Approved by kokoloko
I for one, along with many others I'm sure, feel as though there is some untapped power within the UU environment. There is substantial evidence for this idea in the form of one commonality for most tiers, UU included: there always seems to be one or more new-fangled, hyped up sets that weren't originally main-stay or seen as "viable" by the community, but somehow has taken the metagame by storm. This can be seen in DPP OU (with Special Lucario transitioning to SD Lucario, Heatran eventually running items other than Choice Scarf, and the influx of ChestoRest Kingdra) in ADV (with the vaunted TyraniBoah now becoming almost an urban myth in comparison to Special and DD Tyranitar, and the increasing popularity of SupeRachi) and in BW OU (with the advent of SubSalac Terrakion, SubDisable Gengar, and ChestoRest Volcarona). Yes, some of these sets may have been found early on with respect to the creation of the tier or fairly recently, the point is, though, that there seems to be an endless supply of effective and potent sets out there yet to be discovered, especially factoring in metagame swings and the possible tier shifts. The purpose of this project will be to systematically subject each and every UU pokemon to a collective body of research in an attempt to uncover these "hidden gems", so to speak, and hopefully spark some creativity throughout the UU community.
The Process:
Each week, I will choose a different UU Pokemon, sometimes chosen by random, sometimes chosen by curiousity, of which participants will try to personally create a new set for that is not already on-site or in the process of being put on-site. Participants will be given 5 days to create their set, with discussion about the particular sets being promoted throughout, and on the 6th and 7th day of the week, a vote will be held to choose which user's set represented the most creative and simultaneously competivitely viable set to utilize in the current UU metagame. Once the votes are tallied and a winner is crowned, the set will be archived in the OP and the process will start all over again for the next pokemon specimen. If your set wins, it will also contribute to the "points" also obtained from winning Research Week, potentially winning yourself a Community Contributor Badge nomination.
What are we looking for?:
Specifically, I want to stress the importance of the balance between creativity and viability when picking a set to post for the Pokemon in question. There's a very fine line between a "creative" set and a "gimmick", and this project is not meant to produce gimmicks, rather emphasize the ability to think outside the box when using a specific Pokemon in order to maximize it's potential. Having said that, I would also like to deviate from simple one move / item changes. For example, using Lum Berry over Life Orb on an SD Virizion does nothing to show any untapped potential Virizion has because we already have a basic understanding of what SD Virizion is and does, it's just now better at dealing with status and has less power. The same goes for using Iron Head over Stone Edge on SD Cobalion, it doesn't yield productive discussion or results for the project. I am looking for sets that test what we think we know about checks or counters, so-called standards, and what it means to be viable. Maybe a particular option for a Pokemon looks inferior at first glance for that particular pokemon, but dig deeper and try and find what it might mean in the big picture, for the entire team.
The next test subject is..
Tangrowth
The Next Best Thing...
What is this?:
I for one, along with many others I'm sure, feel as though there is some untapped power within the UU environment. There is substantial evidence for this idea in the form of one commonality for most tiers, UU included: there always seems to be one or more new-fangled, hyped up sets that weren't originally main-stay or seen as "viable" by the community, but somehow has taken the metagame by storm. This can be seen in DPP OU (with Special Lucario transitioning to SD Lucario, Heatran eventually running items other than Choice Scarf, and the influx of ChestoRest Kingdra) in ADV (with the vaunted TyraniBoah now becoming almost an urban myth in comparison to Special and DD Tyranitar, and the increasing popularity of SupeRachi) and in BW OU (with the advent of SubSalac Terrakion, SubDisable Gengar, and ChestoRest Volcarona). Yes, some of these sets may have been found early on with respect to the creation of the tier or fairly recently, the point is, though, that there seems to be an endless supply of effective and potent sets out there yet to be discovered, especially factoring in metagame swings and the possible tier shifts. The purpose of this project will be to systematically subject each and every UU pokemon to a collective body of research in an attempt to uncover these "hidden gems", so to speak, and hopefully spark some creativity throughout the UU community.
The Process:
Each week, I will choose a different UU Pokemon, sometimes chosen by random, sometimes chosen by curiousity, of which participants will try to personally create a new set for that is not already on-site or in the process of being put on-site. Participants will be given 5 days to create their set, with discussion about the particular sets being promoted throughout, and on the 6th and 7th day of the week, a vote will be held to choose which user's set represented the most creative and simultaneously competivitely viable set to utilize in the current UU metagame. Once the votes are tallied and a winner is crowned, the set will be archived in the OP and the process will start all over again for the next pokemon specimen. If your set wins, it will also contribute to the "points" also obtained from winning Research Week, potentially winning yourself a Community Contributor Badge nomination.
What are we looking for?:
Specifically, I want to stress the importance of the balance between creativity and viability when picking a set to post for the Pokemon in question. There's a very fine line between a "creative" set and a "gimmick", and this project is not meant to produce gimmicks, rather emphasize the ability to think outside the box when using a specific Pokemon in order to maximize it's potential. Having said that, I would also like to deviate from simple one move / item changes. For example, using Lum Berry over Life Orb on an SD Virizion does nothing to show any untapped potential Virizion has because we already have a basic understanding of what SD Virizion is and does, it's just now better at dealing with status and has less power. The same goes for using Iron Head over Stone Edge on SD Cobalion, it doesn't yield productive discussion or results for the project. I am looking for sets that test what we think we know about checks or counters, so-called standards, and what it means to be viable. Maybe a particular option for a Pokemon looks inferior at first glance for that particular pokemon, but dig deeper and try and find what it might mean in the big picture, for the entire team.
The next test subject is..
Tangrowth
Swamp Link - Specially Defensive Kyurem
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SDef / 216 Spd
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Dragon Tail
- Roost
The Speed EVs and Nature are used to outspeed Timid Roserade with the rest thrown into Special Defense and HP. Kyurem's HP stat is so naturally high that investing in it is less efficient than investing in defenses, so you max out Special Defense first. Ice Beam and Earth Power are staples on Kyurem for a STAB move and great coverage. These can threaten a number of common UU special attackers that Kyurem can check with this set like Starmie, Roserade, and Nidoking, among others. It's also great for switching into bulky Waters, although Scald burns are annoying. I recommend cleric support, but that shouldn't be too difficult when Florges, Umbreon, and Mega Ampharos are all very good. Dragon Tail is a nice phazing move that can shuffle your opponent around and phaze out stuff like Calm Mind Suicune and Slowbro. A Timid nature is used because you don't really care about the damage of Dragon Tail, just the effect, but if you really want you could use a Hasty Nature. Kyurem's natural bulk is actually very high, and so it can do some pretty impressive things. The set plays like a pivot that can switch into a wide range of special attackers, threaten them with fairly powerful attacks, stay healthy with Roost, and shuffle stuff with Dragon Tail. Kyurem's not a full wall, it doesn't switch into abusive attacks over and over, it's just a useful Pokemon. If it's your only way to deal with Crocune, you're weak to Crocune, but it is a nice switch into Crocune midgame. So, although Earth Power only 2HKO's Mega Houndoom, it can actually take hits from it quite well. Roserade can't 2HKO, is outsped and is KO'd by Ice Beam usually. Nidoking is countered if it doesn't carry Focus Blast, and even though Kyurem can't switch into Focus Blast well, it will outspeed and KO with Ice Beam. Although you definitely lose to Suicune, Kyurem can switch in at any time to phaze it out and take hits easily. A lot of Tornadus-T's run physical sets but a good old special Life Orb set is still good and you can take those fairly powerful Hurricanes. Mega Manectric doesn't stand a chance, and Shaymin needs to drop your Special Defense on the switch and hit 3 Seed Flares in a row (which will burn up most of its PP) in order to beat you. This is made more difficult since Ice Beam KO's after two turns of Life Orb recoil. Finally, Starmie can never 2HKO you with Leftovers considered, even if it carries Psyshock, which it usually doesn't. However, all of these calcs depend upon Stealth Rock not being down. Defog support is highly recommended with Kyurem for this reason, as it can be an extremely effective check to many top threats, but if it keeps switching into Stealth Rock, then it will be worn down.
EonX- Mixed Sunny Day Entei
Entei @ Life Orb / Heat Rock
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SAtk / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty
- Sunny Day
- Sacred Fire
- Solar Beam
- Stone Edge
Hey, guess what Entei can actually do effectively now that it has Sacred Fire? Run a mixed Sunny Day set. So, basically, you use Sunny Day as your check or counter comes in and then rock their world with Solar Beam. Sun-boosted Sacred Fire is hurting a lot of shit pretty badly and that burn chance is always cool. Stone Edge is just so Fire-types can't take advantage of your sunlight. Since Entei isn't using any of its event moves, Hasty is usable so Solar Beam isn't gimped. Attack and Speed are maximized for obvious reasons. 4 EVs from Attack are moved to Special Attack to guarantee the OHKO on 248 / 244 Rhyperior with LO Solar Beam after Rocks and 1 layer of Spikes. Heat Rock extends the duration of Sunny Day while Life Orb raises damage output.
Dat Blast - SuperRachi
Jirachi @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt / Energy Ball
- Healing Wish
Punches holes mid-game and restores a teammate when it's done. Superachi is one of those sweepers who can't really ~sweep~ whole teams because it lacks the sheer Speed or staying power to do so, so Healing Wish is a good way to ensure you're still useful and ensures you're not utter deadweight against teams with like Umbreon or something. Healing Wish in general is a really clutch move for partners like Mega Blastoise, Victini, Nidoqueen, etc who all tend to get worn down really quickly, so restoring them back to full is an excellent form of support. Also unlike Scarf w/ HW it's actually decently strong after a boost or two + LO. Anyway the moves are more or less self-explanatory, Psyshock gets STAB and strong coverage against Nidos / Roserade / Fighting-types / etc, and lets you check opposing CMers in a pinch (albeit shakily). Tbolt donks Slowbro and does actual damage to Steels and Houndoom, though you could also use Energy Ball if you want to hit Grounds like Swampert / Gastrodon / Rhyperior / etc.
Calloflochie - Shift Gear Smeargle
Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 Spd / 248 HP / 8 Def
Jolly Nature
- Spiky Shield / Magic Coat
- Shift Gear
- Spore / Dark Void
- Baton Pass
So pretty much all Smeargle is good at is setting up hazards and passing boosts so this will be yet another boosting set. The problem is that, I got in a bit late so everyone got all of the relatively standard Smeargle sets but luckily no one had taken this set yet.Ever since Generation 5, the generation that took boosting moves to a whole new level, Smeargle has been one of the premier abusers. Smash pass and Quiver pass are two strategies that have conquered every ladder from NU to Ubers and at the heart of all of this, has been this little painter. However, one of the moves introduced benefited the all but forgotten physical attackers, a move that not only raised the attack by one stage but also the speed by two. The move I am about and the crux of this set, Shift Gear. The one problem that I have with using Smeargle as a SmashPass administrator is that it absolutely needs Sash to guarantee it's boost, but also would really benefit from having a White Herb due to the drop in Defenses (granted you can run White Herb on the mon receiving but I hope i'm not the only one that thinks that fucking White Herb Nidoking is an awful idea n_n). QuiverPass is the same deal, even at +1, pretty much every common Scarfer in the tier is going to be beating you down before you can get off a pass. So why not Shift Gear, it lets me outspeed every relevant scarfer up to the infamous ScarfKou after a single boost, without having to face the fact whatever i'm bringing in is more than likely going to get raped by an attack and becoming extremely susceptible to priority. Shift gear takes advantage of a lot of the wonderful physical attackers that the UU tier has to offer, namely the fire types but not limited to other things like Heracross, Flygon, Honchkrow, Krookodile, Medicham, Crobat and hell even Machamp or Rhyperior could look pretty potent with a couple of boosts under it's belt.
Moving onto the set,Protect Spiky Shield over Kings Shield because I want to be protected from all the bullshit, not just attacking moves. I only just found out today that Tyranitar actually gets Thunder Wave, so I don't want to be taking any chances with random Thunder Waves raining on my parade. Protect Spiky Shield is also there for mons that like to lead and try to fuck with the Sash. AND YES I'M LOOKING DIRECTLY AT YOU AMBIPOM YOU LITTLE MONKEY SHIT. Mienshao is a weasel fuck too who tries to ruin poor Smeargle so yeah protect is there for that :]. Magic Coat also plays a mindgame with Venomoth but that's probably not the best idea and if they do have a Venomoth, I would recommend not leading with your Smeargle. Spore/Dark Void depending on if you're real/really badly need the pass for the team to function or if you have based luck on your side all the time and don't mind hitting a Dark Void. Baton pass, cause well, it's very hard to pass a boost to another mon without Baton Passing it. Obviously, Taunt fucks with Smeargle so Magic Coat can be used over Protect Spiky Shield but really it's the lesser of two evils. Do you want to get beaten by Taunt or by Lead Fake Out mons; it's up to you. Overall, this set is really good and honestly a pretty underrated one in today's meta given how good the Physical Attackers are and how lackluster most of the Physical Walls are.
Kitten Milk - Expert Belt Flygon
Flygon (M) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Hasty Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Fire Blast
Fairly standard compared to most of the sets shown here, but good nonetheless. Expert Belt allows you to bluff the scarf (unless SE move hits, ofc), and still retains Flygon's respectable damage output. Fire Blast allows Flygon to get surprise kills on Forretress, and all but the most specially defensive sets will get straight OHKOd.
4 SpA Expert Belt Flygon Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Forretress: 312-370 (88.1 - 104.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
The reason that an entire set dedicated to killing forretress (and I suppose banded escavalier, to a lesser extent) is because of two things. 1. Forretress seems almost omnipresent in most balanced, stall and even hyper-offensive teams. 2. More importantly, these games usually revolve entirely around who can kill the other person's Forretress first. By eliminating a Forretress, you eliminate a tremendous amount of tankiness and utility that can easily swing the game in your favour, and you'll be able to do so by bluffing the choice item and killing with a surprise fire blast.
Calloflochie - Stallbreaker Chesnaught
Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 180 Spd / 248 HP / 80 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Synthesis / Leech Seed
- Earthquake
This set acts a pseudo stallbreaker while still being able to function as a decent physical/mixed wall. Chester is one of the best mons to combat a lot of the Water types in the tier, namely Mega-Blastoise due to almost none of it's moves being able to hit it and the extremely common, Crocune. What this set basically aims to achieve is mess with a lot of the walls of the tier by Taunting them (therefore reduced their ability to support the team) and proceeding to Toxic pretty much anything that isn't a Poison or Steel type. Synthesis is basically there because I would much rather be healing 50% of my health than relying on Leech Seed 1. Hitting and 2. Hitting something with enough HP to warrant decent healing. Leech Seed hits stuff like Crobat on the switch in but Taunting a Crobat coming in is, in my opinion, just as beneficial. Earthquake is there over STAB options like Hammer Arm and Wood Hammer to be able to 1. Hit Poison Types coming in trying to force me out with offensive pressure and 2. Hit the Steel Types harder that would otherwise avoid Toxic e.g Jirachi and Metagross. The EVs basically can be changed but these are the ones I think are most effective for the set, 180 speed Jolly lets it outspeed everything up to Bulky 4/8 Speed Arcanine meaning that it can get the jump on walls including Forretress, Swampert, Hippowdon, Florges, Empoleon, Nidoqueen, Slowbro, Suicune, Snorlax, Umbreon, Trevenant, Vaporeon as well as many, many more (walling Defensive Roserade is really nice too). The Special Defense basically just tries to make up for Chesnaught's slightly more lackluster defensive stat and Max HP just gives Chesnaught more rounded bulk overall. So yeah, hopefully you enjoy the set and if you need a nice Mixed wall that can pretty much Toxic/EQ the entire defensive Metagame, then Chester is your man.
CoolStoryBrobat - Assault Vest Tentacruel
Tentacruel @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body/Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 SAtk / 16 Spd / 120 SDef / 120 HP
Modest/Calm Nature
- Scald
- Sludge Wave
- Giga Drain
- Rapid Spin / Mirror Coat
Comical set, spare me any and all references to famous YouTuber BlameTruth, or I will stab you in the nose. This is basically an offensively-oriented Assault Vest Tentacruel set, and very simple and straightforward. Assault Vest allows Tentacruel to expand its excellent base 120 Sp. Def to even greater levels, allowing it to tank and survive hits from even the strongest special attackers in the UU environment. Scald and Sludge Wave are obligatory STAB options that get surprisingly decent neutral coverage together, while Giga Drain allows Tentacruel to get essential recovery to keep going while also being able to take on bulky waters and/or grounds. Rapid Spin is the preferred fourth moveslot option since this allows Tentacruel to maintain some of its utility and keep your team's side clear of hazards. However, Mirror Coat is a funny as hell move that will guaranteed you one pissed off person per game, provided you bait the hit, which isn't hard, in all honesty. The 16 Speed EVs are to outrun max Speed Adamant Metagross (Obscure benchmark but you don't really have much else worth outpacing that doesn't cost you a cubic ton of speed, considering Tentacruel's already-good-as-is base 100 Speed stat), while the HP and SpD EVs are slashed since you would get identical special bulk if you ran 0 HP / 240 SpD. Having the extra HP at least gives you a bit more bulk on both sides of the defensive spectrum, which is always welcome.
Of course, like any Assault Vest user, you don't just shove this guy into random hits and expect him to live and kill things back in return. It takes execution, and primarily would be used as an offensive pivot of sorts who can sponge a hit, throw one back, and go from there. Most of the Pokemon Tentacruel pivots on are the specially-oriented bulky Water-, Grass-, and Fire-type Pokemon, most of whom it can take hits from and deal back. Now while you can stomach a super-effective move like Thunderbolt from Raikou or something if you're healthy enough, it's highly recommended you avoid doing such, unless you're setting up the Mirror Coat. Which in itself is a one-time surprise since Tentacruel won't be able to do much else after taking too big of a hit, even if it lives. Naturally because of how easy it can be to wear down heedless of Giga Drain, get yourself some Wish support from either Umbreon or Florges. It doesn't matter which one, they both have good synergy with Tentacruel, however, Umbreon + Tentacruel isn't as easily broken by Nidoking. So there's that to consider.
Oh yeah. Clear Body is slashed with Liquid Ooze because they're both incredibly niche abilities overall. The most common stat drop you'll suffer will mainly be from Sticky Web. It could be useful for not getting SpD drops from Shaymin's Seed Flare, though. Liquid Ooze is cool for those stray Leech Seeds you may happen to switch into. Which most of the time will be from SubSeed Shaymin. Either way you slice it, SubSeed Shaymin gets smashed.
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SDef / 216 Spd
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Dragon Tail
- Roost
The Speed EVs and Nature are used to outspeed Timid Roserade with the rest thrown into Special Defense and HP. Kyurem's HP stat is so naturally high that investing in it is less efficient than investing in defenses, so you max out Special Defense first. Ice Beam and Earth Power are staples on Kyurem for a STAB move and great coverage. These can threaten a number of common UU special attackers that Kyurem can check with this set like Starmie, Roserade, and Nidoking, among others. It's also great for switching into bulky Waters, although Scald burns are annoying. I recommend cleric support, but that shouldn't be too difficult when Florges, Umbreon, and Mega Ampharos are all very good. Dragon Tail is a nice phazing move that can shuffle your opponent around and phaze out stuff like Calm Mind Suicune and Slowbro. A Timid nature is used because you don't really care about the damage of Dragon Tail, just the effect, but if you really want you could use a Hasty Nature. Kyurem's natural bulk is actually very high, and so it can do some pretty impressive things. The set plays like a pivot that can switch into a wide range of special attackers, threaten them with fairly powerful attacks, stay healthy with Roost, and shuffle stuff with Dragon Tail. Kyurem's not a full wall, it doesn't switch into abusive attacks over and over, it's just a useful Pokemon. If it's your only way to deal with Crocune, you're weak to Crocune, but it is a nice switch into Crocune midgame. So, although Earth Power only 2HKO's Mega Houndoom, it can actually take hits from it quite well. Roserade can't 2HKO, is outsped and is KO'd by Ice Beam usually. Nidoking is countered if it doesn't carry Focus Blast, and even though Kyurem can't switch into Focus Blast well, it will outspeed and KO with Ice Beam. Although you definitely lose to Suicune, Kyurem can switch in at any time to phaze it out and take hits easily. A lot of Tornadus-T's run physical sets but a good old special Life Orb set is still good and you can take those fairly powerful Hurricanes. Mega Manectric doesn't stand a chance, and Shaymin needs to drop your Special Defense on the switch and hit 3 Seed Flares in a row (which will burn up most of its PP) in order to beat you. This is made more difficult since Ice Beam KO's after two turns of Life Orb recoil. Finally, Starmie can never 2HKO you with Leftovers considered, even if it carries Psyshock, which it usually doesn't. However, all of these calcs depend upon Stealth Rock not being down. Defog support is highly recommended with Kyurem for this reason, as it can be an extremely effective check to many top threats, but if it keeps switching into Stealth Rock, then it will be worn down.
EonX- Mixed Sunny Day Entei
Entei @ Life Orb / Heat Rock
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SAtk / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty
- Sunny Day
- Sacred Fire
- Solar Beam
- Stone Edge
Hey, guess what Entei can actually do effectively now that it has Sacred Fire? Run a mixed Sunny Day set. So, basically, you use Sunny Day as your check or counter comes in and then rock their world with Solar Beam. Sun-boosted Sacred Fire is hurting a lot of shit pretty badly and that burn chance is always cool. Stone Edge is just so Fire-types can't take advantage of your sunlight. Since Entei isn't using any of its event moves, Hasty is usable so Solar Beam isn't gimped. Attack and Speed are maximized for obvious reasons. 4 EVs from Attack are moved to Special Attack to guarantee the OHKO on 248 / 244 Rhyperior with LO Solar Beam after Rocks and 1 layer of Spikes. Heat Rock extends the duration of Sunny Day while Life Orb raises damage output.
Dat Blast - SuperRachi
Jirachi @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt / Energy Ball
- Healing Wish
Punches holes mid-game and restores a teammate when it's done. Superachi is one of those sweepers who can't really ~sweep~ whole teams because it lacks the sheer Speed or staying power to do so, so Healing Wish is a good way to ensure you're still useful and ensures you're not utter deadweight against teams with like Umbreon or something. Healing Wish in general is a really clutch move for partners like Mega Blastoise, Victini, Nidoqueen, etc who all tend to get worn down really quickly, so restoring them back to full is an excellent form of support. Also unlike Scarf w/ HW it's actually decently strong after a boost or two + LO. Anyway the moves are more or less self-explanatory, Psyshock gets STAB and strong coverage against Nidos / Roserade / Fighting-types / etc, and lets you check opposing CMers in a pinch (albeit shakily). Tbolt donks Slowbro and does actual damage to Steels and Houndoom, though you could also use Energy Ball if you want to hit Grounds like Swampert / Gastrodon / Rhyperior / etc.
Calloflochie - Shift Gear Smeargle
Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 Spd / 248 HP / 8 Def
Jolly Nature
- Spiky Shield / Magic Coat
- Shift Gear
- Spore / Dark Void
- Baton Pass
So pretty much all Smeargle is good at is setting up hazards and passing boosts so this will be yet another boosting set. The problem is that, I got in a bit late so everyone got all of the relatively standard Smeargle sets but luckily no one had taken this set yet.Ever since Generation 5, the generation that took boosting moves to a whole new level, Smeargle has been one of the premier abusers. Smash pass and Quiver pass are two strategies that have conquered every ladder from NU to Ubers and at the heart of all of this, has been this little painter. However, one of the moves introduced benefited the all but forgotten physical attackers, a move that not only raised the attack by one stage but also the speed by two. The move I am about and the crux of this set, Shift Gear. The one problem that I have with using Smeargle as a SmashPass administrator is that it absolutely needs Sash to guarantee it's boost, but also would really benefit from having a White Herb due to the drop in Defenses (granted you can run White Herb on the mon receiving but I hope i'm not the only one that thinks that fucking White Herb Nidoking is an awful idea n_n). QuiverPass is the same deal, even at +1, pretty much every common Scarfer in the tier is going to be beating you down before you can get off a pass. So why not Shift Gear, it lets me outspeed every relevant scarfer up to the infamous ScarfKou after a single boost, without having to face the fact whatever i'm bringing in is more than likely going to get raped by an attack and becoming extremely susceptible to priority. Shift gear takes advantage of a lot of the wonderful physical attackers that the UU tier has to offer, namely the fire types but not limited to other things like Heracross, Flygon, Honchkrow, Krookodile, Medicham, Crobat and hell even Machamp or Rhyperior could look pretty potent with a couple of boosts under it's belt.
Moving onto the set,
Kitten Milk - Expert Belt Flygon
Flygon (M) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Hasty Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Fire Blast
Fairly standard compared to most of the sets shown here, but good nonetheless. Expert Belt allows you to bluff the scarf (unless SE move hits, ofc), and still retains Flygon's respectable damage output. Fire Blast allows Flygon to get surprise kills on Forretress, and all but the most specially defensive sets will get straight OHKOd.
4 SpA Expert Belt Flygon Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Forretress: 312-370 (88.1 - 104.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
The reason that an entire set dedicated to killing forretress (and I suppose banded escavalier, to a lesser extent) is because of two things. 1. Forretress seems almost omnipresent in most balanced, stall and even hyper-offensive teams. 2. More importantly, these games usually revolve entirely around who can kill the other person's Forretress first. By eliminating a Forretress, you eliminate a tremendous amount of tankiness and utility that can easily swing the game in your favour, and you'll be able to do so by bluffing the choice item and killing with a surprise fire blast.
Calloflochie - Stallbreaker Chesnaught
Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 180 Spd / 248 HP / 80 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Synthesis / Leech Seed
- Earthquake
This set acts a pseudo stallbreaker while still being able to function as a decent physical/mixed wall. Chester is one of the best mons to combat a lot of the Water types in the tier, namely Mega-Blastoise due to almost none of it's moves being able to hit it and the extremely common, Crocune. What this set basically aims to achieve is mess with a lot of the walls of the tier by Taunting them (therefore reduced their ability to support the team) and proceeding to Toxic pretty much anything that isn't a Poison or Steel type. Synthesis is basically there because I would much rather be healing 50% of my health than relying on Leech Seed 1. Hitting and 2. Hitting something with enough HP to warrant decent healing. Leech Seed hits stuff like Crobat on the switch in but Taunting a Crobat coming in is, in my opinion, just as beneficial. Earthquake is there over STAB options like Hammer Arm and Wood Hammer to be able to 1. Hit Poison Types coming in trying to force me out with offensive pressure and 2. Hit the Steel Types harder that would otherwise avoid Toxic e.g Jirachi and Metagross. The EVs basically can be changed but these are the ones I think are most effective for the set, 180 speed Jolly lets it outspeed everything up to Bulky 4/8 Speed Arcanine meaning that it can get the jump on walls including Forretress, Swampert, Hippowdon, Florges, Empoleon, Nidoqueen, Slowbro, Suicune, Snorlax, Umbreon, Trevenant, Vaporeon as well as many, many more (walling Defensive Roserade is really nice too). The Special Defense basically just tries to make up for Chesnaught's slightly more lackluster defensive stat and Max HP just gives Chesnaught more rounded bulk overall. So yeah, hopefully you enjoy the set and if you need a nice Mixed wall that can pretty much Toxic/EQ the entire defensive Metagame, then Chester is your man.
CoolStoryBrobat - Assault Vest Tentacruel
Tentacruel @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body/Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 SAtk / 16 Spd / 120 SDef / 120 HP
Modest/Calm Nature
- Scald
- Sludge Wave
- Giga Drain
- Rapid Spin / Mirror Coat
Comical set, spare me any and all references to famous YouTuber BlameTruth, or I will stab you in the nose. This is basically an offensively-oriented Assault Vest Tentacruel set, and very simple and straightforward. Assault Vest allows Tentacruel to expand its excellent base 120 Sp. Def to even greater levels, allowing it to tank and survive hits from even the strongest special attackers in the UU environment. Scald and Sludge Wave are obligatory STAB options that get surprisingly decent neutral coverage together, while Giga Drain allows Tentacruel to get essential recovery to keep going while also being able to take on bulky waters and/or grounds. Rapid Spin is the preferred fourth moveslot option since this allows Tentacruel to maintain some of its utility and keep your team's side clear of hazards. However, Mirror Coat is a funny as hell move that will guaranteed you one pissed off person per game, provided you bait the hit, which isn't hard, in all honesty. The 16 Speed EVs are to outrun max Speed Adamant Metagross (Obscure benchmark but you don't really have much else worth outpacing that doesn't cost you a cubic ton of speed, considering Tentacruel's already-good-as-is base 100 Speed stat), while the HP and SpD EVs are slashed since you would get identical special bulk if you ran 0 HP / 240 SpD. Having the extra HP at least gives you a bit more bulk on both sides of the defensive spectrum, which is always welcome.
Of course, like any Assault Vest user, you don't just shove this guy into random hits and expect him to live and kill things back in return. It takes execution, and primarily would be used as an offensive pivot of sorts who can sponge a hit, throw one back, and go from there. Most of the Pokemon Tentacruel pivots on are the specially-oriented bulky Water-, Grass-, and Fire-type Pokemon, most of whom it can take hits from and deal back. Now while you can stomach a super-effective move like Thunderbolt from Raikou or something if you're healthy enough, it's highly recommended you avoid doing such, unless you're setting up the Mirror Coat. Which in itself is a one-time surprise since Tentacruel won't be able to do much else after taking too big of a hit, even if it lives. Naturally because of how easy it can be to wear down heedless of Giga Drain, get yourself some Wish support from either Umbreon or Florges. It doesn't matter which one, they both have good synergy with Tentacruel, however, Umbreon + Tentacruel isn't as easily broken by Nidoking. So there's that to consider.
Oh yeah. Clear Body is slashed with Liquid Ooze because they're both incredibly niche abilities overall. The most common stat drop you'll suffer will mainly be from Sticky Web. It could be useful for not getting SpD drops from Shaymin's Seed Flare, though. Liquid Ooze is cool for those stray Leech Seeds you may happen to switch into. Which most of the time will be from SubSeed Shaymin. Either way you slice it, SubSeed Shaymin gets smashed.
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