Project SM OU Weekly Research [Round 16: Greninja & Mega Latios]

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I was considering dropping out this week since my computer decided to just stop working, but here I am anyways posting this from mobile. So if this isn't as detailed as my last post, then I apoligize. I also didn't make it that far on ladder because I hate laddering on mobile. Anyways, lets get into this!


Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed using Zard Y a lot. I used it quite a bit last gen, and I'm not dissapointed with it this gen either. Not much in the meta can take 2 sun-boosted Fire Blasts or Flamethrowers. Most of the time when I sent this thing in, it got a kill. While the metagame is a very fast one at the moment, Zard Y can still come in easily vs. more passive Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Tangrowth (as long as it doesnt have rock slide), Celesteela, Jirachi, and Mew, and just proceed to fire off free hits. Zard Y even has good special bulk, meaning it can take a hit from mons like Gengar if need be. Its ability, Drought, obviously boosts the power of Fire moves and makes Solar Beam a one-turn move, but it also weakens water moves, which can annoy Pokemon like Keldeo and Ash Gren. Despite this, Zard Y is very restricting to build with because of the support it needs. Because it is 4x weak to rocks, hazard removal is basically mandatory. But when it has that support, it is an incredible wallbreaker that most teams do not have solid switch ins to.

What Changed from Last Gen for it?:
I think Zard Y got slightly worse from last gen. Zard Y is very good at dismantling most balance teams, which ORAS had a lot of. But in SM OU, Balance has really fallen out of favor, and the meta has shifted to be more offensive. Because of Zard's average base 100 speed, this leaves it outpaced by threats like Greninja and Koko, which are both very common on offensive builds atm. Stall is also very prevalent in this meta, and stall will almost always carry the #1 answer to Zard Y : Chansey. Also, Mantine is rising in usage, which Zard can't really touch. While TTar usage is down from last gen, it is still fairly common, and Zard also has to deal with Mega Tar now too. Finally, base 101+ scarfers with Rock coverage are on almost every team thanks to Volcarona, which can also be effective vs. Zard. Despite all of this, some things got better for Zard too. Bulky Grasses are everywhere atm, which can give Zard free turns. As stated before, TTar usage, while it is rising a bit, is still down from last gen. Finally, Mew usage is very high compared to last gen, which can also give Zard free turns. Overall, while Zard Y got a bit worse in my opinion from ORAS, it is still extremely threatening and still a very solid Pokemon.

The Set I Used:
I didn't really have any creative ideas to use with this Pokemon, so I just used the standard set.
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast / Flamethrower
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Focus Blast
- Solar Beam

The standard Zard Y set. Fire Blast is an absolute nuke in the sun, but can be subbed out for Flanethrower if you don't mind a power drop and don't want to miss (you also get more PP). Roost gives you reliable recovery if you get too low, which is very useful since Zard is 4x weak to rocks. I personally prefer to run HP Ice over Focus Blast if I have a Dugtrio in the back, since Duggy traps whatever Focus Blast hits anyways. HP Ice is super nice for Zygarde in particular, but it also smacks Chomp on the switch and Lando. I would use Focus Blast if you don't have Duggy, since it allows you to hit Tran and TTar. Solar Beam is mandatory as it allows you to smack around bulky waters like Fini and Rotom-W. A flame charge set with flame charge over Roost could work if you want Zard to work as a late game cleaner too, but I felt Roost was the better option overall. A DD + EQ set could work on theory to boost speed and allow you to hit Tran and Toxapex better, but I would have to sacrifice both Roost and coverage, and that didn't sound too appealing.


Teambuilding With Zard Y:
I made two teams with Zard Y: One with Duggy and one without. Here they are:

Team 1 (Zard Y + Groundium Duggy VoltTurn BO):
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Dugtrio @ Groundium Z
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Screech

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 200 HP / 56 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Ice Beam

Greninja @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Beam
- Rock Slide

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 28 SpD / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect

Mantine @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 240 HP / 196 Def / 72 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Roost
- Defog

Zard Y really appreciates Dugtrio support, so thats where I started. Sub + Groundium + Screech Duggy is able to trap things that can wall Zard Y, like Tran, Chansey, TTar, and Toxapex. Toxic is nice for whittling down things like Mantine and Latios as well for Zard. The combo of Duggy + Zard Y is able to break stall pretty effectively. AV Magearna is an overall blanket check to a lot of the threats to this team, like Lele, Koko, Protean Gren, and opposing Magearna. It also provides Volt Switch support to get Zard and Duggy in safely. Magearna lures in things like Jirachi and Heatran, which can give Zard free turns or be trapped by Duggy, respectively. Scarf Gren forms a Volt-Turn core with AV Mage, which helps Zard immensely. It also revenge kills many threats like Koko, Zygarde, and Volc. Defensive Protect Lando gives me a solid answer to Zygarde as well as Stealth Rock support. Mantine rounds out the team with Defog support + an answer to opposing Zard Y, Volcarona, and Keldeo. This is the team I enjoyed using most in my time laddering.


Team 2 (Zard Y + SG Mage):
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast

Magearna @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Shift Gear
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Knock Off
- Earthquake

Landorus-Therian @ Earth Plate
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
- Smack Down

Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Thunder Wave
- Trick

Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 72 Def / 140 SpD / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Earth Power

I took a different approach to this one. I decided to pair Zard Y with SG Mage, since Mage benefits drom Zards wallbreaking power to ease sweeping. Zard also breaks through AV Tang, AV Mage, and Jirachi, which are all annoying to SG Mage. I added AV Tang next to take care of Zygarde, Koko, and Ash Gren. Smack Down EPlate Lando gives me rocks + a solid stall breaker. Scarf Latios revenge kills Volc, which is huge. It also provides speed control in multiple ways with TWave. Mew rounds out the team as a Defogger and an answer to Medicham. Earth Power is my attack of choice since Tran is annoying.


Overall Great Teammates:
Dugtrio is probably Zard Y's best teammate since it traps most things that annoy Zard, like Toxapex, Chansey, and Heatran. Hazard removal is very important in general, so removers like Mew, Zapdos, and Mantine are great for Zard. Magearna in general is great for Zard. Shift Gear sets take advantage of Zard's wallbreaking power and overall synergizes well with Zard Y, while AV can get it in safely with Volt Switch. Pursuit trappers like Tyranitar and Weavile are cool too since they trap things like the Latis and Chansey for Zard. Pokemon that can generate momentum with U-Turn or Volt Switch, like Jirachi, Tapu Koko, and Landorus-T are great since they get in Zard safely. Koko in particular is great since it naturally lures in bulky grasses, which Zard can take advantage of.


Some Offensive Calcs of Zard Y:
252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Landorus-Therian in Sun: 366-432 (95.8 - 113%) -- 75% chance to OHKO

252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Hoopa-Unbound in Sun: 249-294 (82.7 - 97.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Solar Beam vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Fini: 244-288 (71.1 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Hidden Power Ice vs. 240 HP / 212+ SpD Zygarde: 236-280 (56.5 - 67.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery


252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Greninja-Ash in Sun: 207-245 (72.6 - 85.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (lol)

252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde: 316-376 (88.2 - 105%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO

252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Fire Blast vs. 240 HP / 140 SpD Mew in Sun: 274-324 (68.3 - 80.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Focus Blast vs. 232 HP / 0 SpD Heatran: 290-342 (76.1 - 89.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery


Final Thoughts/Where Zard Y fits in the Meta:
I personally loved using Zard Y. It is an insane wallbreaker with very little defensive counterplay (especially paired with duggy). Even some Pokemon who resist fire still get demolished by a Fire Blast. Despite this, Zard Y needs a good amount of support to do what it needs to do effectively (defog, pex/chansey answers, answers to koko/offensive in general, etc.). Overall, I think Charizard Y definitely has a place in the meta, and despite needing support, is still a top threat in the meta. In terms of the Viability Rankings, it is fine where it is at in A-. I highly recommend you try this beast out, you won't be disappointed. Thanks for reading!
 
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Indigo Plateau

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UU Leader
Yeah being abroad with only my phone, Riddikulusness did a really good job at talking about Zard-Y. I would've written up a better post (if one wasn't written already) but it's too late here.

I personally had a very positive experience with it and would also leave it at A-, as it can threaten so many different defensive cores. It also helps that a lot of people usually have Keldeo/Dugtrio/Lando-T as a fire answer, but the only thing that counters Zard-Y is Chansey/Toxapex basically lol.

I actually am pretty proud of the squad I used, as it seems to synergize extremely well. It was a bit more of a challenge to build without Duggy but here it is:

Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 16 SpD / 52 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Nature's Madness
- Taunt
- Defog

Gengar @ Choice Specs
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast
- Trick

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Celesteela @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Autotomize
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 220 Def / 24 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down

-Zard-Y + Specs Gengar is an amaaaaazing offensive core. So many teams underprep for Specs Gengar and the steels that usually switch in (Celesteela, Heatran, Magearna, Ferro) take like 40%+ lol. Gengar helps with Chansey/Tox and cleans whenever Zard-Y can't.
-Auto Celesteela is here bc it fits perfectly and takes advantage of the fact that a lot of teams expect defensive and easily get screwed over. It also helps that both of the previous mons help remove mons that usually trouble Celesteela, such as Heatran. This has won me most games, not even joking.
-I rounded the team out with a defensive core of Tangrowth/Fini/Lando-T for a few reasons: Tangrowth+Fini in general are great at blanket checking most of the meta and things that are threatening to the team such as Koko, Keldeo, Greninja, Magearna before setup, and so on. Fini is (I personally feel underrated) so good for this squad because unlike Mew, it provides a water resist and can help break down more passive things (Chansey lol). Lando-T was added because I hate getting 6-0'd by Pinsir and helps check more physical attackers like Mawile. Smack Down doesn't ohko pinsir tho so you can change that.

Kinda disappointed I couldn't make a better post, but oh well. I really hope people try out Zard-Y - I saved some more replays, so I might add those in later (tbh tho you can look at blunder vs reyscarface to see exactly how Zard-Y should be played).

Apologies for the lowish ladder replays but I barely had time to ladder

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-598154703
--> (shows why fire blast>flamethrower on timid Zard - Zard basically has no switchins after his own Zard dies)

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-598200702
--> (the guy's team was hot dong but still shows how much pressure Zard can apply)

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-598671170
--> (almost got destroyed by Hawlucha lol but also shows Zard just winning and having no switchins)
 
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TPP

is a Tournament Directoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
Head TD
Sorry for being dead this past month, but we're looking to get back on track. Ktütverde wins Week 3's laddering phase, and the posts that will be archived will be this post by Ktütverde for Hoopa-Unbound and this post by Riddikulusness for Zard-Y.

Round 4:



These 2 have been released for a while and they have both benefited from the new speed mechanic for megas. Post your WR4 ladder alt in this thread and the deadline for the laddering and discussion phase will be Wednesday, August 9th at 11:59 PM GMT-5. Good luck!​
 

Eclipse

Like a chimp with a machine gun
is a Contributor Alumnus
Thanks TP for keeping this on track while I've been swamped with work in the meantime. One thing I want to note with OLT currently occurring, is that a lot of people will probably rather spend their time laddering for that tournament as opposed to this. Because of that, feel free to post about the test subjects during the week even if you are just laddering for OLT. There will be more of an emphasis on the researching phase as opposed to the laddering phase for the next couple of weeks while OLT is occurring so that this project doesn't die down in the meantime. Just wanted to throw that out there, enjoy guys n_n
 
Alright, so I haven't really laddered up much this week so far, mainly because I've been busy the past week and I really don't like OLT ladder, but I have time now so I guess I'll make my post! Despite this, I've used Gallade a lot in SM as is, so I feel like I can confidently speak about it. Ill ladder up a bit more tomorrow since I'm free tomorrow. Lets get into it!



Overall Thoughts:
Mega Gallade is pretty neat in the current meta. Its main niche atm is the fact that it is able to dismantle most balance cores, which are becoming more and more common as the meta progresses. The most common balance core atm is Pex + Celesteela + Clef, which basically loses to Gallade (Clef gets 2hko'd by +2 Zen and cannot OHKO with Moonblast). Gallade shares a typing with Medicham, and while Medicham outdamages Gallade due to Pure Power, Gallade's access to SD and Knock Off allows it to break through Mew, which Medicham cannot. Gallade also has a great speed tier (110) for a wallbreaker, which allows it to not be deadweight vs offense as it outspeeds prominent offense mons like Zygarde, Kyub, non-Scarf Lele, and non-Scarf Chomp. It pairs very well with Tapu Lele, as Lele provides Psychic Terrian, boosting its Zen Headbutt and making it immune to priority. Lele can also patch up weak matchups for gallade depending on the Lele set, as Scarf helps Lele vs. offense and Shed Shell helps vs. stall. Gallade isn't without flaws, however. Its useless vs stall, as Mega Sableye hard walls forever. It also is prone to many priority moves like Pinsirs Quick Attack and CB Zygardes Espeed. Gallade doesn't have room to run Ice Punch, as you need CC + SD + Zen + Knock for Gallade to be most effective, so defensive Lando can be annoying. Overall Gallade is pretty cool, but not exactly a metagame defining threat.

What changed from last gen for Gallade?:
Gallade is much better than last gen for a few reasons. First, it jumps from 80 speed to 110 speed on the first turn of mega evolving. Next, Mew is insanely popular atm, and since Gallade can break through Mew, that gives it a niche over the main fighting megas last gen, Medicham and Lop, which cannot break through Mew as easily. Most balance cores atm happen to be very Gallade weak (ex: Pex + Celes + Clef or Mew + Tang). Finally, Defensive Lando is a bit less common than last gen, as most Lando's are opting for offensive atm.

Gallade's Main Set:
Gallade's only real set is SD + dual STABs + Knock Off. A visual and description for the set are below:
Gallade-Mega @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off

SD allows Gallade to break through fatter teams much easier. SD allows Gallade to break through Bold Clef, which it cannot unboosted. Without SD, you'd might as well use Medicham, as it is much stronger than gallade. CC is Gallade's strongest attack (not accounting terrains), which can blow through stuff like Steela, Magearna, and Tang. Zen Headbutt is a nice secondary STAB move that allows Gallade to actually hit Clef, Bulu, and Zapdos. It also can be powered up by Psy Terrain, making its job of breaking even easier. Knock is great because it actually allows it to break through Mew, which as stated before, Medicham and Lop cannot do. Knock is also nice to remove items like Shed Shell from Skarm or Lefties from Steela. Overall, SD Gallade is great at balance breaking.

Teambuilding with Gallade:
Here is the team I will be laddering with, and my thought process with it. Also including some good partners for Gallade.
Gallade-Mega @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off

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

Mantine @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 240 HP / 196 Def / 72 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Roost
- Defog / Haze
- Toxic

Tapu Bulu @ Grassium Z
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Swords Dance
- Horn Leech
- Superpower

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Earth Power

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 148 Def / 112 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Flamethrower

So I started with Gallade + Scarf Lele. Scarf Lele helps with Gallade's offense matchup, as well as helping in its wallbreaking power with terrain. I decided to add Mantine as it deals with Volc, which is nice since Scarf Lele is outpaced by +1 volc. It also helps vs Zard Y + Dug teams, as those are very common atm. I cant decide between Defog and Haze, since Defog is nice for Spikes and Tspikes, while Haze helps vs Volc and Vincune. Mantine also eases the Gren and Keldeo matchups. SD Grassium Bulu is the main stallbreaker, as well as my only defensive answer to Zygarde and Koko. Gallade + Bulu forms a great wallbreaking core. Heatran was added because it provides rocks, while also being annoying to stall. It also helps vs bulky grasses like opposing Bulu and Tang. Finally, Mixed Def Steela is mainly for Lele and Pinsir (defense EVs avoid 3hko from Pinsir's CC after lefties). This team is pretty solid imo, especially one that I didn't spend too much time on.


Lele is great for Gallade. Terrain helps Gallade by boosting Zen Headbutt while making Gallade immune to priority. Lele also patches up bad matchups depending on the set.

Gallade and Zyg have cool synergy, as they wear down a shared check in fat lando. Gallade also can blow through Mew, Tang, and Clef for Zygarde, making its job of breaking or cleaning much easier.

Celesteela helps vs Mimikyu, Fat Lando, and Scarf Lele, making Gallade's life easier.

Garchomp can set up rocks, which can help out Gallade in breaking. SD Dragonium chomp also blows through fat lando, making Gallades life easier.


Some Calcs:
+2 252 Atk Gallade-Mega Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 274-324 (69.5 - 82.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 Atk Gallade-Mega Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable in Psychic Terrain: 412-486 (104.5 - 123.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Gallade-Mega Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Celesteela: 228-268 (57.2 - 67.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 Atk Gallade-Mega Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Celesteela: 454-535 (114 - 134.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Gallade-Mega Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 216+ Def Celesteela: 340-402 (85.4 - 101%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252 Atk Gallade-Mega Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 144 Def Mew: 440-518 (108.9 - 128.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Gallade-Mega Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 192+ Def Toxapex: 174-206 (57.2 - 67.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery

+2 252 Atk Gallade-Mega Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 192+ Def Toxapex: 348-410 (114.4 - 134.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Gallade-Mega Zen Headbutt vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Tapu Bulu: 276-325 (98.2 - 115.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252 Atk Gallade-Mega Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zygarde: 399-469 (111.4 - 131%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 Atk Gallade-Mega Zen Headbutt vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Landorus-Therian: 255-301 (79.9 - 94.3%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock


Closing Thoughts:
Gallade is great at what it does: breaking balances. Its a really cool mon if you need an answer to most balances. Its solid speed tier makes it not awful vs offense as well. It has some things over Medicham and Lop (breaking mew), but Lop and Medi also have some things over it (lop breaks offense better, medi doesn't need boosts to break). Overall, Gallade is a decent pick in the current meta due to its balance breaking abilities. If I had to put it somewhere on the OU VR, I'd put it in B Rank (where it currently resides), or maybe even B+ in the future (although I think B is fine atm). Thanks for reading guys!
 

Indigo Plateau

is a Community Leaderis a Top Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Past SCL Champion
UU Leader
Way too busy abroad this week, I only laddered up until ~1600 but once again Riddikulusness made a really nice post on Gallade. I personally think both Lopunny and Gallade are B+ worthy, and Gallade itself loves SD'ing and ripping apart common cores like ClefPexSteela. Here's the team I made with the obvious Gallade + Lele core, it performed well and overall handles a lot of the meta (bar stall lol).

Gallade-Mega @ Galladite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off

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

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power Fire
- Volt Switch

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 68 Def / 188 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Protect

Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Def / 164 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Recover
- Sludge Bomb

Landorus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Smack Down
- Fly


Grabbed some replays too and might update with more later:

 

TPP

is a Tournament Directoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
Head TD
Indigo Plateau wins Week 4's laddering phase, and we'll archive Riddikulusness's post for Mega Gallade. Since we got no Mega Gardevoir submission, we'll keep it open, so anyone that wishes to make a post for Mega Gardevoir may do so.

Round 5:



These 2 are finally released and it's time to learn how they fit into the new meta. As mentioned before, with OLT going on, we'll be focusing more on the research aspect and less on the ladder part, so you can include replays without needing a WR ladder account. Discussion phase deadline will be Saturday, August 19th at 11:59 PM GMT-5. Good luck!​
 
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Ktütverde

of course
is a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Former Smogon Metagame Tournament Circuit Champion
Team Pokepals you forgot to put Latios Mega in the research !_!

Alt: Bizarre*Blizzard (or maybe LT42T Ktut)
Mega Latios (if allowed)

(I'll probably do the analysis after I qualify (or not) for the cycle 2 so if somebody wants to do it before feel free to do so, as long as we have one analysis per pokemon it's ok, don't want to see this topic be dead like last week)
 

Ktütverde

of course
is a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Former Smogon Metagame Tournament Circuit Champion
I would like to say that forcing us to use a new alt every week only discourages people from taking part in the research, since lowladd is a waste of time. Could we officially join with any alt we have as long as we post a screenshot? Starting the ladder research at 1700-1800 is much more rewarding and motivating (at least to me) :)
 

Gross Sweep

Plan Ahead
is a CAP Contributoris a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnus
Ktütverde if you'd like to test/use replays from another alt you've laddered up you're free to do so. The only portion of the research project the laddering alt factors into is who wins the laddering portion, so if you don't want to take the time to grind out low ladder you can still participate in/win the research portion. The laddering portion itself may also be removed soon, so I wouldn't worry to much about it.
 
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Indigo Plateau

is a Community Leaderis a Top Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Past SCL Champion
UU Leader
Update

The WR Hall of Fame is now up to date.

Per Ktütverde's suggestion, we have officially decided to remove the laddering portion in the hopes of encouraging more participation. Generally, people who have well-written, informative posts used the chosen mon extensively on the ladder and show that they had good success with it. This does come with a slight change to alts:

1) Participants still have the option of creating a brand new WR# Alt for that week if they choose to do so. The reasoning for this is some people might not have an alt that is already high ladder and/or might simply still want to create a new alt and see how the team fares in all parts of the ladder.

2) Participants can also register an alt of their choice if they think this will be better for the quality of their research. If you opt for this, it is highly recommended that your alt is above the 1600-1700's if used on the ladder or a high placement (for example, top 8) if used in a tour.

I also wanted to emphasize including replays on the final impression posts. Having helpful information is great, but it's always beneficial to actually be able to see how to use the mon appropriately in a battle and vs. different kinds of playstyles. A lot of people learn better by being able to watch and analyze replays, so this would be helpful for them.

That should be it for now - happy laddering!
 

Indigo Plateau

is a Community Leaderis a Top Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Past SCL Champion
UU Leader
Due to OLT going on and in order to give people more time, I am extending the deadline until Monday, August 28 at 11:59 PM GMT -5.

Apologies for the short notice, but I want to ensure that people have time to post about their chosen mons. This will also make future postings and updates a bit easier for me after school starts. That being said, please try to finish your posts by Monday, as I want to make sure that everything stays on track after then!

Sadly, I wasn't able to ladder as much this week as I wanted to. I've been abroad with no wifi for the past two months, got back yesterday & thankfully was able to get some games. Expect better replays to come in the future.


Mega Diancie

I'm sure everyone knows the impact that the newly released Mega Diancie has had on the meta. Released not too long ago, Mega Diancie has been the most popular mega for its amazing offensive stats, movepool, typing, and even ability in Magic Bounce. The mega speed buff was very generous, allowing it to forgo Protect, but the power creep that came with SM doesn't let it switch in as safely as it could in ORAS.

Set I Used

I opted to go with a CM set, as I felt that it was the most threatening in the current meta. I don't think AoA is as good as it fails to break balance and other bulkier builds, and I was considering Rock Polish + CM but it doesn't find many opportunities to set up both and then you miss out the extra coverage for things like Magearna and Magnezone. Earth Power > HP Fire here because hitting Heatran and the aforementioned steels is more important than hitting Ferro, which has Power Whip anyway and Celesteela can handle p well.

Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power


Teambuilding Process


Right off the bat, I knew I wanted to pair Diancie with something that let it bypass a lot of nuisances for it. I wanted to be able to reliably take on Celesteela & Magearna, threaten stall, and also take on the bulkier waters (such as Toxapex) that trouble it. Moreover, I wanted to be able to pivot into Diancie vs mons that it wants to be in against. Koko fit the bill here.


Next up, I wanted another mon that could punish steel types so I didn't have to solely rely on Koko. I don't like Dugtrio atm, as things like Pex have been running Shed Shell now and I appreciate Zygarde's superior bulk and power. Tangrowth has also been falling off a bit too, and Zygarde hels dent holes in teams in order to allow Diancie to clean up at the end.


I know I needed something to reliably set up Rocks and also check physical attackers, since my team is a bit frail up to this point. Why not go with the best Rocker in the tier? It also alleviates a ton of pressure from ground types, especially Scarf Drill and opposing Lando.


I noticed that Koko and rain were huge threats and I needed a solid defensive backbone to be able to fall back on and take hits. Gastrodon + Celesteela have amazing synergy together, and Gastrodon is also nice to be able to actually touch Toxapex without being so damn passive.

Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 212 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Recover
- Toxic
- Earth Power

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower

Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Wild Charge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Taunt
- U-turn

Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]




Strategies Used

The strategy - for this team at least - is pretty straightforward. Koko and Zygarde are there to help dent past opposing walls and allow Diancie to CM up late game and win. Gastrodon + Celesteela is an amazing backbone to fall back on. The common defensive backbone of ClefPexSteela doesn't really bother this team, as Koko pressures it to hell and once Clef is weakened, Zygarde can just click 1k arrows. Diancie is great for breaking all the cheese playstyles seen, such as Webs and Veil, but still struggles vs TR. Contrary to most, I usually never lead Diancie with this team. Koko is an amazing lead that can U-Turn out vs opposing Kokos or Greninjas. Not a hard team to use and not much else to say about how to play it - just pivot with your backbone and try to safely pivot in your breakers with Lando and weaken everything to get it into Diancie range.

General Strengths & Weaknesses

Overall, Mega Diancie is a very solid pokemon capable of sweeping team with the plethora of sets it can run. It has a good speed tier, sitting at 110. This, combined with its amazing offensive stats and expansive movepools, allows it to dent and pressure a lot of teams. Diancie can now afford to run sets like AoA, CM + 3 atks, and CM + Rock Polish due to the mega speed buff, making it unpredictable and more threatening than ever. AoA is still a good set for coverage, but a lot of people are opting for the other two sets due to how much more threatening they are overall with the proper support. CM + 3 atks can break down bulkier teams which rely on Toxapex or a steel type as their Diancie check, which AoA normally wouldn't be able to accomplish. CM + Rock Polish turns Diancie into a threatening late game monster, as Dugtrio is not able to outspeed anymore and neither are the commonly seen scarfers. To add onto that, Diamond Storm now has a 50% chance to boost its defense by 2 stages, which make it harder to effectively revenge kill. In a hazard stacking meta, Magic Bounce is a blessing, as it's able to at least play mind games vs the opponent and can make fitting hazard control on the team unnecessary. Lastly, the introduction of terrains benefits it, as it's able to abuse Nature Power when paired with Koko to hit things like Celesteela, for example, which it normally wouldn't be able to do.

Diancie struggles a bit more in SM due to the power creep, however, and it is not able to switch in as frequently as it wants to. This, alongside the fact that many teams pack at least one reliably answer for it, make Diancie a bit more challenging to use overall. Priority still hurts it, whether it be in the form of Zor's BP or Ash-Ninja's Water Shuriken. 110 speed, although good, is no longer considered excellent - it's now outsped by many common mons such as Koko, Greninja, and the plethora of scarfers such as Lati@s, Kartana, Lele, and Keldeo hurt its viability.

Diancie in the Meta

As mentioned before, Diancie has had a big impact on the metagame. It has taken over as the best mega atm, fitting on mostly offensive oriented teams. Depending on the set, there are certain things in the meta that favor/do not favor Diancie. Diancie can easily plow through Aurora Veil and Webs due to its stab and Magic Bounce. Offense builds have to be careful against Rock Polish or CM sets, as these can be threatening once anything that outspeeds Diancie goes down. Steels are omnipresent, and Diancie does not appreciate these, as it usually lacks the firepower to break through walls such as Celesteela, Magearna, and even Ferrothorn when Diancie lacks HP Fire. Due to this, a lot of players tend to run Diancie with mons like Magnezone to trap these steels. This also allows Diancie to bypass running either HP Fire or Earth Power (or sometimes both). Pokemon faster than 110 base speed are also extremely unkind to it. Tapu Koko and Greninja are everywhere, and both of these are able to outspeed and OHKO Diancie with ease. Mega Venasaur balance builds have erupted during OLT, and Mega Venusaur is a fantastic check to it, being able to tank a hit and threaten it with Giga Drain. Dugtrio is stupid because Arena Trap is stupid.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I think Diancie fits nicely in the meta, but it's still hard to tell with possible changes coming in the future. It would really appreciate both Dugtrio and Magearna gone, as these two mons are both threatening vs. it. It's hard to tell exactly what can happen in the future, but I don't see Diancie dropping down to A- rank and think that A is a good fit for it atm. Its release has hurt the viability of other megas such as Zard-Y and Pinsir, who were two of the best ones beforehand. I still think there's time to test out different possible builds with it, and I was really interested in building with Diancie + Volc. Some good partners to pair up with Diancie are:
  • Tapu Bulu - Takes on almost every Diancie check with its insane physical power
  • Tapu Koko - Offers Electric Terrain support, pivots, and blasts through things like Chansey and Magearna
  • Gastrodon - Helps vs things that commonly beat Diancie, like rain, Koko, and Greninja
  • Latios - Provides speed control and very good type synergy
  • Volcarona - Magic Bounce helps, and abuses the steels that Diancie invites in
  • Magnezone - Traps problematic steels
  • Dugtrio - Similar to Magnezone, but not as efficient vs. Celesteela or Ferrothorn
  • Tapu Lele - Grants immunity and speed control with Scarf (there's a very popular team going around with this core)

I would definitely recommend trying this gem out if you haven't already!
 
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Indigo Plateau made a great post about Diancie in his post above mine; I think it sums up Diancie well in the current meta. Anyways, I've had some fun using Mega Latias, as it was an old favorite of mine from ORAS, and I found out I love it just as much in SM. Without further ado, lets get into it!



Overview/Overall Thoughts:
Mega Latias is a really cool Pokémon in OU. It is incredibly fat, sporting 80/120/150 bulk. That in combination with Levitate and an O.K. defensive typing, allows Mega Lati to check common OU threats like offensive Lando, Mega Pinsir, Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, Keldeo, and Mega Lopunny. It has a plethora of options to run, including Calm Mind, Twave, Defog, Roar, and Reflect Type. Lati also boasts BoltBeam coverage, meaning it can hit basically everything for at least neutral. Mega Lati has a solid base speed of 110 as well, meaning it outspeeds stuff like non-Scarf Kartana, Keldeo, Mega Pinsir, and Garchomp. This mon fits best on Balance or Semi-Stall teams, since it is pretty passive and saps a bit too much momentum to fit well on offense (although CM lati sounds nasty under veil, but I doubt its actually any good lmao). Mega Lati could find its way onto a BO team too, but Balance and Semi-Stall is where it truly shines. The main downside to Mega Lati is its aforementioned passive nature, which can easily let in stuff like Tyranitar and Magearna for fairly free. This can be remedied with a few CM boosts though. Another downside to Mega Lati is the popularity on Magearna, which Lati gives pretty much free set up. Stuff like Greninja and Lele being popular doesn't help either. Overall, Mega Lati is a pretty solid mon in the OU meta.

What changed for Mega Lati from last gen?:
A few things changed from last gen that hurt it and some things that helped it. Starting with some stuff that helped Lati, Ttar/Weavile are both much less popular than last gen, meaning it has to deal with less pursuit trappers. It also enjoys the introduction of Koko and Bulu, both of which get checked by Lati (unless koko is specs). There is a lot less Scizor usage now too, so that helps too. However, there were a few things that hurts Lati a bit too. Greninja and Mega Mawile's reintroduction into the tier doesn't help, as well as Ash Gren becoming a thing too, which is an even bigger threat to Lati than Protean. A few new mons, like Magearna and Lele greatly threaten Lati as well. There were good things and bad things for Lati this gen, so I think it stayed about the same as last gen.

Some set options for Lati:
Mega Latias is a very versatile mon due to its many support move options. Here are some of its best sets in my opinion:
Calm Mind Stored Power:
Latias-Mega @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Stored Power
- Thunderbolt / Surf

Description:
This set aims to take advantage of Mega Lati's massive bulk to get multiple boosts, and make Stored Power a nuke move. Mega Lati gets a good amount of set-up opportunity vs the likes of Mew, Keldeo, Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and even vs super effective things like Clefable. It can even continue to set-up vs stuff like non-transformed Gren and non-Scarf Lele if you already have a boost or two. Its coverage move of choice depends on the team. If you have a Dugtrio or aren't weak to ttar or tran, I would recommend running Tbolt. If you are weak to these two, run Surf. Max HP and max speed maximizes bulk and lets Lati use its wonderful speed tier to outspeed stuff like Kartana. This set can put in work vs basically any team style, even stall.

Calm Mind BoltBeam:
Latias-Mega (F) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Roost

Description:
This set is basically the same as the last one, it just sacrifices its potential nuke move and overall effectiveness vs stall for overall better neutral coverage. I usually prefer CM Stored Power to this one.

Support:
Latias-Mega (F) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect Type / Roar / Thunder Wave / Defog
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Roost

Description:
This set sacrifices all offensive potential in light of Lati's more supportive capabilities. Reflect type allows Lati to dodge pursuit and beat Toxic Tran 1v1. Roar allows you to cycle out set up sweepers like Magearna and Suicune. Thunder Wave allows you to cripple stuff that may want to come in like Lele, Magearna, and Volc. Finally, Lati can utilize defog well due to its high bulk and speed.

Roost + 3 Attacks:
Latias-Mega @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Roost

Description:
This set takes inspiration from the very popular Zapdos set. This set has appeared on a popular team made by Liones. It has outstanding coverage that allows it to hit basically everything for at least neutral, and allows it to not be spike bait for Ferrothorn.


Teambuilding with Mega Lati:
As I said earlier, Mega Lati fits best on Balance and Semi-Stall. I decided to mainly use CM Stored Power, as I think it is Lati's best set. Here is how I did it:
Latias-Mega @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Stored Power
- Thunderbolt

Dugtrio @ Groundium Z
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Screech
- Substitute
- Toxic

Toxapex @ Eject Button
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 196 Def / 64 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Recover
- Haze
- Toxic Spikes

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Earthquake
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Substitute
- Earth Power

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge

So if this team looks familiar, its most likely because Joey used it in his enter Mega Latias vid. CM Lati + Duggy is a great core as duggy removes problematic mons like Ttar, Tran, Magearna, and Lele. Eject Pex gets in duggy potentially for free vs the aforementioned mons to trap them to make latis life easier. AV Tang blanket checks a ton of threats like ash gren, koko, and non specs lele. Sub Taunt tran takes advantage of pex's tspikes so it can run taunt. It also helps vs lele and scizor. Lastly, Scarf Lando gets up rocks and provides some speed. I also don't need a scarfer for volc since pex + tran + lati takes it on pretty well. The main way I used this team was to weaken things with tspikes + tran, revenge kill/grab momentum with Lando, and try to trap things that can annoy lati so I can eventually win with it. My way of beating stall is with Taunt Tran + CM Lati. If you managed to get lati burned by sab, you can avoid a potential toxic from chansey and set up and basically win.

Duggy removes basically every annoying mon for Lati barring gren. This one really helps out Cm and 3 atks lati.
Magearna in general (but specifically AV) has nearly perfect defensive synergy (mage takes on darks, fairies, and ice types, and lati takes on grounds and fires), making the two hard to play around together.
Pex can lay up tspikes, which in combination with either roar lati or cm, lets lati wear down and stall the opposing team. Pex also checks stuff like bug z volc.
Just like pex, ferro lays up spikes that work particularly well with Roar lati, as lati can cycle around mons to take spikes damage. Lati can also hit most things that are immune to spikes super effectively with ice beam or tbolt.
Koko (specifically z wild) is able to lure in tangrowth, which gives lati free set up if its cm. Z wild koko blows through av mage, which is great for Lati.


Replays (kinda):
So I didn't save any actual replays of me using it (for now, I may update later with some of me using it), but if you do want to see mega lati in action with the team I made, here is a video showcasing it. Shoutouts to aim for using my team in his video, love his content. :]

Conclusion/Where Mega Latias is at in the Meta:
Mega Lati is a very good defensive mon in the meta that can act as support or a late game wincon. Its able to check a ton of offensive stuff in the meta like Lando, Pins, Bulu, and Koko. Lati is a fantastic mon on balance, which is very popular atm. Its CM set needs very little support to utilize effectively, making it a great late-game wincon. It is one of the best users of defog in the tier, which can support things like Volc and Kyub, which are both very good currently. Its probably the best check there is to lando atm, which is huge since Lando is one of the most dominating forces in the meta. 3 atks Lati is a very underrated set imo as it acts like Zapdos, but just checking some different things. I enjoyed using lati very much, and it is one of my favorite mons in the tier. In my opinion, it is a top 5 mega atm. I think Mega Latias should be around A- on the OU VR, a subrank above where it currently resides. I'd highly recommend using this mon, its really good. That's all I got for Latias, thanks for reading!
 
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hi
i was in china for a long time and haven't had time to ladder with a fresh alt, so i just used my normal account.

overall thoughts

mega altaria's ok. it requires a good amount of support to work but its not as bad as i thought it would be. both offensive and defensive dd sets have merit as bulky setup sweepers. in terms of support it needs hazard control and magnezone which sort of constrains building a bit but in return its able to provide a ton of offensive and defensive utility. being able to wall a plethora of pokemon including bulu, zard y, ashgren and keldeo means its pretty easy to set up with altaria; however on the flip side a ton of things wall altaria including mega venusaur, pex, and celesteela. fairy + ground coverage is very effective right now esp vs teams who use magearna and heatran as their fairy resists.

sets
offensive dd

Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Roost

pretty straightforward set. click dd vs stuff you beat 1v1 like keldeo and take advantage of altaria's 75/110/105 bulk. coverage is standard and roost is for longevity. return is strong with the pixilate and stab boost.

ddd

Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 96 SpD / 28 Spe
Impish Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Frustration
- Roost
- Earthquake/ Cotton Guard

ok so ddd is similar to offensive dd but you can set up vs stuff like lando and ttar much easier because of the increased bulk; however it does come with a decrease in power. moves are all the same but let me talk about cotton guard. cotton guard, for those who don't know, gives you +3 defense similar to how tail glow gives you +3 spattack. this means you basically can't be beat by physical attacks. this is a really cool tech because stuff like non sd scizor and scarf excadrill can't revenge kill you because bullet punch does negative damage after a cotton guard and iron head does a little more but still is far from a 2hko. i guess you can flinch and crit.

teambuilding

i hate building so i stole njnp's teams. stealing njnp's teams in fact is the best way to build in sm ou.

Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 96 SpD / 28 Spe
Impish Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Roost
- Cotton Guard

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Def / 188 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 192 SpD / 72 Spe
Careful Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Roar

Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 112 SpD / 36 Spe
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog
- Soft-Boiled
- Knock Off

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch


Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Roost

Magnezone @ Electrium Z
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 28 SpD / 144 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Toxic

Latios @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Thunder Wave
- Psyshock
- Defog

Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Stone Edge
- Hydro Pump

Celesteela @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 56 HP / 20 Atk / 240 SpA / 192 Spe
Mild Nature
- Earthquake
- Autotomize
- Air Slash
- Giga Drain


basically u want magnezone + hazard removal + 3 other mons. speed control is nice too as altaria is slow. also twave is broken


conclusion
its a good mon.
 

Indigo Plateau

is a Community Leaderis a Top Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Past SCL Champion
UU Leader
Since no one has registered to use either mon, I'm going to have to extend the deadline to Friday, September 8 at 11:59 PM EST GMT -5. Hopefully we get more participation with the current suspect test going on!
 
Will update later today, this weekend has been crazy. Riddikulusness, if you could finish your post by today that'd be awesome!
Im sorry man, I've been hella busy and stressed with irl things for the past week or so, and I havent had access to my computer lately (really don't want to make a long post on mobile). I can get my post up tomorrow night though if thats alright, since I'll finally have access to my computer.
 

Indigo Plateau

is a Community Leaderis a Top Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Past SCL Champion
UU Leader
Looking to get back on track now, sorry for the short delay. I'll wait for the post on Chandelure, but since no one claimed Serperior, I'll list it with Mega Gardevoir and people can still opt to use these for any given week if they choose to do so.


Victini has gotten a bit of traction due to its Z Celebrate set, giving it the potential to set up +1 on all stats and sweep with its dual stab. Ditto has seen usage on all types of builds, from stall to HO. You have until Monday, September 18 @ 11:59 PM EST GMT -5. Have fun building and laddering!
 
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