Hello everyone. Many of you know me from BW2 RU, but with the coming of a new generation, I decided to jump into UU with some of my old favorites such as Latias, Celebi, Staraptor, and Jolteon coming on down. I decided to recreate a team that I had used in late BW1 OU, and after making a few changes, settled on the current setup for it. The team name, Blast from the Past, fits in more ways than one. The idea for it came from a team I used in BW1 OU, but it also uses no new Pokemon introduced in XY. (technically, it has a Mega, so meh) So, with that said, it's time to meet the team:
Team Preview:
Team in-depth:
Hippowdon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
Hippowdown is the team's answer to many physical attackers in the tier. With a good support movepool, great HP and Defense, and a sizable Attack stat to utilize, Hippowdon is arguably the best physical tank/wall in UU-Beta. Stealth Rock is obvious. Hippowdon is really durable so it can outlast many of the Defog users in the tier. Slack Off is obligatory so Hippowdon can withstand the repeated assaults it's known for taking so well. Earthquake actually hurts pretty badly coming from a defensive Pokemon and allows Hippowdon to stack solid damage on opponents when necessary. Finally Whirlwind is there so Hippowdon can phase out stuff that tries to setup on it. It's also nice to use the turn after you send out Hippowdon to see how your opponent wants to play against it. The EV spread is as simple as can be. Maximize Hippowdon's physical bulk and give a slight buff to the power of its Earthquake.
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 224 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Roost
Ever since the itroduction of Keldeo in BW2, I've loved Latias as an Offensive Pivot. Although a lot of things changed around her, Latias is still a great offensive tank. With Latios not around to give her competition, Latias truly gets a chance to shine in XY UU-Beta. Draco Meteor is Latias's strongest attack, but due to the nasty side effect of it, I usually wait until I absolutely need it to take out a major threat. Surf provides nice coverage and allows Latias to hard check Fire- and Ground-types that it typically comes in on. Psyshock finishes the coverage by hitting Fighting-types hard and ensuring that special walls don't have an easy time with Latias. Roost rounds out the set by giving her reliable recovery to continue to tank hits and dish them out. The EV spread ensures Latias can OHKO Keldeo with Psyshock while giving her a slight increase in bulk to switch into attacks with.
Staraptor (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
Ever since its introduction in DPP, Staraptor has been deemed to powerful for the UU environment. Another generation comes around and Staraptor against finds itself as one of the bigger threats in the UU environment. This is thanks to a great ability, great moves to abuse it with, base 120 Attack, and a great base 100 Speed. With a Choice Scarf and Jolly nature, Staraptor outspeeds every common Speed booster in UU with the lone exception of Scolipede, something that can only beat Raptor with Rock Slide anyway. Still, being able to outspeed Mega Gardevoir, Mega Medicham, +1 Haxorus and +1 Zygarde is really cool right now. Brave Bird is the ultimate weapon of Staraptor. If the opponent lacks a resist or something like Hippowdon that has great physical bulk, the target will be 2HKOed with few problems. Close Combat is nice for hitting the many Steel- and Rock-types that inhabit UU. Really cool since it also hits the many Dark-types that throw around the newly buffed Knock Off. Double-Edge won't get a ton of use, but it's nice to hit Electric-types such as Manectric, Zapdos, and Rotom-H that could otherwise take a couple of Brave Birds and come back with a powerful Electric-type STAB move. U-turn rounds off the set and allows Staraptor to be a solid scout lead with that great Speed and high offensive pressure from the start. I use Jolly to ensure that +1 Jolly Haxorus and +1 Jolly Zygarde are outsped and smashed with Brave Bird / Double-Edge before they have a chance to even try to retaliate.
Manectric (M) @ Manectite
Trait: Intimidate (Lightningrod)
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
Manectric is this team's Mega. Originally a spot filled by Jolteon, Mega Manectric has proven to be a great team member and a lot better than I originally thought it would be. The best part is that I can use the Mega evo turn strategically and simply wait for a physical attacker to come in. So long as that attacker has less than base 105 Speed, Manectric can still outspeed, activate Mega Evo, and use Intimidate as it Volt Switches out into something like Hippowdon. Volt Switch also allows me to lead with Manectric if I don't feel safe with my other lead options. HP Ice is great to severely damage Zygarde, Zapdos, and other Ice weak Pokemon Manectric may force in. While quite a few people use Flamethrower, I use Overheat on Mega Manectric since it can simply Volt Switch out after using it. Thunderbolt rounds out the set and gives Manectric a reliable cleaning move if it is able to outspeed what is left of the opponent's team, a feat that isn't hard to accomplish considering its base 135 Speed in Mega forme. Lightningrod is the only worthy ability for normal Manectric and plays more to waiting on Mega Evolution as I can often times just wait to come in on an Electric-type move before Mega Evolving.
Machamp (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- DynamicPunch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Bullet Punch
With the (very) recent ban of MegaCross, Machamp has the chance to become the premier Fighting-type wallbreaker in UU-Beta. DynamicPunch has been Machamp's best STAB move ever since it picked up No Guard in DPP. Doesn't miss, always causes confusion, and it's pretty strong in general. Knock Off is a huge boon for Machamp as it now gains the ability to donk any Ghost-type that can't OHKO it (which is basically none of them) Poison Jab is necessary so I can actually do something to Fairy-types that would otherwise simply wall Machamp. Bullet Punch rounds out the set by giving Machamp priority to use to either eliminate a weakened threat or to just give me some chip damage on something that I can't risk a switch-in against. The EV spread allows Machamp to outspeed minimum base 75 Speed Pokemon which most notably includes Florges. There's also stuff like Jelicent, Umbreon, and minimum Speed Bisharp. Lum Berry is a fantastic item on Machamp since it gives it a free pass on status to safely combat Ghost-types with Knock Off.
Empoleon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Defog
- Scald
- Flash Cannon
- Knock Off
Empoleon is one of the more durable Defog users out there, and since my primary late-game sweeper is weak to Stealth Rock, it seemed like a no brainer. Previously filled by Mega Blastoise, this change came about when I tested out Mega Manectric over Jolteon for painfully obvious reasons. Defog is the main move on Empoleon. Since Hippowdon is so durable, I rarely will have qualms about using it after I get Rocks up since Hippo can just set them back up later. Scald is a nice, reliable STAB move that can burn the opponent to make it easier for the whole team to take physical attacks. Flash Cannon is nice since Empoleon is one of the very few Pokemon that can take both of Mega Gardevoir's STAB moves. With Hippowdon covering Rocks and phazing, Empoleon is able to use Knock Off to be a nuisance to any potential switch-in that isn't a Mega Evolution. The EV spread lets Empoleon take many special hits while giving a slight buff to Defense to help it combat Psyshock users, such as Latias and Mega Gardevoir, a little better. Sassy nature is used so Knock Off's power isn't totally gimped and Empoleon isn't fast to start with.
Conclusion:
Well, that's the team. With how unstable the UU metagame still is, I'm sure there's probably some weaknesses I haven't deciphered yet, but it has worked pretty well thus far. Any critique and/or suggestions are appreciated.
Team Preview:
Team in-depth:
Hippowdon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
Hippowdown is the team's answer to many physical attackers in the tier. With a good support movepool, great HP and Defense, and a sizable Attack stat to utilize, Hippowdon is arguably the best physical tank/wall in UU-Beta. Stealth Rock is obvious. Hippowdon is really durable so it can outlast many of the Defog users in the tier. Slack Off is obligatory so Hippowdon can withstand the repeated assaults it's known for taking so well. Earthquake actually hurts pretty badly coming from a defensive Pokemon and allows Hippowdon to stack solid damage on opponents when necessary. Finally Whirlwind is there so Hippowdon can phase out stuff that tries to setup on it. It's also nice to use the turn after you send out Hippowdon to see how your opponent wants to play against it. The EV spread is as simple as can be. Maximize Hippowdon's physical bulk and give a slight buff to the power of its Earthquake.
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 224 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Roost
Ever since the itroduction of Keldeo in BW2, I've loved Latias as an Offensive Pivot. Although a lot of things changed around her, Latias is still a great offensive tank. With Latios not around to give her competition, Latias truly gets a chance to shine in XY UU-Beta. Draco Meteor is Latias's strongest attack, but due to the nasty side effect of it, I usually wait until I absolutely need it to take out a major threat. Surf provides nice coverage and allows Latias to hard check Fire- and Ground-types that it typically comes in on. Psyshock finishes the coverage by hitting Fighting-types hard and ensuring that special walls don't have an easy time with Latias. Roost rounds out the set by giving her reliable recovery to continue to tank hits and dish them out. The EV spread ensures Latias can OHKO Keldeo with Psyshock while giving her a slight increase in bulk to switch into attacks with.
Staraptor (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
Ever since its introduction in DPP, Staraptor has been deemed to powerful for the UU environment. Another generation comes around and Staraptor against finds itself as one of the bigger threats in the UU environment. This is thanks to a great ability, great moves to abuse it with, base 120 Attack, and a great base 100 Speed. With a Choice Scarf and Jolly nature, Staraptor outspeeds every common Speed booster in UU with the lone exception of Scolipede, something that can only beat Raptor with Rock Slide anyway. Still, being able to outspeed Mega Gardevoir, Mega Medicham, +1 Haxorus and +1 Zygarde is really cool right now. Brave Bird is the ultimate weapon of Staraptor. If the opponent lacks a resist or something like Hippowdon that has great physical bulk, the target will be 2HKOed with few problems. Close Combat is nice for hitting the many Steel- and Rock-types that inhabit UU. Really cool since it also hits the many Dark-types that throw around the newly buffed Knock Off. Double-Edge won't get a ton of use, but it's nice to hit Electric-types such as Manectric, Zapdos, and Rotom-H that could otherwise take a couple of Brave Birds and come back with a powerful Electric-type STAB move. U-turn rounds off the set and allows Staraptor to be a solid scout lead with that great Speed and high offensive pressure from the start. I use Jolly to ensure that +1 Jolly Haxorus and +1 Jolly Zygarde are outsped and smashed with Brave Bird / Double-Edge before they have a chance to even try to retaliate.
Manectric (M) @ Manectite
Trait: Intimidate (Lightningrod)
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
Manectric is this team's Mega. Originally a spot filled by Jolteon, Mega Manectric has proven to be a great team member and a lot better than I originally thought it would be. The best part is that I can use the Mega evo turn strategically and simply wait for a physical attacker to come in. So long as that attacker has less than base 105 Speed, Manectric can still outspeed, activate Mega Evo, and use Intimidate as it Volt Switches out into something like Hippowdon. Volt Switch also allows me to lead with Manectric if I don't feel safe with my other lead options. HP Ice is great to severely damage Zygarde, Zapdos, and other Ice weak Pokemon Manectric may force in. While quite a few people use Flamethrower, I use Overheat on Mega Manectric since it can simply Volt Switch out after using it. Thunderbolt rounds out the set and gives Manectric a reliable cleaning move if it is able to outspeed what is left of the opponent's team, a feat that isn't hard to accomplish considering its base 135 Speed in Mega forme. Lightningrod is the only worthy ability for normal Manectric and plays more to waiting on Mega Evolution as I can often times just wait to come in on an Electric-type move before Mega Evolving.
Machamp (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- DynamicPunch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Bullet Punch
With the (very) recent ban of MegaCross, Machamp has the chance to become the premier Fighting-type wallbreaker in UU-Beta. DynamicPunch has been Machamp's best STAB move ever since it picked up No Guard in DPP. Doesn't miss, always causes confusion, and it's pretty strong in general. Knock Off is a huge boon for Machamp as it now gains the ability to donk any Ghost-type that can't OHKO it (which is basically none of them) Poison Jab is necessary so I can actually do something to Fairy-types that would otherwise simply wall Machamp. Bullet Punch rounds out the set by giving Machamp priority to use to either eliminate a weakened threat or to just give me some chip damage on something that I can't risk a switch-in against. The EV spread allows Machamp to outspeed minimum base 75 Speed Pokemon which most notably includes Florges. There's also stuff like Jelicent, Umbreon, and minimum Speed Bisharp. Lum Berry is a fantastic item on Machamp since it gives it a free pass on status to safely combat Ghost-types with Knock Off.
Empoleon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Defog
- Scald
- Flash Cannon
- Knock Off
Empoleon is one of the more durable Defog users out there, and since my primary late-game sweeper is weak to Stealth Rock, it seemed like a no brainer. Previously filled by Mega Blastoise, this change came about when I tested out Mega Manectric over Jolteon for painfully obvious reasons. Defog is the main move on Empoleon. Since Hippowdon is so durable, I rarely will have qualms about using it after I get Rocks up since Hippo can just set them back up later. Scald is a nice, reliable STAB move that can burn the opponent to make it easier for the whole team to take physical attacks. Flash Cannon is nice since Empoleon is one of the very few Pokemon that can take both of Mega Gardevoir's STAB moves. With Hippowdon covering Rocks and phazing, Empoleon is able to use Knock Off to be a nuisance to any potential switch-in that isn't a Mega Evolution. The EV spread lets Empoleon take many special hits while giving a slight buff to Defense to help it combat Psyshock users, such as Latias and Mega Gardevoir, a little better. Sassy nature is used so Knock Off's power isn't totally gimped and Empoleon isn't fast to start with.
Conclusion:
Well, that's the team. With how unstable the UU metagame still is, I'm sure there's probably some weaknesses I haven't deciphered yet, but it has worked pretty well thus far. Any critique and/or suggestions are appreciated.
Empoleon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Defog
- Scald
- Flash Cannon
- Knock Off
Manectric (M) @ (No Item)
Trait: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 224 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Roost
Staraptor (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
Machamp (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- DynamicPunch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Bullet Punch
Hippowdon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Defog
- Scald
- Flash Cannon
- Knock Off
Manectric (M) @ (No Item)
Trait: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 224 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Roost
Staraptor (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
Machamp (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- DynamicPunch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Bullet Punch
Hippowdon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
