(UU) 'The Ominous' (UU Balanced Team)

[Lemondrop]

Ominous

(A balanced, semi-stall team)

Hey there…So I’ve been lurking in this forum for a long time now and finally, I decided to join this community. This is my first ‘rate my team’ so I guess this will be a great chance to let me be known to you guys. I'm a bit new in competitive battling so...yeah.

Scrambling in the articles of Smogon about playstyles in battling, I decided to take on a safer route and play a balanced playstyle. This is for UU by the way; I thought to myself that it will be a good starting point for a newbie like me. Now, for the members of the team…

TEAM BUILDING

I wanted to center the team around Umbreon…. I know it’s a bit weird to center a team to a Pokemon having so little in offensive prowess but hear me out.

Umbreon...

is bulky as hell; I think we could all agree on that one. It is very well-known as a supporter. And so, the idea is to support her team members in sweeping the opposing team team whilst slowly whittling them down with residual damage. She is often seen as a special sponge and so attracts physical attackers, mostly fighting types, etc. I need a suitable partner to sponge on the physical side. I chose…

Cofagrigus.

One thing that stands out is his great physical bulk so he takes these hits almost without a sweat. He also synergizes very well with Umbreon; these two form a great defensive core that I usually call the “Umbrigus”. Besides this, he also has a usable special attack. And now, I needed a sweeper that has the power to decimate teams with raw power. I chose…

Darmanitan.

Need I say more? Let his 140 base attack complimented by sheer-force boosted moves do the talking; he can dismantle unprepared teams if given the chance. He also helps get rid of those pesky steel and dark types that can be of annoyance to the core. I usually abuse his Flare Blitz thus recoil damage might accumulate. And so, Umbreon can just pass big wishes when needed. Still though, he is stopped in his tracks by those bulky waters. So, a fitting member that could suffice this weakness is….

Shaymin.

She can take those bulky waters rather nicely. Shaymin also has decent synergy with Darmanitan, covering his ground and water weaknesses. Besides this, she can help the team with her usable support movepool. But alas, the sight of any fire types scares away the cute little hedgehog. Also, I realized my team is in need of stealth rock support. An obvious choice would be….

Swampert.

He tanks hits nicely and provides the much appreciated stealth rock hazard. Together with Shaymin and Darmanitan, they form a surprisingly effective FWG core. Now, the only thing missing is a rapid spinner. This is vital as all of my Pokemon are grounded and my main sweeper, Darmanitan, is unfortunately weak to it. So, the best spinner I think is...

Hitmontop.

Since Blastoise is already a water type and Claydol will just stack many weaknesses to the team, Hitmontop is the superior choice. Not only that but he also has overall good synergy with the team.

Now that's done with, let's have a closer look at the members of the team, shall we?

THE TEAM IN DEPTH

Swampert@ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Atk / 144 Def / 78 SpD
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
Moveset:
-Stealth Rock
-Waterfall
-Earthquake
-Roar

Most of the time, Swampert serves as the lead of the team. Due to his good bulk and typing, it is almost certain that he sets the hazard with ease. Of course, Taunt and Fake out leads may be a pain, but I just go for either Waterfall or Earthquake so I don't waste a turn; I go to Cofagrigus on a predicted Fake out.

Now, the EVs are to give him bulk to take neutral or resisted hits on both spectrum while still having enough power to dish out reasonable damage to the opponent. I opted to use Waterfall and Earthquake for solid STAB moves and coverage. The reason I chose Waterfall over Scald is because I already have Cofagrigus to spread burns to opposing teams; that and as well as I am lacking in physical attackers. Roar is obviously to phaze set-up sweepers or threatening switch-ins that may come in his way; this also helps in racking up damage and wearing down threats to my team for easier 'cleaning'.

As the water type in the FWG core, he can be described as the tank among the three, resisting rock-type attacks for Darmanitan and poison and fire type attacks for Shaymin. However, due to his lower special defense, he wouldn't be taking special hits that well; in these times, I switch to Umbreon for heavy-duty tanking.

Overall, he is a great team player! Despite his poor speed, he makes it up for his bulk and supporting abilities.

Shaymin@ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
Moveset:
-Substitute
-Leech Seed
-Seed Flare
-Hidden Power (Ice)

Now, we move on to Shaymin, the grass type in the FWG core obviously. An all around 100 base stats are not too shabby at all and it is enough to do her job accordingly. She serves as a defensive pivot to Swampert, taking in grass-type moves without a sweat. However, her main jobs are supporting the team with leech seed hazard, absorbing status with her ability, Natural Cure, and destroying bulky waters that threatens Darmanitan.

Her EVs are plain and simple; maximize HP to produce durable substitutes and Speed to make sure that she gets to put out her subs first. Even without investments in special attack, she still packs a punch. Her moveset is the standard subseed set. Seed Flare for a reliable and solid STAB move and Hidden Power (Ice) to hit ground types like Nidoking , other opposing grass types, and the occasional dragons that may prove be a nuisance to the team. Unfortunately, this makes her walled by steels but that’s why Darmanitan is here. I like the set because of its ability to force switches thus piling up residual damage. This compliments well to Umbreon's capability of inflicting toxic, thus inducing more pressure to the opponent.

So far, she’s one of the best performers in the team; she dishes out reasonable damage coupled with hazards that she lays down to the opponent.

Darmanitan @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
Moveset:
-Flare Blitz
-Earthquake
-Superpower
-U-turn

A choice scarfed sweeper?! Yes…yes, indeed,

Here we have Darmanitan, an essential part not only in the FWG core but also to the team as a whole. With his massive attack of 140 and a reasonable speed of 95, you have a monster on your hands.

Darmanitan serves as my main sweeper, clearing the way for some good late-game cleaning with Cofagrigus. He deals with grass-types aimed at Swampert, and the steel and dark types that threatens my ‘Umbrigus’ core; although Umbreon tank dark-type moves it can’t do anything back to them, thus Darmanitan was chosen to clear them up with Superpower. I opted to use Choice Scarf instead of Life Orb as this will outspeed potential threats to my teams like Calm Mind Raikou and the likes. The preferred nature is Adamant to maximize FIRE POWAH…and yeah, a simple EV spread. The moveset is also basic; Flare Blitz for a devastatingly powerful STAB move, Earthquake and Superpower for decent coverage, and U-turn for scouting. I love it when there’s a Slowbro switch-in expecting a Flare Blitz only to be smacked by a U-turn!

I’m quite satisfied with him in the team. He scored many OHKO whether be it by his sole brute force or with the help of his teammates.

Cofagrigus @ Leftovers / Chesto Berry
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
Moveset:
-Calm Mind
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power (Fighting)
-Will-O-Wisp / Rest / Pain split

Finally, we’ll be moving to the defensive core of the team, ‘Umbrigus’. First is Cofagrigus.

He is my main physical wall, checking threats like Heracross, with its great bulk and Mummy, rendering ability-dependent Pokemon neutered. Couple it with useful resistances to Poison, Bug, and immunities to Normal and Fighting, it makes for a suitable partner for Umbreon. Despite of its low HP, it makes up for its great defenses. The reason why I used him over Dusclops or even Gligar is that unlike them, he can actually hit back to the opponents coming from a usable base of 95 in special attack. With that in mind, I chose the Calm Mind set for Cofagrigus; it's actually quite a great special sweeper mid to late game.

The moves are as usual for the set but what I am struggling with is to choose between Will-O-Wisp, Rest or Pain split. Will-O-Wisp further destroys physical attackers, a ChestoRest set will provide me more opportunities to set up, and finally pain-split could provide needed recovery upon switch-in. For now I'm using Will-O-Wisp, but I'll leave this problem to you guys.

He's fairing well with the team, tanking physical hits like a boss and as well as getting 2HKO's; if given the time to set up enough boost, he can sweep the remains of the opponent's ransacked team.

Umbreon @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
Careful Nature (+SpDef, -SpA)
Moveset:
-Wish
-Toxic / Protect
-Payback
-Heal Bell

Probably the most vital part in my team, she keeps the team healthy through passing wishes and relieving them of debilitating status conditions in the form of Heal Bell. Of course, she completes the 'Umbrigus' core. With Cofagrigus tanking physical hits, Umbreon serves as the special sponge while providing key resistances to pesky ghost and dark types that ruins his day. The EVs are ever so basic so there's no need in explaining it further. In the moveset though, Protect is slashed as she may sometimes be put into a situation that she can be potentially taken down by two hits. If I use this, Hitmontop is usually the one who spreads Toxic.

Surprisingly, she is a great check for threats like Chandelure and Mismagius as both of them is 2HKO'd with a boosted Payback. She takes pittance in Chandelure's and Mismagius' Hidden Power Fighting and retaliates back with STAB Payback.

So far, she's the MVP of my team, saving near-fallen teammates by strategic Wish passing. Very contented of her performance in supporting the team in gaining the upper hand.

Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
Careful Nature (+SpDef, -SpA)
Moveset:
-Foresight / Toxic
-Rapid Spin
-Close Combat
-Sucker Punch

Well...there's nothing much to say about this little guy. He is the spinner of the team, clearing hazards and making way for Darmanitan to sweep undisturbed. Other than that when he's done with his job, he's just death fodder. Although, he did help me secure some KO's like Sucker Punching a weakened Azelf as a final 'Fuck you!' so all is well for him. Again for the moveset, Toxic is slashed when Umbreon is running Protect.


So there you go! This is one of the first teams I made that worked quite well but still, I know it has some several holes here and there. So that's why I'm here. Looking forward for your comments and suggestions!

FINAL GLIMPSE OF THE TEAM

[WILL POST THE THREAT LIST LATER]

[morningsun]

First off, thank you for using, and very effectively using, Swampert, one of the best Pokemon in the game. I know from experience that Swampert's SpD can be sub-par at times and as such run a Careful nature, which I think you should consider. I'm not sure why you run -Spe, but if you want to do that try a Sassy Nature. Everything else is pretty good. Keep using Will-o-Wisp on Cofagrigus. If you really want to run Rest on something run it on Shaymin over Hidden Power [Ice]. Natural Cure Rest is the 3rd best way of Resting in the game, behind Hydration in the rain and ChestoRest. However, this has no negative side-effects, unlike the other two; the former strategy is ruined once rain is gone and the latter requires using the very valuable Item slot for a Chesto Berry.

[DestinyUnknown]

This team is really solid, and it seems to cover most threats pretty well. However, with your current spread, Swampert is unable to take hits from Pokemon like Darmanitan or Victini, as they can 2HKO it with just a bit of residual damage. Your current Swampert spread is also 2HKOd by Scarf Flygon Outrage, a Pokemon Swampert should be taking on. For this reasons, I suggest running a 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 Def EV Spread on Swampert. It allows Swampert to avoid the 3HKO from Scarf Darmanitan Flare Blitz, and it avoids Flygon 2HKOing it. I also recommend running Scald instead of Waterfall with a Relaxed nature, as Swampert its very weak when uninvested, and Scald lets you spread status on the opponent, which helps your team on its way to work. While it's a little change, you could also use Inner Focus instead of Synchronize on Umbreon, which means Togekiss won't be able to hax its way through your team.

[Lemondrop]

Thanks a bunch for the suggestions.

Anyway, here's the threat list for the team...

RED (high threat level)

ORANGE (medium threat level)

YELLOW (low threat level)

Offensive Threats (...so far)
SCRAFTY
-demolishes my 'Umbrigus' core with his STAB moves
-is a big threat to to team whether be it the Bulk Up or Dragon Dance variant
-If Scrafty had the chance to set up one Bulk Up, Darmanitan fails to KO and Scrafty hits back KO'ing Darmanitan; has Shed Skin to shrug off the burn status.
-Dragon Dance variants are a bit easier to handle. Assuming that most DD Scrafty uses Moxie, I can burn him and phaze him out.

YANMEGA
-bug buzz 2HKO's Umbreon; Cofagrigus wouldn't be taking hits from air slash that well...and he destroys my poor Shaymin >:
-both Tinted Lens and Speed Boost variants can be managed
-In dealing him, I just have to keep the rocks up to cripple that bitch in every time it switches.

VICTINI (not sure if a threat...?)
-respectable base stats of 100
-V-CREATE D:
-haven't faced one yet surprisingly
-I don't know if Cofagrigus and Swampert could take a V-Create.
-Is he a threat? I'll leave it to you guys

ADDED:
WEAVILE
-great attack and speed stat
-also wrecks my 'Umbrigus' core; Night Slash takes quite a chunk out of Cofagrigus and as well as Low Sweep to Umbreon. My poor little Shaymin is also scared off by its STAB Ice moves.
-requires some careful switching and prediction to beat it especially when Hitmontop is down
-I try to make it a priority for Hitmontop to stay alive when I see this sucker; probably a reliable counter to it because it has Intimidate to cushion any move it will land to him and scare it off with 4x effective Close Combat.


Deffensive Threats (...so far)
SUICUNE
-has fantastic defenses
-usually runs Rest+Sleep Talk shrugging off status
-I think Shaymin can be stalled out using up all her Seed Flare (only 8PP max)
-Since mine is a SubSeed set, she wouldn't be dealing that much damage.
-Offensive variants are also a threat; best way in dealing with that is crippling it with toxic and phazing it out.


COFAGRIGUS and DUSCLOPS (...just LOL)
-they usually run Rest partnered with a Heal Beller (Cofagrigus) and RestTalk (I'm looking at you Dusclops) making status a small problem
-both have great defenses especially Eviolite Dusclops
-not sure how to deal with Cofagrigus....the only thing I could think of is wear it down with Seed Flares or hope that I get enough Calm Mind boosts with my Cofagrigus to easily deal with his attacks and fire off a more powerful Shadow Ball
-Dusclops who have Seismic Toss are much easier to handle; I can set up with my CM Cofagrigus and scare it out
-ones with Night Shade will be a pain in the arse...

ADDED:
PORYGON2
-beastly defense stats with Eviolite and a respectable base of 105 in Special Attack
-can act as full-on defensive or an offensive tank
-is a borderline, high level threat especially if it gets a Download Boost
-incredibly hard to take down; Darmanitan's Superpower and Flare Blitz just doesn't cut it and risks being KO'd
-only way to take it down is through residual damage in the form of toxic and stealth rock and continue to stall with Umbreon


So there you go! If you can see any more threats to my team, please do tell me.

[TheKillerNachoFan]

Maybe change shaymin's hidden power to ice?

Hope I helped!

[TheKillerNachoFan]

So you don' t get walled by steels
Sorry for thedouble post btw

[Lemondrop]

Originally Posted by Fat TheKillerNachoFan

Maybe change shaymin's hidden power to ice?

Hope I helped!

Wait, doesn't Steel resist Ice? XD

Thanks anyway! I'm actually running a LO set for Shaymin now to deal with those Suicune and Steels. So it's like...


Shaymin @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Moveset:
-Seed Flare
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power (Ice)
-Rest

It's doing good so far so yeah...Although those Ice Beams still hurt because of the lack of bulk in the spread. I'm actually making a new lineup of Pokemon in place of the present four; it will be centered with the 'Umbrigus' core so maybe I'll just post changes later.

[TheKillerNachoFan]

Originally Posted by Fat Lemondrop

Wait, doesn't Steel resist Ice? XD

Thanks anyway! I'm actually running a LO set for Shaymin now to deal with those Suicune and Steels. So it's like...


Shaymin @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Moveset:
-Seed Flare
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power (Ice)
-Rest
Oops i mean changing to fire
It's doing good so far so yeah...Although those Ice Beams still hurt because of the lack of bulk in the spread. I'm actually making a new lineup of Pokemon in place of the present four; it will be centered with the 'Umbrigus' core so maybe I'll just post changes later.