So this team started out with me (somewhat seasoned 4th gen veteran) finally getting into 5th gen OU. Like everyone else, I started out by not really constructing a competitive team, but a team full of the guys that I was really hyped on coming into gen 5. And that's how this team came to be. Of that initial test group, I found the most competitively viable one and formed a team around him and his weaknesses.
Ladies and gentlemen, the star of the show:
Slowking@Choice Specs
Regeneration
Modest
252 HP/252 spA/4 spD
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-Flamethrower
-Psycho Shock
I chose to center my team around slowking for quite a few reasons. First, his incredible ability to survive for a LONG time caught my attention. He can come in on repeated weaker special attacks and fire off a surprisingly powerful attack from his wide arsenal. A specs-boosted surf from slowking hits like a truck and will 2HKO pretty much everything that does not resist it and doesn't have a healthy special defense. Flamethrower allows you to pick off the grass types that are sure to switch it to a surf. Most importantly, you outspeed and easily OHKO natty with flamethrower. Ice beam is standard as always on water types to OHKO pretty much all dragons while not being OHKOd by most of their outrages (I'm pretty sure as long as they aren't banded, you'll survive one). Psycho shock is what wins me over completely, however. Blissey is 2HKOd, I believe. It also prevents you from being walled by the likes of kingdra and Burungeru, who are both 2HKOd by a boosted psycho shock. Overall, a solid pokemon to anchor any team.
Bull Guy:
Baffuron@Leftovers
Herbivore
Adamant
252 HP/252 Atk/4 Def
-Afro Break
-Megahorn
-Payback
-Revenge
Slowking as trouble against most grass types; he is outsped by them and he is very susceptible to leech seed. My solution: Baffuron. He packs a nice immunity to grass type attacks while also picking up an attack bonus every time he is hit by one. Of the 4 grass types that I encounter on a regular basis, only one is able to even touch baffuron. Natty can't touch him with his usual tricks (power whip, leech seed, and even gyro ball), Jarooda seldom carries any damaging move other than leaf storm, erufuun usually only carries leech seed, and skymin can't 3HKO with air slash. Afro break is what I have found to be the best option for a powerful stab, but return can be used for durability. Revenge and payback are really only there for the nice coverage they provide and for ghost/steel switches. Megahorn is there because I hate celebi (okay not exactly. it just provides excellent coverage). Overall, having a grass type immunity is more of a life saver than I can explain. It allows me to switch directly into breloom, pick up a boost, take a mach punch, send it back to hell (where it belongs), and have a good chunk of HP to spare. Priceless.
Kirikizan:
Kirikizan@Choice Band
Competitive Spirit
Adamant
252 HP/ 252 Atk/ 4 SpD
-Sucker Punch
-Pursuit
-Ankle Sweep
-Iron Head
Although a good start to a team, Slowking and Baffuron are not exactly the quickest guys in the world. This makes them susceptible to faster, more offensive foes to switch on on various resistances, and retaliate back. This problem was actually very difficult to solve. I started out by trying to fight fire with fire and add a really fast sweeper to overpower them, but that only ended with me playing the sacrifice game. And losing. That's when I figured I should stick with the idea of this team, and I went with a bulky trapper with handy resists. To a 4th gen veteran, that means one thing: Scizor. However, I didn't like the steel type priority in this metagame. Not with everyone's defensive core consisting of natty and that stupid ghost jellyfish. Kirikizan was my second choice, but the superior one. He packs nice resistances to dragon, dark, ghost, and ice. He can come in on lati@s and scare it away with sucker punch or pursuit, sucker punch starmie, and if you're feeling bold enough, come in on a shandera shadow ball and check-mate. Overall, a handy buffer that keeps me from getting run over by latios.
Birijion:
Birijion@Leftovers
Justice Heart
Timid
4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Calm Mind
-Giga Drain
-Hidden Power [Ice]
-Focus Blast
I love the idea of this pokemon. It plays the way I always wished starmie could in previous generations. It's unique type combination as well as perfect speed tier allow it to dismantle teams that aren't prepared for it. After one calm mind, you're in business. Giga drain is a decently powered stab, but the more powerful you become, but more healthy you become! While I don't like relying on focus blast, I only use it when I absolutely have to (or when I'm trying to get rid of something that is weak to it, but can't really hurt me if I miss). Although hidden power ice leaves me walled pretty terribly by most poison and bug types, I chose it because of birijion's nice speed tier. It allows me outspeed to OHKO mence and chomp after one boost. If that didn't sell you on her, this will. She is able to completely shut down rain and sand teams. Use it as a lead against toed, calm mind, and then proceed to take apart the entire team one by one. Almost all rain sweepers are specially based and can't break her immense special bulk, while they are drained of HP. And the premier physical attackers of all weather, Dory, Kabutops, and Rando all can't touch birijion with their usual movepools. All are OHKOd by one of her moves while the standard quake/edge and waterfall can't touch her. Overall, a very consistent pokemon. It stays alive for a very long time and keeps some of the most terrifying threats of gen 5 at bay.
The Wall:
Weezing@Leftovers
Levitate
Bold
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpA
-Clear Smog
-Will-O-Wisp
-Dark Pulse/Hidden Power [Ice]
-Flamethrower
Ah, weezing. My old friend from gen 1 is back, and he's just as good as ever. Weezing acts as my safety net against all boosting sweepers. He got a nifty new move this generation in Clear Smog, which is a stab, 50 BP haze. That's right, taunt can no longer stop him! Will o wisp in conjunction with clear smog put ALL physical attackers on ice. No more dragon dancing for mence and gyara, no more swords dancing for chomp, and no more speed boosts for that whole crowd. Weezing isn't having any of that. I chose flamethrower and dark pulse as my attacking options. Flamethrower is necessary, but I'm willing to switch out dark pulse for something else, like HP ice maybe? Overall, not a star of the team, but it keeps foes like dory and rando from getting too much steam as well as shutting down baton pass.
Overkill:
Gyarados@Choice Scarf
Overconfidence(?)
Jolly
252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
-Waterfall
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang
Now raters, this is where I need your help more than anywhere else. I couldn't seem to pick a good 6th man for this team. I noticed a pretty big weakness to uglymoth (and to a lesser extent, blissey), which is why i chose gyarados. I was going to go for the standard DD taunt set, but I decided to try out his new ability. I still don't know which one is more effective, but I do really like the neutral coverage of water+choice scarf. Self explanatory set that really just attempts to bull-rush through a weakened team late game.
Ladies and gentlemen, the star of the show:
Slowking@Choice Specs
Regeneration
Modest
252 HP/252 spA/4 spD
-Surf
-Ice Beam
-Flamethrower
-Psycho Shock
I chose to center my team around slowking for quite a few reasons. First, his incredible ability to survive for a LONG time caught my attention. He can come in on repeated weaker special attacks and fire off a surprisingly powerful attack from his wide arsenal. A specs-boosted surf from slowking hits like a truck and will 2HKO pretty much everything that does not resist it and doesn't have a healthy special defense. Flamethrower allows you to pick off the grass types that are sure to switch it to a surf. Most importantly, you outspeed and easily OHKO natty with flamethrower. Ice beam is standard as always on water types to OHKO pretty much all dragons while not being OHKOd by most of their outrages (I'm pretty sure as long as they aren't banded, you'll survive one). Psycho shock is what wins me over completely, however. Blissey is 2HKOd, I believe. It also prevents you from being walled by the likes of kingdra and Burungeru, who are both 2HKOd by a boosted psycho shock. Overall, a solid pokemon to anchor any team.
Bull Guy:
Baffuron@Leftovers
Herbivore
Adamant
252 HP/252 Atk/4 Def
-Afro Break
-Megahorn
-Payback
-Revenge
Kirikizan:
Kirikizan@Choice Band
Competitive Spirit
Adamant
252 HP/ 252 Atk/ 4 SpD
-Sucker Punch
-Pursuit
-Ankle Sweep
-Iron Head
Birijion:
Birijion@Leftovers
Justice Heart
Timid
4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
-Calm Mind
-Giga Drain
-Hidden Power [Ice]
-Focus Blast
I love the idea of this pokemon. It plays the way I always wished starmie could in previous generations. It's unique type combination as well as perfect speed tier allow it to dismantle teams that aren't prepared for it. After one calm mind, you're in business. Giga drain is a decently powered stab, but the more powerful you become, but more healthy you become! While I don't like relying on focus blast, I only use it when I absolutely have to (or when I'm trying to get rid of something that is weak to it, but can't really hurt me if I miss). Although hidden power ice leaves me walled pretty terribly by most poison and bug types, I chose it because of birijion's nice speed tier. It allows me outspeed to OHKO mence and chomp after one boost. If that didn't sell you on her, this will. She is able to completely shut down rain and sand teams. Use it as a lead against toed, calm mind, and then proceed to take apart the entire team one by one. Almost all rain sweepers are specially based and can't break her immense special bulk, while they are drained of HP. And the premier physical attackers of all weather, Dory, Kabutops, and Rando all can't touch birijion with their usual movepools. All are OHKOd by one of her moves while the standard quake/edge and waterfall can't touch her. Overall, a very consistent pokemon. It stays alive for a very long time and keeps some of the most terrifying threats of gen 5 at bay.
The Wall:
Weezing@Leftovers
Levitate
Bold
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpA
-Clear Smog
-Will-O-Wisp
-Dark Pulse/Hidden Power [Ice]
-Flamethrower
Overkill:
Gyarados@Choice Scarf
Overconfidence(?)
Jolly
252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
-Waterfall
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Ice Fang