ORAS LU Teambuilding Compendium Welcome to the ORAS LU Teambuilding Compendium! This thread helps providing a visual list of the role of viable Pokémon in the ORAS LU metagame. This will help new but also experienced players in finding Pokémon that fit their teams when looking for specific roles, as well as help players build more diverse teams by not always using the same Pokémon to fill the same role. The Pokémon are divided in sub-section in base of their role in the current tier; If there is a Pokémon which is not listed which can perform well in a certain role, please feel free to post about it, and we will discuss about adding it. Remember that this thread is not meant to be a place for discussion about the viability of Pokémon. Megas: Stealth Rock Users: Offensive: Defensive: Spikes Users: Toxic Spikes Users: Sticky Web Users: Hazard Control: Offensive: Defensive: Anti-Hazard Removal: Choice and Assault Vest Users: Choice Scarf: Choice Specs: Choice Band: Assault Vest: Wallbreakers: Stallbreakers: Pivots: Offensive: Defensive: Trappers: Priority Users: Supports: Wish: Bellers: Healing Wish: Rain: Setters: Abusers: Sun: Setters: Abusers: Stat-Uppers: Sword Dance: Nasty Plot: Bulk Up: Calm Mind: Dragon Dance: Agility/Rock Polish/Speed Boost: Shell Smash: Other: (Hone Claws)(Quiver Dance)(Curse)(Contrary)(Cosmic Power)(Belly Drum) Special thanks to Tricking for helping me with english n_n
Some things I feel are missing: Defensive Stealth Rock: Regirock Sticky Web: Leavanny (It can beat a pretty good portion of the tier's rockers and spinners and is significantly faster than Masquerian). Offensive Hazard Control: Kabutops, Braviary, Scyther Defensive Hazard Control: Avalugg, Crygonal Choice Scarf: Zoroark, Ninetales, Typhlosion Choice Specs: Rotom, Rotom-C, Ninetales Trappers: Probopass (don't laugh, with a Specs, Earth Power and HP Fire can kill off a surprising amount of steels). Rock Polish: Tyrantrum Other Stat Uppers: Sigilyph (Cosmic Power) As for some potential other categories: Phazer Status Spread (sub categories of Sleep, Paralysis, Poison, Burn, and Other) Rain Setter/Abuser Sun Setter/Abuser I'd also like to know what exactly qualifies a Pokemon as a "pivot" (for example, I'd argue that the entire Assault Vest section as well as every viable VoltTurner deserves that title).
In my eyes, offensive pivots are things that can switch into a number of pokemon in the tier with little fear and then act in a way that won't give up momentum. Using the assault vest users as examples, Escavalier can only really wall off specific pokemon. It has little utility other than hitting things really hard and Pursuit trapping specific things. It's very hard to keep momentum going with it because one wrong move and a pokemon that can either kill it immediately(nidoqueen, emboar, Tornadus) or isn't bothered by it much (vaporeon, gligar, Hitmontop unless banded) can switch right in and make you hard switch into something else. Whereas with something like Eelektross can both tank hits and has the movepool to threaten many of its potential switch ins. Nidoqueen doesn't want its Life Orb knocked off, shaymin and rotom c get hit hard by flamethrower, and obviously a lot of ground and water pokemon we have don't like taking giga drain, if only because it gives it more health for later. On top of all that it obviously gets volt switch and has a ground immunity for potential switch in opportunities. While Escavalier is stuck tanking everything. Defensive is a lot easier to look at objectively; Hitmontop can switch into something for intimidate then go to something else, slowking can fire off a scald or random move to possibly catch something then regen out if it makes a non-fatal mistake, all the usable wish passers should be there (like mega audino). Defensive pivots follow the same general scheme: all around bulky and can benefit an incoming teammate in a very good way. A lot of this list could be touched up, I wouldn't call scrafty a wall breaker and Slowking can be just as much of an offensive pivot as a defensive one. Overall this is really nicely made though.
I'm not really sure about it, why I should use Regirock when I can use Rhyperior? Masquerain as a niche as a bulky pivot with Sticky Web (it gets Scald, U-Turn and recovery), not sure about Leavanny but I'll add it because is the only Sticky Web setter that can beat Espeon in a 1v1 and has Knock Off (I'm still thinking that you shouldn't really use any SWeb setter apart from Shuckle) Added all bar Scyther (the 4x weakness to SR makes it really bad as a defogger) Added all, not sure about Zoroark, it can use all choice items without problems but most of the time is just orbed or use Black Glasses, should I add it? Magneton is so much better, also Magnet Pull is not so strong in the current metagame, because LU steel Pokémon are really difficult to trap (Doublade is a Ghost so it can't be trapped, AVest Escavelier survives a HP fire and can shot back with Drill Run both Magneton and Probopass, Durant outspeeds both bar scarf Magneton and can easily runaway with BPass or just use Superpower, Mega Steelix just survives all Probopass/Magneton moves and can shot back with eq), I think that it hasn't a niche in the tier :\ Added Added Rain and Sun Setters/Abusers; Status Spread is just to generic, almost every Pokémon in LU can run a status move, while I think that the role of the Phazer isn't so important in ORAS I think that PNerd explained this really well Also added Malamar to Stat-Uppers (other) and Mega Audino and Granbull to defensive pivots and Ditto to scarf users I'm not sure about Slowking to Offensive Pivots, because mostly is used as a defensive Pokémon but it has solid offensive capabilities. Scrafty with a Band or with a Dragon Dance boost can be a Wallbreaker, it has good STABs and hard hitting moves (like HJK or Head Smash)
Hi on phone atm away from PO today travelling. Anyway Zoroark to scarf is actully a useful lure set. Faster than some threats you might be able to beat like virizion or durant in 1 on 1 if they are low HP. Also gets trick to mess with walls. Specs is also a viable zoroark set so its capable of pretty much all 3 choice item sets. If we are adding mantine to devensive hazard control add pelipper too. Has defog roost and can run scald and is a slow u-turn user as a pivot defogger. Also its got good bulk. Especially if we are adding pretty meh/bad spinners like cryogonal and avalugg who hate about 80% of our current metagame. 2 things I would like opinions on. Adding Golurk to offensive SR setter. No Guard Dynamic Punch is basically a free set turn if they are slower than you and Golurk isnt all that fucking slow if you invest in speed but it is decently bulky if you go that way. Also thoughts of adding Barbaracle to Shell Smash users? It doesnt get the luxury of being moderately slow like omastar or gorebyss if you want to really sweep, but with the right set up its a frickin strong physical Smash user thats main downside is that it crapshoots on lower accuracy moves. I wouldn't trust it, but it is an option. Can't think of too much else to add or change despite not agreeing that Braviary really isnt too useful for offensive defog, but that would be debateable. Amazing work on this @NaCl .
I agree that Regirock is overall worse than Rhyperior, but it's got better bulk on both sides and a few extra moves that the rhino doesn't have (the best of which being Thunder Wave and Explosion) that allow it to also function as a suicide lead. Phantom covered most of the things about Scarf Zoroark. The one thing I'd like to add is that the added prediction factor of a Scarf mixes with Illusion really well.
2 things: Chesnaught is not listed as a Spiker Nor Defensive Pivot Metagross isn't in the Priority (Bullet Punch) or Assault Vest section.
I went ahead and added Cloyster to the lines of Spikes User, Toxic Spikes user, and Defensive Hazard Control. Learns both hazards + rapid spin, and I know in the past in matches I've seen variants of those used, so figured might as well re-add them to the mix, because while outclassed in several ways, it's still usable in that kind of way.
Removed: Froslass P-Z A random leftover Tornadus-I because must have overlooked it's picture Sharpedo Surprisingly there wasn't any Seismitoad or Magneton on here for me to remove, so lol I guess? Will add drops to various roles later.
Pls add Celebi as a wall breaker and nasty plotter as its NP plus 3 moves (Giga/Psychic/Earth Power) breaks through Alo/Other Bulky waters, Evio Gligar pretty nice after a single +2 boost with Meadow Plate/LO. @Xdevo can confirm u_u
Removed a few more things in the tier that aren't here anymore. Added Celebi to all where I believe is applicable, though if anyone thinks it should be added to offensive SR let me know, though any use of it more than likely is defensive SR anyway. Added Vaporeon various places too. If P2 ends up as a first suspect I'm not gonna add unless it's determined it stays (otherwise no point in adding it). Adding Klefki.
Removed all the rises from the list, so Houndoom, Abomasnow (Mega), Tangrowth, Medicham, Aggron (Mega), and Slowking from all applicable positions. Added Mega Ampharos to Megas and Agility position. Added Roserade to Spiker, Toxic Spiker, and Choice Specs position. Readded Rotom-Mow to Choice Scarf, Specs, Offensive Pivot and Defensive Pivot. Added Absol to Swords Dance, Priority users and Trappers. Added Toxicroak to Priority users, Swords Dance users, Bulk Up users, and Nasty Plot users. Tentatively added Donphan to Offensive and Defensive SR'ing and Spinning. If it falters at any given one, will remove, but effectively it should be able to do all four. Going to wait to see how Roserade and Mega Amphy look at being functional pivots before adding them to that category. Going to wait before giving Quagsire any position on here. Going to wait before giving anyone any kind of wallbreak or stallbreaker position at the current time. Gonna wait before assigning more to anyone that dropped. If there's anything I missed, let me know because I'm still going at this somewhat blind until I get a new set of glasses. Edit: Added Hitmonlee to Choice Band users because it wasn't there for some odd reason.
Mega Amph in- Rain Abuser (THUNDER!!!), I can also say that the specially def set is a good defensive pivot and the All-out attacker is good as an offensive pivot as that is the one am mainly using. Toxicroak- Rain Abuser(?) Dry Skin gives healing which is cool. Heliolisk- Rain Abuser (Surf and Thunder used a lot.) Sun Abuser (?) Solar Power+HP Fire for steels sounds good on paper, now that I told this I am going to test this.
Add Gligar (SR, Defog, Pivot), Arcanine (Prio, Band, Off and Def Pivot, Wallbreaker), Shaymin (Healing Wish and Wallbreaker) ,Quag (Curse and Def Pivot) and CM Aromatisse probably.