Keepin' it Rolling (a momentum based UU team)

[Derpness]

Keepin' it Rolling​

Hi guys my name is Derpness and this is my second UU team. My first underwent many changes but overall had a decent record on the PS ladder. With the metagame knowledge I accrued from that team and some inspiration from some popular Youtuber (I forgot which) I made this team. This team has its share of homemade sets but has been working pretty well and I've been having fun with it. Its currently undefeated after its initial few games but I have concerns I'd like Smogon's help with.

Teambuilding Process

I love Flygon and always have (at least since I got one in Emerald). I've used the standard Scarf set ever since I started playing competitively at the beginning of 4th gen. However, using it was not the reason I decided to make this team, I really wanted to try running a support Cobalion after seeing some Youtuber (I forgot which, probably NBZ) use one. After discovering that Cobalion had access to Volt Switch I decided to make a momentum based team.

I decided on Azelf as my next poke, due to its access to U-turn and absurdly powerful offensive stats. This lead to a misguided attempt to make a Banded Azelf set, that failed to ever really accomplish anything over its brief tenure with the team.

The premise of my team was constant switching to gain momentum, so entry hazards were going to be taxing, Hitmontop brings tons of utility with Intimidate and priority, so he was my chosen spinner.

Having momentum means nothing if no one on your team can exploit it, therefore SubRoost Zapdos makes alot of sense for my team, coming in via U-Turn, forcing a switch and Subbing. Even uninvested his Tbolts are hella powerful and Roost allows him to stick around for the whole match. He hasn't fainted yet for me, though I imagine that if he did things would quickly fall apart, as him, along with the next poke I added are my team's glue.

One very apparent problem with my team is the possibility that the other team would get momentum, with a bit of hax, a misplay on my part, etc. In the initial couple games I've played, this has indeed happened and yet I have not lost. Why? Because of Cress. Cress take any momentum the enemy team has and squashes it like a bug. She takes hits of all kinds like a champ and just throws down a Toxic, Moonlights back up and proceeds to ask "where's your momentum now, bitch?" This is, like Zapdos, a poke that is yet to die (mind you I've only played 5 games) and judging from its initial preformance I somehow doubt it ever will.

Azelf just didn't cut it, as you might expect, so I threw on CB Mienshao, who's done fairly well. Having 3 fighting types would be bad so out went H-Top and in came Blastoise, the Blastoise set is pretty strange but I needed the priority.

GOAT (Cobalion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Def
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch​

​

Cobalion is just useful, a great switch into a lot of threats, (such as ScarfMoxieCross) packing TWave for the faster ones. He's my SR setter obviously, which is pretty vital to my team. The key to momentum based play is constantly forcing switches, allowing you to capitalize on U-turn or Volt Switch and SR punishes your opponent for these switches. Another reason that Cobalion makes sense for this team is that Cobalion is, similarly to Flygon, practically immune to hazards. His TSpikes immunity combined with a Quad SR resist leaves only Spikes to harm him. He really doesn't mind switching around at all. Due to his Quad resists to common UU attacking types of Bug, Dark and Rock he also does an excellent job of forcing switches, especially against ScarfMoxieCross variants that carry Pursuit, he also notably has excellent type synergy with Cresselia.

As a note on the set and EVs I set up this spread to allow for Cobalion to outspeed walls but to be outsped by other common users of U-Turn. The reasoning behind this is that if the both of us Volt/Turn on the same turn I will get initiative. Common U-Turners that outpace but would not if I ran a Timid nature Cobalion are Mienshao, Victini, Zoarark, Zapdos and Darmanitian. It is important to note that many on these Pokemon often carry a Choice Scarf and ergo would be faster anyways or carry a super-effective move to hit Cobalion with, however oftentimes opponents will over-predict and use U-turn to potentially gain initiative. I run Focus Blast over a physical move because I appreciate the chip damage Volt Switch can do and would prefer not to run a negative nature. However, the set is entirely homemade and might be all wrong, so don't hesitate to suggest an alternative.

Synergy:

: Cresselia, Zapdos

: Cresselia, Zapdos, Flygon

: Flygon, Blastoise

Fashion Concious (Flygon) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- U-turn​

Do I really need to explain this set? Like at all? Well for the unenlightened, this is a Flygon, if you ever see a Flygon you can be quite sure that this is what it is doing. This is because it does this very, very well. What is this exactly? Well, Flygon essentially functions as a scout accruing chip damage and initiative through the use of U-turn. He is practically immune to the entry hazards that can take a severe toll on other Pokemon, due to the Levitate ability and resistance to Stealth Rocks. Outrage and EQ can also allow for a sweep if needed. Fire Punch is filler.

I run Adamant, which I sometimes forget when I try to "speed tie" with other Flygons, when our speeds don't tie at all. However, as long as I play cautious it makes little difference and the extra damage is welcome. On a team relying on momentum this poke is basically a must have.

Synergy:

: Blastoise, Cobalion

: Cobalion, Cress can take an Outrage from any Flygon, Kingdra, especially RD variants, can be problematic.

Fuckwitme (Mienshao) @ Choice Band
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]​

I came up with this set on the spot, however, looking over to Mienshao's analysis page I came across the exact same set so I guess it must work pretty well. This set functions as a wallbreaker, which was a major problem for me prior to placing it into the team, no one on my team had enough damage output to take down the tier's bulkier walls. However, with an immensely powerful STAB HJK Mienshao smashes down walls, while it's considerable speed and access to U-Turn can still allow me to scout and accrue momentum. Stone Edge hits the tiers most popular Ghost (Chandelure) for Super Effective damage and with Chandy being a massive threat to my team that is very important. HP Ice is filler (it basically just hits Flygon).

Synergy:

: Zapdos

: Cresselia

​

Spike (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 SAtk / 252 HP / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]​

Good ol' SubRoost Zapdos, nowadays you kids are all using offensive sets like LO, Scarf and Specs but I remember the olden days when Zapdos was OU and this was the only set Zapdos ever ran. Ever. As no one ever uses this set anymore people are no longer reluctant to try to status Zapdos, allowing for a free sub, otherwise I bring him in when he'll force a switch, allowing for a Sub. After that either Roost it off or fire out the appropriate move. Due to how well this set takes advantage of switches its great for a momentum based team as getting it in will often result in a kill. With Toxic already on Cresselia its not needed on Zapdos, allowing me to hit Flygons, Roserades, ect.

Synergy:

: Cobalion, Mienshao, Flygon

: Blastoise, Cobalion

Bonerkill (Cresselia) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Moonlight
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Psychic​

This thing is so god damn invincible. I honestly don't understand how it could ever have been considered for RU, it literally just does not take damage. Its main problem is its weakness to Bug (because Heracross) and yet, though I haven't calced it, I highly doubt Megahorn does much more than 50-60 percent (as I was taking less than 40% from a Expert Belt/Scarfed Pinsir's X-Scissors). With damage like that and Megahorn's shoddy accuracy you could easily stall out a Toxic. This is also of course considering I don't have Cobalion to go into, who quad resists them. Outside of Heracross, Weavile, Sharpedo and sorta Krook, Cress deals with other UU physical attackers very well and considering how well Cobalion does against the above threats I believe I have the physical defense side covered. One thing I find amazing about Cress is that while I EVed Blastoise to be a special defender, Cress still has better special bulk. She can therefore function as a good switch into many special attackers excluding Chandelure (though she can come into Choice-locked variants), Yanmega, Zoroark and Houndoom. Due to the downsides that reduce the usage of all but Chandelure for the above attackers (weakness to Fighting, SR) Cress functions as a great mixed wall, elevating the pressure from Blastoise and Cobalion somewhat, allowing them to take broader roles than Physical Wall and Special Wall.

Synergy:

: Cobalion, Mienshao

: Cobalion, Mienshao, Zapdos, Flygon

: Cobalion, though this type is a major problem for me, as I believe I mentioned Chadelure is an absurdly strong threat against my team

Dizzy (Blastoise) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish/Torrent
EVs: 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Rapid Spin
- Dragon Tail
- Ice Punch/Scald/Waterfall​

This Blastoise set is the main reason I'm here, I'm just not quite sure about it. One reason for this might be the fact that I haven't run any calcs, the second is that its homemade, like that Cobalion set, to fill a specific role that Blastoise might not be cut out for. However, the final reason is that I'm not entirely sure about its ability and final move. The set is supposed to Spin and hit reasonably hard with priority Aqua Jet, the phazing is a bit of an added bonus, and the fact that it can do considerable damage while phazing is another. The first thing, however, that I'm not positive about is it's ability. It's really a tale of two threats, Rain Dance Kingdra and Chandelure. With Rain Dish Blastoise can have 12% recovery against RDDra and phaze it away and against Chandy the idea is that Blastoise takes a Shadow Ball, gets in Torrent range and KOs with Aqua Jet (Again no calcs yet, so I don't whether this idea works, though after SR I think it will). While I'm currently running Rain Dish I think Torrent is perhaps the better option as Chandelure is a common spinblocker and therefore a common Blastoise switch in. Next the last move, this is less pressing, I'm guessing I'll rarely use it but I'd like to know which of Scald, Ice Punch or Waterfall sounds most appealing to you guys, I personally currently run Ice Punch.

: Zapdos, Cobalion

: Flygon

Conclusion​

So that's the team, its currently 5-0. I'll likely post a battle video to show how the team plays once I've narrated and edited it and I'll run some calcs to make the descriptions more precise when I have the time. Say whatever you like, but keep the criticism constructive (no: l2p scrub, etc) and try to provide reasons as to why your change improves my team (no: I like this set use it because I said so, etc). Thanks in advance!

Exportable

GOAT (Cobalion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Def
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch

Fashion Concious (Flygon) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- U-turn

Spike (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 SAtk / 252 HP / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Fuckwitme (Mienshao) @ Choice Band
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Bonerkill (Cresselia) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Moonlight
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Psychic

Dizzy (Blastoise) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Rapid Spin
- Dragon Tail
- Ice Punch

 

[Gengan]

I use Cresselia and Mienshao all the time. Cresselia is so OP and should be bumped up to UU. It's BL2 status doesn't do it justice and makes everyone think it's totally pointless. And Mienshao is just ummf.

One thing on Cresselia I could recommend is Icy Wind > Ice Beam. Although the lack of power is noticeable, the 100% speed reduction is great as it 1.) helps in stall-wars 2.) helps against Speed-based sweepers and 3.) just annoys the fuck out of everyone. I've used it on my UU team and I've had people DC because I just spammed Icy Wind until their Pokemon couldn't even move.

Also, since you need a Blastoise set, and you said it was more offensive, I could recommend my specially-offensive set:

Specially-Offensive Blastoise

Blastoise @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest / Timid
- Hydro Pump | Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Rapid Spin

This set is a little expendable to fit your needs. The EVs can be tampered with a bit, but this set makes it so Blastoise can come out and shock everyone by outpacing slower leads and obliterating them with a STAB max SAtk Hydro Pump, so don't fool around with them too much.

Ice Beam hits Grass-, Flying-, and Dragon-types very hard. HP Electric is good for opposing Water-types. Rapid Spin still gives it spin support. Modest > Timid if you want power, Timid > Modest if you wanna outspeed some stuff. Blastoise's natural bulk means it can take hits well enough and cause pain back.

Otherwise, nice team! :D

 

[Derpness]

Thanks for the rate but the problem with this set is it leaves me without a something to take on Chandelure, especially scarfed variants and leaves me without priority, something that is absolutely necessary on every team. While you can survive many games without priority a scenario will eventually come up where you have it, or you lose. I want to avoid these as I have encountered many in the past.

 

[Ace Emerald]

Hi! Your team is alright, I have a few suggestions. The support set on Cobalion isn't that effective, I'd switch it to Nidoking. He keeps momentum on your side of the field be sheer virtue of his power and coverage, and can still set Stealth Rocks. I'd also suggest Life Orb over Choice Band on Meinshao, as the ability to switch moves is really appreciated on a wall-breaker. It also gives you the benefit of U-Turning out after making a KO with a different move, and keeps your momentum even better. Finally, your Blastoise. I'd go with the standard physical wall set, as Water is a type best suited to walling physical sets. It's two weaknesses are mostly Special Attacking types, and Water hits can hit Ground and Rock (two big physical attacking types) for super effective, as well as burn any physical attackers with Scald. It's not a good Chandelure counter anyways (it can pack Energy Ball, and Aqua Jet is a little weak) so you don't lose too much.

TL;DR

Nidoking>Cobalion

Nidoking @ Life Orb | Sheer Force
4 HP/252 Sp Atk/252 Speed Timid
Earth Power/Ice Beam/Fire Blast/Stealth Rock

Life Orb>Choice Band on Meinshao

Physical Blastoise > Special

Blastoise @ Leftovers | Rain Dish or Torrent really
252 HP/252 Def/4 Sp Def
Scald/Rapid Spin/Roar/Foresight or Toxic

 

[Iminyourcloset]

Very nice team, bro.

Just a couple of things: I really like your blastoise set, and as you said, Torrent seems to work better for you, as Chandelure I find is more and more common than RDKingdra. And also, on Blastoise, I would suggest Roar, as although your Blastoise is Offensive, I think It'll appreciate being able to Roar SubCMChandys away, instead of using DTail on a sub, not phasing it.

Also, I second Icy Wind> Beam on Cress.

And also, If you happen to need more help in your team with phasing, you can always Give Cobalion Roar, but Focus Miss can be quite useful.

Everything else, pretty amazing ;p I wish you luck!

 

[Derpness]

Thanks to both of you for the rates I will definitely test Icy Wind on Cress. I've already switched to Torrent as a calc let me know Aqua Jet always KO's 4/0 Chandy with Torrent and after SR and 2HKOs after SR with no Torrent. I'm gonna leave Focus Miss on Cobalion simply to hit (or miss) Dark types that own Cress. I'll also test Roar on Blastoise.

While I love Nidoking, he simply does not have the same defensive synergy as Cobalion does with Cresselia, though he keeps the quad bug resist he lacks a dark resist, which due to Dark types like Weavile and Krook is necessary to support Cress.

In terms of LO Mienshao its another thing that I'll give a try, however, I've found the power from CB to be wonderful and I rarely need to switch around my moves.

Going with a physically defensive Blastoise gives me 3 physically defensive Pokemon, while I fully understand why physically bulky waters make the most sense in this case I'm kinda forced to go against the norm if I want a spinner.

 

[Ace Emerald]

While I love Nidoking, he simply does not have the same defensive synergy as Cobalion does with Cresselia, though he keeps the quad bug resist he lacks a dark resist, which due to Dark types like Weavile and Krook is necessary to support Cress.

In terms of LO Mienshao its another thing that I'll give a try, however, I've found the power from CB to be wonderful and I rarely need to switch around my moves.

Going with a physically defensive Blastoise gives me 3 physically defensive Pokemon, while I fully understand why physically bulky waters make the most sense in this case I'm kinda forced to go against the norm if I want a spinner.

The thing about resists is that they're only as good as long as you can switch into the Pokemon of that type. Sadly, Cobalion has a tough time switching into Weavile due to Swords Danced Low Kick, and Krook due to that killer EQ. Actually, Blastoise is a wonderful switch into both Weavile and Krook on the merit of pure bulk and phazing, as well as the ability to cripple/KO with Scald Aqua Jet. Nidoking however does lack the bulk of Cobalion, and if you're set with staying with him I have a suggestion. Switch Bold to Timid, because all the common U-Turners you listed can deal massive damage to Cobalion. You're assuming they'll U-Turn, but a lot of players see their advantage and take it. Just Volt Switch out, and switch to something to take the Fire/Fighting/Ground move because its coming. I see what you mean about staking physical walls, and if you're staying with your set I have a few minor suggestions. Switch Adamant to Brave and use Scald. Ice Punch doesn't do too much because Blastoise is slower than the common Grasses, and Shaymin has the bulk for a non-STAB Ice Punch any day. Scald is just so darn useful is Burning and making Blastoise a pain to switch into. Also I'll echo Closet in that Roar is invaluable in it's ability to phazing Substitutes, as well as perfect accuracy. Also as a note, LO hardly looses power from CB, and that Hi Jump Kick spam is so much easier when you can spam early game without worrying about counters switching in.

TL;DR

Timid>Bold on Cobalion

Brave>Adamant
Scald>Ice Punch
Roar>Dragon Tail All for Blastoise.

Sorry my first rate wasn't your style, hopefully this helps more!

 

[Gengan]

Thanks for the rate but the problem with this set is it leaves me without a something to take on Chandelure, especially scarfed variants and leaves me without priority, something that is absolutely necessary on every team. While you can survive many games without priority a scenario will eventually come up where you have it, or you lose. I want to avoid these as I have encountered many in the past.

Blastoise is still a good counter to Scarf Chandelure. Remember, his bulk is good enough to take a hit and it's a guaranteed OHKO with Hydro Pump if Chandy is brave enough to stay in, while Aqua Jet only OHKO's with a Torrent boost and rocks. Seriously, you don't wanna have Blastoise get to that point just to beat Chandelure.

Oh, and I second LO Mienshao. I use it on my team and it is a pure out bitch. I also recommend replacing HP Ice and Stone Edge with Knock Off and Fake Out. They're much better than the current options, and it lets you use either Adamant or Jolly instead, which are far superior on Mienshao.

 

[Derpness]

Blastoise is still a good counter to Scarf Chandelure. Remember, his bulk is good enough to take a hit and it's a guaranteed OHKO with Hydro Pump if Chandy is brave enough to stay in, while Aqua Jet only OHKO's with a Torrent boost and rocks. Seriously, you don't wanna have Blastoise get to that point just to beat Chandelure.

Oh, and I second LO Mienshao. I use it on my team and it is a pure out bitch. I also recommend replacing HP Ice and Stone Edge with Knock Off and Fake Out. They're much better than the current options, and it lets you use either Adamant or Jolly instead, which are far superior on Mienshao.

My Blastoise is 3HKOed by scarf Chandy's Energy Ball so even if I switch into an Energy Ball I still win. Meanwhile, your Blastoise takes 70-80% from an Energy Ball and is 2HKOed by Shadow Ball meaning it can't switch in. Your Blastoise can win from an even field (ie. double down, Chandy switches into Rapid Spin) but it loses 70% of its health at least from doing so and might even miss Hydro Pump. It could even potentially be OHKOed after switching through SR twice. Mine loses 40% from this trade and cannot be touched by hax as it will win even with a crit. Meanwhile my Blastoise maintains better utility with its ability to phaze and can take special hits well, which yours cannot. Outside of this match up this Blastoise isn't of great worth to me as this team is based around gaining momentum through the use of fast pokemon, while your Blastoise would be more at home on a bulky offense team. This set really is not for me.

While on a LO Mienshao set I would run Fake Out, it functions on my team as I have mentioned as a wallbreaker meaning Knock Off is completely out of place. I want this Pokemon to have as much upfront damage as possible to take down walls as nothing else on my team has the ability to take down the tiers' stronger walls. Not only that but that makes the only move on this set able to hit Ghosts Knock Off even after factoring the fact that its super effective that's 40 base power. This is in a tier where there is a thing called Dusclops, (also not to mention having nothing for Flying types is bad) without Stone Edge Mienshao cannot function effectively in its role.

In terms of Weavile and Krook, Krook is 90% of the time scarfed and locking into EQ against my team (3 immunities) is just asking for trouble. The Weavile I see most often is CB Weavile but SD Weavile could potentially be problematic (though LO variants less so as it would be fairly easy to stall them out).

I initially had Blastoise as Brave, Scald and would not be opposed to switching it back.

Dtail does 30-40% to RDDra which combined with SR would put it at 46-36% next time it would switch in through SR perhaps dissuading it from coming back in. I'll still test Roar though.

 

[Gengan]

I have never, ever, ever, ever, seen a Dusclops used anywhere in battles, ever. That's a horrible reason to keep Stone Miss. If you had said, "to stop Flying-types" or even lologonal, I would accept that reasoning. Maybe against Chandy. Dusclops? Never.

 

[Ace Emerald]

While on a LO Mienshao set I would run Fake Out, it functions on my team as I have mentioned as a wallbreaker meaning Knock Off is completely out of place. I want this Pokemon to have as much upfront damage as possible to take down walls as nothing else on my team has the ability to take down the tiers' stronger walls. Not only that but that makes the only move on this set able to hit Ghosts Knock Off even after factoring the fact that its super effective that's 40 base power. This is in a tier where there is a thing called Dusclops, (also not to mention having nothing for Flying types is bad) without Stone Edge Mienshao cannot function effectively in its role.

I have never, ever, ever, ever, seen a Dusclops used anywhere in battles, ever. That's a horrible reason to keep Stone Miss. If you had said, "to stop Flying-types" or even lologonal, I would accept that reasoning. Maybe against Chandy. Dusclops? Never.

But Mienshao shouldn't stay in on any ghosts, just U-Turn, or switch against Sableye. @ Derpness valid points, I'm just issuing words of caution. Yeah, D-Tail might be worth it, I forgot about your attack investment.

 

[ss234]

Hello there. This seems to be quite a solid team, but I'll try and help you out a bit.

First off, this is not really a momentum based team. Blastoise and Cresselia are two very bulky walls that completely lose momentum gained by your other pokes. Both seem to work quite well on your team(although I find that Cresselia isn't that good)though, and a spinner is quite a good choice if you're going to be using Zapdos. Spikes can really wear down Cobalion as well.

Unfortunately, there really aren't any offensive spinners in UU. Or are there? Kabutops is a great Pokemon, and is what you want to be using over Blastoise. Need a Chandelure counter? 4X resist to Fire, outspeeds and kills with Stone Edge. Or just SD in its face, or just Aqua Jet. With SD, Aqua Jet, Stone Edge and Rapid Spin Kabutops will either spin very well, or spin and then sweep. Cofagrigus? SD on the switch, and Stone Edge. Takes out offensive ones if I'm right. If not, you can Stone Edge again afterwards then Spin.

Secondly-Cresselia. Now as you mentioned Chandelure is a massive threat to you're team-and there's really nothing to stop it switching into Cresselia and crapping all over everything. Cresselia also loses all of you're momentum. However, there is an answer-Togekiss. No need to worry about SR's-Tops has those covered. Togekiss therefore is able to boost itself with Nasty Plot, and annihilate stall teams-as well as having an immunity to Ghost, which takes the burden off Cobalion significantly. Nasty Plot/Air Slash/Roost/Thunder Wave is arguably his best set, and with Flygon covering most of his weaknesses (electric, rock), and Cobalion and Kabutops taking ice attacks, then you don't need to worry that much about upsetting you synergy. Even the fighting resistance you lose doesn't matter much-Scrafty has Crunch for Cresselia, Heracross is going to be spamming Megahorn and Mienshao carries U-turn more often than not. Togekiss resists U-turn, and by running Roar on Zapdos then the Scrafty problem is solved. Not to mention that Zapdos is one of the best Heracross counters in this metagame.

Now with two paralysis supporters, you can stop using crappy CS Flygon, and start using the much more manly Flygon-Choice Band Flygon. Choice Band Flygon makes a much better wallbreaker than Mienshao-largely because pretty much nothing can take it's STAB moves bar Bronzong, who isn't that good in the first place and is countered by Zapdos, and Mienshao's Hi Jump Kick isn't exactly a small amount of damage on him(rather 51%-60%, so a likely 2HKO with a LO-definitely with a Choice Band). Gligar may be able to take two Outrage's, but what is it going to do back? U-turn out for miniscule damage?

Now onto Mienshao. Mienshao and Flygon form a great scouting core-there's no doubt about it. Also, while they are quite similar in that they are both physical sweepers, each do very well at damaging each other's counters. Therefore, Mienshao with a SubPass set would work really well. Basically, the idea is to come in on a Snorlax after a kill(don't come in on a Body Slam-you may be paralysed or dead-either way it's not good), force him out and set up a Substitute. From there on you have gained back momentum-which is what yu're team is designed to do. Baton Pass can either pass the Sub, so you're next poke gets a free switch in basically, or get a poke in unscathed if the opponent hits first which is basically the same thing. With Flygon as you wallbreaker, you no longer need Choice band Mienshao which is very easy to force out and give a free set-up turn to OTR Cofagrigus, a major threat in my opinion or any ghost in particular, such as Sableye. Sub stops Sableye from doing anything though-he has to rely on Foul Play to actually do anything to you.

Finally, use Roar on Zapdos over HP Ice. Only Rhyperior stands in your way now, and HP Ice isn't doing much to him anyway since most run specially defensive spreads now as of PK Gaming's RMT.

So basically, here is a sum up of my points. All of the sets mentioned can be found on the strategy Dex or in the UU analysis's for Mienshao(apart from Togekiss, who is in the 19th issue of the Smog)

Offensive Rapid Spin Kabutops over Blastoise
Hybrid Togekiss over Cresselia
CB Flygon over CS Flygon
SubPass Mienshao over CB Mienshao
Roar over HP Ice on Zapdos

GL and hope I helped.

 

[Derpness]

While your wrong about CS Flygon being crappy (there is a reason things are standard) you are right about Kabutops making sense for my team. I was essentially looking for Blastoise to do the same thing Sandslash does in NU, beat all the spinblockers, but Kabutops makes more sense in this role. However this leaves me with nothing to take hits from special attackers that hit Cress hard to to Tops' lackluster SpD.

On the note of taking special hits you recommend Togekiss, yet Togekiss cannot take physical hit for shit and would force me to seriously change my Cobalion set to incorporate it. I would rather just keep Cress for now.

As I said early CS Flygon is good. Questioning that is just dumb, you just shouldn't try, its been proven.

With that said the Mienshao set is situational but could work, just not on my team if I'm keeping CS Flygon

This Zapdos is supposed to take advantage of the advantage I've gained through Volt-turning and convert it into a kill, something he will fail to do if there is a Ground type and I lack HP Ice.

At the end of the day, thanks for the rate, I will definitely test Kabutops, however, I feel the other changes are somewhat gimmicky, or do not really help my team.