SM OU My first RMT. Banded Zeraora OU team.

[wizzzd]

First of all Hi. I'm wizzzd, this is my first RMT, and here's my Zeraora OU team.
This team is a form of Bulky Offense that can threaten from both sides and setsup the win for Zeraora to sweep with Plasma FIsts and/or Close Combat.
So here we go.



Zeraora @ Choice Band
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]


Ever since Zeraora was placed in OU I've been trying to make a team for him, and I feel like this is the best one. He's the star sweeper of the team, with a band boosted plasma fists and close combat he can kill almost anything. Knock Off is there for the utility and HP Ice for coveredge.





Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Roost
- Earthquake


Next up I was looking for a stealth rocker and at first Lando was my pick but as I tested the team I liked Lando less and less. Then Gliscor got moved into OU and I've tried the taunt set. Because Zeraora is banded and has no moves like Volt Switch/U-Turn (Have tried them out but didn't really like them) he can get easly stalled out. Taunt is amazing for taking care of mons like Scizor and defensive Mew that wall out Zeraora. And the rest of the set is pretty self explanatory, EQ for STAB and Roost for Recovery.



Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Aurora Veil
- Moonblast
- Substitute


Again something that can help Zeraora sweep and again a new addition to OU, Snow Warning Alolan Ninetales brings hail wich can help Zeraora sweep. But why Ninetales and not something like TTar? Well TTar brings in sand threats that can destroy Zeraora and doesn't really have the utility that Ninetales has. It also covers the annoying bulky ground types that wall out Zeraora when behind a sub.





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


Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Heavy Slam
- Protect
- Flamethrower


Next up I was looking for 2 walls, but since my team is kinda offensive I didn't want to lose momentum with something like a chansey. And these 2 certainly don't give up momentum with Tangrowth being able to switch out into mostly anything and also being able to threaten offensively, and Celesteela having leech seed making things switch out on it making my opponent lose momentum.




Latios-Mega @ Latiosite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Roost
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock


Last I needed a mon that can threaten from the special side, so I decided for Calm Mind Mega Latios. This mon is really amazing having levitate and being able to setup on something like a defensive lando w/o HP Ice when you switch into his EQ. He is a really good offensive threat can hit hard on the special side wich this team really appreciates. The set is the standard Calm Mind Mega Latios set With Draco Meteor and Psyshock for STAB and Roost for recovery.

 

[HyperRaichu17]

Hi there, I’m more of a junior member of the forums but I’ll try to give you my opinion on this team anyway. Keep in mind it’s not as good as some one more experienced.


First off, and a huge flaw, I noticed your team is glaringly weak to ice types. Gliscor and Latios will be forced to switch vs ice types, thus losing you momentum. Celesteela is your only safe ice type switch in. Yes, Ninetales does pack a resist, but with coverage options like hp fire, it will get worn down. Instead of latios I’d take blacephalon. While it can’t switch in to ice types, it can certainly keep them out of the game. While most ice types can’t switch in too much because of stealth rocks, an ice type lead will keep gliscor from setting them up at least for a while.


A second flaw is the lack of a Defog/ rapid spinner. Unfortunately, gliscor has only 4 slots, so in taking Defog, you’d have to pass up either roost or taunt. While I can’t think of a quick and easy solution, you can replace gliscor with the likes of Excadrill, which will help out with the ice type weakness, though it does mess up the synergy a bit. But because Ninetales is weak to rocks, and the other pokes don’t appreciate the constant damage (especially not Zeraora when forced switch) I’d recommend a Defog/spinner.


Next up is the teams weakness to fire. While not as big a problem as ice, Ninetales, and both of your walls are weak to fire types, like blacephalon. As a result, I’d switch out celesteela for Excadrill (if you want to keep gliscor which you should. Anyway as latios has good enough sp def after a few calm minds, you don’t need it, you could add a few ev’s there if you wanted. Latios has the added bonus of resisting fire.) if using blace instead, then leave the walls as are,

Lastly is the fact your team lacks priority and status. Priority is very important for nabbing ko’es on low health threats, and status will wear down foes. On that last note, your team is hugely vulnerable to status. Zeraora will be neutered by a burn and is vulnerable to toxic wearing it down, ending any sweeps. Once Zeraora is gone, you’ll have a tough time winning, especially if latios is poisened, all the more reason to add a spinner to eliminate t spikes. And your team is vulnerable to being picked off by powerful priority, especially ice shard as it will almost 100% ohko gliscor.


About Blacephalon: I’m pushing blace so much because, like Zeraora, blace is a fast sweeper, with great mixed stats, and a typing that will benefit your team. Yes, blace makes the team weak to priority, and it doesn’t have any bulk, but it is a promising Pokemon.



All this said, I’m not the best at competive battling, so I could be wrong, but I outlined a few basic threats.

 

[Indigo Plateau]

Hey wizzzd! Zeraora rarely sees any usage in the OU ladder, but it definitely has potential if used properly.

=========================

Let's start by identifying some specific threats to your team, which will help us make changes later on.

Fire-types that can threaten Mega Latios, your Fire-type resist, are very threatening to your team. Heatran can either Toxic Mega Latios or hit it with a Corkscrew Crash at the right time, while Volcarona can set up and proceed to 6-0 your entire team.

Mega Mawile has seen a big rise in usage due to its amazing power, and with a simple combination of Play Rough + Knock Off, it is a huge threat to your team.

Similarly, Ash-Greninja is a huge threat because your best resist is Tangrowth. Tangrowth does a good job at checking it, but it's going to get worn down rather quickly with Spikes after switching in a few times.

Magnezone has the ability to trap Celesteela, and when paired with something like Mega Alakazam, it can become quite scary. Gliscor isn't the most reliable answer either due to your physically defensive spread.


=========================

>

Mega Latios is in a pretty awkward spot currently, because as an offensive attacker, it's mostly outclassed by Mega Alakazam in the current metagame. I'm recommending Mega Alakazam here over Mega Latios, as Alakazam can still run a Calm Mind set effectively and helps you outspeed threats like Ash-Greninja, Scarf Magnezone, and speed tie against opposing Mega Alakazam, all of which can be threatening to your team. On top of the additional speed it adds to your team, Mega Alakazam can also help weaken opposing Steel-types, easing prediction off of Zeraora and potentially allowing you to spam Plasma Fists late-game.

>

Alolan Ninetales is extremely awkward on this team. Aurora Veil helps set-up sweepers, but Zeraora will always be locked into one move and it doesn't benefit it, which is what you wanted it to do. This type of team isn't an Aurora Veil team, so instead, I recommend running Toxapex here to ease your matchup against opposing Fire-types, which are a huge nuisance, and also have a secondary check to Ash-Greninja. Additionally, Toxapex can help Toxic potentially problematic Pokemon for Zeraora, such as Tangrowth, Mega Lati@s, and Zygarde.

Fire Punch > Hidden Power Ice
I understand that you want to nail Ground-types with Hidden Power Ice, but it's very prediction reliant and you can still cripple them with Knock Off. Fire Punch allows your team to hit Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, two Pokemon that completely wall your team if Celesteela, your only answer to both of them, goes down. Tangrowth also does a decent job at handling most Ground-types with Hidden Power Ice anyways.

EV Change
Your Gliscor set is pretty weird, as it looks like you want it to be a physically defensive wall, but I don't see what benefits it brings to your team. I'm recommending the standard spread of 244 HP / 44 Def / 108 SpD / 112 Spe with a Jolly nature, which allows you to outspeed Heatran, check Mawile lacking Ice Punch, and be as specially defensive as possible. This spread brings more utility to your team than the one you currently have. Another optional change would be removing Taunt for U-turn, allowing you to bring Zeraora in safely, as you currently rely on double switching to do that.

EV Change
This is just a quick optimization of Celesteela's EVs, preventing the 2HKO from Choice Specs Tapu Lele's HP Fire while maintaining its physical bulk to take on the likes of Mega Pinsir and other physical attackers. The spread I'm recommending is 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD with a Relaxed nature.

=========================

(click me!)

Above is an importable of the final version of your team. I tried maintaining its original structure the most I could, but it still does have some weaknesses. No Fairy-type means that

can become a bigger threat if it catches Tangrowth with an Outrage since it's your main switch-in to it.

currently has no switch-ins, but luckily, it can't come in freely on much. Lastly, setup sweepers like

can be annoying to deal with due to your lack of a Choice Scarf user.

Good luck with the team, and let me know if you have any questions!

 

[wizzzd]

Thank you for your replies i did try out the suggested team and I have to admit i like it a lot.