Welcome to my 2nd UU RMT Breathless!
Unlike my first RMT, this isn't raw Hyper Offense but actually my favourite playstyle, Bulky Offense.
The team features a core of Houndoom, Virizion and Tentacruel that I have been messing around with lately and that I have been enjoying to use.
It has won me a bunch of Room Tours and it performs very well on the high ladder, ultimately peaking #6 on the UU ladder at 1715.
Hold your breath, here it is: Breathless!
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Unlike my first RMT, this isn't raw Hyper Offense but actually my favourite playstyle, Bulky Offense.
The team features a core of Houndoom, Virizion and Tentacruel that I have been messing around with lately and that I have been enjoying to use.
It has won me a bunch of Room Tours and it performs very well on the high ladder, ultimately peaking #6 on the UU ladder at 1715.
Hold your breath, here it is: Breathless!





I already knew the core I wanted to build around was going to be Houndoom-Tentacruel-Virizion. Houndoom and Virizion can threaten a broad field of the UU metagame together. Both of them profit from Tentacruels ability to set up Toxic Spikes, which help to wear down their checks. Additionally, Tentacruel provides Spin Support which helps with Houndooms weakness to SR and the overall weakness to Spikes of the core. Type-wise, they cover each others weaknesses decently well with Houndoom being immune to Psychic, Tentacruel resisting Fighting and Water for Houndoom as well as dealing with Fire, Poison, Ice and Fairy, all of which trouble Virizion. On the other side, Virizion provides a small but useful resistance to Ground for both members as well as an Electric resistance for Tentacruel.




Even though the core has decent defensive synergy, it definitely has holes it doesn't cover. It is a pretty offensive core after all. Powerful attacks like Outrage, Earthquake, Stone Edge and Brave Bird, especially when used by faster threats, are hard to handle for the core. Luckily, the team consists of more than just a FWG core. Bronzong offers Stealth Rock, a useful defensive typing and a much appreciated ability in Levitate.





At the time, I was lacking an answer to the monster that is Gyarados, and Bronzong was pressured a lot by the sheer number of threats it was supposed to check. Since the sets of the previous members were fairly standard, I wanted to add some kind of "surprise factor" to the team. Soon the idea of using Sub+BP Zapdos to create more set up opportunities for Houndoom and Virizion struck my mind, and I was pretty excited to try it out. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as I expected it to do and almost never came into play. Later on, I simply changed it to the Sub+Toxic set as it provided the team with another option to abuse T-Spikes and the option to Toxic foes immune to T-Spikes. More importantly though, Zapdos' mixed bulk allows it to act as a pivot for a good amount of the metagame, a role that my team was missing up until that point.






I found it hard to decide on a Mon for the last slot and changed it multiple times while testing. I did know that I wanted some speed control in the form of a Scarf user on the team because I lacked a way to reliably revenge kill fast threats outside of Sucker Punch on Houndoom. I tested with Gardevoir, Krookodile and Hydreigon. Finally, I settled with Hydreigon : Even with a Choice Scarf equipped Gardevoir was too slow for my liking, so it was between Krookodile and Hydreigon. Both of them offered valuable features for the team, but I ultimately favored Hydreigons bulk, coverage and ability to easily grab momentum with U-turn over Krookodiles sweeping potential with Moxie and ability to Pursuit trap.






Houndoom-Mega @ Houndoominite

Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Nasty Plot
- Sucker Punch
"Burn it down. All or nothing."
I adore Houndoom in the current meta. Powerful sweeper, good STAB coverage and useful priority. But what it really sets it apart from other special set up sweepers is its speed. There are hardly any other special attackers above 350 speed besides Azelf that can boost their special attack this quickly to deal massive amounts of damage. I find it hilarious how easily Houndoom is able to overwhelm its checks, simply by clicking Nasty Plot on the switch. I chose Sucker Punch over coverage because I need it to pick off faster threats like Mega Beedrill and Choice Scarf users. Besides, do you ever feel annoyed by Sableye? Because Houndoom doesn't.






Tentacruel @ Black Sludge

Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
- Rapid Spin
"No asking why. It's hopeless."
Tentacruel provides my team with Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin Support. Tentacruel is probably the most reliable spinner in UU because common spin blockers like Chandelure, Doublade and even Sableye are more hesitant to switch in to it. It serves as an answer to Fighting and Fire attacks and has decent defensive synergy with Houndoom, Virizion and especially Bronzong! Toxic Spikes pressure a good amount of defensive builds/cores which help Houndoom and Virizion to overwhelm them. I originally had Knock Off over Haze and I really enjoyed negating passive recovery on stuff like Florges and Swampert but I had too much trouble with Calm Mind Florges and Suicune, so I changed it to Haze.






Virizion @ Lum Berry

Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
"We'll find a way. We've got to."
Another personal favourite of mine is Virizion, and lately she has gotten the attention she deserves. Virizion completes the FWG core with Houndoom and Tentacruel. SD+Lum Virizion can sweep unprepared teams but has trouble with Poison, Fairy and certain Steel Types like Toxicroak, Roserade, Whimsicott and Florges as well as Forretress and Doublade. Fortunately, Tentacruel and Bronzong can easily come in on them and proceed to set up hazards or clear them from my side of the field. Additionally, all of the aforementioned Pokemon are easily worn down or simply dealt with by Houndoom.
The other way around, Virizion deals with bulky waters for Houndoom.






Bronzong @ Leftovers

Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
"Keep resisting. Die another day."
The core has a pretty big weakness to Mega Aerodactyl as the only thing that could take a hit is Tentacurel which is easy to wear down and bopped by Earthquake variants. Bronzong provides the team with an answer to Mega Aerodactyl, Mamoswine and several Dragon, Steel, Fairy and Poison types as well as Stealth Rock. I chose Protect as my 4th move because the team has some trouble with fast VoltTurn and Protect kind of mitigates it by forcing opposing Mons like Rotom-Heat and Darmanitan to actually go for the super effective move, on which Tentacruel or not mega evolved Houndoom can come in. Plus, Protect is neat to get some extra recovery (Bronzong is worn down rather easily) and rack up toxic damage (also, fuck High Jump Kick). The EV spread allows Bronzong to take two Shadow Balls from Sash Alakazam after SR and Leftovers, while maximizing physical bulk.






Zapdos @ Leftovers

Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Def / 80 SpD / 24 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Roost
"Seperate beings. Seperate souls."
Zapdos is a Mon I usually just slap on a team when I need a Defog user but since I already had a spinner I decided to try out something different. Originally I had planned to make use of Sub + Baton Pass but that didn't work out too well, so I tried out Sub + Toxic. After playing a lot with it I can say that this set is disgustingly effective at what it does. It excels at wearing down both bulky and offensive Mons and with mixed bulk it takes all kinds of attacks. Hell, it can even make effective use of PP stall on stuff like Calm Mind Florges and Assault Vest Machamp. Surpisingly, I have yet to encounter this set myself.
Then again I'm probably better of without facing it, because it's not fun to deal with at all.






Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- U-turn
"This world is cruel. It will eat you alive."
Scarf Hydreigon patches up the teams speed issue as a reliably revenge killer. It helps out a lot vs. Alakazam, Beedril, Aerodactyl and Sceptile. Its typing also relieves defensive pressure from Houndoom as it is a far more reliable switch in to Chandelure and Rotom-Heat. Since Houndoom and Hydreigon share a good amount of checks too, they get worn down rather quickly, which opens holes for either Houndoom or Virizion to sweep. Additionally, Hydreigons ability to safely click U-turn in a lot of situations gives Bronzong and Tentacruel the oppurtunity to set up hazards on the likes of Florges and Whimsicott.
- This team has trouble with fast VoltTurn and some hyper offense builds. It can deal with dedicated leads pretty well but the defensive backbone of the team, namely Tentacruel and Bronzong, get worn down way to quickly in order to deal with all the threats on HO.
- This team shines versus balance and bulky offense. It's also the most fun match-up, I feel. When played right, this team is capable of overwhelming standard-ish balance builds pretty convincingly. Because Virizion and Houndoom are both rather underused (lol) sweepers that are usually not considered when building balance/bulky offense, they are more often "accidentally" checked. I have yet to encounter a game versus balance where both Houndoom and Virizion are reliably checked.
- The stall match-up isn't too bad, actually. Toxic Spikes constantly force cleric actions on the opponents side, NP Houndoom and SD Virizion can both be threatening to stall and Sub+Roost Zapdos has a lot of fun versus defensive cores anyway.
Entei
- Sacred Fire spam is an issue for this team. Tentacruel is my only switch in but gets worn down rather easily by burn. Flash Fire is helpful but it's riksy switching Houndoom in. Extreme Speed can also mess up my game because Virizion and Houndoom are easily picked off by it.
Gyarados
- Tentacruel and Zapdos can take care of Sub+Bounce with Haze and smart swichting but three attack variants are scary to deal with. Waterfall, Earthquake + Stone Edge just plows through my team, once Virizion has taken damage.
Houndoom
- Considering Houndoom is one my favourite mons to use in UU right now, it is kind off ironic how threatening it is to my team. I have to keep Scarf Hydreigon healthy in order to deal with it.
Kyurem
- Both Scarf and Specs I only have Bronzong for and Specs Draco does a ton of damage. Once Bronzong is weakened enough, it looks grim. Fortunately, I have reliable ways to RK any variant.
Mamoswine
- Similar to Kyurem, I only have Bronzong for this. Life Orb + Knock Off variants are a pain to deal with. Lead Mamoswine is less annoying because I usually just lead Hydreigon, U-turn into Bronzong and KO with Gyro Ball.

Gyarados

Houndoom

Kyurem

Mamoswine

Houndoom-Mega @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Nasty Plot
- Sucker Punch
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
- Rapid Spin
Virizion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Def / 80 SpD / 24 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Roost
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- U-turn
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Nasty Plot
- Sucker Punch
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
- Rapid Spin
Virizion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Def / 80 SpD / 24 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Roost
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- U-turn
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-345723088 - Ladder game vs Lauris
Got pretty unlucky this game but fortunately Hydreigon decided to actually hit in the end.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-346242287 - Ladder game vs SceptileMC
Cool game, Kyurem was scary to face and I had to play around Sash Zam but the dark resists on my opponents side were non-existent. Ultimately Houndoom and Hydreigon came through.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-346310273 - UU Tour game vs hogg
I managed to avoid an early game sweep by Gyarados with Scarf Hydreigon, Bronzong put in good work and in the end it came down to a 50/50. Sorry for pretending I was Yache n_n.
Got pretty unlucky this game but fortunately Hydreigon decided to actually hit in the end.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-346242287 - Ladder game vs SceptileMC
Cool game, Kyurem was scary to face and I had to play around Sash Zam but the dark resists on my opponents side were non-existent. Ultimately Houndoom and Hydreigon came through.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-346310273 - UU Tour game vs hogg
I managed to avoid an early game sweep by Gyarados with Scarf Hydreigon, Bronzong put in good work and in the end it came down to a 50/50. Sorry for pretending I was Yache n_n.
Have fun rating (:
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