Time to hit the water. Reserving for Defensive Empoleon and Quagsire.
Empoleon (defensive)
Type: Water/Steel
Base Stats: 84 HP / 86 Atk / 88 Def / 111 SpA / 101 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent
Description
In a metagame where many threats are primarily special attackers, Empoleon's unique Water/Steel typing coupled with it's defensive stats make it a
very good tank. It's typing gives it 11 resistances, and most of them are common attacking types in the metagame including the sought after Water and Rock resists. With a focus on maximizing Special Defense, Empoleon can support a team utilizing coverage moves such as STAB Surf, Ice Beam, Grass Knot and Hidden Power Electric. It can also help the team by using support moves such as Roar and Stealth Rock. Empoleon does face some form of competition from Specially Defensive Heatran. However, Empoleon handles Water types much better than Heatran, particularly Gyarados if Empoleon has Hidden Power Electric. Empoleon doesn't have to resort to blowing itself up either. Resist berries such as Shuca and Chople, combined with some Defense EV's, can be used to surprise threats such as Dragonite, Flygon, Offensive Gyarados, and Infernape and OHKO them, but Leftovers is the superior option overall.
Although DPP isn't as Dragon-oriented as BW, might want to mention that it's one of those Steel-types that can OHKO a Dragon-type locked into Outrage thanks to Ice Beam instead of phazing it out or hitting with a neutral move.
You stole my Jolteon D:
Umbreon
Base stats: 95 HP / 65 Atk / 110 Def / 60 SpA / 130 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Synchronize
Umbreon has some of the most titanic defensive stats in OU, along with a particularly handy type that doesn't leave it vulnerable to Pursuit (poor Cresselia...). It is also the only Pokemon able to lock an opponent in with Mean Lock and Baton Pass the value out to a counter, which can continue a Baton Pass chain that leads to a sweep. It will often carry Taunt, Toxic, or Yawn as utility moves to compliment Mean Look and Baton Pass. While it doesn't see much use, Umbreon can forgo passing Mean Look entirely and opt for a more walling set, utilizing Wish and Protect to keep it healthy along with Toxic or Payback to wear down the opponent. Umbreon also has Curse up its sleeve, which it can either pass off or attempt to sweep with.
Heal Bell should get a mention somewhere though it isn't very common. It works well for both Baton Pass and a defensive set. Pure Dark is also a pretty poor defensive typing though :/ Especially with all the Scizor and Fighting-types running around. Curse is terrible but just keep that I guess :d
Walrein
Base stats: 110 HP / 80 Atk / 90 Def / 95 SpA / 90 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Ice Body
With great natural bulk, Walrein is set to become a solid wall. Even though its typing gives it a slew of weaknesses, when paired with Abomasnow, Walrein can become unstoppable. With Ice Body granting it an extra Leftovers each turn in the Hail, Walrein can utilize a combination of Protect and Substitute to wear down the opponent with Toxic and Hail damage while taking no overall damage. When not carrying Toxic, it will most likely be using Blizzard, Surf, Roar, Earthquake, or Super Fang to further wear down the opponent. If Walrein gets a Substitute up, be prepared for a long battle to wear it down, as in the Hail it's nearly impossible.
Might mention that despite opposing Ice-types being immune to hail, Walrein still has tools to weaken them, ie Toxic stall with Protect and. It can hit Mamoswine with Surf if it's behind Substitute. Earthquake is specifically used for Steel-types as they are immune to Toxic and Toxic Spikes. It can Roar out standard Swampert and other slower phazers trying to stop the hail stall cycle. Faster phazers will still win but you can Super Fang them and maybe wreck them with your switch-in.
Defensive Registeel
Registeel is a very rare sight in OU, but its immense 80 / 150 / 150 bulk and adequate support movepool make it a solid choice for some teams. Although its offensive capabilities are nonexistent, access to both Thunder Wave and Toxic makes Registeel an excellent multipurpose check to common offensive threats. Stealth Rock is a given on all sets since Registeel can set it up against such a wide range of Pokemon. For damaging moves, Registeel has access to Seismic Toss, Iron Head, Earthquake, Shadow Claw, and Explosion. Seismic Toss is a particularly useful move considering Registeel’s depressing Attack stat since it does a reasonable amount of damage against all but two OU Pokemon; the other four attacks are mostly situational. Compared to Bronzong, Registeel sports significantly higher defenses, Seismic Toss, and Thunder Wave, but gains a weakness to Ground moves.
Ice Punch is for the situational Dragon that lock themselves into Outrage. :O Shadow Claw 2HKOes Gengar after SR, nvm.
<&Earthworm|Away> you forgot to mention
<&Earthworm|Away> that registeel is a worthless piece of sh*t
Offensive Rhyperior
Rhyperior’s niche in OU is that of an incredibly powerful yet bulky physical attacker. Even though it has a lot of common weaknesses, Rhyperior’s high HP and Defense coupled with Solid Rock make it much more difficult to take down than its two 4x weaknesses would lead you to believe, especially when it’s in a sandstorm. Its two viable sets are Substitute + Swords Dance and Choice Band. SubSD seeks to set up 101 HP Substitutes on a switch and proceed to either unleash a strong Earthquake / Stone Edge against a frail switch-in or set up Swords Dance against a bulkier one. With a Choice Band, all Rhyperior cares about is smashing switch-ins with Earthquake / Stone Edge for STAB along with Megahorn, Aqua Tail, or Rock Blast for coverage and utility.
Celebi
Typing: Grass / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure
While 7 weaknesses might sound horrible for a defensive threat, Celebi makes up for it with a solid 6 resistances (including Ground, Water, Electric, and Fighting). It's typing also pairs up perfectly with Heatran, forming the famed CeleTran combination. Base 100 stats across the board means Celebi has solid bulk on both sides, is quite fast for a wall, and can take off the gloves when push comes to shove. Recover offers it a reliable recovery move, though it can also opt for Rest, ridding itself of sleep by switching out thanks to Natural Cure. With a great support movepool, there's no telling just what sort of set Celebi will be running. It can set up Stealth Rock, force switches with Perish Song or Leech Seed, scout with Baton Pass or U-turn, cripple threats with Thunder Wave or Trick, or keep the team nice and healthy with Heal Bell. Despite all of it's pluses, Celebi can still be hammered down by attacks that prey on it's many weaknesses; Pursuit in particular can put a quick end to this pixie's trickery.
Scizor often likes to switch in on Celebi but the latter can carry HP Fire which is something to look out for, even on defesive Celebi. Defensive Celebi don't use Trick ?_? HP Ice works against Dragons too
I'll continue next time~
Infernape
Type: Fire / Fighting
Ability: Blaze
Base Stats: 76 HP / 104 Atk / 71 Def / 104 SpA / 71 SpD / 108 Spe
Infernape has a highly offensive presence in DPP OU due to its high Speed and decent attacking stats. Most Infernape are physically oriented, decimating foes with STAB Close Combat, scouting for checks with U-Turn, and finishing off faster foes with Mach Punch. While most physically oriented Infernape run Flare Blitz as their Fire-type STAB move of choice to dent common Fighting-type switch-ins Gliscor, Skarmory, and Rotom-A, others prefer to go mixed with Overheat or Fire Blast along with other Special moves for coverage to attack those switch-ins' weaker offensive stat, namely Hidden Power Ice, Grass Knot, or Hidden Power Electric. Furthermore, Infernape can take advantage of the switches it forces to set up with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot to boost its damage output. Some uncommon moves that are also at Infernape's disposal include Thunderpunch, Vacuum Wave, and Focus Blast. Infernape can also take advantage of its high Speed and perform as an excellent Choice user as it outspeeds the Base 100 Speed Pokemon. Infernape also sees use as a lead, commonly running a Choice set or a Focus Sash set that utilizes Infernape's common moves in addition to Fake Out and Stealth Rock.
I've never seen Choice lead Infernape lol o.o I'm not really sure if they exist haha. >.> edit: they exist !! /me headdesk
It looks good, but a selling point to lead Hariyama is you were able to use Machamp on the same team as Hariyama. Mainly because you didn't have to waste the Machamp in the lead position.[Unreserved] Hariyama
...really?
Aight, imma do it. I gotta rep my boy. That is unless someone else has already taken it(I only read the OP, so I'm sorry if I missed the post).
I will patiently wait then until I get the OK.
Hariyama
Type: Fighting
Base Stats: 144 HP / 120 Atk / 60 Def / 40 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe
Description
Although he is relegated to the UU tier, Hariyama is a unique Fighting type that can hold it's own in the OU metagame, particularly as an anti-lead. He will forever be compared to Machamp. However, as a lead, Hariyama has some slight differences in both moveset and the way he is played that differentiate the sumo Pokémon from the four-armed giant. Toxic and Flame Orb, combined with Guts and Fake Out, allow Hariyama to boost his Attack from turn 1. This allows lead Hariyama to hit much harder than lead Machamp ever could. It also allows him to break the Focus Sashes of most leads, flinching them in the process. Guts-boosted Close Combat deals horrendous amounts of damage to Pokémon that don't resist Fighting. Payback is for the Ghost-types that are immune to Close Combat, dealing 77% minimum to 252/252 Bold Rotom-A to give an idea of his power after a Guts boost. Ice Punch allows Hariyama to murder the physical wall known as Gliscor, also eliminating any Dragonite or Flygon daring enough to switch in or set up. Gyarados is a popular switch-in to Hariyama, so both ThunderPunch and Stone Edge are viable options as well, the latter also dealing with Zapdos. The main drawback is that Hariyama will be losing health every turn, so despite it's natural bulk, smart HP management is necessary.
Mention how bulky waters such as HP Electric Vaporeon or HP Electric Suicune are powerful and common checks to Gyarados.I'm on it!!
Offensive
Gyarados
Type: Water / Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Base Stats: 95 HP / 125 Atk / 79 Def / 60 SpA / 100 SpD / 81 Spe
Gyarados is a fearsome physical offensive threat thanks to its remarkable base 125 Attack and access to Dragon Dance. While Gyarados's Water / Flying typing means that it is weak to Stealth Rock, it can set up on many common Pokemon such as Heatran, Choice-locked Flygon, and many more. Intimidate also helps it set up on some physical attackers. Gyarados is quite hard to take down after a single boost as it can outspeed even Jolteon with a Jolly nature and is not weak to any priority move. One of the most common way to revenge kill Gyarados is via Choice Scarf users such as Flygon, Rotom-A, and Jirachi. Gyarados has useful high-powered moves such as Waterfall, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and bounce to utilize. Gyarados can also set up on common phazers and prevent incoming phazers from doing their job by using Taunt. With Taunt, Gyarados can comfortably set up some phazers such as Swampert and Skarmory. It also has decent bulk to attempt multiple Dragon Dances. Though Stealth Rock is really a limiting factor for Gyarados, it can utilize Choice Band to hit hard right off the bat and severely denting or even KOing common switch-ins such as Flygon.
I guess I'll edit it when I have the time again ;-; sorry for the slowness .-.
Pursuit is a way to deal with Celebi, but I feel like it should be stated with caution. Pursuiting Celebi can be easier said than done because of Grass Knot vs a weakened Tyranitar or a predicted Tyranitar switch in. Or HP Fire vs Scizor who tries to Pursuit you.
Celebi
Typing: Grass / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure
While 7 weaknesses might sound horrible for a defensive threat, Celebi makes up for it with a solid 6 resistances (including Ground, Water, Electric, and Fighting). It's typing also pairs up perfectly with Heatran, forming the famed CeleTran combination. Base 100 stats across the board means Celebi has solid bulk on both sides, is quite fast for a wall, and can take off the gloves when push comes to shove. Recover offers it a reliable recovery move, though it can also opt for Rest, ridding itself of sleep by switching out thanks to Natural Cure. With a great support movepool, there's no telling just what sort of set Celebi will be running. It can set up Stealth Rock, force switches with Perish Song or Leech Seed, scout with Baton Pass or U-turn, cripple threats with Thunder Wave or Trick, or keep the team nice and healthy with Heal Bell. Despite all of it's pluses, Celebi can still be hammered down by attacks that prey on it's many weaknesses; Pursuit in particular can put a quick end to this pixie's trickery.
Mention how water pokemon can beat Hippowdown too. Gliscor still beats Ice Fang Hippodown one on one. Since it Toxics Hippowdown, lives an Ice Fang, then starts Roosting.I'd still like to reserve Hippowdon and Swampert. Will finish by tomorrow.
Defensive Threat
Hippowdon
Type: Ground
Base Stats: 108 HP / 112 Atk / 118 Def / 68 SpA / 72 SpD / 47 Spe
Ability: Sand Stream
Hippowdon is the quintessential physical wall. It is the only Sand Stream user other than Tyranitar, but plays quite differently. With huge defensive stats, it is capable of holding more overall defenses than Skarmory! Even though it lacks Skarmory's superior defensive typing, it can actually pose a threat to more frail offensive Pokemon with its STAB Earthquake, even with minimal investment. Most of the time, though, Hippowdon will be laying down Stealth Rock, phazing with Roar, and recovering off any damage it took in the mean time with Slack Off. Its physical bulk is enough to hold up to strong physical attackers, taking very little from Scizor, Metagross, Tyranitar, and other physical attackers. Hippowdown has enough HP to supplement its somewhat low Special Defense, so it can easily be used as a mixed wall. It can also run a Stockpile set to boost both of its defenses, giving Hippowdon supreme overall bulk. If it has problems with Dragonite, it can even run Ice Fang for decent damage. Ice Fang also allows Hippowdon to win against Gliscor one-on-one. It has low Speed meaning it can become Taunt bait, but this hardly matters when, most of the time, it doesn't need Speed, especially when phazing. Hippowdon is not unbreakable though, as Grass-types such as Celebi or Shaymin can switch in on anything it uses barring Roar or Ice Fang and KO it with Leaf Storm or Seed Flare, respectively.
Defensive Threat
Swampert
Type: Water / Ground
Base Stats: 100 HP / 110 Atk / 90 Def / 85 SpA / 90 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent
Swampert is one of DPP OU's toughest walls to break. It is most commonly seen as a hazard setter, able to set down Stealth Rock while hitting its opponent back with Earthquake or Ice Beam coming off its decent mixed offenses. Roar gives it a means by which to phaze its opponents, preventing set up sweepers such as Gyarados from taking advantage of an uninvested Ice Beam, or make Suicune think twice about getting greedy with Calm Mind boosts. Curse allows it to boost its excellent physical bulk and offenses; it can even run a pseudo-CroCune set, slowly boosting its Attack and Defense to sky high levels while recovering all of its HP and relieving it from crippling status when it needs to. Despite these traits, it has low Speed and a crippling weakness to Grass, but even Grass-types must be careful not to switch into an Ice Beam or Avalanche.
Choice Scarf Gengar, while uncommon, should probably be mentioned as a revenge killer to something like Dragon Dance Dragonite with HP Ice. It's also cool if you can Trick Scarf to Blissey. Icy Wind lead should also get a mention here. I remember when I lose Metagross to Gengar when I was unfamiliar with what Gengar's lead set was... >.> Ehhh fsr SubPunch is on the analysis. Don't think it needs a mention here and it's horribly uncommon >.> Gengar's immunity to Ground, Normal, and Fighting are what grants it many chances to switch in despite its non-existent bulk. It's also a great offensive spinblocker / pivot against spinblockers as long as it doesn't get whacked by something like Payback from Forry / Surf from Starmie. Substitute is Gengar's lifeline against Pursuit users and also helps its poor defenses. It's the only way Gengar has a chance to launch multiple attacks along with its high Speed.Offensive Gengar
Gengar
Type: Ghost / Poison
Ability: Levitate
Base Stats: 60 HP / 65 Atk / 60 Def / 130 SpA / 75 SpD / 110 Spe
Gengar's high Special Attack and Speed combined with an unpredictable moveset make it an extremely threatening Pokemon. Even though its movepool of damagiing attacks is rather limited (Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power, and Explosion), Gengar's different sets are largely countered by different Pokemon. It frequently utilizes Substitute + Pain Split in conjunction with the perfect coverage provided by Shadow Ball and Focus Blast. Three attack sets add either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire in place of Pain Split. Finally, Explosion, Hypnosis, and Protect also make familiar appearances on Gengar sets.
Spiritomb works well with Rapid Spin users thanks to Pursuit and is sometimes even more reliable in Pursuiting spinblockers since it can Rest a possible burn. Spiritomb is generally a good mixed wall + spinblocker but it really relies on Rest a lot to heal from experience. 50 / 108 / 108 is just okayish bulk :/ It still gets wrecked by really powerful attackers eg Heatran which it can't do anything to it, and CB Scizor can just spam U-turn and evade the burn. Spiritomb is also a great niche counter to Machamp thanks to Pressure + typing + Will-O-Wisp. On the topic of Pursuit trapping, it shines against offensive Pokemon, especially Gengar that have their Sub down since it has no way of crippling Spiritomb. Gengar is pretty much dead against Spiritomb without Sub. Emphasize that its neutrality to Pursuit is what makes it a premier spinblocker despite not having Levitate to evade Spikes. It does run a risk of being set up on my several Pokemon, especially those that doesn't mind getting burned / can Heal Bell eg NP Heal Bell Togekiss. Spiritomb is good and usable but hardly doesn't have that much of bulk. Also, mention Curse for it being used for mainly last Pokemon scenarios and forcing switches instead of saying it's hard to break through. Rest is the only reason Spiritomb can stick around quit long. geez I wrote too long ;_;
Spiritomb
Type: Ghost / Dark
Base Stats: 50 HP / 92 Atk / 108 Def / 92 SpA / 108 SpD / 35 Spe
Ability: Pressure
With no exploitable weaknesses and 3 handy immunities to Fighting, Normal, and Psychic, Spiritomb is a solid spinblocker. Although it lacks reliable recovery, it's low HP coupled with strong defenses makes Pain Split a great option for keeping it healthy. It can weaken offensive threats with Will-O-Wisp, trap opposing spinblockers with Pursuit, and even revenge kill in a pinch with STAB Sucker Punch. RestTalking is also a viable method for keeping Spiritomb in good health, and RestTalk sets are usually seen running Will-O-Wisp and Shadow Ball. Alternatively, it can run Rest, Will-O-Wisp, Curse, and Pursuit to become truly difficult to break through. The best bet for defeating Spiritomb is to just smack it hard with neutral hits, especially from special attackers that fear little from burns.
Choice Scarf Gengar, while uncommon, should probably be mentioned as a revenge killer to something like Dragon Dance Dragonite with HP Ice. It's also cool if you can Trick Scarf to Blissey. Icy Wind lead should also get a mention here. I remember when I lose Metagross to Gengar when I was unfamiliar with what Gengar's lead set was... >.> Ehhh fsr SubPunch is on the analysis. Don't think it needs a mention here and it's horribly uncommon >.> Gengar's immunity to Ground, Normal, and Fighting are what grants it many chances to switch in despite its non-existent bulk. It's also a great offensive spinblocker / pivot against spinblockers as long as it doesn't get whacked by something like Payback from Forry / Surf from Starmie. Substitute is Gengar's lifeline against Pursuit users and also helps its poor defenses. It's the only way Gengar has a chance to launch multiple attacks along with its high Speed.
"Premier" basically equates to "amazing". Spiritomb is a shabby spinblocker. If anything, the ability to not evade Spikes puts a lot of pressure on Spiritomb, weakening itself. At best, the wording would be "what gives Spiritomb a niche."Emphasize that its neutrality to Pursuit is what makes it a premier spinblocker despite not having Levitate to evade Spikes.
I agree that Scarf Gengar is pretty rare, if not non-existent. It'll need plenty of double switching etc to scout for Pursuit. I doubt anyone uses Icy Wind Gengar lead now, but a small mention should be okay? It's a threatlist afterall, and at least it isn't a random set that isn't on-site... If you feel it shouldn't be there I'm fine with that haha :PThough I've sort of drifted off away from the threatlist, some of the stuff I've seen written is just wrong after briefly skimming through the latest post.
Barely anyone uses Scarf Gengar, least of all with HP Ice. If any Gengar is going to run a Choice set, they don't want to be vulnerable to Tyranitar/Scizor traps. How Gengar actually does get in most of the time is to come in when the enemy is forced to make a non-attacking move (ex: Taunt, heal, switch). Icy Wind Gengar is also rather bad and nobody really uses it.
"Premier" basically equates to "amazing". Spiritomb is a shabby spinblocker. If anything, the ability to not evade Spikes puts a lot of pressure on Spiritomb, weakening itself. At best, the wording would be "what gives Spiritomb a niche."
Fixed, thanks~dusknoir is missing its type :o!
ugh crappppp I thought it was type / ability / stat :((( I'll fix that tomorrow as well e_eugh, actually, there's a whole bunch of things out of order (type / base stats / ability)
Yep that would be the best! Thanks! :)Just lettin' people know that I did finally edit my Hariyama description a week or two ago to include what LizardMan suggested about using it and Machamp on the same team. I know that shrewz mentioned that I should edit defensive Empoleon to include that it can OHKO Dragons with Ice Beam, but I didn't touch that analysis because I kinda already mention it with the "Resist berries such as Shuca and Chople, combined with some Defense EV's, can be used to surprise threats such as Dragonite, Flygon, Offensive Gyarados, and Infernape and OHKO them". IMO, if I mention Ice Beam for dragons, then I have to mention HP Electric for Gyarados and Surf for Infernape. It feels like it's a bit redundant that way.
Just thought of something, though. I could add something like "OHKO them with the respective coverage move" to that sentence bit. Would that sound good?
DEFENSIVEDugtrio
Base stats: 35 HP / 80 Atk / 50 Def / 50 Spa / 70 SpD / 120 Spe
Ability: Arena Trap / Sand Veil
With one of the best abilities in the game and a blistering base 120 Speed, Dugtrio is perhaps the ultimate revenge killer. Not only that, it has the coverage and attack power to score the KOs it needs on most Pokemon in the tier. While it may be difficult to get more than one kill a match, Dugtrio can easily make that one essential kill happen. Its ability, Arena Trap, will keep any grounded foe in the game, such as Heatran, Blissey, Tyranitar, or Infernape. The ever-so-wonderful EdgeQuake gives Dugtrio plenty of coverage options, as well as Aerial Ace, Sucker Punch, Night Slash or Pursuit. The latter can be especially dangerous, as some frail Psychic- or Ghost-type Pokemon with levitate (Azelf, Gengar, or Choiced Rotom-A locked on Thunderbolt) will try to use Arena Trap's loophole to escape from Dugtrio, only to be caught by a double-damage super effective hit
BEAT UP
Qwilfish
Type: Water / Poison
Base Stats: 65 HP / 95 Atk / 75 Def / 55 SpA / 55 SpD / 85 Spe
Abilities: Swift Swim
Qwilfish is a very simple threat, the turns it is alive being a very simple process. First, a teammate sets up Rain Dance, preferable with Damp Rock to maximize the amount of turns Qwilfish has to sweep, in turn boosting Waterfall by an additional 50% and doubling Qwilfish's Speed thanks to Swift Swim. The next move is to switch Qwilfish into a resisted attack, hopefully a choiced one, setup Swords Dance, and proceed to have 4 turns to KO Pokemon on the opposing team. On the last turn of rain, although it could potentially be any turn, Qwilfish explodes, meaning something will die. This simple process is, in reality, a fairly easy sweep once the possible opposing Tyranitar or Abomasnow is removed. Other than that, Qwilfish has an excellent utility in removing Toxic Spikes, which rain teams hate, but there isn't much else. If you run into Qwilfish under rain and you are not prepared for it, you should be prepared for it to sweep you, simple as that.
suicide (t)spiker is also pretty cool!
Feraligatr
Type: Water
Base Stats: 85 HP / 105 Atk / 100 Def / 79 SpA / 83 SpD / 78 Spe
Ability: Torrent
Feraligatr has only one niche in the metagame and that is as a Water-type physical attacker that can utilize Swords Dance. Its relatively high Attack stat and usable defenses allow it to setup and sweep. Access to Aqua Jet, differentiates it from the pack and makes it more of a mix of the setup power of Gyarados and priority of Azumarill all in one fearsome package. Return is almost always used, solely because of the great coverage it has with Feraligatr's Water-type attacks. Feraligatr has a great Speed stat in that it outspeeds Heatran by one point, allowing it to KO it before it KOes Feraligatr, particularly in the case of the latter. Its pure Water typing gives it a mere two weaknesses. In short, Feraligatr is a niche Pokemon, that, after a Swords Dance, can sweep unprepared teams.
GGATR (this is fine)
Aggron
Type: Rock / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 110 Atk / 180 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe
Abilities: Sturdy / Rock Head
When most people take their first look at Aggron, they look no further than its weaknesses, without paying any attention to its strengths. Its physical bulk is simply monstrous, and access to the coveted Head Smash + Rock Head combination and a solid 110 base Attack gives its power that enables it to fit in among the titans that find their home in OU. Coverage moves in Earthquake to create a pseudo-EdgeQuake combination as well as Aqua Tail for Hippowdon and Ice Punch for Flygon, Breloom, and Celebi. Aggron is most commonly seen utilizing a Choice Band with the mentioned moves, but can also function as an excellent Rock Polish sweeper. Aggron's Speed is quite low, limiting its abilities without any sort of boost to its Speed, but with the +2 boost from Rock Polish, Aggron can sweep teams with just one setup opportunity and some hazards to help it out. Aggron can also use a set that relies on the switches it forces to setup Substitute, which can be very effective in that given a free turn against offensive teams, there is not one Pokemon that will be able to take on the might that is Aggron.
magnet rise on the sub set is pretty cool!
Alakazam
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 55 HP / 50 Atk / 45 Def / 135 SpA / 85 SpD / 120 Spe
Abilities: Synchronize / Inner Focus
Alakazam is perhaps blessed with the best combination of Speed and Special Attack in OU, outrunning many common threats due its 120 Speed and striking fear in the hearts of all but the bulkiest of special walls. Psychic alone of course does not have that great of coverage, but access to Focus Blast fixes much of this, hitting the common Tyranitar as well as Steel- and Dark-types for super effective damage. With such great coverage between just two moves, the other two moves are up-in-the-air. Substitute is almost always on Alakazam's moveset, protecting it from priority threatening to KO it. Since Substitute protects it from priority, Hidden Power Fire is often used to OHKO Scizor and Forretress. Signal Beam is used as an way to hit Psychic-types super effectively that resist the combination of Psychic + Focus Blast. It can even utilize Calm Mind and setup to boost its already frightening Special Attack, with access to Taunt, Encore, Recover, and Substitute making setup easier. Alakazam is also the fastest user of dual screens, getting them up quickly in the lead position to allow a frail sweeper like Lucario to setup. Anything that has a lot of power and Speed is always a large threat, and Alakazam is no different.
yea
Offensive Gengar
Gengar
Type: Ghost / Poison
Ability: Levitate
Base Stats: 60 HP / 65 Atk / 60 Def / 130 SpA / 75 SpD / 110 Spe
Gengar's high Special Attack and Speed combined with an unpredictable moveset make it an extremely threatening Pokemon. Even though its movepool of damagiing attacks is rather limited (Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power, and Explosion), Gengar's different sets are largely countered by different Pokemon. It frequently utilizes Substitute + Pain Split in conjunction with the perfect coverage provided by Shadow Ball and Focus Blast. Three attack sets add either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire in place of Pain Split. Finally, Explosion, Hypnosis, and Protect also make familiar appearances on Gengar sets.
mention that the hidden power is always fire. best switch in the game to stallbreaker gliscor. will-o-wisp and taunt are also cool!
Honchkrow
Type: Dark / Flying
Ability: Insomnia / Super Luck
Base Stats: 100 HP / 125 Atk / 52 Def / 105 SpA / 52 SpD / 71 Spe
Honchkrow is a very rare Pokemon to come by in DPP OU, but its rarity should not give anyone a reason to underestimate it. Possessing the strongest Brave Bird in OU almost always warrants a switch-in to a Flying resistance, which Honchkrow almost certainly has an answer for. Heatran and Tyranitar must watch out for Superpower from this mafia bird, and Skarmory, Jirachi, and Metagross must be wary of Heat Wave. Faster foes that resist Brave Bird, namely Aerodactyl and Jolteon, will not like taking STAB Sucker Punches from the same Pokemon that 2HKOes defensive Swampert, a Pokemon that many teams relied on to check Dragon Dance Mence back when it wasn't banned. To damage the bulkier Electrics, Honchkrow can also opt to run Night Slash, OHKOing most Rotom and hurting defensive Zapdos. Though Honchkrow's middling Speed and terrible Defense stats are subpar, Honchkrow can capitalize upon switches with Spikes support, Pursuit, or even Roost to negate residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb, Brave Bird recoil, and sand.
mention insomnia as it is amazing, having a perfect sleep move switch-in is always useful. it can also make use of pursuit. sub is decent. i wouldn't mention dd mence lol
Staraptor
Type: Normal / Flying
Base Stats: 85 HP / 120 Atk / 70 Def / 50 SpA / 50 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Intimidate
Staraptor is unique in that it holds the title of the second-most powerful Brave Bird in OU, the most belonging to the rare Honchkrow. With just STAB Brave Bird alone, Staraptor is already a huge threat, but once you add in its other STAB in Return you have a combo only resisted by nefarious Steel- and Rock- types. What's worse is that this seemingly large obstacle is no longer a roadblock with access to Close Combat, giving Staraptor some of the best coverage in the game. Staraptor's power is its main focus, often using a Choice Band or Life Orb to make it hit even harder. Access to Roost benefits Staraptor as well, mainly because it is weak to Stealth Rock and loses health to the recoil from Brave Bird. U-turn is another great move for Staraptor, putting momentum in its favor and getting it away from its checks and counters without needing to predict and nail them with the correct move. Pursuit can trap Ghost-types, particularly Rotom-A which is immune to two of Staraptor's staple moves and resistant to the rest. Choice Band Quick Attack is another great tool, as the neutral coverage that Quick Attack provides in combination with the power added by the Choice Band provides a tool for Staraptor to revenge kill faster Pokemon that aren't very bulky. Agility can even be used to grant Staraptor the ability to hit even Choice Scarf users with its powerful STABs.
i love raptor. it can use return/double-edge as generally solid normal stab. i think muscle band is the best set. it can also use pursuit and sub well!
Hariyama
Type: Fighting
Base Stats: 144 HP / 120 Atk / 60 Def / 40 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe
Description
Although he is relegated to the UU tier, Hariyama is a unique Fighting type that can hold it's own in the OU metagame, particularly as an anti-lead. He will forever be compared to Machamp. However, as a lead, Hariyama has some slight differences in both moveset and the way he is played that differentiate the sumo Pokémon from the four-armed giant. Toxic and Flame Orb, combined with Guts and Fake Out, allow Hariyama to boost his Attack from turn 1. This allows lead Hariyama to hit much harder than lead Machamp ever could. It also allows him to break the Focus Sashes of most leads, flinching them in the process. Guts-boosted Close Combat deals horrendous amounts of damage to Pokémon that don't resist Fighting. Payback is for the Ghost-types that are immune to Close Combat, dealing 77% minimum to 252/252 Bold Rotom-A to give an idea of his power after a Guts boost. Ice Punch allows Hariyama to murder the physical wall known as Gliscor, also eliminating any Dragonite or Flygon daring enough to switch in or set up. Gyarados is a popular switch-in to Hariyama, so both ThunderPunch and Stone Edge are viable options as well, the latter also dealing with Zapdos. Another nice perk to using Hariyama as a lead is that it allows you to use Machamp at another spot on the same team, thereby not wasting Machamp at the lead position and creating offensive synergy between the two. The main drawback is that Hariyama will be losing health every turn, so despite it's natural bulk, smart HP management is necessary.
restalk/fighting move/whirlwind is decent.
GyaradosType: Water / Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Base Stats: 95 HP / 125 Atk / 79 Def / 60 SpA / 100 SpD / 81 Spe
Gyarados is a fearsome physical offensive threat thanks to its remarkable base 125 Attack and access to Dragon Dance. While Gyarados's Water / Flying typing means that it is weak to Stealth Rock, it can set up on many common Pokemon such as Heatran, Choice-locked Flygon, and many more. Intimidate also helps it set up on some physical attackers. Gyarados is quite hard to take down after a single boost as it can outspeed even Jolteon with a Jolly nature and is not weak to any priority move. One of the most common way to revenge kill Gyarados is via Choice Scarf users such as Flygon, Rotom-A, and Jirachi. Gyarados has useful high-powered moves such as Waterfall, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and bounce to utilize. Gyarados can also set up on common phazers and prevent incoming phazers from doing their job by using Taunt. With Taunt, Gyarados can comfortably set up some phazers such as Swampert and Skarmory. It also has decent bulk to attempt multiple Dragon Dances. Though Stealth Rock is really a limiting factor for Gyarados, it can utilize Choice Band to hit hard right off the bat and severely denting or even KOing common switch-ins such as Flygon.
dd twave gyara will rape your scarf rotom and make pursuiting starmie with cb tar so much easier
Kabutops
Type: Rock / Water
Base Stats: 60 HP / 115 Atk / 105 Def / 65 Spa / 70 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability: Battle Armor / Swift Swim
Kabutops is typically seen on Rain Dance teams, pummeling the opposition with its base 115 Attack and great STAB coverage. Rain activates Swift Swim's Speed boost while also boosting the power of Waterfall and Aqua Jet; the former is its main attack of choice, while the latter allows it to pick off foes as rain ends. Stone Edge rounds off coverage and gives it another powerful STAB attack. As it is easy for Kabutops to force switches in rain, it can use that opportunity to set up Swords Dance, buffing up its assault even more. It is rather frail, however, and outside of rain, it is rather easy to revenge kill, especially with Grass-type attacks.
tops is a surprisingly good bulky spinner in sand. mention that and this is good to go.
Moltres
Type: Fire / Flying
Base Stats: 90 HP / 100 Atk / 90 Def / 125 SpA / 85 SpD / 90 Spe
Ability: Pressure
Moltres's strengths are numerous, despite its weakness to Stealth Rock. It has decent bulk and an extremely high Special Attack stat, as well as reliable recovery and two equally useful STAB moves with great coverage. Moltres is heralded as the best counter of Scizor in existence, boasting usable defenses and resistances to both of Scizor's STABs and its Superpower, KOing with ease courtesy of its powerful STAB Flamethrower. Moltres's main set accomplishes the goal of breaking apart non-Steel-type walls with the combination of SubRoost and Toxic, making Moltres one of the few special attackers that can break through Blissey without Explosion. Even without investment, Flamethrower will do solid damage to anything that does not resist it, smashing the Steel- and Poison-types immune to Toxic. Moltres can even counter Lucario lacking Stone Edge and most Celebi. Moltres also counters most Heatran, though it fails to do much in return, although it can run Hidden Power Ground for the purpose of KOing Heatran, also getting coverage on other Fire-types. A niche can make any Pokemon usable, and Moltres is no different as one of the best counters to many of the top threats present in the current metagame.
scarf, subroost, LO and specs are all good. it can use roar relatively effectively as well. u-turn out of heatran / tyranitar into dugtrio and GG
Offensive Rhyperior
Rhyperior’s niche in OU is that of an incredibly powerful yet bulky physical attacker. Even though it has a lot of common weaknesses, Rhyperior’s high HP and Defense coupled with Solid Rock make it much more difficult to take down than its two 4x weaknesses would lead you to believe, especially when it’s in a sandstorm. Its two viable sets are Substitute + Swords Dance and Choice Band. SubSD seeks to set up 101 HP Substitutes on a switch and proceed to either unleash a strong Earthquake / Stone Edge against a frail switch-in or set up Swords Dance against a bulkier one. With a Choice Band, all Rhyperior cares about is smashing switch-ins with Earthquake / Stone Edge for STAB along with Megahorn, Aqua Tail, or Rock Blast for coverage and utility.
rock blast sucks.
Sceptile
Type: Grass
Base Stats: 70 HP / 85 Atk / 65 Def / 105 SpA / 85 SpD / 120 Spe
Ability: Overgrow
Sceptile's main use lies in its extremely high Speed stat, outspeeding threats like Starmie. It also boasts a decent Special Attack and usable Attack that it can use to punch holes in teams. Sceptile is also the fastest user of SubSeed other than the banned Shaymin-S, allowing it to wear down many top threats with the combination of Substitute to protect itself from Scarfers and priority. Access to Leaf Storm allows it to punch holes in anything that does not resist it, even more powerful when boosted by a Life Orb or Choice Specs. Dragon Pulse can hit Dragon-types that Sceptile lacks any other coverage for outside of Hidden Power Ice, with Focus Blast also viable to hit Steel-types that resist Sceptile's other moves. Hidden Power Fire normally rounds out the coverage, hitting Forretress for more damage than any of its other moves. A decent physical movepool and usable Attack stat, as well as access to Swords Dance, mean that Sceptile can run a decent Swords Dance set, with Leaf Blade as the main STAB and Earthquake + Rock Slide for pseudo-EdgeQuake coverage. Earthquake can be used to get a reliable hit on Heatran on special sets as well, particularly to take down variants that invest in Special Defense and/or HP. Overall, Sceptile has use simply because of its Speed and Special Attack: everything else is just icing on the cake.
specs sucks, it's too limiting especially with sceptile's amazing coverage. swords dance is also terrible. subseed is really cool!
Shaymin (Offensive)
Don't let its undeniably endearing appearance fool you; Shaymin can be a very dangerous Pokemon in the right hands. This cute little hedgehog is usually seen terrorizing teams with offensive sets that utilize its signature move, Seed Flare. This powerful attack is what differentiates Shaymin from its fellow Grass-type brethren, and with an unbelievable 40% chance of reducing its opponent's Special Defense by two stages, it can be a very daunting attack to switch into. Unfortunately, Grass doesn't have the greatest offensive coverage, but Shaymin can make up for this shortcoming with the appropriate Hidden Power. While Hidden Power Fire will smack around Scizor, Forretress, and Skarmory, Hidden Power Ice is equally useful to nail Dragonite and other Flying-types. In addition, Earth Power gives Shaymin a means of defeating Fire-types like Heatran and Infernape. Shaymin doesn't really have many other options, but it can use either Leech Seed or Rest in the final slot of offensive sets to increase longevity, and the latter is especially useful on Shaymin thanks to its ability, Natural Cure. Although Shaymin is almost exclusively used as a Life Orb or Leftovers user, it can make good use of either Choice Scarf or Choice Specs for a nice element of surprise.
specsmin blows. growth is a cool sweeper.
Smeargle
Type: Normal
Base Stats: 55 HP / 20 Atk / 35 Def / 20 SpA / 45 SpD / 75 Spe
Ability: Own Tempo / Technician
With every move at its disposal, Smeargle is definitely versatile. Unfortunately, it's terrible stats all around limit it to essentially just support sets. No matter what Smeargle set you're up against, you can be assured it's carrying Spore. Almost every common Smeargle set is in the lead position. The standard set uses Focus Sash to survive a hit, guaranteeing it can put something to sleep and set up at least one layer of Spikes. It often has Counter as well, meaning physical attackers are gonna be taking some damage when they try to knock it out. Specifically, this allows Smeargle to defeat lead Machamp, thanks to Own Tempo ignoring confusion. Smeargle is fast enough to run a Choice Scarf lead set as well. Spore and Spikes will still be used, but this Smeargle will also have Trick to cripple an opponent and U-turn to scout out riskier situations. If you see a Level 1 Smeargle, your opponent is probably running Trick Room. This set will survive a hit with Focus Sash, set up Trick Room to outspeed anything, and use Spore and Endeavor to start dismantling the opposition. Dragon Rage allows it to pick off foes that it's brought down to 1 HP after Endeavor. Smeargle can function outside of the lead position as well, but in such cases, it is almost always being used on a pure Baton Pass team. As the only Ingrain passer in the game (a niche that allows it to safeguard its team from phazing), Smeargle is an outright requirement for these teams. Taunt is probably your best bet for preventing Smeargle from devastating your team.
ye
Snorlax
Type: Normal
Base Stats: 160 HP / 110 Atk / 65 Def / 65 SpA / 110 SpD / 30 Spe
Abilities: Immunity / Thick Fat
Snorlax is most often seen utilizing Curse, perhaps being the best user in existence thanks to its high Attack, low Speed, and amazing special bulk. Access to Body Slam means that Snorlax can worry less about its low Speed with paralysis, also supporting the rest of the team if Snorlax cannot manage a sweep. Earthquake, Crunch, and Fire Punch are all great coverage moves, with Earthquake hitting Heatran, Rock-types, and non-levitating Ghost-types. Crunch hits all Ghost-types that resist Snorlax's STAB, and Fire Punch hits Skarmory, Forretress, Bronzong, and other Steel-types. Rest is always useful to keep Snorlax healthy as well. Selfdestruct is a powerful weapon in that it can OHKO literally anything that is not a Ghost-type, possibly taking a huge threat out with it. Pursuit can allow it to trap Ghost-types, best used with a Choice Band to hit as hard as possible. It can even use Swords Dance to become a more immediate offensive threat after one turn of setup. Unique in that in can wall and sweep at the same time, Snorlax is indeed a huge threat.
no idea how this gets selfdestruct and not explosion. also i'm pretty sure sd doesn't kill skarm.
Venusaur
Type: Grass / Poison
Base Stats: 80 HP / 82 Atk / 83 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability: Overgrow
At first glance, it may seem as though Venusaur is yet another average Pokemon, boasting nothing particularly special and having a typing that gives it weaknesses to common Fire- and Ice-type attacks, but like many other OU-viable Pokemon, it has a niche in access to Swords Dance and Power Whip. When combined with Sleep Powder, Venusaur can setup multiple times and boost its relatively low Attack stat to attempt a sweep. Sleep Powder can allow Venusaur to bypass some of its usual checks that aren't such great checks after Venusaur has setup multiple times. Power Whip and Earthquake provide all of the needed physical coverage, although it does miss out on Skarmory. Sludge Bomb is another great STAB, but it does leave Venusaur open to Steel-types when combined with a STAB Grass-type attack and two non-attacking moves, so Hidden Power Fire is by-and-far preferred and more used than Sludge Bomb to hit the nefarious Steel-types that resist Leaf Storm. Venusaur even has the utility of removing Toxic Spikes, which can be extremely useful when paired with walls like Blissey that abhor Toxic Spikes. Venusaur is not a threat to be taken lightly, as its seemingly low attacking stats may be sweeping your team.
i wouldn't use non-sd offensive venusaur so i'd edit that out.
Yanmega
Type: Bug / Flying
Base Stats: 86 HP / 76 Atk / 86 Def / 116 SpA / 56 SpD / 95 Spe
Abilities: Speed Boost / Tinted Lens
Yanmega is a Pokemon tailor-made to punch holes in teams early-game. Its high Special Attack stat and two amazing and equally useful abilities give it no equal in the realm of smashing apart teams early-game. Yanmega's best use is as an anti-lead with Speed Boost, using Protect the first turn to net a quick boost to its Speed and start wrecking with its powerful STABs in Bug Buzz and Air Slash. Access to U-turn is one of the reason is an excellent user of Choice Specs, allowing it to scout. It even has room for a Hidden Power of choice, usually Ground for Heatran, but Fire is a just as viable Hidden Power to hit Skarmory and Forretress. Lastly, Yanmega can use Hypnosis, which, while unreliable, can potentially cripple an opposing Pokemon for the remainder of the match. While its switch-ins are numbered because of its 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, it often needs not much more than one switch-in to leave a gap in all of its opposition.
specs tinted lens is devastating.
Zapdos (Offensive)
While most people rave at Zapdos's incredible defensive typing and great overall stats, many forget that it packs a monstrous base 125 Special Attack and that Electric is one the best offensive typings in DPP OU. With a Life Orb attached, Zapdos epitomizes what it means to be a 'bulky attacker', as it can fire off powerful, boosted attacks while shrugging off a variety of hits with Roost. Thunderbolt is a given on all sets, while Zapdos gets almost all the coverage it needs between Heat Wave and Hidden Power Grass. Agility can be used en lieu of Roost to transform Zapdos into a fearsome late-game sweeper, and Hidden Power Ice is generally given the nod in this case since Zapdos can outspeed Choice Scarf Flygon after an Agility. Choice Specs Zapdos is also an effective anti-lead when paired with Hidden Power Flying to OHKO Machamp, as Zapdos can 2HKO nearly every lead while it has the bulk to avoid being OHKOed by most Pokemon in the lead position.
i actually prefer leftovers > life orb on the bulky attacker. it still hits plenty hard while not being worn down ridiculously easily. agility + roost is a great set.
Infernape
Type: Fire / Fighting
Ability: Blaze
Base Stats: 76 HP / 104 Atk / 71 Def / 104 SpA / 71 SpD / 108 Spe
Infernape has a highly offensive presence in DPP OU due to its high Speed and decent attacking stats. Most Infernape are physically oriented, decimating foes with STAB Close Combat, scouting for checks with U-Turn, and finishing off faster foes with Mach Punch. While most physically oriented Infernape run Flare Blitz as their Fire-type STAB move of choice to dent common Fighting-type switch-ins Gliscor, Skarmory, and Rotom-A, others prefer to go mixed with Overheat or Fire Blast along with other Special moves for coverage to attack those switch-ins' weaker offensive stat, namely Hidden Power Ice, Grass Knot, or Hidden Power Electric. Furthermore, Infernape can take advantage of the switches it forces to set up with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot to boost its damage output. Some uncommon moves that are also at Infernape's disposal include Thunderpunch, Vacuum Wave, and Focus Blast. Infernape can also take advantage of its high Speed and perform as an excellent Choice user as it outspeeds the Base 100 Speed Pokemon. Infernape also sees use as a lead, commonly running a Choice set or a Focus Sash set that utilizes Infernape's common moves in addition to Fake Out and Stealth Rock.
yea
Dragonite
Type : Dragon / Flying
Base Stats : 91 HP / 134 Atk / 95 Def / 100 Spa / 100 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability : Inner Focus
An incredible move pool, an incredible double type and incredible stats : hello I'm Dragonite. Fortunately it has a weakness to Stealth Rock. But you are allowed to pair it with a Spinner... With its incredible move pool, Dragonite is really unpredictable. The most effective set is probably the Dragon Dance one. With ExtremSpeed, Dragonite is able to kill faster Pokemon after a Dragon Dance like Flygon and Jolteon. After a Dragon Dance, Dragonite is almost unstoppable since it can almost OHKO Swampert with Outrage for example. It can be also used as a Mixed Sweeper with a really powerfull Draco Meteor. In addition, Superpower allows it to not be walled by Blissey. An offensive Lead is also viable since it has an interesting ExtremSpeed allowing it to break Focus Sash Lead like Azelf or Aerodactyl. Those were the most used Sets but since Dragonite has an incredible Move Pool and really good Defenses + HP, it can be used as a Bulky Sweeper. A bulky Dragon Dance or a Cleric Dancer can also work. A little more gimmick but still effective, an Agility Set is also viable on it. Last but not least, the famous Choice Band Set that 2HKO 99% of the Metagame. I think you got it, this thing is one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the game.
bulky dd nite is definitely deserving of mention, it is excellent.
LanturnType: Water / Electric
Ability: Volt Absorb / Illuminate
Base Stats: 125 HP / 58 Atk / 58 Def / 76 SpA / 76 SpD / 67 Spe
Lanturn doesn't even look like it's capable of being an offensive threat with its abysmal base 76 Special attack and an even lower base 67 Speed. However, its huge base 125 HP, good typing, and great ability allows Lanturn to turn into a formidable offensive threat if given the opportunity to set up. Lanturn's unique typing and its Volt Absorb ability finds it many chances to switch in. It can come in on many Water-types that lacks Earthquake, Toxic, or Roar. Thanks to its high HP, it can make 101 HP Substitutes to prevent it from being broken by Seismic Toss. Offensive Lanturn has only one set it uses in OU: SubCharge. While its low base 76 Special Attack doesn't look threatening, Lanturn often has little difficulty getting multiple boosts with Charge Beam thanks to its good special bulk and Substitute. It can begin taking down foes at just +2. Lanturn has unresisted coverage bar opposing Lanturns and Shedinja, allowing it to take down many prominent OU threats in a single boosted hit or two. Its base 67 Speed isn't too bad when it lets it outspeed extremely slow foes such as Machamp, which it can take down with a boosted Hydro Pump. To show how impressive SubCharge Lanturn might be, it can even win against a weakened Blissey one-on-one. What makes Lanturn threatening is how hard it could be to take it down without sacrificing a Pokemon in the process thanks to its good bulk and it hiding behind a Substitute most of the time. Revenge killing Lanturnby taking out its Substitute is not the best way to take out Lanturn as it can simply find another opportunity to set up again. Grass-types are the best bet as long as Lanturn has not accumulated many boosts. However, take note that uninvested Grass Knots might not even be able to break Lanturn's Substitutes due to Lanturn's light weight; Grass Knot only reaches 40 Base Power
yep!
AbomasnowType: Grass / Ice
Ability: Snow Warning
Base Stats: 90 HP / 92 Atk / 75 Def / 92 SpA / 85 SpD / 60 Spe
Abomasnow is the sole hail inducer. Although its Grass / Ice typing isn't one of the best defensive typings, it does have its own favorable traits that make it a good defensive threat, albeit a rare one, to look out for; with Snow Warning summoning the hail, most Pokemon in OU will start getting their health chipped of by the hail or have their Leftovers recovery negated due to the fact that Ice-types are quite rare in OU. While 6.25% of damage every turn might not look like much, Abomasnow has the tools to stall foes and quickly deplete their health. With a combination of Substitute + Leech Seed, Abomasnow can quickly stall out foes in a few SubSeed cycles. Abomasnow can also use Protect to keep Substitute up even longer, allowing it to replenish its own health with Leftovers and minimizing the net HP loss from making Substitutes. Abomasnow also has good special bulk to wall bulky Water-types, especially if they lack Roar what does roar have to do with how well abomasnow beats waters?? if sr is up you're probably not going to be too comfortable switching in anyway or are slower than Abomasnow so that they cannot Toxic it. Abomasnow also happens to be one of the counters to Life Orb Starmie as its good special bulk coupled with the fact that it is neutral to Ice Beam. Grass-types are also wary of trying to switch into Abomasnow to stop its SubSeed cycle as they fear getting hit by its Ice-type attacks.
this looks fine, gotta mention ice shard + wood hammer/seed bomb being good attacks though
Celebi
Typing: Grass / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure
While 7 weaknesses might sound horrible for a defensive threat, Celebi makes up for it with a solid 6 resistances (including Ground, Water, Electric, and Fighting). It's typing also pairs up perfectly with Heatran, forming the famed CeleTran combination. Base 100 stats across the board means Celebi has solid bulk on both sides, is quite fast for a wall, and can take off the gloves when push comes to shove. Recover offers it a reliable recovery move, though it can also opt for Rest, ridding itself of sleep by switching out thanks to Natural Cure. With a great support movepool, there's no telling just what sort of set Celebi will be running. It can set up Stealth Rock, force switches with Perish Song or Leech Seed, scout with Baton Pass or U-turn, cripple threats with Thunder Wave or Trick, or keep the team nice and healthy with Heal Bell. Despite all of it's pluses, Celebi can still be hammered down by attacks that prey on it's many weaknesses; Pursuit in particular can put a quick end to this pixie's trickery.
it can baton pass boosts or sub too. rest sucks. defensive calm mind is really good and it should be mentioned since it's a defensive mon first, sweeper second.
Claydol
Type: Ground / Psychic
Base Stats: 60 HP / 70 Atk / 105 Def / 70 SpA / 120 Def / 75 Spe
Ability: Levitate
Claydol is among those niche Pokemon with limited use, but excel at their use, and Claydol's is the coveted combination of Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin. Claydol makes a decent spinner because it resists Stealth Rock and is immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes thanks to Levitate, as well as boasting resistances to Stone Edge, immunity to Earthquake, immunity to Electric-type moves, and resistance to Fighting-type moves, all combined with excellent defenses and a few offensive options that hit a few notable Pokemon super effectively. Even with such low offensive stats, Ground-type STAB is still Ground-type STAB, and that means Pokemon such as Metagross and Lucario will lose quite a chunk of their health to such attacks. Ice Beam threatens Flygon and Dragonite, both of which Claydol can check rather adequately. Claydol can even utilize Explosion and take out an opposing threat as it survives an attack. While very niche, Claydol's access to Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin, as well as its unique set of resistances, particularly its rare resistance to the famed EdgeQuake combo, Claydol can function as a decent spinner and Stealth Rock setter for any team in need of such a Pokemon that needs both roles to be filled by one Pokemon.
trickscarf / flame orb claydol is a cool lead. pursuit / u-turn aren't too nice to it.
Cloyster
Type: Water / Ice
Base Stats: 50 HP / 95 Atk / 180 Def / 85 SpA / 45 SpD / 70 Spe
Ability: Shell Armor / Skill Link
Cloyster is a Pokemon with rather unremarkable stats other than its stand-out 180 base Defense. Due to its great physical bulk, Cloyster can be a great user of Spikes and an excellent lead for any offensive team in need of Spikes to support their sweepers. Against many leads, Cloyster can setup 2 or even 3 layers of Spikes. Cloyster has access to Surf, which, in combination with its decent Special Attack stat, allows it to defeat many other opposing leads before they get the chance to setup their own hazards, like Metagross, Gliscor, Hippowdon, Bronzong, Skarmory, and Forretress, among others. The combination of Surf and Ice Shard can take down any opposing frail leads, such as Azelf and Aerodactyl. If facing off against something that could potentially sweep Cloyster's teammates, Cloyster can simply explode and KO any Pokemon it wants without any worry, as Cloyster need not survive past the first few turns. Overall, any offensive team appreciates the Spikes that Cloyster provides, and Cloyster has all of the tools it needs to be an excellent lead.
looks good
Cradily
Type: Rock / Grass
Base Stats: 86 HP / 81 Atk / 97 Def / 81 SpA / 107 SpD / 43 Spe
Ability: Suction Cups
Cradily is an excellent Curse sweeper for a number of reasons. For one, its already stellar Special Defense stat gets boosted by 50% under sand, a very common weather condition due to the prevalence of Tyranitar. Also, it has a low Speed stat and usable Attack stat to abuse, as well as coveted access to Recover, giving it a niche as the only viable user of Curse that has reliable recovery. Cradily has all of the coverage it needs in pseudo-EdgeQuake, which very few Pokemon resist, all of which can be easily removed by the right teammates. Due to its excellent defensive stats and Recover, Cradily can often obtain multiple boosts to makes it attacks hit hard and make it nigh-impenetrable as a wall. RestTalk mono-attacker variants are also threatening, as in that case even Toxic cannot stop Cradily, making playing stall against it all but a fools' game. Although it has a weakness to the very common Fighting-type attacks, that is its only negative attribute. With Suction Cups, it can't even be phazed, making one of the most common detriments to setup sweepers a non-issue. Cradily also has access to Swords Dance, which gives it the ability to boost its Attack quickly, and Cradily can dish out quite a bit of pain after it has boosted up. Trick is the best option to beat Cradily; it limits the many-tentacled beast to one move, which turns it from a monster to a failed fossil recovery. Cradily is a Pokemon to watch out for, as, although it is rarely seen, it could potentially set up to a point where it walls your entire team and OHKOes them as well.
mono attacker sucks, you need 2-move coverage. i would never use recover, getting rid of toxic/burn is too important.
Cresselia
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 120 HP / 70 Atk / 120 Def / 75 SpA / 130 SpD / 85 Spe
Ability: Levitate
Cresselia is blessed with the best defenses of almost every Pokemon usable in OU, allowing it to wall many powerful attackers. Although it does struggle against the very common Tyranitar and Scizor, as well as failing to do much lasting damage against anything with much bulk, it has enough bulk to repeatedly take hits and setup screens, whether it be just Reflect or both. Cresselia can use Thunder Wave to cripple the many faster Pokemon that fail to do any meaningful damage to it. Its STAB Psychic gives it super effective coverage on Infernape and other Fighting-types, as well as on Gengar. Ice Beam can take down Dragon-types, which Cresselia easily walls. Cresselia even has access to recovery in Moonlight, though it is crippled in sand and hail. Cresselia may also sport Charge Beam along with RestTalk and Ice Beam, with its great bulk allowing it to boost its Special Attack and have pseudo-BoltBeam coverage. A Calm Mind set can be used to take on many special sweepers and sometimes even pull off a sweep of its own. Cresselia has a niche as a user of screens due to access to Lunar Dance, which allows Cresselia to sacrifice itself and fully revive a teammate, acting even before entry hazards, so Pokemon in range of being KOed by entry hazards can have a second chance at life. Against a decent amount of OU threats, Cresselia can shine, walling them to no tomorrow, and although it falters against Tyranitar and Scizor, two very common Pokemon, it can do well against many other threats and is a wall to be reckoned with.
yep
DonphanType: Ground
Ability: Sturdy
Base Stats: 90 HP / 120 Atk / 120 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe
Donphan is one of the more offensive Rapid Spin user available. It takes on a more defensive role in being quite efficient in removing opposing Ghost-types and keeping the field clean of entry hazards by using Rapid Spin. Many Ghost-types have difficulty trying to spinblock Donphan thanks to the latter's high base 120 Attack. Furthermore, it has access to Assurance, a move that doubles its Base Power to a good 100 Base Power when the target has taken damage before this move was used. This means that a Ghost-type switching in with Stealth Rock present will be dealt with a super effective 100 Base Power move, and most Ghost-types will have difficulty surviving that and probably will not be able to take repeated hits. After one or two Assurances, most Ghost-types would have been defeated with a few exceptions such as Spiritomb, which in that case, Earthquake would hit harder. Donphan easily lures Ghost-types and defeats them so that it can Rapid Spin without being hindered. However, Rapid Spinning and defeating Ghost-types isn't all that it can do; it has an excellent base 120 Attack and Defense. It can sponge physical attacks and retaliate back. If Donphan has enough HP left, it can even survive a +1 Outrage from Dragonite and proceed to 2HKO it with Ice Shard, acting as a last resort check. As a defensive Ground-type, it checks many common Rock-types such as Tyranitar. While bulky Water-types are often the best answer to Donphan, beware of the occasional Seed Bomb that can easily deal with a weakened Water-type and Swampert. Its special bulk is also terrible and almost any decently strong special attack can OHKO or 2HKO it.
head smash is pretty cool!
Empoleon (defensive)
Type: Water/Steel
Base Stats: 84 HP / 86 Atk / 88 Def / 111 SpA / 101 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent
Description
In a metagame where many threats are primarily special attackers, Empoleon's unique Water/Steel typing coupled with it's defensive stats make it a
very good tank. It's typing gives it 11 resistances, and most of them are common attacking types in the metagame including the sought after Water and Rock resists. With a focus on maximizing Special Defense, Empoleon can support a team utilizing coverage moves such as STAB Surf, Ice Beam, Grass Knot and Hidden Power Electric. It can also help the team by using support moves such as Roar and Stealth Rock. Empoleon does face some form of competition from Specially Defensive Heatran. However, Empoleon handles Water types much better than Heatran, particularly Gyarados if Empoleon has Hidden Power Electric. Empoleon doesn't have to resort to blowing itself up either. Resist berries such as Shuca and Chople, combined with some Defense EV's, can be used to surprise threats such as Dragonite, Flygon, Offensive Gyarados, and Infernape and OHKO them with the respective coverage move, but Leftovers is the superior option overall.
spdef heatran (usually) doesn't explode. fine otherwise.
Forretress (defensive)
Forretress is truly a utility Pokemon. It can set up all three entry hazards, use Rapid Spin to eliminate the opponent's hazards, and stay alive throughout a battle with its Steel / Bug typing and absurdly high Defense stat. Depending on team needs, Forretress usually doesn't carry all three entry hazards. Rapid Spin is a staple of all sets, and a variety of attacks fill the remaining slots. These include Payback, Explosion, Earthquake, and Gyro Ball.
usually uses a spdef spread other than that its good ol forre
Gliscor
Type : Ground / Flying
Base Stats : 75 HP / 95 Atk / 125 Def / 45 SpA / 65 SpD / 95 Spe
Ability : Sand Veil / Hyper Cutter
Gliscor's typing is just fantastic for a defensive Pokemon like it. In addition, it has a great defense, one of the highest of the metagame and an annoying ability: sand veil. Paired with Tyranitar / Hippowdon, this thing is almost impossible to kill. Gliscor also gets Roost allowing it to recover itself. If that wasn't enough, Gliscor has a great STAB known as Earthquake and an incredible move : Taunt. Since it has a good speed, Gliscor is the perfect Stallbreaker with Earthquake / Taunt / Roost / Toxic. Instead of Toxic, you can carry Stealth Rock and use Gliscor as a Lead. It also works as a perfect anti-lead with Taunt...
An underrated Set but still very good, the Swords Dance one. Even though you're totally walled by Skarmory, Gliscor can still destroy a Team, especially with Sand Veil... Stone Edge / Night Slash on the last slot depend on what you need Gliscor to hit.
If Gliscor's Movepool wasn't enough good, it also has Baton Pass. With a Yache Berry and Light Screen + Reflect, Gliscor can easily pass a Rock Polish and a Swords Dance before getting killed.
Gliscor is now only used with a Jolly Nature, so we can't really talk about a "defensive-gliscor" since it is only used now as a StallBreaker. It can still be used with an Impish Nature though, but it will lose its ability to Taunt Heatran /Gyarados / Dragonite etc and it will be slower than Lucario.
covered quite nicely, just mention u-turn
GyaradosType: Water / Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Base Stats: 95 HP / 125 Atk / 79 Def / 60 SpA / 100 SpD / 81 Spe
While Gyarados is often seen as an offensive Dragon Dance sweeper, it occasionally takes on a more defensive role by capitalizing on its decent 95 / 79 / 100 defenses and its great Intimidate ability. Defensive Gyarados mostly take on the role as a physical wall by utilizing Intimidate to switch in on physical attacks and soften their attacks. Intimidate also let's it check physical sweepers such as Swords Dance Scizor and then phaze it out with Roar. Due to its weakness to Stealth Rock, most defensive Gyarados rely on RestTalk for recovery and Sleep Talk prevents it from being a complete setup bait while it sleeps. Gyarados occasionally sports a specially defensive EV spread to allow it to take on some threats, such as mixed Infernape and Heatran, better. With Intimidate, Gyarados can sponge most physical attacks and even some super effective ones such as a -1 Stone Edge, though it'll have a hard time surviving any Electric-type attack. Gyarados's great defensive typing also grants it only two weaknesses to Rock and Electric. Gyarados often serves as a bulky Water-type and one of the fastest phazers on stall teams. It also has little difficulty walling many physical threats thanks to Intimidate, RestTalk, and Roar. Sometimes, it could even phaze out slower foes such as CurseLax before getting attacked when Sleep Talk uses Roar. Gyarados is hard to break through with physical attackers unless it can hit it super effectively. The best way to take down defensive Gyarados is by wearing it down with Stealth Rock and defeating it with strong special attackers or simply with an Electric-type attack. However, one has to look out for the rare Thunder Wave before sending out Rotom-A and the likes against a defensive Gyarados.
yea
Heatran (defensive)
Although Heatran is typically seen on the offensive, a specially defensive Heatran is also an incredibly difficult Pokemon to crack. With a Steel / Fire typing and Flash Fire, Heatran resists Dragon-, Fire-, Ghost-, Grass-, Steel-, and Psychic-type attacks, making it an excellent counter or check to many threats. The most prominent of these are Jirachi, Dragonite, Rotom-A, Shaymin, and Celebi. Additionally, its high Special Attack and Fire STAB gives defensive teams a simple way to threaten Forretress and Skarmory. Defensive Heatran sets vary greatly based on team needs, but typically include Lava Plume, Earth Power, and Roar; Protect, Toxic, or Stealth Rock round out the set. One variant uses Torment with Substitute and Protect, and operates under the fact that most Pokemon only carry a single attack that is effective against Heatran. Finally, RestTalk is also a possibility to increase Heatran's longevity.
plz emphasise more just how goddamn good protect is. it is not a dragonite counter/check, please edit that out. on the other hand it checks zapdos nicely!
Hippowdon
Type: Ground
Base Stats: 108 HP / 112 Atk / 118 Def / 68 SpA / 72 SpD / 47 Spe
Ability: Sand Stream
Hippowdon is the quintessential physical wall. It is the only Sand Stream user other than Tyranitar, but plays quite differently. With huge defensive stats, it is capable of holding more overall defenses than Skarmory! Even though it lacks Skarmory's superior defensive typing, it can actually pose a threat to more frail offensive Pokemon with its STAB Earthquake, even with minimal investment. Most of the time, though, Hippowdon will be laying down Stealth Rock, phazing with Roar, and recovering off any damage it took in the mean time with Slack Off. Its physical bulk is enough to hold up to strong physical attackers, taking very little from Scizor, Metagross, Tyranitar, and other physical attackers. Hippowdown has enough HP to supplement its somewhat low Special Defense, so it can easily be used as a mixed wall. It can also run a Stockpile set to boost both of its defenses, giving Hippowdon supreme overall bulk. If it has problems with Dragonite, it can even run Ice Fang for decent damage. Ice Fang also allows Hippowdon to win against Gliscor one-on-one. It has low Speed meaning it can become Taunt bait, but this hardly matters when, most of the time, it doesn't need Speed, especially when phazing. Hippowdon is not unbreakable though, as Grass-types such as Celebi or Shaymin can switch in on anything it uses barring Roar or Ice Fang and KO it with Leaf Storm or Seed Flare, respectively.
to give you an idea of how bulky sdef hippo is, specs kingdra surf does around 90%. stockpile sucks.
Jirachi
Type: Steel / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Serene Grace
Despite being more known as an annoying offensive threat that abuses Serene Grace, Jirachi also makes for a great defensive Pokemon with a part Steel typing and base 100 stats across the board. It's one of the best Wish passers out there, using Wish and then switching out with U-turn. On such sets, it still normally abuses Serene Grace to net paralyses and flinches with Body Slam and Iron Head. Jirachi is also a reliable dual screens user, setting up screens to keep its team healthy while healing teammates up with Wish and scouting with U-turn. A specially defensive set that spreads paralysis (usually through Thunder Wave, but sometimes Body Slam), heals the team up with Wish, and maintains some offensive presence with Iron Head and Fire Punch is also viable. Fire Punch's 20% chance to burn can also help patch up this Jirachi's lower physical bulk.
spdef set needs mentioning of protect.
Milotic (defensive)
Milotic is a rare sight in OU, but nonetheless an effective bulky Water with several traits that set it apart from the competition. Recover gives Milotic a reliable source of recovery, something that Gyarados, Swampert, and Suicune all lack. Haze is a niche move, but makes Milotic impenetrable to most Calm Mind sweepers and allows it to hold against bulkier Dragon Dance Kingdra and Dragonite. Milotic also learns Toxic, giving it a way to defeat bulkier Pokemon or those that resist Water. Hypnosis allows Milotic to take another Pokemon out of the fight; although it's an unreliable move, Milotic finds many opportunities to switch in. Surf is Milotic's reliable STAB attack, while Ice Beam and Hidden Power Electric can be used as coverage attacks in place of a third utility move. Alternatively, Milotic can use RestTalk for recovery, which allows it to take advantage of its Marvel Scale ability (+50% Defense while statused).
restalk blows. dragon pulse is cool vs kingdra.
NidoqueenType: Poison / Ground
Ability: Poison Point / Rivalry
Base Stats: 90 HP / 82 Atk / 87 Def / 75 SpA / 85 SpD / 76 Spe
Nidoqueen has rather average stats for a defensive Pokemon; it doesn't even have a single base stat that reaches 100. However, Nidoqueen provides great defensive in Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock. Nidoqueen's Poison / Ground typing also allows it to check several common OU threats such as Lucario and Tyranitar and is able to consistently keep the entry hazards up on the field. Not only does it have little difficulty maintaining its entry hazards, it also deters many other entry hazard users such as Heatran, Skarmory, and Forretress from setting theirs up as Nidoqueen can dent or even KO them with Earthquake or Fire Blast. Nidoqueen is not and easy foe to take down and this helps ensure that Toxic Spikes can be kept on the field for a long time even if the opponent has a Rapid Spin user or a grounded Poison-type capable of absorbing it.
queen is amazing ^_^
Quagsire
Type: Water/Ground
Base Stats: 95 HP / 85 Atk / 85 Def / 65 SpA / 65 SpD / 35 Spe
Abilities: Damp, Water Absorb
Description
Quagsire has a specific niche in the DPP OU metagame: it is one of the few hard counters to Life Orb Starmie and Offensive Suicune. Water/Ground is also an excellent defensive typing to ward off popular Electric types such as non-HP Grass Zapdos, Raikou, and Jolteon. Water Absorb is a rare gem to come by in OU since Vaporeon is the only other Pokèmon in OU to wield the ability and it is weak to Electric attacks. With a moveset of Toxic, Encore, Earthquake, and Recover, combined with a Careful 252 HP/56 Def/200 SpD spread, Quagsire is able to switch into any common attack that Life Orb Starmie and Offensive Suicune can throw and neither of them can 2HKO Quagsire, even if Suicune has a boost. Quagsire can effectively stall both threats out. Ice Beam and Ice Punch can also be run over Toxic to deal with Gliscor, Dragonite, and Flygon better, as well as to hit predicted Grass type switch-ins, but you lose out on putting Offensive Suicune and other sweepers on a timer. The dash of Defense EV's allows Quagsire to take on Metagross and come out on top. Quagsire fits best on teams where it can give a sweeper free turns as well as teams that struggle with Starmie and/or Suicune in general. It is a viable member of any Fire/Water/Grass core.
sucks against stall, mention that, other than that this is fine
Regirock
Type: Rock
Base Stats: 80 HP / 100 Atk / 200 Def / 50 SpA / 100 SpD / 50 Spe
Ability: Clear Body
Blessed with amazing defenses and a decent Attack stat, Regirock can function as a check to some of the top sweepers in the OU tier, including Heatran and Zapdos. Very few special attackers can do much of anything to Regirock once sand is up, and with Tyranitar being so prevalent, this situation is very common. Regirock can even beat Pokemon with super effective moves, such as Gyarados, Dragonite, Lucario, Scizor, and Celebi, all due to Regirock's phenomenal Defense stat and Special Defense stat under sand. Regirock is usually sporting a Curse set, with Rest providing recovery and pseudo-EdgeQuake with Rock Slide. It does take multiple turns of setup for Regirock to be actually threatening offensively, but the Defense boosts are invaluable against such foes as Gyarados, Lucario, and Scizor. Regirock is not something often seen, but if sand is up, breaking it is not going to be an easy task.
regirock ~_~ i have seen a rock polish set used to decent effect and in theory it seems cool.
Defensive Registeel
Registeel is a very rare sight in OU, but its immense 80 / 150 / 150 bulk and adequate support movepool make it a solid choice for some teams. Although its offensive capabilities are nonexistent, access to both Thunder Wave and Toxic makes Registeel an excellent multipurpose check to common offensive threats. Stealth Rock is a given on all sets since Registeel can set it up against such a wide range of Pokemon. For damaging moves, Registeel has access to Seismic Toss, Iron Head, Earthquake, Shadow Claw, and Explosion. Seismic Toss is a particularly useful move considering Registeel’s depressing Attack stat since it does a reasonable amount of damage against all but two OU Pokemon; the other four attacks are mostly situational. Compared to Bronzong, Registeel sports significantly higher defenses, Seismic Toss, and Thunder Wave, but gains a weakness to Ground moves.
yep
Roserade (defensive)
Roserade is an alternative choice for laying Spikes and Toxic Spikes that has been proven successful at the highest levels of play. Traditional spikers Forretress and Skarmory are both physically defensive Steel-types, while Roserade is a specially defensive Grass-type. This allows it to capitalize on Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type resistances to set up on a wide range of specially oriented Pokemon. While Roserade learns both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, usually only one is chosen. Grass Knot and Energy Ball are Roserade's STAB options, and Hidden Power Fire or Ground are typically used for coverage. In the last slot, Synthesis operates like Recover unless in a sandstorm, while Rest (with Natural Cure) works in all weathers at the cost of necessitating a switch. Stun Spore is another option that lets Roserade cripple switch-ins and deters sweepers from using Roserade as setup bait.
synthesis blows, just stick with natural cure rest.
Shaymin
Type: Grass
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure
Shaymin's 100-all base stats make it well rounded defensively. A pure Grass-typing allows it to comfortably take common Ground-, Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type assaults, while Natural Cure lets it work as a makeshift status absorber. Typically, defensive Shaymin will be using Leech Seed alongside either Protect or Substitute to stall out the enemy and drain them of health. Shaymin's signature Seed Flare is great for netting Special Defense drops and forcing switches, while Hidden Power Fire or Ice usually rounds out coverage. Despite lacking reliable recovery, Shaymin can use Rest to heal up and switch out to rid itself of sleep.
epower needs a mention
Skarmory (defensive)
Half of the vaunted SkarmBliss core, Skarmory is a staple spiker and phazer for many defensive teams. Its moveset, stats, and typing are almost perfectly suited for its role. Flying / Steel typing grants it excellent immunities and resistances, while a sky-high 140 Defense stat enables it to tank neutral hits. Essentially all Skarmory run Spikes, Roost, and Whirlwind, while the last slot is either Brave Bird or Taunt. It's worth noting that since Skarmory's Defense is already so high, a common EV spread focuses on its Special Defense instead, allowing it to tank neutral special hits.
torment + protect is pretty hilarious
Slowbro
Type: Water / Psychic
Base Stats: 95 HP / 75 Atk / 110 Def / 100 SpA / 80 SpD / 30 Spe
Abilities: Oblivious / Own Tempo
Slowbro is extremely bulky and has many more tricks up its shell than the average bulky Water-type. Unlike Suicune, it has reliable recovery, and its solid mixed defenses and Special Attack further bolster its unique uses as a bulky Water-type. Slowbro is most commonly seen as a counter to Water-type attackers, taking little from anything bar a Thunderbolt. Offensive options like Surf, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Psychic make it stand out, and standard Slowbro can take advantage of any of these. Slowbro is often seen wielding one of Thunder Wave or Toxic, the former helping with its and some teammates' low Speed and the latter allowing Slowbro to stall out walls and Gyarados if it lacks Hidden Power Electric. Ice Beam in particular is a great offensive choice to hit Dragon- and Grass-types, though Psychic is useful for Machamp and Fire Blast for an OHKO on Forretress and Skarmory. Slowbro is also one of the best physical Dragonite counters in the business, never 2HKOed by its STABs. It is also an excellent counter to Machamp, as Slowbro's lesser Speed stat means that Payback fails to do all that much, and Slowbro can take all of Machamp's other attacks. It can also use Trick Room to support itself and the rest of the team, or Counter in combination with its decent HP and high Defense. Slowbro has a few utilities that make it stand out from other bulky Water-types, and it takes advantage of all of them to be a separate and equally as big threat as the other bulky Water-types that populate OU.
i don't think slowbro is that good but this describes it nicely
Spiritomb
Type: Ghost / Dark
Base Stats: 50 HP / 92 Atk / 108 Def / 92 SpA / 108 SpD / 35 Spe
Ability: Pressure
With no exploitable weaknesses and 3 handy immunities to Fighting, Normal, and Psychic, Spiritomb is a solid spinblocker. Although it lacks reliable recovery, it's low HP coupled with strong defenses makes Pain Split a great option for keeping it healthy. It can weaken offensive threats with Will-O-Wisp, trap opposing spinblockers with Pursuit, and even revenge kill in a pinch with STAB Sucker Punch. RestTalking is also a viable method for keeping Spiritomb in good health, and RestTalk sets are usually seen running Will-O-Wisp and Shadow Ball. Alternatively, it can run Rest, Will-O-Wisp, Curse, and Pursuit to become truly difficult to break through. The best bet for defeating Spiritomb is to just smack it hard with neutral hits, especially from special attackers that fear little from burns.
mention that tomb is one of two 100% machamp counters! cb is pretty cool too
Starmie (defensive)
Starmie's high Speed and unique movepool make it a good choice for teams looking to fill a specific role. Although it's defensive stats are middling, Starmie packs all the resistances that a traditional bulky Water would have. A Psychic subtype gives it a resistance to Fighting-type attacks, which partially compensates for its mediocre Defense. Very high Speed and access to Recover further extend Starmie's longevity. In return, Starmie can use Rapid Spin to eliminate the opposing team's hazards. Unlike Forretress, the other OU spinner, Starmie outpaces both Rotom-A and Gengar (unscarfed), making it much more difficult to spinblock. Due to its Speed, Starmie also serves as a welcome check to Infernape, a Pokemon who normally terrorizes bulky teams. All of Starmie's defensive sets run Surf, Rapid Spin, and Recover, while the last slot goes to either Thunderbolt or Ice Beam.
reflect is also worthy of mention
Suicune
Type: Water
Base Stats: 100 HP / 75 Atk / 115 Def / 90 SpA / 115 SpD / 85 Spe
Ability: Pressure
Suicune is blessed with perhaps the best mixed defenses of anything available in OU. Decent Special Attack and good enough Speed further supplement Suicune's defensive capabilities. Its use defensively is mainly via Calm Mind. By-and-far its best set is the acclaimed CroCune, a set that uses Rest and Sleep Talk to keep itself healthy as well as Calm Mind to boost its Special Defense. With maximum defense investment and Calm Mind boosting its Special Defense, Suicune is a near impenetrable tank, dealing solid damage with its decent Special Attack and powerful STAB move in Surf. It can even put Ice Beam to good use against Dragon- and Grass-types expecting to comfortably handle CroCune. Pressure and the RestTalk combination when paired with its stone wall of bulk allow it to stall out the PP of many moves, particularly Stone Edges and Draco Meteors. Access to Roar lends Suicune to a great defensive set, keeping healthy with RestTalk and phazing with Roar, removing boosts from setup sweepers and racking up damage from entry hazards. CroCune possesses such staying power that it can stall out even the famed Blissey, the bane of many a special attacker. Suicune's bulk and sweeping potential keep on the pinnacle of a bulky Water-type, a threat to be reckoned with for any sweeper.
yea that's cune
Swampert
Type: Water / Ground
Base Stats: 100 HP / 110 Atk / 90 Def / 85 SpA / 90 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent
Swampert is one of DPP OU's toughest walls to break. It is most commonly seen as a hazard setter, able to set down Stealth Rock while hitting its opponent back with Earthquake or Ice Beam coming off its decent mixed offenses. Roar gives it a means by which to phaze its opponents, preventing set up sweepers such as Gyarados from taking advantage of an uninvested Ice Beam, or make Suicune think twice about getting greedy with Calm Mind boosts. Curse allows it to boost its excellent physical bulk and offenses; it can even run a pseudo-CroCune set, slowly boosting its Attack and Defense to sky high levels while recovering all of its HP and relieving it from crippling status when it needs to. Despite these traits, it has low Speed and a crippling weakness to Grass, but even Grass-types must be careful not to switch into an Ice Beam or Avalanche.
protect helps it stay healthy
Tangrowth
Type: Grass
Ability: Chlorophyll / Leaf Guard
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 125 Def / 110 SpA / 50 SpD / 50 Spe
Tangrowth is extremely physically bulky (moreso than Skarmory), though it's a less common sight due to its limited movepool and poorer defensive typing. That said, resistances to Water, Ground, Electric, and Grass are all useful. Most often, Tangrowth is seen running a disruptive set with Sleep Powder to shut down one opponent and Knock Off to cripple item-dependent foes. It can also run an effective double powder set with Stun Spore over Knock Off. Typically, it uses Power Whip and Earthquake for offensive coverage, though it can also opt to go the special route with Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice. The best bet for dealing with Tangrowth is hitting it on its weaker special side with moves such as Fire Blast and Ice Beam.
yea
Umbreon
Base stats: 95 HP / 65 Atk / 110 Def / 60 SpA / 130 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Synchronize
Umbreon has some of the most titanic defensive stats in OU, which can be used to some extent along with a type that doesn't leave it vulnerable to Pursuit (poor Cresselia...). It is also the only Pokemon able to lock an opponent in with Mean Lock and Baton Pass the value out to a counter, which can continue a Baton Pass chain that leads to a sweep. It will often carry Taunt, Toxic, or Yawn as utility moves to compliment Mean Look and Baton Pass. While it doesn't see much use, Umbreon can forgo passing Mean Look entirely and opt for a more walling set, utilizing Wish and Protect to keep it healthy along with Toxic or Payback to wear down the opponent. Umbreon also has Curse up its sleeve, which it can either pass off or attempt to sweep with. It can also use Heal Bell and Wish to support its team.
yea
Uxie
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 75 HP / 75 Atk / 130 Def / 75 SpA / 130 SpD / 95 Spe
Ability: Levitate
Uxie's superb mixed bulk, solid support movepool, and good Speed make it a prime candidate for a utility Pokemon. In the lead position, it will usually carry Stealth Rock and U-turn. Most often, it will also have Trick and a Choice Scarf to cripple slower leads, along with either Thunder Wave or Yawn for support or Psychic for STAB. A dual screens set with Reflect, Light Screen, and Light Clay is also a common sight for lead Uxie. If not leading, Uxie tends to drop Stealth Rock for either Memento or Yawn on the dual screens set. It can also set up rain, sun, or Trick Room for teams built around those effects, and thanks to U-turn and Yawn, it can both scout and force switches after doing so.
yea
VenusaurType: Grass / Poison
Ability: Overgrow
Base Stats: 80 HP / 82 Atk / 83 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 80 Spe
Venusaur is often overlooked due to the presence of other great defensive Grass-types in the tier such as Celebi. Still, Venusaur is a good defensive threat to look out for. Although its stats might not look like much, it actually has good overall bulk with its 80 / 83 / 100 defenses. Its better overall bulk than Roserade means that its not completely physically or specially frail and makes it much harder to take down. Venusaur is fully capable of taking non-super effective physical hits with some Defense EVs investment and can withstand even some super effective special attacks such as a Life Orb Starmie's Ice Beam. Although its Grass / Poison typing burdens Venusaur with four weaknesses, it also grants it resistance to four common types—Fighting, Water, Grass, and Electric. Defensive Venusaur might be difficult to counter and requires some good predictions due to its access to Sleep Powder; it could quickly put your switch-in and only counter to sleep if you're caught off guard. Furthermore, sending in your sleep absorber doesn't always mean that Venusaur will put it to sleep with Sleep Powder. It can aways opt for Leech Seed to regain health and wear down foes while playing conservatively with Sleep Powder so as not to waste it on an opposing sleep absorber such as RestTalk Gyarados. While defensive Venusaur can annoy foes with Sleep Powder and Leech Seed, do not forget that it has an acceptable base 100 Special Attack. Its uninvested special attacks can still put a dent to frailer Pokemon.
leaf storm is really strong stab, also mention roar and sludge bomb
Walrein
Base stats: 110 HP / 80 Atk / 90 Def / 95 SpA / 90 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Ice Body
With great natural bulk, Walrein is set to become a solid wall. Even though its typing gives it a slew of weaknesses, when paired with Abomasnow, Walrein can become unstoppable. With Ice Body granting it an extra Leftovers each turn in hail, Walrein can utilize a combination of Protect and Substitute to wear down the opponent with Toxic and hail damage while taking no overall damage. Alongside Toxic, it will most likely be using a combination Blizzard, Surf, Roar, Earthquake, or Super Fang to further wear down the opponent and check switch-ins that threaten to stop its cycle of hail stal. If Walrein gets a Substitute up, be prepared for a long battle to wear it down, as in the hail it's nearly impossible.
BRINE
Weezing
Type: Poison
Base Stats: 65 HP / 90 Atk / 120 Def / 85 SpA / 70 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Levitate
Weezing is quite the strange Pokemon, boasting a high Defense stat but low HP stat, as well as a Poison typing but immunity to Ground-type moves due to Levitate. Its movepool is just as strange, including options non-characteristic to a Poison-type like Fire Blast and Thunderbolt. However, all of these traits combine to create an excellent check to many top-tier physical attackers like Gyarados, Lucario, and Tyranitar. Due to Levitate, it can switch-in on powerful Ground-type attacks from the likes of Mamoswine and Hippowdon. Although its Special Defense stat is disappointing, it doesn't take very much damage from any of Celebi's attacks not named Psychic, an attack most Celebi don't carry, boasting an immunity to Earth Power and resistance to Grass-type attacks, as well as not being affected all that much by Thunder Wave and being immune to Toxic, with Hidden Power Fire not doing much damage either. Weezing has Fire Blast to take on Steel-types like Skarmory and Forretress, something less experienced players may not even expect. Thunderbolt does solid damage to Gyarados. which it checks exceptionally well due to its great physical bulk. To top it all off, Weezing has recovery in Pain Split, which is great for wearing down opposing threats and is even better due to Weezing's low HP stat, turning that downside into a selling point. Access to Will-O-Wisp only furthers Weezing's ability to check physical attackers, with Taunt and even Explosion sometimes making an appearance. When Weezing comes out on the field, there are very few physical attackers that can beat it, and it occupies a solid niche for this reason.
yep