Overview
When I began playing this round of UU, I was appalled by the apparent dominance of Sand at the top of the ladder, considering the number of repeated weaknesses Sand teams have, and the number of Pokemon that are very problematic for Sand teams to face. I assembled a testing team to test out as many anti-Sand Pokemon as I could think of. I began with Mew/Aggron/Omastar/Porygon2/Mamoswine/Spiritomb, but I ended up realized I was Heracross weak and switching Aggron to Gligar, and Omastar to Kingdra. I didn't realize at the time what I was onto with offensive Porygon2, but it wasn't long before I learned that I had vastly underrated the little mechanical duck.
Playstyle
Download Destruction is bulky offense, plain and simple. Every Pokemon on the team except Gligar hits pretty hard, and the team has the defensive versatility needed for a lot of switching around.
The Team
Mew @ Leftovers Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
Swords Dance Mew is a significantly forgotten threat in the current metagame. Able to OHKO Roserade with Zen Headbutt, Mew is a true tank that is good at cleaning up. Despite the former popularity of its cousin, Swords Dance Celebi, people still don't seem to expect Sucker Punch. Although it's the Pokemon I put first in the teambuilder so that I can bluff lead support Mew, I only actually lead Mew if I expect Roserade to lead for the enemy team.
Gligar (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
Gligar is mostly a utility defensive Pokemon for this team, able to handle Heracross and Escavalier while setting up Stealth Rock. Eviolite makes Gligar bulky enough to take on practically any physical threat that doesn't carry Water or Ice attacks. The speed EVs are there to outrun minimum speed Roserade, should the situation arise. Gligar also helps against Sand when it comes to taking on Stoutland, Golurk and Rhyperior.
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Trait: Download
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Tri Attack
- Recover
The MVP and star of the show, offensive Porygon2 is hands down the strongest and most useful Pokemon I've used yet in UU. Trace is not particularly useful in UU, and Download allows you to hit very, very hard if you switch in on a defensive Pokemon like Hippowdon. The nice part about being Normal type is that you can switch Porygon2 into a really large range of Pokemon, from bulky Waters to Donphan. I use Discharge over Thunderbolt because my team likes paralysis and because quite a few Pokemon are 2HKOed by Discharge + Tri Attack if Discharge paralyzes them (Kingdra being the most notable example).
Mamoswine (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Spear
Most Sand teams have absolutely no idea what to do against Mamoswine. One of the most threatening and underrated Pokemon in UU, Mamoswine gives me a second priority user, which is useful for handling threats that have already set up. A safer switch into Pokemon like Jolteon than Gligar is, given its neutrality to Ice. The EVs are a little strange; I couldn't think of a good speed number to target, so I just went with outspeeding Adamant Honchkrow. I realize that Icicle Crash is probably more reliable overall than Icicle Spear, but I tend to be a little paranoid regarding hitting Pokemon like SubSeed Abomasnow and SubRoost Zapdos. Superpower is my best shot at KOing Snorlax and enemy Porygon2.
Spiritomb (F) @ BlackGlasses
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
No one ever expects BlackGlasses Spiritomb! Obviously useful for Alakazam, Spiritomb's Sucker Punch is actually a lot stronger than one would think--it does 45.2% - 53.8% to Flygon, for instance. A strong Pursuit makes Stoutland much easier for my team to deal with. Hidden Power Fighting is a relatively new addition to this set, it is 100% there for keeping Bisharp from switching in; Bisharp is an absolute terror for this team.
Kingdra (F) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
If you don't have Chansey or Empoleon, you're in for a world of hurt. To give you an idea, 188 HP /216 SpD Careful Snorlax takes 35.4% - 41.9% from Hydro Pump. You need something in UU to take Victini V-Creates, Darmanitan Flare Blitzes and Chandelure Fire Blasts, and Kingdra does it well while hitting virtually everything hard. The nice thing about Specs Kingdra is that ChestoRest DD Kingdra is what everyone tends to worry about, meaning you receive plenty of opportunities to 2HKO Pokemon like Blastoise with Draco Meteor.
Threat List
Offensive
-Abomasnow: Abomasnow can't do much to Porygon2, so it a safe go-to Pokemon. I can also go to Mamoswine on a Protect, which threatens it with Superpower, or Icicle Spear if it has a Substitute up.
-Aerodactyl: Having three priority users really helps against Aerodactyl. Porygon2 takes most of its attacks pretty handily, but much like Crobat I don't like having P2 weakened for the rest of the game if Aerodactyl has Taunt...
-Alakazam: This Spiritomb set handles all the Alakazam I have ever seen easily.
-Ambipom: Spiritomb eats Ambipom alive. And being an evil Ghost, probably enjoys doing it.
-Arcanine: Gligar is a pretty safe switch into physical Arcanine, Kindra is pretty safe against the rare special Arcanine.
-Azelf: Spiritomb is grinning at the thought of Azelf.
-Azumarill: Not the easiest Pokemon to switch into for this team; if you predict Water attack, go to Kingdra. If you predict non-Water attack, go to Porygon2.
-Bisharp: Huge, huge threat to this team. It would be hard for me to overstate how hard it is for this team to kill Substitute/Swords Dance/Iron Head/Sucker Punch Bisharp (i.e. the best Bisharp set). I have to hope the Bisharp user misjudges one of my sets, or get lucky with Sucker Punch 50-50 predictions. Against a good player, that is much easier to say than to do.
-Chandelure: A bigger threat on paper than in practice; Kingdra and Porygon2 manage Chandelure decently considering that most Chandelure are either Choiced or slow. Practically, these have a strong tendency to die to Mew's Sucker Punch.
-Cobalion: Gligar handles Swords Dance Cobalion fairly well. Calm Mind is significantly more of a problem.
-Crobat: Manageable, but frustrating. Porygon2 kills it with Discharge eventually even if it Roost stalls, but getting Taunted means you won't be able to Recover off Brave Bird damage, and that is a very bad thing for P2. Ideally, you would like to bring Mamoswine into it on a Taunt.
-Darmanitan: Kingdra takes Flare Blitz, Gligar takes anything else. Life Orb Darmanitan is a lot harder to handle, and is one of the big reasons I have so much priority.
-Donphan: Donphan is one of Porygon2's favorite Pokemon to set up on.
-Dugtrio: A pretty weak attacker that isn't much of a threat to this team.
-Durant: Going to Gligar is tempting, but unless Durant is weakened, Gligar's EQ is so weak that Durant will win. Porygon2 handles it pretty well, fortunately.
Eelektross: Slow enough that you really can just attack it and kill it. Getting Porygon2 in on an HP Ice or Flamethrower makes this easier.
-Electivire: Attack it and kill it, Electivire is pretty weak.
-Escavalier: Gligar handles it fine.
-Flygon: Physical Flygon can't touch Gligar, P2 does okay against most Flygon, Mamoswine is always waiting in the wings in case something goes wrong.
-Froslass: Spiritomb traps and kills it admirably.
-Gallade: Depending on the set, Gligar and Spiritomb tend to handle it well enough.
-Galvantula: Not fun, you probably will lose a Pokemon to it before you finish it with priority.
-Golurk: Gligar does fine against it.
-Gorebyss: Porygon2 handles Gorebyss quite well, not being 2HKOed by +2 Surf.
-Heracross: It's why I have Gligar.
-Honchkrow: Far from enjoyable to fight. Force it to Brave Bird instead of Roosting, then go to Mamoswine.
-Houndoom: Kingdra comes in on Fire Blast, Surfs it. If it dies getting Dark Pulsed, go to Porygon2.
-Huntail: Porygon2 handles it.
-Jolteon: Take Choiced Thunderbolts with Mamoswine, go to P2 or Spiritomb on anything else. Spiritomb is better, so you can Pursuit it as it leaves.
-Kingdra: Attack and kill Specs Kingdra immediately. ChestoRest is handled decently by Porygon2; just keep spamming Discharge until you paralyze Kingdra, then 2HKO with Tri Attack. If Kingdra manages to boost enough to kill P2 before Discharge procs, use Mamoswine to clean up.
-Krookodile: Gligar walls it rather nicely.
Lilligant: I haven't seen any, but I would probably need to revenge kill it with priority.
-Machamp: It's something of a war of attrition, but Gligar can handle it, or at least weaken it enough for Mamoswine or Kingdra to kill it.
-Mamoswine: if it's Choice Band, you can predict around it. If it's Life Orb, it's almost as problematic as Bisharp. A good example of "this team is weak to itself", a theme that repeats with Specs Kingdra and to a much lesser extent offensive Porygon2. A major reason my team has three priority users.
-Medicham: Spiritomb does well enough against Medicham.
-Mew: Sweeper Mew dies to Spiritomb, Bulky Mew is more annoying; Porygon2 will generally cripple or kill it, but is almost always significantly weakened in the process.
-Mismagius: Spiritomb handles this.
-Moltres: Kingdra and Porygon2 tag-team against this. If one of them dies, a priority user can clean up.
-Nidoking: Draw something that isn't Earth Power or Sludge Wave (probably by bringing in Gligar), then pivot to Porygon2.
-Ninjask: Mamoswine stomps Ninjask.
-Omastar: Attack it as it sets up, Sucker Punch it with Spiritomb after it Shell Smashes.
-Poliwrath: The important thing is to keep it from hiding behind a Sub, so it can't Focus Punch. As long as it's exposed, Mew or Porygon2 can kill it.
-Porygon-Z: Spiritomb does as well against it as most .
-Raikou: If it's SubCM, Mamoswine is your best bet. If it has three attacks, including Aura Sphere, you need to weaken it enough to kill it with priority.
-Rhyperior: Gligar handles it.
Rotom-C: Porygon2 handles it well enough.
Rotom-H: Kingdra comes in on Overheat, otherwise Porygon2.
Rotom-F: Porygon2.
-Sceptile: Revenge killing it with priority is often your best bet. Specs is a bigger issue than Swords Dance for this team.
-Scolipede: Porygon2 laughs at Scolipede, just bring it in BEFORE the Toxic Spikes go down.
-Scyther: Gligar CAN stall it out, but Swords Dance is scary enough that you may elect to go to Porygon2 instead.
-Sharpedo: Porygon2 and Kingdra handle this fairly well.
-Shaymin: Very threatening. Fast, powerful, bulky Grass-types are a worst nightmare for this team. Most of the Pokemon can handle it at 100%, but will die if they have prior damage. Hit it as hard as you can immediately, then finish it with Mamoswine if possible. If not, bring Porygon2 in. The SpD drop from Seed Flare makes it very risky to go to P2 right away against Shaymin.
-Sigilyph: Porygon2 and Mamoswine do okay against Sigilyph.
-Smeargle: Let something take the Spore, bring something else in to attack whatever it plans to Baton Pass to. Any other Smeargle isn't scary.
-Snorlax: Big problem on paper, manageable in practice. The key is to get it to use Rest by attacking it or using Gligar to poison it, then going to Mamoswine to hit it with Superpower. As noted earlier, Kingdra is not completely walled by it, should you need to weaken it.
-Stoutland: Spiritomb and Gligar keep Stoutland under wraps.
-Suicune: Porygon2 will eventually kill it with Discharge.
-Togekiss: Attack it, kill it. Mamoswine is there for taking Thunder Wave.
-Tornadus: Attack it, finish it with priority.
-Venomoth:Attack it with whatever is in, Gligar is usually the Pokemon you want to take the Sleep Powder. Priority is what keeps Venomoth, like so many boosting sweepers, from getting out of control.
-Victini: Kingdra if it V-Creates, Spiritomb if it does anything else.
-Weavile: Porygon2 handles it fine.
-Yanmega: Porygon2 handles it okay.
-Zoroark: Porygon2 does acceptably well, Ice Shard will finish it if you do decent damage to it.
Defensive
-Altaria: Mamoswine or Porygon2 can kill it.
-Blastoise: Specs Kingdra doesn't mind Blastoise at all.
-Chansey: Very annoying. Mamoswine does the best against it.
-Claydol: Pretty much everything on my team has a way of killing Claydol.
-Clefable: Mamoswine is the best answer.
-Cresselia: Versions with Toxic and Ice Beam are very annoying. If you can Toxic it with Gligar or even with (lol) Mew Synchronize, that helps.
-Cryogonal: Spiritomb actually does very well against it.
Deoxys-D: Hugely annoying. Minimum speed Deoxys-D isn't a problem, but max speed Deoxys-D is really hard to kill.
-Drapion: Porygon2 will kill it, just bring it in before it puts Toxic Spikes down.
-Dusclops: Kingdra or Porygon2.
-Dusknoir: Kingdra or Porygon2.
-Empoleon: Porygon2 handles it fine.
-Ferroseed: Annoying for everything, but not highly problematic for anything.
-Gligar: Toxic it, or Icicle Spear it, or Ice Beam it.
-Hippowdon: THE reason to have offensive Porygon2.
-Hitmontop: Gligar shuts it down.
-Milotic: Porygon2 beats it, Kingdra can beat it if it's weakened a little.
-Nidoqueen: Porygon2, come in before it drops the Toxic Spikes.
-Porygon2: Enemy P2 are pretty annoying, you want to hit it with a Mamoswine Superpower ideally; Porygon2 vs Porygon2 is VERY annoying and something you would like to avoid.
-Quagsire: Kingdra does well against Quagsire.
-Qwilfish: My whole team except Spiritomb hits Qwifish decently well.
-Registeel: Mamoswine and Gligar don't mind Registeel.
-Roserade: Mew outspeeds and OHKOs, Porygon2 outtanks, Mamoswine KOs with Ice Shard.
-Rotom: Spiritomb.
-Sableye: Specs Kingdra is the best Sableye switch-in that isn't a Fire type.
-Slowbro: Porygon2 is pretty foolproof.
-Spiritomb: Porygon2 is a good answer.
-Tangrowth: Choose what to let sleep, then go to Porygon2.
-Umbreon: More annoying than problematic. Mamoswine and Mew kill it faster than anything else. If you get a Swords Dance in, Drain Punch will heal you faster than Payback will kill you.
-Uxie: Attack it, kill it.
-Walrein: Poison it before it uses Substitute, ideally. If it comes in on something other than Gligar, just keep attacking it to break its Subs. Annoying, but manageable.
-Whimsicott: Attack it until it dies. Mamoswine is the best for this purpose due to Icicle Spear.
-Xatu: Xatu can't do much to Spiritomb.
-Zapdos: You need to be careful depending on the set. Mamoswine and Porygon2 are your best answers, but in what combination depends on whether Zapdos has Heat Wave, or Toxic, or both.
