Importable Swampert @ Leftovers

Ability: Torrent

EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe

Relaxed Nature

- Stealth Rock

- Earthquake

- Scald

- Roar



Celebi @ Leftovers

Ability: Natural Cure

EVs: 48 HP / 232 SpA / 8 SpD / 220 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Nasty Plot

- Giga Drain

- Psychic

- Hidden Power [Fire]



Scizor @ Choice Band

Ability: Technician

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Bullet Punch

- U-turn

- Superpower

- Knock Off



Starmie @ Life Orb

Ability: Analytic

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Rapid Spin

- Hydro Pump

- Ice Beam

- Psyshock



Thundurus-Therian @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Volt Absorb

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Thunderbolt

- Hidden Power [Ice]

- Volt Switch

- Focus Blast



Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite

Ability: Tough Claws

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Stone Edge

- Wing Attack

- Earthquake

- Pursuit

Since the team I was using to ladder has just been invalidated by the Thundurus-Therian ban, I figured that now would be a good time to talk about some of the things I've been using and what I've seen on the ladder. A lot of ORAS staples have been very useful to me so far, so I'll discuss a few of them below.Swampert @ LeftoversAbility: TorrentEVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 SpeRelaxed Nature- Stealth Rock- Earthquake- Scald- RoarSwampert has performed quite well in this meta, at least from my experience. It still provides the same sort of role compression it did in ORAS (this set provides a bulky Water-type, a bulky Ground-type, Stealth Rock, and phazing in a single slot) and its defensive stats and typing allow it to check plenty of Pokemon in this meta. Swampert provides a nice check to Mega Aerodactyl, various Rock-types, various Ground-types, and many other Pokemon that lose to it one-vs.-one. The introduction of Z-Moves make it harder for Swampert to do its job, but it's still very useful if the user can avoid being caught off guard by random Bloom Dooms. This meta contains a lot of fast, frail Pokemon that appreciate a sturdy check to Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Sharpedo, and Swampert is still very useful on bulkier builds for the same reasons it has been for years. It also has good synergy with common Pokemon like Scizor and various Flying-types.Celebi @ LeftoversAbility: Natural CureEVs: 48 HP / 232 SpA / 8 SpD / 220 SpeTimid NatureIVs: 0 Atk- Nasty Plot- Giga Drain- Psychic- Hidden Power [Fire]Nasty Plot Celebi is a really underrated threat right now. This set beats most of the stall builds commonly seen on the ladder almost on its own. I ran enough Speed to beat Krookodile and enough HP to hit a Leftovers number (48 HP is something I've been using since ORAS and it actually changes some important rolls that I have since forgotten) and then dumped the rest into Special Defense. Hidden Power Fire is a cool way to get rid of Scizor for other teammates, but Celebi has many viable options in the last slot. Recover, an additional coverage move, Substitute, and Leech Seed are all options worth considering. In my personal experience, bulky pivot sets are very good right now. I haven't seen much of bulkier Nasty Plot sets, but I know people such as Hogg and Aquadext have used (or intend to test) such Celebi sets, so they may have more to share.I was also going to talk about Choice Scarf Thundurus-T, but that got banned, so there's no point now. It was a good set because Thundurus-T had a good speed tier, a great deal of innate power, and the coverage to go with it.Finally, I'll share the team I've been laddering with over the past couple of days and a replay that shows how it works and how Celebi and Swampert function as assets in this meta.This offense team uses Nasty Plot Celebi to break down bulkier teams and makes use of VoltTurn from Thundurus-T and Scizor to bring in its frailer members for free. Swampert functions as the standard "Swampert offense" pivot that sets Stealth Rock and compensates for the difficulty switching into fast physical attackers that the rest of the team faces. Scizor serves as another pivot/"breaker"/revenge killer/utility Pokemon. I ran max Speed on it to beat stuff like Primarina, so that I could sack Scizor to remove its Choice Specs and make it easier to switch into later if I absolutely had to. The speed also lets me beat anyone dumb enough to not run max Speed on Breloom and Bisharp. Starmie clears hazards for the rest of the team, adds some nice Speed (Base 115 Speed is really valuable right now), and hits hard with Analytic. The rest of the team covers bulky Water-types well enough that I opted to forego Thunderbolt. Thundurus-T is the standard revenge killer, and Mega Aerodactyl is the same tired method of speed control I've used and abused almost since I started playing. I really like running four attacks in this meta since most of the teams I've used Mega Aerodactyl on have been fast-paced enough that I've never really needed Roost, and Earthquake and Pursuit are both valuable for different reasons.is a replay that shows this team in action. It's not perfect for proving my point and I started off with a great matchup (Swampert and Celebi can put in massive amounts of work vs. Pearl's team right from Team Preview), but it should show the merits of these Pokemon and how well they can perform when used and supported properly. Sorry for putting you on the spot, Pearl, but I didn't remember to save any other replays vs. good players.