Umbreon
Credit to dragonboy52 for getting this through QC, and also to Jubilee for the original analysis.
[Overview]
<p>Umbreon's amazing special bulk, complimented by its good physical bulk, makes it a top-tier choice for many players, as it no longer competes with Chansey for a teamslot. Umbreon is now arguably the best user of Wish in UU, and can give a second chance to the many walls that lack reliable recovery, such as Bronzong, Hitmontop, and Registeel. Umbreon is also almost a necessity on stall teams, as its Wishes and access to Heal Bell set it apart from any other special wall. Unfortunately, that is where the praises end, as it has almost no movepool whatsoever, and its offenses approach atrocious. Moreover, to ensure that it receives its Wish, Umbreon is almost forced to run Protect; therefore, it must choose between being setup fodder for sweepers or being Taunt bait for the likes of Froslass and Mew. However, Umbreon is still the best at what it does, and it would be foolish not to consider it for a teamslot if you require its talents.</p>
[SET]
name: Wish Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Payback
move 3: Heal Bell
move 4: Protect / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Synchronize
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Umbreon is a top contender for the title of UU's finest Wish passer, as 197 HP Wishes are enough to heal a large chunk of either Umbreon's or a teammate's health. Payback is Umbreon's best STAB option, and will get 100 Base Power most of the time due to Umbreon's low Speed. Having Payback ensures that Umbreon isn't Taunt bait; it can also OHKO Mismagius after Stealth Rock. Heal Bell is great for offensive Pokemon and defensive Pokemon alike, as it can repair a statused wall or give a sweeper a second chance. It is also useful for waking up Pokemon that rely on Rest, such as Dusclops and Kingdra. The last slot can be a tough decision, but Protect is generally the superior option to ensure that Umbreon can heal itself with Wish. However, Toxic is also a great choice to hit walls such as Slowbro, or sweepers such as Yanmega on the switch.<p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs along with a Careful nature increase Umbreon's special bulk as much as possible, bolstering its ability to take hits from the likes of Raikou and Chandelure. Synchronize is a wonderful ability for Umbreon, as it can forgo a status move in the hope that one is used on it and reflected on the user. This works well for Umbreon, as it can then use Heal Bell to rid itself of the status. However, if you are going to consider a status move other than Toxic, Yawn is a fine choice and works well with Protect. If Wish support isn't required, Moonlight can be used as a semi-reliable way of healing; it frees up a moveslot, but the risk is generally greater than the reward, as Moonlight isn't effective at all in the common sandstorm. Pursuit can be used over Payback to trap Pokemon such as Azelf, but has little use otherwise. If you want a more reliable attacking move against slower opponents, Dark Pulse can also be used with a Calm nature, hitting Pokemon such as Slowbro harder, but at that point Umbreon becomes setup fodder for SubCM Raikou, which is a large threat that Umbreon could normally counter.</p>
<p>In general, Pokemon that can take powerful physical attacks as well as Fighting- and Bug-type attacks are great partners for Umbreon. Hitmontop is a fine teammate, as it has Intimidate to weaken physical blows, and can take on troublesome Pokemon to Umbreon, such as Machamp and Cobalion, while resisting Bug-type attacks. Umbreon is also immune to Psychic-type attacks, and can provide Wish support to make up for Hitmontop's lack of reliable recovery. Slowbro is also a good partner, as it can take on Fighting-type attacks, as well as the Steel-types that are problematic for Umbreon. Umbreon can then cover Slowbro against Ghost- and Dark-types, as well as other powerful special attackers. Both Sableye and Dusclops make a good defensive core with Umbreon as well, as they are immune to Fighting-type attacks, and can cripple physical attackers such as Flygon with Will-O-Wisp. Dusclops has a leg up on Sableye in this department, as it also resists Bug-type attacks. On the flip side, Umbreon can wake Dusclops up from Rest using Heal Bell.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Umbreon has a terrible movepool, but Curse is one of the few moves that could be of some use. With a similar spread to that of the above set, a few Curse boosts could make Umbreon difficult to break down with either physical or special moves, while boosting the power of Payback as well as increasing the likelihood of Umbreon moving last. Mean Look is another move that could get some use on Umbreon, as it allows Umbreon to effectively Toxic stall special attackers, although Substitute is prominent on Pokemon such as Chandelure and Raikou. Umbreon can also Baton Pass Curse boosts to a teammate, with slow physical attackers such as Escavalier and Rhyperior being ideal recipients.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Umbreon is helpless against many physical attackers in UU, especially Steel-types and Fighting-types. The best example of this is Cobalion, since all variants can dispose of Umbreon with no trouble. Umbreon is setup fodder for Swords Dance or Calm Mind, as Cobalion is immune to Toxic and can pick up an Attack boost from Payback. Escavalier is another hard counter to Umbreon, as it shares Cobalion's Steel typing, granting it immunity to Toxic and a resistance to Payback; Umbreon must switch out, or it will be OHKOed by Megahorn. Likewise, Bisharp is another Steel-type that Umbreon just can't get past. Payback does little damage, and Bisharp can become extremely dangerous as it sets up Swords Dance for free and can proceed to either OHKO with a +2 Brick Break or just break through with Iron Head. Heracross is another great way of dealing with Umbreon, as it boasts a resistance to Payback and possesses Guts, taking advantage of a stray Toxic; Heracross can also OHKO with either of its STAB moves.</p>
<p>If Umbreon lacks Toxic, a number of other physical attackers can switch in on it with impunity. Hitmontop is the best way of directly dealing with Umbreon that falls under this category, as it can reduce the damage of the already-resisted Payback, and OHKO with Close Combat. Similarly, Arcanine can reduce the damage taken from Payback with Intimidate, and OHKO with Close Combat. Weavile can set up a free Swords Dance, and OHKO with Low Kick. Rhyperior has massive Attack without a boost, and OHKOes with Megahorn right off the bat; it can also deal major damage with Earthquake. Azumarill is actually slower than Umbreon, which halves the damage of Payback, and OHKOes with either Focus Punch or Choice Band Superpower. Alternatively, you can take advantage of Umbreon's weakness to U-turn, which several common Pokemon in UU can use effectively. Crobat, Flygon, Darmanitan, and Azelf are all common users of U-turn and can lay the hurt on Umbreon without being hit in the process.</p>
<p>Umbreon is walled by many Pokemon as well, as its Payback doesn't do nearly enough damage on many key threats. Registeel is immune to Toxic, and can eventually hit Umbreon with a Toxic of its own, since Toxic has more PP than Heal Bell. If Umbreon lacks Toxic, physical walls such as Slowbro and Zapdos can leave Umbreon in a stalemate position, especially the latter, which can effectively PP stall with Pressure. Sweepers that aim to set up over a long period of time using the RestTalk strategy, such as Snorlax and Suicune, can set up on Umbreon without fear, as they will eventually accumulate enough boosts to be able to power through Umbreon. Users of Taunt also shut down Umbreon, especially those that don't take much damage from Payback, such as Gligar and Mew. These Pokemon can eventually break through Umbreon due to their higher Speed and reliable recovery.</p>
