An Icy, Fiery Doom (BW OU RMT)

[Rocket Boss Giovanni]

An Icy, Fiery Doom
Hey guys, Giovanni here. I've been trying to find a decent Gen V team, and I think I've found one that is pretty good. I win about 2/3 of the time, and this team peaked at about 1800 on PO. It holds its own and deals pretty well with the top threats of the current metagame. Without further ado, here's the roster:

Changes will be in BLUE



Team Preview

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In-Depth Analysis
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Meinshao @ Flight Jewel
Jolly - Regenerator
6 HP | 252 Attack | 252 Speed
- Fake Out
- Hi Jump Kick
- Acrobat
- U-Turn

Meinshao is my lead, and oh boy does he do it well. With Regenerator, U-Turning not only does damage but heals it too, which adds to its survivability. Fake Out is to get the jump on other leads and/or things that I switch in to. Hi Jump Kick is for STAB and to hit things really hard. Acrobat with Flight Jewel on Meinshao is just unfair. Base 110 power boosted by Flight Jewel dents everything. Meinshao can usually handle most things that lead, save Politoed and Hippowdon. Overall I am happy with what Meinshao does for the team, but there is some room for improvemet.

Arcanine @ Air Balloon
Naive - Intimidate
156 Attack | 100 Sp. Attack | 252 Speed
- Extremespeed
- Fire Blast
- Wild Bolt
- Close Combat

Arcanine, the star of the show. Arcanine is a Pokemon that I always wanted to do well, but just never had a niche in OU. Well, now that it gets Close Combat via breeding as well as Wild Bolt, Arcanine is a force to be reckoned with. I've never had a battle where Arcanine failed to take out at least one Pokemon when I send it out. Close Combat deals with the ever-annoying Excadrill (and Ferrothorn in the rain), Wild Bolt for things that think they can safely switch in on Arcanine, namely anything with a water type, save the ever-annoying Water/Ground dual types. Even at -1, Arcanine can OHKO most Gyarados with a Wild Bolt, or at least finish it off with Extremespeed. Fire Blast is for Skarmory/Ferrothorn(outside of rain) who think that this is a pure-physical beast, as well as other fire-weak mons like Scizor. I originally had Flare Blitz there, but the added recoil move + complete wallage by Skarmory was unattractive. I chose Balloon over Life Orb because Arcanine already has enough oomph to do damage, and that extra turn is really useful against things like Excadrill, in which my survival revolves around not getting hit by an EQ. Arcanine is here to stay on this team because it's really earned its keep.

Suicune @ Wacan Berry
Timid - Pressure
6 HP | 252 Sp. Attack | 252 Speed
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power (Electric)

Cloyster used to be in this spot, but fighting types like Conkeldurr/Scrafty and the ever-annoying Scizor neutered it with their priority moves. This is the standard Offensive CroCune set, and it works wonders. After a single Calm Mind Suicune nets KOs at a better than average rate. Ice Beam and HP Electric form the infamous BoltBeam combination, and Surf is there over Hydro Pump because Hydro Pump's accuracy has cost me too many matches. No way in hell is it 80%. Suicune takes hits like a boss, and the Wacan Berry lets me get in an extra Calm Mind or two. I'm thinking about replacing the Wacan Berry with Leftovers for recovery, but I'm still undecided.

Salamence @ Persim Berry
Naive - Intimidate
252 Attack | 6 Sp. Attack | 252 Speed
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast

Talk about a blast from the past. Salamence met his (unwarranted, imo) demise at the height of Gen IV OU, but is making a comeback. This spot used to be held by Garchomp (with the same moveset/ability/nature), but with the Landshark under the chopping block of Uberness, I decided to swap in Salamence. Intimidate is a gem that usually allows me to grab a +1 Attack/Speed boost and let me fire off Earthquakes or an Outrage at ungodly levels of decimation. If I'm lucky enough to grab +2, game over. Persim Berry prevents me from being set-up fodder after Outrage is done and essentially lets me have a 4-6 turn Outrage rather than 2-3. I usually try to save Mence for late-game cleanup rather than mid-game sweeping (as that's Arcanine/Cloyster's territory), but Mence sometimes shows its face if I need an Earthquake that Donphan just wouldn't cut.

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Jolly - Serene Grace
6 HP | 252 Attack | 252 Speed
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch

I finally got so fed up with people using FlinchRachi that I put one on my team. Articuno used to be here, but his weakness to Stealth Rock really neutered him and he fell out. Thunder Wave the opponent, and then Iron Head/Zen Headbutt them until they faint. Drain Punch is there for things that resist the other two attacks, as well as a way to not get trapped by Magnezone thinking they can trap me. The added recovery is nice as well.

Sawsbuck @ Life Orb
Jolly - Sap Sipper
6 HP | 252 Attack | 252 Speed
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Jump Kick
- Wood Horn

Upon a suggestion from my roommate, I swapped out Donphan for Sawsbuck. SD Buck has been a blessing to this team, as it can do great neutral damage across the board. STAB Return after a Swords Dance is insanely powerful. Jump Kick deals with annoying Steel types like Ferrothorn, Heatran, and Magnezone. Wood Horn gives decent neutral coverage while also offering decent recovery. Sawsbuck has just enough speed to outspeed many things that threaten it. I usually use Sawsbuck to threaten something out, SD on the switch, and proceed to do damage. This thing has won me so many games and has definitely earned its keep.



Team Building Process:

I started with Arcanine. I've wanted to be able to use this Pokemon since I was seven and playing Pokemon Red. It's just such a great mon both aesthetically and offensively, it just didn't have the toys to be top-tier.

I added in Cloyster after being 6-0'd by it when I was very low on the ladder. It's just a beast and I love what it does for the team.

Meinshao is a great lead and I've used it since Gen V first started to develop. It is great at getting early game momentum and I absolutely love it as a lead, but outside of the lead/scout position it is epic fail.

Articuno is one of those other Pokemon that I wanted to see shine but just never made it. Stealth Rock was a big pain in its wings in Gen IV, but it's starting to see some light now with the emphasis on Dragon types.

Every team needs a dragon, and Garchomp is unquestionably the best dual-STAB combination in the meta. It also has a trolly base speed and great attack power.

I needed a spinner not named Starmie (because Starmie just adds too many weaknesses that this team already has (electric namely). Donphan has access to STAB Earthquake and Ice Shard, probably one of the best priority moves in the game.

Salamence replaced Garchomp because as I said, Chomp is under the radar of the suspect board which means it's probably gonna be banned to Ubers in a similar manner to Speed Boost Blaziken. Also, the extra Intimidate user really helped out in the end.

After playing around last night, I found that these changes made my team a whole lot better. Adding Suicune, Jirachi, and Sawsbuck ended a losing streak that I was on and allows me to handle things that once threatened my team a lot better.



Thanks for the rates guys! I really appreciate them.

 

[Rocket Boss Giovanni]

OFFENSIVE THREATS:
These are the Pokemon that threaten my team. Suggestions are liked =)

Deoxys-S - This one gives me trouble if its carrying Psychic, otherwise Meinshao (Fake Out + U-Turn)

Jirachi - Flinch-haxing little *CENSORED*

Kingdra - If Mence is gone, it's problematic

Reuniclus - I really don't have a way to deal with Psychic types outside of Meinshao

Terakion - If it gets a boost it's hard to take it down.

Thundurus - Need I say more?

Tornadus - Hurricane gets annoying. Fast.

Volcarona - If I let it get boosts, annoying. Fast.



DEFENSIVE THREATS:

Bronzong - Only in the rain.

Chansey - BITCH! Blissey's easy to take down, Chansey's a bit harder.

Cofagrigus - The lack of a dark type move makes this tough, but not impossible

Ferrothorn - Only in the rain.

Gliscor - Poison Heal Gliscor is kinda annoying, but I can take it down.

Hippowdon - Bulky. Very Bulky. And has Roar.

Porygon2 - ... Stupid Eviolite.

Rotom-H - Rotom is just bulky.

Rotom-W - Rotom is just bulky.

Skarmory - In the rain, this sucker's hard to take down.

Swampert - No grass type moves... Help on this one

Whimsicott - I think this annoys pretty much everyone....

 

[Remnants]

I'm kind of new to competitive battling, so IDK how helpful this will be, but one idea for countering threats like Swampert, Rotom-W, Hippowdon, and Kingdra would be to change Articuno's hidden power to Grass. If you needed another flying-type move, Sky Attack is the only thing I could thing of, seeing as the closest thing to a hidden power flying in Articuno's move pool is Air Cutter.

Another possibility is to switch Articuno's Ice Shard for Ancient Power. It can help against Thundurus, Tornadus, and hits for 4x the damage on Volcarona. Though you would lose priority with Articuno.

Hope this helps!

 

[Rocket Boss Giovanni]

See, I thought about running HP Grass on Articuno, but then I lose out on a STAB that I really need. Ancientpower's not a bad idea either, with the boosting of all stats and whatnot. Sky Attack is Physical, and I really want to avoid running a mixCuno, and the taking two turns really isn't all that appealing either.

 

[Remnants]

See, I thought about running HP Grass on Articuno, but then I lose out on a STAB that I really need. Ancientpower's not a bad idea either, with the boosting of all stats and whatnot. Sky Attack is Physical, and I really want to avoid running a mixCuno, and the taking two turns really isn't all that appealing either.

I figured you might think that, but the ancient power is still viable. Glad that I could help. I'll see if I can find anything else to help in the future.

And I like the originality in your team idea.

 

[kingoftricks]

This is my first time posting in an RMT but what about Virizion for a threat? The all-out physical attacker version (Swords Dance) can take out half (with luck, even 4-5) of your team with SD/CC/Leaf Blade and Stone Edge. I'm not quite sure though since you've got half of your team to counter it xD Sorry if this isn't helpful.

 

[Rocket Boss Giovanni]

Regarding Virizion, it doesn't like an Acrobat from Meinshao to the face. Not only that, but Salamence resists all those save Edge, but outspeeds after a DD and KO's with Fire Blast/Outrage.

 

[kc4444]

Maybe
Put Kabutops over Donphan
Kabutops can run a Aqua Jet/Stone Edge/Rapid Spin/Filler Move
and might help with STAB on priority (you already have ice shard on articuno), and can help against rain teams, if it has swift swim.
Or you can have Hitmontop, but that will just add another weakness to psychic and flying. You probably should get steel type to help resist some of your weaknesses.

I suggest getting a 2nd spinner, because half your team is weak to it, so you might want another spinner. Maybe Cloyster can run Rapid Spin over Shell Blade.

 

[Rocket Boss Giovanni]

I'll try Kabutops in Donphan's position, because I like that idea. Also, since Meinshao tends to be dead weight after about round 3, and I need a Steel type and a Spinner, I'll try Forretress. Maybe this spread:

Forretress @ Leftovers
Brave - Sturdy (0 Speed IVs)
252 HP | 252 Attack | 6 Defense
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin

 

[kingoftricks]

Regarding Virizion, it doesn't like an Acrobat from Meinshao to the face. Not only that, but Salamence resists all those save Edge, but outspeeds after a DD and KO's with Fire Blast/Outrage.

How about if it sets up Calm Mind and hits with HP Ice? Either way with standard attacking sets Virizion won't really stand that long, so meh.

 

[Tyranitarzone]

Hey, sorry to burst your bubble bud, but Acrobatics isn't 110 BP until the flying gem is gone. However, it is 77.5 BP on the first turn because of the flying gem, just not 165. Acrobatics is better off without the flying gem at all.

 

[Rocket Boss Giovanni]

Hey, sorry to burst your bubble bud, but Acrobatics isn't 110 BP until the flying gem is gone. However, it is 77.5 BP on the first turn because of the flying gem, just not 165. Acrobatics is better off without the flying gem at all.

That's false, quoted directly from the research thread:

Confirmed Acrobatics's power doubles if user is not holding an item. If the user is holding a Flying Gem, it will be consumed first, and Acrobatics will get the no-item boost in addition to the Flying Gem boost. (Team Rocket Elite, #2)

 

[Captain Awesome]

I don't understand your logic in replacing Garchomp. It might become uber so you replaced it? Is that it? That doesn't make any sense.

Garchomp is faster, adds an electric immunity (whereas salamence is useless one thunder wave lands) and isn't SR weak.

 

[ToastTyrant13]

An Icy, Fiery Doom

Hey guys, Giovanni here. I've been trying to find a decent Gen V team, and I think I've found one that is pretty good. I win about 2/3 of the time, and this team peaked at about 1800 on PO. It holds its own and deals pretty well with the top threats of the current metagame. Without further ado, here's the roster:​

Changes will be in BLUE​

Team Preview

In-Depth Analysis​

Meinshao @ Flight Jewel
Jolly - Regenerator
6 HP | 252 Attack | 252 Speed
- Fake Out
- Hi Jump Kick
- Acrobat
- U-Turn

Meinshao is my lead, and oh boy does he do it well. With Regenerator, U-Turning not only does damage but heals it too, which adds to its survivability. Fake Out is to get the jump on other leads and/or things that I switch in to. Hi Jump Kick is for STAB and to hit things really hard. Acrobat with Flight Jewel on Meinshao is just unfair. Base 110 power boosted by Flight Jewel dents everything. Meinshao can usually handle most things that lead, save Politoed and Hippowdon. Overall I am happy with what Meinshao does for the team, but there is some room for improvemet.

Of course, a nice lead. Wouldn't the Flight Jewel+Acrobatics be contradictory, to some extent, just because you HAVE to use Acrobat to lose the item to make said move stronger? If I were you, I would replace it with a Normal Jewel to boost Fake Out for awesome, and free, damage while subsequently allowing Acrobat to increas in power.

Arcanine @ Air Balloon
Naive - Intimidate
156 Attack | 100 Sp. Attack | 252 Speed
- Extremespeed
- Fire Blast
- Wild Bolt
- Close Combat

Arcanine, the star of the show. Arcanine is a Pokemon that I always wanted to do well, but just never had a niche in OU. Well, now that it gets Close Combat via breeding as well as Wild Bolt, Arcanine is a force to be reckoned with. I've never had a battle where Arcanine failed to take out at least one Pokemon when I send it out. Close Combat deals with the ever-annoying Excadrill (and Ferrothorn in the rain), Wild Bolt for things that think they can safely switch in on Arcanine, namely anything with a water type, save the ever-annoying Water/Ground dual types. Even at -1, Arcanine can OHKO most Gyarados with a Wild Bolt, or at least finish it off with Extremespeed. Fire Blast is for Skarmory/Ferrothorn(outside of rain) who think that this is a pure-physical beast, as well as other fire-weak mons like Scizor. I originally had Flare Blitz there, but the added recoil move + complete wallage by Skarmory was unattractive. I chose Balloon over Life Orb because Arcanine already has enough oomph to do damage, and that extra turn is really useful against things like Excadrill, in which my survival revolves around not getting hit by an EQ. Arcanine is here to stay on this team because it's really earned its keep.

Nothing I can see wrong with your Arc! :p

Suicune @ Wacan Berry
Timid - Pressure
6 HP | 252 Sp. Attack | 252 Speed
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power (Electric)

Cloyster used to be in this spot, but fighting types like Conkeldurr/Scrafty and the ever-annoying Scizor neutered it with their priority moves. This is the standard Offensive CroCune set, and it works wonders. After a single Calm Mind Suicune nets KOs at a better than average rate. Ice Beam and HP Electric form the infamous BoltBeam combination, and Surf is there over Hydro Pump because Hydro Pump's accuracy has cost me too many matches. No way in hell is it 80%. Suicune takes hits like a boss, and the Wacan Berry lets me get in an extra Calm Mind or two. I'm thinking about replacing the Wacan Berry with Leftovers for recovery, but I'm still undecided.

Why Wacan Berry? With Calm Mind, you should be more than fine, and you're faster than most Wild Charge users. Lefties will definetly increase your longetivity to provide for longer sweeps. Of course, you could always run a CroCune if you want to go for a higher overall bulk.

Salamence @ Persim Berry
Naive - Intimidate
252 Attack | 6 Sp. Attack | 252 Speed
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast

Talk about a blast from the past. Salamence met his (unwarranted, imo) demise at the height of Gen IV OU, but is making a comeback. This spot used to be held by Garchomp (with the same moveset/ability/nature), but with the Landshark under the chopping block of Uberness, I decided to swap in Salamence. Intimidate is a gem that usually allows me to grab a +1 Attack/Speed boost and let me fire off Earthquakes or an Outrage at ungodly levels of decimation. If I'm lucky enough to grab +2, game over. Persim Berry prevents me from being set-up fodder after Outrage is done and essentially lets me have a 4-6 turn Outrage rather than 2-3. I usually try to save Mence for late-game cleanup rather than mid-game sweeping (as that's Arcanine/Cloyster's territory), but Mence sometimes shows its face if I need an Earthquake that Donphan just wouldn't cut.

TBH, Lum Berry would be WAY better in order to protect your from Burns, Toxic, and Paralysis. All three of those ruin your seep and destroy your momentum. Besides, it'll still help cure you of the confusion induced by Outrage. :D

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Jolly - Serene Grace
6 HP | 252 Attack | 252 Speed
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch

I finally got so fed up with people using FlinchRachi that I put one on my team. Articuno used to be here, but his weakness to Stealth Rock really neutered him and he fell out. Thunder Wave the opponent, and then Iron Head/Zen Headbutt them until they faint. Drain Punch is there for things that resist the other two attacks, as well as a way to not get trapped by Magnezone thinking they can trap me. The added recovery is nice as well.

I like that you take type advantages into consideration, but what about Fire Punch > Drain Punch? You still cover steel types, AND you can hit Excadrill, Whimsicot, and Ferrothorn for much more damage. And Lefties helps alot, so you should be fine recovery wise.

Sawsbuck @ Life Orb
Jolly - Sap Sipper
6 HP | 252 Attack | 252 Speed
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Jump Kick
- Wood Horn

Upon a suggestion from my roommate, I swapped out Donphan for Sawsbuck. SD Buck has been a blessing to this team, as it can do great neutral damage across the board. STAB Return after a Swords Dance is insanely powerful. Jump Kick deals with annoying Steel types like Ferrothorn, Heatran, and Magnezone. Wood Horn gives decent neutral coverage while also offering decent recovery. Sawsbuck has just enough speed to outspeed many things that threaten it. I usually use Sawsbuck to threaten something out, SD on the switch, and proceed to do damage. This thing has won me so many games and has definitely earned its keep.

I like it! Not much to say except that BE CAREFUL with Conkelderp. He can easily come in and ruin his sweep, and all you have to really take care of it Suicune and (maybe) Salamence.




Thanks for the rates guys! I really appreciate them.

Well, I hope I helped out a bit with your team R.B.G! Sorry if it sounds strange, I'm actually headin' off to bed now. Good Luck and let me know what you think! :D

~ToastTyrant13