Hello one and all, EonX- here bringing you my 3rd RMT here on Smogon... and my first that isn't RU! Anyway, UU is a tier I really want to stay with in this generation as it seems to be really fun right now. There's quite a few ways to go about battling in XY UU, and as anyone who is familiar with me knows, I love versatility. Anyway, I had a team that was working really well in the beginning of XY UU, but after the tier shifts with the advent of 1760 stats for tiering, the team I had used for most of XY UU was pretty much broken beyond repair (for now at least) With the new Pokemon that had dropped to UU, I decided to start over and make a new team that centered around one of the new Pokemon, Salamence. From there, I slowly built a team that is seemingly able to deal with many of the significant threats in the tier and win in multiple different ways. Although the team started with an offensive mindset, the one of the MVPs of the team really doesn't focus on offense. And this is the point where I tease you and make you read the rest of the RMT to find out which MVP I'm talking about. Anyhow, here's the current team and how it shapes out. Get ready for a fierce, but fluffy team that has served me very well so far in XY UU:
Team Preview:
Team in Detail:
Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Nidoking is a really cool Pokemon in UU right now. It has spectacular coverage in just 3 moves, thus letting run virtually any attack you want to run in the last slot, depending on what your team has more problems with. Anyway, Nidoking was a natural choice when I decided to build around Choice Scarf Salamence as it easily destroys the defensive Steel- and Fairy-type Pokemon that trouble it. Sludge Wave nukes Florges and is generally a safe move to use if I don't feel confident in predicting the opponent's switch-in. Earth Power is a great secondary STAB to smash Steels such as Magnezone, Mega Aggron, and Metagross. It's also nice to catch Mega Ampharos since it can really trouble Tornadus-T. Focus Blast deals with Porygon2 and Umbreon, 2 special walls that can handle Nidoking's STAB moves better than most. Shadow Ball seems like a really odd move, but it catches Jellicent, Slowbro, Mew, and Chandelure in a single moveslot. EV spread is pretty typical of a Nidoking set as it simply wants to break open the opposing team to allow Salamence or Tornadus-T to sweep.
Salamence (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Iron Tail
- Dragon Claw
Choice Scarf Salamence, perhaps the most dangerous late-game cleaner in all of UU right now. With no Steel- or Fairy-types in the way, Salamence can go to work without a second thought. Outrage and Dragon Claw are the basic STAB moves to use when trying to sweep. Usually, if there's more than 3 Pokemon remaining on the opposing team, I'll opt for Dragon Claw to avoid possible confusion, especially if I have a backup plan against whatever the opponent has left. Earthquake catches Steel-types trying to switch in, thus lessening the pressure on Nidoking to break them. Speaking of lessening pressure on Nidoking, Iron Tail drills Florges as it tries to switch-in to take an expected Dragon-type move. Otherwise, it's just all about getting in to spam a Dragon-type STAB move to win the match. EV spread is basic for ScarfMence and of course Moxie is going to be the ability. Without a doubt, Salamence has been the offensive MVP of this team, and I can easily see how it can be perceived as potentially broken.
Florges (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SDef
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
- Aromatherapy
Physically defensive Florges was previously a novelty in XY UU as her special bulk is absolutely insane. However, with Salamence dropping down to UU, physically defensive Florges has become quite the viable option. Between her and Forretress, I'm able to handle most double Dragon cores that consist of Hydreigon / Haxorus and Salamence. WishTect is the only way of recovery that Florges has access to, but Wish is so vital for this team. It keeps Mega Ampharos from having to rely on RestTalk and it allows Forretress to stay alive. Add in the fact that it can give Nidoking and Salamence multiple chances to acheive their goals, and it becomes quite clear that Florges is a huge supporter for this team. Moonblast is simply there to blast Dragon- and Fighting-types that Florges can handle reliably. Aromatherapy is able to wake up Mega Ampharos if it gets forced out after using Rest and generally just ensures that no random status screws over anything. EV spread hits the final boost point from the nature with the leftovers going into Special Defense to still tank special hits well.
Ampharos (F) @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Dragon Pulse
Oh. My. God. This thing is a freakin beast. Physically defensive Mega Ampharos is absolutely amazing. Victini, Crawdaunt, Magnezone, Mega Manectric, Tornadus-T. It simply dgaf about them, takes their attacks, and proceeds to either KO them or outlast them. I can't count how many times this thing has literally just saved my ass when I needed something to deal with a major threat. Volt Switch is a great move on this set. Even though it doesn't have the power of Thunderbolt, or even Disharge, having a way to switch out while sleeping is golden. Speaking of sleep, Mega Ampharos can also absorb sleep from those annoying Smeargle leads and just trash it. RestTalk gives Mega Ampharos reliable recovery, and thanks to Florges's Aromatherapy, it doesn't have to worry about being forced out before the sleep turns are burned off. Dragon Pulse finishes the set to deal with Dragons if they test their luck. Nothing is sweeter than Resting and then having a Salamence come in as you Sleep Talk a Dragon Pulse. EV spread maximizes physical bulk while rounding down any forms of passive damage. If you haven't tried this set, you don't know what you're missing. Definitely the defensive MVP of this team.
Forretress (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 216 Def / 248 HP / 44 SDef
Relaxed Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Gyro Ball
Probably the least valuable member of this team as I don't find myself using it as much, but Forretress has still proved to be useful in a decent amount of matches. Basically, I needed an Ice resistance, Rocks user, and Spinner in a single slot and Forretress is about the only thing that can do that. Rocks and Rapid Spin are fairly self-explanatory. Setup Rocks, spin them away. Basic stuff. Volt Switch lets me keep some momentum if I need to switch-in Forretress to wall or check something dangerous. Gyro Ball finishes the set off to punish DD Haxorus / Salamence. EV spread focuses on physical bulk while buffing Forretress's Special Defense since it does have a few neat special-based resistances.
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 Spd / 252 SAtk / 8 SDef
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
So, by now, you can probably tell that the biggest problem this team has is dealing with opposing Nidoking. With this, I decided to try out AV Tornadus-T. Even with the minimal investment in bulk, Tornadus-T can be extremely resilient since Regenerator can restore its health like nothing ever happened. I decided to use Hurricane on this set to make up for the power difference and the fact Torn-T has extra special bulk to afford a miss. Knock Off is a key to handling Nidoking. By removing his Life Orb, Tornadus-T can quite handily take an Ice Beam or Thunderbolt to the face later on and retaliate. U-turn allows Tornadus-T to gain switch advantage since it has a habit of forcing switches. It also activates Regenerator, so it's a win-win all around. Heat Wave finishes the set off by giving Tornadus-T a way of smacking around Steel-types, something that Salamence greatly appreciates. I only run 248 Speed EVs so I can gain switch advantage against opposing Tornadus-T. Even if the opposing Tornadus-T goes for Air Slash instead of U-turn, mine can easily tank it and then switch out to Mega Ampharos. Hasty is used so the power of Knock Off and U-turn doesn't get gimped.
Final Thoughts:
So there you have it. This is a team that has done really well with the recent tier shifts. It isn't perfection by any means as the Ice weakness is still major. And with Cloyster now in the tier, I really have to play around it very carefully. I have given some thought to replacing Nidoking with Magnezone to help this, but I'm really not too keen on losing the Speed Nidoking gives me for a wallbreaker. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed reading this. Here's some parting gifts for me taking up your time:
Team Preview:
Team in Detail:
Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Nidoking is a really cool Pokemon in UU right now. It has spectacular coverage in just 3 moves, thus letting run virtually any attack you want to run in the last slot, depending on what your team has more problems with. Anyway, Nidoking was a natural choice when I decided to build around Choice Scarf Salamence as it easily destroys the defensive Steel- and Fairy-type Pokemon that trouble it. Sludge Wave nukes Florges and is generally a safe move to use if I don't feel confident in predicting the opponent's switch-in. Earth Power is a great secondary STAB to smash Steels such as Magnezone, Mega Aggron, and Metagross. It's also nice to catch Mega Ampharos since it can really trouble Tornadus-T. Focus Blast deals with Porygon2 and Umbreon, 2 special walls that can handle Nidoking's STAB moves better than most. Shadow Ball seems like a really odd move, but it catches Jellicent, Slowbro, Mew, and Chandelure in a single moveslot. EV spread is pretty typical of a Nidoking set as it simply wants to break open the opposing team to allow Salamence or Tornadus-T to sweep.
Salamence (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Iron Tail
- Dragon Claw
Choice Scarf Salamence, perhaps the most dangerous late-game cleaner in all of UU right now. With no Steel- or Fairy-types in the way, Salamence can go to work without a second thought. Outrage and Dragon Claw are the basic STAB moves to use when trying to sweep. Usually, if there's more than 3 Pokemon remaining on the opposing team, I'll opt for Dragon Claw to avoid possible confusion, especially if I have a backup plan against whatever the opponent has left. Earthquake catches Steel-types trying to switch in, thus lessening the pressure on Nidoking to break them. Speaking of lessening pressure on Nidoking, Iron Tail drills Florges as it tries to switch-in to take an expected Dragon-type move. Otherwise, it's just all about getting in to spam a Dragon-type STAB move to win the match. EV spread is basic for ScarfMence and of course Moxie is going to be the ability. Without a doubt, Salamence has been the offensive MVP of this team, and I can easily see how it can be perceived as potentially broken.
Florges (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SDef
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
- Aromatherapy
Physically defensive Florges was previously a novelty in XY UU as her special bulk is absolutely insane. However, with Salamence dropping down to UU, physically defensive Florges has become quite the viable option. Between her and Forretress, I'm able to handle most double Dragon cores that consist of Hydreigon / Haxorus and Salamence. WishTect is the only way of recovery that Florges has access to, but Wish is so vital for this team. It keeps Mega Ampharos from having to rely on RestTalk and it allows Forretress to stay alive. Add in the fact that it can give Nidoking and Salamence multiple chances to acheive their goals, and it becomes quite clear that Florges is a huge supporter for this team. Moonblast is simply there to blast Dragon- and Fighting-types that Florges can handle reliably. Aromatherapy is able to wake up Mega Ampharos if it gets forced out after using Rest and generally just ensures that no random status screws over anything. EV spread hits the final boost point from the nature with the leftovers going into Special Defense to still tank special hits well.
Ampharos (F) @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Dragon Pulse
Oh. My. God. This thing is a freakin beast. Physically defensive Mega Ampharos is absolutely amazing. Victini, Crawdaunt, Magnezone, Mega Manectric, Tornadus-T. It simply dgaf about them, takes their attacks, and proceeds to either KO them or outlast them. I can't count how many times this thing has literally just saved my ass when I needed something to deal with a major threat. Volt Switch is a great move on this set. Even though it doesn't have the power of Thunderbolt, or even Disharge, having a way to switch out while sleeping is golden. Speaking of sleep, Mega Ampharos can also absorb sleep from those annoying Smeargle leads and just trash it. RestTalk gives Mega Ampharos reliable recovery, and thanks to Florges's Aromatherapy, it doesn't have to worry about being forced out before the sleep turns are burned off. Dragon Pulse finishes the set to deal with Dragons if they test their luck. Nothing is sweeter than Resting and then having a Salamence come in as you Sleep Talk a Dragon Pulse. EV spread maximizes physical bulk while rounding down any forms of passive damage. If you haven't tried this set, you don't know what you're missing. Definitely the defensive MVP of this team.
Forretress (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 216 Def / 248 HP / 44 SDef
Relaxed Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Gyro Ball
Probably the least valuable member of this team as I don't find myself using it as much, but Forretress has still proved to be useful in a decent amount of matches. Basically, I needed an Ice resistance, Rocks user, and Spinner in a single slot and Forretress is about the only thing that can do that. Rocks and Rapid Spin are fairly self-explanatory. Setup Rocks, spin them away. Basic stuff. Volt Switch lets me keep some momentum if I need to switch-in Forretress to wall or check something dangerous. Gyro Ball finishes the set off to punish DD Haxorus / Salamence. EV spread focuses on physical bulk while buffing Forretress's Special Defense since it does have a few neat special-based resistances.
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 Spd / 252 SAtk / 8 SDef
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
So, by now, you can probably tell that the biggest problem this team has is dealing with opposing Nidoking. With this, I decided to try out AV Tornadus-T. Even with the minimal investment in bulk, Tornadus-T can be extremely resilient since Regenerator can restore its health like nothing ever happened. I decided to use Hurricane on this set to make up for the power difference and the fact Torn-T has extra special bulk to afford a miss. Knock Off is a key to handling Nidoking. By removing his Life Orb, Tornadus-T can quite handily take an Ice Beam or Thunderbolt to the face later on and retaliate. U-turn allows Tornadus-T to gain switch advantage since it has a habit of forcing switches. It also activates Regenerator, so it's a win-win all around. Heat Wave finishes the set off by giving Tornadus-T a way of smacking around Steel-types, something that Salamence greatly appreciates. I only run 248 Speed EVs so I can gain switch advantage against opposing Tornadus-T. Even if the opposing Tornadus-T goes for Air Slash instead of U-turn, mine can easily tank it and then switch out to Mega Ampharos. Hasty is used so the power of Knock Off and U-turn doesn't get gimped.
Final Thoughts:
So there you have it. This is a team that has done really well with the recent tier shifts. It isn't perfection by any means as the Ice weakness is still major. And with Cloyster now in the tier, I really have to play around it very carefully. I have given some thought to replacing Nidoking with Magnezone to help this, but I'm really not too keen on losing the Speed Nidoking gives me for a wallbreaker. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed reading this. Here's some parting gifts for me taking up your time:
Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Salamence (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SAtk
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Iron Tail
- Dragon Claw
Florges (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
- Aromatherapy
Ampharos (F) @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Dragon Pulse
Forretress (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 216 Def / 248 HP / 44 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Gyro Ball
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 Spd / 252 SAtk / 8 SDef
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Salamence (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SAtk
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Iron Tail
- Dragon Claw
Florges (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
- Aromatherapy
Ampharos (F) @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Dragon Pulse
Forretress (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 216 Def / 248 HP / 44 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Gyro Ball
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 Spd / 252 SAtk / 8 SDef
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uubeta-98191292 - no Victini allowed
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uubeta-99005620 - Sleeping denial
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uubeta-98220176 - one of these days...
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uubeta-99005620 - Sleeping denial
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uubeta-98220176 - one of these days...
