OU SS OU The Next Best Thing - Week 13: Volcarona

[RedDiamond1024]

CB Focus Punch Weavile

Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Triple Axel
- Knock Off
- Focus Punch
- Ice Shard

Focus Punch Banded Weavile uses the absurd power of Focus Punch+the many switches it forces to deal high damage to steel type switchins, quite enjoys rocks being up as they either guarantee kos or give it good odds on the steels it wants to hit with Focus Punch.

Some fun calcs
252+ Atk Choice Band Weavile Focus Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 304-358 (86.3 - 101.7%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Weavile Focus Punch vs. 20 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 374-440 (89.9 - 105.7%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Weavile Focus Punch vs. 252 HP / 236+ Def Heatran: 356-420 (92.2 - 108.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

 

[yone]

Choice Scarf Weavile

Weavile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Triple Axel
- Ice Shard
- Low Kick

Going for Adamant nature is important here because you gain an important damage bonus and you are still faster than the scarf threats that Weavile usually cannot beat as Tapu Lele, Blacephalon, Kartana, Zapdos-Galar.
You are also faster than Dragapult, Arctozolt under hail and the others Weavile so you can surprise your opponent by going with this set.

 

[Slowpoke Fan]

Big thank you to everyone for your submissions!

Entries this week are:

1. Hone Claws Weavile by lemonademaker

2. Never-Melt Ice Weavile by Carkoala

3. Focus Punch Weavile by RedDiamond1024

4. Choice Scarf Weavile by yone

Voting closes at 10:59pm EST (GMT -5) on Sunday, 3rd March!

 

[RedDiamond1024]

4.

 

[dex]

2. NMI

 

[lemonademaker]

3.

 

[awyp]

2

 

[Slowpoke Fan]

Congratulations to Carkoala for winning the eighth week with Never-Melt Ice !

The hall of fame has been updated. Thank you for your participation!

 

[Slowpoke Fan]

Week 9: Aegislash

Art from Katagiri Hachigou​

An Ubers mainstay ever since its release in XY, the Sword and Shield Pokemon has ironically fallen from grace in the games bearing the same name, with a slight reduction to its stats causing it to drop from Ubers to UUBL. However, it still commands respect in the teambuilder via offensive Choice Specs and Swords Dance sets that take advantage of its sky-high base 140 attacking stats, and some structures opt to use defensive sets that rely on its fantastic defensive typing and great bulk in Shield forme to annoy opposing teams. How will you polish this weapon in the teambuilder? Please post your sets below!

Banned Sets

Aegislash @ Choice Specs / Spell Tag
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Steel Beam
- Shadow Sneak / Close Combat

Aegislash @ Spell Tag
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak

You have until 11:59pm EST on Thursday, 14th March to submit your sets.

 

[RedDiamond1024]

Toxic Protect Aegislash

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Serious Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Close Combat
- King's Shield
- Toxic

This Aegislash set basically plays like toxic protect melmetal, though trading a worse matchup into pult and the grasses for a better matchup into lele.

 

[realaccountami?]

SubTox (Aegislash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Shadow Ball
- King's Shield
this set allows you to toxic switchins such as lando-t and garchomp to wear them down, allowing you to more easily shadow ball them to death. consider pairing this on a team with rillaboom to really let aegisalsh stick around, or on a more offensive team with dragapult to weaken each other's checks

 

[dex]

Choice Band Aegislash

Aegislash @ Choice Band
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Close Combat
- Destiny Bond / Head Smash

While this set admittedly relies quite a bit on the surprise factor, when it hits, it hits hard. The main allure of this set is honestly just firing off super strong Close Combats while always having the threat of an actual STAB move behind it. Destiny Bond is chosen over Shadow Claw because Shadow Claw does not do damage and Destiny Bond can tech against matchups like Toxapex and Ferrothorn where Aegislash might get knocked and wants to take one of them down with it. Head Smash is an alternative option that sees Zapdos and sends an orbital strike its way:

252+ Atk Choice Band Aegislash-Blade Head Smash vs. 248 HP / 244+ Def Zapdos: 458-540 (119.5 - 140.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Have fun and watch your opponents mald!

 

[Slowpoke Fan]

Thank you for your submissions!

Entries this week are:

1. Toxic Protect Aegislash by RedDiamond1024

2. SubToxic Aegislash by realaccountami?

3. Choice Band Aegislash by dex

Voting closes at 11:59pm EST (GMT -4) on Monday, 19th March!

 

[A Welcome Guest]

2

 

[yone]

2

 

[realaccountami?]

3

 

[Slowpoke Fan]

Congratulations to realaccountami? for winning the ninth week with SubToxic !

The hall of fame has been updated. Thank you for your participation!

 

[Slowpoke Fan]

Week 10: Blaziken

Art from Katagiri Hachigou​

An Ubers-level threat ever since it got Speed Boost in generation 5, Blaziken dropped down to standard play in generation 8 and was even UU at one point despite gaining an incredible STAB move in Close Combat due to the rise of bulky Water-types like Slowbro and Tapu Fini alongside the ever-present Toxapex. But it quickly gained popularity in OU near the end of generation 8 with bulky Swords Dance sets being a menace to deal with, especially on Grassy Terrain sets where it has fantastic synergy with Rillaboom, another great Pokemon in its own right. How will you fry fly with this Blazing Kicking Chicken? Please post your sets below!

Please note that move choices not shown below in its Swords Dance sets count as separate sets.

Banned Sets

Blaziken @ Leftovers
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 144 HP / 252 Atk / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Flare Blitz / Blaze Kick
- Close Combat
- Protect

Blaziken @ Air Balloon / Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Thunder Punch / Knock Off

Blaziken @ Choice Band
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- U-turn

You have until 11:59pm EST on Thursday, 28th March to submit your sets.

 

[RedDiamond1024]

Spec Blaziken

Blaziken @ Choice Specs
Ability: Speed Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Flamethrower
- Aura Sphere
- Scorching Sands

 

[Bohrier]

Blaziken @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Close Combat
- Flare Blitz
- Swords Dance/Knock Off

Non-CB Blaziken with U-Turn has never been explored much and I think that's a travesty. Slap this big boy on a Volt-turn team and enjoy.

Blaziken's dual stab is very strong with u turn as it hits all but Landorus, DPult, Dnite and Volcarona.

Knock Off is the preferred last move on this set cuz duh but SD can also work to be a sorta hybrid.

Why you should use it over CBKen:
1. Doesn't take hazards. This is huge long term cuz ur switching a lot.
2. that's it lmao.

Disadvantages:
1. Can be lacking in power sometimes
2. Misses sd on the knock off set and knock off on the sd set.


It's p cool. It can work.


Sample six:

 

[lemonademaker]

Liechi Reversal


Blaziken @ Liechi Berry
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 144 HP / 252 Atk / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Reversal
- Substitute
- Blaze Kick
- Thunder Punch \ Knock Off \ Earthquake

Pretty simple idea here thats not at all new. Sub on a passive mons and/or a switch then continue to sub until Liechi activates, then sweep with +1 200 bp reversal. Blaze kick to not die to recoil. It has the coverage problem that Blaziken usually has. Its worse on this set then the SD set cause you can't boost to +6 to get past them anyways. Anything with a fighting resist can more easily wall this set. There's also the problem of hazards interrupting this set in a way that it doesn't to the SD set. After rocks damage, u cant get above 100 bp reversals, which really sucks. But +1 full bp reversal does out damage +2 CC so its an alternative late game sweeper that can take advantage of a early game fight resist ko better the the swords dance set.

 

[Slowpoke Fan]

Thank you for your submissions!

Entries this week are:

1. Choice Specs Blaziken by RedDiamond1024

2. U-turn Blaziken by Bohrier

3. Liechi Reversal Blaziken by lemonademaker

Voting closes at 11:59pm EST (GMT -4) on Monday, 2nd April!

 

[realaccountami?]

Reversal!

 

[RedDiamond1024]

2.

 

[tofa]

2!