RMT Under Used :
El Baile de la Mariposa
This team is the team that I've invested the most time on; with this investment, in my opinion, I've been able to win as many games as possible. Also, this investment was mainly due to the fact that I wasn’t able to find the last pokemon that fit well with my team.
Most of you know that I'm an offensive player; it’s a play style that I’ve adopted over the course of my battling career. It's not that I don't like stall which others do, but playing an offensive play style fits me the most, and it gives me a lot of momentum which I like. When you play stall, you have to put down your hazards early in the game, and thus, you’re unable to obtain the offensive momentum that I enjoy. Therefore, your only real choice there is to take the hits until your opponent's team is weakened enough for you to go on the offensive later. Moreover, I kind of think Stall lost its luster in UU since Chansey left the tier.
I could have taken the easy way out when I built the team by playing a sand team alongside its main sweeper, Stoutland. But as Pierre Corneille wrote in "Le Cid": "A vaincre sans péril, on triomphe sans gloire" (Triumph without peril brings no glory). That's why i didn't want to play sand; moreover, Stoutland is pretty fugly no lie.
Ever since the advent of the BW UU tier, I've always loved Kingdra and Mew, which have been incorporated into my team. But, in the very start, I decided to build the team around Rain Dance Kingdra.
I often start to build either around my finisher or around my main sweeper. In my opinion, there’s too much DD Kingdra in this tier. As a Rain Dancer, Kingdra outspeeds its main revenge killer, Flygon, and almost always finishes the enemy team that was weakened by the remaining of my team, thanks to its great sweeping abilities.
Furthermore, it's been a while since I’ve been able to play with Venomoth. Venomoth’s primary strengths, being able to put an enemy to sleep and Baton Pass its Quiver Dance boosts, were very attractive. Moreover, it has a solid bulk which I've noticed, as it's able to take one Stone Edge or Outrage from ScarfGon, the most common Scarfer in the metagame.
Even though Empoleon does wall Kingdra, the core that I picked was in my opinion, solid and something that I could enjoy playing.
One issue that came up was Stealth Rock and other entry hazards; Venomoth takes 25% damage from the rocks, and Kingdra slowly accumulates damage over time. With this in mind, I needed a teammate that could taunt but also keep the offensive momentum in my favour. With this in mind, I chose Azelf.
With the three pokemon, I noticed a weakness to Grass-type pokemon, and to neuter this threat, I creatively came up with the concept of Weavile; it lets me finish weakened teams off with ease, if Kingdra doesn’t manage to finish the enemy off. Weavile also sports a great priority move, and maintains excellent offensive pressure due to its Attack and Speed stats. Furthermore, without being hindered by a Choice item, it’s powerful and yet flexible when holding a Life Orb.
Mew became quickly my choice of pokemon for the fifth slot on my team. Its fickleness and versatility and its bulkiness would provide an immense benefit to the team. With Mew, I utilised its Swords Dance set, as the rest of my team were primarily composed of special attack users. It could also lure a Nasty Plot set and thus, open holes in the opponent team.
At this point, the team had its backbone, but it lacked the last Pokemon to complement it. I have to admit that I didn’t know whether this team would work or not. It was a random combination of offensive crapshoot I started to build back in Hail era. Back in those days, I wanted to test MixTini, which I found quite useful for this kind of team since he could receive a few Quiver Dance boosts from Venomoth.
The team was doing quite well but not good enough. The Dark-type weakness greatly hindered my team and thus, Victini was a poor choice for a sixth pokemon. I've also noticed that in some case, I wanted to Baton Pass to Mew, which wasn't really that useful. Having that in mind, I decided to use a Jolly All-Out-attacker Mew as the primary Baton Pass receiver. Machamp would take the Victini spot and would provide me some bulk and physical power I lacked so much until now.
The team did much better after these changes, and I easily made it to the Top 5 on the Smogon ladder with a 1415 rating.
At that time, i was having a lot of issue against Stoutland. Every time this rabid dog was sent to the field, he would kill something, and I would have to improvise creatively to set up Rain just at the crucial moment. Unfortunately, more than not, this usually failed and I unfortunately decided to stop using Machamp. This was unfortunate as Machamp fit so well into the team. With this, I switched in Technitop to try to counter the problem.
While Technitop was a great addition to the team, the team again lacked some bulk, and Stoutland was still an issue, able to kill something each time it switched in because I had no solid counter against it. Regardless, I still managed to get the fourth ranking on the ladder with 1461 points.
In that same night, i managed to get the second spot, supported by McMeghan and Austinf.
Due to some hax and a huge sand weakness, I stopped playing this team for a week. I decided to play some Sand team to know them better. It wasn’t very fun and I quickly gave up. But it showed me the way to picking the perfect finishing pokemon on my team: Cobalion. Cobalion was the only offensive pokemon that had the bulk to check Stoutland.
I had my team and tried to get the first spot on the ladder! With this, I was one point away from the top spot on the ladder. Unfortunately, due to fatigue, I lost the game. However, I enjoyed playing this team and I remained in the UU top10 for a month with it. As i wanted to play something different, i decided to RMT the team !
Most of you know that I'm an offensive player; it’s a play style that I’ve adopted over the course of my battling career. It's not that I don't like stall which others do, but playing an offensive play style fits me the most, and it gives me a lot of momentum which I like. When you play stall, you have to put down your hazards early in the game, and thus, you’re unable to obtain the offensive momentum that I enjoy. Therefore, your only real choice there is to take the hits until your opponent's team is weakened enough for you to go on the offensive later. Moreover, I kind of think Stall lost its luster in UU since Chansey left the tier.
I could have taken the easy way out when I built the team by playing a sand team alongside its main sweeper, Stoutland. But as Pierre Corneille wrote in "Le Cid": "A vaincre sans péril, on triomphe sans gloire" (Triumph without peril brings no glory). That's why i didn't want to play sand; moreover, Stoutland is pretty fugly no lie.
Ever since the advent of the BW UU tier, I've always loved Kingdra and Mew, which have been incorporated into my team. But, in the very start, I decided to build the team around Rain Dance Kingdra.
I often start to build either around my finisher or around my main sweeper. In my opinion, there’s too much DD Kingdra in this tier. As a Rain Dancer, Kingdra outspeeds its main revenge killer, Flygon, and almost always finishes the enemy team that was weakened by the remaining of my team, thanks to its great sweeping abilities.
Furthermore, it's been a while since I’ve been able to play with Venomoth. Venomoth’s primary strengths, being able to put an enemy to sleep and Baton Pass its Quiver Dance boosts, were very attractive. Moreover, it has a solid bulk which I've noticed, as it's able to take one Stone Edge or Outrage from ScarfGon, the most common Scarfer in the metagame.
Even though Empoleon does wall Kingdra, the core that I picked was in my opinion, solid and something that I could enjoy playing.
One issue that came up was Stealth Rock and other entry hazards; Venomoth takes 25% damage from the rocks, and Kingdra slowly accumulates damage over time. With this in mind, I needed a teammate that could taunt but also keep the offensive momentum in my favour. With this in mind, I chose Azelf.
With the three pokemon, I noticed a weakness to Grass-type pokemon, and to neuter this threat, I creatively came up with the concept of Weavile; it lets me finish weakened teams off with ease, if Kingdra doesn’t manage to finish the enemy off. Weavile also sports a great priority move, and maintains excellent offensive pressure due to its Attack and Speed stats. Furthermore, without being hindered by a Choice item, it’s powerful and yet flexible when holding a Life Orb.
Mew became quickly my choice of pokemon for the fifth slot on my team. Its fickleness and versatility and its bulkiness would provide an immense benefit to the team. With Mew, I utilised its Swords Dance set, as the rest of my team were primarily composed of special attack users. It could also lure a Nasty Plot set and thus, open holes in the opponent team.
At this point, the team had its backbone, but it lacked the last Pokemon to complement it. I have to admit that I didn’t know whether this team would work or not. It was a random combination of offensive crapshoot I started to build back in Hail era. Back in those days, I wanted to test MixTini, which I found quite useful for this kind of team since he could receive a few Quiver Dance boosts from Venomoth.
The team was doing quite well but not good enough. The Dark-type weakness greatly hindered my team and thus, Victini was a poor choice for a sixth pokemon. I've also noticed that in some case, I wanted to Baton Pass to Mew, which wasn't really that useful. Having that in mind, I decided to use a Jolly All-Out-attacker Mew as the primary Baton Pass receiver. Machamp would take the Victini spot and would provide me some bulk and physical power I lacked so much until now.
The team did much better after these changes, and I easily made it to the Top 5 on the Smogon ladder with a 1415 rating.
At that time, i was having a lot of issue against Stoutland. Every time this rabid dog was sent to the field, he would kill something, and I would have to improvise creatively to set up Rain just at the crucial moment. Unfortunately, more than not, this usually failed and I unfortunately decided to stop using Machamp. This was unfortunate as Machamp fit so well into the team. With this, I switched in Technitop to try to counter the problem.
While Technitop was a great addition to the team, the team again lacked some bulk, and Stoutland was still an issue, able to kill something each time it switched in because I had no solid counter against it. Regardless, I still managed to get the fourth ranking on the ladder with 1461 points.
In that same night, i managed to get the second spot, supported by McMeghan and Austinf.
Due to some hax and a huge sand weakness, I stopped playing this team for a week. I decided to play some Sand team to know them better. It wasn’t very fun and I quickly gave up. But it showed me the way to picking the perfect finishing pokemon on my team: Cobalion. Cobalion was the only offensive pokemon that had the bulk to check Stoutland.
I had my team and tried to get the first spot on the ladder! With this, I was one point away from the top spot on the ladder. Unfortunately, due to fatigue, I lost the game. However, I enjoyed playing this team and I remained in the UU top10 for a month with it. As i wanted to play something different, i decided to RMT the team !
In Depth
Venomoth
The classic BP set. Easy to use, and works really well. The goal is to pass one or more QD to Mew or Kingdra. It's not that hard because Venomoth put a lot of pressure on the opponent. Sleep Powder works well the Phazer. Sleep Powder is a main weapon of the team. Bug Buzz + Tinted Lens let Venomoth to maintain an offensive pressure. She attract the fire sweeper which are setup bait for Kingdra. She also absorbs the ToxikSpikes, something useful in UU.
As a lead, she immediately put the pressure on the opponent. I actually rarely lead with her, I just use it as quickly as I can or if my opponent allows me to.
Most of the time, Mew is the BP receiver since he's bulkier and he'll be deadlier than Kingdra early / mid game. If the game is at its end, Kingdra is usually the BP receiver.
Mew
The most versatile pokemon ever. He can literally do everything from stalling to sweeping to BPassing. Anyway, since Mew is UU, i've played him pretty much in all my team. I don't think there is even a team where Mew can't fit. Here he is as an all-out attacker. Psychic as the stab move, a great one in UU despite the presence of Dark/Steel- types. Psychock has been a move I've used for a while but since Gligar is everywhere, Psychic is now a better option. Moveover, Psychock is less useful now Chansey is gone. Flamethrower is there to hit my main threat, aka Escavalier and Registeel. Thnderbolt hits bulky water which annoy Kingdra and Weavile. I've used Shadow Ball a lot to hit Mew harder but someone (Austinf here) told me to try a recovery move and Roost increase Mew’s longevity, being even more painful to my opponent.
I'm not using Timid or I’d lose a lot of KOs. Moreover, the only threat I actually fear without any boost while I’m Modest is Zapdos, which allows Weavile to switch on it later. Since I have Roost, I think Modest is worth it as I can stay alive longer.
The Mew's goal is pretty simple : hit the threat of the team, with or without any QD boost. Mainly Empoleon and Escavalier, but Roserade/Registeel/Milobellus are also taken out by Mew. He rarely finishes a game because he attracts the opponent’s Scarfer, even if those are setup bait for Venomoth/Cobalion/Weavile/Kingdra.
Azelf
The classic DPP OU lead. I'm using Thunderbolt instead of Explosion because it actually works the same way. Like Deoxys, Azelf doesn't let the opponent set up his own rocks and attracts the spinner like Blastoise to put them in the Kingdra KO Range, thanks to Thunderbolt.
The only leads that threaten him are Crobat and Aerodactyl, the former being quite rare, the latter being nowhere to be seen. Thunderbolt is there to punish Xatu who tends to easily switch in. The Focus Sash lets me dent some pokemon like Hercaross who'd think I'm a Lifer Orber for example. Psychic also dents Hitmontop, a huge Weavile check. I'm used to predicting U-turn/Volt Switch to Xatu as well. Krookodile stops cold this Azelf set by the way. The team can work without the SR, but it's definitely something important to set up to make it work even better.
Cobalion
The Pivot. Thanks to Cobalion, i cannot be swept by Krookodile locked on a Dark move or by Stoutland.
The EV Spread let me tank an EQ from Flygon, even after using Sub once. Cobalion is a nice Bulky Dancer, and his speed is actually important to keep the momentum.
You may be surprised by the lack of a Fighting move, and the presence of Thunder-Wave. The Steel Stab is quite interesting in UU as it's not that common. The Bulky Water checked by the Cobalion's teammates and the Fire Type who'd have to kill my sub will be paralysed. So it isn't really annoying. Also, Sub + Thunder Wave + Iron Head flinch rate might save from some situation.
Thunder-Wave is kind of useful as it can paralyse Stoutland if he dares staying on Cobalion. It also paralyses some threat like Houndoom and Kingdra. Close Combat is an option i've often ran but the Defenses drop are really an issue as Cobalion is probably the Pokemon who have to take most of the hard hit the team will have to endure.
Kingdra
The EV spread let Kingdra outspeed Scarf Flygon under Rain. I reach 251 to outspeed Bulky Taunt Mew and the other Kingdras as well (at least the not full speed variants). It also helps Kingdra to tank a Raikou Thunderbolt.
This is a classic moveset as well. I don't like the Sp.Atk drop I'd have if I run Draco Meteor. Moreover, Kingdra often finishes the game or opens holes in the opposing team, so I really don't want that drop. Ice Beam is great vs Bulky Roserade. Dragon Pulse as his Dragon Stab, classic there. Hydro Pump, despise its huge miss rate, is obligatory since i'd miss a lot of kill with Surf.
Some people would wonder why I run Rain Dance alongside a Quiver Passer. The answer is simple: Kingdra isn't Vemonoth-dependent even if it's actually really great to Quiver Pass to Kingdra. Unlike Mew, Kingdra doesn't need some Quiver Dance to actually pull a hard sweep. Also, Rain Dance was a nice weapon versus Sand Team.
Weavile
The Finisher. He's often the last man standing and he works wonders. Even if there aren't too many Dragons in UU, the Weavile double stab is really great. Low Kick let me finish some pokemon like Empoleon or Registeel, as it take them out about 60% of their life. Ice Shard OHKO's Flygon, something that’s always nice to have.
The main Weavile check/RK will always have to be used earlier in the game. Darumacho, Heracross, Bronzong, Registeel, Empoleon, the Bulky Waters. All those Pokemon will been dented earlier in the game and will almost always be in the Weavile’s KO Range when they enter in the end game. Weavile is relatively bulky as he can takes a Scald from Blastoise/Empoelon, which might be handful sometimes.
Weavile is sometimes used midgame to RK some threat, like Zapdos. His priority move is also a nice asset to the team as well.
Main Threat
Some Advices
Even if the team looks easy to use, it's not really the case. First, you have to choose who'll finish the opponent team and so, how to clear the way to that mentioned sweeper. Take care of not letting your opponent setup something for example on Cobalion Thunder-Wave. Also, look for the opponent Paralyser; they are pretty deadly to the team.
You also have to predict well to setup with Venomoth, and chose the very right Sleep Powder target then. Spam Hpump under the rain with Kingdra as much as you can, but beware of misses.
Ready to Import:
Isabel (Venomoth) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Bug Buzz
- Sleep Powder
- Quiver Dance
- Baton Pass
Juan Carlos (Mew) @ Life Orb
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Roost
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
Francisco (Azelf) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
Rodrigo (Cobalion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 176 HP / 80 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave
Cristobal (Kingdra) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SAtk / 184 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Dragon Pulse
Fernando (Weavile) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Ice Shard
- Ice Punch
- Night Slash
- Low Kick
Trait: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Bug Buzz
- Sleep Powder
- Quiver Dance
- Baton Pass
Juan Carlos (Mew) @ Life Orb
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Roost
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
Francisco (Azelf) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
Rodrigo (Cobalion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 176 HP / 80 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave
Cristobal (Kingdra) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SAtk / 184 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Dragon Pulse
Fernando (Weavile) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Ice Shard
- Ice Punch
- Night Slash
- Low Kick
Some kind of Shout-Out
I'd like to thanks the people who were there when I was laddering with the team. Austinf followed me some evening and McMeghan followed me while I was building the team as well and winning Best of 3 Tournamentwith this team. I also enjoyed every game I played on the ladder versus Gabranth. Thanks to Maaf who used this team in SPL twice. Also, a huge shout-out to the whole French community which I appreciate a lot!
Special Thanks to Eraddd who grammar checked my team and McMeghan who translated my team as I'm not really good in english.
