Hi! I've been using this team and having a lot of fun and wins with it, so I would like to get some of your expert advices to improve it and make it better. Please, when reading this and commenting, keep in mind that I am not a native English speaker, and that although I will do my best to communicate to the best of my abilities, I am not flawless in my English. That said, what I kind of struggle the most against are stall teams and set-up mons that break through my defensive core. I'm open to any sort of suggestion, thank you all for the help!
So, Special Defensivee Heatran is a mon that really helps the team dealing with tapu lele, especially scarf, but also specs. It resists its stabs, while also providing an amazing defensive typing for scarftana, if it's locked into smartstricke or leafblade, and it's really good against magearna, or at least some versions of it. It's meant to stop special attackers that are not specs ash greninja, and its flashfire is also very useful against the likes of Zard Y. Toxic is to break through walls, and protect is a nice way of countering mega lopunny and mega medicham's high jump kick. Lava plum is for ferro and generally to burn things, maybe a lando swtching in. Also, it's amazing when I'm able to burn a Gliscor turn 1 and that thing becomes near useless. Earth power is to deal some damage to opposing heatrans, and generally just to have coverage. Might switch that to earthquake tho, since it deals more damage to other heatrans and magearna in general.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Lava Plume
- Protect
- Toxic
Up next we have my favourite mon on the team, mega latias. This set is supposed to come in on scarfed mons, or generally stuff that can't do a lot to it, set up a calm mind on the switch, and then become a problem for the enemy team, with its ability to hit almost every mon in OU for either neutral or supereffective damage. Hidden power fighting might seem weird, but I needed to hit heatran even when he used a baloon, and plus it kills ash greninja after a couple of calm minds. Barring a crit, of a physical set up sweeper (which are usually frail, and thend to die to a plus 2 ice beam), this Latias is almost unkillable. Toxic is a nuisance to this set, so I try to start setting up when the opping toxicing mon is dead, but thunder wave is also a problem, since not only does it make recover slower, but it also gives Latias a chance to stop for a turn, when it gets full parad.
Latias-Mega @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Recover
With two walls on the team already in the form of Heatran and Mega Latias, I really needed a breaker, and I found specs Ash Greninja to suit my style really well. Surf instead of hydro because I hate missing, and being locked into a move is already an handicap in itself. Water shuriken to HOPEFULLY kill hawlucha, when it's not spedef, and also scarfed lando, and then of course dark pulse for stab and occasional flinches, when I really have no other outs. Also, I run ice beam instead of spikes because I find myself defogging hazards away way more than I find myself using them. I guess that's just one way to play. Also, Ice beam does more to ferrothorn and thornadus than surf, and it kills garchomp too. I find myself using icebeam to surpirse KO people, in general, and that usually allows me to get the Ashgreninja transformation. After that, surf is usually my go-to move.
Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Surf
- Ice Beam
This boy is meant to be a physical sweeper, but he occupies the slot that I like to change, whereas the other 5 mons stay the same. I needed a physical sweeper, and I love Salamence as a mon. It has great attack and speed, but for some reason it doesn't seem to function well with the rest of the team. He also carries the z-move on the team. Stab fly is amazing on its own, and after a dragon dance boost it kills pretty much everything that doesn't resist it. Sub is to scout for moves from slower pokemon, and also for protection when causing a swap. Intimidate is used because the team doesn't have a great check against hawlucha, and in general against strong physical mons, so I figured it might help. It's also great when paired with lando's intimidate. Earthquake is obviously for coverage. Not sure about this mon tho. So please help me with this slot in the team in particular.
Salamence @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fly
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Earthquake
Ash-greninja checks, general pain to deal with, full specially defensive Magearna is really strong in my opinion. It takes hits incredibly well, switches into pretty much any special move, even some z-moves, and sometimes gets a revenge KO with either volt switch r ice beam. Fleur cannon is for stab, and focus blast is to hit incoming ferros and heatrans. When they are spdef tho, I find it hard to kill them, so I just volt out. The problem is that I always have to get the 50-50 right, if they have a lando and a heatran, between using icebeam and volt switching out. Generally love this mon tho.
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Volt switch
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
Defensive landorus is the last mon on the team. With intimidate and this spread, it comes in on most physical attackers, if they don't have an ice type attack, and 252 in health allows it to live hidden power ice from most opponents. Defog is to remove hazards, earthquake is for stab and to kill magearna, mostly assault vest or non defensive variants, and knock off is to get rid of opposing eviolites, assoult vests, toxic orbs on the switch, maybe some reckless choice scarf switch ins. I thought about using a scarf lando as some more physical prowess for the team, but I would always find myself locked into a move and forced to switch out into one of my defensive pivots, so I really can't decide myself on what changes to make on this mon to make it better suit the team. He's also the designated stealth rocker for the team
Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
I'm looking forward to reading all of your suggestions and trying them out. Thanks a lot!
So, Special Defensivee Heatran is a mon that really helps the team dealing with tapu lele, especially scarf, but also specs. It resists its stabs, while also providing an amazing defensive typing for scarftana, if it's locked into smartstricke or leafblade, and it's really good against magearna, or at least some versions of it. It's meant to stop special attackers that are not specs ash greninja, and its flashfire is also very useful against the likes of Zard Y. Toxic is to break through walls, and protect is a nice way of countering mega lopunny and mega medicham's high jump kick. Lava plum is for ferro and generally to burn things, maybe a lando swtching in. Also, it's amazing when I'm able to burn a Gliscor turn 1 and that thing becomes near useless. Earth power is to deal some damage to opposing heatrans, and generally just to have coverage. Might switch that to earthquake tho, since it deals more damage to other heatrans and magearna in general.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Lava Plume
- Protect
- Toxic
Up next we have my favourite mon on the team, mega latias. This set is supposed to come in on scarfed mons, or generally stuff that can't do a lot to it, set up a calm mind on the switch, and then become a problem for the enemy team, with its ability to hit almost every mon in OU for either neutral or supereffective damage. Hidden power fighting might seem weird, but I needed to hit heatran even when he used a baloon, and plus it kills ash greninja after a couple of calm minds. Barring a crit, of a physical set up sweeper (which are usually frail, and thend to die to a plus 2 ice beam), this Latias is almost unkillable. Toxic is a nuisance to this set, so I try to start setting up when the opping toxicing mon is dead, but thunder wave is also a problem, since not only does it make recover slower, but it also gives Latias a chance to stop for a turn, when it gets full parad.
Latias-Mega @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Recover
With two walls on the team already in the form of Heatran and Mega Latias, I really needed a breaker, and I found specs Ash Greninja to suit my style really well. Surf instead of hydro because I hate missing, and being locked into a move is already an handicap in itself. Water shuriken to HOPEFULLY kill hawlucha, when it's not spedef, and also scarfed lando, and then of course dark pulse for stab and occasional flinches, when I really have no other outs. Also, I run ice beam instead of spikes because I find myself defogging hazards away way more than I find myself using them. I guess that's just one way to play. Also, Ice beam does more to ferrothorn and thornadus than surf, and it kills garchomp too. I find myself using icebeam to surpirse KO people, in general, and that usually allows me to get the Ashgreninja transformation. After that, surf is usually my go-to move.
Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Surf
- Ice Beam
This boy is meant to be a physical sweeper, but he occupies the slot that I like to change, whereas the other 5 mons stay the same. I needed a physical sweeper, and I love Salamence as a mon. It has great attack and speed, but for some reason it doesn't seem to function well with the rest of the team. He also carries the z-move on the team. Stab fly is amazing on its own, and after a dragon dance boost it kills pretty much everything that doesn't resist it. Sub is to scout for moves from slower pokemon, and also for protection when causing a swap. Intimidate is used because the team doesn't have a great check against hawlucha, and in general against strong physical mons, so I figured it might help. It's also great when paired with lando's intimidate. Earthquake is obviously for coverage. Not sure about this mon tho. So please help me with this slot in the team in particular.
Salamence @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fly
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Earthquake
Ash-greninja checks, general pain to deal with, full specially defensive Magearna is really strong in my opinion. It takes hits incredibly well, switches into pretty much any special move, even some z-moves, and sometimes gets a revenge KO with either volt switch r ice beam. Fleur cannon is for stab, and focus blast is to hit incoming ferros and heatrans. When they are spdef tho, I find it hard to kill them, so I just volt out. The problem is that I always have to get the 50-50 right, if they have a lando and a heatran, between using icebeam and volt switching out. Generally love this mon tho.
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Volt switch
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
Defensive landorus is the last mon on the team. With intimidate and this spread, it comes in on most physical attackers, if they don't have an ice type attack, and 252 in health allows it to live hidden power ice from most opponents. Defog is to remove hazards, earthquake is for stab and to kill magearna, mostly assault vest or non defensive variants, and knock off is to get rid of opposing eviolites, assoult vests, toxic orbs on the switch, maybe some reckless choice scarf switch ins. I thought about using a scarf lando as some more physical prowess for the team, but I would always find myself locked into a move and forced to switch out into one of my defensive pivots, so I really can't decide myself on what changes to make on this mon to make it better suit the team. He's also the designated stealth rocker for the team
Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
I'm looking forward to reading all of your suggestions and trying them out. Thanks a lot!