TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Introduction
- Proof of Peak
- Team + Description
- Team Building Process
- Team usage tips
- Threatlist
- Replays
- Shoutouts
- Importable
- Bonus Teambuilding Guide
- Other Teams
- Outro
1. INTRODUCTION
Hello everyone, it’s Pinkacross, and I have another team. When Spectrier was banned, I knew I wanted to use Blacephalon. Now that Tyranitar and defensive Hydreigon are no longer plaguing the tier, Ghost types are once again viable. Blacephalon got a lot of new tools this generation, two of the biggest being access to Heavy Duty Boots, and the presence of Teleporters like Slowbro. The combination of these two things allows Blacephalon to freely enter the stage without taking any damage. More importantly, Blacephalon is an extremely fun pokemon to use. Without further ado, here is Blacephalon’s Disco Party.
2. PROOF OF PEAK
(Storm Zone and I laddered up together on his account. We started in the mid 1800s and got all the way up to 2117, using only this Blacephalon team. We won 43 games and only lost ONE single game.)
3. TEAM + DESCRIPTION
Blacephalon @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Flame Charge
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Expanding Force / Knock Off / Toxic / Encore / Taunt
Blacephalon is the star of this team, and for obvious reasons. Flame Charge + 3 attacks Blacephalon seemed the best to abuse Heavy Duty Boots. Naive Nature is used to not waste Blacephalon’s sizable 127 base attack. Even a weak attack like Flame Charge can do decent damage. If you faint an opposing Pokemon with Flame Charge, you can get +1 speed and +1 special attack, letting you outspeed nearly the whole tier, save for a few scarfers, like Kartana and Latios. Flame Charge can pull some insane sweeps late game. Shadow Ball and Flamethrower are here as Blacephalon’s very strong stab moves. Shadow Ball is great for hitting bulky Water types, Heatran, Garchomp, and more. Flamethrower is the stronger of the two, however, so it should be used over Shadow Ball against neutral pokemon such as Landorus or Zapdos. For the last slot, you have a few options. I recommend Expanding Force. In Psychic Terrain, Blacephalon’s Expanding Force becomes stronger than either of its stab moves. After just two Rocky Helmet damages from Slowbro, Cinderace is guaranteed OHKOd by Expanding Force under terrain. Expanding Force also kills Toxapex after Stealth Rocks. However, you have other options. Knock Off can be used to remove the Heavy Duty Boots of several Blacephalon switchins: Tyranitar, Mandibuzz, Hydreigon, and Blissey. Toxic can be used to strongly punish defensive Hydreigon, Mandibuzz, and Tyranitar. Encore can be used to initiate sweeps, as you can switch in on a pokemon that would normally threaten you like a Toxapex clicking Recover, use Encore, then begin to pressure their likely switch or start using Flame Charge. Taunt lets Blacephalon beat Blissey, and can prevent recovery, but is generally a risky option as Blacephalon is very frail.
NOTABLE CALCS:
252 SpA Blacephalon Expanding Force (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex in Psychic Terrain: 280-330 (92.1 - 108.5%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Blacephalon Expanding Force (120 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Cinderace in Psychic Terrain: 241-284 (80 - 94.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 128+ SpD Heatran: 112-133 (29 - 34.4%) -- 99.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Blacephalon in Grassy Terrain: 197-232 (79.7 - 93.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
Tapu Lele @ Choice Specs
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
Tapu Lele is the main breaker of the team, and the main partner of Blacephalon. Modest Choice Specs Tapu Lele puts immense pressure on the fat teams that Blacephalon struggles against. Combined with Future Sight support from Slowbro, there is no fat team that can stand up to this monster. Moonblast and Psychic are used as main stab moves, Psychic being able to OHKO even many neutral opposing pokemon, and Moonblast OHKOing or 2HKOing every dark type that would switch into the Psychic. Psyshock allows Tapu Lele to hit on the physical side, doing massive amounts of damage to Blissey and Slowking-Galar. Thunderbolt allows Tapu Lele to kill Corviknight in one shot, when combined with a Future Sight. I’m not running Focus Blast on this set because honestly, that move never hits. It’s not a move, it’s just a little reddish brown box that gives the illusion of Fighting type coverage.
NOTABLE CALCS:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-Therian in Psychic Terrain: 379-447 (99.2 - 117%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable in Psychic Terrain: 342-403 (86.8 - 102.2%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey in Psychic Terrain: 508-598 (71.1 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Slowking-Galar in Psychic Terrain: 337-397 (85.5 - 100.7%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 144 SpD Mandibuzz: 462-546 (109.2 - 129%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Corviknight: 260-306 (65 - 76.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Slowbro @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Future Sight
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Teleport
Slowbro is the Cinderace wall, and it helps the extremely frail Blacephalon enter safely. Future Sight provides incredible support to Tapu Lele and Blacephalon, letting them enter safely and with strong backup. For those of you who don’t know how Future Sight works, I will explain here. Future Sight is a 120 BP Psychic type move that hits two turns after being used, and cannot be protected. For example, if I use Future Sight, then Teleport, and send in Tapu Lele and click Moonblast, Moonblast and Future Sight will hit on the same turn. Common Future Sight combinations I use are FS + Lele Moonblast, FS + Lele Psyshock, and FS + Blacephalon Flamethrower. Be creative however, as Future Sight is helpful in many situations. Earthquake is used over Scald as a sort of check and lure to Heatran. Blacephalon and Tapu Lele both don’t appreciate Heatran, so Slowbro is very helpful. Earthquake also does sizable damage to Poison Type Cinderace (after using Gunk Shot) and Slowking-Galar. Slack Off is used for reliable recovery, and Teleport helps get Blacephalon in.
NOTABLE CALCS:
0 Atk Slowbro Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 220-260 (56.9 - 67.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Libero Cinderace U-turn vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 144-170 (36.5 - 43.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Slowbro Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Slowking-Galar: 136-162 (34.5 - 41.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Libero Cinderace Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 123-145 (31.2 - 36.8%) -- 75.5% chance to 3HKO
4 SpA Slowbro Future Sight vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex in Psychic Terrain: 248-294 (81.5 - 96.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 212 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed / Iron Head / Body Press
- Knock Off
- Gyro Ball / Iron Head
Ferrothorn is helpful as a check to Specs Magearna, Kyurem, Tapu Lele, and other special attackers. Stealth Rock is the main purpose of Ferrothorn, as Tapu Lele and Blacephalon both greatly appreciate hazard support. Knock Off is also important to remove Heavy Duty Boots from opposing Defoggers such as Mandibuzz, Zapdos, and Corviknight. Gyro Ball is a powerful stab move that lets Ferrothorn beat Shift Gear Magearna. Leech Seed is recommended for the final slot, but Iron Head or Body Press can also be used. Leech Seed is needed to beat Iron Defense + Calm Mind Magearna, but Iron Head lets you beat Calm Mind Clefable and Substitute Kyurem that will attempt to Pressure stall your Gyro Balls.
NOTABLE CALCS:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Magearna Fleur Cannon vs. 252 HP / 212+ SpD Ferrothorn: 117-138 (33.2 - 39.2%) -- 10.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Ferrothorn Gyro Ball (143 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Magearna: 130-154 (43.1 - 51.1%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Tornadus-Therian Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 212+ SpD Ferrothorn: 312-368 (88.6 - 104.5%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 212+ SpD Ferrothorn in Psychic Terrain: 96-113 (27.2 - 32.1%) -- 43.4% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Kyurem Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 212+ SpD Ferrothorn: 162-192 (46 - 54.5%) -- 5.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Mandibuzz @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn
- Foul Play
Mandibuzz fills many roles for this team: Most importantly it functions as hazard removal, but it also checks Rillaboom, Dragonite, and Kartana. Roost gives Mandibuzz reliable recovery. Defog is needed to remove hazards. U-turn is chosen over Toxic or Knock Off since it helps bring in sweepers or breakers like Tapu Lele and Blacephalon. Foul Play is used to let Mandibuzz OHKO Rillaboom and Kartana after they set up, as well as doing lots of damage to sweepers like Blaziken and Hawlucha. Mandibuzz also functions as somewhat of a Cinderace check, if Slowbro isn’t healthy enough. Mandibuzz is the support that glues the team together, so try not to let it get worn down too easily. While this team does have a defensive core, it is not a stall team, and Mandibuzz is not a stall pokemon.
NOTABLE CALCS:
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz in Grassy Terrain: 141-167 (33.3 - 39.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Libero Cinderace High Jump Kick vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 136-162 (32.1 - 38.2%) -- 96.5% chance to 3HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Kartana Sacred Sword vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 114-135 (26.9 - 31.9%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+1 252+ Atk Dragonite Dual Wingbeat (2 hits) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 152-182 (35.9 - 43%) -- approx. 3HKO
+2 252+ Atk Mandibuzz Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Rillaboom: 360-424 (105.5 - 124.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 144 HP / 180 Atk / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Toxic
Landorus, a teambuilder's best friend. Landorus functions as the immediate speed control for this team, and the electric immunity. Landorus’ EV spread is designed to allow it to survive hits like a +1 Modest Volcarona Flamethrower, while also having enough speed to outspeed Timid Tapu Koko, Adamant Zeraora, and Modest Dragapult. Earthquake is Landorus’ main stab move, and it’s vital to the success of any Landorus set. U-turn helps get momentum, and also often brings in Tapu Lele, as the opponent will often switch a defensive pokemon into Landorus. Stone Edge helps Landorus pick off pokemon like Tornadus-Therian, Volcarona, Zapdos, and Moltres. Toxic was chosen over Knock Off, Defog, or Explosion since it can permanently cripple pokemon that Scarf Landorus would usually not threaten, such as Mandibuzz, Hippowdon, and Slowbro. Toxic can also be used to counter bulky sweepers like Dragonite.
NOTABLE CALCS:
+1 252+ SpA Volcarona Flamethrower vs. 144 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-Therian: 300-354 (84.5 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
180+ Atk Landorus-Therian Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Tornadus-Therian: 296-350 (98.9 - 117%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
180+ Atk Landorus-Therian Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Zapdos: 282-334 (87.8 - 104%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
180+ Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 337-397 (47.1 - 55.6%) -- 75.4% chance to 2HKO
4. TEAM BUILDING PROCESS
I started with Blacephalon and Tapu Lele, the initial core. I knew that Heavy Duty Boots Flame Charge Blacephalon would appreciate terrain support, as it could use Expanding Force on Toxapex, and be immune to Sucker Punch. Tapu Lele also functioned as a breaker to soften the team for a Blacephalon sweep.
I knew I would need a teleporter to get Blacephalon in, as it is extremely frail. I decided Slowbro would be the best choice as it provides Blacephalon and Tapu Lele with Future Sight support, as well as checking Cinderace.
The team needed a Stealth Rock setter, and a special wall. Storm Zone recommended specially defensive Ferrothorn, and that covered many of our weaknesses well while providing Stealth Rocks.
We needed removal, and something to help against our growing weakness to dark and ghost types. Mandibuzz was the natural choice, as it provided everything needed.
The team needed an electric immunity and speed control, and Scarf Landorus filled both of those roles while also having great synergy with the Tapu Lele + Blacephalon core. Lastly, the team looked a little weak to Heatran, so we made Slowbro Earthquake over Scald.
5. TEAM USAGE TIPS
1. Use Tapu Lele to break, get it in as often as possible. The more you wear down the opponents team, the closer you are to winning with Blacephalon.
2. Don’t fixate on a Blacephalon sweep. Often, the best way to win is with chipping down the opponent with Ferrothorn and Slowbro, and possibly winning with Landorus. While Blacephalon does sweep a lot, keep other win routes in mind.
3. Practice using Future Sight. It’s very helpful, but not spammable. Know when to use Future Sight, and when to just Teleport out.
4. Set Stealth Rocks when possible. Tapu Lele and Blacephalon both greatly appreciate Stealth Rocks being up.
5. When facing a stall team, use Future Sight + Tapu Lele to break.
6. Practice. This team plays similarly to a lot of other balances, but every new team takes some adjustments.
7. Watch the replays if you’re still struggling to understand how the team is played.
6. THREATLIST:
All sets of Kyurem can be threatening, but particularly substitute variants. Ferrothorn’s Gyro Balls are easily stalled out, and then Kyurem can sweep. Play aggressively and don’t let these Kyurem enter for free. Getting off a Toxic by Landorus is often a good idea, since they will likely click Substitute. Running Iron Head on Ferrothorn eliminates this issue, making Substitute Kyurem not much of a threat at all.
Not an issue, as long as it is dealt with immediately. Switch in Landorus or Tapu Lele (both live and OHKO in return) and attack with Stone Edge / Psyshock.
The rain setup variants can be problematic. Landorus has a very high chance to OHKO with Stone Edge, but switching in hard Landorus can be risky. Play carefully against these sets, and try not to let them set up for free.
7. REPLAYS
Game that got SZ and I to 2117: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1278716741-131jxmp5dv6tkha1nq9xxgggsdroho1pw
Vs Sub Kyurem:https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1281252793-p14wgsn8fhvd0uz88ua8uf2s5e5nj4ppw (Note that Blacephalon sack was a misclick, still a win however.)
Beating Stall: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1281260816-otr2rd7liyf9awg0jclspx7dp8xvoftpw (Warning: Don’t let Tapu Lele get Knocked Off vs. Stall)
6-0 Destruction vs Stall: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1278150801-bmutg4qsazn668sfyesmulss7ues5q8pw
vs. HO: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1278133401-vncsafw9crt367m12p5srbm59h6qz5mpw
Blacephalon Solos a Team in 2000s: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1278136894-tdhzde9dooqgsk9sfri0y4bm2h6biobpw
Blacephalon Sweeps an HO Team: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1281441926-fcdjc9gnsytbsa4qlp9ja6jxcnpz30kpw
8. SHOUTOUTS
Thanks to Storm Zone for collaborating with me to build this team, getting a peak by laddering with me, and believing in Blacephalon.
9. IMPORTABLE
https://pokepast.es/33a5914de027d452
10. BONUS TEAMBUILDING GUIDE
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to teambuild, so I decided to make a quick guide to get people on the right track. The steps will be black and the commentary will be in red. Here are the steps I go through when building a team:
1. Pick a core/pokemon.
This is the step where you decide what you want to build around. For this team, my initial core was Tapu Lele + Blacephalon.
2. Pick a playstyle.
Certain playstyles suit certain pokemon better. You don’t want to make an Alakazam stall, for instance. The team can branch out at this point, and several versions can be made. Maybe the core/pokemon you selected works on more than 1 playstyle.
3. Add supporting pokemon to the core/pokemon.
This is where you find partners that work well with the core. For this team, I knew that Slowbro would be a good partner for my Tapu Lele + Blacephalon core because it would help bring in Blacephalon safely, and let Lele break teams better.
4. Add hazards/ hazard removal.
You may have this implemented already, and if so, this step can be skipped. If not, this is a very important step as almost every team needs hazards and removal. Due to the presence of Heavy Duty Boots, some teams can skip out on hazards. It is almost never a good choice to skip out on removal. The more offensive your team is, the more flimsy your removal can be, of course depending on how weak your team is to hazards. Bulky teams need very solid hazard removal, like a Corviknight. A more offensive build may use a defogger like Scarf Kartana. If your team is bulky and weak to hazards, you need solid and consistent removal. If your team is offensive and good against hazards, you can afford flimsy removal or even no removal at all.
5. Patch up holes.
At this stage you likely won’t have too many slots left. See what pokemon you lose to, and add something that fixes the issue. Remember that this choice should not only fix a problem, but also add to the functionality of a team. For example, if you lack a Nidoking check, and you’re running an HO build, Hydreigon would likely be a much better choice than Blissey, even though they both fix the problem.
Building can be very difficult, especially when using creative pokemon. My advice is this: Make teams that are great against most things, rather than good against everything. You can’t cover every playstyle, or every set, or every team. If you try, you’ll end up making mediocre teams that don’t win, but rather focus on not losing. It’s better to win 9/10 matchups and get destroyed in the one loss than to have a mediocre team that wins 6/10 matchups. If you only remember one thing from this whole guide, remember this: Teams that just “don’t lose” to anything often don’t beat anything either.
6. Test.
Test multiple versions, or one version, but testing is vital. Even after years of building I can’t tell if what looks good on paper will be good in practice, and vice versa.
7. Repeat steps.
This is an iterative process, and you may have to redo these steps many times until you get the team you want. That being said, you may have a dead end building project that just isn’t worth it. Vibrava will never work in OU. At times like this, choose a new project.
11. OTHER TEAMS
Arctozolt Hail - Peaked #4: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threa...-2104-new-peak-ft-vanilluxe-swampert.3673996/
Alolan Raichu Offense - Peaked #5:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/raichu-alola-offense-peaked-5-2092.3675251/
12. OUTRO
Thanks to anyone who read this far. I’d be glad to hear comments, ideas for improvement, or requests for future building projects. I’m always on my main account Pinkacross on smogon, so feel free to contact me with creative team building ideas-- I’m always open to hear them. Have an incredible day!
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