I took a very lengthy multi-year absence from competetive 'Mons so as such I'm not too familiar with all the new Pokémon just yet.
'Cause of this I just decided to stick with what I know when I made some teams. From watching a lot of games before diving into this new world I'm kind of aware of the most common Pokemon that are floating around UU nowadays.
After fiddling around with a few teams I've reached one that I feel pretty comfortable with, but want input on it for changes I can make to totally perfect it and adapt with the current metagame.
At a glance;
I started off making this team with Lantern as the first Pokemon in mind. The next thing I decided on was a solid lead, then chose what I felt was necessary to fill holes in the team both defensively, offensively and utility-y after each choice I made and ended up with this.
Nidoqueen (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Poison Point
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
I chose Nidoqueen as my lead because she's incredibly solid at it - she can set up Rocks and Toxic Spikes while taking a few hits and at the same time put out a decent amount of damage to other leads. Ice Beam punishes any Grass type leads or switch ins(for whatever reason they would do that) and Earth Power gives amazing coverage with Ice Beam.
I choose to go Poison Point over Sheer Force because I like having Earth Power's chance to lower Special Defence. If I hit something with an Earth Power that lowers it's SDef, it can scare them off giving me a chance to put down any spikes or rocks or even just a free switch to anything else to set something up.
With all that Health and Defense, Ambipom won't be doing much to Nidoqueen any time soon. It's Ground typing allow me to switch in on Electric moves freely to set stuff up, otherwise I'd go to Lantern. I have to hope they don't have Hidden Power [Ice] in this case since that can still do a number to Nidoqueen since most Zapdos' and Raikou's carry it.
Weakness coverage;
Psychic: Registeel, Sharpedo
Water: Lantern (Sharpedo won't really be able to take a hit)
Ground: Weezing
Lanturn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 192 Def / 100 SAtk / 176 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Scald
- Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Heal Bell
Lantern is such a fun Pokemon to use. It has so many status effect inflicting moves and with the addition of Scald it adds burn to it's arsenal. Anything that does get poisoned by Toxic Spikes, or if they've been spun away, Lantern has a good chance to inflict status on anything it hits. This is my secondary switch in to Electric type moves.
I run heal bell to eliminate status effects on the rest of my team. Only three of my Pokemon are susceptible to Toxic Spikes, while Nidoqueen can absorb them with her Poison typing so I don't have to worry about Poison most of the time.
The EVs are pretty standard and allow it to be very tanky while still putting out decent damage with STAB Discharge and Scald and then there's Ice Beam for coverage and to scare off any pesky Dragons without Earthquake. In the case they do have EQ? Then I roll over to my Weezing.
Weakness coverage:
Grass: Nidoqueen, Weezing, Registeel
Ground: Weezing
Weezing (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split / Explosion (In which case I change nature to Relaxed)
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
Weezing is one tanky dude. With a respectable 371 Defense backed up by 341 health, this guy is a definition of a UU physical wall. Completely stops Heracross and Scyther in their tracks as well as most other Fighting types and can force a switch for scare of Will-o-Wisp and Flamethrower. Flamethrower and Thunderbolt give cool type coverage but Weezing doesn't have very many move choices offensively. Fire Blast is also a choice, but I'm put off by the 85% accuracy.
Black Sludge so I can trick any Trickers.
Weezing is the switch in for the ground type attacks since unfortunately, three of my Pokemon are weak to ground type moves. I should probably find a way to remedy this, and this is why I've come to you guys.
I'm tempted to slip in Explosion somewhere for Chansey and the like, although with that new Eviolite item I doubt it would be able to OHKO her any more.
Weakness coverage:
Psychic: Registeel, Sharpedo
Registeel @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Thunder Wave
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss / Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch
After my first three Pokémon choices were made, I realised I had a pretty bad weakness to Psychic types and was lacking in the massive Special Defense department. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Registeel can easily come in on Psychic type moves and wall them completely. Although quite a few Psychic types tend to carry Focus Blast (or do they still anymore?). Registeel can also come in freely on Venusaur, granted they aren't packing Hidden Power [Fire].
Regi carries Thunder Wave and Toxic for everything Discharge and Toxic Spikes couldn't catch. Ice Punch is just a nice move to have when I come in on Grass types and I'm still torn between Seismic Toss for constant damage or Thunder Punch for BoltBeam-esque type coverage.
Weakness coverage:
Fighting: Nidoqueen, Weezing
Ground: Weezing
Fire: Lanturn
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 200 HP / 96 Atk / 188 Def / 24 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Rapid Spin
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Realising that I lacked a Spinner, Hitmontop was the first thing to come to mind. I run him mainly tanky because he doesn't need offensive EV's to do good damage, nor is he my main source of damage. Sucker Punch and Pursuit are good for switching in on Ghost types, and Sucker Punch can catch psychic types off guard. Close Combat because it's a huge STAB fighting move good for finishing things off.
I run intimidate due to the fact I don't really use any priority moves other than Pursuit which is good enough without Technician.
Weakness coverage:
Psychic: Registeel, Sharpedo
Flying: Lanturn, Registeel
Sharpedo (M) @ Life Orb / Focus Sash
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Protect
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Holy shit, when I saw Sharpedo got Speed Boost I was just thinking "Who's idea was this?" obviously with pitifully low defense Sharpedo falls victim to priority moves from the likes of Hitmontop and Bisharp.
I've got Protect on for a free turn on Speed Boost which will allow me to outspeed nearly everything that isn't scarfed. Waterfall and Crunch are cool STAB moves and Earthquake gives neat-o type coverage to help for it. Sharpedo can even be used as an alternate switch in to psychic type moves to initiate sweep-mode. Life Orb is there to add an extra kick to my attacks, although I may switch it out for a Focus Sash or something.
Weakness coverage:
Grass: Nidoqueen, Weezing, Registeel
Fighting: Nidoqueen, Weezing
Electric: Nidoqueen, Lanturn
When looking at my team, I realise that when Weezing is gone I have a pretty big weakness to Ground type moves. I also notice I have no Ghost type to stop opposing Rapid Spinners, but I don't know what I should replace.
Thanks in advance and all criticism - good or bad - will be acknowledged and any errors? Feel free to point them out and I'll get to it.
'Cause of this I just decided to stick with what I know when I made some teams. From watching a lot of games before diving into this new world I'm kind of aware of the most common Pokemon that are floating around UU nowadays.
After fiddling around with a few teams I've reached one that I feel pretty comfortable with, but want input on it for changes I can make to totally perfect it and adapt with the current metagame.
At a glance;
I started off making this team with Lantern as the first Pokemon in mind. The next thing I decided on was a solid lead, then chose what I felt was necessary to fill holes in the team both defensively, offensively and utility-y after each choice I made and ended up with this.
Nidoqueen (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Poison Point
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
I chose Nidoqueen as my lead because she's incredibly solid at it - she can set up Rocks and Toxic Spikes while taking a few hits and at the same time put out a decent amount of damage to other leads. Ice Beam punishes any Grass type leads or switch ins(for whatever reason they would do that) and Earth Power gives amazing coverage with Ice Beam.
I choose to go Poison Point over Sheer Force because I like having Earth Power's chance to lower Special Defence. If I hit something with an Earth Power that lowers it's SDef, it can scare them off giving me a chance to put down any spikes or rocks or even just a free switch to anything else to set something up.
With all that Health and Defense, Ambipom won't be doing much to Nidoqueen any time soon. It's Ground typing allow me to switch in on Electric moves freely to set stuff up, otherwise I'd go to Lantern. I have to hope they don't have Hidden Power [Ice] in this case since that can still do a number to Nidoqueen since most Zapdos' and Raikou's carry it.
Weakness coverage;
Psychic: Registeel, Sharpedo
Water: Lantern (Sharpedo won't really be able to take a hit)
Ground: Weezing
Lanturn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 192 Def / 100 SAtk / 176 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Scald
- Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Heal Bell
Lantern is such a fun Pokemon to use. It has so many status effect inflicting moves and with the addition of Scald it adds burn to it's arsenal. Anything that does get poisoned by Toxic Spikes, or if they've been spun away, Lantern has a good chance to inflict status on anything it hits. This is my secondary switch in to Electric type moves.
I run heal bell to eliminate status effects on the rest of my team. Only three of my Pokemon are susceptible to Toxic Spikes, while Nidoqueen can absorb them with her Poison typing so I don't have to worry about Poison most of the time.
The EVs are pretty standard and allow it to be very tanky while still putting out decent damage with STAB Discharge and Scald and then there's Ice Beam for coverage and to scare off any pesky Dragons without Earthquake. In the case they do have EQ? Then I roll over to my Weezing.
Weakness coverage:
Grass: Nidoqueen, Weezing, Registeel
Ground: Weezing
Weezing (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split / Explosion (In which case I change nature to Relaxed)
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
Weezing is one tanky dude. With a respectable 371 Defense backed up by 341 health, this guy is a definition of a UU physical wall. Completely stops Heracross and Scyther in their tracks as well as most other Fighting types and can force a switch for scare of Will-o-Wisp and Flamethrower. Flamethrower and Thunderbolt give cool type coverage but Weezing doesn't have very many move choices offensively. Fire Blast is also a choice, but I'm put off by the 85% accuracy.
Black Sludge so I can trick any Trickers.
Weezing is the switch in for the ground type attacks since unfortunately, three of my Pokemon are weak to ground type moves. I should probably find a way to remedy this, and this is why I've come to you guys.
I'm tempted to slip in Explosion somewhere for Chansey and the like, although with that new Eviolite item I doubt it would be able to OHKO her any more.
Weakness coverage:
Psychic: Registeel, Sharpedo
Registeel @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Thunder Wave
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss / Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch
After my first three Pokémon choices were made, I realised I had a pretty bad weakness to Psychic types and was lacking in the massive Special Defense department. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Registeel can easily come in on Psychic type moves and wall them completely. Although quite a few Psychic types tend to carry Focus Blast (or do they still anymore?). Registeel can also come in freely on Venusaur, granted they aren't packing Hidden Power [Fire].
Regi carries Thunder Wave and Toxic for everything Discharge and Toxic Spikes couldn't catch. Ice Punch is just a nice move to have when I come in on Grass types and I'm still torn between Seismic Toss for constant damage or Thunder Punch for BoltBeam-esque type coverage.
Weakness coverage:
Fighting: Nidoqueen, Weezing
Ground: Weezing
Fire: Lanturn
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 200 HP / 96 Atk / 188 Def / 24 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Rapid Spin
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Realising that I lacked a Spinner, Hitmontop was the first thing to come to mind. I run him mainly tanky because he doesn't need offensive EV's to do good damage, nor is he my main source of damage. Sucker Punch and Pursuit are good for switching in on Ghost types, and Sucker Punch can catch psychic types off guard. Close Combat because it's a huge STAB fighting move good for finishing things off.
I run intimidate due to the fact I don't really use any priority moves other than Pursuit which is good enough without Technician.
Weakness coverage:
Psychic: Registeel, Sharpedo
Flying: Lanturn, Registeel
Sharpedo (M) @ Life Orb / Focus Sash
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Protect
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Holy shit, when I saw Sharpedo got Speed Boost I was just thinking "Who's idea was this?" obviously with pitifully low defense Sharpedo falls victim to priority moves from the likes of Hitmontop and Bisharp.
I've got Protect on for a free turn on Speed Boost which will allow me to outspeed nearly everything that isn't scarfed. Waterfall and Crunch are cool STAB moves and Earthquake gives neat-o type coverage to help for it. Sharpedo can even be used as an alternate switch in to psychic type moves to initiate sweep-mode. Life Orb is there to add an extra kick to my attacks, although I may switch it out for a Focus Sash or something.
Weakness coverage:
Grass: Nidoqueen, Weezing, Registeel
Fighting: Nidoqueen, Weezing
Electric: Nidoqueen, Lanturn
When looking at my team, I realise that when Weezing is gone I have a pretty big weakness to Ground type moves. I also notice I have no Ghost type to stop opposing Rapid Spinners, but I don't know what I should replace.
Thanks in advance and all criticism - good or bad - will be acknowledged and any errors? Feel free to point them out and I'll get to it.
