I was shocked I tells ya, SHOCKED! The addition of over 150 Pokemon in B/W surely meant more Pokemon would be added to OU, expanding the tier for diversity. But instead, we end up with a cutoff of 53 OU Pokemon, ensuring some of the original OU Pokes get the shaft to UU! Therefore, I affectionally call UU "5th Gen's 4th Gen OU" or "OU Lite." Will I have fun with it as last generation's OU?
Team at a glance:
Three former OU paired up with three of the most used UU of last generation. Basically, when I set out to this team, I wanted to go with a team leaning more on the offensive side with a bit of bulk. I had myself set on using Milotic, since it's been my favorite Water-type for a while and has usually been a staple in my UU team. Registeel came in to mind due to its balanced defenses and thus, I felt my core defensive bulk was set. Seeing Zapdos fall due to the popularity of Thundurus was a bit saddening, but if it means I can use a fast and powerful special attacker, so be it. From there, my uncertainty on teams set in. I recognized that the Grass/Fire/Water core is always a great combination, so I decided on Arcanine as my physical attacker and Roserade as my secondary entry hazard user. However, noting that only Arcanine was my only physical attacker and seeing a potential problem with a possessed oven, I turned to a former king of OU, with Snorlax to take the final spot.
In depth:
Snorlax (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 188 HP / 104 Def / 216 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Rest
*The last addition to the team, Snorlax finds itself in a very unfamiliar position in the UU tier. Still, this thing enjoys making lunch of plenty of Pokemon. I decided to go with the tried and true Curselax set, as I felt it would serve as a decent check to Rotom-H, which is possibly this team's greatest threat. Curse is surprisingly easy to do this generation, and after one or two boosts, Snorlax will be difficult to take down without a strong Fighting-type attack. Body Slam is the STAB move of choice, and the added possibility of paralysis is always welcome to Snorlax. Earthquake was chosen due to its power; most of the things I would aim with Fire Punch are dealt with Body Slam and with Cofagrigus running around, Crunch isn't a great idea. Rest is here to recover damage, and with Snorlax's bulk, especially after Curse, he can afford the turns in wait.
Arcanine (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Wild Charge
- Flare Blitz
*Arcanine got a bunch of new toys this generation, with the much better physical Electric-type move in Wild Charge serving as a deterrent to most Water-types and Close Combat to make sure Snorlax doesn't walk in thinking it can absorb a Fire attack. Flare Blitz is great STAB while ExtremeSpeed is the always beneficial priority move most teams require. With Wild Charge and Flare Blitz depleting Arcanine's health, I usually try to save him late game. This is also why I went Adamant and gave it Choice Band: I want to eliminate troublesome Pokes as fast as possible. Intimidate is chosen to soften physical blows.
Registeel @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Seismic Toss
- Iron Head
*Registeel's general sturdiness made it the perfect candidate for setting up Stealth Rock, which is still highly necessary for many Pokes to score critical KOs. The rest of the stuff is standard. Thunder Wave is here to paralyze faster foes, helping my sweepers outrun potentially dangerous foes. Iron Head's flinch rate can come useful against paralyzed foes, but being its strongest STAB, it helps Registeel against fragile foes. Seismic Toss provides consistant 100 HP of damage, and Registeel appreciates that constant damage when Iron Head doesn't cut it. Registeel's Steel-typing also helps against the Grass-types going for Milotic, the Toxic users, and Dragon-types firing off Outrage, such as Kingdra, Altaria, and Flygon.
Zapdos @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- Roost
*The original Electric- / Flying-type may have lost its place in OU, but to overlook it is foolhardy. Thunderbolt is still extremely powerful, and when backed by STAB and Life Orb, most things that don't resist or invest in Special Defense will be 2HKOed. Hidden Power Ice was chosen to better combat Flygon and Altaria. And Heat Wave is something Thundurus wishes it had: a stronger way to kill off Grass-types and to roast Registeel and other Steel-types. With Life Orb draining health and no spinner, Roost is here to recover Zapdos' health. Zapdos will enjoy taking Ground- or Fighting-type attacks aimed at Arcanine and Registeel, as it's immune to the former and resists the latter. Any Ice-type attack aimed at Zapdos, in turn, is taken nicely by either one.
Roserade (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Toxic Spikes
- Sleep Powder
*Roserade provides the secondary entry hazards in Toxic Spikes. Gimping troublesome Pokes like Kingdra, Gastrodon, or Quagsire, is essential to make the rest of the team's job at eliminating threats easier. Sleep Powder can put the snooze on a potential counter, allowing me to set up my Toxic Spikes. However, I recognize that most Grass Pokes in UU and below are partial Poison-types, which is why Hidden Power Fire is chosen: it also helps combat foes like Scolipede and Durant. And since I want a quick kill on Water- / Ground-types, Leaf Storm is chosen as STAB to make quick wrk of them.
Milotic (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Marvel Scale
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Dragon Tail
- Recover
- Ice Beam
*The leader of the pack, as proclaimed by me. In the past generation, I broke from the usual Milotic norm, going a more offensive route. This generation, however, I wanted to utilize Milotic's walling capabilities to great use by using it's two new toys: Scald and Dragon Tail. Scald has ecome the bulky Water-type's favorite Water move, as the possibility of burn helps rack up damage while alleviating physical damage. Dragon Tail may not phaze an opponent behind a Sub, but that's been a rare issue for me and the fact that I can't be stopped from shuffling the opponent's Poke if I get Taunted (plus inflicting a bit of damage) made it a good choice. Ice Beam combats Dragon- and Grass-types while Recover keeps Milotic around for a good while.
So far, the team has performed very well, competing in and out and wining many matches. But I can't help but feel that I'm lacking something, something that could ensure better stability. The lack of a Ghost- and/or Fighting-type seemed alarming, but if it's not necessary, I'll stop worrying. Simply put, comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Team at a glance:
Three former OU paired up with three of the most used UU of last generation. Basically, when I set out to this team, I wanted to go with a team leaning more on the offensive side with a bit of bulk. I had myself set on using Milotic, since it's been my favorite Water-type for a while and has usually been a staple in my UU team. Registeel came in to mind due to its balanced defenses and thus, I felt my core defensive bulk was set. Seeing Zapdos fall due to the popularity of Thundurus was a bit saddening, but if it means I can use a fast and powerful special attacker, so be it. From there, my uncertainty on teams set in. I recognized that the Grass/Fire/Water core is always a great combination, so I decided on Arcanine as my physical attacker and Roserade as my secondary entry hazard user. However, noting that only Arcanine was my only physical attacker and seeing a potential problem with a possessed oven, I turned to a former king of OU, with Snorlax to take the final spot.
In depth:
Snorlax (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 188 HP / 104 Def / 216 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Rest
*The last addition to the team, Snorlax finds itself in a very unfamiliar position in the UU tier. Still, this thing enjoys making lunch of plenty of Pokemon. I decided to go with the tried and true Curselax set, as I felt it would serve as a decent check to Rotom-H, which is possibly this team's greatest threat. Curse is surprisingly easy to do this generation, and after one or two boosts, Snorlax will be difficult to take down without a strong Fighting-type attack. Body Slam is the STAB move of choice, and the added possibility of paralysis is always welcome to Snorlax. Earthquake was chosen due to its power; most of the things I would aim with Fire Punch are dealt with Body Slam and with Cofagrigus running around, Crunch isn't a great idea. Rest is here to recover damage, and with Snorlax's bulk, especially after Curse, he can afford the turns in wait.
Arcanine (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Wild Charge
- Flare Blitz
*Arcanine got a bunch of new toys this generation, with the much better physical Electric-type move in Wild Charge serving as a deterrent to most Water-types and Close Combat to make sure Snorlax doesn't walk in thinking it can absorb a Fire attack. Flare Blitz is great STAB while ExtremeSpeed is the always beneficial priority move most teams require. With Wild Charge and Flare Blitz depleting Arcanine's health, I usually try to save him late game. This is also why I went Adamant and gave it Choice Band: I want to eliminate troublesome Pokes as fast as possible. Intimidate is chosen to soften physical blows.
Registeel @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Seismic Toss
- Iron Head
*Registeel's general sturdiness made it the perfect candidate for setting up Stealth Rock, which is still highly necessary for many Pokes to score critical KOs. The rest of the stuff is standard. Thunder Wave is here to paralyze faster foes, helping my sweepers outrun potentially dangerous foes. Iron Head's flinch rate can come useful against paralyzed foes, but being its strongest STAB, it helps Registeel against fragile foes. Seismic Toss provides consistant 100 HP of damage, and Registeel appreciates that constant damage when Iron Head doesn't cut it. Registeel's Steel-typing also helps against the Grass-types going for Milotic, the Toxic users, and Dragon-types firing off Outrage, such as Kingdra, Altaria, and Flygon.
Zapdos @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- Roost
*The original Electric- / Flying-type may have lost its place in OU, but to overlook it is foolhardy. Thunderbolt is still extremely powerful, and when backed by STAB and Life Orb, most things that don't resist or invest in Special Defense will be 2HKOed. Hidden Power Ice was chosen to better combat Flygon and Altaria. And Heat Wave is something Thundurus wishes it had: a stronger way to kill off Grass-types and to roast Registeel and other Steel-types. With Life Orb draining health and no spinner, Roost is here to recover Zapdos' health. Zapdos will enjoy taking Ground- or Fighting-type attacks aimed at Arcanine and Registeel, as it's immune to the former and resists the latter. Any Ice-type attack aimed at Zapdos, in turn, is taken nicely by either one.
Roserade (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Toxic Spikes
- Sleep Powder
*Roserade provides the secondary entry hazards in Toxic Spikes. Gimping troublesome Pokes like Kingdra, Gastrodon, or Quagsire, is essential to make the rest of the team's job at eliminating threats easier. Sleep Powder can put the snooze on a potential counter, allowing me to set up my Toxic Spikes. However, I recognize that most Grass Pokes in UU and below are partial Poison-types, which is why Hidden Power Fire is chosen: it also helps combat foes like Scolipede and Durant. And since I want a quick kill on Water- / Ground-types, Leaf Storm is chosen as STAB to make quick wrk of them.
Milotic (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Marvel Scale
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Dragon Tail
- Recover
- Ice Beam
*The leader of the pack, as proclaimed by me. In the past generation, I broke from the usual Milotic norm, going a more offensive route. This generation, however, I wanted to utilize Milotic's walling capabilities to great use by using it's two new toys: Scald and Dragon Tail. Scald has ecome the bulky Water-type's favorite Water move, as the possibility of burn helps rack up damage while alleviating physical damage. Dragon Tail may not phaze an opponent behind a Sub, but that's been a rare issue for me and the fact that I can't be stopped from shuffling the opponent's Poke if I get Taunted (plus inflicting a bit of damage) made it a good choice. Ice Beam combats Dragon- and Grass-types while Recover keeps Milotic around for a good while.
So far, the team has performed very well, competing in and out and wining many matches. But I can't help but feel that I'm lacking something, something that could ensure better stability. The lack of a Ghost- and/or Fighting-type seemed alarming, but if it's not necessary, I'll stop worrying. Simply put, comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
