SM OU bro... (CM Mega Slowbro Balance)

[Odeclas]

bro...​

Haven't used Mega Slowbro since ORAS and Zygarde was starting to piss me off so I decided to make a team around a Calm Mind variant. I feel like this mon could have some potential in the OU metagame, as it checks common threats like Zygarde, Medicham, Z move Landorus-T, Hawlucha, Kyurem-B, etc.

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Team Building Process

The first mon I paired with Slowbro was Tapu Bulu. I thought Bulu would be a good partner because it provides some passive recovery for Slowbro, but more importantly takes the electric and grass type attacks aimed at it.

Next up is Heatran. I wanted to complete a FWG core and Heatran has great synergy with both Slowbro and Tapu Bulu. I needed Stealth Rock on the team to deter Charizard/Volcarona since Slowbro + Bulu can't stop either of them unless Slowbro is at +4. Heatran also traps and eliminated Toxapex which is annoying for Slowbro since it can lay down Toxic Spikes or outspeed Slowbro and Toxic it. It also appreciates Slowbro/Tapu Bulu keeping ground/fighting/water types in check.

I needed something to take Toxic Spikes off of the field for Slowbro so I chose Rocky Helmet Tornadus-T. It has great synergy with Slowbro, forming a solid Regenerator core. The utility that Tornadus brings to the table is very valuable to the other members of the team, as Defog keeps hazards off of the field and the threat of Hurricane lets Tornadus-T get a lot of free U-Turns. I like Rocky Helmet because I can wear down Kartana which is very annoying for this team.

If you can't beat them, join them. Right? I find that Banded Zygarde is a great partner for Tornadus-T because it really takes advantage of the grass types that are eliminated by Hurricane and the free switch ins with U-Turn. This also gives me an electric immunity which is appreciated by the rest of the team since my only resist is Tapu Bulu. Another plus about Zygarde is that Thousand Arrows isn't affected by Grassy Terrain so it maintains it's full power. Zygarde punches holes in the opposing team for Slowbro to sweep or for the next member to easily revenge kill.

My last and final member is Choice Scarf Greninja. +1 Volcarona dumps on my team if carrying HP Ground, so I needed something that can come in a kill it at +1. Another thing that the team appreciates about Gren is U-Turn, as Gren forces a lot of mons out and being able to retain momentum is really appreciated by a slow team like this. With Zygarde/Slowbro/Heatran wearing the other team down, this mon is commonly a win condition against many teams.

The Team

Slowbro-Mega @ Slowbronite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Calm Mind
- Slack Off
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Just the standard Mega Slowbro set. We all know what Scald does so I'm not gonna talk about that. I prefer Psyshock over Ice Beam because it lets me win CM wars vs stuff like Tapu Lele. Calm Mind lets Slowbro turn into a monstrous tank that can take pretty much any hit and destroy most mons in it's way. Slack Off is great for reliable recovery since once you mega you don't have Regenerator anymore. I try to hold of on Mega Evolving as long as I can because Regenerator is broken and it lets Slowbro pivot for free on stuff like Zygarde, Lando and Medicham.

Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Atk / 60 SpD / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Wood Hammer
- Superpower
- Nature's Madness
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Tapu Bulu is there mainly to take the electric type attacks for Slowbro. I chose to run Assault Vest because I personally don't like switching Zygarde into HP Ice. This also gets rid of Electric Terrain which is nice for fighting vs Hawlucha/Thunder Punch Medicham. Horn Leech is super spammable and is still pretty strong with Grassy Terrain, while Wood Hammer is for nuking mons that think they resist Grassy Terrain boosted attacks like Tornadus-T. I prefer Superpower over Stone Edge to nail Heatran, Ferrothorn and Kartana on the switch. Natures Madness is nice for when they have something that can switch into grass/fighting type attacks for free like Mega-Venusaur.

Heatran @ Groundium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
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Heatran is my Z-Move user and rocker. The trapping set helps eliminate Toxapex which is annoying for Slowbro because it really wants to avoid being poisoned. Magma Storm is a stellar move, as it provides great damage, traps, and allows you to switch for free into a counter. Earth Power is necessary to beat Toxapex, opposing Heatran, and nails some mons that beat Heatran on the switch like CB Tyranitar. Stealth Rock is my main deterrant to mons like Zard-Y and Volcarona, and Heatran being able to force a lot of switches lets me get rocks up for free a lot of the time. Taunt is great for stopping mons like Chansey and Toxapex, allowing me to go into Tornadus-T to threaten a Knock Off or get a free Defog/U-turn.

Tornadus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog
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Tornadus-T's utility synergizes very well with all of the other team members. I chose to run a Rocky Helmet set because I liked being able to wear down Mega Medicham, Tapu Bulu and Kartana while forcing them all out. This also lets me bluff Tornadus-T as my Z-Move user. Hurricane is very hard to switch into and is necessary to force out the threats I mentioned. Knock Off provides great utility by removing Leftovers/Black Sludge from stuff like Toxapex and Celesteela, and Eviolite from Chansey. Defog is important for removing Toxic Spikes/Spikes from the field, which this team is extremely weak to.

Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic
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I hate this mon but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna use it. Thousand Arrows is very hard to switch into once grass types are removed by Heatran or Tornadus-T. I hardly find myself clicking Outrage, but it's extremely powerful and can easily break through bulkier, slower teams once steels/fairies are removed. Extreme Speed is pretty strong with a Choice Band boost, and it's nice for keeping frail set up sweepers in check. Toxic is great for hitting Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu and Landorus-T on a predicted switch, as Zygarde either usually forced out by those mons.

Greninja (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 176 Atk / 80 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Low Kick
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The last mon on the squad is Choice Scarf Greninja. I really needed something to revenge kill +1 Volcarona and this is usually my go-to option because I love that it revenge kills so many threats. Rock Slide kills Volcarona, U-Turn hits Hoopa-U, opposing Greninjas, and maintains momentum. Ice Beam OHKOs Kartana and also revenge kills Choice Scarf Landorus-T and +1 Zygarde. Low Kick is great for beating Tyranitar, Heatran, and Mega Gyarados.

Threats

Dark spam is very powerful vs. my team, since my only resist is Tapu Bulu which is easily overwhelmed.

Mega Gyarados has moves that can hit my entire team, and without Greninja it is very hard to not lose to.

No ghost resist = no fun.

Double dance and Shift Gear Magearna are extremely tough to deal with, especially if Shift Gear is carrying Fightinium Z for Heatran.

I'm open to any edits, but I want to keep Slowbro and I would prefer to keep Tornadus-T if possible but if it has to go then it has to go. If there are any threats to this team that I missed, please let me know. Thanks for reading :)

Importable

Slowbro-Mega @ Slowbronite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Calm Mind
- Slack Off

Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Atk / 60 SpD / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Wood Hammer
- Superpower
- Nature's Madness

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

Tornadus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog

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

Greninja (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 176 Atk / 80 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Low Kick

 

[Simia]

Hey, this is a cool team. I don't see a lot of teams around Mega Slowbro but I assume it can do pretty well, and I also like the structure of the team with that FWG core. I don't agree with your threatlist as a whole, as I feel like AV Bulu + Scarf Greninja is more than enough to take on Ash Greninja's hits. Ghost-Types like Gengar and Mimikyu aren't that common too, so don't care too much of them. Anyway, in addition to that, I'd like to bring up Flying-Types like Tornadus-T and Mega Pinsir. Both can be hard to deal with, as nothing takes on well Hurricane or Superpower from Tornadus-T, and M-Pinsir, even though less common, is able to do big damages to your team, as your only Flying resist is hit by either EQ or CC and Scarf Ninja is hit by Quick Attack before it clicks Rock Slide. Last threat I notified is Kartana. It is a major threats to FWG cores like the one you use, and it's able to put in a lot of pressure as well, with Grassy Terrain boosting its Grass STAB too. I have some ideas that won't change much your team, but will probably improve it, so let's start !_!

>

That's my only major change, Zapdos over Tornadus-T. This change is pretty cool here as it provides you some things you really needed. You said Mega Gyarados is scary to face and Zapdos is an answer to this Pokemon as it takes on well its moves, even after a Dragon Dance. I brought up Tornauds-T and Mega Pinsir as threats, and Zapdos is like one of their best checks in the game thanks to its typing and its bulk. It's able to take on Hurricane and Return from Tornadus-T and Mega Pinsir respectively relatively well and can KO them back with Discharge. I also notified Kartana as a threat, but Zapdos is also one of its best defensive checks, being able to avoid the 2HKO from all of its moves. It would also act as a second answer to Pokemon like Hawlucha that forced you to play carefully with Slowbro before. I'm suggesting the Defensive set with Discharge | Heat Wave | Roost | Defog, which means you don't lose your Defog support while losing Tornadus-T. Evs are 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe, with a Bold nature (check out its smogon analysis for explanation!).

I don't really see the point of using Groundium Z since even without that, you're still able to kill Toxapex, which is the reason you said to explain Heatran's item. That's why I'd suggest either Leftovers, Grassium Z or Firium Z. Leftovers is the standard item to run, and works pretty well here as well since it provides Heatran an appreciated form of recovery that combined with Tapu Bulu's Grassy Terrain makes it even better. Grassium Z is another item that could work here as M-Slowbro struggles against Bulky Waters like Gastrodon, and Z Solar Beam Heatan is able to lure it to make M-Slowbro's job easier, but it's pretty much matchup based. Firium Z is just to have a stronge nuke to hit harder anything, helping especially against Pokemon like Gliscor.

Last but not least, I'd give Greninja spikes. I don't think Low Kick is as helpful as before since now Zapdos takes on Mega Gyarados, and Heatran and Mega Tyranitar are not annoying. On the other hand, Spikes help you not lose momentum and would help you against playstyles like Balanced or Bulky Offenses by limiting switchins. It's also something really appreciated by teammates like CB Zygarde as Spikes hurt the likes of Tangrowth that are common checks to the Dragon.

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Importable

That's all, hope you'll like my changes and good luck with your team!

 

[Odeclas]

Hey, this is a cool team. I don't see a lot of teams around Mega Slowbro but I assume it can do pretty well, and I also like the structure of the team with that FWG core. I don't agree with your threatlist as a whole, as I feel like AV Bulu + Scarf Greninja is more than enough to take on Ash Greninja's hits. Ghost-Types like Gengar and Mimikyu aren't that common too, so don't care too much of them. Anyway, in addition to that, I'd like to bring up Flying-Types like Tornadus-T and Mega Pinsir. Both can be hard to deal with, as nothing takes on well Hurricane or Superpower from Tornadus-T, and M-Pinsir, even though less common, is able to do big damages to your team, as your only Flying resist is hit by either EQ or CC and Scarf Ninja is hit by Quick Attack before it clicks Rock Slide. Last threat I notified is Kartana. It is a major threats to FWG cores like the one you use, and it's able to put in a lot of pressure as well, with Grassy Terrain boosting its Grass STAB too. I have some ideas that won't change much your team, but will probably improve it, so let's start !_!

>

That's my only major change, Zapdos over Tornadus-T. This change is pretty cool here as it provides you some things you really needed. You said Mega Gyarados is scary to face and Zapdos is an answer to this Pokemon as it takes on well its moves, even after a Dragon Dance. I brought up Tornauds-T and Mega Pinsir as threats, and Zapdos is like one of their best checks in the game thanks to its typing and its bulk. It's able to take on Hurricane and Return from Tornadus-T and Mega Pinsir respectively relatively well and can KO them back with Discharge. I also notified Kartana as a threat, but Zapdos is also one of its best defensive checks, being able to avoid the 2HKO from all of its moves. It would also act as a second answer to Pokemon like Hawlucha that forced you to play carefully with Slowbro before. I'm suggesting the Defensive set with Discharge | Heat Wave | Roost | Defog, which means you don't lose your Defog support while losing Tornadus-T. Evs are 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe, with a Bold nature (check out its smogon analysis for explanation!).

I don't really see the point of using Groundium Z since even without that, you're still able to kill Toxapex, which is the reason you said to explain Heatran's item. That's why I'd suggest either Leftovers, Grassium Z or Firium Z. Leftovers is the standard item to run, and works pretty well here as well since it provides Heatran an appreciated form of recovery that combined with Tapu Bulu's Grassy Terrain makes it even better. Grassium Z is another item that could work here as M-Slowbro struggles against Bulky Waters like Gastrodon, and Z Solar Beam Heatan is able to lure it to make M-Slowbro's job easier, but it's pretty much matchup based. Firium Z is just to have a stronge nuke to hit harder anything, helping especially against Pokemon like Gliscor.

Last but not least, I'd give Greninja spikes. I don't think Low Kick is as helpful as before since now Zapdos takes on Mega Gyarados, and Heatran and Mega Tyranitar are not annoying. On the other hand, Spikes help you not lose momentum and would help you against playstyles like Balanced or Bulky Offenses by limiting switchins. It's also something really appreciated by teammates like CB Zygarde as Spikes hurt the likes of Tangrowth that are common checks to the Dragon.

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Importable

That's all, hope you'll like my changes and good luck with your team!

Hey, thanks a lot for the suggestions! I like the Zapdos change, definitely going to try that. I totally forgot to mention Kartana in my threatlist, but I knew it was pretty threatening, my b. I also really like Spikes on Gren since Zapdos can take on Gyarados now. Thank you, I'll try these out :)