Gen 4 Archive Index

OverUsed

Revolutionizing the Metagame in Late 2007 - Aldaron [December 2007]

This team was made circa November 2007, during the spike of stall based teams in the metagame. It utilized entry hazards and the extremely hard hitting Lucario and Life Orb Heatran to deal with Stall, and High Speed Choice Scarf Pokemon and priority to deal with offense. It is best noted for "introducing / popularizing" Swords Dance Lucario and Lead Roserade, while re-introducing Choice Scarfing high base Speed Pokemon as a viable and competitively wise strategy.

Stall team - obi [November 2008]

Obi's stall team is perhaps the most celebrated of all teams in the DPP generation. It is often said that, pre-Platinum, it was hard to make a successful stall team without reducing it to Obistall. The team was especially responsible for Tentacruel's rise from the UU Tier to the OU Tier, as people discovered its niche in the metagame. The huge amount of thought and effort put into the team is apparent in the presentation of the team-building process and the in-depth description of every choice made. This team combines all of the elements needed to create a "full" Stall team, and acts as an excellent example to anyone looking to play the slower game. Additional information on "why Stall is the best" can be found here.

We are the Machampions! - obi [February 2008]

This team is designed to abuse paralysis and what is popularly termed as "hax" by working off paralysis support with confusion-inducing and flinching moves. The team is very balanced, with defensive Pokemon such as Jirachi and Blissey coupled with heavy offense in Dragon Dance Gyarados and Choice Band Tyranitar, and when these elements are combined with paralysis support, a powerful core is formed. This team is the epitome of strategy-based teams; rather than solely worrying about countering and checking the top threats of the metagame, Obi forms a core strategy and attempts to execute it regardless of the opponent's one.

Team Astral Projection - husk [June 2008]

A pre-platinum offensive team that featured both Garchomp and Deoxys-S. At the time, the Wobbuffet test was also being conducted; all three are now banished to the Uber tier. The team itself was posted almost to prove the point that pure offensive teams could still dominate, despite the Speed and type coverage that the newly OU Deoxys-S could use to threaten such teams. This team provided pressure from the get go, with well placed resistances being used to repeatedly get in an advantageous position against the opponent. The team worked mainly around intelligent prediction, and husk was sure to point this out in the "Team Work" sections of his write up. This way, he was able to show those who rated the team exactly how he used combinations of the Pokémon in his team to beat certain problematic threats.

Team Ikki Tousen - Earthworm [March 2008]

An exemplary balanced offensive team. Earthworm first composes a strong defensive core in "Celetran" (Celebi and Heatran) coupled with a bulky Water-type Pokémon, and in doing so gives him the ability to respond to a wide array of threats by playing on the palette of resistances they allot him. Residual damage is a key foundation to this team, featuring Stealth Rock, Leech Seed, and Toxic. This residual damage is used to weaken and hinder an opponent's defensive core, allowing his two sweepers to take advantage of their weakened state and proceed to sweep substantially easier.

Losing is an Incapability - Taylor [August 2008]

This team was created during the era of Garchomp and Deoxys-E. This offensive team debuted two of the most common sets on Infernape and Metagross. Up until this RMT, Lead Ape was a very rare sight, but once Taylor created this team and was successful with it, the usage increased like crazy, and Infernape is now one of the best leads today. He also used what was believed to be a "gimmicky" Metagross that started to see more usage due to the exposure it receive thanks to this thread. This team was a very offensive team, who abused the quick Stealth Rock by forcing switches early in and hitting fast and hard. He used 6 Wall-Breakers/Sweepers who shared good synergy between one another, and also had good defensive coverage between them. This team also used Double Dragons, a strategy that was not as common back then either.

Team RaikouLover - RaikouLover [August 2008]

This team was built when Garchomp was still dominating the OU scenario. It's a balanced team focused around Calm mind Jirachi and whose purpose is to set up a late-game Jirachi sweep. RaikouLover shows once again his aptitude to make unconventional but still successful sets by proposing innovative builds for both Yanmega and Heatran. The team makes great use of Life Orb Heatran, which serves multiple purposes: setting up Stealth Rock, eliminating Steel-type like Metagross and luring in Blissey to explode on her. The RMT is well presented and the Pokémon descriptions are very detailed, explaining the choice of movesets and EV spreads, the threat list is synthetic but satisfying.

jabbastall - JabbaTheGriffin [September 2008]

While many often think of obi's team when DP Stall is mentioned, it is certainly not the only team out there. JabbaTheGriffin's stall team was not only very successful but it also used Pokemon not commonly seen on stall before, like Starmie and Nidoqueen. This team has everything a common stall team needs and is an excellent showcase of pre-Platinum stall. Zapdos runs an interesting set in this time and provides Jabba with a second phazer as well as an annoyance to the opponent with Pressure constantly eating up the PP of his opponents. If you are looking for excellent late DP stall, look no further than this thread.

Team Antimatter - Kevin Garrett & Limitless [October 2008]

This team was built early on in the Platinum release. It ultimately demonstrated how powerful Scarf Skymin could be, both as a lead and as a late-game sweeper. Kevin Garrett and Limitless picked every Pokemon for a certain reason, to counter or check opposing offensive teams. They did this in a style not to many teams had used at this point, but is now abundantly seen. Using fast, bulky Pokémon to gain the upper hand swiftly, it allowed them to maintain this advantage for the rest of the game. This team also helped display the power of Dragon Dance Kingdra as its sweep was the final objective of the team.

Adios mis estudiantes - Bologo [November 2008]

With a very well defined theme of "two resistances to every type", Bologo's balanced team is a prime example of how essential good synergy is in making a successful team. Utilizing some rarely seen Pokemon such as Lanturn, as well as some uncommon sets, Bologo managed to create a team that was both effective and original. Each Pokemon plays an important role, and Bologo explains the resistances and support each Pokemon brings to his team in great detail.

Team Siren Song - Legacy Raider [November 2008]

This is another offensive team that gives a great example of what is meant by "synergy." Built a few months after the release of Pokémon Platinum, the team worked off good resistances to bail itself out of tricky situations, all the while aiming to deal more damage than the opponent could withstand with powerful attacking moves. Almost every Pokémon can work outright as a sweeper, but each one offered something in the way of offensive team support at the same time. Legacy Raider was sure to point out how his team worked, and the specific roles that every team member played, in a write up that was also aesthetically pleasing.

Team Su(b)perior Democracy - HECTORtu & vashta [December 2008]

This team used a defensive backbone to aim for a Substitute Rhyperior sweep. The team was inspired by a Stark Mountain thread on Rhyperior, and the team building process in the second post shows the large amount of thought that was put into making this team successful. The excellent presentation combined with the synergy of the team and the obvious enthusiasm of the writer makes this a model RMT.

Latias Offensive Team - panamaxis [Januray 2009]

A team from the Latias suspect testing period. In this RMT, panamaxis clearly explains the importance of minimizing the residual damage an offensive team is vulnerable to, thus increasing the overall longevity as well as helping out against stall. This team has six very capable sweepers that can instantly take advantage of any lull in the opponent's guard, such as one created by a teammate's Explosion.

Team Beautiful Death - Lee [Januray 2009]

This team is described by the writer as a generic Platinum team. It is true that the team is simple, but that is the beauty of it - it gets the job done. The team focuses around the goal of a Mixed Infernape sweep, and each member allows him to accomplish that, along with still being able to pull off back-up plan, should something go awry. Lee points out the problems with the team in a very comprehensive threat list, that allows those rating his team to directly address the problem he has been having.

Welcome to Fabletown - Scofield [February 2009]

This team is a rather bulky-offensive team that differs from many of the other cookie-cutter offensive teams. Utilizing Pokemon with useful resistances (Heatran and Jirachi) along with heavy-hitting offensive Pokemon (Salamence and Kingdra) allows scofield to dictate the tempo of the match through offensive and defensive play. Using Roserade as a lead also allows Scofield to get the quick jump on many of the common leads. Adding Vaporeon for Wish support increases the longevity of his entire team. Rather than playing "glass-cannon offense", scofield shows the success of a cohesive team where each member can hold its own.

The Art of U-turm - M Dragon [April 2009]

The Art of U-turn is a bulky offense team based on the move U-turn, which let this team gain the momentum of the battle quickly. With a solid offensive duo, Scizor + Flygon, that can hit hard while scouting the opponent's team with the move U-turn, while resisting each other weakness and with some of the strongest wall breakers in the game, this team usually manages to break every common defensive core. M Dragon also uses lead-Uxie, a very underrated lead which with its bulk and and ability to force switches with the move Yawn, allowes him to scout half of the opponent's team very early game.

Curse of the Tyranitar - Legacy Raider [May 2009]

Curse of the Tyranitar is built around setting up a Curse Tyranitar sweep. By supporting Tyranitar through Spikes and Stealth Rock, along with other defensively-minded Pokemon, including the then-innovative Taunt + U-turn Gliscor, Legacy Raider managed to make an extremely effective team, which showcased an unusual style while still easily handling the major threats of its time. Curse of the Tyranitar’s excellent presentation and extensive descriptions make it a pleasure to read.

Team Rose Tyler - vashta [June 2009]

Team Rose Tyler aims to make use of Toxic Spikes, which are provided by a Roserade lead, in order to stall out the opposing team. In this team, Vashta uses a core of Substitute + Charge Beam Rotom, Curse Swampert and Substitute + Calm Mind Jirachi to stall for Toxic damage and then finish off the weakened team. Team Rose Tyler helped to inspire the increase in popularity of semi-stall as a playstyle, and its fantastic presentation along with its extensive descriptions make it a model RMT.

Tyranitar Stall - Taylor [July 2009]

Taylor’s team demonstrated one of the earliest usages of Choice Scarf Tyranitar, an unusual choice for stall teams of the time. The team as a whole is solidly constructed, utilizing entry hazards alongside bulky walls and Rotom-w for spinblocking to overwhelm the opponent. All in all, Taylor’s Tyranitar Stall is a well-built team and featured a creative solution to combating Trick and Rotom-A. Scarf Tyranitar serves the role of eliminating opposing spinblockers, notably Rotom-A, so that the team can safely Rapid Spin away opposing entry hazards. In addition, Tyranitar can perform effectively as a late-game sweeper. After the set became known, Scarf Tyranitar rocketed in usage, eventually becoming the #1 most used Tyranitar set.

Team Kevin, Please Come Home - Kevin Garrett & august [August 2009]

Spike stacking offense has always been a popular idea, but the idea of fitting Pokemon like Skarmory or Forretress into an otherwise offensive team was often a turn off. In this team Kevin Garrett and august chose to use Smeargle to get up their entry hazards and pound away at the opposition. Through pokemon who cause a lot of switches by nature, like Scizor and Salamence, Kevin and august are able to force entry hazard damage upon their opponent. This team is very offensive but also has a defensive backbone to fall back on in the event they are facing a troublesome offensive team and cannot manage to set down their Spikes or Stealth Rock.

Rotom, CHARGE! - JabbaTheGriffin [August 2009]

With his team, Rotom, CHARGE!, Jabba focuses on using lead Roserade’s Toxic Spikes support to stall out the opposing team. By using a defensive core of Skarmory, Blissey and Latias, Jabba is able to easily weaken the other team through Toxic Spikes and Spikes, allowing him to sweep with Substitute + Charge Beam Rotom. This team showcases an unusual twist to the standard stall teams, and its huge success demonstrates just how effective the strategy of semi-stall can be.

Team of Torment - Philip7086 [August 2009]

Team of Torment is based around the innovative Torment Heatran set. By providing Toxic Spikes and Spikes support with Forretress, this team aims to stall out opposing teams with residual damage, and was responsible for bringing Torment Heatran into the spotlight as an extremely effective support Pokemon on stall-based balanced teams. Team of Torment provides a great example of a team that is extremely successful while still remaining innovative, rather than simply based around standard movesets.

Team StrongBOTs! - Atticus [August 2009]

StrongBOTs is best known for its amazing accomplishment in the Smogon Frontier. However, it can not be overlooked that this team is a classic example of DPP offense in the numbered days before HGSS. This team utilizes 4 Choice users and is still extremely successful. While Spikes are generally the bane of teams with several choice users, Atticus uses Life Orb Rapid Spin Starmie to find a chance to Rapid Spin, freeing his Pokemon to switch more often.

Team Sugerless GIRL - Earthworm & jumpluff [September 2009]

Team Sugarless GiRL is a great example of a modern bulky offense team. By using Pokemon which are capable of taking hits well while still maintaining a solid offense, ultimately weakening the opposing team in order to set up one of the team's sweepers. By using several non-standard sets such as HP Grass Heatran and Grass Knot / HP Fire Latias, this team manages to lure in and take out many of the Pokemon that give it trouble.

The Dark Passenger - Scofield [September 2009]

This team utilizes the classic duo of Salamence and Magnezone, combining them with Gengar as a lure. Steel types that can revenge Salamence are lured in from the unique mystic Gengar set, which utilizes protect to help against its normal counters. Magnezone traps and removes these steels which hinder Salamence from sweeping with dragon dance and outrage. These three are supported with a solid combination of defense and offense that leaves few weaknesses in the team..

Heavenly Star - reyscarface [September 2009]

This bulky offensive team by reyscarface really paved the way for many more teams like it. Offensive Suicune, which this team helped to bring into the spotlight, defines the team by setting up on and taking advantage of what many of the other Pokemon on the team lure. Once the Blissey falls, which much of the team is built to achieve, Suicune and Heatran are easily able to deal with whatever's left. Reyscarface's style of "high risk, high reward" really shows with the team, as the reward for being risky with his Pokemon pays off with an extremely effective team for its time.

Team Might Morphin' Power Rangers - Philip7086 [Januray 2010]

Philip's take on an offensive team is very interesting and shows excellent team-building skills. HeaTrap stars in this RMT, excelling at luring and eliminating Blissey so that a tag-team of Calm Mind users in Suicune and Jirachi can sweep easy. The double dragons in Salamence and Latias force a lot of switches and reveal a lot of a team as they do massive damage. All of this backed by dual screens from Uxie makes this team formidable even in drawn out battles.

HURT LOCKERs and LANDMINEs - vashta [April 2010]

With this team, vashta set the standard for Semi-Stall teams in its era, popularizing the use of Specially Defensive Skarmory and Scarf Tyranitar on such teams. This team is also notable as a great example of a team designed to support Calm Mind Jirachi, which was just beginning to see a rise in popularity at the time this team was made. With Skarmory and Rotom helping to open up holes in teams for a Jirachi sweep, this team is a great example of how to build around setting up and executing a game plan.

Enclose, Murciélago! - reyscarface [July 2010]

Balanced teams have been popular for awhile already, and while much is known about them, Enclose, Murciélago demonstrates that there are still ways to shake it up. Enclose, Murciélago is based on layer damage, which the lead easily sets up due to the lead orientation at the time of the team's creation. With a combination of uncommon Pokemon, such as RestTalk Heatran and Choice Specs Rotom-A, this team's emphasis is on applying offensive pressure, walling opponents, and shuffling them around to rack up entry hazard damage. The team's success and excellent presentation, coupled with the rise it gave to Choice Specs Rotom-A and specially defensive Heatran, makes Enclose, Murciélago an excellent choice for the archive.

Kevin Garrett Stall - Kevin Garrett [September 2010]

Kevin Garrett has been one of the best stall players of the 4th Generation competitive scene. Kevin Garrett Stall represents an extremely solid defensive team that manages to keep in check all of the powerful threats of the past Generation. As most stall teams it's based upon residual damage caused by Stealth Rock, Spikes and Toxic Spikes and has in Forretress the fulcrum of its strategy. Scarf-Tyranitar is used as a failsafe revenge killer to finish off weakened foes and common stall breakers such as Swords Dance Lucario and mixed-Dragonite, which are notoriously problematic for this kind of teams. Stylistically this is a magnificent RMT: it has an extremely clean layout, detailed descriptions for each team member and a comprehensive threat list. If you're building a 4th Generation stall team, then you can't miss this thread.

Goodbye Gen. 4 - Lady Bug [September 2010]

Lady Bug’s approach to stall is very unique, which is impressive considering that stall teams typically use similar defensive cores. By abusing the lesser-known teamstyle of hail stall alongside uncommon yet effective team members, Lady Bug gains a psychological edge over opponents not used to the team’s unusual structure. Abomasnow contributes to the team by taking advantage of the OU tier’s lack of hail resists, while Nidoqueen and Spiritomb serve as creative choices for the roles of entry hazard user and spinblocker, respectively. The remainder of the team is fortified by the remarkably solid SkarmBliss defensive combination, with Starmie to counter opposing threats and spin away entry hazards. Overall, the team's solid and creative implementation of hail stall earns Lady Bug a well-deserved spot in the RMT archive.

The Powerless Rise - -RatCheesy [September 2010]

Bells of Destruction - LizardMan [December 2010]

Six Paths Of Pain - tobi10 [March 2012]

Bleed - BKC [March 2013]

Suspect

Pride and Prejudice - TAY [December 2008]

This team dates back to Latias' suspect test. The Dragon was eventually voted OU, despite this attempt by TAY to persuade people into voting Uber. The crux of his argument was the large metagame centralization around Dragon and Steel-types, which was hugely evident in the team he built and topped the leaderboard with. Pride and Prejudice is largely responsible for coining the phrase "triple Dragon, triple Steel." TAY shows how the two types have excellent synergy, using Magnezone to remove opposing Steel-types in order to allow his Dragon-types to sweep. This is an excellent example of an offensive team that makes the opponent think, as he loads up on Pokémon that have similar counters. Choice Band Salamence can pound through Kingdra's counters, allowing it to sweep, for example.

Storming the Castle - stellar [February 2009]

A team from the Latios suspect testing period. In this RMT Stellar clearly shows the way to build a successful offensive team, having no dedicated walls to counter powerful attackers like Tyranitar, Scizor or Latios itself, while still being able to keep them in check by abusing Metagross' and Scizor's natural bulkiness and the great revenge killer / late game sweeper that Life Orb Jolteon is. This team is also a great example of versatility: every Pokémon is able to deal massive damage to the opposing walls, and three Pokémon out of six are capable of sweeping late game, meaning that if a sweeper is countered / revenge killed, another one is ready to threaten the opposing team. The team also makes excellent use of the double Dragons / double Steels combination popularized during Latias and Latios suspect testing periods.

A Greek RMT - Stathakis [April 2009]

Another team build for the Manaphy suspect testing period. This team takes the hyper-offensive approach to the suspect metagame. Utilizing a core of heavy-hitting special sweepers, Stathakis focused on weakening the opponents special walls; through his various stat-boosting Pokemon, he hit as hard as possible, with another sweeper ready to finish the job. This team is the epitome of heavy-offense, with an emphasis on constant sacrifices to bring in his next Pokemon. In the team building section, Stathakis clearly explains his team goal, utilizing his special sweepers to ultimately set-up an Empoleon sweep (with the back-up plan of his other sweepers winning the match as well).

Team Twist o Fat - Twist of Fate [April 2009]

This is a team built for the Manaphy suspect testing period. Team Twist O Fat is an attempt to show the element of surprise in approaching the suspect metagame. Utilizing a combination of stall-based Pokemon like Skarmory with key offensive resistances such as Heatran allowed for a mix of both offense and defense. With the addition of the unorthodox spin-blocking Gengar and bulky Manaphy, the element of surprise allowed ToF to shock the opponent to great success. The descriptions of each Pokemon indicate their particular usage on the team, and how they relate to the greater team goal.

New threats call for a new kind of stall - tab [May 2009]

This team shows how, even in a metagame characterized by powerful offensive Pokémon, stall can still be an effective strategy. The team makes an excellent use of the specially defensive Skarmory popularized during Stage 3, which has proven to be an excellent counter for Shaymin-S and Choice Specs Latios, while still being able to counter a powerful physical threat like Scarf-Garchomp. The excellent presentation combined with the detailed descriptions and a comprehensive threat list make this RMT a model to follow.

Kovin - Jibaku [November 2009]

Created during the midst of Stage 3.2, "Kovin" is a representation of the metagame at the time—one of which centralized around the stall-based balanced theme—and popularized one of the most menacing Pokémon of the era, as seen by many, Haban Berry Garchomp. With the assistance of Spikes, and the team's second featured suspect Pokémon, Choice Specs Latias, Jibaku's team focused on adding pressure to opponents, and attempts to wear down foes to the extent of which Garchomp was enabled to sweep in the end.

We're not CSI dirtbag! - Elevator Music [November 2009]

Another team representing the offensive prowness that surrounded and opposed stall-based balanced, "Team NCIS" is one of which consisted of uncommonly used sets, hard-hitting ability and resistances to work coherently to perform well. Intially created during the inception of Stage 3.2 of the suspect testings, Elevator Music used Team NCIS to advocate the effectiveness of bulky Haban Berry Garchomp, its effectiveness late-game, and its ability to open holes for other sweepers (Agility Metagross) that are enabled to accomplish a successful sweep once it has done its job. As a key factor to the rise of offensively-based Celebi, Lead Tyranitar, and bulky Haban Berry Garchomp, Team NCIS was definitely an influencial factor to how teams were created in the latter stages of the suspect test.

Team X - Pride & DJX09 [April 2010]

As a showcase of the stage 3-4 suspect testing, DJX09 and Pride show off what they used to tear up the competition. Choice Specs Latias, the revered and profusely-debated set, is taken advantage of in this team. Coupled with such threats as the Substitute + Thunder Wave Jirachi and Machamp core alongside Heatran, Latias truly does prove itself quite the monster. A theme of paralysis and general anti-metagame strategies rounds out the team and lets it match up effectively against the rest of the 3-4 suspect tier. Hats off to Latias; we'll miss you!

Ubers

But he works great in Ubers - Maniaclyrasist [February 2008]

A classic balanced team consistently of tremendously hard-hitters, such as Choice Specs Dialga, mixed in with walls such as Lugia. This particular team relies on residual damage in the form of Toxic to weaken the opposition's defenses and then release massive offensive onslaughts at the appropriate time. Notably, this was one of the first prominent teams to make use of Garchomp in the Uber metagame, and as a result popularized him in the tier. In fact, the team was designed around Garchomp with the very purpose of demonstrating its efficacy in the Uber tier.

Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - XtrEEmMaShEEn3k2 [November 2008]

This team utilizes the popular dual screen strategy in OU, except in the Uber tier. Defensively bulky Pokémon, such as Bronzong, are used to first set up both Light Screen and Reflect. This then allows a Rock Polish / Swords Dance / Taunt / Baton Pass Mew to pass to offensively dominant Pokemon relatively easily due to the heightened defenses provided by the screens. This strategy was notorious for its difficultly to thwart and, for a time, was a strategy mimicked on nearly every top Uber team on the Shoddy Battle ladder.

Japanese Killer Wasps - Ace Matador [October 2008]

Japanese Killer Wasps is a great example of a classic Uber stall team. Unlike the stall teams at this current time, stall teams back then focused entirely on outstalling the opponent. This team dates back to shortly after Platinum’s release, where the dominant team set up is Deoxys-S and 4-5 powerful attackers, often unaccompanied by a spin blocker. By using Forretress to easily set up and spin entry hazards, and Shedinja to wall a decent portion of the metagame, as well as the unorthodox Taunt/Will-o-Wisp Mewtwo to defeat opposing stall teams, this team often gave Ace Matador the upper hand against many battlers during that time, and remained in the top 5 in the Uber leaderboard for quite some time.

Wobbuffet and Groudon's SubSeed Machine gun! - Theorymon [February 2009]

This is the Uber team that is responsible for the rise in Wobbuffet usage around March and April of 2009. It is said that in Ubers, creativity pays dividends. This is certainly the case here. The team featured a Wobbuffet set-up to abuse Jumpluff's Speed and stalling capability under the sun. It proved to be very successful on the Uber ladder, and really forced the Uber metagame to respond to it. The write up includes a comprehensive threat list, and in-depth comments to show how to use this team in battle.

Turnabout Ubers - Theorymon [May 2009]

Turnabout Ubers is thought to be responsible for Lucario's increase in Ubers. Based on an opposite mindset of its sibling, "Wobbuffet and Groudon's Sub Seed Machine gun!", the team aims to overwhelm the opponent by sheer offense starring Lucario. Entry hazards are set up by the lead Deoxys-S, followed by Wobbuffet's Encoring ability to create room for Lucario to set up. Giratina-O aids Lucario in resisting Lucario's weaknesses, breaking stall, and more importantly, stopping Rapid Spin that would otherwise eliminate the crucial entry hazards that bring many opponents down to Lucario's kill range. Although the team suffers from seemingly insufficient checks, the set up of the team often prevents threats from coming in. The team is presented with a wealth of information concerning each Pokemon's importance and how they complement each other, as well as an obligatory note to why Lucario is not an inferior Rayquaza as people originally thought. Turnabout Ubers reached #4 on Uber ladder, proving the success of this team.

Dancing in the Rain, Ubers Ludicolo Team - Ashley [June 2009]

Utilizing Kyogre's infinite rain provided via Drizzle, this team centers around Palkia and a rarely seen Pokemon. Ludicolo's natural special defensive bulk, combined with the constant healing from Rain Dish, Leech Seed and Leftovers in conjunction with Substitute and Protect make it extremely tough to take down. When most of the opponent's vitality is drained Palkia can come in to sweep the remains. This team disproves the belief that Ludicolo is nothing more than a gimmick as shown by twash's success at reaching #7 on the Uber Leaderboard.

Rising from the Storms - Jibaku [July 2009]

By using several unorthodox moveset choices, Rising From the Storms had a huge influence on the common image of an Uber stall team, and inspired the rise in popularity of Giratina-O as a Rapid Spin Blocker, as well as promoting the use of Payback Forretress as a means of dealing with opposing Giratina-Os. Jibaku's team also uses Scarf Palkia and Calm Mind Kyogre, which were previously extremely uncommon on stall teams, to help deal with the most threatening Pokemon for standard stall teams. Rising From the Storms was hugely successful, peaking at #5 on the Leaderboard.

Shadows and Dust - Deep Thought [September 2009]

Shadows and Dust was a great example of what your typical Ubers offense team resembled. It is centered around Taunt + Calm Mind Mewtwo, and it takes advantage of the top offensive powerhouses in Ubers, including less common sets for otherwise common Pokemon such as Choice Band Rayquaza and Choice Specs Dialga, to skillfully take out Mewtwo's counters while always keeping up offensive pressure on the opponent. Deep Thought's team also popularized the then innovative Mew lead, which provided valuable support to Deep Thought's team via Stealth Rock, U-turn for scouting, and Exploding on key threats that might otherwise trouble him. All of Deep Thought's Pokemon had detailed descriptions on how they contributed to the team, and he was sure to point out his strategies for every type of team he faced. Shadows and Dust was hugely successful and it peaked at #2 on the Uber leaderboard.

Meteor Shower - reachzero [April 2010]

The rise of Lead Rayquaza began with this team. The team starts killing its opponents right from the start, forcing them to take a defensive stance or get run through in the early stages of the match. With Life Orb Dialga, Choice Scarf Palkia, and All-Out Attacker Mewtwo, this team is set to roll through teams at full force. Reachzero's team is a prime example of excellent artistic talent combined with succinct descriptions as to why each Pokemon is how it is; it's a fine example of how to write the ideal RMT.

Henry - august [November 2009]

If there is something that should immediately come to mind when looking at the team, it's simplicity, right down to the name of the team itself. As a matter of fact, eyeballing it alone isn't enough for that - try it out, and marvel at the joyride ahead. Featuring a straightforward entry hazard set up into some of the most devastating sweepers in Ubers, such as Latios, Mewtwo, and interestingly but surely, Lucario, henry terrorized both offensive and stall teams alike in a few seconds flat. The X factor of this team, however, is Giratina-O's unique set at the time, utilizing the unexpected Shadow Sneak to turn the tides of battle, while maintaining wallbreaking capabilities with the rest of the set. As a matter of fact, this is the very team that immortalized Mixed Shadow Sneak Giratina-O into Ubers. Although the team itself suffered from 5 weaknesses to Ghost and Dark, most of them are hard pressed to fight off the sheer force and speed of these sweepers, backed with a healthy dose of unspinnable entry hazards.

Vulcan Fury! - Jibaku [May 2010]

Jibaku, with VULCAN FURY!, attempts to take advantage of a post-HGSS metagame to experiment with many of the new toys and the new metagame. Shadow Sneak Giratina-O makes a showing in this team, supported by the anti-metagame Pokemon Latias and Heatran. Jibaku also shows off Choice Scarf Deoxys-S, a set that is steadily rising in popularity due to its effectiveness. Between the superb presentation and the effectiveness of the team, there's no doubt as to why this team makes a star appearance in the archive.

UnderUsed

Team Ichigo Mashimaro - Ryomou [August 2008]

This is an UU team which was made before the UU tests. It's a very offensively minded team, and aims to force switches and cause residual damage to the foe through Stealth Rock, and opposing Pokémon constantly being forced to switch into hits. It uses frail offensive powerhouses, such as Absol and Swellow, in tandem with the bulkier Claydol and Lanturn, allowing the player to adjust his or her strategy depending on the situation. Despite the teams main goal of not really setting up for a sweep, both Absol and Swellow can clean up effectively if given the chance.

LonelyBalance - LonelyNess [November 2008]

TThis is an UU team whose time was back in the "Old UU." The team is filled with bulky Pokémon that can also muster quite a bit of offensive firepower, and relies on resistances to outmaneuver and out power the opponent. Utilizing a core comprising of Fire, Water, and Grass to deal most of the damage, along with a bulky Calm Mind Clefable, means that the opponent is always put under offensive pressure. LonelyNess also has two "walls" which can be brought into play when it is necessary to stop an opposing sweeper. It's a very balanced team, and LonelyNess clearly demonstrates the thought process behind building and using the team.

Team ILR - Imran & Legacy Raider [February 2009]

Team ILR is an excellent example of a classic balanced playstyle that sets itself aside from other teams of it's time. ILR was an extremely well built team that did not have many weaknesses and did well against all playstyles. Perhaps what is most important about ILR is the fact that it used 2 pokemon that were suspects at the time, helping LegacyRaider and Imran determine what they think of the suspects they used. If you are looking for an enjoyable read of UnderUsed balance at it's finest, look no further than Team ILR!

New UU LonelyBalance - LonelyNess [May 2009]

This is an offensive team built during Crobat's and Shaymin's reign in UU. The team abuses Crobat's, Shaymin's and Honckrow's wall breaking capabilities and, benefiting from a combination of speed, offensive power and bulkiness, is almost impossible to counter properly. This team is a perfect example of team synergy between offensive Pokémon: lacking dedicated walls, LonelyNess combats several threats by playing on resistances. The core of the team is Crobat and its deadly combination of speed and staying power, as well as its access to Taunt and U-turn, that make this Pokémon a great stall breaker and team player. This RMT is technically unexceptionable: combining a neat layout, detailed descriptions and a comprehensive threat list.

Balance - CTI [July 2009]

In the time before Dugtrio was UU and when Roserade still hung out in the tier, CTI's Balance team was a powerhouse in the tier. CTI's healthy mix of defensive pivots and offensive Pokemon gives him a lot of versatility and lets him maneuver the opponent into a situation he cannot recover from. Choice Scarf Roserade stars in this team, serving as an effective revenge killer with Blaziken and Absol as the primary offensive forces. A bulky Uxie lead rounds out this team, truly setting it up as an excellent balanced team for the era.

Team canistra - moi and tennisace [September 2009]

Based in the second set of testing phases, team canistra utilizes an underheard of strategy in UU, trapping. Through the use of multiple U-Turners combined with the newly UU Dugtrio and Magneton, the team keeps up a fast offensive pace while still retaining the bulk to switch into resisted attacks. Eventually, the opponent is weakened enough through this constant pestering that their Pokemon fall to the combined onslaught of powerful attackers.

Screen, Sub, and Sweep! - RT. [January 2010]

In one of the most controversial metagames to have ever come to UU, RT takes both Porygon-Z and Cresselia for a run. Both Mismagius and Porygon-Z share the same style of Substitute + Nasty Plot, which under screens is immensely dangerous. Cresselia the since-banned threatens and beats nearly all of its counters under screens, showing UU exactly what she can do. This balanced RMT is an excellent example of the metagame during this era of UU.

Team Free Bird - Heysup [January 2010]

"Let's use the most broken Pokemon around" is a motto that Heysup takes to heart when making most of his teams. Team Free Bird is no different, showcasing exactly why Froslass makes such a frightening setup Pokemon. With Life Orb Moltres to take advantage of those Spikes and 2HKO even Slowbro switch-ins, it's no wonder why something had to be done in UU to keep this from happening so easily! Sweeper Swellow cleans up the aftermath, and with Spikes on the field and one use of U-turn, nothing can check it a second time. Rapid Spin Donphan, Swords Dance Absol, and a Choice Scarf Venusaur round out the team by providing checks and support exactly as is necessary for the team to succeed in the metagame.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Bluewind [April 2010]

Bluewind, with Somewhere Over The Rainbow, showcases one of the most powerful tag-teams of Pokemon ever to hit UU: Dugtrio and Raikou. In the round before Raikou hit the benches, this team shook up the metagame with Dugtrio to drop Raikou's counters and Raikou to end the game swiftly. The Fire/Water/Grass core of Moltres/Blastoise/Venusaur gives Bluewind a lot of healthy pivots, chances to Rapid Spin, and room to threaten the opponent before Dugtrio and Raikou can really work their magic. Registeel, a premier wall in the metagame, returns to be the final defensive pivot and Stealth Rock user for the team. With all of this considered, this team is an ideal example of a successful team during this era of UU.

Little Cup

The Trooper - Heysup [September 2009]

This team is what started many of the sets used in the modern metagame, especially SubSneak Misdreavus and mixed priority Croagunk. This team was based around the popular Munchlax and Choice Scarf Fighting-type combination. Machop was used to lure in Ghost-types, and Munchlax was used to trap and KO them, allowing Machop to sweep. This team also used the popular core combination of Gligar and Munchlax who have excellent synergy, along with Croagunk for reliable revenge killing and crucial resistances. However the real star of the show was SubSneak Misdreavus. Misdreavus was used to counter opposing Choiced Fighting-types, since Misdreavus is excessively dangerous when behind Substitute and backed by a Life Orb.

Chess Peace - Elevator Music [December 2009]

This team is essentially what the standard offensive team in Little Cup looks like, with a few twists thrown in. This team was based around an extra bulky Will-O-Wisp Misdreavus wearing the opponent down and being reckless with set up sweepers. This team would attempt to set up Substitute Carvanha or Dragon Dance Dratini whenever possible, since it had lots of priority to back it up if the sweepers didn't completely finish the job. Stunky was used on this team as well as a necessary evil, which is what many players were forced to do because of the threat of Misdreavus.

RIP Missy - franky [February 2010]

Rest in peace, Misdreavus. Franky shows off with RIP Missy his monstrous team that he used prior to her banning. Boasting a potent Normal-Ghost-Normal core between Porygon, Misdreavus, and Munchlax, franky's team puts the pressure on with passive damage and offensive momentum combined with multitudes of forced switches. This team with its success and structure exemplifies why Misdreavus was so revered and omnipresent in the LC tier prior to its banning.

CAP

Offense is always an option! - Beej, Magmortified, & Plus [May 2009]

Before the additions of Dragon Dance Pyroak and LO Colossoil in CAP, Stall defined the CAP metagame, with Pokemon such as Revenankh, Arghonaut and Fidgit walling nearly every threat. In this team, Magmortified, Beej, and Plus create a team that can rip apart defensive teams through speed and destructive force. By using two exploders, this team can clear the way for offensive threats such as Mixed Salamence and Mixed Infernape to sweep without fear of being walled. However, the team can still rely on its fast revenge killers Scarf Rotom-A and Stratagem to pick off offensively based teams. The team was successful in occupying three out of five of the top five spots in the CAP ladder at it's prime.

Team Crayon Camisade! - Elevator Music [January 2010]

Crayon Camisade is an offensive team that tries to take advantage of typical defensive Pokemon used in CAP stall teams. This team marks the advent of the Stallbreaker Kitsunoh set, a set that single-handedly changed the metagame. By breaking stall apart at the seams, Elevator Music then takes advantage of his opponent with powerhouses in the form of Choice Band Salamence, Life Orb Colossoil, and Life Orb Cyclohm. Choice Scarf Jirachi rounds out the team by checking many threats that would otherwise cause the team problems, such as Stratagem and Syclant.

XVII - Rising_Dusk [April 2010]

Prior to XVII, all-out offense was considered an inferior style of play with CAP stall running amok. Rising_Dusk, with this team, introduced the CAP metagame to the threat of All-Out Attacker Stratagem, a sweeper with unrivaled coverage and power in the entire metagame. Every other Pokemon on the team, including Life Orb Colossoil, Dragon Dance Gyarados, Stallbreaker Kitsunoh, and Spikes Lead Syclant, is chosen to check opposing offensive threats while breaking down the opponents' own checks to Stratagem. It was because of this team that stall had to evolve in the CAP metagame to cope or risk falling out of favor.

Campfire KABOOM! - Elevator Music [May 2010]

Campfire KABOOM! reintroduced the CAP metagame to the threat of SubSeed Pyroak post-secondary revisions. This team abused the lack of Tyranitar in the metagame by coupling Pyroak with Dual Screen Cresselia, Bulk Up Revenankh, and Skarmory to form an immensely potent defensive core within only 4 Pokemon. Stallbreaker Kitsunoh marks its return by keeping this team from being weak to opposing stall, while lead Infernape beats the most common leads in the CAP metagame to give Elevator Music the immediate advantage. Many people consider this to be the team that broke the metagame as it was during that era.