ORAS OU RMT: Shuckle Hyper Offense

[jazznick]

So after a long 1.5 yearish hiatus, I've decided to come back and play around with competitive pokemon a bit. This was a team I ran train with at around the 1700s on the OU ladder back in the XY + early ORAS meta, and after using it a bit currently I find myself plateauing at around the mid 1500s. I ended up quitting around a couple months into the ORAS meta, and I'm sure there's been a lot of changes in the meta; Amoonguss and Quag are now OU, in addition to mega cham, which was BL when I used her. So my question is this, how can I update this team to the current meta/make general improvements?

Also please ignore the nicknames, I made this team a whiiiiile ago and didn't bother to change them.

TL;DR: I have a team here from early XY, how can I update/improve it?

Shuck A Dick (Shuckle) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sticky Web
- Encore
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock

Cornerstone of the team, imo. Setting up rocks + sticky web early vs a team means that cham/azu/bisharp now outspeed almost everything that would have threatened them otherwise. I tend to use this as a suicide lead if the opponent has no/predictable/counterable hazard control, or I'll bring it in after I've killed/weakened their hazard control. Encore is for people that try to set up on him, toxic is there cause toxic is generally useful and I couldn't think of anything else to put there.

GalladeIsASlut (Medicham-Mega) @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch

This + Shuckle was what inspired me to make the team, cause medicham + slow opponents = win for me. General spread for max damage and coverage, substitute for people that try to sucker punch/status me. Cham actually works surprisingly well against Bisharps that are powered up by the sticky web, cause they always immediately try to sucker punch.

Get rekt (Azumarill) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Superpower

water/fairy offensive coverage, great cleaner that can come in early or late so long as her checks have been weakened. People can really get caught in a bad space if I encore them and they don't switch, then I bring in Azu and get a free BD.

Big Dick Magma (Heatran) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Ancient Power

great special offensive type coverage/talonflame & fairy counter. Nobody expects the scarftran, and this hard-hitting monster has brought back a ton of games for me, and OHKOs a lot of unsuspecting mons.

Afternoon Delight (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam/Thunderbolt
- Earthquake/HP Fire/Surf

Additional stellar specially offensive type coverage. This and heatran generally cover all defensive types, and fuck up all of them. In the move sections with multiple moves, the first option is the one I'm using now and the other options are moves I've used in the past. Would any of those make better choices?

Bobby Scar (Bisharp) @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance

Protection/deterrence for defog. LO sucker punch and knock off hit HARD.

Things about the team that I've already noticed:

Pros:

• This team can really dismantle a lot of stall cores. Medicham is an absolutely stellar wallbreaker, and... so is everyone else on this team (even shuckle to an extent, cause encore+toxic can really fuck up some stall mons).
  
  
• If the other team doesn't have hazard control it's basically a free win for me
  
  
• Super fun to use and battles end quick

• once I get offensive momentum going my opponent has to work really hard to reverse it, and by that time two or three of their mons are already dead.

cons:

• while Bisharp is alright, a defogger not named Lati@s tends to give me trouble, and rapid spin is a tad annoying. Luckily my team is so hard hitting that any given mon on it can OHKO or 2HKO any given hazard controller. I used to have Gengar as a spinblocker, but both Latios and heatran are waaaay more useful, and I generally win by keeping up offensive pressure rather than making a preservative read.
  
  
• I tend to have to make one or two hard predictions to get any sort of offensive momentum, and most of my losses come from a bad overprediction. This isn't exactly unique to my team, but it is a downside. There's not usually a safe option with so many glass cannons.
  
  
• If shuckle gets killed and my hazards are removed without me getting anything out of it (defiant boost, setting up on a rapid spinner, etc.) it's a bad look for me. Granted, that is how all hazards work, but my team might be a bit reliant on its setup.

 

[TheCamelDude]

Good team on paper, looks fun, a few suggestions though.

Shuckle should be physically defensive since the only thing to threaten you on the special side is Keldeo, and Shuckle shouldn't stay in on a Keldeo. Run 248 in HP instead of 252 because it deals with rocks better. Last, maybe consider Leftovers.

Medicham looks fine, though you may want to consider a priority move over Ice Punch in case you need it (webs down, non-grounded mons). Whether you want Fake-Out for a free mega and damage or Bullet Punch to hit on any turn is up to you, I would personally use Bullet Punch for reliability. You could also consider Drain Punch over High Jump Kick to recover off Substitute damage while still hitting hard, though not hard enough to 2HKO Skarmory.

Azumarill looks fine, though it's role is played by Medicham and Bisharp, you may want to consider a pivot instead so you feel like you can switch vs offensive teams. I recommend scarf Landorus-T off the top of my head, but I haven't tested it, so feel free to try things.

Heatran would maybe like Magma Storm over Fire Blast because if it hits, you can be sure the opponent won't switch out to something to deal with your switch-in that turn, giving you a free turn to do anything. Even Overheat would work fine just to hit harder before you have to switch, but I'd pick Magma Storm. Also, why 30 EV's in def, sp.def, and speed if no Hidden Power?

I recommend for Latios apart from dual STAB, Hidden Power Fire and Defog to clear an opponent's hazards. Just don't let Shuckle die first. You could also pick Skarmory instead so you can Defog of vs Bisharp switch-ins and then whirlwind, and adding Spikes to your hazard list would about opponent's even more. Lastly, Iron Head helps Heatran with fairies, or Brave Bird hits hard.

Bisharp looks fine, though set it to sash, it works better vs offensive teams and orb isn't necessary to beat defensive teams, especially with an ability like defiant and a move like Swords Dance. Adamant may work better then Jolly, try both and pick a side. However, don't follow what team builder will recommend and make it bulky instead of fast, that hinders it in certain matchups.

Hope I helped, let me know if you have more questions.

 

[Avarice87]

Very cool team! Shuckle is a weird mon but he seems to work for this team!

I want to echo what he said about the pivot, as well as Magma Storm. I think you should get rid of AncientPower and use Stone Edge for Talon, or even run HP Grass for Quagsire, who can be really annoying for this team,

Personally I really like Adamant Bisharp. He hits significantly harder.

You may want to rethink sub in the first place and just run fake out AND Bullet Punch together for chip damage and such. I don't really see sub as being that great on him. Just my opinion.

This team looks really fun. If I think of anything else I'll be sure to add to it.

 

[jazznick]

Good team on paper, looks fun, a few suggestions though.

Shuckle should be physically defensive since the only thing to threaten you on the special side is Keldeo, and Shuckle shouldn't stay in on a Keldeo. Run 248 in HP instead of 252 because it deals with rocks better. Last, maybe consider Leftovers.

Thanks! the point about physical defense is good, it was a toss up for me which defense to invest in so I'm glad I'm actually basing it off of some meta knowledge. Also whoops on the HP, forgot about that.

I don't know about the leftovers, though. Shuckle isn't really there for lasting bulk, he's mainly just trying to last long enough to set up his hazards/encore a mon into a move I can switch into. Would the extra bulk be worth giving up the guaranteed hazard?

Medicham looks fine, though you may want to consider a priority move over Ice Punch in case you need it (webs down, non-grounded mons). Whether you want Fake-Out for a free mega and damage or Bullet Punch to hit on any turn is up to you, I would personally use Bullet Punch for reliability. You could also consider Drain Punch over High Jump Kick to recover off Substitute damage while still hitting hard, though not hard enough to 2HKO Skarmory.

yeah I was considering using priority too, but switching it for substitute since that seems to be the standard set nowadays. My only qualm is that with sub, medicham goes 50/50 with Bisharp (often winning, considering people don't expect the sub and are too scared to not go for sucker punch) which is huge considering I'm using sticky web. I will definitely consider switching Ice punch out, though.

Azumarill looks fine, though it's role is played by Medicham and Bisharp, you may want to consider a pivot instead so you feel like you can switch vs offensive teams. I recommend scarf Landorus-T off the top of my head, but I haven't tested it, so feel free to try things.

that's not a bad idea. A pivot that maintains offensive momentum would be really useful, and I agree with what you said about Azu fulfilling a role that's already taken.

Heatran would maybe like Magma Storm over Fire Blast because if it hits, you can be sure the opponent won't switch out to something to deal with your switch-in that turn, giving you a free turn to do anything. Even Overheat would work fine just to hit harder before you have to switch, but I'd pick Magma Storm. Also, why 30 EV's in def, sp.def, and speed if no Hidden Power?

Is magma storm really that much more useful to mitigate the accuracy and power loss? I'll give it a try. Also overheat might work, but not as a replacement for fire blast. Heatran can be a great win condition and can sweep entire teams once their fire resists have been weakened, removing fire blast would kind of remove that role. Also the IVs are another my b.

I recommend for Latios apart from dual STAB, Hidden Power Fire and Defog to clear an opponent's hazards. Just don't let Shuckle die first. You could also pick Skarmory instead so you can Defog of vs Bisharp switch-ins and then whirlwind, and adding Spikes to your hazard list would about opponent's even more. Lastly, Iron Head helps Heatran with fairies, or Brave Bird hits hard.

I've run a defog lati on this team before, but it didn't really fit. First is because my team isn't really heavy on switching, if a pokemon goes in it will generally get a few hits and hopefully damage the opponent more than it gets damaged before it dies. If I'm switching often it means I'm getting bad predictions which means I'm losing offensive momentum, which usually means I've already lost regardless of hazards. Plus my team isn't really weak to rocks at all, and it puts up too much offensive pressure for anyone to try and stack spikes.

Bisharp looks fine, though set it to sash, it works better vs offensive teams and orb isn't necessary to beat defensive teams, especially with an ability like defiant and a move like Swords Dance. Adamant may work better then Jolly, try both and pick a side. However, don't follow what team builder will recommend and make it bulky instead of fast, that hinders it in certain matchups.

adamant focus sash doesn't sound like a bad idea, as Bisharp's sort of in a speed tier where he'll outspeed anything with web regardless of nature, and he'll be slower than most offensive mons in the same way. I'll try it out.

Thanks so much for taking the time to rate my team!

 

[TheCamelDude]

If you won't run defog on Latios, then my next recommendation is HP Fire and Surf as coverage, and maybe a scarf. Our you could keep life orb and give it recover...just try things out and see what works best, I'd honestly love to see an updated version of the team once you're done testing everything