Hey guys.
I'm fairly new to the UU metagame, so I'd appreciate your help in trying to improve my team. Without further ado, here's my team at a glance:
And now, the breakdown.
Donphan @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 52 HP, 252 Attack, 204 Defense
~ Stealth Rock
~ Rapid Spin
~ Earthquake
~ Ice Shard
Why Donphan?
I wanted a pokemon who could reliably set up Rocks early in the game, and I noticed Donphan. Donphan has great Attack and Defense stats, and in addition to reliably setting up Rocks, he can spin 'em away as well. Aside from that, he can take Physical hits really well and dish out some serious damage with his STAB Earthquake.
Moves
SR and Rapid Spin are self-explanatory. Earthquake is a great STAB move to make use of that Base 120 Attack. However, the last move slot was giving me troubles. Assurance would help me do well against the likes of Rotom, Mismagius and Uxie(Mesprit carries Grass Knot more often than not, and I can't risk it, so I just switch out), but Ice Shard, on the other hand would help immensely in picking off weakened sweepers like Scyther, Mismagius or Sceptile besides getting rid of Altaria. After testing them both, I went for Ice Shard since it guranteed killing things like Ambipom and the likes.
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Nature: Impish
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP, 212 Defense, 44 Special Defense.
~ Stockpile
~ Toxic
~ Earthquake
~ Recover
This is one underrated Pokemon. Stockpile Gastrodon can stall the hell out of anything that doesn't utilize Toxic/WoW or doesn't have Natural Cure. He's got some pretty mediocre Defenses, but with even one Stockpile, it can become seriously tough to take down. With a solid typing and great HP, it is a pretty decent option to stop the likes of Feraligatr from seeping my team.
Moves
Stockpile is what makes Gastrodon truly tough. Toxic is for slow and steady damage against things that are not Poison or Steel typed. Earthquake helps against those who ARE Poisons or Steels, and with Recover Gastrodon makes sure he stays there for a long time.
Sceptile @ Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
~ Swords Dance
~ Leaf Blade
~ Earthquake
~ Rock Slide
Why Sceptile?
Sceptile is a solid answer to Rain sweepers like Kabutops and Omastar, and, of course Milotic. In fact, it is a perfect lure-in to Moltres, and Rock Slide is a clean KO and destroys all variants of Moltres after SR damage while typing making sure that Moltres doesn't switch out. If it manages to nab a Swords Dance on the switch, non-Scarf Moltres is done for, who can otherwise give trouble to this team. Overall, an excellent physical sweeper.
Moves
The combination of Leaf Blade, Earthquake and Rock Slide gives perfect UU coverage. I already have a Scyther, so I don't really need X-Scissor.
Magneton @ Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 60 HP, 252 Special Attack, 196 Speed
~ Substitute
~ Charge Beam
~ Thunderbolt
~ Hidden Power Grass
Why Magneton?
I would have really liked to have a Raikou in here, but he just HAD to be deemed BL. Oh well. But that doesn't mean Magneton isn't good - Magneton is awesome. Its got a great Special attack, and its Physical Defense isn't a letdown either. Plus, it boasts one of the better typings in the game, which lets it switch in to a range of attacks and has a great synergy going with Scyther and Houndoom, resisting almost all of Scyther's weaknesses and Houndoom covering the common Fire weakness. Its low HP and Special Defense are a letdown though, but he's still my best answer to things like Quagsire and Milotic.
Moves
Substitute allows me to hit things like bulky Moltres and Donphan before having to switch out in the former's case and KOing the latter. Charge beam brings welcome Special Attack boosts which allows me to even barely beat Chansey after 2-3 boosts under my belt(which is still good since if I went with Explosion it would mean the same thing, but I don't lose my Magneton this way). Thunderbolt is a solid STAB move and HP Grass hits Ground types for Super Effective damage.
Houndoom @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Special Defense
~ Nasty Plot
~ Flamethrower
~ Dark Pulse
~ Hidden Power Flying
Why Houndoom?
I was earlier considering Arcanine for this spot, but Houndoom hits much, much harder, without having to take recoil damage(except Life Orb) after a Nasty Plot. Actually, its really very straightforward-I come in to Fire attacks aimed at Scyther/Magneton/Sceptile and grab a Nasty Plot on the switch, then begin to rampage with my boosted Flamethrowers and Dark Pulses.
Moves
Nasty Plot is a nasty plot to convert this mediocre-looking wolf into a beast. Flamethrower is there because Houndoom just cannot afford to miss, and after Flash Fire boosts it hits amazingly hard anyway. Dark Pulse is secondary STAB, and HP Flying is to catch things like non-priority Hitmontop and Hariyama off guard.
Scyther @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Attack, 4 Special Defense, 252 Speed
~ Aerial Ace
~ U-Turn
~ Brick Break
~ Pursuit
Why Scyther?
Choice Scarf Scyther is amazing. It was originally added to the team just for the sake of it. Now, he has become the most precious member of the team. Scarf Scyther has one major advantage - It can outspeed and KO unsuspecting Ludicolo, Kabutops, weakened Omastar and things like Ambipom, weakened Registeel, any Mismagius who has taken any move from anyone, and weakened Rotom. He's both a devastating late-game sweeper and a surprise revenge-killer, and, of course, a good scout with U-turn, which enables me to kill things like Rhyperior and Moltres immediately if they have been hit by U-Turn on the switch. He's also my main check to things like Venusaur and Sceptile, who can otherwise cause troubles.
Moves
Aerial Ace is a STAB+Technician boosted move benefiting from Scyther's 350 Attack, U-Turn is the best move for a Choiced Pokemon which also benefits from STAB, Brick Break is for Steel types and the pesky Chansey and for breaking Screens, and Pursuit is for hitting Rotom and Mismagius who otherwise wall this set.
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Yup. that's my team. I'm not a very experienced UU battler nor an expert on battling, which would perhaps be visible from the mistakes which I've probably made, but thats why its been put up here.
Comment, criticize and rate my team. Anything constructive is appreciated.
I'm fairly new to the UU metagame, so I'd appreciate your help in trying to improve my team. Without further ado, here's my team at a glance:
And now, the breakdown.
Donphan @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 52 HP, 252 Attack, 204 Defense
~ Stealth Rock
~ Rapid Spin
~ Earthquake
~ Ice Shard
Why Donphan?
I wanted a pokemon who could reliably set up Rocks early in the game, and I noticed Donphan. Donphan has great Attack and Defense stats, and in addition to reliably setting up Rocks, he can spin 'em away as well. Aside from that, he can take Physical hits really well and dish out some serious damage with his STAB Earthquake.
Moves
SR and Rapid Spin are self-explanatory. Earthquake is a great STAB move to make use of that Base 120 Attack. However, the last move slot was giving me troubles. Assurance would help me do well against the likes of Rotom, Mismagius and Uxie(Mesprit carries Grass Knot more often than not, and I can't risk it, so I just switch out), but Ice Shard, on the other hand would help immensely in picking off weakened sweepers like Scyther, Mismagius or Sceptile besides getting rid of Altaria. After testing them both, I went for Ice Shard since it guranteed killing things like Ambipom and the likes.
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Nature: Impish
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP, 212 Defense, 44 Special Defense.
~ Stockpile
~ Toxic
~ Earthquake
~ Recover
This is one underrated Pokemon. Stockpile Gastrodon can stall the hell out of anything that doesn't utilize Toxic/WoW or doesn't have Natural Cure. He's got some pretty mediocre Defenses, but with even one Stockpile, it can become seriously tough to take down. With a solid typing and great HP, it is a pretty decent option to stop the likes of Feraligatr from seeping my team.
Moves
Stockpile is what makes Gastrodon truly tough. Toxic is for slow and steady damage against things that are not Poison or Steel typed. Earthquake helps against those who ARE Poisons or Steels, and with Recover Gastrodon makes sure he stays there for a long time.
Sceptile @ Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
~ Swords Dance
~ Leaf Blade
~ Earthquake
~ Rock Slide
Why Sceptile?
Sceptile is a solid answer to Rain sweepers like Kabutops and Omastar, and, of course Milotic. In fact, it is a perfect lure-in to Moltres, and Rock Slide is a clean KO and destroys all variants of Moltres after SR damage while typing making sure that Moltres doesn't switch out. If it manages to nab a Swords Dance on the switch, non-Scarf Moltres is done for, who can otherwise give trouble to this team. Overall, an excellent physical sweeper.
Moves
The combination of Leaf Blade, Earthquake and Rock Slide gives perfect UU coverage. I already have a Scyther, so I don't really need X-Scissor.
Magneton @ Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 60 HP, 252 Special Attack, 196 Speed
~ Substitute
~ Charge Beam
~ Thunderbolt
~ Hidden Power Grass
Why Magneton?
I would have really liked to have a Raikou in here, but he just HAD to be deemed BL. Oh well. But that doesn't mean Magneton isn't good - Magneton is awesome. Its got a great Special attack, and its Physical Defense isn't a letdown either. Plus, it boasts one of the better typings in the game, which lets it switch in to a range of attacks and has a great synergy going with Scyther and Houndoom, resisting almost all of Scyther's weaknesses and Houndoom covering the common Fire weakness. Its low HP and Special Defense are a letdown though, but he's still my best answer to things like Quagsire and Milotic.
Moves
Substitute allows me to hit things like bulky Moltres and Donphan before having to switch out in the former's case and KOing the latter. Charge beam brings welcome Special Attack boosts which allows me to even barely beat Chansey after 2-3 boosts under my belt(which is still good since if I went with Explosion it would mean the same thing, but I don't lose my Magneton this way). Thunderbolt is a solid STAB move and HP Grass hits Ground types for Super Effective damage.
Houndoom @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Special Defense
~ Nasty Plot
~ Flamethrower
~ Dark Pulse
~ Hidden Power Flying
Why Houndoom?
I was earlier considering Arcanine for this spot, but Houndoom hits much, much harder, without having to take recoil damage(except Life Orb) after a Nasty Plot. Actually, its really very straightforward-I come in to Fire attacks aimed at Scyther/Magneton/Sceptile and grab a Nasty Plot on the switch, then begin to rampage with my boosted Flamethrowers and Dark Pulses.
Moves
Nasty Plot is a nasty plot to convert this mediocre-looking wolf into a beast. Flamethrower is there because Houndoom just cannot afford to miss, and after Flash Fire boosts it hits amazingly hard anyway. Dark Pulse is secondary STAB, and HP Flying is to catch things like non-priority Hitmontop and Hariyama off guard.
Scyther @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Attack, 4 Special Defense, 252 Speed
~ Aerial Ace
~ U-Turn
~ Brick Break
~ Pursuit
Why Scyther?
Choice Scarf Scyther is amazing. It was originally added to the team just for the sake of it. Now, he has become the most precious member of the team. Scarf Scyther has one major advantage - It can outspeed and KO unsuspecting Ludicolo, Kabutops, weakened Omastar and things like Ambipom, weakened Registeel, any Mismagius who has taken any move from anyone, and weakened Rotom. He's both a devastating late-game sweeper and a surprise revenge-killer, and, of course, a good scout with U-turn, which enables me to kill things like Rhyperior and Moltres immediately if they have been hit by U-Turn on the switch. He's also my main check to things like Venusaur and Sceptile, who can otherwise cause troubles.
Moves
Aerial Ace is a STAB+Technician boosted move benefiting from Scyther's 350 Attack, U-Turn is the best move for a Choiced Pokemon which also benefits from STAB, Brick Break is for Steel types and the pesky Chansey and for breaking Screens, and Pursuit is for hitting Rotom and Mismagius who otherwise wall this set.
---------------------------------------------------
Yup. that's my team. I'm not a very experienced UU battler nor an expert on battling, which would perhaps be visible from the mistakes which I've probably made, but thats why its been put up here.
Comment, criticize and rate my team. Anything constructive is appreciated.
