The Team
Introduction
Hello Smogon! I have been a long time lurker on these forums but have been pretty active on Showdown over the past few years. This is my first "Solid" team that I think I have come up with in UU, as evidenced by my ranking on the ladder. I finally feel like I have a good enough team that deserves some feedback from the community to help it get up to the top.
This team was built around the idea of quiverpassing. I had been experimenting with smashpass and quiverpass together but found it to be too gimmicky. I wanted a team that could function on its own but still abuse quiver dance because not many people are prepared for it. There is a terrible lack of phasers this gen in UU! The idea behind the team is quite simple. Bring venomoth in on something that cannot touch it, quiver up and possibly sleep something, and then pass to one of three sweepers based on how the other team looks. I threw in a celebi for support and a honchcrow just because its freaking awesome and can sometimes sweep teams by itself... and clean up the scraps.
Peaked #15 Proof:
Venomoth @ Focus Sash
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Baton Pass
- Sleep Powder
- Bug Buzz
This is the pokemon the team was built around. Venomoth is so good in this meta just by itself. With full special attack and speed, one boost makes it a terror for other teams, especially those who only have umbreon as a special wall. I have this guy in my lead spot but I usually never lead with it. This is because most people assume quiverpass and try and send out a phaser or something to counter the strat. I bait their check out and kill it and then use this bad boy later in the game.
EVs are to make it the best sweeper after a boost. Quiver dance and baton pass are obligitory. Bug Buzz is stab that hits hard on anything due to Tinted Lens. Sleep powder is for extra setup turns and checking fast scarfers and boosters. The sash is basically my only answer to things like Darmanitan and Victini, and if the sleep powder misses then I am in for a world of hurt. I never get too gready with sleep powder, and if I have an opportunity to pass even just one boost I will do that.
I don't have any beefs with Venomoth. It is almost perfect and I don't think it needs any changes at this time.
Nidoqeen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 108 HP / 20 Spdef / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower/Thunderbolt
Quiver Dance receiver #1. This spot used to be occupied by Nidoking but I found that Queen is a better receiver due to its natural bulk. It can switch in and get the boost much easier than King. This thing has been well noted for destroying the common Florges/Mega Aggron core. It operates well without boosts but if it gets one or two, its almost GG. It can survive most priority and even live some neutral hits and dish back the pain.
Max Special Attack to dish out as much damage as possible with Sheer Force + Life Orb boosted moves. 128 Speed allows it to outspeed positive base 100s after a quiver dance. 20 Spdef to give pory 2/z an attack boost on the switch. The rest goes into HP for bulk. Earth Power and Sludge Wave are powerful STABS that destroy anything without a resistance or super special bulk. Ice Beam is good for the dragons roaming the tier as well as nailing things who expect an earth power on the switch. The last slot is up in the air. Flamethrower destroys Forretress and Escavalier, while thunderbolt destroys many of the bulky waters who like to switch in.
Nidoqueen overall is a beast. The only things it struggles with are Umbreon, Porygon 2, and bulky waters without a boost (especially swampert). It also loses to Nidoking 1v1. I suppose I could throw in Focus Blast to help with the former... looking for tips here!
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 224 Spe / 34 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Outrage
- Roost/Iron Head
I am testing out Kyurem in place of Raikou and he is doing some good work. He is very bulky even with no investment and can switch in on a lot of attacks. Mixed attacking is proving to be really solid. With minimal attack investment, he has a more powerful Outrage than a scarfed jolly Flygon, which is amazing! Outrage is very unexpected and pounds on special walls besides Florges. Ice Beam and Earth Power provide the best coverage options. I am running Roost in the last slot to help increase longevity but Iron Head and Draco Meteor are options in the last slot, although I hate running a crappy move just for Florges. I am still open to ideas in the slot, whether they be with Kyurem sets or a different pivot wallbreaker of sorts. Overall I am liking the change and I will continue to see how he fairs.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 176 Spe / 4 Spdef / 76 HP
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain/Earth Power
- Psychic
- Perish Song
- Stealth Rock
Celebi is the glue of the team, taking some water and electric and fighting attacks that the others hate. I needed something to switch into bulky waters and grounds that gave my team trouble. I also needed stealth rocks and I didn't like wasting Nidoqueen's power on a turn of setup.
Max speed and special attack with a timid nature gives celebi the power to hurt the water and ground types roaming the tier. It also catches a lot of players of guard because they expect a defensive set when they see leftovers and stealth rocks. This thing is also one of my only answers to Nidoking, as it outspeeds and nails it with a psychic. Giga Drain is chosen over energy ball and leaf storm because it gives pretty good recovery and no negative side effects. Dazzling Gleam is my main choice in the third slot because I found I was getting a lot of Zygarde matchups and I would get swept if I didn't get any damage on it.
Overall, Celebi is pretty solid but again is very replaceable.
Blastoise (Mega) @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Torrent/Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 SAtk / 108 Spe / 148 HP
Modest Nature
- Water Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Rapid Spin
My final Quiver Dance receiver and probably the most threatening. I usually lead with this thing because Venomoth lures out Bulky Waters and scarfed Victini/Darmanitan. I can punch some large holes in the team and then save it for later for some quiver dance shenanigans.
EVs are max special attack for power, 108 Spe to outspeed positive base 100s after a quiver dance, and the rest in HP for bulk. Water pulse is the best stab option with a nice chance to confuse. Scald is nice but is a little too weak, and hydro miss is hydro miss, and I hate low accuracy moves with a passion. Dark Pulse is a great spamable move to destroy waters and ghosts. Aura Sphere wrecks steels like Mega Aggron and Umbreon. Not much can kill this thing if it has a boost or two under its belt. The final slot is Rapid Spin, because I run Honchcrow and to preserve my sash on Venomoth.
I am pretty dead set on using this thing because its so damn good in this meta. Its also a great absorber of Knock off. The moves and EVs are up in the air though. It really struggles with Florges and gets worn down very easily throughout the match as it is my only bulky check to some strong attackers. I don't really have a defensive mon on the team so a lot of times I have to end up sacrificing it to get a check in.
Honchcrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpDef
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Honchcrow may seem really out of place, but it works on this team. I really just had an urge to try it out and it has paid off big time. First of all, you may have noticed it is my only physical attacker which is important as I needed one otherwise I may lose to stally special walls like snorlax and umbreon. You may also have noticed that I have no scarfer. This is my only check to fast threats with its stab sucker punch. It also gives me a solid win condition if the quiver dance shenanigans fall through.
Max attack and Speed with an adamant nature for the most power. Life orb is chosen because Honchcrow needs the power boost to KO certain threats, although it does cause it to get worn down very fast with life orb recoil. Brave bird is the main stab, decimating anything that doesnt resist and does a number even to the bulky physical walls of the tier. Sucker punch is for revenge killing and hitting faster threats. Pursuit is the best move on the set. It is so good because people fear the sucker punch so much they often will try and switch, often nabbing a quick +1 moxie boost and proceeding to take out 1 - 2 more pokemon as well. Superpower is a solid move in the last slot nailing mega aggron and snorlax for huge damage. If it gets the KO, moxie offsets the attack loss which is nice.
Threat List
Zygarde -- This thing is too damn strong, and if it gets a turn of setup I usually get swept. Raikou HP Ice doesnt even do 50% to bulky versions.
Priority -- things like ambipom and entei wreck my sweeps with their powerful priority moves
Nidoking -- celebi switches in on some of its moves, but if I play it wrong something dies
Fire types -- only resist on my team in Blastoise and it cannot take repeated hits throughout the match
Scarfers or speed boosters -- I rely on Honchcrow for sucker punch and venomoth with its sash, but these arent the best checks against good players.
Replays
Coming Soon!
Former Members
Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spe / 4 Spdef
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
Raikou just wasn't cutting it. Having HP ice as the only coverage option really limited what he could do. While he was very fast, he didn't have the power to break walls as well as I would like, and he usually didn't do much to affect the outcome of a match.
Conclusion
I think I have a pretty solid team that could really use some solid feedback and a few tweaks to get it to the top of the ladder. I would really appreciate any feedback and comments you may have. Thank you for taking the time to read this RMT!
Introduction
Hello Smogon! I have been a long time lurker on these forums but have been pretty active on Showdown over the past few years. This is my first "Solid" team that I think I have come up with in UU, as evidenced by my ranking on the ladder. I finally feel like I have a good enough team that deserves some feedback from the community to help it get up to the top.
This team was built around the idea of quiverpassing. I had been experimenting with smashpass and quiverpass together but found it to be too gimmicky. I wanted a team that could function on its own but still abuse quiver dance because not many people are prepared for it. There is a terrible lack of phasers this gen in UU! The idea behind the team is quite simple. Bring venomoth in on something that cannot touch it, quiver up and possibly sleep something, and then pass to one of three sweepers based on how the other team looks. I threw in a celebi for support and a honchcrow just because its freaking awesome and can sometimes sweep teams by itself... and clean up the scraps.
Peaked #15 Proof:
Venomoth @ Focus Sash
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Baton Pass
- Sleep Powder
- Bug Buzz
This is the pokemon the team was built around. Venomoth is so good in this meta just by itself. With full special attack and speed, one boost makes it a terror for other teams, especially those who only have umbreon as a special wall. I have this guy in my lead spot but I usually never lead with it. This is because most people assume quiverpass and try and send out a phaser or something to counter the strat. I bait their check out and kill it and then use this bad boy later in the game.
EVs are to make it the best sweeper after a boost. Quiver dance and baton pass are obligitory. Bug Buzz is stab that hits hard on anything due to Tinted Lens. Sleep powder is for extra setup turns and checking fast scarfers and boosters. The sash is basically my only answer to things like Darmanitan and Victini, and if the sleep powder misses then I am in for a world of hurt. I never get too gready with sleep powder, and if I have an opportunity to pass even just one boost I will do that.
I don't have any beefs with Venomoth. It is almost perfect and I don't think it needs any changes at this time.
Nidoqeen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 108 HP / 20 Spdef / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower/Thunderbolt
Quiver Dance receiver #1. This spot used to be occupied by Nidoking but I found that Queen is a better receiver due to its natural bulk. It can switch in and get the boost much easier than King. This thing has been well noted for destroying the common Florges/Mega Aggron core. It operates well without boosts but if it gets one or two, its almost GG. It can survive most priority and even live some neutral hits and dish back the pain.
Max Special Attack to dish out as much damage as possible with Sheer Force + Life Orb boosted moves. 128 Speed allows it to outspeed positive base 100s after a quiver dance. 20 Spdef to give pory 2/z an attack boost on the switch. The rest goes into HP for bulk. Earth Power and Sludge Wave are powerful STABS that destroy anything without a resistance or super special bulk. Ice Beam is good for the dragons roaming the tier as well as nailing things who expect an earth power on the switch. The last slot is up in the air. Flamethrower destroys Forretress and Escavalier, while thunderbolt destroys many of the bulky waters who like to switch in.
Nidoqueen overall is a beast. The only things it struggles with are Umbreon, Porygon 2, and bulky waters without a boost (especially swampert). It also loses to Nidoking 1v1. I suppose I could throw in Focus Blast to help with the former... looking for tips here!
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 224 Spe / 34 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Outrage
- Roost/Iron Head
I am testing out Kyurem in place of Raikou and he is doing some good work. He is very bulky even with no investment and can switch in on a lot of attacks. Mixed attacking is proving to be really solid. With minimal attack investment, he has a more powerful Outrage than a scarfed jolly Flygon, which is amazing! Outrage is very unexpected and pounds on special walls besides Florges. Ice Beam and Earth Power provide the best coverage options. I am running Roost in the last slot to help increase longevity but Iron Head and Draco Meteor are options in the last slot, although I hate running a crappy move just for Florges. I am still open to ideas in the slot, whether they be with Kyurem sets or a different pivot wallbreaker of sorts. Overall I am liking the change and I will continue to see how he fairs.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 176 Spe / 4 Spdef / 76 HP
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain/Earth Power
- Psychic
- Perish Song
- Stealth Rock
Celebi is the glue of the team, taking some water and electric and fighting attacks that the others hate. I needed something to switch into bulky waters and grounds that gave my team trouble. I also needed stealth rocks and I didn't like wasting Nidoqueen's power on a turn of setup.
Max speed and special attack with a timid nature gives celebi the power to hurt the water and ground types roaming the tier. It also catches a lot of players of guard because they expect a defensive set when they see leftovers and stealth rocks. This thing is also one of my only answers to Nidoking, as it outspeeds and nails it with a psychic. Giga Drain is chosen over energy ball and leaf storm because it gives pretty good recovery and no negative side effects. Dazzling Gleam is my main choice in the third slot because I found I was getting a lot of Zygarde matchups and I would get swept if I didn't get any damage on it.
Overall, Celebi is pretty solid but again is very replaceable.
Blastoise (Mega) @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Torrent/Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 SAtk / 108 Spe / 148 HP
Modest Nature
- Water Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Rapid Spin
My final Quiver Dance receiver and probably the most threatening. I usually lead with this thing because Venomoth lures out Bulky Waters and scarfed Victini/Darmanitan. I can punch some large holes in the team and then save it for later for some quiver dance shenanigans.
EVs are max special attack for power, 108 Spe to outspeed positive base 100s after a quiver dance, and the rest in HP for bulk. Water pulse is the best stab option with a nice chance to confuse. Scald is nice but is a little too weak, and hydro miss is hydro miss, and I hate low accuracy moves with a passion. Dark Pulse is a great spamable move to destroy waters and ghosts. Aura Sphere wrecks steels like Mega Aggron and Umbreon. Not much can kill this thing if it has a boost or two under its belt. The final slot is Rapid Spin, because I run Honchcrow and to preserve my sash on Venomoth.
I am pretty dead set on using this thing because its so damn good in this meta. Its also a great absorber of Knock off. The moves and EVs are up in the air though. It really struggles with Florges and gets worn down very easily throughout the match as it is my only bulky check to some strong attackers. I don't really have a defensive mon on the team so a lot of times I have to end up sacrificing it to get a check in.
Honchcrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpDef
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Honchcrow may seem really out of place, but it works on this team. I really just had an urge to try it out and it has paid off big time. First of all, you may have noticed it is my only physical attacker which is important as I needed one otherwise I may lose to stally special walls like snorlax and umbreon. You may also have noticed that I have no scarfer. This is my only check to fast threats with its stab sucker punch. It also gives me a solid win condition if the quiver dance shenanigans fall through.
Max attack and Speed with an adamant nature for the most power. Life orb is chosen because Honchcrow needs the power boost to KO certain threats, although it does cause it to get worn down very fast with life orb recoil. Brave bird is the main stab, decimating anything that doesnt resist and does a number even to the bulky physical walls of the tier. Sucker punch is for revenge killing and hitting faster threats. Pursuit is the best move on the set. It is so good because people fear the sucker punch so much they often will try and switch, often nabbing a quick +1 moxie boost and proceeding to take out 1 - 2 more pokemon as well. Superpower is a solid move in the last slot nailing mega aggron and snorlax for huge damage. If it gets the KO, moxie offsets the attack loss which is nice.
Threat List
Zygarde -- This thing is too damn strong, and if it gets a turn of setup I usually get swept. Raikou HP Ice doesnt even do 50% to bulky versions.
Priority -- things like ambipom and entei wreck my sweeps with their powerful priority moves
Nidoking -- celebi switches in on some of its moves, but if I play it wrong something dies
Fire types -- only resist on my team in Blastoise and it cannot take repeated hits throughout the match
Scarfers or speed boosters -- I rely on Honchcrow for sucker punch and venomoth with its sash, but these arent the best checks against good players.
Replays
Coming Soon!
Former Members
Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spe / 4 Spdef
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
Raikou just wasn't cutting it. Having HP ice as the only coverage option really limited what he could do. While he was very fast, he didn't have the power to break walls as well as I would like, and he usually didn't do much to affect the outcome of a match.
Conclusion
I think I have a pretty solid team that could really use some solid feedback and a few tweaks to get it to the top of the ladder. I would really appreciate any feedback and comments you may have. Thank you for taking the time to read this RMT!
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