-spikes off the field and deal with Tran somehow. eg Scarf HP Ground Zone >:)

edit: also I personally use seed bomb as Boma is a really cool pivot vs waters, and I used him on a team with no spinner so didn’t want to cut his life span any shorter. Didn’t really miss any potential KOs other than Phys def Clefable.

Here is the team I used: https://pokepast.es/8ec06c078c72e770

Which also includes another underrated set which is Scarf Rose:

Roserade @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Toxic Spikes
- Leaf Storm
- HP Ice / HP Fire / HP Ground / Sludge Bomb

Credit to BKC for that idea which I picked up last year from his teambuilding vid where he made like 10 teams. Solid revenge killer, T spikes setter, T-spikes absorber without needing a spinner and can still cripple something with a fast sleep. I enjoy Sludge Bomb in the last slot as a second STAB on the team linked above as I have zone for steels, though obviously you can use HP Ice/Fire/Ground or Weather Ball in the last slot which are the usual options.

Ofc you can use Spikes > T Spikes, but keep in mind Leaf Storm + Spike is illegal iirc, and I need LS to revenge offensive Gyara on the above team.

 

[WcJay]

Hello! I've just seen this thread for the first time and I love it. I really enjoy building in this tier and clearly the best about it is to innovate and use unusual techs to surprise the opponent and take advantage out of it.


Heatran @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Protect
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Grass]

This thing can be really nasty against Choice locked mons (especially Infernape, Flygon, Heatran) and can also give you a free tempo to scout if the opponent is trying to double switch or not. The last move can be Hp Grass, Hp Ice, Hp Elec, Dragon Pulse, Explosion and so on, it's up to you.
Tspikes / Sandstorm support is fun too when playing with Protect.

Rotom-Wash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Trick

A forgotten set that's actually pretty decent, hits surprisingly hard and can catch a lot of players off guard while still being versatile due to Trick, giving a Choice Specs that will generally be a burden for the opponent. With Tspikes + Stealth Rocks support, Tyranitar will not be able to come again later in the game if the rocks are still active. A few Pokemons can really abuse of the "non-presence" of Tyranitar, such as Psychic types and Zapdos. (elec spam is fun but Clefable, Latias, Tyranitar are too common for this strategy to be effective imo)

252 SpA Choice Specs Rotom-Wash Thunderbolt vs. 48 HP / 184 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 112-133 (31.7 - 37.6%) -- 91.4% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Rotom-Wash Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Jirachi: 201-237 (49.7 - 58.6%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Rotom-Wash Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Clefable: 154-183 (39 - 46.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Rotom-Wash Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 204 SpD Scizor: 192-226 (55.9 - 65.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

Gyarados @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 156 HP / 72 Atk / 96 Def / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge

Gyarados is already a big threat in DPP OU, pretty hard to take down even with Stealth Rocks up. Now let's give it another shot to overcome statuts and residual damage. Because of the lack of Taunt on this set, it is better when paired with something that can lure and get rid of Skarmory such as Magnezone, Fire blast Tyranitar, Mixgon or Ebelt Metagross.

Speaking of which:

Metagross @ Expert Belt / @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 80 HP / 124 Atk / 252 SpA / 52 Spe
Quiet Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psychic / Stealth Rocks
- Earthquake / Grass Knot / Explosion

This is a set I really like, already exists and even has a dedicated place on the smogdex, though it's not played very much. Depending on what you need, it can be played a various ways to lure your opponent and take free kills, especially against fat teams.

While Physically Defensive Skarmory takes (53.8 - 63.4%) on @ Leftovers Hidden Power Fire, the Specially Defensive version only takes (43.7 - 51.4%) from the @ Expert Belt Metagross. However it's enough to pressure Skarmory enough and force him to switch out with half its HP, since Roost got only 16 PP whereas Hidden Power got 24 of them. (Plus you can crit)

Here are some calcs against common Metagross checks.


252+ SpA Metagross Psychic vs. 156 HP / 0 SpD Gyarados: 130-154 (35.1 - 41.6%) -- 69.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock, sandstorm damage, and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Metagross Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Rotom-Wash: 123-145 (51 - 60.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Expert Belt Metagross Grass Knot (80 BP) vs. 240 HP / 0 SpD Swampert: 408-480 (101.7 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Metagross Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 204 SpD Scizor: 312-369 (90.9 - 107.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Expert Belt Metagross Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Bronzong: 144-170 (42.6 - 50.2%) -- 33.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Expert Belt Metagross Grass Knot (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Starmie: 211-249 (65.1 - 76.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Expert Belt Metagross Grass Knot (100 BP) vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Milotic: 189-225 (48 - 57.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Expert Belt Metagross Grass Knot (100 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Suicune: 204-242 (50.4 - 59.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

Okay I believe I'm done for the moment, I've got plenty of things I'd like to share with you but it takes me a lot of time to write these. So yeah, see you soon. :)

 

[Pideous]

Hello! Zapdos is one of my favourite pokemon to use in DPP, and while I enjoy the defensive set as much as the next person, it can hardly be considered underrated. Instead, I wanted to bring a little attention to a different set, Choice Scarf Zapdos.

Zapdos @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- U-turn

Scarf is not Zapdos' best set, and Zapdos is not the best scarfer. However, if your team can afford to compensate for the weaknesses this pokemon brings compared to the alternatives, then it can be worth taking advantage of the strengths of this set.

The most important point of comparison is to Scarf Rotom-A, who fills a similar role with the added advantage of spin blocking. Rotom-A's neutrality to SR also grants it more opportunities to switch in when hazards are up. Furthermore, the immunity to normal and fighting type moves allows Rotom-A to absorb explosions and check SD Lucario, which this set cannot do if rocks are up. Finally, Rotom-A has trick, to give it more counterplay against defensive builds.

Scarf Zapdos does have some key advantages though. First and foremost, Zapdos is significantly stronger than Rotom-A, especially when you consider that Modest Zapdos out speeds Timid Rotom-A. This makes Zapdos noticeably more threatening against frailer offensive builds, and overall the superior late game cleaner. Secondly, access to U-Turn allows Zapdos to keep momentum more easily than Rotom-A, granting it significant midgame utility as long as rocks can be kept off. Thirdly, Zapdos is bulkier than Rotom-A and isn't weak to Pursuit, one of the most significant drawbacks of Scarf Rotom-A, allowing you to play Zapdos more aggressively and take advantage of it's powerful thunderbolts. Lastly, this set is quite under the radar, so you might catch some opponents off guard :)

If you don't need a spinblocker, can afford to run spin support, and hopefully a more solid Lucario check then it might be worth considering Scarf Zapdos as a potent alternative to the more standard Scarf Rotom-A. (I put Timid as an option in case you want to out speed Adamant Scarf Flygon, and speed tie Jolly, but it's not worth the power drop if you ask me)

 

[Jirachee]

Hello! Zapdos is one of my favourite pokemon to use in DPP, and while I enjoy the defensive set as much as the next person, it can hardly be considered underrated. Instead, I wanted to bring a little attention to a different set, Choice Scarf Zapdos.
View attachment 333576
Zapdos @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- U-turn

Scarf is not Zapdos' best set, and Zapdos is not the best scarfer. However, if your team can afford to compensate for the weaknesses this pokemon brings compared to the alternatives, then it can be worth taking advantage of the strengths of this set.

The most important point of comparison is to Scarf Rotom-A, who fills a similar role with the added advantage of spin blocking. Rotom-A's neutrality to SR also grants it more opportunities to switch in when hazards are up. Furthermore, the immunity to normal and fighting type moves allows Rotom-A to absorb explosions and check SD Lucario, which this set cannot do if rocks are up. Finally, Rotom-A has trick, to give it more counterplay against defensive builds.

Scarf Zapdos does have some key advantages though. First and foremost, Zapdos is significantly stronger than Rotom-A, especially when you consider that Modest Zapdos out speeds Timid Rotom-A. This makes Zapdos noticeably more threatening against frailer offensive builds, and overall the superior late game cleaner. Secondly, access to U-Turn allows Zapdos to keep momentum more easily than Rotom-A, granting it significant midgame utility as long as rocks can be kept off. Thirdly, Zapdos is bulkier than Rotom-A and isn't weak to Pursuit, one of the most significant drawbacks of Scarf Rotom-A, allowing you to play Zapdos more aggressively and take advantage of it's powerful thunderbolts. Lastly, this set is quite under the radar, so you might catch some opponents off guard :)

If you don't need a spinblocker, can afford to run spin support, and hopefully a more solid Lucario check then it might be worth considering Scarf Zapdos as a potent alternative to the more standard Scarf Rotom-A. (I put Timid as an option in case you want to out speed Adamant Scarf Flygon, and speed tie Jolly, but it's not worth the power drop if you ask me)

Holy baby Jesus YES!

Scarf Zapdos is so damn good man. There are so many times when the fast and strong Thunderbolt / Heat Wave just ends the game. The Speed tier is also insane, personally I always use Timid because the speed tie against Flygon and Jirachi can win you games (a lot of people will cheat and use Adamant on these two, lol).

I think the best niche for Scarf Zapdos is on a crazy offense, because realistically you'll only send in your scarfer once or twice, so the Stealth Rock weakness isn't a big deal. On top of that, the raw power and Speed make it a superb cleaner in offense vs offense matchups, and you should at least tie their scarfer, so you give yourself the best chance in the mirror. I made quite a few teams that exploit that, and roscoe used 2 of them in SPL 9 (quite a while ago!) Here is the first one. For the second one, it unfortunately never came out, but it was looking mighty dangerous lol.

 

[Sakito]

Zapdos @ Life Orb / Magnet / Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Ominous Wind

Small tech on offensive Zapdos Emeral and I theorymonned quite a bit. Zapdos hasn't been too popular lately in DPP, yet it's still one of the scariest Pokemon in my eyes and one of the first threats I make sure to account for in the teambuilder. I was messing with offensive Zapdos and wanted to try it on hyper offense, the problem I had was that with HP Ice I couldn't touch Swampert effectively, as with HP Grass I couldn't touch Latias effectively. Here's a cool midground: Ominous Wind. Ominous Wind also lets you do cool stuff like hit super effectively Rotom in addition to Latias, here are some calcs with Life Orb:

252+ SpA Life Orb Zapdos Ominous Wind vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Latias: 146-174 (40.1 - 47.8%) -- 53.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock, sandstorm damage, and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Zapdos Ominous Wind vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-Wash: 172-204 (56.5 - 67.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock, sandstorm damage, and Leftovers recovery

Not to mention Ominous Wind's bonus effect, which can make Zapdos even more destructive with some luck.

The main blatant issue of that super aggro Zap is that it is not durable at all since it takes Life Orb recoil + Sand damage, which adds up pretty quick and leaves it the opportunity to break through only for a short moment, so making good predictions with it if needed may reward you highly. As mentioned you preferably wanna fit it on hyper offense that tries to win as fast as possible + tries to keep Stealth Rock off early, since you wanna have this Zap at full health when it enters the field. I personally prefer Life Orb usually because of the higher sheer power it provides even if it means dying more quickly. However, feel free to try all of Magnet, Leftovers, or even something like Miracle Seed (ruins Swampert and gives higher rolls vs Hippo) all of them have legit merits. I think a more durable set of Tbolt HP Grass Ominous Wind + Roost may be worth trying with proper support, but I haven't found the perfect team for that yet.

here's a team I made as a bonus, I've had a lot of fun with it

Metagross @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
Shiny: Yes
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Protect

A slight variant of lefties Meta I was running some months ago on those Mag oriented bulky offenses. Admittedly you generally always want Explosion on Metagross, but I found Toxic to be a nifty tech to lure and cripple long-term a bunch of Pokemon these Mag bulky offenses usually don't appreciate too much, namely Swampert, Milotic, Gliscor, Hippowdon, Zapdos and even pokes like Quagsire and Slowbro. This Meta pairs even better with pokes like DD Tyranitar, SD Gliscor or DD Kingdra that greatly appreciates the aforementioned Pokemon crippled.

Gengar (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond

I know some people have tried this set before but I wanted to touch on it. Gengar has a lot of available options with its 4th move; between Taunt, Explosion, Trick, Substitute, Knock Off and even Hypnosis, there's always plenty to choose from. Destiny Bond is a cool move to fit there as well and has never disappointed me, countless situations where it consistently saved me from awkward situations / gave me a free trade against a Pokemon trying to finish me off. From my experience, pokes like Swampert, Heatran, Metagross, Jirachi, Suicune, and Milotic are likely to easily fall for it since they are usually willing to deal with Gengar in a 1v1. It's honestly pretty straightforward so I won't delve more into the details, but I can only recommend to try it for yourself.

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot / Thunderbolt
- Recover

My favorite Starmie set right after Choice Specs. I feel like offensive Starmie has been a forgotten threat for some time now, but it's still something to watch out for - especially for offense. I found Recover to be a bit more useful than Rapid Spin overall, gives it slightly more longevity and allows you to keep yourself relatively healthy throughout a game, you can find some opportunities to click it especially if your opponent is trying to play around Starmie to chip it via Life Orb recoil + Sand damage. Dropping Rapid Spin may look stupid, but unless you're running a Stealth Rock weak Pokemon on your team the loss is really not that big, especially on such a set where your aim is not to consistently Spin. Similarly to offensive Zap, since this set takes a good chunk of passive damage, making good predictions with it may reward you highly as well. I experienced it quite a bit on some heavy special offenses as a cleaner, and it worked pretty nicely. It's tremendous against offensives teams, or teams that just aren't prepared for it lol. It even may not be that useless against fatter teams / stall if you manage to lure the Clef / weaken the Lati.

bonus team - really fun one if anything

 

[SFG]

Hey guys ! Thank you very much for all your posts and the general interest you put in this thread. I've been a bit busy these last weeks, and my exams are coming. I'll update it in ≃ 1 month, sry for the delay !

 

[Excal]

Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
Hasty Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
- Fire Blast
- Surf

Been not-so satisfied with SR Crunch FB EQ ttar recently, feel like it's deadweight vs a lot of scary stuff and even if it feels necessary, there's definitely some other cool coverage that can be played with. Been enjoying Surf on this set a bit more, think Crunch Fire Punch Aqua Tail coverage on DDtar but on SR instead. It's hit-all and kinda misses out on Empoleon which is the main downside. Surf hits all of Heatran, Gliscor, Hippowdon, Nidoqueen, and opposing Ttar for super effective damage. It's especially nice vs Gliscor which would otherwise wall this set and be really annoying.

Flygon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Naughty Nature
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Flamethrower/Fire Blast/Hidden Power Ice
- Dragon Claw

Substitute Flygon has always been a very appealing idea to me. Flygon gets probably more opportunities to set up a sub than pretty much anything in the meta. Some examples of this include against opposing ScarfGon (where w/out dclaw it usually u turns out to not have to commit to outrage, or just use its bad EQ lock), RestTalk Rotom, and in any scenario where you can threaten MixGon coverage (this is a lot of scenarios btw). Use maximum Attack with a +Atk nature to really dish it out offensively against pretty much everything (in particular Metagross, Clefable, Tyranitar). Filler move depends on team pacing and support pieces. Gliscor is probably the most annoying Pokemon to deal with for this set, so if you have Magnezone support you can go ahead and try HP ice out. Flamethrower is good on slower paced stuff, Fire Blast is good on more offensive teams. I'd suggest pairing this with sand and a Knock Off user because if you hit RestTalk Rotom with Knock, you can always 3HKO it in sand with Dragon Claw. This set absolutely shreds offense and makes a great cleaner, and isn't bad against stall either.

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
- Protect

Protect on Hippowdon is amazing. It takes its longevity to whole new levels by suffocating opponents with passive regeneration and sand chip and also scouting for powerful choice item atks that are often used to overwhelm hippo and scout for Trick. A lot of offenses that have some issues breaking Hippowdon have big issues breaking Protect Hippowdon. You do not drop Slack Off for it btw, you use both together.

Dragonite @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Roost

Bulky SubDDNite is really potent on the right team. It requires quite a bit of support to work (weather clearing, magnezone, etc) but if you set up for it well it can mercilessly plow through an entire team. The idea is you pump it with a ton of HP and SpD to the point where you can set up on RestTalk Rotom (Thunderbolt doesn't break its sub) AND WishTect Jirachi (Iron Head is an unfavored roll to break a sub, para it with Magnezone and you're in business). This pokemon is hard to kill, it's a wincondition with great resistances, and it's super fun to use. Do not just throw it on some random team and expect it to do really well though, you really have to dedicate an entire build to this thing's success, but it can definitely be worth it if you do it right.

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
Naive/Hasty Nature
- Calm Mind
- Iron Head
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt/Thunder

CM + Iron Head Jirachi is something that's definitely been used before. In 2019 I remember messing with HP Fire filler and I even gave this to Altina to cteam icrawled in dpp cup lmao. This set is still really good though, and forgotten. It's a really nifty tar/clef lure and it can beat both in a 1v1. Iron Head is just a great move anyway. I wanted to pair this with SubCMCune and a Rain Dance user (thunder synergy too lol) because of its ability to wear down and lure Tar/Clef. This is also really good on a screens team because with Thunder it does really well vs CM + Roar Latias, which traditionally destroys all screens teams without too much effort. You paralyze it with Thunder, then threaten it with Iron Head.

 

[bw understander]

@ Magnet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: x HP / 252 SpA / 252 - x Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost

fear not! now the thunder kill the sinistar clefable.... plus two electric move so you do never miss. discharge because THE Para is good. but you use the tbolt is needed. fill other moves ah yes!

(F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Poison Point
EVs: 248 HP / 172 Def / 88 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Counter
- Taunt
- Toxic Spikes

oh yes he is thg favorite! counter kill many scary attack like dragonite breloom even gyarados sometime. of course it lure the ground too. So there is easy kill. more fast then rotomw rester so you may click the taunt. of course you need more speed sometime. do not use less then 88 speed.

@ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
- Superpower
- Seed Bomb
- Stun Spore
- Spore

of course the mushroom of many danger. uses the sleep but then opponent switch to fast pokesmons like gener or latias or The setupper dragons. well fear not! the PARA save, of course... yes it is strong and very danger against the offense AND the Defenses.

@ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 16 HP
- What move you need :)
- What move you need :)
- Substitute
- Baton Pass

hehe of course the substitute baton. 101 sub style for best kill on the clefable. but of course water resisters are Rare so you can use the maximal sSpa with the hydro pump for many damages. the Ice beam or electric is good . but th bulky style with surf roar is exchange wuth the hydro too. for now the bulky to live attacker moves AND roar away. plus you more speed then skarmory so he whirlwind fail.

 

[johnnyg2]

Just an fyi, Baton Pass is banned in DPP. Vappy is one of the best subpassers preban though. Like the other sets though!

Some other sets I've tried are Bulk Up Machamp on Screens, CB Heracross on paraspam. Love all the sets people are using!

 

[voyage]

Rotom-Wash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Trick

Rotom W is one of my DPP favorites. Thanks to this cover (HPump) he can aggressively hit his greatest threat, which is Ttar. You usually lure him into the change to look for the surprise factor.
SBall with Specs is a relief for teammates like Gyara if you eliminate things like Cresselia or Celebi so you can sweep later.
Powered TBolt for those pesky Scizors aside from taking down Gyara in a single click.
Hm maybe it's a set that doesn't look much like Scarf / WoW / SubSplit among others but it tends to have a good initial match up.

Feraligatr @ Mystic Water
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Return

With all of you my favorite starter. I have a great weakness for Feraligatr and that is that I think it is better than people think. It really has the potential to surprise and get results.
Well, this set is basically its SD version but with MW of support to further boost its stab + Torrent.
Hm, Adamant> Jolly seems like a better option to me since it does not have bad speed in addition to having priority.
This mon moves better with things like Skarm so he can push easier with hazards on the other side.
Return is good cover for Gyara or Loom for example.
I think this is the best set compared to LO or Lum Berry / Wacan.

 

[Le Don]

Some sets that I've been using a lot.

Gyarados @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Double-Edge

Hell yeah, OHKO breloom and starmie is always a pleasure and it allows you to hit really hard others water types to help, for example, Metagross to finish the job. Use Hwish Latias / other pokemon for more longevity. Not the best option but it's really fun.
Some calcs :

+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Gyarados Double-Edge vs. 236 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 328-386 (102.5 - 120.6%)
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Gyarados Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 40 Def Starmie: 296-349 (91.3 - 107.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock ( 50% chance to OHKO without SR )
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Gyarados Double-Edge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Milotic: 228-269 (58 - 68.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery ( You don't need rocks in order to 2HKO it )
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Gyarados Double-Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kingdra: 284-335 (97.5 - 115.1%)
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Gyarados Double-Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Suicune: 241-284 (70.6 - 83.2%)
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Gyarados Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Suicune: 178-210 (44 - 51.9%) -- 74.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Gyarados Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 160+ Def Latias: 228-269 (62.6 - 73.9%)

Roserade @ Black Sludge
Ability: Poison Point
EVs: 12 SpA
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Spikes
- Energy Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sleep Talk

I'm a big fan of Roserade. I've always been using Natural Cure on it so I was using a sleep absorber alongside it to manage Breloom. I saw McMeghan using a sleep talk Roserade so I decided to try it myself and it worked pretty well. Absorbs sleep and stack spikes thanks to sleep talk. 12 EV in spA in order to always break sub from Bulky loom ( 236 HP EV ).

12 SpA Roserade Energy Ball vs. 236 HP / 0 SpD Breloom: 80-94 (25 - 29.3%)

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe ( Stupid 309 speed Jirachi, I have nightmares of it )
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Taunt

So much underrated. Coupled with sandstorm in stall teams ( particularly Hippodown stall : Sand is up turn 1 ), removing leftovers destroy longevity of every answer to Gliscor ( Water types like Milo / Pert / suicune / starmie ... , rotom, zapdos, latias... ). They do not more "resist" to sand, losing 6,25% by 6,25%, forcing to use recover / roost / rest earlier. Don't forget that you have Taunt too.

That's all for me.
Thx for reading.

 

[SFG]

Updated ! The DPP Interviews are back too, so feel free to check it out

 

[Pideous]

A couple more sets I've enjoyed.

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Protect
- Whirlwind
- Roost

I've been experimenting a bit with some different options for this slot besides Flying Stab/ Taunt. Protect is a really cool move here, which helps a lot in staving off powerful physical attackers with some extra leftovers and racking up sand chip. Scouting choice locked moves and double switches, such as from Rotom-A, is also really strong. Lastly, it helps in avoiding coverage moves like Fire Blast from Tyranitar or Flygon. Just make sure you don't protect too often, giving away free switches like that is pretty bad. It works on Shed Shell Skarm too, but the lefties recovery is even more impactful with Protect so it's hard to give up. Absolute Taunt food, and likely not too useful outside of stall, but a nice choice regardless.

Mesprit @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 76 SpD
Bold Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Copycat

I haven't used this one as much, but I like it so far. Drawing a lot of inspiration from this thread with this one, but Copycat is a neat move on Mesprit. Mesprit is really nice for checking stuff like Gyarados and Dragonite, but it can feel like dead weight against a lot of defensive stuff, which turned me off from using it. However, it actually has some nice traits for those matchups, particularly a Spikes immunity, so I wanted to find a way for Mesprit to actually play a role in those games. With Copycat, it can switch into Skarmory and Roserade as they spike, threaten them out and copy the spike on the switch. If the Mesprit response is something slow and passive like Clefable, Mesprit can spike again. Copying Knock off helps wear Clefable down, and Mesprit can come in as something recovers to copy a Soft-boiled, Recover, Slack off or Roost. And of course, copying a phazing move with neutral priority can cause havoc with some hazards down.

There are some other sets I've enjoyed -for example GSCross with rest talk, bulk up and megahorn is a cool status absorber to build around, and TWave CM Slowbro pairs the ability to check DDancers with the ability to threaten a sweep, but they aren't really as consistent or easy to fit on teams. Also shout out to Iron Defense Skarm, pretty weird but can be helpful against stuff like Gyarados and even Jirachi. Shed Shell Skarm especially can be in trouble with some bad luck to flinches, doubling defence stops that problem. Slightly narrow application though.

I love reading the sets people share, some really cool stuff here!

 

[bynum]

Back from my winter hibernation, but I just wanted to highlight a set that has seen some use on ladder. DD TWave Gyara is a super cool mon that fulfills both a support and sweeper role. You can thunder wave common switch ins to early game Gyarados like Skarm/Milo/Cune to cripple them for other mons to eliminate them. This set functions best with a healing wish-er - usually Latias, but as my brother the-sprinkler likes to say "if it learns healing wish, slap that shit on it," so rachi + clef are also fringe options. I bet none of y'all need this but in game you essentially twave everything and then hwish it back up to full so you can sweep. GG, no re. <3 RoA love you guys

Gyarados
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thunder Wave
- Waterfall
- Bounce (recommended)/Earthquake/Ice Fang/etc

 

[TheNegotiator]

Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Rock Slide
- Worry Seed
- Recover

Extremely dumb idea I came up with. With Dugtrio banned, Cradily lost the one reliable way of removing its worst enemy: Breloom. Thus, I attempted to fix that issue with Worry Seed Cradily, turning Breloom's own longevity against it. Breloom isn't the only Cradily switch in that gets fucked by Worry Seed. Scizor is another poke that Cradily is scared of and removing its technician means that its only options are to either u-turn out, or attack with weak bullet punches. Even Metagross can get screwed over by Worry Seed, as removing Clear Body can make it so that an intimidator like Gyarados can actually weaken it. Removing Clefable's Magic Guard, and Blissey's and Celebi's Natural Cure can be especially deadly if toxic spikes are on the field.

This idea is extremely dumb though cause while this is all of the things Worry Seed Cradily can do, it will likely fall flat on its face. It pretty much needs spikes support so that worry seeding Breloom or Scizor can actually make progress instead of it just being a minor inconvenience. And even if spikes are up, there's no guarantee that Cradily will produce results, as this set gets destroyed by Metagross. Even if you manage to worry seed away Clear Body so that Gyarados can intimidate it, it hardly works if Stealth Rocks are up, as Gyara would take significant damage even if it gets the intimidate off. This set would prolly only work on really hardcore stall teams and it's unlikely it will ever make waves on a serious, tournament winning team but it's prolly fun to mess around with.

Raikou @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Weather Ball
- Aura Sphere

Prolly not the only one to come up with this idea but thought it was worth sharing anyways. With Weather Ball in Abomasnow's hail, Raikou no longer needs to choose between hitting Swampert and grounds and dragons like Flygon and Dragonite. It also supports Abomasnow well, as with aura sphere, it keeps Tyranitar away. However, it has some serious flaws, as it has a notable amount of anti-synergy with Tyranitar, which sucks, as not having T-tar means that Raikou loses the most reliable pursuit to eliminate its biggest enemy: Rotom-A.

EDIT: I cannot believe I missed this but worry seed also removes Machamp's No Guard, thus making its dynamic punch a literal coin flip. In a pinch, you can also set up enough curses on machamp, but such a situation where that is the best play is extremely rare.

 

[SOMALIA]

Gliscor (Gliscor) (M) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake
- Thunder Fang

With the average speed of most teams in the metagame not be too high, Gliscor outpaces many threats and can kill them before they kill it.

The idea is set up on choice locked Pokémon or force a switch and then get a Swords Dance and just start going to town from there.

Some pointers for people who haven't used this before:

Substitute Steel-types are amazing partners as they force the many Choiced physics mons to lock into EQ / Superpower meaning Gliscor can get a safe switch-in + free set up / or just attack.
Yache allows you to prevent attempts from scarf Lucario (Annoying) / Scarf Rachi / Mix Rachi / Scarf Rotom etc etc to taking you down from high health. Additionally, many revenge killers are either scarfers or just absolute tanks (bulky waters who can take a boosted EQ without folding like a beach chair). These Fat mons can be taken advantage of i.e. switch out and set more hazards / Use that passive phase from the opponent to now maybe heal allies etc.
I've used this set with a balanced team and it does incredibly well at killing the ever so popular screens physical offense archetype. (Nice teammates include one's that can spread status, looking at you Jirachi. Tyranitar is obviously nice as it provides chip on numerous Pokemon and can trap a few scarfers who annoy Gliscor.

Gliscor's typing / speed / bulk allows it to find ample opportunities to set up and can dish out decent damage as well, many teams can get swept once their scarfer is crippled (which isnt too hard to do, just overload them with similar mons),​

 

[Dorron]

It's shiny pog
Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk (you can do calcs to anything if needed) / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Sucker Punch


​

This is my favourite set to use with Gengar. It is the typical LO set with Ball Blast and Bolt but brings Sucker Punch as fourth slot. Though Gengar's Atk is pretty low, it can still deal a good damage to Psychic- and other Ghost-types that are naturally faster or are holding Choice Scarf (or opposing Gengar / Latias and you don't want to risk the speed tie).

4 Atk Life Orb Gengar Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azelf: 142-168 (48.6 - 57.5%) -- 94.5% chance to 2HKO
4 Atk Life Orb Gengar Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gengar: 158-188 (60.5 - 72%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
4 Atk Life Orb Gengar Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Latias: 114-136 (37.8 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
4 Atk Life Orb Gengar Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Wash: 100-118 (41.4 - 48.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
4 Atk Life Orb Gengar Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Starmie: 122-144 (46.7 - 55.1%) -- 62.9% chance to 2HKO
4 Atk Life Orb Gengar Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Froslass: 142-168 (50.5 - 59.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

You also deal more less ~23% to every other neutral target, which is at least decent and Dark coverage is rlly good when hitting neutral, and can pick KOs in Sash priority users / leads that switched out like Mamo, Azelf, Empoleon, Machamp and Gross.

 

[Le Don]

Hey ! I'm back with more cool stuff I've been toying with :

Underrated set
Cold like winter (Suicune) @ Leftovers
EVs : Idk, I personaly use a lot of Speed EVs, some HP EVs and the rest in SpA.
- Calm Mind
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Protect

HMNIP used a Protect Suicune last SSNL against me and Hellpowna also used a Protect Suicune for the ROAPL ( vs Emeral ) and I really like it.
The idea is simple : scouting choice locked like Rotom, Starmie, Latias... -> Trick is no longer a problem. Also scouting moves like Explosion : avoiding Explosion from Metagross, Bronzong, Scarf Magnezone... if you catch the Explosion you will be in a very good position for the rest of the game because lots of teams relie on Explosion to beat Suicune / Waters. Protect is also free Leftovers recovery without sand.
Don't reveal Protect too early, you need the surprise effect to make it work very effectively.
Don't forget that you have Pressure so you can use Protect in order to pp waste.
I guess you can use it alongside Toxic Spikes but idk if the goal of the set is to abuse of them. Just use a SubCune / VinCune, it will work better in my opinion.
Maybe you can paired it with a "Weather reset" like Kingdra Rain Dance / Breloom Sunny Day but you prefer run a bulkier Suicune with it ( like Sakito said here https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/dpp-ou-cores-little-synergies-mk-ii.3686114/post-8886653 ). I have to explore its potential.


Creative set
Live Corn in my gun (Froslass) @ Focus Sash
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Speed // 252 HP / 44 SpD / 212 Speed
- Thunder Wave
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam / Icy Wind

I'm known as a Gyarados spammer ( especially lead, praise CB Gyara ), some players tried to "counter lead" me ( cc Thepatatedouce ) by using Zapdos, Rotom, Thunder Jirachi ... So I had a funny idea : use Froslass lead with Thunder Wave. The goal is to paralyse leads like Jirachi then stack Spikes on it and pray for full para. Thunder Wave also support your teammates : Lucario loves Spikes and will be very happy to outspeed a Jolly Jirachi with Fire punch ( 308 speed or more ).
Full HP in order to live Iron Head + U-turn from Jirachi and to not be in range of Sandstorm after it. You also take 2 Thunderbolts from 0 SpA Rotom. I don't think that SpA on Froslass is useful : you still 2HKO Roserade for example, HP has more value for me.
Focus sash for leads like Heatran or Metagross.
Icy Wind is an option for Aerodactyl leads but you have ton run at least 152 EVs in SpA in order to 2HKO it and Aerodactyl lead is never seen so yeah just use Ice Beam. Earthquake doesn't 2HKO Froslass with some invests in HP.
I personaly don't like Destiny Bond, I consider it as a free turn for your opponent who will switch 99% of the time to scout the move. Just stack Spikes.
You can run 44 SpD in order to live Hydro Pump + Aqua Jet from Empoleon ( break the Sash with Ice Beam into Spikes ) but at the cost of removing Speed EVs.
Froslass also has Disable, Ice Shard / Sucker Punch, Dual Screens, Trick, Tormant, Protect, Snatch, Sing, Mimic and Block. Is it strong enough to take the place of Thunder Wave or Destiny Bond? I don't think so but I should give a try...

Some calcs :

0 Atk Jirachi Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Froslass: 230-272 (66.8 - 79%)
0 Atk Jirachi U-turn vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Froslass: 34-40 (9.8 - 11.6%)
0 Atk Jirachi Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Froslass: 234-276 (83.2 - 98.2%)
0 Atk Jirachi U-turn vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Froslass: 34-40 (12 - 14.2%)
0 SpA Rotom-Fan Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Froslass: 144-169 (41.8 - 49.1%)
152 SpA Froslass Icy Wind vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl: 152-180 (50.4 - 59.8%)
252 Atk Aerodactyl Earthquake vs. 104 HP / 0 Def Froslass: 126-149 (41 - 48.5%)
252+ SpA Empoleon Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 44 SpD Froslass: 246-289 (70.9 - 83.7%)
4- Atk Empoleon Aqua Jet vs. 252 HP Froslass: 46-55 (13.3 - 15.9%)

That's all for me.
Thx for reading.

PS : Another post is coming soon !

 

[Kristyl]

Been a while since my last post in this thread so I figured I'll share some sets that I've been enjoying recently.

Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
Careful Nature
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Rest
- Stealth Rock

Hide

I really love bulky Tyranitar but sometimes when you're trying to tank hits from Heatran,Rotom and Latias you can get worn down fairly quickly. Especially when you factor in the passive damage from hazards sometimes I don't always have the longevity to deal with teams that stack special threats. Rest makes TTar able to hold on vs status spreaders like heatran/rotom while being less exposed to cheap damage on longer games. You do leave yourself open to some scary Pokemon like Gyarados or Dragonite though so you do need a sturdy defensive backbone against physical threats. Bulky Tyranitar has many great filler moves so there's tough competition but I've found this set very valuable on stall teams. It's worth giving a try in my opinion.

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
Careful / Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock

Hide

When it comes to stall teams Hippowdon stall is one of my favorites. I love how it can sponge hits then reliably heal them off, it also offers sand and rocks in one slot which I find incredibly important for stall teams at the moment. I really love Toxic, you can catch so many Pokemon with it (Swampert,Latias,Milotic,Suicune etc). The passive damage really adds up fast when you're factoring in Toxic damage,Hazards and Weather. For a stall team aiming to slowly wear down it's opponents team this can certainly speed up the process. Also makes your own team much harder to break when you put their breakers on a timer. I don't think it requires much support but Magnezone to remove Skarmory can be helpful and you'll need counter measures to Breloom,Gengar and Gliscor.

Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Bold Nature
- Imprison
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock

Hide

It's definitely niche since Azelf is very tough competition but I like Uxie's superior bulk and certain teams will really benefit from it. Sometimes I've really wanted the extra Bulk and defensive backbone Uxie offers while also keeping Rocks off the field, at least in the early game. So to get the best of both worlds I've been trying Imprison Uxie. It can keep Rocks off the field from more Pokemon then you might initially think (Empoleon,Metagross,Swampert,Bronzong to name some). Uxie has many awesome filler moves and I think this one can be super useful on the right team. Amount of speed is up to you but I usually like this set with quite a bit to make sure you can keep the Rocks down.

Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Adamant Nature
- Seed Bomb
- Superpower
- Facade
- Spore

Hide

I've found Zapdos and Latias pretty annoying for my offense teams that lack Tyranitar. The extra pressure Facade gives you against Zapdos and Latias has been really helpful for helping some of my team maneuver around them. Keep in mind that you aren't going to be checking DD Tyranitar or Agility Empoleon when considering it for you team though. An example of a team that I think utilizes it really well is Heist's SPL 11 team seen here:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen4ou-478322

Jirachi
Ability: Serene Grace
Serious Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Healing Wish

Hide

I'm sure many people have used this before but I got the idea from one of Jimmy Turtwig's teams. Sometimes when I'm using HO or offensive paraspam it'll fall short so I love the extra utility Healing Wish offers to these teams. Healing a major threat like Dragonite,Metagross or Machamp to name a few is super helpful after you've forced some damage on their checks. Maybe it's a bit situational but I've found that if you use it right it can really change the tide of the battle. The coverage moves and item can be whatever fits your team the best.

Infernape @ Leftovers
Ability: Blaze
Hasty / Mild Nature
- Fire Blast
- Close Combat
- Toxic
- U-turn

Hide

Infernape's viability is at an all time low but if I do want to use Infernape this is definitely an option I consider. Crippling a Milotic or Latias can be very helpful for not only helping itself as a breaker but also your teammates. I like U-Turn as a momentum grabber but Hidden Power Ice,Grass knot and Mach Punch are all good options too. Thank you to Hyogafodex for showing me this set.

That's all, hope you have fun trying these out.

 

[Jeong]

Metagross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Stealth Rock
- Trick
- Explosion

Recently I have been testing a version of gross that did not give me much confidence but over time this has changed. This set is based on the surprise factor since scarf lead nobody expects it but it is useful vs most. Those speed evs is to get past Azelf and put the Trick in and get caught in Taunt / SR. Against more passive leads: Hippo or Skarm is a good idea because they are rendered useless and you benefit from the change. Primary Lum Berry users like Machamp are left exposed while I'm not afraid to get confused. Explosion is basically to get out of some trouble or finish things that you normally can't like Cune or Zapdos.

 

[SFG]

Updated !

Been a while since my last post in this thread so I figured I'll share some sets that I've been enjoying recently.



View attachment 350099

Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
Careful Nature
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Rest
- Stealth Rock

Hide

I really love bulky Tyranitar but sometimes when you're trying to tank hits from Heatran,Rotom and Latias you can get worn down fairly quickly. Especially when you factor in the passive damage from hazards sometimes I don't always have the longevity to deal with teams that stack special threats. Rest makes TTar able to hold on vs status spreaders like heatran/rotom while being less exposed to cheap damage on longer games. You do leave yourself open to some scary Pokemon like Gyarados or Dragonite though so you do need a sturdy defensive backbone against physical threats. Bulky Tyranitar has many great filler moves so there's tough competition but I've found this set very valuable on stall teams. It's worth giving a try in my opinion.

View attachment 350100

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
Careful / Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock

Hide

When it comes to stall teams Hippowdon stall is one of my favorites. I love how it can sponge hits then reliably heal them off, it also offers sand and rocks in one slot which I find incredibly important for stall teams at the moment. I really love Toxic, you can catch so many Pokemon with it (Swampert,Latias,Milotic,Suicune etc). The passive damage really adds up fast when you're factoring in Toxic damage,Hazards and Weather. For a stall team aiming to slowly wear down it's opponents team this can certainly speed up the process. Also makes your own team much harder to break when you put their breakers on a timer. I don't think it requires much support but Magnezone to remove Skarmory can be helpful and you'll need counter measures to Breloom,Gengar and Gliscor.

View attachment 350101

Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Bold Nature
- Imprison
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock

Hide

It's definitely niche since Azelf is very tough competition but I like Uxie's superior bulk and certain teams will really benefit from it. Sometimes I've really wanted the extra Bulk and defensive backbone Uxie offers while also keeping Rocks off the field, at least in the early game. So to get the best of both worlds I've been trying Imprison Uxie. It can keep Rocks off the field from more Pokemon then you might initially think (Empoleon,Metagross,Swampert,Bronzong to name some). Uxie has many awesome filler moves and I think this one can be super useful on the right team. Amount of speed is up to you but I usually like this set with quite a bit to make sure you can keep the Rocks down.

View attachment 350102

Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Adamant Nature
- Seed Bomb
- Superpower
- Facade
- Spore

Hide

I've found Zapdos and Latias pretty annoying for my offense teams that lack Tyranitar. The extra pressure Facade gives you against Zapdos and Latias has been really helpful for helping some of my team maneuver around them. Keep in mind that you aren't going to be checking DD Tyranitar or Agility Empoleon when considering it for you team though. An example of a team that I think utilizes it really well is Heist's SPL 11 team seen here:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen4ou-478322

View attachment 350103

Jirachi
Ability: Serene Grace
Serious Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Healing Wish

Hide

I'm sure many people have used this before but I got the idea from one of Jimmy Turtwig's teams. Sometimes when I'm using HO or offensive paraspam it'll fall short so I love the extra utility Healing Wish offers to these teams. Healing a major threat like Dragonite,Metagross or Machamp to name a few is super helpful after you've forced some damage on their checks. Maybe it's a bit situational but I've found that if you use it right it can really change the tide of the battle. The coverage moves and item can be whatever fits your team the best.

View attachment 350104

Infernape @ Leftovers
Ability: Blaze
Hasty / Mild Nature
- Fire Blast
- Close Combat
- Toxic
- U-turn

Hide

Infernape's viability is at an all time low but if I do want to use Infernape this is definitely an option I consider. Crippling a Milotic or Latias can be very helpful for not only helping itself as a breaker but also your teammates. I like U-Turn as a momentum grabber but Hidden Power Ice,Grass knot and Mach Punch are all good options too. Thank you to Hyogafodex for showing me this set.

That's all, hope you have fun trying these out.

I should warn you for using such horrible sprites ngl...

I also wanted to talk about some sets I love !

Will-O-Wisp Heatran:
Burning love (Heatran) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 200 HP / 108 SpA / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Will-O-Wisp
- Explosion

If Will-O-Wisp isn't THAT rare on Heatran, it's really an underrated move ! As I said in this post, I especially like to play WoW Heatran with CM Rachi, which is probably one of the biggest threats in the current DPP OU metagame.
"In this post dug metagame, superachi has become, in my eyes, by far one of the best pokemon in the tier. I can't how many games ended with a sweep of this monster, combining incredible natural bulk, perfect offensive movepool and sufficient offensive stats.
Since Superachi is more like an end-game sweeper, you can use Heatran wow to cripple Tyranitar / Flygon / Swampert / Dragonite, but above all prevent them from revenge killing Jirachi later in the game. WoW is also pretty cool to wear down some other stuff like Suicune or Latias, which check Heatran in general. Even without talking about WoW, Heatran is rly cool to use with Jirachi thanks to his ability to threaten other Jirachi, Bronzong, Metagross, Scizor, Skarmory (if you don't run tbolt on rachi)... Finally, Boom can kill Clefable and Blissey, preparing for Jirachi's sweep.
Here's a team I built last RoAPL with Jirachee."

​

"

4 atk Colbur Azelf:

Azelf @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spe
Jolly/Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Explosion
- Ice Punch
- Zen Hedbut / Fire Blast

Some month ago, I asked my friend Emeral for some cool teams, and I found 4 atk Azelf.In addition to hitting most of the meta, you will be able to benefit from the surprise effect, your opponent always assuming that you run SRs. It's not always easy to build arount it, but it's really cool to use ! Personally, I prefer fire blast to hit Jirachi / Bronzong / Skarmory, but Zen Hedbut is a decent option too.

Have a nice day !

 

[Oatmon]

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
- Knock Off / Thunder Wave
- Copycat
- Seismic Toss
- Soft-Boiled

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
- Copycat
- Encore *
- Seismic Toss
- Soft-Boiled

Furthering the idea posted by Marshall.Law, copycat can be run on clefable to ease matches against stall and spikes offence teams. The idea is to copy spikes from the opponent, granting you the same tools they have, without necessarily having to run a spikes user of your own. Copycat is also useful for copying a plethora of other moves, such as rapid spin, stealth rock and screens, to name a few.

Encore is run to ensure the opponent doesn’t get too tricky with their mixups between moves, which can prevent copycat working optimally. Encore is also very useful in its own right, particularly outside of stall teams which the original was intended for.

Credit for this sets goes to Marshall.Law, who was the original inspiration.

 

[Rezzo]

Coincidentally I've been messing with Copycat as well and have some positive results with another Pokémon who gains the move:

Mesprit @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 68 SpD / 192 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock / Healing Wish
- U-turn
- Copycat
- Trick

Mespirit is one of the bulkier Pokémon who gets this move, and it also has a respectable base 80 speed to take advantage of the now-well-known Scarf Roar combo. Like Oatmon's post above, this set comes in comfortably on common spikers and throws spikes right back at them. The special defence EVs allow you to be more confident with staying in against special attackers, notably Starmie, and copycatting Rapid Spin if you managed to Trick your scarf away earlier in the game. You can also steal recovery on defensive switch-ins and make yourself a real nuisance if the opponent gives an opening for that.

A lot of players just aren't expectant of Mesprit Tricking and often switch in some form of special aborber just to be met with a Scarf in their pocket.

This thing is Tyranitar bait, so early game you'll often want to U-Turn out immediately. It's also a handy option for pivoting away from Taunt users. But once it becomes a little safer to come in mid-game, Mesprit can switch in and both pressure and threaten revenge kills on a few things that Clefable can't quite do with its better base attacking stats, such as Lucario / Infernape Close Combat, Heatran Earth Power, Machamp Dynamic Punch in a pinch.

Stealth Rock is a safe option and I run it even on a team which already has a dedicated rocker as it's nice to have the option to get them down quickly if the team needs it. But Mesprit also gets Healing Wish, which while I haven't explored as deeply yet does feel like a strong alternative on a more balanced team.

Dragonite @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 120 HP / 192 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Superpower
- Extreme Speed

Something that I personally haven't spotted a huge amount is Dragonite running both DD and Espeed on the same set. The combination of Superpower and Outrage gives you solid unresisted damage against every single Mon you'll encounter, while threatening both of these moves alongside Espeed allows you to pressure stuff like Infernape and weakened Latias, and quite easily snatch a Dragon Dance if you feel your prediction game is ready to capitalise on that. It also prevents some scarfers such as Flygon from revenging you easily.

This EV spread is somewhat specific for the team I've built it around, but it allows you to survive -2 Latias Draco Meteor after both Stealth Rock AND Sandstorm damage. Handily you also have a pretty good chance (87.5% when it hits) to survive specs Draco Meteor if you don't take any hazards or sandstorm chip when coming in.

 

[eden]

Dragonite @ Haban Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 152 Atk / 56 Def / 108 SpD / 192 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch

lives scarf jira ip from full
lives kingdra dm from full
lives rotom hp:ice from full
lives cb ada outrage from flygon from full
lives modest lati dm from full

worth messing with as a lead

not sure whether its worth outspeeding heatran potentially?

the idea behind it was using this dnite to blow out any scarfers used to try to stop it, hopefully helping tar/gyara to clean a bit easier, not sure whether worse than yache outright

 

[Oatmon]

I am starting to notice people occasionally use this set, so I will spread it round now before someone inadvertently posts it themselves. I'm not sure who came up with it first, but I started using it in June this year.

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Reflect
- Thunderbolt
- Pain Split
​

The combination of will-o'-wisp and reflect make this a good pokemon to lure in tyranitar, and leave it sturdy enough to deal with much else besides. Should tyranitar already be paralysed, or if you suspect it has a lum berry, or you fear the miss of will-o'-wisp, reflect can be used for a greater chance to reduce incoming damage (crits can unfortunately still ruin your day).

Most sets are bold in nature, although you can actually forgo some defence and place it into special defence, special attack, or speed if you want.