*** The Mighty Arms of Atlas ***
Introduction
I've been playing competitive Pokemon since late 2007, and I've always considered myself an above average player, but nothing more. Part of that self-perception is that I struggle to build teams and am prone to making rash decisions in battle (like risking a key player needlessly) despite what I feel like is a good sense of the long term overall. I didn't play BW, but upon returning I feel like I've improved. The team building, on the other hand, is what I turn to you guys for.
I've built numerous teams for XY OU, but this one just feels different. Even when I play myself into holes, I get out of them. My team often gets out to an early advantage because it is both conventional and unconventional. For the first time, I feel confident that I will win every match. I recently achieved a ladder ranking of 26 (1879) under my alt, calvin benjamin, and got well into the 1800s and the top 50 with my other alt. I realize this isn't a big deal to some, but for me, that's the best I've ever done on any ladder by far, and I'm not ashamed to be proud of that!
Anyway, this team grew out of failed teams that nevertheless had some functional parts. I've grown very fond of Mega Gyarados, which is simply incredible, and I decided to pair him with Magic Guard Calm Mind Clefable to form a one-two punch against offense and stall, respectively. Then I added lures and other support Pokemon that themselves could serve as win conditions. I've found that making a team around one specific Pokemon ("the star of the team") never works for me and is detached from the fluid nature of battling, so I wanted my team to be flexible from battle to battle and from turn to turn.
The result of that process was this team, The Mighty Arms of Atlas, a reference to a line from one of the few Led Zeppelin songs I actually like, Achilles Last Stand—which would have been a pretty cool title itself. Maybe next time. I also think it fits the team reasonably well, as no specific Pokemon will "hold the heavens from the earth," as my key player usually varies from match to match.
Now, here's the team.
(There's no team building section: I didn't see the point when I'm about to describe how everything works and I haven't changed anything since first building it.)
Lineup
Team In-Depth
Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Superpower
- Psychic
Description: Thundurus is an incredible Pokemon, and I've found that any build I use on him pulls its weight—and then some. I've been experimenting with a four attacks Thundurus for awhile and find this to be one of his most effective builds. Thunderbolt is the hard-hitting STAB with HP Ice serving as my primary weapon against Landorus. Superpower is very easy to use since its victims switch in very predictably—even Chansey does not like taking it. Even though it fails to OHKO Heatran, or really even come close, knocking it down to 30% puts its lifespan on a timer, which opens the game up for Clefable. It often uses Stealth Rock anyway predicting a switch, which is a mistake! It also hits Excadrill and Tyranitar, and it amazes me how often Exca will stay in thinking it's safe. It also smacks Mega Manectric if it hasn't mega evolved (Intimidate will activate Defiant), which is crucial damage in wearing it down during a match. Psychic rounds out its set as an excellent Mega Venusaur lure. Even if it switches before I can 2HKO, it becomes too weak to resist Gyarados later unless it can come in to heal on one of my other Pokemon. Psychic also hits Conkeldurr and can 2HKO a weakened Quagsire, and its neutral coverage can be great in a pinch. I've considered Knock Off, but there just isn't room for it.
I do sometimes miss the utility of Thunder Wave or Taunt or the sweeping capability of Nasty Plot, but this set just covers so much and has been very good for me. I use Defiant because Prankster would be pretty pointless with no support moves. I can also catch a Defog and get a pseudo Swords Dance boost, which no one expects because this isn't a DeoSharp team. The EVs are self-explanatory enough. All hail Thundurus.
Team Work: As I alluded to in the description, Thundurus is critical for luring threats like Conkeldurr (Clefable doesn't like getting its Life Orb knocked off on the switch-in), Mega Venusaur, Heatran, and Excadrill. It also can serve as a win condition because of its speed and power—Life Orb Thunderbolt is no joke. Thundurus is also my only legit Ground immunity if Gyarados mega evolves.
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Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
Description: This is a very solid Clefable set-up that runs circles around stall. Only Heatran, Unaware Calm Mind Clefable, and Mega Venusaur are any sort of problematic, and they're taken care of by other team members. Clefable absorbs burn and poison like a champ and is a surprisingly effective lure for Scizor and Ferrothorn. Moonblast and Flamethrower have nice coverage together except against Fire-types. I really enjoy how, even after my opponent lays down Stealth Rock, I can freely switch Clefable around. Fairy typing is also amazing and lets Clefable act as an emergency check to Dragons, though I prefer forcing them out through other means. Bulky, strong, and resilient as hell, I really dig Clefable. The only thing that disappoints sometimes is its Speed, which I wish was base 80 and not base 60, but beggars can't be choosers. It does have a tendency to get overwhelmed sometimes though, as its lone weakness, its stats, can let it down against BST beasts like Landorus or even Keldeo.
The EVs are pretty self-explanatory, providing optimal physical bulk to maximize its overall stat distribution with Calm Mind. I'm considering adding a little more Speed. Gotta love a good old-fashioned Speed creep. ;)
Team Work: Win Condition #1, the first thing I do in a battle is check team preview and see how many Pokemon Clefable can set up on and what needs to be eliminated. Sometimes it's a Gyarados game and sometimes it's a Clefable game, but Clefable is very flexible in its role. For example, it can tank hits if it's unlikely to sweep and serve as a sponge so that everything else stays healthy. I also enjoy leading with Clefable, especially if my opponent has a Rotom-W: they will either Trick or Volt Switch, but either way I have Garchomp to scout. If it's not Rotom, Flamethrower can catch things by surprise.
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Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
Description: The beast. This is the best sweeper I've ever used. Ever. It's not without its weaknesses, but it can set up on so many things and has so much raw power that I'm never disappointed. Dragon Dance and Waterfall provide boosting and STAB, respectively, and Earthquake is clutch in all sorts of situations once Gyarados mega evolves. Ice Fang is awesome for sniping Dragonite, Lati@s, Zapdos, Mandibuzz, and Garchomp. The key is setting him up at the right time since he is sometimes a one-time use sweeper with Stealth Rock everywhere. Gyarados also has amazing bulk which allows him to set up. Mega Gyarados will only continue to rise in usage in my opinion. I used Mega Tyranitar, and he was nice. I used Mega Gyarados, and I don't think I'll be using any other Mega for awhile. Have fun in S-rank bro.
The EVs are for maximum speed and power. I use Intimidate over Moxie because Gyarados is usually plenty strong, but that Intimidate drop can save me in a pinch.
Team Work: Win Condition #2, geared against offense teams, but still useful and occasionally unstoppable against stall. Especially in games where there isn't an easy path to sweep, I find Intimidate to be massively useful in all sorts of situations. He also sets up on problem Pokemon like offensive Aegislash (Clefable handles SubToxic variants easily), Landorus-T, and Keldeo.
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Aegislash @ Life Orb
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak
Description: Offensive Aegislash is pretty cool. He provides the only priority on my team with Shadow Sneak. Otherwise, Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon hit quite hard as my STAB options, and I really like Flash Cannon's ability to smack around the likes of Mandibuzz and Chesnaught. I find Sacred Sword to always be a useful attack that can smack Heatran, Tyranitar, and especially Bisharp. Sometimes I find his bulk to be a little disappointing without HP investment, but it's a worthwhile trade-off I think. I also like that Aegislash can instantly reverse the momentum of a match, making him a fantastic pivot-wallbreaker hybrid that can even wall some stuff! If there's one Pokemon that consistently breaks open opposing teams and essentially ends a match, it's Aegislash. Simply fantastic.
The EVs allow Aegislash to outpace slower walls like Heatran and Mega Venusaur. Otherwise, I emphasize the Special Attack to power up Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon, which are the main selling points of this set.
Team Work: Aegislash is my wallbreaker, bulky pivot, and tank. It's a fantastic lure, especially for Heatran, which allows Clefable to sweep stall teams. He can also Spin-block against certain Spinners. In many ways, Aegislash is the glue of the team offensively, as it tends to punch all the right holes. Against stall, it's a great way to lure in and clear out Unaware Clefable.
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Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Description: Ferrothorn is just so useful. Stealth Rock is necessary for any serious team, in my opinion, with chip damage adding up in ways I probably don't even realize. I use Power Whip over Gyro Ball because I don't want to get demolished by Gyarados, and I find its consistent power and higher PP to be very attractive. It also helps with Manaphy and Greninja, which are both very dangerous Pokemon. Leech Seed and Protect form an awesome duo for maximum annoyance. Leech Seed is good for extra recovery and annoying opponents, and after I reveal Protect, it's often fun to back-to-back it when I can predict another switch. Protect is a very useful move, PP stalling 8 PP moves, scouting choice item users and random Fire moves, and providing for crucial extra Leftovers recovery. Ferrothorn just has all the tools. Iron Barbs is just icing on the cake, and that extra damage can often be very useful. I do tend to play aggressively with Ferrothorn since otherwise he can become a sitting duck. Also, for whatever reason he seems to be the biggest crit magnet in the world, which drives me crazy and has cost me at least a couple games. Sigh.
I opted for a physically defensive spread over a specially defensive one because its primary function is to combat Gyarados and Azumarill. Manaphy and Greninja aren't going to power through Ferrothorn regardless, but Gyarados especially is super strong.
Team Work: Ferrothorn is the team's defensive backbone and provides the crucial Stealth Rock. Its defensive capabilities are great to fall back on in so many situations, and he's a great force against Rain teams. Stupid Kabutops.
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Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Rock Slide
Description: ScarfChomp returns again as a sponge against mindless VoltTurn spam. Even if I have to switch right back out, I can reclaim some momentum. It's also my failsafe against threatening sweepers like Thundurus, Charizard-X, Mega Pinsir (only without a Swords Dance boost), Volcarona, and Dragonite. Rough Skin is cool as well. Outrage is my cleaning move which only sees use unless it won't cost Garchomp its life, or its sacrifice will allow Gyarados to set up and clean house. Earthquake sucks to get locked into and is probably my least favorite element of this set, but it's necessary and is a potent attack against Electrics. Fire Blast at least lets me pretend like Skarmory and Ferrothorn don't wall me to hell and back, and Rock Slide is surprisingly important for stopping Volcarona, Charizard-Y, and I guess anyone I'd have to flinch several times to beat! I'm considering Poison Jab over Fire Blast as I don't think I've used Fire Blast once and I wonder if extra Fairy coverage might be useful.
Maximum Speed and Attack are perfect for this Garchomp, and I use Naive because I just can't take chances with Mega Charizard X or Volcarona, as I have to let Gyarados get badly beaten up to beat them otherwise. Not good.
Team Work: Garchomp is the glue of my team, allowing me to take risks with my other Pokemon because I know that Garchomp's got their backs. He takes Thunder Wave from Thundurus, often my opponent's only answer to Mega Gyarados, and he can also make a fantastic win condition with his adequate power and blazing speed.
Weaknesses
- I can't beat a well-played Baton Pass team. While it is incredibly frustrating to lose against my least favorite strategy ever, I don't mind this weakness. It does exist though. In any case, BP can suck it.
- I don't have any means of hazard control, probably my biggest weakness. The gamble I sort of ended up making was that I could win before it would stack up, especially with Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and Garchomp all resistant to Stealth Rock and Clefable immune. But if Deoxys-D's Red Card sends out something slow (after and Aeg Shadow Ball) and it gets down a layer of Spikes, I'm at a tremendous disadvantage.
- My team is a little slow, which is often troublesome if I lose momentum during a match and something like Landorus gets a free switch-in. I tend to have readily available death fodder, but that's never an ideal solution. Similarly, having only one priority move really sucks.
- My team is worn down very quickly, with no way for most of them to recover off any damage unless I can "pass" Leech Seed, which very rarely happens. This isn't too concerning except that in combination with my lack of hazard control, battles can get away from me if I'm not careful.
- Relying on Garchomp so heavily puts a great strain on my prediction to ensure that I don't lose momentum so easily. I also have to play him conservatively.
- Scald burns, which are indescribably obnoxious. Ugh.
- My team lacks a nickname gimmick, and I'm pretty ashamed. Maybe Kim Possible villains? I'm open to suggestions.
Conclusion
I really like this team. It's definitely one of the best teams I've ever built. I just want to improve it because my games tend to be incredibly close, to the degree that it's intellectually draining to use this team well and win. I guess that's Pokemon though. :) In any event, I'd love some advice. This isn't a showcase (I feel like you have to have had greater and more sustained success than I have for that, haha), so please throw some suggestions my way. I've hit a bit of a plateau and could use the help.
Thanks for reading!
