Centerpiece
Introduction:
Hey guys, I'm Dat Blast, and welcome to my first Gen VI RMT! This has been by far my most successful team since the tier went official, performing very well in both ladder and tournament matches alike. It's currently peaked #18 on the ladder with a ELO of 1629, and even managed to win me the last few rounds of the most recent UU minitour, going 4-0. So I figured I'd take the time now to share it. The team's strategy is relatively simple: it utilizes multiple dangerous setup sweepers to maintain heavy pressure on the opponent, with the hopes of sealing a win with one of them. Strangely enough though, the team actually ended up forming its own strategy more than I did--I didn't base it around anything in particular so there's no real "centerpiece" ᕙ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ᕗ . I kind of just built it out of boredom one day and brought it against the ladder not expecting much, but as I played, the team kind of just developed more or less on its own, and to my surprise very well. Without further ado, let's get on with the team!
The Team at a Glance:
A Closer Look:
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SDef / 24 Spd
Careful Nature
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
Mew is basically here to serve as the team’s specially defensive pivot, disruptor, and hazard control. I’m using the Defog set mostly because I’m paranoid as fuck about Sticky Web (SR removal is neat for Houndoom too, but mostly Web). The main reason I chose it over other Defoggers was because of I needed a secondary check to Mega Manectric; without it there’s just way too much pressure on Nidoqueen to check it throughout the match, especially considering its lack of recovery. Outside of that, Mew is an excellent mixed wall thanks to heavy SpD investment and WoW, and provides ever-so-useful support in the form of burns and Knock Off, crippling opposing Pokemon and paving the way for a teammate to sweep. EVs are standard, outspeeds Adamant Honchkrow and burns it so you can stall it out with Soft-Boiled.
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 160 Spd / 96 HP
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Gunk Shot
Toxicroak is one of the more recent additions to my team, though it’s proven its worth multiple times. It was added mainly because of the sheer amount of threats it could at least feasibly check: Mega Blastoise, Heracross, Mienshao, the move Scald, etc, but outside of that it’s a really great and underrated sweeper and great at punching holes into a lot of teams. I’m also using a bit more bulk over the standard fully offensive spread because I often rely on this guy to check stuff like ScarfCross locked into Megahorn, so I customized this to outspeed Honchkrow + a bunch of creep for defensive base 100s and the rest in HP to hit an LO number. But yeah Croaker is really really anti-meta rn and definitely deserves a lot more love.
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off
Slowbro was the first Pokemon I added to the team, so it’s probably the closest you’ll get to the “focus” (though like I said, it wasn’t ~really~ build around anything in particular). There’s not a whole lot to say about Slowbro in general; it’s a fantastic defensive wall / bulky sweeper all at once, and it’s just awesomely reliable at what it does. On this team, it serves as my physically defensive pivot as well as my main answer to stall, being able to switch in on a ton of dangerous stuff like physical Fire-types, Flygon, Mega Aerodactlyl, etc. and burn stuff or rack up boosts. Though easily the main reason Slowbro fits on this team so well is Regenerator; it can pivot into attacks so many times over the match and just Regenerate up when it’s low on health, which only enhances its role as a defensive pivot.
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Destiny Bond
Mega Houndoom is easily one of the top offensive threats in UU today. It provides my team with Speed, power, and most importantly a check to Ghost-types, which would have a pretty easy time wrecking me otherwise. It’s the primary offensive sweeper on this team, generally either cleaning up late-game or punching holes mid-game with boosted attacks and Destiny Bond. Destiny Bond is also pretty useful to serve as sort of a “threat control” if something on the opposing side gets too out of hand, so I almost always have a backup plan if something goes wrong. I never play too recklessly with it though, as Doomer is my main check against a lot of Pokemon (most notably Chandelure), so often I don’t pull a DBond off unless I absolutely have to.
Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 156 Spd / 100 HP
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
If you’re asking me, a Ground-type (or at least an Electric immunity) is honestly necessary on most teams just because of how insanely good the move Volt Switch is. The Electric-types in this metagame (Mega Manectric, Mega Ampharos, etc) are particularly amazing, which just makes it that much more important. Nidoqueen was the chosen Ground-type mainly because it can serve as an additional Heracross check (admittedly though, that was more important in an earlier draft of the team), and for its ability to just punch general holes in a lot of teams with its great coverage. And, of course, it handles Electric-types with relative ease thanks to its great bulk and typing, making it a prime choice for a bulky offensive SR setter. I will say this, though: in more recent runs I’ve had with the team, it’s probably my most expendable member since outside of absorbing Volt Switch it doesn’t really do much the rest of the team can’t, but it’s still performed well so I’m not complaining. EV spread outspeeds defensive base 95s like bulky Krookodile and Roserade and takes them out with Ice Beam.
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Aerial Ace
Last but not least, Scarf Mienshao serves as the revenge killer as well as a partial momentum grabber (I say "partial" because no STAB U-turn). It was chosen for this role for a few reasons: it’s incredibly fast, resists Sucker Punch, and can lure in its counters and grab momentum with U-turn. The resistance to Sucker Punch is particularly important, as it allows it to RK stuff like Mega Absol and Honchkrow, making it a vital member of the team. It also happens to be very fast, even for a Scarfer, as it can revenge kill nearly every other common Scarfer in addition to all unboosted threats, making it a top Scarfer for just about any team. The moveset is pretty self-explanatory: HJK is STAB, U-turn for momentum, Knock Off for coverage + utility, and Aerial Ace to revenge kill Heracross. Regenerator is used to make it basically impossible to wear down, which is important since it needs to be at high health to take a boosted Sucker from M-Absol or Honchkrow.
Threatlist:
Bulky boosters: CMBro and Curselax are the main offenders here. I simply can’t muscle through them if they get too many boosts up, and each are capable of boosting against several members of my team. If they get too out of hand I can always rely on Houndoom’s DBond to take them out, though obviously that’s not the most reliable or optimal method more often than not. OTR Cofagrigus can also be an issue if Houndoom gets too low, though it’s slightly more manageable.
Dark-types: Mega Absol and Mega Houndoom are really dangerous to face. NP Doomer as well as Absol running Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Superpower / Psycho Cut can basically destroy my whole team, since nothing can switch in safely and nothing likes having their items removed by Absol’s Knock Off. I usually have to play smart around them and try to pressure them with my attackers, since Absol is frail and Doomer is SR weak, though they’re definitely not to be taken lightly. Krookodile is also a bit annoying but luckily it's a bit easier to play around since it's slower if it's defensive / locked into a move if it's Scarf.
Scarf Heracross: Normally Scarfers aren’t much of a problem because they’ll naturally not very strong, but Heracross is an exception due to its ability to snowball up boosts and hit my team where it hurts. It’s not unmanageable, since I have several ways of checking it, but from experience I’ve learned not to underestimate it. Tbh I don’t get why some people bash it so much since I personally have hardly found it underwhelming, but that’s just me.
Status: Random Toxics against my defensive Pokemon and TWaves against my offensive ones are pretty annoying for me, since they more often than not ruin their chances to sweep. I don’t have a cleric either, so I mainly just have to proceed with caution when I see my opponent doing something like bring their Swampert into my Slowbro. Sleep is also a bit problematic from the likes of Vivilion or Roserade since I have no absorbers. Not exactly the hugest flaw in the world from my experiences, but at least something to note.
Conclusion:
So yeah, that’s the team. I’m more or less retiring it at this point since it's definitely served its purpose at this point (plus Hydreigon is about to be unbanned soon and I get buttfucked by that lol). Thanks for reading, feel free to rate / like / steal / whatever you please. Hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you guys next time!
Importable:
Replays:
Introduction:
Hey guys, I'm Dat Blast, and welcome to my first Gen VI RMT! This has been by far my most successful team since the tier went official, performing very well in both ladder and tournament matches alike. It's currently peaked #18 on the ladder with a ELO of 1629, and even managed to win me the last few rounds of the most recent UU minitour, going 4-0. So I figured I'd take the time now to share it. The team's strategy is relatively simple: it utilizes multiple dangerous setup sweepers to maintain heavy pressure on the opponent, with the hopes of sealing a win with one of them. Strangely enough though, the team actually ended up forming its own strategy more than I did--I didn't base it around anything in particular so there's no real "centerpiece" ᕙ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ᕗ . I kind of just built it out of boredom one day and brought it against the ladder not expecting much, but as I played, the team kind of just developed more or less on its own, and to my surprise very well. Without further ado, let's get on with the team!
The Team at a Glance:
A Closer Look:
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SDef / 24 Spd
Careful Nature
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
Mew is basically here to serve as the team’s specially defensive pivot, disruptor, and hazard control. I’m using the Defog set mostly because I’m paranoid as fuck about Sticky Web (SR removal is neat for Houndoom too, but mostly Web). The main reason I chose it over other Defoggers was because of I needed a secondary check to Mega Manectric; without it there’s just way too much pressure on Nidoqueen to check it throughout the match, especially considering its lack of recovery. Outside of that, Mew is an excellent mixed wall thanks to heavy SpD investment and WoW, and provides ever-so-useful support in the form of burns and Knock Off, crippling opposing Pokemon and paving the way for a teammate to sweep. EVs are standard, outspeeds Adamant Honchkrow and burns it so you can stall it out with Soft-Boiled.
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 160 Spd / 96 HP
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Gunk Shot
Toxicroak is one of the more recent additions to my team, though it’s proven its worth multiple times. It was added mainly because of the sheer amount of threats it could at least feasibly check: Mega Blastoise, Heracross, Mienshao, the move Scald, etc, but outside of that it’s a really great and underrated sweeper and great at punching holes into a lot of teams. I’m also using a bit more bulk over the standard fully offensive spread because I often rely on this guy to check stuff like ScarfCross locked into Megahorn, so I customized this to outspeed Honchkrow + a bunch of creep for defensive base 100s and the rest in HP to hit an LO number. But yeah Croaker is really really anti-meta rn and definitely deserves a lot more love.
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off
Slowbro was the first Pokemon I added to the team, so it’s probably the closest you’ll get to the “focus” (though like I said, it wasn’t ~really~ build around anything in particular). There’s not a whole lot to say about Slowbro in general; it’s a fantastic defensive wall / bulky sweeper all at once, and it’s just awesomely reliable at what it does. On this team, it serves as my physically defensive pivot as well as my main answer to stall, being able to switch in on a ton of dangerous stuff like physical Fire-types, Flygon, Mega Aerodactlyl, etc. and burn stuff or rack up boosts. Though easily the main reason Slowbro fits on this team so well is Regenerator; it can pivot into attacks so many times over the match and just Regenerate up when it’s low on health, which only enhances its role as a defensive pivot.
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Destiny Bond
Mega Houndoom is easily one of the top offensive threats in UU today. It provides my team with Speed, power, and most importantly a check to Ghost-types, which would have a pretty easy time wrecking me otherwise. It’s the primary offensive sweeper on this team, generally either cleaning up late-game or punching holes mid-game with boosted attacks and Destiny Bond. Destiny Bond is also pretty useful to serve as sort of a “threat control” if something on the opposing side gets too out of hand, so I almost always have a backup plan if something goes wrong. I never play too recklessly with it though, as Doomer is my main check against a lot of Pokemon (most notably Chandelure), so often I don’t pull a DBond off unless I absolutely have to.
Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 156 Spd / 100 HP
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
If you’re asking me, a Ground-type (or at least an Electric immunity) is honestly necessary on most teams just because of how insanely good the move Volt Switch is. The Electric-types in this metagame (Mega Manectric, Mega Ampharos, etc) are particularly amazing, which just makes it that much more important. Nidoqueen was the chosen Ground-type mainly because it can serve as an additional Heracross check (admittedly though, that was more important in an earlier draft of the team), and for its ability to just punch general holes in a lot of teams with its great coverage. And, of course, it handles Electric-types with relative ease thanks to its great bulk and typing, making it a prime choice for a bulky offensive SR setter. I will say this, though: in more recent runs I’ve had with the team, it’s probably my most expendable member since outside of absorbing Volt Switch it doesn’t really do much the rest of the team can’t, but it’s still performed well so I’m not complaining. EV spread outspeeds defensive base 95s like bulky Krookodile and Roserade and takes them out with Ice Beam.
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Aerial Ace
Last but not least, Scarf Mienshao serves as the revenge killer as well as a partial momentum grabber (I say "partial" because no STAB U-turn). It was chosen for this role for a few reasons: it’s incredibly fast, resists Sucker Punch, and can lure in its counters and grab momentum with U-turn. The resistance to Sucker Punch is particularly important, as it allows it to RK stuff like Mega Absol and Honchkrow, making it a vital member of the team. It also happens to be very fast, even for a Scarfer, as it can revenge kill nearly every other common Scarfer in addition to all unboosted threats, making it a top Scarfer for just about any team. The moveset is pretty self-explanatory: HJK is STAB, U-turn for momentum, Knock Off for coverage + utility, and Aerial Ace to revenge kill Heracross. Regenerator is used to make it basically impossible to wear down, which is important since it needs to be at high health to take a boosted Sucker from M-Absol or Honchkrow.
Threatlist:
Bulky boosters: CMBro and Curselax are the main offenders here. I simply can’t muscle through them if they get too many boosts up, and each are capable of boosting against several members of my team. If they get too out of hand I can always rely on Houndoom’s DBond to take them out, though obviously that’s not the most reliable or optimal method more often than not. OTR Cofagrigus can also be an issue if Houndoom gets too low, though it’s slightly more manageable.
Dark-types: Mega Absol and Mega Houndoom are really dangerous to face. NP Doomer as well as Absol running Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Superpower / Psycho Cut can basically destroy my whole team, since nothing can switch in safely and nothing likes having their items removed by Absol’s Knock Off. I usually have to play smart around them and try to pressure them with my attackers, since Absol is frail and Doomer is SR weak, though they’re definitely not to be taken lightly. Krookodile is also a bit annoying but luckily it's a bit easier to play around since it's slower if it's defensive / locked into a move if it's Scarf.
Scarf Heracross: Normally Scarfers aren’t much of a problem because they’ll naturally not very strong, but Heracross is an exception due to its ability to snowball up boosts and hit my team where it hurts. It’s not unmanageable, since I have several ways of checking it, but from experience I’ve learned not to underestimate it. Tbh I don’t get why some people bash it so much since I personally have hardly found it underwhelming, but that’s just me.
Status: Random Toxics against my defensive Pokemon and TWaves against my offensive ones are pretty annoying for me, since they more often than not ruin their chances to sweep. I don’t have a cleric either, so I mainly just have to proceed with caution when I see my opponent doing something like bring their Swampert into my Slowbro. Sleep is also a bit problematic from the likes of Vivilion or Roserade since I have no absorbers. Not exactly the hugest flaw in the world from my experiences, but at least something to note.
Conclusion:
So yeah, that’s the team. I’m more or less retiring it at this point since it's definitely served its purpose at this point (plus Hydreigon is about to be unbanned soon and I get buttfucked by that lol). Thanks for reading, feel free to rate / like / steal / whatever you please. Hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you guys next time!
Importable:
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SDef / 24 Spd
Careful Nature
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 160 Spd / 96 HP
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Gunk Shot
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Destiny Bond
Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 128 Spd / 128 HP
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Thunderbolt
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Aerial Ace
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SDef / 24 Spd
Careful Nature
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
Toxicroak @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 160 Spd / 96 HP
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Gunk Shot
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Destiny Bond
Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 128 Spd / 128 HP
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Thunderbolt
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Aerial Ace
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-108307602 against Mazz, pretty much a rematch on the ladder since we're using the same teams we used in the minitour n_n
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-110720232 against Kitten Milk, really great game that comes down to the wire
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-110720232 against Kitten Milk, really great game that comes down to the wire
Last edited:
