Intro
Hello Smogon, and welcome everyone to my very first RMT on Smogon. My name is TrollFreak, and I love Dragon-type Pokemon. My favorite is Salamence and Hydregion. 14 of my analysis are uploaded on smogon :D. But enough of me, on to the RMT. After peaking in the top 40 in BW OU, and a Top 8 finish in the Southeast VGC 2011 seniors division, i wanted to learn other tiers, especially ubers. After signing up to Battling 101, Poppy was assigned to me as his first tutee. He has been a great tutor, helping me to build this team which i decided to use in a RMT. It peaked #11 under the name TrollFreak. It's an offensive team that tries to keep the momentum going in my favor, and it fits into my offensive playstyle perfectly. So, after playing with it for 3 weeks, I decided to post it, to showcase a great team and to try to make Poppy a tutor. Why isn't he already one!!!!!!!!!
Since this is my first Ubers team, Poppy suggested running a balanced offense team. As most experienced players of doubles now, the most dependable attacker for offense is a Kyorge. It can either rip teams apart thanks to it's base 150 Special Attack, or use a Choice Scarf to revenge many treats. Also, with Water Spout being able to do alot to basically anything, it's easy to understand why Kyorge is a very useful Pokemon in Ubers.
After adding Kyorge, I needed a Pokemon that could set up Stealth Rock. I wanted to use Ferrothorn after that Smog article (idr which one, but i remember reading it somewhere) However, Poppy suggested using a Life Orb Dialga with Stealth Rock, and I was impressed. It's great bulk and typing allows Dialga to switch into alot of attacks, and thanks to great base 150 Special Attack and a Life Orb, it can dish out powerful blows to the opponent as well. Above all of that, it also lays down Stealth Rock for my team, which is crucial in beating Pokemon such as Ho-Oh and Shaymin-S. This, as well as giving Kyorge a defensive backbone make it a valuable part of my team.
Why use Dialga by itself when you can add a Palkia as well. Palkia is my line of defense against opposing Kyorge (Dialga helps, but being 4x resistant to water works wonders) as well as keeping the offensive tempo of the team. I wanted to try a Choice Scarf variant, but the first trial of the team proved that this didn't really work, as 3 Choice Scarfers on a team cut away at the offensive synergy(and i didn't plan on using VoltTurn either). So, after debating this with Poppy, we decided on a Lustrous Orb set, and it works wonders. Not only are Palkia's key STAB moves in Spacial Rend and Surf powered up, but it enables me to switch up my moves, which is crucial in most situations. Also, not losing damage thanks to Life Orb, the best alternative, is also a godson, as i don't have a rapid spinner on the team. It's ability to check Kyorge as well as putting offensive pressure on my opponents make Palkia a really good Pokemon.
Well, 3 Pokemon into the team, and i still don't have a check to the most dangerous Pokemon in the tier, EKiller Arceus. Of course, me and Poppy both agreed that we needed to keep up the offensive pace of the team. However, the only logical switch I could think of was Skarmory, which of course wasn't offensive at all. So Poppy guided me to the next best thing, and what at first surprised me alot, a Choice Scarf Terrakion. Anyone who plays OU can tell you that Terrakion is one of the best revenge killers in the metagame. Its STABs can tear apart any team, with only things such as Ninoking and Golurk, both of which aren't used much in OU, being able to beat them. It's also a great check to EKiller Arceus, as it has enough bulk to take an ExtreemeSpeed, and thanks to being part Fighting, it can KO with Close Combat. That, and being able to outspeed alot of threats, such as +1 Rayquaza, Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S makes it a great revenge killer of these Pokemon. It's defensive and offensive capabilities make it a great Pokemon to use in ubers, use it more :DDD
Well, an Ubers team without Arceus seems weird right, and my team is no exception. However, the Arceus form needed to fill out a specific role. With 2 Pokemon on the team weak to Ground, and adding yet another Dragon-type Pokemon such as Rayquaza to fill it up which makes for a big Dragon weakness. Grass Arceus was also redundant, i didn't have issues with other Kyorge or and other Pokemon of that nature. Therefore, he decided to use an Uber that probably hasn't been used much at all, Flying Arceus. Dispite having a Stealth Rock weakness, which sucks especially since i don't have a spinner, but being immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes is very useful, especially since it can just recover off Stealth Rock damage. It also gives my team a well needed Ground immunity, which allows me to beat Groundon without Stone Edge, Calm Mind Grass, Fighting, and Ground Arceus. Also, thanks to Refresh, it can set up on Blissey and Chansey, which is crucial as my team only has 1 physical attack to deal with those two. Arceus-Flying is a very underestimated Pokemon, and the amount of sweeps i pulled off using it makes me never regret using it (it's sprite is awesome too)
Darkrai was my personal twist in the team. I always wanted to use it, as it seems to be a dependable lead, and i wasn't wrong. Darkrai makes a great lead, as it puts one Pokemon out of commission for a while, making the opponent basically play 6-5 from turn 1. Also, having Substitute to bypass it's common checks makes it work really well as a lead, as it can set up a Substitute and the proceed to attack to put a Pokemon to sleep. Darkrai is an awesome looking Pokemon, and a great lead and glue to my team.
Ranking
(03:12:33) *** Your rank in Standard Ubers is 4/11060 [1419 points / 174 battles]!
Team
@
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SAtk / 204 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Surf
- Water Spout
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
Choice Scarf Kyogre is an effective and powerful revenge killer, as well as giving my team weather control, which is crucial. It has a very powerful Water Spout that deals at least 79.7% to +1 Mewtwo, an OHKO after Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil, which is an impressive feat that other special Choice Scarf attackers, such as Palkia and Dialga, fail to achieve.
The extra power gained from using a Modest nature makes it easier to KO several threats, which are listed below with damage calculations. The EVs allow me to outpace both Deoxys and Deoxys-A, both of which are powerful threats to my team, while retaining power in a Modest Nature.
Modest 131 Base Power Water Spout:
@
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 216 HP / 252 SAtk / 40 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
- Stealth Rock
Dialga is one of the very few Dragon-types who can go the supportive route. Stealth Rock requires no real explanation, as it the backbone to my team, helping Pokemon such as Arceus-Flying pull off sweeps. Draco Meteor is used to dish out immediate damage and strip off more than half of Groudon's health. The reason I used Draco Meteor > Dragon Pulse was that Draco Meteor has the added bonus of OHKOing Reshiram and Palkia without the need of Stealth Rock damage. Fire Blast is the preferred Fire-type move for the extra power and it has the added bonus of 2HKOing most Groudon and Ferrothorn in the rain. Thunder works best alongside Kyogre as its Drizzle ability remedies Thunder's poor accuracy. Dialga aloes act as a check to Zekrom by resisting Bolt Strike and surviving 2 unboosted Outrages on average while Dialga's Draco Meteor will OHKO Zekrom.
The EV Spread gives Diagla enough speed to outpace 32 Ho-Oh, Dialga, Giratina-O, which is useful as I can OHKO Giratina-O with Draco Meteor, as well as being able to attack Ho-Oh with a powerful Thunder.
@
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Fire Blast
- Surf
- Spacial Rend
Spacial Rend is its most consistent STAB option dealing solid damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Surf is Palkia's secondary STAB of choice and is easily the most powerful move on the set under the rain, able to 2HKO even Wobbuffet. Thunder is a must for dealing with Kyogre and Tail Glow Manaphy, though it is also my best option for hurting Lugia, and the 30% paralysis rate can really come in handy. Fire Blast lets it take out Steel-types that come in to wall Spacial Rend, and also receives a pseudo STAB boost in the sun.
Since this set is supposed to play as a Choice Scarf set, I used Lustrous Orb over Life Orb, and a Timid Nature as it allows Palkia to outspeed more things.
@
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Sacred Sword
- Earthquake
With Terrakion's above-average 108 base Speed boosted by Choice Scarf, Terrakion is able to hit a Speed stat of 519, allowing it to outspeed a vast majority of the Uber tier. In fact, it is able to outspeed any Pokemon without a Speed boost and a good majority of popular Choice Scarf users. Terrakion can outspeed Choice Scarf variants of Palkia and Garchomp, some of the fastest Pokemon in the Uber metagame, as well as outspeed both Rayquaza and Salamence after they have used Dragon Dance. It can also switch into Darkrai's Dark Pulse or Tyranitar's Crunch and gain an Attack stage through its ability as well as being able to outspeed both afterward.
@
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Recover
- Refresh
The main advantages of using Flying Arceus over other Arceus formes, or other Flying-types for that matter, are its excellent mono-attacking STAB and the ability to further boost its power. Many of the Steel-types in the tier, such as Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Scizor, have a secondary typing that makes them vulnerable to Judgment and allows Arceus to capitalize on its Flying-type STAB quite effectively. Arceus outspeeds the vast majority of the Uber tier and has great power and coverage with a single move, so it can easily wreak havoc if left unchallenged.
Unfortunately, Arceus's Flying typing gives it an unfortunate Stealth Rock weakness. However, thanks to its incredible overall bulk and access to Recover, this problem is somewhat mitigated. Arceus can augment its bulk further by using Refresh to prevent opponents from crippling it with status, and subsequently outstalling it. Foes that resist this Flying / Ground combination, such as Skarmory and Thundurus, are both outsped and 2HKOed by Arceus's +1 Judgment, making it really hard to hard on Counter.
@
Trait: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Dark Void
- Dark Pulse
- Focus Blast
This is the very set that propelled Darkrai to fame, or rather notoriety, last generation. Darkrai's stellar base 125 Speed and Dark Void's decent accuracy make supporting my team easy. The basic game plan is to switch into a Pokemon slower than Darkrai, put it to sleep with a Dark Void, set up a Substitute, and start attacking. Focus Blast hits the Dark- and Steel-types that resist Dark-type attacks, most notably Tyranitar, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and opposing Darkrai. Dark Pulse and Focus Blast have near-perfect coverage, resisted only by Heracross and Toxicroak. Substitute allows Darkrai to avoid crippling status, have a fighting chance against Sleep Talkers, and scout for its counters. Dark-type has good type coverage in Ubers, so a mono-attacking set without Focus Blast is extremely viable, although Darkrai will easily be walled by Steel-type Pokemon and Blissey then.
This Darkrai set functions exceptionally well as a lead or late-game sweeper. Thanks to Bad Dreams, Darkrai does not have to worry about its opponent's Focus Sash. Leftovers is used with, as Life Orb recoil will drain Darkrai's health too quickly.
Final Look
Not much else to say that wasn't already covered in the Intro. Just one last thing I want to say...
POPPY FOR TUTOR :DDDDD
Hello Smogon, and welcome everyone to my very first RMT on Smogon. My name is TrollFreak, and I love Dragon-type Pokemon. My favorite is Salamence and Hydregion. 14 of my analysis are uploaded on smogon :D. But enough of me, on to the RMT. After peaking in the top 40 in BW OU, and a Top 8 finish in the Southeast VGC 2011 seniors division, i wanted to learn other tiers, especially ubers. After signing up to Battling 101, Poppy was assigned to me as his first tutee. He has been a great tutor, helping me to build this team which i decided to use in a RMT. It peaked #11 under the name TrollFreak. It's an offensive team that tries to keep the momentum going in my favor, and it fits into my offensive playstyle perfectly. So, after playing with it for 3 weeks, I decided to post it, to showcase a great team and to try to make Poppy a tutor. Why isn't he already one!!!!!!!!!
Since this is my first Ubers team, Poppy suggested running a balanced offense team. As most experienced players of doubles now, the most dependable attacker for offense is a Kyorge. It can either rip teams apart thanks to it's base 150 Special Attack, or use a Choice Scarf to revenge many treats. Also, with Water Spout being able to do alot to basically anything, it's easy to understand why Kyorge is a very useful Pokemon in Ubers.
After adding Kyorge, I needed a Pokemon that could set up Stealth Rock. I wanted to use Ferrothorn after that Smog article (idr which one, but i remember reading it somewhere) However, Poppy suggested using a Life Orb Dialga with Stealth Rock, and I was impressed. It's great bulk and typing allows Dialga to switch into alot of attacks, and thanks to great base 150 Special Attack and a Life Orb, it can dish out powerful blows to the opponent as well. Above all of that, it also lays down Stealth Rock for my team, which is crucial in beating Pokemon such as Ho-Oh and Shaymin-S. This, as well as giving Kyorge a defensive backbone make it a valuable part of my team.
Why use Dialga by itself when you can add a Palkia as well. Palkia is my line of defense against opposing Kyorge (Dialga helps, but being 4x resistant to water works wonders) as well as keeping the offensive tempo of the team. I wanted to try a Choice Scarf variant, but the first trial of the team proved that this didn't really work, as 3 Choice Scarfers on a team cut away at the offensive synergy(and i didn't plan on using VoltTurn either). So, after debating this with Poppy, we decided on a Lustrous Orb set, and it works wonders. Not only are Palkia's key STAB moves in Spacial Rend and Surf powered up, but it enables me to switch up my moves, which is crucial in most situations. Also, not losing damage thanks to Life Orb, the best alternative, is also a godson, as i don't have a rapid spinner on the team. It's ability to check Kyorge as well as putting offensive pressure on my opponents make Palkia a really good Pokemon.
Well, 3 Pokemon into the team, and i still don't have a check to the most dangerous Pokemon in the tier, EKiller Arceus. Of course, me and Poppy both agreed that we needed to keep up the offensive pace of the team. However, the only logical switch I could think of was Skarmory, which of course wasn't offensive at all. So Poppy guided me to the next best thing, and what at first surprised me alot, a Choice Scarf Terrakion. Anyone who plays OU can tell you that Terrakion is one of the best revenge killers in the metagame. Its STABs can tear apart any team, with only things such as Ninoking and Golurk, both of which aren't used much in OU, being able to beat them. It's also a great check to EKiller Arceus, as it has enough bulk to take an ExtreemeSpeed, and thanks to being part Fighting, it can KO with Close Combat. That, and being able to outspeed alot of threats, such as +1 Rayquaza, Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S makes it a great revenge killer of these Pokemon. It's defensive and offensive capabilities make it a great Pokemon to use in ubers, use it more :DDD
Well, an Ubers team without Arceus seems weird right, and my team is no exception. However, the Arceus form needed to fill out a specific role. With 2 Pokemon on the team weak to Ground, and adding yet another Dragon-type Pokemon such as Rayquaza to fill it up which makes for a big Dragon weakness. Grass Arceus was also redundant, i didn't have issues with other Kyorge or and other Pokemon of that nature. Therefore, he decided to use an Uber that probably hasn't been used much at all, Flying Arceus. Dispite having a Stealth Rock weakness, which sucks especially since i don't have a spinner, but being immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes is very useful, especially since it can just recover off Stealth Rock damage. It also gives my team a well needed Ground immunity, which allows me to beat Groundon without Stone Edge, Calm Mind Grass, Fighting, and Ground Arceus. Also, thanks to Refresh, it can set up on Blissey and Chansey, which is crucial as my team only has 1 physical attack to deal with those two. Arceus-Flying is a very underestimated Pokemon, and the amount of sweeps i pulled off using it makes me never regret using it (it's sprite is awesome too)
Darkrai was my personal twist in the team. I always wanted to use it, as it seems to be a dependable lead, and i wasn't wrong. Darkrai makes a great lead, as it puts one Pokemon out of commission for a while, making the opponent basically play 6-5 from turn 1. Also, having Substitute to bypass it's common checks makes it work really well as a lead, as it can set up a Substitute and the proceed to attack to put a Pokemon to sleep. Darkrai is an awesome looking Pokemon, and a great lead and glue to my team.
Ranking
(03:12:33) *** Your rank in Standard Ubers is 4/11060 [1419 points / 174 battles]!
Team
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SAtk / 204 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Surf
- Water Spout
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
Choice Scarf Kyogre is an effective and powerful revenge killer, as well as giving my team weather control, which is crucial. It has a very powerful Water Spout that deals at least 79.7% to +1 Mewtwo, an OHKO after Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil, which is an impressive feat that other special Choice Scarf attackers, such as Palkia and Dialga, fail to achieve.
The extra power gained from using a Modest nature makes it easier to KO several threats, which are listed below with damage calculations. The EVs allow me to outpace both Deoxys and Deoxys-A, both of which are powerful threats to my team, while retaining power in a Modest Nature.
Modest 131 Base Power Water Spout:
- vs 252/0 Arceus: 37.6% - 44.4% (Chance to 2HKO with Stealth Rock; Timid fails entirely)
- vs 252/200 Dialga: 39.9% - 47% (Very small chance to 2HKO with Stealth Rock)
- vs 0/0 Rayquaza: 40.5% - 47.9% (2HKO with Stealth Rock)
- vs 252/0 Latias: 42.9% - 50.3% (Chance to 2HKO)
- vs 4/0 Arceus: 43.7% - 51.6% (Very large chance to 2HKO with Stealth Rock)
- vs 0/0 Giratina-O: 44.2% - 52.4% (2HKO with Stealth Rock; Timid is not guaranteed)
- vs 252/0 Manaphy: 48.3% - 57.2% (2HKO with Stealth Rock)
- vs 0/0 Rayquaza: 29.3% - 34.8%
- vs 0/0 Dialga/Zekrom/Manaphy: 41.6% - 49.3%
- vs 4/0 Hydreigon: 47.24% - 55.83% (2HKO with Stealth Rock; Timid is not guaranteed)
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 216 HP / 252 SAtk / 40 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
- Stealth Rock
Dialga is one of the very few Dragon-types who can go the supportive route. Stealth Rock requires no real explanation, as it the backbone to my team, helping Pokemon such as Arceus-Flying pull off sweeps. Draco Meteor is used to dish out immediate damage and strip off more than half of Groudon's health. The reason I used Draco Meteor > Dragon Pulse was that Draco Meteor has the added bonus of OHKOing Reshiram and Palkia without the need of Stealth Rock damage. Fire Blast is the preferred Fire-type move for the extra power and it has the added bonus of 2HKOing most Groudon and Ferrothorn in the rain. Thunder works best alongside Kyogre as its Drizzle ability remedies Thunder's poor accuracy. Dialga aloes act as a check to Zekrom by resisting Bolt Strike and surviving 2 unboosted Outrages on average while Dialga's Draco Meteor will OHKO Zekrom.
The EV Spread gives Diagla enough speed to outpace 32 Ho-Oh, Dialga, Giratina-O, which is useful as I can OHKO Giratina-O with Draco Meteor, as well as being able to attack Ho-Oh with a powerful Thunder.
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Fire Blast
- Surf
- Spacial Rend
Spacial Rend is its most consistent STAB option dealing solid damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Surf is Palkia's secondary STAB of choice and is easily the most powerful move on the set under the rain, able to 2HKO even Wobbuffet. Thunder is a must for dealing with Kyogre and Tail Glow Manaphy, though it is also my best option for hurting Lugia, and the 30% paralysis rate can really come in handy. Fire Blast lets it take out Steel-types that come in to wall Spacial Rend, and also receives a pseudo STAB boost in the sun.
Since this set is supposed to play as a Choice Scarf set, I used Lustrous Orb over Life Orb, and a Timid Nature as it allows Palkia to outspeed more things.
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Sacred Sword
- Earthquake
With Terrakion's above-average 108 base Speed boosted by Choice Scarf, Terrakion is able to hit a Speed stat of 519, allowing it to outspeed a vast majority of the Uber tier. In fact, it is able to outspeed any Pokemon without a Speed boost and a good majority of popular Choice Scarf users. Terrakion can outspeed Choice Scarf variants of Palkia and Garchomp, some of the fastest Pokemon in the Uber metagame, as well as outspeed both Rayquaza and Salamence after they have used Dragon Dance. It can also switch into Darkrai's Dark Pulse or Tyranitar's Crunch and gain an Attack stage through its ability as well as being able to outspeed both afterward.
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Recover
- Refresh
The main advantages of using Flying Arceus over other Arceus formes, or other Flying-types for that matter, are its excellent mono-attacking STAB and the ability to further boost its power. Many of the Steel-types in the tier, such as Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Scizor, have a secondary typing that makes them vulnerable to Judgment and allows Arceus to capitalize on its Flying-type STAB quite effectively. Arceus outspeeds the vast majority of the Uber tier and has great power and coverage with a single move, so it can easily wreak havoc if left unchallenged.
Unfortunately, Arceus's Flying typing gives it an unfortunate Stealth Rock weakness. However, thanks to its incredible overall bulk and access to Recover, this problem is somewhat mitigated. Arceus can augment its bulk further by using Refresh to prevent opponents from crippling it with status, and subsequently outstalling it. Foes that resist this Flying / Ground combination, such as Skarmory and Thundurus, are both outsped and 2HKOed by Arceus's +1 Judgment, making it really hard to hard on Counter.
Trait: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Dark Void
- Dark Pulse
- Focus Blast
This is the very set that propelled Darkrai to fame, or rather notoriety, last generation. Darkrai's stellar base 125 Speed and Dark Void's decent accuracy make supporting my team easy. The basic game plan is to switch into a Pokemon slower than Darkrai, put it to sleep with a Dark Void, set up a Substitute, and start attacking. Focus Blast hits the Dark- and Steel-types that resist Dark-type attacks, most notably Tyranitar, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and opposing Darkrai. Dark Pulse and Focus Blast have near-perfect coverage, resisted only by Heracross and Toxicroak. Substitute allows Darkrai to avoid crippling status, have a fighting chance against Sleep Talkers, and scout for its counters. Dark-type has good type coverage in Ubers, so a mono-attacking set without Focus Blast is extremely viable, although Darkrai will easily be walled by Steel-type Pokemon and Blissey then.
This Darkrai set functions exceptionally well as a lead or late-game sweeper. Thanks to Bad Dreams, Darkrai does not have to worry about its opponent's Focus Sash. Leftovers is used with, as Life Orb recoil will drain Darkrai's health too quickly.
Final Look
Not much else to say that wasn't already covered in the Intro. Just one last thing I want to say...
POPPY FOR TUTOR :DDDDD
