Hey everybody, how's it going? My name is mrseacoore and today we are posting a team in the UU tier that I was incredibly excited to build with a few pokemon I rarely seem to use.
This team will probably end up in a video on my youtube channel in the future, but for now, you can go check out my channel and watch other videos I have up there by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcynWwQc_ksCCSMkp2bOrjQ
Thank you anybody who checks out the channel and thank you everybody for your interest. It's all for fun.
Now, to the team in question. Here's the backstory. Recently in just about every tier with my experimental accounts (ones I have just to test sets, spreads, and ideas) I've been tilting really hard. I finally realized that one big reason happened to be the lack of bulk on my teams in general. Additionally, a number of my teams seemed to have a problem against balanced builds. I rarely make bulky teams, I absolutely despise stall, and I've seldom ever used a balance team myself apart from rolling one on battle factory. In UU, I've seen an astronomical increase in the amount of balance builds for some reason, or so it seems. So I decided I would join the fun. I'm fairly certain my team constitutes as balance. It might be closer to semi-stall though. I don't consider myself a bad player by any means. I have my faults of course. I am working on playing through battles more patiently and I've gotten much better at making and reading doubles in the recent weeks. So playing this style is actually very beneficial to my growth as a player.
The team itself is based on pretty simple facts. Bulky teams need to have good checks and counters for a variety of threats, especially the most viable and most common in a tier. Steel types are a very nice way of checking and countering many pokemon primarily because of their higher number of resistances to different types. Bulky Water types are just really good in general. There is something about them that seems to work for nearly any team. They pair very well with steel types too. Hazard setters and controllers are mandatory for many teams, balanced teams are no exception. And the list goes on with straightforward, logical ideas and facts. So when I took a look through the UU tier, I made some decisions to have a team that offered multiple ways of checking and countering a fairly large variety of pokemon. At the same time, those down-to-earth facts and ideas were set into motion throughout the team.
So far this team has proved to be quite formidable. I'm currently sitting at 1575 in the UU ladder (in the top 200!) with my account, ChooseYourColor. So I'm clearly happy about that. Here's some proof:
Let's start with our first member of the team.
Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 232 HP / 216 Def / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Foul Play
- U-turn
- Whirlwind
This isn't necessarily a standard set for everyone's favorite buzzard; however, it is a very workable set. I love allowing Mandi to pivot with U-turn. It's wonderful for momentum and actually gives me an easier time with predicting doubles from an opponent. Foul Play is a STAB move that works excellently on Mandi. It really stops physical sweepers that don't resist Dark type moves. Whirlwind is a move chosen for a few reasons. Bulky psychic types like Cresselia and Reuniclus enjoy using Mandi as fodder. Crocune is another mon that tries to use mandi as easy fodder too. Although I could run taunt, my preference is whirlwind simply because it gives me a way to rack up extra hazard damage, it gets behind a sub and protect, and it gives me a last resort in some situations to prevent a sweep, such as Mega Swampert in the rain. Roost is as roost does. Leftovers are my item of choice to provide passive recovery. Rocky Helmet is viable as well. The spread for Mandi is fairly close to the set on the smogon page with only minute differences. I have 232 HP and 60 Spe rather than 240 and 52 EVs respectively. This is really just a shift in EVs to outspeed Standard Mega Blastoise and CM Cresselia which normally hit 210 speed. Either way, Mandibuzz is still incredibly bulky. The extra 2 points in speed allow me to pivot out of Mega Blastoise and Crawdaunt while doing slight chip damage to both of them. There are situations where this move helps Mandibuzz escape status as well. Overcoat is the best ability because it prevents spore and sleep powder from working as well as the other powder moves. Big Pecks isn't technically unusable, but it isn't as usable as Overcoat I think.
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave / Protect / Toxic
- Soft-Boiled / Wish
- Heal Bell
That image pretty much describes Blissey. NO ONE can stop the wall!
(The same could be said about Alomomola)
This is a very standard set for Blissey. There aren't very many other options that aren't straight gimmicks. Blissey's leftovers give a whopping 50 points of HP recovered per turn. Or 6-7%. Seismic Toss is the best move for Blissey because it does consistent damage and breaks a large number of pokemon's substitutes. T-wave is my move of choice in the 2nd slot because many physical attackers love coming into play just to scare out Blissey. Paralysis is a punishment for being hasty. Protect is a good alternative since it allows Blissey to scout movesets and items depending on the situation. The only downside to this is giving certain things a chance to use Blissey as fodder. Toxic is another good option. Same thing as paralysis except it puts things on a timer. Soft-Boiled is a fantastic way to recover Blissey's insanely high HP stat. Wish is also viable for this purpose, though it practically forces you to run Protect somewhere on Blissey. Heal Bell is a good option in the last slot. It's self-explanatory I hope. Toxic could be used over Heal Bell if one really wanted to have two forms of status. Stealth Rock is another option to use on Blissey if you wanted to free up a move on the team's hazard setter. I just prefer Heal Bell over anything else.
I mean really, this is a Blissey. What did you expect? Uguu powers?
Sylveon @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 8 HP / 240 Def / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock / Shadow Ball / Baton Pass
- Wish
- Protect
It's SO cute. (It's gonna kill us). I want to take it home. (We're all gonna die). I wanna pet it. (It will eat your soul). It's Sylveon. (It is Sylveon).
I'm not going to lie, I absolutely love Sylveon. It dropping down to UU a while back really helped change the metagame in a positive manner. It fits on a wide variety of teams and helps against a variety of playstyles depending on the set and spread. This is my version of Sylveon. I realize that a good number of Sylveon are simply given a choice specs and told to break things. I also realize that a decent number of people use Sylveon as a cleric. (Please don't get into any arguments over Florges and Sylveon. Both are good pokemon. They each have some advantages and disadvantages that the other lacks.) I don't particularly enjoy using Specs Sylveon because I dislike locking myself into a move while also having to rely on making good predictions. I don't dislike the pure cleric set for Sylveon, as it is a great wish passer (a rarity in itself), though I don't like that set either due to the lack of power. In practice I have noticed that a lack of power can set Sylveon back against some bulky offense.
My set is actually very devious. It combines both power and cleric abilities into one set, resulting in a mighty tank. Pixie Plate is the item of choice here because it allows me to bluff a choice specs variant while adding some extra Oomph to the already powerful Pixilate boosted Hyper Voice.
(DO NOT use Silk Scarf over Pixie Plate, as the ability Pixilate happens before the item, thus Silk Scarf would not give you any benefits at all)
I've caught a good number of players off guard with this set. When you don't see Leftovers on Sylveon, you'd likely assume it has a Choice Specs because that's the other most common set as far as I'm aware. (or it turns out everyone and their dog is using a physical Curse Sylveon to sweep. lol).
Hyper Voice is STAB further boosted by Pixilate. This is mandatory on any Sylveon unless you're that one person trying to use a physical attacking Sylveon. That's right, I'm looking at you Jerry. Psyshock is a great move that allows Sylveon to hit on the physical side in addition to being a great coverage move for Sylveon since it snipes most Poison types in UU. Shadow Ball is a decent alternative in the 2nd move slot. Though it doesn't hit poison types nor on the physical side, it is the only move Sylveon has to beat Doublade with, which otherwise checks Sylveon very easily. Baton Pass is a third option to pass wishes and create some momentum for the team. I prefer Psyshock seeing as this set is supposed to act as a lure+tank. Wish+Protect are to help keep both Sylveon and the team healthy whenever plausible. Last but not least, the spread.
I understand that having more HP is better in most general cases because it improves the overall bulk of the pokemon in question. My only problem with this logic for this particular set on Sylveon is the fact that its defense is base 65. Fortunately, Sylveon has a very nice base 95 HP and a great natural Special Defense with that 130 base stat. By investing 240 EVs into Defense, Sylveon goes one point above the 225 jump number for defense (hits the same number as uninvested base 95). This actually helps Sylveon out more against physical attackers, such as Bulky Sub Gyarados, Mega Aerodactyl, and Krookodile. Here are a few calcs for comparison between having HP and having Defense.
220 Atk Gyarados Bounce vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 138-163 (41.4 - 48.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
220 Atk Gyarados Bounce vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 187-222 (47.5 - 56.4%) -- 84.8% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Mega Aerodactyl Stone Edge vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 177-208 (53.1 - 62.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Mega Aerodactyl Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 238-282 (60.5 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Mega Aerodactyl Stone Edge vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 262-310 (78.6 - 93%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Mega Aerodactyl Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 357-421 (90.8 - 107.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Krookodile Earthquake vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 237-280 (71.1 - 84%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Krookodile Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 322-381 (81.9 - 96.9%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 222-263 (66.6 - 78.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 302-356 (76.8 - 90.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Mega Blastoise Scald vs. 8 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 118-139 (35.4 - 41.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Mega Blastoise Scald vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 118-139 (30 - 35.3%) -- 24.6% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Seed Flare vs. 8 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 169-200 (50.7 - 60%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Seed Flare vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 169-200 (43 - 50.8%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 8 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 156-184 (46.8 - 55.2%) -- 70.7% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Chandelure Shadow Ball vs. 8 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 114-135 (34.2 - 40.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 156-184 (39.6 - 46.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Chandelure Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 114-135 (29 - 34.3%) -- 3.3% chance to 3HKO
So having the physical defense investment allows Sylveon to take nearly 10% less damage from physical shots. This is only at the cost of taking around 6-10% more damage from special attacks. Though... You have to remember that this is a devious variant of Sylveon. It is able to use protect and wish, which is amazing against choice locked pokemon. This set is really good for scouting. Also, the damage output of this Sylveon is intense. Mega Blastoise is 2HKOed by Hyper Voice. Shaymin very nearly dies to Hyper Voice with the life orb recoil added in (it can't survive if it has taken any prior damage). Chandelure is a bit trickier to deal with (Chandelure is a very urgent threat behind a sub), but Sylveon is still doing quite a bit of damage to Chandelure despite Hyper Voice being resisted.
252+ SpA Pixie Plate Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chandelure: 121-143 (46.3 - 54.7%) -- 62.1% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Pixie Plate Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chandelure: 121-143 (46.3 - 54.7%) -- 9.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
We also have a Blissey which walls pretty much everything on the special side.
Modest Nature with full Special Attack investment maximizes damage output for Sylveon. 8 HP does more for Sylveon in HP than it does in defense. 8 Spe is meant to outspeed anything running just enough speed to outpace uninvested base 60 speed (157>156). For example, mons that would have a tendency to outpace Sylveon by one point are Conkeldurr, Machamp, and Donphan. So, by having 8 EVs in speed, Sylveon reaches 158. (158>157). It isn't perfect but it has its usefulness at times. So that's this Sylveon set. I like it because it is a very much needed cleric and largely appreciated wall breaker for the team. It is a great tank.
Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 216 HP / 216 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald / Water Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere / Ice Beam / Roar / Toxic
- Rapid Spin
Give that bitch a cannon. Bitches love cannons.
There you have it. Mega Blastoise. The ability before mega evolution is Rain Dish because it has the greatest chance of actually having any benefit seeing as how anyone using Blastoise will 999 times out of 1000 choose to mega evolve it the first chance they get. This is my hazard control on the team as well as another mighty destroyer of walls (that aren't Blissey). So, the spread looks pretty simple. It isn't "standard," though it is by no means bad. 216 SpA with a Modest Nature produce an astounding stat number of 396, which is more than enough to make this thing a monster. The damage output between 216 and 252 EVs in SpA isn't anything significant. It still hits you like a truck. 76 EVs are dumped into speed which simply allow me to outspeed the standard set, which runs enough speed to reach 210. The rest of the EVs are thrown into HP to keep this Mega Turtle as bulky as possible. Optionally, you can choose to run more HP at the cost of lowering your power. You can also run the standard set for this from the smogondex page. It's all preference imo. Scald is the go-to move.
Scald is the most spammable move in the game (arguably). It's good STAB with a 30% chance to burn foes. Water Pulse is an alternative move over Scald if you want more firepower than Scald thanks to Mega Launcher as an ability in the mega form. It also has a 20% chance to cause confusion which is cool. Dark Pulse is a lovely coverage move for Mega Blastoise. This hits with the same power as Scald thanks to Mega Launcher and in tandem with Water STAB, covers a vast majority of pokemon for neutral damage. Aura Sphere is a nice coverage move that gets boosted by Mega Launcher. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover everything. Ice Beam is probably the most viable coverage move in the 3rd slot because it takes out dragon, flying, and grass types while further improving this monster's overall coverage. I like Aura Sphere because it covers steel, dark, and normal types for 2x damage. I definitely need to be able to hit steel types as hard as possible to help out Sylveon. Roar is another option that could be used. It works well on Blastoise-Mega due to its good natural bulk and its ability to force switches. Downside to Roar is losing coverage. Toxic is another option that can be run although it doesn't necessarily synergize well with Scald and it is a much more passive move. If you ran Toxic, you'd probably want to run a more defensive Mega Blastoise than this set. Rapid Spin clears hazards for my team. Blastoise is a bulky water type that is a threat to many teams. Don't underestimate it.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Enter the widely known legendary beast, Suicune. If you don't recognize this set, you've either been the luckiest person on pokemon showdown, never played in UU before, need to get your eyes examined, or realized you were on the wrong page/post for whatever reason. No matter the case, this is the infamous Crocune set. Behold, as it both pressure stalls you and walls your team. Stare in complete anger as every move you hit does less damage to it with each boost. Blame hax as it burns everything with scalding water. Achieve the moral victory by clicking the forfeit button once you realize you can't stop Suicune from sweeping.
That's pretty much how this thing works. You send it in as a pure physical shield, fire off Scalds to get chip damage and possible burns, then switch it out. Later you send it back in, Calm Mind up, rest off damage, then sweep by both resting and scalding. It's Crocune. It's one of the absolute best bulky water types available in UU as well as one of the most solid bulky sweepers in the tier. Do I really have to explain this Legendary Beast's set? At this point in my team, I have 3 electric type weaknesses and no immunities. I honestly don't see that as too much of an issue because I have a Blissey. I have thought of running something like Cresselia or Reuniclus over Suicune just because of the triple electric type weakness on my team, but I really don't feel a need to address that issue seeing as the most common electric types in UU are not as commonly used as they once were. They also have some slight issues switching into play against my team. I could use Gligar over Mandi, but I don't like having to rely on Eviolite for a majority of my bulk. I suppose I could run Snorlax as well, but then I have 2 fighting weaknesses and 2 electric weaknesses. As far as I'm concerned, my team hasn't suffered from this "flaw" as of yet.
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Atk / 216 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
Last but not least, the thing that evolved from a pinecone pokemon, Forretress. This guy has always been a great pokemon. From being a defensive shield to being a lovely hazard setter, Team Forretress always has good benefits to give to anybody. This is the standard set with slight modifications. Spikes over Rapid Spin because I already have a spinner and I like the idea of spike stacking. Gyro Ball for damage and Volt Switch for pivoting slowly to gain momentum. 248 HP hits the odd number for coming in on rocks. 216 Def with a relaxed nature puts Forretress at a very admirable 407 defense. 36 Atk just hits the 225 jump number. The other 8 EVs could go either into SpA or SpD and only one of those seemed useful. Alternatively, running 0 Atk EVs and 44 SpD slightly improves the special defense. You could also just run the standard set too. Whatever floats your boat.
So, as I mentioned earlier, I do have 3 weaknesses to electric types, which is problematic IF I run into an electric type. If I use defog on Mandi, I lose U-turn or Whirlwind, though it would help to change Blastoise for something else. Forretress could also be hazard control with the same purpose in mind. Unfortunately, the only answer to this conundrum is to change Blastoise or Suicune. Neither of those are mons that I want changed. If I seriously had to choose, I'd just run Reuniclus or Snorlax over Suicune.
Anyway, that's the team everybody.
Any feedback is appreciated.
I hope you do go check out my youtube channel. Thank you for any support or interest.
This team will probably end up in a video on my youtube channel in the future, but for now, you can go check out my channel and watch other videos I have up there by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcynWwQc_ksCCSMkp2bOrjQ
Thank you anybody who checks out the channel and thank you everybody for your interest. It's all for fun.
Now, to the team in question. Here's the backstory. Recently in just about every tier with my experimental accounts (ones I have just to test sets, spreads, and ideas) I've been tilting really hard. I finally realized that one big reason happened to be the lack of bulk on my teams in general. Additionally, a number of my teams seemed to have a problem against balanced builds. I rarely make bulky teams, I absolutely despise stall, and I've seldom ever used a balance team myself apart from rolling one on battle factory. In UU, I've seen an astronomical increase in the amount of balance builds for some reason, or so it seems. So I decided I would join the fun. I'm fairly certain my team constitutes as balance. It might be closer to semi-stall though. I don't consider myself a bad player by any means. I have my faults of course. I am working on playing through battles more patiently and I've gotten much better at making and reading doubles in the recent weeks. So playing this style is actually very beneficial to my growth as a player.
The team itself is based on pretty simple facts. Bulky teams need to have good checks and counters for a variety of threats, especially the most viable and most common in a tier. Steel types are a very nice way of checking and countering many pokemon primarily because of their higher number of resistances to different types. Bulky Water types are just really good in general. There is something about them that seems to work for nearly any team. They pair very well with steel types too. Hazard setters and controllers are mandatory for many teams, balanced teams are no exception. And the list goes on with straightforward, logical ideas and facts. So when I took a look through the UU tier, I made some decisions to have a team that offered multiple ways of checking and countering a fairly large variety of pokemon. At the same time, those down-to-earth facts and ideas were set into motion throughout the team.
So far this team has proved to be quite formidable. I'm currently sitting at 1575 in the UU ladder (in the top 200!) with my account, ChooseYourColor. So I'm clearly happy about that. Here's some proof:
Let's start with our first member of the team.
Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 232 HP / 216 Def / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Foul Play
- U-turn
- Whirlwind
This isn't necessarily a standard set for everyone's favorite buzzard; however, it is a very workable set. I love allowing Mandi to pivot with U-turn. It's wonderful for momentum and actually gives me an easier time with predicting doubles from an opponent. Foul Play is a STAB move that works excellently on Mandi. It really stops physical sweepers that don't resist Dark type moves. Whirlwind is a move chosen for a few reasons. Bulky psychic types like Cresselia and Reuniclus enjoy using Mandi as fodder. Crocune is another mon that tries to use mandi as easy fodder too. Although I could run taunt, my preference is whirlwind simply because it gives me a way to rack up extra hazard damage, it gets behind a sub and protect, and it gives me a last resort in some situations to prevent a sweep, such as Mega Swampert in the rain. Roost is as roost does. Leftovers are my item of choice to provide passive recovery. Rocky Helmet is viable as well. The spread for Mandi is fairly close to the set on the smogon page with only minute differences. I have 232 HP and 60 Spe rather than 240 and 52 EVs respectively. This is really just a shift in EVs to outspeed Standard Mega Blastoise and CM Cresselia which normally hit 210 speed. Either way, Mandibuzz is still incredibly bulky. The extra 2 points in speed allow me to pivot out of Mega Blastoise and Crawdaunt while doing slight chip damage to both of them. There are situations where this move helps Mandibuzz escape status as well. Overcoat is the best ability because it prevents spore and sleep powder from working as well as the other powder moves. Big Pecks isn't technically unusable, but it isn't as usable as Overcoat I think.
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave / Protect / Toxic
- Soft-Boiled / Wish
- Heal Bell
That image pretty much describes Blissey. NO ONE can stop the wall!
(The same could be said about Alomomola)
This is a very standard set for Blissey. There aren't very many other options that aren't straight gimmicks. Blissey's leftovers give a whopping 50 points of HP recovered per turn. Or 6-7%. Seismic Toss is the best move for Blissey because it does consistent damage and breaks a large number of pokemon's substitutes. T-wave is my move of choice in the 2nd slot because many physical attackers love coming into play just to scare out Blissey. Paralysis is a punishment for being hasty. Protect is a good alternative since it allows Blissey to scout movesets and items depending on the situation. The only downside to this is giving certain things a chance to use Blissey as fodder. Toxic is another good option. Same thing as paralysis except it puts things on a timer. Soft-Boiled is a fantastic way to recover Blissey's insanely high HP stat. Wish is also viable for this purpose, though it practically forces you to run Protect somewhere on Blissey. Heal Bell is a good option in the last slot. It's self-explanatory I hope. Toxic could be used over Heal Bell if one really wanted to have two forms of status. Stealth Rock is another option to use on Blissey if you wanted to free up a move on the team's hazard setter. I just prefer Heal Bell over anything else.
I mean really, this is a Blissey. What did you expect? Uguu powers?
Sylveon @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 8 HP / 240 Def / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock / Shadow Ball / Baton Pass
- Wish
- Protect
It's SO cute. (It's gonna kill us). I want to take it home. (We're all gonna die). I wanna pet it. (It will eat your soul). It's Sylveon. (It is Sylveon).
I'm not going to lie, I absolutely love Sylveon. It dropping down to UU a while back really helped change the metagame in a positive manner. It fits on a wide variety of teams and helps against a variety of playstyles depending on the set and spread. This is my version of Sylveon. I realize that a good number of Sylveon are simply given a choice specs and told to break things. I also realize that a decent number of people use Sylveon as a cleric. (Please don't get into any arguments over Florges and Sylveon. Both are good pokemon. They each have some advantages and disadvantages that the other lacks.) I don't particularly enjoy using Specs Sylveon because I dislike locking myself into a move while also having to rely on making good predictions. I don't dislike the pure cleric set for Sylveon, as it is a great wish passer (a rarity in itself), though I don't like that set either due to the lack of power. In practice I have noticed that a lack of power can set Sylveon back against some bulky offense.
My set is actually very devious. It combines both power and cleric abilities into one set, resulting in a mighty tank. Pixie Plate is the item of choice here because it allows me to bluff a choice specs variant while adding some extra Oomph to the already powerful Pixilate boosted Hyper Voice.
(DO NOT use Silk Scarf over Pixie Plate, as the ability Pixilate happens before the item, thus Silk Scarf would not give you any benefits at all)
I've caught a good number of players off guard with this set. When you don't see Leftovers on Sylveon, you'd likely assume it has a Choice Specs because that's the other most common set as far as I'm aware. (or it turns out everyone and their dog is using a physical Curse Sylveon to sweep. lol).
Hyper Voice is STAB further boosted by Pixilate. This is mandatory on any Sylveon unless you're that one person trying to use a physical attacking Sylveon. That's right, I'm looking at you Jerry. Psyshock is a great move that allows Sylveon to hit on the physical side in addition to being a great coverage move for Sylveon since it snipes most Poison types in UU. Shadow Ball is a decent alternative in the 2nd move slot. Though it doesn't hit poison types nor on the physical side, it is the only move Sylveon has to beat Doublade with, which otherwise checks Sylveon very easily. Baton Pass is a third option to pass wishes and create some momentum for the team. I prefer Psyshock seeing as this set is supposed to act as a lure+tank. Wish+Protect are to help keep both Sylveon and the team healthy whenever plausible. Last but not least, the spread.
I understand that having more HP is better in most general cases because it improves the overall bulk of the pokemon in question. My only problem with this logic for this particular set on Sylveon is the fact that its defense is base 65. Fortunately, Sylveon has a very nice base 95 HP and a great natural Special Defense with that 130 base stat. By investing 240 EVs into Defense, Sylveon goes one point above the 225 jump number for defense (hits the same number as uninvested base 95). This actually helps Sylveon out more against physical attackers, such as Bulky Sub Gyarados, Mega Aerodactyl, and Krookodile. Here are a few calcs for comparison between having HP and having Defense.
220 Atk Gyarados Bounce vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 138-163 (41.4 - 48.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
220 Atk Gyarados Bounce vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 187-222 (47.5 - 56.4%) -- 84.8% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Mega Aerodactyl Stone Edge vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 177-208 (53.1 - 62.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Mega Aerodactyl Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 238-282 (60.5 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Mega Aerodactyl Stone Edge vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 262-310 (78.6 - 93%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Mega Aerodactyl Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 357-421 (90.8 - 107.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Krookodile Earthquake vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 237-280 (71.1 - 84%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Krookodile Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 322-381 (81.9 - 96.9%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 8 HP / 240 Def Sylveon: 222-263 (66.6 - 78.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 302-356 (76.8 - 90.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Mega Blastoise Scald vs. 8 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 118-139 (35.4 - 41.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Mega Blastoise Scald vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 118-139 (30 - 35.3%) -- 24.6% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Seed Flare vs. 8 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 169-200 (50.7 - 60%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Seed Flare vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 169-200 (43 - 50.8%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 8 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 156-184 (46.8 - 55.2%) -- 70.7% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Chandelure Shadow Ball vs. 8 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 114-135 (34.2 - 40.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 156-184 (39.6 - 46.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Chandelure Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 114-135 (29 - 34.3%) -- 3.3% chance to 3HKO
So having the physical defense investment allows Sylveon to take nearly 10% less damage from physical shots. This is only at the cost of taking around 6-10% more damage from special attacks. Though... You have to remember that this is a devious variant of Sylveon. It is able to use protect and wish, which is amazing against choice locked pokemon. This set is really good for scouting. Also, the damage output of this Sylveon is intense. Mega Blastoise is 2HKOed by Hyper Voice. Shaymin very nearly dies to Hyper Voice with the life orb recoil added in (it can't survive if it has taken any prior damage). Chandelure is a bit trickier to deal with (Chandelure is a very urgent threat behind a sub), but Sylveon is still doing quite a bit of damage to Chandelure despite Hyper Voice being resisted.
252+ SpA Pixie Plate Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chandelure: 121-143 (46.3 - 54.7%) -- 62.1% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Pixie Plate Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chandelure: 121-143 (46.3 - 54.7%) -- 9.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
We also have a Blissey which walls pretty much everything on the special side.
Modest Nature with full Special Attack investment maximizes damage output for Sylveon. 8 HP does more for Sylveon in HP than it does in defense. 8 Spe is meant to outspeed anything running just enough speed to outpace uninvested base 60 speed (157>156). For example, mons that would have a tendency to outpace Sylveon by one point are Conkeldurr, Machamp, and Donphan. So, by having 8 EVs in speed, Sylveon reaches 158. (158>157). It isn't perfect but it has its usefulness at times. So that's this Sylveon set. I like it because it is a very much needed cleric and largely appreciated wall breaker for the team. It is a great tank.
Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 216 HP / 216 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald / Water Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere / Ice Beam / Roar / Toxic
- Rapid Spin
Give that bitch a cannon. Bitches love cannons.
There you have it. Mega Blastoise. The ability before mega evolution is Rain Dish because it has the greatest chance of actually having any benefit seeing as how anyone using Blastoise will 999 times out of 1000 choose to mega evolve it the first chance they get. This is my hazard control on the team as well as another mighty destroyer of walls (that aren't Blissey). So, the spread looks pretty simple. It isn't "standard," though it is by no means bad. 216 SpA with a Modest Nature produce an astounding stat number of 396, which is more than enough to make this thing a monster. The damage output between 216 and 252 EVs in SpA isn't anything significant. It still hits you like a truck. 76 EVs are dumped into speed which simply allow me to outspeed the standard set, which runs enough speed to reach 210. The rest of the EVs are thrown into HP to keep this Mega Turtle as bulky as possible. Optionally, you can choose to run more HP at the cost of lowering your power. You can also run the standard set for this from the smogondex page. It's all preference imo. Scald is the go-to move.
Scald is the most spammable move in the game (arguably). It's good STAB with a 30% chance to burn foes. Water Pulse is an alternative move over Scald if you want more firepower than Scald thanks to Mega Launcher as an ability in the mega form. It also has a 20% chance to cause confusion which is cool. Dark Pulse is a lovely coverage move for Mega Blastoise. This hits with the same power as Scald thanks to Mega Launcher and in tandem with Water STAB, covers a vast majority of pokemon for neutral damage. Aura Sphere is a nice coverage move that gets boosted by Mega Launcher. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover everything. Ice Beam is probably the most viable coverage move in the 3rd slot because it takes out dragon, flying, and grass types while further improving this monster's overall coverage. I like Aura Sphere because it covers steel, dark, and normal types for 2x damage. I definitely need to be able to hit steel types as hard as possible to help out Sylveon. Roar is another option that could be used. It works well on Blastoise-Mega due to its good natural bulk and its ability to force switches. Downside to Roar is losing coverage. Toxic is another option that can be run although it doesn't necessarily synergize well with Scald and it is a much more passive move. If you ran Toxic, you'd probably want to run a more defensive Mega Blastoise than this set. Rapid Spin clears hazards for my team. Blastoise is a bulky water type that is a threat to many teams. Don't underestimate it.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Enter the widely known legendary beast, Suicune. If you don't recognize this set, you've either been the luckiest person on pokemon showdown, never played in UU before, need to get your eyes examined, or realized you were on the wrong page/post for whatever reason. No matter the case, this is the infamous Crocune set. Behold, as it both pressure stalls you and walls your team. Stare in complete anger as every move you hit does less damage to it with each boost. Blame hax as it burns everything with scalding water. Achieve the moral victory by clicking the forfeit button once you realize you can't stop Suicune from sweeping.
That's pretty much how this thing works. You send it in as a pure physical shield, fire off Scalds to get chip damage and possible burns, then switch it out. Later you send it back in, Calm Mind up, rest off damage, then sweep by both resting and scalding. It's Crocune. It's one of the absolute best bulky water types available in UU as well as one of the most solid bulky sweepers in the tier. Do I really have to explain this Legendary Beast's set? At this point in my team, I have 3 electric type weaknesses and no immunities. I honestly don't see that as too much of an issue because I have a Blissey. I have thought of running something like Cresselia or Reuniclus over Suicune just because of the triple electric type weakness on my team, but I really don't feel a need to address that issue seeing as the most common electric types in UU are not as commonly used as they once were. They also have some slight issues switching into play against my team. I could use Gligar over Mandi, but I don't like having to rely on Eviolite for a majority of my bulk. I suppose I could run Snorlax as well, but then I have 2 fighting weaknesses and 2 electric weaknesses. As far as I'm concerned, my team hasn't suffered from this "flaw" as of yet.
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Atk / 216 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
Last but not least, the thing that evolved from a pinecone pokemon, Forretress. This guy has always been a great pokemon. From being a defensive shield to being a lovely hazard setter, Team Forretress always has good benefits to give to anybody. This is the standard set with slight modifications. Spikes over Rapid Spin because I already have a spinner and I like the idea of spike stacking. Gyro Ball for damage and Volt Switch for pivoting slowly to gain momentum. 248 HP hits the odd number for coming in on rocks. 216 Def with a relaxed nature puts Forretress at a very admirable 407 defense. 36 Atk just hits the 225 jump number. The other 8 EVs could go either into SpA or SpD and only one of those seemed useful. Alternatively, running 0 Atk EVs and 44 SpD slightly improves the special defense. You could also just run the standard set too. Whatever floats your boat.
So, as I mentioned earlier, I do have 3 weaknesses to electric types, which is problematic IF I run into an electric type. If I use defog on Mandi, I lose U-turn or Whirlwind, though it would help to change Blastoise for something else. Forretress could also be hazard control with the same purpose in mind. Unfortunately, the only answer to this conundrum is to change Blastoise or Suicune. Neither of those are mons that I want changed. If I seriously had to choose, I'd just run Reuniclus or Snorlax over Suicune.
Anyway, that's the team everybody.
Any feedback is appreciated.
I hope you do go check out my youtube channel. Thank you for any support or interest.
Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 232 HP / 216 Def / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Foul Play
- U-turn
- Whirlwind
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
- Heal Bell
Sylveon @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 8 HP / 240 Def / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Wish
- Protect
Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 216 HP / 216 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Rapid Spin
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Atk / 216 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 232 HP / 216 Def / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Foul Play
- U-turn
- Whirlwind
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
- Soft-Boiled
- Heal Bell
Sylveon @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 8 HP / 240 Def / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Wish
- Protect
Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 216 HP / 216 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Rapid Spin
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Atk / 216 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
