[GSC OU] A team with which to learn GSC: Offensive Version

Discussion in 'Team Showcase' started by Jørgen, Jun 30, 2013.

  1. Jørgen

    Jørgen Sniper

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2011
    Messages:
    279
    Likes Received:
    27
    I'm posting this to serve as a starting point for people to get into GSC. This is my preferred of the two "standard" types of team.

    At a glance:
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Zapdos @ Leftovers
    - Thunder
    - Hidden Power [Ice]
    - Rest
    - Sleep Talk

    Sleep talker that absorbs status for the team, particularly Sleep. It's fast, so gets the first hit against most foes, and does a good job of stopping the Spikers from setting up what they need to do, so it's a good lead. Worst case it ends up against lead Raikou where it can afford to stay in to toss out a couple of Thunders hoping to paralyze. Outside of leading (which is not a huge part of its role), its combination of attack power, bulk, and speed allows it to be both a wallbreaker and key defensive Pokemon, making it the ultimate "glue" Pokemon. By the way, Thunder is used instead of Thunderbolt because it actually threatens Snorlax. HP Ice because hitting Exeggutor is very important to prevent it from just switching into Zapdos all day to pick and choose when it wants to Explode.

    [​IMG]
    Exeggutor (M) @ Leftovers
    - Psychic
    - Giga Drain
    - Sleep Powder
    - Explosion

    Exeggutor offers a lot defensively with its Grass typing. It's another Vaporeon check, another Ground check, and with its Explosion and Sleep threats it can even check Snorlax with the threat of counterplay. Aside from that, it can also put Skarmory/Umbreon to sleep on the switch and, if Spikes are down, really do damage with its STAB attacks, especially if the opponent is dancing around and trying too hard to avoid being Exploded on or having a non-Sleep Talker put to sleep. Of course, it's a Pokemon with a high ceiling but a low floor: sometimes, its low Speed, 4x weakness to Bug, vulnerability to status, and dependence on "gotcha" moves like Sleep Powder and Explosion can come back to bite it. All-in-all, I find Egg is best used mainly for its defensive utility in the early/middle game, and if it's kept relatively safe until then, becomes an absolute monster after 2-3 Pokemon die on both sides and a transition to an endgame occurs.

    [​IMG]
    Cloyster (M) @ Leftovers
    - Surf
    - Toxic
    - Spikes
    - Explosion

    Cloyster doesn't usually last too long. Its main job is to set Spikes, which can help my team to get KOs on the switch. After that, its aim is to scare off some Grounds and maybe even nail Snorlax with a Toxic/Explosion. Its Explosion is generally used defensively to prevent a Drumlax or Growth Vap sweep, as it's OHKOed and outsped by the Electric-type walls it lures in, and it does little to threaten Ghost-type switch-ins.

    [​IMG]
    Gengar (M) @ Leftovers
    - Thunderbolt
    - Ice Punch
    - Hypnosis
    - Explosion

    Gengar is great. Makes a great Cloyster switch-in as it blocks both Explosion and Rapid Spin. Has Hypnosis and Explosion to make threats like Exeggutor can. Has boltbeam to punish people afraid of taking Hypnosis or Explosion. And of course a nice Normal immunity and Freeze chance to play around with against stuff like non-EQ Snorlax and Miltank. Plus it's FAST, which is often underrated (but very important!) in GSC. Coupled with his offensive prowess, he can make for a damn good revenge killer with his Speed. For the most part, Gengar plays a similar role as Exeggutor, except he's more dangerous in the early/mid game due to his immunities and Speed, and his Explosion targets are generally more specific (generally either Snorlax or Raikou is Exploded on to open things up for Zapdos).

    [​IMG]
    Tyranitar (M) @ Leftovers
    - Rock Slide
    - Earthquake
    - Curse
    - Roar

    Tyranitar functions as the team's Phazer, Snorlax counter, and secondary Electric check. A lot of people might prefer Steelix or Rhydon in this role, but Ttar does two things I like. He can 2HKO Zapdos unlike Steelix (who is forced to use Explosion to threaten Zapdos), and lacks an Ice weakness unlike Rhydon (and I already have 2 Ice Weaks on this team, if I had another I'd be weak against Zapdos and Gengar). No Ground typing to absorb Thunders, but Exeggutor's resistance can be used to draw HP Ices for Ttar to switch in more easily. Plus Thunder can always miss if it comes down to that, whereas if I'm weak to Zapdos' Hidden Power I basically have no chance. I like Earthquake to allow a cold 2HKO against Raikou, in addition to netting coverage on Steelix, oppsoing Ttar, and (very important!) Nidoking. Curse makes him a better Snorlax check, as instead of being forced to passively Phaze and get worn down by the big lug, he can set up and threaten (albeit, rarely actually execute) a Counter-sweep with Curse + Roar. No Pursuit on this guy, I only really need the basics out of him here.

    [​IMG]
    Snorlax (M) @ Leftovers
    - Double-Edge
    - Earthquake
    - Curse
    - Rest

    Standard Curselax is another glue mon on this team. I use Earthquake to prevent Gengar/Misdreavus from walking all over me, and Double-Edge to hit Growl/Charm stallers like Miltank/Umbreon really hard on the switch. He also walls Electrics while threatening to set up and sweep, is another Rester to switch into Bulky Waters and Blissey to avoid having this offensive team be beaten by Toxic stallers, and of course can always sweep once its few counters are taken care of. Ain't much to say about this guy, he's the best Pokemon in the game, and much like Zapdos he doesn't do any one thing in particular, but rather is just so good in so many matchups that there's no real reason to NOT use him.



    I tried to keep descriptions more compact this time, and didn't run through every single move because, if you're not stupid, you can see "Surf" on Cloyster and figure out what it might be used for. As far as any team weaknesses, there aren't many. Heracross might pose a bit of a problem if Zapdos is out, although it's not unbeatable. Umbreon can also be problematic, as Tyranitar is the only Phazer for ML Pass sets, whereas Toxic sets can only really see Zapdos as the Resting switch-in since Snorlax gets neutralized by Charm. However, Spikes, Moonlight's 8PP (or dependence on Rest recovery) can wear Umbreon out pretty quickly. This team really doesn't have that many weaknesses, to be honest, as any defensive shortcomings can be overcome by Speed, Explosions, and the ability to actually attack. In other words, it doesn't rely on walling every threat and hoping to passively wear the opponent down, but instead likes to attack to wear the opponent down quickly, and uses those same attacks to gain counterplay in the event that the team's defenses are insufficient on their own. There's few specific synergies, instead everything just meshes together well naturally. Thus, this team is very easy and pretty fun to use.

    Finally, the importable:
    Zapdos @ Leftovers
    - Thunder
    - Hidden Power [Ice]
    - Rest
    - Sleep Talk

    Exeggutor (M) @ Leftovers
    - Psychic
    - Giga Drain
    - Sleep Powder
    - Explosion

    Cloyster (M) @ Leftovers
    - Surf
    - Toxic
    - Spikes
    - Explosion

    Gengar (M) @ Leftovers
    - Thunderbolt
    - Ice Punch
    - Hypnosis
    - Explosion

    Tyranitar (M) @ Leftovers
    - Rock Slide
    - Earthquake
    - Curse
    - Roar

    Snorlax (M) @ Leftovers
    - Double-Edge
    - Earthquake
    - Curse
    - Rest[/HIDE]
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Finchinator

    Finchinator IT’S FINK DUMBASS

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2012
    Messages:
    4,309
    Likes Received:
    2,287
    PO Trainer Name:
    Finchinator / Finch
    Hey Jorgen, great team. Glad you're sharing this with the playerbase so newer users can get into older tiers like GSC.

    I am not a GSC expert. Hell, I barely even play the tier - I have maybe a dozen games under my belt. However, is Roar actually needed on Tyranitar? I have a feeling that Rest, or something else in Tyranitar's huge movepool could be a viable alternative. Otherwise, I don't have anything else to nitpick or advise a change about .

    Nice team, great RMT. :p
     
  3. ZoroDark

    ZoroDark i know everything

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2011
    Messages:
    1,638
    Likes Received:
    1,075
    Hey Jorgen. Thanks so much for sharing this team with us. It'll help many new users get into the fantastic tier that GSC OU truly is.

    Just like Finch, I'm not a GSC expert at all. A combination of Skarmory + Snorlax looks pretty threatening and hard to break, so an all out attacking Snorlax with Fire Blast looks like it'd help for that minor thing. You lose out on your most threatening sweeper, though. The fact you opted for a Curse Lax after all probably means you have ways of beating this core anyway.

    I got nothing else to say. Great team and RMT!
     
  4. Fosco

    Fosco .dancin

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2012
    Messages:
    190
    Likes Received:
    6
    Hey thanks for sharing this team, really appreciated! I'll try it for sure. GSC deserves a larger playerbase.
     
  5. Alfalfa

    Alfalfa Underappreciated

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2013
    Messages:
    260
    Likes Received:
    9
    PO Trainer Name:
    Alfalfa
    Finch, he really needs a phazer in this metagame. Roar is actually needed.
     
  6. Xdevo

    Xdevo Phrasing Super Moderator Tour Director Super Moderator Tour Director

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2010
    Messages:
    2,526
    Likes Received:
    1,617
    After playing around on the GSC ladder (SO MANY GOOD PLAYERS), I found that I really like having Ice Beam on Cloyster. A lot of Zapdos and Exeggutor try to switch in, and Ice Beam lets me force Zapdos to Rest earlier and lets me take on Eggy a lot easier, forcing it to explode on something that isn't Snorlax or my Electric. The freeze chance is also kinda nice, even though its not all that reliable. Toxic is usually just going to be rested off, or wasted on something that will just boom later considering Cloyster's common switches.
    I also kinda like the all-out offensive Snorlax to keep the tempo that the team has, but that is just a personal preference.

    The team is really cool and standard and stuff (I use 5/6 members on my current GSC team, though only 2 have the same set). You're an awesome GSC player etc.
     
  7. Jørgen

    Jørgen Sniper

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2011
    Messages:
    279
    Likes Received:
    27
    All the suggestions (Fire Blast on Lax, Ice Beam on Cloy) all work. I prefer EQ on lax, though, since my Ttar isn't Pursuit (you can make it Pursuit, though, by all means!) and therefore stuff like Gengar and Misdreavus can be REALLY threatening. Plus, without EQ, opposing Tyranitar can be pretty tricky to deal with, too. Toxic on Cloy is my preference because it wears down Starmie/opposing Cloysters and can force CurseLax to Rest.

    Skarm + Lax actually isn't that tough to deal with. Skarm is just a chance to bring Zapdos in, who can shoot for paras on Raikou or big Thunder damage against Lax. Coupled with Spikes and Gengar's Explosion being able to take down Raikou, and Zapdos has a good chance of busting those standard stall teams wide open.

    As for Roar on Ttar, Alfalfa is right, a Phazer is necessary because Misdreavus/Umbreon/Jolteon/Snorlax exist. He needs to Roar. Aside from that, CurseTar can find offensive uses of Roar, as it allows him to avoid being forced out by a Phazing Skarm or (much more important) set up alongside a Curselax and then Roar it out for a sweep. With no Roar, Curselax stalls it and beats it given enough time.

    There's also a defensive GSC team I'm planning on posting later that's probably better-recognized by most as the "standard". However, this is a typical team in the offensive mold popularized by Borat's guides (granted there's no Vap on this team, but Vap wasn't integral to that team's success anyway) and it's just way easier to play aggressively like this than to try to stall with the more standard team imo.