XY UU Beta Research Week #2

[Mazz]

Approved by kokoloko.

Welcome, UUers and all those looking for an excellent comp. 'mons experience! A fresh tier means a fresh installment of Research Group!

Keep the following things in mind during every Research Group:

• Be open-minded, don't just say something is terrible and walk away; look at its stats, movepool, and typing and think something up!
• Feel free to theorymon early in the research period, but make it clear you're doing so. Later in the period though, you will be expected to back up your posts with hard evidence like logs, actual sets, perhaps even teams.
• Just because an analysis has been done for a Pokemon doesn't mean there isn't more to explore; it's very likely that something has gone unnoticed.
• Do not post in this thread complaining about the Pokemon I choose and / or suggesting ones we should do for future weeks. Feel free to VM / PM me these suggestions, but don't expect me to always listen to you.

A few things to clarify:

• Early period means the first three days of the research week, so let's keep the theorymoning to a minimum after. The late period refers to the last four days of the research week, where raw evidence and discussion should become the basis of the thread.
• Sign-Ups close Monday nights (about three and a half days of sign-ups), so be sure to sign up before they close!
• New prizes are currently being discussed with the higher-ups, so be patient if you aren't immediately rewarded for winning.

This Week's Research Pokemon:

Mew | Gastrodon | Reuniclus | Kyurem | Mega-Ampharos
​

How useful are these Pokemon in XYUU? What sets can they run effectively? What gives them trouble? What advantages do they have over other Pokemon? How well do they work in the metagame? If you have anything to say about any of these Pokemon, please post about them! It doesn't matter if you've used them or have just faced them in battle, anything is fine (but please, do try them). Just be sure to back up your posts with good competitive reasoning. Remember, discussion is not limited to this topic, you are encouraged to talk about these Pokemon in #xyuu as well!

The Research Group Challenge:

In order to participate you must do the following:

• Post here with a fresh alt and the name(s) of the Pokemon you will be using.
• Use at least one of the Pokemon being researched.
• Post your experiences with the Pokemon you're using, participate in the discussion!
• Post logs of this Pokemon in action against other teams - don't just tell us, show us!

The first stage of the challenge will be very relaxed so theorymon will be allowed as long as its backed up by good reasoning. During the later stage, discussion will be expected to be backed up by hard evidence, such as teams, actual sets, and logs. The winner of the challenge will be the person who has the highest ladder ranking on the Pokemon Showdown UU ladder on the alt they registered at the time the challenge ends. Prizes are currently being discussed with higher powers, so hang tight while I find something worth your guys' attention. Winners will also receive a permanent spot in the XYUU Hub Hall of Fame (once it exists).

Current Participants:
-Gorgon_Kain (Gastrodon / Kyurem)
-radianthero156 (Mew)
-zeriloa (Mew / Kyurem)
-Pumphead (Gastrodon)
-Rohail (Kyurem)
-aidbail45 (Reuniclus)
-Bouffalant (Mew)
-Patrick1088 (Kyurem / Mega-Ampharos)
-Xenoblade911 (Mew / Mega-Ampharos)
-Eaglehawk (Reuniclus)
-Hakumen (Reuniclus / Kyurem)
-dbzmariogeno (Reuniclus / Mega-Ampharos)
-DopestDope (Mega-Ampharos)
-galbia (Mew / Kyurem)
-Meowiekins (Mew)
-Rawbi (Kyurem)
-Turtleye (Mega-Ampharos)
-jamashawalker (Mega-Ampharos)
-Wyvern56 (Mew)
-Acque (Mew / Kyurem)
-Magolor (Mew / Kyurem)
-Chesnaught (Mew / Kyurem)
-effyouzion (Mega-Ampharos)
-kingler12345 (Mew / Kyurem)

Sign-Ups are now closed; thank you to all who signed up. Pretty sure this is a record turnout. See y'all on Thursday night with the next installment of Research Week!

 

[Gorgon_Kain]

Alt Name: TheoryMonUUKyu
Pokemon: Kyurem and Gastrodon

I am not sure if I am allowed to post in events such as these yet, I am still pretty new. I figure it will give me a chance to test out new Pokemon in my favorite tier and help me try to contribute, rather than lurk all the time. Besides, I am trying to do the team building contest here in UU with Kyurem, and am using Gastrodon anyway!

Early Analysis:

Kyurem

I have been trying out several different sets for this monster. So far, it is all for naught. His weaknesses are fairly common in the tier and he simply is not fast enough to compete with Hydregion for dragon special sweeper of the year. So far I have tried a mixed wall-breaker set, assault vest special (can't blame me for trying xD), and a choice scarf set. We will see in the coming week what else this ostensibly monstrous poke can bring to the table.

Here is what I have found to be the most viable so far without Hail support:

Kyurem @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 52 HP / 252 SAtk / 200 Spd
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- Roost
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

Pretty much standard at this point, I think. Enough HP to Sub 101hps, etc. But I am looking for something a little more exotic and fun to play with here....

--------------

Gastrodon

Gastrodon is a beast. It resists so much, and with Recover, it is nigh impossible to break without a grass poke. What is even worse, the only grass pokes I have seen on a regular basis are Tangrowths and a rogue Sceptile or two. However, its' sleeker cousin Quagsire has access to all of this plus Unaware, which makes it perfect for some of the nastier setup sweepers.

Gastrodon has a few cool abilities, but will they really outclass Quagsire? What really sets it apart in my mind, is Storm Drain, which has SpA buff potential, and the move Clear Smog. While Quagsire can tank many of these setup sweepers down to pp stall, Gastrodon can null them outright. Gastrodon's base Special Defense is also higher (82 > 65) which I believe will be more advantageous. I will probably start with something like this:

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Clear Smog
- Recover
- Earth Power
- Scald

It is a long week though, we will see what new toys we can play with.

*If I should not be posting here, or did this wrong, please let me know. I am pretty new here, but would really like to participate in some of this fun stuff!*

 

[Patrick1088]

Ahh cool week! Im going with super saiyan 4 goku i mean mega ampharos lol

Ill post my new alt tonight.

But seriously though, mega amp is pretty anti meta imo. While he has weaknesses to ground, dragon, ice and fairy he has a good resists in steel, flying, fire, water, grass. Im excited to use him again!

New Alt:
User: ss4goku1088This user has not played any ladder games yet.

Also, I'll be using both mega Ampharos and Kyurem

 

[radianthero156]

can i join even being very new to the forums?
if i can, here:

Alt Name: s0ren
Pokemon: Mew

proof of fresh alt:
View attachment 9973

 

[zeriloa]

Alt name: aolirez
Pokemon: Mew, Kyurem

 

[PumpHead]

Going for Gastrodon.
Alt name: Juicy J OnIt

 

[Arkian]

Alt Name: BlobDragon
Pokemon: Kyurem

 

[aidbail45]

Alt name: The010114
Pokemon: Reuniclus

 

[Bouff]

I'd love to try this.

Alt Name: Sherm Perm
Pokemon: Mew

 

[Mazz]

Everyone so far has been added up, and yes, even if you're a brand-new user, you're still eligible to compete.

 

[Patrick1088]

Night#1:

User: ss4goku1088
FormatEloGXEGlicko-1COILARMSWLT
uubeta1162641614 ± 94891050610

Record: 6W-1L

Off to a good start so far! My initial thoughts on Mega-Amp: Awesome and Versatile.
1. That base 165 Sp Atk hits hard fully invested.
2. Very Bulky. Definitely one of its strengths is that people underestimate it's bulk.
3. Counters Mega-Manectric in every way shape and form.
4. Mold Breaker is the icing on the cake beating Sturdy users and Solid Rock/Filter.

My set is below:

Ampharos@ Ampharosite
Mold breaker
Modest Nature
212 HP/252 Sp Atk/ 44 Speed
-Volt Switch
-Discharge
-Focus Blast
-Dragon Pulse

44 speed outpaces neutral natured 0 speed Aggron and OHKO through Sturdy and Filter.

Kyurem is okay. I was trying a sub-roost set, but I'm not too crazy about it. Honestly, the hardest part is setting up the sub. It hits hard with just Ice Beam alone, but really don't see what distinguishes itself from Hydreigon who has a better movepool, neutral to SR and a slightly higher speed. I am considering a mixed set, but will try it out tomorrow...

 

[Bouff]

Alright, so here's my early analysis, I guess:

Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off
- Roost


This set is somewhat standard, but not a lot of people see it coming, especially Knock Off. I was thinking of using Seismic Toss or Psyshock instead, but Knock Off cripples an insanely large amount of pokes, which is more worth it than the damage of ST, and with M-Houndoom running around, who completely demolishes this set even without Psyshock, is way too common. Taunt is to prevent set up and status, but I'm thinking about changing the EVs to outspeed certain threats. Roost is just the standard recovery.

So far, Mew has definitely been exceeding my expectations, but I've been losing a fair amount of games because I'm having trouble deciding good team support and synergy. Will try switching out a few mons for these next few games.

 

[Chronic Smash]

Alt: Amphabolous
Pokemon: Mew, Mega Ampharos

 

[DiscoDucky]

Alt Name: Eaglehawks
Pokemon: Reuniclus

proof:

 

[Hakumen]

alt : Phantoon
Pokemon : Reuniclus and Kyurem
Proof of alt being empty:

 

[RotomPoison]

Wow I barely got to discuss anything last week.

Alt: Geno UU 2
Pokemon: Mega Ampharos and Reuniclus

I kind of like using more uncommon Pokemon, lets me see how well they do myself and maybe come up wit better ways to use them. I'll definitely discuss more after I make a good team with them and battle.

wow sorry it's huge can't fix it

 

[DopestDope]

Awwww shit, I can use Mega-Ampharos.

Alt: DopestAlt2
Pokemon: Mega-Ampharos

 

[aidbail45]

Here are my first impressions of Reuniclus:

I tried a Trick Room set. Unfortunately I did not have much luck with it. I ran:

Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Nature: Bold
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 Sp. Atk
-Trick Room
-Psyshock
-Shadow Ball
-Focus Blast

Due to the prevalence of knock off, and strong dark types in general, I had a lot of trouble getting him in to perform a sweep. Once I got him in however, he certainly took out at least one of the opposing pokemon, but after that he usually just died. I ran him in a team with Wish support but again I had a lot of trouble switching him in. Maybe my EVs aren't correct.

I built a team around him that intended to remove all the dark types/ potential Knock Off-ers but even after removing them all I rarely found myself trying to use Reuniclus to sweep. Even with all the dark types gone, its Special Defense is putrid, so it can't really switch into a special attacker well. One great thing about Reuniclus though was that I could easily take status and leech seeds, which gave an opportunity to setup but usually he just did not hit hard enough to justify his usage. Next I am going to try a Calm Mind set.

 

[Demoness]

Wait, why are you not running 252 special Attack and a Modest nature if you are trying to do offensive Trick Room? It's not hitting hard enough because you are trying to use some mixed version of OTR and Calm Mind, and it just seems like it is dragging it down

 

[aidbail45]

Wait, why are you not running 252 special Attack and a Modest nature if you are trying to do offensive Trick Room? It's not hitting hard enough because you are trying to use some mixed version of OTR and Calm Mind, and it just seems like it is dragging it down

Yeah, I don't really know what I was thinking with that EV spread. Do you think 252 HP 252 Sp. Attack 4 Sp. Def would be a good spread for an OTR set?

 

[Mazz]

Wow I barely got to discuss anything last week.

It was open until today, but if you still have things you'd like to bring up, why not mention them in the np thread? That is, in all intents and purposes, for general UU discussion. Anything you still wanted to discuss is welcome there.

On that note, all members who have signed up are now on the OP. Keep it up guys!

 

[Gorgon_Kain]

Just wanted to post my proofs before I got into it. Found some cool synergies with Kyurem and Gastrodon, we will see over the course of the day if they hold up.

 

[Chronic Smash]

Si far, I've got 6 wins, and 1 loss to stupid amounts of hax.

1) Mega Ampharos

Ampharos-Mega (M) @ Ampharosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 160 HP / 96 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Agility
- Thunderbolt
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast

Yes guys, I'm using an Agility Ampharos. I'll explain the EV's, because they might be a bit complicated for you guys: Max speed to get the most out of the Agility. 96 SAtk Modest. 96 + SAtk gives it 429 which is what a Timid Mega Ampharos has. and I slapped the rest into HP so I can optimize it's fantastic defenses which are 90/105/110. In my book those are pretty solid defensive stats. Now onto the moves, Agility to double my rather low speed, Thunderbolt and Dragon Pulse for STAB and Focus Miss Blast to hit Mega Aggron, steel types in general, and Umbreon (I hate Umbreon) for SE damage.

I think this is an underrated set, and Mega Ampharos is a really underrated Mega Pokemon, I think it deserves an oportunity on a team, because everyone that I have battled in PS has been saying "Don't use Ampharos as your mega, it's a waste of a mega slot". That argument is wrong, like dead wrong. And plus I think it has a really cool design, and so far it hasn't let me down.

2) Mew

Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Ice Beam
- Knock Off

It's been a long time since I used my man, Mew. It got a lot of tools to use this generation, the Defog buff, Knock Off buff and an even wider movepool. This little guy can play a lot of roles in a team because of it's amazing versatility. EV's are very simple: Max SAtk and Speed and 4 SDef so Porygon2/Z don't get the SAtk boost. And Synchronize, a fantastic ability to have to spread status. I pair this guy with Florges and they synergize really well with each other. While Mew spread status with Synchronize, Florges' Aromatherapy removes my Mew's status and from my team. Now onto the set, it's an offensive pivot set, the set is Psyshock to hit Special walls like opposing Florges, Defog to get rid of hazards, Ice Beam for coverage. And kind of the secret weapon of this Mew: Knock Off. A lot of people swiitch in their Chansey thinking they can wall the living hell out of Mew, that is wrong. Knock Off suprises Chansey and it is rendered pretty much useless for the rest of the battle, not too many people expect it to run Knock Off and that's what I really like of this set.

As for the perfomance it has done so far. He pretty much completes his job which is getting rid of hazards and dealing some damage late game. I also think this guy deserves some more usage, because Mew can not only Defog but can also be a fully offensive set, support, Baton Pass, etc. If you need a poke that can fulfill those roles, Mew is your guy to go.

As for rating I give Mega Ampharos an 8/10: It's a pretty solid Mega Poke but it's low speed kind of lets it down, and the fact that it faces competition from most Megas in UU. But it is a Pokemon that has a lot of potencial with it's ability and it's bulk.

As for Mew I give it a 9/10: It's versatility makes it unpredictable, you won't know what set is is. Which means you have to probably sack a poke just to see it's moveset. The only thing I don't really like about it is it's typing. Pure Psychic isn't the best typing defensively, but it's traits really overshadows it's very few flaws.

I think you guys should give these two pokes a shot, and trust me they are kind of underrated, but they're good and also fun to use.

 

[Patrick1088]

Yeah, I don't really know what I was thinking with that EV spread. Do you think 252 HP 252 Sp. Attack 4 Sp. Def would be a good spread for an OTR set?

Quiet nature and 0 speed ivs

 

[Gorgon_Kain]

Doing pretty well at 9-2

What I really wanted to talk about, is Gastrodon's immense might. I changed my set to this:

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Clear Smog
- Recover
- Scald
- Mirror Coat

I am really liking this set. Clear Smog is not as powerful as Unaware for switching into a boosted threat, but it is keeping pokes I am walling from overpowering me. Here are a few examples of Gastrodon clearing a whole team, or most of it, with this set:

Gastrodon Sweeps Most Of A Team
Gastrodon Does it again!

I am still having trouble using Kyurem though, but I have taken a few people off guard with this set, particularly Snorlax.

Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Mild Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam
- Outrage
- Roost

Still, he is my weak link. I have to find something a little better I think...