Soaring UUp to the Sky: Flying-types in SS UU

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Introduction

You can't go wrong with a Flying-type at your side. Flying-types have been among the most reliable Pokemon in the history of the game. While being able to fast travel to anywhere you want in the region has saved players countless hours traveling around during their Pokemon journey, Flying-types have also performed well in the competitive scene, providing valuable resistances to common typings like Fighting, Grass, and Bug and an immunity to Ground-type attacks, including the dangerous Spikes, while also having few answers offensively. Furthermore, with the introduction of Heavy-Duty Boots this generation, our favorite birds, bats, dragons, and other miscellaneous creatures can finally operate at full potential without being hindered by that pesky Stealth Rock. UU is very familiar with the power of Flying-types, and this article features many fantastic fliers that you can't go wrong putting on your team.

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Ironically enough, UU's most influential Flying-type doesn't even use Flying-type STAB! That hasn't stopped Thundurus-T from being one of the most dangerous threats in UU. As a very controversial threat that just survived a suspect test, Thundurus-T has an insane arsenal of coverage to back up its fantastic stats and typing. Thundurus-T typically operates as a pivot on many teams, harnessing its great power and coverage to wear down the enemy team throughout the course of the game and clean up by the end. Coverage options in Psychic, Focus Blast, and Grass Knot are key in removing counterplay like Amoonguss, Zarude, Excadrill, and Swampert, making Thundurus-T something you don't want to face while on the back foot. Knock Off cripples an otherwise great answer in Chansey, showing just how effectively Thundurus-T can defeat its counterplay with the right moves. Thundurus-T can even mix it up by running U-turn as the pivoting move and Thunderbolt for additional power to muscle through Salamence. While 4 Defense EVs seem small, they actually allow Thundurus-T to survive a Life Orb-boosted Ice Shard from Adamant Mamoswine, which can make or break a game near the end.

That's not all, though, as Nasty Plot Thundurus-T is well known for being a balance destroyer in UU. At +2, Thundurus-T has no switch-ins, as even the mighty Chansey drops to two Focus Blasts, provided you hit them of course. So, since Thundurus-T has all the makings of an overpowered threat, what's it doing in UU? Thundurus-T suffers from a very exploitable Speed tier, causing it to be offensively checked by a large portion of the tier. Zarude, Nihilego, Zygarde-10%, Azelf, Keldeo, Lycanroc-D, Salazzle, and Stone Edge Cobalion are very common within UU, limiting Thundurus-T's opportunities to fire off its attacks. Thundurus-T is also often forced to trade with common threats like Aegislash and Salamence if relying on Volt Switch as its main STAB attack, meaning it can be chipped down and easily revenge killed by the aforementioned faster checks. Still, don't underestimate this raging thundercloud, as it still is one of the best offensive threats in the tier that will always make progress.

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Zarude forms an amazing VoltTurn core with Thundurus-T, bringing it in on its own checks like Moltres and Skarmory. Swampert also can form a VoltTurn core and provide entry hazard support for Thundurus-T to muscle past Nihilego and Aegislash. Grass-types like Tapu Bulu and Assault Vest Tangrowth can hinder Thundurus-T, so wallbreakers like Nidoking and Azelf can break through them.

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It's been more than a year now since the Crown Tundra DLC hit UU. Various threats like Zeraora, Scizor, and Kyurem have long left the tier, while former top dogs like Krookodile and Keldeo have declined. Still, one dragon who believed they could fly has stood above them all, remaining a top pick even today. That Pokemon is Salamence. With a wide set variety and excellent utility between its typing and Intimidate, it's no secret that Salamence is still a top threat even in UU today. Being able to defensively check Zarude, Excadrill, and Keldeo and serve as one of the few switch-ins to Conkeldurr allows Salamence to contribute a lot to its team defensively. Its standard 3 attacks set allows Salamence to hit nearly the entire metagame neutrally at least, wearing down checks like Nihilego and Slowking with its devastating Draco Meteor and wiping out walls like Tangrowth. Roost further contributes to its defensive utility and lets it stick around throughout games. It also is one of the best Defoggers in the tier, keeping entry hazards off against common setters like Excadrill, Skarmory, and Cobalion.

Salamence also can surprise many players by busting out its Dragon Dance set, being able to set up as it lures in Pokemon like Nihilego. Moxie contributes to Salamence's insane snowball potential after just one Dragon Dance. It can even lure in and KO Skarmory with a mixed set utilizing Fire Blast. Lastly, Salamence can run a defensive set on stall teams to help them check Zarude, Excadrill, and Conkeldurr. It also helps against Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo, a threat to stall teams, thanks to Dual Wingbeat. All in all, Salamence is a very versatile threat that can fit on basically any team with its vast range of sets, providing amazing utility that you will surely appreciate.

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Excadrill has amazing synergy with Salamence, completing a common double removal core found on many offensive teams thanks to their ability to keep entry hazards off against every setter. Excadrill also handles checks like Chansey, Nihilego, Togekiss, and Rotom-W and provides Stealth Rock to help Dragon Dance Salamence beat Primarina, while Salamence pressures Tangrowth and Skarmory in return. Rotom-W is a pivot that can bring Salamence in against Tangrowth and Zarude while also beating answers like Mamoswine and Celesteela. Bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss can switch into Knock Off for Salamence, allowing it to keep its Heavy-Duty Boots, and check Primarina.

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Watch out for this rocket flying in the sky! Celesteela has established itself one of the best defensive Pokemon in the tier, checking plenty of threats like Aegislash, Excadrill, Nihilego, Hydreigon, Skarmory, Diggersby, Gyarados, and Galarian Moltres due to its immense bulk and superb typing. Leech Seed allows Celesteela to retain longevity despite its lack of reliable recovery, often letting it stick around for an entire game. Heavy Slam and Flamethrower make for decent offensive pressure against the likes of Primarina, Thundurus-T, and Amoonguss. Celesteela also can change course in the complete opposite direction of its defensive sets by running an offensive Autotomize + Meteor Beam set. Amazing coverage in Air Slash, Flamethrower, and Meteor Beam turns Celesteela into a nearly unwallable beast that can easily snowball with Beast Boost. Still, Celesteela isn't perfect, as common threats like Slowking, Tentacruel, Moltres, and Thundurus-T can limit it; the former two can easily block Leech Seed, as Slowking can just Teleport out to an offensive threat, while Tentacruel's Liquid Ooze actually makes Celesteela take damage. Meanwhile, the latter two can break through it with their super effective attacks. Regardless of its flaws, Celesteela's amazing defensive typing and bulk allow it to immensely support its team through its walling capabilities. Make sure to always have a way to break through this defensive behemoth.

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Swampert and Amoonguss pair very well with Celesteela, forming a very common balance core in the tier. Swampert checks Moltres and Thundurus-T, while Amoonguss can handle Primarina and Keldeo as well as absorb Knock Off. As for Meteor Beam Celesteela, physical wallbreakers like Belly Drum Azumarill pair well with it on hyper offense teams to handle threats like Nihilego and Chansey.

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We got a spicy hot chicken right out the oven! Moltres possesses the immensely valuable Fire typing, distinguishing itself from other Flying-types thanks to its ability to switch into and threaten Steel-types like Celesteela and Jirachi. While offensively pressuring Zarude, Aegislash, and Conkeldurr is always a positive, Moltres's utility stems from its ability Flame Body, enabling it to punish greedy U-turns from the likes of Diggersby and Zarude. It can even come in clutch by crippling threats like Aegislash with a burn. However, this typing is a double-edged sword, as Moltres suffers from a 4x weakness to Rock and takes 50% from Stealth Rock if it loses its Heavy-Duty Boots. Ouch! Despite this, between its STAB combination and U-turn, Moltres is exceptionally difficult to play around and will definitely be a great addition to any team it is on.

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Swampert and Zarude pair excellently with Moltres to create the well-known Fire / Water / Grass core. Moreover, they also form a pivoting core to bring each other in on favorable matchups; both Zarude and Swampert lure Pokemon like Skarmory and Tangrowth in for Moltres to take advantage of and easily check Electric-types like Thundurus-T and Rotom-W. Zarude also handles Water-types like Slowking, while Swampert can beat Nihilego. Zygarde-10% can KO faster threats like Nihilego and Stone Edge Cobalion for Moltres and appreciates Moltres beating Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu for it.

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Not only has Kantonian Moltres seen great success in UU, its emo Galarian cousin also finds lots of success here. Galarian Moltres is one of UU's most fearsome setup sweepers, having amazing bulk and a typing that allows it to find plenty of options to set up both Nasty Plot and Agility and become nearly unwallable. For instance, Galarian Moltres can survive Thunderbolt from Thundurus-T at full HP and use it to set up with Agility. Dark + Flying coverage hits the entire tier at least neutrally, and Fiery Wrath's chance to make slower foes flinch lets this quirky turkey clean through teams with ease. Sitrus Berry is the preferred item to accumulate multiple Berserk boosts, though Weakness Policy takes advantage of Galarian Moltres's insane bulk to eat a super effective hit and heavily boost its Special Attack. That's not all, as Galarian Moltres has the benefit of being one of the few Aegislash counters in the tier, perhaps the best even. RestTalk sets allow Galarian Moltres to absorb status from Amoonguss and Aegislash while still utilizing its fantastic STAB combination, though they do have the issue of being inconsistent with RNG and can let in threatening wallbreakers like Azumarill and Thundurus-T in for free. Still, Galarian Moltres is nothing short of a top-tier threat.

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Excadrill is a fantastic partner for Galarian Moltres on both hyper offense and bulky offense teams. Its ability to both set and remove Stealth Rock means Galarian Moltres doesn't need to worry about taking Stealth Rock, letting it run another item like Sitrus Berry over Heavy-Duty Boots, and enables it to break through Primarina easier with the extra chip damage provided. Slowking checks dangerous threats to Galarian Moltres like Nihilego, Mamoswine, and Lycanroc-D. Aegislash also helps check Nihilego, can pressure Chansey with its mixed set, and wear down Primarina.

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This bird is the new word! Mandibuzz is an excellent pick in UU thanks to its valuable utility and great mixed bulk, being able to take any unboosted neutral hit with ease. Mandibuzz offers lots of role compression as a Ghost- and Gound-type switch-in, pivot, mixed wall, and Defogger, making it an asset to any team it is on. Foul Play allows it to be a great anti-offense threat, beating physical sweepers like Gyarados, Dragon Dance Salamence, and Swords Dance Aegislash with ease, while Knock Off is valuable to cripple Chansey and Celesteela. It can remove entry hazards against Excadrill in the short term with Defog and retain momentum with U-turn. Mandibuzz does have the tendency to be overwhelmed checking Pokemon like Hydreigon, plus Pokemon it checks like Aegislash and Excadrill can ruin it with Toxic. But overall, this cooky condor is still a very strong choice in the current metagame.

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Amoonguss can switch into Electric- and Fairy-type attacks from Thundurus-T and Primarina and absorb Knock Off for Mandibuzz. Swampert provides an Electric-type immunity and pressures threats like Nihilego and Lycanroc-D. Dangerous wallbreakers like Conkeldurr and Zygarde-10% appreciate Mandibuzz's slow pivoting to get them safely to wallbreak.

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Skarmory is one of UU's cornerstone defensive walls, checking dangerous physical attackers like Excadrill, Lycanroc-D, Gyarados, and Diggersby with ease. Its ability to provide the rare Spikes grants it lots of utility to support its team, fitting on a wide range of playstyles from bulky offense to stall. Body Press utilizes Skarmory's sky-high Defense to slam Mamoswine and Excadrill while also preventing Hydreigon from coming in freely. Meanwhile, Brave Bird KOes Conkeldurr and Tapu Bulu and hits Gyarados neutrally, making Skarmory key in removing such big threats to slower-paced teams. Other utility moves like Whirlwind and Toxic also have value, being able to phaze setup sweepers like Tapu Bulu or cripple threats like Thundurus-T. However, Skarmory suffers a lot in the current metagame; Aegislash and Thundurus-T are common and Skarmory gives free entry to them, while strong picks like Celesteela, Azelf, and Salamence still persist. Being a Steel-type that struggles against Primarina can strain building, and there has been a rise of wallbreakers like Mamoswine that can muscle through it. Still, if supported correctly, Skarmory can be an insanely valuable pick that will surely put in work.

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Since Skarmory has poor Special Defense, Chansey makes a great teammate to check threats like Hydreigon, Salamence, Thundurus-T, and Moltres. Nihilego forms an entry hazard stacking core with Skarmory while also taking on Thundurus-T and Moltres for it. It can even hinder Aegislash with Knock Off. Amoonguss can handle Rotom-W and Primarina while also acting as a secondary check to Tapu Bulu and Conkeldurr.

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We certainly can't forget our Dragon Dancing sea serpent Gyarados! Despite the meme of being a Flying-type despite its Dragon-like appearance, Gyarados actually appreciates its additional Flying typing despite the added Stealth Rock weakness. Being able to set up on Excadrill thanks to the Earthquake immunity, as well as Keldeo because of the Fighting-type resistance, can be very valuable in leading to a full-on Gyarados sweep. Power Whip beats Water-types like Slowking, Rotom-W, Quagsire, and Swampert with ease. Ice Fang is popular due to hitting Hydreigon in addition to the Grass-types, though the power leaves much to be desired. Bounce trades this immediate power in exchange for being much more exploitable by threats like Salamence and Aegislash. Mystic Water boosts Waterfall's power and makes it much easier to break through Skarmory and Mandibuzz, only needing one flinch after a boost to do so. Despite being one of the deadliest threats in the tier after setting up, Gyarados struggles to do much in practice. The higher usage of Mandibuzz, Skarmory, Celesteela, Amoonguss, and Aegislash means Gyarados often struggles to pull off a sweep. Moreover, other threats like Thundurus-T and Zarude deny Gyarados setup opportunities to begin with because of its lack of bulk. Hyper offense teams have also been on the decline ever since the Kommo-o ban. Still, with all this being said, don't disrespect Gyarados, for it'll sweep your team when you least expect it.

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Since Gyarados best fits on hyper offense, suicide lead Excadrill is valuable in setting up entry hazards to weaken Amoonguss and Skarmory and removing Stealth Rock to keep Gyarados from getting chipped, notably helping it avoid getting revenge killed by Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. Early-game wallbreakers like Thundurus-T can muscle through walls like Celesteela and Mandibuzz for Gyarados to sweep later. Ribombee can provide Sticky Web support to offset Gyarados's poor Speed tier against threats like Nidoking and Zygarde-10%, and in return it appreciates Gyarados using Excadrill as setup bait.

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Niche Flying-types

While not as prevalent as the above Flying-types, these Pokemon still have their own unique niches in the tier that allow them to fit on the right team.

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Once the king of UU, Noivern has sadly descended into mediocrity after the second DLC came out. Salamence's greater bulk, Intimidate, and offensive presence are too much for Noivern to compete with, even with the latter's greater speed. Still, said speed allows Noivern to carve a niche even in today's metagame. Being able to outspeed and revenge kill threats Salamence couldn't even dream of doing like Zarude, Azelf, and Zygarde-10% allows it to land a spot on certain teams that need the extra speed control. It also can help enable slower wallbreakers like Mamoswine and Nidoking with its fast pivoting.

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Togekiss has had it rough this generation, being constantly denied the spotlight in UU because of the tier's various Rock-, Electric-, and Steel-types like Nihilego, Thundurus-T, and Aegislash being common and strong picks. However, Togekiss does excel as a fearsome stallbreaker. With Nasty Plot, Roost, and Heal Bell, Togekiss is able to boost up while avoiding status and break through common stall teams thanks to Air Slash flinches, enabling threats like Zygarde-10% that struggle to break the archetype. While it'll never be a top-tier threat, Togekiss certainly has merits for those who want to use it.

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After Thundurus got banned from UU earlier this generation, players experimented with new fast pivots to fill the void. In the midst of this, Tornadus emerged as a dangerous offensive pivot. Flying-type STAB is very tough to switch into, with Knock Off and Heat Wave handling would-be checks like Aegislash, Nihilego, and Skarmory. Acrobatics is the preferred attack because of Hurricane's unreliability, and, despite the lack of Heavy-Duty Boots, Tornadus can be well supported by entry hazard control like Excadrill. Tornadus unfortunately provides no defensive utility and needs a lot of support, but it can put in immense work when built around properly.

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Current RU staple Crobat has quite a bit of merit in UU. Base 130 Speed makes it insanely fast, easily outpacing common fast threats in Zygarde-10% and Azelf. Being able to wear down counterplay with Super Fang and U-turn helps Crobat outlast its checks and support its team through pivoting. The fact it takes advantage of Zarude is huge in a meta dominated by it, allowing teammates like Rotom-W to flourish. Crobat also can invest in Defense to take hits better from Zarude since the given speed EVs let it outpace Azelf and Zygarde-10% already. Don't expect much offensively, though, as Crobat is very weak if lacking investment in Attack.

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Final Thoughts

From a raging thunderstorm to an out-of-control rocket to a rubber chicken, Flying-types have really taken UU by storm this generation. Hopefully this article gave you some insight into the various versatile Flying-types we have, and I hope you'll fly by UU to give them a try!

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