Hello all, and welcome to pretty much my first UU team (a lot of these are popping up lately...). I dabbled a bit in UU a long time ago, but I mostly stayed to OU where my ass was still handed to me on a regular basis. Upon reading up on the current UU metagame, I figured now was the best time to figure out a decent UU team. After experimenting for a few days, I set out to try and make a team that didn't focus on Rain like many in UU do. I finally decided on making a team that sort-of revolved around the extremely underused Rock Polish Torterra set.
Without further adieu, here goes...
General Strategy: Set up with either NP Houndoom or RP Torterra and sweep. Anti-Lead Machoke can shut down anything trying to set up entry hazards. Memento Uxie sets up screens and can use Memento to phaze for Torterra. ScarfRotom can help sweep faster threats or shut down walls. Milotic is fairly bulky, using Toxic to wear down other Pokemon; making things easier for my sweepers.
Team Building Process:
Summary:
I don't think this is that bad of a team for my first serious UU team. With Torterra and Houndoom, the opponent can be left very crippled, or defeated if not prepared.
Miltank may not be the best lead, but it can still come in lategame and be a decent annoyance while being perfectly able to set up Rocks and spread para. Uxie's screens help the team immensly, as they allow my sweepers to set up better, as well as give Miltank and the slightly bulky Golduck more survivability. Golduck is a great asset to the team, as it dents Rain teams (and to a lesser extent, Sun teams) to the point where I can clean up with another sweeper. Not only that, he has pretty good type coverage outside of Weather. Finally, there's the added bonus of having no glaring weakness to one type, which is always a plus.
Oh, and thanks in advance for the rates/suggestions, guys. [Edit] I'd prefer to leave Torterra in, as it IS the main focus of the team, but any suggestions for team member replacements are welcome.
The two main overall weaknesses I've noticed is that if both sweepers fail to set up, or if my opponent sets up too many entry hazards, I can lose easily. This might be able to be fixed by adding a spinner such as Blastoise over Golduck, although I will have a much harder time in the Rain/Sun, plus Golduck is better than one might think. I can also try a Hariyama lead to beat out Ambipom (which are very common) or something.
EDIT: Machoke over Miltank lets me counter common hazard leads (plus it makes a great team with Houndoom), and Milotic over Golduck helps me Toxistall out some walls.
Without further adieu, here goes...
Team ForestFire - At A Glance:
General Strategy: Set up with either NP Houndoom or RP Torterra and sweep. Anti-Lead Machoke can shut down anything trying to set up entry hazards. Memento Uxie sets up screens and can use Memento to phaze for Torterra. ScarfRotom can help sweep faster threats or shut down walls. Milotic is fairly bulky, using Toxic to wear down other Pokemon; making things easier for my sweepers.
Team Building Process:
First, I knew I wanted to have Rock Polish Torterra on my team. Ground/Grass/Rock isn't resisted by much and I've heard this set can take out quite a few Pokemon before it falls.
Second, I noticed that Torterra would draw a lot of Fire moves in, especially with Moltres running around UU, so I decided to add in another statboost-sweeper (Special) that fit perfectly here: Houndoom.
I noticed that between both of these, especially Houndoom, I would need a Rapid Spinner to cut down on residual damage. So I chose Blastoise, which also completes a strong Water/Fire/Grass core and could use Toxic to help wear down any walls that my sweepers couldn't handle.
After this, I figured that Stealth Rock and paralysis would help this team tons, so I decided to add in Registeel, with Shadow Claw/Seismic Toss.
Adding Registeel gave me another Ground weakness. I decided to add Rotom here, mostly for its dual-screen support. I chose Will-o-Wisp for the last moveslot, so I could spread three separate statuses around.
Then I needed a lead. I settled in on a Choice Scarf Scyther with AA/Pursuit/Brick Break/X-Scissor. It could easily dispatch Ambipom, Froslass and Scarf Venusaur and put up a fight against Uxie - the most common leads I've seen.
I played with this team for a while before noticing quite a few weaknesses. Registeel never really did anything, and Scyther turned out fairly useless. Blastoise never found much use either, but I couldn't find a better Water to take its place. I made Uxie my lead, giving it SR/T-Wave/U-turn/Zen Headbutt and brought in an Encore Clefable to help my sweepers more.
This still wasn't working. My synergy wasn't that bad typewise, but Encore Clefable didn't help much, possibly due to how I used it, and an Uxie lead was kind of predictable. Here, I was reading through one of the Rain threads and came across Golduck. I found that Golduck worked very well with countering Rain and Sun, so threw him in over Blastoise. I ran into someone using a Miltank lead (reyscarface, I believe) and found that it worked fairly well on my Rain team. I made Miltank my lead (changing the moveset from my Rain team, of course) and dropped Uxie to more of a support role. I also switched WoW for Pain Split on Rotom, so it could last a bit longer.
At this point, I just played with sets. Miltank had SR/Milk Drink/Counter/Body Slam, Uxie had Yawn/TWave/U-Turn/Zen Headbutt, Rotom had Dual screens and TBolt/Pain Split. After a few hours of testing this team, I used T-Wave/Seismic Toss on Miltank, Dual Screens/Memento/U-Turn on Uxie and Scarf Rotom (TBolt, HP Ice, Shadow Ball, Trick). This worked for a while, but something was missing. I kept dying to entry hazards, but had no room for a spinner. So I changed Miltank to Machoke - a great Anti-Lead to lower entry hazards - and Golduck to Milotic.
Second, I noticed that Torterra would draw a lot of Fire moves in, especially with Moltres running around UU, so I decided to add in another statboost-sweeper (Special) that fit perfectly here: Houndoom.
I noticed that between both of these, especially Houndoom, I would need a Rapid Spinner to cut down on residual damage. So I chose Blastoise, which also completes a strong Water/Fire/Grass core and could use Toxic to help wear down any walls that my sweepers couldn't handle.
After this, I figured that Stealth Rock and paralysis would help this team tons, so I decided to add in Registeel, with Shadow Claw/Seismic Toss.
Adding Registeel gave me another Ground weakness. I decided to add Rotom here, mostly for its dual-screen support. I chose Will-o-Wisp for the last moveslot, so I could spread three separate statuses around.
Then I needed a lead. I settled in on a Choice Scarf Scyther with AA/Pursuit/Brick Break/X-Scissor. It could easily dispatch Ambipom, Froslass and Scarf Venusaur and put up a fight against Uxie - the most common leads I've seen.
I played with this team for a while before noticing quite a few weaknesses. Registeel never really did anything, and Scyther turned out fairly useless. Blastoise never found much use either, but I couldn't find a better Water to take its place. I made Uxie my lead, giving it SR/T-Wave/U-turn/Zen Headbutt and brought in an Encore Clefable to help my sweepers more.
This still wasn't working. My synergy wasn't that bad typewise, but Encore Clefable didn't help much, possibly due to how I used it, and an Uxie lead was kind of predictable. Here, I was reading through one of the Rain threads and came across Golduck. I found that Golduck worked very well with countering Rain and Sun, so threw him in over Blastoise. I ran into someone using a Miltank lead (reyscarface, I believe) and found that it worked fairly well on my Rain team. I made Miltank my lead (changing the moveset from my Rain team, of course) and dropped Uxie to more of a support role. I also switched WoW for Pain Split on Rotom, so it could last a bit longer.
At this point, I just played with sets. Miltank had SR/Milk Drink/Counter/Body Slam, Uxie had Yawn/TWave/U-Turn/Zen Headbutt, Rotom had Dual screens and TBolt/Pain Split. After a few hours of testing this team, I used T-Wave/Seismic Toss on Miltank, Dual Screens/Memento/U-Turn on Uxie and Scarf Rotom (TBolt, HP Ice, Shadow Ball, Trick). This worked for a while, but something was missing. I kept dying to entry hazards, but had no room for a spinner. So I changed Miltank to Machoke - a great Anti-Lead to lower entry hazards - and Golduck to Milotic.
Team ForestFire - In-Depth
"What's that thing doing in a forest? This doesn't make sense."
Machoke @ Focus Sash
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 172 HP/252 Atk/84 Speed
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Moveset:
- DynamicPunch
- Payback
- Bullet Punch
- Protect
CREDIT FOR THIS SET GOES TO DrkSlay.
Machoke is a great anti-lead. I saw it in the "New and creative movesets" thread and fell in love. DynamicPunch always hits for huge damage and causes confusion, which usually forces a switch. Payback is for Ghost/Psychic leads. Bullet Punch is a nice priority move that kills anything trying to use their sash. Protect is to scout, or for things like Fake Out Ambipom/Hariyama. The only leads it can't beat are Uxie, Moltres and Spiritomb, all of which can be countered by a switch to Houndoom for a free Nasty Plot (although Uxie's T-Wave isn't exactly nice if they predict a NP).
For damage calculations/strategy, see this post:
http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2554078&postcount=390
Flying attacks go to Rotom.
Psychic attacks go to Houndoom, Uxie.
"What's that thing doing in a forest? This doesn't make sense."
Machoke @ Focus Sash
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 172 HP/252 Atk/84 Speed
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Moveset:
- DynamicPunch
- Payback
- Bullet Punch
- Protect
CREDIT FOR THIS SET GOES TO DrkSlay.
Machoke is a great anti-lead. I saw it in the "New and creative movesets" thread and fell in love. DynamicPunch always hits for huge damage and causes confusion, which usually forces a switch. Payback is for Ghost/Psychic leads. Bullet Punch is a nice priority move that kills anything trying to use their sash. Protect is to scout, or for things like Fake Out Ambipom/Hariyama. The only leads it can't beat are Uxie, Moltres and Spiritomb, all of which can be countered by a switch to Houndoom for a free Nasty Plot (although Uxie's T-Wave isn't exactly nice if they predict a NP).
For damage calculations/strategy, see this post:
http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2554078&postcount=390
Flying attacks go to Rotom.
Psychic attacks go to Houndoom, Uxie.
"The forest is haunted, too. Wonderful... just wonderful..."
Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 SpA
Timid nature (+Speed, -Attack)
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power (Ice) [31/30/30/31/31/31]
- Trick
And here's a Choice Scarf Rotom. Originally, this was a Dual Screen set, but I soon realized that it didn't work out too well. With this set, Rotom gives me the speed to hit certain Pokemon I have trouble with and better type coverage due to the addition of Shadow Ball and HP Ice. HP Ice over anything else to combat Altaria, Torterra and Donphan, as well as nice coverage with T-Bolt. In addition, Torterra and Golduck have Grass moves, plus I didn't see that much of a use for HP Fighting. Trick helps me shut down walls I can't break, notably Umbreon/Cursebreon - that thing is a major pain.
Ghost attacks go to Houndoom.
Dark attacks go to Houndoom, Machoke.
"Some sort of forest pixie? I don't know."
Uxie @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Speed
Jolly nature (+Speed, -Special Attack)
- U-Turn
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Memento
Screens+Memento Uxie is pretty interesting. With Uxie's awesome Defenses, I can set up Screens without any issues. Then, I use Memento. The foe will usually switch out from either one of the sweepers that I send in, thus granting me a free boost. Works extremely well with Torterra since very little - if anything - switching in can outspeed +2 Speed Tort. Houndoom can also switch in after Memento, but risks being killed by something faster than it. I also have the option of U-Turn if I want to save Memento for later - I usually end up U-Turning after the first screen set and Memento after the second, although certain situations call for an early Torterra reveal.
Bug attacks go to Rotom, Machoke.
Ghost attacks go to Houndoom.
Dark attacks go to Houndoom, Machoke.
"The forest has a lake. With giant serpent things. Neat."
Milotic @ Leftovers
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 248 HP/242 Def/12 Speed
Nature: Bold (-Attack, +Defense)
- Surf
- Hidden Power (Grass)/Ice Beam/HP Fire
- Recover
- Toxic
Good ol' Toxistalling Milotic. HP Grass is usually the better/standard choice, but I was thinking of using Ice Beam for Venusaur, who likes to come in on Toxic and ruin all the fun, plus Altaria (which can possibly destroy my team). HP Fire might even work, as it counters both Grass and Steel, allowing me to use Toxic better. Plus, no one expects it. Unfortunately, I lose a counter to other bulky Waters, although I can just switch in Rotom on them. Houndoom can also take care of Grass/Steels. Eh, just an idea.
Anyways, simply Toxic something to wear it down to make things easier for Houndoom, Torterra and even Rotom. 12 Speed EVs allow me to outrun other Milotic if I'm running HP Grass and yes, I have run into that situation before.
Electric attacks go to Torterra, Rotom.
Grass attacks go to Houndoom.
"That explains the smoke we saw. Should we run yet?"
Houndoom (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 SpA
Timid nature (+Speed, -Attack)
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power (Flying) [30/30/30/31/30/30]
- Dark Pulse
Nasty Plot Houndoom - one of the core Pokemon to the team. I don't see this used that much and I don't know why - I personally love the set. It comes in on something common that can't beat it, like Moltres (barring Air Slash) or Mismagius and Nasty Plots the switch. Then, just try and kill everything in its path. It's even better if Houndoom comes in on a Fire attack, which Torterra seems to draw in quite often. NP Fire Blast can damage a hell of a lot, especially under Flash Fire - it can 2HKO +SpD 252 Chansey. HP Flying gives Houndoom perfect coverage alongside Dark Pulse and Fire Blast. I used a different HP Flying than the default that Shoddy gives you though, allowing it to retain its 317 Speed. This set is pretty much taken straight from the analysis, not like that's necessarily a bad thing.
Fighting attacks go to Rotom, Uxie.
Water attacks go to Milotic.
"Hey, that's a big rock. And why is there a tree growing out of OH MY GOD IT MOVED."
Torterra (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Speed
Adamant nature (+Attack, -SpA)
- Rock Polish
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Here's the star of the team: Torterra. With one Rock Polish, Torterra can outspeed anything with Tier 1 speed. Not to mention, with Torterra's defenses, it can take a few hits to finally take the monster tree-turtle down. If I'm still at decent health or if I switch in to a Fire attack user at the same time, I can risk a switch to Houndoom to try and activate Flash Fire. Life Orb does limit its survivability a bit and I have no Wish support to bring it back in for another go, so I'm considering either Leftovers, Lum Berry or even Expert Belt. This Pokemon can take out at least half a team if the other team is unprepared - RP Torterra is uncommon enough to surprise quite a few people. A strong Ice move can take me down, though.
Ice attacks go to Milotic, Houndoom.
Flying attacks go to Rotom.
Bug attacks go to Rotom, Machoke.
Fire attacks go to Houndoom, Rotom.
Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 SpA
Timid nature (+Speed, -Attack)
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power (Ice) [31/30/30/31/31/31]
- Trick
And here's a Choice Scarf Rotom. Originally, this was a Dual Screen set, but I soon realized that it didn't work out too well. With this set, Rotom gives me the speed to hit certain Pokemon I have trouble with and better type coverage due to the addition of Shadow Ball and HP Ice. HP Ice over anything else to combat Altaria, Torterra and Donphan, as well as nice coverage with T-Bolt. In addition, Torterra and Golduck have Grass moves, plus I didn't see that much of a use for HP Fighting. Trick helps me shut down walls I can't break, notably Umbreon/Cursebreon - that thing is a major pain.
Ghost attacks go to Houndoom.
Dark attacks go to Houndoom, Machoke.
"Some sort of forest pixie? I don't know."
Uxie @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Speed
Jolly nature (+Speed, -Special Attack)
- U-Turn
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Memento
Screens+Memento Uxie is pretty interesting. With Uxie's awesome Defenses, I can set up Screens without any issues. Then, I use Memento. The foe will usually switch out from either one of the sweepers that I send in, thus granting me a free boost. Works extremely well with Torterra since very little - if anything - switching in can outspeed +2 Speed Tort. Houndoom can also switch in after Memento, but risks being killed by something faster than it. I also have the option of U-Turn if I want to save Memento for later - I usually end up U-Turning after the first screen set and Memento after the second, although certain situations call for an early Torterra reveal.
Bug attacks go to Rotom, Machoke.
Ghost attacks go to Houndoom.
Dark attacks go to Houndoom, Machoke.
"The forest has a lake. With giant serpent things. Neat."
Milotic @ Leftovers
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 248 HP/242 Def/12 Speed
Nature: Bold (-Attack, +Defense)
- Surf
- Hidden Power (Grass)/Ice Beam/HP Fire
- Recover
- Toxic
Good ol' Toxistalling Milotic. HP Grass is usually the better/standard choice, but I was thinking of using Ice Beam for Venusaur, who likes to come in on Toxic and ruin all the fun, plus Altaria (which can possibly destroy my team). HP Fire might even work, as it counters both Grass and Steel, allowing me to use Toxic better. Plus, no one expects it. Unfortunately, I lose a counter to other bulky Waters, although I can just switch in Rotom on them. Houndoom can also take care of Grass/Steels. Eh, just an idea.
Anyways, simply Toxic something to wear it down to make things easier for Houndoom, Torterra and even Rotom. 12 Speed EVs allow me to outrun other Milotic if I'm running HP Grass and yes, I have run into that situation before.
Electric attacks go to Torterra, Rotom.
Grass attacks go to Houndoom.
"That explains the smoke we saw. Should we run yet?"
Houndoom (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 SpA
Timid nature (+Speed, -Attack)
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power (Flying) [30/30/30/31/30/30]
- Dark Pulse
Nasty Plot Houndoom - one of the core Pokemon to the team. I don't see this used that much and I don't know why - I personally love the set. It comes in on something common that can't beat it, like Moltres (barring Air Slash) or Mismagius and Nasty Plots the switch. Then, just try and kill everything in its path. It's even better if Houndoom comes in on a Fire attack, which Torterra seems to draw in quite often. NP Fire Blast can damage a hell of a lot, especially under Flash Fire - it can 2HKO +SpD 252 Chansey. HP Flying gives Houndoom perfect coverage alongside Dark Pulse and Fire Blast. I used a different HP Flying than the default that Shoddy gives you though, allowing it to retain its 317 Speed. This set is pretty much taken straight from the analysis, not like that's necessarily a bad thing.
Fighting attacks go to Rotom, Uxie.
Ground attacks go to Rotom, Uxie, Torterra.
Rock attacks go to Machoke, Torterra.
Water attacks go to Milotic.
"Hey, that's a big rock. And why is there a tree growing out of OH MY GOD IT MOVED."
Torterra (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Speed
Adamant nature (+Attack, -SpA)
- Rock Polish
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Here's the star of the team: Torterra. With one Rock Polish, Torterra can outspeed anything with Tier 1 speed. Not to mention, with Torterra's defenses, it can take a few hits to finally take the monster tree-turtle down. If I'm still at decent health or if I switch in to a Fire attack user at the same time, I can risk a switch to Houndoom to try and activate Flash Fire. Life Orb does limit its survivability a bit and I have no Wish support to bring it back in for another go, so I'm considering either Leftovers, Lum Berry or even Expert Belt. This Pokemon can take out at least half a team if the other team is unprepared - RP Torterra is uncommon enough to surprise quite a few people. A strong Ice move can take me down, though.
Ice attacks go to Milotic, Houndoom.
Flying attacks go to Rotom.
Bug attacks go to Rotom, Machoke.
Fire attacks go to Houndoom, Rotom.
Summary:
I don't think this is that bad of a team for my first serious UU team. With Torterra and Houndoom, the opponent can be left very crippled, or defeated if not prepared.
Miltank may not be the best lead, but it can still come in lategame and be a decent annoyance while being perfectly able to set up Rocks and spread para. Uxie's screens help the team immensly, as they allow my sweepers to set up better, as well as give Miltank and the slightly bulky Golduck more survivability. Golduck is a great asset to the team, as it dents Rain teams (and to a lesser extent, Sun teams) to the point where I can clean up with another sweeper. Not only that, he has pretty good type coverage outside of Weather. Finally, there's the added bonus of having no glaring weakness to one type, which is always a plus.
Oh, and thanks in advance for the rates/suggestions, guys. [Edit] I'd prefer to leave Torterra in, as it IS the main focus of the team, but any suggestions for team member replacements are welcome.
The two main overall weaknesses I've noticed is that if both sweepers fail to set up, or if my opponent sets up too many entry hazards, I can lose easily. This might be able to be fixed by adding a spinner such as Blastoise over Golduck, although I will have a much harder time in the Rain/Sun, plus Golduck is better than one might think. I can also try a Hariyama lead to beat out Ambipom (which are very common) or something.
EDIT: Machoke over Miltank lets me counter common hazard leads (plus it makes a great team with Houndoom), and Milotic over Golduck helps me Toxistall out some walls.
