Ok, so I went back to the workshop and I devised an interesting Xatu set for you UU players. I'm still trying to find a good set for it in BL, but at least the set I came up with won't go to waste if I post it here. Comments, suggestions, and most importantly, any playtesting results are greatly appreciated.
Internal Bleeding (Xatu) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Calm Mind
- Thunder Wave
- Grass Knot/Reflect/Light Screen
This Xatu's nickname is extremely apt: it's meant to break and soften up your opponent's team to allow a sweeper to get in and clean them up. It's especially crippling when auto-healing and Wish support are hard to come by in UU's most common walls and sweepers. Actually, this Xatu was inspired by standard Regigigas in BL (and is a great improvement with better speed and offense, at the cost of not having tanking defenses), where the strategy is to utilize Thunder Wave to cripple/scout their team to the point where your team's big sweeper can come in and clean up. Your time to stop it is limited, as Regigigas
must be off the field before Slow Start's time is up (mirrored a bit by Calm Mind's presence here, although this Xatu is
not meant to stick around and set up for a sweep). And yeah, I've lost against that strategy a couple of times before, so. >_>;
If I'm bored tomorrow, I will come up with better EVs and see if Modest can possibly be used, but most likely a bulkier spread so it can switch in to Fighting moves better, as Xatu outspeeds everything barring Scarfers that it's intended to stop.
Anyways, this Xatu is intended to punish any team running those pesky Fighting and Poison types in UU. This also breaks the Weezing/Steelix combo if you run Grass Knot (Steelix, while not OHKO'd by it with or without a CM, will be taking significant damage for lack of a healing move). With good typing, Xatu can switch in to 4x resisted Fighting moves or an immune Earthquake. If they run, paralyze whatever comes in, doing a little bit of scouting while it's at it. If you're extra daring, throw up a Calm Mind if they're choiced or are stupid enough not to run. As aforementioned, Psychic is very viable in UU now, so you actually can scare a significant portion of your opponent's team with +1 Special Attack backed by STAB. If it's late in the game and they have not much else, all of UU's major Poison or Fighting types are OHKO'd by +1 Psychic with the exception of 252/252 Calm Venusaur, who takes ~80%.
If you suspect the opponent will status
you, switch this in and let Synchronize+Lum Berry work miracles (again, laugh at Weezing's face).
The last slot is up to preference. In addition to Steelix, Grass Knot hurts Gastrodon, Claydol, and does a little damage to any bulky water who switches in and isn't named Phione or Lanturn. DS are both options if your team is a little weak on the physical or special side; Xatu is 4x resistant to Brick Break.
Unfortunately, the biggest counters to this set are Swellow and Toxic Orb Clefable; the former wil obviously kill you unless you Reflected on the switch, the latter screws you over pretty badly anyways, although you can set up a screen if it comes in. Lanturn is in the same category as Toxic Orb Clefable.
And um, yeah. I think I covered everything, except for the spread so....comments, suggestions, etc?
