Project OU Weekly Research v2 | Week 6- Infernape / Mega Gardevoir / Raikou

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I mean I've been using Infernape for the entire 6th gen career (earlier gens too) and have gotten success against tournament players and in the high ladder. Should I just give all my findings or what should I do?
 
Research Core 3!

Infernape-Mega Gardevoir-Raikou

I'll talk about each one as an individual and then about the team as a whole.

Infernape

Strengths
+Versitile, there's a lot of options for infernape, which can leave opponents guessing, especially in league or tournament formats.
+Great offensive typing. The fighting type cancels out the usual rock weakness of fire types, giving ape more chances to switch in.
+Fast. Though not super-quick, he does outrun a lot of threats, and he even gets mach punch so he's able to even pick off pokemon that might otherwise outrun him.
+Punches decently hard, with a combination of Close Combat and Flare Blitz, or Iron Fist punches, infernape can run right through you if he happens to have coverage.

Weaknesses
-TALONFLAME
-Frail in general
-Still weak to ground/water and has few good options against them
-Slower than Keldeo still
-DID I MENTION TALONFLAME AND LANDO-T?

Set Used

Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Flare Blitz
- Mach Punch
- U-turn

I started out using swords dance, but this set doesn't have to waste time setting up, it can get right to smashing face. Close Combat and Flare Blitz provide a STAB combo that punches through most things which would stand against ape. Mach Punch can be used to pick off targets or to threaten fast-frail pokemon like weavile or loppuny. U-Turn was kinda added at the last minute, it provides momentum and gives me a response to certain pokemon I wouldn't want to stay in against like Clefable.

His Role on the Team

Gardevoir hates steel types, this guy punches them in the face. There's not a whole lot most steel types can do against this guy, and most of them will die to the CC or to the Flare Blitz. He even outruns M-Metagross on the turn it megas. Granted he has problems against things like Landorus which can also be a problem for garde, but he does have U-Turn to escape those situations and to scout out my opponent's team.


Raikou

Strengths
+Fairly quick
+Bulky enough to take some hits. Similar to the other electric type legendaries, his stats are fairly decent all around.
+A nice movepool, it may seem like poor coverage, but it's enough to do the job, and you could even give him aura sphere if you're willing to cope with a sub-par nature.

Weaknesses
-No reliable recovery, meaning tanky sets can get worn down quickly
-Ground types? More in coverage than anything.
-Sub-par defense can sometimes spell his doom.

Set Used

Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Extrasensory

Ok, maybe not the most optimal EVs for this type of thing. With Volt Switch, he kinda ends up forming a volt-turn core with ape, although I didn't really plan that, I knew volt switch would be important to build up momentum and to play into the AV style of hit and run. Thunderbolt is for those times when you just need to man up and kill something. It hits harder than volt switch and is Raikou's most powerful attack baring thunder. HP Ice is required to beat Lando-T. I considered aura sphere briefly, but it would hurt my defensive stats too much, not to mention being unable to run a +speed nature also really sucks. Extrasensory is to hit things like Ammongus or to hit neutral targets.

Rakou's role on the team

Did I mention I might have a talonflame weakness? Not only that, opposing volt-turn cores can give this team trouble, I needed someone I could switch into a volt switch and be confident they could take on whatever was there. There's probably better options for this, and I could really use shadow ball vs Extrasensory, but Raikou can fit the job. He can kill lando if it has prior damage, and he also doesn't care about burns and laughs at thunder wave, so he can come in on tanky pokemon at least once.

Mega-Gardevoir

Strengths
+Relatively fast after mega evolving
+A powerful set of abilities, in Trace/Pixelate. Synchronize can be useful as well but Trace is superior as you can trace really annoying abilities like prankster or magic bounce.
+Hits hard with Pixelate Hyper Voice
+Tanky on the special side
+Fairy psychic is a pretty neat typing, beating out dark types, leaving steel types as your only real weakness.

Weaknesses
-Few coverage options for steels
-Poor defense, leaving it vulnerable to things like bullet punch and pursuit.
-Not as fast as you may think

Other than that it has the typical fairy type weaknesses, I think the reason people shy away from it these days is clefable is clearly the superior choice on most teams, but Gardevoir still has some value.

Sets Used

Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 24 HP / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Hyper Voice
- Substitute
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]

I think I originally had more HP investment (enough for like 100 HP subs), but I decided it wasn't worth it. Basically I wanted to make the biggest sub possible and then just fire off attacks. It didn't quite work out as well as I wanted it to, but sub can give you some options vs slower threats like Sableye and Clefable who for the most part would be relying on status to beat you. Hyper Voice is mandatory. Psychic hits decently hard into things like Clefable but also obliterates poison types which might try to respond to a fairy type. HP Fire was originally shadow ball, but I realized that HP Fire is really needed to kill things like Scizor or Ferrothorn who would wall me otherwise, and what was the point of using sub if I couldn't KO those mons when the switch in on my sub?

I also used the wallbreaker set from the analysis on the strategy dex, but instead of wisp I was using Thunder Wave. The team I ended up with can struggle with fast teams, so I figured thunder wave would be a nice answer to that, it's also the only thing a clefable might possibly care about (being unable to move 20% of the time is very irritating.)


It's role on the team

Gardevoir is not really an offensive powerhouse, rather it serves as a trump card, and a response to things like Latios. Once it mega evolves it can put the hurt on other threats too like Lando-T without enough spdef or clefable. It also wrecks sableye's day. Thunder Wave as I mentioned gives it some speed control and the ability to take on threats that would normally manhandle it like Keldeo or certain Clefable variants.

TEAMBUILDING WITH THIS CORE

Right off the bat, I realized I would need a ground immunity if I was going to get anywhere, my first thought was Lando-T, but I eventually settled on...

Skarmory can defog hazards away and prevent chip damage, but it can also setup hazards of it's own. I flip flopped between Iron Head and Brave Bird, but settled on Iron Head as it smashes more things that I care about. The last slot is Roost to recover, I went with a shed shell on him because I'm a tool but also because Magnezone would be a real pain to deal with otherwise. This way I can escape the wrath of mag and switch in a counter, probably either Raikou or Garchomp, but sometimes ammongus.

I also wanted another pivot since it was clear Raikou wasn't gonna be able to tank all the hits on his own, a sponge that could soak up hits and be annoying to the enemy

The shroom fits that bill perfectly. He also counters most other fairy types and walls Keldeo which could be a problem for the team (even though Gaurde is pretty good against it) Spore is a really neat move as well, able to give me setup opportunities vs mons I might otherwise lose to.

Finally, I wanted one more physical threat, seeing as how up until now I was front loaded pretty hard on the special side. My choice, was Garchomp

Garchomp can still run holes through teams. I'm using one of my favorite sets, it's old, but still good, Sub SD. Sub SD punishes a lot of Garchomp's comon responses, as a lot of them can't OHKO him, and lose to him once he get's up an SD. Lum Berry was critical on this set however, preventing burns and other nonsense from stopping his sweep. This guy is far better than I could have hoped for.

Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Flare Blitz
- Mach Punch
- U-turn

Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Extrasensory

Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Hyper Voice
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Spore
- Sludge Bomb
- Clear Smog

Skarmory @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 24 Atk / 236 Def
Impish Nature
- Iron Head
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Defog

Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Dragon Claw


http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-405984028 <-I battle a trump supporter, this is about the time I quit using sub on Garde as it really did nothing for me in this battle

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-407050454 <-Another battle that I lose, but I did trace prankster on whimsicott, which I thought was kinda cool, I zeroed in on it a bit hard though, and ended up getting punished for not megaing.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-405988206 <- This replay is all about Raikou, but also Garchomp a little bit. The point is that Raikou allows me to beat Slowbro in the end. Even if Garchomp had gone down, Raikou could have done it with thunderbolt

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-405993719 <-My opponent does get a little bit unlucky, but I make a misplay anyways so it may not have mattered, this replay is more about the supporting caste than the actual core.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-407037088 <-an absolutely great battle!

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-407045456 <-Again, I get kind of lucky, but the core really shows its strengths in this battle, I also finally get the hang of Gardevoir, before this battle I had been either really careful with it or really reckless, this is about the proper way to play it. Just reckless enough.


Infernape has a lot of the same problems Lucario has, he gets passed over for other fast boosting sweepers. The rise of the fairy type in general has meant that for most fighting types, if you aren't mega you'll probably fall by the wayside. This is really sad, because infernape does a lot, and like I said, I think he's way more useful in other, constructed formats than in straight up OU. On ladder people only get one chance to guess which infernape it is, but if you play people every week, infernape can be a real mystery, because it can split it's stats so well, or run straight special or physical. It can be a lead, revenger, or sweeper. This applies to tournaments as well. Once people see an infernape, there's not necessarily a guarantee that the next time they see it it'll be the same one.

Raikou is actually really good right now. While it's not a top tier threat it still deserves respect. Because I'm lame I never messed around with probably it's most feared set, choice specs. I just like AV too much for my own good, once people figured out choice specs Raikou saw a lot more usage, since instead of nearly killing Lando or Gliscor, it could one hit them.

Gardevoir is often passed over for clefable, but I think as far as mega-fairy types go, Garde is really nice. Trace can put a huge dent in your opponent's plans, especially if you pick up something really mean like prankster. Gardevoir is also more immediately threatening than clef is. That hyper voice is powerful, unfortunately people will be expecting it.

The team as a whole? I actually kinda like it. It took me a while to get used to, but I like it.
 
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