DPP UU JabbaTheGriffin Hates This Team (a.k.a. New UU LonelyBalance)

LonelyNess

Makin' PK Love
is a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
So this is the team that I’ve been laddering with for the last month or so, and it’s brought me all the way up to 1st on the ladder with very little effort (although doing it on my LonelyNess account was a huge mistake considering my deviation is less than 22).

Team At a Glance




At first glance, you might think that I hae a massive Stealth Rock weakness… and I do, however the unique combination of Pokemon, coupled with Crobat helps to alleviate this weakness through sheer force. Simply put, if my team never gives the common users of the move an opportunity to bring Stealth Rock in to play, I never have to worry about it. That was the main goal of this team.

The Lead




Moltres @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 68 HP/188 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Roost

Why This Pokemon?

Here is my favorite Pokemon on the team. My lead’s main purpose was not to try and stop the opponent from setting up Stealth Rock through Taunt, but through threat presence. This Moltres says to my opponent “I’m not gonna stop you from laying rocks, but if you do choose to do so, you’re losing a member of your team.“ This alone is enough to stop many people from using that first turn to set up rocks (as the viability of “suicide” leads is far less in UU where every team member counts for much more). Most times Moltres will get a sweep on its own, or cripple the opponent to the point where one of my other Pokemon can continue where it left off. I put Moltres in the lead position because I tend to play it very suicidally, in addition to that, it fends off the common lead users of Stealth Rock like Steelix, Registeel, Kabutops, and Omastar. Really, the only Pokemon that can afford to set up Stealth Rock against me is Uxie, and it does it in exchange for its life as even the bulkiest Uxies are 2HKOd by Fire Blast.

Why This Set?

Fire Blast will do a number to anything that doesn’t resist it, and even things that do resist it are hard pressed to take very many of them. For instance, your standard Slowbro takes 40% from one… Azumarill takes around the same. Even Milotic is taking 37% on average from this attack. Nothing is safe, especially not if it’s been previously worn down. Air Slash is really nice for that occasional flinch. Most people play very conservatively with their Fire resist, so if you can hit them with a Fire Blast, normally you will get a free chance to hit them with a possible Air Slash while they try and recover some HP loss. If I fail, no harm no foul, I just switch out, but if I get lucky then bam, I’ve just opened up a huge gap in their defenses. HP Grass is there because it rounds out coverage nicely on quite a few things. It nabs quick KOs on Pokemon thinking they can take a Fire or Flying attack and set up Stealth Rock (like Omastar and Kabutops) or thinking they can come in for some quick recovery and stall (like Gastrodon). Roost rounds out the set because Moltres is incredibly bulky, even though you wouldn’t know it to look at it. The EVs are pretty general. Special Attack is maxed to get every bit of oomph out of Moltres that I can. Speed sits at 263 which outpaces base 70+ Pokemon. The rest are dumped into HP for general purpose bulkiness. I couldn’t live without this Pokemon on my team.


The Offensive Duo


Crobat and Shaymin make an excellent offensive combination. They both act like perfect magnets for Pokemon that the other takes advantage of. Shaymin brings in Roserade and Chansey… Crobat brings in Rock and Steel-types. They both work together in order to wear each other’s counters down to the point where one or the other can make a break away sweep. Also, they both help keep SR off the field immensely. Crobat through Taunt makes it so that if your opponent uses its Crobat counter for their Stealth Rocker… they’re not getting Rocks up, period. Shaymin pretty much does the same thing that Moltres does. It says to my opponent “yeah you’ll get rocks up, but at what price?” They’re an offensive match made in heaven that keeps my opponent on his toes the entire match.


Shaymin @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Seed Flare
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Synthesis


Why this Pokemon?

As said before, it helps with the Stealth Rock prevention, and has amazing synergy with Crobat, but not only that, but he is the perfect switch-in to the water types that Moltres attracts so heavily, and because Moltres is such a threat, they rarely attempt to do anything but Surf meaning Shaymin gets in for relatively free. I also like this Pokemon because every one of its teammates can take advantage of one common Shaymin switch-in.

Why This Set?

Seed Flare is a no brainer. It provides instant power and an immediate threat to my opponent. The other two moves are for coverage. Earth Power is there because I dislike the idea of giving mixed Arcanine free reign on my parade (since if SR is up, and they bring it in, I’m done for). HP Rock is a new addition because lately the amount of SubRoost Moltresand Articuno has been rising… it’s nice because it maintains the coverage on flying foes while only really losing a bit of power agains Altaria (although I still keep 2X effectiveness.) and some coverage on Grassers like opposing Shaymin and Roserade. But with Crobat and Moltres around, those guys aren’t that huge of a problem. Synthesis rounds out the set just like on Moltres because this thing forces switches like no other, and there are plenty of opportunities to get some free recovery (like against a Milotic when he might or might not go to Crobat. Either way I avoid the prediction battle all together by going with Synthesis).


Crobat (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Roost

Why This Pokemon?

I think the more apt question would be why NOT this Pokemon? If you’re playing UU right now, and you’re not using Crobat, you’re a fool. Crobat single handedly checks a ridiculous amount of offensive threats and maintains my team’s stability. It also keeps stall from setting up entry hazards… and what’s even better is that it has the ability to sweep all on its own… Couple that with amazing staying power through Roost, and the scouting capabilities of U-turn, and you have yourself a staple on any UU team, and definitely the star of the show on this team.

Why This Set?

Because it gets the job done. I forgo Substitute or Whirlwind’s prediction aiding qualities for U-turn because on an offensively balanced team such as this, the prediction aid is less helpful as the momentum gain that U-turn can provide. Not to mention that U-turn’s chip damage quickly adds up on my opponent. When you add Stealth Rock, U-turn, and a few Brave Birds to the damage, very few Pokemon can hope to stay healthy long enough to keep Crobat in check. Brave Bird is there because… what else was I gonna use, Aerial Ace? Taunt keeps my team from being destroyed immediately by certain Stat Boosters, as well as keeps stall in check by restricting recovery and the amount of entry hazards they can get up. The EVs are probably horribly inefficient, but on this team I definitely wanted the added power so I decided to forgo Defensive EVs all together in lieu of max Speed and Attack. It’s ok though because Crobat’s unique resistances from its typing gain it plenty of free switches on Grass, Fighting, and Ground attacks of which are abundant in UU.

The Crazy Glue


Yes that’s right… you’re seeing that correctly. That’s a Quagsire and a Regirock. You must be thinking why in God’s name are those two Pokemon on such a henceforth offensive team? Simple… without them I’d get torn to pieces by so many things. These two are the only thing holding my team together and as such, glue is definitely an apt name. Don’t be fooled though, these two are tailored to pack a punch in addition to taking hits.


Quagsire (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Curse
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch

Why This Pokemon?

Quagsire earns his spot because of two things and really two things only. Water Absorb… and that Ground typing. These two things together afford Quaggy an amazing amount of free switches. I absolutely need this guy to come in on Milotic, Azumarill, Feraligatr and any number of water type threats that would like to come in on Moltres and wreck havoc. Along with the Water immunity, it comes in on Rock type threats that my Crobat didn’t get the jump on with U-turn and sponges those Rock Slides and Stone Edges that they like to spam. One less noticed thing about Quagsire is that he brings in the Pokemon I love to see the most: opposing Shaymin. This thing lures those in so fast, but nearly my entire team can take advantage of Shaymin, that it’s more a good thing than a bad thing most times.

Why This Set?

Why am I putting max attack on a Pokemon with only 85 Base Atk? Because this isn’t old UU anymore kiddoes. Quagsire doesn’t wall stuff any more… shit hits too hard now. So rather than fruitlessly trying to wall stuff that I have no hopes of walling, I’d rather take a hit when I need to, and dish out a super effective hit or at least a hard smack with Earthquake. Curse is there because once the opposing Grass type is out of the way (which it will be eventually), Quagsire can actually make a sweep. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it’s beautiful.


Regirock @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 232 HP/164 Atk/20 Spd/92 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Explosion

Why This Pokemon?

Because every team needs a solid Crobat switch-in, and not only that but one that can threaten with an OHKO if it gets cheeky and tries to Taunt you. Regirock plays a very specific role on my team. It takes the hits of Crobat, Ambipom, and other Pokemon long enough for them to be worn down to where one of my other Pokemon can make a sweep. It’s also pretty much my only 100% check to Yanmega (or should I say 80% check… Stone Edge is the worst attack in Pokemon).

Why This Set?

Stone Edge goes instead of Rock Slide for one simple reason: power. I want it to OHKO Crobat, not do 80%. I want Shaymin to be hit for 60% on the switch-in, not a paltry 40. I want Milotic and friends to regret that decision to come in and try and threaten my team. If I didn’t go with Stone Edge, Regirock ceases to be a threat to anything and is only half as useful. Stealth Rock is self explanitory… it’s there because you need it (it also forms my only defense against Rain Teams). Earthquake rounds out coverage with Stone Edge and gives me a more reliable means of damaging things I don’t really feel like risking 80% accuracy against (like Arcanine). Explosion is for when I’ve got nothing left to live for and I want to go out with a boom. It’s also my “oh shit” button for when I’ve fucked up and need something dead immediately. I’ve even been known to Explode just to get rid of a Substitute that I couldn’t afford a Pokemon to have (like against SubFlail Pinser).

The Standalone Behemoth



Honchkrow (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Super Luck
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Sucker Punch
- Drill Peck
- Night Slash
- Superpower

Why This Pokemon?

Ah, Honchkrow… good ‘ole Honchkrow. This team would be rather mediocre without it. Not only does Honchkrow act as a psuedo-glue keeping certain things in check (like Rain teams, Psychics, and Ghosts), but it’s likely the only thing keeping my team alive versus full stall. Because most times Stealth Rock is off the field, my opponent is going to have to feel the brunt of TEN attacks from this behemoth. Few teams can withstand four or five, much less all ten (which is why so many teams {myself included} rely on Stealth Rock to mitigate its effect on the battle). This guy sweeps, he wall breaks, he glues… he does it all. He’s the previously unsung hero of this team (I just tooted his horn quite a bit there so he's no longer unsung)

Why This Set?

Drill Peck rips faces off. Night Slash abuses luck to the fullest. Superpower breaks walls. Sucker Punch punishes faster all out attacking foes. The only thing I can really say about this set is that it’s the only one worth using on Life Orb Honchkrow. Oh, and why Super Luck over the more consistent Insomnia? Well… imagine how many times you get criticaled during a battle. Then double it. Then submit your opponent to it. Truly hellish.
 

LonelyNess

Makin' PK Love
is a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Threat Down

Shaymin - Unless you’re running Chansey, you’re going to have a slight weakness to Shaymin. Luckily, my team has three checks to it in Moltres, Crobat, and Honchkrow. Conceivably with perfect prediction, a Seed Flare / Air Slash / HP Rock Shaymin could completely dominate my life, but I’d probably never let it get more than one kill before revenging it.

Mismagius - Quagsire can weaken it enough to where it’s easily revenged with Crobat. Honchkrow is a perfect counter to any set that lacks Thunderbolt. Regirock can kill it, but it only has 80% accurate Stone Edge to hit it with, so I don’t generally like relying on that. Lucikly Mismagius can’t directly come in on any of my Pokemon save for weak Hidden Powers, so it’s entry to the field of battle is already hindered.

Blaziken - Mixed versions are completely dominated by a combination of speed and bulk. Scarf versions need to be played around, but can generally be worked through with a combination of fighting and fire resists. If it lacks Stone Edge (and most do) Moltres is near a 100% counter.

Roserade - Rather than being an offensive threat, Roserade is a supportive one. If it’s leading, my Moltres makes short work of it. Unfortunately it’s near guaranteed a free layer of spikes against my Roserade. But for its free layer of spikes it gives my Crobat a free switch in, so it’s a toss up on whether or not it’s worth the switch. Offensively Moltres /
Crobat / Honch all take care of this guy.

Registeel - lol… people still use this thing. Every single one of my pokemon carry a super effective hit on it except for
Crobat… who loves to Taunt, then go to Moltres for some Fire Blast spamming. This thing is no threat to me at all.

Milotic - Life Orb versions are a pain in the ass, but they don’t last long enough to be a threat all match. Basically Milotic comes in two varieties: long lasting and tame, or short lived and threatening. Neither of which are that big of a deal to my team.

Steelix - lol… literally every member of my team beats Steelix one on one.

Crobat - Regirock is my 100% counter to this guy, threatening an OHKO with Stone Edge. Honch and Quagsire are secondary checks to him, however both rely on prediction to beat it. I basically just hit it as hard as I can as many times as I can until it falls.

Ambipom - Regirock takes any hits it can give and uses the turns to set up rocks. Crobat can Roost on the Fake Out and recover all damage from it (and then some) and return with an OHKO from Brave Bird.

Hitmontop - It’s not switching in on anything but Regirock, but I guess that’s the point considering its job is to spin away my Stealth Rock. Every Pokemon can kill it, but they all rarely get the chance because it just spins and runs. Definitely a threat to my team.

Honchkrow - I hate seeing this thing. Normally I will go to Regirock on the Drill Peck, then go to Crobat on the expected Superpower. It’s risky, yes, but it’s the only way I can take the hits. Every one of my pokemon if they’re at full health can take a hit and deliver with a swift OHKO, but I prefer not to have to do that. Definitely a huge threat to my team.

Spiritomb- Crobat Taunts shitty CM Tomb versions. Moltres 2HKOs through Calm Mind and comes in for free agianst Will-O-Wisp. Shaymin 2HKOs… Regirock doesn’t mind a burn. And Honch 2HKOs with Rocks. No threat to me.

Arcanine- One of the biggest offensive threats to my team. The mixed sweeper with HP Grass > HP Electric is a bitch. If I’m weakened even slightly and this guy pops out, I’m done for. And I don’t even need to be significantly weakened. We’re talking very believable figures in the late game like a 60% Moltres / Crobat… 100% Quagsire … 60% Regirock. Almost unilaterally my least favorite Pokemon to face… hands down.


Clefable- Nearly every one of my pokemon 2HKOs easily. The only one that is completely defenseless is Quagsire, but that’s fine because Quagsire’s Ground typing makes it so that Clefable rarely uses Thunder Wave against it meaning it’s generally a free switch to Crobat for a free Tuant.

Azumarill- Quagsire takes care of pretty much any form of Azumarill.

Claydol - Shaymin OHKOs, Quagsire sets up, Crobat 2HKOs and prevents SR. Moltres 2HKOs and has a chance to flinch. Honch OHKOs… only Pokemon that can’t hit it ridiculously hard is Regirock.

Espeon - The real let down with Espeon is its power. Every one of my pokemon can at least take one hit from it (or outspeed and it it first)… and even then I have Honch who is near a 100% counter.

Regirock - Free switch to Shaymin after being Taunted on its switch-in to Crobat. Yay!

Uxie- Generally come in as a lead that sets up SR and proceeds to die. If it doesn’t, then it’s having a hard time switching in on anything except my glue Pokemon.

Yanmega - Fuck Yanmega. I can take out those ones that lack Protect to raise its speed with Crobat or Shaymin. If I’ve gotten Stealth Rock up before it comes in, Honchkrow can Sucker Punch it to death. And lastly Regirock can take it on and win one on one assuming I don’t miss. The problem is that this is normally a late game sweeper where most of my pokes are near dead and don’t have the bulk they had at the beginning of the game. One of the biggest threats to my team.

Slowbro- Either dead because they didn’t realize that Fire Blast + HP Grass is a 2HKO, or killed by Shaymin… or Taunted by Crobat and THEN killed by Shaymin… or killed by Honch.
Drapion- Quagsire comes in on pretty much every Drapion ever and kills with Earthquake. If it can’t get the job done, Regirock comes in afterward and cleans up.

Chansey- Big threat to Moltres and Shaymin but pretty much no one else. It’s a pain in the ass but it’s not too huge a problem.

Umbreon- Taunted and promptly destroyed by Crobat.

Hariyama- Three STAB Flying Attacks going around on my team and no real switch-ins to speak of and you have one dead Hariyama.

Feraligatr- Quagsire is almost a full stop to any and all Feraligatr sets.

Toxicroak- Read Feraligatr and put Toxicroak in.

Moltres- SubRoost versions are a bitch. This is the sole reason I put HP Rock on Shaymin because they were increasing in use, and I needed a way to destroy it quick. My only solution if it comes in is to NOT LET IT GET A SUB OH GOD DON’T LET IT GET A SUB.

Ludicolo- After Stealth Rock damage or Life Orb Damage, Honchkrow revenges easily with Sucker Punch.

Kabutops- Read: Feraligatr / Toxicroak

Absol - Prediction war… kind of. I just don’t let it get a Swords Dance by hitting it with whatever move I have available. Deal with it just like any other slow swords dancer that becomes ridiculously powerful after said swords dance: don’t let it set up for free.

Hitmonlee & Other Fighters- Takes a bit of prediction to beat them considering they have the means to destroy my team. I’ve never been swept by one so yeah… that’s that.

Venusaur- Less threatening version of Roserade as far as I’m concerned.

Magmortar- Since most if not all Magmortar forgo HP Grass for HP Ice (to hit Altaria), Quagsire counters prett much every Magmortar set ever.

Sceptile - Same as any other grasser. Avoid a super effective hit and go to Crobat
 

Seven Deadly Sins

~hallelujah~
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Having played against this team, it's pretty badass. That said, I have a couple things to watch out for. First, it's easy for Registeel / Regirock / Steelix to come in on your own Regirock and throw down SR basically for free. This means that Regirock, while functioning as a solid counter to Crobat, becomes almost the bane of your team, letting the opponent freely get up the rocks that you hate to see. On top of that, very little likes to come into Steelix Gyro Balls.

A combination of Lead Regirock and Blaziken also tends to ruin this team. You said it yourself, you usually sacrifice Moltres to get up some damage against lead Regirock, which means that anything you rely on Moltres for becomes extremely tenuous.

Finally, SubPunch Hariyama looks like it could be a huge threat to this team. It scares the living daylights out of Regirock while taking nothing from its Stone Edge, then throws up a Sub and proceeds to have its way with your team, Stone Edging and Focus Punching a wake of destruction. I'd definitely watch out for that.

Having used this team, it's extremely solid, and I can see why it got you so far. It's not without its problems, but the few things that really mess it up aren't exactly extremely common. It's a nice team with excellent synergy, and you certainly know how to use it.
 

jrrrrrrr

wubwubwub
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
You should have mentioned that I have also been laddering with this team a ton (its why I'm near the top of UU as well) to help "prove it"...Crobat is pretty amazing ^______________^

After using this team, it really cant even touch SubRoost Moltres. Even when I asked you what I'm supposed to do against it, you just said "sac Quaggy and hope that it doesnt have a sub up so you can revenge it"....yeah that doesnt always work. That's why I suggested HP Rock Shaymin, also maybe a Rock Slide Regirock could work?

Also, if any member of the team faints, it becomes exponentially harder to check certain things. I know that this is pretty much true of every team, but it is especially true of this one. If Crobat dies to a crit or a misplay, you are really vulnerable to fighting and grass types.

Personally, I don't suicide with Moltres. It's an amazingly useful pokemon, even at 50%. It still provides a great check to Shaymin and can be useful in getting clutch revenge kills.

You might as well have named this team "Why Crobat is broken in UU". Crobat keeps SR off the field, and the rest of the team is designed to annihilate Crobats counters. If I had to estimate...probably 30% of matches, SR was set up, and Crobat has averaged around 2 KOs per match. After using this team, UU became simple.
 
this team is really good from what i have heard on irc and it looks really swell as well. i cant truly "rate" it because its obviously been pretty much the most successful team in uu for a while but i can offer a suggestion / make a question:

is quagsire a better choice than gastrodon? obviously on a team like this, you want as much freedom in moves as possible. trickers really ruin this and gastrodon's sticky hold allows you to avoid the troubles of trick. quagsire does have water absorb yes, but with shaymin and careful gastrodon, water isn't "that much" of a problem, especially because gastrodon can use recover if his hp gets too low.

this is a really good team though, im just curious if you have tried gastrodon out because i could see him fitting in well.
 

LonelyNess

Makin' PK Love
is a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
@SDS

Generally how I work around that is because the current mindset of many players is "prevent my crobat counter's death at all costs." When that's the mindset, few people will come in just to put SR on the field when it means that I strip them o ~35% of their health with a well timed Earthquake.

If Moltres is gone, yes Blaziken does become a pain, but not one that's unmanigable. Choiced ones ALWAYS have to be dealt with through prediction anyway, as do mixed ones but less so because then two of my remaining members outspeed it.

SubPunch Hariyama has and does rip a few holes in this team. My general strategy for taking it out is to switch to Quagsire who can take a Focus Punch and remove the sub. Then go to Crobat or Moltres to finish the job. This is also why I put some offensive EVs on my walls because it helps them actually to keep the subs away. So Hariyama will never be able to scare me off twice because it's either got Close Combat (the thing that would scare my Regirock off), in which case it doesn't bother the rest of my team, or it has SubPunch meaning it doesn't scare Regirock (seeing as how Regirock's Earthquake does 26% - 31% to the 76 HP / 180 Def Hariyama, meaning it always breaks the sub).

@jrrrrrr

Freaking SubStall Moltres was the #1 reason I even considered using HP Rock on Shaymin, that and Loki's Articuno team. After changing, I saw nearly no difference in how the team performed except that now I was much better suited for these threats. Definitely a 100% positive change.

@KD24

I'd never really considered Gastrodon mainly because without that Water immunity, I can't do as many things with Gastrodon. Without it, I'd now have to put a few more Defensive EVs on him. I'd also have to hit from the special side of the attack spectrum meaning now Chansey has more fun with my team than it already does. I'd also lose what could be the most important thing: Kabutops and Qwilfish coverage. When using Gastrodon over Quagsire, the team becomes hideously weak to Rain teams, especially Kabutops who can't always be revenge killed by Honchkrow.
 

Seven Deadly Sins

~hallelujah~
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
You also, from what I've seen, have huge, huge trouble with any screeners. I remember that every time you lost to HeYsUp's team, it was because he would bring in Slowbro and throw up a Light Screen, and then you would be screwed. A Dual Screening Uxie / Rotom could cause problems for this team, simply because there's no way that Crobat is switching into it to Taunt, meaning that it pretty much throws up its screens for free, severely reducing your effectiveness.

Also, I'm not liking how little you have to deal with Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega. It survives a Sucker Punch from Honchkrow easily, can come in on a number of attacks from your team (Quaggy / Regirock's EQ, Honchkrow Superpower, Shaymin Seed Flare, etc). and hurt you big time. Also, if a regular old Yanmega gets a Speed Boost, you have some issues going on.
 
I've told you this already on IRC, but when playtesting this team I had issues with some solid stall players. Roserade leads are somewhat annoying because of sleep + Toxic Spikes, and constantly switching in your offensive threats means taking more and more residual damage. If you hit your opponent hard enough, then the residual damage is a nonfactor; however in certain instances, I had trouble breaking an opponents core and thus could not win.

I feel like Rest would be extremely useful on Quagsire so you almost single-handedly defeat stall teams without Shaymin. This was a choice more personal to my playstyle, but I definitely pulled a few Quagsire sweeps against stall teams after the change. Crobat can't come in and Taunt fast enough, and gets wrecked by Waterfall + EQ. Made it easier for me to break the opponents defenses anyway.

Offensively theres nothing to comment on, this team is as solid as can be against opposing offensive teams. With Crobat and Shaymin, you abuse two of UU's most powerful sweepers, and with the above-average offensive capabilities of your defensive core, you should win relatively easily.

All in all this is an excellent team, not much to really improve or fix. Good job (this is the one time I will be serious with you and not troll you =] )
 

Reverb

World's nicest narcissist
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
this team really works synergically, Regirock and Quagsire are great for walling an weakening. The cool thing is every pokemon (excluding Regirock under normal circumstances) can sweep at any moment...
 
Great team!!! I remember playing you while u used it and i got pissed and said it was luck :P
then i playtested the team, and its amazing. the only problem for me is that i couldnt really beat stall teams that carried a meganium/chansey/shaymin (support) . But other than that, its great offensively. Nice work!
 
So Hariyama will never be able to scare me off twice because it's either got Close Combat (the thing that would scare my Regirock off), in which case it doesn't bother the rest of my team, or it has SubPunch meaning it doesn't scare Regirock (seeing as how Regirock's Earthquake does 26% - 31% to the 76 HP / 180 Def Hariyama, meaning it always breaks the sub).
But isn’t your Regirock always faster than Hariyama with the speed EVs, therefore allowing it to set up another useful Sub after Earthquake? What is the speed for btw?

Anyway, I really like the look of this team, and it’s a shame I haven’t had the chance to play against it yet. This is really the best way to approach offense in the current UU, utilizing some decent bulk options in Quagsire and Regirock to cover the faster offensive threats and protect your team from the hard hitters that Crobat attracts. I’m not too sure about your Quagsire though. You need a Rock resist certainly, but with no Defense investment I would be concerned about how well it performs at sponging hits from the more powerful Rock users such as Rhydon, especially when it is slower and could end up facing one behind a Sub, ready to 2HKO with Earthquake.

One of the biggest weaknesses I can see here is a standard Manectric with Thunderbolt, Flamethrower and HP Grass, as everything on your team is weak to this combo, and Crobat is the only faster Pokemon, who obviously isn’t coming near it. Variants with Substitute are even more ominous as Honchkrow cannot reliably revenge kill them, and unfortunately that is the most common fourth move. Fortunately though, Manectric isn’t very common at the moment, but it is a threat to watch out for should more people recognize its usefulness in the current environment.

SubRoost Yanmegas could be a problem too, as they force your Regirock to use an unreliable move to consistently break the Subs, as well as once again prevent the Sucker Punch revenge-kill.

Other than that the team seems very well built and covering the vast majority of threats out there reasonably well. Hopefully I’ll be able to offer a little more help once I get a chance to play against this team.
 
What would you think of a bulk up Poliwrath over Quagsire he has acess to bulk up and higher stats with some great resists still but I guess the flying weakness can prove to be a problem.
 

Seven Deadly Sins

~hallelujah~
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Poliwrath has no electric immunity, which is a big reason that Quagsire is chosen. Also, STAB EQ is really nice for scaring off some potent threats, which Poliwrath can't do with its pitiful Brick Break. In addition, it becomes yet another thing that Crobat can scare the shit out of.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top