Hey guys, this so happens to be my first RMT in over a year. The reason I am returning now is because the RMT I am about to present to you is not your average run-of-the-mill RMT.
Allow me to elaborate with some background information. During the months of April and May I became heavily involved in the Uber metagame with the introduction of the Uber ladder on Shoddy. Although the teams I used involved one or two ‘oddballs’ if you will, they were still fairly standard teams that followed most of the standard ‘rules’ of Uber teambuilding, making sure to be adequately covered against all common threats etc. Despite having a fairly successful run on the ladder, I eventually began to tire of using and facing the same small pool of Pokemon that dominate the tier, even though I was playing lots of intense, prediction heavy matches with many fantastic battlers. It was time for a fresh challenge, so I took up UU to test my skills there.
I still play UU sometimes, but now I’ve decided to give Ubers a second try, only this time I’m taking a more ’fun’ approach as opposed to ultra-competitive. A few weeks ago I recalled a time when I played Bologo on the OU Ladder, and he used nothing but UU Pokemon against me. Although he didn’t win the battle, his unique approach really intrigued me and it seemed like a fun idea to try. So a couple of weeks ago, in my boredom I came up with a slightly less extreme idea; to see how far a team of Wobbuffet + 5 non-Ubers can go in Ubers. The premise was simple; Ubers is currently centralized around ~14-15 Pokemon, mostly the Ubers themselves. Therefore in theory the tier should be predictable enough for a well-designed, well-organized team of lesser used Pokemon to make a big impact, and if not overwhelmingly useful, at least shake things up a bit. Anyway, here is the team:
Primeape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
~ Close Combat
~ Ice Punch
~ U-Turn
~ Taunt
Obviously it is important when choosing a lead to make sure you are on the front foot in as many opening situations as possible. With Darkrai, Kyogre, Deoxys-F and Dialga dominating lead statistics, it makes sense to take priority with these four and make sure they are covered first. Darkrai has a potential 383 speed and access to Dark Void for a fast sleep, therefore a lead should not get caught out by either of these if possible. Most Kyogre leads are Choice Scarfers, running a maximum of 459 speed and packing humongous power with Water Spout at full health, so ideally I’d want to be faster and have a way of denting it. Deoxys-f leads typically run Sash and four powerful attacks, sometimes Counter too, so a faster U-Turner alongside a Ghost would be perhaps the safest option. Finally, Dialgas are typically slow but powerful, running both physical and special attacks for maximum coverage. However a strong Fighting/Ground attack, or at least the threat of one, should send it packing.
Looking back at the criteria I selected, one Pokemon immediately came to mind that seemed to fit them all almost perfectly: Choice Scarf Primeape! Seriously, with its move pool, ability and stat placement it seems almost designed for competition in the current Uber metagame. Well, maybe that is an overstatement, but it shouldn’t be underestimated by any means.
Now onto the set. Max Speed EVs & Jolly with Choice Scarf gives Primeape 475 speed, enough to outrun any non-Scarfer except Deoxys-E, who requires 148 EVs and a boosting nature to outrun Primeape. Close Combat is obviously the primary STAB move that OHKOs Darkrai and Tyranitar, and does up to 92% to the standard 120 HP/ 0 Def mix Dialga, with a chance to OHKO if it is running Mild instead of Rash. Aside from Palkia though, there aren’t many other Ubers that take much damage from Fighting attacks, so this and the 8 PP with Pressure everywhere means that Close Combat is quite rarely used, but it is still very important for those three Pokemon in particular.
Ice Punch is mainly for revenge-killing Rayquazas stuck on Outrage, and the speed helps to ensure I tie at worst with a Jolly Rayquaza after one Dragon Dance, although many only run about 308 speed but you can never be too careful. It is also useful for Lati@s, doing a minimum of 47% to the standard 112 HP / 0 Def Latias, and 56% to no HP/Def Latios, so it can be a situational revenge-killer for both.
U-Turn is easily the most important move in the set for various reasons. Firstly it allows for scouting of the opponent’s switch-in, which happens a lot as Choice Scarf Primeape forces its fair share of switches, and allows me to get another Pokemon in safely. It also hits all of the many Psychics except Lugia super-effectively, and with Primeape’s speed it will almost always go first, allowing me to get in a decent hit before running off to a more favourable match-up before the opponent attacks. You will see later how all this works extremely well with the rest of my team.
Finally I turn to the last slot that is bound to cause some confusion. Taunt with Choice Scarf? wtf? Well initially I was using Punishment in this slot to help revenge-kill the likes of Calm Mind Mewtwo and Lati@s more efficiently, and also to deal somewhat with Baton Passing Mew. However it became apparent that it wasn’t having the desired effect due to the sheer predictability of the move plus only 8 PP, and the fact that by the time Primeape comes out they are often within Ice Punch / U-Turn range anyway. There was also the problem of simply not enough power even against boosted up Pokemon, and I just end up locked into a still weak move against a souped-up opponent, which is obviously bad news. Then it occurred to me. Rather than try and damage the opponent as much as possible before the pass, why not just try and stop the BP altogether? With Taunt I can come in on BP Mew and, provided they don’t either Rock Polish or Taunt on the switch, prevent the Baton Pass from taking place. Risky, but potentially game-saving in the right situations. Also works well against common support walls such as Lugia and Forretress, and even prevents lead Deoxys-E from getting off more than one support move at the start (or even nothing at all if they carelessly don’t invest enough speed).
Let’s move on….
Wobbuffet @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 32 HP / 224 Def / 252 SpD
Nature: Calm
~ Counter
~ Mirror Coat
~ Encore
~ Safeguard
Wobbuffet is the centerpiece of the team, although on average it doesn’t play that large a role in any given match. Every contribution it does make though is devastating, and works well alongside Primeape. Just about any lead scarfer that outruns and kills my Primeape will be easy pickings for this guy, and I’ve already seen a few lead Scarf Palkias. The only exceptions are obviously physical Ghosts and special Darks, but they are very uncommon and mostly unable to OHKO Primeape anyway, not to mention too slow. Switching in on Primeape’s U-Turn could mean trouble if they bring in anything that Wobbuffet can exploit one-on-one, particularly support Groudon or CM Latias, whilst a Taunted Lugia allows for a safe switch, and will be picked off should it stay in and Ice Beam (barring extreme hax of course).
The EVs are slightly adjusted to guarantee survival of Scarf Kyogre’s full powered Water Spout should it be needed, and also to reach the next Leftovers threshold. Apart from that this is pretty standard stuff, and there is nothing much more to say until I show you my next Pokemon.
Dugtrio @ Life Orb
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
~ Stealth Rock
~ Toxic
~ Sucker Punch
~ Earthquake
The synergy between Wobbuffet and SupportTrio is simply too awesome to be fully expressed with words but I’ll give it my best shot anyway.
You all know the basic procedure by now; Encore a non-damaging move with Wobbuffet, Safeguard if needed then switch out to something else for a free turn. But of course in Dugtrio’s case it becomes several free turns should the Encored Pokemon be grounded. For frail(ish) Pokemon not resistant to Ground, Dugtrio simply lays Stealth Rock then Earthquakes them to death. For bulkier Pokemon such as Groudon I Toxic first then lay the rocks, followed either by Earthquake until Encore runs out or a switch to a more suitable Pokemon if they are too bulky to take down in time. Sucker Punch is there for finishing off faster Pokemon that I think are going to attack me.
One of Dugtrio’s most valuable roles for the team I have found is the ability to trap-kill the popular Wish support Jirachi. Primeape’s U-Turn once again proves useful here as many people switch in Jirachi once they realize it’s Scarfed, only to be met by Dugtrio on the U-Turn, with the extra damage helping to put it into KO range.
Toxic is also great for times when the opponent brings out Lugia after a kill, not expecting it. In addition to crippling Lugia, most don’t even Ice Beam on the first turn but use Reflect on a predicted switch, meaning Dugtrio often survives and allows Wobbuffet to come back in and stall Lugia to its death. Even if Lugia does Ice Beam, Dugtrio has done his job for the team and guarantees yet more easy pickings for Wobb.
At this point you’ll see that I don’t yet have much of an answer to Kyogre, so hopefully my next Pokemon will help in that regard.
Ludicolo @ Leftovers
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 12 HP / 64 Def / 104 SpA / 144 SpD / 184 Spe
Nature: Calm
~ Ice Beam
~ Grass Knot
~ Substitute
~ Leech Seed
Ludicolo is just about the only attempt on my team to genuinely counter anything, as my team mostly relies on prediction and revenge-killing to win matches, with it being near impossible to try and counter Ubers with a team of non-Ubers. This guy is obviously my Kyogre counter, using its 4x Water resistance to sponge Surfs and Water Spouts, and also exploiting the auto-rain with its Swift Swim ability.
The latter works well alongside the SubSeed combo, with the speed EVs allowing me to outrun everything up to Deoxys-F in the rain. If the opponent doesn’t have a U-Turner or a faster Pokemon that isn’t badly hurt by Ludicolo then they’ll have a hard time getting through this once set up. Most teams do have some way of dealing with this, but even so it at least allows me to scout a good portion of the opponent’s team.
Grass Knot is obviously for Kyogre and Groudon, but also works well for other heavy Ubers such as Mewtwo and Palkia, whilst Ice Beam is mainly for any Rayquaza that dares to switch in as I Sub up. It is also useful for wearing down the Lati twins whilst they are caught in the SubSeed loop, with an eventual freeze and/or crit breaking their valiant struggle. Ice Beam also hits Lugia and Giratina super effectively, but they are strictly for late game or finishing off purposes (or if I predict Roar/Whirlwind) as their high bulk means that Ice Beam doesn’t do all that much to them and Pressure quickly drains the PP.
Now for the EVs. This is a rather peculiar spread specifically designed to suit my needs in Ubers. I have only invested enough HP to reach the next Leftovers number as this allows for maximum percentage healing with Leech Seed. The special attack EVs give 242 special attack, enough to 2HKO max HP/ 0 Sp Def Kyogre and 3HKO max HP/ 216 Sp Def Tyranitar (in Sandstorm) on average, whilst giving me a small chance to OHKO Rayquaza too. 299 special defense allows Ludicolo to avoid a 2HKO from max Sp Atk Kyogre’s Thunder and also not be 2HKO’d by +speed nature Scarf Palkia’s Spacial Rend most of the time. The 184 speed EVs put Ludicolo on 222 speed, enough to outrun Adamant Tyranitar, and doubles to 444 in the rain, enough to outrun Jolly ScarfCross and also Deoxys-F as mentioned before. Also outruns the standard support Groudon in the sun, who doesn’t tend to run more than 218 speed. Finally, the Leftover 64 EVs are placed in Defense to give Ludicolo a little bit more physical bulk that helps to take a hit or two from the likes of Groudon and Giratina.
Gengar @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
~ Hypnosis
~ Shadow Ball
~ Focus Blast
~ Hidden Power Fire
In Ubers, Gengar is almost entirely outclassed by Darkrai. That is, except for one key difference: three awesome immunities in Normal, Fighting and Ground! This makes Gengar a useful addition to my team as it means at least one Pokemon on my team isn’t somewhat screwed over by Toxic Spikes. It also makes for a good switch into Rayquaza early game when you are unsure what set your opponent is running, with immunity to both Earthquake and Extremespeed and Focus Sash to ensure survival from at least one Dragon attack. Gengar also outruns any Rayquaza that isn’t scarfed, and can Hypnosis before it gets off a second attack, unless it Dragon Dances first in which case my Sash is still intact.
Shadow Ball makes for a great STAB attack in Ubers as so many of them are weak to Ghost, whilst my other two attacks cover almost every common Ghost resist for super effective damage. Focus Blast is there for coverage against Dialga, Tyranitar and Darkrai primarily, although Gengar does not normally like to take any of them on one on one, but killing Darkrai especially on a predicted switch-in is always hilarious. Hidden Power Fire is mainly for Scizor and Forretress; the former being prevalent in Ubers for trap-killing Ghosts and Psychics with Pursuit, the latter a common Spiker that my team cannot afford to give too many free turns to set up. It also hits Metagross harder than my other moves, and gets a 1.5x boost in the Sun, effectively giving me three 100+ power attacks to choose from. The only drawback is that I sacrifice the speed tie with Latios, but I have more reliable ways of dealing with it so it isn’t that big of a deal. Thunder would be a superior option for the likes of Kyogre, Manaphy and Ho-oh, and allow Gengar to take advantage of both weather effects. Unfortunately I do not have a spare move slot for it, and all my current four moves have proven to be more useful.
It is now time to reveal my last Pokemon, who has been responsible for many a late game clean-up so far…
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 16 SpD / 240 Spe
Nature: Jolly
~ Outrage
~ Dragon Claw
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
I try to reserve this guy for late game, as once the rest of my team has removed Lugia, Groudon and the Steel types, or at least severely weakened them, it cleans up very efficiently with Outrage. 240 speed EVs + Choice Scarf gives Garchomp 495 speed, enough to outrun Choice Scarf Palkia and prevent it from revenge-killing me whilst stuck on Outrage. A max speed Deoxys-S can still revenge-kill, but offensive variants are quite rare in Ubers and can be removed by Wobbuffet if need be.
Dragon Claw is a good solid Dragon attack for times when I need to revenge-kill the Lati twins or Rayquaza but do not want to risk getting stuck on Outrage against something like Lugia and Forretress, thus allowing them to kill me or set up. Earthquake is a decent secondary STAB that covers Steel types and is useful for late game situations where the opponent no longer has a Ground resist, although it isn’t used all that often as it gives Rayquaza and the Latis a chance to come in risk-free and set up. Stone Edge is mainly filler but is useful for the occasional Ho-oh whom my team is slightly weak to otherwise, especially without Stealth Rock down. It also hits Lugia harder than my other moves, and gives me a better chance to achieve a 2HKO with said rocks down.
As far as EVs are concerned, max Attack is obviously to hit as hard as possible, whilst the leftover 16 EVs are placed in special defense because a full health Garchomp comes very close to surviving a Surf from Modest max special attack Kyogre. The 16 EVs allow Garchomp to survive more than 50% of the time.
Apart from that there really isn’t much else to say about this guy except that it has proven itself to be a fantastic late game cleaner in Ubers.
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Now it is time to run through a list of the most persistent threats in Ubers and how they are commonly dealt with, bearing in mind that this is an unorthodox team that relies much more on revenge-kills than actual countering:
Kyogre - If my Primeape comes face to face with a leading Kyogre, I usually U-Turn out to Ludicolo to see what set it is running, weakening a potential Water Spout in the process. If it uses a Water attack I either Sub or Leech Seed to scout their next move. Should it unleash a Specs Thunder, my Ludicolo will take heavy damage but give me an opportunity to bring in Dugtrio and finish it off easily should it stay in. Specs Ice Beam will also 2HKO from Modest Kyogre most of the time, but I’ll at least be able to dent it hard with Grass Knot before going down, after which Wobbuffet will pick up the pieces, with Ludicolo’s job done. Ludicolo is actually my go-to guy for most Kyogre sets, and deals reasonably well with CMogre in general. Although he can’t always kill Kyogre one-on-one, he often contains and weakens it enough to make it easy for the rest of my team to deal with it.
Groudon - Some of the more offensive sets with Rock Polish/Swords Dance and Life Orb can give me major problems if I don’t react to it quick enough, mainly because my scarfers are physical and find it difficult to penetrate that massive bulk. Still, Gengar outruns any Groudon that hasn’t Rock Polished first, and can survive any unboosted attack thanks to Ground immunity. Gengar can put Groudon to sleep in return, but typically only 3HKOs with Shadow Ball unless Groudon invests nothing in defenses and/or has taken some Life Orb damage. Ludicolo also works well against it with STAB Grass Knot doing massive damage, although it doesn’t have the easiest time switching in, especially against Life Orb versions where even Earthquake 2HKOs. Nevertheless, I have never had any serious problems with Groudon as all of my four non-Scarf Pokemon have some way of dealing with it one-on-one, and I often react to it situationally with reasonable success.
Rayquaza - Despite Rayquaza rightfully being described as virtually uncounterable, it has never once threatened a sweep against my team, not even in the late game. I guess I can attribute that to my team strategy, as I don’t actually try to counter most things in the traditional sense. Primeape outruns Adamant Ray even after a Dragon Dance, at least tying with Jolly versions, and can revenge-kill one stuck on Outrage with Ice Punch. He can also survive an unboosted Extremespeed. Garchomp outruns even Jolly versions after DD and OHKOs with Outrage, and is even able to survive a +2 Extremespeed. Gengar is immune to Extremespeed and outruns any Rayquaza that hasn’t already Dragon Danced, replying with Hypnosis. If Sleep Clause is already in effect, Shadow Ball does around 40%, and can take one hit at full health thanks to Focus Sash, meaning he can take SD/LO Ray with him in some situations. Finally, Ludicolo can Ice Beam from behind a Sub should it switch in, or take at least one hit from those lacking Outrage before hitting back.
Deoxys-F - This guy can cause varying amounts of damage to my team depending on the situation. As a lead with Focus Sash it isn’t that big of a deal as Primeape outruns and U-Turns out to Wobbuffet to finish it off, although the odd Counter can screw me over. I do have Gengar though for such occasions when I expect it. As for Life Orb Deoxys saved for late game it depends on the situation and the Pokemon I have left, although I have never been swept due to the fact that I have my own faster late game cleaner in Garchomp, who isn’t at all threatened by an unSTAB’d Extremespeed. Once again, Primeape outruns and kills, as does Ludicolo in the rain, Wobbuffet can take two of anything barring Shadow Ball and CounterCoat back, and even Dugtrio can revenge-kill those lacking Extremespeed if needed. Due to the style of my play, fast frail sweepers are honestly the least of my worries and this guy is no exception.
Dialga - Dialga is a little bit more problematic as it can actually take a good number of hits thanks to its superb defences and typing, and at the same time hit back incredibly hard. Still, everything on my team has at least one way of dealing with it. Primeape deals massive damage with Close Combat. Wobbuffet easily picks off all-offensive Dialga and can Encore set up moves. Dugtrio traps it and hits hard with Earthquake. Ludicolo can’t hurt Dialga much with its attacks but can SubSeed it and has enough special defense to take a couple of hits. Gengar can put it to sleep and/or Focus Blast for the 2HKO. Finally, Garchomp carries STAB Earthquake to put a large dent in it. Despite this, nothing on my team actually OHKOs Dialga, and those that can 2HKO are OHKO’d back, which means that in many situations Dialga will net a kill on one of my Pokemon. However, with both Dugtrio and Wobbuffet available for the revenge kill, it will almost never get off a second kill, so it won’t often achieve a net payoff by itself.
Palkia - The funny thing about Palkia these days is that it almost always tends to be Scarfed with all special attacks. Now of course even a predictable Palkia can be very dangerous, especially for a team such as this that lacks a dedicated special wall. But when you have a Wobbuffet waiting in the wings, predictability becomes the opponent’s downfall, and makes Wob’s job so much easier. Even if Wob is down I still have Garchomp that is capable of outrunning and OHKOing for a revenge-kill. For those that differ from the norm and don’t run Scarf, 4 out of 6 Pokemon outrun in normal conditions, which increases to 5 in the rain, and all of them have some way of either badly denting or incapacitating it. Primeape has Close Combat (about 60%), Dugtrio has Earthquake (about 60%), Ludicolo has Grass Knot (about 40%) or SubSeed, Gengar has Shadow Ball (about 40%) or Hypnosis, and Garchomp has Outrage (easy OHKO). Once again, Palkia is a case of not allowing it to inflict much more than a one-Pokemon damage equivalent. It doesn’t sound like a particularly efficient way to battle, but you’d be surprised at how well it works for this team.
Darkrai - Primeape is about as good a check against Darkrai as you can get even in Ubers, with Sleep immunity, Dark resistance and super effective Fighting STAB. With Scarf he outruns too (unless Darkrai is also Scarfed), which is important as Primeape is 2HKO’d by any attack except Dark Pulse, so going first after switching in is vital. Of course, I can’t count on Primeape every time, so I need a back-up plan. Ludicolo has enough defences to avoid a 2HKO from anything, and if the rain is in play he can outrun and SubSeed. Garchomp also outruns it and 2HKOs with any STAB move, whilst Dark Pulse isn’t guaranteed to 2HKO back, although Ice Beam will OHKO. Despite these countermeasures, Darkrai can be a real pest, mainly because even Choice variants cannot be easily revenge killed by Wobbuffet due to Mirror Coat immunity, but is quite frail and eventually succumbs to repeated powerful attacks.
Latios/Latias - Putting these two together as they are rather similar and are dealt with in much the same way. As mentioned before, Primeape can revenge-kill them at around 50% health, whilst Garchomp can revenge-kill them no matter what their HP. Wobbuffet can deal with them one-on-one as it is not 2HKO’d by Dragon Pulse, and Ludicolo can SubSeed in rainy conditions, although a bit of luck is required to bring them down with Ice Beam’s 16PP. Gengar outruns most Latias and can Hypnosis then hit reasonably hard with Shadow Ball, although they outrun with max speed. Dugtrio cannot do much direct damage but with some prediction he can use the Sucker Punch/Toxic combo to cause a few problems in certain situations. Once again, this team cannot directly ’counter’ these pokes, but each member has a possible method of taking them on, and I have enough revenge-killing opportunities to make sure that they get very little opportunity to sweep. Another thing about these guys is that they are very predictable with their Soul Dew hold item, meaning that I can always rely on my Scarfers to outrun and they always lack a constant stream of recovery, making Leech Seed and Toxic all the more effective, especially alongside Wobbuffet.
Mewtwo - Mewtwo is a tricky one with its extreme versatility combined with high speed, reliable recovery and access to Taunt, not to mention better overall defences than Darkrai. The biggest problem therefore is finding out the set to begin with. Against a leading Mewtwo this problem is made somewhat easier as I can U-Turn out with Primeape and get some idea of the EV spread using the damage dealt. If it does more than about 43% I can normally assume that the defences have been left untouched and I am dealing with an all out attacker. Less than 40% and I can usually assume at least some defensive investment, possibly for 101 HP Subs or a genuine defensive set. In most situations though, Ludicolo is my safest switch-in as it is not 2HKO’d by any unboosted attack, and even some boosted attacks, whilst hitting back reasonably hard with Grass Knot if it hasn’t used Calm Mind. As with most other Pokemon, Wobbuffet is an excellent failsafe for Choiced variants, provided it hasn’t already sacrificed most of its health dealing with something else. Dugtrio can also finish them off at around 60% health with Sucker Punch if needed, and Garchomp does up to 71% with Outrage to offensive variants unless they are using Bulk Up. A very powerful threat, but those that are most threatening tend to be the same ones that die easily in a couple of hits.
Lugia - Almost never an offensive threat, Lugia can cause some trouble to my team due to the fact that it walls almost everything I have with those gargantuan defences. Even Gengar’s Shadow Ball fails to 2HKO. Because of this I am forced to use more unorthodox tactics to bring it down, and Wobbuffet really helps in this regard. By coming in on anything except Whirlwind, Wobbuffet forces Lugia into repeatedly using a harmless move or die, which allows Dugtrio a precious free turn to get the rocks down. Should Lugia not switch for whatever reason, it will eat a Toxic the turn after as an extra bonus, and if it still refuses to switch Wobbuffet will come back in and stall it to death. Either way I end up in a more advantageous position as now Lugia takes 25% damage every time it comes in, putting it into 2HKO range far more often. If Wobbuffet is already down then Lugia is a bit more problematic, however it is still rather weak offensively and still beatable with a bit of smart interplay involving Gengar’s Hypnosis/Shadow Ball, Ludicolo’s Leech Seed, Primeape’s Taunt and Dugtrio’s Stealth Rock/Toxic. It can be a very annoying Pokemon to deal with, but in general is a small threat that can be played around rather easily.
Giratina - Alas with a team like this there has to be at least one Uber that gives me significant problems, and this guy does just that. Actually I’m somewhat overreacting, as some sets I don’t have problems with at all. Any set that utilizes only special attacks are generally WobTrio bait. Although Dugtrio generally struggles to kill it by himself, he can cripple it with Toxic and wear down with one or two Earthquakes before forcing it out with Garchomp or Gengar, hopefully not allowing it to Rest. Not foolproof, but more often than not they give my team the rare opportunity to shift the momentum back in my favour, giving Dugtrio an easy chance to Stealth Rock and allowing something else a free shot at whatever comes in, leaving Giratina in a bad state in the process. Ludicolo can also take full advantage of the gargantuan HP with Leech Seed.
The biggest problem, however, is with physical variants. This is because the whole Wobbuffet strategy is thrown out of the window because of Counter immunity, making it very difficult for my team to work around those massive defences. Even Gengar and Garchomp fail to 2HKO with Shadow Ball and Outrage respectively. Ludicolo can stall it with SubSeed for a while, but finds to do anything substantial back , and the Ice Beams quickly run out. Everything else gets killed faster than they can kill back, so needless to say it is a massive weak point in my team. It is fortunate that the popularity of Dragon Claw has fallen somewhat in favour of Dragon Pulse, otherwise I’d have far less success than I have right now. Still my number one problem that I could use some help with if possible.
Mew - Mew is probably my second biggest weakness, due to the fact that it is almost impossible to stop it from Baton Passing even two stat boosts under the right conditions. And if it manages to pull that off then it’s pretty much gg right there. Those that don’t run Rock Polish + Taunt + Swords Dance/Nasty Plot together aren’t too bad as I have Primeape to make sure it doesn’t get more than one boost, or at least not let it pass an attack boost, but unfortunately most do these days. There is also the fact that Mew can run numerous other sets both defensive and offensive, but other sets are generally fairly easy to deal with once the surprise has come and gone. It is that Baton Passer set that has given my team problems, particularly against Articanus, who knows my thought mentality all too well and so often outpredicts me.
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So that’s it for the descriptions, and now for the results so far. Amazingly, this team has given me a win rate of around 70% so far, which I reckon is pretty good going although a good portion of that may be attributed to surprise factor. Still, I think that statistic is good enough to confirm my initial hunch that a team thought previously to only be viable in OU could function well in Ubers. I guess MoP was right all along, and that Ubers really is a rather fickle metagame.
However, the team is far from perfect and has a few gaping weaknesses that I have already mentioned. The vast majority of my losses have been as a result of a physical Giratina or a BP Mew, at least those that didn’t involve extreme hax. I haven’t yet found a way to resolve these issues without ruining the synergy of the team, but maybe there is something obvious I’m missing, or it could be a case of “can’t win then all” which wouldn’t be all that surprising.
As for possible changes I’m considering, I’ve been trying out Surf over Substitute on Ludicolo for a while because I found myself getting walled too easily by common Steel switch-ins such as Scizor, Jirachi and Forretress; the former two ruin my SubSeed strategy with a slower U-Turn, whilst the latter gets too many opportunities to set up spikes, which is bad for my team. Also hits other stuff like Manaphy and Lugia harder in the rain where appropriate, and Ho-oh too, although that guy is almost always backed up by the Sun so it still doesn’t do a whole lot. It has come in very handy in certain matches, but in others I miss the extra security and status protection that Substitute brings, as well as the ability to stall out Pokemon that lack recovery such as Dialga, Palkia and Metagross, so I’m kinda torn between the two at the moment.
And as I’ve said before, it would be helpful if my Gengar had Thunder, but I’m not too keen on losing any of my four moves. If I were to replace a move it would probably be Focus Blast as Thunder would 2HKO Darkrai anyway, and the paralysis could be useful too. But then I would have two Pokemon that are walled by Dialga, especially if I decide to stick with Surf on Ludicolo. In return I’d get a better option for the likes of Manaphy, Kyogre and Ho-oh (though not in the Sun), so it may well be a better option but I’m not sure.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and don’t be shy to point out any criticism you may have as long as it is constructive.
Allow me to elaborate with some background information. During the months of April and May I became heavily involved in the Uber metagame with the introduction of the Uber ladder on Shoddy. Although the teams I used involved one or two ‘oddballs’ if you will, they were still fairly standard teams that followed most of the standard ‘rules’ of Uber teambuilding, making sure to be adequately covered against all common threats etc. Despite having a fairly successful run on the ladder, I eventually began to tire of using and facing the same small pool of Pokemon that dominate the tier, even though I was playing lots of intense, prediction heavy matches with many fantastic battlers. It was time for a fresh challenge, so I took up UU to test my skills there.
I still play UU sometimes, but now I’ve decided to give Ubers a second try, only this time I’m taking a more ’fun’ approach as opposed to ultra-competitive. A few weeks ago I recalled a time when I played Bologo on the OU Ladder, and he used nothing but UU Pokemon against me. Although he didn’t win the battle, his unique approach really intrigued me and it seemed like a fun idea to try. So a couple of weeks ago, in my boredom I came up with a slightly less extreme idea; to see how far a team of Wobbuffet + 5 non-Ubers can go in Ubers. The premise was simple; Ubers is currently centralized around ~14-15 Pokemon, mostly the Ubers themselves. Therefore in theory the tier should be predictable enough for a well-designed, well-organized team of lesser used Pokemon to make a big impact, and if not overwhelmingly useful, at least shake things up a bit. Anyway, here is the team:
Primeape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
~ Close Combat
~ Ice Punch
~ U-Turn
~ Taunt
Obviously it is important when choosing a lead to make sure you are on the front foot in as many opening situations as possible. With Darkrai, Kyogre, Deoxys-F and Dialga dominating lead statistics, it makes sense to take priority with these four and make sure they are covered first. Darkrai has a potential 383 speed and access to Dark Void for a fast sleep, therefore a lead should not get caught out by either of these if possible. Most Kyogre leads are Choice Scarfers, running a maximum of 459 speed and packing humongous power with Water Spout at full health, so ideally I’d want to be faster and have a way of denting it. Deoxys-f leads typically run Sash and four powerful attacks, sometimes Counter too, so a faster U-Turner alongside a Ghost would be perhaps the safest option. Finally, Dialgas are typically slow but powerful, running both physical and special attacks for maximum coverage. However a strong Fighting/Ground attack, or at least the threat of one, should send it packing.
Looking back at the criteria I selected, one Pokemon immediately came to mind that seemed to fit them all almost perfectly: Choice Scarf Primeape! Seriously, with its move pool, ability and stat placement it seems almost designed for competition in the current Uber metagame. Well, maybe that is an overstatement, but it shouldn’t be underestimated by any means.
Now onto the set. Max Speed EVs & Jolly with Choice Scarf gives Primeape 475 speed, enough to outrun any non-Scarfer except Deoxys-E, who requires 148 EVs and a boosting nature to outrun Primeape. Close Combat is obviously the primary STAB move that OHKOs Darkrai and Tyranitar, and does up to 92% to the standard 120 HP/ 0 Def mix Dialga, with a chance to OHKO if it is running Mild instead of Rash. Aside from Palkia though, there aren’t many other Ubers that take much damage from Fighting attacks, so this and the 8 PP with Pressure everywhere means that Close Combat is quite rarely used, but it is still very important for those three Pokemon in particular.
Ice Punch is mainly for revenge-killing Rayquazas stuck on Outrage, and the speed helps to ensure I tie at worst with a Jolly Rayquaza after one Dragon Dance, although many only run about 308 speed but you can never be too careful. It is also useful for Lati@s, doing a minimum of 47% to the standard 112 HP / 0 Def Latias, and 56% to no HP/Def Latios, so it can be a situational revenge-killer for both.
U-Turn is easily the most important move in the set for various reasons. Firstly it allows for scouting of the opponent’s switch-in, which happens a lot as Choice Scarf Primeape forces its fair share of switches, and allows me to get another Pokemon in safely. It also hits all of the many Psychics except Lugia super-effectively, and with Primeape’s speed it will almost always go first, allowing me to get in a decent hit before running off to a more favourable match-up before the opponent attacks. You will see later how all this works extremely well with the rest of my team.
Finally I turn to the last slot that is bound to cause some confusion. Taunt with Choice Scarf? wtf? Well initially I was using Punishment in this slot to help revenge-kill the likes of Calm Mind Mewtwo and Lati@s more efficiently, and also to deal somewhat with Baton Passing Mew. However it became apparent that it wasn’t having the desired effect due to the sheer predictability of the move plus only 8 PP, and the fact that by the time Primeape comes out they are often within Ice Punch / U-Turn range anyway. There was also the problem of simply not enough power even against boosted up Pokemon, and I just end up locked into a still weak move against a souped-up opponent, which is obviously bad news. Then it occurred to me. Rather than try and damage the opponent as much as possible before the pass, why not just try and stop the BP altogether? With Taunt I can come in on BP Mew and, provided they don’t either Rock Polish or Taunt on the switch, prevent the Baton Pass from taking place. Risky, but potentially game-saving in the right situations. Also works well against common support walls such as Lugia and Forretress, and even prevents lead Deoxys-E from getting off more than one support move at the start (or even nothing at all if they carelessly don’t invest enough speed).
Let’s move on….
Wobbuffet @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 32 HP / 224 Def / 252 SpD
Nature: Calm
~ Counter
~ Mirror Coat
~ Encore
~ Safeguard
Wobbuffet is the centerpiece of the team, although on average it doesn’t play that large a role in any given match. Every contribution it does make though is devastating, and works well alongside Primeape. Just about any lead scarfer that outruns and kills my Primeape will be easy pickings for this guy, and I’ve already seen a few lead Scarf Palkias. The only exceptions are obviously physical Ghosts and special Darks, but they are very uncommon and mostly unable to OHKO Primeape anyway, not to mention too slow. Switching in on Primeape’s U-Turn could mean trouble if they bring in anything that Wobbuffet can exploit one-on-one, particularly support Groudon or CM Latias, whilst a Taunted Lugia allows for a safe switch, and will be picked off should it stay in and Ice Beam (barring extreme hax of course).
The EVs are slightly adjusted to guarantee survival of Scarf Kyogre’s full powered Water Spout should it be needed, and also to reach the next Leftovers threshold. Apart from that this is pretty standard stuff, and there is nothing much more to say until I show you my next Pokemon.
Dugtrio @ Life Orb
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
~ Stealth Rock
~ Toxic
~ Sucker Punch
~ Earthquake
The synergy between Wobbuffet and SupportTrio is simply too awesome to be fully expressed with words but I’ll give it my best shot anyway.
You all know the basic procedure by now; Encore a non-damaging move with Wobbuffet, Safeguard if needed then switch out to something else for a free turn. But of course in Dugtrio’s case it becomes several free turns should the Encored Pokemon be grounded. For frail(ish) Pokemon not resistant to Ground, Dugtrio simply lays Stealth Rock then Earthquakes them to death. For bulkier Pokemon such as Groudon I Toxic first then lay the rocks, followed either by Earthquake until Encore runs out or a switch to a more suitable Pokemon if they are too bulky to take down in time. Sucker Punch is there for finishing off faster Pokemon that I think are going to attack me.
One of Dugtrio’s most valuable roles for the team I have found is the ability to trap-kill the popular Wish support Jirachi. Primeape’s U-Turn once again proves useful here as many people switch in Jirachi once they realize it’s Scarfed, only to be met by Dugtrio on the U-Turn, with the extra damage helping to put it into KO range.
Toxic is also great for times when the opponent brings out Lugia after a kill, not expecting it. In addition to crippling Lugia, most don’t even Ice Beam on the first turn but use Reflect on a predicted switch, meaning Dugtrio often survives and allows Wobbuffet to come back in and stall Lugia to its death. Even if Lugia does Ice Beam, Dugtrio has done his job for the team and guarantees yet more easy pickings for Wobb.
At this point you’ll see that I don’t yet have much of an answer to Kyogre, so hopefully my next Pokemon will help in that regard.
Ludicolo @ Leftovers
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 12 HP / 64 Def / 104 SpA / 144 SpD / 184 Spe
Nature: Calm
~ Ice Beam
~ Grass Knot
~ Substitute
~ Leech Seed
Ludicolo is just about the only attempt on my team to genuinely counter anything, as my team mostly relies on prediction and revenge-killing to win matches, with it being near impossible to try and counter Ubers with a team of non-Ubers. This guy is obviously my Kyogre counter, using its 4x Water resistance to sponge Surfs and Water Spouts, and also exploiting the auto-rain with its Swift Swim ability.
The latter works well alongside the SubSeed combo, with the speed EVs allowing me to outrun everything up to Deoxys-F in the rain. If the opponent doesn’t have a U-Turner or a faster Pokemon that isn’t badly hurt by Ludicolo then they’ll have a hard time getting through this once set up. Most teams do have some way of dealing with this, but even so it at least allows me to scout a good portion of the opponent’s team.
Grass Knot is obviously for Kyogre and Groudon, but also works well for other heavy Ubers such as Mewtwo and Palkia, whilst Ice Beam is mainly for any Rayquaza that dares to switch in as I Sub up. It is also useful for wearing down the Lati twins whilst they are caught in the SubSeed loop, with an eventual freeze and/or crit breaking their valiant struggle. Ice Beam also hits Lugia and Giratina super effectively, but they are strictly for late game or finishing off purposes (or if I predict Roar/Whirlwind) as their high bulk means that Ice Beam doesn’t do all that much to them and Pressure quickly drains the PP.
Now for the EVs. This is a rather peculiar spread specifically designed to suit my needs in Ubers. I have only invested enough HP to reach the next Leftovers number as this allows for maximum percentage healing with Leech Seed. The special attack EVs give 242 special attack, enough to 2HKO max HP/ 0 Sp Def Kyogre and 3HKO max HP/ 216 Sp Def Tyranitar (in Sandstorm) on average, whilst giving me a small chance to OHKO Rayquaza too. 299 special defense allows Ludicolo to avoid a 2HKO from max Sp Atk Kyogre’s Thunder and also not be 2HKO’d by +speed nature Scarf Palkia’s Spacial Rend most of the time. The 184 speed EVs put Ludicolo on 222 speed, enough to outrun Adamant Tyranitar, and doubles to 444 in the rain, enough to outrun Jolly ScarfCross and also Deoxys-F as mentioned before. Also outruns the standard support Groudon in the sun, who doesn’t tend to run more than 218 speed. Finally, the Leftover 64 EVs are placed in Defense to give Ludicolo a little bit more physical bulk that helps to take a hit or two from the likes of Groudon and Giratina.
Gengar @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
~ Hypnosis
~ Shadow Ball
~ Focus Blast
~ Hidden Power Fire
In Ubers, Gengar is almost entirely outclassed by Darkrai. That is, except for one key difference: three awesome immunities in Normal, Fighting and Ground! This makes Gengar a useful addition to my team as it means at least one Pokemon on my team isn’t somewhat screwed over by Toxic Spikes. It also makes for a good switch into Rayquaza early game when you are unsure what set your opponent is running, with immunity to both Earthquake and Extremespeed and Focus Sash to ensure survival from at least one Dragon attack. Gengar also outruns any Rayquaza that isn’t scarfed, and can Hypnosis before it gets off a second attack, unless it Dragon Dances first in which case my Sash is still intact.
Shadow Ball makes for a great STAB attack in Ubers as so many of them are weak to Ghost, whilst my other two attacks cover almost every common Ghost resist for super effective damage. Focus Blast is there for coverage against Dialga, Tyranitar and Darkrai primarily, although Gengar does not normally like to take any of them on one on one, but killing Darkrai especially on a predicted switch-in is always hilarious. Hidden Power Fire is mainly for Scizor and Forretress; the former being prevalent in Ubers for trap-killing Ghosts and Psychics with Pursuit, the latter a common Spiker that my team cannot afford to give too many free turns to set up. It also hits Metagross harder than my other moves, and gets a 1.5x boost in the Sun, effectively giving me three 100+ power attacks to choose from. The only drawback is that I sacrifice the speed tie with Latios, but I have more reliable ways of dealing with it so it isn’t that big of a deal. Thunder would be a superior option for the likes of Kyogre, Manaphy and Ho-oh, and allow Gengar to take advantage of both weather effects. Unfortunately I do not have a spare move slot for it, and all my current four moves have proven to be more useful.
It is now time to reveal my last Pokemon, who has been responsible for many a late game clean-up so far…
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 16 SpD / 240 Spe
Nature: Jolly
~ Outrage
~ Dragon Claw
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
I try to reserve this guy for late game, as once the rest of my team has removed Lugia, Groudon and the Steel types, or at least severely weakened them, it cleans up very efficiently with Outrage. 240 speed EVs + Choice Scarf gives Garchomp 495 speed, enough to outrun Choice Scarf Palkia and prevent it from revenge-killing me whilst stuck on Outrage. A max speed Deoxys-S can still revenge-kill, but offensive variants are quite rare in Ubers and can be removed by Wobbuffet if need be.
Dragon Claw is a good solid Dragon attack for times when I need to revenge-kill the Lati twins or Rayquaza but do not want to risk getting stuck on Outrage against something like Lugia and Forretress, thus allowing them to kill me or set up. Earthquake is a decent secondary STAB that covers Steel types and is useful for late game situations where the opponent no longer has a Ground resist, although it isn’t used all that often as it gives Rayquaza and the Latis a chance to come in risk-free and set up. Stone Edge is mainly filler but is useful for the occasional Ho-oh whom my team is slightly weak to otherwise, especially without Stealth Rock down. It also hits Lugia harder than my other moves, and gives me a better chance to achieve a 2HKO with said rocks down.
As far as EVs are concerned, max Attack is obviously to hit as hard as possible, whilst the leftover 16 EVs are placed in special defense because a full health Garchomp comes very close to surviving a Surf from Modest max special attack Kyogre. The 16 EVs allow Garchomp to survive more than 50% of the time.
Apart from that there really isn’t much else to say about this guy except that it has proven itself to be a fantastic late game cleaner in Ubers.
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Now it is time to run through a list of the most persistent threats in Ubers and how they are commonly dealt with, bearing in mind that this is an unorthodox team that relies much more on revenge-kills than actual countering:
Kyogre - If my Primeape comes face to face with a leading Kyogre, I usually U-Turn out to Ludicolo to see what set it is running, weakening a potential Water Spout in the process. If it uses a Water attack I either Sub or Leech Seed to scout their next move. Should it unleash a Specs Thunder, my Ludicolo will take heavy damage but give me an opportunity to bring in Dugtrio and finish it off easily should it stay in. Specs Ice Beam will also 2HKO from Modest Kyogre most of the time, but I’ll at least be able to dent it hard with Grass Knot before going down, after which Wobbuffet will pick up the pieces, with Ludicolo’s job done. Ludicolo is actually my go-to guy for most Kyogre sets, and deals reasonably well with CMogre in general. Although he can’t always kill Kyogre one-on-one, he often contains and weakens it enough to make it easy for the rest of my team to deal with it.
Groudon - Some of the more offensive sets with Rock Polish/Swords Dance and Life Orb can give me major problems if I don’t react to it quick enough, mainly because my scarfers are physical and find it difficult to penetrate that massive bulk. Still, Gengar outruns any Groudon that hasn’t Rock Polished first, and can survive any unboosted attack thanks to Ground immunity. Gengar can put Groudon to sleep in return, but typically only 3HKOs with Shadow Ball unless Groudon invests nothing in defenses and/or has taken some Life Orb damage. Ludicolo also works well against it with STAB Grass Knot doing massive damage, although it doesn’t have the easiest time switching in, especially against Life Orb versions where even Earthquake 2HKOs. Nevertheless, I have never had any serious problems with Groudon as all of my four non-Scarf Pokemon have some way of dealing with it one-on-one, and I often react to it situationally with reasonable success.
Rayquaza - Despite Rayquaza rightfully being described as virtually uncounterable, it has never once threatened a sweep against my team, not even in the late game. I guess I can attribute that to my team strategy, as I don’t actually try to counter most things in the traditional sense. Primeape outruns Adamant Ray even after a Dragon Dance, at least tying with Jolly versions, and can revenge-kill one stuck on Outrage with Ice Punch. He can also survive an unboosted Extremespeed. Garchomp outruns even Jolly versions after DD and OHKOs with Outrage, and is even able to survive a +2 Extremespeed. Gengar is immune to Extremespeed and outruns any Rayquaza that hasn’t already Dragon Danced, replying with Hypnosis. If Sleep Clause is already in effect, Shadow Ball does around 40%, and can take one hit at full health thanks to Focus Sash, meaning he can take SD/LO Ray with him in some situations. Finally, Ludicolo can Ice Beam from behind a Sub should it switch in, or take at least one hit from those lacking Outrage before hitting back.
Deoxys-F - This guy can cause varying amounts of damage to my team depending on the situation. As a lead with Focus Sash it isn’t that big of a deal as Primeape outruns and U-Turns out to Wobbuffet to finish it off, although the odd Counter can screw me over. I do have Gengar though for such occasions when I expect it. As for Life Orb Deoxys saved for late game it depends on the situation and the Pokemon I have left, although I have never been swept due to the fact that I have my own faster late game cleaner in Garchomp, who isn’t at all threatened by an unSTAB’d Extremespeed. Once again, Primeape outruns and kills, as does Ludicolo in the rain, Wobbuffet can take two of anything barring Shadow Ball and CounterCoat back, and even Dugtrio can revenge-kill those lacking Extremespeed if needed. Due to the style of my play, fast frail sweepers are honestly the least of my worries and this guy is no exception.
Dialga - Dialga is a little bit more problematic as it can actually take a good number of hits thanks to its superb defences and typing, and at the same time hit back incredibly hard. Still, everything on my team has at least one way of dealing with it. Primeape deals massive damage with Close Combat. Wobbuffet easily picks off all-offensive Dialga and can Encore set up moves. Dugtrio traps it and hits hard with Earthquake. Ludicolo can’t hurt Dialga much with its attacks but can SubSeed it and has enough special defense to take a couple of hits. Gengar can put it to sleep and/or Focus Blast for the 2HKO. Finally, Garchomp carries STAB Earthquake to put a large dent in it. Despite this, nothing on my team actually OHKOs Dialga, and those that can 2HKO are OHKO’d back, which means that in many situations Dialga will net a kill on one of my Pokemon. However, with both Dugtrio and Wobbuffet available for the revenge kill, it will almost never get off a second kill, so it won’t often achieve a net payoff by itself.
Palkia - The funny thing about Palkia these days is that it almost always tends to be Scarfed with all special attacks. Now of course even a predictable Palkia can be very dangerous, especially for a team such as this that lacks a dedicated special wall. But when you have a Wobbuffet waiting in the wings, predictability becomes the opponent’s downfall, and makes Wob’s job so much easier. Even if Wob is down I still have Garchomp that is capable of outrunning and OHKOing for a revenge-kill. For those that differ from the norm and don’t run Scarf, 4 out of 6 Pokemon outrun in normal conditions, which increases to 5 in the rain, and all of them have some way of either badly denting or incapacitating it. Primeape has Close Combat (about 60%), Dugtrio has Earthquake (about 60%), Ludicolo has Grass Knot (about 40%) or SubSeed, Gengar has Shadow Ball (about 40%) or Hypnosis, and Garchomp has Outrage (easy OHKO). Once again, Palkia is a case of not allowing it to inflict much more than a one-Pokemon damage equivalent. It doesn’t sound like a particularly efficient way to battle, but you’d be surprised at how well it works for this team.
Darkrai - Primeape is about as good a check against Darkrai as you can get even in Ubers, with Sleep immunity, Dark resistance and super effective Fighting STAB. With Scarf he outruns too (unless Darkrai is also Scarfed), which is important as Primeape is 2HKO’d by any attack except Dark Pulse, so going first after switching in is vital. Of course, I can’t count on Primeape every time, so I need a back-up plan. Ludicolo has enough defences to avoid a 2HKO from anything, and if the rain is in play he can outrun and SubSeed. Garchomp also outruns it and 2HKOs with any STAB move, whilst Dark Pulse isn’t guaranteed to 2HKO back, although Ice Beam will OHKO. Despite these countermeasures, Darkrai can be a real pest, mainly because even Choice variants cannot be easily revenge killed by Wobbuffet due to Mirror Coat immunity, but is quite frail and eventually succumbs to repeated powerful attacks.
Latios/Latias - Putting these two together as they are rather similar and are dealt with in much the same way. As mentioned before, Primeape can revenge-kill them at around 50% health, whilst Garchomp can revenge-kill them no matter what their HP. Wobbuffet can deal with them one-on-one as it is not 2HKO’d by Dragon Pulse, and Ludicolo can SubSeed in rainy conditions, although a bit of luck is required to bring them down with Ice Beam’s 16PP. Gengar outruns most Latias and can Hypnosis then hit reasonably hard with Shadow Ball, although they outrun with max speed. Dugtrio cannot do much direct damage but with some prediction he can use the Sucker Punch/Toxic combo to cause a few problems in certain situations. Once again, this team cannot directly ’counter’ these pokes, but each member has a possible method of taking them on, and I have enough revenge-killing opportunities to make sure that they get very little opportunity to sweep. Another thing about these guys is that they are very predictable with their Soul Dew hold item, meaning that I can always rely on my Scarfers to outrun and they always lack a constant stream of recovery, making Leech Seed and Toxic all the more effective, especially alongside Wobbuffet.
Mewtwo - Mewtwo is a tricky one with its extreme versatility combined with high speed, reliable recovery and access to Taunt, not to mention better overall defences than Darkrai. The biggest problem therefore is finding out the set to begin with. Against a leading Mewtwo this problem is made somewhat easier as I can U-Turn out with Primeape and get some idea of the EV spread using the damage dealt. If it does more than about 43% I can normally assume that the defences have been left untouched and I am dealing with an all out attacker. Less than 40% and I can usually assume at least some defensive investment, possibly for 101 HP Subs or a genuine defensive set. In most situations though, Ludicolo is my safest switch-in as it is not 2HKO’d by any unboosted attack, and even some boosted attacks, whilst hitting back reasonably hard with Grass Knot if it hasn’t used Calm Mind. As with most other Pokemon, Wobbuffet is an excellent failsafe for Choiced variants, provided it hasn’t already sacrificed most of its health dealing with something else. Dugtrio can also finish them off at around 60% health with Sucker Punch if needed, and Garchomp does up to 71% with Outrage to offensive variants unless they are using Bulk Up. A very powerful threat, but those that are most threatening tend to be the same ones that die easily in a couple of hits.
Lugia - Almost never an offensive threat, Lugia can cause some trouble to my team due to the fact that it walls almost everything I have with those gargantuan defences. Even Gengar’s Shadow Ball fails to 2HKO. Because of this I am forced to use more unorthodox tactics to bring it down, and Wobbuffet really helps in this regard. By coming in on anything except Whirlwind, Wobbuffet forces Lugia into repeatedly using a harmless move or die, which allows Dugtrio a precious free turn to get the rocks down. Should Lugia not switch for whatever reason, it will eat a Toxic the turn after as an extra bonus, and if it still refuses to switch Wobbuffet will come back in and stall it to death. Either way I end up in a more advantageous position as now Lugia takes 25% damage every time it comes in, putting it into 2HKO range far more often. If Wobbuffet is already down then Lugia is a bit more problematic, however it is still rather weak offensively and still beatable with a bit of smart interplay involving Gengar’s Hypnosis/Shadow Ball, Ludicolo’s Leech Seed, Primeape’s Taunt and Dugtrio’s Stealth Rock/Toxic. It can be a very annoying Pokemon to deal with, but in general is a small threat that can be played around rather easily.
Giratina - Alas with a team like this there has to be at least one Uber that gives me significant problems, and this guy does just that. Actually I’m somewhat overreacting, as some sets I don’t have problems with at all. Any set that utilizes only special attacks are generally WobTrio bait. Although Dugtrio generally struggles to kill it by himself, he can cripple it with Toxic and wear down with one or two Earthquakes before forcing it out with Garchomp or Gengar, hopefully not allowing it to Rest. Not foolproof, but more often than not they give my team the rare opportunity to shift the momentum back in my favour, giving Dugtrio an easy chance to Stealth Rock and allowing something else a free shot at whatever comes in, leaving Giratina in a bad state in the process. Ludicolo can also take full advantage of the gargantuan HP with Leech Seed.
The biggest problem, however, is with physical variants. This is because the whole Wobbuffet strategy is thrown out of the window because of Counter immunity, making it very difficult for my team to work around those massive defences. Even Gengar and Garchomp fail to 2HKO with Shadow Ball and Outrage respectively. Ludicolo can stall it with SubSeed for a while, but finds to do anything substantial back , and the Ice Beams quickly run out. Everything else gets killed faster than they can kill back, so needless to say it is a massive weak point in my team. It is fortunate that the popularity of Dragon Claw has fallen somewhat in favour of Dragon Pulse, otherwise I’d have far less success than I have right now. Still my number one problem that I could use some help with if possible.
Mew - Mew is probably my second biggest weakness, due to the fact that it is almost impossible to stop it from Baton Passing even two stat boosts under the right conditions. And if it manages to pull that off then it’s pretty much gg right there. Those that don’t run Rock Polish + Taunt + Swords Dance/Nasty Plot together aren’t too bad as I have Primeape to make sure it doesn’t get more than one boost, or at least not let it pass an attack boost, but unfortunately most do these days. There is also the fact that Mew can run numerous other sets both defensive and offensive, but other sets are generally fairly easy to deal with once the surprise has come and gone. It is that Baton Passer set that has given my team problems, particularly against Articanus, who knows my thought mentality all too well and so often outpredicts me.
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So that’s it for the descriptions, and now for the results so far. Amazingly, this team has given me a win rate of around 70% so far, which I reckon is pretty good going although a good portion of that may be attributed to surprise factor. Still, I think that statistic is good enough to confirm my initial hunch that a team thought previously to only be viable in OU could function well in Ubers. I guess MoP was right all along, and that Ubers really is a rather fickle metagame.
However, the team is far from perfect and has a few gaping weaknesses that I have already mentioned. The vast majority of my losses have been as a result of a physical Giratina or a BP Mew, at least those that didn’t involve extreme hax. I haven’t yet found a way to resolve these issues without ruining the synergy of the team, but maybe there is something obvious I’m missing, or it could be a case of “can’t win then all” which wouldn’t be all that surprising.
As for possible changes I’m considering, I’ve been trying out Surf over Substitute on Ludicolo for a while because I found myself getting walled too easily by common Steel switch-ins such as Scizor, Jirachi and Forretress; the former two ruin my SubSeed strategy with a slower U-Turn, whilst the latter gets too many opportunities to set up spikes, which is bad for my team. Also hits other stuff like Manaphy and Lugia harder in the rain where appropriate, and Ho-oh too, although that guy is almost always backed up by the Sun so it still doesn’t do a whole lot. It has come in very handy in certain matches, but in others I miss the extra security and status protection that Substitute brings, as well as the ability to stall out Pokemon that lack recovery such as Dialga, Palkia and Metagross, so I’m kinda torn between the two at the moment.
And as I’ve said before, it would be helpful if my Gengar had Thunder, but I’m not too keen on losing any of my four moves. If I were to replace a move it would probably be Focus Blast as Thunder would 2HKO Darkrai anyway, and the paralysis could be useful too. But then I would have two Pokemon that are walled by Dialga, especially if I decide to stick with Surf on Ludicolo. In return I’d get a better option for the likes of Manaphy, Kyogre and Ho-oh (though not in the Sun), so it may well be a better option but I’m not sure.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and don’t be shy to point out any criticism you may have as long as it is constructive.
