Been getting into Gen 3 OU thanks to youtubers like BKC and JimmothyCool, plus Emerald is still my favorite pokemon game, so I made a Superman Archtype team to make the most use out of my favorite pokemon Flygon (and my distant 2nd favorite, Gengar). I did some reading and fetched spreads on Smogon's strategy pokedex but after some playtesting and refining to my personal playstyle preferences I now bring it to all of you. I haven't considered pokemon other than Gengar for the lead slot.
Ruby (Gengar) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Def / 8 SpA / 112 SpD / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Explosion
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
The Standard Defensive Gengar spread that is recommended for TSS teams. Since this is a Superman Archtype I don't really need Taunt to prevent the opponent from laying spikes, so I instead am running explosion to make use of the move's ability to blast through special walls or calm minders like Suicune. The listed EV spread allows Gengar to eat a Hidden Power Flying from Salamence and Gyarados, which it can then one shot in return, and it also allows Gengar to swap out if Pursuit Tyranitar ever seeks to trap it too early.
Sapphire (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Psychic
- Fire Punch
Originally intended to be a Calm Mind sweeper and alternative rock resist to take the pressure off of Flygon, I was not getting the flexibility out of Wish without protect that I needed, and I was having troubles with Fighting Types when I had boltbeam coverage. As such, I've kept the EVs from the Wish Calm Mind set since it lets Jirachi sit and heal in the face of Dugtrio and Swampert Earthquakes while chipping them down with a Psychic that does more than enough to get the job done against Fighting types like Hiriyama and Heracross. I added Fire Punch to this Jirachi because even if it makes me extremely inviting to Tyranitar, I was having a Skarmory problem where I had no way to threaten Skarmory with a KO, making it easy for opponents to pivot through it to bring in their threats. The 20% burn chance thanks to Serene Grace is nice too, as it acts a lot like Scald in threatening the physical attackers that want to take a crack at Jirachi with Earthquake.
Emerald (Flygon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 28 SpD / 32 Spe
Impish Nature
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Toxic
Flygon is usually referred to as the lynchpin of Superman teams. With so many pokemon levitating or having the Flying typing the team structure often has a major rock weakness that needs Flygon to deal with. This defensive EV spread lets Flygon take two hits from Metagross, freely switch in on many physical attackers, and it survives the surprise Ice Beam from dragon dance tyranitar sets that Flygon otherwise hard counters. Lefties + Protect is often the only way I can get some heals in on Flygon, but Jirachi can sometimes pass to Flygon if the mindgames play out against the constant barrages of Earthquakes. This set comes with Toxic, and it's the only Toxic user on the team that makes this a TSS team, but the team's playstyle is generally too aggressive to make good use of Toxic, especially when Flygon lures in Skarmory too easily.
Fire (Skarmory) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spikes
- Drill Peck
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Roar
This offensive Skarmory is designed to make Magneton explode in one hit. It does have trouble against both the Timid Magneton and Bulky Magneton sets but in my play testing those are fairly rare to come across and both do not beat skarmory when they take a Ground Type Hidden Power on the turn they switch in. This Skarmory is also one of the few ways this team handles set up sweepers by switching in on Rest turns or by being brought in after sacking a pokemon. Roar is also a very valuable move in forcing opponents to reveal their team composition early, while extending the length of the battle to let spikes and sand chip away at HP bars. This Skarmory very rarely lives long enough to set up more than one layer of spikes, since it has zero bulk investment, and Jirachi as the wish passer makes sure Skarmory rarely receives a wish safely.
Leaf (Tyranitar) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Ice Beam
The king of OU is another cornerstone of this team with it's ability to permanently set up sand. Sand is generally so prominent in Gen 3 OU that calcs for the format consider for sand by default. I originally picked this Pursuit Tyranitar out of a fear of Gengar, but Aerodactyl and Jirachi honestly have made Gengar far less threatening than anticipated. It has however helped tremendously with Salamence, Claydol, Swampert, Starmie, and basically everything it hits for super effective damage. There simply aren't many pokemon that Tyranitar doesn't outright out-muscle. Even the Tyranitar mirror is in my favor thanks to the Modest nature that Hidden Power Grass allows me to justify over the Quiet Natured Brick Break sets. Tyranitar is absolutely the glue that holds this team together, and it safely receives wish often. My only concern for it is that I often find myself relying on Tyranitar a lot, and even though Dugtrio trapping rarely KOs my Tyranitar outright it does make feel concerned that I'm placing too much pressure on Tyranitar to help me in otherwise poor match ups.
Rain (Aerodactyl) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
Aerodactyl is the main win condition of the team. Although it speed ties with Timid boltbeam Jolteon and that can quickly lose me a game that is already a coin flip against a set that is supposed to be decently rare. Aerodactyl's main appeal is it's immunity to Spikes and Sand that lets it stay healthy and constantly pressure the opponent to switch or make sacrifices, letting the Sand and Spikes rake up damage. In addition to all of that, Aerodactyl just deals so much damage that opposing resources get burned up quickly by merely seeing it. Many of the Rock-resists that exist to counter Aerodactyl are handled well by other team members, and even pokemon like defensive Skarmory cannot switch into rock slide as a single crit or flinch turns the move from a 3HKO to a practical 2HKO. A major thing of note however is that Aerodactyl is the fastest pokemon on my team, and the team has zero other forms of speed control. Agility Pass teams allow pokemon like Hariyama to outspeed Aerodactyl, and that raises a serious question of if my Team has the defensive backbone to weather such speedy teams.
