Fear my Smeargle! (Ubers TR)
Introduction:
I usually play OU, but I have presented here one of my forays into Ubers. This smeargle set had been posted in QC, and it inspired me to create a team based on taking advantage of it and its unique place in Ubers. I'm still adapting to the metagame, but generally have most of the threats covered.
Ubers is a very speed-oriented and offensive metagame, and many teams find themselves unprepared for Trick Room. With it, I have climbed over 1500 on the ladder, beating many players on the leaderboard. Without further ado, I give you: Fear the Smeargle!
The Team
Smeargle (M) @ Focus Sash
Level 1
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 4 HP/252 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Trick Room
- Dragon Rage
- Endeavor
Rarely is the star of the team the lead, but this is one of those situations. Smeargle poses an immediate threat to the opposing team, and has good matchups against Lead Kyogre, Groudon, and Dialga. (TR and then Spore/Endeavor [if Lum is probable]) It faces a poor matchup against Darkrai and Shaymin-S and a fair matchup against the ubiquitous Deoxys-S. Against most Deoxys-S, I Endeavor then coin flip for Dragon Rage/Trick Room (if they did not taunt the first turn). Generally they Taunt first, forcing them to choose between breaking my sash and setting up hazards.
If smeargle survives into lategame, he can come in during Trick Room and either sleep a threat or deal some damage with Endeavor. If his sash is still intact, he can even attempt to setup TR again. Against teams with no ghosts and a non-sleep/non-taunt lead, Smeargle can easily incapacitate or KO 3 pokemon, sleeping the lead, endeavoring the second and finishing it off with Dragon Rage, and Endeavoring a third before finally going down. Sadly, there are a few counters to this, such as switching in Scizor on the second turn and Bullet Punching Smeargle after being Endeavored.
Smeargle starts off the game with tremendous momentum, posing such an immediate threat that many opponents will forego SR in order to break its sash.
Ho-oh @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 224 HP/252 Atk/32 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Roost
- Earthquake
My answer to Darkrai and Shaymin-S, who both give Smeargle problems. Also a good answer to Giratina and Giratina-O, who both switch into Smeargle with impunity after something has been slept. Smeargle causes pokemon such as lead Groudon to forego Stealth Rock, allowing Ho-Oh to come in without losing 50% on the switch.
Ho-Oh's massively powerful Brave Bird has a good chance to KO min/min Kyogre, even without SR support. It takes on Taunt Mewto and is also a good answer to Lati@s, which are threatening to the team if Bronzong has gone down. Ho-Oh provides an offensive threat while patching up the two leads that Smeargle fares poorly against.
EVs outspeed Adamant Tyranitar and Defensive Kyogre outside of TR. I'm also considering moving EVs to Special Defense and Running Brave 0 Speed.
Kyogre @ Life Orb
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SAtk
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Waterfall
My main TR sweeper. With the ability to 2HKO the entire metagame, the opponent will be hard pressed to find something to stop this under TR. Also can take a hit outside TR, if necessary. Waterfall catches Blissey for a surprise, as well as preventing me from being revenged by Wobbuffet who assume I only have special attacks. The main problem here is that TR just doesn't last long enough. With 1 turn gone at the setup and another on the switch, you only get 3 turns to tear a significant hole in your opponent.
Kyogre's impressive bulk allows him to take most any neutral physical attack and almost any special attack, while many threats get OHKO'ed back. He's often my second most valuable player after Smeargle, often netting 2 kills before going down.
Water Spout was considered, but it makes Kyogre a lot more vulnerable to priority and loses power quickly with Life Orb taking its toll. Often Kyogre will be damaged from taking down one foe, and it's important to hit the incoming foe with a powerful hit. Waterfall is indispensible to deal with Blissey and Wobbuffet to an extent, and the other moves are needed for coverage.
Dialga @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 180 HP/76 Atk/252 SAtk
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Outrage
- Trick Room
Secondary TR sweeper and TR supporter. Also taken from an analysis under write-up, and a terror under TR. EV'ed to survive a Specs Water Spout after SR, though of course it can't switch in directly. Dragon has great coverage and many are surprised to be hit by an Outrage when I'm -2 after a Draco Meteor. Flamethrower is primarily for Scizor, who can outspeed me under Trick Room, even with Quiet and 0 IVs.
Dialga plays a crucial role in setting up my second/third guaranteed Trick Room and is the only thing stopping Specs Ogre from annihilating my entire team when TR is down (switching out of Darkrai will allow it to come back later). If faced by a Scizor, Ho-Oh can come in with near impunity and keep sweeping.
Wobbuffet can switch in on the TR and Encore it, stealing all my momentum and giving my opponent the chance to setup. Tyranitars are also sometimes an issue, and Outrage doesn't hit them as hard as I'd like it to.
Bronzong @ Macho Brace
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SDef
Sassy nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- Gyro Ball
Bronzong my most reliable Trick Roomer, and a great switch into most Dragons and Groudon. It mainly just Trick Rooms then explodes, but it's damn good at its job. With max HP and Special Defense, it can take a Scarfed Kyogre's Water Spout, or 2 Thunders from Timid Specs Dialga. It's also a good check to Rayquaza, which would otherwise trouble my team. Gyro Ball with Macho Brace hits most Ubers with 150 base power (225 after STAB), including hitting Giratina-O harder than a super effective Payback.
I also considered Haban Palkia for this role, as it can also setup Trick Room against a variety of threats. However, Bronzong is a far more reliable Trick Roomer and a great check to the Dragons of the tier. One key advantage of Bronzong is that it outspeeds Wobbuffet under Trick Room, meaning that a single well played Wobbuffet cannot come in repeatedly and foil my attempts to Trick Room.
Darkrai @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 52 HP/204 Spd/252 SAt
Modest nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Dark Pulse
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
Finally, we have Darkrai! I needed something to go to if TR is down, something that can shut down a bunch of threats so that I can get TR back up again. Darkrai provides that. He checks DD Ray and a host of other threats, protecting the team against a sweep and allowing me to regain momentum with TR. Standard coverage moves here allow me to hit a wide variety of threats.
Lategame Darkrai can come in and sweep with his impressive coverage and blistering speed. Stiff competition for this slot came from Mewtwo and Shaymin-S, who can also run scarf sets. However, Mewtwo is twice as vulnerable to Wobbuffet, who already gives Dialga problems, and Shaymin-S doesn't boast nearly the same impressive coverage. Great neutral coverage on Dark Pulse is essential to prevent being setup on should I reveal Darkrai midgame.
Strategy Against Different Team Types
Offense
Offense is the most common team type, and the easiest matchup for this team. Momentum is essential, and luckily my Trick Roomers are designed to setup TR against a wide variety of threats. Dialga can setup against Kyogre; Bronzong can setup against dragons and Groudon. Once Trick Room is up, opponents have a hard time sacrificing to Kyogre and Dialga. Darkrai cleans up well with its stellar coverage and speed.
Balanced
A difficult matchup, as many OHKOs become 2HKOs, stalling out my TR turns. Additionally, there's the threat that opposing sweepers can come in while TR is down, forcing me to sacrifice to the point where I cannot break their defensive core. Changes on Ho-Oh might aid this, perhaps to a Sub-stall set, but I haven't tested it. Presence of Giratina-O severely limits Smeargle's damage earlygame, making this a difficult matchup.
Stall
Here's a situation where Leftovers on Bronzong might be useful. Protect Blissey stalls out Trick Room turns and scouts Outrage on Dialga, which is a real issue. If their Giratina goes down or becomes incapacitated, Smeargle might be able to come in later and cause some damage. Luckily Smeargle prevents lead Forretress/Dialga from getting down hazards early, reducing residual damage somewhat as I switch around. Perhaps giving Kyogre Calm Mind might help here?
Baton Pass
Getting Trick Room up ensures that opponents cannot outspeed me after the pass, but Ninjask is surely a terror with Protect to stall out TR turns. Thankfully, I haven't run into many of these, though I could easily switch Roost for Whirlwind if Ninjask becomes an issue. Also, in rain Bronzong can take any attack from a +2 Groudon, allowing it to get TR back up again and explode.
Conclusion
I've had some good success with this team, climbing close to the top 50 on the ladder, but I know I can do even better with a few improvements. Smeargle has the potential to take down or otherwise incapacitate up to 3 pokemon, so if my opponent plays his lead incorrectly, he's just screwed. Trick Room is a dangerous force in Ubers, and getting one off lategame can turn something like a 3v2 into a win. Taunt is an issue sometimes, and Wobbuffet can sometimes come in and Encore Dialga, causing a massive headache and/or possibly burning all my TR PP. Defensively, the team is relatively sturdy, but faces the same dilemmas of other TR teams. Lead Darkrai are guaranteed to shut one of my Pokemon down, which is not fun. If the enemy team is able to force Smeargle out and get rocks down, I start having issues. The fact that my own Rocks often don't go down is another problem. Trick Room easily gets stalled out by switches, and good players will sacrifice during TR knowing that I'll be in trouble outside it. I'm open to all suggestions, and I'm just hoping to improve as a player. Thanks in advance for your rates!
Fear. The. Smear.
Introduction:
I usually play OU, but I have presented here one of my forays into Ubers. This smeargle set had been posted in QC, and it inspired me to create a team based on taking advantage of it and its unique place in Ubers. I'm still adapting to the metagame, but generally have most of the threats covered.
Ubers is a very speed-oriented and offensive metagame, and many teams find themselves unprepared for Trick Room. With it, I have climbed over 1500 on the ladder, beating many players on the leaderboard. Without further ado, I give you: Fear the Smeargle!
The Team
Smeargle (M) @ Focus Sash
Level 1
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 4 HP/252 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Trick Room
- Dragon Rage
- Endeavor
Rarely is the star of the team the lead, but this is one of those situations. Smeargle poses an immediate threat to the opposing team, and has good matchups against Lead Kyogre, Groudon, and Dialga. (TR and then Spore/Endeavor [if Lum is probable]) It faces a poor matchup against Darkrai and Shaymin-S and a fair matchup against the ubiquitous Deoxys-S. Against most Deoxys-S, I Endeavor then coin flip for Dragon Rage/Trick Room (if they did not taunt the first turn). Generally they Taunt first, forcing them to choose between breaking my sash and setting up hazards.
If smeargle survives into lategame, he can come in during Trick Room and either sleep a threat or deal some damage with Endeavor. If his sash is still intact, he can even attempt to setup TR again. Against teams with no ghosts and a non-sleep/non-taunt lead, Smeargle can easily incapacitate or KO 3 pokemon, sleeping the lead, endeavoring the second and finishing it off with Dragon Rage, and Endeavoring a third before finally going down. Sadly, there are a few counters to this, such as switching in Scizor on the second turn and Bullet Punching Smeargle after being Endeavored.
Smeargle starts off the game with tremendous momentum, posing such an immediate threat that many opponents will forego SR in order to break its sash.
Ho-oh @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 224 HP/252 Atk/32 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Roost
- Earthquake
My answer to Darkrai and Shaymin-S, who both give Smeargle problems. Also a good answer to Giratina and Giratina-O, who both switch into Smeargle with impunity after something has been slept. Smeargle causes pokemon such as lead Groudon to forego Stealth Rock, allowing Ho-Oh to come in without losing 50% on the switch.
Ho-Oh's massively powerful Brave Bird has a good chance to KO min/min Kyogre, even without SR support. It takes on Taunt Mewto and is also a good answer to Lati@s, which are threatening to the team if Bronzong has gone down. Ho-Oh provides an offensive threat while patching up the two leads that Smeargle fares poorly against.
EVs outspeed Adamant Tyranitar and Defensive Kyogre outside of TR. I'm also considering moving EVs to Special Defense and Running Brave 0 Speed.
Kyogre @ Life Orb
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SAtk
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Waterfall
My main TR sweeper. With the ability to 2HKO the entire metagame, the opponent will be hard pressed to find something to stop this under TR. Also can take a hit outside TR, if necessary. Waterfall catches Blissey for a surprise, as well as preventing me from being revenged by Wobbuffet who assume I only have special attacks. The main problem here is that TR just doesn't last long enough. With 1 turn gone at the setup and another on the switch, you only get 3 turns to tear a significant hole in your opponent.
Kyogre's impressive bulk allows him to take most any neutral physical attack and almost any special attack, while many threats get OHKO'ed back. He's often my second most valuable player after Smeargle, often netting 2 kills before going down.
Water Spout was considered, but it makes Kyogre a lot more vulnerable to priority and loses power quickly with Life Orb taking its toll. Often Kyogre will be damaged from taking down one foe, and it's important to hit the incoming foe with a powerful hit. Waterfall is indispensible to deal with Blissey and Wobbuffet to an extent, and the other moves are needed for coverage.
Dialga @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 180 HP/76 Atk/252 SAtk
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Outrage
- Trick Room
Secondary TR sweeper and TR supporter. Also taken from an analysis under write-up, and a terror under TR. EV'ed to survive a Specs Water Spout after SR, though of course it can't switch in directly. Dragon has great coverage and many are surprised to be hit by an Outrage when I'm -2 after a Draco Meteor. Flamethrower is primarily for Scizor, who can outspeed me under Trick Room, even with Quiet and 0 IVs.
Dialga plays a crucial role in setting up my second/third guaranteed Trick Room and is the only thing stopping Specs Ogre from annihilating my entire team when TR is down (switching out of Darkrai will allow it to come back later). If faced by a Scizor, Ho-Oh can come in with near impunity and keep sweeping.
Wobbuffet can switch in on the TR and Encore it, stealing all my momentum and giving my opponent the chance to setup. Tyranitars are also sometimes an issue, and Outrage doesn't hit them as hard as I'd like it to.
Bronzong @ Macho Brace
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SDef
Sassy nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- Gyro Ball
Bronzong my most reliable Trick Roomer, and a great switch into most Dragons and Groudon. It mainly just Trick Rooms then explodes, but it's damn good at its job. With max HP and Special Defense, it can take a Scarfed Kyogre's Water Spout, or 2 Thunders from Timid Specs Dialga. It's also a good check to Rayquaza, which would otherwise trouble my team. Gyro Ball with Macho Brace hits most Ubers with 150 base power (225 after STAB), including hitting Giratina-O harder than a super effective Payback.
I also considered Haban Palkia for this role, as it can also setup Trick Room against a variety of threats. However, Bronzong is a far more reliable Trick Roomer and a great check to the Dragons of the tier. One key advantage of Bronzong is that it outspeeds Wobbuffet under Trick Room, meaning that a single well played Wobbuffet cannot come in repeatedly and foil my attempts to Trick Room.
Darkrai @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 52 HP/204 Spd/252 SAt
Modest nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Dark Pulse
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
Finally, we have Darkrai! I needed something to go to if TR is down, something that can shut down a bunch of threats so that I can get TR back up again. Darkrai provides that. He checks DD Ray and a host of other threats, protecting the team against a sweep and allowing me to regain momentum with TR. Standard coverage moves here allow me to hit a wide variety of threats.
Lategame Darkrai can come in and sweep with his impressive coverage and blistering speed. Stiff competition for this slot came from Mewtwo and Shaymin-S, who can also run scarf sets. However, Mewtwo is twice as vulnerable to Wobbuffet, who already gives Dialga problems, and Shaymin-S doesn't boast nearly the same impressive coverage. Great neutral coverage on Dark Pulse is essential to prevent being setup on should I reveal Darkrai midgame.
Strategy Against Different Team Types
Offense
Offense is the most common team type, and the easiest matchup for this team. Momentum is essential, and luckily my Trick Roomers are designed to setup TR against a wide variety of threats. Dialga can setup against Kyogre; Bronzong can setup against dragons and Groudon. Once Trick Room is up, opponents have a hard time sacrificing to Kyogre and Dialga. Darkrai cleans up well with its stellar coverage and speed.
Balanced
A difficult matchup, as many OHKOs become 2HKOs, stalling out my TR turns. Additionally, there's the threat that opposing sweepers can come in while TR is down, forcing me to sacrifice to the point where I cannot break their defensive core. Changes on Ho-Oh might aid this, perhaps to a Sub-stall set, but I haven't tested it. Presence of Giratina-O severely limits Smeargle's damage earlygame, making this a difficult matchup.
Stall
Here's a situation where Leftovers on Bronzong might be useful. Protect Blissey stalls out Trick Room turns and scouts Outrage on Dialga, which is a real issue. If their Giratina goes down or becomes incapacitated, Smeargle might be able to come in later and cause some damage. Luckily Smeargle prevents lead Forretress/Dialga from getting down hazards early, reducing residual damage somewhat as I switch around. Perhaps giving Kyogre Calm Mind might help here?
Baton Pass
Getting Trick Room up ensures that opponents cannot outspeed me after the pass, but Ninjask is surely a terror with Protect to stall out TR turns. Thankfully, I haven't run into many of these, though I could easily switch Roost for Whirlwind if Ninjask becomes an issue. Also, in rain Bronzong can take any attack from a +2 Groudon, allowing it to get TR back up again and explode.
Conclusion
I've had some good success with this team, climbing close to the top 50 on the ladder, but I know I can do even better with a few improvements. Smeargle has the potential to take down or otherwise incapacitate up to 3 pokemon, so if my opponent plays his lead incorrectly, he's just screwed. Trick Room is a dangerous force in Ubers, and getting one off lategame can turn something like a 3v2 into a win. Taunt is an issue sometimes, and Wobbuffet can sometimes come in and Encore Dialga, causing a massive headache and/or possibly burning all my TR PP. Defensively, the team is relatively sturdy, but faces the same dilemmas of other TR teams. Lead Darkrai are guaranteed to shut one of my Pokemon down, which is not fun. If the enemy team is able to force Smeargle out and get rocks down, I start having issues. The fact that my own Rocks often don't go down is another problem. Trick Room easily gets stalled out by switches, and good players will sacrifice during TR knowing that I'll be in trouble outside it. I'm open to all suggestions, and I'm just hoping to improve as a player. Thanks in advance for your rates!
Fear. The. Smear.
