So way back in the days when Excadrill existed and Kingdra was the biggest threat in OU, I made a team based on Crustle setting up a ridiculous amount of hazards and Salamence phazing with Dragon Tail. I called it "Yowch! There are Spikes in my Feet!" But then after a while OU began to really suck, and I stopped playing. UU came out, but I never got around to creating a team like my OU one. Until now. This is the UU version of my OU team. It's based upon getting a ridiculous amount of hazards up and then forcing switches and waiting for the passive damage to rack up. This is just a preliminary version of the team, and it has some serious issues. But I went on the ladder for some matches and this team is currently undefeated (I won about 40% of those matches with sheer hax, though). So I give you: YOWCH! There are spikes in my feet! V 2.0
Teambuilding (Which no one reads anyway)
Team:
Toaster (Rotom-H) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Even though I keep Rotom-H in the lead position, I rarely lead with him. I like to keep Rotom-H in reserve as a revenge killer. Rotom-H is the much needed Fire resist on this team, and at times he still gets completely wrecked by Fire moves (CS Chandelure's Overheat does about 55%, CB Darmanitan's Flare Blitz does about 65%, Houndoom's Fire Blast does about 45%, Arcanine's Flare Blitz does about 50%). So I have a serious Fire weakness on this team. The good news is that Rotom is a great scarfer. Rotom has fantastic power, and for the most part, if you don't resist Overheat, you're kinda fucked. For the most part, I can click Overheat to just deal maximum damage on whatever switches in, and becaue usually I'll need to switch out anyway, I don't mind the SAtk drop. The other STAB move is Thunderbolt, which is more spammable and can be used very late in the game for cleaning. Shadowball helps me take care of all the psychic and ghost types in the metagame (like Froslass, Mew, Deoxys, and Chandelure). Finally, Trick is just my favorite move altogether. If I'm playing against a stall team, I just completely fuck over any walls (looking at you, Chansey). I was thinking of having Volt Switch over Trick, but I rethought the situation a bit. With the combination of Hazards and Volt Switch, most stuff will just die, it's true, but I have to switch in a pokemon BEFORE the opponent does. This usually forces me to switch out the next turn, so generally it's not worth it, as it gives the opponent a free turn of set up. I'm used to using Choice Specs Rotom, and to be honest I like it a lot more, but I felt like the team needed a scarfed mon much more than a Spec'd mon, so I had to scarf it.
SUMMARY:
Rotom's a revenge killer that screws over walls with Trick. I'd rather not use Volt Switch. Rotom is a much needed fire resist, but more powerful attackers overtake him.
CHANGES:
I'm considering a Flygon in this spot because Outrage spam+hazards = gg, but I'll definitely miss Trick.
Rose (Roserade) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Rest
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
On a hazard shuffling team, one needs a solid spiker that can easily get three layers of spikes, and Roserade is that pokemon. Roserade can get three layers of spikes down easily and be back to deal some damage. The thing that's great about Roserade is her natural bulk. While she's not bulky physically, she can really take a hit from the special side. This really enables her to get at least two layers of spikes. Because I don't really care if she dies or not, I usually commit a suicide move and put down a third layer. But if I can, I will use Rest and switch out. Roserade can absorb all sorts of status due to Naturlal Cure, as lons as she switches out. She can also take any Toxic or absorb Toxic Spikes. And while Roserade is bulky, she also packs a serious punch with her STAB Giga Drain. This also lets her heal up quickly. Sludge Bomb is the other STAB move there that helps me take out pokemon like other Roserades, Shaymin, or Zapdos.
SUMMARY:
Roserade is a great spiker. She is bulky enough to get down at least two layers, and if she doesn't commit suicide, she can really damage the other team.
CHANGES:
This used to be Froslass, but I like Roserade much more. I miss Taunt and Ice Beam, but I like Roserade as a whole much better. I don't like how I'm easily walled, but I can live with it because her main job is to just put down spikes.
Penguin (Empoleon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Roar
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
Empoleon = such a boss poke. Seriously, I fucking love this penguin. It resists pretty much everything, and it has fantastic defensive stats to accompany those resistances. Empoleon is my main shuffler. After I set up Stealth Rock and burn a few physical attackers, I usually just spam Roar until something problematic gets dragged out. Empoleon is part of an unbelievably solid core with Gligar, Empoleon taking the special hits and burning some more problematic physical attackers with Scald. Because Gligar doesn't have Stealth Rock, I needed to put it on Empoleon. It's hard to find a time to set it up, but usually I find at least one chance to throw them up. If I ever found a place for Stealth Rock elsewhere on my team, I'd definitely put Knock Off on Empoleon just because it's a great move. Scald is the obligatory STAB move, but it also helps me tank hits from both sides of the spectrum. If I burn the opponent, they A) lose health quicker, and B) can't hit Empoleon's weaker physical defense. Ice Beam is just antoher attacking move that gets good coverage. I need Ice Beam to take out Zapdos and Flygon on the switch, becuase otherwise they can cause some trouble. I really don't see the need for Grass Knot, because I don't really care about other bulky waters when I can just roar them away.
SUMMARY:
Empoleon's a special tank that works well with Gligar. It's main job is to spam roar and force as many switches as possible. It burns physical attackers and sets up its own rocks too.
CHANGES:
Believe it or not, none for the moment. If I ever found another pokemon to set up rocks, I'd put Knock Off on him. I was also considering Yawn over Roar, because it's more spammable and it's easier to just click Yawn, Yawn, Yawn, Yawn, and keep the opponent switching without attacking at all, but it doesn't always work. Sleep talkers are unaffected as well as pokemon who are already statused (like burned physical attackers). If another pokemon on my team had a phazing move, I'd definitely put Yawn here, but for now, I'll keep Roar.
Scorpion (Gligar) (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Toxic
I love NFEs. Especially Gligar. At first, I thought the Eviolite was kind of a gimmick, and I still kind of think of it that way, but Gligar works so well that it's okay. Gligar has ridiculous defensive stats (334/509/251) making it specially bulky and physically invincible. Gligar completely walls most physical threats in the tier. For example, Choice Scarf Heracross, Machamp, and Golurk can't even break my subs with any attack they have. SD Guts Heracross's Facade does about 40% at +2 with a status (and honestly, who uses SD Guts Facade Heracross?). CB Stoutland's Return does about 30%, CB Escavalier's Iron Head does about 33%, and Cobalion's +2 Iron Head does about 45%. That's some serious phsyical defense. As long as the opponent doesn't carry an Ice move (like Eelektross, Electivire, Mamoswine, and Donphan), I can take anything they have. I decided to go for a stalling Toxic Subroost set, becuase nothing forces switches and wears down the opponent better than Toxic. I generally set up a sub whenever I can and Roost to heal back any damage I could have taken or any HP I sacrificed for a sub. Then, I toxic the opponent and watch them die while they try to break through my defenses. While I'm killing time waiting for the poison to kill them, I can fire off a few Earthquakes, which aren't too powerful because my attack is uninvested, but they are pretty decent for an attack from a NFE. The sub helps stop me from being poisoned, but I need to watch out for synchronize mons like Mew or Umbreon. The great thing about Gligar is that he forms an unstoppable core with Empoleon. Empoleon takes the Water and Ice moves, and Gligar takes the Ground, Electric, and Fighting moves. I love this mon.
SUMMARY:
Gligar is immune to physical attacks. It sets up unbreakable subs and heals with Roost as the toxic damage and hazards kill the opponent. Great synergy with Empoleon.
CHANGES:
None, I fucking love this thing. I was considering Aerial Ace to take out Heracross, but it's not necessary and its too weak.
Chuck Norris (Machamp) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Substitute / Bullet Punch
- Dynamicpunch
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
SubMachamp forces switches like no other poke just due to the confusion that comes along with it. A naturally bulky mon, it's quite difficult to break its subs. And behind those subs, it can confuse the shit out of the opponent and cause many many switches. Machamp is needed to take out otherwise troublesome mons like Chansey, Snorlax, or Porygon2. Machamp is my stallbreaker. It takes a powerful attacker to break his subs, and it takes a ghost type or an Own Tempo Slowbro to take a Dynamicpunch well. That's when I switch to Spiritomb and trap and kill them. I have Ice Punch there because of mons like Flygon, Gligar, Roserade, and Hippowdon, who can cause me a bit of trouble. Stone Edge is there for the flying types and the fire types. Zapdos and Chandelure should think twice about switching into me. I listed Bullet Punch to take care of hail. Even though sand has replaced hail, hail is still an issue, and I need Machamp's priority to take care of mons like Abomasnow or Froslass. I don't see the use of Payback on Machamp anymore to be honest, so I left it off. The EVs are sort of clever. People run 4 Speed Machamp. Soon, people began running 8 Speed Machamp to outspeed the 4 Speeds. I run 12 Speed to catch those 8s. And NO ONE else runs 12 Speed or above, so I really don't need to worry about that.
SUMMARY:
A dedicated Stallbreaker. It can punch holes in the opponent's team and force a lot of switches. An all-around solid mon on this team.
CHANGES:
This used to be Hitmontop. But it didn't have power, and I didn't need the spin support anymore. The only change on Machamp I'll consider is Bullet Punch over Substitute, which I'd like your opinion on. I also kind of wanted to try Heracross because I </3 Sableye, but it can't force switches like Machamp. I'd like your opinion on that one too. I like the idea of Guts too, for surprise on all those Will-O-Wispers (*cough*Sableye*cough*), and maybe like a Scarf Guts Machamp for sheer power and speed.
Ghoul (Spiritomb) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
12 Speed IVs
- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Will-O-Wisp
Screwing over ghost and psychic types is kind of a recurring theme on this team. Spiritomb is the best at doing it, however. Because mons like Mew, Deoxys, Froslass, Azelf, Mismagius, Xatu, Chandelure, and Alakazam have overun the tier, Spiritomb is necessary to get easy kills on them. Spiritomb can switch in on some of their attacks and trap and kill them the next turn. If they switch, I pursuit. If they set up a sub, I shadow sneak. If they attack, I sucker punch. They're dead. That was easy. Some mons, most notably, Chandelure, can't be switched into, but they can be revenge killed really easily. Spiritomb works well in conjunction with Machamp because ghost and psychic types and Spiritomb traps and kills them. It is then safe for Machamp to go back into the game. It also works on pokemon not weak to Ghost or Dark, it just requires them to be weakened or really frail. It's fun to spam Sucker Punch or Shadow Sneak late game when everything can be picked off by priority. I chose not to go with CB and trick in the last slot because it really sucks to be locked into a weak move like Pursuit or Shadow Sneak, and it REALLY sucks to be locked into Sucker Punch. Instead, I took a more defensive route and put Will-O-Wisp in the last slot just because it racks up passive damage and makes Gligar's job a little easier. Leftovers give it the much need recovery that it can't get through other means. I decided to put a brave nature on it with 12 speed IVs because I was noticing that in the rare case of a Trick Room team, I need to be able to "outspeed" the opponent and burn physical attackers like Eelektross and Marowak. Yet I keep some speed IVs because I want to be able to outspeed Escavalier outside of Trick Room so I can burn it. With 12 Speed IVs, I outspeed 0 Speed Escavalier by one point.
SUMMARY:
Designed to be a true anti-meta poke, its main goal is to trap and kill psychics and ghosts. It also can spin block itself. It spreads burns too to physical attackers.
CHANGES:
Not many to be honest, because Spiritomb's job is so specific. Maybe Bisharp could work in place, but I find him to be more offensive, and he can't spread burn like Spiritomb.
BRIEF THREAT LIST
Most of these threats are killable and aren't too much of an issue, but it doesn't hurt to include them.
--I struggle with Fire types a lot. I only have one resist, and Rotom's not that sturdy. After Rotom's gone, these guys can spam their moves. I have ways to beat them, but they're tough. they're all weak to Stealth Rock, which should be up. With hazards up, I should be able to pick them off with priority. Chandelure can be easily revenged with Spiritomb, the only issue is that I have so sacrifice something first. And if Spiritomb can't kill it for some reason, I'm doomed. The others are worn down by recoil and can be picked off by Hitmontop's priority or even by Spiritomb, but again, something has to die first.
--If the opponent can break through my core easily, it's a problem. The problem with these guys is that they can use their strong STAB Electric attacks on Empoleon and HP Ice (or Ice Punch in Electivire's case) to kill Gligar. Once again, they can be beaten, but it requires some clever manuvering. In the case of Eelektross, I can burn it in some way or another, making it weaker physically. I then kill it with repeated attacks from Rotom or Spiritomb. Same goes for Electivire, but I don't want to trick Electivire a Choice Scarf. Zapdos is particularly hard to take out, but I can try to use Machamp's Ice Punch or Stone Edge. I can also hammer away at it with Rotom, or commit suicide with Empoleon. Roserade's Sludge Bomb hurts it badly too. The problem with Zapdos is that it damages my team a lot before I kill it. Raikou is the worst. Only Gligar has Earthquake, and it is killed by HP Ice. So I just keep hitting it. Roserade Sludge Bombs, Rotom Overheats, Machamp Dynamicpunches, and Spritomb Sucker Punches. If it's a CM variant and it already has a boost or two, I should just give up to be honest, I can't beat that.
--These pokemon are problematic only because they tear right through the Gligar+Empoleon combo. Mamoswine uses its strong attacks and priority to kill Gligar and it naturally outspeeds Empoleon. I can kill it with Rotom easily, it's just there's already a lot of pressure on Rotom. Donphan is a problem for another reason. Although it does kill Gligar, Empoleon can pick it off if its weakened enough. The real issue is that during any of the times I'm trying to kill it, it can just spin away everything the team's worked for. Ice Shard rules out Roserade's Giga Drain. It also threatens much of the team with Rock moves, making it difficult for Rotom to switch in.
--I only have one steel type, so obviously there's a lot of pressure on Empoleon to tank hits from dragons. Kingdra isn't a problem at all for Empoleon because I can roar out any dragon dances it has, but phaze =/= kill. It deals a good deal of damage to a pokemon with no recovery, and it still exists in the opponent's roster. It also often carries a Lum Berry or Rest, making Gligar's Toxic not an option (even though Gligar shouldn't be staying in anyway). Flygon is more of an issue. It resists SR and is immune to spikes, so it doesnt' take a whole lot of damage when phazed. Unlike Kingdra, it CAN kill Empoleon, but if Empoleon lives it can be Ice Beamed. Unlike Kingdra, however, Gligar has no issue with it. The only problem is that it is unaffected by Earthquake, meaning it must be killed by a combination of Toxic damage and confusion damage. Flygon is pretty much the sole reason that I carry Ice Beam and Ice Punch.
--My only wallbreaker is Machamp, which is useless if it's burned. My team doesn't like status, and it doesn't like Taunt. My best bet is to Trick it a Choice Scarf, but it can Taunt me before that, making me lose. Roserade is useless if Taunted, but she can hammer away with Giga Drain. Empoleon can do the same with Scald. Gligar is really useless if Taunted. Machamp can try to kill weakened ones with Stone Edge, but being burned really sucks. Spiritomb is also pretty useless against walls. I wanted Heracross just for this thing, because Guts fucks it over. I might even use Scarf Guts Machamp with Close Combat because I hate this.
--I added Machamp just for this pokemon. The Curse variants really do suck though. I try to Trick it or just Dynamicpunch it a lot, and if it doesn't carry Rest, Spiritomb can Will-O-Wisp it. But if it's Curselax and Machamp's dead and my Scarf is tricked, I should just say gg. Empoleon can phaze it, but it'll just come back later and sweep me. This is another reason why I might like Heracross on my team.
Teambuilding (Which no one reads anyway)
So everyone was bitching and whining about Alakazam, and about how hard it is to counter. So if I were going to build a team, the first thing on my list would be to throw in a pokemon that can completely destroy one some of the most common threats in the tier, Spiritomb:
After this, I decided that with all the psychics and ghosts gone, why don't I throw in a solid Fighting type to abuse that? I wanted a bulky one who could force switches though, so I decided on Machamp.
With that out of the way, I needed a solid defensive core. The core needed to be able to set up at least some sort of hazard as well as stall out the majority of the metagame. I had used Empoleon before, so I definitely wanted that for its Stealth Rock use, but I needed a partner. Looking at my team, the partner needed to be able to A)Counter Heracross, B)Take physical hits, and C)Absorb attacks that hit Empoleon for super effective damage. I was thinking Zapdos, but I'd used Zapdos and Empoleon together before, and TBH, Zapdos couldn't really handle Heracrosses with Stone Edge. So I decided to experiment with Gligar, which completely shuts down any non-Ice physical attacker in UU.
I had all these shufflers, but only one hazard! I needed a spiker badly. I looked through the list for a long time, and I couldn't find one that really appealed to me. Neither Roserade nor Froslass were bulky enough for me, Deoxys was taunt bait, and all the RUs wouldn't really work in my team (you have no idea how badly I want to use Garbodor). Finally, I decided I'd have to use Froslass, but I'd need to add a much needed fire resist. So then I looked through the list of the fire resists. I didn't need another Water type, the Dragons didn't work out too well (you have no idea how badly I want to use Dragon Tail Druddigon), and the Rock types were meh. Well they always say fight fire with fire, so I looked at the fire types again, and what do you know, Rotom-H fits my team perfectly. That just raises one final issue. I had 2 pokes weak to stealth rock, two resists, and two neutrals. Only two pokemon were immune to spikes, and only three were immune to toxic spikes. I needed a spinner. So out went Machamp and in came Hitmontop. And there's the team.
After this, I decided that with all the psychics and ghosts gone, why don't I throw in a solid Fighting type to abuse that? I wanted a bulky one who could force switches though, so I decided on Machamp.
With that out of the way, I needed a solid defensive core. The core needed to be able to set up at least some sort of hazard as well as stall out the majority of the metagame. I had used Empoleon before, so I definitely wanted that for its Stealth Rock use, but I needed a partner. Looking at my team, the partner needed to be able to A)Counter Heracross, B)Take physical hits, and C)Absorb attacks that hit Empoleon for super effective damage. I was thinking Zapdos, but I'd used Zapdos and Empoleon together before, and TBH, Zapdos couldn't really handle Heracrosses with Stone Edge. So I decided to experiment with Gligar, which completely shuts down any non-Ice physical attacker in UU.
I had all these shufflers, but only one hazard! I needed a spiker badly. I looked through the list for a long time, and I couldn't find one that really appealed to me. Neither Roserade nor Froslass were bulky enough for me, Deoxys was taunt bait, and all the RUs wouldn't really work in my team (you have no idea how badly I want to use Garbodor). Finally, I decided I'd have to use Froslass, but I'd need to add a much needed fire resist. So then I looked through the list of the fire resists. I didn't need another Water type, the Dragons didn't work out too well (you have no idea how badly I want to use Dragon Tail Druddigon), and the Rock types were meh. Well they always say fight fire with fire, so I looked at the fire types again, and what do you know, Rotom-H fits my team perfectly. That just raises one final issue. I had 2 pokes weak to stealth rock, two resists, and two neutrals. Only two pokemon were immune to spikes, and only three were immune to toxic spikes. I needed a spinner. So out went Machamp and in came Hitmontop. And there's the team.
Team:
Toaster (Rotom-H) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Even though I keep Rotom-H in the lead position, I rarely lead with him. I like to keep Rotom-H in reserve as a revenge killer. Rotom-H is the much needed Fire resist on this team, and at times he still gets completely wrecked by Fire moves (CS Chandelure's Overheat does about 55%, CB Darmanitan's Flare Blitz does about 65%, Houndoom's Fire Blast does about 45%, Arcanine's Flare Blitz does about 50%). So I have a serious Fire weakness on this team. The good news is that Rotom is a great scarfer. Rotom has fantastic power, and for the most part, if you don't resist Overheat, you're kinda fucked. For the most part, I can click Overheat to just deal maximum damage on whatever switches in, and becaue usually I'll need to switch out anyway, I don't mind the SAtk drop. The other STAB move is Thunderbolt, which is more spammable and can be used very late in the game for cleaning. Shadowball helps me take care of all the psychic and ghost types in the metagame (like Froslass, Mew, Deoxys, and Chandelure). Finally, Trick is just my favorite move altogether. If I'm playing against a stall team, I just completely fuck over any walls (looking at you, Chansey). I was thinking of having Volt Switch over Trick, but I rethought the situation a bit. With the combination of Hazards and Volt Switch, most stuff will just die, it's true, but I have to switch in a pokemon BEFORE the opponent does. This usually forces me to switch out the next turn, so generally it's not worth it, as it gives the opponent a free turn of set up. I'm used to using Choice Specs Rotom, and to be honest I like it a lot more, but I felt like the team needed a scarfed mon much more than a Spec'd mon, so I had to scarf it.
SUMMARY:
Rotom's a revenge killer that screws over walls with Trick. I'd rather not use Volt Switch. Rotom is a much needed fire resist, but more powerful attackers overtake him.
CHANGES:
I'm considering a Flygon in this spot because Outrage spam+hazards = gg, but I'll definitely miss Trick.
Rose (Roserade) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Rest
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
On a hazard shuffling team, one needs a solid spiker that can easily get three layers of spikes, and Roserade is that pokemon. Roserade can get three layers of spikes down easily and be back to deal some damage. The thing that's great about Roserade is her natural bulk. While she's not bulky physically, she can really take a hit from the special side. This really enables her to get at least two layers of spikes. Because I don't really care if she dies or not, I usually commit a suicide move and put down a third layer. But if I can, I will use Rest and switch out. Roserade can absorb all sorts of status due to Naturlal Cure, as lons as she switches out. She can also take any Toxic or absorb Toxic Spikes. And while Roserade is bulky, she also packs a serious punch with her STAB Giga Drain. This also lets her heal up quickly. Sludge Bomb is the other STAB move there that helps me take out pokemon like other Roserades, Shaymin, or Zapdos.
SUMMARY:
Roserade is a great spiker. She is bulky enough to get down at least two layers, and if she doesn't commit suicide, she can really damage the other team.
CHANGES:
This used to be Froslass, but I like Roserade much more. I miss Taunt and Ice Beam, but I like Roserade as a whole much better. I don't like how I'm easily walled, but I can live with it because her main job is to just put down spikes.
Penguin (Empoleon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Roar
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
Empoleon = such a boss poke. Seriously, I fucking love this penguin. It resists pretty much everything, and it has fantastic defensive stats to accompany those resistances. Empoleon is my main shuffler. After I set up Stealth Rock and burn a few physical attackers, I usually just spam Roar until something problematic gets dragged out. Empoleon is part of an unbelievably solid core with Gligar, Empoleon taking the special hits and burning some more problematic physical attackers with Scald. Because Gligar doesn't have Stealth Rock, I needed to put it on Empoleon. It's hard to find a time to set it up, but usually I find at least one chance to throw them up. If I ever found a place for Stealth Rock elsewhere on my team, I'd definitely put Knock Off on Empoleon just because it's a great move. Scald is the obligatory STAB move, but it also helps me tank hits from both sides of the spectrum. If I burn the opponent, they A) lose health quicker, and B) can't hit Empoleon's weaker physical defense. Ice Beam is just antoher attacking move that gets good coverage. I need Ice Beam to take out Zapdos and Flygon on the switch, becuase otherwise they can cause some trouble. I really don't see the need for Grass Knot, because I don't really care about other bulky waters when I can just roar them away.
SUMMARY:
Empoleon's a special tank that works well with Gligar. It's main job is to spam roar and force as many switches as possible. It burns physical attackers and sets up its own rocks too.
CHANGES:
Believe it or not, none for the moment. If I ever found another pokemon to set up rocks, I'd put Knock Off on him. I was also considering Yawn over Roar, because it's more spammable and it's easier to just click Yawn, Yawn, Yawn, Yawn, and keep the opponent switching without attacking at all, but it doesn't always work. Sleep talkers are unaffected as well as pokemon who are already statused (like burned physical attackers). If another pokemon on my team had a phazing move, I'd definitely put Yawn here, but for now, I'll keep Roar.
Scorpion (Gligar) (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Toxic
I love NFEs. Especially Gligar. At first, I thought the Eviolite was kind of a gimmick, and I still kind of think of it that way, but Gligar works so well that it's okay. Gligar has ridiculous defensive stats (334/509/251) making it specially bulky and physically invincible. Gligar completely walls most physical threats in the tier. For example, Choice Scarf Heracross, Machamp, and Golurk can't even break my subs with any attack they have. SD Guts Heracross's Facade does about 40% at +2 with a status (and honestly, who uses SD Guts Facade Heracross?). CB Stoutland's Return does about 30%, CB Escavalier's Iron Head does about 33%, and Cobalion's +2 Iron Head does about 45%. That's some serious phsyical defense. As long as the opponent doesn't carry an Ice move (like Eelektross, Electivire, Mamoswine, and Donphan), I can take anything they have. I decided to go for a stalling Toxic Subroost set, becuase nothing forces switches and wears down the opponent better than Toxic. I generally set up a sub whenever I can and Roost to heal back any damage I could have taken or any HP I sacrificed for a sub. Then, I toxic the opponent and watch them die while they try to break through my defenses. While I'm killing time waiting for the poison to kill them, I can fire off a few Earthquakes, which aren't too powerful because my attack is uninvested, but they are pretty decent for an attack from a NFE. The sub helps stop me from being poisoned, but I need to watch out for synchronize mons like Mew or Umbreon. The great thing about Gligar is that he forms an unstoppable core with Empoleon. Empoleon takes the Water and Ice moves, and Gligar takes the Ground, Electric, and Fighting moves. I love this mon.
SUMMARY:
Gligar is immune to physical attacks. It sets up unbreakable subs and heals with Roost as the toxic damage and hazards kill the opponent. Great synergy with Empoleon.
CHANGES:
None, I fucking love this thing. I was considering Aerial Ace to take out Heracross, but it's not necessary and its too weak.
Chuck Norris (Machamp) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Substitute / Bullet Punch
- Dynamicpunch
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
SubMachamp forces switches like no other poke just due to the confusion that comes along with it. A naturally bulky mon, it's quite difficult to break its subs. And behind those subs, it can confuse the shit out of the opponent and cause many many switches. Machamp is needed to take out otherwise troublesome mons like Chansey, Snorlax, or Porygon2. Machamp is my stallbreaker. It takes a powerful attacker to break his subs, and it takes a ghost type or an Own Tempo Slowbro to take a Dynamicpunch well. That's when I switch to Spiritomb and trap and kill them. I have Ice Punch there because of mons like Flygon, Gligar, Roserade, and Hippowdon, who can cause me a bit of trouble. Stone Edge is there for the flying types and the fire types. Zapdos and Chandelure should think twice about switching into me. I listed Bullet Punch to take care of hail. Even though sand has replaced hail, hail is still an issue, and I need Machamp's priority to take care of mons like Abomasnow or Froslass. I don't see the use of Payback on Machamp anymore to be honest, so I left it off. The EVs are sort of clever. People run 4 Speed Machamp. Soon, people began running 8 Speed Machamp to outspeed the 4 Speeds. I run 12 Speed to catch those 8s. And NO ONE else runs 12 Speed or above, so I really don't need to worry about that.
SUMMARY:
A dedicated Stallbreaker. It can punch holes in the opponent's team and force a lot of switches. An all-around solid mon on this team.
CHANGES:
This used to be Hitmontop. But it didn't have power, and I didn't need the spin support anymore. The only change on Machamp I'll consider is Bullet Punch over Substitute, which I'd like your opinion on. I also kind of wanted to try Heracross because I </3 Sableye, but it can't force switches like Machamp. I'd like your opinion on that one too. I like the idea of Guts too, for surprise on all those Will-O-Wispers (*cough*Sableye*cough*), and maybe like a Scarf Guts Machamp for sheer power and speed.
Ghoul (Spiritomb) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
12 Speed IVs
- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Will-O-Wisp
Screwing over ghost and psychic types is kind of a recurring theme on this team. Spiritomb is the best at doing it, however. Because mons like Mew, Deoxys, Froslass, Azelf, Mismagius, Xatu, Chandelure, and Alakazam have overun the tier, Spiritomb is necessary to get easy kills on them. Spiritomb can switch in on some of their attacks and trap and kill them the next turn. If they switch, I pursuit. If they set up a sub, I shadow sneak. If they attack, I sucker punch. They're dead. That was easy. Some mons, most notably, Chandelure, can't be switched into, but they can be revenge killed really easily. Spiritomb works well in conjunction with Machamp because ghost and psychic types and Spiritomb traps and kills them. It is then safe for Machamp to go back into the game. It also works on pokemon not weak to Ghost or Dark, it just requires them to be weakened or really frail. It's fun to spam Sucker Punch or Shadow Sneak late game when everything can be picked off by priority. I chose not to go with CB and trick in the last slot because it really sucks to be locked into a weak move like Pursuit or Shadow Sneak, and it REALLY sucks to be locked into Sucker Punch. Instead, I took a more defensive route and put Will-O-Wisp in the last slot just because it racks up passive damage and makes Gligar's job a little easier. Leftovers give it the much need recovery that it can't get through other means. I decided to put a brave nature on it with 12 speed IVs because I was noticing that in the rare case of a Trick Room team, I need to be able to "outspeed" the opponent and burn physical attackers like Eelektross and Marowak. Yet I keep some speed IVs because I want to be able to outspeed Escavalier outside of Trick Room so I can burn it. With 12 Speed IVs, I outspeed 0 Speed Escavalier by one point.
SUMMARY:
Designed to be a true anti-meta poke, its main goal is to trap and kill psychics and ghosts. It also can spin block itself. It spreads burns too to physical attackers.
CHANGES:
Not many to be honest, because Spiritomb's job is so specific. Maybe Bisharp could work in place, but I find him to be more offensive, and he can't spread burn like Spiritomb.
BRIEF THREAT LIST
Most of these threats are killable and aren't too much of an issue, but it doesn't hurt to include them.
