OU SM OU creative and underrated sets

Clementine

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Super cool art by royalfluxh, thanks a lot for this :]​

Standards:

What defines an underrated/creative set?

1. runs a not commonly seen move/item/spread
2. is still viable and not limited to the Pokemon it wants to deal with
3. isn't strictly outclassed by another set/Pokemon
4. is able to surprise and ruin some Pokemon that normally counter the common sets
5. it takes advantage of current metagame


Examples:



Swampert-Mega @ Swampertite
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 32 HP / 224 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Toxic
- Substitute​

Swampert is a really annoying Pokemon to deal with on rain teams. It has a limited pool of checks and counters, most of which not appreciating Toxic. It hits the likes of Rotom-Wash, Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, Latias-Mega, the rare Mantine, and bulky Waters in general. Toxic in conjunction with Substitute allows Swampert to easily wear down its own checks for itself later in the game. 32 HP investment guarantees that Mega-Swampert's Subsitute lives a Rain-boosted Scald from Toxapex.



Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Icium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 124 Def / 176 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Icy Wind
- Defog
- U-turn​

Icium Tornadus is a very interesting set I used a lot and had some decent success with, even making an appearance in SPL. Its main use is to lure in and destroy Garchomp, while also hitting other Ice-weak mons such as Gliscor and Landorus (but mainly Gliscor). As a comparison, a Supersonic Skystrike based on Hurricane from 252 SpA Tornadus-T only has a 12.5% chance of OHKOing Garchomp (85.7 - 101.1%). With this EV spread however, Tornadus-T is guaranteed to OHKO Garchomp no matter what its EV spread is, as well as Specially Defensive Gliscor. The Speed allows it to reach 363, speed creeping other Tornadus-T while outspeeding Scarf Magnezone, and the Defense investment ensures that it lives Fake Out + Return/Frustration from Lopunny-Mega.


When you post, try to explain what your set does and how it accomplishes it (that can be really short, as I did in this post). Replays are also encouraged. Please be respectful to others even if you disagree with them!
 
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Altthiel

From the new world
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Greninja @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 12 Atk / 244 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Gunk Shot

the 12 Atk EVs bump your odds of OHKOing Tapu Bulu to 87.5% from 81.3% if you had none, with no significant loss on important calcs on the special side (Dark pulse have the exact same rolls on toxapex than if you had 252EVs for instance)

The ones you're aiming at :

12 Atk Greninja Gunk Shot vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Tapu Bulu: 296-352 (86.2 - 102.6%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
--> if gunk shot poisons, it becomes a guaranteed OHKO

12 Atk Greninja Gunk Shot vs. 248 HP / 16 Def Tapu Fini: 146-174 (42.5 - 50.7%) -- 46.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery


12 Atk Greninja Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 12 Def Tangrowth: 136-162 (33.6 - 40%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
--> you deal more than regenerator, and if you poison, clicking either of hydro pump or dark pulse will deal enough so Tangrowth is not a check anymore


If you manage to proc your battle bond, those mon are obviously even less checks

12 Atk Greninja-Ash Gunk Shot vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Tapu Bulu: 424-500 (123.6 - 145.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

12 Atk Greninja-Ash Gunk Shot vs. 248 HP / 16 Def Tapu Fini: 210-248 (61.2 - 72.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

12 Atk Greninja-Ash Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 12 Def Tangrowth: 196-232 (48.5 - 57.4%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO --> guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock


The surprise factor of gunk shot is pretty good against things like tapu fini that comes in mindlessly once it's known than gren is not physical protean, and it is better than the usual spikes against it, while beeing able to deal substancial dammages to other common chekcs as well.
However, this set is less efficient than spikes Vs Chansey, av mag and to a degree toxapex and ferrothorn. Thus I think that this set pairs pretty nicely with a trap heatran!
 
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Alakazam @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Def / 136 Spe
0 IVs Atk
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
- Recover

Set Description:

The use of defensive EVs on the rather extremely frail Mega-Alakazam is a rather bizarre choice, but I've found unique success with it on Pyschic Surge Sand Teams. Interestingly enough, there are enough and plenty of jump points that allow it to have a greater probability of setting-up and is rather uncommon to such a degree that it can easily feign the opponent into thinking it can KO or 2HKO it back at full-health or even in some cases at 50% health (which, I'll be honest, is always a fun sight to see given how opponent's play and interact with it.)

Important Jump Points:
  • 136 Spe EVs and a Timid nature allows it to outspeed Mega-Lopunny, +1 Tyranitar/Mega-Tyranitar, and +1 Adamant Gyarados/Mega-Gyarados
  • The EVs allow it to survive a Waterfall from Jolly Swampert-Mega under Rain
  • It no longer gets OHKOed even in the face of Adamant Landorus-Therian Earthquake nor U-turn even after Stealth Rock damage. A similar prospect can be seen even with Jolly Life Orb Garchomp.
  • The provided spread now allows it to stomach Knock Off from the likes of specially defensive Tangrowth even in pre-evolution and now only gets 3HKOed from it.
  • It no longer gets OHKOed by Leaf Blade from Kartana even with rocks up
  • The EVs dunked in also allows it to only take a maximum of 35% from Timid Tornadus-Therian's U-turn compared to the 50.9-60.5% it would normally take using a regular Mega-Alakazam with only 4 EVs dunked into Def. This may be important in certain match-ups involving Tornadus-Therian switching with U-turn and switching into priority from the likes of Mega-Medicham or Mega-Lopunny's Fake Out which would otherwise have the capacity to OHKO it or dent it well enough to remove it from play
  • Additionally, Mega-Alakazam no longer gets 2HKOed by a Quick Attack from Mega-Pinsir and can even survive one hit from +2 even after Stealth Rocks damage. The EVs hold well enough to also allow it to survive a Return from Mega-Pinsir
  • Mega-Alakazam also no longer gets OHKOed from switching out of a Pursuit from specially defensive variants of Alolan Muk
  • The EVs also provides value in increasing the chance of surviving Psyshock from the likes of Tapu Lele and other Psyshock-wielding users
  • Although a rather extremely rare find, Mega-Alakazam no longer gets 2HKOed by a Shadow Sneak from Mega-Gallade nor a Shadow Sneak from an unboosted Mimikyu
  • It also does not get outright OHKOed by either a Knock Off from Mega-Gallade or even the likes of a Shadow Claw from unboosted Mimikyu
  • The dunked HP EVs give it a better chance of setting-up against Utility Tapu Fini and gives it a better chance of surviving two hits from Rotom-Wash's Hydro Pump. In fact, the combination of EVs in both HP and Def gives it a critical advantage for setting up against Tangrowth as mentioned above or stomaching Knock Off hits better
  • The provided EVs also allow it to completely take a hit from a Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball even in pre-Mega evolved form and allows it to completely avoid an OHKO from it. In return, it gives Mega-Alakazam a chance to fire off a Focus Blast (which, whether EVd in Special Attack or not) usually still results in a 2HKO
  • There are definitely other plenty of hits that can be noted from the provided EV spread. I did notice, however, that removing all the EVs from Spa Atk does cost a power drop, but for many cases a 2HKO still resulted in a 2HKO.

    Calcs:

    Defending Against:


    252 Atk Swampert-Mega Waterfall vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega in Rain: 226-267 (80.4 - 95%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
    252+ Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega: 201-237 (71.5 - 84.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
    0 Atk Tangrowth Knock Off vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam: 118-140 (41.9 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
    0 Atk Tangrowth Knock Off vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega: 98-116 (34.8 - 41.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
    0- Atk Tornadus-Therian U-turn vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega: 94-112 (33.4 - 39.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
    252 Atk Aerilate Pinsir-Mega Return vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega: 235-277 (83.6 - 98.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
    252 Atk Gallade-Mega Shadow Sneak vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega: 108-128 (38.4 - 45.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
    252 Atk Mimikyu Shadow Sneak vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega: 104-126 (37 - 44.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
    252 Atk Aerilate Pinsir-Mega Quick Attack vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega: 93-111 (33 - 39.5%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO
    0 Atk Muk-Alola Pursuit vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega: 186-222 (66.1 - 79%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
    0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 120 HP / 0 SpD Alakazam-Mega: 118-141 (41.9 - 50.1%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
    0 Atk Ferrothorn Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 120 HP / 252 Def Alakazam-Mega: 159-187 (56.5 - 66.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

    Offensive (just to show a few cals that whether EVd in Spa Atk or not, the difference in damage output is negligible):

    0 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Venusaur-Mega: 204-240 (56 - 65.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
    252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Venusaur-Mega: 236-278 (64.8 - 76.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

    0 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kartana: 188-222 (72.5 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
    252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kartana: 219-258 (84.5 - 99.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

    0 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Diancie-Mega: 145-172 (60.1 - 71.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
    252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Diancie-Mega: 169-201 (70.1 - 83.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

    0 SpA Alakazam-Mega Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar-Mega in Sand: 320-380 (93.8 - 111.4%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO (obvious power drops, however, as standard Mega-Alakazam can outright KO, however, if it hits)

    0 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Keldeo: 344-408 (106.5 - 126.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
 
Hi. I got to high-ladder recently with a team supporting Leppa Berry Recycle Pyukumuku

Pyukumuku @ Leppa Berry
Level: 100
Bold Nature
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 200 HP / 218 Def / 80 SpD / 10 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Block
- Recycle
- Recover
- Rest

Trap walls and anything that can't 2hko. PP stall infinitely. The new 1,000 turn limit means there is no infinite battle-clause being proken.
 

Attachments

Hi! here are two sets that I've tested with great success:
  • seeing the use of leppa berry in a stall archetype, here is one of its best users offensively:
:sm/serperior:
Serperior @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Synthesis
- Glare​

This set allows :serperior: to spam leaf storm without immediately be afraid of pp stall. Thanks to its good speed tier, access to glare, and a way to stay healthy, I think this set of :serperior: is worth exploring. Don't know what else to say, it is very straightforward to use.
  • here is the next one: I don't know if it is underrated or creative but I don't see it that often.
:sm/tornadus-Therian:
Tornadus-Therian @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- Focus Blast
- Taunt​

Definitely, this pokemon can be unpredictable. Hurricane is the classic stab for :tornadus-therian:, knock off is a staple as well. Fightinium Z is a good way to remove or weaken heatran and ferrothorn. Taunt finishes the set and greatly annoys hazards setters and passive pokemon. The combination of those 4 moves is terrible to switch into and is great support for mons dreaming to see heatran and ferrothorn go down or magearna losing its item. A life orb all-out attacker can be another possibility for offensive :tornadus-Therian: however the recoil of the life orb can be game-changing, leaving it unable to handle pokemon it would normally check.
 
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Katy

Banned deucer.
:ss/Celesteela:
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 108 SpD / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Leech Seed
- Protect

this celesteela set is very underrated as it is able to lure in magnezone, heatran, and tapu koko for more damage output. heatran usually resists heavy slam and is immune to flamethrower or the lesser used fire blast due to flash fire ability, but earthquake is a great tool to catch it by surprise, same with magnezone, as celesteela has a chance to ohko it with a roll heavily in its favor. tapu koko and charizard mega x are also targets which this set can occosionally lure. it can also spread out some damage on toxapex and pressures it with the leech seed + earthquake combination, as earthquakes highest roll is almost 40% therefore toxapex is more pressured to use recover.

calcs:
0 Atk Celesteela Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 276-328 (71.5 - 84.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Celesteela Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Magnezone: 256-304 (90.7 - 107.8%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
 
Some of these might not be so hot, but i'll post some slightly uncommon picks.

:sm/hydreigon:

Hydreigon @ Poisonium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 176 HP / 208 SpA / 4 SpD / 120 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Belch
- Roost

This Hydreigon set is useful as a check to both Heatran & choice specs Greninja (as long as the latter is not under rain), while also being a good lure for fairy types such as Tapu Fini, Tapu Bulu, and Clefable. Because of this it pairs well with pokemon like choice specs Greninja, Heatran, Medicham and others that like these defensive touchstones removed.

208+ SpA Hydreigon Acid Downpour (190 BP) vs. 248 HP / 40+ SpD Tapu Fini: 302-356 (88 - 103.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
208+ SpA Hydreigon Acid Downpour (190 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 464-548 (117.7 - 139%) -- guaranteed OHKO
208+ SpA Hydreigon Acid Downpour (190 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Tapu Bulu: 636-752 (185.4 - 219.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

:sm/clefable:

Clefable @ Electrium Z
Ability: Magic Guard
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Thunder
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled

Killing Toxapex and Celesteela at +1 feels good. Make sure they don't scout you though. Again, this works well with things like SD Mega-Scizor, Greninja, MZam, Serperior ect.

:sm/hoopa-unbound:

Hoopa-Unbound @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Dark Pulse
- Focus Blast

+2 252+ SpA Hoopa-Unbound All-Out Pummeling (190 BP) vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Eviolite Chansey: 704-830 (100.1 - 118%) -- guaranteed OHKO.

:sm/zeraora:

Zeraora @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 232 Atk / 20 Def / 24 SpD / 192 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Close Combat
- Outrage
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Kind of a gimmick, I guess, but this is the set I use on Zeraora when MZam and Mlati@s are common as those 3 check Zeraora (Mzam traces volt absorb). It acts as a lure that pairs well with Heatran by removing some of its checks.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-953256224 (Turn 30).


232 Atk Zeraora Devastating Drake (190 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Alakazam-Mega: 259-305 (103.1 - 121.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
232 Atk Zeraora Devastating Drake (190 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Latias-Mega: 314-370 (86.2 - 101.6%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

:sm/pelipper:

Pelipper (M) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Pursuit
- U-turn
- Roost

Pursuit is nice on rain teams that struggle vs Shed-Stall, as you can trap Shedinja with Pelipper for your breakers like Manaphy, MPert, and Kingdra.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-1218278092

:sm/swampert-mega:

Swampert-Mega (M) @ Swampertite
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Refresh
- Stealth Rock / Ice Punch / Superpower

Refresh Mega pert has an easier time at switching into heatran, allowing you to heal of toxic / burn without needing a dedicated cleric. Additional bonus for not having to worry as much about Mega-Sableye / Rotom-Wash will-o-wisp's connecting.

:sm/chansey:

Ode to Joy (Chansey) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
- Sunny Day
- Soft-Boiled

Sunny day Chansey can be quite clutch vs rain teams, and as long as it does not take a +3 rain boosted hydro vortex, then it will do a good job at keeping manaphy in check, as you both weaken water moves power, while additionally removing its hydration ability. You do lose out on stealth rock though.

+3 252+ SpA Manaphy Surf vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Eviolite Chansey in Rain: 321-378 (45.6 - 53.7%) -- 41% chance to 2HKO
+6 252+ SpA Manaphy Surf vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Eviolite Chansey in Sun: 169-201 (24 - 28.5%) -- 97.5% chance to 4HKO

:sm/tapu lele:

Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Moonblast / Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire] / Focus Blast
- Aromatherapy

Scarf aromatherapy works well as Lele forces a lot of switches & with a choice scarf outspeeds most of the metagame, giving you either free turns to heal your team or one last fast heal to close out the game; on balance squads this makes for good role compression.

:sm/venusaur-mega: :sm/tangrowth:

Venusaur-Mega (M) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 68 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Worry Seed
- Synthesis

Tangrowth (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 32 Atk / 208 Def / 8 SpA / 8 SpD / 4 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Giga Drain
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Worry Seed

Some of these suggestions might not be that outside of the box for a lot of you, but I find pairing worry seed with grass type tanks using hidden power fire to be relatively decent. The two most obvious pokemon to hit with worry seed are TornT while rocks are up to punish sloppy switch wars, and as a check to SD Gliscor (which these two mons struggle against if they do not have hidden power ice).

:sm/camerupt-mega: :sm/heatran:

Camerupt-Mega @ Cameruptite
Ability: Sheer Force
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 72 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 52 SpD / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Ancient Power
- Stealth Rock

Heatran
Ability: Flash Fire
- Stone Edge

Ancient Power on Camerupt allows you to hit Peliper and Charizard-Y, which otherwise wall you unless you have electric terrain up. Also thought i'd tack on Stone edge Heatran, as it allows you to check Charizard-Y and Volcarona lacking HP Ground, and I havent seen stone edge Heatran in ages.

:sm/zapdos:

Zapdos @ Chilan Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 76 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost

Goodbye Normalium Kartarna. Is also a nice buffer against explosions.

:sm/tornadus-therian:

Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Charti Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 16HP (at least)
Timid Nature

Charti berry can be nice when your Z slot is already used up - a common turn 1 mu is LandorusT v TornT; Charti gives you some wiggle room against scarf stone edge crits & and big continental crushes. I think that rocky helmet is probably better overall, but charti berry is certainly far from bad.

:sm/altaria-mega:

Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 92 Def / 36 SpA / 76 SpD / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Earthquake / Toxic / Defog
- Heal Bell / Defog / Toxic
- Roost

(Shoutout to Proftreez for the spread)

To my mind, Mega Altaria is pretty underrated. I don't think it is nearly as good as some of the top tier megas, but I've been playing around with a lot of fat balance / semi-stall teams over the last 3 years or so, that often rely on mega Altaria and the utility it offers.

The spread here lets you avoid the 2hko from specs Greninja's dark pulse prior to mega evolution (preserving natural cure); outspeed Crawdaunt, 2HKO mega charizard X with Hyper voice, and avoid a number of KO's on a physical side (like avoiding the 2hko from Mega Pert ice punch). It does lots of nifty things and is generally always an obstacle that the opponent has to overcome, while offering a solid answer to many common threats such as both forms of Mega Charizard, Kommo-O (being immune to soulblaze & hitting belly drum variants behind the substitute is nice), Ash Gren, SD Bulu, MGyarados ect.

I would recommend giving it a whirl if you haven't.
 
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Katy

Banned deucer.
:ss/heatran:
Heatran @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Hidden Power ice Heatran coupled with a Choice Specs is able to lure in (Mega) Garchomp, Landorus-T, Gliscor, and the (Mega) Lati-Twins, which allows for more middle ground plays between Lava Plume and Earth Power, so it takes advantage of switch-ins, which try to check Heatran in a defensive way. It is able to hit Tankchomp for super effective damage resulting into an OHKO. It also forces Mega Latios to Roost / Recover more often, as it achieves a good max roll onto it and does more than Flash Cannon, the same mention goes to Gliscor. being able to get rid off it immediately is very appreciated.

:ss/rotom-wash:
Rotom-Wash @ Waterium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Usually Rotom-W gets walled by Gastrodon entirely and is one of the better checks against Mega Swampert, however allowing it to hit both of them with 1 attack is really appreciated, and this is what Hidden Power Grass is for, so it can spare its Waterium-Z for other Pokemon, to hit them super effectively, with reducing the risk of a Hydro Pump miss. Waterium-Z also is a great nuke tool against Landorus-T, Gliscor, and is able to hit Garchomp for neutral but heavy damage output.

252 SpA Rotom-Wash Hidden Power Grass vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 184-220 (43.2 - 51.7%) -- 6.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery


:ss/hoopa-unbound:
Hoopa-Unbound @ Leftovers
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Protect

Protect Hoopa-U allows Hoopa-U to scout Choice locked Pokemon such as Tapu Lele, Landorus-T, Greninja (mostly Protean variant), Kartana, and many more. Protect also is able to scout different Pokemon and their sets, such as Heatran, Magearna, and Victini. Moreover it can scout Z-Moves, as it will take less damage from them (25%), which means it can heal it up with Leftovers in the following turns and smart plays with Protect.

Hope you liked these sets. Have a great day everyone! :)
 

Egor

нет, товарищ генерал, это вы даёте
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RoAPL Champion
:sm/magnezone:
Magnezone @ Chople Berry
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
- Thunder Wave

Choice Scarf Magnezone is dogshit. Among all sets, it does the Magnezone things the worst, and it isn't even a real Scarfer due to its poor Speed tier. The reason why it exists is Kartana: Choice Scarf Magnezone is definitely one of the hardest Kartana punishers. However, there we go - Chople Berry Magnezone, an alternative take on handling Kartana. The item still enables Magnezone to check it well (eats a +2 Sacred Sword after rocks), while also being useful against other Fighting-type attacks users, most notably Mega Alakazam, Mega Lopunny, and Tapu Lele. Checking the former two is something that Scarf Magnezone cannot do; but Chople Berry Magnezone can eat a super effective attack and cripple these with Thunder Wave, making them a lot easier to deal with for the rest of a team. The ability to run a Modest nature is also a minor advantage over Scarf Magnezone, since it slightly enhances the rolls against important targets like Celesteela and Mega Scizor.
 

Kyo

In Limbo
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National Dex Leader
:sm/slowbro:

Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 212 Def / 48 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Confide
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave

I honestly can't say that I've used too much Slowbro in SM as it just never appealed to me that much. However, it does have a very nice niche on fatter teams as one of the only mons in the tier that reliably and consistently walls Mega Medicham, and it's a decent physical wall in general. A while ago I was building fat and was trying to justify fitting Slowbro on my team since I really just needed it for the Medi matchup. I came up with this set which has a ton of role compression that fat appreciates. If you don't know what confide does, it's a move that drops the opponent's special att by one stage, ignores substitute, and has 32 pp. Having the same pp as calm mind means that you can completely neutralize one of the opponent's setup mons over the course of a game. Due to slowbro's relatively unique pool of type resistances, I've found it to be a solid confide user. CM mons you can shut down with confide Bro include Reuniclus (hugely important for fat teams), non-thunder Clefable, Keldeo, 2 attacks Mega Alakazam, and non-thunder Mega Latias.

I prefer thunder wave on confide Bro because you can outspeed Reuni and Clef which avoids tricky situations where you might take a critical hit, and it's just a great move on Slowbro in other matchups. I won't deny that this set is niche, but you're only committing one moveslot so the opportunity cost is not so bad. The best way of using this set is with a Chansey on the team. Chansey + Slowbro is an excellent defensive core and the confide set happens to deal with most CM users that can actually beat Chansey 1v1 like Reuniclus, magic guard Clef, Keldeo, and pre-mega Zam. In turn, Chansey toxic stalls/tosses the mons that Slowbro can't deal with like thunder Lati, Volcarona, Magearna, and shadow ball Zam. Chansey itself can choose to run confide, but it doesn't like losing out on something from its great support movepool like stealth rocks, twave, toxic, aromatherapy, wish, etc.
 
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Yo, Treeman here to spread my propaganda for shit mons and weird sets. SM forums been pretty dead as of late, so hopefully this dose of insanity could spur some activity or something. Idk. Anyhow, enjoy. This is gonna be split into 2 parts prolly so ye.

Proven Shit:
:sm/seismitoad:
Seismitoad (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 240 HP / 36 Def / 216 SpD / 16 Spe
Careful / Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Refresh / Rest / Toxic
- Earthquake / Knock Off
- Scald

I'm a big proponent of the toad in ou and im not gonna apologize for it lol. Being one of the few viable status absorbers thanks to refresh (fuck you toxapex), along with the choice of knock, scald, rocks, and toxic, toad provides an immense amount of utility, while effectively checking a good chunk of the metagame. Toad is also one of the hardest punishes to voltturn, particularly punishing the infamous trio of gear, lando and rotom, preventing gear from sucessfully generating momentum (granted it isnt dumb eball), using rotom as an entry point to simply set up rocks in its face and get lefties, and either preventing landos entry through the threat of a burn, or forcing it to make awkward trades. Not the most simple mon to pilot, and it needs to be backed up by teammates thanks to its often lackluster bulk, but can be extremely effective in the right structures. Evs let you eat +2 mmaw sucker and creep uninvested msciz. Also shout out to gknot and poison jab, which are funny as fuck in the right mus.

:sm/seismitoad: + :sm/tyranitar: / :sm/tyranitar-mega:

Prolly the wrong place to put it, but this is an underrated core I have to mention with toad as an alternative way to handle broken agren. Toad's water immunity conditions gren to either spike or dpulse, opening avenues for ttar to chip it with sand and pursuit, preventing it from making progress and eventually wearing it down. Toad frees up a slot for mttar by running rocks and prevents ttar from being free momentum from the majority of volt turn users, while ttar prevents toad from being free set up bait for the bulky set up psychics reuni and mlati as well as punishing defog attempts. The duo also annoys the hell out of rain, in tandem, resetting the weather with every entry of ash gren while having an immunity to rains boosted attacks. You def need a secondary check for agren and to play proactively, but the two compliment each other excellently while shutting down one of the most dangerous mons in the meta.

:sm/ferrothorn:
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / whatever you want it to do
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Explosion
- Gyro Ball / Power Whip

A more BW-esque take on the durian, ferro's defensive attributes are much appreciated on offense as a stop gap to dangerous threats such as gren, while stacking on the coveted spikes. While easily circumvented on more defensive teams, one of the major issue of ferro its passivity allowing dangerous attackers to use it as an opening to either wall break or set up (fuck you volcarona). The combination of twave and explosion are effectively a giant middle finger to most of its abusers, and transform ferro from a game-ending momentum sync, to an anti-setup swiss army knife. Volcarona coming in to quiver dance? Nice try fucker (explodes). Explosions self ko mechanic has the added benefit of punishing defensive mons that would traditionally abuse it for recovery. instead of having a zapdos back up to 80, you end up having one at 20 or dead cause a ferro just exploded on you. Very, very funny tech.

0 Atk Ferrothorn Explosion vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Charizard-Mega-Y: 208-245 (70 - 82.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Ferrothorn Explosion vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 242-285 (77.8 - 91.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Ferrothorn Explosion vs. 248 HP / 112 Def Volcarona: 207-244 (55.4 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Ferrothorn Explosion vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Charizard-Mega-X: 156-184 (52.5 - 61.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

note that attack investment is perfectly feasible and that this is uninvested, don't underestimate it

:sm/cresselia:
Cresselia (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 136 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
- Moonlight
- Confide

Cress has recently seen an uptick in usage thanks to the rise of ho thanks to its access to the coveted lunar dance, but I feel its excellent defensive qualities have been undermined as a result. Cress is arguably the biggest fuck you possible against the common offensive team structures possible thanks to its gargantuan bulk. In tandem with twave, cress arguably blankets nearly the entire offensive metagame with its defensive attributes, only held back by its passivity and recovery in moonlight. The combination of confide and twave alleviate this, allowing cress to shut down dangerous set up sweepers such z-tini, gear, and most calm minders that would otherwise abuse its lack of coverage or power. Confide has the added bonus of softening up the blows from tapu lele, mzam, and other special attackers letting you preserve moonlight pp and switch in to teammates easier. This fucker is a bugger to ev because of how obese it is, so the speed evs allows you to outspeed paralyzed mzam, and confide it down, while the rest was allocated into reaching a spdef jumppoint to better take on tapu lele and mzam with some in def to better take on mmedi. A more physdef spread is prolly fine too tho.

252 Atk Teravolt Kyurem-Black Subzero Slammer (200 BP) vs. 252 HP / 64 Def Cresselia: 322-381 (72.5 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Teravolt Kyurem-Black Subzero Slammer (200 BP) vs. 252 HP / 64 Def Cresselia: 355-418 (79.9 - 94.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Pure Power Medicham-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 64 Def Cresselia: 143-168 (32.2 - 37.8%) -- 0.6% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 136+ SpD Cresselia: 153-180 (34.4 - 40.5%) -- 49.2% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 136+ SpD Cresselia: 144-170 (32.4 - 38.2%) -- 2.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Magearna Twinkle Tackle (195 BP) vs. 252 HP / 136+ SpD Cresselia: 228-268 (51.3 - 60.3%) -- 89.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

obese

:sm/alakazam-mega:
Alakazam-Mega @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 24 HP / whatever else you want it to do
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball / Hidden Power [Ice]
- Energy Ball

4 atks mzam is an absolute monster for the majority of the teams to deal with. Thanks to the combination of its initial ability magic guard, and its mega ability in trace, mzam will usually have enough staying power to effectively dismantle the opposition with or without recovery, while the additional coverage severly limits the number of pokemon that can comfortably switchin to it. However, the aspect of mzam I want to showcase is the usage of energy ball. Energy ball not only gives mzam a reliable way of removing gren (fuck you fblast), but with it you essentially dismantle the majority of rain teams with mzam alone. Eball has the added bonuses of absolutely tearing into cheeky weakened rotoms that think they can trade a para on mzam as they go down, popping gastrodon, and 2hkoing fini. For a little bonus, 24 hp allows you to always survive specs agren water shruriken after 2 rounds of a rocks, or rocks and a layer of spikes, a small amount of investment to prevent an otherwise game ending scenario.

:sm/landorus-therian:
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rockium Z / Flyinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge / Fly

Whats more dangerous then a +2 z-lando? A fucking +2 z-lando behind a sub. I think its pretty needless to say that offensive variants of lando are pretty threatening, and in tandem with excellent defensive typing and intimidate, can often find free turns for set up. Additionally, common counter play against z lando is reading the z and either sacking a mon or absorbing it with a resist. Sub takes advantage of this, and often can set up lando for positions to get 2 for ones. In general, ive found setting rocks with sd variants of z-lando to often be a waste, and instead utilizing it as soley an offensive breaker to be far more effective. Sub also has the added benefit of allowing you circumvent some of the stone edge accuracy or better abuse fly once you burn the z. Rotom better pray it hits.

:sm/slowbro:
Slowbro @ Red Card / Eject Button
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Recycle
- Endure / Thunder Wave / Future Sight
- Slack Off

Both red card and eject button are pretty underutilized items, and in tandem with recycle, slowbro can effectively abuse their unique effects multiple times thanks to recycle (granted you dont get knocked off), transforming slowbro into an effective anti-set up mon, or a momentum generating regen pivot similar to its function as a tele bro in gen 8. Endure is a very funny tech with red card, allowing slowbro to cockbock essentially every set up boosted set up sweeper (granted you gotta read the turn right for sub mons), but the majority of set up mons with the cabability to ko slowbro will do so out of respect of a possible twave. Red card also has the funny application of forcing in a random mon into slowbro, letting you possibly nab a critical paralysis on the opposition. Slowbro in general prolly should be expirimented with more beyond future sight, but im glad to see the goofy fucker get an uptick in usage.

:sm/tapu fini:
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
EVs: 248 HP / Whatever else
Ability: Misty Surge
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog / Taunt
- Haze
- Moonblast
- Surf

If you couldn't tell by now, I really hate set-up sweepers. Haze fini actually has a lot of cool applications on more offensive oriented teams. Instead of simply trading the fini against the set up sweeper or letting it boost for free, fini negates any sort of set up, allowing its teammates to deal with the unboosted threat. An unboosted volcarona with no potential to set up is far less dangerous then a +3 volc at 30 for most teams. You definitely need a mon to abuse pex or absorb tspikes, but its a nice option on bulky offense to prevent dumbass shit from being dumb lol. Pretty self explanatory.

Unproven shit AKA the effects of sleep deprivation:

A bit of a misleading title, most of these ideas have worked but i have yet to have found a proper build. Some of it is theoretical though. And all of it is dumb as shit. So yeah, use at your own risk LOL.

:sm/heatran:
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 52 HP / 208 SpD / 248 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Earth Power
- Overheat

I think we can all agree relying on magma storm is horrible, and that chances are itll miss when you need it to hit. Overheat has a far more reliable accuracy of 90, and notably ohkoes offensive variants of gear which can possibly snowball otherwise (sg is broken on god). The evs are pretty expirimental, but they allow you to outspeed max speed gear while letting you live a z-fight from it at full. Leftovers number is a bonus.

:sm/latias-mega:
Latias-Mega (F) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Roost
- Toxic / Thunder / Whatever else you want its lati lol
- Psychic / Ice beam

Was insipired by watching some adv replays that featured screens celebi, and I think some dpp ones that used reflect lati. Reflect allows mlati to comfortably wall mmedi and mpert, dangerous threats to the majority of balances, while easing switching in for its teammates. Reflect notably opens up trade opprotunities for mons such as lo clef, or set up opportunities for mons such as sg gear or volc. Reflect has the added benefit of preventing pursuit trapping attempts from ttar and weavile, letting you punish them with status or chip.

252 Atk Pure Power Medicham-Mega Ice Punch vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Latias-Mega through Reflect: 116-137 (31.9 - 37.7%) -- 92.7% chance to 3HKO
252 Atk Pure Power Medicham-Mega Ice Punch vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Latias-Mega through Reflect: 116-137 (31.9 - 37.7%) -- 92.7% chance to 3HKO
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Return vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Latias-Mega through Reflect: 73-87 (20.1 - 23.9%) -- guaranteed 5HKO

:sm/staraptor:
Staraptor @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 220 Atk / 36 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
- Pursuit

Ok, I know what you are thinking. Lemme explain. Scarf raptor is a very, very threatening mon. Until a steel type switches in. With the kamikaze nature of the bird, staraptor will most likely not have the staying power to effectively threaten the offensive threats its suppose to keep in check. Then boom, it clicks fucking pursuit. Pursuit nabs important chip damage on mons such as mmedi, while koing mzam and blacephalon. The small investment in spdef allows raptor to live a mzam psychic from full, giving you the opportunity to aggresively trap it. Not something id use on a serious team, but it is, as with most of my dumb shit, pretty funny.

:sm/victini:
Victini @ Leftovers
EVs: 216 HP / 56 Atk / 16 Def / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
Ability: Victory Star
- Final Gambit
- V-create
- Toxic / Will-O-Wisp / Bolt Strike / Glaciate
- Protect / Whatever else ig lol

Scarf gambit tini is one of the hardest pokemon to switchin to in the metagame, however its limited by its linearity, often allowing the opposition to choose their least useful member as fodder. Without the limitation of its choice lock, tini can pick and choose its targets. Additionally, the combination of leftovers and protect not only allow it utilize the excellent attributes of its typing, but also scout pursuit attempts, and maintain its hp to effectively utilize gambit. EVs let you nab base 95 hp mons (slowbro and clef come to mind), live a weavile pursuit after rocks + a round of lefties after v-create (trust me ok), and outspeed mons that creep positive base 95s.

:sm/thundurus:
Thundurus (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 16 HP / 240 Def / 4 SpA / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt / Volt Switch / Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt / Volt Switch

Inspired by some cbb replays where he brought some baller chesnaught offense lol. With the resurgence of ho in sm, set up sweepers have been the bane of my fucking existence. The combination of prankster twave and taunt shuts down the majority of setup sweepers, bar the obese dark types, which either fear thundis stabs or has to respect the possibility of focus blast. Additionally, thundis excellent typing allows it to soft check a decent swath of the metagame in tandem with its excellent speed tier. Rh was chosen since it puts even careful gliscor into range of 2 hp ices if it chooses to attack, as well punishing uturns from defensive lando and scarf kartana. The evs allow you to outspeed positive base 110s, while allowing you to survive + 2 gliscor facade after rocks, and by extension, + 2 lucha hjk after rocks. MIght be cool on some offense.

:sm/alakazam-mega:
Alakazam-Mega @ Alakazite
Ability: Trace
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Future Sight
- Recover / Whatever

Thanks to the advent of generation 8, future sight has been increasingly explored in sm to devastating effect, with the rise of slowbro in spl being proof. Now, note that the majority of the time future sight hit, it was coming off of an uninvested, base 100 spa. Now, imagine it coming off a fully invested base 170 spa. To put it in perspective, a future sight from slowbro does about 50-55 to pex, whereas a future sight from mzam has a 43.8% chance to ohko the bugger. Anything that isnt named chansey or immune/resistant to psychic is going to get melted like butter, and in tandem with a mon like agren or suicune, I have confidence this set could be an absolute demon. But for now, it, lays dormant in my builder.

:sm/landorus-therian:
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Normal Gem
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / Whatever else
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn / Whatever
- Explosion
- Earthquake

Shoutout to quilto since i nabbed this from one of his replays lol. Hate lucha but dont have a free z slot to use? Normal gem boom is the answer. Beyond preventing lucha from cleaning house, defensive variants of lando have the issue of often used as, somewhat shaky, but nonetheless solid openings for a swath of defensive set up sweepers to abuse. While a cm reuniclus or clef might be able to take consecutive eqs, a boosted explosion is a completely different story. Absolutely demolishing traditional abusers of defensive lando such as mlati and torn is also a nice plus. EVs allow you to ko lucha after rocks, which i reckon is the minimum.

44 Atk Normal Gem Landorus-Therian Explosion vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Latias-Mega: 282-332 (77.6 - 91.4%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
44 Atk Normal Gem Landorus-Therian Explosion vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 292-344 (74.1 - 87.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
44 Atk Normal Gem Landorus-Therian Explosion vs. 252 HP / 212+ Def Reuniclus: 300-353 (70.7 - 83.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
44 Atk Normal Gem Landorus-Therian Explosion vs. +1 96 HP / 0 Def Hawlucha: 281-331 (87.5 - 103.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

Closing:

Welp I reckon thats enough for now, ill prolly post more in the future when i feel like writing the equivalent of an essay lmfao. Till then i suppose. Peace.

Holy shit this took like 5 hours to write wtf LOL
 

DIYUSI

formerly KaiserKaiba
is a Team Rater Alumnus
Hi everyone, to quote what Treeman said, SM Forum is kinda inactive at the moment and, in order to solve this issue, I also want to make my contribution and post some of the weird shits I try recently. There are mostly fun sets and was made, in general, with a really specific team in mind, but I still believe sharing them would maybe give ideas to other SM builders. Hope you will enjoy the post.

:SM/Magnezone:

Magnezone @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 128 HP / 120 SpA / 136 SpD / 124 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Mirror Coat

This is something I already post on Teambuilding Competition. The idea is fairly straight-forward: with the boost from Assault Vest, Magnezone will be able to tank some unexpected hits (more details in "Purpose of the spread") and snipe certain pokemons with Mirror Coat like Alakazam-Mega, Magearna, Tapu Lele or Ditto. Finally, Magnezone still will be able to achieve its main purpose on a team: remove defensive or offensive steels.

You survive psychic into focus blast from jolly Alakazam-mega
252 SpA Tapu Lele All-Out Pummeling (190 BP) vs. 128 HP / 136 SpD Assault Vest Magnezone: 260-308 (83 - 98.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Huge Power Mawile-Mega Sucker Punch vs. 128 HP / 0 Def Magnezone: 255-301 (81.4 - 96.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
120+ SpA Magnezone Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 244 SpD Scizor-Mega: 208-248 (60.6 - 72.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
You outspeed Scizor-Mega without any speed

:SM/Victini:

Victini @ Expert Belt
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 240 HP / 52 Atk / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- V-create
- Power-Up Punch
- Fusion Bolt
- Substitute

Even if I believe that not choice-locked Victini is really underrated, this variation of Victini is more fun than really serious. The main idea of this set is to abuse the switchs that Victini force to put a free substitute and continue to pressure the rest of the team with the good combination of coverage from Victini. Also, Power-Up Punch, while has less Base Power than Brick Break, gives to Victini, somehow, a way to "boost" its attack and nullify the annoying stratagem of switching between a fire-resist and Landorus-Therian.

Chansey can't break the sub
You outspeed +speed 95 base speed

:SM/Hoopa-Unbound:

Hoopa-Unbound @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 HP / 208 SpA / 48 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Dark Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot
- Trick Room

Another fun set, the main appeal to run Trick Room on Hoopa-Unbound is to ditch the investement on speed in order to focus on the bulk instead (and, moreover, be able to run a +SpA nature). Check "Purpose of the spread" to see, in particular, what this set can truly achieve, but, overall, the combination of Trick Room + Nasty Plot give to Hoopa-Unbound much more potential to pressure other playstyle like Bulky Offense or Hyper Offense.

0 SpA Tapu Fini Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 48 SpD Hoopa-Unbound: 152-180 (41.7 - 49.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 208+ SpA Hoopa-Unbound All-Out Pummeling (190 BP) vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Eviolite Chansey: 688-810 (97.8 - 115.2%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

:SM/Magearna:

Magearna @ Normal Gem
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 48 HP / 176 Atk / 56 SpD / 228 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Iron Head
- Ice Beam / Thunderbolt
- Explosion
- Shift Gear

Yep, physical Magearna, not a joke. So, if the usual Shift Gear + 3 attacks variant is a powerful cleaner, this set try to trick people on the expectation of SpA investement and, with the combination of Explosion + Shift Gear + Normal Gem, can serve, not only as a cleaner, but also as a breaker, able to remove common special walls like Chansey, Toxapex or Magearna Assault Vest.

+1 176+ Atk Normal Gem Magearna Explosion vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Toxapex: 304-358 (100 - 117.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 48 HP / 0 Def Magearna: 264-312 (84.3 - 99.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Celesteela Flamethrower vs. 48 HP / 56- SpD Magearna: 130-154 (41.5 - 49.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Magearna Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-Therian: 392-464 (102.6 - 121.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

:SM/Kartana:

Kartana @ Salac Berry
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 120 HP / 128 Atk / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Swords Dance
- Substitute

Not my idea but, once I discovered this concept, I instantly tried it on ladder. If I really don't like the whole gimmick of Timid Kartana to get a boost on speed, I think Salac Berry + Substitute is a more fun and better way to get it. Not only for the +1 in speed, Substitute is just, in general, a nice option to run on Kartana, especially when Kartana is a pokemon that will often force switchs and, also, make sure to avoid annoying moves like aggresive Thunder-Wave or Scald.

0 SpA Toxapex Scald vs. 120 HP / 8 SpD Kartana: 61-72 (21.1 - 24.9%) -- 31.2% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Ferrothorn Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 120 HP / 0 Def Kartana: 60-72 (20.7 - 24.9%) -- 18.5% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock

:SM/Reuniclus:

Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 144 HP / 252 Def / 68 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Future Sight / Psychic
- Energy Ball / Thunder / Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Recover

We always saw Reuniclus with Calm Mind and, sometimes, alongside Acid Armor. While this is obviously its best set, I wanted to try another way to use Reuniclus. The idea of this set is to abuse the classic combination of Magic Guard + Life Orb and pressure with its good SpA and, overall, decent coverage. Also, another tech I like a lot on this kind of offensive psychic is Future Sight, a powerful psychic stab with 120 of Base Power that pair really well on pokemon that have special/physical sponges as checks like Heatran Spedef or Lopunny-Mega.

252 Atk Pure Power Medicham-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 144 HP / 252 Def Reuniclus: 168-198 (42.3 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Return vs. 144 HP / 252 Def Reuniclus: 163-193 (41 - 48.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
68+ SpA Life Orb Reuniclus Future Sight vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Toxapex: 265-315 (87.1 - 103.6%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
You outspeed Toxapex without any speed

:SM/Volcanion:

Volcanion @ Normal Gem
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 16 HP / 216 Atk / 12 SpA / 44 SpD / 220 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Flamethrower
- Steam Eruption
- Explosion
- Substitute

Truly a not serious set, similarly to Physical Magearna, Volcanion will trick people of the expection of SpA investement and pull out a powerful explosion on usual checks like Latias-Mega or Chansey.

216+ Atk Normal Gem Volcanion Explosion vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Latias-Mega: 285-336 (78.5 - 92.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 16 HP / 0 Def Volcanion: 254-302 (83.2 - 99%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Greninja Dark Pulse vs. 16 HP / 44- SpD Volcanion: 193-228 (63.2 - 74.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
12 SpA Volcanion Steam Eruption vs. 252 HP / 180+ SpD Heatran: 218-260 (56.4 - 67.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
You outspeed Crawdaunt Jolly and usual Tapu Bulu Adamant Choice Band

:SM/Zapdos:

Zapdos @ Electrium Z (S/O to Treeman for the spread)
Ability: Static
EVs: 40 HP / 160 SpA / 92 SpD / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost

Probably the most viable set on this post, Zapdos, with the combination of its Ice + Fire + Electric coverages, is, in general, very annoying for some common cores like Gliscor + Toxapex. However, here, we avoid to follow the defensive way and try to play more of the offensive side (especially when Zapdos has a good SpA of 125) in tandem with a powerful Z-Thunderbolt (able to nearly OHKO a calm Toxapex with full investement in SpDef for example).

You survive Z-Hurricane into Hurricane after rocks from Offensive Tornadus-Therian
+2 252+ Atk Hawlucha High Jump Kick vs. 40 HP / 0 Def Zapdos: 210-248 (63.4 - 74.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
You outspeed +speed base 95 speed

:SM/Staraptor:

Staraptor @ Choice Band
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- U-turn

Kinda my fetish at the moment, Staraptor, apparently, is just another breaker to put on the gigantic pile of powerful shit that SM OU tend to easily offer. However, unlike some breaker like Crawdaunt or Hoopa-Unbound, Staraptor, even with almost no defensive utility, has the advantage to greatly chip some vital types that are, often, what makes most defensive backbones of the tier: Steel, Electric and Fly. With the combination of Choice Band + Reckless + High Base Power Stabs, especially with the fact that most defensive steel put more SpDef investement for the kind of Tapu Lele, Magearna or Alakazam-Mega, Staraptor will simply deal obscenely damages on most of them (check "Purpose of the spread" to see some examples).

252+ Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Double-Edge vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Magearna: 162-191 (44.6 - 52.6%) -- 80.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 184+ Def Zapdos: 312-367 (81.2 - 95.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-Wash: 252-297 (82.8 - 97.6%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
You outspeed neutral speed 95 base speed

:SM/Metagross:

Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 192 HP / 244 Atk / 72 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Bullet Punch

A set that Charmflash already used in last SPL and that Clementine already presented on another thread, I just wanted to show what ev spread I run on it (check "purpose of the spread" for that matter as usual) and, again, explain why I also like this set. Metagross with Assault Vest can tank with ease some unholy offensive psychic like Tapu Lele Modest Choice Specs and trap them with Pursuit. Moreover, with its good attack of 130 and decent coverage, Metagross will be, by himself, a good offensive presence. Finally, Bullet Punch is just very nice to increase a bit more the speed control.

+2 252+ Atk Hawlucha High Jump Kick vs. 192 HP / 0 Def Metagross: 294-346 (84.2 - 99.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Hidden Power Fire vs. 192 HP / 72 SpD Assault Vest Metagross: 146-172 (41.8 - 49.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Shadow Ball vs. 192 HP / 72 SpD Assault Vest Metagross: 146-174 (41.8 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

This is the end of the post. Hope you enjoy it and dont dm if the sets sucks: your fault. Also, it would be really cool if the other SM OU enjoyers could wake up and try to put more activity in the forum. Anyway, even if you dont do it, you can expect from me some others post in the same vein. So, until then, have a good day or week or whatever the hell you want.
 
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Cdijk16

Cdijk21 on PS!
is a Pre-Contributor
Proven Sets
These are all sets I (or other players) have used and obtained good results with.
1. DD + Z-Move Kommo-O(Electrium-Z/Groundium-Z)
Kommo-o @ Groundium Z / Electrium-Z
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake / Thunder Punch
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch

Used on offense and hyper offense teams to lure Magearna and Toxapex. This sets turns the tables on almost all of the common switch-ins to the standard offensive set. Also works with Electrium to lure Toxapex and Tapu Fini. Pairs well with mons that like Tapu Fini, Toxapex and/or Magearna removed(like non-Psychium-Z Volc, A-Gren, Keldeo etc.)

2. Eject Button Cresselia by CM Reuniclus
Cresselia (F) @ Eject Button
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 136 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
- Moonlight
- Lunar Dance

Meant to be used as a pivot and Lunar Dance user on hyper offense teams. Speed lets you outspeed paralyzed Mega Zam, defense lets you take 2 Mega Medi Thunder Punches under E-Terrain. Rest is dumped into HP and SpDef to better check the likes of Tapu Lele. Lunar Dance is a great tool for HO teams and is appreciated greatly by HO sweepers like Zard X, Fly-Z Gyara, Volc etc.

3. Roost + Taunt Koko
Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z / Shuca Berry
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Taunt
- Thunderbolt

Great at pressuring balance teams. It also turns the tables on some common answers like Chansey and Magearna. HP lets you live Magearna Fleur Cannon from full.

4. MixDef AV Magearna
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 140 Def / 120 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Explosion
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Bulk investment allows you to take +2 HJK from Hawlucha after 1 layer of rocks and +0 HJK from Mega Medi. Even with the reduced SpDef, it can still survive a +1 Volc Fire Blast and a Zard-Y Flamethrower in the Sun. Explosion should be swapped out for Iron Head on teams not weak to Volcarona. This set works like a normal AV Mag for the most part.

5. Sub + Endeavor Diancie
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Stealth Rock
- Substitute
- Endeavor

Meant to be used as a lead on Hyper Offense teams. Spread(made by CM Reuniclus) lives Scarf Landorus EQ. It’s excellent at denying Stealth Rocks and Spikes from the opponent, which is greatly appreciated by HO sweepers weak to them like Dragonite, Zard X, Gyarados and Volcarona. Sub + Endevor lets you lure and weaken Chansey and Magearna.

6. Magic Room Scarf Lele by RufflesPro
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Magic Room

Works like a normal Scarf Lele for the most part. Magic Room eases prediction vs defensive teams greatly.

7. Sub SD Dragonium-Z Chomp
Garchomp @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake

Very good at luring in answers to the usual set like Defensive Landorus-T, Mega Latias, Slowbro etc. Substitute lets you setup on passive defensive pokemon like Toxapex without fear of status and eases predictions. It’s great alongside anything that likes physical walls out of the way.

8. Slowbro @ Psychium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Future Sight
- Slack Off
- Counter

Works like a normal Slowbro for the most part. Psychium-Z lets you lure and 0hko Toxapex, which Zard Y and various others appreciate.

Unproven Sets

These are sets that I believe have potential on paper, but I have not found a good build featuring them as of yet. They are overall less viable than the sets above as they are harder to fit and less consistent.
1. Mismagius @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 Def / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute

It has a comically good MU vs some balance and stall teams, but not much else. It hits like a wet noodle, doesn’t have much defensive utility and is hard to fit.
 
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clematis

formerly EdDaBoss
:sm/tapu fini:
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
EVs: 248 HP / Whatever else
Ability: Misty Surge
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog / Taunt
- Haze
- Moonblast
- Surf

If you couldn't tell by now, I really hate set-up sweepers. Haze fini actually has a lot of cool applications on more offensive oriented teams. Instead of simply trading the fini against the set up sweeper or letting it boost for free, fini negates any sort of set up, allowing its teammates to deal with the unboosted threat. An unboosted volcarona with no potential to set up is far less dangerous then a +3 volc at 30 for most teams. You definitely need a mon to abuse pex or absorb tspikes, but its a nice option on bulky offense to prevent dumbass shit from being dumb lol. Pretty self explanatory.
Thought I'd chip in with my two cents, since I've also been messing around with Haze Fini, but with a slightly different set:

:sm/tapu fini:
Tapu Fini @ Icium Z
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 12 SpA / 56 SpD / 192 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald / Moonblast
- Nature's Madness
- Haze
- Taunt

Big, big role compression. You lose Defog but in return you get a brilliant MU into like 90% of stall, in addition to all the normal defensive bonuses Fini gets. Z-Haze restores your HP up to full, meaning that suddenly you've got a Tapu Fini with about twice the normal amount of HP. It's also a very good Knock Off sponge and has a decent enough MU vs common Knock Off users in OU such as Weavile and Bisharp. Taunt + Nature's Madness allows you to pretty consistently 1v1 a lot of more passive Pokemon. Haze I find to be especially good on Fini as you say, since I'm pretty sure Tapu Fini is the only thing that can sit in front of Volcarona and really not care about anything it'll throw out (with the exception of the very rare Giga Drain) other than maybe Chansey; which any decent Volc player would target before sending out the moth.

I tend to smack this with a Gliscor, it gives you arguably some of the most consistent Defogs in OU owing to how many switches Gliscor forces, and the good type synergy between the two, though Swords Dance is probably the best set (in the entire game on any mon). Smack on a Tornadus or something for Fog, idc, then you end up with a really consistent core to a lot of balanced teams that can switch in on a lot of the metagame.
 
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