My First Competitive Team (OU)

[extremixgaming]

Hey Pokebeach! It's been a long time since I logged on here, and i am back! Today I am going to show you my first competitive team (OU) in a while! All suggestions will be overviewed, and I would love for people to help me improve it!

Version 1

Spoiler

Killer Croc (Krookodile) (M) @ Black Glasses
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Foul Play
- Earthquake
- Sandstorm

I chose Krookodile because of it's high attack and ability to dish out high damage, especially with moxie. Sandstorm doesn't really fit but could be useful at some point. Outrage is a move nobody expects on Krookodile and helps it take care of grass/water pokemon. I chose to give his HP EV's so that he is able to keep the sweep up longer while still being able to take decent hits.

Cho'Gath (Volcarona) (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Heat Wave
- Giga Drain
- Hurricane
LoL eh? This bugger is my fastest and second most reliable sweeper on the team, right behind reuniclus. Giga Drain helps get rid of those pesky rock and water types. I put focus sash on so that it is impossible to OHKO her, leaving her a turn to giga drain the life out of whatever pokemon nearly killed her. I am a bit concerned about the small amount of stat-raising moves i have on this team, but i have survived through battles without them. And yes, I know Cho'Gath is a guy. I'm just a rebel that way.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (Reuniclus) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 126 SAtk / 126 SDef
Gentle Nature
- Psychic
- Calm Mind
- Energy Ball
- Thunder
The cellular pokemon is the main muscle of the team, providing it with a fast sweeper that can pretty much two hit at least 60% of the metagame. I am a little hesitant about the choice specs, however, because they limit me to only one move, unless i want to switch out. Regenerator covers the switching out part, but i still don't want to be sacrificing for a piece of a cell to get some of its hp back. It's EV's are spread in a way that allows it's special stats to cover it's weaknesses, while still being beefy in the HP.

Gemini (Starmie) @ Rindo Berry
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Power Gem
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
This Pokemon is THE problem of the team.
I can never find a good use for him. Sure, he's won me a couple battles, but most of the time, he just dies. He usually gets a turn of action, for the rapid spin, maybe two if he's lucky, but usually he's an empty space on my team that makes me lose faster. I would appreciate it if you guys give me suggestions on how to fix it.

Domo (Ferrothorn) @ Life Orb
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Lax Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Energy Ball
- Power Whip
This guy is ALWAYS my starter. His Lax nature generally sends him into battle quite ready, and I always get some rocks up. The problem with him is his lack of rapid spin. If Starmie and Ferrothorn could be brought together into one, rock-setting, rapid-spinning pokemon, I would be very happy. His life orb is there to give him some extra attack power in battle. I want to replace energy ball with another physical move, but i don't know what would fit.

Swagonite (Dragonite) @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
Dragonite is the pokemon who's moveset i have the most trouble with. I want to keep dragon dance and thunder wave, but outrage seems like a staple to him. And it seems that no matter how many speed Ev's i put on him, he never seems to be fast enough. I just recently put the leftovers on him to help with his constant getting OHKO'd.

Disclaimer! I am a noob, and this is my first competitive team. Please don't be too harsh and give constructive criticism. All suggestions would be appreciated! TY!

 

[Cinesra]

Plenty of things to fix, but overall it isn't nearly as bad as plenty of other first teams I've seen. I'll do each Pokemon in the order you have them listed.

Killer Croc (Krookodile) (M) @ Black Glasses
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Foul Play
- Earthquake
- Sandstorm

Your team is weak to physical attackers such as Talonflame, Terrakion, and Mega Charizard X and a Landorus-T would fix this. Lando is bulkier and harder hitting than Krookodile. I'd recommend something like this:

Spoiler

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn

If you want to keep using an offensive Krookodile, although I feel a defensive set with Taunt and Intimidate is better, you should make the following changes:

Spoiler

Foul Play is only good on defensive Pokemon that don't have a high Attack stat, unlike Krookodile. Use Knock Off instead. The ability to remove your opponent's item is amazing. Outrage isn't good without STAB and with the introduction of Fairies (which get super effective STAB against you) Outrage is really more of a liability. Replace it with Stone Edge. It gets great coverage with EQ and is still pretty powerful. Sandstorm is also pretty useless because it really doesn't help your team at all. Use Pursuit instead. The ability to KO your opponent on a switch is more useful.

Move the HP EV's into Speed and use a Jolly nature. Krookodile really isn't bulky enough for it to be worth investing in, especially without Intimidate. Replace Black Glasses with Life Orb. LO boosts all of your moves instead of just the Dark ones and it's worth the recoil. Personally, I think a defensive Krookodile set with Intimidate and Taunt is better than an offensive one, but I just figured I'd give you a better example of an offensive set than what you were already going with. It'll help you with Talonflame, Mega Charizard-X, and Terrakion which pretty much 2HKO your entire team.

Here's the defensive set I mentioned earlier:
Krookodile @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Taunt
The 248 HP EV's let you survive another switch into SR. Taunt is great at shutting down defensive Pokemon and set-up sweepers and Intimidate lets Krookodile take on physical attackers. Lando is still way better at this, though.

Cho'Gath (Volcarona) (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Heat Wave
- Giga Drain
- Hurricane
LoL eh? This bugger is my fastest and second most reliable sweeper on the team, right behind reuniclus. Giga Drain helps get rid of those pesky rock and water types. I put focus sash on so that it is impossible to OHKO her, leaving her a turn to giga drain the life out of whatever pokemon nearly killed her. I am a bit concerned about the small amount of stat-raising moves i have on this team, but i have survived through battles without them. And yes, I know Cho'Gath is a guy. I'm just a rebel that way.

The biggest part of what makes Volcarona good is Quiver Dance, so replace Hurricane with it. It only has 70 accuracy and isn't really helping you much. Replace Heat Wave with Fiery Dance or Fire Blast. Fiery Dance has a 50% chance to further raise your Special Attack and Fire Blast has more raw power, but at the cost of PP and accuracy. Swap Giga Drain with Roost. Roost is more reliable at healing and thus lets you last longer and the things Giga Drain helps you with are generally handled in combination with Quiver Dance and Roost.

Replace Focus Sash with Leftovers. Focus Sash is really only useful on frail Pokemon that are easily KO'd otherwise and Volcarona is pretty bulky. SR and sandstorm, while not as common as they used to be, can still break Sash, as can Hail and multi-hit moves but those aren't used. Change its nature to Bold and make its EVs 248 HP/192 Def/68 Speed. This gives it maximum bulk to keep setting up those Quiver Dances to keep killing things while being able to survive an extra switch in to SR and being able to outspeed Greninja at +1 in addition to Adamant Breloom and Cloyster with no boosts.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (Reuniclus) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 126 SAtk / 126 SDef
Gentle Nature
- Psychic
- Calm Mind
- Energy Ball
- Thunder
The cellular pokemon is the main muscle of the team, providing it with a fast sweeper that can pretty much two hit at least 60% of the metagame. I am a little hesitant about the choice specs, however, because they limit me to only one move, unless i want to switch out. Regenerator covers the switching out part, but i still don't want to be sacrificing for a piece of a cell to get some of its hp back. It's EV's are spread in a way that allows it's special stats to cover it's weaknesses, while still being beefy in the HP.

I'd like to ask a few questions to begin with. Why are you calling Reuniclus a fast sweeper? It has terrible speed(base 30 is terrible unless under Trick Room). Why do you have Specs and Calm Mind at the same time? Locking yourself into only being able to use a boosting move, and not even attack is a terrible idea.Why do you have 4 ATK EVs and no physical moves? Why do you have a Gentle nature when you could reduce your unused Attack stat? Is there a specific reason for those 126 EVs in SPA and SPD, or did you just decide to split the remaining 252 for shits and giggles?

Unfortunately, the gen 6 meta has been very unkind to Reuniclus to the point that it's no longer worth running. Knock Off, Aegislash, Bisharp, and Scizor are everywhere, plus Clefable walls the CM set. Reuniclus is outclassed as a Specs user and is weak to Pursuit, which is bad for a Choice locked Pokemon. The Trick Room set is now its best set, but I wouldn't recommend using it on the same team as fast attackers(Starmie, Dragonite, Volcarona). You should swap Reuniclus for Scizor. Scizor is a great Pokemon with good bulk and even better power. I'd recommend the following:

Spoiler

Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Knock Off
This set lets you boost on Mega Venusaur, hurts Lati@s and Kyurem pretty bad, and is both a solid revenge killer and set-up sweeper. Roost is to extend longevity and heal off Life Orb recoil. Knock Off is Scizor's best coverage move because it hits Aegislash, plus the whole remove the opponent's item. A different set with Defog can be run if you want extra insurance against Stealth Rock. That set would be:
Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Defog
- U-turn
- Superpower
U-Turn is a great STAB move for scouting and Superpower is a great move to use against switch-ins like Tyranitar, Scizor, or a Bisharp expecting a Defog.

If you decide to keep Specs Reuniclus:

Spoiler

Magic Guard should generally be used because is one of the best abilities in the game because it protects you from damage from hazards, status, weather, and Life Orb recoil and Reuniclus can heal with Recover and Lefties. However, that is because Reuniclus typically runs a Trick Room or Calm Mind set where you will be staying in and benefiting from being immune to residual damage and LO recoil instead of switching in and out more like a Specs set and therefore healing with Regenerator. Focus Blast and Shadow Ball give way better coverage than Energy Ball and Thunder (70 accuracy is garbage) because they hit Dark, Steel, and Ghost types aka the biggest threats to Reuniclus for super effective damage. Make the set max HP max SpA and the nature Modest.

Gemini (Starmie) @ Rindo Berry
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Power Gem
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
This Pokemon is THE problem of the team.
I can never find a good use for him. Sure, he's won me a couple battles, but most of the time, he just dies. He usually gets a turn of action, for the rapid spin, maybe two if he's lucky, but usually he's an empty space on my team that makes me lose faster. I would appreciate it if you guys give me suggestions on how to fix it.

This set is fairly solid, although Ice Beam is way better than Power Gem because it hits Dragon and Grass types that would otherwise wall you for super effective damage and Power Gem really doesn't help much. Rindo Berry is an okay item, but Life Orb is better on an offensive spinner. You may find Psyshock/Psychic more useful than Tbolt because it hits Mega Venusaur for super effective damage and it would otherwise shit all over Starmie. You may also want to try Analytic instead of Natural Cure. They are both great abilities and Natural cure does stop T-Wave from destroying you, Analytic gives you a 30% power boost if you're hit on the switch or by priotity. If you still don't like any of these changes, you could try switching Scizor to the Defog set I listed and replace Starmie with maybe Latias. Latias can also learn Defog and is good insurance against surprised coverage moves and to revenge kill Heracross or Infernape with Rock moves for Volcarona and Dnite. It also gets Healing Wish to restore an injured teammate and can allow a second chance at a sweep and is also a way out if you get Pursuit trapped. Something like this:

Spoiler

Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish

Domo (Ferrothorn) @ Life Orb
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Lax Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Energy Ball
- Power Whip
This guy is ALWAYS my starter. His Lax nature generally sends him into battle quite ready, and I always get some rocks up. The problem with him is his lack of rapid spin. If Starmie and Ferrothorn could be brought together into one, rock-setting, rapid-spinning pokemon, I would be very happy. His life orb is there to give him some extra attack power in battle. I want to replace energy ball with another physical move, but i don't know what would fit.

Your team has problems with Thundurus and Keldeo. Luckily, Mega Venusaur can fix this and still handle most of the things Ferrothorn does and more. While Ferrothorn is a good Pokemon, Venusaur is more beneficial to your team. Here's a good Venusaur set:

Spoiler

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spd
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
HP Fire is here to hit Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Mega Mawile among other things. The Speed EVs are to outspeed Adamant Mega Mawile and Azumaril.

If you decide to still use Ferrothorn:

Spoiler

Never use a special move on something with a SpA stat as low as Ferrothorn. Replace it with Gyro Ball. GB not only gets STAB, but is also powered up by Ferrothorn's ridiculously low Speed (even slower than Reuniclus). Make sure to run 0 Speed IVs to make Gyro Ball more powerful. Change your ability to Relaxed to further boost the power of Gyro ball. Lax is never used by anything to my knowledge because there's never any reason to raise one defensive stat and lower another. Typically the only times a defensive stat reducing nature is used instead of one that lowers the attacking stat you don't use or speed is on a mixed sweeper, and they always raise Speed or one of their attacking stats. Since I recommend you use Stealth Rocks on Landorus-T, you should replace SR on Ferro with Leech Seed. Healing yourself while damaging your opponent is always good.

Ferrothorn is a defensive Pokemon and not an offensive one, so you should never use Life Orb on it. It could really appreciate some recovery, so Leftovers is highly recommended, but Rocky Helmet can be used to rack up more residual damage in tandem with Iron Barbs and Leech Seed.

Also for future reference, the Pokemon you send out first is called a lead, not a starter. The word starter refers to the first Pokemon you get in a game such as Chimchar or Turtwig.

Swagonite (Dragonite) @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
Dragonite is the pokemon who's moveset i have the most trouble with. I want to keep dragon dance and thunder wave, but outrage seems like a staple to him. And it seems that no matter how many speed Ev's i put on him, he never seems to be fast enough. I just recently put the leftovers on him to help with his constant getting OHKO'd.

Never use a Dragonite without Multiscale. Multiscale is one of the best abilities in the game and it is the main reason Dnite is so good. It's nearly impossible to kill while at full health and makes setting up Dragon Dances child's play. Get it, child's play? Because Pokemon is marketed toward children.Thunder Wave really isn't that useful on Dragonite. Extreme Speed is a great replacement, though, as it has 80 base power and out-priorities most priority moves such as Ice Shard. This should help your reported speed problem. Fire Punch is fine on Dragonite, but with Aegislash being super common, Earthquake is better. Plus it hits harder in general. You'll be walled by Skarmory, but now you can OHKO Heatran instead of get walled by it. You would probably be better off changing its item to Lum Berry, allowing you to not have a sweep ruined by status and potentially even setting up another DD against a predicted status move.