Hi All - I thought I would just retire this team and at the same time see what you guys think of it. This team peaked in the 1600s (not the best though I think it can do better).
This team's focus is on Mega Diancie and her amazing move in the form of Nature Power, which as we all know, changes in type based on the terrain Mega Diancie is in. More importantly, I wanted to abuse Nature Power in electric terrain (i.e. thunderbolt) on Mega Diancie's common switch-ins such as Toxapex and Celesteela.
In this regard, the mention of electric terrain would necessarily have to mean Tapu Koko's on it. Here's to member no. 1:-
Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Terrain
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Wild Charge
- Hidden Power Ice
- Defog
- Roost
Wild Charge, together with the power of the z-crystal, usually OHKOs Heatran, Magearna, virtually all water types and deals heavy damage to even most things that resist electric as well. Hidden Power Ice is for coverage; Defog keeps my side hazard free and Roost keeps Tapu Koko healthy. I have tried to include U-Turn but realise I needed the support moves more. In the end, I figured the above was the best compromise.
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 32 Atk / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Nature Power
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Diamond Storm
Moonblast, Earth Power and Diamond Storm are pretty much standard Mega Diancie stuff - nothing more to be said. I prefer to invest some EVs in attack just so I can better manage the likes of Zapdos, although I have come to appreciate that these days most Zapdos are so physically bulky that even 32 attack EVs don't do 80% even, which is rather disappointing. Anyway, Nature Power turns into thunderbolt when electric terrain is up (and gets boosted by the terrain as well) and has helped tremendously against Toxapex, Skarmory, Celesteela and some other water types like Manaphy, Tapu Fini (if electric terrain is reset) and Mega Slowbro as well. Nature Power has its surprise element and most bulky waters stay in on Mega Diancie in an attempt to finish it, only to be zapped to death instead.
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronise
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Psychic
- Taunt
- Soft-Boiled
Stallbreaker Mew with investment in physical defence to better stomach assaults by Mega Medicham, Mega Lopunny and deal with other fighting types. Will-O-Wisp for the burns on stuff like Tyranitar and Ferrothorn, and Psychic is for coverage against Hawlucha and other pokemon (and just so Mew does not become taunt bait). Taunt and Soft-Boiled are self-explanatory. So Mew does have a very important role in preventing the team from being bulldozed over by fighting types.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
The special sponge of the team, Ferrothorn is crucial in the match-ups against stuff like Greninja (why isn't this shit banned yet?!) and in the general match-up against rain which includes dangerous things like Manaphy and Kingdra. Stealth Rock is clearly for hazards, Thunder Wave to slow stuff down, Gyro Ball so that Ferrothorn has some offensive presence and Leech Seed to be annoying in general.
Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
Latios is hands down, probably the best scarfer in the OU-tier due to its fantastic speed stat and ability to revenge-kill most pokemon that could get dangerous very quickly if not disposed off, such as Kartana, Greninja, Mega Charizard X etc. So far, Latios has been a staple because we all know how every team runs something that would try to set-up in an attempt to sweep or stall. Anyway, the standard bolt-beam combo has excellent coverage and I guess Ice Beam on Latios these days has become less surprising because the ground types are getting more ubiquitous. Psyshock and Draco Meteor for STAB and to smash stuff out of the way.
Keldeo @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword
Last but not least, Keldeo! This guy had been quite the MVP and I am very impressed by its hard-hitting power. After just one calm mind, Keldeo is already able to deal pretty heavy damage against its opponents (so long as they don't resist Keldeo's STAB moves) or get lucky with the Scald burns. Only stupid things like Amoonguss and Tapu Bulu (risks the burns though), and of course the Lati Twins and Tapu Fini can really keep switching in to wreak havoc with impunity.
Experience
I think this team worked decently as I tried to ensure most of the threats in the metagame are covered. Mega Diancie and Nature Power has claimed the lives of quite a few Celesteela and Toxapex so that was nice. Having said that, electric terrain only lasts for that long and most people run a Tapu these days on their team so you can't really depend on Nature Power for dear life; it's meant to simply be a fun move. Although I must say, when the Tapu Bulu came in earlier and followed by a Rotom-W against my Mega Diancie, the Energy Ball inflicted on the Rotom-W always made me tear up a little.
Notwithstanding the above, some pokemon remain pretty hard to deal with and I will list them below:-
1. Ferrothorn
I have Keldeo to stab it to death and Mew to stallbreak it. However, these are clearly not great options because on the former, Ferrothorn may Power Whip it to death while okay, Ferrothorn can't do much to the latter. The worst thing is people always try to stack hazards i.e. Stealth Rock + Spikes on Ferrothorn and it gets tiresome getting Koko in to defog, only to be Gyro-Balled to death. Generally not a great pokemon to face although getting rid of it is not insurmountable but generally not worth the effort.
2. Mega Alakazam
This mon should be suspected. As can be seen, this thing can pretty much blow my team apart with the right coverage and it usually does. Ferrothorn can take a hit and try to paralyse it but a lot depends on what Ferrothorn was already doing before that. Latios cannot reliably check it either so yes, Mega Alakazam is a problem and I am not keen on running Assault Vest Magearna just to deal with it.
3. Tapu Lele
A good friend of nemesis no. 2 above, Tapu Lele can cause a massive headache if played right. Then again, many teams also struggle against Tapu Lele.
4. Kartana
This little ninja leaf can cause havoc if not dealt with promptly. You have to deduce if it is a scarf set early on and play around it. If it is the set-up moveset with a boost in speed, then this team will get bulldozed. Not great.
5. Ash-Greninja
Normal Greninja isn't too big a problem but its alternate form is bad. Ash-Greninja outspeeds Tapu Koko and if Keldeo and Ferrothorn had sustained too much damage beforehand, they will succumb to a strong Dark Pulse or Hydro Pump. Ditto for Latios - sometimes Water Shuriken will kill a half-dead Latios.
Moving forward
Do let me know what you think of this team and how it may be improved. Thanks!
This team's focus is on Mega Diancie and her amazing move in the form of Nature Power, which as we all know, changes in type based on the terrain Mega Diancie is in. More importantly, I wanted to abuse Nature Power in electric terrain (i.e. thunderbolt) on Mega Diancie's common switch-ins such as Toxapex and Celesteela.
In this regard, the mention of electric terrain would necessarily have to mean Tapu Koko's on it. Here's to member no. 1:-
Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Terrain
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Wild Charge
- Hidden Power Ice
- Defog
- Roost
Wild Charge, together with the power of the z-crystal, usually OHKOs Heatran, Magearna, virtually all water types and deals heavy damage to even most things that resist electric as well. Hidden Power Ice is for coverage; Defog keeps my side hazard free and Roost keeps Tapu Koko healthy. I have tried to include U-Turn but realise I needed the support moves more. In the end, I figured the above was the best compromise.
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 32 Atk / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Nature Power
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Diamond Storm
Moonblast, Earth Power and Diamond Storm are pretty much standard Mega Diancie stuff - nothing more to be said. I prefer to invest some EVs in attack just so I can better manage the likes of Zapdos, although I have come to appreciate that these days most Zapdos are so physically bulky that even 32 attack EVs don't do 80% even, which is rather disappointing. Anyway, Nature Power turns into thunderbolt when electric terrain is up (and gets boosted by the terrain as well) and has helped tremendously against Toxapex, Skarmory, Celesteela and some other water types like Manaphy, Tapu Fini (if electric terrain is reset) and Mega Slowbro as well. Nature Power has its surprise element and most bulky waters stay in on Mega Diancie in an attempt to finish it, only to be zapped to death instead.
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronise
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Psychic
- Taunt
- Soft-Boiled
Stallbreaker Mew with investment in physical defence to better stomach assaults by Mega Medicham, Mega Lopunny and deal with other fighting types. Will-O-Wisp for the burns on stuff like Tyranitar and Ferrothorn, and Psychic is for coverage against Hawlucha and other pokemon (and just so Mew does not become taunt bait). Taunt and Soft-Boiled are self-explanatory. So Mew does have a very important role in preventing the team from being bulldozed over by fighting types.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
The special sponge of the team, Ferrothorn is crucial in the match-ups against stuff like Greninja (why isn't this shit banned yet?!) and in the general match-up against rain which includes dangerous things like Manaphy and Kingdra. Stealth Rock is clearly for hazards, Thunder Wave to slow stuff down, Gyro Ball so that Ferrothorn has some offensive presence and Leech Seed to be annoying in general.
Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
Latios is hands down, probably the best scarfer in the OU-tier due to its fantastic speed stat and ability to revenge-kill most pokemon that could get dangerous very quickly if not disposed off, such as Kartana, Greninja, Mega Charizard X etc. So far, Latios has been a staple because we all know how every team runs something that would try to set-up in an attempt to sweep or stall. Anyway, the standard bolt-beam combo has excellent coverage and I guess Ice Beam on Latios these days has become less surprising because the ground types are getting more ubiquitous. Psyshock and Draco Meteor for STAB and to smash stuff out of the way.
Keldeo @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword
Last but not least, Keldeo! This guy had been quite the MVP and I am very impressed by its hard-hitting power. After just one calm mind, Keldeo is already able to deal pretty heavy damage against its opponents (so long as they don't resist Keldeo's STAB moves) or get lucky with the Scald burns. Only stupid things like Amoonguss and Tapu Bulu (risks the burns though), and of course the Lati Twins and Tapu Fini can really keep switching in to wreak havoc with impunity.
Experience
I think this team worked decently as I tried to ensure most of the threats in the metagame are covered. Mega Diancie and Nature Power has claimed the lives of quite a few Celesteela and Toxapex so that was nice. Having said that, electric terrain only lasts for that long and most people run a Tapu these days on their team so you can't really depend on Nature Power for dear life; it's meant to simply be a fun move. Although I must say, when the Tapu Bulu came in earlier and followed by a Rotom-W against my Mega Diancie, the Energy Ball inflicted on the Rotom-W always made me tear up a little.
Notwithstanding the above, some pokemon remain pretty hard to deal with and I will list them below:-
1. Ferrothorn
I have Keldeo to stab it to death and Mew to stallbreak it. However, these are clearly not great options because on the former, Ferrothorn may Power Whip it to death while okay, Ferrothorn can't do much to the latter. The worst thing is people always try to stack hazards i.e. Stealth Rock + Spikes on Ferrothorn and it gets tiresome getting Koko in to defog, only to be Gyro-Balled to death. Generally not a great pokemon to face although getting rid of it is not insurmountable but generally not worth the effort.
2. Mega Alakazam
This mon should be suspected. As can be seen, this thing can pretty much blow my team apart with the right coverage and it usually does. Ferrothorn can take a hit and try to paralyse it but a lot depends on what Ferrothorn was already doing before that. Latios cannot reliably check it either so yes, Mega Alakazam is a problem and I am not keen on running Assault Vest Magearna just to deal with it.
3. Tapu Lele
A good friend of nemesis no. 2 above, Tapu Lele can cause a massive headache if played right. Then again, many teams also struggle against Tapu Lele.
4. Kartana
This little ninja leaf can cause havoc if not dealt with promptly. You have to deduce if it is a scarf set early on and play around it. If it is the set-up moveset with a boost in speed, then this team will get bulldozed. Not great.
5. Ash-Greninja
Normal Greninja isn't too big a problem but its alternate form is bad. Ash-Greninja outspeeds Tapu Koko and if Keldeo and Ferrothorn had sustained too much damage beforehand, they will succumb to a strong Dark Pulse or Hydro Pump. Ditto for Latios - sometimes Water Shuriken will kill a half-dead Latios.
Moving forward
Do let me know what you think of this team and how it may be improved. Thanks!