Introduction
I decided to make a team based on a few of my favorite Pokemon. I ended up choosing Umbreon and Infernape, seeing as UU was a Tier I used to enjoy but haven’t played much in XY & ORAS. The only other condition was that I wanted to run a Choiced Infernape and decided on Scarf to allow me to outspeed and clean up teams as well as not limit my movepool. Umbreon and Infernape compliment each other with Umbreon being immune to Psychic and providing Heal Bell/Wish support while Ape resisting Bug and clearing out threats.
The rest of the team was inspired by the Smogon UU Thread about Cores and me wanting to try them out (adding in Suicune and Crobat to support Umbreon defensively). Its a fairly balanced team leaning towards the bulkier side of things with beefy guys like Mega Swampert and Goodra who appreciate Wish/Bell. I’ll go into more details after listing the team.
Sets
Zero (Umbreon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
Main Pokemon of the team and one of my favorites. Wish/ Protect for recovery and the option to send healing to the many bulky pokemon on the team that can make good use of it. Heal Bell is especially nice for when Swampert gets burned, Infernape gets Paralysis, or even just to clean Sleep off of Suicune. Its EVs in Defense allow it to survive max roll Adamant Life Orb Flare Blitz/Superpower from Darmanitan (even after SR if its a Medium-Low roll) and then KO with Foul Play. It also keeps any max roll damage from Mega Swampert or Mega Beedrill below 50% so I can easily Wish/Protect and tank them for days. It can also take a Dynamic Punch from Adamant Machamp if it ever needs to (though not well). The rest of the points are tossed into SDef to let it keep its nice Special Bulk.
Croak (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Scald
- Sleep Talk
Crocune, everyone’s favorite annoyance. Standard setup that acts as a Physical Wall for my team and oftentimes a win condition for players who don’t have an answer to it. One of my few switch-ins to Fighting types/heavy Physical hitters. Scald for Burn and Rest for status absorbing/recovery. Baits Electric attacks to allow switches to Swampert and Grass attacks for switches to Goodra. The 16 Speed is from a Crocune set I pulled from the forums so I’m not sure what it helps it outspeed but I’m sure it helps more than the 16 points elsewhere. Not much else to say.
Jessie (Crobat) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 128 HP / 172 Atk / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Taunt
- Roost
- Defog
Along with Suicune and Umbreon, Crobat completes my Defensive Core. Crobat adds Defog, Taunt and resists both Bug and Fighting for Umbreon. It can also potentially scare out Fairies, mind-gaming them into thinking I run Cross Poison or something, but regardless it is one of my best answers to Whimsicott which can cause my team some issues if I let it. Again like Suicune’s spread, this EV setup is not my own so I am trusting it to work for me. Black Sludge is there for Recovery even though I cannot think of too many pokemon that would try to use Trick on my Crobat and I definitely wouldn’t risk switching into some of the common Trick-users (the Rotoms and Psychic types) for fear of getting smacked with a super effective move. I have debated switching to a Sky Plate or maybe a Sitrus Berry since I have both Roost and Wish Support.
Cesar (Infernape) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Close Combat
- Grass Knot
- Overheat
- U-turn
The second Main member of the team. I chose MixApe for 2 reasons. First, it is one thing Infernape can do well that separates it from other Scarfed Fighting types and can surprise some players who are expecting a Flare Blitz and instead take an Overheat or see Overheat and are not expecting a max invested Close Combat. Second, Grass Knot is my main answer to bulky Waters and things like Shell Smashed Omastar and Mega Swampert. Cesar’s job is to either do some end game clean-up or deal with threats that broke through my walls. U-turn lets me keep momentum when things are looking bad for Ape. My only concern is whether or not to swap Flare Blitz for Overheat. I do have both Heavy Physical investment and Wish support, so Flare Blitz makes a lot of sense but honestly I haven’t run into a situation where I specifically needed one over the other and Infernape doesn’t ever stay longer than a turn or two so the stat drop is less detrimental than recoil damage. In addition to that, aside from Suicune, I have no Special Attackers.
Groot (Swampert) @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
My mega for the team and my main powerhouse. Stealth Rock for when I get a good chance to set it and then 3 attacks to just plow through teams. Stab EQ’s coming off of ~430 Atk are no joke and for anything that EQ doesn’t hit, Waterfall and Ice Punch can. It is bulky enough to switch in on hits and the Electric Immunity is nice coverage for both Suicune and Crobat. His Speed investment is apparently standard on Swampert but I don’t know what it allows for specifically. My usual lead for teams is either Infernape or Swampert.
Barney (Goodra) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spe / (64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe)
Adamant Nature
- Superpower
- Outrage
- Earthquake / Fire Punch
- Iron Tail
Definitely the weirdest addition to the team and the most recent. An Adamant Choice Banded Goodra seems like a strange choice and I was skeptical when I added it, but it fits so nicely. Both Suicune and Swampert especially draw in Grass attacks that Goodra can absorb and then retaliate with a Banded Outrage. The other moves are purely for coverage. He is a battering ram that I send in on a Grass Attack or Special Attacker and push through things that might be trouble for the rest of the team. Goodra is bulky enough on the Special side to take quite a few hits and can survive a Specs Moonblast from Whimsicott and KO with either Fire Punch or Iron Tail. The Speed investment allows it to outspeed some uninvested threats like Neutral Nature Rotoms, Nidoqueen, and Roserade and still maintain its bulk. The spread in parentheses allow it to outspeed Neutral Slurpuffs, Honchkrows, and +Speed Empoleons. I’m still unsure on which to use.
Issues/ Threats: (Current Answers)
Mega Alakazam/Alakazam: Umbreon (relying on Focus Blast Misses), Infernape checks, Goodra checks
Machamp: Suicune, Crobat Weakens + Ape revenge kill
Gurdurr (Bulk Up): Suicune
Gurdurr (Guts/Assault Vest): Crobat Weakens + Ape revenge kill
Mienshao: Crobat (unless Stone Edge, then see Machamp)
Suicune: Suicune staredown
Bulky Water (Swampert, Vaporeon, Blastoise, etc): Infernape Grass Knot, Punch through with Swampert & Goodra
Chandelure (Specs): Umbreon
Chandelure (Umbreon is Tricked): Goodra checks
Whimsicott: Infernape Speed, Goodra survives and OHKOs
Virizion: Crobat, Goodra
Mega Sceptile: Infernape checks
Reuniclus: Bulky Calm Mind variants can plow through my team
Lucario: Crobat, Problem if sets up Swords Dance
Conclusion
The team is quite fun and the Bulk everyone has makes switching around easier on the HP bars. The team has issues with Bulky Water, Fighting, and Fairy types with little “real” answer to them. Heavy hitting Grass types that Goodra can’t take hits from are also super problematic. This team is not without issues. The team can take on those types, they just lack proper answers to them or super effective moves for them.
The most expendable member would probably be Goodra followed by Swampert. I think the two of them work so well with each other and with the rest of the squad that just removing one would mess up the other.
I decided to make a team based on a few of my favorite Pokemon. I ended up choosing Umbreon and Infernape, seeing as UU was a Tier I used to enjoy but haven’t played much in XY & ORAS. The only other condition was that I wanted to run a Choiced Infernape and decided on Scarf to allow me to outspeed and clean up teams as well as not limit my movepool. Umbreon and Infernape compliment each other with Umbreon being immune to Psychic and providing Heal Bell/Wish support while Ape resisting Bug and clearing out threats.
The rest of the team was inspired by the Smogon UU Thread about Cores and me wanting to try them out (adding in Suicune and Crobat to support Umbreon defensively). Its a fairly balanced team leaning towards the bulkier side of things with beefy guys like Mega Swampert and Goodra who appreciate Wish/Bell. I’ll go into more details after listing the team.
Sets
Zero (Umbreon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
Main Pokemon of the team and one of my favorites. Wish/ Protect for recovery and the option to send healing to the many bulky pokemon on the team that can make good use of it. Heal Bell is especially nice for when Swampert gets burned, Infernape gets Paralysis, or even just to clean Sleep off of Suicune. Its EVs in Defense allow it to survive max roll Adamant Life Orb Flare Blitz/Superpower from Darmanitan (even after SR if its a Medium-Low roll) and then KO with Foul Play. It also keeps any max roll damage from Mega Swampert or Mega Beedrill below 50% so I can easily Wish/Protect and tank them for days. It can also take a Dynamic Punch from Adamant Machamp if it ever needs to (though not well). The rest of the points are tossed into SDef to let it keep its nice Special Bulk.
Croak (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Scald
- Sleep Talk
Crocune, everyone’s favorite annoyance. Standard setup that acts as a Physical Wall for my team and oftentimes a win condition for players who don’t have an answer to it. One of my few switch-ins to Fighting types/heavy Physical hitters. Scald for Burn and Rest for status absorbing/recovery. Baits Electric attacks to allow switches to Swampert and Grass attacks for switches to Goodra. The 16 Speed is from a Crocune set I pulled from the forums so I’m not sure what it helps it outspeed but I’m sure it helps more than the 16 points elsewhere. Not much else to say.
Jessie (Crobat) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 128 HP / 172 Atk / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Taunt
- Roost
- Defog
Along with Suicune and Umbreon, Crobat completes my Defensive Core. Crobat adds Defog, Taunt and resists both Bug and Fighting for Umbreon. It can also potentially scare out Fairies, mind-gaming them into thinking I run Cross Poison or something, but regardless it is one of my best answers to Whimsicott which can cause my team some issues if I let it. Again like Suicune’s spread, this EV setup is not my own so I am trusting it to work for me. Black Sludge is there for Recovery even though I cannot think of too many pokemon that would try to use Trick on my Crobat and I definitely wouldn’t risk switching into some of the common Trick-users (the Rotoms and Psychic types) for fear of getting smacked with a super effective move. I have debated switching to a Sky Plate or maybe a Sitrus Berry since I have both Roost and Wish Support.
Cesar (Infernape) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Close Combat
- Grass Knot
- Overheat
- U-turn
The second Main member of the team. I chose MixApe for 2 reasons. First, it is one thing Infernape can do well that separates it from other Scarfed Fighting types and can surprise some players who are expecting a Flare Blitz and instead take an Overheat or see Overheat and are not expecting a max invested Close Combat. Second, Grass Knot is my main answer to bulky Waters and things like Shell Smashed Omastar and Mega Swampert. Cesar’s job is to either do some end game clean-up or deal with threats that broke through my walls. U-turn lets me keep momentum when things are looking bad for Ape. My only concern is whether or not to swap Flare Blitz for Overheat. I do have both Heavy Physical investment and Wish support, so Flare Blitz makes a lot of sense but honestly I haven’t run into a situation where I specifically needed one over the other and Infernape doesn’t ever stay longer than a turn or two so the stat drop is less detrimental than recoil damage. In addition to that, aside from Suicune, I have no Special Attackers.
Groot (Swampert) @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
My mega for the team and my main powerhouse. Stealth Rock for when I get a good chance to set it and then 3 attacks to just plow through teams. Stab EQ’s coming off of ~430 Atk are no joke and for anything that EQ doesn’t hit, Waterfall and Ice Punch can. It is bulky enough to switch in on hits and the Electric Immunity is nice coverage for both Suicune and Crobat. His Speed investment is apparently standard on Swampert but I don’t know what it allows for specifically. My usual lead for teams is either Infernape or Swampert.
Barney (Goodra) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spe / (64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe)
Adamant Nature
- Superpower
- Outrage
- Earthquake / Fire Punch
- Iron Tail
Definitely the weirdest addition to the team and the most recent. An Adamant Choice Banded Goodra seems like a strange choice and I was skeptical when I added it, but it fits so nicely. Both Suicune and Swampert especially draw in Grass attacks that Goodra can absorb and then retaliate with a Banded Outrage. The other moves are purely for coverage. He is a battering ram that I send in on a Grass Attack or Special Attacker and push through things that might be trouble for the rest of the team. Goodra is bulky enough on the Special side to take quite a few hits and can survive a Specs Moonblast from Whimsicott and KO with either Fire Punch or Iron Tail. The Speed investment allows it to outspeed some uninvested threats like Neutral Nature Rotoms, Nidoqueen, and Roserade and still maintain its bulk. The spread in parentheses allow it to outspeed Neutral Slurpuffs, Honchkrows, and +Speed Empoleons. I’m still unsure on which to use.
Issues/ Threats: (Current Answers)
Mega Alakazam/Alakazam: Umbreon (relying on Focus Blast Misses), Infernape checks, Goodra checks
Machamp: Suicune, Crobat Weakens + Ape revenge kill
Gurdurr (Bulk Up): Suicune
Gurdurr (Guts/Assault Vest): Crobat Weakens + Ape revenge kill
Mienshao: Crobat (unless Stone Edge, then see Machamp)
Suicune: Suicune staredown
Bulky Water (Swampert, Vaporeon, Blastoise, etc): Infernape Grass Knot, Punch through with Swampert & Goodra
Chandelure (Specs): Umbreon
Chandelure (Umbreon is Tricked): Goodra checks
Whimsicott: Infernape Speed, Goodra survives and OHKOs
Virizion: Crobat, Goodra
Mega Sceptile: Infernape checks
Reuniclus: Bulky Calm Mind variants can plow through my team
Lucario: Crobat, Problem if sets up Swords Dance
Conclusion
The team is quite fun and the Bulk everyone has makes switching around easier on the HP bars. The team has issues with Bulky Water, Fighting, and Fairy types with little “real” answer to them. Heavy hitting Grass types that Goodra can’t take hits from are also super problematic. This team is not without issues. The team can take on those types, they just lack proper answers to them or super effective moves for them.
The most expendable member would probably be Goodra followed by Swampert. I think the two of them work so well with each other and with the rest of the squad that just removing one would mess up the other.
