Hello there reader! This is my completed team for the ORAS Generation Showdown and I really want to know if it will be able to hold up to the onslaught of overpowered 'Mons in the competition. Seriously, this is just Nintendonese for "Mega Rayquaza Free-for-All".
Overview
I put a lot of research into this, since this would be my first official competition. The first thing that I – and everyone else – noticed was that Mega Rayquaza wasn't banned. After that it was a mad scramble to find counters and checks for him as well as get one for me (thanks to the Delta Episode). I researched different ways to deal with M-Ray, and eventually settled on a few good choices. Next I looked through what were likely to be popular playstyles and found answers to those. I feel as though this team has what it takes to do well in the tourney, so long as my n00bishness doesn't get in the way. As for the name of the team, I picked names that I thought would suit them and translated them into French. It seemed to have a lot of powerful Pokémon on it as well, so it became the French Inquisition. Nobody expects the French Inquisition!
Team
Calcul (Kefki)@ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Swagger
- Protect
- Thunder Wave
Translation: Reckoning
Details: Most people start RMTs with the star. I'll start mine with the troll. Klefki is frickin' amazing with Prankster T-Wave, slowing faster threats and letting the slower members of the team outspeed and get some KOs. Protect is mandatory to escape Death by Groudon and get a turn of Leftovers recovery. Swagger + Foul Play lets me really troll around. It also makes me not complete Taunt bait. EVs and Nature help mne survive +2 M-Ray's Dragon Ascent (79.2 - 93.2%). I chose the name Reckoning because so many players underestimate the keychain.
Horloge Fer (Dialga)@ Weakness Policy
Abiltiy: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 248 HP / 8 SDef
Modest Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Thunder
- Dragon Pulse
- Fire Blast
Translation: Iron Clock
Details:This is the King of my team. I love him even more than M-Ray. I chose him as my answer to GeoXern and Kyogre, among other things. I toyed around with a lot of items, including Choice Specs and Lum Berry, but I decided to use Dialga's tankiness to soak up Earthquakes and get to +2. I'll let the clacs speak for themselves:
252+ SpA Dialga Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Rayquaza: 666-786 (370 - 436.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Dialga Thunder vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre: 438-516 (128 - 150.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Dialga Flash Cannon vs. 104 HP / 0 SpD Xerneas: 648-764 (154.6 - 182.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Final calc vs. Xereneas. Clean OHKO. You might be asking "But what about Geomancy?" It's okay, that's what Thundurus is here for. The only move I'm on the fence with is Fire Blast; it could be more beneficial to run Protect to avoid 2HKOs and let a partner clean up. I chose the name Iron Clock because it reflects on what Dialga is: the unyielding Time Lord. And horlage sounds cool.
Ouragan (Thundurus)@ Expert Belt / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Thunderbolt
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
Translation: Hurricane
Description: Ouragan is probably the MVP of the whole team. He provides invaluable Taunt support which helps me in a number of ways, namely A) stopping GeoXern, B) stopping Trick Room, and C) preventing M-Ray from getting a Swords Dance, among other things. He's pretty straightforward: Taunt, laugh, Thunderbolt, repeat. Nasty Plot + Dark Pulse was originally for destroying Cresselia, the #1 Trick Room setter and my team's worst nighmare. However, I ran some calcs and found that it would proably be easier for a teammate to eliminate her. I want to keep my Taunter alive for as long as possible, so I was considering replacing the two with Volt Switch + Protect and Thunderbolt for Thunder Wave. Feedback appreciated. I chose Hurricane as his moniker because of the utter chaos he causes with Taunt.
Terres Voler (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- U-Turn
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Knock Off
Translation: Flying Land
Details: The original holder of this spot was Primal Groudon, but as Ion so helpfully pointed out I had too many Legendaries on my team (I misunderstood the rules). I looked at my three and found that the easiest to replace was Groudon. Enter Landorus-T. He brings much-needed Intimidate support to my team, and allows Klefki to survive Earthquake from Mega Rayquaza at -1. U-Turn is my way to escape undesirable matchups and so that I can come back to spread Intimidate later. Earthquake is my powerful STAB attack, while Rock Slide checks Talonflame, Volacrona and Charizard. Knock Off is my answer to Aegislash, OHKOing 252 HP / 0 Def variants at full health with an item. I think that Landorus is a valuable addition to the team, filling in gaps and doing everything his predecessor, Groudon, could. I named him Flying Land because it's impossible, but Landorus doesn't care.
Continued in Answers.