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February 6th, 2009 (3:32 PM). Edited June 7th, 2011 by Dark Azelf.
Threats in the OU Metagame
By Anti Pop Culture Warrior
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The release of Black and White introduced many new Pokémon and a few mechanics changes, many of them being of assistance to sweepers rather than walls. With more Pokemon than ever before and more movesets being discovered, more threats than ever loom in every corner on almost every team in today's fast-paced metagame. This guide gives a complete list of what Pokémon you might run into and how to reliably defeat them.
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Threat List
Here are the sweepers that you have to be able to defeat when battling in the Standard/OU Metagame. There will be a moveset listed, a description of it, and how to counter that particular moveset. It will descend roughly in the order of the popularity of both the Pokémon and the combined popularity of the movesets listed. Only offensive threats are listed, defensive Pokémon will be farther down on the list because their one attacking set isn't as common as their defensive one. It's not supposed to be exact though, especially given how much things can change.
Scizor is still a huge threat in Black and White with Technician, STAB-boosted Bullet Punch which keeps many threat in check as well as Swords Dance and Superpower at its disposal. Scizor is very bulky with pretty decent defensive typing, which makes it a very resilient sweeper. It also has very high Attack and threatens to pass stat-up boosts with Baton Pass, though it is most threatening as a CBer or SD sweeper. Not only that, but Scizor also can make great use of Pursuit and can Roost off Life Orb recoil if it wants to. Scizor can also scout with a Choice Banded U-Turn while doing a lot of damage in the process. Scizor has many things going for it that make it into a powerful Pokémon that cannot be ignored.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Choice Band Scizor is more of an immediate threat than SD Scizor, and it has some very interesting uses and is by far Scizors most common set. Pursuit (which is boosted by Technician) will decimate ScarfGar and [email protected] (which Scizor sometimes uses special defense evs for) on the revenge kill assuming they aren't using an attack that will knock out Scizor such as HP Fire. U-Turn provides a solid STAB attack that is very useful for scouting on top of doing damage, and Bullet Punch (also boosted by Technician, obviously) gives Scizor some revenge killing capabilities. Superpower wastes Heatran and Blissey in one hit. Choice Band Scizor is generally powerful and is a force that any team should be prepared for.
Defensive Zapdos is a good choice thanks to Heat Wave and Gyarados is another solid choice for countering it thanks to Intimidate, bulk and flying typing. Skarmory can Whirlwind it away, though it can't do any real damage to Scizor but it can set up Spikes which make it so Scizor cannot spam U-Turn all match. As long as it avoids Brick Break and can outspeed Scizor (and it usually can), Heatran is a decent switch-in. Magnezone can trap and kill Scizor every time with a Choice Scarf, but it can't switch in risk-free. Rotom-H can beat it easily via burning it and has the added bonus of destroying it with Overheat. Bulky Ghosts like Dusknoir, Chandeure, Dusclops, Cohagrigus and Jellicent wall Scizor with ease and can all burn it with Will-O-Wisp. Nidoqueen walls it rather well too and can hit it with Flamethrower as can defensive Salamence. Remember though, CB Scizor may be easy to check but you will find Stealth Rock + U-Turn wears down even the most solid counters so 4X resists to U-Turn are usually better.
Scizor @ Life Orb / Leftovers
Bulky Roost SD Scizor is a threat not many people are prepared for in the B/W ou metagame. This version of Scizor is tailor made to counter and check many top threats such as [email protected], Gengar and Reuniclus. It also sets up on would be checks to the CBer such as Gliscor and other bulky walls and tanks thanks to Roost. Swords Dance and Bullet Punch are still here and even with only 96 Attack evs will do massive amounts of damage. For example it OHKO's Gengar after Stealth Rock damage even without the SD boost. Bug Bite joins it for coverage and the Technician boost which makes it even more powerful. SuperPower is here for problem Steel and Fire Pokemon. This Scizor is an even bigger threat on Rain Dance teams thanks to the rain halving the power of fire-type attacks that so often hold Scizor back.
The same things that counter the CBer will generally counter the SDer. Steel types are at the top of the list, most notably Heatran. Magnezone works well too beware of SuperPower and Hidden Power Fire also may not OHKO this ev spread from ScarfZone. Zapdos walls bulky Roost Scizor with ease and has Heat Wave to OHKO. Impish Roar Gyarados takes little damage from everything and can force it out and racking up Spikes damage as can Skarmory, however as last Pokemon (meaning they cannot PHaze) Scizor will destroy both. Defensive Salamence can hit it with Flamethrower and can take its hits. Chandelure can take all of Scizors hits and KO back. Rotom-W and H make nice checks with HP Fire and Overheat respectively, possibly with Will-O-Wisp too. Bulky ghosts with Will-o-Wisp, Flamethrower Nidoqueen, Fire Punch Jirachi and Drought Ninetales are massive obstacles for this set so make good checks too. Walls and offensive Pokemon which cannot do sufficent damage will be set up on though, things like Gliscor, Metagross, Haxorus and non LO or Specs Starmie etc.
Scizor @ Life Orb
Offensive Swords Dance Scizor is a very potent threat and takes a more offensive approach on the previous set. After a Swords Dance, Bullet Punch does incredible amounts of damage to all kinds of Pokémon, including a few that actually resist the attack. Bug Bite is Scizor's way of destroying waters letting it OHKO many of them such as Vapoeon after a boost, while Brick Break/Superpower deals with steel-types. The latter is able to OHKO Heatran and Magnezone switch ins even unboosted and also 2hkoing Skarmory after a Swords Dance boost. Technician is what really helps Scizor shine, as the power boost to Bullet Punch is always welcome in addition to making Bug Bite Scarily powerful especial with max attack evs.
Heatran and Zapdos destroy it with their respective fire moves and bulky ghosts are excellent checks still as they can tank its moves and Will-O-Wisp Scizor. HP Fire Mangezone shuts SD Scizors sweep down completely and traps it. Hidden Power Fire Rotom-W 4x resists Bullet Punch and can OHKO the bug with ease, the same can be said about Rotom-H who can use Overheat. Both have the option of burning it too. Gyarados works thanks to Intimidate and its typing as can defensive Salamence with a fire move. Fire Punch Jirachi and Flamethrower Nidoqueen can stop its sweep. Once again walls which cannot do much to it must beware though as SD Scizor will easily overwhelm things like Skarmory, Gliscor and Hippowdon.
Heatran is one of the most common Pokémon in the OU metagame, and for a good reason. Gen 5 is a mixed bag for Heatran on one hand it got alot more counters and checks with things like Jellicent, Mach Punch becoming common and Drizzle Politoed but on the other hand Drought makes it even better. It has a long list of resistances thanks to its great defensive typing and the defenses to abuse them. It also has an astounding 130 base Special Attack and the Flash Fire ability, which makes Heatran a sturdy and powerful attacking force or a strong and resilient defensive Pokémon depending on what set Heatran is running. No matter what it's running, Heatran is a Pokémon that has a huge impact on the metagame.
Heatran @ Balloon / Life Orb
Non Choice Heatran is Heatrans most popular set. Fire Blast is its main STAB move and often stings even when resisted. Hidden Power Ice or Dragon Pulse deals with ScarfTran's Dragon counters while Earth Power deals with opposing Heatran and Tentacruel. Heatran boasts a decent bit of power and excellent coverage with this set, which makes it a potent threat. It can also come in on many popular Pokémon such as Ferrothorn and Scizor and set up Stealth Rock thanks to its many resistances and solid defenses. It even has the option of Nitro Charge sweep late game with the speed boost. Thanks to the Balloon this Heatran can even check boosting Dragons like Garchomp and Salamence in a pinch.
Countering Heatrans non choice set is not very difficult, as its moves will not be boosted unless it gets a Flash Fire boost or is on the same team as Drought Ninetales. Though Nitro Charges speed boost may cause issues especially to non scarf dragon checks. Bulky waters like Suicune, Politoed, Swampert, and Vaporeon all combat Heatran effectively, and standard special walls like Blissey and Snorlax also get the job done. Evo Porygon2 is a smart choice thanks to Trace, which allows it to absorb Heatran's STAB attack. Other than that basically the other counters to the Scarf set mentioned still apply here. Tyranitar can check decently. Revenge killing by Excadrill and faster Scarfers like Landlorus, Garchomp, Hydreigon and Terakion still work. The later 3 can switch into its STAB move too. Though one must be careful of using ground moves, if it has a Air Balloon, you will lose. Once again Heatran really despises STAB fighting priority too from Conkeldurr, Hitmontop and Lucario.
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
With a Choice Scarf equipped, Heatran makes a great revenge killer, taking out threats like SD Lucario, Scizor, Heracross, and Outraging dragons with ease. Heatran still hits fairly hard as well, so frail teams can really take a beating if they are too careless, but against bulkier things its rather weak. Fire Blast and Earth Power are its main moves and give great coverage. The 3rd slot takes out dragons with ease whilst the last slot is to hit bulky waters counters decently, with HP Grass for Swampert, Suicune etc and Dark Pulse being specifically for Jellicent, Slowbro and Starmie.
Blissey, Evo Stone Chansey and Snorlax work very well, especially the latter with access to Earthquake and its Thick Fat ability. Porygon2 remains a solid choice. Bulky waters remain good switch-ins such as Vaporeon, as is Tyranitar. Gyarados works but has to worry about Stealth Rock damage piling up, so they aren't good long-term solutions. Rest Talk Gyarados is a fine answer though without HP Electric. Politoed also can switch in and bring Drizzle making its fire moves pathetic for the rest of the match and even more useless against Rain Dance teams. Jellicent also walls it with relative ease. Garchomp, Hydreigon and [email protected] also serve as excellent checks as they can Earthquake or Surf respectively and resist fire. Conkeldurr, Hitmontop and Lucario can pick it off at low health with their fighting priority.
Heatran @ Choice Specs
Choice Specs Heatran isn't as common as its other sets, but this one has the potential to be the scariest. With a Flash Fire boost or on a Drought team there is hardly anything that wants to take hits from this, even water moves are halved so countering it could prove to be hard. Its even capable of 2hkoing the special defensive goddess that is Blissey with Fire Blast and 2hkoing Swampert who resists the move under sunlight which just shows its power. Dragon Pulse OHKO's every dragon in OU now with its boost in power and bulky waters don't even stand a chance against Hidden Power Grass as it 2hko's every one apart from Tentacruel and Gyarados.
Politoed gets a mention as the best thing to switch into Specs Fire Blast because of its Drizzle ability, not only killing Fire Blasts power but cancelling possible sun support too. 4X Fire resists like Kingdra are also excellent against this set. Snorlax works and so do specially defensive bulky waters. Blissey works granted it isn't in the sun or gets a Flash Fire Boost. Tyranitar can also cancel out the sun and has boosted sp.def in the sand to cushion everything but Earth Powers. Most of the other mentioned checks and counters work too such as bulky waters, granted they avoid HP Grass. Faster things as mentioned in the other sets are great as they prey on Heatrans lower speed on this set, like Garchomp and Terakion. Other Heatran make interesting checks as they can get their own Flash Fire boost and resist everything apart from Earth Power, which if they hold a Balloon will be a non issue.
Tyranitar is one of the best Pokémon in the OU tier, hands-down. Its STAB Stone Edge rips apart everything that doesn't resist it, including bulky physical walls like Skarmory. It can use Dragon Dance to boost its mediocre Speed as well, though that isnt as useful in gen 5 as it was in past gens due to its list of weaknesses and faster things even after a DD and also Mach Punch being common. Tyranitar is very bulky however thanks to 100 base HP, 110 base Defense, and 100 base Special Defense which is boosted by 150% by Sandstorm. This allows Tyranitar to come in on several Pokémon despite its long list of weaknesses. There isn't much that can stop Tyranitar from rampaging through a team. With gen 5 Sandstorm is also a fantastic supporting tool, it helps horribly powerful sweepers like Landlorus and Excadrill by activate their abilities which makes Tyranitar a great team player too.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
This is Tyranitars mix attacking set, capable of putting dents into nearly everything with its wonderful mixed offensive stats. It is usually seen as a tank with Stealth Rock, Sassy and the bulkier spread or as a faster wall breaker with an attack move over Stealth Rock. The faster variant is also EV'd to outspeed minimum speed Gliscor with a +speed nature. Crunch is the stab move of choice accompanied by Ice Beam to shred though ground types and Fire Blast to maul steel checks and counters. Stone Edge is for secondary STAB whilst SuperPower is for other Tyranitar and Heatran.
Not alot counters this set well due to its phenomenal coverage. Swampert is probably the #1 counter taking hardly anything from the moves. Closely behind Swampert are bulky fighting types like Conkeldurr, Machamp, Hitmontop, Hariyama and the like. Scrafty works too but fears SuperPower greatly. Kerudio and Poliwrath stop this set totally and resist everything thanks to their typing. This Tyranitar struggles with bulky waters in general like Vaporeon and Milotic too and can do very little damage to them.
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
"CBTar" uses its two high-powered Rock and Dark STAB attacks coming of a ridiculous 604 attack to punish the OU metagame, while Pursuit will trap and kill Pokémon like [email protected] and Rapid Spin Starmie. In the last slot, Aqua Tail decimates would-be counters like Hippowdon and Gliscor while doing a number on Lucario and bulky fighting-types. Earthquake is sometimes used instead of Aqua Tail to better deal with said bulky fighting-types a little better and the dangerous Lucario. Though Balloons presence in the standard metagame on ground weak Pokemon makes it a lesser option.
With Aqua Tail, the only safe counters to CBTar are Machamp, Hariyama and Hitmontop. Zuruzukin, Virizion, Poliwrath, Kerudio and Conkeldurr also wall everything it does. Everything else is at least 2HKOed by something Tyranitar can throw at them. If Scizor can avoid Stone Edge, it can force out Tyranitar with the threat of U-Turn and Bullet Punch. Garchomp in addition makes a good check and so does Breloom. Another check is Excadrill. Terakion is an switch in resisting 3/4 of its moves and will get a +1 attack boost from its Heart Of Justice ability if it comes in on a dark move, but watch out for moves in the last slot as they will hurt. Ferrothorn makes a rather good counter too resisting the whole set. Although it cannot switch in, Dugtrio can revenge kill and trap this set quite easily. Swampert is a good counter too, but is 3hko'd by Crunch. Hippowdon can come in on anything not called Aqua Tail as can Gliscor. Faster Skarmory makes a good counter too, being able to Roost on Stone Edges and thus PP stall.
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Choice Scarf Tyranitar is an anti metagame tool, a good revenge killer and makes a great fast Pursuit user. Many sweepers are at risk from its revenge killing powers including but not limited to non SD Lucario, Starmie, MixMence, Gengar, [email protected] and a whole host of others that cant outspeed its remarkably good 364 speed stat. Crunch and Pursuit put fragile sweepers into a trap. If they switch they get Pursuited and if they stay in they take a Crunch. Stone Edge lets ScarfTar dispose of threats like Gyarados aswell as being the most powerful move on this set. The last slot is to enable ScarfTar to hit specific targets; SuperPower covers other Tyranitar and also hits most other steel types incredibly hard, Scrafty too whilst Earthquake is your best option against Metagross and Jirachi.
Scarf Tyranitar really isnt too hard to wall, all of the previously mentioned counters work basically. The aforementioned Bulky Fighting types are the best counters, for example Conkeldurr who can also bypass its speed with Mach Punch. Bulky Ground types such as Gliscor, Hippowdon, Swampert etc shut down ScarfTar well. Steel types do fantastically if you don't switch them into one of the moves in the 4th slot. Skarmory walls this set easily too and can set up Spikes on it and Roost of any damage. Ferrothorn is a problem once again for Tyranitar if it gets in on anything not called SuperPower. Dugtrio outspeeds ScarfTar when Jolly and can trap it once again.
Tyranitar @ Air Balloon / Life Orb / Lum Berry
"DDTar" attempts to fix Tyranitar's only low stat, which is its Speed. After a Dragon Dance, it will outpace base 110 Speed Pokémon like Gengar and [email protected] It is normally sent out in the later stages of the match when its counters are weakened and its combination of bulk and power will allow it to overpower the opponent. This set isnt as useful in gen 5 as alot of things still outspeed it after a DD though it can catch a few unprepared teams off guard. It has that scary dual STAB rock and dark combo accompanied by Fire Punch to beat problematic steels such as Ferrothorn.
As with the other sets Fighting types such as Scrafty wall everything this set does, however Virizion and Breloom much watch out for Fire Punch as it will OHKO both of them after a boost. Conkeldurr, Hitmontop and Infernape can even bypass DD Tar's speed boost and hit it with Mach Punch. Ground types also work without Air Balloon but lose horribly if Tyranitar does hold it. Scizor can Bullet Punch to bypass its Dragon Dance boosts.
Dragonite has the best movepool of any dragon-type in OUs and the stats to abuse it. Dragonite is really scary in the late game when it can Dragon Dance or Agility once and sweep a team. It also has the ability to break stall with its high-powerful mixed sweeper set. Its defensive typing helps it out a lot, but the weakness to Stealth Rock is a thorn in Dragonite's side. In gen 5 Stealth Rock though has been easier to prevent than ever before with Magic Coat's new rebounding effects, the same with Magic Mirror, not to mention Mischievous Heart Taunt and a horribly powerful spinner in Excadrill. This all means Dragonite can fully abuse new toys like Multi Scale and Hurricane easily, something Salamence can never hope to do.
Dragonite @ Leftovers / Lum Berry
Bulky DD Dragonite has the ability to set up on would-be counters thanks to bulk, Roost and new Multi Scale ability (which multiplies its already good defences by 150% at full health) laughing off Ice Beams and even STAB super effective moves while Dragon Dancing up, this lets it find a niche that Salamence would never dream to accomplish. Dragon Claw is its main STAB though Outrage is an option for STAB with Earthquake for steels. This type of set comes at the expense of Dragonite's coverage though, as certain steel-types like Heatran can easily take even boosted Outrages easily, and without a Lum Berry, status will be a problem.
Heatran totally walls this set. Bulky Waters are the next best counters, especially those with Toxic. Milotic can even PHaze it with Dragon Tail. Pre Evo Stone Porygon2 with Toxic and Ice Beam is great to stop this set. Mamoswine and Weavile still threaten Dragonite with Ice Shard at less that 100% health. Scarf Terakion and other Scarfers like Garchomp and Hydreigon can also revenge kill and check with ease, bear in mind though if Dragonite is at 100% health, hardly anything will OHKO, no matter how strong due to the ridiculous defensive boost Multi Scale grants. Dragon Tail/Roar Impish Gyara can keep PHazing it and checking it with Intimidate. Hippowdon and Swampert can keep PHazing it too. Whimsicottis also a problem with its priority Encore. Icicle Spear Cloyster is a 100% counter as it breaks Multi Scale and OHKO's.
Dragonite @ Life Orb
"MixNite" follows in the footsteps of MixMence as a powerful mixed sweeper capable of breaking stall wide open. Unlike MixMence's Brick Break, MixNite's Superpower will OHKO Heatran, Blissey, and Tyranitar. It has perfect coverage with Draco Meteor as well, and Fire Blast deals with Metagross, Bronzong, and Skarmory. Roost helps with Life Orb recoil and especially Stealth Rock damage. Extremespeed is useful to pick of low health faster Pokemon and helps with Sash leads should you lead with this set.
Pre Evolution Stone Chansey and Porygon2 are a rather good counters as even SuperPower wont OHKO. Pre Evo Stone Dusclops can work in a similar manner too. Deoxys-D, Milotic, Cresselia, Suicune, and Vaporeon all make good checks with Ice Beam. Burungeru takes a lot of damage from Draco Meteor, but it can work too. Revenge killing and checking is alot easier though. ScarfTar is a good check and can outspeed and hit it with Stone Edge. Steels like Scizor and Heatran can come in on Draco Meteor and do heavy damage. Mamoswine and Weavile can revenge as can Garchomp and [email protected] and basically any scarfer like Terakion.
Dragonite @ Life Orb / Lum Berry
Dragonite can sweep anything in the late stages of a battle with this set, and sometimes it doesn't even have to wait that long. Outrage's side effects are avoided with Speed boosts (preventing most revenge kills) and Lum Berry (blocking out confusion). Earthquake and Fire Punch hits all the steels who are likely to cause issues. Extremespeed is sometimes seen on this set to decimate faster Scarfers, it also takes out Weavile who can no longer Ice Shard you. Extremespeed also helps differentiate itself from Salamence who is otherwise a superior Dragon Dancer.
Pre Evo Stone P2 and Dusclops stop this set. Cresselia, Skarmory and Bronzong are great counters, and bulky waters do the trick though they take a lot from Outrage the only ones who can really stand up to that power is Suicine and a full health Swampert. Hippowdon with Ice Fang or Roar (with with Stealth Rock and SS and LO recoil Nite will be worn down) is a counter. Scarf Jirachi and Scizor are also decent ways in "checking" it, especially after Stealth Rock damage. Porygon2 with Evo Stone beats this set and so can Dusclops. Gyarados (the bulkier the better) serves a good check again. Scarfers like Garchomp and Terakion can outspeed and OHKO even after a DD. Mamoswine can KO with Ice Shard and is bulky enough to take an Extremespeed, the same with Cloyster.
Dragonite @ Leftovers
This is Dragonites rain tank set and serves a great niche on rain teams. On said rain teams all of its moves gain a significant boost and with can serve as a bulky wall breaker of sorts. Hurricane is the STAB move of choice and becomes 100% accurate in the rain, ripping into almost anthing with its 120 base power and confusion rate. Thunder and Surf are for coverage. Thunder also has 120 power and maims bulky water types and Skarmory. Surf gains psuedo STAB in the rain and hits steel types very hard whilst Brick Break KO's Tyranitar. Roost on the other hand lets it heal off the damage.
Chansey and Blissey are this sets best counter. Rotom-W can take a hit at full health and retaliate with HP Ice. Bronzong can take a hit due to its good bulk and ko with Gyro Ball, as can Metagross. Ice Shard users are also not kinda to this set, infact most priority in general isn't. Revenge killing is viable if Multi Scale isn't activated. Specially Defensive Tyranitar is also rather annoying to this set, not only does it cancel out rain but it removes the power from Surf, can easily take an unboosted one and OHKO back with Ice Beam or Stone Edge but Brick Break will hurt. Sp.Def Jirachi shuts down this Dragonite totally.
Dragonite @ Choice Band
Choice Band Dragonite is nothing to laugh at and its definitely up there with the most threatening Choice Banders in the game, its a very powerful threat not only for its sheer power but for coverage and the ability to revenge kill alot of threats solely with Extremespeed too. Extremespeed on this set is 90% as strong as CB Scizor Bullet Punch with better neutrality so has fantastic revenge killing utility and compensates somewhat for its lower speed than that of other top threats. Outrage 2hko's every non steel wall in the entire game which Waterfall, SuperPower and Fire Punch easily take care of.
Countering Choice Band Dragonite is very difficult. Skarmory makes a good switch in along with Suicune, Swampert and Hippowdon. All the latter 3 Pokemon should avoid Outrage however but that shouldn't be a problem as Dragonite will hate locking itself in early game. For that same reason things like Cresselia and again Gyarados work. Scizor and Bronzong are also effective and can come in on anything not named Fire Punch. Revenge killing is far easier though as things like ScarfTran, Scarf Tar, Scarf Garchomp and Scarf Rachi all snap up to opportunity to dispose of Dragonite the same with other fast Ice/Dragon/Rock users. Basically, predict accordingly depending on the situation, get Stealth Rock up and prey on its mediocre speed and this set shouldn't cause too many issues.
Gyarados might be easier to stop in gen 5 with Rotom-W becoming part water and also counters like Ferrothorn and checks like Scarf Chomp being quite common, but its great list of resistances and even greater movepool more than make up for this. Gyarados can set up and sweep thanks to Dragon Dance and good attacking options in Waterfall, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Ice Fang. Gyarados also has the ability to Taunt status and PHazing attempts, though it often doesn't try to anymore given the fast-paced nature of the metagame and the lack of Pokémon that can hurt Gyarados with those strategies. Gyarados is also one of the best RestTalkers in the game thanks to Intimidate and PHazing ability.
Gyarados @ Life Orb
Gyarados makes for one powerful sweeper thanks to Dragon Dance. With only one Dragon Dance under its belt, almost nothing can withstand two attacks from Gyarados. Gyarados also has very good coverage with this set, which allows it to hit everything in the OU metagame for at least neutral damage. Waterfall's flinch chance can spell doom for slow walls that would otherwise stop Gyarados as well, which makes it an even bigger threat. Luckily, its 4x weakness to Electric-type attacks makes Gyarados less of a pain to handle.
Rotom-W is the best Gyarados counter period and destroys Gyarados as it can absorb Waterfalls and anything else with ease and can Thunderbolt it OHKOing it. Vaporeon and Suicune that have heavy EV investments in Defense and Hidden Power Electric will do the trick, but they will take a lot of damage in the process. Porygon2 is probably the most reliable counter thanks to Trace throwing Intimidate back at Gyarados and its access to Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave. Tangrowth makes a decent counter, but Ice Fang will do a lot of damage and Bounce does even more. Scarfers like said Rotom, Scarf Stone Edge Garchomp and Scarf ThunderPunch Jirachi easily beat Gyarados too along with Ditto. Scarf Voltolos is also an issue who can Volt Switch which gives the upper hand even if Gyarados switches. Ferrothorn also walls everything Gyarados can do and can Leech Seed and Power Whip for heavy damage or even Thunderwave it. If you lack Ice Fang or Bounce or just flat out DD early game you will regret it as things Whimsicottcome in and destroy you with priority Encore.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
"BulkyGyara" is a more sturdy version of the previous set, and while it is significantly less potent as a sweeper, it can still pose a huge threat to teams and is much more difficult to defeat without directly attacking it. This is due to Taunt, which lets it stop Celebi's Thunder Wave and Skarmory's Whirlwind and can totally shut down checks like Eruufun. The EV spread not only allows Gyarados to come in on all kinds of attacks, but it also makes taking assaults like a Skarmory's Brave Bird, Heatans, Scizor and Lucario's assaults much easier.
Again Rotom-W is the best counter in the game to this set as Gyarados cat do anything to it and it can retaliate with T-Bolt. Cresselia with Hidden Power Electric or Charge Beam will always win, and the same bulky Waters that deal with the previous set also do well against BulkyGyara. Porygon2 is one of the best counters for any kind of Gyarados thanks to Trace, its new Evo Stone boost and Thunderbolt. Scarfers with electric moves are also annoying for Bulky Gyarados and Ditto. Then there is Ferrothorn who Gyarados literally cannot do any significant damage to.
Lucario is a huge threat in today's metagame, and a common one at that. It can hit hard from both ends of the attacking spectrum, meaning that there is almost nothing that can safely switch into Lucario the first time it's out. Even when you know its set, Lucario is powerful enough to sweep your team anyway. Lucario also has many resistances it can come in on, thanks to its good defensive typing, which makes Lucario an even bigger threat. Gen 5 also gave Nasty Plot to the arsenal of Lucario which means Lucario is more unpredictable than ever before.
Lucario @ Life Orb
"SDLuke" is Lucario's most popular moveset, and easily one of its most deadly. After a Swords Dance, Close Combat runs over most physical walls given Stealth Rock support. The third slot takes care of either flying-types or psychic-types that resist Close combat, depending on what move is chosen. the last slot helps patch up Lucario's rather average Speed by giving it a priority move powerful enough to outspeed and OHKO most frail sweepers. SDLuke is commonly seen in the later stages of the game when it can clean up a battle with almost no problems, making it a force to be reckoned with and one of the most powerful physical sweepers in the game.
Assuming it has a significant EV investment in Speed, Gliscor is the number one SDLuke counter and any kind of Gliscor will wall SDLuke as long as it isn't carrying Ice Punch.. Weezing also works with access to Will-O-Wisp and Fire Blast. Without Crunch, Thunder Wave Celebi and Cresselia can come in and rain on SDLuke's parade. If Lucario is running Crunch or Ice Punch, Gyarados make a solid counter especially the Rest Talker. Salamence also can Intimidate and outspeed and also KO with fire or ground moves, it can also heal with Roost so makes an awesome overall Lucario check. Gengar also checks Lucario well, as does Scarf Fire Punch Jirachi. Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Terakion can also revenge kill the aforementioned should be scared of Bullet Punch as it will OHKO all 3 of them after a boost. Excadrill and Landlos can both check it an then there is ScarfChomp who you cant OHKO with SD LO Extremespeed so is a big issue. Conkeldurr can also take an Extremespeed with its immense physical bulk and Mach Punch for the KO.
Lucario @ Life Orb
The Nasty Plotter. Lucario's second most popular set and for good reason and it hits just as hard but from the polar opposite attacking spectrum. Nasty Plot Lucario can quickly shred through even through the best stall teams and it even OHKO's Calm Blissey after a boost, it even causes problems for offense and people who rely on scarfers and Pokemon not resistant to Vacuum Wave to deal with it like ScarfTran. Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball have un-resisted coverage with Vacuum Wave to pick of frail faster Pokemon and backed up by Nasty Plot boosting its spacial attack to scary levels this should be a thought to every team builder.
Nothing particularly likes dealing with this set. Defensive Gyarados and any Salamence are at the top of the list as fas as counters and checks go. Nidoqueen, Tentacruel, Gliscor and Zapdos are shortly behind those. Conkeldurr remains a huge issue as always with its Mach Punch. [email protected] can check and revenge kill, as can Gengar. Both KO with HP Fire or Focus Blast respsectively. Chandelure also beats Modest versions and the scarfer beats all versions and in Dream World even has Shadow Tag so Lucario cant evens switch. Ulgamoth can also check this set quite easily with its great special bulk.
Lucario @ Life Orb
"AgiliLuke" uses Agility to boost its average Speed to allow it to sweep without requiring the use of priority moves. Close Combat deals with Heatran, Blissey, and Snorlax, while the second slot deals with ghost-types and psychic-types. Ice Punch beats Gliscor. AgiliLuke is very tough to revenge kill and has excellent coverage, making it a huge threat to many offensive teams that rely on resistances for overall team defenses. Resisting almost every priority move in the game also works in AgiliLuke's favor.
Lucario @ Choice Specs
"SpecsLuke" is another common special attacking Lucario set, working off of Lucario's strongest stat, which maxes out at 361. Aura Sphere is a very reliable STAB attack thanks to its perfect accuracy and good base power. Focus Blast can be used to 2HKO Calm Blissey, but its accuracy and PP are far lower. Vacuum Wave is useful for Tyranitar and faster Pokémon in general, while Shadow Ball beats the likes of Cresselia, Celebi, and Gengar. Hidden Power beats either Gliscor or the dragons respectively.
Tentacruel is a solid choice to counter SpecsLuke, resisting its STAB attack and taking little damage from anything else. Spiritomb is equally effective in taking SpecsLuke's hits. Blissey is only 3HKOed by Aura Sphere, so she can work as a counter when she is at full health. While Stealth Rock damage hurts it, Gyarados is a good choice with its 100 base Special Defense and resistance to Aura Sphere.
Gengar is very unpredictable, and it can abuse many different strategies. Gengar is one of the fastest sleep inducers in the game, and it gets tremendous coverage with Shadow Ball and Focus Blast (which sometimes can even be Focus Punch). Gengar also has a good ability along with good defensive typing, allowing it to come in on many attacks. Gengar can also use status moves like Will-O-Wisp to hamper any sweeper that is daring enough to come in on it, and TrickScarf can cause all kinds of problems. Gengar may be Pursuit weak but that isnt as common in practise as it easily destroys them with ways around its downfalls. Even in gen 5 Gengar is still a massive threat.
Gengar @ Life Orb
Substitute Life Orb Gengar is Gengars most threatening and most common sets because it easily beats its its #1 counter in Blissey and its #1 checks in Scizor and Scarfers. Substitute is a great scouting move and gives Gengar the heads up on its switch in which it can then nail them with the un-flawed coverage of Shadow Ball and Focus Blast. As Substitute and Life Orb damage along with residual damage really adds up, Gengar can utilize Pain Split fantastically stripping HP from would be counters such as Blissey and Snorlax of their HP whilst healing itself almost fully which also puts them into KO range more often than not.
Substitute Life Orb Gengar is notoriously hard to counter and check. Calm Blissey with a special attack can go head to head with it sometimes but Toxic Spikes are commonly used on the same team as Gengar so she must be very careful, but otherwise she is a fine check as she can PP stall Focus Blast. Scizor, Sp.Def Forretress and Skarmory are 1 time checks as they can break the Sub but Focus Blast deals heavy damage. Scarfers such as Jirachi also serve as a 1 time check. Spiritomb is probably the best counter around though and can rest off the damage, including Toxic Spikes damage. Sp.Def Rest Talk Gyarados is a fine check as its never 2hko'd by Shadow Ball and can heal off the damage and either Roar Gengar or hit it with Waterfall, Rest Suicune in a similar vein works and can Calm Mind up on Gengar. Other things like Togekiss with Special Defense evs can counter this set as it doesn't care about anything Gengar is packing. Really though not letting Gengar get in a Substitute is an ok way to deal with it, but this can sometimes be hard thanks to Gengars resistances and immunities. Mandibuzz gets a shout out as a 100% surefire counter taking 33% maximum from Focus Blast and resisting Shadow Ball.
Gengar @ Life Orb
With this set, Gengar hits every Pokémon in the game for neutral damage, and hits everything hard in general. What makes Gengar so dangerous is its ability to put its counter asleep and then continue sweeping. This set has lost a little bit of its effectiveness due to the accuracy drop of Hypnosis and losing to Pursuit which the first set doesn't do. However it still has that awesome unflawed coverage of ghost and fighting with an two extra slots which can help in some situations namely against flying types and steels.
Blissey and Snorlax are both good choices for walling Gengar's attacks. A Calm RestTalk Zapdos can take Gengar's attacks and laugh off Hypnosis, and a RestTalk Spiritomb can do the same. Sometimes, it is a good idea to bring in a status absorber to take Hypnosis and then something else to take Gengar's attacks. Without Hidden Power Fire, neutral steels like Scizor are a big problem for Gengar.
Gengar @ Leftovers / Life Orb
With Scizor usage on the rise this in turn killed Gengars usage due to Bullet Punch and Pursuit decimating it, it wasn't long though before Gengar made a fight back to overcome it. By placing Protect (Life Orb) or Substitute (Leftovers) over Thunderbolt, this gives Gengar a heads up against its biggest counter and allows it to easily dispatch of it with Hidden Power Fire. Hidden power Fire also hurts Sp.Def Payback Forretress who would otherwise be a good check. Otherwise though this plays like the standard Gengar with the un-resisted combo of stab Shadow Ball and Focus Blast.
As this has the same coverage and power as the standard Gengar the same counters will work against it, except Pursuit isnt going to work well because Gengar will stay in if you use that and nail your Pursuiter badly. Blissey with a special attack always beats this version of Gengar 1 vs 1. Revenge killing also works as Gengar is very frail. Scarfers like Hydreigon and the like can also check it well.
Gengar @ Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
"ScarfGar" has been one of Gengar's most popular movesets for a long time, and it is still an effective revenge killer. While Pursuit users are a hindrance to Gengar and the rise of Bullet Punch Scizor as not helped in any way, Gengar is still one of the best revenge killers around, effectively beating sweepers like DD Gyarados and DDMence. Trick makes life hard for standard special walls as well, which makes ScarfGar an attractive option. Choice Specs can be used in favor of Choice Scarf to turn Gengar into an attacker rather than a revenge killer with its amazing coverage.
The same Pokémon that can beat the Life Orber will beat ScarfGar and SpecsGar, but Trick can cause problems for walls and tanks like Blissey and Snorlax. Pokémon with Pursuit that come in on the right move will trap and kill Gengar, and ScarfGar isn't very hard to outpredict.
Infernape is fast and can pick apart opposing teams with its many attacking options. Infernape can't switch in on much but it can do a ton of damage if it gets in. Its offensive typing is really good and its movepool is nothing short of outstanding. Despite being very frail, Infernape also makes a good counter to Weavile. Almost nothing can stop a well-played Infernape. It does have to compete with Blaziken in gen 5 now though who got Speed Boost, but still Infernape gets things Blaziken doesnt, such as Grass Knot. Infernape also got the cool move Cheer Up which lets it further its mix sweeping role.
Infernape @ Life Orb
"MixApe" can easily demolish most walls in the OU metagame in the blink of an eye. Infernape is a great stall breaker, and if the counter for it goes down, Infernape is going to sweep. After a Nasty Plot, Grass Knot is a OHKO on most common bulky waters and all bulky grounds outside of Gliscor, who is OHKOed by a boosted Flamethrower. Close Combat takes care of Blissey and Snorlax, of course. Hidden Power Ice is a common sight on Mixape and is used over Nasty Plot to net a guaranteed kill on Dragonite. Work Up is also a fantastic option in the last slot as it boosts both of Infernapes attacking stats by +1 thus powering up Close Combat too.
Countering MixApe usually requires a bulky Pokémon. Tentacruel and Vaporeon are the most common counters, though the latter takes a lot of damage from Grass Knot and Close Combats. Starmie is a popular counter and Cresselia is always a good choice as well. Specially Defensive Gyarados is also a fantastic counter to this set, less bulky versions have to be careful of Nasty Plotted Grass Knots though. [email protected] also walls MixApe with ease. Generally, faster Pokémon with a Ground- or Psychic-type move do in Infernape if they can switch in safely or revenge kill it.
Infernape @ Choice Band
Choice Band Infernape can scout any team with U-Turn or do enormous amounts of damage with its two 120 base power STAB attacks. Stone Edge beats Gyarados, while ThunderPunch does a lot to water-typed MixApe counters like Tentacruel and Slowbro while still hurting Gyarados, but the powerful Salamence will be a problem without Stone Edge.
The most defensive Hippowdon, Slowbro, Swampert, and Suicune are very effective at countering this set. All four will still take heavy damage in the process, which shows how powerful this set is. U-Turn also helps remedy the [email protected] and Starmie issue, but both still can check it. Burungeru was it without ThunderPunch. Otherwise just outpredict it. If all else fails revenge killing is useful.
Infernape @ Life Orb
Physical Mixape is the same as the first set as its made to break down walls, however this Infernape hits ALOT harder on the physical side which makes a mockery of its usual counters. Stone Edge also gives Infernape a powerful weapon to destroy Gyarados, Salamence and Zapdos potentially OHKOing all of them if they have no defensive investments and also 2HKO's Tentacruel with Stealth Rock support. The last slot is to fit the team Infernape is on. U-Turn hurts counters like Starmie badly and also escapes them in the process which wears them down greatly. Mach Punch gives utility as a revenge killer nabbing kills on Sub Petaya Empoleon, Tyranitar, Lucario whilst Grass Knot allows Infernape to take on Swampert and other Bulky water, but it will usually invest more into special attack (~80 taken from Attack) if it does so be careful of that.
This set in general is alot harder to deal with than most Infernape sets as it can hit all of its counters hard. Suicune would be one of the best counters to this set though and a VERY bulky Gyarados. Other water types such as Starmie, Tentacruel and Vaporeon serve as excellent checks as always. Revenge killing obviously works too, as long as the Pokemon isnt weak to Mach Punch. Burungeru also walls this set rather easily. This set again struggles with [email protected], though U-Turn helps a little.
Infernape @ Life Orb
Swords Dance Infernape is one of the best wall breakers in the entire game. Hardly anything can wall this after a boost. To put this in perspective this set can KO even Hippowdons with a boosted +2 LO Iron Fist Close Combat which is a frightening prospect indeed. Gyarados and Salamence dont even stand a chance as both are OHKO'd after a boost even factoring Intimidate by a boosted Stone Edge or Close Combat after SR damage with a Swords Dance. The powerful fighting and fire attacks rip into everything else too. A Swords Danced Mach Punch also can OHKO a Scarf Heatran which makes even revenge killing this set hard sometimes with Iron Fist. Tentacruel and Vaporeon dont wall this set either as both are OHKO'd by a boosted Stone Edge and Close Combat respectively.
Nothing particularly likes taking hits from this due to the power and coverage. Starmie is a fantastic counter to this set as it outspeeds and quickly dispatches with Surf. but that is still powerful with Iron Fist so be careful. Burungeru is a good counter as ever though and so are the Lati twins. Faster resists are usually your best bet if all else fails or bulky Scarfers like Garchomp. Luckily Infernape is frail so priory and LO recoil can undo it easily.
Metagross is an incredible sweeper, lead, wall, and supporter. Metagross can do it all, and with great typing, great Attack and Defense, and a great movepool, it's easy to see why. Metagross can set up Stealth Rock, take all kinds of attacks thanks to its long list of resistances. Explosions nerf did harm Metagross alot though as it can no longer OHKO Skarmory or anything physically defensive with a CB boom, but it still makes up for that. Metagross also gained a few new cool toys like Hone Claws in gen 5. It's almost like there's nothing Metagross can't do, which makes it versatile and unpredictable despite carrying rather similar movesets all the time. Its role is always changing, which makes it a unique and truly useful Pokémon and a very dangerous threat for those fighting against it.
Metagross @ Choice Band
"CBGross" can break through even the sturdiest walls in OUs. With an Attack boost, Meteor Mash 2HKOs Hippowdon, the sturdiest physical wall in the tier. Earthquake is here for steels like Heatran and Magnezone, both are huge threats to Metagross. Bullet Punch gives Metagross a priority move, which is useful for netting quick kills on weakened Azelf and Gengar. Zen Headbutt on the other hand massacres Rotom-W and Swampert and also covers Gyarados and fliers like Zapdos. Trick cripples any wall looking to stop Metagross. Pursuit takes out things like Latios.
Defensive Zapdos is a good counter, as is Swampert. Hippowdon and Gliscor both work, though Meteor Mash can really sting. Bronzong is effective at walling Metagross as well. Bulky waters are all good counters as long as they stay out of the way of Zen Headbutt, though Earthquake can do a fair amount of damage to most of them too. Rotom-W and H cause issues most of the time as they resist everything apart from Zen Headbutt. Ferrothorn also walls everything is can do bar EQ and it doesnt take much from those. Skarmory works too as long as it avoids Trick which will be annoying. Forretress can set up on Metagross too. Faster ground and Fire types types like Garchomp, Infernape and Heatran will cause pain for Metagross too on the revenge kill.
Metagross @ Air Balloon / Life Orb / Leftovers
"Agiligross" takes advantage of Agility to boost Metagross's poor Speed stat to allow it to sweep. While AgiliGross isn't very difficult to wall, a lot of offensive teams don't have an answer for AgiliGross, and it can easily sweep unprepared offensive teams with its powerful steel STAB and good coverage. Earthquake is one again your best bet against grounded steels. Zen Headbutt is here as Explosion was nerfed and helps with Swampert and Gyarados and Zapdos again. Ice Punch on the other hand crushes Garchomp and Gliscor switch ins and can beat them thanks to Air Balloon. ThunderPunch is for waters and Skarmory.
Countering AgiliGross is much easier than countering CBGross. Bulky waters and grounds work and Zapdos still does too. Skarmory, Ferrothorn and Bronzong can wall AgiliGross as well. Most of the previous counters work even better here as this set is much weaker. Balloon Heatran is resists the whole set here and can KO with Fire Blast. Excadrill, Scarf Landlorus and ScarfChomp outspeed even after an Agility and can OHKO with Earthquake should Air Balloon not be present.
Metagross @ Air Balloon / Leftovers / Life Orb
Hone Claws can be a blessing to Metagross as it is often unable to muscle its way past bulkier checks and counter. Hone Claws increases Metagross's already awesome attack by +1 and also increases Meteor Mash's accuracy which misses at vital times sometimes. Earthquake covers steels as before whilst the last slot is up to what it wants to hit. ThunderPunch nails Skarmory and waters whilst Bullet Punch can pick off faster pokemon at low health.
Swampert and other ground types like Hippowdon and Gliscor are probably the best bests here but +1 Meteor Mash will hurt the latter 2 alot. Faster fire types and ground types will obviously be annoying. Things such as Infenape and Garchomp for example. Rotom-W walls this set and can outspeed and burn Metagross to make it useless. Bronzong resists the whole set and can retaliate with Earthquake. Ferrothorn is cares about nothing this set can thow out and can just Leech Seed Metagross all day long and beat it with ease.
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February 6th, 2009 (3:33 PM). Edited April 22nd, 2011 by Dark Azelf.
Jirachi can perform many tasks and it performs all of them very well. Many Jirachi sets are for team support, but Jirachi can also inflict damage, making it a versatile threat. It makes a great abuser of Serene Grace with movepool options like Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Thunder, and Body Slam. Speaking of its movepool, Jirachi has a fantastic one with the ability to heal team members with Wish or sweep with Calm Mind. Add that to Jirachi's solid stats and you've got a top-tier OU threat.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Choice Scarf Jirachi is like ScarfTran and Choice Scarf Metagross, and is used as an anti-metagame Pokémon capable of revenge killing many threats. Jirachi has the added bonus of having Serene Grace, so Iron Head flinches opponents like crazy. Fire Punch and Ice Punch both have a 20% chance of inflicting their status on opponents rather than a 10% chance. Trick also cripples any defensive based counters. Zen Headbutt is for Infernape, U-Turn is for scouting whilst ThunderPunch hits waters.
So long as they avoid Trick, bulky waters like Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon work well. Hippowdon and Donphan also work, taking little damage even from Ice Punch. The Rotom formes are also a good way to deal with it as are Heatran and to some extent Magnezone who can also trap it. Skarmory walls it and can set up Spikes on it too. Desukan is a 100% surefire counter as it changes Jirachi's ability to Mummy. While walling Choice Scarf Jirachi is not hard, the flinch chance of Iron Head and the possibility of Trick can annoy even the most prepared teams.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Substitute/Calm Mind Jirachi makes its return from Advance, and it's still a tough sweeper to take down and beats Blissey 1vs1 easily even without Psycho Shock. Wish can be used to make Jirachi last longer and support the team, but then Blissey can Thunder Wave it. Jirachi has good coverage with Psychic/Flash Cannon and Thunderbolt, and Serene Grace makes their secondary effects more likely to happen. Psycho Shock destroys specially defensive counters like Snorlax and Blissey and lets it bypass CM boosts of other sweepers like Latias, Rankurusu and Suicune to beat them easily 1 vs 1.
Swampert is one of the best counters, and Earthquake Snorlax works too vs non Psycho Shock versions. Metagross and Heatran are also very solid counters, though paralysis from Thunderbolt can be annoying. Ground types like Scarf Garchomp, Doryuuzu and Landlos destroy Jirachi and Waruvial totally walls Jirachi without Flash Cannon. Bronzong also counters Jirachi pretty easily. Perish Song Celebi can force it so switch. Gliscor is also annoying and as always Dugtrio can trap and kill it. Tyranitar destroys sub mind Jirachi without Flash Cannon.
Jirachi @ Leftovers / Life Orb
This set is a more offensive version of Sub/CM Jirachi, as it replaces Substitute with a third attacking move for more coverage. Swampert is going to have a lot of trouble with Grass Knot, which can net a surprise kill on the mudfish. Psycho Shock massacres special walls and other specially based Jirachi counters. Hidden Power Ice hits dragons and Gliscor, HP Fire hits Scizor and Metagross whilst HP Ground nails Heatran and Magnezone. Beware of Balloon however.
Earthquake Snorlax still counters Jirachi with no problem as does Blissey without Psycho Shock. Metagross, Heatran, Magnezone, and Bronzong all still counter Jirachi despite its increase in power and can take a hit. Magnezone and Heatran get OHKO'd by Hidden Power Ground however they win if they hold a Balloon. Faster Ground types like Garchomp, Landlos and Doryuuzu are excellent checks.
Jirachi @ Expert Belt
MixJirachi can be devastating to people who normally expect the Scarfer and try to use resistances to beat it and with its great coverage, this set makes Jirachi into a psuedo wall breaker. Iron Head makes even the most solid counters cry with its 60% flinch rate, whilst ice Punch nails things like Gliscor and the dragons and Fire Punch hits the steel types. Thunderbolt on the other hand smashes Skarmory and Gyarados wanting to come in thinking you are locked into Iron Head and the Expert Belt also bluffs a Choice Scarf. Grass Knot is here as its the only way you are going to hit Swampert and Hippowdon for acceptable damage.
Walling MixRachi is surprisingly difficult due to its coverage and flinch rate. Rotom-W and H are at the top of the list, they can either burn, Trick a scarf onto Jirachi or paralyze it to make it useless and dont take major damage from anything. Heatran is next on the list as Jirachi cant do much at all to it. Swampert and Hippowdon work without Grass Knot and Skarmory and Gyarados work without Thunderbolt. Defensive Zapdos is also an effective check. Again the aforementioned faster ground types decimate Jirachi. This Jirachi will also never be able to beat Desukan.
Starmie was used primarily as a LO sweeper and Rapid Spinner in HGSS. Alas though, all is not golden for Starmie in B/W. The introduction of sturdy new Rapid Spin blockers like Burungeru, Desukan and Evolution Stone Dusclops hurts Starmies spinning duties alot. Not to mention the common Nattorie who is a complete stop to any Starmie not using Hidden Power Fire. Still though, a lot of offensive teams have trouble dealing with its Speed and coverage, and Starmie can Recover off damage it takes while Natural Cure gets rid of crippling status ailments if Starmie simply switches out.
Starmie @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
"SpecsStar" turns the tables on the Pursuit users that were the bane of its existence in the early days of DP. Trick also allows Starmie to permanently cripple Blissey, Snorlax, and other select special walls and Rapid Spin blockers. Starmie also possesses almost perfect coverage Surf and Hydro Pump hit very hard with Thunderbolt for waters and Ice Beam for grass and dragon Pokemon and the incredible Speed and good Special Attack to abuse it. Starmie can also use Choice Scarf to turn it into a revenge killer, but it becomes far less threatening offensively and more vulnerable to Pursuit.
Nattorie is the best counter in the game. It can come in on anything and take near nothing thanks to its awesome sp.def and typing and use Power Whip Starmie to a watery grave. SpecsStar is countered by Blissey, and Snorlax is also an effective way to wall it but Trick and Psycho Shock 2HKO both of them and Trick is annoying too. Burungeru makes a good switch-in being basically immune to everything, but vulnerable to Thunderbolt. Rotom-W also wins as it resists the whole set bar T-Bolt and the psychic moves. Cresselia can work, but it must watch out for Hydro Pump as well if it does not have a significant amount of Special Defense invested. Pursuit users can come in on certain attacks and knock out SpecsStar on the spot, but switching into the wrong attack will likely knock it out. Faster opponents like Jolteon or scarfers are huge issues for Starmie too.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Life Orb Starmie is a lot like Choice Specs Starmie, only it exchanges a small loss of power for freedom to choose attacks and Life Orb recoil. It makes an incredible sweeper with its blazing Speed, excellent coverage, and solid Special Attack. The last slot is for whatever Starmie wishes to beat however, Recover to heal LO damage, Psycho Shock to 2hko special walls like Blissey and Hidden Power Fire for the dreaded Nattorie who makes Starmie's life hell. Stall teams also have to be careful if it uses Rapid Spin as LO Starmie can 2hko every spin blocker with this set, though must be weary of Burungeru as it is healed by Starmie's STAB water move.
All of the counters to SpecsStar apply here as well except Nattorie has to be careful of Hidden Power Fire, only Starmie will beat any Cresselia without Calm Mind, and Pursuit users won't have the luxury of being able to take advantage of Starmie locking itself in on one move. LO Starmie doesn't hit as hard as SpecsStar though, so special walls will have an easier time with it. Rotom-W is also a good counter. If it drops Ice Beam, grass types like Morobareru wall it and so do dragons like Latias though the former needs to worry about its psychic moves. Starmie also hates scarfers and priority due to its frailness and LO recoil.
IN B/W the Rotom formes lost their ghost typing and gained a typing that corresponds with their signature moves. Whilst this loss hurt and made Rotom-S, Rotom-C and Rotom-F near useless, Rotom-W and Rotom-H are still very useful Pokémon, just their role has changed from anti spinners to counter utilities and the typing change made them even better counters to Gyarados and Scizor respectively. Rotom-W's bulk is very useful for when the attack-minded sets want to switch in, and of course, it allows it to wall a lot of threats with its amazing typing. Its access to useful status moves like Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave makes it tough to counter. Underestimate this resilient Pokémon and you'll be sorry.
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
Choice Scarf Rotom-W can hit very fast and somewhat hard with the great coverage this set has, with its typing and coverage it is one of the best scarfers in the game. Volt Change lets it scount counters and Rotom also has the ability to cripple most its common counters like Blissey by Tricking its Choice Scarf onto them. The real reason to use Choice Scarf Rotom is to check Pokémon like Gyarados, Garchomp and Politoed. with Choice Specs equipped, Rotom is turned into a potent special attacker with the bulk and typing to switch in on many OU Pokémon.
As long as they avoid Trick, Blissey and Snorlax make good counters. Raikou can set up on Rotom, but Hidden Power Ground could be troublesome. Heatran is in the same boat as Raikou, only it has to be extra careful since Hidden Power Ground will do a lot more damage and Hidden Power Fighting will also hurt. Morobareru walls this set totally with its bulk and typing and can Spore or Giga Drain for heavy damage. Thinks like [email protected] work too as long as it avoids Shadow Ball or HP Ice.
Kingdra is the staple sweeper of most Rain Dance teams in B/W, and it's easy to see why; Kingdra is blazing fast with Swift Swim activated and it packs a lot of power. Kingdra doesn't even need Swift Swim to make a fool out of opposing teams either, as the Dragon Dancer lacks a 4x weakness that plague other Dragon Dancers like Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Gyarados, It has wonderful coverage with only two attacks and a fair amount of bulk to take advantage of having only one weakness. These traits make Kingdra a fearsome Pokémon that can cause any team serious problems when played correctly.
Kingdra @ Leftovers / Lum Berry / Chesto Berry
Dragon Dance Kingdra is a very potent threat capable of doing damage to any kind of team. Outrage and Waterfall are Kingdra's STAB attacks that hit every Pokémon in the game bar Shedinja and Empoleon for at least neutral damage. Swift Swim makes Kingdra nearly unstoppable via revenge killing. Rest is seen with a bulkier EV spread and lets it Dragon Dance to its hearts content and then Rest of all the damage and wake up fast with the berries, putting it in a strong sweeping position. Substitute on the other hand is on offensive versions to stop status.
Nattorie is an absolute stop to this set and can Leech Seed and Power Whip Kingdra and hurt it with its Iron Barbs ability. Kingdra cannot do anything back to the thorny Pokemon either. Skarmory walls physical Kingdra easily and can Whirlwind away boosts and set up Spikes. Empoleon is a good counter, but it needs to be EVed with Defense in mind, or Outrage could 2HKO. Thunder Wave Cresselia and Celebi also work, though Substitute can block out status attempts. Both have access to Reflect, which softens the blows they take from Kingdra, though both lose to Rest versions. Morobareru makes a good check too due to its bulk, Clear Smog and Spore. Defensive Dragon Tail Gyarados stops this set too as do most other waters with Roar like Suicune and Vaporeon. and berri Scarfers like ScarfChomp work outside rain too.
Kingdra @ Life Orb
Mixed Kingdra is one standard set of Kingdra and for a good reason. Mixed Kingdra does incredible amounts of damage in and out of the rain with this set, and many offensive teams aren't prepared for the offensive beating Kingdra can subject teams to. Most of the OU tier is ripped to shreds by this set. The set up is the same as the first one however the last slot lets it beat some of its main counters. Hidden Power Fire is for Ferrothrown and other bulky steels that cause issues, for example Skarmory.
Celebi and Morobareru are a good counter thanks to their good Special Defense, access to Recover and Thunder Wave and Spore/Stun Spore and Clear Smog respectively, and their ability to laugh at near anything Kingdra throws at them. Cresselia can also Thunderwave Kingdra. Defensive Gyarados with Dragon Tail is a large roadblock to a Kingdra sweep as is Emploeon.
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Of all the sets Kingdra can run this one is probably the scariest. In rain hardly anything is wanting to come in on this at all. To put this in perspective, in Rain it has a chance to 2HKO Calm 80 HP / 176 SpD Blissey with Hydro Pump, if Stealth Rock up. It also 3HKO's max/max Sassy Nattorie in the rain with the same move. Draco Meteor is the main STAB move here and has massive power with Specs and is good for denting bulky things early game. Dragon Pulse and Surf/Hydro Pump are for late game sweeps and for more reliability as they dont have that nasty -2 sp.atk drop. The last slot is to beat up Nattorie and Empoleon exclusively who are as mentioned a pain for Kingdra and rain dance teams alike. Luckily permanent rain is now banned in OU so this set has lost some of its power.
Special walls like Blissey are good counters, especially Wish + Protect Blissey as it can and can stall out the Rain. Water Absorbers like Burungeru and Vaporeon are good checks, Burungeru especially thanks to its amazing special defense so it can even take Draco Meteors. Marobareru serves as a fantastic check with Spore and Stun Spore, same with most other bulky grass types. Nattorie is still useful against this set to absorb the STAB moves,just watch out for HP Fighting, the same with Empoleon. Changing the weather helps great when dealing with all Kingdra, so Abomasnow gets a quick mention as a great check, especially with special defense Evs. Tyranitar can also do the same but cant switch in apart from on dragon moves. Stalling the weather out works greatly too.
Kingdra @ Life Orb
As Drizzle and Swift Swim are banned on the same team, Kingdra is one of the elusive Pokemon who can set up its own weather and then sweep because of it.
Suicune is one of the only defensive Pokémon in the game that threatens sweeping teams. On top of standards like CalmCune and CroCune, Suicune has overlooked options that can be very useful, such as Reflect and Mirror Coat. It is the most stable on the defensive side of things of all of the bulky waters, which helps it out a lot in today's fast and powerful metagame. In B/W it got a few new cool toys like Boiling Water added amongst other things to its movepool, though more counters like Nattorie and [email protected] being moved to OU puts a slight damper on things. The Rest mechanics being revamped and thus nerfed made Suicune's healing abilities lack greatly. Suicune is still solid though.
Suicune @ Life Orb
Offensive Suicune is one of the most powerful and sturdy sweepers in the OU tier. With 115 base Defense and Special Defense as well as 100 base HP, Suicune can take all kinds of hits regardless of EV investment in defenses. This makes Suicune a huge problem for teams that cannot knock it out in one turn. Not only that, but almost no Pokémon resist all three of Suicune's attacks, which allows it to cover a wide variety of opponents.
Nattorie is a full stop to Suicune without HP Fire. Blissey and to a lesser extent Snorlax make effective counters. Cresselia makes a good switch-in thanks to Thunder Wave, which slows down Suicune enough that a heavy hitter like CBTar can come in and finish off Suicune. Electric-type Pokémon like Raikou and physical Electivire work too. While Zapdos can do a ton of damage with a Life Orb Thunderbolt, the threat of a boosted Ice Beam and its weakness to Stealth Rock make it a risky way of dealing with Suicune. This set also struggles with things like Rotom-W. Jellicent walls Suicune totally without Hidden Power Electric as do most other waters and can stall it out with Toxic or simple stat up on it like Slowbro.
Suicune @ Leftovers
While a normal offensive Suicune has trouble with Blissey and Snorlax, Sub/CM Suicune can create 101 Substitutes that allow Suicune to set up on Blissey and Snorlax. The drawback is that Suicune can no longer hit water-types for even neutral damage, but they cannot hurt Suicune either. While it doesn't hit as hard as a normal offensive Suicune, Sub/CM Suicune can take hits a lot better thanks to 252 HP EVs and Leftovers recovery. Both are huge threats for their amazing bulk considering they are sweepers and their large amount of power after only a few turns of setting up.
Nattorie is a 100% counter. Blissey isn't 2HKOed by a +6 Surf, but it is still a rather shaky counter, as Suicune often wins anyway. Raikou, Electivire, Calm Zapdos make much better counters, and Celebi can shrug off Ice Beams and throw STAB Grass Knots back at Suicune. Bulky waters with Haze or Roar can foil Suicune's attempts to set up like Gyarados or Vaporoen, but otherwise they can't do much damage to Suicune. Rotom-W beats this set rather well.
Suicune @ Leftovers
"CroCune" is a more defensive Suicune than the two previous sets, and while it loses coverage and power, it can reliably recover off damage. This makes CroCune a sturdy and powerful tank that many teams have trouble dealing with. CroCune has defenses that top many common physical walls, and at the same, it can use Calm Mind to turn itself into a powerful attacker. Rest and Sleep Talk make it seem like Suicune will never die, while Surf is the obvious STAB attack. Boiling Water is a major selling point to this set, nothing phyical is going to like the burns from it. It also makes Suicune near impenetrable from both sides of the spectrum.
All of the counters to Sub/CM Suicune apply here except for Blissey, who will always lose. A good way to beat CroCune is to switch a powerful attacker like CBCross in when you predict Suicune will Rest, and then launch powerful attacks to do it in before it can do any serious damage. Potential burns from Boiling Water annoy Nattorie but otherwise it works. Perish Song Celebi is probably one of the best counters along with Roar Rest Talk Gyarados who both dont care about burns. Roar Vaporeon is also a counter along with Roar Latias. Again this set cant really get past Rotom W and still struggles with electric types like Jolteon, Raikou, Zapdos, Voltolos and Magnezone even after a Calm Mind. Anything that can force it out after it has Rested is a counter though as it resets the sleep count so Suicune cant ever heal.
Breloom is a unique Pokémon. It has 130 base Attack and STAB on Focus Punch and a 100% accurate sleep move to abuse it with. Breloom is not very fast or bulky, but it can do a lot of damage to opposing teams anyway, which makes it a threat to prepare for. Although it hasnt been released yet, Technician Breloom is a massive threat with Bullet Seed (now base 25 power) and Mach Punch being massively powerful now, however it is only available in dream world. Sleep's new mechanics also make Breloom even better as it essentially takes out a Pokemon for the whole match as they wont even have a chance to wake up if they switch it out. However things like Toxic Orb Gliscor and Magic Mirror users may mean Breloom needs to be careful before just pressing "Spore" now.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Breloom makes a fantastic SubSeeder, and this set uses its talent fully. Substitute is useful for both Leech Seed and its immensely powerful Focus Punch, while the last slot can give troublesome Pokémon some problems of their own. Stone Edge covers flying types, Seed Bomb hits Bulky water who often have Roar (see: Swampert, Vaporeon and Suicune) and Leech Seed just allows you to stall every thing's brains out with Toxic Orb as you recover ALL the damage you take from Sub when a target is seeded.
Flying-type Pokémon like Gyarados, and Dragonite do well against Breloom assuming they avoid Spore. Celebi, Cresselia, Mesprit, Dusknoir, Gliscor (100% counter with its Toxic Orb activated), and Zapdos also do well against Breloom. All of these counters face the possibility of being slept by Spore or crippled by Leech Seed (Celebi is immune to Leech Seed), which makes Breloom an annoying pest if it can set up. Luckily, Breloom's low Speed and poor defenses make that a challenge making it prone to revenge kills. Desukan beats it 1 vs 1 with its immense defense and Rest but Leech Seed is annoying. Shandera also beats Breloom rather easily without Stone Edge. Reflect Xatu is a 100% counter as nothing on the set really Phazes it and its also immune to sleep and can hit Breloom with Psychic. Espeon can do the same but its frailer. Scizor gets a mention if sleep clause is activated as it can U-Turn away and break the sub and be freed of Leech Seed and switch to a counter. Some Rest Talkers also annoy Breloom greatly.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
While the previous set focused on SubPunching and SubSeeding, this set focuses on "SporePunching." Spore gives Breloom a free ticket to launch Focus Punch at the opponent, while Seed Bomb and Stone Edge eliminate several Pokémon that can take a Focus Punch or two like Zapdos and Suicune. Facade is sometimes used in one of the last two slots to better deal with Pokémon like Gliscor, Cresselia, and Celebi.
While flying-type counters aren't as reliable, the bulky counters mentioned from the previous set still work. Celebi, Cresselia, Mesprit, Dusknoir, Desukan and Toxic Orb Gliscor still make wonderful counters to Breloom. A sleep absorber will need to activate Sleep Clause before many of those Pokémon try to stop Breloom, or they could end up asleep. Magic Mirror users are annoying for Breloom once again. Breloom also doesnt really like Rest Talkers as they make it waste Spore. Breloom is also exceedingly easy to revenge kill and check.
Breloom @ Life Orb / Toxic Orb
Swords Dance and Mach Punch allow Breloom to get by its rather poor Speed to a certain extent and hit faster threats hard. The last two slots deal with the Pokémon that can laugh off Mach Punch, like flyging and psychic types, though many counters and checks remain as Breloom is still rather slow. This set is alot better in Dream World play where Breloom has Technician to boost Mach Punch and it also gets a more powerful Bullet Seed too.
All of the counters to the SubSeed set apply here. Gyarados, Dragonite, Zapdos, Celebi, Dusknoir and Gliscor are all reliable ways to stop Breloom, but again, you have to get Sleep Clause activated first. Since they are faster than Breloom, Gliscor and Celebi are the most reliable Breloom counters without Sleep Clause activated. Once again Magic Mirror users are the bane of this set and so is Toxic Orb Gliscor. Once again any team with a Rest Talker wont really struggle if its used on conjunction with something like Salamence or anything faster not weak to Mach Punch with a little bulk.
Magnezone is one of the few BoltBeam resists in the game and it makes a pretty darn good Pokémon. Of course, the real reason it's useful is its ability to trap and kill troublesome steel-types like Bronzong, Nattorei, Scizor, Forretress and Skarmory, though Skarmory now have Shed Shell to defend themselves. Even if Magnezone has no steel-types to trap (which is unlikely given how popular Scizor is), it hits incredibly hard and can do a lot of damage to any team. In B/W Magnezone got great new toys to abuse like Balloon and Volt Change.
Magnezone @ Leftovers / Balloon
This is one of Magnezone's most popular, useful and effective sets. The main purpose is to trap and kill steel-type Pokémon like Nattorie, Scizor, Skarmory, Forretress, Metagross, and Bronzong. Skarmory and Forretress often carry a Shed Shell to escape Magnezone, however. Either way, Magnezone is great for opening up a sweep for any Pokémon that only has to get past steel walls, like a Dragon Claw/Earthquake/Outrage/Dragon Dance Dragonite. While Magnezone is not very threatening as a sweeper, it doesn't need to be if it wants to be effective. Thunderbolt is the main STAB here with a Hidden Power of choice for coverage, Hidden Power Fire hits Nattorie, Scizor, Forretress and Genosekuto whilst Hidden Power Ice hits Garchomp, Gliscor, Flygon, Landlos and the like. Hidden Power Grass is basically exclusively for Swampert. Magnet Rise lets you become immune to Earthquake and with Substitute lets you set up on steels making Magnezone alot harder to revenge kill and status, but Flash Cannon is an option to hit ground types and Tyranitar should you feel Balloon and Substitute is enough to set up on said steels.
Blissey and to a lesser extent Snorlax wall Magnezone. Snorlax will need Fire Punch to be a reliable counter, however. Hidden Power Fire Magnezone makes a great switch-in, as it traps Magnezone with its own Magnet Pull and beats it up with Hidden Power. Electivire makes a solid counter, and Gliscor and Swampert also work, depending on what Hidden Power Magnezone is running. Though Flash Cannon nails Gliscor for heavy damage. Garchomp is a good counter without HP Ice though which is rare. Bear in mind though Balloon makes all EQing attempts moot untill its poped so that should be a priority. Magnezone also cant do much to Shiburidon who can Brick break or Flamethrower it.
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Choice Scarf Magnezone's role is also a steel killer, only it targets faster steels Scizor and Lucario instead of Bronzong and Skarmory. It also makes an effective revenge killer against many slower sweepers nad other Magnezone. As Explosion was nerfed its no longer viable, but Volt Change is still extremely useful even more so maybe for scouting. Thunderbolt and the Hidden Powers are here for coverage on what you want to hit with Flash Cannon in the last slot to hit problem grounds.
Blissey, Snorlax, and electric-types all work well. Magnezone usually runs Hidden Power Fire, so both Gliscor and Swampert are counters. Gliscor will have to watch out for Flash Cannon though. Things like Garchomp are great too. Magnezone also struggles with other electrics like Shiburidon and Electivire. Magnezone is also slow so other faster scarfers work.
While Weavile is walled by a lot of Pokémon and is weak to Stealth Rock, it can effectively revenge kill Gengar, Azelf, and Alakazam with Pursuit, which doesn't allow any of the three to escape. It also has access to Ice Shard, which stops rampaging dragons. As long as you know its limits, Weavile can be very useful. In B/W its easier to stop SR being on the field with Magic Mirror users, but Weavile is still easy to stop. Though it is good at revenge killing things like [email protected] and Garchomp.
Weavile @ Choice Band
Choice Band Weavile makes an effective revenge killer. Pursuit preys on psychic-types and ghost-types, as previously mentioned, while Night Slash hurts those that try to predict Pursuit and stay in, preventing Weavile from being walled by the likes of Cresselia. Brick Break hits steel and breaks screens whilst Low Kick decimates steel heavy types as they tend to be common switch ins. Ice Shard helps with DDers whilst Ice Punch helps against bulkier walls like Hippowdon and as a special note OHKO's Gachomp through its Yache Berry.
Bronzong, Forretress, Jirachi, Skarmory, and Metagross all can take Weavile's hits well but al apart from Skarmory take heavy damage from Low Kicks. Without Ice Punch, even bulky grounds like Hippowdon and Donphan work. Bulky waters and Weezing also get the job done. Countering Weavile is very easy as long as you are not careless. Scizor as always destroys Weavile with either U-Turn, SuperPower or Bullet Punch. Kerudio and Genosekuto wall Weavile easily.
Weavile @ Life Orb
While Swords Dance Weavile isn't as powerful as SDLuke or SDCross, it still poses a threat with its good coverage and Attack, and of course its blistering Speed. This set has the advantage of being faster than those two, so it can be very potent in the later stages of a match. Ice Punch is the most powerful STAB option with Ice Shard to pick off faster frail Pokemon. Night Slash maims psychic types and water types. The last slot is Weaviles best hope against steels.
Bronzong, Metagross, and Forretress are the best counters for SD Weavile, although Low Kick can 2HKO Bronzong and OHKO Metagross after a boost so Metagross with have to Bullet Punch it and Bronzong will have to use alot of Defense Ev's. Spiritomb has access to Hidden Power Fighting and Will-O-Wisp, so it makes a solid choice as well. Stone Edge Gyarados works, though boosted STAB moves take their toll even after Intimidate. Skarmory can PHaze Weavile away and can hit it with Brave Bird. Scizor gets a special mention thanks to it bypassing and destroying Weavile with Bullet Punch. Genosekuto and Kerudio still work.
Togekiss is rather infamous for being able to abuse Air Slash's Flinch rate with some help from Thunder Wave and Serene Grace, and it makes a great Nasty Plot passer. However, Togekiss is a very potent special sweeper on its own. Togekiss is also very bulky, which lets it stay alive longer with help from Roost. The removal of the Rotom Appliances ghost typing and Zapdos dropping in popularity makes Togekiss solid as ever.
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Togekiss might not be the most fast or powerful sweeper around, but it is very bulky. This makes Togekiss a huge threat to unprepared teams, especially since its two attacks are only resisted by Rotom-S, Voltolos and Zapdos. Roost keeps togekiss alive and healthy, which is very useful in a metagame polluted with Stealth Rock. Nasty Plot gives Togekiss a lot of power to back up its attacks, and Air Slash can really lay down a beating on slow walls trying to beat Togekiss thanks to Serene Grace. Aura Sphere nails steel types hard and also Tyranitar. Heal Bell totally stops Pokemon who rely on status to shut down Togekiss, this is very helpful against stall.
Zapdos and Voltolos are the best counter thanks to its resistances to Aura Sphere and Air Slash, but Thunder Wave can severely cripple them if Togekiss is carrying it, and it's not exactly uncommon. Toxic Blissey will beat Togekiss without Heal Bell all of the time and Togekiss with Lum Berry some of the time, depending on how lucky Togekiss gets with Air Slash's flinch chance. Otherwise, bringing in fast and strong Pokémon to revenge kill Togekiss will usually work, though don't underestimate the bulk of Togekiss.
Mamoswine threatens many teams with one of the most powerful Earthquakes in the game and an ability to revenge kill any dragon easily. It has Stone Edge to take care of troublesome Pokémon like Gyarados and Moltres, which makes Mamoswine a very capable sweeper that can inflict a heavy pounding. Many teams have a Mamoswine weakness, which is even more good news for it. while Mamoswine doesn't have very good defensive typing, its defensive stats allow it to come in on many Pokémon and threaten the opponent's team right away. Icicle Drop is the physical Ice move Mamoswine has always wanted, its even capable of 2hkoing Skarmory with a CB!
Mamoswine @ Choice Band / Life Orb
Only Landlos and Doryuuzu have a more powerful Earthquake in the OU tier, so Mamoswine can do some serious damage. Icicle Drop and Ice Shard do plenty to grass-types and flying-types that laugh at Earthquake, and Stone Edge helps with Gyarados mostly. Superpower isn't recommended and isn't very common either, but it can do a lot to standard Bronzong and Rotom-W, one of Mamoswine's most common counters. While Mamoswine makes a powerful attacking force, a real advantage of it is its ability to revenge kill dragon-types with Ice Shard (especially those locked into Outrage). Mamoswine's immense power and power STAB Earthquake make it a huge threat, so watch out once Mamoswine enters the ring.
Bronzong is the best counter in the game as nothing Mamoswine can do hurts it. Skarmory is a good counter too though Icicle Drop hurts alot, and Uxie, Cresselia, and Mesprit all work as well. Weezing works with access to Fire Blast and Will-O-Wisp. Rotom-W is also a great counter as it resists everything apart from Stone Edge. Mamoswine isnt too speedy so its very prone to revenge kills and faster Pokemon.
Flygon is like a miniature Garchomp. It laughs at almost all forms of passive damage and then inflicts a lot of damage itself. Flygon's movepool isn't very wide, but it has the tools it needs to be a potent threat in the OU metagame, and it uses them very well. Its typing is great both offensively and defensively, and its ability is also good. If you arent using U-Turn or Roost though, it is very much so an inferior Garchomp.
Flygon @ Choice Band / Choice Scarf
With STAB Outrage and Earthquake, Choice Band Flygon is a serious threat. With Stealth Rock support, it will at least 2HKO most things that do not resist it, and U-Turn severely hampers those Pokémon (especially Cresselia). Flygon is tough to stall as it laughs at entry hazards, doesn't take damage from Sandstorm, and hits very hard. Choice Scarf is sometimes used over Choice Band, but Flygon becomes far less threatening.
Cresselia works, but U-Turn will put it in KO range for Outrage next time Flygon enters the ring. Suicune and Vaporeon are in similar situations, but Flygon normally won't lock itself into Outrage early on because it will almost inevitably be revenge killed by ScarfTran or Gengar. A VERY physically defensive Gyarados can counter Flygon well with Intimidate although Stealth Rock will wear down on it. Bulky steel types once again make good checks to Flygon. Hippowdon and Swampert take anything Flygon throws at them.
Heracross is one of the most frightening Pokémon in the game thanks to its two 120 base power STAB attacks, its ability Guts, and its huge base Attack stat of 125. Heracross also has Swords Dance and Stone Edge at its disposal, making it a wrecking ball of a physical attacker. However, it has merely average Speed for an attacker and a lack of useful resistances outside of its ground resistance. This can make Heracross hard to get in and keep up with the fast-paced nature of today's metagame. Even with its flaws, Heracross is one of the most powerful Pokémon in the game, and if it is not treated as such, it will cause some serious problems. It didnt really gain much from B/W though the Rotoms losing their ghost tying helped it alot.
Heracross @ Choice Band
"CBCross" is one of the most frightening Choice Banders that can be found in the OU metagame. With two STAB attacks with 120 base power coupled with 125 base Attack, almost nothing can take repeated hits from this monster with Stone Edge to hit flying types. Almost every single Pokémon in the game is at least 2HKOed by something Heracross carries in its arsenal, and the only common Pokémon that is an exception to this rule is Gliscor. The last slot is whay Hera wants to cover basically. Night Slash hits ghosts like Desukan, Pursuit makes things like Blissey think twice whilst Facade removes even counters if it gets statused. However, Heracross isn't the fastest Pokémon around, so it can be taken advantage of by faster Pokémon.
Gliscor is the best counter to CBCross with higher Speed, great Defense, resistances to both of its STAB moves, and access to STAB Aerial Ace to OHKO Heracross. Even if Stone Edge lands a critical hit, Gliscor can Roost off the damage before Heracross can finish it off while buying itself a rock resistance in the process. Weezing also works, though it needs an investment in Special Attack for Flamethrower to 2HKO Heracross and its 95 base Special Defense. Aerial Ace Nidoqueen is also a good counter, as it resists Heracross's three main attacks. Fire Punch Dusknoir also make a good counters to CBCross. Landlos is a good check as it shares the same typing as Gliscor but can get worn down due to no recovery. Desukan also walls Heracross easily without Night Slash.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
"ScarfCross" makes an effective revenge killer for the same reasons that CBCross makes an effective Choice Bander with its awesome STAB moves with Stone Edge nd Night Slash for coverage on the things Heracross struggles with. While ScarfCross is easier to wall than CBCross, it is much faster and has Toxic, which ruins most of CBCross's most reliable counters and also some Pokémon that would otherwise counter ScarfCross, such as Hippowdon. Though that isnt seen much anymore.
Weezing and Nidoqueen are immune to Toxic, so they still work, but the other CBCross counters will have to take the poison status or not come in at all. Even when poisoned, all of CBCross's counters still easily handle ScarfCross, especially Toxic Orb Gliscor so if you have cleric support, Toxic shouldn't be a problem. Landlos works well too as a check as it shares the same typing as Gliscor. Pure poison types wall everything Heracross does if they have good defense for example Dasutodasu. Heracross also cannot do much to Desukan as it lacks the power to beat it without a CB.
Heracross @ Life Orb
"SDCross" is the set-up sweeper version of CBCross, and it can inflict some major pain. while it lacks a priority move to nail faster sweepers like Lucario has, SDCross can hit both psychic-types and flying-types with Megahorn and Stone Edge, respectively. SDCross has the same wall breaking ability as Lucario with only one less Attack point and no weakness to Earthquake, making it a very potent sweeper. The only thing that holds SDCross back is its low Speed, and Bullet Punch Scizor being everywhere doesn't help.
Countering SDCross is very difficult. Aerial Ace/Acrobat Gliscor works, but any Gliscor lacking the attack is vulnerable to SDCross's immense power. There aren't any other solid counters, so taking advantage of its low Speed and lack of survivability is a good way of beating SDCross before it can set up and cause your team pain. Revenge killing is always viable and that is rather easy.
Swampert's reign as OU's supreme bulky water is over, but it's still a useful Pokémon when played correctly. It can make a good Stealth Rock shuffler and a fair wall breaker as well, and it can even do a lot of damage with a Curse or Choice Band set. while most of the Pokémon Swampert could counter in Advance can beat it now, Swampert is by no means helpless on the defensive side of things, making the mudfish a respectable balance of offense and defense. Having only one weakness doesn't hurt either.
Swampert @ Choice Band
"CBPert" is not Swampert's most popular set, but it packs quite a punch and has terrific coverage, hitting every Pokémon in existence for at least neutral damage. Swampert also has two powerful and reliable STAB attacks at its disposal in Earthquake and Waterfall. CBPert still has the ability to take hits like a standard defensive Swampert would, which makes it easy to switch in. Its resistance to Stealth Rock is also very handy.
Countering CBPert is surprisingly difficult, but defensive variants of Suicune, Celebi, and Tangrowth do well against it. Skarmory and Cresselia can take any attack thrown at them and the latter can even throw up Reflect, but the former has to worry about Waterfall's flinch chance.
Vaporeon is a good defensive Pokémon despite its below average Defense, and it has been a common counter to common threats like gyarados, Salamence, and MixApe throughout DP. It also has a solid 110 base Special Attack that give it something in the form of offenses, which is always a plus for a defensive Pokémon. Vaporeon also can Baton Pass an incredibly bulky Substitute and use wish to heal teammates. Vaporeon is a great team player and one of the better bulky waters without a doubt.
Vaporeon @ Choice Specs
This set takes advantage of Vaporeon's great Special Attack and good enough movepool. surf is a reliable STAB attack that does a lot of damage to most Pokémon, and Ice Beam and Hidden Power Electric take care of most of the "problem" Pokémon that wall Surf. the last slot gives Vaporeon either a more powerful STAB attack, healing, or scouting, and all three can be very useful. If you don't have Blissey, Choice Specs Vaporeon is probably going to cause a lot of problems, so be ready for it.
Blissey is the number one counter here, and Snorlax and Rotom-W work to a lesser extent. Nattorie destroys Vaporeon. Special defensive Milotic also works despite the presence of Hidden Power Electric. Burungeru (thanks to its Water Absorb ability) makes a decent counter.
In the early days of DP, Electivire was hyped tremendously, but people soon figured out that it was incredibly easy to wall, something Motor Drive couldn't help out with. However, many offensive teams don't carry a Pokémon that can handle Electivire well, and Gyarados's popularity lets Electivire grab Motor Drive boosts and surprise many teams and it did get Wild Bolt in B/W which is alot beter than ThunderPunch ever was. While Electivire isn't sweeping any team with a few capable walls it can hurt teams not expecting of it. However at pure wall breaking it has Shibirudon to content with which is hard as the electric eel has Grass Knot, Coil and Levitate.
Electivire @ Life Orb / Expert Belt
This Electivire is a mixed sweeper, and for the most part it is more effective than physical variants of Electivire. A lot of common counters lose to it, but it still is pretty easy to stop. Either way, it can cause damage to unprepared teams, and many teams are unprepared for Electivire since battlers have such little respect for it. Cross Chop takes out special walls like Blissey and also Tyranitar whilst Thunderbolt is more powerful than ThunderPunch. Flamethrower beats steels and grass types whilst the Hidden Power beats Swampert or the dragons and Gliscor respectively.
Spiritomb, Mesprit, Dusknoir, and Cresselia still work fine. Swampert works if it has Hidden Power Ice while Gliscor is a counter if Electivire has Hidden Power Grass. Latias can take it on rather easily and Scarfers like Garchomp are great to check it and revenge. Electivire also cant do anything to Shiburidon who can either Coil Up or just attack to wear it down.
Electivire @ Life Orb / Expert Belt
Wild Bolt hits harder than ThunderPunch and with Ice Punch for coverage on grounds this set can cause some trouble, though it isnt as threatening as the first set as its easier to wall, but teams that rely on resistances will get punished. Earthquake is in the third slot to hit things like Metagross harder. Meditate is sometimes used to attempt a sweep late game as that +1 Atk can really help. Cross Chop is for the OHKO on Tyranitar and 2hko on Nattorie and special walls, but that isn't needed with Meditate as you KO both of the aforementioned apart from Nattorie after a boost with ease with your other moves.
Countering physical Electivire is pretty easy. Dusknoir, Spiritomb, Cresselia, Tangrowth, Celebi, Mesprit, Swampert, Donphan, Weezing, and Hippowdon all work. Shiburidon walls it too. Without Fire Punch, Forretress and Bronzong also beat it. Though most of them can be overpowered by Meditate Wild Bolts and its other attacks, apart from the ground types of course. Again Scarfers like Garchomp cause issues.
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February 6th, 2009 (3:34 PM). Edited February 21st, 2011 by Dark Azelf.
Celebi isn't what it was in Advance, but it's still a very powerful Pokémon. It has a lot of weaknesses, but its access to Calm Mind, Recover, Baton Pass, Leaf Storm, Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, and several other useful moves more than makes up for that. Celebi can be anything from a staller that is seemingly impossible to kill to a fast and powerful attacker to a Baton Passer. It can also act as a PHazer with Perish Song and a team supporter with options like Thunderwave, Reflect and Stealth Rock available. You name it, Celebi can probably do it which makes it remain solid in gen 5.
Celebi @ Life Orb / Occa Berry
Offensive Nasty Plot Celebi is a threat not many people are prepared for. After a Nasty Plot, Celebi's STAB attacks do all kinds of damage to anything that doesn't resist them not named Blissey or Snorlax with Giga Drain being useful as a psuedo healing move. Hidden Power Fire beats down steel-types. Earth Power deals with Heatran and hits Jirachi and Metagross the hardest.
Blissey and Snorlax counter it. Latias is also a very solid choice and wins as does Scizor without HP Fire. Scarfers are a good bet though like Scarf Heatran but Occa Berry can screw it up. Scarf Tyranitar and Waruvial are a rather large issues. Celebi also doesnt like faster U-Turners like Scarf Flygon, Landlos and Genosekuto. Weavile works too if you are really struggling with it. Barujiina is a good check as only HP Ice touches it. Scarf Sazandora hurts it with either U-Turn, Fire Blast or Draco Meteor. Zuruzukin, Zoroark and Victini use Celebi as set up fodder
Celebi @ Life Orb
Celebi also makes a fabulous Life Orb attacker. Recover keeps it nice and healthy while Leaf Storm packs a lot of power against any Pokémon that doesn't resist it not named Blissey or Snorlax. Thunderwave (used with Modest and the slower spread) is this sets real selling point, it cripples anything Celebi cant hit well like Sazandora and Heatran. Earth Power (seen with Timid and the faster spread) takes out the steels which can be problem like Heatran.
Blissey, Snorlax, and Bariujiina do the trick. Zapdos walls it as does Victini. Flygon can avoid T-Waves and can U-Turn but is destroyed by Leaf Storm. Heatran, especially defensive versions work as they dont even care about Thunderwaves but is destroyed by Earth Power. Most of the counters and checks for the Nasty Plotter work but bear in mind Thunderwave makes most of them near useless.
Snorlax has always been a durable, sturdy, and powerful special wall, but DP changed Snorlax quite a bit. while it still makes an effective special wall, Snorlax can also be a useful attacker with its solid 110 base Attack and access to Selfdestruct. Of course, Snorlax can always abuse Curse or RestTalk strategies like it has in the past, making it a potentially dangerous foe. Selfdestructs power nerf in B/W hurt offensive Snorlax and the influx of new powerful fighting types like Roobushin but its still very solid.
Snorlax @ Choice Band / Leftovers
Offensive Lax takes advantage of Snorlax's attacking capabilities. Return and body Slam are both reliable STAB attacks that really hammer a lot of Snorlax's common switch-ins, and the next two slots deal with Pokémon that resist its STAB attack. Selfdestruct packs more power than Explosion from CBGross, which shows just how powerful this Snorlax is. Snorlax's solid Special Defense and enormous amount of HP allows it effectively check many threatening special sweepers in the OU metagame while not compromising any Attack power.
Common physical walls work, though Selfdestruct will eliminate most of them as it gets STAB, though this is alot harder than in D/P as its alot weaker. Without Fire Punch , Skarmory, Forretres, Scizor and Bronzong will wall it. Outpredicting CBLax is often key to beating it, as is true with many Choice Banders. Roobushin can take even a CB Return and OHKO with Drain Punch. Snorlax also dislikes bulky checks like Scizor. Lucario, Zuruzukin and other fighters annoy it too.
While Gliscor was a popular pure physical wall in the early days of DP, it can now abuse its new Poison Heal ability (illegal with Roost) which gen 5 gifted it with Acrobat to become more of an offensive threat and also a tank. Gliscor still is a useful physical wall with its great support options like Roost, Stealth Rock and Knock Off, but now it role is better based around around turning the tables on the opponent once it switches in with Swords Dance, Toxic Orb abuse or just stall breaking with Taunt, Toxic and Roost. Gliscor can in addition, lead rather well, thanks to good options like U-Turn, Stealth Rock and Taunt to shut down other common leads. It also outspeeds Lucario, which means that Gliscor remains the most reliable Lucario counter in the game and also beats Roobushin handily. Gliscor is still a solid Pokemon in gen 5 and should never be underestimated.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Gliscor is useful as a speedy tank that abuses Toxic Orb, Fling and Poison Heal. Poison Heal may seem inferior to Roost, but it really isnt. Fling is to power up Acrobat and cripple walls at the same time its also useful to prevent status after Toxic Orb is activated and to stay alive. Fling ditches Gliscor's Toxic orb and messes up any bulkier counter as it badly poisons them. Acrobat becomes a very powerful Flying move after Gliscor sheds its Toxic Orb, becoming 165 power with STAB factoring in. Earthquake is a reliable STAB move that can do a lot of damage, even with Gliscor's rather average Attack stat for a Swords Dancer. Taunt is an option to stop PHazing and to stop Roobushin's Bulk Ups. Protect to scout and activate your Toxic Orb easier and to heal a little.
Bulky waters (watch out for Fling), Skarmory, and Cresselia still beat this Gliscor. Offensive Celebi outspeeds Gliscor and can do a ton of damage with Leaf Storm or Psychic. Latias is a great counter too and can Surf to do fatal damage. Starmie can check Gliscor too and doesn't care about Fling due to Natural Cure and can Recover. Voltolos resists Flying and Ground and can Hidden Power Ice so is a great annoyance that should be gotten rid of before attempting a sweep. Special based scarfers like Sazandora can beat it if worst comes to worst as can most unscarfed faster special sweepers.
Jolteon is a unique Pokémon thanks to its incredible Speed and access to Baton Pass. Jolteon is the fastest SubPasser in the game and one of the best as well. Jolteon also has better Special Attack than Pokémon like Mismagius and Starmie, making it a threatening attacker despite its lousy movepool, though it did gain Volt Change and Cheer Up in gen 5 which helps it quite a bit. On the other hand the addition of things like Nattorei, Doryuuzu, Garchomp moving down to OU and Landlos is a major downfall of Jolteon as it must me more weary than ever about spamming electric moves.
Jolteon @ Choice Specs / Life Orb
Jolteon has grown more popular recently, and it's easy to see why. It still has its blazing Speed, but now its Special Attack climbs even higher thanks to Choice Specs, Cheer Up or Charge Beam. Volt Change is used in the last slot on Choice Specs sets for scouting its counter, which allows it to decide on Thunderbolt, Hidden Power, or Shadow Ball the next time it comes in and usually inflict a decent amount of pain on the opponent. Jolteon's movepool isn't ideal, but it's good enough to make use of a sweeping moveset as the +1 that Cheer Up/Charge Beam grants really helps.
Magnezone resists all of Jolteon's attacks while Blissey and Snorlax can simply sponge them. Gliscor, Flygon and Garchomp makes a fair counters if it has Hidden Power Grass especially the latter as its often Scarfed, while Swampert will always win if it carries Hidden Power Ice. Electrics like Raikou and Electivire can take any of Jolteon's attacks without any problems. Nattorie can wall anything Jolton does all day. Doryuuzu doesnt care about anything Jolteon packs either and outspeeds it in the sand and OHKO's easily or can set up.
Azelf is usually seen as a Stealth Rock Suicide lead now, but its talents go far beyond that. Azelf can severely punish unprepared teams with its incredible power and Speed. It still has trouble with common Pursuit users if it cannot knock them out as they switch in, but that doesn't stop Azelf from being an effective attacker. The ban of Deoxys-S and ScarfGar's fall in usage makes Azelf an even more attractive option than it has been in recent memory. Azelf got Psycho Shock which allows it to beat Blissey and defensive Latias 1vs1 two very big counters. The drop of ScarfTar in usage helps the little blue elf too.
Azelf @ Life Orb / Expert Belt
After a Nasty Plot, almost nothing can take a hit from Azelf. Hidden Power Fighting is annoying for those who try to switch in Weavile and Tyranitar, while Grass Knot can mess up bulky waters. Azelf is very diverse and very powerful, so dealing with it can be tough. Azelf can also make use of Psycho Shock to beat Blissey one-on-one, infact it OHKO's the pink puff ball after a boost making a sweep very possible.
Spiritomb is a great Azelf counter. Of course, so does Blissey and Snorlax if Azelf lacks Psycho Shock. Dusknoir can work too if it has enough Attack to 2HKO Azelf with Shadow Sneak. Thunder Wave Cresselia and Togekiss work as well, shutting down Azelf completely. Scizor can also revenge kill if Azelf has taken around 15% residual damage with Bullet Punch. Faster choice scarfers are also a common way to deal with this set. Scarf Tyranitar and Sazandorra are good counters. Azelf also struggles with bulky psychic types and Heatran should it lack HP Fighting.
With Agility, Torrent, good Special Attack, and great typing, Empoleon makes one interesting Pokémon. Despite its inability to get past Seismic Toss Blissey, Empoleon still makes an effective special sweeper that can threaten any team, while its support options like Stealth Rock and Roar plus its good defensive typing allow Empoleon to do more than just sweep with Agility. More counters like Burungeru and Nattorie hurt Emploeon a little in B/W, as did Mach Punch being common but it can still sweep if presented the opportunity. However Emploeon does wall Sazandora and [email protected] rather well so it remains solid.
Empoleon @ Petaya Berry
With Agility, Empoleon solves its Speed problem, as 60 base Speed is very slow for a sweeper. Substitute, on the other hand, is used to activate Torrent and Petaya Berry, which boost Empoleon's special attacking power. Surf will do incredible amounts of damage to anything that doesn't resist it not named Blissey, and the last slow deals with grass-types and water-types that wall its STAB attack, respectively.
Waters wall Empoleon with Ice Beam, and Celebi gives it grief if Empoleon goes with Grass Knot and so does [email protected] Seismic Toss Blissey and Earthquake Snorlax do well against it regardless of its choice of attack in the last slot. Toxic Spikes can wear down all of these counters quickly though, so proceed with caution. Nattorie beats it and isnt effected by Toxic Spikes. Defensive Gyarados and Vaporeon Roar it away. Some faster Scarfers like Votolos and Scarfchomp need to be removed too if you wish to sweep with Empoleon.
Empoleon @ Life Orb
While Agility is still here, Empoleon loses its Petaya Berry for Life Orb and Substitute to use both secondary attacking options. While it's not as durable as the Substitute variant, this Agility sweeper Empoleon packs more of an immediate punch and possesses much better coverage with Surf, Ice Beam and Grass Knot and no longer has to worry about what is going to wall it apart from special sponges and things which is cannot hit well like Nattorei and Gyarados.
Blissey and Snorlax still give it trouble, and so does Ludicolo. Thunder Wave Cresselia is another pest Empoleon has to watch out for. Nattorie again is really annoying as Emploeon literally cant do anything against it. Once again fast Scarfers are pains for Emploeon and so are Mach Punch users like Roobushin and Inferape. Gyarados also doesn't take much from its attacks and KO's with EQ.
Machamp is a very powerful Pokémon, and it can take a few hits too. Machamp has the most powerful Close Combat in the game and it makes good use of moves like Payback and Dynamicpunch. Machamp can do a lot of different things from outpacing fast opponents with a Choice Scarf to abusing Dynamicpunch and No Guard, which makes Machamp a scary Pokémon. It also is an effective check against one of the most fearsome Pokémon in the game in Tyranitar. In B/W it lost its throne to Roobushin as the "bulky fighting type" though it still has No Guard and the ever annoying DynamicPunch and Close Combat. Machamp can also lead, none of which Roobushin can do. However Roob gets Mach Punch so you should weigh up the pro's and cons of each mon before adding one to your team. Machamp is in no way outclassed though by Roob, just different in what it does and even though psychic types have had a rise in usage Machamp is still one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the game.
Machamp @ Leftovers
Substitute Machamp is a huge threat for both offense and stall alike. Nothing likes taking hits from this thing, let alone fighting against the confusion rate of DynamicPunch letting it fire more Subs off to stop otherwise crippling status. DynamicPunch and No Guard is this main sets selling point with its broken 100% accuracy and Confusion rate. Payback hits all the ghosts and psychics whilst Stone Edge covers the flying types that are prone to switching in.
This Machamp is very hard to wall and as such not alot can. Spiritomb (granted it has a ghost move to break Machamps subs), Desukan, Reflect Celebi and Slowbro are probably as near as counters as you can find along with Rankurusu. Weezing works if it can break Machamps Subs with Sludge Bomb. Gliscor also works decently. Reflect + Psychic Cresselia/Mesprit/Uxie are also a very good counters. Toxic Spikes can put this Machamp in a sticky situation.
Machamp @ Choice Band
With a Choice Band, Machamp rips through almost everything in its path. Close Combat smashes almost everything, and the other three slots take care of what it doesn't. The scary part is that Guts can make Machamp even more powerful, almost to the point of uber Pokémon like Groudon.
Weezing and to a lesser extent Spiritomb work well in countering Machamp and so do most the counters to the previous set, minus Slowbro as it hates CB ThunderPunch. Otherwise, taking advantage of its low Speed is the best way to get rid of it. RestTalk Machamp is much more common, and many people won't want to get their Pokémon confused by Dynamicpunch. That can buy Machamp some time. Close Combat defense drops also leave it wide open for revenge killing. CB Machamp also cant really do anything to Desukan who if hit physically changes Machamps ability Mummy and its then free it burn it.
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Machamp has the ability to boost its already massive attack through the oft overlooked method of Bulk Up. After a Bulk Up Machamp literally destroys teams with a bit of Paralysis support or speed passed to it. Chesto Berry is sometimes seen on a spin off of this set with Bulk Up/DynamicPunch/Payback or Stone Edge/Rest which lets you heal off the damage you take.
The same counters to the other two sets work, except ghosts become a much more attractive option to deal with this set as they can burn it with Will-O-Wisp, however watch out, Bulk Up Machamp sometimes uses Guts which means GG for the ghosts. Desukan still doesn't care about that though or anything this set can do due to Mummy and Haze.
Dugtrio has a very low Attack score for a sweeper, but its Arena Trap ability makes it a useful asset to many teams. Dugtrio is very fast which helps it take out many Pokémon, and its ability to always trap and kill Heatran when equipped with a Choice Scarf is very useful. It can really mess up teams if too many Pokémon are trapped and killed by it, and many Pokémon are. B/W gave it Claw Sharpen so its quite possible to get +6 on people flinging around choiced electric attacks.
Dugtrio @ Choice Band / Life Orb / Choice Scarf
Dugtrio can revenge kill so many OU threats with this set it isn't even funny. Electivire, Blissey, Heatran, Tyranitar, Infernape, Heracross, and many more all fall victim to Dugtrio, and there isn't anything they can do about it. That's what makes Dugtrio so scary, and it will always be popular for that reason. With Heracross declining in usage, Pursuit can be a very useful tool for messing up cocky Gengar and Latias that think they can switch out for free and laugh at Dugtrio. Memento is a new option Duggy gets to trap something, Memento then get a free set up opportunity with the next Pokemon you bring in.
You cannot technically counter something that traps Pokémon, but just about any physical wall or bulky water out there beats Dugtrio. Porygon2 can make use of its Trace ability to trap Dugtrio and kill it with Ice Beam. Wobbuffet and Shandera (dream world only) can do similar by trapping Dugtio.
Dugtrio @ Soft Sand / Balloon
This set takes a new twist on using Dugtrio. It isn't as useful as the first set due to the drop in power and so the foe needs to be at lower health if it wishes to revenge kill them but it can make entire teams pay if they are careless. The idea is to get Dugtrio in on something like Blissey or Choiced electric or ground moves (Balloon) and abuse Arena Trap to use Claw Sharpen and Sub, with a bit of luck you can get +6 and thus sweep with Sucker Punch as an option to pick off scarfers.
Anything with even fair physical Defense will work assuming it isn't 4x weak to Earthquake or something like that. Unboosted attacks from something with 80 base Attack won't be hurting anything.
Closing Comments
The OU metagame isn't limited to OU Pokémon, as you will find low usage Pokemon there too as the tier lists for B/W arent out yet. None of those are included in this threat list, but if you want more information about them, go http://www.smogon.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=156 here and http://126.96.36.199/Wifi/index.html here to find out more.
That concludes this guide on threats in the OU metagame. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
I hope you found this threat list helpful!
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