This set is all about softening up your opponent and setting up the rest of your team for an eventual sweep. Bring Uxie in on any one of the multitudes of Pokémon that are unable to do appreciable damage to it thanks to its colossal Defense, and use Yawn or Stealth Rock. Your opponent will probably switch to something like Heracross that will force Uxie to flee, but that is just fine. With such great tanking stats, Uxie will be able to switch in repeatedly without difficulty, allowing you to rinse and repeat the Yawn/Stealth Rock process until you have both slept a Pokémon and Stealth Rock is out on the field. At this point, when you bring Uxie out, you can just start using U-turn while your opponent goes to their counter, choosing the appropriate Pokémon each time. Obviously, this set will force a ton a switches, so it works best in concert with Spikes. The choice of the fourth move depends entirely on what holes need to be covered in your team. Uxie functions as a great answer to Gyarados if it carries Thunderbolt, which helps to wear down Starmie too, should it come in to spin away Stealth Rock. Psychic receives STAB and helps Uxie to take on Infernape, and also hurts Heracross a little. Protect scouts Choice Band users, gives you a free pass on the turn Yawn activates, and gives additional Leftovers recovery.
Uxie can use its great defensive stats and relatively high Speed to be a very efficient user of the dual screen strategy. This set works well both as a lead or as a transition Pokemon, and with its impressive defenses, Uxie can take quite a beating from both sides of the attacking spectrum. Behind dual screens, Uxie is notoriously difficult to take down - even a Choice Band Tyranitar's Crunch can only manage a maximum of 47% to it. This means that Uxie can stay in on Tyranitar and proceed to set up both screens as well as Stealth Rock, if need be. Memento is really what sets Uxie apart from other Dual Screeners, as it drops the foe's Attack and Special Attack by a further 2 stages, while causing Uxie to faint. This is particularly useful for setting up a sweep with a frail Pokemon such as Belly Drum Charizard, or for Baton Pass teams in need of a little extra insurance. It also means that the incoming Pokemon gets in without taking a hit, and is once again very helpful in setting up frail Pokemon. In the final moveslot, Uxie has a variety of support moves it can use, depending on your team's needs. Stealth Rock is beneficial for pretty much any team, and Uxie's bulk allows it to set it up reliably. Rain Dance or Sunny Day can easily go in that slot for weather teams looking for a reliable replenisher, as can Trick Room. Yawn is a useful utility move for forcing a switch. U-turn is also available for use in the last slot, granting Uxie another way to leave the field without having to sacrifice itself, and also means that Uxie isn't stopped dead by Taunt. The 76 Speed EVs allow Uxie to outspeed Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Scizor, both of whom are far less threatening once Uxie is safely behind a Reflect. However, a Jolly nature and maximum Speed can be run, allowing Uxie to set up a screen before many threats expected to be faster than it, in particular Lucario and neutral Speed natured Salamence. Light Clay is the item of choice as it extends the duration of Light Screen and Reflect by a further three turns, allowing the team to make the most effective use of the screens Uxie sets up.
This set takes advantage of Uxie's phenomenal mixed defenses and decent Speed to simultaneously support the team and sweep the opposition. Psychic and Thunderbolt has good coverage in OU, as only Celebi, Magnezone, Cacturne, Steelix and Exeggutor resist the combination, and only the first two are OU. Reflect allows Uxie to support the team by reducing incoming physical attack damage by half. Reflect also gives Uxie an out against Pokemon like Tyranitar or Weavile, who don't take significant damage from the main attacks and can potentially deal massive damage with Crunch or Pursuit. If Reflect is not desired, it can be replaced with Yawn, to inflict the sleep status on Uxie's incoming counters, or Hidden Power Fighting, to let Uxie handle Tyranitar, Weavile, Magnezone and Heatran. Due to Reflect, this set works especially well in combination with other Pokemon that can boost their stats and handle common Uxie switch-ins, like Choiced Heracross or Choiced Band Tyranitar. Some potential combination Pokemon include Calm Mind Suicune, Curse Snorlax, Swords Dance Heracross, or Dragon Dance Dragonite. Whatever Uxie cannot sweep with Calm Mind and Psychic or Thunderbolt can usually be dealt with by supporting one or two other stat buffers with Reflect, making this set both a viable individual and team Pokemon. The EVs are specifically designed to reach certain goals. 351 HP and 333 Defense allow Uxie to never be OHKOed by an Adamant Choice Scarf Heracross; 351 HP and 298 Special Defense allow Uxie to never be OHKOed by a Modest Life Orb Gengar; 280 Speed allows Uxie to outspeed common threats like Choice Band Heracross and Swords Dance Lucario (both Adamant); 190 Special Attack allows Uxie to OHKO 4 HP / 0 SpD Heracross after one Calm Mind and Stealth Rock damage on average.
Not much difference between this and the first set at first glance, but this plays a lot differently. Lead with Yawn and hope your opponent switches out. As they do, use Trick Room, then U-turn out to get your slow powerhouse in. Reflect helps to survive powerful physical assaults while setting up, or you can use one of the special attacks if you need a Gyarados or Infernape counter.
Uxie is generally regarded as a slow defensive Pokemon so slapping a Choice Scarf on it can become a big surprise. This set is best used as a lead where you can force many opposing Pokemon to switch out. Azelf, Crobat and Aerodactyl will most likely Taunt you, so if you Trick them a Choice Scarf they will be forced to switch. In this case, you are free to U-turn to a counter of the Pokemon they bring out. If you are not Taunted, you may set up your own Stealth Rock and proceed to U-turn or status the foe. Opposing Choice leads, such as Jirachi will most likely Trick you, only locking them into that move. Uxie's massive bulk comes into play here, as even more poweful leads such as Metagross or Tyranitar can't 2HKO you. Leads like, Ampibom don't mind Choice Scarf all that much, while Roserade and Smeargle may welcome it as it gives them another turn to set up Toxic Spikes or Spikes respectfully. However, it isn't unlikely that your opponent will switch in a wall such as Regirock, Registeel, or Chansey expecting a standard support Uxie, which you can then cripple with Trick and set up Stealth Rock. The last move is completely up to preference, but the options listed are the most reliable. Thunder Wave can destroy a fast Pokemon switching in while Yawn can force another switch for your foe to further reveal their team. Reflect, Light Screen, or even Memento can work as well in the right circumstances. Zen Headbutt is very helpful if you wish to counter Roserade, Blaziken, and Infernape in OU. You outspeed all of these Pokemon if you are still holding a Choice Scarf and they are not holding a Choice Scarf. 152 Speed EVs allows you to outspeed Aerodactyl, Crobat, and Jolteon while holding a Choice Scarf. You should always max your Hit Points to allow more survivability, but you may put the rest of the EVs into an attacking stat if you wish since Uxie is quite weak. Putting the Defense EVs into Special Defense is also viable as it helps you counter Roserade as well as Special Attacks from Blaziken and Infernape. Uxie is an incredibly bulky Pokemon, thus pairs well with frailer Pokemon. Lucario is a great option to use with Uxie. Lucario resists everything Uxie is weak to, while Uxie resists 2/3 attacks types Lucario is weak to. This lets Lucario set up on Choice super effective attacks aimed at Uxie. Lucario almost needs Stealth Rock to sweep which Uxie can provide. Using a relatively bulky Steel-type, such as Heatran, along with Uxie can also be beneficial, since they can soak up the Explosions from leads such as Metagross and Azelf. In addition, they cover each other's weaknesses well.
Uxie may seem like a silly choice for a slot on an Uber team, but Uxie has access to one key move that makes it very viable: Memento. Uxie has several key advantages over the most common user of Memento in Ubers, Latios. Uxie’s defenses are far superior to Latios’s defenses, meaning that Uxie will often have an easier time setting up. Unlike Latios, Uxie is also neutral to the many Dragon-type attacks of the Uber metagame, meaning that common Choice Scarfed Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Dialga, and Palkia will not be able to stop Uxie’s setup like they could with Latios. Additionally, Uxie's access to Memento sets it apart from Mewtwo and Bronzong, allowing Pokémon such as Groudon and Mew to set up on the weakened Pokémon. Memento also allows Uxie to take advantage of Brick Break Scizor, as Brick Break will not shatter Uxie's screens the turn it sacrifices itself. With good defenses, Light Screen and Reflect (both lasting 8 turns due to Light Clay), and Memento, Uxie is very capable of helping a teammate set up a sweep. The last move slot is often best occupied by U-turn for numerous reasons. U-turn allows Uxie to escape from Taunt users, such as Mewtwo and Tyranitar, that attempt to stop its set up, in addition to scouting out the opponent’s reaction to Uxie. U-turn will also allow Uxie to escape from Wobbuffet without sacrificing itself. Yawn is another good option, as its ability to scare opponents into switching or induce sleep the following turn can give Uxie a free turn to set up. Finally, Uxie is capable of setting up Stealth Rock if needed. Deciding Uxie’s nature is crucial, as it determines what Pokémon Uxie can set up on. A Careful nature with max HP and Special Defense will ensure that several extremely powerful special attackers will be unable to switch in and stop Uxie’s set up after a use of Light Screen. For example, not even a Timid Choice Specs Palkia will be able to 2HKO a Careful Uxie with a rain boosted, STAB Surf under a Light Screen. With an Impish nature and max HP and Defense, Uxie is more capable of setting up on several prominent physical attackers. For example, an Impish Uxie will never be 3HKOed by a Jolly Choice Scarf Garchomp’s Dragon Claw, meaning that Uxie can easily set up on it. An Impish nature will also allow Uxie to have an easier time setting up on Groudon, who will be unable to 2HKO Uxie with even an Adamant Choice Banded Stone Edge after Uxie takes Stealth Rock damage. Finally, using Jolly with max HP and max Speed is very viable due to Uxie’s 95 base Speed allowing it to out speed and set up on prominent, base 90 Speed Pokémon such as Kyogre, Groudon, and Dialga. A Jolly Uxie has the bonus of possibly blocking Modest Choice Specs Kyogre’s chances of KOing Uxie if it uses Light Screen as Kyogre switches in, as a full powered Water Spout will only have around a 7% chance of OHKOing a Light Screened Uxie after it takes Stealth Rock damage. In order to use Uxie to its fullest potential, it's best to lure out the Pokémon it easily sets up on. Defensive Pokémon that lack phazing moves (such as Blissey, Forretress, and some Giratina) have almost no chance of stopping Uxie. Thanks to Levitate, Uxie can switch into Groudon's Earthquakes, and set up as most Groudon struggle to defeat Uxie (especially when Uxie is Impish or facing defensive Groudon). Uxie can also use Levitate to set up on any Choiced Garchomp that locks itself into Earthquake and can even set up on a Choice Scarf Garchomp's Dragon Claw if Uxie is using an Impish nature. There are several Pokémon that, while Uxie can not directly switch into, can set up on if Uxie is able to find a way to switch into these Pokémon unharmed. For example: Latias, Choice Scarf Dialga, and Choice Scarf Palkia can be set up on by Uxie if it gets in on them unharmed. Scizor makes an excellent partner with Uxie, because it will often attract Pokémon such as Forretress, Giratina, Choice Scarf Palkia (expecting a Bullet Punch) and Groudon to takes its attacks. Scizor can use U-turn as these threats switch in, allowing Uxie to easily set up on them. Jolly Uxie works particularly well with Scizor, because Scizor will also attract base 90 Speed Ubers such as Kyogre, meaning that Uxie can come in via Scizor’s U-turn, and set up on them due to Uxie’s superior Speed. Dialga will often lure in Groudon and Garchomp after a kill, giving Uxie the perfect opportunity to switch into an Earthquake, and start setting up (unless Garchomp has a Life Orb). Other Steel-types such as Metagross and Jirachi (who has access to U-turn) will also attract Forretress, Giratina, and Ground-type attacks for Uxie to switch in on. Deoxys-A makes a great lead for teams featuring Uxie. This is because after Deoxys-A either defeats or forces the opponents lead to switch, the opponent will sometimes attempt to deal with Deoxys-A by revenge killing it with common users of Choice Scarf such as Dialga and Palkia, thus giving Uxie the free time to set up after Deoxys-A is KOed. Although risky, you can use the strategy of double switching to put Uxie in a favorable situation. For example, if you are using Darkrai, you can predict the switch to Choice Scarf Palkia or Choice Scarf Dialga, and switch in Uxie, thus allowing Uxie to set up on either of them. Team OptionsUbersWhen deciding to use Uxie on your team, it is essential to make sure that you have Pokémon that take advantage of Reflect, Light Screen, and Memento. Uxie is a superb candidate as a dual screener for Baton Pass Mew teams. When Uxie has set up Reflect, Light Screen, and sacrifices itself with Memento, Mew can easily set up Rock Polish, and either Nasty Plot or Swords Dance. Mew can then proceed to Baton Pass its boosts to powerful physical attackers such as Groudon, Rayquaza, or Giratina-O (for Swords Dance Mew), or to powerful special attackers such as Dialga, Palkia, or Kyogre (for Nasty Plot Mew). Uxie is also an excellent partner with a Jolly Groudon that has both Rock Polish and Swords Dance. After Uxie sets up and sacrifices itself, Groudon will usually be able to easily double both its Attack and Speed against anything but phazers and rain boosted assaults from Kyogre, meaning that Groudon will often decimate entire teams after setting up. It is often wise to have a backup sweeper to take advantage of Uxie’s Reflect, Light Screen, and Memento in case either Mew and/or Groudon is KOed. Good choices for the job of a back up sweeper include Rayquaza, Garchomp, Lucario, Darkrai, and Mewtwo. Uxie’s biggest issues usually involve faster Pokémon that simply have ways to interrupt its set up. The biggest problem for Uxie is Darkrai. Darkrai has no problems switching into Uxie, and can use Dark Void to put Uxie to sleep. Mewtwo and Mew can use their superior Speed to stop Uxie with Taunt. Uxie that do not invest in much Speed can also be outpaced and Taunted by Jolly Tyranitar. Finally, Metagross can not only destroy Reflect and Light Screen with Brick Break, but is also immune to Memento thanks to its Clear Body ability. Because of these problems, Choice Scarf Heracross makes a great teammate for Uxie. Choice Scarf Heracross can switch into Mew’s, Mewtwo’s, and Tyranitar’s Taunts, and threaten to OHKO all three with a powerful STAB Megahorn. Choice Scarf Heracross can also use Sleep Talk to take Darkrai’s Dark Void and scare it off with the prospect of being hit by powerful, Guts boosted assaults. Scizor is another good choice for a Uxie teammate, as it is able to deal a massive amount of damage to Mewtwo (who usually do not carry Fire-type attacks with Taunt), Mew, and Tyranitar with a STAB, super effective U-turn, and can even use Pursuit on Mew and Mewtwo as they attempt to switch out. Life Orb Scizor is also capable of 2HKOing Darkrai with Bullet Punch. Kyogre is able to switch into the Taunts and Brick Breaks Uxie’s opponents aim at it, and threaten to smash them with its powerful, rain boosted STAB Surfs. Kyogre is also capable of carrying Sleep Talk to absorb Darkrai’s Dark Voids. Groudon is able to easily switch into Tyranitar and Metagross, and threaten to crush them with its powerful Earthquakes. Other OptionsOUIn the way of offense, Uxie has access to Grass Knot to hit bulky Ground-types, like Hippowdon, Donphan, Rhyperior and Swampert. Hidden Power Ice will 2HKO most Dragons and Gliscor. HP Fighting can 2HKO Weavile, but barely scratches Tyranitar. Shadow Ball lands a super effective hit on other Psychics like Azelf and Alakazam, but won't even 2HKO without a lot of EV investment. Psych Up can steal stat boosts, but Uxie can't really make great use of them. Thunder Wave is good for crippling any fast sweepers that try to switch in, and is especially good against Weavile. Toxic is generally good on a bulky Pokemon like Uxie, but bear in mind both it and Thunder Wave conflict with Yawn. UbersUxie has a wide variety of other viable options for its last move slot. Ice Punch can be used to 2HKO Rayquaza and Garchomp, and also have around a 2% chance of OHKOing Shaymin-S after Stealth Rock damage. Fire Punch can be used to 2HKO both Forretress and Scizor in the sun if needed. Uxie has the option of using Grass Knot to 3HKO Groudon in case it is a serious problem for the rest of the team. Knock Off is a useful support move that can often remove attack boosting items from foes such as Garchomp, allowing Uxie to have an easier time setting up Reflect and Light Screen. Thunder Wave is a great option on Uxie, because it will often cripple common Uxie switch-ins such as Darkrai, Mewtwo, and Mew. Heal Bell can be a useful move to remove status from your team. Although risky, Uxie can use Magic Coat to possibly put Darkrai to sleep with its own Dark Void. Finally, Uxie is a very capable user of Trick Room. EVsOUIt really is a shame that Uxie's Special Attack is not high enough to OHKO stuff without significant expenditures that cannot be made lest you imperil its tanking ability. Your best option is usually just to max out HP and Defense. UbersWhen using Uxie, the first thing that should always be done is maxing its HP stat. When using an Impish, Bold, or Relaxed (for Trick Room) nature, its best to maximize Uxie’s Defense stat, as this allows it to have an even easier time setting up on Groudon. When using a Careful, Calm, or Sassy nature, max Uxie’s Special Defense stat, as this will allow Uxie’s set up to be uninterrupted by several powerful Special Attacks when under a Light Screen. The remaining 4 EVs should be placed into Speed, as this will it allow Uxie to out speed several base 90 Speed Pokémon that do not invest in much Speed EVs. When using either a Jolly or Timid Uxie, max out Uxie’s HP and Speed, and put the remaining EVs in either Defense or Special Defense. With max Speed, Uxie will always be able to out speed popular base 90 Speed Pokémon such as Kyogre and Dialga, allowing Uxie to set up Reflect and Light Screen before it is hit. OpinionOUUxie has a hard time differentiating itself from both Cresselia and Mesprit. The "sturdy floating Psychic Pokémon" category has grown a lot this generation, and even with a wide movepool, it is difficult to find a set that works better on Uxie than on the others. That said, any Pokémon with defenses that rival those of Suicune can find a niche for itself. Uxie is by no means a bad Pokemon, but it will often find itself overlooked for more flexible alternatives. UbersWhen looking at Uxie, it may seem like a poor choice in the Uber metagame, due to its walling capabilities being outclassed by Lugia and Cresselia. However, Uxie has access to one move that makes it a great Pokémon in the Uber metagame; Memento. Uxie is easily the most bulky user of Memento in the game, meaning that Uxie is certainly not outclassed by the other user of Memento in Ubers, Latios. Overall, never underestimate Uxie in Ubers, as its nearly unrivaled use of Memento can easily set up a deadly sweeper, or set off a nearly unstoppable Baton Pass Mew team! CountersOUYet again, this list changes dramatically based upon the offensive moves you elect. Without Psychic, Heracross, Infernape, and Gengar have a field day. There are several Pokémon to whom Uxie poses no offensive threat to and that don't particularly mind switching into Stealth Rock, that are able to come in and start their own set up. The major threats of this type (with the reason for each in parentheses) include Bronzong (Stealth Rock / Hypnosis), Celebi (Baton Pass / Leech Seed), Raikou (Substitute / Calm Mind), Lucario (Swords Dance / Calm Mind), Metagross (Agility), and Jirachi (Calm Mind / Wish passing). Beware of Pursuit users like Weavile, and take care to keep Uxie from getting Poisoned or Burned if you are not running the Rest / Sleep Talk set—either condition will ruin it. Blissey and Snorlax beat Uxie in the long run as well. UbersLike most users of Memento, Uxie can be difficult to stop. Generally, the best counter to Uxie in Ubers is any faster user of Taunt. Mewtwo and Mew are particularly good users of Taunt. Darkrai not only has access to Taunt to shut down Uxie, but can also put Uxie to sleep with Dark Void. If Uxie does not invest in enough Speed, Jolly Tyranitar will also be able to stop it cold with Taunt. Metagross not only has access to Brick Break to destroy Uxie’s Reflect and Light Screen, but also has the ability, Clear Body, which means that Metagross is not effected by Memento. |
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