Ok so this the my first HTMLization, so just tell me if i've made huge mistakes. I tried to emulate the format of the old guide as closely as possible.
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<dt><a href="uber_battling">Uber Battling</a></dt>
<dd>Information on how to succeed in the Uber metagame, thanks to Jibaku and Great Sage, rewritten by bojangles and Gen. Empoleon.</dd>
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A Guide to D/P/P Uber Battling
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<meta name="description" content="Information on how to succeed in the Uber metagame, thanks to Jibaku and Great Sage, rewritten by bojangles and Gen. Empoleon." />
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<div class="author">by <a href="/forums/member.php?u=1779">Jibaku</a> and <a href="/forums/member.php?u=4852">Great Sage</a>, rewritten by <a href="/forums/member.php?u=20796">bojangles</a> and <a href="/forums/member.php?u=20899">Gen. Empoleon</a></div>
<ol class="toc">
<li><a href="#intro">Introduction to Ubers</a></li>
<li>
<a href="#knowtheubers">Know the Ubers</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#uberwalls">The Uber Walls</a></li>
<li><a href="#ubersweepers">The Uber Sweepers</a></li>
<li><a href="#otherubers">Other Ubers</a></li>
<li><a href="#nonubers">Non-Uber Pokémon in ubers</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#strategy">Strategy in Ubers</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#specialsrule">The Ubers Specials Rule</a></li>
<li><a href="#maxmoves">Maximizing Moves</a></li>
<li><a href="#leadpokemon">The Lead Pokémon</a></li>
<li><a href="#prediction">Prediction</a></li>
<li><a href="#playingstyles">Different Playing Styles</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#teambuilding">Team Building</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#checklist">Uber Team Checklist</a></li>
<li><a href="#sampleteam">Sample Team</a></li>
<li><a href="#teamcheck">Team Check</a></li>
<li><a href="#threatlist">Threat List</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#trickroom">The Trick Room Factor</a></li>
<li><a href="#arceus">The Arceus Factor — #493</a></li>
<li><a href="#additionalhelp">Additional Help</a></li>
</ol>
<h2><a name="intro">Introduction to Ubers</a></h2>
<p>The Ubers metagame is almost a forgotten metagame, the main reason being that everyone plays the Overused metagame (OU), and the fact that some other people even think that Uber Pokémon take no skill to use. They are, however, quite wrong, as Uber matches are full of strategy. They pack more power and movepool than many OU Pokémon, making the Uber metagame quite unbalanced; this is how, when, and where strategy, prediction, and critical thinking shine the most. One wrong move can destroy its user if one is not careful. This guide will hopefully help one pick Pokémon and their individual aspects (EVs, moves, etc.) that will thrive in the Uber metagame.</p>
<dl>
<dt>Which Pokemon are Ubers?</dt>
<dd>The following Pokémon are classified as Ubers: <a href="/dp/pokemon/mewtwo">Mewtwo</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/mew">Mew</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/wobbuffet">Wobbuffet</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/wynaut">Wynaut</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/lugia">Lugia</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/ho-oh">Ho-oh</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/latias">Latias</a> with <a href="/dp/items/soul_dew">Soul Dew</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/latios">Latios</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/kyogre">Kyogre</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/groudon">Groudon</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/rayquaza">Rayquaza</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/deoxys">Deoxys</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/deoxys-a">Deoxys-A</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/deoxys-d">Deoxys-D</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/deoxys-s">Deoxys-S</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/palkia">Palkia</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/dialga">Dialga</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/giratina">Giratina</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/giratina-o">Giratina-O</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/manaphy">Manaphy</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/darkrai">Darkrai</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/garchomp">Garchomp</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/shaymin-s">Shaymin-S</a>, and <a href="/dp/pokemon/arceus">Arceus</a></dd>
<dt>Why are they Ubers?</dt>
<dd>They are the Pokémon that are considered too powerful for a balanced Standard (also known as Overused, or OU) metagame. Ubers tend to have very high stats and larger movepools compared to most other Pokémon. This results in their being extremely difficult or impossible to counter within the normal limits of the Standard metagame.</dd>
<dt>Why Wobbuffet and Wynaut?</dt>
<dd>One may ask why Wobbuffet is Uber; its stats, besides Hit Points are very low, and its movepool consists of a meager seven moves (eight counting the promotional Tickle). However, it is known as the ultimate set up Pokémon, and it is classified as an Uber purely because it has a trait - Shadow Tag - that traps all Pokémon that are not holding a Shed Shell or have the move U-turn or Baton Pass. Wobbuffet's titanic HP lets him use his moves - Counter, Mirror Coat, and most importantly, Encore - to great success. His ability to set up sweepers such as Rayquaza and Arceus with a deadly combination of Encore and Shadow Tag is definitely not something that players should overlook. In Advance, 386 play, or the 3rd generation as many call it, 2 Wobbuffets facing each other would cause an extremely long and mindbendingly boring stallwar due to their mutual inability to switch out, thus causing them to try and slap around each other for no damage until they Struggle, which will never finish thanks to the recovery they receive from the item Leftovers. However, this problem has been fixed in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum. Two Pokémon with Shadow Tag will be able to escape out of each other, and thus preventing this dreadfully boring battle of willpower. This, however, is not a reason why Wobbuffet is not Uber, as it can trap anything else and force either a knockout or a free turn with Encore. If Wobbuffet Encored a damaging attack, the opposition would be promptly destroyed, and if it Encored a setup move, Wobbuffet's user would almost be guaranteed a free turn to switch to another Pokémon and set up. The same goes for Wynaut, however, its stats are completely outclassed by its evolution, Wobbuffet, but it still has Shadow Tag, pushing it into the Ubers territory (it not recommended that you use Wynaut, though).</dd>
<dt>What makes a team Uber?</dt>
<dd><strong>Any</strong> number of Ubers on one's team automatically makes one's team an Uber team. If one has just one Uber on one's team, one's team is Uber. <strong><em>There are no exceptions.</em></strong></dd>
</dl>
<h2><a name="knowtheubers">Know the Ubers</a></h2>
<p>The Pokémon will be organized into groups for effectiveness.</p>
<h3><a name="uberwalls">The Uber Walls</a></h3>
<dl>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/lugia">Lugia</a></dt>
<dd>Known as the ultimate wall in the past, Lugia’s tanking ability remains almost unchanged in this fast paced generation. With 106 base Hit Points, 130 base Defense, and 154 base Special Defense, coupled with the recovery move Roost, Lugia is always be a pain to take down. Additionally, its base 110 speed outpaces many threats such as Palkia and Groudon. Despite its higher Special Defense, Lugia is often used as a physical wall because it still pales to Blissey in terms of special walling. In Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, Lugia’s tanking abilities are slightly hampered by Stealth Rock, though.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/giratina">Giratina</a></dt>
<dd>Known for its ability to stop the rampage of a Swords Dancing Normal-typed Arceus, Giratina packs useful stats in tanking and a wide array of moves to back it up. With a godly base 150 Hit Points and base 120 in both defenses, its ability to learn Will-O-Wisp, <strong>and</strong> its useful immunities to Normal- and Fighting-types and resistances to Electric-, Water-, Grass-, Poison-, and Bug-types certainly makes it a fine wall in Ubers. Giratina can also fight back, by taking chunks out of weakened physical sweepers with Dragon Claw or Outrage, the former allowing one to switch moves if necessary, while the latter allows for harder hitting. However, unlike Lugia, Giratina lacks a recovery move. It can't even learn Roost, which strongly impedes its tanking ability. Giratina’s weaknesses to Ghost-, Dark-, Dragon-, and Ice-types also hurt it severely, seeing how all of said types are common in the Uber metagame. Giratina's offensive capabilities should not be overlooked, however, seeing that it has access to powerful moves such as Draco Meteor and can launch them from a base 100 Attack or Special Attack when the trainer does not feel like making his Giratina a wall. STAB Ghost- and Dragon-type attacks are certainly something to fear in Ubers.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/deoxys-d">Deoxys-D</a></dt>
<dd>Deoxys-D has a massive support movepool, including Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Knock Off; the list goes on. Deoxys-D’s movepool surpasses that of all the other walls thanks to its multiple forms. It has access to Recover to replenish its health, and Toxic to poison the opponent. It can Taunt its victims too, preventing their attempts to heal. Deoxys-D’s options are so numerous, one wouldn’t be able to explain them all here. However, it is worth warning that Deoxys-D is easily set up on, as its mediocre base 70 Special Attack is easily absorbed in a metagame where defenses soar over 100, even on offensive Pokémon.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/dialga">Dialga</a></dt>
<dd>Dialga possesses a base 100 Hit Point stat, a base 120 Defense stat, and a base 100 Special Defense stat, Pressure, and one of the top ranked type combinations (Steel/Dragon) for tanking. While Dialga does not possess the ability to recover quickly like Lugia, he packs a wide range of resistances, which makes it quite handy for switching into the constant blastings of Shadow Balls in the Uber metagame. Dialga certainly is not a slouch in the offensive departments either. It has a base 120 Attack and base 150 Special attack, which along with powerful moves such as Draco Meteor and Thunder lets it tear a gaping hole in the opponent’s team. Dialga also has access to Bulk Up, which, when combined with Rest, turns it into a very impressive mixed, but especially physical, wall, even when faced with its weaknesses of Fighting- and Ground-types.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/groudon">Groudon</a></dt>
<dd>Groudon is usually seen in the offensive department, but a physical walling Groudon deserves mention. Groudon is capable of holding up against threats such as Tyranitar and Metagross with given EV investment in Hit Points and Defense. It only needs 252 HP EVs and 24 Defense EVs to survive a Dragon Danced Life Orbed Outrage from Rayquaza; it can then retaliate with Stone Edge or Dragon Claw. Both are powerful enough to put Rayquaza down to an incredibly low amount of health that Life Orb recoil can wipe it out, or just KO it right off the bat. Groudon also possesses a wide variety of support moves, such as Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, Toxic, Safeguard, and Roar, allowing it to aid its teammates in more ways than just absorbing physical blows.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/latias">Latias</a></dt>
<dd>Unlike her brother Latios, Latias focuses on playing a defensive role. Latias possesses a base 80 Hit Point stat, a base 90 Defense stat, and base 130 Special Defense stat. This may seem small compared to the others, but Latias’ trump card is her mystical item: Soul Dew. Soul Dew boosts her Special Defense and Special Attack stats by 50%, making her a very deadly sweeper as well. Since this is the sole item used with Latias, it pushes her into the Ubers section of this guide. Latias is capable of holding her own against tough attackers such as Kyogre, as she can take an Ice Beam from 438 Special Attack, and dish back significant damage with Thunder and Grass Knot. Like many other Psychics in the Uber metagame, Latias has the ability to restore her hit points with Recover or Roost, making her an even tougher wall. She is, however, prone to Metagross’ Pursuit, KOing her if she switches out due to her base 80 Hit Points and base 90 Defense, and Meteor Mash, which will 2HKO if she stays in, provided Metagross is not Choice Banded. She is best known as a special wall that has a considerable amount of offense and speed, which is what separates her from Blissey. Latias also gets special mention because, using her high base 110 Speed, Soul Dew, and Recover, she is the only true counter of a Choice Specs Kyogre, who can down even Blissey in two hits with a full health Water Spout, because of her ability to outspeed Kyogre and Recover, or weaken its Water Spout with Grass Knot or Thunder.</dd>
</dl>
<h3><a name="ubersweepers">The Uber sweepers</a></h3>
<dl>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/mewtwo">Mewtwo</a></dt>
<dd>Mewtwo’s unpredictability ranks above that of Gengar’s. It has a base 110 Attack stat, a base 130 Speed stat, and a base 154 Special Attack stat, all of which are well above average and allows him to strike in both spectrums effectively. It is extremely versatile, with an enormous selection of physical, special, and supporting attacks. It can break stalling Uber teams with the combination of Taunt and Calm Mind to boost its already sky-high Special Attack and shut down attempts at healing; it can also Selfdestruct, killing potentially threatening walls and tanks. Its movepool consists of a wide spectrum of types, including Ghost, Ice, and Electric, all very effective types in Ubers. Mewtwo is also deceptively bulky, with access to 101 Substitutes, Will-O-Wisp, and Calm Mind. Mewtwo is definitely and invariably a very high level threat.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/deoxys-a">Deoxys-A</a></dt>
<dd>It had the misfortune to have been born with pitiful defenses almost equaling to that of Carvanha’s. However, laugh at its minuscule defenses as much as you want, and then proceed to stare in pure horror at the base 180 Attack and Special Attack, seasoned with 150 base Speed. Deoxys-A is the Kryptonite in the Uber metagame, cleaning out Pokémon like nothing else thanks to those stats and a wide array of moves in both the physical and special categories. It can also surprise opponents with Counter and Mirror Coat (stolen from its sibling Deoxys-D) coupled with the item Focus Sash. There is no true counter for Deoxys-A in the strictest definition of the word. Metagross can Bullet Punch it, but risks at being Countered if Deoxys-A holds a Focus Sash. Dugtrio can trap him and threaten to KO with Sucker Punch, but loses if Deoxys-A carries Substitute. The closest counter to Deoxys-A is Spiritomb, who laughs at anything Deoxys-A does except for Life Orbed or Choice Specs Thunder. If Deoxys-A dares to take that action, Spiritomb promptly replies to that with Sucker Punch. If Deoxys tries to switch, it will risk getting Pursuited. Scizor can also be used to play mindgames, threatening to Bullet Punch if Deoxys-A stays in, or hit it with Pursuit if it decides to switch out. Take note, however, that with its abysmal defenses, it is almost impossible to switch Deoxys-A in safely, necessitating a situation after a Pokémon’s fainting.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/rayquaza">Rayquaza</a></dt>
<dd>It has a 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, but gained massive improvements from 3rd Generation to the 4th Generation with the addition of a physical/special split and Outrage getting its power boosted to 120 base power. Rayquaza is <strong>the</strong> reason why people carry a Steel-type in their teams. A Dragon Danced Life Orbed Outrage from a monstrous base 150 Attack stat can OHKO far over half of the existing Ubers. Rayquaza also packs some nice resistances to help it set up, including a 4x resistance to Grass-type attacks, so it can switch into a Choice Specs Grass Knot, and an immunity to Ground-type attacks. Rayquaza also some options aside from Dragon Dancing. It can use a Choice Scarf to boost its average speed, Choice Band to hurt a lot of Ubers, even without a Dragon Dance boost, and Choice Specs to strike from the monstrous base 150 Special Attack baked with the burning heat of a combination of deadly moves like Draco Meteor and Overheat to surprise unwary foes. Don’t forget Air Lock, which nullifies weather bonus and destroys weather teams, particularly Pokémon such as Kingdra that rely on the weather to boost their Speed stat. Rayquaza can also use Extremespeed with Swords Dance to annihilate faster threats such as Deoxys-A. Finally, by using a mixed set, it can effectively hit every Pokémon in the Ubers metagame for phenomenal damage. Rayquaza can sweep in the blink of an eye, making any team that is not prepared to counter this beast a team that is doomed.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/kyogre">Kyogre</a></dt>
<dd>Kyogre is the rightful “King of Ubers”, as it is able to reach a whopping 438 Special Attack, and has Drizzle, which causes rain that boosts its Water-type attacks. Kyogre can fix its mediocre Speed stat with Choice Scarf, and abuse that new high speed with the insanely powerful Water Spout, which effectively has a 337.5 power after the rain boost and STAB. Kyogre can use Calm Mind too, which it can take advantage with under the protection of the 101 Substitutes which it can create. Due to the special/physical split, Kyogre can even surprise Blissey with Waterfall, which may 2HKO under rain. It can also utilize Choice Specs as well, pushing that titanic Special Attack so high that not even Blissey can withstand it, essentially giving it triple Water-type STAB with Choice Specs, STAB, and Drizzle, although it does come with the price of sitting at 306 Speed maximum, which is outpaced by the majority of Ubers. A Choice Specs boosted Water Spout in the rain from Kyogre is the most powerful move in all of DPP. To give an idea of its power, it can even 2HKO a standard, full health Blissey, without the need of entry hazards.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/groudon">Groudon</a></dt>
<dd>Kyogre’s opposite. Kyogre has Calm Mind, but Groudon has Swords Dance. In this generation Groudon received new toys to play with. It no longer needs a Hidden Power to destroy Lati@s this time since it gets Dragon Claw and Shadow Claw. It also no longer fears a defensively built Kyogre due to Life Orb. Groudon isn’t seen much because of its lower special defense, lack of STAB that goes with the weather, and the fact that Lugia is often built to counter it. Groudon is definitely still a threat to look out for, however. When not Swords Dancing, Groudon can be a Choice Bander (although he greatly fears Rayquaza switching into a Choice Banded Earthquake), Choice Scarfer to boost that mediocre speed, or a defensive player to stop Tyranitar, Metagross, and Rayquaza. Groudon has also gained a new toy in the move Rock Polish, doubling its speed, making it far easier to sweep, especially when used in conjunction with the great attacking combination of Ground/Dragon/Rock, or when used together with Swords Dance, creating a fearsome beast that is nearly impossible to counter.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/ho-oh">Ho-oh</a></dt>
<dd>Severely hurt by the existence of Stealth Rock, it loses a massive 50% of its total Hit Points right off the bat if it switches in. However, Sacred Fire is nothing to laugh at, with a 50% burn rate, which can destroy physical sweepers, such as Rayquaza. Even though Ho-oh severely misses its physical Shadow Ball, that slot can be replaced by Punishment, which can be very handy dealing with opponents who have boosted their defensive stats (like a Latios who managed to pull 3 Calm Minds). A Choice Scarf Ho-oh under sunlight is magnificent to watch as it rips the opponent apart with Sacred Fire. Ho-oh has other options too, such as Calm Mind, Shadow Ball, Flamethrower, Thunder, and Hidden Power for special sweeping, the item Choice Specs, and Choice Band for even more physical sweeping power (for less Speed obviously). It can dent many different threats with Life Orb coupled with a base 130 Attack stat and 110 base Special Attack stat. As for healing moves, Ho-oh can Recover or Roost. However, Ho-oh is far less common now due to Stealth Rock, but can become a surprise threat due to this unexpectedness, especially when used with a Rapid Spinner, such as the non-Uber Forretress.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/palkia">Palkia</a></dt>
<dd>Kyogre was jealous that Groudon received a Sun abusing partner in the 3rd generation (Ho-oh), so Palkia decided to be Kyogre’s partner to overcome its jealousy in the 4th gen. Palkia is an absolute terror under rain, launching Surfs at a base 150 Special Attack stat coupled with either Lustrous Orb, Life Orb, or Choice Specs, while punishing Dragon-types that attempt to switch into it with a powerful Draco Meteor or Spacial Rend. Palkia does not fear Blissey because it has access to Aqua Tail, which easily 2HKOes under rain. Palkia comes packed with a 4x resistance to Water-type attacks, in addition to an oft overlooked 120 base Special Defense, which makes it a decent non-Calm Mind Kyogre counter. Palkia’s base 100 Speed stat allows it to outspeed many Ubers, such as Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Dialga, Giratina and Deoxys-D. There is also the commonly forgotten physical Palkia set, which can utilize Aqua Tail and Outrage to decimate its normal counters of Blissey and Latias. It can also boost Aqua Tail and Outrage further with either Choice Band or the move Bulk Up. Palkia can further use these moves in a mixed-physical set, which punishes stall. Furthermore, Palkia can use Choice Scarf to outspeed many Ubers, making it a great revenge killer, including against a Dragon Dance Rayquaza who is about to sweep your team, provided it has only boosted its Speed stat once. Palkia is so deadly and versatile that there is no true counter to it; everything that could switch in is at risk of being hurt too badly to stay in and counter it.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/dialga">Dialga</a></dt>
<dd>Has the same offensive stats as Palkia, although misses out on the Speed stat and the Water-typing. Dialga's resistances allow it to swap into moves quite easily, and with those offensive stats and an offensive movepool consisting of Brick Break, Outrage, Draco Meteor, Fire Blast/Flamethrower/Overheat, Thunder and Dragon Pulse, expect Dialga to inflict a lot of pain into your team. Dialga's immunity to Toxic grants it the ability to switch into Blissey with impunity and put a hurt on to her with Brick Break, or Outrage. Draco Meteor, Fire Blast, and Thunder keep physically defensive Pokémon from switching in to attempt to wall Dialga. The only counters to a mixed Dialga are Fighting-type Arceus and Deoxys-D. The first is up for debate in terms of existence and legitimacy, whereas the other is quite lacking in serving other purposes. It is essential to be unpredictable when confronted with a mixed Dialga. Dialga with a Choice Scarf also makes for a fantastic revenge killer, and while it misses out by only having a base 90 Speed stat, slow for Ubers, it redeems itself by being a Steel-type, allowing it to resist Rayquaza’s possibly boosted Extremespeeds, which bypass its Choice Scarf. Dialga can also strike on the physical side, by using Bulk Up or a Choice Band to boost its already impressive, but often neglected, base 120 Attack stat. A Choice Banded or Bulk Up-boosted Outrage can prove as a nasty surprise, and can barrel through teams that relegate Dialga to the realm of “always Special”.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/darkrai">Darkrai</a></dt>
<dd>Having a base 90 Attack stat, base 125 Speed stat, and base 135 Special Attack stat, its stats might make it look like an inferior Mewtwo. However, Darkrai is far from that. Darkrai has the move, Dark Void, which is the most accurate sleep move besides Spore. It also has the ability, Bad Dreams, which deals 12.5% to a Pokémon who is sleeping in its presence. The other thing is its Dark-typing, which gives it an edge in Uber battling by providing the STAB Dark Pulses, which are helpful, as many Uber Pokémon are Psychic-typed. Darkrai, like Mewtwo, has virtually have no counters. Any Sleep Talker can get Taunted. Blissey fears Focus Punch and cannot beat a Darkrai with Substitute and Nasty Plot unless she has Seismic Toss or, Psych Up/Calm Mind. The best strategy one may have against Darkrai is to let something to absorb Dark Void, preferably a Sleep Talker, and then run off to a Pokémon that can out speed Darkrai.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/latios">Latios</a> and <a href="http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/latias">Latias</a></dt>
<dd>One can’t forget about these two. They pack a serious punch on any team because of their boosted stats thanks to Soul Dew. Latios boasts a 591 maximum Special Attack, while retaining the ability to switch moves, which allows it to smash many Pokémon in the opponent’s team. However, this great 591 Special Attack is instantly nullified by the great special wall Blissey, when she has with Calm Mind or Psych Up. Latias packs less power than her brother in exchange for more durability. In this generation, the Lati twins earned several power boosts. Dragon Pulse now replaces Dragon Claw with a higher base power. Draco Meteor is now always there to instantly cause insane amounts of damage. They also received Grass Knot for Groudon, Kyogre, and Tyranitar, all of whom take a whopping 120 base damage from it. A difference between Latios and Latias, aside from their stats, is that Latios learns Dragon Dance and Memento, while Latias learns Wish. Latios can now utilize a physical STAB Dragon Claw with Dragon Dance, making mixed and physical sets possibilities as well, which can catch his normal counters by surprise. To aid their sweeping abilities, Latios and Latias also learn a variety of supportive moves, such as Calm Mind and Recover. They can Safeguard to prevent things like Blissey from statusing them, as well.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/manaphy">Manaphy</a></dt>
<dd>Manaphy is yet another little event pixie with 100 base stats across the board. For the most part, Manaphy is an Uber simply because it is too strong for Standards; however, it can be extremely powerful when used in conjunction with Kyogre. Kyogre’s rain grants Manaphy virtual immunity to status, which is particularly helpful when Manaphy is trying to boost its Special Attack by making the appendage on its head flash with Tail Glow. Even though Manaphy’s attacking movepool is limited to Surf, Ice Beam, Energy Ball, and Grass Knot, a moveset with Tail Glow, Surf, Ice Beam, and one of the Grass-type moves offers huge type coverage and is definitely a force to watch out for.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/garchomp">Garchomp</a></dt>
<dd>After being banished from the OU tier, many were worried that Garchomp would not stand a chance in its new home, however their fears have been reconciled, as Garchomp is still a force to be reckoned with. It has STAB Dragon- and Ground-type moves, along Stone Edge and a base 102 Speed stat. Garchomp, who was once not considered a threat in the Uber metagame, now proved itself to be extremely devastating in the right hands. It has the immunity to Electric-type attacks and resistance to Rock-type attacks, allowing it to switch in quite easily against the likes of Choice Specs Thunder and Tyranitar. Garchomp's base 102 Speed is quite impressive in Ubers, as it outruns all base 90 to base 100 Speed Ubers, unless they carry Choice Scarf. It also outruns the standard Lugia, allowing it to 2HKO the Psychic-type bird with Choice Banded Stone Edge without the fear of being stalled to death by Roost. Speaking of Choice Band, Garchomp is capable of 2HKOing almost every non-Arceus Uber, even the bulkiest of the lot, with Outrage or Earthquake, and that is certainly something that a player must be aware of before constructing a team. By using Swords Dance in conjunction with a Life Orb or Salac Berry, it can blaze through even the strongest physical wall, like Lugia or Groudon. With a Choice Scarf, Garchomp is arguably the best revenge killer in the Uber tier, due to its great STABs, large Attack stat, and odd 102 base Speed stat.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/giratina-o">Giratina-O</a></dt>
<dd>Giratina’s offensive cousin, Giratina-O, has amazing STAB in Ghost- and Dragon-type attacks, hitting many of the Pokémon in Ubers for super effective damage. It is on the slow side of Uber Pokémon, at only a 90 base Speed stat, but it makes up for this lack of speed with two fantastic base 120 Attack stats, and a tremendous bulk with 150 base Hit Points and 100 base in both Defense and Special Defense. Giratina-O is unique in that the only item it can hold is the Griseous Orb, also known as the Platinum Orb, which keeps it in its Origin forme and boosts its Ghost- and Dragon-type attacks. It also cannot lose this item, making it immune to Trick and Knock Off. It is quite the offensive menace, as it can attack from either side of the spectrum with STAB Dragon Pulse and Shadow Ball on the special side, or STAB Outrage/Dragon Claw and Shadow Force, Giratina-O’s signature move, on the physical side. However, Skarmory can wall the physical version quite soundly, making it far less common and effective, which sometimes one can use as an advantage, or if one has a Pokémon to deal with Skarmory. Giratina-O is hailed as the “ultimate stall-breaker”, with its mixed capacity, immunity to Seismic Toss, Toxic Spikes and Spikes, the ability to Calm Mind, and use of Substitute to block status. After coming in, it can set up a Substitute, which blocks any attempts by stall teams to poison, paralyze, or even Leech Seed it. From there, it can set up by using Calm Mind, which only a Calm Mind/Psych Up Blissey can then stop. After only one Calm Mind and with Stealth Rock up, it can OHKO Lugia with Shadow Ball, and possibly OHKO Latias with Dragon Pulse, both common walls in Ubers. It has a lot of weaknesses, but is a true force when used properly, especially with paralysis support.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/shaymin-s">Shaymin-S</a></dt>
<dd>Shaymin-S sports a blinding base Speed of 127, and while this may not outspeed the likes of Deoxys-S, Deoxys-A, or Mewtwo, it outspeeds everything else that isn’t carrying a Choice Scarf, unless of course, Shaymin-S is carrying one itself. Although it gives it a 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, Shaymin-S has a massive asset in its Grass-typing, more specifically in its signature move, Seed Flare. Coming off a very healthy base 120 Special Attack stat and factoring in STAB, Seed Flare hits Kyogre and Groudon, two of the most prevalent Ubers, like a ton of bricks, OHKOing both, while outpacing and hitting Palkia for neutral damage. Seed Flare also has the added bonus of having an 80% chance of lowering your opponent’s special defense by two stages, the equivalent of a Nasty Plot. Not only does this help Shaymin-S wear down bulky opponents like Blissey, but it also forces a lot of switches, which works terrifically with residual damagers like Stealth Rock and Spikes. Its usefulness doesn’t stop there though, Shaymin-S can also be a terrific SubSeeder, with its obscene speed and access to the aforementioned Seed Flare, so it is able to dish out heavy damage while leeching it as well, totally annihilating a potential counter. This set works especially well when the opponent is initially trapped by Wobbuffet, but still well without. Shaymin-S is a Pokémon you cannot underestimate.</dd>
</dl>
<h3><a name="otherubers">Other Ubers</a></h3>
<dl>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/arceus">Arceus</a></dt>
<dd>Sporting a base 120 in every single stat, plus a ton of moves to choose from, Arceus could be anything. It gets Recover, Will-O-Wisp, Roar and more in the defensive side, and so many physical and special moves that it is impossible to mention a quarter of them in this little sentence. It can Swords Dance to boost its attack, and Calm Mind to boost its special attack. It has Multitype to become of any type it wants. To make long thins short, Arceus can virtually be a copy of any Pokémon and role except a Baton Passer. Want a powerful Normal-type sweeper? You got it. Eccentric, and want a Poison-type tank? You also got it. Want a Steel-type special attacker and supporter? Arceus can do that, too. Because of this, Arceus can fit into any Ubers team. When not using Multitype to change forms, Arceus can abuse Swords Dance and sweep with STAB Extremespeed, bypassing any and all Pokémon, even with speed boosts, making it almost unstoppable. Futhermore, Arceus has Shadow Force, which when used with a Spooky Plate and Swords Dance, makes it nearly impossible to counter. Finally, Arceus can use its signature move, Judgement, to instantly get a STAB 100 base power special move, which can wreak havoc, especially in a metagame with many common weaknesses.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/mew">Mew</a></dt>
<dd>“Unpredictable” is Mew in one word. Base 100 in every single stat means it can do almost whatever it wants. Its stats are infinitely outclassed by Mewtwo, but Mew learns quite a decent amount of things Mewtwo doesn’t, such as Nasty Plot and Hypnosis. Mew is capable of instantly turning the tables in your team at the precise timing, because it can learn all TMs and Baton Pass +2 of any stat. Mew can really mess up phazers such as Lugia by Taunting them. Besides Baton Passing, Mew can physical and special sweep; however, special sweeping is instantly outclassed by Mewtwo. On the physical side, Mew gets Explosion, a handy move that can destroy an opponent valuable to the opponent’s team. It can also use Transform for kicks, or Trick Room to mess up speedy strategies. Mew is generally used on Baton Pass teams due to its aforementioned ability to pass +2 of whatever it wants, making whatever it passes to a very potent threat. By backing up Mew with Status protection, for example via a Lum Berry, and Dual Screens, Mew can instantly set up a sweep that is near impossible to stop.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/deoxys-s">Deoxys-S</a></dt>
<dd>Deoxys-S is a fantastic lead that will almost always do exactly what it’s supposed to do: get entry hazards up. Deoxys-S is only outsped by Scarfed Darkrai, another common lead, and Scarfed Mewtwo, but is still able to get up Stealth Rock when it holds either Focus Sash or Lum Berry for Dark Pulse/Shadow Ball and Dark Void respectively. Although this may not seem like much, Deoxys-S’ laying of Stealth Rock can turn many 2HKOs into OHKOs, by inflicting heavy damage on the likes of Ho-oh, Lugia, and Rayquaza, the middle of which is a normally sound wall. Stealth Rock also instantly destroys a Pokémon’s Focus Sash, making it much harder for the opponent to set up or stop a sweep. It is also a pretty good Deoxys-A counter, as it is able to survive anything but Choice Specs Thunder and Shadow Ball. Deoxys-S is faster than Deoxys-A and can Pursuit it, obliterating it even if it doesn’t switch.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/deoxys">Deoxys</a></dt>
<dd>Inferior to its other formes. Deoxys-A beats it in the realm of Attack stats, which would be the only thing to use normal Deoxys for. The only thing Deoxys beats it at is defenses, which it still cannot brag about, only at 50/50/50.</dd>
</dl>
<h3><a name="nonubers">Non-Uber Pokémon in Ubers</a></h3>
<dl>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/blissey">Blissey</a></dt>
<dd>The supreme special wall in standard play returns! With 255 base HP and 135 Special Defense, she does not need to be explained much. However, with the insanity of special attacks in Ubers, Blissey is often geared to the special defensive side rather than the usual physical defensive department. This by now means leaving the defense untouched. Blissey needs at least 100 Defense (stat) in Ubers. In Ubers, one doesn’t want Blissey to die in 2 Dragon Claws from Giratina, or OHKOed by a Metagross’s Pursuit. Also, the normal Seismic Toss/Thunder Wave/Softboiled/Ice Beam Blissey set is not very effective in Ubers. For maximum special walling capabilities, people go with Thunder, Ice Beam, Softboiled and either Calm Mind or Psych Up. Psych Up can grab stat boosts from things like Latios if he Calm Minds quite a bit, while Calm Mind lets it stat up on Pokémon who may not set up like Roar-less Giratina. Occasionally, Blissey will carry Toxic to break down walls, and this is also a reason why in Ubers there exists many a Steel-type. Blissey can also aide its team by using a Wish + Protect strategy, which can heal walling Pokémon that cannot heal themselves, like Wobbuffet and Groudon.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/metagross">Metagross</a></dt>
<dd>Metagross is a valuable Pokémon in Ubers. Its Steel-typing allows it immunity to Toxic. With Choice Band, Metagross can put a big dent in an opponent’s team. Meteor Mash can give many Ubers a hard time. It also has a few other weapons besides the metallic crusher. Pursuit can seriously hurt Blissey as she switches, and can OHKO Latios and Latias. Pursuit also destroys Deoxys-A who tries to avoid you by switching. Metagross gets Bullet Punch for weakened opponents, and Deoxys-A gets crushed again. After all of that, Metagross has Explosion to put a serious dent into anything but Ghost-types once its job is done. Another great thing about Metagross is that it resists Outrage, making it a decent Rayquaza stopper provided it’s already locked into Outrage. Resistance to Ice is always handy.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/heatran">Heatran</a></dt>
<dd>A terror under the sun like Ho-oh, Heatran is another valuable Steel-type in Ubers due to its resistances and sheer power. It can Dragon Pulse the Dragon-type switch ins, and burn everything to cinders with Overheat. Under the sun and bolstered by Choice Specs, Overheat or Fire Blast puts a big dent into anything that doesn’t resist it except for Blissey (and even so, it does over 40% to the Weight Watchers dropout). Heatran might seem like Kyogre bait, but it can explode on Kyogre and then let your sun-based team sweep without facing something that would rain on your parade. Heatran is no Palkia, but it is not to be trifled with.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/tyranitar">Tyranitar</a></dt>
<dd>STAB Crunch puts a huge dent in Ubers, because of the sheer number of Psychic- and Ghost-types. It heavily damages Lugia and Giratina, the main walls in the Uber metagame, and a lot of other Psychic-types. Not many Ubers can withstand such physical power. There aren’t many Uber Rock-type resisters to take Stone Edge, either. The only Ubers resisting Rock are Dialga, Groudon, and Fighting-type Arceus. Dialga loses to Earthquake, leaving a Fighting-type Arceus and Groudon as the only reliable counters for Tyranitar in Ubers. Another thing about Tyranitar is a STAB Pursuit, which puts a giant dent in Blissey as she switches out. Latios and Latias also despise getting nailed by Pursuit as they switch out. If they stay in, they will risk getting Crunched. Its ability, Sandstream, can change the weather and mess up weather teams. The sandstorm also hurts the Lati twins now that they lose 6% HP each turn, destroying their special walling abilities. Tyranitar is an incredible anti-metagame Pokémon in Ubers and with the Special Defense boost its own Sandstorm can help it take the common special attacks, and then it can reply with a massively effective STAB Crunch or Pursuit.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/heracross">Heracross</a></dt>
<dd>In Ubers, Heracross make a fine sweeper with a powerful STAB Megahorn that not many Ubers resist. It can also stop Darkrai with Sleep Talk and Choice Scarf, however beware the restrictions of Sleep Talk by Choice Scarf (you can only use it once before switching out). Heracross is utterly walled by Giratina, but that does not mean it’s horrible. The fact that many Pokémon are Psychic- or Dark-type in Ubers allows it to switch in and score a Megahorn on those poor Pokémon.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/ninjask">Ninjask</a></dt>
<dd>A great Baton Passer with its ability to pass Speed and Attack to the incoming recipient thanks to his ability, Speed Boost, and access to Swords Dance; it can punish Psychic-types by itself with X-Scissor. Not much else can be said about it. Ninjask has lost a bit of its usefulness, like Ho-oh, with the addition of Stealth Rock to many movepools. Be sure to use a spinner to support Ninjask in order for it to pull of a Baton Pass successfully.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/skarmory">Skarmory</a></dt>
<dd>It resists Normal-type attacks, is immune to Ground-type attacks, and has access to Whirlwind, making it a great counter to a Swords Dance Normal-typed Arceus without Overheat, or large physical Dragon-type threats, like Giratina-O or Garchomp. It is also immune to Toxic, gets a 50% healing move in Roost, and launches Spikes or Stealth Rock into Ubers. It makes a good Metagross and Lugia counter as well. Skarmory’s weakness is its much weaker Special Defense. While it can wall any physical Dragon-, Ground-, Dark-, Bug-, or Ghost-type attack, it will fall to the strong special attacks being launched in Ubers, such as Kyogre's Water Spouts and Surfs. It isn’t all bad though; Toxic is a good weapon to use on Skarmory in this metagame, as it completely messes up special attacking threats such as Latias who might attempt to switch into you. Toxic severely hampers Lugia and Deoxys-D’s defensive abilities, too.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/forretress">Forretress</a></dt>
<dd>Yet another Steel-type, Forretress comes into Ubers with the wonderful ability to launch Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Toxic Spikes into the opponent’s field. Toxic Spikes will hamper Blissey’s tanking ability quite drastically, while Stealth Rock hurts Lugia and Ho-oh badly if they switch into the battlefield, especially the latter. With Giratina in existence, Heracross switching into Toxic Spikes isn't as fearsome as it may seem, so there should be minimal worries there. While, Forretress sorely misses its STAB Hidden Power Bug from the 3rd generation, it has gained new moves in Payback and STAB Gyro Ball. One can use Payback on Forretress, as many Ubers are hit super effectively by Dark-type attacks. This comes in handy, especially on stall teams, as it can put a stop to Giratina-O, who can otherwise rampage through a stall team. Also, Gyro Ball works relatively well in a metagame like Ubers, where so many Pokémon have high Speed stats.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/magnezone">Magnezone</a></dt>
<dd>Magnezone exists in Ubers solely to destroy other Steel-types that may be blocking your attempt to sweep with Rayquaza, or other Dragon-types. With an awesome base 130 Special Attack stat, many Pokémon will fear a STAB Thunder from it. Seeing as most Metagross in Ubers don’t carry Earthquake, Magnezone will have an easy time eating it alive. Magnezone can also Toxic the tough special walls such as Latias, and strike fear to the Groudon switch-ins with Hidden Power Ice.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/dugtrio">Dugtrio</a></dt>
<dd>Due to the decent abundance of Choice Specs or Scarf Thunder, Dugtrio can come in and finish off any choice item user that is unfortunate enough to pick an Electric-type attack thanks to Arena Trap. Commonly Choiced Pokémon such as Kyogre and Mewtwo will need to think twice before making a move. Dugtrio can switch in on a Deoxys-A on Thunder or after a kill, trap it, and Sucker Punch it to death (Substitute versions give Dugtrio trouble, however). With STAB Earthquake, Dugtrio is powerful enough to take down a Dialga at around 80% with the help of Choice Band. If Blissey doesn't have Ice Beam, Dugtrio can switch in and 2HKO her with Earthquake, effectively opening up the sweeping capabilities of special attackers such as Kyogre, Palkia, or Darkrai. Even if Blissey has Ice Beam, she needs to have a ton of Special Attack EVs in order to have a decent shot at OHKOing Dugtrio, giving it enough time to take her down.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/weavile">Weavile</a></dt>
<dd>Weavile’s main STAB moves are super effective against almost every Uber, making him a decent candidate for a non-Uber in Ubers. Its speed ties with Darkrai, which is pretty fast. It can Ice Shard those Rayquaza stuck on Outrage thinking they can destroy your team, or a Deoxys-A that would otherwise wreck your team. Weavile’s problem is his frailness, and the fact that Metagross is extremely common. If the opponent has no form of field affecting attacks, its paltry defenses can be helped by the item Focus Sash, which lets Weavile Swords Dance and potentially rip an Uber team apart, however, one must be sure to remember to pack a Rapid Spinner. Weavile can also abuse Choice Band Pursuit, which can totally beat up Latios and Latias, who switch out in fear of Ice Punch.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/shedinja">Shedinja</a></dt>
<dd>There's an opposing Kyogre that has Calm Minded 6 times and has a Substitute up? For this little husk, it's no problem! Shedinja does have that pathetic 1 Hit Point, but its Wonder Guard ability lets it avoid damage from any direct attack that is not of the Fire-, Ghost-, Dark-, Rock-, or Flying-type. Many Ubers lack an offensive move of those types, including the mentioned Kyogre, as well as many Latias, Latios, Palkia, and some Mewtwo. There are also lots of other Pokémon that Shedinja can take on, with its decent base 90 Attack and Swords Dance boosting its STAB Bug-type X-Scissor. Shedinja can also use the move Will-O-Wisp to incapacitate beasts like Tyranitar, Metagross, and Groudon that think they have a free switch in. Be very careful though, as entry hazards are extremely common, necessitating the use of a Rapid Spinner with Shedinja.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/scizor">Scizor</a></dt>
<dd>Scizor has STAB in U-turn and X-Scissor, allowing it to OHKO Psychic-types without the need of Choice Band, although one is most certainly welcome, and in most cases, recommended. It has Technician to boost Pursuit to deal quite a bit of hurt to Psychic-types that predict it and refuses the switch out. Unlike Metagross, Scizor can recover its health with Roost, allowing it to stick on a team much longer than its spider counterpart. With Dark-type resistance, base 130 Attack stat, and STAB U-turn and X-Scissor, Scizor is a decent counter to Darkrai. In a similar vein to Metagross, Scizor can lock Deoxys-A into a state of decision. If it decides to switch, Scizor can Pursuit Deoxys-A to death, whereas one trying to stay in may be annihilated by the omnipresent Bullet Punch. Speaking of Bullet Punch, Scizor can make a good revenge killer using Choice Banded Bullet Punch, which hurts even those who resist it, due to that massive attack. The combination of a resistant to Dragon-type attacks and Superpower makes Scizor quite a good Dialga counter as well, although be weary of the Flamethrower, Fire Blast, or Overheat on Choice and Mixed sets.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/abilities/chlorophyll">Chlorophyll Pokémon</a></dt>
<dd>There are four main Pokémon with the ability Chlorophyll, namely <a href="/dp/pokemon/tangrowth">Tangrowth</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/exeggutor">Exeggutor</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/shiftry">Shiftry</a>, and <a href="/dp/pokemon/jumpluff">Jumpluff</a>. These Pokémon are often used in conjunction with Groudon, because Groudon's sunlight activates Chlorophyll and doubles their Speed. Tangrowth and Exeggutor are mainly used to take on Pokémon such as Groudon with their Grass-type assaults. Grass Knot, a move available to both Tangrowth and Exeggutor, hits the heavy Pokémon of Ubers hard and can OHKO Groudon that don't invest in Special Defense. Power Whip, available to only Tangrowth, does less damage to Groudon for being a physical move (Groudon has a remarkably high Defense), but deals greater damage to incoming Kyogre thinking that they can shut down Tangrowth's power source. Shiftry is another powerful sweeper under the sun. Like Exeggutor, Shiftry has access to Explosion, and obviously a Grass-type STAB. However, Shiftry has three advantages over its Grass brethren: Nasty Plot, higher base speed, and a Dark-type STAB. Nasty Plot assures that it will OHKO Groudon with any super effective move, such as Grass Knot or Solarbeam, and its higher base speed allows it to outspeed even more under the sun. Finally, its Dark-typing grants it welcome super effective STAB against the multitudes of Ghost- and Psychic-types that populate Ubers. Jumpluff, the final Chlorophyll abuser, utilizes its Speed over its attack. With Groudon’s Drought ability in effect, Jumpluff blazes past the competition with a remarkable 700 Speed stat, allowing it to pull off a SubSeeding Annoyer role very well. Jumpluff should be used over Shaymin-S when it is not important that it deal damage, or when the sun is up, as Jumpluff’s piteous attack stats will not be able to scratch the toughened exteriors of Ubers, even when super effective. When used in conjunction with Wobbuffet, it is quite easy to completely wear down another Pokémon.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/jirachi">Jirachi</a></dt>
<dd>Another one of the little pixies with complete 100 base stats, Jirachi's Steel-typing provides valuable resistances to the Dragon- and Ice-type attacks so often seen in Ubers; it is not weak to Ghost-, Dark-, or Electric-type attacks either. While Jirachi's offensive capabilities pale in comparison to many Uber sweepers, it can provide valuable team support in the form of Wish and Dual Screens. Also, Jirachi can set up Stealth Rock (residual damage is always nice). If Jirachi absolutely must attack, it can smack other Pokémon around with Thunder, which has a 60% paralysis rate under Serene Grace, and Grass Knot, potentially boosted by Calm Mind. Additionally, Jirachi gets Ice Punch, Fire Punch, and U-turn on the physical side; of note is Ice Punch, which can destroy Rayquaza locked into Outrage, and has a cool 20% Freeze rate under Serene Grace.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/abilities/swift_swim">Swift Swimmers</a></dt>
<dd>Quite similar in role as the Chlorophyllers, the main Swift Swimmers are <a href="/dp/pokemon/ludicolo">Ludicolo</a>, <a href="/dp/pokemon/kingdra">Kingdra</a>, and <a href="/dp/pokemon/kabutops">Kabutops</a>. These Pokémon are often used in conjunction with Kyogre, because the Rain it creates doubles their speed. Ludicolo is capable of launching the Grass-typed assault Grass Knot, which allows it to hit heavyweight Pokémon such as Kyogre, Palkia, and Groudon. It also gets Ice Beam, which allows it to hit Rayquaza. Kingdra is a miniature Palkia that is faster. With the Swift Swim boost, it can use Choice Specs effectively. Kingdra can also run a physical set very well, utilizing STAB Waterfall and Outrage, netting coverage that is not resisted by any one Pokémon, as in Ubers, Empoleon is not generally used. Kingdra can also use Dragon Dance, if one’s prediction is adequate, which allows it to keep speed boosts should Groudon come in to eliminate the rain. Kabutops, like some Kingdra, is a physical attacking Swift Swimmer, something that scares a lot of Ubers since they are focused on the special defense, especially with Kabutops’ respectable 115 base Attack. While Ludicolo and some Kingdra can be walled by the combination of Latias and Blissey, Kabutops has no fear of them due to physical X-Scissor and Waterfall respectively. Kabutops also has the ability to boost its Attack and Speed with Swords Dance and Rock Polish respectively, the former needing Rain support to sweep, while the latter can score kills on weakened opponents without the favorable weather. While none of these are capable of using Sleep Powder, their STAB attacks are boosted in the rain and will pose as much threat as the Chlorophyllers, or probably more, since Kyogre is more common than Groudon in the Uber metagame.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/bronzong">Bronzong</a></dt>
<dd>Bronzong can use its Steel/Psychic-typing and respectable 116 base defenses to do some stalling in Ubers. Levitate removes its Ground-type weakness, allowing it to beat some Groudon and all Metagross, and it can do significant damage to fast Ubers, like Latios, with Gyro Ball. Bronzong is capable of beating walls such as Lugia with Toxic, while avoiding poison itself through its Steel-typing. Additionally, it can spread poison around many sweepers, as it can switch in on Pokémon such as Latias decently due to its coveted Ice- and Dragon-type resistances. Bronzong can also take attacks, such as Choice Specs Mewtwo's Aura Sphere, with plenty of Hit Points to spare, and Rest off the damage later. When Bronzong is about to faint, it can finish off with an immensely powerful Explosion. Note that Bronzong needs major Special Defense investment to compete in Ubers, though. Due to Bronzong’s great typing, it can very successfully aid in setting up a Baton Pass sweep by throwing up Light Screen and Reflect, which lessen the blows on itself and Mew, who would be passing boosts.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/mamoswine">Mamoswine</a></dt>
<dd>Mamoswine can make a very effective lead, even when pitted against imposing enemies such as Darkrai, Deoxys-S, and Groudon. By taking advantage of Mamoswine’s great Attack stat and plentiful movepool, one can manufacture a set that deals with the three common leads mentioned above. Mamoswine can use combinations of Earthquake, Ice Shard, and Avalanche in order to down Groudon and Deoxys-S in two turns (provided Groudon attacks), keeping their set up to a minimum. Also, by using Superpower in conjunction with a Lum Berry, Mamoswine will be able to shut down the omnipresent Darkrai lead, in addition to the less common Tyranitar anti-lead. It also has access to Stealth Rock, in case it is absolutely necessary to set up entry hazards on turn one.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/lucario">Lucario</a></dt>
<dd>By using a simple standard Life Orb Swords Dance set, Lucario can instantly pose a large threat even in the Ubers territory. While at first it may seem like it would be completely overshadowed by Swords Dance Rayquaza, it has things that Rayquaza could only dream of attaining, mainly in the way of resistances, but also in Close Combat. Lucario has Close Combat, which gives it an extremely powerful STAB attack without locking it in and confusing it like Rayquaza’s Outrage, making it far harder to revenge kill. Finally, and possibly most importantly, it has a plethora of resistances that Rayquaza dreams about at night, in exchange for a weakness to Earthquake: 2x to Ice-, 4x to Dark-, 2x to Dragon-, and 4x to Rock-type attacks, all of which are constantly flying around, as they hit the major threats. This makes it very easy to get Lucario in to start Swords Dancing and sweeping, especially when used with the set-up monster, Wobbuffet.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/quagsire">Quagsire</a></dt>
<dd>Quagsire has lots of options in Ubers with his two key immunities and his support moves. Quagsire’s Water Absorb ability allows him to switch into Kyogre’s feared STAB Water Spouts and Surfs with impunity, and abuse the fact that Kyogre probably has a Choice item. Quagsire also has a nice Electric-type immunity, allowing it to work well with others by sponging up potential Thunders and crippling Thunder Wave. Futhermore, due to its Water-typing, it has a nice Ice-type neutrality, something that other Water absorbers such as Parasect cannot boast. Quagsire can do more than just taking hits with its bulk though, it has two great STABs in Water- and Ground-type, and also has moves such as Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Encore to support its teammates in a sweep.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/gengar">Gengar</a></dt>
<dd>With Gengar’s high Speed stat and helpful Ghost-type STAB, it makes it a good candidate for a Choice Scarf revenge killer. Gengar has access to STAB Shadow Ball to hit the many Psychic- and Ghost-types of Ubers for super effective damage. In addition, it can use Thunder and Focus Blast for targets like Kyogre and Dialga, respectively. While it doesn’t have Ice Beam, it can use Hidden Power Ice to hit 4x effective targets like Garchomp and Rayquaza. Gengar also gains a very useful Normal-type immunity in its Ghost-typing, allow it to revenge kill Pokémon like Rayquaza, who would normally annihilate faster Pokémon with boosted Extremespeeds. Gengar’s speed and power, along with strong prediction, can make this set effective, however, it is worth warning that Gengar’s paper defenses will crumble under any attack that isn’t Ground-, Normal-, or Fighting-typed.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/abomasnow">Abomasnow</a></dt>
<dd>The yeti gets special mention because of its unique ability in Snow Warning. Abomasnow can disrupt the strategies of Ubers teams by replacing the rain or sun with its own hail. Also, Abomasnow can hit many Ubers for super effective damage with its STAB Blizzard, which gains 100% accuracy with the snow falling. Also, it can hit both Groudon and Kyogre super effectively with its Grass-type STAB. It can also do well on the rare stall team, by providing a passive damage in Hail that can negate possible leftovers, and provide an immensely annoying bulky SubSeeding strategy, backed up by its Ice- and Grass-type STAB moves. Be careful though, many Dragon-types that one would hit with Blizzard will often carry Fire-type moves, especially Scarf Dialga and most Rayquaza.</dd>
<dt><a href="/dp/pokemon/registeel">Registeel</a></dt>
<dd>Registeel is often neglected, and shut away to the lower tier of UU, but it has the potential to really shine in Ubers. With its massive twin 150 base Special Defense and Defense stats and fortuitous Steel-typing, it can wall a significant portion of the Ubers metagame. Registeel resists 11 out of the 17 types in the game, including Dragon-, Ice-, Dark-, Bug-, Ghost-, and Rock-types, all of which are wildly popular in the Ubers territory. To boot, Registeel has an immunity to Poison-type moves, meaning it cannot be out-stalled with Toxic from the likes of Lugia or Deoxys-D. It also has a variety of support and stat-up moves in Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, and Toxic for the former, which makes it easier to teammates to blast through weakened teams, and Curse for the latter, which makes Registeel a tough nut to break. Registeel also can Explode, and take a potentially threatening Pokémon down, or at least weaken it to the point where another Pokémon can come in and finish the job.</dd>
</dl>
<h2><a name="strategy">Strategy in Ubers</a></h2>
<p>Playing Ubers often requires a completely different mindset than playing in Standards. Many strategies that were effective in Standards become completely useless, while tactics that were shunned in Standards sometimes become very effective in Ubers.</p>
<h3><a name="specialsrule">The Ubers Specials Rule</a></h3>
<p>In Standards, many of the strongest attackers are physically based; in Ubers, the reverse is true. Much of the Uber metagame is concentrated in Special Attack and Special Defense, as those two stats run into astronomical levels with quite a few Ubers; most Ubers have comparatively low Attack and Defense values, however. This can be exploited by using heavy physical attackers such as Groudon and Metagross; such Pokémon should be handled with care, however, as physical attackers tend to have comparatively low Special Defense and therefore are vulnerable to the powerful special attacks that run rampant in Ubers.</p>
<h3><a name="maxmoves">Maximizing Moves</a></h3>
<p>In Standards, it is generally advised to take advantage of a Pokémon’s STAB moves unless the Pokémon was of the Poison-type and had better options, as Poison has terrible type coverage. In Ubers, however, type coverage is often more important than STAB, and most Pokémon, regardless of type, tend to use Dragon-, Electric-, Ice-, Water-, Dark-, and Ghost-type attacks. Even though many of the Ubers are Psychic-type, they seldom use Psychic-type moves for the very fact that many of the Ubers are Psychic, and thus Psychic-type moves hit most Ubers for little damage. Mewtwo, for example, can deliver more damage with Ice Beam than Psychic to almost every Uber and non-Uber usable in the metagame; this is due both to the fact that the many Psychic-type Pokémon of Ubers resist Psychic and that the not-as-many-but-still-common Dragon-type Pokémon are weak to Ice. In fact, the only Ubers that Psychic hits harder than Ice Beam are Ho-oh, Kyogre, Palkia, and some rare variations of Arceus.</p>
<p>Dragon-, Ice-, and Dark-type attacks can usually be used alone to much success. Darkrai sometimes relies exclusively on its Dark-type STAB, and Mewtwo on Ice Beam. However, Electric- and Ghost-types almost never constitute single-type-attack movesets, for some Pokémon are completely immune to their assaults, making any significant setup for nothing. Moreover, Pokémon that boast said immunity are free to use one turn to set up as they wish; in the extremely fast-paced environment of Ubers, one turn of setup frequently proves fatal to the opposition. Instead, Pokémon that choose to use Electric- or Ghost-type attacks elect to add an attack of another type to their movesets. Pokémon with an Electric-type attack often pair up with an Ice-type attack, and Pokémon with a Ghost-type attack do the same with Fighting-type attacks; the purpose of such pairings are to maximize a specific moveset’s type coverage</p>
<p>Similarly, there are combinations of moves that do not have ample type coverage and are therefore discouraged. For example, a Pokémon almost never has both a Dragon- and an Ice-type attack on a single moveset, for both types together are redundant in that both are super effective against Dragon-types and not very effective against Steel-types. This is one instance where STAB does come into play; the general advice is that the Dragon-type attack be used if it receives STAB, and the Ice-type attack be used otherwise, as Ice-type attacks hits more than just Dragon-types for super effective damage.</p>
<p>Almost all Ubers are capable of increasing their in-battle stats through moves such as Calm Mind and Swords Dance, and it would do one well to take advantage of such boosting moves. One would think that with the enormous number of stat boosters, phazers would be in high demand. That is a logical but unfortunately incorrect assumption; Ubers’ stats can become numbers that reach far into the thousands, a level that phazers would be hard pressed to contend with. Instead, Ubers relies on having a solid, durable counter that can do something to the Pokémon it wants to counter (such as Giratina using Will-O-Wisp on Groudon to smash its physical potential), destroying the opponent before it has the time to set up, or occasionally even a race to see which Uber can raise its stats most in the least amount of time.</p>
<h3><a name="leadpokemon">The Lead Pokémon</a></h3>
<p>As with any metagame, Ubers is impacted by the Pokémon one leads with. Most good Uber leads fall in at least one of the following categories: immediate damage, anti-lead, support, and/or weather.</p>
<p>It is always good to lead with a Pokémon that can cause immediate and severe damage without the need to set up with a stat-boosting move. Choice Specs Mewtwo is but one such Pokémon; Choice Specs boosts its already impressive Special Attack to even larger levels, and as Choice Specs allows for 4 move choices, its moveset will likely be able to rend anything in the game to pieces in one way or another. Choice Scarf on Mewtwo also works well, as it outspeeds and OHKOes Deoxys-S, a common suicide lead (only 2HKOes if it has a sash). Also, Choice Scarf Mewtwo can come back into play later a great revenge killer. Choice Scarf Darkrai is also a fantastic choice because of its massive speed stat, coupled with its Dark-type STAB, which wreaks havoc in Ubers, especially against the common leads that is Deoxys-S. It can also Trick away its Choice Scarf or use Dark Void to cripple the Pokémon it may encounter.</p>
<p>Dialga is the prime example of an anti-lead. It can take on Kyogre and Palkia reasonably, which is important because Kyogre is popular as a lead for two reasons (immediate damage and weather), and Palkia is able to inflict bad damage to well near everything. Additionally, Dialga may even be able to set up Trick Room, a highly unexpected but potentially dangerous tactic in Ubers.</p>
<p>In Ubers, the difference between an OHKO and a 2HKO can cost one the game, as the powerful sweepers running around can just devastate if they take on their counter and survive, this being because the “counter” sometimes will not work if it takes passive damage. Leads such as Deoxys-S or a support Groudon can get Stealth Rock, and Spikes as well if one uses the former, up early, making it far easier to sweep, as many potential counters for sweepers take heavy passive damage and are unable to perform their role adequately. For example, setting up Stealth Rock to hurt Lugia switch-ins greatly aids a Dragon Dance Rayquaza to sweep.</p>
<p>Only two Pokémon truly fit into the “weather” lead category: Groudon and Kyogre. Tyranitar, Hippowdon, and Abomasnow can stir up weather, too, but Tyranitar matches up poorly against popular leads such as Kyogre, Abomasnow is set-up bait for Deoxys-S, and the Hippowdon is generally not fit for competition in Ubers. There are some Pokémon that become extremely powerful based on the weather, and the weather leads attempt to establish the correct weather as soon as possible. Beneficiaries from weather leads include Palkia and Manaphy, which enjoy the rain, and Heatran, Shiftry, Jumpluff, and Tangrowth, who like the sun.</p>
<p>Although it may be tempting to lead with a wall, it is highly discouraged because of several reasons. Walls should react to certain threats, and as they can usually take a good amount of damage, it is not necessary to meet the Pokémon it wants to wall straight up. Additionally, walls are predictable and the easiest of setup fodders for the opponent to take advantage of if he or she leads with a Pokémon different from the type said wall is geared to handle. As if that were not enough, almost everything in the Uber metagame is capable of bypassing its potential walls; for example, Blissey can take Dialga’s special attacks, but she abhors Outrage, which leading Dialga can often carry.</p>
<h3><a name="prediction">Prediction</a></h3>
<p>In Ubers, it can be incredibly difficult to respond to a threat that has already switched in; for example, there is almost nothing a Palkia can’t hurt. This is where prediction comes in handy to make it difficult for said threats to switch in. For example, a Blissey is an excellent opportunity for a Metagross to switch in, especially if said Blissey is walling a Choice Specs Dialga and unlikely to switch out. However, an intelligent Blissey user may decide to switch to a Palkia, who can easily Surf the incoming Metagross back to the scrap heap. Assuming that the Dialga had used Overheat, it is plain that it would switch out due to the severe Special Attack drop Overheat slams it with, and said Palkia could switch in with minimal risk to itself. Even if the Dialga user predicts Palkia, Overheat wouldn’t do over 10% damage thanks to Palkia’s 4x Fire resistance and Overheat’s Special Attack drop.</p>
<p>However, if the Dialga had used Dragon Pulse, and Dialga’s user knew that his opponent had a Palkia, prediction would be far more interesting. Assuming both players are intelligent and playing to win, the Dialga’s user could perfectly well predict a switch to Palkia to take advantage of his own probably switch to Metagross, and the Blissey’s user could perfectly well stay in and take minimal damage. In this situation, both players could take risks or play at face value, which would lead to either:</p>
<ul>
<li>Blissey taking minimal damage and hitting Dialga for little damage</li>
<li>Blissey meeting Metagross and inflicting minimal damage, and be threatened</li>
<li>Palkia gets OHKOed by Dragon Pulse</li>
<li>Metagross meeting Palkia and being threatened</li>
</ul>
<p>In this instance, Blissey’s user should play at face value, as switching to Palkia carries the risk of Palkia being OHKOed, while Palkia could take one Metagross Meteor Mash due to resistance, should Metagross switch in and threaten Blissey.</p>
<h3><a name="playingstyles">Different Playing Styles</a></h3>
<p>As with any other metagame, there are a few dominating forms of play in Ubers: stall, dual screen, and offense. However, in Ubers, with all the massively destructive sweepers, offense is far more prevalent than stall and dual screens. This section will talk about the pros and cons to each.</p>
<p>Offense is the main form of Ubers for a reason: all the Pokémon are just so good at it. Any and every Uber Pokémon has to potential to be a threatening sweeper, except for Giratina, Wobbuffet, or Deoxys-D. As such, offense is by and far the most common for of team. Offensive teams are risky in the sense that they can perform very well, or very badly, and either way the match is over quite quickly. This process is sped up because of the ability for sweepers to become Pokémon wrecking balls that blaze through the opponent’s team, especially when it is full of only other offensive Pokémon. An offensive team that is build and played correctly can win quickly and therefore very often. There are a few “stand-outs” in the area of sweeping though: Rayquaza, Palkia, Garchomp, and Kyogre. Rayquaza is the chief of physical sweepers. Its massive base 150 Attack stat is accompanied by stat-up moves such as Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, both of which propel his physical offensive stats to scarily high numbers, and an equally high Special Attack stat, allowing him to break physical walls too. It also has the wonderful Dragon-type STAB, which devastates almost every single Pokémon in Ubers. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Rayquaza is one of the biggest reasons that you must carry a Steel-type. Palkia is another potent sweeper in the Uber metagame. It gets two boosts, one being a Water-type boost from Kyogre’s rain, and the other being its personal item, the Lustrous Orb, which boosts both its Water- and Dragon-type moves. It can go special, physical, or mixed, and thus has no true counter. Garchomp, while relatively new on the scene, is no slouch. Garchomp is arguably the best revenge killer in the Ubers metagame. Its odd base 102 Speed stat allows it to outrun rival revenge killers with a Choice Scarf and pummel all Pokémon on their generally weaker physical side with STAB Dragon- and Ground-type attacks. Finally, there’s also Kyogre, the King of Ubers. Kyogre’s Water Spout is truly terrifying, coming off base 150 Special Attack stat, backed by STAB, weather boost, and often Choice Specs as well, making it the single most deadly attack in the entire game of DPP. One must also not forget Wobbuffet though. Wobbuffet's home is on an offensive team, despite its defensive stats, because it can use the power of Encore + Shadow Tag (and in some cases, Safeguard too) in order to give a Pokémon at least one turn to set up and sweep. Furthermore, with Shadow Tag and its Counter and Mirror Coat, it can function as a revenge killer in a pinch. However, Offensive teams are not unbeatable. Opposing offense can take them down just as quickly, due to the powerful attacks that they can fire back at you. Furthermore, a well-built stall team is the bane of an Ubers offense team, as it can wear down the big hitters due to the necessary constant switching.</p>
<p>On the other side of the spectrum, there’s the quintessential stall team. These types of teams can be incredibly difficult to take down, as major offensive teams are generally quickly worn down by the passive damage that accompanies their constant switching. Any team that lacks a stall-breaking Pokémon will be worn down and destroyed. An Ubers stall team is made up of a certain core of Pokémon, as only the best of the best in walls can stand up to the powerful attacks in Ubers. Generally, the team should have a Blissey, to mop up special hits, Latias, to counter Kyogre and some Palkia, Groudon, to stop rain offense and to take physical hits, and Forretress, to take high powered Dragon attacks and set down both types of Spikes. Other good Pokémon for stall are Giratina, who blocks Rapid Spin and takes Sleep, Skarmory, who can also set up entry hazards and use Whirlwind to shuffle, Abomasnow, whose Hail nullifies Leftovers and is a great SubSeeder, Cresselia, a great mixed wall, or Lugia, a great physical that counters Groudon, Rayquaza, and Garchomp very well. There are a few Pokémon a stall team must watch out for however, mixed Palkia, Dialga, and Rayquaza can all be very dangerous to the non-mixed walls. Certain varieties of Rayquaza, such as the Dragon Dance version with Overheat can bowl through a weakened stall team. The final two threats are two Substitute Calm Minders, Kyogre and Giratina-O. Both can boost their Special Attack and Defense to extraordinary levels with Calm Mind and protect themselves from status with Substitute, making Calm Mind/Psych Up Blissey the only way to stop them. Giratina-O is generally more threatening, because it has Levitate, so it avoids Spikes and Toxic Spikes, which can wear Kyogre down. There is also a variety of stall teams called "Quick Stall", in which fast Pokémon are used to set up entry hazards, like in Deoxys-S' case, or annoy and stall out the opponent, such as Jumpluff. Stall Teams are good for some, as they require a bit less prediction, but their only way to victory is through a long match, which gives your opponent many potential chances to set up and wipe you out.</p>
<p>Another type of play forms itself around the use of the dual screens: Reflect and Light Screen. This type of play can be further sub-divided into Baton Pass and Screen Offensive, both of which use dual screens to cushion blows, however what they do behind these screens is slightly different. In Screen Offense, Reflect and Light Screen are used solely to help a normal Offensive team to run its course. Pokémon that would normally make good checks or counters would now fail because they only hit the Pokémon they wish to counter for half damage. For example, a Dragon Dance Rayquaza behind a Reflect can set up and sweep before the normal counter of a Groudon can down it with a Dragon Claw. These teams are slightly harder to take down, as they can not be destroyed with only brute force. One must stall out or break the screens with Brick Break, and then proceed from there like a normal offensive team. However, the drawback to this sort of team is that it requires a dedicated Dual Screener, so as far as offense goes, the team really only has five players. Baton Pass, the other type of dual screen play, is just as deadly as it is rare, which is very. What makes Baton Pass so successful in Ubers is the combination of two Pokémon: Deoxys-S and Mew. Deoxys-S, being the fastest Pokémon in the game, makes it easy to set up entry hazards, which will weaken potential counters to the Pokémon who will receive the boosts. Mew, however, is the glue that holds the team together. Mew is the ultimate baton passer, as it can pass +2 of whatever stat it chooses. Dual Screens are set up to protect Mew as it boosts its stats to obscene levels, and then passes these boosts to a sweeper, which is almost unstoppable after receiving these gifts. Generally, these boosts will be given to a physical Pokémon, such as Groudon, as there is no central physical wall, unlike how Blissey and Latias are the "end-all special walls". Baton Pass teams are phenomenally hard to counter, but it is possible. A team like this has one strategy and one strategy only: to prepare the sweeper. The way to counter this is by using smart switching and prediction in order to disrupt the opponent's course of play, making him or her unable to get a sweep ready. Since each Pokémon plays a key role in such a team, but fainting even one of the members of a Baton Pass team, one has essential halted the process that the team is designed to fulfill. However, one must definitely take this into account when constructing a team. Baton Pass teams are some of the most well thought-out and deadly sweeping teams, regardless of whether or not one is prepared for them.</p>
<h2><a name="teambuilding">Team Building</a></h2>
<p>A checklist and a sample team to help you create your own uber team</p>
<h3><a name="checklist">Ubers Team Checklist</a></h3>
<p>When you are playing in the Ubers metagame, make sure you have most of these covered. Use this checklist as a guide to build your team. Even if an Ubers team do not have some or these, it is still important that the team needs to cover a vast majority of threats, and some are more important than others</p>
<dl>
<dt>Have Key resistances.</dt>
<dd>A misnomer in most Ubers teams is that you must have a physical and special wall. However, this is not the case, instead you need resistances to the following types: Dragon-, Water-, Ice-, Ground-, Electric-, Dark-, Normal-, and Ghost-types. These are by and far the most common attacks in Ubers. Types like Grass and Bug are much more uncommon than the others, because they hit only some of Ubers threats, which can be a big drawback in constructing a good moveset (see “Maximizing Moves”).</dd>
<dt>Have a Strong physical sweeper, better if resistant to Ice or Electric, or have a high special defense to be able to absorb those two types.</dt>
<dd>You will need something to stop Blissey, otherwise she will wall your entire team. Pokemon like Rayquaza cannot switch into Blissey directly due to Ice Beam and Thunder, but after a Swords Dance or Dragon Dance (or any other boosting move), they can blow through Blissey, either sweeping themselves, or opening a sweep for other special sweepers. Certain physical threats such as Metagross or Scizor are also good for their ability to switch directly into Blissey. The most important trait though its that they’re physical.</dd>
<dt>Have a special sweeper.</dt>
<dd>Physical walls may not be common in Ubers, but they do exist; however, as a majority of the Ubers are special attackers, you’d most likely end up using two or three anyway.</dd>
<dt>Have a pseudo hazer (phazer).</dt>
<dd>This isn’t as necessary as the others, since Ninjask is the only thing that would really lose its Baton Passing abilities when phazed. Don’t even think about phazing Mew; it will probably Taunt you anyway.</dd>
<dt>Have a counter or check to most of the Pokémon described.</dt>
<dd>That would be all Ubers, Metagross, Blissey, Heatran, Forretress, Skarmory, Magnezone, Ninjask and Weavile. It is impossible to fully counter everything, as some, such as Palkia, does not have a real counter. It is advised that you get close to countering all of them as possible, however. You must have something to switch into the common Ubers attacks, such as a Kyogre’s Water Spout, or a Rayquaza’s Outrage. Pokemon that are faster than Kyogre and have good Special Defense work well, such as Latias or Palkia, whereas most physical walls not weak to Dragon will work for Rayquaza, but it is generally better to outspeed it as well (examples are Groudon or Lugia). One of the biggest newbie mistakes is to switch Blissey into Specs Kyogre’s Water Spout. Remember, Blissey is 2HKOed by the beast, making it a very bad switch-in.</dd>
<dt>Have a sleep talker/absorber.</dt>
<dd>There are two Ubers capable of using sleep moves: Darkrai and Mew. Due to the Uber metagame’s speed and pace, losing a Pokémon to a sleep move can be fatal to your team. It is important to keep your Pokémon from fainting until it has done its job. A sleep absorber in this metagame is more important than in the OU metagame. For newer players, a Sleep absorber uses the move Sleep Talk to take the status condition sleep and activate Sleep Clause (a standard rule that states one may only put one opposing Pokémon to sleep at a time); Sleep Talk is so it's not completely useless while sleeping.</dd>
<dt>Have a Rapid Spinner.</dt>
<dd>Spinning helps you get your Ho-oh, Lugia, and Rayquaza onto the field. However, in the Uber metagame, the only Pokémon that should be considered for spinning is Forretress, who can be a keystone in the Uber metagame, as it can otherwise help physical walling, setting up your own entry hazards, and soaking up Outrages, and possibly Exploding.</dd>
<dt>Have a Spiker, Toxic Spiker, and/or Stealth Rocker.</dt>
<dd>One has a few options here: Skarmory, Forretress, Deoxys-D can learn Spikes and Stealth Rock. Other Pokémon that learns Stealth Rock but not Spikes are Dialga, Groudon, Blissey, Heatran and Metagross. Stealth Rock will help you weaken things like Lugia, Ho-oh and Rayquaza, while Spikes hurt everything that’s on the ground. The only Pokémon viable in Ubers that learns Toxic Spikes is Forretress, making it a key player in stall teams, or teams that need residual damage. This is not mandatory, but it will certainly be helpful.</dd>
<dt>Have a weather changer.</dt>
<dd>Tyranitar, Kyogre, Abomasnow, and Groudon are the main weather changers in Uber play. They will help one against teams who rely on weather to win, and those kind of teams can be very dangerous unless the weather is changed. Even if you only have one weather changer, a simple change in weather can impact the game significantly.</dd>
</dl>
<h3><a name="sampleteam">Sample Team</a></h3>
<p>This is a sample team that follows most of the guidelines. However, this is a disclaimer associated with this sample team. <strong>Creating your own team is a great way of learning the metagame, and thus in order to get better with Ubers, you should make your own team after a few rounds with this one.</strong></p>
<h4>The Lead</h4>
<pre>
Scizor @ Lum Berry
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 10 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower
</pre>
<p>Scizor is a wonderful lead for the current metagame. With the above moveset, Scizor deals with the two most common leads: Darkrai and Deoxys-S. Superpower is fairly obvious, hitting the Choice Scarf Darkrai for an OHKO. Deoxys-S leads fear Pursuit followed by U-turn, which can be used to get Forretress in to spin away entry hazards. Scizor also stays around for most of the match, taking Dragon-type attacks and giving our team some much needed priority thanks to Bullet Punch. Scizor works well in conjunction with the rest of the team, attracting Fire- and Electric-type attacks that Giratina-O can switch in on. Lum Berry can be replaced with Chesto, but it's best to not let Scizor get any kind of harmful status on it, such as burn, as then it ruins Bullet Punch's power. EVs are pretty standard, giving Scizor a Stealth Rock number, meaning it can switch in more times than not, while pumping Special Defense. The rest of the EVs were just placed in Attack.</p>
<h4>The Set-Up Aide</h4>
<pre>
Wobbuffet @ Leftovers
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Def / 228 SpD
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
- Encore
- Counter
- Mirror Coat
- Safeguard
</pre>
<p>Wobbuffet has a ton of very helpful moves, which not only helps it gain a KO, but also set up other Pokémon. The moves are as straightforward for Wobbuffet as it can get. Encore something the opponent does, then use one of the other three moves. Safeguard if the opponent is locked into a status move, Mirror Coat if it's a special attack or Counter if it is a physical attack. Wobbuffet is extremely hard to OHKO and is almost guaranteed a KO or two per match. It helps out by letting Giratina-O get in, which in turn also allows Giratina-O to get a Substitute up when the Encored Pokémon switches out. The EVs on this set are a bit different than the norm, as Wobbuffet can take special attacks a bit better, but is still unfortunately 2HKOed by a Groudon's Earthquake.</p>
<h4>The Mixed Sweeper and Kyogre Counter</h4>
<pre>
Palkia @ Lustrous Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature (+Spe, -Def)
- Outrage
- Fire Blast
- Aqua Tail
- Spacial Rend
</pre>
<p>Mixed Palkia is one of the most underrated Pokémon in the Ubers metagame. Palkia can rip through stall teams, and can be quite a handful when it comes to predicting it. This set works as a bluff early game, Palkia's Spacial Rend will deal the same damage as a Standard Choice Scarf Palkia's and will fool your opponent into thinking that you are running a Choice Scarf set. The next best part of this set that as a Blissey switches into your Spacial Rend, and it is raining, then Aqua Tail is a OHKO on her, eliminating her from the match before she gets a chance to harm your team in any way. Fire Blast is obviously there for Steel-types who come in to absorb your Dragon-type attacks, while Outrage is to 2HKO any Kyogre set, while also threatening potential Garchomp switch-ins, normally invited by Thunder. Palkia works as a safe switch in for Specs Kyogre, who otherwise will break through this team.</p>
<h4>The Set-Up Sweeper</h4>
<pre>
Giratina-O @ Griseous Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 86 HP / 216 SpA / 94 SpD / 112 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Shadow Ball
</pre>
<p>Giratina-O is an incredibly underrated special sweeper and is often overlooked for more well-known candidates such as Kyogre or Palkia. However, its impressive Special Attack stat combined with its ample bulk allow it to be a tremendous threat. Giratina-O can come in on an Encored attack from Wobbuffet and start Calm Minding behind a sub, which can become hard to halt. Because of its Ghost-typing, it is immune to Blissey's Seismic Tosses, and Levitate grants it immunity to pesky Toxic Spikes and Spikes. This, combined with the ability to survived a Dragon Pulse from Latias even before a Calm Mind, make even stall fall before its boosted hits. Giratina-O also provides for a much welcome Ground-type immunity.</p>
<h4>The Revenge Killer and Normal-type Resister</h4>
<pre>
Dialga @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Thunder
- Aura Sphere
</pre>
<p>Dialga is often relegated to the role of support or defense, but it can also really shine as a revenge killer. Dialga packs the same terrifying base 150 Special Attack as Palkia, but falls behind by 10 base Speed. With the Choice Scarf, this is remedied, as it outspeeds a lot of its normal counters. This set has two major advantages over another revengers like Palkia or Garchomp. First, Dialga’s Steel-type buys it a lot of useful resistances, such as neutrality to Ice and Dragon and a resistance to Dark. Second, the Steel-type also allows for it to be a great counter to the deadly Swords Dance Rayquaza, who is outsped and OHKOed, and cannot kill with Extremespeed, as Dialga resists it.</p>
<h4>The Physical Wall and Supporter</h4>
<pre>
Forretress @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Def / 244 SpD
Impish (+Def, -SAtk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Payback
</pre>
<p>Forretress provides the important entry hazards that make any offensive team work. Stealth Rock is insanely important, as it wears down walls like Lugia, and potent threats such as Rayquaza. It also breaks potential Focus Sashes. Toxic Spikes allows certain defensive threats, such as Blissey or Groudon, to wear down faster, especially when Giratina-O or Palkia is hammering them with powerful attacks. It also limits the time that offensive threats can stay in, such as Darkrai. Forretress also provides a handy Dragon-type resist to combat Pokémon like Garchomp. Rapid Spin turns away Spikes and Toxic Spikes.</p>
<h3><a name="teamcheck">Team check?</a></h3>
<p>This is an evaluation of the sample team. Do they all come together?</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Have switch-ins to the major Ubers?</strong> Yes</li>
<li><strong>Have a special sweeper?</strong> Yes (Giratina-O, Palkia and Dialga)</li>
<li><strong>Have a physical sweeper?</strong> Yes (Palkia and Scizor)</li>
<li><strong>Have resistances to Dragon, Ice, Electric, Psychic, Dark, Ghost, Bug, Fighting, Ground, Water, Fire, Steel and Rock?</strong> The team resists them all.</li>
<li><strong>Have a Spinner?</strong> Yes (Forretress).</li>
<li><strong>Have a phazer?</strong> No, but since Ninjask is the only Baton passer in Ubers that can be phazed (Mew can Taunt), and is rather uncommon due to the appearance of Stealth Rock, it is not much of a deal.</li>
<li><strong>Have a weather changer?</strong> No, but the team doesn't particularly need either type of weather.</li>
<li><strong>Have a Spiker/Stealth Rocker?</strong> Yes (Forretress)</li>
<li><strong>Have a sleep talker?</strong> No, but Scizor has a Lum Berry. Also, a good portion of Darkrai are leads, which Scizor takes care of.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a name="threatlist">Threat List</a></h3>
<p>The threat list that will also help in the creation of a solid Uber team. Remember, a counter must be able to switch into a Pokémon with little or no risk to itself and threaten to deal immediate and major damage or set up without much risk to itself.</p>
<h4>Ubers</h4>
<dl>
<dt>Mewtwo</dt>
<dd>Scizor’s U-turn rips it apart and Bullet Punch can take care of weakened ones. It can also take an Aura Sphere if need be. Dialga can revenge kill it.</dd>
<dt>Mew</dt>
<dd>Nothing honestly counters this, as its movepool is enormous. Giratina-O can hit it with Shadow Ball and Dialga can finish weakened ones with Dragon Pulse.</dd>
<dt>Wobbuffet</dt>
<dd>If you can’t switch out, you can’t counter it. Therefore, Wobbuffet is impossible to counter.</dd>
<dt>Lugia</dt>
<dd>Wobbuffet turns Lugia into set-up bait, or just kills it outright with Mirror Coat. Dialga can Thunder it, and Forretress can use Payback while resisting Ice Beam.</dd>
<dt>Ho-oh</dt>
<dd>Palkia stops it completely. Watch out for Sacred Fire’s chance of burning Palkia though.</dd>
<dt>Latios and Latias</dt>
<dd>Scizor resists their STAB attacks and can take them down with STAB U-turn or trap them with Pursuit. Wobbuffet can Mirror Coat them to death, and can also turn Latias into set-up bait if it encores Recover.</dd>
<dt>Kyogre</dt>
<dd>Palkia 4x resists its weapon of choice, Surf/Water Spout, and can force it out by bluffing Thunder or using Outrage.</dd>
<dt>Groudon</dt>
<dd>Forretress can take unboosted attacks, and Giratina-O is immune to Earthquake while hitting back on Groudon's weaker Special Defense. Wobbuffet can Counter an Earthquake or Encore a stat-up/support move to turn it into set-up bait.</dd>
<dt>Rayquaza</dt>
<dd>Swords Dance versions can be taken by Dialga, who resists Extremespeed and outspeeds other moves, OHKOing with Draco Meteor. Dragon Dance must be predicted around.</dd>
<dt>Deoxys-A</dt>
<dd>Scizor’s Bullet Punch kills it if it stays in, whereas Pursuit kills it should it switch out. Dialga can come in on non-Superpower attacks and kill it with Dragon Pulse.</dd>
<dt>Deoxys-D</dt>
<dd>Wobbuffet turns this into complete set-up bait, and can use it to prime Giratina-O. Palkia can also take this down with boosted Aqua Tails and Spacial Rends. Scizor can come in and Pursuit it. In all cases, however, watch out for Knock Off.</dd>
<dt>Deoxys-S</dt>
<dd>Deoxys-S is almost always a lead, which Scizor deals with with Bullet Punch, U-turn, and Pursuit. Non-leads can be dealt with by Giratina-O (if it doesn't have Shadow Ball) or Dialga. Forretress can spin away its entry hazards.</dd>
<dt>Palkia</dt>
<dd>Palkia has no true counter, therefore you must find out what set its running first, much like Salamence in OU. Non-Scarf versions are outsped by Dialga and KOed with a Dragon Pulse. Scarf versions require prediction to work around.</dd>
<dt>Dialga</dt>
<dd>Wobbuffet can Mirror Coat any attack back at Dialga, provided its not holding Choice Specs. It can also turn a support version into set-up bait. Scizor can 2HKO with Superpower, provided Dialga doesn’t have too many HP or Defense EVs.</dd>
<dt>Giratina</dt>
<dd>Dialga mauls it with Draco Meteor, and the same with Palkia’s Spacial Rend, but be careful of letting Palkia getting burned. Again, Wobbuffet can deal with any Giratina with an attacking move other than Dragon Claw, as Counter does not hit it. Giratina-O can out speed it and Dragon Pulse it.</dd>
<dt>Darkrai</dt>
<dd>Most Darkrai are leads, so Scizor can use Superpower and then Bullet Punch to kill it, while it resists Dark Pulse and Lum Berry cures sleep. If it’s not a lead, let Scizor absorb the sleep with its Lum Berry, then Bullet Punch it, and let Dialga revenge kill what’s left.</dd>
<dt>Manaphy</dt>
<dd>Palkia can 2HKO with Outrage, and Wobbuffet deals with it nicely by Mirror Coating or Encoring.</dd>
<dt>Garchomp</dt>
<dd>Wobbuffet can Counter any Choice version. Forretress can take anything Garchomp can throw at it.</dd>
<dt>Giratina-O</dt>
<dd>Dialga can drill it with a Dragon-type move. Palkia out speeds it and can kill it with Outrage, and Forretress resists its moves while replying with Payback.</dd>
<dt>Shaymin-S</dt>
<dd>Difficult to counter. Scizor can Bullet Punch it to finish off weak versions, or to break a Substitute. Then Dialga can revenge kill it with Dragon Pulse.</dd>
</dl>
<h4>Non ubers</h4>
<dl>
<dt>Metagross</dt>
<dd>Scizor resists its STAB moves and can U-turn into Wobbuffet. Forretress can take whatever Metagross can dish out, and Dialga can hurt it with Aura Sphere. Palkia can resist Bullet Punch and hit it with Fire Blast or Aqua Tail.</dd>
<dt>Blissey</dt>
<dd>Wobbuffet turns her into set-up bait for Giratina-O, who can also take her one-on-one. Palkia OHKOes with Aqua Tail in the Rain.</dd>
<dt>Heatran</dt>
<dd>Palkia's Aqua Tail does it in. Dialga can revenge kill it with Aura Sphere</dd>
<dt>Weavile</dt>
<dd>Scizor’s Bullet Punch or Dialga’s Aura Sphere both destroy it.</dd>
<dt>Tyranitar</dt>
<dd>Dialga resists its STABs and hits back with Aura Sphere. Scizor can Bullet Punch it.</dd>
<dt>Skarmory</dt>
<dd>Dialga’s Thunder and Palkia’s Fire Blast both do it in. Wobbuffet turns it into set-up bait.</dd>
<dt>Forretress</dt>
<dd>Palkia obliterates it with Fire Blast and Dialga with Thunder or Aura Sphere. If Wobbuffet Encores anything but Payback, Giratina-O gets a free switch in and stat-up turn.</dd>
<dt>Magnezone</dt>
<dd>Wobbuffet can take most of its attacks. Palkia takes it out with Fire Blast.</dd>
<dt>Ninjask</dt>
<dd>This is more about countering the Pokémon it will pass to, but you don’t know what. Scizor can hammer away with Bullet Punch so it can’t pass anything but Speed. Then switch to the appropriate counter for the recipient, as it will not have a Substitute or Attack boost.</dd>
<dt>Heracross</dt>
<dd>Forretress can take any of its attacks. Palkia can hit it with Fire Blast and Wobbuffet can Counter any move beside Megahorn.</dd>
<dt>All Chlorophyll Pokémon</dt>
<dd>Dialga can take their STAB Grass-type attacks and hurt them with Dragon-type moves. Otherwise, Palkia can try and hurt them with Fire Blast.</dd>
<dt>Shedinja</dt>
<dd>Scizor Pursuits it or Palkia Fire Blasts it. Once Stealth Rock is set up, it’s dead in the water.</dd>
<dt>Swift Swimmers</dt>
<dd>Hit them with powerful moves like Dialga’s Draco Meteor and Palkia’s Spacial Rend and Outrage, both of whom resist Water-type attacks.</dd>
<dt>Jirachi</dt>
<dd>Palkia can also hit it with Fire Blast or Aqua Tail. Wobbuffet can deal with most versions. Giratina-O can set up and beat it with Shadow Ball.</dd>
<dt>Bronzong</dt>
<dd>Wobuffet outspeeds it, so you can Encore a move to set up on. Giratina-O can set up and Shadow Ball it. Palkia can use either of its non-Dragon moves and so can Dialga.</dd>
<dt>Lucario</dt>
<dd>Dialga can Aura Sphere it because it resists Extremespeed.</dd>
<dt>Gengar</dt>
<dd>Scizor can come in on most of its moves and Bullet Punch or Pursuit it. Dialga can Dragon Pulse it.</dd>
<dt>Abomasnow</dt>
<dd>Palkia can ruin Christmas by burning the tree with Fire Blast. Scizor can also U-turn it.</dd>
<dt>Quagsire</dt>
<dd>Strong Dragon-type moves from Palkia or Dialga hurt it badly.</dd>
<dt>Mamoswine</dt>
<dd>Scizor's Bullet Punch, Wobbuffet has Counter, and any of Palkia or Dialga's moves.</dd>
<dt>Registeel</dt>
<dd>Although it has large defenses, it has no way of replenishing its health, so chip away at its health with Dragon Pulse from Giratina-O, who is also immune to Explosion and can block status. Weakened versions can also be picked off by Dialga's Aura Sphere.</dd>
</dl>
<h4>Team Notes</h4>
<p>This team is more about setting up and executing your own strategy as opposed to countering every Uber out there. Look out for potential openings to switch in Giratina-O to start setting up, whether it be with or without Wobbuffet's assistance.</p>
<h2><a name="trickroom">The Trick Room Factor</a></h2>
<p>In Ubers, Pokémon are generally EVed to outspeed other Pokémon. Examples are Lugia being trained to outspeed Groudon and Rayquaza, and Latias being trained to outspeed Palkia. Trick Room reverses all of these, making the attempts at outspeeding useless since faster Pokémon will move last in Trick Room conditions. Therefore, hard-hitting and slow-moving Pokémon work extremely well under Trick Room. Some of these Pokémon are Dialga, Giratina-O, Kyogre, or Groudon. However, Trick Room strategy has a big drawback in that it only lasts for four turns, including the turn it is set up. Therefore, one must appropriately pack enough Trick Room users to keep the strategy alive throughout the battle.</p>
<p>Why would one use a turn and a moveslot to set up Trick Room, especially when time and space are such necessary commodities in Ubers? Trick Room can allow powerful but slow Pokémon such as Groudon or Dialga to make an impact. Of course, Pokémon that can set up Trick Room safely are also necessary. Usually, Pokémon that are used to set up Trick Room in Ubers are sturdy specimens such as Dialga, who is arguably the best Trick Roomer, due to its fortuitous Dragon-/Steel-typing and defensive stats. Obviously, one would not leave the Trick Rooming to something such as Deoxys-A.</p>
<h2><a name="arceus">The Arceus Factor — #493</a></h2>
<p>As of now, Arceus is not technically allowed in Ubers, as it has not been officially released by Nintendo, making it impossible to be attained without the used of an external cheating device. Therefore, one does not have to build teams with it in mind, unless one decides to play with the Extended Game clause.</p>
<p>However, in July of 2009, Nintendo will release the beast, making it legal in Standard Ubers play. Although Arceus will be released at level 100, meaning it will only be able to have 100 EVs in a given stat, it will still be a potent threat, especially with the promotional moves Roar of Time, Spacial Rend, and Shadow Force. The Main sets will most likely be a Swords Dance “Extremekiller”, Physical Ghost set, and a Steel Calm Mind set. The Extremekiller will take advantage of Arceus massive base 120 Attack and Normal-type STAB without the need of a type Plate. With a Swords Dance, STAB, Life Orb, and its massive Attack, Arceus’s Extremespeeds will be something to fear. A great counter to this set is Giratina, who is immune to Extremespeeds and can cut Arceus’s Attack with Will-O-Wisp. Due to Arceus having the special promotional move of Shadow Force, a Ghost-type physical sweeper instantly becomes very plausible. The set is terrifying itself, as with Brick Break, nothing can resists Arceus’s moves, and it is also immune to Extremespeed, which would otherwise make it much easier to pick off. Shadow Force’s turn of invincibility also makes it much harder to hit or cripple Arceus, OHKOing practically everything outside of a Groudon. Groudon can cripple Arceus with Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp, but it must be careful of Shadow Force’s invulnerability or a Substitute. The final of the most effective sets is a Steel-type Calm Mind Set. By using Calm Mind, Arceus can boost its already massive Special Attack and Special Defense to ridiculous levels, and use it to unleash STAB Judgements. While Steel may not be the best offensive type, it allows Arceus to be immune to Toxic, which would be Blissey’s best way of dealing with it. With Roar and Recover, Arceus can function very well as a Bulky sweeper. The best way to take down this Arceus would be to use a fast Physical attacker, or one that can take a hit, such as Groudon.</p>
<h2><a name="additionalhelp">Additional Help</a></h2>
<p>If, after reading this guide, you feel that your Ubers skills are still lacking, there are some resources on Smogon’s forums that can aid you in team building or just general comprehension of the metagame. There’s the <a href="/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=84">Rate My Team Archive</a>, where great teams are saved, including Ubers teams, which can aid you in building a team. You can also use the <a href="/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=57">Warstory Archive</a> to get ideas for teams, and also to see how an Ubers match plays out. There's also the <a href="/forums/showthread.php?t=52261">Project Uber</a> thread in Stark Mountain, and, while it’s currently closed, it still has many pages on the uses of non-Uber Pokémon, including sets, in the Ubers metagame. Furthermore, there is a more <a href="/forums/showthread.php?t=49710">general thread</a> on Ubers, which contains some basic answers and strategies in the Ubers metagame. Finally, you can stop by the <a href="/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42">Battling 101 Forum</a>, and sign up for Ubers tutoring when a new round starts.</p>
