ORAS OU Mega-Alakazam / Terrakion Offense

[aki0s]

​

Teambuilding process

I wanted to build around Mega-Alakazam / Terrakion. Terrakion takes care of dark types & bulky special walls for Alakazam. Alakazam sweeps with CM once its checks have been removed. Simple.

I added Landorus as a general physical wall. It checks a lot of things in the tier & is a more reliable sand check than what Garchomp is.

Latios / Latias / Fairies started looking annoying. I added Jirachi to mitigate this. Jirachi also brings healing wish to the team allowing you to heal up any of the team members.

Stall is annoying. Manaphy breaks down stall. It also offers the team another wallbreaker to help out Mega-Alakazam.

Electric types looked annoying so I added Kyurem-Black to check many of the electrics in the tier. It helps break down balance & weakens grounds types /walls to further help M-Alakazam or Terrakion.

Team in detail

Wunderbar (Alakazam-Mega) @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind

Alakazam threatens many teams in OU as most teams are simply not prepared for its high speed stat, stellar offense & excellent coverage. Alakazam can sweep many teams once its main checks have been removed. The most common check to Alakazam is Assault Vest Torndus-Therian. However, with Psyshock / Terrakion / Kyurem-Black it struggles to check Alakazam effectively; with rocks up Alakazam has a 43.8% chance of OHKoing standard assault vest Tornadus-T. A second commonly encountered check is any version of Tyranitar; Alakazam safely outspeeds all variants & can kill it (if not chople berry) with focus blast. This Alakazam does however struggle with Bisharp.
However, all things considered: Once Alakazam manages to set up a calm mind with its counter's / check's removed you win. Alakazam is this team's main win-condition.

Sorry for the large sprite X__X
Icebreaker (Terrakion) @ Choice Band
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake

Terrakion has stellar speed, excellent offensive stats & great offensive synergy with Alakazam. I opted for choice band Terrakion over choice scarf as I feel Tornadus is adequately dealt with. Terrakion also feels very weak without a choice band to me. Terrakion helps out versus Bisharp, however it can only come in to revenge it; it cannot switch in on a +2 Iron head. I opted for jolly Terrakion as it has a great speed stat & hits hard enough as is. Terrakion helps clear the way for Alakazam, hence the nickname.

Prideful (Landorus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Smack Down
- Stealth Rock

Landorus-Therian is a good answer to many physical attackers in the tier and serves as a general purpose physical sponge for the team. It is the rocker for this team. The speed IV's ensure a slow u-turn to bring wallbreakers in safely. Smack down is chosen over stone edge as Terrakion is more than enough rock coverage for the team. Rocky helmet helps get chip damage for our sweepers.

Skillful (Jirachi) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Fire Punch
- Healing Wish

Jirachi adds a fairy / Lati check to the team as well as offering speed control & a way of dealing with M-Scizor. It provides pivot utility & can heal a member of the team back to full with healing wish which can prove useful versus stall or tough offense matchups. Iron head backed with a choice scarf and serene grace can often be a win condition in itself in some circumstances.

7 Seas (Manaphy) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Tail Glow
- Rain Dance

Manaphy was added to the team as a semi-bulky water type that breaks down stall. Stall in general has trouble with rain dance Manaphy. Scald 2HKO's Quagsire under the rain & has a high chance of 2hkoing unaware Clefable (if not the spdef version). With rain dance it can also threaten Chansey. Tail glow is to boost its special attack & wallbreak. Ice beam is for dragons / grass types. It serves as a soft check to Keldeo.

Sa'ar (Kyurem-Black) @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
Mild Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Roost
- Substitute

Kyurem-Black was added to check electrics & wallbreak. Substitute with the give HP ev's ensures its substitute cannot be broken by seismic toss. Substitute allows it to dodge status & get off hits versus common switch ins. Life orb ensures it hits as hard as possible. Ice Beam / Fusion bolt gives it perfect neutral coverage versus anything that isn't called Mamoswine or Rotom-heat.

Threats

BISHARP
This team relies on Terrakion to revenge Bisharp. Bisharp can easily switch out & set up at a later stage causing problems for the team. One way to deal with Bisharp can be to keep Kyurem's set a secret & bluff scarf - thereby allowing you to sub on the sucker punch and get a nice amount of damage in with fusion bolt or ice beam.

KELDEO
This team does not have a Keldeo check. We can handle it offensively with Alakazam, however the scarf variant can give this team a world of trouble if the other player is competent.

MEGA-ALAKAZAM
If a ditto copies Mega-Alakzam with +1 & locks itself into shadow ball it has a good chance of winning. If an opposing Mega-Alakazam wins a speed tie or Jirachi goes down early you lose.

MEGA-DIANCIE
The earth power variant is not as common as it used to be - which is good because this team does not have a reliable switch in to Diancie's excellent coverage. Diancie can easily be revenged however.

SUBSTITUTE 3-ATTACK GENGAR
This wins with rocks up.

Thanks for taking the time to read my RMT. Any suggestions on how to improve my matchup versus the threats mentioned or anything regarding team synergy is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[gyarayquaza]

Hi there! I really like the team you've got going on here, but one immediate problem made itself clear to me, primarily because I use one: Weavile. Once Manaphy is down, Weavile can come in as a revenge killer and essentially KO everything on this team. it guarantees one-shots against non-mega Alakazam, Terrakion, and Jirachi* (provided it loses its Scarf or badly switches in) using Knock Off and Low Kick respectively. there's a high chance to KO your Kyurem-B too, which becomes guaranteed after either SR or Spikes damage (or any other prior damage for that matter). Even an intimidate from Landorus-T still allows Icicle Crash to 2HKO you - which is REALLY SCARY with that 30% flinch rate. Even still, you have to use Earthquake because believe it or not your coverage won't kill a healthy Weavile; but U-Turn will offer a nice pivot (after losing over half your health). My point is, the thing is scary. It outspeeds your whole team (barring Scarf Jirachi) and after some hazards or prior damage it has the potential to leave you 0-6. I think the best fix to that problem would be Life Orb/Choice Band Scizor. Its priority Bullet Punch will get you out of that major hazard as well as check M. Diancie and opposing M. Alakazam. Priority and Technician is amazing. it's like a steel flamethrower that goes first. As for your Keldeo and Bisharp problems, Talonflame sounds like a great solution. It can either run a defensive set and burn Bisharp so that its attacks do basically nothing to it, or get priority Acrobatics on Keldeo for some major damage. Nevertheless, an offensive Brave Bird/Flare Blitz combo does this job pretty nicely too. Up to you.

So my general suggestions for your specific threats would be to replace Terrakion --> LO/CB Scizor.
My reasoning is that like you said it feels like Terrakion doesn't really hit so hard, but a Scizor will. If you pack Superpower, you won't miss that Close Combat coverage so much, and you've already got the same coverage on Landorus-T otherwise. speaking of which, don't be afraid to use Stone Edge over Smack Down - but again it's all up to you. Anyway, here's the set (using CB for longevity):

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Superpower
- U-Turn
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off

and then,

Kyurem-B --> Defensive/Offensive Talonflame. Now don't get me wrong, I love Kyurem-B, especially as it's one of the bigger stallbreakers in the tier. I just feel like it's not offering very much to the team. Its only additional coverage is in Fusion Bolt - which is great, but that's it. Substitute is nice when you aren't killed by fast Dragons and carriers of Fighting/Steel coverage. But that's about all you've got. Talonflame also acts as a nice switch in to Scarf Excadrill if you come in on EQ. I'm suggesting the defensive set just because it's helped me a ton.

Talonflame
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Will-o-Wisp

Oh, and speaking of Talonflame you're gonna want some hazard control... Sorry I didn't think that one out. Maybe a bulky Rapid Spinning Starmie could do the trick? It also handles Keldeo decently. That's about all I can think of.

I hope I can help! Take care.

 

[aki0s]

Hi there! I really like the team you've got going on here, but one immediate problem made itself clear to me, primarily because I use one: Weavile. Once Manaphy is down, Weavile can come in as a revenge killer and essentially KO everything on this team. it guarantees one-shots against non-mega Alakazam, Terrakion, and Jirachi* (provided it loses its Scarf or badly switches in) using Knock Off and Low Kick respectively. there's a high chance to KO your Kyurem-B too, which becomes guaranteed after either SR or Spikes damage (or any other prior damage for that matter). Even an intimidate from Landorus-T still allows Icicle Crash to 2HKO you - which is REALLY SCARY with that 30% flinch rate. Even still, you have to use Earthquake because believe it or not your coverage won't kill a healthy Weavile; but U-Turn will offer a nice pivot (after losing over half your health). My point is, the thing is scary. It outspeeds your whole team (barring Scarf Jirachi) and after some hazards or prior damage it has the potential to leave you 0-6. I think the best fix to that problem would be Life Orb/Choice Band Scizor. Its priority Bullet Punch will get you out of that major hazard as well as check M. Diancie and opposing M. Alakazam. Priority and Technician is amazing. it's like a steel flamethrower that goes first. As for your Keldeo and Bisharp problems, Talonflame sounds like a great solution. It can either run a defensive set and burn Bisharp so that its attacks do basically nothing to it, or get priority Acrobatics on Keldeo for some major damage. Nevertheless, an offensive Brave Bird/Flare Blitz combo does this job pretty nicely too. Up to you.

So my general suggestions for your specific threats would be to replace Terrakion --> LO/CB Scizor.
My reasoning is that like you said it feels like Terrakion doesn't really hit so hard, but a Scizor will. If you pack Superpower, you won't miss that Close Combat coverage so much, and you've already got the same coverage on Landorus-T otherwise. speaking of which, don't be afraid to use Stone Edge over Smack Down - but again it's all up to you. Anyway, here's the set (using CB for longevity):

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Superpower
- U-Turn
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off

and then,

Kyurem-B --> Defensive/Offensive Talonflame. Now don't get me wrong, I love Kyurem-B, especially as it's one of the bigger stallbreakers in the tier. I just feel like it's not offering very much to the team. Its only additional coverage is in Fusion Bolt - which is great, but that's it. Substitute is nice when you aren't killed by fast Dragons and carriers of Fighting/Steel coverage. But that's about all you've got. Talonflame also acts as a nice switch in to Scarf Excadrill if you come in on EQ. I'm suggesting the defensive set just because it's helped me a ton.

Talonflame
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Will-o-Wisp

Oh, and speaking of Talonflame you're gonna want some hazard control... Sorry I didn't think that one out. Maybe a bulky Rapid Spinning Starmie could do the trick? It also handles Keldeo decently. That's about all I can think of.

I hope I can help! Take care.

Hey! Thanks for the detailed reply. ^_^ I'm unsure about changing up terrakion as I based the team around the core of M-Zam / Terrak. Would changing Manaphy to Azumarill accomplish the same things? It's a relatively safe weaville switch and can switch in to keld bar scald burns. D:

 

[BreloomMyHomie]

Hey man, nice team there, as I really like the rational for the Mega Alakazam+Terrakion core. One of the things I like about this team is that is utilizes some sort of teambuilding framework, meaning that your team includes a sand check in Landorus-T, a stallbreaker in Manaphy, and Lati check in Jirachi. However, there are a couple of issues I have with the team. Bulky SD Mega Scizor is a very big nuisance as it walls every Pokemon on your team bar Manaphy and Jirachi. However, I wouldn't call Manaphy and Jirachi the best Mega Scizor checks. For one, Manaphy has to rely on getting a burn with Scald to defeat Bulky Mega Scizor 1v1. And two, Scarf Jirachi is your Lati-Check, so it's going to be worn down by continuous Draco Meteors, to the point where +2 U-Turn from Scizor will kill, after surviving a Fire Punch with ease. Keldeo is a huge nuisance to the build due to the lack of switch-ins to its STABs, and your only check is Mega Alakazam who is killed by a Scarf Hydro Pump after some prior damage. Bisharp is annoying as well due to the lack of switch-ins as well as checks(yours only being Terrakion) on your team. Mega Metagross is also a huge conundrum to the team as well, due to the lack of switch-ins to its STABs and coverage. Another section your team could improve in is synergy within your Pokemon's movesets.

My first suggestion will be to replace Kyurem-B with Latios. Overall, I think Kyurem-B doesn't fit with this team because it not only does it exacerbate the Keldeo and Scizor weakness, but Substitute set really hinders the synergy with your Pokemon's movesets as nothing on your team really benefits from Substitute Kyurem-B. I understand that Kyurem is a great wallbreaker, but so is Latios. Latios in my opinion fits the team better because not only is it an electric resist like Kyurem, but a great Keldeo check. Now normally Defog Roost+2 attacks would be the way to go, but Hidden Power Fire really improves "moveset synergy" of your team. HP Fire allows Latios to weaken Steel types such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, who both Mega Alakazam and Manaphy appreciate being gone.

My next suggestion will be to replace Jirachi with Scizor. While Jirachi is a good Lati-Twin answer, it does make you very weak to Bisharp, especially with the Latios change. Scizor on the other hand, creates good synergy within your team. First of all, it Pursuit traps Lati-Twins that lack Hidden Power Fire and Jirachis, which paves the way for Manaphy, Latios, and Alakazam to put in some work vs your opponents team. Second of all, like Jirachi, Scizor checks Weavile and Diancie. Furthermore, Scizor mitigates the Mega Metagross weakness better than Jirachi. It isn't 2HKOed by any of Metagross's attacks, including Hammer arm. In addition, it can Pursuit trap it or go for a STAB U-turn, putting it in range of Latios's HP Fire or Alakazam's Shadow Ball. Lastly, Scizor is a Pokemon that can really handle the bulky Psychic types such as Reuniclus and Slowbro, doing a ton of damage with U-Turn.

My third suggestion will to change Terrakion's set from Choice Band to Swords Dance because I believe it has better synergy with Mega Alakazam. After a Swords Dance, Stone Edge OHKOes Alakazam's usual counters such as Mega Sableye, Magic Guard Clefable, and Gliscor. Not only does SD Terrakion help Alakazam, but it helps other teammates as well. +2 Close Combat OHKOes Garchomp, paving the way for CB Scizor to have some fun.

Calcs

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 172 Def Clefable: 442-523 (112.1 - 132.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 112 Def Mega Sableye: 320-376 (105.2 - 123.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 244 HP / 8 Def Gliscor: 347-409 (98.5 - 116.1%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 240 HP / 176+ Def Garchomp: 403-476 (96.6 - 114.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

My 4th suggestion will be to replace Calm Mind with Hidden Power Fire on Alakazam. HP Fire Alakazam really allows the core of Terrakion+Alakazam to flourish. With HP Fire, you can lure in bulky Mega Scizors and OHKO them after some prior damage, which you can easily get from Stealth Rock's or just a Psyshock. This really opens the door for Terrakion, not having to worry about Scizor.

Calcs

252 SpA Mega Alakazam Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Scizor: 392-464 (114.2 - 135.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Mega Alakazam Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 200 SpD Mega Scizor: 272-324 (79.3 - 94.4%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

• Because Landorus-T is your Talonflame answer, I'd prefer going Stone Edge>Smack Down to simply OHKO Offensive variants immediately.
• Energy Ball>Ice Beam on Manaphy allows it to kill bulky waters after a Tail Glow, such as Starmie, Slowbro, and Azumarill.

Hopefully I was able to improve the synergy with your Pokemon's movesets as well as stop the threats to the current team such as Metagross and Keldeo. These changes do make you more susceptible to offensive cores that consist of Magnezone as well as Serperior, so what you can do is put Occa Berry over Choice Band on Scizor. This allows Scizor to take a Hidden Power Fire and OHKO Magnezone it with Superpower+Bullet Punch(if you don't get the roll with Superpower). It also takes an HP Fire from Serperior and retaliates back with U-Turn.

New Team

Wunderbar (Alakazam-Mega) @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Focus Blast

Icebreaker (Terrakion) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Substitute

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge

Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Tail Glow
- Energy Ball
- Rain Dance

Scizor @ Choice Band / Occa Berry
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower

Good luck man. Hope I helped.

 

[vso]

Hi,
Your team looks like a great Mega Alakazam offense, and it is well built, and I have had great success with teams like yours, recently loving the combination of Mega Alakazam and Terrakion. My only problem with it is that it has too many stallbreakers and struggles to deal with other teams, as well as some suboptimal sets.
Firstly I would like to add Quick Attack instead of Earthquake on Terrakion. Earthquakes coverage is limited to Nidoking and Doublade both of whom are rare in the metagame . Quick Attack adds priority to the table and can be crucial in late game situations. Calm Mind on Mega Alakazam seems good on paper, but it does nothing to help it in most matchups. Mega Alakazam should always be used as a cleaner, for it cannot sweep stall, balanced or offensive teams using Calm Mind. Stall has one of the best Alakazam answer in Mega Sableye, while Mega Alakazam is slower than most scarfers like Jirachi and Landorus-T and Excadrill(if Jolly) as well as prone to priority such as Talonflame's Brave Bird and Scizor's Bullet Punch, which are prominent in the metagame. Instead, moves like Substitute not only give it the ability to get two hits on an opponent, and will clean in cases where Calm Mind will, but it also give it a lifeline against priority users, as well as dodging status conditions like Thunder Wave, and dodging Bisharp's Sucker Punch. Running Psychic over Psyshock increases your power, especially against physically defensive Pokemon like Landorus-T and Tankchomp and although it weakens you versus Chansey and Tornadus-T, you still 2HKO Tornadus on the switch, or if you have used Substitute, and Pokemon like Chansey are dealt with by Terrakion.I would go with Stone Edge over Smack Down on Landorus-T as Smack Down only works against Skarmory who can just merely switch out. Stone Edge has got much more power and allows you OHKO Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Thundurus. In order to help your matchup against balance, I'd suggest Belly Drum Azumarill over Manaphy, as Kyurem-Black and Terrakion deal with stall easily. Azumarill has powerful priority, and acts as a wincon, which is crucial to your team. It is able to help with Mega Diancie and Keldeo, and adds a fairy to your team. Scarf Excadrill over Jirachi also works, as Excadrill gives hazard control and removes the Bisharp weakness. Lastly I feel that Kyurem has no need for Substitute and would prefer Hidden Power Fire, to deal with Scizor, who try to set up on it. Even with rocks up, Adamant Mega Scizor with max attack only has a 50% chance of killing it with Bullet Punch, if it predicts that Kyurem stays in. This prevents Scizor from trying to set up on you, and since most Scizors run bulk, and Stealth Rocks will not always be up. Terrakion also lures Scizor in, doing massive damage with Stone Edge/Close Combat, and can take a Bullet Punch from full against all Scizor variants. Hope this helped!

sets

Sa'ar (Kyurem-Black) @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
Mild Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Roost
- Hidden Power Fire

Wunderbar (Alakazam-Mega) @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Sunstitute

Icebreaker (Terrakion) @ Choice Band
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Rock Slide
- Quick Attack

Prideful (Landorus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off

Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin

 

[gyarayquaza]

Hey! Thanks for the detailed reply. ^_^ I'm unsure about changing up terrakion as I based the team around the core of M-Zam / Terrak. Would changing Manaphy to Azumarill accomplish the same things? It's a relatively safe weaville switch and can switch in to keld bar scald burns. D:

Azumarill could help! Still, I don't know if manaphy is necessarily the best swap. Personally I like BreloomMyHomie 's response a lot since it keeps your Terrakion. I also didn't realize just how fast it was and I agree with a lot of their suggestions

 

[aki0s]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! I've been very busy with irl stuff so only got to reply now. Will test most of the suggestions and what not ^_^