Gen 9 OU Team Guide: Build Smarter, Win More
The Gen 9 OU tier moves fast and punishes mistakes. You’re dealing with power creep, banned threats, and teams that win or lose in the first few turns. If you’re building for Smogon OU, every slot matters. Your hazard control, your type coverage, your revenge killer. Miss one and you’ll feel it by turn six.
This guide breaks down how to create a Gen 9 OU team that holds up. You’ll get a clear framework for roles, synergy, and top threats. And if you’re not sure where to start, we’ve included a ready-to-run sample team and AI options that get you building Pokemon team in seconds.
What Is OU in Pokémon? (And Why Gen 9 OU Feels Different)
OU stands for OverUsed, a competitive Pokémon tier defined by usage stats, not just raw power. It’s managed by the Smogon community and includes Pokémon that are strong, versatile, and show up consistently on the ladder. These aren’t the most broken picks, but they’re the ones you’ll face the most often in serious play.
A Pokémon enters OU when it’s used more than a certain percentage across ranked games. If it dominates too hard, it gets banned from Ubers. If it’s too niche, it drops to UU or lower. That constant shift is what makes OU one of the most dynamic tiers in competitive Pokémon.
Now in Gen 9, the meta feels completely different. Power creep is everywhere. Defensive cores are harder to build. Speed control is tighter. And offensive threats like Iron Valiant, Kingambit, and Dragapult have shaped the tier into a high-stakes slugfest.
You can’t just pick six favorites and expect results. The Gen 9 OU tier demands real structure, clear roles, synergy, hazard control, and answers to priority spam or setup sweepers.
How to Build a Gen 9 OU Team That Works
You don’t win in Gen 9 OU by throwing together six strong Pokémon. You win by building a team with defined roles, tight synergy, and answers to meta threats. Every slot should solve a problem or create pressure. If it doesn’t, cut it.
Here’s the structure to follow:
Set a Win Condition
Start with one or two Pokémon you want to build around. This could be a setup sweeper, a wallbreaker, or a pivot core that pressures teams over time. Everything else on your team should support that win path.
Example picks:
Cover Key Roles
Make sure your team has answers for the following
Control Hazards
If you’re not controlling the field, you’re losing. Make sure to include:
Fix Type Synergy
Check your resistances and weaknesses. You shouldn’t be weak to Electric, Fairy, Ground, or Ghost without an answer. Tools like a team builder with type charts help you spot stacked weaknesses before they cost you a match.
Cover Speed Tiers
If your fastest mon is base 80, you’re dead on arrival. Gen 9 OU has threats at every tier, Dragapult (142), Iron Bundle (136), Roaring Moon (119), and more. Your team should outspeed or check them with:
Build Around Threats, Not Just Favorites
You might love Scizor. But if it can’t check the meta, it’s dead weight. Build around current threats, tier lists, and popular cores, not just nostalgia.
Top Threats in Gen 9 OU (And How to Counter Them)
Gen 9 OU is packed with monsters that dominate unless you build for them. These aren’t fringe threats. These are the Pokémon that show up in nearly every match, and if you’re not prepared, you lose fast.
Here’s who you need to watch and what shuts them down:
Kingambit
Why it’s a problem: Supreme Overlord boosts, insane bulk, priority Sucker Punch, and late-game sweeping with no setup.
How to counter:
Dragapult
Why it’s a problem: High Speed (base 142), great typing, mixed sets, and U-turn pressure.
How to counter:
Iron Valiant
Why it’s a problem: Breaks both physically and specially. Can sweep or punch holes, and outspeeds most of the tier.
How to counter:
Gholdengo
Why it’s a problem: Blocks Defog, sets up Nasty Plot, has great bulk and typing. Breaks balance teams easily.
How to counter:
Great Tusk
Why it’s a problem: One man with rocks, spin, bulk, and offensive threat. Splashable and reliable.
How to counter:
Sample Gen 9 OU Team (With Explanation)
| Pokémon | Role | Why It’s Picked | Covers / Counters |
| Great Tusk | Hazard Setter & Spinner | Sets rocks, removes hazards, checks physical threats like Chien-Pao, Roaring Moon | Ground-type utility, hazard control, item removal |
| Gholdengo | Defog Blocker & Setup Attacker | Blocks Defog, pressures bulk with Nasty Plot, pairs well with Tusk | Ghost-type pivot, Defog denial, special wallbreaker |
| Dragapult | Speed Control & Revenge Kill | Outspeeds most threats, forces switches, clicks U-turn or Specs Shadow Ball | High-speed revenge, pivot control, priority check |
| Kingambit | Late-Game Cleaner | Sucker Punch priority, snowballs with Supreme Overlord | Priority revenge, Fairy resist, endgame sweeper |
| Iron Valiant | Mixed Wallbreaker | Hits both sides, throws off prediction, pressures slow cores | Fairy/Fighting STAB, Electric coverage, role compression |
| Corviknight | Defensive Pivot | Soaks physical damage, switches freely with U-turn, reliable Roost recovery | Fighting resist, pivoting, balance team anchor |
Common Mistakes in OU Building
Even strong players build bad teams when they skip the basics. Gen 9 OU punishes weak synergy, poor coverage, and lazy role picks more than ever. Here’s where most teams fall apart, and how to fix it before you hit the ladder.
No Hazard Control
You set up Stealth Rock but forgot Defog or Rapid Spin. Or worse, you brought both on the same mon. Without hazard control, you’re stuck losing to Spikes stacks or Stealth Rock chip every time.
Fix it:
Stacked Weaknesses
Three Fire-weak mons. No Electric resist. OU teams with type overlap get farmed by one threat and fall apart by turn four.
Fix it:
No Speed Control
If your fastest Pokémon is base 80 and you brought no priority, you’ve already lost to Dragapult or Iron Valiant.
Fix it:
No Win Condition
Your team has six Pokémon, but none of them can close out a game. No setup sweeper, no breaker, no stallbreaker. Just soft hits and bulky walls.
Fix it:
Over-Reliance on One Pokémon
You built a whole team around Garchomp… and it fainted turn 3. Now you have no hazards, no wallbreaker, no hope.
Fix it:
Build Your Gen 9 OU Team Now
You’ve seen the threats. You’ve learned the structure. Now it’s your turn to build a team that actually wins matches, not just survives them.
Open the builder, choose your core, and fix every gap before it hits the battlefield. No wasted picks. No hidden weaknesses. Just a team that holds up from turn one to the endgame.
Start Building Now!
